| Show thau my zitery rim d by E phillips oppenheim copyright Copy Tight by little drown crown co CHAPTER IH continued 20 when I 1 glye give I 1 give nil all she sold said you do not understand the people of my race we cannot give in drib driblets lets a kiss hiss liere here a caress there the promise of more mere tomorrow god never made russia like likel that when I 1 give it will be the tul full glory of love bring paul back to me and you may know what that tant can mean gerald rose to his feet oai 1 I should go to my a stronger man bian lie he complained a little bitterly if you could throw roe me the dole one might give to a beggar site she gave him her finger alp tips she was standing by ills his side so near that the desire to hold tier her in his gillarm arma i and a take from her lips the one klas kiss lie he craved was almost irresistible at ft that it moment he almost hated tier her you even the grace to pretend he muttered she laughed wringing tier her fingers slightly as though his lips had biad scared them you have been spoilt epolit 1 site she murmured the women omen you have played with have been your too willing slaves A trifle rifle of homage a trifle of philandering a few shadowy caresses that ts Is all you have known of love walt wait I 1 gerald spent that afternoon in the city the next few days in making restless preparations preparation for his absence from london on the afternoon of the last day he was permitted to see and he recognized in him at once the man whom he had bad seen watching over madame de and her niece in alyde park the meeting too took place in the sitting room of he south kensington hotel Ilon er who leaned heavily upon two sticks was brought thither by it a tall youth his son who waited for him outside the door ile he wits was as aa thin no as a eleton tAk tits ills cheeks were sunken and very every now and then his voice to die ile away it la is my first day da out of the hospital he told gerald apologetically q 1 caught cold on the way back and my lungs are not gool plea picas ask what questions you desire I 1 am subject to attacks of weakness 1 I understand gerald said that you revved reached sokar 1 I reached it he admitted but most blast I 1 was powerless to act I 1 took with me every penny of money we could scrape together but by the time 1 I reached the city I 1 was penniless I 1 lodged at the house of a saddler whose name you will find in tile the book I 1 have given you ile he took me to look at the fortress ile he showed me the room where the brother of mademoiselle lies ne ile told me much about major kross the commandant of the fortress but of what avail was it we had not nor enough money between us to tiny pay for a bottle of wine how flow do you propose gerald inquired that I 1 can approach kross the way Is arranged replied eagerly there la Is it woman living in the town half german half english her name Is elsa francks today Kross I 1 Is her slave you go farst to her her address Is in the little book you have she speaks english and french besides tier her own language I 1 even some Itus russian talk to cpr frankly site she will bring you to Kross there is one thing though you must go as an american no one will do anything to help you although they are all greedy for money if they think that you fire are english it will be quite easy that there ther a e are many Amer americans teRns in russia prospecting there ts Is a great oil field on tile the plains south of some say there Is oll oil there others deny it tit that tit Is how your bribes must he be worked you will buy property it will be worth nothing you will find that Kross has land to sell so BO has 1 I understand gerald anh you leave tomorrow at ten from kings cross gerald assented tile the boat leaves at night renar raised hla his right hand the father of god speed youl he said eald speed Is very necessary the government tins lias kept that hat young man alive hoping that some day lie he would be useful as a bribe or a hostage but there are still many fanatics in litis russia sla haters baters of his race who would tear him limb from limb it if they knew 1 I shall be in petrograd Petro grid grad in a fortnight gerald declared and at sokar I 1 hope a few days later once more raised ills his hand and muttered inaudible words nevertheless thel th eless esq though his strength th seemed departed he tried to io kneel when pauline came into the room she rile raised him to hla his feet and called to his son all la is well she said dismissing them take care of your strength heusser Heu aser you must be one of the first to 0 welcome him the man bowed hla his head and prayed silently Ilent ly then his bla son eon led him away gerald also rose to hla his feet he had nerved himself for this interview i 1 I shall ahall have the pleasure af ac wish ing ig madame farewell he fie asked my aunt sends you her excuses ant an her er prayers pray cra pauline replied site she is too agitated to risk a 0 meeting you do not quite know what this means to as 11 1 I know gerald said what its ita re may inay mean to roe rae 1 she looked at him a little sadly uy my unhappy country she felthan 1 l inlay away fa furnace of woe and I 1 suffering yet in the jumble of it there tire are n few millions still who would kneel through tho the night and pray for you it if they knew your mis mission I 1 bid you farewell gerald and every throb of my body will live wit with hyou you I 1 have sworn that no word of love shrill pass my lips dorany nor any feeling of love linger in fqy heart so BO long its aa my brother lies in that fortress hut but I 1 am here I 1 would give you anything that allot would speed you on your journey it Is for youl you to choose site she stood perfectly passive her arms anna lio hanging ngIng by her sides tier her eyes looked badly yinto into his lier her lips were composed and still for a moment the lie alres res burned in lie jle tooka quick stop step forward she waited ionin unmoved ved faced yet without shrinking so go they faced one another for a moment she extended tier her hand gerald seized it then dropped it ii 1 I shall to do my best lie promised hoarsely goodbye goodby site she listened to its his delin departing rUng footsteps site she even moved to tile the window batching vat chIng him film leave the hotel and stop I 1 into tits his walting waiting automobile ile he was well enough to look tit at good looking as ever in fit tits his slim little lithe way and with ills his fine carrl carriage ge nevertheless there was nelt neither her love nor pride in tier her eyes as ag she watched him there wits was something else which seemed to point back down tile the avenues of the history of her family something perhaps which had sounded the knell of their doom generations before it was there in tier ter lips tier her eyes spelled out I 1 in n her fixed stare the cruelty of t t race whose heart Is given only to passion kosslo n chapter IV gerald worn out with long ion and com footless fort less tr travel avel pulled the long iron bell outside the closed door of ilisa so francks house in sokar with it a sense of relief that tile the first part of his quest was accomplished the street baffone waa fone one which formerly had been possessed of some pretensions the houses were tall solidly built and had apparently patently ly peen been occupied by a wealthy class of merchants they were now mostly let out nut in tenements ments gerald rose to his feet and bowed opposite where gerald stood waiting val nien men and women sh look ing creatures most of thein were continually pasing in and out of a broud broad entrance from which the gates gatea hild had been done away with altogether with socks bocks or baskets of partly finished boots and the sound of fitful hammering seemed to denote a factory devold devoid of machinery in the ifie center of the road were some rusty rails around which some grass was growing the remains of an electric car service most of tile the houses seemed empty or overfull locked and battered with broken window frames and closed shutters or converted into tenement houses the long street full of holes und strewn with nil all manner of refuse ended in a steep hill way vay beyond it tile lie so called fortress a sinister gray building of many stories glittered in the afternoon sun the door ir front of which gerald wua wits standing was suddenly opened A dark corpulent woman dressed apparently tit in nothing but a petticoat anti and thrust out her head gerald geraid handed tier her a card on oil which through the he friendly offices of the hotel porter was inscribed hla his desire to see madame francks trie the woman turned it over looked gerald up and down with wide astonishment and finally motioned him to enter ener As soon sjon as aa he haldone had done so s and stepped into the little cobbled courtyard site drew tile the boliand bol bolt tand and muttered something which lie he understood as en an invitation to follow her she pushed open n heavy door on the right and they ascended a gloomy stal staircase rease the atmosphere wits close almont stifling there seemed to be no or any means of giving light or ventilation arrived on tile the first floor she ohe threw open the door of a room and departed with a wholly incomprehensible grunt 1 outside she began to shout apparently through the door of another apartment there was p a vigorous duet the other voice shriller sh riller but aca scarcely reely i more pleasant then there was atlen ce followed by the sound of some one trio ino ang ang about in the adjoining room gerold took a teat seat upon a couch up in stained purple velvet which several evral tolled soiled coverings cover lupa va u imitation lace had been thrown the room itself was large asid aad lofty but scantily acan furnished there w was a huge undecorated stove lu in one corner which notwithstanding the heat of the the day already exuded batiles of burning coke tile poll polished shed floor door was innocent of tiny any rug rue or carpet antl covered cohered with stains and fragments of cigarette cl arestes and cigars there wits was a piano littered i with soiled and torn copies of music in a distant corner a small grimmo phone with black enamel mouthpiece blistered by the continual heat of tile the room the walls were hung with the faded remains of some former attempt at decoration the windows werf covered with a sort of wire netting which kept out alike light and air there was everywhere nil an odor of state stale to bacco smoke inIng mingled led with a strange smell of cheap incense or crude perfume of some sort gerald exceedingly sensitive to surroundings felt a momentary lilen tary faintness as lie rat and waited for the woman whom lie had come to visit ile he began to faldet in ills 1118 place lie ile walked up tip and down ile he was even meditating an attack upon one of tile the window fastenings when lie he was wa aware of tile the sound of heavy footsteps outside the door was opened A woman entered and cattle came toward him with nn nil inquiring expression pres slon upon tier her face it seemed to gerald geral d that the newcomer alone wits was needed to complete the squalor of ills his surroundings site was a big woman coarsely built an and with indications of obesity she wore a dressing gown of sonie some red material trimmed with soiled white fur and fastened round tier her waist with a girdle iler her hair wits was a bright yellow abundant but badly arranged it lay in loose colls upon the top of her head fastened with some flamboyant ornament her features were not ill sli slin aped Ped but were partly concealed under a thick coating of powder she had eyes of a peculiarly light blue shade aliade large and like ilke when she first entered tile the root room n but with a habit of narrowing tit at intervals sho she spoke in english with a strong strone german accent you wish to see bee me sir or I 1 wn elsa francks gerald rose to ills feet and bowed Bl adame he be said 1 I have found ny my way ere under the name of harmon harmen P cross I 1 have told every one that I 1 am nil an american looking for an opportunity to invest money that story la Is not true it Is my wish it if you will allow me to be perfectly candid with you ilou can sit down she invited regarding gerald with suspicion not unmixed with favor 1 I allf wit hear what you have to say she threw herself in r lump at the far end of the sofa anti and pointed to A battered horsehair easy chabr bring that to the side alde of me she continued 1 I do not hear tear very ver y well and it Is some time since I 1 listened 8 t et ed to english tell me what you want I 1 1 I have a further confession to make gerald began 1 I am an englishman there are englishmen and englishmen m en she said indulgently some Som dare are different from others you ate are not like those whom our officers have had to correct in the streets and cafes of 0 berlin now what la Js your business please it Is very difficult to state gerold gerald admitted ad witted frankly lind and I 1 am only to approach you because in these difficult times and in russia especially ally one needs money if you will do me a service I 1 can find you a great deal of money geralds methods had at any rate succeeded e led in exciting the interest Int irest of the woman he had come to visit her beani mined lips were parted her pale leves eyes iv v cre re tilled with the light of cupidity there Is not inot much we would not do for moncy nowadays over here she hardly you it are re a very ery interesting roan man go on al major ajor Kross la Is a friend of yours gerald said ho holthe ho the woman lan laughed glied so you dabble in politics eh ehl never mind Kross Is my friend what of it ile he Is the the governor of f the fortress here gerald went on ile he tins has a great number of prisoners under ills his care one hundred and thirty till arty seven elsa francks replied promptly 1 I 1 see lome of theta them exercising when I 1 am a at tile the fortress what he keeps them alive for I 1 cannot imagine they trawl crawl about it the yard like lice what about these prisoners gerald moved tits his chair a little nearer the woman united smiled at him graciously if one of them should escape he remarked significantly there would b a grent great deal of money what do you call a great deal of money 1 I 1 do not gerold replied 1 I know epry welt well that the escape of a prisoner Is n serious thing illing I 1 have at my disposal the sum of ten thousand pounds the woman started so that she nearly rolled off the sofa she sat suddenly upright she was too stupefied for or ei emotion notion TO DIS CONTINUED |
