He waited, uneasily leaning against the fence while she walked off a little way, very slowly; stood thinking; then came back. She looked rather white now, he thought. “Suppose,” she said, “we drop this and finish our walk. It's a good three hours yet over to the other railroad. We may as well make a job of it.” “Oh, Sue,” he cried--“how can you!...” She stopped him. “Please!” she said. “But--but--” “Please!” she said again. “But--but--” She turned away. “I simply can not keep up this personal talk. I would be glad to finish the walk with you, but...” He pulled himself together amid the wreckage of his thoughts and feelings. “But if I won't or can't, you'll have to walk alone,” he said for her. “Yes, I did mean that. I am sorry. I did hope it would be possible.” She compressed her lips, then added: “Of course I should have seen that it wasn't possible, after what happened.” “Very well,” said he. They walked on, silent, past the woods, past more plowed fields, up another hillside. She broke the silence. Gravely, she said: “I will say just one thing more, since you already know so much. Zarin signs up with Silverstone to-morrow morning. Or as soon as they can finish drawing up the contracts. Then within one or two weeks--very soon, certainly--we go down to Cuba or Florida to begin taking the outdoor scenes. That, you see, settles it.” Peter's mind blurred again. Ugly foggy thoughts rushed over it. He stopped short, his long gloomy face workhing nervously. “Good God!” he broke out. “You mean to say--you're going to let those crooks take you off--to Cuba! Don't you see...” There was no object in saying more. Even Peter could see that. For Sue, after one brief look at his sputtering, distorted face, had turned away and was now walking swiftly on up the hill. “Wait!” he called. “Sue!” She reached the top of the hill, passed on over the crest. Gradually she disappeared down the farther slope--the tam o'shanter last. CHAPTER IX--THE NATURE FILM PRODUCING CO. INC. |THEN Peter, muttering, talking out loud to the road, the fence, the trees, the sky, turned back to retrace the miles they had covered so lightly and rapidly. His feet and legs hurt him cruelly. He found a rough stick, broke it over a rock and used it for a cane. He thought of joining Hy and Betty. There would be sympathy there, perhaps. Hy could do something. Hy would have to do something. Where were they, anyway! Half an hour later he caught a glimpse of them. They were sitting on a boulder on a grassy hillside, some little distance from the road. They appeared to be gazing dreamily off across a valley. Peter hesitated. They were very close together. They hardly seemed to invite interruption. Then, while he stood, dusty and bedraggled, in real pain, watching them, he saw Betty lean back against the boulder--or was it against Hy's arm? Hy seemed to be leaning over her. His head bent lower still. It quite hid hers from view. He was kissing her!