The Washington herald., 1908-04-06
CHAPTER XIII.



anything further.
Rolfe. on his part. had learned from
Drukovitch the full details OF the das-
tardly attempt upon the Doctors life at
Topschleder and how the little child had
been blown TO atoms. The escape OF
Petrovitch had been little short Of nil
raeulous, and il was now whispered that
The conspiracy had no political gignifi-
canoe. but was an act Of private ven
geance.
Whatever its motive might have been.
il had had the desired effect of prevent
ing the doctor from returning to Servia.
In various quarters Rolfe made diligent
inquiry, and established without doubt
that Maud Petr0Yiteh had within the past
ten days or so been In Belgrade.
A young officer Of the Kings Guard,
Lieut.. Yankoyitch, had seen her in the
Ear Duschan0wa UliZa. He described
her as wearing a white serge gown with
a big black hat She was walking with a
short. elderly. gray-haired woman. IN
dOubtedly f0reigner-Englisih or Amer
lean. He was marching with his COM
pany, or would have stopped and spoken
10 her.
Another person discovered by Druko-
N&ANAA HaS a ADiiACStAS WIZ AtaA ViANN bcetA
IN the doctors service. She declared that
early one morning, when going from her
home TO the house in the Krunska. where
she was now employed. she met her
young mistress Maud with the same ell
Derby woman-a woman rather stability
dressed. The pair were passing the Rus
sian Legation, and she stopped and spoke
The young lady had told her that she
was only on a flying visit to Belgrade.
and that she was leaving again on the
morrow. To the servants inquiries re
garding the doctor his daughter was ST.
lent, as though she did not wish TO men,
tion her father.
According 10 the servants description,
Mile. Maud looked very wan and pale
as though she had passed many sleepless
nights full Of anxiety and dread.
The prime minister's wife had no recol-
lection Of telling her husband about meet
ing the doctors daughter. Somebody else
must have mentioned it to the gray
bearded statesman, who. full of the cares
of Office, had forgotten who It had been
A third person who had seen Maud,
however. was one Of the agents Of secret
police on duty at the railway station. 1t
was the mans work to watch arriving
passengers. and detail agents TO watch
any suspected 10 be foreign spies. Ac-
cording TO his report made TO the chief Of
police. Mile PetrOvitch arrived in Bel
grade late one night with an elderly
English woman and a tall. thin man.
probably a German. They hired a cab
and drove to an address near the BOtani-
cal Gardens, on the opposite side OF the
city. Recognizing who she was. he did
not instruct an agent to follow her. The
two ladies returned 20 the railway sta
ton four days later and left again by the
nv5npF pzrrraga FOR Fludonnrf
The officials Of the International EX-
press, in passing through SeTvfa, are COM
PEELED to furnish t. the secret police the
names and nationalities of all passengers
travelling. When the train arrives in Bel
grade the conmissario IS always handed
the list which is filed for reference.
Upon the list on that particular day was
shown the names Of Nile. Maud Pavlo-
witch. Of Belgrade, and Mrs. Wood, Of
London.
The girl had only slightly disguised her
name
These results of Charles inquiry show
ed quite plainly that his well beloved
was alive. and that she had been in
Servia with some secret object, The Pc
lice were unaware Of the exact address
near the Botanical Gardens where the
couple stayd- 1t IS only within their
province TO watch suspected foreigners.
OF Servians they take no account.
Therefore, beyond the facts already
stated. Rolfe could discover nothing.
Day after day he remained in Belgrade.
sometimes spending the afternoon by go
ing for q trip across the Danube to
that dull and rather undressing frontier
town of Hungary, Semlin, and always
hoping to be able TO discover something
further-scme clew to the strange dis
appearance of the doctor or the real
reason why his Maud was so determined
to hold aloof from him.
Thrice he received wild kilograms from
Max Barclay, asking for information as
10 where he might best seek news OF
Marion News Of her? Her brother was
just as staggered by her disappearance
as was her lover.
He telegraphed that she might perhaps
be at the house of an old servant Of their
fathers at Boston, in Lincolnshire But
next day came a report dispatched from
Boston that the good man and his wife
had heard nothing of their late master
daughter
Again to BridIington he sent Max, 70
some friends there; but from that place
came a similar response. Marion was,
like Maud, in hiding, But why?
In the bright morning sunshine he
strolled the streets, which were so full
OF quaint and interesting types. There in
Belgrade, the gateway of the East. one
saw the Servian peasant In his high boots,
his white shirt worn outside his trousers,
and his round, high cap Of astrachan.
The better class peasant wore his brown
homespun. while the women. with the
gay colored kerchiefs on their heads.
wore their heavy silver girdles and their
ornaments reminiscent Of the Turkish oc-
cupation. Big. burly men fl scarlet
Wristbands and fur caps, women in pretty
peasant costumes from the distant prov
inces. officers gay with ribbons and
2 crosses, and ladies in gowns and hats
that spoke muteiy of Bond street and the
Rue de la PaiX; all were seen in the ever /
moving panorama Of that cosmopolitan |
little capital where East meets West
The financial business which Charlie |
had come there to transact had already /
been concluded. to the mutual satisfaction |
Of his excellency the prime minister and /
OF the gray-faced old misanthrope seated /
in the silent room in Park Lane. Many |
cables in cipher had been exchanged and /
Charlie had placed mis- signature to half /
a dozen documents. which IN due course |
would be countersigned with old Sans
scrawly caligTaphy. The stake Of Statham /
Bros. in Servia represented considerably /
over one million sterling, and nobody had 1
been more conscious Of OLD Sans readi- /
ness to assist in the development Of the 4
country's rich resources than his majesty |
the King.
Upon a side table In Statham's study In /
Park lane was a big autographed por-
trait in a silver frame, which King Peter
had given him at his last audience.
Therefore, IT was with feelings Of gratih-
cation that Charlie heard from the minis
ter-president's lips the verbal message Il
which the King had sent-a message of Il
thanks to Mr.. Rolfe for doing all that he