Graustark

midnight and eight a.m. in which he did not think of the young woman who had flown away with his tranquillity. All night long he tossed and thought. He counted ten th

fast was a great strain on his natural politeness. He worshipped his mother, but in several instances that morning he caught himself just in time to prevent the utterance of some sharp rejoinder to her pleasant, motherly queries. Twice she was compelled to repeat questions,

iously into his eyes. "The trip has done you up. Now, you

iled

ther? Well, work will be restful. I shall go to the office this morning and do

commonplace pages, not one thing-but wait! A thought struck him suddenly, and for ten minutes he se

nd clasp and the soft glow in her eyes stood like a wall between the fear that she had forgotten and the certainty that she remembered. Had not this memory kept him awake? That and the final, mysterious emotion which had shown itself in her face as he had last looked upon it? A

lf frequently inattentive. Several important cases were pending, and in a day or two they were to go into court with a damage suit of more than ordinary consequence. Lorry, senior, could not repress his gratification

constant in spite of his inclination to be fickle. Late in the day he petulantly threw aside the books, curtly informed his astonished uncle that he was not feeling well, and left the office. Until dinner time he play

ed what he was looking for he laughed idiotically, and, in confusion, informed her that he was trying to find the name of the most important

seven! I ca

he matter,

for a day only, mother,-back tomorrow! Important business-just remembered it, you know,-ahem! Good-by, mother! Good-by!" he had kissed her and was in the hall before she fairly understood what he was talking about. Then she ran a

he had smiled and said she would expect him to come to Edelweiss. He had had no time to secure a berth in the sleeper, but was fortunately able to get one after taking the train. Grenfall went to sleep feeling both disappointed

long toward the busy waterway. Directly he sat bolt upright, rigid and startled to find himself more awakened to the realization of his absurd action. Again it entered his infatuated head that he was performing the veriest schoolboy trick in rushing to

rophized. "It's worse than any lovesick fool ever dreamed of doing. I am blushing, I'll be bound. The idiocy, the rank idiocy of the thing!

driven him. Just as he was tugging at the door in the effort to open it that he might order the driver to ta

the way there.... And as I have come so far... there's no sense in going back without seeing whether she has secured passage.... I can find out in a minute and then go home. There won't be anything wrong in that. And then I may have a glimpse of her before the ship leaves the pier. She must not see m

ok over the list. First he ran through the first-class passengers, and was surprised to find that there wa

ken passage?" he demanded, u

Kaiser Wil

e boat!" Lorry exclaimed. "Maybe

but steerage now, sir.

taken passage?" asked the

ly he came to the conclusion that she had fooled him, had lied to him. She did not intend to sail on the Wilhelm, at all. It was all very clear to him now, that strangeness in her manner, those odd occasional smiles What was she? An adventuress! That sweet-faced girl a little ordinary coquette, a liar? He turned cold with the thought. Nor was she alone

ry exclamation of pain and horror escaped his lips. Perhaps so

as excitement. There was the rush of people, the shouts, the cheers, the puffing of tugs, the churning of water, and the Kaiser Wilhelm was off on its long voyage. Half-heartedly,

lips. This was the boat on which his heart was to have been freighted from native shores. The craft was sailing, but it was not carryi

of the ship. Some strange power drew them again to the forward deck, and this time he was startled into an intent stare. Could he believe those eyes? Surely that was her figure at the rail-there between the two young women who were waving their handkerchiefs so frantically. His heart began to jump up and down, wildly, doubtingly, impatiently. Why could not

be impossible. Just as he was losing hope and was ready to groan with despair, the face beneath the sailor hat was

y saw the smile on her face, and the fluttering cambric in her hand. She had seen him, after all,-had caught him in a silly exhibition of weakness. Her last impression of him, then, was to be one of which he could not feel proud. While his heart burned with shame, it could not have been suspected from the appearance of his face. His eyes were dancing,

visible, he boldly placed his fingers to hi

imself, regretting the rash act and

e had observed. There was a moment of indecision on the part of the fair one going out to sea,

had been her reception of what he considered a calamitous indiscretion that he was to be pardoned for the ebullition of relief and joy that followed. Had she drawn a revolver and fired angrily at him he could not have been more astounded. But, to actually throw a kiss to him-to meet his

could no longer be distinguished. She was gone, but she had tossed him a kiss from lips that he should always see. As he turned away from the water he found himself wondering if there had been tears in her

? Acting on a sudden impulse, he again sought out the clerk in charge and made a most t

sailed under an assum

to that. Where

usta

s head slowly, Lorry's sha

t you saw the you

exclaimed Lorr

the ship, and you might have been mistaken. But since you are so po

put away the thought and the fear. She was certainly not an opera singer-impossible! He drove back to his hotel, and made preparations for his return to Washington. Glancing casually over t

said that worthy. "That's all I know about

irst was now an impenetrable wall, the top of which his curiosity could not scale. Even his fancy, his imagination,

r away the clouds satisfactorily. To his amazement, the captain said there had been no Guggens

y to himself or to his uncle; in the second, he did so much that he was advised by his physician to take a rest; i

Women bored him; men annoyed him; the play suffocated him; the tiresome club was ruining his temper; the whole world was going wrong. The doctor told him he w

s mother and to his uncle, and they

more cheerful, took an interest in things that were going on, and, by the ti

e Miss Guggenslocker who had thrown hi