By Neva's Waters.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 70, 21 March 1908, Page 14

By Neva's Waters.

— _ Being- cm Episode of the Secret Hieiojy of Alexander the First, Czar of All the Knssias. BY JOHN R. CABLING. AT7THOK OF ■ SHADOW OT THE CZXB. n "THE VIKING'S SKULL " "THE TTEtED PICTtTEE.'

CHAPTER XX.—Continued. ■ And they had been seen, and that by tn enemy! ■ Death might perhaps have been Wilfrids lot a few days earlier, but the re-establUhment of the British Embassy put a different complexion: upon matters. The Czar, the Court-party, the Ministers, or whoever Marie's mysterious enemies might be. could cot very well arrest the nephew of Great Britain's representative for a fault which, at its worst, was merely an irregular amour; still, bent on compassing hte end. they sought to dispose •of him in a manner speciously fair and open, by getting Prince Ouvaroff the newly expert swordsman, to challenge him to a duel to the death. j Well, that part oi the plot should fail; , the combat had no terrors for Wilfrid. But what of Marie, the Princess of the sorrowful eyes, who in the presence of a •witness iiad given unequivocal proof of .ler love lor an Englishman? She was not a British subject; her liberty and lite , ■were at the mercy of the Russian author- , Jtie?. . Would the royil house to wli;< h ine belonged, pleased ra-her than otnerwise, enjoin that the penalty for her fault must be seclusion for life in a fortress or a nunnery? : Wilfrid's aim w:i.-, to find fie Princess aer.in. and he determined, when he should have found her, not to leave her Bide till he had seen her to a place of safety; and the safest place he could think of just then vrr/3 the British Embassy. True, she *ad already rejected that refuge, but fear, occasioned by the recent incident, might cause a change in fcer resolve. Not more than fifteen minutes had passed since she had fled from the terrace, but in fifteen minutes on-; may do much in the matter of hiding one's self; and the Princess had hidden herself so •effectually that Wilfrid could not find her. though he several times traversed the gardens as well as the ballroom. Although tormented by the fear that she might have fallen into th-s hands of the four hirelings, Wilfrid adopted the more probable conclusion that the Princess had retired altogether from the masquerade. Was it litely that fihe would remain to run the ihance of another meeting with Prince Ouvaroff, of -whom she evidently stood in fear? But no sooner had Wilfrid formed this opinion than he dismised it. The Princess had with her a letter meant for the Czarina. Did she still adhere to her intention of presenting it? Then, unless she knew the secret of the Czarina's costume, she would have to wait till the Empress had publicly disclosed herself at the general unmasking, which was timea to-take-place at two o'clock. - And here again Wilfrid was met by a perplexing thought. Why should the -Princess, presumably a member of the Court circle, choose the occasion of a public masquerade for presenting a letter which, one would think, might have keen more suitably presented in private? And that letter, so she had averred, contained something of vital interest, not only id her awn" welfare, but also to ,Wilwrid:s It- . was.... strange—passing then "so was everything else happening that night. Wilfrid had never known a more mystifying time. • When the hand of the, clock was upon the stroke of two heTepaired to the Hall. of_.Mirrors, and, ascending a gallery, looked down upon the crowd of masked revellers. He hoped in a minute or two to obtain a view of the Czar, and "what was of more interest to him, of the Czarina, in ease the Princess should fee by to present her letter. "But at the general unmasking, when! everybody was looking expectantly round for the Imperial pair. Prince Ku- ! inaroff mounted the. dais and gays out that the pressure of State affairs had prevented the Czar from honouring the masquerade with his presence; a, slight touch of illness had likewise kept the Czarina from attending. Wilfrid wts perhaps the only one present that did not hear this disappointing announcement, his attention at that moment Ijeuig absorbed by a fact of no importance whatever to the thousand and one gTiests. but constituting to him a startling discovery. A moment before the unmasking he had caught sight of Pauline, recognisable- of course by her costume. She was leaning upon the arm of a tall and majestic figure clad in the glittering mail of a Byzantine warrior. Earlier in the evening when first entering the ballroom Wilfrid had noticed the man. and had called Pauline's attention to his splendid and striking costume. The lifting of the mask gave Wilfrid a sort of shock. The Byzantine warrior was none other than Prince Ouvaroff! -- *■ Clearly, then, unless Ouvaroff had changed his costume—a most unlikely event —he could not have been the Crusading knight whom Wilfrid had met upon the terrace. What man was it, then, with whom he tad to fight at eight ia the morning? CHAPTER XXL TGiM; c ■γ-oxext is an emperor" The unmasking of the guests was followed by a simultaneous movement to--wards the supper tables, set forth in an adjoining room, a room searoel ,- inferior in size and grandeur to the Hall of Mirrors. Tormented by the thought of the Prin-' ce=s T Wilfrid was in no trim for eatin°even wffen the far-famei Sumaroff cuisine offered its temptations. Having satisfied himself that neither Marie nor the Crusading knight was among the guests, he withdrew from the palace, having first sent to Pauline a servant with a brief note, in which, .-without stating the cause, he expressed xegret at finding it impossible to escort her home. It was now past two o'clock. He had by eight oi the clock to be at a spot distant six miles from the city, and in tne interval he must find a second, and S'taLr^^ repose - He

Making ma way to the entrance of the Sumaroff Palace, he procured a car and QToye to his hotel, where he changed antique garb for one more mcdeVn and this done, he went off at once to I>ip ■British Embassy, with a view of one oj his uncle's secretaries to act S his second. '•Unless indeed the old hoy himself ■will volunteer, which isn't likely, thought .Wilfrid. '"-He'd be compromising his dioloaiatic office." x On reaching the Embassy, Wilfrid teamed that Jate as-the hour was, the ■"■pid-boy" had not yet gone to bed, but ■was sittins alone in his study.

Making hid way thither Wilfrid found the Ambassador seated at a table, upon which, in addition to cigars and wine,! was a very large parchment with seals ' attached thereto, and bearing every appearance of being an important State I document. 'Touf! windows closed and curtains! drawn this hot July night?" said Wil-i frid, glancing at the heavily-draped case-1 mentß. "Put your head out of the window, and you'll Foon scent the reason. Fontanka Canal below. What do the Russian Go- j vernment mean by putting; mc in this malodorous hole? Egad, they'll have to find mc fresh quarters. See my new Diana over there? Winkleman! Bought it yesterday. Cost seven hundred roubles —think it's worth it?" And. then, seeing Wlifrid's eyes attracted by the document upon the table, he continued. "Ah! the editor of the "Journal de St. Petersbourg" would give much for a copy of this." ""It i> 1 presume *' "A duplicate of the secret Anglo-Kus-1 sian Treaty of Peace. I am studying it for the twentieth time. Must leave no loophole for the enemy to creep through." "The Czar hasn't signed it yet?" "He signs to-morrow night, or raSier,' as it's long past midnight, to-day. And yet," continued the Ambassador, a queer look coming over his face, "and 3'et — who knows? —he may never sign it." "His autocratic Majesty is so change-! able?" I "Xo. but life is. The Czar may be | dead by to-morrow." "For the matter of that s.o may I," j remarked Wilfrid, thinking of the com- j ing duel. "So may you—so may all oJ us." "Ah! but ia the C'zar'3 case there is I a special cause for fear. But there! I'm talking too fast. I mustn't betray State I secrets." This assumption of reticence was a ; mere preliminary to disclosure, as Wilfrid very well knew. The Ambassador j had a tale to unfold, and was burning to unfold it, and, anxious as Wilfrid was ; to get to the subject of the coming duel, 1 he was not unwilling to be a listener, I impressed by his uncle's air of subdued i excitement. "It was told to mc in confidence," continued Lord St. Helens," but I see no j reason why I should not tell you. The story is certain to be public property within four and twenty hours. Well, here it is then. Like the rest of the diplomatic body, I received an invitation to this Sumaroff fete, and looked in for a short time just before supper; and am not sorry at having gone, for there, in spite of his mask, I recognised my friend Panine. He was in a state of great agitation, caused by something he had just heard from Alexander." "Alexander was at the fete, then? "Of course he was." "Prince Sumaroff publicly announced that he wasn't." "Never believe public announcements in Russia. He was there, but retired before supper-time. As you mil' see he had very good reason for wishing to be alone with his thoughts. Talking of Alexander, I suppose you know he was married when only sixteen years old — that is, at an age scarcely capable of forming a just judgment. As a matter of fact he had no voice in the choosing of his wife; she was chosen for him by his grandmother Catharine, and our poor Alexander had no alternative but to obey. "It is obvious that a marriage of this sort, contracted for political reasons merely, cannot yield that happiness arising from a union based on mutual affection. Far be it from mc to speak one word adverse to the young Czarina Elizavetta j she is beautiful, she is enarming, she is eood; but still, you know the remark of the Old Roman to the persons who were praising his wife: 'This to you may seem au excellent sanual,' he said, taking it off. 'I alone know where it pinches.' So of the Czarina. To us s*;e may seem an ideal consort; Alexander alone knows I where the sandal pinches." "It is easy to see to what all this is preliminary." ''Just so. The usual result ■when kings are forced to mate from policy. Our Alexander looks round to find a companion more to his taste." "And the lady's name?" '"Is a secret unknown to Panine, and therefore to mc." "Has the intrigue reached a guilty stage ?—but no, it cannot have-" Lord St. Helens wondered at the husky voice and at the strange *ook with which his nephew put this question. "Panine thinks not. In fact, judging from what happened to-night at the masquerade, it must be inferred that the love is on the Czar's side only." "Why, what did happen?" "A masquerade, as you know, affords excellent facilities for an intrigue. The Czar, aware that his inamorata would be at this fete, determined himself to be present. He cs-me without state, masked, and costumed, and sought eagerly, as we may suppose, for his lady-love, and at last found her." "Alone 1" '■Hardly. She was with another man, ' and —one can scarcely reirain from smiling—the pair were in the act of kissing each other as the Czar came upon them. , "How did you learn this?" "It was witnessed by Panine." "By Panine:" repeated Wilfrid. "lie was meditatively walking amid a grove of trees when he happened to see a lady bestow a kiss upon a gentleman, no unusual occurrence at a masquerade, but this affair begjvn to assume a more serious aspect when there stepped forth into the moonlight a figure whom Panine recognised to be that of the Emperor. At eight of him the lady instantly fled as if in fear, leaving the Emperor and the man together. "An animated conversation followed, inaudible to Panine, who, out of respect, kept his distance, nor did he venture forward till the man had left the Czar's presence. ■" 'Count,' began Alexander—l repeat Panine's words to mc as nearly as I can remember them—'Count, you know that in the abstract I am opposed to duelling; but occasionally it may happen that a gentleman has no other "way of defending his honour. Now there is a certain man who wishes to fight a duel to-morrow As his cause is just, will you do him the favour of acting a s his second?" "Pawne, naturally concluding that the : was the fflan •"Your Majesty's command is mv I pleasure. s m J ■ ond?^ Oa PTolnise to be this man's sec- ! " *Most certainly, Siro. ,

'• 'Look to it, then, that you keep your word/ said Alexander with a face sterner than Panine had ever before seen it, 'for I am the duellist. Honour leaves mc no alternative but to fight. Stop! no words, I pray you. I know beforehand ■what you would say; that, if anyone offends mc, it is within my po-wer to banish, to imprison, to execute the offender. Granted, but that were an ignoble vengeance. None hereafter shall say that Alexander took advantage of his position in order to slay a rival. The man must die, and his death shall come by my hand in fair and open fight. I waive my Imperial prerogative, and meet him a3 one gentleman, when affronted, should meet another. Swords are our weapons, and the duel is to the death. My opponent's nome — let it remain a secret. The rendezvous? Well, that you'll learn when we set out. Be at the palace at seven this morning ready to attend mc. And. as you value your life, not a word of this to anyone.' '•And with that the Emperor strode away."' "Did Tanine tell his tale to any besides you?" '•When I left him he was in doubt whether or not to communicate it to his fellow ministers." ''And he doesn't know who the Czar's opponent is?" "Hasn't the least notion. The man was masked, you see. 7 ' "But his costume should serve to identify him." "It would, if Pauine could remember what the follow wore. I should very much like to know the name of the man. To cut the Czar out in love, and then to stand up to him in a duel! Gad! the fellow must have the audacity of the devil I" '"Audacity, my dear uncle, was always the mark of a Courtenay." For a moment the Ambassador stared blankly at Wilfrid; then the truth burst upon him. "Good God!" he gasped. "You don't mean that—that !" "The Czar's opponent is distant from you by no more than the length of a table." It would not be true to say that Lord St. Helen's hair rose on end," but it very nearly accomplished that feat. "I accepted a challenge to-night." said Wilfrid, '-from a masked stranger, whose anger apparently had been kindled at seeing mc receive a kiss from a certain lady. The fellow refused his name, but from his voice I took him to be Prince Ouvaroff. It se.ems now that I u-as wrong, and that my opponent is a much more august character." Overwhelmed by the startling news, tne Ambasador could do notninc for a few moments but gaze in a sort of speechless terror at his nephew. Finding ills voice at last, he said: "This is a devilishly awkward affair. Let mc Know how it all happened?" Wlfrid related the whole story from quorade, adding.— mas ~ "How was I to know it was the Crar morL ? ?**♦ "* « SSSj w°s Ou vn ft " tOW mc >- est «day that it Ma s Ouvarofls intention to pick a quarrel with mc, and as the stranger had Sparently borrowed Ouvaroff'f voice for the occasion I naturally concluded " Alexander and Ouvaroff are halfbrothers, as you know. Their voices are very similar. Xow, what's to be done in this matter?" continued the Ambassador thoughtfully. "My first care must be to communicate with Panine. It will relieve him to know that the due] will not come off." '•But why shouldn't it come off?" 'Tfour opponent is an emperor." "And we Courtenays are the descendants of emperors. 'Equal to Caesars' is our motto." '"Come! this is mere bravado. You cannot rcaUy be serious in saving you will fight the Czar." ' "The Archangel Gabriel himself, if he came between mc and the woman I love. It is easy to see how matters stand with the Princess. She hates the Czar's addresses, but does not know how to repel them. And diplomatists like you would bid mc stand aside and let him work his libertine will with the sweet lady who loves mc, because, forsooth, he is a Czar, between whom and mc an awful gulf is fixed! Czar mc no Czar! On this condition only will I withdraw, that he hands the Princess over to vie; if not, he fights." (To be continued daily.)