The Project Gutenberg EBook of Elusive Isabel, by Jacques Futrelle

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Title: Elusive Isabel

Author: Jacques Futrelle

Release Date: February 4, 2004 [EBook #10943]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ELUSIVE ISABEL ***

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ELUSIVE ISABEL

BY

JACQUES FUTRELLE

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY

ALONZO KIMBALL

1908

TO

THE WONDERFUL WOMAN

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I MISS ISABEL THORNE

II MR. CAMPBELL AND THE CABLE

III THE LANGUAGE OF THE FAN

IV THE FLEEING WOMAN

V A VISIT TO THE COUNT

VI REVELATIONS

VII THE SIGNAL

VIII MISS THORNE AND NOT MISS THORNE

IX FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS

X A SAFE OPENING

XI THE LACE HANDKERCHIEF

XII THE VANISHING DIPLOMATIST

XIII A CONFERENCE IN THE DARK

XIV A RESCUE AND AN ESCAPE

XV MASTER OF THE SITUATION

XVI LETTERS FROM JAIL

XVII A CALL ON THE WARDEN

XVIII NOTICE TO LEAVE

XIX BY WIRELESS

XX THE LIGHT IN THE DOME

XXI A SLIP OF PAPER

XXII THE COMPACT

XXIII THE PERCUSSION CAP

XXIV THE PERSONAL EQUATION

XXV WE TWO

XXVI IN WHICH THEY BOTH WIN

ELUSIVE ISABEL

I

MISS ISABEL THORNE

All the world rubs elbows in Washington. Outwardly it is merely a city
of evasion, of conventionalities, sated with the commonplace pleasures
of life, listless, blase even, and always exquisitely, albeit frigidly,
courteous; but beneath the still, suave surface strange currents play at
cross purposes, intrigue is endless, and the merciless war of diplomacy
goes on unceasingly. Occasionally, only occasionally, a bubble comes to
the surface, and when it bursts the echo goes crashing around the earth.
Sometimes a dynasty is shaken, a nation trembles, a ministry topples
over; but the ripple moves and all is placid again. No man may know all
that happens there, for then he would be diplomatic master of the
world.

"There is plenty of red blood in Washington," remarked a jesting
legislative gray-beard, once upon a time, "but it's always frozen before
they put it in circulation. Diplomatic negotiations are conducted in t