Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-04-19

III iAC1 Iuiity 1CobJ " OC NSPOoitSo I'LL
der the false Bottom of her jewel case.
Within the security of her room,
the countess felt at ease. She even
sang a little, a bit of a ballad from her
mountains.
Still singing, she carried the jewel
case to her table, and sat down be-
fore it. Then she put a hand to her
throat.
The lock had been forced.
A glance about showed her that her
code book was gone. In the tray
above, her jewels remained untouched ;
her pearl collar, the diamond knick-
knacks the archduchess had given her
on successive Christmases, even a
handful of gold coins, all were safe
enough. But the code book vas gone.
Then indeed did the countess look
death in the face-and found it ter
rible. For a moment she could not so
much as stand without support. 1t
was then that she saw a paper folded
under her Jewels and took 1t out with
shaking fingers. In fine, copperplate
script she readI
Madame-Tonight at one o'clock a closed
fiacre will await you in the Street of the
Wise Virgins, near the church. You will
go in 1t, without fail, to wherever 1t takes
you.
(Signed) The Committee of Ten.
The committee of tenl This thing
had happened to her. Then it was
true that the half mythical committee
of ten existed, that this terror Of Ii
'vonia was a real terror, which had her
by the throat. For there was no es-
cape. None. Now indeed she knew
that rumor spoke the truth, and that
the %terrorists were everywhere. In
daylight they had entered her room.
They had known of the safe, known
of the code. Known how much else?
Wild ideas Of flight crossed her
mind, to be as instantly abandoned for
their futility. Where could she go
that they would not follow her?
When she had reacted from her first
ter, pro and con. What could they
want of her? If she was an enemy to
the country, so were they. But even
that led nowhere, for after all, the
t%errorists were not enemies to LivOnia.
They claimed indeed to be its friends,
to hold in their hands it's future and
It's betterment. Enemies of the royal
house they were, of course.
She was nearly distracted by that
time. She was a brave woman, ply
sically and mentally of hard fiber, but
the very name signed to the paper set
her nerves to twitching. 1t was the
committee of ten which had murdered
Prince Hubert and his young wife; the
committee of ten which had exploded
a bomb in the very palace itself, and
killed old Breidau, of the kings coun-
ell; the committee of ten which had
burned the government house, and had
led the mob in the student riots a
year or so before.
In this dread presence, then, she
would find herself that night! For
The countess rang for her maid.
She was cool enough now, and white,
with a cruel line about her mouth that
Minna knew well. She went to the
door into the corridor, and locked 1t.
Then she turned on the maid. 81
am ready for you, now"
MADAME will retire?"
"You little fooll You know what
I am ready for!"
The maid stood still. Her wide,
bovine eyes, filled with alarm, watched
the countess as she moved swiftly
across the room to her wardrobe.
When she turned about again, she held
in her hand a thin black riding crop.
Minna's rudy color faded. She knew
the Loscheks, knew their furies.
Madame !" she cried, and fell on
her knees. "What have l done? oh,
what have I done?'
'"That is what you will tell me-" said
the countess, and brought down the
crop. A livid stripe across the girls
face turned slowly to red.
81 have done nothing. l swear it.
Mother of pity, help me! I have done
nothing"
The crop descended again, this time
on n of the great sleeves Of her
peasant costume. So thin it was, so
brutal the blow, that it cut into the
Grooming, the girl fell for
ward on her face. The countess con-
tinued to strike pitiless blows into
which she put all her fury, her terror,
her frayed and ragged nerves.
The girl on the floor, from whimper-
ing, fell to crying hard, with great
noiseless sobs Of pain and bewilder-
ment. When at last the blows ceased,
she lay still.
The countess prodded he- with her
foot. "Get up" she commanded.
But she was startled when she saw
the girls face. 1t was she who was
the fool. The welt would tell it's W
story, and the other servants would
talk. It was already a deep purple,