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PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
SOUTH FROM
MAYFAIR
By PEAkL BELLAIRS
A HIGHLY ORIGINAL Author of "Velvet and Steel," "Christabel," etc.
STORY' OF ESPIONAGE
AND LOVE COPYRIGHT
She slow i as It rI'elease Ifro tlhe
obligation to tell about -lawtksford
immedliately. lie woullld be going to
the Chathenms alone with Allen
I-Hlltwsfordt would do 11o harin the1n,
untll Sir Weston ca:ne blclh,
"How long will you be away?"
"About six (days," General Mlarrti
said. "Mrs. Shutne suggested at break'
fast that youi and llildta should go
tilup wil her to their hotuse llt Hatn
iuer while I't awaty. 'ilawkstford canI
drive you uIp. After that I'll be going
to Kal?tottrta-ltit t's on the coll
eighty tiles norlth of here. Hannler
is inttlan II thie nilottttaittns; Ilawts' I
ford will drive you through tand you
canll mleet ille lit Kalliolllura; or ipica
t?e 1111 here in ChristchuIIrch llater',
jltust as you pleaile."
"Very well," said Lorna.
le still looked conlcernedll, itntl so
did shle.
By tile time he com ne back fitom
the Chliailtltns shle lmust have flottlud
out tnort nahout Hawltksford--or tell
aboutt the ltffl'tt' of Allen's nlotecllse.
1-alf land hots' tlater, ta ihuge liox of
roses arriveidl for hIet' fromt town.
sent tby Allol. Ile had scribbled on
the sheet of papellr inside tihe florist's
envelope: "Darling, w\Ihy did you tie
sort me last night?" Evidentlty tile
flowers w\'ere to IIcteit her In cIase
sile might haIve objected to Ills goaiig
off in the car with the blonde;
though1 he did not kinow, yet, thlt
site had lwanted the ciar' to. go hoime
In. Until the flowers r'ecalled the ,n
cidlet to mind, site thad utterly for
gotten it. Theo circiulnstiances 'of the
notes in the typewrliter haid so over.
shadowedil e It.
When he came, iafteir llunchleon, to
atccomplllanly her' father onl it vsit to
\Wigramn Aerodrome, Lornta did not
refer to ithe dance ati all . . '. Sie
had been going to toll him that lie
had ttlde thiings iiawkwardt for her,
but now it didn't seeml to lmatter,
"How tie you, nlly adored one?"
said Allen, looling lt her rather'
closely.
. "On top ofl thle w\orld!"' said Lornl,
chiirlpllly. It \\as lIaiwksford to\walirds
wholn she looled, painfullyl , ponder
ingly, across tie llawn, ts 11ts stood
waitting by the car, his bronzed filce
set Iin lnllta?l'siie Indltffoereice abIove
his grey uniformii,.
CIAPTIA"T1i Vill
LORNA DECIDES TO INVESTIGATE
T'hnt evening Hlichardl s and G enelral
Mal.trls:1 .hl'1..for, \Volllington on the
sltdinlo'r exi rel' ss; ? )ltei.'ntllnlt oll to ini
venttlgalte -twItvlilsford's reall ehII'lloetr'
cllllie to Lornl'l ilt she andI iss h i llL'.
1is IPIrellred 1.0o g? to ito llianl t' next
tity.
Among the tilltgs tIhait sito plllcled
1.c lke wilh her Was it brown ind.
Wvhile paid collt, which slho .halld had(
lit the bottomn of heI' cilblit trunol
'hiclh lhad coite bIy rail fIollt Allcltt
Inllnd; Iltso it hit, gloes litnd shoes
which ililulclsfotl' hilad never scoitn her
Wealr. Sheo had her own deloal about
the IpsaOlbllity of iher' neednllg t1hemi,
From t4llit I tepulsive ' ti.on gri l'
Ilto Hcllono site flnally evolved,
awlisford, silto foundlt, had alll'rilge
w11th her I'atter to ltitvo hoierllf Intl
her tiiit to Htilanlye', and leave the
e:,' with ltheml afll'te that hle hllu d
ltoloted lfor the l weelltiendl off, l)urngll
than woeklend, sie iunll vnetl, li
would ie going rbout his own itiln
ileHH, It w\\'olh 11e 0 Ohe 1ost iposlble
opplllo'utity Ito find out \vwhat his
activities reflly Were'o,
When theiy tlie litbl t, the Shnnoi '
whitollnllted, i tiber htt 0o e 'lit' tyso '
foothillls of tis e :litouttiins,,, iootkligt
overl telno pine forostl atl the wtide
plain of31 the Wittl riv\r-bod, uor'lit
seHzool lin opportlunilty .ol tlk Hawll\kI
lotr tliTly al he It tihe call awy:
'1 hhill be I1 nglli the. eai' mnysoll':
ttol sometinoes hive I .rOllito with tite
Ilnitlon, don't you? Shall I he Iiblo
to gol Into n toioh witlh youl It' ally.
1thing goe wrolngY"
lelo looked it litt ilo urprl)ield, 'but
fell n i1tly into the tali4t,
"Well, i matter111111 of fIlo, I 1101ntend.
edl to go CIown to Christchtallh ona
the Io Horl'vlo-lir, In (Iho nmorning,"
"Oh!" allld Lorn'1111, '"ThlnI11l,"
"I s?uttlOo - tloro''s .8 g riige in tilhe
townll, I coulll got it 11111 Illl frolll
thIro' if Iianything goes wr'ong,"
"Yoll're' nlot likely to hllv'o ainy
trollhblo, ve\'O'ythlitg, lit I11n goobd ot'dol',
'OhII" -'aHid Lorl'il " halll1nlk?,"
And sHlo reoJonedll o 1111111t 1
.1Irs, Shtieo on the glorlotus, wide s?un.
tporlcll will. It.s \'low over Ithe long
V\lsti of the WVitthlt Vitlley, ThaitI filwt
Illttle stciconss i hoter' Ivestgtl tiol
nlorisetlld. ho etonflllnolo; while ithe
stress of itot' ititeaey consttce ttabout
tl'H tfor' 1 1de te C1 it CO'stidOist Helu\n111o
osnmt t'c'titttiiblo if it woiuld give hot'
Illy Octl'liinty iboitu hi111,
'She drove dowin Into HiuIinior 1t=It
Ivensitig, anti wenlt to the looatl gail',
algo, Itail asltod if shio gotilll hil're .
light iari,
"I wtuilt to drlist o litto Ci'tIhritIllliut'lr
titulilorroi\ , land '.J. don't, liole di't ving
jltis; thlittI ; it's too:, lita vy," 'ailto ex.
'itlltli0td io the Ilio dlll' ltunlll with the.
1isall of 'bltiet 1gieiso -whoit W' i lt hi
Slio wauellet t awhitle 11tiil '111is gtsirh s
ir oprilolor a irrhivd, (I o itllldot Ih
luott'lllt Ii ot' ilid 'h n to Ieol' i o eisii tltut
site wit-is stiyll u 11g It it St1titiss tIe'os,
aii' tot firt hor lis ' lllu y ht'It itu.sh o tl,,
slet ,or f h ll st ilght tt i hle th'tvo hlitt
1ulf, tli tious itttl t .0l telro t t1u. tee
hot liitittt to bo illirit oi' tutiOtey, Ie.
ilittih Ihlitigh sitsi hliti two htt iulr'dl
tll yolo, ho r I li' ll?a lit 'f fittie
Iii' , tiithitt oi i,.I - i it w Viet t 'ty tsh : n
ulhtit, hULt lhi thiu nuttut of "thu
world, where fItshlofls followed Asi
oantis behind, ltke thle seasons, sithe
had spent less thaI ilStalll.
She ascertained that the ertvico
car left at 7.15 "next morning. Hler
only reomainhtlg difficulty was how
to get away from the Shlaes'. 'Site
had only just arrived to stiay how
coullh she go off to Chrisolittrci
next mortning without a good excile?
\What, had seemed the most trivial
objection of all, suddenly appeared
the most seriotts. What was she to
dio io Is-not to offend Mtrs. Shalllne
Sloe had t1. cudgel her brains while
she dressed for dinner, and hnd a1,
n(ostt lost hope before she thought of
thie sollllioll.
She joined her auntl and Mrs. Shone
with i pensive explresHlon, andii fI'ger
ed her t jaw thoughtfully from time
to time.
"Ilave you a toothache?" ittnquired
Miss Marris, at last.
"It Isn'lt, very bad," said Lornol.
Site looped more and more patted,
ant(l sighed deeply Inow andI againl
whillie thley pI.iyed bridge after din'
"'You must reailly do something
about it," said 'Miss Mlierris, and Mrs,
Shutle Iproposed Iasplri'n andl a hot
mouth wash.
"I retally shoulld htave goile to that
malin yaou recoltmenlded to Anllt in
Clhrlistchultrcht," sahl I l,ol'll The sillc
cess of hIer mtild decepltlon inle her
feel'tgttuilty. But aifter ill, what elsoe
wai( slie to dto. It (was I Imatter be.
y? ilut ostl lil snailll d itiltderatio ns;
Shie wen't to bled early, withll aleak
Iof Illlletl Illlrtyr'dollln, andI ilowed
herself toI be dosed with nspirin.h SIhe
lily atlW e not. wlthil toothache, but
with exciteement, and at six o'clock,
whenlll thle slln was brightenhlg the
sky behind the mountain tps, site
dressed hurriedly, tiptoed into rho
room in which her auInt was sleeping,
aind wakened ]ther:
"Aunt Hildat, I'm going ito drivo
downl to Chl'lsthtrcll ih now. I can't
itai ld this anlly longer."
She clllsped herol jw in plretended
algony.
"Huti nulst you go till that wIy?"
slild the startled Miss Marr'is, "'There
ittmy Ibe tl dentist, out here, or one
nOeiiwhere Ieti 'ci' thlla Chrislt'
chullrcl."
"I dton't. beloieve there .s," nlnedll
LIornli, "I'd betller go to the olln Mrs.
ShanIl r'ecomllllelntie to yonll-lon t
Valle ]le' 1II, jllust lot me get away.'
qullckly, for heaven's sake, AInt., 1
don't fen1, 1 cal stand a fuss."
''" ut tire yot fit, to drv1' e willt a
t?otluliehe like that, lhldn't you bhtter
ring Ilawlsfordl? Ile lsaidl he woulldl
be at it boalrdinllg hollse in the townl
until this morni'ng: he canl give utI
Ills week-end ill t case lille thllis--,"
"No I;lelase don't! ,htlt, let. nI go!
Goodbye-I'll be biat el seoa, don't
worry! A\lologilse to 1IMrs. Shanlll for
ille!" 'Andl l.orn'ui wats gone.
She let herselif silently out of the
housel, hastily got olt the eaLI, Itnl
drove off down th.e tvtlltle betweeCl
Ile( plinies, )before uanyone coull cotll
oult of thtt house i to t.o n111(e 1111' llor11
dilfficlulloie, ler heart was beatnlg
f'llast withl tie Sensle of dlrti'ig aIltl llt
IIhlendll: tlhe alun was peepnlllg er
tihe pIInes, the tountl intotls (lo)l'ero
gold, ani the II' was like wine.
The tlime was six thlity, the ser
vice ear did not leave llthnutr until
sloven forty-five', I lld1 I vllIleford t',l'
not. likely to lie abolt Ill 11he town.
to sone her drive tlhnugh,
BUto lo hurri ed ' i lo shedrove og
th1o.. gaogo, .lofI' .I h .hig, .?111'onorne,
and ,set of'f In the car IHh had l Iired,
14"wn ',; I ni ilt e silo thad 'ol'tb n di'lvell
it 0home, and shio had no trouble Witil
Silo p111l. tile town behind liher '
fiot tsi Iposslble, than drov'e slowly
crous 'hie plain of the t Walau. liel'
llnt wanit ' drive 1 e11111 1011 of the wil
ahollid Oi le Chriesti hurihl Iltl0,1 WiIL
for the Ol'vi!oe cai t(o s ])II er in
then follow:It.
As Hhllo seod alonlg untdrlllo. I?i clod
loHs hbloo sky, she foltle.oxelcited by 'the
advlntlolltlll' ho hllald olbarked onl. 1Iut
it was not a pleasant oxeteitonttl: tS
oflotn aH not it midulo her wish, to
lt11'n bitk(l. It seeLmed it nmean thhlg to
hu spyl)lllng llptn lhawkislord, Biutl it,
wIIs that l1'11,Oa';'1ll, .no' sbo ImuIt1 toll
how sho had lil callght iT i ;ll Allon'
lnotlerllsol whli would Ie o\''se fIol'
(To', o conlhlllutlnd.)
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