The Port of Missing Men | Page 9

lose an auditor; and he would, in no circumstances, miss a chance to display the wide circumference of his acquaintance.
"Shirley--Miss Claiborne--allow me to present Mr. Armitage." The young army officer and Armitage then shook hands, and the three men stood for a moment, detained, it seemed, by the old attaché, who had no engagement for the next hour or two and resented the idea of being left alone.
"One always meets Armitage!" declared Singleton. "He knows our America as well as we do--and very well indeed--for an Englishman."
Armitage bowed gravely.
"You make it necessary again for me to disavow any allegiance to the powers that rule Great Britain. I'm really a fair sort of American--I have sometimes told New York people all about--Colorado--Montana--New Mexico!"
His voice and manner were those of a gentleman. His color, as Shirley Claiborne now observed, was that of an outdoors man; she was familiar with it in soldiers and sailors, and knew that it testified to a vigorous and wholesome life.
"Of course you're not English!" exclaimed Singleton, annoyed as he remembered, or thought he did, that Armitage had on some other occasion made the same protest.
"I'm really getting sensitive about it," said Armitage, more to the Claibornes than to Singleton. "But must we all be from somewhere? Is it so melancholy a plight to be a man without a country?"
The mockery in his tone was belied by the good humor in his face; his eyes caught Shirley's passingly, and she smiled at him--it seemed a natural, a perfectly inevitable thing to do. She liked the kind tolerance with which he suffered the babble of Arthur Singleton, whom some one had called an international bore. The young man's dignity was only an expression of self-respect; his appreciation of the exact proprieties resulting from this casual introduction to herself and her brother was perfect. He was already withdrawing. A waiter had followed him with his discarded newspaper--and Armitage took it and idly dropped it on a chair.
"Have you heard the news, Armitage? The Austrian sphinx is here--in this very house!" whispered Singleton impressively.
"Yes; to be sure, Count von Stroebel is here, but he will probably not remain long. The Alps will soon be safe again. I am glad to have met you." He bowed to the Claibornes inclusively, nodded in response to Singleton's promise to look him up later, and left them.
When Shirley and her brother reached their common sitting-room Dick Claiborne laughingly held up the copy of the Neue Freie Presse which Armitage had cast aside at their table.
"Now we shall know!" he declared, unfolding the newspaper.
"Know what, Dick?"
"At least what our friend without a country is so interested in."
He opened the paper, from which half a column had been torn, noted the date, rang the bell, and ordered a copy of the same issue. When it was brought he opened it, found the place, laughed loudly, and passed the sheet over to his sister.
"Oh, Shirley, Shirley! This is almost too much!" he cried, watching her as her eyes swept the article. She turned away to escape his noise, and after a glance threw down the paper in disgust. The article dealt in detail with Austro-Hungarian finances, and fairly bristled with figures and sage conclusions based upon them.
"Isn't that the worst!" exclaimed Shirley, smiling ruefully.
"He's certainly a romantic figure ready to your hand. Probably a bank-clerk who makes European finance his recreation."
"He isn't an Englishman, at any rate. He repudiated the idea with scorn."
"Well, your Mr. Armitage didn't seem so awfully excited at meeting Singleton; but he seemed rather satisfied with your appearance, to put it mildly. I wonder if he had arranged with Singleton to pass by in that purely incidental way, just for the privilege of making your acquaintance!"
"Don't be foolish, Dick. It's unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. But if you should see Mr. Singleton again--"
"Yes--not if I see him _first_!" ejaculated Claiborne.
"Well, you might ask him who Mr. Armitage is. It would be amusing--and satisfying--to know."
Later in the day the old attaché fell upon Claiborne in the smoking-room and stopped to discuss a report that a change was impending in the American State Department. Changes at Washington did not trouble Singleton, who was sure of his tenure. He said as much; and after some further talk, Claiborne remarked:
"Your friend Armitage seems a good sort."
"Oh, yes; a capital talker, and thoroughly well posted in affairs."
"Yes, he seemed interesting. Do you happen to know where he lives--when he's at home?"
"Lord bless you, boy, I don't know anything about Armitage!" spluttered Singleton, with the emphasis so thrown as to imply that of course in any other branch of human knowledge he would be found abundantly qualified to answer questions.
"But you introduced us to him--my sister and me. I assumed--"
"My dear Claiborne, I'm always introducing people! It's my business