Red Masquerade: Being the Story of the Lone Wolf's Daughter

This tale quite brazenly derives from the author’s invention for motion pictures which Mr. J. Parker Read, Jr., produced in the autumn of 1919 under the title of “The Lone Wolf’s Daughter.”

It is only fair to state, however, that the author has in this version taken as many high-handed liberties with the version used by the photoplay director as the latter took with the original.

The chance to get even for once was too tempting....

Messrs. Doubleday, Page & Company in the first instance, and then Mr. Arthur T. Vance, editor of The Pictorial Review, in which the story was published as a serial, were equally guilty of the encouragement which results in its appearance in its present guise.

L.J.V.

Westport—31 December, 1920.

Books by Louis Joseph Vance

CYNTHIA-OF-THE-MINUTE JOAN THURSDAY NOBODY NO MAN’S LAND POOL OF FLAME PRIVATE WAR SHEEP’S CLOTHING THE BANDBOX THE BLACK BAG THE BRASS BOWL THE BRONZE BELL THE DARK MIRROR THE DAY OF DAYS THE DESTROYING ANGEL THE FORTUNE HUNTER THE ROMANCE OF TERENCE O’ROURKE TREY O’ HEARTS

Stories About “The Lone Wolf”

THE LONE WOLF THE FALSE FACES RED MASQUERADE ALIAS THE LONE WOLF

CONTENTS

BOOK ONE: A CHAPTER FROM THE YOUTH OF MONSIEUR MICHAEL LANYARD CHAPTER I. PLEBEIAN AND PRINCE CHAPTER II. THE PRINCESS SOFIA CHAPTER III. MONSIEUR QUIXOTE CHAPTER IV. THE FOOL AND HIS MONEY CHAPTER V. IMPOSTOR CHAPTER VI. THÉRÈSE CHAPTER VII. FAMILY REUNION CHAPTER VIII. GREEK VS. GREEK CHAPTER IX. PAID IN FULL

BOOK TWO: THE LONE WOLF’S DAUGHTER CHAPTER I. THE GIRL SOFIA CHAPTER II. MASKS AND FACES CHAPTER III. THE AGONY COLUMN CHAPTER IV. MUTINY CHAPTER V. HOUSE OF THE WOLF CHAPTER VI. THE MUMMER CHAPTER VII. THE FANTASTICS CHAPTER VIII. COUNCIL OF THE GODLESS CHAPTER IX. MRS. WARING CHAPTER X. VICTOR ET AL CHAPTER XI. HEARTBREAK CHAPTER XII. SUSPECT CHAPTER XIII. THE TURNIP CHAPTER XIV. CONFERENCE OF THE DAMNED CHAPTER XV. INTUITION CHAPTER XVI. THE CRYSTAL CHAPTER XVII. THE RAISED CHEQUE CHAPTER XVIII. ORDEAL CHAPTER XIX. UNMASKING CHAPTER XX. THE DEVIL TO PAY CHAPTER XXI. VENTRE À TERRE CHAPTER XXII. THE SEVEN BRASS HINGES

BOOK I A CHAPTER FROM THE YOUTH OF MONSIEUR MICHAEL LANYARD

RED MASQUERADE

I PLEBEIAN AND PRINCE

The gentleman was not in the least bored who might have been and was seen on that wintry afternoon in Nineteen hundred, lounging with one shoulder to a wall of the dingy salesroom and idly thumbing a catalogue of effects about to be put up at auction; but his insouciance was so unaffected that the inevitable innocent bystander might have been pardoned for perceiving in him a pitiable victim of the utterest ennui.

In point of fact, he was privately relishing life with enviable gusto. In those days he could and did: being alive was the most satisfying pastime he could imagine, or cared to, who was a thundering success in his own conceit and in fact as well; since all the world for whose regard he cared a twopenny-bit admired, respected, and esteemed him in his public status, and admired, respected, and feared him in his private capacity, and paid him heavy tribute to boot.

More than that, he was young, still very young indeed, barely beyond the threshold of his chosen career. To his eagerly exploring eye the future unrolled itself in the likeness of an endless scroll illuminated with adventures all piquant, picturesque, and profitable. With the happy assurance of lucky young impudence he figured the world to himself as his oyster; and if his method of helping himself to the succulent contents of its stubborn shell might have been thought questionable (as unquestionably it was) he was no more conscious of a conscience to give him qualms than he was of pangs of indigestion. Whereas his digestive powers were superb....