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here.”
mae ea THER “4 = fo ingn wat
“will find her, never fear.-
‘all my plans.
' the telegram, state fully every point. in the case.
_no mention of the resemblance which the countess bears
_light in ‘his eyes.
“mentioned the children.”
“I knew’ it was my wile when ‘you
He was on his feet, hat in hand, when Nick interposed.
“Wait, ” he said. “Chick has not finished his story.
We must make no rash move. Remember that it is easy
“for the countess to make up as your wife. Go on,
_ Chick, a ‘ :
’ The colonel, with a ‘sigh, resumed his seat. Chick
“proceeded: “In the belief-that. she was the colonel’s
wife, I introduced myself as a friend of her husband.
She seemed startled when I made the ‘announcement,
- but sdon recovered herself and talked. freely. Accord-
ing to her story she came to Vienna on the strength of
a letter from @ dear friend, the Countess Mittinka, who
‘wrote that Col. Kowitzky was in this city and wanted
her to-join him here. Owing to circumstances which
he would explain when they met it was necessary that.
she should pass as the wife of Boris Felsmoi. She‘was
also to instruct the children, a boy of eight and a girl of
ten, to answer to the name of Felsmoi,-and never to re-
veal the fact that their father’s real name is Kowitzky.”
“Did either of the children come into the room while
you were conversing with the mother?” asked Nick.
“) “The girl came in, and the mother, with a sharp word,
sent her out again. The girl had a frightened look, and
there were red circles about wher eyes. While we talked
I observed the woman closely, and before the interview
ended I came to the conclusion that I had. put my foot
“in it.” :
Nick’s countenance shivted enlightened
colonel was frowning,
The
“I knew after a while, ds well as I know that I am .
here in this room, that the woman was a’ fraud; that
she was not the wife of Col. Kowitzky, but the Countess
Mittinka.” : é
“Then where is my wife?” the colonel burst forth,
his face expressing’ the - keenest. anxiety, “She must be
somewhere in this city, else ‘the children would not be
“She is not far' away,” ia Nick, soothingly, “and we
‘And now to seriously con-
sider the situation. Chick’s visit to that house has upset
I made
to Col. Kowitzky’s wife. If IT had done so Chick would ,
20 Se NEW NICK CARTER WEEKLY. ee 7
‘What is that plan? Just this:
Unfortinately, IT cBuld not “by means of -
‘not have made the mistake of giving himself. away. But
. there is no use in: perying over spilt milk. | Instead of los-
ing by the mistake; we must try to profit by it. The
countess now is aware that Iam on to the new trap she
has laid. :
“She will prepare another and. the three of us must
manage it so that she will think we have fallen into it. |
By deceiving her in’ that respect, we will stand a good
chance of finding the cofonel’s wife, On this point I
will speak later. The skein is tangled. - It needs un-
raveling. Why is the countess personating the colonel’s
wife in Vienna?” ;
“
“To deceive the Russian consul, perhaps,” suggested .
Chick. . : J
“You-are right, my boy. I see it all now. She has .
caused the colonel’s wife to believe that the colonel’ s dan-
ger is so pressing that her only chance of meeting him
lies in her acceptance of her friend, the countess’, plan:
She must go into seclu-
sion and allow the countess to pass as the wife and
mother, the argument being advanced that in the event
of further persecution the countess could reveal her iden-
tity and save herself. In other-words, if the countess,
as the wife of the proscribed colonel, should find herself
in a difficult or dangerous situation, she could remove her-
self from it by declaring that she is not the colonel’s
Wife, but an employee of a representative of the Third
Section. The plan would be accepted because the colo- .
nel’s wife does not know who her husband’s enemies
Could she but know
that the only- enemies either’ she or the colonel have to
fear are the count and countess, how different would be
her actions? ~ : *
are, or who are her own enemies,
’ “As for the countess’ personation of the colonel’s
wife, there is but one explanation. She intends, if her
Vienna scheme turns out well, to turn up as the daugh-
ter of Count Waldemar, and as such to win the Marix-
burg throne. The children will be terrorized into keep-
‘ing up the deception that the countess is the mother, but
at the first favorable Opportunity they will be placed in
a convent or otherwise disposed of.”
» “Tf her Vienna plan succeeds,” said the colonel, with ©
pale face, “it means death for my wife.”
,Nick Carter did not reply. His expression was
grave. .
“Something must be done immediately,” the colonel
-went on. “My loved ones are in danger. We must find