The Argosy — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

298 THE ARGOSY. The stolid, stony impassiveness of the man’s face crushed every hope out of me. I could have struck him in my baffled rage. ite ‘‘] have twenty men in the troop here, lieutenant. My instructions are to take you at once to Moscow. I prefer to use no force, but I have it, if necessary.’’ I wrung my hands in despair; and then with a wild dash I rushed to the door to try to find Olga for myself. It was useless. ‘They closed on me in an instant, and I was helpless. Then they marched me out to the horses, venting by the way bitter reproaches and unavailing protests, mingled with loud laments and revilings. ‘‘ Will you give me your parole to go quietly, lieutenant?’’ asked the leader. ‘On one condition: that we ride at full speed all the way.’’ ‘I can make no condition,’” replied this block of official stolidity ; ‘‘ but my instructions are to act with all haste. One question—have you been ill treated here ?’’ ‘“ Only as I told you.’’ Then he went back into the house, saying he would speak to Devinsky about it. I saw the latter change color when he received the police report, and he made a gesture of seeming repudiation, lifting his hands and shrugging his shoulders. After that he threw me a malicious look from his angry, evil face that almost made me clamber down from the saddle to try to have a reckoning with him there and then. ‘“ When I’m out of this ’ll hunt you out,’’ I cried, between my teeth. ‘“'When !’’ he answered, and the sneer in which he showed his teeth as he uttered the word was in my eyes for half that long, wild ride. The police leader kept his word, and we rode at a hard gallop nearly all the way, the whole country side turning out as we thundered by. The man would not say a word to me on the journey, except that he had been ordered to hold no communication at all with me, and thus I did not know where they were taking me to, or whether I was arrested or rescued, until we drew rein at police headquarters in Moscow, and I was ushered straight into the presence of Prince Bilbassoff, all dirty, disheveled, ‘bruised, and travel stained as I was. He*arose and met me, holding out his hand. ‘“ My dear lieutenant, you are really giving me an unconscionable amount of trouble. As much, indeed, as if you were already a-member of my family.’’ ‘“ What does all this mean?’’ I asked. ‘‘ Am } arrested ?”’ ‘What an impatient fellow you are! It will all come in time,”’ he re- turned, with an indescribable blend of good feeling and suggestive threat. ‘“Is this all the thanks one gets for rescuing you from what, judging by your appearance, has been a very ugly mess? ‘This harum scarum business will really have to stop—when you marry.’’ He seemed almost to laugh behind his grizzled mustache in the pause that emphasized the last three words. ‘“ Will you tell me the real meaning of this? I have already asked you.’’ ‘‘ Sit down ;’’ and he sat down himself and lounged back easily in his chair. .‘‘ By the way, have you lunched?”’ Ecomichook