The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-06

tongue his voice had pleasant musical ring. even while 1t narrated the story of his friends misfortune.
 We have failed, mein Herr" he said, T come to you with grievous news. We have failed and there Is not an hour to lose"
 Gessner. heard him with that self-mas- tery to which his while life had trained him. Betraying no sign of emotion what ever, he pulled a chair toward the light and invited tho stranger to take it.
 This is my young kinsman." he said, introducing Alban who still fingered in the garden; you have heard of him. Count" And then to Alban, Let me present you to my very old friend. Count zamoysld. He is cavalry soldier, AL ban, and there is no finer rider in Eu- rope"
 Alban took the outstretched hand and. having exchanged a word with the stranger would have left the place in stantly. TMs, however, Count ZamoysSi himself forbade. Speaking rapidly to Gessner in tho German tongue, he turned to the lad presently and asked him to re- main.
 "Young heads are wise heads some times," he said in excellent English, you may be able to help us. MT. Kennedy. Please wait until we have discussed the matter little moro fuily.
 To this the banker assented by a single inclination of his head.
 "As you say, Count-we shall know presently. Please tell mo the story from the beginning"
 The Count lighted a cigarette, and sink ing down into the depths of a monstrous armchair, he began to speak in smooth low tones-a tragedy told almost in whis- pers; for thus complacently, as the great Frenchman has reminded us, do we bear the misfortunes of our nelghbors.
 "I bring news both of failure and of success" he began. but the failure is of greater moment to us. Your instructions to my government. that the Bor1skoffs, father and daughter, were an embarrass- ment to you which must be removed, have been faithfully interpreted and acted upon immediately. The father was arrested at Alexandrovf Station, as I promised that he should be but their mission has been in vain. So you see that while Paul Borisk- off Is now in the old prison at Petersburg, the daughter Is heaven knows where, which I may say is nowhere for our pur- pose. That we did not complete the affair is our misfortune. The girl, we are con- vinced, is still in Warsaw. but her friends are hiding her. Remember that the police knew the father but that the daughter is unknown to them. These Polish girls pardon me- refer to the peasant classes are as alike as two roses on a bush. We shall do nothing until We establish identity-and how that is to be done, do not pretend to say. If you can help us-and 1t Is very necessary for your own safety to do so-you have not a minute to lose We should act at once, I say. without the loss of a single hour"
 Thus did this man of affairs, one who had been deep in many brave intrigue, make known to the man who had en1- ployed him the supreme misfortune Of their adventure. Had he said. Your life is in such peril that you may not have another hour to live" it would have been no more than the truth. Their plot had failed and the story of 1t was abroad. This had he come from Paris to tell-this was the news that Richard Gessner heard with less apparent emotion than though one had told him of the pettiest event of a common day.
 The matter has been very badly bum gied," he said "I shall write to General Trepoff and complain of It. Do you not see how inconvenient this is? If the girl has escaped, she will be sheltered by the Revolutionaries, and if she knows my story, she will tell 1t to them. I may be followed hereto this very house. You know that these people stick at nothing. They would avenge this mans liberty whatever the price What remains to dis cover Is the precise amount of her knowl- edge. Does she know my name, my story? You must find that out, Zamoyski-there Is not an hour to lose. as you say
 He repeated his fears, pacing the room and smoking necessarily. The whole dan ger of a situation is not usually realized upon its first statement, but every fn- stant added to this mans apprehensions and brought the drops of sweat anew ID his forehead. He had planned to arrest