MARY ROBE RINEHART [js COPYRIGHT IVT. BY TNE RIDGWAY CONAN Y COrYRICNT, IW]. 8Y MARY ROBERTS LKINENART At. RIGMTS BESET ED THE COUNTESS, TRAPPED B Y TERRORISTS, FACES CRU- slips away to the park, where he Thorpe, a little American boy. made for him. ‘he night t boy's grandfather, the old king, wi same t 4% warl that Hedwig a, his marria riage of country. to P and plots Nikky Larisc for her mi Karl. dummy lette tion, holds up Ka Annunciat rincess impersonates Karl’ env Karl, Larisch is Mettl 1, chan 11 Karl lope for some y his aunt, tires of the singing and makes the acquaintance of Bobby night, he of the search which has been he chancellor to the 10 i8 very ill. The chancellor sug- the friendship of the neighboring calls consult Countess Loschek, lady- $ In with { Karl Hedwiz. Hedwig, 1 1 3 loves King wu ho mother love message to King terrorists and a substitu- happened that had true of ten existed si the ve her nervt then, she night! For no way out. or her mald, now, and white, ut her mouth that to the locked it maid. “1: She went and the now." will retire? You corridor, turned for vou. an “You what I am re The mald sto kaow for!” od still, Her wide, filled with alarm, watched the moved swiftly neross the to her wardrobe. When she turned about again, she held | hand a thin black riding crop. Minna's ruddy color faded. She knew the Loscheks, knew their furies, “Madame!” she eried, and fell her knees, “What have I done? what have I done? “That is what you will tell me,” said | the and brought down the | crop. ' A livid stripe across the girl's | face turned slowly to red. ; i “wl lone nothing, Mother of pity, help me! nothing.” The crop descended again, this time | on one of the great sleeves of her | peasant costuma. So thin {t was, so | brutal the blow, fhat it cut {nto the | bovine room in ner on i Oh. countess, have I swear (it. I have done | When afternoon the windows. No one “l Have Done Nothing, | Swear It.” So that telling the room. The girl wi was too stupid to lle. of ten indeed thing—had known that was the it, of course, 18 truth. She mittee knew every- she would be She dismissed the girl and put away of her hair and dress, The court physician, calling a half hour later, found her reading on a chaise longue in her boudoir, looking pale and ered a pleasant half hour with her, Then nt last he was gone, and she From a corner of long peas ns Minna tions for the night. her wardrobe she drew a ant's cape, such a eape of a hat, she threw a gray vell. A care- less disguise, but all that was neces- sary. The sentries through and about the palace were not unaccustomed to such shrouded figures slipping out from its gloom to light, and perhaps to love, Before she left, the room. What assurance that this very excursion trap, and that in her absence the vault would not be looted again? It con- talned now something Infinitely wval- uable and ineriminating-—-the roll of film. She glanced about, and seeing a silver vase of roses, hurriedly emptied the water out, wrapped the lm in oiled paper, and dropped down among the stems. The Street of the Wise Virgins was not near the palace. Even by walking briskly she was in danger of being late. The wind kept her back, too. Then, at last, the Street of the Wise Virgins and the flacre, standing at the curb, with a driver wrapped In rugs against the cold of the February night, and his hat pulled down over his eyes. The countess stopped beside him, “You are expecting a passenger?” “Yes, madame,” With her hand on the countess realized that the looked about had not a she was it the was door, flucre already occupled. its darkened interior, solved itself Into a « the shadow She shrank back. said a volce, figure. “Enter, madame,” The figure appalled her. It to know that behind rifying mask which covered the en- face and head, vas a hu in figure, human pulses that beat, uman eyes that appraised her. She ated, the there olece, into a were dry, corner roaring of door closed. t noes a drive of which ared terror was in her ears. comme figures wrought her 10t known the past res e her, the 1 vith w rather ope iich they surround themselves might hs aroused her scor But Olga Los She guessed shr of men was not end They taken in- The images, that, wit class they ealt, it their name spelled terror. it. They had that very church, which they hid. its shrines and They, too, ap- the eye. Their masks, the constructed and upheld that must visualize their from beneath church, with cue to carefully aled of death about them-—it was skillfuily done, Still no one spoke. The them. Only her nervousness; she stood haughtily, her head held high, But like most women, she could not for long, at least the silence shrouded figures and intent eyes, “Now that I am here” ghe countess faced summoned 7’ It was Number Seven who replied. hour that followed, spoke for the oth. ergs. None moved, or but slightly. Evidently all had been carefully pre- arranged. “Look on the table, countess. You perhaps recognize” and glanced down. The code book lny there. Also the letter she had sent by Peter Niburg., She made no effort to disclaim them. wy “Do madame, will are realize what these papers nuthorities 7” you if over to the She shrugged her shoulders. And now Number Seven rose, a tall figure of mystery, and spoke at length in a cultivated, softly intoned voice, The listening, felt the volce vaguely familiar, as were the burning eyes behind the mask. turned countess, “It is our hope, madame,” he sald, “that will make It unnecessary for the committee of ten to use those papers. We have no quarrel women, We wish rather a friend than an enemy. The committee of ten, who know {ts motives, highest and most loyal the country.” you those of ideals—to His voice took on a new, almost a note. They had watched the ual decay of the country, he said. burden of taxation grew greater year, The musses sweated and tolled, to carry on their backs the dead weight of the aristocracy and the throne. The iron hand of the chancel- lor held everything; an old king who would die, was dying now, and after ruler each wominal only, The Countess Faced Them. the committee he of of “Perhaps,” there are is matter more thar those receives. “The matter lies thus, madame. chancellpr is now in Karnia., Doubt 8 he will return with the agreement signed, ar so, alliance We do not approve for various reasons, and intend to take steps to prevent it The paper itself nothing. But plainly, countess, we need a friend in the palace, in the fidence of the royal family. “And for such friendship, I am to secure safety?” “Yes, madame. But that is not all Let me tell you briefly how things We have, supporting certain workingmen’s guilds, a part of the student body, not much the army as we would Dissatisfied folk, madame, who exchange the emblem of tyranny for freedom. On the an- nouncement of the king's death, in every part of the kingdom will go up the ery of liberty. But the movement must start here. The city must rise ngainst the throne. And agninst that there are two obstacles,” He paused. The clock ticked, and water dripped into the tin pall with metallic splashes. “The first is this marriage, The sec ond--is the Crowp Prince Ferdinand William Otto.” The countess revolled. “No!” “A moment, madame. You think Cheder his mask the is one who Is cone us, bodie 8. of would countess divined a cold smile, There ure other methods, The could be taken over the border, hidden untill the republic 1s firmly es hed, After that, he Is portant.” The still him scornfully. “You gence small honor,” “Where penceful methods will avall, our methods are peaceful, madame.” “It was, then, in peace that you mur- dered Prince Hubert?” “The errors of the past are Then, with a new sternness: “Make i no mistake. Whether through ¥ agency or another, countess, when | cathedral bell rouses the city to the death, and the people walt in | the place for thelr new king to come out on the balcony, he will not The countess was not entirely had Standing swaying and white-faced he fore the tribunal, she suddenly { the golden head of the little crown him smiling as he had smiled that day in the him troubled and forlorn been when, that very es left them to to his Perhaps she reached the biggest . { ment of her life then, when she folded {her arms and stared proudly at the hrouded figures before her, “I will not do 1t,” she said, jut Number Seven remained impas- “A new iden, : : ‘I can recolls boy | " { tabli countess, pale, looked nt do my intelll- »» past. our the king's come saw | prince, saw as he lone gO mo Countess he said i that understan another think you i On. We are compel had at cigarette uring the riding nd, Hedwig did not lesson, and he hac if. Third, he, was I ugh he requently ila Otto, was not unmixed the wever, For exiie the ved one was to be » might lunch with to have strawberry HID iis tea, some that Miss Braith. iite's sister had sent from England. he to re- tion of citizens, Hedwig not at the school that morning. This Prince Ferdins ve a8 to Nikky were sh, but Nikky himself had unaccount- t lost his high spirit of the day rem } the 1 £ & offset all this, was x " PR Ceive 8 Gelvgs was re sel- ably iri ing ways did. his saddle, while his horse was canter- ing, so that bullets would not strike | him, They rode and frolicked, yelled a | bit, got two ponies and whacked a polo {ball over the tan bark, until the crown prince was sweating royally and was gloriously flushed. “lI don't know when I have been so happy.” he said, dragging out his han<- kerchief and mopping his face. “It's {a great deal pleasanter without Hed- wig, tsn't 1t?" While they played, overhead the great hearse was ready at last. [Its woodwork shone. Its gold crosses gleamed. No fleck of dust disturbed its austere magnificence. The man and the boy who had been working on it stood back and sur veyed It. “All ready.” sald the man, leaning on the handle of his long brush. “Now it may happen any time." “It is very handsome, But I am glad I am not the old king.” The boy picked up pails and brushes, “Noth- ing to look forward to but-—that.™ “But much to look back on" the man observed grimly, “and little that is good.” The boy glanced through a window, below which the riding ring stretched its brown surface, scarred by nervous hoofs, “I would change places with | the crown prince,” he said enviously. | “Listen to him! Always laughing. Never to labor, mor worry, nor think of the next day's Sood" “Young fool!” The man eame to his shoulder and glanced down alse, “Would lke to be a princeling, then! No worry. No trouble. Always play, play!” “Yook, lad, at That is what It Wherever Stablemen agents, watching such perhaps as about.” the in prince, ou look, what do you gee? Grooms? Bah, secret that no assassin, you snd I, lurk w y 1 He stopped and stared, wiping fhe glass clear that he might see Nikky without his cap, disheveled and flushed with exertion, was making a frantic shot at the white ball, rolling pust him. Where had he seen such a head, such a flying mop of hair? Ah! He remembered, It was the flying young devil who had attacked him and the others that night {no the by better, Miss Braithwaite that drove out Archduchess The a had ad head- afternoon, and the crown with his aunt. The Aununciata wer shop- crown prince the The th in and there scanned the crowd vas 8 quiet, aln and there who it I08L wigs even light, i 3 iif] i ] PR Prince Ferdinar most choked YATES war wilh ited certain mn are ald be very g 1G £ r ver gas like to have him n The crowd was ] r, pleased at close hands with the crov Perhaps, there with hostile eyes, some a child glowing with i gift, but one of the hate {ly, a barrier, an But It were some 3 obstacl if such there they were few, was, indeed, as t} The city loved fhe boy. Annunciata, foll Hil came obe had been § an an irritated Hilda's d, and wed by £ +} 0% 10 shop p. urchas« out “Good cried the arch- duchess, and stared into the carriage. “Otto I heavens” said the crown prince He “He is mine fondly. “He is the cleverest deg. can do all sorts of things." “Put him out.” “But he is mine,” protested Ferdi nand William Otto, “He is a gift That gentleman there, in the corduroy Jacket—"" “Put him out,” said the Archduchess There was nothing else to do. The crown prince did not cry. He was much too proud. He thanked the donor again carefully, and regretted that he could not accept the dog. He sald it was a wonderful dog, and just the sort he liked. And the carriage drove away. He went back to the palace, nnd finding that the governess still had a headache, settled down to the burnt wood frame. Once he glanced up ht the woolen dog on its shelf at the top of the eabinet. “Well, anyhow,” Lhe gald sturdily, “I still have you” — If you were a princess and loved a brave scidier, who, bound by tradition and loyalty to his king, dared not speak the words which crowded to his lips, what would you do? Hedwig faced this problem and was forced to make a decision. The next in. staliment tells how she met the situation, (TU BE OONTINUED
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers