Show the hemy mystery ste road roa CHAPTER IV continued 1 22 for you you jcu Kross sneered because you risk nothing and you have the die spending of r the money for me it t 18 s different I 1 have an official etal position I 1 am governor of the fortress I 1 wear the uniform of the russian republic elsa francks francka laughed loudly and scornfully she pointed jeeringly at Kross uniform of the russian republic she exclaimed A pity they make it to fit youl you official position indeed I 1 what do you get out of it I 1 should like to know I 1 would you not starve if it were not for the contributions of the prisoners themselves it Is true Kross assented gloomily jt it la Is a dogs life and a doles dogs country to live it binl the woman proclaimed listen to io me ivan she sat upon the arm of his chair and talked to him in russian soon it was evident that lie he was yielding she fetched him beer and then spirits of some sort from a n cupboard once or twice site she turned and winked stealthily at gerald at last she turned towards him in triumph it Is arranged she announced not so fast Kross intervened let us hear how this money Is to be paid in cash gerald replied 1 I have drafts upon your own banks well well Kross muttered the money Is right enough then at tei tomorrow morning he went on present yourself lit at the fortress inquire for me I 1 shall give you an audience tile affair inny be concluded nt at once get back to your hotel now and be careful not to speak of your real business gerald rose blithely to its his feet the idea of leaving tile horrible atmosphere of that room was undiluted joy to him he bowed to tile the governor elsa took him to the door and under pretext of calling the servant passed oui out with him into the passage you can come back later if you like to talk with roe me again she whispered be careful though for lie he Is very jealous she shouted something to the russian rua maid and stepped back into the room with a meaning smile gerald put money into the hand of the woman who opened the postern gate and stepped into the street with a gasp of relief the clear air was wonderful I 1 ile he drew in great gulps of it as he anade its his way along the uneven pavements stared at by every passerby passer by ile he could scarcely believe that flint ills his task tank was coining so easily to nn end if nil went well in twenty four hours he might be on ills his way back t to 0 england chapter V I 1 gerald after a wenry weary climb out of tile lie town stood tit nt lust last tit nt lip lie illint appointed hour on the following morning before tile the rusty iron antes of tile lie fortress untidy alad neglected tile the whole holo place seemed nied there vis still sill sinister nebout the various prude crude precautions against the lie escape or of a prisoner for a quarter of it on th outside or of the lie walls not in themselves formidable everything in the he shape of trees shrubs or dwellings lind been to abe tie ground and every fifty paces around the lie walls on llie top of it buttress was ans mounted 11 i machine gun from which nn an iron ladder ad led to tile he ground the walls themselves were about eight feet high of stone covered with white plaster the fortress itself was built of a kind of gray colored brick a square are solid building with a n curiously unexpected pointed top the barred windows were no more than slits the space of open ground by which the main building was surrounded wits inches deep in dust A porter in stained and ill fitting uniform admitted gerald to the bullying building escorted him film across the file yard and passed him on to a duplicate of himself to whom gerald once more presented the card which had obtained him admittance jie ile was led down a stone passage which had apparently neither been cleaned nor swept for months into a lofty but bare apartment at the farther end Kross who was sitting before a wooden table apparently expecting him als dismissed the attendant and motioned to sit down ile he looked at its hla visitor in unfriendly fashion why did you not come to roe me direct instead of going to elsa francks he demanded gerald was not unprepared for the question 1 I knew your reputation as ap a soldier and a man of honor he replied 1 I feared that unless this matter was put to you in the proper light tactfully a spi a woman can put it you would have nothing to say to me the governor grunted it was a mistake nilst alre he declared sour soar 1 b the woman Is greedy she will wr or beep by EP hillips oppenheim i or a 00 dema demand na her full share of the money it la is scarcely justice 11 1 1 I 1 am sorry gerald said 1 I acted os as I 1 was advised supposing 1 I accede Kross went on after a short pause how do YOU propose to get number twenty nine out of the country I 1 q 1 I was hoping gerald admitted that you might have been able to help with some suggestion the governor stroked his beard suggestions he muttered are worth money gerald acquiesced 1 I have not command of much more lhnn the amount I 1 spoke of he said eald lout but if you can show me how to get our friend safely out of the country I 1 will add a thousand pounds to your share which sum the governor insisted quickly will not be mentioned to elsa francks and will belong to me alone agreed gerald acquiesced show me your papers the governor demanded gerald produced them hem without best tation tut ion lits his passports passport an urgent letter of recommendation by the one statesman who wits was in good odor in both countries bankers drafts which needed only his signature to produce a never ending flow of cash the governors eyes eves glittered na as he turned hem over in fit his hand it was horri tile that a share of these treasures must go to the woman I 1 she was well enough under tinder ills his thumb the slave of tits his command but with money in her pocket they were neither of them in their first youth hut but so fur far as looks went in ills his eyes she still find charm clearm if she were independent of him nil sorts sits of things might happen lie ile threw down the documents with will a little the passport however lie he kept in ills fits hand ills manner as ho h looked tit lit gerald changed he became alti almost lost servile senile you ou too are nn in aristocrat then lie remarked 1 I am of the english aristocracy gerald 1 I have another passport in my pocket which proclaims me nn fin american citizen the governor nodded he pushed a box ot of black cigars across to tits ills vis aitor the latter contented himself however hotter or with accepting ji it cigarette then lie touched a bell the attend ant brought in beer which as was poured into two to glasses As soon ns as they were alone Kross motioned geralld to draw ills fits chair close to the lie desk aso NOW here Is my iny scheme lie said number r twenty nine Is of your our height and build you see ailin for 3 our self and judite judice bamber one hundred and one also it young ninn died yes berday afternoon of fever ills his death luis has not yet jet ben been officially reported very vei good I 1 I 1 nike anke you vou to the lie cell if number twenty nine dine you nu ex change clothes altti A ith him filin boti on phe give hlin your our american in pa sport boll m go go in with nie me to chiq cell ile he comes out with will me ill you yon remain rein flin tile devil I 1 to lol I 1 gerald muttered do not be it i fool 1 the lie governor gocr nor linn 1 I beg your our pardon excellency lie he added a moment later inter ns its lie he remembered lili hig vial igors identity identify your lour stay there will not be long I 1 shall explain in n moment I 1 drive number twenty nine to a million on tile lie line eleven miles off I 1 take inke leave of him bilm there ile he Is nn an american who tins bought my oil concessions the station Is in the middle of the district mv aly presence ith him film will remove nil all sus us and prevent their ean examining the passport too no closely he will tr travel anvel through to petrograd Petro grad there I 1 take it you VOU line have made arrangements 1 I lime have a ship waiting gerald replied that Is my scheme then so far I 1 approve of it gerald declared but what about me you will bore yourself our for twenty four hours tile the governor goer nor replied 1 I will see though that you ila liac diac ve beer and newspapers if you ou will elsa can como come and see you for hearns hea ens sake not nol gerald begged 1 I bienn tie added hastily 1 11 I need no society I 1 am very tired I 1 ahall sleep As you ou will aill the governor acquiesced ced in tile hie morning number one hundred and one I 1 should may eay his rein remains ains will be carried secretly down to your cell you will be moved up to the cell of number one hundred and one I 1 shall at once report the death of number twenty nine he will be burled buried in the cemetery here hereise iye fore intervention Is possible now novi the question cornea comes how to dispose of you 11 1 1 I 1 was getting interested in that myself gerald admitted number one hundred and ones time was up tip the governor explained he could have gone home last week if he had been strong enough I 1 have his papers of release delease here signed by myself tomorrow morning early I 1 shall provide you with suitable clothing and I 1 shall drive you to the railway station I 1 myself have leave of absence in my pocket granted to me a fortnight ago but to be honest with you I 1 have not used it because I 1 lave have had no money with which to enjoy myself I 1 shall travel with nith you myself to Petro petrograd grad you will have acted as aa my clerk in the prison and I 1 take some interest in you in nay my company you a are re absolutely secure no one will venture even a question arrived at petrograd Petro grad I 1 will drive with you to the docks you ou tuko take me on board your ship and we vill drink a bottle of champagne together what do you think of my plant plan Capi capital tall 1 gerald replied 1 I will conduct you now the governor announced to number twenty nine we will lock ourselves in his cell you shall explain the scheme to him and change clothes I 1 will bring pen and ink with nie me also the e deeds which will put harmon P cross in possession of my oil properties you shall pity over oer the drafts after that you ou must he be patient 1 I am ain ready gerald declared rising tu to ills his feet Kross unlocked a drawer find took out a hunch of keys which sitione rhone like silver the only clenn clean thing it seemed to gerald lint flint lie had seen in the lie prison they tramped up two flights of stone steps 1 I uin am a ninn man tho governor sat said and it does not please me to turn my iny prisoners into vermin I 1 have cells underground without light or air which lil cli were ere used hy by my iny predecessors I 1 line have had them blocked up you vill mill find it not so terrible here they hit and reached a long whitewashed passage with arched roof the governor go elnor dismissed tile lie attendant who I 1 had la d followed liem tapin inserted the lie key I 1 nto into the lie lock of the door over oer which 20 1 I was pi pointed tinted in black flig angures ures and entered himself motioning gerald to follow in the lie sudden somber twilight of the cell gerelds first impressions were that a nian opposite had find hanged himself against tile the wall at their entrance tr rince hoi honour vever the lie figure dropped to the lie ground re lensIng hla his clutch of tile rusty hare bare to which lie he had been clinging A tall thin young nian man with sunken cli cheeks epics long unkempt hair and eyes a little more inore than linn ordinarily bright stood gazing tit nt theart ills ilia clothes seemed to be the lie remains of a prison uniform form the trousers always too no short had find worn nent nt at the bottom of the legs and ho wore neither nor lie ile stared tit nt tit the two men nt gerald especially in wonder but remained silent you speak 17 gerald I 1 inquired number twenty nine shook his head 1 I speak french better he replied bluit are mere you ou doing wien we came in file gou grier inor nor number twenty nino nine skilled wanly for nn an hour every dm day lie told id thein for more I 1 spring till 1111 1 I cill irh ir h those burs lind I 1 hung on until I 1 itin fired I 1 nn an midways see tile the sky some sometimes it if I 1 nil feeling strong I 1 cin call lift myself self so I 1 see it little of tile lie country well you have something better to do now ilip governor ove lared you were it ninn ann when you wre brought in I 1 have seen you play piny a anians part pan remember if you faint or nr do anything foolish you ou spoil everything set your teeth and take oft off your clothes you are going to ile be set nt at Il liberty berty number twenty nine scarcely fal 1 I am to be shot I 1 suppose tie he said bald coo coolly fly 1 I trust that flint your wardens are better markst marksmen nen than they ore are sol adlers there la Is a long story gerald inter of which the governor gornor will tell you ns much as he chows I 1 nm nin an englishman sent gent here by relatives of yours I 1 have been able to arrange for your freedom tn in a few days time you will be steaming for england cut it short the governor interrupted 1 I will do all lie ilie explaining gerald took a letter from tits his pocketbook read that letter lie he invited it Is from pauline she Is my friend I 1 am lord dombey Do robey nn englishman we shall meet nt at petrograd Petro grad later on the steamer I 1 will explain everything meantime take off your clothes you will have to wear mine for a couple of days the young man took off n his coat almost melian mechanically leally ivis ils shirt was wa ragged ile he had apparently no underclothes ills his fingers began to shake 1 I cannot he faltered but it Is necessary gerald assured him see I 1 am liale undressed myself lie he took oft off his coat and waistcoat at the sight of his silk bilk underclothes the other mao man began suddenly to sob 1 I I 1 have had no water here for a fortnight he groaned gerald looked him in the eyes TO OM DB |