Adventure, December 1914 — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

206 WE WERE both of us glad to be alone, I think. After the months of repression we had passed through there was need for a brief let-up, a period of honesty between our two selves, in which the facts might be faced and readjusted. ‘“‘I—I don’t want you to think I don’t understand,” she said at last. ‘‘But every- thing has seemed to go wrong lately, just as I thought we had won. And when you told me about that woman saving your life, Dan, it—it seemed as if it was the last straw. I just thought how—how did she dare?” Her voice trailed off in a tired little wail, and without stopping to think twice I put my arm around her and pulled her head down on my shoulder. “It made me almost as angry as it did you,” I told her. ‘But we won’t think about it any more. Is it getting harder to carry out your plan?” ‘‘Not—not much harder,” she answered, with a suspicion of a sniffle. “But I keep wondering if it’s worth while. And last night Ferdinand practically told me I must not take too much upon myself.” A wild wave of hope surged through my heart. “Do you think he has given up the idea of—o ¥ I did not know just how to put it. “You mean about the prince and me? No, Dan, honestly I don’t; and it’s about that I want to speak to you.” She pushed me down into a deep leather armchair and sat on the arm of it beside me, running her fingers through my hair in a curiously detached manner while I held her free hand. “There is nothing you can accomplish by staying in Sofia any longer,” she said, after a pause. ‘‘What you came to effect has been done. Don’t you think you had best go back to America and learn to forget about me? No, don’t answer too hastily. Think it over, Dan. “Tf you stay, how will it profit your You will experience greater heartburn and much danger. For there is danger for you here, Dan. You must not forget that. Some men hate you. Gortcheff will have you killed if he possibly can. Don’t you see there is nothing you can gain by staying?” “Will you tell me one thing?” I said be- tween clenched teeth. ‘Can I possibly help you if I stay?” “What can I say to that?” she replied Adventure helplessly. “Do you think I want you to stay to help me at the risk of your life?” “You haven’t answered my question,” I returned doggedly. “I don’t know, Dan,” she said gravely. “It might be that I should need your help above everything else. Yet if I should ever be the cause of anything happening to you, I think that it would break my heart.” “That settles it,” I said, and stood up. “Nothing is going to happen to me—and I shall stay.” Before she could answer me the minister bustled back into the room. ““Here’s a pretty kettle of fish,’ he ex- claimed, exhibiting a sheaf of papers. ‘A set of directions to go to the delegates at the peace-conference in London. They are instructed to represent to the Allies that the territorial compensation of Bulgaria should be larger than what her allies wish to assign to her, on the ground that we have borne the brunt of the war.” ‘““Madness!”” gasped Masoya. ‘What is to be done?”’ I asked. ‘“‘Whatever can be done to checkmate this mad idea and undermine the Austrian influence. By the way, Dan, a message came from the Palace with these papers, that you were expected to attend a private audi- ence at three this afternoon. You had best go and do all you can to dissuade Ferdinand from ruining himself.” | THAT day for the first time an ele- Ra t of discord crept into the fes- pa" ment oI dis _crept into the fes tivities celebrating the end of the war. ‘The newspapers and the people who read them, as well as the street-corner ora- tors, began to talk about double-dealing allies who had loaded all the work on Bul- garia’s shoulders and then claimed the major portion of the spoils. “The thousands of our dead at Kirk Kilisse, at Liile Burgas, at Tchataldja, at Adrianople call out to us for an adequate recompense for the price they paid for the fatherland,” proclaimed the orators. ‘‘The Greeks must give up Salonika.” By nightfall men who had been acclaim- ing their allies as brothers the day before were denouncing the Servians and Greeks for rogues and cheats, who were willing to climb to power over the dead of Bulgaria and the efforts of the Armies of the Lion. My short ride to the Palace that after- noon was an object-lesson of the efficacy of MICLOOOK (C@