Evening star., 1927-04-24
By PerciuaI Christopher Wren,
Author of Beau Geste
One More Sight of Home and Peggy Was His Goal.

up the strength required for the daily
tourney to the West End and back.
After paying for his clothes and set
ting aside his club fees, he would have
enough to live on at this rate, until
the London season and through it, if
he were very, very careful. He would
have to renew some Of his clothing,
perhaps, later on-~boots, linen. ties
and there were always incidental and
unavoidable expenses.
However, with great care and
little luck. he could last to the end of
the season and pursue his Quest And
this great. absorbing Quest which had
made him expend his all in fine cloth
ing, club membership. and the appear
ance of being Il person of quality"
and a gentleman of means and leisure?
Merely to come face to face with, to
meet on term of equality. to have just
one encounter and conversation with a
woman.
Before he died, he must see, and
speak to, Peggy once again--to Lady
Margaret Hillier--because Of whom he
had vanished into the French Foreign
Legion, and Of whom he had thought
daily and nightly ever since.
He had had a thin time. He was
near the end Of his tether, and life
held nothing for him. He had no de.
sire to prolong it--but, before he lay
down for the last time. he would see
Peggy again, hear her voice, feast his
eyes on her beautiful face, and his
ears on the sound of her words and
laughter, yea, feast his very soul
upon the banquet that it had dreamed
of-and then he would have no
further use for clubs, fine clothes, a
penny chair In the park, or anything
else.
He was quite mad, you perceive.
y p
NOW one can live on fourpence a
day, and for very long time.
too. If one starts in robust health
and strength, one can maintain an
appearance of health and the power
to work. for quite surprising period.
But, If one is really very ILL., on the
verge of a nervous collapse and badly
in need Of a rest-cure with special
diet. tonic, and drugs--fourpence a
day Is not enough.
They give you a surprisingly filling
meal at certain coffee.ShopS and cocoa
houses for pence, but one meatless
meal per diem Is not enough. 1t Is,
on the whole, better to have penny.
worth at dawn and pennyworth at
sunset, and a good drink of water at
midday. Better still Is it, IL you are
really experienced in the laying out of
money. to have a pennyworth at
dawn, 2 penayworth at midday and
a pennyworth at sunset. (You can go
to bed with full stomach by suppinE
on quart OF water)
But Geoffry had not complete liberty
in the matter. One cannot go for a
2 penny midday meal In a silk hat,
faultless morning coat buttoned over
the white waistcoat OF a blameless
laundress, and in patent cloth.topped
boots. Geoffry was, by force of cir
cumstances, debarred from his thrice.
a.day system Of feeding, and was con.
strained to breakfast lin rags at an
early coffee-stall and to dine at the
same, in the same decrepit clothing,
late at night.
After breakfast he would return to
his cubicle, dress for the club, and
creep forth. still in the early hours
of the morning. Zone attracts atten-
ton If, in the broad light OF naked
day, one issues from a Rowton House
in the correct garb Of Pail Mall and
Piccadilly.)
At night he would undress, carefully
fold his immaculate clothes, don his
rags and sally forth to dine on two
garded him as broken.down tori and
exc a balmy, but coffee stall keepers
are a race blase Of freaks, social,
moral and mental.
Between these meals Geoffry Braza-
Zon-Howard pursued his Quest. He
went to his club and listened eagerly
for society" gossip.
Having sought in vain for news of
Lady Margaret Hitler, he slowly pa
raded the fashionable thoroughfares.
and then, utterly weary, turned into
TIE park, selected an eligible site for
Icing the pedestrians, carriage exer-
cisers and riders, and sat for hours
watching and waiting, hoping against
hope-as he thought.
In point of fact, he spent a. great
portion of this time in dropping asleep
and being awakened by nearly falling
off the chair. He was sometimes
to expend the penny his chair