The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-08-20
By GUY THORNE.
CHAPTER xll-Continued.

mail were few. The steam crane soon
swung the luggage aboard. The mails
went In the hold. The thirty or forty
passengers, one and all, seemed to
have disappeared below. There was
the welcome clang OF the engine-room
bell, the slow throbbing OF the propel-
ler, and the quay was already three
yards away. The streak of moonlit
water between the ship and the tide
wall widened and widened. The pas
sage had begun.
The two young men climbed to the
upper deck and paced slowly up and
down, arm in arm. talking OF what
lay before them.
The turbine slid away into the night
on the long four and half hours pas
sage. The white cliffs of England
glimmered for little space, and then
. sea-fog got up and hid them. The
steady throb. felt rather than heard,
Of the mighty engines pervaded the
still air. A mile or two out from land
the harbour wind ceased, but there
was an oily swell, which made the
Princesse Henriette roll little.
Grant was good sailor. however,
and Basil Marriott was. Of course, more
ct home upon q deck than the floor
Of . room.
They were quite alone upon the up
per deck. All the seats we're deserted.
The great tunnels rose amidships
white and ghost-like, and the only
sound OF life came from the bridge
above them. where the captain and
the mate we're pacing. They could
see the red lights Of their cigars, as
they passed and repassed each other.
and now and then they heard the cap
tain give an order to the man at the
wheel. and the hoarse reply: Port
it 10! Starboard it Isl"
'Well. old chap" Grant said, I'VE
are fairly In for 1t now. and l hope
you don't feel you have come upon q
wild-go0se chase. At least, don't
cutie mean that What mean Is, that
you don't regret having thrown in
your lot with US upon this business"
Regret. my dear fellow?" the sailor
answered: regret? You don't know
what It means to me. Why, have
met my sweetheart on this voyage.
That 10 = fact. only It's = fact you
need not expatiate upon"
do you know" Grant answered. II
thought there was something Of the
sort, and it was I who proposed to
the Duchess that Miss Hobson should
accompany her. thought-don't you
see-it was my artfulness-that I'd
ct you more easily!"
"Oh. come. Grant," the other an
0wered, you could not have known
much about It. I didn't know much
about It myself until 1t actually hap
pened. It's astonishing, by the way.
how rapidly these things do happen
sometimes"
"Oh." Grant replied, "time is nothing
70 men like you and me. It II what
~ feel. not how long we have felt it.
that really matters"
'.That II just what I have thought"
Marriott replied. 'Halloa! What's
this3" he broke on short.
Someone came stumbling up the
ladder to the upper deck.
The two men were forward, and
= the moonlight they saw q tall, thin
figure 90 rolling away and plump
down upon seat on the port side.
Then. quite distinctly In the still air
of the summer night. they heard
oroan.
Grant and Marriott bent over the
valet and looked In his face. The
mans breathing was thick and ster-
torous. There was something about
his face they did not like.
Grant lifted up one eyelid with his
thumb. The cornea was turned up
wards. The edge Of the pupil. which
they could zee, was strangely dilatsd.
why, the man II In q fit," Grant
said, Ii . sharp, frightened voice.
Basil bent down towards the valet's
Gace. He shifted.
mo. 1t II not that" he said. Then.
o. curiously hurried voice, 1T IL not
That 1t all! The man 10 drugged.
You know. Grant. was one Of Percy
SCOTS Naval Brigade In the Boer
War, and some OF our chaps were
wounded. and went to them In hos
pttal: In fact. saw good deal Of
nold doctoring. Someone has dosed
ycur man with Z sleeping draught."
hut that is impossible!" Michael
answered. 1--WE have been on deck
III the time. Nobody has been up!"
Baail thought for q moment.
ssHcod heavens!" he said. "My
Gask! Somebody must have put
something into It ct my rooms. when
Williamson went to fetch my gear"
s'NouGense!" Grant answered. mo
body coaM have got into your rooms,
A! think I see It now. Marriott!
what about that man with the beard
Who Was III the carriage with us1
Didn't ~ 50 to slsep7''
n a believe we did. Tor half an hour
~ ~ Basil answered. That's It!
This llttIe dose was meant Tor you.
AnA perhaps for me-
49, nthlAfa fsnmfamtsnh n r hard.