Show 00 TV 1 4 4 1 ry pe BY A CONAN dollt A AW n I 1 TUB NEW W y V you uj mum pali the voice of a dome domestic stio laa tau 1 fl aiom om somewhere Orne fa roun round d t the he angle of akl Pw 2 Aw the door number lc three la is moving in iwo i wo little old la a dies who aho were sit jac A w B at either slie e jaff of a table torann to feet with ith v ij ejaculations of interest ti rest and rushed to the window nind W 0 or the sitting room I 1 take care monica dear said aid one shrouding heisele in the lace curtain aion don t lot let them see eve us I 1 no no hertha bertha we must not give them reason to say any that thild neighbors are inquisitive nut dut I 1 think th thit that it we no are safe if we ie stand like this the open window looked out upun upon a eloping lawn laan well ell trimmed and pleasant with fuzzy rosebushes roae rose bushea bushes and a star elar shaped bed ot of sweet illiam it m was as bounded by a low wooden fence which screened acre ened it oft off aiom it a broad modern new road at the other side aide of this road were three large detached deep bodler villas with alth perky peaky eaves and small wooden balconies each standing in its own little square 0 of grass grams and of 11 beis all thien were equally new tut lut numbers one and two were ant s estate date with ith a human sociable look to them while number three with yawning door and unkempt garden hail had at a i ardently only just re calved its furniture and made itself ready for its occupants A four wheeler had driven up to the gate and it was at this that the old jadlos bladl s peeping out birdlike bird like from behind curtains curt alna dl di reeled an all deliget and questioning gaze gaie the cammall hall had descended and the passengers pass engels Keis within ele handing out the articles which they It alred him to 10 carry up to the tha house lie he tood stood red faced and blinking with mith tits his crooked arms arm a coille a trials male hanl lian protruding prot hoin bom the tile window kept piling up upon him film a saries of articles the eight bight of which aich filled tile the curious old ladles ladies with ix merit I 1 my goodness me ine cried monica the tha maller mailer the diler and tho the more als ried ned ot of the pair what do you call t that hat beitha bei tha it looks to me like four batter puddings those aro are what 3 soung oung men box each other with sold said bertha with a conscious air of worldly know knoal edge and those two bottle shaped pieces of vet et tow low shining wood lad had been heaped air u p on the cabman oh I 1 don t know what nihat those are arc confessed dei tha indian clubs he ha I 1 never neer before ob obtruded trudea themselves upon C her arid and very ery feminine ex istance these mys tulous artkins ere tot 01 ol conned lowed by others which aich were vere more within their range of comprehend lon ion by it a pair of dumb belle a purple I 1 cricket bag a u b t of golf clubs cluba and a tennis racket li I 1 nally alun the cabman all top heavy and bri bristling he had staggered up off the gaiden path there emerged in a vr V vera r leisurely way ay from the cab a big built oung man with alth a bull tup up under one arm and a rink fink shirting spir ting in hla his hand the paper he crammed into the pocket of hla his light ellew dust coat and extended lite hla hand us its it if to assist some borne one else from the vehicle elit cle to the surprise of the two to old ladles however the only thing vv which aich his open palm re cled ed was wan it violent slap anil and a tall lad bounded unassisted out of the he cab nith ith a regal wave wae she motioned tile tha young man towards the door and then alth one hand up upon n het hei hip slip die stood in a carolee carelee leat lounging attitude b th the get gate 11 kicking ticking her too ton navnit nal nit the he u wall III an aal I 1 a listl llly asly av alting tile return of the driver dra er As she turned slowly round and the shuck upon hir face the two iwo at chein were amazed to we that this very ery active and energetic lady indy was uns far from being in tier her flint cuth so BO fal fai that she ehe had come of age again sirce tilio she first pulsed passed that landmark mark in life a journe lid finely chis ele alel 11 clean cut face fill something red indian about the firm mouth and strongly walked check bones e even C n a at t that dl distance tance traces of the friction of the passing ears and et t ehe he vas very ery handsome her features were ere as aa firm in repose as those of a greek bust and her great dark aea eg were vere arched over oer by two brows brons so BO black so BO thick ant so BO delicately curved that the ee turned away from froin the haralick detolla details of the face to mar vel at their grace and strength her figure too was as a dart a little roilly perhaps but curving into magnificent outlines were nere halt half a b the strange costume which she wore ifer her hall black but ph shot vi with ith grey N was as brosl ea plainly bak bai k front from liei het hah foie bead d and was as satin red under a small round felt hat ilk that of it a man alth one of feather in the band as a con cession to her ark hl t k double breasted att baket ket of rome dai dak k frieze like material filled closely ly to tier her figure while hile her rt raight blue bairt find and un gathered WK 18 cut so choit that the lowr low r curve of her finely turned lega was as plainly rilly visible isible beneath it terminal t aig 1 g tn in a p ir if f broad flat fiat to low heeled nd square tom toed shoes such was m as the lady who loung a at tile the gate of num burn ber three under the ui lous e eve es of her two opposite neighbors C r hut lu t if f her conduct and appearance ha had d a already aready s somewhat 0 irne what jari janca ed aion ul on their limited and precise sense of the fitness of things whitt what were they to think ot of the next little act in till til tableaux avant ahe I 1 he cabman led ani beav had come back from tile hl labors labor and held out his hand for or Is in fare the lady paused passed him a coin was waa a moment of mumbling and gesticulating and suddenly she had him with both hands by the ltd davat which girt his neck and was shakI shaking nir hint him na as a ceriter would a rat light across the tha pavement ment she thrust him an pushing him up against ohp wheel she ehe ills his head three secial times against thle the side bide of his own vehicle can I 1 be of any use ua to vou ou aunt asked the largo large bouth fri framing lining himself in the open doorway not the slightest the on en raged lady there you low black guard tl it at will teach iou ou to be impertinent to a alady lady the ralman cabman looked helplessly about him film with ith a questioning gare gae As H one to whom hom alone of all al men this unheard of and extraordinary thing then rubbing I 1 la heal he mounted slowly on to the box and drove drone away with an urto aed hand appealing to the the lady amoo smoothed thed down her ter areia in pushed back her hair under tier her little felt hat and in through the hall door which she closed behind tier her As with a walik lier her choit vanished into the daik the two spectators niles brtha and miss mies monica laing sat looking nt at each th other in speechless amazement fifty years they had peeped through that little window and across that dim garden tut lut never nener yet had such a sight bight as aa this come to con fourd them I 1 I m wish ish I 1 said monica at lat last that we lad had kept the field I 1 I 1 am sure I 1 i agh we e had I 1 ansa answered ered her sister CHAT TM n ir if un hAKiNa tut till 11 nn F coriann fi aiom om the NN window of w idich t ach tho th bliazes fills sea N williams ins it had a d licked out stands stand and lias has stood for miny m iny a ear in 10 that pleasant aub u urban r b a n district which lies iles between NorA norwood Aner loy rend and forest long beffie there had been it a thought of a to township lahip there when the Metio was mas still quite a distant thing old mr WIIl williams Iama lad had inhabited the brat Hran bles I 1 an aa the little house was as called and had owned all the fields about tt it six or eight such puch cottages cott agea scattered over oer a rolling coun tr try side were all tile the houses to be found there in the das dais when the century wua was young bioni riom afar when the tha breeze came biorn aiom the coith the dull low roar of the great city might be heald like the breaking ot or the tide of life while aling the hopitzon might be seen the dim curtain of smoke the grim pt ray which that tide threw up lip grad vall however as the aws passed the city halli till LIM 11 out a long bi bilak ik feeler eelar here and chete cur curving inq extending and coalescing at list last the little cot is tax a 9 had bk ben en gril ped round b these red tentacles and had been absorbed to make roomi room for the modern ali riold by field the estate of old mr williams had been sot soil I 1 to the speculative builder arid and had borne rich chops of snug su burlan dwell dwellings inga arranged in cuming cre cinta and tree lined avenue the father hod find passed away be fore hla his cottage was as entirely bricked round but 1114 two to daughters to whom hom the property had lived to see tho the last vestige of country taken from them im foi beara ears they had clung to the me th lill 11 facca their windows ant an I 1 it was ani after argument an all I 1 many heart heartburning bu ral 4 that they had at last consented hint ehrat it should share the fate of the others A broad road was as driven through their quiet domain tho the quarter knag AS renamed re named the and squar allia legan to up on tile the other side fill sore hearts tile lie tv two 0 ell little old mat dialls Is watched their stead i rog resit and speculate I 1 as an to u aliat fiat fathia if ri egl bors borr chance biang into the little nook alli m h hal a I 1 a alwaes N ra R been their on own n and at III anit it they akle all three in fin shed bak onles an aal oNer overhanging hang eaves had leui lidded to thin so that lit in tile the language of the ment there were vere vacant three eligible swiss built villas with sixteen loom 7 za no Im elf atric bells hot and cold d water ater and cier modem bodein conen lence including a cognion te tennis nills I 1 lawn aa n to be let at aloo a liar itar or r purchase liase so bo tem i tins an efer did not long re main open 11 ithan a few fei weeks the card had ants hd from bumler one and it was vas known that admiral ilay hay denver denner V C CC C it with mrs ila ha denver deliver a and rill their only son were about to tron wove e nto into it the news brought pt ace to the hearts 0 of f the williams sisters the had lived with ith a settled con conviction action that sime wild impo colony some shouting singing faill pr of mad caps boull out break in upon their pence this nt at least wa irreproachable A reference to men afen of the time showed shoved them that tha t admiral ilay hay denver dener was vas a most dla distinguished who lie had begun his active caleer at and lad had ended it nt at alexandria having haing managed bet between veen these two tao el elloues ep liodes lodes to see as much betke all ai ani fan nuni man of his deais eaas from the raku ports lorts avid and the shannon to dhow harrying harring oft off zanzibar the te was as noar no variety lety of naval work nork which did not appear in his record while title the victoria ictoria cross and the albert medal for saving lite life couched vouched vou ched for it t that lit in peace aai a 1 waria ar his courage 0 ge watt was still of the same true temper clearly A very eligible neighbor this the more go ao as they had boen confidently assured hy by the estate agent that mr harold denver the son was a most moat bulat jung iun gentleman gentl ainan ani nl that he be was wa bury from frera morial rif to on the th stock exchange tile the ilay hay deavera had hardly moved in before number two also truck struck lt it placard and again the ladies ladled found that they had no reason to be discont discant disc ant ed with their neighbors doctor balthazar walker waa a very well known name in tile the medical world did not hit qualifications his membership and thill th record of his writings nil fill a long lone half column in the Bl medical edical directory from his hie ariit tittle little paper on tho gouty in 1869 2859 to lite hla exhaustive trea treatise time upon affections of the vasomotor batem I 1 in A successful medical career which promised to end in a of a college and a baronetcy had been cut short abort by hla his sudden inheritance of a considerable sum um from a vi hateful patient which had rendered hlin him independent for life and had bad enabled him to turn his attention to the more scientific part of lite his protes mon which lad had had ft a greater charm for hint him than its more a I 1 an and d bommen commercial lal aspect to this end lie he had ghen gl en up his house in weymouth street and had bad taken this opportunity of moving himself his scientific instruments and liti ilk two to charming daughters he hit had been a widower for some years into the more ps peaceful laceful atmosphere of norwood there wan thus but one villa unoccupied and it was no wonder that the two to maiden ladles wat matthed hed with a keen interest which aich deepened into a dire a api ehen plon the ceilous incidents w which aich heral derailed led the coming of the new nev tenants they had already learned from the agent that tho the family consist conal 8 t pd ed of two only mis alis acott 86 widow adow arid and her 11 nephew p phew charles Charle 4 west bacott it ilow how P I 1 triple and how select it had sr sounded I 1 NN ho could have foreseen aiom it these fearful portents which seemed to threaten thi hi eaten violence and discord among the dat dwellers ailers in the N wilderness ilde r again these two old maids cried in heartfelt chorus that they wished they hao hai not sold their field well at least monica remarked brtha artha as they sat over their teacups that at afternoon let noon ho however ever strange marange these people may ie it Is our duty to be as a polite to them ai ag to tile the I 1 most cei I 1 acquiesced her sister I 1 since we he have a called upon mrs ilay hay denver dener and upon the mossea walker we must call upon this mrs also certainly dear As long as they are div living ing upon out oui land I 1 feel as an it if they were in a sense our guests and that it li ii our duty to well dekome ome them then we shall call tomorrow toino tomor now tow said ald dertha bertha with decision yes dear we shill shift but oh I 1 with wish it was vas overl over at 4 0 clock on the next day the two maiden ladles ladies set oft off upon their hospitable errand in their stiff crackling dresick of black silk illk with jet be spangled jackets and little rows of cylindrical grey curls drooping down on either elthier side of their black bonnets they looked like two old fashion plates platea which had wandered oft off into the wrong decade half curious and half fearful they knocked at the door of number three which N m was as instantly 01 opened cried by a red beade I 1 page bo yes mrs was waa at home ile he ushered them into the front room as a dr drawing aNing room where in spite of the fine weather a large fire was burning in tile diate the boy took their balds slid and then theli as aa they sat down together tog ethe upon tt a settee he set their nerves in a chilli tin by darting behind a curtain with a shrill cry and prodding at something with tits lils toot foot the bull pup chich they had seen upon tile day before bolted from its hiding place and scuttled sn ailing from the room TO BE |