Adventure Magazine Cover — page 100: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

sorcery and Everhard could get out alive. But Hurgronje must die, Lord Bob. He must! It means life to youand me. We could go to the ends of the earth, and some day he would find us. “Oh, please, please! Everhard would never know—never suspect even if he did get out—that you didn’t think he would come out alive. It’s the only way, and *you must do it.” “T won’t,” said Lord Bob,, shaking his head from side to side. “You you ’re— I’m surprized—astonished at you, Zoronna. I don’t— It’s not like you.” “Oh, it is like me,” she cried, flinging herself with arms outstretched upon him. “T love you! LIlove you! Noman but you has ever heard me say that. None ever “Oh, I’d give my soul—my very soul— to be able to kill Hurgronje myself. Even today I wore a dagger when I met him— but just to look into his eyes— And I can’t. “For me, Lord Bob! For me, to have me, for all time to have me, and go where we please, and live without fear of him, won’t you doit? And what is this Everhard but a gambler and a crook? Sooner or later Hurgronje will kit him anyway. “Oh, I love you—I loved you in France— I’ve dreamed of you every hour. But I haven’t dared, dared even say it to myself, for fear of him. Oh, Lord Bob, my darling, my boy, even,ijf you did do it, some one of those horrible men would kill you sooner or later. But this Everhard—won’t you? Please—if you do love me—please—won’t you?” Her hands were embracingly against his face, her eyes were close to his eyes and implored him luringly. Lord Bob dropped his head forward as if at once, in one and the same gesture, agree- ing to the treachery and hiding his face. The best of mem throw honor away when a woman whispers— * “Tf you love me——”’ Then as if suddenly mad, crazed, she sprang back, rigid, from off his knees, her eyes staring fixedly over his head. She gave a choked, inarticulate cry. Her hand flashed to her breast and up again, and the murderous oath of Cantello was cut short. I did not actually see what happened, for I turned my head sharply to see at what she * 99 stared, and of course in so doing took my eyes from the tiny peep-holes I had pricked. in the curtain. I could scarcely have been expected to remember them at such a moment. But I had seen and heard enough to know that she struck in, defense of Lord Bob, near whose back Cantello stood. Perhaps he had stood there for some moments, having approached stealthily, unnoticed. His had been no idle boast of death for her and whom she loved. I did see him sag unsteadily and slowly crumble face down near the long stiletto that had fallen from his own hand. Blood leaped from the breast-wound as if avengingly writing the crime on the white silken rug—writing in grotesque splotches that would, however, be translatable into the language of the Law. BY ALL the examples I have read of © x stage in situations anywhere re- sembling the one that I was in, I should at that point have stepped forward accusingly and further astonished Lord Bob and Zo- ronna, who bent forward over the body of Cantello, then stared silently, horrified, into each other’s eyes. It would have been more dramatic had I done so, but I was not look- ing for an opportunity to make a speech and I was not interested to see how nearly they could be shriveled by surprize. ~All that I wanted was to get out and away, unde- tected. Lord Bob, no matter how reluctantly, had ‘agreed to a proposal that put him out- side of my friendship; for I was just then in no mood to be tolerant, and certainly I did not feel called upon to offer help in getting them out of their bad situation. They were distressed.. They were terrified. They seemed not to know what to do. I had always found Lord Bob amazingly quick- witted and resourceful, but those times had mostly been in situations where his tongue could help him. They spoke together in broken whispers. He, as if protectively, put his arms about her, and she, shuddering, pressed against him. At last she said: “My maids—maybe they’re asleep. Oh, I hope— Wait here.” She started for the door. He followed. She motioned him back, but he followed CORNICE OOOKS. in fiction or seen set forth on the (S@) @