1957-07-06 — Page 5

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1957,

Page

27 fathoms down

ROLEX Oyster still

as ever.

"The two at the end-tickets for Lord's but no cricket. Next-proud owners of Jaguara. Noxt-proud owners of Aston Martins.: Next-season tickets for Wimbledon, and, noaroat, ma-hates tennis and his television set's packed up for a fortnight."

My Glory Lay

Behind Wimbledon Week

I

THNK i know what "the long road back" really means.

If spirit alone, determination alone, or struggle along coull have won my goal. 1 still would be the girl with the Golden Racket,

Heartsick and desolate (after her break with Norman Brinker) I returned to San Diego and arranged to go riding the next day with two friends,

The ride started out plenszel-

1 couch. I was in the load,

Cohur slowly over a narrow trail

on the shoulder of a road,

Ahead was a blind curve. A cement-mixer Corner swiftly.

truck turned the

12.

coming towards

All 11793 borsos becane nervous as the truck continued

towards (without slackening

*

We all waved and shouted to

the driver In an effort to get him to slow down or stop. but he ik netthem.

One of the horses on the op- posite side of the road from me netext up. The driver swerved the truck towards ane.

As he started to Bhunder hy, Colonel Merryby wheeled. I remember the sharp, stinging pain. I must have been knocked off balam, because I fell after Colonel Merryboy reared and ret <iown the eentre of the rond.

I remember looking at the white le dividing the road,

of feeling my hands sting. I thought this is ridiculous..

"The Mask

of Little Mo."

MAUREEN CONNOLLY

THE MYSTERY CLUB

No 4 in an exciting new series

THE MAN WHO COLLECTED SATCHELS

in carne A

fellow pointing SSSR

a revolver at us

667THE social revolution." Warriner said, "has impinged upon our statesmen in varying degree. Jones still sends his boy to Eton. Smith, who Is in equal-

ly high office, and who sits next to Jones whenever the PM calls n Cabinet, buys his boy a brown canvas satchel and sends him to day-school round the corner. This story is about Smith."

"And about Smith's boy?" Elrick asked.

"Certainly, It's about Gervase Smith, who is thiricon,"

"No Smith," Byut! maid, "whether boy or man, was ever called by so affected a name as Gervase. The Iden's absurd.“

Warriace smiled, "I'in just calling these prople Smith," he explained. "It wouldn't be

lle proper to give the real name, even in a canidential communication to the club. Particularly

as my story displays Smith-Smith Senior, that is-in rather an absund light."

"But we shall be able to concludes her tale tocnity him if we hunt mund

I've skinned myself. Asing, fling, bending arthing started to rise, my right leg to help my muscles. buckled.

I managed to hop on any left leg to the side of the rond, where Int deyr. It was then I noticed blood had seeped through the leg of my riding togs. I rolled up my trouser leg and saw my leg atastrert to the bore, the flesh lying opra.

among members of the Cabinet

Q

remark. I'm just úlfflculty. He seemed to have cryplic

chance of catching his to dial. And he painted to the man But at that moment a for one who has a sor. homedenibering, he went on, what every Gervase?"

telephone kiosk.

powerful car drow up at the "Dear

kerb, the man jumped in, and it drove rapidly away."

100."

me, not

Warriner's

Suddenly, a danger sign op- peared. Whenever I put stronu-le w momentarily blander us pressur ce my right leg the "I've invented Gervase's name are under the sear woult turn Line end this part of my leg would become colder. I began having terrible leg cramps.

By Juary 1935 the malignan!

" was mildly alarmed.

Has

"Gervase Snill," Byatt sald. would appear to have a power- ful imagination."

quite there.

"He looked at me grimly, ant sat tight. He wasn't going to leave he said, until he had his allas, too. And she muttered something about it being very odd that the old woman was so like Jane."

xure the atlas had been

Warriner paused. "I didn't! make much of the muttering, and you will guess what my impulso was. I simply wanted to get away quietly, and have any Accessary investigation made later.

IT WAS UGLY

there been an accident?" I asked.

"Gervase bad met with some- "Gorvane shook his head. Not

thing muldly sinister or mad, and an accident, he said. 'Some

would be better out of it. But I weed's scoffed my bog'."

Warriner laughed. "But that's believe any part of his story now had no disposition to dis- Byatt paused in reaching for not all. Gervase spotted a cruis-

decanter "Somebody had ing taxi, jumped into it, and and I remembered the bit about the powerful car. It just didn't car! The driver obeyed at ings, which weren't of an order

"I'm not quite sure where to begin Gervase's story. My own Concellon with it started when I bumped into him or he n

I screamed, started to cry, then but stifled suspicion in the base bumped into me-In the street. made off with the boy's satchel?" yelled to the driver: Follow that at in with our présent aurroun

I looked up. Colerel Merryboy ld returned and stood beside He wasn't looking down.

mo

even cratched,

The timing uneven

"One of the simple habita of Warriner nodded. "Just that, once.

household Is that And it appeared to me that the Smiths the bay often dues his home- work In his father's study. Tveling 999 was rather an execs-

of my mind that I would never pay championship toanis uçak ew rapidly. I simply could not start and stop quickly without shooting pains in my leg.

sometimes met him there, and But the setting at the beauti- f sluken hands and passed the time of day, when visiting his La Jolla Beach and Tennis

father on Government busflies:" cloudles February Club, under sky, wils like nothing I had

Elrick looked rather disturbed al this. "Do we understand

Then bego thu Se megined for my swen cong hopital days a series of

Lee Stoefen, the pro, stood | he asked in his best logal'man- pictures jumbled together, some

No one else er "that this young hopeful was there...yet Stoelen for rue sits in upon the affatis of the painfully clear, others blurred, ers the court. The timing uneven.

Every

foe country?

Way

Wimbledon rolled into coe mk1 resolved lo ght him each step of the way.

I was in the operating room for four hours. All my right

"Dear me, ao. On an occasion leg and calf muscles had been

We began playing, end before like that, he's politely turfed severed, the bulu bone broken,

and goes oft to his own and, of course,

of skin few points were won and lost out, lot

But on our brief meet- he executed a tricky drop shot. I room. determined to retum it. I re-ings he had made quite an in- member pashing off fast on my pression on me, An efficient silver ht leg, but a terrible shooting child. I used to wonder how he had come to Inherit such a lining to many tragedies, and for pain stopped me in my tracks.

quality.

on my leg lod been ripped away; For three days and nights I was heavily drugged.

1710

There is, I think,

there were threads which, woven together, gave life a new meonly, a cow purpose. Part of this pattern unfolded one after- noon when the nurse annunced. a visitor, a Mr Connolly.

Of all the world

wrong,

"What's Les kept asking.

Maureen?

"Well, I was walking through Westminster dar morning, and taking a short-cut down an obscure side street. There were very few people about, and I I gritted my teeth, didn't reply, noticed Gervuse at once-or but kept on trying, until finally ruther I noticed a schoolboy My cdmitted what I must have whom I didn't at Orat identity. known in my heart for so long. I hadn't much chance to do so

my more."

A well-set-up man, with short grey hair, wearing a neat brown sult, came to the room. mind raced back to the Pacifle

to do

TRACKED THIEF

w command that sort of assist- ance in this purstalt of an cbsession.

"So I backed up Gervase. And at that there was a sound at the door, and in came a fellow point- ing à revolver at us.

rive reaction.

"Sa 1 reminded Gervase thui It was something one was asked

only in

case of real

"And so Gervase had tracked It would be better the thief to a house in the very (mergency. to go to a police-station, or find street in which we were now

"It was unexpected, nugly, and a copper.

blanding. He had paid the taxi- perfectly futile, I threty a small and dismissed him inurble clock at him, there was he was keeping the thief under cruising taxis are apt to turn coppers cume along and collected

"Gervase then explained that driver

having read somewhere that a bit of a shindy; and then the observation. And then perfcelly coherently," he told me ha cousand when I came him. I wonder whether you all upon him he was making his see what the whole affair was story.

way to that telephone while con- about?” tinuing to keep an eye on the

SCHOOL BUS

his custom-when

"But tila interested the

house.

There was

6 good deal of

well speculation-some of it within the target aren—and then Warriner explained,

South-west Tournament: This "Les, 1. Just know 1 can't play because he wun walking back- «iranger very much; sekoolbooky #rim-looking elderly woman. But another power. And then Jane

was the pleasent stranger, who had asked about my mother, who Keemed, somehow, vaguely Conlliar.

And so I alone of all the world's women tennis chompicos was through at 20, holder of every major crown in the world.

Now I knew, We looked at each other for a Was this a soluço for bitter- moment, then I was in myness? The cups, the clippings, father's armE. Only because of the memories? No, only

accident had

my

wards.

PRIVATE GAME

portinent.

་

"I didn't at all know how much of tho story to believe, "He was on his way to school and I thought the best thing to

"Gervant's father had bera on the top of a bus--which was do was to persuade Gervase to

come with me to the door of the talking in his study to some- man sat down beside him and souced to this think he re- map had been required-whether an elderly house, and ring the bell. He body very important indeci. A entered into conversation. Ger- Garded a Foreign Office official of Europe or Asia, I won't say. vase regarded this as a situation which

"Smith Senior should be met with us being the next best thing to a

had simply reserve. Ho therefore, dished policeman-and back we went. grabbed his son's atlas, and the out his Kennedy's Latin Gram- "I had to ring two or three two statesmen had drawn on it

certain proposed lines mar and applied himself.

domar- times before I got any answer,

cation of the highest interest to Then the door was opened by a

well as looking grim she came in," he sale, were different nowadays, looked frightened, and he would like to compart

"Janc?" Byatt asked. Gervase's with those he used to "So I told his story, And at

Gervase "You've heard of have himmelf,

that the woman asked us in and muttering about Jane. She was "Gervase thought this im. then almost ut once sanke down, the Smiths partourmald, and

Her husband

was the daughter of the charming So he put Kennedy in tears.

I "I didn't think anything of it. back in the bag strapped it up touched, she said. He had a couple whom Gervase; and he stepped marriage brought me happiness, I thought it must be a private and said he was very sorry, but schoolboys, and was under some little

queer interest in schools and were to encounter. They ran a Inmily contem in across the chasm of years. It crasci bitterness, cancelled out | game-like stepping from pay- he got off at the next stop.. surt of compulaton to collect espionage. was a joyous reunion, the begin what might have been," and ing-stone in a way that won't ning, of a cow

"At this the stronger leaned anything he could lay, his hands across the bag and said nomo- an that ministered to This "Well, Jane had brought in relationship.

"There was a telephone kiosk thing in an excited voice shout obacksion.

drinks, sad upotted the business The accident occurred on July

Gorvise, who la

with the atlas. But she wasn't 20 and by September I ventured confidence, to change direction, half-way down the street, and I a re-engine,

"But she knew just where able to contact her papa and authority Through the pogled of my had just passed it when I came an on to a tennis court.

on fire-engines, the boy, At that jumped up to 1óak, And at Unt Gervase's satchel would be, and mama with the slowy until the But there was absolutely to futile comeback Norman stood up with running.

by me, lending me his courage moment ho took a sideways stop the stranger grabbed his matched the promised to fetch it at once, following morning. You'll agree kg (they acted promptly in an effort I may have been enger, but I atki strength. Now, au I told him view of something in the disoc

as if to get a better und bolled, ¦ rather

"She was as good as her word, to ACCURA the information was cautious too. Nothing was about my match with Les

tion from which he had cope...

"This was a very odd story. She was back with the thing in Gervase was chutying round. going to Interfere with my come Stoefen, he listened quietly, the end, as I've said, bumped into But Gervase's account of what Ave minutes, and Gervan who back The future was cleurly look commanil, He told me

Immediately followed made, it hud let me do all the talking- mapped: I would defend my mist quit nying, that he would

odder still. The stranger dashed sat down to make a ̈ ́ pelefon

NEXT WEEK Los at Wimbledon and Forest not allow me to torture myself.

"He apologised at once, and down the stop and tumped inventory of the contents. Everyw Hills in 1900, then turn pro- He held me in his arms, mʊy | ihtá; T' recognised him.

from the bus with Cervade in thing was there, he said. örtment fional in 1000.

hot pursuit,

everything except his atlas, 5. The case of the thited *** 'Hullo, Cervang," I said, 'and

"The how are you?

"Af this the woman swore the bus was going ná cự

diamonds 4909, Getyuso said. Then ho - more then a contri, and Chervare satchel hadn't been opened, and. appeared to realise that this was leaped to the gasvomdat without I asked Gervasë se bo could be

Landon. Expron Kervice),

my

and wonderful rubstituted

tranquillity, the bring out the bears,

backwards with ability to look dispassion, to look ahead with

turbulent emotions dained away,

My doctor gave me permission am I felt pence and tranquility to take up ballet, to strengthen even thought I knew my days of eny log or two months I work glow po the court by bedind ed tirelessly on the bais, stretch- never to be rocaptured.

Since 1956

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To be truly waterproof a

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a screw-down crown. ROLEX are the world's only manufacturer of screw-down double safety Twinlock

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