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nae ersey drest which she had Gught, but, most unusually, she did hot open this to show it to Mrs] Dunbar. lilis probable from the. time she pas gone and. the things she had to do in it that. this. dress had been ordered beforehand. Mrs. Dunbar does not think Melinda had had enough time to select and try on @ dress of this kind. = An excited flurry Melinda gave Mrs, Dunbar 200 Swiss franes and probably had around 350 remaining im ber . purse. When Melinda returned from Ker dash to the bank and. the sigops there was a flurry of ex- cifement. It was already a little after 3~the time they had plknned to leave—and they were no nearly ready. ye baby was. awakened and dressed in her new little woollen jacket and shoes; the bovs put on grey Sannel suits; Melinda herself appeared in a black skirt and white blouse over which she wore a three-quarter-length bright blue Schiaparelli coat. . But Mra, Dunbar was horri- fied when she saw the skirt, “For Heaven's sake, Mélinda,” she said, “you can’t go away in that. dirty skirt.” So Melinda went off to change. Little Donald wanted to take some blue jeans Mrs. Dunbar had brought back from New tk for him; and at the last m{nute she noticed that the baby's favourite doll bad been lek behind, * . t 3.30 they were ready. Mra. Dunbar kissed the children d-- Dye and told Melinda tp be careful. Melinda said she youjd, and repeated that they woyld be back. early on Sunday evenigg, There was nothing emotions) or agitated in her demeanour. After the flurry and excitement of getting ready. she was calm and alinost casual. In fact. in tts ordinariness there. was a striking similarity between her départure and that of Donald’ 27 months earlier; no one could: possibly have foretold that. | instead of going off to do exactly; what she said she was—spend a week-end with friends+she was starting one of the ios, momen. tous and dramatic journeys any! woman would make: self-chosen | exile behind the Iron Curtain | { Her last words to her mother: were, in fact. “ Would you Hke me to ring you up whengl get there?" Mrs, Dunbar d her not to bother .. - She took | _the key | And at 3.30 om. on Friday September 11, Melinda drove o with hee three children—taking with her noi only the three large kevs to the apartment in the Rue des Alpes she was never to set again. but also the only key to the Jelter box, She was wearing a set of gold clips and pin Mrs. Dunbar bought ner in Majorca And, hanging over her shou'der, stil] in the case it pad hardly, if ever. left, was [the brand new camera Mrs. Dupbar. bad bought for her. That was the last glimpse Pars, Dunbar had of her daughter... - r-. [World copyright] _ = > Q + ee