Show THE GIFT WIFE 8 Ar I C ORUP O RUPERT HUGHES HUGHES SERVICE t By B y RUPERT R U P E RI HUGHES HUGHES' H U G H E S CHAPTER XII Continued Xii Continued 13 13 Jebbs Jebb's whisper r reached ached her She started turned saw him checked a acry acry acry cry with a sw swift t hand to her mouth Then she rose rose rose-as as she alone could rise like a lark lark came came to him fleetly fleetly fleetly fleet fleet- ly lithely oblivious of her unwonted costume Their hands met in a fierce clutch and she dropped at his side I I 1 I didn't know you at first in those clothes He could have cursed himself for such sublime inanity but her greeting greeting greeting greet greet- I ing was small improvement on his Didden Bidden you know me I you the feerst I heard you They stared at each other and she flushed a little deeper as she asked But you didden call me hanim effendi or madame like that you used to what to-what what it was the word you call me joost now I She closed her eyes and breathed deep as if the sound were perfume O Of all Fates Fate's practical jokes this seemed to Jebb the meanest that he should meet like this in a crowded hotel parlor parlor and and that another another another an an- other woman should be coming for him at any moment CHAPTER XIII Rarely has a Womans Woman's Five Minutes Minutes Minutes Min Min- utes been longer than Jennie Ludlam's Ludlam's Ludlam's Lud- Lud lams lam's rarely has lias it seemed shorter was saying with a a achild childish childish childish child child- ish giggle You didden know me at feerst See if you know me now And she hid the lower part of her face peering peering peering peer peer- ing over the white white hand that mimicked a yashmak Oh I knew you as soon as I saw those eyes Jebb Effendi remembers these eyes then They are the most wonderful eyes in the world A compliment Youre no longer in Turkey Dont Don't be afraid Then he flew to safer topics But how did you ever get here and when Didden you received my letters letters letters let let- No I uI you twice letters He explained the Trieste contre- contre tempts briefly but neglected to mention mention mention men men- tion the She looked sad Then I deed not helped you I hoped so much to help you You have the the the pretty girl me I have not found her You deed not try the Budapest place then What Budapest place I you in my letter a post post- card You did not been to Budapest Budapest Budapest Buda Buda- pest I came through there but I didn't stop stop except except to eat Only to eat aman aman What a pity The child was perhaps very near you Leesten The day after you have goed Jaffar is to me a picture postcard post He say he find it tack up on the wall in the room of one of the other servants The man say he find it long time before in in the room where Jaffar your clothes dry after you first earned to my home you home you remember remember remember re re- re- re member Do I remember Jaffar say the picture pictures is s fall out of your pocket out and shall he burn it I take it and send it t to you in a letter It is in Trieste now then You say it was a picture postcard Yes Yes he he is a carte in inmany inmany inmany many colors colors colors-a a picture of a little ada how ada-how how you say say island And it say say say-I I cannot pronounce the majar language language but but I can spell if you have havea a pencil pencil- He gave her a card and his fountain pen and she wrote Margit Budapest Who is Margit I 1 wonder wonder won der I think he is the name of the is is- land The picture is of a beautiful park And on is in a writing writ writ- writing ing like the little writing you send send- I ed to me Dear Mother Do not worry I am having a nice time here herein in beautiful place ter Pierpont Do you know a man name Pierpont Jebb nodded impatiently Was that all No uNo then comes Your loving child and then in beeg letters like a child is print them Y T Y N II-I-A II the the name of the girl yes girl yes Are you remembering such a place He shook his head blankly I must go to Budapest by the first train Sure Surely y Ill I'll find the poor little wa waif there You are an angel to write me And now weve we've talked so much about my affairs Tell me about you What brought you to Vienna It was a brusque question and she answered it with a blush of meek confusion that told him more than he had dared to believe She had followed him like another Ruth But tell me are you you did did Fehmi Pasha grant you the the the-the the talaq I am nobody's hanim now I 1 Iam am tun joost me I 1 am free now She was so beautiful ul now alone so doubly lovable here in the surroundings surroundings surroundings sur sur- of civilization She would honor him and his name anywhere But he and his name would not honor her What protection could he give her when he could not protect himself He had fought the battle through in and had chosen the course had silenced his love and fled with it That she had come up with him and that she was here at his mercy did not change his duty He was wondering how to broach the subject to Jennie Ludlam and her brother and the ring when he heard his name paged along the corridor He called the boy and was informed informed informed in in- formed that Miss Ludlam was waiting waiting waiting wait wait- ing for him in a lower alcove Jebb answered Ich komm The boy went his way and Jebb turned to find a troubled curiosity on Minima's face Miss Ludlam is you is or you remember remember remember ber that ring I had Yes It belonged to her But you did say you it in Cologne II Did I You sayed it had no It lilt And I find you here you wait for her the beautiful Lood- Lood lam She rose and crushed the jealousy the disillusionment the shattered j r rG rr rr rw r r w G But I compromised on five hundred trust back in her breast Jebb rose roseto roseto roseto to her side whispering Hanim madame madame- I I beg you you you-I I can explain if you you you- Please Please if if you would not have me shame myself here please speak nothing nothing let let me me-go- me go She hurried away as fast as she dared slipping through the crowd with a lithe panther-like panther grace that impressed him even then He stood fast and saw her vanish And then he heard a voice back of him him him-a a sweet and womanly voice Is this Dr Jebb He was brought sharply to book by a gasp of surprise Why its it's Mr Pierpont The card said it was Dr Jebb His worst fears seemed realized by the swift change from the formal Cormal greeting for Dr J Jebb ebb to the gush of cordiality for Mr Pierpont And his uneasiness was increased by the sight of what Mr Pierpont had affianced affianced affianced af af- him to For he saw before him a short lady whom even a flatterer flatterer flatterer flat flat- would call plump So this was sister Jennie As he stared at her in a daze she smiled tenderly and said as she pressed his hand and kept it Was this one of your jokes send jokes send sending ing up a strange name and asking for my brother Was it just to surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise me Is isn't ls isn't your brother here Why no hes he's in Servia some Servia-some- some somewhere where in the mountains hunting big game Dont Don't you remember my telling telling tell tell- ing you in Munich Do you suppose that if he had been where I could reach him I should have accepted all that money from you you you- no N I suppose not I Im awfully glad to sec set you she pattered on Do liDo sit down and I she dropped into place on the divan It was awfully embarrassing embarrassing embarrassing embar embar- rassing to me that you should disappear disappear disappear dis dis- dis- dis appear so completely and leave no nv trace Knowing nothing else to do he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled Meanwhile sister Jennie sal sat dud and purred over him like an amiable tabby with a disabled mouse house between between between be be- tween her paws As his eyes rolled distressfully he saw brother Charlie steam into the hotel and push to the I desk like a liner crowding up to a pier Theres your brother now Jebb exclaimed No Impossible So it is and she left him and made an almost un-old-maidenly un haste catching her brother just as he was asking for her at the desk His eye fell on Jebb He stopped short snorted like a bull and charged So here you are eh I never expected expected expected ex ex- to see you again Again cried Jennie youve seen h him m Have I seen him Didn't he give me the slip in Munich Youve met Mr Pierpont before Isn't that funny Pierpont Pierpont That's That's Dr Jebb Dr Jebb why she why she turned to Jebb the name said Jebb II And I got your ring away from him Jennie See here it is And he fished it out He wouldn't tell teU me how he came by it though that delicate of him And she beamed on Jebb till she frightened him Delicate gasped Charlie Delicate Delicate Delicate Del Then you really did give it to him Then it is true that you you you- you Sit down you old dear and Ill I'll tell you II She toppled the mountain on to the wailing divan Its an old story to you Mr Pierpont Pierpont Pierpont Pier Pier- pont she said but you wont won't mind hearing it again Well to begin at atthe atthe atthe the beginning you see Charlie you wrote me that you were going into the mountains for a month or so of hunting Just after you disappeared Charlie I had a call for five thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand dollars more margin on my stock in the the the-oh oh that awful investment investment investment invest invest- ment you let me in for Rock Island you mean it it You told me to hold for a rise II Well I see by the paper that its it's up twenty-nine twenty points Yes but at that time somebody attacked it and the bottom fell out for a a afew few days I had word one afternoon from my brokers in Munich Munich Munich Mu Mu- nich that if I didn't cover the drop by morning Id I'd be wiped out Is that so Somebody was hammering hammering hammering ham ham- mering her I suppose Well whoever hammered it it hit the toboggan and I stood to lose loseaU all aU I had put up That very evening evening evening eve eve- ning the cablegrams announced that my bank bankin in New York had been looted by its president and had closed its doors I found where the cashier of my Munich bank lived and telephoned his house He said that my letter of credit was good for nothing unless the bank opened again I was simply in despair At that moment who should come along but Mr Pierpont here I didn't know him and he didn't know me but he heard me crying and said Pardon me madame is there anything anything anything any any- thing I can do for you It sounded so good to hear an American voice and he spoke so gently and I was wasso wasso wasso so weak that I just up and told him the story Well what do you suppose this angel of a Mr Pierpont did I can hear him now There now There there my poor child she laughed moistly he called me his poor child when Im I'm old enough to be his mother But Charlie was impatient Go on What did he say He said There there my poor child if you'll stop crying Ill I'll give you the money I 1 sa said d lend thousand marks marks me me twenty me-twenty twenty me a total stranger I Certainly he said you are an American and andI I said But I have no security and he said Youre an American as as asif if that proved anything He wouldn't listen to any ny argument argument argument ment or scruples he just asked me meto meto meto to excuse him while he went to his room and got at his money-belt money and when he came back he handed me the sum surn in English bank notes Then he said You must have something to get along on till tm you hear from your brother or till your bank reopens and he actually wanted to give me mea a thousand dollars more But I compromised compromised compromised com com- promised on five hundred The next morning I had the money at the brokers' brokers bright and early and I Imade Imade Imade made a solemn resolve that Id I'd never never never nev nev- er speculate on margins again Did you keep the vow grinned I Charlie She pouted meekly I Well I might have kept it if the stock hadn't gone skyrocketing up I again It never rains but it pours you know and in two days that awful awful awful aw aw- aw- aw ful bank was reorganized and reopened reopened reopened re re- re- re opened and my letter of credit was all right But when I came to look for Mr Pierpont he had paid his bill and disappeared taking his little niece along with him But the ring the ring the ring said brother Charles voicing a curiosity that was aching in Jebbs Jebb's breast how did you come to give him the ring I gave you Such a silly question Charlie Cant Can't you see I felt so ashamed of taking his money with no security that I forced it on him He didn't want to take it but I made him When he learned it was worth only about half what he lent me he con con- Charlie rounded on Jebb Well Vell why in thunder didn't you tell me all this on the train when I accused you of stealing the ring That was his delicacy Cant Can't you see Charlie He didn't want to in involve involve involve in- in volve me Charles could understand that he owed Jebb a handsome apology and he put it in his own terms I guess the drinks are on me old man Ive I've made a jackass of myself and I admit it What'll it be But Jebb declined to liquidate the account And then sister Jennie said she must run up to her room and write him a check for two twenty-two thousand marks Would you mind making the check payable to David Jebb David Jebb the name you gave me on the train her brother put in my real name said Jebb Now Charlie was off again But why did you call yourself Pierpont to my sister Hush Charlie dont don't make another another another an an- other exhibition of yourself He was traveling Very rich people often do that Brother Charles and Jebb were such mutually discomforting companions companions companions com com- that when they were left to together together together to- to gether Ludlam grew restive Come on into the cafe and have something No thanks Well will you excuse me if I do Ive I've just got in from Munich and Im I'm horribly thirsty Dont let me keep you Left alone Jebb was overcome by this new turn of the wheel The money meant so much to him just now it meant power salvation from infinite humiliations it meant funds for the pursuit of Cynthia Then the luxury of being a minor Croesus faded before a keen anxiety anxiety anxiety ety for He must find her She must be told the news the news that solved everything He would go to the desk and send her his card imploring her to grant him a hearing He paused what paused what was her name was her first name what name what her last Had she was registered as hanim effendi or madame hanim or Mme Fehmi Pasha Pasha Pasha-or or what TO BE CONTINUED |