RokoffspieduponTarzanalmostconstantly,waitingforthetimethatheshouldcallattheDeCoudepalaceatnight,butinthishewasdoomedtodisappointment。OnseveraloccasionsTarzanaccompaniedthecountesstoherhomeaftertheopera,butheinvariablyleftherattheentrance——muchtothedisgustofthelady’sdevotedbrother。
FindingthatitseemedimpossibletotrapTarzanthroughanyvoluntaryactofhisown,RokoffandPaulvitchputtheirheadstogethertohatchaplanthatwouldtraptheape—maninallthecircumstantialevidenceofacompromisingposition。
FordaystheywatchedthepapersaswellasthemovementsofDeCoudeandTarzan。Atlengththeywererewarded。
AmorningpapermadebriefmentionofasmokerthatwastobegivenonthefollowingeveningbytheGermanminister。
DeCoude’snamewasamongthoseoftheinvitedguests。
Ifheattendedthismeantthathewouldbeabsentfromhishomeuntilaftermidnight。
OnthenightofthebanquetPaulvitchwaitedatthecurbbeforetheresidenceoftheGermanminister,wherehecouldscanthefaceofeachguestthatarrived。HehadnotlongtowaitbeforeDeCoudedescendedfromhiscarandpassedhim。
Thatwasenough。Paulvitchhastenedbacktohisquarters,whereRokoffawaitedhim。Theretheywaiteduntilaftereleven,thenPaulvitchtookdownthereceiveroftheirtelephone。
Hecalledanumber。
\"TheapartmentsofLieutenantD’Arnot?\"heasked,whenhehadobtainedhisconnection。
\"AmessageforMonsieurTarzan,ifhewillbesokindastosteptothetelephone。\"
Foraminutetherewassilence。
\"MonsieurTarzan?\"
\"Ah,yes,monsieur,thisisFrancois——intheserviceoftheCountessdeCoude。PossiblymonsieurdoespoorFrancoisthehonortorecallhim——yes?
\"Yes,monsieur。Ihaveamessage,anurgentmessagefromthecountess。Sheasksthatyouhastentoheratonce——sheisintrouble,monsieur。
\"No,monsieur,poorFrancoisdoesnotknow。ShallI
tellmadamethatmonsieurwillbehereshortly?
\"Thankyou,monsieur。ThegoodGodwillblessyou。\"
PaulvitchhungupthereceiverandturnedtogrinatRokoff。
\"Itwilltakehimthirtyminutestogetthere。IfyoureachtheGermanminister’sinfifteen,DeCoudeshouldarriveathishomeinaboutforty—fiveminutes。Italldependsuponwhetherthefoolwillremainfifteenminutesafterhefindsthatatrickhasbeenplayeduponhim;butunlessIammistakenOlgawillbeloathtolethimgoinsoshortatimeasthat。HereisthenoteforDeCoude。Hasten!\"
PaulvitchlostnotimeinreachingtheGermanminister’s。
Atthedoorhehandedthenotetoafootman。\"ThisisfortheCountdeCoude。Itisveryurgent。Youmustseethatitisplacedinhishandsatonce,\"andhedroppedapieceofsilverintothewillinghandoftheservant。Thenhereturnedtohisquarters。
AmomentlaterDeCoudewasapologizingtohishostashetoreopentheenvelope。Whathereadlefthisfacewhiteandhishandtrembling。
MONSIEURLECOUNTDECOUDE:
Onewhowishestosavethehonorofyournametakesthismeanstowarnyouthatthesanctityofyourhomeisthisminuteinjeopardy。
Acertainmanwhoformonthshasbeenaconstantvisitorthereduringyourabsenceisnowwithyourwife。Ifyougoatoncetoyourcountess’boudoiryouwillfindthemtogether。
AFRIEND。
TwentyminutesafterPaulvitchhadcalledTarzan,RokoffobtainedaconnectionwithOlga’sprivateline。Hermaidansweredthetelephonewhichwasinthecountess’boudoir。
\"Butmadamehasretired,\"saidthemaid,inanswertoRokoff’srequesttospeakwithher。
\"Thisisaveryurgentmessageforthecountess’earsalone,\"repliedRokoff。\"Tellherthatshemustariseandslipsomethingaboutherandcometothetelephone。Ishallcallupagaininfiveminutes。\"Thenhehunguphisreceiver。
AmomentlaterPaulvitchentered。
\"Thecounthasthemessage?\"askedRokoff。
\"Heshouldbeonhiswaytohishomebynow,\"repliedPaulvitch。
\"Good!Myladywillbesittinginherboudoir,verymuchinnegligee,aboutnow。InaminutethefaithfulJacqueswillescortMonsieurTarzanintoherpresencewithoutannouncinghim。
Itwilltakeafewminutesforexplanations。Olgawilllookveryalluringinthefilmycreationthatishernight—
dress,andtheclingingrobewhichbuthalfconcealsthecharmsthattheformerdoesnotconcealatall。Olgawillbesurprised,butnotdispleased。
\"Ifthereisadropofredbloodinthemanthecountwillbreakinuponaveryprettylovesceneinaboutfifteenminutesfromnow。Ithinkwehaveplannedmarvelously,mydearAlexis。LetusgooutanddrinktotheverygoodhealthofMonsieurTarzaninsomeofoldPlancon’sunparalleledabsinth;notforgettingthattheCountdeCoudeisoneofthebestswordsmeninParis,andbyfarthebestshotinallFrance。\"
WhenTarzanreachedOlga’s,Jacqueswasawaitinghimattheentrance。
\"Thisway,Monsieur,\"hesaid,andledthewayupthebroad,marblestaircase。Inanothermomenthehadopenedadoor,and,drawingasideaheavycurtain,obsequiouslybowedTarzanintoadimlylightedapartment。ThenJacquesvanished。
AcrosstheroomfromhimTarzansawOlgaseatedbeforealittledeskonwhichstoodhertelephone。Shewastappingimpatientlyuponthepolishedsurfaceofthedesk。Shehadnotheardhimenter。
\"Olga,\"hesaid,\"whatiswrong?\"
Sheturnedtowardhimwithalittlecryofalarm。
\"Jean!\"shecried。\"Whatareyoudoinghere?
Whoadmittedyou?Whatdoesitmean?\"
Tarzanwasthunderstruck,butinaninstantherealizedapartofthetruth。
\"Thenyoudidnotsendforme,Olga?\"
\"Sendforyouatthistimeofnight?MONDIEU!Jean,doyouthinkthatIamquitemad?\"
\"Francoistelephonedmetocomeatonce;thatyouwereintroubleandwantedme。\"
\"Francois?WhointheworldisFrancois?\"
\"Hesaidthathewasinyourservice。HespokeasthoughIshouldrecallthefact。\"
\"Thereisnoonebythatnameinmyemploy。Someonehasplayedajokeuponyou,Jean,\"andOlgalaughed。
\"Ifearthatitmaybeamostsinister`joke,’Olga,\"hereplied。
\"Thereismorebackofitthanhumor。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?Youdonotthinkthat——\"
\"Whereisthecount?\"heinterrupted。
\"AttheGermanambassador’s。\"
\"Thisisanothermovebyyourestimablebrother。
Tomorrowthecountwillhearofit。Hewillquestiontheservants。Everythingwillpointto——towhatRokoffwishesthecounttothink。\"
\"Thescoundrel!\"criedOlga。Shehadarisen,andcomeclosetoTarzan,whereshestoodlookingupintohisface。
Shewasveryfrightened。Inhereyeswasanexpressionthatthehunterseesinthoseofapoor,terrifieddoe——puzzled——questioning。
Shetrembled,andtosteadyherselfraisedherhandstohisbroadshoulders。\"Whatshallwedo,Jean?\"shewhispered。
\"Itisterrible。TomorrowallPariswillreadofit——hewillseetothat。\"
Herlook,herattitude,herwordswereeloquentoftheage—
oldappealofdefenselesswomantohernaturalprotector——man。
Tarzantookoneofthewarmlittlehandsthatlayonhisbreastinhisownstrongone。Theactwasquiteinvoluntary,andalmostequallysowastheinstinctofprotectionthatthrewashelteringarmaroundthegirl’sshoulders。
Theresultwaselectrical。Neverbeforehadhebeensoclosetoher。Instartledguilttheylookedsuddenlyintoeachother’seyes,andwhereOlgadeCoudeshouldhavebeenstrongshewasweak,forshecreptcloserintotheman’sarms,andclaspedherownabouthisneck。AndTarzanoftheApes?
Hetookthepantingfigureintohismightyarms,andcoveredthehotlipswithkisses。
RaouldeCoudemadehurriedexcusestohishostafterhehadreadthenotehandedhimbytheambassador’sbutler。
Neverafterwardcouldherecallthenatureoftheexcuseshemade。Everythingwasquiteablurtohimuptothetimethathestoodonthethresholdofhisownhome。
Thenhebecameverycool,movingquietlyandwithcaution。
ForsomeinexplicablereasonJacqueshadthedooropenbeforehewashalfwaytothesteps。Itdidnotstrikehimatthetimeasbeingunusual,thoughafterwardheremarkedit。
Verysoftlyhetiptoedupthestairsandalongthegallerytothedoorofhiswife’sboudoir。Inhishandwasaheavywalkingstick——inhisheart,murder。
Olgawasthefirsttoseehim。WithahorrifiedshriekshetoreherselffromTarzan’sarms,andtheape—manturnedjustintimetowardwithhisarmaterrificblowthatDeCoudehadaimedathishead。Once,twice,threetimestheheavystickfellwithlightningrapidity,andeachblowaidedinthetransitionoftheape—manbacktotheprimordial。
Withthelow,gutturalsnarlofthebullapehesprangfortheFrenchman。Thegreatstickwastornfromhisgraspandbrokenintwoasthoughithadbeenmatchwood,tobeflungasideasthenowinfuriatedbeastchargedforhisadversary’sthroat。
OlgadeCoudestoodahorrifiedspectatoroftheterriblescenewhichensuedduringthenextbriefmoment,thenshesprangtowhereTarzanwasmurderingherhusband——
chokingthelifefromhim——shakinghimasaterriermightshakearat。
Franticallyshetoreathisgreathands。\"MotherofGod!\"shecried。\"Youarekillinghim,youarekillinghim!
Oh,Jean,youarekillingmyhusband!\"
Tarzanwasdeafwithrage。Suddenlyhehurledthebodytothefloor,and,placinghisfootupontheupturnedbreast,raisedhishead。ThenthroughthepalaceoftheCountdeCouderangtheawesomechallengeofthebullapethathasmadeakill。Fromcellartoatticthehorridsoundsearchedouttheservants,andleftthemblanchedandtrembling。
Thewomanintheroomsanktoherkneesbesidethebodyofherhusband,andprayed。
SlowlytheredmistfadedfrombeforeTarzan’seyes。
Thingsbegantotakeform——hewasregainingtheperspectiveofcivilizedman。Hiseyesfelluponthefigureofthekneelingwoman。
\"Olga,\"hewhispered。Shelookedup,expectingtoseethemaniacallightofmurderintheeyesaboveher。
Insteadshesawsorrowandcontrition。
\"Oh,Jean!\"shecried。\"Seewhatyouhavedone。Hewasmyhusband。Ilovedhim,andyouhavekilledhim。\"
VerygentlyTarzanraisedthelimpformoftheCountdeCoudeandboreittoacouch。Thenheputhiseartotheman’sbreast。
\"Somebrandy,Olga,\"hesaid。
Shebroughtit,andtogethertheyforceditbetweenhislips。
Presentlyafaintgaspcamefromthewhitelips。
Theheadturned,andDeCoudegroaned。
\"Hewillnotdie,\"saidTarzan。\"ThankGod!\"
\"Whydidyoudoit,Jean?\"sheasked。
\"Idonotknow。Hestruckme,andIwentmad。Ihaveseentheapesofmytribedothesamething。Ihavenevertoldyoumystory,Olga。Itwouldhavebeenbetterhadyouknownit——thismightnothavehappened。Ineversawmyfather。
TheonlymotherIknewwasaferociousshe—ape。UntilIwasfifteenIhadneverseenahumanbeing。IwastwentybeforeIsawawhiteman。AlittlemorethanayearagoIwasanakedbeastofpreyinanAfricanjungle。
\"Donotjudgemetooharshly。Twoyearsistooshortatimeinwhichtoattempttoworkthechangeinanindividualthatithastakencountlessagestoaccomplishinthewhiterace。\"
\"Idonotjudgeatall,Jean。Thefaultismine。
Youmustgonow——hemustnotfindyouherewhenheregainsconsciousness。Good—by。\"
ItwasasorrowfulTarzanwhowalkedwithbowedheadfromthepalaceoftheCountdeCoude。
Onceoutsidehisthoughtstookdefiniteshape,totheendthattwentyminuteslaterheenteredapolicestationnotfarfromtheRueMaule。Herehesoonfoundoneoftheofficerswithwhomhehadhadtheencounterseveralweeksprevious。Thepolicemanwasgenuinelygladtoseeagainthemanwhohadsoroughlyhandledhim。AfteramomentofconversationTarzanaskedifhehadeverheardofNikolasRokofforAlexisPaulvitch。
\"Veryoften,indeed,monsieur。Eachhasapolicerecord,andwhilethereisnothingchargedagainstthemnow,wemakeitapointtoknowprettywellwheretheymaybefoundshouldtheoccasiondemand。Itisonlythesameprecautionthatwetakewitheveryknowncriminal。Whydoesmonsieurask?\"
\"Theyareknowntome,\"repliedTarzan。\"IwishtoseeMonsieurRokoffonalittlematterofbusiness。IfyoucandirectmetohislodgingsIshallappreciateit。\"
Afewminuteslaterhebadethepolicemanadieu,and,withaslipofpaperinhispocketbearingacertainaddressinasemirespectablequarter,hewalkedbrisklytowardthenearesttaxistand。
RokoffandPaulvitchhadreturnedtotheirrooms,andweresittingtalkingovertheprobableoutcomeoftheevening’sevents。TheyhadtelephonedtotheofficesoftwoofthemorningpapersfromwhichtheymomentarilyexpectedrepresentativestohearthefirstreportofthescandalthatwastostirsocialParisonthemorrow。
Aheavystepsoundedonthestairway。\"Ah,butthesenewspapermenareprompt,\"exclaimedRokoff,andasaknockfelluponthedooroftheirroom:\"Enter,monsieur。\"
ThesmileofwelcomefrozeupontheRussian’sfaceashelookedintothehard,grayeyesofhisvisitor。
\"Nameofaname!\"heshouted,springingtohisfeet,\"Whatbringsyouhere!\"
\"Sitdown!\"saidTarzan,solowthatthemencouldbarelycatchthewords,butinatonethatbroughtRokofftohischair,andkeptPaulvitchinhis。
\"Youknowwhathasbroughtmehere,\"hecontinued,inthesamelowtone。\"Itshouldbetokillyou,butbecauseyouareOlgadeCoude’sbrotherIshallnotdothat——now。
\"Ishallgiveyouachanceforyourlives。Paulvitchdoesnotcountmuch——heismerelyastupid,foolishlittletool,andsoIshallnotkillhimsolongasIpermityoutolive。
BeforeIleaveyoutwoaliveinthisroomyouwillhavedonetwothings。Thefirstwillbetowriteafullconfessionofyourconnectionwithtonight’splot——andsignit。
\"Thesecondwillbetopromisemeuponpainofdeaththatyouwillpermitnowordofthisaffairtogetintothenewspapers。
Ifyoudonotdoboth,neitherofyouwillbealivewhenI
passnextthroughthatdoorway。Doyouunderstand?\"
And,withoutwaitingforareply:\"Makehaste;thereisinkbeforeyou,andpaperandapen。\"
Rokoffassumedatruculentair,attemptingbybravadotoshowhowlittlehefearedTarzan’sthreats。Aninstantlaterhefelttheape—man’ssteelfingersathisthroat,andPaulvitch,whoattemptedtododgethemandreachthedoor,wasliftedcompletelyoffthefloor,andhurledsenselessintoacorner。WhenRokoffcommencedtoblackenaboutthefaceTarzanreleasedhisholdandshovedthefellowbackintohischair。AfteramomentofcoughingRokoffsatsullenlyglaringatthemanstandingoppositehim。PresentlyPaulvitchcametohimself,andlimpedpainfullybacktohischairatTarzan’scommand。
\"Nowwrite,\"saidtheape—man。\"IfitisnecessarytohandleyouagainIshallnotbesolenient。\"
Rokoffpickedupapenandcommencedtowrite。
\"Seethatyouomitnodetail,andthatyoumentioneveryname,\"cautionedTarzan。
Presentlytherewasaknockatthedoor。\"Enter,\"saidTarzan。
Adapperyoungmancamein。\"IamfromtheMATIN,\"
heannounced。\"IunderstandthatMonsieurRokoffhasastoryforme。\"
\"Thenyouaremistaken,monsieur,\"repliedTarzan。
\"Youhavenostoryforpublication,haveyou,mydearNikolas。\"
Rokofflookedupfromhiswritingwithanuglyscowluponhisface。
\"No,\"hegrowled,\"Ihavenostoryforpublication——now。\"
\"Norever,mydearNikolas,\"andthereporterdidnotseethenastylightintheape—man’seye;butNikolasRokoffdid。
\"Norever,\"herepeatedhastily。
\"Itistoobadthatmonsieurhasbeentroubled,\"saidTarzan,turningtothenewspaperman。\"Ibidmonsieurgoodevening,\"andhebowedthedapperyoungmanoutoftheroom,andclosedthedoorinhisface。
AnhourlaterTarzan,witharatherbulkymanuscriptinhiscoatpocket,turnedatthedoorleadingfromRokoff’sroom。
\"WereIyouIshouldleaveFrance,\"hesaid,\"forsoonerorlaterIshallfindanexcusetokillyouthatwillnotinanywaycompromiseyoursister。\"
Chapter6
ADuelD’ArnotwasasleepwhenTarzanenteredtheirapartmentsafterleavingRokoff’s。Tarzandidnotdisturbhim,butthefollowingmorninghenarratedthehappeningsofthepreviousevening,omittingnotasingledetail。
\"WhatafoolIhavebeen,\"heconcluded。\"DeCoudeandhiswifewerebothmyfriends。HowhaveIreturnedtheirfriendship?BarelydidIescapemurderingthecount。Ihavecastastigmaonthenameofagoodwoman。ItisveryprobablethatIhavebrokenupahappyhome。\"
\"DoyouloveOlgadeCoude?\"askedD’Arnot。
\"WereInotpositivethatshedoesnotlovemeIcouldnotansweryourquestion,Paul;butwithoutdisloyaltytoherI
tellyouthatIdonotloveher,nordoessheloveme。Foraninstantwewerethevictimsofasuddenmadness——itwasnotlove——anditwouldhaveleftus,unharmed,assuddenlyasithadcomeuponuseventhoughDeCoudehadnotreturned。
Asyouknow,Ihavehadlittleexperienceofwomen。OlgadeCoudeisverybeautiful;that,andthedimlightandtheseductivesurroundings,andtheappealofthedefenselessforprotection,mighthavebeenresistedbyamorecivilizedman,butmycivilizationisnotevenskindeep——itdoesnotgodeeperthanmyclothes。
\"Parisisnoplaceforme。Iwillbutcontinuetostumbleintomoreandmoreseriouspitfalls。Theman—maderestrictionsareirksome。IfeelalwaysthatIamaprisoner。
Icannotendureit,myfriend,andsoIthinkthatIshallgobacktomyownjungle,andleadthelifethatGodintendedthatIshouldleadwhenHeputmethere。\"
\"Donottakeitsotoheart,Jean,\"respondedD’Arnot。
\"Youhaveacquittedyourselfmuchbetterthanmost`civilized’menwouldhaveundersimilarcircumstances。
AstoleavingParisatthistime,IratherthinkthatRaouldeCoudemaybeexpectedtohavesomethingtosayonthatsubjectbeforelong。\"
NorwasD’Arnotmistaken。AweeklateronMonsieurFlaubertwasannouncedabouteleveninthemorning,asD’ArnotandTarzanwerebreakfasting。MonsieurFlaubertwasanimpressivelypolitegentleman。WithmanylowbowshedeliveredMonsieurleCountdeCoude’schallengetoMonsieurTarzan。
WouldmonsieurbesoverykindastoarrangetohaveafriendmeetMonsieurFlaubertatasearlyanhourasconvenient,thatthedetailsmightbearrangedtothemutualsatisfactionofallconcerned?
Certainly。MonsieurTarzanwouldbedelightedtoplacehisinterestsunreservedlyinthehandsofhisfriend,LieutenantD’Arnot。AndsoitwasarrangedthatD’ArnotwastocallonMonsieurFlaubertattwothatafternoon,andthepoliteMonsieurFlaubert,withmanybows,leftthem。
WhentheywereagainaloneD’ArnotlookedquizzicallyatTarzan。
\"Well?\"hesaid。
\"NowtomysinsImustaddmurder,orelsemyselfbekilled,\"
saidTarzan。\"Iamprogressingrapidlyinthewaysofmycivilizedbrothers。\"
\"Whatweaponsshallyouselect?\"askedD’Arnot。
\"DeCoudeisaccreditedwithbeingamasterwiththesword,andasplendidshot。\"
\"Imightthenchoosepoisonedarrowsattwentypaces,orspearsatthesamedistance,\"laughedTarzan。
\"Makeitpistols,Paul。\"
\"Hewillkillyou,Jean。\"
\"Ihavenodoubtofit,\"repliedTarzan。\"Imustdiesomeday。\"
\"Wehadbettermakeitswords,\"saidD’Arnot。\"Hewillbesatisfiedwithwoundingyou,andthereislessdangerofamortalwound。\"
\"Pistols,\"saidTarzan,withfinality。
D’Arnottriedtoarguehimoutofit,butwithoutavail,sopistolsitwas。
D’ArnotreturnedfromhisconferencewithMonsieurFlaubertshortlyafterfour。
\"Itisallarranged,\"hesaid。\"Everythingissatisfactory。
Tomorrowmorningatdaylight——thereisasecludedspotontheroadnotfarfromEtamps。ForsomepersonalreasonMonsieurFlaubertpreferredit。Ididnotdemur。\"
\"Good!\"wasTarzan’sonlycomment。Hedidnotrefertothematteragainevenindirectly。Thatnighthewroteseverallettersbeforeheretired。AftersealingandaddressingthemheplacedthemallinanenvelopeaddressedtoD’Arnot。
AsheundressedD’Arnotheardhimhummingamusic—hallditty。
TheFrenchmansworeunderhisbreath。Hewasveryunhappy,forhewaspositivethatwhenthesunrosethenextmorningitwouldlookdownuponadeadTarzan。ItgrateduponhimtoseeTarzansounconcerned。
\"Thisisamostuncivilizedhourforpeopletokilleachother,\"remarkedtheape—manwhenhehadbeenroutedoutofacomfortablebedintheblacknessoftheearlymorninghours。
Hehadsleptwell,andsoitseemedthathisheadscarcelytouchedthepillowerehismandeferentiallyarousedhim。
HisremarkwasaddressedtoD’Arnot,whostoodfullydressedinthedoorwayofTarzan’sbedroom。
D’Arnothadscarcelysleptatallduringthenight。Hewasnervous,andthereforeinclinedtobeirritable。
\"Ipresumeyousleptlikeababyallnight,\"hesaid。
Tarzanlaughed。\"Fromyourtone,Paul,Iinferthatyouratherharborthefactagainstme。Icouldnothelpit,really。\"
\"No,Jean;itisnotthat,\"repliedD’Arnot,himselfsmiling。\"Butyoutaketheentirematterwithsuchinfernalindifference——itisexasperating。Onewouldthinkthatyouweregoingouttoshootatatarget,ratherthantofaceoneofthebestshotsinFrance。\"
Tarzanshruggedhisshoulders。\"Iamgoingouttoexpiateagreatwrong,Paul。Averynecessaryfeatureoftheexpiationisthemarksmanshipofmyopponent。Wherefore,then,shouldIbedissatisfied?HaveyounotyourselftoldmethatCountdeCoudeisasplendidmarksman?\"
\"Youmeanthatyouhopetobekilled?\"exclaimedD’Arnot,inhorror。
\"IcannotsaythatIhopetobe;butyoumustadmitthatthereislittlereasontobelievethatIshallnotbekilled。\"
HadD’Arnotknownthethingthatwasintheape—man’smind——thathadbeeninhismindalmostfromthefirstintimationthatDeCoudewouldcallhimtoaccountonthefieldofhonor——hewouldhavebeenevenmorehorrifiedthanhewas。
InsilencetheyenteredD’Arnot’sgreatcar,andinsimilarsilencetheyspedoverthedimroadthatleadstoEtamps。Eachmanwasoccupiedwithhisownthoughts。
D’Arnot’swereverymournful,forhewasgenuinelyfondofTarzan。Thegreatfriendshipwhichhadsprungupbetweenthesetwomenwhoselivesandtraininghadbeensowidelydifferenthadbutbeenstrengthenedbyassociation,fortheywerebothmentowhomthesamehighidealsofmanhood,ofpersonalcourage,andofhonorappealedwithequalforce。
Theycouldunderstandoneanother,andeachcouldbeproudofthefriendshipoftheother。
TarzanoftheApeswaswrappedinthoughtsofthepast;
pleasantmemoriesofthehappieroccasionsofhislostjunglelife。Herecalledthecountlessboyhoodhoursthathehadspentcross—leggeduponthetableinhisdeadfather’scabin,hislittlebrownbodybentoveroneofthefascinatingpicturebooksfromwhich,unaided,hehadgleanedthesecretoftheprintedlanguagelongbeforethesoundsofhumanspeechfelluponhisears。AsmileofcontentmentsoftenedhisstrongfaceashethoughtofthatdayofdaysthathehadhadalonewithJanePorterintheheartofhisprimevalforest。
Presentlyhisreminiscenceswerebrokeninuponbythestoppingofthecar——theywereattheirdestination。