THE 
 
 AMBASSADORS 
 TRUNK 
 
 GEORGE 
 BARTON
 
 THE 
 AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK
 
 By GEORGE BARTON 
 
 THE AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE 
 RED FLAME 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 THE STRANGE ADVENTURES 
 OF BROMLEY BARNES 
 
 Cloth decorative, ISmo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 THE WORLD'S GREATEST 
 MILITARY SPIES AND 
 SECRET SERVICE AGENTS 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, 
 
 THE PAGE COMPANY 
 53 BEACON STREET, BOSTON
 
 FLUNG OUT HER ARMS TO MAKE THE BARRIER COMPLETE " 
 
 (See page 116)
 
 Ambassador's 
 Trunk 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE BARTON 
 
 Author of 
 
 'The Mystery of the Red Flame," "The Strange 
 
 Adventures of Bromley Barnes," "The 
 
 World's Greatest Military Spies 
 
 and Secret Service Agents," etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 CHARLES . MEISTER 
 
 THE PAGE COMPANY 
 
 BOSTON :: MDCCCCXIX
 
 Copyright, 1919, 
 BY THE PAGE COMPANY 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 First Impression, March, 1919 
 Second Impression, June, 1919
 
 MY FRIEND 
 ALDEN MARCH 
 
 2134277
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 
 THE SEALED PACKAGE 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS . 
 
 ... 14 
 
 III 
 
 HOPE VERNON 
 
 71 
 
 IV 
 
 A STATE SECRET .... 
 
 44 
 
 V 
 
 VANCE DISCOVERS A RIVAL . 
 
 ... 58 
 
 VI 
 
 A WARNING FROM BARNES . 
 
 ... 73 
 
 VII 
 
 THE GOLD-HEADED PENCIL . 
 
 ... 89 
 
 VIII 
 
 HOPE BARS THE WAY 
 
 . IO2 
 
 IX 
 
 THE COUNT TAKES A STROLL 
 
 ... 117 
 
 X 
 
 THE COUNT CHUCKLES . 
 
 ... 131 
 
 XI 
 
 THE AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK . 
 
 . . .143 
 
 XII 
 
 A FRESH SURPRISE 
 
 ... 156 
 
 XIII 
 
 FORTY-FIVE JACKSON STREET . 
 
 . . . 169 
 
 XIV 
 
 ON A NEW TRAIL .... 
 
 . . . l82 
 
 XV 
 
 HOPE ASSERTS HERSELF . 
 
 . 2OO 
 
 XVI 
 
 THE GOOD SAMARITAN 
 
 . 212 
 
 XVII 
 
 GILBERT TELLS His STORY . 
 
 . 223 
 
 XVIII 
 
 STRATEGY AND THE WOMAN . 
 
 ... 235 
 
 XIX 
 
 FACE TO FACE 
 
 . . .247 
 
 XX 
 
 THE CUSTODIANS OF LIBERTY 
 
 . 26O 
 
 XXI 
 
 THE SEVENTH OF MAY . 
 
 . 272 
 
 XXII 
 
 AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT . 
 
 . . . 284 
 
 XXIII 
 
 NEMESIS 
 
 2Q'* 
 
 XXIV 
 
 A TREATY OF PEACE 
 
 . 302
 
 List of Illustrations 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " FLUNG OUT HER ARMS TO MAKE THE BARRIER 
 
 COMPLETE." (See page 116) . Frontispiece 
 
 " HE THRUST THE PENCIL INTO HIS POCKET " . 93 
 " BROMLEY BARNES RUSHED INTO THE ROOM " . 178 
 " HE SAW HIM STAGGER " 283 
 
 " THEY WALKED ALONG SWINGING HANDS LIKE 
 
 THE VERIEST SCHOOL CHILDREN " . . 306
 
 THE AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE SEALED PACKAGE 
 
 IT was a profound philosopher who said, that if 
 the nose of Cleopatra had been shorter, the whole 
 face of the earth would have been changed. By 
 the application of the same law of chance it may 
 be fairly claimed that if Vance Prescott had not 
 turned back, on that sunny day in May, the history 
 of the modern world would have been changed. 
 
 When he left his bachelor apartments in Wash- 
 ington that morning, it was with the fixed pur- 
 pose of paying that long promised visit to his 
 maiden aunt in East Orange, New Jersey. He was 
 really headed in the direction of the railroad sta- 
 tion and was amusing himself with a mental pic- 
 ture of what was in store for him Aunt Lavinia 
 Prescott at the door, with her steel-rimmed spec- 
 tacles perched on the bridge of her Napoleonic 
 nose, the horse-hair furniture in the parlor, the old- 
 
 i
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 fashioned pictures on the wall, the big Bible on 
 the marble center table, used chiefly for pressing 
 autumn leaves and finally the rehearsal of the 
 legacy which was to be his, after his angular, but 
 perfectly correct aunt, had shuffled off this mortal 
 coil. 
 
 It was at this concluding point in his meditations 
 that Vance Prescott made an alarming discovery. 
 He had left his apartment without his cigarettes 
 and his cigarette case. Such things might be ob- 
 tained from any tobacconist on the way to the 
 station but not the brand to which this rigidly 
 systematic young man had accustomed himself. It 
 was necessary for his happiness and his peace of 
 mind that he should return and get these articles. 
 He halted abruptly, wheeled about and started for 
 his apartments. He did not realize it at the mo- 
 ment how many of us do ? but he was really 
 throwing himself headlong into the outstretched 
 hands of Adventure. He had turned an unex- 
 pected corner of his life and come face to face with 
 Chance, the fickle goddess of fortune. 
 
 Chance, in this case, was represented by a little 
 red-headed, stub-nosed messenger boy, who was 
 hammering away at his door with a vigor out of all 
 proportion to the needs of the occasion. He 
 grinned impishly as Captain Prescott approached.
 
 The Sealed Package 
 
 "Gee! " he ejaculated, " I didn't think I'd ever git 
 an answer." 
 
 Vance pleasantly entered into the spirit of the 
 young disciple of Mercury. 
 
 " Well," he said, " it proves what persistence will 
 do. I heard you away down on Pennsylvania 
 Avenue and here I am." 
 
 The youngster stared at the soldier with wide- 
 open eyes. He stared still more at the size of the 
 tip, but finally recovered and went away whistling, 
 " Where Do We Go From Here, Boys? " In the 
 meantime Vance had entered his apartment and 
 pouncing on his silver cigarette case, put it in his 
 pocket. Then he moved over near the window 
 and looked thoughtfully at the unopened telegram. 
 He felt instinctively that it was going to interfere 
 with that long-deferred visit to Aunt Lavinia. If 
 he didn't go, it might prompt her to cut him out 
 of her will. If he had not turned back he might 
 have been on his way to East Orange by this time, 
 and it was all for a package of cigarettes. He had 
 heard of men selling their birthrights for a mess 
 of pottage. Could it be said that he had discarded 
 his for a puff of smoke? 
 
 All this while he continued to stare at the un- 
 opened telegram. He tapped it with his fingers 
 as though he might compel the secret to come to
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 the surface. There was a mixture of eager ex- 
 pectancy and anxiety in his brown eyes. In spite 
 of years of worldly experience, a telegram to him 
 always suggested tragedy, romance, or the begin- 
 ning of an adventure. He deliberately postponed 
 the discovery of the mystery concealed within the 
 oblong yellow envelope. He indulged in the lux- 
 ury of teasing himself. It was like rolling a 
 choice morsel about his mouth before devouring it. 
 But, presently, laughing at his own mood, he ripped 
 the cover from the message. This is what he 
 read: 
 
 Please come down to Idlewild for the week- 
 end. Hope joins me in this invitation. Kindly 
 stop at the State Department and ask if they have 
 anything needing my attention. Will expect you 
 this evening. 
 
 The name appended was that of Professor Fran- 
 cis Vernon, Fourth Assistant Secretary of State 
 in the Government of the United States, and the 
 warm friend of Vance Prescott. An invitation for 
 a visit to the country home of the Vernons' was 
 something to be craved, but when to that was added 
 the gracious word of Hope Vernon, the prospect 
 became irresistible. 
 
 Captain Prescott, being a normal young man, 
 mentally accepted the invitation before he reached
 
 The Sealed Package 
 
 the final word of the message, and a few minutes 
 later he had confirmed the acceptance with a return 
 telegram. That duty call on Aunt Lavinia had 
 truly gone up in a puff of smoke. He thanked 
 his lucky stars that fate had detained him in the 
 National Capital for a longer time than he had ex- 
 pected. He was born and educated in Washington, 
 and when the great war began was one of the first 
 to go on the other side. He was wounded in ac- 
 tion and invalided home. Beyond a slight limp, 
 there was nothing now to indicate that he was not 
 fit for service again and he had asked permission 
 to rejoin his regiment. But officialdom was pro- 
 vokingly slow in making the decision, and, in the 
 meantime, Captain Prescott chafed and fumed at 
 the delay and finally found himself assigned to 
 special duty in the Intelligence Bureau of the War 
 Department. 
 
 But the telegram from Idlewild put a new com- 
 plexion on life. Perhaps it was all for the best 
 that a prudent Government had not been over-hasty 
 in acting upon his application. He smiled as this 
 whimsical thought flashed through his mind and, 
 looking at the message for the third time, beheld 
 beneath its words the radiant face of Hope Ver- 
 non. He remembered the first dance he had with 
 her on his return from France, and that other oc-
 
 6 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 casion when he was just on the point of making her 
 a former proposal of marriage. A strange shy- 
 ness had caused him to break down at the last mo- 
 ment. But now the week-end would give him the 
 opportunity he had long sought. The desire to 
 return to the battle front was still strong but if he 
 could return with her promise to be his wife 
 Ah, that would be an incentive for fighting and 
 living! 
 
 He was humming one of the popular airs to him- 
 self as he put on a new tie. If he had taken the 
 trouble to look in the glass, he would have seen a 
 manly-looking fellow, worthy the favor of any 
 girl. The mirror reflected a broad-shouldered, 
 clean-faced, strong-limbed, resolute young man. 
 Even when his jaws were firmest the laughter 
 lurked in his eyes. " I wonder if she'll have me," 
 he asked himself, not once, but a dozen times. 
 And every time he gave the answer by saying men- 
 tally, " I'll tell her she's got to marry me eventu- 
 ally. Why not now ? " 
 
 Vance, for the second time, made his way to the 
 sidewalk. Gaining Pennsylvania Avenue, he hur- 
 ried toward the street leading to the State Depart- 
 ment. He had to keep his wits about him for the 
 avenue was crowded and as much unlike the Wash- 
 ington he had known as though it were another
 
 The Sealed Package 
 
 community. The familiar buildings were there, but 
 the skyscraper had made its appearance, and there 
 was an air of bustle and business that contrasted 
 strangely with the leisure and refinement that had 
 heretofore set the capital city apart from the other 
 municipalities of the United States. A fleet of 
 aeroplanes hovered over the White House, and a 
 procession of army trucks lumbered down one of 
 the side thoroughfares. A red-faced orator stood 
 on the tail-board of a wagon near the curb and in- 
 vited subscriptions to the new Liberty Loan. Sol- 
 diers and sailors mingled with the pedestrians on 
 the street. Faces of foreigners were to be seen 
 on every, side. A crowd of recruits, about to be 
 inducted into the army, sang, " Keep The Home 
 Fires Burning " with more vigor than rhythm. The 
 American flag floated from all the public buildings 
 and most of the stores, There were flashes of 
 color everywhere. It was Washington in war 
 times, and there was something about it that quick- 
 ened the pulse of the young officer, and caused his 
 blood to tingle with a sort of joyous pride. He 
 was in the midst of great things, and his native city, 
 the capital of his country, for the time being at 
 least, loomed up as the capital of Civilization. 
 
 He made a turn and found himself at the steps 
 leading into the granite building where the State
 
 8 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Department was housed. There was an unwonted 
 activity in the corridors, and he wondered if it 
 would be possible to see the statesman who pre- 
 sided over that branch of the nation's business. 
 Fortunately, he was on the warmest terms with 
 the Secretary of State. He had known him from 
 boyhood, and the official had taken the keenest in- 
 terest in his army career. By rare good luck he 
 was disengaged for the moment and cheerfully 
 consented to see Captain Prescott. The gray- 
 haired gentleman in the frock coat grasped the 
 young man by the two shoulders and congratulated 
 him upon his fine appearance. Vance smiled at 
 the compliments which were showered on him. 
 
 " But, Mr. Secretary," he said, " I really came 
 here to-day on official business." 
 
 A quizzical smile brightened the tired eyes of the 
 elderly one. " The soldier turned diplomat," he 
 said chaffingly. " Well, it won't be the first time an 
 ambitious young man has turned from Mars to 
 Machiavelli." 
 
 Vance straightened his shoulders and clicked his 
 heels together as a protest against the suggestion. 
 
 " I haven't the slightest intention of changing 
 professions. As a matter of fact, I merely came 
 here as the messenger of Professor Vernon. This 
 telegram tells the tale."
 
 The Sealed Package 9 
 
 The Secretary of State read the slip of paper and 
 handed it back to Prescott. 
 
 " I'd like to be down at Idlewild with Vernon," 
 he sighed, " but it's not possible to leave here at 
 this time. Vernon's earned his vacation though. 
 He's a faithful official. He's served under eight 
 or ten administrations. They all look alike to him. 
 A member of the bar, a teacher of Jurisprudence at 
 Georgetown, with fine tastes and an independent 
 fortune, I often wonder why he stays with us. 
 The only things that can hold him must be love of 
 the work and love of country." 
 
 " You have no word to send him ? " queried 
 Prescott. 
 
 " None at all tell him to make the best of his 
 vacation, for we're going to have a hard winter." 
 
 " Very well, sir. I'll tell him that." 
 
 " Now, what about yourself what's on your 
 mind?" 
 
 " Nothing, except that the war department won't 
 send me back to France." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Oh, on a mere technicality," exploded the sol- 
 dier. " They operated on me in the hospital and 
 I lost three toes. What's three toes, more or less, 
 to a husky chap like me? But they say no, it may 
 interfere with my marching or my retreating
 
 10 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 wouldn't it be great to have an entire army that 
 was physically incapable of retreating? and so 
 here I am in Washington feeling like a slacker." 
 
 " Having a good time, eh ? " 
 
 " Well, hardly that. As you have probably 
 heard, I've been detailed to the Intelligence Bureau 
 of the War Department. I wouldn't mind it if 
 there were some excitement in the work, but so far 
 all I've done has been to round up a half dozen 
 men who were indulging in seditious talk." 
 
 The moment Vance mentioned the Intelligence 
 Bureau the expression of the Secretary's face 
 changed. His brow wrinkled. Vance started for 
 the door, but the statesman put a detaining hand 
 on the young man's arm. 
 
 " Just wait a moment, Prescott ! " he exclaimed. 
 " In spite of your modesty I know you have been 
 one of the best operatives in the Intelligence Bu- 
 reau." Wonderingly, the young man stood still. 
 The Secretary of State left him abruptly and going 
 to the window looked out into the busy street with 
 unseeing eyes. He gnawed savagely at the end 
 of his white mustache and drummed impatiently on 
 the edge of the sill. This performance lasted long 
 enough to be embarrassing to the visitor. But just 
 when Vance thought the man had taken leave of his 
 senses, he turned with a muttered exclamation.
 
 The Sealed Package 11 
 
 " I'll do it, by George, I'll do it ! " 
 
 He approached the young officer with the com- 
 posed look of a man who has reached his decision. 
 
 " Prescott," he said, measuring his words care- 
 fully, "I've known you for many years and I have 
 formed a high opinion of your integrity, your cour- 
 age, and your discretion." 
 
 Vance flushed beneath his tanned skin. He felt 
 the curious sense of uneasiness which assails every 
 normal man who is praised to his face. 
 
 'That's that's awfully kind," he murmured, 
 " but I guess I'll be going now." 
 
 The Secretary clutched him by the arm. 
 
 "Not yet," he announced with emphasis; "I 
 haven't been talking for the sake of hearing my own 
 voice. The qualities I mention make you the very 
 man I need at this moment." 
 
 "I'm afraid I don't " 
 
 " No, of course you don't," smilingly interrupted 
 the diplomat, " but you will in a moment, if you 
 give me the chance to explain. I'm sure I'm not 
 going too far when I say that you are willing to 
 take a risk for the sake of serving your country." 
 
 " I'll go the limit," replied Vance, thinking of 
 the bullet wound that had lamed him. 
 
 The Secretary walked toward a small safe in a 
 corner of the room, and going down on one knee
 
 12 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 turned the knob until the door swung open. He 
 secured what he was after, and, closing the safe, re- 
 turned to his visitor. Prescott noticed that he car- 
 ried a stiff, manila envelope which contained the 
 imprint of the State Department. He handed it 
 to the young man. 
 
 " This sealed package," he said, " contains a 
 green wallet which happens to be the personal prop- 
 erty of Professor Vernon. That wallet contains 
 a paper which is of the utmost value to the United 
 States. I want you to undertake to deliver it to 
 him. Will you do so ? " 
 
 " I will," was the reply. 
 
 " There are circumstances surrounding this busi- 
 ness which I do not think it necessary or even de- 
 sirable to explain at this time, but it's right in line 
 with your work. The facts are known to only a 
 few persons. Vernon is one of them. If he sees 
 fit to tell them to you I offer no objection. But 
 tell him that it was important to get the paper out 
 of this office and tell him to guard it with his 
 life." 
 
 The solemnity with which these words were 
 spoken communicated itself to the young army of- 
 ficer. He suddenly felt an immense sense of re- 
 sponsibility. The Secretary of State looked him 
 over with an appraising eye.
 
 \ 
 
 The Sealed Package 13 
 
 " You impress me as a young man who can take 
 care of himself in an emergency." 
 
 " I am sure I can," was the unboasting reply. 
 
 " Then there is nothing more to be said except 
 that you are performing a service for your country 
 which may easily prove as important as though you 
 were leading your company to victory on the battle- 
 field." 
 
 The two men clasped hands in a red-blooded grip 
 and Vance Prescott left the room and hurried out 
 of the building. As he reached the foot of the 
 steps the sounds of martial music caught his ears. 
 His eyes followed the scurrying crowds and he saw 
 the Stars and Stripes and the tri-colors floating in 
 the breeze. The members of the French Commis- 
 sion were being escorted to the White House. 
 
 Vance felt the pressure of the bulky package 
 which he had thrust inside his coat and a thrill of 
 patriotism ran through his body. His chance had 
 come. He had responded to the beckoning ringer 
 of opportunity.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS 
 
 VANCE decided to walk to the station. He had 
 the time, and the day was too glorious to miss the 
 chance of mingling with the people. He lit one 
 of his cigarettes and as the smoke curled in ringlets 
 about him he thought of his aunt in East Orange, 
 and that once more deferred visit. She would be 
 properly angry and, in all probability, would dis- 
 own him. His fortune gone and all for a taste 
 of the weed! He shrugged his broad shoulders 
 and disclaimed all personal responsibility for his 
 fate. He had shaken the dice-box of destiny and 
 the throw had directed him to Idlewild and Hope 
 Vernon. 
 
 Opposite the National Theater the young man 
 was caught in a crowd, and, for the moment, re- 
 gretted that he had not taken a conveyance. But 
 the traffic officer shouted directions to the auto- 
 mobiles that halted the people, and in a few mo- 
 ments the eddying crowd had resumed its way. 
 Once again, just before reaching the Capitol, he 
 
 14
 
 The Adventure Begins 15 
 
 was imprisoned in the whirl, and found himself 
 being pushed to and fro. He took it good naturedly 
 until he discovered some one clutching at his coat. 
 With a grunt of annoyance he thrust the arm aside. 
 It was impossible to turn around, but he managed 
 to look sideways, and he got the merest glimpse of 
 a swarthy, ugly face. Vance Prescott was not an 
 imaginative man, but there was something about 
 that strange countenance that caused a shiver of 
 distrust and apprehension to pass up and down his 
 spinal column. The man had the face of a mur- 
 derer. He had dark smoldering eyes, and a 
 scowling countenance. They had only time to ex- 
 change glances in that fleeting moment, but there 
 was a vindictiveness about the dark-faced one that 
 was ugly to contemplate. 
 
 Presently Vance reached the railroad station, and 
 was fortunate enough to get a seat in a car. It 
 was only after the train had started on its journey, 
 and he was in the suburbs of Washington, that he 
 made a discovery. The buttons of his coat had 
 been opened! He felt for the precious packet and 
 was relieved to find it still in place. But the 
 thought that he had come near being the victim of 
 a pickpocket was disquieting. He thought of his 
 walk from the State Department to the railroad sta- 
 tion and with it came the recollection of the mo-
 
 16 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ment he had been jostled by the crowd on the side- 
 walk. He recalled the man with the murderous 
 face and decided instantly that the man had designs 
 on the package. Also, he came to the conclusion 
 that the fellow was no ordinary petty thief. He 
 had a specific object in view and had failed. 
 
 But Vance Prescott was a man and a lover, and 
 it was not in the nature of things that he should 
 continue to dwell upon such an incident. He was 
 filled with pleasant anticipations of his approaching 
 visit to Idlewild. He liked the place, he liked the 
 host, and, above all, he liked Hope Vernon. The 
 thought of spending a few days in her company was 
 very agreeable to him. By and by he had forgotten 
 about the sealed package and was thinking only of 
 the witchery in the eyes of the only girl in the world 
 for him. The locomotive whistle blew, the bell 
 rang, and a cloud of smoke drifted between the car 
 window and the passing landscape. But it did not 
 annoy Vance Prescott, for in the curling mass of 
 steam and smoke he could picture the countenance 
 of his beloved. So it is to be young and in love. 
 
 Before he realized it, the train had pulled up at 
 the station in the neighborhood of Idlewild. He 
 had left instructions in the city to have his things 
 follow him, so that he was not impeded with even 
 so much as a traveling bag. He leaped to the plat-
 
 The Adventure Begins 17 
 
 form lightly and looked about him for a convey- 
 ance. None was in sight. He waited for the train 
 to pull out and then, making for the well-kept road, 
 started in the direction of the Vernon home. He 
 knew it was not much more than a mile and that 
 was as nothing to a robust young man who had 
 always enjoyed his army hikes. 
 
 The countryside was fragrant with the odor of 
 approaching spring. Vance threw out his shoul- 
 ders, inhaled deeply and, getting his stride, walked 
 with the air of a man who is enjoying life to the 
 fullest. His disposition was cheery and his outlook 
 on the world optimistic. The time passed rapidly 
 and soon he could see the gabled barn which marked 
 one end of the Vernon estate. He had the road to 
 himself for the greater part of the way, but, at an 
 unexpected turn in the highway, he was confronted 
 by a beggar. The man was dirty and disheveled 
 and held his head down while he whined for some-- 
 thing to keep him from starving. The young of- 
 ficer was not at all impressed, but as he paused for 
 a moment, undecided, a strange thing happened. 
 
 The supposed beggar suddenly straightened up 
 and drawing back shot a yellow fist in the direction 
 of Prescott. It caught him on the side of the head 
 and he went reeling against a wormwood fence. 
 The attack had come so quickly and with such brief
 
 18 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 warning that Vance was dazed. But he did not 
 take many seconds to recover. 
 
 " You dirty scoundrel ! " he cried ; " I'll give you 
 all the fight you want ! " 
 
 Even while he spoke he had grabbed his assailant 
 by the throat and was squeezing his windpipe. By 
 a great effort the fellow managed to release the hold 
 of the soldier, and then the two were engaged in a 
 wrestling match. They swayed to and fro for a 
 minute or two and then fell in the dust of the road 
 and rolled over one another. First one and then 
 the other had the advantage. Presently they were 
 facing one another on their knees and then by an 
 unexpected twist they managed to regain their feet. 
 Both were covered with dirt, but through the grime 
 Vance managed to distinguish the features of his 
 assailant and they were the features of a mur- 
 derer. 
 
 The discovery gave him a shock. Even in those 
 fleeting seconds he realized that this was part of a 
 studied plot. The bogus beggar was concealed in 
 the bend of the road in the belief that he could way- 
 lay and rob him. It was not the man who had jos- 
 tled him in the streets of Washington but their 
 faces were ugly enough and malignant enough to 
 make them twin brothers in crime. While these 
 thoughts were rushing through his mind, Vance
 
 The Adventure Begins 19 
 
 was preparing to defend himself. He shot out his 
 right hand and caught the evil one on the nose with 
 such force as to bring the blood. He was about to 
 follow this up with another punch when the Mexi- 
 can for he was undoubtedly a Mexican deftly 
 threw out his left leg and sent Prescott sprawling 
 on his back. A sense of helplessness overcame 
 him. He could have cried with impotent rage, and, 
 instinctively, his hand spread over that part of his 
 coat that concealed the package he was to deliver 
 to Professor Vernon. But at that moment he 
 heard the shout of a newcomer, and, to his surprise 
 and amazement, the Mexican took to his heels and 
 fled. Partly dazed, Vance lay still for a moment 
 and then he was roused by a familiar voice saying: 
 
 " I hope you're not injured, sir." 
 
 He looked up and beheld the red face of Barker, 
 the trusted man-servant of the Vernons. 
 
 " No, Barker," he said, as he arose sheepishly and 
 brushed the dirt from his clothing, " but I can't say 
 that I feel particularly dignified." 
 
 " I'm awfully sorry, sir," apologized the faithful 
 one, " but I'm afraid that I've been at fault." 
 
 " Nonsense," laughed Vance, rapidly coming to 
 himself; " if any one's to blame it's myself for per- 
 mitting that rascal to escape." 
 
 Barker, with a woebegone look on his honest face,
 
 20 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 refused to take a cheerful view of the situation. 
 
 " My instructions, sir, were to meet you at the 
 station, but the only car we have happened to be 
 out, and so I started to walk in the hope that it 
 might have gone for you, and " 
 
 " And," interrupted Vance gayly, " you found me 
 on my back gazing at the blue sky of Virginia." 
 
 Barker shook his head disconsolately. 
 
 " The walk from the station to the house is not 
 what it used to be, sir. We've had thieves in the 
 neighborhood." 
 
 " That's very evident," retorted Vance dryly. 
 " Well, Barker, we'll forget about the incident, and, 
 in the meanwhile, you may hold yourself guiltless 
 of any fault in the matter." 
 
 As they talked they walked in the direction of the 
 Vernon place. Presently they reached the entrance 
 to Idlewild and the sight of the fine old estate 
 quickly restored the young officer to his usual lively 
 spirits. The graveled path leading to the colonial 
 home was flanked on either side by splendid trees 
 that had been planted by generations of the Vernon 
 family. Vance Prescott, who was a lover of trees, 
 reveled in the presence of these great works of na- 
 ture. There was a freshness about them, and there 
 was a restlessness beneath their sheltering branches 
 that contrasted with the arid, artificial and feverish
 
 The Adventure Begins 21 
 
 life of the city. As they reached the head of the 
 walk an elderly man came down from the veranda 
 and approached the visitor with outstretched hands. 
 
 " Welcome to Idlewild, my boy! " he exclaimed. 
 
 " Thank you," was the hearty response as he re- 
 turned the hand-clasp, " and rest assured of my 
 appreciation of your telegram." 
 
 Professor Vernon smiled at the beaming counte- 
 nance of his young friend. 
 
 "Didn't I hear a shout a minute ago?" he in- 
 quired. " Have you been improving your vocal 
 chords on the way to the house ? " 
 
 "No, sir," eagerly interjected the faithful Barker; 
 " it was this way, sir. I couldn't get the car and 
 I" 
 
 " Professor," interrupted Vance, " it's simply 
 this. I was unfortunate enough to fall among 
 thieves, and Barker, in the role of the Good Samari- 
 tan, came to my rescue." 
 
 The Fourth Assistant Secretary of State looked 
 very grave. 
 
 " But why should any one want to rob you in 
 broad daylight ? " 
 
 " You forget," laughed the young man, " that 
 the shades of night are falling and that I bear on 
 my person the appearance of prosperity." 
 
 " I'm truly sorry," commented the host, " but Gil-
 
 22 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 bert and Count Castro, who is staying with us, have 
 evidently gone out in the machine. Otherwise, this 
 unfortunate incident might have been avoided. 
 But tell me all about it." 
 
 Vance related the story concisely enough and at 
 its conclusion the face of Francis Vernon looked 
 very grave indeed. He turned to the trusted serv- 
 ant. 
 
 " That's all at present, Barker, but you may send 
 word to Miss Hope that Captain Prescott has ar- 
 rived." 
 
 He put his arm through that of the young officer 
 and led him into a small study on the far side of 
 the house. They seated themselves in easy chairs 
 and the host pushed a box of cigars in the direction 
 of his visitor. 
 
 " Vance," he said thoughtfully. " I don't like this 
 business, but before we go any further I'd like to 
 know if you called at the State Department before 
 you came here." 
 
 " I did, and was received like a long-lost son. 
 My visit must have been opportune, for the Secre- 
 tary gave me a package which I was charged to 
 deliver into your hands." 
 
 " A package ! " ejaculated Vernon, stroking his 
 closely cropped white beard with a hand that trem- 
 bled slightly.
 
 The Adventure Begins 23 
 
 " Precisely," was the response, and, as he spoke, 
 the young man unbuttoned his coat and, reaching 
 inside, drew forth the oblong manila envelope with 
 the Seal of the State Department and laid it on the 
 table. 
 
 " This is to certify," he droned laughingly, " that 
 I, Vance Prescott, have duly delivered into the pos- 
 session of Francis Vernon, one package intrusted to 
 my care by the Secretary of State of the United 
 States Government." 
 
 But his host was not laughing. He reached for 
 the envelope with feverish haste. He quickly tore 
 the cover and drew forth a long green wallet, suffi- 
 ciently large to hold official papers. He opened 
 this and pulled forth a legal paper containing an 
 impressive looking seal. His hand trembled as he 
 replaced it and his brow wrinkled with obvious 
 anxiety. 
 
 " That contract here ! " he said to himself in a 
 hushed whisper. 
 
 His mood communicated itself to the young man. 
 Vance glanced across the table with a troubled smile. 
 
 " I hope everything is all right nothing miss- 
 ing?" 
 
 Francis Vernon roused himself with an effort. 
 
 " Nothing," he replied with a tinge of heartiness 
 in his voice, " and I am greatly indebted to you for
 
 24 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 bringing it to me safely. But, tell me, did the 
 Secretary give you any verbal message? " 
 
 " Yes, he said it was important to get the paper 
 out of the office and to tell you to guard it with your 
 life." 
 
 Professor Vernon nodded. 
 
 " I understand," he said, " I understand only too 
 well." 
 
 He looked up and noticed the door was open. 
 Arising, he closed it and turned the key. 
 
 " We can't be too careful," he apologized. " Did 
 the Secretary tell you the contents of the wallet? " 
 
 " No, but he said that if you cared to tell me he 
 had no objection." 
 
 The venerable one drummed nervously on the 
 top of the polished table. 
 
 " You're entitled to know after the risk you've 
 run." 
 
 "Risk?" 
 
 " Yes, my boy, risk. There are men who would 
 not hesitate to commit murder to get possession of 
 that paper. That's the meaning of those two sig- 
 nificant incidents that happened to you to-day. 
 The fellow who jostled you in Washington hoped 
 to steal the package and the man who attacked you 
 on the highway had the same object in view. But 
 they both failed, thanks to your courage "
 
 The Adventure Begins 25 
 
 " Yes," interrupted Vance, " and thanks to the 
 timely appearance of Barker." 
 
 Vernon smiled indulgently. 
 
 " Barker is one of the most faithful men I've ever 
 met. He's more like a loyal friend than a servant. 
 He has the run of the house. Gilbert thinks he 
 presumes on his position, but that's a minor matter 
 in my opinion." 
 
 The Professor placed the green wallet in the 
 paper cover and fastened it with a rubber band. 
 
 " It's wonderful," he mused, " to think that you 
 were able to bring it here. It means so much to all 
 of us. The loss of that paper would be the dead- 
 liest blow the United States could possibly receive 
 at this time." 
 
 Vance Prescott regarded his friend in silence for 
 some moments. 
 
 " Mr. Vernon," he said presently, " I have no de- 
 sire to pry into matters which do not concern 
 me" 
 
 " This paper concerns every American," inter- 
 rupted the Professor. 
 
 " Well, I mean to say that I do not want to ask 
 for your confidence if it is not permissible, but I 
 can't understand why such a valuable paper should 
 be allowed to leave the State Department. Surely 
 it would be safer there than in a country house."
 
 26 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Francis Vernon stroked his beard reflectively. 
 When he looked up it was to address the young man 
 in measured tones. 
 
 " That's a very fair question, and I can easily 
 understand your perplexity. The Secretary knows 
 why he did this, and I know it may be very hard 
 for you to get our point of view. On the surface, 
 my boy, everything appears to be going smoothly, 
 but only those who are entrusted with the secrets 
 of this war understand the odds against which we 
 have to work at times. The great mass of the peo- 
 ple are with us, heart and soul, in this righteous 
 war. But there are some who are disloyal at heart 
 and they give us much concern." 
 
 "You mean " began Vance. 
 
 " I mean," was the quick response, " that Wash- 
 ington is filled with spies, with men who will resort 
 to anything that will serve their selfish ends. Even 
 those who work with us have to be watched con- 
 stantly. We have reason for feeling that the State 
 Department, with its highly confidential diplomatic 
 facilities, has not been free from invasion. Papers 
 have been abstracted and copied. I tell you this 
 because I believe in your patriotism and loyalty as I 
 believe in my own." 
 
 "But this particular paper?" questioned Vance. 
 " Was it known generally ? "
 
 The Adventure Begins 27 
 
 " No," was the grave reply, "if it had been, all 
 of our plans would have gone for naught. But, 
 necessarily, it is known to a few persons and the 
 slightest indiscretion on their part might prove 
 fatal. Above all, the paper itself must not get out 
 of our possession. Hence the action of the Secre- 
 tary in sending it to me." 
 
 " But," protested Prescott, " it was locked in a 
 safe in Washington." 
 
 Vernon smiled sadly. 
 
 " Safes have been cracked before and locks 
 picked. The safe in the office of the Secretary 
 would be the first place to look for the document. 
 It would be the natural hiding place. But here, in 
 the country, no one would be supposed to dream of 
 such a thing. It is the most unlikely spot on earth 
 to deposit such a valuable document. The motive 
 of the Secretary in sending it to me is perfectly 
 understandable. I hope I've answered your ques- 
 tion. Have I made the situation clear ? " 
 
 Vance nodded. 
 
 " Yes, so far as the sending of the wallet to Idle- 
 wild is concerned. It seems to be the best place 
 for it. You think so yourself. Then why 
 worry? " 
 
 " I wouldn't if it hadn't been for your two Mexi- 
 cans. That introduces a new and unexpected ele-
 
 28 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ment of danger. It proves my contention that ev- 
 erything we do in Washington is watched. The 
 fact that the wallet was committed to your keeping 
 must have been made known at once." 
 
 " Well," declared Vance, in an attempt to take a 
 bright view of the situation, " it's still in your pos- 
 session. We've got the best of these rascals twice 
 and we can do it a third time." 
 
 Professor Vernon arose and took two or three 
 turns of the room. 
 
 " I'll never rest while it's under my roof," he de- 
 clared. 
 
 " What will you do with it? " 
 
 " I can't do anything with it now, but the first 
 thing in the morning I'll get you to go with me and 
 we'll deposit it in my safe deposit box in the village 
 bank. It's only two or three miles from here. 
 We'll slip away unobserved, and the paper can stay 
 there until the day appointed for its production." 
 
 " That sounds good, Professor," admitted Pres- 
 cott, " but, so far, you haven't told me what it's all 
 about." 
 
 "Bless my soul!" ejaculated the elderly one. 
 " I've been so much concerned with my part of the 
 trouble that I'd almost forgotten you had rights. 
 Sit down there. Light another cigar. You are 
 entitled to the information."
 
 The Adventure Begins 29 
 
 The Professor shoved the match case toward his 
 guest. He rilled a pipe with fine cut tobacco for 
 himself, and, lighting it, gave two or three luxuri- 
 ous puffs. 
 
 "It's a long story," he began, "but I'll try to 
 shorten it. When the war began it was ' 
 
 The sound of some one trying the handle of the 
 door caused him to halt in the beginning of his 
 narrative. 
 
 " Did you hear any one ? " he asked Vance, as he 
 laid his pipe on the ash-tray. 
 
 Before the young man could answer there came 
 three sharp raps on the door and the voice of some 
 one calling for Vance Prescott. 
 
 Francis Vernon made a wry face. 
 
 " Don't open the door yet," he warned ; " I've got 
 to put the wallet away." 
 
 He looked about him in perplexity for some mo- 
 ments and presently his gaze lighted on a walnut 
 cabinet standing in a corner of the study. His 
 face brightened with satisfaction. 
 
 " The very place," he declared in response to 
 Prescott's questioning glance. " I'll leave it there 
 for the night and in the morning we'll take it over 
 to the bank." 
 
 He produced a little key which opened the lower 
 part of the cabinet. He placed the manila envelope
 
 30 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 in one of the compartments, closed and locked the 
 door and replaced the key in the pocket of his smok- 
 ing jacket. 
 
 " That," he chuckled, " is where I keep my choice 
 liquors and cigars. No one in the house would dare 
 go near it. I think it was a deucedly clever idea 
 to think of putting it there." 
 
 He smiled at the thought of his own shrewdness. 
 Vance Prescott, on his part, felt a singular sense 
 of relief as he heard the key turn in the cabinet. 
 
 " Now," exclaimed the Professor, " you may 
 open the door for the intruder ! "
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 HOPE VERNON 
 
 WHEN the door of the study opened the two men 
 beheld Hope Vernon standing outside, her blue eyes 
 flashing fire, and the expression on her face a strug- 
 gle between curiosity and annoyance. Vance hur- 
 ried to her with outstretched hands : 
 
 " Hope," he cried eagerly, " I've just been dying 
 to get a glimpse of your face." 
 
 She took his hand, but the little nose was uptilted 
 the least bit as she retorted in a spirited manner : 
 
 " Indeed, and I suppose that was the reason you 
 shut yourself up in that stuffy, smelly room, instead 
 of coming to look for me in the house." 
 
 " But, Miss Hope, I had some matters to talk 
 over with your father, and I could scarcely wait 
 until we finished." 
 
 " Yes," chimed in the Professor, with a smile on 
 his usually grave face, " Captain Prescott was good 
 enough to listen to some of my prosy stories, for 
 which you should be grateful." 
 
 "Oh!" cried the girl, with the air of a spoiled
 
 32 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 daughter, " so that was why you kept me waiting 
 at the door. Telling stories to each other while I 
 cooled my heels outside." 
 
 " They are very pretty heels," murmured the 
 young man, with an appealing glance in the direc- 
 tion of his divinity. 
 
 Before she had time to make a retort, Francis 
 Vernon turned to the young man and said signifi- 
 cantly : 
 
 " After you have made your peace with my 
 daughter, come back and I'll finish the story." 
 
 Vance flashed him an understanding glance. 
 
 " Very well. I'm intensely interested, and I can 
 assure you I won't go to bed until I have heard 
 the end of the narrative." 
 
 He returned to the study, while Vance and Hope 
 made their way to the spacious veranda. A swing, 
 cozily cushioned and suspended by chains, invited 
 them to be seated. There, while they swayed to 
 and fro, he told her the old story, and she parried 
 his downright proposal of marriage with a clever- 
 ness that seems to be intuitive with members of 
 the gentler sex when it comes to matters of the 
 heart. The more she evaded his question the more 
 persistent he became. She smiled and pouted and 
 finally turned on him with 'one of those unexpected 
 flashes of the Vernon temper.
 
 Hope Vernon 33 
 
 " See here, Vance Prescott, you were invited 
 down here to add to the pleasure of this week-end 
 gathering. If you're going to make a nuisance of 
 yourself I'll regret sending the invitation." 
 
 Having delivered herself of the ultimatum she 
 turned her head resolutely the other way and sud- 
 denly became engrossed in the contemplation of the 
 avenue of trees with their colorful leaves, just be- 
 ginning to drip with the dew. 
 
 The ends of her auburn hair provokingly ca- 
 ressed the end of his nose and being a good- 
 natured nose it did not resent the familiarity in the 
 least. Vance smiled at the averted face and was 
 pleased to find that the countenance which he 
 thought he knew so well, presented alluring details 
 which he had not hitherto discerned. She had a 
 swan-like neck, for instance, and it was perched on 
 the most perfect shoulders he had ever seen. Her 
 complexion was not white it was rather fair 
 with just enough color to enhance the purity of the 
 skin. It was not precisely a beautiful face ; it might 
 be better described as a bright and interesting face. 
 Even in his infatuation he made this concession to 
 exact truth. But when she smiled she was not 
 smiling now you were sure to discover two dim- 
 ples in her cheek. It was good to provoke her to 
 mirth, for then the smile began in her blue eyes and
 
 34 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 i 
 
 gradually extended to the adorable mouth, which 
 
 was neither too small nor too large. 
 
 Vance touched a gold-headed pencil which she 
 had stuck in the back of her hair. She shook her 
 head as a protest against this liberty and he could 
 see then that the blue eyes which were usually as 
 mild as the surface of a lake had now become as 
 turbulent as the sea. He left the swing and began 
 to pace along the veranda. She watched him out 
 of the tail end of the angry eyes and she noticed 
 what a resolute young fellow he was, the way he 
 held back his broad shoulders, the laughter that 
 lurked in his eyes, and finally and most important of 
 all, the slight limp in his walk. That was a re- 
 minder of what he had done for his country and 
 therefore of what he had done for her. The fire 
 died from her eyes and a look of love and compas- 
 sion took its place. She ran after him, held his 
 arms behind his back and cried : 
 
 " If you'll promise never, never to propose to me 
 again, I'll forgive you." 
 
 He laughed his boyish laugh. 
 
 " I'll promise not to propose again to-night. 
 That's as far ahead as I'm willing to commit my- 
 self." 
 
 It was only natural, after that, to take a stroll 
 through the grounds. Hope cast seemingly care-
 
 Hope Vernon 35 
 
 less glances at Vance, and each time she was more 
 convinced than ever that he was the type of clean- 
 cut American that had always been her ideal. Oc- 
 casionally he became serious, and then she noticed 
 what she had previously discerned, that even when 
 his jaws were firmest the laughter lurked in the 
 depths of his brown eyes. A man to be reckoned 
 with, this, who could smile while he went about his 
 work with relentless fidelity. 
 
 Vance, on his part, could scarcely resist the desire 
 to fold her in his arms, she was so fair, so dainty 
 and so roguish. He compelled her to smile in order 
 to watch the dimples form in her cheek, and he 
 teased her for the sake of the spark of fire that was 
 sure to light up the blue eyes. Once the gold- 
 headed pencil slipped from her hair, and he rescued 
 it with the remark that it was not worthy of such 
 an adorable resting place. The color came to her 
 cheeks, while she rebuked him for talking nonsense. 
 The grounds were extensive and attractive, and it 
 was necessary, of course, that they should visit every 
 part of the place. A little summer house stood in 
 a far-away corner, and it was inevitable that they 
 should drift there. 
 
 " What are your plans? " she asked with an air of 
 pretended indifference, as they seated themselves 
 in the wicker chairs.
 
 36 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " My plans," he replied with a grimace, " are en- 
 tirely in the hands of the tyrants of the war depart- 
 ment. I think I have the right to return to France, 
 but they think my place is in Washington. That 
 has its advantages one of them being that at this 
 particular moment I have the privilege of being by 
 your side." 
 
 " Vance," she said severely, " please be sensi- 
 ble." 
 
 " How can I be sensible," he retorted, " when the 
 sight of you is turning my poor brain topsy- 
 turvy " 
 
 " If you don't stop such foolish talk," she inter- 
 rupted, with an air of great dignity, " I'll get up 
 and leave you here." 
 
 He lifted his hands in mock terror. 
 
 " All right," he pleaded, " I'll be good, only please 
 don't leave me." 
 
 " I'll admit that it is hard to be here while the 
 fighting is going on in France, but then you're not 
 the one to judge what is best." 
 
 " Maybe not," he said with a sigh, " but it's 
 mighty trying to spend your time rounding up long- 
 haired pacifists, shivering slackers, and wild-eyed 
 agitators when your pals are on the fighting front 
 doing real work. But it is comforting to be near 
 you, Hope."
 
 Hope Vernon 37 
 
 He was reaching over to take her hand when they 
 were attracted by the crunching of gravel on the 
 path leading to the summer house. Vance looked 
 intently in the direction of the newcomer. 
 
 " Well, bless my eyes, if it isn't Tommy War- 
 ner ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 Both arose to greet the dapper little man who was 
 coming jauntily along the path. Mr. Thomas War- 
 ner, star reporter on the Washington Planet, was a 
 cherubic-looking person with an unfailing flow of 
 good humor. He had stolen away from his work 
 for a few days in order to enjoy the hospitality of 
 Idlewild, and the sight of his old friend caused his 
 florid face to beam with genuine pleasure. 
 
 " What in the world are you doing here ? " he 
 cried, as he greeted Captain Prescott. 
 
 " Oh," was the laughing response, " they wanted 
 a celebrity to give tone to this party and I consented 
 to play the part." 
 
 " That's all right," was the grinning retort, " but 
 as one oyster said to the other when they met in 
 the church fair stew, ' What did they want with both 
 of us?'" 
 
 " See here, Tommy," warned Prescott, " I'm a 
 friend of yours, but I don't think it's fair to work 
 off your ancient jests on me." 
 
 " Why not? " queried the other. " They've been
 
 38 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 tried and proven, and they're better than any of the 
 new ones you fellows have in the army." 
 
 Warner was one of the shrewdest men in his pro- 
 fession. He had particularly distinguished himself 
 with the facility with which he had secured exclu- 
 sive news for his newspaper. With it all he was 
 known to be the soul of honor, and it was his boast 
 that his " scoops " were always the result of legiti- 
 mate industry. Vance had this in mind when he 
 said: 
 
 " I'm mightily glad to see you, Tommy, but I'm 
 afraid you will not get any exclusive news at Idle- 
 wild." 
 
 " See here, Vance Prescott," retorted the irre- 
 pressible one, " don't you think a newspaper man 
 ever forgets that he is a news gatherer? I came 
 down here for a rest, and I'll thank you if you will 
 call a halt on shop." 
 
 " But I thought the motto of your craft was, 
 ' We never sleep.' ' 
 
 " You're thinking of the Intelligence Bureau of 
 the War Department," was the quick shot of the 
 other; "the kind of newspaper men you have in 
 mind only exist in fiction or on the stage." 
 
 " Nevertheless, Mr. Warner," chimed in Hope, 
 " I've heard that you were one of the most desperate 
 men in the business. They tell me when you are
 
 Hope Vernon 39 
 
 on the trail of a bit of news you are like a blood- 
 hound that has had the taste of blood." 
 
 The cherubic one laughed heartily. He twirled 
 his eye glasses on the end of a string. 
 
 " It would be a shame, Miss Vernon, to spoil an 
 illusion of that kind. If you feel that way about 
 it I'll not be ungallant enough to contradict you." 
 
 Vance smiled in an indulgent manner at his news- 
 paper friend. 
 
 " Don't believe him, Hope. He's trying to make 
 you feel that he's a terrible fellow. But I can as- 
 sure you that you can talk with perfect freedom, and 
 that anything you say will be perfectly safe." 
 
 Warner held up a warning hand. 
 
 " Anything but that. I warn you not to tell me 
 anything in confidence, because I won't listen to it. 
 The deadliest foe a newspaper man can have is the 
 person who gives him an important bit of inside 
 information, and then assures him that it is told in 
 confidence. That's taking an unfair advantage of 
 a fellow. It puts him in the position of suppressing 
 the news. I've lost many a good story in that way, 
 and it makes me feel that it's a handicap to have 
 friends in high places. Professor Vernon is one 
 of the biggest sources of information in Washing- 
 ton, but I'd hate to have him give me anything 
 under the seal of confidence. I'm willing to take
 
 40 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 my chances in getting news, but I don't want any 
 strings tied to it when I get it. I hope you get my 
 point of view. Now, whatever you do, for the love 
 of goodness, don't tell me anything in confi- 
 dence." 
 
 They all joined in the laugh that followed this 
 exposition of the philosophy of news gathering as 
 expounded by Mr. Thomas Warner, of the Planet. 
 Having delivered himself in this manner, the news- 
 paper guest stroked his small, black mustache, and 
 gazed in an admiring way at his two friends. 
 
 " I'm afraid," he said, with twinkling eyes, " that 
 I've interrupted an important conference of the 
 powers. Pardon me, I'll withdraw." 
 
 " You'll do nothing of the kind," exclaimed Hope 
 energetically; "we were just about to return to the 
 house, and, if you don't mind, you may come 
 along." 
 
 " I don't mind in the least," replied the good- 
 natured and talkative one ; " it's not every day that 
 I have the opportunity of walking between a beauti- 
 ful girl and a war hero." 
 
 Vance shook his fist at Warner in mock anger. 
 
 " If I didn't love you so much, Tommy, I'd 
 slaughter you in your tracks." 
 
 The little man laughed until his whole body shook 
 with innocent merriment.
 
 Hope Vernon 41 
 
 " For an invalid, Vance, you seem to be in pretty 
 good form." 
 
 The trio strolled in the direction of the house, and 
 on the way Hope informed the two men that the 
 party was really a small one. Besides Prescott and 
 Warner the only other guests were May Ward, who 
 was engaged to marry Gilbert Vernon, the nephew 
 of Professor Vernon; and Count Castro, a South 
 American diplomat, who had made himself useful 
 to the Professor in looking after certain affairs for 
 the State Department. Miss Ward, she confided to 
 her friends, was an ardent patriot, so much so that 
 she had determined to become a nurse in France, 
 and was due to sail for the other side in the course 
 of a few days. 
 
 "It seems so strange/' said Hope, "that while 
 May is so ardently devoted to the cause of the war, 
 Gilbert is just the reverse. He is a loyal American 
 of course, but- he is full of dreamy theories concern- 
 ing the injustice of all wars. His talk troubles 
 father, but he loves the boy as though he were his 
 own son, and he is living in the hope that he may 
 wake up to the fact that it is a condition and not a 
 theory which confronts the United States at this 
 time." 
 
 On the veranda they met Miss Ward. She was 
 pretty, and full of life. Vance, when he was pre-
 
 42 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 sented to her, mentally decided that. she was as 
 dainty and appealing as a bit of Dresden china. 
 The fact that Prescott was a soldier and Warner a 
 journalist interested her immediately, and she plied 
 them with questions concerning the war. Her 
 face flushed when she spoke of the great work that 
 was being done by the boys from the United 
 States. 
 
 " What you say is true," said Vance feelingly, 
 " but I can assure you that the labor you are going 
 to undertake is even greater than that of the sol- 
 diers. I honor you for it, and I am sure you are 
 going to be a treasure." 
 
 She colored at the compliment and a moment 
 later gladly made an excuse to make her escape in 
 the company of Hope Vernon. The two men 
 watched the girls as they went into the house. 
 After they had gone Warner turned to Prescott. 
 
 " Vance," he remarked, with a quizzical look on 
 his red face, " how in the world can a spirited girl 
 like that take any stock in a slacker like young 
 Vernon?" 
 
 The officer shrugged his broad shoulders. 
 
 " There is no accounting for tastes," he replied, 
 " especially when it comes to a girl in love." 
 
 The talk drifted to other topics, and finally War- 
 ner announced that he would have to go to his room.
 
 Hope Vernon 43 
 
 Before he left he looked at his companion in a 
 significant way. 
 
 " You haven't got a big piece of news concealed 
 about your person, have you? You know I'm a bit 
 suspicious when I find an officer of the Intelligence 
 Bureau at the home of an Assistant Secretary of 
 State." 
 
 Vance laughed uneasily. 
 
 " Tommy, you surprise me. Can't a fellow take 
 a day off without being placed under suspicion by 
 the great American Press ? " 
 
 Warner laughed in turn, and left his friend. But 
 Prescott stood on the veranda for some time think- 
 ing. 
 
 " I wonder," he soliloquized, " if Tommy sus- 
 pects anything? "
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A STATE SECRET 
 
 A FEW minutes after parting with Warner Vance 
 found himself in the study of Professor Vernon. 
 The veteran diplomat was ill at ease. His first 
 move was to turn the key in the lock. 
 
 " Privacy seems impossible with a house full of 
 guests," he exclaimed pettishly, " but I hope they'll 
 leave us alone for a few minutes. I promised to tell 
 you about the contents of the green wallet and this 
 will probably be the only chance I'll have. Now, 
 if" 
 
 " Pardon me, Professor," interrupted Prescott, 
 " but I hope you'll understand that I don't expect 
 you to take me into your confidence unless you think 
 it necessary." 
 
 " I thought you'd be interested," was the rejoin- 
 der in a tone of disappointment. 
 
 " I am intensely. But I want you to know 
 that I am entirely at your disposal in the mat- 
 ter." 
 
 " In that case I'll tell you all. It will be a relief 
 44
 
 A State Secret 45 
 
 to me. There are some secrets, like troubles, that 
 can be more easily sustained when they are shared 
 with a trusted friend." 
 
 Francis Vernon still wore his wine-colored smok- 
 ing jacket. He searched nervously in the pockets 
 for the key of the walnut cabinet, and after he had 
 located it, not without some fumbling, went over 
 and opened the receptacle and brought forth the 
 package he had placed there an hour previously. 
 He tossed it on the table, and pointing to a chair 
 bade the young man be seated. He glanced about 
 him furtively as if he feared some hidden enemy. 
 None appeared, and he then brought forth the green 
 wallet and, opening it, pulled out a folded paper. It 
 proved to be two double sheets of parchment. He 
 spread them out carefully on the flat top table and 
 Vance noticed that each sheet contained an official 
 seal. 
 
 " My boy," he said impressively, " these scraps of 
 paper, as we may call them, would be worth mil- 
 lions of dollars to the Prussian Government. For 
 all I know, they may control the future destiny of 
 the world." 
 
 " What are they ? " asked Vance. 
 
 " They are contracts which give the Allied Gov- 
 ernments a monopoly of the oil fields of Mexico. 
 Now, perhaps you can understand why I have been
 
 46 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 charged to guard them as I would my life. You 
 can realize why I am so fearful lest they get out of 
 my possession." 
 
 "I I can't say that I do," was the hesitating 
 response ; " if they are legal and completed I don't 
 see what there is to worry about." 
 
 "Ah!" was the feverish response, "that's the 
 rub. They have not been completed, and until they 
 have been I will not know a peaceful moment." 
 
 Vance looked at his venerable friend with 
 surprise and wonder. The Assistant Secretary 
 laughed in spite of his anxiety. He pushed a box 
 of cigars in the direction of the young man. 
 
 " Light up and I'll try to explain myself." 
 
 He selected a Havana Perfecto for himself and 
 not until they were both blowing rings of smoke 
 about the little room did he resume the conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 " About a month ago," he said, contemplating 
 the ash on the end of his cigar, " we came to the 
 conclusion that we had reached the stage when 
 victory was in sight for the Allies. That did not 
 mean in a day, or a week, or a month, but even- 
 tually. There was only one thing that gave us any 
 concern and that was the question of fuel for the 
 American Navy, and for the Navies of Great Brit- 
 ain, France and Italy. As you are probably aware,
 
 A State Secret 47 
 
 oil is the fuel that is now used in most of the great 
 battleships of the world. It is not only utilized as 
 the motor power for vessels but it is the means by 
 which we create those wonderful smoke screens 
 which hide the men-of-war from the sight of the 
 enemy. We needed enormous quantities of this 
 particular kind of oil, not alone for the transports 
 and their escorts which have been carrying millions 
 of our boys across the ocean to fight for the free- 
 dom of the world, but also for the ships in the event 
 of a great naval battle." 
 
 " But," interrupted Vance, " the navy of the 
 enemy has been bottled up practically since the be- 
 ginning of the war." 
 
 " Precisely," said the venerable one, his eyes glis- 
 tening with excitement. " We have been satisfied 
 that the Huns were beaten, or would be beaten on 
 land. We have had private and confidential infor- 
 mation that, driven to desperation, they would stake 
 everything on a gigantic naval battle. In a word, 
 we have always felt the possibility of their making 
 a final dash for freedom on the seas. Personally, I 
 have felt that they would be too yellow to fight. 
 But there is always the chance that they might come 
 out. In that event we wished our vessels to be am- 
 ply supplied with this fuel. Mind you, I don't say 
 that we did not have a reasonable supply on hand.
 
 48 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 But it was imperative that we should be absolutely 
 sure of an unlimited supply and that the enemy 
 should be just as certain not to have it." 
 
 " I begin to see," conceded Vance, nodding his 
 head comprehendingly. 
 
 " I thought you would," was the grateful re- 
 sponse. " Now," holding up the finger of his right 
 hand to drive home the point, " you will realize, 
 first, that we had to have this fuel for our trans- 
 ports and their escorts, and, secondly, for use in 
 case of a great naval battle. That being the case 
 where would we get this unlimited supply? " 
 
 " I don't know," was the dubious reply, " possibly 
 in Texas, maybe in Pennsylvania." 
 
 "Wrong!" was the triumphant retort. "The 
 oil in those places would not begin to fill the bill. 
 The one place on this side of the ocean was Mexico. 
 By a rare stroke of fortune a great field of oil was 
 discovered in the neighborhood of Tampico. It 
 has been gushing forth by the millions of barrels. 
 The Government of the United States immediately 
 proceeded to take steps to secure that oil. I need 
 not tell you the strained relations between this coun- 
 try and Mexico made the task a difficult and a deli- 
 cate one. I was honored by being given the com- 
 mission to make a contract with the Mexican Gov- 
 ernment. At that stage of the game I was lucky
 
 A State Secret 
 
 enough to come in contact with Count Castro 
 
 " The gentleman who is now your guest at Idle- 
 wild ? " interrupted Vance. 
 
 " The same. He is a Spanish-American diplo- 
 mat, a sort of a soldier of fortune, who has friendly 
 relations with all of the South American Govern- 
 ments and entangling alliances with none of them. 
 I gave him an incentive to work with me. He was 
 offered a handsome commission to act as an agent 
 or a go-between in the matter." 
 
 " Did he accept did he succeed ? " asked Pres- 
 cott. 
 
 " Beyond our wildest expectations. Under the 
 new Mexican Constitution the Government took 
 possession of these oil wells. Manuel Velasque, 
 the Minister of the Interior, was given full power 
 to lease the wells or sell the oil. We needed the 
 oil. Mexico needed our money. The situation 
 was all that could be desired. To make things bet- 
 ter still, Count Castro knew Velasque, and, after 
 some parleying, and an advance payment, we were 
 able to come to terms and to draw up a satisfactory 
 contract." 
 
 Vance was silent and thoughtful. Presently he 
 said: 
 
 " Professor, as long as you have progressed to 
 such a point how is it that you did not finish the
 
 50 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 contract by attaching the signature of some author- 
 ized official of the United States? " 
 
 " Well put, my boy, but it is just here that the 
 most interesting part of the story presents itself. 
 To make it clear I must tell you that we are frankly 
 disliked by many of the Mexicans. Yes, I know 
 what you would say, that we are their friends if 
 they would only give us a chance, and all of that, 
 but the misunderstanding is there, and it can't be 
 wiped out in a day. Well, the Mexican Minister 
 of the Interior was a little bit chary about dealing 
 with us at first. He knew the country needed the 
 money, and that it was a good business deal for 
 Mexico from every point of view, but he thought 
 of the day when it would become public property, 
 and he knew that it would not enhance the popular- 
 ity of a government that hasn't been any too popu- 
 lar anyhow. It was then that the big idea took 
 root. We lifted the whole business to an interna- 
 tional plane we made it a world affair. It was 
 suggested that Great Britain, France, Italy and the 
 United States should become parties to the con- 
 tract, that they should severally and jointly be- 
 come responsible for its fulfillment." 
 
 " How was that received ? " asked Vance. 
 
 " With open arms," replied the Professor, " if 
 I may use such a metaphor in such a connection.
 
 A State Secret 51 
 
 It was flattering to the pride of Sefior Velasque 
 that his signature should appear upon a great con- 
 tract in company with that of the American Secre- 
 tary of State, and that of the British, French and 
 Italian Ambassadors. It did not take long after 
 that to complete the Mexican end of the transac- 
 tion. It was signed, sealed and delivered, so far 
 as they -were concerned. You will notice the great 
 seal of Mexico on the document there, and the sig- 
 nature of the Secretary of the Interior, duly attested 
 by two competent witnesses. It now became nec- 
 essary to secure the other signatures as soon as pos- 
 sible, and that is where the first delay came in." 
 
 " Surely," commented Prescott, " they did not 
 hesitate about signing such a necessary contract." 
 
 " Not at all, but, unfortunately, we could not 
 assemble our star cast on short notice. The British 
 Ambassador had died, as you may recall, and his 
 successor had not yet reached Washington. The 
 French Ambassador was off in the West, making 
 patriotic speeches, and the Italian representative 
 was in California. They have all been communi- 
 cated with, and they are expected in Washington in 
 a short while. In the meanwhile the Secretary of 
 State, wishing to surround the ceremony with a 
 touch of sentiment, decided that the Ambassadors 
 should meet in his office, and sign the pact on the
 
 52 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania, which 
 will occur on the seventh of May." 
 
 " That," remarked Vance, making a mental cal- 
 culation, " is seven days from now." 
 
 " Precisely, and I wish it were to-morrow, in- 
 stead of a week. Goodness knows what may hap- 
 pen in the meantime." 
 
 " Surely," was the laughing reply, " nothing can 
 happen in that time." 
 
 " Ah, my boy, don't fool yourself. We are liv- 
 ing in unbelievable times. Anything improbable 
 may happen in these days. Think of the whole 
 world at war. Who would have believed such a 
 thing five years ago? Imagine the Czar of Russia 
 being dethroned over night, afterward executed like 
 a common criminal. Consider Russia in the throes 
 of a revolution, beside which the French Reign of 
 Terror was as nothing, and then tell me that the 
 unusual is not likely to happen. You are young 
 and hopeful, but I look for much sadness before the 
 world finally adjusts itself to the new conditions." 
 
 " You're right as usual," conceded Prescott, 
 " but I am still puzzled to understand why the docu- 
 ment was taken from its safe hiding place in Wash- 
 ington and brought here." 
 
 " I thought I had made that clear," was the re- 
 ply, a trifle wearily. " We began to feel uneasy a
 
 A State Secret 53 
 
 week ago when some important papers were taken 
 from the Department. It is known that the con- 
 tract was in the safe, and there are reckless men 
 who would take big chances for a prize of this kind. 
 I'm satisfied that some new causes for alarm have 
 arisen and that is why the Secretary sent the con- 
 tract to me." 
 
 " So that is the story of the green wallet," mused 
 Vance. 
 
 " Yes so far as it has gone," replied the As- 
 sistant Secretary of State, " and I want to say that 
 the mere telling of it has been a relief to me. I feel 
 now that the responsibility has been shared with 
 you." 
 
 " That's a cheerful way to look at it," laughed 
 the young man, " and in any event you may count 
 on me to the extent of my ability." 
 
 The two men smoked in silence for some time. 
 Prescott was thinking of the remarkable story that 
 had been related to him, while the venerable one 
 was mentally picturing himself in the act of deposit- 
 ing the contract in his safe deposit box in the local 
 bank on the following morning. 
 
 " I don't suppose," said Vance presently, " that 
 you anticipate any difficulty from the Mexican end 
 of the line. They've signed and that settles that 
 part of the transaction."
 
 54 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I'm not so sure of that. So far as Velasque is 
 concerned all is well. But the Prussians conduct a 
 constant propaganda in Mexico, and if it leaks out 
 that such a contract has been made, influence may 
 be brought to bear upon the President of that 
 country to nullify it. A thousand things may hap- 
 pen, and I, for one, will not feel easy until the busi- 
 ness has been legally completed." 
 
 " But the United States might go and take the 
 oil anyhow." 
 
 " Ah ! " was the retort with a pathetic smile, 
 " the United States does not do business that way. 
 One of the reasons we are fighting this war is to 
 demonstrate the sacredness of a scrap of paper, 
 once it has been legally executed. We couldn't 
 and wouldn't place ourselves in the position of do- 
 ing that which we condemn in an adversary." 
 
 " Certainly not, certainly not," admitted Vance 
 hastily; " I didn't mean to suggest anything of the 
 sort. I was only trying to anticipate every pos- 
 sible contingency, and to wonder what might be 
 possible under any condition that might arise." 
 
 " Well," was the emphatic comment, " the con- 
 tingency at which you hint will never be permitted 
 to arise in this country." 
 
 " Does any one in the house know the contract 
 is here ? "
 
 A State Secret 55 
 
 " Certainly not," was the positive reply, " we two 
 are the only ones that have any idea the paper is at 
 Idlewild." 
 
 " That was my understanding," agreed Vance, 
 " but I was wondering if you had taken Count Cas- 
 tro into your confidence, and whether you had any 
 reason to question his disinterestedness." 
 
 A shade of displeasure crossed the face of Fran- 
 cis Vernon. 
 
 " Count Castro is a guest in my house, and " 
 
 " Please do not misunderstand me," pleaded 
 Vance. " You have volunteered this information, 
 and I simply wanted as much light on the subject as 
 possible." 
 
 " Well, I can simply repeat that the Count does 
 not know that the paper has been brought to Idle- 
 wild. You will be presented to him as another of 
 my guests as you are. So far as he is concerned 
 I should say that it is entirely to his interest to see 
 that the contract is completed. As I have told 
 you, he is to receive a handsome commission for his 
 part in bringing it about, but he will not get this un- 
 til the signatures of the representatives of all of the 
 powers have been attached to the paper." 
 
 "That makes the matter quite clear," said Pres- 
 cott, seeking to mollify his friend, "and we know 
 just where we stand."
 
 56 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 It was dusk by this time, but the two men had 
 been so deeply interested that the lights had not 
 been turned on in the study. There was one win- 
 dow in the room and from this could be seen the 
 trees and shrubbery in the garden. The Professor, 
 who had been pacing the room during the latter 
 part of the conversation, now approached the table 
 and folded up the momentous document. He re- 
 placed it in the green wallet, and deposited it in the 
 official envelope. Vance remained seated while the 
 Professor went to the corner of the room, and go- 
 ing down on one knee, placed it in the walnut cab- 
 inet. He locked the receptacle and put the key in 
 his pocket. At that moment Prescott was con- 
 scious of a shadow crossing the room. He was sure 
 they were alone, but the momentary flash gave him 
 a sense of uneasiness. He looked up, and he could 
 have sworn that he saw a face flattened against the 
 window. 
 
 He rose agitatedly. 
 
 " Professor ! " he shouted, " do you see any one 
 out there?" 
 
 Vernon looked in the direction indicated, and 
 turned to the young man with a glance of sur- 
 prise. 
 
 " I don't see a thing," he replied. 
 
 Both men hurried to the door and thence out
 
 A State Secret 57 
 
 into the grounds. They walked to the outside of 
 the window, and then made a circuit of the house. 
 But the grounds were deserted, and as far as they 
 could see no one was in sight.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 VANCE DISCOVERS A RIVAL 
 
 IT was just before dinner that Vance was pre- 
 sented to Count Castro, and, in spite of his pre-dis- 
 position against the man, he found himself strongly 
 attracted to him. He was tall, thin, erect and with 
 the quickness of a fox in his movements. He had 
 dark brown skin, a hawk-like nose, and little, sharp 
 beady eyes that seemed to take in everything at a 
 glance. He held out a long, lean hand to Prescott, 
 and the young man, almost unconsciously, noted 
 that it was supple and strong. 
 
 " This is a real pleasure," he said, bowing low, 
 " to meet a hero of the great war." 
 
 " Not a hero," corrected Vance stiffly, " but one 
 who is home when he should be on the firing line." 
 
 The count shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " You Americans," he said playfully, " you so 
 dislike to hear praise. But why? If a man paints 
 a great picture he is eager for the praise of the 
 critics. If he composes an opera he longs for the 
 applause of the audience Why should a soldier 
 
 58
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 59 
 
 be different? In his way he is greater than the 
 other two. He rights in defense of his country." 
 
 " I am not a soldier by profession," protested the 
 young man, feeling at a curious disadvantage with 
 the smooth-tongued foreigner. " I simply joined 
 the army like thousands of my countrymen 
 when war was declared." 
 
 " But Miss Hope tells me you have shed your 
 blood for your cause for the cause in which we 
 are all enlisted." 
 
 Vance was annoyed. He tried to conceal his ir- 
 ritation. He chose to do so by changing the con- 
 versation. 
 
 " I understand that you are a Mexican, Count? " 
 
 Castro bowed. 
 
 " I was born in that unhappy country and I still 
 have friends and relatives there, but most of my life 
 has been spent in other parts of South America 
 especially in Argentine." 
 
 " Your talk indicates a familiarity with English 
 speaking countries." 
 
 " Ah, yes," conceded the Count spreading out the 
 palms of his hands. " I have spent much time in 
 London and in your own beautiful City of Wash- 
 ington." 
 
 Vance felt a sort of fascination in watching the 
 man. He was dressed with great precision. He
 
 60 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 wore a violet in the button hole of his coat and it 
 rested there as though that were the one place in 
 the world it was intended to ornament. He had 
 a habit of reaching for his chin as if to stroke a 
 beard, and then seeming surprised at not rinding 
 it. He was all animation, talking and gesticulating 
 at the same time. It was impossible not to be in- 
 terested in the Spanish-American with the face of 
 a fox, the hands of a woman and the manners of 
 a dancing master. He was sly, he was subtle, and 
 yet he gradually won your confidence with his air 
 of frankness. 
 
 It was at the moment dinner was announced that 
 Gilbert Vernon entered the room and approached 
 the two men. Instantly the Count was at atten- 
 tion. 
 
 " My dear Captain Prescott," he said, with one 
 of his impressive gestures, " it becomes my pleasure 
 to present you to Mr. Gilbert Vernon, the nephew 
 of our honored host." 
 
 Vance put out his hand to the newcomer. 
 
 " An introduction is hardly needed," he said, 
 " we've met before." 
 
 " Yes," murmured the other, not very graciously, 
 "we've met before." 
 
 Vance had taken the young man's hand in his 
 own with a hearty grasp, but there was no respon-
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 61 
 
 sive grip from Vernon. It was like holding a fish 
 that had ceased to struggle. For the rest of it Gil- 
 bert Vernon was not unpleasant to look upon. He 
 was smooth-faced, sallow complexioned, dreamy- 
 eyed and absent-minded. The tortoise-shell spec- 
 tacles he wore served to accentuate a certain oddity 
 in his appearance and manners. 
 
 May Ward stole up to him shyly as the greetings 
 were going on and the two of them went in the din- 
 ing room together. The Count gazed after them 
 with an adoring glance. 
 
 " How touching it is, my dear Captain Prescott, 
 to, see two hearts that beat as one, two minds with 
 but a single thought." 
 
 " Yes," retorted Vance, thoughtlessly, " but in 
 this case the two minds do not seem to think alike 
 in everything." 
 
 " Ah," replied the dark-skinned one, " you no 
 doubt refer to my young friend's views upon social 
 conditions. He is radical, I admit it, he is radical 
 but age will bring with it a sobering influence. But 
 he has a great heart, Captain ; a heart as big as his 
 body." 
 
 After the dinner was under way, the South 
 American proved to be the life of the company. 
 Vance was too much occupied with feasting his 
 eyes on Hope to pay very great attention to the meal
 
 62 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 or the conversation. But presently he became the 
 target for Tommy Warner's wit, and after that he 
 had to be on the alert to ward off the verbal bom- 
 bardment. Professor Vernon joined in the talk at 
 intervals but he was plainly depressed and pre-occu- 
 pied. He watched his nephew as though he feared 
 an outbreak from that quarter. It came sooner 
 than he had anticipated. Some one had been glori- 
 fying the work of the soldiers. 
 
 " Well, if you want my candid opinion," said Gil- 
 bert Vernon, glowering at the company through the 
 thick glass of his spectacles, "I think the very 
 worst use you can put a man to, is to make him a 
 soldier." 
 
 " Oh, Gilbert! " cried May Ward, " how can you 
 say such a thing ? " 
 
 " Never mind him, Miss Ward," interposed 
 Vance; " he's just indulging in rhetoric." 
 
 "No, I'm not," was the obstinate retort. "I 
 don't believe in war I believe in construction and 
 not in destruction." 
 
 " Now I know you're just juggling with words," 
 cried Prescott, still in a bantering tone, " you might 
 as well say you do not believe in the weather or the 
 tides, as to say you do not believe in war. War is 
 a condition and not a theory and has to be faced. 
 Now, if you mean to say you do not like war, that's
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 63 
 
 a different thing and I agree with you heartily." 
 
 " But if men refused to fight there would be no 
 war," asserted Gilbert sullenly. 
 
 " Yes," replied Vance, " but there are worse 
 things than fighting and one of them is to submit to 
 injustice. You say you don't believe in war. You 
 don't believe in injustice, do you? " 
 
 " I contend," said the young theorist, " that there 
 isn't any wrong that can't be adjusted by arbitra- 
 tion." 
 
 "Well, that's where we differ," came the hot 
 retort; "if some brute came into your house and 
 murdered your mother and sister you wouldn't 
 write him a polite letter and ask him to submit the 
 matter to arbitration, would you ? Yet that's whatf 
 some white-livered people would have done when 
 our women and children were murdered on the 
 Lusitania" 
 
 "You're putting words in my mouth. I haven't 
 tried to justify that crime. We have declared war, 
 and, as an American, I stand by my country. But 
 that doesn't mean that I wouldn't favor an honor- 
 able peace." 
 
 " Peace with a murderer wouldn't be honorable. 
 It would be disgraceful." 
 
 Professor Vernon looked distressed at the turn 
 the conversation had taken: Hope, with flushed
 
 64 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 face, gazed steadily at her plate. It was Count 
 Castro who endeavored to pour oil on the troubled 
 waters. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said soothingly, " you are both 
 right. You don't however seem to get the point of 
 view of my young friend. He is an idealist, and 
 idealists are nearly always misunderstood." 
 
 Gilbert gave him a grateful look and addressed 
 his conversation to him. 
 
 " My idea," he said, " is if justice were estab- 
 lished in the world we would have no war. Our 
 trouble in this country is that we have millionaires 
 on the one hand with their palaces and motor cars 
 and on the other millions of paupers starving to 
 death." 
 
 " That's nonsense, Gilbert," interposed Professor 
 Vernon quietly. 
 
 " It's not nonsense," cried the other vehemently ; 
 " the workingman hates his employer ; he does his 
 work under protest because he feels he is being 
 robbed of his just share, and this inequality is up- 
 held by the majority because the press, the schools 
 and the church are owned by the capitalists." 
 
 " You are indulging in mere figures of speech, 
 Gilbert," said Tommy Warner, joining in the con- 
 versation. " I work on a newspaper that is not 
 controlled by capitalists. It is a perfectly legiti-
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 65 
 
 mate enterprise, and I know it is the aim of the 
 owner to give his readers the truth, to the best of 
 his ability. There are hundreds of such news- 
 papers. Your other assertions are just as baseless. 
 You can't prove that there are millions of paupers 
 in this country. As for workingmen and employ- 
 ers, I can truthfully say that the workingman of to- 
 day may be the millionaire of to-morrow. In this 
 favored land many of them began without a dollar, 
 without any capital except brains and energy. We 
 have evils to cure, but they can't be cured by vis- 
 ionary schemes." 
 
 " Bravo," cried little May Ward, clapping her 
 hands, " you're an orator, Mr. Warner." 
 
 At this point in the conversation, Gilbert Vernon 
 tossed his napkin aside with a scowl and, rising, left 
 the room. A strained silence followed the exhibi- 
 tion of ill manners. It was Count Castro who par- 
 tially relieved the situation. 
 
 " Our young friend means well, ladies and gen- 
 tlemen," he said, apologetically, " but, as you can 
 see, he is temperamental, and persons with a tem- 
 perament must not be too hastily judged. If you 
 will pardon me, I will set things right." 
 
 And with a graciousness that was not to be de- 
 nied he bowed, arose and followed Gilbert from 
 the room. The talk proceeded with fits and starts
 
 66 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 after that and every one was relieved, a few minutes 
 later, when Professor Vernon gave the signal to 
 leave the table. 
 
 After dinner when most of the guests had as- 
 sembled in the roomy living room, the discussion 
 proceeded in a desultory way. But presently May 
 Ward took her place at the piano and attention was 
 distracted from the unpleasant subject. Professor 
 Vernon seemed to be relieved and at the first oppor- 
 tunity he took Vance to one side and spoke to hin: 
 with deep feeling. 
 
 " My boy," he said, " I hope you will not get any 
 false impressions from what has been said to-night. 
 I'm sure Gilbert is loyal to the backbone, but he 
 has been carried away by his foolish theories and he 
 is led to say things he does not mean. I " 
 
 " Professor," interrupted Prescott, " the fact 
 that he is your nephew and that I am in your house 
 is sufficient for me. I would not dream of finding 
 disloyalty at the fountain head of loyalty." 
 
 " I'm so glad you feel that way," said the As- 
 sistant Secretary of State with evident relief. 
 " I'm intensely interested in this war and my 
 nephew's idiosyncracies give me great pain. There 
 never has been a war, since the Revolution, in which 
 a Vernon has not played an honorable part. All 
 of the male members of the family are extinct
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 67 
 
 those of army age except Gilbert, and his failure 
 to go with the army or navy fills me with secret 
 shame. He is not legally a slacker because his de- 
 fective eye-sight has caused him to be placed in a 
 deferred class. But were I his age, I'd throw 
 away my spectacles and nothing could keep me 
 from the fighting front." 
 
 " Perhaps there is a reason in his case," sug- 
 gested Vance gently. 
 
 " There is an explanation, and I've never told it 
 to any one else. My brother, who was Gilbert's 
 father, was a Captain in the United States Army 
 during the Spanish-American War. He was shot 
 and killed at the Battle of Santiago. My sister 
 had been ill for some time an affection of the 
 heart and when the news was broken to her sud- 
 denly, she dropped dead. Gilbert was thus left an 
 orphan under tragic circumstances. He was just 
 old enough to realize the horror of the thing, and 
 I don't believe he has ever entirely recovered from 
 the shock. I brought him to my home and I have 
 raised him as I would my own son. But he still 
 broods over it and he has conceived an abnormal fear 
 of warfare. Now, you know his history, and you 
 may be able to find an excuse for his talk." 
 
 " Most assuredly I do," was the hearty response. 
 " I only wish I had the chance to show him my sym-
 
 68 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 pathy. Perhaps, eventually, he may overcome his 
 morbidness and look at both peace and war in their 
 true light." 
 
 " Perhaps, perhaps ! " sighed the older man, " but 
 I've almost given up hope. He's drifted into the 
 question of social injustice and that hasn't im- 
 proved his disposition. God knows there are 
 wrongs enough to be righted but we can't right one 
 wrong by committing a second wrong. We must 
 have government of some kind and a curb to the 
 passions of men. The theories Gilbert advocates 
 would lead to anarchy. If proof of that be needed 
 we only have to turn to Russia." 
 
 "Don't worry about Gilbert," counseled Vance; 
 " he'll come all right in time." 
 
 " I hope so, but he feels that the world's all 
 wrong and that he was born to set it right. Brood- 
 ing of that kind leads to insanity. However, I'm 
 going to try and be cheerful about it. Some great 
 shock may make him normal just as the other shock 
 made him abnormal." 
 
 " This war should be shock enough for any one," 
 suggested Prescott. 
 
 " It's more than enough for me," said Vernon 
 with a sad smile, " but if I'm not placed in a false 
 light by the boy's talk I'll be satisfied." 
 
 At this point May Ward approached the two men.
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 69 
 
 Professor Vernon excused himself in order to 
 mingle with his guests. The girl turned to the 
 young officer with a wistful smile. 
 
 " Captain Prescott," she said, " I can't tell you 
 how much I admire your robust Americanism. 
 You've proven it too by going to the front. I'm 
 sure you fear no man " 
 
 " But," interrupted Vance with a bow, " I do 
 fear the compliments of a pretty girl." 
 
 She flushed. 
 
 " I hope you don't think I'm indulging in cheap 
 compliments. I mean what I say or I wouldn't say 
 it. It thrills me to see a man who will cheerfully 
 fight for his country." 
 
 Vance bowed, 
 
 " And it delights me to see a woman who is win- 
 ing to make a sacrifice for her country a woman 
 like yourself." 
 
 Her cheeks were rosy by this time. 
 
 " I'm sure you're not laughing at me, Captain 
 Prescott." 
 
 " Indeed I'm not," he said with unmistakable 
 sincerity. " I feel that the work you are going to 
 undertake is just as brave as that of any soldier." 
 
 " Ah, I didn't mean that," she said hastily ; " I 
 was speaking of the fine way you stood up for loy- 
 alty. I I feel grateful for your attitude toward
 
 70 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Gilbert. You refuted his foolish talk, but you were 
 not unkind to him. Believe me, Captain, he has a 
 generous heart and if the crisis comes he will give 
 a good account of himself." 
 
 " I understand, Miss Ward," responded Vance 
 gently, " and I admire your faith in the young fel- 
 low." 
 
 Presently they drifted to other topics and found 
 one another quite congenial. While they chatted 
 Vance glanced around the room. The company 
 had unconsciously divided itself into pairs. Hope 
 Vernon and Count Castro were talking to one an- 
 other in animated tones. It was evident that he 
 was urging her to play the piano. She protested at 
 first, but presently yielded, and he led her to the in- 
 strument with all the ceremony of a subject toward 
 his sovereign. Hope chose a selection from 
 Robin Hood and played with a spirit and dash 
 that brought applause from the entire company. 
 The Count leaned over and taking her by the 
 hand congratulated her effusively on her perform- 
 ance. 
 
 " Somehow," said Miss Ward, " I have a feeling 
 of distrust toward the Count." 
 
 Vance, who had been watching the scene with 
 jealous eyes, tried to speak impartially. 
 
 " Perhaps that is just a prejudice because he is a
 
 Vance Discovers a Rival 71 
 
 foreigner if you can call a South American a 
 foreigner in the United States." 
 
 " No," she replied, perching her head on one 
 side in a judicial manner, " I don't think it's that. 
 I think an awful lot of Hope Vernon and that's 
 probably why I don't like the Count." 
 
 Vance laughed outright. 
 
 " That sounds like feminine logic." 
 
 Hope and the Count had seated themselves on 
 a couch on the other side of the room and the fox- 
 like one was devoting himself to her with lover-like 
 attention. If she disliked it, she gave no evidence 
 of the fact. She hid her head behind her large 
 fan and whispered to him, and Castro, in turn, 
 spoke to her in a confidential manner, and with ex- 
 pressive outspreading of the hands. In spite of 
 himself Vance felt a curious contraction of the 
 heart. If any one had told him that he was jealous 
 he would have laughed that one to scorn yet how 
 account for this strange sensation? The voice of 
 May Ward aroused him from his reverie. 
 
 " I don't think they are fitted for each other at 
 all that's my opinion." 
 
 " Fitted for each other ? " queried Vance with 
 surprise on his frank countenance ; " why should 
 they be?" 
 
 " Well," was the retort, " when a man and
 
 72 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 woman contemplate matrimony, they should have 
 some traits in common." 
 
 Captain Prescott felt a numbness about the heart. 
 He was perfectly conscious and yet the room and 
 the occupants took on a different aspect. He spoke 
 and the sound was like the voice of another man. 
 
 " How how do you know they they con- 
 template " 
 
 "Well," said the brisk little lady, " maybe I 
 shouldn't put it just that way, but Gilbert told me 
 that Count Castro had gone to Professor Vernon 
 and asked his permission to pay attention to Hope." 
 
 "And and what did he say?" asked Vance, 
 with the sensation of a man who is drowning. 
 
 "Well," chirped the young woman, "if he's like 
 most American fathers, he'll refer the gentleman to 
 his daughter." 
 
 The laughter and chatter went on as before and 
 everybody seemed to be having an enjoyable even- 
 ing. But Vance Prescott sat there like a man who 
 has suddenly lost the power of speech.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 A WARNING FROM BARNES 
 
 PROFESSOR VERNON and Vance Prescott sat up 
 late that night. They had many things to talk 
 about. With the older man it was the Mexican 
 contract. With the young officer it was Hope Ver- 
 non. He approached the subject with some mis- 
 givings. If there was an engagement between 
 Hope and the Count, it would be impertinent for 
 him to speak. And if there was not well, it 
 called for delicacy and diplomacy. A reference to 
 May Ward and Gilbert Vernon gave Vance his op- 
 portunity. 
 
 " Count Castro seems to have a great admiration 
 for your daughter." 
 
 A spasm of pain crossed the countenance of the 
 Assistant Secretary. 
 
 " Yes," he admitted, with a gesture of annoy- 
 ance. " I'm sorry to say that Castro has spoken 
 to me about Hope." 
 
 " Why sorry ? " asked Prescott. 
 
 " Well," was the slow reply of the man who 
 73
 
 74 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 weighed his words with care, " I don't altogether 
 think they are suited to one another. There is a 
 difference in age, nationality and and tempera- 
 ment. Both Count Castro and Hope are exceed- 
 ingly temperamental and two persons of that kind 
 are not likely to be happy. Are they?" 
 
 Vance shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "I I'm afraid I wouldn't be a disinterested wit- 
 ness in this particular case." 
 
 Vernon looked at him sharply. 
 
 " You are interested in Hope ? " he queried. 
 
 " Very, very much. More so than is good for 
 my peace of mind. But what's the use of talking 
 about it if she cares for Castro?" 
 
 " Who said she cared for him ? " 
 
 " Well," stammered Vance, " that is I mean 
 she acted in that way." 
 
 " Don't jump at conclusions," growled the white- 
 haired one. 
 
 Prescott rose from his chair and going over to 
 Vernon took his hands impulsively. 
 
 " You mean there is hope for me ! " he exclaimed 
 fervently. 
 
 " I didn't say anything of the kind," he retorted 
 with good-natured sarcasm. " Just sit down and 
 try to be rational. I can tell you this : Hope will 
 not engage to marry any one without informing me
 
 A Warning from Barnes 75 
 
 of the fact. She has not yet given me any such 
 information. On the other hand, I propose to leave 
 her free to select her own husband. She is of age 
 or nearly of age she has been given the best of 
 training and her future life must rest with herself. 
 Yet for the reasons I mentioned a few moments 
 ago I would be sorry to have her marry Count 
 Castro. But in defense of that gentleman I will say 
 that there are scores of girls in Washington who 
 would be only too glad to share his companionship 
 and his title. So far as I am aware there is nothing 
 to be said against his character. Indeed, I am un- 
 der some obligations to him. He has made it pos- 
 sible for me to secure this contract with the Mexi- 
 can Government and I feel grateful." 
 
 " But that would not make you favor his suit 
 for Miss Hope's hand?" suggested Vance bluntly. 
 
 " Not at all," was the frank reply, " but, on the 
 other hand, I shall not feel justified in saying or 
 doing anything against him. He is a guest in my 
 house, like yourself, and he shall be treated fairly 
 and decently." 
 
 " In other words you propose to remain neu- 
 tral?" 
 
 " You have said it, my boy. The phrase is diplo- 
 matic, but it fits the case exactly. You both have 
 a fair field and no favor. May the best man win
 
 76 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 and I don't mind telling you that I regard you as 
 the best man." 
 
 While they smoked, the two men were suddenly 
 aroused by the toot-toot of an automobile horn. 
 They listened intently, and the Professor, turning to 
 Vance, said: 
 
 " That's a machine coming up the roadway. 
 What does it mean at this hour of the night? " 
 
 They could hear the wheels crunching along the 
 graveled pathway in front of the house. The next 
 moment they heard footsteps on the veranda, and 
 the whirring of the electric door bell. All of the 
 servants had retired, and the Professor answered 
 the call himself. Vance followed him closely. 
 Before Vernon drew the bolts he turned on the elec- 
 tric lights and the veranda was flooded with light. 
 The door was opened suddenly. 
 
 There before them stood Bromley Barnes, the 
 veteran investigator, looking somewhat disheveled, 
 and splashed with mud from his journey. 
 
 " My dear Barnes ! " exclaimed the Professor, 
 " this is a surprise and a pleasure too ! " 
 
 The detective grinned. 
 
 " I'm mighty glad to see you, and Prescott, too, 
 but I can assure you that I am not making a party 
 call." 
 
 " Come in, come in," cried Vernon. " It doesn't
 
 A Warning from Barnes 77 
 
 make any difference what brings you to Idlewild. 
 You're welcome." 
 
 " I guess you'll have to put me up for the night, 
 so if you don't mind I'll run the machine into the 
 garage first." 
 
 " Very well, I'll go with you if Vance here will 
 stand guard at the door." 
 
 The host and his unexpected guest ran the auto- 
 mobile around to the shed in the rear of the house 
 while Prescott remained at the doorway, gazing 
 into the moonlit night. They returned in a few min- 
 utes, and then, after locking and bolting the door, 
 the three men retired to the cozy study of the Pro- 
 fessor. Vernon, who was the soul of hospitality, 
 would not let his visitor say a word until he had 
 given him a sociable " nip " as he called it, and pro- 
 vided him with a fragrant Havana cigar. 
 
 " Now," he exclaimed cheerfully, " tell us your 
 troubles." 
 
 " First," insisted Barnes, " I want to know if 
 Prescott delivered the package this afternoon, and 
 whether it is safe." 
 
 " It was delivered," was the consoling reply, 
 " and is safe and sound in that cabinet before your 
 eyes." 
 
 " Ah ! " breathed the detective with a sigh of re- 
 lief. " Now you make me feel better."
 
 78 
 
 " Why, what else did you expect ? " 
 
 " That," said Barnes, " brings me to my story. 
 The Secretary sent for me this afternoon, and said 
 he had just come into possession of information 
 which made him feel very uneasy. It seems that 
 the enemy has confidential agents in Mexico who 
 have learned in some way of the pact which you 
 are about to conclude in the matter of the oil wells. 
 How they heard of this is neither here nor there. 
 It is sufficient that they are willing to move heaven 
 and earth to prevent the consummation of the deal. 
 The Secretary of the Interior, to his credit, is will- 
 ing to stand pat, but just how long he can withstand 
 the pressure that will be put upon him is hard to 
 tell. In the meantime, as we would say in this 
 country, he has ' taken to the woods.' If we can 
 complete the signing of the document all will be 
 well. But, in the interval, the agents of the enemy 
 will do everything in their power to get the docu- 
 ments you have in that cabinet." 
 
 " But do they know the copies of the contract are 
 down here ? " 
 
 " I'm afraid they do, and that is the reason for 
 my trip here at this unearthly hour of the night. 
 To-day, while the Secretary was out of his office 
 for a few minutes, some one managed to open his 
 safe and ransacked the papers. Fortunately, they
 
 A Warning from Barnes 79 
 
 got nothing of value, but he is convinced that they 
 were after the Mexican papers. He has reason to 
 feel that Prescott was followed here, and that is 
 why I was sent down to give you this extra warn- 
 ing. It would not surprise me at all if they made 
 an attempt to get the document. Now that's all. 
 What have you got to say about it? " 
 
 " Not a word," was the smiling rejoinder, "ex- 
 cept to thank you for coming. We have two de- 
 tectives in the house now, and if we lose the docu- 
 ment it will be our own fault. The only question 
 to consider is what to do with the contract. I have 
 a little safe in the living room, but it seems to me 
 that would be -the first place they would go to hunt 
 for it." 
 
 " Yes," admitted Barnes, " that seems reason- 
 able." 
 
 " One of us might take it to bed, but it appears 
 rather crude to do a thing of that kind. It's like 
 putting a will in a stove for safe keeping, and then 
 have some one come along and light the fire. The 
 only other plan is to let it stay in the cabinet all 
 night, and then take it to the local bank the first 
 thing in the morning. That was the program 
 which had been agreed on between Vance and my- 
 self." 
 
 " Well," said Barnes, after meditating for a few
 
 80 
 
 moments, " that sounds all right to me. Suppose 
 we let it go at that." 
 
 "We will, unless you can suggest something 
 better." 
 
 " Have you a dog? " suddenly asked Barnes. 
 
 " Yes a good watch dog." 
 
 " That's just the thing. We have got to guard 
 against those skulking Mexicans. Where do you 
 keep your dog ? " 
 
 " He's usually in a box back of the garage." 
 
 " Well, you've got to make sure that he's turned 
 loose to-night. Suppose we go and see." 
 
 Thereupon the three men proceeded into the night 
 and back to the dog kennel. A fierce growling 
 greeted them but the familiar voice of his master 
 had the effect of soothing the animal. 
 
 " Why; he's chained ! " exclaimed Vernon as they 
 reached the box." 
 
 The head of the house scratched his white hair in 
 bewilderment. 
 
 " I could have sworn that I turned him loose to- 
 night. Maybe it was some other night. But there, 
 there, my memory has been playing me strange 
 tricks lately." 
 
 Barnes gave a dry chuckle. 
 
 " Possibly," he said, " some one around here 
 thought it might be bad for the dog's health to
 
 A Warning from Barnes 81 
 
 have him prowling around the grounds at night." 
 Vernon, busy unfastening the chain that was at- 
 tached to the animal's collar, did not hear the re- 
 mark. 
 
 " Now, Nero," he said, " enjoy yourself." 
 The liberated dog gave every human manifesta- 
 tion of joy. He danced and pranced and shook his 
 shaggy head and licked the hands of Francis Ver- 
 
 non. 
 
 " T' 
 
 I'm very fond of him," said his owner. " I 
 brought him from the Highlands of Scotland some 
 years ago and he's become quite a fixture at Idle- 
 wild." 
 
 Nero, despite his affectionate disposition, was 
 fierce and powerful. He was wolf-like in his 
 movements, and the erect ears and pointed nose be- 
 tokened an unusual canine intelligence. It needed 
 no second glance to feel assured that this would 
 be a good watch dog and one that would quickly 
 give the alarm in case of any attempt to rob the 
 house. The three men returned to the house, leav- 
 ing Nero bounding around the grounds like a boy 
 just released from school. 
 
 The hands on the clock in the sitting room 
 pointed to one in the morning and Vance made that 
 an all-sufficient excuse for retiring. Professor 
 Vernon escorted Barnes to his room and thus the
 
 82 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 three men separated for the night. Prescott's 
 room was in the rear of the house. Just below it 
 was a low shed, and overlooking this, one could see 
 the garage. Vance was very tired and he expected 
 to go to sleep at once. But, to his surprise, he found 
 himself tossing about the bed with a restlessness 
 that was as unusual as it was pronounced. Try as 
 he could, it was impossible to woo slumber. His 
 mind reverted to the various incidents of the day, 
 the telegram from Vernon, the call at the State De- 
 partment, the skulking Mexicans, the delivery of the 
 green wallet, the story of the secret contract, the 
 meeting with Hope Vernon, the scene at the dinner 
 table, the discovery that he had a rival in Count 
 Castro and finally the arrival of Bromley Barnes and 
 his dramatic warning of the possible attempt to re- 
 cover the precious papers. 
 
 He heard the grandfather's clock in the hall be- 
 low strike the hour of two and after that he fell 
 into a troubled sleep. He had queer dreams and 
 in the midst of them he was awakened by the loud 
 barking of a dog. He remembered Nero and the 
 precautions they had taken with him and immedi- 
 ately he leaped from his bed. He peered out of the 
 window into the darkness of the night. He could 
 not see anything and the barking of the dog had 
 ceased.
 
 A Warning from Barnes 83 
 
 " I guess I've had a touch of nightmare," he 
 grumbled, as he threw himself into bed again. 
 
 Ten minutes later he thought he heard sounds at 
 his bed room window, but an investigation failed 
 to furnish any proof. He tossed about again for 
 some time, and then relapsed into that state of semi- 
 consciousness which is the borderland between sleep 
 and wakefulness. Suddenly he was aroused by a 
 crashing sound in the lower part of the house. 
 There could be no mistake this time. In a trice 
 he leaped from beneath the covers, hastily put on 
 his bath robe and made his way into the broad hall 
 on the second floor. Apparently he was the only 
 one in the house who had been disturbed by the 
 racket. 
 
 He stood still and listened. He could have 
 sworn that he heard a man's voice mumbling an 
 oath. 
 
 Carefully, and on tip-toe, he made his way to 
 the head of the stairway leading to the lower floor. 
 He remained standing there for a long while, wait- 
 ing to catch the slightest sound. The strain was 
 intense. Presently his patience was rewarded. 
 He heard the sound of shuffling feet. There was 
 an impatient ejaculation, followed by the striking 
 of a match. Vance descended two or three steps 
 and leaned over so far that he was in danger of los-
 
 84 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ing his balance. But the flame of the match en- 
 abled him to get a look at the prowler. It was a 
 man only partially dressed, and evidently in a bad 
 humor. Who was he, and what was he doing there 
 at that hour of the night? While these thoughts 
 were rushing through his mind, the man turned to 
 walk toward the stairway and Vance caught a mo- 
 mentary glance at his face. The revelation caused 
 him to almost tumble over the rail. 
 
 And no wonder, for the supposed intruder was 
 Tommy Warner. 
 
 He was not in his usual merry mood. Indeed, he 
 was acting very suspiciously and was in a bad hu- 
 mor into the bargain. As Vance looked, the match 
 burned down to the end of his ringer. It must have 
 scorched him for he dropped it with a muttered im- 
 precation. This gave the watcher on the stairway 
 an opportunity to retire gracefully. Prescott made 
 his way back to his own room, but he left the door 
 ajar so that he might see what Warner did. He 
 felt half -ashamed of himself for seeming to spy on 
 his friend, but he had been so wrought up over the 
 events of the night before that he just watched with- 
 out debating the ethics of the thing. 
 
 While he sat on the edge of his bed, he could hear 
 the newspaper man slowly and cautiously ascending 
 the stairs. He walked along the hallway like a.
 
 A Warning from Barnes 85 
 
 man feeling his way. His room was on the same 
 corridor as that of Prescott and almost opposite. 
 As he passed the door Vance noticed that the noc- 
 turnal prowler carried something under his arm. 
 It might have been a book or a package. It was im- 
 possible to distinguish in the dark. Warner kept 
 on until he reached his own door, walked in and 
 locked it. Vance peered over in that direction and 
 from the stream of light that immediately showed 
 itself through the transom he knew that Warner had 
 turned on the electricity. 
 
 Vance went to bed again frankly puzzled. Un- 
 der ordinary circumstances he would have thought 
 nothing of the incident. But in the state of mind in 
 which he found himself everything seemed to take 
 on a new meaning and significance. He had great 
 confidence in Tommy Warner. The very idea of 
 suspecting him of anything improper was repug- 
 nant to his sense of loyalty. But in spite of all 
 that he found himself speculating upon the reasons 
 for that midnight ramble. 
 
 He had heard and read a great deal about som- 
 nambulism. Might it not be possible that the young 
 journalist was walking in his sleep? There were 
 some amazing cases on record cases that involved 
 tragic consequences. He turned this thought over 
 in his mind for some time, and finally rejected it as
 
 86 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 fantastic, if not impossible. A sleep walker might 
 pick up an article and carry it from one room to 
 another, but would he be capable of lighting a 
 match? And who ever heard of a somnambulist 
 swearing in a muffled voice. No, he finally de- 
 cided, whatever Tommy Warner was doing, he was 
 not walking in his sleep. At that point in his mental 
 debate Vance began to feel drowsy. Tired nature 
 asserted itself and he drifted into a troubled 
 slumber. 
 
 It was daylight when he awakened, but the mom- 
 ent he opened his eyes, the events of the previous 
 night came to him with crystal-like clearness. His 
 first thought was for the safety of the precious 
 paper that lay in the green wallet. It was quite 
 early. None of the servants seemed to be stirring. 
 But in spite of that fact Vance dressed quickly and 
 made his way down stairs. In the hallway he met 
 Francis Vernon. 
 
 "Good morning!" he exclaimed; "I'm glad 
 you're about. We'll get Barnes and take that docu- 
 ment over to the local bank." 
 
 " But the bank will not be open ? " 
 
 The Professor smiled. 
 
 " I don't mean to go immediately. We'll have 
 breakfast and then stroll over, and by that time 
 some one in authority will be there. I've been
 
 A Warning from Barnes 87 
 
 dreaming about this confounded business. I've 
 been in deathly fear of some one breaking in during 
 the night." 
 
 " Evidently," said Vance, with a reassuring 
 laugh, " your fears have been groundless." 
 
 " I hope so. Please look around you and see if 
 everything is secure." 
 
 The two men made a tour of the lower part of 
 the house and found everything in order. The 
 front door was locked and bolted as it had been 
 the night before and all of the other doors and 
 windows were securely fastened. The Professor 
 gave a sigh of relief. 
 
 " That makes me feel better. Now I'll get pos- 
 session of the contract before any one comes to dis- 
 turb us." 
 
 He walked into the little study, followed by Pres- 
 cott. He opened the window to get the light and 
 then knelt down before the little walnut cabinet. 
 He took the key from his pocket and opened the 
 door. There was a momentary pause and then he 
 began searching the recesses of the cabinet. Pres- 
 ently he pulled forth the manila envelope of the 
 State Department. He looked inside of it and as 
 he did so the color left his face. He looked a sec- 
 ond time and then searched every part of the wal- 
 nut receptacle. He staggered backward and would
 
 88 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 have fallen if he had not caught hold of the back 
 of a friendly chair. 
 
 " My God, Vance," he finally gasped in a husky 
 voice, " the wallet's gone and I'm ruined ! "
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE GOLD-HEADED PENCIL 
 
 FRANCIS VERNON presented a pitiable spectacle 
 as he sank into the chair with the air of a man 
 who had been mortally stricken. There was a 
 hunted look in his eyes and he seemed to have aged 
 in those few moments. After the first outburst he 
 became dazed, looking at Prescott out of glazed and 
 helpless eyes. 
 
 " I'm not thinking of myself," he said, with a 
 pathetic wave of the hand; " the shame of letting it 
 out of my possession is bad enough, but the conse- 
 quences may be infinitely worse. Prescott, the des- 
 tinies of the world hinged upon the contents of that 
 wallet." 
 
 Vance placed his hand gently upon the shoulders 
 of the venerable diplomat. 
 
 "Don't distress yourself, Professor," he begged; 
 " it's bad enough, but it may not be as bad as you 
 imagine. Let me look into the cabinet." 
 
 He did so, but without results. While he was 
 down on his hands and knees there came a sound 
 
 89
 
 90 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 on the staircase, and Bromley Barnes joined them. 
 
 " Good morning, gentlemen," he cried in his 
 cheery manner. " I hope you find yourselves well 
 and happy." 
 
 A groan was the only response from the man 
 seated on the chair. Vance looked at the detective 
 in a reproachful way. 
 
 "What's the matter?" snapped the veteran in- 
 vestigator. " Neither of you seem to be in very 
 good humor." 
 
 " The Mexican papers have been stolen," said 
 Prescott shortly. 
 
 Barnes was accustomed to surprises, but the 
 abruptness of this announcement left him speechless 
 for the moment. Presently he turned to the young 
 officer. 
 
 " Tell me all about it," he commanded. 
 
 Vance shrugged his shoulders and made a wry 
 smile. 
 
 " There isn't anything to tell except that the Pro- 
 fessor has just opened the cabinet, and the papers 
 we placed there last night have disappeared." 
 
 The detective had recovered himself by this time 
 and he stooped down and began to examine the re- 
 ceptacle. There were no marks on the door, and 
 the cabinet was not even scratched. He turned to 
 
 \ r 
 
 ernon.
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 91 
 
 " Whoever gained access to that cabinet did so by 
 unlocking the door of the thing." 
 
 " But," protested the Professor, " how could that 
 be when the key has been in my possession ? " 
 
 Barnes made no reply to this, but walked to the 
 rear of the little affair and examined it closely. 
 He pulled out a magnifying glass and covered 
 every square inch of the woodwork. After awhile 
 he put the glass back in his pocket and shook his 
 head mournfully. 
 
 " No," he said, more to himself than the others, 
 " I had a notion that the back of the cabinet might 
 have been taken off, but the screws have not been 
 disturbed, and there isn't the sign of a scratch." 
 
 The three men looked at one another in a helpless 
 sort of way, and then Barnes asked suddenly: 
 
 " Have either of you been outside? " 
 
 They shook their heads in the negative, and then 
 the detective, unbolting and unlocking the front 
 door, made his way into the grounds. He walked 
 to the side of the house where they had left the dog 
 the night before. He began to look for the animal, 
 but he did not have to go far. He had only pro- 
 ceeded a few paces when he beheld Nero stretched 
 flat on the ground. 
 
 He whistled. 
 
 "Hello, Nero," he called. "Come here!"
 
 92 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 But the dog never moved. The cause was soon 
 apparent. Nero was stiff and stark in death. 
 While the detective stood gazing at the innocent 
 victim he was joined by the other two men. They 
 instantly realized what had happened. There was 
 something suspiciously like moisture in the eyes of 
 Francis Vernon. 
 
 " I'm sorry," he confessed. " I've had him so 
 long that he seemed human to me. Poor Nero! 
 His watching days are over." 
 
 While he was speaking, Barnes was making a 
 survey of that part of the grounds. Presently he 
 came across a bit of torn meat. He pointed to it. 
 
 " That tells the story. The dog was poisoned. 
 He was faithful unto death. That is the best you 
 can say of any one man or beast." 
 
 The procession back to the house was rather mel- 
 ancholy. Vance entered before the others and in- 
 stinctively made for the little study. He halted in 
 front of the cabinet and looked around it absently. 
 Suddenly the glitter of some bright object on the 
 floor attracted his attention. He stooped down 
 and picked it up. For a moment he was puzzled to 
 give it a name. But it came to him very quickly. 
 
 It was the gold-headed pencil he had seen in the 
 back hair of Hope Vernon. 
 
 He gazed at it and the inanimate thing brought
 
 HE THRUST THE PENCIL INTO HIS POCKET
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 93 
 
 the picture of the girl before his mental vision. He 
 was drifting into a pleasant day dream when he 
 heard approaching footsteps. Without knowing 
 why, he thrust the pencil into his pocket; Barnes 
 and the Professor entered the room. 
 
 " Well ! " exclaimed the detective, with a return 
 of his cheery manner, " have you found anything? " 
 
 " Nothing having any bearing on the case," he 
 equivocated. 
 
 The moment he spoke he could have bitten his 
 tongue. His impulse was to pull out the article, but 
 to have done so under the circumstances would 
 have given it a significance to which it was not en- 
 titled. If he had simply handed the pencil to the 
 Professor when he entered the room, nothing more 
 would have been thought of it. But by that 
 thoughtless act of concealment he had in his own 
 mind at least placed Hope Vernon under suspi- 
 cion. It was perfectly preposterous, of course, but 
 his mind was in such a whirl that he could scarcely 
 be held accountable for its fantastic twists. How- 
 ever, the pencil was in his pocket and he would have 
 to wait for the first favorable opportunity of re- 
 turning it to her. 
 
 " Barnes," he heard Vernon saying to the de- 
 tective, " I don't know how in the world I'll break 
 the news of this loss to the Secretary. I've been
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 in the Department the greater part of my life and 
 this is the first time I've permitted an important 
 paper to go astray. And such an important paper ! 
 It's too much for me. I don't know how to tell 
 him." 
 
 Bromley Barnes looked at the veteran diplomat 
 in silence for some moments. Then he uttered one 
 emphatic word. 
 
 " Don't." 
 
 " Don't what ? " asked the agitated Vernon. 
 
 " Don't tell the Secretary. It won't do any good. 
 He's got enough troubles on his mind. He couldn't 
 help us anyhow. I'll pass the word to the Chief of 
 the Secret Service. He'll put his force at work. 
 And in the meantime we'll move heaven and earth 
 to get those contracts. We have a week ahead of 
 us. If, at the end of that period, we have failed, 
 it will be time enough to tell the Secretary." 
 
 The diplomat looked at Barnes gratefully. 
 
 " I believe you're right anyhow it will give me 
 time to think." 
 
 "Well," said the detective briskly, "let's get 
 down to business. We know everybody in the 
 house and we're satisfied that no one has left since 
 last night." 
 
 " I think not." 
 
 " Very good," commented the investigator ; " now
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 95 
 
 I propose to start this in the French way. I'm 
 going to regard everybody in the house guilty until 
 I am satisfied of their innocence. Do you get me 
 everybody servants and guests ? " 
 
 " Just what do you mean? " asked the Professor, 
 who was slowly regaining his self-possession. 
 
 " Simply that we've got to make a thorough 
 search of this house, and everybody in it." 
 
 Vernon gave a gesture of repugnance. 
 
 " These people are my guests and my friends." 
 
 " All the more reason," retorted Barnes, " why 
 they should want to help you at this critical time." 
 
 " But, my dear friend, I can't afford to proclaim 
 to the world that I've lost a paper that is of inter- 
 national importance." 
 
 Barnes eyes twinkled. 
 
 "We won't be quite that raw," he explained; 
 " my idea is to have you announce that you've 
 lost a green wallet, containing valuable papers. 
 You may even say that it has been stolen from the 
 cabinet. Beg them to help you to find it. I'll guar- 
 antee that every one in the house will ask to be 
 searched and will ask you to search their rooms. 
 If any one should refuse, then that one becomes a 
 legitimate object of suspicion." 
 
 Professor Vernon winced. It was plain that the 
 plan did not appeal to him at all. But he shrugged
 
 96 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 his shoulders as one who yields to the inevi- 
 table. 
 
 " I'll do as you say, Barnes. If I refused I might 
 place myself under suspicion. You know the wal- 
 let " 
 
 " Don't talk nonsense ! " exclaimed the veteran 
 explosively. " You know as well as I do that every- 
 body connected with the Government has the most 
 explicit confidence in you. You might go and tell 
 them about the theft, and that would end the matter 
 as far as you are concerned. But I thought you 
 wanted to try to find the thing yourself " 
 
 " I'd do anything in the world to recover it," in- 
 terrupted Vernon, " and, to prove it, I'll do anything 
 you say without further protest. But if the cul- 
 prit should be in the house won't he be on his guard 
 with two Secret Service men here ? " 
 
 Barnes raised an impressive forefinger. 
 
 " That's where you are all wrong. I'm supposed 
 to be on the retired list. No one, not even Tommy 
 Warner, knows that I've been doing special work 
 for the Government since the war started. And as 
 far as Vance here is concerned not a soul suspects 
 that he is in the Intelligence Bureau of the War De- 
 partment." 
 
 " Very well," agreed the Professor; " I'm in your 
 hands until the seventh of May. But if the docu-
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 97 
 
 ment has not been recovered by that time, I'll know 
 that my public career is ended." 
 
 Vance placed a comforting hand upon the diplo- 
 matic shoulder. 
 
 " I'll pledge you my word," he cried with resolu- 
 tion, " that your career will not be ended." 
 
 The sound of footsteps on the stairway brought 
 an end to the conversation. Vance looked up and 
 beheld Hope Vernon making her way slowly to 
 the first floor. Even before she reached the landing 
 he noticed that she was very pale and had dark 
 lines under her blue eyes. He felt for the gold- 
 headed pencil in his pocket and debated whether to 
 give it to her at once, or to wait until he had an 
 opportunity of seeing her alone. She kissed her 
 father good morning and spoke pleasantly to Barnes. 
 But when Vance greeted the girl she gave him the 
 curtest possible nod, and went her way without 
 uttering a word. It was like a dash of cold water 
 in his face. What had he done to deserve such 
 treatment. He tried to think of all that had taken 
 place since his arrival, but he could not remember 
 having offended her. He was perplexed. If she 
 had shown anger, he might have gone to her and 
 demanded an explanation, but this silent contempt 
 was more than he could understand. 
 
 The appearance of Tommy Warner on the scene
 
 98 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 diverted his thoughts to another channel. The 
 young newspaper man was beaming with good na- 
 ture. He twirled his eye glasses on the end of their 
 black string, and expressed the hope that all of 
 those present had enjoyed a good night's rest. 
 
 "If you have," he cried, with his cherubic smile, 
 " it's more than I can say. If this thing keeps on, 
 I'll have to take some cure for insomnia. I had to 
 read myself to sleep last night." 
 
 Vance watched his friend critically while he was 
 speaking, but there was nothing in that jovial face 
 to proclaim the villain, and nothing in his careless 
 prattle to indicate that he was the party to a deep- 
 laid plot. Prescott's first impulse was to ask 
 Tommy what he was doing downstairs in the mid- 
 dle of the night. He even went so far as to start 
 the question, but, before he could finish it, Warner 
 had launched into one of his everlasting stories, and 
 that made serious talk impossible. Besides, if 
 Tommy Warner had so far forgotten himself as to 
 " go after a story " while he was under the roof of 
 his host, he would not scruple to conceal the fact 
 from his best friend. 
 
 Gilbert Vernon came down while they were talk- 
 ing and his presence did not add to the gayety of 
 the occasion. In the glare of the morning light 
 he looked even less impressive than he had on the
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 99 
 
 previous evening. His pasty complexion and the 
 uncertain eyes, blinking through the spectacles with 
 the tortoise-shell rims, gave him a sort of uncanny 
 appearance. 
 
 " Gilbert, my boy," cried the effervescent Tommy, 
 pointing to Prescott, " gaze upon the army one 
 of the main props of our common country, and after 
 you have feasted your eyes upon him, turn them in 
 my direction and look upon the press the bulwark 
 of our liberties." 
 
 Gilbert shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " I guess you mean the main props of the capi- 
 talistic class," he sneered. 
 
 Vance flushed and tried to fight down a desire to 
 thrash the spectacled critic. He succeeded and said : 
 
 " I'll wager that your opinion is not shared by 
 the women and children of Belgium." 
 
 But young Vernon had already passed into the 
 living-room and paid no attention to the soldier's 
 retort. Warner turned to Prescott with a conta- 
 gious laugh. 
 
 " Vance, we don't seem to make much of a hit 
 
 % 
 
 with our dreamy-eyed friend." 
 
 " No," was the quick reply ; " I guess a little more 
 action and less dreaming would help to make a man 
 out of him." 
 
 Warner held up a cautioning finger.
 
 100 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 "If you care for Hope Vernon you'd better not 
 let her hear you talk that way about the amateur 
 socialist." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Simply because she's wrapped up in the young 
 dunce. Think's he's a victim of circumstances and 
 environment and all that sort of rot. Feels that as 
 his cousin, she's got to protect him from a cruel 
 world. Do you get me ? " 
 
 " Yes," sighed Vance, " I get you." 
 
 Bad news travels quickly and by this time every 
 one in the house knew of the theft of a green wallet 
 containing valuable papers. Barnes had cross- 
 questioned the servants and the Professor had talked 
 with his guests. The last person to come down- 
 stairs was Count Castro, looking as if he had just 
 emerged from the proverbial band-box. The violet 
 in his buttonhole showed that he had not neglected 
 the slightest detail of his toilet. He approached 
 the Professor with a sympathetic look on his fox- 
 like face. 
 
 " Vernon," he said, " I'm awfully sorry to hear 
 of your loss." 
 
 " You've heard of it already? " 
 
 "Why, yes; the servants are full of it. It it 
 seems to be in the very air." 
 
 " I'm at my wits' ends," confessed the diplomat.
 
 The Gold-Headed Pencil 101 
 
 The Count smiled in a deprecatory way. 
 
 " There's no reason to feel that way with two 
 such able investigators at your service. 
 
 " What do you mean? " 
 
 The dark-skinned one pointed his feminine finger 
 in the direction of Barnes and Prescott. The de- 
 tective smiled uneasily. 
 
 " Why do you think I can help the Professor? " 
 
 " Because," was the reply, " I know the good 
 work you did for the State Department in the mat- 
 ter of the Red Flame. It was a mystery to every- 
 body but you." 
 
 Barnes laughed but he could not deny the soft im- 
 peachment. 
 
 " And, Captain Prescott," continued the Count, 
 " you can help because there isn't a better operative 
 in the Intelligence Bureau of the War Department 
 than your own modest self." 
 
 Barnes and Prescott met outside the door a mo- 
 ment later, and, instinctively, they said, one to the 
 other : 
 
 " That man knows too much."
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 HOPE BARS THE WAY 
 
 THREE hours after the discovery of the loss of 
 the green wallet, Vance Prescott and Bromley 
 Barnes came to two remarkable conclusions. The 
 first was that the robbery if there had been a 
 robbery was committed from the inside, and the 
 second that the stolen property had not left the 
 house. In reaching this judgment the soldier was 
 guided by instinct and the investigator by experi- 
 ence. A careful examination of the footprints out- 
 side the house satisfied Barnes that while there had 
 been intruders in the grounds they had not suc- 
 ceeded in breaking into the house. Indeed, the 
 poisoning of the dog was proof-positive that they 
 contemplated robbery. But for some unaccount- 
 able reason they had not carried their intentions into 
 effect. 
 
 The frightened servants had been cross-examined 
 until they were in a state of bewilderment bordering 
 on panic. In a much more polite, but still just as 
 effective a manner, the guests had been required to 
 
 102
 
 Hope Bars the Way 103 
 
 give an account of themselves. Tommy Warner, 
 who was regarded as the man with the least sensi- 
 bilities, had taken it harder than any of the others, 
 while Count Castro, who might easily have been 
 open to suspicion, had taken the lead in offering 
 every possible aid to the searchers. He shrugged 
 his shoulders, rubbed his beak of a nose, and said 
 that, while the business was rather humiliating, the 
 feelings of the guests should not be regarded when 
 the interests of such a splendid host were at stake. 
 The fact that the Count had revealed Barnes as a 
 detective, while annoying at first, had its advantages, 
 because it enabled the veteran to take the onus of 
 subjecting the guests to a personal examination. 
 
 " Vernon is helpless in this matter," he declared 
 with a great deal of ostentation, " and whether he 
 consented or not it would be my duty to put you 
 ladies and gentlemen through this ordeal. It is not 
 a matter that is personal to him. Higher and more 
 important interests are at stake." 
 
 After the ground had been quite thoroughly cov- 
 ered Barnes recalled Barker, the trusted butler. He 
 was a smooth-faced, bald-headed man, the type of 
 the perfect servant. His genuine interest in every- 
 thing which related to Professor Vernon was obvi- 
 ous. 
 
 " Barker," said the detective, " do you think any
 
 104 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 one left the house last night or at least attempted 
 to leave ? " 
 
 " I think not, sir," was the reply, " for the reason 
 that it would be impossible to get away from here. 
 The only train that came in last night was the one 
 that brought you here, and there will be none this 
 morning until ten o'clock. Since the war the ser- 
 vice has been cut down. The only other way of 
 leaving would be in the machine, and I am positive 
 that has not been out of the garage." 
 
 " Did you have any other guests after I arrived ? " 
 " None, sir. All of those who are here now were 
 here when you arrived. We had the Russian Am- 
 bassador, but he left early yesterday morning. His 
 trunk is still in the room he occupied, and he left 
 instructions with me to see that it was shipped to 
 him not later than this afternoon." 
 
 " Why is it that he did not take it when he left? " 
 " There was some laundry, and I undertook to 
 look after that for him. He left the key of the 
 trunk with me. It will be ready shortly and then 
 I am to place it in the trunk and lock and ship it for 
 him." 
 
 " Then the trunk was left open ? " 
 " Yes, sir, for that purpose." 
 " That is all for the present, Barker." 
 " All right, sir. Thank you, sir."
 
 Hope Bars the Way 105 
 
 " Barker," said Barnes, as an afterthought, " I'm 
 sure you are devoted to Professor Vernon." 
 
 The eyes of the faithful one dimmed with 
 tears. 
 
 " There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't 
 do for him, sir." 
 
 " I thought so. You are aware that he has met 
 with a loss. Now, I want you to keep your ears 
 and eyes open, and if anything occurs let me know 
 of it at once." 
 
 " I'll do that, sir. You may depend upon me." 
 
 While this conversation was going on, Vance 
 Prescott was preparing to have a talk with Hope 
 Vernon. He saw her in the living-room drumming 
 idly upon the piano, and he made his way in that di- 
 rection, slowly and thoughtfully. He felt in his 
 pocket to make sure that the gold-headed pencil was 
 there. She looked up as he entered. 
 
 " Hope ! " called Vance softly. 
 
 She looked up at him with an expressionless face, 
 but did not move. Her attitude was not conducive 
 to confidences but nevertheless he persisted. 
 
 " May I speak to you for a moment ? " he asked 
 pleadingly. 
 
 " Why not ? " she queried in turn, but without 
 the smile that would have taken the coldness from 
 her tone.
 
 106 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 "I I didn't want to force myself on you," he 
 apologized. 
 
 "If there is anything you have to say to me I 
 see no reason why you shouldn't say it," she re- 
 peated with maddening monotony. 
 
 He stood before her in silence for a while and she 
 left the piano stool and took a seat on a leather dav- 
 enport. She gathered her skirt with a movement 
 which plainly said that he might sit beside her if 
 he so desired. He smilingly accepted the invitation. 
 But if he imagined that she was in a melting mood, 
 he was soon undeceived. The Hope Vernon he saw 
 before him was a different person from the one he 
 imagined he knew so well. The girl he loved was 
 a girl of moods. One of the things he recalled 
 was the smile that began in her eyes and gradually 
 extended over all of her bright countenance. It 
 was on such occasions that you became aware of 
 the two alluring dimples and a desire to kiss the 
 rosy cheeks. Again, one of the things he recalled 
 was the frown that gathered so ominously on the 
 white brow, and the fire that blazed in the blue 
 eyes. He knew how to treat either of these moods. 
 But now she neither smiled nor frowned. It was 
 disconcerting. 
 
 " I hope I haven't offended you in any way," he 
 began rather lamely, " because if I have, I'm sorry."
 
 Hope Bars the Way 107 
 
 " Surely you haven't come to tell me that," she 
 said rebukingly. 
 
 He noticed then that her little nose was a very ag- 
 gressive nose. She tilted her chin and thrust her 
 head forward in a formidable way that he didn't 
 like at all. But the gracefulness with which her 
 head was poised on the shapely neck was adorable. 
 He thought of all this while he listened to her words 
 in a sub-conscious sort of way. 
 
 " Well, no," he stammered, " not exactly. You 
 see " 
 
 " I thought not," she interrupted, without a 
 change of countenance, " and now if you'll come 
 to the point I'll thank you." 
 
 He stared at her in surprise. Surely this could 
 not be his Hope Vernon. She could laugh with de- 
 light or blaze with anger, but he had never known 
 her to assume this cold indifference. 
 
 "Have you lost anything?" he asked presently. 
 
 " Not that I can think of at this moment," she 
 answered. 
 
 He pretended to move but managed to retain his 
 seat. 
 
 " Then I must ask your pardon. I found some- 
 thing on the floor this morning, and I imagined it 
 might belong to you." 
 
 " What is it ? " she asked sharply.
 
 108 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Instead of answering, he put his hand in his 
 pocket and pulled out the article he had picked up 
 in the study. 
 
 " Ah, that pencil ! " she exclaimed, losing her 
 composure for the instant. 
 
 " Ah! then it does belong to you? " he exclaimed 
 triumphantly. 
 
 She looked at him fixedly. She knew he had 
 seen it in her hair, and she resented his pretended 
 surprise. 
 
 " Where did you find it ? " she demanded. 
 
 " Next to the walnut cabinet in your father's 
 study." 
 
 Her face flushed at this statement and her ag- 
 gressive formality seemed to die away. She 
 reached for the pencil. Even in that slight move- 
 ment he noted the whiteness of her arms and the 
 gracefulness of her action. She arose from the 
 davenport. 
 
 " Thank you," she said icily, " there is nothing 
 more, I presume ? " 
 
 " No," he cried impulsively, " except that you and 
 I are not going to quarrel over nothing." 
 
 The little nose was thrust forward with that ag- 
 gressiveness he disliked, the chin tilted upwards, 
 and she moved away with the air of an offended 
 Duchess.
 
 Hope Bars the Way 109 
 
 Fortunately for the peace of mind of Vance 
 Prescott he found immediate distraction in the pres- 
 ence of Bromley Barnes. The detective had located 
 a servant who imagined he had seen some one going 
 into one of the bedrooms while the company was at 
 dinner on the previous night. He could not remem- 
 ber which apartment, but was sure that it was one 
 of four rooms on the west side of the second floor. 
 Barnes had gone to the trouble of ascertaining the 
 names of the occupants of these particular rooms. 
 The first one belonged to Gilbert Vernon, the second 
 to Vance himself, the third to Count Castro and the 
 last one had been used by the Russian Ambassador 
 during his stay. 
 
 " Watch for favorable opportunity and search 
 every one of those rooms," whispered the detective. 
 
 Vance made a wry face. 
 
 " The Professor agrees to this," snapped Barnes. 
 " You are doing him a service. If you have any 
 fool scruples, you'd better go home." 
 
 " All right," said Prescott weakly, " I'll do as 
 you say." 
 
 He took a seat in an arm chair in the living-room 
 and, hiding himself behind a book, waited for his 
 opportunity. While he sat there unnoticed, he was 
 the witness to two curious incidents. Hope, seeing 
 Gilbert Vernon, signaled to him to step into the
 
 110 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 dining-room, which immediately joined the apart- 
 ment they were in. It must have been five min- 
 utes when they came out, and from their manner it 
 looked as if they had been quarreling. The girl's 
 face was as white as marble and her head seemed to 
 droop. Vance felt uncomfortably like an eaves- 
 dropper, but it was impossible for him to retire 
 gracefully. 
 
 Hope sank into a chair with her head in her 
 hands. Young Vernon, with a sullen look on his 
 pasty face, walked out into the hall. Here he came 
 face to face with Count Castro. The two ex- 
 changed a few words and Gilbert pointed to his 
 cousin. The Count nodded significantly and en- 
 tered the living-room. He spoke quietly to Hope 
 and she arose and they walked to the window over- 
 looking the grounds, and engaged in earnest con- 
 versation. 
 
 Vance fidgeted uneasily in his chair. What in the 
 world could these two have in common? To him 
 they were as opposite as the poles. One he loved 
 devotedly, the other he disliked cordially. Could it 
 be possible that she cared for the man? He flung 
 the notion from him as an absurdity. But the 
 next moment he found himself nursing the thought. 
 More than one American girl had found herself un- 
 able to resist the lure of a title. Why should Hope
 
 Hope Bars the Way 111 
 
 Vernon be different from the others? Simply be- 
 cause she was Hope Vernon, he assured himself. 
 But the mental debate left him uneasy and dissatis- 
 fied. 
 
 In the meanwhile the talk between the girl and the 
 man was becoming more animated. Even from 
 where he sat he could see that her face was flushed 
 and her eyes sparkling. He groaned. The thought 
 of her indifference to him presented such a contrast 
 to her present behavior. Why was it that this South 
 American could arouse her emotions so easily? 
 Their voices were slightly raised and he caught a 
 sentence. 
 
 " But it is a matter of love love and affection, 
 my dear Miss Hope and these are the things that 
 rule the world." 
 
 He could see the girl's head slightly droop at these 
 words. Count Castro, feeling that he had gained 
 an advantage, was following it with his persuasive 
 eloquence. He spread out his hands expressively. 
 Vance could not help comparing him with a saga- 
 cious and remorseless animal. At one moment he 
 reminded him of a fox, and at another of a wolf, 
 capable of destroying all that came in his path. He 
 was undeniably handsome, with his tall figure, his 
 erectness and the agility of his movements. The 
 little, sharp, beady eyes were fastened on the girl
 
 112 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 as if he would mesmerize her. He talked and ges- 
 ticulated without intermission. But with it all he 
 maintained a certain dignity, and the manners of a 
 gentleman. The violet in his buttonhole the 
 everlasting violet indicated a fastidious, if not 
 poetic nature, and at intervals he reached for his 
 chin, as if to stroke a beard, and then seemed sur- 
 prised at not finding it. 
 
 Vance Prescott was compelled to make the humili- 
 ating confession to himself he was jealous of 
 Count Castro. 
 
 Presently Hope bowed her head as though she 
 were convinced by the arguments that had been 
 presented to her and left the room. The Count, 
 with the air of a victor, leisurely lighted a cigarette 
 and strolled out into the grounds. 
 
 The young soldier remained seated in the arm 
 chair for a long while. His thoughts were playing 
 hide and seek, and the scene he had witnessed 
 seemed to deprive him of the power of initiative. 
 He had opened the book at random and now it 
 slipped from his unresisting ringers and fell to the 
 floor. The noise roused him to action. He re- 
 membered the promise he had made to Barnes. 
 Every one seemed to be out of the house and op- 
 portunity called him into action. He rose languidly 
 and slowly made his way to the second floor. The
 
 Hope Bars the Way 113 
 
 four bedrooms in a row stood invitingly before 
 him. The doors were closed but he knew they were 
 not locked. The servants, in all probability, had 
 not finished adjusting them for the day. He tried 
 the knob of the door of Gilbert Vernon's room. It 
 yielded to his touch and he entered. 
 
 He turned the key in the lock and, as he did so, 
 felt a sense of sheepishness that was far from com- 
 fortable. Indeed, his first sensation was that of a 
 man engaged in a criminal act. But when he 
 thought of the green wallet and of the plight of 
 Professor Vernon, he threw his scruples to the winds 
 and got down to business. His duties as a member 
 of the Intelligence Bureau of the War Department 
 had taught him a thing or two. He had been on the 
 hunt of more than one traitor, and was amazed at 
 the facility with which he could search a room. He 
 worked rapidly and with precision, and when he fin- 
 ished was certain he had not overlooked anything. 
 
 The green wallet was not there! 
 
 There were a number of papers in the bureau 
 drawers, but none that remotely resembled a con- 
 tract. One of them was an essay which Gilbert 
 Vernon had evidently written concerning the un- 
 equal division of wealth in the United States. On 
 the table was an English translation of one of the 
 works of Karl Marx, and another book by Hynd-
 
 114 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 man on " Socialism in England." It was easy to 
 guess the trend of Gilbert Vernon's thoughts, and 
 not difficult to understand his morose views on the 
 existing order of things. Very quietly the unwill- 
 ing investigator unlocked the door, and stepped out 
 into the hallway. His own room came next, but, 
 smilingly, he passed that and paused in front of the 
 apartment which had been occupied by Count Castro. 
 He reached for the knob and was about to turn it 
 when he was halted by a scornful voice. 
 
 " Stay out of that room ! " it cried. 
 
 He turned and faced the blazing eyes and quiver- 
 ing lips of Hope Vernon. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," he stammered, taken at a 
 disadvantage, "I I did not know you were here." 
 
 She laughed in a bitter, mirthless way. 
 
 " Certainly not or you would not be skulking 
 out of my cousin's room." 
 
 He reddened through the tan of his face. 
 
 "I I was in there looking for something," he 
 ventured. 
 
 " You failed to find what you wanted," she said, 
 ironically, " and now you are going to go into the 
 room of Count Castro." 
 
 " Yes," was the eager response, as though he felt 
 that she was going to be his ally, " yes, that's it." 
 
 She folded her arms defiantly, and the tender blue
 
 Hope Bars the Way 115 
 
 eyes began to show signs of turbulence. She 
 stamped a shapely foot on the floor. 
 
 " Well, you're not going to do anything of the 
 kind not while Count Castro is away from his 
 room. If you go in there it will be with his permis- 
 sion." 
 
 He looked at her in a puzzled sort of way, and 
 when he spoke it was in the indulgent tone one would 
 use to a child. 
 
 " I'm afraid you don't understand. I felt the 
 way you did at first, but necessity knows no law, and 
 it is necessary for me to go into that room for a 
 few minutes." 
 
 " Nothing contemptible is necessary ! " she ex- 
 claimed, with barely suppressed anger, " and I tell 
 you that you are not going to enter the room." 
 
 He looked at her with something like admiration. 
 She held herself so majestically, and there was so 
 much force in her expression. But, on his part, 
 there was just as much determination. His jaws 
 were firmly set, even while the laughter lurked in his 
 eyes. 
 
 " I'm going in," he said quietly, " with your per- 
 mission." 
 
 As he spoke he made a movement to enter the 
 door. But she had anticipated this, and with a sud- 
 den motion placed her slim body between Vance and
 
 116 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 the room. He made a move to go around her, and 
 she placed her back against the door, and flung out 
 her arms to make the barrier complete. 
 
 " If you dare to touch me," she cried, " I'll call for 
 the servants! " 
 
 Almost unconsciously he had raised his hands, 
 but he recovered himself immediately, and the next 
 moment his arms dropped helplessly to his side. 
 He gave a sigh and stepped back. At the same 
 moment she relaxed. The fire died from her eyes, 
 and suddenly she looked very pale and weak. He 
 bowed to her profoundly, and as he turned to leave 
 he exclaimed, with his first show of bitterness : 
 
 " You have won, Miss Vernon, but I do not envy 
 you your victory."
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE COUNT TAKES A STROLL 
 
 As Vance Prescott made his way slowly down the 
 stairs he met the Count ascending. He was smil- 
 ing and as debonair as usual. The impulse of the 
 young soldier was to take him by the throat, and to 
 strangle the truth from his lips. But he suppressed 
 this mad desire, and by a great effort compelled 
 himself to look pleasant. The Spanish- American 
 glanced at him sympathetically. 
 
 " It must be very trying," he observed, " for an 
 active man like yourself to be boxed up in a coun- 
 try house." 
 
 " Oh, no," retorted Vance, " I find a great deal 
 here to hold my interest." 
 
 The Count continued on his way while Prescott 
 went on down to the living-room. He had often 
 admired this attractive room, but now it seemed cold 
 and lifeless. The incident of the morning had 
 changed the whole atmosphere of the house for 
 him. He laughed sarcastically as he remembered 
 that he had come to Idlewild for pleasure and re- 
 
 117
 
 118 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 laxation. Instead of that his nerves had been kept 
 on edge all the time. No one was normal. They 
 were wandering about like lost souls. He had an 
 overwhelming desire to pack up and leave the place. 
 But he dismissed this as a cowardly attempt to 
 avoid responsibility. Besides, it was understood 
 that no one was to be permitted to leave the house 
 until Barnes had given his consent. To hurry away, 
 without explanation of any kind, would look like a 
 confession of guilt, and goodness knows he was 
 guiltless. 
 
 He tried to locate Barnes, but he was nowhere in 
 sight. A few words with that sane person might 
 relieve his mind. While he stood there trying to col- 
 lect his thoughts the faithful Barker passed through 
 the room. 
 
 " Hello, Barker," he called, " where is Professor 
 Vernon? " 
 
 " The Professor is in his room," was the grave 
 reply, " and I don't think he is feeling very well." 
 
 Vance shrugged his shoulders. He could easily 
 believe that the master of the house was not feel- 
 ing very well. And if Francis Vernon knew what 
 had taken place only a few minutes before he would 
 feel infinitely worse. The thought of it was mad- 
 dening. If he only had some one to whom he might 
 talk. But that was not to be thought of. He, of
 
 The Count Takes a Stroll 119 
 
 all men in the world, could not cast the finger of sus- 
 picion at Hope Vernon. 
 
 He sank into a deep chair in a recess near one 
 of the windows overlooking the grounds. The place 
 had seemed like a perfect Eden when he first ar- 
 rived, but now it took on an appearance of bleak- 
 ness and melancholy. As a matter of fact it had not 
 changed at all. It was simply a reflection of his 
 state of mind. While he sat there he noticed a 
 rustic individual making his way along the pathway 
 leading to the entrance of the house. Count Castro 
 had come from his room and was on the veranda. 
 Through the half open window Vance heard the 
 fellow speak to him. 
 
 " Be you the Count? " he asked with a sheepish 
 grin. 
 
 The South American answered in the affirmative, 
 and the countryman thrust a bit of paper into his 
 hand. Vance stood up to get a better view, and saw 
 the diplomat toss the man a coin. He opened the 
 paper, read it and frowned. For some moments 
 he stood there in a state of indecision. Then he 
 lit a cigarette, buttoned his coat, straightened his 
 shoulders and walked to the rear of the house. The 
 curiosity of the young officer was fully roused. He 
 hurried into the hallway, picked up his hat, and fol- 
 lowed at a safe distance. The grounds of Idle-
 
 120 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 wild were extensive. The southern part was heavily 
 wooded. The Count made his way along the road 
 with the air of a man who was familiar with the 
 surroundings. This was not surprising, because he 
 had been the guest of Francis Vernon on several oc- 
 casions. 
 
 But what was he doing in this unfrequented part 
 of the place by himself? It was scarcely a morn- 
 ing stroll, because he walked with the stride of a 
 man who has a definite object in view. There was 
 no doubt but that he had received an unexpected 
 message, and it was quite evident that the bit of 
 paper which had been handed him was the cause 
 of this ramble into the depths of the Vernon estate. 
 He was not in the least agitated, but he was clearly 
 annoyed. What could it mean? Was it possible 
 that he had the green wallet? The very thought 
 caused the blood to tingle through the body of the 
 young army officer. Vance Prescott scratched his 
 head in perplexity. If he could only feel sure that 
 Castro had the precious document on his person he 
 would have attacked him then and there. But he 
 knew that he could not afford to make a mistake. 
 If he did it would only make a bad situation worse. 
 The only thing to do was to keep his wits about him, 
 and to learn by strategy what he could not ascertain 
 in any otker way.
 
 The Count Takes a Stroll 121 
 
 The Count kept steadily forward until he came 
 to a small apple orchard, facing a public road. 
 There, resting against the fence, was an unenviable 
 specimen of humanity. He was ragged and dirty 
 and was evidently lost to all shame and decency. 
 He was brown-skinned, had a broken nose and the 
 thick lips of a negro. There was something famil- 
 iar about the man. Vance puzzled his brain to re- 
 member where he had seen him before. It came to 
 him in a flash. 
 
 It was the murderous Mexican who attacked him 
 on the road to Idlewild. 
 
 He could have shouted aloud at the discovery. 
 But he had sense enough to keep quiet. His imme- 
 diate business was to discover the relationship be- 
 tween the Count and the ruffian. Just at that mo- 
 ment Castro turned to look about him. In the nick 
 of time Vance managed to hide behind a big tree. 
 His position was all that could be desired for pur- 
 poses of observation. He could see without being 
 seen and he was near enough to catch an occasional 
 word. 
 
 The moment the ragged one caught sight of the 
 diplomat he began to show signs of fear and ser- 
 vility. It was evident that the tie between them was 
 that of master and man. Castro addressed him in 
 an undertone, but with evident sternness.
 
 122 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I no could keep it," whined the other in defense 
 of himself. 
 
 The two talked for some time, and all the while 
 the man with the face of a murderer maintained 
 his cringing attitude. Finally they separated, but 
 before they did Castro handed the derelict several 
 bank notes. Bowing and scraping he passed down 
 the road. At the same instant the Count, whistling 
 in the most cheerful manner, started for the house. 
 Vance, behind the tree, was in a quandary. His im- 
 pulse was to come forth and call the Count to task. 
 His reason told him to discover the identity of the 
 murderous-looking visitor. It did not take him 
 long to decide. 
 
 He came from his place of hiding and followed the 
 Mexican down the long road. 
 
 His talk with Count Castro seemed to have had a 
 buoyant effect upon the outcast for he walked with a 
 light step, and the air of one who is on the verge of 
 happiness. Vance managed to keep him in sight, but 
 did not seem to be able to overtake him. He might 
 easily have done so by running, but he was not dis- 
 posed to attract the fellow's attention, and possibly 
 give him the chance to escape. So they kept on for 
 a mile or more, the pursuer and the pursued. At 
 one time a sharp turn in the road hid the Mexican 
 from view, and Vance's heart palpitated at the.
 
 The Count Takes a Stroll 123 
 
 thought of losing his man. But in a few minutes 
 the long white ribbon of macadamized highway re- 
 appeared and his quarry was in sight again. Pres- 
 cott was beginning to wonder how long the thing 
 would last when his attention was attracted by the 
 swinging sign of an old-fashioned country inn. 
 On it was painted the crude representation of a 
 noble animal, and beneath this were the words: 
 " The Black Horse Hotel." Vance guessed, and 
 rightly, that the Mexican would stop at this place 
 for liquid refreshments. 
 
 Indeed, the moment he came opposite the Inn, 
 the fellow turned and entered the place. Prescott 
 followed at a reasonable distance. The floor was 
 sanded, and tables were spread about the room. 
 The Mexican flung himself in a chair, and loudly 
 called for whiskey. While he was being served 
 Vance had an opportunity of thinking out his mode 
 of procedure. He noticed an enclosed telephone in 
 a far corner of the room. He made his way to the 
 booth, and entering closed the door. He called 
 Idlewild, and securing the connection, asked to have 
 Bromley Barnes called to the wire. As he held the 
 receiver to his ear he could look through the glass 
 window and see the murderous-looking one sprawl- 
 ing in front of the table, gulping down his liquor. 
 At that moment the detective came to the telephone,
 
 124 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 and Vance, in quick, nervous fashion, related all that 
 occurred. 
 
 " I'm at the Black Horse Inn now," he stated, 
 " and if you'll come down I'll keep the fellow in 
 sight, and we can decide what is best to be done." 
 
 That settled, the young officer seated himself at 
 an adjoining table and ordered some sherry as a 
 pretext for remaining in the Inn. The Mexican 
 called for sandwiches and devoured them with the 
 air of a man who is half- famished. He drank re- 
 peatedly, and when the time came to settle for the 
 score threw down a ten dollar bill with an air of tri- 
 umph. Fortunately he did not look in the direction 
 of the young man. Vance kept a newspaper spread 
 in front of his face to avoid premature discovery. 
 He was sure the man knew him. The attempted 
 assault on the way to Idlewild was a proof of that. 
 If the fellow should recognize him now it would 
 precipitate a fight which might spoil everything. 
 The wait was very trying, but finally the door 
 opened, and Vance beheld the beaming countenance 
 of Bromley Barnes. The detective nodded to him, 
 and then went directly to the landlord who was be- 
 hind the bar. 
 
 " Higgins," he said with the air of one who is ad- 
 dressing an old friend, " I want you to give us the 
 use of a room for a few minutes."
 
 The Count Takes a Stroll 125 
 
 " Why, surely, Mr. Barnes," was the prompt re- 
 ply; " it is certainly a cure for sore eyes to see you 
 again." 
 
 An apartment on the first floor was indicated, and 
 then Barnes walked over to Prescott. He had al- 
 ready noted the Mexican who was beginning to 
 show the effects of his repeated libations. 
 
 11 We'll get down to business at once," he said with 
 a smile, " and have a heart to heart talk with our 
 ugly looking friend." 
 
 He made his way to the table where the bedrag- 
 gled one sat and gave him a hearty slap on the 
 shoulder. The fellow jumped to his feet with a look 
 of fright on his unlovely countenance. 
 
 " Don't be scared," laughed the detective, " just 
 step into that room. I want to have a little talk 
 with you." 
 
 The Mexican was dazed, but he showed signs of 
 fight. He stared at Barnes for a moment, and then 
 looking around caught the eyes of Vance Prescott. 
 That awakened him to a realization of the impend- 
 ing danger. He glanced toward the door, but the 
 prospect of escape was not encouraging. He 
 shrugged his shoulders and indicated that he was 
 ready to do as he was told. He walked between the 
 two men into the apartment. Barnes closed and 
 locked the door. That, in itself, was ominous.
 
 126 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 The detective pointed to a chair, and addressed him- 
 self to the fellow with an air of authority that was 
 not to be mistaken : 
 
 " Sit down," he said. 
 
 The man did as he was told, sullenly enough, but 
 with the air of one who obeys a superior. Barnes 
 stood over him in a threatening attitude. 
 
 " Now tell me what you were doing with Cas- 
 tro?" 
 
 The Mexican hunched his shoulders and curled 
 his thick lips. 
 
 " Me no know what you talk about." 
 
 " Yes, you do know. I want you to tell me what 
 he gave you." 
 
 The swarthy-faced one laughed. 
 
 " He gave me what you call mon the mon to 
 buy the whiskey." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " Sure that's all what else you think ? " 
 
 Barnes turned to Prescott. 
 
 " Cover him with your gun while I go through 
 him ! " 
 
 Vance produced a pistol and pointed the shining 
 muzzle at the fellow. 
 
 " Stand up there against the wall and don't move 
 if you value your life." 
 
 The Mexican did as he was told, and the detective
 
 The Count Takes a Stroll 127 
 
 went through his pockets with the rapidity and thor- 
 oughness that comes from long training. The 
 search was fruitless. Aside from the money and 
 a bag of tobacco his work yielded nothing. Vance 
 lowered the pistol and the victim dropped his hands. 
 But he was in an ugly mood by this time. 
 
 " What is your name ? " asked Barnes. 
 
 " Fernando Werta," he replied doggedly. 
 
 " What are you doing in this country? " 
 
 " Find out, you Yankee swine ! " he shouted, los- 
 ing his temper. 
 
 " Be careful you're in the United States now," 
 cautioned the detective. 
 
 He snapped his fingers defiantly. 
 
 " That for your United States. I despise you 
 and your country. I spit on your flag. You hear 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, very distinctly. Let me see your wrists, 
 won't you ? " 
 
 Unsuspectingly he put out his hands and at the 
 same moment the detective slipped a pair of hand- 
 cuffs on him. As they gave an ominous click 
 Barnes said to Vance : 
 
 " It just fits in with our plans. We'll arrest him 
 under the Espionage Act and hold him until further 
 notice." 
 
 The Mexican made an ineffective struggle to get
 
 128 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 away. But the odds were against him and he re- 
 alized it. 
 
 " What you do with me ? " he asked. 
 
 " If you behave yourself," grinned Barnes, " we'll 
 let you have a nice cell in the police station in 
 Washington." 
 
 He scowled but presently the dark eyes looked 
 up in a dog-like appeal. 
 
 " You tell Count Castro where I am you sure 
 tell him?" 
 
 Barnes nodded. 
 
 "Yes, we'll tell him Vance, don't forget 
 that." 
 
 Five minutes later the detective was on his way 
 to Washington with his prisoner while Captain Pres- 
 cott was returning to Idlewild. When he reached 
 the place he found the Spanish-American pacing the 
 porch. He smiled grimly as he thought of the sur- 
 prise he had in store for the debonair diplomat. 
 Castro was puffing at a cigarette. He gave a cyni- 
 cal smile as Prescott approached. 
 
 " You've been playing truant," he cried. 
 
 " I've been away on important business," replied 
 Vance. 
 
 " Ah ! " commented the Count, raising his eye- 
 brows in polite surprise. 
 
 " Did you ever hear of Fernando Werta a
 
 129 
 
 Mexican?" asked Prescott, watching the other 
 closely. 
 
 But Castro exhibited no emotion whatever. He 
 tapped the ashes from the end of his cigarette and 
 said coolly : 
 
 " Yes what about him ? " 
 
 " We've just arrested him ! " announced Vance 
 with a suddenness which was intended to take the 
 other off his guard. 
 
 But it didn't. He merely smiled and looked at 
 Prescott in a way that bade him proceed. 
 
 " We know that you have been in communication 
 with the man," cried the young man angrily, " and 
 we know that you have given him money." 
 
 "Of course," replied Castro, blowing smoke 
 through his nose, " but why didn't you come out 
 openly instead of hiding behind the tree. You 
 wasted a lot of valuable time." 
 
 " Count Castro ! " exclaimed Vance with great 
 heat, " that man has been prowling around the house 
 for the purpose of theft." 
 
 "I know it," was the amazing reply; "he came 
 around here to steal the copies of the oil contract." 
 
 ' Yet you talk to him," gasped the young man. 
 
 " Most certainly. The stupid fellow sends me a 
 note. He forgets ,that it is in my interest to protect 
 that contract."
 
 130 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " But you went to him? " 
 
 " Assuredly. I told him to quit the neighbor- 
 hood because he was on a fool's errand. I told him 
 the document had already been stolen." 
 
 Prescott reached for a post of the veranda. He 
 actually felt the need of support. The audacity of 
 the man was unbelievable. He fired a parting shot. 
 
 " Werta's in a cell by this time being cross- 
 examined." 
 
 Castro smiled and calmly tossed his cigarette 
 away. 
 
 " That's where he should have been long ago. 
 He's a dangerous man to be at large." 
 
 Vance turned on his heel and entered the house. 
 For the present, at least, he felt that he was no match 
 for Count Castro.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE COUNT CHUCKLES 
 
 THE house at Idlewild was of colonial design, but 
 Professor Vernon had not hesitated to satisfy his 
 personal whims in its construction, even at the risk 
 of offending artistic conventions. On the outside 
 of his study he had built a little porticoed veranda. 
 It stood about six feet above the ground, and con- 
 tained an easy chair where the owner was wont to 
 sit and read his paper or smoke his cigar in his mom- 
 ents of relaxation. Vance made his way to this re- 
 treat after his interview with the Count. He wanted 
 to be alone where he could think of the events of 
 the morning with some degree of coherency. The 
 door of the study was open, and he walked in. He 
 had learned enough about the ways at Idlewild to 
 understand that guests were expected to make them- 
 selves at home, and that the little study was quite as 
 much at their disposal as the living-room, or the 
 grounds. He shook his head at the reflection. It 
 was this open-handed hospitality of Francis Ver- 
 non that had made it easy for the thief who had 
 
 131
 
 132 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 stolen the green wallet. Musing thus, he opened 
 the windowed doorway which led to the veranda, 
 and walked out. He sat down in the easy chair, and 
 pulled a cigar from his pocket. But before he had 
 time to light it his attention was attracted by voices 
 from the little study. Some persons were coming 
 into the room. 
 
 " It's all right," he heard the voice of Count Cas- 
 tro saying; " there isn't a soul here, we can talk with- 
 out being disturbed." 
 
 The first impulse of Vance Prescott was to arise 
 and walk into the room, but some strange power 
 over which he seemed to have no control kept him 
 glued to his seat. There came the scraping sound 
 of chairs being dragged within a few feet of where 
 he was sitting. Then he heard a voice, husky with 
 emotion, saying: 
 
 " Shut that door you don't want the world to 
 be taken into your confidence, do you ? " 
 
 The next instant Vance heard the door between 
 himself and the others slammed, and the key turned. 
 He was locked out. He stood up but some heavy 
 drapery on the glass part of the door effectively 
 shut off his sight. He could hear the voices, but 
 he could not see the speakers. That one was the 
 Count he was morally certain. The identity of the 
 other was a mystery. He was a prisoner on the
 
 The Count Chuckles 133 
 
 miniature veranda. He could do one of three 
 things. He could rap on the door and ask that it 
 be unlocked ; he could climb down into the grounds, 
 with some loss of dignity, or he could remain where 
 he was and let events take their course. 
 
 He decided to remain and let things take their 
 course. 
 
 " Well," said the voice of the Spanish- American, 
 " now we are here and all alone, what have you got 
 to say for yourself? " 
 
 " That's why I came to you," retorted the other, 
 in a querulous voice ; " what have you got to say, 
 and what are you going to do? " 
 
 The Count laughed in a low, sarcastic manner. 
 
 " It seems to me that you're putting the whole 
 enterprise up to me, but we'll not quarrel over that. 
 The question before us is plain enough. We have 
 the important documents, and we must decide what 
 we are going to do with them." 
 
 Vance Prescott, on the veranda, was tense with 
 interest. His impulse was to break the door down 
 and confront the guilty pair. But prudence bade 
 him be quiet and learn more. He crouched in the 
 chair and listened intently. 
 
 " Yes," said the nervous and husky voice, " but 
 why didn't you take the papers in the first place, 
 when you all but had them in your hands ? "
 
 134 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " My dear friend," was the soothing reply, 
 "haven't I told you already that it was one thing 
 to get possession of the papers, and another to get 
 them out of this house. You know as well as I do 
 that we have two Government detectives in the 
 house. They are watching us like hawks. Every 
 move we make is noted. You can't go to the front 
 gate, and I can't light a cigarette without its being 
 known to these two bloodhounds of the law. To 
 have hidden the contract in any of the rooms would 
 have been fatal to our plans. To have concealed it 
 about our persons would have been just as bad. I 
 told you that we would be subjected to the indignity 
 of a search. I told you that our rooms would be 
 ransacked. Both of these things have happened. 
 Haven't they? I appeal to you as a witness. 
 Haven't I predicted exactly what has come 
 about?" 
 
 " Yes," sullenly assented the other, " and I 
 wouldn't have believed that such a thing would have 
 been tolerated in the home of Francis Vernon." 
 
 Again the Count chuckled in that sinister way 
 which seemed to be a part of his character. 
 
 " We won't go into the ethics of the- thing," he 
 said, " it is enough to know that the dear Professor 
 feels that he must leave no stones unturned to re- 
 cover the contract. We, on our part, must leave
 
 The Count Chuckles 135 
 
 no stone unturned to prevent him from recovering 
 it." 
 
 " Yes, yes," cried the agitated voice, " but come 
 to the point." 
 
 " The point, my dear friend," pursued the Count, 
 " lies in the fact that we have outwitted these two de- 
 tectives. It makes me laugh. Think of the situ- 
 ation. Two of the cleverest representatives of your 
 great Government permit these valuable papers to 
 be taken from under their very noses." 
 
 " But Prescott has a suspicion " 
 
 " Suspicion ! what does that amount to ? We'll 
 let him have his suspicions but we'll keep the con- 
 tract. Prescott and Barnes think they have wonder- 
 ful heads on their shoulders. They have won- 
 derful wooden heads." 
 
 Vance squirmed -in his seat on the veranda. In- 
 voluntarily he clenched his fist and shook it in the 
 direction of the voices. The movement he made 
 caused his chair to squeak. The sound must have 
 been heard in the study because the unknown one ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " What's that ! I thought I heard some one com- 
 ing into the room." 
 
 " My dear fellow," was the confident reply, 
 "you're letting your 'imagination get the better of 
 your sense of hearing. We're absolutely alone."
 
 136 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Well, well ! What were you saying ? " 
 
 Vance heard the striking of a match. Castro had 
 evidently paused to light a cigarette before replying. 
 
 " I was saying," he continued with deliberation, 
 " that we have these two sharps buffaloed. I believe 
 that is one of the expressive words in your very ex- 
 pressive language. Prescott has arrested one of 
 the Mexicans, but we have nothing to fear from that 
 source. He saw me talking to the fellow and taxed 
 me with it. But I bluffed him to a standstill. 
 Bluffed, I understand, is another favorite word as 
 applied to your great American game of poker." 
 
 " I wish you'd stop chattering and get down to 
 business," wailed the other. 
 
 " You're not very polite," reproved the Count 
 gently; " well, if it will relieve you, I may say that 
 we have gotten down to business. There was but 
 one way of getting that contract out of this house. 
 That way was by slipping it in the trunk of the Rus- 
 sian Ambassador. Has it been placed there in ac- 
 cordance with my instructions ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered the unknown one with some- 
 thing like a groan, " it has been placed in the trunk." 
 
 " Very good," was the jubilant response, " the 
 rest is simplicity itself. The faithful but stupid 
 Barker will lock the trunk and mail the key to his 
 Excellency."
 
 The Count Chuckles 137 
 
 " Well? " queried the other. 
 
 " My dear man," laughed the Count, " have you 
 no imagination? The Russian diplomat will not get 
 this trunk at least not until we have removed 
 the green wallet. All of the details have been ar- 
 ranged. I'll have a man at the railroad station with 
 a forged order for the trunk. He will bring it to 
 the place I have designated. We will abstract the 
 property we need with the assistance of a clever 
 locksmith and then the trunk will be closed and 
 forwarded to his Excellency. The innocent and 
 unsuspecting gentleman will be perfectly happy. I 
 will be happy. You will be happy. Professor Ver- 
 non will have a few bad hours. There will be a 
 nine days wonder, but we will have the consciousness 
 of having accomplished a great work." 
 
 " You you don't anticipate any hitch? " 
 
 " Not the slightest. I have carried through some 
 big things in my time. I do not know the meaning 
 of the word fail." 
 
 There was some more talk in an undertone, and 
 then Vance Prescott heard the scraping sound of 
 chairs and knew that the men were leaving the 
 room. He rose in his excitement. He put his hand 
 to his forehead. He felt the cold sweat on his 
 brow. The revelations he. .had heard made every 
 nerve in his body tingle. What should he do ? He
 
 138 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 tried the door leading into the room. It was se- 
 curely fastened. It was too substantial to break 
 down. There was one other thing to do. It was 
 to jump from the veranda, rush around to the front 
 of the house and confront the conspirators before 
 they had time to escape. He made a leap to the 
 ground, ran around the grounds, and reached the 
 front door, panting for breath. He stumbled up 
 the steps and hastened through the living room to 
 the little study. One glance was sufficient to tell 
 the story. 
 
 It was empty the men had gone ! 
 
 Vance pulled himself together with a great effort. 
 He realized that he must act and act quickly. The 
 time for temporizing had passed. He must find 
 Professor Vernon and expose the perfidy of Count 
 Castro. After that it would take but a minute to 
 open the Russian Ambassador's trunk and recover 
 the green wallet. He looked about for the faith- 
 ful Barker but he was not in sight. He went to 
 the electric call bell on the side of the wall and 
 pressed it vigorously. He could hear the ringing 
 distinctly but there was no response. While 
 Vance stood there waiting, almost mad with sus- 
 pense, he was startled by a cry of distress 
 from the second floor. He looked up and 
 beheld May Ward running down the stairway,
 
 The Count Chuckles 139 
 
 her face blanched and a look of terror in her 
 eyes. 
 
 "Oh, Captain Prescott! " she cried, " I'm so glad 
 you're here." 
 
 "What's the matter?" 
 
 "I I don't know. Something's happened to 
 Professor Vernon. Please come upstairs at 
 once! " 
 
 Without another word she turned to go to the 
 upper floor again. Vance followed her, two steps 
 at a time. They found the master of the house 
 clinging to the back of a chair in the hallway, 
 his eyes rolling and his face grayish. Prescott 
 lifted him up but he was unable to stand on his 
 feet. 
 
 " What seems to be the trouble? " asked Vance. 
 
 He looked at the young man pathetically and 
 shook his head. It was evident that he had lost 
 the power of speech. 
 
 " I'm afraid it's a stroke," said poor little Miss 
 Ward, tearfully. " I've seen cases in the hospital 
 while I was in training and they always look that 
 way." 
 
 Prescott nodded his head. Her diagnosis seemed 
 to be correct. \ 
 
 " Telephone for a doctor," he said. 
 
 " Barker is doing that already," Miss Ward re-
 
 140 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 plied ; " if we could only get him in bed he'd be more 
 comfortable." 
 
 His answer to this appeal was prompt and to the 
 point. He lifted the stricken man bodily onto his 
 stalwart young shoulders and carried him to his bed- 
 room. He laid him down tenderly, and, as he did 
 so, Professor Vernon thanked him with a look of 
 gratitude. 
 
 " Now we'll have to get Miss Vernon as quickly 
 as possible," he said briskly. 
 
 He hurried into the hall and half way downstairs 
 he met Hope Vernon. 
 
 " Please hurry," he said gently; " I'm afraid your 
 'father is quite ill." 
 
 She stared at him dazedly and hastened on her 
 way without saying a word. He continued down 
 to the first floor. No one was in the living-room. 
 There was an air of desolation about the place that 
 chilled him to the heart. The silence was oppres- 
 sive. It was as though some one had died. When 
 he thought of the stricken man upstairs he felt a 
 choking sensation in the throat. He loved Francis 
 Vernon almost as a father, and the thought of his 
 condition gave him a personal sense of grief. 
 
 He roused himself with a start. This was no 
 time for repining. He must find Barker. Where 
 could the man be? Just at that moment the faith-
 
 The Count Chuckles 141 
 
 ful one came in view, his face depicting the sorrow 
 he felt. 
 
 " Hello, Barker ! " cried Vance. " Did you get 
 the doctor ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the servant, his voice trem- 
 bling. " I reached him at once and he's on his way 
 over. He should be here in five or ten minutes." 
 
 Vance felt an immediate sense of relief. He 
 knew that Dr. Shaw was one of the best practi- 
 tioners in the neighborhood. With Hope by her 
 father's side and the doctor hastening as fast as 
 his machine would bring him, he felt that all had 
 been done that could be done. That matter settled, 
 his mind reverted to the green wallet and the Am- 
 bassador's trunk. 
 
 " By the way, Barker," he exclaimed, " where is 
 Count Castro? " 
 
 " He's gone, sir." 
 
 "Gone!" 
 
 " Yes, sir. He was going out while I was on the 
 way to the telephone. Said he had a most impor- 
 tant message and had to leave on the morning train." 
 
 " The cold-hearted scoundrel ! " ejaculated the 
 young soldier. 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth when 
 he thought of the green wallet. 
 
 " By the way, Barker, the trunk of the Russian
 
 142 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Ambassador was left in his room when he left the 
 day before yesterday." 
 
 The face of the faithful one went a shade whiter. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Please take me to it at once. This is a matter 
 of importance. I'll explain later." 
 
 Barker moistened his dry lips with the tip of his 
 tongue. 
 
 " I'm sorry, sir," he began, " I " 
 
 " What do you mean? " shouted Prescott. 
 
 " I'm sorry, sir," repeated the servant, " but it 
 was sent to the station about ten minutes ago."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 THE AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK 
 
 VANCE PRESCOTT stood there like a man stunned. 
 The thought of being outwitted by the clever and 
 unscrupulous Spanish-American was not to be tol- 
 erated. And yet what was he to do under the cir- 
 cumstances ? A dozen thoughts flashed through his 
 brain at once. The faithful Barker had gone up- 
 stairs in the hope of serving his stricken master. 
 It was impossible to cross-examine him at the mo- 
 ment, and even if he had the opportunity it might 
 result in naught. He could not appeal to Francis 
 Vernon. The unfortunate man was helpless, and 
 unable to speak. No one else was in sight, and 
 yet the emergency called for immediate action. At 
 that critical time the telephone bell began to tinkle. 
 Prescott was not in the mood to answer, but it per- 
 sisted so much that, almost involuntarily, he walked 
 over, and picked up the receiver. 
 
 " Hello," he called ; " what do you want ? " 
 " I'd like to speak to Vance Prescott," came a 
 voice, not very distinctly.
 
 144 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " This is he," responded the young man. " Who 
 is talking? " 
 
 " Bromley Barnes," came in the old familiar tones. 
 
 Vance could have shouted with joy. The man 
 of all men he most wanted to consult was within 
 reach. 
 
 " Go ahead," he cried ; " tell me what you have to 
 say." 
 
 " I'm only reporting progress," was the cheerful 
 answer. " I'm at Chevy Chase. I was fortunate 
 enough to fall in with a Deputy United States Mar- 
 shal, and I turned my Mexican friend over to his 
 tender mercies. He's promised to see that he is 
 given an uncomfortable cell in one of the Washing- 
 ton police station houses. In the meantime I'd like 
 to know whether to return to Idlewild or to go on 
 to Washington." 
 
 " To Washington, by all means," answered 
 Vance ; " things have been happening since I left 
 you, and it is of the utmost importance that you 
 should be at the station in Washington when the 
 afternoon train arrives from Idlewild." 
 
 Then in a terse, clear language, he told the story 
 of all that had occurred in the house. He re- 
 peated what he had overheard on the veranda, and 
 told how the faithful Barker had sent the Ambassa- 
 dor's trunk to its destination.
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 145 
 
 " Now," he continued, " I'm sure that Count Cas- 
 tro is on the train, and that the trunk is in the bag- 
 gage car. I count on you to be at the station to 
 grab both the Count and the trunk. Get authority 
 for this if you think it is necessary, but, in any event, 
 take care that you get 'em, authority or no authority. 
 I don't know how you came to call me up at this 
 particular moment, but I think it's nothing less than 
 Providential. I'm going to try and make the train. 
 I imagine I've got one chance in a million, but I'm 
 going to make a break for it just the same. I'll see 
 you at the station in Washington, either when 
 that train rolls in, or later. Good-bye, Bromley, 
 and good luck to you ! " 
 
 Vance consulted a time table as soon as he hung 
 the receiver up, and glanced at his watch. He 
 found there was just twenty-one minutes before the 
 leaving time of the afternoon train. He recalled 
 that Barker had once told him that a fast automobile 
 could make the station in twenty minutes. He 
 smiled grimly to himself. He hadn't the faintest 
 notion where he was going to get a fast automobile, 
 or any kind of an automobile. Nevertheless, he 
 hurried to his room, and hastily gathered a few of 
 his personal articles. On his way down the hall, 
 he met Miss Ward : 
 
 " How is the Professor? " he asked nervously.
 
 146 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " He seems to be responding to home treatment, 
 but he can't speak yet," said the little woman. 
 
 " Good ! " shouted Vance, and shot off with the 
 air of a wild man. 
 
 The gentle Red Cross nurse stood there gazing 
 after him, and wondering if he were glad that 
 Vernon was improving or pleased that he was not 
 yet able to speak. The puzzle was too much for her 
 comprehension, and she slowly returned to the sick 
 room to wait for the doctor. 
 
 By this time Vance had reached the garage. 
 Within its walls he found a touring car. He gave 
 it a quick examination and found that it was in 
 good condition and well supplied with gasoline. He 
 jumped in, pulled the lever, and steered the machine 
 out into the grounds. He had made up his mind 
 to make a dash for the station. Just what he would 
 do with the car was an after consideration. As he 
 reached the open, he noticed Tommy Warner saun- 
 tering along the roadway. 
 
 "Hello, Tommy!" he shouted. "You're just 
 the very man I want to see." 
 
 But the usually cordial one was not in a melting 
 humor. Indeed, he had the manner of one who is 
 offended or distrustful. He was walking away, 
 after a curt nod, when Vance called to him for the 
 second time :
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 147 
 
 " For God's sake, get in here. This is a matter 
 of life and death." 
 
 " I thought they'd sent for the doctor." 
 
 "It's not that," protested Vance. "The Pro- 
 fessor is coming around, I'm told, and the doctor 
 will be here any minute. But I want you to go to 
 the station with me. Come, don't stand there star- 
 ing like an idiot." 
 
 Perhaps he was relenting ; perhaps it was the vio- 
 lence with which he was greeted, but, in any event, 
 Tommy Warner found himself in the touring car, 
 bumping up and down, and being threatened with 
 sudden death. It was some moments before he 
 could get his breath, but in one of the intervals when 
 they were running smoothly he managed to ejacu- 
 late: 
 
 " What in the devil are you trying to do with 
 me?" 
 
 " I'm not trying to do anything with you, Tommy 
 dear ! " cheerfully retorted the young soldier. " I'm 
 simply trying to get to the station before that after- 
 noon train starts for Washington." 
 
 " What's that to me? I haven't the slightest de- 
 sire to go to Washington. What do you mean by 
 kidnaping me in this fashion? " 
 
 Vance laughed a wild, hysterical laugh. 
 
 "You dear old blockhead, you're not worth kid-
 
 148 The Ambassador's Trupk 
 
 naping. I had to catch this train. To do that L 
 had to borrow this machine. If I make the train 
 I'll have to send the machine back to Idlewild. I 
 brought you along for that purpose. You're a 
 second-rate driver, but I guess you can guide this 
 gas buggy back to the garage all right." 
 
 Warner leaned back against the cushions with a 
 gasp of astonishment. 
 
 '"You've got the nerve of a brass monkey," he 
 said finally; "I've got a notion to leave you right 
 here." 
 
 Vance made a curious sound something be- 
 tween a chuckle and a groan. 
 
 " You don't dare to move, unless you want to 
 break that precious neck of yours. You're going to 
 the station with me, and if I catch that train you're 
 going to run this car back to Idlewild. And after 
 that you'll make my excuses to Miss Vernon, and 
 say that I was called away unexpectedly just like 
 Count Castro." 
 
 There was something in the tone in which these 
 words were said that grated on the sensibilities of 
 the usually affable Mr. Warner. He looked up in 
 a sulky way and uttered four words: 
 
 "The hell you say!" 
 
 " I do say, and I haven't any time to stand on
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 149 
 
 ceremony. You heard exactly what I wanted, and 
 you can do it or not, just as you please." 
 
 The car struck a hole in the road at this point 
 and sent the two men bouncing in the air. When 
 they struck the seats again they were speechless for 
 a moment. The newspaper man was regarding his 
 companion closely. 
 
 " You don't look as if you'd been drinking," he 
 said reflectively. 
 
 " Haven't had a drop," cried Vance, making a 
 sharp turn to avoid an obstacle in the path of the 
 car. 
 
 " But you do act as if you'd gone crazy. Will 
 you be good enough to tell me the meaning o this 
 business? " 
 
 " Can't tell you a thing now," was the curt re- 
 sponse ; " this isn't a matter for newspaper publica- 
 tion." 
 
 " Oh, you be blowed ! " retorted Warner. 
 " Who wants anything for the newspapers ? 
 What do you mean by treating me in this silly fash- 
 ion?" 
 
 " If you will kindly shut up," exclaimed the 
 driver, " I may be able to make that train. I 
 can't drive and chatter with you at the same 
 time." 
 
 Warner sank back in the cushions with a look
 
 150 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 of intense disgust on his good-natured face. 
 
 " I'm sure I've struck an insane asylum. It's 
 been that way ever since I reached Idlewild. Not 
 a soul seems normal. The head of the house walks 
 around like the chief mourner at a funeral. His 
 nephew feeds us on a lot of Socialistic rubbish. 
 Hope Vernon refuses to smile, and, finally, you 
 come along like the chief lunatic and steal this 
 motor car and expect me to act as your accomplice. 
 It's too much for me." 
 
 Vance, with his hands on the steering wheel, 
 looked sideways at his companion. 
 
 " Still raving, Tommy," he remarked with a tol- 
 erant smile. 
 
 "Raving?" echoed the cherubic one, losing his 
 temper. " Listen to the madman asking me if I'm 
 raving! " 
 
 Prescott took one hand off the wheel long enough 
 to look at his watch. 
 
 " Only ten minutes left and I haven't covered half 
 the distance." 
 
 Prescott pulled the lever as he spoke and the car 
 shot ahead with a jerk that threw Tommy Warner 
 off the seat. He started to protest but the speed 
 at which they were going made conversation dif- 
 ficult. He shouted in the ear of his friend but 
 Prescott only smiled.
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 151 
 
 " Stop spluttering, Tommy," he called, " or you 
 may put the car out of commission." 
 
 " If this keeps up much longer," threatened the 
 journalist, " I'll put you out of commission, and 
 that's no joke." 
 
 The only answer was a laugh and a still further 
 increase in speed. Tommy Warner was frankly 
 scared. He lost all of his characteristics. He 
 was no longer cherubic; he ceased to smile and he 
 forgot to twirl his eye-glasses. Instead he clutched 
 the side of the car in a death-like grip and closed 
 his eyes. 
 
 Vance Prescott had suddenly become reckless. 
 His eyes glittered and there was a devil-may-care 
 air about him that changed his whole personality 
 outwardly he was the same broad-shouldered, clean- 
 faced, strong-limbed young fellow, but behind all 
 of this there was a desperation and a disregard of 
 consequence that boded ill for any one who might 
 stand in his way. Warner, opening his eyes for a 
 fleeting moment, saw this, and it filled him with a 
 wholesome awe. He put himself in a receptive 
 mood. He would no more dispute anything Pres- 
 cott might tell him than he would contradict a pa- 
 tient in the violent ward of an insane asylum. 
 
 " What's that ? " Vance suddenly cried to him. 
 " Did you hear anything? "
 
 152 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 The suddenness of the query startled Warner. 
 But he was able to answer. 
 
 " Why, yes ; it sounds like the Washington train." 
 
 " I'll make that train or smash the machine in 
 the attempt," shouted Vance, his brow wrinkling 
 and a dogged expression coming around the corner 
 of his mouth. His jaws were set and he leaned 
 forward like a tiger ready to spring on its quarry. 
 
 Warner laughed uneasily. 
 
 " That's fine," he commented, " but please don't 
 offer me up as an innocent victim of your ambi- 
 tion." 
 
 A sharp turn in the road caused the automobile 
 to go careening as if it would upset. But somehow 
 the wheels managed to reach solid ground again 
 and they speeded ahead with the fleetness of a grey- 
 hound. They were covered with dust and dirt, but 
 neither of them had time to give a thought to their 
 personal appearance. 
 
 Presently they neared the station. There were a 
 number of small houses on either side of the road 
 and they shot by them with the velocity of the wind. 
 They could hear the puffing of a locomotive and a 
 long trail of black smoke against the background 
 of white sky marked the progress toward the stop- 
 ping place. Vance watched it with strained eyes. 
 He put on every inch of power. The big machine
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 153 
 
 began to creak and groan under the strain like a ship 
 in a stormy sea. Warner's face went white beneath 
 its coat of dust and grime. What if the car should 
 break down ? The slightest twist in the mechanism 
 might send both of them to death. The same 
 thought came to Vance Prescott at the same mo- 
 ment. He laughed shrilly. 
 
 " It's a great life if you don't weaken, Tommy," 
 he cried harshly. 
 
 He looked ahead and realized that the train had 
 halted in front of the little station. The locomotive 
 was still puffing and throwing out clouds of black 
 smoke. The bell rang incessantly. Could it be 
 possible that they had been seen and that a friendly 
 engineer would delay for the fraction of a minute? 
 The suspense was maddening. Nearer and nearer 
 the car came to its destination. Another twenty 
 seconds and the race would be won. 
 
 But at the very instant he made the calculation, 
 Vance heard the bell ring louder and then the train 
 began slowly but surely to pull away from the sta- 
 tion. 
 
 " Stop ! Stop ! " he yelled at the top of his voice. 
 "I'm coming!" 
 
 But his words fell on empty air. If any one on 
 the train heard him they gave no indication of the 
 fact. The grimy- faced engineer in his cab was
 
 154 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 leaning out of the window, his eyes intent on the 
 two streaks of shining metal ahead of him. The 
 conductor had lightly leaped on the last day coach 
 and was proceeding to walk inside the car in the 
 most matter-of-fact way. 
 
 Vance gave a groan. 
 
 " I'll not miss it ! " he cried hysterically. 
 
 They had reached the approach to the station by 
 this time. Two graveled roadways led up to the 
 platform. They curved gracefully in opposite di- 
 rections. At that moment one of them was on a 
 line with the engine and the other marked the posi- 
 tion of the last car. The moving train was gath- 
 ering momentum with each passing second. Even 
 at that critical moment Vance did not lose his pres- 
 ence of mind. His impulse was to take the nearest 
 roadway. If he had he would have missed the train 
 beyond the shadow of a doubt. But his reasoning 
 faculties were keyed up to the highest pitch. He 
 deliberately steered the machine to the farthest 
 roadway and then suddenly halted it as he reached 
 the platform. 
 
 The shock threw him against the wind shield and 
 sent Tommy Warner sprawling on the bottom of 
 the car. The last part of the train was passing the 
 end of the station. With an almost super-human 
 effort the yo'ung soldier recovered his balance and
 
 The Ambassador's Trunk 155 
 
 jumped to the station platform. He made a wild 
 leap and just managed to grab the rail of the end 
 coach. For two or three seconds he was suspended 
 in the air. The train was going at full speed. 
 Vance literally hung between life and death. 
 
 At that supreme moment he pulled himself up- 
 ward and fell half-fainting on the platform of the 
 car.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A FRESH SURPRISE 
 
 VANCE PRESCOTT lay on the car platform for 
 some moments, recovering from his exhaustion. It 
 had been a hard fight but he had won. The 
 thought refreshed him immensely, and as he lifted 
 himself on his elbow and looked backward he got a 
 faint glimpse of Tommy Warner, standing up in 
 the automobile, and looking after the departing 
 train with the air of a man petrified with surprise. 
 
 The young soldier raised himself slowly, and 
 turned the knob of the door of the coach. By a 
 lucky chance it was unlocked. He walked in and 
 took the first vacant seat. It was evident that no 
 one on the train had witnessed his thrilling race, and 
 his equally thrilling leap for the last car. So much 
 the better. He would have no explanations to 
 make. He pulled out his handkerchief and tried to 
 make his face presentable. The performance was 
 only partially successful, but by the time the conduc- 
 tor came around to collect the tickets he had recov- 
 ered his self-possession, and was able to act in a 
 manner that did not attract attention. 
 
 156
 
 A Fresh Surprise 157 
 
 The train was made up of day coaches, and when 
 Vance walked to the forward end of the car he 
 could see into the preceding car without any diffi- 
 culty. It was nearly filled, and he glanced along the 
 seats in search of a familiar face. The discovery 
 came to him quickly. On the far part of the car, 
 evidently in a deep reverie, sat Count Castro. It 
 was clear that he never expected Vance Prescott on 
 the same train. Luckily, he was on the side of the 
 car from whence he was not likely to have seen the 
 mad race of the automobile. It was to the interest 
 of Vance to remain in the background. Where ig- 
 norance was bliss it would have been folly to have 
 made the Count wise. 
 
 He returned to his seat, and began to reflect upon 
 the series of events which had led to this stage of 
 the situation. For a man who had started out to 
 obtain a little needed relaxation he had certainly led 
 a strenuous twenty-four hours. He thought of his 
 aunt at East Orange and the thought made him 
 smile. He looked at his watch. It was about the 
 same hour on the previous day that he had left 
 Washington with the precious contract which meant 
 so much to Francis Vernon and the United States 
 Government. He felt that it was a foolish thing 
 to have sent the document from the safety of a vault 
 in the State Department to a country house, but then
 
 158 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 hindsight is always better than foresight, and his re- 
 flection was made in the light of a succession of stir- 
 ring events which had taken place since he delivered 
 the papers into the hands of the master of Idlewild. 
 Barnes had told him that the State Department had 
 been entered, and who knows but that they might 
 have secured the valuable papers if they had been 
 permitted to remain in Washington. 
 
 It was evident that Count Castro was at the bot- 
 tom of the scheme to steal the papers from the wal- 
 nut cabinet in the little study at Idlewild. But how 
 had the theft been accomplished, and in what way 
 were the persons at the house involved? With the 
 exception of little Miss Ward every one of them 
 had acted in a queer, if not a suspicious manner. 
 He could not find it in his heart to suspect Tommy 
 Warner of wrong-doing, and yet how was he to ac- 
 count for his midnight ramble and his altered de- 
 meanor? Even Francis Vernon was far from nor- 
 mal in his actions and his speech, but the thought of 
 his having anything to do with the disappearance of 
 the documents was preposterous. Could it be pos- 
 sible that he knew the thief and that he had some mo- 
 tive for shielding him? Gilbert Vernon, with his 
 strange theories of life, might be capable of taking 
 the papers, but would he have the nerve to do so, 
 and, above all, would he commit an act that was not
 
 A Fresh Surprise 159 
 
 only unpatriotic, but that might involve his uncle in 
 serious consequences ? And, finally, how was he to 
 account for the extraordinary behavior of Hope 
 Vernon ? 
 
 As Vance looked out of the car window with 
 unseeing eyes, the picture of the girl arose before 
 him the girl he loved more than anything else in 
 life. She had put herself in antagonism to him 
 without any apparent cause. He could see her now, 
 with her arms outstretched in front of the door of 
 the bedroom of Count Castro. Why had she done 
 this? What interest could she possibly have in 
 shielding such a scoundrel? It was too much for 
 Prescott. He shivered, as he gave it up as an un- 
 solvable problem. 
 
 Gradually he dismissed the unpleasant phase of the 
 case from his mind. He thought of Castro in the 
 other car and of the green wallet in the Ambassa- 
 dor's trunk. In the course of an hour they would be 
 in Washington, and he would have the satisfaction 
 of recovering the priceless contract and of handing 
 the chief conspirator over to the United States 
 authorities. He remembered that he had the power 
 to make an arrest and he actually gloated over the 
 thought of personally taking the rascal into custody. 
 
 He leaned back against the cushions of the seat 
 with a sense of luxurious ease he had not felt in
 
 160 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 days. In a way he regarded himself as responsible 
 for the Mexican contract. It had been stolen but 
 he would have the glory of recovering it. All had 
 been done that needed to be done. He simply had to 
 wait and possess himself in patience until they had 
 covered the distance between Idlewild and Washing- 
 ton. All that he had to do was to keep an eye on 
 Castro and see that he did not escape. There was 
 really no danger of that with himself on the train" 
 and Bromley Barnes waiting in the station at Wash- 
 ington. He closed his eyes and gently dozed. 
 Once or twice he roused himself and then finally he 
 went sound asleep. 
 
 Suddenly he was aroused and heard a crashing 
 noise and found himself being thrown violently on 
 the floor of the car. There was the breaking of 
 glass, the splintering of wood, the cries of women 
 and children and the shouts of men. He made an 
 effort to rise and failed. He felt a curious, sinking 
 sensation about the pit of the stomach. The car 
 was still moving. It was very queer. He seemed 
 dizzy and incapable of thinking. Then, like a flash, 
 the meaning of it all came to him. There had been 
 a collision and the car was reeling over on one side. 
 He tried to grab the edge of the seat and missed it. 
 His head struck some hard substance and he could 
 feel the warm blood oozing from his temple.
 
 A Fresh Surprise 161 
 
 There was a final crash, the air was filled with 
 dirt and flying timbers; the car had toppled to the 
 ground. He gave a gasp and then everything went 
 black. 
 
 How long he remained unconscious he could not 
 tell, but when he opened his eyes he found himself 
 on the ground, pinned down by a heavy weight. 
 He heard the rushing of many feet and the shouts 
 of many voices and there was a terrible pain in his 
 chest. From amidst the debris he could get a 
 glimpse of the sky, serene and unflecked. One voice 
 sounded above the others. It was a foreman direct- 
 ing the movements of the wrecking crew. Would 
 they ever reach him ? He attempted to call and was 
 amazed at the feebleness of his cries. But they were 
 coming nearer and nearer all the while. Presently 
 he heard a shout in a voice of authority. 
 
 " There's some one under there. Pull that stuff 
 away as quick as you can ! " 
 
 The next instant the ton weight that held him 
 down was removed. He lay quite still for many 
 seconds, but feeling an immense sense of relief. 
 
 " Get a move on you," shouted the voice again ; 
 " hurry up and pull him out! " 
 
 Willing hands caught him by the shoulders, and a 
 moment later he was lying on a green sward by 
 the roadside. He opened his eyes and found him-
 
 162 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 self looking in the beaming face of a six-foot wreck- 
 ing foreman. The giant leaned over with rough 
 kindliness. 
 
 " Get up, brother, and shake yourself maybe 
 you're all right." 
 
 Vance rose unsteadily. But he was able to stand 
 alone. Luckily, no bones were broken. He was 
 bruised, but he realized that he had escaped serious 
 injuries. 
 
 " Yes," he exclaimed, " thanks to your prompt- 
 ness, I'm all right! " 
 
 But the giant was off looking after others who 
 needed him. Prescott, rousing himself, joined in 
 the work of rescue. Pie pulled ,a crying child 
 through the broken window of ,a car, and a moment 
 later brought its mother to a place of safety. For 
 the better part of an hour he kept busy and at the 
 end of that time it was possible to get an idea of the 
 damage that had been done. The wreck had been 
 caused by a freight train which should have been on 
 a siding. Providentially no one was killed. There 
 were broken limbs and lesser injuries, but the corps 
 of doctors who had come upon the scene with incred- 
 ible swiftness was giving needed attention to all. 
 
 Vance presently thought of Count Castro. He 
 made a hurried survey of all who were in sight, but 
 the Count was not among the number. He sought
 
 A Fresh Surprise 163 
 
 the aid of the giant chief of the wrecking crew: 
 
 " Farley," he said, " have you any idea what has 
 become of Count Castro? " 
 
 The big-shouldered one threw his chin in the 
 air. 
 
 " Dukes and Counts and common people are all 
 alike when it comes to a shake-up of this kind. 
 Give me a description of your pal, and maybe I can 
 dope it out for you." 
 
 " He wasn't my pal," retorted Vance hastily, " but 
 he was tall and thin and as quick as chain lightning. 
 He was dark complexioned, had little eyes and a 
 nose like the beak of an owl. He " 
 
 " I got you ! " interrupted Farley ; " we picked up 
 a fellow that answered your description to a T. He 
 was knocked senseless by falling timbers." 
 
 " What's become of him? " 
 
 " We put him in the ambulance, with a bunch of 
 others, and sent 'em all over to the Miseracordia 
 Hospital near Washington." 
 
 " Was was he very seriously injured? " 
 
 " Naw," was the quick reply, " just bumped on 
 the bean and put on the blink for a while. He'll 
 wake up with a headache, but outside of that he 
 won't know that anything ever happened to him." 
 
 The information made Vance Prescott thought- 
 ful. For one thing, it told him where he might
 
 164 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 seek the Spanish- American if he had the desire. 
 For another, it was evident that he had gone off 
 without the green wallet. Instinctively he made his 
 way in the direction of the baggage car. He found 
 the place where it should have been but the car was 
 almost a total wreck. Bags and trunks and boxes 
 were scattered in all directions. The young man 
 carefully picked his way among them and finally 
 came to one very large trunk that caused his heart to 
 beat a little faster. On the side was the black eagle 
 of the old Russian Empire, and on top was stenciled 
 the name of the man who had been the Ambassador 
 of that unhappy country. His fingers itched to get 
 at the contents of the chest. How could he do so? 
 What pretext should he make for getting possession 
 of that trunk? 
 
 Just at that moment he heard the honk-honk of 
 an automobile horn and looking down the road be- 
 held a plum-colored car speeding in the direction 
 of the wreck. That car could belong to but one 
 man, and his name was Bromley Barnes. Even 
 while the thought was running through his mind the 
 automobile slowed up by his side, and he was listen- 
 ing to the cheery voice of the detective. 
 
 " Glad you're alive," it was saying, " but it sure 
 is hard to kill an American soldier." 
 
 It was all that Prescott could do to refrain from
 
 A Fresh Surprise 165 
 
 embracing his welcome friend. His surprise found 
 expression in a query : 
 
 " How in the world did you manage to get 
 here?" 
 
 " That's easy," retorted Barnes, " I was waiting 
 at the station for you when we got word of the 
 wreck. I had my car there waiting to nab Castro, 
 so I just jumped into it and here I am. But 
 where's the long-legged rascal ? " 
 
 " He's gone, disappeared, vamoosed," chuckled 
 Vance, with pretended remorsefulness. 
 
 " The devil you say? " ejaculated the detective. 
 
 " But it may relieve your mind," Prescott has- 
 tened to say, " to know that he has been taken to 
 the hospital in an unconscious condition." 
 
 " That's better," commented Barnes in a tone of 
 relief; "next to being in jail it is just where he 
 should be." 
 
 There was a silence for a few moments and then 
 Vance plucked at the sleeve of the detective and 
 pointed to the trunk. 
 
 " That's what we want," he whispered, " but what 
 excuse can we make for taking it? " 
 
 The eyes of the old investigator glistened with 
 excitement. He pondered for a moment, and then 
 turned swiftly to his friend : 
 
 " Who's in charge of the wreck ? " he snapped.
 
 166 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Farley a giant who does things and has 
 mighty little to say." 
 
 Barnes chortled with joy. 
 
 " I know him as I know my own brother. Just 
 wait here until I have a few words with this prac- 
 tical person." 
 
 He left, and in less than five minutes returned, his 
 face beaming with the air of one who has accom- 
 plished his purpose. 
 
 " It's all right. As the representative of the State 
 Department you have been given permission to take 
 this trunk. I've given F'arley a receipt and my word 
 of honor that the Russian Ambassador will get his 
 trunk with all that belongs to him. Thus we are 
 given the legal right to do an illegal thing." 
 
 The heavy trunk was hoisted into the plum- 
 colored car, and in a few minutes it was on the main 
 road speeding to Washington. Neither of the men 
 had much to say. Their minds were upon the con- 
 tents of the trunk. Both of them could picture the 
 green wallet, lying on top of the Ambassador's 
 wardrobe, where it had been placed by the thief who 
 had stolen it from the walnut cabinet. It was 
 agreed that they should go directly to the apartments 
 of Vance Prescott, where the search could be made 
 in the privacy of his rooms. Barnes proved the 
 mettle of the little plum-colored car. Speed laws
 
 A Fresh Surprise 167 
 
 were ignored, and for the second time that day Pres- 
 cott found life and limb being disregarded for the 
 sake of a few minutes of time. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when the car halted 
 at the curb in front of the apartments of the young 
 soldier. Passers-by were treated to the spectacle of 
 two gentlemen struggling with a trunk which bore 
 upon one end the picturesque eagle of the Russian 
 Empire. The elevator attendant stared at them 
 with polite surprise, but when Vance suddenly thrust 
 a dollar into his hand his surprise intensified to a 
 degree which rendered him speechless. That, evi- 
 dently, was the effect which Prescott desired. Two 
 minutes later the bulky bit of baggage was landed in 
 the bedroom of the young soldier. The door was 
 locked and Barnes was down on his knees with a 
 steel implement in his hand. 
 
 " Vance," he said laughingly, " I'll now give you 
 an exhibition how to pick a lock. It seems like a 
 criminal thing to do, but I've been associated with 
 criminals all my life." 
 
 " I hope," bantered Prescott, " that you have no 
 reference to present company. I'm a little touchy 
 just now. I feel like a grave robber, although I 
 never tried to rob a grave." 
 
 Bromley Barnes, absorbed in his task, did not heed 
 this remark. He worked with a practiced hand, and
 
 168 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 while he seemed to experience some difficulty he 
 was not at all discouraged. Many minutes passed, 
 and finally he gave a sigh of satisfaction. The next 
 moment the lid of the trunk was lifted, and the con- 
 tents exposed to view. Some silk shirts and a set 
 of silk pajamas were on top of the articles in the 
 chest, a sight that would no doubt have incensed the 
 Bolsheviki, if they could have seen this awful evi- 
 dence of autocracy. 
 
 . Barnes and Prescott joined in the search for the 
 contract. They removed every article in the trunk 
 and searched every inch of space with greatest care. 
 When they had finished they looked at one another in 
 dumb surprise. It was not necessary for them to 
 speak. Their expressions and the pile of clothing 
 on the floor told the story. 
 
 The green wallet was not in the Ambassador's 
 trunk !
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 FORTY-FIVE JACKSON STREET 
 
 IT was significant of the Spartan-like spirit of the 
 two men that they finished re-packing the trunk 
 before they said a word. Barnes locked it with the 
 same ingenuity with which he had opened it, and 
 Vance, going to the telephone, called up a local ex- 
 pressman, and gave him directions for removing the 
 trunk to the residence of the Russian Ambassador. 
 It was after all of this had been done, and Vance 
 had thrown himself in an easy chair that he turned 
 to his friend and said : 
 
 "Well, what do you propose to do now? " 
 
 Barnes smiled whimsically. 
 
 " If you'll open your heart and the box at the 
 same time I'm going to smoke one of those cigars 
 you had sent to you from Havana." 
 
 A minute later both men were puffing away at the 
 perfectos, and the smoke was curling in grayish 
 clouds toward the ceiling. 
 
 "You don't suppose, do you/' suggested the 
 detective, "that Castro could have gotten into 
 
 169
 
 170 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 that trunk before we carted it away from the 
 wreck ? " 
 
 " It would have been a physical impossibility. 
 The trunk was in the baggage car from the time it 
 left the station. After the smash-up Castro was 
 taken to the hospital. I have Farley's word for 
 that, and I don't doubt it." 
 
 " It seems to me," said Barnes, " that the best 
 thing we can do is to go to the hospital and put the 
 scoundrel under arrest. Even if we don't get the 
 green wallet, we'll have the satisfaction of placing 
 him under lock and key." 
 
 Vance shook his head. 
 
 " I don't care what you do with Castro, but, for 
 my part, I intend to get the wallet. I'm still 
 frankly puzzled about the Spanish-American. It 
 was to his interest to leave the contract in the posses- 
 sion of Francis Vernon." 
 
 " Quite true, but doesn't it occur to you that it 
 might have been to his greater interest to take it 
 away from him ? " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that the bribe was too much for him. 
 Things have changed since you carried the wallet to 
 Idlewild. Then Castro stood to win, let us say ten 
 thousand dollars. Now he can get ten times that 
 much if he can prevent the United States and her
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 171 
 
 Allies from getting the oil fields of Mexico. Don't 
 you see that he's playing for a big stake and that 
 he will resort to anything to win ? " 
 
 Prescott nodded. 
 
 " I never thought about that. Maybe you're 
 right" 
 
 Barnes arose and put on his hat. 
 
 " I'm going to the Miseracordia Hospital and have 
 a few words with Castro." 
 
 Vance pulled the telephone toward him. 
 
 " Wait a minute and see if we can get them on the 
 wire." 
 
 The connection was made quickly enough and the 
 young man asked about the Spanish-American. 
 The nurse at the other end of the wire excused her- 
 self in order to make the inquiry. She returned in 
 a few moments. 
 
 " I'm very sorry," she said, " but Count Castro 
 left the hospital an hour ago." 
 
 Vance clapped the receiver on the hook with a 
 jerk and repeated the message to the detective. 
 Barnes grinned sheepishly. 
 
 " It looks as though we had lost both the man 
 and the wallet." 
 
 " You're not going to throw up the sponge, are 
 you ? " asked Vance in a challenging voice. 
 
 " Not on your life," thundered the old man, pull-
 
 172 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ing his soft felt hat down over his eyes. " I'm go- 
 ing to the hospital myself to make sure about the 
 business, and if I don't get a clew of some kind my 
 name isn't Barnes." 
 
 He slammed the door after him, and Vance 
 could hear his retreating footsteps going down the 
 hall. 
 
 Prescott remained seated for a long time debating 
 his next move. He was just as determined to fol- 
 low the adventure to the bitter end as ever but he did 
 not want to make any false moves. He considered 
 the desirability of taking the Secretary of State into 
 his confidence but finally rejected that as imprudent 
 and as unfair to Professor Vernon. At this stage 
 of his musings he was interrupted by the insistent 
 ringing of the telephone bell. He lifted the receiver 
 in a languid manner. 
 
 " I'd like to speak to Captain Vance Prescott," 
 said a strange voice. 
 
 " At the phone," he replied. 
 
 There was a moment's hesitation and then the 
 words came slowly and deliberately. 
 
 " I've been asked to notify you that if you will 
 call at Forty-five Jackson Street at eight o'clock to- 
 night you will learn something to your advantage. 
 Come alone, because the matter is private and con- 
 fidential."
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 173 
 
 " Who is this speaking? " 
 
 " Never* mind. I am only delivering the mes- 
 sage for another person." 
 
 " And the name of that person? " asked Vance. 
 
 " It is sufficient to say that it is a friend who 
 finds it necessary to remain unknown." 
 
 " But, surely," protested Prescott, " I " 
 
 " If you have any doubt about coming," inter- 
 rupted the voice, " you are referred to Professor 
 Vernon. He is vitally concerned." 
 
 " But," began Vance, " I do " 
 
 "That's all suit yourself," cut in the voice at 
 the other end of the wire ; " good night ! " 
 
 The amazed young man found the connection sev- 
 ered. Mechanically he wrote the address and hour 
 on a pad that lay before him. Then he leaned back 
 in his chair and tried to think. He was very much 
 dissatisfied with himself. The events of the last 
 thirty-six hours seemed to deprive him of the power 
 of coherent thought. What should he do about the 
 astonishing message? He looked at his watch. It 
 was already seven o'clock. Time had passed with 
 curious rapidity. He wondered if Bromley Barnes 
 would return. Should he wait for him? That 
 would be out of the question if he intended to an- 
 swer this strange summons. He remembered that 
 he had eaten nothing since early in the morning, and
 
 174 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 he would just have time enough to get a hurried din- 
 ner if he kept the appointment. 
 
 He found himself with his hat and coat on, hurry- 
 ing down Pennsylvania Avenue in the direction of 
 the chop house where he dined occasionally. He 
 chose a table in a secluded corner, gave his order 
 quickly and bribed the waiter to bring the meal as 
 speedily as possible. It was a curious psychological 
 condition. He had not really decided to go to 
 Forty-five Jackson Street and yet his physical self 
 seemed to be pushing him forward with irresistible 
 certainty. The food was placed before him and he 
 ate with an indifference to quality and quantity that 
 would have shocked any man of epicurean tastes. 
 
 A voice within him whispered that it would be 
 folly to pay attention to an anonymous message. 
 But the romantic part of his being rose up and de- 
 clared that it held forth the promise of an adventure 
 which could not possibly be ignored. Prudence 
 suggested that he take the matter to the police, but 
 loyalty to Francis Vernon scouted the idea of giving 
 publicity to an incident that might easily cause a na- 
 tional scandal. Even when he had finished the meal 
 and tipped the waiter he would not admit to himself 
 that he intended keeping the engagement. But 
 when he reached the sidewalk of the restaurant he 
 hailed a taxicab, and entering, said to the driver :
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 175 
 
 " Forty-five Jackson Street in a hurry ! " 
 
 He had a hazy notion of the locality. It was be- 
 yond the southern end of the capitol and was far 
 from aristocratic. The vehicle made good time and 
 in half an hour pulled up in front of a row of rather 
 shabby looking houses. He alighted and noted that 
 number forty-five was less promising than its neigh- 
 bor. A placard announced that rooms were to let. 
 He walked up the steps and pressed the electric but- 
 ton. Some time passed before he received any re- 
 sponse. Finally the door opened on a crack and a 
 bedraggled house maid glared at him. For a man 
 of the world he was strangely at a loss for words. 
 
 " I was told," he began hesitatingly, " that " 
 
 " Oh ! " she interrupted him with a shrill voice, 
 "ain't you the man what had an engagement for 
 eight o'clock ? " 
 
 " Yes," he admitted, not without some inward 
 qualms, " I'm the man." 
 
 She opened the door wide. 
 
 " You're to go right up to the second story back. 
 I guess you can find your way." 
 
 He guessed so, too, but he had to grope his way 
 through the illy-lighted hallway. He went up a 
 flight of creaky stairs and presently halted before the 
 door of the apartment to which he had been directed. 
 He tapped on the panel. A gruff voice called:
 
 176 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Come in." 
 
 He opened the door and entered. The room was 
 poorly lighted and badly furnished. On one side of 
 the wall was a cheap print of the Congressional 
 Library and on the other a lithograph of George 
 Washington. There was a couch against the wall 
 and a couple of dilapidated chairs. Beyond was a 
 door that evidently led to another room and in front 
 of a rear window a dirty portiere. A large arm 
 chair stood almost in the center of the apartment. 
 No one was in sight. He walked over to the wall 
 and tapped on it to attract attention. Suddenly 
 there was a movement behind the soiled curtains 
 and two men rushed out and grabbed him by the 
 arms. It was so sudden that he did not have a 
 chance to defend himself. He heard a gruff voice. 
 
 " Shut his mouth do you hear ? " 
 
 The next instant a big handkerchief was tied 
 about his face and he was speechless. He tried to 
 break away from his captors, but in vain. His 
 hands and feet were bound and he was thrown vio- 
 lently into the arm chair in the center of the room. 
 It was evident that he was in the hands of expert 
 highwaymen. A jeering voice was heard and then 
 another man stood in front of him, his arms akimbo 
 and a leer on his ugly face. One glance was suffi- 
 cient to reveal his identity.
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 177 
 
 It was the second of the two murderous looking 
 Mexicans who had been on his trail ever since he 
 left the State Department on the previous day. He 
 cursed his stupidity in coming to such a place alone. 
 He had childishly walked into the trap that had 
 been set for him. But what did they want with 
 him ? What was the object of this kidnaping ? He 
 was not left long in doubt. 
 
 " Stand him up ! " commanded the obnoxious 
 looking ruffian. 
 
 The two accomplices yanked him from the chair 
 with a violence that made his teeth chatter. Then 
 the Mexican began to search him with the thorough- 
 ness of a trained thief. Every pocket was rifled, 
 but the net result was only his watch and penknife, 
 a few letters and a small roll of bills. The fellow 
 calmly appropriated the money, but he was plainly 
 disappointed. 
 
 " He hasn't got it," he cried, with a horrible oath. 
 
 He gave the helpless soldier a blow in the face 
 and Vance found himself thrown back into the chair. 
 His blood boiled. If only he could free his hands 
 he would give the scoundrels something to remem- 
 ber. But it was useless to struggle. He was in 
 their power. For some moments the Mexican stood 
 glaring at him with a murderous look in his evil 
 eyes. Whatever designs he might have had he
 
 178 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 abandoned. He turned to the others and cried : 
 
 " You know the orders. Hurry up or it may be 
 too late." 
 
 They all hurried from the room and slammed the 
 door behind them. Vance Prescott found himself 
 alone, with nothing but his humiliating thoughts to 
 keep him company. He could have cried with rage. 
 To think that such an episode could happen in the 
 city of Washington in the year 1918! It was in- 
 credible. It was unbelievable. And yet he knew 
 from his work in the Bureau of Intelligence that the 
 hidden records of the War Department could match 
 it with stories that were just as seemingly impos- 
 sible. 
 
 How long he remained there in that disgraceful 
 position he did not know. The silence was oppres- 
 sive. He could hear the ticking of his watch. The 
 ruffians had not taken the timepiece. Possibly the 
 fact that his name was engraved on the back of it 
 accounted for this apparent oversight. 
 
 The tension had just about reached the breaking 
 point when Vance heard footsteps in the corridor, 
 and the next moment Bromley Barnes rushed into 
 the room. He comprehended the situation at a 
 glance. Indeed, he seemed to have anticipated ex- 
 actly what he found. He lost no time in prelimina- 
 ries. With two or three rapid movements of the
 
 BROMLEY BARNES RUSHED INTO THE ROOM
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 179 
 
 hand he removed the handkerchief, and then untied 
 the hands and feet of his helpless associate. After 
 that he could not forbear a compassionate smile. 
 Prescott, however, was in anything but a merry 
 mood. He rose stiffly, his bones aching from the 
 cramped position in which he had been held. He 
 looked at his friend in a questioning manner. 
 
 " How did you know that " 
 
 But Barnes cut him off crisply. 
 
 " It was easy. I found the address on the writing 
 table in your room. It was clearly a telephone call. 
 I suspected a trap had been set for you, and I hur- 
 ried here as quickly as possible." 
 
 " I took a chance," pleaded Vance in self-defense. 
 " I thought it might have something to do with the 
 green wallet." 
 
 The detective laughed heartily. 
 
 " I'll bet you were right about that ; only it was in 
 a different way than you had anticipated." 
 
 " Yes," admitted Vance, " but how do you know 
 what happened ? " 
 
 " By using my eyes and my head. It was all 
 right to answer the 'phone call, but you should have 
 had two or three policemen, and then the gang might 
 have been pinched." 
 
 " Yes, but the publicity," Vance protested, " and 
 then they would have been on their guard, and the
 
 180 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 sight of the police would have scared them off." 
 
 " Quite likely. But there's no use in crying over 
 spilt milk. The best thing for you to do is to go 
 back to your rooms. There may be something do- 
 ing there." 
 
 " What are you going to do ? " 
 
 " Me? Why I'm going to stay here and clear up 
 this mystery. My guess is that this room has been 
 rented solely for your entertainment. But the 
 woman of the house will find it to her interest to help 
 me to catch these hoodlums. I'm going to run it out 
 anyhow, and I'll join you as soon as possible." 
 
 Prescott left him, and started for his apartments. 
 The taxi-cab was gone from in front of the house, 
 and the victim rightly guessed that it had been 
 pressed into service by his assailants. He decided 
 to walk home. His legs and arms were sore, and he 
 yearned to stretch his limbs. Besides, it gave him 
 an opportunity of thinking. The movement of his 
 body seemed to stimulate his brain. It was a clear 
 night and he enjoyed the exercise. It was so agree- 
 able that he prolonged the walk. Finally he reached 
 his house, and at the same instant he was treated to 
 a surprise. 
 
 He could see his apartments from the street, and 
 he saw that both of his rooms were brilliantly il- 
 luminated. He was certain that when he left he had
 
 Forty-Five Jackson Street 181 
 
 turned off the lights and locked the door of the outer 
 room. But now it appeared to be occupied, and if 
 appearances counted for anything there must be a 
 reception in progress. He made his way to the ele- 
 vator, and induced the operator to make a quick trip. 
 He found the door of his room closed, but when he 
 opened it a flood of light burst on him. He blinked 
 for a moment, but when he was able to get his bear- 
 ings a strange sight met his eyes. 
 
 The room was in utter disorder. Papers, letters 
 and articles of clothing were scattered in every direc- 
 tion. In the midst of this chaos the trunk of the 
 Russian Ambassador stood up like a lighthouse in 
 the midst of an angry sea. The lid yawned wide 
 open, and the contents of the chest had been thrown 
 about helter-skelter as though some one had made a 
 wild and hurried search. Vance had no doubt but 
 that the Mexican who had subjected him to the indig- 
 nity at Forty-five Jackson Street had been in his 
 rooms. If so, the fellow was working under the di- 
 rection of one with more brains than himself. It 
 was not difficult to guess the name of the person who 
 had directed the search. 
 
 It could be none other than Count Castro !
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 ON A NEW TRAIL 
 
 VANCE PRESCOTT had plenty of time for reflection 
 while he was collecting the effects of the Russian 
 Ambassador. If His Excellency had caught a 
 glimpse of his wardrobe at that moment he would 
 have suspected that it had fallen into the hands of 
 the mob which even at that moment was creating 
 havoc in the domain of the late Tsar. Being a 
 soldier, and having been taught the value of order, 
 Vance managed to place each of the articles in the 
 trunk with some degree of tidiness. He was satis- 
 fied that nothing had been abstracted. The one 
 thing wanted by the intruders was not there and 
 they had taken a malicious delight in turning things 
 topsy-turvy. 
 
 Vance had just finished the job of straightening 
 out his room when the door opened and Bromley 
 Barnes walked in, his face wreathed in smiles. Be- 
 fore Prescott had a chance to say a word, he ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Well, I see you've set things in order again." 
 182
 
 On a New Trail 183 
 
 " How did you know that they were in any other 
 condition ? " 
 
 The detective smiled. 
 
 " Simply by using my brains. It was as plain as 
 day that these fellows, having failed to get what 
 they were after at Forty-five Jackson Street, would 
 come around to your rooms and make a search. I 
 figured that they would literally turn things upside 
 down and " 
 
 " So they did," confessed Prescott ; " when I came 
 in here it looked as though the place had been struck 
 by a cyclone." 
 
 " I suppose you hurried here ? " 
 
 " No," admitted Vance ruefully, " I walked 
 home." 
 
 " And in that way gave them all the time they 
 needed." 
 
 " I'm sorry," began Prescott; "I really " 
 
 " Never mind," interrupted Barnes. " It would 
 have happened anyhow. Besides, I've got good 
 news for you." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " I've captured the Mexican who treated you so 
 disrespectfully." 
 
 " That's the best news that brings us a step 
 nearer to the green wallet." 
 
 " I don't know about that, but I've got him behind
 
 184 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 lock and key. We've got both the murderous Mex- 
 icans now, and if they don't get the third degree my 
 name isn't Bromley Barnes." 
 
 " How did you get him ? " asked Vance. 
 
 " That's a long story," replied the detective, " but 
 it's enough to say that we employed ordinary police 
 methods. We managed to get some information 
 from the landlady of the Jackson Street house, and 
 we also located the driver of the taxicab, and finally 
 we rounded up Mr. Pedro Lopez that's his name 
 just as he was preparing to hop a train in the 
 Union Station. We've got both of them in custody 
 now, and I'll cheerfully admit that I never met a 
 finer pair of cutthroats in all my life." 
 
 " Have you been able to get anything out of 
 them?" 
 
 " Not yet, but we will. Your very bad citizen 
 nearly always squeals on his pals. There never was 
 and never will be honor among thieves. Werta and 
 Lopez are still under the delusion that Count Castro 
 will come to their rescue. They imagine that he has 
 great influence in the United States. They con- 
 sider him a man with a pull. But I'm perfectly sure 
 that he intends to dump them. The minute they 
 permitted themselves to get into the hands of the 
 police they lost their usefulness so far as our distin- 
 guished friend was concerned. Now that they're
 
 On a New Trail 185 
 
 under lock and key he'll leave them to their fate. 
 They will discover this sooner or later sooner, if 
 it rests with me and then we may look for some 
 interesting revelations." 
 
 Vance looked thoughtful. 
 
 "If they're going to help us," he said, " they will 
 have to do it before the seventh of May." 
 
 " The anniversary of the sinking of the Lusi- 
 tania? " 
 
 " Precisely you remember that is the day the 
 Ambassadors are to meet to complete the signing of 
 the contract for the control of the Mexican oil 
 fields." 
 
 Barnes wrinkled his brow in good-natured protest. 
 
 "Remember it? See here, young man, what do 
 you think I'm in this case for? Next thing you'll 
 want to know if I forget that my head is on my 
 shoulders." 
 
 Vance Prescott did not seem to hear these words. 
 He was walking up and down the room in deep 
 thought. His jaw was thrust out in the way that 
 emphasized the determined part of his character. 
 Presently he paused in front of his friend. 
 
 " See here, Barnes, I've been doing some thinking 
 about the green wallet." 
 
 " Well," said the veteran, " what about it? " 
 
 " I've come to the conclusion that Castro and
 
 186 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 you and I have all been on a wild goose chase." 
 
 " That's interesting, but I thought you were sure 
 it was placed in the Ambassador's trunk? " 
 
 " I didn't say I was sure. I simply told you of 
 the conversation between Castro and his unknown 
 confederate. The Spanish-American believed that 
 the wallet was placed in the trunk. Otherwise why 
 should he go to the trouble of following it to Wash- 
 ington? Why should he send his thugs to my 
 rooms to ransack the trunk ? We have been fooled. 
 Castro has been fooled." 
 
 Barnes looked at him steadily for some moments. 
 
 "If this is the case the wallet must have been 
 taken from the trunk before the trunk left Idlewild." 
 
 " You have said it." 
 
 " Well," commented Barnes, after a pause, " what 
 are you going to do about it ? " 
 
 " I'm going back to Idlewild." 
 
 " Good for you. That sounds like business. 
 Have you any objection to my going along? " 
 
 " On the contrary, I was going to ask you to go. 
 I haven't the slightest idea where we are going to be- 
 gin after we get there, but I'm satisfied that we 
 must go to Idlewild in order to pick up the threads. 
 Where they will lead us is a matter that will have to 
 be considered later." 
 
 Barnes looked at his friend with something like
 
 On a New Trail 187 
 
 admiration in his brown eyes. He dropped his ban- 
 tering tone. 
 
 " Vance, I believe in you, and I'm sure you're go- 
 ing to make good in this business. The main thing 
 is persistence and the resolve never to become dis- 
 couraged. You have had some set-backs, but they 
 haven't been through any fault of your own. I 
 should say that you had been a victim of circum- 
 stances. The whole trouble in this country is that 
 we have under-estimated the ingenuity of the enemy. 
 We've been too devilish tolerant. We're up against 
 an utterly unscrupulous foe and we must act accord- 
 ingly. From now on it must be a fight to the finish 
 and no quarter to the man or woman who blocks our 
 way." 
 
 Prescott thought of Hope. Vernon and his face 
 flushed with painful consciousness. 
 
 "Well," he said, in a desire to turn the conversa- 
 tion, " the next thing is to find out when we can go 
 to Idlewild." 
 
 " It's impossible to get there to-night," declared 
 Barnes. 
 
 " I thought so, and the train to-morrow morning 
 will be rather late." 
 
 " You won't have to depend on any train." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Because I'm going to put that little car of mine
 
 188 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 in commission if you're not too proud to ride in 
 it" 
 
 Vance declared that it was a matter of pride to be 
 permitted the privilege of passengership in the plum- 
 colored car, and it was decided that they should 
 make the start at seven o'clock in the morning. 
 
 Promptly at that hour they left Prescott's apart- 
 ments and headed for the road leading to Idlewild. 
 It was a clear, brisk morning. Both men had been 
 refreshed by a good night's sleep and their minds had 
 been cleared of mental cobwebs. 
 
 " Somehow I feel as though we're getting a fresh 
 start on this case," commented Barnes. 
 
 " Same way here," acquiesced Vance, " and if that 
 means anything it means that we are going to get 
 results." 
 
 The trip was delightful, but without incident of 
 any kind. There was not even a punctured tire to 
 vary the pleasant monotony. They reached their 
 destination in due time and Barnes guided the ma- 
 chine up the pathway leading to the door of Idle- 
 wild. 
 
 No one appeared to greet them. The faithful 
 Barker was conspicuous by his absence. An omi- 
 nous silence hovered about the place. Vance felt 
 his heart sinking. Could anything have happened to 
 Francis Vernon. He was remorseful as though
 
 On a New Trail 189 
 
 he had, in some way, been responsible for the catas- 
 trophe. They alighted and Vance pressed the elec- 
 tric button. They had to wait a long while, which 
 did not serve to allay their anxiety. But presently 
 the door opened and they were greeted by a sweet, 
 motherly old lady with her snow white hair parted in 
 the middle. It was Mrs. Spencer, the housekeeper. 
 She greeted them pleasantly and ushered them into 
 the familiar living-room. 
 
 "How is Professor Vernon?" asked Vance, not 
 without a feeling of trepidation. 
 
 " He is getting better every day," she announced, 
 " and his only regret seems to be that his guests were 
 put to so much inconvenience by his illness." 
 
 Prescott smiled. He was sure that another and 
 deeper regret lurked in the mind of Francis Vernon. 
 
 " He has recovered consciousness, of course? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " Entirely, but the full power of speech has not 
 come back. The doctor bids him be perfectly quiet 
 and says he must not try to talk. But if the im- 
 provement continues he will be allowed to have his 
 say this blessed afternoon. And my goodness, 
 won't he have a lot to say after a silence of more 
 than two days ! You know men hate to keep quiet." 
 
 The transparent sincerity of the old lady caused 
 the visitors to join in her infectious laugh.
 
 190 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I don't suppose it would be desirable for us io 
 see him now, would it? " 
 
 "I'm afraid not," she replied hesitatingly; "you 
 see, I wouldn't like to decide a thing of that kind 
 without consulting the doctor. Not that I think 
 there's any danger. The man's as sound as either of 
 you, and I'm sure he'll be up and about in a day or 
 so." 
 
 " Well, Mrs. Spencer," said Barnes, " we won't 
 insist on seeing him this morning. But we came 
 down here to make some inquiries. Barker might 
 help us if he was around." 
 
 " Barker is over at his house you know the lit- 
 tle lodge near the entrance to the grounds. He was 
 sitting up with Professor Vernon last night and he's 
 gone home to get some rest. You know," she 
 added, with a humorous puckering of the lips, 
 " Barker is a person of some consequence here- 
 abouts. He thinks Idlewild would cease to exist 
 without his presence." 
 
 " I'm afraid, Mrs. Spencer," observed Barnes in 
 a conciliatory tone, " very few of us are really indis- 
 pensable." 
 
 " Very few," she sniffed, her venerable eyes flash- 
 ing fire, " and Barker is not one of the few." 
 
 As they were about to depart, Hope Vernon came 
 down the stairway, looking very pale and fragile.
 
 On a New Trail 191 
 
 There were dark lines under her eyes and all of the 
 sunshine seemed to have gone out of her face. She 
 walked over to Barnes and greeted him with quiet 
 cordiality. He repeated his inquiry about her father 
 and said they were about to call on Barker in 
 the hope of obtaining some information in an in- 
 quiry they were making. Vance Prescott stood a 
 few feet in the rear of Barnes. During the entire 
 conversation she never looked at him. When it was 
 ended she turned and went up stairs as if she had 
 been in utter ignorance of the existence of the young 
 soldier. His face reddened to the roots of his hair, 
 and then the flushed look passed away, leaving him 
 as cold as ice. The detective noticed it and pitied 
 him. But he knew enough about human nature to 
 understand that sympathy would be out of the ques- 
 tion at that moment. He took another tack. 
 
 " Come on," he said, " let's go over and see 
 Barker, if that mighty personage will consent to see 
 us." 
 
 It was a short walk and they found the door of 
 the little house open. They entered a cozy sitting 
 room that bore all the evidences of humble bachelor- 
 hood. There was an odor of tobacco smoke, and 
 over the mantel was a gun which indicated the sport- 
 ing proclivities of the occupant of the house. On 
 the wall was a large portrait of Theodore Roosevelt,
 
 192 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 which might be said to give a clew to the personal 
 and political inclinations of the worthy Barker. 
 
 While they gazed about the room, Barker himself 
 entered. The man, in his altered surroundings, 
 seemed an altered person. He wore a long, flowing, 
 silk dressing gown. It was old, and obviously had 
 belonged to Professor Vernon, but Barker wore it 
 with a dignity all his own and with a haughtiness 
 befitting the maws-ter of the house. He was glad 
 to greet his visitors, and yet plainly ill at ease. He 
 invited them to be seated, and Vance noticed that 
 his hands trembled. 
 
 " We're looking for a green wallet, Barker," said 
 Barnes, coming to the point with refreshing direct- 
 ness. 
 
 " Yes, sir," came from the faithful one, as he 
 twisted a corner of the silk dressing gown about the 
 forefinger of his right hand. 
 
 " We had a notion that you might help us, and 
 we've come from Washington for the purpose of 
 asking you a few questions." 
 
 Barker looked a bit mysterious. Leaning over he 
 remarked in a lower voice : 
 
 " You are not the only ones to do that very thing, 
 sir." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Just what I say, sir. There's another man in
 
 On a New Trail 193 
 
 this very neighborhood looking for the very article 
 you mention." 
 
 " It's Count Castro," hazarded Barnes. 
 
 " The very same, sir. But how in the world did 
 you come to make such a good guess ? " 
 
 " Never mind about that," smiled the detective, 
 " but tell me did the Count meet with any suc- 
 cess ? " 
 
 " He did not, sir." 
 
 " I'm glad to know that, because, Barker, we are 
 really working in the interest of your employer and 
 Castro is working against him. That is why we 
 come to you. Now there is something strange about 
 the trunk of the Russian Ambassador. I had good 
 reason for suspecting that the green wallet had been 
 slipped into the trunk before it left this house, and 
 yet we find that it was not." 
 
 " Oh yes, sir, it was ! " exclaimed the faithful one 
 involuntarily, " I know that it was there because 
 because " 
 
 " Come, come, Barker," encouraged Vance Pres- 
 cott, " you know you are with friends and with 
 friends of Professor Vernon." 
 
 " I believe that, sir," said the servant, sinking into 
 a chair, " and I'm going to make a clean breast of 
 the whole business." 
 
 Barnes cast a significant glance at Prescott.
 
 194 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I meant it all for the best, sir, believe me that 
 my only thought was to serve Professor Vernon 
 the best friend I ever had in this world." 
 
 " Yes, yes," exclaimed Barnes impatiently, " but 
 you haven't told us what you did. Go ahead and 
 give us the whole story." 
 
 Barker was silent for a few moments trying to 
 collect his thoughts and nervously fingering the ends 
 of the silk dressing gown. 
 
 " It was this way, sir," he began finally, " every- 
 body about the house seemed to have the blues. I 
 know'd something was wrong, but what it was, was 
 too deep for my way of thinkin'. I has my sus- 
 picions of Count Castro, and I makes up my mind to 
 keep my eyes on him. I puts two and two side by 
 side, and I finds that he is after somethin' in the 
 house which really belongs to the Professor. After 
 awhile he goes into the Professor's study with some 
 one " 
 
 "Who was the some one, Barker?" interrupted 
 Barnes. 
 
 " That I can't say, sir, because he got into the 
 room before I could see his face. But I did catch 
 sight of the Count, and when he closes and locks the 
 door I was sure there was somethin' rotten in the 
 State of Denmark. Then I did somethin' I have 
 never been guilty of before an' which I hope I may.
 
 On a New Trail 195 
 
 never be tempted to do again. I listened at the key 
 hole." 
 
 Barnes chuckled, and looked slyly in the direction 
 of Prescott. 
 
 " The Count little thought that he had listeners 
 on both sides, did he, my boy ? " 
 
 " What's that, sir ? " asked Barker nervously. 
 
 " Nothing," retorted Barnes hastily, " go ahead 
 with your story." 
 
 "Well, sir," continued the faithful Barker, "I 
 could only get scraps of talk here and there, as 
 I may say, but I patched the words together and 
 found out that some one had put a wallet in the 
 trunk of the Russian Ambassador, and that the 
 Count was interested, and that he hoped to get it in 
 his clutches, if I may use the expression, sir, by hav- 
 ing the trunk taken out of the house. This put me 
 in the position of being an accomplice I think that 
 is the legal name for it, sir an' I didn't like that 
 at all. If you will pardon me for sayin' it, sir, I 
 have never been criminally inclined, an' I didn't rel- 
 ish being made so in my declinin' years. It was my 
 duty to put the linen of the Ambassador into the 
 trunk when it came from the laundry, an' then to see 
 that it was locked an' sent to his house in Washing- 
 ton. Well, the linen came an' I was terribly 
 tempted. I I "
 
 196 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 "Not to steal the wallet, Barker?" interrogated 
 Barnes. 
 
 The faithful one straightened himself, and looked 
 angrily at the detective. 
 
 " Certainly not, sir. I was tempted to take the 
 wallet out for the sake of the Professor. I felt 
 somehow that I would be doing him a favor. Well, 
 sir, to make a long story short I did that very thing. 
 I slipped it out and sent the trunk to the station. 
 My intention was to take the wallet to the Professor 
 at once, an' to tell him all I had heard. But every- 
 thing went wrong. The Professor was taken ill. 
 The power of speech left him an' I was in a 
 dreadful position. I was afraid to give it to any one 
 else in the house. I thought of going to Miss Hope 
 and to Mr. Gilbert, but I was afraid they might not 
 understand my motives." 
 
 " What did you do with it? " 
 
 " I hid it in my bureau drawer in this very house, 
 an' that's where it is at this blessed moment. I've 
 been waiting for the Professor to come to his senses, 
 but it's been a long wait. I've been very miserable 
 about the whole business, Mr. Barnes, an' I hope 
 you'll understand that I didn't mean to do anything 
 that wasn't proper." 
 
 " I'm sure of that, Barker," was the cordial reply, 
 " you meant well, and it looks as if it will end well.
 
 On a New Trail 197 
 
 You are sure that we are real friends of your em- 
 ployer ? " 
 
 " I don't doubt it, sir." 
 
 " Well, if you'll go up stairs, and get the wallet, 
 and turn it over to Captain Prescott here, you'll be 
 doing a good day's work for Professor Vernon. 
 I'll pledge you my word and honor on that." 
 
 The servant looked long and earnestly at the 
 speaker. Finally he said, with decision : 
 
 " I believe you, sir, an' I'll go up and get it for 
 you at once." 
 
 He rose from the chair, and gathered the silk 
 dressing gown about him with much dignity, and 
 with the air of a man who realizes his importance. 
 He bowed to them. 
 
 " I'll only be a minute, gentlemen." 
 
 He walked from the room to a half-darkened cor- 
 ridor, and they could hear his slippered footsteps as 
 he pattered up the stairway. Barnes and Prescott 
 sat looking at one another in silence. It was cer- 
 tainly a remarkable ending to a remarkable adven- 
 ture. But the thought that success was within their 
 reach was sweet, and they forebore conversation. 
 The clock on the mantel ticked out the seconds. 
 There was a heavy sound from above. Barker was 
 evidently pulling out the bureau drawers. Barnes 
 nervously drummed on the edge of his chair, Pres-
 
 198 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 cott arose and took a turn around the room, and then 
 resumed his seat. They could scarcely wait until 
 Barker returned. Why was he so long? But at 
 that moment they heard the pattering footsteps on 
 the stairs again. They waited, with expectancy on 
 their faces. They heard a rustling sound and the 
 figure in the silk dressing gown passed through the 
 half -darkened hallway. It was strange that Barker 
 should have gone to the door. They waited, impa- 
 tiently. But he did not return. What did it mean ? 
 Finally Barnes arose, and went to the door. He 
 came back at once. 
 
 " He's not in sight," he announced with a frown 
 gathering on his face. 
 
 The two men looked at one another, and then, 
 simultaneously, they hurried into the hallway, and 
 up the stairs. The door of the first bedroom they 
 reached was closed. Barnes opened it and drew 
 back with a start. The odor of chloroform filled the 
 room. They paused for a moment, and then rushed 
 into the room. A man, in his shirt sleeves, lay, face 
 downward, on a small couch. The detective turned 
 him over. He gave a gasp of astonishment and 
 dismay. 
 
 It was Barker, looking up at them out of half- 
 closed eyes. Bromley Barnes shook him vio- 
 lently :
 
 On a New Trail 199 
 
 " What's the meaning of this ? " he demanded 
 sternly. 
 
 Barker roused himself with an effort. He rubbed 
 his eyes with trembling hands. He spoke slowly 
 and thickly. 
 
 " He he grabbed me by the throat the minute I 
 came into the room. I I couldn't help myself. 
 He he clapped a handkerchief over my nose, and 
 then I must have dropped down here." 
 
 Barnes turned to Prescott with a strange look in 
 his eyes. 
 
 " But the man in the silk dressing gown," he 
 demanded, " who was that ? " 
 
 Vance smiled wearily. 
 
 " Fooled again," he confessed ; " Castro has given 
 us cards and spades and taken the trick once more."
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 HOPE ASSERTS HERSELF 
 
 FRANCIS VERNON, pale and thin, but with return- 
 ing vitality in his eyes, drew the covers about the 
 rolling chair in which he was seated and addressed 
 his first coherent words to his daughter : 
 
 " Well, Hope, I've got you left even if I've lost 
 everything else." 
 
 She patted his hand affectionately. 
 
 " You've got me, of course, and you'll always have 
 me, but you mustn't be so gloomy about the other 
 things." 
 
 He looked at her earnestly. 
 
 " You don't know, Hope, you don't know." 
 
 " Please forget these things for the present, 
 father," she pleaded; " it's the only way to recover 
 your health. 
 
 He smiled sadly. 
 
 " The only way I can ever be myself again is to 
 have the mystery cleared." 
 
 There was a pause, and he said : 
 
 " I suppose the house party is at an end ? 
 They've all gone home, eh ? "
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 201 
 
 "Yes, father." 
 
 " And Gilbert where is he? " 
 
 " He's gone away to say good-by to May Ward 
 you remember she's sailing as a Red Cross Nurse." 
 
 " When does she go ? " 
 
 " She sails on the Good Samaritan it was due 
 to leave Baltimore this morning. It goes direct to 
 a French port and May hopes to be nursing wounded 
 soldiers within the next ten days or two weeks." 
 
 " Fine ! " commented the invalid. " That little 
 girl has a big heart. And what a contrast she pre- 
 sents to Gilbert. The boy humiliates me. This is 
 the first war in which a Vernon has not been repre- 
 sented. It's the first time a representative of the 
 family has not been serving the Government in some 
 capacity. I " 
 
 " But, father," interrupted the girl, " think of 
 what you are doing in the State Department. 
 Think" 
 
 " Yes," he said cutting her off abruptly, " I do 
 think and it makes me almost insane. The one im- 
 portant piece of work given to me proves a fiasco. 
 My God ! " he cried impulsively, " it's more than 
 that. It's ruin for me. The name of Vernon will 
 be disgraced ! " 
 
 '* Father, father," she implored, " you do not 
 know what you are saying."
 
 202 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Yes, I do," he cried bitterly. " I know it only 
 too well and to think that I have been robbed of 
 my honor in my own house." 
 
 Hope had risen to her feet in her excitement. 
 Her eyes were distended. Her face was white with 
 emotion. 
 
 " Something was stolen from the cabinet," she 
 began, " and " 
 
 " Yes, yes," he assented impatiently, " everybody 
 knows that." 
 
 " And the loss of that affects your honor your 
 personal honor ? " 
 
 " Certainly," he said testily. 
 
 " Oh God ! " she cried, " I never dreamt of any- 
 thing like that." 
 
 He stared at her in surprise. 
 
 " Haven't you suspected the meaning of this busi- 
 ness?" 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 " Well it was kept a secret for the sake of pro- 
 tecting the papers, but as long as they're gone there's 
 no longer any reason for being mysterious at least 
 not with you. It's enough to say that the Secretary 
 of State sent to me by Captain Prescott copies of a 
 contract which would have assured to the United 
 States and its Allies the control of the oil fields of 
 Mexico. That meant the control of the seas which,
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 203 
 
 in turn, guaranteed to us the victory which has al- 
 ready been won by our soldiers. The contract was 
 not completed the signatures of the Ambassadors 
 of France, England and Italy were to have been at- 
 tached to the document on the seventh of May, the 
 anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania. But 
 the green wallet, containing the copies of the con- 
 tract, has been stolen and I'm a broken man so far as 
 diplomacy or politics is concerned." 
 
 Hope's eyes were dancing with excitement. 
 
 " And that was what was stolen from the walnut 
 cabinet? " 
 
 " Why, of course," he said fretfully ; " are you be- 
 coming dull of comprehension, or what is the matter 
 with you? " 
 
 " No, father," she replied, with a curious ring in 
 her voice; "my eyes are opening now for the first 
 time." 
 
 " I suppose it's my fault," he murmured. " I 
 should have taken you into my confidence at the out- 
 set. But still," he added, " if you had known it 
 wouldn't have made any difference anyhow." 
 
 Once again came queer sounds from Hope Ver- 
 non. She was making a brave effort to stop her 
 sobs. The Professor leaned over and placed his 
 hands on her silky, auburn hair. 
 
 " What's the matter, my dear ? " he said gently.
 
 204 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Oh, father," she cried, breaking down com- 
 pletely, " I've done such dreadful things. I've been 
 so foolish. I don't suppose Vance Prescott could 
 ever forgive me, but I would give worlds to undo 
 some of the harm I've done." 
 
 " My dear, my dear," protested the parent, 
 " you're overwrought. You don't know what 
 you're saying. You you haven't betrothed your- 
 self to Count Castro ? " 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 "No, but" 
 
 "But what? " interrupted the Professor, rising in 
 his eagerness. 
 
 " But he has asked me to become his wife," she 
 concluded. " I have a note, with some flowers. 
 He must have been at Idlewild this morning." 
 
 " There, there," soothed the father, " that doesn't 
 commit you to anything. Don't be distressed, and 
 we'll hope for the best." 
 
 Hope dried her tears and gradually composed her- 
 self. A look of determination came into her blue 
 eyes. She looked at her father wistfully. She 
 wanted to take him into her confidence, yet not do or 
 say anything that would shock him at a moment 
 when convalescence had begun. 
 
 " Father," she said in a low voice, " I want to tell 
 you"
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 205 
 
 But before she could say another word she was in- 
 terrupted by a sharp rapping on the bedroom door. 
 It was an agitated knock a knock that was not to 
 be denied. 
 
 " Come in," called Hope. 
 
 The knob turned, the door opened, and Barker 
 rushed into the room, out of breath, disheveled, and 
 with the appearance of a man who had been drink- 
 ing. 
 
 " What's the meaning of this, Barker? " asked the 
 Professor sternly. 
 
 " Count Castro robbed me and tried to murder 
 me ! " he gasped. 
 
 Francis Vernon arose and grasped the faithful one 
 by the arm. 
 
 " What in the world are you trying to say? " he 
 demanded. 
 
 For the moment it looked as if Barker had been 
 deprived of the power of speech. His lips moved, 
 but no words came forth. He was shaking, and was 
 in much distress. It was Hope who took him by the 
 arm, and led him to a chair. 
 
 " Sit down, Barker," she said kindly; " take your 
 time and let us know what it is all about." 
 
 He gave her a grateful glance, and then still trem- 
 bling, began very slowly to tell his surprising story. 
 
 " I'm afraid, sir," he said, instinctively turning to
 
 206 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 his employer, " that I'll have to start from the begin- 
 ning. It's the only way I can make it clear, sir." 
 
 " Go ahead, Barker, tell it in your own way." 
 
 He proceeded jerkily, to tell of how he had taken 
 the wallet from the trunk of the Russian Ambassa- 
 dor. When he reached that point, he turned to the 
 Professor, imploringly : 
 
 " I hope, sir, you will understand that my inten- 
 tions were good, sir." 
 
 " I'm sure of that Barker." 
 
 " Thank you, sir, for your kind words. I was 
 sure you would understand my motives. Well, sir, 
 the trunk went off, and I looked for you, to hand 
 you the wallet, thinking it would be the end of your 
 troubles. But you were taken very ill, sir, and I 
 was in a dilemma. I kept the wallet, waiting for a 
 chance to hand to you as soon as I could see you. 
 For safekeeping I placed it in the bureau drawer in 
 my bedroom at the lodge. Well, sir, this morning 
 Count Castro appeared, and insisted upon my telling 
 him what had become of the wallet. I'm afraid, sir, 
 that my manner betrayed me. I refused to tell him 
 anything, but he went away, and said something 
 about having you compel me to disgorge disgorge 
 was the word he used, sir." 
 
 " He never came near me," commented the Pro- 
 fessor.
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 207 
 
 " I didn't think he intended to do so, sir. Well, 
 about an hour ago who should come to my house 
 but Captain Prescott and Mr. Bromley Barnes. I 
 was delighted to see them and told them the whole 
 story. They assured me that it would be to your 
 interest if I turned the wallet over to them. I 
 thought so, too, and I went up stairs to get it. 
 While I was leaning over the bureau drawer, taking 
 it out some one jumped on me from behind. It 
 was Count Castro. He nearly choked me to death 
 and when I tried to cry out he put a handkerchief to 
 my face, and I became unconscious. I can't tell how 
 long I stayed that way, but I wakened with Captain 
 Prescott and Mr. Barnes leaning over me. The wal- 
 let was gone, sir. When we got out on the porch we 
 found the dressing gown you gave me. The Count 
 had used it as a disguise while he was making his 
 escape." 
 
 " What happened after that? " 
 
 " Captain Prescott acted like a wild man, sir, and 
 I can't say that I blame him. But Mr. Barnes in- 
 sisted that it was not too late to overtake the Count, 
 and the two of them jumped into a plum-colored 
 motor car you know the one that Mr. Barnes uses, 
 sir and they went madly dashing down the road. 
 That is all, sir, except that I rushed over here to tell 
 you as soon as possible."
 
 208 * The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 The recital of this story left both of the hearers in 
 a state of agitation. Francis Vernon suddenly re- 
 gained the use of his limbs, and he walked up and 
 down the room in a very excitable manner. 
 
 " To think that I should have been helpless while 
 this was going on," he cried. " But it is not too 
 late yet, and I'll show the rascal that there is some 
 fight left in the old man." 
 
 Hope was trembling, and she turned to her father 
 anxiously. 
 
 " What are you going to do? " 
 
 " I'm going to Washington and I won't 
 rest until I recover the papers that hound has 
 stolen." 
 
 "But father," she pleaded, "that is out of the 
 question. You are not in any condition to travel, 
 and, besides, you haven't the faintest idea where to 
 look for him." 
 
 " But I must go," he insisted, " I simply must 
 go!" 
 
 While he was talking his face became pale, and 
 he was forced to sit down in a chair and rest. The 
 thought of his helplessness made him groan. 
 
 " Oh ! " he said, half to himself, " for only enough 
 strength to carry me through the next twenty- four 
 hours!" 
 
 A look of determination was gathering in the face
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 209 
 
 of Hope Vernon. Her blue eyes were becoming 
 turbulent. She raised herself to her full height. 
 
 " Father," she declared, " you shall have the 
 strength, and I will give it to you." 
 
 " My dear child," he murmured, " what do you 
 mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that I will be your other self. I mean 
 that I shall go to Washington and do all, and more, 
 than you could do. I shall not rest until this wrong 
 has been righted." 
 
 He looked at her with admiration beaming from 
 his eyes. He had become calmer. 
 
 " Spoken like a true Vernon," he cried. " But 
 perhaps there is no reason for either of us to do any- 
 thing for the present. Prescott and Barnes are after 
 the rascal." 
 
 " They will not get him. He is too cunning for 
 them. Besides, it is my duty to go, because I am 
 at fault. I made it possible for that treacherous 
 Mexican to carry out his plans. Please leave it to 
 me." 
 
 " But how would you know where to go and look 
 for him?" 
 
 Her eyes flashed. 
 
 " I shall send him a telegram to meet me in Wash- 
 ington." 
 
 " But, my dear child," he protested, " he would
 
 210 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 pay no attention to your message, and and you 
 have no right to do this." 
 
 Her face flushed, and she looked magnificent in 
 her righteous anger. 
 
 " You are mistaken. He has asked me to be his 
 wife. He has given me his address, and he will 
 wait for his answer. He shall have it, but it will 
 be the kind of an answer he does not antici- 
 pate." 
 
 Francis Vernon looked haggard. 
 
 " Did he did he ask you " 
 
 " Yes, father, he had the effrontery to ask me to 
 fly with him to his home in Mexico. I'm sure you 
 will honor me by believing that I had no thought of 
 doing what he asked. But his insolence has placed 
 him in my power. Barker, get me a telegraph 
 blank." 
 
 " My child," pleaded Vernon, " do not do this. 
 It is too much. I will not allow you to take the 
 risk." 
 
 By this time Barker had brought the blank, and 
 the girl hastily scribbled a message. She handed it 
 to the faithful one. 
 
 " Have this sent at once," she ordered, " and then 
 get the car. I have just time to catch the afternoon 
 train to Washington." 
 
 He left the room, and the Professor looked at
 
 Hope Asserts Herself 211 
 
 her with a glance that combined admiration with 
 anxiety. 
 
 " My dear Hope," he said, " I would never forgive 
 myself if I permitted you to endanger yourself in 
 this" 
 
 " Father," she said with a determination that 
 would take no denial, " I have thought it all out in 
 these few minutes. I owe something to you, to 
 Captain Prescott, and to my country. If I hesitated 
 I should never hold up my head again. You are not 
 fit to travel. If you feel stronger in the morning 
 you can follow me to Washington. But I must go 
 at once." 
 
 He sank back in his chair, too feeble to protest any 
 further. She hurried to her room and came down 
 in a few minutes, arrayed for her journey. At that 
 moment Barker appeared in the doorway. 
 
 " The car is ready, Miss Hope," he announced. 
 
 The Professor arose, and kissed her affection- 
 ately. 
 
 " Good-by, my dear," he said in trembling tones, 
 " and God protect you ! "
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE GOOD SAMARITAN 
 
 WHILE the events which have just been described 
 were going on in the house at Idlewild, Tommy 
 Warner, coming down the stairway leading from 
 the editorial rooms of the Evening Planet, made his 
 way out on to Pennsylvania Avenue. He was very 
 normal, was Tommy that afternoon, and his lips 
 were puckered in grotesque fashion as he bravely at- 
 tempted to whistle a few bars from " Over There." 
 His face was even more cherubic than usual as he 
 strolled into the delightful sunlight of a perfect 
 Washington afternoon. The world, with all of its 
 imperfections, looked good to him. 
 
 " Rotten news, Tommy," called a fellow news- 
 paper man, passing him on the way to the office. 
 
 The joyous one, for the first time, noticed a great 
 crowd packed on the sidewalk in front of the Planet 
 office, reading the bulletins that were being posted on 
 the plate glass window of the business department. 
 Such scenes were not unusual during the war, but 
 there was something about the tense attitude of the 
 
 212
 
 The (2ood Samaritan 213 
 
 crowd that induced the cheerful one to wend his way 
 to a point of vantage from whence he was able to 
 get a good view of the stenciled sheets of paper. 
 He took off his glasses he was far sighted and 
 twirled them around on the end of their black string 
 while he screwed up his eyes in an endeavor to read 
 the bulletin. It came to him finally in these dreadful 
 words : 
 
 THE GOOD SAMARITAN, THE RED CROSS 
 HOSPITAL SHIP WHICH LEFT BALTI- 
 MORE ON MONDAY, HAS BEEN AT- 
 TACKED AND SUNK BY A GERMAN SUB- 
 MARINE. 
 
 Tommy ceased to swing his glasses, the sunlight 
 died out of his heart and there rose in its place a 
 manly and righteous scorn and indignation at the 
 barbarous monsters who permitted their assassins 
 of the sea to murder even the white-robed angels of 
 mercy who were going to bind up the wounds of 
 war. 
 
 He put on his glasses again, but there was a sus- 
 picious moisture on them that blurred his vision. 
 As he was backing out of the crowd he noticed a 
 man, with slightly stooped shoulders, pause to read 
 the sheet in the window. There was something 
 strangely familiar about the newcomer. The 
 smooth face, the sallow complexion, the dreamy eyes
 
 214 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 behind shell-rimmed spectacles were all suggestive. 
 Recognition came in a flash. 
 
 It was Gilbert Vernon. 
 
 Tommy watched him as he glanced at the bulletin. 
 Vernon looked at it carelessly enough but as the im- 
 port of the news sank into his mind, his face, always 
 pale, turned literally white. He groped his way out 
 of the crowd like a blind man. He swayed to and 
 fro and a grayishness crept into his countenance, like 
 one who has been stricken with a mortal illness. 
 The newspaper man rushed to his side and grabbed 
 him by the arm. He looked at him out of glazed 
 eyes. 
 
 " Buck up, old man ! " cried Tommy Warner ; 
 " you'll be all right in a minute." 
 
 The words seem to arouse a glimmer of recogni- 
 tion in Vernon. He pointed to the window. 
 
 " Is is that true? " he said in a voice that was 
 unlike his own. 
 
 Tommy permitted himself to smile. 
 
 "If it's in the Planet it must be true," answered 
 Warner. 
 
 But the groan from the other man banished the 
 smile from his lips. 
 
 " My God ! " ejaculated Vernon, " my little girl 
 May Ward was on that ship." 
 
 Warner pulled him away from the crowd to the
 
 The Good Samaritan 215 
 
 side entrance leading to the editorial room of the 
 newspaper. 
 
 " Come on," he whispered, " we'll go upstairs and 
 find out all about it." 
 
 Gilbert Vernon stumbled into the elevator and 
 presently found himself in the news room of the 
 Planet. Warner mercifully sat him in a chair be- 
 side a desk that was screened from the rest of the 
 office. After that he made his way to the side of the 
 man who was handling the news of the catastrophe. 
 The pages of the flimsy paper on which the Asso- 
 ciated Press dispatch was typewritten had not yet 
 been edited. But Tommy took it excitedly and ran 
 his eye hastily down the sheets. The bulletin was 
 confirmed. It was one of the most shocking disas- 
 ters of the war. Some members of the crew had 
 been landed and they reported that every one of the 
 'nurses had been drowned. 
 
 It was dreadful news to take to a stricken man, 
 but Warner felt that there was no use beating about 
 the bush. Besides, in his heart of hearts, he had a 
 feeling of contempt for this man who had spouted 
 his theories of peace in the face of the repeated 
 atrocities of the enemy. The whole sickening cata- 
 log rose before him at that moment the tortured 
 men, the murdered children, the outraged women, 
 the desecrated churches but by an effort of the
 
 216 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 will he brushed the picture aside and approached the 
 bent figure behind the screen. 
 
 " Gilbert," he said gently, " I'm afraid it's only 
 too true. All have been lost." 
 
 Vernon looked at him dully for a moment, and a 
 terrible imprecation rose to his lips. He groaned and 
 his head fell on the desk. The next moment his 
 shoulders began to heave. Tommy turned away. 
 The sight of a man in tears offended his sensibilities. 
 For the moment he suffered quite as much as Gil- 
 bert Vernon. After a while the sobbing ceased and 
 Tommy touched him on the shoulder. 
 
 Slowly, very slowly, the stricken man lifted his 
 head. Warner was startled at the face which 
 looked into his. In those few minutes Gilbert Ver- 
 non had become haggard and old. It was a differ- 
 ent man than the one who had entered the office a 
 few minutes before. The features were the same, 
 although distorted, but a new soul seemed to shine 
 through his eyes. He was composed, remarkably 
 composed for one who had gone through such a 
 paroxysm of grief. When he spoke it was in a low, 
 weak voice. Yet every syllable carried with it the 
 sound of sincerity. 
 
 " Warner," he said, " I guess you look on me with 
 contempt and loathing." 
 
 " Well," replied Tommy, struggling between a de-
 
 The Good Samaritan 217 
 
 sire to admit the truth and the inclination to comfort 
 a man in trouble ; " I can't exactly " 
 
 " Never mind," interrupted the other, " I don't 
 want you to make it easy for me. I feel as though 
 I were responsible for that poor girl's death. I can't 
 begin to tell you the feeling I have toward myself." 
 
 " Now, Gilbert," said the newspaper man, begin- 
 ning to entertain a better feeling toward his friend, 
 "you must not feel that way about it. You were 
 all wrong about the war, but that " 
 
 Vernon laughed harshly. 
 
 " All wrong about the war ? " he repeated ; " I've 
 been all wrong about everything. It has come to 
 me like a flash. This this dreadful thing has 
 opened my eyes. It is as if I had been wearing a 
 bandage, and suddenly some one pulled it off. I'm 
 a little bit dazed, but I can see what a poor, pitiable 
 fool I've been. Do you know what I feel like do- 
 ing?" 
 
 " No," replied Tommy, his good opinion growing 
 stronger all the while, " I can't even guess." 
 
 " Well," said the other, " I have a desire to kill 
 myself!" 
 
 Warner took him by the arm as though to protect 
 him from the threatened self-destruction. 
 
 " Never fear," Vernon cried with a bitter laugh; 
 " I can see that such a step would be even more cow-
 
 218 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ardly than my pacifism, and that was as yellow as it 
 could be. I only ask you to believe one thing, and 
 that is that I didn't realize what I was doing. 
 That's asking a great deal, isn't it? But I see now 
 that I was a conceited fool. The only wonder is 
 that my Uncle was willing to bear with me." 
 
 " But what is it you propose doing? " asked War- 
 ner anxiously. 
 
 Gilbert looked at him fixedly for a moment, then 
 he said slowly: 
 
 " I'm going from one extreme to the other. 
 When I came up the street a few minutes ago I 
 passed a stand where they were enlisting Marines. 
 It's the only branch of the service open at present, 
 and it has one big advantage. The Marines are the 
 first to fight. I'm going to join them and ask to be 
 sent to France at once." 
 
 Tommy's changing opinion of Vernon had now 
 reached the point where it was positive admiration. 
 
 " Now you're talking like a man ! " he exclaimed, 
 " but how do you know you can pass the physical 
 examination? " 
 
 " That's up to you, Tommy Warner, you know 
 everybody and you must know the medical examiner 
 of the Board that is enlisting the Marines. See 
 him, for God's sake, and let me carry out my plan.
 
 The Good Samaritan 219 
 
 It is the one thing in my life that has been half de- 
 cent. Please don't let me fail." 
 
 " But your eyes those glasses ? " 
 
 With an impatient gesture Vernon tore off his 
 spectacles with the horned rims, and threw them into 
 the waste paper basket. 
 
 " My eyes are not perfect, but I am sure they are 
 good enough. The glasses were not exactly an 
 affectation because my sight really needed correct- 
 ing, but I can and I will do without them. Come, 
 Tommy, go with me, and see me through with this 
 business. I'm never going to look any of my 
 friends in the face again until I've had a chance to 
 redeem myself. This is my only hope, and if I don't 
 make it I'll not be responsible for what happens to 
 me. Will you go with me? " 
 
 " You can just bet your life I will," cried the 
 cherubic one, in his joy swinging his eye glasses 
 from the end of the black string in the old devil-may- 
 care fashion; " I'll go with you, and I'll consider it a 
 privilege." 
 
 Gilbert shivered. 
 
 " Don't say that," he pleaded; " if you only real- 
 ized how rotten I feel about myself you wouldn't 
 rub it in in that style." 
 
 Without any further words they left the Planet 
 building and made their way into Pennsylvania Ave-
 
 220 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 nue. The crowd was still clustered around the win- 
 dow of the newspaper office, reading the bulletins, 
 and the sight caused a spasm of pain to contort the 
 face of the penitent pacifist. They hurried along 
 the thoroughfare until they reached the front of 
 the post office building. A stand had been erected 
 there, and a quartette was singing " Keep the Home 
 Fires Burning." Tommy and Gilbert waited pa- 
 tiently until the vocal exercises were ended. Then 
 a strapping fellow in uniform began to urge the men 
 in the crowd to enlist. Vernon held up his hand, 
 and before he knew it he had been pulled up to the 
 platform by the side of the speaker. The orator 
 pointed to him proudly. 
 
 " Look at this fine man," he cried ; " he is willing 
 to make the sacrifice of fighting for liberty and civ- 
 ilization. He is going to show the Huns that they 
 cannot act like barbarians and continue to exist. 
 He is going to revenge the sinking of the Good Sa- 
 maritan. He " 
 
 A shiver went up and down the spinal column of 
 the recruit. He grasped the speaker by the arm. 
 
 " I can't stand that," he said thickly, "I I had 
 a friend on that ship. Please send me where I can 
 be examined and take the oath at once." 
 
 " Sure," was the ready response, and the next mo- 
 ment Gilbert, followed by Warner, found himself be-
 
 The Good Samaritan 221 
 
 ing escorted to a little office where he was examined 
 physically. 
 
 " Fm not sure about your eyes," hesitated the 
 medical man. 
 
 " See here, Doc," cried Tommy, coming forward, 
 " there isn't a thing the matter with his eyes. I 
 know him, and I know what I am talking about." 
 
 " Oh, hello, Tommy ! " exclaimed the doctor with 
 a glance of friendly recognition, " I'm glad to see 
 you." 
 
 " Glad to see you, too," was the honest enough 
 reply, " but my friend's all right, isn't he ? " 
 
 The physician quickly caught the note of signifi- 
 cance in the words. 
 
 " Certainly," was the hearty response; " I'm sure 
 he will make a good soldier." 
 
 It did not take long after that to arrange the other 
 details. It was found that a transport, filled with 
 Marines, was to leave Baltimore that night. The 
 training, it was explained, would take place on the 
 other side. Time tables were consulted, and they 
 showed that a train was to start for Baltimore in an 
 hour. 
 
 " Gilbert," said Tommy, " you'll just have time to 
 take a hurried dinner with me." 
 
 Vernon shook his head sadly. 
 
 " I couldn't eat a bite not if I were paid for it.
 
 222 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 But I'd like to have a talk with you. I've got some- 
 thing on my mind. Maybe after that you may not 
 let me go." 
 
 Warner looked at him with unfeigned amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Come down to the office. We'll go to my room 
 where we won't be disturbed." 
 
 They hastened down the avenue again. As they 
 passed the recruiting stand of the Marines the orator 
 was in full swing again. 
 
 " You saw the fine looking man who came up to 
 the platform a little while ago," he thundered ; " well, 
 he had a relative on the Good Samaritan. That's 
 why he enlisted. And that's why hundreds of other 
 red-blooded Americans are going to do the same 
 thing. Come along now, this is your chance." 
 
 Even while he spoke a dozen young men walked 
 up the steps of the stand, and asked to be enlisted. 
 The talker was jubilant. 
 
 " You see, my friends," he cried, " the power of 
 good example ! " 
 
 Tommy Warner quietly nudged Gilbert Vernon. 
 
 "That should make you happy," he whispered; 
 " you are really doing something for your country."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 GILBERT TELLS HIS STORY 
 
 ONCE back in the office of the Planet, the young 
 newspaper man devoted himself to the task of pac- 
 ifying his friend. Gilbert was still unnerved, and 
 at intervals there came into his eyes a look that ter- 
 rified the urbane Warner. He managed to find a 
 little room that was unoccupied, and he seated Ver- 
 non in an arm chair and presented him with a ciga- 
 rette. He accepted it mechanically, and even lit it, 
 but presently it slipped from his lips and he ground 
 it under foot with the heel of his shoe. 
 
 " Tommy," he began, with a half groan, " I don't 
 know where to begin my story, but some one must 
 hear it, and you are fated to be that one. It runs 
 back, not to the beginning of the war, but before that 
 event. I began to moon over the wrongs of the 
 human race, and the first thing I knew I found my- 
 self associating with Socialists. Their theories 
 were very alluring to my callow brain. From the 
 standpoint of what should be done they sounded 
 very promising, even though my intelligence told me 
 
 223
 
 224 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 that they were not practical and that they could never 
 be put in successful operation. You must make 
 allowances for my mental condition. All that I " 
 
 " I understand you perfectly," interrupted 
 Tommy ; " you are not the first good man who has 
 been wrecked on the rocks of theory." 
 
 " Well," continued Gilbert, " when the war started 
 I fed myself on their infernal literature, and I was 
 obsessed with the notion that a pacifist was a greater 
 man than a patriot. I preached this night and day, 
 but when the United States entered the war I found 
 myself in a dilemma. Most of my Socialistic 
 friends managed to talk in a way that kept them 
 within the pale of the law, but I'm afraid that I was 
 not so dexterous. You know how I acted and talked 
 when you all came down to Idlewild on that week- 
 end trip. I made a perfect fool of myself, and I 
 wonder that you all treated me with so much con- 
 sideration. I might have known that it was on ac- 
 count of my uncle whose loyalty has never been ques- 
 tioned. The crudest part of the business was the 
 impression my silly words had on poor May." 
 
 At the mention of the name of the gentle little 
 martyr of the Good Samaritan, Gilbert choked up, 
 and was unable to proceed for a few minutes. 
 
 " I was at my worst on that occasion," he pro- 
 ceeded, " and the cause of it was Count Castro. I
 
 Gilbert Tells His Story 225 
 
 fell into his clutches a few weeks ago, and through 
 him I was induced to join an organization known as 
 The Custodians of Liberty. The avowed purpose 
 of this society was to win the war by peaceful means 
 imagine such a thing with the brutal Huns as our 
 opponents. Anyhow, they fooled me, although I 
 can see now that it was pro-German to the backbone. 
 The devilish South American has great persuasive 
 powers, and he worked on me at his sweet will. I 
 acknowledge this with humiliation. There is no use 
 trying to gloss over my own weakness, when it is 
 the explanation of the whole nasty business. He 
 assured me that I had been sent to him as the instru- 
 ment that was to save the world from destruction. 
 I swallowed it all without making a face. Looking 
 back on the business now I can see that he had a 
 double purpose in using me. In the first place he 
 was helping Germany and " 
 
 " But," protested the newspaper man, " I thought 
 that he was supposed to be working for the United 
 States Government through Professor Vernon." 
 
 " Yes, yes," cried the other ; " that is where the 
 damnable part of it comes into play. He really had 
 executed a commission for my uncle for which he 
 was to be well paid, but at the last minute he discov- 
 ered that it would pay him better to betray the man 
 at whose table he was eating. I did not know this
 
 226 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 until a little while ago. Even now I'm unaware of 
 the exact nature of the scheme. I had reached the 
 stage where I was prepared to tell everything. I 
 felt it in my heart that I had only been a catspaw. 
 I was wondering how I should go about it when I 
 came to the office of the Planet, and read this hor- 
 rible announcement." 
 
 It looked as if he was going to break down again, 
 but Tommy took him by the hands soothingly. 
 
 " Now, now, don't get off the track. You've said 
 a great deal, but you really haven't told me what 
 you did on the first night of the house party." 
 
 " That's right," murmured Gilbert, rubbing his 
 hand across his forehead and dreamily gazing into 
 space. " That's right, I haven't told you that. 
 " Maybe," he added, with a wry smile, " it is because 
 I am not proud of what I did. Well, at all events, 
 you may remember that our house was shrouded in 
 mystery, that nearly every one was ill at ease." 
 
 " I remember that very distinctly." 
 
 " Well, I can say that Castro was largely respon- 
 sible for creating this atmosphere around the house. 
 He was anxious to direct the hand of suspicion 
 against nearly every one in the house." 
 
 " Well," commented Tommy, philosophically, " I 
 may say that he was fairly successful as far as I am 
 concerned. I've heard, through the faithful Barker,
 
 Gilbert Tells His Story 227 
 
 that my midnight trip down to the living-room made 
 me a subject of scrutiny on the part of the investi- 
 gators. As a matter of fact, I wasn't able to sleep 
 and I went down stairs to get a book that I had been 
 reading early in the evening. I may assure you in 
 confidence, that the book didn't accomplish the in- 
 tended purpose. It kept me awake." 
 
 Gilbert almost smiled at this witticism but not 
 quite. 
 
 " As I was saying, the man tried to arrange things 
 so that we would be set against one another. He 
 told me that Captain Prescott had brought from 
 Washington a document which, if it was signed by 
 the powers, would keep the world involved in war 
 for at least five years longer. He said it had been 
 prepared by the bloody shirt men of the Allies, and 
 that it really and truly meant the destruction of civ- 
 ilization. On the other hand, he said that if this 
 paper could be abstracted, and held for twenty-four 
 hours, that act would insure peace to a world that 
 was war-weary. Don't look at me in that way, 
 Warner, I'm willing to confess that he gulled me to 
 the Queen's taste." 
 
 " Things were getting warm," observed the news- 
 paper man. 
 
 " They were, with a vengeance. Now, I come to 
 the heart of the business. He told me that the doc-
 
 228 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ument, which was in a green wallet belonging to 
 Uncle, had been placed in the walnut cabinet in his 
 little study. Then came his proposition, which, for 
 a moment, stunned me. 
 
 " He asked me to steal the green wallet, and to 
 turn it over to him. 
 
 " I refused please put that down to my credit 
 I absolutely refused. He seemed to expect that, 
 and he started in and gave me a line of argument 
 which finally won my consent. I am not exaggerat- 
 ing when I say that that devil had almost mesmeric 
 power over me. I offer this, not as an excuse, but as 
 an explanation of what I did. I tried to combat his 
 arguments. I spoke of the damage which might be 
 done to my uncle, but he swept that away with a 
 magnificent flourish of the arm. He said that Pro- 
 fessor Vernon would be held absolutely harmless in 
 the matter, and that if any one would suffer it would 
 be Captain Prescott. That was the last straw to 
 break my feeble back. I had acquired a dislike to 
 Captain Prescott, because he stood for the very op- 
 posite of what I was preaching in the war. I con- 
 fess that I was so mean and ignoble as to grasp at 
 the chance to do him an injury." 
 
 " Then what happened ? " asked Warner. 
 
 " Well, after that we debated ways and means of 
 getting the wallet without attracting any attention.
 
 Gilbert Tells His Story 229 
 
 Castro had seen Uncle and Captain Prescott place it 
 in the walnut cabinet. Now, I knew that it was the 
 habit of Uncle to carry the key to that cabinet in the 
 pocket of his smoking jacket. He used to joke over 
 the fact that he kept his choice liquors there, and to 
 say that in self-defense he always had to carry the 
 key. I know Francis Vernon like a book. I knew 
 how careless he was in the little things of life. Like 
 most men of great intellect it was really dangerous 
 to let him go at large. Knowing all of this I knew, 
 instinctively, that when the time came to dress for 
 dinner he would go to his room, throw off his jacket 
 and put on his dinner clothes. It was decided that 
 I should take the first opportunity of going after the 
 key." 
 
 "And it came?" 
 
 " Yes, sooner than I anticipated. We all went to 
 the table, as you will recall. The first thing I knew 
 we were engaged in an ugly discussion of pacifism. 
 I was really angry, especially at Captain Prescott. 
 It gave me the opportunity I sought. I left the table 
 in a huff, and the moment I reached the living-room 
 I went up stairs to Uncle's apartment. The smok- 
 ing jacket was there, and I got the key without the 
 slightest difficulty. After I quit the table Count 
 Castro followed me out on the pretext of pacifying 
 me. He reached the little room just as I was open-
 
 230 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ing the cabinet, and I handed him the green wallet. 
 He was delighted to get it so quickly, but after it was 
 placed in his possession a new problem arose. How 
 was it to be taken out of the house? He knew that 
 we had two detectives in the place, and he knew that 
 they would institute a careful search. He could not 
 afford to leave himself because that would be the 
 means of branding him as the thief. In the end, 
 after the cabinet had been locked and the key re- 
 turned to the smoking jacket of Francis Vernon, it 
 was decided that the green wallet should be placed in 
 the trunk of the Russian Ambassador. The Count 
 arranged all of the details for this scheme. An ex- 
 pressman with a forged order for the trunk was to 
 meet it when it reached the station in Washington. 
 Now I've told you the whole story, and if I say that 
 I feel mean and cheap you'll probably agree with me. 
 But please always remember that I foolishly thought 
 I was doing something for humanity." 
 
 " Instead of which," commented Tommy, " you 
 were placing Francis Vernon in a position where his 
 loyalty might be questioned, and you were imper- 
 iling the success of the United States in this war." 
 
 " Do you think that is a fact ? " asked Gilbert 
 eagerly. 
 
 " There isn't any doubt about it. I'm not in pos- 
 session of all the inside dope, but I know enough to
 
 Gilbert Tells His Story 231 
 
 say that Count Castro was using you to strike a 
 deadly blow at this country." 
 
 Vernon bowed his head lower. When he looked 
 up it was to say in a low voice : 
 
 " I was afraid of that, and it was the reason I 
 wanted you to hear this story. Things became so 
 complicated at the house that I was in danger of los- 
 ing my reason. In some peculiar way my cousin, 
 Hope, got mixed up in the affair. After the guests 
 came out of the dining-room that night, Castro took 
 Hope aside and talked to her very earnestly. I do 
 not know what he said to her, but I do know that a 
 look of horror spread over her face, and that a few 
 minutes later she had a stormy interview with Cap- 
 tain Prescott." 
 
 " By the way," said Tommy, suddenly turning the 
 conversation, " I think you told me you were a full- 
 fledged member of this organization you called the 
 the" 
 
 "The Custodians of Liberty," Gilbert reminded 
 him. 
 
 " Yes," nodded Tommy, " that was it. The Cus- 
 todians of Liberty. It goes to show what crimes are 
 committed in the name of Liberty when a bunch of 
 traitors may organize under that name. Well, I 
 suppose that you have something to show that you 
 are entitled to membership in the concern ? "
 
 232 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " Oh, yes, I have a card here which must be shown 
 in order to be admitted to any of the meetings. It 
 also entitles me to bring a friend into any of the 
 gatherings. I'm supposed to vouch for the friend 
 that comes with me. It's a sort of propaganda idea 
 to increase the membership." 
 
 Warner took the card that was handed to him, and 
 examined it closely. 
 
 " Do you think I could get into any of their meet- 
 ings with this card? " he asked after awhile. 
 
 " Without a doubt," was the prompt reply. " I'm 
 only known personally to a few of the members. 
 The doortender is changed frequently, and I don't 
 think you'd have any difficulty in passing him." 
 
 Tommy's eyes sparkled with interest. 
 
 " That means I could get in and take a friend with 
 me?" 
 
 " That's what it means." 
 
 " When is the next meeting ? " 
 
 "To-night, at Freedom Hall." 
 
 Tommy Warner gave a sigh of delight. 
 
 " Ever since this war started," he confessed, " I've 
 wanted to get a big beat for my paper, and now near 
 the end you've put me on the biggest thing of the 
 year." 
 
 " There's some risk if you're discovered," 
 warned Gilbert.
 
 Gilbert Tells His Story 233 
 
 " Leave that to me," laughed Tommy; " I'm will- 
 ing to risk anything even my life if I can pull 
 off a thing as big as this looks to me." 
 
 " Tommy," said Gilbert, " I've made a clean 
 breast of this whole business to you, and you can 
 guess that I haven't relished the job. Now, if you 
 feel that Prescott, or Barnes or my uncle should 
 know these facts you are at liberty to tell them. I 
 haven't the heart to go over the thing twice, but I 
 leave myself entirely in your hands." 
 
 Warner looked serious very serious for such a 
 merry man. 
 
 " Gilbert," he replied, " you've given me a very 
 hard task, but I'll think it over and do what I con- 
 sider best for all concerned." 
 
 Vernon reached over and grasped the hand of the 
 cherubic one, and wrung it warmly. 
 
 " You're a friend in need, old fellow," he said in 
 a voice that trembled with emotion, " and I assure 
 you that I will remember you until the day of my 
 death." 
 
 " Forget it, forget it ! " exclaimed Tommy warmly. 
 
 " There is one other thing I want to ask you. It 
 must be evident from what I have told you that I 
 can be arrested under the espionage laws. I'm sure 
 that if all the circumstances were brought out in 
 court that I would be convicted by any American
 
 234 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 jury. Now, if needs be, I'm ready to take my medi- 
 cine. I want to go with the Marines, but I'll stay 
 home and give myself up if you say the word." 
 
 Tommy glanced at his friend in a curious way. 
 He pulled out his watch and noted the time. 
 
 " Come on," he said, " come with me." 
 
 They left the building and walking rapidly down 
 the avenue, finally turned into the railroad station. 
 The conductor was calling " All aboard for Balti- 
 more ! " Tommy gave Gilbert a push and sent him 
 into the last car. 
 
 " That's my answer ! " he exclaimed, " make good, 
 and I'll be proud of you." 
 
 Gilbert stood on the rear platform of the car as 
 the train pulled out of the station, while Tommy 
 Warner waved a large and picturesque handkerchief 
 in the direction of the prodigal one. 
 
 There is no way of proving it, of course, but an 
 attendant who stood near by said that a troublesome 
 lump arose in Tommy's throat, and that his eyes 
 were misty with tears.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 STRATEGY AND THE WOMAN 
 
 TOMMY WARNER returned to his room in the 
 Planet building with the feeling of a man who has 
 done a good day's work. He was sure he had done 
 the right thing, and the rehabilitation of the man- 
 hood of Gilbert Vernon gave him immense satis- 
 faction. He liked all of the Vernons, and was de- 
 lighted to think that the one black sheep in the flock 
 had changed color. He lit a cigarette, lay back in 
 his arm chair, with his feet on the desk, and sent 
 circles of smoke curling through the air. He had 
 that curious and comfortable feeling of complete 
 luxury which comes to a busy man when he has fin- 
 ished his labors and has nothing on his mind. But 
 in the midst of it the telephone bell at his elbow be- 
 gan to tinkle. He picked up the receiver : 
 
 " Hello," he called, none too cheerfully, " this is 
 Mr. Warner, the Planet office." 
 
 " Oh, Tommy," responded a sweetly feminine 
 voice. " I'm so glad I found you so easily. This is 
 Hope Vernon, and I'm at the Willard, and I want 
 
 235
 
 236 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 you to come and see me this very minute. No, no 
 explanations, just come, and I'll make everything 
 clear in a jiffy." 
 
 Warner promised, of course, but he hung up the 
 receiver mechanically and gazed about him dazedly. 
 What could Hope Vernon be doing at the Willard? 
 And why did she want him to see her? The Ver- 
 non family had been turning all of his pre-con- 
 ceived notions topsy-turvy. Until this episode of 
 the stolen wallet they had seemed as fixed and un- 
 changeable as the Capitol itself, but now all of that 
 was changed. The Professor was different, Gilbert 
 had appeared in a new guise, and now Hope was 
 possibly going to give him a fresh shock. But he 
 resolved to go prepared for the worst. He felt, in- 
 stinctively, that her visit was related in some way to 
 the incident which had broken up the house party at 
 Idlewild. He closed his desk, and made his way to 
 the hotel. A minute after he had presented his card 
 at the office he was directed to go to her apartment 
 on the second floor. When he reached there he 
 found her at the door of the room, greeting him 
 with a smile. 
 
 "I felt certain you wouldn't fail me, Tommy!" 
 she exclaimed. 
 
 " Fail you ! " echoed the cherubic one with his 
 most winning expression. " Why, I'd have found
 
 Strategy and the Woman 237 
 
 my way to you if it had taken a flying machine ! " 
 
 The lights had been turned on to relieve the gloom 
 of the early evening, and as they entered the room 
 together he noticed that behind the mask of assumed 
 cheerfulness there was trouble and anxiety. 
 
 " Now," he said, assuming a business-like air, 
 " what's on your mind ? " 
 
 She flushed, and then exclaimed with vehemence. 
 
 " Tommy, I've made a fool of myself I've 
 caused no end of trouble to innocent people and I've 
 come to Washington in the hope that I may be able 
 to repair the damage." 
 
 Warner stared at her out of wide-open eyes. He 
 wondered if this were hysteria. He managed to 
 smile. 
 
 " Well, when it comes to repairing damage, I'm 
 somewhat of a cobbler myself. Maybe I can be of 
 service to you." 
 
 " I'm hoping you may be," she said, " but, pos- 
 sibly, after you've heard my confession " 
 
 " Good Lord ! " he interrupted, with a groan, " is 
 this to be another confession? " 
 
 " Another? " she flashed back at him. " Do you 
 mean to say you have had one ? " 
 
 He was about to reply when something in the ex- 
 pression of her eyes made him pause. 
 
 " Have you had dinner yet? " he asked.
 
 238 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " No," she replied, " but that doesn't make any 
 difference." 
 
 " Yes, it does," he retorted stubbornly, " it makes 
 a heap of difference. It's quite evident that we have 
 a great deal to say to one another. I know of a de- 
 lightful little restaurant near here where we can get 
 a quiet corner and talk to our hearts' content. So 
 hurry along, make yourself look pretty and we'll 
 have a real old-fashioned chat." 
 
 She paused for a moment, irresolute. 
 
 " It's absolutely necessary for me to be at the hotel 
 at nine o'clock." 
 
 He laughed gayly. 
 
 " You've got nothing on me. I must be at the 
 office at eight o'clock, or run the risk of missing the 
 biggest news scoop since the war began." 
 
 " Very well," she agreed, " I'll only keep you a 
 few minutes." 
 
 He waited in the reception hall while she retired 
 to the bedroom and made herself presentable. Ten 
 minutes later they were in the cozy corner of a par- 
 ticularly comfortable cafe with Tommy ordering a 
 dinner with that discrimination which had won him 
 a reputation as one of the bon vivants of the Na- 
 tional Capital. The lights and the music and the 
 shaded candles on the table between them had the 
 effect of restoring her composure. He declined to
 
 Strategy and the Woman 239 
 
 permit her to say anything of the business that had 
 brought her to Washington until she had made the 
 pretense of doing justice to the meal. Finally, 
 pushing the dishes to one side, he leaned over and 
 said seriously: 
 
 " Now, Hope, before you tell me your story, I 
 wish to let you know of a very remarkable experi- 
 ence I have had this afternoon with a person in 
 whom you are deeply interested." 
 
 Then, without further preliminaries, he related 
 the incident of the Good Samaritan, his meeting with 
 Gilbert Vernon and of the remarkable confession of 
 that young man. 
 
 Hope sat through this story with amazing forti- 
 tude. It was such a story as might have stirred the 
 emotions of a stranger, much less those of an actual 
 participant in the little drama. The description of 
 the death of May Ward brought tears to the eyes of 
 the girl, and the tale of Gilbert Vernon's duplicity 
 toward his uncle, and then his heroic change of 
 character, caused her alternately to feel waves of 
 mental depression and exaltation. She listened with 
 intense attention, gripping her napkin between 
 clenched fingers as Tommy Warner went over the 
 details with painful accuracy, and yet with an elo- 
 quence which lifted the mere telling of the story 
 away beyond the commonplace. At one time it
 
 240 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 looked as if Hope might faint, but he urged her to 
 take a sip of wine, and presently the color returned 
 to her cheeks and she became normal again. 
 
 " Now," concluded Tommy, " you know as much 
 as I do. Gilbert left it entirely to my discretion 
 whether any part of the tale should be told, and I 
 felt, instinctively that you were entitled to all of 
 these details. I am sure that you will give him the 
 benefit of your charity. It is impossible to justify 
 his action at Idlewild, but I am sure that his desire to 
 prove his manhood will lift him up in your estima- 
 tion." 
 
 Hope nodded sadly. 
 
 " Poor Gilbert," she sighed, "'he has made a ter- 
 rible mistake, but who shall say that he is alone in 
 this respect. I'm afraid that I'm as much to blame 
 in this matter as that poor, deluded boy." 
 
 " I'm sure you're nothing of the kind ! " cried 
 Tommy, with hot loyalty. 
 
 She smiled at him with grateful eyes, but he could 
 see beyond the smile the depth of suffering she had 
 plumbed. 
 
 " It's like you to say that, but maybe after you 
 have heard my story you may have a different feel- 
 ing. I am glad to have heard yours first, because 
 it clears the way for what I have to tell. It explains 
 some things that were not quite clear to me, and it
 
 241 
 
 helps to furnish an explanation of the mad thing of 
 which I was guilty." 
 
 She paused for some moments, as though gather- 
 ing her thoughts together. When she spoke it was 
 in clear tones, and without hesitation. 
 
 " I think I was the happiest girl in the world the 
 night Captain Prescott came to Idlewild," she be- 
 gan, " I know that I can be perfectly honest in talk- 
 ing to you, and that is why I make a statement that 
 I wouldn't dream of making to any one else. I 
 teased him, and I'm afraid I caused him some un- 
 happiness, but, back of it all, I had a feeling of ela- 
 tion in his presence that was indescribable. My 
 hope and I tell it to you shamelessly was that 
 before he left we would have pledged our troth. I 
 realized that Captain Prescott was jealous, and I 
 was feminine enough and foolish enough to 
 pay more attention than I should have to Count Cas- 
 tro. This, as you may remember, was all on the 
 first night." 
 
 " In the morning everything was changed with the 
 announcement of the disappearance of the green 
 wallet. While the search for the wallet was going 
 on I learned, to my horror, that Gilbert was the cul- 
 prit. I was told by Count Castro that Gilbert had 
 taken it in the belief that he was serving the cause of 
 universal peace. He really did not know the mean-
 
 242 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ing of the contract or what it meant to the United 
 States Government. Neither did I then. Gil- 
 bert has already explained to you what was in his 
 mind at the time. He never dreamt of doing a seri- 
 ous wrong to my father. But to come to my part 
 in the business. Count Castro told me that the wal- 
 let had been placed in the trunk of the Russian Am- 
 bassador. But he didn't stop at that. He made the 
 deliberate statement that Vance Prescott and Brom- 
 ley Barnes were in the house for the purpose of 
 trapping Gilbert, and that they expected to place him 
 under arrest before they left." 
 
 " Then that was what prompted you to interfere," 
 said Tommy. 
 
 " It was that and nothing more. He told me that 
 everybody was to be searched and that every room 
 in the house was to be ransacked, and that if the wal- 
 let was found in the Ambassador's trunk it would be 
 traced to Gilbert as sure as fate, and that nothing 
 under the sun would save Gilbert from a prisoner's 
 cell and a long sentence in the penitentiary. I was 
 honestly terrified. With all of Gilbert's faults, I 
 could not bear the thought of having him come to 
 an end like that. Castro worked on my fears. He 
 presented Captain Prescott as a tiger who was after 
 his prey and who would stop at nothing to accom- 
 plish his purpose. And I I admit it with shame
 
 Strategy and the Woman 243 
 
 I believed him, and I think for the time being I 
 hated Vance Prescott. The trunk of the Ambassa- 
 dor was in a small room from which an entrance 
 could be obtained through the room that had been 
 occupied by Castro. Vance began his search. I 
 was in the upper hallway, and when he came to Cas- 
 tro's room I forbade him to enter. Naturally he did 
 not understand my motive, and he was amazed. He 
 proposed to go into it by force, and it was then that 
 I threw myself in front of the door and defied him 
 to enter. If I live to be a thousand years old I can 
 never forget that scene. The horror in his face is 
 still before me. But I kept him from going in, and 
 afterwards I collapsed." 
 
 " But how were you undeceived? " asked Warner. 
 
 " That came this morning. Father regained con- 
 sciousness, and I learned for the first time the real 
 meaning of the contracts in the green wallet. I 
 found that Castro had deceived my cousin as he de- 
 ceived me. Barker had taken the wallet out of the 
 trunk and was keeping it to give to father. Cap- 
 tain Prescott and Barnes hurried to Idlewild to get 
 it, but Castro, by a trick, came ahead of them, got 
 possession of it and then started for Washington. 
 Where he is now no one knows, but before long I 
 hope to know. That is why I am here now." 
 
 Warner looked at her in surprise.
 
 244 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I've already told you I'm trying to repair some 
 of the wrong I did. You know that Castro has 
 proposed marriage to me. He has gone further 
 than this. He wants me to fly to Mexico with him. 
 Well, I've sent him a telegram to meet me at the 
 Willard at nine o'clock to-night. Please do not 
 think I am conceited, but I am sure that he will come 
 here to keep the appointment. That is all. Once 
 he is here I will have him in my power. I only 
 pray that I have not been too late." 
 
 Tommy looked at her with admiration, not un- 
 mixed with anxiety. 
 
 " To me, it looks a bit dangerous," he said. " I 
 don't like the idea of placing yourself in the power 
 of this rascal. You know as well as I do that he 
 is without morals or scruples of any kind." 
 
 " I know that perfectly well," she replied evenly. 
 " I'm taking a risk, but I feel that the game is worth 
 all it may cost." 
 
 " But you must not be left to play the game 
 alone," he protested. 
 
 " No," she conceded, " and that is why I sent for 
 you." 
 
 " Thank you for that," he said gratefully. " I 
 feel honored that you should have called on me. 
 Now please tell me just what you propose to 
 do?"
 
 Strategy and the Woman 245 
 
 They had finished the meal. She looked about 
 her with some little anxiety. 
 
 " We must not be seen together," she said. 
 " Suppose we go to my room and I'll explain 
 further." 
 
 He agreed to that, and as soon as the check had 
 been settled they returned to the hotel and to her 
 room in the Willard. 
 
 " Now," she explained, " the most important thing 
 of all is to get him to this room. It is after that I 
 shall need your assistance. My idea is to call you 
 on the 'phone. I shall expect you to come to my as- 
 sistance at once. If you promise me that I'll under- 
 take to hold him here until you arrive." 
 
 " But how can you telephone while he is in the 
 room?" 
 
 " I've thought that out. I've got a little code of 
 my own. I'm going to pretend to 'phone to my 
 milliner to bring me a hat. Your number, I under- 
 stand, is District g^S^6-X." 
 
 As she spoke she pulled out a little gold-headed 
 pencil and wrote the number on a card. She sighed 
 pensively. 
 
 " This pencil belongs to poor Gilbert. Captain 
 Prescott found it on the floor near the walnut cab- 
 inet on the morning after the contract disappeared. 
 He had seen me with it the day before and assumed
 
 246 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 that it belonged to me. If the truth had come out 
 then things might have been very serious for Gil- 
 bert." 
 
 Tommy nodded sympathetically. 
 
 " Quite true. Now, let's get down to this busi- 
 ness. What is to happen after I answer your 'phone 
 call?" 
 
 " I'll say, ' Is that Madam Dalzell? ' When you 
 say it is I'll exclaim, * I'm ready for my hat please 
 send it at once ! " That will be your cue." 
 
 " What time will you 'phone? " asked Tommy. 
 
 " As soon after nine as possible." 
 
 " Don't you think you'd better have an officer 
 within call ? " he urged anxiously. 
 
 " No that might spoil everything. I can't af- 
 ford to scare him away. I've got to run the risk." 
 
 Warner squeezed her hand fervently. 
 
 " Good-by for a while, Hope," he said with unac- 
 customed earnestness, " you're one girl in ten thou- 
 sand."
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 FACE TO FACE 
 
 HOPE VERNON sat by the window of her room in 
 the Willard waiting for the encounter which was to 
 have an effect, not only upon her own future, but 
 also upon the fortunes of her friends, her family 
 and her country. The minutes passed slowly, and 
 she had an opportunity of thinking over the events 
 which had resulted in the adventure which now con- 
 fronted her. She could hear the traffic and the life 
 of Pennsylvania Avenue, the voice of the city it 
 might be called, so different from anything she had 
 known in the Washington of her early childhood. 
 In the old days it was merely a drowsy droning, a 
 sound that suggested luxurious laziness, but now 
 there was an alertness in the noise, the buzzing of 
 many busy bees, an echo of the new Americanism 
 that was making Washington the real center of 
 national activity, and that was to make it the great- 
 est capital in the world. 
 
 The electric lights were on in the room, but the 
 girl sat in the shadow near one of the tall windows 
 
 247
 
 248 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 which commanded a view of the street. She 
 thought a great deal of herself during these passing 
 minutes, but she thought a great deal more of the 
 wonderful country of which this city was the heart 
 and center. And she realized that, to a great extent, 
 she held the future of the great nation in the hollow 
 of her little hand. The war was practically over so 
 far as our men in the field were concerned. We had 
 defeated the enemy on every battle front. The white 
 flag was being fluttered but solely for the purposes 
 of delay. If the United States and its Allies could be 
 deprived of the monopoly of the Mexican oil fields, 
 if the supply of oil fuel could be cut off then the 
 enemy might make that final dash for liberty. Al- 
 lied victory would come ultimately, of course, but if 
 she could get possession of those precious papers 
 she knew that it would hasten the beginning of the 
 end. Her thoughts resolved themselves into one 
 final conclusion: 
 
 She would get possession of the green wal- 
 let! 
 
 At that point in her meditations she heard a quick 
 footstep in the outside corridor. She looked up, 
 and as she did so a man flung open the door, and 
 rushed into the room. It did not need a second 
 glance to tell her that it was Count Castro. He was 
 disheveled, and, it was apparent, agitated as well.
 
 Strategy and the Woman 249 
 
 She had never seen him laboring under excitement 
 before, and, on the instant, it gave her the oppor- 
 tunity of regaining her own self-possession. She 
 rose to meet him, and gave a hasty survey of the tall, 
 thin, erect figure, with his fox-like movements. 
 Despite his nervousness he made an effort to pull 
 himself together. The ever present violet was in his 
 buttonhole, and he gave that characteristic move- 
 ment of his thin hand reaching for his chin as 
 though to stroke a beard and then seeming surprised 
 at not finding it. He did not see her at once. He 
 screwed his eyes and looked into the semi-gloom of 
 the far corner of the room. Presently he became 
 aware of her presence and his face lit up with that 
 winning smile, that mixture of frankness and crafti- 
 ness which fitted him so well. 
 
 " Hope ! " he exclaimed, " my dear Hope, I'm so 
 glad to see you ! " 
 
 She gave a slight shiver at the familiar form of 
 address, but came to meet him with a smile on her 
 face. 
 
 " I see," she murmured, " that you are prompt in 
 keeping your engagements." 
 
 He grasped her outstretched hand and kissed it. 
 He came closer as if to take her in his arms, but 
 by a quick movement she escaped his embrace. It 
 was enough to feel his hot breath on her hand.
 
 250 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Even that stifled her. Fortunately, he did not seem 
 to notice her repugnance. 
 
 "How could I be otherwise?" he cried with a 
 return to his old time gallantry. " It is not every 
 man that has the privilege of coming to claim a girl 
 like you." 
 
 She tried to think rapidly and clearly. She felt 
 like an actress in a new play who is in danger of for- 
 getting her lines. She motioned to a chair in the 
 center of the room. 
 
 " Sit down," she said, " and rest for awhile. You 
 look wearied." 
 
 He took the place she indicated, and then she 
 seated herself on a divan. He closed his eyes for a 
 moment, and pressed his finger tips to them with a 
 tired movement. The next moment he gave her an 
 adoring look. 
 
 " I've been very busy," he confessed, " but it's 
 worth everything in the world to be able to come to 
 you like this. I was afraid that I was going to lose 
 you, and your telegram came to me like a message 
 from Paradise." 
 
 Hope gazed at the man steadily. To his mind 
 she was thinking of the devotion which prompted 
 such ardent words. As a matter of fact she was 
 wondering if he had the green wallet in his pocket 
 and whether it would be possible for her to get
 
 Strategy and the Woman 251 
 
 possession of it by the use of a little strategy. 
 When she spoke, she felt half-ashamed of the banal- 
 ity of her retort. 
 
 " You don't mean that, Count Castro, you are 
 only trying to flatter me." 
 
 " Indeed, I do mean it," he replied with a warmth 
 that carried conviction. " My difficulty is to express 
 the joy your telegram has brought me." 
 
 For an instant and only for an instant she 
 felt the pangs of compunction at the part she was 
 forced to play. 
 
 " Please don't talk like that," she pleaded hon- 
 estly enough, " because it distresses me." 
 
 He laughed lightly. 
 
 " Mademoiselle is new to the art of love-making. 
 And yet and yet she loves me." 
 
 " I haven't said that I loved you," she exclaimed 
 with spirit. 
 
 He shook his finger at her playfully. 
 
 " Oh," he cried, " Hope, you are coquettish like 
 all the members of your sex. If you do not love me 
 you care for me. Shall I put it in that way ? " 
 
 " Yes," she said faintly, " you may put it in that 
 way." 
 
 " That is one great admission from a woman like 
 yourself," he declared, " and it is satisfactory to me. 
 But you did not always feel this way to the poor
 
 252 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 heart-broken Count Castro. Tell me when the 
 change took place? " 
 
 She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. 
 The ordeal was proving to be greater than she had 
 anticipated. 
 
 " This morning," she admitted; " it was only this 
 morning when I determined to send you the tele- 
 gram." 
 
 " And the cause," he persisted, " the cause of this 
 change of heart? " 
 
 She hesitated for many moments. 
 
 " Please," she said finally, " please don't ask me 
 that question." 
 
 " Some other man has disappointed you? " he sug- 
 gested, a smoldering fire in his eyes. 
 
 " No," she answered promptly, " no other man 
 has disappointed me." 
 
 He brightened at once. 
 
 " Perhaps," he said gayly, " the idea of being a 
 Countess has appealed to your romantic spirit ? " 
 
 She grasped at the straw eagerly. 
 
 " Yes that is to say well, Count Castro, you 
 know how a woman feels about such things." 
 
 He clapped his hands boyishly. 
 
 " My dear, you need not apologize for having 
 such an ambition. With me your standing will be 
 of the highest. I shall have money and position,
 
 Face to Face 253 
 
 and it shall be your privilege to share my honors 
 with me. But, come, we are losing time. We must 
 leave here at once. I have already delayed too 
 long." 
 
 But, to his surprise, she gave a pout. 
 
 " I am not ready I have not yet finished prepar- 
 ing my wardrobe." 
 
 He looked alarmed. 
 
 " That is not possible, my dear, because we have 
 not the facilities for taking much baggage. For 
 reasons which I shall explain later, we must go at 
 once." 
 
 " But my hat ! " she explained. " I would not 
 dream of going without my new traveling hat. 
 Such a honeymoon would be out of the ques- 
 tion." 
 
 The mention of the honeymoon restored his good 
 spirits. 
 
 " We shall wait a few minutes," he agreed, " but 
 cannot you hasten the coming of this wonderful 
 hat?" 
 
 She nodded. It was the cue she had been waiting 
 for. She walked over to the telephone and picked 
 up the receiver. 
 
 " District gg8^6-X," she called evenly, looking 
 steadily at him all the while. 
 
 Presently she obtained the connection she desired.
 
 254f The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " I wish to speak to Madame Dalzell," she an- 
 nounced. 
 
 There was a pause for a few moments and after 
 that her heart throbbed as she heard the re-assuring 
 voice of Tommy Warner at the other end of the 
 wire. 
 
 " This is Miss Vernon, at the Willard," she said. 
 " I'm waiting for my new hat. It is of the utmost 
 importance that you send it to me at once. You 
 understand ? " 
 
 " Perfectly," came the response. " It will be sent 
 to you immediately in a taxicab. You shall not 
 be kept more than five or ten minutes." 
 
 She replaced the receiver with a sigh of satisfac- 
 tion. She could feel the cold sweat gathering on 
 her forehead. The strain was almost more than 
 she could bear. He noted her agitation. 
 
 " You do not seem happy," he suggested, with just 
 a trace of suspicion in his voice, " for a young 
 woman who is about to go away with the man she 
 loves." 
 
 Her eyes flashed in spite of herself. 
 
 " You must not put it in that way, Count. I have 
 not yet said that I loved you." 
 
 " You seem more anxious about your hat than 
 you do about me," he said in a querulous voice. 
 
 " Ah, Count," she cried with an attempt at light-
 
 Face to Face 255 
 
 heartedness, " you do not understand woman or you 
 would not say such things." 
 
 He frowned. 
 
 " No not the women of the United States." 
 
 " Yet you pretend to care for me," she taunted. 
 
 He said nothing but arose and made one or two 
 quick turns of the room. She also arose, and going 
 to the window gazed out into the street pensively. 
 Presently he came over in her direction and placed 
 his arms affectionately about her shoulders. The 
 mere contact caused a revulsion of feeling. She 
 pushed him aside and stepped beyond his reach. It 
 was an unfortunate movement. His eyes flashed 
 fire, and with his quick fox-like movement he placed 
 himself between her and the door. They stood fac- 
 ing one another like duelists. It was the man who 
 spoke first, and all of the softness had gone from 
 his voice. 
 
 " Now, Madame," he cried harshly, " I'd like you 
 to tell me just exactly "what kind of a game you are 
 trying to play with me!" 
 
 Hope swayed to and fro for a moment. The at- 
 tack was so sudden that it almost overwhelmed her. 
 But she managed to grasp the edge of the mantel- 
 piece and steady herself. When she spoke her voice 
 trembled. 
 
 " Why why, what do you mean ? I was "
 
 .256 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 " You know very well what I mean," he cried 
 hotly, " and you know why you've lured me to this 
 place. But you're fooling with the wrong man. 
 I've got you in my power now, and if you dare to 
 cry out or make the slightest noise I'll kill you. Do 
 you understand, I'll kill you ! " 
 
 Hope Vernon's face went white during this tirade, 
 but the very intensity of the man's passion gave her 
 an opportunity to recover her poise. She could feel 
 the color coming back into her face, and she felt 
 herself growing stronger as the moments passed by. 
 She even dared to smile in the face of the Spanish- 
 American. 
 
 " You seem to be afraid of me of poor little 
 me." 
 
 That roused his fury to the murderous point. 
 His face became distorted, and he made a rush in 
 the direction of the girl. Very cleverly she man- 
 aged to elude his grasp and to place herself on the 
 other side of the room. 
 
 " How dare you mock me ! " he shrieked, losing 
 his self-control altogether. " Don't you know that 
 you are trifling with your life? " 
 
 Castro's coat had been flung open as he rushed 
 across the room, and Hope could see the green wal- 
 let peering out from the inside pocket. If she could 
 only get possession of that document it would more
 
 Face to Face 257 
 
 than repay her for all the risk she had run. Yet she 
 realized that her plans had been badly made. She 
 had counted on the return of Tommy Warner. He 
 was not there, and probably would not get there in 
 time to be of any assistance to her. She thought to 
 scream, but instantly abandoned the idea. It would 
 attract help, but in the midst of the noise and stir 
 he would probably escape. While all of these 
 thoughts were racing through her mind she noticed 
 a change in the attitude of the Spanish-American. 
 His anger had passed and he was more like the foxy 
 one she feared. He smiled, a diabolical sort of 
 smile. 
 
 " My dear," he said, in his ingratiating way, " I'm 
 afraid we've both lost our heads. We have interests 
 in common, and we must not quarrel. Come now, 
 tell me, what is the purpose you had in mind in 
 bringing me here ? " 
 
 She thought quickly before replying. 
 
 " You trust me, do you not ? " 
 
 He smiled hatefully. 
 
 " Most assuredly I trust you implicitly." 
 
 " In that event," she retorted with a look of tri- 
 umph, " it should not be necessary for me to make 
 any explanations." 
 
 He was approaching her stealthily, and the look 
 on his face caused the cold chills to run up and
 
 258 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 down her spinal column. He smirked as he spoke. 
 
 " The least you can do is to give me a kiss from 
 those pretty lips." 
 
 How she kept from shrieking she never knew. 
 But the next moment she realized that he had her 
 by the arms and that they were struggling. She 
 was frightened, but she had a mad sort of feeling 
 that in the struggle she should be able to get posses- 
 sion of the green wallet. In the midst of it there 
 was a sound in the hallway, and the next moment 
 the door of the room was flung open. The interrup- 
 tion caused both of them to pause for the moment. 
 They stood there in the pose of two persons about to 
 embrace. Hope looked toward the door, and the 
 sight that met her gaze made her dizzy. 
 
 Vance Prescott, entering the room, stood speech- 
 less, gazing at her and Castro. His lips were parted, 
 and a look of horror was on his face. When he 
 spoke, in trembling tones, it was more to himself 
 than to the others. 
 
 " You here," he gasped, " and with him! " 
 
 Castro released the girl, and she tottered for a 
 moment and then slid down to the couch in a dead 
 faint. As her head touched the cushion a small 
 pearl-handled revolver slipped from the sleeve of her 
 coat and fell to the floor. It was evident that she 
 had been prepared for the worst. The Spanish-
 
 Face to Face 259 
 
 American was quick to take advantage of the turn 
 affairs had taken. He faced Prescott angrily : 
 
 " What do you mean by coming into ray apart- 
 ments unannounced ? " 
 
 " Your apartments what do you mean? " asked 
 the young soldier hoarsely. 
 
 " Yes," shouted the Count, following up the situ- 
 ation, " don't you see that you have startled my 
 wife? She has fainted." 
 
 Vance Prescott was stunned into silence. He 
 stood gazing at the other man in dumb stupidity. 
 Castro, taking advantage of the impression he had 
 made, sidled around until he was between Prescott 
 and the door of the room. There was a look of 
 malignant triumph on his countenance as he slipped 
 into the hallway. The young soldier was gradually 
 coming to his senses. But he was in a dreadful 
 dilemma. Count Castro was already on his way 
 downstairs. Hope Vernon lay unconscious on the 
 couch. But it only took him a few seconds to come 
 to his decision. 
 
 He cast one agonized look at the girl, then, turn- 
 ing on his heel, rushed after the Spanish-American.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE CUSTODIANS OF LIBERTY 
 
 WHEN Tommy Warner left Hope Vernon earlier 
 that evening he had his plan of campaign quite defi- 
 nitely mapped out in his mind. He realized that he 
 would have to act quickly and with decision, but he 
 was able to do this with all the more ardor because 
 he visualized one of the greatest newspaper 
 " scoops " since the outbreak of the war. His first 
 move was to get in touch with Bromley Barnes. 
 That veteran was found at the Department of Jus- 
 tice, and when Tommy had outlined his plan of 
 action the veteran eagerly joined with him, and 
 promised to have a squad of strong-arm men at the 
 time and place appointed. 
 
 " But, remember, Barnes," insisted the cherubic 
 one, " this is my exclusive story and I don't want 
 you passing it around to the other newspaper men." 
 
 The venerable one gazed upon his young friend 
 with a fatherly smile. 
 
 " My boy, I haven't the slightest desire to deprive 
 you of any of your glory. I shall say absolutely 
 
 260
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 261 
 
 nothing, for the very good reason that I have noth- 
 ing to say. If we are fortunate enough to land a 
 party of these fanatics in the station house I cannot 
 be responsible if that fact becomes public property." 
 
 " Sure not," assented the enthusiastic one; " what 
 I'm talking about is the inside story. I want that 
 for the Planet because it belongs to me." 
 
 " How about bringing Prescott with us ? " asked 
 Barnes. " He's still prowling about Washington in 
 the expectation of catching Castro." 
 
 " That's all right if we can smuggle him in. You 
 know this ticket simply admits me and another man. 
 It doesn't say anything about a surprise party." 
 
 Barnes laughed. 
 
 " All right, son, we'll consider Prescott's case 
 later. In the meantime I don't suppose we have 
 much time to spare." 
 
 " We haven't any time to spare. And if you're 
 wise you'll come to my rooms and change your 
 clothes. If you appeared in that bunch looking as 
 if you'd just come out of a band box they'd mob you 
 for a plutocrat. Come on, I've got to make a light- 
 ning change myself." 
 
 Fifteen minutes later two rather shabby looking 
 individuals crept out of Tommy Warner's bachelor 
 quarters, and made for Freedom Hall, a building 
 located in a comparatively deserted section of the
 
 262 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 city. It was a lightless night, and the darkness 
 fitted in with their mission in a way they had not 
 anticipated. The two men had the furtive manner 
 of criminals, but their hands and faces were stained 
 with what was supposed to be the marks of honest 
 toil. A dim lamp marked the exterior of the hall, 
 and once inside they found the place was divided up 
 into small lodge or meeting rooms. The greatest 
 secrecy was maintained, although on the face of it 
 the gathering purported to be a meeting of patriotic 
 citizens who were concerned only with the question 
 of liberty for all the world. There was a guard 
 in a little ante-room and he closely scrutinized the 
 card that was handed him by Tommy Warner. 
 
 " Who is this man ? " asked the guard, pointing a 
 dirty forefinger in the direction of Bromley Barnes. 
 
 " A friend who is properly vouched for and who 
 desires to join the cause," replied Tommy in somber 
 tones. 
 
 The door was opened a crack, and the two 
 friends entered the meeting room. It was a small 
 apartment, and poorly lighted with four or five elec- 
 tric bulbs. There were probably twenty-five or 
 thirty men present, sprawling about on chairs, wait- 
 ing for the proceedings to begin. There were win- 
 dows on both sides of the room, and these windows 
 had shades that were closely drawn. A little plat-
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 263 
 
 form occupied the far end of the apartment, and 
 on this was a chair and a little table. The room was 
 filled with tobacco smoke, and the atmosphere was 
 close and foul. An air of suspicion seemed to per- 
 vade the assembly. In most gatherings it is notice- 
 able that men cluster in groups of two and three and 
 talk, but in this one there seemed to be a studied 
 effort to keep apart. 
 
 Barnes, who looked about him with keen and all- 
 seeing eyes, noted that many of those present had a 
 hang-dog air that fitted illy with their pretensions 
 as friends of liberty. Also he became aware that 
 many of them had a pronounced Teutonic cast of 
 countenance. He spoke to one or two, but got the 
 merest nod in return. Evidently the Custodians of 
 Liberty distrusted one another. After some minutes 
 the detective managed to get near his friend : 
 
 " Tommy," he whispered, " Prescott will be wait- 
 ing for me. I think it will be possible to slip out and 
 get him. If you give me your card I'll take the 
 chance of getting out and bringing him back with 
 me." 
 
 The newspaper man managed to give his card to 
 the veteran, but when he spoke it was in a tone of 
 anxiety. 
 
 " All right," he said, " I leave it to your judgment, 
 but it looks" dangerous to me. Whatever you do
 
 264 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 don't delay, for I may need your help before we get 
 through with this business." 
 
 It was on the pretense of being ill that Bromley 
 Barnes left the room. He really looked pale, and 
 got out into the air without exciting suspicion. In 
 the meantime the members began to show signs of 
 impatience. They were evidently expecting some 
 one who had not yet arrived. Five, ten and then 
 fifteen minutes passed, and then there was a general 
 stir as two new arrivals came into the room. Pre- 
 sumably these two were persons of importance. 
 That fact became manifest by the manner in which 
 the others stiffened into attention. It was during 
 the general movement caused by these arrivals that 
 Bromley Barnes returned to the room. He was 
 accompanied by another man who appeared to be 
 unkempt and unshaven but there was something 
 about his walk and manner that made him known to 
 Tommy Warner at once. 
 
 It was Captain Vance Prescott, ready for any- 
 thing that might come from this most unusual ad- 
 venture. 
 
 He sank into a chair in a corner of the room 
 where he had an excellent chance of watching the 
 proceedings without attracting attention to himself. 
 Tommy Warner secured a seat on the other side of 
 the room, while Barnes stationed himself at a point
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 265 
 
 where he would be near the exit. One man, with a 
 bundle of books, walked up to the little platform 
 and took a seat by the table. He opened one of his 
 books and began to call off a list of names. The 
 three intruders were nervous, but at that stage of 
 the game a grimy- faced man called out : 
 
 " I move we dispense with the further calling of 
 the roll." 
 
 The motion was seconded and carried, much to 
 the relief of Barnes and his associates. Then came 
 the first sensation of the evening. A tall man 
 strode up to the platform and rapped for order. 
 The effect of his presence on the others was electri- 
 cal. It was the attitude of serfs before a master. 
 But if the manner of this person was startling the 
 knowledge of his identity was no less so. Barnes, 
 Prescott and Tommy Warner made the discovery at 
 one and the same time. 
 
 It was Count Castro who stood before them with 
 an air of authority that was undeniable. 
 
 He cast a quick glance over the assemb'y and then 
 said in a business-like tone. 
 
 " Any reports from committees ? " 
 
 A tall man in the rear of the room, with the air 
 of an artisan, arose and began to talk in halting 
 tones. 
 
 " Our factory has closed down. We were mak-
 
 266 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 ing small shot for the army, but I convinced the men 
 they were not getting enough money and they quit 
 work." 
 
 " Very good," commented Castro. " Now how 
 about the delegate from the Norwalk Munition 
 Works?" 
 
 An elderly man near the platform stood up with 
 some difficulty. It was noticed that his head was 
 bandaged and that one arm was in a sling. 
 
 " There ain't no Norwalk Munition Works," he 
 said in a quavering voice. " It blowed up yester- 
 day, and it blowed up a dozen people at the same 
 time. Poor devils!" 
 
 " Yet," hissed a voice near him, " the stuff they 
 were making would have killed ten times ten dozen 
 people." 
 
 Castro rapped on the table with a gavel. 
 
 " Remarks must be addressed to the chair," he 
 commanded sternly. "Any other reports?" 
 
 A red- faced member, with Germany written all 
 over his countenance, raised his hand. 
 
 " It is to report about the Columbia Rifle Com- 
 pany that I get up, M he said awkwardly, " it was to 
 the ground burned and there is no one to tell how 
 it happened." 
 
 There were no further movements in the little 
 company and then Castro made an announcement
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 267 
 
 that caused much whispering and craning of necks. 
 
 " We have reached a point," he said, " when it 
 will be indiscreet to hold any further meetings. 
 You all deserve credit for the good work you have 
 done in the cause of liberty, but in the future you 
 must work as individuals and not as an organization. 
 This is made necessary by the new and oppressive 
 laws that have been passed by Congress. Personal 
 liberty has ceased to exist in the United States and 
 the good we accomplish must be by stealth." 
 
 "Does that mean that we lose you, Master?" 
 asked a long, thin man with the face of an idealist. 
 
 " Yes, for the time being. But I go to do a still 
 greater work. I have it in my power to do a won- 
 derful thing for the human race." 
 
 There was a strange stillness in the little room. 
 The Count, conscious of the effect he had produced, 
 tapped his breast with a significant gesture. 
 
 " I have here," he continued, " a document which 
 shall bring about universal peace. You have all 
 done your own parts in your own way, but this thing 
 I have will be the means of a master-stroke that shall 
 fire the world. This war shall be ended, nationali- 
 ties of all kinds shall be abolished, and we shall have 
 the United States of the World and who shall say 
 that Emile Castro may not be its first President ? " 
 
 Tommy Warner looked into the shining faces of
 
 268 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 the deluded crowd and worked his way over to the 
 window. His idea was to act without being seen. 
 He touched a spring and the shade shot up to the 
 top of the window. Every one in the room turned 
 on the instant, but already the cherubic one was back 
 in his seat looking as innocent as a lamb. Castro, 
 from his place on the platform, was startled. 
 
 " Pull that shade down ! " he thundered. 
 
 Some one pulled down the blind, but it did not 
 allay the anxiety. The members of the Custodians 
 of Liberty were plainly scared, and they did not try 
 to hide the fact. Tommy Warner remembered that 
 he was to get a telephone call from Hope Vernon at 
 nine o'clock. It was twenty minutes of the hour 
 and events would have to move rapidly if he kept 
 the engagement and it must be kept at all hazards. 
 He looked about him for Vance Prescott. The 
 young soldier was at the other side of the room. If 
 he could reach him and tell him that Hope was at 
 the Willard it would be a great relief. He made a 
 move in that direction, but at that very moment there 
 was a significant sound from without. A whistle 
 blew once, twice, thrice. Warner's newspaper ex- 
 perience told him the meaning of those screeching 
 sounds. Presently they all heard the sound of 
 tramping feet coming up the stairway. For a mo- 
 ment there was almost absolute quiet in the room,
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 269 
 
 and then a voice called out the two dramatic words : 
 
 "The police!" 
 
 A wild panic ensued. Men scrambled over one 
 another, and started for the door. But, as they did 
 so, they found Bromley Barnes and Vance Prescott 
 standing guard with pointed pistols. There were 
 yells, and shrieks and wild oaths. At bay the mem- 
 bers retreated, inch by inch, in. the direction of the 
 platform. Count Castro stood there motionless, as 
 though he had suddenly been frozen into immobility. 
 The secretary gathered up his books. 
 
 " We've been trapped ! " he shrieked. " Let every 
 man take care of himself ! " 
 
 Even while he spoke, the doors were burst open, 
 and they could see the blue uniforms and the helmets 
 of the police. At that critical moment the lights 
 were turned off, and a mass of wild men struggled in 
 the darkness. A pistol shot was exploded, followed 
 by a cry of anguish. Tommy Warner, dazed, stood 
 quite still. He heard a whizzing sound near his left 
 ear, and he knew that he had had a narrow escape 
 from death. It was terrifying, this darkness, and 
 the tramping of many feet. How long it lasted no 
 one knew, but presently the lights went up again, and 
 all hands had an opportunity of getting their bear- 
 ings. The idealists presented a sorry spectacle. 
 Most of them were bedraggled, and some were
 
 270 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 bleeding. Others had been trampled in the panic- 
 stricken rush for cover. Above it all could be heard 
 the voice of the chief of the raiding party: 
 
 " Keep perfectly quiet, every one of you, or take 
 the consequences." 
 
 It was evident by this time that the police out- 
 numbered the members of the Custodians of Liberty, 
 and that they had the affair in hand. Patrol wagons 
 were waiting in the street below, and the prisoners 
 were hustled out of the hall, one at a time, until they 
 had all been taken into custody. Everything moved 
 like clockwork, and as was afterwards remarked it 
 was " pulled off " according to schedule. Tommy 
 Warner was shoved into one of the wagons by an 
 over-officious officer, but he was released as soon as 
 his identity was established. Bromley Barnes was 
 here, there and everywhere, assisting the police. It 
 was decided that he should go to the station house to 
 prefer the formal charge of treason against the 
 prisoners. A mass of documentary evidence was 
 thrown into the wagons evidence that was to send 
 most of the dupes to Federal penitentiaries for 
 periods ranging all the way from five to twenty 
 years each. 
 
 Tommy Warner was congratulated upon all sides 
 for his part in the success of this most important 
 capture. The police were naturally jubilant for
 
 The Custodians of Liberty 271 
 
 their net contained men against whom they had been 
 trying to secure evidence for the previous six 
 months. In the midst of the excitement Warner re- 
 membered his engagement on the telephone with 
 Hope Vernon. It was a few minutes of nine' By 
 hurrying he would be able to get to the Planet office 
 in time to get the message from the girl. He ex- 
 cused himself, and hurried away. As he did so he 
 cast one final glance at the prisoners in the two wag- 
 ons, and then made a startling discovery. 
 
 Count Castro was not among the number. The 
 net had made a wholesale haul, but the biggest fish 
 of all had managed to escape. Even then he was 
 on his way to meet Hope Vernon a meeting which 
 has already been described. 
 
 Tommy gave a groan of despair, and hurried 
 away from the place and in the direction of the 
 Planet office. Once there he did not wait for the 
 elevator, but ran up the stairway, two steps at a 
 time. He rushed to his room, and at that very sec- 
 ond the bell of his telephone began to ring. As he 
 picked up the receiver he caught the familiar voice 
 of Hope Vernon, and as he did so another discovery 
 flashed across his mind. Vance Prescott was not in 
 the party he had just left. The young soldier had 
 also mysteriously disappeared.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE SEVENTH OF MAY 
 
 IT was the seventh of May the anniversary of 
 the sinking of the Lusitania. 
 
 Vance Prescott, seated in a high-powered auto- 
 mobile, peered about the stretch of waste ground 
 with the air of a man who had expected to see some- 
 thing or somebody and had met with disappoint- 
 ment. He was about ninety miles from Washing- 
 ton and the mud on the machine indicated that he 
 had reached his destination regardless of bad roads 
 and speed laws. 
 
 Events had moved with lightning-like rapidity 
 from the moment Count Castro fled from the room 
 in the Willard Hotel. Vance Prescott had gone 
 after him like an avenging spirit, but that one mo- 
 ment of hesitation, while he considered the feelings 
 and the future of Hope Vernon, had cost him the 
 chase. The wily Spanish-American had eluded him 
 once again, and he was confronted with the specter 
 of ignominious defeat. But blood will tell, and in 
 that very instant, amid his darkest depressions, he 
 
 272
 
 The Seventh of May 273 
 
 was resolving to get his man or perish in the attempt. 
 The thought of failure of ultimate failure 
 never occurred to him. Every drop of blood in his 
 body was roused to action. 
 
 His brain worked with singular clearness, and 
 while he stood on the sidewalk looking about him 
 with seeming bewilderment he was really mapping 
 out his plan of campaign. First of all he deter- 
 mined to throw caution and diplomacy to the winds. 
 The time for considering the dignity of the Vernon 
 name had passed. If Castro escaped Francis Ver- 
 non would be humiliated. To prevent such a possi- 
 bility it was necessary to have the widest publicity 
 given to the flight of the Count. Every agency at 
 the disposal of the United States Government would 
 have to be used to the uttermost. Vance Prescott 
 squared his shoulders, and immediately got into 
 action. 
 
 His first move was to get into communication 
 with the United States Secret Service. He was 
 fortunate enough to reach Bromley Barnes, and, 
 through the veteran, notices were sent to all of the 
 agencies of the service in all parts of the country 
 warning the operatives to be on the look-out for the 
 escaped spy. At the same time descriptions of 
 Castro were given to the police of the District of 
 Columbia and instructions issued to watch every rail-
 
 274 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 road station leading from the National Capital. 
 Next he made it his business to get into touch with 
 the Intelligence Bureaus of the Army, Navy and 
 State Departments. They were informed that the 
 fugitive had an important paper which it was essen- 
 tial to recover. Finally every telegraph operator in 
 the city received orders to carefully scrutinize every 
 message that was handed in, especially any telegram 
 in code or intended for Mexico. 
 
 It now became a spirited contest between the pur- 
 suer and the pursued. Vance was wise enough to 
 credit Castro with more than an ordinary amount of 
 cleverness. The rascal knew the resources of the 
 United States Government, and he was sure to act 
 accordingly. The young soldier felt, instinctively, 
 that the Spanish-American would make for the Mex- 
 ican border, and most of his efforts were concen- 
 trated in that direction. All of these details took 
 time and attention, and it was nearly midnight when 
 they had been completed and put into effect. The 
 final move of Vance Prescott was to send a special 
 wire to the Army Post at Fort Worth, Texas, asking 
 for the cooperation of the officers at that place. 
 The net had been spread in all directions, and the 
 mesh was so small that it seemed impossible for even 
 this slippery fish to escape. The only danger was 
 that Castro might have been lucky enough to get a
 
 The Seventh of May 275 
 
 train out of Washington before the warning reached 
 the police. But Vance felt reasonably certain that 
 the fugitive did not have the time for that first 
 natural move. 
 
 Later, Vance had an opportunity to carefully scan 
 the time tables of the outgoing trains and he was 
 more satisfied than ever that Castro had not left 
 the city by rail. He might have taken a local, but 
 that was outside the zone of probability. The first 
 fruits of all his work came to him at about one 
 o'clock on the morning of the seventh of May. It 
 was a code telegram that had been addressed to 
 Manuel Velasque, the Mexican Minister of the In- 
 terior, and it asked him to be at the Mexican Border 
 to meet Count Castro. It was not given in such 
 bald style, but that is what the experts of the Secret 
 Service made of the message after working on it for 
 nearly an hour. It was all that Prescott needed to 
 confirm the theory he had formed. He could visual- 
 ize the meeting between the two agents of Germany 
 when they met, and the precious bits of paper were 
 exchanged. It meant a fortune to the two schem- 
 ers and possibly defeat for the allied cause. 
 
 Vance Prescott obtained no rest that night, and at 
 daylight he was reading the special issue of the 
 Planet which contained a vivid story of the raid 
 upon the Custodians of Liberty. It was one of the
 
 276 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 great scoops of the war, and it raised Tommy War- 
 ner to a high place among the brilliant newspaper 
 men of the nation. It was told in great detail, and 
 with a wealth of language which stamped the writer 
 as a man of ability of ability of the highest order. 
 With one swoop the agents of the Government had 
 captured the most dangerous nest of spies in the 
 United States. The evidence was complete, and the 
 only fly in the ointment was the escape of Count 
 Castro, the master spy, and the head and front of 
 a gigantic conspiracy against the nation. There 
 was a speaking likeness of the man, and a description 
 which was sufficiently accurate to make him recog- 
 nizable to any intelligent officer of the law. Before 
 the people of the nation sat down to their breakfast 
 tables that description would be flashed to every cor- 
 ner of the country. Prescott was entirely satisfied 
 with the manner in which Tommy Warner had done 
 his part of the work. 
 
 He barely had time to snatch a bite of breakfast 
 when the further results of his carefully laid plans 
 came to hand. It was in the nature of a telegram 
 from one of the military posts in the South, and it 
 told of a strange aeroplane that was seen hovering in 
 the lower part of Virginia. Later, a second mes- 
 sage told of the landing of the flying machine at a 
 spot ninety miles from Washington. That was suf-
 
 The Seventh of May 277 
 
 ficient for Prescott He sent a hurried message to 
 Barnes, and then secured a big automobile and 
 started for the place indicated. Loss of sleep and 
 hard work had left him wearied, but the prospect of 
 capturing Castro sustained him for what he felt was 
 the final effort in the great chase. It was nearly 
 nine o'clock when he reached his destination, and he 
 was there now peering about him with anxious and 
 strained eyes. Presently he was rewarded by the 
 sight of an aeroplane, being overhauled by two men. 
 Carefully he steered his machine behind a high 
 hedge, and from this point of vantage watched the 
 operations. 
 
 Presently Vance heard the buzzing sound of an- 
 other automobile. It was a large machine, and it 
 halted near the aeroplane. A tall man, in a long 
 coat, and wearing a pair of green goggles, alighted, 
 and shook hands with the two mechanics. After a 
 few moments one of the men left for the purpose of 
 obtaining gasoline for the machine. In the mean- 
 while the tall person returned to the automobile and 
 handed the chauffeur a bank note. He tipped his 
 hat, and turned and left the field with his machine. 
 By this time the wings of the flying machine were 
 beginning to revolve, and Vance knew that his hour 
 had arrived. He stealthily left his place of conceal- 
 ment and confronted the stranger. The man, sur-
 
 278 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 prised at the new arrival, lifted his goggles to get a 
 better look at the intruder. 
 
 It was Count Castro all ready and prepared for 
 his flight to the border of Mexico ! 
 
 It was a tense moment, and each of the three men 
 realized that it meant a fight to the finish. Castro 
 swore fluently in Spanish and made a motion to the 
 man in charge of the aeroplane. The fellow rushed 
 at Prescott, but before he reached the young officer, 
 Vance doubled up his right fist and gave him a pow- 
 erful blow behind the left ear. He fell to the 
 ground like a log. Just in the rear of where the 
 men stood was a barn-like structure which evidently 
 answered the purposes of a hangar. The Spanish- 
 American gave one look at his antagonist, and an- 
 other in the direction of the frame structure. Then 
 with the fleetness of a deer, he made a rush for the 
 frame building. Vance ran after him, and the two 
 of them gained the interior of the place at the same 
 time. Almost unconsciously both of them retreated 
 a few steps, and then stood facing one another defi- 
 antly. It looked as if the supreme moment had 
 arrived. 
 
 Castro, even in the instant of his greatest peril, 
 presented a majestic front. He was cornered like a 
 rat, and yet, somehow, the man acted with lion- 
 like courage. He threw aside his goggles and his
 
 The Seventh of May 279 
 
 motoring cap, and stood there, erect, gazing directly 
 at his antagonist, with that intent look which seemed 
 to gather in everything with a single glance. His 
 long duster was open, and Vance, even in that dra- 
 matic moment, could see that the ever present violet 
 rested in the buttonhole of his coat. He raised his 
 hand to his chin as though to stroke a beard, and 
 then seemed surprised at not finding it there. He 
 was the personification of cunning and craft, and yet 
 he covered it with that simulation of frankness 
 which became him so well. 
 
 Vance Prescott, on his part, looked like a tiger, 
 ready to spring on its prey. Never had the broad- 
 shouldered, clean-faced, strong-limbed, resolute 
 young man appeared to better advantage. His jaws 
 were set firmly, but there was laughter lurking in 
 his brown eyes. He was bare-headed and he ran his 
 fingers through his hair in the habit that came to him 
 when he was in deadly earnest. He gave a slight 
 limp as he moved to one side, a reminder of the 
 wound he had received while fighting at the front. 
 In the few tense seconds that he stood facing his 
 personal enemy, and the enemy of his country, all of 
 the wrongs that had been done by this man flashed 
 through his mind. He thought of the way in which 
 he had been outwitted, and he resolved that this 
 should be the last stand that he would win or sac-
 
 280 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 rifice his life in the attempt. It was the Count who 
 spoke first, and it was in the soft, winning way 
 which he knew so well how to employ. 
 
 " Well, my young friend," he purred, " it seems 
 to me that we have been brought into a melodramatic 
 position in this out of the way place." 
 
 " If there's any melodrama about the business," 
 retorted Prescott, " you can thank yourself for cre- 
 ating it. I prefer to deal in the frank American 
 way." 
 
 " That sounds good. Maybe we can adjust our 
 differences without any further difficulty. Tell me, 
 what can I do for you ? " 
 
 " You can hand me that green wallet the wallet 
 which contains the contract for the Mexican oil 
 fields." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed the Count in a mocking voice. 
 " This sounds more like the language of a stock- 
 broker's office than a chat between two friends in a 
 Virginia barn. But, unfortunately, I have not got 
 the article you speak about." 
 
 " You lie! " cried Vance hotly; " it's sticking out 
 of your pocket now. Give it to me, or take the con- 
 sequences." 
 
 The retort brought the faintest touch of blood to 
 the colorless face of the South American. He 
 made a move as if to leave the building.
 
 The Seventh of May 281 
 
 " I've got nothing that belongs to you," he said, 
 dropping his soft manners, " and I don't propose to 
 stand any more of your insolence." 
 
 "If you try to leave this place without giving me 
 that wallet," cried Vance, passionately, " I'll kill you. 
 Do you understand, I'll kill you ! " 
 
 Castro never wavered at that outburst. Instead, 
 he started for the door of the building. But Vance 
 met him half way, and the next moment they were 
 engaged in a hand to hand struggle. Prescott had 
 the advantage of youth and weight, but the South- 
 American had the quickness of the fox and was as 
 slippery as an eel. They swayed to and fro, and in 
 the midst of it the green wallet slipped from the 
 Count's pocket and fell to the ground. Both men 
 realized what had happened at the same time and 
 they separated and made a rush for the coveted bit of 
 leather. It was Prescott who reached it first, and he 
 calmly placed the wallet in his inside pocket and but- 
 toned his coat. The act roused all the fury of the 
 nature of the other man. 
 
 " You fool," he hissed, " you don't suppose for a 
 minute that I'll let you leave this place alive with 
 that wallet, do you ? " 
 
 Prescott laughed ironically. 
 
 " I am not going to leave it to you. This is the 
 second time I've had this thing in my possession,
 
 282 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 and I promise you I'm not going to lose it again." 
 Castro was between Prescott and the door, and 
 he threw out his hands to block his passage. Vance 
 made a move as though he would slip around the side 
 of his antagonist. The veins on the forehead of the 
 Spanish-American bulged out and his eyes flashed 
 fire. There was murder in his heart and in his face. 
 He reached for his back pocket. There was a flash 
 of metal and a puff of smoke and a sharp report. 
 Vance felt a stinging sensation in his left arm, and 
 the next instant that member dropped helplessly by 
 his side. 
 
 He reached for his own pistol at the same mo- 
 ment, and cursed his stupidity for not having done 
 so before. The other man saw the movement, and 
 rushed at him like a mad bull. Vance thought 
 quickly. He made for the back of the barn and 
 leaned against the boards. On and on the other 
 came, and finally struck him with terrific force. 
 The impact was so great that it blinded the young 
 soldier for the moment. His one thought was for 
 the green wallet in his inside pocket. His coat was 
 still tightly buttoned. He felt Castro trying to tear 
 it open, and he resisted with all the strength at his 
 command. He had his pistol in his right hand, but 
 the Spanish-American had him pinioned against the 
 wall. He tried to get at his assailant with his left
 
 HE SAW HIM STAGGER
 
 The Seventh of May 283 
 
 hand, but found himself powerless to do so. Every 
 move he made was followed by excruciating pain, 
 and even then he was barely able to raise the 
 wounded arm. The drama had reached its most 
 critical stage. 
 
 " Open your coat," panted the Count, " open your 
 coat, if you value your life." 
 
 Vance gave a hysterical laugh, and as he did so 
 could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. 
 
 "What what would you give if I did?" he 
 cried in trembling but taunting tones. 
 
 Castro did not reply, but he stepped back about a 
 foot, and then doubling up his fist he gave the young 
 soldier a shot straight between the eyes. Vance 
 heard a singing in the ears and he saw stars in that 
 darkened barn. In that dreadful moment he imag- 
 ined he saw the word " Defeat " spelled out in burn- 
 ing letters. It roused every drop of blood in his 
 weakened body. It endowed him with super-human 
 strength. He saw the Count coming at him the sec- 
 ond time, and then he lifted his good arm and gave 
 his antagonist a fearful whack across the top of the 
 head with the butt end of his revolver. 
 
 As through a mist he could see Castro looking at 
 him with glazed eyes. He saw him stagger for a 
 moment and then drop to the ground. At the same 
 second everything went black about him, and con- 
 sciousness was gone.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT 
 
 IT was a quarter before twelve on the seventh of 
 May at the State Department, in the City of Wash- 
 ington. So far as appearances went there was noth- 
 ing out of the ordinary in the historic offices which 
 had been the scenes of so many celebrated events in 
 the life of the Republic. It is true there was an air 
 of tension about the place, but it did not differ 
 materially from the atmosphere which had hovered 
 over the Department from the very beginning of the 
 great war. But now, as always, there was an air 
 of repression which might be said to be traditional. 
 In times of national excitement the War Department 
 and the Navy Department, and even the White 
 House might respond to feelings of emotion, but 
 the State Department was supposed always to 
 hold itself in check and to act with ceremony and 
 dignity and such seemed to be the case on the 
 auspicious day under consideration. 
 
 At ten minutes before the noon hour Francis Ver- 
 non, the Fourth Assistant Secretary of State,
 
 At the State Department 285 
 
 alighted from a cab and walked slowly up the steps 
 in the direction of his office. He was pale and weak, 
 and showed evidences of the severe illness through 
 which he had just passed. It was perfectly plain 
 that nothing but a high sense of duty had induced 
 him to leave Idlewild to come to Washington on this 
 day in May. He greeted the attendants graciously, 
 but there was an air of sadness about him that could 
 not be concealed. He looked about him eagerly as 
 he entered his room, as though he expected some one 
 to be in waiting. But he was disappointed. No 
 one was there, except the colored messenger, and his 
 solicitude for his superior only added to the prevail- 
 ing atmosphere of depression. 
 
 Professor Vernon opened his desk, and made a 
 careful examination of the papers he found there. 
 But the document he desired most of all was not to 
 be found. He called to one of the clerks and that 
 functionary informed him that all of the mail for the 
 day had been placed before him. There had been 
 no telephone calls and no telegrams. The sick man 
 sighed heavily, and going to the window of his room 
 looked out into the sunlit street in the hope of gain- 
 ing some inspiration from that source. But the 
 light and the life he saw there only seemed to mock 
 his expectations. For the first time in his long and 
 honorable career he saw rank failure staring him in
 
 286 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 the face. He had done everything in his power to 
 bring this business of the oil contract to a successful 
 conclusion, but he had failed, and he knew from long 
 experience in public life that nothing in this world 
 was quite as thankless as failure. While he stood 
 there, thinking over the events of the previous week, 
 the Secretary passed through the room to his own 
 private office. 
 
 " Good morning, Professor," he called pleasantly. 
 " I shall need you in about ten minutes." 
 
 Vernon returned the greeting, and was plunged in 
 deeper gloom than ever. What should he do ? He 
 knew that he would be asked for the papers, and he 
 was morally certain that he would be unable to pro- 
 duce them at the time appointed. He felt an un- 
 controllable impulse to put on his hat and flee from 
 the office. A confession of any kind is always diffi- 
 cult, but a confession of failure was too dreadful to 
 contemplate. He felt a curious sense of ineffi- 
 ciency. Yet at the bottom of his heart he realized 
 that he had done everything in his power to make 
 good and that he had been frustrated by events over 
 which he had no control. At this last moment he 
 was assailed by a hundred and one doubts concern- 
 ing the wisdom of his course of action. He felt 
 that he was not responsible for the miserable failure, 
 but he wondered if he had done the right thing in
 
 At the State Department 287 
 
 withholding the story of that failure from the one 
 man who should have been told about it. Even then 
 he had the desire to rush into the room of his chief 
 and tell him everything. 
 
 But something within him said : " Never say 
 die," and he hesitated. In that moment of hesita- 
 tion he lost the opportunity. He heard the messen- 
 ger announcing the arrival of the Ambassador from 
 France, and the next moment he could hear the 
 sound of laughter and pleasant chat coming from the 
 adjoining room. He shivered as he thought of the 
 effect that would be produced when he was unable to 
 produce the contract for the oil concessions. He 
 paced up and down the narrow apartment nervously, 
 and while he did so the Ambassador from Great 
 Britain arrived and was ushered into the presence of 
 the other diplomats. The tension was so great by 
 this time that he felt like screaming. He gave some 
 trivial order to the messenger, and while he was 
 waiting to have it executed the Ambassador from 
 Italy came into the room, and was immediately 
 escorted to the office where he was awaited by his 
 colleagues. 
 
 Francis Vernon looked at the clock. It pointed to 
 five minutes of twelve. He was consumed with 
 anxiety. He walked over to his desk and began to 
 re-arrange his papers with trembling hands. What
 
 288 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 could he do ? What should he say ? He walked to 
 the window again, and looked out, but he got no 
 encouragement from that source. He heard the bell 
 in the office of the Secretary of State ring. The 
 next moment the* messenger came to him with a 
 smiling face: 
 
 " Professor, the Secretary says he would like to 
 speak to you for a moment." 
 
 He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. He 
 tried to collect his scattered thoughts. He hesitated 
 for a moment and then strode into the other room 
 with the air of the condemned man who has worked 
 up his courage for the supreme test. 
 
 "Vernon!" exclaimed the Secretary of State 
 genially, " you are acquainted with these gentle- 
 men," and the dazed one found himself shaking 
 hands in a mechanical way with the three Ambas- 
 sadors. 
 
 " Vernon," added the gentlemanly chief, turning 
 to the diplomats, " is our right hand man here. I 
 don't know what in the world we would do without 
 him. He, has had all of the details of this business 
 in his care, and he deserves great credit for the work 
 he has done." 
 
 Vernon felt that coals of fire were being poured 
 upon his head by this man who had been his devoted 
 friend all his life. He looked about himself wildly,
 
 At the State Department 289 
 
 as though seeking for a means of escape. Finally, 
 he could restrain himself no longer. 
 
 " Mr. Secretary ! " he cried, " before we go any 
 further I must tell you " 
 
 But the head of the State Department was not 
 listening. He had already turned to the French 
 Ambassador and was making some jesting remark. 
 Vernon, in despair started again: 
 
 " I was about to tell you " 
 
 " Never mind now, Vernon," interrupted the Sec- 
 retary hastily ; " excuse us for a moment, and bring 
 the papers in precisely at twelve o'clock." 
 
 The Professor found himself walking into the 
 outer room like a man in a dream. He seemed to 
 have lost the power of initiative. His physical 
 strength had left him, and his mental powers were a 
 blank. He sank into his chair with a groan of de- 
 spair. He was finally aroused by the little clock on 
 the mantel beginning to strike the hour of twelve. 
 He roused himself by a powerful effort of the will, 
 and staggered toward the window. He looked out 
 dazedly, and suddenly his senses began to return. 
 The sight he saw roused every drop of blood in his 
 body. A cab had dashed to the curb and a man was 
 alighting. He looked again. He could not be mis- 
 taken. He was not mistaken. 
 
 The man was Captain Vance Prescott, and he was
 
 290 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 staggering up the steps of the State Department, 
 with a look of wild exultation on his face. 
 
 In that instant Professor Francis Vernon became 
 a young man again. His strength returned and his 
 mind began to work clearly. He hastened to the 
 door of his room, just in time to greet the young 
 man who was feeling his way into the apartment 
 with the air of one who has lost the power of sight. 
 Prescott looked dirty and bedraggled. One arm 
 hung helplessly by his side, and Vernon could see 
 that the blood was trickling from his coat sleeve. 
 His face was cut and bruised, he was hatless and his 
 hair was in wild disorder. He looked at his friend 
 out of glazed eyes. When he spoke it was in a 
 thick voice. 
 
 " Am am I too late ? " he gasped. 
 
 " No, no," cried Vernon, " but tell me what has 
 happened to you ? Are you hurt ? " 
 
 Vance Prescott shook his head and leaned over 
 and caught the edge of the mantelpiece for support. 
 By an effort he threw open the flap of his coat. 
 
 " In my pocket," he murmured in a whisper, " put 
 your hand in my pocket and get the green wallet." 
 
 The Professor did as he was told. He pulled out 
 the wallet and opening it found the precious docu- 
 ment. At that instant the messenger came into the 
 room and addressed the Assistant Secretary.
 
 At the State Department 291 
 
 " The Secretary says he is ready for you now," 
 he announced. 
 
 Vernon turned to Vance Prescott with a look of 
 keen solicitude. 
 
 " Let me take care of you," he said. 
 
 But the young army officer waved him aside with 
 a motion of his sound arm. 
 
 " Never mind me," he cried huskily, " go go in 
 there at once. They're waiting for you. Go 
 ahead." 
 
 With a look of misgiving Vernon went into the 
 other room and laid the document on the table be- 
 fore the assembled diplomats. 
 
 The Secretary of State gazed on the paper with 
 undisguised satisfaction. He handed a pen to the 
 French Ambassador, and that official affixed his sig- 
 nature. The others followed, quickly. As the last 
 name was placed on the document the head of 
 the State Department pointed to his assistant 
 proudly. 
 
 " What did I tell you," he said ; " this man Vernon 
 has never failed his country in its hour of need." 
 
 They all pressed forward and shook the unresist- 
 ing hand of the Fourth Assistant Secretary of State. 
 The French Ambassador voiced the sentiments of 
 all when he exclaimed : 
 
 " You have clinched the victory of the Allies
 
 292 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 you will never be forgotten when the story of this 
 war is told." 
 
 But Francis Vernon did not hear. He hurried 
 from the presence of the delighted Ambassadors and 
 rushed into his own room. Vance Prescott was still 
 standing by the mantelpiece, but he was swaying to 
 and fro, and as his friend reached his side he fell 
 to the floor in a dead faint.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 NEMESIS 
 
 THE report of the signing of a contract by the 
 United States and its Allies by which they obtained 
 a monopoly of the product of the newly discovered 
 oil fields in Mexico was flashed to the four quarters 
 of the earth, and created one of the great sensations 
 of the war. It came at a time, too, when the thrones 
 of the old world were tottering to their fall, and, in 
 the minds of astute students of diplomacy, it was the 
 last straw to break the back of autocracy. 
 
 The story of how that contract came to be finally 
 signed was not given to the public, and, for reasons 
 of state, the part played in the game by Vance Pres- 
 cott was not disclosed in the newspapers. But 
 Tommy Warner and his fellow journalists under- 
 stood it, and so did the men who were at the head of 
 the American Government. The young soldier was 
 taken to the best hospital in Washington, and was 
 placed under the care of skilled physicians and 
 nurses. It was found that the bones of the left arm 
 had been shattered, and that the patient was in a 
 
 293
 
 294 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 highly nervous condition. But with proper atten- 
 tion and rest, it was declared, he would be almost 
 normal in the course of a fortnight. Visitors were 
 banned in order to hasten his recovery. This or- 
 der, however, did not prevent flowers from coming 
 to the bedside of the stricken one, and he noticed, 
 with a flush of pleasure, that the largest and reddest 
 bunch of roses came from the conservatory at Idle- 
 wild. 
 
 It was after the wants of the young soldier had 
 been fully cared for that Bromley Barnes and 
 Tommy Warner met, for a chat and a cigar, at the 
 bachelor quarters of the veteran detective, overlook- 
 ing the Capitol. For the third time they had gone 
 over the incidents preceding the final dash of Pres- 
 cott to Washington, and Barnes was chuckling over 
 the pluck the young man had shown in the face of 
 seeming defeat. 
 
 " It was fine," conceded Warner, " but I've been 
 wondering what in the world became of Count Cas- 
 tro. I have a very cordial dislike for the fellow, 
 but you've got to give the devil his due, and you 
 must admit that he was not the sort to give up any 
 more than Prescott." Barnes blew a cloud of smoke 
 in the air, and reflected a moment before replying. 
 
 " I do concede that," he said finally, " and if I 
 were asked for my opinion I'd say that he was in
 
 Nemesis 295 
 
 Washington at the present time. Vance must have 
 given him an awful knock with the butt end of 
 that pistol, but the old fox is not the kind to die so 
 easily. I'll bet all I'm worth that he recovered 
 and that his first move was to get to Washington 
 in the wild hope of getting hold of that green 
 wallet." 
 
 " But he got here too late," began Tommy, 
 "and" 
 
 " Of course he got here too late," interrupted the 
 veteran. " He knew that the meeting between the 
 Ambassadors was to be at high noon, and when he 
 found he had missed that he knew the game was up. 
 Now the question is what would a man like Castro do 
 under the circumstances. He is aware that a price is 
 on his head, and he knows that the roads leading to 
 Mexico are being watched with particular care. My 
 guess is that he would try to hide here in Washing- 
 ton, or go on to New York in the expectation that 
 he would be swallowed up in the eddying world of 
 the five million people in that city." 
 
 " That sounds very reasonable," admitted War- 
 ner, " but I guess the best thing we can do is to for- 
 get the titled rascal." 
 
 Barnes laughed. 
 
 " That's characteristic of you, Tommy. You like 
 to forget the things you can't solve. But I have a
 
 296 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 notion that down in your boots you have a sort of 
 sneaking admiration for the fellow." 
 
 The face of the cherubic one flushed. 
 
 " That all depends upon what you mean. I have 
 a great contempt for the work in which Castro was 
 engaged, but I'll admit that his cleverness fascinated 
 me. A chap who could do what he did against such 
 odds is not an ordinary man by any manner of 
 means." 
 
 The two men sat and smoked in silence for some 
 time. Presently the telephone bell began to tinkle, 
 and Barnes reached over and picked up the receiver. 
 The message he received caused his eyes to sparkle. 
 He answered in monosyllables, and asked one or two 
 questions. After he hung up, he turned to his 
 friend and said: 
 
 " Tommy, I'll bet you can't guess who was on the 
 phone? " 
 
 " It was Castro," was the triumphant reply. 
 
 " No, you're wrong. It was the Superintendent 
 of Police for the District, and he gives me an im- 
 portant piece of information. You remember the 
 two Mexicans who were placed under arrest in con- 
 nection with the green wallet? " 
 
 " Rather. Fernando Werta and Pedro Lopez 
 were the two deuces, if I'm not mistaken on names." 
 
 " You're perfectly correct. Well, they've broken
 
 Nemesis 297 
 
 jail. They've escaped and no one knows what's be- 
 come of them." 
 
 Tommy shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " It was very stupid to let them get away, but I 
 don't suppose it's a killing matter. They were only 
 tools anyhow. What difference does it make 
 whether they're in or out of jail as long as we 
 haven't got the principals ? " 
 
 Barnes knitted his eyebrows. 
 
 " I don't like the looks of this thing. I've talked 
 to these two fellows. I've looked into their faces, 
 and if there is such a thing as professional murderers 
 Werta and Lopez belong in that category. That's 
 why I can't look on this as a case of ordinary jail 
 breaking." 
 
 Tommy became anxious at once. 
 
 " You don't think they'll go after Vance, do you? 
 You're not afraid for yourself, are you?" 
 
 Barnes laughed heartily at his young friend. 
 
 " Tommy, you can ask more questions in a given 
 time than any other man I know. I'm not going to 
 try to answer them." 
 
 The journalist and the detective separated soon 
 after that, with the understanding that they would 
 take dinner at the Press Club in the evening. 
 
 They met at the appointed hour, only to be con- 
 fronted with a new sensation. The evening news-
 
 298 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 papers contained the story of a mysterious murder 
 and the murderers were Fernando Werta and Pe- 
 dro Lopez. They admitted the crime, and admitted 
 it with a ghoulish glee that startled even the police 
 who were accustomed to all phases of crime. They 
 said they had escaped from jail with that single 
 purpose in mind. It was a case of seeking revenge, 
 and they had obtained what they were after. The 
 victim, whose name was given as Emile Dupont, was 
 said to be the head of a secret society in Mexico 
 which had for its object the overthrow of the Mex- 
 ican Government. The two men who had assassi- 
 nated their chief had come to the United States with 
 him. They claimed he had deserted and betrayed 
 them and they determined to be revenged by his 
 death. One of the newspapers printed a photograph 
 of the victim. It was furnished by one of the mur- 
 derers, and represented a stately looking man with a 
 long beard. 
 
 " Well," said Barnes to Tommy, after all of this 
 news had been read and digested, " this certainly 
 beats the Turks. It has given a spectacular finish to 
 the little adventure of the green wallet." 
 
 " It is sensational enough," agreed the newspaper 
 man, " but it really seems a little bit too deep for my 
 comprehension." 
 
 "Well," laughed Barnes, "if it hasn't affected
 
 Nemesis 299 
 
 your digestion I'd suggest that we go ahead with our 
 dinner." 
 
 They ate their meal, and enjoyed it, but all the 
 while Tommy seemed to be plunged in deep thought. 
 His companion chided him with absent-mindedness, 
 and wanted to know if he was in love. Warner 
 shook his head. 
 
 " No," he said, " I haven't reached that stage yet. 
 But I can't get the story of this mysterious assassina- 
 tion out of my mind. It's a great story, but I feel, 
 somehow, that there's a greater one behind it. See 
 here, Barnes, I'm going around to the morgue and 
 take a look at the body of this man. Are you game 
 to go with me? " 
 
 " You know me, Al," was the playful response. 
 " If you'll lead the way, I'll go anywhere." 
 
 Fifteen minutes later they were in conversation 
 with the keeper of the morgue, a merry-faced man, 
 who had not permitted his gruesome occupation to 
 interfere with his natural cheeriness of mind. War- 
 ner explained the object of the visit and he escorted 
 them to a long marble slab, containing a number 
 of bodies. He halted before the second of these, 
 and lifted the white sheet that covered the life- 
 less body. The visitors drew back with a start of 
 horror. The truth flashed on their minds simul- 
 taneously.
 
 300 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 They were looking upon the face and form of 
 Count Castro ! 
 
 They nodded to the keeper, and he covered up the 
 ghastly exhibit. Tommy Warner turned to his 
 companion. 
 
 " It was just what I expected," he said, " but 
 what I cannot understand is the picture in the even- 
 ing newspaper. That depicted Dupont, or Castro, 
 as a man with a long beard." 
 
 The detective looked at his friend thoughtfully 
 for a few minutes, and then he said : 
 
 " Have you a copy of the newspaper with you? " 
 
 Tommy had and he spread it out on the flat desk 
 in the office of the keeper of the Morgue. Barnes 
 placed his hand over the beard. 
 
 " Now do you recognize the face ? " 
 
 " Surely. It is Count Castro. But, do you mean 
 to say " 
 
 " Yes," interrupted Barnes, " I mean to say that 
 they are one and the same man. That picture, prob- 
 ably taken in Mexico years ago, showed our Span- 
 ish-American friend with a beard. He has it shaved 
 off. That's the only difference. Don't you recall 
 one of the characteristics of the man? Every now 
 and then he was in the habit of lifting his hand to 
 his chin as though to stroke a beard, and then seem- 
 ing surprised at not finding it there."
 
 Nemesis 301 
 
 Tommy nodded comprehendingly. 
 
 " It's perfectly clear to me now, and it shows the 
 importance of noting little details when you are in 
 the business of detecting crime." 
 
 They left the gloomy place a few minutes later in 
 a very thoughtful frame of mind. They breathed 
 the fresh air with sighs of relief.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 A TREATY OF PEACE 
 
 IT was a bright morning in June and Hope Ver- 
 non stood at the entrance to Idlewild peering down 
 the winding road with a look of eager expectancy 
 in her blue eyes. She seemed pale, but happy, and 
 there was a wistfulness in her countenance which 
 gave it the kind of beauty that had never been there 
 before. The breeze played with her curling hair, 
 and altogether she made a very attractive picture; 
 framed in green, with the two rows of trees leading 
 to the house, as a picturesque background. 
 
 In and about Idlewild there were signs of festiv- 
 ity. Mrs. Spencer, the housekeeper, her face florid 
 from unusual exertion, was here, there and every- 
 where, while Barker, the trusted servant of the es- 
 tablishment, seemed to be fairly bursting with im- 
 portance. He wore a blue cutaway coat with brass 
 buttons, and that in itself was significant. Any one 
 familiar with the history of the Vernon family knew 
 very well that the blue coat with the brass buttons 
 was a garment worn only on state occasions. But 
 
 302
 
 A Treaty of Peace 303 
 
 quite apart from everything else the shining face and 
 the smiling lips of the faithful Barker would have 
 been sufficient to proclaim the fact that it was a red- 
 letter day at Idlewild. 
 
 Francis Vernon, with a look of perfect tranquillity 
 upon his venerable countenance, sat in the living- 
 room, and on either side of him was Bromley Barnes 
 and Tommy Warner. All three men were smoking 
 the perfectos for which the Fourth Assistant Sec- 
 retary of State was noted, and the newspaper man 
 was telling for the third time the story of the scoop 
 that had made him famous. He twirled his eye- 
 glasses on the end of their black string as he talked 
 and his red face and eager eyes gave him a more 
 cherubic appearance than ever. During the narra- 
 tive the old detective slyly winked at Professor Ver- 
 non as much as to say that they would have to ap- 
 pear interested in this oft-told tale because of their 
 fondness for the narrator. At intervals Vernon 
 pulled out his watch and at one point in the conversa- 
 tion he so far forgot the reverence that was sup- 
 posed to go with the recital of Tommy's story as to 
 say: 
 
 " I hope nothing's happened to the lad." 
 
 Bromley Barnes laughed in his hearty, contagious 
 manner. 
 
 " Don't worry, Professor. Nothing more can
 
 304 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 happen to that boy. He's had his share of sensa- 
 tional things." 
 
 " But what's keeping him? " 
 
 " Well his game leg, for one thing. You know 
 he insisted upon walking from the station, and he's 
 not as spry as he used to be. You know he walked 
 over here with the green wallet when the adventure 
 started and he's just got enough of the spirit of ro- 
 mance in his young heart to want to reproduce the 
 sensation." 
 
 Francis Vernon sighed. 
 
 " Oh, youth there isn't anything in the world 
 quite like youth." 
 
 While they talked inside, Hope Vernon, standing 
 near the trysting place, caught sight of a familiar 
 form coming down the road. It was a broad-shoul- 
 dered, clean-faced, strong-limbed, resolute young 
 man. His left arm was bandaged and in a sling. 
 He was dressed in the uniform of an officer of the 
 United States Army. When he saw her he lifted his 
 cap and waved it gayly. The action brought the 
 color to her cheeks. She smiled, and the smile cre- 
 ated two adorable dimples in her cheeks. And as he 
 drew closer the smile which had begun in her eyes 
 extended to every part of her countenance. 
 
 " Welcome to Idlewild ! " she cried in a voice that 
 trembled with emotion.
 
 A Treaty of Peace 305 
 
 There was a mistiness in his eyes. 
 
 " Hope," he exclaimed, " this is reward enough to 
 make every other fellow in the army green with 
 envy ! " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " she asked, her cheeks 
 flaming. 
 
 " I mean that with you standing there this looks 
 like the entrance to Paradise." 
 
 He was by her side by this time with his sound 
 arm around her shoulders. 
 
 " Oh, Vance," she cried, with her eyes on the 
 ground, " how in the world can I ever explain my- 
 self to you? " 
 
 " Don't," he said, and then he added in a voice 
 of authority, " Never try to explain. That's one of 
 the things I learned in the army." 
 
 She was about to make some retort when Barker, 
 hobbling down the pathway from the house, at- 
 tracted their attention. He saluted the soldier with 
 great solemnity. 
 
 " Professor says you're wanted in the dining- 
 room," he announced, " and he told me to tell you 
 he couldn't go on no how until you came in." 
 
 Hope and Vance started for the house, headed by 
 Barker, who marched with all the pomp and circum- 
 stance of a major-domo. It was a shaded walk and 
 as the faithful one looked straight ahead the two
 
 306 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 young persons had many opportunities of making 
 eyes at one another and took advantage of all of 
 them. Indeed, imposing upon the trustfulness of 
 Barker, they walked along swinging hands like the 
 veriest school children and behaving like a pair who 
 were unashamedly happy. Even the most delightful 
 of walks have to come to an end and before they 
 realized it these modern babes in the wood were in 
 the living-room engaged in animated conversation 
 with three men who were almost as ridiculously 
 happy as themselves. 
 
 Five minutes later the new week-end party was 
 seated around the hospitable mahogany of Idle wild. 
 Professor Vernon occupied the head of the table 
 and to his right sat Hope and Vance. This arrange- 
 ment which was laughingly blamed on the faith- 
 ful Barker enabled the young woman to cut the 
 meat and make herself otherwise useful to the young 
 soldier. Mrs. Spencer peered in at intervals to see 
 that everything was in apple pie order just as 
 though everything was not always in apple pie order 
 at Idlewild in normal times while Barker, serv- 
 ing the courses, beamed upon the guests like a bene- 
 diction. In the midst of chatter Francis Vernon 
 produced a telegram which he begged the pleasure of 
 reading for the benefit of the assembled company. 
 
 " It's about Gilbert Vernon," he said with a chok-
 
 THEY WALKED ALONG SWINGING HANDS LIKE THE 
 VERIEST SCHOOL CHILDREN "
 
 A Treaty of Peace 307 
 
 ing voice. " He's been fortunate enough to get in 
 the fighting front with the Franco- American troops. 
 He's been awarded a medal of honor for excep- 
 tional bravery in action. He went out in the face of 
 a fierce fire and carried three of his wounded com- 
 rades to a place of safety. That's all, but it's enough 
 for me." 
 
 The old gentleman wiped a tear from his eye as 
 he replaced the telegram in his pocket. When he 
 spoke it was with genuine emotion. 
 
 " There never has been a war in this country in 
 which the Vernons have not taken part. I I was 
 afraid that we were not going to be represented in 
 this greatest of all wars, but, thank God, Gilbert 
 Vernon has redeemed the family name ! " 
 
 " While we are talking about the Vernon family," 
 remarked Tommy Warner impressively, " it might 
 not be out of order for me to remark that Congress 
 has passed a resolution of thanks to our dear friend 
 here, Professor Vernon, thanking him for the part 
 he took in giving the United States and its Allies the 
 monopoly of the Mexican oil fields, which clinched 
 our great victory for civilization." 
 
 A ripple of applause went around the table, while 
 Francis Vernon, with flushed face exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh, that was nothing, nothing at all ! " 
 
 " Nothing to get the thanks of Congress, and have
 
 308 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 them personally handed to you by the President of 
 the United States? " cried the cherubic one. 
 
 " Well, anyhow," stammered the host, " the real 
 hero is our friend Prescott. If there's any glory it 
 belongs to him." 
 
 This was the cue for Bromley Barnes to get on 
 his feet and to raise his glass in the air. 
 
 " Ladies and gentlemen," he cried in his most ora- 
 torical manner, " I have the honor and the pleasure 
 to propose the health and the good fortune of Major 
 Vance Prescott." 
 
 " You mean Captain Prescott," corrected Tommy 
 Warner. 
 
 " I mean precisely what I say, Major Prescott. 
 His commission is being made out at this very mo- 
 ment, and it should come here by special messenger 
 before we leave this table." 
 
 Between the din and the shouts and the attempt of 
 everybody to shake his sound hand, the new major 
 passed a rather exciting five minutes. After the 
 tumult had partially subsided Vance said : 
 
 " I'm glad, of course, but I wish I'd earned that 
 promotion over in France." 
 
 Francis Vernon beamed on the young man. 
 
 " That's your modesty talking now, but I know, 
 and every person around this table knows, that you 
 ran just as much personal risk in the recovery of the
 
 A Treaty of Peace 309 
 
 green wallet as though you had been on the fighting 
 line. And we know, although the public may never 
 realize it, that your victory in recovering those con- 
 tracts meant just as much, and possibly more, to 
 the United States, than any victory won on the 
 field of battle. Our boys fought gloriously every- 
 where, but needed just this one thing to cinch this 
 quick victory, and you are the man who made it 
 possible." 
 
 Vance Prescott did not attempt to reply to these 
 generous words. He was literally speechless. All 
 eyes were on him, but when he glanced up the eyes 
 that he saw, to the exclusion of all others, were those 
 of Hope Vernon. They were suffused with tears, 
 but in their depths he read a tenderness that touched 
 him to the heart. He glanced about him appeal- 
 ingly. 
 
 "If if," he said, hesitatingly, " you don't mind 
 I think I'll come up for air," and as he spoke he left 
 the table and moved over to the bay window that 
 looked out to the avenue of trees that lined the en- 
 trance to Idlewild. 
 
 Hope Vernon followed him without the slightest 
 compunction, and the two of them stood there for 
 some moments gazing upon the beautiful place that 
 was to be their future home. Tommy Warner cre- 
 ated a welcome diversion by tinging, " For He's a
 
 310 The Ambassador's Trunk 
 
 Jolly Good Fellow," and in the midst of the noise 
 Vance leaned over to the girl by his side. 
 
 " Hope," he whispered, " I think the best thing 
 you can do is to surrender to me unconditionally. 
 After that we can declare a treaty of peace. But 
 there's one condition." 
 
 " What is it? " she asked meekly. 
 
 " Well, I've got to go to East Orange to pay that 
 long deferred visit to my Aunt Lavinia. I want 
 you to go with me to go as my promised wife." 
 
 " I'll go," she said in a low, tense voice, " I'll go 
 gladly." 
 
 THE END
 
 SMILES, A ROSE OF THE 
 CUMBERLANDS 
 
 3)y Eliot Harlote Robinson 
 
 Author of "Man Proposes" 
 Cloth decorative, I2mo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 Smiles is a girl that is sure to make friends. Her 
 real name is Rose, but the rough folk of the Cumber- 
 lands preferred their own way of addressing her, for 
 her smile was so bright and winning that no other name 
 suited her so well. 
 
 Smiles was not a native of the Cumberlands, and her 
 parentage is one of the interesting mysteries of the 
 story. Young Dr. MacDonald saw more in her than 
 the mere untamed, untaught child of the mountains 
 and when, due to the death of her foster parents a 
 guardian became necessary, he was selected. Smiles 
 developed into a charming, serious-minded young wo- 
 man, and the doctor's warm friend, Dr. Bently, falls in 
 love with her. 
 
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 met, either by Smiles or Dr. MacDonald but there 
 is a surprise or two for the reader. 
 
 Press opinions on "Man Proposes": 
 
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 &0^wxxxQ&m&xa^^ 
 
 ROLLO'S JOURNEY TO I 
 WASHINGTON I 
 
 Richard D. Ware 
 
 Illustrated with unique woodcuts by Robert Seaver. 
 Price $1.00 
 
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 The book is about the Great War which has caused 
 so many tears of sorrow, and the author's only desire 
 is to replace those bitter tears with tears of mirth.
 
 TWEEDIE, THE STORY OF 
 A TRUE HEART 
 
 Ma May Mullins 
 
 Author of " The Blossom Shop Stories" etc. 
 Cloth decorative, I2mo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 In this story Mrs. Mullins has given us another de- 
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 The Carlton family lovable old Professor Carl- 
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 three years old and with decided ideas as to her future 
 decide to move to the country in order to have more 
 time to devote to writing. 
 
 Many changes come to them while in the country, 
 the greatest of which is Tweedie a simple, unpreten- 
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 H 
 &XXaX8X^C8X^^
 
 Z83C&&CK83CeaeCKf^^ 
 
 S THE AMBASSADOR'S TRUNK 
 
 George Barton gjbY 
 
 Author of " The World's Greatest Military Spies and 
 
 Secret Service Agents" " The Mystery of the 
 
 Red Flame," " The Strange Adventures 
 
 of Bromley Barnes" etc. 
 Cloth decorative, izmo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 Bromley Barnes, retired chief of the Secret Service, 
 an important State document, a green wallet, the 
 Ambassador's trunk these are the ingredients, which, 
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 long past your regular bedtime. 
 
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 Selections from 
 
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 " Frankly and wholly romance is this book, and lovable as 
 is a fairy tale properly told." Chicago Inter-Ocean. 
 
 ANNE OF THE BLOSSOM SHOP: Or, the Growing 
 Up of Anne Carter 
 
 " A charming portrayal of the attractive life of the South, 
 refreshing as a breeze that blows through a pine forest." 
 Albany Times-Union. 
 
 ANNE'S WEDDING 
 
 " The story is most beautifully told. It brings in most 
 charming people, and presents a picture of home life that is 
 most appealing in love and affection." Every Evening, Wil- 
 mington, Del. 
 
 THE MT. BLOSSOM GIRLS 
 
 " In the writing of the book the author is at her best as a 
 story teller. The humor that ripples here and there, the 
 dramatic scenes that stir, and the golden thread of romance 
 that runs through it all, go to make a marked success. It is a 
 fitting climax to the series." Reader. 
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 DAISY RHODES CAMPBELL 
 
 THE FIDDLING GIRL 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 
 
 "A thoroughly enjoyable tale, written in a delightful vein 
 of sympathetic comprehension." Boston Herald. 
 
 THE PROVING OF VIRGINIA 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 
 
 " A book which contributes so much of freshness, enthusiasm, 
 
 and healthy life to offset the usual offerings of modern fiction, 
 
 deserves all the praise which can be showered upon it." 
 
 Kindergarten Review. 
 
 THE VIOLIN LADY 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 
 
 " The author's style remains simple and direct, as in her pre- 
 ceding books, and her frank affection for her attractive heroine 
 will be shared by many others." Boston Transcript.
 
 LIST OF FICTION 
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 MARY ELLEN CHASE 
 THE GIRL FROM THE BIG HORN COUNTRY 
 
 Cloth 12mo, illustrated by E. Farrington Elwell. 
 
 $1.60 
 
 " ' The Girl from the Big Horn Country ' tells how Virginia 
 Hunter, a bright, breezy, frank-hearted ' girl of the Golden 
 West' comes out of the Big Horn country of Wyoming to the 
 old Bay State. Then things begin, when Virginia who feels 
 the joyous, exhilarating call of the Big Horn wilderness and 
 the outdoor life attempts to become acclimated and adopt 
 good old New England ' ways.' " Critic. 
 VIRGINIA, OF ELK CREEK VALLEY 
 
 Cloth 12mo, illustrated by E. Farrington Elwell. 
 
 $1.50 
 
 " This story is fascinating, alive with constantly new and 
 fresh interests and every reader will enjoy the novel for its 
 freshness, its novelty and its inspiring glimpses of life with 
 nature." The Editor. 
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 MRS. HENRY BACKUS 
 THE CAREER OF DOCTOR WEAVER 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated by William Van Dresser. 
 
 $1.50 
 
 " High craftsmanship is the leading characteristic of this 
 novel, which, like all good novels, is a love story abounding in 
 real palpitant human interest. The most startling feature of 
 the story is the way its author has torn aside the curtain and 
 revealed certain phases of the relation between the medical pro- 
 fession and society." Dr. Charles Reed in the Lancet Clinic. 
 THE ROSE OF ROSES 
 
 Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color. 
 
 $1.50 
 
 The author has achieved a thing unusual in developing a love 
 story which adheres to conventions under unconventional cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 " Mrs. Backus' novel is distinguished in the first place for its 
 workmanship." Buffalo Evening News. 
 
 A PLACE IN THE SUN 
 
 Cloth decorative, illustrated by William Van Dresser. 
 
 $1.50 
 
 " A novel of more than usual meaning." Detroit Free Prets. 
 
 " A stirring story of America of to-day, which will be enjoyed 
 by young people with the tingle of youth in their veins. 
 Zion's Herald, Boston.
 
 THE PAGE COMPANY'S 
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 MARGARET R. PIPER 
 SYLVIA'S EXPERIMENT: The Cheerful Book 
 
 Trade Mark 
 
 Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a 
 painting by Z. P. Nikolaki $1.50 
 
 " An atmosphere of good spirits pervades the book ; the 
 
 humor that now and then flashes across the page is entirely 
 
 natural, and the characters are well individualized." Boston 
 
 Post. 
 
 "It has all the merits of a bright, clever style with plenty 
 
 of action and humor." Western Trade Journal, Chicago, III. 
 
 SYLVIA OF THE HILL TOP: The Second Cheerful 
 Book Trade Mark 
 
 Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a 
 painting by Gene Pressler $1.50 
 
 " There is a world of human nature and neighborhood con- 
 tentment and quaint quiet humor in Margaret R. Piper's second 
 book of good cheer." Philadelphia North American. 
 
 " The bright story is told with freshness and humor, and the 
 experiment is one that will appeal to the imagination of all to 
 whom the festival of Christmas is dear." Boston Herald, Bos- 
 ton, Mass. 
 
 "Sylvia proves practically that she is a messenger of joy to 
 humanity." The Post Express, Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 SYLVIA ARDEN DECIDES: The Third Cheerful 
 Book Trade Mark 
 
 Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a 
 
 painting by Haskell Coffin $1.50 
 
 " It is excellently well done and unusually interesting. The 
 
 incidents follow one another in rapid succession and are kept 
 
 up to the right pitch of interest." N. Y. American. 
 
 " Its ease of style, its rapidity, its interest from page to page, 
 are admirable ; and it shows that inimitable power the story- 
 teller's gift of verisimilitude. Its sureness and clearness are 
 excellent, and its portraiture clear and pleasing." The Reader. 
 " It is an extremely well told story, made up of interesting 
 situations and the doings of life-like people, and you will find 
 it very easy to follow the fortunes of the different characters 
 through its varied scenes." Boston Herald.
 
 LIST OF FICTION 
 
 WORKS OF 
 
 CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS 
 
 HAUNTERS OF THE SILENCES 
 
 Cloth decorative, with many drawings by Charles Livingston 
 Bull, four of which are in full color. $2.00 
 
 The stories in Mr. Roberts's new collection are the strongest 
 and best he has ever written. 
 
 He has largely taken for his subjects those animals rarely 
 met with in books, whose lives are spent " In the Silences," 
 where they are the supreme rulers. 
 
 " As a writer about animals, Mr. Roberts occupies an envi- 
 able place. He is the most literary, as well as the most imag- 
 inative and vivid of all the nature writers." Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 RED FOX 
 
 THE STORY OP His ADVENTUROUS CAREER IK THE RINGWAAK 
 WILDS, AND OF His FINAL TRIUMPH OVER THE ENEMIES OF 
 His KIND. With fifty illustrations, including frontispiece in 
 color and cover design by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 Square quarto, cloth decorative $2.00 
 
 " True in substance, but fascinating as fiction. It will inter- 
 est old and young, city-bound and free-footed, those who know 
 animals and those who do not." Chicago Record-Herald. 
 
 THE KINDRED OF THE WILD 
 
 A BOOK OF ANIMAL LIFE. With fifty-one full-page plates 
 
 and many decorations from drawings by Charles Livingston 
 
 Bull. 
 
 Square quarto, cloth decorative $2.00 
 
 " Is in many ways the most brilliant collection of animal 
 
 stories that has appeared; well named and well done." John 
 
 Burroughs. 
 
 THE WATCHERS OF THE TRAILS 
 
 A companion volume to " The Kindred of the Wild." With 
 forty-eight full-page plates and many decorations from 
 drawings by Charles Livingston Bull. 
 
 Square quarto, cloth decorative $2.00 
 
 " These stories are exquisite in their refinement, and yet 
 robust in their appreciation of some of the rougher phases of 
 woodcraft. Among the many writers about animals, Mr. Rob- 
 erts occupies an enviable place." The Outlook.
 
 THE PAGE COMPANY'S 
 
 THE HOUSE IN THE WATER 
 
 With thirty full-page illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull 
 and Frank Vining Smith. Cover design and decorations by 
 Charles Livingston Bull. 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 
 
 " Every paragraph is a splendid picture, suggesting in a few 
 words the appeal of the vast, illimitable wilderness." The 
 Chicago Tribune. 
 
 " This is a book full of delight. An additional charm lies in 
 Mr. Bull's faithful and graphic illustrations, which in fashion 
 all their own tell the story of the wild life, illuminating and 
 supplementing the pen pictures of the author." Literary 
 Digest. 
 
 THE HEART THAT KNOWS 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative ..... $1.50 
 " A novel of singularly effective strength, luminous in liter- 
 
 ary color, rich in its passionate, yet tender drama." New York 
 
 Globe. 
 
 EARTH'S ENIGMAS 
 
 A new edition of Mr. Roberts's first volume of fiction, pub- 
 lished in 1892, and out of print for several years, with the 
 addition of three new stories, and ten illustrations by Charles 
 Livingston Bull. 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative ..... $1.50 
 " It will rank high among collections of short stories. In 
 'Earth's Enigmas' is a wider range of subjects than in the 
 * Kindred of the Wild.' " Review from advance sheets of the 
 illustrated edition by Tiffany Blake in the Chicago Evening 
 Post. 
 
 BARBARA LADD 
 
 With four illustrations by Frank Verbeck. 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative ..... $1.50 
 
 " From the opening chapter to the final page Mr. Roberts 
 lures us on by his rapt devotion to the changing aspects of 
 Nature and by his keen and sympathetic analysis of human 
 character." Boston Transcript. 
 
 "A very fine novel. We unhesitatingly pronounce it ... 
 one of the books that stamp themselves at once upon the imag- 
 ination, and remain imbedded in the memory long after the 
 covers are closed." Literary World, Boston.
 
 LIST OF FICTION 
 
 THE PRISONER OF MADEMOISELLE 
 
 With frontispiece by Frank T. Merrill. 
 
 Library 12mo, doth decorative $1.50 
 
 A tate of Acadia, a land which is the author's heart's de- 
 light, of a valiant young lieutenant and a winsome maiden, 
 who first captures and then captivates. 
 
 "This is the kind of a story that makes one grow younger, 
 more innocent, more light-hearted. Its literary quality is im- 
 peccable. It is not every day that such a heroine blossoms into 
 even temporary existence, and the very name of the story bears 
 a breath of charm." Chicago Record-Herald. 
 
 THE HEART OF THE ANCIENT WOOD 
 
 With six illustrations by James L. Weston. 
 
 Library 12mo, decorative cover $1.50 
 
 " One of the most fascinating novels of recent daya." Boston 
 Journal. 
 
 " A classic twentieth-century romance." New York Commer- 
 cial Advertiser. 
 
 THE FORGE IN THE FOREST 
 
 Being the Narrative of the Acadian Ranger, Jean de Mer. 
 Seigneur de Briart, and how he crossed the Black Abb4, and 
 of his adventures in a strange fellowship. Illustrated by Henry 
 Sandham, R. C. A. 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 
 
 A story of pure love and heroic adventure. 
 
 BY THE MARSHES OF MINAS 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . . $1.50 
 Most of these romances are in the author's lighter and more 
 
 playful vein; each is a unit of absorbing interest and exquisite 
 
 workmanship. 
 
 A SISTER TO EVANGELINE 
 
 Being the Story of Yvonne de Lamourie, and how she went into 
 exile with the villagers of Grand Pre". 
 
 Library 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated . $1.50 
 
 Swift action, fresh atmosphere, wholesome purity, deep pa&- 
 sion, and soarching analysis characterize this strong novel.
 
 10 THE PAGE COM PA NT' 8 
 
 WORKS OF 
 
 GABRIELE D'ANNUNZIO 
 
 Signer d'Annunzio is known throughout the world as a poet 
 and a dramatist, but above all as a novelist, for it is in his novels 
 that he is at his best. In poetic thought and graceful expression 
 he has few equals among the writers of the day. 
 
 He is engaged on a most ambitious work nothing less than 
 the writing of nine novels which cover the whole field of human 
 sentiment. This work he has divided into three trilogies, and 
 five of the nine books have been published. It is to be regretted 
 that other labors have interrupted the completion of the series. 
 
 " This book is realistic. Some say that it is brutally so. 
 But the realism is that of Flaubert, and not of Zola. There 
 is no plain speaking for the sake of plain speaking. Every 
 detail is justified in the fact that it illuminates either the motives 
 or the actions of the man and woman who here stand revealed. 
 It is deadly true. The author holds the mirror up to nature, 
 and the reader, as he sees his own experiences duplicated in 
 passage after passage, has something of the same sensation as 
 all of us know on the first reading of George Meredith's ' Ego- 
 ist.' Reading these pages is like being out in the country on 
 a dark night in a storm. Suddenly a flash of lightning comes 
 and every detail of your surroundings is revealed." Review 
 of " The Triumph of Death " in the New York Evening Sun. 
 
 The volumes published are as follows. Each 1 vol., library 
 12mo, cloth . . . . . .-. . . . . $1.50 
 
 Jl 
 THE ROMANCES OF THE ROSB 
 
 THE CHILD OF PLEASURE (!L PIACERB). 
 
 THE INTRUDER (L'INNOCENTE). 
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF DEATH (h, Twowro DELLA 
 
 MOBTE). 
 
 jH 
 
 THE ROMANCES OF THE LILY 
 THE MAIDENS OF THE ROCKS (La VEBOIUJ 
 
 BELLE ROCCE). 
 
 Jt 
 
 THE ROMANCES OF THE POMEGRANATE 
 THE FLAME OF LIFE fli, Fcoco).
 
 LIST OF FICTION n 
 
 HISTORICAL ROMANCES OF 
 
 NATHAN GALLIZIER 
 UNDER THE WITCHES' MOON 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated in 'color by The 
 Kinneys $1.50 
 
 " A highly colored romance of mediaeval Italy with a most 
 interesting background." New York World. 
 
 THE CRIMSON GONDOLA 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated in color from paint- 
 ings by Edmund H. Garrett .. $1.50 
 " Mr. Gallizier is unusually strong in the use of description, 
 
 and conveys vividly the gorgeous decadence and luxury of the 
 
 sybaritic city." Los Angeles Sunday Times. 
 
 THE HILL OF VENUS 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated in color from paint- 
 ings by Edmund H. Garrett $1.50 
 This is a vivid and powerful romance of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury in the times of the great Ghibelline wars. 
 
 " It is vibrant with action and overflowing with human emo- 
 tions throughout." Wilmington Every Evening. 
 
 THE COURT OF LUCIFER 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated in color from paint- 
 ings by The Kinneys . $1.50 
 " The book is breathless reading, as much for the adventures, 
 the pageants, the midnight excursions of the minor characters, 
 as for the love story of the prince and Donna Lucrezia." 
 Boston Transcript. 
 
 THE SORCERESS OF ROME 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated in color from paint- 
 ings by The Kinneys . $1.50 
 " A splendid bit of old Roman mosaic, or a gorgeous piece of 
 tapestry. Otto is a striking and pathetic figure. Description 
 of the city, the gorgeous ceremonials of the court and the revels 
 are a series of wonderful pictures." Cincinnati Enquirer. 
 
 CASTEL DEL MONTE 
 
 Cloth decorative, large 12mo, illustrated by H. C. Edwards. 
 
 $1.50 
 
 "There is color; there is sumptuous word-painting in these 
 pages; the action is terrific at times; vividness and life are in 
 every part; and brilliant descriptions entertain the reader and 
 give a singular fascination to the tale." Grand Rapids Herald.
 
 12 THE PAGE COMPANY'S 
 
 DETECTIVE STORIES BY 
 
 GEORGE BARTON 
 
 Each, one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.50 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE RED FLAME 
 
 " An admirable story an engaging story of love, mystery 
 and adventure." The Philadelphia Inquirer. 
 
 THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF BROMLEY 
 BARNES 
 
 " It would be difficult to find a collection of more interesting 
 tales of mystery so well told. The author is crisp, incisive 
 and inspiring. The book is the best of its kind in recent years 
 and adds to the author's already high reputation." New 
 York Tribune. 
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 OTHER AUTHORS 
 
 THE MAN WHO WON 
 
 By LEON D. HIRSCH. 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.50 
 
 " Mr. Hirsch has given the public a novel decidedly out of 
 
 the ordinary a stirring story of political life combined with 
 
 a romance of absorbing interest." Reader. 
 
 DAWSON BLACK, RETAIL MERCHANT 
 
 By HAROLD WHITEHEAD, Assistant Professor of Business 
 Method, The College of Business Administration, Boston Uni- 
 versity, author of " The Business Career of Peter Flint," 
 " Principles of Salesmanship," etc. 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.50 
 
 " It is a human story with a gripping interest. Once 
 started, the reader is loath to put down the book until the 
 final page is reached." Boston Post. 
 
 MAN PROPOSES; Or, The Romance of John Alden 
 Shaw 
 
 By ELIOT ROBINSON. 
 
 Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated $1.50 
 
 " Readers will find not only an unusually interesting story 
 
 but one of the most complicated romances ever dreamed of." 
 
 The Bookman.
 
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