The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18
CHAPTER xIII.
The PuzzIemeut Of Nigel Ennlson.

~-rc eA4C AlAOcL R4LA4Cu n4ctn III L-OlQDA-
There could not. he decided. possibly
be two girls so much alike Besides.
she mad admitted her Identity. And
yet-he thought of the supper party
where he had met Annabel Pellissier.
the stories about her, his own few min
utes whispered love- makingl he was q
self-contained young man. but h.a
cheeks Srew hot at the thought of the
things which it had seemed cutie nat
ural TO say TO her then. but which ne
knew very we'll would have been in
stantly resented by the girl whom he
had just left. He went over her fea-
lures one by one in' his mind. They
were the same. He could not d0uJt
IL. There was the same airy grace of
movement. the same deep brown hair
and alabaster skin. He found himself
thinking up all the psychology which
ne had ever read. Was this the result
OF some strange experiment? 1t was
the person of Annabel Pellissier-the
soul OF very different order Of being.
He spent the remainder of the after
noon looking for q friend whom he .
found at last in the billiard-rOOm OF
one OF the smaller clubs to which he
belonged. After the usual lacOnic greet
ings, he drew him on one side.
Fred" he said> do you remember
taking me to dinner at the Embassa-
doris one evening last September to
meet girl who was singing there?
o--N ~ tAAAA---|AA e--N AAAo ~
were with US"
"Of course" his friends answered.
La belle Alcide. wasn't II. Annabel
Pellissier was her real name. Jolly nice
girl too"
Ennison nodded
I thought 1 saw her In town to-
day." he said. DO you happen to
know whether she is supposed to be
here?"
Very likely indeed" Captain Fred
Meddoes answered, lighting a cigarette.
II heard that she had chucked her
show at the French places and gone
in for reform all round. Sisters got
married to that bOunder Ferringhall."
Ennison took an easy chair.
What a little brickI" he murmured
She must have characteri It's no
half reform either. What do you know
Meddoes turned round from the table
on which he was practicing shots and
shrugged his shoulders.
Not much" he answered. "and vet
about all there is to be known. fancy.
There were two sisters. you know. Old
Jersey and Hampshire family the Pei
lissiers, and a capital stock. too. I be-
lieve."
Any one could see that the girls
were ladies'" Ennison murmured.
No doubt about that" MeddOes con-
tinued. The father was in the army
Died short, suppose. and the girls had
TO shift for themselves. One went in for
painting, kept straight and married old
Ferrlnghall a week or so agO-the
Lord help her. The other kicked over
the traces a bit, made rather a hit
with her singing at some of those
French places. and went the pace in a
mild, lady-like sort of way. Cheveney
was looking after her, l think then.
If she's over he probably knows all
about it,
Ennison looked steadily at the
cigarette which he was tapping on his
forefnger.
so Cheveney was her friend, you
think. eh ?" he remarked.
No doubt about that, fancy"
Meddoes answered lightly. He ran
some Austrian fellow off. She was
quite the rage, in a small way YOU
know. Strange, demure-lOOking young
woman, with wonderful complexion
and eyes, and a style about her, too.
Care for a hundred up?'
Ennison shook his head.
Can't stop. thanks" he answered
See you tonight, l suppose
He sauntered off.
I'm damned if I'll believe it," he
muttered to himself savagely.
But for the next few days he avoid
ed Cheveney like the plague.
The same night he met Meddoes and
DrummOnd together, the latter over
from Paris on a weeks leave from the
embassy.
odd thing" Meddoes remarked.
I'VE were just talking about the Pellis-
sier girl. Durmmond was telling me
about the way old Ferringhall rounded
upon them all at the club
Sounds interesting" Ennison re-
marked. May hear ?"
1T really isn't much to tell" Drum
mond answered. You know what
fearful old prig Ferringhall is. always
gees about as though the whole world
him around Paris, but he wouldn't
have any Of 1t. Talked about his years.
his position and his constituents, and
always sneaked off back to his hotel
just when the fun was going to be-
gin. Well, one night some Of US saw
him, or thought we saw him, at cafe
dining with .Alcide'-as a matter OF
fact, IL seems that IL was her sister.
He came into the club the next day,
ard. of course we went for him thick
Jove, he didn't take to 1t kindly, I can
tell you. Stood on his dignity and
shut us up in great style. It seems
that he was a sort Of family friend OF
the Pellissiers, and 1t was the artist
sister whom he was with. The joke
of it is that he's married to her now
and cuts me dead"
1T suppose" Ennison said, 'ths
likeness between the sisters must be
rather exceptional?"
'I never saw the goody-goody one
close to, so 1 can't say" Drummond
answered. Certainly I was a little
way off at the cafe, and she had a hat
and veil on. but could have sworn
that 1t was Alcide.'"
''Is 'Alcide' still in Paris?' Ennison
asked.
Don't think So" Drummond an
swered. II heard the other day that
she'd been taken in by some cad of
fellow who was cutting a great dash
in Paris personating Meysey Hill,
the great railway man. Anyhow,
she's disappeared for some reason
or other. Perhaps Ferringhall has pen
stoned her of. He's the sort of Johnny
who wouldn't care about having a sis
ter-in-law on the loose"
'sEnnison here thought he saw her in
London" Meddoes remarked.
Drummond nodded.
IllraINr rrha L.