OCR Text |
Show S ' , ' . - ' "I ( ry- Everything- went off splendidly. She arrived alone, by the morning train. Nicki arrived "unexpectedly" at dinner time. Mrs. Bentley introduced intro-duced them, and they played their role3 perfectly. They remained charmingly formal with each other all evening. Kick! nevertheless managed to let her know that his room was in the Tower opposite the bust of Mendelssohn. Vicki waited until ten o'clock before bidding her hostess goodnight. good-night. Most of the guests were retiring re-tiring in preparation for the dawn call for the hunt. She was just about to go upstairs, when a new guest arrived. A very beautiful, chic and charming lady. She was Linda Wayne. . Linda entered with a flourish and saw Nicki. She rushed to him, threw her arms about him and planted a thorough kiss on his mouth. "Nicki, you adorable lamb chop. Nicki-picki pear. It"a wonderful wonder-ful to find you here!" I .1 - '---' . ...-.. ' "On what will you live, my reckless one?" WE WEEE Adapted from the Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer Picture by GERTRUDE GELBIN CAST OF CHARACTERS Vlcki Wilomirska .... Norma Shearer Nicki Prax Molvyn Douglas Linda Wayne Gail Patrick Hubert Tyler L Bowman Judge Sidney Hawkel ... Marjorie Main Major Tyler-Blane .... Reginald Owen Grand Duke Basil ..... Alan Mowbray Mri. Vanderlip Florence Bate Morning. !N l c o i a s. Morning Fair Unknown!" Un-known!" he said airly. "Morning, Basil," Nicki greeted. "Vicki may I present his Imperial Im-perial Highness the Grand Duke Basil. The Duke is a colleague col-league of mine. A professional pro-fessional guest. I might say the dean of professional guests. Basil, Vicki, the former for-mer Princess Victoria Wilomirska, and I were married last night." Basil's mouth opened open-ed and closed in astonishment. as-tonishment. He sat down weakly on the bed. "Married?" he said feebly. "You mean vou are married? Le- witn nnanty. sue rose ana aa. for the door. "Good-night, Aass Wayne." She faced Nicki. Ana don't forget about my gun, Baron, she advised, her tone deadly. Nicki got up hurriedly and ioi-lowed ioi-lowed her into her room. The aoor banged after him. "Darling, don t lose your temper!" he beSSed-i had no idea she intended to marry me. We were just good friends A loud crash that might or mig ni not have been accidental sounaea from Linda's room. . . "I'm angry angry vicki hissed. , "Don't be angry, darling. I love you madly. This is our crazy honeymoon " A second crash this one u1113: takably intentional sounded through the wall. Vicki's fury faded In a radiant smile. "She is angry," she sai happily. "She's very angry," he agreed and seized Vicki in his arms. "Look sweet I promised to play a littln bridge. But I'll be up soon. ITt whistle as I pass your door. The. Wedding March" he kissed hei tenderly. "Mendelssohn will like it." An hour later he passed by het door, whistling the Wedding March. As he moved on toward the dark ness of the stairway, he heard not one, but two doors open. Vicki ami Linda both came out Into the hajl "Oh!" Linda stopped short, "i thought I heard something " "Really?" Vicki looked about uncertainly, un-certainly, then, smiling brightly, she set her satin bedroom slipper;-down slipper;-down on the floor. "I was jusi putting my shoes out " she paused "how silly of me. They don"t do that in America, do they?" She picked up her slippers. "Well goodnight " and forthwith she disappeared dis-appeared into her room. Linda waited in the hall for a long moment, her face hard with suspicion and anger. Then, hearing hear-ing nothing further, she closed her door. At the first light of early dawn, Linda, dressed for the pheasant hunt, emerged from her room. She. looked at Vicki's door thoughtfully. With a wry smile, she knocked at it. There was no answer. She opened it softly and in one swift glance, took in the empty bed. She ran down to the living room where the hunting party was assembled. as-sembled. Neither Vicki nor Nicki was among them. "Where's Nicki?" she asked Tow Bentley. "He's not coming," Bentley plied. "But he is," she Insisted. "He told me he was. In fact, I promise we'd pick him up " Bentley turned to the others "We'll pick up Prax and go out by the Tower stairs " he motioned motion-ed them to follow him. The procession started for the Tower. They halted before Nicki's door. Bentley knocked. Receiving no answer, he opened the door. There, in direct view of the entire party, in twin beds, Nicki and Vicki lay sleeping. An exclamation of surprise and shock rang through the crowd. Nicki and Vicki sat up dazedly. For a moment they could not fathom the meaning of these people peo-ple with guns in the gray dawn. Then, understanding came upon them. Vicki made a sleepy gesture of command. Nicki nodded. He staggered out of bed, all but walking in sleep. He somehow reached the dresser. Opening a drawer, he groggily brought forth a document. He unfolded the document and with a none too steady hand, pinned pin-ned it to the outside of the door, then slammed the door shut. For a moment the crowd gape l in astonishment. Linda was the first to rally. She lighted a match and peered up at the paper Nicki had pinned there. It was a certificate of marriage, issued at Charleston, North Carolina, Caro-lina, to Princess Victoria Anastasia Wanda Celestine Wilomirsky, and Baron Nicolas Eugen Prax. Will the revelation of their marriage really spoil their careers as "professional guests" or do Vicki and Nicki find a way outf Read tomorrow's chapter. - Printed In u. B. A. Copyright 1943 by Loev'f Ine. Chapter One LOVE HAS NO PROBLEMS Baron Nicki Prax stirred toward hia night table as the phone bell penetrated his deep and dreamless sleep. He reached groggily for the receiver, then, his eyes opening wide with amazemnt, he sat bolt upright. In the adjoining bed, peacefully as a kitten, slept a delightful, delectable de-lectable blonde! Before he could collect himself, the phone rang again. The girl eat up with a start. At the sight of him, she cried out in alarm . Then, suddenly, they both relaxed re-laxed in a smile of wonderment and reptuie. "Remember me, Vicki?" he grinned. grin-ned. "You married me last night." She nodded happily. "Where are we? What time is it?" "We're in my apartment in New York; and it's about noon." "I was to marry Hubert at noon," she said pensively, and sighed. "I shall have a dreadful conscience later. But now?" She leaned over and seizing his head In her hands, kissed the top of it fiercely. "I love you I love you I love you. And I want my breakfast." break-fast." He roared with delight. "We should have met before," he laughed. She agreed with him there. After all, they had only met the night before; at the pre-wedding supper dance given for Hubert and herself by Mrs. Tyler Blane. She had been standing on the terrace, gazing up into the full moon. Through the French doors came the music of the orchestra; it was playing a waltz. A beautiful, dreamy waltz. A tall handsome stranger approached her. From the moment they had seen each other, some magnetic link had bound them forever. There'd been no introduction. in-troduction. They'd just begun to dance. Then, suddenly, a horrified Hubert found them embracing on the moon-drenched terrace. Hubert had denounced Nicki on the spot. Nicki was a bounder, for all his title of Baron Nicolas Eugen Auguste Wolfgang Prax. He was a "Professional Guest." A man, content to trade his wit, charm and good looks for invitations invita-tions from the right people. Nicki heard about Vicki, too. She was the completely impoverished Princess Victoria Anastasia Wanda Celestine Wilomirska. Charming? Beautiful? Yes! But without a cent! Nicki and Vicki had made up their minds at that moment. Hand in hand, they had run into the pardon, taken a car and driven off into the night. A sleepv minister had married them in Charleston. After the wedding, wed-ding, thev had caught the plane to New York. And now, here they were. Safe and happy in Nicki's Manhattan apartment. The bedroom door flung open. A magnificent personage, a man of regal poise and grand manner, entered. gaily, irrevocably married?" Nicki, nodding-, gathered Vicki in his arms. Basil buried his face in his hands. "You are insane," he groaned. "Insance. On what do you propose to live?" "On the idle rich, as heretofore," Nicki answered blithely. "But my misguided friend," moaned Basil. "You will be ruined. Your career will be blasted. Think, man! What is your clientele? The rich widow. The bored rich wife. The mother hunting a title for her daughter. The hostess needing an extra man. The women. But always, the women!" "Nevertheless, we are married," Vicki retorted tartly. "And wildly happy!" Nicki beamed. Basil looked from one to the other. They met his tragic stare with radiant smiles. "Yes," he said heavily. "I see that you are happy." He stared into space, lost in thought. At long last, his face lit up. "My happy ones! I am inspired. I have the perfect solution. You shall have your wedding cake and eat it " "How?" Vicki asked eagerly. "You shall keep your marriage a secret. You, Nicki, will initiate this charming lady into our profession. pro-fession. She will visit at the same exclusive houses. You will meet in a delightful atmosphere of in-trieue in-trieue " "No!" stormed Nicki. "I won't like it. I don't like it and that's final. No." When he hacT gone, Vicki grave-Iv grave-Iv insisted that Basil was right. She had ruined her darlings career! Over and above Nicki's protest, she insisted that they follow Basil's plan. "Just until I learn the business, Nicki. Darling, it will be wonderful! wonder-ful! Most marriages are nrose, but ours will be poetry, filled with stolen hours, stolen kisses romance, ro-mance, glamour all to keep our love new and exciting forever and ever!" In the end Vicki had her way. She promptly got herself invited to the Bentley's hunting lodge. The Bentleys. Janet and Bill, had previously pre-viously invited Nicki up for pheasant pheas-ant shooting. ' "Isn't it?" he agreed unhappily. Janet introduced Vicki; Linda acknowledged ac-knowledged the introduction hastily and turned back to Nicki: "Darling, "Darl-ing, you must come up and help me unpack I've just returned from Brazil and I've loads to tell you " And under the smoldering Vicki's very nose, Linda dragged him off. They had barely reached her room, when a sharp knock sounded at the door. Before Linda could call "come in," Vicki entered. "I'm in the room adjoining yours," she said sweetly. "You left your purse in the hall, so I brought it up." "Oh, thanks so much," Linda answered, an-swered, her voice tinged with annoyance. an-noyance. "I do hope I shan't disturb dis-turb you in the morning or do you shoot?" T shoot very -well," Vicki said evenly, then, smilingly asked: "Shall you be very long with Nicki? I want his advice about a gun he lent me." Linda eyed her keenly. "Are you two old friends?" "We only met tonight," Vicki explained easily, "but we're both of the old world, you know. Friendship Friend-ship ripens fast" "I see," Linda replied. "Well I shan't keep him long." "Good!" Vicki disappeared through the door connecting the two rooms. But she was back a half moment later, a gun in hand. "Are you two old friends?" she asked casually. "We're very old friends, Linda answered cooly. "As a matter of fact, I missed him so on my trip I made up my mind to marry him." Vicki examined the gun carefully. care-fully. "Really? How nice for you, Nicki!" Linda leaned toward him possessively pos-sessively and tickled the back of his neck. "He's so ticklish," she remarked. "Isn't he?" Vicki laughed, and sighted the gun. Nicki drew himself up angrilv. "When you two have finished with me " "I have, for the moment," Linda interrupted suavely. "Will you drive me to the hunting grounds in the morning?" "The station wagon Is calling for all the guests at six." Vlcki said |