The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 3 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

THE PHANTOM ARMY. 459 before a word from sucha man. His gesture was the gesture of the auto- crat. His glance seemed to wither and to burn wherever it fell. Such was the manI saw pacing the arbor in the camp above Torla. Whatever had occupied his mind while we came up occupied it still when my guide announced me. Nota greeting did I get; not a word or look. Steadily from end to end of the room, from end to end and back again, went the thick set, burly, bull necked figure. I saw that the shirt of fine cambric he wore was open at the throat ; there were spots of ink upon his white canvas trousers ; his coat was put on anyhow and the sleeves of it were turned up above his wrists. He wore no jewelry ; he carried no arms. If we had not been in Spain, I should have said that he was a prosperous land owner, busy with the affairs of his estate. But I knew that he was not. I knew that I had seen him (for instinct told me so) riding last night at the head of the white horsemen who burned the castle of La Santa Cruz. And I could not but ask myself, was this the man I had come to Spain to serve —against the world, as the woman promised me. ? The master of the camp—for I did not doubt that this was the master— broke the strange silence at last dramatically and with a Spaniard’s gesture. Halting unexpectedly, he began to stare at me witha look which set all my nerves tingling. His eyes seemed able to hold me still and powerless. I could not face that steadfast gaze, yet was helpless to turn away. ‘“‘Well,’’ he exclaimed, in perfect English—and that was all. I shook the spell off with a great mental effort, and answered him. ‘“‘T have come to put my sword at your service. My name is Noel Fal- coner ; I was recently pa | ze ts the Tenth Hussars,’’ he interposed, adding a gesture as much as to say, ‘‘I know that well.’’ ‘* Prince,’ said I, ‘‘if you know me, there is no need for me to speak 2 He clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk up and down the room again. I do not believe that he was thinking of meat all. His mind had gone back to the map of France lying there upon the writing table; and he stopped to trace a line upon it with a pencil snatched from the fingers of the hunchback. ‘“‘'We shall go that way,’’ he said to the lad decisively ; ‘‘ I do not wish to hear any argument. Let Jussuf be ready at midnight with twenty men. He will strip the house and bring the horses here. Afterwards he will come to me for orders—you understand. Then write—write it quickly !”’ The hunchback took the pen in his hands while his master paced the room twice, and then asked : ‘Well, have you done it, Ximeno?”’ ‘‘T have begun it, prince.’’ “Begun it! Holy God, that I should be kept waiting like this!’ A pettier ebullition of temper was not to be conceived. I might have been before some peevish woman rating a housemaid. But the surprise was that the lad at the table took no notice whatever of his scolding. He con- tinued placidly to write. The other, meanwhile, had condescended to remember that I was in the room, and to stare at me again. Eomichbooks (S)