ndrel friends?
Do you guess what these duped Americans will do to Bolo Effendi? And
to you? And to Von Papen and Boy-ed and Von Igel--yes, and to
Bernstorff and his whole murderous herd of Germans? And can you
imagine what my own doubly duped Government will surely, surely do,
some day, to you, Ferez?"

She laughed, but her dark eyes fairly glittered:

"_My_ martyrdom is ending, God be thanked! And then I shall be free to
serve where my heart is ... in Alsace!... Alsace!--forever French!"

In the white light she saw the sweat break out on the man's
forehead--saw him grope for his handkerchief--and draw out a knife
instead--never taking his eyes off her.

She turned to run; but he had already blocked the way to the stone
steps; and now he came creeping toward her, white as a cadaver,
distracted from sheer terror, and rubbing the knife flat against his
thigh.

"So you shall do thees--a filth to me--eh, Nihla?" he whispered with
blanched lips. "It ees on me, your frien', you spring to keel me, eh,
my leopardess? Ver' well. But firs' I teach you somethings you don'
know!--thees-a way, my Nihla!"

He came toward her stealthily, moving more swiftly as she put the
stone basin of the pool between them and cast an agonised glance up at
the distant terrace.

"Jim!" she cried frantically. "Jim! Help me, Jim!"

The gay din of the music above drowned her cry; she fled as Ferez
darted toward her, but again he doubled and sprang back to bar the
stone steps, and she halted, white and breathless, yet poised for
instant flight.

Again and again she called out desperately for aid; the noise of the
orchestra smothered her cry. And if, indeed, anybody from the terrace
above chanced to glance down, it is likely that they supposed these
two were skylarking merrymakers at some irresponsible game of
catch-who-can.

Suddenly Thessalie remembered the lower level, where the automobiles
were parked, and from which Ferez had first appeared. She could escape
that way. There were the steps, not very far behind her. The next
instant she turned and ran like a deer.

And after her sped Ferez, his broad, thin-bladed knife pressed flat
against the crimson sash across his breast, his dead-white visage
distorted with that blind, convulsive fear which makes murderers out
of cowards.

XXVIII

GREEN JACKETS

Thoroughly worried by this time over the sudden disappearance of
Thessalie Dunois, and unable to discover her anywhere on the