Show fORTUNES fORTUNE'S FOOL BY 4 RAFAEL SABATINI 11 s sy 1 IllS 2 my BY HtA 44 DF BEGIN N hERE Y TOD TOD IT Colonel soldier and d ad- ad adventurer adventurer returns to England the theland theland land of his birth when hen nar sar I is declared with Holland He comes cometo to lodge with Ith Martha Quinn host host- hostess of the tho Paul Paula Pauls a Head In Paul II a Yard London The Colonel asks ks hi his old friend HIs Grace of ot Albemarle to secure for tor him a place In the army Albemarle warns same him that the tho name of ot Randal Hollos HolIs father rather ot of otho the tho colonel Is ts on the warrant for rOl forthe the execution of the late kIng Therefore It IL Is dangerous for the colonel to secure a commIssIon Holies meets a friend named name Tucker who ho asks him to enter a conspiracy against the government The Tho street treet preachers preacher are loudly Ia- Ia pestilence the of ot the pest pest- lence lie 1 Grace Gace of Buckingham I command ot Or a II eh and Is refused i ow GO ON OX WITH TILE TIDE STORY STOP Buckingham hatS had remained therefore at t Court to nurse nursa nUS nU'S chagrin and to find his hie way circuitously cl Into 1010 the tho strange of ot Colonel Randal Hours Holies His Ills friend George Ethredge that tbt other othor gifted g rake who had ha leapt Into sudden tame fame a year ago with hl his hla comedy The Comic Re- Re Revenge had been deafening his hi ears cars with praises of ot the beauty and talent of ot that widely admIred and comparatively newly ered eed actress Sylvia At first Buckingham had scoffed at hi his frIends frienda friend s a cn enthusiasm hu la m Such heat of ot rhetoric to de do do- do scribe a playhouse ease baggage h he be had yawned Pot Fo a man ot of your you parts George I protest your youre nauseating callow You Tou flatter me In leek seeking In II to re- re reprove prove provo Ethredge Etheredge laughed To bo be callow allow despite the years Is to bear bea beathe the mark of ot greatness Whom tho th gods love are callow al always ays for tor whom the gods loo Ime 10 e die young whatever be their age You Toil aim at paradox I suppose God help me roe No paradox at all Whom the tho gOds love never nevor grow gow old Ethere Ether Ether- Etheredge e edge ge explained himself They The never nevor come to suffer utter a as do you from jaded appetites You Tou may be right his grace graco grac admitted gloomily Prescribe me mea mea m ma a tonic That I Is what I was doIng Syl- Syl Sylvie vie at the tho Dukes Duke 8 house Bah flah A pia play actress A paInted doll on wires sires Twenty years ago agi your prescription might hae ha e sered You admit that you TOW grow old Superfluous admission I But this let I t me perish Is ts no nu painted doll ThI This I la is an incarnation ot of beauty and talent So Ivo Ive heard ot of others that had ha neither And let lot me roe add that she the Is b vir- vir vir virtuous Buckingham t BuckIngham Bu kingham stared at him open open- InG Inc openInG his lazy eyes What may that tha be he bo asked aked tion prescription Tho Tho Phe chief drug dug in tn my But But does It exist or Is la your you callowness deeper than I thought Buckingham Come and od see soe Mr Etheredge Invited him Virtue VItue Buckingham objected ta Is not visible Like beauty It dwells In the tue beholder i s eye That s 8 why you ye ve vene V ne neier neer er seen soen It Bucks Bucke To go ITo the Dukes Duke's In LIn- LIn LIncoln Lb Lin I coin coln s Inn Fields his disgruntled grace graco Buttered himself elf In the tho end to be conducted He Hs H went to scoff scort He lie remained to worship You ai- ai al I ready know having know having o 0 01 heard ei-heard the I garrulous IT Mr how Pep Pep-is how f from Tron- Tron l i us Rt Ip I I I p particular and the whole hous I In general the ducal author loud loud- loudly ly announced that he would elvi II hl his hir muse no rest reel until he should have produced a play pl with a part I worthy ot of the tha superb talent talents of 11 Miss Farquharson His words were reported to JIO her I They bore boe with them a certain flattery to which It sam ns impossible that she he should be Impervious ImpOSSible it prepared her for tor the tho ducal visit to the green gren room which fol- fol fol lowed followed pretend She Bhe VAS preSented tOI 1 by 1 Mr t Etheredge with nith ith whom shorn she he Bh was already and she stood shyly before the tall mu- mu I elegant duke under the th gaze gazo of ot Ills his bold In his golden III he looked I at this dato not a II ear icar moro titan thirty despite the hard life he heI h had lived from boyhood boyl In shape bap I bapa and carriage he was ot t an grace that drew dew all eyes oyos up upon upen on en him Yet Tet at sight Instinctive Miss MIes Farquharson disliked him herout Reason and nd ambition argued her he 1 out of ot that Instinctive shrinking a Hid nia n grace graro bowed bo 1 low Here Hee wa was one whose appo approval al car car- ned ried weight and would soulS set the seal eal upon her fame famo one whoso good goo graces could maintain her hel firmly on the eminence to which she ahe ha had so laboriously climbed HI Ills His grace grae bowed low the tha curls curl of ot his wig Jg ig swinging forward like lIko the ears rs ofa of ot a water spaniel I Madam he said I w s con con- you were I t not more con con- con corned concerned to congratulate myself to for tor ha haing witnessed your perform perform- performance ance anco and aud sUII still more Lord your present author Him I not only congratulate but enVY il envy a hIde hid Ishall ous cankering emotion motion which I 1 shall ahall not conquer until I have writ ten you a part at least as great as his Katherine you rou ou smili emil It Is for gratification at your you grace grae If g promise j hisey I wonder onder now said he ho his hi I ey eyes narrowing his lips smiting a little I I w onder I Is that the truth 01 Is It that ou au think I boasted that such an achievement Is not no within my tny compass I Ill II confer conteRS frankly that until I saw Raw you It was wa not nol But you hao ha e made mado It so 80 dear my m It It If I have done dono that I Indeed I shall have well sell of m my audience lightly she he answered but light light- ly laughing a little as aa It If to dis- dis dis discount I count the he high flown compliment I As u Mell ell eli I 1 tl t use aa BJ I 1 shall have deserved of ou said he I heI deserve The Tho author roust must mu t always al ays d dd- dd 1 serve the bet bast of ot his hl puppets Deseno Dese e a ae e But how rarely andy doea does he get his deserts deserI Surely you Ducks Bucks have little reason to complain gibed Ether Ether- Etheredge T- T Ti edge edgo In i T my wo T-wo case cane now It irow c I in en en- en 1 entirely different It IL Is I George entirely entirely his hta hi grace agreed reed resenting tho the Inter You are the rarity You Tot have always found better bettor than you yoi deserved I 1 have never nevor found It 1 until this moment And Il his a eyes upon Miss MIs Farquharson gave save poInt to his meaning When at length they thel left hon her her of exaltation was ws all Al gone Sho could not have told you why wh- but the Duke of ot Buck Buck- Ingham approval al uplifted no ni longer Almost did she wish that tha that ahe she might have Stave gone without 11 it It And when hen Betterton camo came smiling good to otter offer his hia con con- congratulations emulations upon his lila conquest he found her bel hemmed bemused and troubled Bemused too did find the Duke s as they droe drove back together to Wallingford House Almost I 1 think said he emil emil- log Ing that already you find my do- do despised de prescription to your taste Pc evered with It may even esen re- re restore store iou ou you your lost 3 I What I ask myself said bald eal Buc Buckingham Buckinghan kIngham Is la why shy lou IOU ou should shou Id IdI I hive prescribed he her for tor me roe instead of at for tor yourself I I 1 am like tit that at said Etheredge Eth the embodiment of or seif flee fice Besides Beside she aho will ha have hae e none of at though mo-though me though I am ten years year lounger than you are ae fully rully as I handsome and almost a as unscrupulous The girl s a a II a prude pruda and I 1 1 never learnt the wa as to handle handi prudes raith Faith Its It's an education in Itself Is It said Buckingham m I I must undertake It then thon And undertake It he did sith all the zest of ot one who loved loed 10 ed I learning and the study of ot unusual subjects Dally Daily no now noa he was sac to be seen In tn ina Ina a box at the theatre theale In tn Lincoln Lincoln's Inn Fields and dally daily he sent gent her In token of ot hI his hie respectful homage gifts girts ot of flowers flower and comfits Ho would have added Jewels but that wiser wIsor Etheredge restrained him Ne o brusque pas poe 1 I affairs affaire was the younger younge man s lid advice vice You Ii 11 1 snare her by pI ancy and anti so s 0 spoil all Such a conquest conquet a as this Infinite patience His grace erace suffered mufford himself to tobe tobe t be advised and set a 8 restraint restrain I upon his hia hi ardour uel using the great create greatest est et circumspection In the tha vl Iu I which ho he paid he her almost dell dall after atter the performance He confined con- con confined I fined tIned the expressions to 10 admire tiOn of her hor art and Ind It if Ithe he touched upon her personal beauty and grace crace race It was c ever oer er In association with her playing so 80 that Its consideration seemed just just- just justified by tho the part that he told her ho he was conceiving for or he her u am no area w suit her caution and Intoxicate her senses with the Iho sweet poison polon of I flattery whilst discussing with her herthe herthe the play he be was write whIch to In hI his own o-n phrase phe was WILS to ImmoN Immor himself and her thereby eternally uniting them thenn There Thee was In this mote moio tItan than a a of ofa oA J a spiritual bond bod a s marriage r theIr dramatic conception so o aloof alnor j from material and personal con can con considerations that thet she ehe was ed Into wallowing swallowIng at least leut halt bait the belt baIt Nor w WAS 3 It vague His HI grace gace did not ne neglect lect to furnish It witha with witha a certain form torm III theme he told her r was wad the Iho Immortal story of Laura and her set Mt et In Inthe inthe the m glitter of ot n en n old Italian frame Nor was WItS that all he ho told her He Ho whipped his hll wits wIt to some purpose and sketched for tor her hr the outline of ot a 11 first act of I It t tenderness and nd power f t tAt At the end of ot a week ho n I InI announced an I that this first act was already written I I I 1 havo have labored day dy and night t the he told her driven relentlessly r by rby the Inspiration you hive vo fur tur- furnished fur furnished me roe So great groat Is this that Y I 1 must roust regard ud tho thing a as more E your than mine or I sh shall chill 1 do It when hen you have set let upon It the oal Abruptly 1 of your approval lT Abrupt Abrupt- y v ly iy h he asked her as u If It It wets wora w r a ait predetermined When will you hear me rn read reed it Were WT It tt not better that your I ITac nac grace Tac should first complete t the th ork n-ork work work- she ahe ilc a ked il him bins i He lie was taken aback almost t stricken horror-stricken to judge by his hi expression But It is ls not what I desire our grace gace What else then It Is not no something that I am doing ape epe- for you moved mOHd to It by b yourself And shall I 1 complete I It tormented tho while by doubts doubt doubts as to whether you will nIH Ul consider It worthy orthy of ot you your talents when whon It In is itis dono done Would you let Jet a dross dross- maker complete our gown with with- without w out el ever eser er a II fitting to see BOO how 1 It becomes you ou 7 And Is a play then ies less Important than a gem gar garment gar garment mont ment ment I Continued In lit Our Next Nt Issue ISUe I |