Show THE LITTLE GOLD RING afi by COSMO HAMILTON 0 by mcclure newspaper syndicate s me OD was startled by a HAIIm H sudden urgent voice Is anyone awake if so will he or she be good enough to speak to me at once there was something in the peremptory voice of 0 the man below which although perfectly polite suggested the right to disturb people however late tile the hour ile ie was standing on the border of brichs that divided a bed of ger from the path 11 ills s profile was clear cut against the sky and there was something in it t which stirred the memory of an offensive incident in Ilare woods retentive c mind tile the trouble lie ho asked sly my wife and I 1 are driving to dover or 4 trying to rather miller trouble nil all tile the way nay weve now come to tin an abrupt full stop at the bottom of your lane I 1 saw a light in your w window and so ive stumbled stumble up to ask you ron to hen help us if you will ill come down said II arewood only too glad of course lie he made tits way vity down the lie narrow winding staircase to the flagstone sitting tin room come in george my name what a charming place lie shot a glance at the man whose sleep lie ho had ruined and whose face was lit in the alie light sly my god lie ho said to himself turning away quickly to hide an a n uneasy flush clive it if ho he remembers m me e we shall spend the in the car Ilare woods e x of his uninvited guest had failed to open the chapter to which he seemed to belong before during and after tl the war he had wet dozens of similar men and yet let he felt pretty certain that there was something not altogether to tile the credit of tills this orie one in a mental pigeon hole wheres your 3 our wife he asked 0 relieved and not a little ast n ill shed nt having iwen forgotten the confidence of captain lamberhurst Lamber hurst came bach to him Sitti sitting jig in the car lave have you a lan an tern of sorts I 1 nearly broke my neck coming up your jolly old steps II arewood led the way down the hill the car as dead as mutton knutton was in the middle of the lane and there leaning against its ne biear arside alde door with a cigarette in her mouth was a roost most attractive girl very young ily illy wife said lamberhurst Lamber hurst lie ile added after a brief hesitation hUl tation you forgot to tell seyour a me your name Il harewood larewood clive major n R P F A ile he was vas glad that tits his dress dressing ing gown was a smart one lie ile had never neer seen a more attractive girl A clear voice round and warm how do you do you must be curs ing in us I 1 am ain afraid its ita frightfully late the major hns has been kind enough to open tits his cottage for us it if curry carry your dressing case diana ill take mine and our host if he mind can bring up your small trunk thanks a thousand times she took tooh the lantern and lashed flashed it coolly at ll arewood what she saw she liked she liked the cottage too and said so both to herself and to its owned owner as soon ns as he arrived when flare harewood wod put down the suitcase lie he noticed that the initials initia Is on it if were not 1 I I 1 b but D D B honeymoon probably he said to himself no time yet to have acquired married luggage lucky fellow tills this lie ile was therefore much surprised when the young bride drew away al ray from her bet husbands affectionate touch with a cutting expression of scorn will you have hare something to cat lie he asked im a wizard nt at scrambled eggs or would you prefer to go straight to your room dont bottler bother at about out food she said gratefully and im fur far t too wide wake to attempt to steel sleep tonight 00 ill sit here and read one ot of your books hints absurd said Lamber lamberhurst hurst alay iy I 1 explore your lour house clarewood or will you ou lend lead tile the way appearing to accept tile unspoken suggestion that argument was barred mrs Lamber lamberhurst hurst took a cigarette from a silver box bos and tapped it ex P ertly on the nall nail ot of tier her thumb clarewood picked up the cases and put his bis foot on the stairs ile he said bring a candle will ft you but stopped when he heard the two quick questions which were asked by lis visitors difina danna chats the idea did I 1 never tell you iou liow flow much I 1 detest a liar 1 I must wait until you come said ll arewood reminding them of his presence on the stairs and as followed immediately he proceeded on his way lie was astonished and curious tile the look of disgust la in the eye of that girl seemed to ho he an ania zing one to use on a honeymann honey lioney munn and where on earth he asked hii iseff have I 1 seen this matt man before the spare room was waa charming lamberhurst Lamber hurst put the dressing case avith an air of complete satisfaction du cu the four poster bed ril ill for roy my wife he said with a smile and opened the case good idea idan said II harewood arewood and returned to the sitting fitting room lie he found the girl with her back to the fireplace it made a queer framo for such a youthful figure she might havo have been married for years so unruffled and cool she wk was she asked a most curious question with a perfectly steady look it there a key in that bedroom door yes he said why do you ask 1 I 1 like a door with a key are you a relation of the major II awood arewood who commanded a battery near villars cotteret and was cut off during the great retreat in alarca lie P picked I 1 c ked up my young brother who wa was S badly wounded and brought him safely in 1101 then the B I 1 saw on your luggage stands for danbury banbury he said what I 1 heard about you from your brother made me like you very much uon do you oy ou do once more 0 4 she laughed and held out her hand it was a frank and trustful gesture which pleased him very much 1 I thought I 1 liked you in the light 0 of t he lantern and now I 1 know that I 1 do small place the world and the odd part of it Is that I 1 seem to know Lamber lamberhurst hurst too 1 I thought I 1 did she answered but I 1 dont as it turns out which added another block to the picture pa c ture puzzle that he ha was trying hard bard to build lie ile felt bound to let tier her hand go it belonged to another man all in order said lamberhurst Lamber hurst toddle up to bed ile ho watched her wave her hand as she mounted the creaking stairs but it was with an expression of great anger that lie ha heard the key turn in ID the lock of the spare room door lie ile had bad been locked out he knew and as he bent forward over the embers of the fire his profile was outlined against the flicker of the logs dugout I 1 A pall with holes in it la in which wet sticks were burning in the tha rain that frightful night in march no wonder the memory of an offensive incident had stirred in hare woods mind you never delivered that clift chit lie ho said four of my and halt half my men might still have been alive it if you attempt to go upstairs ho he added ill let this act be known dianas a friend of mine she Is under my protection I 1 dont know why but its quite obvious that im to protect her from you lamberhurst Lamber hurst said nothing there was nothing that he be could say bay ile he had bad played the coward that night and had bad saved his bis own skin lie ile picked up his cap and his suitcase went out and disappeared no nearer to a solution of this puzzle clarewood gave it up ile he took the thought that diana was even more charming than he had bad imagined her to be in tits his dreams lie found her as fresh as paint in tile the morning in the sitting room she received him with a wave ot of the hand and a rather mischievous smile 1 I 1 heard him go she said and there Is not the slightest chance of his ever coming back and I 1 hope that it wont bo be until monday id love you to stay for tho the weekend week end that join your bus band he said ile he is not my husband she answered ive been saving baving that little surprise you gasp and I 1 knew that you would you see im a full blown bliwn modernist I 1 look upon marriage as a stuffed victorian VIct orlan canary under a dusty enclosure c of glass all the same of course im human and so I 1 fall in love I 1 imagined that I 1 was to in lovo with george it was my ay first great breakaway but he passed roe me oft off as his wife to you and so ruined the thing at the start I 1 detest a liar and so this Is where it ends larewood Ua was appalled and angry but lie he knew that ridicule was laester better than indignation with children of that age ile he said theres a dangerous streak of lunacy about the modern girl you yon and the rest of you dont know it what do you know but what you call your modernism Is hope hop lessly out of date you and your gang my dear diana been watching tile the water which has gone under the bridges of late tile the most modern modernist as a matter of fact of whom I 1 happen to be one has discovered that the little sold gold ring tins lias become tho the fashion with what be amazed to hear bear Is love whereupon he left tier her sitting bitting bolt and hoped that she elie felt a u fool lie ile hoped that during the whole of that hat day and the next one she would think the Pill sode over and emerge with it a grain of sense and when on monday morning ho he took tier her to her fathers london house optimism was etli with him and there was something else what are you doing next nest friday afternoon 1 I 1 thought of hiring a car ind breaking down in your lane lie he said god bless your sense of humor god fiod bless yours site she said and really the beginning of the thing |