The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-04

I tAASt tou hidck lcS
- me impress you
that / am not q
LIE MANS EsnIo traitor to his cause.
J "o" could not be that,
Tor the sufficient reason that / only
suspect its existence. am not In
any sense part of it. do not
know anything. only feel / dare
say you realize that | do not love
Count Marlanx-that there is absolute
4 ~ nothing in common between us ex.
| eept name. We won't 60 into that.
r.
Il am overtoyed to hear you say this,
countess" he said very seriously. .T
have been SO bold on occasion as to
assertion your private ear, OF course
that you could not by any freak Of
nature happen to care for Count Mar
ianx, whom | know only by descrip-
ticn. You have laughed at my so
called American wit, and you have
been most tolerant. Now, I feel that
l am justified. I'm UNNECESSARILY glad
7 to hear you confess that you do not
! love your husband"
II. ca have never tried to make foye
TO me-" she went on. That's what
/ like about you. / think most men are
silly. not because l am SO very young.
but because my husband is so ridicu-
lousy old. Don't you think so? But,
never mind. see you are quite eager
to answer. That's enough. Take an
other cigarette and-listen to what
am going TO say" He declined the
cigarette with shake of his head.
After a moment she went on reso-
lutely: AS I said before. do not
! know that my suspicious are correct.
/ l have not even breathed them to my
/, father. He would have laughed at me.
] My husband is Graustarkian, even
! as / am but there is this distinction
/ between us-he despises Graustark.
while love her In, every drop Of my
| blood. know that In his heart he has
never ceased TO brew evil for the
throne that disgraced him. He openly
/ expresses his hatred for the present
/ dynasty and has more than once said In
/ public gatherings that he could cheer
fully assist in Its utter destruction.
That. of course. Is commonly known In
| Graustark. where he is scorned and
deridcd. But he is not man to servo
his hatred with mere idle words and
inaction.
Il am seeing you here In this big
room openly" she went on, for the
simple reason that IL I am being
/ watched this manner of meeting may
be above suspicion. We may speak
freely here. for we cannot be heard
unless we raise our voices. Don't be-
tray surprise or CONSERVATION. The
/ eyes of the wall may be better than its
ears"
"You don't mean to say you are be,
ing watched here In your fathers
house?" he demanded.
81 don't know. This I do know--ths
count has many spies In Edelweiss.
He Is systematically appraised Of every
thing that occurs at court, In the city
or in the council chamber. Day befors
yesterday saw his secretary In the
! streets. man who Inns been in his em-
ploy for five years or more and who
( now pretends to be a lawyer here. His
name is Brutus. / spoke with him.
! He said that he had left the count SIX
weeks ago In Vienna. determined to
set out for himself In his chosen pro-
I fession. He knows, of course. that I
am not and never have been In the
! condolences OF my husband. I asked
him IL IL was known in Edelweiss that
he had served the count as secretary.
/ He promptly handed me one Of his
business cards on which he refers to
| himself as the former trusted and con.
! fdentiai secretary Of Count Marianx.
Now. happen to know that he Is stiil
| in my husbands service. or was no long
! err ago than last week He is here for
! a purpose, as my husbands represent
] alive. l have not been asleep all thess
months at Schloss Marlanx. / hava
seen and heard enough to convince ma
that some great movement ID on foot
! My intelligence tells me that It has to
do with Graustark As he wishes the
/ prince no good, II must be for evfl."
But there b nothing he can do. He
has no@following here. The prince ID
! adored by the people. Count Marianx
! would not be such fool as to-
le ~ uO LUZ, ouc AutcIEupIcQ
/ quickly. That's why am afraid. Il
he Is plotting against the crown, yon
may depend upon 1t he Is laying his
/ plans well. John Tullis, that man Is
| a devfi--a devil fncarnater' she turned
her face away. 4 spasm Of utter ~
| pugnance crossed her face.
II am afraid Of Peter Brutus. He =
1 here To .ynfrh--cvnrvtndv
! Go be continued.l