“ANNOUNCER’S HOLIDAY”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1941, Page 10

“ANNOUNCER’S HOLIDAY”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

VAL GIELGUD.

(Author of “Africa Flight." "Outpost in China," etc.)

CHAPTER XIII. (Continued). "You know, I shall not bite, Mr. Allardyce." she said gaily. ‘And I am so hungry. I hope you do not mind if I : eat ever so much?" Geoffrey assured ! her that he did not. With the touch ! of her hand on hs arm. which had set his pulses racing, he fell he would not mind if she ate doughnuts with her champagne, or peas with a knife. He told himself that he adored her. He was quite content to sit beside her in the taxi, intoxicated with the faint perfume that came from her hair, bewildered by the beauty of her profile against the lights and shadows of the streets. He almost forgot why he had given her the invitation —until at the end of their supper in the grill room of the Cosmopolis Hotel, she asked him casually herself. "You are very silent, Mr. Allardyce. Tell me —you must forgive me for a little foreign girl if I am rude —but tell me why you wished to meet me again." "Is it so unusual for people to want, to meet you?” parried Geoffrey clum- , sily. She shook her sleek, fair head. "No. But you arc not the kind of man who regards an actress as some- ; thing on the counter of a shop. You I are young, and I think you are simple 1 and kind. And you were so very much ! afraid of me when you came into my ! room. Are you really a friend of; Lucia Reichenberg's?" “Whv not?" i

"Geoffrey! You must not play with me. or 1 shall be cross with you. We are friendly, arc wc not?" "I hope so," said Geoffrey. It was impossible. No eyes could be quite as blue, as deep, as unfathomably sapphirine. The occasion must be a dream . . . He sought reality in the t uch of the champagne glass against i.is lips. "Well then. Geoffrey. Tell me!" "You'D try to believe me?" "Why shouldn’t I?"

Geoffrey looked over his shoulder ‘ before he replied. The grill room was 1 very full, and almost uncomfortably ; noisy. How right the man was who I chose the centre of a noisy restaurant to do his plotting in! Overhearing was out of the question. "You're in danger." said Geoffrey at last. Greta Mahler laughed gaily. “From you? Is this a new way of ! telling me that you are in love with me?" “Heavens, no!" "I am sorry," said the girl. “You are not in love with me?" Geoffrey faced those sparkling, rather reckless eyes, and flung prudence to the winds. "Yes," he said quietly. “I am. I know it's absurd of me; but " "Is it absurd. Geoffrey?" "You mustn't say things like that to me. Greta. You're a star in two countries. I'm a poor devil with a job in a radio station. Don’t worry about mo. 1 shan't worry you. But I feel it does something to explain what I'm going to tell you now —-—" "You know.” said Greta, gravely, resting her chin on one hand, and leaning forward across the table, "you arc a dear —but such a very sill}’ dear." "Greta!" "It exists, you know —love at first sight. Geoffrey. Not many times, but once now and again for the lucky ones, like you and me.” He fumbled for a cigarette. "You’re not just playing a game?" he stammered. "Lucia told me—Prince I Xavier and you •" The girl sat up straight in her chair. ' "Listen, Geoffrey. When you said I ! was in danger you spoke the truth. 1 i am in danger from Xavier. People j have said many things about him and ! me. It was said opefily in Vienna that 1 he was my lowr. It was not true. He I has followed me fur years, ever since he first saw me as a little ballot girl. He has always had his own way. and ;t maddens him that with me he cannot have it. I left Vienna and came here, to —to have a holiday. For though he! is find of me, I think he is also a little ' mad. and then he frightens me. it was; only when I arrived here that 1 found '

■ out that he had bought an interest in the play, so that he could have the eni tree always behind the scenes. 1 . cannot break away from him. He has i been kind to me before, and very kind to my mother until she died. He was a good friend to me But now he is iiu longer a friend. He says he must marry me. or something terrible will : happen -to me or to himself I am, frightened. Gioffrey - and then I met j you. and I am not frightened ant : more." I She .stopped, lowered her eye.;, and ■ wen! i n eating. Geoffrey sat dazed. Incredulous. the cigarette smouldering , between fingers not quite steady. "And still you have not told me why | you first came m see me with Lucia.' ■ said Greta, suddenly. Geoffrey blurted out the dm} ~f the mistaken identity ami of the emnimsI sion with which Casimir Kmrki had j entrusted him. "But I do not understand," cried the ■ girl, when he had finr-hed I wmild ! never huh ry Xavier I would rather > d!<•’*’ Well." mid Geoffrey, a trifle aba h-<-d by such Vehemence in a public place, that sems m j. I(1 . ; ’ 'And is that all"" Of course n<>i N> (a!; tjiuik about ourselves He broke >!T A waiter had come up to the chair, ami wa-; h--Iding . ut a ' Miss Mahler ' ' h<- bed G:<-ta t. I. !!■,. i G, • rd . n and f. It the ■ ..... ~ . . Hilp-in arid • nn ocl J< ; Creta <Wrhd du* n-’ < r| The waiivr. < irdy th-

ed it. What the devil could Greta be doing? He fidgeted uneasily in his chair, lighted a fresh cigarette, glanced at the watch on his wrist. Greta had said three minutes. Women had no idea of time, but she had been out of the restaurant for ten.

For another five Geoffrey curbed his screeching neves and ignored the choking sensation in his throat and the throb of his pulses. Then he pushed back his chair violently and went himself to the door. Heedless of ihe commissionaire's raised eyebrows. Geoffrey asked him whether he knew Miss Greta Mahler by sight. ‘Of course, sir." with a grin. “And you saw her come out just now?"

"Yes. sir.” Geoffrey slid half-a-crown not very expertly into the huge palm. "Miss Mahler went away in that big car as always calls for her —car with a coloured chauffeur. 1 expect you know it. sir. Belongs to some foreign prince so they say." And there followed the suspicion of a wink.

j Geoffrey found himself grinding a 1 1 half smoked cigarette onto the expensive carpeting of the Cosmopolis. A ! party just leaving the grill room stared ! at the young man. and wondered what ‘; he was doing—he looked so white, and his expression was so queer, almost as 1 if he might be going to faint. Perhaps ' one too many cocktails earlier in the evening. Geoffrey Allardyce walked stiffly back to his table, and asked for his bili. CHAPTER XIV. “And the next move is quite obvious- ; ly up to me," said Charles Bland, when I the following morning he had heard j from Geoffrey an incomplete, but fairly accurate report of the happenings of! the previous evening. “You can do what you dam’ well' choose." said Geoffrey. He felt savage; and miserable and nervously exhausted. and did not bother to hide his feelings. "It's all very queer." said Charles meditatively, "and. quite by the way. I; wish I know what old Moresby is up to on the quiet. Where the deuce are ■; those official instructions of his? I was , dying for my commission as a plain-; clothes cop! Copper, where art thou?"! "Oh shut up for heaven’s sake!" * "Liver worrying you, Geoff? Or just ' normal bad temper?" Geoffrey scowled. “Oh. all right, all right. I'm not go-[ mg to bother you much. I only want ! Lucia's address or telephone number." 1 "My dear Charles. I haven't got | either!” 1 hen how do you propose to communicate? ' "I don't!" snapped Geoffrey. "And 1 hope I'm through with the whole business—" "But look here, Geoffrey. I gather that the Mahler let you down rather last night-but if you back out. don't forget what old Reichenberg-Konskil promised.” | "She's obviously quite capable of taking care of herself. Charles.” "Because she was capable of making! rather an ass of you?" "If you put it like that—yes." You don t think that —well, you may; have asked for it? Or even that she! might not have had any choice?" Geoffrey turned angrily in his chair ; "She walked out on me in the middle of supper at the Cosmopolis Grill! And I may as well be the complete cad. uhile Im about it—she had pretended to have fallen for me. just as I'd fallen j for her. I don’t think she's in need of! much in the shape of worldly protec- 1 tion!" Charles Bland rubbed his chin, put ‘ a consoling hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder, and left him to get over it by himself He did not mention to Geoffrey that ' 1 he was directing his steps towards the stage door of the Imperial Theatre, 1 , where Miss Greta Mahler was phymi'i ' at a matmee; nor that he intended paying that .voting lady a visit. He did not reel that the information would be; 1 appreciated . . .

5 el that is what Charles did. Rather to his surprise Miss Mahler made m> difficulty about seeing him during the see.,nd interval And Charles, seeing her al close quarters for the first time, and vasiring the vxiguously attractive, costume o' a Viennese night-club dancer. had m admit to himself that he could well understand Geoffrey's ludden and violent infatuation. When he' came into the ores’mg-room, he found himself facing a fragile vision of white' \ilin, lace and •. ,(•_ while fur The famous big blue eves re very Wide and untroubled. The even more "■ »- 5 ■ ■ Its; laved t< them I < t ucivan Char!<- ex-p| ;il! ,-d who he v, ;i . m <-nCoodret AHmdyee a a Lami of h:.s. ami asked for Lucia ReichrnJ berg' ■; addr,-, . But if ume Mr Bland vmi nu - a!- ■■■• H." said Greta "She .-poke of blinking - u tri see in* * before -he bro ight Mr. Allardyce " < ■‘SIS. »■ \p;11 o o ■ d the m:■■ t •, ..' i • . / identity. ! !-<■ girl's dehcutelv pent- !- h-d ev.-bl ■ : remold ' mi carm !•> v, : o ; - pi ;tt -e • . t \,.' : ‘ ' 1 ’ ! " ■ ! : , .1 o/. ' '■ I l! " -• • ■ - f !b.mg I imd.-r- h 'To b.- C. , L 1.

f Geoffrey, draped her fur coat round j her slim shoulders. She blew Geoffrey ■ a kiss and walked towards the entrance. He watched her disappear. 1 finished his glass of wine, ordered cof- ! fee, and began to wonder what he ! should say to Lucia, and indirectly i what he should report to Casimir Kon- ' ski. Would he ever be able to make ; them believe that he had succeeded with such ridiculous ease? He doubl-