Show derr zi jr A rl by BEN AMES WILLIAMS e service copyright ben ames williams CHAPTER VI continued 8 it was hours after his cifes death before doctor breedin Gre edin eding at last re that he was free fr ee terror had ridden him hard till he put or on grief like ike a seemly garment but bu ct at the c end n d h he e cameto sudden come corn behen n that tha t ho he was loosed from the fetters that had bound him his hi bonds were broken he was un trammeled iree in a high exultation the mar man came back to the house at last lie he came straight across the island through the shadowed woods yet yel if he had looked up he be might ever even then have seen through the foliage above him the stars mrs breeding Gre eding was buried in cambridge on tuesday in the afternoon it was a hot sunny july day with no breeze to stir the heavy foliage of the trials trees that shaded the scene nancy would always remember at some distance the hiss and murmur of cars passing along the nearest street the far whisper of the heedless world dan and mary ann and professor carlisle and others were there among them ira jerrell nancy did not at first discover him not till they all turned away and her eyes cleared and she could look around then she saw him near tier her father saw him clasp doctor greetings Gre edings hand when p presently resent ly the ehe and her father were ivere in the car again doctor breeding Gre eding said 1 I asked mr jerrell to crop drop in tor for a while nancy she nodded indifferently they came home together and she went for a moment to her room doctor breeding Gre eding stayed downstairs when she heard jerrell arrive heard their voices in the library she descended and appeared in the open door and ready to depart doctor breeding Gre eding looked up in surprise going out nancy best stay with us she met jerrells eyes straightforwardly and frankly 1 I wow wont be gone long she said I 1 youve mr jerrell for company she took the little roadster and drove rapidly as though anxious to make her escape before something happened to detain her S she he was strongly drawn toward dan she felt thi this s deep attraction more keenly than ever before but also she was thrust toward him by some force behind ner by something intangible which her instinct had discovered in hei fathers mind in his grief and loss she should have been drawn toward him to comfort him but she recognized honestly that there was in her no genuine solicitude for him rather her iris instinct bade her avoid him avoid the neighborhood of his influence and control she found mary ann and dan together and dan kissed her and mary ann too but mary ann with a wise understanding said smilingly take him away somewhere nancy you dont want me around you two and ive nowhere to go and people may come in go along with you nancy nodded yes I 1 do want to be with dan she said once they were alone she was for the moment content and without speaking she drove out through watertown and waltham am toward lincoln he said later 1 I suppose you an and d your father will go back to the lake soon not right away she told him 1 I wont go till he can I 1 want to be there alone not with mother down here her tones were husky she said father starts hi hii vacation next weekend week end he may want me to go away somewhere with him oi 01 he may want just to go to the lake he loves it there ill do whatever he wants dan nodded its a grand place he assented if we go up there dan she dec decided idea suddenly near panic at the thought of being alone with her father you must come up I 1 cant tie be alone with him ill miss moth 01 1 SO he said doubtfully ive had about all the vacation I 1 ought to take ill need you dreadfully dan she said and he cried god knows ill need you nancy always she guined oil off the highroad into a baw byway ly the road degenerated till there were only wheel ruts in the sand they passed through an oak wood which closed like a screen behind them and sue stopped the car at last on a slope fragrant in the slanting sun below lay jay the marshes and the meandering rival and far away the wooded hills bilis rose gently nancy stopped the engine and looked at dan and he leaned toward her held her for a moment close and tei tenderly derly T they h e y descended from the car on the firm turf she lay at length her arms across her eyes in the full beat ot of the suri sun I 1 he sat down beside her after a i moment she looked up at him and anc her eyes drew him down he said huskily your lips are trembling im not trembling or afraid or 01 doubtful any more morelan ilan she whis wh is 1 I know what I 1 want his eyes were troubled she cov ered her eyes with her arm again and spoke slowly and carefully 1 I wont argue with you dan my dear clear she said Ive Ivel made nade up out our minds her lips smiled faint ly no need of going over the th e same ground again and again and again of course we will wait a little while for mothers sake but waiting will be hard haid and ii it be long because the world is settled for us no matter what you think youre going to marry me well be deadly poor he confessed ive nothing but my salary never will have dan my dear youre so commercial iner cial she reproached him whimsically A boded think you were bent on marrying money he said laughing a deep delight youre as obstinate as im not she protested im not obstinate its only obstinate when you insist on doing the wrong thing so youre the obstinate one her arm rm reached up and drew him nearer dont be so strong and stubborn dan he whispered stammering and breathless nancy have me drunk witt your sweetness in a minute let me keep my head 1 I want wan jou drunk and quite mad and wholly irresponsible she insisted 1 I dont want you to keep your head her arms were tight around him dan dan I 1 want you with me to fight with me to stand with me to hold me 1 I am holding you nancy never let me go she whispered never let me go and she said 1 I vant sant it settled finally and absolutely and always and forever between us dan do you hear and she cried a hau half sob in her tones oh its only so that nothing can happen so that I 1 can sta stand rid up to father and so that I 1 can cling fast to you dan no matter what he says or does her eyes questioned him 11 dan you argue and find reasons and think of obstacles ever any more promise he agreed helplessly anything nancy yes if youre a sure 1 I want to count on you always you can she said soberly this is as binding as anything any minister can ever say over us dan the sun was low sinking swiftly now and a light breeze began to blow as though approaching dusk shepherded the hot afternoon air away before it they stayed awhile watching the purple flood thai that flowed across the marsh ano it grew cooler and nancy said at last in a tone of surprise dan my dear im hun gryl its dinnertime dinner time he assented laughing at her why i A p 1 I 1 4 0 1 ue tie said huskily your lips are trembling you be their voices were rich and husky it seemed to them the essence of perfection to eat hamburger sandwiches at a lunch cart on the way home where two truck drivers ate beside them and discussed the days ball game ame with the cook yet afterward they were reluctant to go on and it was late when nancy brought dan at last to his own door she would not come in 1 I dont even want vant to see mary ann tonight she said ile he spoke soberly nancy theres one thing jerrells a good man and a fine man and hes been mighty nice to you you must tell him nancy why she asked curiously 1 I will of course if you think so dan but why no man likes to find himself in the position of making love to io an engaged giri gir lie he explained it makes him ridiculous and jerrells too much of a man for that if he does nt want to be r ridiculous ho he make love to a girl half his ago she protested mischievously dan insisted 1 I like him and respect him nancy you do I 1 it t she said demurely who am I 1 to oppose you dan my dear ill do exactly as you say she urged then happily but lets not tell anyone else till were ready to be married the very next cayll day he nodded all right but id like to shout it id like to sing it darling she whispered kiss me now he did and good night tomorrow night dan all the tomorrows he prom ired CHAPTER VII doctor breeding Gre eding decided that he would go to the lake for his vacation just as he had planned he said to nancy 1 I think your mother would want us to and he explained pla ined 1 I shall do some work ive papers to prepare miss carlisle can get the data together and bring the material up to me nancy nodded and he added ashes a very capable girl nancy oh yes she agreed yes mary anns fine ive never worked so well as since I 1 took her on he said she he spoke of details till it occurred k red to nancy incredibly that he protested overmuch she said at last faintly disquieted by his reiterations you dont need to praise mary ann to me father ile he flushed lu shed but then he laughed fine he said im glad you wont mind her being up there with us til ill ask dan too she said so that ill have some one to play with while you and she are working in he hesitated 1 I dont know whether wise nancy so soon after your mothers death she did not urge the point assuming that when the time came doctor breeding Gre eding would be more complaisant she was during these days and despite the steady undercurrent of her aching grief quietly happy and content with a sense of security and peace in the certainty that she and dan would be parted her interview with jerrell had been easier than she feared he heard what she had to say without surprise 1 I guessed that long ago he said smilingly young lovers are transparent I 1 knew it perhaps before you did he said gravely 1 I think you know how much I 1 wish happiness for you yes she assented ass assen ened ed 1 I think I 1 do he smiled if dan were not before me he confessed 1 I might have dreamed some absurd dreams myself despite my age ive never thought of you as old she told him gently the intervening days till their departure for the lake passed like leaves on the wind nancy noticed once or twice that her father read with a frowning attention the financial pages of the newspapers she herself had no interest in such matters but she spoke of it to him 1 I thought you seemed worried she remarked ernar ked but he answered irritably im not please allow me to attend to my own affairs yet as a matter of f fact act doctor breeding Gre eding though lie he denied it to nancy was worried and with cause his reckless venturing had involved him more deeply than he could bear to contemplate and in the end in a sort of d desperation espe ration he went to jerrell telephoning for an appointment 1 I want to discuss some investments with you he explained pla pia ined when he came to the others office jerrell greeted him with a smile surprised me to have YO you U phone he confessed 1 I d i ant know you were interested in stocks doctor breeding Gre eding hesitated well im not seriously he declared but I 1 did take a flyer in cottons as a result of some of our conversations a I 1 notice not doing well and im wondering whether lo 10 take my losses or hang on ile he tried to laugh mattel of fact I 1 went in pretty deep jerrell said gravely the whole market mark e t has been we weak a k and its never wise to fight the market so weve let cottons sag waiting for the turn he tapped his desk with the end of his pen what is the extent of your commitments ned breeding Gre eding hesitated but in the end with a sort of shame he named the actual figure jerrells astonishment showed in ills his eyes you should have asked my advice lie he said irritably before this what do your holdings average he asked and when the other told him ho he sat in silence for a while then lie he smiled as though ir decision and relaxed in his chair well he said as a matter of fact I 1 expect cottons will touch t that iia t fl figure g u r e t this hi s w week ee k N ned e d W when h e n it d does e s y 0 i i d b better e tte r u unload n lo 10 a d il he e h hesitated es then thrust the telephone toward doctor breeding Gre eding put in an order to sell at your price G T C 11 lie ho directed doctor breeding Gre eding took the phone but he looked his doubts youre sure it wont go higher he asked the pen tapped more sharply ned man get out with a whole skin and consider yourself lucky jerrell bade and there was something like scorn in his tones so doctor breeding Gre eding called paul master and gave the order then tu turned tuned ned to jerrell you have put me heavily in your debt ira he said slowly if I 1 can ever repay you if theres anything you want of mine and he suggested not looking at the other man why dont you come up to the lake sometime in august nancy and I 1 will be there I 1 have medical work to do with miss carlisle jerrell smiled shook his head you dont owe me anything ned he said patiently and neither does nancy but I 1 may come that evening doctor breeding Gre eding left the house after dinner mary ann was at the office when he got there and for two or three hours they worked together afterward he insisted on t taking aking her home and on the way he said im going to drop everything and head for the lake as soon as possible ill want you to finish analyzing these cases and bring the figures up to me after ive had a few days rest say next friday he saw hesitation in her and he added swiftly ill want you there for a few days and perhaps nancy can persuade you to stay on for a while even after our job is done she wished to demur but before she could do so he said hurriedly ill need to work this year to keep from thinking she said in quick comprehension of course I 1 understand he thought after he left her that she had seemed almost ill at ease in his presence yet not unfriendly rather deeply sympathetic for the grief she thought he must be suffering but doctor breeding Gre eding felt in fact no grief that first wave of sorrow had come like a healing flood and passed leaving him healed and freel free I 1 I 1 their first days at the lake passed quietly it had been decided between dan and nancy that he would come on friday afternoon with mary ann nancy had not told her father this arrangement without admitting it even to herself she feared some objection on doctor greetings Gre edings part and avoided the possibility by ler 1 er silence doctor breeding Gre eding expected mary anns arrival by the evening train on friday and he spoke of it to nancy at dinner thursday night in such tones that she looked at him doubtfully discovering something incredible and startling in his eyes she tried to put the thought aside it could not be and yet this unbelievable possibility suggested by her fathers tone when he spoke of mary ann remained in her mind disturbingly and her sleep that night 9 lit was uneasy shaken by shadows of formless dreams she was a awake w ake to welcome dawn and went early for a swim when she was dressed and downstairs again her father still had not appeared so she breakfasted alone seeing thomas she asked him where her father was thomas said ile he had his breakfast and took his pistol up to the tennis court maam she went to join her father there and found him in a smiling humor hullo nancy lie he called as a she approached ire he was at the farther end of the court affixing a paper target to the frame in that shuttered window in the batter board sleep well and before she could reply lie he said 1 I slept like a log feel better than ive felt for months this is a great place to rest up here she caught his mood then it if you feel so well ill shoot you a match and if I 1 beat you have no alibis alibi sl ile he chuckled returned toward her you never saw the day nancy he retorted his pistol a long bar meled automatic of an european design lay on the iron roller in a corner of the court she picked it up sa saw that it was loaded and began to shoot her shots cheh she finished were well grouped |