Show e my sa VIG ar y A BEAUTY syN SYNOPSIS fleeing from a brutal stepfather an unhappy home bome and a proposed husband she ho detests myrtile Myr young trench iciel irl stands in a country road on the verge ot of desperation halted by an exploded tire two young P englishmen lord gerald dombey and christopher bent are attracted atti acted by the girls distracted appearance she begs them to take her away from her misery in a spirit of adventure they do ao so conveying her to monte mont a carlo and putting her in safe hands bands for the night myrtile speaks english her mother having been an educated woman chapter III 3 lady mary dombey was a young woman of very pleasing appearance but there were occasions upon which she could look stern this was one of them 1 I am never surprised at anything that gerald does she told christopher who was seated next her at the dinner table but I 1 must say that I 1 should never have expected you to have been mixed up in one of his bis escapades escapa dec what are you going g to do with the girl we hoped christopher ventured a little doubtfully that you might be able to make use of her ber as a kind hind of under sewing maid or something of that sort thant thank you lady mary replied without enthusiasm 1 I am perfectly satisfied with the services of my own maid lord who had taken only a languid interest in the conversation intervened for the first time where Is the young person now he be inquired in some rooms one of the housekeepers at the hotel found for me sir gerald replied lady mary rose to her feet 1 I cant decide she said which of you yon two has lost his heart to this paragon of village loveliness however I 1 feel sure cure that my advice Is tile best send her back to her people gerald strolled to the door with ills his sister and returned to his place fingering his cigarette case irritably lord sipped his wine thoughtfully 1 I am not suggesting for a single biagio moment he be observed that your attitude toward this young woman Is not and will not always be entirely irreproachable proa chable but at the came time you must remember that we are in a country where such adventures fire likely to bo be misunderstood I 1 feel inclined therefore to indorse your sisters ad vice I 1 should do all that I 1 could to encourage her to return to her people well weal talk to her in the morning sir gerald promised 1 I shall retire to the drawing room find and persuade mary to sing to me and you two young fellows can smoke to your hearts content give me your arm gerald dont think we shall stop long it if excuse us sir gerald confided so as he rose to his feet its first night in monte carlo and I 1 want to show him the ropes come along old chap and make your adieux he added turning to his bli friend lady mary made room tor for christopher by her side she was scarcely possessed of her ber brothers good looks but her complexion was good her features unexceptionable her eyes clear and as a rule sympathetic lier her torte tone and manner attractive rier her figure especially ally in a riding habit was undeniable her skill at golf and tennis far above the ordinary amateur it was riot not for lack of offers that at twenty tour four years of age she was still unmarried they talked for some time with interest lady marys wit was keen and her insight unusual during a pause la in their conversation lord looked across the room through his bis horn hom rimmed e eyeglass egl ass your friend seems to get on very well with mary he remarked always been pals gerald acquiesced doing pretty well at the bar her thundering well they tay say hes hea certain to be one of our youngest K Cs 11 lord maid bald nothing for several moments mary has her aunts hundred thousand pounds he said bald at length she sha to 1 a difficult young person to marry knows her own mind though I 1 should never interfere chris Is a good fellow but I 1 dont fancy he has baa any thought of marrying just yet gerald remarked you wont mind it if I 1 take him off now sir we shall meet for lunch at the golf club tomorrow christopher obeyed hla his friends summons without enthusiasm 0 gerald erald however was wag both insistent and impatient and the two young men took their leave a few minutes later gerald dragged his friend into the bureau of the casino where they obtained their tickets for the cercle ceicle and afterwards on to the sporting club the mecca of geralds desires for the evening at any rate christopher breathed a little more freely here than in the casino the atmosphere was less pernicious the crowd by which he be was wag surrounded far more attractive after gerald had bad taken a seat at the baccarat table he wandered around for some time fasal by oppenheim Oppe nhem copyright by little brown 6 co bated by this strange cosmopolitan gathering their diversity to in lass class C manners and dress presently he found a seat in the little bar ordered a whisky and soda and leaned back to watch the never ceasing stream of pleasure seeking loiterers loiter ers suddenly without any warning his thoughts played him a queer trick lie ile was back on the cool sunlit hillside with the odor of the violets and the pines la in ills hit nostrils and the girl looking over the gate silo sha turned her head and lie saw her face her beautiful eyes A IW their passionate terrified ter rifled appeal her quivering lips her childs B figure gure the tender appeal of her the soul and sweetness of her innocent youth clinging like some fresh sweet perfume per furne to her trembling body gerald stood suddenly before him his face aflame his eyes brilliant his voice quivered slightly with subdued excitement christopher you moonstruck moon struck old dodderer he cried wake cupl up I 1 I 1 have seen the most wonderful creature on earth I 1 wont leave this place until I 1 find out who she Is what another adventure christopher exclaimed youre not thinking about myrelle Myr tiler that child not nol was the iboa rejoinder 1 I tell you its some one here tonight ashes either french or russian or italian ita alart 1 I cant make up my mind which she Is with an older woman who seems to be a sort of attendant every ones about here but no one seems to know who she Is walt till you see her berl im not easily led away ive seen the most beautiful women in most of the capitals of the world I 1 was at vienna and rome home before the war you know but I 1 never dont move chris dont look as though ive been talking about them here they cornel comel christopher watched the approach of the two women alth an interest casual at first but real enough as they drew nearer the younger of the two walked slightly in advance she was rather over the medium height and her carriage although she was not in the least assertive was full of C I 1 will not go back she declared fiercely the simple dignity of one who aho has been accustomed to command respect she was slim yet the outlines of her figure were so soft as to become almost voluptuous she wore a dress of perfectly plain black lace against which the skin of her ter neck deck and shoulders seemed of 0 almost alabaster whiteness ifer her only ornament was a long double string of pearls of unusual size her hair glossy and absolutely jet black was brushed from her forehead and around her eara care do be that it seemed almost like a sheath her complexion was absolutely pallid her lips a natural scarlet iler her eyes wire were of a deep shade of brown inclined to be half bialt closed as though she were shortsighted short sighted ifer her eyelashes were long and silky her eyebrows looked as though they had been penciled and yet left a conviction of entire naturalness such details as remained of her toilette were unique yet simple the woman who followed her possessed also an air of distinction but she was wag middle aged with gray hair and somewhat unwieldy figure she carried herself with an air of deference toward her companion well gerald whispered excitedly she Is very beautiful and very unusual christopher admitted have you no idea who she Is IB it if I 1 had found any one who knew who they were I 1 should have been introduced before now was the blunt reply freddie carruthers has gone down to ask the tha superintendent the two women subsided on to a couch the elder one gave on an order to a waiter the younger one glanced indifferently around 1 I wish carruthers would come gerald muttered impatiently i exaggerate did I 1 chris no the latter admitted 1 I cant say that you did she ll Is very wonderful and very interesting it to lg quite your our day toi for adventures adventured gerald laughed scornfully youre not comparing our little from froin tho hills with with her are your you he demanded each has her charm christopher replied gerald leaned back in his chair and laughed long and heartily our little wild rose he be said la Is like a thousand others a pretty face a fascinating age confiding manners in twenty four hours she would have taught you all that she could know of love find and life she Is as much a yokel intellectually ns as this girl Is a mystery are there any queens or royal princesses wandering about the world nowadays chris I 1 swear that elie looks us as though she had stepped down from a throne thank heavins here comes Carrut hersl A young man who had been staring in at the doorway recognized gerald tind nod come across to them no go old tiling thing he confided leaning down they are registered here as a madame and mademoiselle de aunt and niece the old buffer downstairs however admitted that ho he believed that to be an as a fumed name you bribe him or some som thing thin gerald asked eagerly old johnny fairly corn cornered erd me carruthers explained the two ladles ladies ho he told me ha had declared their desire to remain incognito it waa vine not therefore the business ot of gentleman to be inquisitive whir upon I 1 came away with my tall bt between my legs all the same I 1 dont believe he be has tile the least idea who ah they are gerald sighed 1 I shall know her sooner or later inter he muttered but its such a waste of precious tinie you wont forget that we promised to go and see myrdle early chris choln copher reminded him gerald stared at his friend myrelle Myr who the devil why the child from the iolet farm of 0 coursel course 1 rd id forgotten all about her 0 0 0 0 0 0 myrtile came flying to tte the door christopher saw her ebes travel over his shoulder he saw the sudden cloud upon her fam face A queer litile stab ot ol pain startled him by its very poignancy monsieur gerald he be Is not you she asked disconsolately christopher shook ills head lie was up late last night lie ha explained pla ined 1 I went to his room but he was vias fast asleep I 1 dare say he will come on presently ue he promised to be hero here early she said lias has lie he spoken of me mel uns has he be said anything about aboul sendina me back nothing christopher assi red her do you still feel that you dont doat want to go back she stood quite still in the middle of the little apartment and looked at him something about her was altered it seemed almost as though she biad U passed from girlhood to womanhood in the night 1 I will not go back she declared fiercely it Is not that I 1 mind poverty or hard bard work it Is pierre Le I 1 could not bear him near me ile he shall never come near roe me otherwise I 1 shall die even you monsieur christopher you do not wish me to die her eyes were swimming with tears she leaned a little towards him and christopher patted her encouragingly her lips were very close to his fresh and sweet and qu hering christopher conscious of a rare and almost overmastering temptation turned away brusquely come outside he invited 1 I will take you on the terrace and we will sit in the sunshine she clapped her hands herself again almost immediately they wandered down fro from ra rl the fashionable part of the promenade to the pebbly beach and along the sands was never tired of the wonder of it nil all often however she cast an anxious louk look backwards you do not think monsieur gerald will be searching for us 7 she asked timidly christopher was conscious of a curious sense of annoyance which he could not altogether explain lie ile led the way up the steps and on to the terrace we will take a seat beat here ho he suggested we can see the hotel and the turning to your lodgings and you can watch for him blin she acquiesced willingly and tor for the next halt half hour she divided her attention between the entrance to the hotel and the passersby passers by at the end of that time she became a little self conscious it Is not right monsieur christopher she bhe said that I 1 sit here with you in these clothes and without a hat people look at us so strangely you look very nice christopher assured lier her and besides it is ie no one on alses business but our own it took looks ilk ilka three love lova affairs and badly mixed at that what la Is to become of myrtile Myrtl lt TO BE CONTINUED |