The Illustrious Prince

shirt, and a neatly arranged black tie. He wore broad-toed patent boots and double lines of braid down the outsides of his trousers. The page boy, who was on the

ng Englishman, who was probably not such a fool as he looked,-that is, from Mr. Coulson

er your arrival, too, but the fact is that this young lady, Miss Penelope Morse,"-Mr. Coulson bowed,-"was exceedingly anxious to make yo

herself i

dy's man, was nevertheless human enough to appreciate the fact that the young lady's face was piquant and her smile delightful. She was d

ss Morse," he declared. "If you'll on

ur interview with the reporter. I simply couldn't help stopping to ask whether you could give me any further particu

elf on the lounge by the young lady's side. He l

u," he remarked. "I take it, then, that

your interview with the reporter, I could see at once that you were not telling him everything. Why should you, indeed? A man

ill allow me to say so," Mr. Coulson declared. "You were

today," she answered. "He sent me a marc

. Coulson exclai

can't understand it at all, even now. Mr. Fynes always seemed to me such a harmless sort of pe

iends. That newspaper man, for instance, met me at the station and stuck to me like a leech; drove down here with me, and was willing to stand all the liquor I could drink. Then there was a gentleman from Scotland Yard, who was in such a hurry t

to his and smiling sympathetically. "You have really brought it upon yourself, thou

finished with me, I began to feel that poor old Fynes and I had been like brothers all ou

her head th

ge in Massachusetts where I was bro

seemed a lit

ughtfully, "that Fynes had any ver

shook h

since then, of course, I have not seen him often. Perhaps it was the fact that he should have thought of me

nd they don't amount to such a lot, but when you know the man and were expecting to see him, as you were, why, then it comes right home to you. There's som

poor fellow during the vo

miserably unsociable, and he seldom left his cabin. I doubt whether there were half a

secretive sort of perso

d much to talk about," he added reflectively. "Dull sort of life, his. So many hours of work, so many hours of play;

the traces a bit when he was over this side. You Americans

shook his he

he traces with poor old Fynes," h

is chin thoughtfully a

remarked, "that a man leading such a

he had any," Mr.

r, did he?" Penelope asked,-"as though

on shook

ey'd have been on the track of this thing before now. But you can take it from me that when the truth

merfield ask

n Europe with him not so long ago, and he went on in the same way. Took a special train to Dover when there wasn't any earthly reason for it; travelled with a valet and a courier, when he had no clothes for the valet to look after, and spoke every European language better

found upon him,"

him take his pocketbook back from the purser, and I guess he'd got a sight more money there than was found upon him. I told th

d to make up her mind concerning this qu

ynes on the other side, Mr

never wanted any. I met him once in the streets of Washington last year, and had a cocktail with him at the Atlantic House. I had to almost drag him in there. I was pretty well a stranger in

of touch with things, shut up in an office from nine o'clock in the morning till five in the afternoon. Just saving up, he was, for his trip to Europe. Then we happened on the same

ded her head

ite a romance about poor Mr. Fynes' life? It seemed to me that he must have enemies; that there must

ystery about it. Some chap went for him because he got riding about like a millionaire. A more un

re and looked at the ti

, do you know, I am a little disappointed. I was hoping that you mi

red. "It was little enough he had to

shy. He didn't strike me that way when I knew him at home in Massachuset

s ready answers failed him. Not a muscle of his face moved under the gi

t length. "No, I shouldn't have

her feet and he

l these other people have been bothering you. Of course, I am sorry that you haven't anythin

of his having had enemies, or anything of that sort. The poor fellow was no hero of romance. I don't fancy even your halfpenny papers could drag any out

ced at the clock. It was already a quarter past six. He went into the cafe and ordered a light dinner, which he consumed with much obvious enjoyment.

ave a longish wait,"

, approached his chair and touched him on the shoulder. In his evening clothes the newcomer was no longer obtrusively American. He was dressed in sev

ure," he declared,-"Mr. Jam

d, laying down his newspaper and favorin

f the boat, eh? Well, I am glad to see you,-very g

as passing through the room hesitated, for it was a

t be?" the ne

r. Coulson said. "Coffee an

rant with some friends later on. Come over to this corner, Mr. Coulson. Why, you're loo

ted the room and they sat in their lonely corner, secure from observation or from any possibilit

s anxious. We don't understand t

thing!" Coul

d on the boat?" t

nes was in his stateroom six hours before we

e papers,

about that in tonight's papers. The lining was torn and the

ed around; the roo

it. We had better not discuss possibilities, I suppose? The thing's too big. The chief's almost off his head. Is there any

ver," Couls

w?" his compani

lied with a purpose, of course, as you people can understand. The m

man set

he declared. "You did right, Coulson, to p

ording to the way things are going, I shan't be over

ole answered. "That'

ht here, then," Coulson

r than an ordinary letter. It was a curious circumstance that he used only one hand for the search and with the other gripped the butt of a small revolver. There was no on

r asked, "have you b

now of," Coul

nued, "can always tell when they are being w

itated for

did not quite understand. She seemed to have

man?" the young m

on no

d,-"Miss Penelope Mors

pole stood quite s

ly. "She might hav

want me at all

l. Leave here for Paris, say, in ten days. There will prob

of its grimness. Once more his features wore that look of pleasant and genia

e a night together. This isn't New York, by any manner of means, or Paris, but there

declared. "I'd like

e. I've got to go down and see the chief, who is dining somewhere in Kensin

sharp, then." Mr. Coulson rem

the clock and whistl

he friends I've got to meet, and leave it here. Boy," he adde

lines, which he sealed and addressed and handed to one of the reception clerks. Then h

Road," he said to the man

ceman held up his hand and stopped the taxi, to the driver's great asto

n asked. "You can't say I w

iced him. His head was alr

ke your fare up?"

man answered. "What

ed the door of the

d. "Drive to the South Kensington p