Show 0 mihe mystery My story 0 hoI oy by E PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM by br attle anro crown rf A cot co 1 1 LOVE GERALD sy SYNOPSIS norsiS ric e ing from a brutal stepfather an cunha unha unhappy appy horn ome and a pro p ased husband she be S myrtile myrelle Myr young french girl earl stands tanax in a country JW road on the verge of desperation zy y an exploded tire two young englishmen lord gerald dombey and ana christopher dent are attracted by b y the die girls distract dl ed appearance she begs the them in to take her away from her misery in a spirit of adventure they do so 0 o conveying her to 21 monte tell te carlo and leaving her with fiends myrelle english her mother having been an educated woman cirull sees a beautiful youaw radin in the start ass rooms and Js s fasel bated but can only learn that she he Is I 1 called pauline de and nd li Is with her aunt ile he lot in unable a to secure nn an carl to copher and gerald decide myrelle thill shall not co back to her horne home lady miry gitry geralds gerald elm ali ter ier secretly in love with christopher disapproves disapprove tf of the young mends men of myrille Myr lord dombey makes tho the tc ac tance of pauline lier her ix in puzzled by the air of matery and condescension surrounding her CHAPTER V continued 61 d dont know that I 1 urn am very differ ent from the others lie said tell me vant Is your nationality why should I 1 til you anything about myself she asked a little coldly it appeared to me hint it might tr r help our acquaintance 4 have I 1 no acknowledged tile the acquaintance an ce well you are talking to me anyhow he pointed out with ft a sll lit twinkle in his l ls eyes 1 I scarcely see how I 1 could help tell it the replied it if you are really curious about rny my nationality I 1 will tell you that I 1 have some french blood in roy my veins reins france ho however Never Is notay nt tive country and you live where bere nowhere the she tin answered if n little milly adly at present we are wanderers vt what flat you call in england ad gerald raised his eyebrows that Is 1 scarcely arcely tc the word he mur my aunt has a curious objection to faceting people upon our travels avela tr continued 1 I flat fand lier ier aloofness sometimes a little tedious that li 14 why I 1 am ain misbehaving to the lie extent of letting you talk to me inc As a matter of 0 propriety you certainly ought to leave me at once As a mat ter ot or fact I 1 was about to propose something else let me hear it at any rate he insisted 1 I watched you drive up to your fathers villa in your car will you take me a little way in it rather lie ho assented eagerly where shall I 1 pick you up outside the villa kites she re piled my aunt Is absolutely certain to sleep for or two hours it Is the only liberty I 1 hoke hae during tile the lay day please lease go at once and fetch the car site she dismissed him with an imperative wave of the hand As soon ns its lie he was out of tight sight she rhe jumped doun oin from the rock crossed the little strip of send rand and commenced glicr ter fel leisurely surel y ascent to tile the vula once or twice she laughed softly to herself liei kelf I 1 it wag vias an excursion which gerald pondered on many times afterward find settled down in the low bucket wat seat by hl him side and leaned back with nn an air of absolute content she ehe had in fact the appearance of for one enjoying a rare pleasure As soon ns as gerald slackened blackened speed ho however weer balth the idea of entering into conver motion atlon the she became eurt curt and almost rude and tila file proposition that they might take the higher oad and haw hn tf ten tea at nice slie she promptly when after an absence of about an hour and a half they drew up lit at the kates gates ot 0 tile the villa she left him with the merest tied nod of fo carew reuell ell you will come for another rifle ride toon moon perhaps tomorrow lie hp adikes anxiously slie she her head 1 I can make no plans she bhe replie ti 1 I think it very improbable I 1 thank aou ou no go much for your kindness your cur car Is 1 quite wonderful she walked away with the air of one ito ho hog has ct inferred a great favor gerld old drove drave s slowly lowly back to the he villa dAc acta ocla and joined lilg ills sister alster on the terrace do you knon anything about the two women at the next villa mary ilary te ibe asked one never knows onex onen neighbors here bere the she ans answered 1 I 1 saw save them driving the other day a strange looking old lady and a very good look ang girl jact there something queer bout about item or is I 1 it my fancy there Ili fire Is something ger cier old aid replied they heern curiously indisposed to forming acquaintance t which to ir odd in a ploce like this I 1 happeney hap haPP penel eneil to be talking to the younger woman tor for a few minutes site she gave rave we ne alto impression somehow rochow to that they a were people of greater consequence than their manner of living here would indicate 1 ernect I 1 am m uncharitable mary an elderly lady with no friends who takes a rather beautiful young oung woman oman about with her to public places does certainly iniste comment site she tell we me about your little pro lege we lunched with her chris and L X gereld replied goodness gracious where at caros we bought her ter some come clothes at lecorps Lenor ps this morning lady mary lit ill a cigarette and threw do down pvn he her r book 1 I mn amnot the ibe guardian of your morals Gt gerald garald she observed dryly a girl n nowadays u wai days has ill all she ran can do to look offer her own hut but I 1 lio nestly think iou ought to send that child buck back to lier her people to reo brutal lie replied they wanted minted tv to murry marry her to some horrible oli ninn whatever the position wn was your I 1 interference was most uncalled for his sl ter declared As for chris top fr I 1 nin am really surprised atklin at him I 1 think you two young men ought to be thoroughly ashamed of i ourselves for chait you are doing and I 1 shall just look forward t orward to an opportunity of telling christopher so gerald glanced at ills his sisters froble i anil and chuckled good old clirel he murmured ill just let jet him know coming to him I 1 chapter VI myrtile was mid nn denly tired site she i seated herself upon the lie trunk of a tree mad christopher followed follo her example below them stretched the motley panorama orama of monte carlo the wide bay and the glittering sea do fou you knok know site she said t flat I 1 have not seen monsieur Mons lehr gerald tor for three days 11 lie ile has been buy christopher answered shortly ile he plays golf anil and tennis tennise every verv t day then ills father slid sister take up a goof good deal of ills his time you always find time to come and see tile me every rooming she said B be sides itaas not ills sister with whon hoa L I 1 saw him motoring yesterday christopher braced himself for an effort i myrtile Myr he began you know that iam I 1 nin fond of you you have ha ve been very kind she answered Ilott listlessly lessly because Rc cause I 1 want to be kind I 1 am going to say bilings thin s that may sound harsh lie went on oil you are a n very foolish girl to waste your time think XV Z v za 11 v f at fial we lunched with her chris chril and if gerald replied ing and tire ming of gerald yen yell should only let your thoughts dell da ell upon one naiia continually alit n henis sume some chance in the end that that man may become our husband her ss passed she settled down to the ilic subject seriously hut Mosi Moir eur christopher ir leuned leaned oer und told laid his hand upon hers bors myrtile dear dean will you listen to mer ciel he begged look at me for u ino moment I 1 ox ye beurn rs old I 1 have lived in cities as aa well melt its n the country IV ID london I 1 am ahat you yort call an advocat avocat I 1 bucit to use ruse my any benins every day I 1 have to lande d my iny fellow creatures will 1 I jou tet get that into your head it Is not difficult site assured him with a little smile nille 1 I think you ure tire very clever land you know many many ni and as for you myrtele Myrt chilto pher went on when one of your upbringing it la Is unitizing unit izing to reallie how flow much moch ou on etive read how much you know hut but listen to tile me nothing that one retails rend can tench teach one what hat life Is like you spent many hours wonder ln what wait wa lit at the end 31 of the road you think now because you have pa ined sed oer ner the lilt 1111 that you yon are there sly my dear you are arc not even at the beginning of tile he way she plucked some men wr twined them round lier ier fingers goon she what you ape her t fia no not life li 11 is I 1 not even a very wonderful of it mostly it Is a little company ot of pleasure seekers come to cast aside for a time little the serious side of life and gamble with their pleasures as they do with lilt their money but sonie some must be in earnest myrtile protested one of them who Is nat in earnest Is gerala and I 1 tell iou ion so although gerald Is my friend christopher said lie ile Is here to owns amuse himself and he would prefer to anoise amuse himself without gi gluing in anyone ele pain it that la Is impossible ho however weier lie he Is sufficiently I 1 reckless eckless not to count the hie cot co t where here the other oilier person Is concerned site she drew a little away that dow not sound like the speech of a friend sie she reminded him reproachfully kut but I 1 can assure that I 1 am his friend although a candid one christopher declared all that I 1 have hae suid said to you I 1 have sald td him lind and a great deal more you will let me finish site she made no reply nor her eyes were fixed upon the exact spot where here the sea bea seemed to melt into tile the clouds the grace of her slim body lent beauty even to the hunch ot of her hei shoulders ders jy you on are like a child who has been 1 lot let out of a dark room christopher went on everything kv cry tiling seems beautiful but you dont see clearly your ebes arent strong enough yet what you imagine to be love is s a iverse worse thing gerald does not love you lie can never marry oil ile he belongs to that world at which you are ara looking with blurred eyes myrelle Myr dont want kant to baguod begu be good od 1 I want to be happy myrtile my atlle ro p piled led 1 I shall always be how follow do you know that because I 1 nin am all good inside she afi said d 1 I rould nt do any of the things that wicked people do christopher sat for a moment in puzzled thought look here lie went on d it if you jou love gerald and gerald lovs lova you and sou are content with the pretense of ills love and you go on loving him and you know that you con can not be ills his wife then you are not good any longer she shook her head there Is only once in my life she d said that I 1 haie bae ever come near sin and that Is when I 1 thought of staying at tile farm and marrying alerre les champs I 1 love gerald all that I 1 need to be happy and good Is that ho he should love me i but gerald titles docs not love you and never will christopher declared bluntly gerald at the present moment at any rate Is incapable of it i stable affection and if he were capable of it his people would not allow him to marry you 1 I do not wish him to marry me lae she declared with it a little choke in her oice perhaps not he replied in that case you should listen to me more patiently I 1 want ou on to leave this plaice place and RO go to some friends of mine in england what aloner alone she shook her head christopher she sold said suddenly slipping lier her arm through ills 1 I think you on want to be kind to me I 1 believe hint flint you are very good perhaps you vou tire are better thian gerald but so long lon as gerald wants me near I 1 stay uen kven if he goes about with other people ne thinks of me lie he lias has told me so and lie tills hiis promised to take a is a to one of ills supper parties tills this belc I 1 am looking forward to it more then to ony anything thIng else in the world horld ch rist gophers face hardened you will not nl go to one of thoe upper parties myrtile Myr lie he insisted 1 I would rather take ou on back tu to the farm slie she turned tinned her head ant and looked at him there was something in lier per eyes front which lie very much minli like hate slip she raw the pain in ills his face and site sho was suddenly remorseful slie site dun clun to in lils ills linn iran again ter her cheek almost ton loin lied bed hl his dear Chri christopher stophen she fhe f he pleaded 1 I 1 did not mean to hurt you I 1 know flow gund good you are but jutt just think how ui w it bould sold bo be for me ago go bolth Gera gerald ild to meet other oilier girls to n lanala find talk to lilt fit toy by hadi side ills guest guem to dince perhaps olt oil it would pe be bradli lisel el Iver body else coes to parties christopher 1 I will ill take you to the ontra he ha 1 ifer her yes eyes glowed evidently myrtile li Is going to be the cause or c a conslee rattle number of complication can you guest them TO DE BE CONTINUED |