The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-03-14
CHAPTER v

knew it. She enjoyed 1t. It was
cool and beautiful beneath the moon
lit trees in the garden.
"You are the strangest mixture Of
intelligence and innocence that
have ever met" said Rundhia. "You
are In love with all this. You are
thrilled by the exotic strangeness.
But it's all old stuff to me, remem-
Der. I'm a babe in the woods, too,
in certain sense. I'm as lost as
you are. Things and places don't
make life worth living. It's the peo-
pie in the places, and the things
they do together. II you loved me
and loved you-'
"But neither of us does" Lynn in
terrupted. 1--WE are East and West.
Europe delights you because you
can't ever really understand it. And
the East enraptures me for the same
reason"
$50 we've that much in common"
said Rundhia. "Let me tell you
something else we have in COM
mon. We like each other"
"Do WEI"
Eyes. One would have to be blind,
deaf, demented, not to like you.
What's wrong with me?"
Lynn's defensive tactic was a
thousand times more shrewd than
Aunty would dream of giving her
credit for:
"Well, for instance, why do you
dislike Captain Norwood?"
"For the same reason that he
doesn't like me-" said Rundhia.
"Cherchez la femme. Thank the
father and mother who bred him,
he's only an Engineer. If he were
Cavalry, might feel jealous. Lynn,
/ love you."
"How many women have you said
that to?"
Hundreds. But / lied to all the
others"
81 have sometimes had to lie to
Aunty. But I'm not nearly as prac-
ticed a liar as you must be. Let's
be truthful"
~ am telling you the truth. !
have always thought myself cynic.
I didn't know I had heart until !
met you. I have found and lost it
in the same moment. 1t is yours.
What will you do with it?"
His arm crept around her. He
hardly knew how she slipped away
from him. She waltzed away. She
ran along the path, her arms ex-
tended to embrace the moonlit
luxury of hue and view and per-
fumed flowers. BY the time he over
took her, her retort was ready:
Perhaps you don't like men with
red hair?"
81 am looking" he answered, "at
your hair. Iwant to bury my hands
in it, battle my face in it, breathe
the"
"Boraxl / washed it and the wa
ter's terriblel"
She escaped him again. Her black
pajamas vanished into shadow; she
became a beautiful, disembodied
head in a golden aureole that asked !:
SIS Captain Norwood married? I
didn't ask him"
"Well, why didn't you ask him?"
81 didn't care"
"Good!" said Rundhia. I'm 60
ing to make you care about some
thing else. Come along. I'll be-
have. Come this way"
He led her up steps to the top of
the ancient garden wall. There was
a summerhouse on the wall, sort
of kiosk; it had been swept and
provided with cushions by servant
who crouched in shadow. Rundhia
ordered the servant away. He went
and lurked at the foot of the steps,
but Rundhia shouted at him and he
fled. Rundhia led Lynn into the
open-sided kiosk.
''You have promised" she said,
ito behave"
do you believe mems promises
when they're in love? Are you as
naive as that?"
Eyes. Don't be silly. Let US look
at the view"
Look at me-"
His eyes were hardly less fiery
than the glowing end of his ciga-
rette. They made Lynn's flesh tin
gle. He threw away the cigarette.
Lynn, you romantic girl, this
scene enchants you because love
has stolen on you unaware. Neither
OF us until now has ever known
what love is