Evening star., 1932-09-12
INSTALLMENT xxx.

INSTALLMENT xxx.
YEAN would not leave Aubrey alone
"IIl stay here until the am
~ bulance comes" she said and re-
fused to change her mind.
Dr.. Junet finally consented. I'll
be back as quickly as possible and
take you home" he said.
Jean watched the two men 60 down
the steps, the stronger Of the two lean
ing on the weaker. But, after all, was
not the weaker the stronger? This
thoughe came to her in that moment,
and she felt queer nausea.
She paced frantically through the
house, not seeing the big rooms with
their shrouded furniture. Now she
went upstairs and paused at the door
of the room where the still figure of
Aubrey lay under the sheet. A few
hesitant steps forward, q gasping, hys-
terical cry and she fed down the stairs
once again.
At last they came, the ambulance, DR..
Allison, and two men with q stretcher.
Jean directed them upstairs, and went
into the drawing room until they came
down again and carried their burden
out the front door. When they had
gone, there alone in the tragic hidden
house, she tried to think, tried to face
the situation.
Late that afternoon Dr. Junet entered
the house with pass key Martin had
given him and found her sitting there
III rigid silence. He would have given
all he possessed in that moment II he
could have saved her this suffering, If
he could have wiped out the dastardly
thing that Martin had done in bringing
her here, in taking advantage Of her
youth and innocence. It was a long
time before he was to find forgiveness
in his heart for his lifelong friend
Now there was nothing but bitterness,
and q determination to sever his connec-
ton with the bureau as quickly as pos
Sible, for he could never again carry on
the work with the spontaneous interest
Of the past
Jean, darling" he said, and drew
her into his arms, holding her there
for a long while doing his utmost to
comfort her.
I'm going to take you home. now"
he said ''You should be In bed. III
give you something to make you sleep"
Il can never sleep again it seems.
Why did this terrible thing happen to
me? Why am I so unlucky? Nothing
is ever right in my life for long at
time. 49,"
Some day, dear, everything will be
Just as you wish. Let us not talk Of
that now. Come, don't you want to
run upstairs and freshen up bit before
you 60 home? You don't want the
nurse, or Marcia. to see you this way"
I don't care. III have to tell
Marcia. Aubrey is dead. he has been
living with 'us-we have to bury
Obediently, she went upstairs, how
ever, avoiding that room with its brok-
, en- vase. its terrible disorder. She went
down the corridor to. the end and into
room which she knew at once be-
longed to Martins mother. For there
was portrait on the wall, a sweet
! faced gentle-wonlan, with a protecting
arm about curly-headed boy who was
looking up into her eyes.
This was sanctuary. she could not
go in there. she found another room
with bath and scrubbed her face Wig
orously with cold water and banished
the traces of tears, though her eyes
were still swollen and red. DR.. Junet
said nothing, but tenderly tucked her
hand in his arm and took her out to
the car. All the way home, he talked
OF fnconsequential things, trying to re-
store her to some measure Of calm, and
| realizing that his best efforts were more
or less in vain. In his wisdom, he
knew that here was an experience that
| must leave scar. 1t was thwarted
romance, disillusioned love, and he
| ragged In his heart at man who could
| blunder so horribly as Martin had
blundered. when a girl as worthy, as
/ desirable as Jean. had been the victim.
| 1t was unfortunate that Marcia was
| home.
With her quick intuition as far as
Jean was concerned, she knew in
stantly that something serious was
| wrong.
What's happened?" she asked DR..
Junet, when Jean went into her own
room, without stopping to relate the
details of her past "a hours in ex-
| uberant enthusiasm, as she would have
done under ordinary circumstances
Jean came into the room before he
could answer. She had taken of her
| hat and brushed her hair. but her face
showed the signs of suffering she had
been through. Now, she sat down in