Arms and the Woman

ent. And yet, why had the gods, when they cast out Hebe, chosen this particular inn for her mortal residence? The pipe solves many riddles, and then, sometimes, it creates a density. I put my pipe

Venus! By and by, my journalistic instinct awoke. Who are those who fear the newspapers? Certainly it is not the guiltless. Of what was Gretchen guilty? The inn-keeper knew. Was she one of those many conspirators who abound in the kingdom? She was beautiful enough for anything. And whence came the remarkable likeness between her and Phylli

thinking of her and smoking a few pipes as an incense to her shrine, I heard her

Is anything safe from them?" came t

eper, too, wa

lto: "So long as I have

a throaty baritone. Anxiety raises a bass voice at least two pitches.

is so dull and dead. I have lived too long not t

above. I was playing the listener;

lto, "since I have seen a man-a strong

ou have already laid pl

tch

uld straggle along? There might be one who has seen you before. Alas! I d

g what in the worl

sed as I am, who would recognize me? No one at the castle, for

an? You say you can read fac

le

ow abou

t infallible. And perhaps

reason why you should take no chance,"

said G

muttered. It had fall

ancing from the side of the window I saw

have done. Moreover, she was rather courting danger; the military post was only five miles down the river. The one thing which bothered me was the "him" who had suddenly intruded upo

ed into bed, "whoever he was,

garde was in Jericho, and Hillars alon

tions in monosyllables. Presently she laid something at the side of my plate. It was

f eavesdropper." I dare say she had expected anything but this candid confession. It was very cunni

lifted her chi

ou forg

certainly wast

am just as much in

ll rema

ts. Really, Gretchen, I did not mean to play t

Gretchen. "Does not

g to spend a w

re of dismay and

l make no effort to pry into your a

said she, the corners of her

about them. It was an interesting lecture. And in the evening she permitted me

t. Sometimes I would read Heine or Goethe to her, and she would grow rapt and silent. In the midst of some murmurous stanza I would suddenly stop, only to see her start and look at me as though I had committed a sacrilege, in that I had spoiled some dream of hers. T

Phyllis was fading away, slowly but surely. The regret with which I had heretofore looked upon her portrait was lessening each day; from active to passive. And yet, was it because Gretchen was Phyllis in the ideal? Was I falling in love with Gretchen because she was Gretchen, or was my love for Phyllis sim

much! Had not they and their ancestors filtered the same moonbeams, century on century? Had not their ancestors heard the tramp of the armies, the clash of the sabre, the roar of the artill

I been born a hundred years ago I must have

e it was he who helpe

sic

ill never for

rrible thing," w

cator; it teaches the vanqu

of pride; that is what

g of oppression; that is

e people. Oh, I envy the people, who are so strong, yet know it not. If I were a man I would

aid that you're a

who has any lo

angerous. He seeks her, and if he finds her, he takes away her liberty." All this was said with a definite purpose.

am a butterfly whose w

xpected thi

chen, I do not want you to

. It became an u

me may be, I shall nev

tch

es clasped the music of that laughter in thei

o me,"

from her lips?-when in a heavenly contralto she sang a chanson f

tellement

she might be, she was lovable. In a moment I was kissing her hand, the hand so small, so white, and yet so firm. A thousand inarticulate words came to

d; "this must not

" I bega

ll be Gretchen no more. Yes, the King seeks Gretchen; but will

? Shall I leave you in peace?" Somehow I

tillness, broken only by t

but he must needs become her lover? I shall trust you as I have trusted other men. And though you fail me in the end, as others have done,

tchen; I will speak no word

ear friend. And now

ied. "I thought y

and. Sometimes a woman wishes to be alone when-when

I saw something white lying at the foot of the tree. Heaven knows what a struggle it was, but I went on. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that I loved her. When I reached the

love Phyllis, it would not be a very hard task to love her image, which w