The Washington times., 1911-10-25
CHAPTER x (continued) /.
- wO weeks had slipped by since my
adventure in the grotto Of the
styx-lazy. delightful weeks; the


styx-laxy. delightful weeks; the
happiest had ever known.
had driven or walked daily with Doris
Todd; brutally stfangiing my saner
resolutions to be on my guard
against becoming too deeply interested
In a daughter OF Amos Todd.
We had taken delightful little trips
all six of us--to Ischia. Ponpeii. Capri.
vesuvius and the half-nundred other
wonder spots that cluster about Naples.
In the course of these i had managed to
keep fairly close to Doris Side.
This served as a double prupose--it
enabled me to have more OF her society
and also prevented long converse of any
private sort with Sebaste. The count,
as the days wore on and took no
further steps In my role OF the man
from Vienna. was visibly impatient.
Once or twice he hinted to me that
time was passing rapidly and nothing
was being done. On each occasion /
managed to put him of with SOME lofty
remark about the necessity Of awaiting
the occurrence OF some mysterious
At first the explanation had paciaed
him, but of late could see that he was
growing restless. A little more and he
worse still--the real man from Vienna
Indeed. / often Oft wondered what nigh,
have become Of that important person.
age.
My true reason for doing nothing
further toward ferreting out the mys-
terry Of the scarab during the last fort
night was that there seemed nothing l
as an outsider. Also had hoped, daily,
that fate might again deal some big
card into my nand.
But no such card had been 1ealt, and
to wear off.
On this evening, Just as we went In
to dinner. Sebaste had whispered to me:
Your command coold not be sooner
and none knew where. But he returned
today, and all shall be arranged at
once Perhaps II Is partly that which
has caused you to delay?'
had bowed in silent. unccmprehend-
Ing ac1uiescence-and had spent all my
time since then wondering VINO "he"
might be. and to what command" Be-
taste referred.
Whoever and vhatever-some sort of
action was apparently imminent. What
was 1t, and how was I to meet q?
Verify, romance entails burdens!
Absorbed in maze Of futile conjec-
lures and plans, l sat in a far corner
OF the balcony. apart from the rest,
staring unseefngly across the moonlit
ripples of .he bay TO the cone-shaped
hre-mountaIn beyond
So forgetful wss of all except my
own thoughts that the jolly ccnversa-
tion Of the rest of the party faded into
nothir gness to my preoccupied mind.
Il vaguely noted that Sebaste had left
the group. had been absent for soc,e
nome nts, and had returned with an
other man whose features l did not, in
the soft gloom Of early evening. ,ccog-
nize
Nor did rouse from my reverie until
after hn pfh
the balcony. crossed to where sat
Mr.. DAuban," said Sebaste, loudly,
and In English, permit me to present
to you his serene highness the Duke
! rose. iumfounded, and mechanical
ly bowed. Even in that moment of sur
prise 1t struck me as most unusua.
that man of Setaste's knowledge of
the world and OF courts should present
me to the duke.
But II Ferata noted anything odd
about the ceremony OF Introduction he
betrayed no sign of 1t. Then. all at
posed high dignitary Of the scarab or
ganizatior I probably outranked this
penniless duke. and TIE thought was
balm and pride to my free-born, demo-
cratic American soul.
Then fragmentarily remembered;
Sebaste's words before dinner-my ran
dom naming of Ferata. two weeks ago,
as the man "chosen for Case No. l."
Had all that anything to. do with
II so, to what had I chosen him? To
assassinate some one. perhaps. Or. for
all ] knew
I hastily reviewed plan-desperato
I had some days before framed as a
POSSIBLE last resort.
The time had come to put 1t into
operation.