The Red Cloud chief., 1907-08-09

We Sllull STE, I' uISNPTPu. IN
the first place. Lord Runton has been
here. He is one of my Oldest friends
ana n very good fellow. He came to
tell me that De Rothe had been robbed
in his house of some valuable papers.
lie came partly to ask my advice. All
the time | was sitting opposite to him
with those papers In my pocket"
She looked Mt him strangely.
"Perbaps.' she said quietly, "you
gave them up to him."
81 did not" he answered. "You know
very well that | did not
1T was your duty" she said in n low
tone.
Perhaps so. On the other hand" he
continued, you trusted me. The pa
pers are safe
"Does he know that you have themY"
she asked.
"Ue knows nothing"
She looked at him steadfastly-not
with any appearance Of doubling his
word, and yet as though she were re-
volving something in her mind con-
corning him.
81 am thinking" she said. show much
better 1t would have been for both of
us IL we had never met
"The fates thought otherwise" he
answered. ~ searched Paris for you
only to find you ut my gates. The fates
meant you to he my friend. We must
be careful not to disappoint Them
She shook her head Il little wistfully.
"Sou have been very good to me-"
she said, "but you don't underestimate
"Precisely." he interrupted. II don't
understand. l want to. TO begin with,
what in this world induced o to
throw In your lot even for an hour with
the man who called himself Fielding?'
Il can answer no questions concern
ing myself" she said sadly.
lie smiled.
Come he said. ''it isn't so serious
as all that. is it? Sooner or later your
friends are sure to find you, and they
will not be content with such Il state
mcnt rs that. You We're summoned
II day to Paris by or on behalf of
your brother, who had ~unaccountably
disappeared there. You Immediately
appear to have followed suit. You had
no friends in Paris. Neither, | think,
had he. | believe | am correct in say
ing that you had neither of you ever
been there before. If your brother has
fallen into bad hands, and if those
same people are trying to work upon
your fears by leading you into this sort
of thing-wcll, | have friends who are
powerful enough to bring you safely
out of any den of thieves in the world.
You are in an impossible situation, my
dear young lady. Nature never meant
you for an adventures. There Is no
necessity for you to become one Why
do you look at me like that?"
There was terror in her face. He
had hoped to reassure her, to give her
courage. On the contrary, every word
he spoke only seemed to Increase her
distress.
"Oh, | am afraid!' she murmured. II
| wish | had taken my chance. l ought
not to have burdened you for q mo-
ment with my affairs. / have given
you the right to ask me questions
which | canno answer"
He IA perpleXed.
"If you have given promises to these
people, he began.
ooh, there is no question of prom
ises,'' she interrupted. Il am here of
my own free will. / refuse to answer
any questions. l pray only If you
would be generous that you ask me
none, that you keep me until tomor-
row and let me go not only from this
place, but out of your life. Then in
deed l will be grateful to YOU"
He took her hand in his. She yield
ed it without any attempt at resist
ance, but it lay in his palm a cold, dead
thing.
II am only concerned for your good
he said gently. 1T is your happiness
only that | am anxious for. You were
not born or trained for a life OF lies
and crime. l want to save you from 1t
before it is too late"
what I do" she said slowly, Il do
of my own free will"
Not quite, l think" he answered,
''but let that pass. Listen! If you will
not talk to me about these things, Will
you talk to my friend, Jarvis Spencer
He is II gentleman and n journalist by
profession, but he is also n of the
clevercst amateur detectives in Eng
land"
She held up her hands with a little
gesture of horror. Her eyes We're
alight with fear.