The Gilded Man

Book excerpt: "The Gilded Man" by Clifford Smyth is a romance novel whose storyline is set in the Andes. Excerpt: "When, one evening in the late Autumn, David Meudon reached the entrance to Stoneleigh Garden, where Una Leighton awaited him, it was evident something unusual had happened. "You are late," she said, as he clasped the slender hand extended to him in welcome. "I could ride no faster. Comet is lame." The tired bay, belying his name, stood dejectedly, one white foreleg slightly bent, as if seeking relief from a weight it was weary of bearing. By the friendly way in which he stretched forth his muzzle to touch the girl's proffered fingers, Comet was evidently not a stranger to her endearments."