The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Brother of Daphne, by Dornford Yates

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Title: The Brother of Daphne

Author: Dornford Yates

Release Date: February 3, 2008 [EBook #748]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BROTHER OF DAPHNE ***

THE BROTHER OF DAPHNE

by

Dornford Yates

Chapter I Punch and Judy
Chapter II Clothes and the man
Chapter III When it was dark
Chapter IV Adam and New Year's eve
Chapter V The Judgement of Paris
Chapter VI Which to adore
Chapter VII Every picture tells a story
Chapter VIII The Busy Beers
Chapter IX A point of honour
Chapter X Pride goeth before
Chapter XI The love scene
Chapter XII The order of the bath
Chapter XIII A lucid interval
Chapter XIV A private view
Chapter XV All found

CHAPTER I

PUNCH AND JUDY

"I said you'd do something," said Daphne, leaning back easily in her
long chair.

I stopped swinging my legs and looked at her.

"Did you, indeed," I said coldly.

My sister nodded dreamily.

"Then you lied, darling. In your white throat," I said pleasantly.

"By the way, d'you know if the petrol's come?"

"I don't even care," said Daphne. "But I didn't lie, old chap. My
word is--"

"Your bond? Quite so. But not mine. The appointment I have in Town
that day--"

"Which day?" said Daphne, with a faint smile.

"The fete day."

"Ah!"

It was a bazaar fete thing. Daphne and several others--euphemistically
styled workers--had conspired and agreed together to obtain money by
false pretences for and on behalf of a certain mission, to wit the
Banana. I prefer to put it that way. There is a certain smack about
the wording of an indictment. Almost a relish. The fact that two
years before I had been let in for a stall and had defrauded fellow men
and women of a considerable sum of money, but strengthened my
determination not to be entrapped again. At the same time I realized
that I was up against it.

The crime in question was fixed for Wednesday or Thursday--so much I
knew. But no more. There was the rub. I rea