Show t Copyright Continued from yesterday The events of that tempestuous year had reached flamboyant boyant climaxes climaxes climaxes cli cli- maxes the distraught mystified mistress Martha had sent down the stairs to her first triumphs trl in Yvonne's house off the avenue had become the Golden Girl around ro nd whom a vortex raged a a glittering luring feather of paradise In a world of money money- and madness And down downIn In n the secret recesses ot of Martha Martha's s soul there was a fear that sh she one wished wasn't there Perhaps ps this fear would have glean gleaned d a n. comfort or perhaps il it It might have been stirred anew if she sho could have seen a hard unpleasant shadow that passed swiftly across across- brown own eyes when her mistress cau caught it the note of prayer in her maids maid's assurance that she was was not what the disappointed disappointed disappointed pointed Prince Pl Michael had dubbed her But the shadow had gone completely completely completely com com- when Joanna was propped again in her mountain of ot pillows The sweetness was was waR still In the voice when it Now you ou may brin bring me some Isom tea For a moment the maid hesitated then announced Lord has been waiting Mademoiselle for much more than an hour He Is in your sl sitting room Joanna was all resentment immediately imme imme- Why didn't you send him away What in the world does he mean by on my doorstep I mean sitting in m my my sitting room at t this hour of the day He ass assured red me that 1 Mademoiselle selle had told him that he might come for her at nine He Is in riding riding riding rid rid- ing clothes clothes' Well Wen I shant shan't pile out now for anybody Put something around ne me that wont won't show through and bring him In I wont won't even give him any tea but Ill I'll make him liim hold my I tray Martha spread a a. hasty glance around the room loom a room that w was s saU all aU gold and pink a sp spacious setting for the great golden bed with its ceiling of limpid mirrors There were countless feminine things J I about lovely and expensive Joanna saw Marthas Martha's roving glance and laughed at her Oh On I 1 shall keep his eyes engaged dont don't fear Mar Mar- tha He Is much too experienced to examine the corners of ot a young Qung ladys lady's chamber Or 01 to show It at any rate When young Lord l appeared at the bedside Joanna Ig Ignored ignored ignored ig- ig nored the cloud that hinted his dissatisfactions dissatisfactions dissatisfactions dis dis- satisfactions with his long solitude I in the boudoir sitting room and frowned up at at him without so much muchas as giving him her fingers What a 0 terrible man you are she accused him to begin on me meso meSo so eo early in the morning Invent me some good reason at once or go away aay But you told me last night that I might come At nine we agreed You promised to ride to San Remo Its It's a gorgeous morning too Joanna considered him judiciously judicious judicious- ly y Do you know she said you I are the most beastly thing thing- I 1 could Imagine You have the most dIsI disagreeable dis dIs- I agreeable habit of reminding reI one In the morning of ot what foolish things one says ays at al night night- That's not fair Teddy Things are so different different differ differ- en ent t In in inthe the morning Surely you dont don't expect me to forget all those things you said tome tome to tome me last night so soon as this morning morn morn- morning ing he demanded incredulous Of course she assured him I have anwa anyway What did I say last night Teddy Here sit down You Tou mustn't stand over my bed like that Hold my toast If youre you're good you youcan youcan youcan can feed me a a. bite now and then What did I say last night Teddy You said that you were really becoming fond of me and that after a little while you'd talk alk seriously with me me about about our future ture you OU know I really said that Give me a bite of toast and let me nse think how to explain such SUM a distraction He was gloomily silent while she disposed of a tiny nibble of her toast Iris Ills moroseness was so amusing she had to laugh at him and she reached a finger to his lips Ups careless of the dropping away from her arm atm of the robe Martha had wrapped about her There now she said I r remember I had just had a glass o of burgundy with Roddy Kenilworth When he wants me meto meto meto to be Very generous Roddy alwa always CJ inveigles me up to a sip tip of bur bur- gundy I detest Roddy for that but butI I did promise him Id I'd pla play with him this morning That was such a g good d' d promise Teddy It delighted delighted de de- de lighted him ham so 50 that I gave it to you ou too If a promise is good one should repeat it it dont don't you see No I l' l dont don't see he declared still morose But Roddy's out of ot it because Im I'm on deck and he But its it's the the- theother other thing you told me ma that I hope you haven't forgot for for- got You me mean mean n. n about my get getting rig fond pf of f you That doesn't require any Immediate making good d does es esH it H Teddy All right then we wont won't forget that Im I'm terribly fond of you and m maybe Ill I'll marry marly you who knows i t She considered him a minute arid and added Im glod you vou are bOlding holding m my ms' f toast ast Teddy You take eV edery- edery ry- ry thing thins so seriously sly Now then get out of of here Im I'm going to be dressed And a evidently e since Roddy hasn't I f remembered nem ered this morning any better better better bet bet- ter than I do I shall have Martha bring me my riding togs togs CHAPTER Gossip The dressing of Joanna Manners each morning morn when that young oung person person person per per- son condescended to put herself inthe in inthe the hands of ot her maids was an n Important important important Im im- ceremony It was not a matter for Martha alone Martha had never ceased to be the ver vel dependable dependable de dependable de- de ever patient personal servitor Capable fingers were required required re re- for the toilet rituals of one who vho was now a regnant Even riding togs needed Celeste and Marie e. e Celeste Ime knew Y every ery wave re and curl and vagrancy of ot the shimmering shimmering shim shim- mering meting brown rown hair and the precise point at the red lips III's much arch and retreat Marie 1 was an en encyclopedia encyclopedia encyclopedia en- en cyclopedia of what went with what and when the ensemble was worthy orthy of ot its Us details Between the precIs precI- precI s sons ons of both of them their mistress found ample time each morning to scan her daily portion of ot mail mall Always of course course there were cards from couturiers from jewelers jewel jewel- ers elS milliners and florists To be a pUrve purveyor or to the needs of the Made Made- moisell Joanna was was along the Riviera Riviera Riviera era something like a patent from ro royalty It was Maries Marie's duty to put all bills in a a. bunch when hen her mistress mistress mis mis- tress had glanced at them and send them to the bank banI in Ne New Neu York Celeste Celete Ce Ce- leste lete wat watched watched over lledo er over the engagements her mistress made and was in a hopeless n mess Iness ess over them Once when she was in m such dismay that s she h pleaded with her n mistress for help Joanna told her You must learn Celeste that I am not nol to be asked to do an any thing I say Ill I'll do It lt would woud be thoroughly Impossible S So while Lord waited waited wait wait- ed d someplace on the spacious ground of Villa Amette Celeste and Marie l prepared her for her riding togs and Joanna ran her mornings morning's post through her fingers Only one letter interested ted her he When she came to this one she dropped dro the others Into a tray held by Marie Marfe and put the one onto her dressing table She would put put it aside until her maids had finished with her or until she could dismiss whoever was near at th the j moment Then she would close her I eyes and sit very still sUII Her mind would lean back- back tard and out of her memories summon summon sum sum- mon non a procession of things that had happened S She e was very careful in her marshalling of ot this parade She omitted nothing In every lett letter r she received with that mark marlc of the bank on the outside she feared there might be the wiping away of all the mystery of her mone money or perhaps Its explanation She knew although Eggleston had not encouraged her in this belief that the explanation would come some day And always s she wanted to be prepared for it Brandon still a sinister shadow who had ever been In the background had toyed toyd with her in New Yo York 11 had smiled Ironically whenever she repulsed him bins and gradually ha had wrapped f some Ome sort of a net about her which almost strangled her I had been devoted to her sentimental brooding sometimes earnest and sometimes passionately bitter bitler but Brandon had neve nevea lost v I r 1 1 m his head Kenilworth had said that I first night in New York that he her She was going to play for had acc accepted the challenge He had ceased playing and was frankly I struggling to break through her battlements But Brandon controlled her This i I she the must va al always s 's admit in the end Once or twice she would remember remember remember ber they had as a. conflict t She had drawn upon every Item in her store of or artifice and had gambled her lure against his mastery and each time she had almost been the vic the vic vic- tor Both times she had brought things into his his' eyes that were re revealing revealing revealing re- re and too dangerous for her herto herto her to fight against His obscure bu but seemingly malicious power dominated dominated dominated domi domi- her again because she would not risk tempting him When Nhen she had measured herself hersel through the passing of tho the year and weighed the meaning of each step and its Influence upon her she would open her letter and read it As usual what she feared was not In the one that Marie had haa handed her while Teddy Dormin- Dormin ster waited some place o out t on the grounds It Included however a ap p paragraph which she read over andover and andover andover over again All these letters from the bank were dictated by Eggleston him him- self He was always the sam sam cold colds precise formal Invariably he began D Dear ar Miss Manners She read I herewith a statement of ot your account as of this date separated according to your Instructions in instructions instructions In- In Into two divisions Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps you will check the longer one which Includes Items paid by your order I have carefully checked the expenditures listed on the second second sec sec- sec ec ond statement and find them cor cor- you You will notice that with these statements your account would be serio seriously sly depleted But I am to Inform you that your benefactor pas has has notified me mo me that a substantial further deposit will be made to your credit You may assume therefore that an any requirements you may have will be met prompt prompt- l ly I 1 remain very truly yours A ANDREW DREW EGGLESTON When she understood the meanIng meanIng meaning mean- mean Ing of that last paragraph that paragraph that she needed more money and It was being given her by the same unknown and in the same unexplained way Joanna hastily glanced lanced at the shorter of the two statements She did not examine the list listed d items but only the total Then she crumpled this portion of her accounting into a awad wad and called Marie Bring me mea a candle canale lighted please she commanded com com- While Marie held the tiny flame before her Joanna held th the crumpled crumple crumpled crum crum- pled wad of paper over it un until her fingers were scorched then dropped It into the can candlestick She watched Until the paper ball had bad burned Before she would let l t Marie Mane tak take the h ashes n away way she stirred them Into powder with her finger inger a as it 11 she would run no r risk sk of prying I Continued on page 6 B. r Joanna r i Continued from page 4 eyes seeking out a secret from the cindered paper T The e other accounting sheet which bore a long list of of or bills paid for her by the bank batik she tossed into a drawer Then she went I out Villa Amette had long been one of the show places of ot the Riviera I on one of those splendid miniature palaces which nestle in the semitropical semi semi- tropical foliage of the base ot or Cap Martin a low rambling house houe of or balconies windows and wide stately verandas Its broadacres broad acres stretched back onto the slopes of the hill hili in serried terraces that lost themselves in groves of olive orange and mimosa Below was the dense blue Mediterranean Gardens of pink blossoms and squares of ot red Jed and nd whites roses overhung the sea and bordered the paths that that wound through pergolas pergolas pergolas pergo pergo- las heavy y with fr fragrant grant clem clematis Only the ver vel ll rich h and of these only those whose whims were for splendor ever had braved the cost of a seasons season's rent relit for the Villa Amette To be continued |