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Flaming Youth

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<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2> For two weeks Pat and Scott lived in a paradise of constant dangers and passionate adventure. Fate played into their hands; James, as he recovered a little strength, developed a strong inclination for Scott's society, and insisted that he remain at their house as guest. The two men played chess and bezique. To Dee, in her time of ordeal and sacrifice, it was a relief without which she must have broken to have the invalid taken off her hands for a good part of every day. Twice daily Pat came over from the Knoll, often staying to luncheon on her morning visit and returning directly after dinner to make a fourth hand at bridge whenever James was in fit condition to play. As a matter of course, Scott took her home and ostensibly left her while he went for a long walk alone, before returning to the James place. In reality those hours were spent with Pat in her conservatory. "When are you going to get tired of me?" she asked pertly, one gold-studded night of stars and soft winds as they sat together at the open window of the secluded room. She was perched on the arm of his chair, her hand overhanging the back to touch the short curls at his temple. He drew her palm downward and spoke with his lips lightly pressed upon it. "When that planet yonder tumbles down out of the sky into your lap." "But you ought to, you know. They always do." "Still obsessed by the movies," he interpreted playfully. "This is the real world we're living in." [Pg 270] "Sometimes I wonder if it is. It doesn't seem too real." "You're a phantasm yourself," said he jealously. "I never quite grasp and hold you." "Yet I belong to you, don't I? Or is that just a—a silly form of words that hasn't any real meaning?" "It's a phrase. You belong to yourself. You always will. There's that quality of the eternally unattainable, the eternally virginal, about you." "Is there? I love to have you say that! Do you truly think it, Cary?" "In the depths of my heart—where you live." "But it wouldn't be so if we were married." "It would always be so, my darling." Ever keenly interested in her own character and its reflex upon others, she took this under thoughtful consideration. "I've never felt that I could really belong to anybody. Not even to you. If I could think it, then perhaps I'd want to marry you. Does that mean that I don't love you, Cary? Or what?" "Not as I love you," he replied with gloomy patience. "It means that I've got to wait." "Here?" she flashed at him with her bewildering smile. "But you've been threatening to go away again." "I ought to," he groaned. "I just haven't the will power. It would be like giving up hope to leave you now." "Poor darling!" But there was a touch of mockery in her pity. "If it weren't so terribly dangerous for you." Her proud little head went up. "I told you long ago that I always did what I wanted. If I take a chance, I'm willing to pay for it. I'm not afraid." [Pg 271] "Because you've never suffered. You've never had to take punishment." "Have you?" "I'm taking it now, in the thought of our separation. Pat, for God's sake let me get free, if it is only to be ready, in case——" "No; no; no!" she denied vehemently. "I won't be—captured, compelled. You can go if you want to, as soon as you want to." "Pat!" "Yes; I know." Her lips brushed his cheek in sweet contrition. "That was mean of me. But I just—don't—want—to—marry you." She spaced the words with rhythmic deliberation. "I don't want to marry anybody.... And have a lot of kids.... And look like Con does now. She waddles.... Cary, were you her lover?" she demanded abruptly. "No!" "I couldn't bear it if you had been. But you'd say that anyway, wouldn't you? Even to me?" "It's quite true. I never was." "If anyone asked you that about me you'd swear by all your gods you weren't. Wouldn't you?" "Yes." "You'd lie about it? I hate to think of your lying. I wonder whether I would if it was put up to me or whether I'd admit that we are lovers." She brooded darkly for a moment over the word. "I didn't mean to be, you know," she added naïvely. "Whatever fault there was is mine," he claimed hoarsely. "If there is any just God——" She slipped her fingers over his lips, cutting him short. "Don't, Cary. Don't say 'if.' Of course there is." "Then He will hold me responsible; not you." [Pg 272] She rose, giving her shoulders the quaint, sliding wriggle with which she was wont to slough off, symbolically, problems too troublesome for solution. "Oh, if those things are going to happen, they happen," she muttered. "That's the fate part of it. But I do suppose we can't go on forever. We'll crash, some way." "Does anyone suspect? Dee?" "I don't think so. She's got troubles enough of her own these days. If it's anyone, it's Con. She's been asking some snoopy kind of questions." "What questions?" "Oh, I don't know. I told her to go to the devil; that I was over twelve, and she told me I'd better remember particularly that I was." "I don't like that," said he. "Oh, well; I don't like it much, myself. But what can she do?" "Talk." "Not outside the family. Con isn't that kind. She might tell Fred." "That would be a pleasant complication," he observed grimly. "There will be more and more complications all the time," she fretted. "If you only weren't married!" "But I thought——" he began eagerly. "Then there wouldn't be any kick. We could be supposed to be engaged. I suppose we would be engaged!" she added brightly, as if a new thought had struck her. "Being engaged implies being married eventually," he pointed out. "Not these days," she retorted. "It doesn't hold you up for anything and we could snap out of it when we got good and ready. Only—this isn't the kind of thing you can snap out of, is it?" A cloud darkened the vivacity of[Pg 273] her face. "We're terrible boobs, Cary.... Let's stop it." "That's wholly in your hands, dear love." "Yes," she said discontentedly; "you've always put everything up to me; let me go my own way—that's why I've gone so far. I wonder if you knew that was the way to get me. You're so dam' clever.... Like what's-his-name—Mephistoph—no, Macchiavelli, wasn't it?" She dropped to the floor in front of him, clasped her hands over his knee, turned upward a shadowy and bewitching face, speaking in a lowered voice. "Listen, dear. Next week I'm going back to Philadelphia, to finish out my visit with Cissie. But—I won't go to Cissie's, not till the next day. We'll have that time together; that'll be our good-bye. And then you must go away." "If you wish it so," he assented steadily. "I don't wish it so. But it's got to come some time. You say so yourself." "Yes; it's got to come some time. Unless——" "I know the unless. I don't say I'll never send for you to come back. I might." "I'll never come back except with my freedom. And if you send for me it must be for good and all." "I wish I could, Cary. I wish I were sure," she said wistfully. She jumped to her feet. "Tell me good-night," she commanded, holding out her arms. "And you're to come early to-morrow and take me for a long walk." Overnight, luck, which had so befriended the lovers, turned against them. They returned from their morning's tramp, weary but elate with the vigour of strong sunshine and woodland air. Pat, her glorious eyes welling light, paused by the open library window. "Is there anything in the world that we haven't talked to a finish to-day, Cary?" she demanded, laughing. [Pg 274] "Nothing, dearest." "Yet to-morrow we'll have just as much to talk about as if we'd never spoken a word to each other. It's rather wonderful, isn't it? What makes us that way?" "Companionship. The rarest thing in life or love." She swung herself in by the window. "Come on, companion," she invited. As he followed, she detached a few sprays from the huge cluster of wild purple violets at her belt, and set them in his coat. "Decoration of companionship," she said. "And"—she stretched up and kissed his lips—"reward for a happy morning." There was a stifled exclamation. Constance rose from the depths of the big arm chair facing away from them and confronted the pair. Pat burst into harsh laughter. "Trapped!" she exclaimed. Constance's face with its strained, expectant, apprehensive expression of imminent motherhood, was white. "Pat, I think you'd better leave me with Mr. Scott," she said. "I don't," snapped Pat. "If you've got anything to say, say it." Her eyes burned sombrely, angrily. She was furious with her sister for having surprised her. A puzzled, helpless look came over Constance's face. "I wouldn't have believed——" she began lamentably. "How long has this been going on?" "None of your business," returned Pat coolly. "It will be father's business. I shall phone him now." "Wait, Connie," put in Scott with quiet authoritativeness. "Wouldn't it be as well to consider consequences before making more trouble than can perhaps be undone?" "You're afraid, are you? Well, you can run." "I shall stay here, if you phone, until Mr. Fentriss comes." [Pg 275] Constance swayed, irresolute, uncertain on her feet. "How far has this gone?" she muttered. Scott rallied his defences. "You're not to think that this is just a casual, cheap flirtation," he said. "If I could make you understand how deeply and honestly I love Pat——" "Honestly!" echoed Constance with scorn. "I won't split words with you. And for myself I've no excuses to make. I ought to have held myself better in hand. But as for this sort of thing—my kissing Pat—it's the first time and it will be——" "Oh, piffle!" Pat's reckless voice broke in. "Tell her the truth, Cary." Constance looked from one to the other. Her lips quivered, curled down at the corners like a grieved baby's. She began to sob in short, quick, strangled catches of the breath. Suddenly a dreadful look convulsed her face. She pressed her hands down upon her abdomen. "Oh!" she cried. "Ah-h-h-h. The pain! Pat! I'm——" Scott jumped to catch her, barely in time to break the fall. He eased her into the chair. Pat was beside him instantly. "Phone for Bobs. Quick! Tell him to get Dr. Courcey. No. You go for Courcey, it'll save time. Second house around the corner. Tell him to bring everything. All his instruments and a nurse. Don't come back. I'll write you." As he hurried to the door he heard a shriek, then Pat's strong, soothing voice: "All right, Con, old girl. The doctor'll be here in five minutes." Such was their parting, one of life's sardonic emendations to the plots and plans of lovers. <hr /> [Pg 276] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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