Show he hi E bag azg r Mm PC CHAPTER vill VIII continued 26 1 I wrote down the address arid and here it t la 8 christopher sold said bonding blinding a curd card if I 1 can be of any use you tear dear man rohnl I 1 she exclaimed we must leave it to gera gerald 1 1 I hope that eliat I 1 lie e will v if I 1 let roe me go with hilli think lie ought to find out just bierc he be st stands ands at once where 1 urn not going hack back to it the 1191 se christopher remarked could we allive 1 live one game of billiards 1 I 1 8 hould love it she answered gerall will come and look for us u its s poon foon us as lie hits has finished with the doctor thexor you used to give me of ell 10 gerald crime in presently mary pealed herself by tier her brothers side gerald she said christopher tin hn discovered Paull paulines nes address it Is bulte close by here you must go coi anil we see her tomorrow would you like either of ua lit to come with vout youa gerald began to tremble she la Is here in london till nil right he demanded absolutely christopher declared she was looking quite well her brother wits with her 1 I will go alone gerald decided 1 q I will go tomorrow now voll 3 on have told me something worth hearing perhaps tonight I 1 shall sleep 0 0 0 gerald after all derived small dinall satisfaction from his visit on tile lie following day ile he found his destination eastly a small detached house in a rt retied lei back street with a bell tit at the front pate gate and spiked mailings railings rai lings lie ile was admitted without undue delay by fin an or binary looking parlor pallor maid and conducted into a small sitting room after waiting a rill minute nute or two the door was opened and cadaine de io ilo alere entered you have come to see my niece lord dombey slip ahlie inquired after a word of convent conventional lonal greeting Is it very surprising that 1 I should come gerald rejoined a little bitterly 1114 perhaps haps not from froin your point of view was the equable reply my aly niece has in fact been anticipating your visit it would have been kinder of her gerald ventured it if ste she had let me know her whereabouts I 1 have been lit in the hospit ni and afterward in a nursing home for soine tinie time my aly niece find other matters to consider Ala madame daine de declared dryly she Is living in tile the utmost retirement ti through force of circumstances can caal I 1 see her now gerald asked bluntly she will grant you an audleye aud leme 11 cadaine idline de replied 1 I hinther permission to disclose tier her whereabouts to you vou only enjoining secrecy where Is she gerald asked mi bly niece Is to be found tit at Du duvenny vently castle lit in scotland de po ilo announced it Is a somewhat inaccessible place pince particulars of how to read reach it are here slip she liander win a slip of paper in ili scotland gerald repeated repented ted a little wea Aven illy rily nut but she was here yesterday she mie left at night mandame de po io reminded hini him 0 geould folded the slip of paper and put it in ills his pocket very well he said 1 I will go to scotland madame de looked at una through tier her lorgnettes for a moment thoughtfully you have been III she remarked 1 I 1 have been ili lie assented de Ilon lere lowered oer iier lor lorgnettes guettes and closed them with a little snap en up if I 1 thought that you vou would accept it she said 1 I would give you vou a word of f advice 1 I can at least hear it he suggested bug tested gp beck to the manner of life you were living before you vou met Ilau pauline link nod and forget her your visit to scotlund scotland will be of no service to tiu it will only end in disappointment gerald shook his head that flint lie he said ob 1 I must nus discover for myssell mys self gerald following in the lie main the flip directions on oil the slip blip of paper civet givet him film by Alu danie de Pon lere reLi clied lihi ills destination on oil the afternoon of tle lle third duy ile he the car bedig winch which lie had lifred tit at the hist town on the ballway route a lown which bennel to him blin unacquainted with tills this corner of scotland almost un UD outpost of elvil cl illation izu after miles of unbroken except for huge boulders bould cis lie die way nay had led around it a range of sinal ei mountains until lie he find suddenly en ell countered when he had been least expecting it the tang of the lie sea arny M ny hundreds eds of feel below lie he saw ill at last his destination a dwelling of stone us ancient a and nd rudely it seemed as the mussed up boulders on tiery every side the road fly by which it was was vas precipitous in ili places is almost impassable tile last quarter of if a wile mile was along it 11 narrow bunk bank unprotected on either side with tile lie from frain the waves leaping up into nis his yace me tile llie road ended in a circular sweep surrounded by it high wall in front of him blin was a massive gate closed and barred the porter who tired in answer tu to the hell bell kept him waiting while he communicated mth the house finally tile the gates were orien open and the car allowed to pro etl up a steep stone paved aurent to a courtyard also ragged nabbed with ith stories stones wid anil niso surrounded by it high wall rall in front another doir however already stoob open ByE Phillips i oppenheim copyright by little drown brown A co two wen men servants nants so both foreigners awaited ills his arrival one attended to the closing of the alie door aud and with the chauffeur the other silently beckoned gerald to follow him naros tile the stone floor of the bare circular hall into it 11 room at tin the further end lie he stood aside to let gerald precede him ahe the gentleman will e oe spa seated teI hp hi said gerald found himself alone lit in an apartment not unduly large hut but ex lofty lofti it wits was simply nut nul magnificently furnished but only a single rug lay ID upon the floor the hie windo windows s looked S lie p r ov over a r the u and the thunder thui ider of tile waves against the jagged rocks seemed almost nt fit ills feet the windows themselves were narrow the windows of a for fortress trims mid and tile lie depth of the window seat showed the As of tile lie walls V ail g gerald had find little thue to take note of these things however within H nio nin ment or two of ills being left alone the lie door opened and pauline entered speech of any sort bort it seemed to gerald must be pitifully inadequate lie he stood looking at lier her wondering it if anything hii thing in tier her expression would give ghe hini him the clue to tier her mysterious he be huvler liu vior site came toward tow aid him however us sis composed and unresponsive us its ever libie there wits was nothing whatever in tier lier manner to indicate tile lie fact tint that slie site waist greeting tile mun who ho lind had risked ills life in a mad enterprise for tier her sake sal e you yon ahne love had a long journey lord dombey dombay 11 she said I 1 lie ile bowed over oer the lie hand which she lind find extended to him film A long journey indeed he assented sen ted A journey down into h 1 I and buck back sit down she invited and I 1 will give ghe you ou tile the explanation I 1 owe you thank you ion lie he answered 1 I do not feel at houle home in tills this house let roe me remain standing until after you sou have lot told me what it lill all means I 1 have done your our bidding I 1 have hae come to heg beg for my im remard t mud her eyes aea looked at filin coldly 1 I promised no toward reward slie she reminded him not in ili words he admitted yet you ou know what I 1 desire what you ou desire Is absurd slip she declared that Is what I 1 wish to ex you have hava had a long journey lord dombey she he said plain you ou lio lioe hue e discovered pe rimps who I 1 urn ULU I 1 1 I learned who your our brother wis was mi brot lurl site sint smiled led well veit slie she went on listen I 1 nin mil the lie frimid duchess duches i Pa pauiline liline of Ittis russia sla princess prim ess and boreal h tary ruler of the provinces and nearest in kin kill living lining women to nicholas who alio was murdered by I 1 the lie people the llie mall whom you iou re selled Is giand luke of kolostok Volo stok stuk kiil r of sevin teen provinces an and nearest in ili ilie hie mole male line to the cro crown wai of he it Is my mt cousin your cousin gerald berald and my in husband she answered gerald wits was cool the situation began slowly to itself in ili ills his mind it been ohp lie province of annl ty t lne continued to make use of their courtlen S without in III whatever win may ma freem good to them I 1 lime have ninde made use of you ou I 1 lid not seek s ph your hiir acquaintance or your I 1 line have ande ou no aises I 1 hate kept you ou much farther away anwa even en from hope thim than would main bian t of my mv illustrious ancestress ps I 1 let et in these days class volt on will probably that you ton lime been ill hi treated I 1 run not help hell it t I 1 and others of nn my liae DM lit and mercilessly treated treat exl yours ima fins been a small wrong I 1 made use ure of you iou and your nur devotion to free my ni cousin cou ln to whom I 1 was of finite ed so far its my ro thanks can satisfy you ou I 1 tender them you ore are very er gir nelous geraid 4 sc kIlOw ledged forgetting all his weariness and holding himself alle e a man may alay I 1 bisk were you married to the grand duke when I 1 fetched him fr fajin m ills his prison 1 I was not pauline assured liim 1 I was wag married a month utter after hla hill ro re turn to england with the consent ond and the approbation of my ni relatives here paul and I 1 have but one hope and one desire to live until the file time when the people of return to ali their ir allegiance slid to establish reestablish re the romanoff ni off dynasty anast in russia either through ourselves our seles tir or our children por hor tant reason we tire living here with nn an unseen guard provided hy by tho the go enit nent when you ou first met u we G I 1 ched I 1 ve I 1 I 1 in n seclusion because aready four times nn my life lind had leen been at I 1 there here buc ili still men inen pledged pledge to destroy us its root and branch liere here they will not succeed ti ceped we are surrounded hy by faithful guards and our lives are consecrate not until the lie and flourish loi who shall curry carry on our tinnie will III I 1 or nty husband take the slightest risk the world inny see pee qa bething of us its loter later por for tile the aiesi present int we lieve only onh one thought gerald stood among the wreck of ills ids dreams lie he seemed to be listening to the thunder of the lie sen sea to be watching tile lie queer shaped slumped shaft of which wretched stretched across the floor lie he found bleech almost impossible the clience lasted so long however ho weer that lint lie NA ans compelled to break it your highness explanation la in complete lie he asked it Is complete slie she refilled you volt will understand that lint your our shall I 1 crill it aan ra alon haq wn in ili a sense an of ferise to tile me in ili monte alonte carlo I 1 will admit that lint through sheer weariness eps I 1 wits perhaps perli ups a little indiscreet the situation then lien seemed hop hopeless pless 1 11 I understand gerald murmured mur mureil the grand dule duke my husband will wish to offer you iou some hospitality she 0 said touching n hell bell be so BO glod as to await ills hla coming prince li luce paul entered the lie room a moment or two later inter a touch of sunburn on oil libi ills cheeks erect and handsome a v very ery dir different person from the broken prisoner of a few months ago se he a advanced toward gerald with outstretched hand blind it gives me great pleasure tie he said to welcome you ou in my very bad 1 to our home you see I 1 reached england safety fafel perhaps you will give us its the pleasure of your our company compan to dinner tonight gereld lbook shook ills head 1 I 1 tine pro eil the owner of the th cn car which I 1 lilied hired lie said ili to return it to him tonight I 1 must in fact be at once A servant sen ant entered with a tray tic benr ar lit ing wine ail and whisky paul served his guest himself they tell me eliat this ahls ls Is the most hospitable country of the world he observed len ven in ali russia we should not let volt depart without a toast you will wish us its those things for which iier belr highness ail and I 1 live gerald bowed and raised malsed his glass to re ills lips 1 I filially drink to you and to your antry country lie he sald and to the good of both 11 tie lie se set t down 10 11 ills glass empty pauline lief let goodby but they handed filin over oer to the care caie of ser ants with the air of royalty gerald drove through tho the opened gates heard tile bars grind behind him tin and looking around for it 11 last view lew was aunly di ly colis conscious clous of men who watched thed yn afterward tills strange visit with all its trilling events atsu subsumed nied its proper li ili ills his mind that night however ho weer lie he drove droe over tle tie moors and around the mountains mount aills absolutely etli without any ai direct daret emotions it impossible to believe that his 1118 lilt visit had not been the phun tasy of na an aft Y slumber chapter IX after they had find left toulon the two men emed to change clinnie avri 11 it who loi the lie ni four days had bud lelii the tume mentally comatose state as he had been since nil ills return from scotland sit sat up anil and for the farist time little begun began to look about tarn him with intel interest st christopher on the other hand alio ilo during the whole of their journey lind had been continually en n de moring to amuge and aind entertain hit his gradually gradual gru dutilly lt relapsed into a rule rare tit ill of they had jasd through leveres ll 11 veres yeres however und were winding their wily way around tile the ili du dom doin before any ani direct billu slon was to the subject which in varying degrees alts was forein foremost ost in i of both of them about tin an hour ind and it 11 half beyond tills this want it gel gelald aid asked christopher nodded it was sign ift cant t lie be made no comment cupon 11 on the lie fuel fact gerald had caught up with ills own train of thought just tills tinie time of the file vor wr too gerald want ent on 1 I remember these orchards were abt showing a little pink and you city blick biuk again there chris I 1 ami w under nhe there w tiny an brounie at lionie was there not tile slightest christopher assured him ailin in f fact ac t all thy the time rime you vou were lit in hulln your father seen lei to rely rel upon tier absolutely I 1 wan wac a great blow to him hill when she made up her mind to go linck back TO BE continued CONTIN UnD |