missionaries who dispute with the devil over the souls of half-apes in
the Dark Continent. Under the Cross they do the duty they were bred
to.

But she was bred to other things. Her lungs were never made to breathe
the polluted atmosphere of the proletariat, yelping and slavering in
their kennels; her strait young soul was never born for communion with
the crooked souls of social pariahs, with the stunted and warped
intelligence of fanatics, with the crippled but fierce minds which
dominated the Internationale.

Not that such contact could ever taint her; but it might break her
heart one day.

"You will think me very weak and cowardly to seek shelter and comfort
at such a time," she said, raising her gray eyes to me. "But I feel
as though all my strength had slipped away from me. I mean to go back
to my work; I only need a few days of quiet among familiar
scenes--pleasant scenes that I knew when I was young. I think that if
I could only see a single care-free face--only one among all those
who--who once seemed to love me--"

She turned her head quickly and stared out at the tall pines which
fringed the dusty road.

Buckhurst blinked at her.

* * * * *

It was late in the afternoon when the last Prussian outpost hailed us.
I had been asleep for hours, but was awakened by the clatter of
horses, and I opened my eyes to see a dozen Uhlans come cantering up
and surround our carriage.

After a long discussion with Buckhurst and a rigid scrutiny of our
permit to pass the lines, the slim officer in command vised the order.
One of the troopers tied a white handkerchief to his lance-tip,
wheeled his wiry horse, and, followed by a trumpeter, trotted off
ahead of us. Our carriage creaked after them, slowly moving to the
summit of a hill over which the road rose.

Presently, very far away on the gray-green hill-side, I saw a bit of
white move. The Uhlan flourished his lance from which the handkerchief
fluttered; the trumpeter set his trumpet to his lips and blew the
parley.

One minute, two, three, ten passed. Then, distant galloping sounded
along the road, nearer, nearer; three horsemen suddenly wheeled into
view ahead--French dragoons, advancing at a solid gallop. The Uhlan
with the flag spurred forward to meet them, saluted, wheeled his
horse, and came back.

Paid mercenary that I was, my heart began to beat very fast at sight
of those French troopers with their steel he