CHINA
FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 23, 1938
was the fact that, the place
Ihummed with grasshoppers and
bees which first drew my atten- tion to it. I happen to like that sort of thing and I examined the gate pillar till I found a panel with the words "The Cliffs Inn" on it. So as I was looking for somewhere to stay I went up the pebble path, past a coach-house and a little trellis gate leading into an apple orchard.
At the reception desk there was a silver-haired old gentleman in a velvet jacket. Although he couldn't have been less than eighty he was very fresh looking, with a fine head and dark twink- ling eyes, but what struck me most was a gold slave-bangle on his left wrist, which I thought very peculiar.
During the few days I spent there I grew greatly attached to Bangle Joe. He was a bit of a character in his way. He seem- ed to take a quaint pride in dress- ing up, almost, you might have
Short Story
that
said, as if he were expecting a visit from his lady-love. And had he been sixty years younger I can think of nothing more likely; he must have been the sort caused many a pretty girl's heart to flutter. He was very particular, too, about his long silver hair-I never remember seeing a lock out of place. And, of course, there was always the gold bangle. I felt very puzzled about that bangle and rather inquisitively question- ed several of the staff, but nobody seemed to know anything about it and I finally put it down to a harmless idiosyncrasy.
me as
re-
I think he liked me, too, for he began to refer to
his "young friend." One day towards the end of my stay we had hap- pened to be chatting about the technique of hotel manage-
particularly ment, and I member, in view of what happened afterwards, one re- mark of his. "I never allow any activities in my hotel after mid- night," he had said. "I'm always afraid that my guests' sleep might be disturbed."
When, later, I went up to bed 1 found myself slow of going to sleep. From somewhere below I heard midnight chime, and later, in the silent house, I remember hearing one-thirty. From my pil- low I could see, through the lead- ed panes, the moon shining far out on the calm sea. I was about to drop off when I distinctly heard a step upon the stairs. Just one step, no more, I listened for a re- petition of the sound, but none came. I turned over on my side and tried to go to sleep; but, ludicrously, I found I couldn't erase the sound of that footfall from my consciousness,
"And then I remembered that all activities in the inn were sup- "posed to cease at midnight. Moved by an impulse I couldn't resist I rose silently, "put on my dressing- gown and slippers and crept out on to the landing. At first I couldn't hear anything and had half decided to return to bed when the unmistakable clop, clop of soft slippers on some hard sur- face reached my ears, and I be- came, aware, of a flickering, yel lowish-light coming from the cor-
"BANGLE JOE"
ridor that led to the cellar.
It was Bangle Joe, wear. ing a dressing-gown thrown over his pyjamas and with his silver hair carefully brushed. He was standing very still and seemed to be listening intently, With ghost- ly clarity I heard a clock some- where in the building strike twice. Bangle Joe stiffened expectantly for a moment; then he shook his head with a peculiar motion of sadness, turned slowly and began to return along the corridor to- wards me. I would have crept back to bed unnoticed, but just at that moment, probably because of the dust blowing about in the cor- ridor I sneezed. He stopped dead at the sound and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the candlelight, and I saw the gold bangle on his wrist gleam oddly.
"Who's there?" he called. out sharply.
By Laurence Moody
"It's I-Lawson,” I said, feeling uncommonly foolish.
"Mr. Lawson?" he repeated, and I caught an unusual touch of annoyance in his voice. "What are you doing here at this hour of the night?"
"I heard a step and thought a— a burglar might have got into the house," I explained lamely.
He came close up to me and peered into my eyes over the candle, looking ill and worn.
"You were foolish to rise, my young friend," he said presently. "Come, we had better both return to bed. To-morrow we shall have a little talk-over a glass of port, eh? It seems some sort of ex- planation is due to you."
When I awoke next morning sunlight was streaming in through the leaded panes and glinting on the bedposts. I rose sluggishly, feeling ashamed of the night's folly, and went down to the breakfast room which was fragrant with the sea air and the scent of newly-cut flowers. Before I had finished the excellent break- fast provided a maid brought me an invitation from Bangle Joe to visit him in his study.
I found him surrounded with tobacco smoke and dressed im- maculately as usual in his velvet › jacket. A model galleon stood on a table in front of the window which looked out on the orchard, and I noticed that he hadn't for- gotten the '68 port; he apologised for bringing it out at this early hour and indicated a comfortable chair.
"I want to tell you a story and you mustn't think me sentimental if I go back to 'the great, brave days when we were twenty-one"," he said, smiling and without preamble, "That wouldn't be a far journey for you, Mr. Lawson, but in my case it's a matter of sixty years and more. The only proviso I make is that you will please re- gard it as confidential, for I have told it to no one else."
He looked better, now, with the early morning freshness which even very old men wear. I readily gave him my promise, pointing that he was under no obligation whatever to take me into his con.
fidence, but he courteously waved the objection aside. He filled two glasses and pushed one across to me, thereafter sitting silent for a little 28 if gathering his thoughts,
"I was very much in love then," he said presently. "Her name was Vera and her red lips were as soft as rose petals-but I mustn't bore you, Mr. Lawson,
M
"My father owned "The Cliffs' the time and Vera had come to it stay with us here for a while was in December and we were to be married in Bideford the fol- lowing month. We were never far away from each other: we used to say as we parted, 'Same time- same place, for I think we only counted ourselves alive when we were together.**
a
"One night there came to "The Cliffs' Frenchman, Captain Birotteau. His ship may have put in at Bideford or else in the cove to the west-I never knew exact- ly. He came into the lounge where the fire, was burning and let in a gust of icy wind behind him. A great, dark man he was, quite young, and he scarcely took his eyes off Vera from the first moment he saw her,
“We provided him with a meal and he said he was going to stay for the night. When he had finish- ed he joined us at the fire where Vera and I and my parents were sitting, and his talk was all of travel and ships and strange lands. I watched to see if Vera was attracted by him, but she gave no sign of it-indeed she seemed a little afraid of him.
no
"I knew we should have peace as long as he stayed, but he wasn't the type of man you can tell to go away. He called for
L
C
wine and as he drank he began to pay compliments to Vera, and soon the compliments became so pointed that I couldn't stand it, I remember rising and stand- ing over him with clenched fists.
"I did a foolish thing. I struck him heavily across the face with my hand. He rose all right at that, and whipped out a knife, and I think he would have killed me very quickly had not Vera thrown herself upon him and begged him not to shed blood."
Bangle Joe paused and refilled his pipe. He took a sip of the port and presently he went on.
"He seemed to want to please Vera even in his anger, for he put his knife back in his belt. I was hot blooded in those days, Mr. Lawson, but I thought of Vera and my mother and so the business was patched up, and a little later we retired.
I
"I couldn't go to sleep but lay listening to the roar of the waves and the clock chiming the hours after midnight. Then suddenly I heard a scuffle in the hall below and was out of bed in an instant. I kept an old rook-rifle in my room -We were much troubled by rooks in the orchard-and I grabbed it up and ran out on to the landing. It was a clear, frosty night and the moonlight lay across the hall. The sound was coming from the corridor, I ran downstairs and as I reached it I knew someone was opening the door that leads to the cliffs, for the moonlight suddenly streamed in. It shone on Cap- tain Birotteau-and in his arms he carried Vera. He had gagged her tightly and she seemed to have fainted.
"I've often wondered since what he intended to do. May be some of his crew were at hand to
(Continued on Page 7)
COME AND SEE ASIA COY'S
Holiday
FOOD
SALE**
EVERYTHING FOR YOUR
XMAS FEAST NOW AT
BARGAIN PRICES!
ORDER YOUR
TURKEYS
AUSTRALIAN GOBBLERS
THE
$1.15 lb.
ASIA COY.
63-65, DES VOEUX RD., C.
TELS. 20416, 22338.
Page 15Page 16