1940-03-01 — Page 16

Page: 16

SHORT STORY

NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE

who broke the silence. ·

"Do go on. Count, and tell us why you're afraid of fire. should prefer it any day to drown ing."

eyes

a

.

a

on our

I

re-

THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 1, 1940

By Maboth Moseley

to

Oh!" party

་

a search

"Search party!" interrupted Mrs. Chapman, falling heavily into a chair. "Search party, Indeed!”

?" murmured

**Like d last

"May I ask.. Mrs. Brand politely.

"You may," she snapped:

fool I left my door unlocked,

"No, I couldn't touch a. thing," Mrs. Chapman's amiable expression had given place to a wild-eyed glare. If only I could lay hands on the thief! Those pearls were worth ten thousand pounds!"

At this moment Signor Riccioli was drawn aside by an obsequious waiter. When the man had finished he repeated in a dazed tone, “Count Rivoli is not in his room? He has gone. without paying his bill?.. But can this be true?" He beat his fists upon the table in a grand gesture of despair..

"Fire is the thing I dread most," ed anticipation. "It happened like helpless, while the person you loved take! I will organise

was burnt most said Count Rivoli, in excellent Eng-t this," he continued, "my wife and I

She was Her exclamation startled Mrs. Brand, lish. "In my opinion, death, by were on our honeymoon.

nervous young who dropped several stitches. drowning would be infinitely pre an impressionable,

creature, a beautiful girl, dark, sensi-, "Dreadful," she echoed lamely, ferable to death by fire."

The Count heaved ́another sigh. His audience was tense, each mem- tive, with all the glamour of the

It South..

"Yes, it was very dreadful," he said, ber gazing at him expectantly.

an English and turned away. an attractive

"We were staying in was Jennifer Brand,

" "I suppose," Jennifer murmured girl of twenty-two, with immense country house and I had gone with: ~ grey eyes and corn coloured hair, our host to inspect some Roman ex- tentatively, "she'd been overcome by night. The Count's story of the fire

cavations forty miles north of Lon- the smoke."

unnerved me. The thought of a locked we were. "That was the case." The Count door gave me claustrophobia, Well?", don. On the way home

melancholy Personally, I travelling by road-we were involved transferred. his

gaze, she made an expressive gesture, "my in an accident which delayed us for You see, my wife suffered from in- pearls have gone!"

It was two in the somnia and, much against my will, "Your

Mrs. pearls?" èjaculated .some hours.

was in the habit of taking sleeping Brand, "Oh, Mrs. Chapman, I am so He smiled pleasantly, but there was morning when we started

draughts. I do not suppose for an in- sorry". something in his manner which spoke homeward journey,

"Now this was the first night since stant that on the night of the fire "Have a cup of coffee," interposed of tragedy, It was betrayed in

dark eyes our marriage that my wife had been she had taken an overdose, but I am Guy Evesham, certain reticence as his

had And she hated the night, Convinced that if she

taken left alone. rested on each in turn,

been alive The women experienced a slight or rather the darkness, as any of us nothing she would have

thrill down the would hate the devil. Always, even to-day." He shrugged his shoulders. tremor, a nervous spinal column. Even the prosaic Mrs, at home, she insisted on locking her "Nevertheless, if she'd not had that matter bedroom door, no matter how one in curious kink about locking her door Brand, Jennifer's extremely of fact mother, confessed to herself sisted that no harm could befall her. the butler would have got her out."

irresistible that he was an

young "As we approached our destina-

"What a tragedy," murmured - Mrs. Chapman, whose

had man,

an almost tion, I had a sudden premonition.. I hypnotic quality.

told my host, who was driving the While Mrs. Chapman, who was car, that I could smell burning, and fair, fat and fifty, with an income of he told me that I was dreaming. ten thousand year, clutched her persisted, however, and since by this matchless pearls with such a wealth time we were south of the river and of intensity that she nearly snapped running into Surrey he agreed the rope in half.

luctantly that possibly I could smell Only young Guy Evesham, whose a heath fire. For the past few weeks, features were

homely but honest, however, the weather had been typi- was impervious to the hypnotic glance cally English, and I demanded how of the lustrous eyes.

soaking wet ground could catch fire

in drawn to unless steeped Ave, The ill-assorted

petrol and de- He made no gether, as so often happens, by bore liberately set alight. dom, were killing time in the luxuri- answer to that.

"By this time I was exceedingly ous lounge of the Albergo Palazzo in Lugano. It was nearly the end of the worried, although I tried hard to re- After all, there was season and most of the guests had assure myself. departed.

no particular reason why I should For the last three days the Sirocco have this premonition. I am not what had been blowing, bringing with it. you call psychic, and if I have a vivid torrential rains, fearsome thunder imagination I know how to control it. And as we went up and lightning and whipping the wa- Yet it persisted. ters of the lake into an angry, white- the drive of my friend's house." I at least was not surprised at what we tipped, foaming sea.

Riccioli, saw. According to Signor

was Asing hotel,

storm the

"A plume of smoke, manager of the would have spent itself by nightfall above the trees at the far end of the

a drive. and all would be able to enjoy

Already of red flame. -- well-earned night's rest, the

"We hurried on and got out, to find clouds were lifting towards

everyone but my wife, Porlezza, nearly twenty miles away everyone

that is - assembled on the terrace. at the other end of the lake.

The group of five, dominated by The fire brigade had been called. But Count Rivoli, had gathered in the all I cared about was the fact that my room, caught lounge to shiver and watch the pro- wife was still in her gress of the storm, hoping desperately like a rat in a trap.. that it would clear and give the hot "It transpired that after sounding southern sun another opportunity of the alarm, the butler went along to warn her. His cries evoked no res- shining before they, had to leave.

It was while they were gazing at ponse and he found it impossible to the black, angry water of the lake, break open the door, which was of Already the corridor was dominated by the wild, unfriendly oak, mountains, that the conversation alight.. If he'd waited another instant turned on the horrors of death by his retreat would have been cut off.

"Soin a frenzy of despair I tied a drowning. Mrs. Chapman, arr habitue of every smart resort in Europe, had wet handkerchief over my mouth and a repertoire of gruesome stories relat- fought my way through the dense smoke into the hall, but already 'the ing to each.

+

+

*

"A tragedy," sighed the Count, the moral of which is: don't take and never lock sleeping draughts your door at night."

"I should think not,' was her shud- dering response.

"Good lord, no," agreed Jennifer, like that I

"I think" Guy Evesham turned "After an experience should think no one would want to do politely to Mrs. Chapman, "you may either."

guess what's happened to your pearls.

Count from con- In fact, I imagine that the Guy Evesham, turned.

out of templation of the mountains. A thin makes quite a good income ray of sunshine was forcing its way that fire yarn."

clouds, The "The through the scudding

but Count? But rain had stopped and the waters of

mean he told it on purpose to make Why, the lake had achieved a certain calm. me leave my door unlocked?

"Yes," he said ungraciously, "I he- you don't mean to say it wasn't

be infinitely true?" think drowning would preferable." And then, turning to “That's exactly what I do mean."

"But but -" angry. and be- Jennifer, "Let's take the boat to Oria and have a look at the Villa Fo- wildered, she turned to Mrs, Brand, gazzaro."

"didn't you believe him?" She made an impatient gesture, With sudden complacency, the outraged by his lack of sympathy other put down her coffee cup. "Cer- "We shall only be caught in another tainly,1,believed him. He was very

convincing." storm and get drenched."

It was followed by a tongu "No, it's clearing. Besides, I want

"Then...

you

a breath of fresh air." His expres- "But," said Mrs. Brand sweetly, “it sion, indicated extreme disapproval didn't matter one way or the other, so of the room and all its occupants. far as I was concerned, because my And I want to talk to you ... jewellery isn't of the slightest value, alone."

and it hadn't been advertised like Signor Riccioli's prophecy came yours."

"Are you accusing me of seeking true, and after three successive nights of storm during which it had been vulgar notoriety?" Mrs. Chapman impossible to sleep, a great calm drew herself up in righteous indigna- The tion. brooded over the lake Lugano,

"No. I suppose you can't help it if guests of the Albergo Palazzo slept the sleep of the just.

the whole world knows

about your Even Mrs. Chapman, whose im- fabulous pearls. The newspapers will "pressionable mind had been much print these things."

affected by the tale of the tragic Con- There was a moment of acute ten- the sion while Mrs. Chapman choked' tessa, fell into a sound slumber moment her shingle-capped head down her wrath and Signor Riccioli touched the pillow.

wrung his hands in despair. It was Guy Evesham who broke it, placing his hand in his pocket and with- drawing a

►

It was she who, in describing the stairs were on the point of collapsing. on fire and that she was trapped in shimmeringpe of perfectly matched,

her room:

Her dreams were all of an inflam matory nature, and once she awoke in a sweat, imagining that the place was

So vivid was the dream that she had to get out of bed; she re- assured herself by trying the unlock 18 ed door of the adjoining sittingroom and peering into the deserted corrf dor.

death of a friend in these treacherous I staggered out again, calling wildly waters of Lugano, set the ball roll-for, a ladder, thinking, in my anguish, ing. It was she who followed up that I could scale the wall outside Jennifer's invitation and implored the her window. Count to explain the reason why At this moment the firemen arrived he dreaded fire. Like many women on their antiquated village engine, but of her age, Mrs. Chapman had a mor- their presence gave me no confidence. bid interest in sudden death. Her Just as something had warned me snub inquisitive nose scented about the fire, so I knew now that Tragedy, with a capital T, behind the my wife had gone for ever" Count's reticence.

"Now come along, Count," she ad- monished playfully, "don't be shy. We're all waiting.”

As the Count still hesitated, a faint flicker of disapproval crossed the tanned face of Guy Evesham, but he maintained a sullen, boyish silence, which in no way perturbed the Count,

The Count paused on this dramatic note, gazing pensively out of the win-

Mrs. dow.

Brand applied herself rather suddenly to her knitting, and Mrs. Chapman was so affected as to apply a handkerchief to her eyes.

"How ghastly," murmured Jennifer Brand.

who was thoughtfully tapping is by fealous of the Count, displayed no

pearls.

"Here are your pearls, Mrs. Chap- man." He handed them over careless- ly, as though they were cheap imita- ion baubles.

Guy!" Jennifer's exclamation was It: wrung involuntarily from her. The following morning the brilliant expressed a whole gamut of emotions: sun was shining in a clear blue sky, surprise, shock,, doubt and suspicion.

He laughed. "It's all right. English and American tourists re- appeared in gally coloured dresses, didn't steal them.

"Then but, Mr. Evesham!" Mrs. Close cropped Swiss, wearing climb- ing boots and carrying steel-pointed Chapman's fingers closed lovingly sticks, hurried down to the landing over her pearls, I didn't understand! stage. And the dining room of the at all!"

"Count, Rivoli,” explained Guy Albergo Palazzo presented a cheerful appearance as those of the guests who thoughtfully, "allas Diamond Jimmy, were down dallied over their coffee alias, Harry the Hat, alias a hundred and rolls.

other names, is a notorious inter-

✓

Only Guy Evesham, who was clear-- But of the group which had as-

the C.I.D., have been acting in sembled in the lounge the previous tonal jewel thief. I, as a member cigarette on the back of his case, His particular emotion as, maintaining day, only three were present Mra. conjunction with the Swiss-police, intelligent brown eyes, surmounted by his sulky silence, he lit a cigarette., Brand, Jennifer and young Guy Eves- We've had our eyes on him for some

time. I knew what he was up. smooth black hair, his distinguished The Count transferred his contem- ham.

to They were busy making plans for when he told that yarn yesterday, so Roman nose and his rather pointed, plative gaze from the mountains faun-like ears, all indicated, thought the fabby face of Mrs. Chapman, He the day when Mrs, Chapman, some- I took the liberty, Mrs. Chapman,, of Jennifer, centuries of breeding. His sighed heavily. By a sus motion linen sult, bore down upon them. She your jewel case and abstracdn

supreme effort what carelessly dressed in a white placing an imitation rope of pearls in contempt for Italians, as distinct from of' will he overcame Romans, was implicit in his manner "Yes," he said slowly "I knew I was followed by the gesticulating and real ones. Count Rivoli 1s such and behaviour, although he was a should never see her again, Her wildly apologetic Signor Riccioli, who master of disguise that I was tak appeared to have mislaid his cus- no chances, although I'd warned good Fascist and an ardent supporter charred remains were found later."

tomary sangtroid, and was oblivious, Italian frontier authorities that › or so it seemed, to the curious glan- would probably try to escape

way. In fact

he broke of ces cast in his direction.

"I insist, Sigmora,” he spluttered, as a waiter approached him discr "You have made the greatest” ” mis-

of the regime.

"Well," he begun, as he lit the cigarette, "Are was responsible for the greatest, no, the only tragedy in my life!"

women sat up in thrill

***"Oh, Count, how terrible for you!" Mrs. Chapman crled, and on your honeymoon, too!! He gave a silent assent. "But what a dreadful thing,” she went on, "to have to stand aside,