The spectator., 1918-12-13

y strangely for a man of his years, it had in 1t much more of the paternal ele-
 ment than of the lover. All his life
 he had been almost kinleSs, his only sister was dead, he wanted Eleanor's presence, Eleanor with him, to see
 her every day, whether as wife or | daughter. Yet he was brave enough
 to acknowledge that this love, selhess
 in measure, threatened to become a
 consuming passion if he did not hold
 himself rigidly in check.
 He, the middle-aged captain, and | Eleanor, with her station, her pros
 poets and her beauty-it was an inn
 possible dream, or one that would ruin
 the girls life If, in some wild moment, | she made it truth.
 | He had his reward in Eleanors in-
 creasing restraint, her quite visible in- | dignation. They had fallen apart again, after that single meeting. It was poor reward, bu. the sort that Mark had received all his life from fortune. But there were lonely nights when life seemed unbearable, and he had to
 exert all his will power to keep him. self in check. Mark had rented q lit- tie furnished apartment in the North west section. off Pennsylvania avenue, and he had found the desert more com- | panionable.
 One night he felt at the end of his powers That was after grilling day in the war office, one of those days | that sometimes come in Washington
 toward the middle of September, when
 everything is as sticky as the asphalt
 sidewalks.
 It had been day of evil portent be- sides. Colonel Howard who had seemed of late to reflect Eleanor's l coolness in some measure. had greeted ] him with a wry face when he came in.
 'The devils to pay, Mark" he said.
 "Draw up your chair. There's leak l age in the department"
 "WhatT" cried Mark.
 Things are getting known-for in- stance, our dealings with the shipping people. They've found the exact num- Der of ships we've reQuisitioned. You know whom mean by they" | Mark nodded. The cosmopolitan in- l fiuences in Washington, whose ramifi- cations extended to the ends of the earth, or, at least, across the Atlantic, were busy in every drawing room ex- l tracting news, the tiniest and least re- liable of which was not despised. since | many such single items make up a CO., | herent story.
 'Thc Brigadier's wild about it." con- tlnued the Colonel. pulling at his mus tache. And it seems impossible to detect how the leakage occurred. It must have been through the shipping companies, of course; yet they couldn't have pieced the thing together without concerted action, which is out of the | question. Let's go through the pa pers."
 They opened the safe and went through them one by one, but nothing was missing.
 Damn 1t !" growled Colonel Howard. i've been through this before, Mark you know that. In that case there was traitor at work. We found him. In this case there can be none, at least. in the war department. And I've told the Brigadier I'll answer with my place for discovering where the leak lies" He closed the safe and strode off h. to Kellermans room, to return with Kellerman. looking angrier than be- fore.
 What are we going to do, Keller man?" he asked.
 Kellerman pursed out his lips. "Well, Colonel, you know as much about it as any of us." he answered. "Theres al- ways been two of us present night and morning when the papers were trans ferred. I'll vouch for you, Wallace will. presume. vouch for me, and you. I presume will vouch for Wallace" The sinister look on his face affect ed Mark more disagreeably than ever. Mark felt nettled. though the words had been fair.
 'Tf there's been leak," he said '.it seems to me it's up to the Brigadier to discover 1t. It's outside; it isn't our business to locate it. We're doing our part-what more can we dor" Come along and tell the Brigadier that" suggested Howard
 Mark. nothing loath. accompanied him to the Generals room But tho