OCR Text |
Show The Mystery Road rap in hand, waltiaf fW Mi erderi. The man who had Just won two mIlllo francs handed him the letter, gave him seme brief direction and a handful of coins. The chasseur saluted and hurried oft. Gerald gripped his companion com-panion by the arm. "Did you hear that, ChrUr he whispered. "I heard nothing," Christopher replied. re-plied. "' - -' ' "I saw the address, too," Gerald continued eagerly. "The .letter, to to Madame de Poniere, Villa Vlolette!" The dispatch of the letter was the signal for certain almost Imperceptible advances on the part of those who had been watching the great man. The young lady at the next table leaned over and congratulated him on his good fortune, an. overture which was received a little gruffly and without enthusiasm. A seedy-looking stranger slid from bis stool, leaned over the table and whispered a few words In the Russian's ear. He was a sundy-halred sundy-halred man, with puffy cheeks and a nervous manner. His clothes had once been well enough, but were now shabby. shab-by. He had the ganiMers restless air. "Sir," he began, "forgive my addressing ad-dressing you." , ;' ,, "What do you want"., was the blunt rejoinder. "1 stood behind yonr chair In the rooms. I natter myself that I brought you fortune, as I have brought It to many others. I willed you to win. 'I have lost as much at the tables as you have won. Will yon grant me the loan of a meul?" ; I honestly cannot place these two women." "What Is mademoiselle's attitude toward you when you are alone?" Christopher asked. "Ridiculously- reserved," Gerald "answered. "an-swered. "I once touched her fingers and I thought she would have struck me. Humiliating though It may be, I am half inclined to believe that It Is the motoring alone which attracts her In the slightest degree, and that I represent rep-resent very little more to her than the man who Is driving the car." ; Their conversation was momentarily Interrupted by the arrival In the place of a newcomer, a stranger to both the young men. lie was tall snd broad-shouldered, broad-shouldered, sallow-skinned, with a mass of black hair, good features, but with hard, almost brutal mouth. Immediately Im-mediately he had been relieved of his coat, he made his way to the bur, drank two cocktails In rapid succession succes-sion and lit a clgurette. Then he wandered wan-dered to the tuble adjoining the one at which the two young men were seated and, having given his order for dinner, busied himself making calculations upon some scraps of puper which he tore up as soon ns they were filled with figures. Gerald spoke to the waiter who served them, with whom he was well acquainted. "A stranger here. Chnrlesf" The man glanced over his shoulder and lowered his tone. "A Russian gentleman, milord,' he announced, "staying ut the Hotel de Carls Monsieur Zubln, he calls himself. him-self. They say that he has been playing play-ing very heavily "Russlnns who ploy high are no great novelty here," Gerold remarked, under his breath. "There sre not so many of them with money, nowuduys, though. Chris," he went on, ns the man left them, "you asked yesterday what was the matter with me. I'll tell you." It's this uncertainty about Mademoiselle Made-moiselle de Poniere. It's an absolute trfmenl to me. It's getting on my nones." "Is it (he character and reputation of these ladles concerning which you cannot can-not make up your mind, or Is It mademoiselle's made-moiselle's lack of reciprocation to your overtures which you find distressing?" "For G d's suke, chuck that legal tosh !" Gerald begged. "It's both I" Christopher laughed quietly. There were people who called Gerald the most snollt vounr limn In I-nnilnn " ' " " By ' ' E. Phillips Oppenheim . Copyright by Utile, Brows Co, . MON8IEUR ZUBIN 8TNOP8I8, -Fleeing . from a brutal stepfather, an unhappy boms, and a proposed husband shs detests, . Myrtlle, young French girl, stands In a country road on the verge of desperation. Haltsd by an exploded lire, two young Englishman, Lord Oerald Dombey and Chrlstophsr Bent, ' are attracted by the girl's distracted dis-tracted appearance. Bha begs them to take her away from her misery. In a spirit of adventurs they do so, conveying her to Monts Carlo and leaving her with frlenda. Myrtlle speaks English, her mother having been an educated edu-cated woman. Oerald sees a beautiful young woman In the gambling rooms, and Is fascinated, fasci-nated, but can only learn that she Is called Pauline de Poniere and Is with her aunt He Is unable un-able to seaure an Introduction. Christopher and Gerald decide Myrtlle shall not go back to her home. Lady . Mary. Gerald s sister, sis-ter, secretly In love with Christopher, Chris-topher, disapproves of the young men's guardianship of Myrtlle. Lord Dombey makes the acquaintance ac-quaintance of Pauline. He Is puttied by the air of mystery and condescension surrounding her. Myrtlle falls In love with Oerald. Chris would marry Myrtile. Oerald Oer-ald is interested In Pauline. CHAPTER VI Continued "It would be wonderful," she murmured, mur-mured, "but you must not prevent my going to the party." "Myrtlle," he pointed out, "the young women whom you would meet there , are not fit for you to know." "But what barm can they do me? she Verttlsted. "I know that they are not nice. But what does It matter? Gerald will take care of me." Christopher rom, to hla feet. There was a certain hopelessness about his task that he was slowly beginning to realize. "Come," he said, "it is time we went back." She took his arm as they scrambled down Into the road. "You are not cross with me, Christopher?" Christo-pher?" she ventured, a little timidly. "You look so gloomy even a little miserable," she went on, clinging to bis arm and looking up Into his face. "I am a very great trouble to you, I fear. Are you not sorry that you ever brought me away?" '1 am not sorry yet, Myrtlle," he an-answered. an-answered. "I only hope tbat I never may be." 1 - Her mood suddenly changed. She laughed gsyiy. "Oh. la, la I" she cried. "If you look so glum I shall sing and dance to you, here In the road, as we do at festival time. Oerald says that I must have dancing lessons. He Is going to send me to a woman here." She pirouetted lightly on one foot, a miracle of buoyancy and grace. Then she went suddenly rigid, took her place by his side and clutched at his arm. An automobile whizzed past them, on Its way up the hill: Gerald wus leaning lean-ing bark In the low driving seut, the sua gleaming on his dark, closely bmslied hair, his head bent toward his companion; Pauline sat a little aloof, haughty, unbending, her beautiful beauti-ful face cold, unrelieved by any light of sympathy or interest. Her eyes swept curelessly over Christopher and his companion, as they passed. Geruid did not even see them. "Who Is she?" Myrtlle whispered. "No one knows much about her," Chrlxtopher replied. "She and her aunt have the next vlllu to Gerald's father. She calls herself Mademoiselle de Poniere." Myrtlle laughed quietly. She was already herself ngiiln. "Mademoiselle Is a very stupid girl." she declared. "Gerald wns looking at her and she looked only at the road. She does not care. Gerald will find that out." Gerald came to the tennis courts, nn hour or so Inter, and played several sets almost In silence. He took Christopher Chris-topher on one side, during one of the periods of rest, and flung Ills arm around his shoulder. "Chris, old man," he confided, "1 want to talk to you." "And I have a few words I want to say to you," Christopher rejoined. "We're In this set." Gerald pointed out, rising to his feet. "Let's be alone somewhere, then Clro's grill at elght-tblrty." elght-tblrty." Chapter VII j Gerald ordered the dinner and the srtne. Then he started the conversation conversa-tion with s somewhat abrupt question. "Chris," he asked, "exactly what do you think of Mademoiselle de I'onl-ire?" I'onl-ire?" "I don't know her," Christopher reminded re-minded ti 1 in. "As a mutter of fact, neither do I." Geruid declared, a little bitterly. "She permitted me to Introduce myself down on the sands below the villa, and she hss been for s ride with tne In the cur every afternoon slm-e; yet she docs this secretly, and If I meet her wllh her sunt I am not allowed to spenk to her or to expect recognition. I am not perinllted to cull lit the vlllu, 1 don't know where they come from, 1 don't know even her na f i. -n:i I i t y. I flutter myself that for my few but well-spent years I have seen some-thing some-thing uf the world snd Its snares, hut "Go to h 1" was the brutal reply. "I hove nothing to do with cadgers." The man stoggered as though he had received a shock. He was used to re-huffs, re-huffs, but not such rebuffs as this. "Monsieur I" he stummered. "Perhaps "Per-haps five hundred or even two hundred hun-dred francs " "Not a sou, and be off. Do you want me to compluln to the manager?" The young man edged away. Gerald smiled as lie saw him cross the floor. "Horribly bad character, that," he remarked to Christopher. "I missed him here last season and asked where he was. They told me that he was in prison for stabbing his mistress. I suppose sup-pose I shall get It In the neck, Chris, but I've got to talk to the old brute. I can't afford to miss an opportunity of speaking to some one who knows Pauline." "I shouldn't, If I were you," Christopher Chris-topher advised. "You see he Isn't In the humor to talk to anybody, and If there really Is any mystery about the De Ponleres, he won't care about being asked questions about them." Gerald was, for him, however, determined. deter-mined. "The fellow's manner Is brutal, hut I believe he's a personage. I shall try my luck In a moment or ao." Gerald waited for several minutes, until his neighbor had entered upon another course. Then be leaned toward to-ward him. "You are a Russian?" Gerald ventured. ven-tured. "It Is entirely my business of what nationality I am," was the cold reply. "Naturally," Gerald agreed. "At the same time, we are all human. The man who wins a couple of millions here Is a public character. You will probably find old ladles rubbing their five-franc pieces against your coat sleeves, as you enter the rooms." "So long as they do not attempt to talk to me, I shall be content," was the curt retort. "You are not exactly looking for acquaintances, ac-quaintances, I perceive," Gerald remarked. re-marked. "I have none here, nor do I desire any." Gerald smiled. He had renched the point at which lie had been aiming. "That," he observed, "Is not strictly strict-ly true. You have Just dispatched a note to some ludles of my acquaintance." acquaint-ance." Monsieur Zuhln had so far met Gerald's Ger-ald's tentative overtures with the cold rudeness of one who recognizes an equal. At his last words, however, a look almost of fury flashed into his face. He struck the tuble with his fist "I ought to have remembered the sort of people by whom I was likely to be surrounded here," he declared. "You, who look as Uiough you ought to know better, cast sneaking glances over my shoulder to read the superscription super-scription of a private letter. What a riffraff!" Gerald bit his Up. He kept his temper tem-per perfectly. "I saw the address, I assure you, entirely by accident," he snld. "1 happen hap-pen to be acquainted with one of the Indies or the name would not have attracted my notice. Madume and mademoiselle occupy the next villa to my father's." Evidently Psulins Is a person-age person-age In the great world. But where? Who Is shs? And what is the mystery thst surrounds her? (TO BE CON'TINI'ED. ) The Boy Made a Prompt Appearance end Stood, Cap in Hand, Waiting for His Order. and his present predicament had Its humorous side. Gerald himself made a little grlnnice. "It's all very well, Christopher," he said, "hut I n in a great deal too near being In earnest over this. Pull yourself your-self together and suggest some way of getting hold of the truth." "If the girl herself won't help you," Christopher replied, "how can anyone else?" "I suppose you're right," Geruid assented as-sented gloomily. The place hud become very crowded, Indeed. A small orchestra wus playing play-ing In the far corner. Several unattached unat-tached young ladles, who preserved an sir of haughty Indifference towards the company generally, but setmied to be on remarkably good terms with the hend waiter, had brought color into the little assembly. The large man who wns reputed to be a Itus.-iliin had called for pen and Ink and, between the courses, was writing a letter. The nialtre d'hotel. who knew Gerald, stooped and whispered In his ear. "Monsieur Zuhln, the Inrge gentleman gentle-man you nsked me about, milord," be announced, "bus Just won two million francs over at the casino. Some of these people have followed til in over. He must have the money In Ills pocket." pock-et." To Christopher the scene was a novel one, and he leaned forward In his sent. Two young Indies had seated themselves at the next table to the Itnsslnn, and Hie nearest was glancing tentatively ut him now mill then, without, with-out, however, evoking the sliifhtest re-spouse. re-spouse. People from till quarters -re whispering together anil glancing to-uanl to-uanl him. The object of all these attentions at-tentions continued to write his Ic'tcr unmoved. Presently he culled for a chasseur, thrust his letter Into an envelope en-velope anil addressed It. The hoy miule u prompt appearance and slood. |