Show st ers ay IN a by E PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM by little anro brown n aco A co CHAPTER X continued 12 quite so go ge gerald agreed but I 1 cun assure a sure you that I 1 am not on an impertinent inquirer this Is roy my name he handed the man a carol card and I 1 was an acquaintance of mademoiselle de confere Ion Pon lere fere from whom you ou must linc have obtained tills neck necklace la I 1 last saw madame and mademoiselle de Ion lere under tinder very ery circumstances and I 1 understand that they have now left monte carlo I 1 nm am roost most anxious to obtain word as to their whereabouts 1 I regret deeply that I 1 am entirely po powerless werle in tile the matter ni milord gillord llord the man replied gerald held up till the pearls and let them slip through tits ills fingers lie ile remembered something lis pauline lint had once sit said to inn tani Is ar roa the maidens children childr n they love tind tare care for them as such 11 1 I have breason eason to sur nilse gerald berald went on that a misfortune hns has befallen gliso ladles if they lind find confided in we tile it would have hae given me ine the tiit pleasure to have them appl stance the jeweler smiled inscrutably 1 I fear that it would have been use nae less ni gillord llord h he e said 1 I have lud had tile lie privilege of knowing knola oln file elder of these ladles for some thirty years pairs and I 1 supplied tile the first string of pearls will thi younger lady ever wore ore at the time of tier confirmation I 1 would willingly have under undertaken the w payment oi of such debts as were owing in monte carlo without security but I 1 should never have hae oad had tile the courage to suggest it you will see tin no announcement in the evening paper milord that nil ei ainis against tile the ladles will be set tie by tile me on derna demand fid if I 1 buy the necklace gerald proposed bluntly will you ou tell me how bow and whereto find mademoiselle de io ile alere the alie jewelers bow was almost frigid my war word Is passed to these two ladles ladle 3 milord llord tri I 1 have no information to give YOU sou you even tell me what v hat relation they apie upie vi pre to monsieur there is no nil question of relationship milord monsieur Ions leur was I 1 understand stand the steward anti entrusted listed with the atlon of certain properties belonging to mademoiselle I 1 do not know whether I 1 have a right even to say fay so touch much he continued after a hesitation but it suggests itself lint flint it was ns on owing ing to te monsieur dubins embezzle embezzlements ments he be Is reported to have lost several millions at tile the lien ben that the ladles whom we have been discussing found themselves thero selves temporarily embarrassed gerald laed down the pearls if fr you OK care to keep these for tor ia a week eek lie proposed until I 1 get the alie money from london I 1 w wilt 1 1 l have th in the ninn bowed milord can call take them with ith him IP 14 slid sAld or permit me to send then them t to lie hotel payment lament can be as dei efred 1 red 1 I have committed tin nn etrain extra rif amee pi me gerald confessed as the two ning mm continued their stroll 1 I lune buy e given seven thousand pounds for a 0 pearl necklace great scott 1 amily because I 1 was right in ray my surmise it was vas Paull paulines nes necklace left there so that they could pay their hills bills Mn In dames darnes rings are there too elrett eart frt of adventuresses adventures ses christopher 1 livit hut what tire are you mi going to do with the necklace christopher always intensely ln tensel practical demun demanded ded 1 11 I am goldig to keep it until I 1 meet na de nguan oer gen nad replied then I 1 shall beg to be allowed to present it to her christopher looked up toward the fil lilles liFf its iles too misty for golf coif lie he said shall we te go und and see Mr 41 1 I suppose so letalu agreed wili out marked interest any news nena from your nursery governess friends lendsy fr they can cant t take tier her for it 11 month or so io christopher replied 1 I 1 dont quite krow keow ant alint to doubout do don about bout its lt I 1 must glenve on thursday Thurs dai week wee gerald laughed and you ou darrot trust tier here withee with me old chop la Is that if 10 something like it im afraid the other ether admitted frankly gerald sighed glied sl what vital a Lot lothario harlo you must think ruel met lie he declared A ai 9 a matter of fact chris I 1 dont think that the does rit attract tract roe me very enuch I 1 nm am too young oung and unsophisticated ed myself set it I 1 la Is hard Nied med sinners shiners like bott ou who tire arc howled bottled over OUT by bk rusticity and morals I 1 prefer a little more more advanced in the worlds ways then for heavens sake leave tile the others ii alenel lonel christopher enjoined curtly we have a difficult task before us ua will Mir especially as for once in her life enry seem inclined to help ua im treat the child sensibly for heavens sake bake what do you ou mean dinean by sensibly old charl chap well ivell remember that she beg baa to be a nurse nursery ry governess and not a parisian demimondaine demi deml mondaine its it Is idiotic to take her to these smart restaurant s and dancing places its outside her ftp tt it alv her false ideas frankly you ou bore me about myrtile gerold gerald declined declared you ought jo 0 o have been born in the days of dear old id other oliver cromwell my ay iy idea Is that girls wore were made to live like butterflies butte rules to be happy just in the few hours when the lie sun shines you have not even the philosophy of the pagan christopher retorted you forget that the butterfly enjoys the su supreme nd advantage vantage of being unencumbered cumb ered with a soul the street door was suddenly 0 opened in dibir faces face they had arrived at Myrt lles lodgings to find tier issuing into the street she spelled to look through christopher nt at gerald who was n pace or two behind tier her I 1 smile was wonderful 1 I knew that something pleasant was aris going to happen tills this she he exclaimed 1 I 1 felt it when I 1 got lip IP you were quite right gerald assured her something very my pleasant Is Is going to happen I 1 om nm going to take you RU over oer to nice lo in the car to lunch clapped tier lier hands hoinig walt wait one moment she bogged begged 1 I must go and pet get some different gloves ill catch you iou up tip before you get to td the lie corner of the lie suret the two to young loung men strolled slowly on there ans a serious expression on face and you jou are arc taking artile tonice to nice mademoiselle de dc Ion lere having left continued thoughtfully gerald frowned that was rather my idea lie he admitted isaie you anything on thing against it christopher passed his hand through tits his friends arm they lind had reached tile the end of the street and turned slowly back again look here old fellow dont be sli lity he begged you know im right we can only look after this girl decently in one way and that tha Is by finding tier her some borne sort of a situa ion not too for far redi oved from the way the ehe has been up tip in which I 1 to 4 that was rather my idea he admitted ething mit ted have you anything against lt it she can earn an honest living im on my way to secure tills for tier her but if you go turning tier her liend fiend by inking tier about to these einart and developing tier custe for the of life only unsettle tier her terribly rind spoil tier her chance of I 1 contentment i youve taken tier her out yourself once or or twice derald reminded ailin 1 I never neer take tier her to tho the ve very ry fush lon anable alile places christopher insisted earnestly ournes ly and I 1 try all tin the ahne to impress upon tier her the necessity of I 1 work tint anil the fact flint life out here Is merely it 11 holiday existence take her der to met let hy by till nl ir if you wont want to gerald buldoni lint bul dont stirn tier her hasul myrdle rame down tile lie street toward them Gei aids tilds face cleared ag lie ho watched tier her it was lit with it fl wave waie of she Is like it piece of floating tun sun shane 1 he br declared enthusiastically chrls chris im not at nil all sare sure that r ehu lie ought to 0 o le be a nuri ery zery governess ashes going to t le be b beautiful enough to 10 turn the heads bends rf of half tile the roen men in europe Kii rope it willbe will be very ery largely burgel y our responsibility christopher said lowering tits his voice it altic little as myrille drew near whether that Is 13 going to ie be n ai curse or a happiness to tier dont yea forget that gerald chapter XI kl gerald ans ly numbed no n he led back to their sent in the palm court of the hotel dotel they hal lunched ed wandered about tle the town and aften vard made their way nay back 0 to o the hotel lounge where a un ten was in pio gresa on earth wil billil you learn too to olance like that myrtile Myrtt ler lie he 1 ile I mandod she laughed Inui hed softly learn she exclaimed why there tins lies never been any one to touch teach me I 1 have never had a lesson in my life I 1 just listened to the music und watched the people and then I 1 saw that it was quite easy ph ii how 0 w I 1 love it ru 1 who what ta a pity I 1 cant have yo you to my supper party tont tonight glitt I 1 gerald 8 sighed she leaned toward liliu film she wa was still a little out of breath I 1 her cheeks cheek were pink tier eyes aglow I 1 come please gerald she begged 1 I should dhe abe so so happy gerala looked doubtful thero there would be tile devji to pay with will christopher lie he pointed out and besides it really the lie place for you what to do you mean ine nii she pins persisted isted well its n bohemian vort sort of affair gerald explained a little litile awkwardly ahe girls aren arent t nil all of them just what alint they should be laughed again nut but want does docs that in mattery titter she protested they will not hurt hurl me or I 1 them when I 1 ani am nt not danal dancing ng with you I 1 can sit alone ann and talk to no one P gerald shook his licad head cant be done little girl lie ho decided regretfully christopher Is quite right when lie he says sais I 1 ought not to encourage the taste tor for that sort of 0 llo life in you ou nt at nil all these girls nil all drink n lot of champagne arid smoke furiously load lead rotten lives HUB most of them and their conversation sometimes well el it be alt for you to listen to some evening or other ill have hae quite a small learty inti just one or two who I 1 know arp are nil right that what mint I 1 want myrelle declared 1 I want to go to the party tonight you will dance with other girls if I 1 am ain not there I 1 dont want you to not today at any an rate you have danced with ith me and it was vas wonderful 1 I begin to think that I 1 dont want to dance with any one else m roisell roi self gerald confessed looking at her admiringly ril ill think it over oer on the way ay k They made their way out to the open space in front of tile the hotel lintel where gerald geraid had left the car and very soon they were on their way homeward driving for the first half hour absorbed Ceral geralds ds whole attention and myrelle leaned back in the low sent beat by its his elde aide filled with the joy jay of their rapid ascent the sui smooth rioth birdlike motion which seemed to be taking them with scarcely an effort up tip into tho the clouds 1 I think whispered that tilts tills Is the real road w which leads to happiness the road down there la Is tangled aind twisted here one seems to 0 o breathe more wonderfully vonder fully to come non nearer to things one feels but does not understand it Is more like the air around the farm when I 1 used to get up sometimes before tile the sunrise and walk tile lie violet patch end and the cy presses to the gote gate the sun gun rose rosa fit at the end of the road you ure are a quaint child gerald reflected 1 I wonder wlm would have happened to you if 1 we had not dot passed along that hat night she shivered 1 I know she answered 1 I bin am quite sure that flint I 1 know I 1 felt it in my heart when vi hen I 1 leaned over the lie gate and looked to the end of at the ho road there was mystery mastery there towards which I 1 zeroed seemed always to have groped that night it wn tans a the mystery of life or tile the mystery of you come came find and it wils wag life they were traveling more slowly lowly now crawling along the level leel stretch of indge alle road at its estrine pit crine summit gerald had never before felt el the lie fascination of the girl by tits his side bide as tie lie felt it in those moments ile he stretched out nut tits his left ban hand and she gripped it in hers tearing paring off tier gloves so that tier her fingers could clasp ills his and since it la fit lite life he asked 13 li the mystery passing tier her eys ays were with tile tha de delre of happiness there la Is no ao mystery tiny any lo longer lutiger tiger she told him 1 1 I know buhat iles at the end of the toad road where the sun sud used to rise I 1 know now gerald ns as ee e ver fell the spurious glow of exaltation in spurl ii irl out OUR because lecluse its influence was wholly ex external tomal till his face become graler grader tits lil tone aris almost stern etero we hope you yon wll find there lie still said Is happiness lias has explained to ou nebout tills post in england yes she answered you will like it nor no I 1 but you must be happy myrelle Myr we vant you to be happy gerala de blared TO UK BF CONTINUED |