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26
CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT
Unconditional Surrender
(Continued from Page 6.) ·
4J
"Do you intend to speak to my father at Jill's wedding?"" he inquired tersely.
"Certainly not, why should I?" replied Cecily with equal abruptness. She really felt as that moment that no matter what happened nothing would ever induce her to speak to the General again.
"Very well, then," Arthur delivered his ultimatum. "I shall' be leaving the ship to-morrow at Fremantle.”
"Ob-b-Arthur," Cecily swallowed hard to keep back the tears. . you, you can't do that... our trip will be...
-You spoilt"
"I can't see that my remaining on or leaving the ship will make much difference to you. Your new friend, Kerry, will no doubt keep you entertained and amused. Of course, there is no accounting for taste." he added. "I suppose...even a crook or a confidence man in disguise can appear quite a good fellow to a person whose discrimination in the choice of friends is negligible!”
-
The sarcasm in his voice cut her to the quick, but Cecily would not allow him to see it. Instead, she turned coldly to him.
"How dare you speak about him in that way. Mr. Kerry is a charming aman. It is such a treat to be with someone who- knows how to behave decently to a woman.” But, even as she picked up the cudgels on his behalf, a sudden wave of distaste for Austin Kerry swept over her. His eyes .. yes, there was something queer about them. He never seemed to look quite at She felt Arthur was right. He was a shrewd judge of char- acter, and could sum up the average person on sight. His pro- fession as a barrister, demanded it.
one.
"If you are satisfied, so am I," was his quiet reply, as, he turn- ed on his heel..
Cecily's low and vibrant "I hate you," caused him to panse. He glanced at her face, caught her look of misery, and the effort to keep back her tears. He suddenly felt a cad. A feeling that he wanted to lift her into his arms, crush her to his breast, swept over him. He wanted to love her again. To feel her lips on his own. If they had not been on the public deck he would have swept the whole of their quarrel to the winds. The thought of leaving the ship on the morrow repelled him most. horribly; it was almost more than he could bear.
"Dash it all he looked round to see if there was anybody about, and took one step towards his wife. But at that moment,
an unkind fate, in the form of Austin Kerry, ruined everything by appearing round the corner in search of Cecily.
+4-
The moment went by, and' Arthur, cursing everything, pecially men of Kerry's ilk, shrugged his shoulders and saunter- ed away, immediately reverting to his former mood. Cecily need- ed a lesson, he reflected. The sight of Kerry prompted this de- cision, and by Jove she should have one! He would leave the ship most definitely in the morning.
But she won't let me go when it comes to the point. was the thought that consoled him for the rest of the day.
Had Cecily been able to peep into Arthur's mind at the time. Kerry appeared so inopportunely on the scene everything would have been all right. She would not have let him go. But fate never seems content unless it is meddling in our affairs; so neither Arthur nor Cecily would give the sign the other was eagerly waite ing for, and when the morning came Arthur felt they were so deep in the mire of their quarrel there did not seem to be anything for him to do but to carry out his threat.
He left the ship.
-Kerzy was delighted.
Once out to sea again, Kerry manoeuvred to get on a footing of his own making with Cecily. But, although she danced a lot with him-she genuinely enjoyed his dancing-he always failed to lure her up on to the boat deck afterwards, which caused him many pangs of disappointment.
The fact was, Arthur's warning rankled in her mind, in spite of feelings which would have led her into more than a mild flirta- tion with any man who had really interested her. But one must draw the line. Even if one does temporarily hate one's husband, and feel the need for reckless diversion..
Kerry, however, once having attached himself to Cecily had no intention of taking to heart any little rebuff, such as her re- fusal to accept his repeated invitations to the boat deck, and re- mained her most cheerful and constant companion when she was not playing bridge or occupied with other friends.
It was about half-past eleven, the night before the ship reach- ed Sydney.
Cecily, who had been playing bridge with three others, was about to leave the card table when Austin Kerry appeared at ber, side. It seemed obvious he must have been waiting for her. Eis manner portrayed a certain amount of eagerness.
Bother the man. was her fleeting thought I hope he doesn't mean to be troublesome. She looked at him with cool in- terrogation.
"Yes, Mr. Kerry?
"Could I see you for a few minutes?" he asked in a lowered (Continued on Page 27.)
voice.
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