Evening star., 1940-08-07

6
wouldn't. She doesn't believe III
speak. She thinks I'm afraid of the
scandal. She's too daring-too sure
of herself"
But Mary was right again. They
found Ruby Neville at Agay, the
problem of her future settled, her
twisted career ended, her stormy
soul at peace. She was lying in
the ruins of the car on the rocks
below the road, washed by the blue
waters of the Mediterranean.
The Sanfords undertook all the
dreary formalities following the
inquest, but her death cast a cold
shadow on life at the villa till the
funeral was over. Mary saw Kit
suffering and she suffered with
him, but strange remote mood was
upon him, and much as she longed
to comfort him, she was afraid to
intrude upon his desire for silence
until 1t seemed to her that he was
not going to emerge unaided from
his lonely dependency. Then she
said with unerring penetration,
Everything you are thinking is
wrong. Kit. Please stop blaming
yourself in any way, and begin to
put the past behind you-"
They were sitting at breakfast
on the upper balcony, the morning
so lovely that the pines against
the blue sky looked like japanese
painting on silk. Kit looked at her
across the table, perplexed look in
his eyes. How do you know what
I'm thinking. Mary?"
Il know you, Kit, so know what
you would think about. But it isn't
your fault. Nothing that has hap
pened is your fault. No man could
guess or imagine there was such a
madness in Mrs. Neville"
IF only I could believe that,
Mary. You're not saying it just to
comfort me?"
Trying to be Comforting.
II am trying to comfort you Kit,
but it's true. Every day men are
falling in love with women without
tenth of her beauty and fascina-
ton, and only one in a million is
doomed to such a tragic expert
ence. You can be sure that unlucky
one would rather die than touch her
If he could look in the future and
see his destiny. So how could it be
his fault if he picks woman born
to tragedy"
You're very kind to me, Mary"
"Oh, Kit, how can you think of
1t that way? Don't you see even
now 1t wasn't you she loved-it was
you and your money? In her place,
I wouldn't have let you marry an
other women for a paltry IS 900 900
no, not for $4,000, ,000 Money isn't
worth it."
She added. seeing his brows
straighten out and the stern line
of his mouth relax, Il knew almost
Immediately that she wasn't what
you thought her-that she was going
to break your heart in time. Oh,
how 1 longed to tell you-"
why didn't you Mary?"
ut wasn't in the bargain. ANY,
how, you wouldn't have believed
me-"
Il don't know. She began to re-
veal herself in strange new light
when I brought you back from
Florida He sighed unhappily.
But of course I couldn't have i'm
agined anything like this. 1t takes
me all my time to realize it now"
That's what I meant, Kit. To
normal people such things are SIM
ply fantastic-and there you are
killing yourself wondering if George
Neville's death could have been
your fault. I know you are" She
spoke passionately, "It wasn't-it
wasn't. Try to forget it all, Kit
darling, please"
You're the finest girl that ever
lived Mary"
"Oh no, Kit-no-"
Happiness at Last.
He got up and came round to
her chair, sat on the floor beside
her, leaned his head against her
knee. She put her hand on his
thick dark hair. But that isn't
why I love you Mary. Love isn't
reasonable like that"
The words seemed to raise the
ghosts of a thousand hours of deep
young suffering. "Why do you love
me them" she whispered, the
breath coming hard through her
frightened throat.
Because never see you without
feeling that have been lost and
have found my way home"
"Oh, Kit"
eyes, must have loved you in
a thousand lives-I know it has no
end, but I feel it had no begin
ming"
He rose then and drew her out of
the chair. They stood together look
ing through the pines to where the
dark blue water met the paler sky.
LES Mile Pins is very beautiful,
but now that you are we'll Mary, I
want to get away from here"
$50 do I, Kit. But not back to
New York. I mean. not for little
while yet"
He put his arm round her. "It
seems long time ago I was be-
ginning to tell you that as soon as
you were fit to travel I would take
you away. To a little inn 1 know
in the Alps where there aren't any
people. We two alone, without lug
gage and without servants. The
country is grand and glorious, but
the inn extremely simple. Does that
appeal to you?"
More than anything in all the
world, Kit"
Then We'll start this morning,
darling. Go now, and pack little
bag"
She moved in his arms to do his
bidding, but he caught her to him
for a kiss before she went--held
her as If he would never let her 60.