This Side of Paradise

eeze. The sea, he thought, had treasured its memories deeper than the faithless land. It seemed still to whisper of Norse galleys ploughing the water wor

Amory

racing car had drawn to a stop and a familiar

n, goopher!"

the car. He and Alec had been meeting intermittently, but the barrier of Ro

Miss Waterson, Miss W

d'y

l jump in we'll take you to some secluded

cons

's an

l, and Amory will smile

back seat beside a gaudy

aid flippantly. "Walking for e

replied Amory gravely. "I'

kid me,

ented side street Alec stopp

s, Amory?" he demanded, as he produced a

deed, he had had no definite r

arty of ours, sophomore

t in the pavilions

hink that Jesse and Dick an

shi

These dreary fall da

emed to

she commented. "Tell him to drink d

to ask you, Amory,

York, I

f you haven't got a room ye

ad

Ranier, and he's got to go back to New York. I don't want to

g, if he could g

in the office; the

timulation, Amory left the car and saunte

etty fevers and struggles and exultations. His youth seemed never so vanished as now in the contrast between the utter loneliness of this visit and that riotous, joyful party of four years before. Things that

e. His mind had already started to play variations on the subject. Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were l

f in blankets to keep out the chill October

poem he had re

heart who toiled

ars sailing a

of the present hope that waste implie

eemed to permeate the room; the wet salt breeze filled his hair with moisture, the

blanket had slipped partly off his shoulders a

of a tense whisperi

came

It was Alec's voice.

w, very frightened. The

outside. It was a mumbling of men's voices and a repeated muffled rapp

l's voice again. "You'

S

oor and simultaneously out of the bathroom came Alec, followe

an anxiou

the tr

y God, Amory-they're just

tter let

nd. They can get me

y, a rather miserable, path

ed to pla

your room," he suggested anxiously,

, though. They'll

give a wr

my own name; besides, they'd

u're ma

f the house dete

listening wretchedly to the knocking which had grown gradually

we'll break

eam, tainted as stale, weak wine, yet a horror, diffusively brooding already over the three of them... and over by the window among the stirring curtains stood something else, featureless and indist

en the entire blame-due to the shame of it the innocent one's entire future seemed shrouded in regret and failure, capped by the ingratitude of the real culprit. He had finally taken his own life-years afterward the facts had come out. At the time the story had both puzzled and worried Amory. Now he realized the truth; that sacrifice was no purchase of freedom. It was like a gre

lec would secretly hate him for

and speculating upon him were those two breathless, listening forces: the gossa

arrogant and impersonal; sacrific

me but for

uld be somehow the wa

hadow by the window, that was as near as he could name it, remained for the fraction of a moment and then the breeze see

ec-do what I say.

dumbly-his face a

y and it's important that you should get out of this. Do you h

uriously strained, the eyes n

ny one comes in you act drunk. You do what

nd, taking his pocket-book, beckoned peremptorily to the girl. He heard one word from Alec that s

e said sternly. "You've

gave a lit

n and three men entered. There was an immediate f

a little too dangerou

y la

el

dded authoritatively at a

ight,

her two took a curious glance at their quarry and t

regarded Amory

he girl with his thumb, "with a New York license on your car-to a hotel like this

her impatiently, "what

she subsided sulkily and, gathering up her clothes, retired to the bathroom. As Amory slipped into Alec's B. V. D.'s he found

anded Olson, trying to l

arelessly. "He's drunk as an owl, though

look at him

nd out?" asked

you go up-stairs

from the bathroom, completel

a note-book, "I want your real name

y. "Just drop that big-bully stuff

glared

" he s

s name and Ne

the l

s Ji

ase up on the nursery rhymes. What's yo

stained face in her hands. "I don't want my mo

e on

cried Amo

tant's

red finally. "General Deliv

book shut and looked at

iary, you would, for bringin' a girl from one State to 'nother f'r immoral purp'ses-" He

the papers," cried Jill f

that he was safe and only then did he appreciate

of this stuff, and we got a 'rangement with the newspapers so that you get a little free publicity.

s

' off light-da

y. "Let's get out of here. W

tinguished the lights and motioned them to follow him. As they walked into the elevator Amor

off your hat? There's a

lated guests stared at them curiously; the loudly dressed girl with bent head, the handsome young man with his chin several points aloft;

Olson, pointing to the blurred outline of two mac

pocket suggestively, but Amory snorted,

er to go?" she asked as they

sta

uy writes

r know about this-except

reaking ov

ing blue,"

, and then as an after-thought: "It's almost

We ordered a big supper to be sent up to the room about two o'clock. Al

me tell you," she said emphatically, "when you want to stage that sorta party

reme

ss and they drew up at the do

as they perched themselves on high stools insi

y won't want to be any mor

that blame. Is he pretty important?

y la

seen," he answered.

SE OF SEVE

which announced to whom it might concern that Mr. Amory Blaine, who "gave his address" as, etc., had bee

led, for directly above was a longer p

the engagement of their daughter, Rosalind, to

would need him and send for him, cry that it had been a mistake, that her heart ached only for the pain she had caused him. Never again could he find even the sombre luxury of wanting her-not this Rosalind, harder, older-nor any beaten, bro

r companies had gone into the hands of receivers he could expect for the present no further remittances. Last of a

e had perceived among the curta