The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-08
By Max PembertOn

ar was COOL ana clear as though IL had | passed through a lattice of ice.
 | Please to wait one moment, Kennedy, and will go to MT. Gessner. He expects
 Us and we shall not have long to walt. | Is he not in the library, Fellows-ah, l
 thought he would be there"
 The young butler said: "Yes, sir;" but i Alban perceived that it was in a tone
 which implied some slight note of con- tempt. That fellow" he thought, would have kicked me into the street If
 I had called here yesterday-and his fa- ther, l suppose kept public house or q
 fish shop" The reflection shattered his sense of irony; and sitting negligently upon a broad settee, he studied the hall | closely it's wonderful paneling, the mag i nifeently carved balustrades. the great
 organ Up there in the gallery-and lastly the portraits. Alban liked subject pic lures, and these masterpieces of Sargent
 and Luke Fildes did not make an instan- taneous appeal to him. Indeed, he had cast but a brief glance upon the best of them before his eye fell upon a picture
 which brought the blood to his cheeks as though a hand had slapped them. It was
 the portrait of the supposed Polish girl
 whom he had seen upon the balcony of
 the house in St. James Square-last night as he visited the caves
 Alban stared at the picture open mouthed and so lost in amazement that all other interests of his visit were in- stantly lost to his memory. hard dog matic common-sense could make little of
 a coincidence so amazing. If he had
 wished to think that the unknown re- sembled little Lois Boriskoff-if he had wished so much last night the portrait, ' seen in this dim light, hattered his desire | amazingly. He knew, however, that the resemblance was chiefly one of national i ity, and in the same instant he remem- hof J,a had house of a Pole. Was it possible, might he dare to imagine, that Paul Boriskon' 3 1 friendship had contrived this strange ad- venture. Some excitement possessed him at the thought for his spirit had ever been adventurous. He could not but ask him. self to whose house had he come then and for what ends? And why did he find
 e~portrat of the Polish girl therein? Alban's eyes were still fixed upon the picture when the young butler returned to summon him to the library. He was not ia little ashamed to be found intent upon such an occupation. and he rose imme- ! diately and followed the man through a small conservatory. aglow with blooms, and so at once into the sanctum where the master of the house awaited him. Perfect in its way as the library was, Al ban had no eyes for 1t in the presence of Richard Gessner whom thus he met for the first time. Here, truly, he might for | he stood face to face with a leader among men and he was clever enough to rec ognlze as much immediately.
 Richard Gessner was at that time fifty three years of age. A man of medium
 height, squarely built and of fine phy sque,, he had the face rather of sub stantial German than of the usually somewhat cadaverous Pole. A tousled black beard hid the jowl almost com
 pletely; the eyes were very clear and light blue in color; the head massive above the neck, but little low at the forehead Alban noticed how thin and fragile the white hand seemed as it rest ed upon a strip of plotting paper upon the writing table; the clothes, he thought,
 were little better than those worn by any foreman in Yarrows works; the tie was 1 absolutely shabby and the watch chain
 nothing better than two lengths of black silk with seal to keep them together. And yet the mental power, the personal magnetism of Richard Gessnes made itself felt almost before he had uttered a single word.
 "Will you take a seat MT. Kennedy am dining in the city tonight and my i time is brief. MT. Geary, I think, has
 spoken to you of my intentions Alban looked the speaker frankly in the
 face and answered without hesitation: He has told me that you wish to em-
 ploy me, sir.
 That I wish to employ you-yes. 1t Is not good for us to be idle. But he has told you something more than that?"
 Indeed" the curate interrupted, ''very
 much more, MT. Gessner. 1 have told Kennedy that you are ready and willing to take an interest, the greatest possioie interest, in hs future"
 The banker-for as such Richard Cess nes was commonly known-receved Che interjectlon a little impatlently and, turning his back slightly, he fixed an earnest look upon Albans face ana watched him critically while he spoke.
 MT Kennedy said he, "I never give my reasons You enter this house to con- fer a personal obligation upon me. You
 will remain in that spirit. I cannot tell you tonight I may be unable to tell you for many years why you have been chosen or what are the exact circum- stances of our meeting. This, however, may say-that you are fully entitled to the position I offer you and that 1t Is just
 and right should receive you here. You
 will for the present remain at Hampsted as one of my family. There will be many
 opportunities of talking over your fu- ture-but I wish you first to become ac- customed to my ways and to this house, and to trouble your head with no specula-
 ttions of the kind which I could not as
 sist. I am much in the city, but MT, Geary will take my place and you can speak to him as you would to me- He is mySMajor Domo, and needless to say I in him repose the most considerable confidence"
 He turned again toward Mir, Geary and seemed anxious to atone for his momen- tary impatience. The voice In which he spoke was not unpleasant, and he used
 the English language with an accent
 which did not offend Rare lapses into odd and unusual sentences betrayed him occasionally to the keen hearer, but Al ban, in his desire to know the man and to understand him, made light of these.
 q am to remain in this house, sir-but why should I remain. what right nave
 to be here?" he asked very earnestly.
 The banker waved the objection away a little petulantly.
 "rhe right of every man who has a career offered to him. Be content with
 that since am unable to tell you more.
 But, sir, I cannot be content. why
 should I stay here as your guest when
 I do not know you at all?
 MY lad, have I not said that the ooii-
 gation is entirely on my side. I am offer
 ing you that to which you have every inst claim Children do not usually re- fuse the asylum which their fathers door opens to them. I am willing to take you into this house as a son-would 1t not be A little ungrateful to argue with meE From what know of him. Alban Kenne- dy Is not so foolish. Let Mir. Geary show you the house while I am dressing. We will meet at breakfast and resume this