Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-22

leads to and he says half-an-hour.' y
Meaning we are half an hour from our
destination"
Then why the deuce can't he say so In
plain Engish?"
He might ask you why the deuce you
can't ask him In plain Hungarian"
break their jaws over this gabble. I can't
make out. Well. I suppose we shall get
breakfast somewhere, Gavin"
Are you hungry. Arthur
Not much; I'm thinking OF that poor
devil of q Greek.
Yes. they are brutes enough What
could we DOR
oh. knew that! What am hoping is
thai they will get ii hot after we have told
the tale at Bucharest. The authorities
Authorities. in the Balkans. Arthur Do
you forget our escort?r
'oh. those blackguards They ought to
enter for the mile championship at the L.
A. c. In the matter of running. they are
glory to their. country"
They will tell some cock-and-buiI story
and make il out that we dismissed them.
Chesny told me not to put too much re-
lance upon them. Well, they're no loss.
We can see 1t through without them"
Good old pronoun. Would you define
that IT for my benefitf''
"Oh, there I'm beaten. We are going up
mountain and may go down again. That's
evident. Two Jacks and no Jils to speak
of. There's house also. perceive-across
the torrent yonder. That must have been
built when the witches were young The
fiat tiles speak of Julius Caesar, don't they?
l wonder If they know were coming?"
I'VE might have cabled coffee and the
nearest approach to cold grouse Do you
like cold grouse for breakfast, Gavin?
There's nothing to beat It on the list, to
my way of thinking. Cold grouse and nice.
crisp. hot toast Some Cambridge squash
afterward. and then a great, big, round
pipe That's what you think of when you've
been ten hours in the saddle and can't find
an Inn. l wish could discern it now, as
the curate says"
Gavin smiled but his gaze was set upon
the ancient ruin his quick eye had observed
upon height of the green mountain above
them. He wondered If the path would
carry them by it or pierce the hills and
leave the castle. for such II plainly had
been, upon their left hands. But for the
circumstances in which he approached il
the scene had been wild and strange enough
to have awakened all an artists dormant
capacities for admiration. They were we'll
above the pine woods by this time and
could look back upon. fertile valley, ex-
quisitely green and bordered by shining
rivers. Villages, churches, farms were SO
many dolls houses planted upon mighty
fields, while midget beasts awakened to the
day. The bride track itself wound about
a considerable mountain whose slopes were
glorious with heather and mountain ash;
there were other peaks beyond. rising in
erescendo of grandeur to the distant vista
of the eternal SHOWS. where the gods of
solitude had been enthroned and melan-
choly uplifted an icy scenter.
Gavin could not but be sensible of the
majesty of this scene, nor did he find the
old castle out of harmony with its beau
ties The building, which he now per-
ceived that they were approaching, had
been built in cleft Of the hills at point
where the torrent fell in a thunder of sill
yer spray to a deep. blue pool far down in
the valley below. Chnging, it were, to
the very face of precipitous cliff, q draw
bridge spanned the torrent and gave access
TO the mountain road upon the further side
q N W rlV
and so. perpendicular the rocks that 1t
seemed as though men might clasp hands
across the abyss or a good horse take it in
the stride of a gallop. For the rest, the
black, frowning walls the iron-sheathed
doors, the plut houses, the barbicon, the
quaint turrets thrust out here and there
above the chasm, spoke of many centuries
and many arts-here of Saracen. there of
Turk, of the reign of the rounded arch, and
even of glorious Gothic. building to
study, Gavin said, to sean with well-school-
ed eyes from some opposing height, whence
every phase of its changing wonders might
be justly estimated by him who would learn
and initiate Even his own predicament
was forgotten when his guides stopped
upon it's threshold and demanded in loud
tones that the drawbridge should be let
down.
This is the place. by Mahomet," said
a devil of a house for a Weekend"
Gavin babe bin listen. A voice across
the chasm replied to the gypsy hail.
Don't you recognize that?" he asked;
ITS the voice we heard in the wood"
When this crowd desired to agitate my
heirs. executors and assigns? You're right
for ransom. l wonder if they'll introduce
us"
I'VE shall soon know. Here's the bridge
coming down. What have you done with
your armor, Arthur
Left it In the cab, perhaps-dont speak,
that ancient person yonder engrosses me.
I wonder what Tree would pay for the loan
of his makeup"
TN put the question when I return This
evidently Is where we get down. Well, m
glad of that anyhow
II was as he said The cayalcade had
come TO its journeys end; and there, pic
tuIesquely grouped upon the narrow road,
were men and mules and mountain ponies,
giving more than a welcome splash of color
ID the neighborhood monotony OF rock and
shrub, and right glad all to be once more
at their ease 1t now became plain that
none but the gypsy leader was to enter the
castle with the prisoners; and he, when he
had addressed some loud words to the 9TH
ers (for the roar of the torrent compelled
him TO Shout passed first across the bridge
leading Kenyon's pony and calling to the
other to follow him. Just glance the men
could turn upon raging waters, here of the
deepest blue, there a sour green, or again
but a boiling, tumbling mass OF wrlthing
foam-tust this and the vista OF the sheer
cruel rocks and the Internal abyss: then
they passed over and the bridge was drawn
UP and they stood within the courtyard, as
securely Gagged as though the oubliettes
prisoned them and gives Of steel were
about their wrists.
"Excellents, my master, tho Cheyalier
would speak with you"
Thus said the guide-and, as he said It,
Gavin understood that he had come to the
house OF Count Odins father, the man who
had loved Dora dIstran, and for love OF
her had paid nearly twenty years Of his
precious liberty
"Ahd this is the Castle of okna7' he ex-
claimed.
The guide smiled.
mo, excellency." he said" the Castle Of
okna lies many miles from here. You must
speak to our master of that. That is his
step, excellency!'
They listened and heard the tapping of
stick upon stone pavement 1t approach
ed them laboriously; and after that which
seemed interminable interval an old
wkite-haired man appeared at one of the
doors OF the quadrangle and raising his
voice babe them welcome. The voice was
tho one they recognized as that of the
wood; but the face OF the speaker sent
shudder through Gavin's veins which left
him unashamed.
Blind" he muttered. amazed-'the man
Is blind"
CHAPTER XVI.