Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-10

| ness. the ingenuity. the very audacty. TO
| pretend that she is telephoning her tailor !
| Man"
| He paused. His face heightened, his eyes
| becoming again shadowed. And I compre-
| hended the cause. Clever" he murmured
abstractedly, 'cleverw
Clever grant you But what does Il
| mean, Sevrance? Why should she be forced
| to such subterfuge? What right has Won
Holzborn her fiance though he be. to die
| tate whether or not she shall inform me of
| her destination"
Sevrance shook his head, his eyes on the
| floor
where were they" demanded hotly
| that she dared not use the phone with
| out fear of interruption? In London?
They must have been--or near it," he
| muttered.
But we were told today that Lady Her
| bert had left town"
Sevrance elevated his brows and his
shoulders hopelessly. we wert told !" he
commented bitterly. we have been told
everything Tralll.--" He hesltated eye
ing me, I saw, without knowing where he
looked Trail there's the devil to pay
somewhere"
Il know that-and his name Is"
Won Hol2boru."
TT would give me great qualification TO
u
give my right hand to know the ms and
outs Of this Internal nightmare business !"
BY way OF reply, Sevrance turned alb
ruptly to the telephone, ringing up.
stood wondering. but only to discover that
he was attempting to get from Central the
number with which we had recently been
connected His Efforts however, were
frutleSs, although he resorted to every
imaginable expedient to gain his end.
After about 15 minutes OF It he gave II
up In disgust
ITS no 60" he conceded; "a beastly
nuisance! !"
The thing was preying on his mind as
upon mine: what three hours before had
seemed possibly insignificant now loomed
before us with all the aspect of some mon
strous lnfamy. He took n turn UP and
down the room, coming 10 halt before me.
AT least we know where to look for her
from her own llps-Saltacres."
THE Herbert estate In Lincolnshlre?"
He nodded THAT is much. Gordon. II
she needs you there. she needs me. Well
go, won't we. old chap-together?'
clasped his hand, but he broke away,
calling to Crazy for his hat
What now?"
I'm OFF," h. said, breathless with an in
spiration.
Where to?"
God knows" he returned simply. I'm
going to scour this town for Julia, for Won
Holzborn, for De Netze. II / find her, II
it's true that she is still In town-all we'll
and good. But If L find one only-either
one of them--'
He stopped abruptly his handsome fea-
lures overcast with an ugly, threatening
look. We had passed on into the outer
room quietly took up my own hat and
coat. Grady was assisting Sevrance with
his own.
mo, YOU don't" commanded seyrance.
noting my action
I'm going with you" asserted firmly.
What for Gordon?" he expostulated.
Don't be an ass, old chap. There won't
be any-any trouble, you know. Let me
alone-let me play lone hand Just now.
I think-Im very sure can find out some
thing II you will only bide quiet here"
Not by n long sight"
There may come another message" he
suggested.
The possibility made me falter in my
determination to accompany him and keep
him out of trouble; knew Sevrance's quick
temper, carefully concealed though 1t lay
beneath his affectation OF British nsou-
Glance and 1t was not without reason that
l feared an outbreak, should he succeed in
his search and come upon either Prussan
or Russlan-far fetched as seemed the con-
sideration of either contingency.
He saw his advantage and followed It up.
You had best stay" said he. III she
should wire you for aid at once"
'I'll stay" I informed him, upon ono
and"-I glanced at my watch; It was near
seven-"be back by ten at the latest"
81 agree" he said and we shook hands
upon II. In another moment he was gone
taking the staircase three and four steps at
time, II the noise of his descent counted
for anything.
And at once began to regret my
irresolution, my weakness. l saw clearly
that / should have persisted, that I should
have gone with him at all hazards
There were before me three mortal hours
of solitude, which / must endure with
patience, dashed though l was by the most
maddening apprehensions, picturing to my
self, as 1 must inevitably, thousand sItua-
tions, each more terrible than its prede-
cessor, in which my hearts desire figured
helpless, imperiled. needing the protection
Of the man who would lay down his life
for her!
One fact bulked clear and obvious above
all others-that we were shortly to under.
take journey to Lincolnshire. barring an
inconceivable righting OF affairs sum-
moned Grady and directed him to 20 i'm
mediately. discover on what railroad lay
the nearest station to Saltacres, and to
procure a first-class compartment on tho
earliest convenient train
Alone set madly 10 work stuffinE a few
necessary articles of clothing into our suit.
cases. l dare say / made a sad hopeless
mess OF the job-bungled II atrociously
know that when Grady returned he prompt
ly and very solemny dumped everything
out OF both cases and repacked them ac-
eording TO his own conception OF the fitness
of things
But long ere that occurred was to suffer
an interruption that put a prompt period to
this manifestation OF my energies In the
midst OF it all, when l had about accom-