Show the he mystery a el a road aid by E phillips oppenheim by little brown A co AND THEN WHAT SYNOPSIS fleeing from a brutal stepfather ato prather an unhappy home and a proposed husband eho detests myrtile Myr young french girl stands in ft a country road on the verge of desperation halted by an exploded tiro tire two young englishmen lord gerald dombey and christopher bent are attracted by the girls dis dl appear appearance anceL she beirs beg them to take her away from her misery in a spirit of adventure they do no BO conveying her to monte carlo and leaving her with friends fr lenda myrelle speaks english Eng her mother having been an educated woman gerald seen a beautiful young woman in the gambling rooms and la is fascinated but can only learn that she Is called pauline do de and nd Is with her aunt lie he la Is unable we to secure cur an introduction CHAPTER III continued 4 then why do they look at me so strangely she persisted it must be because I 1 have no toilette no hat my shoes are ugly indeed monsieur it Is no place for me here are friends of yours coining I 1 am sure the beautifully dressed young lady who looks looka at we me so curiously it Is geralds fattier father and sister he whispered she was waa suddenly very white and frightened christopher rose to his feet lady mary nodded a little coldly lord acknowledged his greeting with some surprise this Is your little I 1 suppose mary remarked looking at myrtile Myr this Is myrtile Myr christopher assented we are waiting tor for gerald now to dedde what to do with her you wish to leave home I 1 understand mary asked turning to the girl who had risen to her feet 1 I will never return there myrttle replied no not even if monsieur gerald himself commanded roe me to I 1 would sooner throw myself into the sea ca that a little extreme her questioner rejoined coldly the misery I 1 should have to face if I 1 returned would also be extreme rt reme 1 myrthle declared I am hoping to find some work here that should not be difficult mary observed and they passed on mary with n R nod to christopher which lacked much of its usual cordiality myrtalie looked after them and there was trouble in her face they do not like me she ehe said they do not think that I 1 ought to be here with you they are right of course I 1 am just a little peasant girl in peasant clothes let us go were in vain she turned and walked own away Y and he be was obliged to follow just as they were leaving the promenade however they came face to face with gerald issuing from the hotel ile he gave a little start as he recognized myrtile Myr except for a thought when he be had bad first awakened he had forgotten all about her it was characteristic act of him however to behave during the next rew few minutes as though he had been thinking of no one else so christopher has been stealing a march on me I 1 I 1 he Mcl exclaimed almed has he shown you all the sights MyrtU eT 1 I waited a long time for you she ehe replied we have been sitting on the terrace and myrtile has been a little troal bl csome esome christopher said bald she Is going back to her rooms to tilde hide because of her clothes clothes gerald repeated why of course she must have clothes we ought to have thought of 0 that when we brought her away but monsieur she etie began timidly even the clothes clot liea which I 1 have at home my communion gown gerald waved tits his arm come along hf he invited we will transform you we will go to lenores madame lenore Is a great pal of mine myrtile Myr you shall have clothes fit for a duchess then they would not be fit for or me myrtile objected doubtfully nor I 1 should think christopher added would they help her to obtain a situation gerald however would listen to no remonstrance a lie he ushered them into a quiet but sumptuous looking little establishment only a few doors from the hotel de parts A frenchwoman dark and attractive came forward to welcome there them bah iah ah monsieur milord 1 she exclaimed it la is good to see you yoa again her fler ladyship was here only three days day ago go I 1 ventured to ate ahk it if you were to be 0 0 ea badame Ua Madat dame ne gerld declared 1 ua am list her on ob bust neaL we have bare with w VS oj a the tha prince 19 A princess madame repeated with a wondering glance nt at the lie girl A princess in everything but clothes gerald explained that Is your we hand her over to yo you IL dress her madame we will return la in an hour Mii Mada dames rues eyes sparkled ab slie looked foolke A at myrtile mademoiselle will be worth dressing she assured them joyfully turn lurn us you say in an hour milord in lord and I 1 can promise that mademoiselle shall be all that hat you desire christopher for the first time inter look here gerald he said 1 I dont think that you are giving ina dume dame quite the right idea in hat respect mademoiselle la Is the daughter of working folk christopher explained she requires clothes of good quality if you will but clothes in which she can seek a situation that Is so Is it not myrelle Myr the girls eyes were fixed anxiously upon gerald 1 I should like to have what monsieur gerald would wish me to have bave she replied mademoiselle has a flure annire so fash lo to Al adante lenore murmured so slim yet so elegant and an expression altogether I 1 have hare some frocks only this morning arrived from parts paris in which she would seem a dream we do not desire mademoiselle to become a dream christopher said stoutly we have the charge of her for a short time only and the sort of toilette which you have in your mind I 1 think madame lenore would be highly unsuitable am I 1 not right gerald oh I 1 suppose io so the young man agreed agree tf id rut rather her like to see fee her in one of madame lenores crea creations tionA though milord Ai llord and monsieur madame said leave it to me return in an hour there shall be two costumes ready you shall take your choice lf if mademoiselle will have the goodness to step this way the two young men wandered out they mode made their way back to the terrace where lord walked try far r a time leaning on geralds arm mary drew christopher to one side so that Is your little she ahe remarked that Is she christopher opher admitted 1 I do not wish to seem a prude mary continued or anything else ehe disagreeable but do you really think that you are doing the right thing christopher in sitting about on the terrace with a peasant pen stint girl dressed er according to tier her posit position lon the whole escapade I 1 think Is ridiculous I 1 am not so surprised at gerald but I 1 am surprised at you christopher was cons conscious clous of some borne irritation re he liked and admired lady mary but it seemed to him that her attitude was a little unsympathetic 1 I can quite understand the whole incident seeming ill advised he admitted but looking back at it I 1 honestly cannot see what else WO we could have done you could have left the girl where she lie was mary insisted christopher shook tits ills head you see her he reputed no one could have left her no actress could have simulated the horror we saw shining out of her he r fam face I 1 dont think that I 1 should ever eve r have thought of bringing her away it was gerald who did that but I 1 think that he was right and I 1 shirld 11 never ever consent to sending her back unless she were willing to go and exactly what do you yon two voting men propose to do with her then mary inquired it to Is not you I 1 am so much afraid of it Is id gerald but you dont believe he bean zan 1 I believe that geralds intentions Intent lona are always good she interrupted I 1 he Is capable even of idealism on the other hand he Is fatally weak especially where women are concerned I 1 fancy slie she went on you will find that you yeii have assumed a dual responsibility and I 1 fancy too that some day you will be sorry for it gerald has the spirit of the philanderer in hit his blood it if the girl attracts attracta him sufficiently you at any and probably he be will be sorry you did not leave her to her village lover you have described gerald correctly when you called min him a philanderer christopher admitted 1 input I put myself in court and on his behalf I 1 plead guilty to the charge on the other hand I 1 have greater faith in his kind netis of heart and his sense of honor than you seem to have this child Is helpless hel plesa and innocent for that reason I 1 believe that she will be as safe bate with gerald as an with me gae lady mary sighed the look of trouble still lingered in her 1 I hope that you may be right the said eald 1 I am aig toot tbt a pe ar gereon but I 1 have some ort t of for boding todne about that child I 1 f eel that she la is going to bring trouble soine ome liow how or other chapter Chapt fr IV it Is a fact that when nhen the two young men entered reentered re the establishment of madame lenore they both failed utterly to recognize the girl who was standing in ti a distant corner talking to the lie proprietress it was not until she lie detached herself and canie besl up to them unit they realized with matli varying van ing sensations who sho alto was gerald erald laughed with pleasure and held field out both tits his hands christopher admiration was tempered with a tofu tain amount of dis distinct distine alon well abat does milord think madame demanded M my y congratulations congratulation sl 1 gerald ro piled filled enthusiastically my deur dear myrtile I 1 wonder it you ou realize how bow charming you are the girl looked shyly up at gerald her face toft koft and eloquent with pleas ure she was clad in a alne white serge costume trimmed with silver braid arnld her lace blouse was delicately dell cotely fellmy and transparent the cut of tier her skirt as scanty as the last word from parts paris lind had decreed her white silk stock lugs ings and suede snede shoes procured from a neighboring establishment irreproachable proa chable tier hir large hat a gossa merilde confection of tulle and lace ince of the charm of tier her appearance there could be no possible question but in exact proportion with geralds sat disapproval seemed to grow 1 I to do not your lothes lollies ma lame dame or your 5 our taste lie said but we hiie have given gli en you the wrong arong idea mademoiselle li 14 in search of a n tion la Is a working girl for shoso whoso future as aa a working girl my mv friend arlind and I 1 are anxious to provide those chope clothes are entirely unsuitable look here chris gerald inter erupted youre taking this thing too seriously we know epry well that myrille must be found something to do later on but in the meant meantime lino she may as well have a little fuu fun cant can t you see for yourself how wonderful she Is she will puzzle the whole of monte carlo for a week and after then christopher asked gerald turned impatiently away madame held up n wonderful confect lion of white lace and silk this Is 19 what I 1 figure to myself for mademoiselles first evening rock frock site ble sald said this and a hat of black lace ince with a string of pearls which I 1 could perhaps borrow I 1 promise you that slip site would make a sensation you do not adreani of it Is s not our wish that she make a sensation of this sort christopher persisted harshly it appears to roe me that you both wish to provide the child lie he stopped short geralls Gera Ger lils ahls eyes eye were filled with sudden fire the girl was trembling youre talking like an aa ass carls copher gerald decla declared redL tula is 1 my affair itt it Is nothing of the sort christopher rejoined stubbornly it la Is our affair I 1 claim an equal right in disposing of myrtile myrelle Myr and I 1 will not have her decked out in these clothes othea cl what we need for her Is a plain blue serge suit and a small hat she will always look charming she will always be attractive hut but nothing in her future walk of life justifies our arraying her in clothes clot lies like these madame shrugged her shoulders more disparagingly than ever it la Is its as milord and monsieur desire of course the she said 1 I can provide such garments as monsieur describes gerald looked at myrelle onre once more the admiration in his eyes eves this time at any rate was absolutely genuine 1 I cant see the harm in having the he child properly turned out for say eny one week he protested turning to chris copher and at the end of that week what there was a deadly directness about gaze gerald although there was no d finitely definitely formed thought of evil in hla his mind avoided it if you are proposing to marry ma rry myrelle Myr christopher continued then the clothes yani have selected are suitable unless you have made up your mind to do that I 1 beg that madame will show us uh something different fun for a week leek for myrtile and her sponsor pon fore it and then what anyway myrtele li Is charm charming irig 11 TO DR BB CONTINUED |