The Troubled Journey

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19895, 26 May 1936, Page 6

The Troubled Journey

SERIAL STORY

By MARGARET GLENN.

SYNOPaIa- “ on" with Janet, hegogilep‘ilrild‘t‘t'tgrgnnime Elihu Martin children. Felicity and Jimmy. feel the same, but it is easier for them. as Felicity is married and living in London, and Jimmy is away at school. At last Joan revolts, and goes 10 11" with Felicity. she attends a private cornlnerclai school owned by Derek Graham. I young widower, and later is successful In obtaining a post as secretary to Geoltrey Matthews. heart or the vast commelrial enterprise or Matthews and \vyatt. lleanwhtlefi avarice has bitten very dePply into Janet Martin's mind. She notes her SlßDL'lllllli'Eil, and plans to hurt them in every way she can. l-‘cilrity's husband goes abroad to supervlsu an engineering Job. and Felicity n.O- - him. After seeing them on‘ at Southampton. Joan is surprised to find Derek Graham waiting to run back ‘0 London. .... CHAPTER XIV. (Continued) That week—end with Dorothy seemed a long “”13” off now, but Joan |\vns still keenly aware 0‘ me “were“ iwoman whom she had seen then. Sh: istin found it difficult. to believe may Dorothy wag a m'otheraoxfe‘iihat bonny! . but the lac rem . Liliifi’ow is the new job‘l’: she asked on the Wednesday follmßlétlgEkthe day = as she had ilrst seen ‘ . ‘ “rigour well,“ said DOWN“ With ta. little laugh. "You did“ seem .° worry lnuch about getting one—you so this instead." cho'mere wasn‘t. much choice about 11," said Joan ruei‘ullY- "A” YPuflsuu not able to tell me why you 1913;? _ “The position is uncllunsed- 53‘” Dorothy with a smile. “is everythmg‘ all right there—with you?“ Joan coloured a little as she remem- - d ltul)h. here)“ )iittthcws is as considerate as he- could possibly be." she said. If Dorothy noticed the colour of her friend‘s cheeks she made no oomment. They talked for half an hour about various things, and it was not until Dorothy was getting up 1-0 80 that she said—— “Do you think id be allowed to see Derek?“ Joan didn't know, but she beckoned . to a nurse. who carried the query to ‘ the matron. Permission was granted. and Joan went with her friend to Derek's bed- | side. He was rather easier now than 1 he had been for some time, and he! managed to smile. . [ When they were back in Joans ward Dorothy said quietiy— 1 "You‘re very lucky, Joan. He's (1‘ mon in a thousand. Look after him when he‘s better and you‘re married." Juun noddcrl and smiled. , But the words seemed to sting her. I ‘ Derek was it man in a thousand.‘ inlnl she was lucliy. But. she did not ‘uppreclul-e her good fortune. She wished that she could take back the "yen“ that she had uttered. For 5116 ' know, without question, that she ‘did\ i. ll love Dcrck in the way that he imcd her. The unfairness of it. surmod to terrify her. There were times when she was_ raster in her illillLi. After all. hc' would he easier to live with than llloSi lllL‘ll. lic would never cease to givc her (nary attention: she was ccltuin ol' . that. But slic would never be able to i give herself to him as she should he l uhlo to. She wasn‘t being fair to him. Yet she linetv that she would he ' i‘nir, up to a point. She would never! buck out 01‘ the engagement. Derek 'nlust never realise that she did notl love him. I She would do anything to prevent him from discovering that. I I C Joan was allowed to leave the hospital after she had been in there for. it‘ll days. . :‘he felt lit, and ready to work, but ticoi‘i'rcy Matthews told her that she must tulle at least another week away from the ofiicc. lie suggested that she i shoulll go to the coast for a few days, i and tulll her that the company wouldi gladly pay all her expenses. Joan appreciated the suggestion, buti she did not feel that. she would like to i lcnvc London by herself, just. then. , She promised to rest, however, and' she left the Strand entices, where she lint] t‘itiiCd on the tiny following her I'C- I loose from hospital, \\'liil a very warm regard for her employer. 1 As she was leuving the front en—i lrnm-e. she hcnrri her name called, iui l imv-pltchcrl, laughing voicc. ' I "Miss Martin —— .ioon . . . " ! Slit» turned round, colouring deeply, ml found herself face to face \\‘itll' itoiph Matthews. “i suppose i really should stick to Miss .\lurtin‘," he said, "but we seem .. he such old friends that 1 took at -li:iltt‘l‘." .lu.m did not commit herself, buti ‘iit' smiled pleasantly enough, and was .lnl surprised when he said: "Have you had lunch, or will you Ln-ip mo to enjoy mine?" Joan smiled a little. She felt very conildent of herself ‘ hen talking with Ralph Matthews, ni‘mugll she could not understand why, “i don't know whether it‘s the prop—- ." lhing to do." she said, dcmurely. liailpll laughed, nnd pointed towards his i‘iil'. "You never can be sure until you‘ve 'mli the experience," he said. “Try it." ——ozm \\'us acutely conscious of un— I'nirnoss iu Derek as she stepped to\\.ll'lis the t'ill‘. It was madness, to let iluiph iaitt‘ her to lunch, to let him I';:l| hv'r hy ilL‘l' Christian name. Yet she ililli linghnl in the sound of “Joan" in 1.i.~ (1001) voice. She wanted to lunch with him: lhuru was somethingr about itulph )lnlthrws which nmdc her pulse ilt‘Ji inst. 'i‘lm tluningv was done as she stoppml inlu lhr our. "iml's not out of London,“ snitl H.li]iil. “There's .1 iiiiil‘ iliilt‘t‘. out zit \‘t'imhh-llon, N) that 1 Oil" (“‘01) you ut ,\l|lll‘ liulist'." .lunn lliillit‘ no protests. Shh unfinyml that. illlll'il more than shl- lmli vnjnyril it nicnl [or n ion: liliit‘. 'l‘lw “lililv pint-r" [li‘t)\'t‘ti l 0 llc at hotel Lirevr than any ollwr in the Surrey limit. nlnl llzilpli rlinsr the food dis.‘rhninulvly. .\s tin-y snl opposite each inilr‘r iill‘l‘t‘ sl-cmwi in iw n sense or] i-urlimnvlh'v :tlmul il \\'ilit‘il .lllnil hall in \ur fell \\i|t‘ll >ilt' llml lwrn lllnrlling \\illi lll‘l‘t-k. \\hy. uh \\h} shuuhl this have hap—:pvnml'.‘ ' Slit» lmmi It‘llph Matthews. There was no ilouht ni‘ illul, in her own mind. ’l‘llL-l't‘ t'illlill he no ulhcri explanation of the ltrcnness with which i she enjoyed ltelng with him, the way} in \\hh'h hor hinml i'flK'L‘tl through hrr‘ \r'ms. Shit lilul t'utlntl sonic-tiling.r (lili'v‘ (‘ronl from anything \\'ilil'il slic lnnl rwr l-\lu'l'ivnl'wi lmi'orv. .\nd she was nlinnnt certain that ilt' loved ilL‘i'. \\'lty \\.t.~ sllr rnxztgzeil'.’ \\'h} hmln‘t she met I‘inlph lwi‘ore llrrn-l; hull i'l'tlilO-‘erl in hvr'.’ \\'hy hurl mt.- lxuslml things like this? She t‘lllliii Itnuw: Silt‘ liili rmlist‘. iiuwcxer. thui :hc tell wonderfully

thappy while she was with Ralph, but [that her thoughts were gloomy. She {dreaded the idea of marriage to Derek. 1 But it could not he avoided. Now, Imore than ever, he needed her. ! CHAPTER xv. l Twice in the next week, Joan met Ralph Matthews when she was walliing across \\'imbledon Common. Both of them pretended that the 3meetings were accidental, but she kne Eneriectly \\'(‘ll that they were not. She .‘ilfld told him that she usually walked 2across the common. towards the \\’ind—[mil], during the early afternoon, and the deliberately arranged to be there. lite took her to the coast twice; they 'enjoyed the invigorating drives, and Joan enjoyed sitting next to him. She no longer doubted that she loved him. i She had almost forgotten Dorothy iSayer's warning, but when she did reimember it she laughed at the idea that 'there was anything of a Don Juan .about Ralph. Not once had he said lanything which could have been mis—construed. He had been courtesy it—self; and nothing he could do was too much trouble. ! It was on the evening of the last day which they had together that hei spoke 'for the first time of personal things. - They had drawn the car up at the side 01' the road, and were strolling across the grass clearing between a shady little pali'll of trees, when a ,slanting ray from the sun glittered on the rim,r on her left hand. Ralph stopped very still, and stared at her, while touching the ring with his hand. “ I wish that wasn't there," he said, very quietly. l Joan flushed, deeply, but she could find no words to answer him. They stood still, looking into each other's eyes, until Ralph said again: “ I suppose I ought not to say this. Joan, ’lcnowin-g that you‘re engaged. But I can‘t help myself. I love you. 1 think I‘ve loved you from the moment that I first saw you—and all the time I‘ve been afraid—oi your ring." He stopped. Joan was very close to tears She remembered, very vividly, the day when Derek had declared his love. She had felt very happy, that day, as it she had been in a dream—world of her own; but she had not loved Derek. Now she was talking to—or at least she was with—the man whom she did love; and she felt desperately unhappy. littlph went on: ” You'll always remember, Joan. that. i love you, and that l,m realy to help you in the slightest need. Won‘t you?" Joan nodded. She tried to speak, tbut the words would not come. Her lips quivcrcd, and tears brimnied her } eyes. Ralph Matthews seemed suddenly to realise why. He uttered a little cry, and stepped itowards her, Before she realised what was happening his arms were around tier, and his lips were crushed against hers. ’l‘hcy loved catch other and for -the first time they had admitted it llhough she had not spoken. l Joan hrolic from him at last, and Imanaged to control her voice. "\\'e mustn‘t do that," she said, I dully. l Ralph‘s eyes blazed. “But we must!" he suild, and there lwas grimness in his voice. "we need no telling that we'love each other. To deny that would be madness. So—" He broke off, as he saw the expres—sion in her eyes. She touched the .rins on the let-t hand, as She said: “ We can‘t ignore that,“ she said. Ralph‘s expression clouded. "No," he admitted, slowly, ”but it wouldn‘t he the first time that an longagcn‘ient had been broken off, Joan. :Ai'tcr all—there‘s something which we ican‘t forget. We‘re in love, really in love. You can't be fond ot—of your ltlance." ’ Joan gave a little Sigh. , “I am," she said, " terribly fond of 'him. I won‘t do anything- that would linake him unhappy."

’ “Don't. we count?“ asked Ralph, i quietly. . " Please don‘t talk like that," Joan pleaded. "t know just. how you feel. llalph. but I know how he feels, teen And he needs Inc \‘cry badly." ‘ There was agony in ltaiph's expres—l sion as he looked at her. "So do 1," he said, and his volee; throbbed. Joan forced herself to look away‘ from him. She could not bear to see the unhappiness in his eyes. i "Ralph,“ she said, very quletly, “ this won‘t help us. 1t will make us feel worse. I‘ve given my word, and. I‘m pledged to marry Derek. i believe . he will make me happy. And in any case, I can‘t desert him, when he} needs me most. \\’ill )‘ou—pleaSe—l try to forget me?" Ralph uttered a harsh, dry laugh. i “I might just as well try to for—l get myself," he Said. And then, suddenly, his expression cleared. "Darn. it," he exclaimed, "I‘m behaving like a pig. Joan—forget te-day, if you want to but just remember that I'm always ready when you need me." Joan nodded, and turned away, lest he should see the tears in her eyes. The journey back to London passed without incident. Neither of them snake of their love again. Even when they had reached the end of Joan‘s road, and he had rimmed out of the tear to stand beside her for a moment, tall ltalph said was: 1 " Good-bye, .inau. No-one will ‘know about this. Jlud knows no—thing,“ .ioan said, with a catch in her voice. "1 shall always renmniher.” ’i'hen she turned ahruptly away, and he \\airhud her trim tlgurt' disappear—ing past. a hend in the road. There was a letter from Jim \\aitin‘s,r for Juan. and luv :Ireal Rood t'ur~ tune the Liregurys \\t'i'L‘ out for the evening. Joan had no need to keep a stiff upper lip. Before she opened .iini‘s letter, shtlwent to hrr room and tinny; herself on her bed. For ten ininuins she, sohiwtl as it her very heart Inusl break. tiradualiy the liiiirrnrss left her. Sim sat. up, and rrgarded herself in hur mirror. The relieriinn or her lrarstainrd Inalil: lirr smile, althounh it was a VCl‘)’ wry smile. “This won't do," she said. "in any ruse. ninny. you t‘an't thinh seri—nusi)‘ about lialpi: Matthews. He‘s not your type of inan‘he lives in a dil'l'rr~ ent world." she tidied herself, and smoothed the powder round lil‘i‘ cheeks. Then she wont downstairs to hrew herself that never-failing: stimulant. a cup of it‘d. White the kettle was boiling she (\pf‘ncd .lini's letter. The first paragraph made her whistle in surprise.

He read: “ Joan, my dear, ’J‘he Inst thing that \\‘c expenicd has hummncd. 1 had a letter t‘runl her, yesterday, in which sth 5:135 that she is putting enough nmnoy in lhu hunk tn nn‘ct all my schnnl .nnl university L‘xpunscs, nnd ununu‘h for Inc In time on for a vonph- ol’ Mun-st She says that IJnd \\'untml it, and Shv l'n‘cls Ihut she must mn't'y |llll his \\ishcs.” Junn l'l'mun-rt In ht‘r-‘vlf. This \\'lls rt'rluinty the lust thing sln! haut ox—[wl’t'lt'tL Shh rmnt tho rest of the tr‘lter I[lll|'l{t)', smiling \\‘rily tn hersvlt’ :15 Jim hdill: “Itvtmw-n Iltll'M'tH‘S, 1 Just can't nnulvratttntl it. it‘s no nun-v like her than - \\ntt, )un know \\'hzlt I Invnn. hut I suppose \\v mustn't Imm :1 gm hnrw in tho, nmnth, 11's Inuvh tmtll-I' than I nun-Matt, ‘ lll' l‘HlH‘fil‘, l'm tlt'hll—‘l thoroughly s|“th :unl t‘ux'gvttin; .\I'U. ‘ I’m Ktiul tn hom- lhul you'rn out ul’ husxtitnl. :nul I tlu Itupc Derek gals lwttvt' I]lltl‘lit}'. l‘ln longing to llll't'l him, unit In nulw sum that he's I.lmm! vnnngh To!" you. ’J'nLl' «mm “1' I\'l)l“'>\‘]f. Yours E‘wr, Jimmy." (To bu continued).