Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 72: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

At mbit fy 66 able to interpret her thoughts. If so, he gave no sign. He mixed freely with the other passengers, a few of whom he intro- duced to the girl, and it was not until they were halfway across the Atlantic -that she suddenly became aware that these latter were all men. She didn’t understand it, because there were women on board who at- tracted her and were of her own kind. Her next discovery was that a good many of the passengers looked at her with an interest she could not interpret, until there came a distressing consciousness _ that, while the expression of the men held a kind of secret meaning, that of the women ex- pressed only an obvious distaste. It was when she caught an unmistakably bold glance from a middle-aged man at another table that the truth flashed on her with stunning significance. Her fellow voyagers on the Mondania had come to their own conclusion. And, by reason.of her own impetuous actions, there was not one soul on the ship to whom she could turn for refuge—least of all Marcus King. If King knew all this, as she concluded he must know, he betrayed nothing. He sat beside her for hours on the deck, at- tentive, outwardly gallant and solicitous for her comfort. Not by any word or look did he expose her to criticism, but there re- mained the fact, spread by an officious steward, and gradually reaching most in- dividuals on board, that by arrangement of Mr. Marcus King, the attractive Miss Dart had shifted from a second to a first class cabin. And that was quite enough. It was on the evening before they sighted land that King made his next move on the chessboard of fate. He was seated beside the girl in a sheltered corner of the prom- enade deck. The sea was calm, the ship steady and myriad stars hung suspended, luminous in the purple night. No sounds could be heard except a strain of music from the salon and the hissing wash against the Mondania’s long, sleek sides. It was a night of beauty, and in- vested with more than ordinary promise. To-morrow another continent would lie low on the horizon. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, talked about anything except the one mat- ter which she presently perceived to be up- permost in his mind. As he talked she felt, as she knew she must whenever he chose to exercise it, the distinctive allure of his personality. She realized now to the full the physical comfort he had provided for her and, such was the mesmerism of his presence she found it more and more difficult to tax him with having put her in. the position she felt she held in the minds of her fellow passen- gers. She had agreed to that position. That was the fatal step. “How strange it is,’ he said slowly, “that we should be bound for the same destination—and more strange that we should seek the same man. Does it give you a sensation of the inevitableness of much we cannot understand?” Sylvia nodded. She knew there was something behind this. “Of course,” he added, ‘“ there’s one great difference between us in this respect.” “Ts there?” she hazarded. “Well,” he replied slowly, “I am ex- pected and you are not; that’s a difference, isn’t it?” “Yes,” she admitted. King’s brain was unfolding itself now, but she had no hint of what was coming. “T think you were quite right in not cabling,” he said quietly. She stared at him. “ How did you know that?’ He smiled. ‘ Would it not have been rather difficult and possibly alarming—even to a paragon of the backwoods—to put the situation in a cable?” She did not answer. “At any rate”—his voice was very thoughtful—“‘ you were quite wise. It would have been a stupid thing to de mere- ly on account of a very frank proposal made you by one who admires you and craves for you more than you can possibly im- agine.’ “ Please don’t,” she said in a low voice: “it’s cowardly of you.” Fear and fascina- tion had assailed her again. He shook his head. “ It’s not cowardly to ask a lovely woman to throw away petty Si S25 o = oa fies bene in his usual Way ina is, he a and make-believe enecions ene not . a _ ~~ a to ee ; ie >. * as ee = =~.“ o-* ti ae ~ —_ — =. = As SS —s sae ns a ERs = « ~ — Sa — = a rane << SCOnTICBOOKe com.