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THE CHINA MAIL SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 19, 1940.
The Escritoire
(Continued from Page 9)
sonic-
tell the truth?"
"Yes. They get kissed times. By the way you're standing right under that misleton."
Stella considered the matter for a moment and the frown relaxed. "Quick, then, before somebody comes out," she whispered.
in
ed a commanding Volce.
"But I can't dear. I haven't washed, shaved or dressed.”
"I don't care. Come down your dressing-gown,”
"But, look here———” "Come down! Or must I come up?"
He groaned. "Yes, I did, 1.knocked it over with my eye and part of my, fore- head. And I'm glid it was so top heavy, Else I shouldn't have had any head left."
"But, darling, ive-I-never thought--I'm so terribly sorry bit of raw steak-"
I slipped on the floor-cloth and It was parchment as a fact, She knocked it over."
handed it to him, and he read very beautiful handwriting which began with the words, this last Will and Testament of "This is me Oswald Brending (Knight). I formally disinherit my son Au- thony Brending, who has all that he needs and requires no-more to waste. I leave all in which I stand possessed to my nephew Arthur Brending, and charge him to see that the grave of iny dog Rufus is decked with a bunch of fresh flowers once a week."
Then her demeanour suddenly changed. She burst out laughing, She lung her arms around him and kissed him. He patted her shoulders,
"Never mind, darling. It won't
· Norman read it and gasped. He
23
"Well, try him. Anyhow! (PIC" sure to be there sooner of latey.
He caught her to him and Hi- ged her."
“Darling! This is wonderful,"
always.
"Yes. Let's keep it wonderful I don't suppose I shall always have a black eye-urfless you're cruel to me but I shall get old and ugly, you know--unless, I die first."
is of no particular importance to What he said to her after that the tale. Anyhow, put yourself in his place. Then she went.
Muffled in an overcoat, half
Norman rushed out to the nearest telephone.
The thud of his feet on the floor Was the answer. The overcoat There was time for only 14 be- his eyes. Slippers somehow found went on. A towel passed across fore the handle of the drawing their way to his feet. He flip-flop- be black very long. It will turn wanted to exclaim something that washed and only partially dressed
ned downstairs. Stella waited jade-green, and then quite a pretty around the corner at the end. Then blue, and then pink, and after a he recoiled.
week or two it will be all right again, I know, I've had them at school,”
Stella stood and rocked with laughter.
roun doer rattled. A moment later Stella was demurely helping him eff with his coal.
"It's in the kitchen." Stella re marked in a blandly matter-of-
fact tone.
"What is? Oh, that?"
"We haven't had time to carry it upstairs yet, and it's rather heavy."
Tommy Cowper,
who fancied
People who write stories often find themselves in difficulties when it comes to recording a plain fact. things over, to handle a fact with One would sometimes like to gloss delicacy, to leave something to the imagination. But the kind of fact which is called hard fact must be stated bluntly.
pow-
"You great idiot! Do you think mind?"
People just roused from bed are oiten a little dazed. Norman blink- ed at her. He had heard of ladies in the East End who enjoyed har- ing their eyes blacked by their ung men or their husbands, and regarded it as a mark of affection
and esteem.
you or I might give voice to in unmixed company. But he only said that he was "blessed"--which indeed he was.
"Don't
you understand, dar- fing?" It was Stella, of course, who spoke. "There's ñ reward £1,000 for anybody who can find of that will. I read it in the "Tempus agony column months ago. You see, dear, the nephew knew the property was his, but couldn't get it because the will couldn't be found and proved."
eyes
He looked at her with which widened and shone.
"Then you're on a thousand pounds!"
By no particular coincidence Arthus Brending was in his chatti- bers. He had to live in them bb- kept at work over the holidays cause he was poor. Also he was
through a law cuse in which he was interested. talk ended in a cordial invitation The six-minutes
to "come up at once."
Norman went up. He found a handsome youngish man smoking
a pipe in a stuffy room which might have had wallpaper some- where concepled behind the books. Arthur Brending shook harids. Then they talked, In fact three- quarters of an hour's conversation elapsed before anything of any real importance emerged.
"I'll take me end Get Tommy Cowper to take the other. He'll love helping me to carry upstairs a present I got for you.'
Stella had a black eye! It was not just a slight dis- himself a rival of Norman's, hated coloration which could be hidden him accordingly.
and hushed up
to а bit so "All right," said Stella with a
speak by cream and little laugh.
"My room's on the der. It was a beauty. It was such "Let's sit down a moment," she left at the end,
pugilistic You can go right as the
coster, who said. "I've got to tell you. Then "No, darling. You are, or rather, in, Everything's tidy. Shove it just has tried to knock 'em in the Old you can dress and I'll put some we are. If I had a thousand pounds inside the door where I can fall Kent Road, so often takes home more cream and powder on my my stern parents would be even over it when I walk in.”
with what is left of his money eye, and we can have a happy more ambitious for me. But if you up," said
"Well, of course, I'm pretty hard When I knocked had a thousand pounds all objec den't mind 'robbing' my cousin.-
Arthur Brending, “Right. And how are you going on a Saturday night. It was an day together,
"[ to manage then?"
eye which had to be seen to be that bureau over with my eye tions to your happy union would if you call it believed. The adoring swain utter seemed to have upset its internal be removed. And although I hap- well off already. There won't be that because he's ed a little soft sound like the arrangements. I don't know whe- pened to and it-1, said the fly, any law case there can't be but moaning of a dying pigeon. ther it was my eye that did the with my little
"You needn't have minded about trick, or the shock of the thing the jolly old bureau, and gave it for the present I will give you eye-you bought these things take time. Well, just what you looked like," said Stella, striking the floor. At any rate a me. And now, darling, here's the a formal acknowledgment, and I
"But darling. How did who did spring got touched. You've heard will, and you will kindly ring up can manage a
of secret drawers in the old furni. Arthur
hundred pounds Brending-barrister-at- down-without hurting myself-f ture. Well, this was a tiny one. law--telephone-" hidden between two ordinary ones,
that's any good." "Good heavens! You know his Was it any good? Ask them blessed bureau There was just enough room in it number!"
Why. thing. Shoving it just inside my for a paper folded up and pressed
believe me, within tra "Just looked it up. room where I was bound to fall down. Well, that was just what Middle Temple."
Address days Stella was spending half her over it when I came in in the dark. was inside it. Here it is."
"But he won't be there to-day." of furniture shops!
spare time looking in the window's
"There's linoleum on the flour, "How awful for the poor little toes!!
"But there are mats, stupid, and once it's inside I can take the mats up and shove it where I want it. I shde about on linoleum,"
"Right-o. Produce the bears. Oh rather, the bear. Young Tommy."
They went into the small and over-crowded drawing-room. On the whole Norman's reception was about as chilly as an arctic explor- er might expect from an assem- ly of polar bears. He was not popular with the young women. not only because he was plain, but also because he was regarded as Stella's private property. The young men who were interested in Stella had rasons of their own for regarding him with disfavour. Stella's parents have already been mentioned. They were extremely polite. You know what that means.
Tommy was pressed into ser- Vice. He went with a great show of grace and alacrity until he was outside the door, who his man- ner became more than a little ligid.
They got the heavy piece of furniture through the hall passage without difficulty, and, coming to the stairs. Norman had the ind and heavier end. But from this point of apparent disadvantage he was ble, by a sudden heave, to push his rival over.
What Mr. Cowper had to say about this he was compelled to say in a whisper. It elicited the polite rejoinder: "I beg your par- don. I didn't quite hear."
They got the clumsy lump of furniture into Stella's room. On the smooth floorcloth it glided quite easily.
"A bit heavy," was Mr. Cow- per's gasping coinment.
"A bit top-heavy, too. A child could shove it over. Still it'll be slanding somewhere against the wall."
He woke late on the morning of Boxing Day. He had had a beauti.. ful dream that he was chasing young Cowper round and round the Albert Memorial with a pick- axc. The trouble was that he couldn't catch him. But so many dreams are disappointing.
It was his landindy who roused han. Having bumped on the door and received no response except heavy breathing from within she opened it and called out:
"A young lady's called to see you."
"Right-oh," said the partially awakened sleeper. "I'll have bacon as usual."
"A young lady's called to sce you. A young lady with a black eye."
Norman sat up and stared;
"I don't know any young lady with a black eye," he said.
"Well, she says you do!". The landlady grinned. "It's your murky past," she said. "Oh, and she said as her name was Miss. Linklater.” Normani's eyes became slightly dilated.
"Miss Linklater?"
"Yes, and she wants to see you
at once."
"But Miss Linklater hasn't got u
black eye."
one
"She may not have had when you saw her last. But she's got one now. A beauty!!"
The worried young man wafted
his landlady away,
"All right, I'll call down the
stairs to her."
The landlady departed.
Nor-
man left his bed with a plomp and callad.
"Hullo, Stello, what's the mat-
respond-
“You did " "Me!" "With
that
The European Y. M. C. A. Amateur Dramatic Club
pomully presents
William Shakespeare's Comedy
•Twelfth Night”
44
"What you will"
wills
Winnie Cox as OLIVIA;
Nora Witchell as VIOLA;
Nan Moodie as MARIA; Ralph Dormer as MALVOLIO;
Charles Thom as SIR TOBY BELCH;
W'm Kirby as SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK; Rupert Baldwin as FESTE - the Jester; David Ingleby as The DUKE;
supported by a complete cast of experienced and talented players.
Performances will be,
es will be given on
Twelfth Night
Mombay, 6th January, 1941. at 9.15 p.m.
Wednesday 8th January at 5.30 p.m.
Thursday,
Friday,
9th January
at 5.30 p.m.
10th January at 9.15. p.m.
Saturday, 11th January at 9.15
m2,
in the West Lourige Theatre, Y. M. C. A. Kowloon,
Bookings
can be made at
THE ANDERSON MUSIC COMPANY, ICE HOUSE STREET, HONG KONG,
Evenings. $3.00
$2,00
$1.00
&
Y. M. C. A. KOWLOON,
TICKETS ALL
Alatinces
$2.00
$1,00 $0.50
SEATS
BOOKABLE
IN AID OF Y. M. C. A. CHARITIES AT HOME AND ABROAD.