Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1938-07-29

business, from which the rest came I?
You don't think I'd let that go, in my
life! But-you don't mean what you
just said"
"Why not! I've told Felicia I'll
join her in England if she sends for
me. But after that, in the autumn,
say, when her divorce is through, no
reason shouldn't go to work"
His fathers old face was too much
like that of a boy who had received
his hearts desire. People were
pathetic. Well, better to be rath-
er insignificant business man than a
totally unimportant painter.
The hot sunny days went by, in
which his doctor came and the mas
seur who was bringing back circula-
tion to his long unused arm-muscles.
His arm began to improve steadily.
The doctor mentioned date a week
distant when the sling would be no
longer necessary. For the rest, time
was suspended. He and his father
in their high-ceilinged house were iso-
lated in kind of island of relative
i GOODNESS in the Manhattan heat. Be-
cause he had been very ill, Keith was
grateful for the interval of utter eff
fortlessness. before it would be neces-
sary to go back to problems, decisions,
complications. He waited, until he
! SHOULD hear from Felicia and not
hearing quicki..., decided that she was
probably returning to America.
On an afternoon of late July, his
father was resting in his room, and
Keith was reading by the French win
dows in the rear drawing-room, which
faced their small shaded city garden,
where petunias made pleasant splash
es of violet and rose against the gray
flags of the short path, and a minia-
ture fountain tinkled.
The butler brought him card.
He read: "Mr. Eustace Gardiner
Dayne." He said: "Bring him in here,
please" And he recognized, with a
relief he had not expected to fell, that
his time of waiting for something to
be resolved was finished.
When Eustace left Felicia in front
of her fathers house, on that June
day so like their wedding-day, he
started for New Mexico the same even
ing, though he had not told her that
he meant to do so.
He had no desire left in him as
clear as the desire to get as far away
from her as possible, since she so
plainly did not want him near. Nor
ever had, perhaps. He had pretend
ed that she was "fond" of him. Prob
ably he'd always known better.
She was not to blame. Even in
his thoughts he insisted on that. She
had married him not loving him, and
he had known it. He had so wanted
the girl she'd been, that he'd been
willing to risk it. This was the way
the risk had turned out She could
not help not loving him. If she'd de-
ceived him in the most. shabby fashion
possible, she probably meant to spare
him by that deceit.
Only-how could she! Everytime
his thoughts reached that point, he
slid away from it. For he would not
blame her, and he could not justify
her.
He would have stayed with her as
long as she liked. But she snatched
at the opportunity her parents sug-
! gestion of an English visit offered
He would defy his own family fol-
her sake and never let them push him
into a divorce. But now he was sure
that whenever Felicia was ready, she
would ask for divorce herself.
He would have earned money fo1
her somehow, as long as she needed
it. But she would not need it long.
Even now she preferred spending her
fathers money (Which was Gilbert
Windows, of course) to taking his
And she would have Keith Sheldie's
money soon enough.
He could do nothing for her any
more. She would not let him. So he
!; judged she must despise him, must
| always have counted him stupid and
. inconsequential.
In New Mexico he was offered a
; job of sorts. He suspected it was Civ
en- out of charity more or less, but
J ne had no choice in taking it. To
finish Felicia's hospital bills, he'd sold
J not only his beloved hunters, but even
their saddles and blankets. He hadn't
7 let Felicia know; and when Michael
) Rendale offered to help, he'd been
able to say: Thanks; I don't need it.
: He couldn't do any more now, but un-
!. til the day she left his house, he'd
} looked after her as-well as he could