Evening star., 1913-04-06


| came up at this juncture. Elsie at once pro-
ceeded to go into long series of conjectures
as to the probable whereabouts of Pless's
| former wife and their child. was immense
| ly gratified to find that they were now TN
divided in their estimate of Pless and firmly
allied on the side of the missing Countess.
| gathered from their remarks that the
young woman's mother and brothers were
| still in Paris, where their every movement
was being watched by secret agents. They
were awaiting the arrival of the father of the
| Countess from New York, after which they
were to come to Vienna for the purpose of
making determined fight for the daughters
absolute freedom and the custody of the
child.
DLESS went away with the others at half
past eleven, and that was the end of his
| first visit to my domain. Of course there
was more or less turmoil, and l might say
dlsaffectlon, attending his departure. He
raised Cain with my servants because they
| did this and that when they shouldn't have
done either; he and the amiable Baron took
me to task for having neglected to book
compartments for them in the Orient Ex-
press; he insisted upon having luncheon
put up in tea basket and taken to the rail-
way station by Britton; and he saw to it
best wine were neatly packed in with the
rest. He said three or four; but Britton is
firm in his belief that there were almost a
dozen, judging by the weight.
He also contrived to have PoOpendyke
purchase first-class railway tickets for him
and the Baron, and then forgot to settle for
them. 1t amounted to something like hun
dred and twenty dollars, if remember cor
rectly. He took away eleven hundred and
sixty-fve dollars of my money besides, ge-
nially acquired at roulette, and | dread to
think of what he and the Baron took out of
my four friends at auction bridge.
| The merry song of the hammer and the
sweet rasp of the saw greeted my delighted
ear as | reentered the castle. Men were
singing and whistling for all they were
worth; the air was full of music l never
felt so exuberant in all my life! The once
nerve-racking clangor was like the soothing
strains of an invisible orchestra to my de-
| lighted senses.
Nearing my study, heard an almost for
gotten noise,-the blithe, incessant crackle
of typewriting machine. Never have
heard one rattle so rapidly or with such utter
garrulousness. Over in his corner by the
window Poopendyke was at work, his lanky
figure hunched over the keyboard, his head
enveloped in clouds from busy pipe, for
| all Cne WOIIQ ike CuSDOaC S1nOCTeIulg III us
own low-lying smoke. He was having the
time of his life!
stole away, unwilling to break in upon
this joyful orgy.
CONRAD, grinning from ear to ear, was
- waiting for me outside my bedroom
door late in the day. "a note, Mein Herr"
said he, and handed me dainty little pearl
gray envelop. He waited while l read the
mlSSive.
II sha'n't be home for dinner, Conrad"
said |, my eyes aglow. @Tell Hawkes., will
you?"
| read the note again, and felt almost boy
ish. Then went into my room, got out my
gayest raiment without shame or compunc-
ton, dressed with special regard for lively
effects, and hied me forth to carry sunshine
into the utterrnost recesses of my castle.
The Countess welcomed me with a radiant
smile. We shook hands.
well, he has gone!" said l, drawing
deep breath:
"Thank the Lord!" said she, and then 1
knew that the symphony was complete. We
had all sung it.
at is very nice of you to ask me up to
dine with you" said l.