Picture Show (Nov 1919-Apr 1920)

8 The ricturc Show, January 24/A, 1920. asked her suddenly, as Mr. Fortescuo was called away below by one of bis saleswomen. Diana explained as briefly as possible. His face lit up. " So you are staying with Aunt Harris ? " he . said with obvious satisfaction. " I have not. been to see the old lady for some time. I must come over." " Do," said Diana And the young man . noticed again the pretty "colour which came anil went in her cheeks. " And what are you doing, Mr. Fortescue ? You do not help here ? " she asked, glancing around her. " Why, ' Mr. Fortescue 1 Surely, Diana." he said eagerly, " we can start where we left off ? You are the^only girl I have ever known at aft intimately, or even wanted to know." Sho could not mistake the tenderness in his voice. She glanced up at him, an indignant protest on her lips, but it died away. She knew that expression. She had seen it before — .years ago when they had been sweethearts, just boy and girl. Memory came back to her and brought a sudden exquisite pain. Sho put out her hand, it was trembling in spite of herself. " We can always be good friends," she said. He took her hand and crushed it between both his. " I've not done much with my life so far," ho said very earnestly. 'I seemed to have lacked ambition, but if you were my friend, Diana, somehow life and all its promises would make the necessary effort worth while." She withdrew her hand gently as Mr. Fortescue, breezy and energetic, now joined them. " Haven't you two finished admiring all this yet ? " he said, flourishing his hand around. Then as they did not answer him he added : " You both look as though you were not particularly interested in my concerns. What aro you talking about ? Has he been telling you how much his education cost me, Miss Long ? My word, but he has spent some money, and 1 don't quite see it coming back. He may b" above this business, but he wouldn't get along without it. Has he told you ? " There was pride not unmixed with a great satisfaction in the father's voice which Diana quickly realised. " He's a full-fledged barrister, and yet he has never yet haO a brief," he said. Dicky laughed. That of course must be altered, I must see about it at once," he said, " and if I can't make anything at it then I must do something else." " Eh, what ? " cried Mr. Fortescue. " Of course, if you want money, Dicky boy " His hand went to his breast coat-pocket for his cheque-book. His son laughed. " That's all right, dad, I'm not needing it for the moment, but I've just realised it was time I did something. And I'm going to settle down straight away and work." " You are ? " cried Mr. Fortescue. He paused and a startled expression came over his face as he watched Dicky, who had taken Diana by the arm and was leading her towards the lift without attempting to listen to what his father was Bftyine. " Well. I'm blowed ! " ejaculated Mr. Fortescue under his breath ; and as he watched the two voung people disappear, he could only stand and repeat again : " Well, I'm I lowed ! " • (Another Splendid Instalment of this Thrilling Life Story Next Monday.) '1 U/II I I A Ail C I4ADT Who Has Just Written a Wonderful Story VV1LL.1A1VI O* Unli I Based on Incidents in His Early Life. DESTINY (Continued from page 6.) She paused, and the troubled expression grew in her eyes as she watched the antics of her baby son. Now that he had discovered a way to move about, he never seemed to bo still a moment. The old woman guessed what was passing in the mother's mind. •" Another week and 1 shall bo myself and about again," she said. "And I would look after baby. I must find a little girl who will wheel him out a bit. Children want fresh air." " Ob, Sirs. Harris ! Do you really mean that ? " cried Diana, all her reserve falling away from her for the moment by the unexpected kindness. Mrs. Harris smiled. " Oh, come now." she said. " I'm not doing it just for your own sake, you know. 1 am thinking of myself as well. My brother is always telling me 1 ought not to live alone ; he wanted me to keep a servant. Fancy me in this neighbourhood with a maid ! ' Diana glanced involuntarily out of the: window. There was a public-house at tho corner of the street, and a row of workmen's cottages directly opposite^ You like this neighbourhood '! " she said. Mrs. Harris nodded. "'I was brought to this houso as a bride fifty odd years ago," she said softly, " and we lived here together until he died." Diana had grown thoughtful. She was thinking of Clan-y-mor, her pretty home. Already it was becoming but part of a" dream. " I must get work," she said suddenly, speaking more to herself than to her companion. Mrs. Harris nodded sympathetically. Don't you worry," sho said. " You'll get work all right. There's too many folk about these: days trying to get along without it." '.' Yes, but I'm just a bit anxious. You see, I — I can't give any references," said Diana. Her companion looked thoughtful, then suddenly her face brightened up. " I know," she said. " I'll give you a letter to a brother of mine. He has a big business in the City. He's always worrying me to let him do something for me, and if I ask him, you'll be quite all right. But you and your baby imist stay here, you know." Diana was not naturally impulsive, but the old woman's desire for her company, and her readiness to take her on trust without further questioning touched a chord in the girl's deep nature, and, bending her beautiful head, she pressed her lips to the withered cheek. ' There — there — my dear. We understand one another," said Mrs. Harris ; but Diana knew that the action had been appreciated by the sudden pressure of the wrinkled hand. Diana went the next day to call on Mr. Fortescue. His offices were near St. Paul's. A great stone building, where the latest Paris models were sold on the ground floor, made on the second, and paid for on the third. Mr. Fortescue had his office on the third floor. Through a wide hall, furnished with Turkey carpets, and carved oak furniture, Diana followed a page in srarlet-and-black livery. A big man with a round red face, a bald head, and very keen blue eyes was seated in a revolving chair, in which he kept turning and twisting, as. he. shouted orders to the, two young women who sat at smaller desks on either side of him. He waved them out of tho room, however, as Diana entered. " You have come from Mrs. Harris," he said abruptly when they were alone. Diana inclined her head. She did not approve of her friend's brother, and had already decided that if she could have avoided it she would rather not work for liim. Mr. Jacob Fortescue leaned forward in his chair. " My sister tells me you require a situation as a typist ? " " I do." ." You understand your work 5 " " Oh, yes ! " Diana noticed his eyes were rather nice, and began to like him better. When can you etart," be asked, " next Monday ? " " Yes." " Good ! I like my girls hero sharp at ninethirty. I'll give you one hundred to start." Ho pushed a paper which lay in front of him aside as though ho was dismissing her, and Diana arose. " Oh, don't go just yet," he said. " I want to ask you a few questions, about my sister. How is she, better ? " " I think so." "Good!" He was looking at the girl very 'steadily. " By the way, surely I have met you before somewhere ? " he said. Diana glanced at him swiftly. " I don't think so," -she began ; and then suddenly a smile twitched her mouth. " I think you must be the Mr. Fortescue that used to live next door to us when I was a little girl," sho said. " Oh ! " " We lived at Ealing," said Dora. A smilo broke'over Mr. Fortescue's face. " Good old Ealing ! " he said. " Then you must be Jack Long's daughter," he added. " Yes, Jack Long was my father." " Well, fancy that now. What a world it is to bo sure. Fancy you being Jack Long's girl." Mr. Fortescue leaned back in his chair. " That must be over fifteen years ago," he said musingly. " Well, u lot's happened since then. Come and see. my workshop." ho cried, suddenly rousing himself. ' I'm very proud of my business. I've got the greatest assortment of frocks on the market. Beautiful ! A lot of the Paris shops-buy from me, I send all over the world. I've got the cleverest designers here, and wo turn out tho goods." He had got off his chair and was walking swiftly towards the door, talking and gesticulating as ho went. Ho had just reached it when it opened from without, and a tall, handsome young man nude his appearance " Hallo, dad ! " exclaimed the newcomer. " Hallo, my boy ! Look who is here ? You two ought to remember one another. You remember Diana Long J " cried Mr. Fortescue. "I do indeed." The young man held out his hand to the girl. Diana smiled at him in her charming way. " You must be Dicky Fortescue. Why, how you have grown ! " They both laughed. " I'm taking her to show her my business," said his father. Dicky shrugged his shoulders. " I believe his staff must think he is quite mad," he said a little impatiently to Diana, as Mr. Fortescue, talking very loudly and pointing out his possessions one after another, led the way towards the lift. " Now, you wouldn't think that little thing there, that statue, cost me five hundred and ten pounds, would you ? " he exclaimed, standing before an exquisite little figure of a child reaching up to catch a butterfly. ' Wanted five-fifty, but I beat 'em down. Impresses the customers, you know. They can't squabble over a few shillings when they are being treated as though they were mil. lionanes. . That's why I give 'em a glass of port wine — the real stuff, you know* out of a heavy cut-glass decanter— I'll show it you, it's up in my office. And tho best biscuits I can buy. I treat 'em properly, and I expect them to use me the same. Don't blame me, do you?" • . ... wf( -I.';. '; .. .i . ... . Diana said she didn't, and then they all laughed. The girl was feeling sorry for Dicky. She knew how the display must irritate him. " How did you come to find us again ? " ho WILLIAM S. HART is proving himself a man of many talents. Not only is he a popular film artiste and an expert cowboy, but he has also achieved considerable success as an author. His poem " Pinto Bill," dealing with his favourite horse, is well known, and so also is his story entitled " The Savage." These have been translated into a largo number of languages, and have had big sales in all parts of the world. Bill " Hart's latest and best achievement is a story called " In jun and Whitoy," dealing with lifo in the glorious Golden West. This story, written by William Hart, begins this week in tho new weekly paper, the " Boys' Cinema," out on Wednesday ; and no ono who is interested in this screen hero should fail to read it. Nothing quite so interesting and exciting as this story" is has appeared in any publication before; As readers of The Pictcrr Show know, the first fifteen years of W. S. JIart's life were spent in the Dakota Territory, where ho lived among Indians, so what Bill Hart does not know about adventures in the Golden West is not worth telling. " Injun and Whitcy " is a real story of adventure, and William S. Hart has added to his fame by being) the author.