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Show 8r Vfolette Kimball Dunn "I have Chiltern back there in the car. From now on, Chiltern is a national institution." He heard himself talking rubbish, and didn't care. He knew now that he had never really held a girl in his arms until now. Lucy laughed softly. Mark loved her. She knew it now. Of course there would never be another like him. She crowded closer in his arms. "As soon as I've got you safely married," said Mark, "I'll send Chiltern home in the Ark. Valerie can stay on with Shirley for a bit. What is your choice in honeymoons?" honey-moons?" "What honeymoons have you?" asked Lucy. She wondered if they had just discovered happiness. "Practically all brands," he assured as-sured her. "I never knew being in love was like this." "I did," said Lucy. He drew her onto his knees, and pulled the heavy blanket robe about them. She rested against him in fathomless content. THE END BEGINS NEXT WEEK! . . . "OF THESE THREE LOVES" By Louis Arthur Cunningham clenched at his sides. "Thank you, sir," said Chiltern at last. "May I go now, sir?" "Yes no, wait. Have you anything any-thing to suggest? I mean about finding Miss Tredway?" "She went away in the old van the one they call The Ark " "So that's Mt " He stopped, realizing that of course Chiltern knew nothing about Lucy's check. "I should go after her, sir, if you'll allow me to suggest. The old bus couldn't be making any great speed." "Where do you suppose she'd be heading?" "Where did you meet Miss Lucy, sir, if I may ask?" "Allington! It's a good thing one of us has a head on him! Have Catlet run out the town car. I want you to come along. We'll have to start at once." "And Miss Valerie, sir?" "I'll send her over to Miss En-dicott's. En-dicott's. I wouldn't dare leave her here. She might have been sent to Siberia by the time we got back!" Chiltern allowed himself to smile. "You might get Miss Endicott on the telephone for me. Then tell Mrs. Banwood we may be away for a few days. Give her what instructions instruc-tions you please. Then pack yourself your-self a bag and meet me here in an hour." "Very good, sir," said Chiltern. He got Shirley's number, and now or at any time," he repeated. repeat-ed. "Please leave here at your earliest convenience." She started to call after him that she would leave at once. She had never been so insulted in all her life. But she hesitated just long enough to remember the inconvenience in-convenience of a hurried night departure. de-parture. Besides, if he was really going away, she would have time to question Valerie. She could always al-ways frighten the truth out of the little idiot. She didn't know that Valerie was, at that moment, bag in hand, telling Mark good-bye at the door of the big car, with Catlet standing stand-ing guard. Mark watched the tail-lights disappear. Valerie was safe, and now he could think of Lucy. He went out of the frosty air into the warm comfort of his house. In spite of Lucy's going, he was strangely elated. He had at last let Dorothy know what he thought of her, without benefit of custom, manners, or convention! He ran up to his rooms, and threw an indiscriminate collection of clothes into a bag. When he had finished, he went out, deliberately deliber-ately locking first his own door and then Valerie's. Mrs. Banwood had duplicate keys, and although he felt slightly ashamed, he put this down to pure habit. In his heart he knew he had no reason to trust Dorothy. He dropped the keys in his pocket, and ran down- CHAPTER XIV Synopsis When Mark Alexander' s beautiful beauti-ful wife, Ellen, died, he was left with Valerie, Ellen's daughter by a former marriage. All of Ellen's family save Shirley wanted to adopt Valerie and the trust fund which Ellen left her, but Mark would not hear of it and took Valerie Val-erie on a long trip. On the way home, they met Lucy Tredway and engaged her to tutor Valerie. Elise calls Dorothy and warns her that Lucy is likely to marry Mark, and Dorothy descends on the family and tells Lucy she is keeping Valerie's Val-erie's friends away. Lucy leaves, taking the old traveling library with her. Maj'k is talking to Chiltern, the butler. o "Three cheers for Miss Lucy!" said Mark. "Then what?" "Mrs. Summerville told Miss Tredway to leave the house at once, sir. She said she'd been to all the parents of Miss Valerie's friends, and they had assured her they would not let their children associate with her, unless Miss Lucy Lu-cy left. I " "I see," said Mark. "I don't believe I want to hear any more. That's enough to go on with. After Af-ter all, I might have known!" He stood staring at the fire. Chiltern had seen tempers before, but never Mark's. He had gone quite white, as he stood there, his hands must have gone." "Could I do a bit of driving, sir?" Chiltern offered presently. "You must be wanting a nap." "Not yet, thanks," replied Mark. Sleep was the last thing for him. He would, he told himself, him-self, go nuts if he had to sit and do nothing but think. It was a few minutes before six when he caught sight of a lumbering lumber-ing shape drawn well off the road about twenty-five miles out of Allington. Al-lington. Tiny faint streaks of wintry win-try dawn lay low on the horizon. He freed a hand, and rubbed his eyes. He stopped his car about fifty yards behind the old van and shook Chiltern gently by the arm. The man sat straight, his sober bowler hat a trifle rakishly over one eye, and regarded Mark remorsefully. re-morsefully. "I slept, sir," he apologized. apol-ogized. "Oh that's all right" whispered whisper-ed Mark excitedly, as if the dawn had ears. "Do you see what I see? Ahead of us?" "Chiltern peered out, and sleep immediately vanished. "That's it, sir," he cried. "There she is!" His excitement fully matched Mark's. "Hold everything!" said Mark. He opened the door and jumped out, sprawling full length beside the car. Chiltern leaped after him as he got gingerly to his feet. "Are you hurt, sir? What happened?" asked the man anxiously. '' "The old knees folded up. I Mark laughed. After all, what did it matter what they were asking ask-ing each other? "Ladies first," he said. "Not that I care. I know all about it, dear heart I mean, why you left why you have to come back " Lucy shook her head. "How?" she asked. "Chiltern." "What a man!" She smiled a wry little frozen smile. "I drove all night. I wanted to get to Allington Al-lington as soon as I could. A little while ago, I got so sleepy I didn't dare to go on. So I pulled up here. I thought I'd just shut my eyes a minute " "My poor little imbecile you might have been frozen. Somebody might have come along " "Somebody did," said Lucy. The possibilities of her fate did not trouble her now. Mark tucked a small strand of gold under Lucy's hat and kissed her. She lay against his shoulder, looking up at him. She felt that if he were never to say a word of love to her in all her life, she would know from his kiss. "I suppose they have ministers at Allington?" he said presently. "Ministers?" "They marry people. I can furnish fur-nish all the rest the bride, the groom, and even the best man!" "But Mark " left the room. Shirley was in, luckily. Would she put Valerie up for a night or two? Mark asked. Valerie would explain. Loving Mark, being a tactful woman, and knowing human nature, she asked no questions, but said she'd adore having Valerie. He put down the telephone and went upstairs. "Chiltern and I are taking a run to Allington to see if Lucy's there," he told Valerie. "I want you to stay with Shirley until we get back. I've just talked with her. Have Alice pack a bag for you at once. You may tell Shirley whatever what-ever you please." Valerie listened, her eyes enormous enor-mous in her pale small face. "Yes, father." He went directly to Dorothy's sitting-room door and knocked. She opened it almost immediately. immediate-ly. She had changed to a negligee of palest mauve. With her slightly disarranged hair, she was as near loveliness as she would ever be. She had been expecting him, and had dressed deliberately. But when she saw his face, she realized realiz-ed the futility of clothes. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. "S sit down " she said, but she would not meet his eyes. "We needn't bother with the amenities," he said. "I'm going away to try to undo some of the mischief you have done. I don't know how long it will take, but I want you out of my house by the time I get back. I should suggest sug-gest leaving tomorrow morning. Catlet will attend to whatever is necessary for your journey. She turned on him with a show of outraged anger, which lost its effectiveness because she couldn't seem to lift her eyes to his. "I never " she began. But he was already at the door. "There is nothing more to be said stairs. Chiltern presently emerged emerg-ed from the coatroom with Mark's heaviest coat, a hat, and fur-lined driving gloves. He held the coat for Mark, and shrugged himself into his own. They stepped out into the clear cold of the night, and Chiltern closed the door behind them. "Shall I drive, sir?" he asked as he opened "the car door. "Later, perhaps," Mark told him. He swung .through the gates and out to the road, heading for the state highway. There was practically no traffic, and Mark gave the long car its head. Chiltern watched the needle swing steadily up to 70, where it stayed, and they settled down to a steady rush through the night. "What do you figure the Ark can do?" Mark asked. "I couldn't say, sir. With the new engine, she might make forty, shouldn't you say?" "I never drove the old girl. I had the engine put in because Miss Lucy had a sort of affection for the thing. I'm sorry I did, now." "But a train would have made even better time," suggested Chiltern. Chilt-ern. "I guess so. I don't suppose you had any idea when she left?" "No, sir," said Chiltern. "You see, Mr. Alexander, the old bus never entered my head. I thought Miss Tredway would be taking the train, and kept waiting for her to call a taxi from the village. I kept watching near the front door, and all that time Catlet says she was having him run the Ark out." An hour later, when the floodlight flood-light of a late moon showed only the empty expanse of a deserted highway, Mark spoke again. "Do you happen to remember the time Mrs. Summerville went to talk to Miss Lucy?" "It was about twelve." guess I'm not an all-night driver. Get in and wait. I'll be back." Chiltern climbed back in the car and Mark crept steadily up on the Ark. The lines were unmistakable, unmis-takable, even with its new coat of blue. Was the poor little idiot camping in the back, as she had done so long ago? He would look in the front first. If she wasn't there, he would open up the back. He swung himself to the step, opened the door, and saw her. She was slumped over the wheel, the soft fur- of her coat framing her small cold face. The most terrible fear he had ever known gripped him. He slipped slip-ped into the seat beside her and lifted her in his arms. Her head fell back against him, and she opened her eyes. He was almost ill with relief. She lay in his arms, and continued con-tinued to look up at him. He could see sleep gve way to a sort of daze, and at last to the reality of his presence. She started up, but he only gathered her more completely com-pletely into his arms. "What " they cried at once. "Then they didn't have lunch together?" "Certainly not, sir. Mrs. Summerville Sum-merville had a tray sent to her room. By that time, Miss Tredway |
