, 1912-04-04

Not sd loudr' |fmpnrenrlv.
you are!' she repeated, crushing
her hands together.
well. all there remains IN d" is IL
tell the admiral. He will perhaps d
vide with me"
"How can you be so cruel to mo
It is.your ~safety-that Is all ! wish T.
be assured of. Oh. ! am piticul!
weak! ! should despise you. Take
this chest of money: it is yours. &c
to England. to America. and be hap
py."
who cares?"
81 carei' with n sob.
The bitterness in his face died foi
a space. "Hildegarde.. I'm not worth
II. Forget n:e as some bad dream
for that Is all | am or cver shall be
Marry Cathcwc. I'm lot blind Tic
will make You happy. I hav" made
my bed. or, rather. certain statesmen
have, and | must lie I'm IT. If | had
known what | know now" with re-
greet, this would not hay" been. Rut
distrusted cverr on. myself ton"
She understood. Kari had you
told me al in the nrst place | should
have given you that diagram without
question gladly"
We'll. | am sorry. Forget me-
And with that he left her standing
by the side OF her chair and walked
swiftly toward the hotel. When next
she realized or sensed anything she
was lying on her bed, her eyes dry ana
wide open. And she did not 20 down
to dinner. nor did she answer the
various calls on her door.
Night rolled over the world. with
a cool breeze driving und ~ her mil
lion planets. The lights in the hotel
fiickered out one by one. and in the
third corridor. where the adventures
were housed. only IA wick floating in a
tumbler of oil burned dimly.
Fitzgerald had waited in the shadow
for nearly an hour. and he was grow
ing restless and tired. All day long
he had been obseSsed with the convic-
ton that If Breitmann ever made n
start 1t would be some time thai
night. Distinctly he heard the light
rattle of a carriage. 1t stopped ont
side the gardens. He pressed closer
against the wall. The door TO Brett.
n room opened gently. and the
nan himself stepped out cautiously.
so" began Fitzgerald lightly, your
majesty goes forth tonight?'
But he overrcached himself. Brett.
mann whirled. and all the hate In his
breast went into his arm as III struck
Fitzgerald threw up his guard. but
not o enough. The blow hit him
full on the side OF the head and ton
Piled him over, and as the back Of his
head bumped the flOor the world came
to an end When he regained his
senses his head was 'pillowed on n we.
mans knees. and the scared white
face Of a woman bent over his.
whats happened?' he whispered.
There were II thousand wicks where
there had beer one. and these went
round and round in n circle. Present.
ly the effect wore away and he rec
ognized Laura. Then he remembered.
by George
What is it, she cried. the bands
OF terror about her heart loosenlng.
"As a hero Im a picture" he an.
swered. why. 1 had an idea that
Breitmann was Off tonight to dig NJ
the treasure himself. Gone! And
only N blow struck and | in front
of I'll"
"Breitmannr' exclaimed Laura. She
caught her dressing gown closer about
her throat.
Yes. The temptation was too
great How did you get hereT' He
ought to have struggled to his feet at
once, but II was very comfortable to
feel her breath upon his forehead
81 heard n fail and then some one
running Are You badly hurty'
The anguish in her voice was as
music to his ears.
Dizzy; that's all. Better tell your
father Immediately. No. no.: | can get
up alone. I'm all right. Fine rescucr
of princesscs, eh?' with an unsteady
laugh.
You might have been kinedw