The Argosy — page 130: what you’re looking at

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

322 THE ARGOSY. ‘“You English are devils,’’ he said, when his questions were nearly ex- hausted. ‘‘I hate the lot of you—except you. And you’re as big a devil as any of them. But you have the pluck of a hundred.’’ I shrugged my shoulders, laughed, lolled back in my chair and lighted a cigarette. ‘“Tve enjoyed it,’’ I said; ‘‘and that’s the plain truth. I didn’t like the lies I had to tell; but then I never had any training in the diplomatic service and that makes the difference. But all the same I’ve enjoyed it ; and what’s more, if it had been possible, I’d have fought for the Little Father as keenly as any born Russ in the ranks. But it’s over, and so far as I’m concerned, you can do what you like with me. I should like to save that girl. She’s one in ten thousand for pluck. . And you owe her something, too; as she saved my life from a treacherous thrust of Devinsky’s sword for you to take it. You might let her have her liberty in its place. It’s infernally hard on the girl that her cowardly brute of a brother should let her in for all this mess ; and then that I, with all the good will in the world, should thrust her deeper into the mud. It’s blamed hard.’’ The prince was watching me closely and thinking hard. ‘‘ Why did you hesitate to accept my proposal?’’ he asked sharply. ‘‘ For a very plain reason. While I appreciated the honor and advantage © of an alliance with your sister, I loved Olga Petrovitch, and preferred to marry her.’’ ‘‘I won’t tell my sister that,’’ he said, laughing sardonically. After a pause he added: ‘‘ How much does—your sister know of our matter ?’’ ‘ Rverything.’’ ‘“Names?’’ And he stared as if to penetrate right into my brain. ‘“ No—not of the man to be fought.’’ ‘“On your honor ?’’ ‘*On my honor.’’ ‘“Tf she is released, will you go on with it?”’ ‘“ Tf she is put across the frontier,’’ I returned grimly. ‘Don’t you trust me ?’”’ 7 | ‘““You, yes; but your agents, no.’’ He smiled. ‘You should go far with the daring with which you push your fortunes.’’ ‘* Probably I shall go on till my head falls by the wayside,’’ I answered. I was utterly reckless now. But my tactics succeeded when nothing else could have won. He took a form and wrote. . ‘‘ Here is the permit for her to leave the country. It is yours—on conditions.’’ ‘What are they? Never mind what they are,’’ I added quickly. ‘‘I accept them in advance. Save that girl who is innocent, and do what you like with me.’’ ‘Do you know what I ought to do with you ?’’ he asked. “Yes; better than you do. Write me a permit also and have me -con- ducted to the frontier at the same time. But I don’t know what you think you should do.’’ eEomicbooks (Eo)