THE AFTERGLOW
Anthony vetoed absolutely the idea of a marriage before Justin's fate
should be finally decided.
"But if he knows," Bettina urged with trembling lips, "if he knows that
he may be--crippled--he will say that I shall not marry him. You know
that he would say that, Anthony."
"And he would be right. A chronic invalid should not marry, Betty. I
have great hope of his recovery. You and he must live on that hope a
little longer."
Bettina begged Diana to intercede, and that lovely lady, having claimed
Anthony for a twilight walk on the beach, began her plea.
But after the first words she found that she must deal not with the man
who loved her, but with the great Dr. Anthony.
"I shall certainly not allow it. I am not, of course, her legal
guardian, and so I cannot prevent it in that way. But I can tell
Justin."
"But she will not be happy without him, Anthony. If it were you, I
should marry you."
"I should not let you."
"You could not help it."
They faced each other--this strong man and this strong woman. With their
wills opposed, each seemed immovable. It was evident that only a great
depth of affection could bring harmony between their dominant natures.
Anthony, smiling at the earnestness of his beloved, did not yield an
inch. "These things are not to be decided by sentiment, dear. There are
meanings in marriage far beyond mere romance, far beyond the fate of the
two individuals who make the contract. We doctors must uphold the ideal
of physical perfection lest the race suffer. Moreover Bettina does not
know, she cannot know, what life would mean under such conditions. She
does not know her own strength, her own weakness. She must learn
something of life before she takes its heaviest burdens upon her. If in
the years to come she can sustain Justin by her friendship, let it be
that. She must not marry him."
"You--with your friendships, Anthony! Love cannot go back to
friendship."
She had seated herself on a stone bench which backed by a clump of
pines, commanded a wide view of the sea. He hesitated, wondering how he
might chase away the shadow which lay on her lovely face.
"Dear heart, we must not disagree about a thing which may right itself.
Tell Betty that, if she will be patient for a few weeks, I shall hope to
withdraw my opposition."
Her eyes did not meet his.
"Are you thinking that I am cruel, Diana?"
"No, oh, no. But your wisdom won't cure Betty's heartache."
"It may save her future heartaches."
"I wonder if a woman's point of view is ever a man's point of view,
Anthony?"
"Only when two people love each other very much, dear. Then each tries
to look at life through the other's eyes. We men would grow brutal
without you to curb us. But, on the other hand, you need, now and then,
the masculine common-sense view-point."
"I don't want the common-sense point of view in this, Anthony."
He laid his hands on her shoulders and stood looking down at her.
"Diana."
"Yes."
"What is it, dear?"
"I don't quite like--being curbed, Anthony."
She was laughing a little for, in spite of her rebellion, there was
something stimulating in the thought of his masterfulness. "You see,
I've always ruled," she said.
"You shall still rule, everywhere, except in one little corner of my
kingdom which has to do with things medical--over that I must still
reign."
"Of course if you think that you are right in this----"
"I know that I am right. Look at me, Diana."
Thrilled by his tone of command, she did look at him with eyes like
stars.
Then, knowing that he had conquered, he drew her up to him and said,
gently, "We doctors have to seem cruel to be kind--but you must never
believe me cruel, Diana."
So July passed and August, and the little town took on all the beauty of
its September coloring. The dahlias blazed from every fence corner.
Against the gray rocks their masses of brilliance tempted the brushes of
the artists who came to paint.
The yachts began to leave the harbor, some of them going South, some of
them making their exit to the clanking chorus of the marine railway. The
yacht clubs sounded their last guns, packed away their pennants and
hauled up their floating docks. The hotels were closed, and most of the
mansions on the Neck were deserted. The summer folk were turning toward
the city, and the little seaport town was settling down to its winter
routine.
It was on one of those quiet September days that Anthony said to
Bettina, "Set your wedding day, my dear."
"Oh, Anthony, may I, really?"
"Yes. The specialists who came yesterday gave a final decision. Justin
is going to get--well."
The invalid, propped up in a big chair, was approached thus:
"Would you mind if it were a big affair, Justin?"
"Not if you want it that way, sweetheart."
"I don't, if you don't. But Diana and the rest are planning----"
He laughed. "I want the whole world to see you, and I want all the bells
to ring, and I want to run away afterward with you, and to have our
honeymoon last forever."
So they were married from Diana's, at high noon, and as the bride
descended the stairway, a sigh of admiration went up from the waiting
guests. Her costume had been copied from an old painting, and emphasized
her likeness to those medieval Venetian beauties whose blood ran in her
veins. Her veil was caught back, cap-fashion, from her face, then fell
to her feet. The silken thinness of her gown was weighted with silver
embroideries.
Slightly to the left of the officiating clergyman was a screen of white
roses. As Bettina advanced, the screen was set aside, and showed Justin,
in a big chair, pale and smiling, and seeing only his bride as she came
toward him.
Standing by her lover's side, Bettina gave the responses clearly. And
when he placed on her finger the little silver ring, it was she who bent
and kissed him.
As soon as the ceremony was over, the bridegroom was whisked away, to be
followed by the bride when she had cut the wedding cake.
In the library at the head of the stairs she found him. He was on his
feet, unsupported, and looking expectantly toward the door.
She gave a little cry. "Justin, you must not----!"
He laughed and held out his arms to her. "Anthony said I might. Just to
show you. He didn't quite dare for the wedding. But I want you to know
that you are not marrying--a broken reed--dearest."
She looked up at him. "How good it seemed," she whispered, "to see your
face above mine. I--I am just as high as your heart--Justin."
* * * * *
Snow over the harbor. Snow, too, at Harbor Light.
Anthony's patients, warmly housed, were busy with Christmas work. Women
who had always bought perfunctory Christmas presents, and to whom the
holiday season had meant merely a weary round of shopping, bent eagerly
over the bit of pottery or of weaving which was to carry a message of
peace and good will. Men, whose gift-giving had lost all of its precious
meanings, were carving quaint weather-vanes and toys with infinite
pains, and reveling in their skill.
Diana, moving from one to the other, encouraged and suggested.
"I am so glad we worked out that mistletoe design for the pottery and
the holly for the little white rugs," she said; "it makes the work so
much more interesting."
"It is you who makes the work interesting," said her adoring husband who
was at her elbow. "Don't you ever wish for anything else? Wouldn't you
like to be down South with Justin and Betty--with purple seas and
cocoanut palms and tennis and golf and good times?"
"I'd rather be here with you. Every time you come back from an important
case or operation I feel as if you were a knight returning from
battle--no woman can have that feeling when her husband isn't doing
vital things--but I'll wait until I get home, Anthony, to tell you the
rest of it--the whole of Harbor Light has its eyes on us."
It was not curiosity which drew the eyes toward them. To these weary
creatures, many of whom had lost their illusions, the romance of their
beloved doctor had given new hope. Their belief in the happiness of
another made their own chances of happiness seem less remote.
It was late that night, however, before Diana could tell Anthony "the
rest of it." He was delayed by a call to an outside case, and she sat up
to wait for him.
The snow had stopped, and as she stood at the window in her room
looking out, Minot's flashed above the horizon, and the big light on the
Point flamed against the darkness like a sun. The little twinkling fair
weather lights of the summer were gone. Only these remained through the
beating storms to send out their warnings to the ships.
It was the great lights of the harbor which served humanity; it was
great men like Anthony who served!
Smiling a little, in the fulness of her content, she turned back into
the fire-lighted room, and went to her piano.
Anthony, coming up the stairs, spent and chilled, heard her singing:
"The stormy evening closes now in vain,
Loud wails the wind and beats the driving rain,
While here in sheltered house
With fiery-painted walls,
I hear the wind abroad,
I hark the calling squalls--
'Blow, blow,' I cry, 'you burst your cheeks in vain!
Blow, blow,' I cry, 'my love is home again!'"
On the threshold of this blessed sanctuary all of his weariness seemed
to vanish; here he found rest and refreshment--here, at last, he had
found fulfillment of all his dreams.
The End
* * * * *
"_The Books You Like to Read at the Price You Like to Pay_"
_There Are Two Sides to Everything--_
--including the wrapper which covers every Grosset & Dunlap book. When
you feel in the mood for a good romance, refer to the carefully selected
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You will find more than five hundred titles to choose from--books for
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_Don't forget the other side, but in case the wrapper is lost, write to
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_There is a Grosset & Dunlap Book for every mood and for every taste_
* * * * *
MARGARET PEDLER'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.
THE GUARDED HALO
The story of a girl and a man who threw away honor and reputation to
protect untarnished the memory of a friend.
BITTER HERITAGE
She learned that her father, the man she had idolized, was a thief and
a swindler--a bitter heritage not to be escaped.
YESTERDAY'S HARVEST
The harvest of an early love brings a strange situation and triumph of
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TOMORROW'S TANGLE
The game of love is fraught with danger. To win in the finest sense it
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RED ASHES
A gripping story of a doctor who failed in a crucial operation and had
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THE BARBARIAN LOVER
A love story based upon the creed that the only important things
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THE MOON OUT OF REACH
Nan Davenport's problem is one that many a girl has faced--her own
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THE HOUSE OF DREAMS COME TRUE
How a man and a woman fulfilled a gypsy's prophecy.
THE HERMIT OF FAR END
How love made its way into a walled-in house and a walled-in heart.
THE LAMP OF FATE
The story of a woman who tried to take all and give nothing.
THE SPLENDID FOLLY
Do you believe that husbands and wives should have no secrets from
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THE VISION OF DESIRE
It is easy to destroy illusions, difficult to restore them. Anne
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WAVES OF DESTINY
Each of these stories has the sharp impact of an emotional crisis--the
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GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK
* * * * *
NOVELS BY TEMPLE BAILEY
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.
BURNING BEAUTY
Beautiful Virginia Oliphant is loved by two men; one tempts her with
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SILVER SLIPPERS
Days of delight and disillusionment until Joan Dudley's knight actually
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WALLFLOWERS
They were twins, they were "Wallflowers" perhaps--but they were
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THE BLUE WINDOW
Hildegarde finds herself transplanted from the middle western farm to
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PEACOCK FEATHERS
Jerry, the idealist, loves Mimi, a beautiful spoiled society girl. A
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THE DIM LANTERN
The romance of little Jane Barnes who is loved by two men.
THE GAY COCKADE
Unusual short stories in which Miss Bailey shows her knowledge of
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TRUMPETER SWAN
Randy Paine came back from France to the monotony of everyday affairs.
But a girl showed him the beauty in the commonplace.
THE TIN SOLDIER
Derry wishes to serve his country but is bound by a tie he cannot in
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MISTRESS ANNE
Into the life of Anne came two men: one is weak and the other strong and
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CONTRARY MARY
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GLORY OF YOUTH
An old question yet ever new--how far should an engagement of marriage
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GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK
* * * * *
RUBY M. AYRES' NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list.
LOVERS
ONE SUMMER
LOVE CHANGES
LIFE STEPS IN
BROKEN
CHARITY'S CHOSEN
THE PLANTER OF THE TREE
SPOILT MUSIC
THE MAN WITHOUT A HEART
A BACHELOR HUSBAND
THE SECOND HONEYMOON
GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK
* * * * *
ROMANCES OF THE MODERN GIRL
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Here is a list of books by well known writers of romance stories for the
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MAY CHRISTIE
The High Speed Girl
Flirting Wives
The Jazz Widow
Love's Miracle
A Kiss For Corinna
Eager Love
Man Madness
Love's Ecstasy
ALMA SIOUX SCARBERRY
Make-Up
The Dimpled Racketeer
The Flat Tire
High Hat
BEATRICE BURTON
The Little Yellow House
Easy
Money Love
The Hollywood Girl
Honey Lou
The Flapper Wife
Her Man
ROBERT D. ANDREWS
The Stolen Husband
Three Girls Lost
One Girl Found
ROB EDEN
The Lovely Liar
Step-Child
Love Blind
The Girl with Red Hair
Short Skirts
ELENORE MEHERIN
Miss Pat
Jerry
Chickie
Chickie, A Sequel
Nora Lee
Sandy
LAURA LOU BROOKMAN
Tarnished
Mad Marriage
Heart Hungry
As No Woman Hath Loved
Her Love Problem
Playmate
The Heart Bandit
JANE DIXON
Miss Hard Boiled
ANNE GARDNER
Working Wives
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* * * * *
THE NOVELS OF SINCLAIR LEWIS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap's List.
Within the space of a few years Sinclair Lewis has become one of the
most Distinguished of American Novelists.
ELMER GANTRY
Elmer Gantry, hypocrite and voluptuary, is painted against a background
of church members and professing Christians scarcely less hypocritical
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MANTRAP
A clever satire on the adventures of a New York lawyer seeking rest and
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ARROWSMITH
The story of a country doctor whose search for truth led him to the
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BABBITT
Every man will recognize in the character of George Babbitt, something
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MAIN STREET
Carol Kennicott's attempt to bring life and culture to Gopher Prairie
and Gopher Prairie's reaction toward her teachings have made this book
one of the most famous of the last decade.
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* * * * *
THE NOVELS OF GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL
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THE PRODIGAL GIRL
DUSKIN
CRIMSON ROSES
OUT OF THE STORM
THE HONOR GIRL
JOB'S NIECE
COMING THROUGH THE RYE
A NEW NAME
ARIEL CUSTER
THE BEST MAN
THE CITY OF FIRE
CLOUDY JEWEL
DAWN OF THE MORNING
THE ENCHANTED BARN
EXIT BETTY
THE FINDING OF JASPER HOLT
THE GIRL FROM MONTANA
LO, MICHAEL
THE MAN OF THE DESERT
MARCIA SCHUYLER
MIRANDA
THE MYSTERY OF MARY
PHOEBE DEANE
THE RED SIGNAL
THE SEARCH
TOMORROW ABOUT THIS TIME
THE TRYST
THE WITNESS
NOT UNDER THE LAW
RE-CREATIONS
THE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK