The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol   By: William John Locke (1863-1930)

BY THE SAME AUTHOR IDOLS SEPTIMUS DERELICTS THE USURPER WHERE LOVE IS THE WHITE DOVE SIMON THE JESTER A STUDY IN SHADOWS A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY THE BELOVÈD VAGABOND AT THE GATE OF SAMARIA THE MORALS OF MARCUS ORDEYNE THE DEMAGOGUE AND LADY PHAYRE THE GLORY OF CLEMENTINA

[Illustration: AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FOURTH KISS OUT CAME HER FATHER See page 34 ]

THE JOYOUS ADVENTURES OF ARISTIDE PUJOL

BY WILLIAM J. LOCKE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALEC BALL

NEW YORK JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMXII

CONTENTS

I THE ADVENTURE OF THE FAIR PATRONNE II THE ADVENTURE OF THE ARLÉSIENNE III THE ADVENTURE OF THE KIND MR. SMITH IV THE ADVENTURE OF THE FOUNDLING V THE ADVENTURE OF THE PIG'S HEAD VI THE ADVENTURE OF FLEURETTE VII THE ADVENTURE OF THE MIRACLE VIII THE ADVENTURE OF THE FICKLE GODDESS IX THE ADVENTURE OF A SAINT MARTIN'S SUMMER

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

At the Beginning of the Fourth Kiss Out Came Her Father Frontispiece

I Had Knocked Him Down on Purpose. He Was Crippled for Life 14

Anything Less Congruous as the Bride Elect of the Debonair Aristide Pujol it Was Impossible to Imagine 22

Had Straightway Poured His Grievances into a Feminine Ear 32

I Found Both Tyres Had Been Punctured in a Hundred Places 40

"Madame," said Aristide, "You Are Adorable, and I Love You to Distraction" 50

"The Villain Was a Traveller in Buttons Buttons!" 60

He Burst into Shrieks of Laughter 64

"And You!" shouted Bocardon, Falling on Aristide; "I Must Embrace You Also" 68

Standing on the Arrival Platform of Euston Station 78

"Ah! the Pictures," cried Aristide, with a Wide Sweep of His Arms 88

"I'll Take Five Hundred Pounds," said He, "to Stay in" 96

Between the Folds of a Blanket Peeped the Face of a Sleeping Child 110

He Demonstrated the Proper Application of the Cure 120

It is a Fearsome Thing for a Man to be Left Alone in the Dead of Night with a Young Baby 124

One of the Little Girls in Pigtails Was Holding Him, While Miss Anne Administered the Feeding Bottle 134

He Must Have Dealt Out Paralyzing Information 180

Fleurette Danced with Aristide, as Light as an Autumn Leaf Tossed by the Wind 188

Aristide Practised His Many Queer Accomplishments 200

He Read It, and Blinked in Amazement 208

He Might as Well Have Pointed Out the Marvels of Kubla Khan's Pleasure Dome to a Couple of Guinea Pigs 216

"I've Caught You! At Last, After Twenty Years, I've Caught You" 234

There He Saw a Sight Which for a Moment Paralyzed Him 238

Mr. Ducksmith Seized Him by the Lapels of His Coat 242

THE JOYOUS ADVENTURES OF ARISTIDE PUJOL

The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol

I

THE ADVENTURE OF THE FAIR PATRONNE