Show edven ay PAY ay rr SYNOPSIS 10 hall artist photographer pre pares for the day a work in hla studio hodle fisher his assistant reminds him of a party he is to give in the studio that night and that his business is in bad financial shape mr dorcious Dor crous attorney and justice of the peace calls and informs hall that his uncle johns will has left him on condition that he marry before his twenty eighth birthday which begins at midnight that night mrs rena royalton Hoy alton calls at the studio all asks her to marry him she agrees to give him an answer at the party that night miss carolyn dallys calls hall proposes to her ahe agrees to give him an aj at the party rosamund gale art model calls hall tries to rush her into an immediate marriage she too defers her answer until the evening arlea to show nall a certain way out of the but he Is obtuse donaa bury heir to the millions in case hall falls to marry on time plots with flodde to block hall s marriage to any of the three women before midnight 1 lodle arranges to have hall s three Intend eds meet at the studio as it by charac caro lyn and llos amund come in first and corn pare notes CHAPTER VII continued rosamund flinched but recovered to sneer well then what answer did you give him I 1 d like to know carolyn was tor a moment non paused oh she replied finally 1 dlan t want to throw him down too hard you know I 1 eald id let him know later BO that I 1 could break it to him gently exactly so did I 1 rosamund triumphant scrambled upon Ca lifeboat but I 1 don t intend to break it to him very gently after this no carolyn reflected grimly we ought to make it lust a little hard for him dont you think we might even torture him a bit it possible the question Is bow to do it she contemplated rosamund musing on revenge I 1 don t understand it at all I 1 rosa mund complained why in the world should a man act like that my dear miss gale I 1 dont know dirt I 1 do know that it s just like men you never can tell what they 11 do you think you know them you think you re perfectly safe years go by and they seem perfectly human and ra and then albl they explode no woman yet has ever solved the mystery rosamunde Ros amunds suavity was perfect as she looked carolyn over ly funny you let hall go so tar with you say he must have chocked you awfully 1 now see here I 1 said carolyn firm ly putting her band on rosamund s arm there B no use in our bicker ing like this dont you realize that were in the same boat now you aay you don t want to marry hall I 1 d like to be sure though before I 1 go any further oh you needa t worry cried rosamund you can have him so far aa im concerned I 1 carolyn coulden couldn t keep from smiling now rosamund was too much tor tier oh thank you very much but I 1 have other plans for him and we ought to try to find out what in the world be a up to do you suppose it could possibly be a joke rosamund asked acx lousby it looks to me said carolyn reflecting ting as it somebody had slipped a powder or something into his coffee or it may be a disease incipient ln sanity perhaps no doubt be a going about proposing to everyone today and carolyn paused the door was open ng mrs royalton entered CHAPTER VIII mrs royalton in an almost too avld shade of purple was in contrast to the two rather excited women already there calm cool and confident things were going very well with rena royalton she had a man in her pocket rena was getting on thirty alvo bad struck its warning bell if she afre going to be married again why Bont stelle nt now hall he well born and bred rena had thought him over and decided to accept him she en therefore in a roost becomingly amiable state of mind lofty and somewhat detached to carolyn she gave a smiling but auspicious why hello carolyn you beret and to rosamund the quick unconscious tribute due the natural her eyes returned to carolyn little troubled I 1 dlan t expect to ee you again so soon my dearl she bald rosamund Kos amund was staring t the prototype of the portrait which had started the discussion of hall s carolyn noticing introduced her rosamund however did not interest rena royalton so much as did carolyn herself where la mr she asked oh hes out as usual said carolyn 1 I expect miss flaher win at tend to you though mrs royalton shrugged her flers flaher will hardly do tor what I 1 want the said im afraid have to aeo him elf rosamund frowned but carolyn only raised her eyebrows oh well I 1 expect hall will be back before long said carolyn mrs royalton placid as a cow eyed her for a moment then remarked slowly meditating you call him hall don t you I 1 I 1 known you were so intimate oh lord yes I 1 always call him hall carolyn was beginning to be amused rosamund tossed her head and crossed her feet watching the newcomer sharply well said mrs royalton primly ironical 1 I m delighted that you know him so well my dear well now I 1 come to think of it rena I 1 dont know that I 1 do know him quite so well as I 1 thought after all she exchanged a smile with rosamund who laughed aloud harsh ly causing mrs royalton to turn and stare at her im afraid I 1 tall to see the joke she said haughtily but of course hall isn t at all the sort of man one sees through at a glance you know he a deep a very subtle per son in tact however she smiled complacently 1 I flatter myself that I 1 understand him a little better than I 1 did carolyn shot her a suspicious glance Why she demanded made any recent discoveries mrs royalton deliberately nodded up and down and smiled cryptically oh I 1 dont know I 1 fancy be has something on hla mind in tact I 1 know he has there s a well a sort of crisis yes I 1 suppose he wound appear a little excited but of course I 1 really have no business discussing it what in the w orld are you talking about rena carolyn exclaimed why I 1 m talking about hall boals telle of course well youre not saying much never mind carolyn dear it lan t because I 1 haven t anything to say i you don t expect me to go about repeating things he has eaid to me in confidence do you ohl said carolyn narrowing her eyes then hall has been confiding in you too has he by this time rosamund was hard on the scent having almost caught up to carolyn ri suspicions she said nothing but her ayea were hot and shin ing as she scrutinized mrs Roy altona face see here said carolyn now thoroughly interested I 1 don t flee why a right to know I 1 m a good friend of hall s you know that and I 1 think you ought to be able trust m well it only trusting you mrs royalton looked significantly rosamund sulkily listening well I 1 declare said calmly rena royalton either youre making an awful fool of yourself or else hall Bon letelle has actually she got no further flodde head up with busy air hustled into the room carrying a handful of prints she stopped suddenly with a fine imitation of surprise and gazed at mrs royal ton oh mrs royalton I 1 she exclaimed why you let me know you were beret I 1 ve got your proofs all ready or you I 1 think they are did she banded them over and approached pro ached carolyn with two other proofs here are yours miss dallys I 1 m sorry to have kept you waiting 0 o long she returned to mrs royalton oh how I 1 dread to look at them that lady was she was nevertheless erth eless perusing them hungrily carolyn meanwhile bad stridden abrou the room to rosamund and the two girls conspired aa mrs royalton lost herself in her portraits oh I 1 don t like that one why I 1 look a hundred year old therel more like me which one do you like best miss flahert no do you why I 1 think its antul my eyes are so hard to take right you dont get the soul in them somehow oh I 1 think I 1 ought to try another sitting dont say whereas mr benl stelle anyway there came a ring at the telephone flodde jumped to snatch up the receiver hello yes why the matter oh naturally walt just a minute please flodde stopped and held her hand over the transmitter oh miss dallys would you and miss gale mind not talking quite so loud tor a minute T I 1 cant hear very well there was a long pause and the three women all studying flodde s face saw a dozen different expressions pass over it in quick succession then she spoke again Real lyT oh you know mr well personally I 1 loathe them oh I 1 dont know but a big diamond Is so funny some how bhatt then oh yes well I 1 know oh but its awful to pawn that why it was your fa ther s gasn wasn t it well of course you know best oh you well I 1 might send it by the danl tor where did you leave itt i when you be here all syl 1 good by mrs royalton and rosamund still sat as if entranced but carolyn dally rose impatiently now and glanced about as if in search of an excuse the room was tensely charged with electricity it was evident that in another minute the explosion must come but first how to get rid of this important busy little miss fisher flodde herself answered the un voiced question gasn wasn t she as desirous as any of them to bring the thing to a head yes so ehe must fly and leave the field of battle clear still smiling she disappeared into the stockroom she left the door ajar mrs royalton rose with a celt con smile well carolyn she said I 1 suppose I 1 II 11 have to tell you now it la most unfortunate that miss fisher gasn wasn t more discreet in her conversa alon but so long as she has let the cat out of the bag I 1 might as ell in form you that the ring she was talk ing to hall about is for this fanger fl nger she held up her left band her thumb pointing to her third finger carolyn with a whoop fell into rosamund s arms and the two laughed until they cried mrs royalton stared as if they had suddenly gone mad then she ex claimed angrily I 1 d like to know what there Is to laugh at I 1 dont see any thing particularly amusing in the fact that I 1 m going to marry hall benl stelle oh dont you carolyn gurgled mabb gale do you eee anything funny in it funny 1 its a rosamund shouted with mirth who 11 be the next one oh the more the merr lerl cried carolyn rena royalton drew herself up proudly I 1 think youre exceedingly impertinent she replied carolyn dried her eyes on a lace handkerchief rena she said still giggling I 1 don t know whether it s too true to be tunny or too funny to bo true but you ought to be in on this joke really my dear it will interest you strangely well I 1 don t call it a joke its an outrage cried rosamund say miss gale carolyn turned confidentially d you know we ought really to form a society of the survivors you know renas the oldest and well elect her president mrs royalton stared from one to the other her temper rising finally she remarked cuttingly 1 I mu say dellol ye why what the matter carolyn I 1 always thought you were a lady and she walked toward the door oh dont go yet carolyn called out you ve got a laugh coming to you too rena you haven t heard our news yet mrs royalton trembled on tha threshold your news what dyon mean listen here said rosamund walk ing over to her coolly hall benl stelle proposed to miss dallys at ten thirty athla morning and he proposed to me at a quarter to eleven now what time did he propose to you mrs royalton put out a hand trem blang with appeal carolyn I 1 she am elored carolyn nodded unsympathetically mrs royalton dropped into a chair speechless and burst into tears carolyn walked up to her and laid a hand on the heaving purple shoulder draco cupl she said it wont hurt but a minute see here rena were you carried off your feet by his wild wooing or did you take notice of the almet why here this morning caro ln mrs royalton sobbed I 1 left just before you came it was it was before that her tears poured forth afresh carolyn nodded to rosamund make it ten fifteen then I 1 expect he proposes every quarter of an hour rain or shine but I 1 don t see said rosamund it she accepted him why he ever pro posed to us TO BE CONTINUED |