1935-12-17 — Page 32

18

CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT

GIFTS that Charm are

Useful GIFTS

Give them. what they actually need.

This is a

practical Christmas WHITEAWAY, LAIDLAW & Co., Ltd.

DISPLAY GIFTS FOR EVERY TASTE

"FOR THE MEN”

SCOTCH WOOL SLIPOVERS, PULL- OVERS, LEATHER GOLF JACKETS. SILK SQUARES, MUFFLERS. SILK HANDKERCHIEFS, BRACE, AND GARTER SETS, TIE SETS, WOOL DRESSING GOWNS, BEAUTIFUL RAYON GOWNS PYJAMAS IN ARTISTIC SHADES, CHAMOIS, HOGG, AND LEATHER GLOVES, FANCY WOOL, AND SILK SOCKS.

NUMEROUS SELECTION TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE.

"FOR THE LADIES”

ALLADIN SILK HOSIERY, RAYON EMBROIDERIES UNDERWEAR. LAGE AND. GEORGETTE HAND-

KERCHIEFS LEATHER AND KID

GLOVES, ENAMEL MIRROR COMPACTS, ̈ ̈PYJAMAS CASES AND ART SILK DRESSING GOWNS, ENAMEL COMPACTS AND CIGARETTE CASES, EVENING AND

LEATHER BAGS.

“FOR THE CHILDREN”

INSTRUCTIVE

..

PICTURE

BOOKS, CHEMISTRY SETS,

MECCANO SETS, MOTOR

CARS, AEROPLANES, SHIRLEY

TEMPLE DOLLS, "RELIABLE'

DOLLS, DEAN'S STUFFED

DOLLS, DOLLS, TOYS, POP

GUNS, THE BEST SELECTION

IN TOWN.

"FOR THE HOME”

BLANKETS (AIRE WITNEY) DOWN QUILTS, CUT GLASS, LINEN TABLECLOTHS, SHEETS, CUTLERY.

CANTEENS, FANCY SILK CUSHIONS, ARTISTIC LAMPS AND SHADES.

PRICES EXTREMELY MODERATE.

WHITEAWAY, LAIDLAW

& COMPANY, LIMITED.

A Cicket Co Budapest

Continued from Page 15.)

of an ancient city seemed to halt and gaze with eyes of awe at a- cosmopolis of a laughing, happy people.

The urge to be amongst the happy throng, and one of them, came to her, and, quickly dress- ing herself, she set forth from the hotel

Already the cafes were astir, for the cafe business-is-a thriv- ing one in Budapest, and laugh- ter echoes and re-echoes from early morn to late night. Mary interested glances were cast at the slim dark girl, who was 30 obviously a tourist, and she, feeling a kinship to these smü- ing people, gave smile for smile.

The sunlight was glittering on the waters of the Danube, and loaging was in her to be on its blue crest, seeing the captivating city from the riverside Board- ing a ferry, she went to the ton deck, so that the fresh, cool breeze could blow on her fare. The boat was not crowded. and she noted there was only one other occupant, a young man, on the top deck besides herself.

Somewhere in the distance- someone was playing a mando- lin The girl took off her hat to let the breeze blow through her hair, and leaned over the side of the ferry in the utter pleasure of the moment. The ferry glided gracefully past the old Royal Palace, and Esmeralda could se the romantic old gardens leading down to the water's edze. Fur- ther up they passed the ancient fortress, with the Danube wash- ing mournfully around its walls, as it had for countless ages..

Hearing a slight rough behird her, and glancing around quick- ly, she found the young man studying her intently. For the space of a second their eyes met. and the girl's pulse raced. There was something, very inti- mate in that look-an instan- taneous and mutual attraction. The music throbbed heart- rendingly on the deck below, and the young man made as if to speak, and then, as though check- ing himself, sat back in his corner. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the music stopped The moment had passed.

and silence also reigned on the too deck

THE

THE air was again redolent-

with music, and there were laughing whispers amongst the acacia tress.as Esmeralda walk- ed along the Corso in Pest to listen to the nightly

concert

Magic was abroad, in the pale moon shining on the water, and wafted in the perfume of the pink and white acacias dream- ing in the moonlight. Yet, des pite it all, she was not pleased. with herself. Here she was in the perfect surrounding for all that life could, offer, but she could. not truthfully say she wŁA happy, and in two days the would be returning home to that eternity of another year in the office and Mr. Ganmer's moods, with just the faint hope of look- ing forward to her next year's holiday at Brighton Brighton, with its populace of the worthy middle class; but, for all that had she not had happier holidays

-

Budapest

there then here The folk were one's own people. Yes, that was it

The

Esmeralda, much as she loved the beautiful in life, had a warn little heart, and people represent- ed life to her. She had been in Budapest for ten days now, and she was craving for her OWN people. Not that she had not found the Hungarians she had met delightful. Always with them there was laughter, but at the quiet little hotel she was the only English person guests were not many-definite- ly uninteresting a little French- man and his voluble wife, who spoke 20 English. 2 dismal Swede, who also spoke very little English. various Germans of un- interesting description, and the remainder Hungarians, amongst whom there was always laughter and enjoyment, and to whom the little dark girl, with the bright smile, was just a little English miss--an unknown quantity— and so they went their way laughing gaily, and playing at the game of life.

Indeed. she thought, all seem- ed to be enjoying themselves except herself, and this was borne home to her by the gay and unrestrained laughter of the three young men behind whom she seated herself in the chairs surrounding the raised orches- tra platform.

Then there was a bush The orchestra broke into a Hungarian rhapsody. Tense silence pre- valled, for the laughing, happy Hungarian, like a child of na- ture, is deeply moved by musie." Music means so much in his life that he seems to live to music, to think to music, and to love to music

The music swelled into a wild. ecstasy, and the girl felt *** though she, too, was enacting a dramatised life other than her own. Then suddenly her atten- tion was drawn by the turm of a head in front of her, and she -looked again into the grey eyes of the young man of the boat A shyness overtook her, and she returned her attention to the orchestra. but for the space of half a minute the young disconcertingly fixed his upon her.

eyes

Then the music stopped, and immediately a babble broke out în front of her between two of

the young men in rapid· Hon- garian. Esmeralda rose at the same time as the young men. Her acquaintance of the boat turned expectantly around, but his arms were immediately grip- ped by his two voluble panions, and he was through the crowd.

www.

hurried Ruefully

she thought there was no doubt but that he at least was enjoy- ing himself

r

MT was a chilly day for spring when Esmeralda Kemy left Budapest. The station noisy with the voices of many nations, and she was an Interest- ed spectator sitting in a corner sext of the waiting train. Her trip to Budapest was over, and a sense of flatness seemed to des

(Continued on Page 19.)