| Show BANNER BANNER SERIAL FICTION FICTION- 1 She Painted Her Face Pace i ii i I 4 6 01 O kwe OV cd intrigue fy DORNFORD YATES 0 o Yot Yol Sink r lc u I CHAPTER XI Continued XI-Continued Continued 21 Thor Then I sealed the envelope up and addressed It to the Duchess of Whelp And then Winter fetched Parish again agnin and I gave It into his hand hand and and made him swear to hold it till ten the following day At half balf past three 1 saw the Duch Duchess ess ks hs again She spoke to me very cry kindly and Said hid that my lady had told her of our most unpleasant experience the night before and hoped that 1 I Iwas was no worse for my struggle to save my life After that she wished hie me me good luck In the matters you now flow have In hand and said she should look for my coming in four days' days time And And when I kissed her herband hand band she lifted me up and held my face against hers and thanked me for plucking our darling out of the jaws ws of death Then though th ugh I knew my way she called and told her to show chow me out and before I knew where I was I was passing through the state of the bedroom which Brief reserved for persons of royal de scent Thirty seconds later I stood in the picture gallery gallery Elizabeth turned from a window and came to my side Come and sit down my darling She put her arm through mine and led the way to a seat You look so tired and shaken and though God knows you have cause it isn't like you ou And now youre you're going straight off off to to travel day and night to Lon Lan London don and back Oh I wish I was going with you I shant shan't know a moments moment's rest till tiU I see you again With a superhuman effort I limed myself for the part which I I could not play Somehow I had to tl play it for It-for for both our sakes She simply must not know that this was the end 1 I got to my feet and drew her into my arms My sweet I said If 11 I seem to toyo you yo you unnatural un that is I because b cause I am m trying crying to play playa a part I 1 am trying my best to pretend pretend to to make my myself myself self believe belleve that I do not mind taking my leave If you cannot help me to this then my resolution will crack and I 1 shall not go After all Ive I've a One excuse excuse- excuse I I have mar mar- 1 4 and therefore I cannot come And the theman man I promised to speak for tor can go to hell heU Now I never realized how much it was going to cost me to keep the promise made It is costing me so much that I dare not consid conid- consider er the price because if I did I know that I shouldn't pay it and it-and and yet Its It's got to be paid if ii I am to I keep my ray word So Im I'm trying to tomake tomake tomake I II make believe belleve I Now of course its it's utterly hope hopeless less to pretend that I dont don't mind going and leaving you here I might as well pretend that I liked being down in that well So Ive I've made up my mind to pretend that when I run into Innsbruck Im I'm running out of some dream After all It its it's s 's 8 been rather ra ther like one one for for me I mean Raven Tra Tracery cery Brief and the Duchess of Whelp Whelp and and you Who ever saw any anyone one like you outside some dream Who evir ev r saw such beauty of face and form What hair ever smelled si sweet What temples were ever everso so lovely What hands were ever everso everso everso so cool And what queen ever over spoke so gently or told a man that she loved him or put up her darling mouth except mouth except in a dream So Im I'm going to pretend Ive I've been dream dreaming ing lag for if Ive I've been dreaming I dont don't have to leave you behind My l dream my shining wonder will always be here here in in my heart There can be no separation separ Uon No miles mUes can lie between us because you are ire are not notor of or this thi'S world When Im I'm crossing the Channel I shall shaU hold you as close in my arms as Im I'm holding you DOW now Day and night you'll be with me always me-always always sleeping sl and wak waking ing jug Ill I'll have my ray cheek against yours I 1 threw back my head and laughed I shall be so s so rich Ill I'll be almost afraid to come back because that will mean the rendering up of my dream Dropping shadow for sub substance substance stance stance she smiled Perhaps you wont won't like me so well welt Then she laid her head on m chest and I laid mine against hers And so we stayed while the merci merci- merciless merciless less sands ran out out and and the blood ran with them them- out some hole bole In iD my ray heart Some clock struck k four and I felt felta a tremor run through her before Its knelL bell Once Then rhea I y hand under her her chin and lifted her lovely head y Elizabeth VirgiL Good by my love I I kissed her h lips Then Thel we ve let l t one another go and andI an 1 I turned nd walked out ut of the tte gal gal- gallery gallery lery down do to the hall hail One minute later the Rolls RoUs was clear of o the terrace and was whip whipping ping up to the woods that neigh neighbored bored the entrance I I remember next to nothing of the Journey we made that night I A pump petrol-pump highway and andI I 1 mountains and the growl of a fron tier guard a n bridge all white In Inthe inthe inthe the moonshine and then the glare of my headlights fading before the dawn these dawn these things make up the nightmare are through which I drove with Winter asleep beside me against his will I know that at ten the next morn morn- mornIng mornIng morning Ing we came to Basle Basic and because I could go no further I 1 drove to the theold theold theold old hotel at which I had lain for two nights three three- weeks before From there I 1 wrote to my darling a halting pitiful note In which I tried to make out how rich we must always be because we had picked our flower when it was in full flush so that now it could never wither or orrun orrun orrun run to seed That evening we left for Strasbourg bourg and after aft r driving all night embarked at Calais for Dover the following afternoon It was as ac a I walked wal ed the tile deck derk and saw the cliffs of England taking their ancient form that it first oc occurred occurred to me that when I stepped ashore I should come to the end of my plans My one idea had been to retrace my steps and to put the I Isea sea between me and my hearts heart's desire de desire sire but now In a few minutes' minutes time I should have achieved this purpose and since life had to be lived I should have to take thought for the morrow and plainly decide what to do For a moment I knit knitted ted my brows But either because be cause I was tired or because to be behonest behonest behonest honest I did not care what I did the effort ellort seemed not worth mak making ing and I let my thoughts fly back- back to a slim sUm figure standing alone In an echoing picture gallery picture gallery full of the lenient splendor of afternoon sun The steamer had berthed and I 1 Iwas Iwas was standing amidships watching my ray fellow passengers hasten ashore when I found a man stand standing ing lag beside me with a hand to his hat Mr Exon sir He lie was a commissionaire and he had a note in his hand right said caid I. I lIe He gave me the note at once Within was a typewritten sheet The Duchess of Whelp Welp presents her compliments compliment to Mr Richard Exon and begs bees that aa as soon loon ai a. ma may be tie he will wili I present himself at where be hi will bear hear of something Tracer to his hie b advantage With a hammering heart I stared at the messenger How did you know I said that I should be coming this way I didn't sir he said simply Theres a man with a note for you at each of the ports Every boat from France has been met for 24 hours CHAPTER XII No you dont don't sir said Winter stout I dont don't care what's In the wind I promised her ladyship Id I'd make you look after yourself I avent done nothing so far far because because of the look in your eyes But Dut now that's gone thank An if you wont won't rest here a day before back well back well Ive I've got the Rolls locked and Ill I'll chuck the keys into the sea So it came about that nearly four days went by before after sleeping at Innsbruck I saw the chimneys of Tracery rising against the blue Heavy rain must have fallen the night before belore for woods and pastures pas tures were green as I had never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen them and the countryside was glancing before the smile of the sun All the fragrance of earth and her fruits was lading the lively lJ air and the tops mountain-tops were making a amock amock amock mock of distance and hoisting their lovely detail for all the world to see As twice before I entered the wasting courtyard and berthed the Rolls but before I was out of the car the doors of the mansion were opened and Parish was descending the steps Five minutes later I stood before the Duchess of Whelp She was dressed in gray as usual and was sitting slUing at ease In a salon the open windows of which gave on onto onto I Ito to the moldering splendor of terrace ter ter- terrace race and park As usual by painting her face she had done her best to disfigure her pl countenance and as usual its noble features and her majestic air were turning their a robe of state on a table beside her lay papers papers among among them my ray letter and the statement which had bad beep been indorsed As the door closed the he looked l ked up and after a moment Cr two she put putout putout putout out her h r h nd I went forward and Wised It at once As I straightened my back she the spoke Come for your cake have you Madam I have obeyed the or or- orders orders ders you saw fit At to send She pointed to a chair Sit down I did as she said saidI saidI saidI I was right when I said you bad had taken the bit in your teeth but it never occurred to me you were go go- going goIng ing lug to bolt Madam said I with respect I shall always alwa's believe I was right to todo todo todo do as I did Without speaking to me Yes madam madam because because I had nothing to say It was understood between us that when I had done I what I could I should bow and go Quite so so said Old Harry quite so But Dut you needn't have gone like that Madam said I the water was up to my chin That night when when- when Elsa fled we were more or orless orless orless less into each others other's arms Had I stayed stayed- Why didn't you come to me and tell me the truth And ask to be let off ofT off In view of what I had done Forgive me madam but I dont don't think you'd have done that No I shouldn't said Old Harry I should have come como and demanded the hand of the Countess of Brief I started at that but she took no notice at all aU And If U my demand had been questioned Ill I'll tell you what I should have said I should have said Look here That she loves me is nothing that I love her heris heris heris is less But Dut Ive I've saved II ved her life twice over and damned near lost my own Ive I've made one man cut his throat and Ive I've killed two more And if you Imagine Ive I've done all these parlor tricks to keep her nice and warm for somebody else then by God Id I'd have said youve made a mistake in your man I stood up and folded my arms Madam I said Ill see you Take it as said Old Harry regarded me straight straight- ly This to me Richard Exon was all she said said but but the words were sharply spoken and stung stun my ears as a lash Such rank injustice was more than my blood could stand And this madam Your wisdom wis wis- wisdom dom is infinite and you can draw distinctions which I cannot compre compre- hend You speak of ot judgment and instinct as if it the one was black I and the other white But Dut I can cnn see I Ino no difference between the two In all aU I have done In this matter I II have acted as I thought best and when 1 I left Brief last Wednesday I Iwas Iwas Iwas was acting according to my lights light You saw fit to call me back Five minutes ago I told you a o thundering lie He I said that I had come in obedience Madam I Idid Idid Idid did nothing of the kind I came to receive your permission to marry the Countess of Brief Had your note not promised me that you might have called me until you were black in the face and I would never have answered much less have come And now If U you please I should like to have haye my cake Well Im I'm blessed said Old lIar Har ry Black in the face Never In all my life has anyone ever dared I to address me like that The mores more's the pity of course If only they had I should be more tolerant now I do not find nd you Intolerant ma ma- dam Im much obliged said the Duchess but dont don't lets let's get on to tomy tomy tomy my faults or we shall be here all night One picks up quite a anum num nuin- number ber In 70 years And now unfold those arms and sit down In that chair You shall shaU have your cake in I due course But nut first ns as once be before before fore I must take a hammer and chip the tho scales from your our eyes c es I 1 i like to think Richard Exon that when you OU came into this chamber I you found your our reception cold I I mean I didn't burst Into tears and throw my m arms round your our neck You have been kinder madam Well Vell Im I'm glad you ou got It it said Old Harry Your reception was cold because It was meant to bo be cold I deplore and despise the sex lex sexto sexto to which I belong I always have We have few virtues and many con con- contemptible contemptible contemptible 1 traits nut lint who is Rich nich- Richard ard Exon to tread on our traditional corns cors Madam said I 1 something startled star star- I Ive idea what mean menn tied no you Of course you haven't says I she But Dut that's because youre you're a fool Women are lire curious Richard Richard- get hold of that They must I know know- everything And what Is more to the point they've got to know it at nt And Anc I once She held up my letter you walked out of my life Ufa and left me this She covered her eyes ees I And I helped you to do it it I helped you to keep me waiting for days Madam I I- I Listen to this I told him that ho he would be arrested unless he made himself scarce That's alL That Is your dispatch your dispatch your account of the tha fall mU of a stronghold which I had been racking my brain how best to assault Fall Crash The Tha man left Brief the same night And now perhaps you'll tell me by what su supernatural su- su supernatural means you uprooted In half halt an hour without any tools a tree which has stood and flourished for 22 years And that If Parish may be bo believed upon an empty stomach Madam Im I'm sorry I I- I Damn your sorrow screamed Old Harry waving her arms De Dc Declare Declare clare dare to me how you did it you wretched boy Cool my brain In explanation Assuage my thirst That's all I sent for you for for to to learn l arn the truth I I tried not to laugh and failed And the Duchess got Rot up and shook me rUe and then pulled me on to a sofa and sat with my hand In hers bera Word for word she sW S ly Dont leave a syllable ut I told what there was to tell teth and when I had bad done she thanked mo me very sweetly Then I asked of Elizabeth and Herrick to learn that the latter was wasat wasat wasat at Raven Haven and the former at Brief Since there was much to be done Herrick went over to Brief for the tho whole of each day assisting my lady as I could never have done for he was a fine man of business and as asI asI asI I have said could speak German without a fault And then we came back to myself You must understand this said the Duchess Exactly ten days dayt ago before ever we left for Brief Brie Elizabeth told me plainly that she meant to become your wife Well I didn't argue with her because I 1 approved her choice The difficulty confronting me was to make Rich Rich- Richard Richard ard Exon not Exon-not not worthy to be her hus hus- husband husband band but eligible to marry the Countess of Brief Well Vell I think I Ican |
