By Neva's Waters.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 69, 20 March 1908, Page 6

By Neva's Waters.

Being an Episode of the Secret History of Alexander- the First, Czar of All the Kassias.

BY JOHN R. CABLING. AUTHOR OF •*THB SHADOW OF THB-CZAB." t -THfc-"yn*lHG'S-«KUEE '" *** JWaTOBB. *

CHAPTER XIX (continued.) The Duchess's story cast light upon some matters hitherto dark; it explained, for example, her recognition of him at the inn of the Silver Birch.

And she had kept his miniature for more than eight years, ever since she was a girl of fourteen! It was upon her breast now! Was that its .isual place? If so, and if the fact had become known to BaranofT, it would explain why that minister had concluded that the Duchess must be in love with Wilfrid; if love, a seemingly hopeless case, since it was not probable that she would ever meet again the man that had Scived her life. Did she often look at the portrait within the locket? he wondered. And now that tKe original was beside her, with what sentiments did she regard him? Gratitude for saving her life? Gratitude deep and sincere, but nothing more? Wilfrid made up his mind that he would find out that very night. "Question one having been answered in full," he smiled, "there comes question two—your name?" "1 should like first to hear whom you think mc to be? You must have formed some notion."

pression almost suggested the wild fancy that there had risen from out the foliage the head of Medusa, whose chilling stare could turn the beholder to stone. Something of her feeling communicated itself to Wilfrid; for a few seconds he stood, still holding the Princess in his arms, scarcely daring to turn lest he should see same awful apparition at his elbow. CHAPTER XX. WILFRID RECEIVES A CHALLENGE. When at last Wilfrid did turn his head he beheld a tall masked figure, motionless, silent, watchful, the very Crusader who had glanced angrily at him in the ballroom.

Xow when, one gentleman comes upon another in the act of kissing a lady, politeness suggests immediate retirement on the part of the first. But this was a course the intruder did not take; instead, he kept his grouqd as if he had come there for no other purpose than to watch the pair, manifestly indifferent as to whether his presence caused embarrassment or not.

Wilfrid could have slain him without the least compunction.

Here was a lovely princess, clinging to his embrace, listening to his love avowal, and lo! the charming situation must come to an end —for a time at least— by reason of the new-comer's clownishness!

"Am I right in supposing that you are a grand-daughter of the Czar Iran VI.?"

The Duchess received this question with a merry laugh, the first Wilfrid had heard from her, a laugh so rippling and sweet that he was sorry when it iiad ceased. "What gave you that idea?" she asked. "A paragraph in the English Times'," replied Wilfrid, repeating the passage; for, under the belief that it referred to the Duchess, it had been no task, but a pleasure, to learn it by heart.

As he withdrew one arm from the Princess she made a movement as if to flee.

"Stay, Princess," he whispered. "Do not go. You are safe with mc. Do you know this man? Who is he?"

"And you took mc to be the lady meant? Sho never had any existence. If you had seen the "Times" just a week later you would have found that same correspondent withdrawing the story aa an idle rumour, and apologising to his English readers for having led them astray. A grand-daughter of Ivan! 1 have not a drop of Muscovite blood in my veins. 1 am as you are—a foreigner in Russia."

Somehow 'Wilfrid was pleased to thin* that she was of a nationality Other than Rnss, although he.- statement increased his perplexity, since, as fhe was not connected by blood with the Imperial house of Romanoff, how came she to be politically so great, as she undoubtedly was, according to the account both of hersrlf mid of JJarannff? W.is r-.li> , a.

member of some other rnynl noii*p r[ Europe, and being, for some re.i-on or other, viewed with jealousy by th • reigning head: hn 1 she been sent into a sort of quasi-banishnieiit to the |{iis*iiin Court, whose orders were to exercise a strict supervision over her conduct, rind, above all. to see that she did not fall in love? Why would she not explain and end nil this mystery? "I was born Princess Marie,"' she continued, "and Princess Marie is ihe name. I love, and the name my friends still call mc by." "Then you shall be Princess Marie to mc. and " lie paused. The clock-tower of the SumarofF Palace chimed the hour. "One o'clock!" said Princess Marie— to use the name favoured by her—speaking with a sort of dismay in her voice. "I have stayed too long. 1 must return, Lord Courtenay. will you escort mo to the ballroom, and there—there we must part.' , "Part! We have but just met. If we part, when are we to meet again?' , "Never. 1 fear." "Never is a hard word.' , "Do you think it is not hard for xr.e to say it?" murmured the Princess, us shp rose to her feet, evidently bent on going. "Stay. Princess. You have not yot redeemed all your promise. There i° your present name, and—the—the kiss." "You will not let mc off?' , "I kept my word. Princess. Will you not keep yours?"' As Wilfrid rose to his fi>«>t she le-c-'i!ed a pace or two with h;inds put forward as if to keep him off. "'What pleasure will you have in » kiss given on compulsion?"' "Shall you give the kiss then, from no other feeling than to get rid of the duty?" "In what other spirit should I give "If the Princess can give only a reluctant kiss, let her give non-j rit all." Princess Marie hesitated a moment. "I—l will keep my promise," she said. "But not—not here—on the open terrace. There—in the shadows. It is death if—if we are seen!"' Wilfrid took her little hand—how it trembled!—within his own. led he,- across the terrace, and stood Ijpsulj her under t)-.p gloom of (he pine tree^.

She seemed too frightened to make reply; she glanced, now to the right and now to the left, along the moonlit terrace, apparently deliberating which way to flee; finally, with a strength born of despair, she suddenly broke away, and before the surprised Wilfrid could stop her, Princess Marie was lost to view among the darkness of the pines. For a moment Wilfrid hesitated whether to follow or not, but as running off might look like cowardice, he chose to remain, and turned upon the Crusader, with whom he was now doubly angry.

The new-comer moved forward from the shadow of the trees, and. with an air of dignity, now stood in the clear moonlight, looking at the other as if requiring from him an explanation of his real conduct. "Qualifying for tho spy service, sir?' , he asked." '"I am told 'tis a remunerative profession." -in dealing with dishonourable person?." was the reply, "nice rules of courtesy must be laid aside." Wilfrid was convinced that the speaker was Ouvaroff. and that, for some reason or olhor. the Prince was seeking ti> disguise his voice.

It was not so much the voice, howpver, to which he pave heed as to the words. Dishonourable? As Wilfrid recalled the Princess's sweet face and innocent eyes, still greater grew his anger against the man who thus ventured to charpe her with culpability. "Dishonourable, ray eavesdropper!" he repeated with a dangerous gleam in his eye. 'I said the word. sir." "To whom do you apply it —to mc or to the lady? -, "To both." " Tis a word you ehall -withdraw, or justify." "Tlie lady's Inst action justifies it. If innocent why flee? Slip, knows mc, and knowing, dares not face mc. , " "In knowing you she has the advantage of mc. Let mc declare myself. I am an Englishman—Viscount Courtenay; my face you may see," and as he spoke Wilfrid removed his mask. "May 1 ask for a similar return on your part?" For though Wilfrid had little doubt that the other was OuvarofT, still the lifting of the mask would bring certainty. "Is it possible that you do not recognise me?"' "Can your eyes sec through a silk mask ?" The Crusader hesitated for a moment. "You do not know mc? It is well!" lie seemed to derive eatisfaction from Wilfrid's failure to identify him. "Tomorrow morning you shall set my face and learn my name." "'And why not to-night, my Crusader?" "It is my pleasure for the present to reserve my identity." "But how if it be mine to know it now? How if I do not choose to wait till the morning? How if I take off your mask and compel you at the sword's point to reveal your name?" ''You are welcome to try." responded the other, moving backward a pace or two to prevent Wilfrid from snatching off his mask. "Good! Got the right sort of stuff in him," thought Wilfrid as hp saw the other grasp his sword-hilt and prepare to defend himself. "In the morning." continued the stranger, "when you shall have learned my name you will readily acknowledge that I have si satisfactory reason for preserving to-night, my incognito."'

'Mt was not stipulated tint, you should wenr ;■ musk," paid ho. Mm will-drew her vizard, rovuLii? her beautiful face, made mor ■ beautiful by fie Bwwl c.our that. nii".,l -J it, She looked round on all sirbs to make sure U.at no onp was wiMiin tight. Salis;lc(l Hint they were alone, she turned t . Wilfrid. Never had he. so irctiMed :is nt this moment when ilio Princess set ler hands lightly upon RhouMcre anJ Inol-rd him full in rhe fac; with eye* that, striving to Jbe bo'rt, were yet full of timidity. li'-.r lovdv face drew ne-ir to his; lie eaugM the fragrance of her breath: theilips met in a kiss, given on her part with a warmth that could sprint; from but onp feeling. The tender glance of her dark-blue eyes told him as plainly as words, what place he held in her heart. Moved by an uncontrollable impulse he clasped her in his arms. She did not resent the !ie'.: O n; on the contrary she clung to him in that wild, sweet, thrilling embrace that comes but or.cc in a life-time. "Princrss!" he whispered in a vo're trembling with emotion, "you love mc —is it not so? J will 7iot let you go back to your old life. \ou must come with mc " "Oh, no. no!" she gasped, seeking <o unwind his arms. "My (iod! what am 1 doing? Lord Oourtenay—let mc go— do not tempt me—this-this cannot be!" , "Why not?" She gave a wild laugh. "You would not ask, if you knew, rae. lam the "

"Egad, you arc. very mysterious, my one-time friend."' thought Wilfrid. "Nothing would give mc greater pleasure,"' continued the other, '"than to cross swords with you here and now, but tha-t in so doing we should be abusing the hospitality of our princely host, Sumaroff. Moreover, the clash of our steel is certain to draw around us a crowd who would seek to stop our fighting; ■'and," added he, -with a grim and deadly earnestness, "when we have once begun there must be no stopping till we mako an end.' .

In Wilfrid's opinion Ouvaroff must have attained considerable proficiency in swordsmanship to hold language such as this. Always having a respect for the man willing to fight, he replied with a bow—

"Be it so; since you wish it, retain your mask and your incognito, which," added he to himself, "is no incognito." Aloud he. continued. "Your desire to cross swords with mc meets with a ready response. May T point out, however, that it is somewhat unusual to invite a. man to a flncl without assigning due cause. You have not yet justified your reflection on my honour."

The words suddenly froze on her lips. Wilfrid, gazing upon her face, saw its loveliness distorted by a terrible change. With blanched cheek and open mouth she was staring at something or somebody behind him. Her st:ang.; set ex-

"Honour!" sneered the. other in a voaice quivering with suppressed passion. "Honour! Are clandestine meetings consistent with the honour of an English gentleman? You meet—" He looked cautiously round as he spoke—"Let her be nameless, for who knows what ears may be within hearing? You meet her secretly at midnight in the Michaelovski Palace; you meet her with kisses and embraces at this masquerade; you are eeen leaving her. bedchamber in the ion

at Gora. You, who have brought shame upon her—do you talk of honour?" Through, the holes of his mask the man's eyes glowed like fire; a great rage seemed to hold him. He "fingered his sword-hilt, as if longing to hurl himself upon Wilfrid and end his life there and then, with out troubling to wait for the morning. As for Wilfrid, the words of the other fell upon him with the shock of a thunderbolt, filling him with a dreadful dismay, not so much on his own account as on Marie's. What had hitherto been a haunting suspicion was now converted to a black truth; the bedchamber incident was known to Ouvaroff, might be known to others! All innocent as the Princess was, the finger of scorn would now be pointed at her as one fallen from maiden purity. And the bitterest thought of all was there seemed no way of refuting -The slander. Vain would it be for him or for her to deny. The mocking nobility reared in the tainted atmosphere of Catharine's Court, and accustomed to measure others by their own standard, would accept as true neither his word nor that of the Princess. She was branded with the mark of shame, and the cause of it was himself—Wilfrid Courtenay! Well, h<? would have one satisfaction at least, the satisfaction of seeing the i original traducer fall dead at his feet, for he would slay him in the morning. "The fight cannot come too soon," he said, between his set teeth. "You have cast a black slander on an innocent lady, and by Heaven! you die for it." "Innocent! Am I to take the kisses and embraces of to-night as proofs of innocence?" "Why should not the lady kiss mc if she choose?" The other drew a breath of amazement, and for a few moments stared, as if he doubted whether there was not something wrong with Wilfrid's mental condition. "You speak thus, knowing who the. lady is?" "Your pardon, I do not know who the lady is. I am under no obligation to offer explanations to you, sir, but this much may be tendered, that I know the lady only by the name of Princess Marie —a. name that conveys no meaning to mc." Wilfrid did not ask the other to enlighten him in any way respecting the Princess; in his present haughty mood he would take no" favours from him. The Crusader looked at Wilfrid as if doubting his statement. "Can this be Jrue?" he muttered. "It might not be, were I a Russian prince." As if confronted with some new and startling problem, the man turned aside and took a few steps to and fro before he spoke again. '•Your statement sounds so improbable that I may well hesitate to accept it. It the lady" has not. told you her name — if you have been acting in ignorance of her rank—then is the guilt h,ers, and not yours. Nay," he added in a milder tone. "I am ready to withdraw my reflections upon your honour." | '•You are very good. But if I am i honourable how can the lady be dishonourable?" "That will be seen in the morning." '•Before the duel, I trust?" "Why, truly," said the other with a sifTiincant smile, "you will hardly be in a condition to apprehend an explanation after the duel." "That's to be seen. But methinks you arc somewhat inconsistent, for, surely in admitting—"as you have admitted—that mv honour is stainless, you have, from your point of view, removed all cause for the duel?"

"So one might think," returned the other, who seemed to be growing more calm." but it is not so. Matters are in a fairer state than 1 had thought them. This scandal may yet be kept quiet; it need not become the talk of Europe. None the. less. Lord Courtenay, you must pay the penalty of your daring. You have dfjno—unwittingly it is true—that which can be atoned for only by death."

"Where shall the place of our meeting be?" asked Wilfrid with some impatience, for he was eager to hasten after the Princess. "You know the Viborg Road running northwards from the city? Good! A little way beyond the eight verst-post on the right-hand side of the road is a path leading to a small glade. At eight o'clock —seven hours from now —I shall be there, attended by a friend. And you?" "Will not be a laggard in seeking the spot. And our weapons?" "The choice belongs to you as the challenged." Wilfred, mindful of Ouvaroff's recent devotion to swordmanship, and willing to accommodate him in the matter, made the reply— 'What say you to swords of three feet?" "Accepted," said the other with evident satisfaction in his tone. "My second shall bring the weapons with him. A doctor," he added significantly, "we sha'l not require." "If you will put that last remark In the singular," said Wilfrid, "I shall have no fault to find with it. Why, matters being thus arranged, we need not prolong this interview. The. rendezvous, a glade near the eighth verst-post on the Viborg Road; the time, eight o'clock. Till then, farewell."

j With that Wilfrid turned away, in an agony of suspense as to what might have happened to the Princess should she have come within ken of the four liveried hirelingp. And now for the first time he began to realise -what a tool he had been in the hands of Count Baranoff. He had done the very thing that Baranoff wanted. His coming into Russia with the chivalrous purpese of defending a lady from the wicked intrigues of that minister had ended in compromising her name and imperilling her safety! She had given him the kiss of love in spite of her belief, "It is death, if we are seen!" (To be continued daily.) _ .