| Show ey KATHLEEN t N COPYRIGHT KATHLEEN NORRIS SERVICE CHAPTER Continued Continued 23 23 And when'd you yon come down Tony asked d Caroline Joe picked me up at Bendy's this morning There was a R big fled Rell RedCross Cross thing yesterday and ant I had hat to todo todo todo do It And bows bow's the old office Just the same The same Mme old story Typewriters clicking and aDd the boys washing themselves es and dripping all aU over their collars and Betsy Ross floss mooning about some murderers murderer's little gray wistful eyed mother You doing signed stuff Three or four times a week And AndI AndI I run a womans woman's page we have two new Dew girls In the office now both Stanford graduates Im going round there tomor tomor- tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow row Are you going to have your office again upstairs It all depends Caroline hates bates San Francisco Yes but Caroline doesn't necessarily necessarily necessarily have to stay there I Joe and I r could have a very nice Dice time In Rio Caroline said for her her- herself her herself self You can see us off oIl I Youve You only oDly been married five fhe months I Joe observed observe l Innocently Five FI months or five fl minutes Caroline said Larry cant can't expect me to sit up there alone In ID the Fairmont while he be runs his old newspaper She likes to pretend she's jeal- jeal jealous jeal jealous ous Larry said with a little laugh that was not quite easy I dont don't like to pretend anything of the kind Caroline retorted warmly Tony perceived with a sense ense of shock that there was more moret moreIn t 1 In this than met the eyes Some earlier quarrel was lending depth to this one one I say seriously that Id I'd like to go o to South America with Joe If It hell he'll take me Caroline said adding with a n coquettish laugh Is down there l 1 I Well well we'll discuss It later Lar Lar- Larry Larry Lar- Lar Larry ry put In ID temporizing as she paused looking evenly at her brother broth broth- brother brother er And Tony saw the dark angry red come up under his skin She went vent out into the kItchen when Caroline went upstairs and began the familiar Inspection of ice ice- icebox Ice Icebox box and cupboards Wood crackled In the stove sto and Tony dodging the green thick smoke as she put back the Iron plate found Larry beside her This Is a lot of fuss our stay stay- staying stayIng ing lug Oh no its it's not truly 1 I We thought CUff Cliff and Mary Rose Pose might come corne All Im I'm doing Tony Tony said bringing forth a n half consumed ham hamand and hunting In a table drawer for her longest knife All Im I'm doing Is Isto isto s sto to reheat the enchiladas and cut the ham lets and and lets let's see ee heat up bis- bis bis biscuits cults and open plum jam and maken make n a salad Larry wn was not listening and she Began the Familiar Inspection of o oIce oIce F Ice Box Dox and Cupboards knew he was not Ue lIe said In a low to w tone Tony how bow are you Perfect 1 l she told him smiling No but I mean how mean how are you l 1 The little Intimate sl e to s did not escape her but there was no n o flint faint of fluctuation In to her steady stead open y blue wIde open eyes Happy I she Bhe told him with a nervous shred of ot laughter Im glad Iad he said in n a low v ton tone e with ft Uli his hl narrowed gaze keenly fixed fire fireS d on n her Do you realize that It 1 Is Ismore limore S more than two years since we hay haT hayseen have e seen acen een each other Two and a halt half almost Tony TODY agreed It was sprIng You know I was very III Joe told me Caroline wrote him you rou know And when when I would come down ends weekends hed he'd tell me You and he have become great friends ha haven't vent you ou Joe and I I Theres There's nobody like him Tony said smiling Her lIer brown hands went on steadily slicing the firm pink ham she lifted each slice on her knife and laid It evenly on the blue dolphin platter now flow well do you yon like him Tony Oh tremendously I 1 And are you going to marry him Larry asked Her Iler eyes clouded and aDd she gave him a dubious look slowly shak shak- shak- shak shaking shaking ing In her head No she said Then may 1 I say something to you Tony because Tony because I have hn an op- op opportunity op opportunity now and may map not have another Slay Map I I say that Im I'm terri tern terribly bly bly terribly sorry I know what you yoo mean Tony said her bright eyes fixed steadily on his the color coming up quickly under her clear brown skin Of course you know what I mean Of course you know and aDd I know what we meant to each other I had been ill III I was badly shaken by Ruths Ruth's death Caroline was right there there- Larry said And ADd as her eyes eres narrowed uncomfortably and she made a gesture of restraint he went on Sly My dear Tony TODY this Is no disloyalty Caroline and I hadn't been married six weeks hadn't been married six days before we both knew that It was a mistake Wed We'd been drawn Into It lulled It-lulled lulled Into It Itou you ou know what the circumstances were There In that little place with Ruths Ruth's mother d dying ID nurses there the doctor coming every ery day we lived lI as much alone as If it wed we'd been on an Island I 1 thou thought shed thought shed she'd told me that she cared for Phil Pol Pol- Pol hemus wed we'd seen him out In ChinaI China I never ne thought of myself at all all- all And then only a few days after Ruths Ruth's death she told told me-told me told me that I had been the one ODe always always- always even In the early days of Ruths Ruth's first knowing me when Caroline was a child She said we would go goto goto goto to Paris entertain she said that was why she he had refused Phil I rather thought that It was something like that that Tony said In Inthe inthe Inthe the pause The man followed her ber a lIttle awkwardly to the table and aDd sat down facing her across Its end Tory had a soup SOUl plate before her she began bean the concoction of a sal salad ad ne dressing pouring oil measuring vinegar occasionally tasting the mixture on the tip of her fin finger er Tony Larry said It U I had come straight ht back after Ruths Ruth's death would you have ha been wait waiting ing tug for me You know I would Tony an- an answered an answered with a full steady look I failed you Larry muttered looking away awny Carolines Interest Is men clothes men he said There wa waa wasa s a pause Oh yes 1 Did Caroline get her he r chinchilla coat coat Tony asked cheer cheer- cheerfully cheerfully cheerfully fully ending it The man looked up u uin p In surprIse How flow do you mean Caroline used to say MY that If It er e eve r she married again the first thing thin g shed she'd make her husband buy he her r would be a chinchilla coat Our marriage was a mistake mistake- mistake we both see It now Larry said paying no attention Its all like a u adream dream dream-a a bad tad dream But you dont don't mean Larry that tha t you and Caroline already Caroline already are think thinking lug ing of a break Ive come back here to work he be said doggedly She says she sh e despises San SaD Francisco society and an d dt hates the he West Her lien heart Is set se t now on going to Rio with Joe Joe- Joe yo Joe ou u t ther heard her just now I cant can't go I dont don't want to go I want to stay v here and dig Into my job lIe II e looked up and aDd his hia dark face bright brightened brightened ened with the smile she remembered so welt well Larrys Larry's masterful slow slot v smile And now and then take you yo yoto u to lunch he said Id Instead Instead- of smiling In to return she sh e slowly shook her ber head her face fac e very sober No no more of that 1 That s what I I paid for so dearly Larry knowing that you yO you belonged to her her- herto her herto to Ruth and pretending that I had hadaDY ha d any aDY rl right ht carin caring for each other a aright right I thought so then Im I'm older now note I see ace things differently note v Youre changed be he said In ul nil l the lovely ways way lovelier and aDIl In s so o many other ways changed Youre You're c outstanding Tony I dont don't ask as k you to forgive me I was contuse confused d with the suddenness of ever I I was changed too from too from my m- m Ill Illness ness Hess Everything at home seems seemed d far away and dreamy the only real ides were the villi villa and the hot sunshine and Caroline all In white being tremendously helpful and the kind the one lovely living thing In all our lives 1 Cant Can't you under stand I do understand Tony TODY said And I think she added almost timidly I think you admire Caro Caro- Caroline Caroline line Une more than you think you do Larry It seems to me now DO since you are since married married since you ou did marry so so-so so so soon soon- soon soon soon- So soon goon after Ruths Ruth's death Yes we both feel that we both feel that for that very reason we have no right to separate he be conceded as she hesitated But nut It was one of those marriages that could only have taken place In exactly that wa way Lf U we had hall waited a year It U we had waited until even een three or tour four months after Ruths Ruth's death It never ne would have happened Tony dipped her lIttlest Into the salad dressing tasted It t narrowed her eyes But nut you are not always un on an- an unhappy happy Larry Not always At base tase theres there's something that hold holds us together Only ODly she's quarrelsome Tony TODY and jealous I see the jealousy Intensely jealous of you yoo the man said laid Of Ot me It seems to me the shoe ought to be on the other foot But nut she knows of course how bow I felt how felt how I feel for you I wonder how Caroline would have felt It If all Ruths Ruth's money hadn't been Involved Tony TODY asked Idly It wasn't all nIl Ruths Ruth's money Larry reminded her ber quickly She wrote Joe of the legacies And Joe got a splendid slice and Joes Joe's the one ODe that that ought to have haye b iL And Yet You Cant Can't Love Him It It too Tony TODY said He n helps so 90 many maDY people Theres There's no end to Joes Joe's goodness And yet you cant can't love him Tony Tony Tony how blind Ive I've been I Its Its It's sickening Larry said with a rueful smile to have ha had bad had to have ha had all the difficulties In ones oDes life that I had to meet and to have felt as I did feel that itI It ItI I ever were free I could make my myown myown myown own destiny so wonderful so hap hap- happy happy py and then to have had my chance and aDd Instantly thrown it away Were you terribly young when you married Ruth Huth Larry Larry- Larry Twenty one ty A boy bop That was all And did you love her ber I admired her tremendously She was a great horsewoman woman you knoW and aDd she sh had hall a splendid stable 1 remember thinking her glorious galloping along those lanes In the autumn and telling her men In the stables what to do with this fine horse and that Yes he said with the thoughtful expression she liked best of all s1 on his handsome face I always loved Ruth Huth Not but Not but then there are different ways of loving I think she never had hall any aDY ings fags misgivings I think she was waa never anxious until you came along and every every- everything thing got ot out of hand the thin thing I find It hard to forgive myself One ODe cant can't always help those things Tony We after didn't-after didn't after all we what didn't-what didn't what shall Isay-be Isay I say say-be- say be betray tray her Not In actual fact no I didn't Tony TODy said In a lighter tone tODe as she rose to carry her ber salad dressing to the icebox I didn't surrender There were times times- times She smiled at him over her shoulder But we didn't she said I re re- remember re remember member praying about It hanging on to my code until my fingernails were almost torn out But ut Im I'm glad now every every woman yoman Is glad after after- afterward afterward ward when she remembers Coming tack back she sat do doat down at atthe atthe atthe the table with Idle hands looking at him frankly For that part fire part fire and flame and breathlessness and not eating your dinner and aDd lying awake all nl night ht- ht that part Isn't the Important part Is partIs It It never has bas lasted it never will It the man asked a dark adark flush on his face his voice olce low v No for It Isn't the right the wise and true par part Ton Tony Tung an- an answered au steered And ADd for the rest Larry serIously seriously haven't ha you und and Caroline a great deal In common I ent you two more In lu common than Ulan you and I 1 ever er C could uld have h had You like dinners dinners-chinchilla dinners coa coats coats- ts- ts I despise dinners I despise chinchilla coats 1 l It U yon you two had a handsome apartment In San Francisco enter entertained rained a good deal cleal were In on opera nights and polo meets meets- meets What are you ou talking about the man asked almost roughly Youre not youre not youre you're surely not try try- try trying ing l ug to to trying trying to persuade me that Caroline and aDd I are rl rightly mar married tied ried I tell you yon it t was one of those c i stupid things that men and women only do when they have ha lost their bearings when the they've e been under a heavy strain A week later we we w were re In Paris then ice then both seemed seem ell suddenly to wake up to come back to our old point of view We lVe said then We must make a go of ot this weve we've drawn the a of all our world to our marriage e we cant can't confess failure I nut But from that moment to this wc e weve we've never thought ht alike we have noth noth- nothing ing In common we arc are only mak mak- making makIn In ing each other miserable I 1 Tony TODY looked at him speculatively I noticed the gray ray hair Larry That began when I was Ill Oh Tony If It I could only oDly go back the thelast thelast thelast last eight months and have It fl nil all to live over again 1 l It was so BO sim sim- simple so pIe so easy just to bring Ruths Ruth's mother home and to come out here hereto hereto hereto to you I But nut It seemed to be a time when I had to plunge madly ahead dizzy ahead dizzy with freedom per per per- perhaps per perhaps i haps feeling that now I could do doI I anything travel hu buy a 8 country place have horses do do all nil the things that of late years ears hadn't Interested her her- And within a few weeks Caro Care Caroline l line ine and aDd I were somehow engaged and aDd even then I wasn't taking It all seriously s even then I 1 didn't real real- realIze realize realize ize that she was In earnest We had said Bald at first that of course we would daft valt the whole year then year she began well to-well to well and aDd I did too Im I'm not blaming anyone but myself mi We Ve were there at the villa with ever everything to settle discuss de de- decide de decide cide clde and since we were going to tobe tobe tobe be married some day why hy not at once and aDd quietly and not tell any any- anyone anyone anyone one for tor six or eight months Larry Tony TODY said serIously you dont don't have ha to tell me Nobody knows better than I how easily one can caD do a thins thing In one mood and wonder about It In another aDother It was the first touch of anything lIke l ike s sympathy like tenderness she had shown him and he grasped at atIt atit atIt It eagerly Tony only promise me this that whatever the complications of the next year are whatever er Caroline Caro Caro- Caroline line UDe and I decide to do you'll be bemy bemy bemy my friend I may have your friendship mayn't I Tony TODY You and aDd I may see sec ee each ach other and talk things over and go back k to the theold theold theold old days when we Ve used to go to lunch at one and talk until halt haIr past half past three I dont don't like to remember those days l I Tony said smiling And ADd In Inthe Inthe Inthe the silence Joe put his head ID to atthe at atthe atthe the door and aDd asked Do |
