Evening star., 1933-04-27
LUXURY
LINER
INSTALLMENT XXXIII.
BY Gina Klaus
(Oopyright, 1888. By Gina Kaux)

y
gentheim's cabin. Since no
one answered Come in," he
i opened the door. From the
bath room there came laugh
ter, the clear, joyous laughter OF two
people. Through the door, which was
ajar, he saw Boris, a towel round the
neck, his face covered with lather. and
Friederike beside him, welding his
safety razor.
"D'you want to see the woman who
murdered her brother?" asked Boris.
Friederike laughed as she waved the
razor about with an extravagant Ges-
ture.
Thomas hardly trusted his eyes. He
had never seen Friederike in this
mood. She was jolly, marvellous
creature Of spontaneous grace.
"Give that razor to me-" Thomas
said. Every doctor Is not much more
than an educated barber-surgeon."
And In q minute or two he had shaved
Boris.
During the last two days the baron
had showed signs Of remarkable recov-
cry. His cheeks, exposed to the sun
light, had taken on a rich brown hue,
and he seemed to have grown fuller.
The injection Of morphine which
Thomas gave him In the morning and
evening wasn't very great. Yet Boris
was In an amiable, reasonably good
mood, and today he hadn't quarreled
with anybody.
Thomas noticed that Friederike was
silently and absent-mindedly looking
out upon the ocean, smiling to serself.
He had said to Miss Fielding that
he could not interfere in the baroness
private affairs; nevertheless when he
accompanied her to the corridor he
said. Mr.. Stephanson is feeling very
wretched this morning. He is a
changed man, and :"
Il am very sorry" she interrupted.
and again for q moment looked like
frozen statue. II am really very
sorry for him. If you want to, you
can tell him that" Then she turned
her face toward him It was entirely
frank and natural and she even took
his hand.
Several days ago I said . lot Of
stupid things in the lounge-do you
remember? Well, nothing came Of it."
She laughed as though she were re-
peating . silly conversation among
"happers."
May I congratulate you?" he said
softly.
She smiled. It was curiously help
less and, at the same time. humble
but happy smile. I'm nothing but q
stupid girl" she concluded with con-
viction.
After Thomas had finished his morn
ing round he found unexpected ex-
PLANTATION for all these strange changes
room in the hope Of hearing Luise
sing couple Of arias. But there was
no one there.
What had happened to Luise. he
wondered, and knocked at her cabin
door. Don't bother me- her voice
answered. The door was opened only
when he mentioned his name. Luise
was in her bare feet and had only
thrown silk kimono over her shoul-
ders. He face was yellow and haccid,
with swollen and nervously rowing eyes.
I'm not Ill., she said sharply. Il
don't need you
Within a minute her head lay on
his shoulder and she was sobbing.
You are the only man aboard who
understands me. You're the only really
truly good man I know"
He gently led her back to her bed,
found q damp towel and wiped her
eyes.
"D'you know that my husband shot
himself because of me?" she asked.
There had been various hints abous
this In the newspapers. DO you really
think there is such thing as justice?"
NO"
You're right, its all nonsense. I'm
simply growing old-thats all.
Tommy" she said suddenly, and
threw her arms around his neck like
guilty child. Il did something horri-
BILE last night"
He took both her hands and kissed her.
"Oh, Tommy, waited for such q
long while! He-you know who mean
Vladimir. told me he would come as
soon as the bar closed. You know what
1t means-to wait. didn't know 1t, and
didn't know either how much loved
him-how terribly and how insaneIy
Il thought 1t was merely another
Irritation, another mood-a sort OF re-
juvenation. I looked at the clock again
and again. And racked my brains as
to what might have done to him. And
then got up and, like spook, wan
dered all over the ship. Finally went
to the music room and there"
She suddenly sat up. She no longer
"And there were the two, Vladimir
and this Mergentheim woman, In q
deep embrace. lost to the world. They
didn't even see or hear me"
Poor thing" murmered Thomas.
"And then. Tommy did that hor-
rible thing. wrote Stephanson a let
ter. And I'm not so awfully sorry that
did 1t, either! am not in the least
bit ashamed Why did she take Stephan
son away from -StephanSon, VINO
might have made me famous in Amer
ica-and why now Vladimir? My dar-
ling little Vladimir, I've never loved any
man like him, and wanted to help
him just like a mother. Why? What
have done to her?"
The helpless, mournful, childlike eyes
In her faded face again filled with
tears. It was no use to tell her that
Friederike probably didn't even know
Of Luises love for Vladimir.
well. is that alp" asked Thomas.
Every well, you've got 1t of your chest.
hope you don't ask me to take thus
happer tale seriously. This great love
for a half-baked youth you didn't know
eight days ago! Your nerves are On
edge because Of this life on board ship
without stage, without quarrels with
your fellow artistes, without any ex-
citement. You simply can't stand It.
And, then, you're afraid of your first
appearance over there. That's quite
comprehensive. You simply went IN
for this love affair the way somebody
else might CaKe 10 0lcOnOl, or NOR
phine When you land tomorrow you
will hardly remember it. and, after
your first appearance. you will have
quite forgotten the name Of your Rus
sian prince"
She took in his words as q dry
sponge does water. There was no one
more inclined than Luise to believe In
a new life and future. It was this whicn
preserved the childish expression Of her
face, even when her many little wr1n-
kles were not covered with powder.
"D'you really believe this?" she asked.
She was more than half-consoled al
ready.
Il am so terribly unhappy, Tommy" !"
she said.
That's all right; it'll give your
voice more profound sincerity"
The first smile appeared around
Luise's lips She had now definitely de-