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CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, 1931.
THE GIRL WHO BOUGHT
A SHIP.
(Continued from Page 1.)
because in the old days everybody thought there was an affair between him and Lady Hilyard, or Julia Telford, as she was then. Her people were big coal-owners, while his were pretty badly off; but he and she were always together. Then suddenly he went abroad, and I have't seen nor heard of him
till now."
Looks as if she had turned him down in the old days," Dennison remarked.
"He may never have asked her," said Colin Hart, fingering his glass.
"But he was in love with her, and she with him!" exclaimed Miss Laidlaw.
There was a brief pause, in which Norma made a small movement that might
have betokened impatience, and Charles said. "Possibly. he went; abroad to make money, and didn't succeed. Did she marry, soon after his departure, Miss Laidlaw?"
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- "She must have been well over thirty when she married Sir John, quite an old man, and she has been a widow for ten years. Perhaps now that they have come together again," the spinster added hops fully, "something may happen.
"What a fund of romantic. ideas you' have, Alice," Norma observed.
"It would be delightful if they got en- gaged at Woodways, Norma.”
+
Norma smiled. "I'm sure we shall all do what we can to help on the good work. Lady Hilyard is a dear, and I think we are going to like Mr. Meredith."
*He has nice, sad eyes," said Miss Laidlaw, who was given to blurting out her impressions. "They make me think of Mr. Hart's.":
=
Colin reddened, as was natural enough, at this very personal reference, and for tie second time Norma, comprehending what she had seen in the older man's eyes colour- ed slightly.
<
From which it may be assumed, since there is no flame, however faint, without warmth, that Norma had more than a mero friendly interest:in Colin Hart. So, at least, it appeared to Charles the watchful, and the doubt he had been harbouring for some weeks became a danger.
Colin had never even thought of telling Norma he loved her. A girl with six mil- lions a goddess remote! On the contrary; he had got into the habit of telling himself, he was a fool ever to see her again, that he ought to abandon all his prospects and go abroad. Yet when a chance of seeing her offered itself, he could not resist it.
·
In
But Norma knew. If she had wonder- ed about it before, she was sure of it to- night He may never have asked." that little speech, or in the manner of utter ing it, Colin had betrayed his heart. And hier heart had been glad, only to be dismay ed. He cared, but he would never tell her.
At the end of the evening Norma said to her hosts: "So we shall expect you on Friday evening, about seven.
"Thanks awfully," said Charles.
"P'm afraid day is impossible · for me," said Colin. "Must be at the office early on Saturday morning."
"Then we shall look for you both on Saturday afternoon," she said, to Charles's secret, chagrin.
This trifling incident is recorded only in view of what followed.
on
afternoon Early
the Saturday Charles reached. Woodways in his car, but it was late in the evening when Colin arrived.
"Charles.explained, of course, that some work turned up at the last moment?" said Colin, when they greeted him in the hall.
"I pointed out," said Charles pleasant ly, that you were becoming more and more indispensable to the firm."
"All the same," said Norma, "I'm be-
ginning to wonder whether you will arrive on Christmas Eve."
"Nothing can prevent me then, Norma." "Don't let anything prevent you, Mr. Hart," remarked Mr. Meredith.
"Have you a sinister premonition, Mr. Meredith? Charles asked jestingly.
"I'm rather given that way," the older man_good-humouredly replied. "But I do not doubt that you will be here, Mr. Denni- son, on Friday next."
Later he said to Lady Hilyard:
"I've been studying those young people, Julia, and I've made friends' with Colin Hart. He is a good fellow and would make Miss But she'll either Norma a good husband. have to ask him, or compel him to ask her."
"It's the money, I suppose." "Always the money or the lack of
it."
"Or the lack of courage," she said softly. "But may I ask just why you are so deeply interested in those two, especially
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shall tell Charles what I think of his people!. If I thought that he "She broke off.
"Yes?" said Meredith softly.
“Oh, no! I mustn't think that Charles could have had anything to do with it. He is Colin's friend. I oughtn't to doubt Charles, ought I? Only it has happened so often lately that Colin has been given duties at. the last moment
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"Never mind Charles just now," said Lady Hilyard. "Bob, must Colin obey an order like this?”
"I'm afraid he must, or throw up his post without notice which, I fancy, he would consider a dishonourable act."
"It's a dishonourable act to send him at such a time and without any warning! My poor little Christmas Eve!" exclaimed Norma who, in spite of six millions, could: be quite an illogical young person. nothing be done to prevent or delay his ing?" she asked more soberly.
"Can go
Meredith shook his grey head. "If the the young man?"
"Possibly," he answered slowly, "be-ship sails on Christmas Eve," he said slowly, cause he reminds me of myself thirty years. "Colin must sail with it.”
at Christmastide, too!" ago
"Only of yourself, Bob?”` •
"You know better than that!”
In the pause she put out her hand and laid it over his resting on the chair arm. She sighed and said
"Bob, have we still no courage?" "I have nothing," he replied. "but my poor little pension.'
Her next words came in a whisper: "Bob, don't be silly!"
A smile came into his eyes. "Why, dear," he said, "you used to say that thirty
years ago."
said.
"Never mind the thirty years," she
Under her touch his hand turned cau- tiously until his palm was against hers, her fingers in his.
After a while she said: "I think I am now better qualified to gain Norma's con- fidence, for I can begin by confiding in her."
"And I," he said stoutly, "can bid that young man have courage."
*
*
***
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"Might the ship be prevented from sailing?" she cried eagerly.
"Only by some sort of accident, Miss Norma, which we, unfortunately, cannot bring about."
"Can't we do anything to prevent, its sailing?" She looked appealingly at Mere- dith, for whom she had already developed an affectionate regard.
"If the ship be-
He shook his head. longed to me," he muttered.
There was a long pause. Then from the girl came a small exclamation, and they
Meredith! I "Lady Hilyard! "Mr. won't be beaten! I believe I can do some thing!"
saw he reyes brighten.
"My tear, you can't, do anything!" “Bob, you cried Lady Hilyard in distress. have said she can't. Don't let her run away with any false hopes."
"I must go and dress, and run up to town. Please forgive my leaving you for a few hours. I'm not going to be beaten!" "Normia," cried her ladyship, "don't be rash!"
"Be as rash as ever you can," whisper- Meredith.
"Bob, what is she going to do?" "I wish I knew, Julia; but I suspect it's some sort of shopping."
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On his return to town Charles Den- nison had a talk with his father, the gisted of which was that Colin Hart must be got out of the way for a season, and that with- out delay. And Mr. Dennison, Senior, who had no objections to a daughter-in-law with six millions, did his best to help, with the result that early
the afternoon of December 22, Norma this letter:- "Dear Norma,
on
received from Colin
"After all, I shall not see you on Christmas Eve. On that day I shall sail for Buenos Aires by the B.A. Co.'s steamer Amazon. It is a business trip which was to have been taken in January by another member of the staff. I do not know why the date has been put forward, or why I am replac- ing the other man. I shall be away for several months and I feel as though I shall never see you again. That is a bitter thought, but perhaps the thing has happened for the best. I rather rejoice in what I hear of the Amazon ve audit the company's accounts- that she is the oldest and most poorly- appointed vessel of the fleet, and that there
will be
If 1 few passengers. cannot have the best, which is Christ- mas Eve with you, let me have the
worst.
"I must not write more, except to say that I shall think of you on Christ- mas Eve and wish you a Happy Birth- day and happy days ever after. Good- bye, dear Norma.-Colin Hart."
To Norma it was cruel news; but while it hurt her heart, it roused her spirit. She carried the letter to the elderly lovers in the library. They read and sympathised.
"How dare they do such a mean, wicked thing" she cried. "Couldn't they have till after Christmas? Oh, I waited
The car, doing its best, took an hour to reach London. Norma spent twenty minutes with her banker in Bond Street, left him astounded and perhaps a little dazed, and was driven to the City.
What she did in the City may best be gathered from a visit to the board-room of the B. A. Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., at 11.30 on the following morning. Here were convened seven gentlemen, a majority of the board, who had been summoned by urgent messages despatched on
the pre- vious evening. Present also was the mana- ger of the office; who had sent out the sum- mons.
"Come, Mr. Barrett," growled a little roly-poly of a man, the chairman, "we can't wait for the others; they have probably gone away for Christmas. Let us have an ex planation of th. S.O.S. of yours."
The manager took a place at the big table. He held in his hand two slips.
"Gentlemen, shortly after four o'cloc yesterday afternoon a young lady called a this office and asked to see me personally o1 urgent and private business. Assumin that she was a passenger in some difficult I received her. Without preface, she aske me how much money it would take to dela the sailing of the Amazon for at least tw days. I replied that, no money could d that, and informed her that there was sailing on the 27th, by the Green Star Lin She thanked me nicely for the information but declared that that sailing would not serv her purpose, cancelled.
unless our own sailing wer She then astounded me by asl (Continued on Page 4.)
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