Show B E A T S CHAPTER IX continued 14 why my god vie vic he was right to the top in diplo ignacy when lie he got hurt they were to go to spain one of the tat fat places esl theres lots of money nothing could have stopped himl she was packing her trunks when he e was hurt well I 1 dont suppose he especially enjoyed it she told me quentin said in a tender undertone not hearing one word of what vicky had said she told me that just before the smash she had been planning to buy a certain white shawl at the sea captains shop in shanghai she says it was the most gorgeous thing she ever saw and that when their plans all changed and before she knew whether morrisons Morri sons eye was going to be saved or not she used to go every day and take a look at the shawl so when it was all over and lied hed resigned from the diplomatic staff she went up there one last time and kissed the white shawl good byl somehow quentin said lost in his own thoughts somehow the thought of her going in there and laying her face against that shawl well it gets you I 1 mean ashes nothing but a little girl and youre nothing but a little raw blind babal vicky might think hotly but she never said it aloud no he was in the grip of a fever now and there was no saving him until it went down he could neither hear nor understand until then one day vie vic met in the street a woman who stopped her with a smile A pretty woman but wearing too much rouge and powder lipstick and mascara a woman suggesting a gallant retreat from youth and beauty marian pool vicky said marian was animated the beautiful eyes worked with their old fire she had an adorable cattle king in tow my dear he owns half of brazill brazil she said in an aside in copper colored stout old person who spoke only a stilted english and used that almost entirely for labored compliments to marian marian was still beautiful vicky thought she was not much more than forty but ten years ago she ehe would not have wasted any time on senor de raa now she was working over him industriously laughing at his lame jokes allowing the fat paw to squeeze her own pretty hands watch me get a present out of him he shipped his wife and daughters on the last steamer and hes going wild said marian drawing vicky with them into marshs marahs beautiful shop she called the attention of the cattle king to the cabinets of jade jewelry vicky who had left gwen with a dentist for half an hours straightening of teeth looked interestedly at one of oriental jewelry and porcelain the worlds finest collections of brocade and teak and ivory brass and enamel A middle aged saleswoman presently drew her aside excuse roe me madam but did your friend speak of you as mrs hardisty Hardis im mrs hardisty vie vic said and your husband is dr hardisty I 1 thought so there was something I 1 wanted to ask you this is very unprofessional the woman broke off in a tone af pf of smiling and eager apology vie vic could only continue to look expectation and surprise you birou see the saleswoman pursued christmas is very close and someone was looking at a present for you in here yesterday and I 1 thought she had led victoria into a small adjoining salesroom where there were a teak table and some chairs do sit down she said and ill explain your husband was in here yesterday looking at s some e of our lovely things and he picked one out for your christmas christ 3 present now often when a ge gentleman le an does that mrs Moor eweather went on confidentially 1 I like to give the lady just a little hint when I 1 can because sometimes as we all know tastes do duler differ and when a present is very handsome and this is handsome its so easy to give a gentleman just a little hint and say 1 I 1 think your wife would surely prefer that and then she gets what she wants and we please a customer while the amiable endless patter had been streaming on victoria had been smiling vaguely hardly listening no now this must be a secret where is that I 1 thought oh yes I 1 know where it isi is mrs moore weather was saying as she drew in and out of their frames great deep black drawers filled with silken beauty this must be a little secret between you and me she ran on victoria did not hear her her head was spinning and her mouth filled with salt water her brown hands were lying on the royal folds of a white chinese shawl after a while she was out in the street again walking in a businesslike lik e way toward the white house the familiar shops and corners want by her flashing in winter sunlight and cold shadows moving with ith forms and sounding with the dorns of cars and the chip of feet victoria felt dazed and weak she fedt tit that bat her knees would give way by KATHLEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen norris morris service oh my god my god my godl god I 1 victoria said half aloud she stand here like an idiot passersby passers by would notice her S she lie walked irresolutely toward geary street darned back she had had something to do something to do at three oh yes quentin had asked her what she wanted tor for christmas and she had said that he would meet her some afternoon to pick it out and she had told the children that grownups grown ups like surprises as much as they liked getting just what they wanted and then only yesterday quentin had suggested that she pick it out herself she had said she would go in at three and pick out the electric refrigerator friger ator her christmas gift was to be an electric refrigerator another oriental art shop victoria went in I 1 you have a beautiful shawl in the window the red and yellow one what price is a shawl like that that one madam shall we take it out of the window that one is its beautiful but not today thank you it as handsome as the white one vicky thought wandering aimlessly out into the sun I 1 I 1 she lay thinking her throat thich her head confused shine again it anything like lik e as handsome what will he write on the card but no I 1 wont bear it I 1 wont bear it she felt sick sore as if every bone of her mental moral and spiritual had been jarred and hurt she even select the refrigerator feverishly in in a sudden need to be home and with her children victoria picked up gwen very chatty and gay went to the garage got into her car and threaded her way through the southbound south bound traffic toward the peninsula the trees were bare and the roads looked cold smoke went straight up from all the little houses christmas wreaths showed in their windows victoria shuddered it would be good to get home but when she was in a cotton dress and fairly smothered by the enthusiastic reception from the nursery even then the sense of sickness sic kness and shock did not heal aven even then she sat blankly maddy in in her lap the other children cir circling about her in the glow of the nursery fire with her eyes staring into space quentin loved another woman quentin loved another woman A more beautiful woman than she could ever hope to be A strange mysterious fascinating woman the doctor will not be home for dinner mrs hardisty miss cone just telephoned he has an operation at nine thank y you ou anna and the jealous agony lulled for a moment mo ment began again fierce and tearing and irresistible after a while victoria was in her own room and idly handling the telephone suddenly shamed color in her pale face she called the hospital was dr hardisty there was he to be there no operation that evening you can get him at his home atherton eight eight eight a pleasant girls voice presently said vicky waited awhile and the c cold id bound winter world and the wind whining over the oaks and the blighted gardens seemed to wait too presently shi she telephoned to serena what are you two doing tonight my dear said serena ive just ordered an early dinner dinner for spencer why dont you be a darling and come over and play backgammon with him ive been called to town A dear old friend mary catherwood is at the fairmont and she wants me to come in and dine late with her im disgusted such a frightful night but what can you do th there ere was more of it it was very convincing but not quite con f i 4 evincing enough when the conversation was ended there was nothing for victoria but vigil restless feverish sleepless the hours of the night began to go by it was a still night the eve of christmas eve with the world tightened under a frost and every outdoor sound echoing like a pistol shot ten eleven midnight and no quentin at half past twelve victoria drowsing with her reading lamp shining full in her eyes started up with a frightened sense that everything was all wrong fire accident calamity then she heard what had waked her his car on the drive she knew the sound of the engine and the scrunch of the gravel her heart heavy and sad as it was felt something of reassurance and calm she snapped off her light composed herself as if asleep he feel himself watched she heard him come upstairs he going to put his car away poor quentin perhaps it had really been an operation then at the city and county hospital or the emergency perhaps he was completely blameless tonight at least CHAPTER X other sounds victoria sat up in bed with her heart pumping everything ery thing was all wrong cold terrifying shaken again for quentin cautiously coming upstairs had only put out his porch light had snapped out the drive light now the car lights were up again and the car itself was slowly wheeling on the drive victoria not knowing what she did was on her own upper porch trembling with cold and fear and despair in her thin wrapper with her feet bare and her eyes straining after the departing car she saw the car turn saw it leave the gates again saw it turn toward the morrisons Morri sons house it stopped at the side door and presently a house light went up and then the car lights were put out shrubs shut the doorway partially from the window porch where victoria stood with all her world going to pieces about her but she could discern two figures silhouetted for an instant against the open door then it closed and presently the downstairs light went out too and the cold christmas countryside and her life and her love and her faith were all plunged into cold darkness an iron winter sky was low over the world when morning came without sunrise vicky waking at seven shivered wearily down again into her warm blankets it would be good to stay in bed on such a morning she thought still caught in dreams what morning was this anyway good heavens this was christmas eve with everything to do then she remembered and the gray dark morning seemed darker and her bones her head her whole being seemed to ache with the bitter necessity of coming back to consciousness ness ali ah if she could only stay asleep and go on from sleep to death beautiful warm friendly death she lay thinking her throat thick her head confused her heart and mind in confusion quentin quentin and serena morrison victoria suddenly felt that she was suffocating strangling she flung off the blankets reached for her heavy wrapper even while she was groping with her feet for her fur lined slippers B r r r she muttered going to the opened window shutting it with one swift gesture the garden below the window lay bleak and bare under linder a fine frosting of white a delicate powdering of frost covered the bricks of the walks and lay like lace on the soaked bronze red of the leaf pile under the oaks she splashed her face with cold water brushed her hair looked at the ghostly vision in the mirror after a while she went downstairs to sit holding her coffee cup at the level of her mouth an elbow resting on the table her eyes far away she could eat nothing but she managed a few swallows of coffee managed a question to the maid did the doctor have his breakfast anna ko no maam he had a cup of coffee standing in the kitchen he sit down ile he had an eight at the dante did he say anything about dinner he said hed have miss cone telephone all the would be coming down tomorrow to have christmas dinner with all the Hardi there would be presents for all the little upon the little Hardi tree this was christmas eve hateful unendurable empty christmas eve and christmas day must somehow be endured she mounted the two nights flights of stairs to her mothers room magda always stayed in bed in the mornings m rn this morning she had a ore fire and was cozily ensconced in her pillows with her jig light lit burning and her breakfast tray on her knees you look tired magda salo with a glance TOISE |