The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-09-02
FIRST EPISODE.
CHAPTER I.
NE miraculous morning In late
A.. -. 81. ,,>r,v nspy ysara


my garden were expanding
themselves wantoniy to the sun. and
the lilac and laburnum which caught,
n / sat at my table. with the tail OF
one eye. and the pink May which i
caught with tail of the other. bloomed
IN splendid arrogance. my quiet outlook
on greenery and color was obscured BY
q human form.
I glanced up at the obscurlng human
form and recognised my wife. In her
hand she grasped q dilapidated newspa-
PEP.
,"rhercr' she cried; what do you
think Of that?'
What do you think Of what7" I ask
81. regarding the acre OF print.
Adrian Boldero has written a novel!'
Rubbish. darlins!' said l. knowing
my Adrian"
Take the trouble to read the no.
tice.' said Barbara. thrusting the paper
at me In superior manner.
took It from her hand and read She
was right. Somebody calling himself
Adrian boldero had written a novel
called THE Diamond Gate" which
usually sane and distinguished critic
proclaimed to be work OF genius. He
sketched the outline of the story: In
dicated its peculiar wonder. The re-
view impressed me.
Barbara. my dear" said 1. this is
eomebody else-not our Adrian
How many people In the world are
called Adrian Boldero.
Thousands" said I.
she pishcd again and tossed her pretty
head.
I'll go and telephone right away to
Adrian and find out all about It,"
T took up the paper and read the
review again. and the more read
the more absurd did It seem to me
that the author of The Diamond
Gate" and my Adrian Boidero could
be one and the same.
You see. we had, all four Of us.
Adrian. Jaffery Chayne. Tom Castle
ton, and myself. >been at Cambridge
together. and formed after the man
ner of youth a somewhat incongru-
Gus brotherhood.
Blond. bull-necked Jaffery. who
rowed in the college boat. and would
certainly have got his blue IL he had
been amenable to discipline and. be-
cause he was not. got sent down In
gloriously from the university at the
beginning of his third year. certainly
showed no genius. Adrian was a BIT
unaccountable. He wrote poems for
the Cambridge Review. and became
Vice president of the union; but hi
ran disastrously to fancy waistcoati
and shuddered at Dickens because
his style was not that Of Walter
Pater. For myself. Hilary Frceth--
we'll am a happy nonentity.
have a very mild scholarly taste
which sufficient private means. accru
ing to me through my late father
aemnen In buying few founders
snares in a now colossal universe
providing emporium. enable me Il
crafty. am n harmless person o
no account. But the other three mat
tered. They were dennite-Janery
.blatantly definite: Adrian Boldero. II
his queer, silky way. incisively den
mite; Tom Castleton, romanticall!
definite. And poor old Tom was dead
ut is Adrian" cried my wife, burst
ing into the library. IT knew II was
He has had several other gloriou
reviews which we haven't seen. Ism
II spiendid?'
Splendid" ! echoed. ITO think
old Adrian making good. at last! IT
more than glad. Telephone at once
dear, for a copy of the book
adrian Is bringing one with hin
He's coming down to dine and sta
the night. He said he had an en-
raeement. bur I told him 1t was run
bisn. and he's coming.
Haven't you thought how'delishte
poria will be?'
~ haven't" said /. i've more i'm
portant things to think about.
"But." said Barbara, III Adria
makes big success they'll be abb
to, marry"
Br the afternoon train came Adrian
impeccably vestured and feVeris
with excitement. -.
"I,ittck.nd. my publisher, declares IL
ro,ns 10 he the biggest thing IN fir'
novels ever known. And though sa
Il as shouldn't, dear old mar?
claimed me on the shoulder-'its fin
book"
"But. my dear fellow" l asked. ''wh
have you sprung this surprise on us!
mad no idea you were writing novel;
lilo laughed. NO one had. Not eve
poris. It was on her account I kei
Il secret. ] didn't want to grouse POI
slble false hopes. It's very simple ~
sides. ] like being dark horse. It's e.
citing. Don't you rememoe' "o" ""
alyzed YOU all were when l got my fir
at Cambridge? Everybody thought
hadn't done a. stroke OF workout
had sweated like mad all the time
This was quite true; the sudden ori
Nance Of the end of Abrams unive
atty career had dazzled the whole
mis- acquaintance. Barbara. impatie
of retrospect. came to the ali-imp"rta
point
How does Dcria take NJ
He turned on her and beamed. He W
one Of those dapper. slim-buiit m
who can turn with quick grace.
She's as pleased as Punch. Gave
to old man Jornicroft to read and
sisted on his reading II. He's impr"sss
Never thought ] had It In me. Cal
see, however, where the commerce
value Of It comes in
wait till you show him your III
humping check" sympathiIed my wi
Now It is a very odd coincidence. OF
however. which had little, II anythir
to do with the curious ENHANCEMENT
my friends affairs into which ] W
afterward drawn, but an odd coin
dence all the same. that on passi