1937-07-30 — Page 40

THES CHINA

THE MARRIAGE SONG "If You Were

(Continued from Page"}

these months she had tried to for- get the feel of his body close to hers, and the smell of his hair, the helplessness of his sleeping strength. Once in a suramer

• field he had slept for hours with his head pillowed on her knees and she had watched him, immoy- able, scarcely breathing, as now, for three hours Confound him, saying it had not been worth while. Life had moved them apart, that was all. Life hadn't meant her to have him. She had had nothing to do with it.

She pulled up with a jarring of brakes. The lantern was there, but it was moving.

She clutched Roger's arm. "Roger, wake up! Here's the lantern, but it's walking about. Tm afraid we're caught."

Roger woke, as he slept, in an instant. "Heaven !” he said. “How am I going to explain you? This is a mess. I'm sorry, Louise.”

"Don't explain me. patient is sick enough, nobody will notice me

If your

The man with the lantern was running toward them.

"Careful here, miss," the man called, but he called too late. His lantern waved wildly and the car slithered about in the huge rut, then settled with an ominous swish of mud and water. Louise roared up the engine, and it strove mightily Forward and back, but the wheels sank deeper and at last she took her hands from the wheel and turned off the engine. In the sweet silence they could hear the patter of rain be- ginning,

"Pm afraid it's no go."

The farmer came from behind- the car. He was splashed with mud and sweat glistened on his anxious face.

"It's only a few hundred yards from here, doctor.”

"Shall I stay here?" Louise said. Roger was already out of the car and fumbling for his bag. "Lord, no. You can't sit there. It's started raining. I'm SOTTY, Louise. But you needn't w worry about these people. They won't give you a thought I'll get you back to town as soon as I possi- bly can. This was a mad thing for you to do. But now you're it, and I can't give you an now. Come on.

The farmer was standing yards away. When they him he sighed, a huge tore his chest. The lante shaking in his hand.

"It's his first child,” whispered. In the dim light saw his smile, and she thought how much of their time together had been spent talking of these people and how he loved them.

After they had plodded on si silence. Louise went into a water-filled rut and exclaimed in annoyance, and then Roger took her arm. But neither of them. spoke.

A woman was waiting for them in the farmhouse doorway. She was big and placid and smiling.

she

"Ive done everything

door closed behind them, but in the moments of its opening Louise heard a low

The farmer heard it, too, and it halted his bewildered, uncon- scious progress toward the door. He stood, his head bowed, for al- most a minute then he turned slowly.

She

he began. But he found no words. Inarticulate, im- mobile of feature, his pain found no expression.

he

"I never knew it would be like man doesn't know or

"Supposing," she said to the man's horrified face, "supposing we go and try to get the car out? Don't you think that would be better than staying here. We can't do anything. It would be better for you Please come. You've got to come.

*

The man seemed not to have heard her. She went across and pulled at his arm.

Judge ANSWERS

(1) There was publication, siace Scott might reasonably have anticipated that some third party, as a clerk or typist, would deal with the correspondence at the office. The words, however, were merely abusive and not de- famatory, so Du Toit failed to recover any damages.

(2) Yes. The agreement was definitely concluded on the Sun- day, the fact that there had been a delay in making payment does not affect the time when the ori- ginal contract was made.

(3) No. His intention was not to deprive the owner of the clothes, but merely to get

• rested.

ar-

(4) Yes. A reasonable amount of clothing fitting to a woman's social status must be regarded as a necessary expense. Of course, if the husband had expressly ask- ed the firm in question not to supply his wife with any goods the position would have different.

"Please come. Really

...stay ing here it all sounds so much It's nothing worse than it is. dreadful. And it will be over soon, if you just come away. We'll get the car out and then you come back and she will be all right. She felt she was a babbling fool. Aunt Sybil had.

one taught her so much, what should say in almost every situa tion. She had learned so much. But Aunt Sybil hadn't taught her what to say to a man whose wife was having a baby. Having ba- bies. What on earth did Aunt Sybil know about that? It meant the continuation of Frederick's line A son and heir had been born to And photographs tistic ones. Mother and child. No! It meant lying behind a closed door and screaming. And you wouldn't mind it, if you knew your husband felt like this. But you'd mind it, by heaven, if allments, trunks, which surely he were doing was getting the bells ready to ring in the ances- tral belfry.

“Oh, please come

"Yes. Yes. I'll get the horses. But you'll have to come. None of us here know much about cars.” He plunged through the doorway mto darkness, and Louise took the lantern which no one had extin- guished and weat into the rain, stumbling back along the slushy track. When she got to the car she sa on the wet seat and shi- her brain was affame thoughts, and she

not know she was shivering the horses and the come into the path of the lights, she could have shout with relief because there would be something to do now

the Boar up the wild voices of you

thou

This rugged man with his rain- glistening horses had not-hung river gold nor silver rings. had loved his

with her, played with h

w of his love which pierced “ "thinking about

bells. She langhed

been

(5) No. It was not negligent for the doctor to miss the swab, and assuming the mrse negligent in checking the num

was

strength for to-morrow's ordeal, to her empty satin-covered bed, to the room littered with gar- be- longed to some other girl, in some other strange world? Wed- ding presents, laid out behind locked doors. She scarcely under an thought. She moved irresistible pressure. She seem- ed to move in her sleep, strangely identified with that woman who lay up there, at peace

now, she felt And the man beside her, who had worked and played and loved, was strangely Roger beside her, helping her out of the car. Then she lost him. He dropped her arm suddenly, under an in- paise too violent to check, and ran through the lighted doorway. She stumbled inside.

Roger was leaning against the table, smoking.

"It's a boy, Meadows," he said. “You can go in to her.” He smil ed, but the man did not wait for his smile.

"You know, I enjoy this," said Roger. He looked terribly tired, His eyes were half-closed. He did not look at Louise. But her eyes, her beautiful eyes, darkly ringed with blue,

Her fac

deni

ere

the

ber of swabs, the doctor could. not be held liable for her negli- gence either.

(6) -

The Privy Council held that the analogy between a flood river and a swarm of lo- custs is fallacious, for the pest has no settled course and is rather to be compared with the progress of a fire. If the plain- tiff could divert the locusts off his land the defendant had an equal right to do his utmost to prevent them coming on to his land.

(7) No. "Only marriage cers can marry persons, con- sequently the second ceremony was not valid anyway, and there was, in fact, only one marriage.

them

Tege

(8) The court allowed to remove the flowers and tables a garden would be small use to a lessee if he could not pick or remove the fruit or flowers during and up to the last day of the tenancy of the lease, and plant others. Of the trees, they could cut down only the bluegums, for these are "syl via caedua,” trees which sprout "again and produce fresh crops of

Wood

he said steadily. "You'll have to drive like blazes. Even so, you won't get home much before six. Would it be better if I drove you? You're knocked up.”

"I'm not going back," said Louise.

Suddenly Roger caught her and shook her violently.

"Louise," he said hoarsely. "For heaven's sake, help a bit. This is tearing me to pieces

"Well, it needn't. I'm trying to tell you that I want to marry you?

Roger groaned. "You're hys- terical- I can't let you do this on impulse. We've talked it out often enough. This night's been strain. If you were in your ght senses you'd never make decision:-Things now are as they ha always been.. changed."

"Everything's changed," said Louise She still stared at her eyes darkly luminous-in white rapt face

It's too late. Think

It's not too late."

"I've nothing more to offer you than I offered before.

"We'll work together, Louise, and play together.

Poverty

After wha

People

said

tty awful, Louise

stumblin

fresh down