Show I a afe to r Continued from last Sunday When Is to the next train I asked the official Not until tonight There you are I said Mid to Volna with witha a brotherly readiness to put all the blame on her What now This gentleman said there was some fine scenery here and a ride or drive would do you good Scenery I cried with a fine contempt Well I 1 suppose we cant sit about the station all day But do as you please and she walked out of the station I could have laughed at the excellent affectation of sisterly discontent The police pollee official sympathized with me rae It was I who had tipped him and ex expressed expressed expressed pressed his hla feeling with a deprecating smile and shrug and a lifting of the brows I suppose Its the only thing to do T I murmured as I rose ro e eIt It is perhaps for the beet best after all aU that you did not catch the train There Is your our baggage he said Baggage T Remembering what you said last lat night about the accident to your carriage on the way wa from and thinking you might need the baggage in It I sent out this morning to have it brought here Did you really very friendly and obliging I managed to answer quite cordially while wishing him at the devil for his Interference What shall we do with it itOh in inOh itOh Oh just keep it at the station here till came back baek for that evening train know It easily Two leather portman portmanteaus portmanteaus one ono marked R G and one MG M MG MG G London Ill go and tell my sister Shell SheU be as delighted as I am at your thoughtfulness It was only that which made her wish to remain here for the day dayI I went after afler Volna who was walking toward the litHe little town a nice thoughtful fellow He has sent out someone to find our lug luggage luggage luggage gage In the trap and bring it t In I told him how glad be Should I go back and thank him himI I dont think Its necessary you can cando cando cando do that when we get back this evening We are going for a ride now and the sooner were off ot the better I went to the stable where my horse was vas thinking how to get over the rather awkward difficulty of securing a second I animal I did not Intend to return to Putts and if I hired the horse I should not be able to return it it To buy It might create suspicion as a man does not oot purchase a horse merely to go for a ride even evenin in that region and I had no wish to turn horse hersa thief I put a bold face on the matter and went into the stable whistling An was grooming my horse hor e and the owner of the place looking on a nice looking animal of yours he said Yes and as good as he looks No doubt Andreas knows a good horse Andreas he heAt heAt heAt At Where you ou got him I suppose I scented danger dancer and fenced I 1 suppose you know most moat of the horses hones round about here Will you smoke And I gave him a cigar I know this one I sold old him to An Andreas Andreas Andreas dreas Did you Well TeU I dont care anything about Andreas but I know hes MS he a good horse and I want to hire one as good goal for formy formy formy my sister to ride today I can find you one There he be stands I had a look at him A good horse I 1 saw at a glance I 1 like his looks look I said Aid The took him out and ran him up and down Then an idea occurred to me involving some of the white lies of necessity nece however I expressed a very vel exaggerated admiration Carry alT a lady Carry a baby was as the reply Then I tell you what Ill do if agree Were going to for a couple of days and land coming back and when we come orne back we shall 11 want two Ill buy him from you if you OU OUan an find me a couple of saddles and if It ifs W s can call an one come to terms term for your taking are al of both the hones horses while we stay I lien It did not take tak very Yel km long to conclude the bargain and Volna and 1 I were soon mounted Just JUIt as wr w were my friend of the police lame fame up UJ Going for the r rid ds then he lie asked a ask d knowingly Oh yes yeti By the way has that lug luggage luggage gage Hage of mine come in yet et r rNo No Xo They ought to have been n back bang before now a R nuisance My slater Miter ter has haa to do without her habit She looks very charming be he replied with rith a bow What time must we be back for that train Six But why not rile ride to Sol Uen it ita not more than twenty miles or orM oro M o 0 You could take the train there Oh no Were Vere going the other way Are you ever eer coming Bob asked Voina Volna sharply He lIe stepped aside aade with ith another significant significant cant shrug of the shoulders and with a laugh I rode off oft You do the vinegary sitter sister to the life I said There was wall muse cause then I t caught sight of that police agent from in hi the distance By Jove I 1 exclaimed and we clat Bat Battered clattered clattered off ot through the narrow streets and andus andas us as 8 soon as we were clear of the town gave our horses their heads beada CHAPTER VII i The Luck Turns Voina was waa thoroughly at home in the saddle and it was wag alil easy to 10 see that she had been accustomed to horses all her life She had a perfect seat and that firm hand band and control which bring out the best there IB is in a horse and make him understand that the master muter Is up It was delightful to watch her and andas andas andas as we kept at it in that first rattling stretch I believe that in the sheer ex exhilaration exhilaration of ot the ride we forgot every everything everything everything thing even the unwelcome appearance of the police agent from But neither the pace nor the oblivion could last lut forever and wo wt W drew rein at the foot of a hill ve we came back to a recollection of the load of our worries that glorious she cried her cheeks glowing and her eyes shining as she stretched forward and patted her horses horse neck You ride magnificently How you would enjoy a run with fth the hounds in England I have read about It 1 I move love horses I 1 can keep in the saddle all aU day I have done it at home Then her face clouded How selfish I had almost forgotten she added We are doing all aU we can I re replied replied replied plied Are you sure that the man lUan you saw was that police agent Could I forget him You dont think h he saw us usNo usNo usNo No He was wu talking very earnestly to someone But I recognized him in instantly Instantly Instantly Id give something to know what brought him to He was following us surely We must hope not If Michel did his work properly my horse borse with your uncles coat cORt will have been found a good many miles mUes on tie trie other side of ot and his men should be hunt huntIng hunting hunting Ing for us there theme But I cant say I like the look of the thing What shall shan we do doWed doVed doWed Wed Ved better try and think what he will wilt do I had Intended to take the hint which h the man at dropped to ride to Solden and take the train from therE But Put If It the other man picks up our trail there hoI hell set the wires going and we snail find some someone someone someone one waiting for us at Solden How far is It to Cracow Could we ride all aU the way I could ride all day and all night too if necessary as long longas as the horses will last out We dont know the road I dont even know where we are now When you sew saw that man I 1 Just rattled off oft at hazard I 1 know Cracow Is pretty well west we t of ot a tittle little bit south too and I guess we are on the right road I am accustomed to take long rides and besides hayIng having a fairly good bump of location always carry this and I showed her a small compass on my watch chain I always ride by the sun but then I know the country round Warsaw for forever forever ever eyer so 80 many miles v vWe We Ve should be In a pretty pickle if it we were lost said sald I IThe IThe IThe The pickle would be much hotter if it was a 8 police pollee preserve By Jove It would And the worst of ot It Is that If that fellow hears of us at hell know the names weve taken r Poor Bob Im getting him Into very troubled waters Its not Bob or Peggy Im thinking of its Volna and Volnas mother I Cracow seems a mighty nard place to reach but Im going to get there somehow I was silent for a while thinking over the problem Volnas suggestion was the best If we could do it to ride all aU aUthe th the way to Cracow But It was no light undertaking If I haa had known the way I 1 should not have hesitated but the days were short and although the sun sup was shining brightly enough then the weather looked as though it were going to change It was warmer and when a 8 spell of frost creaks brooks In that country It generally indicates that rain rainor or snow is coming To be lost In hi a rain rainor or snow storm would be a very ugly development indeed There was moreover the awkward question whether we were likely to be pursued On the other hand to stop at Solden Sold en appeared appe red to be even more mono risky Seeing me thus thoughtful Volna Voina broke in You are not going to keep anything from me are you Dont do that please Do Bo you think that man manis manIs manIs is likely to ride after us from That was just In my mind I should say sa it will 11 depend upon how soon eoon he learns anything about us He is more likely to trust to the wires Its getting very exciting He may telegraph ahead and have people sent gent out to stop us I suppose I ought not notto notto notto to say so but Im beginning to feel a sort of keen enjoyment I have made up my mind Well Wel stick tick to t the horses ana avoid the trains But well try and mislead d any anyone anyone anyone one who may follow us We had already passed several peo pee people people pie on the road I stopped the next comer Is this the thi road to Solden SeMen T I asked the man evidently a farmer Yes one of them Straight rod road rodAs rOdAs As straight as roads are in these parts he be replied with a grin grinI I mean meaD do I have to turn to the left or right YouJI be turning most of the time Youre from arent you Its not where Im from but where Im going that concerns me m mAll All right I know the ladys horse hor e and on he drove droye without any more Everybody seems to Know every everybody everybody everybody body horse horae about here I 1 said If It awkward It would be comical Well Weil ride on and try the next man manThe manThe The next was another farmer A surly Russian who understood Polish with difficulty and spoke It unintelligibly gibly So I thanked him and a rode on en onno onno enno no wiser wl r Three or four lour miles later brought us to a village Had we not better get g t some food here asked Volna I will go and buy it and amI perhaps can find out at the same time what road we ought to take takeSo takeSo takeSo So we dismounted mounted dt and I waited with the horses Presently a priest came by and bade me good day with a smile You have a picturesque place here Father I said What is It called he answered and an we be began began began gan to talk I 1 learnt that his name was wu Father Ambrose and after some while he asked You are a foreigner An Englishman En My sister is with me mt We were going to Solden s but I fear have lost the wey Oh Ok no Solden lies across the hills there A rough road ro d but fairly direct The only point of ot is just over the brow of the hill where the road ro d forks Take that to the right or you will go astray and might find your yourselves yourselves selves lyes In Cracow after some forty miles or so that is Ie and he smiled pleasantly Ill ru remember what you said I re replied replied replied plied and am much obliged to you youIt youIt Ou It is III a pleasure I have been in England and speak English a little But I read much We then chatted about London and the incidents of ot his visit until Volna came up My sister I said As he greeted her I 1 saw him start tart and look closely at her How do you do he said In English to her hir complete discomfiture holding out I his hand I read re d her signals of distress and sailed into the rescue I My sister is unfortunately dumb I said aId How sad he exclaimed throwing up his hands Then he looked puzzled She bears a remarkable resemblance to toa toa toa a very beautiful woman whom I knew in the long ago Twenty years and more She is a Pole and is now the Countess Counte s How very strange Yes these the e likenesses are very extra etra extraordinary extraordinary ordinary I said gravely Come Peggy we must get on I added to Volna in English and put her in the saddle again How very sad he repeated mourn mournfully mournfully mournfully fully And yet et how clever of her to tobe tobe tobe be able to make herself understood in buying things The education of ot the dumb In Eng England England England land is almost perfect Signs are their language you know I 1 replied as I 1 shook hands with him and mounted He looked after us very thoughtfully and when presently I turned he waved his hand to me and I saw him walk a afew afew afew few paces and then enter the shop where i Volna had made her purchases I think well rattle on again for a abit abit abit bit Hes going to find out that yours is a singular form of aphasia and only affects affect your knowledge of English Perhaps hell class it as a case for the scientists but more likely as one of suspicious ignorance Who Vho can he be asked Volna He gave his name as Father Am Ambrose Ambrose brose brOlie I have heard my mother speak of him He spoke of ot her as a very beautiful woman And she is 19 still beautifuL i r t f i c s Copyright Cop 1863 by Arthur W Marchmont And he said how closely you resembled ra resembled em bled her Volna Bob be con conventional conventional conventional a sort of ballroom dandys speech And no brother broth r talk talks like It Brothers dont always say all they think But they keep their thoughts to themselves I know what I 1 think about my m sister sis sister sister ter I said She smiled again and glanced at me Dont you think I brought a huge par per parcel percel parcel cel Bob If we eat all that It will last us farther than Cracow But I know what it means generally when a girl goes shopping Yea Yes she thinks of ot things that are necessary nece sary There are loaves In there for the horses I never thought of that I admitted One of at us must think sensibly she retorted so 80 bad h d had we known the road but we had already had hod to stop several times to make sure we were going right For two hours we plodded through a pelting storm until I was drenched and feared that Volna must be Jn in the same condition I care If It I 1 could see she said saki once It was pitch dark and we could only go at walking pace I care If you were not wet I answered though I confess Id like to know where we are yI I am not very wet she said My fur cloak k protects me We shall get somewhere In the end In England we have a civilized habit of putting up sign posts I grumbled crumbled as we came to another forked road and I was at a loss 1086 which to choose chOOM All the roads roods seem to be twins twine in this place Which way to choose I could not even guess I 1 tried triad to judge which was the better road rod but both appeared equally bad Let th the horse horses decide said Volna Yours Tours is the fresher of he two and better able abl to use his instinct Yours is much keener to get to a stable she laughed I walked mine back a little distance and then gave him his heed head he d Ha He H walked deliberately to the side of the road ro d and began to crop the grass Volna tried hers bers then and he went as far as u the fork where h he waited for forthe forthe forthe the other to join him Then they both moved on to the left So be It it said I and we let them go as they would Its not raining so fast declared Veins Vol presently tty Shell Shall we draw up under ur a tree tt and give tye teem the th rest of the bread T 1 be nice Dice soft sort food I laughed I can wring my cloak too and ease ea e ethe the weight wel ht for tor my |