"Love in Fetters"

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 85, 13 May 1929, Page 11

"Love in Fetters"

by PATRICIA LEIGH

AN INTRIQUiNG NEW SERIAL >A>

CHAPTEK 11. rjMlE FOLLOW1NG DAY .\la rjorie Hartlev and Haberlin '•ontnmccl their discussion to tbo accompauiment oi the '-attle ot tea-cups and ihe niurmur of ninnv voires whieh tilled tho Lihaped loungo of the An^lo- Ameriean ^ection of tiio World Poaec Federation ' r> ■ *? ronn13 wero on thr> tliird Hoor of i t acific Hou5o. n ^igantic nuilding NoiTiinating Pircadilly Ciren-. v.],rre ! ei ery nation vritliin tho Kodoration j tad its own s para f e business and so c ' n 1. headqnartors hut by virtuo of Weir cnmmon laneuago tho Priti^h and Americans had n joint social c-enf re. Ma rjorie ivas sitting at the cnrner table just be>ond tlie dnnblo s'.vina rtoors, where slie invariablv liad ten vvitb l.n rrv ITaberlin, nhn nsnally rot upj from Floet street soon aftor fonr. As a rule T'na Corvdrny had tea \rith tbein too, for hotli cirls wero undorlibrarians at tho Anglo-Amorionn Poferenro l.ibi ary, but on tiiis particular dav slio wns lato. * * * -nPHKRE IS NO NEE1) for us to do -A- anything afc present about Cunmngliam's wiid and woolly past," suimned up Marjorie. "Eirst of all 1 had betlcr try to find out from Una whetlier he has told her abouf tlie Canadian girl." "lou go ngbfc ahead on your own hnos and keep me posted," anreed Haberlin. 'I hen, as they lookcd up, tliey sigbted Vna at the far end of the roorn, ivceiving congratulations from every side, for the news of her engagement had already spread. Ihe girl was a lovely creature — tall and slender. with a dainty little head rrowned by crisp auburn hair. She had tlie elear and delicate eolonring that so often accompanies red hair, intelhgenfc green oyes and a tendor month. That nighfc she seemed to have doubled her vitality, and to be pnssessed hv a strange jov that radiated from her like an aura. Slowly, besieged by fricnds and acquaintnnces, she made hor way towards them ; and, watrhing her a little sadly, Hahorlin realised that, had he been a Seotsman, he would have said she was "fey." * * .-jt " A T LAST," SHE LAUGHED, dropping into a big chair beside Mariorie. "I thought I would never reaeh you. Larry, get me some tea uuicker than at once, for I nced it. VVhat a day !" "At least ib scems to have agroed with you," replied Haberlin quiekly, as he beekoned to a waiter. "We have spcnt tho whole of the afternoon looking at engagement rings," continued Cna. "Rex had a big selection sent up for me to choose f'om, and it was ever so hard to knotv which one to have." "Are you weaving it? Do let me see it?" asked Marjorie eagerly, bendmg forward to look. But slie was silent while she scrutinised it. "Don't you like it," asked Una, not getting the startled crv of admiration she had awaited. "What do you thiuk, Larry P" It was on the tip of Haberlin's tongue to tell her it looked evil, hut he refrained, afraid of adopting a dc.g-in-the-manger attitude, and expressed the conventional amount- of admiration. * * * "VITELL, MARJOIIIE, still so si- * * lent?" questioned Una )yFor iMarione was apt to give her views flat-footedly, which 'made them luteresting if oue wanted the trutb aud not calculated soothing svrnp. "I think it is evil," she said at length, eyeing the single square-cut nnerald in its platinum setting rather riistnstefully. "The evil eye?" queried Haberlin. "You know the French couplet, don't you ? "Les yeus verts. "Vont aus enfers." "What an mteresting pair you arel"' esclaimed Una, rather petulantly, as slie finished her second cup of tea. "But never mind, here comes Rex, so he can exorcise the spell." The other two followed the direction of her eyes, and saw Cunningham, who, like Una, had entered by the door at the far end. He was n wellknown figure at the club rooms, and was waylaid at almost every other table to receive congratulations as he made liis way towards -them. * * * fUfARJOIUE EYED H1M critically, and a little coldly. There liad been a time, suspected by nobody, wlien she had seen a great deal of Rex, and had imagined herself to be very mucli in love with him... Certaint^, she admitted grudgingly to herselt as he stood tbere, under the blaze oi ck-ctric lights, he was extremely goodlooking, with his verv blue eyes, yellou hair, and expression of easy good nalure. Strangers alvvays found it a little difficult to sum him up ; to de cide exactly how much stupidity and bow much cleverness lay behind his cheery manner, and even tjie shrewd Marjorie had been long in commg to a conelusion. Finally he reached them and stood there for a moment, regarding Una with a sort of possessive pride. "How news travels!" be said, as Insat down at theii table. "I don't be lieve more people could have heard of our engagement if it had been in the papers every day this week. It seems to me thafc wo might as wel! cancel the notices for to-morrow." "Everybody has been perfectlv wori derful to-dav." exclaimed Cna. Iim colour deepening n trifle. » Cunningham's eyes rested on his emerald ring with considerable satisfaction. It was gratifying to feel that for tho moment he and Una held the centre of the stage in their particular world. He Had alwavs found life very pleasant and satisfving, hut he now hegan dimlv to suspert there might vet he unexplored fiekh of rlelight so far outside his ken. * * * WHAT ARE YOCR PLA.NS for this evening, Cna ?" he inquired, carefully lighting a cigarette of his own particular brand. "Didn't I tell you?" slie replied. looking a little surprised. "Uncle Seamore wants us to dine with him to-nighb, and we are to be at his flat bv 7.30." , "Very decent of him," 6aid Cunningham, who knew that Rir Seamcre AUissy — who had so nmncukuisly welded the nations tngethrr during the aftermnth of the wnr, when that child of his brain, the World Peace Federafciott, 0 fe) Mrtb — made it ftn almcsi

nbVokcn ruje to keep his evening to ! hiinself. j "Still, you always wero his ravourite 'nieee." poirMcd out Marjorie. ! "A real nne partyl" lntighod Cun'niiudiam, secretly a little clated by the b'-.nnur of dtr.iug with ono of the : '«•; t-kr.own tiguies in Europe. * 4= * j • A LMOST, BUT NOT QC1TE," reI x plicd Cna. "Gideon H. Nich- | ii!s. tljc. Canadian wheat king, will be tbere as vveil. He aml Uncle Seamore wero at sriiool togetber," "Weren't you in Canada sotne time or otlier. Cnnniugbnm asked Haberlin oamlessly. Rex lookcd vngnelv surprised, won-dt-fing how Haberlin knew. "Onlv for a couple of years," he repliod "wben I was quite a youngstcr \nd l have never wanted to go bnik -jincp." "Thought 1 heard you mention that it'd boert there some time or other," nturnrd Habcrlui, and the subject • iroppcd. Tlie iouniio was nnw beginning to einptv. and the qnartette in tlie cornor ■tiis lingering over final cigarettes when the swiug doors immrdiatoly on their light cpcnod and a. woman, palpably ■i siranger, stood lio-ilating for an 'listatifc 011 tho threshold. pERFECTLY DRESSED with unns- - tcntatious pxpcnsivonoss, shc would have hc-cn an arrcsting figure i-nywhere. Anything betwcen twenty1 tivo and thirty she cnptured attention Ciy the pure oval of her face, tho ex- > nie.ssiveness of her clear grcv eyes, and j tlie ii;agnctic ch.vm of her personality. | Haberlin Ha red at her intently for [ a sccond. tlion ntiffened sliglitly. 1 Cna gazeo at her with open admiration and wbispered to her fiancee : "Rex. do look. Isn't- she perfectlv fnsoinating?" But he did not reply, and there was j orily the tinkle of broken china as his tea-cup slipped from hetween his fingers and lav shattered on the floor. J ATE THAT NIGHT, Rex" Cunning- ^ liam returned alone to his flat. How he got through the dinner engagement he never quite knew. He liad hehaved like an automatou, and ali tlie time an appallingl dread was rrcssing on his heart. It was as tjiough he had been standmg 011 tbo cratcr of a volcano that i !ie had thought to be extinct. Sudj denly tho runible of impending disasj ter sonnded in his ears and tho groiiml he had imagined to he solid trembled i and quakcd hencath his feet. j "Good God, what am I to do?" he fcried to himself and the question ! continued to ecbo, without answer, I through his mind, Entering his study he switched 011 ! the electric radiator and a- single, jshaded lamp. lle helped himself, with i hands that shook slightlv, to a stiff 1 whisky and soda. The drink warnied j him, gave him back his courage, and 1 iie sat down to smoke and to face tlie' , amazing problem. His wifo had come back 1 I . * & npHE VIVIDLY BEACTIFUL woman who had entered the club that afternoon was the girl he had married nine years ago in Canada. It ! seemed inci'edible — not merely that "he should have chosen this moment S to return, but that she should have i cbanged so tremendouslv. | When he married her she was a, ! pretty, dark-haired girl, ignorant of jlife, and chieflv attractive because of her virginal aloofness. She had married him — he quiekly discovered— without in the least realising the significnnce of marriage. It was a girlish | romnnce, and it was swiftly hroken by | n prosaic inrus.h of hard realities. Tlieir happiness barely lasted for their honeymoon. The honeymoon itself was the cliinax and married life the anticlimax. He never really got to know her. Her temperament and strange, hun^rv pride set up impassible barriers. He uted to fancv that she liid her best side fiom him, showing onlv the worst. Her lr.ck of education and her fierce resentment of the fact, the crudities that one ignored in the backwoods, but v.liich stood out blatantly in the lime1'ght of social life, the jenlous clash of two wills striving for master.v — all this destroyed the delicate fabric of their first romantic dream. Aftor eight tempestuous months they parted. (To be Continued.) I ,m . ..." 11 '■!!?