The Washington herald., 1914-04-05
Copyright. islI.)


Get the cables tingiing with his compli'
ments on the exploit. the Indignation in
England was not less than the surprise
for the thing was not so common as II
has since become. But when 1t tran
spired that a gift of peculiar significance
was TO follow the congratulations, to
give them weight, the inference prevailed
that the white potentate and the black
hac taken simultaneous leave of their
fourteen senses. For the gift was a pearl
Of price unparalleled. picked aforetime
by British cutlasses from a Polynesian
setting, and presented by British royalty
- the sovereign who seized this oppor-
tunity Of restoring It to It's original pos
SCISSOR.
The incident would nave been a god
send to the press a few weeks later.
was myself driving a poor but not dis
honest gull Et she time. and the topic OF
tbs hour goaded me into satiric verse
which obtained a bette. place than any
thing had yet turned out. / had let ny
fat In town. and taken inexpensive quar-
tiers at Thames Ditton. on the plea Of a
disinterested passion for the river.
'.Ffrzt rate, old boyr' said Rafies (who
must needs come and see NE there), lying
back in the boat while sculied and
Etscred- Il suppose they pay you pretty
well for these. chr
Not q penny"
Nonsense. Bunny! I thought they
paid so well. Give them time, and you'll
get your check"
''Oh. no. I sha' nj" sale I gloomily.
I've got TO be content with the honor of
getting in; the editor wrote to say SO,
IN so many words" added.
I knew that he was thinking of other
things had stopped to. and thought I
knew what he was going to say. He had
said 1t before so often: he was sure to
say it again. I had my answer ready,
but evidently he was tired of asking the
same question. His lids fell. he took I'D
the paper he had dropped. and scuIIed
the length Of the old red wall of Hamp-
ton Court before he spoke again.
And they gave you nothing for these!
My dear Bunny, they're capital, not only
as verses but for crystsIlizfng your sub
Ject and putting 1t in a nutshell Ger
tainly you've taught me more about It
than 1 knew before. But is it really
worth fifty thousand pounds-a single
pearl?'
"A hundred, believe; but that wouldn't
scan.'
"A hundred thousand pounds," said
Raffies. with his eyes shut And again I
made certain what was coming, but
again 1 was mistaken. IF it's worth all
that" he cried at last. there would be
no getting rid of it at all: it's not like
that you can subdivide. But /
beg your pardon. Bunny. I was forget
ting"
And We said no more about the emper-
or's gift. We were both a little silent, a
little constrained. each preoccupied with
his own thoughts. 1t was months since
we had met. and, as I saw him of to-
ward II o'clock that Sunday night, I fan
ried it was for more months that we were
saying good-by
But as We waited for the train saw
hose clear eyes peering at me under
he station lamps. and when 1 met their
glance Raffles shook his head
You don't look well on IT. Bunny"
'aid he. Il never did believe in this
Thames Valley. You want a change of
Lir."
I wished I might get II.
What you really want is a sea voyage.
want change myself and you shall
ONE with me as my guest Wen spend
July in the Mediterranean. Will you
ome?'
Like a shot-if you CO.
And 1 shook his hand. and waved mine
n farewell, with the perfectly good
IImOred copvic,io, th,+ ,b.,,rs L
10 more Of the matter. ! was making
othing. I could but subsist on the diff
erence between the rent 1 paid for my
at and the rent at which I had sublet
furnished. for the season. And the
eason was near its end. and creditors
waited me in town. Was IT possible to
e entirely honest?
But from Raffies. Of course, I heard
othing more: a week went bv. and half
mother week; then. late on the second
Wednesday night. found e telegram
rom him at my lodgings.
Arrange to leave Waterloo by North ,
Ierman Lloyd special" he wired, 'p:25
l.. m. Monday next will meet you South
npton abosrd Uhian with tickets. Am
'riting."
nough. but full OF serious solicitude for
ie and for my health and prospects;
'tter almost touching in the light of our /
ast relations, in the twilight of their
omplete rupture. He said that he had
ooked two berths to Naples. that we
ERE bound for Capri. which was clearly
he island Of the lotos-eaters, that We l
'ould bask there together. "and for a /
lille forget" 1t was a charming letter.
Raffes wrote. as he had telegraphed. c
'om Bremen: and I gathered that the 7
srsonal use OF some little influence with
lie authorities there had resulted in q [
aterial reduction in our fares.
Imagine my excitement and delight, v
" heart was as light as my purse on
le Monday morning, when the special n
hirled me through the sunshine to the
a. II
tender awaited US at SOUTHAMPTON. n
afhes was .ot on board. nor did really t
ok for him till we reached the liners L
de. And then looked in vain. II
lmoed aboard In a sudden heaviness. III v
Id no ticket, nor the money to pay for
le- did not even know the number of Il
room. Ny heart was in my mouth
waylaid steward and asked II a p
r. Rafnes was on board. Thank heaven C,
ne wasi But where? The man did not Il
low' was plainly on some other errand,
d a-hunting I must go. Why he him.
II kept in the background. however. I tt
uld not conceive. and oplv sipisf.r -, | q,