AN ODD ADVENTURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3351, 4 January 1879, Page 3

AN ODD ADVENTURE.

♦ (The ladies' Treasury.) He certainly was a wonderfully-accom-plished man ; spoke half a dozen languages with ease, sketched, modelled, and I daresay played the German flute (whatever species of the torture-instrument flute that may be), though heaven forbid that I should ever have heard him ! He was not exactly handsome, but something better, exceedingly distingue, and though always simply dressed, very elegant in his attire. His manners wore charming ; I defy the most suspicious person to have resisted him ; and he was one of tho few marvellously informed men I have met whom I could endure to hear talk. A<* for his age, it was impossible to judge. Howover, we set him clown at thirty, and soon became as convinced this was his age as that we were correct in our other theories concerning him. We met him in Barcelona, the pleasantest city, I think, in the whole of Europe, next to Paris. We were stopping at the Oriente, which fronts on the promenade —the Rambla. The table-d'hote numbered always full a hundred guests, and, short of Cairo in January, in no place could one so fully realise the confusion which prevailed at Babel, in the matter of diverse tongues. There is a charming excursion to make from Barcelona, which requires three days to be thoroughly performed, whose bourne is to a grand old monastery, perched on the top of a mountain. And there we found Mr Foster, and he stopped as long as we did, and by the time we again reached the lower earth and the Oriente, we all knew him and each other as well as possible, and he had become the very head and front of the oddly- joined little coterie, and could converse with, each person in liis or her native tongue, though we counted six different nationalities. From the first, I decided in my own mind that he must be a consummate rascal ; lie really was too cultivated and too delightful to be an honest man ! But I kept my belief to myself, and whatever others may have thought, they were equally reticent. The day before we left the monastery, Foster and I wero smoking in the couvt-yavd, when one of tho brothers entered with the bag of letters. A thick packet fell to Foster's share. He glanced at it, and I saw him change colour, but when he noticed that I was looking at him, hi s f nPO vogained at once its ordinary careless, half-weary expression. "I have news," he said; "I shall read while you finish your pipe." He sauntered off to an angle of tho wall, where three cypress-trees stood, opened and perused his letters. Presently he came back, lighting his cigarette as he walkod. " Well," he said abruptly as he reached me, " I shall go down the mountain with you all." 3 "Why, of course," said I. " Not exactly that," returned he, with his half-wistful, half-scornful smile, "but for this letter I should have stopped where I am; do you know, I came up with the intention of making a retreat, and then beginning a novitiate." "What a jolly monk you would have made," laughed I, without the slightest idea that he spoke seriously. He laughed too, yet as I looked in his face I felt— though I knew it was absurd — that he had meant what he said . Well, we sat there and talked of everything on, under, and above the earth, and, as I may say, no doubt much more freely than we should have done to our neighbours and relations, only I gathered nothing whatever which could enable me to place him or his past, though there seemed no intention in his reticence. The next day but one saw us back in Barcelona, and, like the rest of the party, Mr Foster established himself at the Oriente. Just three days passed. One evening a knot of, perhaps, eight or ten of the people who had fallen into the habit of familiar intercourse, were lingering over the dinner-table. The other diners had departed ; four or five of the ho3t of servants who spent their time in falling over each other, more after the fashion of plantation darkeys in old days, than anything else, were occupied in carrying away dishes, and wondering— sometimes in audible tones— if we meant to sit there all night. Foster was the chief talker. Amusing as he always was, he had, that evening, surpassed himself. I never in my life heard so many irresistibly laughable stories as he recounted. He was seated opposite me, and during the last twenty minutes I had noticed a man who Btood leaning against the Avail, back off his chair; noticed him, without taking any special observation, for I supposed him to be one of the servants who understood French and meant to enjoy the droll histories as well as his betters. Then Foster began giving us imitations of famous French and Italian comic actors. " I'll show you how Ronconi used to turn himself into a Sphinx," said he, catching up a couple of table-napkins, and rising as he did so. Very near his seat was a door which led into a square passage, where, during meals, one often saw the servants disappear with plates and dishes ; whether it had an outlet, by which one could get downstairs, I do not know. Foster was about to enter the room, I supposed to arrange his Sphinx business. The man who had been watching was close to the door ; as Foster tried to pass, the strainger laid a hand on his shoulder, and said in Spanish, loud enough for us all to hear — "Do not go out that way, if you please !" As he spoke, he opened the breast of his coat, and 1 caught the shine of the gold badge, which revealed his identity. He was a captain of the secret police. Foster did not betray the slightest sign of agitation or surprise j the mocking smile, so common to his lips, crossed them ; he bowed, and stood still. " Permit me to offer my arm," said the police agent, as courteously as if he had been a grand chamberlain. Without a second's hesitation, Foster complied, turned his head towards us, and bowed — that smile on his lips yet — and there we all sat, mute, and saw him pass down the room in the officer's charge, and disappear into the great corridor which led to the principal staircase. Full three moments elapsed after their departure before anyone of our number moved or spoke. Then a young Englishman said to the man next him, his travelling companion, and the only j two who had ever met before this general encounter at the hotel — "If we mean to see the second act of ' Rigoletto,' we must be off." They rose and walked away. Each man of us who were left looked at his neighbour, and the company in general, with a sudden suspicion in his eyes, as if BHllenly aroused to a belief that ho was the only honest person in tho coterie, and had better get out of it. As soon as. I could collect my bewildered faculties I hurried off, not bo much to escape contaminations as because I wanted, if pos--11 sible, to see more of the drama, whoso open-

ing scene had transpired. before us. Foster's rooms were on that floor, down the same turning as mine, with a staircase of its own conducting into the court below. As I was passing this staircase, I saw the prisoner and his guardian on the lower flight. " Foster ! " I called involuntarily. He looked back. The policeman paused, as if willing to give us an opportunity to speak, but Foster signed him to go on, waved his hand to me in a mute farewell, and they disappeared. A wasted a few seconds in mental debate, then I dashed down the stairs, across the court, into the covered way, which ended in two great doors opening upon the street. A little before me stood Foster, the police agent, and a woman j the woman was clinging to the prisoner with both hands, speaking rapidly, in Russian. I saw him pull himself loose from her hold ; heard him say in French, " I would not listen to you to save my soul ! " She staggered back against the wall and allowed him to pass. I hurried on ; tho woman perceived [me ; called my name ; I stopped. " I saw you with him yesterday," she said ; " you may be human, though you are a man ? Wait a minute, for God's sake." She was covered from head to foot in a Spanish Mantilla, but I could just catch the gleam of the maddest pair of eyes I ever looked into. " Can I be of service to you in any way ?" I asked. "No," she replied, "not to me, but to him !" " Then tell me how— be sure I will do it," said I. "They are taking him to tho military prison. Go and see him there." She paused to catch her breath, and I interposed — " I am a stranger and without influence ; there is slight probability of my being allowed to visit him." " Will you go home with me ?" she broke in ; " come quick ! Give me your p.rin to the corner ; my carriage is there." I complied in silence. Two minutes later we were seated in a covered landau, rolling rolling up the Rambla. Just where the promenade ends in a square, the vehicle stopped before a handsome house. Our five minutes' drive had passed in complete silence. She sprang out and entered the house, and I followed up a flight of stairs. She rang, and we were admitted. We passed through an antc-chauiber into a salon. She threw off her cloak, pushed back cher mantilla, and I beheld one of the most striking women I ever saw in my life. She was tall— perfection in point of form— blonde,, a wealth of bright yellow hair, a face wliich would have been beautiful, but for the sadness of tho mouth, and the wild despairing expression of tho great black eyes. "Sit down, sit down !" she said impatiently. I obeyed. She hurried to an escritoire at the further end of the room, tossed a pile of papers about, wrote a few lines, came back with a packet and a letter in her hand. "Go to General Castrelli," she said, "the address is on the letter ; send it in ;he will see you ! The packet is for him " " Foster ?" "Yes, yes, whatever you call him. The general will give you an order. Go— see him — oh ! I beg your pardon for speaking so — but if you knew ! Not his life- -more than that depends on his reading the packet tonight. They will offer to send him out of Spain. He will accept. Once in France, the Russian authorities will take him. Siberia, he will be sent back to Siberia, and this time he can never escape !" " And who shall I tell Foster sent me ?" She wrung her hands hard together, to try by some physical act for calmness ; her eyes fairly burnt me with their glare. " Nobody. He would turn you out ; let him think friendship, curiosity, anything brought you." " I imderstand !" "Once with him, tear open the packet, put one of the papers in his hand, he will read it them. Do you comprehend, do you know what I want ?" " I think so." "If he dreamed that you came from me, ho woidd not read. Why, I am the woman who had him arrested 1" " Good heavens 1" I exclaimed, involuntarily. " There was no other way," she continued ; " tiiey had written to him that I was here, told him to leave Spain. They thought he would rush over to France at once, and so be caught. It was all I could do, have Castrelli arrest him as a Carlist sympathiser. Oh, my a»<\, how I.tdUti _The juan-will think J. am mad !" " No, no," I cried ; "I understand enough not to blunder. Give me the papers, I will go." I snatched the packet from her passive hand, and had half crossed the room, when her voice stopped me. " Come back," she moaned, "no matter what time it is, come back i" " Yes," I said then I collected my scattered senses, and reflected that I should be foolish to go mad also ; " will they let me in ?" I demanded ; " for whom shall I ask ?" "The Princess Troubiskoff. Oh, I will give the order. Go, for tho love of heaven, go !" And I went. We reachod the General's house, I entered, gave tho domestic my card and the letter. After a brief delay back came the servant and showed me upstairs into a library. At the same instant the General entered from another door. " I am delighted to sec you, Mr Branch," he said, " I know you aro in haste, so I will not detain you. i will send an orderly with you, who will obtain your entrance to the — to Mr Foster." I bowed ; he touched a hand-bell ; in came a young soldier, who had evidently already received his commands, for none were given. So the orderly and I drove to the place where Foster was confined. Foster was seated by tho table, reading a book ; he looked up at the opening of the door, and I saw a gleam of surprised pleasure cross his face. "Upon my word!" cried he, laughing; "you are a perfect modern Don Quixote. The idea of your hunting up a fellow in this den." " Curiosity is a strange passion," returned I, affecting to share his merriment. As lie said nothing, but 'sat looking at me, I felt a little at a loss how to begin my busi- ' ness. "I trust yon will not be annoyed at my coming." said I. "How could I be!" returned he; "but I own lam surprised. 1 did not suppose the man live who would take so much trouble on my account." " I dare say I am not the only person who would take a great deal more," said I. He leaned forward and stared at me. There was a look of suspicion in his face now. "So!" he exclaimed, suddenly, "how the deuce did you get in ?" " General Castrelli sent liis orderly with me." " Vastly polite on the general's part I And by what means did you soften his obdurate military heart ?" " Foster," I said, " you must be convinced by my coming that I have the most friendly feeling towards you — " "Don't!" he interrupted, with his mocking laugh; "if ever a man had reason to pray, ' Deliver me from my friends,' it is I." I took the packet from my coat, and, in ray hurry, forgetting the order given me to tear open the envelope myself, and put one of the papers in his hand, I laid the letter before him on the table. There were a few lines of waiting upon the envelope, I did not see what. He just glanced at them, gave me the most absolutely murderous look I ever received in my life, and, growing livid with rage, he tore the packet into a dozen fragments and flung them on the floor. " There !" he cried ;go back to the woman who sent you, and tell her this new echeine has failed, as any other will do. Man, man, what harm have I ever done you, that you should league yourself with my arch-enemy to work my utter destruction !" " You cannot believe it!" I fairly groaned ; " I never saw tho lady till to-night. She was half mad with suffering; she pleaded v. Ith me to come to you as she might have prayed for her own soul !" " Yes, yes, I was wrong to suspect you. I beg your pardon !" he said, laying his. haud for an instant on mine ; " I thank -you for your intentions— but go back and te£l her 3hc has failed." "If you had only read the, papers !" I cried. '■ My dear fellow," he replied, inlusordnary careless voice, " I kno'.r perfectly well what they contained. I had intimation days ago, when we were at the, monastery, that she was coming " " But if you go ovr.r the border you will be arrested 1" "So she says. "She wants mo to accept prison hero !" I was pleading utterly in tho dark, but everything I could say I did. They were words T/asted, though lie listened in

silence, till I repeated her warning that he would be sent to Siberia again. "Ah," said ho, "so she told you of my experience. Did she tell you who had me sents there ? Why, the fair princess herself ! My dear Branch, I don't wonder that the woman deceived you, but I have known her 100 long ; she cannot deceive me." I tried to speak. He stopped me poliUyv, but firmly. " You must excuse me," he said; "I mix very fired. Oocc more, thanks for coining-* I must bid you good night." Ho raised his voicj and called to the guard; the door opened ; there stood the warden and the orderly, "Light this gentleman down th^ corridor*," was all lie said, look my hand, shook it, gently pushed me out of the room, and shut tho door himself. fTo be contiuued/J