Moonchild

"A thousand congratulations, dear young man, upon your brilliant victory! You have succeeded where older and more learned men failed badly. I called you here to-night to tell you that you are now eligible for a place in the Fourteen, the Ghaagaael, for a seat is vacant since this morning." "They executed Balloch?" Douglas nodded with a gloating smile. "But why did you not save him, master?" "Save him! It was I that destroyed him when he tried to betray me. Candidates take notice!" Abdul protested his loyalty and devotion. "The supreme test," continued Douglas, "cannot conveniently be imposed in time of war. There is too much to do just now. But — as a preliminary — ?" how do you stand with Germany?" Abdul shrank back, startled out of his presence of mind. "Germany!" he stammered at last. "Why, [319] Colonel," (he emphasized the title) "I know nothing. I have no instructions from my Government."He met the eye of his master, and read its chill contempt. "I—er—er—" "Dare you play with me?" The young man protested that no such thought had crossed his mind. "In that case," pursued the sorcerer, "you won't know what that means?" Douglas took from his pocket a fifty-franc note. The Turk caught it up, his eyes grown momentarily wider with surprise. "Examine it!" said Douglas, coldly. The Turkish agent held it to the light. In the figures numbering the note were two small pinpricks. "Allah!" he cried. "Then you are —" "I am. You may as well know that my colleague in the Lodge, 'A.B.', is going to stir up trouble for the British in India. Her influence with certain classes of Hindus is very great. For your part, you may try discreetly to tamper with the Mussulman section of the French troops, the Africans. But be careful — there is more important work to your hand, no less than the destruction of the French armies in the field. Now let us see what you can do. I am going to send you to my little garden hermitage, where I occasionally appear in the character of a great ascetic; there is an old lady there, devoted to me. Have your best man there to play Yogi. In the garden — here's the plan — is the terminal of a wire. There's another in that house where you got baptized and married — remember? Thence there's a cable up Seine to