The searchlight., 1910-03-25


Anna chose to name; but In the mean
time her uncle would take her down
to Sicily. a. the weather was SO won
derfully fine and 1t was still SO hot.
Nine. Anna therefore named a day,
and promised. moreover. to see the
best linen-drapers and seamstresses
herself. and to provide the young lady
with as complete an outfit as II she
were going to be married. She should
have all things visible and invisible
In the shortest possible time. Logo
theft. who considered himself a stran-
ger, insisted on putting down q thou
sand franc note merely as guarantee
Of good faith. The dressmaker pro-
tested almost furiously and took the
money. still protesting. So that was
settled. and Baraka was to be out
wardly changed into beautiful Fer.
inghi lady without delay. To tell the
truth. the establishment is really q
smart one, and she was favorably i'm
pressed by the many pretty frocks
and gowns that were tried on several
pretty young woman in order that she
might make her choice.
Barnka would have liked q blue
satin skirt with yellow train and .
bright green silk body. but In her
travels she had noticed that the
taste OF Feringhi ladies' was for
very sober or gentle colors. compared
with the fashionable standards Of
Samarkand. Tiflis. and Constantinople,
and she meekly acQuiesced to every
thing that Logotheti and Nine. Anna
proposed, after putting their heads to-
gether. Logotheti seemed to know q
great deal about 1t.
II was nearly dark when the naph-
tha launch took them out to the yacht,
which lay under the mole where the
big English and German passenger
steamers and the men-of-war are
moored.
Logotheti had at last received Mar
garets telegram asking him to meet
her at once. 1t had failed to reach
him In Gibraltar. and had been tele-
graphed on thence to Naples. and
when he read 1t he was considerably
disturbed. He wrote a long message
Of explanations and excuses. and sent
1t to the prima donna at Bayreuth.
tripling the number OF words she had
prepaid for his answer. But no reply
came. for Margaret was herself at
sea and nothing could reach her. He
sent one of his own men from the
yacht to spend the day at the tele-
graph Office, with instructions for
finding him II any message came. The
man found him three times, and
brought three kilograms; and each
time as he tore open the little folded
brown paper he felt mere uncomfor-
table. but he was relieved to find each
time that the message was only a
business one from London or Paris.
giving him the latest confidential news
about government lean In which he
was largely interested. When he
reached the yacht he sent another
man to wait till midnight at the ONCE.
The diva was angry. he thought: I:
that was clear. and perhaps she had
some right to be. The tone of her
telegram had been peremptory In the
extreme. and now that he had an
swered II after delay Of several
days. she refused to take any notice
of him. 1t was not possible that such
a parsonage as she was should have
left Bayreuth without leaving clear In
structions for sending ON any tele
grams that might come after she left
At this time of year. as he knew, she
was beset with offers Of engagements
to sing. and they had to be answered
From eight o'clock In the morning Il
midnight there were l6 hours. ample
time for q retransmitted message tc
reach her anywhere In Europe and to
be answered. Logotheti felt q sensa
ton of deep relief when the man came
aboard at q quarter-past midnight and
reported himself empty handed: but
he resolved to wait till the following
evening before definitely leaving
Naples for the ten days which must
elapse before Baraka could try on hel
beautiful Feringhi clothes.
He told her anything he liked. and
she believed him. or was Indifferent;
for the idea that she must be a. well
dressed as any European woman
when she met the man she was seek
ing had appealed strongly to her. and
the sight Of the pretty things at Nine
Anna.s had made her ashamed OF heI
simple little ready-mAde serges and
blouses. Logotheti assured her tha,
Kralinsky was within easy reach. and
showed NO inclination to travel far
There was news Of him In the tele
grams received that day. the Greel
said. Spies we're about him and were
watching him for her. and 80 far hs
had shown no inclination to admir-,
/ any Ferinshi beauty.
. Baraka accepted all these inven
, lions without doubling their veracity
, In her eyes Logotheti was q great
, man. something like king. and vast
; b more than . Tartar chieftain. HI
, could send men to the ends of the
earth II he chose. Now that he wal
sure Of where Kralinsky WAS, he cOul(