him ill with despair.

He cabled his lawyers for her address. He determined that, at once, on
learning it, he would tell her that with him nothing was changed. He
had forgotten nothing, and had learned much. He had learned that his
love for her was a splendid and inspiring passion, that even without
her it had lifted him up, helped and cheered him, made the whole world
kind and beautiful. With her he could not picture a world so complete
with happiness.

Since entering the army he had never taken a leave of absence, and he
was sure, if now he asked for one, it would not be refused. He
determined, if the answer to his cable gave him the address, he would
return at once, and again offer her his love, which he now knew was
deeper, finer, and infinitely more tender than the love he first had
felt for her. But the cable balked him. "Address unknown," it read;
"believed to have gone abroad in capacity of governess. Have employed
foreign agents. Will cable their report."

Whether to wait for and be guided by the report of the detectives, or
to proceed to Europe and search for her himself, Lee did not know. He
finally determined that to seek for her with no clew to her whereabouts
would be but a waste of precious moments, while, if in their search the
agents were successful, he would be able to go directly to her.
Meanwhile, by cable, he asked for protracted leave of absence and,
while waiting for his answer, returned to his post. There, within a
week, he received his leave of absence, but in a fashion that
threatened to remove him forever from the army.

The constabulary had located the will-o'-the-wisp brigands behind a
stockade built about an extinct volcano, and Lee and his troop and a
mountain battery attempted to dislodge them. In the fight that
followed Lee covered his brows with laurel wreaths and received two
bullet wounds in his body.

For a month death stood at the side of his cot; and then, still weak
and at times delirious with fever, by slow stages he was removed to the
hospital in Manila. In one of his sane moments a cable was shown him.
It read: "Whereabouts still unknown." Lee at once rebelled against his
doctors. He must rise, he declared, and proceed to Europe. It was
upon a matter of life and death. The surgeons assured him his
remaining exactly where he was also was a matter of as great
consequence. Lee's knowledge of his own lack of strength told him they
were right.

Then, from h