Photoplay Magazine, January 1921 (anuary 1921)

82 Photoplay Magazine "You have betrayed yourself a dozen times tonight." Daisy replied coldly. "You are the woman." "My dear, I'm a much older woman than you, and I know the world, so you mustn't be offended. But, do you quite trust your friend, Mrs. Meredith?" "Of course I do," Daisy replied. "How silly!" "I mention this only because I'm a real friend," the gossip explained. "I saw Julian and Mrs. Meredith leave the Coun- try Club dance last week a little after one o'clock, and at three o'clock they were seen at your lodge in the mountains." Daisy scoffed, but Mrs. Hicks insisted, and quoted her authority, repeating the assurance that she told Daisy only out of true friendship. Daisy continued to insist that she was certain there must be a mistake, but the moment Julian arrived home she confronted him. "What time did you take Margaret home from the Country Club dance?" she demanded. Julian looked at her in amazement, realizing that he was in a corner and wondering who had spied upon him and Mar- garet. His mother stood behind Daisy and met her son's eyes. She knew what time he had reached home that night, for she had been sitting up, anxiously awaiting his return, troubled by the memory of the kiss she had seen as they danced in the patio. But so long as Daisy had only asked a question, Julian determined to brazen it out, knowing his mother would not betray him. "One-thirty." he said, "or somewhere around there. . I can't say to the minute." "You were seen making love to a woman in the lodge at three o'clock that morning." Daisy snapped back. "You must have taken Margaret there, after the dance." Julian could not find words to explain, and he knew there was no use in persisting in his denial. "Do you expect me to go on living with you, after this?" Daisy cried, and bursting into tears fled to her room. But Mrs. Hicks was not satisfied to fire only one barrel of her murderous weapon. She found Bob and Margaret sitting in the patio at their home, and quickly unburdened herself of another version of her story. "My dear," she said, after an exchange of formal greetings, "I have terrible news for you. Daisy Osborn has just dis- covered that her husband was making love to some woman at their lodge after the Country Club dance." "Margaret can prove that is not true," Bob answered. "She was at the dance with Julian herself." Mrs. Hicks did not care to enter into the controversy. She was satisfied with having winged her bird—she would let it flutter as best it could, so she departed. "We'll straighten this out for Julian and Daisy," Bob re- marked. "I'll phone them to come over." In reply to the invitation Julian said he did not think Daisy was feeling well enough to go out. but she heard him making explanations, and taking the receiver away from him. accepted. Then she shut herself again in her room. "It was—Margaret," Mrs. Osborn said, looking her son straight in the eyes. "It was midsummer madness," he exclaimed. "I risked friend- ship, honor, the happiness of four lives. And my punishment is that no one, not even Bob, can believe the truth. I dar< not even warn Margaret for fear she will betray herself." So night brought the four friends together, neither couple knowing what was passing in the minds of the others. But the coldness of restraint was over them all, and they spoke in forced and too calm tones of (Continued on page pj)