The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-15

pccpcd into more than one pantry on his way to the bar. He could not, however, see the waiter who, had just left the terrace. He did not ask for him, but stood stolidly drinking his wine and being cordially wei comcd by madame. Of course, he heard all 1out the impending visit of the embassy. When he had quite done, he wiped his hairy lips upon his white coat sleeve, and went out again.
 pausing behind the princess chair, he said, in grumblng tone
 "WLat is the use of my telling you all know of the currents and the dangers of the coast hcrcabouts if you will persist in swim ming between the Ommo whirlpool and the western end of Isola Bella?"
 'I've done nothing of the kinde' cried ka. springing to his feet. "Tm not such fool, though you seem to think I've no rnure sense than child-Ha" he broke If suddenly, turning to Evadne. .Eva-1 know what he means He must have seen it, too!'
 ooh, of course! We haven't met you since our swim this morning, Mistitch His highness told me he saw something in the wzscr, and said it looked like a seal"
 "1f it was what I saw, it looked exactly like what it was-a man swimming" re- piled Mistitch stolidly, his suspicious of Ra appan.ntiy not yet appeased 'But it was an early hour for you to be in the water when saw it, young master"
 "What hour was that?"
 "Soon after 2 this morning. You swan from the the island, straight over to the by very narrow margin. You landed and vanished among the trees"
 eYou really are a fool, Mistitch, if you think it was me. What had he on?"
 "Your bathing suit, my prince. Black and yellow.''
 "The deuce he hadr' murmured Ra, staring
 He must have been swimming back to the island when you saw him, Ra-that was between II and 12,'' cried Evadne.
 "Well, I believe he was down there all right. I also believe he had pinched some my bathing suit.".
 "Be content, son of mine," growled Mis- titch. "It won't happen again. One wants eyes in the back of one's head when it comes to strangers-but strangers have been so scarce on the lake-shore that have grown careless may be-"
 "Yes, you're an old fraud. We certainly look to you to keep out trespassers," re- piled Ra. q expect he was some journalist chap, doing the Peeping Tom business. You know Eva won't ever allow them within miles of Floremar, so expect they hang around and this one made a dash! and pulled it off, too!'
 ''Thou knowest all!' replied Mistitch, with grim irony, turning his back upon the heir to the throne, and moving off, down the steps, to where his boat lay moored. He was privileged person. One no more resented his roughness than one resents the qSnoqa m!q oa ps4oAep srM pue 'sdvq 8 se suIIs s!q U! InoeH pe!IIee pvq eH uo,9ooJ leaping up of big dog in his excess of af- it is probable that his devotion to Evadne was even more complete.
 The Polish waiter joined the rest of the hotel staff to see the boat start away.
 >Evadne sat in the stern, the rudder-ines over her shoulders, and Mistitch pulled bow to the princes stroke. .~ But when they had gone some way, the old man rose, picked up the boy unceremoniously and deposited him beside his aunt in the stern, sculling the rest of the way back himself.
 It was a week later. Prince Ra was back in Gailima; but he and his tutor, Humphrey Varley, were to come down with Queen Rosamond in a few days time, and to remain at Floremar for month at least after her majesty's return to the capital.
 For the die was cast. Evadne had come to a decision. To the intense relief of the