THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20693, 31 December 1938, Page 5

THE ROAD TO HAPPINESS

by ELEANOR DEERING

\EW SERIAL STOR\

CHAPTER IV.— .Continued Now she realised that they were heading hack for the village. She recognised one or two landmarks, and alter ten minutes, humming along the smooth surface of the roads, she passed Colonel Beeston's house, and wondered ileetingly what he would say when she told him that she would he unable to work for him any longer. In a way she would be sorry about that, but she quickly forgot any regrets she might have as they went through the village and turned the corner that led to the cottage. As they did so she saw something that made her heart thump against her ribs. She had completely forgotten that Bob Hamilton was due, and now she saw his motor cycle leaning against the fence surrounding the cottage. He was there! x Quite unexpectedly she would be compelled to introduce the two men. It was the last thing she had wanted, and she dreaded the moment when Bob's rugged face would change its expression as he met James Carfax. Well—it couldn't be helped now. James Carfax smiled a little when he saw the motor cycle, and a few minutes later was walking along the neat path towards the rose-covered cottage porch. He saw Hamilton standing in the doorway, and in a moment he guessed what the Mayfields had meant by “visitors.” There was a gleam in his eyes that only Bob Hamilton saw when the two men were introduced by Anne, who was doing her best to keep her voice steady, and to prevent her conflicting thoughts showing in her eyes. But now, seeing the two men side by side, she knew that all the things she had thought during the past two weeks were right. Bob was completely overshadowed by the other man, and yet she felt a stab of conscience as she saw the way in which his expression changed, and she guessed his thoughts at having seen her handed from the car by James Carfax. / CHAPTER V. A Talk With Bob There was not the slightest suggestion in the manner of Bob Hamilton during the next ten minutes to hint that he was in any way jealous of the other man. In fact, there was nothing on the surface to create such jealousy, and Anne realised that 800 was essentially a fjjr thinking man. In fact, there were many things about him that she admired—e\cn that she Jo\ed —but he lacked that something which she seemed to hava found in James Carfax. Cl course, h was too early for Bob to form any real opinion, and for all he knew the friendship which had sprung up quickiy with James Carfax might end just as abruptly. But in her heart Anne did not believe that that would be the case. Bob Hamilton said very little while James Carfax was there; but that was not unusual, for he was frequently silent for long periods, content with his thoughts and the fact that Anne was next to him. Mrs Mayfield had, it seemed, already told Bob that Anne had gone for a drive with her cousin, and the fact that James Carfax was introduced as the cousin, made a great deal of difference to Bob’s outlook. Nevertheless, he did feel that there had been an undue familiarity between the cousins as Anne had been handed from the car. He fought back this idea, however, telling himself that he must not show anything but the greatest delight in the change in the Mayfields’ fortune. On the other hand, at the back of his mind there was the fact that their new lift would be something different from anything they had had before, that he would be affected by it as much as Anne. Before, the one thought in his mind had been to get together enough money to keep Anne comfortably. Now that she was comparatively rich it would be very different. It would be no use offering her an income of a few hundred pounds a year. She would get used to living on a high scale, and he would somehow have to increase his earnings so that he could match that scale. It was not that he was for a moment doubting Anne’s loyalty to him that made him think along these lines. It was the fact that inside him there was a grim determination to give her something better than she ever had, and that now he realised it would be a much iwore strenuous task. James Carfax rose to go just after five o’clock. It so happened that Bob knew the short cuts to the Gloucester road, and he passed the information on gladly. The two men parted on the best of terms, and James Carfax waved cheerfully from his car as he pressed his foot on the accelerator, and the red monster moved off. The three people in the cottage watched the car disappear round the corner, and Bob glanced quickly at the flushed face of the girl he loved; for the first time a stab of real jealousy seemed to pierce his heart. He could not hide from himself that her eyes were shining far more than they had ever done when she had waved to him. The moment when he had fancied there was an extra lightness in hpr bearing seemed to come back with double torce. Did James Carfax mean anything to her? It was a question that he could ask himself but that he would never ask Anno. In Bob Hamilton’s love for

the girl there was a depth that Anne certainly d,d not understand. Her beauty was not the whole of her attraction. He had seen her light hard to keep her mother, and he had the greatest admiration for her. She had always been cheerful, and she had never allowed the hot temper of Colonel Beeston to worry her. From the first moment he had seen her lie had fallen in love with her, and it was a love which had strengthened day by day and week by week. It was an emotion that could only be cail“d adoration. He worshipped her — j Mrs Mayfield spoke first ’’lie’s a nice lad," she saia of James j Carfax. ‘Tin glad you met him, Bob. But now you must be hungry ’’ "I could eat some tea,” Bob Hamil- ! ton admitted, with a smile. | Mrs Maytleid hurried inlo the kitchon, leaving the young couple to- | igother. For a moment there was | silence in the front room of the cut- ' smile. She was determined that he | should see nothing unusual in her expression, hut she (lid not realise that the depth of his feelings for her would enable him to judge from other things than outward appearance. lie sensed l a change in her. There was something—a brilliance, almost a hardness —that he had never seen before. She was still flushed with the excitement and the invigoration of the ride in the car, and nothing she could do would prevent from making itself obvious. The silence lengthened; neither of them wanted to break it. It was Bob who did at last, and as lie spoke he took his pipe from his pocket and began to fill it slowly. “it's splendid to be back again,” he said. T was half afraid yesterday that I wouldn’t be able to come ” He paused and was obviously waiting for her rejoinder. At any previous time Anne would have pulled a face and shown her delight that he had managed to make the journey. Now there was nothing of the kind; for a full thirty seconds she was silent. When at last she did say, ”Oh! that would have been horrible,”” there was a lack of spontaneity that Bob could not help but notice, a”nd he felt a real tightness inside him. This was not his Anne. “Still, I managed it,” he said, with a laugh, that did not ring true. "Well, your luck has changed at last, dear. 1 can’t tell you how glad I am-” Anne smiled; she knew that she was creating a bad impression, she knew that if they went on like this there would be no doubt in his mind of her feelings for Janies Carfax, and the way in which she looked on their friendship. She was stiii anxious not to do anything different. She fell she could not bring herself to say anything that would hurt Bob. She nodded slightly, keeping her voice carefree. “It's good news,” sue said, “but” —she shrugged her shoulders and smiled at mm much as sue would have smiled in the days {gone past about a quarrel with her employer—“l suppose I ought to be grateful ” Bob's eyes gleamed. This was the Anne he knew. He did not believe that in her heart of hearts she had the slightest desire to leave Hedham. Her mother had told him that they would be moving to a larger house, one that had -been left them in the legacy. Obviously it would be impossible for ttyem not to take up their occupation of the new house, but the fact that Anne was not keen to go gave him a feeling of excitement which he had not felt from the moment he had seen her step from the car. She was sitting on a settee beneath the window, and he was lounging in an easy chair opposite her. He stood up and walked across the room, standing above her and looking down with a smile on his face that for a moment gave him a handsome appearance which he did not really possess. “You don’t want to go then?” he said, very softly. Anne forced an answering smile. If she had said what was in her mind she would have cried out she wanted nothing more in the world; but she had to lie. “I’m not keen,” she said, keeping her voice steady with an effort. “But there’s one thing, Bob ” “Yes ” She drew a deep breath, hardly knowing whether she was wise to say what she was about to say, but the words came out quickly; it was too late to withdraw them. At last she said: “You’ll be nearer the new home, and you'll be able to come over and see us more often than you have lately.” Bob's eyes gleamed. It was not until later, when he repeated to himself word for word the tilings she had said, he realised she had said “us” instead of “me.” But for the moment he was more than delighted with the change that she was already planning, and had seen the advantage that the move would have for them. Never before had he felt the desire to pour out his heart to her as lie did at that moment. lie had forced the w|rds back many times giving her the impression—although he did not realise it—that he was tongue-tied and unable to find words in which to express his feelings. Actually the words were bubbling on the surface of his mind every time he saw her, but he would not put the one vital question to her until he was absolutely sure that he could offer her all that she deserved. He fought back the desire and smiled slowly, stretching down his arm and taking her hand in his. “There are some glorious days to come.” he said, and his smile seemed to stab at her like a physical thing. She laughed lightly, and nodded. A moment alter Mrs Mayfield bustled into the room, and perforce he had to withdraw his hand from Anne’s, but for a while, at least, he felt more happiness than he had done from the moiiK nt he had stepped into the cottage and heard that she was with another man. (To be Continued)