Show L The By E. E Phillips Oppenheim J. J ys t ery R Road oa d Co 1923 by Little Brown Co Continued from yesterday esterday The walk in the rose gardens al although although although al- al though Gerald welcomed with in intense intense in- in Intense tense satisfaction this new phase in his Ills relations with Pauline was waa In I some sonic ways a disappointment PaulIne Paul- Paul Ine looked around her all the time with serene seren plea pleasure ure She was fond of ot flowers she knew them all by byname byname byname name and paused often otten to admire I Isome some wonderfully fine bloom She acceded without demur to his Ills suggestion BUg sug that they should take one of th the small boats moored against the bridge and lay back amongst the cushions whilst he lazily sculled round the small stretch of water On the far fr side of the island he ho holet I let the boat drift and laid the oar I across his knees Pauline he said leaning a lit littie lit lit- tIe tle forward you HOU ar are adorable I suppose It goes without sayIng sayIng say- say saying Ing that you rou should find me inc so she answered composedly I 1 suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose also that I must permit you the privilege of my Christian name On the other hand hanc do not try to get on too quickly will you I 1 must warn you OU that you ou hae have reached the extreme limit of my I I His i sU eyes ye flashed for a moment He was much too spoiled to regard her Indifference as anything more than p part rt of the tIle game It was a aduel aduel aduel duel between the two the result of which he scarcely doubted but with his usual impetuosity he he resented dela delay You will accept me some day he said Why h not now We could spend the honeymoon in Paris and go on to the Italian lakes Or we wo could be married at the embassy in Paris Pans if you liked Enthoven the first secretary is my cousin and would ouid see things through for us You are taking baso advantage of this lonely spot she murmured dipping lIpping her hand in the water I hate hafe told you that I am in love with another man You iou will forget him In a week Gerald assured her I am a most companionable person I 1 have no doubt that you have haye given many people the opportunity of finding you ou so 50 she replied However I am not prepared Just yet et for such euch an experiment Pauline do you lUte like mo mc a little he asked earnestly She looked him In th the eye eyes I Not very verv much she admitted frankly You se see the nicer part of ot me the me-the the part with which I should care care Is Is numb numbed numb numbed with mis mis- fortune The most that I can say Is that if you are very kind I may change change to to some Borne extent Personal Personal- Personally ly I think It hopeless You wouldn't consider I suppose SUPpose sup SUP- UP- UP pose he suggested telling me your history now that we are on a a. slightly different footing Nothing would Induce me to do anything of the tle sort she replied I think that we have havo left my aunt alone quite long enough He lIe took toole up tile th scull and dug duff duffIt It into the still sUlI stagnant water He did not speak again until they reached the landing stage Where Is this other man he ne asked as he handed her out Sh SlIt She thought for several moments before she answered Then she turned towards him with the air of one who has arrived at a decision Tire The other man sho declared Ismy ismy Is Ismy my brother He lIe Is in prison condemned condemned con con- to what you call I believe penal servitude I CHAPTER III Lord leaned back in in his chair and prepared to enjoy his greatest tr treat at during the day his day his one glass of vintage port So you Ou did not go to Scotland after all Gerald Z he remarked ed on the evening of ol the latter's arrival at didn't sir Gerald re re- re No 0 I J go plied Some old friends of mine turned up in town I have been spending a good deal of time with them hearing I would have preferred that you had been on the moors his hla father observed with a glance at ills his fJ sons son's pallid face and n cX careworn careworn care care- worn toi eg expression London o In n August August Au Au- gust always seems to mo me r- r able Gerald Gerald Ger Ocr It was certainly very hot ald aid admitted I was on the river rivera a great reat deal of the time though There was a short silence Lord was as a rule a re reserved reserved re- re served man a a d he very much di die lIA- liked the task which he had set himself He lie dallied with it for afew a afew afew few moments looking hooking through the high window acro across the terrace to the gardens below Ills face softened sot soft t ened as he glanced at the two girlIsh girlish girl girl- girlIsh ish figures seated Under tinder the cedartree cedar cedartree cedartree I tree where coffee was being served You oU have been guilty I suppose Gerald he said of ot the usual number of Indiscretions but one action of yours which threatened to come under that heading i shall al always always always al al- ways remember with gratitude Myrtile is the most wonderful chUG child Who ever came to brighten a somewhat somewhat some- some what what dull household I a am glad you approve of her sir Gerald replied Indifferently I The more I study her Lord 1 went on earnestly themore the themore themore more she silo fills me with amazement It seems as though she must be some somo sort of ot a spiritual changeling change change- ling I 1 E have always been as you know rather a stickler stickier for race l I Myrtile is one of ot those marvellous exceptions which upset all ment meat She Is an aristocrat to the fin finger er tips in every wa way small or great that counts It seems as asit it were absolutely impossible for her to do an ungracious or ungraceful ful thing She has destroyed every prejudice I r ever possessed Gerald was Interested at last It was many years since he ho had known his father so enthusiastic I am very glad you Kept her here sir he remarked I r am more than glad glad I I am thankful ful was the tile fervent reply I 1 look forward with pleasure which I can scarcely describe to the hours she gives up for my enter entertainment When hen I think that nothing but an outbreak of scarlet fever in the household to which she was bound was responsible for her staying here long enough for us to appreciate appreciate date her I r can never feel sufficiently sufficiently thankful fui To watch her Iler de development de- de to too dunn durin during the last year has been like watching a beautiful L fl flower eI I 1 ones anes nes ne's made mace a conquest of or you 1 at any rate dad G Gerald remarked I thought m myself self that she looked perfectly sweet tonight at dinner time She has made a conquest est of meo me inc to o an extent which 3 s t should never have believed possible Lord JIm JIm- admitted glancing across the room at his son I 1 have had an elderly mans man's desire Gerald to welcome welcome welcome wel wel- come home to the woman whom you might decide to choose for a wife vite I have kept a little list in my mind of the tho young women at present known to society whom it would give me pleasure to see I here r I I have never ne for one second contemplated the audition to tha list of an unknown person And I ye yet yet yet- Tere There Is no question of anything any any- thing of that sort between Myrtile and me sir Gerald declared breaking a somewhat embarrassed pause Lord s sipped his port and looked once more out of the window Gerald a little startled by his fathers father's unexpected suggestion was suddenly conscious of that one wild moment after his hI's supper party at the Hotel de do Paris of Christopher's Christopher's Christo Christo- pher's stern figure of that strange medley of sensations the flare of passion which seemed to have havo perIshed perished per per- In the shame or of Christopher's triumph He lie too looked out of the window Myrtile l had been a child then She was a woman now more wonderful more gracious just as completely virginal Yet to him she existed at that moment only as the tile picture of ot something that had passed I I 1 am afraid his father lather said a little sadly that Myrtile 1 does doe's not look at it In quite the same wa way However that is 13 nothing It may be only a sort a of hero worship with her It Jt was you I understand who took the Initiative In bringing her aw away y from her home Her lIer mOlt mOlt- ference to your our sex Is a little ab abnormal abnormal ab- ab normal for her years Doubtless It will pass when the tile right man ar ar- ar- ar rives I envy that man more than any other living Lord slowly finished I his wine Gerald a t a produced his ciga cig- cig You Yo are re ready sir girT he ha asked 1 Will you ou take my ray arm Not ot for a moment wa was the quiet reply You perceive from my references to that I am In lii a a. confidential frame of mind I 1 shall shah go o even further to prove it You wont won't mind my sir Not ot In thin the least Gerald Gerald I do 10 not as a a. rule interfere in such matters as you ou know but I take a In certain natural Interest I think your associates and your affairs generally It has come to my knowledge through various chan chan nels that you have spent the greater reater part of the last month with two ladles ladies bearing a French name name name-an an aunt and a niece I believe both believe both unknown to English society That Is true air sir Gerald ted admit admit- Furthermore Lord continued although again I am a little outside my nty province I must confess that I was somewhat disturbed disturbed dis dis- to hear from Mr Mr- that you had offered tion of for sale a portion portion por por- the property and were considering a mortgage Rh upon I t do not know wh- wh Mr Bend- Bend over should have havo lava troubled you with these details G Gerald said salda a. a little correct uneasily but In the main they are I make you an alJo allowance a as 11 you know knos' his father continued as my ny only son and the heir to JIm JIm- of five thousand a year ear which I can well afford have to do do You yourself something like the same amount I J believe You occupy a portion of at eys House In town ad you ou have bave the uso of my servants there Your by polo ponies express arrangement have al- al ways aya been Charged to my o own n stable expenses You mUst muto forgive feeling my some the fact that surprised therefore at you have esary to raise these found it money large sums of Continued tomorrow |