Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-11-27


dered again :.
mo, no. couldn't. I'm afraid"
Good" His voice sounded relieved.
I've tried to recruit you and I've
failed. Perhaps I'm glad to fail"
do you despise me?"
Definitely no." he assured her. "A
timid recruit is positive danger You
can't force these things. When it grips
you, you won't be able to resist it. It'll
be part Of you"
She looked into his shining eyes
with faint pang of jealousy She
felt that she had been offered some
thing big and northumberland she
had rejected it.
What do you get out of life?"
she asked.
Excitement"
mo happiness? Won't there ever be
woman?"
mo. Verboten.'
Not even a woman who worked
with you and shared your danger?"
NO Then suddenly he smiled
who knows? One day, perhaps, when
all this is over, there may be cottage
in the country or a flat in town
"iiiSllSNSi SliC ElC1Clo. oOlIlC
Some day After that, it was only
question of time before her first day
=. . She opened her eyes, jumped out
of bed and began to dress.
Perhaps it was those drinks" she
thought. I'm not used to so many. ]
must catch John before he goes and
ask him for time. I'm not backing out
All want is time; time to get steady
and used to the idea"
She felt relieved by her decision al
though she was oppressed by a sense
of urgency. John was due to leave the
hotel early, and she might have
missed him. In her impotence the
lift could not take her quickly enough
down to the ground floor, and directly
she reached the lounge she ran across
to the bureau.
Has So checked out YETI" she asked
mo-" replied the clerk, glancing at
the clock. Hes cutting it fine. know
my lord made night of it for had
the joy of letting him in. You must
pardon my indiscretion if he is a
friend of yours"
Every patron is friend of the
hotel, Georg," she told him.
AS she looked at the youth, she
realized his secret hostility bred from
sense of grievance. He was rather
like kewpie, with very light curly
hair, slanting eyes and broad per-
manent smile. Unfortunately, he was
not so good natured as he appeared,
while he was too slack to be entrusted
with authority.
Her other helper, Edda, was older
than herself, but she too could not be
allowed much contact with the guests,
because of bad manners and a dis
agreeable personality. Although she
was pure Nazi, she was dark and pallid
with mean pinched lips. Not only was
she enviouS of Vivien's blonde coloring
but she was also jealous of her posi-
ton as old Steiners official grand
daughter.
Her insolence usually took the form
of sardonic servility. That morning,
she carried Vivien's coffee and dry
roll to the desk and laid it beside her
with a stressed Service" AS she did
SO, John entered the lounge. His hat
was on and he carried his coat and
suitcase.
Because she knew that both her as
sistants were watching her, Vivien
felt her face flush.
Give me SIS bill, Georg," she said
sharply.
AS she crossed the lounge, she
noticed a change in John. His lips
were stern and he looked at her in
differently as though she were a
stranger. Taking the account from her,
he glanced at the total with a shrug
as though to indicate he was stung
before he spoke in peremptory
whisper.
Something broke, last night. I'm
going hell-for-leather to contact some
one . This item is wrong, Fraulein
-. Listen. At noon today a man will
tap by show case. Pass him and
whisper, Tonight at eight, 1903, Post
gasse" He's six foot, very fair, blue
eyes, blonde hair with shaver sides,
we'll dressed, scar over his eye"
While he was murmuring the de-
scription, he opened his note case,
thrust some dirty notes into her hand
and dashed through the revolving
doors -. Her chance of reprieve was
gone.
who's after himp" asked Edda.