Show bw E ia b DAUGH U k aau H EK 1 CHAPTER vill VIII continued 13 the morrisons Morri sons oh oh ayou suppose hed bed come I 1 le he seems so cross I 1 cant can t imagine him social and agreeable sure hed come she said today he would A seconds electrical pause paus e then vicky said without volition exactly what she did not want wan t to say in exactly the tone she did not want to use silly suspicious words in a cifes light suspicious tone oh I 1 know seen her today 1 I met her coming back from my walk quentin answered ans wondering at the same instant why he said that he had seen her for a moment at the club in the lane yep vicky was silent a moment when she ehe spoke it was to say amiably that she would go over to see serena in a day or two and arrange i the dinner but under her surface serenity she felt a little sick from the ahe sudden jarring awakening sudden vague fears so o o that was it was it it was quentin to whom serena had been talking in the lane quentin kissed her goodnight good night a careless kiss on the top of her head bead went to his own sleeping porch almost immediately she j heard beard him snoring but vicky lay awake for nervous restless unreasoning hours CHAPTER IX vicky made a point of calling upon her neighbors a day or two later to invite them to dinner feeling oddly formal in her silk gown with calling cards in her purse and white gloves carried as a final touch vicky sat in the patio of the morrison house with the injured man and his lovely wife and talked somewhat stiltedly and constrainedly she and dr hardisty lived very quietly she explained as indeed a doctor has to do when he is building up his practice and has six small chil children drent vicky ended with a little laugh oh yes you poor thing serena said so heartily that spencer morrison laughed his sinister laugh and vicky hated her 1 I know whether coming to dine with us would give mr morrison any pleasure or not vicky said later when she was walking home and serena had volunteered to accompany her 1 I beg pardon 1 I was wondering it if mr morrison would think it more bother than it was worth a oh he can walk that far serena said vaguely 1 1 victoria did not pursue the subject they were in the little lane that separated the two properties now and suddenly she stooped and picked up a small bright object and as she did so she felt her heart begin to beat faster and the blood in her face quentina Quen tins cigarette ligh lighter terl she said caid hes been looking for it everywhere ery cry where imagine serena commented undisturbed he probably dropped it vicky said suddenly trembling when you and he were talking here in the lane last sunday half an hour later quentin came upstairs to find vicky changing her gown for dinner 1 I met mrs morrison lord she is a lovely creatures crea turell quentin observed plunging at once into his ablutions shed started to walk to the village it was too much for her and she asked me to telephone for a taxi to pick her up but instead I 1 ran her downtown it seems he wanted the mail I 1 guess he gets his own way pretty well and then took her home it only took me ten minutes she tells me he looked out of a towel his hair in wild wet confusion to say in satisfaction she tells me you called there today vie vic im glad ashes a lovely woman and shell b be great company for you victoria at her dressing table continued to brush her hair once she looked steadily a at t quentin in the mirror but chedid not see her 1 I told you they could come thursday night she asked yep who else are you going to have havea gita and gwen and ourselves and mother quentin turned his face coloring with amazement why my dear you cant do that he said quickly do what 4 why have those people the first lime ti me and not make an occasion of it vicky was genuinely astonished how ayou mean quentin V well I 1 mean at that important people his father is sir percival morrison I 1 do think that if f ever it if ever were going to spread ourselves this is the time but hes an invalid quenta he is and he be hes lost an eye of course but hes an englishman and find them regular sticklers klers for formality oh no well have to make it a formal affair id ask the rays and the Sin clairs and dr aestreicher Au 1 I seel vie vic murmured as he paused her heart was lead why my do you say 1 I see quentin demanded suspiciously auspiciously ay NORRIS a 0 kathleen norris WN U service well we given that sort ot of an affair since before the twins w were ere born weve had nothing but sunday lunches and bridge dinners for just four why but theres nothing so formidable m about it vie vic he spoke with a sort ot of amused impatience it was not amusing to vie vic she understood his mood too well his unwonted fussing over every detail of the approaching dinner his strange excited spirits when the night finally can came te quentin Quent ln who usually loathed such affairs was nervous as a young wife over the candles and flowers and welcomed the guests with a joviality and assurance su rance that seemed to vicky almost as bad as his usual manner of 9 grim rim and polite endurance the morrisons Morri sons came last the man who wore a black patch over one eye limping a little evidently glad to drop into the nearest chair serena shining in flawless beauty vicky herself felt tired things had not gone any too well throughout the long rainy day she had small heart in the affair the earlier stages of the dinner were not a success just why not vie vic was unable to perceive serena sat next to quentin vicky was miserably impressed from her end of the table that the guest of honor did not have much to say k mrs morrison play vicky asked anyone as beautiful as that did not have to have much to say she made all the other women look plain and badly dressed and sound chatter boxes aokes the atmosphere seemed definitely clearer when they had gone they went early the bowed carefully walking lean man with the neat black patch over one eye and the superbly moving woman with her fair head held high everyone could discuss them then and the contract fanatics could settle down to their game vicky and violet and one or two of the other women turned the lights low in the drawing room gathered about the fire and analyzed the morrisons Morri sons at their leisure quentin had said that he would walk through the garden with the morrisons Morri sons but the night had proved to be still and rainy and they had had to have the car for the tv twice ice t two wo hundred yards on the whole wearily glad that it was over limping upstairs in her tiff stiff new slippers vicky pronounced the affair a drag a bore a failure it went on and on he nev never er saw it she could see nothing e else is vick grew nervous and irritable wondering about it wondering whenever he was out of her sight where quentin was wondering how often he saw serena and under what circumstances cum stances 1 I saw serena today quentin said one night when their acquaintance with the morrisons Morri sons was of only a few weeks standing oh that was nice did she come to the office no I 1 took her to lunch oh A pause then the inevitable interrogation as unwelcome to victoria as to quentin but dragged from her nevertheless by a power stronger than herself happen to meet her noo no o I 1 spoke of it sunday she said that she was going to be in town 1 I see and do what she wo would d the pause would seem to have s significance g ance and do what she wa would d she could not seem to fill it w with th some casual pleasantry presently victoria and quentin had to dine with their neighbors quentin who rarely went to dinners had accepted this invitation as a matter of course without consulting s victoria she knew in advance that the event would hold no pleasure for her she felt like a rough headed child in a homemade home made gown when the night came and she and quentin walked across the side lawn and past the berry patch and the pasture field and went through the old gate into the lane and so on to the morrisons Morri sons for dinner the affair was indeed informal only their four selves were at the table serena was no such housekeeper as victoria hardisty but she made no apologies for a poor dinner and indifferent service the winter night was clear and cold after dinner there was a fire intermittently replenished pleni shed hed by quentin and victoria and spencer morrison played backgammon and then cribbage at first they played in the sitting room but presently spencer suggested his rather untidy study where there was an electric heater he and victoria went in there and and she exerted herself charitably char Kably to make the games interesting nine ten st struck ruck victoria was overcome with sleepiness and she felt that she could decently suggest going home her heart was not on an the game she felt nervous and distracted presently she rose they really must go now after all she had a houseful of small children to consider and quentin must make an early start in the morning her host seemed petulant and angry that she should break up the evening but contented himself with asking her to come over any day any hour to get her revenge come tomorrow at about two if you can he urged mrs morrison play vicky asked with an inward smile at the idea that she could find time tomorrow or any day for an idle afternoon game with a neighbor oh yes plays backgammon very cry well spencer answered with his characteristic little bitter smile twisting his mouth but she gets no particular thrill from playing with me the drawing room wis was almost dark when they reached it but serena immediately snapped up the lights only one lamp had been burning and in its light and that of the fire quentin and she had been sitting in big chairs at the hearth had they been there all these long two hours vie vic wondered serena detained quentin tor for a moment at the door are you working tonight sometimes I 1 see your light quite late last night you were late last night I 1 was playing bridge with three men quentin told her she watches his light victoria thought disappearing into the outer blackness with a farewell nod over her shoulder it if youre working tonight serena said to quentin then without the slightest expression in her voice or her face come over when you finish and I 1 will give you a cup of chocolate goodnight good night quentin said he followed vicky down the porch steps when they reached their room he said that he thought he would do a little work fifteen minutes maybe the next morning at breakfast vie vic sa said i d to him casually you go back to the mor mar last night did you well yes I 1 did quentin answered looking oft off his paper id meant to take her a book and left it on my dresser I 1 ran over with it and she was making chocolate she says she often has a little supper after hes gone upstairs we sat in the kitchen awhile well what wa was s a wife to say to that after that night there was another change and this one to hr her sinking heart seemed to viet victoria oria much more ominous than the first quentin was always good natured and gentle now absentminded absent minded uninterested in what went on at home he no longer defended mrs morrison I 1 or seemed especially to want to exchange family courtesies dinners and evening meetings with the house next door whatever his relationship with serena had become he was content never to mention it it was their own affair now his and and needed no apo apologies I 1 ogies no justification from confused thoughts there emerged surprisingly one concrete fact she loathed serena she would have been glad to hear of violent and sudden death and this made it increasingly hard to endure quentina Quen tins simple revelations concerning her neighbor ashes always been just a little girl quentin would say she says she still likes to get a kitten and a plate of apples and a good book on a rainy afternoon and curl up in the attic and read imagine it vie vic this woman who has been adored and spoiled by some of the most famous persons in the world rothesay middleton for example you know that every woman in hollywood is trying to get him she tells me that when she married morrison she told him that she had to spend one week every year with middleton and no questions asked she said spencer almost lost his mind trying to reconcile himself to the idea but in the end he gave in not much to his credit vie vic might submit dryly but fortunately for her quentin was usually too much absorbed in his subject to see anything amiss well he have gotten her other otherwise I 1 and when I 1 think what that fellow has put her through Spen spencer cerl how ayou mean put her through eh TO BF CONTINUED |