Show e r r ra a o oC C o SYNOPSIS Victoria Herrendeen n a vivacious little girl had been too loo young to feel the shock that came when her ber father lather Keith lost his fortune A gentle unobtrusive soul he Is now employed ed edas as nn an obscure chemist In San Francisco Fran Francisco cisco at nt a meager mengel salary Ills His wife Magda cannot adjust herself hersell to the change She Is a beautiful woman fond of pleasure and a n magnet for mens men's attention Magda and Victoria have been down at a n summer resort and Keith Joins them for lor the weekend eek Magda leaves for a n bridge party part excusing herself her herself self sell for being such a n runaway Later that that night Victoria Is stricken grief when she hears her parents quarreling The return to their small San Francisco apartment Keith docs does not approve of Magdas Magda's mad social life lICe and they quarrel frequently Magda receives flowers and a diamond from Ferd Manners Manners Man ners a wealthy man from Argentina whom she had met less than a n week before Manners arrives es a few ho hours rs later Magda takes Victoria to Nevada to visit a Woman oman friend who has a daughter named Catherine There she tells her she Is going to get a divorce Victoria soon Is in boarding school with her friend Catherine Magda marries F Manners and the they spend two years ears In Argentina Victoria has studied In Europe Eu rope and md at eighteen she visits her mother when rents a 3 beautiful home Magda Is u unhappy over Ferdy's drinking and attentions to other women Vic Vie dislikes him but for her mothers mother's sake Is nice to him When her mother I and md stepfather return to South America Victoria refuses to go Co with them because of Ferdy's unwelcome attentions to to her Magda returns and tells Vie Vic she I and Ferdy have separated Meanwhile Keith has remarried Victoria Is now nowa a student nurse Magda tl da has fallen inlove In Inlove Inlove love with Lucius Farmer a married artist While she and Vic VIe prepare for fora a trip to Europe Ferdy takes a n suite In their hotel CHAPTER IV Continued IV Continued 5 5 She was silent staring into space with narrowed somber r eyes that were reddened with tears Mummy I have to remind you jOU that Ferdy's coming up today He Heas has as tickets and things he said Can you talk to him Vicky darling darling darling dar dar- ling Do that's a lamb Magda said gayly Tell him I had to go godown godown godown down to and Burlingame-and and that I felt terribly Magda was rummaging rummaging rummaging rum rum- maging about in a bure bureau lU drawer she spoke absently Today and tomorrow tomorrow to to- tomorrow morrow are our last days she said And presently she gave Vicky an minded absent-minded kiss and was gone It was five o'clock when Victoria got home Magda had evidently preceded preceded preceded pre pre- ceded her by only a few minutes and was lying flat on her bed Vic we had a very serious talk this morning you poor chicken and Ive I've been thinking about you all allday allday aU aUday day Magda said her eyes rounded over her teacup Ill tell teU you what's happened and what we de de- de- de Were We're not children this isn't a first a affair Tair and there are arc a great many other persons to consider So So the So-the the upshot of it all nIl is Vic that you and I sail on Saturday Saturday Saturday Satur Satur- day and that its it's all over Magda was a little subdued and pale in the morning but showed no other signs of her recent emoI emotion emo- emo I tion the day was exciting with final purchases much talk tall of wardrobes wardrobes wardrobes ward ward- I robes and plans Vic wandered out to the balcony looked down at the waterfront over which the mist was softly closing Through th the cold dusk the fog horns ere steadily sounding Horrible weather to go through the Gate What makes you say that M Magda asked lo ing up from her lieI letter Heavy fog fog og You cant can't see the Maybe that's she going along now I hope Ferdy made her wait for Ferdy F They may not even sail What is is this darling the darling the eighteenth Tomorrows the twentieth Of course Magda reached for forthe forthe forthe the trilling telephone Tell Mr Farmer to come up she said im km mediately And then to Vi Vie Vic Im going out with him for just a little while Call me if it Im I'm asleep when you get back Vic answered going to toward toward toward to- to ward her room She heard Lucius' Lucius voice a few moments later her mothers mother's voice One more day of this she said to herself fa Vic VIe awakened with a start with s Q sense of something wrong The te telephone eph ne was ringing and someone was knocking at the door The room was filled with dusk and fear and confusion At the door it was Otto with the dinner card On the telephone was Mollie Jervis saying sayin good goodby Victoria Victoria Victoria Vic Vic- toria answered both claims ordered oyster stew and brown toast and meringues snapped up lights But she still felt Celt frightened and bewildered bewildered dered her forehead sticky with perspiration perspiration perspiration per per- her throat thick Goodness what h horrible o 0 r l' r rib i b l I e dreams She went to her mothers mother's door saw onI only dusk and confusion and thin late I IVic Vic seeing clocks clock's hands yawned a I at seven Maybe she's taking a a. a bath The bathroom was empty too Perhaps Mother was going to have one last dinner with her Lucius Lu Lu- cius Perhaps she had left leU a n note somewhere it might be in her rooms Victoria went In there lighted lights She saw the note on the dressing table a large square note addressed to Vic And even before before before be be- fore her eyes reached its first words My RIy darling darling you must forgive forgive forgive for for- give me somehow she knew mew I never thought of this she whispered aloud in the tumbled desolation that seemed now like a deserted battlefield like an ocean after a wreck Her glance went on She saw the word Tahiti the word Malolo MaIolo the words snatch our few years of heaven Victoria went to the thc balcony balcon and sat down in a green breen iron chair Her legs had failed under her she felt feU cold but her face was burning One trembling hand clung citing tight to the thc note in the empty hotel rooms behind behind behind be be- hind her the lights shone brightly over the packed handsome trunks with their bands of white and blue Coming into the diet kitchen at nt six o'clock on a summer morning Florence Flood Dickenson discovered discovered discovered ered it empty except for a solitary figure at the end of the long Ions table The girl raised her head and showed a weary face that was yet keen with sensitiveness and sympathy sympathy sympathy thy and lighted with a tired smile Hello Dicky she said in a hoarse sweet voice Oh Is it you Herrendeen Miss Dickenson asked Have a nice vacation Marvelous Howls Hows everything gone Oh beautifully We missed you of course but everything's gone gonema ma marvelously Two probationers came in with trays A boy put his head in thedoor the tile thedoor door said Miss RocKwood and vanished The hospital day had be be- gun Vicky tell me do you like Dr Hardisty Louise Mary Keating asked interestedly a few days later Very much Vicky said ab ab- ab- ab Vicky Ill I'll bet youre you're in love with him They say every woman roman he tie meets meets' is in love with him Miss Keating bit into a chocolate looked at its filling thoughtfully I oughtn't to touch these she said Ill bet Vic hates to give up the Keats kid Helen Geer observed watching her You wont won't see Dr Hardisty any more now after tonight tonight to to- night Vic Well VeU as a matter of fact I will wm Vicky said beginning to smear her face with cold cream after tying a towel over her tawny hair When little Kate Keats goes home I go with her Ive I've been there before you know and Mrs Keats asked me yesterday to come back Her mother isn't very well and if she goes away with the doctor she always al always al- al ways leaves a nurse with the chil chil- dren And then will you see sec Dr Hardisty Hardisty Hardisty Har Har- disty every day Vic Vie Not every d day y But they're great friends A lot of good it will do me meto meto meto to fall In love with Quentin Hardisty Hardisty Hardisty Har Har- disty Victoria went on practically He doesn't know I exist The Keats home stood out on Pacific Pacific Parlor Pa Pa- avenue with the long lines of the Presidio eucalyptus trees and andUs tl the Us- G Golden Gate below the drawing room rooms room's s northeast windows and a sweeping view of ot the bay and the mountains t that at framed the bay from the upper floors Victoria liked the atmosphere of the house she said it reminded her of a book Victoria who had gone to them from the hospital as Kates Kate's nurse had been kept on after alter Kates Kate's recovery recovery recovery re re- re- re covery because of Dunas Duna's scarlet fever and after that because of the feeble age of Mrs Chauncey Clements the childrens children's English grandmother Gently agreeably without any unpleasantness Granny was dying Victoria had bad a small room next to the old womans woman's luxurious luxurious luxurious lux lux- urious one on the first bedroom floor and the easy task of watching her dignified departure from a life in n which she had behaved for eighty years with admirable decorum Violet Kea Keats tS was in her early forties forties for for- forties ties her husband perhaps ten years older She adored the small blinking blinking blink blink- ing man with his fluffy gray mop as only an English gentlewoman oman cn adore a man Vic Vie told Catherine Cath Cath- erine Were dining alone Victoria you and I Mrs Keats said one day in her crisp brisk way I want to talk to you It was when they were seated at atthe atthe atthe the little table downstairs an hour hourI I Inter later that she made a first attack upon Victorias Victoria's confidence Youre so perfectly charming with the children children chil- chil dren that I shant shan't feel quite happy until youre you're in a fair way to have a afew afew afew few of your own she said Not I II Vic Vie smiled sh shaking king her head You dont don't mean that No girl Cirl means that thaU Most girls dont don't I daresay But ButI I do Ive I've had a queer education along alona those lines Victoria added half hal to herself You mean menn your mothers mother's life Not only Mother 1 But all aU her crowd all women who make love passion so important who persuade you or almost persuade you that it is right to go wherever your heart goes Its It's all aU so artless You ought to set your cap for Quentin Vic Hes He's as completely disillusioned as you arc are Dr Hardisty Certainly he is In his heart he despises women He thinks thinks Johnny Johnny tells me that he thinks that they're all alike weak alike weak and selfish and ready to break up anything or anybody's anybody's anybody's any any- body's life ilie f for r a little pleasure Did he tell Dr Keats that the impression he always 1 gives That amazes me Victoria said because i if ever any man had his way with women it is Dr Quentin Hardisty Yes but it doesn't mean anything anything anything any any- thing Vic You knew his first wife wile Very well Id I'd left her her or or rather shed she'd left me downtown about ten minutes before she was killed She was driving her own car she car she drove like a crazy woman everything she did was wild and she had this crash They got her herto herto herto to the hospital and poor little Gwen was born an hour later Quentin's wife was a terrible girl rich girl rich and spoiled and and oh oh I dont don't know flighty Hes He's never been very happy happy happy hap hap- py poor boy boy Theres There's Theres Johnny at atthe atthe atthe the door now Vicky she broke off orr to say Ah and Quentin with him him Wm- come in both of you you are are you frozen en have you had anything to eat Were starving Dr Hardisty shedding outer garments in the hall said in iii his deep voice go get us some eggs wont won't you Vicky Better than that Victoria said Weve put it aside aside we we expected this She went away and presently when a maid mai had preceded her with witha a card table and silver and glasses returned with a laden tray You looked very charming with that baby in your arms he said abruptly Victoria and he were alone now the men had had their supper the fire had hac burned turned down I I If 7 1 I I I II II IM I M lf Vic Vie Awakened With a Start With Witha Vitha a Sense of Something Wrong low ow during the weary comfortable talk that had followed and presently a ringing telephone had taken the doctor to his study and Mrs Keats murmuring something like Oh dear I I. I must tell him him him- had followed followed followed fol fol- lowed him He had seen her with Bunty in her ler arms had he The unexpected blood alood rose to Vic's Vies face Any man would be glad tp come home and find such a scene at night the man said Well w would he Vicky countered coun- coun ered Violet and I have just been having laving an argument about it it I Isay Isay Isay say that nurseries nurseries' and Nanas and hearth fires have all aU gone out of fashion That isn't what men want vant any more morel Only proving that you dont don't know anything about men the docor doctor doctor doc- doc tor or said I didn't think you did Most men would much rather have lave wives who are curled and dressed and painted and read read to go Co out at nt night Victoria persisted annoyed in spite of herself by his lazy air of complacency and warming warming warming warm warm- ing to her subject Men arent aren't crazy about Violet because she lives for her husband and the children chil chU dren You may be a little bit crack cracked d don on the subject of love and marriage mar mar- nage dage Dr Hardisty said But youre you're amusing Do you think Im I'm a little bit cracked on the subject of love and marriage Victoria demanded in hi surprise There are plenty of bachelors about Is it so extraordinary extraordinary nary that now and then a woman likes to play a lone hand I have my work my friends friends everything everything I want Why should I add to it all a aman aman aman man I dont don't want Because in your heart you know that you do want a man mani I You think so Vic asked her face tace redI redI redI red I do Quite suddenly quite simply simply simply sim sim- ply his arm was about her and for forthe forthe forthe the first time in her life lire a man kissed her on the lips There he said and laughed In another instant instant in ln- stant he was gone conc Seriously and all this teasing aside would you come over to the shack for Saturday and Sunday he asked her a few weeks later Instantly she knew now v that she ought to say no But the temptation temptation temptation tion to yield was strong For after all his was the most fascinating and popular figure in San Francisco's social circle at the time and weekend weekend week week- end invitations to the shabby little cabin in Mill l Valley were eagerly sought Mill l Valley would be thrilling I After all Quentin had shown that he regretted his craziness and when he was in one of his nice simple moods she liked him quite as much as she detested him in his other ones All this flashed through her mind as she hesitated over the invitation smiling You said I would you know and andI I will she told him simply And I think you are a sport he answered in n his manner be rough you know I can be very rough Only I dont don't go in t for r cocktails and staying up dancing to the radio until mornIng mornIng morn- morn Ing she began Nothing like that Rough means that I have only one Chinese boy there and he doesn't know much about cooking and that the chief entertainment will be a long climb up the mountain on Sunday And can the beautiful Mrs Pool go in for all that The beautiful Mrs 1 Pool will not be there This will be a very simple simple simple sim |