1935-08-23 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, AUGUST 23; 1935

Noblesse Oblige

Continued from Page 9)

"be knouted to death. He also shamed the daught of the knout- ed-sert before his role friends, by refusing to let her clothe herself..

It was voted a highly successful banquet.

The crash of Tsardom a quarter] of a century later saw the ruin of the Ivanovoffs. A badly wounded Prince Vladimir exchanged the command of a Russian Guards re- giment for a cell In the Lubianka. prison, where he endured the tor. Lure of hell for just over twų Fears. Then bribery and prolonged intrigue. unlocked his prison doors, and the last of the imperious and quasi-imperal Ivanovoffs, almost destitute and physically a shatter- ed wreck, found refuge in Eng- land.

Arrived in London, the unbend- ing pride which even two years in the Lübianka prison had failed to break caused him to shun the so- ciety of such Russian refuger friends as had known him in the. days of his greatness. They, on their part, respected his desire to be left alone, and obedient to the wish he expressed whenever he chanced to meet one of them, for- bore to make inquiries. They drew painful inferences from the pat- ches on his boots and the neat) mending of the edges of his coat- cuffs.. They knew nothing of where or how he lived.

Only his ex-chef, Vonier, who now ruled at the Hotel Babylon, knew that.

Three times a week, Vonier cooked three culinary masterpieces with his own hands, put them into three round, silver dishes with lids, and packed the dishes in three white cartons. And late at night on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a tall, stooping man

with a hatchet face would come lo

the back door of the Babylon for them. To no በቂ else would Vonfer trust that "handing-over.” For him, the man whose generosity thirty years ago had made him rich, enough, to retire had he' so wished was still a great aristocrat.

Now as you know, the Hotel Babylon is an imposing building; imposing from Alexia, its gigantic] autside-porter. up to its famous matir d'hotel - Cannetti, neither of whom, it is said, ever forgēls a hame or a face. As it happens, both of them are Russians; at] Jeast, Cannetti's mother was Rus- siau, which explains why, when Alexis Souharin applied for the vacant post of outside-porter, Cannetti appointed him. But Alexis's efficiency and obsequious-] ness, not to mention the imposing appearance he made in the grey- and-silver Babylon uniform, im-|

·pressed

the favourably event French Ambassador, who gave him a" half-a-érown tip.

The Monday on which Vanier went to Paris to attend the World Gastronomic Conference naturally necessitated other arrangements belag made about the handing over of the three cartons on the following Wednesday and Friday. So Vonier carefully instructed his friend Alexis, who was to take a quarter of an hour's leave from the hall porter for the purpose.

"A tall war-cripple of the name of Krashinoff will call for them,” said Vonier, ""Are you sure you remember the name?.... Krash- noff; that's it!...."

And so Alexis Souharin met] Prince Vladimir Ivanovof.

But there was much more to

that meeting than the mere hand-

saw that lean

ing over of three cartons.

When Souharin hatchet face with its great scar from, the slash of the duelling sword, the cardboard packages hé was carrying in his two great hands buckled, and, he blasphemed under his breath.

Before him was a man whom he had sworn to kill-the man who had knouted his father to death and shamed his sister, Nadia.

For a second the gigantic Alexis hesitated. Suppose he was mis-† taken, and despite that terrible scar, it wasn't Prince Ivanovoff 7: .... After all, was it Ukely that this shabby-looking old man whone downcast eyes were hidden under the rim of his battered hat could bo Vladimir Ivanovo, the im-1 perious and ruthless the bosom friend of Kings and Emperora?. It didn't seem even remotely pos aible.

So Alexie Sonharån blinked and went on healtating a little longer, Despite his quickness of moveme and his servile.. aldarity to pis Babylon patrons, he was to be stu

WHATS THE MATTER WITH MAGGIE?SHE LOOKS ANGRY. I'M AFRAID TO. GO IN ANʼTALK

TO HER

MRS. HUGH LEDHEARTS JUST& PHONED. AND WANTS YOU TO COME OVER THIS EVENING

AN' DLAY BRIDGE.

Bringing Up Father

DADDY IT'S YOU THAT " UPSETS HER-YOU WORRY, HER 50-YOU SHOULD BE MORE CONSIDERATE OF

HER-THE WAY YOU SNEAK OUT EVERY NIGHT

JUST-

THE DEAR GIRL: GET MY THINGS OUT, MARY I MUSTI

RUSH!

WELL ITS NO USE SITTIN' HERE - I'LL GO CALL ON THE NEIGHBOR NEXT

DOOR

RATS-I'LL CALL ON BILL O'FARE AN' TAKE HIM TO A SHOW- THAT IS-IF HIS WIFE WILL LET HIM GO OUT-

Rosies

BEAU

GEDI MANUS

Ragissasiă U;"S" Fatal Ofis

HUHROSIE CAN- STAY MAD' FROM NOW ON FOR ALL I CARE- IM TIRED OF PHONING AND BEING TOLDI.

THAT SHE IS OUT

DAUGHTER IS RIGHT- AFTER ALL-I SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME AT: HOME WITH MY FAMILY-| ILL START IN RIGHT.

NOW BY STAYIN' HOME TONIGHT

HECTOR-BE SURE TO LOCK UP EVERYTHING AND SEE THAT FIFI HAS HER

DINNER

YOU SAY HE 15 NOT HOME-WHERE IS HE?

SIT DOWNJIGOS. ME WIFE WENT TO A SEWIN-BEE - SO 1. HAVE TO STAY HOME AN' ENTERTAIN THE

KIDS-

100:

VERY GOOD, MUM-

HUH? THAT'S WHAT HIS WIFE WOULD "LIKE TO KNOW.

SHES OUT

LOOKING

FOR HIM-

GOODNIGHT, DADDY- "I'M GOING TO A >MOVIE÷WITH A

FRIEND OF MINES

DONT STAY UP

TOO LATE-

SAY-HECTOR-HOW. ABOUT YOU AN' ME

SITTIN DOWN TO

A NICE LITTLE Y GAME OF PINOCHLE

· I'M STAYIN' IN TONIGHT.

I GUESS ILL HAVE TO CALL UP SOME OF

THE GANG. THERE'S NO USE "GOIN' HOME-

드

CHLES

WELL-YOU DON'T LOOK THERE'S NO PLACE

Hig! LIKE

AS IF YOURE MAKIN A BIG HIT I'LL SEE YOU

LATER IM

GOIN' TO A

SHOW-

1985, King Features Syndicate, Inc. Great Britain rights reserved.

YES MISS ROSIE":

MR. ARCHIE CALLED ́UP ONCE THIS

MORNIN

ONLY ONCE? HE DOESN'T LOVE ME

ANYMORE

WHAT? ROSIE ISILL GREAT

HEAVENSH;

HAVE DINAH-

PRETEND SHE ELSE AND SA

MY DARLING!

LIKE HOME

SORRY-SIR-BUT: THIS IS MY NIGHT OUT AND I HAVE! AVERY SWELL/

DATE-

HELLO-IS CASEY THERE? NO WELL,IS MONAHAN AROUND 7WELL-THEN SEE

IF O'LEARY IS THERE. WHAT? WELL- IS ANYBODY THERE

HOME SWEET

HOME

I WONDER WHOSE HOME- THEY COULD

BE SINGIN'

IT'S THE GY

ABOUT-

家に