Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

my . eS a ee Se Es ee — ig RE a ie 1 ~ > —— a a Pee” maar ~—— o—_«a4 .. = LP apn : 718 if your head was injured, too. Then I saw that you wore a wig and it was all on one side and there was dark hair underneath. Y pulled off the wig, still worried about your head—and, of course, I saw who you were.” ‘“No one was here with you?” “Not a living soul, on my word oi honor! The duke had gone for help.” I realized that there was only one thing to do. “Lord Maurice,” I said, ‘I have used this disguise for purposes of my own. I cannot explain them. You are a gentleman, and I put you on your honor not to let a living soul know what you have found out. Have J your word?” “Of-course, you have it, Lady Cleveland. My most solemn word of honor.”’ His voice was lazily gentle as usual. ‘And I’m dashed sorry I have found out if it causes you any inconvenience. But may I say the disguise is absolutely marvelous. I should never have known you. To think that I was actually talking to you to-night! I suppose his majesty knows, by the way?” “The king doesn’t know,” I answered. “The king must not know.” Lord Maurice whistled. “He thinks you are really Miss Fane?” ‘“‘T have told you, Lord Maurice, I can’t explain.” : “And Laline?” “Your sister must not know, Lord Maurice. Nobody—nobody. Please, please, understand that!” ‘“T do understand,” he said. His man- ner was very sympathetic. ‘I am quite sure you have the very best of reasons. And the disguise is so wonderful that I can hardly think of anything else. And—” he suddenly burst into laughter, low and in- finitely amused. “TI see,” he said—“ how awfully clever you’ve been—you’ve never once danced with the king as Lady Cleve- land! That little bit about the ‘ Sable Night’ waltz at your place the other day! Overdone, you said it was! And you didn’t like it! And to-night I was watching you dancing it with the king at the Jetée Promenade!” I felt myself growing red in the darkness, and told him that all this was very painful lee oe ae -_ i on, ge, Sa ee Vee ee ee 2” Sat Pn ep sa ee eee ee eo v RSs : Ne ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. to me. He apologized humbly. I said I had to get home at once. The Duke of Croyton had not returned. The taxi was smashed up down the road, the driver had gone. I asked Lord Maurice where we were, and what time it was. And, as luck would have it, it turned out that we were less than a mile from my villa. I determined to walk, and Lord Maurice accompanied me. duke—more luck! I slipped into the villa by the garden door of which I had the key. It was nearly two o’clock. I didn’t dis- turb Bunch. I felt stiff and sore all over, but I had had a very lucky escape. i was so tired that I couldn’t worry, and I slept like a top. The next morning I had to make a clean breast of it to Bunch. I was crazily fright- ened. She was not encouraging, ‘“P’m sorry it’s Maurice Angell,” she said. ‘I somehow don’t trust him.” ‘But, Bunch,” I put in, “ he’s a gentle- man. And he’s given me his word.” ‘“He’s a gentleman all right,” she ad- mitted. ‘‘ We will leave it at that.” She sat with her eyes screwed up for some moments. ‘Tt seems to me you’ve gone in off the deep end, Liz,” she said presently. ‘“‘ You’d better tell the king.” ‘“ Bunch, I can’t! Nothing will induce me. You don’t understand. Darling Bunch, even you can’t understand!” ‘Well, how long is it to go on?”’ “{ heard last night that the king Is going back to Florania very soon.” “Who told you?” “He did.” “Oh! Well, that will give us breathing time.” She looked at me in her straight way. “ Liz, are you-in this so that you can’t get out of it? Up to your neck?” “Up to my eyes, Bunch,” I answered, with a frivolity I was far from feeling. ‘“ Or, rather, over the top of my head.” “ There’s nothing to be done, then,” she admitted. ‘‘ We must keep an eye on Maurice Angell and his sweet sister—that’s all.” CORNICG LOOKS sEO We did not meet the- ue, he oe Seer he