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Show , ; v j2chai2j PAaam, rT Jr This Is a 6tory of the European J war. It Is a tale of spies of love and intrigue among them; -i" J of patriotism and sacrifice; of J 4- war's horrors and demands. It -r is not a plea for preparedness or J for anything else. The great con- if flict across the water will pro- 4. duce some great literature such 4. as the American Civil war and -j. the Franco-Prussian war and the i" 4. Napoleonic wars produced and much trash. Metropolitan crit- J ics unite In 6aying that "Under J Fire" makes a bid for lasting f popularity. Read It and Judge J for yourself. J CHAPTER I. Just a Hint of Scandal. Georgy YVagstaff sauntered Into Miss Ethel Wllloughby's sitting room, attired at-tired in the daintiest and fluffiest of summer costumes. Georgy was the daughter of Sir George Wagstaff of the Iiritish admiralty. She found the room deserted, except for her father's admirable butler, who was at the moment mo-ment in the act of placing a tea-tray upon Miss Wllloughby's table. "Oh, Brewster Is Miss Willoughby In?" she Inquired. The correct Brewster immediately straightened himself up In his best manner. "No, miss! I think not," he replied. Georgy strolled to the window. "I dare say EthePll be here directly." she said to herself as much as to the butler. "I'll wait" "Yes, miss," Brewster acquiesced. And with a bow of the utmost correctness cor-rectness he went out, closing the doors softly behind him. Georgy Wagstaff stood Idly looking out of the window upon the view of the Thames. It was an August afternoon after-noon and the river shimmered alluringly allur-ingly In the slanting sunlight But Ethel had asked her to meet a few friends; and Georgy was fond enough of Miss Willoughby not to be repentant repent-ant for having foregone the delights of a perfect summer evening out of doors. As she stood there In the window win-dow her governess entered. Henry Streetman nodded. "Without result!" he replied, somewhat some-what gloomily. "But somewhere he must have a copy of the admiralty instructions to the fleet These would be in his department; and we must know at once what orders have been giveu to the ships at Spithead where they are going when this review is over." The spy, Roeder. saluted again. "I have done my best." he said apologetically. apol-ogetically. "I am sure you have," Streetman replied. re-plied. "We know the Wilhehiistrasse does not lightly overlook stupidity in one of Its servants," lie observed grimly. grim-ly. And then he motioned toward the double doors that led into the hall. "See if anyone's coming," he said. Roeder or Brewster opened the doors aud peered dowu the length of the passage. "No one Is In sight; and I hear nothing." noth-ing." he reported. "Now lock that door!" StreetmaD commanded, pointing toward the one behind which he knew that Miss Willoughby Wil-loughby must be dressing. The butler regarded him in alarm. "Pardon, meln Herr but Is It safe?" he ventured. "She Is a woman wom-an " "Do not be alarmed," Streetman reassured re-assured him. "Miss Willoughby is easily handled. She believes that 1 work for the French secret service." "Then she is a fool," his subordinate declared. "No, no!" Streetman protested "We must not criticize the tools thai serve us." And as he spoke he went to the telephone in a corner of the room, ricking up the instrument h( paused and turned to the butler witt a look of amusement "Sir Georg Wagstaff Sir George of his majesty's navy would be rather surprised if he knew that from his house we were communicating with our friends, th Germans," he observed. "Rather!" his henchman responded with a gleam of humor In his eyes. "Now lock that door!" Streetmar ordered once more. "And now to re port to headquarters again!" he exclaimed, ex-claimed, when the butler had turned the key noiselessly in Miss Wllloughby's Wlllough-by's door. "Hello! City, 4225!" h said In a low but distinct voice. Meanwhile the butler hovered neai by. "You think, meln Herr, there will b war?" he asked respectfully. "I do not know. But we are ready And if war does come, it will be Ger many's hour the day at last!" H turned to the telephone once more, ani began speaking into the transmitter "Hello! City, 4225? Hello! Are yoi there? Who is speaking Twenty-six fourteen? . . . Hello! 1 am thirteen seventeen," he said, giv ing the number by which he wai known in the German secret service "Yes! We have no news of the Eng lish fleet; we have tried everything . . . Very well! Goodby!" He put down the instrument anc a look of annoyance as well as per plexity was upon his face as he wheeled about "What is it, mein Herr?" his com panlon asked in an anxious voice. "Ii it bad news?" He had long worked ii conjunction with Streetman, and hi was quick to detect signs of troubli upon him. "They say they must know tonight without fail, the destination of th English fleet" Streetman replied. . . He cast a quick glance toward Ethe Wllloughby's boudoir. "So, Miss Wll loughby, you have some work to do!' he muttered, to himself more than t his confederate. "Now, unlock tha door!" he ordered. "Ah! that is done and we were not Interrupted," he salt in a relieved voice, when the def Brewster had once more succeeded ii turning the key silently in the lock To expedite his prowlings about thi house at all hours of the day or night Sir George's butler had seen to it tha such things as hinges and locks whether upon doors or desks wen well oiled. It was bis genius for de tails of that sort that had led to hii assignment to his present duty. Henry Streetman dropped upot Miss Wllloughby's settee in an attl tude of relaxation that revealed some what the marvelous strain which at tends the performance of exploits in separable from his profession. "Dangerous work, eh, Herr Roeder' And poor pay!" he vouchsafed In 1 sudden burst of good-fellowship. F01 the moment he seemed almost human Herr Roeder pulled himself togethei stiffly. "It is not for the money that I an here," he answered proudly. "It ii for the Fatherland!" Despite thi guarded tones in which he spoke, then was an earnestness born of sincen patriotism that made his words rin convincingly. One look at the man's face, aflame with an almost fanath zeal, showed him to be the sort tc whom a country may well trust bei secrets. There is a hint that young Georgy Wagstaff, hating the 4 sight of Streetman, suspects him 4- instinctively and has watched j him and the butler. What do you i- say? f 1 iTO UK ;ONTINI'i.i. cried impatiently. "I know inside that you agree with me." Miss Willoughby did not care to continue the discussion. And with au air of dismissing both Mr. Streetman and her relations with hiiu from her own uilud as well as Georgy's, she rose from the wide seat, aud as she -.'lamed at her watch exclaimed with surprise: Heavens'. It's after Ave. I must fuss up a bit for the party." Cut Georgy would not be put off so easily. "Well, forewarned is forearmed," she said seuteutiously. It was clear that she did not intend to be squelched like a child. If Henry Streetman were still in her mind, she saw no reason why she should dissemble in order to please Ethel or anybody else. "There's nothing to be forewarned about," Miss Willoughby observed, as she paused at the door that opened into her boudoir. "You surely have no right to put such a construction upon my acquaintance with Mr. Streetman. I can't let you say things of this sort to me. It's not fair to me. It's not even fair to yourself." While she was speaking the door opened and Brewster, the butler, stepped Into the room. "Mr. Streetman Is calling," he announced an-nounced in well-modulated tones. "Oh, show him up!" Miss Willoughby Willough-by ordered. And as soon as Brewster had vanished she shot a swift smile at her companion. "Speak of the devil " she said good-naturedly. "Oh, he isn't the devil," Georgy replied. re-plied. "More of a snake, I think." There was certainly no reason to doubt her extreme dislike of the gentleman who was at that moment waiting below. be-low. Ethel's hand was on the doorknob; but she hesitated long enough to say to Georgy: "I won't be five minutes. Stay and amuse him there's a good girl!" "Not I!" Miss Georgy declared. "If he wants to be amused he can read Punch." And as she spoke she slipped off her perch on the chair-arm and started for the door through which Brewster had disappeared. "Don't be rude to him, please, Georgy!" Miss Willoughby entreated. She knew that Georgy and Mr. Street-man Street-man must meet; and she could not refrain re-frain from trying to smooth the way for her guest "Oh, I'll be polite enough in my own way," Georgy replied grimly. She was well aware that she was an enfant terrible; and she often took a mischievous delight in shocking people by some unconventionally. Ethel Willoughby had already closed her boudoir door behind her; but Georgy had not yet reached the hall before Brewster returned to usher in the caller, who was close upon bis heels. Henry Streetman, handsome, well-groomed, well-groomed, slightly foreign In appearance, appear-ance, bowed with extreme affability as he came face to face with Georgy Wagstaff. ' But Georgy was decidedly cold to him. She could be frigidly haughty when she chose. "How do you do!" she said, hardly pausing in her hasty exit from his distasteful dis-tasteful presence. "Ethel's dressing," she told him hurriedly. "She'll be In in a minute. Goodby!" And holding hold-ing up, her head in undisguised scorn, she promptly left Streetman to his own devices. CHAPTER II. For the Fatherland. Henry Streetman turned and stared after Georgy with raised eyebrows. A blind man could not have mistaken the animosity that the girl felt toward him. But that did not trouble Henry Streetman. He was not a person whose feelings were easily hurt. He had hardly strolled to the center of the room when the butler reappeared reap-peared and paused just inside the double doors that led Into the passage. "Close those doors!" Streetman commanded, com-manded, quite as If he, and not Sir George Wagstaff, were Brewster's master. And while Brewster promptly executed his order, Streetman himself stole quickly to the door that led. as he knew, to Miss Wllloughby's dressing dress-ing room. He stood there, silent, for a few moments, listening. And then be returned to the waiting butler. "What news. Herr Roeder?" he Inquired. In-quired. "Nothing, mein Herr!" Under Street-man's Street-man's brisk questioning the man had suddenly become metamorphosed. His manner of a most correct English butler but-ler had fallen off him like a cloak. And now he saluted his interrogator in a fashion unmistakably military and German, at that It was as if the fellow fel-low had two personalities. Streetman came nearer to the fellow fel-low and bent his cold eyes upon him. "You have searched Sir George's desk?" he demanded. "I have searched everywhere." Brewster or Roeder declared, still standing at attention. An onlooker could not have mistaken the fact that Streetman was the butler's superior in rank. "But I can And no trace of any papers about the navy such as you described." "Have you tried his oScel" his confederate con-federate ventured. That's just the question," she commented. com-mented. "You know 1 shouldn't mind it in the least if you had. I believe in people living their own lives, in their own way." Georgy prided herself her-self that she was "advanced." She considered the ordinary insular attitude atti-tude toward what is termed morality to he stodgy and Victorian. Indeed, she quite fancied the more free-and-easy continental view of life. What on earui are you talking about?" Ethel demanded. If the truth were known, she felt the least bit uncomfortable un-comfortable beneath the frank stare of her youug friend. "You remember a month ago, when you said you went to Brighton?" Georgy continued relentlessly. "When I said I went to Brighton? When I went to Brighton," Miss Willoughby Wil-loughby corrected her coldly. But the chill of her remark was lost upon her patient cross-examiner. Georgy was too intent upon uncovering uncover-ing the romance that she thought she had stumbled upon to be so easily discouraged. "Well, today at lunch Hugh Middle-tou Middle-tou said you couldn't have been in Brighton that week " She paused to watch the effect of her bombshell. "Did he? Really?" Miss Willoughby Willough-by replied with well-feigned indifference. indiffer-ence. But beneath her cold calm her heart was beating furiously. She felt for all the world like some wild thing, trapped, at bay. And she turned away to hide the alarm that she feared must reveal Itself In her face. "Yes! He was in Paris, and " "Paris!" Ethel echoed with a faint start Youth Is ever cruel; and Georgy had no thought of sparing her companion. compan-ion. Her sole idea was that If Ethel were hiding some secret liaison she wanted to share the romance with her. "Yes!" she went on relentlessly. "And he saw you there twice that week, and both times with Henry Streetman." "But that's impossible!" Ethel protested. pro-tested. "But Mr. Middleton seemed very positive," the younger girl said somewhat some-what doubtfully. "It's too absurd!" Ethel cried, forcing forc-ing a laugh. "I was at Brighton, as I can very easily prove." "Well that's settled!" Georgy exclaimed, ex-claimed, with an air of relief in spite of her hopes. Her feelings had, as a matter of fact been somewhat complex. com-plex. "Of course I'd only admire you for being brave enough to defy the conventions. But father wouldn't " "But I haven't defied conventions." Ethel insisted, placing both ber hands over Georgy's as if to emphasize the truth of her statement "Oh, I don't care if you have," Sir George's daughter told her callously. "But you ought to care," Ethel protested. pro-tested. "And as your governess I cannot can-not condone such an attitude on your part Really, Georgy, stupid as conventions con-ventions may appear sometimes, nevertheless nev-ertheless there is a bitter penalty exacted ex-acted from people who break them." Miss Wagstaff rose abruptly, as If Impatient with the views of her governess; gover-ness; and, crossing the room, she seated seat-ed herself nonchalantly upon the arm of a chair that was drawn up at one side of the tea table. "Oh, pooh!" she exclaimed. "All that narrow-mindedness is old-fashioned." The older girl regarded her reprovingly. reprov-ingly. 'What silly book have you been reading?" she inquired. After her advent ad-vent into the Wagstaff home it had not taken her long to discover that Georgy's literary tastes had developed along lines that would scarcely have met with Sir George's approval. Miss Georgy did not even deign to reply to Ethel's question. They had had numerous discussions more or less heated upon the subject of ber reading, which Georgy regarded as both footless and absurd. She had openly rebelled at readiog the books that Ethel recommended to her. Jane Austen and Mrs. Gaskell were. In ber opinion, hopelessly behind the times. "I'm glad you haven't had an affair with Henry Streetman," the younger girl remarked. "1 don't like him." "Don't you?" said Ethel, relieved that Georgy was at last convinced that her suspicions were groundless. "No! Every time he comes into the room my back sort of goes up, just like Rowdy when he sees a cat." Rowdy Row-dy was Georgy's Scotch terrier, whose antipathy to cats was proverbial. "Mr. Streetman has been very kind to me," ber governess observed. "Oh. don't defend him!" Georgy "Oh! Hello, Georgy! Am I late or are you early?" Miss WTlloughby called as she saw that one of her guests was already waiting. "Both!" said Georgy with a smile. "I did want two minutes with you before be-fore the others came. May I bother yon now?" "Of course!" the older girl replied. "But it's no bother," she assured her. She sat down on one end of a long settee and began to remove her gloves; whereupon her younger charge perched herself at the other end of the seat and regarded her admiringly. Miss Wllloughby's fair hair had just the hint of red In it that was at the same time Georgy's despair and delight And Ethel was far enough past the schoolgirl age to have lost that angularity angu-larity which Georgy still possessed and loathed. As for coloring, they both showed the healthy glow which is the distinguishing mark of young Englishwomen of the upper class. "You see," said Georgy, "I'm afraid I'm going to be awfully presumptuous presumptu-ous " "Nonsense!" Ethel Interrupted. "You couldn't be that when you and your father have been so very good to me. ... Come on Out with it!" It was true that Ethel Willoughby felt that she was deeply In the debt of the Wagstaffs both father and daughter. Before entering their household house-hold as Georgy's governess she had known them upon a footing of social equality. But fortune had frowned upon ber. And when circumstances had become most pressing Sir George had come to her relief with the proposal pro-posal that she undertake the guidance of his somewhat difficult daughter. It was not that Georgy was greatly different dif-ferent from other girls of the Impressionable Impres-sionable age. But Sir George's public duties left him little time to devote to the upbringing of his motherless child. And it bad struck him that Ethel Willoughby was a person who at the same time would be able to sympathize with Georgy's Impulses and direct them into the proper channels. "What's on your mind. Georgy?" Miss Willoughby asked again, as the girl still hesitated. "It's about your past" Georgy began be-gan in deadly seriousness. Ethel laughed at her tragic manner. "Have I a past?" she inquired lightly. But the romantic Georgy was not to be diverted from her mood. |