Show r THE WOMAN HATER 1 II In his folly he had believed that this moment of triumph would bring him happiness Ills His revenge lay here in the hollow of his hand and he had no longer the desire for tor it The one emotion emotion emotion emo emo- tion in his heart was shame Shame because he had ret et himself himself himself him him- self to ruin his friends friend's happiness Shame because he h knew he had fought this woman with a cowards coward's weapons and beaten her She loved him but he cared nothing for her The touch of her lips III's on 1 liz Hs Is Ishad I had roused but a momentary passion In n i his heart It had passed now and le Ie could meet the shy surrender of ot her eyes with steady pulses and criticise her Impartially What was to be the end of It He thought of the bet he had made with Parry larry in the club What devil of madness had possessed him to play with souls In such a a. reckless way There was no escape lIe He was caught fast In a a. net of his own making He us usand and this woman were fellow rellow prisoners Lallie began t to speak again wih nervous hesitancy is your friend I know and of or course you think I have treated him badly She waited but Faversham Fa- Fa did not speak and she went wenton on again If you had never come back into my life Miles I should have married him He lie was kind to me rae and 1 ad iad grown s so 53 tired of at not belonging to anybody Her voice quivered a a. little He lie will understand when I 1 Itell Itell tell him that I love you you that that I would rather belong to you ou than else in the world Oh I am sure he will understand laughed bitterly ler anxious words sounded as so ISO much foolishness to him lie He had gone through the suffering that had got to experience and knew how howIt It robbed a man of all reason and san It ity And she said hopefully t that at he lie would understand I think for his sake he said with an effort If you were to leave New NewYork NewYork NewYork York for a a. time He lIe paused with a sense of ot irritation as az h ho he saw the childish disappointment In her face For Kor years ears he had been free tree and un unfettered unfettered un- un fettered save for the shadowy chains of ot the past and now they were forging forging forg forg- ing themselves afresh about his life The future would be free tree of this woman and her love lie He went on with a touch of anger In his voice We e must think of him him him-as as much as possible And all the time he was cursing himself himself himself him him- self and his hypocrisy His mind was groping round and round like a a caged of animal vainly seeking some way a escape I She was quick to detect the subtle change In his voice olce and she broke In InI I ea I I will do as you wish of wish of course Anything You know Inow best I only want to please you you always always but bul butS S She put out her hand hanc as It If to touch him then drew it shy shyly away Miles If it I go you will come and see flee me You wont won't leave learo me alone for fr forlong Jr long lon will vIlli you ou r rI I shall come and see you OU of or course A little flicker of ot doubt crossed her eyes ees and she said with sudden eagerness eagerness eager eager- nes ness would be Oh 1 dont don't you think It better if It I tell him the truth f If It I Itell toll tell him that I knew you years ago He lie doesn't even ven know that yet If U I J Itell Itell tell him that In my heart I always really loved you only perhaps I did dM not realize It I was as so foolish Let it me tell him the truth Miles that Mlles that we each cach other and that w we e are going to be married He has so often orten said he only wants my happiness he will be gla for both our sakes you sakes you are his s 's friend Let me tell him the theNo f truth th th's No The answer came curtly and her eager face fell If Faversham had bad been less Jess concerned concerned concerned con con- with his own thoughts he would have have- realized how bow this womans woman's very happiness was pain She was completelY completely com corn mastered by the strength of her emotions They rhey swayed her hither and ard thither helplessly She had lost c. c consciousness consciousness con con- n- n of or everything but her love for himOt him Of Ot course if you would rather not she broke out tremblingly trembling I think for the pre present ent It will wm 1 be he e. e better not You say that will understand Well Veil I know he will not He will wilt hate me me-as me as I should have hated hated hat hat- ed Id him if It the circumstances had been the same years ago She caught up the two last words Years ago You speak as if you yoa did not love me now as well welt as you OU did old then He lie smiled ruefully I am not so young youn as I was then PerhapS PerhapS' I am wiser than I was then She gave a a. little protesting little protesting cry I dont don't want you to be wiser I want you to love me as you did then then then- to think that there Is nobody like me meIn meIn mein In the tho world She came close to him laying both her white hands on his breast looking up into his lace face with eyes of passionate pleading Do you OU love me as you did then Miles Milts Tor or an Instant she thought he was going to put her away from him then suddenly he caught her to his heart When you look at me lIk like that re le love than said hoarsely I you more any fool tool has loved In this world She laughed lau tremulously turning turn In her face tace and hiding it against his coat Im so BO happy she said Im so afraid that tomorrow I shall wake up and find It Isn't true Perhaps tomorrow you will wish you ou could said but she did not take him seriously Before that evening at l I used to to think I had had all the happiness happiness happiness happi happi- ness that was to be In my life lire she told him shyly But now I know Ive I've never really been happy at all until her her voice faltered and the white lids fell tell over tho the honey-bee honey brown edi until you kissed me she added in a wh whisper r But Dut there was little enough of ot happiness happiness happiness hap hap- in Faversham's heart as lie he left the house In all his life before he had never ne known what It meant to feel feela a ashamed hamed but now it seemed as f if it he could never look an honest man In the face race again Where was his madness to lead him I There must be some w way out he ho yo 4 told himself desperately but he could see eee none would hate him lm The sincerity sin zin- In- In of or their friendship had been blasted by his own actions this dishonorable dis dis- dis honorable thing would walk with him to the end of ot his life lite I Mr Parry called d this evening sir ry Id II at after you had gone o out Grey Greyson son t told him when he got back to his rooms Miles frowned He had no wish Ish to see Parry He would have given Iven a great deal to withdraw the bet made between them Oh I adore you The words floated float float- ed into his thoughts unbidden and his face lace hardened It had been clever of ot her to get et that ring of or truth into her voice b because cause of course it was not genuine Or Or- Or was It One moment he was sure that It had been and the next he Ie was reminding reminding re re- minding himself that she had always been an actress He went over to the bookcase and took down the book of oC poems in which Greyson had found the verse that had haunted him What did Mr Parry want he asked He lie didn't say sir Miles took the book over to the fire tIre with him and flocked the pages till he found the one he wanted He scanned the verses through with rueful eyes an awkward thing to play pIa with souls That the woman was light is very true But suppose she says never mind that youth youth- What wrong have I Idone done to you ou She had wronged him In tn the erie past She had done her best to ruin his life That was the wrong she had done to him The wrong which he had tt tet t tout out to avenge We tHe met Greyson's eyes across the room and tossed the book boole down on the table You can go to bed he said curtly r I shant shan't want any anything thIn more tonight Thank you sir Goodnight sir Good night Faversham drew his chair closer to the fire tire and lit a pipe What was the good of worrying Let the future take care of itself He took up a newspaper and tried to read but the lines of the pO poem m came between it and him What wrong have I done to you The words persisted and would not be dispersed What wrong had she done And then as f If In answer answer- to the question her voice came back to him with its shy surrender Oh On I adore you And Miles Faversham Faversham Fa Pa- knew that try strenuously to deny It as he might Mrs Dundas had spoken the simple truth In those words and that sh she loved him now as once In the past ho lie had loved her To be continued |