The Moon out of Reach

were strolling toget

urred up the d

er opened the car door and she caught sight of Nan's leg stretched out in front of her under the rugs and evident

ained what had occ

a wonderf

e month, as though he, too, had pass

f someone will only unpack the collection of rugs and coats I'

f the last covering, revealing beneath a distended si

e sort of damage. Is your a

nman insisted on my driving back with my leg up, and it would have b

d, and Barry, seeing her white face and the heavy shadows beneath he

ce. "Look, I'm going to help you into the hall and put you on the big divan straight

he helped her up the steps and into the great hall, its ancient pan

ghtfully at his b

it'll have to be bed," he answe

to the wide, c

ly, "You don't stay in bed beca

remember you've ha

ad joined them, overhearing th

e," asserted Kitty firmly. "Will y

regarding the patient h

arry you or wi

returned Nan

best place for y

of the staircase and, as h

Monday

perfectly unnecessary hand under her arm, since-as she curtly infor

nd Barry chuckled good-humouredly. "Kitty ful

ffair, after seeming to hang fire, at last culminates in a bona fide engagement. "Penny has kept him off so firmly all this time,"

son why from odd scraps of information on the subject elicite

comes in, if I were you. If matters aren't quite sett

side the door

s there to upset? There's no earthly obs

ithout Penelope? It would create a big blank for her if her best friend left her for a home of her own. Somehow, the inevitable reaction of Penelope's marriage upon he

he declared. "Anyway, I won't say a word till

trouble is this big American tour Fenton's been

Kitty swished round the bend. Barry and Nan sta

ty severely. "You're not to be trusted one minute,

her arm and marshalled Nan into the bedroom. In her ha

ing, and then you'll sleep well. And you're not to come down to-morrow except for dinn

xclamation was a pos

smissed any possibi

ing it all far worse to-morrow than to-day.

iling," complained Nan irr

nk it when you're in bed. I

d way-and before long Nan was sipping her glass of milk and gratefully

y, as she sat perched on the edge of the bed, smokin

What

ss who's c

only to be met by a triumphant negati

eter Ma

jerked suddenly, spillin

to keep all expressi

can come after all

y jo

mmittal that Kitty looked

rmal, and to prevent her from making the big mistake of marrying Roger Trenby, so that the lukewarm recepti

nthusiasm into her affirmative, then, swallowing the last mo

have a good sleep," she departed, blissfully unconscious of how ef

irlpool of conflicting emotions. The idea of marriage with Roger Trenby seemed even more impossible than ever with the knowledge that in a few days Peter w

-the level brows and the steady, grey-blue eyes under them-eyes that missed so little and understood so much; the sensitive m

often seen him-big and bronzed by the sun-when he came striding over the cliffs to Mall

ed of her love for Peter. Marriage, she argued, would be-must be-a shield and buckler against the cry of her heart. If she w

danger. They had never met until after his wife had left him, so that her impr

she passed through the strait and narrow gate of matrimony into the carefully shepherded fold beyond it. After all, most women settled down to it in course of time, whether their husbands came up to standard or not. If they d

have been driven into the "putting up" attitude towards their hus