Chiffon Scarf Read Online Free PDF Page A

as the rice of the engine pending the success of the trial flight. The negotiations are finished. The deal’s closed. Or will be if the engine performs all right tomorrow.” He stopped suddenly, as if checked by a sudden thought, his small eyes narrowed till they be came suspicious, angry slits and he said: “And it’ll perform, Jim. Understand? No monkey business—”
    “ Bill! ” cried Creda on a breathless, high note of protest.
    Bill caught himself quickly.
    “I spoke hastily, Jim,” he said with an air of bluff apology. “But business is business. We can make more out of the engine this way than in any other way. Now’s the time to sell. A year from now—two years from now, God knows what will have happened! Averill agrees with me. And Noel. If we didn’t want to be fair, we wouldn’t consult you at all—”
    “I know, Bill,” said Jim. “You needn’t apologize. And you needn’t worry. Pace’s—money—the money from whatever country he represents—is as good as in your pocket.” He walked across the veranda and stopped beside Averill. “I’ll let you settle details. Will you come with me, Averill, for—for a walk in the garden?”
    There was a little silence. Then she shook her head.
    “I’d better stay here, Jim.” Her voice was perfectly polite and pleasant and Averill was angry. Furious because he had rebelled. Because he had gone against her wishes. Because he had held his own view. Eden, knowing Averill, knew that. She stood like a brooding queen in her white gown, with the great scarlet dragon blazed across her slender body like a sign of royalty and of despotism.
    Averill had never graciously suffered being crossed.
    Jim said pleasantly: “Very well—I’ll go for a smoke.”
    He went down the steps, leaving a little, uncomfortable silence behind him. Then Averill moved toward the table. “Will you bring me a chair, Noel?” she said. “Now then—these are copies of the complete, revised plans. I telephoned to the office and asked Dorothy to make sure. They include everything—isn’t that right, Noel? Will you tell him—”
    Noel’s pleasant voice took up the burden of it. And Eden rose quietly, went to the steps nearest her and, unobserved or at least not stopped by any one of the group around the fable, went down into the shadowy garden. She had seen the look on Jim’s face when he passed her and she wanted to be with him.

Chapter 4
    I T WAS THE FIRST time she heard Dorothy’s name; Dorothy—that enigmatic, self-restrained, pale young woman.
    Dorothy. Eden, only half aware of it, noted the name and realized that she was connected somehow with the offices at the Blaine plant. That was all.
    The thick shrubs below the terrace gave place to a wide strip of velvet lawn with steps at the end of it. These steps, again, led into a turf path, heavily bordered with shrubs, leading in its turn presumably to the garden. It was deep twilight now, with a few fireflies, and stars far above. She could barely see Jim’s broad shoulders and the light of his cigarette as it vanished into the deeper shadow of the path. She followed, her slippered feet quiet on the cool turf below them.
    The path ran between hedges for a way and emerged into a garden—wide, oval, with turf paths among flowers. In the center, barely visible in the twilight, was a pool with a wide balustrade running around it and Jim stood leaning upon the balustrade, smoking.
    “Jim—”
    She was near enough to see his shoulders stiffen a little. Then he turned and said: “Oh—it’s you.”
    “Yes.” She put her arms upon the balustrade; it felt cool to her skin. She leaned over to look into the pool which returned a dim, dreamy reflection of deep blue sky and stars and a blotch of shadow where she and Jim stood.
    “Cigarette?” said Jim and held his case toward her. She took it and bent to a light, and as he held it she caught a glimpse of his face—fine and brown. He was frowning thoughtfully.
    “Well,” he