The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-13

! peoples friends. Nayward as she was
 a true child of the streets Alban did not
 believe that siTr would remain at home i this night or consent to forgo the excite l ments of spectacle so wonderful. Nol l in this WAS he mistaken for he had been
 but very few minutes upon the balcony l when he perceived Lois herself looking 1 up at him from the press below and plain ] lv intimating that she had both seen and l recognized him.
 CHAPTER XXI.
 The Boy in the Blre Blouse.
 X sharp exclamation brought the Count i to Alban's side.
 Lois is down there" Alban said. "I am
 sure of it-she waved to me just now. 1 She WAS walking with man in dark | blue blouse. l coald not have been mis-
 taken
 | SiIe was quite excited that he should l have discovered her thus and Sergius l zamoyski did not lag behind him in in- l tlrest.
 Do you still see her." he aslied-'is she there now?"
 ''I cannot see Ter now-the soldiers 1 drove the people back. Perhaps If we ] went down.
 1 The Count laughed.
 Even I could not protect you tonight V ! he exclaimed dryly, 'nowhatever is to 1 be done must be done tomorrow. But
 
 | ears these people have Here we left Lon 1 don as secretly as a man on love af- l fair With the single exception of our friend It Hampstead, not human being l should have known of our departure or our destination. And yet we are not three hours in this place before this girl is out side our hotel, as well aware that we <, have arrived as we are ourselves. That 1 is what baffles our police, They cannot 1 contend with miracles. They are only 1 human, and I tell you that these people | are more than human"
 1 Alban still peerng down into the press ] in the hope that he might see Lois face | again. confessed that he could offer no l explanation whatever.
 : They told me the same thing in Lon don,n he said, "but I did not believe | them. old Boriskoff used to boast that | he knew of things which had happened | in Warsaw before the Russian govern l ment. They seemed to have spies ill | every street and every house If Lois | presence is not coincidence 1 My dear fellow, are you also be- l liever in concdence-the idle excuse or I men who will not reason. Forgive me | but I think very little of coincidence | Just figure the chances against such q | meeting as this. Would it not run into ] millions-your first visit to Warsaw; mo- | body expecting you nobody knowing your | name in the cty-and here is the girl 1 waiting under your window before you l have changed your clothes. Oh, mo-
 will have nothing to do with coincidence , These people certainly knew that we had i left England-they have been expecting l us: they will do their best to baffle us. Yes, and that means that we run some 1 danger. l must think of it-I must see | the Chief of the Police tonight. It would be foolish to neglect all reasonable pre- 1 cautions"
 Alban looked at him with surprise. None of those people will do me an | injury" he exclaimed, land you, Count, | why should you fear them?" The Count lighted a cigarette very de- ! liberately. There may be reasons,' he said-and that was all.
 Had he told the whole truth, revealed
 the secrets of his work during the last three years, Alban would have under stood very well what those reasons were. A shrewder agent of the government, more discreet jealous official of the se- ] cret service, did not exist. His very l bonhomie and good Fellowship had hith- l erto been the surest defence against dis- l covery. Men spoke of him as the great l gambler and fine sportsman. The Kew ! olutonaries had been persuaded to LOOK l upon him as their friend. Some day they | would learn the truth-and then, God | help him. Meanwhile, the work was well | enough. He found it even more amusing | than making love and a vast deal more
 exciting than big-game hunting. Yes" he repeated anon, There may be i reasons but 1t is a little too late to re- l member them. l am sending over to the | bureau now. If the chief is there, he will 1 be able to help me. Of course, you will | see or hear from this girl again. These l people would deliver letter 1T you l locked yourself up in an iron safe. They 1 will communicate with you in the morn ] ing and we must make up our minds l what to do. That is why l want advice. If you take mine," said Alban quietly, you will permit me to see her at once. 1 I am the last person in all Warsaw whom Lois Boriskoff will desire to in- | jure.'
 1 Am I to understand then--but no, it would be impossible. Forgive me even
 thinking of it. I had really imagined Tor l a moment that you might be her lover.
 Alban's face flushed crimson. s'She was my little friend in London l she will be the same in Warsaw, Count. 1 Count Sergius bowed as though he real 1 Iy accented this simple explanation and 1 apologlzed for his own thoughts. A
 shrewd man of the world, he did not be- 1 lieve a word of 1t, however. These two,
 boy and girl together had been daily as-
 sociates In the sums of London. They
 
 1 pleasures and passed for those who 1 would be man and wife presently. This 1 Richard Gessner had told him when they
 discussed the affair. and he renlempereu 1 it to his great satisfaction. For II Ai-
 ban were Lois Boriskoff's lover, then
 might he venture even where the police
 were afraid to go.
 'I will talk it all over with the chlet'
 the Count exclaimed abruptly; you have l had a long day and are better In ped. | Don't stand on any ceremony. but please l go directly you feel inclined
 l Alban did not demur for he was tired l out and that was the truth of it. In his 1 own room he recalled the question the
 Count had put to him and wondered tRat
 it had so distressed him. Why had His
 cheeks tingled and the words stumbled
 upon his lips because he had been called i Lois Boriskoffs lover? It used not to be l so when they walked Union street to-
 gether and all the neighbors regarded the i engagement as an accomplished Tact. Tie 1 had never resented such charge then
 what had happened that he should resent 1 it now? Was it the long weeks Of tenpta- 1 tion he had suffered In Anna Gessher s i Dresence? Had the world of riches so ! changed him that any mention or the oia l time could make him ashamed? He knew i not what to think-the blood rushed to | his checks again and his heart beat | quickly when he remembered that put
 for Count Sergius's visit to Hampstead | ne might have been Anna betrothed to- 1 day. ~ 1 In this he was as ever, entirely cahuia l s,ith himself neither combining his ralf Itl