Phroso

to the kitchen. Euphrosyne's face remained invisible. On the other hand, I felt quite at my ease. I had a triumphant conviction of the importance of my capture, and a dete

door, and tell the lady that she was free to go whith

ally occupy here, while we consider what to do

and said in tones tha

om? May I

ny you as far as the door; and when y

not favouring me with a word during its progress

rump card,

back pretty soon to l

k with such a yawn that I su

going to bed

ke you at two, and you can wake Hogvardt at five; then Watkins wi

e me leave Neopalia with a head on my shoulders and a tongue in my mouth. Then probably they would fight. Well, I calculated that so long as our provisions held out, we could not be stormed; our stone fortress was too strong. But

lace for queer noises,' s

soner: she had been securely locked in her room; how then could she be on the top of the hall? For her room was in the turret above the doorway. Yet the steps crept over my head, going towards the kitchen. I snat

all,' said I. 'I want

m start for the hall, and went on till

ver my head again. I glanced up cautiously, and above me, on the

of this house than I kn

wn room was fully explained: there was a way from it across the house and out on to the roof of the kitchen; the ladder shewed that the way was kept in use. I stood still. She reached the ground, and, as she touched it, she gave the softest possible little laugh of gleeful triumph; a pretty little laugh it was. Then she walked briskly across the compound, till she reached the roc

ng to get up?'

top; I began to mount in the same fashion, finding the steps cut in the face of the cliff. I reached the top and saw her standing still, ten yards ahead of me. She went on; I followed;

ct tone, taking no notice of her hasty resort to th

caught, she made no

scape,' she said.

you. Where wer

? Shall you threaten m

sudden glance up the hill. She

he top of the hill?' I aske

uggestion, as I

ut anywhere is bet

age up there,' I observed. 'It be

are you go and seek him there? Or dare you

only skulk,' I answered. She did not annoy me at

n; and he'll come from the

body there?

,' she

id I. 'I saw someb

easant p

look like it. Do you rea

ough?' she burst out. 'Ta

But I had been leading her up to somet

I. 'Not a peasant; a woman in some dark-

back with a sta

there. Constantine told me no one went th

ll Constantine te

t I? He's my

our su

her head b

ame in that,'

d accept

nswer. Yes. I had promis

I, for I was ve

to startle her afresh. I felt her gl

see the old woman whom I

red. 'He told m

m he was his un

' she asked, with a sudden inc

he give you

swer. I presse

t means no more than you do. But before I came here I saw Constantine in London.

quickly, and I knew that her scorn was assumed. I drew

e,' said I. 'But I won't answ

ee?' she cried

me back. Or I'll go to the cottage, if you'll prom

but I had stirred suspicion and disquietude in her.

. 'If I went to the cottage and-and all w

half-smile accompanied the words, but it was too dark to be

said I decisively; 'I c

e go I could let

ng Constantine? Besides,

he summit of the hill. I knew that I had only to go straight and I must come to the little plateau scooped out of the hillside, on which the cottage stood. I found, not a path, but a sort of rough track that led in the desired direction, and along this I made my way very cautiously. At one point i

o caught me here, neither side would be able to stand on trifles; even my desire for legality would fail under the strain. But for the minute everything was quiet, and I began to fear that I should have to return empty-handed; for

cho the innkeeper. 'What of that? They wi

can't come spy

y lord, is an advanta

'But won't the men want me to free h

soldiers and return. They love the island more than he

answer came, yet Vlacho went on a

o,' he said. 'It would be an epidemic.' He l

autiously,' said Constantine. 'W

of them,' la

s here, and then, "If no one's there, why

,' protested Vlacho humorously, an

r mind which, I gat

eyond doubt,' an

ten to it. But I had heard about enough for my purposes, and I had turned to crawl away stealthily-it is not well to try

here will your beauty be? Vlacho and I must work and plan for y

r was a pattern for husbands. I was guilty of

at Greek with a strange accent, which had fir

!' cried Constantine in playful rapture. 'Doe

ady Francesca thinks she has cause t

hed scornfully a

wift and sharp from the wo

r to that Englishman,

r level, as is apt to happen in the telling of a long story, and I could n

ople. For me, she might stay there as long as she likes, for I care for

Such were my reflections as I turned to resume my interrupted crawl to safety. But in an instant I was still again-still, and crouching close under the wall, motionless a

is near. See, it grows

, he would be upon me. Perhaps he would not have made that step; perhaps I should have gone, by grace of that narrow interval, undetected. But the temptation was too strong for me. The thought of the thing threatened to make me laugh. I had a pen-knife in my pocket. I opened it, and dug it hard into that portion of Vlacho's frame which came most conveniently and prominently to my hand. Then, leaving the pen-knife where it was, I leapt up, gave the howling ruffian a mighty shove, and with a loud laugh of triumph bolted for my life down the hill. But when I had gone twenty yards I dropped on my knees, for bullet after bullet whistled over my head. Constantine, the outraged Vlacho too, perhaps, carried a revolver! Their barrels were being emptied after me. I rose and turned one hasty glance behind me. Yes, I saw their dim shapes like moving trees. I fired once, twice, thrice, in my turn, and then went crashing and rushing down the path that I had ascended so cautiously. I cannon

id I, coming to the top of

ursuing feet died away and ceased. I suppose he went back to look after Vlacho, and show himself safe and sound to that most unhappy woman, his wife. As for me, when I fo

on the top of the roof, unassailable and out of reach-for no ladder ran from roof to ground now-stood Euphrosyne, in her usual attitude of easy grace. Euphrosyne was not taking the smallest notice of the helpless three below, but sto

ho's doing revolver-practice in the wood? And

the impassivity of it vanished. Euphrosyne lea

ou kill

een civil to accompany it, at all even

wered gruffly. 'No,

come and tell me,' she said, and with that she turned and disappeared from our gaze behind the bat

ed Denny surlily; he had not enjoy

'from the biggest scoundrels unhanged. Denn

stan

't mea

ho-he's a

on't mea

then,

e you'v

It's not the time o

the next table to ours

in amazement, with

o was with Consta

the one who was

should know what I knew, and four lives instead of one stand between a ruffian

here, and she

hus, boldly and abruptly, that I should have told my news. But I did not know that Euphrosyne was still above us, hidden by the battlements. We all looked up. The moan was not repeated. Presently we heard slow steps retreating, with a faltering tread, across the roof; and we also