Motion Picture Story Magazine (Aug 1911-Jan 1912)

THE GHOST'S WARNING 103 He drew her into the room and urged her in English to make swift preparations for flight. She did not seem to understand, stood balancing weakly, as if inclined to relapse into a dozing state, until she saw the Sacristan choking with impotent rage and scowling at her; then a sudden realization seemed to come of her relation to the outer world. She passed her hands over her brow in fright, gazed about her wildly, and ran out of the room. Trevor whirled the Sacristan, he who had been her jailor, into a corner with fearful violence, and followed Stephanie, locking the door behind him. He caught up with her at the bridge, restrained her a moment while he locked the outer portal and threw the keys into the lake, then passed a sustaining arm beneath hers and fled with her. The girl said nothing as they hurried down to Vence, while Trevor was fully occupied keeping a lookout ahead with an occasional back glance for pursuit. She walked with difficulty at times, stumbling along with drooping head, as if half awake and simply dominated by his will, but she roused herself courageously at intervals and exerted herself with intelligence, tho without full support of her muscles. It was a trying journey, but Trevor was incapable of being turned from his purpose of getting her away, and there was not a moment to lose. There was no rest for either until he secured a private carriage at Vence and directed the cocher to drive straight to Nice. "No, no!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Not that way! Take the west road to Grasse." Trevor yielded in compliance with her request — she had displayed unflagging zeal and determination up to this moment — and he learnt during a lucid interval that her father and Count Sombra had gone to Nice by the south road and could only return the same way. During the ride to Grasse she collapsed in his arms, laid her pale face on his breast and slumbered uneasily thruout the journey. At Grasse he was given a first glimpse of her daring plan. They took a train at that high point down to Cannes, Stephanie explaining that her cousin was on t\\e yacht lying near the lies de Lerins. On their trip down from the French center of floriculture to the beautifully situated town on the Golfe de la Napoule, the suffering girl became terribly nauseated. She was very weak on their arrival, but refused to go to a hotel. She recovered spirit enough to declare that they must board the yacht without delay, and that she would never again set foot on French soil. They took a small steamer to the lies de Lerins, landed at the island made famous by the imprisonment of Matthioli, the Man of the Iron Mask, and were transported to the Boyne yacht lying under steam. Trevor had reason to be mystified by the character of the reception accorded them, as well as by the immediate orders to get under way that followed. It was not in his character to falter — he had not hesitated to follow a course opposed to his own plans in order to co-operate with the woman he loved — but he was amazed at the scene of excitement that followed their appearance on the deck of the yacht. He acted with dignified reserve, while the Captain folded Stephanie in his arms, as if she had been his own daughter, and kept cool while the vessel's officers and men got her out of the sheltering harbor into the open sea. Stephanie was taken to her cabin in a half-fainting condition by her cousin, while Captain and crew attended to their duties, and Trevor paced the deck in tactful silence. They were heading due east under a full head of steam, when the Captain took Trevor by the arm and led him down to the main cabin for a talk. "We are going home,,, said the chief officer, when they were seated at the salon table; "have you any objections?" "None whatever," Trevor replied. "I can telegraph at Gibraltar to have my effects forwarded from Nice. ' '