Show II b THE ic COMMON LAWI BY Y ROBERT W. W CHAMBERS I CHAMBER J INSTALMENT 41 I Sideways on the arm of his half chair I she aha stoop stooped d d down wn laying her ch cheek e ek I against Ills his pis drawing his fac face loser closer 1 am so SD hopelessly In love with I you you rou she murmured If It I make mistakes mistakes misi mis- mis i t I takes forgive me me remember only I that it is because I love Jove you OU rou enough i i ito to die for tor yot o very willingly He Io drew dreher her down into his arm arms I She was WM never neer quick to respond to the he deeper in him but her cheeks and throat were flushed now j and a as his embrace her she i responded with a 0 sudden flash of blind passion passion passion-a a m moments moment's ments impulsive self to his lips and arms arms arms- II and drew Awa away from him dazed trembling sheI shielding ins her face facEr with wih one ono one I arm J JAl All Ml Al that the swift contact contac was wag wa awakening in him turned on her per fiercely ly now in hi his arms again she swayed breathless covering her her face faco with desperate hands striving to com com- ml to 10 steady her senses to reason while pulses and heart beat wildly and anti ev every vein ran fire I No No she ry stammered thI this Is Isis isis is- is t- t 18 is wrong wrong wrong-wrong Lo Louis is I beg bes you t to tc remember what I am t to you Dont Don't kiss Idas me again I again I ask you not tto-J-l tto t to I 1 pray that you wont won't We Ve We fare I are I am tm- tm engaged to you dear jare I ll If Oh Oh-It Oh Oh-l Oh it is I wrong wrong wrong-wrong wrong now now now- all aU wrong between us I Valerie he e stammered I you you care nothing for any law nor law nor do I now I-now now o I do You dont don't understand me Let me go Louis Louls you Louis you dont don't love me roe enough This This This-this this is m nuttiness madness ness you wickedness Wickedness you ou cant can't love me roe You don't dont you dont you cantlI I do love you Valerie Valerie- Valere- Valere No No no or r you would let me go goor gor or r or you would not kiss me again again- She freed herself br breathless crimson crimson crimson crim crim- son with wih shame and anger avoiding his Ills ey eyes s. s and slipped out of his Ills embrace embrace embrace em em- brace to her knees knees' sank down on the rug fug at 1 hi his feet and laid her head ag against the chair breathing fast tast both smal hands pressed to her breast For a a few minutes minutes' he let her lie He lieso lieso 80 so then stooping over her white lipped trembling What can you If if we the wind She began bagan to cry cr softly You dont don't understand rou rou nd-rou you never have understood I I I understand thi this that I am ready to take lake yo you In your our w way y now I cannot can can- can not live lve without you and I wont won't I caro care no longer how I 1 take you or when or where as a long aa as a I can have you ou for mine to keep forever to love Jove to watch over to worship S S S D Dear Dear will you speak to me She shook her her head desolately where it It lay now against his knees amid its tumbled hair Then he asked aked again for tor liar her forgiveness for tor- almost fiercely for passion still swayed him with wih every assion word He told her he he loved her adored her could not endure life le without her that he was a only too happy appy to take I her on any terms she offered Louis Louls she said in a voice made very ver small mal and low by the crossed arms muffling her face I 1 a am won wondering wondering won dering whether you will wf ever know kow what hat love I 1 is Have Havo I not proved that I love Jove you 7 f r dont I dont don't dont know what it It Is Ia you have have proved We were engaged to toe e each ch other and and and and I thought thought you cared nothing for tor such conventions She began to cry cr again silently Valerie Valerie darling darling No you No you dont don't understand she sha sobbed Understand UnderHand what what dearest dearest dear dear dearest rest r- r est est eat That I thought our love Jove was waa Wa its It own protection protection and and and mine He ma made no answer answer She knelt kel there silent tot for a little while then put her hand up appealingly appeal- appeal I bIgly for his handkerchief I I have beep been beel very happy in loving you you she faltered I have promised you all al there is of ot m myself self And you have already had my best beat self The I rest whatever rest whatever it I is whatever Is-whatever happens happens happens hap hap- pens to me me-I me meI I have promised promised so so that that there will wm be nothing of ot this girl called caled Valerie West which is not all al yours yours all yours all all ver al-ver every all every thought Louis Luis every ever pulse beat beat mind mind soul body S S 5 But Bul no future day Gay had been set I had tho thought of none as yet yet Still since Still since I knew I was to be to you what I am an to be I have been very ver busy buly preparing g for tor it mind It-mind I mind soul my little earthly possessions my p personal affairs in their small rou rou- tine No bride In your world busy with her trousseau has been a I happier happi r dreamer tha than I have Louis You dont don't know how true tre I have tried tred to be to myself and arid to the the truth as asI as asI asI I understand it it-as it a as true tre as an a I have been to you ou in thought and deed deed S S S And somehow what threatened a a 3 moment since since frightens frightens me humiliates humiliates hu bu- hu- hu me meShe me- me me meShe I She lifted her ner head and nd up at him with wih dimmed ey eyes eye s You were untrue to y yourself Louis Louis to Luis to to your own idea Idea of ot truth And you were untrue to me rae And Ad for tor the first time I l look ok at you ashamed and shamed Yes he said very ver white Why did you offer otter our our love such I an insult Insul she asked Ho Homade made no answer I Was it I because In your heart you hold a a girl lightly who promised to to give herself to you for tor your own owns s sake ke renouncing the marriage e vows Good God God God- Then Then Is is it it because you you ou Jo o no yet love me enough For I swill not give ove myself to you until you di dma dl He hung his head 1 I 1 think that is Ia It she said sor sor- s I No Im I'm Im I'm Im no good h he said And nd nd that's the te truth Valerie Valere A dark flush stained his hi's face and he tur turned d di it i away sitting there In silence hl his t tense nse clasp tightening on the arms arm of ot the te chair char Then he said still not meeting her eyes Whatever your beliefs belets are you practice o them you are ara true to your convictions loyal Joyal to yourself I am I only a miserable rotten specimen of man who Is Is' true tue to nothing nothing not not even evento evento evento to himself Im I'm Im not worth your to tro trouble ble Valerie Louis I Well WeB what nm am I U he demanded In fierce tierce disgust I ha hay have told you that 1 I I believe in the conventions conventions and and and I violate very every one ono of them Im I'm Im a spectacle for the gods and men His Ils face ce was stern with wih self disgust he Iso for forced ed himself to meet her gaze wincing under it i but he went on I t r t know well enough that I 1 deserve deerve your contempt Ive I've 1 acquired plenty o of I i self contempt already But I X do love you ou God knows Mow ow or r tn In n what manner man man- tier ner er bu hut but t. t I bye loye you yon 01 cur that tha t I am am Tand T- T 1 and I 1 res respect you you you-oh oh more than you understand Valerie And if i I 1 ask your our mercy on such such a a. a man man AS I am Am m. m it itIs ls is not because I deserve It it ps My y mercy Louis Sh She m rose to tp her knees and laid b both buth th hands o on his shoulder shoulders You are only a a. a man roan dear dear dear with all aU the the lovable faults fauls and sins and contradictions of one But there Is Is' no no r real al depravity in you you any more more than there Is la In me Only Only Only- Only Only-I i think you are a little more selfish than I Iam am you am-you you lose Jose self comm self command s1 commard pd- pd s she e eI I blushed blushed but but that is because you are only a man after ater all aJ C C C I think i per perhaps aps that a a girls girl's love bye is different I In many ways Dear hear my love for tor you u Is perfectly hon honest st st. You believe i It I dont don't you If for tor one moment J I thought it was otherwise Id I'd td ne never ner r let Jet you see ace mo mc again If I I thought for one moment that tha anything i i spiritual w was s to be gained for us by I denying that love to you or to myself my- my I self self self-or or r by living ing out life le alone without with lout out you I have the courage to t do it Do you you- you doubt it I I No No Nohe he said She sighed and her gaze passed j I I from his an and became remote for or a a. moment then I I want to live lve my life with wih you you 1 she said wistfully I want to be toI to I you ou alt all that the woman you you love I could possibly be But Iut to me rae me the I giving of ot myself to you ou is to be in my he heart rt a a ceremony more solemn than any In the world world and and It I Is Iq Jo io any be a rite rie at which my soUl shall serve sere on its Is knees Louis Dearest Dearest dearest he breathed I 1 know know know-I I understand understand-I I ask alt yo your r pardon pardon par par par- don And I worship you Then a swift swit s smiling change passed over her face and her hands still sun resting on his shoulders kneeling g there ther before him she bent forward and kissed him on the forey forehead ad P Pay Pax she said You are forgiven I Love me rite enough Louis And when whim I am m quite sure you do then then then-then- then you may ask me me and I will wit answer you I love you now enough A Are re you ou sure cure 1 Yes Then Then ask Then ask she said faintly y His is lips Ups moved in a voiceless question ques ques- a que tion an she could n Qt t hear him but she cbs understood In a year 1 I think she answered forcing her eyes to te meet t hi hiS but He the delicate rose color was as as playing ov over r her er cheeks and throat throat As long as a hat that That is not long Jong Besides p perhaps you wont won't learn team to love me enough even by that time Do you think YO you will wU If Jf you really think so perhaps so-perhaps perhaps In June June June- She watched him as h he pressed her hands together and kissed them laughed a little Ute shyly as an al she su suddenly sod sud d denly deply divined a new nw tenderness and andr r respect In his eyes something eyes something matchIng matchIng matchIng match- match Ing the thc vague a e exaltation of pt her own ow romantic dreams I will watt walt all al my life if you wish it If h he said IDo Do Do you mean it t i f You know knowl I do now She Rhe considered him n 1 It I if you ou truly do feel that way perhaps way perhaps perhaps It I. I might r realty really aty be in June June June or 01 in July July July- You said June June Listen to the the d decree of ot the I great t Jod pod god Kelly Kely He says it I must roust be inJune In InJune June and he shakes his thunderbolts and frowns June Say BO so Valerie You have said so But theres there's no iQ use in In- my saying so Oh if dearl deall she exclaimed the great god totters on his pedestal and the oracle falters and I see the mere roan man looking very humbly around the cor corner of the shrine at me whisper ing June if you please dear lady Yes he said what you see and hear Now answer me roe dear And what am I to say June please she repeated de tie tie- June please June please You darling What day Oh that's too early to decide decide- Please dear No I dont don't want to decide decide- Dearest What Wont you answer me If you me answer now I Ill I'll II bo be tempted to fix the first of April All right fix it It Its All Fools Fool's day you know she threatened Probably it is peculiarly peculiarly suitable for us e S S. S Very Very- well then Ill I'll say it s sTo To be continued |