XLII"Sorry you're going to leave us, sir," said Moffat, putting a pair of shoes into a chamois bag."Thanks," said Malcolm."Mr. Franklin told me that you're going to make straight for my village, sir,—London."The valet chuckled at his little joke."Yes, London for the autumn, Paris for the winter, and probably back to New York for the spring.""And very nice too, sir, I'm sure."Malcolm went over to one of the open port-holes of his stateroom. TheGalatealay in the harbor of Queenstown. The setting sun lay kindly on the houses of the small Irish port that behaved as though it were the hub of the universe. In one of them, a few hours ago, he had stood in the shabby little room of the registrar of births, deaths and marriages, making a mental and never-to-be-forgotten picture of a worn, cheap desk, a worn, cheap man with a mop of grizzled hair and an absolutely expressionless face, an inkpot which looked as though it had never been cleaned, a square of green blotting paper, a dog-eared testament, and a strip of carpet across which, slanting from the door to the desk, there was a threadbare path made by the passing of feet. Births, deaths and marriages,—they were all the same to the registrar. He had his quiet days and his busy ones. Births and deaths gave a little less trouble than marriages but they all worked out pretty much the same.And in this picture, a startling contrast to the shabby and sordid room, stood the vital figures of Beatrix and Franklin, hand in hand, the representatives of the spirit of youth and love in that place which also registered the beginning and the end of life. The feeling and the symbolism and the beauty of this scene made their appeal to Malcolm Fraser both as a poet and a man. Here stood a man and a woman, in all the glory of youth, at the second of the three milestones. On to the third, hidden behind the curtain of spring leaves, they would now go together. God grant them the gifts of give and take and the blessed fruit of love. Here stood his friend and the woman he had loved and loved still. He wasn't losing her because he was never in the running to win. He wasn't losing him because their bond was everlasting. All was well, then. He had no complaints.[image]In this picture stood the vital figures of Beatrix and Franklin, hand in hand.He followed his luggage on deck. Beatrix and Franklin were waiting for him. How different they looked, he thought. No wonder. They had found the way to live."Don't go, Mally," said Beatrix, putting an arm round his shoulder. "Send your things down again and come back with us.""Yes," said Franklin. "Come on."Malcolm shook his head. "Don't tempt me," he said. "I've been lazy long enough. I'm going to begin to work in the old cities. With any luck I'll have a thin volume ready, very expensively bound, for your golden wedding."They all laughed. It was, somehow, a rather emotional moment. It was good to laugh."All ready, sir," said Jones, who regretted to be the one to put good old Peter Pan ashore.Malcolm gave his hand to Beatrix. "God bless you, my dear," he said."God bless you, Mally.""Good luck, old man.""So long," said Franklin.They watched him into the launch and away, waving their hands."Good old Malcolm!" said Franklin. "Among other things that he did for me he brought you on theGalatea.""But not for my honeymoon," said Beatrix with a little look that made his heart jump. "When do we sail?""As soon as Jones gets back.""And then, where?""Heaven," he said.They began to walk. The sun was slipping away. A new day was coming, a new beginning."I know one thing," she said."What's that?""You won't spoil me."He saw the old mischievous smile lurking in her eyes. But she escaped his eager hands and ran into her state-room.And he followed her and shut the door.THE END* * * * *"The Books You Like to Readat the Price You Like to Pay"There Are Two Sidesto Everything——including the wrapper which covers every Grosset & Dunlap book. When you feel in the mood for a good romance, refer to the carefully selected list of modern fiction comprising most of the successes by prominent writers of the day which is printed on the back of every Grosset & Dunlap book wrapper.You will find more than five hundred titles to choose from—books for every mood and every taste and every pocketbook.Don't forget the other side, but in case the wrapper is lost, write to the publishers for a complete catalog.There is a Grosset & Dunlap Bookfor every mood and for every taste* * * * *EMERSON HOUGH'S NOVELSMay be had wherever books are sold.Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.THE COVERED WAGONAn epic story of the Great West from which the famous picture was made.THE WAY OF A MANA colorful romance of the pioneer West before the Civil War.THE SAGEBRUSHERAn Eastern girl answers a matrimonial ad. and goes out West in the hills of Montana to find her mate.THE WAY OUTA romance of the feud district of the Cumberland country.THE BROKEN GATEA story of broken social conventions and of a woman's determination to put the past behind her.THE WAY TO THE WESTDaniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Kit Carson figure in this story of the opening of the West.HEART'S DESIREThe story of what happens when the railroad came to a little settlement in the far West.THE PURCHASE PRICEA story of Kentucky during the days after the American Revolution.GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOKSCANDAL***
XLII
"Sorry you're going to leave us, sir," said Moffat, putting a pair of shoes into a chamois bag.
"Thanks," said Malcolm.
"Mr. Franklin told me that you're going to make straight for my village, sir,—London."
The valet chuckled at his little joke.
"Yes, London for the autumn, Paris for the winter, and probably back to New York for the spring."
"And very nice too, sir, I'm sure."
Malcolm went over to one of the open port-holes of his stateroom. TheGalatealay in the harbor of Queenstown. The setting sun lay kindly on the houses of the small Irish port that behaved as though it were the hub of the universe. In one of them, a few hours ago, he had stood in the shabby little room of the registrar of births, deaths and marriages, making a mental and never-to-be-forgotten picture of a worn, cheap desk, a worn, cheap man with a mop of grizzled hair and an absolutely expressionless face, an inkpot which looked as though it had never been cleaned, a square of green blotting paper, a dog-eared testament, and a strip of carpet across which, slanting from the door to the desk, there was a threadbare path made by the passing of feet. Births, deaths and marriages,—they were all the same to the registrar. He had his quiet days and his busy ones. Births and deaths gave a little less trouble than marriages but they all worked out pretty much the same.
And in this picture, a startling contrast to the shabby and sordid room, stood the vital figures of Beatrix and Franklin, hand in hand, the representatives of the spirit of youth and love in that place which also registered the beginning and the end of life. The feeling and the symbolism and the beauty of this scene made their appeal to Malcolm Fraser both as a poet and a man. Here stood a man and a woman, in all the glory of youth, at the second of the three milestones. On to the third, hidden behind the curtain of spring leaves, they would now go together. God grant them the gifts of give and take and the blessed fruit of love. Here stood his friend and the woman he had loved and loved still. He wasn't losing her because he was never in the running to win. He wasn't losing him because their bond was everlasting. All was well, then. He had no complaints.
[image]In this picture stood the vital figures of Beatrix and Franklin, hand in hand.
[image]
[image]
In this picture stood the vital figures of Beatrix and Franklin, hand in hand.
He followed his luggage on deck. Beatrix and Franklin were waiting for him. How different they looked, he thought. No wonder. They had found the way to live.
"Don't go, Mally," said Beatrix, putting an arm round his shoulder. "Send your things down again and come back with us."
"Yes," said Franklin. "Come on."
Malcolm shook his head. "Don't tempt me," he said. "I've been lazy long enough. I'm going to begin to work in the old cities. With any luck I'll have a thin volume ready, very expensively bound, for your golden wedding."
They all laughed. It was, somehow, a rather emotional moment. It was good to laugh.
"All ready, sir," said Jones, who regretted to be the one to put good old Peter Pan ashore.
Malcolm gave his hand to Beatrix. "God bless you, my dear," he said.
"God bless you, Mally."
"Good luck, old man."
"So long," said Franklin.
They watched him into the launch and away, waving their hands.
"Good old Malcolm!" said Franklin. "Among other things that he did for me he brought you on theGalatea."
"But not for my honeymoon," said Beatrix with a little look that made his heart jump. "When do we sail?"
"As soon as Jones gets back."
"And then, where?"
"Heaven," he said.
They began to walk. The sun was slipping away. A new day was coming, a new beginning.
"I know one thing," she said.
"What's that?"
"You won't spoil me."
He saw the old mischievous smile lurking in her eyes. But she escaped his eager hands and ran into her state-room.
And he followed her and shut the door.
THE END
* * * * *
"The Books You Like to Readat the Price You Like to Pay"
There Are Two Sidesto Everything—
—including the wrapper which covers every Grosset & Dunlap book. When you feel in the mood for a good romance, refer to the carefully selected list of modern fiction comprising most of the successes by prominent writers of the day which is printed on the back of every Grosset & Dunlap book wrapper.
You will find more than five hundred titles to choose from—books for every mood and every taste and every pocketbook.
Don't forget the other side, but in case the wrapper is lost, write to the publishers for a complete catalog.
There is a Grosset & Dunlap Bookfor every mood and for every taste
* * * * *
EMERSON HOUGH'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold.Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.
THE COVERED WAGON
An epic story of the Great West from which the famous picture was made.
THE WAY OF A MAN
A colorful romance of the pioneer West before the Civil War.
THE SAGEBRUSHER
An Eastern girl answers a matrimonial ad. and goes out West in the hills of Montana to find her mate.
THE WAY OUT
A romance of the feud district of the Cumberland country.
THE BROKEN GATE
A story of broken social conventions and of a woman's determination to put the past behind her.
THE WAY TO THE WEST
Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Kit Carson figure in this story of the opening of the West.
HEART'S DESIRE
The story of what happens when the railroad came to a little settlement in the far West.
THE PURCHASE PRICE
A story of Kentucky during the days after the American Revolution.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOKSCANDAL***