Show alu M oy U y road CHAPTER IV continued 22 for you yes Kross sneered because you risk nothing and you have the spending of the money for me it Is different I 1 have an off official iclal position I 1 am governor of the fortress I 1 wear the tt uniform of af the russian republic elsa fricks laughed loudly and scornfully she pointed jeeringly at Kross nys uniform of the russian republic the rhe exclaimed A pity they in make ake it to fit youl official position indeed what do you get out of it I 1 should like to know would you not starve it if it were not for the contributions of the prisoners themselves it Is true Kross assented gloomily it is a dogs life and a dogs country to live it in the boman proclaimed listen to me ivan she sat upon the arm of his chair and talked to him in russian soon it was evident that he was yielding she fetched him beer and then spirits of some sort from a cupboard once or twice she turned and winked stealthily at gerald ai at last she turned towards him in triumph it Is arranged she announced not so fat Kross intervened let us hear how tills this money Is to be paid in cash gerald replied 1 I have drafts upon your own banks well well Kross muttered the money Is right enough then at bet tomorrow morning lie went on present yourself at the fortress inquire for rue me I 1 shall give you fill an Rud audience lence the affair may be concluded at once get back to your hotel now and be careful not to speak of your rei real business gerald rose blithely to ills his feet the idea of leaving the horrible atmosphere of that room was undiluted joy to hini him ile he bowed to the governor elsa took him to the door and under pretext of calling the servant servant passed out with him into the passage you can come back later it if you tou alke to talk with me again she whispered be careful thou though gli for he be Is very jealous she shouted something to the russian maid and stepped back into the room with a meaning smile gerald put money into the hand of tile the woman who opened the postern gate and stepped into the street with a gasp of relief the clear air was wonderful fill he drew in great gulps of it as he made his way along tile uneven pavements stared at by every passerby passer by lie ile could scarcely believe that his task was coming so easily to an end if fill all went well in twenty four hours bours he be might be on ills his way back to england chapter V gerald after a weary climb out of the town stood at last at the appointed f d hour on the following morning before the rusty iron rates gates of the fortress untidy and neglected thou though gh the whole place seemed there was still something sinister about the various crude precautions against the escape of a prisoner for a quarter of a mile on the outside of the walls not in themselves ies formidable everything in the shape of trees shrubs or dwellings had bad been razed to the ground and every fifty paces around the walls on the top of a buttress was mounted a machine gun from which an iron ladder led to the ground the walls themselves were about eight feet high of stone covered with white plaster the fortress itself was built of a I kind ind of gray colored brick a square solid building with a curiously unexpected top the barred windows were no more than slits the space of open ground by which th main building was surrounded was inches deep in dust A porter in stained ond and ill III fitting uniform admitted gerald to the building escorted him across the yard tard and passed him on to a duplicate of himself to whom gerald once more presented the card N which had obtained him admittance ile he was led down a stone passage pas sige which had apparently neither been cleaned nor swept tor for months into a lofty but bare apartment at the farther end Kross who was sitting before a wooden table apparently expecting him dismissed tile the attendant attend int and motioned gerald to sit down lie he looked qt at ills his visitor i in unfriendly fas fashion lilon why did you not come to me direct instead of going to elsa francks he be demanded gerald was not unprepared for the question 1 I knew your reputation as a sol adler and a man of honor he be replied 1 I feared that unless this matter was put to you in the proper light tactfully as a woman can put it 3 sou oil would have nothing to say to me the governor grunted it was a mistake he declared sourly the woman Is ls greedy she will demand her full share of the money it Is scarcely justice 1 I am sorry gerald said eald 1 I acted BS as I 1 was advised supposing I 1 accede went on after a short pause how do you propose to get number twenty nine out of the country 1 I was wag hoping gerald admitted that you might have been able to help with some suggestion the governor stroked his beard Suggest suggestions lons be muttered are worth money gerald acquiesced 1 by ByE E phillips oppenheim copyright by little brown A co 1 I have not command of much more than the amount I 1 spoke of he be said but if you can show me how to get our friend safely out of the country I 1 will add a thousand pounds to your share which sum the go gobernor goer arnor nor insisted quickly will not be mentioned to elsa francks and will belong to me alone agreed gerald acquiesced show me your papers the governor demanded gerald produced them without hesitation his pasc passport port rn an urgent letter of recommendation by the one statesman who was in good odor in both countries bankers drafts which needed only his signature to produce a never ending flow of cash the governors eyes glittered ili ns he in turned arned them over in his hand it was horrible I 1 that a share of these treasures must go to the woman I 1 she wits was well enough under ills his thumb the slave of his command but with money in lier her pocket they were nere neither of them in their first youth but so far as looks went in his eyes she still had charin if she were independent of him all sorts of things might happen ue he threw down the documents with a little oath the passport ho however homeer weer lie he kept in ills his hand ills his manner as lie he looked at gerold gerald changed he became almost servile you too are an aristocrat aben he remarked 1 I am of the english aristocracy acy gerald admitted 1 I have another passport in my pocket which proclaims me hn an american citizen tile the governor nodded he pushed a box of black cigars across to ills his visitor the latter contented himself however with accepting a cigarette then he be tou touched clied a bell the attendant brought in beer which was poll poured red into two glasses As soon as they were alone Kross motioned gerald to draw his big chair dose close to the desk now here Is my scheme lie he sald said number twenty nine is of your height and build you shall see him for yourself and judge number one hundred and one also a young man died yes t M 1 k 14 41 I 1 Z 1 I I 1 have had no water here for a fortnight he groaned afternoon ot of malarial fever ills death lias has not yet been officially reported very good I 1 take you to the cell of number twenty nine you exchange clothes with him you yon give him bour our american passport you go in with me to its his cell lie ile cowes comes out with me you remain the devil I 1 do I 1 gerald muttered do not be a foell the governor exclaimed impatiently 1 I beg your pardon excellency lie he added a moment later as he remembered ills igors identity four your stay there will not be long I 1 shall explain in a moment I 1 drive number twenty nine to a small it station on the line elev eleven en miles oil off 1 I take leave of him there ile he Is an american who lias has bought my oil concessions the station Is in the middle of the district my aly presence with him will remove all suspicions and predent their examining the passport too closely ile he will travel through to petrograd Petro grad there I 1 take it you have made arrangements 1 I have a ship waiting gerald replied that Is roy my scheme sc henle then so far I 1 approve of it gerald declared but aliat riat about me you will bore yourself for twenty four hours the governor replied 1 I will see though that you have beer and Dews newspapers papers it if you will elsa eisa can come collie arid and see you for heavens bake not no gerald begged 1 I mean he added hastily 1 I shall need no society I 1 nm am er ery tired I 1 shall sleep As you will the governor acquiesced ced in the morning number one hundred and one I 1 should say ills his reni remains ains will be carried secretly down doan to your cell you will be moved up lip to the cell of number one hundred and one I 1 shall at once report the death af f number twenty nine ile he will be burled buried in the cemetery liere here b before intervention Is possible now the question comes coines how to dispose of you 1 I was getting interested in that myself gerald admitted number one hundred and one time was up the governor gov einor explained ne he could have gone home last week f it lie had bad been strong enough I 1 have his big papers of release here signed by myself tomorrow morning early I 1 shall provide you with suitable clothing and I 1 shall drive you to the railway station 1 myself have leave of absence in my pocket granted to me a fortnight ago but to be honest with you I 1 have not used it because I 1 have had no money with which to enjoy myself I 1 shall travel with you myself to petrograd Petro grad you will have acted ns as my clerk in the prison and I 1 take some interest in you in my com company pony you are absolutely secure no one will venture even a question arrived at petrograd Petro grad I 1 will drive with you to the docks you shall take me on board your ship and we will drink a bottle of champagne together what do you think of my plan Capi capital till I 1 geilim gei ild replied 1 I will conduct cond lica you von now the governor announced to number twenty nine we will lock ourselves in his big cell you ton shall explain the beheye to him and change clothes I 1 will bring pen and with me also the deeds which will put harmon P cross in possession of my oil properties you shall any over tile drafts after that aou ou must be patient 1 I am ready gerald declared ria in ing to his feet Kross unlocked a drawer and took out a bunch of keys which shone like silver lie only clean thing it seemed to gerald that lie he had seen in the prison they tramped up two flights of stone steps 1 I am a humane man I 1 the governor said and it does not please me to turn my prisoners into vermin I 1 have cells underground without light or mr air which were used ded b by v my predecessors I 1 have had them blocked up you will find it not so terrible here they had bad reached a long white washed passage with arched roof the governor dismissed the attendant who had bad followed them inserted the key into the lock of the door over which 29 was painted in black figures and entered himself motioning gerald to follow him in the sudden somber twilight of the cell geralds first impressions were that a man opposite had hanged himself against ti the wall all at their entrance however the figure fig ure dropped to the ground releasing his clutch of 0 the rusty bars to which he had been clinging A tall thin young man with sunken cheeks long unkempt hair and ores eyes a little more than ordinarily bright strod gazing at them ula ills clothes seemed to beabe he the remains of a prison uniform the trousers always too short had worn away at the bottom of the legs and he wore neither socks rocks nor shoes ile he stared at the two men at gerald especially in wonder but remained silent you speak english gerald inquired number dumber twenty nine shook his big head 1 I speak french better he replied what were you doing when we came in the governor asked number twenty nine smiled wanly for an hour every day he told til bliem em sometimes s for more I 1 spring till I 1 catch those bars and I 1 hang on until I 1 am tired I 1 can always see the sky sometimes it if I 1 am feeling strong I 1 can lift myself so that I 1 see a little of the country well you have something better to do now the governor declared yon too were a man when you were brought in I 1 have seen you play a mans part re lie member if you taint faint or do anything foolish you spoil everything set your teeth and take off your clothes clot lies you are going to be ret pet at liberty number twenty nine scarcely faltered 1 I am to be shot I 1 suppose he said coolly 1 I trust that your wardens are better marksmen than they are soldiers there Is a long story gerald intervened of which the governor will tell you as much Hs as lie he chases I 1 RID am an sent here by relatives of yours I 1 line haie been able to arrange for your freedom in a few lays days time you will be steaming for england cut it short hort the governor interrupted 1 I will do all the explaining gerald took a letter from his pocketbook read head that letter he it Is from pauline she Is my friend I 1 am lord dombey an englishman we shall meet at Petro petrograd grad later iker on the steamer I 1 will explain everything meantime take off your clothes clothen you will have to ear mine for a couple of lays days the young man took on off his coat at almost mechanically ills shirt was ragged lie ile had apparently no underclothes ills f fingers began to shake 1 I 1 cannot he be faltered but it is iary ll 11 gerald assured him see I 1 am halt half undressed myself ile he took off ills his coat and waistcoat at the sight right of ills alk underclothes the other man began suddenly to sub 1 I I 1 have had no water here for or a fortnight he groaned gerald looked jilin him in the eyes TO BE CONTINUED |