Show ery R 0 by E PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM copyright by little drown brown ib co THE CUT DIRECT SYNOPSIS ai fleeing eel ng from a brutal stepfather an unhappy home and a proposed husband she he detests myrelle Myr young yo u tn 9 french girl stands in a cou country n t road on the verge 0 of desper desperation atlon falten by an exploded tiro tire two young englishman lord gerald dombey and christopher dent cent are attracted by the girls distracted appearance she begs them to take her away from her misery in a spirit of adventure they do 10 sa so conveying tier her to monto monte carlo and leaving tier her with arlend wends i myrtile speaks english her mo mother ther having been an educated woman an jerald gerald sees a beautiful young woman in the gambling gambll ng rooms and Is fascinated but can only learn that she Is called pauline do de portiere and Is with tier her aunt ile iio Is un able to secure an introduction christopher and gerald decide artlie shall not go back to her horn homa lady mary geralds sig els cpr secretly t in love with chris tophel top lie disapproves of tho young mens guardianship of myrttle lord dombey makes the acquaintance ot of pauline he Is puzzled hy by the air of mystery mentery and condescension surrounding tier her in lovo love with gerald chris would uld marry myrtile Myr gerald geraid Is interested hite rested in pauline A mysterious nus russian nian a large sum at them the gambling tables gerald learns he knows the de Pon leres but can get tip information from him CHAPTER VII continued monsieur rose deliberately to his feet one realized realize then ills his ex tra ordinary height lie ile must have been tit at least six feet four indies inches find broad in proportion gerald although lie he himself was considerably over ov nv height seemed like a child by his side it if you on mention their names again he threatened 1 I throw you out of tile the place gerald looked him over for n moment unni unmoved oved but intensely curious the mystery of and mademoiselle riol selle do de Ilon tere had bud only been increased by tills this clinn clrance ce meeting alray alt lown down he begged you ere cre making every one uneasy I 1 have no me wish avish to quarrel 1 with you I 1 alm simply took you for tin an ordinary human being 11 the russian resumed ills sent seat gerald called for tits his bill during their heir short walk to the sporting club where the iwo wo young nien men had arran arranged geI to spend tile the rest of the evening christopher endeavored to bring he file conversation round to the subject of myrelle Myr it Is time li be insisted that we dad something a little more about myrtlo Myrtl lc you dont take tier her serious seriously y enough gerald an in li at way she told nip me this afternoon that you had arni alsed ed to take her ter to one of 0 istir supper parties gerald was not altogether at it his Is amse it was r rather ither a rush rash promise lie admitted but after tilt all wit why hotl not slip shed create quite it a sensation 11 that childs immediate future Is 1 n upon our lion honor r christopher ald anid bt ernly you I 1 tind in 0 1 I I 1 know tile lie flass of young voting women you invite e to bour our part lri slip breathe the saine are arc you in love with myrtile Myr grald gid G naked curiously christopher loathed the he question but he unperturbed tur bel Is ig B n child it he sold it will he be tinie time enough to think of such thing when vilen she he lias II beconi econie it woman the one deadly find and pernicious certainty Is iq eliat she lle Is 3 in love with vill you v III N e en refill genichi you vol dont want to ilk on oil tile lie floors floor of hell alie aliey y had reached the apps ol of tile lie sporting club gerald ran lightly up 1 dvar di air chrls 11 lie he gilld turning arouni ns lie he prop prepared areil to divest him wt if of fits overcoat dont ile be it anelo liss ass were in ill tile the wrong nt at MON here for that hat sort of tiling thing jup iberl 1 l here Is the family fal lilly I 1 all you inight appear n 6 1 ilare f pleased to ibe see us mary iary dedard r III I ets binti n corner in the bar tin and e some sug posted 91 sted gerali gerald Is ij too electric lo 10 flight for a roan man of my illy stal d tempera mont I 1 im not so sure quie of your temperament pe as I 1 wits was mary rejoined ar I 1 tim am not nt at nil fill sure sun that you two young youn men are be behaving linvIna IF y in mante dionte carlo dei gerald to to I 1 irve e tin nn extraordinary crimm for ink ank ig 8 ill inc mysterious young woman next awin owr dr out ino every afternoon 1 Is 1 the he faintest won chrs confessed Nel delther ther lias has it lie it I 1 think Is 14 part of the attraction tion ba laly arv pinked pa with the pearls which hung bung from her neck to leave the subject of our my tellous tt r ous beighl ei rs have you su ceped in little hii finding S tiny any employment for tie yet V et she inquired look 1119 kup up tit nt he companion ha hav 0 o et t christopher replied epI led 1 I I 1 to td a cousin of minel mine ln in on who zoes eos in for that sort of tiling thing to 0 o see ee if alip can n find tier her it post ns Is nursery forneas gor gover neim the girl Is hua u together other unusual her father mid and mother were mere both school teachers I 1 feel inclined ld to regret that we e ever eur discovered tier her hut but so long ns 09 we did and brought her here we e must try and start her pr proper lv abild in tilt meantime the lip poor tittle tle fool la Is hopelessly in love oe with gerald geraid well you ou both know what you ou fire rv doing I 1 suppose I 1 silou should lt be sor bur ry r to hinc have your our I 1 think I 1 ought to lo go 0 o tin and see how dud Is getting on oil with ills his inalle one moment christopher begged laying inking tits his hand liand upon tier her firm 1 I want you iou to watch tills this 11 site she looked up tip curiously cur loui derahl hild just entered the crowded oded cr little boorn room DWI lit the same saine moment made do de arai liei her mint aunt appeared pea re d on the other threshold was ns lit in black clothes of old but distinctive cut clit A wonderful black lace shawl drooped from froin tier lier shoulders her enis ears and infers fingers blitzer blitzed with gills she leaned ns s she walked upon un tin avory tor topp stick tin and tier her es had their usual trick of anderlla wandering and erlna a 1 round the lie room ns as though she saw sai no one wonderful figure seemed in n blach not net gown goun which fitted tier her with etli fili Ping leal perfection Gera gerald ild who lio had been on ills way a to join ills sister an and christopher paused nt at their approach as though liou yli bent on challenging soine recognition however lio eer from the girl in this however lio eer lie be wits disappointed without any appearance pe arance of mal him walthou I 1 even turning tier her PCS away from froin III aln direction she passed tv by as though in coni complete unconsciousness ness of his presence and followed tier lier companion through the other oilier door gerald stood for a moment in silent turi fury after t tl 11 ey ila biad left the cigarette clR arette which lie alad t 3 V ay 1 4 al it 11 he presented himself every morning at about the sanie same time been holding between tits fingers slipped onto the carpet rushed crashed to lleces lie he set ills his heel tipon it tin and crossed the lie room lul MHO mary recognized the lie sense of 0 Is it NI INI I lice in ill I 1 him dill und and welcomed hini him with the tactful smile of ne who lias has noticed nothing not lilii tell me whether whet lier to rn lin trenta et quaranta tp or rou roulette tonight r norn erald lil she said or hall I 1 go TO find pla huc carat if only inh tile the ile people tile t there here so gerald looked aress ar rss 9 nt it chresto tit ihor 1 r lie ile seemed its though lie ile had e marceli riely heard lils ills sisters dvorin did you ou ep eliat lit lie arkid in ii a ill ow one fie I 1 nodded tile the pill girl Is antrae IM five mary ilir observed rell I 1 rf mcall ally be ie bune ani rail call lerald one to do flint sort rort of thing thin bitt iut slie site fiust lie if they iirene what that gi should louill be it wont hurl file no enod old dear seralia Ser alil gro profaned nned it liike teo ethina of the sort really fil hut but only thre lire cold witter water oli flip idea antl nd mr mary ikuo d atter after nit nil ile he IN idd there I 1 Is sIl in the situation I 1 always anys look upon uon us fis halit tile most dimill nian man I 1 know i it a new for you m benr it I 1 cant int think linw how oil ever pro prore ressel sell so po far its as you ou have 1 I should eliver up tip old fellow christopher alip alipy wont out forever foie vrr you will probably lani flint tomorrow it th boling lady and will savl invite voll oll in to illert lier liei jyoti on m dont w V v bat li it voura talk ing geracd groN vIell there did you nit sep rep 01 it tilt open doorway SI idama J to flon lere aind ad tier her younger ion were plainly their away r toward one of tit ohp roulette tallies tabler ther lind had come face anc e to face for a little altti frenchman ahn wh n stopped aped dand and boll bowed cil with deverr of re respect t both of tile the women so ac kilow knowledge ledged salutation graciously gerald sprung to ills feet that q dubols Dil bols monsieur Ill fines representative herel I 1 hb exclaimed cla tilled ile he knows theofil thank heavens lp ive come coine across soine one nt at hist who does I 1 I 1 lip ile crossed the room in halt a dozen doyen strides unil anti accosted monsieur eur dir hols bols in tile the private any fly leading le tiding to tho the hotel tip de carls im Is the usual civilities were exchanged ec hanged monsieur irons leur dubols dubois you can do tit me it tavor erald con confided fidel us fis lie v drew lafin mm town towards tile lie bur bar and ordered neo liqueur brandies it if it Is possible pos ilailo it Is done dubols declared if it is impossible it shall be done 1 I want you ion to tell me gerald continued linued who tile he two ladles in black wen to you ion just bowed and mademoiselle tie de Po doniere all aliey y call themselves what on earth Is s mystery about them the li ai nan looked nl at him in bland surprise mystery iii llord oril lie he repeated la Is there ati pro one look ook here old fellow gerald said 1 I will fish ask you one question find and one question aties flon only what tire are their real na names tuva monsieur dubols dubois smiled sallied ills difu alm cuttles were at nh an end milord 11 lie declared you wrong I 1 hose very respectable ladles in imagining that they would present them thein solves Milu shere here untie under r names to glitch thoy they lind no right both indies who are as you ou lieve doubtless surmised related are arc end entitled endsle tle to the lie namo naine of de Pon lere alio ahe first christian name of the older oder jady Is anastasio of the I 1 nm am happy to ile be able to satisfy fy ni milord llord A thousand excuses they call me from the ho room lerald returned dejectedly to the room where bere ills fits sister find christopher were cre waiting expectantly it olpe arg that hint there is no mystery tit nt nit all lie announced dubois assures tile me that they fire related and that their names mimes fire indeed de Pon lere chapter VIII I 1 I 1 rose in the morning as was her cu custom nt at a little after seven carefully made tier her bed dressed and walked for an hour upon the terrace ten ace these emly early diurnal wanderings were tempered with a certain sadness although slie site wits was always something new new beauties or new sores in tills this amazing spot to which slie she tilt biad been transported to myrtile Myr whose life as yet was com coin mainly of externals everything wis as beautiful the sun warmed her mill the promise of love slie she was waa never tired fired of watching the little waves breaking break ing upon the sandy strip and the million scintillating lights upon ulon the bay site she looked up with a glad anille nt the silent hotel where lerald was ns sleeping perhaps lie was of tier lier nt at that very moment loe hit biad crept into tier her life 1110 and found lier her very ignorant As yet ct it w wag as a bent alfill and simple tiling thing that it wits was capable of change find and division never f van occurred to tier her slie she loved gerald and an although he sometimes tier her it 1 must ile be that j ei aid loved lo pd tier her slie she had find few doubts dulits about it it all 11 ll ills his attitude often puzzled even distressed tier but site she put ills vagaries down to her own lack of understanding slie lie was convinced that all would he well when hiie she saw sav more of him find nd slie she harbored hiir bored a dull of resentment christopher to who slie site believed was its alN always tty working gir for some unknown reason to keep them ail at hatla past eight she returned to her rooms tin und deliberately attacked 11 arp it aings of sewing which was sent to tier her jally dally from the hotel and tho file pinit vill nl for i by arrangement I her with ioard find and lodging froin that time on slip she sat in the lie window with ill but bill one ine hope the he hodic or of seeing gerald renild Sen ild once or twice lie hiti file anti and calvn tier lier out tt tr hut but Christ christoplis oplie was r ing in lils his visits lie he pree gilted hill ailin elf every epry morning nt fit alie le same billip and even ir if gerald appeared lie him cpr cr rem against agaibi st liliie it was alwaes a n II ensure to hear his hie inu tread find nil to ti ills tall lerohl shouldered ig and good cumore 1 intelligent fae fa e us lie crossed tilt amid slie she found tin nn evil counselor in annette Annc Ann tte inte tile annid tit nt tin lintel hotel who d the lie other heil bed I ilon in it tile the little cottage and gendral gen pral ly v liin donled led in for A few minutes minute on tier her way to work annette Ann eilf win who wits thor highly bly t jt nali ais s completely Puzz puzzled lel by h the on she mie emild could account for it in tier lier own mind only from tile the ft diet the two to jiing inting men were und find presumably t Is christopher going to make any pro progress grIas in his hie efforts to win Mytr lle and how seriously Is gerald interested in pauline TO DB BE CONTINUED |