THE QUEEN OF A DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13355, 8 December 1906, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE QUEEN OF A DAY.

BY J. S. FLETCHER. Author of " When Charles the First was Kin?,"" " The Threshing Floor," " Grand Relations/' etc.

[COPYRIGHT.]

CHAPTER XX.—{Continued.

Prince Constajttixe motioned Dr. Pletsch to a chair at the foot of the table—he himself remained standing in stiff, military attitude. He glanced at the Metropolitan. "You all know Dr. Pletach," he said.

"No man in Albanetta, I hear, bears a

greater reputation for integrity. This is not a. court of law, yet if it be thought necessary, reverend father. Dr. Pletsch will take the oath on that copy of the sacred writings which I see you. hold." "No man of any here would doubt Dr. Pletsch's word," said General Miltriovitch, quickly. " Then we will dispense with any cere- ! monv." said Prince Constantine. He turned to Dr. Pletsch. "You will answer

some questions, doctor Dr. Pletsch bowed. "With truth and to the best of my ability, Highness," he replied. "You were household physician to the royal consort of my uncle. His Majesty King Alexander the Sixth?" "I was." " You remember the birth of a daughter to their Majesties':"^ "I do, Highness." " That daughter was the only child their Majesties ever had?" "It was." * "You were present at its birth as physician to the Queen?"

"Yes." " And, of course, you were thoroughly familiar with the appearance of the child then born'.'" "Naturally, Highness, I was." Prince Constantine paused for a second and looked round the circle of deeply-in-terested faces with something of command. "Attend, gentlemen, I beg you, with deep attention to what Dr. Pletsch will now tell you. Doctor, in examining the daughter then born to their Majesties Alexander the Sixth and his royal consort, did you notice anything peculiar in its physical appearance?' Yes, Highness." _ "What was that'"' "On the left arm, two inches above the elbow, there was a mole of considerable size."

"Would that mole ever disappear, Dr. Pletsch V" " Never, sir. If the child be alive the mole will still be there in the situation I have described—naturally,. much increased in size." "That is certain?" "'■'■■'. ... " Certain." He littered the last word with a snap of the lips that suggested absolute finality of conclusion. Prince Constantine looked at the councillors with an air of triumph and turned to Dr. Pletsch again. . . " Last night, doctor, you attended the reception held at the palace here by the young woman whom you see there, and who had been announced as Queen?"

"I did, Highness." " Bearing in . mind the remembrance :of the distinguishing mark which you had noted on the royal infant at whose birth you were present, you, of course, looked for it on the arm of this young woman, whose arms, I think,. were bare?" - -• "I did, sir." "Did you see it?" " Nothere is no mark on the left arm of this lady." "And your conclusion, doctor?" "Naturally, that whoever she may be this lady is "certainly not the child of my late master, Alexander the Sixth. Such a mark as that which I have described to you as being noticeable upon the' arm of the infant Princess Olga could not by any possible means have been removed. - She would carry it to her grave." As she undoubtedly did," said Prince Constantine. " Was it not held, Dr. Pletsch, that the infant Princess perished with her parents?" It was always held so, Highness."

" Your story, Count Varitza, is that the infant Princess was carried off by a devoted adherent who made his way to the royal nursery during the melee and that your protegee is that infant. Is it not eo?" Varitza bowed his head. He was evidently in great perplexity and trouble and he looked like a man who is beginning to struggle with a serious doubt. " That the royal infant was so carried away, Your Highness, I have never doubted. "■ The man who rescued her was, although then but a very young officer, newly attached to the service" and a passionately devoted servant of my late master, and like myself and my colleagues he gave his life to* guarding tin.? lady until-the time should come when we might restore her to her heritage." The old man's tone was so sincere that I believe that for a moment or two Prince Constantine was genuinely impressed. But he presently frowned, and when he spoke it Ava.s in a sharp Tone. His name, Count Varitza'.'"

"There, is no necessity to conceal his name, Highness. He is dead. He afterwards lived under the name of Antonio Romatli, but his veal name was Casimir Miratzkr. He was a lieutenant in the Imperial Guards. There are men there"— |x>intii]£ to the generals—" who will remember him." General Milliiovitch .spoke. "Ves, Miratzkv was commonly supposed I', have been .-lain the time."

"That Mirar/.ky may. have boasted that he carried away the infant Princess from the palace is possible," said Prince Constantine, "but J shall prove to yon that the royal babe undoubtedly perished. I have in attendance, gentlemen, the woman who was in charge of the child on the afternoon whereon its parents and itself were assassinated. She shall tell you her story." He turned to the chamberlain 1 at the door. I observed that whenever he spoke in tones of command bis manner became exceedingly imperious. "Bid the woman come here.''

A woman entered. She was a tall, handsome creature; evidently dressed in the gala costume of Mont alba, and its bright colours set off her dark eyes and hair, her white teeth, her olive complexion. She stood submissive at the door, gazing at Prince Constantine. "Come here, Katinka," he said. I bad a curious intuition that while Dr. Pletsch had spoken the plain truth,' this woman would not be so much to be depended upon. On the face of things, seeing the way in -which she looked at Prince Constantine, seeing the way in which he looked at her, I felt that "he might very easily make her say what he pleased. She walked up to the foot of the table. Dr. Pletech moved his chair back a little to make room for her. Prince Constantine i-poke— never took his eyes from her while his questioning of her went on. "Katinka, you were one of the nurses to the daughter of Has Majesty King Alexander the Sixth?"

" Yes, sir." ' '" Do you remember the afternoon on which the King and Queen were killed?" She moved her head with an expressive gesture. "Yes, sir." " You were in charge of the Princess?" " Yes." " Where were you and the Princess?" "in its sleeping chamber of the day. The other nuises were not there. It was asleep in its bed — 1. sewing, at the side. it was a dull, quiet afternoon. Suddenly there was a great noi.-e in the palace—that part of the palace—not here, sir—where the King, Alexander, Jived. I started up—then one of the womenl cannot remember which—

__ -—-■■~■'■"■'- ;".".■'" ■■■.■ .'"'•":-*;• ■ came f running shrieking. She. said they were killing the King and the Queen —no, they were already dead—and the assassin* were coming this way. . I was frightened. £ a great quantity of : Vugs and sheets over I did not know what to do. Then 1 threw the child's bed* ''hiding if, and ran—hid in ' some of the higher roomsoh! a long time. Later, I went back—the room ...was :, ; all*-'* in confusion—everything overturned and there was blood. And I never saw the . child again, I had thought that perhaps they would not think of looking for It under the things I had thrown over it. But—"*

"Look at that ladythere. You 'saw her last night, too. "Do you think she J* the Princes*? 11 . ■"■' ~. '•:.."■"'•:

The woman frowned—she shook bO head. ...-".'' '.- k

• " No," she said. "I saw her arm. The Queen's child had a bad birthmarkhere. \ It was —there, A mark of size.' I had no doubt by ibis time.leaving Kanaka, quite out ol the question—that" there was some vast mistake here. Dr. Pletsch's evidence had impressed me greatly. Such a mark as that which he had described never disappears—it is there" for life. But—who was Italia?

I looked at her. Thank God!—at that very moment she turned to inc. It was but for a moment. But it served—we both.understood.

Prince Constantino turned again to* th* nun at the door.

"Monsieur Pluehart,'' he commanded. Au alert, fat, consequential little Frenchman entered. He bowed, he turned to Prince Constantino in a business-like fashion. ,"

"M. Pluchart, you are a very famous French detective and have had considerable experience in many cities. Do you know th» young woman who sits there?" M. Pluehart. fixed his regard upon Italia. "But certainly. Your Highness. It is true that. I have only seen her once—six months ago—but she is of a type of beauty which one does not easily forget." His calm, insolent lonefor it was insolent and the more insolent for being so assured—set my blood boiling. I waited. The Prince spoke again. "Where did you see her':" • - "In a cabinet—the Green Spider, in the Montmarire quarter of Paris, Your Highness. It is not of the worst, nor is it of the beet, reputation. She gave an exhibition of pose plastique. Her name—then —Leciiie du Barri."

'"- CHAPTER XXI. s ACROSS THE FROSTIER. " That is not true!' Italia had risen to her feet. She stood iri» dignant. Hushed, outraged, yet proud and dignified as ever, and she gazed steadfastly at the little consequential Frenchman. He, with the faintest semblance of a bow in her direction, lifted « his I eyebrows, shrugged his shoulders a little and turned his face to the Prince. *'•

"That is not true, monsieur!" Italia repeated. " I have resided in Paris for a time with my supposed father, but I have. never given any public exhibition, nor do I know anything of any cabaret in the Moutm.irtrc quarter of the name you mention. It is infamous that you should mako such a charge against me." ..-,,.■ ,

Prince Constantine spoke, disregarding Italia as if she did not exist.

"Monsieur Phichait. I wish you to tell these gentlemen exactly how you came to approach mo on this matter. State tho case clearly in your own fashion," he said. ' » : ; '

Monsieur Pluchart bowed and made: use of his hands in an expressive gesture. v

"Exactly, your Highness. It was in this way. At the lime of the 'announcement of the deposition and death of the late King' Alexis of Montalba I was'in Monte Carlo on, business—Your Highness was also there. I heard presently, as all the world did, of the* remarkable revelation of the fact that the ■ daughter of King Alexander the Sixth still lived and had been carefuly tended for somo years by certain adherents of her late father, with the Count Yaritza. at.,their head.. The story as revealed to the London press, and through it to the Continental newspapers, seemed to me a strange one and well worthy of examination, and .pon reading its details carefully I saw how difficult it would be to establish the claim of the lady who was said to be the veritable Princess \ Olga, and also how easily a pretender might be foisted upon the people of Montalba. But I should probably have paid no further attention to the matter if it had not been that some days later I saw in the London Illustrated itfewa a portrait of the newt Queen— or of the young lady I see here to-day— which was also reproduced in some, of our Parisian journals). I immediately recognised it as the photograph of Leonie du Barri, a young actress whom I had seen; as I have said, at the cabaret of the Green Spider, in Montmartre. a few months previously. I had been particularly struck with the grace and beauty of this young person- and taken great notice of her, and I was i absolutely certain that I confronted her , photograph' in that of which I have just spoken to you. •And upon that, Your Highness,i knowing that if the Princess Olga did not exist, and if this person claiming to be ; Princess Olga, were an impostor, Your Highness was the legitimate successor to the throne of Montalba, I made known to you my conclusions." ; . • - "And, Monsieur Pluchart, I, I believe, said, ' You cannot make an absolute certain-' ty out of a strong likeness between a photo-; graph and a person, did I not? I said, 'One hears so much of doubles and of strange re- > semblances that I should litre more ' evidence* —is it not so?" " Assuredly, Your Highness. And at i your request I came here in your suite inj order to see the lady who declared herself' to lie Queen of Montalba." -- ■ ... .. • "And now you have, Keen her—have had' opportunities of watching her closelyhave [studied her features, figure,, her grace of! movement, you have not the least doubt that she is the young woman. whose performance you witnessed at the Green Spider?" "Not the least. Your Highness. I will stake my professional reputation upon it." « "In that caw. Monsieur Pluchart, your professional reputation will be lost to you. For you are hopelessly in error." • It was Italia who spoke again. And a* she finished speaking she turned to me and» brought me to her side with a look. "This is a lie," she said in English and in! a, low tone. "Or it is a great mistake out, the part of this Frenchman. Remain near meaffect to give me some professional help i if need be, but keep near." _ ; I bowed low, a-! if still ."cknowledging,; her Royal dignity, and pouring out a glasn- 1 fnl of water from a carafe which stood on» the council table I handed it to her '.and remained at her side. Several members of} the council were now talking together. Under cover of their voices we exchanged .ar few sentences. .'" "

'■.""". What do you think of all this!" she in-'. quired anxiously. . • '. '■■ .' . ' "As yet I cannot tell." ,\ '*>,'-: ■•■;.'■■ "What will 'happen?''. &.V. y "That 1 cannot tell either.**- „ ; ' *;• ■ "'There is danger 'i" . , • - - "I fear so." ' ' "'' .-." "At any rate, they cannot harm us. It i* Yaritza's fault. Can he be really mistaken about me? Oh, that we had never come." "The thing is nowhow to get away.; Be bravel will do my utmost to shield you." "I trust you implicitly. And love you always. Listen" Prince Uonstautine's voice broke upon our hurried exchange of words and over the excited conversation of the councillors. v

"There is no time for half-measures," he exclaimed angrily. . "Generals, I must look to you and to the army under you to take' charge of affairs will not be the first. time that the army of Montalba has saved Montalba's honour. I suggest to you that all the persons implicated in this conspiracy should be placed under arrest until a pro-perly-appointed council can deal with the matter, and that for the immediate present ! you yourselves should assume a military directorate." # /■ _, A scene of confusion, which more than once seemed highly likely to develop into one of personal violence, followed. Miltriovitci), who. I was now certain, had been in the Prince's confidence from the first, left the chamber and returned almost immediately with-a. strong body of the Imperial Guards, which must have been posted close, a, hand. Amidst much protestation VarUsa i and his immediate colleagues were arrested ; Italia, with the ladies about her, were • escorted to their apartments by soldiers; my ■■■'•'. mother and I were similarly dismissed to our rooms. That we were prisoners was. made evident to us by the significant fact :, that two soldiers -were 'posted at each of our . doors. ■" ■ - iH-ifi a'o be continued on Saturday, nejtl "' .. : ; ■.•.;;■', . . . -.' :'■_ . ~'• : . ' "\:; : / ■•;;; !'..V,yl;vi'.,.'';'*^•';'^.'A;