The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-01-19

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II won't read It," she cried. "It's
cruel-cruel and SO unjust! What
do they know Of you, anyway"
Paul stood up.
"They know what have shown
them, suppose" he said. AFTER
all, my dear, people are very often
judged by the company they keep.
And l."
! "ohl" The color drained from
her face. And you have been
have been with me constant
ly, and my name is byword.
and"
my darling" He was at her side
instantly, his arms around her.
"Ardath, my love, my life, don't say
that. You know didn't mean that.
You are all I have and all ever
hope to have. YOU"
She put her fingers on his, lips
and looked up, hurt and serious.
II know you didn't mean 1t,
she said gently. But it's true.
These people whom everyone sud-
denly seems to find SO - so dis
tasteful, are my people, after all.
They're my friends, the friends I've
always had. I'm a part OF that set.
I have brought this on you. Oh,
Paul, Paul, my darling, what am I
doing to your"
He held her close.
you are doing nothing to me,
he said, except make my life
free. The rest - II doesn't mat
ter, after all. The world at large
may think what 1t pleases. have
you, and that's enough. It's every
thing"
Yet it was not shrugged off
quite as simply as that. A shad-
ow had fallen across them, and
1t was a shadow that would not be
talked out Of existence. 1t was the
shadow, perhaps, Of throne that
had been given up, a shadow that
no magic could ever dspel but that
would remain forever, never quite
forgotten, to chill even the flame Of
love itself. Never, not even in their
most exalted moments, could they
quite drive 1t away; In the bottom
Of their hearts-although they re-
fused to admit it-they knew that
it was shadow that would 90 with
them as long as life lasted.
They left Paris and went back
TO the villa San Margarete. Winter
on the Bay st. Francis was as be-
nign as summer. The blue water
held Just a little more chill, per-
haps, the dawn light was Just lit
tie colder and less balmy than in
the summer; but the afternoon sun
light was still a warm blanket be-
meath which one could browse the
day away, land the evenings were
laguorous under the rich blue sub
tropical sky.
But it was hard for Paul TO get
back into the easy, happy-yo-
lucky routine Of the pleasure coast.
II his attempt to break away from
this circle had been an ignominous
failure, he nevertheless was COM
PEELED now to see Ardath,s friends
through the eyes of the outer world.
Things he had barely noticed before
became inescapably clear-the emp
tiness beneath 80 many Of these
pleasant personalities. the desperate
fear of boredom, of having TO live
by ones own resources, the occa-
sional streak OF viciousness beneath
the surface.
Paul tried TO put these things
out of his mind. He told himself
that he was INDUCING In the worst
form Of snoboery; after all, when
ne had been occupying the throne
OF Northumbra he had found II
tremendously stimulating TO gel
away from the stiffness OF forma
palace life and mingle with these
folk who had made an art out Of
finding amusement. The people wht
disapproved Of them now were thu
same people who had dtapprovet
of them then; was there any rea.
son why he should let that disap'
proval affect him any more nov
than 1t had a year ago?