Part 4 (2/2)
Rokoff h the Rue Maule
He lay in wait for me--his entire scheme worked out to the last detail, even to the woram such as really did happen It is all perfectly plain to s, it has taught you what I have been unable to iood place to avoid after dark”
”On the contrary,” replied Tarzan, with a smile, ”it has convinced me that it is the one worth-while street in all Paris Never again shall I iven me the first real entertainive you more than you will relish even without another visit,”
said D'Arnot ”You are not through with the police yet, reh to assure you that they will not soon forget what you did to theet you, my dear Tarzan, and then they will lock the wild man of the woods up behind iron bars Hoill you like that?”
”They will never lock Tarzan of the Apes behind iron bars,” replied he, gri in the man's voice as he said it that caused D'Arnot to look up sharply at his friend What he saw in the set jaw and the cold, gray eyes reat child, who could recognize no law hty physical prowess He saw that soht with the police before another encounter was possible
”You have ravely ”The law ofbut trouble can co the police I can explain it to them once for you, and that I shall do this very day, but hereafter you must obey the law If its representatives say 'Coo Noe shall go to reat friend in the departether they entered the office of the police official a half hour later He was very cordial He remembered Tarzan from the visit the two had er prints
When D'Arnot had concluded the narration of the events which had transpired the previous evening, a gri about the lips of the policeman He touched a button near his hand, and as he waited for the clerk to respond to its suh the papers on his desk for one which he finally located
”Here, Joubon,” he said as the clerk entered ”Summon these officers--have them coht Then he turned to Tarzan
”You have corave offense, monsieur,” he said, not unkindly, ”and but for the explanation e you harshly I a I have suht They shall hear Lieutenant D'Arnot's story, and then I shall leave it to their discretion to say whether you shall be prosecuted or not
”You have s that seee or unnecessary to you, you e the motives behind the their duty They had no discretion in the matter Every day they risk their lives in the protection of the lives or property of others They would do the same for you They are very brave le unarmed man bested and beat them
”Make it easy for theravely in error you are yourself a very brave nanimous”
Further conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the four policee on each countenance
”My children,” said the official, ”here is the gentle He has coive himself up I wish you to listen attentively to Lieutenant D'Arnot, ill tell you a part of the story of monsieur's life It ht Proceed, my dear lieutenant”
D'Arnot spoke to the police of Tarzan's wild jungle life He explained the savage training that had taught him to battle like a wild beast in self-preservation It becauided by instinct rather than reason in his attack upon them He had not understood their intentions To him they had been little different from any of the various forle, where practically all were his enemies
”Your pride has been wounded,” said D'Arnot, in conclusion ”It is the fact that this man overcame you that hurts the ies for defeat had you been penned in that sreat Gorilla of the jungles
”And yet you were battling with ain been pitted, and always victoriously, against these terrors of the dark continent It is no disgrace to fall beneath the superhuth of Tarzan of the Apes”
And then, as thefirst at Tarzan and then at their superior the ape- which was needed to erase the last reht have felt for him With outstretched hand he advanced toward them
”I am sorry for the mistake I made,” he said simply ”Let us be friends” And that was the end of the whole matter, except that Tarzan became a subject of much conversation in the barracks of the police, and increased the number of his friends by four brave men at least
On their return to D'Arnot's apartlish friend, William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke The two had maintained a correspondence since the birth of their friendshi+p on that ill-fated expedition in search of Jane Porter after her theft by Terkoz, the bull ape
”They are to be married in London in about two months,” said D'Arnot, as he completed his perusal of the letter Tarzan did not need to be told as meant by ”they” Hethe balance of the day
That evening they attended the opera Tarzan's hts He paid little or no attention to as transpiring upon the stage Instead he saw only the lovely vision of a beautiful Aht but a sad, sweet voice acknowledging that his love was returned And she was to marry another!