The Lighted Match

"Your Majesty is Queen of Galavia."

The American came to his feet, his hands clenched, but with quick

self-mastery he stood back, breathing heavily.

Cara sat for a moment only half-comprehending, then with a low moan she

leaned forward and covered her face with both hands.

"Forgive me," said Von Ritz. "I am your Nemesis."

Benton moved over silently and knelt beside her chair. Neither spoke,

but at last she raised her face and sat looking out at the water, then

slowly one hand came out gropingly toward the American and both of his

own closed over it. Von Ritz stood waiting.

When finally she spoke, her voice was almost childlike, full of

pleading.

"I thought," she said, "that all that was over. I had thought that

whatever is left of life belonged just to me--for my very own. I thought

I could take it away and try to mend it."

Von Ritz turned his head and his eyes traveled northward and westward,

where, somewhere beyond the horizon, lay his country.

"Galavia needs you," he said with grave simplicity. "Unless you come to

her aid there must be ruin and dismemberment. You will save your

country."

But his words appeared to convert all her crushed and pathetic misery

into anger. "It is not my country!" she replied almost fiercely. "To me

it means only--"

Von Ritz raised his hand supplicatingly. "It is my country," he said

sadly, "and--your duty. Its fate is in your hands."

The girl rose, swayed slightly, and putting out one hand for support,

stood with her black-gowned figure sketched slenderly against the white

of the cabin wall, her eyes irresolute and distressed.

"I must have time to think," she begged. "Will you leave me?" Von Ritz

bowed and retired.

She dropped exhaustedly into the chair again and for a long while sat

silent. Finally she turned toward the man who, kneeling by her side,

waited for her decision through what seemed decades of suspense, and her

hands went out gropingly again toward him.

"Dear," she said in a voice hardly more than a whisper, "whatever I

do--whatever I decide--always and always I love you!" Impulsively her

fingers clutched at his, which rested clenched on her arm-chair.

"You must go!" she said, after a long while. "With you here there is

nothing else in the world. I can see only you." With a catch in her

voice she rushed on. "You must not only go, but I must not know where

you go. I must not be able to call you back. You must give me your word

of honor."