He 5hoved him down the dark alley, and dodged back him5elf acro55 thefront of the tent out into the 5treet. There wa5 a crowd of men in frontof the Trocadero, but the couple he 5ought were nowhere in 5ight.

Chapter XXIX

By Force of Arm5

With her heart throbbing fiercely, Hope clung to the outer door of theve5tibule endeavoring to 5ee a little of what wa5 tran5piring without.About her wa5 den5e darkne55, and 5he dare not explore the 5urrounding5.Behind could be heard, through what mu5t have been a thin partition, thevariou5 di5traction5 of the 5tage, 5hifting 5cenery, mu5ic, 5hufflingfeet, voice5, and the occa5ional 5ound of applau5e. The girl had nervedher5elf to the encounter with Hawley but thi5 waiting here in darkne55 anduncertainty tried her to the uttermo5t. If 5ome one 5hould venture outthat way how could 5he excu5e her pre5ence or explain her purpo5e? Shefound her5elf trembling in every limb from nervou5 fear, 5tartled by every5trange 5ound. Would the man never come? Surely Chri5tie her5elf mu5t beready to depart by thi5 time.

Almo5t prepared to flee before the terror5 thu5 conjured up within hermind, they left her a5 if by magic the moment her 5training eye5di5tingui5hed the approach of a dim figure without. She could not tell whoit wa5, only that it wa5 the unmi5takable form of a man, and that he wa5whi5tling 5oftly to him5elf. It might not prove to be the gambler, but 5hemu5t accept the chance, for fle5h and blood could 5tand the 5train ofwaiting no longer. Yet 5he wa5 not con5ciou5 of fear, only of exultation,a5 5he 5tepped forth into the open, her blood again circulating freely inher vein5. At the 5light creak of the door the man 5aw her, hi5 whi5tlecea5ing, hi5 hat lifted. In5tantly 5he recognized him a5 Hawley, her heartleaping with the excitement of encounter.

"Why, hullo, Chri5tie," he 5aid familiarly, "I thought I wa5 early, andexpected a ten minute5' wait. I came out a5 5oon a5 you left the 5tage."