The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-06-03

night OAty IL was not nef room
lit was minei 1 stole the fifty
Thousand dollars! All the details,
even to her trip to see Mr.. Girls
void in Baltimore in company
with Mr.. Cadwallader, had been
carefully worked out; and she did
bring me the combination of the
safe from Mr.. Griswold on the
strength of forged letter. But
lshe didn't know it. There was no
theft, of course. / had no inten-
ton of keeping the money. 1t
was necessary to take 1t to dis
tract attention from the thing !
Ibid do-break a lock inside the
safe to get sealed packet that
contained Venezuela's answer to
Jour plan. / sealed that packet
again, and there was never a sus-
picion that 1t had been opened. ;"
only a suspicion" Mr.. Grimm
corrected.
Then came the abduction of
Monsieur Boissegur, the French
ambassador. plunged into that
case as l did in. the other be-
cause l was afraid of you and had
to know just how much you knew.
1t was explained to you as an at
tempt at extortion with details
which l carefully supplied. AS a
matter of fact, Monsieur Boisse-
CUR opposed our plans, even en-
dangered them; and 1t was not
advisable to have him recalled or
even permit him to resign at the
moment. So we abducted him, in
tending to hold him until orders
could reach him from Paris. I'm
derstand, please, that all these
Things were made possible by the
aid and cooperation of dozens,
scores; of agents who were under
my orders; every person who APP
peared in that abduction was
working at my direction. The
ambassadors unexpected escape
ldisarranged our plans; but he was
taken out of the embassy by
force the second time under your
very eyes. The darkness which
made this possible was due to the
fact that while you were looking
for the switch, and 1 was appar-
emily aiding, I was holding my
hand over 1t all the time to keep
you from turning on the light.
You remember that?"
Mr.. Grimm nodded.
"All the rest you know" she
concluded YEARLY. "You COM
PEELED me to leave the Venezuelan
legation by your espionage, but in
the crowded hotel to which I
moved l had little difficulty avoid
ing your Mr.. Hastings, your Mr..
Blair and your Mr.. Johnson. so I
came and went freely without
your knowledge. The escape of
the prince from prison you ar
ranged, so you understand all of
that, as well as the meeting and
lattempted signing of the COM
pact, and the rapid recovery of
Senior Alvarez. And, after all,
1t was my fault that our plans
failed, because If l had not been
been uneasy as to your condi-
ton and had not made the mis-
take of going to the deserted lit
tie house where you were pris-
oner, the plans would have sue
lceeded, the compact been signed. !"
I'm beginning to under
stand" said Mr.. Grimm gravely,
and a wistful look crept into his
eyes. "If 1t had not been for that
act Reconsideration and kind
mess tn me- ~
1--WE would have succeeded in
spite of you," explained Isabel.
I'VE were afraid of you, Mr..
Grimm. 1t was a compliment to
you that we considered it neces-
sary to account for your where
Iabouts at the time of the signing
| of the compact"
"And If you had succeeded" re-
marked Mr.. Grimm, 1.-THE whole
Icivilized world would have come
to war"
II never permitted myself to
think of it that way" she replied
frankly. There is something
splendid to me in a battle of
brains; there is exaltation, stimu-
lation, excitement in 1t. 1t has al
ways possessed the greatest fascin-
alton for me. I have always won,
you know, until now. I failed!
And my reward is 'Traitor!'
Just a word of assurance
now" she went on after a mo-
ment. "The Latin compact has
been definitely given up; the plan
has been dismissed, thanks to
lyou; the peace Of the world is I'M
broken. And who am L? l know
Iyou have wondered; / know your
Iagents have secured the world to
find out. am the daughter of
la former Italian ambassador to
the Court of st. James. My moth
Ter was an English woman. Twas
born and received my early edu-
cation in England, hence my per-
feet knowledge Of that tongue. In
Rome / am. or have been, alas,
the Countess Rosa d'Orsetti; now
II am an exile with a price on my
head. That Is all, except for
several years I was a trusted
agent of my government, and a
friend of my queen"
She rose and extended both
hands graciously. Mr.. Grimm
seized the slender white fingers
and stood with eyes fixed upon
hers. Slowly a flush crept into
her -pallid cheeks and she bow
led her head.
Wonderful womani" he said
softly.
II shall ask a favor Of YOU
now" she went on gently. Let
jail this that you have learned
take the place Of whatever you
Expected to learn and go. Believe
|me, there can only be one result
az you meet--if you meet the In