The Mission of Poubalov — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

194 THE NEW CLEW. ‘A new clew,’’ she wrote, ‘‘and the most promising thus far, has been brought to me this evening. I need I in following it to the end. Owing to my uncle’s indispos _ tion, I do not feel like even telling him about it, muc less asking him to give me his time. Can you come? — know you are doing much, and quite likely taking ti that you ought to devote to work, but I ask some ft assistance, nevertheless, knowing that it is not necessar for me to plead. This is so important that I believe yo can leave Poubalov for a while, no matter what he is ¢ ing. Please come by nine o’clock if you possibly can.”’ Paul had great faith in Clara, although he had n known with sufficient detail of her recent work to give her judgment all the credit that it deserved, ang so he found himself in an annoying quandary. To him its ] essential to follow Poubalov now that he was well j view. He felt, too, some disappointment at being called a without being able to feel that his night had been s sleeplessly to some purpose. It could not be that Clara had discovered anything great importance compared to the developments tha would probably follow a patient tracking of Poubaloy’s footsteps during the day. Why hadn’t she mentioned what her clew was? she depended upon him tu obey her implicitly, as if — had no more discretion than Litizki. If Paul was a bit unreasonable and restive, let it . charged against his fatigue. Few men can keep an ey n temper when the nerves are unstrung and the whole body cries for rest. Poubalov saved him from the error, if so it was, of disregarding Clara’s wishes. It came about in this way: .- Paul climbed to his observation perch, to see how nm ters stood in the next room. Poubalov had opened f envelope containing the papers he had been at work up on | during the midnight hour, and was now Genitamny