“The PAINTED LILY”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 254, 26 October 1937, Page 11

“The PAINTED LILY”

Romantic Serial Story - - by

Olive Wadsley

So Vai was cut out of the conversa- , Hon again. They fixed up a four for bridge—a game Vai had heard of, but never played. She could play poker, slippery Sam, a host of such games, | but not bridge. Holly turned up,' burnt nearly mahogany, with a present of sweets for Vai, ami a bottle of real Scotch whisky for Ronald, and “ot course he’d slay—rather—and he’d ring up Renalder it Iris wanted him too—that was unless they could think of anyone else?” In the end it was Renalder who came in, In faultness evening kit, and gazed at Vai as if she was something amazingly good to eat. Vai sat in the room for a little while but no one noticed her, so she wen! out again. In her bedroom she stood and looked at herself. The long mirror gave her her back a very slender being indeed, made even more slender by such thin black draperies—a being with very golden hair, and with lilac shadows under deeper lilac eyes. “Wish I could wear clothes like that Iris woman,” Vai said aloud, drearily, “all green and silver. I’ll buy ’em later on. I’ll show ’em yet. And I’ll learn bridge." ’She looked about the room disconsolately. Lil had left that day, and she was dreadfully lonely—lonely nearly to tears. At last, in sheer desperation, she caught up a cloak. She had decided she would motor for a little. She told a porter to get her a car, and when it came got into it bareheaded and leant back. “Oh, just the Park,” she said, In answer to the chauffeur’s question. It was a heavenly night, and in the park there seemed to linger the fragrance of the country. The car stopped with a jerk, the driver said: "Only a puncture, miss,” and got down to put on his spare tyre. Vai wandered of! to a seat near, and ’ sat there, listening to the leaves rust- I ling overhead—loving to feel the night ! wind on her face. It was then she leant back, a hand I shot out and. prisoned her. CHAPTER IX. “Tired?” Ronald asked Iris. “Had enough?” She smiled at him, a little weary, wistful smile. No game of any skill ; honestly appealed to Iris. She liked . some gamble which was a gamble, so now she said prettily. “I am just a bit tired, but I don’t want to break up the parly. Shall we play a few hands of poker?” The men all agreed politely. Renalder smiled to himself and Iris dealt. In half an hour she had won a hundred, and all traces of weariness had left her face, which was vividly flush- I ed, while her eyes were brilliant. Ronald, stilling a yawn, played on. Holly was game but bored. Renalder . played and paid up placidly; he knew , poker had been started for that purpose, so he obligingly played Ills part. . At last someone called a hall, and Ronald, rather wan-looking now, . hospitably suggested drinks. Holly went into the sitting-room to get them; he had rather hoped to find Vai there, but there was no sign ot her, so he collared the whisky and brandy, and syphon, thrust glasses into his pocket and returned. It occurred to him that “OKI ( Ronald” looked a bit washed-out, so he ' mentioned this sufficiently pointedly to 1 Iris. "If you’re tired, you clear off,” she told him sweetly, "Rennie and I’ll tuck poor Ronnie up.” So everyone stayed on, and Ronald, ■ after a still brandy, nodded agreement to “just one more hand.” | At last he said: “I say, If you don't mind I’m feeling 1 a bit exhausted —my first day without a nurse, I suppose—but I think I ought to slack oft now. By Jove, it’s getting on for two, Isn’t it? Nearly two.” “As my lord commands,” Iris said, touching Ronald's hand for a second, "someone get me my cloak.” Renalder held the beautiful silver cloak with Its higli chinchilla collar for her, and Ronald, gazing at it appreciatively, thought how awfully well the same sort of cloak would suit Vai. Raising his voice, lie called “Vai.’' He wanted her to come In and see It. Holly said: “1 think she’s gone to bed, old chap. She wasn't in the sitting-room when 1 went In.” Iris, beside Ronald’s bed, waiting to say “Good-night” to him, looked down at him, her face framed in the silver fur ot her collar. “Like me to see if she's In her room?” she asked. “Oh, don't bother,” Ronald said. ‘Tin afraid we've neglected her rather this evening,” Iris suggested. “1 ought to have remembered she would be dull, all alone by herself.” “1 expect she'd plenty to read,” Ronald said; he felt suddenly that Vai had been neglected. As he lay back on his pillows when Renalder and Iris had left, he thought about it still more. Holly was tidying up the room, so he said, a form of toil he seemed to find i helped, by walking about, flicking off I his cigarette ash on to the floor, and, I at intervals, moving some trifle from : one place to another. But he fetched ; Ronald some Ice, opened a bottle of; Evian, got him his beef juice, and settled him in bed very gently before he left. It was very still in the suite after ■ he had gone. Through the open window Ronald could see the deep i blueness of the sky. It was an almosti starless night. He felt tired, and oddly disquieted. “This rib business had taken it out of me pretty badly,” he decided, but the darkness," and his freedom from his' visitors began to make him feel a little less weary. He was nearly asleep when a sound, a small persistent sound woke him in the sudden, complete, very disagreeable way with which tiny sounds do wake one. He listened irritably; what on earth was it? Then he recognised the sound ; as the cry of the little puppy Vai hart i brought with her from San Races. It I was a jolly little beggar, a terrier pup. It went on crying forlornly, and then Ronald heard him scratch, lhe very small pathetic scratch of a

puppy’s paw on a door. For a dog lover that signal of helplessness was more than enough. Ronald crept out of bed, found his stick, wrapped a dressing gown round him, ami walked, not very easily, across lhe sitting-room to Vai’s room, and knocked. No answer, save the puppy’s frenzied little yap of happiness in response. As Ronald opened the door the puppy hurried out. Ronald called gently: “I say, Vai ’’ There’’ was no answer, but the room was fully lighted. He felt afraid for some reason, and called more loudly: Then he looked In and saw the room was quite empty. He picked up the hungry puppy, took it back with him, and gave it milk. Where on earth was Vai? Be rang down to the office and asked when Mrs Sands had left the hotel, and was told about ten, and that she had sent for a car. Ten, and now it was past two. Of course, Vai was perfectly free, but sho knew no one in New York save that young blackguard Buchanan, and it was most unlikely she would go out with him, after everything He sat in the easy chair in his bedroom, Richard, the pup, on his knees, and as he patted the small silken head, he went on worrying about Vai. If she hadn’t gone out with Buchanan, with whom had she gone? She didn't know anyone else. And, after all, he hadn't really the faintest idea what she did feel about th’s fellow. Also, incidentally he’d been given half a million to look after Vai; that thought had become a part of his waking life. He decided he would give her another half hour, then he must try and find out where she was. The telephone bell rang, and In his eagerness to reach it he ricked his bad side a bit, but he spoke at once. “Yes—yes?” And Holly’s voice, rather sleepy, answered: “I just rang up to see If you were all right. Hope I didn’t wake you?” “No, you didn’t. I say, Holly, are you in bed?” “No, just come up, that s all. Met Travers in the lounge and we powvowed. I told him you were laid up and he’s coming round to see you tomorrow.” “Is he? Good. I say, Holly, don’t think me mad or anything quaint, but could you possibly come back here now? I know it’s asking a dickens of a lot—” Holly’s voice came clear and steady: “I’ll be with you in a brace of shakes, Ronnie—and cut out that ‘lot of trouble’ stuff —because it is stuff 1 So long!” “Old Holly ’ll think me every sort of fool, I suppose,” Ronald thought, “but I can’t help it, I feel arikious.” Holly came in a few minutes idler “What’s up, anything wrong?” he said cheerily. “What can 1 do?” “It’s Vai,” Ronald said nervously, “she’s out somewhere and I don’t know where, and now I’ve put it to you, it must seem utter rot my having asked you out to come round here and listen to Just that!” '“Don’t be an ass,” Holly said thoughtfully, “and drink this.” He cave Ronald a brandy.” "When’d she go?” he asked. Ronald told him what he had learnt from the office. “And she doesn’t know anyone in New York—l think we ought to get busy,” Holly said decisively, “but we don’t want the police.” Ronald, looking away from him, said in a low voice: “I’d been wondering—it’s a wild idea, of course, but she might have seen Buchanan.” “Oh, that's a bit wide of the mark, isn’t it?” Holly said. “Yes, I daresay it sounds so—but every time I think that, I come back to the fact that Buchanan is the only person Vai knows here.” “I’ll ring him up,” Holly said. “Simplest way’s generally the best, and always the quickest.” He lit a cigarette whilst he waited for the hotel to connect him, and as •the wait became long, lifted an eyebrow at Ronald. “Looks as if our prize-fighting little friend weren't at home—perhaps his man will be, or someone who can give up an idea of his whereabouts—Oh, hullo —hullo, yes—this is Holliday Carfax speaking—C-a-r-f-a-x. No you mayn’t, but I'm a friend of Mr anil Mrs Sands, and I’m telephoning for Sands to ask if Mrs Sands—Yes, I would like to know. Sands has been, as you are aware, pretty bad, and this sort of thing has a rotten effect on his temperature”—he made a grimace at Ronald, who muttered, “Oh, shut up. Holly—get the news—” then he hung up. “The blighter cut off,” he said, “and I believe Vai’s there. I'm going to sec.” Ronald had sat down on the edge of his bed. He said slowly, looking steadily at Holly: “You understand Vai is perfectly free to do what she likes, don’t you? I haven’t a real claim on her, but whilst she bears my name. Look here. Holly, whatever happens, <loo’l let’s have a scandal. Dixon, Vai’s father, Lave me a trust, and I jolly well mean io keep it as long as I can.” All right,” Holly said briefly, as he turned at the door. “I’m fond of Vai,” he said an 1 went out •CHAPTER X. As the hand touched hers, Va’. darted violently, and called out, her voice : rave despite her sudden fear, to the ■hauffeur. He never looked up, and i hen she knew that this was no accidental affair, that it had been planned —for how long, who knew? The park was quite empty and she could not turn her head because of lhe ’ ands which were pressed down now, like iron clamps, on her shoulders. '(To be continued.) Leer's world ' * v . ic ®. m awj.t.on to oflier special sources 1 < information, is used In tile comjiiir.tion t the oversea intel!iver.ee publi-.hed in the nue. and all rights therein in Australia and Zealand are reserved. ouch of the cable news on this page as is ~, , , ha ’ “flneared in the Times .and is cabled to Australia and New Zealand bv . Il should be understood <h..t Lie opinions are not those of the Times unless expressly stated to bo so,