Show I The Recluse se of Fifth Avenue CHAPTER VII Continued VII Continued Ia 13 13 Miss Brown was young pretty and delightfully dressed dresse This was no doubt one of Mrs lIts Buxton's personal friends Mrs Buxton Miss Brown began I thought that as you ou had bought this lovely place and were going to entertain entertain enter enter- tam tain a lot you OU might need a social secretary I was going to her but she has taken Lord hunting box In Leicestershire for the coming season I have Just come corne back to the United States where I belong after spending some years abroad You speak French then sal said Mrs flaxen In the Gallic tongue It was Vas her er one accomplishment Yes said Miss Brown with still greater fluency I have been mainly In England Englan My 1 last position was with the countess of at tt abbey She was vas one of f the Boston as of course you know What did ld you do there Mrs Irs asked Literally everything Miss Brown confided e It Is an Immense place fully twice the size of this and for three years rears I managed manage It from cellar to attic I wrote the n menus enus engaged the servants saw they d did their work an and dismissed them If the they did ld not Mrs flaxen smiled happily You understand Miss 1 Brown continued continued continued con con- that I wa was not a servant or even a housekeeper Im I'm a great believer be be- liever llever In social distinctions They make male entertaining so much easier dont don't they Most 1 people think I am ama a guest like themselves I have often been taken In groups with even ro roy roy- alty With an unaffected absence of 1110 modesty mod esty sty Miss 1 Brown In the course of II half ball an hour flour managed manage to Impress Mrs 1 most favorably You would woul fin find ver very little to do here at first said the elder woman woman We have no house house guests at present but we are j going to entertain to-entertain a great deal I I should find a very great deal eal to todo todo todo do at once said Miss Brown em em- To begin with I should dismiss your our b tiller who Is impertinent Im Impertinent im- im Impertinent pertinent and offensive I Impulsively lea leaned cl forward forward forward for for- ward an and kissed Miss 1 BrownI Brown I Dearie Deane she saI said I 1 need you at once I Good said Miss Brown without excessive gratitude Another thing If It I stay I mustn't be hampered In engaging engaging engaging en en- or dismissing servants ants It be he understood that I have complete compete com corn pete p charge of ot the household arran arrange arrange- e- e ments meats I 1 cannot possibly run this establishment smoothly If I am to toha ha have hae e the help running to you ou with complaints Lady Horsham wanted vante me we to relieve her of every domestic responsibility exactly what I want Mrs sal said enthusiastically Where are you going goin Miss Brown ha had risen To 10 get my trunks I shall move In at once i Mrs hs Hn on sought out her husband and told Ii him the news Fine he said Anyone recommended recommended men mended e by Mrs 1 Buxton will be all I 1 suppose you ou looked looke over oyer her testimonials Of course sal said his wife conscious that she had forgotten all alf about It and nut anxious for him to fin find It out Y You'll like Ithe her She's Sites so distinguished I dont don't think she approved of the drawing rO room Jm furniture We Wl shall agree on that Bellington Belling- Belling ton on furnished It like an hotel reception recep recep- tion thin room One thing more Its It's about I forgot to tell you before Lf It nn anyone one asks you jou ou If It I 1 have political a n say so This goes particularly with the l You an and I 1 know l an and that's enough for the pr present sent I At a u square house on Lower Fifth I avenue the young oung lady who had Just I f passed as Agatha Brown burst In upon i I four anxious men I My ly dears she cried Ive got It I I move ve In tomorrow un and take complete charge of the household arrangements I carried cUtTle her off her feet She kissed I me an and called calle me Dearie Deane I 1 left beI before before be be- fore she could ask to see my test test- I Im I'm afraid aral I lIe lied Its It's quite true Uncle Peter they are going to entertain largely She showed showe me the list She l e evidently doesn't know how to do things on a large e scale I didn't see him Neeland Neelan Barnes looked nt at her with pride At a bound hound she sIte had hud landed In Inthe Inthe Inthe the guarded g fortress unsuspected I The keys kc's of ot the arsenal had Iad been han handed ed her It was a complete tri tri- Now you are Ute there said Peter Milman what gOO good shall shull we be to you youl ou Ive I've thought It all out k You personally personally personally per per- will viiI have to stop stop here because because because be be- cause the the- lawyer man knows you Ishall I Ishall shall shaH nee need da daddy y an and my other uncles at once What p possible use can you have for tor me mc Bradney deman demanded e eagerly Or for me said her father All In goO good time She laughed laughe Uncle Peter yon made a great mistake mis mis- take In letting Sneed go I am dismissing dismissing dis dis- elis- elis missing the tile butler tomorrow v and shall want another You mean you ou will put Sneed In Wonderful I have his a address dress Wont Loddon remember him Bradney asked Probably need sneed will say that hat he left because no ne couldn't stand till the Place any lunger We shall have to let him ID In un a 0 part of our plan Do n rou think he ne can be trusted Without a 11 doubt said Peter Mil Mil- man nian Yes I made mad a Q ml ID to lor Jt cv By WYNDHAM MARTYN Copyright In the United Bt t tW W N U ting Sneed go I should have remembered remembered his many lo loyalties But what am I to do o her father rather persisted You and Professor Bra Bradney ney willbe will willbe be my tall toll Imported footmen Instinctively Neeland Neelan Barnes stroked stroke his chestnut mustache Ive lve had It since I was a freshman at Yale he said regretfully And An Ive I've had this Bradney Bradney stroked his beard ever beard ever since I went to Gottingen for fot my PhD Ph.D. Alarm spread over his face But I cannot possibly do what you ou suggest Footmen Footmen Foot Foot- Footmen men have to wear weal some sort of gorgeous gOt gor livery dont don't they Un Undress ress livery at Great Rock flock she said not pow powdered ere hair hah and knee knee- kr breeches as we ha had at nt the abbey How long will It take you OU to get Into the way of waiting at table opening doors and being loftily efficient I could never do It sal said Bradney i In III n a n panic I should drop rop things I should pass dishes on the wrong side shIn I should forget torget The TIte poor old oid thing has lost his nerve Neeland Barnes laughed lie can toy with atomic disintegration tion but he lie shies at pouring out wine and passing plates Can Cnn you do It Bra Bradney ney retorted It will be a great Jest I shall enJoy enjoy enoy en- en j Joy oy every minute of It will t think us flunkeys while ivIlle we are ale there thereto t to o drag him down own Man If you ou have p 0 q L ci UI I 1 Could Never Do It It Said Sald Bradney In a any sporting blood bloo In you Son you cant can't hold back If you ou ha had your jour nerve nerv with you we should make a great team It Isn't lack of ot nerve Bradney ex ex- ex- ex I simply dont don't know the technique of ot It Neeland Neelan Barnes was In his element elemet He ha had kept a large establishment and had been reared among people who had not denied enle themselves luxuries lux lux- uries urles lie explained lucidly l the whole duty of ot footmen in fashionable houses Sneed will wili be there Nita reminded remind remind- ed e him Im banking on him He le will be nominally your superior an and help you In any way he can It wont won't be a bit lt t Uncle Fleming Sneed daddy an and I shall be there Where do I come conic In M Malet let asked cd He did l not wish to be left out I have a ver very definite use for tor you Uncle Flo Floyd d I talked a great deal eal with Mrs about her husband husban He lIe suspects the furniture an and he Is right Uncle Floyd Flod how well do O you NOU speak French As well as ns I do o English Ten years Jears In Paris an and no chance to forget It because Ive I've been teaching It as a sideline sideline side side- sideline line in Philadelphia for fot the last si six or II seven years ears Why Im lm going to Invite you rou to stay at t atthe atthe the directly you ou can cun raise u a little tittle mustache and anti Imperial You shall be a French viscount a friend nd of La Lady y You are a great authority au on French furniture That means you must study all the books you jou oU can cnn get hold of Ill I'll arrange a 3 name for you ou later How about my iny testimonials Bradney Bradney Brad Brad- ney gal said su suddenly denly coming coining from a trail X X X X X X X X X X X of ot fancies In which he saw himself the perfect footman I engage all help Your tour testimonials nials will bo be perfectly satisfactory The woman Is afraid of men servants She wont won't Interfere Her r rh h husband has given her full charge an and she has deputed me ie e to do It for her I think she needs a n friend She babbled babbled babbled bab bab- bled most Indiscreetly to me rae about the people she hoped hope to have bave ave a aa as guests guesta Apparently she knows none of them D Do you remember If the name Mc Mc- KImber was on the list Milman asked Yes It was the first name on It I Milman l smiled It was plain the news gratified him Another of Lod Loddon's ons on's port begotten confidences John Is aimIng aiming aim nun ing lag at the senate and hopes New York state will sen send him to Washington At present there seems no serious op op- op- op position I could hardly believe Lod- Lod Loddon don dou at nt the time but he Insisted there was a d dark rk horse from New York city who would beat l I see now he was hinting plainly at flaxen But isn't known politically Barnes remarked That does not make his can candidacy l acy Impossible Men have often otten rl ridden en Into high ce on waves of hysteria Milman's e eyes es were bright He lie believed believed be be- that Lo Loddon on ha had been right after all nil when he lie hinted that a dark darl horse would go to the senate from New few York But how could a decent man nina like l extremely wealthy a large employer of labor an and a great power up state be de defeated defeated de- de e- e Hardly by fair means Had Paul woven about him aim a mesh mei that would keep heep him Inactive I 1 think I am ani right In assuming that Paul has definite political am am- He lIe must remove l from from the running to get his chance I think Is In danger anger Ills His relations with flaxen It If he stays there there must must be observed observe very very closely That can be managed manage said NUa Nita calmly I II I should like frequent reports Milman salti sard Footmen butlers social secretarIes secretaries secre secre- tanies and furniture experts on their nights out shall keep you Informed she returned It was a Joyous company of gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen gentle gentle- men men adventurers that night In the butlers butler's pantry Neeland Barnes was lecturing wIth lecturing with suitable demonstrations on on the care of glass and sliver silver Fleming Bradney one of the worlds world's great authorities on physics was WS listening intently and making copious notes Barnes had rarely been so gratified at a n listeners listener's attention Floyd Malet In the library had before before be be- fore him de Part La Lady y DUkes DUke's work on French furniture furniture furni furni- ture tune an and photographs of ot the Bureau de Rol fbi In the Louvre In Ia the Japanese garden Nita sat on ona ona ona a cushion at the feet of Peter Milman an and looked up Into his cut clear thoughtful face Uncle Peter she said you and andI I are the only up grown-up people In this big house The rest of them are all enthusiastic children It Is very satisfying to be a child he reminded ed herBut herBut herBut her But children ren never look ahead she said wisely I am sitting at your feet preten pretending everything Is going to come out right You are ore looking down own at me lik like a courteous sphInx In evening dress certain L' L that your are ure noc no noto to LU miscarry Uncle Peter are arc you a n grown up like me or orone orone orone one of the children ren Ita my niece I 1 am grown up It Is hard to believe she said slowly Why should it be Because If ou look you ahead you must realize that theres there's more wore than an mi even chance of ot failure Failure wont won't be pleasant for any of us It wont won't b be merely falling failIng as one does when one goes after a prize or a golf golt cup She lowered her vol voice It may be prison Uncle Peter It will be if It we ye fall fail he returned And An you ou can keep so cheerful We shall not fall fail I feel confident ent that I shall not lose this home If It dumb inanimate things can ra radiate late cheerfulness this tinEs house with the treasures I love rn radiates It I feel Influences outside my own on perception perhaps on some sonic other plane are fightIng fight fight- ing lug for tor me Not for tor years have I awakened with such cheerfulness In my illY heart When I wake up I find rn myself self smiling as though I had just left friends s who had bid me cheer up because victory was In sight I wish I felt that she sal said TO BE E CONTINUED X X X X X X X X X X y |