THE YOUNG ARCHDUCHESS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16694, 28 March 1922, Page 2

THE YOUNG ARCHDUCHESS

(By

OUR SERIAL.

WILLIAM LE QUEUX)

CHAPTER V.—Continued. Others of fits immediate circle wont abroad, and forgathered with all sorts of persons for the time being. Occasionally men and women of foreign nationality came to this hunting country, but their credentials could always bear inspection. But of Madame Thirska he knew nothing, except that she was a very' bewitching person. Mabel Somers had naturally a keener social instinpt than her plebian busband. who had picked up his worldly knowledge painfully and by slow degrees. Madame Thirska interested her greatly as a new and uncommon type. She was also immensely amused by ! Guy’s cumbersome gallantries in that j particular direction ; jealousy was an i emotion unknown to ben. At first she j had liked him, but she had never loved j him, and where there is no love there can be no jealousy. Personally, she liked Madame Thirska. For a woman who had been brought up according to the strictest pocial ethics, Mabel was singularly unconventional. There was a certain at- ; mosphere of Bohemian ism about the pretty .Russian, a certain daring in speech and! manner whidh appealed/ to her. somewhat satiated with the rigid decorum of county circles. I At the same time, she would never have dreamed of asking her to pay a visit with such a slender knowledge i of her antecedents- When Guy some- j wbat shamefacedly blurted out that he ! had committed the indiscretion, she ! had simply shrugged her shoulders with j an amused smile and made some jesting remark as to Madame’b powers of fascination. Guy had sulked for four and twenty hours after. But the differon.ee between his normal state of moroseness and active sulkiness was so slight that his wife was not in the least troubled by his attitude. And now Madame Thirska was in England and had bethought her of that incautious invitation which, perforce, Mabel had been compelled to second when the Russian woman had reminded her of it. On receipt of th© telegram it had at once occurred to Mrs Somers to make an excuse. She. no more than her husband, wanted to trot round a woman of whom she knew absolutely nothing. Unfortunately Guy’s remark, “ a little hit cheeky. I think, don’t you?” had suddenly aroused in her a strong spirit of opposition. Jt was lie who had made a fool of himself by giving the invitation. If anything disagreeable came of it, let him pay the penalty. She would soon put the blame on the right shoulders should necessity arise. Instead, therefore, of discussing the matter calmly and quietly with her husband, ns she would have clone under happier circumstances, had dispatched a hasty wire to Madame Thurska welcoming her to her house. Guv was too ponderous in his methods to delay her effectivelv at thp moment. And, after she had sent it. she derived very malicious satisfaction from tli© thought that Mr Somers would be in agonies of apprehension all the time that the fascinating young Russian woman was enjoying his reluctant hospitality. At breakfast there had been a royal row : no servants being present, the coast was clear for domeFti© storms Somers laid all the blame on her. Whv had she not thought over the matter before she scribbled that hasty wire ? They knew nothing of the woman. It ! was infernal cheek of Madame Thirska j tn presume upon a few random words, i etc-, etc. Of course, his wife would bar© been ! more or less G f an if pbp w | reused to take up the gauntlet, so j recklessly thrown down. Like many persons of normally languid temperament, she could, on occasion?, indulge in very vehement, moods. She had lashed out at her husband m no unmeasured words. She had stunir him rrith sarcasm. “Put the hi ame on yourself, if von “yvtf’ sh<? fiaci retorted hotly. ... 'V} J on sat 0,1 iin the moonlight noth Madame Th.raka. on those Monte (arlo terraces, you thought von mere playing a very delightful role! did ton not. Well, y c n, ivont a little further than yon intended, no doubt, and you have got to pay the penalty of your inctisore©t utterances.’’ This had goaded Somers to fury He had rephed with insulting words: He n-ns of a sloir, malicious nature, aud h" had raked up every trivial cause of offence that had been proffered in then- hnef married life. In the end she had Hung out of the room, her breakfast half consumed, put on lor hat, and gone out. Her one I'w-'v'-tj + 0 nwAT. from him, th- h-i’-tA-a that, through him. runs full of hateful memories. (To b<a contftiu®<s .l