THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20692, 30 December 1938, Page 3

THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

by ELEANOR DEERING

KEW SERIAL STORY

CHAPTER lll.—Continued* The excitement she felt, the thrill of that exciting run, had given her a beauty greater than ever she liau ' formerly possessed. The flurry of her hair, windblown and disarranged, gave her a picturesqueuess, and made her a picture that he felt would linger in his mind for ever. Used as he was to the familiarity of London social and theatrical life, knowing many world-famous beauties, he could not remember a woman who had looked as glorious as his new-found cousin did just then. He spoke at last. "Enjoying it?” he asked, and his voice was lower than usual. Anne turned and looked up into bis smiling face. “It was glorious!” The words came out with all the freshness of her enthusiasm. “I have never experienced anything like it in my life before!” He asked himself, with a queer little smile on his lips, whether any of the other women he knew, who might have been expected to rival her loveliness at normal times, would have been able to answer with sucli infectiousness and natural enthusiasm, and he hold himself that the answer was no. “That’s fine,” he said. “There’s no reason if you like it why you should not have many more spins. Down here it’s a little difficult to go fast for long, but when you get further out the roads are clearer and sometimes wider. There’s a spot near Cheltenham where I can travel at ninety and still be safe.” "Is there?” Anne’s eyes gleamed. “I didn’t realise how exciting speed was before.” “You weren’t frightened?” “Not a bit.” Her eyes met his, and she coloured a little, but the effect of it was hidden by the glowing cheeks. “How could I be with you handling the wheel so well?” He coloured a little, his vanity tickled by the naive compliment. He told himself that it would not be his fault if they did not see a great deal more of each other. CHAPTER IV. An Unexpected Encounter He said nothing for a few minutes, but Anne glanced at the clock in the dashboard of the car, and was astonished to find that they had only been out for twenty minutes. It seemed that ages had passed since they had gone away from the road outside the cottage. Twenty minutes! She had not dreamed so much could happen; if she could feel such excitement in so short a time, what could she feel if she drove with him for hours on end? She did not pause to tell herself that after the freshness she might set used to the sensation. For so long she had been accustomed to the dull, monotonous routine of living at the cottage, travelling flve days a week to Colonel Beeston’s house, occasionally going for a trip to London by coach or train, that seemed to be in a different world today. Suddenly a darkling thought entered her mind. Very often she had implored Bob to fix a pillion on the back of his motor cycle so that she could enjoy a run through the country with him. but he had been adamant in his refusal, pointing out to her the many dangers, and telling her that he would do nothing that would incur the slightest risk. At the time she had realised the wisdom of his words, but now she wondered w'hether he would not have been wiser to have taken the risk. Certainly—although she did not realise then, in so many Nvords—it would have prevented this spin with James Carfax from making such an impression on her. But she pushed all thought of Bob into the background; nothing, not even conscience, was gomg to spoil her enjoyment to-day. At her side James Carfax realised something of what w'as passing through her mind, and he sensed that her enthusiasm was genuine, with a freshness that he had rarely encountered. He knew that he had created an impression, and he told himself he wanted to maintain the effect of that impression. Her loveliness made him gasp. He knew that he had met to-day an emotion that was stronger than anything he had experienced before. Whatever else, this girl would mean a great deal in his life, carrying with her something that affected him vitally, something different from the lightflirtations at which he was so experienced. But he told himself that his experience in that direction would stand him in good stead. Anne saw- that they were gradually nearing a main road, and now she could hear the hum of the traffic going towards London and Horsham. Now and again as the car slowed down, she was able to see other cars moving along the high road, and she wondered why he was heading away from the narrow lanes where it seemed to her they had the world to themselves. She did not question him, however, but when he glanced down something in her expression told him that she was disappointed. He laughed cheerfully. “What's the trouble?” he demanded. Anne coloured a little. 'Nothing—nothing at all,” she said. “I " “Now come on.” he said. “There was something on your mind, wasn’t there ?” His expression was so comical that Anne laughed aloud. “Yes.” she admitted. "I was wondering why you were turning towards the main road. But it doesn't matter ” Ho smiled at her. repressinc a desire to tako her slim cool arm in his fingers. “To tell you the truth.” ho said. “I'm feeling thirsty, and I would like to stop for a few moments at a roadhouse near here, hut if you would rattier go on ” Anne's pvps erlisten^d. No. please oarry on as you like, she said, and he churkled at her koenod rar drew up in the drive of a roadhouse some ton miles on the London sido of Horsham. When she had travelled hy eoach \nno had passed the huildiriT. and sorrolty had longo-1 to onfop it. but sho had lookod on it as something heyond her dreams. Now she was walking from the car towards the rose-bowered entrance, and her

companion was obviously respected and well-known by the many servants. They stopped for nearly half-an-nour, sitting outside in the shadow’ of the trees that lined the drive. It was a beautiful building, designed to attract the many motorists who were tired of the ugly erections that spanned the main roads of the country. In one corner of the gardens Anne saw a little party, of two men and two women, and when one of the women saw her glancing towards them, it seemed that a flash of recognition passed between the other and James Carfax. Whether Carfax would have said anything if he had not realised that Anne had seen the glance, he hardly knew’ himself. But as it w T as he smiled. "Any idea who that is?” he asked. Anne shook her head. “I haven't the slightest,” she admitted, “and yet I have an idea that the face is somehow familiar.” Carfax chuckled. “1 should say it is I That is Felicity Deverell ” Anne's eyes glistened as he spoke the name. Felicity Deverell! One of the stars of the English stage and screen. She had often seen the famous actress on the films, but never had she expected to see her in real life. Fast upon her excitement at the discovery was a darkling thought. If her companion was on meeting—which meant speaking—terms with women like this, what could he see in a country mouse who had none of the accomplishments that Felicity Deverell must have? She told herself, as at last they rose from their table, and waving towards the party in the corner, and Carfax teld her back to the car, that he was certainly giving her all the attention that she could expect, and this knowledge cheered her. It w’as absurd to think that she was competing in any way with Felicity Deverell; none the less, that was the impression created in Anne's mind, and one that gave her real pleasure for some time to come. Despite the fact that he was friendly with people of this kind, he had put 'himself out to make a special trip in order to see her again. Along the main road he travelled rather more carefully than he had done in the country lanes, and they talked more now' than they had done during the early part of the journey. “Do you know the people at the roadhouse well?” Anne asked, doing her best to make the question sound natural. He nodded casual. “Pretty well. It's a popular rendezvous for all night bathing parties, particularly during the hot days of summer. My stepmother used to come here a great deal. In fact,” he chuckled at the memory, “it was here that Dad met her. It has the reputation for being a good place for match making.” Anne's face coloured a little. She told herself that she was imagining things, but it seemed to her that there w'as an underlying meaning in his words. It was as though he was suggesting that there was a significance in the fact that he had taken her there. The thought was fleeting, however, and she forgot it very quickly. Soon he turned off the main road, and they were travelling more speedily along the deserted lanes, with Anne feeling again the invigorating air as she rushed through them, with the wind whipping the colour to her checks again, and bringing back the memory of that first glorious ride. She was still amazed at the fact that time passed slowly, and it seemed impossible that it was no more than an hour since they started out, especially as they had had that break at the roadhouse. But the dash-board clock showed the time to be just alter four o'clock, and they had left the cottage about three. “What time do you want tp get back?” Carfax asked. Anne shrugged her slim shoulders. “It really doesn't matter,” she said, “but you must remember that you’ve got to get buck to Carfax Hall tonight.” “As a matter of fact,” he said, ”1 promised to be there for dinner. That means eight o'clock. I doubt whether j shall do the run in less than two and a half hours, and that will mean going pretty fast. So I ought to leave the cottage about five o’clock at the latest.” He pulled a wry face. "It would happen that I can’t very well let them down at home, but there will he plenty of otltfr days—at least 1 hope so.” He needed no better answer to his unspoken question than the flush in Anne’s cheeks, and the gleam in her eyes. “it’s up to you,” she said. “You’d better be careful before you commit yourself like that,” he said, with a laugh. "I’ve not enjoyed a run like this for a long time, and “It’s been splendid!” she said, enthusiastically. “That's the stuff.” he said quickly. They stopped talking for a while while as he was forced to negotiate some narrow bends and farm gates, and Anne was able to control her thoughts more. >he wondered whether he had spoken really sincerely. whether he bad enjoyed it as much* as he said he had. whether these trips would be repeated in the future. She felt she would give anything to make sure they would. The fact that she was being disloyal to Rob Hamilton hardly entered her mind. She felt she had had a taste of something she had lorired far over a weary period, and that nothing would prevent her from taking fullest advantage of the unexpected opportunity that had come her way. Even now she could hardly believe the truth. Soon, she and her mother, would be moving away from Hedham into a larger house, where they could have servants —not. of course, on the scale that- the Carfax's ran their life, but at least sufficient to put them on a social footing with the other family. It was almost too good to he true!

To be continued