Show A LI LIIl Il II 1 i L J u o 4 SYNOPSIS Victoria Herrendeen an m odd odd looking looking vivacious little girl had been too young to feel fe-cl the shock that came when her father Keith Herrendeen lost his for tune tunc A gentle unobtrusive sou sow soul he Isnow Is now employed as ns an nn obscure chemist In fn San Sm Francisco at n a meager salary His wife Magda cannot adjust herself to the change She Is a n beautiful woman fond of pleasure and a 1 magnet for mens men's attention Magda and Victoria have been down at a summer resort and Keith Joins them for the weekend week Magda leaves for a bridge party excusing excusing excuSIng ing herself for being such a runaway Later that night Victoria Is stricken grief when she hears her parents quarreling The return to their small San Francisco apartment Keith docs does I life social not approve e of Magdas Magda's mad I and they quarrel frequently Magda receives receives re re- re flowers lowers and a diamond from Ferdy Manners a wealthy man from Argentina whom she had met less than thana a 8 week before Manners arrives es a few hours later Magda shows him a 1 Chinese Chi nese shawl that has been In the Her Her- i family for many years Vic Vie is shocked when she learns her mother had contemplated selling it Manners has It made Into an 10 evening wrap for 4 Magda CHAPTER H Continued II 3 3 It rt was on this night that there was the first talk of sending Victoria to toa a boarding school Victorias Victoria's heart rose on a bound of joy at the I thought This seemed to be a time of thrilling plans It appeared almost immediately that she and her mother were going up to Tahoe to visit Anna Brock Mrs Brock was an old friend who had a daughter Catherine Victoria and Catherine had known mown each other not very intimately intimately intimately in in- all their lives They had always rather sh shyly y lilted liked each oth oth- er Dad will you be up at all weekends weekends weekends week week- ends a pretty expensive trip Vic But once If we can a afford Tord to stay there surely you can a afford Tord to come up once Ill try tn It isn't going to cost us very much said her mother The cottage cottage cottage cot cot- tage belongs to Annas Anna's sister and our food wont won't be much Oh are we sort of boarding Mother Something like that Keith Herrendeen putting them themon on the train gave Victoria a little box in parting That belonged to my mother and her mother before her her youve youve you've seen it the pearl and on onyx x set I want you to have it it Victoria clung to him Dad youre you're not going to have much fun I wish you were going And she called back to him over her shoulder shoulder shoulder der Ill write you you you-I I love you youl For the first day or two Mrs Brock and Magda talked together i confidentially and inexhaustibly Catherine and Victoria did not care for they were embarked upon the most enchanting adventure of ot their lives All day long and far into into the beautiful r summer nights the two girls talked and laughed swam and cooked and walked together together to to- gether giggled their way through adventures that supplied them with endless material for laughter and reminiscence The little cabin was on the east eastside eastside eastside side of the lake it was so small that th the happy party had the feeling feeling feel feel- ing of living out of doors I A mile or two to the west was the hotel in a settlement of informally grouped lake homes the thc Brock place was all by itself itsell w with t 1 a little triangular sandy beach of its own Anna and nd Magda and the two girls concocted for themselves the s sort rt of f meals that women love in summer summer sum sum- mer salads bowls of berries boxed cookies fruits I Victo Victorias Victoria's ia's beautiful mother hl had for a friend one of the homeliest of women But Anna Brock had an odd abrupt charm of her own o and she was extremely brilliant She spoke French and German and in September she was going to to New NewYork NewYork York to tea teach h Latin in a boys boy's school And then Catherine joy Catherine joy of joys would joys would be placed with Victoria Vic Vie toria in the San Rafael boarding v school They would still sUll be together er cr cr Mother how can we a afford Tord J that Victoria asked one day M Magda and her daughter had swum s out through the shallow clear clearwater clearwater water to a great rock and were basking on it This i is a good chance to talk to you Vic without Anna or Kittsy hearing MJ Magda da said by way of l I reply a after ler a moments moment's hesitation Vic I dont don't want you ou to feel badly about this her mother presently pres pres- began Im I'm getting a divorce i from Dad Were We're in Nevada Nevada did did you ou realize that Aunt Annas Anna's cabin I is well over the line and on that day when we took a long drive we went to Reno and arranged it it Victoria was looking at her mother steadily she had not moved a muscle Now she swallowed with witha a dry throat There were tears in Magdas Magda's yes and in her voice and she stopped short and looked away over the dazzle dazzle dazzle daz daz- of blue water Oh the break is terrible I know that that that-I I know it now But after a afew afew few rew weeks weeks after after a month or two two two- everyone everone gets used to it and it-and and the two persons who have grown nervous nervous nervous nerv nerv- ous and irritable and wretched to together together to gether are arc free I But then when will I see Dad Victoria asked tears gushing from her eyes ees Can I write to him bim My darling of course And hell he'll come to see you youat at school take you out to movies Why Im I'm writing him toda today and Ill I'll put your love in It seemed less strange the next day Dad and Mother separating Still Victoria tried to adjust her thoughts to all the amazing angles of this new turn o of a affairs thought that she would go and see Dad often too if she could get away from school And perhaps next year he and she would have their little dream house on the shore for fora a few weeks and cook waffles warnes and scrambled eggs This was late August It was in early October that Victoria slim and busy and happy in the dark blue Dominican uniform with the dazzling collar of her bluejacket's blouse turned back at the neck and the pale blue scar scarf that marked her as a freshman blowing in the autumn wind was stopped as she was was' racing in Catherines Catherine's wake across the school playground Letter for you Victoria said Sister Beata extending it in a clean cool hand Oh thank you Ster Victoria gasped seizing it It was from her mother who vho was down in Santa Barbara with the Arnolds It told her happily simply that her mother and Ferdinand Ainsa y Castello Manners for you may as well vell have his whole name my darling although Ive I've only got the first and the last on my new cards had been married that day at noon n on Her father came to see her now and then on Sundays They were oddly silent oddly ill at ease with each other Victoria saw her stepfather only in flying glimpses for the remainder of her school life He and her mother were at th the big Manners cattle atlle ranch down in the Argentine for two years and when they came back Victoria was preparing for a second trip to Europe Mother Raymond Ray Rny mond had written to her mother about leaving her in the Ule school there for the final year of French and music and culture generally and Victoria had bad only one real visit with her mother before it was time to go Ferdinand Manners had leased the big Chalmers place in Burlingame Burlingame Burlingame Burlin- Burlin game Magda was back among her friends again and giddy with happiness happiness happi happi- ness riess and triumph Victoria spent a somewhat bewildered bewildered be yet happy Easter vacation there exploring all the garden paths and all the big rooms She came back to California at another Easter time eighteen years old and ready to graduate te with her class Her mother met her in New NewYork NewYork York and they made the transcontinental transcontinental trip together Ten weeks later Victorias Victoria's handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some bags were packed again and she went down to the Chalmers place for the summer j I The beautiful Chalmers house was open to summer breezes and filled fined with summer flowers the Chinese butler discreet in his purple and blue silks motioned her upstairs i I Another Oriental took her bags her mothers mother's maid who had crossed I the continent with them a few weeks before met her at the top of the st stairs Vic asked to see her mother Magda was in her magnificent bedroom a large airy apartment flanked by an enormous bath by a complete dressing room by an awn awn- upper balcony Victoria found her m mot mother o t h her e r stretched on a couch by a window she was not reading the magazine she held and her eyes were absent and reddened a little from recent tears At the sight of ot the girl she began to cry again and they clasped each other closely fly My darling youre you're home at last If It you knew knew knew-iI if you knew how Ive I've wanted you Magda Magd sobbed She instantly regained control of herself and smiled with trembling l lips ps straightening the collar of Victorias Victoria's Is I's blouse as the Hie girl giri knelt beside her Wa Wait Va it all wonderful she said It was perfect And at the end we nil all cried because we weren't all going to be back in September Victoria laughed But Mother dearest youre you're not well I Ive been feeling feeling wretchedly Something Mrs Manners said hesitantly hesitantly- something rather horrid horrid horrid hor hor- rid happened last night and Ferdy was arrested Her eyes filled again she straightened the collar again gain It was all rather horrid and it'll all be forgotten this time next week she said cheerfully So lets let's not talk about it Arrested 1 Victoria echoed aghast Why Why what what happened There was an accident I dont don't know just what happened Magda said her c eyes es watering It was all so horrible He had been drinkIng drinking drink drink- ing of course and he was driving May home they home they were both bothin bothin in the car asleep right near where the smash was Who were Oil If it had been anyone but May Magda sighed However they say the tte poor get well and Ferdy can stand the damages He was all smashed up the man they ran into and its it's a miracle they weren't all killed But if il hed he'd been with anyone but May lay she Oh she's a n cheap little Idiot I used to know years ago May ago May Smith she married Tony Feeney and divorced him and spent a few rew weeks In n Paris so now she's Madame Madame Madame Ma dame and she can hardly remember an English word And does Ferdy like her Magda looked at her daughter ruminatively answered mildly Rather And of course she's making passes at Ferdy Oh Vicky said It was theold theold the theold old atmosphere again Or rather at the Manners money money mon mon- ey which is very stupid for me Magda ended the subject cheerful cheerful- ly Stupid that's what it is for never look a at anyone like May Mayl And now tell me more about today today did did you say Grace Peacock was there Margery Kings King's mother I know she is and I know she went all over Europe trying to get geta I Ia a priest to marry her to Joe Peacock Peacock Peacock Pea Pea- cock and nice Vicky said slowly And youre you're adorable only you have those Herrendeen eyes that you must remember to keep open Magda said lovingly Did you get yourself some som lovely things in Paris Paris Paris Par Par- is Some Not expensive But I I got one yes one yes I have two or three you'll love Have you had it waved Vic Vie My hair No that's just brushing brushing brushing brush brush- ing and setting Convent bred and with an instinctive instinctive instinctive tive distaste for Ferdy and for Fer- Fer v R Iri c V I I IQ a ar r v t tI td tr r I d' d f Victoria Spent a Somewhat Bewildered Bewildered Be Be- Yet Happy Easter Vacation There dys dy's world yet she knew that she must either meet him halfway hallway with flattery and flirtatiousness submit to kisses and embraces concede him confidences and little harmless intimacies or he would not like her herat herat herat at all On the very first evening Magda told him good that he must stop carrying on with her daughter The idle days began to go by Victoria wondered what she was to todo todo todo do with the endless line of them that stretched ahead For a week she enjoyed the new life lazily then quite suddenly the whole thing began be gan to pall Magda 1 had her own beautiful suite of rooms rooms rooms-Ferdy Ferdy had his They lived entirely separated lives sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times they saw each other during the course of the day and sometimes sometimes some times not Quite often oHen they dined at the same house but the dinners were large and Ferdy went to them before Magda did explaining perhaps per haps to a servant that he was meeting meet meetS ing some friend first at the club for tor preliminary cocktails and Magda l always went late in great state in her beautiful ul car with her own er So U that at even then they had no moment together CHAPTER III Her mother was not happy Gallant Gal lant and smiling keeping a brave front to the world Magdas Magda's soul was trying to feed its itself ell on husks What she told Victoria Victor of the last few years was a story of ot disillusionment and loneliness in a setting of luxury luxury lux lux- ury travel extravagance Biarritz had been dull London dull Paris Pans dreadful Rosaries down downin in Buenos Aires where Ferdy's Spanish mother and Spanish sisters lived had been insufferable Perhaps I oughtn't to tell you this Vicky But the beginning of or it all going wrong was of course that there were alwa always s 's other wom worn en His wife was only to wear the jewels and be introduced to all the business friends big German and Spanish cattle men scores of them The wife wite is a figurehead after aCter the first year If IC she has sons and keeps the peace with his family and forgives him everything the man is pleased with her If 11 s she e gets temperamental tern tem tries to assert herself hersel he is annoyed But he goes his own way way just the same Vie Victoria toi a looked thoughtful her fine dark brows drawn together You oughtn't to stay here Where Magda asked simply ought we go The summer Idled itself itsell into autumn autumn au au- au- au and Victoria and Magda went down to the Ashore hore again This time they had the the smartest cottage at atthe atthe the lodge and the beautiful Mrs Manners was much admired and entertained Mr Manners she explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex to everyone with a n flash of while white teeth was fishing for steelhead steel steel- head hend up in the Klamath Every hostess told Victorias Victoria's mother that she had a n wonderful man for her heras heras heras as a a dinner or bridge partner but Victoria noticed that Magda found round none of them really wonderful In Jn October Ferdy went off on somebody's yacht for six weeks He seemed a little guilty about It and gave Victoria a large check to waste in New York Later she suspected that his twinges of conscience conscience conscience con con- science were because the yachting trip that he had mentioned as in involving involving involving in- in only a few fellers tellers actually included the owners owner's wife another woman and the ubiquitous May Magda did not know that or Victoria Victoria Victoria Vic Vic- toria believed and hoped she did not They came back to California in December and Ferdy came back for Christmas Little was said of the feminine clement element on the yachting yachting yacht yacht- ing trip and the three spent the holidays in a splendid suite in the Fairmont hotel up at the top of the hill with the green iron balconies of their breakfast |