| Show FM ne iff iff 0 r tl ilmi m n sy 11 at zi JORDAN 0 D century co ino MM service CHAPTER vil VI I 1 continued Con linued 19 joan spoke with such passionate seriousness that hale was startled he answered almost at random you had any more night visitors have you she laughed no I 1 never had one it was a nightmare you know the kind we all have sometimes we know were in bed we see the familiar furniture of our room yet something horrible and incredible happens they had reached the beach and wore were standing before the bathhouse bath house joan shared with her aunt and mrs spencer forbes ill be ready in five minutes she promised as she entered it she was not of course hale stretched himself out on the sand before the door rather like a guarding dog and pondered what she had told him when she came out ready for the water she was determinedly brisk and companionable lets talk about something cheerful the rest of the time she invited as they walked toward the sea 1 I want my thoughts distracted all right ill do anything but make love to you she sighed ostentatiously why this cold reserve that might distract my mind better than anything else 1 I dont doubt it would but im serving warning on you right now miss kneeland celand im not going to fall fail in love with you miss aliss kneeland too she murmured only a few minutes ago it was joan oh the bitter heartache of that they had joined hands and were entering the water 1 I suppose what youre really telling me she added as the waves lifted them up is that you will always be a brother to me exactly they began to swim toward the float the trouble is she pointed out that I 1 dont need another brother I 1 have bert hes entirely satisfactory rex scoffed ed As a brother I 1 can put circles all around bert see but you undermine my morale by making love to me he reminded her that fair stop talking im getting tired already he put a steadying arm under her chest and kept it there till they reached the float he could feel the quick beating of her heart against it he was a trifle dizzy as they scrambled up the side of the float and wiped the salt water ou out t of their eyes they sat still resting and lie he kept his gaze on the shore line there was a short silence which he be did riot not want to break ive al always ways known she said at la last st that I 1 was like queen victoria not in appearance thank god hale said promptly not even I 1 should say in temperament in what respect miss bones do you think youre like our dear late queen ive always known that if I 1 ever met a man I 1 really wanted to marry id probably have to propose to hirn him he would think he prop propose ose to me because I 1 have some money queen victoria proposed to prince albert you know ive heard so hale admitted cautiously how did she do it I 1 seem to have forgotten the details she did it joan said firmly in a nice ree fined ladylike way she made it an affair of state she pointed out to albert that everyone expected him to marry her a and nd that he and she might as we well U tau tall in with the general plan hale shook his red head bead that make a hit with an american man he declared it make a hit with you joan asked anxiously it would not well suppose some lovely young thing told you she needed a protector and felt sure you were it would that appeal nope you interest me strangely what sort of proposal would appeal to you I 1 may need to know an easy one I 1 should expect to be wooed patiently and tenderly tor for a long time then I 1 should expect a really tempestuous proposal full of passion and fire cre it would have to be the kind that would sweep me off my feet joan sighed you have postponed tor for a long time perhaps forever she told him sadly a pregnant interview I 1 had bad in mind they both idu ghert and halos hales heart rose he told himself that at last he was seeing the real joan kneeland ecland there be anything seriously wrong with a girl like that his faint suspicion that soi someone neone was trying to injure her was the result of an over stimulated imagination and now settled be suggested joyously lets swim a little way toward spain they dived together and started off ob with fine abandon but almost immediately it seemed to him she was tired again ile he made her turn back and again supported her on the return swim to the shore when she left the water her mood had changed im as weak as a cat she said bitterly her eyes were full ol of fear as she looked at him rex what does it mean she asked in a whisper were going to find out he promised will you follow my advice ire 1 I think so what Is it naturally I 1 any faith in craig let me take you tomorrow answer till the next morning so I 1 always did that was fatal of 0 course by the next day I 1 had forgotten the proposals how about them hale grinned they standing around in rows reminding you they were not never believe it rex but they forgot too if I 1 remembered something about them a few months later and asked it if ws we were engaged or anything ot of that sort sorl every lad ol of them swore I 1 had refused him and that his heart was now an others after a few years ot of this I 1 remembered enough to grasp spencer forbes the night he spoke and to write him a note the next morning conf confirming 1 rm in g our engagement I 1 hastened h a s te e d 0 our u r marriage too 1 I rea realized 1 i e d that I 1 keep the matter in mind av J hate to have doctors fussing over ane after lunch to a new york doctor who has a camp near here doctor nicholas crosby let him make a thorough examination and give you a diagnosis and a schedule well take bert to him at the same time bert may need some help in up building charier CHAPTER vill VIII when they entered the house hale telephoned at once to doctor nick crosby to make the appointment lor for the next day the result was disappointing appo inting joan stood beside him at the telephone he made his report to her with raised eyebrows crosby is in new york he wont be back till monday joan nodded 1 I im m glad I 1 hate to have doctors fussing over me especially strange ones just the same he looked at her idour thoughtfully ht fully surprised at his own ua disappointment sap and annoyance over the doctors absence for some reason eason the delay seemed serious this is friday lets go to new york early tomorrow morning he suddenly suggested 1 I know t two wa good doctors there I 1 can surely get hold ol of one of them by telephone today if I 1 cant ill look up someone else she scoffed at the idea in this heat beat it would be a crazy thing to do he persisted no it ill get an early appointment tor for you then well lunch on the cool roof of some new york hotel and take an early train back 1 she was firm tn in her refusal and he had to give in aside from everything else she pointed out 1 I want a doctor at hand it if I 1 need one at all well wait tor for doctor crosby mrs nash swears by him ainsworth waved a hand to him as they passed the living room door on their way upstairs but hale escorted joan to her room and then went lent on to his own ainsworth could wait joan did not come down to tea and hale was not surprised he devoted himself to mrs spencer forbes and miss Ho hosanna ianna and listened inattentively to the batters lat long account of the evil effect of too many eggs on the human system what you should do she assured him is to live largely on fruit and vegetables hals hale shuddered and mrs spencer forbes laughed unfeelingly when a little later he and she were again alone together tor for a few minutes he be urged her to explain her cryptic remarks of an hour ago she looked blank and pretended that she had no idea what he was talking about dear boy she begged never expect me to remember anything I 1 say or anything that anyone else saye when I 1 was young various beautiful young men begged me to be theirs I 1 thought it would be coy and maidenly to postpone my very long now tell me all about your sex life rex miss hosanna rose folded up her knitting and regarded her friend severely really ruth you get worse every day she declared im afraid this young man Is encouraging you in it 1 I going to tell her a thing miss hosanna hale protested earnestly not even about the mandarin princess in pekin or the ra jahs daughter in calcutta you seem to run to potentates mrs spencer forbes murmured were you ever in pekin or cal cl dutta never that hale haie explained smugly Is why I 1 going to tell you about those ladies miss hosanna sighed again and walked toward the door its time to dress tor for dirmer dinner she reminded them why you two keep up this nonsense all the time I 1 is 5 more than I 1 can see theres some elc excuse use for this dear boy he hes young but you ruth are ol 01 old d en enough ough to know better mrs spencer forbes nodded sadly 1 I know she corroborated thirty six miss hosanna sniffed thi thirty arty six she quoted humph 1 I know it should be an age oi of wisdom and look at me keep right on looking rex mrs spencer forbes added tenderly 1 I uke like to have you do it but tell me one thing before we part she added as the three went upstairs together do you think theres any danger that hosanna will reconstruct my moral nature ashes been wor working k in at the job now nov tor for more than a qu quarter r I 1 of a century there are moments when I 1 feel uplifted and almost discouraged hale went on to his room smiling dinner that night was a pleasant meal the change in bert an amazing and heart warming change chang e continued his overwrought loo look k his jerkiness of movement and gesture gestur e w were e r e a almost 1 m 0 s t g gone on e A ainsworth i ns w 0 r th 0 observed b s e r ve d e everyone v wl with th his usual catlike cat like watchfulness though it was friday night casper kneeland had not arrived rex suspected that kneeland was deliberately keeping out ot of the way to give h him a f tree re e h hand a n d w with i th A ainsworth in s w or t h bliss miss ho hosanna s a nn a 1 looked c ok e d ale pleased a s e d a and n d then sighed deeply when hale praised the lobster a la newburg poison she murmured AU all shellfish shell fish Is poison ol of course but you may give me a spoonful banks ill just try it joan rex noticed ate little and said less she listened to the others othera and smiled occasionally she was not the same girl who on the float had bad threatened to propose to him these quick shifts of mood and manner were very disconcerting after dinner they had a lesson in the new continental which rex had learned abroad joan who was a born dancer was interested and fairly successful at it ainsworth did less well and bert and mrs spencer forbes refused to try it at all the party broke up early hale was not surprised when ainsworth caught him by the arm as they left the e living vin room will you make yourself comfortable and drop into my diggings a little tle later old man he urged in a low voice id ilke ake a word with you 1 rex glanced at his watch and nodded it was only half past ten he would be glad to have the showdown with ainsworth and get it over he tapped at Ain door doo r as the clock in th the e hall downstairs struck eleven ainsworth opened the door at once and greeted him almost warmly nice room rex approved it was a nice room as pleasant as his own it had a more personal atmosphere mo sphere lent by books and pictures yes ainsworth explained 1 I brought down a few things of mine from new york books and such rex raised his eyebrows then youre expecting to stay on he asked ainsworth looked surprised the effect was convincing he really seemed surprised oh yes ill be here all summer he announced probably till the camp closes the family usually goes back to town about the middle of october that win will suit me very well everything I 1 in anew new york will be dead till then anyway what I 1 want to talk to you about he went on conversationally 1 Y as they sat down and lit their cigarettes is craig he be leave pretty suddenly and as it were by request hale grinned Ain c curiosity uri always amused him he did and as it happened by my request but of course uncle cass had authorized me to act tor for him hale ended sedately odd ainsworth looked at him thoughtfully one would have thought bert would have had bad some voice about that he ended after a moment of apparel apparent nt reflection TO BE CONTINUED |
