Part 6 (1/2)

”You shall tell hi,” said Rokoff ”I have this affair now, and with the help of one of your servants who when the time comes that the details of the sworn evidence shall be poured into your husband's ears The other affair served its purpose well-- have soa A real AFFAIR--and you a trusted wife Shahed

So the countess told her count nothing, and ue fear her ible one It e it out of all proportion

Chapter 5

The Plot That Failed

For a ular and very welcome devotee at the shrine of the beautiful Countess de Coude Often he met other members of the select little coterie that dropped in for tea of an afternoon More often Olga found devices that would give her an hour of Tarzan alone

For a tihtened by what Nikolas had insinuated She had not thought of this big, young estion irown to speculate e force which seeer She did not wish to love hier than her husband, and without having realized it she had been craving the haven of a friendshi+p with one nearer her own age Twenty is shy in exchanging confidences with forty Tarzan was but two years her senior He could understand her, she felt Then he was clean and honorable and chivalrous She was not afraid of him

That she could trust him she had felt instinctively frorowing intilee Ever since he had learned that Tarzan knew that he was a Russian spy there had been added to his hatred for the ape- now until the moment was propitious for a master stroke He wanted to rid himself forever of Tarzan, and at the sae for the humiliations and defeats that he had suffered at his hands

Tarzan was nearer to contentment than he had been since the peace and tranquility of his jungle had been broken in upon by the advent of the marooned Porter party He enjoyed the pleasant social intercourse with Olga's friends, while the friendshi+p which had sprung up between the fair countess and hiht It broke in upon and dispersed his gloohts, and served as a balm to his lacerated heart

Sometimes D'Arnot accompanied hi known both Olga and the count Occasionally De Coude dropped in, but the multitudinous affairs of his official position and the never-ending deht

Rokoff spied upon Tarzan al for the tiht, but in this he was doomed to disappointment On several occasions Tarzan accompanied the countess to her home after the opera, but he invariably left her at the entrance--ust of the lady's devoted brother

Finding that it seeh any voluntary act of his own, Rokoff and Paulvitch put their heads together to hatch a plan that would trap the ape- position

For days they watched the papers as well as the th they were rewarded A iven on the following evening by the Geruests If he attended this ht

On the night of the banquet Paulvitch waited at the curb before the residence of the Geruest that arrived He had not long to wait before De Coude descended froh Paulvitch hastened back to his quarters, where Rokoff awaited him There they waited until after eleven, then Paulvitch took down the receiver of their telephone

He called a number

”The apartments of Lieutenant D'Arnot?” he asked, when he had obtained his connection

”A e for Monsieur Tarzan, if he will be so kind as to step to the telephone”

For a minute there was silence

”Monsieur Tarzan?”

”Ah, yes, monsieur, this is Francois--in the service of the Countess de Coude Possibly monsieur does poor Francois the honor to recall hient e from the countess

She asks that you hasten to her at once--she is in trouble, monsieur

”No, monsieur, poor Francois does not know Shall I tell madame that monsieur will be here shortly?

”Thank you,up the receiver and turned to grin at Rokoff