Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-05-07
(Copyright.)
CHAPTER XT.
IN WHICH I AM A DIPLOMAT.

IN WHICH AM A DIPLOMAT.
/ turned to see the CLEAN of white
face, like star in the blue dusk of the
morning, and pair of great dark eyes
waiting for mine.
Lancer / whispered. 1t was no
longer an effort to call her by that
name, so often had thought of her in
the hours since our parting.
"Thank God you're safe,' she whis-
pered back again. Then she held out
two small cold hands, and grasped
them, not realizing how tightly until l
felt them vince under the pressure of
my fingers.
Have you forgiven me?" I could not
help asking softly, though until I had
made sure that the detective slept ST.
lence would have been more prudent.
She nodded: 81 suppose So"
THANK you, my little sister" Then
with a gesture of warning I inclined
my head to the door again. 1t was
strange that / should have come to this,
making myself an. eavesdropper, lis
tener at keyhoIes, but l was Jesuit
enough to reflect consolingly that it
was for her sake.
The sound of the mans snoring
came out to me- l did not think that
such evidence of slumber could be
feigned, and, satisfied with my discov-
cry, / led the girl away, further down
the corridor to the threshold of her
own room:
How comes it that you are up and
dressed at this hour?" I asked though
as matters had turned out 1 was glad
that it was so and that no time need
be wasted before we were off together
on our journey.
.I've never been undressed since you
saw me-
''What! You did not go to bed?"
sit was all your fault. How could
think of sleeping when you-when my
only protector had gone deliberately
out to thrust his head into the lions
den?'
AS it happened the smile was not
far-fetched one; but did not mean that
she should guess this, now or ever, and
so smiled derision of her fears.
''There was but a wasp's nest, not
lions den,'' I corrected. "And here 1
am, safe and sound as you see, with
some news, and a plan to propose. But
first, / want to tell you again, in case
you did not understand before, how
much felt and do feel your goodness,
in caring what became of me, and how
sorry | was to go against your request.
I>would have yielded if l could. but"
"And if you had, I may as well con-
fess now-though it's a bad precedent
that / should not have liked you half
as much asI do. But I've had an
awful night because of you. Half the
time I've been opening this door into
the hall, and walking back and forth,
till I was nearly distracted, not know
ing whether or not / ought to alarm
the hotel, and feeling sick at heart be-
cause I had no idea where you had
gone. In half an hour more, should
have had Mysteries"
"Then it's lucky / came when did"
/ could laugh now. There's clock in
your sitting room; I've no watch, nor
have you, / think, but let us go and
see what time it is.
''Our sitting room' she prompted me;
and so prettily friendly was her way
of saying the three commonplace words,
that ! could have forgotten myself
again as had yesterday and kissed her
hand.
The clock ticking away on the man
tel advertised the hour $50. In less
than an hour the train I meant lat we
should take would start, and had not
yet told her the programme.
There was no time to waste, and I
hurried into the narration with as few
explanations as possible. 1t was best
for her to be in safe keeping, while
I did my part in finding out on whose
shoulders to lay the burden of the plot
against her life.
At first she said fatty that she would
not go. She knew that only wanted
to get rid of her, that I might rush into
all sorts of dreadful and dangerous
places. There was no reason why I
should do this. She had no right to