The Powers and Maxine

she did not speak. With her finger to her lips she got up, trembling still;

your bedroom to listen at

ht. Emptiness there: but I left the door open, and the electricity switched o

rom the cushion where it had fallen, and lifting it in both h

voice that no ear could have caught her words, even if pressed against the keyhole. Then, le

l gusts of laughter. "The agony of it-the agony-and the joy

er, and patted gently the hands with wh

one of those epithets," I said

thousand times worse, for I wanted to die. I meant to die. If they had found it, I shouldn't have lived to see to-morrow morning. Tell me-how

this necklace," I answered, s

dn't br

from the sofa, I saw it wasn't what I'd had, so I thanked our lucky stars, and would have trie

tears had dried on her cheeks,

shed it down as far as I could between the seat and back of the sofa, and then ran off to a distance before the door opened. You did bring the necklace, knowingly or not; and as it was the cause of all my trouble in the beginnin

ling more than ever

again in the sofa. It must be there still. This red case is something else-we can try to account for it later. It all came through the lights not working. If it had

d be nothing or the Commissary of Police would have been before us. With a cry she cut me short at last throwing up her hands in despair.

reaty lost! My God-what shall I do? Ivor, you a

holly in his secrets-and Maxine's. Yet hearing the word brought no great surprise. I knew that I had been cat's-paw in some game of high

and talked it over. I know I had a green letter-case. It never left my pocket. I thought of it and guarded it every moment. C

ave me was the document I'd sent him. I wired that I must have it back again immediately, fo

g to speak reassuringly. "Giv

and dressing of this part for the first act are a heavy business. I don't want all Paris to know that Maxine de Renzie has been ruined by her enemies. Let us keep the secret wh

t, while we think, and work," I suggested.

ter an announcement that their Maxine's understudy would take her place? Every man and woman would walk out and get his money back. No; for the sake of the man I love better than my life, or twenty lives-the man I've either saved or ruined-I'll play tonight, if I go mad or kill myself to-

ain: how I had struggled with the two men who tried to keep me out of the reserved compartment into which they were intruding. How the man who had a right to it, after wishing to prevent my entering, helped me in the end, rather than be alone with the pair who had forced themselves upon him. How he had stumbled almost into my arms

he red case, which she gave to me. "Put that into the same pocket," she said, "and then pass your hand over your coat

ch attention to risk that; and as a matter of fact, I was especially warned not to do it. I could trust only to the touch. But even granting that, by a skill almost clever enough for sleight of hand-a skill which only the smartest pickpocket in Europe could possess-why should a thief who had stolen

Maxine, lost in the mystery. "It's like a dream. Yet here-b

gone," I repe

illed her to hear them from me. No doubt it gave the dreadful fact a kind of inevitab

save. I will go to the theatre, and I will act to-night, my friend, but unless you can

instant, now: so you see, there's nothing I won't do to help you. Only, I wish the path could be made a little plainer for me-unless for some reason it's necessary for you to keep me in the dark. The word 'treaty' I heard for the first time from you. I didn't know what I was bringing you, except that

een warned that there was a secret understanding between the three countries, unknown to her. There was no time to make a copy. And I stole the real treaty from Raoul du Laurier, to whom I am engaged-whom I adore, Ivor, as I didn't know it was in me to adore any man. You kn

the horror of Maxine's treachery to a man who lov

well, that's not in this story of mine! I won't trouble you or waste time in the telling. Only, when I was a very young girl, I was already the enemy of all that's Russian, with a big debt of revenge to pay. And I've been paying it, slowly. Don't think that the money I've had for my work-hateful work often-has been used for myself. It's been for my father's country-poor, sad country-every shilling of English coin. As an actress I've supported myself, and, as an actress, it has been easier for me to do the other secret work than it would have been for a woman leadi

than half conventional. One hardly knows how convention

I gave him my promise, I promised myself that the old work should be given up for ever: Raoul's fiancée, Raoul's wife, should not be the tool of diplomatists. Besides, as he's a Frenchman, his wife would owe loyalty to France, which Maxine de Renzie never owed. I wanted-oh, how much I wanted-to be only what Raoul believed me, just a simple, true-hearted woman, with nothing to hide. It made me sick to think that there was one thing I must always conceal

been engaged only

reasons why-more than one: but the man of all others whom I didn't want to know the truth found out, or, rather, suspected what had happened, the very day when Raoul and I came to an understanding-Count Godensky of the Russian Embassy. He called, and was let in by mistake while Raoul was with me, and, just as he must have seen by our faces that there was something to suspect, so I saw by his that he did suspect. Oh, a hateful person! I've refused him three times. There are some men so vain tha

a fellow who might be rather a Tartar to live with. They were pointed out to me at Monte Carlo one year, in the Casino,

fessed to Raoul, and begged him to help her-not with money, for he has none, but by taking a famous and wonderful diamond necklace of hers to Amsterdam, selling the stones for her there, and having them replaced with paste. It was all to be done very secretly, of course, so that the Duke shouldn't know, and Raoul hated it, but he couldn't refuse. He had no idea of telling me this stor

ppened?" I asked, as she paused, pre

ared not appeal to the police, or the Duchess's secret would come out. And he couldn't bear to tell her of the loss, not only because it would be such a blow to her, as she was depending on the money from

would have thought no such thing," I tried to comf

at the diamonds had been stolen. All that night I lay awake thinking, thinking. Next day, at a time when I knew Raoul would be working in his office, I went to see him there, and cheered him up as well as I could. I told him that in a few days I hoped to have eighteen or twenty thousand pounds in my hands-all for him. To let him have the money would make me happier than I'd ever been. At first he said he wouldn't take it from me-I knew he would say that! But, at last, after I'd cried and begged, and persuaded, he consented; only it was to be a loan, and some how, some time, he would pay me back. In that office there are several great safes; and when we had grown quite happy and gay together, I made Raoul tell me which was the most important of all-where the really sacred and valuable things were kept. He laughed and pointed out the most interesting one-the one, he said, which held all the deepest secrets of French foreign diplomacy. I was sure then that the thing I had to ge

more, was only too glad to have me come to him, even in that sacred place. Now, the thing was to get him away. But I'd made up my mind what to do. In another office, upstairs, was a friend of Raoul's-the one who introduced us to each other, and I'd made up a message for him, which I begged Raoul to take, and bring his friend to speak to me. He went, and I believed I might count on five minutes to myself. No more-but those five minutes would have to be enough for success or failure. The instant the door shut behind Raoul, I was at the safe. The key fitted. I snatched out a folded document, and opened it to make quite, quite certain it was the right one, for a mistake would be inexcusable and spoil everything. It was what I wanted-the treaty, newly made, between Japan, Russia and France-the

you were justified. But, good Heavens, Maxine," I cou

more quickly be on its way back. I hadn't come to visit Raoul in my own carriage, but in a cab, which was waiting. As Raoul was taking me to it, Count Godensky got out of a motor-brougham, and saw me. If only it had been anywhere except in front of the Foreign Office! I told myself there was no reason why he should guess that anything was wrong, but I was in such a state of nerves that, as he raised his hat, and his eyebrows, I fancied that he imagined all sorts of things, and I felt myself grow red and pale. What a fool I was-and how weak! But I couldn'

were doing, the game would have be

t have helped him much, for naturally, my dealings with the British Foreign Secretary are always well under cover-hence a delay sometimes in his receiving word from me. What I send can never go straight to him, as you may guess. Godensky would guess that, too: and he would have perhaps informed the police, very cautiously, very unofficially and confidentially, that he suspected Maxine de Renzie of being a political spy in the pay of England. He would have advised that my movements be watched for the next few days: that English agents of the French police be warned to watch also, on their side of the Channel. He would have argued to himself that if I'd sent any document away, with Raoul's connivance or without, I would be wanting it back as soon as possible; and he would have mentioned to the police that possibly a messenger would bring me something

"that Godensky has had any hand i

let them get out again with every chance of their going back to Raoul, and thus saving him from his trouble. He'd do nothing to help, but everything to hinder. There lies the mystery-in the return of th

rtain it's

'm not out of my mind yet-though I soon shall b

't give up hope. I wish, though,

about me and my affairs to-night, whatever comes afterwards. Raoul will be in a box, and at the end of the first act, he'll be at the door of my dressing-room. The agony of

d anyhow, there's the ne

at's som

e in the audienc

late. He won't come until he's had a long talk with th

, and if the loss of that letter-case with its contents is as much of a mystery to him as i

a house with gunpowder stored underneath, and a train laid to fire it. But"-she broke o

heart and soul. I spoke no more than the truth when I said I'd give my li

iven?" she caugh

d; then regretted my words and would have taken them back if I could, for s

nderstand,

thing; and I don't grudge the sac

save Raoul, if you can, Ivor. What you can do, I don't know. I'm groping in darkness. Yet you're my one hope. For pity's sak

romi

, give me the diamonds, and I'll go. I don't

and she was at the door