1936-12-09 — Page 17

CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT

++

window, of his hat, condemned it forever. It made him look Fke a prosperous Midwestern ausiness man-the kind of fellow who might run for mayor. That might be what he was, but he didn't have to look it:

He rushed into the nearest store, and despite great difficulties. bought a hat, four ties, an automatic three-colour pencil and a malacca stick. He very nearly bought a pair of sleeve-links with horses' heads upon them-all Junior Year, in college, he had want- ed a pair of sleeve-links with horses heads. To make up for these extravagances, he retraced his steps to Cartier's, and bought and paid for in cash a tiny, glittering and extremely expensive cigarette- case for Trina. She very seldom used cigarette-cases, but it some how made him feel better to buy it. Then he thought, "Theatre tickets and directed his steps toward his college club..

He emerged from the club. half an hour later, with an extra- ordinary mixture of emotions. The man at the door hadn't recog- nized him, but the head porter had. Little Mike. who had always taken care of the theatre-tickets, was gone. The stuffed fish was still on the grill-room wall. but they had changed the location of the bar, and all the members visible were either incredibly old or seemed barely weaned. A young gentleman with his own club hat- band had given him a frankly humorous stare, and an old gentle- man with indigestion had looked at him as one looks at a noisy child. He had called up Hig Avery and Julian Abbott,, and bees informed that neither would be back in town until after, New Year's Day. On the other hand, a man in 1921 whose name he still could not remember had greeted him warmly and tried to lead the conversa- tion tactfully around to insurance. The club was perfectly fine: but if he and Trina ever moved to New York, he would join an- other one after all, college clubs were for youth.

If they ever moved to New York: Well, after all, why shouldn't they? Trina would hate it, of course--she had been brought up in the friendliness of the West, and liked spaces better than crowds. But there were the children to consider. They loved the Range And somehow or City life but they had never had anything else. : other, in his last talk with Levinson, he had got the idea that Levin- son was angling for him. There had certainly been the mention, "We need men like you in the East, Fenton. And after all, you're a born New Englander, aren't you?" All very flattering-he had But sapposing Levinson put up a real taken it merely as such. proposition. It meant uprooting ten years' work, but-the golden Perhaps, apple again! He breathed deeply the golden apple! sometime, when they had their own place on Park Avenue, they would give a little dinner for Diana Corey and her husband, a quiet, perfect dinner—‚·

3

He whirled, suddenly he had left his stick in the club, like a As he whirled, he fool; he'd have to get used to carrying one. jostled a pile of packages which a woman in silver fox furs was The packages flew the two men just handing to a chauffeur. scrambled for them. Dan Fenton straightened up, with a package in his hand and found himself looking into Diana Corey's eyes. -The flash came instantly. He had never imagined meeting her like this-it was something to happen after long preparation. But now it was happening, incredibly, causally, accidentally, on crowded sidewalk, in front of a store, with the Santa Claus bells in his ears! And it was.right, it was true. He knew, with an odd exultation, that they'd neither of them had to think of a name.

Her firm, light hand was in his." "Well," she said, in the voice he remembered, "old friends meet again. You're well, Dan-you're very well. I'm so glad. And you've got a moustache-I like it.”

"I've got a cane too-a malacca one," he said solemnly. “But I Remember how you used to warn me about left it in the club.

carrying canes?”

They both laughed, helplessly. She beat her hands together in the old impulsive gesture.

"Oh, Dan Fenton!" she said. "It's too good to be true. When on earth-"

"To-day," he said, "on a train. And why aren't you at-Do you know it's been ten years?”*

"You're getting

"Do you know what we're doing?" she said: right into this car, and then we can talk. Oh, a long one! With a cocktail, maybe, to help it. Is your wife with you? Yes, I knew. But she can do without you for half an hour-and I'm just on my way home. And I want you to meet Nigel of course-though he won't be back just yet.”

The back of the chauffeur's head was a different shape from But she was wearing the Gaston's, and the car was different. same scent, or one like it--a delicate, clear fragrance that made She was older-she was a woman him remember many things.

Her eyes instead of a girl, but that could make no difference. were still gray as evening he couldn't quite see her hair under the close hat. He heard their voices talking hurriedly-when you met somebody again, you always talk like that. You asked about old servants and families and said what you thought of the book or the play or the Government. But as soon as they were alone, they'd talk as they'd talked in the old days. Already he could feel It bothered him a little that her finger-nails the magic rising. were bright red-it was perfectly all right; but they hadn't been red, ten years ago.

The limousine slowed at a canopy -the chauffeur opened the door. Dan Fenton caught a glimpse of himself in the car mirror as he descended. The new hat, somehow, made him look unfamiliar it was a rather collegiate hat Well, dammit, he wasn't old! "You're a little heavier, Dan, but it's quite becoming," said Diana Corey thoughtfully.

"And you're just the same," said Dan Fenton gallantly. Then he wondered if the door-man had heard him, and dismissed the thought. After all, he was used to door-men-or had been. And Diana was Diana. When they finally got to her apartment, his collar wouldn't feel quite so uncomfortably tight.

The mirror-lined interior of the small and jewel-like elevator reflected sixteen Dianas and sixteen Dan Fentons in a diminishing sequence. That was a little confusing, but it didn't matter either, for this was a fated moment, and very soon the magic would begin. Only, it was hard to talk in an elevator, and even harder to talk when you were taking off your hat and coat. Diana seemed to find no difficulty in talking--but then, she never had. Her swift, pretty voice went on a trifle higher than he remembered it, but then he was used to Trina's. She was talking about somebody named Buzz who was marvellous fun and gave screaming imitations of Admiral Dan Fenton gathered that Buzz was Byrd with a bath-towel. either somebody named Lord Marchendale or else the brother of somebody named Winks who was divine. But whether Winks was a man or a girl, he was not quite sure. Perhaps he had better not talk of Winks-from a recent turn in the conversation, Winks might well be a dog.

"And here, as they say," said Diana, welcoming him into a liv- You know, Dan, it's really a pity you never ing-room, "we are came while I was married to Bruce and we lived in that marble mausoleum of his on Fifth Avenue. We gave dinner-parties for forty, and it hardly made a dot on the landscape. But this is a nice little trou, don't you think?"

"Well, I wouldn't give it back to the Indians quite yet," said Dan Fenton, staring about the large and gleaming room.

She disappeared. Dan Fenton wandered vaguely about the un- quiet room.

A maid in a cherry-coloured uniform brought in a cocktail-tray and vanished. Trina bad once tried cherry-coloured uniforms for their maids, but had given it up. She said it reminded her of grape ice-cream. And why on earth should he be thinking of that, when And now Diana was he was waiting for Diana and the magic? here.

•

But of

Her hair was darker or something, with the hat off. course she was the same. He smiled at her, over his glass.

"Well, here's to crime and punishment," he said. It was their old toast-the youthful one. And there were other things they'd said-little intimate catchwords He'd remember them in a min- ute or two.

She sighed: "Ob, Dan, it's good to see you again!" She said: "Tell me all about yourself-your life-story. Please!"

He took a deep breath. "Well," he said, "when I first got to Range City-maybe you saw the article the other day in Time--”. "I want to bear all about it!" she said earnestly. "Dan, tell me -honestly, now--do I look years older?”

"Not a month," said Dan Fenton, staring at his glass. "You're a seraph." She looked at him. "Of course gray's be-

Oh, Dan, there's so much I want to ask you.. coming, in a man. But we've got loads of time, before the other people come."

"The other people?" said Dan Fenton.

"Oh, Sue Damian-people like that. I don't know how they all started coming in for cocktails," she said prettily. "Nigel calls it the Bar-flies' Paradise-he's too divine and English about anything She's too but whisky-and-soda. But you'll love Sue) Damian: ravishing. "And Bunny." She laughed appreciatively. "Bunny Angus, of course.”

(Continued on Page 30)