The Washington times., 1911-08-28

eagerly.
The sculptures were SO magnificent.
she replied. hastily. glancing at the
'Ah! So they werel Tell me. Miss
E5acksoles how did you discover my
Il must not say" she answered. "Tha,
Is my secret. Do not seek to penetrate
it. Who knows what horrors you might
| discover II you probed too far?'
She laughed, but she laughed alone
| The prince remained pensive, as 1t were
! brooding.
! Il never hoped to see you again." he
said.
Why not?"
One never sees again those whom one
| wishes TO see."
As for me. was perfectly convinced
that we should meet again"
| 'Why7"
Because 1 always get what I want"
| Then you wanted to see me again
Certainly. You interested me ex-
tremely. / have never met another man
who could talk so well about sculpture
! as the Count Steenbock.
DO you really always get what you
I want, Miss Racksole?"
THAT is because your father is so
oh. no. Il isn't! she said. ITS sim
ply because l always do get what i
want. It's got nothing to do with
But Mr.. Racksole is extremely
wealthy isn't the word. count. There
is no word. It's positively awful the
amount of dollars poor papa makes.
And the worst of 1t Is he can't help II.
He told me once that when a man
had made $l0.000,0OO no power on earth
could stop those $l0,000,00O from growing
into $2OOO0,OO And so 1t continues. !
spend what ! can, but | can't come
near coping with II, and, OF course,
papa is no use whatever at spending.
And you have no mother.
who told YOU l had no motherF' she
asked quickly.
"I-er-lnquired about you." he said.
with equal candor and humility.
In spite of the fact that you nevei
hoped to see me again."
Yes, in spite of that"
How funny she said, and lapsed
into q meditative silence. >,
Yours must be wonderful existence.
You envy me-what2 My fathers
wealth."
No" he said; your freedom and
your responsibilities"
I have no responsibilities" she re-
Pardon me-" he said. You have,
and the time is coming when you will
feel them"
I'm only a GIRL" she murmured with
surely you have sufficient responsible
ties of your own"
II" he said sadly. Il have no re-
sponsibilities. l am a nobody, serene
highness who has to pretend TO be very
important, always taking immense care
never to do anything that a serene high
ness ought not to do. Ban!
But If your nephew. Prince Eugen.
were to die, would you not come 20 the
throne, and would you not then have
many reSDODSibilitipS 2'
"Eugen die?" said Prince Aribert in
curious tone. impossible! He is the
perfection of health. In three months
he will be married. No, shall never
most despiceble of Gods creatures"
But what about that state secret
which you mentioned? Is not that I"
responsibility?
An he said. That is over. That
belongs to the past. 1t was an accident
in ,my dull career. shall never be
Count SteenbOCk again"
Who knows" she said; :;oy BY , the the
today? Mr.. Dimmock told us So
See" answered the prince, standing
I'D ard bending over her. II am going to
c0nfide in you. l don't know why. but
Don't betray state secrets" she
warned him, smiling into his face.
But Just then the door of the room
was unceremoniously opened.
Go TlRnt H. Sdlu u voice SudI ply.
1t was Theodore Racksole's.
Two men entered bearing a prone
form on a stretcher. and Racksole fol-
lowed them.
Il didn't know you were IN here,
Nella. Here" to the two men, "out
why" exclaimed Nella. gazing fear
fully at the form on the stretcher. its
NJ Dipornockp -
ut is her father acquiesced. He's
dead" he added faconically. I'd have
broken 1t to you more gently I'D I
known. Your pardon, prince"
!Dimmoci f % dead!' Prince Aribert
whispered under his breath, and he
knelt down by the side of the stretchcr.
What does This mean?'
The poor fellow was just walking
across the quadrangle towaI the por-
tico when he fell. A commtssionaire
who saw him says he was walking very
quickly. At first thought il was SUM-
stroke. but 1t couldn't have been, though
the weather certainly is rather warm
1t must be heart disease
Theodore Racksole stopped. and in an
awkward, solemn silence they all gazed
at the dead youth.
His features were slightly drawn and
his eyes closed; that was all. He might
have been asleep.
my poor Dimmock!' exclaimed the
prince, his voice broken. And l was
angry because the lad did not meet me
at Charing Cross"
Are you sure he is dead, father?"
Nella said.
You'd better go away, NeIla." was
Racksoles only reply; but the girl stood
still and began to sob quietly.
On the previous night she had secretly
made fun of Reginald Dimmock. She
had deliberately set herself to get in
formation from him on a topic in which
she happened to be specially interested,
and she had got II, laughing the while
at his youthful crudities-his vanity,
his transparent cunning, his absurd
airs.
She had not liked him; she had even
distrusted him and decided that he was
not nice" But now, as lie lay on the
stretcher, these things were forgotten.
She went so far as to reproach herself
for them. Such is the strange COM
manding power of death.
"Oblige me by taking the poor fellow
to my apartments said the prince,
with a gesture to the attendants.
Racksole felt suddenly that at that
moment he was nothing but a mere
hotel proprietor with an awkward af-
fair on his hands. For a fraction Of
a second he wished he had never
bought the Grand Babylon.
A quarter of an hour later Prince
Aritert. Theodore Racksole. a doctor
and an inspector of police were in the
princes reception room.
They had just come from AN ante
chamber in which lay the mortal re-
mains of Reginald Dimmock.
''W Well?'' said Racksole. glancing at
the doctor.
The doctor ua4 hio boyisb IooLin1