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Show CWrtslit 1937 loew'a Inc. What Has Happknko Thus Far: Nina Azara, bountiful ioii n siiujcr, known as "The Firefly,'' is impelled by patriotic zeal t0 act as spy for the iSpamtth (f0(Trn mtnt. Mending handsome , Don Diet)0 'HIS been paying court to her, she goes secretly across t h c Frc ;: ch b o rd er to , Brfiionnc. Here she again meets Diego, who has followed her; she realizes she loves him, but begs bun not to seek out her company ' firii' until they are back in Madrid. She hams of Napoleon's plans to take King Ferdinand of Syain into custody, through a flirtation with Major do Rougement, Rouge-ment, one of Napoleon's aides. Preparing to send a message of warning' by carrier pigeon, she discovers that some counter-spy has substituted another bird for ftcr oicn. In desperation she hastens to Diego's house. There, when she asks Diego to take a message for her, she is interrupted inter-rupted by a vi ember of t h c French Intelligence Service, who informs her that Diego is really Captain Andrcj of the French police. Chapter Six ' Nina knew that her mission to save Spain was now ended; but this realization was overshadowed by the stunning shock of Don Diego's true position. He belonged to France, to the enemy country . . . Her one chance was that through sheer bravado, she could, pass of the code message in her possession es harmless. "I don't know what you're talking about," she told St. Claire, as he Btarted to read the parchment he hnd taken from her. ly, commanding him to bring a member ot the Intelligence Service. As the door opened to admit him, Nina saw that it was Don Diego! They stared at each other, Diego feariully realizing the cause of ins own presence there. Ordered to decode de-code the messugc, he complied. ''Verify this map and return. We will attack on the twenty-first' was the message. Commanding that Nina be placed under arrest, do Rougement swung into action. The little cart Nina used was ransacked, and a carrier pigcoa discovered. Diego was ordered to send a reply in the same code, stating that these were indeed the French positions. Then de Kougc-ment Kougc-ment ordered all French lines to bo ! changed. He was well pleased with, j this stroke of strategy. Now let the Spanish and English attack empty positions! As he watched the pigeon making mak-ing its way straight toward the English lines, a sudden resolve came to Diego. Ho made his way 1 hurriedly to the low building trans-, trans-, formed into a temporary jail, j "I'm going in to speak to the prisoner," he said to the guard, who , looked at him curiously. I Nina's heart beat wildly as the door opened. She was willing to die . . .but a moment of panic overcame her as she realized the time might be near. When she saw it was Diego, she managed to gain complete com-plete control of herself. She looked at him, cooly, defiantly. Diego spoke gently. "I have only a moment. I had to speak td you alone." "Why?" Nina demanded. "You've done your duty. Your conscience is clear." "My conscience?" Diego said quietly. "As if I cared about my conscience! All these years I've dreamed of you. Of the time when this terrible war would be over." Ho broke off, unable to continue for a :' i ' " , i -" - - ' i It M t ' At ' - A 1 ' s - - . s" v v j Y 'V? v r. i -,. j . '' have only a moment. C - . , " j had to speak to you I . . - . , .s..v . . -'alone. f ',A ' 3Z!Xa-Z. susam aa. j .v. . ias.a.a.-Kw .-.wrta moment. "Why did you do this?" he finally said. "Didn't you know you'd be recognized? That it meant death iZ yon were caught?" At that moment, a great booming of cannon resounded. The battle had started! Nina's face suddenly lighted up with hope. "The battle for Vittoria," she said in a low voice. Diego was puzzled by the tone she had adopted. Another bucst of cannon can-non came, this time much closer. "Something's wrong," Diego said, quickly stepping to the window. "They're not attacking the center." "We' never intended to attack through the center," answered Nina, "But we wanted to make you think that we were going to do so that you would weaken your side positions. That's v?hy I came up here with that map. I wanted to bo caught. My orders were to be discovered dis-covered with that map, But never send it. We left that 'strategy' for you." Gradually Diego grasped the meaning of her words. "You mean that carrier pigeon they knew we were the ones who sent it?" "Yes!" Diego called for the guard and rushed from the cell, Nina's taunting taunt-ing laugh followed him. The next moment she realized he might have rushed to his death. He was running toward the bridge. ! When he reached it, a shell struck. As Nina watched, horrified, ho pitcned to the ground. She screamed, scream-ed, calling his name again and again. The Datde was soon over. Thanks to Nina's bravery, the French had been fooled into changing their strong position for a much weaker one. H was the Marquis himself who finally found Nina in her cell, safe but stony-eyed. Amid great cheers, she was led from the jail. The courtvard had been turned into a first-aid station. Nina looked around desperately. Her eyes went swiftly from man to man. He was gone. . .no. . .in a corner she saw Dico King on a bed of straw, heavily heav-ily bandaged about the arm, chest and shoulders. She rushed to him. His eves were closed, his -face turned from her. She took his hand, murmuring softly, almost in a whisper: "T'tyi here. Dieco. I'm here." "Reserve one table alone. . .order one flaming omelette. I'll be with you tomorrow." The officer, reading aloud, knitted his brows. He could not hold her on the strength of this. "You have till nine o'clock to leave the country," he said grimly. Nina drew her lips together. Holding Hold-ing her head high, trie left the room. She caught just a fleeting glimpse of Don Diegc's tortured face as she passed him . . Napoleon's coup d'etat was successful. success-ful. Within a fortnight his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, had been installed instal-led as Spanish ruler in place of the lawful Ferdinand. The people were bitterly resentful. resent-ful. When the new monarch arrived ar-rived in Madrid he was greeted with brooding silence in some quarters, quar-ters, open insults in others. The aftermath v.-as inevitable. A stray shot. . .retaliation by a French soldier. . .open rebellion .. brutality . . . massacre . . .and a fierce defence de-fence ly the tremendously outnumbered outnum-bered loyal Spaniards. The only hope, it appeared, was Wellington and his English army. Nina, trying ineffectually to banish ban-ish Don Diego from her mind, had been living for the day when 3he could once again be of some service lo her stricken land. The moment was here at last. Garbing herself in the carefree gypsy raiment of the Busque country, she stole across the border to French headquarters in Vittoria. Seated with some other dancers beside a campfire, on the outskirts ! of the town, her heart bcan to pound wildly as she caught sight of do Rougement (now wearing the insipnia of a general). If so, did he , know her real identity? Would he recognize her? She rose and began to weave back and forward in a provocative bucolic dance. De Rougemont halted his horse. Ho watched the group. His puzzled eyes were fixed on Nina. As Nina brpan lo sing, his face lighted up. He gave a terse, whispered command com-mand to an adjutant, then rode off. The orderly hurried over to Nina, who stood waiting, half in exaltation, exalta-tion, half in dread. "Comc to the general's rooms," he said. De Roupemcnt was overjoyed to her, and Nina pretended to be Plated at the reunion. As he turned for a moment to dismiss the attendant, at-tendant, Nina rippod open the baniT of her coat collar, taking from there 1 small piece of paper. Turninp;, de ftnucrmcnt saw her and sternly he demanded the paper. It was a map, Obviously of the French lines! L)e Rougement recalled the ordcr- Diepro's eyes opened. For a brief moment, he stared: then his face lighted up. "Giannini," he whispered. whisper-ed. "Don't leave mc . . . don't fro." "I won't. I won't . . . ever," Nina 5aid, kneeling to kiss fcira. THE END. |