THE NATIONAL SUNDAY MAGAZINE
5
"What did
she mean
by placing
an officious
hireling be
fore the
door?"
ml $f
"I see," said Miss Guile, after a moment. "Ho
wouldn't sleep with one eyo open. 1 see."
"The lap of luxury is an enviable resting-plnce.
I know of no prince who would despise it."
"But a wife is sometimes a thing to bo despised,"
said she.
"Quite true," snid Mr. Totten. "I've no doubt
that the Prince of Graustark will despise- his wife,
and for that reason will be quite content to close
both eyes and let her go on searching for her heart's
desire."
"She would be his Princess. Could he afford to
allow his love of luxury to go as far as that ?"
"Quite as justifiably, I should say, as Mr. Blithers
when he delivers his only child into into bondage."
"You were about to use another term."
"I was, but 1 thought in time, Miss Guile."
R. Schmidt sauntered briskly past at this junct
ure, looking neither to the right nor left. They
watched him until he disappeared down the deck.
"I think Mr. Schmidt is a perfectly delightful
young man," said Mrs. Gaston, simply because she
couldn't help it.
"You really think he will marry Miss Blithers,
Mr. Totten?" ventured Miss Guile.
"He? Oh, I see the Prince?" Mr. Totten
came near to being no diplomat. "How should 1
know, Miss Guile?"
"Of course! How should you know?" she cried.
Mr. Totten found something to interest him in the
printed sheet and proceeded to read it with con
siderable avidity. Miss Guile smiled to herself and
purposely avoided the shocked look in Mrs. Gaston's
eyes.
' "Bouillon at last," cried the agitated duenna, and
peremptorily summoned one of the tray-bearing
stewards. "I am famished."
Evidently Mr. Totten did not care for his mid
morning refreshment, for, with the most courtly of
smiles, he arose and left them to their bouillon.
"Here comes Mr. Schmidt," whispered Mrs. Gas
ton excitedly, a few moments Inter, and at once
made a movement indicative of hasty departure.
"Sit still," said Miss Guile peremptorily.
R. Schmidt again passed them by without so much
as a glance in their direction. There was a very
sweet smile on Miss Guile's lips as she closed her
eyes and lay back in her chair. Once, twice, thrice,
even as many as six times R. Schmidt strode rap
idly by their corner, his head high and bis face aglow.
AT last a queer little pucker appeared on the
"serene.brow of the far from drowsy young lady
whose eyes peeped through half closed lids. Sud
denly she threw off her rug and with a brief remark
to Iter companion arose and went to her cabin.
Mrs. Gaston followed, not from choice but because
the brief remark was in the nature of a command.
Soon afterward, R. Schmidt who hnd been joined
by Dank, threw himself into his chair with a great
sigh of fatigue and said:
"'Gad, I've walked a hundred miles since break
fast. Have you a match?"
"Hobbs has made a very curious discovery," said
the young lieutenant, producing his match-box.
There was a perturbed look in his eyes.
"If Hobbs isn't careful he'll discover a new con
tinent one of these days. He is always discovering
something," said Robin, puffing away at his pipe.
"But this is really interesting. It seems that ho
was in the hold when Miss Guile's maid came down
mean.
suppose
to get into one of her mistress's trunks. Now, the
first letter in Guile is G, isn't it? Well, Hobbs
says there nre at least half n dozen trunks thero be
longing to the young lady and that all of them
are marked with a largo red B. What do you
make of it?"
The Prince had stopped pulling at his pipe. "Hobbs
may bo mistaken in the maid, Dank. It is likely
that they are not Miss Guile's trunks at all."
"He appears to be absolutely sure of his ground.
He heard tho maid mention Miss Guile's name when
she directed the men to get one of the trunks out of
tho pile. That's what attracted his attention. He con
fided to me that you are interested in the young lady,
and therefore it was quite natural for him to be sim
ilarly affected. 'Like master, like man,' d'ye sec?"
"Really, you know, Dank, 1 ought to dismiss
Hobbs," said Robin irritably. "He is getting to be
a dreadful nuisance. Alwavs nosing around, trying
to "
"But after all, sir, you'll have to admit thnt ho has
made a puzzling discovery. Why should her luggage
be marked with a B!"
"I should say because her name begins with a B,"
said Robin shortly.
"In that case, it isn't Guile."
"Obviously." The young man was thinking very
hard.
"And if it isn't Guile, there must be an excellent
reason for her sailing under n false name. She
doesn't look like an adventuress."
R. Schmidt rewnrded this remark with a cold stare.
"Would you mind telling me what she does look like,
Dank?" he enquired severely.
THE lieutenant flushed. "I have not had the same
opportunity for observation that you've enjoyed,
sir, but I should say, off-hand, that she looks ike a
very dangerous young person."
"Do you mean to imply that she is or not alto
gether what one would call right?"
Dank grinned. "Don't you regard her as rather
perilously beautiful?"
"Oh, 1 see. That's what you
you got that from Hobbs, too."
"Not at all. I have an ex
cellent pair of eyes."
"What are you trying to get
at, Dank?" demanded Robin
abruptly.
"I'm trying to get to the bot
tom of Miss Guile's guile, if it
please your royal highness," said
tho lieutenant coolly. "It is hard
to connect tho G nnd the B, you
know."
"But why should wo deny her
a privilege that we are enjoying,
all three of us? Are wo not in
the same boat?"
"Literally and figuratively.
That explains nothing, however."
"Have you a theory?"
"Thero are many that wo could
advance, but, of course, only one
of them could be the right one,
even if we were acute enough to
include it in our list of guesses.
She may have an imperative
reason for not disclosing her
identity. For instance, she may
bo running away to get married."
"That's possible," agreed
Robin.
"But not probable. She may
be a popular music-hall favorite,
or one of those peculiarly clever,
creatures known as tho American
newspaper woman, against whom
wo have been warned. Don't
you regard it as rather signifi
cant that of all the people on
this ship she should be the-one
to nttach herself to tho unrecog
nized Prince of Graustark? Put
two and two together, sir, and "
"I find it singularly difficult to
put ono and one together, Dank,"
said the Prince ruefully. "No;
you are wrong in both of your
guesses. I've encountered music
hall favorites and I can assure
you she isn't one of them. And
as for your statement that she
attached herself to me, you were
never so mistaken in your life.
I give you my word, she doesn't
care a hang whether I'm on the ship or clinging to
a lifo preserver out there in tho middle of the At
lantic. 1 hnvo reason to know, Dank."
"So bo it," snid Dank, but with doubt in bis eyes.
"You ought to know. 1'vo never spoken to her,
so "
"Sho thinks you are a dreadfully attractive chap,
Dank," snid Robin mischievously. "She snid so only
yesterday."
Dank gave his Prince a disgusted look, and smoked
on in silence. Ilis dignity was milled.
"Her Christian name is Bedelin," ventured Robin,
after a pause.
"That doesn't get us anywhere," said Dank sourly.
"And her mother is Irish."
"Which accounts for those wonderful Irish blue
eyes that "
"So vou've noticed them, eh?"
"Naturally."
"I consider them a very dark gray."
"I think wo'd better get back to tho luggage,"
said Dank hastily. "Hobbs thinks sho "
ffll, Lord, Dank, don't tell mo what Hobbs
thinks," growled Robin. "Let her make use of
nil tho letters in tho alphabet if it pleases her. What
is it to us? Moreover, she may be utilizing a lot of
borrowed trunks, who knows? Or B may hnve been
her initial before she was divorced nnd "
"Divorced?;'
" her maiden namo restored," concluded Robin
airily. "Simple deduction, Dank. Don't bother
your bend about her any longer. What we know
isn't going to hurt us, and what we don't know
isn't "
"Hns it occurred to you that Hussin may havo set
spies upon you "
"Nonsense 1"
"It isn't ns preposterous a's you "
"Come, old fellow, let's forget Miss Guile," cried
Robin, slapping the lieutenant on tho shoulder.
"Let's think of tho real peril, Maude Applegate
Blithers." He held up tho ship's paper for Dank
to see nnd then leaned (Continued on Vatjc 10)
A NEW ENGLAND JUNE
By BLISS CARMAN ?$Wf'$& IT
Thete thingt I remember Ah, not in tho rows, otJ ' Wj
Of fi'tw England June, Nor tho muro noon, .Jrtfl ' lfjLlA
Like a titid day dream Nor the thrushes' music, 7I ' liSa
In the arure noon, Lies tho soul of June. y .v3jJ
While one haunting figure It is something finer, VJ aiJCnSi
Strays through ettru ecenr, Mora unfading far, 1 MJ
Like the tout of beauts Than tho primrose evening I mb1
Through her lout dememe Ami the Silver Star. A. .pEfl-S!
Gardens full of roses ( H'Aen the ghoitly moonlight , -jf AWsi
And peonies a-blow Walkt my gartlen ground, 12 ll -f
In tho dewy morning, ,. ulturely patrol fM T 1 L
Itow on stately row, On hit nightly round, tjfc-W
Spreading their gay pattern, Thete thingt I remember Jifk 3V)FJ
Crimson, pied and cream, Of the long ago, 1Yl V aFWl
Like Borno gorgeous fresco White the tlumbroueroiea NKZ r 'WiMl
Or an Eastern dream. Neither care nor know. k W"; :ttVl
Nets of waving sunlight 'S V ,1111
Falling through tho trees; I rWWKTI CTIWYVW I L imMml
Fields of gold-whito daisies oWX IL SM2 -VrrIJ
Ilreaklng green ns Jade - SSftl isl
On tho lilao beaches, AS"f nll Vt
Where the shore-birds wade ( '7j-jftlrt til
Out of every picture k . " rSf3lM I
Still ehe comet to me I ZL 'S tS U IaS 1
With the morning frethnett v tilff" 4 r t4 f - iililM
Of the eummer tea, " r $Af-ffl
A glory in her bearing, tr J iiSil"y
A tea-light in her eye; tti. Gut y'Pin-ii 'mri
A t if the could not forget . 'r5 iS5L , " ' 7fiH1 ! IfVM
The Spell of Paradite. Wl
Thrushes in the deep woods, j. ' JpySm
With their golden themes, 6 yriiS-iKffKQ
Fluting; like Uia choirs ,
At theWth of dreams. "7&&&riVmlK&faf1M',
Fireflies In the meadows , JSSiWJ'tlliMA
At the gato of Night, T . 4 'ferWff1
With their fairy lanterns , C hjntti tXfiy.
Twinkling soft and bright. .IM
" Ilk. ; f ''-y y fflrpi&fa&
I
