Show I BEAUTYS BEAUTY'S DAUGHTER TER B By Y Kathleen Norris orris V VI I O Q Kat Norris I Service L- L b. b OU I I CHAPTER XV XV TV Continued 17 17 I Vicky's Vicks eyes found oun the thc little round violet puncture of the bullet hole at the flawless marble temple Serena's Serena's Serena's Se- Se Se Se- renas rena's sleeping face was placid but the once scarlet mouth was pale l and flecked with blood and t the h e beautiful ul pale gold hair was loosened loosened loosened loos loos- ened into a careless cascade that hung in a web over the side of the bed There was a horrible sprawling sprawlIng sprawling sprawl- sprawl Ing relaxation in her position a dreadful mysterious in the colorless lips that made Vicky tremble trem trem- ble Is there anything to do Quent Not now He did not turn from his contemplation of the wreck of what had been so soft so lovely and alluring and fragrant and warm only a few hours ago No r it was instantaneous Vic Vie he mut mute Killed herself She thought he was dead see the older man supplied sud sud- denly The Chinese woman had come out of his room It was while we were all in the hall there awhile back when we all thought that poor Morrison had no chance I thought from the way you all tallied talked Quentin said that he was I 1 was amazed when Amah said he wanted to see me And certainly she must have thought so Poor woman An hour later Victoria and Quentin Quentin Quen tin walked across the Morrisons' Morrisons side garden and through the gate into the lane and through their own gate A perfect spring dawn was strengthening over the world now it was four o'clock the east was flushed with exquisite delicate pink against which shoals and galleons of delicate silver and gray and paler gray cloud made long barsI bars I 1 feel reborn feel reborn Vicky said Reborn Im I'm terribly grateful Vic Quentin said Oh grateful If knew what i. f.-i. 5 you I 1 was thinking of all night long Ever Every horror that anyone can imagIne imagine imagine imag imag- ine seemed to be sweeping over me I had you in jail I had us all moving to some remote place Perhaps you think I 1 didn't Vic Vie while we were working over him Perhaps you think I didn't have a chance to think how Id I'd taken my life and md destroyed it with my two hands But thank God Its It's all over now now I I Iam am tired Quentin doesn't the tea for the Vienna doctors and our lunch at the St. St Francis seem longer ago than yesterday That wasn't yesterday he ex ex- claimed r That's all it was My God he said again struck She did do it didn't she Quent Yes he said with a serious look I guess she did Her killing herself The herself The words sounded so strange that Vicky had to stop short and think of them them- her killing herself looked as if it she shedid shedid shedid did she mused m She had that that that-l I dont don't know what to call calI it ruthless it-ruthless ruthless quality Quentin Quentin Quentin Quen Quen- tin said She went over over any obstacle ob ob- stacle stacIe that was In her way He roused the very worst in her he always did Victoria mused He seemed to sit back and laugh at h her r and he never let her have enough money even to get away She told me she me-she she came to see me every few days you know that know that she had to charge even her lunches at hotels That day she seemed to me desperate She looked ed so beautiful ful too she was in a sort of corn color and her eyes looked so blue Mother said after she left All dressed up and nowhere to go I suppose it was death death in in ilfe to her herto to live in that quiet country house Quentin nodded listening 4 Youve been a trump all night nightlong long Vic he said after a while i If U you'd been like most women and refused to go over there we might be in bad trouble this morn morn- J- J ing l If you were like most women you'd have kicked me out years z f ago I dont don't know why you act the way you do but I want you to tor r know this know this sounds damn flat flat but but I want you to know that I admire you and that Im I'm grateful I owe ever everything thing Ive I've got in the world to Vou you Im I'm jl just t beginning to realize that that its it's an awful lot You know Im I'm not good at speeches but when i I 1 think about you and you and this is what I wanted to tell you you you-I I get all choked up Im I'm Im I'm-I'm Im I'm gratefuL J Thank you Quentin Vic said from irom the other end of the table Well go on here and some day Ill I'll have a chance to show you that t Im I'm changed Quentin said Its taken me a long time to wal wake e up Ive I've been a fool tool I did dia the rottenest r rt t thing to you a man can do to his i wife its it's just my luck its it's my in incredible incredible incredible in- in credible luck that youve you've youve you've well I IY Y wont won't say forgiven me you dont don't forget those things and you cant can't l' l forgive them but that youve you've worked it out your way You did something of which you are ashamed she said simply I I 1 Why should there be any question of forgiveness If I did something something wrong tomorrow tomorrow to to- morrow you'd be sorry sorry you'd you'd think a little the less of me but you ou wouldn't be personally touched because I forged a check your check your own honor would be Just what it was wasl My life isn't yours Im I'm me I wish to the Lord you would do something dumb Quentin said with ineloquent force after a pause I sound smug Vicky said but Im I'm not And I do dumb things every day Thousands of them There were months there months there were actual years when your home life lite was nothing but mistakes nerves uproar my crying and being tired and sick the children going into mumps and whooping cough bills piling up But good heavens Vic what's that the man said roughly in im Ira- patience all that compared to the other thing compared to hurting your pride and killing your love for me and putting the thought of another woman eternally between I us Why lots of the fellows go home to women who are extravagant extravagant extravagant and nagging and nervous and who dont don't have a houseful of ot gorgeous kids to show for It Theres There's no comparison between the two I think there Is I think nagging and extravagance and nerves are serious things too and I think women women women wom wom- en who wont won't have children who hate home who are always ahva's running about with other men are just fust as bad Even i if they dont don't go to the limit limit even even i if they fool 1001 along getting getting get get- ting everything they can out of a I I r I 1 y o- o 1 l Killed tIman tI Herself man and then stopping short never giving anything it it seems to me detestable detestable de- de testable estable Vic Vie said My own temptations temp temp- are different she added I I think maybe Im I'm Im I'm a mother first and a wife afterward Ive I've never gone in for pink bab baby pillows and long legged dolls The words brought back with a moment of horror the memory of her last sight of Serena's bedroom and she was still Serena loved loveri you she said thoughtfully in the silence She never loved anyone but herself herself hersell her her- self sell Quentin said Everything she said and did revolved about that She loved her own beauty and power She used them to get what she wanted I knew it after a while Morrison must have discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered it as soon as they were married Her first husband tried twice wice to kill himself She was cold and vain poor girl And she was the he woman he ended for whom I broke your heart No you didn't break my heart Breaking a persons person's heart is a cheap wa way of putting It Quentin said It sounds romantic when it wasn't anything but ut damn stupid and selfish You said what It really did a minute ago ngo It made you think less of me that's the real price We never can go back of that You'll never be able to trust me again Therell There'll always be that feeling somewhere way back in your mind that I failed you Vicky her elbows on the kitchen table her chin in her hands looked thoughtful I suppose so she said slowly But I 1 dont don't know that It matters Youve You've seen me looking pretty horrible horrible horrible hor hor- ugly and crying a and d frIghtened frightened frightened fright frIght- ened and only anxious to be let off of pain it doesn't seem to make you like me any less when Im I'm all gotten up In my new Paris clothes Luckily Luckily Luckily Luck Luck- ily people forget those things when under it all they all they love each other Quentin answered her with a long look I think you ou really believe that he said after a while Youre not I like anyone anone else in the world Vicky in her turn was thoughtful I Perhaps were we're both tired she said For that matter what's happened happened hap nap tonight Is enough to throw us Into nervous breakdowns We dont don't often talk this way But its it's only fair to tell you something Quentin that may partly explain the way I 1 feel the way I act When we were married eleven years ago I I talked about marrying for reasons about not being carried away by excitement about not falling in loveI loveI love I 1 told you my Idea of marriage w was s companionship home children You were a widower with a deli deli- cate sate youngster youngster- She laughed It seems funny now to think of Gwen as delicate doesn't It she said Women were making your life a burden and you needed just what I 1 had to give I remember our talkIng talkIng talking talk- talk Ing of it once and your saying that whatever the agreement was before marriage however reasonable and dispassionate the feeling was no noman noman noman man could have a young wife around and not come to love her that Is presuming that he didn't come to hate her Do you remember that Vaguely Well the joke was on me Vicky said for I 1 had it had it-had had it desperately desperate desperate- ly the whole time I trembled and got silly when you spoke to me I 1 thought of you all day long and lay awake dreaming of you all night I 1 was the sickest love-sickest woman who whoever whoever whoever ever knelt down and thanked God that the most marvelous man in the world had deigned to look at her I never told you I was too proud I 1 tackled the big house and the servants servants servants I ants and Gwen I 1 even went to the hospital and had your babies Quent But I 1 never dared tell you You never asked me to you took me calmly for granted meals and furnace furnace fur fur- nace and Gwen and babies and answering answering answering an an- the telephone and buying you new shirts and that was the way I r wanted it to be I 1 didn't want to be the one to introduce the silly the sentimental side of of it cry when you forgot my birthday and expect you to compliment me every nighton the way my hair was done Id I'd said I wanted a certain kind of marriage work marriage work and responsibility and companionship and plenty of criticism if il I didn't do my job and andI I got it But Ive I've loved you all the time Quent when you come home tired at night and go to sleep with your big heavy head on my shoulder I lie awake sometimes for joy Juliet has nothing on me nor Beatrice nor Nicolette She stood up smiled at him There she said my awful confession Ive I've made you youa a speech Quent took Victoria in his arms Youve made me a speech Vic Ill I'll never forget it THE END |