THE HEIR TO THE THRONE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10927, 17 November 1913, Page 8

THE HEIR TO THE THRONE.

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CHAPTER .XXVI. ' .f TRBACHEUY. ' was waiting for me at my «!ai .and greeted me as I entered with all;his customary jaunty self-confidence, j '*! am glad you nave come, Sir t&ti. ~I .was half afraid that some scru{)le" might prevent your consenting to isien to me," he said with one of his elaborate flourishing gestures. ■ ''What have you .to tell me?" I asfced • impatiently. ! f'Will you permit ine first to congratulate you upon your »recent escape? " It was a much more serious ■ • 'afifair than you know." •■'!*? You are still bent upon surpris',fng mo by your knowledgo of matters, .1 see." i .-H-Soa have made it more difficult 6>-far-as The Chase ia concerned." V' Yet your information now is about t eome one there. 3 ' •i' he replied, with intense sat.fefaotion, and his. hands and brows ; .jweivb up as he glanced cunningly nt me out of the corners of his oyes. " I -.learn things. For instance, that the , •.betrothal of Countess Ev:ila and I Count Lugo is fixed for tho day after j ; iosbaorrow: that " \ did you learn that?" I cried iiijsurp.rise. j.-/? Enough that I know it and that ' the] same date is fixed for your dismissal from The Chase; also that 'Prince Osca is jibbing dismally at the ' new, code of morality and hankers after ; tjie.'lost fleehpots and is secretly striv-ing-to regain them. Your open deal''ihg is no match for Czech cunning, 4 Sir lan. I am a Czech: and why do 7"oji think I have offered you this information ?" i"''?' Your former reason was plain •enough," said I. drily. - "So you thought, and so I meant yc-Usto think, but " and he wagged bts head with a knowing smile. . '"I presume you want to be paid .nW'as thenP" i presumption, but wrong. , You look on me as a spy, a mercenary, 'a 1 ; tool to be used, paid. and. tossed 'aside. You showed mo that in the <J Vo'lassa affair. If I tell j'ou now that . n;y, motive is to change your opinion, that I am doing this simply because j{, admire you, will you believe me?" ill'smiled. "It might not be easy." ] iv-'And, it would not bo right; but . I/don't Tvant your money." . do you want, then?" .'■;' He shook his head and paused as he .foiled himself- another cigarette with f jmuch deliberation. " I oannot toll '.you, except that it suits my plans." ■"/"Suppose we get to grips, then? ' Xhu tell me in this letter that someone f a£ The Chase is going to sell the pass. \T3bere is only one possible person— Go|unt Lugo. I don't care a hang ' nhout your motives; give me the proofs you mention." . } ,"■ There ,is to be an interview to-day, and I offer you the chance of listening iter all that passes." 1 j >V "I am no spy, Bra'go, and no eaves- '. I replied sharply. , up his hands. "■ You amaae .'tin©'.' This rat of a man attempted your .' life-7-for I tell you that the three men [in'that affair the other day are the most reokless of a reckless crew—and . jyou will not even listen while he he- , faays himself; As if such scruples r could bring you success." .' t "I'H take my chance of. that." • i " Then we must try .the. other plan. j'But first, you will give me-your word (of,.honour not to mention me in any .' |TOaT in the matter." l''f t Yes, I give you my word." • . 'You Trill fcsy© to leave The Chase I because this Lugo will make that-a lebridition of his consenting to the boi.trothal." •- c. ' } ; *f-He may not find it' quite l , so easy ' -as?he thinks to get rid of me.":- , j „" It is part of the arrangement, Sir ,Jan. You would he in the way of his ijplans; a hindranoe, an obstacle, a danger, threatening everything, everything I" ■ j /<■" Go on," I said, as he paused. t. " Men ar© strange creatures, even .such a rat of a man as that.. You have 'made him eager for this marriage, and -. he would go through with it now, even if there were no other inducements. . But there are. You may not know that his estates have been, sequestered, and when he marries Countess Evala they ' srw be restored to him. He is as greedy as.he is secretly dissolute; and , you-can perhaps imagine how much he jwbiild be willing to do for such an ob- , ject." ;. ■'i '"I don't understand you .yet." r '.'To-day he will sign a renunciation ' -{of .all claims to the succession for himtJJßeJE'andl for hie future wife. On the •£'day- he marries her, her own claims twill also be surrendered by him and •"tehe Trill be forced^to agree." ■>:-■ "She will never do it," I declared vrjosftirely. *-.'- .-I- .-*& j c < ..■'■' . V 'He smiled at my enthusiasm. "Then Ehe will cease to he a free woman. (When you leave The Chase, your place afltl those of the men you have there will'be'filled by others of his choosing f— a ll apparently devoted supporters of the cause—but in reality secret agents of the Austrian Government." 7' "The infernal scoundrel," I cried |iuriously. "It is incredible." '"'lt is' absolutely true. The com- . fpaet - will be signed to-day. Do you -.'still say you will not be present?" ' \ -il hesitated, torn between the desire ',tof have the proofs of. this treachery at first hand and) my reluctance to play ;• the spy. The latter feeling prevailed. f".-I .will'find some other way of dealing" ynth. him." y\"l know you}, and anticipated' that • j (decision. Here is a copy of the com,;ipact. It will.be signed at three o'clock : ', ,xhiß afternoon and about half an hour ',- later Count Lugo will leavo the house ,';. TVith his signed copy in his possession. ) jYpu can meet him while., it is in his and what you do afterwards is • your own affair. If you had your car ; £6sr, it would be possible to. take him j 46k straight to The Chase." \ /■ 'I saw l at once the' feasibility of the ;:. suggestion and decided to adopt it. He . gave me the address at whioh the ineetwas to be held —Cromwell Gardens, Kensington—and rose to leave, f ' Jobviously more than pleased at tho result' of our interview. 1 »■""■*' Why is this so much to vou, ' Tfrago?" I asked. ! >i.;'"l cannot " He checked the. j frords suddenly at a thought which ■' brought a flash of light to his eyes and 1 a. cynical smile to his lips. "Because ~ 1, myself am one of Vienna's secret ■ ttgents, Sir Ian"; and before I could ?uestion him he was out of the room. Tie question had given him an oppor- , - tunity for one of those surprises with which he delighted to mystify me. If he was what he declared, why .. • should he have betrayed his employers and have given ine the means of thwarting a scheme which they had devised and in which he himself was apparently taking a responsible part? lit Daffled me. The subtleties of tho 'Czech-mind were indeed beyond me. i I read the document he had left me ' and found that it tallied with what he had told me. It was ingeniously draft- ■ 'ed and,- while providing for the restitution of his estates, it secured his •' btimpliance with the conditions by giv- •' fng him the receipts from, the estates ' Immediately upon his marriage with tution until five years after the Bmdeath. A very effectual.means of compelling him to behave himself. •Then I began to consider how thia fresh act of treachery would affect

1 (By ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT.)

Anther of* When I was Caar," "The Queen's Advocate," »to.ote

Evala herself. "Would it cause Iter to break with him? If so, what would result? H seemed impossible that she would consent to marry him after such an expo&uro; but in that event she must either abandon the scheme altogether or go on witli it alone. (To be continued.)