Show r. r An UHn an l v St y HIllMAN By E. E i CHAPTER Continued 12 12 i i i My own reputation she murmured mur- mur mur j Is is absolutely of no consequence consequence conse conse- q quence ence but remember that you live w here and andi and and- i Dont be silly 1 I he Interrupted What does that matter And besides according to you and all the rest of I you here these things dont don't affect amans aman's n a I Iman's mans man's they they are expected of him See I have rung the bell for breakfast Now I am going to telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone down for a messenger boy to togo togo togo go for your clothes They breakfasted together a little later Inter and she made him smoke He stood before the window looking d dow down wn n upon the river with his pipe In his mouth and an unfamiliar look upon his face Do you suppose that Louise knows anything he asked he-asked at length I should think not she replied It Is for you to tell her I rang up the princes prince's house while you were In Inthe the bathroom They say that he has hasa a broken rib and some bad cuts sustained sustained sus sus- tamed In n a motor accident last night but that h he Is In no danger There was nothing about the affair In the newspapers and the princes prince's servants have evidently been Instructed to give this account to Inquirers A gleam of Interest shone In Johns John's face By the bye he remarked the eSl prince Is a Frenchman He will very likely expect me to fight with him 1 No hope of that my belligerent friend S Sophy phy declared with an attempt at- at tempt tempi at a n smile The prince knows V that he Is In England He would not b be guilty of such an anachronism Besides Ber Besides Be Be- r sides he Is a person of wonderfully well well balanced balanced mind When he Is s himself him him- V self again he will realize that what happened to him Is exactly what he T asked for John took up his hat and gloves He glanced at the clock clock it It was a littie lit lit- little tie tle past eleven 1 I am ready he announced Let me drive you home first His Ills motor motoi was w waiting at the door I and he left Sophy at her rooms BeV Before Before Be Be- V fore she got out ut she held his arm for fora for fora I a moment John sh she said remember that Louise Is very high strung high strung and very very sensitive Be careful 1 i There Is s only one thing to do 01 or to sa say he answered There Is only V one way In which I can do It I He drove the car down Piccadilly l like Uke a man in a dream steering as r. r V carefully as usual through the traffic V and glancing every now and then with V V unseeing eyes at the streams of people peo pee 1 pIe ale upon the pavements Finally ha he I came to a standstill before Louise's Louises house and stopped the engine with deliberate deliberate deliberate de de- liberate care Then he rang the bell and was shown Into her little drawIng draw- draw Ing r Ing-r room lag room om which seemed to have become Li 11 perfect bower of pink and white 2 iliac Ulac J I He sat waiting as If In a dream tunable y unable finable to decide upon his words unable unable unable un- un able even to sift his thoughts The V one purpose with which he had come k the one question he designed to ask was teas burning In his brain The mInutes mint minutes min mIn- t utes of her ier absence seemed tragically Z long I Then at last the door opened and Louise entered She came caine toward him with a little welcoming smile upon her lips Her manner was gay almost alf almost al- al f most affectionate I Have you come to take me for a n aride ride before lunch she asked Do V you know I think that I should real really y yUke like Uke it We might lunch at Ranelagh on our our way home The words stuck In his throat From 4 where she was she saw now the writIng writIng writing writ- writ Ing on his face fac She stopped short What is it she exclaimed j Ever since I knew you he said slowly there have been odd moments when I have lived In torture During the last fortnight those moments have become hours Last night the end came 4 Are you mad John she demand demand- ed Perhaps he replied Listen When i 1 left you last night I went to the y club in m Adelphi Terrace There was a well-known well critic there comparing you and Latrobe On the whole he far fa ta- favored r you jou ou but he gave Latrobe the f. f first place in certain parts Latrobe w he said had had more experience in life Ufe She had had a dozen lovers lovers- you only one l I She winced The glad V freshness seemed suddenly to fade from her 4 Vat face Her IIer eyes became strained Well I I found I cornered him I asked him for the truth about you He put me off oft with an evasion I came down here and looked at your window It was three o'clock in the morning I dared not come In A very tY demon of unrest was in my blood I stopped at the ight club on my way r back Sophy was there I asked her plainly to put me out of my agony She was like She fenced with V me And then then the the prince came camel I The prince was there therel she fal fal- r He rHe came up to the table where Sophy and I were sitting I think I Iwas Iwas was half mad I poured him a glass of wino h T l him Mm that you had prom prom- I I I I I to become my wife lIe He raised hIs glass glass I I can see him now He told me with a smile that It was the toe anniversary of the day on which you promised to become his his f P r Louise shrank back hack He lIe told you that John was on his feet The fever was blazing once more He lie told me that face to face tace lAnd l I And you If we had been alone John answered answered answered an an- simply I should have hav killed him ilm I drove the words down his throat I threw him back to the place he le had left and hurt him rather badly Im I'm afraid Sophy took me home somehow and now I am here She leaned a little forward on the couch She looked Into his face searchIngly searchingly searchingly search- search anxiously anxiously as If looking for something she could not find His lips were set in hard cold lines The likeness to Stephen had never been more apparent Listen 1 I she said You are a n Puritan Puri- Puri tan While I admire the splendid self- self restraint evolved from your creed It Is partly artly temperamental Isn't It I was brought rought up to s see e things differently and I do see them differently Tell melt me do you love me Love you he repeated You know It Could I suffer the tortures I of the damned if f I didn't Could I come to you with a n mans man's blood upon my hands If I didn't If the prince lives Ives It Is simply the accident of fate I tell you jou ou that If we had been alone I should have driven the breath out of his b body dy Love you youl ou I He rose slowly to her feet She leaned with her elbow upon the mantelpiece mantelpiece man- man and her face was h hidden dd n for fora la a moment I Let me think I she said I dont don't know lenow now what to say to you I dont don't know v you John There Isn't anything left eft of the John I loved Let me look again I ISh She Sh swung around I speak of love she went on suddenly Do you know what it is Do o you jou ou know that love reaches to the heavens leavens and can also touch the nethermost neth- neth depths of hell If I throw myself on your knees before you now If f I link Unk my fingers around your neck If t I whisper to you that In the days that hat were past before you came I had I done things I would fain forget If I told old you that from henceforth every second of my life Ufe was yours that my heart beat with yours by day and by night that I had no other thought no nother other ther dream than to stay by your side to o see you happy to give all aU there was of f m myself elt into your keeping to keep keepIt It t holy and sacred for you you John John what then Never a n line Une In his face softened He He looked coked at her a moment as he had looked at the woman in PIcc Piccadilly Into intI whose hose hand he had dropped gold Are you going to tell me that It Is the he truth he asked hoarsely Think for a single m moment ment of that feeling which you call calf love John she he pleaded Listen I I love you jou ou It has come to me at last after all these T r rr r At T 4 Am I Too Good for You Sophy years It lives lines in my heart a greater thing than n my y ambition a greater thing than my Success a greater thing than life Itself I love you John I Cant Can't you joui YOU feel dont don't you know that nothIng nothing noth noth- Ing ingelse else In n life can matter Not aline a line In his fa face e softened His te teeth teeth th had come together He was like liken a n man upon the rack It is true It Is true true then he demanded She looked at him hin without any reply The seconds seemed drawn out to an Interminable period He heard the rolling of the In the street t. t Once more mor the perfume of the lilac seemed to choke him Wm Then she leaned back and touched the bell The prince spoke the truth she said I think y you u had better go I CHAPTER Before Defore the wide flung window of her attic bedchamber Sophy Gerard was crouching with her face turned west west- ward She had Imd abandoned all effort to sleep The one thought that was beating in h hr r brain was too Insistent too clamorous Somewhere beyond that tangled mass of chimneys and telegraph poles somewhere on the other other other oth oth- er side of cf the gray haze which hung about the myriad roofs John and Louise were working out their destiny speaking at last the naked truth to each other She started suddenly back Into the room There was a n knocking at the thedoor thedoor thedoor door something quite different from her landlady's summons She wrapped her dressing gown dressing gown around her pulled the curtains around the little bed on which she had striven to rest and moved toward the door She turned the handle softly Who is that she asked John almost pushed his way past her She closed the door with nerveless nerveless nerveless nerve nerve- less fingers Her eyes sought his face her lips were parted She clung to the back of the chair You have seen Louise she exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed breathlessly I have haste seen Louise he answered It is air alf over l I She looked a little helplessly around her Then she selected the one chair In the tiny apartment that was likely to hold him and led him to it Please sit down she begged and tell me about It You despair like this all at once I wonder If I could help No one can help he told her grim grIm- ly It Is all finished and done with I would rather not talk any more about it I didn't come here to talk about i It I I. I came to see you So this is i where you live He looked around him and for a moment moment moment mo mo- mo- mo I ment be he e almost forgot the pain which was gnawing at his heart It w was as such sucha a simple plainly furnished little room I so clean so neat so pathetically eloquent eloquent eloquent elo elo- eloI elo- I quent of poverty She drew closer together together to gether the curtains which concealed the little covered covered bed and came and sat down by his side She clasped her hands tighter around his arm Her eyes sought his I anxiously But you mustn't climb cUmb down John she insisted You are so much nicer where you are so much too good for the silly ugly things You must fight this in your own way fight It according to toj j your our own standards You are too goo good goodo 1 to o come comedown comedown- down downAm down down- Am I too good for you Sophy She looked at him hini and her whole face seemed to soften The light In her blue eyes was sweet and wistful A bewildering little smile curled her lips Dont be stupid I she begged A Afew Afew Afew few minutes ago I was looking out of my window and thinking what a poor little Ittle morsel of humanity I am and what a useless drifting life I have led But that's foolish Come now What I want to persuade you to do Is to togo togo togo go back to Cumberland for a time and try tr hard very hard very hard Indeed Indeed to to realize reaUze what It me means nl to be a woman womanlike womanlike like Uke Louise with her temperament her Intense Intellectual curiosity her charm Nothing could make Louise different from what she Is a is is-a is a dear sweet woman and a great artist And John I believe she loves you I 1 His face remained undisturbed even by bythe the flicker of an eyelid Sophy he said I have decided to go abroad Will wm you come with me She sat quite still Again her face was was momentarily transformed All AU Its pallor and fatigue seemed to O have van van- shed Her head had fallen fallena a little back Sh She was looking through the ceiling Into heaven Then When the light light died died away almost as quickly as It had come Her lips Ups shook tremulously You know you dont don't mean It John I You wouldn't take me And if you did you'd hate me afterward afterward you'd you'd want to send me back I Ilie He lie suddenly drew her to him his arm went arm went around her waist She had lost all power of resistance For the i first time in his life ute of his own deliberate deliberate erate accord he kissed her her feverish feverish feverishly ly almost roughly Sophy he declared I have been a fool I I have come an awful cropper but you might help me with what's left I am going to start afresh I Iam Iam Iam am going to get rid of some of these Ideas of mine which have hav brought me nothing but misery and disappointment disappoint disappoint- ment I dont don't want to live up to them any longer I want to Just forget them I want to live as other men live live just just the simple ordinary life Come with me I Ill I'll take you to the places weve we've talked about together 1 I Iam am always happy and contented with you Lets Let's try It I Her arms stole around his neck John she whispered hiding her ber face for a moment What can I say What could any poor weak little creature creature creature crea crea- ture like me say You know I am fond of you you you-I I haven't had the pride even to conceal It it He stood up held her face for a moment between his Ws hands and kissed her forehead Then that's all settled settle he de de- Glared I am going back to my rooms now I want you to come and dine with me there tonight at eight I Her IIer eyes sought his pleaded with I them searched them You are sure Bure John she asked her I voice a little broken You want me really I am to come I am sure he answered steadfastly steadfast steadfast- ly I shall expect you jou ou at eight o'clock I IJohn IJohn John went back to his rooms fighting all the time against a sense of unrealIty unreality unreality unreal unreal- ity a sense almost of lost identity He bought an evening newspaper and read rend It on the way He talked to the hall porter he talked to a neighbor neighbor neighbor neigh neigh- bor with whom he ascended In the lift lift lift-he he did everything except think In his rooms he telephoned to the restaurant for a waiter and with the menu in his hand a few minutes later he ordered dinner Then he glanced at his watch watch watch-t it was barely seven He went down to the barber barbershop barbershop barbershop shop was shaved and had his hair hall cut encouraging the barber all the while to talk to him He gave his hands over to a manicure and did his best to talk nonsense to her Then he came upstairs again changed changed- his clothes with great care and went V into his little sitting room It was five minutes to eight and dinner had been laid at a little round roundtable roundtable roundtable table In the center enter of the room There was a bowl of pink roses roses Sophy's Sophy's favorite favorite fa fa- fa- fa flower sent flower sent ent in from t the e fior- fior the table was lighted by a pink- pink shaded lamp John went around the room turning out the other lights until un un- til th the apartment was hung with shadows shadows shadows shad shad- save for the little spot of color colorIn In the middle An unopened bottle of champagne |