Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-14

them, starting from Cheddar in hot pursuit"
"My imagination fails me there, Monsieur
Marigny," she replied, and the shade of en-
phasis on his surname showed that she was
fully aware of the boundary crossed by the
"Miss Cynthia" an advance that surprised
her more than the Frenchman counted on.
Eat present am wholly absorbed in vain
effort to picture an automobile somewhere
down there in the gathering msts.
Then Marigny put forth tentative claw.
81 hate to tell you" he said; but ne, DIS
must | am unwill;nglv forced to believe
that YOUR chauffeur has taken the other
road
1.-The other road" walled Cynthia in sud-
den and poignant foreboding.
Eyes; there are two you know. The sec
ond one is not so direct"
eff you think that, your man had better
60 at once to the village he spoke of. Is it
certain that he will obtain petrol there!'
almost certain"
"Reallv, Monsieur Marigny. l fail to
understand you. Why should you express
doubt? He appeared to be confident e:.or~'-
five minutes ago.
That the girl should yield to slight panic
was precisely what Count Edouard desired.
True, Cynthia's sparkling eyes and firm lips
were eloquent of keen annoyance rather than
fear; but Marigny was an adept in reading
the danger signals of beauty in distress, and
he saw in these symptoms the heralds of
tears and fright. His experience did not
lead him far astray; but he had not allowed
for racial differences between the Latin and
the Anglo-Saxon. Cynthia might weep, she
might even attempt to run; but in the last
resource she would face him with dauntless
courage.
az assure you should not have had this
thing happen on any account he said in a
voice that vibrated with sympathy. In
deed, l pray your pity in my own behalf,
Miss 7anrenen. After all, it is | who suffer
the agCly of failure when l meant only to
please. You will reach Bristol this evening"
little late, perhaps, but quite safely.-and
hope you will laugh then at the predica-
ment that now looks so i'll starred"
His seeming sincerity appeased her to
some extent. In rapid swing back to the
commonplace, she affected to laugh. 1t is
not so serious, after all, she said with more
calmness than she felt. Just for moment
YOU threw me off the rails by your lawyer
like yagueness. Anyhow, please send for
that BENIN right away"
Smith was despatched forthwith on what
he knew to be fools errand, since both he
and Marigny were practically sure of their
ground. The nearest petrol was to be found
road from the fork, and four miles in the
opposite direction to that taken by Smith,
who, when he returned empty handed an
hour later, must make another long journey
to Langford. The Du Vallon was now an
chored immovably until eleven o'clock.
MARIGNY had indeed arranged situa-
IVA ton worthy of his nurturing among the
decadents of Paris. He believed that in these
surroundings an impressionable girl would
admit him to degree of intimacy not to
be attained by many days of prosaic meet
ings. At the right moment, when his well
bribed servant was gone to Langford, he
would remember bottle of wine and some
sandwiches stored in the car that morning to
provide the luncheon he might not obtain at
wayside inn. Cynthia and he would make
merry over the feast. The magnetism that
had never yet failed him in affairs of the
heart would surely prove potent now at this
real crisis in his life. Marriage to rich
woman could alone snatch him from the
social abyss, and the prospect became dou-
bly, alluring when it took the guise of Gym
thia. He would restore her to disconsolate
chaperon sometime before midnight, and he
was cvnic enough to admit that rs hef had