Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-22

you before doing a thing which would
mean certain ruin for du Laurier l love
you as much as ever did: even more. be
cause. In common with most men. l value
what find hard to get. Tonight I ask you
again to marry me. Give me different
swer from that you gave me before and
I'll be silent about what l know
|. What you know of the document you
mentioned?" l asked. my heart drumming
an echo of Its beating in my ears
Yes"
But thought you said that its loss
was already discovered" (Oh. l was
keeping myself well under control. though
a mistake now would surely cost me more
than I dared COUNT
For half second he was taken aback AT
loss what answer to make. Half q second
no more: yet that hardly perceptibe hes!-
tation told me what l had been playing
with him to find out.
discovered by me" he explained. That
is. by me and one person over whom l
have such an influence that he will use his
knowledge or-forget 1t, according to my
advice
There is no such person." I sad to my
self. But l didn't say 1t aloud. Quickly l
named in my mind such men In the
French foreign Office were in a position
to discover the disappearance of any docu-
ment under Raoul du Laurier's charge.
There were several who might have done
so. some above RaOu IN authority. some
below; but l was certain that not one o,
them was an intimate friend of Count Co
the day he met me coming out of the for
eign office he might, Of course have limited
his suspicious to one of those men Though
all along I'd believed him too shrewd to
risk the consequences. the rtdicue and hui
initiation OF q mistake): but II he had
spoken it would be beyond his power 20
prevent matters from taking their own
course. independent OF my decisions and his
actions.
1 believed now that what had hoped
was true He was "bluffing." He wanted
me to founder Into some admission and to
make him a promise in order to save the
man I loved. l was only a woman, he d
argued no doubt-an emotional woman, al
ready wrought up to, a high pitch Of nerv-
GUS excitement. Perhaps he had expected
to have easy work with me. And l don't
think that my silence after his last words
discouraged him. He imagined me with
Ing at the alternative of giving up Raoul
or seeing him ruined, and he believed that
he knew me well enough to be sure what
would do In the end
"Well?'' he said at last. quite gently.
My eyes had been bent on my lap. but l
glanced suddenly up at him. and saw his
face in the light Of the street lamps as we
passed. Count Godensky is not more
Mephistopheian in type than any other
dark. thin man with a hook nose. keen
. eyes. heavy browed, a prominent chin and
q sharply waxed. military mustache.
trained to. point upward slightly at the
ends. But to my fancy he looked abso-
lutely devilish at that moment. StiT. was
less afraid of him than l had been since
the day I stole the treaty.
Well 1 said slowly, Il think it's time
that you left me now.
That's your answer? You can't mean
it."
II do mean 1t, just much as l meant
to refuse you the three other times that
you did the same honor You asked me
to hear what you had to say tonight and
have heard it, so there's no reason why l
shouldn't press the electric bell for my
chauffeur to stop and"
DO you know that you're pronouncing
du Laurier's DOOM to say nothing Of your
own?"
NO. l don't know it,
Then 1 haven't made myself clear
enough
That's true. You haven't made yourself
clear enough"
I'm what detail have 1 failed? Be-
cause
I'm the detail of the document. I've told
you I know nothing about 1t. You've told
me you know everything. Yet"
80 do T.
prove that by saying what 1t is-to sat-
isfy my curiosity.
'I've explained why 1 can't do that
here"
Then why should you stay here longer.
since that is the point. to my mind. You
understood before you came into my car
riage that had no intention of letting you
go all the way home with me-"
Count Godensky suddenly laughed. And
the laugh frightened me-frghtened me
horribly, just as 1 had begun to have conf
dence in myself and feel that had got the
best of the game