Page 17 (1/2)

One

A FELLOW TRAVELLER

I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, deterinal enough to catch and rivet the attention of thesentence:

“‘Hell!’ said the Duchess”

Strangely enough, this tale of ave utterance to the exclamation was not a duchess

It was a day in early June I had been transacting so service to London, where I was still sharing rooian ex-detective, Hercule Poirot

The Calais express was singularly empty—in fact, my own compartment held only one other traveller I had made a so myself that I had duly collected all my traps, when the train started Up till then I had hardly noticed my companion, but I was now violently recalled to the fact of her existence Ju up from her seat, she let down theand stuck her head out, withdrawing it a moment later with the brief and forcible ejaculation “Hell!”

Now I am old-fashioned A woman, I consider, should be woirl who jazzes froe which would ate fishwoman blush!

I looked up, frowning slightly, into a pretty, impudent face, surmounted by a rakish little red hat A thick cluster of black curls hid each ear I judged that she was little more than seventeen, but her face was covered with powder, and her lips were quite impossibly scarlet

Nothing abashed, she returned rimace

“Dear inary audience “I apologize for e! Most unladylike, and all that, but, oh, Lord, there’s reason enough for it! Do you know I’ve lost my only sister?”

“Really?” I said politely “How unfortunate”

“He disapproves!” remarked the lady “He disapproves utterly—of me, and my sister—which last is unfair, because he hasn’t seen her!”

I opened my mouth, but she forestalled me

“Say no arden and eat worms! Boohoo I am crushed!”

She buried herself behind a large comic French paper In aat , and in a minute she had tossed the paper aside, and had burst into a hter

“I knew you weren’t such a mutt as you looked,” she cried

Her laughter was so infectious that I could not help joining in, though I hardly cared for the word “mutt”

“There! Noe’re friends!” declared the minx “Say you’re sorry about my sister—”

“I am desolated!”

“That’s a good boy!”

“Let h I ae to put up with her absence very well” I made a little bow

But this most unaccountable of damsels frowned and shook her head

“Cut it out I prefer the ‘dignified disapproval’ stunt Oh, your face! ‘Not one of us,’ it said And you were right there—though, mind you, it’s pretty hard to tell nowadays It’s not everyone who can distinguish between a deain! You’ve been dug out of the backwoods, you have Not that I mind that We could do with a few ets fresh It makes me mad”

She shook her head vigorously

“What are you like when you’re mad?” I inquired with a smile

“A regular little devil! Don’t care what I say, or what I do, either! I nearly did a chap in once Yes, really He’d have deserved it too”

“Well,” I begged, “don’t get mad with me”

“I shan’t I like you—did the firstthat I never thought we should make friends”

“Well, we have Tellabout yourself”

“I’ of I’ve been on the boards since I was a kid of six—tu”

“I beg your pardon,” I said, puzzled

“Haven’t you ever seen child acrobats?”

“Oh, I understand!”

“I’land We’ve got a ne—”

“We?”

“My sister and I Sort of song and dance, and a bit of patter, and a dash of the old business thrown in It’s quite a new idea, and it hits the to be money in it—”

My new acquaintance leaned forward, and discoursed volubly, a great ible tointerest in her She seeh perfectly worldly-wise, and able, as she expressed it, to take care of herself, there was yet sole-minded attitude towards life, and her wholehearted deterood”

We passed through Amiens The name awakened many e of as in my mind

“Thinking of the War?”

I nodded

“You were through it, I suppose?”

“Pretty well I ounded once, and after the Soether I’m a sort of private secretary now to an MP”

“My! That’s brainy!”

“No, it isn’t There’s really awfully little to do Usually a couple of hours every day sees h It’s dull work too In fact, I don’t knohat I should do if I hadn’t got so to fall back upon”

“Don’t say you collect bugs!”

“No I share rooian—an ex-detective He’s set up as a private detective in London, and he’s doing extraordinarily well He’s really a very marvel

lous little ht where the official police have failed”

My co eyes

“Isn’t that interesting now? I just adore crio to all the mysteries on the movies And when there’s a murder on I just devour the papers”

“Do you remember the Styles Case?” I asked

“Let me see, was that the old lady as poisoned? Somewhere down in Essex?”

I nodded

“That was Poirot’s first big case Undoubtedly, but for him the murderer would have escaped scot-free It was a most wonderful bit of detective work”

War toup to the triumphant and unexpected dénouement

The girl listened spellbound In fact, ere so absorbed that the train drew into Calais station before we realized it

I secured a couple of porters, and we alighted on the platform My companion held out her hand

“Goodbye, and I’ll e better in future”

“Oh, but surely you’ll let me look after you on the boat?”

“Mayn’t be on the boat I’ve got to see whether that sister of ot aboard after all anywhere But thanks, all the same”

“Oh, but we’re going toto tell me your name?” I cried, as she turned away

She looked over her shoulder

“Cinderella,” she said, and laughed

But little did I think when and how I should see Cinderella again