Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-25
iigghtniing
Conductor
By
chr A.M.WlIllAMSON

live DeiOIe she ana party went away.
Lady Brighthelmston left letter for Mr..
Winston" and he pointed to a letter in the
rack close by the Office addressed in a large
handwriting to the Honorable John Wins
ton.
was quite frightened when I heard that
the owner of my car was expected to ar
rive in Cannes, for Brown was certain
that he was in England yet here he might
walk in at any moment to say that he'd
changed his mind and wanted back ms
Napier. Just as l thinking of going
on to Italy in 1t. too! Why. the very
thought that maybe I should have to lose
the car made me long to keep 1t all the
more.
and wondering if we hadn't better hurry
away from Cannes before the H. ]. turned
UP, when l saw Aunt Mary lay her hand
on Jimmy's arm in warning kind of way.
as II she wanted to keep him from saying
something he had begun to say. At that
moment 1 found that Brown was at my
elbow, though whether Aunt Mary's warn
Ing to Jimmy had anything to do with him
or not l don't know. l don't see why 1t
should. but she did look rather funny.
Brown had come in to bring me my dear
little gold-netted purse with my mono
gram in rubies and diamonds that you
gave me just before l started. I'd dropped
it off my lap when l got out of the car
you see I'm as bad about that ever. 1
thanked Brown. and then drawing him
aside little told him about Mr.. Winston
as ever that his old master wouldn't turn
up to spoil the sport though l pointed out
the letter; and it's a funny thing that the
Hon. Us eX-chauffeur should be kept more
In touch with his movements than his own
mother. However, that's not my business.
That afternoon Aunt Mary, Jimmy and l
had a lovely walk in Cannes by the sea.
We had tea at fascinating confectioner's
called Rumpelmayer. and a long time after
ward dned at a perfect dream of a little
restaurant built out into the seattle Res
taurant de la Reserve, something
IKE o9osr the he tho one oro in sora Msrse d,
Dad? There are pens in the water built up
with walls, and Holsters and other creatures
are swimming unsuspectingly about In
them. You select your own fish. and in a
few minutes the poor thing. happy a
little while ago. is on the table exquisitely
cooked with its own appropriate sauce. 1t
seems sad Still. one does give them hon
orable burial, and they couldn't expect to
live forever. l let Jimmy choose mine,
though, and while he and Aunt Mary dis
cussed the langouste l leaned on the rail-
ing looking out over the bay. You will re-
member that scene-all the twinkling lights
of the town, and the tumbled mass of the
Esterel mountains somber and strange.
across the sea.
At dinner 1 began to hint to Aunt Mary
about going on to Italy. but l was rather
sorry I'd said anything, for Jimmy caught
me up like flash, and exclaimed that if
we did make up minds to such a trip
he would like to keep us company on his
Panhard which he should no doubt find
waiting for him at Nice. Aunt Mary asked
If we should be likely to meet Lord Lane
she had heard Jimmy talk often of
his friend Monte that she quite longed to
know him. She loves a lord. poor Aunt
Mary, and her face fell several inches when
Jimmy answered that Monte was a very
retiring chap, shy with ladies. and might
make a point of keeping out of the way.
When we got home to the hotel had such
I'll,
of the rack. l made sure that all would
now be over between the Napier and me.
unless l could get so far away with 1t that
he'd sooner hire another than follow up his:
and. anyway, II we disappeared he wouldn't
know where to find us. | suppose that was
very bad and sly of me. wasn't it? l sent
word to Brown that we'd start at o'clock
next morning; and wasn't 1t a joke on me.
after we'd been on the road for a while |
told him what had happened and ii turned
out that he'd taken the letter to readiness
to his master?
Just before we started Jimmy said he'd
had a wire from Lord Lane that his car
was waiting for him at the garage in the
Boulevard Gambetta at Nice, and went
there after our splendid drive from Cannes.
Brown knew about the place, and
thought it would be convenient to leave our
Napier there.
We sent our luggage by cab to our hotel,
lunched at a delightful restaurant, and in
the afternoon, said Jimmy gaily, I'm
you to Monte and back with my Panhard"
/ knew in minute what he meant, but
Aunt Mary thought he was talking about
his everlasting Lord Lane and was so dis
appointed to find it was only Monte Carlo
His Monte he explained. was seedy and
confined to bed but he hoped we wouldn't
mention this before Brown, as Lord Lane
didn't want his friend Jack Winston to hear
that he had come to the Riviera without
letting him know.
So after lunch we started away from gilt
tering, fiowery blue and white and golden
Nice by the most glorious coast road for
Monte Carlo. But you know it we'll, dear
Dad. / suppose there can be moth
ing more beautiful on earth. And
Monte Carlo is beautiful; but some
how Its beauty doesn't seem real and
wholesome and natural. does it? It's like
a magnifcently handsome woman who is
radiant at night. and doesn't look suitab
to morning light. because then you
that her hair and eyelashes are dyed and
her complexion cleverly made up. II Monte
Carlo could be concentrated and condensed
into the form of real woman. l think she
would be the kind who uses lots of scent
and doe sn't often take a bath.
We wandered about among the shops and
the most lovely things. but somehow
didn't feel to want" any of them, as
my nurse used to say l couldn't help
associa ting all the smart hats and dresses
and jewels in the windows with the terrible
hawk faces painted to look like doves,
which kept passing US In the streets or the
Casino gardens. instead of thinking
Jimmy knows Monte" very we'll, and
was inclined to swagger about his
knowledge. There's one thing which I am
compelled to admit that he can do-order
a dinner He took us to a restaurant led
aside the head waiter, talked with him for
a few minutes, and announcing that din
ner would be ready when wanted it.
pioneered us across to the rooms" I'd
seen so many pictures of the Casino that 1t
didn't come upon me a surprise. The
first thing that struck me was the over
towering deafness of the air, which felt
as If generations of people had breathed
all the oxygen out of it. and the omnous.
muffied silence, broken only by the sharp
chink. chink! of the croupiers' rakes as
they pulled in the money:
Jimmy insisted on stalking "a louis for
me and another for Aunt Mary who was
enraptured when she won thirteen louis,
and would have given up dinner to go on
nlaving if she hadn't lost her winnings
and more besides.
When we sat down to our table at the
restaurant she was quite depressed. but
everything was so bright and gay that she
soon cheered up. Our tablecloth was
strewn all over with roses and huge bluey-
purple violets. and the dinner was piuper-
feet There was great coming ana go
ing of overdressed women and rather ioud
voung men. which amused me, but think
Il would soon pail. l can't imagine any
feeling of rest or peace at Monte CARO-,