The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-09-22


over his face. Was it-pity? Dis
may? Fear? What was it?
The Countess Pravsnoski greeted
me charmingly, and though all the
time I felt that her deep eyes were
searching my very SOUL nothing
could have been kinder than her man.
ner or more considerable than her sug-
gestion that l should go at once to my
room and have supper there.
Tomorrow we will discuss duties
and arrangements, she said, in flu
ent English; tonight rest. l will show
you to your room, Miss Tremayne."
So saying she swept across to door
near the fireplace and | followed her.
Just as | was passing the fireplace,
the gentleman, who had all this time
been standing there in silence, stopped
a little toward me and said in low,
intense whisper, and in English: For
Heavens sake get out Of this place"
/ half paused, gazing at him in
amazement, but he was already back
in his original position, looking indif-
ferently across the room, and appar-
emily unaware of my existence. Could
| have been mistaken? Had he not
spoken? / cast another hurried glance
in his direction then fastened after
the Countess.
The chill of doubt descended on me
again, with a sick remembrance that l
could not take advantage of his warn
ing-if it had been a Warrington |
had not the wherewithal to travel
back across Europe again, even if 1
wished to do so. My doubts were dis
PEELED, however, when / saw the two
beautiful little rooms prepared for me,
and when the Countess said gracious
ly:
Il hope you will be very happy here,
my dear; we shall do our best to make
you So Then leaving me in the care
of kindly-looking maid, she departed.
Katinka- the maid, did her best for
my comfort; she brought me my sup
per, helped me unpack, and chatted to
me gaily in the queerest possible mix
ture of German and English.
Once or twice in the course of con-
versation she mentioned the Count and
remembering the impressive gentleman
downstairs and his strange whisper,
| said at last:
mo doubt 1t was the Count / saw
with the Countess when / arrived"
Katinkc stared at me, a look of froz-
en- horror on her face. ''Himmel, no.
she exclaimed. 'It-the-I beg the
gracious Fraulein's pardon. but that
gentleman is the secretary-the Ger
man secretary"
Then the Count" l began, but
on the maids speaking countenance.
The Count lives always in his own
wing of the CASTLE she said CURLY,
and not another word did she utter
during the rest of the time she spent in
my room.
THE Count is evidently unpopular"
| mused When left to myself. | be-
gan to prepare for bed, having first
locked the door into the corridor, and
looked very carefully in every Granny
and corner of the room. / paused
finally at the window. and drawing
back the blind looked out. The castle
was evidently built on the very edge
of a rock, for, standing inside my room
could with the greatest ease have
flung a stone into those black depths
below. l shrank back from the win
dow. trembling all over. the words the
secretary had whispered echoing in
my ears: For Heavens sake get out
of this place
slept soundly; the morning sun
light dispelled my fears, and the nor
NAL aspect of the breakfast at which
| met the secretary and the Countess,
made me laugh at my terrors of the
night.
My duties, as explained by the Count
ess. seemed light indeed, and my spir-
its rose rapidly. Once in the course
of the meal my eyes met those of the
secretary Herr Schmidt, and some
thing in their earnest scrutiny
brought back to me his strange words
of the previous night. But he looked
away again at once. and his apparent
indifference TO my presence convinced
me / had been mistaken. In the one or