The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-04

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quick. tells him flatly that II ho sees
Maxine III need never return to her
Tho departure OF the train prevents any
further conversation, and Dundas forces
MS way into reserved apartment with
four strangers.
CHAPTER 1V.-Continued.
When ! got my balance. and was able
10 look out, the train had gone so rar
| 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 had lost my love forever
| AT that moment, | suffered so afro
| ciously that III 1T had not been too late.
j fear l should have sacrificed Maxine
and the Foreign Secretary and even the
| Entente Cordiale (proyidcd he had not
been exaggerating) for DIS sake. and
| loves sake. But there was no going
| back now, even II j would The train
/ was already travelling almost at fun
/ speed. and there was nothing to do but
/ resign myself to the Inevitable, and
/ hone for the best. Some one, IL was
| clear, had tried to work mischief be-
/ tween Diana and me. and there were
/ only too many chances that he had
| succeeded. Could 1t be Bob West. 1
asked myself. as | half-dazcdly looked
| for a place to sit down among the lit
| ter of small luggage with which tho
/ first occupant of the carriage had
| strewn every seat. Bob WAS as much
| In love with Di as man of his rather
| unintellectual, unifnaginative type
/ could be, and he hadn't shown himself
4 as friendly lately 10 me as he once
| sort of fellow to trip up a rival in the
! race by 81 trick. even II he could pos
| sibly have found out that i was going
to Paris this morning.
| Won't you sit here. sir?" voice
/ broke into my thoughts. and saw that
/ the little man had cleared a place for
! me next his own, which was in n corner
| facing the engine. Thanking him alb
| systematically. | sat down, and began
/ 10 observe my travelling companions
1 for the first time.
1 SO far. their faces had been Nero
4 blurs for me: but now 1t struck me
/ that all three were rather peculiar;
/ that Is, peculiar when seen in first
/ class carriage.
/ The man who had reserved the COM
partment for himself. and who had re-
1 moved bundle OF golf-sticks from the
/ scat to make room for me. did not
/ look like a typical golfer. nor did he
i appear at all the sort of person who
/ might be expected to reserve a whole
/ compartment for himself, He was small
! and thin. and weedy, with little blink
4 ing, pink-rimmed eyes of the kind
Il which ought to have had white lashes
instead OF the sparse, iet-black ones
that trimmed them. His forehead
4 though narrow, suggested shrewdness
4 as did the expression of those light
i colorcd eyes of his which were Sc,
4 close to the sharp, slightly upturnei
nose His hair was so black that il
made his skin seem singularly pallid
/ though 1t was only saliow; and mean
4 rabbit mouth worked nervously over
4 two prominent teeth. Though his
1 clothes were good. and new. they hat
i the air Of having been bought ready
i made. and in spite of this would-be
..srtart'' get up, the man (who nigh
4 have been anywhere between thirty
and thirtv-eighD looked somewhat like
!. an ex-Eroom, or bookmakcr. masquer-
\ aiding as a swell
The two intruders who had NioAtet
/ the sancity of the reserved compaft'
4 r,cnt by means of their railway Key
!. were both bigger and more manly thar
/ he who had a right to 1t. One was
dark and doubtless jewish with a
4 heavy beard and mustache, In the mlds
;. of which his sensual and CRUEL mouth
pouted disagreeably red. The other
was puffy and flushed, with brick
colored complexion deeply pitted pS
smallpox. They We're flashily dressed
4 with dorsey neckties and conspi'
4 cuous scarfpins. AS ! glanced at the
na,r thew were talking together In {
J. low voice. with an open newspaper
held IN between them; but the mar
i who had helped me in against then
will sat silent staring out of the WIN
down and uneasily lingering his colia.
I Not one OF the trio was, apparently
! having the slightest attention TO me
J, now that was seated; neYertheiess. &
thought of the large, long letter-cas.
which carried In an inner- hreast
) rocket OF my carefully buttoned coat
ro,,ld not attract attention to the con
tents of that pocket by touching IT, tt
!. asure myself that 1t was safe, but /
/ bad done so just before meeting ~
aud I felt certain that nothing coult
have happened to 1t since.
. I folded my arms across my cles -,
Glanced up to see where the cord o.
Z DENOMINATION might be found IN case
= ~ emergency; and then reflected ina
tboaa men were not likely to be dan
!. rarn,,s. since I had followed them lntf
/ tha compartment, not they me. Th,s
. thonpht was reassuring, as they We're
J three to one II they combined aEains s,
me. and the train was, unforeuhAts.s
!, not a corridor train, Therefore, naNimr
nss,,red, myself that was not amone
4 snIes bent on having my life or the Sc
crat carried, forgot about my rel 81
1nYv- travellers, and fell into gloomy
.naculations as to my chances VIZ
n Inn FORREST, L had ben loving her
!. Ethink,ng OF little elsesbut her ana %,
hnnes Of her, for many months now
mt never had 7 realized what g miser,
able, empty world It would pc !, lor ny
without her for my own, as y dld no"
when I had perhaps lost her -
a Not that 4 I would allow myself %te
n +binls thatsI could not get her bac X,
w MOI, mot ink IT. would force bel