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Show rwd.SMHutchihsonJ 01901 AJCHUTOUKciOH Jp BEGIN TTFRF, TODAY. After eight years of married life. MARK SABRE realize that he Is ' neither understood by his prosaic and snobbish wife. MABEL nor by his colleagues in tho firm of Fortune. But and Sabro. A promised partnership in the business bus-iness has been JrniNl him und promised to TWTNING, a Jealous nssocUtc Suddenly an old sweetheart, NONA now tho wife of tho dashing LORD TYBAR, returns after two years of travel, Mabel becomes Jealous of Nona who visits Sabre at his office. Sabre susperts that Nona is not happy with Tybar, In tho conversation In the office, Sabre Sa-bre realizes that Nona can give him the sympathy and understanding that he craven. r.o on with Tin: STORY, Clearly as It were yesterday, he remembered the day fho had declared to him her choice. In the Cathedral cloisters. Walking together And suddenly, In the midst of Indifferent thlnRs, the told him. "I say Mirko, I'm going to marry Lord Tybar." And his reply, the model of Indifference. Indif-ference. ' Are JTpU, Nona?" He came upon th- picture of himself him-self alone with Nona alone with her watching her beautiful face and saying to her, "Look hero, there were three things you said, three expressions expres-sions you used. Explain them Nona. Explain 'There' -a 1th your glov. oil. Explain 'Fotsam'' Explain 'Well I had to come' Explain thrm, Nona for God s sake." CHATTER V. 1 But It was October before be asked ask-ed her to explain them. Tho Tybars. nfl he learned when he next met her, were only at Northrepps for a hnathln nftcr their foreign tour. Through tho summer they wero going the usual social round, ending In Scotland, Back In October for the shooting, and wintering there through tin- hunting .season. There was the occasion of a ltltlo dinner party nt Northrepps to which ho had come with Mabel. Major Hopscotch Hop-scotch Millet and ono or two others were among the guentri Nona came with them to tho door on their departure Sabre was last down the steps "Well. I shan't see you again till October. she said No, till October." He had no more than touched her hand and turned away. She was close behind him He heard her give the tiniest little catch at her breath. She said. "Shall I write to you. Marko"" He turned towards her. She was smiling as though it was a chaWInK j remark she had made Her shield' And he answered hor from behind his own shield, "Oh well, I'm bad at letters, you know." But their eyes met with no shields I before them; and she wm wounded, for ho Just caught her voice as he went down the stops, ' Oh, Marko, do write to me." He got Into the cab. Major Millet had taken the swat next Mabel As the horse turned Mabel Inquired, In-quired, ' What wn.s Lady Tybar talk-' talk-' ing to you about all that time?" "He said, "Oh, Just saying goodby " But he was thinking. "That s a 1 fourth question: Why did you say. I 'Oh, Marko, do write to me?' Or was that the answer to the other questions, ques-tions, although I never asked them?" CHAPTER VI. I A draper occupied the premises opposite op-posite Fortune, Euat and Sabre's On an October afternoon, Just before five o'clock. Sabre saw Nona alight from her car and go Into the draper's He put on his hat and coat and do-sconded do-sconded Into tho street. As ho crossed cross-ed the road she came out. "Hullo Marko." "What about having some toa sonicvs here ?" "I think that's a good idea." Ho suggested the Cloister Tea Rooms. She spoko to the chauffeur and accompanied him Nona began some account of her summer vljsltations. Sabro spoko a little of local businesses. But tho subjects were but skirmishes thrown out before dense armies of thoughtu that massed behind; met, and trifled, and rode away. When protons of dragging out the meal could no longer bo maintained, Nona looked at her watch- "Well. I must be getting get-ting back. We haven't had a par- tlcularly enormous tea, but tho chauffeur's chauf-feur's had none." Sabro said, "Tot, let's get out of this " It wan as though the thing had beon a strain. Ho put her into tho car. She was so very, very quiet Ho said. "I've half a rnlnd to drive up with you. I'd like a ride, and a walk back." I II Thoy were within the gates it had been a dull day. Evening stood mistily far up the long avenue of the drive and In tho distances about the park on either hand. Among October's Octo-ber's mossing leaves, a small disquiet rtlrred. Tho loaves banked orderly between their parent trunks Sabro noticed as a curious thing how when their stirred, hoy only remblori in j their massed formations, not broke thflr ranks, as If somo live thing ran beneath them Ho said. "Do you knou what this seems to mc"" It Hoems as though it was only yesterduy, or this morning, that you came to soo me at the office of-fice and we talked. Well. I want It j to be only yesterday I want to ) on from there She said ' Yoa." He hardly could hear the word He looked at her, She yvas as tall as he. Not leant of tho contributions fo her beauty In his eyes w.is the slim grace of her stature. Hut hor faro was averted, and he wanted most terribly to see hor face. "Stand a minute and loo-k at me, Nona." Ho touched her arm. 'I want to see your face " .She turned towards him and raised hor eyes to his eyes. "()h, what Is it you want to say. Marko?' There was that which glistened upon hor lowed lids, and about her mouth were trembllnc movement; and In her throat a pulse beating He said, "It's you I want to say something I yvant you to explain some things Some things you said Nona, when you came Into my room that day and shook hands, you aald, There'' when you gave me your hand. Tou took off your glove an I wild "There" And you said, 'Well. I had to come 1 And you said you were flotsam And that night when we'd been up to you you said 'Oh, Marko, do write to me ' I want you to explain what you meant 1 She said. "Oh how can you remember remem-ber ?" Ho answered, "Because I remember, remem-ber, you must explain." "Pleas let me sit down. M'irko " Sho faltered a little lauKh. "r can explain fcettor sitting down " A fellod trunk bad beon placed agnnt the trees facing towards the I parkland. They went to it and he I sat beside her She sat upright but I bending furyvurd a little over her "I ought to have mnrric-d you, Marko." crossed knees, her hands clasped on them, looking before hor across tho park. "No, you must look at me," he said. She very slowly turned hor body toward him Ho thought her most beautiful and tho expression of hor boautlful face was most, terrible to him in all his emotions. Ill Sho spoke very slowly , almost with a perceptible pauso between each word 8he said, "Well. I'll toll you. I said 'flotsam,' didn't I? If I explain that you know what flotsam Is, Marko Have you over looked It up In tho dictionary? Tho dictionary says it terribly 'Goods shipwrecked and found floating on the sea.' I'm twentv-olght, Marko I suppose that's not really very old. It seems a terrible ter-rible age to me. You see, tho Jugde ago by what you aro In contrast with what you were. If you're very hnppy I think It can't matter how old you are. If you look back to when you were happy and then come to now when you're not, It seems a most terrible ter-rible and tremendous gulf und you see yourself Just floating drifting farther and farther away from tho happy years and Just being taken along, taken along, to (Jod knows whoro, Ood knows to what " Sho put out the palms of her hands towards whero misty evening banked somberly across tho park. "That's very' frightening, Marko." ' Well, all the time there was you, Marko In thoso two years when wo wore away it got awful In thoso two years I knew I was floi.vim. Ono day In India I went and looked at It In tho little dictionary In my writing writ-ing caso. and I knew I was. Do you know what I did I crossed out flotsam flot-sam In tho dlctlonan" and wrote Nona. There it w a.s, and It was tho most exact thing Nona goods shipwrecked ship-wrecked and found floating In the sea.' I meant to hxvo torn out the page I forgot I left It there and Tony saw It ' Sabro said. "What did ho say?" In all sho had told him there was something omitted. Ho knew that his question approached (ho r Isslng quantity But she did not answer it. Ho had desired hor to look a', him, but It was he who had turned away. He sat with his head between his hands, his elbows on his knees She repeated, with rather a plaintive plain-tive noto, as though In his poso aho saw somo pain she had caused him, "You see, I had known you all my life, Marko " He aald, still looking upon tho ground between his feot, "But you haven't explained anything. You've only told me. You haven't explained why." She said with astounding simplicity, simplic-ity, "Well, you see, Marko, 1 made a mlHtaku I made a most frightful mistake. I chose. I chose wrong I ought to hav married you, Marko " And his words were a groan. "Nona "No-na Nona " |