The Golden Bough

, at once upon the defensive, but was quickly reassured by their passive appearance and attitude, for they stood with heads bowed, like mourners at the grave of a departed friend--with this d

ehind this fantastic tragedy was at least worthy of consideration. Whatever the aims of this strange company and however tawdry the

ment he stared at Tanya

demoiselle?" he asked

mystified

he stammered. "Yo

was the name of m

o her feet and behind him he

e," said Rowland. "

fingers to her

culty. "Something long predicted--promises written in the legends of Nemi fo

ed in surpr

ould again become the

t or

f the Priest

were mocking at his common sense, his appreciation of the ridiculous which f

he cowl, whom they called Issad. "

it," said Rowlan

e broken the Golden Bough,"

oke your silly t

ointing to the dead man. "I

uttered Rowland, "but he

eagerly, the one Tanya had called P

rowned at

evil you meant by shooting a pist

hung hi

t of Nemi--while he lived, o

and, "and now the water

here the knife of Ivanitch had struck him, and from the

during this conversation, ca

d," she said gently

y examined the bloo

ll the Gendarmes--

y, "No, Monsieur. There must be no pol

rnest, and the faces of the two other men reflected his seriousness. Tan

uietly, "I will bind your wound and perhaps give you

leasantly, and so, with a glance at the others, who seemed eagerly to asse

y was playing a hand with so sure an intention that he, Phil Rowland, for all his materialism, must accept the facts and what came of them. Destiny! Perhaps. For a year Rowland had believed it his destiny to be killed in battle, instead of which he had lived the life of a dog in a prison camp, and escaped into freedom. But a priest of a secret order, ordained twenty-seven years ago when in the smug security

y adventure, he was very sure that Tanya Korasov at least was very real, her fingers very soft, her touch brave, and her expressions of solicitude very genuine. And it was sufficient for Rowland to believe that an intelligence such as that which burn

had finished. "You are very good, to one who ha

ay, while into her eyes came a rapt expr

t is not that. Monsieur Ivanitch was nothing to me. But

saw that a reaction had set in. She rose to hide

should have gon

an bear no blame--nor I. He attacked yo

ing her hands and tu

i. But Monsieur----" she threw out her arms wildly--"I--I am no dreamer of dreams, no mystic, no fanatic. I have never believed that such strange things could come to pass. But Kirylo I

rd where last night she had found the jug of Chartreuse, and pouring her out

d sternly. "It

he glass, then a

urged quietly. "Wait

right to know." She sank resolutely into the chair before him and leaned f

n'--that is all. I was sent here to him three years ago t

emoiselle?" broke

h to eliminate all things

now that I am a Russian sworn to bring Russia's

vanitc

ot, a possible tool in the hands

e. There are

or you will not understand, what my task has been

I

Mons

g at her, sure now of a de

lp Russia, to help France here, you

thing warned him that a hidden fire within her had

adily in a moment of intense a

gan with the worship of Diana, at Nemi, near Rome, and was instituted by Orestes, who fled to Italy. Within the sanctuary at Nemi there g

ve," he smiled

anitch feared when he learned last night what you were. And I----" she

," said Rowl

voice st

ave who succeeded in reaching the Golden Bough and broke it was entitled to challenge the Priest

SIS----" mut

ve he

meaning of the double bust came to him, the anguished face of the ol

of me," he said

isited the world of the dead, the flight of the slave was the flight of Orestes, his combat with the priest, a relic of the hum

ion--and Ivanitch-

nt forward, her ch

tell. It was said that when he returned from Sib

t kill Kirylo Ivanitch----" he protested. "It was he him

e had not attacked you, he

murder--assassination----" H

ed to kill as a duty I owe to France. But this----" he waved his hand toward the garden--"this is a brawl. A man attacks me. I defend myself--I strike him with my fists when I might

off wit

heless, Monsieur--justified as you are in our eyes and yo

beyond him, as though only herself saw with a true vision. No fanatic--no

m guilty of his death, I want a court,

s slowly sha

emi. We saw--we know. There shall be no inquiry. N

e asked as

', shall be the Head

ublican France--a part of the great machinery--a small part, lost but now

sk only for one of skill, intelligence and great daring. Is it danger that you seek? You will find it here--a danger that will lurk with you always, an insidious threat that will be most dangerous when least anticipated. There are others, Monsieur Rowlan', who may be taught to shoot from the trenches, but there is another destiny for you, a great destiny--to do for the world what hal

er eager eyes, raised to his,

he whispe

y seek control--to put men in high places wh

hey ca

n. But Nemi means something more than that. It reaches back beyond ancient Rome, comes down through the ages, through Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, through France, Germany and Russia, a secret society, the oldest in the history of the world, and the most powerful, with te

ght her breath. "And that purpose--Monsieur Rowlan'--the

closures for a moment struck him dumb. How much of this story that she told him was true, and how much born in the brain of the dead Ivanitch? A secret society with ramifications throughout Europe--a power wh

mi is interesting, what you say of the Visconti very strange, startlingly so, but I am the product of an age of materialism. This drama was born and developed i

oners are not of the V

half believe in all this----" he hesitated a moment

d up quick

t what I say is true. Members of the Order of Nemi are high in the Councils of the Great--its power is limitless for evil or for good in the world. Whether you believe in it or not, you are its Leader, in ac

re of impatienc

iest----"

elling you. An opportunity--power, international leadership, and a goal,--the freedom of Europe! Oh, is

ked to the window and stood there trembling--

sence here a coincidence, the death of Kirylo Ivanitch by its true name, an act of involuntary man-s

und on him and

mea

ou here, I will act wh

ere is no ti

ll obe

ssad, Stepan, Margot--but more than these--Shestov,

are t

lors who will come to you--to

smi

hey are comin

no

-the members may reach here

o what I can? But I must know thei

and warn you. Remember, Monsieur

ect to sacrifice upon the altar

k of his hand light

" Her eyes stared widely past him from under tangled brows. "Two whom you must fear--of f

st me. A woman!

a knock upon the door which was pushed qui

Stepan?" as

come in at the gate, Madem

tart and felt her fing

ly, "tell him to come here,

nsieur Rowlan'," she stammered. "Be upon your guard, Monsieur--and k

of paper curiously and i

Gauche 23