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Flaming Youth

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<h2>CHAPTER XXIV</h2> He walked back with her to Holiday Knoll after dinner. Pat's face was thoughtful, moody. As they paced in silence he studied it intently, with passionate longings, with passionate misgivings. Out of a reverie she spoke. "I've never missed anyone in my life as I've missed you. You were right." "About what, Pat?" "That day you took me to Philadelphia. You said I'd miss you more than I thought. D'you remember, I told you then what I thought about it. 'Oh, well, I'll miss him for a few days and then—pouf!'" There followed the impatient, boyish wriggle and hunch of the lithe shoulders. "'It'll be all over.' It wasn't all over." "For me it has never been over. Not for a single minute." "Have you wanted me so much?" Beneath the conscious coquetry there was a more wistful note. "Oh, God, Pat!" His voice sounded thick and rough. "There has been no colour or savour, no music or fragrance in life without you." "Why did you go away?" she demanded accusingly. "You know, I had to go." "Why did you come back?" "Not to see you. I didn't want to see you. Dee told me that you were away." "She told me you were here. I'd phoned over about some clothes. So I just thought I'd like to see you again. Don't scowl at me. You look as if you think I ought not to have come." [Pg 242] "No; you oughtn't." "Are you sorry I did?" He looked away from her into the wind-swept night. "Are you angry because I did?" "I love you," he burst out. "God, how I love you!" She laughed softly. Her hand slid down his arm, clasped for a moment the wrist in which his pulses leapt madly to her touch, wreathed itself, cool and strong and smooth, around his palm. "And I love you," she half-whispered gaily. "I'm terribly in love with you"—a pause of deliberate intent—"to-night. Because you've been away from me so long." "Ah, yes, to-night!" He made no effort to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "But, to-morrow——" "To-night's to-night," she broke in happily. "We've got lots of it to ourselves. It's only nine o'clock. I broke away early on purpose." Arrested by the look on his face, she added with exasperation and protest: "Cary! You're not going to play propriety to-night? When we haven't seen each other for so long?" She shook the gleamy mist of her hair about her face, gave a gnomish bend and twist to body and neck and peered sidelong at him from out the tangle. Suddenly her face darted upward. Her mouth met his in a grotesque parody of a passion-laden kiss. "Oh, bad bunny!" she admonished herself in mock reproach. He stopped, gazing at her from beneath bent brows. "You hated that, didn't you?" she said. "Yes." "Because it wasn't real?" "Because it was mockery." "Petite gamine stuff. But I'm not petite gamine to-night; [Pg 243]I'm something else. I don't know what I am. Do you?" "No." "Don't be cross with me. Whatever it is that I am, it's sorry that it kissed you that way. I didn't mean to make a josh of it." He smiled. "One might as well try to be cross with a moonbeam." They had come around by the side street, and now he held the garden gate back for her. The house was dim. Pat kissed her hand to the clematis arbour. "D'you remember?" she murmured. "Is there one moment ever spent with you that I've forgotten?" "Would you like to forget?" "There are times when I would give anything in the world to forget." "But I don't want you to forget." "You want me to have to bear this always?" "No. I don't want you to be unhappy about it. I want—I don't know what I do want. Except now. Now I want to have this evening just to ourselves." She opened a side door, spoke to a servant, moving about in the kitchen. "It's all right, Katie." Then to Scott: "Aren't you coming in?" He hesitated, but when she added impatiently, "Oh, don't be such a crab!" he followed her. "Go into the small conservatory," she bade him. "That's my work. I've fussed it up into a sort of den." She bounded upstairs and ran into her room, shook out her hair, gathered it, studied herself in the glass. Her eyes were brilliant, heavy-lidded, dreamy. She shook herself impatiently; her strong, supervitalised young body felt cramped and pent in the close-fitting tailor-made[Pg 244] which she had on. She plucked at the buttons with hurried fingers, wriggled out of the garment which she kicked from her feet and left lying on the floor, tossed her corsets after it, and exhaled a long, luxurious "Ooo-oo-oofff!" of satisfaction and voluptuous relief. Opening the door of her clothes-press, she rummaged for a moment and pulled out a long, sweeping robe, which she drew about her, moulding it to the boyish set of her shoulders and the woman's depth and contour of her bosom. She caught up a cigarette, lighted a match, then, lapsing into thought, let it droop from her fingers until the scorching brought an angry "Damn!" of pain. She threw the cigarette after the expiring match. No; she wouldn't smoke, much as her tense nerves demanded it. She would keep her mouth fresh and sweet for Cary's first kiss. She ran down to him, putting on the far light in the hallway, so that only a dim glow invaded the conservatory-den. Scott stood at the window in an attitude of attention. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Listening." "Music! A violin. Oh, I know. It's a visitor at the Eastmans', next door. He's good. And how flawless of him to be playing just now. Open the window. Let's hear it all." He obeyed. She drew in to him. Her ready fingers sought his palm. "Want me to mix you a drink?" "No, dear." "That's better," she approved. "Though," she added, with her old air of gaminerie, "it might go further and not get a call-down. What is it he's playing?" "'The Élégie.'" [Pg 245] The violin was sobbing, panting, pleading like a woman in sweet distress. The wind swept the notes to them until the whole room was surcharged with the passion and grief of it. Pat lifted Scott's hand, cuddled it to her cheek, flipped it away carelessly, turned from him, drifted out of the den into the hallway, back again, and to the divan in the far corner, where she threw herself, snuggling amidst the pillows. Her eyes grew heavy, languorous; in their depths played a shadowed gleam like the far reflection of flame in the heart of sombre waters. The long, thrilling, haunted, wind-borne prayer of the violin penetrated to the innermost fibre of her, mingling there with the passionate sense of his nearness, swaying her to undefined and flashing languors, to unthinkable urgencies. "Oh, Cary!" she breathed, in the breaking seduction of her voice, a voice that blended and was one with the resistless pleading of the music. And again: "Oh, Cary!" Her arms yearned out to him, drawing him through the dimness. With a cry he leapt to her, clasped her, felt her young strength and lissome grace yield to his enfoldment. Through her sundered lips he drew the wine of her breath deep, deep into his veins, until all his self was merged and lost in her passion. Outside the great wind possessed the world, full of the turbulence, the fever, the unassuaged desire of Spring, the allegro furioso of the elements, and through it pierced the unbearable sweetness of the stringed melody. The strain died. Was it after a minute, or an hour, or a night that was an age in their intertwined lives? He was back at the window, leaning against the casement, drawing the rushing wind into his lungs, his heart bursting, his soul a whirl of fire. [Pg 246] Behind him, in the gloom, sounded the shaken softness of her breathing. He bent his head upon his arms. "Oh, God!" he said. "Pat. Little Pat!" She came to him then, spread her gracious arms wide, flung the gleaming fog of her hair to the wind, enclasped him, claimed his soul with her lips. "I'm not sorry," she panted. "I'm not! I'm not! I'm glad!" <hr /> [Pg 247] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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