The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-08-24
CHAPTER XXI.
In Which a Woman Denies and a Man Dies.

Tn Which Woman DenleS ana Man
 Dies.
 All the next day we must of necessity lie close in the rat-hole. with one of us always on guard at the window over looking the street. I tried to forget my self in planning for the coming nights work. and all the time another resolu- ton was evolving in my head We laid the whole plan before Curtis. and he ap- proved. Once or twice he recurred to the episode of the evening before, but could not discuss t with him. T was not in me to believe that his course was right. yet in the few weeks I had known him l had come to believe in him and his strong nature, and I could not but re- spect his code. disastrous as 1t had been to us.
 ''I cannot see the right of 1t, friend" said I to hin. Do not try to show 1t to me"
 T am sorry, Merton" he answered with a serious look. "But mans hon our is greater than his military duty"
 Let us not talk of it. man." said again. T is but a failure in my duty to General Washington. and there's an end of it."
 Would you not have done the same?"
 'I cannot tell, Robert. 1 cannot judge you. God knows I can scarcely judge n,yselt in this hour"
 And then we recurfed to the coming events.
 But all the while my resolve was grow ing in me- The entrance to Arnolds house was set for one, at night. Then he would be sure to be at home and in bed. All the plans were arranged, and hence l would go and see her again before l left-as God lived, I would see her again! There was to be a sort of soiree to the Prince at the Walton House. and he had bid me come in his offhand, friendly way. l would go.
 l dared not tell my friends, for they would have held me by force, if neces- sary. deeming 1t dangerous thing to expose myself. But this was more to me than my own life just now-aye, more than the success of our mission, though l knew they could carry that out prac- tically as well without me, if need came.
 Thus, at ten of the evening, told them l would go to Low to see that the ar engagements were completed, and despite their advice to lie close, I went out through Queen street and so to the Wal ton Mansion, having first stopped at Mrs. Hodges and got my tawdry suit. There had been a rumpus, indeed. The maid, who was the only person I saw, looked at me in terror, and ran away as soon as she had let me in: and in our room there might have passed a whirlwind for the look of it.
 Everything we had, which was little enough was thrown about. The furni- ture was broken, and all the signs of what l rightly guessed must have been military search for ourselves and what ever papers we might have had were evi- dent My fancy suit was picked up here and there and donned. And so I entered the Walton Mansion at the front door.
 It must have been eleven of the clock, and the affair was at its height The beautiful rooms either sfde the great hall were crowded with guests, and soon found the Prince standing to re- ceive them. He looked at me and well comed me with a polite bow, but sur prised look. as if to say, "Hai my man. and so you will still be out in public" and then I passed on, searching always but for one. My figure, my face, must have told some strange story; for people who knew nothing of me turned and look ed after me and spoke together softly. But I only saw it as in a dream. On went through the rooms, looking for but one, ana not finding her.
 Thus came to the banquet hall, and to the little study beyond, where we had breakfasted the day before. And there l found her.
 She was standing Just inside the big hall with her back to me talking with some two or three people, her arm rest ing on that a young officer whom I had not seen before. I stopped a mo- ment and then passing behind some large screens, set there to hide serving tables at the corner of the room, I stood a moment to catch my wind, which seem ed to stragely fail me on the moment, as If had been running long and hard
 A moment there and I stepped out