he had read that the future
art of the world was to come forth from Russia. It is the Slavic
temperament and not the Anglo-Saxon that best expresses itself in music
and literature.

Nona's errand this afternoon was a curious and puzzling one, fraught
with unnecessary mystery.

Four days before, a Russian boy about twelve years old had appeared at
the gate of the fortress at Grovno, bearing a note addressed to Miss
Nona Davis. Oddly enough, although the note was written in perfect
English, it was not signed. In spite of this it requested that the
American girl come to a small house about a mile and a half away to see
a former friend.

But who the friend could be, not one of the three girls could imagine.
Yet they scarcely talked of anything else. Nona had no acquaintances in
Russia save the people she had met in connection with her work, and
there was no one in her past whom she could possibly conceive of having
come into Russia as a tourist at such a time.

Therefore it was Mildred Thornton's and Barbara Meade's opinion that
Nona should pay not the slightest heed to such a communication.
Anonymous letters lead to nothing but evil. But in spite of their
objections, here at the first possible opportunity Nona was obeying the
behest. Probably she could not have explained why, for she was too
sensible not to appreciate that possible discomfort and even danger
might lie ahead of her. Perhaps as much as anything she was actuated by
a spirit of sheer adventure.

So it is little wonder that during her walk Nona's thoughts were now and
then engaged with her own affairs. Yet after a little her attention
wandered from the immediate future and she fell to recalling the
history of the past years' experiences, her own and her three friends.

No wonder Barbara was often lonely and homesick for Dick Thornton.

She had become engaged to him on the fog-bound trip she had made with
him in getting Eugenia safely out of Belgium. Remembering Eugenia's
escape, Nona said a short prayer of thankfulness. After her hiding of
the Belgian officer and his family from the German authorities, she
would never have been allowed to leave Belgium unpunished had she not
been an American woman. Remembering the fate of the English girl who
had committed the same crime, Nona appreciated how much they had to be
thankful for.

And now Eugenia was married to Captain Castaigne, the young French
officer. Curious that among the four of them who had come f