, 1917-08-16

wants iit ~ "ibtS " oohS ~
at the Post Restante at Marseilles, eh?
H'm-Tn think it over"
Late in the afternoon, two days la
ter, his highness, who had been walk
ing alone, returned to the villa with
a stranger, a tall, rather thin, fair
haired man, undoubtedly a German,
and the pair were closeted together,
holding counsel evidently for a consid-
cradle time. Where his highness met
him 1 knew not, but when later on 1
entered the room l saw that the pair
were o. quite friendly terms
His highness addressed him as Herr
Schafer, and when he had left he told
me that he was from the Wilhelm
strasse and had been attached to the
embassy at Washington, and after
wards in London, "for affairs of the
press"
Whatever was in progress was a
strict secret between the pair. The
more 1 saw of Hans Schafer the more
1 disliked him. He had cruel eyes
and 1 could see that he IA a very
clever and cunning person.
For a full fortnight the crown prince
and the man Schafer were almost in
separable. Was it for the purpose of
meeting Schafer that he had gone to
Nice? The man had been back from
London about two months and had, l
learnt, been lately living in Paris.
One evening while strolling along
the tree-lined Promenade des Anglais
1 suddenly encountered Julie de Rou-
Vile, dressed in mourning, a quiet, pa
thetic figure, just as we had last met.
1 instantly recollected that since the
evening when l had given her photo
graph to the crown prince he had
never mentioned her.
"Ah, count !" she cried. "Tkis is
indeed, a welcome meeting! 1 have
been looking out for you for the past
two days"
1--WE been staying over at Cannes"
was my reply. "Well?"
81 have to thank you for giving my
photograph and message to his high
ness,' she said.
81 trust that the crown prince has
written you-eh?"
"Well, no" was her rather vague
reply.
"Then how are you aware that I
gave your message?"
She shook her head and smiled.
81 had my own means of discovery.
By certain signs / knew you had car
ried out your promise" she said. "But
as I have heard nothing, 1 wish you to
deliver another message very urgent
IT'LL Ls-, 7 v,,et -44 ht-n Cow 7
dread daily lest the truth of the
kaiser's real intentions be known at
the Quai d'Orsay."
Certainly" was my reply. 81 will
deliver your message this evening""
"Tell him that my sole desire is to
act in the interests Of the emperor and
himself" she urged.
But, forgive me-" I said, 81 cannot
see why you should interest yourself
in the crown prince If he declines to
communicate with you"
Il have my reasons, Count Won Helt-
zendorff," was her rather naughty re-
ply. "Please tell him that the matter
will not brook further delay"
/ had seen in the London newspa-
pers during the past week how eagerly
the English journalists, with the dust
cast into their eyes, were blindly advo-
eating that the British public should
welcome the great German national
movement, headed by Baron Won Cess
Ter, supported by BALM, Delbruck
and Won Wedel, with the hearty coop
Grafton of the emperor and the imperi-
al chancellor-the movement to estab-
fish better relations with Great Bri-
tain.
1 knew that the secret should at all
hazards be kept, and that night I told
the crown prince of my second meet
ing with the pretty woman in black
and her urgent request.
He laughed, but made no remark.
Yet / knew by his tone that he was not
so easy In his mind as he desired me to
believe.
1t also seemed strange why, If the
young Frenchwoman was so DESTROYS
of meeting him, she did not call at the
villa.
About a week later it suddenly &C.
CURED to me to endeavor to discover
the real identity of the lady in black,
but as / was not certain whether she
actually lived in Nice 1t was rather
difficult. Nevertheless, by invoking
the aid of my friend Belabre, inspector
of the Surete of Nice, and after wait
ing a few days 1 made an astounding
discovery, namely, that the lady who
called herself De Rouville was an TIA
lian cafe concert singer named Irene
Speroni-the woman who had aroused
the jealousy of the crown princess I!
And she knew that important state Sc
cret of Germany
The situation was a most serious
one. l felt it my duty to mention my
discovery to his highness, when, to my
sunrise. he WAS NOT in the least angry