Show 6 1 l g 2 BEAUTYS BEAUTY L a A u G r 1 T ea CHAPTER X continued 16 no I 1 say that there were women v who iho could do it 1 I 1 magda observed mildly in the pause as vicky sat ba back ck defiantly and sipped her tea bridling breathing hard faintly shaking her head 1 I just taid said that if a woman could do it she always won out won the other woman comans a leavings you meant well in a way I 1 suppose and as I 1 say vicky it may go on for years three years four years but then the break comes her husband and hes just as good or as kind or whatever he was as ever comes back unless ashes said something he cant forget or done something radical he comes back then its the other womans comans turn to worry the wife is holding thirteen trumps shea got his children his home ashes gentle and kind and respectable just as she always was id never respect myself again if I 1 countenanced encouraged that sort bort of vicky exclaimed oh men dont care whether you encourage them or not so long as you dont cry and fuss magda observed with her irritating power of making a point while not trying to do anything of the sort the minute a man leaves you what you think matter to him any more they can walk right out on things vie vic women cant quite it if you make all this easy for quen tin heu hell think youre a good little sport aport but he wont care whether you do it by divorce or by just being decent stupefied by this philosophy and by the blankness and darkness of her thoughts victoria was still staring at her mother dully her brow knitted when anna came in to announce a caller magda had time only for one more word ive always thought and ive been thinking it especially lately vie vic that of all the girls I 1 ever knew you were the one to try the long way I 1 mean stick to your guns and not let what anyone does make you anything but what you are but mind you im not advising you you were smarter when you were bom than ill ever be vicky dragged her eyes eyes into whose mutinous light a new look suddenly had come from her mothers face to the maids face but her thoughts were still upon what magda had said and she had to have the message repeated did you say someone was here mrs morrison madam she says cays she just wants to say merry christmas color under the glow of the fire faded a little she turned toward her mother magda shrugged say youre not at home magda said eaid in an undertone but an odd determined light had come into eyes and after a hesitant moment she told anna simply to ask mrs morrison to come upstairs A few seconds later serena came in 1 I had to come up and say merry christmas 11 serena said she was rosy from a cold walk belted into a long tweed coat with sables loose about her shoulders and a brimmed tweed hat drawn down over her sea blue eyes gita was with me but she went up to the children youre not sick I 1 lazy vicky said 1 I ive I 1 ve been doing everything at once today and about an hour ago I 1 simply gave out 1 I can imagine said serena with so many stockings to fill gita was quite envious about it but I 1 dont think it would be much fun for one child to hang a stocking I 1 never did it flawlessly lovely blonde and fresh her hair a crisp pale gold against the rough texture of the hat her skin of the th smooth deep silkiness kiness sU of the magnolia petal her eyes blue blue blue vicky studying her once again thought of the phrase exquisite womanhood victoria watching her felt an inner trembling that was almost a vertigo how dared shel she how dared shel she or was this all a troubled dream one of those dreams that came when she was too tired or lying in some uncomfortable attitude that twisted body as well as mind CHAPTER XI but it was not a dream to hear the front door bang and quentina Quent Quen tins ms step on the stairs and his voice at the door hello vickye having tea hello magda oh said quentin his voice dropping serena I 1 see you they shifted about a little to nake room for him anna brought resh fresh toast and more tea vicky put her hand to her disordered hair serena sat a picture of radiant beauty in her loosened furs and brimmed hat with the firelight and lamplight glowing in her eyes quentin im disgraceful his wife said but ive been on the go all day her voice trembled her hand trembled but no one noticed it unless magda did and she gave no sign ill bet you have you got the wreaths up did the emporium stuff come Every things come I 1 think the ay by KATHLEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen norris service spare room looks like a toy sho shop P vicky had gotten to tier her feet poured his tea she stood now looking down at him and as he glanced up handsome tired relaxed after the hard day she wished in her heart that he and she were dead and lying in the warm kind earth somewhere together 1 I only came in to say merry christmas serena repeated once more nice that you did well its certainly going to be a cold one quentin said are you going out tonight qu quentin en they telephoned from the san mateo hospital about an hour ago 0 1 I stopped there on the way down no Bled coming at about eight maybe earlier is that too late for dinner and then arent we finishing off the tree there very much to do it was cruel this semblance to the old happy holidays this reminder t 1 but mind you ton im not advising you of the wonderful hours when he and she together in their own house in the depth of the winters night had finished off all the surprises for the children had filled the dangling little stockings on so many christmas christinas eves and yet instinct taught her and native courage helped her to chat along idly with serena and presently to excuse herself and go off to the nursery she left her mother with quentin and serena the only tal talk they they were to have on the subject for almost a long year came about ten days later when the christmas tree had been sawed into short lengths that were still draped here and there with odd scraps of cotton and tinsel and when vicky and quentin had the sitting room fire to themselves after magda had gone to bed 1 I was ivon wondering dering 11 quentin began and stopped abruptly wondering if ue like to get away get away she was honestly taken by surprise yep take gwen and susan or kenty if you liked and go on a trip somewhere victoria sat down again looking at him her heart had turned to ice how could I 1 possibly get away quentin what of the twins and maddy well I 1 think its too much for you quentin persisted gruffly and stupidly he sat with his big hands locked and hanging between his knees his eyes were on the fire a and nd his brow was slightly knitted 1 I see victoria presently said slowly but how she asked after a pause how could we afford that now to this quentin made no answer after a time he said irrelevantly you see I 1 may have to be in town a good deal this winter you mean overnight sometimes he did not look at lier her at the club well no swanson has taken a little place on pine street and hed like me to go into it with him but I 1 thought dr swanson was going to los angeles hell be back and forth he says 1 I see vicky said again pondering her heart was beating fast and she felt her spine cold her hands cold and wet its serena it quentin she added almost involuntarily she had not meant to ask it it was said quentin glanced quickly across at her looked back at the fire his eyes narrowed and she saw his jaw stiffen uh huh he said simply with a little philosophic shrug you like her terribly dont you vicky pursued turning the knife in her heart oh it quentin said impatiently if it was vas just my liking her it matter everyone likes her I 1 dont suppose ashes met a man in ten years who fallen for her A man her mothers doctor she tells me hes one of the big men at roosevelt hospital in new york now asked tier her to marry him when she was only fourteen 1 really vicky said and the word if he had been in any mood to hear it was like a sword blade naked in the air no it what I 1 feel for her quentin hearing nothing went on after a moment its that that I 1 cant see any sense in hurting her what about spencer victoria asked simply after a silence she has him what did you say she love spencer no that was a funny thing too she tells me 11 quentin told the whole story eagerly believingly it was the s story t ory magda had told her daughter years before the story of the beautiful woman wheedled into marriage on the promise of love sure to follow spencer and ferdy so I 1 long ong ago I 1 and all the other men to whom these beautiful women later were to prove false had promised to love enough for two ashes as sorry as I 1 am quentin presently finished victoria was silent for a while looking fixedly into the fire then she said temperately Y you 0 u feel that something must be d done 0 n c quentin sent her a startled glance well lord vicky she cant go on this way you know her life over there is simply hell what it is morrison never has appreciated precia ted her hes completely wrapped up in his own troubles and what has she to live for what do you want to do quentin vicky asked at last in a temperate expressionless voice his dark rumpled head was sunk in his big hands he spoke hopelessly 1 I dont know I 1 told her today that I 1 thought jump at taking a couple of the kids off for a holiday france maybe we could close up this house her world was tottering about her she heard the hurricane shrieking in her ears breathed the rush of smothering dust felt the good earth shake you mean leave some of them here in the house with nurse and a cook and take the others off to europe well his tone was dubious faintly irritated he was still tumbling his hair with restless ar fingers 1 g ers we could make some som e arrangement a he said what I 1 mean is it seem fair to nave have you here slaving yourself to death for the kids when when things have changed so theres no use of three people being unhappy when with a little common sense be satisfied this is as much a surprise to me as you vie vic it came to me like a thunderbolt the other day when she told me what it meant to her she said she wished to god she had never met me she actually said that she felt that way about it now I 1 owe her I 1 owe her some consideration about it ashes got some rights in this matter its too bad when it happens this way but the only thing is to be honest and to work it out for the best for all parties and you must believe that it in the least affect what I 1 feel for you and the children vie vic I 1 mean separate its simply that you come to a time in your life when youve got to be fair to all hands you mean that you want a divorce the instant she said it she knew that it was a mistake she should not have been the one to introduce this word but at least it seemed to be no shock to quentin he said with a half hal f smile for the fi fire re she says she simply hates the word she was divorced once and the idea makes her sick I 1 suppose it makes any decent woman sick whatever you decide to do quentin victoria said after a moment standing up as an indication that the conversation was over 4 count on leaving me here with the children I 1 leave any of them it would only mean expense and trouble for you ill stay here im glad weve talked about it anyway and I 1 think ill go to bed goodnight good night 1 I think youre a tremendous sport to take it this way let me t talk to her shell work it all out quentin said the library door closed there was no other answer hes a genius of course vicky said to herself against the surge oi of pain in her heart as she went slowly upstairs in the bi big g house that of late had seemed so wintry and desolate hes a genius and geniuses have times of not knowing what doing or saying everyone I 1 says that quentin is in a I 1 class claes by himself hes temporarily out of his mind all she looked across at the morrison house its tiled spanish roofs and balconies its oaks a and n d peppers were brightly lighted by the cold january moon TO BE CONTINUED 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