Show in AM A e 3 0 7 ess V y r the baroness orczy Is a painter ana playwright as well is as a novelist sho Is the daughter of tile the baron orczy a diplomat and a fine musician who at one time was director of the national opera house at budapest ifer her mother had bad been the countess wass also of hungary hungar the Count countess esq was educated in brussels paris and london she Is a very fine writer and was described in the london graphic of 1907 as one of the most cleverly versatile women ot of the abo day with such an ancestry and raised in nn an atmosphere of erudition and art the baroness would naturally be expected to develop talent she has done so BO she Is best known for her novels most of which have been tremendously successful cess ful tier her themes have been varied she Is thoroughly at home with historical subjects especially those phases of history rite in color and stirring episodes such euch as the french revolution A an n adventure of the scarlet pimp pimpernel anel in 1 her latest work CHAPTER I 1 sir andrews story you really are impossible sir sif percy 1 here are we ladies raving simply raving about this latest exploit of the gallant scarlet pimpernel and you do naught but belittle his prowess lady blakeney Ula keney I 1 entreat will you not add your voice to our chorus of praise and drown sir per cys scoffing in an ocean ot of eulogy lady alicia nugget was very arch she tapped sir perces Ier cys arm with her tan fan she put up a jeweled finger and shook it at him with a great air of severity in tier lier fine dark eyes slie she turned nn an elit entre glance on marguerite blakeney and as that lady appeared engrossed in conversation with his grace of flint lady alicia turned the battery of her glances on his royal highness your tour hig highness li tess she said appealingly the prince laughed good humo oh ohl I 1 he said do not ask me to inculcate liero bero worship into this mau vats vals if aou ladies cannot convert him to your views how can I 1 a mere man danl I 1 and his lil highness gliness shrugged his shoulders there were few entertainments he enjoyed more than seeing his friend sir percy blakeney BIa keney badgered ty by the ladies on the subject of their popular and mysterious hero the scarlet pimpernel your tour highness lady alicia retorted with tile the pertness of a spoiled child of society your highness can command sir percy to give us a true a true account of how that wonderful scarlet pimpernel snatched M ie ae comte de tournon dapaah dA genay with madam la contesse Com tesse and their three children out of the clutches of those abominable murderers in paris ant and drove them triumphantly to boulogne where they embar embarked led on board an english ship ant and were ultimately safely landed in dover sir percy vows tows that lie he knos knols all the facts and so I 1 do dear lady sir percy now dow put in with just a soupcon of impatience in liis ills pleasant voice but as ive already had the privilege g t to tell you the facts are hardly worth retailing the facts sir percy commanded the imperious beauty or well all think you are jealous As usual you would be r right ight dear lady sir percy rejoined blandly are not ladles ladies always right in their estimate ol 01 of us ioor boor mei iz I 1 arl am jealous of that defined elusive I 1 p personage er who monopolizes tile the thoughts and tile conversation of these galaxies of beauty who would otherwise devote themselves exclusively to us what says your highness will you deign to ban for this one night ul at least every reference to that shadow IN not ot till weve had the facts lady alicia protested the facts the facts the ladies cried I 1 in tin an insistent chorus have to do it blakenly Ela Bla keney kency his highness declared unless sir andrew ffoulkes would oblige us with the tale marguerite blakeney said turning suddenly from ills grace of flint in order to give tier her lord an enigmatic smile ile ho too knows 1 the facts I 1 believe and is an excell excellent raconteur ag god od forb forbid idl 1 sir percy blakeney blu oney exclaimed with ill mock concerti concern once you start ffoulkes on one of ills his interminable stories moreover he be added seriously ffoulkes always gets liis ills facts wrong ile he would toll tell you for instance that the lie dammed pimpernel rescued those unfortunate tournon single handed banded now I 1 happen to know for a fact that three of the bravest english gentlemen the world has ever known did all the work whilst lie he merely 11 well lady alicia queried eagerly what did that noble and gallant scarlet pimpernel merely do he e merely climbed to the box bos seat ot of the chaise NIi which leli was conveying the comte de tournon dacenay and his family under escort to paris and the t chaise had been held up by three of the bravest never mind about three of the bravest english gentleman at the moment lady alicia broke in impatiently tient ly you shall sing their praises to us again but if you do not tell us the whole story at once well call on sir andrew ffoulkes without further hesitation your lour highness she pleaded once more my fair one his hi highness gliness rejoined with a tough laugh 1 I think that we shall probably get a truer account of tills this latest prowess of the scarlet pimpernel from sir andrew ffoulkes FIo it was a happy thought of lady blahe kemeys he added with a knowing smile directed at marguerite and I 1 for one do command our friend ffoulkes forthwith to satisfy our curiosity in a moment sir andrew ffoulkes s I 1 found himself the center of attraction lie he was in his bis element a worshiper of his beloved chief he was called upon I 1 to sing the praises of the man mail whom he admired and loved best in all the world had tile the bevy of beauties around him known leown that he was recounting his own prowess as well as that of ills his leader and friend they could not have hung more eagerly on his lips in the hubbub attendant on settling down so as to hear bear sir andrews narrative even the popular sir percy blatancy Cla Bla kency tency was momentarily forgotten the idol of london society he be nevertheless had to be set aside for the moment in favor of the mysterious hero who as elusive as a shadow was still the chief topic of conversation in the salons of two continents the ladies would have it that sir percy was jealous of the popularity of the scarlet pimpernel certain it Is that as soon as sir andrew ffoulkes C 4 did at the pistol point hold up the chaise had started to obey his lif mands by enia aking on his narrative sir percy retired to the farther end of the room and stretched out his long limbs ud a downy wa and prompt ly fy went to fo atiee sleep p Is it a fact my dear ffoulkes his highness had asked that the gallant scarlet pimpernel and his lieutenants actually held up the chaise in which the comte de tournon davenny and his family were being conveyed to paris 1 an absolute fact your highness sir andrew ffoulkes F foulkes replied while a long iong drawn out all ah 1 ot of excitement went the round of the brilliant company 1 11 1 I 1 have the story from madame la contesse com coni tesse herself the scarlet pimpernel in the company of three of hl ills j followers all of them disguised as footpads did at the pistol point hold up the chaise which was convening the prisoners under heavy escort from their chateau of agenal where they had been sum mailly arrested to parts paris inside the vehicle at de tournon dacenay dA genay genny with his wife ills his young youna son and two daughters sat huddled up halt half numbed with terror they had no idea who had and on what charge they had been arrested but they knew well enough what fate awaited them in parts paris the revolutionary wolves are fairly on t alie I 1 ae warpath karpath just now to prove their love for france lovely france whose millite robes are stained with the blood of her innocent children and to show their zeal in her cause they commit the most dastardly crimes madam la Is contesse com coni tesse assured me that tier her husband and in fact all the family had kept clear of politics during these the worst times of the revolution though all of them are devoted royalists they kept all show of 0 loyalty hidden in their hearts only one thing had they forgotten to do and that was to take down from the wall in madams boudoir a small miniature of their unfortunate q queen and for tills this they were arrested they were innocent of everything else in the early down dawn after their summary arrest they were dragged out of their home and were being conveyed for trial to paris where their chances of coming coining out alive were about equal to those of a rabbit when chased by a terrier and that was when the gallant scarlet pimpernel interposed lady alicia put in with a sigh he knew II 11 lo 10 tournon dacenay dA genay and his family I 1 were being taken to paris 1 I believe he had had an inkling of what was in the wind some time before the arrest it Is wonderful how bow closely he Is always la in touch with those who one day may need his help lut hut I 1 b believe ell e ve t that h at at the last moment plans had to be formulated in a hurry burry fortunately chance on this occasion chose to favor those plans day had broken without a gleam of sunshine a thin drizzle was falling and there was a sharp bead wind on which fretted the horses and forced the driver to keep his head down with his bis broad brimmed hat pulled well over his bis eyes nature as you see was helping all she could one can imagine the surprise attack vague forms looming suddenly out of the mist and the sharp report of it a pistol twice in quick succession the horses sweating and panting fell into a dragging the heavy chaca up tile the steep incline through the squelching mud of the road and came to a violent and sudden halt on the crest of the hill at the first report at the second they reared and plunged wildly the whole thing was I 1 am assured a matter of a couple of minutes it was surprise and swiftness that won the upper hand for the rescue party was outnumbered three to one had there been the sit slightest beest hesitation the slightest slackening of quick action the attack would of a certainty have failed but during those few A minutes of confusion and under co cover of the mist and the vague tague grayness of the morning the scarlet pimpernel and his followers down on their knees in the squelching mud were not merely fighting you understand not no they were chiefly engaged in cutting the saddle girths births under the bellies of eight fidgety and plunging horses and cracking their pistols in order to keep up the contusion confusion not an easy task you will rd admit ailt though lis q a form of attack vell ano n la we tite east aalt so 10 1 U understand n te r at any rate those had been the chiefs orders and they had to be carried out for my part I 1 imagine that superstitious terror had bad upset the nerves of that small squad of revolutionary guard hemmed la in by the thicket on u either side ot of the road the men had not sufficient elbow room for a good light fight no man likes being attacked by a toe foe whom he cannot well see and in the melee that ensued the men were hindered from using their somewhat clumsy sabers too freely for fear of injuring their comrades com radee mounts it if not their own ower and nil all they could do was to strive to calm their horses and through the din to hear bear the words of command uttered by their 11 lieutenant LuLei jant to be continued |