WHEN THE EMPIRE CRASHED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12757, 29 September 1919, Page 4

WHEN THE EMPIRE CRASHED.

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A Author of sSj A .. mi. *' wlleß 1 was Czar ” a * The Man Without a Memory,” 3L “I* etc., etc. t •i* * v »5»

' CHAPTER. XaIX (Continued.) "Not. a scratch; but I dropped another of them. They’re not finding it quite so simple a" job as they expected. M " But this can’t go on indefinitely. There can only be one end.” “ It’ll go on as long as there’s a, cartridge left,” I said; and I- told her the ruse to make Mirski believe we weren’t alone. "But they must beat you in time,” she persisted. “ Then we’ll wait till that- time comes.” " What I mean is that—there’s a way out.” " Great Scott, why didn’t you say so before? Where is it?’’ " I—l mean—he only wants me, and if I were to ” she stammered. " I thought I told yon I’m an Englishman.” “I—l know—but I’ve no right——” "It’s splendid of you; but I can’t j listen to any more of it. You don't seem to understand that I’m having the time of my life and haven’t the least intention to give in till they make me; and they’re more than a bit worried so far as to how to set about it.” “But I told yon I should be safe whatever happened,” she persisted. " That’s not Maria- It’s Avola; and if it comes to it. Avola shall settle tilings her own way. As matters stand, I’m a long way from thinking we shan't get out all light. Ttll me, Is there a second staircase?” “ Only to the floor below. There’s a door to it nearly opposite that at the bottom of these, stairs.” "That’s good hearing. If we can only contrive to scare the beggars away from where they are, we can use it ,to bolt,” and as a preliminary manoeuvre, we. stamped about the. lauding to suggest we were not alone. The row caused some one to open the staircase door, and I piomptly fired ja, couple of shots at random. The lues was with me, for a cry' and an oath announced another hit. This led to another attack, however. Mirski began with a ruse. From a safe distance, he offered a truce, making all sorts of lying promises and protests. and while he was speaking two or three of his men made a. dash up the. stairs under cover of a regular fusillade. While I was getting Avola out of the line of fire, they almosfc*reached the barricade and things looks rather critical. 'Without waiting to shoot, I put my shoulder to the chest of drawers and sent it rolling down on top of them. Two of them rolled down with it, and the third, scared to his mari vow, scuttled after them with a yell of alarm. Then the luck changed. I fired a shot or two after them, and, as 1 stepped aside, 1 tripped, nearly failing down the stairs, and when 1 was scrambling up, a sharp hot sting on the left arm told me I was hit. Nor was this the worst. My fall was .the signal for a rally; and as there was no ume to make another barricade, there ■•'as nothing for it but to retreat into she attic on the rightLocking the door and telling Avola to switch up the light, I dragged the jod across the door ami was wedging vith a table and other things, when toe saw the blood from my wound and ■ vied out in alarm "It’s only a scratch, ’ I said lightly, nd with her help piled up the new cirri cade until it looked stout enough 1 keep the men out. My arm bled a lot, and when I sat n the bed, a little winded by tbo exer■mn, it began to pain me. Avola was ’ °vy pale and insisted that the wound mist bo bound up, rummaging up some uaen while I took • T ray coat. The juilet had ripped along the forearm nd messed up Some of the veins, ac‘uunting for the bleeding. ‘‘ Looks a heap worse than it really l! ‘* I said as she cleaned the place , ;in( v bandaged the arm. "I can still I use it; only a bit stiff,” I added as I I recharged the revolver.

“ Ls that any use—now?” she asked, motioning to the weapon. llipy II soon, sec if they get in (Vhat about that room beyond there?” and I went, to see if it would servo as a, last retreat in the event of our boina driven out of the present one. A glance showed it, was useless. The door was a flimsy affair, with neither loc>s nor bolt, and opened outward. Our one chance was to make a last stand where wo were. When I returned, Avola, with the revolver in her hand, was standing by the window in a brown study, her race grave and set and her brows drawn in thought. “Our don't seem in any hurry,” I said_ lightly, for they had net yet made any attempt to net, in. My tone appeared to jar. for she started and shook her head. ‘‘ You mean to go on, then?” Of course. We're a long wav from beaten yet.” ‘ 'll"! }V, CJ rn ust bo. You know that. I do. What good will it do if you shoot any of these men? Do you mean to try and kill them?” she asked with tense earnestness. *‘ T don’t mean to let them kill me. ’ “ If .You kill one of them it will he called murder. Don’t let us plav with words at such a moment. Only stark facts matter now. As things stand you have nothing serious to fear from arrest,” she asserted in a tone of positive assurance. “ Judging by the reward offered She shook her head and gestured vigorously. “ You are an Englishman , yotfr Embassy people would help you, and our Government dare not 'risk a quarrel at such a time. Then why continue a hopeless resistance?” I began to see her drift. “ I thought we’d that out already ” ‘‘You are doing it for ine, I know, but you shall not- Do you think I will let you commit murder to help me?” she cried vehemently. “Never. Never! Desides, it is useless. Nothing that you or anyone can do will save me. But I can save. ”

The rest of her sentence 'eras drowned by a noisy hammering at the door; and in the midst of it a shot was fired through the panel, the bullet pinging by close to us. As if to get out of the line of fire Avola rushed to the ■window, opened, it, and flung out a hig water jug. As it crashed into the street, she fired six shots in rapid succession and then threw the revolver out into the night. The clatter on the door ceased instantly. There was a murmur of voices, followed by footsteps scuttling down the narrow stairway. ‘‘Avola!” 1 cried, hurrying to her. She turned, her face radiant, and such a light in her eyes as I had never seen. " Why that madness P” She smiled, letting her glorious eyeb hold mine for a. moment. * ‘ Because there was no other way,” she said slowly. ‘ ‘ And because——” The light in her wondrous eyes, the flush on her lovely face as she stretched out her hands wistfully, said more than any words. The next moment she was in my arms, pressed to my heart, and we stood thus. until another attack was made on the door, ' which began to show ominous signs of giving way. ' T would have dons what- was possible te iti. but Ayala would not

release me. “sit is useless, dearest. Give me these last minutes- Hold me tight. It mill be easy to die in your arms. I loved you the moment me met; when I strove so eagerly to prevent your joining Mirskrs conspiracy. I mas the agent of the Empress. Her *Ty, if yon mill. That mas mhy 1 mas compelled to refuse to leave it, to deceive poor Stephanie, to allow Mirski to force himself upon me, and to allom you to think the morst of me.” "I loved you too mell.” “Ent when you learnt T had betrayed you?” “My only thought mas the desire lo help you.” “ I didn’t betray you. Eafe: but I let you believe it. thinking it mould drive you away, when yon insisted upon seeing me at Petrov Street. It nearly broke my heart; and mhen you beat that ruffian, Garski, and offered me a hope of escape, yon bent me ns well. It was my hour of weakness. Ah, horn I regret it now; but I—l could not send you away.” 4 Thank God!” 1 cried. “ No. no. It mas -wrong, micked. coma.rdly. I knew then there mas no hope for me, but-; —” I pressed my lips to hers and silenced her. The nanother crash sounded on the door as something weighty mas dashed against it. and the upper half cracked and gapedAvola caught her breath and I felt her stiffen in my arms as she freed hdr right hand and drew a bttle bottle from her pocket. “No, no. Not that, Avola, for God’s sake!’’ I protested. “Do you think I mould—now. if there mere any other may?” And of her omn mill she pressed her face to mine and kissed me. “Death and you are the only friends left to me, Eafe.” “For God’s sake,” I pleaded again. “You love me, Rafe. Would you see mo shamed and disgraced, tried as a traitor by such men as Garski, convicted and either killed or morse? Death is nothing; but such shame is unthinkable. There is no other may than this,” she ‘said with a smile, calm, resolved, amd ineffably sad. “ Let me he in your arms, dearest,’' she pleaded, as she opened the poison. 111 By Jove, you must not!” 1 cried, every vein in my body pulsing in rebellion, as I showered passionate kisses on her. “1 can’t lose you nom.” She lay a second passive in my arms until with a long-dramu trembling she (item away. “Avola! Dearest!” I cried, and, appalled by terror of her act. 1 rusbed forward and seized her hand. “ Vnu must not! For my sake!” cine made no attempt to elude me, but the reproach in her eyes cut me to the heart- “This is for your sake, Rafe,” she murmured. “Is it kind to make it. harder? Would you rather that I fell into Mirski’s hands or died on the scaffold?” I had no answer. Involuntarily my grasp relaxed. The attack on the door increased in violence. Any second now would bring the men to us. and she herself had made resistance impossible. Uhth her gaze fixed steadily on me, she smiled again and lifted the poisonNumbed and fascinated by the horror of it, I had not even power to turn my eyes away—like one in the nightmare clutch of palsied terrior. Suddenly her look changed. The smile mas chased away by some new thought. Her hand stopped haif-maj to her lips, and dropped slowly lover. She mas deathly white, and still and rigid as a figure of marble, “Heaven help me.” she faltered her ashen lips quivering. “I had forgotten. You would be charged with ray murder”; and all unheeding the consequences to her. she sprinkled the poison, on the floor. The sacrifice oi more than life itself to save me. At that moment the door gave and the men rushed in, followed by Mirski, mhen he saw that it m&s safe and that 14 was helpless. He went to Avola, while two of the men seized me. “‘ You shall pay the price for all this,” he snarled, bus fat, brutal face white with rage. “Get him out ot my sight at once.” The men hustled me our, and he turned to Avola. “At last?” he said gloatingly; and just as I reached the door he took her in hi:-; arms to kiss her She struggled and called to me. My blood fired and 1 saw red in my passion. Thrusting the men who held me aside as if they had been children, 1 darted back, and in an instant I had him down with my hands on his throat. His men rushed to Iris help, tearing at me, kicking and belabouring ms in frantic efforts to make ine loose ray hold. But rage gave me strength, and no blows, nor kicks, nor struggle* could force my hands from the brute's throat, and it, mas not until the breath mas nearly choked out of him, and Avola herself appealed to me, that 1 let them drag me- away. He was purple in the face, and lay so long motionless that I though he mas dying. Two of his men did what they could to revive him, and the rest guarded Avola and me, at a loss what to do with us. The interval lasted long enough for my rage to cool and, having no wish lo be tried for lii>. murder, 1 mas not -a. little relieved mhen he showed signs of coming round. I was in rather bad shape as the result of the rough handling by the men during the struggle and my arm mas very painful; but I had thrashed him. and was more than milling to pay such a price for the pleasure. But it. turned out that. I had much more than merely punished'him. He wis giving some order to the men with him, when we heard the tramp of men on the narrow slairmaj and nu officer entered, followed by a file of soldiers. He looked curiously round the room and gave a slight start of surprise as he recognised Avola. “Mademoiselle Novikoffl” he exclaimed sharply, as she stepped fo,- [ ward. “ I much regret, mademoiselle, but it is my duty to arrest you ” ; ami he motioned to one of his men who went to her. “'Shots were fired from this window some minutes since. Who I fired them?”

” I- Lieutenant Thaumitz. We were attacked by these men and mere in danger of our lives.” This roused Minski- “ Her associate is the man mho murdered Count Koslor. Rafe Honshaw,” he gasped. ‘‘Take him,” ordered the officer, and two'of the men promptly seized me. He lias just tried to murder me also,” said Mirski, scrambling to his feet. i , Tlie officer recognised him’ then. 1 Pnnce Mirski!” ho exclaimed, add mg drily, “1L might have saved you from _a worse fate had ho succeeded Prince”; and turned his back on him! borne more of his men were called up and Mirski and his men were also arrested. Avola was taken away first. She was pale, but firm as a rock, although she. knew she was going to her death, ohe passed close to me; our hands touched for a second: she smiled into W as she whispered a last Good-bye”; and went out with head erect and confident stop. I was kept back to the last: my hands were hound behind me; and as a compliment to my desperate reputation, I was guarded by five soldiers—two benind, one at each side gripping am arm, and one in front. In this fashion at the rear of the party, the officer beeping a close watch on me, I was marched off through the streets to gaol and—who could say what afterwards? (To be continued.)