Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1916)

54 Photoplay Magazine situation, he did fear for her. The windows were open, there were few street noises, any unusual disturbance in her apartment would attract him. T I' was almost midnight when upon the prima-donna's blind he saw the shadow of a heavy-set man attempting to embrace the shadow of a woman, furiously but ineffectually repulsing him. Throwing the porter aside, the young American dashed up the two flights of stairs to Beatrix' floor, and into the apartment, the door of which was not locked. It would be an idle and false heroic to say that Brent's vanquishing of Prince Buzzi was an easy or momentary matter. Theoretically, Prince Buzzi was as good a rough-and-tumble fighter as the American boy. He was pounds heavier, but a righteous cause must mean something, and certainly youth counts for a great deal. "Going to be good — hey?" demanded Brent at length, blowing the hair from his eyes and the blood from his lip simultaneously. "Basta!" snarled Buzzi in defiant replv. But his hands relaxed their grip on Brent's shoulders. The bov let his antagonist arise. Truly, Buzzi was a sorry spectacle. "Out!" said Brent, and even the word cost him effort. He did not realize how furious had been the fight before the terrorentranced spectatress. While Beatriz murmured brokenlv over her hero, as she bathed his face, and endeavored to restore some semblance of sartorial order to his raiment, Buzzi was busilv informing Maximilio of Brent's presence in the girl's apartment. It must have been just at the instant of this conversation that Beatriz. her mouth full of pins, in fastening up one of Brent's torn coat pockets unearthed Tonio's tiny note. You see — anticipating a possible bit of rough work — he had donned his traveltweeds for the evening. "■We're safe!" gasped Beatriz. "If I get it" — a ghost of bargaining Yankee ancestry rose in Noel's heart — "do T get you?" "Oh, Noel, don't ask me. I can only tell you one thing. I love you. I love you." Her face was very close to his. and he kissed her. "Now you must go !" she whispered. But such are lovers' partings that Count Maximilio di Oasparro had time to dress. call his car, and reach Beatriz's house before their hasty au revoirs were -aid. It was no uncertain hand that fell upon the panel of her door. "Into my boudoir — just a moment.*' whispered Beatriz. "I can't have this dreadful Buzzi find you here again. I" 11 get rid of him quickly." When the prima-donna saw that it was not Buzzi. but her affianced suitor standing there, her terror must have written itself large upon her face. "Out with him — your lover!" snarled Maximilio. He carried a light rattan cane, and as Beatriz did not at once reply, he struck her lightly but smartly across the shoulders. Xoel Brent did not behold this brief beating of his beloved. "Which was just as well, for the blow tore a great curtain from her eyes — and it did not hurt her at all. Had Brent seen — The whiplike curl of Maximilio's stick about her tender flesh struck Beatriz merely into calm and resolve. To save this man's so-called honor she had been willing to sacrifice not only her love, but Brent's love. This was the first serious dispute that had ever arisen between the Princess de Rohan and Count Oasparro — yet without justification of his suspicions — incurred by Buzzi as Beatriz knew immediately — he had flashed back to the form of his Italian peasant ancestry. He was the Apennine goatherd that his ignoble forbears had" been. Believing himself crossed in love, he had quite naturally commenced beating his woman. What if they had been man and wife ! "Count Oasparro." answered Beatriz. drawing her scarf about her welted shoulder. "I shall ask you to leave my apartment, and newer return. Please go now." C* ASPARRO came back to his Twentieth **■* Century veneer. He fell on his knees ; he took the tips of Beatriz' cold fingers and brushed them across his lips ; he implored pardon in poetic phrases. Finding her still obdurate his peasant gorge rose once more. He began to curse because she would not answer his questions. Only when he suddenly pushed her aside and leaped for her bedroom did Beatriz cry out in fear. But Brent had gone. He had dropped ten feet into the leaf-mold about the