The Port Gibson reveille., 1916-04-06
CHAPTER xlI-contlnued.

resignation, little short of alacrity
There was CLEAN in his somber eyes
and his blue chin came up with jerk
That's talking!" said he. "Now viii
you promise me never to marry GAIA
let?"
"Mr. Toye!"
That's talking, too, and guess
mean it to be. It's not all dog-in-the
manger, either. want that promise q
lot more than want the other. You
needn't marry me, Miss Blanche, but
you mustn't marry Cazalet."
Blanche was blazing. "But this is
simply outrageous
Il claim there's an outrageous cause
for it. Are you prepared to swear
what ask, and trust me as I'll trust
you, or am to tell you the whole
thing right now?"
You won't force me to listen to an
other word from you, if you're a gen
tleman, Mr.. Toye!"
TITS not what I am that counts.
Swear that to me, and swear, on my
side, that 1 won't give him away to
you or anyone else. But it must be
the most solemn contract man and
woman ever made"
The silver teapot arrived at this
5uncture, and not inopportunely. She
lad to give him his tea, with her
young maids help, and to play a tiny
part in which he supported her really
beautifully. She had time to think, al
most coolly; and one thought brought
a thrill. If 1t was a question of her
marrying or not marrying Walter
Cazalet, then he must be free, and only
the doer Of some dreadful deed!
What has he done?" she begged,
with a pathetic abandonment of her
previous attitude, the moment they
were by themselves.
"Must tell your" His reluctance
rang genuine,
Il insist upon it," she flashed again.
well, it's long story"
Never mind. l can listen"
'You know, L had to go back to
Italy"
Had you?"
"Well. did co." He had slurred
the first statement; this one was char
acteristically deliberate. 81 did go,
and before went asked Cazalet for
an introduction to some friends of his
down in Rome"
Il didn't know he had any," said
Blanche.
why, he doesn't have any," said
Toye, but he claimed to have some.
He left the Kaiser Fritz the other day
at Naples. guess he told your"
"No, l understood he came round to
Southampton. Surely you shared a
cabin?"
"only from Genoa; that's where 1
took the steamer and Cazalet regalned
her"
"well?"
HE claimed to have spent the in
terval mostly with friends at Rome.
Those friends don't exist, Miss
Blanche" said Toye.
rs that any business of miner" she
asked him squarely.
"Why, yes, I'm afraid it's going to
be. That is, unless you'll still trust
me"
go on, please"
why, he never stayed at Rome at
all, nor yet in Italy any longer than it
takes to come through on the train.
Your attention for one momenti" He
took out a neat pocketbook Blanche
had opened her lips, but she did not
interrupt; she just grasped the arms
of her chair, as though about to bear
physical pain. ''The Kaiser Fritz
Toye was speaking from his book
''got to Naples late Monday afternoon, |
September eighth. Seems she was
overdue, and l was Lad about it, and |
never got away again till the"
do tell me about Walter Cazalet!"
cried Blanche. It was like small talk
from a dentist at the last moment.
81 want you to understand about the |
steamer first" said Toye. "She wait
ed Monday night in the Bay of Naples,
only sailed Tuesday morning, only
reached Genoa Wednesday morning,
and lay there all of forty-eight hours,
as these German boats do, anyhow. I
That brings us to Friday morning be-
fore the Kaiser Fritz gets quit of Italy,
doesn't it?"
.'YesI suppose so-do tell me
about Walter!"
"Why, 1 first heard of him at Ge-
noa, where they figured / should have
a stateroom all to myself, as the other
gentleman had been left behind at
Naples. l never saw him till he
scrambled aboard again Friday, about
the fifty-ninth minute Of the eleventh
hour"
"At Genoa?"
Sure"
@And you pretend to know where
he'd been?"
II guess / do know"-cnd Toye
sighed as he raised his little book.
"Cazalet stepped on the train that left
Naples six-ffty Monday evening, and
of the one timed to reach Charing
Cross three-twenty-ive Wednesday,"
"The day Of the M"
YES. l never called it by the hard
est name. myself; but it was seven
thirty Wednesday evening that Henry
Craven got his deatn-blow somehow.
Well, Walter Cazalet left Charing
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