10
MAGAZINE SECTION
line, put up his rod, and counted and
weighed his find. Then, lighting n pipe,
lie resiling the heavy creel across his
hack and started up the darkening path.
From his dripping tweeds the water
oozed; his shoes wheeled and sloped at
every step; he was tired, soaked, suc
cessful but happy? Possibly.
It was dark when the lighted windows
of the lodge twinkled across the hill ; he
struck out over the meadow, head bent,
smoking furiously.
On the steps of the club-house Colonel
Hyssop and Major Brent greeted him
with the affected heartiness of men who
disliked his angling methods; the stew
ard brought out a pan; the fish were
uncreeled, reweighed, measured, and en
tered on the club book.
"Finest creel this year, sir," said the
steward, admiringly.
The Major grew purple; the Colonel
carefully remeasured the largest fish.
"Twenty-one Inches, steward !" he said.
"Wasn't my big fish of lust Thursday
twenty-two?"
"Nineteen, sir," said the steward,
promptly.
"Then it shrunk like the devil!" said
the Colonel. "By gad! it must have
shrunk in the creel!"
Hut Lnngliam whs in no mood to Bavor
his triumph. He climbed the stairs wear
ily, leaving little puddles- of water on
each step, slopped down the Imllwny,
entered his room, and sank into a chair,
too weary, too sad even to think.
Presently he lighted his lamp. He
dressed with his usual attention to de
tail, and touched the electric button
above his bed.
"I'm going tomorrow morning," he snid
to the servant who came; "return in an
hour and pack my traps."
Langham sat down. He had no in
clination for dinner. With his chin
propped on his clinched hands he sat
there thinking. A sound fell on his ear,
the closing of a door at the end of the
hall, the padded pattering of a dog's
feet, a scratching, a whine.
He opened his door; the bull-terrier
trotted in and stood before him in silence.
His Highness held in his mouth a letter.
Langham took the note with hands
that shook. He could scarcely steady
t hem to open the envelope; he could
scarcely see to read the linei
"Why are you going away?"
He rose, made his way to his desk
like a blind man, and wrote,
"Because I love you."
His Highness bore the missive away.
For an hour he sat there in the lamp
lit room. The servant came to pack up
for him, but he sent the man back, saying
that he might change his mind. Then he
resumed his waiting, his head buried in
his bunds. At lust, when he could en
dure the silence no longer, he rose and
walked the floor, backward, forward,
pausing breathless to listen for the pat
ter of the dog's feet in the hall. But no
sound came; he stole to the door and
listened, then stepped into the hull. The
light still burned in her room, streaming
out through the transom.
She would never send another message
to him by His Highness; he understood
that now. How he cursed himself for his
momentary delusion! How he scorned
himself for reading anything but friendly
kindness in her message! How he burned
with self-contempt for his raw, brutal
reply, crude as the blurted offer of a
yokel!
That settled the matter. If he had
any decency left, he must never offend
her eyes again. How could he have
hoed? How could he have done It?
Here, too! here in this place so sancti
fied to her by associations here, whither
she had come upon her pious pilgrimage
here, where at least he might have left
her to her dead !
Suddenly, as he stood there, her door
opened. She saw him standing there.
For a full minute they faced each other.
Presently His Highness emerged from
behind his mistress and trotted out into
the hall.
Behind His Highness came his mis
tress, slowly, more slowly. The dog care
fully held a letter between his teeth, and
when Langham saw it he sprang forward
eagerly.
"No, no !" she said. "I did not mean
I cannot I cannot Give me back
the letter!"
He had the letter in his hand; her hand
fell over it; the color surged into her
face and neck. The letter dropped from
her yielding hand; the thrill from their
interlocked fingers made her faint, AND
SHE SWAYED FORWARD TOWARD
HIM, so close that their lips touched,
then clung, crushed in their first kiss . . .
Meanwhile His Highness picked up the
letter and stood politely waiting.
(The End.)
The Air Pilot
(Continued from Page fi.)
masquerade of good-fellowship was only
a step in some pre-arranged plan, an
effort to make me feel at ease. vVhut
that plan was I could not, as yet, even
guess, yet dimly I connected its reveul
ment with the disappearance of the Ger
man reporter, and the pretended drunk
enness of Franr.en. The latter was so
poor an actor I was compelled to sus
picion him, but not by so much as a
glance In his direction did I reveal my
suspicions to his chief. But the fellow
was not content to remain unnoticed.
He struck the table with one hand, tip
ping over the half-filled glass, in an
endeavor to attract attention.
"Dessaiid ! Dessaud !" he repeated, hic
coughing the name derisively. "Bah I
I've heard of him; he's got a damn toy. -Who
ever heard of a French mechanic?"
'I think the world has heard of sev
erul," I answered, surprised at this out
break, yet holding my temier, "and the
toy flies."
'How ubout Rheims? Did It fly then,
Monsieur Frenchman?"
"A plane broke; accidents are always
possible." My glance fell upon the man's
extended hand; It was that of a me
chanic, with stubby fingers and close
cllnpcd nails. So he was the expert.
"You have such even in Germany."
"Maybe so," stubbornly, "but your
whole principle Is wrong."
"What do you know about that?"
"What do I know "
Brandt's hand grlpied the fellow's
arm.
"That's enough, Franzen," he said,
sternly. "We are not here to discuss
aviation, or quarrel over flags. Finish
your beer, and we'll go."
He leaned closer to me and whispered.
"We'll leave the drunken fool at the
hotel. I would like a moment's quiet
talk with you somewhere."
"But I am with Miss Probyn."
"A brief appointment tomorrow morn
ing will do, Monsieur. I have a propo
sition to make which may he of inter
est, of great interest.
"I cannot imagine "
"Of course not. However, it is not a
matter to be discussed here. I ask for
only ten minutes at, let us say, nine to
morrow. Your hotel?"
"The Congress."
"My own also; very convenient. I
tuke it for granted the request is granted.
Schinitt, let's get Franzen to bed."
We all arose together, and passed out
into the rather narrow entry-way.
Schmitt was talking with Miss Probyn,
while Brandt held to Franr.en, thus leav
ing me for the moment alone. The
proposition for a conference in the morn
ing had relieved me of aay fears for the.
present. I must wait till then to leurn
more definitely whut was being at
tempted. Brandt, by making this en
gagement, had apparently accomplished
all he desired. I had no longer any rea
son to suspect trickery, or a resort to
violence. Without doubt the Germans
considered me approachable, and would
attempt the money argument. Very well,
I would learn then whut he considered
my discoveries worth, and could laugh
at him. The thought restored me to
good humor.
I was chuckling over the situation
when Schmitt and Miss Probyn disup
eared through the swinging doors onto
the sidewalk. Almost at the same in
stant these opened inward, and the red
faced reporter burst in hastily, coming
fuce to face with Frunzen. I heard an
oath and the sound of a blow; some
one toppled over against me, forcing me
to press against the side wall for sup
Mirt. Then I was struck on the head
from behind, and went down like a log.
CHAPTER VI
BRANDT SHOWS HIS HAND
The blow felled me flat, and I had
but the vaguest impression of what was
taking place. While not rendered totally
unconscious, yet my brain was numbed,
and it seemed impossible for me to move
a muscle. However, I realized, in a dim,
impersonal way, that I was lifted up,
carried swiftly across the walk outside,
nnd thrust into a cab. I retained a flick
ering recollection of Brandt's face pressed
close to mine in the glare of an electric
light, and heard Franzen luugh spite
fully. "lle'a dead to the world," said some
one. "Turn on the juice, Carl; give her
the limit."
Then my head fell back on someone's
shoulder, and I lost all consciousness. I
retain some slight recollection of being
aroused .again. when. the. cab stopped, of
fur-away voices talking, and of being
lifted out. Then I lapsed again into
total durkness. When I awakened the
second time I was lying half-dressed on
a bed. There was no light in the room,
but an open doorway revealed a second
apartment in which lights were burning.
I saw no one, yet almost the first sound
distinguished was that hateful laugh of
Franzen. It brought me to an instant
realization of all that hud occurred.
"Not much reward for the risk. Cap
tain," he said clearly in German. "These
letters tell nothing."
"We've got the man, haven't we?" wus
the gruff answer.
"Yes, if that is any comfort, but there
is no proof thut he will talk."
"You can leave that to me; he'll either
talk, or not fly. Did Schmitt say he
couldn't speak Germun?"
"Sure; that's what the girl said. It
was her business to find out. You got
his gun?"
"In the drawer there a nasty weapon.
Better look at the fellow again, Fritz."
I heard a chair pushed back, and lay
flat with my eyes closed, hoping the in
vestigator would deem me still uncon
scious, and g buck to his conversation.
There was much I desired to learn, and
the easiest method was to use my ears.
I was surprised at the fellows' boldness,
their resorting to the strong-arm; this
alone was evidence they were acting
under urgent orders. My first theory
that money was to be the appeal had
utterly failed. They hud adopted a
shorter and uglier meuns to obtain their
end. How much farther would they ven
ture, if I proved obstinate? The pros
pect was not pleasant, and I compre
hended my own helplessness, unless I
learned more of the situation. Yet, I
confess, what troubled me most was the
apparent perfidy of the young woman.
I had trusted her, believed in her friend
ship, still it was clear enough now that
she must have deliberately lured me on
tiv tUW rough niunhandling, and then
stood idly by while I was being hustled
awuy. But did she? If so, if she was
that sort, a willing part of the conspir
acy, why should she have deceived them
relative to my knowledge of German? I
certuinly hud reason to bless her for that.
All these thoughts flashed through my
mind as I lay there with closed eyes,
burely permitting myself to breathe,
while Franzen silently crossed the room
and bent over me. It seemed as if he
would never finish, as he stood with
fingers on my wrist counting the pulse,
but finally, he released his grasp and
turned away. Through slightly parted
lushes I watched him disappear into the
other room; then lifted my head to listen.
"Still dead to the world," he reported
shortly, and a shadow on the wall told
me he had paused to pour out a drink.
"You must have soaked him good."
"A bit harder than I intended," re
turned Brandt composedly, "but it is all
right; he'll come around. We'll give him
a half hour more," and I heard the snap
of his watch, "and then try the cold
water cure. Go down and cull up Schinitt
on the 'phone, Fritz. I want to be sure
he bus got thut girl safely corralled."
"Where is her"
(To be Continued.)