The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-02-14
By DOrnford Yates
Copyright by Minton, Balch & Co.
wNU Service.
hauled myself out Of the water to
80 ~ I,ar esdn


Gently I closed the grating.
Again the Count lifted his voice.
"Faning!" he bawled. "Faning!"
Helena touched my arm.
81 could tell him where flaming Is.
He's gone to the bridge Nobody knows
of this exit, but Florin and me-"
The tunnel seemed without end. 1t
was dark and damp and noisome and
ran uphill, and l was more than thank
full when after five or six minutes l
saw the faint light of the evening and
found the air more fresh. The mouth
of the tunnel was masked by a riot
of underground, but when we were
clear of this screen, / saw at once that
we stood due north of the castle.
sand now for Axel," said Helena
sand Sabre, hope. When he can't find
me. he'll remember the last two nights
and come to the Plumage ride"
It was now ten minutes past nine,
and dusk had come in. We had, there
fore, no fear of skirting the edge of
the forest, for the going was better in
the meadows and we were at least
half mile from where Axel would be.
The castle was lighted now as l had
never seen it, but of course we could
see no movement and hear no sound.
The lights suggested that the building
was being searched.
We pushed on breathlessly.
We had covered half the distance
when Helena caught my arm and
stopped in her tracks.
Somebody was whistling-not very
far away; whistling as though to bring
a dog to his heels.
Then we heard Pharaoh's voice.
Good dog" he cried. "Good dog"
The man was out in the meadows,
somewhere between the bridge and the
Plumage ride.
In flash 1 saw what had happened.
Sabre had left the castle, and
Pharaoh had seen him go. The porter,
no doubt, had told him that that was
the Countess dog, and the fellow had
guessed in an instant that Sabre's in
stinct was leading him to his mistress,
wherever she was. And so he had fol-
lowed Sabre, but had lost him because
1t was dark.
"Come on" said 1. "Now that he's
| lost Sabre, he hasn't a chance"
"If he hears the horses" breathed
Helena.
We were nearly there now, but when
Pharaoh whistled again, he was not
so far off as before.
AS we stumbled into the ride, !
found the dog padding beside us. He
may have been there for five minutes
for all 1 know. And there was Axel
waiting, ten minutes before his time,
"Good dog" cried Pharaoh.
I judged the man to be fifty PAGES
away.
In flash l had Helena up on the
lively gray.
AS she stopped to whisper to Axel,
l turned to the other horse, but, per
haps because he was startled, he would
not stand. AS l swung myself up, he
backed sideways against the gray, and
before l could find my right stirrup,
it's dangling iron had clashed with that
of Helena, making ringing sound.
The whistle which Pharaoh was let
ting suddenly stopped.
l heard the man running towards
us as we turned the horses about.
And then we were both sitting down
and riding hard for Plumage.
We dared not spare the horses
the hunt was up.
Pharaoh would run to the castle, find
the Count and induce him to order a
car; and we had to ride to Plumage
and drive from there to the high road
before that car could reach the mouth
of the private lane.
As we came to the apron
'Ill take the horses" said Helena.
"You go and get your things"
AS she caught my bride, flung my
self off the bay.
In my bedroom wasted no time, but
snatched up razor and seized the first
clothes l found; yet, ere was back,
the horses were fast in the stables and
Helena was returning to take her seat
in the Rolls.
Thirty seconds later the Rolls slid
over the bridge.
had often read and heard speak of
"an agony of apprehension" but never
until that evening, when our head
lights sent darkness packing out Of
that lovely lane, had 1 understood that
terrible state of mind.
Then all at once the truth stood
clear before me, and something more
sinister than fear took hold of my
heart.
The lane was no lane, but trap
full two miles long. Once we were In,
we could no more turn the Rolls round
than man that was buried could turn
himself round in his grave.
If only we had stuck to the horses
and ridden away across country to
take some train. :. But it was too
late now. For better or worse we had
chosen this dreadful way.
Snt INV tooth. and We took the