Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-20
HAPTER XIII Continued

= kY compliments upon your appear
{Nx ance, Countess" he said soberly
hope that you find y@irself well upon
b ~ road to recovery"
s 'sThanks," she replied in a stfied
Dde, II am feeling much stronger
has been very pitiful expert
GGoee for you-one which has caused me
fX1ony Quams of conscience" he NUT
&k<red. ''but I have tried to atone and
5Would beg you to believe that all my
8Appiness for the future depends upon
yetr forgiveness"
<eid Marishka. her throat closing pain
f&ully. II hoped to die" she sighed
hut even that you denied me-"
~ have only done my duty--my duty,
+ 8COuntesS--a sweeter duty than. that
which urged me to vienna--to undo the
wrong that I have done you. to bring
again the roses into your cheeks"
She waved her hand in depreciation:
your, servants, | thank you. But for
What you are yourself-only the God
that made you can understand-can for
sgiye--that."
then slowly leaned againsl the wall be-
side her his chin cupped in his hand.
ssYou are cruel" q
II am truthful. Anything else from
hood. 1 would kill you if | had the
bitter laugh at is at least something
: that we understand each other,
He paused a long moment before re-
And then, DO we understand each
other? l hope that YOU will permit
me to speak a few words In extenua-
ton Of person you have never known
OF Leo Goritz. the man.
"a man who makes war upon q
woman-who uses violence to compel
obedience--"
"a woman-but an enemy to my
country Between my duty and my own
inclinations. had no choice. ! was
an instrument of the State. pttless,
exact and exacting. You have spoken
the truth. Sc shall |. Had my duiy
to Germany required it of me, l should
have killed you with my own hand~-
even IL you had been my sister"
She gazed at him with alien eyes.
e at is monstrous l would to God
you had"
"That is merely mw official concep,
tion of my duty to the Fatherland,
he said quietly.
She still gazed at him unbelierlng'
but ne met her glance squarely.
you need not believe me unless you
choose, but speak the truth My
orders were to bring you safely into INTO
Cermany or to eliminate you Per
hans you will understand now my diff
ficulties in keeping you unscathed.
my death would have relieved you of
that Responsibility. 1t would have been
30 easy to have let me die ~, had
over his folded arms. II could moi"
And then, after a silence. Countess
Strahni, l beg that you will consider
that / have succeeded so far IN saw
ing you from personal danger. ,.,,
! "And yet you used me. as shield
IN save Yourself from the bullets of the
man YOU Killed She broke off
laughing bitterly.
= fool to give me the chance. | took H.
There was nothing else"
'It was murder. And you
She glanced at him once J., and nd I snen nei
20 God !! she whispered, as though to
herself. 'How I loathe you!
Though the words were not even meant
for him to hear, he did not miss them.
'sThat is your privilege" he said after
IS 4 moment, "and mine-to--to adore
YOU" he said in deep accerrts.
4s Slowly she lowered her hands ana
Eaxed at him with eyes that though they
looked. seemed to see not.
IS "You-you-. You care for me ~ She
dropped her hands to her sides, and then
with voice that sought steadiness in
it's contempt, What object has the Fa-
therland 70 gain by this new hypocrisy
He stood stock stiff making no ef-
fort to approach her. ,
II think you do me some injustice
"Injustice - she said coldly. II do
you injustice7 think you forget"
"If you will permit-it is only fair at
least that you should listen. Even II
what / say does not interest you"
She waved a hand in gesture or
deprecation-but he went on rapidly in
spite of her protest. with an air or
pride, which somehow robbed the con-
fession of its sincerity.
'sYour words have been cruel, Countess,
but the cruelest We're those in which you
attribute the highest motive of my life
to the baseness of hypocrisy. | have done
many wrongs, broken many oaths. sinned
many sins--in the interests of my coun-
try--the service of which has been the
only aim of my existence ! have been
entrusted by the Emperor himself with
missions which would have tested the
courage Of any man. and / have not
failed. That is my pride-the glory of
my manhood, for the means OF accom-
plishment no matter how unworthy. are
unimportant compared with the great
mission Of the Germanic race in the
4 betterment of humanity"
how"
He commanded her silence with an
abrupt gesture.
'If you will be pleased to bear with
me a little longer. Bite. I shall not
be very long. / merely wanted you
to understand how my whole life
Z has been devoted to the great uses
Of the State, with the most unselfish
motives. l have been not human SEN
tient being, but highly specialized
; physical organism to which any wish,
any emotion. unless Of service to the
s State, was forbidden. Charity, kindness,
= altruism, all the gentler emotions-I
forswore them | relinquished friend
ship. I became a pariah, an outcast,
save to those few beings from whom I
3 took my orders, and to them / was
merely the piece of machinery which
always accomplished its tasks. l have
had no happiness, no friendships. no af-
S fection, but l am the most famous Sc
cret agent in Germany. somber pic
ture, is 1t not?"
He paused and shrugged expressively.
And then his voice lowered a note. Per
haps you will believe me when I say
that my whole existence is a living lie
4 All. yes, you think that II is a lie
Countess, because no human being can
defy the living God that s within him.
He cannot forever quell the aspirations
OF the spirit. The spark is always
alight. Sometimes 1t glows and fades
4 but sometimes worthy motive sets
A It on fire. 1t Is that spark which has
q survived in me, Countess Strahni. In
spite of my efforts-my desires even
70 deny its existence. Your illness-.