Evening star., 1938-07-31

stayo Was he so utterly devoid of human
feelings himself, that such things did not
strike him? Or was he so taken up elsewhere
that he did not care?
Savie came on Friday afternoon. The
funny part was, that when she first saw him.
she did not know him. She went downstairs,
and stranger stood in the hall. A stranger
with queer narrow face. ravaged and some
what battered looking - with receding hair
Then he spoke, and she knew. He held
both her hands in his His eyes we're warm,
and his voice was the same voice that lad
thrilled her so, of old: margaret. You're more
beautiful than ever"
She stood looking up at him, She thought,
This is the hour l shall remember all my
life. When l am an old, old woman. | shall
live it over again My hour, when Saville
returned"
Then people came in and there was no
time for anything more. Hubbub arose, and
everyone talked at once They had tea, and
the radio blared dance music. and Leon
stood, lazy, smiling. on the hearth.
Decent of you to come, sil, he said, to
Saville, looking at him with half-closed eyes.
through smoky lashes.
Margaret dressed for the party her head =
in a whrl She stood beside Leon at the head
of the big staircase, receiving the guests.
Louela Grey was there, in the loveest frock.
Like a cobWeb full of dew picked from
September fields
Saville claimed Margaret as soon as she was
free They danced like lovers, cheek to cheek.
and the world looked on, smiling.
I've come back" he whispered.
you've come back at last"
And you won't be cruel to me any more2"
Cruel! The word Jared like sudden
wrong note in melody. For she had never
been cruel to him. She had loved him dearly,
always, and let him 60 because it seemed to
be for his own good. She said, WAS | ever
cruel?"
"You sent me away" he said.
She thought, Mortified, He's playing
game"
But he loved her. He must love her truly,
or why had he come back, prepared to face
what he could not face before? His voice
sounded in her ears, You'll come with me,
Margaret now We've been apart long
enough. You'll come with me, now 49,"
She had dreamed those words so often and
hardly hoped to hear him say them. And
he was saying them, and somehow, it wasn't
as she had expected it would be. She looked
up at him, seeing him for a moment as she
had done when first he came. stranger. He
had disspated look. He saw her looking,
and said, a smile on his face,
why so pensive little lady"
She got away presently and went up to
her room. She stood by the window. .and
looked out into the night. Lit windows play
ing ring o-roses all round her garden wall,
from the houses in the Avenue. An upper
window was bright in the young Wintons'
house. They would be going to bed in peace,
the world shut out. They had reality, in a
world of sham. The knife turned in her heart;
she closed her eyes, feeling sick.
She had told herself earlier in the day that
something had happened to her she would
never forget. That when she was an old, old
woman, she would remember the hour of
Savilles returning, and she knew that indeed
she would. For she did not love him any
more. The silver cord was loosed, and the
golden bowl broken, and she could not say
why. Was it. perhaps. that what she had
bravely thought life's grand passion, was
only the silly dream of silly girl?
The Wintons' window darkened A
motor car driven SLOWLY paSsed down tho