Evening star., 1946-05-12
THE LOST COUNTESS
Continued from page ten

To render habitabe, with help, even part
of a large country house is no chds play. For three
davs Lily battled with dust and cobwebs, pots and
pans and a recacitrant plumber who couldn't or
wouldn't get the pump going. The Contessa tired TO
help, but she simply wasn't housework broken
Horace had gone into the silences Lily's frantic
cables remained unanswered.
Then on the fourth morning Murphy. the Thorn-
dyke butler rang up to tell her caoie hao aIi'eo'
Read it, Murphy said Lily.
"'Have found the real Maria d Colonna here IN
Rome read Murphy. "'She is the most beautiful
girl in the world stop friend recognized her picture
and took me to her stop She was injured IN an air
raid and has been suffering from amnesa but IS re-
covering stop l don't know when I'll be back as l
will not leave until she is we'll and hope to persuade
her to return with stop You had best notify the
authorities of the deception played on us by that
imposter. Horace
Lily hung up the phone and rushed out onto the
"Mariar' she cried to the Contessa. Horace has
found Marar'
The Contessa wept with joy Lilys shoulder.
Lily patted her absenty, and her violet eyes were
narrowed
why don't you go and pack?" she suggested pres
emily ''Our peril is past
She. herself, went to the phone and put IN call
to New York daily
Rome" she announced. Suffering" she added with
RELISH from amnesia"
LILY tubbed and scrubbed and attired in a dotted
Swiss pegnor afoam with lacy rules, contentedly
in her cool. clean bedroom in New York.
Jason lay the chase Tongue, looking rather silly
in its ultra feminine embrace. well you're off the
hot spot" he remarked. That is, if the old lady
doesn't mind if the young gets the credit for the
book"
Mind? Why she only wrote it to get money to
make search for Maria Now that Maria has been
found and recovering the Contessa is simply in the
Seventh Heaven"
'If you'd told me in the beginning that the photo
graph you used the jacket one of the Con-
tessas granddaughter - Maria d Colonna. too -
| could have told you not to worry
You didn't ask me-" said Lily.
How could |? You didn't even tell me the book
novel. l thought it the old Contessa's
"reminiscences"
We'll, hadn't read it then myself Lily explained
Jason sat bolt upright you mean you hadn't
read the thing when you told me it superb. and
tried to make me publish it?
There wasn't time. And BESIDES" said Lily CON-
placently, Il knew the Contessa had such exquisite
taste that anything she wrote would be fine
JASON lay back and chuckled The books in the
money now. You know he went thoughtfuly,
Il must admit that Horace has done job. He wanted
to come in with me. as think l told you but
thought he hadn't the weight I'm sure though he'd
still like to-" He tapped his cigarette holder the
of the chaise it was, for him, sign of deep con-
centraton.
Lily was speechess with indignation. Horace had
done job! The sheer injustice of it When it had been
all her idea
Jason continued to tap Then abruptly he ceased
Right" he said crisply, in top-fght executive
cadence, 'I'l play along with him. And that II mean
he added. turning to Lily, his pearl that presently
| can get away for bit We might go up to Old
Quebec for a month You and together
Lily hesitated. Indignation fought with feminine
sagacity. The sagacity had the edge better holi-
h,ch in tho han 7