◆ SpookStack

wany months when she came fn, ale cheeks a little flushed, arms uli of flowers, vegetables and ait from the market—the. drst urghases for the sew fat One” SE her most endearing vaiities Waa an enthusiasm for ‘le which fate’s savage blows vever entirely diminished,” She vas always prepared to make the vest of clreumstances and to re- id each new page as the open oq of & better and brighter ‘Aapher. " ‘The new fat, which was some- vhat ama, a iittle dark, and Hed with typical ~ furnished partment” furniture snd fi- ‘Nie gould have heen intensely ‘eprascing. Melinda refused to it add to her depression and ndetd seemed to regerd it as 8 ar Of challenge. She would find something good voout i und wrote to her sister, who had a most deiighitul fat is Paris; * We simply sheaieent THis’ is Uh i have lived in the middie of # city for years and I simply love a Never mention the country io me again excent for wenk-ends and holidays.” Poot Melinda! With tuat ‘spirit she really did deserve something better of Ufe Last time I ocsaw her We ‘said good-bye to ker in Geneva and arranged that she should come to’stay with us in > But alihough we wroie to each’ other a few times she did not come, und that was, 10 fact, the last time I saw ber. The next imme ) went to Geneva lt was tO report, her disappearance After she bad§ fully setiled down in Geneva. Wr mather per suaded her to tae a long rest, and except for Mf few days in Paris vwith ber who fad" never seen Melinda 8a dow ig spirits,” she spent most of November and. December" in’ England having left the children with per: mother iq Geneva," ee 3 “Eogland, ‘she! stayed . with » triendawent to” Landon to see. Ceraaraeel FRANCE ‘ HERE THEY WENT TO SKI © A good spot for contacting someone farther east ? her doctor, ber solicitors and ner bankers. She made a beginning with all the tnings she bad intended to do, but made na great progress with any of them. But she en- foyed herself and, as she wrote, "saw almost everybody I ever knew and had quite a whirl” A happier year? She returned to Geneva two days belore Christmas, and thea, on Jusuary 1 wrote to Harriet: > Thank Ged jor a new year i couldn't have deen happier 10 see 192 go. Mother and i ceie: brated quietly with a doitle of champagne acd a miniature tox fire, and in our strange optimistic way felt thai perhaps 1953 might be better for us alc “We survived Christmas once more, iam toasty. getting to dread ft and Mother and i could hardly Want to throw away all Christmas decorations; only the Caristmas tree remains. “Next Year Fam going to send the boys away with their school trends on B sii-ing trip. ‘The next few months passed quietly. and. so far as one knew at the time, uneventiully Mrs. Dunbar tefi Geneva on January ister, ERAT TCE, see —nmneemetetrteeneenreerentn RE 20 for the United States and did not return to Swijzeriand until Uree and a half monthe later. In the fuller koowledge which we now have af Melinda's dis- appearatice, this period assumes an importance which it did not appear to bold at the time In late Pebruary or early March Melinda took the children to Saapenméser. & mountain resort close to Gstaad, where she joined an English friend and her two tlle girls for 3 fortnight’s ski- ing. Soon atter she got back Geneva she wrote to Harriet: "{ am in a dismaliy uasiable ate aod have the horrid {ecl- ing atmest enyihing might otsh me over Ine orecipice Ht gap only hung on for another syeats. There was no explanation of this cryptic and, ane now feels. Fignificant litte passage, sand- wicked, with no further com: ment, between inquities after _Harrict's new baby and informa: ~ ehila.,* * ton about Melinda's youagest ‘The visit 10 Saanenmbser, “to whieh she was to return sa oysteriously four mronibs ister, may have been extremely ime portame vit we a Ung Village wit three or four hotels and half @ dozen villas an @ long smooth valley where there is excellent skins. fi is pot widely koowns it ie guint, discreet and within easy reseh ot Geneva, Montreux and other cities. 14 ts possible that it was-there that the Brst tentae tive approacé to Melinda mey hays been made. Soon alter Mrs Dunvar an Melinda’ had moved to Genev they recerved a letter from ae American friend named Dourlas MacKillop, who had .setiled “in Maijorea ‘ Surprised — mother tf they would like an excetient sexside holiday, ne wrote, he would be delighted to take them all 8 paying guests during the summer Before Mrs. Dunbar teft tor America she and Melinda bad pot reached a decision Early in May Mrs Ounbar reached Paria of her way back from the United States She telephased to Melinda sn Geneva and dure lig. their conversation Metinda lold her mother that she thouxht HL would be an excetient idea if they aecepted Mack stlon’s invitation This, coming out of the blue, “somewhat surprised Mrs Dunbar. ~ 4 [World copyright?