Show SM im awl I 1 ow ov KLOR KA HL U A 4 LL LL A va by BEN AMES WILLIAMS WILLIAM S Copy nElt bea be ault amas williams william CHAPTER IV continued 6 to each of the people who knew turn nm best this change presented itself in a different guise paul master through whom doctor breeding Gre eding made imade his occasional investments saw it in the shape of a reckless turn to speculation doctor greed ing had in such matter always heretofore been willing to hear advice and to be guided by sane counsels but associated cottons was not the sort of security calculated to appeal to a conservative man and breeding Gre eding had always been conservative serva tive when during may and june he steadily increased his purchases of this stock master was more and more perplexed and uneasy cottons sagged steadily but doctor breeding Gre eding continued to buy with a stubborn insistence which masters best arguments could not shake from mrs greetings Gre edings point of view doctor breeding Gre eding altered in in the direction of an increasing arri irritability tabi lity he was apt to 0 object to things which hitherto had evoked from him no least remonstrance between any husband and wife there grow up certain tolerances certain acceptances it had been so with these two mrs breeding Gre eding always came downstairs to breakfast usually in a dressing gown and slippers and with a lace cap to hold in order her untended hair despite her presence doctor greed ing always read the morning paper and mrs breeding Gre eding always talked to him constantly throughout the meal content with his monosyllable monosyllabic replies but now when she did only what she had always done he might explode 1 I wish to heaven you talk to me while im reading myra or cant you find time to brush your hair before you come downstairs or a woman wiser to make her herself self presentable sen table in the morning before greeting her husband or obscurely ely a rule in sura baya I 1 have heard that no one speaks to anyone else before breakfast its a good one mrs breeding Gre eding was disturbed but f she was not in the least in awe of her husband nonsense ned she protested one morning 1 I declare I 1 dont ari know ow got into you all of a sudden you object to the things ive done for years the fact that youve done i the same things for years c enough reason for wanting to change he j T retorted j no of course not people our r T age are old enough to have ar rived at a routine our age he demanded in a rising exasperation you appear to think me on the verge of senility 1 1 I think youre on the verge of being a crosspatch she said with a wistful tenderness ned dear the matter with you lately tired nervous are thin things 9 s going badly at the office he nothing is the matter with me he assured her angrily but you tike take the typical cyp cal feminine attitude if anything ruffles the placid surface of a woman homana ure life she decides there is something wrong with her husband it never occurs to her that there is anything wrong with her 1 I changed she protested 1 I either he insisted 1 I always did resent your coming down to breakfast frowsy drowsy and half diessel di essed and gabbling babbling gab bling like a hen but ive kept quiet about it for twenty years she said carefully care lully im glad you did ned it has made the years pretty happy ones for foi me so he knew a grudging contrition tor for his words and came to kiss her cheek there he said sorry M myra yra let me blo off steam on you wont you ot of course she agreed forgiving him completely As much as you I 1 like I 1 ke my dear early that evenin evening nancy and dan had bad gone in her car with sandwiches which she had herself prepared to have a picnic supper together beside the reservoir they made a lark ot of it enjoying the fact that all about them at little distances were other mrs ars other young folk like themselves who had come here to be alone it makes me feel as though I 1 belonged nancy confes confessed sea 1 I suppose its common but I 1 like it I 1 like to be ba doing the things all these other girls are doing riding out here with their young men and w whispering I 1 ilsoe ring together in the darkness and making love she said half steaming dreaming die aming it makes me feel es though I 1 were part of a big thing a universal thing thina t she held dans hand tightly it is big and und universal dan this loving this mating it dan chuckled bless you yes I 1 suppose so he said saia but I 1 like to think it has never happened d tu to anyone but us before no one here can even half guess how I 1 feel eel about you he assured her no woman could he said with mock gravity in fact i L seriously doubt if even a man could more than vaguely understand the depth the profundity the complexity she smiled beside him pressed her fingers on his lips hush she bade him those big words are over my head just kiss me my dear something I 1 can understand but in his arms she cori confessed fesse d presently men are different though arent they and she asked dan do you like father like him he echoed sure I 1 think hes a wonder 0 so do I 1 she admitted but im scared of him why he protested hes been might mighty y decent to us I 1 expected him to rave and cuss and swear swea r and drive me out of the house with a shotgun but he has she interrupted reflectively 1 I think what worries me when he first guessed about us I 1 know he was furious but since then he h ant seemed to object at all except to want us to keep it ME a A it cotton sagged steadily but dr breeding Gre eding continued to buy secret and wait dan I 1 have a feeling that hes just waiting for something to happen to separate us that he thinks well quarrel or find some other girl or something like that hell have a long wait he assured her loyally no im serious she insisted im worried dan hell stop us if he can and hes so shrewd and wise then remembering 41 hes changed lately mother says so and I 1 see it myself he always used to be so calm but now little things upset him its like having a stranger in the house 1 I suppose he blows off steam at home dan suggested and he said mary ann says he never gets upset when hes working says nothing disturbs him hain she thinks lies hes a marvel he added vaguely puzzled and she says hes fies a lot of fun too joking all the time and gentle and kindly and considerate she likes him nancy shivered in his arms and he asked cold no not a bit she assured him 1 I dont know why I 1 shivered just something CHAPTER V it was not wholly true that mary ann saw no change in doctor breeding Gre eding she did not confess this even to dan yet no woman can be wholly unconscious of the fact that a mans thoughts are bound tight around her A day or two after that trip to kennebunk Kenne bunk together disturbed by her own perception of the developing 0 situation mary ann came to th the e doctor to suggest giving up her employment with him 1 I 1 think dan and father need to have me more at home she said evasively to keep the house running smoothly ile he said seriously 1 I can understand the need for you there but there is also a real need for you here you could get some one he spoke directly with a disarming frankness lets be straightforward about this he urged 1 I know what youre thinking c youre ill at ease since our drive together the other night you sus that my interest in you is rather more than professional profession aIl 1 her cheeks flamed and he ia said id with a chuckle 1 I suppose that suspicion on your part is not unnatural but mary ann if it will reassure you I 1 guarantee that im not in danger of falling in love with you heavens she protested laughing 1 I never thought thail you must think me insufferably conceited he shook his head not at aall you ou know that I 1 like you I 1 admire your ability but I 1 like you personally too very much indeed but you need have no least mis giving mary ann he added soberly and in all seriousness I 1 do need you here you are in invaluable to me in my work we can save a good many lives together you and I 1 in the end she did stay he had by stating her thoughts in plain words shrewdly succeeded in making them ridiculous and so destroying any reason she might have lad had for leaving him but also she wished to stay she found 1 in this association with his work a daily pride and wonder he had a healing magic in his fingers he did miracles without apparently realizing that they were miracles she saw him perform operations which her training told her were well nigh hopeless yet the patient proceeded to swift and complete recovery late in june mrs breeding Gre eding and nancy went to the lake to open the house for the summer and t the he doctor was left alone in cambridge mary ann suggested one night that he dine with them but doctor breeding Gre eding declined 1 I suspect your father is a little bored with me he be said and he added im dining with jerrell tonight I 1 hope he will spend the weekend week end at the lake with me by the way when can you and dan come up there sometime during august say 1 I know dan will want to she asserted added evasively im not sure myself but he insisted you must come myra and I 1 like to have young people around I 1 suppose it makes us feel a bit younger ourselves Yo youre vire the youngest nan man I 1 know she assured him smilingly but she did not promise to accept this invitation he did dine that night with jerrell and jerrell asked hows nancy I 1 had no chance to see her before she went to the lake better run up with me over the weekend week end doctor greed ing suggested myra will be glad to have you and nancy it too I 1 know to this jerrell readily agreed they arranged before them parted that jerrell should accompany doctor breeding Gre eding to the take lake friday night and at jerrells suggestion they chartered a seaplane and made the trip by air doctor greed ing telephoned ahead and when they landed in the open water in front of the island a boat put oil off to meet them nancy at the wheel some one beside her doctor greed ing with a quick resentment and concern recognized dan carlisle ile he had not anticipated the possibility that this young man would be here and regretted it and when they were in the boat he said almost curtly I 1 hullo dan expect to see you 1 I was on my way to the moun bains dan replied just stopped on my way through 1 I made him stay for dinner nancy explained and turned the boat toward shore mrs breeding Gre eding was on the wharf to meet them they moved up the path to the house and jerrell made appreciative comments the house was like a swiss chalet in outward aspect with a low red tiled root roof within they came into a big living room that extended to the roof beams with a tremendous fieldstone chimney like a column in the center A balcony ran along two sides of this living room at the second floor level and bedrooms were accessible from this balcony doctor breeding Gre eding showed jen U his room loom in the rear on the s second sec ond floor then himself returned with mrs breeding Gre eding to the big south bedroom which they occupied and when they were alone the there re he said to her in a low tone resentfully you might have used a little common sense myra you knew jerrell was coming there was no need of his finding dan here she said defensively 1 I was playing bridge at mrs thurstons Thurs tons when he telephoned so nancy answered and when I 1 got home he was here after all if nancy is going to prefer dan she had better find it out before she marries ira jerrell rather than afterwards shed have too much native decency to find it out afterward he retorted you know ashes my daughter mrs breeding Gre eding chuckled in affectionate amusement darling of course you are a model of loyalty I 1 know not many middle aged wives can be as sure as I 1 that their husbands have never looked around the corner its not a thing to brag about he retorted it happens to be one thing im proud of she insisted smilingly the fact that you still love me I 1 shall even boast about it if I 1 choose he said morosely pave ive heard mothers boast about their immaculate sons when I 1 happened to know that the youngsters were plain devils she laughed dont try to pretend that youre fast and loose my dear she protested 1 I know yo you u too well and she added still stil 1 lightly even if you and mary ann he exclaimed myra for heavens en I 1 s sake sa ke dont start being jealous js jal j al alous even if you are ready to think the worst of me you might have more respect for mary ann ashes hardly a home wrecker you krow know its shameful to suggest there she protested laughing almost desperately 1 I dont suggest anything except that you have a swim before dinner heres your suit so he was silenced and began to undress after dinner dan had to tc leave nancy suggested shall we all go for a boat ride drop dan at the harbor and then have a run around the lake afterward doctor breeding Gre eding caught his cifes eye take mr jerrell he suggested ira if youre a timid man shell give you bad dreams there are some channels around this lake that I 1 wont even tackle by daylight but nancy knows them in the dark you go along 1 I think IU ill go too mrs greed ing decided 1 I but doctor breeding Gre eding said 1 I want you to look over the bills with me myra so I 1 can have the checks sent out monday and when presently the others had departed he said irritably youre singularly dense sometimes jerrell want to ride around the lake at night with your she seemed about to speak then held her tongue after dan was gone the weekend week end passed pleasantly enough nancy and jerrell played tennis together they swarn swam they explored the lake sunday on the tennis court doctor breeding Gre eding and jerrell and the girl shot at targets pistol shooting was the doctors pet hobby jerrell proved singularly inept at this pastime id better stick to fishing he confessed at last 1 I can cast a fly more accurately than a bullet and nancy said IU ill take you after bass this afternoon see if youre as clever as you say when doctor breeding Gre eding and jerrell climbed into the plane for foi the return trip to boston early monday morning the doctor was well content jerrell and nancy had been together constantly and when doctor breeding Gre eding said goodby good by to the girl lie he kissed her and asked in a whisper like mr jerrell jerred pretty well nancy hes a peacha she agreed a reed mary ann had already gone to the hospital when he reached ohp the office but he met her in the corri corridor outside the operating rooms his smile quickened at the sight of her she remarked you look rested and he nodded 1 I am he said ready to tc move mountains she laughed softly nothing so massive this morning she replied the forenoon passed ir iii a monotonous no routine when the last case was done he proposed corne come and lunch with me you c can an tell me what has been going on she hesitated but then she assented smiling at her own he hesitation sita very well she said do you like italian food minestrone ravi ravioli he asked when they arrived at the restaurant of course and I 1 probably make the best spaghetti in captivity she assured him smilingly that will take some proving he told her they are famous for it here but even after lunch she still insisted on the superiority of her own product we always have it thursday nights she explained maids I 1 I 1 4 jerrell asked hows nancy night out you know father and dan devour it by the bale or bushel or whatever the unit nf spaghetti measure may be ill come some thursday night he declared anil and give you a chance to prove your claims she hesitated then she said do cornel comel when this next thursday she said half to herself thinking of appearances dan wont be there this week but of course father hilll he read her thoughts and was quick to turn them into another channel 1 I saw dan at the lake he remarked he stopped off for dinner on his 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