The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-01-22
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I i almost solemn. q know" he said. You think am making a joke out of the most stupendously serious thing in the world. 1t isn't that, Cecily. I'm not sure what 1t is. 1t seems to be that I've gone mad-drunk? ?-im- becelic. maybe. with happiness. But underneath I'm wholly and deeply serious. 1 love you, darling and 1 want you to marry me. I'll wait, if you make me. I'll wait week-even two. But 1 don't want to wait. Do you? No sir, you can't. Why need we? Come, let's sit in the car. You're tired standing there. Now, then. You don't want to wait a long long time to marry me, do you? Do you? Do youE
 She settled back into the cushions and refused with one flash to think of Anne and Grand and Rosalie, of the house, and the Very y-Fancy Educational Fund, and said hon- estly, But, Barry, l hant thought of marriage. One has to think about 1t, you know. A girl does' anyway-and man should. II have" he declared. "1ll ad- init that my speeches this evening have had an unfortunate extem- poraneous quality--thats your fault. You go to my head. The minute I met you l was afraid l was going to ask you to marry me. | was afraid all that night. The next day, when we had luncheon together. and ever since then. I've been afraid I'd never get up enough courage to ask you. So, with this and that. marriage hasn't been out of my mind for more than few second since 1 met you-and looked at you and loved you. You won't think Pm critical, will you, darling. If 1 say it seems sort of quer that YOU hadn't given 1t one thought?"
 "I'ye thought a lot about love-" she confessed. But 1 hadn't gone further than that - not into marriage"
 "Cocily," he said, and his horror was but faintly exaggerated, you aren't the sort of girl who goes and gets marriage all mixed up with monograms and guest towels and table napkins--are you?''
 "No,' she denied. But marriage does bring lots of other-well, practical considerations. Let's don't for while. Let's just be happy, and in love, and not go worrying about marriage
 Practical? He nabbed 1t grimly. So that was the trouble? He had forgotten to be practical. She was like that? Well---womcn, all wo- men were, he supposed. Tt Is this way, dear" he said. I'm not in debt, and l have n few hundred dollars saved--fd have had more but for the doctors--so on. l have a job fairly good because of It's per manency. 1t doesn't pay q lot. but I'm sure we could live on 1t for q time out here, with prices as they are. Other people live on much less. Later"
 Her hand, fragantly cool, had gone up over his lips. "No. Barry. It isn't that. Really 1t isn't
 He had wished to continue. and tell her again about the book. and how he believed in 1t. and Joseph Huntington, the New York editor and critic--who, marvelously. was also his friend-believed in 1t. and why: He had wished to tell her about other books, that were to follow this one. He had wished to plan and tdream about them and abotu how she was to help him. So though he. kissed her fingers before he took them away. he said, "Very we'll" with m appeal ing imitation of indifference. l Cecily thought, "He thinks that 1t IS because he isn't rich man He thinks that I am greedy and calculating" She denied 1t dcs- perately. No! Barry, dearest no! It isn't money nor jobs nor things of the sort. 1 don't care q bit about any of that. It Is only that can't marry"
 "Cccily. What are you saying You aren't married now, are you"'
 No of course not. But"
 His sudden relief brought resent ment with it. "Thcn." he said, suppose we take q shot at being sensible for Il moment or two and stop talking like characters in an O'Nelll play. If you aren't mar ried, and If you care for me as you seemed to not so long ago, there iS no reason on earth why we can't be married, and soon.'
 "Yes." she said. there are ever so many reasons. She spoke in small, conventional voice, us | IT Sne were IIakinR CHh'ly CVhNei- sation with stranger who was. above all things. stickler for the wholly sensible. You see. l hap pen to be ono of the heads of q household. If you were married now. and had n family, you couldn't desert them all and marry me at once"
 "Cecily, darling, what is the mat ter? I'm not married. You aren't married"
 But 1t is much the same. Anne and I often have said so. You see, Anne and love each other more than many married people do, I am sure. And we've shared everything including responsibilities and .u AD