Show in a stride he was beside her all JACQUES FUT A fy y COPYRIGHT 1908 ty p THE associated 8 copyright 1909 iv by THE MERfel LL SYNOPSIS count df rosini the tha italian ambas adoras ador 1 ls at dinner with diplomats wb n a messenger summons him to the embassy where a beautiful young woman asks aska for r a ticket to the embassy ball trie the ticket Is made out in the name of cuiss isabel thorne chief campbell of the alie secret service and mr air grimm his head detective are warned that a plot Is brewing in washington and grimm goes f to the state ball for information Info matlon ills his attention la Is called to miss isabel thorne who with her companion disappears A shot la Is heard and senor alvarez of the mexican legation la is found wounded grimm la Is assured miss thorne did it he visits her demanding knowledge of the affair and arrests pietro Petro miss bliss thorne visits an old bomb maker and they d discuss a wonderful experiment aty fifty thousand thoua and dollars Is stolen from the office of senor benor rodriguez the minister fr from venezuela and while detectives are investigating vesti gating the robbery miss aliss thorne appears as a guest of the legation grimm accuses her 0 of the theft the money Is restored but a new mystery y occurs in the disappearance of monsieur tionne ur Dols segur the rench french l ambassador elusive aliss thorne reappears bearing a letter which states that the ambassador has been kid and demanding ransom the ambassador bas returns and again strangely dis appears later lie he Is rescued from an old house in the suburbs it la is discovered that pietro shot senor alvarez and that he be Is prince dabruzzo grimm figures in a mysterious jail delivery ile he orders both miss thorne and dabruzzi to leave the lie country they are conveyed convey L d I 1 to 0 new york and placed on a steamer m er but return grimms coffee is drugged and upon regaining refraining consciousness drugged he h rinds 1 a sympathetic note from isabel thorne the conspirators against the government are located and their scheming Is ove overheard r grimm orders dabruzzi to destroy the unsigned compact isabel compels obey and is termed a by the cons conspirators p orators tra tors tho the detective informs high government officers off leers of the scheme chame prince dabruzzi leaves the country and the plot Is abandoned CHAPTER in n which they both win mr grimm dropped into a chair with his bis teeth clenched and hla his face llie ibe chalk for a moment or more he ha sat there turning turn tair it all over in hla his mind truly the triumph had been robbed of its splendor when the blo bla fell here here upon a woman he be loved theres no shame tn in the confession of one who Is fairly beaten isabel went on softly after a little thore there are many things that you dont understand I 1 came to washington with an authority from my sor BOY lareign higher even than that vested in the ambassador I 1 came as I 1 did and compelled count dl rosint to obtain an invitation to the state ball for me ins bif n order that I 1 might meet a representative of russia there that idd arid receive an answer as to whether or not they would join in the compact I 1 received that answer its substance to Is of no consequence now nd you remember where I 1 first met you it was you were investigating vesti gating the shooting of senor alvarez alvarex in the german embassy that shooting as you know was dona dome by prince dabruzzi so BO almost from the beginning my plina plans went wrong because of the assumption of authority by the prince the paper he took from senor alvarez after the shooting was supposed to bear vitally upon medicos cos attitude toward our plan but as it developed it was about another matter entirely yes I 1 know said mr air grimm the event of that night which you did not learn was waa that germany agreed to join the compact c upon conditions dit ions mr air rankin who was waa attached to the german embassy in an advisory capacity delivered the answer to me and I 1 pretended to faint in order that I 1 might reasonably avoid you 1 I surmised that much remarked mr air grimm the telegraphing I 1 did with my fan was as much to distract your attention as anything else and at the same time to identify myself to mr air rankin whom I 1 had never met tou IOU knew him of course I 1 when next I 1 met you it was in the venezuelan legation you were investigating ti the theft of the fifty thousand dollars in gold from the safe I 1 thrust myself into that case I 1 because I 1 was afraid of you and mercilessly I 1 destroyed a womans comans name in you eyes to further my plans made you believe that senorita rodriguez stole stola that fifty thousand dollars and I 1 re turned it to you van presumably while we stood ID 16 her room 16 om that night only onit it was waa not her room it was mine I 1 stole the fifty thousand dollar doll fiAl Sl all the details even to her trip to see boo mr griswold in baltimore in company with mr air cadwallader had been carefully worked out and she did bring me the combination of tho the safe from mr griswold on the strength of E a forged letter but she know it there was no theft of course I 1 had bad no intention of keeping the money it was waa necessary to take it to attention from the thing I 1 did do break a lock inside the safe to get a sealed packet that contal contained ned vene guelas answer to our plan I 1 sealed that packet again and there wan wall never a suspicion that it had been opened only a suspicion mr grimm corrected then caroo came the abduction of monsieur BoIs segur the french ambas ambassador Ba I 1 plunged into that case as I 1 did in the other because I 1 was afraid of you andrad and bad to know lust just how much you know it waa explained to you as an attempt at extortion with details which I 1 carefully supplied As aa a matter of fact monsieur Bols segUr i opposed our plans even endangered them and it was not advisable to have him recalled or even permit him to resign at the moment so we abducted him Intend intending ilig to hold him until direct orders could reach him from paris understand please that all these things were made possible by tho the aid and operation cooperation co of dozens scores scares of agents who were under my orders every person who appeared in that abduction was working at my direction the ambassadors unexpected escape disarranged our plans but he be was aalten out of tile the embassy by force the second time almo under your very eyes tho the darkness which made boado this possible was due to tho the fact that while lou wore were looking for tho the switch and I 1 was apparently aiding was holding my hand over it all the time to keep you from turning on the light you remember that nat mr grimm nodded all the rest of it you know sho she concluded wearily you compelled mo me to leave the venezuelan legation by your espionage but in the crowded hotel to which I 1 moved I 1 had little difficulty avoiding your mr hastings your mr blair and your mr johnson so I 1 came and went freely without your knowledge the escape of the prince from prison you arranged so you understand all of that as aa well as aa tho the meeting find and attempted signing of the compact and the rapid recovery of senor alvarez and after all it was my fault that our plans failed because if I 1 had not been been uneasy as to your condition and had not made the mistake of going to the deserted little house bouse where you were a prisoner the plans would have ado ceedee the compact been signed im beginning to understand said mr air grimm grigni gravely and a wistful tender look crept into ht bis s eyes it if it had not been for that act of consideration and kindness to me we would have succeeded in spite of you explained isabel we were afraid of you mr grimm it was waa a compliment to you that we considered it necessary to account for your whereabouts at the time of the s signing of the compact and if you had succeeded remarked mr air grimm the whole civilized world would have come to war 1 I never permitted myself to think of it that way she replied frankly josf gusfa a word of assurance now she went on after a moment the latin la aln compact has been definitely given up tho the plan has been dismissed thanks to you the peace of the world is unbroken and who am I 1 I 1 know you have wondered I 1 know your agents have secured scoured the world to find out I 1 am the daughter of a former italian ambassador to the court of st james my mother was an english woman I 1 was borst and iak received my early education in england hence my perfect knowledge of that bat tongue in rome I 1 am or have been alas th tho countess rosa dorsetti dOrs ettl etil now I 1 am an exile with a price on my head bead that Is all except for several years I 1 was a trusted agent of my government and a friend of my queen she rose and extended both hands bands graciously mr grimm seized the slender white fingers and stood with eyes fixed upon her slowly a flush crept into her pallid cheeks and she bowed her head wonderful woman he be said softly 1 I shall ask a favor of you now she went on gently let all this that you have learned take taka the place of whatever you expected to learn and go believe me there can only bo be one result it if you meet if you meet the inventor of the wireless cap upon which so much was staked and so much lost she shuddered a little then raised the blue gray eyes be to his face please go got gol the woid straightened mr air grimm in his tracks and he allowed her hands to fall limply suddenly life his face grew hard in the ecstasy of adoration lie he had momentarily forgotten his purpose hero bero his eyes to lost t their ardor his bis nerveless hands bands dropped beside him no he said you must you must she urged gently 1 I know what it means to ti you van you feel it your duty to unravel the secret ecret of the percussion cap you cant can t no man can no one and knows the inventor more intimately than 1 I and even I 1 get it from him there are no plans for it in existence and even it if there were he would no more sell them than you would have accepted a fortune at the hands bands of prince dabruzzi to remain silent the compact has failed you did that the agents have bave scattered aca gone to other duties that Is enough no said paid mr grimm there was waa a strange fear tearing at athis his heart no one knows the inventor more intimately tima ti lely that L I 1 no he said eald again 1 I won from my government a promise I 1 to bo be mado made good upon a condition 1 I must fulfill that condition wont you go if you know you will be killed and suddenly her face turned scarlet and that your ufa life Is dear to me no isabel dropped upon her imenes before him this inventor this man whom you insist on seeing Is in halt insane with disappointment and anger she abo ruth rush ed on desperately remember Rm embr that a vast fortune honor fao fame were vero at hla his finger tips when yuu fayou you placed them beyond lits his reach by tho the dest destruction rile of at tho the compact ile he has sworn to kill you 1 I cant got go if I 1 tell you that of the two hi human I 1 beings in this world whom I 1 lovo this man Is ono one IN no or 1 A shuffling stop sounded u n tho the hall way just outside mr grimm stopped stepped back from the kneeling figure and turned to faco tho the door with his bla revolver ready great god gatti I 1 it was a scream of agony ile ho Is my br otherl dont you see bee she ahme came to her feet and went staggering across to the door the key clicked in the lock your brother brot hert ila ho listen to me you listen to me and now and bowl now god have mercy 1 there was a sharp rattling a clamor at the door and isabel turned to mr grimm mutely niu toly with arms outstretched tho the revolver barrel alic clicked ked under his hand then after a moment ho he replaced the weapon in his pocket please open the door he requested quietly hell kill youl she screamed exhausted helpless she leaned against a chair with her face in her hands bands mr grimm went to her suddenly tore the hands from her face and met the tear stained eyes area 1 I love you he said 1 I want yoi yet to know that thail anil and I 1 love you why it mat i so leaving her there mr grimm i strode straight to the doo and threw it open ho he saw only the outline 0 of a thin little man of indeterminate age then came a blinding flash under hla his eyes and he be leaped forward there was a short sharp struggle and both went down the revolver verl I 1 ile he must got get thail he reached for it with the one idea of disarming this madman the muzzle was thrust toward him he threw up his arm to protect his big head and then camo came a second flash instantly he felt the figure in lite ills arms grow limp and after a moment he rose the face of the man on tho the floor was waa pearly gray and a thin scarlet thread flowed from hla his temple he turned toward isabel she lay near tho the chair a little crumpled heap in a stride he was beside her and lifted her head to his knee the blue gray eyes opened into his bla once then they closed sho she had fainted the first bullet had pierced her arm it was only a flesh wound he lifted her gently find and placed her on a couch after which he be disappeared into another room in a little while the there ile came the cheerful ting a ling of a telephone bell Is this the county constables office lie inquired well theres been a little shooting accident at tire the murdock williams place five miles out from alexandria on the old baltimore road please send some of your men over to take charge two hours from now call up mr air grimm at secret service headquarters in washington and he will explain goodby good by and a few manutes latar mr grimm walked along the road toward an automobile to a hundred yards away bearing miss alias thorne in his arms the tha chauffeur cranked the machine and climbed to his seat washington Washing toul directed mr air f V imm mm never mind the speed laws THE END |