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Show Copyright NOT JLoew's Inc. What Has Happened Thus Far: Sent across the French border so that she may secretly learn something of Napoleon's designs on Spam, beautiful Nina Azara contrives to encourage a flirta Hon with Major de Rougcmont, one of Bonaparte's aides. She is dismayed when Don Diego, a young Spaniard who is infatuated infatuat-ed with her, follows her to Bay-onne. Bay-onne. Unable to get rid of him, she confesses th-ut she reciprocates recipro-cates his love, but that she must 7iot see him again. Going to the Major's rooms as lie is about to set out for Spain, Nina, pretends to be smitten by him. As he "They had to have evidence before be-fore they could take me. And if 1 had sent this message, they would have had it." Slowly, she tore up the piece of paper. Lola watched her, tears welling well-ing up in her eyea. Nina was thinking think-ing desperately, looking for soma way out of this tragic dilemma. "Can't you get word to the King?" Lola asked. "I don't know," Nina said slowly. "I might try the man in the market. mar-ket. Still, if they knew about the birds . . ." Lola's -face lighted up. "Senorita, how about Don Diego?" "I've been thinking about him." "He'd do anything for you," the maid continued. "He knows the 1 roads. He can ride fast. If he started start-ed now, he could reach Vittoria before the Colonel. He could warn the King." "He may be the very one who has makes ardent love to her, she reads the outer paper in his brief case. It is an order, signed by Napoleon, calling for the arrest of the Spanish monarch. Chapter Five For a brief moment, Nina trembled tremb-led violently. So it was true! Ferdinand Fer-dinand was being tricked, Spain betrayed! be-trayed! But in the next instant, she had regained control of herself. "I must go now, my darling," de Rougement said, gently taking her hands from around his shoulders. He took the letters from her hand, all the while staring at her, devouring devour-ing her loveliness. "I suppose so," Nina murmured softly. The Major took both her hands in his, and kissed them. "Au revoir, my dear." Nina's eyes followed him as he went through the door, then a shudder shud-der of repulsion passed through her. Ferdinand was to be tricked, arrested! She realized, however, that she must play her part to the end. done all this, Nina said slowly. "But Don Diego," Lola protested staunchly. "It couldn't be he!" "I hope you're right, Lola," Nina said with sincerity. She pointed to the table, speaking crisply. "Clear up all this. Get rid of the birds. Don't leave a trace of evidence." She started for the door. "Where are you going?" Lola asked fearfully. "First to the market place. And then, if that fails ... I'll go to Don Diego." Her fears were realized at the stall. The man who had sold her the pigeons, she was told, had been taken away by the police. As Nina moved away from the stall, she did not know that three men were watching her from the inn nearby where Don Diego was stopping. One was Diego, himself; the second, St. Claire, a determined looking figure, and Pavet both of them members of the French Intelligence In-telligence Service. "She's coming up here' St. Claire , i , - n f ' t ( -..-r- . jr , ' - ft i ; ' ;-9 ' ii ' t - - -,i j If,; : ' - ; ttf "Did you leave this fM room?" Nina asked. C J " From the window, sha could see the Major swing quickly into his saddle. She forced a smile, waving to him. He saluted her gravely, then gave an order to his men. Nina hurried back to her hotel. Lola looked at her curiously, an unspoken un-spoken question in her eyes. "Bring me my comb!" Nina said. "But, senorita!" "Hurry!" Nina went milnklv tn tnhlp. said. He turned from the window, pointing to some papers on tho desk. "Put those reports away," he ordered. And to Pavet ; "Go in there," pointing to another room. "She's probably coming to you for help," St. Claire went on. "You must remember: she will be suspicious. sus-picious. She has discovered the birds have been changed. So be doubly careful. Make her believe where Lola had arranged a bowl of fruit. Before it stood a plate and fruit knife. Quickly, she cut a lemon in half. As Lola returned, Nina took the comb from her. "Here," she said, indicating the lemon. "Squeeze that." Nina took the top from the comb, a high Spanish affair of solid tortoise-shell, with gold filigree and a ; slender band of gold on the top. Deftly, she pulled off the gold band. From inside the comb, which was hollow, she extracted a small sheet of thin rice-paper. "The Major has started to Vittoria Vit-toria already," Nina said as she worked swiftly. Lola looked at her apprehensively. "But he won't get there until late tonignt. And the carrier pigeons will be there in two hours, at the most." Nina sat down at the desk. She dipped the quill into the lemon juice prepared by the maid and started to write her message of warning for Ferdinand. "He's carrying two messages," she safd. "One of them Is an order of arrest." "Arrest!" Lola exclaimed, horrified. horri-fied. "They evidently mean to lure the King into France, and then take him prisoner as he crosses the border." bor-der." She finished the note. "Get me the pellet," she said to Lola. Carefully folding the message, she nlanfid it into a small enclosure ; her. Get her to talk. If she'll confide in you . . . confess what she is doing, do-ing, that's all we need." Diego realized it was his duty, and that there was no escape from it. "Very well, sir." St. Claire went into the next room. Diego steeled himself, as Nina knocked at the door. "Nina Maria!" he exclaimed, pretending pre-tending great surprise and cordiality, cordial-ity, as she entered. "I decided to come and see this historic site." In spite of himself, Diego could not help showing a certain constraint. con-straint. He shut the door and came over to her. "What happened to the Colonel?" he asked. "He had to go to Vittoria on. duty." "Then you didn't have luncheon with him?" "No." They engaged in small talk for a while. Nina's anxiety, however, was all too obvious. Her mind remained on the unsent message. "You seem worried," Diego said finally. "Is something troubling you?" She hestiated for a moment, and then: "How long did it take you to come from Vittoria?" she asked. "About six hours. Why?" Diego tried to control his feelings. "I want you to take a message for me." "A message?" he repeated slowly. She started for the desk. "I'll write it for you. You get your things. I want you to start immediately." imme-diately." "Where am I to go?" Diego asked as she wrote swiftly. "Vittoria." She stood up, folding the paper on which she had written, "You haven't told me whom this is for?" Diego reminded her. "Read it, and you'll see.' At this moment, St. Claire stepped step-ped back into the room, followed by Pav'et. Nina turned quickly as St. Claire, without a word, stepped to Diego's side. Pavet went toward the door leading to the hallway. "I'll take that. Captain Andre," St. Claire said, taking the message from the hands of Diego, who stood, feeling miserable, but unashamed. "Captain Andre?" Nina repeated, wonderingly. "Of the French Military Intelligence," Intelli-gence," St. Claire added, drily. (To be concluded in the pellet. "Now the pigeon." Lola hurried to the crate and took out a bird. She carried it over to Nina, As she leaned over to attach the pellet to the pigeon's leg, she stopped, suddenly, startled. She inspected in-spected Che bird more closely, spreading its wings. A look of anxiety crossed her .face. "Did you leave this room?" she asked sharply. "For a minute. Yes," Lola said, bewildered. "Why? Why?" Nina's fear caused her to speak harshly. "But who could it have been, senorita?" "Someone who knew all my movements," move-ments," Nina said thoughtfully. "Someone who knew I had the birds; who knew when I was going out and bribed the concierge to get you out of the room," "But senorita," Lola protested, "if they knew all that, why haven't they done something before this?" , . a |