Show I I I r rj rI j I I I I II S I F Y 1 I 57 i I II I I CHAPTER Continued i I I I If you were asking that service of ot l I Ernest Haddon It Is IB possible that ho hoi i might do It tt nut But If It you are asking Ernest Haddon to stoop to dishonor jo o masquerade In a character to which ho lo has no right j I I Ernest Haddon will still sun do that I 1 f We Wo faced each cach other othor Our eyes not mot et In defiance Wilt Will beat benl against Ii I will nn an aggressive purpose against I f Stubborn resistance Again I caw naw hoso beautiful lips curve in a cruel it i the eyes burn with a baneful j I light Was she so confident of her hor prey pre I I Did oho aho think that I should fall faB so soI I II easy c sy a 11 victim to her basilisk smile j If so RO she woefully Her Hor beauty left Jen mo me absolutely unmoved Rather I It ft repelled The savage nature of cf the he tigress showed too plainly In that instant But BItt at least you will listen to my m mIan plan Ian f Yes Yea I replied slowly slow I gazing thoughtfully at the flickering logs I will wm listen to your our plan Like your yourself yourself self sel I have gone too far to retreat But remember r when whoa you OU havo told 1 me inc all the he armed truce may be fol folI I lowed by h open warfare I il I I Do you OU always give warning to toj your victims before you trap them j r I f I isho curious she demanded both contemptuous and andI I I When I 1 am at their houses I The door opened Dr shuf shuffled y fled aed stealthily Into the room She mot met methis his distrustful glance with perfect sangfroid I And our visitor this bravo Captain Forbes 1 she sho demanded lightly ll Isio Is jho fa io as persistent as at Ii Bah he annoys annon me this brave braye cap captain captaIn tain sneered sn red He Ho comes again to ask foolish questions But Dut I IAnswer II Ianswer I Answer answer him yes res I answer him this time For tonight at least we shall shaH payo peace l j I Not without trepidation I thought of the shuffling feet and the shout Dr when whon crossed would not bo ho bonice honice nice Dice in surmounting an nn obstacle JElther Zither he thought me mo beneath con contempt contempt contempt tempt or a great fool I 1 could have havo wished that I were armed In this Cas Castie Castle tie tle o of or Happiness A few hours ago tho atmosphere of or the Middle Ages had clung citing to it and had enchanted me But if 1 its Inmates resorted to the violent methods of o that period I might be less fascinated Dr again seated himself at athis atI athis his Instrument Madame do I accompanied him as If 1 nothing un unusual unusual usual had happened j I looked thoughtfully at this danger dangerous ous couple The morrow promised I much nuch The three of or us were at cross purposes Each was playing his den dec d c game Which of us was to conquer I It was not long before the tho con concert concert cert cert camo came to an end The TIto enthusiasm of t Dr was not proof against i tho the emotions of or the past hour Can Candles CanI I I dies wore rung for I bade them both botha I p a p quiet good night and followed followed the Ii lackey who preceded me mo to my m cham chamber chamber ber er berI erI 1 I welcomed the hours of sleep To Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow morrow my roy m nerves would need to bo be steady Bu nut But the surprises of C the tho day da wore were to be bo followed by still another On my ray m pillow was a folded pIcco of paper It was a message I could not nol doubt that But when I had read it itI ItI I was completely mystified In two par particulars parI I Who had bad placed the tho message on my ray m mI I pillow Did the sender really that I Iwas Iwas Iwas was Sir Mortimer If H Sir Mortimer Brett will call at atthe tho the Grand hotel tomorrow at ten for Mr Robinson Locke sir Mortimer will receive news of Importance That was the tho message I CHAPTER The Mysterious Signal So Locke as well as Forbes had I traced us to Was Tas their arrival herr her he so soon after ourselves I merely merel a coincidence Or could they the havo have traveled together Locke Locko had I certainly given mo me to understand that he lie had never seen Sir Mortimer or his mother and sister Nor had I reason to suppose that ho knew know the tho kings messenger at least two days das ago If it tt were true that he had met mel none nono of these people previous to my m leaving I Lucerne Lucerno If It it Il were true that ho did not know lenow them even eYon now what could havo hao brought Locke hither One of or three things might have hap happened happened i I Locke Locko may have been keeping a vig ilant watch on tho the movements of the Countess Captain Forbes might have bave traced us hero here yesterday and have ha vo joined forces with Locke I Or Locke Locko may ma have havo been beon watching I me rather than Madame de dc I and have posted after mo tao rather than L tilter after herself and mId her ber companion It required little Imagination to rea rca reason I son aon on out the tho affair I Two days ago ho had seen me ae con can conversing conversing on apparently Intimate terms I witla wl tho the I Countess I p note noto no to rious adventuress Ho came to my hotel to warn me mo against her I had received his warnings lightly enough That very vcr evening I dined tuned with the woman I took tho boat for or if not In her company In the company compan of Dr whom ho must havo have often Been seen with her at The knowledge of ot these facts would bring him to the scone at And then Tho The most startling dis din discoveries discoveries might be bc hla his Say that he had actually traced me mo meas meas as far ar as Vitznau u He Ho would havo have made inquiries yesterday for Ernest Haddon laddon From Prom whom else could ho make these Inquiries but the tho con conS concierge concierge clerge And he be would learn what The Tho mysterious secret that it was not really Ernest who had como come comoto comoto cometo to tho the hotel but Sir Mortimer lorUmer Brett passing under the tho name of Ernest Haddon YOG Y s G tho the concierge would tell him tho the truth according to his lights An old newspaper ne man like Jee Locke Lacko would be satisfied with no vague evasions If Locke then had made mado certain that I had entered the hotel botel the even evening evenIng ing lag before that I had occupied tho the suite of Sir Mortimer Brett the truth would Hash on him Ho would then be 1 c forced to one ono or two conclusions either cither that I was a great fool to bo ho so guileless a victim or that I was a aI I p it 1 i I 4 V aJ 1 I j h N I She Sho Looked About Vaguely V Then Toward Tow rd the Chateau Walls much more cunning rogue than ho had thought But tho the note noto I had found so strange strangely ly Iy on my mr pillow had given no inkling of or his suspicions if he had any That was to be bo expected If Sir Mortimer or rather myself failed to keep tho the appointment nt he ho would draw his own conclusions And having drawn them themI I what would be his course courtie of o action Ho would storm the chateau for the truth If as seemed most likely ho had hind joined forces with Captain Forbes he ho would realize the need of oC Immedi Immediate ate ato action What with Interviews between my myself m myself self and Madame do de Locke and Forbes the day dar promised to be exciting There Thero might I thought with infinite dread be bo yet et another inter interview Interview interview view For If Ir Forbes and Locke had succeeded In tracing us to n why wh should not nol Helena Helona Brett Bretl and her mother I looked at my watch I had slept soundly lulled to sleep by the tho ous ens little stream below It was now ten tea Tho The sun was shining brightly Into my room I could see seo seethe the mountains In the tho morn mora morning mornIng ing light My door was rapped gently gentl then pushed open The servant who had ushered mo me to my chamber entered with coffee There was none so likely to have brought tho the note noto as he ho 1 I was tempted to test tho the suspicion It might bo be convenient to avail amU myself of his services If It my mr suspicion were wele true But Rut I decided to make no allusion to it For the present I had hOld no need of or ortho tho ho man and If 1 he ho wore were w ro Ignorant of tho th existence of or tho note I 1 should risk much by b making him tho wiser r rl I l am anxious to seo see Madame do I said raising myself on my elbow to pour out my m coffee Is sho she shoup shoup up yet ct 1 Madam never noyer rises until after aCtor aCt r her second breakfast replied cd the tho man mannut But nut Dr Stana has asked mu mo to say sa that ho Is IB at nt your our dis dia disposal posa He Is very good I yawned and dismissed him Now that Madame do was not to be seen for tho thu present I 1 wished I 1 might have havo slept longer It was too late Into to keep tho doubtful ap up appointment with Locko Locke even had I wished d But I 1 did not wish to keep It First of all must come Madame do de story star Afterwards events must shape their course as they the would But Rut It was Impossible le to sleep again tho the glare of the tho light was unendurable unendurable able Tho The noise of the river Aare seemed to rise In a steady crescendo 1 I dressed leisurely for I was doter deter determined mined not to leave leo the chateau until 1 I had seen Madame do And Anti yet ct I 1 had no desire for Cor the company compan of Dr Stano I looked about for a book booe or magazine to beguile the hours bo he fore foro luncheon Half HaIr a dozen dorCa awaited my perusal most of them French novels Ono One book boole however was Voas in English The Foreign Office List and Diplomatic and Consular Handbook I read curiously I turned to Sir Morti Mortimer Mortimor I Imer mer mor Brett Sir Mortimer Brett CB CD MA IIA IA All Souls College Oxford 1879 Competitive examination and clerk of ot F 0 May 31 1880 Sec Mad 1883 Precis Writer to tho the late hate Marquis of Salisbury Sec See State for Foreign Affairs 1886 Transferred St SL Petersburg Sec 1886 Allowance for knowledge of Russian May ISSi 1887 Charge Jan 1888 Trans Transferred Transferred Transferred Constantinople Allowance for Turkish granted Consul General GeneralI 1902 I read re d the tho list of Sir Mortimers honors with a strange catching of oC tho the breath Hla Hiti progress In his profession had been extraordinary That he Ite was wasa a zealous and ambitious ambitions diplomat was proven by b tho the one ono fact that twice his salary had been increased because ho lie had mastered two of the most mo t difficult languages in tho the world That fact tact also proved that ho be owed his promotion not so much to influence at Court as to his own determination Ho was a student as well as a n diplomatist It gave me a distinct shock that such a aman aman aman man should be so weak as to succumb to the beauty of a clever clover adventuress Again I read at random Tho The Hag to be used by b His Maj Diplomatic Servants whether on shore or embarked cm arl ed on boats or other vessels Is tho the Union with the Royal RO l Arms In the tho center thereof sur stir surrounded surrounded rounded by b a green garland My I eyes skipped down the page The uniform of tho the consul general was fully full described cd The Tho cocked hat bat was to be without binding the fan or back bacle part eleven inches the plain l gold tassels edging of black ostrich feather I skipped that too I was not interested in milliner millinery But presently my m eye cye wandered to this tItle paragraph I began to read It Il not without uneasiness Official Act of Parliament to pro vent a Disclosure of or Documents and Information Any An person found guilty guilt of a breach of or official trust of or pur loining or 01 obtaining under false falso pre pretenses pretenses pretenses tenses papers of State and found guilty of tho the same shall bo be convicted of high treason Any An person Interfering ing lag with His Ilie Diplomatic Servants In lu their official business either cither by b tho the giving of false falso Information Information tion tho the assuming of any of their pre prerogatives or rights I havo have never learned the awful a ful fate fato of a person pernon guilty of oC these misdemeanors ors ore The Tho book slipped from my m hand Above the clamor of tho the stream be below below low 10 I had heard a faint shout Twice it was wan repeated rC I 1 went to the window and ami looker At first I thought some one ono had fallen Into tho the river But Bul tho shout had not come from tram below I could bo be sure of this thin because on the tho opposite side of the tho Mire Aaro was a narrow e Benches wore were placed at ot Intervals and there wore were beds of flowers to break the monotony of oC the th gravel gra walk The Tho esplanade was deserted hut but for ono one per person son a woman and she Rhe was seated her parasol shielding her from the sun and from my mr vIew Again I hoard loard tho th shout and still again I listened breathless breath loss But tho the mysterious cry was no longer re repeated repeated Puzzled I stood at the window lean fean leanIng Ing inc fir far f r out but I could discover sign of no person at such of or the tho as I could command My y glance fell feB idly to the tho woman sunning herself on the tho opposite bank banki And as I 1 looked a atin atin tiny tin shaft of light arrested my 01 atton atten tion It Jl was scarcely larger than my hand but It seemed endowed with elfish clash In Intelligence For It moved d It Il danced And always In the direction of tho the woman with the parasol ol Now it crawled slowly along tho the graveled walk In a direct line from tho the river bank toward her Now It burned a shining mark motionless Then Theu It darted about In circles and always close to the woman as BS If It to en cn engage engage gage gago her attention A minute five minutes passed while I watched the tho eccentric gyrations of or this extraordinarily intelligent shaft of light Over and over Ocr its antics were repeated Tho The womans parasol was tilted care carelessly carelessly carelessly lessly back for a moment The nar narrow narrow narrow row beam of light seized its opportunity opportunity It t played fantastically on the dress of the woman Now at last sho ho had seen It t It flashed upward toward her face She Site looted looked about vaguely 0 I Ithen then toward tho the chateau walls Now I had seen her face It H was Helena Brett BrettI I 1 struck my ray m forehead impatient at my mr stupidity It was Captain Forbes who had shouted He had seen Helena Helona Brett ho lie had vainly attempted to tomako tomake I make mako her Iter hear But Dut tho the roaring river had hud drowned his cry That I had heard It proved that he was nearer to tomo tome tome me mo than HInn to her hor Yes In this chateau and a prisoner Ho was wa signaling that fact acl to her Every Ever Evor schoolboy knows the trick Tho The reflection of or tho the suns rays ras on a mir mirror mirror will carry a n tolerable distance But now that ho he had attracted her attention would she sho look up and see seo I him K U by chanco chance that were possible would she understand Fascinated I saw tho the beam of light tell Its story eloquently and In Ingeniously gee |