My Friend the Chauffeur

My Friend the Chauffeur, by

C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: My Friend the Chauffeur
Author: C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
Illustrator: Frederic Lowenheim
Release Date: October 2, 2006 [EBook #19441]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: She was only a tall white girl simply dressed]
My friend the Chauffeur
By C. N. and A. M. WILLIAMSON
Authors of "Lady Betty Across the Water," "The Princess Virginia," "The Lightning Conductor," etc., etc.
With Illustrations
BY FREDERIC LOWENHEIM
A. L. BURT COMPANY, PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
Copyright, 1905, by McCLURE, PHILLIPS & CO. Published September, 1905

TO THE OTHER BEECHY

CONTENTS

PART I--TOLD BY RALPH MORAY

CHAPTER PAGE
I A CHAPTER OF SURPRISES 3 II A CHAPTER OF PLANS 17 III A CHAPTER OF REVENGES 28 IV A CHAPTER OF HUMILIATIONS 40 V A CHAPTER OF ADVENTURES 55 VI A CHAPTER OF PREDICAMENTS 78

PART II--TOLD BY BEECHY KIDDER
VII A CHAPTER OF CHILDISHNESS 89 VIII A CHAPTER OF PLAYING DOLLS 97 IX A CHAPTER OF REVELATIONS 107 X A CHAPTER OF THRILLS 115 XI A CHAPTER OF BRAKES AND WORMS 129 XII A CHAPTER OF HORRORS 138 XIII A CHAPTER OF WILD BEASTS 152 XIV A CHAPTER OF SUNSHINE AND SHADOW 163

PART III--TOLD BY THE COUNTESS
XV A CHAPTER OF PITFALLS 175 XVI A CHAPTER OF ENCHANTMENT 191

PART IV--TOLD BY MAIDA DESTREY
XVII A CHAPTER OF MOTOR MANIA 205 XVIII A CHAPTER ACCORDING TO SHAKSPERE 225 XIX A CHAPTER OF PALACES AND PRINCES 235 XX A CHAPTER IN FAIRYLAND 244 XXI A CHAPTER OF STRANGE SPELLS 256 XXII A CHAPTER BEYOND THE MOTOR ZONE 267 XXIII A CHAPTER OF KIDNAPPING 283 XXIV A CHAPTER ON PUTTING TRUST IN PRINCES 292

PART V--TOLD BY TERENCE BARRYMORE
XXV A CHAPTER OF CHASING 303 XXVI A CHAPTER OF HIGH DIPLOMACY 316

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE
She was only a tall white girl simply dressed Frontispiece
As he spoke a douanier lounged out of his little (After) 62 whitewashed lair
Two or three men were moving about the place (After) 148
A great white light pounced upon us like a hawk on a chicken (After) 200

MY FRIEND THE CHAUFFEUR


PART I
TOLD BY RALPH MORAY

I
A CHAPTER OF SURPRISES
"WANTED, LADIES, TO CONDUCT. An amateur automobilist (English, titled) who drives his own motor-car accommodating five persons, offers to conduct two or three ladies, Americans preferred, to any picturesque centres in Europe which they may desire to visit. Car has capacity for carrying small luggage, and is of best type. Journeys of about 100 miles a day. Novel and delightful way of travelling; owner of car well up in history, art, and architecture of different countries. Inclusive terms five guineas a day each, or slight reduction made for extensive trip. Address--"
When Terry had read aloud thus far, I hastily interrupted him. I wasn't quite ready yet for him to see that address. The thing needed a little leading up to; and by way of getting him quickly and safely on to a side rack I burst into a shout of laughter, so loud and so sudden that he looked up from the little pink Riviera newspaper of which I was the proud proprietor, to stare at me.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
I subsided. "The idea struck me so forcibly," said I. "Jolly clever, isn't it?"
"It's a fake, of course," said Terry. "No fellow would be ass enough to advertise himself like that in earnest. Probably the thing's been put in for a bet, or else it's a practical joke."
I had been aware that this, or something like it, would come, but now that the crisis was at hand I felt qualmish. Terry--known to strangers as Lord Terence Barrymore--is the best and most delightful chap in the world, as well as one of the best looking, but like several other Irishmen he is, to put it mildly, rather hard to manage, especially when you want to do him a good turn. I had been trying to do him one without his knowing it, and in such a way that he couldn't escape when he did know. But the success of my scheme was now being dandled on the knees of the gods, and at any instant it might fall off to break like an egg.
"I believe it's genuine," I began gingerly, almost wishing that I hadn't purposely put the pink paper where Terry would be sure to pick it up. "And I don't see why you should call the advertiser in my paper an ass. If you were hard up, and had a motor-car--"
"I am hard up, and I have