Page:The strange experiences of Tina Malone.djvu/66

66 "No," I said, "I will go back to my rooms again!"

So go back to my rooms I did and arrived there to find them desolate, and to remember that the next day was Christmas Eve.

And then I remembered Tony.

I had forgotten to write to him about the theatre and he had taken seats.

The horror of it—the unkindness—the rudeness all came over me at once.

I wrote and told him.

And then came Xmas Eve, and Tony came at tea time.

For the first time for four years I had forgotten Tony at Christmas time. I had asked him to tea, and together we sat there—a forlorn pair.

He was sorry for me I could see. He had brought me "Towards Democracy," and from my wall I took down one of the pictures I loved and gave it to him.

No, we could not make it out.

We were so tired, both of us, of my repeated wonder as to where I could turn for help and what it all meant.

I said:

"I'm sure it's hypnotism, Tony."

"Then it will get back on the hypnotist," said Tony with a fierceness that he seldom showed.

He could not stay long for he had other places to go to, but as he said "good-night" he turned away.

"It doesn't seem like Christmas," he said.

He had to leave town again for a few days.

The voices never left me. What had become of the madman I don't know but I saw it had not been Tony.

Yet once more they began again, and again I imagined it was Tony and that his friend was afraid of bringing him home because he might be put in an asylum.

Quite determined that this should not be the case, I put on my hat and after telepathing that I would get Sybil to go down with me to the wharf to meet him, I put on my hat to go over to see her.

With my heart beating fast with anxiety I opened my front door.

And there stood Tony just coming in at the gate!

"Where are you going?" he said.

I caught my breath and looked at him in wonder.

Hating to give myself away as a fool I said I had just been going out but nowhere in particular.

I couldn't very well tell him I was going to meet him on his stretcher on the wharf to prevent his being put in a lunatic asylum.

So he came back with me and we had afternoon tea.

He wanted to take me to the theatre again on New Year's Eve.