Evening star., 1907-09-01
All Rights Re,erved.


trate all the knowledge OF old ana ,vil
things that has ever come into the world
since the days OF the early Egyptians
when cat was worshiped.
NO. I'm not going out OF town. III an
swered. Il came here to meet you ia casa
you should be leaving 10y this train. ana I
brought Lisa with me-
who told You / was leaving2' | asked.
hoping for n second or two that the furr!c cn
secretary had confidod to her something ot
his secret-Guessing ours. perhaps. ana thae
my unexpected. uueXpi!cahle absenca might
injure me with her.
Il can't tell YOU" she answered. T
didn't believe you would go, even though T
got your letter by the o'clock post this
morning"
I'm glad you got that" l said. Z
posted 1t soon after left you last night"
why didn't you tell mo when We wrra
bidding each other goodbye that YOU
wouldn't be able To see me this afternoon,
instead of waiting to writc?"
Frankly and honestly" | said 40. had
to say III. Just at the moment. and only
for the moment, forgot about the pu.hcss
after ! decided to drop in at the bazaar.
something happened which made IL impos-
sible for me TO go. In my letter | u gged
you To let me You tomorrow instead,
and now ! beg it again. DO say yes"
TN say yes on one condition-aud glad
ly she repliJd. with an odd. palr ittla
smile. that YOU tell me where you're Eo-
ing this morning. l know IL must seem
horrid in me to ask. but-but-oh Ivor. it
isn't horrid, really. You wouldn't think it
horrid If you could understand"
Il m going to Paris" | answered. begins
ming to feel as if | had a cold potato y hero
my heart ought to be. II am Obliged "a go,
on business"
You didn't say anything about Paris in
your letter this morning. when you told
me you couldn't come to the duchess"
said Di. looking like beautiful unhappy
child her eyes big and appealing. her
mouth proud You only mention, ID an
urgent engagement which you'd forgot-
ten.'
Il thought that would be enough to exc
plain in hurry" told her lamely.
so it was-so 1t would have been she
faltered, If it hadn't been for-what wa
said last night about-Pars. And tncn-I
can't explain to you, Ivor, any more than
1t seems you can to me. But l did hear
you meant to go there, and-after our talk,
station to find you: came becausa | was
perfectly sure 1 wouldn't find you. and
wanted to prove that l hadn't found You.
Yet-yOu're here"
And, though l am here. you will trust
me Just the same l said firmly as
could.
"of course: I'll trust you, if
IF you'll tell me just one little tiny
thing-that you're not going to see Maxine
de Renze."
Il may her." admitted.
"But-but at least, you're not going on
purpose?"
This drove me into a corner. Without be.
ing dsloyal to the foreign secretary I
could not deny all personal desire to meet
Maxine. Yet to what suspicion was 1 not
laying myself open In confessing that
deliberately intended to see her having
sworn by all things a man does swear by
when he wishes to please q girl, that I
didn't wish to see Maxine, and would not
see Maxine?
You said you'd trust me. d. I re.
minded her. For heavens sake don't
hroo y hot icat
"But-if you're breaking promise TO
me?"
"A promise?'
Worse theni Because I didn't ask you
to promise. l had too much faith in you
for that. i believed you when you said you
didn't care for--any one but me. I've told
Lisa. 1t doesn't matter our speaking like
this before her. 1 asked you to wait for
my promise for q little while, until could
be quite sure you didn't think of Miss de
Renzie as-some people fancied you did. II
you wanted to see her, | said you must go,
and you laughed at the idea. Vet the very
next morning, by the first train, you start"
only because I am obliged to-" | haz-
arded in spite of the foreign secretary and
his precautions. But l was punished for
my lack of them by making matters worse
instead of better for myself.
'Obliged to!' she echoed. Then there's
something you must settle with her before
you can be-free."
The guard was shutting the carriage
doors. In another minute l should lose
the train. And 1 must not lose the train.
For her future and mine, as well as Max
ines, l must not.
Dearest said hurriedy. IT am free.
There's no question of freedom. Yet 7
shall have to go. hold you to your word.
Trust me-"
Not If you go to her-this day of all
days" The words were wrung from the
poor child's lips, l could see, by sheer an
guish. and 1t was like death to me that
should cause her this anguish. instead OF
soothing 1t.
"You shall. You must" I commanded,
rather than implored. Goodbye, darling
precious one. 1 shall think of you every
instant and 1 shall come back to you to-
morrow"
You needn't You need never come to
me again." she said. white-lipped. And the
guard whistled. waving his green flag.
Don't dare to say such cruel thing-a
thing you don't meanl'' 1 cried. catching at
the closed door of a frst-class compart-
ment. AS / did So little man inside
jumped to the window and shouted, Re.
served! Don't you see It's reservoir" which
explained the fact that the door seemed to
be fastened.
l stepped back. my eyes falling on the
label tosWhich the man pointed, and would
have tried the handle of the next car
riage had not two men rushed at the door
as the train began to move and dexterous-
ly opened 1t with railway key. Their
throwing themselves thus in my way would
have lost me my last chance OF catching the
moving train had 1 not dashed in after
them. II 1 could choose, 1 would be the
last man to obtrude myself where | was
not wanted. but there was no time to
choose. and l was thankful to get in any,
where rather than break my word. Be-
sides. my heart was too sore at leaving
Diana as I had had to leave her to care
much for anything else. had just sense
enough to fight my way in. though the two
men with the key mot the one who had
occupied the compartment frst) yelled that
1t was reserved, and would have pushed
me out II hadn't been too strong for them.
had dim impression that. Instead Of
Joining with the newcomers. the first man,
who would have kept the place to himself
before their entrance, now seemed willing
to aid me against the others. They being
once foisted upon him. he appeared to wish
for my presence too, or else he merely de-
sired to prevent me from being dashed
onto the platform and perhaps killed for
he thrust out hand and tried to pull me
in.
At the same time a guard came along,
protesting against the unseemly struggle,
and the carriage door was slammed smut
upon US all four.
When l got my balance and was able to
look out the train had gone so far that
Diana and Lisa had been swept away from
my sight 1t was like a bad omen, and the
fear was cold upon me that 1 had lost my