HANSI
· Continued from Pape. 18.) (
visit,
"Who'd
have thought," he said, "that The Birches would mäke a nest for a bird of paradise Fetch her along. can hardly wait to see her."" "I don't suppose she'll about going out." said his wife primly. She's waiting for her. final decree, you see, and she'll want to be quiet."
cure
"Come off it, Edna. Is coming to this house going to interfere with her decree? Ark her to dinner. Ask the whole fot. There are three bottles of cham "pagne in the cellar, and that's the fast there ever will be, by the looks of things. We'll have a feast in her honour, all in slap- up style. After that, the deluge. Buck up now and do as I say. We haven't had a dinner party since the beginning of the slump, and Lord knows when we'll have another."
"Well" said Edna, if you' insist. Only don't grumble at the bills."
"I won't." said he. "I could do with a spot of wantori extra- vagance." And she noticed that he went off whistling.
At Blythewood, at dinner that evening, Charles Speeder said:
"1. admit I'm eager to see our Hittle neighbour. There's some- thing extraordinarily attractive. about Austrian women. They combine a certain naivete and sprintaneousnes9————-—”
"Spontaneity."
corrected
CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS NUMBER,
By Susan Ertz
Vanessa,
with a
great deal of sophisticated! charm," Charles went on."And they know, how to dress and how to moveď. think they have even more charm. than Russian
They're Layer, for one thing."
women..
"This little creature is" gay enough," said Vanessa.
"I must show her my photo- graphs of the Tyrol,"" said Charles, "When are you going- to ask her here?" ·
"Whenever you like. To-mor-"" row night?"
"Yes, do. She must be lonely," "You'll fall in love with her.
·Charles."
Will F F hope not.. It's too upsetting."
At The Copse, Mrs. Tanner. with a little more rouge her theeks than usual, said to her husband:
"Well Boy, and have you seen the pretty lady yet?"
"I've caught one .or two glimpses of her."
"Tell Berthie what she look like. Tell her all about it."
"She's not bad," said Frank. toying with. Mrs. Tanner's Pekingese.
. "Darling. that .not good enough. Make Berthle a picture of her. Fair or dark?"
"Oh, Fair should Quite fair. . The usual eyes, nose, mouth. chin. A little. thing, not so tall as Edna.**
say.
"And what my clever Boy tink she is? French? German?"
"Might be French, I suppose.
»
I dunno."
"Would you like your little Berthie to go and pay
call-to- morrow? Then she can tell Boy all about it."
"Might as well, I suppose." "Now, Boy not to pretend he doesn't care.""
"Why should I care? "Not care about a nice little new playmate for Berthie?"
"Well, you probably won't like her. Wait and see.".
She suddenly dropped the playful manner her friends so- deplored, and said. placing a plump, hand on his shoulder:
ride
"Darling, you ought to again. I'm going to get you a. horse."
"Nonsense...
sive."
It's too expen
go to
"Yes, I shall.. We'll London this week. We'll go to Tattersall's.""
"You'll find something cheaper. here. Plenty of good about."
nags
"want you to have the best. Julius will love having you to go out with you on your big Ane horse, and he on his pony. What a thrill I shall get when I see my two handsome boys riding off together!" "
"Well, it would be nice to be on a horse again." He pushed the Peke off his lap and got up. "I think I'll go and have a look at the rock garden."
"Walt, then; Berthie too."
come
And she trotted upstairs to get her hat..
She called on Mrs. Merriden the next day, and the tall isl opened the door and showed her into the drawing-room. She said
21
something to Mrs. Tanner in German and went out, and Mrs. Tancer, who understood no word of any language but her own, sat down on a big, modern sofa and surveyed the room. The paint- ed walls were bare, the floor was bare, except for two brightly coloured rugs.
There was one table, with a reading lamp on it, two armchairs, and a bookcase filled with foreign booky in bright paper covers. That was
All.
"I don't believe she means to
when the
came
Her fair, wavy
stay long." thought Mrs. Tanner, whose own house was crammed with bric-a-brac, small tables, pictures and potted plants. And she had just reached this op- timistic conclusion door opened and Hansi into the room. hair stood up wildly on her head, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes looked as though she had just come out of a deep sleep. She was wrapped in a huge robe. of white toweling, far too big for her, and wore loose white sandals.
"Oh, how do you do?" she said, taking Mrs. Tanner's hand. "How nice you come and see me. Please excuse
this costume. I have so good sun bathe just now," in the garden, and fell asleep." She suddenly turned her back, slipped the robe down nearly to her waist, and said "See?"
What Mrs. Tanner saw was a very perfect little back all rogy from the sun.
"The first this year," said Hansi, covering it up again. "Soon I be brown all over. You." too, like to sun bathe, maybe?"
(Continued on Page 24.)
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