THE FACE OF HIS DREAMS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 166, 15 August 1929, Page 11

THE FACE OF HIS DREAMS

By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE

^™Pm«rfu^toryTf Io"e"crime aodVly'terji j

HAuthor of "The Lone Wolf," "False Faces," "The Uruss Bow)," etc M

CHAPTER XVI. pilE-OCCUl'ATlOX W1TH the mys- -®_ stery and niagic of that roniantie meeting 111 the slums and its seqncl kept tlie s>elf consciousness of Alr ilaiibhip in sucli profound eclipse that the taxi-cab was at a standstill in tront of liis favourite club before he rcnieinberel tJie grievous dilapidation of his person. And he had faithfully promised Francesca, in view of the unlikely but still possihle contingenev that tliis prescnt driver rniglit turn out to be one of Angelo's allies, not to go to his I'oonis without cbanging cabs! Rodney groaned "Oh the levil!" faltering 011 the step and viewing the club portals vitli the uttennost disrnay. But the door porter was at his elbo\v and eyiug him with ainazeinent there was no disguising. Too Iale to draw back now : the story of his ap|)earance in this shoeking state at any eyent was bound to spread. Rodney thrust a bill into the hand of the porter, toll liiin to pay off the taxi, and turning up liis coat colina round an indecently naked neck, dushed into the club. A.s hastily as niight bc he delivcred himself into the hands of the club valcts; but to do so had to [)ass idirougli the publie rooins and conrt tlie supereilious eycbrows of the steady paccd meniher and the niore rude anuisenient of the low-niinded. * * * T^THTLE THE DAMACE to his at- ** tire was beiug in somo nieasuro repaired, he sent a request to tlte door porter to lefc him know if the eab that had brought him seemed clisposed to tarrv in the offing. Word eanie back that it had already picked up a fellow eluh-momber and whisked him off to an address in the upper West Side. ■ Which niight liave seemed gratifying if Rodney hadn't in the meantime, reminded himself that Angelo knew perfec-tly well where he lived and consequently where to look for him at such times as decent. lawabiding bodies ouglit to be at home. In other words lte had indulged Francesca 's request to no conceivable profit, but much to the contrary, at the cost of giving his fair voung reputation a most lamentable black eye. Rare temper winged his heels as Iio sti-ode homeward, but was instantl.v diverted when, 011 entering his rooms, Jie heard the grumble oi' the teleplione bell and fairly flung himself upon the neck of the instrument. £'Air Manship? IMr Baroque speaking. Remember me?" * * * npHE HALF-SURLY, half-truculont mockery of those accents was so well-remembered and so true that Rodney's heart stood still in apprehension. aiul momcntarily suspended- breathing rendered his response to a degree incoherent. But then he heard Francesca laugli quietly, and all was right with the world onco raore. '•What's the matter-' Does it always uj)sct you to hear the voice of oue of your gentlemen friends?" "You frightened me," Rodney explained simply. "For a rnoment I thought " "I'm sorrv." There was real contrition in her natural voice, mixed with amusement. "I o.nly want to warn you I'm apt to be delayed. I doii't know quite how long; but you're not to fret or do anything loolish. Nothing can happen to me," t " "But you promised — lI don't think it woulcl bc wise for me to mcet you anywhere in public, Fll come to see you instead. Uoes that shock you? But it's perfectly proper for you to rcccivo young men of your acquaintance even at midniglit or theroabouts— isn't it? I shan't be later." All Rodney 's remonstrances spent thcir force vainlv. Francesca was sorry sho had so little timo to spaVe, to which she addcd au airy au rcvoir, a receiver clicked into its hook, and Rodney fouud himself speaking into a aead wire.

SO THERE WAS XOTHJXG to be done about it, nothing but gdn and bear it. Xevertheless fie kept his 1 mind busy while taking a liot soak and a- eold shower to ease tlie aclie in bones and mu&cles, evolvmg a dozen sehemes to come betwcen the girl and her will without calling down her resentment upon his devoted head. The most promising he endeavoured to pufc into effect after dressing; but it failed of immediate fruit because Police HeadquarteTS, addressed by teleplione, pretended to know nothing about the whereabouts of De-tective-Sergeant Ritchey, of the Narcotic Squacl. Wliicli seemed most exasperating, since one assumed — f'roni the complaint registered by Mr Leo ("rocc 011 behalf of his elient, that tlie latter was being Ininnted by detectives — that Ritchey was probablv keeping himself tolerably well informed concerning the intorests and activities of Mr Angelo Baroque. It was long after midniglit before the steady aggravation of anxiety was relieved by a brisk thrill of the doorljell, heralding tlie introduction to the living-room of a devil-may-care young rip, with a golf cup down over one eye, a cigarette droppmg from the uudcrlip, the easy slouch of a thorougli man of thc underworld, and a notable irradiation of self-complacenee. Rodney was etrieken momentarily dumh and stood ngapo like a lialf-wit still holding open the linll door. "pEMARKrXG THIS OVERSIGHT, his cnller gently disengaged tlie knob from Rodnev's grasp, elosed the door, and made sure of its patent lock. "Good of you to sit up so late for me, old thing" said the voice of Angelo as it must have been with tjiose whom that one liked — if, indeed. one is warranted in assuming, lie had ever liked anybody but himself. "Hope you haven't mincled. Anyliow, it's 110 good your getting smokv, because I couldn't lielp myseJf; business is business, you know." Tlie impudence of tliis address recollected Rodney's wits from their wool-gathering. "You young imp?" he cried with a laugli that did 110b quite sneceecl in veneering indignation. His impulsive hands clipped ihe shouldcrs of that graceloss, eharming figure. "If I gnvo 1 you half you deserve " "But you won't," stated ihe voiee I of Francesca. "Please Mr Man 1 ship. ..." With gentle dignitv she freed hei j shoulders and turned away, removing { the golf cap. "Oh, T'm sorry," Rodney cried con tritely. "Tt's all my fault. Rodney — all iny fault. I sh.oulfhvt have teased you so. . . . But what's the matter?" ".Your liair." he groaned — "your - beautiful hair!" I

OUEFFLLY FRANCESCA passed a 1 ■*' hand over the closely-cropped j liu.! r that so well revealed the line for- : niation of her liead. "It is too had," she confessed. "I i hcwled like hui tlio lirst timo I saw myself in a mirror, af'terwards. But j it had to be done, it would have becn 1 tatai otlierwise. Never mind.!" She i hirketl up in a twinkling. "I liad a j noble wig made out of my shorn sacrifce; and this will grow lilco mad, anyway. when I can let it." But Rodnev would not be coinforted. "It was criminal," he insisted. "If you could go to such lengtlis as that, how can I hope that you will ever iisten to me?" "Ali. but you are mistaken, and unfair. 'too!" Slie made a demure face. ' Didn't I listen prettily to you in tlie ttab to-night ? And answer you back with almost uninaidenly directness. '.to? Oh. he kind to me. Rodney, be genermis ! You know how liard^ it is j lor me, how wenk I nm and infinn of ! purpose — when it's you !" ■' 1 ncorrigible !" he slirugged in resignation. ^ ❖ ""OESIDES," Francesca tohi him in a tlasli of triumph, "it's too late, dear friend. All tlie good-will in ihe world could not save 111c now. This vcry nighb I iuive takeu tho linal, fatal rtep, I've crossed my Rubicon ; I, too, have beconie initiate and takcn the \ ows, and liut myself on a plane oi equaiitv with Angelo; I'm his comrade now. and his peer : lie can't deny or dislodgo me, lie can't breathe oue little uhisper to heuray me, cxcept at peril of 1ns lifc !" i "Good heavens!" Rodney covered iu I a stride the space between them and j cauglit both her hands in an agitated grasp. "What new insanity ?" "Only what I've been iutending all along. I could have dono nothing if 1 hadn't. Mv hands rernained iinpotent and my eyes blind. Don't think I've gone to all this trouble for nnytbing so childisli as to play a game witli Angelo or masquerado as him. it ■«\as graver business, Rodney. . . . But let me go. I promised to tell you cverytliing; and so I will when you give 111c back my hands and let me make myself comfortable." By this time Rodney knew his book 100 well to oppose her. "As vou will," be said, releasing her. "But I need liardly say I'm worlied s'ick about you." "You are a dear: ancl-I'd be an ungrateful wretc-h if I failed to keep my v'ord. You shall know all, sir, but it's an awfully long storv and. . Flease, Rodney, I'm frightfully liung,v. Isn't there some place near " ic * * OUITE NEAR. You won't have to leave this room, in fa'ct, if you' II he content with coffee and sandwiches, things like that. "When you telephoned you'd be late, I lorsaw this moment, so called up tlie club and liad them send over a cold supper." "You do think of evervthing — don't you?" the girl cried, gnzing enrapturcd iipon the little table' set for two -wlxich Rodnev disclosed by foldiug back" a- screen. . ...... • - "Ye.s." he adinittecl, with . a becoming absenc-e of false modesty, "I clo. That is to say, I think all the time of vou, and you're evervthing." Some time later he replaced the screen in front of a devastated table. Francesca' establislied lierself just out of rango of the light cast by the shadcd study lamp, lounging in a cliair whose massive and capacious _proportions served to make her sliglit, hovish bodv seem all the slighter. ife drew up a cliair to face her and sat down. "Now!" he reminded her firmly. With her pensive, plaintive smile, she camo out of a fit of abstraction, and, focussing a reminiscent gaze upon distance, bcgan a quiet vecountal of adventuves that — the mo-re by contrast with her simple and engaging manner — seemed to Rodney as fantastic as nnything in the Tliousand and One Niglits. (To be Continued.)