Evening star., 1915-04-11
CHAPTER X (Continued)
Madeleine's Flight

" eTal sense. he nau eStdDllSleu prece-
dent. During the remainder Of her stay
in Pont Aven, Mrs. Carmac weather per-
mitting, would surely hire the car every
day, and. as she was hardly likely to revert
to a smaller and much inferior vehicle. he
in all probability would be invited to
join her; while Yvonne's presence was
assured.
The chief and vital consideration was
that he would almost infallibly be thrown
intoYvonne's company during many hours
daily If he contrived also to establish
himself on friendly footing with her
father, he had taken the first long stride
toward the goal now clearly visible to his
minds eye.
With Rupert Fosdyke dsinherited and
discredited, why should not Harvey Ray
mond consolidate all warning interests by
marrying Yvonne9 Truly a brilliant no
ton! 1t followed the lines of high finance.
Better than running counter to your enc
held Mrs. Carmacs millions in the hollow
of his hand were it not for Yvonne he
could act only through Fosdyke, who had
fouted him openly, and would assuredly
be disdainful, no matter how greatly be-
holden he might be to an informant But
the fact that Yvonne existed changed all
that. Money talks. indeed Money would
shrick in ecstasy if the despised secretary
married Mrs. Carmac's daughter!
There were obstacles in the way, of
course first. Tollemache. Raymond had
weighed this possible rivals claims care
fully, and did not find them overwhelm-
ing. Yvonne was the young artists close
friend of five years; but that did not nee
essarily mean that they We're lovers. If
anything, such intimacy was favorable to
the newcomer. The girl herself9 Well,
Raymond knew he was no Adonis; but
keen-eyed students of human nature had
established the axiom that exceedingly
pretty women often mated with the plain
est of men. Here again the difficulty was
not insupcrable.
There remained Mrs. Carmac Willy
nilly, she must range herself determinedly
on his side. Very gently, very unwilling
ly, letting the facts he dragged out of him
with the utmost reluctance, as it were he
must make her understand that he held
the power to crush her financially Dur
ing the last few days he had left no stone
unturned to secure proof of an astounding
romance which depended for credence
otherwise on the unsupported testimony
of womans raving. He had neither
blundered nor spared expense.
Mrs. Carmac, if left in undisputed pos
session of her wealth. would be his puppet!
She must choose between comparative
pauperism and Harvey Raymond as a
son-in-aw!
NEARING Pont Aven Yvonne startled
him by leaning forward and touching
his shoulder. why in such brown study,
MIR. Raymond" she inquired pleasantly,
thinking that perhaps the queer little man
might feel he had been somewhat ignored.
In her thoughts he figured invariably as
queer little man. Her woman's in
tuition had suspected that queerness as
something underhanded and evil; but his
action with reference to Madeleine Demo-
ret had oblterated an unfavorablc first
impression. Now she regarded him as an
eccentric who did good by stealth
The slight pressure of the girls fingers
thrilled him. Il was hoping there might
hc a healer of broken limbs in Brittany.
Now | know that there is one, he an
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