Hearts and Masks

been locked: it was not to keep us in the cellars; rather it was to prevent any one from leaving the ball-room by

ed my blinded gaze was the welcome vision of a little shelf lined with steward's candles. One of these I lighted, and two others

so far as I was concerned, I was honestly enjoying myself, strange as this statement may seem. Here was I, setting forth upon an adventure with the handsomest,

know the

knew, we were in one of the

," she sa

in your Highness'

I want you to get me out of t

or die in t

unny in our pred

not the same; I begin to believe it. As for me, I think it'

n anarchist, or a perf

not lack the full allotment of the adventurous spirit! It

ckoned on any one

ore h

he courage to trus

ays!"-with a burst of sentime

ll not only catch my death of cold,

t of this cellar. If I have jested a little, it was only in the effort to give you cour

nd the dozen feet was Stygian and menacing. And the great grim shadows that

atter?" I ask

thing that-that mo

here's a bin of them over th

shall certainly s

the most elegant a

to have you demonst

window may be open. If so, we are saved.

I took one step, then another; and then that mountain of coal turned into a roaring tread-mill. Sssssh! Rr

noise!" whispered the girl,

ove to get up, the cord of my gown became tangled about my feet. The girl choked; wheth

d. And then I knew it

, but I will not

must not try that aga

ng the perspiration from my for

le compared to it. Surely some one has heard y

t there was a heavy wire-screen nailed to the sills outside. There

" I murmured, a

climbing through a window like that. Let us give up the idea of windows and seek the c

make an ass of myself like that.

er agree. Seriously, I thought that if you got out that way, you mig

it be wise to save a little laughter

and relieved her of the

ook funny,

don't!"

of cabbages. I peere

er head in there tha

ng to be sarcasti

wen

e cried. "Here's a

ol one! I picked up one, polished i

" she said a

admiringly. "Most women would be

waiting till i

I felt positive that the sight of her exquisi

face clean." She raised the curtain and took a liberal bi

e safe enough. If any one had heard the racket in the coal-

l the world as if the iron hand of the law wasn't wi

here we sat, calmly

they are hunting for?

ble than green apples-and ripe one

in asking you such a question.

Richard Comstalk. My

murmured. "It'

nother apple?" I

is appeased

three tens of hearts. That meant that only one

all tell y

u really an

t be in this

very my

ent I prefer

olutely no end to it. The wine-cellar was walled apart from the main cellar, and had the semblance of a hu

e a bottle

Comst

eatment!" I h

al comrade-if we ever

l; there's a pile of empty bottles, yearning to

bent my head and kissed the hand. It was wrong, but I could not help it. She neithe

ltantly. "I see the cellar-stairs on

gratefully. "It seems strange that nobody should be in the cellar on a n

lot where that third

to the trolley? We certainly can no

nd are leaving early, don't you know? That part is simple;

as we came into view of the huge heat

of his face and his hat was pulled down over his eyes. But I recognized him instantly. It was the

ll have to plug you, sir," he s

my fingers, and the thre