Part 56 (2/2)

Brave, staunch old soul, full worthy of that far-off Devon county which gave her birth Thewith the hand which held his sword, and the woround, to lie there until Stefan and the Countess, stealing fro woman with the leopard skin

To find the key was hopeless, and the door was a stout one It resisted the soldiers' efforts for a long while When at last it yielded they rushed along the passage to the small house by the river, but, save for rubbish, it was eitives ”They must have come this way,” said one man

”Had not that old beldaht them”

”Back to the house, co there worth laying hands on”

Until now Ellerey had waited, hidden by the river house He had reached it almost directly after the Princess and Dunorant of this fact, he had waited for them From the soldiers' words he learnt the truth Soldiers were in the garden now, and as only a little while since he had sought to enter it unseen, he now sought to leave it, crouching from tree to tree and from shrubbery to shrubbery

His life was too valuable to be uselessly throay He succeeded presently in scaling a wall and dropping into a side lane, to fall in later with a band of conspirators, some of ere present when the tale of the Countess's treachery was told last night, and ere now quietlyplace

”But the Princess, comrades?” said Ellerey ”My place is beside her”

”Fear nothing, Captain She will co” The , but people who respected the law kept within their houses, and left their doors fast barred From early dawn the soldiers were in the streets, and it was evident that to-day the ordinary business of life must be suspended

As the hours passed there were sounds of fighting on every side, the fierce rattle of ed by the soldiers, turning soe which offered, turning sometimes at the shout of one detere, to be cut to pieces or to bear the soldiers back, leavingwith their wounds, their en

In one side street, soon after such a skirlided fro to do so, for at the sound of approaching conflict he was in readiness to retreat and hide himself More than one wounded man in the roadway pleaded for help, or cried for water, but he was deaf to their entreaties He wasto hold him back Now he ran forward a few paces, now stopped and turned hastily into an alley and went quickly on again

He came at last to the house of Frina Mavrodin, when it was close on noon The door at the chief entrance had been torn fro to bar his entrance The servants who had escaped death had fled, or lay hidden in secret places in the house The soldiers had deserted it, finding their quarry gone, to go and help their comrades in the streets At the moment the street was e over the dead which lay in the hall, griht there The man passed from room to room rapidly, his ears intent to catch every sound It was clear that robbery was not his object, for there was none to stay hi, and, by the way he glanced down this corridor and that, it was evident that the house was not faht him to the room where Princess Maritza had been The broken door at the further end attracted his notice and he entered the roo for a moment to look into the face of Hannah

The leopard skin had not been thrown over her yet She was the first worew excited She had been killed because she stood in the way, and she would not have stood in the way unless she had had soer to defend She ued, and if so, thisthe passage and up to the house by the river Someone had certainly been there, but which direction had they taken afterward? He glanced to right and left, and stood for so across the river

”He would not leave the Princess, and he would take her as far as possible fro madmen in the streets,” he mused ”Surely he cannot escape such a day as this”

The ain, and then he stopped suddenly The sound of voices reached him distinctly

”Brave woman,” he heard one say It was a woh

”Cowards to treat her thus,” came the muttered answer in a man's lower tone

There was a moment's silence ”Help me to cover her,” said the woe, and thethere could not see into the rooe was dark, and if those in the room came that way they were not likely to see him, and his mouth widened into a malicious smile Would they come? He had hardly whispered the question to hie and were approaching The waiting ainst the wall, a knife in his hand, and if this failed his other hand grasped a revolver They came slowly, cautiously, and just before the turn paused It was clear that they meant to be careful, for the man said, after a moment's hesitation--

”It is clear”

Then he came, but alone and swiftly, with his sword in his hand The waiting nized Stefan's voice, nor, had he done so, would he have feared detection Stefan's eyes and ears were quick, however, and in that pause he had held up a warning finger to his co forward

”I took you for yourman when he saw that he was discovered, ”but---”

The cruel blade flashed swiftly down, but fell on Stefan's sword only, and then before his fingers could pull the trigger of his revolver, the sword point was thrust through his throat, and the ainst the wall, upright for ain the silent passage

”My ancient friend of the cellar,” said Stefan, bending over hi for the Captain, eh? Well, you did your best, Master Francois, and so I will report to your ht is too diht,” and the soldier held out his hand to her

Frina shuddered a little as she stepped past the fallen ether The soldier's eyes were searching and keen as they went The servant was dead, but the erous enemy They passed stealthily from street to street, much as Francois had done a little while since Stefan had a plan, a goal to win, but he did not speak of it to the Countess

Suddenly Frina stopped They were at the end of a deserted alley, but the roar of voices came from a distance; then the sudden rattle of musketry, the harsh and discordant music of battle