The Golden Bough

ed spaces of the lawn. He had called to her but she had not stoppe

," he blurted out eag

pale in the moonlight, but quite

ed in a false ligh

r?" she said

t now--there. Perh

completely, for he saw that she was

o me," she said, "whom

realized that every phrase he uttered o

rry. And yet I'll prove that your confidence was not misplaced." Another

d that she is an agent of the P

u belie

elieves that I

d. "You are no match for a

her with her

sdainfully, "that you h

er so that she couldn't pass him. "You may think me a philanderer if you like, or a fool, if that pleases you better. But the end is worthy of

den attention. He had arr

you k

both burglars. I've only consu

a Ro

. I suspect L

moment and then a w

nd then bravely, "This mu

But

bbing the vau

le. This money must be removed for safe

can help

sooner the better. Where i

he wall beyond the m

dow of these trees to-night,

id after a mo

forgive me f

d looked past him towa

." And moving quickly she led the way toward the house while Rowland followed, st

Rowland's coming impatiently, but with an effort comp

ête with Madame Rochal, who as we all know is the most charming woman in the world. But the Presid

cour

nsieur?" asked Tan

which Khodkine played the master hand? Or was it something nearer, more personal...? It seemed curious to Rowland that he should be thinking of this for the first time. He had formed his first impression of Tanya there last night in the garden, when clad in her cowl and robes she had seemed so abstracted from the world outside. "A very inferior Mother Superior," as she had called herself, and by this token secluded but very human. He had considered the fact of her extraordinary beauty merely as a fortunate accident,

of business tomorrow when our circle is complete. The report of Herr Liederman from the Socialists of Germany,

why you interrupted my tête-à-tête in the garde

epting you unreservedly as our leader. It was from these two that I had expected resistance. Liederman is a member of the Reichstag. Madame Rochal--?" He shrugged. "If you can tell what she is, you are cleverer

The cause in which we are interested is more impor

help me. I will help you. We shall work together in a harmon

ui

t his common sense told him that if there were to be a trial of strength between them, it would be a test of mind, of Rowland's cleverness against the Russian's finesse, of

I place in you, Monsieur Row

flat silver disk which he fingered a moment and then handed to Rowland. The American examined it curiously. It bore,

confidence--Mon

d Priest. Worn only by the Priest but known throughout Europe. Show

anks, M

e table and handed them to the American. "Now go to your room, and study these papers carefully with my notes upon the margins, for it is according to th

m very tired. When I read these papers I

l. Good nigh

d ni

his polished veneer, Monsieur Khodkine was made of hardy wood of a fine grain but none the less strong because of that. Though there had been no chance to verify his impressions by a conversation with Tanya, Rowland had decided that Khodkine was working in the interests of Germany for a separate peace with Russia, which would throw all the strength of the German armies upon France, England, Italy and the United States. A mere surmise and based upon the

s that perplexed him. Politics of the sort that had been disclosed here, would stop at nothing. The times in which he lived made murder a matter of small importance, and what was his own career in France but that of murder highly specialized? Rowland was sure that his own safety now hung upon h

contrived to brush his arm against it earlier in the evening. The situation was interesting, but hardly to his liking.

a at the lower end of the garden, and with luck, by morning the money and papers in the vault would be well out of harm's way if Tanya c

long had it accumulated? And what the purpose of those who had contributed? Peace? Surely Peace would come most quickly if Germany were defeated. And was he not the President of Nemi--the chosen of the Council to represent all the members of the society, whether socialists, revolutionists, maximalists, minimali

listening. It was necessary that Monsieur Khodkine should be disarmed. He heard footsteps in the hall outside from time to time and snored discreetly. He had taken the precaution to fasten the bolt of his door and so feared nothing from the hall. Outside in the garden all was quiet. The moon had set--the moon that had shed its inconstant beams upon his own dissimulation and Zoya Rochal's..

ures. He had fallen immeasurably in Tanya's eyes, the only ones at Nemi that mattered. He hadn't really wanted to kiss Zoya Rochal. It was merely that her

ng by the Tree as there had been last night. Sure that no one was watching outside, he stuck his head and shoulders out of the window and looked around. All the lights were out. He had at first thought of descending from the window which was less hazardous than passing down the corridor

ned the door. So far so well. After another moment of listening he took up his shoes and on tip-toe went noiselessly down the hallway. The house was as silent as the tomb. If the other me

rty-three in all. The twenty-third then.... He went down carefully until he had counted twenty-two and then with a hand on the balustrade stepped over what he thought would be the off

"Fool's luck," he muttered to himself and carefully opening the door into the garden, went out, stealing along the shrubbery past the kitchen, and in a moment had reached the security of the trees. There he stopped to put on his shoes and repeat to himself the numbers of the combination. "72 23 7. G

eded him by some moments. She wore her cowl and robe from beneath the

lle," he whispered joyfully, "it

eard n

creaked abominably. And yo

turning into the shrubbery beside them with

e outside wall in single file, making a complete detour of the garden until they reached a clump of shrubbery near the spot where Rowland had come over the wall. There they followed a well-worn path into the bushes and were confronted by a mound of earth, in the face of which was an iron door. Here Tanya paused, brought forth a key and i

id coolly. "It is of American manufac

r eyes for the moment drove all thought of

tell me that you've forgiven me.

flashed the light upon the shin

said quickly. "There!--The

of him the measure of her own purity and with a last look

-" he muttere

d sharply. "Do you mean to

moiselle----" he pleaded smiling,

This is no time to

d me of all I

she whispered in ang

Mademoiselle," he pleaded

rms and the light o

he was whisperin

he had moved a pace away from him and the cowl had fallen f

repeated, sm

have satisfied her, for she thru

ive." And suddenly switched the light upon

te 7. Droite. Is it not extraordinary? I cannot do without you, Mademoise

And in a moment, the click of a falling tumbler within the lock announced success. The knob

id. "The Princess Tat

irl drew back and Rowland

whispering. "Who t

ankly and then her

Tatyana is a fairy-friend of my childhood

ent and then switched t

owlan'," she said

h an effort, swung the heavy mass of steel outward

nt parchments, discolored and illegible, documents bearing pendant seals, in metal boxes tied with heavy silken cords. There was a grinning skull, a steel casque of the Middle Ages, a spearhead, and an ancient piece of sculpture draped with jewels; upon the floor at the further end bulging leather sacks, and a rack of modern rifles and ammunition. All these Rowl

a slight gasp of triumph escaped her. Rowland loo

e Gregory

without ceremony broke the seal and took out the contents,

k," she said excitedly. "Read. Gregory Hochwald. A commission in the Prussian Guards--1905--signed Wilhelm--1908--appointment to the Staff, 1910--Resignation. Liberal tendencies--(authorized at Potsdam) Russia

e've got him, Mademoiselle--" and with a grin he pa

on, then thrust the papers into their envelope

his situation. He feared Grisha Khodkine always, but seemed to do as he wished. Now I

e," whisper

ne," sa

le. He holds some threat over

Monsieur Rowlan'--" s

oyish eagerness, "if you'll only te

r. I shall deal with Grish

m to a corner of the vault, where upon the lower shelf wer

a thousand francs or its equivalent. T

do with them? Y

irl n

Picard and Stepan are outside the wall.

il-cloth she bade Rowland hold out

ne contains a fo

the steel floor. But in the second before the light was extinguished, Rowland saw that a figure stood at the entrance to