I was a despairing, cowering girl
of twenty then--I am a woman now, happy in her work, her
friends; growing broader and saner in thought, quicker to
appreciate the finer things in life. And now--what?"
They were dashing off a rollicking folk-song indoors.
When it was finished there came a burst of laughter and
the sharp spat of applauding hands, and shouts of
approbation. The sounds seemed seared upon my brain. I
rose and ran down the path toward the waiting machine.
There in the darkness I buried my shamed face in my hands
and prayed for the tears that would not come.
It seemed hours before I heard Von Gerhard's firm,
quick tread upon the gravel path. He moved about the
machine, adjusting this and that, then took his place at
the wheel without a word. We glided out upon the smooth
white road. All the loveliness of the night seemed to
have vanished. Only the ugly, distorted shadows
remained. The terror of uncertainty gripped me. I could
not endure the sight of Von Gerhard's stern, set face.
I grasped his arm suddenly so that the machine veered and
darted across the road. With a mighty wrench Von Gerhard
righted it. He stopped the machine at the road-side.
"Careful, Kindchen," he said, gravely.
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