could. But on condition, of course, that never anywhere,
unless he gave her permission, must she assert that he had
married her, or point to him in any way as the father of her
child. Also it was understood that she, as she herself had
asserted over and over that she would, if only he would do
this—marry her—take steps to free herself on the ground of
desertion, or something, in some place sufficiently removed
from Lycurgus for no one to hear. And that within a
reasonable time after her marriage to him, although he was
not at all satisfied that, assuming that he did marry her, she
would.
But Clyde, of course, was insincere in regard to all his
overtures at this time, and really not concerned as to her
sincerity or insincerity. Nor did he have any intention of
leaving Lycurgus even for the moderate length of time that
her present extrication would require unless he had to. For
that meant that he would be separated from Sondra, and
such absence, for whatever period, would most definitely
interfere with his plans. And so, on the contrary, he drifted—
thinking most idly at times of some possible fake or mock
marriage such as he had seen in some melodramatic movie
—a fake minister and witnesses combining to deceive
some simple country’ girl such as Roberta was not, but at
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such expense of time, resources, courage and subtlety as
Clyde himself, after a little reflection, was wise enough to
see was beyond him.
Again, knowing that, unless some hitherto unforeseen aid
should eventuate, he was heading straight toward a
disaster which could not much longer be obviated, he even
allowed himself to dream that, once the fatal hour was at
hand and Roberta, no longer to be put off by any form of
subterfuge, was about to expose him, he might even flatly
deny that he had ever held any such relationship with her
as then she would be charging—rather that at all times his
relationship with her had been that of a department
manager to employee—no more. Terror—no less!
But at the same time, early in May, when Roberta, because
of various gestative signs and ailments, was beginning to
explain, as well as insist, to Clyde that by no stretch of the
imagination or courage could she be expected to retain her
position at the factory or work later than June first, because
by then the likelihood of the girls there beginning to notice
something, would be too great for her to endure, Sondra
was beginning to explain that not so much later than the
fourth or fifth of June she and her mother and Stuart,
together with some servants, would be going to their new
lodge at Twelfth Lake in order to supervise certain
installations then being made before the regular season
should begin. And after that, not later than the eighteenth,
at which time the Cranstons, Harriets, and some others
would have arrived, including very likely visits from Bella
and Myra, he might expect a week-end invitation from the
Cranstons, with whom, through Bertine, she would arrange
as to this. And after that, the general circumstances proving
fairly propitious, there would be, of course, other week-end
invitations to the Harriets’, Phants’ and some others who
dwelt there, as well as to the Griffiths’ at Greenwood, to
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which place, on account of Bella, he could easily come. And
during his two weeks’ vacation in July, he could either stop
at the Casino, which was at Pine Point, or perhaps the
Cranstons or Harriets, at her suggestion, might choose to
invite him. At any rate, as Clyde could see, and with no
more than such expenditures as, with a little scrimping
during his ordinary working days here, he could provide for,
he might see not a little of that lake life of which he had
read so much in the local papers, to say nothing of Sondra
at one and another of the lodges, the masters of which
were not so inimical to his presence and overtures as were
Sondra’s parents.
For now it was, and for the first time, as she proceeded to
explain to him that her mother and father, because of his
continued and reported attentions to her, were already
beginning to talk of an extended European tour which might
keep her and Stuart and her mother abroad for at least the
next two years. But since, at news of this, Clyde’s face as
well as his spirits darkened, and she herself was sufficiently
enmeshed to suffer because of this, she at once added that
he must not feel so bad—he must not; things would work
out well enough, she knew. For at the proper time, and
unless between then and now, something—her own subtle
attack if not her at present feverish interest in Clyde—
should have worked to alter her mother’s viewpoint in
regard to him—she might be compelled to take some steps
of her own in order to frustrate her mother. Just what, she
was not willing to say at this time, although to Clyde’s
overheated imagination it took the form of an elopement
and marriage, which could not then be gainsaid by her
parents whatever they might think. And it was true that in a
vague and as yet repressed way some such thought was
beginning to form in Sondra’s mind. For, as she now
proceeded to explain to Clyde, it was so plain that her
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mother was attempting to steer her in the direction of a
purely social match—the one with the youth who had been
paying her such marked attention the year before. But
because of her present passion for Clyde, as she now gayly
declared, it was not easy to see how she was to be made to
comply. “The only trouble with me is that I’m not of age yet,”
she here added briskly and slangily. “They’ve got me there,
of course. But I will be by next October and they can’t do
very much with me after that, I want to let you know. I can
marry the person I want, I guess. And if I can’t do it here,
well, there are more ways than one to kill a cat.”
The thought was like some sweet, disarranging poison to
Clyde. It fevered and all but betrayed him mentally. If only—
if only—it were not for Roberta now. That terrifying and all
but insoluble problem. But for that, and the opposition of
Sondra’s parents which she was thinking she would be able
to overcome, did not heaven itself await him? Sondra,
Twelfth Lake, society, wealth, her love and beauty. He grew
not a little wild in thinking of it all. Once he and she were
married, what could Sondra’s relatives do? What, but
acquiesce and take them into the glorious bosom of their
resplendent home at Lycurgus or provide for them in some
other way—he to no doubt eventually take some place in
connection with the Finchley Electric Sweeper Company.
And then would he not be the equal, if not the superior, of
Gilbert Griffiths himself and all those others who originally
had ignored him here—joint heir with Stuart to all the
Finchley means. And with Sondra as the central or
crowning jewel to so much sudden and such Aladdin-like
splendor.
No thought as to how he was to overcome the time
between now and October. No serious consideration of the
fact that Roberta then and there was demanding that he
marry her. He could put her off, he thought. And yet, at the
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same time, he was painfully and nervously conscious of the
fact that at no period in his life before had he been so
treacherously poised at the very brink of disaster. It might
be his duty as the world would see it—his mother would say
so—to at least extricate Roberta. But in the case of Esta,
who had come to her rescue? Her lover? He had walked off
from her without a qualm and she had not died. And why,
when Roberta was no worse off than his sister had been,
why should she seek to destroy him in this way? Force him
to do something which would be little less than social,
artistic, passional or emotional assassination? And when
later, if she would but spare him for this, he could do so
much more for her—with Sondra’s money of course. He
could not and would not let her do this to him. His life would
be ruined!
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Chapter 40
TWO incidents which occurred at this time tended still more
to sharpen the contrary points of view holding between
Clyde and Roberta. One of these was no more than a
glimpse which Roberta had one evening of Clyde pausing
at the Central Avenue curb in front of the post-office to say
a few words to Arabella Stark, who in a large and