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[ e Dlack S forne —By Georde Gibby
Synopsis of Preceding Chapters.
EFORE the outbreak of the war Constance Masterson tells Alan Jessup that
she cannot marry him becausge he has no worth-while purpose in life. Con
stance then takes up Red Cross work and Jessup sails on his private yacht
for Africa. With him goes von Hengel, whom he afterward learns is a German
spy. Von Hengel goes ashore at Gibraltar and brings back on board a mysterious
black stone. Later he disappears without warning and Jessup lands in Cairo,
where he meets Constance, whose hosp!tal ship lies in the harbor. While geek
ing to capture von Hengel and take from him the famous Kaba Stone, Constance
{8 kidnapped and Jessup wounded. Von Hengel carries Constance to a sheik’s
bouse, where Jessup, in disguise, comes to seek her,
With the aid of Amneh, a slave-gir! in the harem, Constance tries to escape,
but the attempt is frustrated by the watchfulness of von Hengel. Constance is
then drugged by his orders, that he may carry her away with him the more easily,
but she contrives to evade the worst effects of the narcotic by spilling part of the
drink and by simulating heavy slumber, In this condition she is carried into an
empty room, where von Hengel comes to her and quigkly discovers that she is
awake.
A stormy scene ensues, in which Constance vainly endeavors to stab von Hengel
with the dagger she had secreted about her person. After overpowering her a
ecommotion is heard in the outer court, and Constance is amazed to see von Hengel
take from his burnus a pistol.
Leading Constance to the wooden grill, von Hengel shows her Alan, down
delow, disguised, Von Hengel tells Constance if she will promise to marry him, he
will secure her safety and Jessup's. She refuses and von Hengel fires at Jessup
and then disappears behind the hangings. The cries of Constance bring Alan and
Daweon, but von Hengel cannot be found. Constance takes Amneh away with her.
Northby, of the British Intelligence Department, is greatly annoyed at von Hengel's
escape, and Jessup volunteers to capture the spy in Arabla, where he is hiding.
Jessup arranges to take with him $10,000,000 to bribe the native leaders,
CHAPTER XVI.
The Masterpiece.
FTER luncheon, which Alan ate
A alone, he sent word to Constance
that he had been detained longer
than he had expected to be, and that he
would await their pleasure in the shade ot
the hotel garden. And there, after awhile,
they found him.
Alan suddenly Interrupted in his read
fng, started up in amazement at the trans
formation that had been made in the Ar
menian girl. Her black hair had been
trained over her ears In the prevalling
mode, and the shadows of the Summer hat
of white which ghe wore well down over
her eyes failed to hide the piquant loveli
mess of her dark beauty. Her dress, too,
was of white embroidered dtuff, and
through some miracle accomplished up
wtairs, fitted her without flaw. In spite
of a timidily at being seen, which mani
fested itself in furtive glances here and
there from her rather long, lustrous eyes,
she carried herself well and her gloved
bands hid the stains of henna which no
pmount of rubbing could remove.
Alan started up, staring at this unex
pected vision, feeling for some reason
unaccountably awkward in his new rela.
tionship of guardian to this astonishing
creature. Congtance, in her white duck,
looking Inexpressibly cool, as well as
triumphant in her achievement, surveyed
the girl with much the pride of an artist
at his latest masterpiece and presented her
to Alan.
“How do you do?" he asked, politely, in
his execrable I'rench,
“Very well, monsieur,” she replied, as
she took the seat he offered her, “but I
am still a great deal frightened.”
“That is a pity, for nobody can hurt
you here.”
“But if 1T were recognized by some one.”
Constance laughed. “It's hardly pos
sible in that get-up,” she sald, gaily. “You
Jook like Fifth avenue and the Rue de la
Paix, all rolled iuto one.”
“It has been almost two years since any
man but one has looked upon my face.”
“That also is a pity,” said Alan, gallantly.
“l am very fortunate to be among the
first.”
Amneh looked up at him timidly, and
then, as though suddenly made aware of
the fact that he was not dangerous, flashed
a dark glance at him, So this was Mon
gleur Alan, who was gentle and also very
rich, He wag good to look at, and the
creases in his white flannel trousers were
very beautiful. As they talked she stole
more than one glance at him.
“Well,” said Constance, “what are we
going to do about 1t? This is lotus-eating.
We're sitting here llke tourists planning
& Winter on the Nile, while the fates of all
three of us are tremblng in the balance.
To begin with, Amneh must get out of
Cairo. There's no immediate danger, per
haps, but there's no telling what may
happen in this city of the Arabian Nights.
I've had quite enough thrills to last me
a Ufetime. Amneh really should be taken
to America”
“By all means,” sald Alan. “Bnt who
{8 going to take her?" And then In Eng-
Hsh—“My dear Connie, I'm going East
on-—a-—on & very dubious mission.”
“You?
“I'm going to try to find the Kaba Stone
and Conrad von Hengel”
Constance was silent, while with min
gled feelings she searched Alan's face.
He meant what he said. This adventure
was not ended for him. The look of ab
straction that she had seen in his eyes
was there again—the look of purpose that
she had always wanted to see in them,
which now-excluded her from his thoughts,
“Ah, 1 see,” she sald, quietly.
*Something can be managed, of course,
Northby will find a place for her. It
shall be arranged. A steamer for Eng
land-—a note to a friend in London.”
“You are speaking of me"” Amneh
dbroke in suddenly in French an expression
of anguish in her large eyes. “I under
stand a little, You are thinking of ‘send.
{ng me away—alone. You do not want me,
Monsgieur Alan. It is true, is is not?”
“My dear young lady,” said Alan, dis
turbed, “it is only that I have just been—
that 1 expect— .
He faltered, then stopped and looked
at Amneh in dismay. For the Armenian
sirl, without further ado, bad put ber bead
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“The train began to move, but the
fellow would not let go of the arm
of the now frightened girl, so Alan struck
him a neatly timed blow on the jaw.”
down upon her knees and burst into tears,
thereby spoiling her immaculate linen
With a rueful glance at Alan, and more
than a little disturbed at the possible
effacement of her masterpiece, Constance
put an arm around Amneh's shoulder and
attempted to assuage her streaming
tears. And at last, by dint of much coax
ing, during which Alan wandered uncom
fortably up and down nearby, Amneh
emerged, very mussy and woe-begone, her
gaze on Alan appealingly.
“l am sorry that I have come,” she
sobbed, “Now 1 am merely a burden to
every one."”
In the face of a woman’'s tears Alan was
helpless. He came to her side while she
still sobbed and patted her gently on the
back, muttering, “there’'s a good girl—
80"—"and “it's all right, you know--per
fectly all right” He didn't know what
was all right; in fact, his inner conscious.
ness assured him unerringly that every
thing was all wrong, And these phrases
did not seem to mend matters, for the sobs
continued and, at last, with a signal to
Alan to remain, Constance led the girl
into the hotel and up to their rooms,
Here was a pretty kettle of fish! A
weeping female—apparently a permanent
part of his retinue. Of course, the girl
would have t 9 bq gotten rid of in gome
way Why Constance insisted on bringing
her out of the House of Hassan, where she
seemed quite happy and comfortable in
the harem, Alan couldn't see. Devilish
pretty girl she was, Ripping eyes. Too
bad! But he couldn't be taking any
Armenian girls on the Turkana now. That
wasn't just in his line. The thing was
quite out of the question.
He stroiled about restlessly, and it was
half an hour before Constance returned,
reporting that the tears had stopped, and
that a cigarette had somewhat improved
the situation.
“Poor thing,” said Constance, as she
sat, “she has ruined a perfectly good
frock—such a nice frock it was—from the
Maigon Barbot” I wonder why you had to
make her cry, Alan?”
“1?7 Oh, I say, Connie!”
“You might have broken it to her
gently,” she said, reproachfully.
“I'm sorry. But she can’'t go on the
Turkana, you know. I'm moving in a few
days—just waiting for final arrangements.”
He paused for a moment for her com
ment, but she sat, her head lowered, her
gaze straight before her and said nothing.
8o Alan, plunging on desperately, told her
all that had happened at Northby’'s office,
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“It seems, my dear Alan,” she remarked
when he concluded,”/“that you have be
come a man of great affairs.”
He glanced at her, oblivious of the iron
fcal note {n her voice,
“It is a great affalr, Connie, I'm in 1t
heart and soul, whatever happens, until
the end. The only wonder i{s that I've
never done anything like it before.”
She smiled as though to herself. -
“But isn't two million pounds——ten mil
lion dollars—rather a large sum of money
to throw away on such a fantasy?"
“Fantasy!” he turned, wide-eyed, and
looked at her. “Why, Connie, you can't
understand., It's the greatest sporting
proposition the world ever saw-—a gamble
of mere money against the lives of British
goldiers—thousands of 'em!"
“But you don’t seem to have any defi
pjte plan” she said with a shrug.
Cobyrishts Alk b Sbe Comasar-
He looked at her ruefully, really much
chagrined at her lack of enthusiasm. “By
Jove,” he stammered, “I thought—l hoped
—{t seems to me—that you at least would
approve of my doing something worth
while.”
His tone was so abject that she softened.
“It is very nice of you to put yourself
out in this way. I was only wondering
how long your fortune would stand the
strain.”
“Oh, i{s that it?” he laughed. “Three
years’ income won't really hurt me much.
As a fact, it's rather a relief to get it
out of the way. Besides, I may not use it
all. But, then, in such a cause”——
He stopped and gazed across the canal
toward Boolak, the fire in his eyes re
sponding to the glow of the reflected
lights under the trees. He was already
wrapt in his project, and for the moment
seemed to have forgotten her presence
beside him. There was a long silence.
Then——
“And I—l suppose—must go back to
the Mercy,” he heard her saying. *
“The Mercy. Oh, yes, of course,” he
said with an effort. ‘“‘She was still in port
yesterday afternoon, but jt looked as
though she was getting ready to move.”
He missed the quality of her smile
which drew down one end of her lips rather
pathetically.
“You seem very anxious to be rid of
me.”
“1?” He glanced around at her in sur
prise. Why, Connie—l—don’t see.”
“No, you don’t, Alan,” she said quietly,
“you don’'t see. You never did see very
clearly.” v -us
He frowned in a puzzled way at the
with the great
plans that he had
made to try to find
von Hengel. She
listened calmly,
aware of Ws en
thusiasm and inter
est in his subject,
which completely
eliminated her.
- R
Sl I@\*(
bowl of his pipe. And
then—
“l seem to see very
clearly now, at least,
he replied. “You've
enlisted in the British
Overseas Hospital
Service, and 11, too,
am a part of the
British Army. You've
got to go at once or
~ you'll miss your ship.”
She smiled again, her eyes full upon
him.
“And yet,” she went on, clearly, “if you
hadn’t rescued me from the house of the
Sheykh, the Mercy 'would have sailed
without me."”
Alan got up and fidgeted about in a
solemn sort of a way.
“By Jove, er—er—so she would, Connie.
Lucky I found you, wasn't it?"
“Was it?” she asked, coolly.
He met her gaze for the fragment of a
second and then knocked with his pipe
against his heel. This was one of the
moods he had never been able to under
stand in Connie. And then, as though to
make the denseness of his mental con
dition more complete, she asked in her
half-humorous, half-serious way:
“What did you rescue me for, Alan?
You know it wasn't half bad in the house
LOreal Britaln Rights Reserved.
of Hassan Isar. It was very—er—restful,
And Captain von Hengel was very kind.”
She clasped her hands over her knees and,
Jeaning forward toward Alan, her gaze on
his averted profile, went on quite seriously.
“Conrad was very nice to me, Alan. He's
quite wonderful in a way. You know I
used to like him a lot. Sometimes I even
thought”—she gave a ghort sigh and
paused. *“After all, he’s a pretty big man
and fearfully clever. He hopes to have
the baton of a field marshal from Emperor
William if he makes this coup.”
“And you?’—Alan stopped short and
gtared at her in surprise.
“And, after all, you know I might do a
great deal worse. Our nationalities—our
political opinions differ, but, ‘then, wars
don’t last forever.” \
“Connie!”
“He wanted me %o go into the desert
with him, Alan,” she went on, evenly, as
though unaware of the interruption. “He
would have had a well-gaited camel for ms
and I was to be treated like a princess. He
was soon to have a great army at his back,
and the Turks, as well as the Arabs, wers
to fight with the fury of fanaticism as
fhey followed the Kaba Stone, where he
would lead with it into battle. If he suec
teeded the baton of a field marshal—like
von Hindenburg—and at least a duchy as®
recompense!”
“The rotter!”
“Oh! Of course, we were to have been
married first—according to the Moham
medan custom. It's very simple. 1 only
aad to say ‘I consent to be thy wife.’ You
know Conrad is Mohammedan; he's made
the pilgrimage to Mecca and all the rest
of it. It was all very simple, and, when he
wants to be, Conrad can be the most fas
cinating of men.” -
By this time Alan was pacing with
short steps up and down in front of her,
his square jaw working unpleasantly.
“And you mean to say,” he broke in,
hotly, “that you listened to that rot—
that you let that bounder speak to vou in
such a way? A Prussian at war with the
ideals for which all Christendom is figh'-
ing. You, Connie! My God!”
The flame of his anger bhurned her de
lightfully and the fire in his eyes gave her
the true measure of his transformation
This was no longer Alan Jessup, the weary,
the bored, the unimaginative, hut a man
ghe had loved, in spite of his deticiencies,
suddenly grown glorious. But she realized
in a moment that she had gone too far,
that the new Alan had suddenly risen in
her estimation and in his own a step
above the kind of trifling deception to
which she had descended.
“] did not say that I consented,” 'she
egald in & low tone, backing water very
gently. “Indeed, the mere fact that you
found me there is proof enough of my
answer.”
“But you listened to him,” he said,
steadily.
“I couldn’t very well help it, as a pris
oner, could I? He might have had me
garotted.” :
But her humor fell on barren ground.
and she knew it.
'He made love to you, there in that
house. Of course, it’s none of my affair,”
he broke off, quietly, “who makes love to
you or where. But the privileges of an old
triendship give me the right to tell you
that the opinions you've just ex
pressed are not only disloyal to
the service you're in, but to
vou're own ideals and, 1 may
add, my own.”
. While he was speaking she
begun smiling, and as he fin
W ished she laughed outright.
“m{fi “Alan!” she said, “you’ll be
o 8 the death of me.”
He stared at her a moment.
'l'm afraid I don* appreciate this kind
of humor,” he said.
“As if I meant it” she said, soberly.
*You must know me better than that.”
“I'm beginning to think,” he said, with
dignity, “that 1 don’t know you at all.”
She threw out her arms toward him
with a sudden mothering instinet.
“Come and sit here beside me. I want
you to. Please!”
He Jlunoed at her at moment and then
obeyed,
“l didn’t mean what ] said, T was just
trying you. 1 think you've hurt me a
little. Do you realize that you haven"
once told me how glad you were that
you found me gafe?”
“That went without saying, I think"
“But it wouldn’t have harmed you to
have told me so 0.”
“I am glad,” he said with some dignity,
“you say you were all right. But this talk
about von Hengel doesn’t make me think
you were. You couldn’'t have made that
atory out of whole cloth. He did ask you
to go with him.”
She was sure now that she had made a
mistake.
“Why should you care?” she asked, par
rying neatly,
“Your affairs are none of my business,
but Conrad von Hengel's are. If he gave
you his confidence, I think it's your duty
%o tell me, if you know, in which dirqetion
he has gone.”
He seemed to elude her with a skill that
more than equaled her own. But her pride
forbade that she should know it was his
very simplicity which had accomplished
this effect and showed how fixed were his
aims and what a little part she now had
in them. Could it be that Alan no longer
cared for her. But at the risk of a loss of
some dignity she chose a means to ap.
proach him,
“What should I care what becomes of
Conrad von Hengel” she asked, softly.
“He is nothing to me, Alan, and never
could be. You should know that, even
with a duchy or a field marshal’'s baton.
s it unwomanly in me to say that—that
I—l care more. I've always cared more
for you than any one else in the world?”
Alan smiled at his tobacco pouch which
he had taken out and his hand trembled
ever so slightly as he paused in the act
of filling his pipe again.
“That’s awfully nice of you, Connie,”
he said, gratefully. “We have been good
pals, haven't we?”
He was completely oblivious. But the
calmness of his renunciation of such an
opportunity, even if born of innocence or
misunderstanding, affected her like a cold
douche. Not once during their talk had
she detected the slightest sign of the sen
timent he had once expressed for her. He
was difféerent. Hers was the uncertainty.
She could go no further. Modesty forbade.
And before she could recover from the
shock of his unconcern he returned quite
calmly to his previous question.
“You don’t know where von Hengel is
going, do you, Connie?”
To Alan’s surprise, she rose quickly,
and while he stared in surprise, lighted
a match in mid-air.
“And if T knew do you suppose I'd tell
you?” she flung at him.
He started up beside her, the extin
guished match falling between them. He
noticed for the first time that her face
was scarlei, and that even while he looked
it grew pallid again.
“Connie, I don’t understand,” he began.
But she cut him short,
“Do you ever understand?” She caught
her breath and then went on. “You have
said that my affairs were none of yours.
Then don’t pry into them. Conrad von
Hengel, at least, knew how ‘o show appre
ciation, and as to where he has gone that’s
my affair and his.” g
And with that she flaunted quickly
around and went rapidly in the directiom
of the hotel, leaving Alan staring after
her, his jaws fallen in perplexity and be
wilderment.
As she had said he couldn’t undersand,
and he seemed to be less nearer under
standing her now that he had ever been in
his life. Could it be, as she evidently in
tended him to suppose, that there was
something between Conrad von Hengel and
herself? And vet a moment ago she had
told him of the warmth of her friendship
for him! What had he done? What had
he =aid (o change her?
Slowly he turned, his unlighted pipe
thrust grimly between his teeth, and paced
slowly the length of the garden walk, try
ing to ponder a solution of the feminine
riddle, without success, She had said that
she cared for him more than any one
else and then had suddenly behaved in this
exiraordinary manner. It was like the day
at Oyster Bay when they lunched together
—then she had told him much the same
thing-—and had followed it by giving him
his conge! What had he done then?
What had he done now to deserve this
amazing vhange of front?
In the old days he had thought that any
thing Connie did was tight, because he
was a ‘“rotter.” But now when he thought
he might be doing just the things she
would have wanted him to do she had
poked fun at his plan and finally left him
cooling his heels in the garden. It was
pretty rough of her. And he had wanted
her sympathy and encouragement.
An hour of meditation did not geem to
mend matters and, his feelings still some
what outraged, he finally returned to the
hotel and went up to his rooms. There
he found a note which had just come from
Northhy advising him of further progress
in their plans. Indeed, the prospects
seemed so excellent that he advised Alan
to return immediately to Alexandria and
superintend the placing of the deck rifles
upon the Turkana, instructions with regard
to which had already been issued. If
things went as Northby planned the gold
would be available within two days.
. He also suggested that as the evening
train left Cairo within three hours there
was Just time to meet the American
Consnl, the British Consul General and
Colonel Sandwith at the Governorat. The
meeting had been arranged for 6 o'c}ocfi
and Northby hoped that nothing woul
prevent his keeping the appointment.
Alan sent Dawson at once with a note of
acknowledgment and himself began pack
ing his valise, while he tried to think of
what to @0 about Connie and the Armenian
voung Jady. And at last, about the time
that Dawson returned, he completed a
carefully thought-out note to Connie and
sent it to her rooms.
“Dear Connie,” it ran, “it’s really too
bad that I always seem to be offending
you. I'm sorry. I've always wanted to
please you, but T don't seem to know how.
Perhaps we have misunderstood each
other, and that should not be with those
who have been friends for so many years.
I am leaving Cairo on the 6 o'clock train
for Alexandria, where I go under orders
to prepare the Turkana for immediate
service. T do not know what your plans
are, but I pray that you will permit me to
be of use to you if I can. As for Amneh,
I think jt would be safer if she went
on to Alexandria, where lodgings can be
found for her until Northby Pasha can are
range {o have her shipped out of the coun
try. If you plan to return to the Mercy, I
hope vou will permit me to escort you to
Alexandria at the above hour, If this
meets with your approval, T will make the
arrangements for your departure, Will
you answer this before three? As ever,
faithfully yours, ALAN"
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