The Lighted Match

lightly to the seat beside him, without waiting for the machine to come to a full stop; then she had throw

r, frosted only enough to give it flavor. There was no necessity for speech,

nd almost contentedly: "'Who know

already done ten miles, the man beside her caught

rdon?" he poli

hands came to her heart with a spasmodic movem

pitched low, carried clearly above the noise of the cylinders. "I may call you 'Your Highnes

ense focusing, though he kept his own fixed unbendingly on th

ke me back at once!" She drew herself as far aw

in the same even voice. "I intend taking Your Highne

t and sped along the narrower road tha

ed that to a gentleman-" Her voice choked int

to serve it in another reign, Your Highness will be Your Majesty. Yet even then will you

ted in impassioned anger. "I will ha

ke such means as I can to avert that danger, as I am doing now. Even though"-for a moment the cold, met

d not

poke with a deferential finality-"be

the car

the man's arm quietly stretched itself across before

ctly, and as she looked into the unflinching gray pupils, under the level brows, there was a momentary com

I know, and it became my duty to thwart him. It is hardly necessary to explain how I discovered Mr. Benton's purpose. It was not easy, but it has been accomplished. I have acquainted myself with his movements, his int

ing with a strange fascination the fac

ts if you choose. For the moment, however, I must regard you as a prisoner of war and ask your parole, as a gentleman and an officer, n

eyes blazing; then, with a glance at the

in the car," she said. "May

porarily dead, he responded, with a half-s

much futile spinning of the crank, he

farmhouse up the hillside-where the light shines through the trees-. Will Your Highness regard your par

sts, and he stopped with a murmured apology to silence

hrough the woods, statuesquely uprigh

amiliar tooting of the other horn and brought his hand to his employer's arm. The car was stopped, and McGuire, by match-lig

ul for byways. At the cross-road McGuire was out again. His match, h

fly reported. "The other

the trail. Back in the side lane stood a car

ce was tremulous with solicitude and perplexed a

ponded coolly. "Somethi

ire was already investiga

ghed w

igid, "I didn't know that your Romeo was really only a Dromio. The other edition of you"-he fli

n triumph. "She'll travel now. It's only disc

ave the runabout here. The other ge

e turn. Far back up the hillside there was a crashing of underbrush. A spectral figure, struggling with the una

to the other Dromio-not to ru

ave no treaty with Galavia," replied the gent

and she did not withdraw it. She only lay back in the le

said. There

he whispe

her head and smi

he matter?

e? I wish someone bigger than I am would take me away to a place wh

ll heavily on his shoulder. She stretched up both arms towards

" she murmured, then collapsed l

behind them like thread from a falling spool. He held her fiercely to him and kissed her. "I'll tell you a secret. You are being stolen. The Isis is waiting in a little cove, and there is st

he suggested. "You are not a cave-man, after all, you know, if you are taking a lady w

ny port and starboard lights on the bridge of the Isis, and the long ruby and emerald shafts quivering beneath in the calm wat

y, awoke on the deck of the Isis and gazed wonderingly about

dream?" s

but I am going to make

the rail. He

said, "I hardly knew where the dream began and the r

come true, Car

ad. "Stand still

sob, she caught his head in both arms and held him close, so close that he heard her heart p

t touch me no

ment before sh

e tears would prevail, but she steadied it and went on. "I wish I were. Al

," he said, "but I have stolen you. The anchor is coming up. You love me-I h

denied. "I will not marry yo

risoner you will still not be my

e nodded

k into control before he trusted his voice. After a while, he raised his fac

you wished someone stronger than yourself-woul

almost sang out with recovered resoluti

-I'm going to take you beyond the Milky Way, to the uttermost st

e shook

this, because I am strong enough to say No when my heart

me a voice from

s through a fog. "Show them here," he shouted

, bedraggled, but erect and military of bearing. The original Arab turned with a sudden sag of the shoulders and looked helplessly out at the path of silver

a sudden step forward and stood cl

a suddenly upflaring defiance. "But they shall find me like