The Argosy, October 1906 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

‘ ee ae since then - Wondetint who “he” might be, and to what “command” Se- baste referred. Whoever and whatever—some sort of- action was apparently imminent. was it, and how was I to meet it? Verily, romance entails burdens! Absorbed in a maze of futile conjec- tures and plans I sat in a far corner of the balcony, apart from the rest, staring — unseeingly across the moonlit ripples of _the bay to the cone- ghee fire-mountain beyond. So forgetful was I of all except my ‘What 2 own thoughts that the jolly conversation of the rest of the party faded into noth- ingness to my preoccupied mind. I vaguely noted that Sebaste had left the group, had been absent for some mo- ments, and had returned with another man ehose features I did not, in the soft gloom of early evening, recognize. Nor did I rouse from my reverie until the two, after greeting the others on the balcony, crossed to where [I sat. a ‘Mr. D’Auban, ” said Sebaste, loudly, — 3 _ and in English, * “permit me to present to you his serene pigness the Duke of Ferata.” I rose, Sanifourded. and ‘mechanical- ly bowed. Even in that moment of sur- prise it struck me as most unusual that a man of Sebaste’s knowledge of the world and of courts should present the duke to me instead of presenting me to the duke. a But if Ferata noted anything odd about the ceremony 0 betrayed no sign of it. Then, all at once, it occurred to me that, as a supposed high dignitary of the scarab organization — I probably outranked this penniless duke. And the thought was balm and pride to _ my free-born, democratic American soul. After a civil word or two to me, still in English, Ferata rejoined the others; leaving me staring at him in bewilder- 2 ment. For it is not customary for dukes —eyen bankrupt ones—to wander pro- acquaintance of foreign tourists. 3 ‘did it seem natural that a man like tee ea if the duke chanced to visit him at the Masaniello, ee ness into such society. Ze = Then _fragmentarily J~ remembered: of introduction he — miscuously around hotels and seek the — Nor, ; should drag his high-— _ Sebaste’ s ‘words: before dinner—my ran- oe THE SCARLET SCARAB. ee = ee = dom naming “of erat, two weeks ago; paces as the man “ chosen for Case No. 1.” iat “nt Had all that anything to do with the duke’s being here to-night ? And, if so, — = = to what had I “chosen” him? To Se assassinate some one, perhaps. Or, for =S 6 all I knew- | =e Oh, this must stop; and stop at once!. -I had walked in the dark long enough. ~My idiotic prank might be the death of some one, if I left things go on. nhs I hastily reviewed a plan—desperate _ enough, but perhaps practicable—that I had some days before framed as a possi- — ble last resort. : The time had come to put it into operation. CHAPTER XI. I COMMAND THE SITUATION. set didi Tue time for dreaming and planning had passed. The moment for action had — come. aaa I left my seat in the far corner of the | balcony and, passing behind the rest of — the group, touched Billy Gregg lightly on the arm. He glanced up, and I made ~ a slight beckoning gesture. eee. No one else noticed it; for he was nearest the long window leading into the = tif shi Wea "7% 7 \/ i} Ke 4 We) P fe sf F ; eu v s Le Ay > fs ee yo a beri & fi pis ANAT hotel. —— Billy, for all his East Side biatancy. = was no fool. In fact, in matters that did not concern his vanity or alleged wofld- ly wisdom, he carried the uncannily shrewd brain of the New Vork under- = ‘world denizen whose wits alone have to — Sarg stand between him and starvation—and = the police. ay At a glance he saw something was up. = Rising, he slipped into the hotel at my heels. ee “What's doin’? he asked in high em curiosity. Se “Come up to my rooms,” I replied. He followed without a word, and a minute later we were in the little sitting: room of my suite. — SS “TJ wdht you to help me out,” I began, as he seated himself on a table corner. ‘Sure thing!” he responded cordially. _ “How much?” == “I’m not broke!” I assured him, amused at his lightning conclusion as to the chief source of all troubles. eae “ Cops ain't trailin’ you or anything? Ss Ae com eboo SCO! = we % vv *~