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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ____________ ____________October 1926
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2) CONCERN ING THE T IME OF B y SYDNEY A
THE GREAT T R I B U L A T I O N W ATSON
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.........................................................iiaiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiw iiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiiiiiiiD iiiiiiiiiina|i»i|iiiii|,ai|llll|i,,l,a|iiii,ll,,,,c,"*,,i,,,,,,a ,i,,,,'î5 An almost chance remark of his, towards the end of the PROLOGUE H T was late August. The year 18-------, no matter the exact daté, except that the century was grow ing old. A small house-party was gathered under the sixteenth century roof of that fine old War-- meal, anent the mysticism, the spiritism of the East, and the growing cult of the same order in the West, appeared to suddenly wake her from her dreaminess. Her dark eyes were turned quickly up to his, a new and eager light flashed in them.
wickshlre house, “ The Antlers.” “ Very old famerly, very o ld !" the head coachman was fond of saying to sight-seera, and others. “ Come over with William of Normandy, the first Duerdon did. Famerly alius kept ’emselves very eleck, cream-del-al-cream, as the saying is in hupper cirkles.” The coachman’s estimate of the Duerdon House will serve all the purpose we need here, and enable us to move among the guests of the house-party; though we have little to do save with two of them— the most striking female personality in the house, Judith Montmarte, and the latest society lion, Colonel Youlter, the Thibet explorer. Judith Montmarte, as her name suggests, was a Jewess. She was tall— it is curious that the nineteen centuries of Semitic persecution should have left the Jewess taller, in proportion, than the Jew— Judith Montmarte was tall, with a full figure. The contour of her face suggested Spanish blood. Her hair— what a wealth of it there was— was blue- black, finer than such hair usually is, and with a sheen on It like unto a raven’s wing. Her eyes were large, black, and melting in their fulness. Her lips were full, and rich in their crimson. The face was extraordinarily beautiful, in a general way. But though the lips and eyes would be accounted lovely, yet a true student of faces would have read cruelty in the ruby lips, and a shade of hell lurking in the melting black eyes. A millionairess, several times over (if report could be trusted), she was known and felt to be a powerful per sonage. There was not a continental or oriental court where she was not well-known— and feared, because of her power. A much-travelled woman, a wide reader— especially in the matter of the occult; a superb musician; a Patti and a Lind rolled into one, made her the most wonderful songster of the day. In character— chameleon is the only word that can in any way describe her. As regarded her appearances in society, her acceptance of invitations, etc.,, she was usually regarded as capricious, to a fault. But this was as it appeared to those with whom she had to do. She had been known to refuse a banquet at the table of a prince, yet eat a dish of macaroni with a peasant, or boiled chestnuts with a forest charcoal burner. What the world did not know, did not realize, was that, in these things, she was not capricious, but simply serving some deep purpose of her life. She had accepted the Duerdon invitation because she specially desired to meet Colonel Youlter. Tonight, the pair had met for the first .time, Just five min utes before the gong had sounded for dinner. Colonel Youlter had taken her down to the dining-room. Just at first she had spoken but little, and the Colonel had thought her fatigued, for he had caught one glimpse of the dreamy languor in her great liquid eyes.
“ Do you know,” she said, her tone low enough to be caught only by him, “ that it was only the expectation of meeting you, and hearing you talk of the occult, of that wondrous mysticism of the East, that made me accept the invitation to this house— that is, I should add, at this par ticular time, for I had arranged to go to my glorious Hun garian hills this week.” Colonel Youlter searched her face eagerly. Had she spoken the tongue of flattery, or of the mere conventional? He saw she had not, and he began to regard her with some thing more than the mere curiosity with which he had antic ipated meeting her. In his callow days he had been romantic to a degree. Even now his heart was younger than his years, for while he had never wed, because of a love-tragedy thirty years before, he had preserved a rare, a very tender chivalry towards women. He knew he would never love again as he once loved, though at times he told himself that he might yet love in a soberer fashion, and even wed. “ You are interested in the occult, Miss Montmarte?” he replied. She smiled up into his face, as she said: “ ‘Interested,’ Colonel Youlter? interested is no word for it, for I might almost say that it is a passion with me, for very little else in life really holds me long, compared with my love for it.” She glanced swiftly to right and left, and across the table, to see if she were being watched, or listened to. Everyone seemed absorbed with either their plates or their companions. Bending towards the man at her side, she said, “ You know what an evening is like at such times as this. We women will adjourn to the Drawing Room, you men will presently join us, there will be a buzzing of voices, talk— ’cackle’ one of America’s representatives used to term it, and it was a good name, only that the hen has done some thing to cackle about,— she has fulfilled the purpose tor which she came into existence, and women— the average Society women, at least—do not. Then there’ll be singing, of a sort, and— but you know, Colonel, all the usual rig marole. Now I want a long, long talk with you about the subject you have just broached. We could not talk, as we would, in the crowd that will be in the drawing-room pres ently, so I wonder if you would give me an hour in the library, tomorrow morning after breakfast. I suggest the library because I find it is the one room in the house into which no one ever seems to go. Of course, Colonel Youltar, if you have something else you must needs do in the fore noon, pray don’t regard my suggestion. Or, if you would
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