1939-09-22 — Page 16

SHORT STORY ·

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 22, 1939

"AFTER FOUR YEARS"

LE

EONIE had been buying a wedding the sun.

more than a mere friendship to fill in less.

until "I think I've already met Mr. Ma- his leave. Not

one evening present, the morning when she first heard the news. This was about the therson, she said. "I met him when exactly two months after he had re- of the colleagues you mentioned. They

turned home. They were dancing at a tenth wedding present she had bought he was home on leave before."

big hotel. in the last year or so. There weren't many of her friends left unmarried

now.

A

"

She heard his voice. The voice she had heard so often in her dreams. That crisp, pleasant volce-

"Miss Rosa, isn't it? Yes, I remem- ber."

It was during a waltz, in the centre of the crowded floor.

"I've just been listening to a couple

were sitting at that setteo just there, talking about you. Apparently you told one of them before you came home that you were going to bring "Leonie," he said suddenly, "this is back a wife or die in the attempt. It She turned into Camberby's in the

a queer place to ask you this. But I was necessary to your job.” High-street when her shopping was

And then suddenly their hostess's made up my mind to ask it this even- He looked at her fixedly for a se- over. She usually lunched there when she was down in the town. Its glit- attention was caught by newcomers ing, and-I want to get it out. You- cond, without speaking. Then tering glass and chromium interior on the further side of the room. She know what I'm going to say?" struck a lively note, and there were made a murmured excuse and bustled always people there whom she knew, To-day there were Grace Hartley and Virginia Field. They waved to her as she came in, and she went across.

A

away and left them there alone.

They were alone after four whole years. But nobody know how-Leonie's heart was pounding, and how suddenly dry her throat had gone. Not even Harvey Matherson himself.

He was holding out a slim gold cigarette case ́now. She tried hard to think of something she could say.

She discovered after a moment's talk that Grace Hartley had been after a wedding present that morning too. A present for Alleen, Hilton, just as Leonie's had been. And in a very

"Are you back for long, Mr. Mather- short while now, she reflected, yet son?" she managed to get out at last. another one would have to be bought "Just six months, you know," for Grace herself. And then one for said. He held out his lighter and she Virginia.

One after another-Leonie gazed across the wide room, letting their talk It pass unheeded for the moment. was all so easy for these others. They just went around gaily with the youths who had grown up with them here in Briscombe, and sooner or later they paired off and were married, seemed to be happy enough too.

There were many people in Bris- combe, who wondered why no wedding present had yet been necessary for Leonie. Leonie, at twenty-four, was as attractive as any of them. But no- body had the slightest inkling of her secret. Not even her family.

he

She almost missed a step. "I'm not quite sure, Harvey. What -what-"

"You heard them say that?” "Yes."

"You'll have to give me a chance to explain, Leonie. Suppose we skip "I want to ask if you'll marry me." this lunch and go off somewhere on There was a beating in her head our own?" like a hammer. He was looking down "It won't be necessary, Harvey. at her, waiting for her to answer. She There's no explanation needed at all. had to find her voice, in spite of an I quite understand how it happened. almost choking breathlessness.

Your work demanded it. But I'm afraid the wife you take back won't be me."

"Yes, Harvey, she said simply. It means-Singapore. You know that?"

"Yes, I know that." He held her tightly. "I'll try to make you happy, Leonie,"

"You've made me happy already," she told him.

BY he said. MARGARET FFOULKES

and hoped her cigarette seemed steadier to him than it did to her. It's pleasant to be in England again,”

She caught a word or two from Vir- ginia. The mention of a name that made her heart suddenly race within

her.

"By the way," Virginia was saying, "have you heard about that Matherson man? You know the one whose people.bought the Lodge, over on West Hill. He's due home again, I hear. Next week, or something like that."

bores."

"Let's see-Malaya, isn't it?" "That's it. Federated Malay States." "Life in the raw, and all that sort of, thing? It must be thrilling."

He smiled,

on the up-

"Well, the life isn't so very raw these days, you know. Even country jobs engineers are fairly com- fortably fixed. And I don't even do that now. I've just been shifted per- manently to Singapore, Quite civilised, that."

"That doesn't sound so bad." He regarded her thoughtfully a mo- inent.

"It isn't.. Not bad at all." "Really?" said Grace. "Yes, I re-

And then their hostess approached member him vaguely. Taciturn sort of individual, wasn't he? I think he them once more to introduce further. regarded all of us as a lot of juvenile guests, and they were no longer alone, There were the Colmans, who had ap- parently not met Matherson And with them was old Samuel Huss- field, the founder of the Brin Valley Construction Company, the hub round which the industry of Brinscombe re- volved.

before.

Leonie sat motionless. So Harvey Matherson was coming home again! Harvey Matherson, whom she had seen for just a month or so, four years ago, and who had barely seemed to notice her at all. He was coming home again. And nobody knew that for "So you're home again, young Ma- those four whole years Harvey Mather- therson!" he said. "And how's the son had been in her thoughts every pioneer stuff suiting you now?” day and every hour. Nobody knew that she was so hopelessly in love with him. Not even her own family. Least of all Harvey Matheson himself,

"Sulting me perfectly, thank you, sir," Harvey told him..

"And you still prefer that to com- ing in with me?"

"I'm afraid I do.''

"The offer still holds good, if you'd like to think it over. Surely you must get a hankering to be back in civilisa- tion at times."

"I'm in Singapore permanently now. That's quite civilised enough for me.”

He had made her so happy that she almost wanted to cry.

The next two months were quite She had dreamt about wonderful. this for so long, and now here it was. They were to be married near the end of his leave, and afterwards would come the long voyage to her new home in distant Singapore,

"Leonie

that!"

please! You can't say

"I mean it. Harvey. You see, it I saw you was different with me. four years ago, and ever since then oh, I don't know! It's just I've --- impossible now, that's all. I thought you wanted to marry me because you were in love with me, not because you were in love with your job."

"But, Leonie, I swear that's not the reason!"

"I should always think so-now.”

"But you'd be wrong! God Almighty, why did those two fools have to say that here!"

off her

"I'd sooner have heard it here than It was wonderful right up to the day when she went up from Brins- afterwards, at Singapore."

She slipped his ring from combe to meet him in town. They were due at luncheon, a sort of semi- finger. The gesture was quite calm, business affair which was being given with no hint of vehemence or theatri- by an association to which his firm cal haste. She laid it unostentatious- belonged. He had gone up by an early on his chair. She did it so casually people in the lier train to make a call on his tailor, that not one of the

"Leonie!" he muttered. "For God's where the luncheon was to be held. and she was to meet him at the hotel lounge even glanced their way. He would be able to introduce some of sake don't do this! It's all so sudden. You can't smash up everything just his friends, he said. Some of his col leagues who were also home on leave. because of a few words you're

heard!" She was early, and sat in the lounge

"It's no good, Harvey. It's better this way." of the hotel to wait. Everything was still wonderful right up to that very

entering the door, walking towards moment. Soon she would see Harvey her with his long, easy stride. She was merely because I was thinking of

over-

He sat motionless for a second. "You mean you'd always imagine it

"I'm afraid I should." He drew a deep breath.

hardly noticed the conversation of the my job?".

Not until she actually heard one of two men on the settee at her right.

them mention Harvey's name.

"Matherson? No, I have haven't heard. What about him?"

"Going to be married."

: "What!"

"Yes. That's quite understandable. And nothing I can say will make you alter your mind. I'd better get you a taxi. ".

"I'm sorry, Harvey."

"I'm sorry too," he said,

a

"No need to be so surprised. You

His boat sailed on a Friday. Leonie knew he'd have to think about it, now

went out soon after breakfast for he's permanently at Singapore. There's

long, solitary walk on the downs at all that client-entertaining. It's almost the back of the town. She had to be essential. He told me before we came alone. home that he was going to bring back a wife or die in the attempt. You and I will have to do the same if they ever think we're good enough to be shifted there."

It was a jumbled sort of week, that next one. There were the prepara- tions for Aileen Hilton's wedding to be attended to. (Leonie was to be a bridesmaid-for the sixth time). And all the while she was wondering when she would see him. She wondered for an awful moment if he would be alone and what she would do if someone hap- pened to say to her casually that the Matherson man up at the Lodge on West Hill had come back from Malaya with a wife. But she put it out of her She didn't see him again after that mind. He wouldn't do that. His work for five or six days, and the hope of out there was the beginning and end accidental meetings began once more. of everything to him. She had realis- It was almost worse than when he had ed that, four years ago. He seemed to been away, There wasn't anything She felt almost numb with misery. have no time or thought for marriage. she could do about it. She could hard- She was vaguely aware that the two had Each day she went out almost ly go along and make a call at his men, whose light conversation breathless with excitement, hoping, home, and even if she did, it wouldn't shattered her entire world, were mov- yet hardly daring to hope that she make any difference. She couldn't ing away. It seemed a very long while would see him somewhere-meet him force the man to fall in love with her. before she saw Harvey walking across at someone's house. She tried to And then one day she met him in the lounge towards her, but actually imagine what she would say, and won- Camberby's and he asked her to lunch it was only two or three minutes later. dered if she could possibly keep her with him there. Almost startled, her No more.

"Better to die in the attempt." Leonie sat staring unseeingly at the Leonie turned away. His work out door. So he had said that he was go- there-it was easy to see how he felt ing to bring back a wife. Someone to about it. It was the absorbing inter- entertain. Part of his job. It wasn't est of his life. He wasn't the marry- that he had fallen in love with her. ing kind.

a

It wasn't that she was the one woman in the world. It was just that he had been shifted to Singapore, and this de- manded that he should be married, and just anyone would have done.

talk

voice steady and casual. By Friday heart thudding wildly, she accepted. "Hullo, Leonic," he began. "Haye afternoon she had gone beyond hope, Their talk sounded rather stilted and I kept you waiting, or are you?> and the thought of the meeting was awkward. She told herself desperate- He broke off. "Is anything wrong?" very nearly a fear.

ly that he would never bother to seek "Sit down,, Harvey," she said.. And then, that evening, she saw him, her company again. But by the end of "There's something I want-to Entirely unexpectedly, at house the lunch he was asking her if she about, l'ın afraid." where she had, gope, with her family would care to do, a dinner, and a show to dine. She was face to face with in London with him that evening. him, and thelr hostess was beginning From that paint the thing went to introduce them as though they had steadily on. She saw Harvey Mather- never met. He was looking exactly son nearly every day. But she still ~ the same. Tall, lean-faced, tanned by didn't dare to believe it was anything

He eyed her a moment, then took a seat at her side.

"Sounds rather serious." "It is."

"Well?"

She went on, her voice flat and life-

It was quite late when she finally returned to her home. Half

past (Continued on Page 17)

·

PLEASE, MOTHER- I WANT POWDER THAT'S ANTISEPTIC

MENNEN

BORATED POWDER Helioris irritation, prickly beat and oballing.

BARBIS.