Show beauty beamut y B S daughter dau AMP sy tr by KATHLEEN NORRIS 0 0 0 0 kathleen noart 2 service CHAPTER XV continued 21 fix room for nurse she whispered and vicky was glad to go with her to the spare room help her in the warming human business of making beds and arranging towels he dead yet before they had finished quentin and dr cudworth joined them quentin looked exhausted his hair was tumbled and his operating gown one of miss pierces aprons put on backward was spattered with red he took off the apron and was in his sleeveless fiber cloth undershirt with a towel he wiped the perspiration from his ashen face and smiled wearily at his wife excuse my appearance vie vic it he said sitting down panting my lord but that was quick work how is ii he vicky asked but even before she asked it the blood had come back to her heart and she had had time to feel an almost frightening first ecstasy of hope hes doing remarkable dr cudworth said and he can thank your good husband here you are in my opinion a genius dr hardisty oh quent there really a chance magnificent constitution and his 0 own wn feeling will help quentin still ghastly pale and breathing hard said to the other doctor and then to ta vicky everything is as good as it can be better I 1 would say he opened his eyes and looked at me it take him five minutes to get his bearings vicky sat down in a winged chair and put her hands bands over her eyes and began to cry and quentin leaning over to pat her on the back laughed with tears in his own eyes im ash sh shamed of myself she stammered looking up to smile through wet lashes but butout but it saves eaves us aall it saves us au all quen ili tui ive been sitting out there aane alone thinking and thinking did she come out at all the local doctor asked in the pause mrs morrison ashes probably packing quentin said 1 I imagine shell get out right away it would be the best thing all round if she did oh but quentin the reli relief eft 1 eyes shone like stars it was too good to be true too good to be true if you come back from the hospital she said with a shudder if still been in germany quentin will there have to be an investigation now will there be any talk of poison 1 I dont think so quentin said somewhat uncertainly looking at his colleague the other doctor re heated the phrase more decidedly im extremely glad to wash my hands of the whole thing dr cudworth said hes warned now and ashes had a pretty sharp scare the amahs tipped off and I 1 think we might give the nurse a hint it seems to me we might 1 I am going to talk to both nurses ive had this girl telephone for another quentin said and once again vicky thought that he was two men the quentin who was the childrens adored dad easy and quiet and quite willing to take their word for anything to listen to them to learn from them and this other quentin who held life and death in his big square hands it would be better to get him into a hospital of course but we cant move him now you say serena shown up at all he asked victoria when they were all in the hall again not a sound will you wake her up im going to take a look at spencer amah here will let the nurse go down for some ceffer I 1 ive I 1 ve got to talk to serena screna victoria grossed crossed the upper tipper hall turned the knob of door and spoke from the threshold serena there ws complete dar darkness knes within sei enas apartment was on the we western side of the house and the first dim airn grayness of dawn that had struck into the kitchen and that was new timidly attacking the eastern world had made no entrance here there was black night beyond set enas window and in the room vague darker shadows vicky groped inside the door casing found a switch and inundated the place with soft rosy light every everything thing was orderly enough vicky had seen th these ese pink taffeta fittings before the pink brocaded walls the long legged doll and mandarin lamps the black worsted dog with the bead beady y eyes but there was in the silence here now something indefinably frightening her he heart a rt beat fast with terror serena still wearing the pale lav ender dressing gown in which vicky had first seen her last night was lying flat across the unopened bed the delicate pink taffeta covers still their daytime pos position were sp spread r pad in ili tion and flowed a over ver the dais in thick rich flouncing and folds A at t the top to P of the low wide bed a half circle of finely pleated silk rose 1 like a moon beside the pillows were the night table and the pink lamps the pink and white telephone the book in a tooled vellum cover that serena had been read tag ing serenal spencers better they think he will live quentin wants to speak to youl silence the rooms mistress lay as she might have lain in a moment ot of sleep she was lying on her back her beautiful hair loosened and falling in a cascade over her shoulder one arm hanging relaxed over the edge of the bed heart suddenly rose into her throat and she felt her knees weaken she dared not turn her back on this room instead she backed slowly away heard the men emerging from spencers room turned to show them an ashen face and to clutch at quentina Quen tins arm oh quentin ashes only asleep I 1 guess but dont go in therel there 1 51 4 1 5 1001 all 0 re I 1 I 1 killed herself dont ashes lying on her bed she go to bed I 1 spoke to her and she stir the matter vicky quentin asked surprised weary what did she say has she fainted he went toward door vicky with a little gasp of fright followed along beside him again she looked at the rosy beauty of room the pink lights on delicate pink silk the litter of beautiful luxurious nothings with which serena had surrounded herself a rabbit skin rug silver frames and vases tortoise shell fitting mounted in gold for the desk at which serena wrote only love notes wait a minute minu tel quentin said sharply he went to the bed touched the figure lying there gripped the unresponsive shoulder with a big hand and shook it serena he said and then turning to vicky and the other doctor look here what is it cudworth asked advancing into the room dead quentin said oh no quenta vicky was clinging to his arm oh no who would do it who would do it ashes done it herself eh cudworth asked he stooped and picked from the floor something 1 that glittered brightly in the soft I 1 light ight ye care for that investigation did ye my lady the old man queried staring down at the dead woman with a shrewd light in his eyes suicide vicky whispered yes she did it herself quentin muttered look there eyes found the little round violet puncture of the bullet hole at the flawless marble temple sleeping face was placid but the once scarlet mouth was pale and flecked with blood and the beautiful pale gold hair was loosened as into a careless cascade that hung in a web over the side of the bed there was a horrible sprawling relaxation in her position a dreadful mysterious in the colorless lips that made vicky tremble Is there anything to do quent not now ile he did not turn fr from m his contemplation of the wreck of what had been sn soft so lovely and alluring and fragrant and warm only a few hours ago no it was instantaneous vie vic he muttered killed herself hersel fl she thought he was dead ayou see the older man supplied suddenly the chinese woman had come out of his room it was while we were all in the hall there e awhile back when we all thought U that at poor morrison had no chance 1 I thought from the way you all talked quentin said that he wasl was I 1 was amazed when amah said he wanted to see me and she must have thought so BO poor wor womanly nani an hour later victoria and quentin walked across the morrisons Morri Morris sons side garden and through the gate into the lane and through their own gate A perfect spring dawn was strengthening over the world now it was four the east was flushed with exquisite delicate pink against which shoals and galleons gal leons of delicate silver and gray and paler gray cloud made long bars 1 I 1 feel reborn vicky said reborn He born im terribly grateful vie vic quentin said 1 I oh grate grateful full if you knew what I 1 was thinking of all night long every horror that anyone can imagine seemed to be sweeping over me I 1 had you in jail I 1 had us au all moving to some remote place perhaps you think I 1 vie vic while we were working over him perhaps you think I 1 have a chance to think how id taken my life and destroyed it with my two hands but thank god its au all over now 1 I am tired quentin the tea for the vienna doctors and our lunch at the st francis seem longer ago than yesterday yester dayl I 1 that yesterdays yester dayl he exclaimed all it was my god he said again struck she did do it she quent yes he be said with a serious look 1 I guess she did her killing herself herse lr the words sounded so strange that vicky had to stop short and think of them her killing herself looked as if she did she mused she had that I 1 dont know what to call it ruthless quality quentin said she went over any obstacle that was in her way she used to say that she had tartar blood she had a way of going berserk not wild but cold and revengeful and determined he roused the very worst in her he always did victoria mused he seemed to sit back and laugh at her and he never let her have enough money even to get away she told me she came to see me every few days you know that she had to charge even her lunches at hotels that day she seemed to me desperate she looked so beautiful too she was in a sort of co corn color and her eyes looked so blue mother said after she left all dressed up and nowhere to gol go I 1 suppose it was death in life to her er to live in that quiet country house quentin nodded listening youve been a trump all night long vie vic he said after a while it if been lik like elmost most women and refused to go over there we might be in bad trouble this morning if you were like most women have kicked me out years ago I 1 dont know why you act the way you do but I 1 want you to know this sounds damn flat but I 1 want you to know that I 1 admire you and that im grateful I 1 owe everything ive got in the world to you im just beginning to realize that its an awful lot you know im not good at speeches but when I 1 think about you and this is what I 1 wanted to tell you I 1 get ge I 1 au all choked up im lm im grateful grate fl thank you Quen tini vie vic said from the other end of the table well go on here and some day ill have a chance to show you that im changed quentin saidi said its taken me a long time to wake up ive been a fool I 1 did the rottenest rott enest thing to you a man can do to his wile wife its just my luck its my incredible luck that youve well I 1 wont say forgiven me you dont i forget those things and you cant forgive them but that youve worked it out your way vicky had the sugar bowl between her two brown hardworking hard working hands she turned it slowly her eyes upon it you did something of which you are ashamed she said simply 1 I why should there be any question of forgiveness if I 1 did something something wrong tomorrow be sorry think a little the less of me but you be personally touched because I 1 forged a check your own honor would be just what it wasl was my life yours im me 1 I wish to the lord you would do something dumb quentin said with ineloquent force after a pause 1 I sound smug vicky said but im not and I 1 do dumb things every day thousands of them there were months there were actual years when your home life was nothing but mistakes nerves uproar my chyi crying ng and being tired and sick the children going into mumps and whooping cough bills piling up to ITO BE CONTINUED |