The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-23

the moment Lady Metcalf had been made
comfortable after dinner he drew Laura
aside.
That note was from the Princess Pa
litzin," he said placing it in her hand. II
am rather inclined to go. l have no idea
what the woman wants, but through her
| may be able to further improve lima
Vassih's prospects,
Then go by all means" replied Laura,
quickly Swimming the letter; Il can't say
she seemed blOodless and insincere."
We'll, l shall not be trusting her with
any secrets, said Fortescue. Il am going
to try to get at hers. And look here, little
woman. Here are two documents-neither
clean nor interesting, but highly important
which l do not care to carry about with
me. VIII you take charge of them and not
deliver them up to any one but TO myself
in person, on any Representations" And he
took out and handed TO her the cipher
code and the draft of the princess's tele-
gram to Serjov.
Laura took them and perceiving their
cabalistic nature made one of her express
sve grimaces.
THE Heather Chinee isn't in it with you,
Spencer, for. ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain,' she said. she locked. the
papers away in her traVeling-bag, that
lay close at hand on a console table. There
must be something very nice about you,
think, to be able to indulge in all these
mysterious carryings-on without shaking
the confidence of yours truly
Il expect there's something very nice
ABOUT DOtn OF uS-ln you cnlenl, utdf, lOT
your loyal faith" was the reply. And as
by this time they were out of the salon and
no one about the mutual compliment was
ratified in a fashion that concerns no one
but themselves.
Laura, having intimated that she should
not go to bed till he returned went back
10 her mother, and Fortescue sought his
own room to fetch ali overcOat, for the
night was chilly. Having made the addition
to his attire, he was about to leave when
an after drought struck him. He opened
his Gladstone bag and extracted a small
revolver, which he placed in his pocket
The train of ideas bred of this action
lasted him all the way downstairs and into
the cab which he had ordered. II suggested
to him for the first time that there was
spice of knight -errantry in the course on
which he had embarked, and, since he
prosaic person, he laughed at himself ac-
cordingly. From that, as the cab ratified
over the cobbles away from the smells of
the waterside towards the Haute Vile, he
fell to Analysing the motives which had
induced him TO plunge into an affair that
made the possession of a pistol seem de-
sirable.
that poor beggar Dubrowsk was being
treated unfairly, started me. And now
having, / trust, relieved him at Volborth's
expense, | am smitten with desire to
furnish the astute Paul with quid pro quo
in the way of information. And-yes,
have a taste for this sort of thing. 1t is
good training.
the steep streets of the old town. and he
knew that he must be nearing his destina-
ton. The garish lights of shops and hotels
the noisy watering place racket-had long
since been left behind, and they were
| threading a network OF narrow. ill-lighted
| thoroughfares, curiously quiet by contrast.
| in which the dark old houses had an air of
shy retirement. ForteScue was more at
| home in capitals than pleasure resorts but
| he remembered hearing that the Rue ST.
| Pol bore a none too sayory reputation.
Suddenly the cab drew up at a house
which but for a glmmer i'm the fanlight
| over the door. might well have been vacant,
| so dark were its windows and uncared for
| its approach. Fortescue. who knew the
| exterior of the PalitZin palace on the Great
| for his pistol That the owner OF that
| splendid pile should be domiciled in this
~dins,v abode struck home to him the pos
sibilities he might find on the other side
| of the threshold.
| Bidding the driver wait. he mounted the
moldy steps and tugged al an 6ld-fash-
| toned iron bell-pull. which caused long
| continued clangor far away in some dis
| tant basement. But, evidencing that a
| ianitor was ready and waiting. the door
| was swiftly and silently cssned almost
! as soon as the beli began To ring and
| an understood, shock-headed man whom
| he had never seen before confronted him
| No words passed. The doorkeeper. who
| must have been furnished with a descrip-
| ton of the expected visitor, looked him uu
| and down. and admitted him, and closed the
| door instantly with a metallic snap that
| somehow got on Fortescue's nerves
! sounded like the click OF mousetrap.
he thought, the small man turned the
/ handle OF the door on the right of the
| passage and motioned him TO enter. And
room. conviction came to him that 1t was