Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

112 inns toward which they could aim, and he found that Dunbar was a treasure indeed, for he knew the country, every inch of it, as if he had once made a map of it. He could rattle off places and distances as fast as he could talk, never pausing to guess. What Clovelly decided on was a rash thing, indeed. He had the coach turn to the side, again, at the first lane they en- countered and so they came back to the main road to London and Clovelly straight- ened the coach out upon that highway once more. He announced to Dunbar that they would drive straight down that highway and stop only at dark for the tavern. The pursuit, he explained, probably would comb the side roads; they would never suspect that a man like himself might dare to use the main highway. And at the tavern there was only one chance in four that some one would recognize Cecily Med- hurst, or the carriage in which they were traveling. Dunbar gaped at him at first, then nod- ded curtly, as if he now understood why that ruby had been given him; he was to fight for it and his master and the lady, and from the manner in which Dunbar thrust out His chin it was plain that he did not intend to be slack in his duty. CHAPTER XXVI. MASQUERADE, ‘ ARKEN to me, madame,” said Clovelly to his wife as they drew near to the tavern that night. “ Hearken to me—you are no longer Mrs. Clevelly—you are Lady Dunstall, being on your way to London with your husband’s secretary for your service. You may call me Michael. I shall expect you to carry your part, madame.” She nodded and bowed to him and then sat back as she had done all the afternoon, with a pale face and with troubled eyes looking to the far horizon. He bit his lips at that, foreseeing only lame acting on her part, but when they reached the inn she carried it off with a manner that aston- ished him. Clovelly went in to engage the rooms, but ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. when “Lady Dunstall” entered and in- spected her chamber, she found that it would not do at all, and made a great com- plaint and insisted upon seeing half the other chambers in the building before she would be content. As for Clovelly and Dunbar, they were forced to sleep in the attic along with the other servants. Dunbar accepted the company of his master with a quiet pleasure, and during the course of the evening he attempted twice to draw out Clovelly in talk, but it was like talking to a stone. Just before the falling of the utter dark, Clovelly went down to the room of Cecily and tapped at the door. She opened it to him at once and he found her with her bright hair sweeping in a glorious curve over her shoulder. She gathered her dressing robe closer about her bosom and shrank back from him in a fear as terrible as it was silent, but Clovelly hardly looked at her. “TI forgot to tell you,” he said, “ that you will sleep in your clothes and be ready to leave at any time in the middle of the night.” She swallowed; she was still too par- alyzed with the fear of him to speak. “Can you get to the ground through that window?” he asked her. | She motioned him to come in and see for himself; so he went in and closed the door behind him, and stepped to the window. It would be simple indeed to leave in that fashion. An infant could have climbed down the slanting surface, using the crev- ices in the stonework as steps. “ This will keep you,” he told her grave- ““ My signal to you is this: —” He clapped his hands together, and fol- lowed with two quick blows. ‘‘ Whether it is a stamp upon the floor, followed by two quick stamps, or a whistle heard in the same measure, you will be ready to leap out of your bed and to go through that window.” She nodded. “Good night,” said Clovelly. “And I wish to thank Lady Dunstall for playing her part so well.” “But tell me, in thanks,” she pleaded suddenly, “‘ why you have taken me, where 7A Gomichbooks ly. (C@