The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24

now certain that England would not be
represented at the international con-
ference by her ambassador to the court
Of Austria. And the JOY Of the jour
nails was but i'll concealed.
The affable gentleman who had &C
costed Miss Britten continued to en-
JOY the Incompatible views obtained on
the surrounding mountains, and in or
der TO lose nothing of their beauty car
ried a pair of field glasses slung across
his shoulders with all the dash of
city clerk at a suburban race meeting.
He was in the habit of sitting for hours
on the vineclad slopes above the viii
lage, looking down through his binOcu-
lars at the Grand hotel and its shady
garden. Passavant. from his window
in the bedroom adjoining Lord Bur
dOn's private salon, looked up frequent
~ and saw the German gentleman con-
cealed like that small man Zaccheus
among the treetOps.
Thus the week drew toward its close
and the great and good journals con-
tradicted each other daily, while a GER
tain steamer pounded uD the channel,
and a brown-faced little man sat in one
of its deck cabins writing out vast re-
ports on colonial office stationery. and
cursing between times the slOwness of
the engines. Then it was decided by
the powers that the conference could
no longer be delayed, but must take
place on the following Monday. Lord
Burden or no Lord Burden. And 'Ig-
notus" and 'Paterfamilias" and True
Briton'' wrote to the Times. naming
substitutes who were either impossi-
bic, absent or dead. And Algernon Pas
savant sat gravely and wrote bulletins
for the newspa peTs.
All lies" comments Miss Britten one
day. They had grown singularly famil-
lar, as people do who possess in COM
mon some knowledge desired of others
"Jeux de mOts, we call them, replied
Passavant. with his boyish smile.
It was on the Saturday night that
the small comedy for the moment
threatened TO turn TO drama. 1t was, in
fact, after 10 O'Clock that Miss Britten
sought Passavant where he sat under
the lilac trees smoking. For a moment
he looked surprised, then noted that her
face was white
What is it?" he asked. curtly
There is some one unScrewing the
lock on the door of communication be
tween my room and the next" an
swered she unsteadily. However mod
ern, however energetic and practical
and scornful of mother and grandmoth-
er the twentieth-centCry young persons
may be. they will still be hampered by
a wholesome feminine fear Of something
or other-of a burglar, for instance, or
a mouse. or the hereafter.
But there is a bolt" said Passavant,
with apparent heartIessness.
TT has been drawn back"
And you did not dare to push it for
ward again2"
No confessed Miss Britten.
Il am glad Of that. I feared that you
of II,
key of your saIOn2"
She looked at him. The moonlight
fiItering through the trees showed his
face to be as bland and pleasant as
usual. She handed him the key.
IF I may suggest that you go TO
Miss Smale's room for a moment" he
said, as they walked toward the house
together, Just to see how the sting on
her nose is progressing. Give me ten
minutes"
What are you going to do?" she
asked
The room next to yours is Lord Bur
don's salon. Some one has got locked
iii there by mistake, Miss Britten.
man of resource-he is unscrewing the
lock in order to effect his escape
through the neighboring salon, which
he can see through the keyhole is de-
serted. You probably never go in there
at night?'
Never. I forgot something this
evening and vent to get it. What are
you going to do2"
She repeated the question rather anx-
iCusly, and Passavant, noting the tone
of her voice. paused for a moment
looking up to the moon with a mildly
speculative eye.
Mine are the ways of peace" he
said.
But it is useless to run risks" said
Miss Britten, angrily. Send the hotel
porter
mo: this is a delicate matter"
And Passavant laughed softly.
Theft" muttered Miss Britten. with
a deep scOrn.
They call it journalism" explained
Passavant. He ran swiftly and silently
upstairs, and Miss Britten followed
him.
She saw Passavant take the key of
Lord Burdens private salon from his
pocket and open the door OF that mys-
tic apartment. She heard the click of
the electric light button, and was on
the threshold of the room before the
light leaped into life. She saw q dark
form vanish into the room beyond-her
own private salon, where Passavant i'm
mediately followed into the darkness.
unarmed. She had time to think that
he was brave, at all events, as she
closed the door behind her and stood
with her back against it. There came
/ from the room the sound of hurrying
! feet and overthrow furniture. In a
moment the German gentleman who
/ had been so affable on every occasion
came stumbling out into the brilliant
/ " lighted room. His face fell when he
saw the closed door with Lillian Britten
standing before 1T. He turned on his
/ heel-another closed door with Passa-
want in front Of it. For a moment