The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-30
to be put upon his defense in the
presence of Marquis father?

fired my imagination. II could hear
anything about Noel and manage to
disgust Margot with him.. their love
story might be nipped in the bud, for
Margot is rather an odd girl. She
expects too much of a man she cares
for. She wants to be all or nothing,
and tho she has the reputation of be-
Ing so sWeet-natured she is as proud
as Lucifer himself. / know, too, that
rumors of past flirtations and wild
nesses'' Of Noel's. which I had taken
care she should hear, had annoyed
and distressed her, tho she had tried
her hardest not to show that she
cared.
Now, if I could get hold of some
thing really Notwithstanding
which he could not wholly deny it
charged with it-just at this crisis of
her feeling, it might put an end to
Noel Brent's chances with Margot
Then-well, am not much for such a
man to turn to; yet many a heart is
caught In the rebound.
The door of the study was tightly
closed, but a cautious experiment with
| looked. Indeed, why should it be locked?
My uncle had had all his servants for
years; he had no reason. to fear spies
in his own household.
BY dint Of great patience I got the
door open without sound. dared
attempt this because of the screen
which stands in the room a few feet
distant from the door, Uncle Gordon
suffers from neuralgia, and tho he
| likes fresh air he objects to draughts.
Therefore, to obtain the one without
the. other in the study, where he
| spends SO much of his time when at
home, sitting at a desk near the win
| dow which is opposite the door, he
has had a large screen made accord
l.
call it the "book-screen," for it is
| book-shelves as we'll as screen.
Books line the study from floor to
| ceiling, round all four walls, save. for
the one door and the two windows;
| and as they had overlooked their
bound, the book-screen provided
space for many volumes which had
been homeless. Now, if stood be-
| hind the book-screen there was not
corner of the room from which I
could be detected. OF course, if any
one else came in might be seen by
| that person, unless L had time to dart
behind the door as it. opened, conceal
ing myself from a superfcial glance in
the folds of a heavy embroidered vel
! vet portiere which was habitually
! drawn back. But 1 hoped that no one
else would come in; and in any case I
was willing to- ruin the risk.
/ had only three or four steps to
take from the door to the hiding place
I had chosen behind the book screen.
and / had scarcely settled myself when
I heard Lord ReckWorth's voice
"Mr. Brent he said, "Sir Gordon
tells me that you are the man l want.
In fact, the man for a mission Of grave
| Importance. =.
ored," Noel replied, in that indescriba-
bly, delightful voice Of his, which I
think was the first thing to win me.
Or was it his eyes-those wide; gray
eyes, set rather far apart between the
white of the broad forehead and the
| brown Of the dear, strong, brave face.
Brent knows nothing yet" said
| Uncle Gordon. Il thought of him for
you last night, after our conversation,
| and when you seemed ready to fall in
| with the suggestion I told him to call
| between eight and half past in the
| morning, so that there would be time
for him to proceed without delay In
| case you came to an agreement. OF
course I entered into no explanation,
| except that he must be prepared for
an immediate journey to France. The
rest left to you, ReckWorth."
you could get off by the next train,
MI. Brent?" inquired the foreign sec
rotary.
| II could answered Noel. IT mere
ly await instructions and your decision
that I'm the right man. I think it's
only fair to tell you, tho, that I'm no
diplomatist."
1T is partly because you are not a
| diplomatist, and would not be sus-
pected by those who are watching this
affair to have hand in it, that you
are the man chosen for the MISSION y
said Lord Reckworth. Partly that
and partly because you are said to be
already on friendly terms with our
agent in this ticklish business across
the channel-Mademoi Juliette de
| Nevers.'
! I pricked up, my ears at the name,
and I would have given good deal to
see Noels face at that moment.
should have liked to see those of the
other men, too, and find out whether
there was a sly twinkle of amusement
in their middle-aged eyes.
i Noel Brent's filtration with Made
noise1le de Nevers. when she was act
ing In London, had been common Cos
sip, so Of course Lord Reckworth and
Uncle Gordon must have heard of It.
And it struck me as a good joke that
Margot's father should be instrument
al in sending the man who wanted tC
!. marry his daughter back to the ia.
nous Russo-French beauty Of the
footlights. But perhaps there was
method in the home secretary's mad.
ness; there generally is, have found
IT knew Mademoiselle de Never
when she and her company were play
ing in England a year ago, or rather
more" said Noel as coolly as if HI
had been speaking Of an ordinary &C
quaintance. But I have not met he1
since then, so, perhaps, I am hardl!
justified in calling myself friend O.
hers. I am surprised to hear that sh,
dabbles in politics. though. her de
voted exclusively to the stage"
The foreign secretary laughed
''Madenoisel1e de Nevers is one o
those rare women who can keep othe
peoples secrets as we'll as her own
All women can do the latter. An,
she is not an actress for nothing. Blu
if you are going to help in this mat
ter it is only fair to give you our full
confidence. Mademoiselle de Never
has for several years done yeoman'
service for Great Britain
"a political spy!" exclaimed Noel
with something of repulsion in hi
voice. (If he were turned agains
| that gorgeous creature, with whom
he had once been at least half in love
by the news that she was in the pa,
. of the British government, what WOul,
be his opinion of me if he could know
. what I was doing at this moment
and what use meant to make of m
information? But hoped that h
would never know.)
1--WE don't call her such har
names" said Lord Redwood, laugh
ing again. And you very likely kno,
! that she hasn't really a drop Of Frencl
! blood in her veins, so that she ism
guilty OF treachery to her own coun
try
I Sc.