Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07


| ing her word and her lover too, dark mo-
ments when she beheld her life sacrifice in
| the cause of doubtful coup d'etat. Eight
hours of storm and stress, and at the end of
| it all the deck of the Truscott yacht, Venice
| fading into the sea- the Adriatic and the
Unknown before.
Two factors had played crucial parts in
holding her to what she conceived to be her
duty. One was Saccarello. Among letters
| addressed to herself there was by mistake
handed her an envelop bearing the name of
the great diplomat. If the old man had
stood before her in the flesh, she could have
received no more vivid impression of his tire
| less, pursuing presence.
"Do YOU expect Baron Saccarello?" she
asked, handing the letter back to the porter,
Tonight" said the man, and held his uni
formed shoulders the higher because he
could make such reply. @The Baron al
| ways stops with us when he comes to Venice.
Mere spies then were insufficient! Sacca-
relic must stand guard himself, now that the
Firebrand neared the outskirts of the Bal
kans! Now, if ever, Rodoslav had need of
her!
The second factor was her Aunt Helen,
who had lightened her deepest darkness by
announcing that after all she had decided to
accept Mrs. Truscott's invitation. dustin
.
coming has put another face on the matter.
They are to be so occupied for few days
that should see nothing of Justin if l stayed
here; but have told Virginia she need not
bring us back to Venice. If she will land us
at Ancona, we can return by train
ANN found her presence on board singu-
larry comforting. Her domesticity tenn
pered the secret drama of the expedition.
When all was said, this need be no more than
such cruise as hundreds had taken. Regusa
would mark the end of her pact with Rodo-
slav. Once in Venice again-ah, surely the
future would be kind
Rodoslav himself seemed to wish to make
her forget his real Grand. He had appar-
emily left care behind in Italy. For all his
bearing told, the great adventure, now inn
minent, might have been the mere pleasur-
ing others deemed it. Their jaunty sur
roundings secuted the notion of a grim secret
purpose. Whose fancy was so robust as to
see filibustering craft in the Don't Care?
An unfriendly critic once called the Truscott
yacht floating boudoir, and the Truscotts
themselves had to admit that its bravery of
enamel and brass, it's costly panelings and
frescos, its hangings, its mirrors its general
air of cushioned ease, went far to justify the
gibe. Nor could its owners by any mental
jugglery be made to seem anything more
sinister than their normal selves. The stock
broker looked a purser, rather than buca-
neer, in his seafaring uniform, while the sun
dry costumes that Virginia assumed for the
cruise each and all carried merry sug-
geStion of comic opera.
For that matter, the threshold of the I'm
known, as revealed in the island dotted coast
of Dalnlatia, was scarcely of character to in
timidate. lara, compact within its walls;
Sebenico, rising terrace on terrace to its
worn castle; Spalato, with its mighty souve-
Mrs of imperial Rome,-au seemed to her
but part of another unspoiled, gay costumed
Italy. AS for Regusa, its loneliness stripped
her of adjectives. She saw it first as vague
mystery of towers and cliffs, picked out by
lights. Then came vivid and unforget-
table impression of its streets; for Rodoslav
would not hear to their sleeping on board.
3You are my guests now" he said. "A
carriage is waiting at the pier, the villa is
ready, the table is laid. l arranged every
thing by telegraph from Spalato."
A S they disembarked from the launch, an
4 = ancient coachman whose salient points
were row of silver buttons and smile,
greeted Rodoslav. For the moment affec-
ton worsted Difference in his wrinkled face;