The TruantsMason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)
General
The Truants
Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)
Fiction
For ten days she walked the old hill paths, and dreams came to her
with the sunlight. They gave her company in the evenings, too, when
she looked from her garden upon the quiet sea and saw, away upon the
right, the lights, like great jewels, burning on the terrace of Monte
Carlo. She went down one morning on to that terrace, and, while seated
upon a bench, suddenly saw, at a little distance, the back of a man
which was familiar to her.
She was not sure, but she was chilled with apprehension. She watched
from behind her newspaper, and in a little while she was sure, for the
man turned and showed his face. It was Lionel Callon. What was he
doing here, she asked herself? And another question trod fast upon the
heels of the first. "Was he alone?"
Callon was alone on this morning, at all events. Pamela saw him speak
to one or two people, and then mount the terrace steps towards the
town. She gave him a little time, and then, walking through the
gardens, bought a visitors' list at the kiosk in front of the Rooms.
She found Callon's name. He was the only visitor at a Reserve, on the
Corniche road, which was rather a restaurant than a hotel. She
searched through the list, fearing to find the name of Millie Stretton
under the heading of some other hotel. To her relief it was not there.
It was possible, of course, that Callon was merely taking a holiday by
himself. She wished to believe that, and yet there was a fear speaking
loudly at her heart. "Suppose that Tony should return too late just by
a few days!" She was still holding the paper in her hands when she
heard her name called, and, turning about, saw some friends. She
lunched with them at Ciro's, and asked carelessly during luncheon--
"You have not seen Millie Stretton, I suppose?"
"No," they all replied. And one asked, "Is she expected?"
"I don't know whether she will come or not," Pamela replied. "I asked
her to come with me, but she could not do that, and she was not sure
that she would come at all."
This she said, thinking that if Millie did arrive it might seem that
she came because Pamela herself was there. Pamela went back to
Roquebrune that afternoon, and after she had walked through the
village and had come out on the slope of hill above, she met the
postman coming down from the Villa Pontignard.
"You have a telegram for me?" she said anxiously.
"Mademoiselle," he replied, "I have just left it at the house."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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