The Project Gutenberg EBook of Juggernaut, by Alice Campbell

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.net

Title: Juggernaut

Author: Alice Campbell

Release Date: January 17, 2009 [EBook #27824]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JUGGERNAUT ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Transcriber's note: Extensive research found no evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

JUGGERNAUT

BY

ALICE CAMPBELL

_FRONT PAGE MYSTERY SERIES_

GARDEN CITY -------- NEW YORK

DOUBLEDAY, DORAN & COMPANY, INC.

1929

JUGGERNAUT

CHAPTER I

When Esther rang the bell of Numero 86 Route de Grasse, she felt within
her that pleasant sort of stage-fright--a mixture of dread and
exhilaration--which one is apt to experience when venturing into the
unknown. The thrill might be out of all proportion to the prosaic
character of her mission--for what is there exciting in applying for a
post as a doctor's assistant?--yet there was no gainsaying the fact
that when this door confronting her opened, anything, everything, might
happen. That is the way Youth regards things.

"Opportunity--a door open in front of one." So in earlier years her
Latin teacher had dilated on the inner meaning of the word. Esther
smiled reminiscently and congratulated herself that she was not going
tamely back to her work in America, choosing instead, when she found a
door open, to enter and explore on the other side.

Numero 86 was a conventional and dignified villa, noncommittal in
appearance, like a hundred others. Clean windows blinked in the
sunshine, the doorstep was chalky white, the brass plate on the lintel
glittered with the inscription, "Gregory Sartorius, M.D." Beside the
gate a mimosa shook out its yellow plumage against the sky. Mimosa--in
February! ... New York, reflected Esther, was in the clutch of a
blizzard. She could picture it now, with its stark ice-ribbed streets,
its towering buildings, a mausoleum of frozen stone and dirty snow. As
for flowers--why, even a spray of that mimosa in a frosty florist's
window would be absurdly expensive; one would pay...

"_Vous desirez, mademoiselle?_"

S