A cold hand wrapped its fingers about my heart. The hopelessness of our search would have been depressing enough had it not contained the spice of chase, but to feel that it might be fruitful only to have her snatched off into a world as unknown, as impossible to me as this far off kingdom, was crazing. To me it would be like seeing her transported from one star to another, while I remained on earth to gaze my eyes out and eat my heart out with endless longing. "Her mother is regent, you say?" Tommy asked, intuitively sympathizing with my state of mind. "Yes. In Roumania a woman may not ascend the throne alone, but in Azuria, where the Ruman blood has never mixed, she may act as regent if her heir is a girl too young to marry. But now," he clapped his hands joyfully, "we can complete the alliance with a neighboring prince--and, ah, what joy there will be!" "You've got to catch her first," Tommy said, not without a trace of spite. "Even if we get near enough to see him, at all, he can see us, too; then lead us off the track till night and make a run for base." "So he will, my boy Tommy. And if his lair is to the west, he will doubtless lead us to the east. But we must sail at dawn--then we shall see what we shall see!" "Good night," I said, abruptly kicking back my chair. Thus our meeting broke up; Gates going first to sink the dynamite and then leave orders for all canvas to be stretched at peep o' day. Tommy came on deck with me, and we stood a while looking into the black water. Off in the town, in a side street near the wharf where sailors' amusement halls are clustered, some tipsy fellow was bawling a love song at the top of his voice. He seemed to be the only thing awake in Key West at this hour. When the song, or his voice, gave out the silence settled heavier than before. A ship's bell, far over the water, began to strike, and we counted five mellow strokes: one-one, one-one, one! "Half-past two," Tommy whispered, "I wonder what Nell's doing!" "Dreaming of you, no doubt," I tried to laugh. "Maybe you and she are wrecked on a desert island at this blissful moment." "I wish we were," he murmured, without looking around. "And you and Sylvia, too!" "Cut it," I growled. "She's a princess, Tommy, and that puts the kibosh on my dreams." "Nell's a princess, too," he said gently, "and I still hang on. Tilt up your chin, Jack, and things'll squeeze through for us! We'll ship the old counterfeiter to prison, or kill him, and then----" "And then," I said bitterly, turning to go below, "Princess Sylvia goes to the arms of some popinjay prince!" But I had taken only a step when his hand fell on my shoulder like a piece of steel and whirled me around. There was nothing gentle in his voice this time as he sharply commanded: "Look at me, you damn slacker, and let's see if I'm talking to the man I fought the Boche with!" I must have appeared rather well indignant with him, for he gave a low, reassured laugh, adding: