Evening Star Newspaper, November 25, 1923, Page 82

The tale of a g‘entleman--the son of **Her Grace. OU actually mean to tell me 13 LR} 7 The Honorable Tony did not stir, that you don’t want to get| but the eyes that he fixed on Pattic's out of this dripping hole™ | brother went suddenly and incredi- “My dear old ass, Why on | bly black, earth should I want to get out of 1t2” | ron oreq Anthony Christopher Stoningham Calvert faced the incredulous glare of the freckle-faced young gentleman |y ..o from Ohio with engaging candor. “You may be the heir apparent to the greatest rubber business in the whole jolly globe, but let me tell you that you see before you the chief, cole and official British imperial ad- viser to the fattest little sultan in Asia Young Ledyard broke In sharply: “I tell you this whole thing's a rotten, ugly, dangerous business. If any- thing went wrong here, you wouldn't have a white man in a hundred miles to turn to. What about that Scotch engineer who was so everlastingly in- timate with your precious sultan?” “Well, what about him? The poor chap fell down a shaft and broke his neck.” “Oh, he did, did he? Well. believe me. that's not what they say in Singa- pore! Calvert, get out of this place. Every inch of it smells of death and damnation.” “But I'm simply cuckoo with e stacy over it.” the Honorable Tony #ssured him earnestly. “The glitter- fng prospect of spending my remain- Inz vears in the largest rubber plantjlittle boy and as wistful and gentle in Ohio leaves me col Ledyard flushed. “Thanks! to discover how much you enjoyed Yyour visit to us.” “I enjoyed every minute of it to|able Tony. What do you | the point of explosion. think that those July evenings under the awnings on your veranda meant to a God-forsaken flving chap back|have from the wars, Willlam?” “I know one God-forsaken flying chap who thought it wasn't good enough for him while he was able to hop off and rot his soul out in a water-logged bamboo shack in Asfa!” The owner of the bamboo shack beamed. “My dear chap, It was heaven, pure and simple, but a dash too pure and simple for some of us. Every man his own heaven, what? vou're sitting in mine at pres- vard rose sharply to his feet. »All right, T'll be off, then. Eot hold of one of those black swine @nd tell him to get my men and the wart—- “My dear old chap!” The Honor- mble Tony was at Ledyard's side in two great strides: his arm was about Ledyard's shoulders in the old re- membered gesture of gay affection. ®For pity's sake, do try to remember that I'm simply & feather-headed goat. It's absolute rot to talk about going before sundown. The sun would simply melt you down like a taliow candle. Besides, the jetty-eyed ®ompanion of your travels isn't back grom her interview with his majesty.” “Calvert, when I think what I've fcen through with that beastly lim- Who the dickens is she, any- ay “Daisy de Vallorosa. ®hap, why ask me?" ““Well, I do ask you. She swore that she’d met you and your sultan mt a special concert while he was wisiting Singapore. “Oh, extremely special.” murmured ¢he Honorable Tony, reminiscently. “Rather! Bhakdl was most fright- fully bowled over; he gave her two hammered gold buckles and a warm ‘Anvitation to drop in on him-at any time that she was in the neighbor- hood. I rather fancy that that's What's at the bottom of all this ex- My dear citement about the expiring brother | Pinch. and the tin mines! By the way, how | the little Vallarosa hussy? young female barge into|romp over and cadge some light re- did the you?" “She had the next seat on the train | jesty. from Singapore, curse her!” replied [ pose will be simply thrown away ‘we ' on you; half a nip of prune cordial Ledyard vindictively. “When found that you and Bhakl had lit out after tigers, and I decided that I'd Just have time before the next boat| wpay to hire a crew and hunt you down, #he went off into twenty-one differ- ent kinds of hysterics until T prom- ised to bring her along, too. Five * meenit—only five small lil'’ meenit to spik weeth the gr-reat. the good sul- tan and the gr-reat, noble Honorable Meestaire Tonee Calve’, and her Manuelo would be restore' once more to her arms.” Ledvard rtan a frenzied hand through the sandy hair. “Listen, how about getting away now, before she turns up?” “Well, upon my word. You unprin- cipled young devil, are you asking me to sit by and condone a callous de- sertion of this young female to the Inres of a wily and dissolute poten- tate? * % k% EDYARD faced his Inquisitor un- —+ abashed. “Oh, go on, she's prob- ably a cousin of his; any one with all that fuzzy black hair and those black saucer cves and nasty glittery little teeth— “Wrong. dear boy. The lady is un- deniably the legitimate oftspring of Lady Scott's Euglish maid and a Por- tuguese wine merchant, born in Ma- deirs. She Is also a British subject, being the legitimate widow of the lats Tommy Potts, one time pianist of the Imperial Doll Baby Girl See here.! demanded William, ow do you happen to know so much about this Portuguese Empire Doll Baby?" “A trifiing matter of a passport, Willlam.” Ledyard eyed him gloomliy. “Well, I'm through chaperoning Daisy de Vallorosa Potts from now on. If I don’t make connections with that hoat ingSingapore, I'm as good a: disinheriteal My governor's not so Kone on yoa that he'd consider you #ny excuse for missing two boats, Yyou know Not for missing enme. you young nss.” The gay eyes dwelt on him for a moment, mocking and affec- tionate. “Your very able parent nev- er entertained any illusions as to my intrinsic merit, did he?" Ledyard drew a long breath. “You know it's hard to talk to you about anything like that, Calvert]” “Then why do it?" “Oh, not because I want to!" His angry, thied young face bore unmi takable testimony to that. “Is it beside the mark to ask you just whose pleasure you are con- sulting, then?” Glad | her hands together tightly, and sald, 1t you'll | After a long pause, he evenly and courteously, “Pattie's?" “Yes, Pattie’s, That's half of why The other half is because I'm fool enough to care more about You than any other man I ever met— than any other two men “Thanks,” said the Honorable Tony, and there was something startlingly sweet in his smile. “Thanks awtully. It's quite mutual, you know-—any three men, I should say offhand. Sup- pose we simply let it go at that?’ “I can't let it go at that. I tell you. Pattie had it all out with Dad, and she made me swear that I'd run you down when I got out here and bring you back. She said that I was to tell you that she said, ‘Please’. The Honorable Tony sat curlously still, staring through Pattie's brother as though he saw come one else— some one who stood there very small and straight with young Ledyard's sandy halr clasping her brows like a wreath of autumn leaves, and young Ledyard's grave eves turned in two dancing stars, and young Ledyard's freckles tralling a faint gold powder | across the very tip of her tilted nose —some one as brave and honest as a 1 as & little girl, who stood clasping “Please.” No, by Heaven!” crled the Honor- “Don't yell like that" Ledyard ped the words out fiercely. “D'you want me to tell Pattle that all you to say to her is ‘No, by Heaven'?" “I want you to tell Pattie that I was o¥f tiger-hunting with the sultan, and that you couldn't get track of e Is that all?” Quite all, thanks.” l ‘But, dash it, I tell you that she wants you—' “You misunderstood her.” | “Don’t be a fool. She told me—" * %% o rT'he Honorable Tony jerked forward ( suddenly, his fingers biting into Ledyard's arm, his low voice savage | as a whip. i “Drop it. will you? Drop 1t!” At sight of the stricken amazement in | the other's eye he broke off sharply. Ledyard stared at him wretchedly. “But, Calvert, 1 thought—we all thought that you—that you cared for her—" “My dear fellow, the more I cared for her the less likely I'd be to go within a thousand miles of her. For Pattie’s sake, and my sake, try to get this straight. I am absolutely no g00d. I don’t mean that I'm one of your deep-dved, hair-ralsing villains. No such luck. I'm simply a waster of the very first water, who has spent his entire life going to and fre over the face of the earth doing things that he ought not to have done, and leaving undone the things that he ought to have done. You're worse than mad to tempt me to forget it; don't do it again, there's a good chap. And while you're about it try to remember that the best there is isn't half good enough for Pattie.” Ledyard swallowed hard. “I don’t care; If it came to & show down, you'd be as good as the best.” “Thanks. I'm not the stuff of which heroes are made, even iIn a! Now how about hynting up we'll freshments from His Imperial Ma- He has a cognac that I sup- sets the good old world going round for you Yankee martyrs these da: “Help!” invoked Ledyard with gloomy fervor. “Glad to know you get the comic sections regularly.” ‘My priceless old thing, we get nothing whatever regularly. When my royal master and pupil feels any craving for foreign frivolities he summons about twenty of the mas- culine population and bids them yo heave ho on business of state. Later, they turn up bearing gifts, and I take all the envelopes with an Eng- lish postmark and put them in a nice tin can with a nice round stone, and drop ‘em out of the window plop Into the jolly old river. You never can tell when dne might read, ‘Anthony, come home, all is forgiven.'" “But, my word, they must be wor- ried half frantic! How do they know whether you're alive or dead?” “My dear chap, the only thing that the Bolinghams have ever worried about as far as little Anthony Chris- topher's concerned is that he mightn't have the grace to die before one of ihis waggish pranks landed him in jall or actually cost them something in pounds and shillings {nstead of mere lamentations! That's why I gratified them by throwing over my share of the title when I came of age. Lord Anthony, what? No thanks. It's all too clear that you don't know Aunt Pamela and Aunt Clarissa, the last of the Bolingham vestals, or those splen- did fellows, Roderick, Cyril and Oliver.’ “Good night! I'd hate to be as bitter as that about my worst enemy.” ‘Bitter? About my priceless family?>” His careless mirth flooded the quiet room. “Why, my child, I revel in ‘em; I have ever since Oliver used to jerk me out of bed at 2 in the morning to wallop me because he'd lost at ecarte—ragging about how it was his sacred duty as head of the Bolingham family to see that I learned not to dis- grace it again by getting in through the scullery window at 9 o'clock of a fine August night. All the more to his credit that I wasn't his own brother. “Wasn't” echoed Ledyard blankly. “Oh, come, come—you don’t mean to say that no one's told you the true history of the little black sheep ram- pant on the Bolingham arms? No? Well, unlike Noll and Cyril and Rod- die, I don’t happen to be able to claim the Lady Alicia Honorla Fortescue as my mother. My mother's name hap- pened to be Biddy O'Rourke, and she Young Ledyard set his teeth hard. ! was prouder of.that and being able & “Pattie’'s”’ he said, very -distinotly,. £o dance longer on her toes than any. that I ever saw," {her “What think do you those July evenings on your veranda meant to a God-forsaken fly- Ing chap back from the wars?" one else in the London music halls | than the minor matter of bearing the | title of Duchess of Bolingham and | having forty-two servants call her| ‘Your Grace.' " | “You mean he was married to her “Rather—rather, my yvoung sleuth! | He not only married her, but he was | most frightfully set up about it. So- | clety and the court and the whole blooming family cut her and insulted and disowned her—and she laughed in their faces and danced on | thelr toes. She thought that the whole " thing was a stupendous joke: Bunny | says that there never were five min- | utes after she came to Gray Court! that you couldn’t hear her laughing | or singing somewhere about the | place.” “Who's Bunny?" “Bunny was her maid—afterward | she was my own private slave until the magnificent Noll showed her the | gates of the ancestral home when I'd reached the mature age of six and a | half.” ‘But your mother and father?" de- manded Ledyard, still faintly incredu- lous. The Honorable Tony, explained af- tably. “Exit Biddy, Duchess of Bol- ingham. laughing on the day that young Anthony Christopher Stoning- ham Calvert makes his firm bow to & ravished family. And once she was gone the Black Duke slunk around the empty corridors for a bit, hunting for the echo of her laughter. and died of pneumonia and boredom without making any particular fuss.” “Calvert, are you making this up?" The Honorable Tony turned his head toward the Interlocutor, his eves narrowed to slits. After a mo- ment's cold scrutiny of the honest, troubled countenance, he shrugged his shoulders. “My dear kid, even the clown in the circus s apt to draw the line at play- ing the giddy fool over his mother. I might add, moreover, that my highly tertile imagination would balk at in- venting any one as delightful as the lady who did me the honor to be mine.” 1 beg your pardon,” Ledyard sald promptly. “As you imply. I'm a teless fool. “And so you're in excellent com- pany!” his host assured him, the blue eyes once more wide and gay and triendly. “If you'll wait just half a shake Tl present you to Biddy, Duchess of Bolingham.” * ¥ ¥ % E vanished into the bedroom and was back with & shabby black case in his hands. He put it carefully on the table between them, touched = spring and stepped with a low bow. “There he announced. “Mme. Blddy, the American kid with the freckles—you know the one. Mr. Bill Ledyard from Ohio, the Duchess of Bolingham—{from Ireland.” Out of the black frame there smiled a tiny vision of gold and ivory snd sapphire. The head, with its froth of bright curls lightly tilted, there she eat, laughing down the years, gay as a flower, lovely as a dream. The Honorable Tony spoke softly. “She’s & bit incredible, after all, you know! They were going to crush all that life and laughter clear down into the earth and away she went, dancing through their fingers Into the dust that was just a flower gar- den to her. She's more alive this minute than they'll ever be in all their everlasting stale lives.” Ledyard stared, awed and tongue- tied. . “‘She’s—sh the prettiest -thing ERNEREL FLA) | Ghurai?” “Oh, prettier than that, young Bill. She's the prettiest thing that ever lived—or ever died. And she was such a lovely little lunatic herself that we get on famously. We krow what a joke it all is, don’t we, Biddy? We ecven know when it's on us. ‘There now, back you go, mavourneen, while Mr. Billee Ledyar and I start| out hunting for another lady. Bill, take a look across the kampong at the sun while I hunt up my helmet— if it's lower than Bhakdi's roof you'd better be off. It goes down like & rocket in these parts, once it gets started.” Young Ledyard flung open the great wooden door that had barred out the heat. “The sun's set” he said. “There’s some one coming across from that shack you call a palace.” The Honorable Tony strolled leis- urely out of his bedroom. “Ghundi! he commented. “The incomparable | Ghunai!” “Who the deuce is Ghundi?" “My head boy. What tidings, The bronze statue saluted. “Master, the Great One says that the white woman stays. Let your friend return down' the waters with- out her.” The Honorable Tony brows. he's with the Great One, Ghundi?” “With the Great One, Master.” “So much for that!" the Honorable Tony murmured gently. “Is all in readiness at the beach?" “The raft waits, master. Go swift- 1y, or vour friend will stumble in the night.” “Latch the door after you, Wil- liam; T'll come as far as the beach. No, this way. Smell that breeze—it's straight down from the jungle.” “It smells of poison,” cried young Ledyard flercely. “Calvert—Calvert, come back with me!” “And here we are. lad, and off you go. you for comin “Calvert, I won't—I'm not goling. The Honorable Tony laid his hands lightly and strongly on the boy's shoulders, pushing him relentlessly toward the water. “My dearest kid, if you stayed one minute longer you'd ruin the best memory of my life. I mean it. Off with yo lifted his In you go, my Heaven love * x ok % E stood until the bamboo raft vanished around the dim curve of the river. The night was falling with the velvet precipitation of the tropics. While he stood its dark mantle was about him. He swung leisurely off through the blacknes toward the shadow deeper than the surrounding shadows that was home. He ran lightly up the crazy steps, felt for the latch—and drew back his hand sharply. The latched door was open. g “Ghundi!” His voice cut into the dark space. “Ghundi!” Silence. - The Honorable Tony ad- dressed the shadows. ‘Of course, this {s most frightfully jolly! Mrs. Potts! I say, I hope you have made yourself Quite at home?” From the hushed depths came a small, frantic commotion. “Ah, be qui-yet! Be qui-yet, I do implore “Oh, my dear girl come now! Just precisely what in the deuce are you doing here instéad of on Ledyard's boat?” e e “Meestaire Honable Tony, on my knees I pray to you, be more qui- yet! Ilissen, llssen, come more -close. Do not let them seo—do not, do not 'HONORABLE TONY. 1. ..., life and-- BY FRANCES NOYES HART let them hear. Ah—ah—more sof’, more still! So!" The suppliant whisper drew him, like a tautened thread. He stumbled over something—in the flare of a match, she stood out sharply as an etching. her eyes two black pools of panic in the white terror of her face. Then darkness held them once more. “Honable Tonee—lissen—eef one of those matches they should see, we die. You mus' hide me. Honable To- nee, you mus’ hide me far away be- fore he come to keel us both.” “Hide you?” The Honorable Tony ylelded to mirth. “My dear Potts, you might precisely as well ask a thimble to hide a perfume factory! It fairly bowled me off my feet.” “Hush—oh, hush—eet ees my pair- | fume? You could know eet from that door?” “I could know it from the far edge of the kampong.” “Then, oh, they fin’ me!” At the sick terror of that small ail, the Honorable Tony stirred. But why in the name of grief didn't you go to the boat?" “Honable Tonee, cet was gone, eet was gone!” “Oh, rot! The boat was here until a few minutes ago. Look here, my dear child, this whole performance looks most frightfully dodgy. From brother Manuelo on—' The limp bundle beneath his fingers shivered more deeply and sighed. “About Manuelo, eet was a lie that Manuelo he was my brothalr. Man- uelo. he ees the belove' of my heart. “The deuce he is!" The Honorable Tony's voice was edged with mild interest. “Honable Tonee, that mos' ac- curse’ black devil to whom I pray to save my Manuelo—he keel you—that he tell to me—he keel you. I tell to heem that if once more he lay on me hees black an’ dirty han's I go to you for help. “Daisy—Daisy, this is all simply too good to be true. But why?" “Becaus' ovair me he ees gone creszy mad. He tell to me that he marry with me—that the jewels from hees las’ two wive he give to me for prezzens.” * k% % 'HE Honorable Tony yielded to an- other gale of delighted mirth. “Well, upon my word, you couldn’t ask for anything fairer than that! Why not accept?” “Hush—hush—more still! You have forgot Manuelo.” “To be entirely candid, my child, I had forgotten Manuelo. It's de- lightful to know that you haven't, however! Well, but then how in the world did you get here?” “I have jump out from a window.” “From a—Daisy, you're making this u ; No. For why should I make thees up? He have lock’ me up in a great ogly room, until I come back into my sense, he say. So then I jump from out that window. Lissen, I am mos’ bad girl—I bring to you danger an’ ‘worry, but my haid eet hurt, and I do not know wair— “My dear Dalsy, you knew exactly. This is Liberty Hall, child; you should feel entirely at home. D'you think that Bhakdi's liable to dash over b fore I could hunt up Ghundl and sampan and head you down stream “No, no—no, no, no—do not leave No, I die when you shall leave me The Hon. Tony shrugged his should- ers. “Oh, it's quite &ll right with me, you know! I simply thought if the little beggar was roving about it might be elmpler to get you out of the way. ‘We could do something nice with a screen—or there's the other room— that has more possibilities. I've an automatic in there. In the remote event that I am dragged from the scene of action you could pot our im- peral friend. Are you a good shot, Dalsy?" *No, no—what you not let heem come; do not let hee: no thing could I shoot—no thing—' “Well, there's one thing that any dufter in the world can shoot,” said the Hon. Tony soothingly. “There absolutely no use shaking like that; not as long as any stupid little girl in the world can shoot herself! It's & hsimply ripping pistol, Daisy.” He put one arm about her,"and she relaxed against it with a comforted little moan. “Of course, there's not half & chance that the little beggar won't grovel all over the place; I'll tell him that if he lays one finger on a British subject, England—" “Oh, for Englan’ he does no care. When I eay to heem that great Eng- lan’ will protec’ me, he laff right out | an’ say, ‘Englan’, bah “Oh, he said that, did he?" inquired the Hon. Tony. “Well, that's not a pretty thing for any fat little sultan to say.” He grinned suddenly and im- pishly Into the darkness. “There's a nice cluster of lights bearing down from the palace at a good fast clip, and I'm rather inclined to think that it's time for little girls that have heart's beloveds in the mines to be trotting off to a more se- cluded spot. How about {t?" ‘Yes, yes, I go." There was a touch- Ing docility in the small voice. “Wair now do I go, Hon. Tonee?" “Here. Where's your hand? Quiet, now. Here's the door. Wait, you can curl up on the bed. That's comforta- ble."” ‘Oh, ble. “Good. Now for pity's sake emulate the well known mouse! The revolver's on the table. No—no—don't touch it now. Oh, Lucifer, that perfume! Here, let's have your handkerchief—quic We're about to recelve callers, Daisy! 7THERE was the sound of light feet on the rickety steps: the sound of light hands at the outer door. that—that is mos’ comforta- The Hon. Tony bent down swiftly; | kicked off onme shoe—the other— | ripped off the white linen coat and i(he blue scarf, and strode leisurely across the threshold of his bedroom door with his head on one side and | his hands in his pockets. { “What in the deuce?” he inquired | amiably of:the bronse etatue stana- | ing in the pool of light at the head |of the stairs. The statue stirred. | “Oh—it's you, Ghundi! What's the row?" “Master, the Great One bids that you bring the woman and come swift- 1y to the palace.” “Bring what woman?" inquired the Hon. Tony, lazily diverted. “I say. Ghundi, the Great One hasn't been having a go at that brandy again, has he? The statue did not move, but in the Dpool of light its eyes shone, eloquent and imploring. “Master, she was seen to enter here by the little son of the head beater. The Great One says to make all hasts “Ghundi, it's never Mrs. Potts? Not the ravishing Mrs. Potts? Now suppose you totter back to the Great One and {nform him that the ineffable Potts has gone down the waters that she came up, reluctantly escorted by Mr. Billee Ledyar’. She just caught thé boat by the skin of her little white testh. I agree with the Great One that it's @ thousand pities that she caught it at all.” “Master, T am your servant. I have served you well—I have loved you better. If I return without you they slay me—If I remain with you they slay me—it is all one. But you—you are my master—you are my son—you are my father. Delay no longer; the woman was seen to enter here—she has not come out.” The Honorable Tony did mot stir from his careless station before the bedroom door, but something leaped across the guarded space to that dark and lonely figure—something more warm, more friendly, more reassuring than any touch of hands. “Ghundl, there are two fellows this side of heaven that I'l give a good it to take there with me when I go. That sandy-haired young lunatic who came up the waters Is one of them— and you're the other. Now cut along back to the Great One, like a good fellow, and tell him that I was as good as tucked In for the night when You found me, with a nice little flick- or of fever. Good-night, old cha wish the Great One happy dreams. Ghundi's grave voice was heavy with despalir. “Master, she is here. The air about us. cries- it to all who breathe.” “Absolutely sickening, what?” agreed -the Honorable Tony. “T picked-up her beastlylittle ‘hander- “chief on the beach path, coming back - from the boat—it's fairly sopped in it. Here, catch. The Great One might fancy it; corking souvenir, what?" Ghundl stared down at the wet white ball in his clenched fist. “Master—I was told to search—" “And that'll be about all of that,” remarked the Honorable Tony. An ingratiating smile curved the corners of his lips. “Come on now, cut along like a nice chap—my head's buzzing no end, and I'm mad for sleep.” The dark, troubled face was lit suddenly by a smile, grave and tender and in- dulgent. “Where you go" sald Ghundl, “there may I be to serve you! Farewell, little master.” * k¥ ¥ E turned back to the dancing lights below him. There was a swift murmur; the light shuffle of feet: the rustle of parted leaves—si- lence. The Honorable Tony whistled the opening bars of “Where Do We Go From Here, Boys?" twice over with fine accuracy, then shoved open the bedroom door. “My word, falrly neat, ch, Daisy?| Now then, what next?" A whisper, ! strange and lonely as a dream, an- swered him. “Now then, Tonee.” “Farewell Dalsy?" “Yes. Now I am thinkin'—of leav- ing you.' "My poor kid., youll shiver your pretty teeth out if you keep up like | this: T swear I ought to be drawn and quartered for a thumping brute. After all, it 1sn't as much of a lark for you as It is for me, is it? Now just what are we going to do about you?" “Honable Tonee, eet ees not for me I shiver: eet ees for you. Becaus' you do not onnerstan’—becaus’ you laff—becaus’ you do not know that all, all ees end". I ask pardon, pardon that thees I have done to you—" “My dear little lunatic, you've done nothing in the world to me; the blighter knows that half of the big sticks in England are my cousins and my uncles and my aunts, and they'd | simply chew him up if he adminster- | ed as much as a scratch to anything | as sacred as a Bolingham hide. No, the question before the house is, what about you?”’ *“Me? Oh, me, eet ees no mattair. Me. I am through.” “Dalsy, I'm Just a bit afraid you're right. You wouldn't consider chuck- Ing 17" “How chuckin'?" “You don't think that Manuelo would understand if you took the two last wives' jewels and—" “Ah.” moaned the little voice in the darkness, “that ees a black an’ ogly thing to say. Me, I am no good—but that you shofild have nevair say to me. My dear.” said the Honorable Tony gently, “you're as good as gold, and I'm a black-hearted scoundrel. Now then, I'm off for the other room. I'll light the lamp, and glve a cracking good imitatlon of an earnest reader for the benefit of any callers. In case it doesn’t meet with the proper ap- plause, here's the revolver. Not go- ing to be lonely, are you? You can hear me just as well as though T still were in the room. Moreover, I'm leaving a lady to take care of you." A ladee?" “The Duchess of Bolingham. Feel this little black frame? Well, she's in there—my mother, Dalsy; her first name is Blddy. I think she's going to farewell, Honorable Thinking of leaving me, ed with smeoth gold. Behind bim came ten gigantic figures in fn- credible green uniforms. Lanterns swung from their great paws and in the gilded holsters at their walsts the mother-of-pearl handles of the famous automatics gleamed like the milky way. The British adviser rose easily to his feet. “Your majesty!” he saluted, with precisely the correct inflection of gratified amazement. “Excellency!” Hls majesty’s accent was more British than the Honorable Tony's, but he purred in his throat which is not done. “We were alarm- ed by the good Ghundi's report of your health. You suffer? “Oh, Ghundi's overdone It!" pro- tested the Honorable Tony, all cour- teous regret. “I'm no end sorry that you've had all this bother. Nothing in the world the matter but a rather SLff nip of fever; T was going to turn in in another minute and sleep it off.” “We will drive off this pestilential fever with three good rubbers and four good drinks” his majesty sug- gested. “Ahmét will fetch your coat It is in your room? Ahmet! The Honorable Tony moved more swiftly than Ahmet. He laid one hand on the handle of the bedroom door. “I do honestly feel too rotten bad to last out even & hand,” he sald pleasantly. “T'll be fit as a fiddle in the morning and entirely at ¥ majesty's disposal. but for tonight I'm going to ask You to excuse me. “But tonight we will most cer- tainly not excuse you,” his imperial majesty replied amiably. *No, no, on the contrary. Tonight, excellency. we are quite through. Stand aside I beg you. When Ahmet fetches your excellency’s coat and your excel- lency’s boots he will also fetch your excellency’s lad. The Honorable Tony gave a shout of astounded delight. “My hat!" he cried. “But this simply gorgeous. Just what are you going to do if T don't stand aside®" “Shoot you where you stand. Come. come. We are overpatient.” The Honorable Tony sighed beau- tifically. “Oh, come now. shooting me down in this casual way—what d’you think the British government's going to make of i “Nothing." replied the British gov- ernment's leyal ally blandly. “In due time the proper authorities will be informed that you were lost over- board on an expedition after croco- diles and your body was not recov- ered. 1 do not belleve the loss will afflict the government so deeply as you imagine.” * 3 % THE Honorable Tony's manner changed abruptly-to -cold inso- lence. “And that's enough” he said “Take your army and be off. Remem- ber that we're in the twentieth cen- tury, not the Adelphi Theater.” “We are in Asia,” sald his imperial majesty. “Life is good, cxcellency. and death a long and dreary affair The woman is not worth {t—a gutter rat out of the music halls. Stand aside, T beg!" My mother was from the musie halls” said the Honorable Tony, “I have half a mind to mop up the foor with you before I turn in “You are a brave man, said his imperial majesty equably. “and a f00L.” He turned to the black and emerald giants, “Attention!” The giants stood very straight. “Ready!" sald Bhakdi softly. The want you to call her by her first name.” “But she ees dald, your mother?" “Dead? That's the most idiotic de- | scription of Biddy; however, there may be something in what you say. Now, then, quite all right? Sure? Good-bye, little Dalsy.” “Honable Tonee.” He had to bend his head to catch that faint and wa- vering whisper. “Honable Tonee, not that I | frightened, but becaus’ thees room eet ( ees so black an’ still, would you be so vairy kin' to kiss me good-bye? Manuelo—Manuelo, he would onner- stan’. You do not think that ladee would be angery The Honorable Tony bent his bright head to the dark one, and laid his gay lips swiftly and surely on the small painted mouth. “That lady would be terrible in anger i I didn't. All right now, little thing? Good-night then—Biddy, you look after her; show her all the pret- tiest places up there—mind the two of you keep out of mischief! Slip the bolt behind me, Dals; * ¥ % ¥ ITH a last touch on her hair, he was gone. He pulled the door to behind him nolselessly, and stood leaning against it for a moment with bowed head, Sllence—a faint patter of feet—the heavy grating of the bolt driven home. He raised his head. “Good girl!” said the Honorable Tony. He swung across to the table, felt for the matches, and lit the lamp. A little wind passed through the quiet room, bringing a distant murmur of volces, and far off footsteps coming nearer. The flame in the lamp fiick- ered and burned brighter, and the flame that danced in the eyes of the gentleman reclining In the long chair flickered and burned brighter, too, though they were discreetly lowered over a two-month-old paper from Singapore. Even when the footsteps were on the ricketty stairs he con- tinued to read—even when the knocks rang out, he did not lift those dancing eyes. He flipped over the first page of the Singapore paper, and lifted his voice’in welcome leavened Wwith sur- called the Honorable Tony to those Who stood in darkness. And they came in. First there came a small plump, swarthy gentleman in immaculate white linen. He had small, fat hands adorned with three superb emeralds. About his head was & turban of fine red silk, plerced by & brooch in which crouched an- other emerald large as a pigeon egg. In one fat little hand he held a pair of white kid gloves and a emall handkerchief badly crumpied; in the other & awagger stick of ebony band~ R pearl-handled automatics flashed “Aim!” said Bhakdi, with a flick of the handkerchief toward the slim figure framed in the doorway. “You ought to be joily grateful to me for teaching you all those nice words,” | remarked the Honorable Tony reproachfully. “They sound simply corking when you snap ‘em out like that.” “I count,” said Bhakdi. “One." “I wish you could see yourselves." said the Honorable Tony admiringly “For all the world like a lot of comic-opera pirat ‘For-I'm-the- big-bad-black-faced chief'—you know the kind of thing. “Two,” sald Bhakdi. “I say, you are going it!” cried the British adviser. In the gleam from the lanterns his hair ruffied gold, and his eyes black mischief. “Aren't you afraid of its being & bit of a let-down to the Imperial Guard after all this?" “Three!” sald Bhakdl, and “Fire!" There was a rattle of sound along the green line—from the other side of and bolted door there came a fainst reply, sharp as an echo. The Honor- able Tony sagged forward to his knees, his face lit with incredulous amazement. “By heaven!” he whispered. “By heaven, you've done it!” In the lean curve of his cheek the dimple danced once more riotous and unconquered. 1 say.” he murmured, “I say, Bid- . comic opera, what? That—that's 2 good one—on me- His fingers slipped from the door, and he was silent. (Copyright, 1923.) German Toys in England. From the New York Herald. The mark *Made in Germany” s beginning to reappear in English shops. Conspicuous among the Christ- ‘mas wares displayed are dolls, minia- ture musical instruments, tin soldiers and other types of present tin from Germany. Forty per cent of the toys being sold in England, according to a statement by a Hull department store manager, come from Germany, a statement which is supported by oili- clal figures of $750,000 worth of Ger- man toys imported through che port of Hull alone. The German tin soldiers are not un- contested masters of the fleld; toys from the United States are Lalng dis- played prominently In ths Christmas windows, the most interesting to the average boy being sets for the con- struction of models of machinery. ships, locomotives, bridges. ctc, and much Interest is also being shown in ‘American toys of an educational ra- ture. Model wagons, velocipedes cooters and other small vehicles yro- pelled by children are Hading great favor in England, and so are all soru of electrical toys, such as rallways.