The Washington herald., 1908-05-17
CHAPTER vI-Continued. I

hands absolutely"
And you ask no more questions?"
II will question nothins."
Then come home with me. We live not
far from here. me and my daughter Elsa
my nice daughter, Elsa, who cook the
Kinder Brust so fine"
They passed out OF the square together.
q queer couple-cne so strangely strong,
sc suggestive OF mysterious force, that he
might have swo0ped down from another
planet on his companion, the weary, runt-
ed youth with the Christchurch cap and
the tatteved clothes.
No one in the square looked up as they
passed out. or they might have thought
OF an eagle flying on with hare IN ITS
claws. Fabian followed Won Tarsenneim
through the maze Of small dingy streets
behind Leicester Square, so much given
Up to foreigners, dust heaps. and the
Tears Of music halls. They halted In
front Of a shop which seemed 70 make a
speciality Of very pale yellow wigs. that
unnatural tint so dear 10 dolls and 10
youths at the muslc-haI age. Fabian
thought Of the baTmeid who had helped
his decision. and reflected that she must
deal at this shop. Won Tarsenheim took
out a latch-key and opened the narrow
door to the right A staircase showed
dimly at the end OF dark passage. II
should have seemed palatial 10 Fabian,
after the doss-house llfe, and the smell
Of cooking should have added an addi-
tional charm--yet he shuddered as he left
the London street and passed into the
commonplace dwelling. as condemned
criminals shudder when they pass their
own grave on the way to the galloWs.
Won Tarsenheim had not spoken since
they left the square. He seemed 20 be alb
sorbed by thoughts which carried him
into remote regions. His action with the
lateh-key was quite mechanical, but he
seemed Immediately conscious of the
young mans state Of mind and his hesi-
tatiOn at the door.
"Ah, ha. my friend. the Ills we know
not Of. eh2 Those streets have not been
so kind that you should cry to leave
them. Wait till you see my daughter
Elsa, who cook the Rinder Brust so fine.
Can you not smell the good cooking?' He
shifted appreciatively through his long
nose.
No replied Fabian, "the streets were
not kind. I ought to be glad enough to
see the last of them; but I expect my
nerves are bit off color"
''Oh, yes. the neTves-the poor nerves.
But wait till you have a good warm din
ner. and z long black cigar In the mouth,
while Elsa play us music on the violin
then you will be glad you have the
nerves They are Ike children-the
nerves." he continued, in his insinuating
voice, as they mounted the stairs. When
they cry, we are hungry, we are cold, We
are tired. we wish We had them not; we
would slap them and send them to bed
But when they carry messages of the
han N rrfr II fr0u 10 ava 10 he hrn
of the grand music from the ear. Of the
good taste from the palate-then We are
pleased with them, and pat the head.
And when they are being tortured by
some weird experiment? thought Fabian;
but he did not say anything. He did not
want 10 express fear. lest his strange cap
tor liberate him.
Won Tarsenheim opened a door at the
first landing, and they entered a room.
commonplace and shabby-a table laid for
three. with q cheap lamp in the center.
cane-seated chairs. ana a small sideboaTd.
All in keeping with the street and the
shop below. but not with the strange man
who had brought him here.
Fabian had vaguely expected cham
ber Of horrors or a pa:atiai Arabian
Nights apartment
Elsa! Where are you, Elsa7' called
''AIl right" answered a voice from an
inner room. with a very slight foreign in
tonation OF the Il"
I have brought him-the young man I
told you of-and we are hungry"
AL right. Coming.
There was something soothing and deli
cious In the voice. The young man felt
that he would like to follow the sound
waves back TO their source. he watched
the door eagerly.
Won TaTsenheim took of his long. bad
ly-made frock coat and put on a smoking
jacket, q richly-embroidered Oriental af-
1aiT. that haTmOniZed far better with his
general appearance than the one he had
discarded. That Is better" he said. as
he hung up the frock coat in the closet
THAT Is much better"
Tell me-" said Fabian. anxlously.
does your daughter know about this
this experiment? Does she know what I
an here for?'
Il tell Elsa ! bring young man home
as assistant. she think you help me in
my experiments"
That's all right, then. I say! could
you lend me q clothes brush?"
A clothes brush I have not, but ="
reaching under the sideboard, here is a
fine blacking brush All! but the young
are vain" he laughed, as Dare made pa
thetic efforts to set his clothes to rights
BY the way. you don't know my name
yet. It's Crawley-Peter Crawley."
Peter Crawley, All. yes. the introduo-
tion-the sacred introduction! It is a nice
name" and he smiled mockingly.
The young man threw the brush under
the table as the girl entered with tray
which held some covered dishes. He faced
Wne h. .. .f~h che
pearance and personality registered them
selves on the retina OF his mind as swift
" as pictures are recorded on a sensitive
him when the light is strong. Her. beauty
made his breath catch perceptibly. as
though the ordinary mechanism of life
had halted to allow him to absorb It.
Some strict lovers OF the classical might
have denied that Elsa Won Tarsenheim
vas even good-looking Her features
tilted at an angle which was all wrong
and her cheek bones were too high and
TOO vide. Greuze might have conceived
such face, but would not have dared
10 paint the picture. Celt, Teuton, and
Circassian had gone to the making OF It
The lOoseness OF her dress hardly suf-
feed to conceal the feminine curves OF
her figure, accentuated as she leaned
over the table With her hands still
resting on the handles of the trav. she
looked at the young man with surprised
curiosity, which blended into pity as she
noted his strained effort to appear nat
ural. and unconscious Of his rags. The
gallant poss OF his head. and some
glimpse she had OF the smoldering
fame Of genius behind his haggard looks,
made their appeal TO her imagination
She remembered having seen q copy of
one Of Byrou's pictures which had been
dimmed and weather-beaten. Fabian's
face reminded her strongly Of that pic
Sure.
Won Tarsenheim leaned forward In his
chair. noting the effect OF these two, one
on the other, in the impersonal. yet in
terested, manner Of a scientist watching
the action OF two new chemicals in a
fuha