The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-06
cHAPrER s.

The Countess Gives Me Surprise.
 A OR m hour or more after 1eav-
 ing the enchanted rooms near
 the roof I 1ounged in my study,
 consistently attentive to the portrait of Ludwig the Red, with my ears straining for sounds from the oth- CT side of the secret panels. Alasl Those panels were many cubits thick and as stanch as the sides of bat tleship. But there was a vast satiE- faction in knowing that she was there, asleep perhaps, with her brown head pi1lowed close to the wall, but little more than an arms length from the crimson waistcoat Of Ludwig the Red, for he sat rather low, like Chinese god, and supported his waistcoat with his knees.
 Morning came and with it a sullen determination to get down to work on my long neglected novel.
 A fine morning, sir" said Hawkes. in voice that seemed to come from tts grave
 s.Is it?,' said I, and my voice sounded gloomier than his.
 Send MT. Poopendyke to me Hawkes.. immediately after I've finish ed nay breakfast | don, sir. am forgetting, MT. Poopen- dyke is out He asked me to tell you he wouldn't return before IL"
 Out? What business has he D be out ?"
 1 Well, sir, mean to say he's not precisely out, and he isn't just what l one would call in He is up in the ahemLthe east wing. sir, taking dawn l some correspondence for the-for the lady, sir" I arose to the occasion. ~Quite so, quite so. I had forgotten the appoint ment.''
 sYes. sir; thought you had"
 .Ahemi I dare say Britton will do quite as we'll Tell him ter tsBritton. sir, has gone over to the city for the newspapers. You forget that he goes every morning as soon as he has had hiss-
 .sYes, yes! Certainly I said hasti- Iy. The papers. Ha, hal Quito right ?
 It was news to me. but it wouldn't do to let him know it The countess read the papers, did not.
 It was nearly 12 when my secretaEy reported to me on this particular morn MT. Poopen6yke,' said I, aare you employed by me or by that woman up- stairs ?'' [ would never have spoken of her as 'fthat woman" believe me. if I had not been in state of irrtta- ton.
 He looked positively stunned. @sir97 he gasped.
 managed to demand rather hereely, '.Are you?'
 eeThe countess had got dreadfully be hind with her work, sir, and thought you wouldn't mind if helped her cut a bit he explained nervously,
 sWorkg What woFk?"
 s.Her diary, sir. She is keeping a diary,
 eIndeedl"
 .sIt is very interesting, ME Smart Rather beats any novel I've read late ly. We-we've brought it quite up tc date. wrote at least three pages about the dinner last night. If am to believe what she puts into her diary it must have been a delightful ocea- l sion, as the newspapers would say.
 I was somewhat modified. hat did she have to say about it, Fredg' asked. It always pleased him bc bs called Fred.
 "That would be betraying conn dence,s said he. q will say this much however, think I wrote your name fifty times or more in connectioE with it''
 s.Rubbishr' said L
 Not at aH," said he, with agreeabl' spirit
 A sudden chill came over me. "sh, isn't figuring on having it published is she?''
 q can't say as to that was bis dis ouieting reply. ssIt wasn't any of E1s business, so I didn't ask"
 "oh,'' said I, "I seef'
 eContanued-)