The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-23


lined cape of his Inverness. Then
he went to the door and opened
it. Having done that, he took
out a time-piece of heavily EN-
bossed gold.
II will give you three minutes ~
he calmly announced. Three
minutes and no more!
please GO!'
And them" suggested Kestner.
The dull glow that burned through
his body forewarned him that all
his old fighting blood was again
being stirred into life. It was
the voice of Maura Lambert that
broke the silence.
Please go!" she timorously i'm.
plored. The unlocked for note of
anxiety in her voice made Kest-
ner swing sharply about on her.
you want me TOT" he de.
manded, staring at her colorless
face.
YES" she answered.
She did not look at him. She
was staring intently at Watched,
as a child stares into an un.
lighted room through which it
must pass.
"Then you'll tell me why" in
sisted Kestner. He was still
further perplexed by her uncon-
scious gesture Of despair, by the
tragic light in her troubled eyes.
Tell him. was Watchel's curt
command.
She still stood at the far side of
the room, but all the while that
she spoke she kept watching the
huge blonde figure facing Kestner.
For two months have been
in this mans pay" she slowly and
distinctly said.
I'm this mans pay?" echoed
Kestner.
II was alone, and without
money" she went determinedly on
ir her flat and unhurried mono
tone. "A dealer for whom 1 had
copied eight gallery canvasses
went away without paying me.
l was in trouble about a studio
/ had taken from an English artist
in the Via Cavour. 1 had to
move to a cheap pension. And
even there the same trouble pre-.
sented ITSELF"
Go on" prompted Kestner.
Then this man came to me,
when I was making a copy of
Raphael's Sybils in Santa Maria
Dele Pace, for a Pittsburgh
banker who countermanded the
order when. he found 1t wouldn't
fit his dining-room. 1 seemed to
be at the end Of my rope. Then
this man asked me to copy a
signature for him. He said that
a copy would be worth 500 lire to
him. I did 1t, in the end, and he
paid me. Then he came again,
saying that a friend of his had to
have credentials and passports to
take him through the Turkish
lines to Adrianople."
GO on" again commanded
Kestner as she came to a stop.
II put him off, day by day, un-
Il! my money was gone and I was
helpless again. There seemed
no other way. Then I borrowed
what money 1 could from the
piccolo who used to run errands
for me. I borrowed that money
t. cable to you at Washington.
An answer came back saying you
were no longer with the depart.
ment."
And l never even knew" cried
Kestner, taking a deep breath
I made copies of a passport, -
she went on, land was paid for
1t. Then copied a signature on
the official paper Of the Austrian
embassy and was paid for that
Then this man came to me and
said l would have to go with him
TO Corfu, where could work
with him on duplicates of the
Toulon Notifications. refused
to go. He tried to force me t
go, but that same day l met
Sadie Wimpel in the Piazza a
Spagna. Through her lot q
commission to make gallery copies
for an English leader"
us that all?' demanded Kest
ner. His face was now almost as
colorless as the woman's,
Yes" she said in the same
flat monotone as before.
Kestner turned slowly about
confronting the man who still
stood with the timepiece in his
hand
You can put away that watch
he announced with a steelly In
cisiveness. He did not speak
loudly, but from his eyes shone
a whitehead OF Indignation which
could not be concealed.
why can II" asked Watched
still making a pretence of view
ing him with bland and rounde+
eyes.
(TO BE Continued MOndayJ