Evening star., 1922-07-02

the newspapers they would publish it
and. no doubt. she would soon be
found."y
NO" he promptly replied. I'm he
ginning to think that she changed hel
| mind after we married and that she
has discovered We are unsuited tc
! each other. So she has simply dis
appeared
What causes you to imagine that
l asked with curiosity.
Well, everything points to it
Why should she get up in the morn.
ing and wait about the hotel while
went into the city on business
Then. on my return, l found that she
had taken her two dressing bags ant
gone away"
What money did she have?' l in.
quired.
"Oh, she had about 20 pounds.
| think. Not more"
That would not last her forever
l said. knew she had banking ac-
| count, but up to the present nc
checque had been drawn since hel
disappearance.
You see, she had an important en-
gagement on the afternoon of hel
disappearance. She had seen a
French maid two days before and had
made an appointment with her ir
order to engage her, it being proposed
that she should enter my wife's
service after her return from France
The maid. girl named Georgettt
jacquard. called. and 1 saw her. She
expressed surprise that madam had
not kept her appointment and wen,
away in apparent disgust"
How did you find this maid?"
Joan advertised"
where did she come FROM"
"She was from Dinard. She ha6
come to London to seek an engage.
ment. she told me. I gave the girl II
shllings for her trouble and asked
thought. of course, that Joan had left
me-"
And did the maid write?'
mo. I've heard nothing" he re.
piled.
NEXT day the desolate bridegroom
left the Carlton and returned to
Manchester to couduct his business
while the same day l went up tc
Helmsley. and there saw the mother
of the missing girl. to whom I told
the exact facts. emitting. of course
the incident of the Soho restaurant.
There's something wrong. radi-
cally wrong, somewhere" declared
Mrs. Calvert. as we sat together in
the big drawing room at Heddor
Manor. Fancy! He has gone back
to his money making in Manchester
instead of going to the police and
getting Joan's portrait in the papers,
The widow was furious, and, after
all, did not wonder at 1t.
your daughter was at school in
France. was she not?" I asked. when
her anger had subsided: for though
at first had refrained from entering
into the affair, my curiosity had now
been thoroughly aroused.
Yes. She was at Nine. Binet's,
at Versailles. for four years. 1t is a
most excellent school. 1 went there
several times"
And that Is why she wanted to go
to France for her honeymoon, per-
haps?'
Probably" said her mother.
And because of it she wanted to
engage a French maid?"
II know nothing of that. Joan did
not mention it to me. I suppose she
had arranged 1t with her husband"
replied the mother of the missing
girl. But why did she telegraph
from Maidstone?" she added.
That was just the point which
sorely puzzled me. could suggest
no explanation, save that she had
done 1t for q blind. Truth to tell.
however. I was wondering whether
Wharncliffe had been to Maidstone
and sent the message to himself
1.-THE whole affair is exceedingly
strange" Mrs. Calvert" said. Il
have done my best, but fail to see
how we can proceed further. No
doubt your daughter Is safe some
where and will either come homo or
write to you In due course"
But have they quarreled?"
II certainly don't think So" was my
reply.