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ALADDIN IN LONDON

FER GUS

LON DON

AfND CHARLES

189-2;

CONTENTS.

CRAFTER PAGE

I. CUPID UP To DATEII . DE STINYIII . BAGDAD IN THE WESTIV. AN EXTRAORDINARY COINCIDENCE .

V. THE TALISMANVI . JAN SHAHVII . THE ANGER OF MAJOR MEASURBY

VIII . THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE RUNS SMOOTHA TREATY WITH THE ENEMY

XI . THE MAJOR MAKES A PROPOSALPLEASURE AND POLITICS

XIII. CON SPIRACYXIV. HILDA GIVES HER OPIN IONXV. A MIDN IGHT MEETINGXVI. THE ORIENTAL EXPRESSXVII . VILLA TVARTKO

XVIII . THE KEYS OF ST. PETERA MODERN PATRIOTTHE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

XXI . N EW RIN G S FOR OLDXXII . THE STORM BREAKSXXIII . SAUVE Om PEUT

BOOT AND SADDLETHE POWER OF THE R ING

XXVI . SAN CTUARY

XXVII . DOWN WITH THE REPUBLIC

vi CONTENTS

ALADDIN IN LONDON .

CHAPTER I.

CUPID UP TO DATE .

IN no way do I w ish to force your inclinations,my dear Hilda,

” said Lord Kenny , taking up hisfavourite position on the hearthrug.

“ I simply pointout to you that Sir Richard is rich and Mr . Dacreis poor. Your common sense should tell you whichto choose .

Common sense says the former,my heart the

latter ,”answered Hilda sadly .

Then take the advi ce of common senseAnd by doing so

,ruin my life .

”

Egad, if you choose Dacre you’ll ruin mine

,

rej oined his lordship easily. We ar e as poor as Job ,my dear girl, but hardly so patient . If you do notmarry money, the Havard family, as represented byme

,will become hopelessly insolvent .We have been nothing else but insolvent , papa,

since I left the schoolroom .

”

Oh Ilong before that, my child, long before that .Do not blame me, but your grandf ather ! He wasthe Regent ’s friend, and that friendship cost him his

fortune. He left me nothing but his extravaganttastes , Without the means of gratify ing them .

”

2 ALADDIN IN LONDON.

But you have gratified them all the same .

I adm it it, I admit it, said her father airily ;the force of habit, my dear child, nothing more .

What is bred in the bone,you kn ow. One cannot

be the son of a duke and have the tastes of a ploughman . I ’m a great believer in heredity , Hilda.

Oh yes ! The duke w as fond of the turf ; so am

I . He liked to buy whateve r pleased him ; so

do I ! What between this hereditary failing and

your grandf ather ’ s extravagance, things have formany years been very unpleasant, in a pecrmiary

sense .

The Hon . Hilda Havard leaned forward and

re sted her elbows on her knees, a position which

shocked Lord Kenny mightily.

“ My dear Hilda, remember your father is present . Ah, that is better ,

”as she lay back w eari in

her chair . “r

ell , as I w as say ing, he resumedwith a smile “ by the way, Hilda, w hat w as Isaying ?”

I don ’t know, papa. Never mind that. Whatis it you w ish me to do 17

“ I“

ll put it in a nutshell . Accept Sir RichardDenham .

Has he spoken to you ?My dear child , they have both spoken to me ,

said Havard , glancing at his watch .

“ They paidme and you the compliment of asking me to permitthem to pay their addresses to Miss Hilda Havard,— in other words , they wish to make proposals ofmarriage . I gave them both permission .

”

Hilda started angrily from her chair.

C UPID UP TO DATE . 3

Papa, you surely did not do such a thing.

Why not ?” replied Lord Kenny

,trifling with

his eye-glass . “ It ’

s strictly private and confiden

tial, and I w ished to give you your free choice .Dacre is coming to -day, Denham to-morrow. I knewyou could not stand two proposals in one day, so Iput them as f ar apart as was possible.

”

He was such an utterly selfish old man that hecould not see but that he had acted in the mostdelicate manner . It never occurred to his frivolousmin d that he was placing his daughter in an extr emely unpleasant position. Hilda did not try toundeceive him . She kn ew her father too well.

You might have told Mr. Dacre that you hadother views , and so spared me the pain of refusingthe man I love, she said , walking across to the window, deeply wounded by her father

’ s want of consideration .

N O ! I wish to let you choose for yourself , saidthe old beau complacently. Marry whichever youplease . I should prefer Denham as a son- in - law ,

myself .

“ And I should prefer Wilf red Dacre as a husband,

” retorted Hilda coldly. I do not know whyyou keep up this pretence of free-will. Your ideais that I should marry Sir Richard, and yet you pretend that I can choose either. It ’

s Hobson ’s

choice .

Oh dear, dear , what an extremely vulgar expression

,murmur ed his lordship in an annoyed tone .

I beg of you,Hilda, to recollect that your father is

present . Your language grates on my ear . What is

4 ALADDIN IN LONDON .

the matter ? ” he added sharply, seeing her drawback from the window.

Mr. Dacre is at the door ! she replied in a lowtone .

“ Is he, indeed !” said Lord Kenny jocularly .

Happy the wooing that ’s not long a doing. Send

him about his business,Hilda. Remember what is

at stake . E ither you must accept Sir R ichard’ sOffer or the name of Kenneth Havard will f ig ure inthe Bankruptcy Court .”

“ I will remember, she murmured, as he ad

vanced to embrace her . No ! do not kiss me,

father .

“ Hilda, this emotion is extremely ill -bred, r e

plied Lord Kenny with great dignity .

“ However,

your suitor is on the stair, so I have no time toargu e the matter. Good—bye f ur the present, mychild , and remember I give you a free choice Of a

husband .

Hilda w as so disgusted w ith her f ather’s hypo

cr isv that she could only bow her head in token ofacquiescence

,and Lord Kenny, satisfied that she

would carry out his instructions,left the room with

a benign smile . On the. w ay down to the hall , hemet “r

ilf rcd coming up the stairs , and paused topress his hand with great cordiality .

You have my best wishes , Mr. Dacre , he saidpolitely. It is true I had other views for mydaughter, but Hilda. shall choose for herself . Ye s .

she shall choose for herself .”

Thank you , Lord Kenny . I know you ar e myf r ienc .

”

CUPID UP TO DATE . 5

Then they parted with mutual good will , \Vilf r edgoing up to the drawing- room

,Lord Kenny down to

his club . As he walked along the street , he smiledto himself with great satisfaction , and never gave athought to the refined cruelty of the whole affair.

hand of iron in a velvet glove,” he said exult

ingly ; that is what Hilda needs . Had I not man

aged things so delicately, She would have marriedDacre in spite of me . As it is , I am afraid there isno chance of his becoming my son - in- law .

”

Meanwhile \\7 ilf r ed, much elated by Lord Kenny’ s kind manner, had entered the drawing- roomwith a joyful sense of coming victory. Hilda, hav ingrecovered her usual manner, advanced to meet himwith an artificial smile . Luckily, the blinds weredow n

, and he could not see the look of pain in hereyes . All he beheld was this beautiful, queenlywoman Whom he worshipped

,and, ignorant of Lord

Kenny’ s tricky diplomacv , he felt confident hewould leave the room her accepted lover.On her side Hilda w as suf f ering agonies . She

loved Wilf red Dacre with the whole strength of hernature, and in any other case would have acceptedhim at once . Her father, however , with cruel in

genuity , had placed her, so to speak , on her honour

by casting the burden of hi s pecu niary helplessnesson her shoulders, and she resolved to sacrifice herself for his benefit at the cost of her own happiness .

IVhen she saw the happy smile on VVilf r ed’

s face,she nearly broke dow n, but steeling herself to theordeal , asked him to be seated, in conventional tones,which she hardly recognized as her own .

6 ALAD DIN IN LONDON.

IVilf red, however, w as too anxious to know his fateto waste any time in idle conversation , and, crossingover to her side

,took her hands in his own .

Hilda. he said , looking at her downcast face ,you can sure ly guess my errand here to - day .

He expected she w ould lift her face and let himsee the lov e - light in her eyes , but she neither movednor spoke. Like a statue of stone she stood beforehim with drooping head ; and marking this apathy,a sudden dread entered his heart. Finely strungnatur es such as his , intuitively forecast the future ;and in spite of a desperate e f fort to look on thebright side of things , he felt that he must be prepared for the worst.You cannot m isunderstand me , he whispered i n

an agitated tone ; “ you must know how I love you.

For months I have worshipped you in silence, but

dared not speak because of my poverty. N ow thingschanged. I am able in all honour to ask you to

become my wife .

”

“That do you mean ? asked Hilda, a gleam ofhope in her eyes .I mean that I love you ! he said w ith feverish

earnestness .Yes but your position ? she faltered

,looking

at him anxiouslyMy pos ition said “

Y

ilf r ed in a satisfied toneof voice Ah ! that is quite altered and for thebetter . Up to yesterday I w as an idle pauper w ithjust enough to keep body and soul together . I hadmoney when my parents died, but with the folly ofyouth I r an through my inheritance . That was be

CUPID UP TO DATE . 7

fore I saw you , else I might have been more careful .When you came into my life , I was too poor to askyou in marriage , so I went to an old friend of myfather

’

s who has much political influence . He,last

week, Obtained for me an appointment to a consulship in Cuba, and I have come to ask you to shareit with me . It is not a great position

,but it may

be the prelude to better things .Hilda ’ s face fell as he spoke . Her momentary

dream vanished , for she well knew that her fatherwould never consent to such a penurious match. Inthe eyes Of Lord Kenny, the post of a consul in a

distant island would be nothing— worse than nothing, seeing it entailed absence from England . Forherself she would have been glad to share such exilewith the man she loved , but Lord Kenny had placedher duty clearly before her, and against her ow n in

clination She was forced to obey. With a smilingface W ilf red waited to hear her exclamation of j oyat hi s good news , but to his dismay She shr ank fromhis embrac e and flung herself sobbing into a chair.The reaction was too great , and, much as she stroveto preserve her calm, all the woman in her revolted

against the unnatural repression demanded by con

v entionality .

Much alarmed, Wilfred knelt beside her, and

strove with fond endearments to restore her cheerfulness but she pushed him away, crying the morebitterly as she thought of the pain She was about toinfl ict on this devout lover.My dear Hilda, what is the matter ? said Wil

fred,pained and perplexed at this strange behaviour.


I thought you would be pleased at such goodnews .”

It is good to you,but not to me, sobbed Hilda,

trying to control her hysteria .

“ I am very sorry ,

Mr Dacre— IVilf r ed ,but — but I cannot marry

you .

Oh ! surely you do not mean that ," said IVilf r ed

doubting the evidence of his own ears . I knowyou love me You would not have listened sopatiently did you not love me .

By this time Hilda had recovered herself , and,

with a pale , set face , spoke the words which had beenput into her month by her father. The eff ort wasgreat, but the necessity w as greater, and she utteredthem w ith painful deliberation .

I cannot marry you ,Wilfred . It is impossible .But you love me , Hilda Ah

,never deny it . I

can see love in your eyes .Yes ! I do love you , she replied in a low tone,

suffering him to take her hand, but for my father ’ssake I dare not become your w ife .

”

Your father ? ” echoed Dacre in surprise .

Why , only now on the stairs he gave me his bestwishes .

”

Hilda ’s lips curled w ith disdain .

What he says and what he thinks ar e two verydif f erent things . He wants me to marry Sir RichardDenham .

Impossible, said IVilf r ed, turning pale with

emotion .

“ He gave me permission to pay my ad

dresses .”

“ That is because he wished to leave me free

C UPID UP To DATE . 9

choice , replied Hilda in an ironical tone, the purport Of which was quite lost on her auditor.

III that case you will marry me,

” he exclaimedj oyfully .

“ You do not love Denham, and you do

love me .

“ For God ’s sake, do not speak any more , shecried, rising quickly. I cannot marry you, Wilfred . Go ! go ! and leave me .

”

TO marry Denham said the young man

fiercely.

“ I will not. You shall not marry thatman .

”

I did not say I was going to marry him .

“ Not in words, perhaps , but you mean to do so .

Oh,” he cried, covering his face with his hands , I

cannot believe it .”

Hilda noiselessly flitted across the room . She

could not bear to witness the distress of her lover,and , but for the desire to keep up her womanly dignity , would have told him of her father

’s treachery.

Letting his hands f all idly by his side , he heaved a

sigh and looked gloomily at the floor. For the moment W ilfred was puzzled how to act, as he couldnot but see that Hilda’s refusal was based on noreasonable grounds . In fact, she gave no reasonwhatever for her refusal, and yet she declared sheloved him dearly. It was impossible to reconcileher actions with her words, and he felt greatly per

plexed as to what was the best course to pursue .Whi le thus thinking, a low sob sounded through

the room, and he lifted his eyes to see Hilda leaning

against the wall in a half fainting condition . In a

moment he was by her side .


Hilda he said calmly, without a trace of passion in his tone, “ let us talk over this matterquietly.

She bowed her hea d and sufi er ed herself to be ledback to her chair.I cannot believe you ar e a coquette, said Wil

fred deliberately, yet thi s sudden refusal almostpersuades me that you ar e . For the last f ew monthsI have been your Shadow and you did not discour agemy attentions . I cannot off er you wealth, yet I can

give you love and comfort . If you ar e the woman Ibelieve you to be, you will become my wife ; ifnotHilda looked up in alarm as he paused for an ln

stant .If not she faltered .

God knows T” replied Dacre gloomily. Youwill perhaps have a ruined life laid to your charge .”

It is cowardly to talk in such a manner,

” shesaid indigna ntly. If I could marry you I would

,

but it is impossible . You k now it is impossible,

”

she cried, with angry insistence. My father expeets me to make a good match, and I dare not disobey him.

Your father leaves you free to choose.Hilda tw isted her hands together in hopeless de

spair. Duty to her father forbade her to tell thetruth, so she evaded a direct an swer.Please go , Mr. Dacre , and ask me no more

questions .”

“ I will not go, and I will ask questions,he r e

joined sternly.

“ N o woman has a right to play with

CUPID UP TO DATE . 1 1

a man’

s heart as y ou have done . What do youthink my life will be without you ? Betrayed by awoman , can I ever believe in your sex again ? Ifyou

Oh ! she cried, clenching her hands , ceaseyour reproaches . Is it easier for me than it is fory ou ? You su ffer, I also suf fer. I love you dearlyI would give up the world for you, but I am not freeto follow my inclination .

“T

ilf r ed looked at her with much perplexity .

Oh,if you were only rich ,

” she cried in despair .For myself

,I care not for money, but I must con

sider my father.”

You evidently do not consider me .

Unjust ! unjust D o I not owe my first duty to

mv father ?

Not when it concerns your life'

s happiness .

She wrung her hands In bitter sorrow.

Oh ! how cruel a man can be . You think only of

vour self , not of me . If your life is ruined, whatof mine ? Do you deem for a moment that moneywill mend my broken heart ? I would tell you all,

but I dare not .”

All what ? ”

She made no answer .

Do you know what I intend to do he said reso

lutely .I intend to ask Lord Kenny the meaning

of this mystery . You refuse me an explanation .

He will not dare to do so .

”

W ilf redHe had nearly reached the door, but on hearing

that appealing cry, looked back with a frown . Her


ums were outstretched, as to take him to her breastand all his anger vanishing at the sight, he sprangback to her side .

“ VIy darling ! my poor darling !” he whispered,

holding her tightly to his heart. I do not blameyou . I have been harsh and cruel to speak as Ihave done ; but think what your refusal means tome . I will not accept your answer of to -day . At

once I will see your father, and if he freely consentsto our marriage

“ I will marry no one but you , she whispered , in

ter rupting him hurriedly He w ants me to becomethe wife of Sir Richard Denham , but I will neverconsent . He shall not wreck our happiness for hisself ish pleasure . I owe a duty to you— to myself ,as well as to him . Go and see him,

W ilfred, and tellhim all. He must consent in the end. GO ! Go !Wilf red pressed a kiss on her lips , and, not trust

ing him self to speak , r an quickly out of the room .

Hilda hastened to the window and saw him walkrapidly down the street , then , in a state of utterexhaustion, went to her room to lie down . The o r

deal had been too much for her, and, torn by conflic ting doubts , she did not know how to act . Her father,her lover, —it w as impossible to Obey both ; and

the more she thought over the s ituation the moreperplexing (lid it become . Despite the transparentselfishness Of Lord Kenny ’s character, his daughterloved him dearly ; and unfortunately her spirit wastoo we ak to stand against his strong will . She w as

no Amazon to fight her own battles , but a tender andloving woman , with many of the weaknesses of a

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age , and had fully made up his mind that Ilf r ed

should not come Of f best in the encounter. Dacrew as y«_umg and hot- tempered , Lord Kenny cooland diplomatic , sO he had little doubt but that theresult would be in his favour . Havard, however, didnot know the temper of his adversary, and foundhim more of a match than he expected . But whatcould unthinking youth do against thoughtful age,especially when the latter was selfi sh and unscrupu

lous in the extreme ?

“f ell , my dear fellow,began his lordship

suavely, when they were seated in the smokingI'

Oom, and what is it you wish to say ?”

I asked Miss Havard to be my wife, and she hasrefused me .”

I am deeply sorry, Dacre , but I cannot interfere .You had my best wishes , you know.

”

Yes ! I believe I had ,” replied lVilf r ed ironi

cally, but they did not do me much good. Itis no use beating about the bush, Lord Kenny. Iknow too much to take your daughter’ s refusalseriously.

”

I am at a loss to understand your meaning, sir.That is not imposs ible . However, I can easily

make it clear . Miss Havard love s me and wouldmarry me but for you .

But for me 3” said Lord Kenny w ith well actedsurprise . My dear sir , why bring me into the matter My daughter’ s choice rests with herself .”

Oh no , it does n’

t . She did not explain hermeaning at any great length , but from what shesaid I gathered that you wish her to make a richmarriage.”

CUPID UP TO DATE . 1 5

Every father wishes to do the best he can forhis child , returned Lord Kenny evasively.

“ As

a matter of fact , you must admit you ar e not wellOf f

I have the Offer of a consulship in Cuba !

Good Lord ! ” said Havard indignantly . Doyou think for a moment, Mr . Dacre , that I willpermit my daughter to go to Cuba !

It ’ s a very pleasant island ,” stamm ered VVil

fred, fin ding himself at some disadvantage , for he

could not but be aware that his offer sounded veryf ar from tempting .

“ A yellow- fever island , corrected Lord Kennyw ith great disdain .

“ Let us speak plainly, Mr.Dacre . I gave you permission to ask my daughterto be your wife . She has refused you ; so , as a gen

tleman , you must retire .

”

In favour Of a wealthier suitor, I suppose , saidDacre , with an angry flush on his face .

Precisely You see I treat you with frankness .

And would you sacrifice your daughter’ s happi

ness for a wealthy match , my lord ?That , sir,

”said the other with great hauteur ,

“ isnot a question for you to ask .

”

Decidedly, W ilfred was getting the worst of the

argument, and in a despairing mood looked piteously

at the impenetrable old gentleman .

“ If you only kn ew how I love her, he groaned,burying his face in his hands .

“ Pooh I All young men ar e like that, said LordKenny indulgently.

“ I was in love half a dozen

times myself when I was a boy .


I am twenty-fiv e years of age . You can hardlycall that boyish, retorted W ilfred rather nettled .

I have had my half loves , as the French call them ,

but this is the love of my life . If I lose Hilda mylife is ru ined .

”

Not a bit of it, Mr. Dacre . You ’ll soon forgetall about her in Cuba.

”

I am not going to Cuba .

Pardon me I understood you to say youwere

Not now. I only accepted the appointmentbecause I hoped your daughter w ould be my wife ;but now ah it is useless to me .

”

Then what do you intend to do ?GO to the devilLord Kenny frowned and arose from his seat with

great dignity.

“ I do not care about hearing such language,Mr .

Dacre ; so , if you permit me , I will retire .

”

Is there no hope ? ”

asked “Tilf r ed appealingly.

Not in the least.” answered the peer frankly.

It is no use, my deceiving you, Mr . Dacre . I wishmy daughter to make a rich marriage, and all my influence will be used to induce her to do so .

”

She may risk your anger and marry me .

She will not do that , nor do I think that as a

gentleman you can ask her to do so . After tod ay Iam afraid our acquaintance must cease .

”

I suppose so,” said Wilfred disconsolatelv ,

“ butit is very hard on me .

So you think now, but y ou will soon get over it.Go to Cuba, and if you don

’t die of yellow fever,

C UPID UP To DATE . 1 7

you will marry some one f ar more suited to you thanHilda w ould be .”

Never I will live and die a single man. Is itonly on the ground of poverty that you object to meas a son- in- law ?

Yes , I think so . I have never heard anythingagainst your character, replied Lord Kenny bemgnly . If you were rich I would not mind themarriage at all, but as it i sHis lordship shrugged his shoulders to express his

inability to complete the sentence, and walked of f .

At the door , however, he glanced back, and, seeinghow utterly dejected the young man looked

, re

turned with slow dignity. He w as a selfish oldpagan , but for the moment he remembered that healso had been in Arcady, and laid his hand kindlyon Dacre ’ s shoulder .

Come come sir, be a man . There are as

good fish in the sea as ever came out of it.”

W ilf red shook the hand impatiently of f hisshoulder.

“ I shall not give up all hope yet , he mutteredbetween his teeth .

“ It will be wiser for you to do so . Unless,added Lord Kenny, looking over his shoulder, “ youfind the lamp of Aladdin .

”

He went out chuckling as though he had made

an excellent joke, and II’ ilf r ed sat miserably in his

chair .Then he wrote a letter to Hilda telling of

the failure of his mission and beseeching her to betrue to him . He sent this on to Curzon Street by a

18 iLADD IN IN LONDON .

messenger,

the reply,any , 130

I won give up all he saidfinished.

“ There 5 many a

spoken in jest. Iafter all .

CHAPTER II.

D ESTIN Y.

AT the age of twenty-five a man ’s character ishardly formed . It is true that to a keen observerthe indications of futurity are there

,but

,vague and

uncertain as they ar e, it is difficult to foresee what

shape they will u ltimately assume . A rake may r e

form to sobriety and sense , the sedate youth may inmiddle age fall into the snares of dissipation ; butwith the generality of men this change for the betteror the worse takes place between twenty and twentyfive . That the child is the father Of the man isundoubtedly true in the main, but there is a

space between these two extremes in which thecharacter resolves itself into chaos . The worldof childhood is overwhelmed by the awakened passions of puberty, which rage unrestrained duringthe period of adolescence, and it is out of thisincoherence that the new heavens and earth ofmaturity ar e formed . The will now growingstronger controls the passions according to the inherent nature of the being , and, sending them in theself - desired direction , thus creates , so to speak , thethinking and doing individual as he is to exist, tilldeath once more changes his entity into we k nownot what .


In some cases this crisis takes place earlier , inothers later , but for the generality of mankind ithappens at the age above stated . “

r

ilf r ed, the refore ,w as at the most critical point of this dangerous age ,and the c ircumstances Of love and poverty formedpowerful factors in the settlement of his fate . Un

fortunately, he had no one in whose experience hecould find guidance. In addition to this he w as

gif ted with the curse Of a highly imaginative nature.

Such a spirit sees the world in a more exaggeratedlight than the ordinary man . A fanciful mindendues everything w ith non - existing attributes , andcan see miracles where the more phlegmatic tem

perament beholds only the common—place. Thepossessor Of such a dangerous faculty feels theextremes of j oy and pain . Gifted with an almostspiritual insight

,he extracts delights and sorrows

alike from trivialities , and so creates for himselfan ideal world uncomprehended by the averagemind. In that ideal world he is supremely happy ;but contact w ith actuality , by jarring the delicacyof his mind, inflicts on him pains as keenly feltas ar e his pleasures . Such beings ar e out ofplace in the world of to - day ,

where ev erythingis measured by the hard- and - fast rule of what iscalled common sense , and they lead a life of alternate ecstasy and torture w hich brings them early tothe grave .

With such a nature , Ilf r ed w as apt to over esti

mate all things , and with’ him disappointment meant

despair. Thus his interview with Lord Kenny threwhim into the slough of despond

, and what many a


summ er' madnes s of youth, though he ne ver lookedat the matter in that light . Worked up into a

perfect frenzy by fancied wrongs which in hisdistempered mind assumed gigantic proportionswithout a thought of the sin he was about to commit,he loaded his pistol . III another moment this madman would have been lying dead on the floor , whena sharp knock at the door brought him down withharsh insistence from the world of fantasy to that offact. W ith an ejaculation the reverse of complimentary, he pushed the w eapon under some loosepapers on the table , and went to see who had disturbed him at so critical a moment .His visitor proved to be Major Measurby , with

whom he had made an engagement to go to thetheatre that evening, an engagement which hadentirely escaped his memory .

Upon my w ord , Dacre , you ar e treating me in a

very shabby manner," said the major

,who w as an

extremely irascible individual . I have been waiting at the club for quite half an hour

, and never asight Of you did I see .

”

Why , what is the matter ?” stammered IVilf r ed,

whose brain was gradually cooling down .

“ hIatter l echoed hleasurby , taking a chair ;“ why, have n

’t w e a box at the Curta in Theatreto - night ? ”

Oh, the theatre , replied IVilf r ed mechanically.

I— I beg your pardon , Major,but I quite forgot

the engagement .”

\Yl1at’

s the matter with you,Dacre said the

maj or in an astonished tone ; your face is as paleas a ghost, man . Have you had bad news ? ”

D E STIN r 23

NO,” replied Wilfred shortly, I have not .

Ah then it‘

s debtsNoNo ? Then there must be a woman in the

Nonsense ! ” retorted Wilfred sharply : it hasnothing to do with a woman .

”

Well, if it’

s none of the three, what makes youso wild looking ?

I have a headache .

M ajor Measurby laughed derisively, and placed hiselbows on the table in order to make some ironicalreply. III doing so he disarranged the papers andcaught sight of the pistol, whereat the expressionof his face changed . Dacre , seeing he was foundout

,dropped into his chair with a g

roan and coveredhis face with his hands . Measurby looked at him

for a few moments in silence , as he did not wellknow what to say . An awkward pause ensuedbut the maj or, accustomed in his adventurous life toact promptly in emergencies , was the first to recoverhimself. He saw that there w as a spirit- stand onthe sideboard, and speedily poured out a glass ofbrandy, with which he

'

approached W ilf red .

“ Here,my boy,

” he said in a persuasive tone, j ustdrink this up and then we will talk matters over. Imay be able to help you .

”

W ilfred , utterly broken down by the strain ofthe day ’ s events , did as he was ordered, and, havingplaced the empty glass on the table, looked inquiringly at the major. That old campaigner hadthrown of f his cloak and resumed his seat, from


w hence he regarded Dacre in a very critical manner .

Knowing W ilfred ’ s excitable nature , he gave himtime to recover himself ; and for fully two minutesthey sat looking at one another in silence .

Come now ,my boy

,what is the meaning of all

this ? he said , at length , laying his hand on Wilfred’s

knee .

“ Nothing that I can tell you, replied Dacre, inno wise prepared to make a confidant of the maj or .

“ And why not ? ‘ Open confession is good forthe soul

,

’ said Measu rby in a j oking tone ; thenmore seriously, My dear Dacre . I have no wish toforce your confidence , but , believe me, I may be ofmore use to you than you think . I arrived, youmust admit, at a very opportune moment . Thisshows me,

” continued the maj or emphatically, thatyou ar e influenced by me,— in other words, that Ihave been led to you by Fate .

”

“ By Fate reiterated Wilfred , with a smile ofdisdain surely you don ’t believe in that rubbish .

Is it rubbish ? asked M easu rby calmly. TheWest says ‘ yes ,

’ the East says‘ no .

’ I prefer tobelieve in the latter.”

Then you ar e a fatalis t .

I am . That comes of having lived so long inAsia. The doctrines Of Islam hav e coloured mylife. I beli eve . that all our actions are under thecontrol of the deity called Fate.

“ Then your coming here, according to your

theory,w as fated.

“ It w as . Had I not arrived here to the second,

you would now be dead.

DESTIN Y . 25

Only a coincidence .

A coincidence which Show s me that I havebeen brought into your life to help you in yourtroubles .”

You cannot do that , unless you give me a

fortune .

”

“T ell , I may perhaps be able to do so, repliedthe maj or serenely. Come make me your fatherconfessor .

”

W ilfred hesitated . This conversation was alreadyinfluencing his mind, as he w as in that state of indecision when men catch at straws . At such momentsthe ordinary currents of life are diverted by chancecircumstances into other channels, andWilfred, witha thrill of superstition, felt that this conversationwould decide the course of his future life. W ith hisimaginative mind, he was prone to superstition, andw as more af f ected by it than he cared to admit .Measurby had arrived so pat to the moment whenhe was contemplating self- destruction, that it didindeed look as though Fate had guided him hither.It would perhaps be wise to confide his troubles tothis messenger of Destiny . If that messenger hadonly been any one but Major Measurby

The old soldier had not a good reputation . As a

military man his character was irreproachable, for he

had fought bravely in the frontier wars of the Empire but

,socially speaking, people were inclined to

look upon the maj or as little better than an adven

turer. He had lived most of his life in India, and ,

having retired of late years, w as now residing in

England on his pension . This was a very fair and


above -board record ; still his general habits were somysterious that he w as generally regarded as a

dangerous person . Some one had discovered thathe employed private detectives , but what use hemade of them w as a mystery . Still , the v erv nameof a private detective smacks of some disreputablesecret

, and there were those who hinted at dark stories in connection with Measurby

’

s career . I'Vliether

such gossip came to his ears it is impossible to say,

but,if it did

,he took no notice of such idle rumours ,

but went serenely on his way .

In person the major w as tall and bulky , w ith a

weatherbeaten face,grey hair and a grizzled mous

tache. He was as straight as a dart ; dressed irre

proachably . and had a pair of remarkably keen blueeyes which saw everything. He might have been a

scamp or a good man , an adventurer or a millionaire ; but whatever was his real character no one everfound it out, and the maj or w as known as he choseto be known .

For some unaccountable reason he had taken a

great fancy to IVilf red, and, having very ingratiatingmanners, had become quite intimate with the youngman . Up to this moment, however , IVilf r ed had

never known that Measu rby w as a fatalist, and theknowledge considerably startled him . Altogether hewas somewhat perplexed how to act . If he refusedto tell his troubles to the maj or

, matters would r e

main in the same unsatisfactory condition ; but ifhe did make him his confidant , the wily old soldiermight Show him a way out of his difficulties . “

Y

hile

these thoughts were passing through his mind the

DE sTIN Y . 27

maj or stared at him steadily w ith his keen blue eyes .

Pe rhaps he hypnotized \Vilf red into obedience , but atall events that distrustful man found himself tellingall his troubles to the maj or, with certain reservations .

I need not mention names , Maj or, he said hurr iedly, nor need I relate a long history . The wholeaff air is very simple . I have not a penny in theworld, and the woman I love is about to marryanother man .

”

The maj or nodded sympathetically and lighted a

strong cigar. I guessed as much before you spoke ,"

he said between puffs of smoke . All Clubland knows

y ou ar e on your last legs as regards money , and alsothat Miss Havard is going to marry Denham .

I mentioned no names ,” replied Wilfred stifflv .

annoyed at this penetration .

Of course not ; but I am right all the same . Ithat not so He waited for a reply, but receivingnone , resumed his speech.

“ Silence gives consent.IVell, and what do you propose to do ?

Get out of the world .

Nonsense ! That would be the act of a coward .

Besides . now that Fate has guided me to your side .I may help you .

”

To marry Hilda HavardYesMy dear Measu rby . if you can do that I will sub

scribe to your theory of Fate , in which at present Idon ’ t believe .

”

I see that brandy has done y ou good , saidthe maj or in a tone of great satisfaction. Now


you talk sensibly. You proposed to M iss Havardto -day .

Yes , I did ! repliedWilfred defiantly , thinkingit best to confess all.

And she refused you . Oh yes ! you need notdeny it. That pistol would not have been there hadshe accepted you as her husband . Well, with all

this excitement you have eaten nothing all day.

Such abstinence,in connection with your disappoint

ment, has upset you thoroughly. Hence your ideaof suicide. After an hour at the theatre and a goodsupper you will look at the matter in a more philosophical light.”

I wish neither theatre nor supper, said Dacresulkily.

You don ’t know what is good for you,retorted

the maj or grimly .

“ I am your physician,young

man, and I am going to cure you . Now go anddress at once, and then we will go to the theatre ;afterwards supper at my rooms , and then , addedMeasurby in a significant tone, I should not be surprised if you met with an adventure.”

“That do you meanI will tell you after supper. Meanwhile dress

as quickly as you can .

”

Curiosity ove rpowered every other feeling,and

Wilfred , half against his will , went off to put on hisevening suit. The conversation had done him good

,

for he no longer thought of suicide. but looked forward with considerable bewilderment to the conversation after supper . It might be that the theory ofFate guidance was true after all

,and the events Of

30 ALAD D IN IN LON DON .

table , and as a rule I w ould refuse to be influencedby you as I am to - night. But with me things havecome to such a pass that I feel ready to indulge inwhatever folly you may suggest .

”

I am not going to suggest any folly, answeredMeasurby quietly. I only wish by means of supperand conversation to bring you back to your normalstate of mind . You ar e too young to think of sucha mad thing as suicide . It ’

s a cowardly cour se totake at the best, and a. man is a fool who adopts it .To -morrow you will thank your stars that I arrivedwhen I did and saved you from such idiotcy .

”

But the adventure you promised me , Maj or.

Humphl There may be an adventure and

there may not . I am really promising you nothing ,

but am only putting you in the w ay of trying a littleexperiment which is a favourite one with myself.However

,I

’

ll tell you everyt hing after supper .

\ Ieanwhile make a good meal, and reflect how nearyou have been to making a fool of yourself .”

Despairing lover, ac tual pauper as he was, “Tlfred made an excellent supper, and did full justiceto Maj or Measu rbv

’

s hospitality . He enjoyed hisfood and his champagne . of w hich wine his hostkept an excellent brand . Towards the end of themeal things began to look more hopeful, and whenhe was established in a comfortable arm chair witha good cigar betw e en his lips

,and a spec ial liqueur

at his elbow, he began to feel somewhat ashamed ofhis previous folly .

Upon my word,Major , I think you were right .he said penitently . I w as a fool to think of suicide . After all

,w hile there is life there is hope .

DESTIN r . 31

There ’

s no doubt about that. repliedMeasurby ,

puffing gravely at his c igar ; at your age it wouldbe folly to de spair. There is no bad but what theremight not be a worse.”

Well, certainly, I might fall ill , which wouldsomewhat complicate matters , said lVilf r ed, shrugging his shoulders ; but as it is I think things arequite bad enough. And I don’ t k now if belief invour theory would render me any more philoso

phical.

Perhaps my belief may supply the remedy.

In what way ?Maj or Measurby knocked the ashes off his cigar,

and considered for a few moments.Of course I believe that a man ’s futur e is set

tled by Fate ,’ he said at length with much delibera~

tion ; still, there is such a thing as tempting Fate .

I myself indulge in that pastime sometimes, and ithas often led to curious results .”

“7hat is your plan of operation asked i1

fred, urged to this question by a secret sympathywith the subj ect of conversation .

I take notice of the first chance remark I hearon leaving the house, and guide my future course byits example . By doing so I cast myself on the tideof Destiny, and it carries me where it will .

”

Is it not rather a rash proceeding ? ”

For some cases it is . That is why I asked youto retain your pistol , it might be useful, if youar e involved in any adventure .

And what am I to do ? ”

When you leave this house, said Measurby

32 ALADD IN IN LON D ON .

slowly, keep your ears open for any chance remark .

Act upon it if you ca n do so,— if not return here

and tell me what it is . I may be able to read you a

sermon on its text.It seems rather a ridiculous proceeding.

To the sceptical it is . You ar e a sceptic, but ifyou try it to-night, w ho k nows what Fate may havein store for you ? ”

And is this the w ay you propose to assist me inmy difficul ties said “

T

ilf r ed, rather nettled at thechildishness of the whole af fair.Oh no I w ill come and see you to -morrow . If

Fate does not help you I will but , believe me ,there is more in my fan cy than you believe . Showme your hand .

”

W ilfred,with a disdainful smile , straightened his

arm . Measu rby looked carefully at the palm of hishand , and spoke in a low voice

There is mone y in y our hand . Money and a

successful future . A happy marriage and a lonlife Yes 3 Fate w ill be good to you .

”

Oh, rubbish I said lVilf r ed, snatching away hishand . I don

’

t believe in such nonsense . YourFate belie f is all very well , and is reasonable to acertain extent. But as for pahnistry , my dearMajor , I am a rational being.

”

M easu rby arose to his feet w ith a laugh .

Well, I will not try to convert you , but if myscheme of to- night succeeds you w ill have to adm itthat there is something in the theory of Fate .

”

I sha n ’t try your experiment .”

Oh yes, you will,” replied the maj or quietly .

DE STIN r . 33

If a chance sentence strikes on your ear,you will

act on it out of sheer curiosity . IVhen I see youto -morrow you will have something to tell me .

“ I ’

m afraid not, sa id Dacre , putting on his coat .I am going straight home to bed . At all events

,I

have to thank you for having cured me of my folly.

You won ’t think any more of it ? queried themaj or, as he shook hands .

- “ No l I promise you that . If I lose Hilda Iwill try to bear it like a man . As to my poverty

,

I can cure that by work . I don ’t believe in yourfatalistic theories , Maj or, but I believe in your kindheart .”

This is the first good word I have ever had saidabout it,

” remarked Measu r by , with a grim smilewalk ing with his guest to the door Good- night

,

Dacre mind you try my experiment.W ilfred laughed at the idea of committing such a

folly, and r an downstairs . The supper and conversation had done him good

,and he now felt in a much

more hopeful mood . After all, Hilda had not yetaccepted Denham ,

and,despite her father ’ s insistence ,

might decline to be sold into matrimony. If shedared him thus f ar , she would certainly have herown w ay in other things . He might marry her afterall

, and then in the fairyland of Cuba they wouldpass a happy future . His man - of—theworld side wasuppermost at this moment, and he looked back tohis frenzy with the utmost disgust , hardly believinghe could have acted so foolishly.

The idea of a possible marriage w ith Hilda quiteexhilarated him , and he walked quickly down Half

34 ALADDIN IN LON D ON .

Moon Street with a sudden hope, born of encom'

age

ment,that things might mend . Just he turned

the corner into Piccad illy he passed two men inearnest conversation by the lamp- post. Remembering the maj ors ridiculous idea , with a smile of scornat his own childishnes s . he walked slowly past so as

to overhear some chanc e. remark.

You will find it.” said one man to the other.49 Karp Street, Soho.

”

CHAPTER III.

BAGD AD m Tm : WEST.

THE two men passed onw ard , but “fl

ilf red, as

tonished at the strange appropriateness of the

remark , stood still in deep thought for a few moments . Many an observation would have presentedobstacles , or been so conventional that no one coulddraw any meaning therefrom ; but this saying af

forded such an opportunity of testing the truth ofthe superstition that he half believed the experimentto be w orth trying . In a second his brain w as at

w ork conjuring up all kin ds of consequence s . N O

longer a man of the world , he relapsed in a momentinto the imaginative dreamer

, and in this conditionw as ready to engage in the most fantas tical adventures . Had he been in his normal state of mind hewould assuredly have scorned the idea of committingsuch a folly , but what with the exc itements of theday and the fantasies of the major, he felt inclinedfor once to indulge in an episode of the ArabianNights . The fumes of the wine still stimulated hisbrain , and for the moment the man w as practicallyhelpless in the grip of a superstitious feeling . Thesanest man has these moments of what may becalled demoniac possession , so that W ilfred . constantly draw n as he w as to the fantastical , saw

36 ALAD D IN IN LON D ON .

nothing strange in thus obeying the instinct of a

heated imagination . In the daytime it would havelooked supremely ridiculous

,but at this hour of mid

night it assumed quite a dif ferent complexion and

as one in a dream accepts the most absurd events asonly natural, so “

r

ilf red believed this madness to besanity .

Let me forget that I am in London , he said, ashe strolled along . Let me think that this is Bagdad ,and I , Haroun al Raschid in search of the fantastical .At Karp Street I may find the three Calenders andthey will tell me their adventures .”

Laughing somewhat at the folly of the whole proceeding, he walked rapidly in the direction of Soho ,identifying himself for the moment w ith the curiousCaliph . It w as now nearly twelve o ’clock, but themain s treets Were. not yet deserted . Soho , however ,was comparatively lonely , and w hen he arrived inthe well- known square , he f ormd no one to tell himthe whereabouts of Karp Street . He had neverheard of such a place , and indeed doubted itsexistence .

I am on a fool ’s errand, he said , pausing irresolutely . The wisest thing would be for me to gohome and abandon such follie s .

”

At this moment he heard the firm step of a policeman echo on the pavement, and at once determinedto apply to him for information . If the man couldinform him of the whereabouts of Karp Street, hewould go there for the humour of the thing ; if not, itwould be best to return to the Alba ny at once .

Policeman, he said, as that functionary drew


covered by a chanc e remark should be so is , to say

the least a str. ige co inc idence . The adventurelooks promising 3 Shall I advance o r re tire ?

“r

ilf r ed had plenty of courage for daylight dangers , but the fantasy of this af fair as sailed thesuperstitious side of his nature , and he hes itated forsome minute s on the threshold of the my stery . At

length he r e solved to enter the pas s age and se e

w hither it would lead , but, before advanc ing , madesure that his pistol w as ready to hand . It was resting securely in his pocket

,and, fee ling that he w as

protected in the cas e of danger. he boldly steppedinto the darkness . No sooner w as he within thanthe door swung to again and shut with a sharpclick .

Trapped he said w ith a sudden thrill of fear .

Have I stumbled on a den of thieves ? ThankHeaven, I have my pistol .Indeed ,

the situation w as not calculated to inspir ehim w ith confidenc e . He had heard of men vanishing in London and never being se en again . Thisw as just the house in w hich an unwary strangermight be murdered , and he heartily regretted thathe had not renounc ed the adventure . Luckily hehad his pisto l and w ould be able to defend himselfin case of danger . It seemed to be all round him

,

though in the thick darkness he could not see w herehe w as . No sound struck on his e ar

, and, s trangeto say, the whole atmosphere w as impregnated w iththe odour of sandal wood , which sugge s ted the ro

manc e of the East to his imaginative brain . Theaff air w as becoming more like the Arabian Nights

BAGDAD IN TIIE H'

E s'

r . 39

than ever, and, despite a certain feeling that he w asenvironed by unknown dangers , “

T

ilf r ed’

s breastwas filled with a powerful curiosity.

Before committing himself fully to the adventure,he thought it would be just as well to secure a r e

treat in case of peril, and r an his hand up and down

the door to find the lock so that he could open itagain. To his dismay, the whole length of the doorwas perfectly smooth and he realized with a shudderthat it closed by a Spring, the secret of which hecould not discover. Clearly there was no chance ofretreat in that direction ; so , making the best of hisposition , he moved cautiously forward, pistol in hand .

Every step w as taken with great deliberation, as hek new not but what he might be precipitated intosome abyss, and the dark ness w as so dense that hecould not see an inch before him .

At length his foot struck against an obstacle ,which by the touch he discovered to be a staircase .

Up this he went slowly, the sandal-wood perfume becoming more powerful as he ascended . Suddenlythe staircase ceased, and he found himself on whathe supposed to be a landing. In the gloom he didnot know which way to turn , and stretched out hishands to fi nd the wall, by which he could g uide his

way . In place of wood he touched some silkentexture , and grasping this drew what were evidentlycurtains to one side . Then he stepped forward, andpaused thiuide r - struck at the strange scene beforehim .

Was he in London or Bagdad Was it the Eastor the West 2’ Hitherto he had never doubted ; but

40 ALADDIN IN LON DON .

now the place in which he found himself was soEastern i n character that he distrusted the evidenceof his own senses . The curtain s veiled the entran ceto a kind of antechamber illuminated by a. soft pinkglow. Brill iant carpets covered the tessellated floor,there was a small foun tain in the centre falling into amarble basin , and the walls glittered with arabesquepatterns in vivid tints. The ceiling was of open fretw ork, filled in with rose—coloured glass ; and throughthis shone the light which illuminated the room. A

divan r an round all sides of the apartment, stools inlaid with mother-of -pearl were scattered about

,and

gold-broidered cushions , carpets of Scind, mats fromIspahan , and gorgeous hangings of Indian Work manship , made up a most bizarre and striki ng picture.Wilfred stared at all this magnificence with

amazement ; nor w as his astoni shment lessenedwhen through the horse- shoe arch at the end ofthe room came a gigantic Nubian with a drawnsabre . Such a sight w as by no means reassuring

,

and Wilfred drew back a step , keeping his pistolrea dy for use in his right hand . In plac e of as

saulting him, howeve r, the Nubian made a profoundobeisance and drew back the silken curtains veilingthe archway. Beyond , Wilf red caught a glimpse ofmore Oriental splendours , but, transfix ed w ith astonishment, could make no movement.At this moment an u nseen minstrel evidently a

woman—began to sing some Arabic song,which

further added to the Asian atmosphere of the placeand Wilfred , drawn as by magic in the direction ofthe singing, moved slowly forward . He felt as

BAGDAD IN THE WEST. 41

though he were in a dream, and obedient to the impulse passed betw een the curtains

,still held aside by

the slave , to the room beyond . It w as an apartmentsimilar to that which he had seen

,but even more

lux urious in character. Here he natu rally expectedto find the singer , but to his astonishment discoveredthe only occupant of the room to be a shrivelled oldman , swathed in silken garments, who lay languidlyon a pile of cushions . The moment he crossed thethreshold the curtains fell behind him,

the voiceceased , and Wilfred, more bewildered than ever,found himself standing before the old man , who surveyed him with a look of gratification .

I congratulate you on your courage , sir, hesaid gravely in English, but it shall not go u n

rewarded.

”

What does it all mean ? ” askedWilf red , passinghis hand across his brow. Am I dreaming ?

On the contrary, you ar e very much awake,said the old man dryly Will you be pleased to beseated . I am sorry I cannot of f er you a chair, butyou must adopt Eastern fashions for once in your

life .

”

W ilfred mechanically obeyed his host, and threwhimself down on a pile of soft cushions , utterly wornout by the strain on his nerves . The interview w ithHilda, the conversation with Measurby, the discoveryof thi s fantastic apartment, all seemed figm ents ofsome monstrous dream , wild as that Coleridgedreamed of Kubla Khan . The old man saw this

and clapped his hands sharply, whereat a black slave

appeared .

42 ALADD IN IN LON D ON

Pipes and c of f ee , said his master in a peremptory tone . I see you are worn out, he addedin a kindly manner, when the slave had retired,

“ but

a cup of strong coffee will restore your nerve .

”

For Heaven’

s sake , tell me what this all means ,cried Wilfred in desperation . Am I in London

or in Bagda d?

You are in London , s ir , and have by chancefou nd a remnant of the East.”

By chance reiterated Dacre , smilingrather, by Fate .

Ah ! cried his host with a keen glance , youare a fatalist.”

From to- night I am .

And why from to - night ?Because Fate directed me to this extraordinary

plac e."

Then Fate has done you a good turn . You musttell me how you came here, sir. At present drink a

cup of coff ee and let me look at you .

The Nubian had brought in pipes and coffee, thelatter of which \Vilf red accepted w ith avidity. His

host refused coffee , but solaced himself w ith a

nargileh, while he surveyed his guest long and attentively . “

Y

ilf red 0 11 his s ide examined the old manw ith no little curiosity , a nd began to think the a dventure was not without certain romantic elements .

The propr ietm o f this Eastern paradise was a

small, dried-up pe rson, more like a monkey than a

man, who looked extremely ill , and , crouching amonghis sumptuous cushions , appeared to be w ithin a

measurable distance of the grave . He wore a rich

BAGDJD IN THE WEST. 43

smoking- cap embroidered with gold lace , and flowing robes of silk , after the fashion of the Orientals.At fir st “

T

ilf red thought he w as an Eastern princebut, on looking at him closely

,he saw that despite

his dark skin the contour of his features was

decidedlv English in character. The hand graspingthe snaky curl of the nargileh resembled a bird’ sclaw, and on one finger was a massive gold ring , containing a dark blue stone , evidently lapis lazuli .He appeared to be satisfied with his scrutiny of theyoung man

, and withdrew his eyes , with a grunt ofsatisfaction .

Permit me to introduce myself , he said at

length , s inking back among his cushions with an air

of lassitude . I am Michael Lascelle , at yourservi ce .

My name is Dacre W ilfred Dacre, repliedthe you ng man , who saw no reason to conceal hisidentity

, and I mus t apologize for my intru sion .

”

By no means, Mr. Dacre . I expected you .

”

Expected me ? ” echoed “ r

ilf r ed, in astonishment.How can that be, when you never saw me before ?

Like yourself,I am a fatalist,

” said Lascelle ,stroking his beard, and I waited for Fate to sendme a man of courage . You ar e that man , else youwould not have dared the open door , and risked un

know n dangers .

“

Then the door was left open by design ?Yes ! I wished some one to come to me for a

particular purpose , and thought that was the best

w ayto accomplish my aim . Indeed, the idea w as

suggested to me by a story, written by the cleverest4


of your present- day novelists . I am glad to see thatthe trap has been successful and caught you .

”

Well , now I am here ,” said W ilf red , somewhat

bewildered by this strange speech , what do youwish me to do ? ”

Nothing but converse with me . I am very ill , asyou see , and my disease rarely permits me to sleep .

Like Har orm al Raschid, I am fond of adventuresbut as I cannot roam the streets like the Caliph, theadventure has to come to me . That door has beenopen for the last three weeks, but you ar e the firstperson who has had the courage to enter. Well , youwill obtain your reward . Ask what you please , andit will be granted to you .

I am afraid you would find it impossible togratify my wishes .

No I think I can promise you most things .Supposing I asked for a fortune ?It is yours .Say fif ty thousand poundsIt is yours ,

” re iterated Lascelle gravely ; whereatIl

'

ilf r ed fell back on his cushions in a f it of laughter. The idea was in keeping with the gorgeousEast, but not exactly fitted for the London of thismatter- of—fact nineteenth century.

You ar e pleased to j est,” said the old man im

perturbably, but I assure you I speak truly . Truthis stranger than fiction .

”

Not stranger than this page out of the ArabianNights, retorted Wilfred , recovering his gravity .

Here am I , a perfect stranger, who uninvited enteryour house . Instead of ordering me away

,you pro

46 ALADDIN IN LON DDN .

‘What do you want from me‘7 asked Lascelle ,

i r r e levantly .

NothingNothing e choed the old man in surprise .

Then why did you come to see me ?

I did n ’t come to see you , retorted Dacre , feelingexasperated by this questioning . I came here bychance . as I told you . If you doubt me I can goannyf

’

No,no ! Sit down , cried Lascelle . waving his

hand in a depr e cating manner. Do not be soh as ty , h r . Dacre . Old age is naturally suspicious .

Le t me think for a moment . “

IIe thrust his hand into his beard , and began tomutter in a low tone , w hile “

Y

ilf r ed , rather perplexedby his conduct, smoked on in silence .

Is it indeed Fate i’ he murmur ed thoughtfullyto himself . Fate or des ign ? N o I I believe thisman speaks truly ; but who in London could knowof this address I’ Neve r mind , I w ill know all tomorrow . If ”

“Tell, Mr . La s celle , interrupted “T

ilf r ed, who

w as beginning to grow tired o f this s ilence , “ I havetold you now I would like to knowyours . Ar e y ou a millionaire indulging in r omance ,

an Indian pr ince exiled to England, Haroun al

Raschid in the flesh . o r what ar e y ou

t at is your opinion aske d Las c elle w ith a

smile , leaning fo rw ard .

Upon my word , I have no opinion ,

”r e to rted

Dac r e . shrugging his shoulder s . character outof the Arabian Nights , I suppose . Judging from

BAODAD IN THE WE ST. 47

this Oriental paradise in the heart of London youmust have the ring of Solomon , and command thetribes of the Jinn . Tell me who you ar e . I willaccept any story, however marvellous. This is notLondon, but Bagdad, and I a m in the land of ro

ma nce. Feed my fancy with marvels, Haroun, and

I will believe them all“ I like your humour

,said Lascelle smiling , but

I will not tell you my story just yet . To -morrownight I may do so .

Oh so you expect me to return to -morrownight ? ”

Yes ! if you care to .

Of course I care to , replied W ilfred gaily.

Life is so prosaic in the nineteenth century that Iwelcome a romance like this w ith delight. I presume you ar e some eccentric millionaire who ihdulges in this Oriental freak by way of amusement.I admire your humour as you ad mire mi ne , and, wereI rich

,might act in the same way. It is not g iven

to every one to realiz e the romances of Dumas .

”

If you were rich would you do so 7

IVilf r ed shrugged his shoulders .I don ’t know , M . Monte Chr isto ! At present

I have not a penny, so I know not in what follies Iwould indulge if rich .

”

You ar e poor !Poor echoed W ilf red with scorn . My dear

sir,I have n ’

t got more than ten pounds in the whole

world.

”

Yet you ar e dressed well and look like a gentle7 ,man .


Oh ! As to these clothes, they ar e the remainsof my fine days , when I had a banking accoun t . Iam of good birth, certainly, but my money is all gone

and I am in the depths of despair. I cannot dig, tobeg I am ashamed,

’ so what I am to do I kn ow not.”

Still, you have health and strength and goodlooks .”

All useless to me, I assure you .

That is not a very noble sentiment .My dear sir,

” said Wilf red sarcastically, sentiment is a luxury only to be indulged in by amillionaire like yourself . A poor gentleman is denied suchconsola

‘tions .

SO you ar e poor said Lascelle musingly.

What would you do if I made you rich ?

I do not accept gifts from strangers, repliedW ilfred, drawing himself up stiffly I know nothing of you , nor you of me, so that you should giveor I accept riches is out of the question.

”

Then what do you intend to doEmigrate to the colonies , I suppose , said Dacre

with a sigh . I have. no care to stop in EnglamOn account of your poverty ?Yes , and on account of a woman .

Ah ! I thought we should come to that sooneror later,

” remarked Lascelle . with a meaning smile .

So you ar e in love ?

Full ten fathoms deep .

And you cannot marry on account of your poverty

No , I cannot. She also is poor, and is forced bycircumstances and her father to make a richmarriage .

"I is the. popular mode of to-day .

"

BAGDAD IN THE WEST. 49

You would give a good deal to stop .that marr iage, would you not

I would give my soul, said Dacre impetuously.

I love her fondly, madly. But there ! What is theuse of talking about such things to a stranger ! Youar e too old to sympathize with the foolish romanceof a lover, and cannot help me.

Yes, I can —and I willBy giving me money Thank you, my dear sir,

but I decline to encourage such quix otism. Leaveyour money to your heirs .”

I have none !Then to some char ity, if it so pleases you I am

poor, but I am a gentleman, and proud enough to refuse wealth to which I have no right.

I do not propose to of f er you money.

Then how can you help me ? ”

I will tell you that to-morrow night, if you comehere, and I still live .I w ill come here, certainly, saidW ilf red, rising

to his feet, “ if only out of curiosity. But why ‘ ifyou still live ’ 7

Because I am dying.

I am sorry to hear that. Why do you not see a

doctorI have seen all the best doctors in the world.

They can do nothing. I am dying fast.”

Can I not help you‘

7

Not unless you can give me a new body, r e

plied Lascelle grimly. No , I am beyond thepower of man . I must die and leave all my wealth

behind me .”


Ar e you rich ?

I am as rich as a king .

I thought so,

" said \Vilf r ed, glancing round theroom ; else you could not afford such a palace asthis . Well, Mr . Lascelle , I am sorry for your illness

,but I am afr aid I can do nothing .

You can come and see me to-morrow night .By all means bu t it is no u se y our offering me

money,for I w ill not take it .”

I promise you I won’ t o ffend in that w ay again .

Good- night .”

Good- night . I can fin d my w ay out . Thankyou for your entertainment . ”

And you can fi nd your w ay back to this place fEasily ! Good- night once more . I trus t y ou

w ill be better to -morrow evening .

”

“r ilf red shook the hand extended to him by La

scelle , and w alked out of the room . The re was noslave in the antechamber as he passed through so ,

on arriving at the head of the staircase , he lighted amatch . By such a feeble light he found his w aydown to the door , which to his surprise w as now

wide open .

The old man works it from above, I suppose ,he said, as he passed out into the street. Ah !

"

he continued, as the door closed again,I thought

so . “Te ll , c e rtainly I hav e had a strange adventure .

Measurby is right , after all. lVon’

t he be astonishedto -morrow,

w hen I tell him of the events of thisnight !

CHAPTER IV.

AN EXTRAORDIN ARY COIN CIDEN CE .

IVHEN Wilfred awoke next morning he had consider able doubt as to the actuality of his biz arreadventure. Had he really been to Karp Street,Soho ? Had he really spoken to this moder nMonteChris to amidAsian splendours , or was the whole thinga vision of the night ? M ight not Major Measurby

have drugged him with opium , and so caused himto dream such fantasies ? In truth, the events hadbeen of so extraordinary a nature that he mightwell doubt whether they had ever taken place . Oneis not as a rule transported in a moment from smokyLondon to the banks of the Tigris . Nubian slavesand Oriental splendours ar e al ien to our prosaic existence , and there ar e no Jinns in theWest to real izethe magic of the Thousand and One Nights .Between sleeping and waking Wilfred pondered

over these things , and it w as not until he had takenhis bath that he began to really believe in the ad

venture of the previous night . Nor when he cameto the conclusion that all had actually happened didhe arrive at any solution of the mystery, beyond thefac t that Lascelle was some eccentric mill ionaire .

“ I have eaten of the insane root ,” said Wilfred,

as he sat down to breakfast, “and it has taken my


reason prisoner. Karp Street exists only in mybrain and as for this Palace of Delight, my imagination has created it out of nothing. What a pityI did not people it with women instead of a wrinkledold man ! Bah ! I have no control over my imagina

tion .

”

But doubt his own senses as he might, facts weretoo strong to be thus dismissed, and he soon ar

rived at the conclusion that all was true . Thisbelief gave him great satisfaction , as it inspired himwith a wild hope that through the instrumentalityof Lascelle he might yet make Hilda his wif e . Afterall, he doubted whether he had been wise in refusingthe generous of f er of the millionaire . Here was a

man who had no relatives to claim his wealth, andwho freely offered to bestow it on a stranger. Ec

centric certainly, but not more so than the Orientalism of the house in Soho . It is not wise to fioutthe gifts of grudging Fortune, for no deity is so ca

pr icious or more prone to take off ence.If I don ’t take the money, some one else will ,

soliloquized W ilfred, as he finished his breakfast °

and as I need wealth very badly, I do not see whvI should have any scruples in accepting such a

quixotic o ffer. I asked Providence for immediatewealth in order to marry Hilda , and Providence inthe most fantastical manner has granted me mywish . It would be folly to refuse

, and yet I hardlylike to accept . The whole thing smacks of w itchcraft. I believe in ‘La Peau de Chagrin

,

’ for mya dventures have been quite as odd as those of Ra

phael. Luckily I am not burdened w ith such a

54 i LAD D IN I LON DON .

might benefit thereby, and indulged in a f ew day

dreams , which if not probable were at least possible .

t ile thus engaged Maj or Measurby arrived, and

“rilf r ed sprang up to give him a hearty greeting .

Putting all else out of the ques tion , Measurby had

behaved in a very kind manner, and Wilfred w as

not the man to forget a generous action .

I am glad to see you , M easu rby . Have you had

breakfastLong ago, replied the major , taking a seat .

You,I pe rc e ive , hav e just f inished , which tells me

you were up late this morning .

”

Does it tell you any thing elseYes You did not come straight home , last night,

afte r leav ing my rooms .

N o, I (lid not, lVlajor M easu rby ,

“

said “r

ilf r ed

solemnly. I am beginning to believe in y ourtheory of Fate .

Ah replied the major, interested at once .

You had an adventure las t night Z”

An adventure worthy of Gil BlasEgad ! I am sorry I w as no t w ith you . “

r ell,

te ll me all about it .”

You won’t believe my sto ryI ’

m not so sure of that . I have. seen so manystrange things in my time that I am less scepticalth an the average man . Go on , Dacre . I am all at

tention .

”

On leaving your rooms,

”

said W llf r ed,draw ing

his chair close to that of the major , I passed two

men at the corner of Half Moon Stre e t and Piccadilly. One said to the other, You will find it at 49Karp Street , Soho .

’

AN EXTRAoRDIN lR r COIN OIDEN C E . 55

Queer remark . You acted on it, of course .

I went straight to that address,and found the

door open .

‘ After which you came away ? ”

Not at all. I w ent upstairs and found Bagdadin place of London . It w as an Oriental paradise ,Maj or , magnificent decorations , Nubian slaves , andall kinds of queer things .

”

Pooh ! said M easu rby disdainfully, you"

y e

been dreaming.

”

No I sw ear I saw it all. And the masterof this place w as a dried - up monkey called La

sce lle .

”

Called what I) shouted the major , jumping upin a rage .

Lascelle .

An old man with a gray beardYes

“Tho said he w as a millionaireHe did !And w ore a ring of lapis la z uli on his right

hand 7

Why ,do you know him

Maj or Measurby sat down wrathfully in his chair

and hit the table with his clenched fist . For a few

moments he spluttered with rage .

“ Do I know him,the villain ? Of course I do .

The old scoundrel comes from India. I met him at

Benares ten years ago, and have been hunting after

him ever since .

”

w “e IVhat has he done, to you ?

He has a ring of mine , that one you saw on


the finger of his right hand . It ’

s a family heirloom which was in the possession of my brotherBrian . I introduced Brian to this Lascelle , and

they became very friendly . When my brother diedhe left the ring to Lascelle, and though I have askedthe old man at least a dozen times to give it up tome

,he refuses to do so. If I could only find him

I ’

d soon force him to surrender the ring.

But if your brother left it as a legacy beganW ilfred

,when the maj or cut him short w ith a wrath

ful ejaculation .

My brother had no right to leave that ring outof the family. I prize it , sir , more than anythingelse in the wide world , and would give my ears to

get it back again .

”

I don’t think you will need to make that sacrifice , said Dacre , a trifle sarcastically , Come withme to- night, and probably Lascelle will give it toyou . He has no further use for it .”

What do you mean‘

7 asked Measurby , turum

He is dying !Dying ?

” echoed the maj or in a nervous tone .

I must get that ring from him before he dies.Well come with me to-night and ask him to give

it to you, said Dacre again , rather disdainful of themajor ’ s excitement over such a trifle .

Measurby made no answer, but, rising from hisseat, began to walk about the room in a state of uncontrollable agitation . Accustomed to regard themajor as a man of iron nerve

,Dacre was somewhat

surprised at this apparent weakness .

AN EXTBAORD IN ARY COIN CII)EN CE . 57

You seem to attach great importance to thisring, Maj or,

” he said idly .

Something clicked in the maj or’s throat, and he

made an ef f ort to speak . He could not do so at once,

and it was fully a minute before he could answer .

Yes family ring I I Brandy,Dacre

quick.

”

Wilf red thought he was about to have a fit, so

ghastly grew his face , and hastily handed him a glassof brandy. The major fin ished it at one gulp, andthe spir it brought the colour back to his ashen face.

“ Excuse me , Dacre ,” he said , mopping his brow

with his handkerchief. I am liable to these fainting-fits when I get excited . I am all right now .

Is it worth while troubling over such a trifle ? ”

observed W ilf red, resuming his seat .No

,I don’t suppose it is, Dacre, I don

’t supposeit is. But you see that is no ordinary ring . It hasa great value in my eyes on account of family as

sociations . l have hunted after that ring for years ,

Oh ! that is the reason of your private detective business

,said Dacre , who had overheard club

gossip .

“ Precisely . I have spent no end of money inhunting the old man out ,— merely to get back thatring

.Hitherto I have failed, and it is curious that

you should be the fir st to tell me what I have desired to know for years . This confirms my belief in

Fate more than ever.”

“ I t is a curious coin cidence, certainly .

It is not a coincidence, sir,” retorted the maj or

58 aLADD IN'

IN LON DON .

irritably it is Fat nothing but Fate . Did I notte ll vou that my opportune arrival last night hadbrought my personality into your life ? This provesit. Through my plac ing you in a certain position

you have discovered what has baffled all my energiesfor years . Fate

,s ir

,Fate , nothing but Fate .

”

“Thy not see. Las celle to-nigll t?

N o ? answered Measurby de c is ive ly , if he knewI wanted it he would not give it up . But you

,Dacre ,

can Obtain it for the mere asking .

l 3 said “Y

ilf r ed in surprise .

Ye s . I know the man . He is eccentric. in theextreme , and your bravery in daring that open doorhas pleas ed him . He would give you anything

,even

this ring .

“rell. he ce rtainly of f ered me a fortune lastnight, which I refused to take : so in place o f thathe w ill surely give me a paltry trinket.

Of cours e he w ill. replied the maj or eagerly .

and then y ou can g ive it to me . Probably he willte ll You a lot of lies about the ring , but believe noneof them , Dacre , be lieve none of them.

”

I don ’t see why he should tell me falsehoods .

You don ’ t know the man . I do .

”

Where did y ou meet him ,Major ?

I told y ou in Benares ten y ears ago. He is an

eccentric re cluse , v e r v w ealthv indeed . It w as I whointroduced him to my brother

, and then I w as

called to Calcutta . I never saw him again , for mybrother died and Lascelle disappeared . Brian left aletter for me , saying he had given the ring to the oldman . At once I wrote for it to be given up , but

AN EXTRAORD IN AR Y COIN C'IDEN CE . 59

received no answer. Again and again I addressedmy letters to his Benares residence , but got no reply.

Then I used detectives to trace him, and they chased

him all over India, but I could never meet him faceto face . Afterwards he w ent to Persia. I followed

,

but never could meet him . He crossed over intoEurope, and for years I tried to find him on the Continent. Then my spies found out he had gone toEngland , so to England I came . I notice you haveheard of my employing detectives . It w as to findLascelle , but I never could trace his hiding- placetill you told me just now. How strange, howvery strange . You will help me to get back thering

,Dacre , w ill you not ?By all means,

” said Wilfred, astonished at theimploring tone in which the maj or spoke .

“ But as

he is now dying, he would probably give it to you ifyou asked him .

”

“ No ! no ! I tell you no ! ” replied Measurby,

vehemently. He would sooner throw it into the seathan give it to me . Some superstitious fancy, I believe He knows how much I desire it, and willnever let me possess it . But you— you ar e the oneto whom he w ill give it. If so, promise you willbring it straight to me .

”

“ You say the ring is yours, said Dacre , ignoring

the request.“ Yes ! It is a family heirloom . No use to any

one except me .

”

Can you describe it ?

Easily.A thick band of gold holding a lapis

lazuli stone , graven with Sanscrit characters . It

GO 1L . 1D D I.v LON DON .

came into our family through an uncle who foughtat Flas sy

, and is supposed to be a talisman conferring happiness on the poss e s so r. Of course I attachno importance to such superstition, but I am anxiousthat the ring should come once more into the possession of our family.

”

“ If the ring is yours , I w ill certainly get it foryou , Major.”

You swear it, DacreI swear it.”

If you get it for me, Dacre, it will be the bestday ’

s work you eve r di( said the maj or,feverishly.

Yes I am not a poor man , and when it is on myfinger I will give you sufficient money to enable youto marry Miss Havard . I will give you thousandsof pounds .

Really ! said IVilf r ed , somewhat puzzled by hiseagerness . This ring must be very valuable .

Only to me ! Only to me,” replied Measurby ,

eagerly. I assure you the ring is worthless toany other person. I have neither chick nor child

,

and I have taken a fancy to you so get me the ringand you can take all my fortune .

“ My dear Measurby , I don’t want your fortune

,

said “r

ilf r ed in an annoyed tone . If the ring isyours , you are the person to whom it should go . Iwill ask Lascelle for it to- night, and bring it to vouto-morrow morning .

”

Do not mention my name to LascelleWhy notBecause he will guess that you intend to give

me the ring, and Will then refuse it . Let him think


enough . Wilfred had promised to obtain the ringfor the major, but he also promised himse lf to findout the truth about it before handing it over to theman who desired it so eagerly.

I have not promised to leave the maj or’s nameout of the conversation , said IVilf r ed , after somethought, and as I have heard M easu rby

’

s story ofthe ring, I would like to hear Lascelle

’ s . If thetwo stories tally, I w ill give the maj or his ring, ifnotHe paused, and with a thoughtful look on his face

returned to lie down on the sofa.

C learly, Major M easurby w as not so sure of ther ing as he thought himself to be .

CHAPTER V.

THE TAL ISMAN .

ALL that dayW ilfred felt restless and ill at ease .

The position in which he now found himself placedw as so extraordinary, that he could not but see thatthis w as a critical moment of his life . He refusedto believe that all these things were due to chanceonly . Rather did they look like some carefully laidplot whi ch he w as unconsciously carrying out forthe benefit of some person . That person w as eitherMeasurby or Lascelle , and Wilfred could not makeup his mind which of the two to suspect . M easu rby

’

s

suggestion had led him to Lascelle , and Lascelle wasthe very person whom the maj or des ired to discover.

What if it w as all schemed out beforehand , at

least so f ar as the maj or w as concerned ? Measu rby

suggested a ridiculous experiment , and in the mostextraordinary manner it had resulted to his own ad

vantage. This seemed to be rather due to designthan to chance .

Altogether W ilfred had grave doubts on the sub

ject, and began to suspect thatM easurby was makinguse of him to recover the ring on which he set suchstore . The solution of the mystery lay with Lascelle ,and Dacre ful ly made up his mind to know everything when he went to Soho that night. As to


giving Measurby the ring , it depended entirely onwhat was told to him by Lasc elle . The mention ofthe maj ors name would be enough to put the oldman on his guard , and I’Vilf r ed had not bound himself to leave the name out of his conversation . In

any event, things seemed likely to turn out to hisadvantage , for M easurby declared he would givethousands for the ring and even if Lascelle refusedto give it up there was a strong possibility that hewould assist IVilf r ed to a fortune . Never had Dacrefelt so upset ; and he w as glad w hen the long daydrew to a close , bringing nearer the time of hisappointment .Several times he had felt inclined to call on Hilda .

and tell her of these strange events ; but he knewwell enough that as Lord Kenny had forbidden himthe house , he w ould probably be refused admiss ion .

Despondent as he w as about such exclusion , henevertheless found comfort in the thought that onreading his letter Hilda w ould certainly refuse to

give Denham a direct answ er that day . If, the

fore, he gained any advantage from his second visitto Lascelle , he would still find her free to becomehis wife , and might be in a position to overcomeLord Kenny ’ s scruples regarding a pauper son- in

law . This was the supreme moment of his life, and

the whole of his future appeared to depend upon theconduct of tw o men , Lascelle and Measu rby

So impatient w as he to be relieved from suspensethat he could hardly eat any dinner , and his sittingdown to the meal was a mere farce . To strengthenhis nerves , he drank several cups of strong coff ee ,

TUE TALISM AN . 65

and about nine o ’clock set off to keep his appointment with his eccentric host of the hidden Paradise .All things happened as on the previous evening.

He walked down Karp Street, found the door ofNo . 49 open , and, ascending the stairs , w as admittedto the inner room by the Nubian slave . Lascellewas again seated among his cushions , and greetedthe young man with a smile of gratification. Heappeared to be much exhausted, and from time totime sipped some liquid from a cup at his elbow,

as if to sustain his failing strength . Death hadalready set the seal of the grave on his face , and itseemed as though at any moment the end mightcome .

I am glad to see you so punctual , Mr . Dacre ,he said, motioning the young man to seat himself inhis old place . Will you have some coffee

No,thank you , responded IVilf red , making

himself comf ortable among the cushions ; “ but Iwould like to smoke .

Lascelle clapped his hands ; the slave appeared,and Wilfred was speedily supplied with a nargileh,which gradually soothed his nerves .

To what conclusion have you come regardingyour visit to me last night ? ” asked Mr . Lascelle,when the young man was ready to converse .

It is difficul t to say . When I awoke this morning I thought I had been dreaming.

”

That w as scarcely to be wondered at, Mr. Dacre .

I am aware that this adventure of yours is hardly inkeeping with London life .

”

66 1L .-1DDIN IN LON D ON .

Then y ou w ill now te ll me the meaning of all

this,said ll ilf r ed, with much eagerness .

“ Presently,presently

,

” rejoined the old man ,

producing a small note - book ; first I wish to asoertain if certain facts connected with your life ar e

cor r ectf’

What do you know of my lifeNearly everything .

”

That is imposs ible , replied IVilf r ed bluntly ;you have had no time to make any minute in

quir ies .

”

“ Have I not ? said Lascelle , with a pecul iarsmile . Judge for yourself, Mr . Dacre .

The young man nodded nervously . for he almostbelieved that the knowledge this man assumed topossess could only have be en gained in some supernatural w ay . In another second, however , he dismissed the idea with scorn , and , shaking off theinfluence of the place , remembered that he w as inLondon , not in Bagdad . Before the end of Lascelle ’ sspeech , however, he almost recurred to his firstitlrai .

Your name , said Lascelle , looking at his note~

book, is IVilf r ed Dacre , the only representative ofa Herefordshire family . Your par ents died whenyou w ere still a child , and you w ere left to theguardianship of Mr . Vane , M . P . He sent y ou toEton, afterwards to Baliol College , Oxf ord ; and

when you came of age he handed over to you yourproperty , which w as comparative ly small . Findingyourself your own mas te r

,in the midst of London

temptations , you ran through your money. Last

TIIE 67

year you met the Honorable Hilda Havard and fellin love with her. Mr . Vane obtained for you a

consulship in Cuba, and on the strength of this appointment you asked her to become your wife . She

refused your proposal , andYou must be the dev il in person

,criedW ilfred

,

starting to his feet with a thrill of terror . How didyou obtain all this information

Is it true,Mr. Dacre

Perfectly true . But I cannot conceive how youfound out all in such a short space of time .

I told you I w as as rich as a king,” said the

old man , with a faint smile of triumph . I mightalso add that I am as powerful as a king. There isnothing I desire to k now, but what I do not learnsooner or later. But pray sit down ; I have yet tocome to the most important part of my information .

"

About Maj or Measurby ,” said Wilfred, with a

sudden intuition that the name w as on the lips ofLascelle .

Precisely. Why did you not tell me abouthim last night ? It would have saved me endlesstrouble .

I hardly thought it w as necessary to bring himinto our conversation .

”

Now you know better, I presume .

Yes after my conversation with him tod ay.

Which was about this ringLascelle stretched forward his right hand, on

which glistened the ring, and W ilfred drew backwith a slight start, so unexpected were the question

and the gesture . The omniscience of this strange

68 1LADD IN IN LON DON .

man was beginning to inspire him w ith dread , andhe resumed his seat with a fee ling of helples sne ss .

Yes , it w as about the ring ,” he admitted with

reluctance. I w as to ask you to give it to me .

”

Of course,

said Lascelle , scornfully And thenyou were to hand it over to Maj or Measu rby .

”

C ertainly . It is a family j ew el .”

His host laughed feebly and made a derisivegesture .

“ Is it, indeed There ar e some things I do notknow

,after all. Tell me of this conversation , Mr .

Dacre , and then I will show you what a blindpuppet you have been in the hands of your pretended friend.

”

A puppet ! ” repeated IVilf r ed , w ith a frown .

I do not like that w ord , Mr . Las celle .

"

Nevertheles s , it is the only w ord which can beused in connection w ith your conduct . I had mysuspicions last night when you told me of the chanceremark which guided you here. Now , those sus

pie ions ar e confirmed , both by my inquiries and

your own admission .

”

Mr . Lascelle,

” cried Dacre , in a fury , do youthink I came here with a k nowledge that I wouldsee you ‘

7

I do not . I called you a puppet, not a scoundrel .“

T

ilf r ed fell baek among his cushions, with a

pe rplexed look on his faceAll this is bey ond me , he said at length . Go

on Mr . Lascelle . I await your promised story.

N ay . First tell me of this conversation .

”

There is not much to tell,

” responded Dacre,

7 0 ALADD IN IN LON DON .

“7 ho w ill call on you to -morrow morning , pursued the old man

,w ithout taking any notice of his

observation . Pray do not interrupt me , Mr . Dac re ,as I require all the strength I have to tell you mystory. It is true that M easu rby has hunted me all

over the world to obtain possession of the ring, andit is equally true that I refuse to give it to him .

“T ith a man of his character this ring would onlywork evil

, and I do not care about leaving a legacyof woe to the world . Had the ring of Sulieman binDaoud been given to Nero, with what supernaturalcruelties more terrible even than his act ual monstrosities w ould he have horrified the world !“

Y

ou r out by his energy,Lascelle moistened his

dry lips with the draught, and again resumed his

speech . Fascinated as by some unknown horror,

IVilf r ed sat in silence , listening intently to thewords which fell one by one from his pale lips .

It is true that hIeasurby tried to harm me , butI w as , I am ,

protected from his malignancy . I departed from India, but not for fear of that man .

I left Pers ia for Europe , but my enemy had no pow erto force me into such a j ourney . He followed meall ov e r Europe . “Tell do I know it . For yearsnot an action on his part has been unknown to me .

I did not even attempt to conceal myself, and hecould have seen me at any moment had he so des ired . On my arrival in England his em issariesdis cove r ed that I w as he r e , and for w eeks he hasknown of my presence in Soho .

”

Then why did he not come to see you , M r . La

scelle ? ”

THE T. 1L 1sM .

- 1N . 7 1

He would only come for one thing,said.

the oldman quietly, and that I would not yield to him .

He knew that , and, anxious to obtain possession ofthis ring , employed you as an unconscious emissaryin the hope that through ignorance you w ould oh

tain the ring from me and give it to him . All ! hedid not guess that I had him watched . I know all ,

and Maj or M easurby is once more foiled, even whileI am on the threshold of the grave .

”

What do you mean asked Wilfred, deeply inf orested in the recital of this strange history .

Have you read the Eastern tale of Aladdin ?

said Lascelle w ith sudden energy ; of the pretendeduncle who made use of Aladdin to secure the magiclamp which the genii refused to give to him person

ally ? This is your case .

”

My case ?” reiterated Dacre , with a thrill of fear

as he remembered Lord Kenny’ s scornful allus ion

to the lamp .

Yes . Finding he could not obtain this ringhimself

,MajorM easurby resolved to employ another.

That w as why he fixed on you . Knowing yourimaginative nature , the desperate condition of yourfinances , he could scarcely have hit upon a better

agent . He made you his friend , as you know ; hehaunted your steps everywhere ; he made himself, soto speak, indispensable to you . Then , when the time

was ripe , he made use of you to secure his ends .

But we will baf f le him,you and I and the ring with

all its power will be yours only.

What powers has the ring ? ”

I will tell you afterwards . Let me conclude my

7 2 . 1L . 1Jm1_y 1 .v LON 1)oy .

story of Bl easu rby’

s treachery . He asked you tohis rooms last night and spoke of Fate ,— of theEastern custom of using chance remarks as oracles .He induced you to try the experiment, and at thecorner of the street down which he knew you mustpass he posted tw o men so that you should overhearthis address . You did so, and in all innocence camehere .

”

Then those two men w ere employed by themajor

Yes . They w aited there for you to pass by , and

said their le s son so correctly that you could not helpbut hear . Measurby, having worked on the imaginative side of your nature , knew that you would act

upon the remark, and that is why he called on youthis morning.

And his story of to- day

All lies , as I have told you . So f ar he had beensuccessful, and hoped to be so to the end . Suchmight have been the case had y ou not told me ofthe remark you overheard . It w as too strange tobe chance only ; so I had inquiries made to - day , and

found out all I hav e told you . You w ere his dupe,

Mr . Dacre ; but rest assured that you will be able topun ish him bitterly for his deception .

”

I fervently hope'

I shall .”

IVilf r ed gnaw ed his nether lip angrily as hethought how egregiously he had been dece ived . Itis not a pleasant thing for any man to think he hasbeen made use of by a scoundrel

, and Dacre’ s pridew as stung by the position in which he now foundhimself . Had l

‘v-Ieasurby been present

, Wilfred

THE TALISMAN . 7 3

would then and there have taken him to task fordaring to treat him in such a manner . He bitterlyresented the trickery of which he had been a victim

,

and involuntarily clenched his fist as he recalled howeasily he had been gulled . Lascelle noticed the aotion , and, gu ess ing what w as passing in the youngman’ s mind , strove to console him in a kindly man

ner .

It is not worth fretting about,Mr. Dacre

,he

said faintly, raising himself up on his elbow. Iassure you nothing in the world is worth such a

waste of energy. I have lived a long life, a

strange life , one such is given to few men, and, be

lieve me,I speak truly. Besides, Measurby , without

knowing it, has unconsciously done you a good turn .

Had he not sent you blindly to me , I would not haveseen you ; in which case your great good fortunewould not have come about.”

What great good fortune ‘7 asked Dacre

gloomily,in no wise inclined to take a cheerful view

of things .

I am going to give you the ring, said the old

man in a solemn tone of voice .

What poss ible use can it be to me ? ”

A great deal. If you only k new its power

Measurby said that it was a talisman , thepossession of which conferred happiness on the pos

sessor f’

Did he tell you that ? I am astonished that he

w as so unwise .

“ He merely gave it as a sample of the stories youwould tell about the ring.

”

7 4 i LADD IN Ly LON D ON .

And warned you not to believe them ,I pr e

sumeYes, he certainly did .

”

Maj or Measurby is a clever rogue , said Lascelle , smiling ; but in this case he has Ove rreachedhimself . What is your opinion of the ring, Mr .

Dacre ‘7

I can have no opinion in the matter , seeing I amquite in the dark . Judg ing from the value youattach to the ring, and the eagerness displayed byMajor M easurby in trying to gain possession of it , Ipresume it possesses some properties which render itvaluable . \Vliat those properties ar e I cannot inthe least guess .”

I will tell you . It is a talisman .

Pardon me . I cannot believe in such fantasies,

said “T

ilf r ed, w ith a sceptical smile.It sounds impossible , I ad mit, but it is so. “Tith

this ring 0 11 your finger you ca n command theworld .

”

“ Is it the seal ring of the great Solomon ?I see you think I am out of my mind ,

” observedLascelle , marking the mocking tone of the youngman ; but though on the poin t of death I am as

sane as you ar e .

”

“Tilf r ed, ow ing to the extraordinary talk of theold man ,

had his doubts on the subj ect , but, notw ishing to appear of fensive , held his peace .

Tell me,Mr . Dacre ,

”obse rved his host suddenly ,

if I give you the ring, w ill you surrender it to themajor

Certainly not, replied Wilfred emphatically .

THE TALISMAN . 7 5

Apart from the fact that he has acted with unpar

donable freedom, I believe that he has spoken falselyabout the ownership of the ring. Your story ismore credible than his .”

I am glad you will not be so foolish as to par twith it to him . But suppose he persuades you intodoing so

“ His persuasions will have but small eff ect 0 11

me,

” retorted Dacre grimly . To -morrow I intendto see him ,

give him a bit of my mind , and then decline his further acquaintance .

”

You won ’t shake the major of f so eas ily as that.He has the pertinacity of a gadfly , and , as he, has

failed to obtain the ring from me , will do his best to

wr est it from you .

”

Let him try .

”

Mind you,there is nothing he will not do to get

possession of it . Fortunately the ownership of thering

,though it entails danger, also protects you from

the machinations of your enemies .Is this ring a talisman similar to the lamp of

Aladdin ?”

Something very like it. If you wear it you w ill

have command of unlimited wealth .

Of course . And if I rub it, a Jinn w ill appear,

said Wilf red in a j esting tone .

Even that is not impos s ible, replied Lascellesolem nly .

Oh,I assure you I speak truly. All

this mag nificence ar ound you comes from the r ing.

Judge,then

,how powerful it is to its master

Dacre looked at him sceptically, whereat the old

man sighed.

I see you do not believe me ; nor can I blame you6

7 6 ALADDIN i .v LON D ON .

for such sceptic ism . But you w ill hear the w holestory of the ring and its powters to -morrow .

From whom ?

Janshah,the slave of the ring .

Oh, more Arabian Nights ?" said Dacre , half

pettishly. Well, give me the ring, and I promiseyou that no one will ever take it from me .

Lascelle drew it of f his finger and looked at itwith a melancholy expression of countenance .

For many years,”he said sadly

,

“ I have posse ssed this ring and yet, w ith all its magic powers ,

it has not brought me happiness . N ow I am dyin

and before daw nwill have 110 further need of earthlyriches . Therefore , I give it to you . Use the w ealthit bestows wisely

,Mr . Dacre

,for I am making you

by this gift more powerful than a ny monarch on histhrone . If you misuse the talisman it will bring yousorrow . I have not made such good u se of it as Imight have made . But it came to me when I wasold . You who receive it ar e y oung and generou s ; sotake the ring , Mr. Dacre , and w ith it the control ofmillions .

He s lipped it on the third finger of I\'

ilf r ed'

s

right hand , and the y oung man , much puzzled at theextraordinary gift and still more e xtr aon linaryspeech, could only thank Lascelle f or the pi esent.

All this talk of magic bewildered him and thoughhe was sceptical of the powers posse ss ed by the

bauble , y et the conduct of both Lascelle and M e a

surby showed that the ring was 11 0 ordinary trinket.You ar e now the master of the ring,

"said La

scelle , in a tone of much satisfaction “

so I mustintroduce you to your servant .

”

7 8 AL . [DJJLV IN LON D ON .

the hand of the old man whatever virtues thering may pos s es s , I will try not to prove unworthyof them .

”

Lascelle made no reply , but waved his hand faintl yin token that “

r

ilf r ed w as to leave him . Janshahclapped his hands , and two w omen came in to attendto the old man then he preceded IVilf r ed w ith gravedignity out of the room .

“Y

her e does the master des ire to go 7 he askedin the antechamber .

Home to my rooms , replied lVilf r ed ,w ondering

at the slavish demeanour of this man .

Janshah bowed,and , taking a. lamp from a bracket ,

preceded “i

ilf r ed downstairs . To “V

ilf r ed’

s as

tonishment a carriage w as w aiting at the door .

To whom does this belong‘

7 he asked Janshah .

To the master of the ring .

lVilf red felt the ring on his f inger. and knew thatit mus t be meant for him ; so in a s tate of considerable bewilderment he stepped into it . As soon as he

w as w ithin Janshah shut the door , and the carriagerolled aw ay up Karp Str eet .

said “i

ilf r ed to himse lf , I don ’ t exactlyknow w hat all this means , but judging by this ca rr iage I must possess Aladdin

’ s lamp after all.”

CHAPTER VI.

JAN SHAH .

IT must be remembered that “Tilf r ed w as as yet

completely ignora nt of the true value of this muchdesired ring . The circum stances by which he became its owner were extraordinary, but the powersattributed to its influence by Lascelle were still more.so. That the wearing of such a trinket should investits possessor with untold wealth , and give him thepowers of a monarch , w as manifestly absurd . In theMiddle Ages such a fable might gain currency, butthat a hard- headed man of the nineteenth centuryshould subscribe to such a monstrous belief was outof the question .

There ar e limits to lunnan credulity, even that ofthe most superstitious and prone as “

T

ilf r ed was to

accept the impossible , an acceptance begotten onlyby the imaginative side of his nature , he could notbelieve that the ring could perform miracles . Storiesof magical rings there ar e without doubt ; such as

the ring of Gyges,which rendered its ow ner invisi

ble ; the Signet of Solomon, powerful to control thespirit world ; the ring of the Nibelung, which (loweredits master with the treasures of earth ; and manyothers

. All these tales, however, ar e pure fiction , and

“T

ilf r ed never thought for a moment of placing his

80 ALADD IN IN LON DON .

adventure in this category. So f ar as he saw , i t wasan ordinary piece of j ewellery , by no means distin

guished for beauty of workmanship.

It cons isted of a broad band of dull gold , whereinw as set a lapis lazul i the size of a pea ; and this stonebeing perfectly flat w as sunk in the metal to thelevel of the surface . On its blue face w ere gravencertain charac ters , apparently Eastern ; but of thepurpor t of these , “

T

ilf r ed w as ignorant, though theypresumably referred to the mystic powers said to bepos se s sed by this so- called talisman . Nothing in thew ay of a trinket could have been plainer, yet for thisMajo r M easurby offered a fortune . That off er , morethan anything e lse , as sured W ilfred that the ringw as valuable ; and though he disbelieved the w ildfable of Lascelle , y et he w as satisfied that some thingof which he w as ignorant rendered the bauble ofenormous importance in the eyes of such an astutema n of the w or ld as M easurby .

As to Lascelle , it w as evident that he w as insaneon this point , and ascribed all his good f or time tothe ring , attaching thereto chimerical propertieswhich it could not po s se s s . “

T

ilf red. in spite of hisle aning towards romantic. things , w as a sane ma n,

and he laughed aloud to think that any one could befound foolish enough to believe in such follie s . La

s celle ’ s ill health and sedentary life might certainlyhay e affected his brain , and Dacre did not doubtthat in his madness he believed his whimsical storybut that Maj or Meas urby , cool, calculating and emiuently p rm-tic al, should of fer thousands for what w asintrins ically worth a few pounds . did indeed seem

JAN SHAH . 81

strange . It w as almost impossible of belief, and

yetW ilf red had personally received this astonishingof fer .

It w as about nine o ’clock in the morning, and

Dacre , not yet up , lay day - dreaming in bed,twisting

the ring round and round his finger. He had lookedat the matter in every poss ible w ay , yet he could ao

count in no feasible w ay for the value attached tothis ring by Lascelle and Measurby .

At all events, he said aloud to him self,I am

now the own er of the ring, and will refuse to partwith it either to Measurby or to any one else . If itcan work me any benefit, I will soon be cognizant ofits properties . It may be that I have become possessed of some talisman which in the most naturalw ay performs prodigies . All the better for me . Ishall then be a modern Aladdin and can marryHilda . Oh

,what nonsense I am talking ! The

ring is a ring and nothing e lse . I w ill keep it as a

memento of a curious adventure .

”

He mused for a few moments , and then his thoughtsturned in a nother direction .

And yet,” he resumed

, after a pause , there may

be some story attached to this ring which rendersit valuable . That story is k now n to Measu rby ; so,sooner or later, I will learn the truth from him .

Then,again , there is Janshah , whom Lascelle calledthe slave of the ring .

’ He w as to be here to - day ,

but as yet has put in no appearance . I am afraid

the s ervants of the talisman ar e dilatory.

At this period of his reflections , the door of hisbedroom was opened and a servant entered with a

card. The name inscribed thereon w as Janshah .

”


By Jove,cr ied Dac re, springing out of bed,

this begins to grow interesting. Tell the man towait ; I will be out shortly . It appear s,

” he murmur ed sarcastically, that the genii are up to date,—they use visiting- cards .”

The servant departed , and W ilfred, having takenhis tub

,dressed himself as rapidly as possible . He

w as curious to know if the ring did indeed possess

any powers, and no one could satisfy his curiosity onthis point so thoroughly as the Indian. “

T

ilf r ed

supposed Janshah to be an Indian, though he hadtaken but little notice of him on the prev ious night,owing to the excitement of the moment.

Some clever scamp, I expect,” he murmured

while completing his toilet, “ who has imposed onold Lascelle, and styles himself euphoniously the‘ slave of the ring .

’ Well, he will not impose onme, and will have to tak e his Arabian Nights fablesto some more gullible person , Maj or Measurby , forinstance.”

On enter ing his sitting- room, he found Janshahawaiting him, with true Eastern patience . Lastnight he had worn the flowing robes of the Orient,but now he w as plainly dressed in respectable blackclothes , which by no means suited his swarthy, nuEnglish appear ance . W

'

hen lVilf r ed entered,he

arose to his feet w ith a low bow, not a servile prostration , as form erly , but a deferential salutation suchas would be given by a w ell- trained waiter. W ithhis Oriental dress , he ha d evidently put aside hisOriental habits , and now, but for his dark ski n andhis piercing eyes , looked little different from an

ordinary servitor of the We st.

JAN SHAH . 83

So you ar e Janshah, said Wilfred , glancingat the card , for the name w as somewhat difficult toremember.

At your service, sir, responded Janshah inEnglish, not styling W ilfred my lord

, as on theprevious occasmn .

Do you know this ? ” observedWilfred, stretchingout the hand on which w as the ring .

At this, Janshah suddenly re lapsed into Orientalabasement, and bowed nearly to the ground beforethe Signet . Then he straightened himself and be

came English once more . Wilfred w as amused and

somewhat puzzled by the duality of the man, but

made no observation, otherwise than requesting Janshah to be seated. This the Indian refused to do .

It is not meet that I should sit in the presence ofmy lord

,

” he said, with another genuflex ion .

Oh,very well

,

” responded Wilf red indifferently.

It seems that this ring has some real powers

tf ter all, seeing you treat it with such consideration .

Do you not believe in the ring,sir ? asked Jan

shah, with an imperceptible smile .

At present I do not . But tell me , added VVilfred

,sitting down on the sofa ; why do you call me

my lord one minute and sir ’ the nextI am of the East, sir, and reverence the ring . It

is thus that I should always address you ; but todress and speak according to my race would at

tract too much attention here ; therefore I prefer to

act as an Englislnnan .

”

You speak English very well .I speak nearly all the languages of Europe , sir .


While you remain here , I will be at hand to obeyyour behests but should you go to the East, anotherservant of the ring will attend you in Asia .

”

Oh ! so y ou ar e the European slave of thering 9

Yes , sir .

And w ill obey me in all things ?

Ye s , sir . “I

ll ile you retain poss e s s ion of thatring, I am devoted to you body and soul .

”

“r

ilf r ed could not make out whether the man be

fore him w as in j est or earnest . He seemed to havea. profound reverence for the ring and for himself asits master ; so he began to think there w as more inLascelle ’s story than he thought . This idea broughtthe old man to his mind , and he questioned Janshahon the subject ,

How is M r . LascelleHe is dead .

Dead ? ” echoedWilfred , in surpri se , though hemight have expected such news . And when didhe die 1’

i ’

Last night , sir , shortly after y ou le ft . I haveatte nded to all things , and he will be duly buried .

Had he any relations 7

N o t one , s ir , so f ar as I know .

So you a r e now m y se r vant Z"

“r

hile y ou retain that ring I am your slave .

It w a s all so grave ly absurd that “r

ili’r ed thr ew

back his head and bur s t out la ughing . N e ve r the~

les s , he saw that the man w as in e ar ne s t. and

recovering his gravi ty began to question Janshahregarding the properties of the ring . Major M ea


I do not understand , faltered Wilfred , stag~

ger ed at the remark .

If I tell my lord the story he will know all

replied the slave in a soft voice .

Yes,tell me the story. But stay , who and what

ar e youI am of the race of Iran, sir, and I am the

servant of the ring .

”

A Brahmin 7

Of that religion , my lord .

Were you born in India ? ”

No,sir . My birthplace is N ishapoor , where

sleeps Omar Khayyam ,beneath the roses . But

though born in Persia, I am a pure- blooded Brahmin

, as was my father before me . He w as also a

servant of the ring, and attended its then lord at

Nishapoor , w here I w as born . “Then he died I w asof man

’

s estate and destined to become the servantof the ring . Those who hold the treasure made methe slave of Europe

,and thither I was sent in early

youth to learn all tongues . When my father died Isucce eded to his post and thus it comes round, mylord

,that I am ready and willing to serve you

while you possess the ring .

W ilfred noticed the concluding sentence , and, nowbeginning to believe in the ring , determined morethan ever that he would not give it to Maj orM easu rby . This

,then

,w as the reason that

Measurby promised him a fortune if he restoredhim what he called his family ring . No wonderhe could af ford to make such promises when thepossess ion of the trinket gave the owner command

JAN SHAH . 87

of incalculable treasure . Unable to restrain hiscuriosity any longer, and anxious to get at theexact facts of the case , Wilfred spoke eagerly toJanshah

Tell me the story, he said briefly, and then

c omposed himself to listen . Janshah , still standing ,folded his hands in Eastern fashion across his breast,and began to talk in a soft voice with a wonderfulcommand of the Anglo - Saxon tongue . In tellingthe story he no longer assumed the position of an

English servant, but relapsed almost imperceptiblyinto the Oriental slave .

In the Peninsula of Guzerat is placed the

temple of the god Soma , who disposes of thesouls of men. For centurie s had pious men bestowed their wealth on the temple in order topropitiate the deity ; but in the year one thousandseven hund r ed and thirty- nine the infamous ShahNadir may his soul burn in Gehenna looted theshrine

, and took from thence wealth to the. amount

of nine crores of rupees . When the Infidel retiredfrom Hindostan , the temple of Soma was thus leftdesolate , and the religion of Brahma was trampled inthe dust by the sons of the camel driver. To restorethat religion to its former splendour was now theaim of the priests of Brahma , and the god himselfsent down to earth that ring upon which is gravenhis decree . From f ar and wide treasures werebrought to the temple and placed under the guard

ianship of the high pri est who wore the ring . Withthis wealth the Hindoos hoped to drive out thecur sed Moslems and reestablish the religion of

88 ALAD DIN IN LON D ON .

Brahma . By the will of the god , this treasu re was

to be absolutely at the disposal of him who wore thesac red ring, and it descended from high priest tohigh priest

,who dealt with the treasur e as they

w illed .

Notw ithstanding all their e ff orts , how ever, theywere unable to reestablish Hindooism , and in vainw as the treasure used to such an end . The lVIoslemtriumphed everyw here , and finally the ring w as

wre sted from the high priest by Jahangir, the Shahof Delhi . He thus , by posses s ing the ring, controlled the treasure at his w ill forever , though thering w as in the hands of an enemy of the faith ; forthe decre e. of the god bade implic it obedience to bepaid to it , and the keepers of the treasure gav e upthe w ealth to Jahangir Shah to be used until suchtime as the god b rought back his ring to his w or

shipper s . The ring passed fr om Shah Jahangir toShah Jabam, and then came into the possession ofArungz ebe. It w as then obtained by a Raj put

, and

rapidly passed from one person to another,until

at length it fell into the power of the EmperorMohammed Bahedur In his time occurred themutiny of the Sepoys

,and he w as ban ished by the

English to Rangoon , w he re he died in exile . Seeingthat his star w as against him he gave the ring toMr. Lasc elle , who at that time lived at Delhi , in theemploy of the East India C ompany . Mr. Lascellehas had the ring, till now, when he gave it to you ,and thus commanded the treasure . Now you are themaster of the ring, and can use the wealth it com~

mands as you will . In all things I,the servant of

JAN SHAH . 89

the ring, w ill obey you , and by possessing that talisman you ar e greater than any king .

At the conclusion of this extraordinary story,

“f

ilf r ed was perfectly bewildered, as there was no

doubt that the man spoke in all good faith . Without doubt this w as the secret of the ring . It gainedits powers from the fanaticism of religion

, and did,indeed, give to its possessor an enormous power.

\Vhat i s the amou nt of this treasure if he askedat length , looking at Janshah.

Twenty million pounds of English money.

W ilfred fell back on the sofa with a gasp of as

tonishment. The sum was so enormous that for a

time he could not grasp the full meaning of theanswer.

And is this treasure mine ?Yours . While you hold the ring .

Talk about the tales of the Arabian Nights ,Aladdin ’ s lamp , of the boards of Jinn , he re w as

an actual realization of all these wonders . He,l-Vil

fred Dacre , sometime pauper , w as now the u ndis

puted mas ter of twenty mill ions . His brain reeledat the thought of the tremendous power which thistreasure conferred upon him, and he saw at a

glance the meaning of Measurby’

s intense eagerness to possess the ring.

How did Maj or M easurby learn the secret ofthe ring ?

“ In India, replied Janshah, quietly , “ from a

traitor Brahmin , whose life he saved from a welldeserved death. In gratitude this Br alnnin toldhim of the ring and its treasure , so from that day

9 0 . iL . 1DD IN IN LON D ON .

till this the English soldier has tried to get pos s e s

s ion of the ring either by force or fraud . Ile couldnot obtain it from Mr . Lascelle

“fell, he certainly will not obtain it from me ,

said Wilf red , w ith a grim smile . I will ke ep itand its treasure to my s e lf . But tell me

,Janshah ,

how is it that you can w aste this treasure on unbeliev e r s like myse lf and Lascelle, w hen it was collectedfor the use of Brahma himself 7

“ It is the w ill of the god that it should be so,

answ e red Janshah in a melancholy tone . On thering is w ritten Brahma wills it ,

’

and whoso pos se s se s

the talisman , him must the keepers of the treasureobe y .

But you could have seized it by force from Mr .

Lascelle .

The god wills it not . The ring mus t return tous as a free gift . but w e dare not take it by force .

The master of the ring is sacred . and no servant ofBrahma would touch him . Did he so , it w ould be atthe peril of his life .

Do y ou hope to regain possession of the ring

Some day , when it is Brahmas will that itshould be so. But the master of the ring mustgive it back fre e ly . Mr . Las celle w ould have givenit back be f ore he died had you not arrived to becomeits owner .

Ar e you not angry , then , that I should haverobbed you of the chance

“ No,

answered Janshah. w ith a smile . “Iliatever i s

,is right . We can w ait , and in due time the

J. 1N SH . lII. 9 1

wheel will come full c ircle . To -day for you , tomorrow for us .”

\Vhat would you say if I gave you back the ringnow ‘

7

That is as my lord wills it, answered Janshah,

with apparent indif f erence . But my lord is pleasedto j est . He is young and poor ; the ring makes himrich, and he will keep it for his own benefit.

”

C ertainly, I do not feel inclined to part with it,”

said “r

ilf r ed, looking at the ring with a smile ofsatisfaction . No , Janshah. As the ring was

given to me by Mr. Lascelle , I will certainly keepit to myself , at least while I desire to make use ofit. When I die , if I keep it so long, I would rathersend it back to its rightful ow ner than give it toanother Englishman .

”

As my lord wills it, replied the servant gravely.

But what does my lord desire ?I cannot tell you at present . My brain cannot

yet take in the magnitude of the power I nowpossess . Some time to- day I will tell you what I

wish .

”

All that my lord wishes shall be done ; but lethim beware of his enemy .

”

Oh,you mean Major Measurby , said W ilf red,

rising from the sofa . True, he will not give up thisring without a struggle . But so long as he fights

fair I do not mind .

”

So that he obtains not the ring by fraud frommy lord all is w ell,

” said Janshah gravely. Hecannot employ force, for my lord is protected on all

s ides by the servants of the ring.

”

9 2 i LN DD IN IN LON DON .

0 11 3 have I an invis ible body - guard then 9

Ye s , my lord . You ar e closely watched , and

while you retain the ring no one can harm you ; butif the ring is obtained from you b y fraud . that cannotbe prevented .

’

It w on ‘t be go t from m e that w ay ,Said Vi ilf r ed

confidently . Vothing w ill induce me to take it of fmy finger . In case of fraud I can protect myself , andif force is tried y our invis ible s lave s can look afte rme so I think that the talisman w ill remain in m y

po s se s s ion for many y ear s .

At this moment W ilfred ’

s se rvant entered and nu

nounced Maj or Measurby .

Now comes the fils t s tr uggle for the ring , saidthe young man in a live ly tone . Janshah, r etireinto my bedroom and come out when I call y ou .

”

Janshah bowed w ithout a word and (lid as hew as told leaving Wilf r ed alone in the room .

N ow ,said Dacre to hims e lf , w e shall s ee which

has the most cunning, myself or M easu rby


“v

ilf r ed made no reply, but looked scornfully at

his enemy.

It is mone y ,I suppos e

,pursued Measu rby, un

easily . Your creditors have been troubling you :

but don ’t worry yourself about that, my dear Dacre .

I can help you to a fortune .

”

“Then the ring is in your possession,I suppose ,

replied “r

ilf r ed , w ith marked emphas is .

Oh , that is neither here nor there , said the

major, shrugging his shoulders . In a ny event , Iwill give you money. I promised you thousands ofpounds when you got me the ring . “

Y

ell , I see youhave the ring ; so hand it over, and this afternoon Iw ill let you have suffic ient to marry Miss Havardand be happy ever afterw ards .

I have no doubt that your intentions ar e of thebes t

,observed Il

'

ilf red ,with great delibe ration , in

no hurry to bring about the dénouement but somehow I do not feel inclined to part w ith the ring .

”

My dear Dacre , said M e asu rby , trying to smile ,surely y ou will not keep the ring from its rightfulowner ‘

7

By no mean s : but y ou ,my as tute friend, are

not the rightful owner .

t at the devil do you mean , sir ? ” cried themajor , leaping to his feet w ith an oath .

Mean 7 That I kno w all, Maj or M easurby .

All w hat ? demanded the major, blusteringly .

All about the ring and its wonderful pow erLascelle has been telling you lie s . I suppose .

N o . Lascelle told me but little .

“r

oll, whoever told you , said M easurby , making

THE AN GER OF MAJOR ME J SURB r . 95

a fight for it , you have evidently been gulled by a

paek of lies .”

Have I , indeed ! exclaimed Wilfred, angrily .

I suppose , then , the ring is simply a j ewel belonging to the Measurby family.

”

Yes ; I told you that yesterday, said the major,with brazen assurance .

“ You did , and I was foolish enough to believe

I am not accustomed to have my word doubted ,Dacre .

”

In this case I am afraid it must be doubted ,retorted Wilfred , annoyed at the maj or’ s pretendedignorance . It is no use fencing any further , Major.I know you ar e a fir st~class liar, but I have foundyou out.What do you mean by applying such an epithet

to me ? ” raged Measu rby , with livid face .

Keep your temper and your seat , Major . Blustering is no good in this case ,

” retorted Wilfred,with the utmost calmness .

I think your misfortunes have turned yourbrain, Dacre , said the maj or, violently. However

,I have no time to argue the matter. Give me

my ring,and I will take my departure .

”

You will have to take it without the ring.

I absolutely refuse to do so ,”said Measurby ,

doggedly .

And I absolutely refuse to give it up , repliedWilfred , with equal doggedness . You hav e treatedme shamefully, Maj or, and in place of a friend have

made of me an enemy.

”

9G ALADDIN IN LON DON .

Perhaps you will be kind enough to explainyour meaning, sn'

.

By all means. You , Maj or Measurby, heardabout this ring, then in the possession of Mr. Lascelle

,from an Indian whose life you had saved . He

told you that by a strange train of circumstancesall of which are known to me—he who possessedthe ring could command treasure to the extent oft wenty millions.”

Lies ! muttered Measu rbv , savagely.

No, it is the truth , and you know it,” insisted

Dac re , calmly. “I

lien you found out this youattempted to get the ring from Lascelle . He r e

fused to give it to you , and knowing that personallyyou had no chance of obtaining it, you tried to aocomplish your object by using me as a tool. Oh . I

know how you gulled me w ith your pretended belief in Fate, how it came about that the remar kupon which I was to act w as made so opportunely .

I kn ow the whole of your trickery , Measurby, but Ihave benefited thereby. I have obtained the ring,but not for you . It was given to me by Lascelle ,and I have learn ed the powers which it commands .Do you see it on my finger

,Maj or ? It is m ine

now , and mine it w ill remain. I , not you , am themaster of the ring of Brahma.

”

During this speech the majors face had beenchanging colour like a cha meleon . Red at first, itturned white , then became blue with rage, and bythe time \Vilf r ed ha dfin ished speaking

,looked yel

low with disappointment . He knew that his schemeshad proved useless, that his treachery had recoiled


No doubt,if you can assist it to do so . IVell,

do your worst,M easu rby . Neither force nor fraud

will cause me to give up this ring . If you tryfraud, I kn ow you too w ell to be your dupe a second time . If force , Jnushab will be able to f r ustrate you there . For years you tried to get the ringfrom Lascelle, and failed . Try to “Te st it fromme, and you w ill be as successful as you ar e now.

”

“ You boast in brave style,

” muttered M easurby ,

darting a malignant glance at his adversary ; butremember

,pride goes before a fall . I will have that

ring in spite of youI don’t think so

,repliedWilfred, with supreme

contempt . However , you have my full permissionto try. Begin now , if it so pleases you.

Oh, no , I won’ t ,

“

said the baffled scormdr el in a

hoarse voice I am not melodramatic enough toget up a scene of violence for your special benefit .There ar e surer ways than that of gaining my

N o doubt . I see you de c lare open w ar .

The maj or clapped his hat on his head with a

show of virtuous indignation and stalked in a lordlyfashion to the door . Before he left the room , however, he turned to have the las t WordYou have treated me shamefully . Dacre, and in

a manner quite unworthy of a gentleman . I declare,

”added M easu rby in a voice almost tearful ,

that I believed you to be the soul of honour ; butnow that I know your real char aete r , I decline tohave anything more to do w ith you . But I w arnyou that I will not subm it tamelv to this robbery.

THE AN GER OF MAJOR MEAS URE r . 9 9

Protect yourself as you will,sir

,I shall yet gain

possession of that ring. Make use of it while youcan

, for I will wr est it from you sooner or later,and will hesitate at nothing to do so .

”

IVilf r ed shrugged his shoulders and turned awayin disdain , upon which the major in high wr athbanged the door to and departed . Heaven onlyknows with what feelings he went downstairs ; butthat he should have been beaten by a man whom hedesigned to use as a tool must have been a sore blowto his pride . That he had made at least one bitterenemy Wilf red kn ew only too well ; but, protectedby his knowledge of that enemy’ s true character andthe power of the ring, he hoped to foil the maj or inall his subsequent schemes .

During the interview Jan shah had preserved a

strict silence, nor did he now venture to speak to hismaster, but meekly waited to be addressed. For afew minutes W ilf red said nothing , as he was thinking what was best to be done . He owned the ringand had conquered the major ; so he w as now in a

position to make use of his good fortune .“ Janshah,

” he said at length , turning towardsthe Indian, first and foremost I require somemoney . Pay five thousand pounds into my account

at the Bank of Albion .

”

To lVilf r ed ’

s surprise Janshah shook his head,and made a deprecating gesture with his hand

“ There ar e conditions attached to the ring, hesaid slowly, and one is that the owner cannot at

one time have more than one thou sand pounds in thebank . If you asked for five thousand , even one

100 -iL . i D DIN IN LON D ON .

hundred thousand pounds , I could pay it to you ingold, but I cannot place it to your credit, sir.

And who made this rule ? askedWilfred in an

annoyed tone .

The keepers of the treasure , sir . The reason is ,that shou ld the ring pas s from your possession

,if

such large sums w ere paid into your account youwould be able to be rich without holding the ring .

The keepers of the tr e a sure c an give no mone y s saveto the holder of the ring . \Vliile you have it You

ar e rich . Lose it,you become poor.

It is an extremely inconvenient rule.In no w ise w ill it curb your expenditure of

money, sir , said Janshah in a soothing tone .

“ Orderme to buy you a liouse , jew ellery ,

horses, anything you

please, even an es tate , and I will do so ; but everything must be in my name as the ofthe ring . A thousand pounds will always be ly ingin the bank for your personal convenience , and as

soon as that one thousand is exhausted anotherthousand will be paid in . But all else must be inthe name of Janshah .

Then if I los e the ring everything w ill revert toyou

E ve rything ! To hold in trust for the next possessor of the ring. It will cause y ou no inconvenience , sir . Order me to pay ove r any sum , and

I will pay it : to buy anything, and I will buy it. Iam , sir , your agent

,and e very thing you order shall

be done . Should you de s ire anything, it is yours .So the powe rs of the ring a r e curtailed in this

w ay, said W ilfred in a vexed tone .

“ I see the

CHAPTER VIII.

THE COURSE or TRUE LOVE RUN S SMOOTH .

SO f ar everything had gone exceedingly well , andWilfred saw no obstacle in the w ay of his marriagewith Hilda . It was his intention to call at CurzonStreet that afternoon and tell Lord Kennv that hew as now a w ealthy man . This w as an easy thing todo

,but it was more difficult to explain whence the

w ealth w as derived . He did not wish to relate hisadven tures to either Hilda or her father, as he doubtedvery much whether they would believe so fantasticala story . Certainly, Hilda, having full confidence inhim , might do so ; but Lord Kenny w as too mucha man of the world to give credence to such wildfables . Moreover, W i lfred desired to keep thesecret of the ring to himse lf, as he had no wish torai se up a host of enemies , who, if they found hisstory to be true

,would try by every means in their

power to wr est the talisman from his possession .

Besides himself,Maj or M easu rby w as the only

other person who knew the secret , and W ilfred feltconfident that he would preserve a strict silenceabout the matter , for two reasons . First

,he would

not like to adm it that he had been conquered, and

second , he would prefer that the power of the ringshould be known to as few people as possible . If

THE COURSE OF TR UE LOVE R UN S SMOOTH . 103

“r

ilf r ed w as mad enough to confess the truth,he

foresaw that such a marvellous story would be takenup by the daily papers

,in which case the results

might be serious . Every one would want to seethe ring, and, knowing of the existence of such a

treasure in India , the government might take stepsto claim it for the crown . Therefore

,with these

ideas in his mind, W ilfred determined to hold hispeac e , and tell no one , not even Hilda, of the realsource of his wealth .

Being certain in his own mind that Lord Kennywould ask him questions about the matter, W ilfredmade up a little story which he thought would satisfythat suspicious gentleman . The hero of this storyw as an uncle , that convenient relative , who hadgone long years ago to India, and been so busy Shaking the pagoda tree that he had qu ite forgotten histies in England . Then he had died and left hismoney to his nephew, though how this chimericaluncle came to k now that he had an nephew, W ilfreddid not attempt to explain . He hoped that LordKenny would not make too minute inquiries, but , see

ingthat the wealth w as an actual fact, would accept

thehistory of the Indian uncle in good faith . Wilfred composed this little history as he arrayed himself in fine raiment to call on Hilda , and did notdoubt but what he would be able to account in a

sufficiently plausible manner for his sudden access of

wealth .

If,however

, the father or daughter were scept ical ,he could produce evidence of the truth of his story to

anyextent in the shape of money, and surely that

104 ALADD IN LON DON .

would as sure them that what he related w as true .They could never suspect the real facts of the cas e ,

which were too wild for anv one to dream o f . save an

opium - eater : so W' ilfred w as very certain that hislittle legend w ould pass current . Had M easurby

been friendly , he would have brought him forw ardto subs tantiate the truth of the story bu t the maj orw as at present smar ting under a sens e of defeat .“Tilf red , therefore , had to do the best he could , and ,

having an imag inative brain , hoped to eas ily baf f leany too searching questions put by Lord Kenny .

Is he approached Curzon Stre e t . he w as s e izedwith a sudden qualm , lest Hilda should have plac e dan insuperable bar to their union by accepting D en

ham. It was true that he had implored her to waitbefore giving a dec ided answer , hinting at. the poss ibility Of matters turning out to their mutual benefit.but She had sent no reply to his letter : therefore hew as completely ignorant as to w hat course she had

taken ,— whether she had put of f Sir Richard , as

desired , or, dominated by the imperious will of herfather, had rashly agreed to accept the hand of a

man she did not love . “Y

ilf r ed felt uneasy at thethought of this possibility. and hurried to CurzonS treet as speedily as possible , so as to Se t his doubtsat rest .Both Lord Kenny and his daughter w ere at home .

and , thinking it best to first satis fy the father on all

points , “T

ilf r ed sent up his card with a request thathe might be permitted to see him on important bus iness . Never thinking for a. moment that ilf red

would attempt to reopen the matter which had been


there and then . Such a course , however, wouldscarcely have been wise ; so , repr e s s ing the truth ,

whi ch on this occasion wore the semblance of fiction,he proceeded to reel out his artfully prepared liesdisguised as truth .

No, my lord . The age of miracles is past , but Ihave found what is better than the wonderful lamp ,a fortun e .

“ I congratulate you , said Lord Kenny gravely .

Some relat ive , I presume .

”

Ye s . An uncle in India, of whom I had neverheard , died some time ago, and only las t night I w asinformed that he had left me all his money .

”

Lord Kenny bega n to grow interested . Unclesar e proverbially rich , and an Indian nabob is generally wealthy beyond the dreams of men . The nobleman fidgeted in his cha ir . He wished to find outthe amount of this fortune , but had a certain de licacyin asking such a. leading question . W ilfred saw

what w as pass ing in his mind , and at once proceededto give him all ne ces sary information .

Of course,Lord Kenny ,

” he resumed politely,after your prohibition of my suit, I would nothave thought of seeking you again had I beenpoor. N ow , however, this fortune left to me so nu

expectedly has made e verything smooth, and I havecome to ask you for the hand of Mis s Havard. She

loves me,you know

,and now that I am rich there

can be no obj ection on you r part to our union .

There ar e riches and riches , s aid Lord Kenny ,cunningly . “Iliat you may think rich I may con

or.

THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE R UN S SMOOTH . 10

I don’ t think any one can consider thirty thousand a year poor.”

Thirty thousand a year ! ” gasped Lord Kenny,s itting bolt upright in his chair

Thirty thousand a year , repeated Wilfredstolidly.

The peer waited for a f ew minutes to recover hisequanimity, which this information had taken com

pletely away. When Lazarus suddenly calls on a

friend with the astonishing intelligence that he isDives , that friend may be excused for feeling a trifleupset.Thirty thousand a year ! said Lord Kenny ,

slowly ; that is a very nice income , Dacre.

”

It is a very nice income ,”assentedWilfred calmly.

And all from an uncle in IndiaHis name w as John Dunlop ,

” saidWilfred,lying

in the most fluent manner He was my mother ’sbrother, and went out to Hindostan in the palmydays of the H . E . I . C . Being busily engaged incollecting rupees , he had no time to write to us, andgradually dropped out of our memories . To me heis a shadow ,

a myth I had vague ideas of an avuncular nabob , but deemed them tales of the genii .Now the shadow has changed into substance , themyth has turned to history . John Dunlop is dead ,and all his money has been left to his dutifulnephew

, W ilfred Dacre , who is profoundly gratefulfor the legacy, as it enables him to marry the womanhe loves . Provided always, added Dacre anxiously ,

that nothing has happened in the meantime to for

bid the marriage .

”

108 ALADD IN IN LON D ON ,

No,nothing has happened , observed Lord

Kenny, after a pause ; “ but something might have

happened . Sir Richard Denham proposed to heryesterday

Oh I gasped W ilfred , bounding from his seat .And Hilda refused him .

Wilfred sat down again and drew a long breath .

Everything was going well , and, desiring to clinchthe matter at once , he spoke plainly to his prospective father- in - law .

In that case , I presume you have no obj ection tomy seeing Miss Havard .

”

7 ,By no means , replied Lord Kenny, ris ing w itha smile. “ I w ithdraw all opposition to the match .

I suppose I ought to say that I always wished Hildato marry you , but I will not say so . I wished herto make a good match, and you were poor. N ow youar e well Of f , thirty thousand a year is a capital income, and she loves you so I will send Hilda toyou, and you can marry her as soon as the settlements ar e all right . The settlements ,

”added his

lordship with emphas is , “ must of course be to mycomplete satisfaction .

”

“ You can make your own terms,

said “T

ilf r ed

generously , delighted that Lord Kenny had so ami

eably accepted his story .

The peer w as touched by this open-handed w ay ofdealing with matrimonial af fairs, and shook handsheartily w ith \Vilf r ed . Then he went away to findHilda and gratify her w ith the intelligence . Somemen would have felt virtuous over the matter

,but

Lord Kenny w as by no means given to self- decep

1 10 ALAD D IN IN LON DON .

he required, and nobody would have the right to in

quire how he came by it. Lord Kenny might indeedask how the money producing the thirty thousand a

year was invested,but then a man is not compelled

to explain his business aff airs to his father- in - law .

All that Lord Kenny wanted w as a decent incomefor himself

,and so long as he obtained that he would

trouble himself but little about Wilfred ’

s finances .

Besides,he would always be able to keep up a

splendid establislnnent , and the world is quite willing to accept a man’ s position , provided he is wealthy ,without inquiring too c losely into his private con

cerns . Altogether,lVilf r ed was very well satisfie d

w ith the explanation he had furnished to LordKenny

,and had no doubt but what the same sto r v

w ould also satisfy Hilda to the fullest extent .

She came into the room with a bright flush on herface , and moved tow ards him w ith outstretchedhands .

IVilf r ed,” she cried

,as he drew her fondly to

his breast, what does it mean ? Just now papatold me you were waiting in the drawing- room , and

that I w as to see you at once .

All true , my de are s t . You see I am waiting.

Has not your father told you my good news‘

2

“ No . He said you Would tell me all, and thenwent away . What is it . “

Y

ilf r ed

Simply this , Hilda,that he w ithdraw s all

opposition to our marriage .

W ilfred lYou ar e surprised, are you not ?Very much so, indeed she said in a perplexed

THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE R UN S SMOOTH . 111

tone, as she sat down . I ne ver knew him to cha ngehis mind without good reason .

”

Well , he has every reason in this case . Heobj ected to me as a possible son- in- law because Iw as poor. Now I am ri ch, Hilda ; I have now an

income of thirty thousand a year.”

Thirty thousand pounds a yearIt is better than the consulship, is it not ? and

entails no exile to a West Indian island .

”

How did you come into possession of suchwealth

An old uncle of mine Who lived all his life inIndia died the other day , and I am his heir.

”

Thirty thousand pounds a year ! said Hilda,putting her arm round his neck as he knelt besideher. Oh , Wilfred, it is too good to be true .

Never theless, it is true !So that was why you wrote me a letter asking

me to put ofi Sir R ichard Denham.

”

Yes . And you did so 7

I refus ed him at once. When it came to thepoin t, I could neither accept him nor give himany hope. My love for you w as so strong, Wilfred ,that I was determined if I did not marry you to

marry no one.”

My dearest And what did your father say ?

Not very much. But what he did say was ter

r ibly cruel. You know how he speaks at times,W ilfred . Since then he has not opened his mouthto me

. When he came ju st now I was very muchastonished .

”

“ My poor Hilda . said Wilf red, kissing her ;


how miserable you must have been 3 But ourtroubles are all over now. Your father says w e can

marry as soon as the settlements ar e made out .What se ttlements

i ’

Why, the marriage settlement on y ou , of course .

And I do not think Lord Kenny will be averse tohaving an income to himself.”

But Wilf red, can you af ford such a thing ? Re

member, papa is very , very extravagant .He can be as extravagant as he likes , my dear,

said Dacre, with a smile ; besides the regular income there ar e also some loose moneys . Those w ewill give to your father. I don ’t suppose he c an

exist on less than two thousand a year.”

Oh,you don ’ t know papa

’

s capacity for spending money.

”

Dear me , said “v

ilf r ed , with profound surprise ,it is to be hoped this extravagance is not hereditary.

HOW can I support a spendthrift w ife on a miserableincome of thir ty thousand a year ?

Hilda laughed at this sally, mild though it w as .

She felt so perfectly happy that she w ould havelaughed at anything .

It is like a fa iry tale ,”

she said in a happy tone .

I am sorry, of course , dear , for your uncles death ,but why , “

r

ilf r ed

t at is the matter ? he asked , alarmed at herhorrified expression .

You ar e not in mourning for your uncle IOh , no, I never thought of that, stammered

“Tilf r ed, beginning to think that this chimericaluncle would prove a nuisance. I suppose I must


in China . “Y

e will call m y late uncle the deceasedmandarin , by whose death I have benefited .

”

a gruesome idea ?” said Hilda ,

w ith a

shudde r .

Balzac'

s ideas generally ar e g rue some . But do

not let us talk any more about such things . “Thencan y ou marry me

In six months .”

Oh , my dear Hilda ,I cannot w ait so long as

But, \Vilf r ed, out of re spect to your uncle .

Dacre began to heartily wish he had not inventedthis unc le , who se emed to come in the way ev er v

other moment : but , having done so,w as forced to

abide by his creation . He,however, shortened the

period of mourning as much as w as compatible withdecency .

Say three months , Hilda . “re will be marriedat the end of the season .

Oh , I don’t mind the se ason , at all, said Hilda.

hastily let us have a quiet wedding .

No,my dear, we will not,

”

said Wilfred , firmly ,determined to gratify her by every means in hispower. We will have a splendid wedding, as richas that of Aladdin to the Princ e ss .

”

Dearest W ilfred , let it be as you please . So

long as I have you for my husband I am quitecontent .In saying this , she took his hand , and saw thereon

Oh,what a strange ring ! she cried, examin

ing it.

TIIE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE RUN S SMOOTH ,115

My uncle’ s ring,explained Wilfred , quickly .

Take it Of f and let me look at it .I cannot, Hilda . It was left to me on condition

that it never left my fi nger .

”

Still for a few minutes ?

Impossible , my dear . Examine it on myfinger.

”

You need not refuse my first request, “I

ilf red .

My dearest I can refuse you nothing, saidDacre, hastily. Ask me anything else but that.”

Well , never mind,” replied Hilda, recovering her

good temper. “ I can see it just as well on yourfinger . What letters ar e these on it 7

Sanscrit .”

And the meaningI I don ’t kn ow, said Wilfred , with some

hesitation. You see,I am ig norant of Sanscrit.

It ’

s a very quaint ring . I quite envy you itspossession .

”

My dear Hilda , cried her lover with suddendread , “ do not covet this ring, I beg of you . It

was left to me on condition that I never parted withit,and I am restrained bv mv honour from ever

taking it of f my finger.”

Never mind about the ring, whispered Hilda,seeing the subject w as distasteful to him.

“ I have

you ; so I do not want it .”

You have us both,” rejoined Wilfred, with an

uneasy laugh .

The fact is , he foresaw the ring would bring himtrouble as well as wealth . Hilda had taken a fancy

to it, and would, some time or another, desire it for her


O“'

II .

sove r

could notCome what may , murmured himself

,

will not let it be. taken


Pardon me,Maj or, interrupted llf r ed , blandly ,

but I think it just as well that you should refrainfrom using threats . They may gratify you, but the vcertainly do not intimidate me . When

,in an sw c r

to your letter, I agreed to this interview, it was w iththe hope that w e m ight come to some amicable arrangement. This

,certainly, will not be the case if

you lose your temper .

”

I have no wish to lose my temper,growled the

maj or, indignantly : I have lost quite enough as itis You have behaved very badly .

”

There I don ’t agree with you . Self - preservationis the fir st law of nature , and I only looked after myow n interests . Had you been in my place , Maj or,you would have acted in the same w ay .

Sir I exclaimed M easu rby , with Jolm sonian

grandeur, “ had I been in your place I w ould act

have acted as you have done . A promise is sac r ed ,and as you promis ed to give me my ring, you shouldke ep that promise .

”

I har e not br oken it so f ar as I am aw are , r c

plied Dac r e smoothly . I certa inly said I w ouldgive you your ring : but then , my dear Major , thering is not yours , therefore I broke no promise inkeeping it .

A familyr j ewelOh, nonsense I said lVilf r ed good - humour edly ;

do not let u s go over the old ground ,M easurby

That family romance is rubbish . Is it not 1’

I have spent years hunting for that ring,cried

the major , evading the que stion ; it has cost me afortune .

”

A TREATY WITH THE EN E M Y 11 9

That is your own lookout, not mine . I am certainly not going to return to a state of pauperdomfor your sake .”

But I promised you money.

No doubt ! but I prefer the ring. However,I

am willing to admit that you have been very unf or

tunate, and am will ing to make reparation . Whatamount will soothe your wounded feelings ?

Ten millions sterling.

”

What ! half the treasure ? Oh, nonsense ; I mightas well give you the ring at once . Say ten thousandpounds , Major.”

Good day , Mr . Dacre, said Measurby, seizinghis hat and making for the door.

Good day ! replied Wilfred coolly, and pickedup a book .

On seeing this display of indiff erence Measurby

returned to his seat. He recognized that “f ilf r edwas too strong for him, and as there did not seemany prospect of his obtaining the whole loaf resolvedto be content with half .

“ Make it twenty thousand, Dacre, he said persuasively ; surely out of such a lot of money youcan spare that paltry sum .

Is it paltry ? ” said Wilfred , throwing aside hisbook.

“ Your ideas ar e extensive, my dear Maj or.However

,I am not disposed to be hard . t i ue

that you treated me badly by making me yourmonkey to pull the chestnuts out of the fire but as ,in this case, the monkey has got the chestnuts tohimself he can af ford to be generous . I will give

you twenty thousand pounds .

”

120 ALAD DIN IN LON DON .

Good That will last for some time .

It w ill have to last you always .”

Then I won ’t take it ,”

shouted M easu rby furiou sly . If I asked for a million it wou ld be onlyreasonable ' but I ’

m modest enough to be contentWith little .

Then be content with twenty thousand pounds .

You ought to be glad that I give you anything.

”

“ You don ’t seem to be aware that I can makethings unpleasant for you .

”

In what w ay ?”

I can tell every one the true facts of the case .

If you do I ’

m afraid you will be shut up as an

insane person . No one will believe such a story ,

particularly if I deny it .”

You cannot deny it

Oh, yes , I can ! This ring is a gift from my lateuncle

,who also left me thirty thousa nd a year.”

You never had an uncle !Probably not ; but if I swear to the existence of

John Dunlop and the oath is backed up by the presence of wealth , who will disbelieve me ? Tell yourstory

,Major, and I will tell mine . Then we shall

see who will be believed .

The major w as furiou s at such plain speaking, butsaw clearly that he had no chan ce ; so, making a

virtue of necessity, he surrendered without furtherparley .

I will take the twenty thousand pounds,he

said in a subdued voice .

And promise to ref rain from attempting to getpossess ion of the ring ? ”

ALAD D IN IN LON DON .

major, the re w as no getting o ve r the fellow ’

s goodhumour ; so unwilling to spoil his present peace ofmind by another quarrel, he assmned a graciousnesswhich he w as f ar from feeling.

My dear Measurby ,” he said suavely, I will do

all you ask . You will be my very dear f riend , to all

appearances . You will come to my wedding, andvisit at my house ; but I fervently hope and trustthat you with your twenty thousand pounds will goto Monte Carlo and keep out of my sight . ”

Oh , I’

ll go there ! replied Measu rby with a

smile ; but fir st I must see you settled . When isthe marriage to take place ?

“ In about three months .

”

And what do you intend to do with all yourmone y

“ Make use of it for my own happiness and that

of others .”

Don ’t waste any of it on charity.

I will certainly help poor people if I can . Idon

’ t call it a waste of money to aid the un f or

tunatc .

”

Egad, I do ! said Measurby , nodding his head .

By the wa y ,have you told Mis s Havard about the

ringN o ! She thinks the money came from an imole .

“ I ’

11 back you up with that uncle if you like , say

that I met him in India !

Say nothing of the sort , retorted “I

ilf r ed , has

tily . I prefer to tell my own lie s . All I w ish y ou

to do is to keep silent about the ring , and not try to

get it from me .

”

A TREATY WITH THE EN EM Y . 123

I promise that ! Oh , yes Now I have twentythousand pounds, I can amuse myself just as well asthough I had a million . I ’

m afraid you ’

ll find thepossession of all that money a great trouble, Dacre.

”

“ Perhaps so, but I’ ll try to bear up under it,

said Dacre, ironically. After all, I have no troublein the matter. Janshah has all the worry of lookingafter it, and I , by possessing this ring, reap thebenefit.”

Here is Janshah ! cried the major, as the Indianentered the room . Now

,Dacre, tell him what he is

to doI wish you to give Maj or Measurby the sum of

twenty thousand pormds , saidWilfred, touching thering.

It shall be done,sir, replied Janshah , gravely.

Not in gold,

” cried the major quickly. I can ’ ttake it in specie to my bank . They would think Ihad comm itted a robbery.

”

I can give you a cheque, sir,” said Jan shah,

quietly.

t at ! Does your banking account run to

twenty thousand ? ”

“ It runs to over two million , sir . I must haveenough money always at my command to satisfy my

lord.

It will take a long time to use that up , Janshah,

saidWilfred with a smile . At present, give Major

Measu rby his cheque .”

Janshah bowed gravely, and, going ac ross to thedesk, w rote out a cheque for the amount, which hehanded at once to the maj or. Measurby looked at itdoubtfully. 9


You are sure they will honour this ? he said,examining the cheque closely.

I will go with you,sir

,if it so please you.

No ! no ! I expect it will be all right,” replied

Measurby , putting on his hat. Well , good - bye forthe present, Dacre. I ’ll see you again ,

shortly“ Whenever you please

,

” said Dacre smiling.

all events you must be satisfied now.

Measurby nodded gaily and took his departure ,while W ilfred, resuming his seat , conferred withJan shah regarding his own financ ial condition .

Some days had passed since his acceptance byHilda

,and during that period he had spoken several

times with Lord Kenny as to w hat he wished to besettled on himself and daughter. The old lordfrankly admitted that he w as greatly in want ofmoney

, and suggested that W ilfred should settle onhim an income of two thousand a year, which hisprospective son- in- law agreed to do . At first he wasdoubtful whether the power of the ring would eu

able him to do this , but on speaking to Janshah onthe subject, the Indian assured him that it could beeasily accomplished . The explanation , how eve r, hadbeen rather a hurried one , and now “

T

ilf r ed againspoke to his servant on the subject .

“ I did not quite understand what you said theother day ,

” he observed to Jan shah when they w erealone .

“ Can I settle two thousand a year on myfather- in - law

Yes , my lord answered Janshah deliberately .

All I have to do is to give you a sum which will

produce the amount, and once it is made over to

126 AL . 1D D LON DON .

would be to evade the spirit while fulfil ling the letter of the ring- law , and proceeded to do so at once.I desire the sum of five thousand a year to be

settled on Miss Havard .

It shall be done, my lord .

And she shall possess that income for the rest ofher life ?

Yes,my lord

W ilfred burst out laughing.

Don ’t you see how easily this ring can be set at

defiance ?i ’ he said , w ith a smile . You will not let

me settle any money on myself , so as to be indepdent of the ring, yet you will give my wife a suf fi

cient income to keep us both ; so, even if I lose the

ring,I should still have five thousand a year to

live on .

That may be so, sir, rejoined Janshah stolidly :

but such a settlement is not contrary to my instr uctions . If

,afte r marriage , you settle it on your

wife,there m ight be some do ubt ; but at present

Miss Havard stands to y ou in the position of a

stranger .

But I shall marry her soon , and thereby benefitby the settlement I now desire to make .

”

Probably, my lord . Still , y ou may not marryher in the end .

"

The law of the ring i-s contrary to that of equity,

Janshah ,” said “r ilf r ed, carelessly . Equity looks

upon that as done which is intended to be done ; thering looks on nothing as certain until it is aecom

plished .

”

That is the case,my lord .

A TREATY WITH THE EN E M Y . 127

I ’

m afraid estern ingenuity can find manyflaws in your ordinances of the ring . However

,that

is your look - out, not mine . This ring permits me todo what I please with twenty millions of money ‘

7

Yes , my lord .

Then I w ish two thousand a year to be settledon my father - in - law that is to be ; five thousand a

vear on Miss Hilda Havard , my future wife and all

securities in which the capital is invested to be submitted to me for approva

It shall be done , sir.”

I also require a house in Grosvenor Square, witha full establishment of servants, to be ready for mewhen I return from my honeymoon

,—horses, car

r iages, and everything of the kind. Pay into mybank a sum sufficient to discharge all my outstanding debts , and leave that thousand-pound accountperfectly clear .

All this I will do , without fail, said Janshah,

not moving a muscle of his face at these extravagantdemands Is that all, my lord

No . I am about to seemy lawyers regarding myfather’ s property in Herefordshire, which has longsince passed out of the hands of ‘ the family . I desire to buy it back again so when my lawy ers makeall arrangements about the price and transfer, payto them the sum they require .

”

Yes , sir .”

I think that is all, at present , observed Wilfred

, r eflectively ;“ but tell me , Janshah among

all this treasure of Brahma, have you any j ewels ?

Yes , my lord .


Here , in England 2’

IC

brought some wit-li me , sir . Mr . Lascelle w asvery fond of j ewels .”

‘ Then let me see some , to~morrow . I wish a

necklace for Miss Havard . Now you can go .

”

Janshah bow ed and left the room , leavingW ilfredin a mixed state of gratification and amusement .The treasures of the Arabian N ights, brought intojuxtaposition with the commonplace of English life ,

lost a good deal of their romance .

If I w ere Aladdin . in earnest, said “Tilf red tohimself , I would orde r a palace to be built , whereasI am content with a house in Grosvenor Square . Iwould ask for slave girls and bas ins of j ew e ls , butfind it more necessary to settle an income on myfather- in - law and future wife . Decidedly, the

treasures of the Jinn can be applied to very prosaicpurposes . If I told this mixture of fact and fictionto any one. they w ould laugh , and rightly too . The

East does not blend well with the “Test , and

Arabian tales ar e out of place in nineteenth- centuryEngland . I am Aladdin , a Very ordinary Aladdin .

it is true ; nevertheless , I possess , if not his lamp .

at least his ring . Aladdin in London is less romantic.than his prototype in Pe lcin . Still, he is nearly , ifnot quite , as powerful .

130 ALADD IN IN LON D ov .

strings for the last time with a sigh of relief , and as

sisted him to give Hilda a splendid wedding ; thenwashed their hands of him altogether . Hitherto , hehad existed upon surreptitious loans w hich , out ofrespect for their name, the Havard family had to

grant him ; but now he could live excellently well onthe two thousand a year allowed him by Dacre . Onhearing of this generosity the Havards consideredlVilf red a very meritorious young man , and showedtheir approval of his action by mustering in greatforce at the wedding.

Though the season w as now over, the marriage w asa very brilliant af f a ir. as many people who had lefttown came back for the function . Besides Hilda

'

s

relatives, the many f r iends of ll'

ilf r ed , who w as an

exceedingly popular young man ,came to see the last

of him as a bachelor, and the society papers gushedconsiderably over the number of aristocratic namespresent at St. Margaret

'

s , “Y

estminster .

One of the most grateful persons for this mar

l iage w as Lord Kenny ’ s nephew , the Duke of Richborough , who had suff ered considerably from his

uncle ’ s impecuniosity , and now saw a chance of

keeping his income to himself . This latter he spentmostly at Monte Carlo , where he was well know n inthe Casino but he came over to London for the mar

r iage , as much on account as for hisuncle

'

s sake . Dacre had been up with him at Ox

ford, and the two young men were very intimatetherefore the duke was pleased at his favourite cousinmarrying a friend of his own , independent of thefact that such friend was excellently w ell of f .

WEDDIN G BELLS . 131

So pleased w as Richborough over the aff air, thathe insisted upon Hilda’ s being married from his

town house , and, in addition , placed his countryseat in Devonshire at the disposal of the youngcouple for the honeymoon . Everything

,therefore

,

smiled on Wilf r ed and his bride,who left tow n

with the good wishes of all their friends .Thanks to Jan shah, and the unlimited treasure s

of the ring, all W ilfred’ s desires had been gratified

to the fullest extent. A large sum had been invested for Lord Kenny, and Hilda

’s income of fivethousand a year w as settled on herself , with all dueformality . Moreover, the slave of the ring purchaseda magnificent mansion in Grosvenor Square , and

while W ilfred was in Devonshire furnished it in a

most splendid fashion . The diamonds worn byHilda at the wedding were also very costly, and

every one wondered where the bridegroom had oh

tained them . Janshah could have answered the

question truly ; but, as it w as , they were supposed tobe part of the legacy left to Dacre by his uncle .

In spite of W ilfred ’s hints, Major Measu rby at

tended the wedding, and several times mentionedthat he had met Dunlop in India ; whereupon hew as besieged by questioners, all of whom the majorfully satisfied in the most admirable manner. It istrue

,that when Wilfred was afterwards called upon

to confirm these stories , he displayed an astonishingignorance of the major

’ s statements but then Wilfred had never known his uncle personally, and

might well be pardoned for being unacquainted withhis relative ’s history. The society papers picked up


some of Measurby’

s stories , and repeated them ,so

thatWilfred found quite a literature growing aroruid

this mythical uncle,who existed but in his own

imagination .

However, the wedding duly took place , and LordKenny performed the part of a fond parent to perf ection , imposing even on his relatives who k newwhat a selfish old pagan he was . When the bridalpair finally took their departure from Paddington ,Lord Kenny, w ith a sigh of relief

,returned to his

bachelorism ,and proceeded to enjoy himself on his

two thousand a year . For this purpose he proceeded to Monte Carlo , in the company of his ducalnephew, and when they were established in the Hotelde Paris, it was hard to say which was the morelively of the two ; for what Lord Kenny lacked inyears, he made up in spirit. He felt that he haddone his duty by his child and was entitled to a littlerelaxation ; so he trotted about with Richborough ,and showed that ducal scamp that he w as ful ly ableto hold his own with the young men of the day inthe matter of going the pace .

Meanwhile , quite unaw are of her father’ s plungeinto dissipation , which poverty had hitherto prevented him from taking , Hilda Dacre was enj oyingherself greatly in Devonshire . There never w as ,

according to her firm belief , so admirable a bridegroom as “

T

ilf r ed, and in that country seclusionthey lived only for one another . For once in theirlive s they tasted of perfect happiness

, and bothbitterly regretted that the cares of the world shouldever call them back again to society.

134 1L .

-IDD IN IN LON D ON .

of nature ; for the gulls shrieked , the waves murmured on the beach , a nd the w ind rustled throughthe distant trees . Af ter the hur ried town- life, thisrestful haven possessed a wonderful charm, and “

v

il

fred,with his poetic imagination , felt it intensely.

The world is too much with us ,”

he quotedabsently. Do you know

,Hilda, that is a very tr ue

line ; but one never believes it in town . Our ar tificial life there banishes all natural instincts from ourbreasts , and we ar e content to live in an unnaturalmanner. instead of returning to the true natureworship of our ancestors .

I am very fond of nature , but I would not liketo live in the country altogether .

”

That is because you have been brought up intow n

, and have acquired a love for an artificial ex istence . Very likely , I also , in spite of my asseverationthat I love Arcadia, would ti re of its placidity : but

at. present I am thoroughly happy. Let us not thinkthis i s Devonshire

,Hilda

,nor w e , children of the

nineteenth century. No ; you ar e E y e , I am Adam ,

and this is the Garden of Eden .

”

And Janshah the serpent .

"

My dear Hilda , why have you taken such a dis

like to that unfortunate man He is a verv harmless sort of character.

”

I don‘

t like him ! replied Hilda with a shudhe is so quiet and stealthy in his movements ,

—j ust like a snake . I wish you would send himawayI cannot ! He w as a servant of my uncle , and

was left to my care .

”

u'

E D DIN o BELLS . 135

Then pension him of f .

It is impossible to do that,Hilda ; but, if you

like , I will send him back to town , and he can onlycome and see me when necessary .

”

t y is it necessary for you to see him ? ”asked

Hilda, curiously.

Well , you see he looks after certain business , thedetails of which I need not enter into at present, andmust make his report to me every now and then .

But he will not trouble you .

”

The fact is, Hilda w as beginning to be very curious about things ; and on several occasions , IVilf redhad it on the tip of his tongue to tell her the truestate of aff airs . Then he thought it best tobe silent ,as, if he revealed the secret of the ring , he couldnever be certain that she would keep her knowledgeto herself . Lord Kenny was an inquisitive old man ,

and might ask her questions which Hilda would beunable to parry, and sooner or later would tell himall. If Lor d Kenny learned the truth, it w ould soonbe know n all over London, andWilfred by no meansrelished the idea of his private af fairs becoming thegossip of clubs and draw ing- rooms . He ther eforejudged it wiser tokeep his secret ,and succeeded in doingso at the cost of a considerable number of lies , which,

though necessary,he very much disliked telling.

In the end, he saw plainly , he would have to tellthe truth

,but he delayed the necessity as long as pos

sible . As Hilda grew older, and emancipated herselffrom the influence of her father, he would be able toreveal all with safety but as it w as , he preferred toremain silent, lest Lord Kenny should become sus


pic ious , and discover that w hich it w as not desirablefor him to know.

Besides,

” resumed “rilf r ed, anxious to come toa complete understanding regarding Jan shah Imust have some one to look after my business .

“

Then why not engage an English steward ? ”

He would not be so useful . Janshah is perf ectly honest , and knows the details of my uncle ’ sinvestments

,from whence w e get our income . More

over,he speaks nearly all the European tongues , and

w ill be ve ry useful to u s when trav e lling abroad.

Still , if you insist upon it, I w ill dismis s him .

”

This w as very artfully put, as Wilfred knew verywell after his explanation Hilda would never consent to his making such a sacrifice .

My dear Wilfred,” she said , taking his hand , I

do not wish you to do that . Keep him in y our employment by all means ; but the les s I see of him thebetter shall I be pleased .

"

You will hardly see him at all, repliedW ilfred,rej oiced at thus gaining his point : he will onlycome to the house w hen it is necessary f or me to seehim on business . By the way , I received a letterfrom him to - day .

About what ? ”

I told him to get me a villa on the shores of theBlack Se a .

“Thy the Black Sea ?It is said to have a very charming climate, at

leas t the southern portion of it, and I am anxious

to spend a winter there . He has secured a villawhich he says is beautif ullv s ituated , some distan cerbove C onstantinople .

1 38 IN LON DON .

No . That is true . Papa w as so badly of f .

Then from henceforth your life shall be all sunshine .

”

But in our happiness , lYilf r ed, w e must not forget other people .

”

No , we will not ; but, my dear Hilda, there isplenty of time for that . Let us have two or threeyears of selfishness

,and then you can waste money

in charity to your heart’

s content .”

I am quite w illing. How ar e we going ‘

to spendthe next few months

IVe will leave this place for Monte Carlo , inorder to see your father. At Christmas , w e w ill godown to Herefordshire, where you can play the partof Lady Bountiful . Afterwards we can take possession of our house in tow n for the season, and

thenAnd then sa id Hilda , gaily , springing to

her feet .l-Ye w ill go for the winter to our villa in Busk .

Our villa in Busk ! repeated M r s Dacre , laughit sounds like a castle in Spain .

More substantial , I hope ,” said “T

ilf r ed, offering her his arm . lYe will ca ll it , if you like , theCastle of Indolence .

CHAPTER X1

THE MAJOR MAKES A PROPOSAL .

TUE true joy of life lies rather in anticipationthan in realization ; but the truth of this statementis not apparent to the young . How can it be whenthey ar e but straining for that distant goal whichtheir imaginations invest with all the glory and

romance of the unknown ? Only when the goal isattained , only when the prize is within reach, doesthe victor find that he has but gained Dead- Sea f ruitfor his reward. That which glistens like gold in thedistance proves to be but tinsel on closer inspection , and the beautiful dreams of youth , un substantial as the fantasies of sunset, lure us onward withthe promise of glories never to be realized . It isthe illusions of youth which render us so happy, soambitious , so determined to succeed but when theyar e lost, the actual truth is bitter indeed .

Ask any successful man if he is happy, and without doubt he will tell you that happiness vanishedwith success , and that the muchdesired bauble whengained proved hardly worth the struggle of years .Some few happy persons there ar e who can attainthel r ambitions and yet be happy but the majorityof mankind learn by bitter experience that the workis worth more than the reward . Solomon had all

1 0

140 . 1L .

-1DD IN I. LON D ON .

that the heart of man can des ire , and wrote the Bookof Eccles iaste s . Charles V .

, the most pow erful monarch in Europe , gave up all his impe r ial splendoursfor the quiet of St. Just and Diocletian but whyprolong the list ? history is but a record of thosewho have been disillusioned by success . It is as

enchanting as the gardens of Armida, and as lackingin true happiness .

These w ere sad thoughts for a young man ; butthey were those of W ilfred Dacre

,whom all men

envied for his wealth and for his beautiful w ife . A

year had passed since he had gained the ring and

Hilda , yet he now felt more unhappy than he hadever felt before Formerly he had w ished formany things , and the constant hope that such mightbe gained had fil led his life with joy ; now he hadwon them all, and found but scant pleasure in theirpossess ion . It is true that he loved his w ife fondly,that he w as not averse to possessing wealth capableof gratifying his most extravagant w him s ; y et w ithalthere seemed to be something lacking in his ex istence . That something

,though he did not kn ow it,

was action .

Nothing stands still in the universe for a moment .It mus t either go backward or forward in order tofulfil the condition of its being. Owing to his w ealthand satiety of desire .Wi lfred w as as near standings till as is possible for anything , and consequentlyfelt very unhappy. He wanted w ork , he w antedaction , he wanted something to lure him 0 11 throughtoilsome years ; but as it was he simply rusted forwant of use . It is a fatal mistake to think that

ALAD D IN IN LON D OA

woman succeeded in her desire . During the firstseason in London she gave two balls and severalat homes , all of which were very successful .W ilfred used to laugh at the number of strange

people his wife collected in he r salons,but he w as

always ve ry much amu sed at the queerness of theirseveral types . Hilda w as a lion -hunter

,and secured

all the latest successes at he r partie s . G reat singers ,famous nov e li sts , the latest professor of spir itualism ,

the newest explorer,— they were all present, and ,

mixed w ith them,fashionable ladies , tall guardsmen ,

and invariably a sprinkling of politicians. Theselatter were brought there for IVilf red’

s special benefit,as his wife was anxious that he should enter theHouse . Hav ing no political ambition , how ever , heobstinately refused to think of such a thing , much toHilda ’

s de spair , as she greatly de sired to rouse himfrom the listless state into w hich he had fallen .

One constant vis itor to Hilda’ s cosmopolitan sa

10 118 w as Maj or M easu rby , who had now securedquite a position of his own . On receiving the twentythousan d pou nds from Wilfred ,

he. also had ah

nounced that he had succe ede d to a small legacy , as

the best w ay of accounting for his new ly acquiredwealth . So great is the power of money that this

announcement (lid much to rehabilitate the maj or in

the opinion of his fellow - creatures . Hitherto he

had been looked upon with suspicion as little betterthan a n adventurer : but now his w ealth and his

constant presence at Hilda’

s reunions had succeededin gaining him an excellent social position .

Ye t, withal, the maj or w as quite as unhappy as

THE MAJOR MAKE S A PROPOSAL . 143

Wilfred . Despite his apparent friendship withDacre he had not forgiven him the loss of the ring,and determined to gain possession of it sooner orlater. Seeing that he had now plenty of money

,this

desire appeared to be rather selfish,as he could gain

no benefit from possessing millions where he nowhad thousands . So it would appear ; but the fact isthat Measurby had in his being many characteristicsof those condottieri of the Renaissance , and foundmodern life much too narrow for his ambitions.lVith twenty millions he could found a kingdom and

cut a great figu re in the world , while, limited as henow was to a few thousands , he could hope to donothing save lead this aimless London life, which hedetested . He regarded himself as an embryo Napoleon

, and, provided he obtained the ring, hoped toemulate the conqueror of Austerlitz .This being the case, Measu rby set his wits to work

in order to hit upon some method of wresting the

ring from W ilfred . He despised its present pos

sessor very much for frittering away the wealth insuch idle ways as he was now doing, and conceivedthat he would be acting only wisely in gaining possession of the treasure, so as to use it largely for thebenefit of mankind in general and himself in par

ticular .

Nevertheless,he saw plainly that it would be a

difficu lt task to get the ring from W ilf red, as that‘

astute young man w as proof against fraud ; Whilein a law - ridden place like England, it was impossible to obtain it by force. The only thing to bedone was to lure Wilfred out of the kingdom into

144 ALADDI.

r I. LON D ON .

some land beyond the confines of civilization , and

then take advantage of the lack of law and order toaccomplish the seizure . This Measu rby resolved todo

, and proposed to “Y

ilf red that they should u ndertake an expedition to Africa. Hilda, however, forbade this, as she did not want her husband to leaveher on such perilous travels so M easurby, foiled onone point

,tried another .

Knowing all the gos s ip of the town, Measurby

had but little trouble in hitting upon a feas iblescheme and this , under the guis e of a friendly act,

he commu nicated to “V

ilf r ed at. the club . He sawthat the young man was devoured with ennui

, and

resolved to show him how to dispel the curse byleading a life of action . The maj or

,who had all his

plans cut and dried , hoped that the life of action heproposed would lead lVilf red into Eastern countrie s .

Once there Measurby promised himself po s s ession ofthe ring.

They were seated at the window of the smokingroom looking out on St. James Street, and w erellmo s t alone , as the apartment w as but spars e lyoccupied . Buried in a large armchair

, l-l ilf r ed sat

smoking in an idle , dreamy fashion peculiarly exas

perating to the alert major, who looked upon suchinaction with disdain .

And this fool,” soliloquized the major to him

self , thi s fool can command twenty millions ofmoney , an amount which could give him a kingdom , if he were so disposed. But he won ’t do anything with the ring except fritter its pow ers awayas he is doing now . Hang it, I must get it to my

146 ALADDIN 1 . LON D ON .

Well, to what better use could you put it?

Measurby drew a long breath .

Ah ! I could do many things . For instance , Icould buy myself a kingdom .

There ar e none for sale , said W ilfred cyni

cally. The large ones decline to put up for auc

tion,and the smaller ones ar e mostly turned into

gambling hells . ”

Your Vis ion is narrow, retorted the maj or an

gr ily ; you only see what you choose to see . If youwanted a small kingdom, you could obtain one .

They say romance is dead . Pooh ! the world is as

romantic now as it ever w as . “Thy now . at this moment, I could unfold to you a scheme which wouldtranscend the w ildest romance of the Middle Ages .Well, do so . I am only too anxious to be

amused .

There is no amusement in this , but hard work.

You have had too much of the former , Dacre . and ithas rendered you dissatisfied ; the latter will makeyou a contented man once more .

Then you do not think I am content now 7

A glance in your mirror w ill answ er that question ,

”said Measurby , disdainfully Content ? No !

You are suf f ering from ennui , the curse of an idleexistence . Oh , I speak for myse lf as well as for you .

I , also , feel stifled in this narrow life w e. lead . I

am not fit for your comfortable c ivilization , Dacre .

Had I lived in the Middle Ages,I would have lived

every moment of my life now I only exist . "

Yet you say the present age is one of romance,"

w as Dacre'

s commentary on this speech .

THE MAJOR MAKES A PROPOSAL . 147

And I say it again . Romance is all around us ,hidden under the mask of the commonplace . \Ve

talked on this subject before, and I told you to go

out into the str eets, and seek for an adventure. Youdid so and found one.”

But you forget. That adventure was preparedby you .

‘ Partly ; not altogether. But to return to oursubject. Romance

,I say , exists on all sides ; but the

special romance we need is not to be found in England.

The romance of adventure, w ar , of l ife and death,must be sought for in distant lands . You are stagnating here

,Dacre, and so am I. Let us go, then ,

to the East, and there I can promise you a life ofdanger and delight.”

Is this your schemeYes . I am going to the Black Sea, to Busk,

there to replace the Lusignan dynasty on their rightful throne.

I am afraid you will find that task a somewhatdifficult one.”

Alone and unaided I might do so, but with yourmoneyThe maj or paused and looked eloquently at VVil

fred.

My money ! repeated the young man thoughtfully.

“ Yes , as you say , a great deal can be donewith that. Still, the task is a dangerous one .

No doubt but it will be something to live forOf course, if you ar e afraid

Afraid ! ” interrupted Wilfred, colouring with

v exation, 110 , I am not afraid, but I am prudent.

148 1L . 11 mm Ly LON DON .

It do e s not do to dec ide a question of this sort w ithout due reflection . Have y ou spoken to a ny one elseabout this ideaNo. It is no use speaking to any one else ,

Only a man of y ou r wealth can aid me to c arr y out

the scheme .

Do y ou know the princess de Lus ignan

Or the marquess ParadisoNo . I am acquainted w ith neither of them .

But I know that the princes s is not a w oman to submit tainely to the loss of he r throne . E ighteenmonths ago her father died , and before she could beproclaimed queen, the republican faction drove herinto exile . All those eighteen months she has be enscheming to return again to Busk . She has askedfor the aid of England , and our present government

, afraid of Russia . refus e s to as s ist her . France .r epublican hersel f , w ill not aid fallen ro y alty . Ger

many dare not embroil herself w ith the Balkans tates, lest she should o ff er a pretext to France forw ar ; so on all s ides this unfortunate prince ss hasbe en refus ed help .

"

In that case . as the g r e at pow e rs have decidedto r emain neutral , she w ill ne ve r g e t back he r

thronIt is questionable ,

" replie d the maj or . musingly ;but Julia de Lusignan is too dar ing a spirit to

submit to such injustice . I discovered, quite by ae

e ide nt , that at the pre s ent time she is forming a con

spirac y against. the republic of Busk . Her party ist s trong one there is dissens ion among the leaders


Because I don’t think you ar e making a properuse of the ring

,

” replied M easurby , calm ly . W ithsuch wealth, you should do more than lead an aim

less existence . Besides,I see you are dull ; and, for

your own sake as well as my own, I desire to showyou how to enjoy life .

”

“ And you did not w ant to go to Madam e de Lusignan empty

- handed, I suppose , suggested II'

ilf r ed,

sarcastically .

No , you ar e quite right , returned the maj or, inno wise off ended your money will be more grateful to the princes s than my sword . However, if youdo not lik e my idea, let us drop the subject .

”

By no means . I am much taken w ith your idea,but I will not decide hastily .

”

Then what ar e your intentions 7

The marquess Paradiso ,”

said “Y

ilf r ed, r e f lec~

tively , is coming to an at home my wife isgiving this afternoon. You also ar e coming

,Maj or

,

I pre sume ?

Yes ; M r s . Dacre was kind enough to send mean invitation .

”

Good Then w hile soc iety is engaged in listening to the last new s inger captured by my w ife

,I

will take an opportunity of introducing you to themarquess . I suppose he knows all about thisconspiracy

Eve r y thing . He is completely in the confidenceof the princes s .

Then w e w ill hold a counc il of three. and if Iam satisfied w ith the facts he puts before us, I w illthink over the matter .

THE M . 1JOR MAKL‘

s A PROPOSAL. 151

How wonderfully cautious you have. become ,Dacre ,

”said Measu rby ironically . W ilfred turned

towards him with a meaning smile .

My dear Maj or ,” he said significantly, I w as

talking with a cabinet minister last week , and thequestion of Princess Lusignan and her exile cameup in the course of conversation . It was the opinionof this statesman that the fir st effort made by theprincess for the recovery of Busk would result ina European war . W ith that possibility, can youwonder at my caution ?

CHAPTER XII.

PLEASURE AN D POL ITICS.

THE Tow e r of Babel w as responsible for the con

fusion of tongue s , and the end of the nineteenthcentury is certainly accountable for the confus ion ofclasses . In the days of old every class was distin

g uished by a spec ial dress , and the lines of divisionw ere sharply defined. Then the dress distinctiondisappeared a nd now the lines of div is ion have beenremoved , w ith the result that society has been , so tospeak ,

reduced to an intellec tual and moral chaos .

{oyaltyy aristocrac y . gentry . and merchants all

mingle with one another. The only line of demarcation is that fixed against shopkeepers : but abovethat , to all appearances , every one , of whatever rank ,

seems to be on an equal footing. This fact w as

never be tter exemplified than by the motley crow d

assembled in the salons of Hilda Dacre , for theresocial extremes met in the mos t extraordinaryll l f bll lle l

’

.

Actors elbowed pe er s , clergymen chatted w ithactre sses , j ournalists hunted cabinet ministers and

soc iety ladies smiled on American millionaires . Itwas a case of liberty, equality and fraternity with a

vengeance , and the most exacting radical would havebeen pleased with the spectacle . The social mil

154 ALAD D IN 1 .v Loivuoiv .

verge of a revolution, but it seems to me that we ar e

now antic ipating its worst horrors .My dear child, your ideas ar e medi -aeval, said

Lord Kenny,indulgently. You would have been

more at home in the Middle Ages , when s ixteenquarterings were required from those who wished toenter decent society . N ous a vons change tou t cela .

Money and brains ar e the passports nowadays , par

ticular ly the first . I dont like it, myself ; but whatcan one do , save bend to the inevitable ? As thesepeople won

’

t be kept out, they must be let in and

after all they come with j ests, instead of bludgeons

as they did in the French revolution . There is nosuch thing as caste nowadays . It went out w ithsteel armour, to be superseded by American fortunesi lla mushroom peel -

ages . If you wish to be selectyou will have to ask half- a- dozen people whose titlesdo not make up for thei r mental deficiencies . There sult w ill be

, as y ou have already experienced ,boredom . No . my dear Hilda ; in the end you w illhave to admit the herd .

”

Taking this somewhat cynical advice, his daughterdid admit the herd and although she strove to drawthe line somewhere , it w as extremely difficult todraw it at all. Still, by dint of hard w ork a nd

judic ious selection, she managed to keep her receptions sufficiently up to the mark, and they becameimmensely popular a mong the heterogeneous societyof to- day . Lord Kenny invariably came to theseentertainments , in order to support his daughter, andpressed himself highly amused with the diff erent

types of sociality which came under his notice .

PLEASURE AN D POLITICS. 155

It ’s like Noah’s Ark , you know,he was saying

to anM . P. on this particular occasion ; every speciesof animal is represented. I suppose all the peoplehere are fairly respectable .

Quite as respectable, if not more so, than thearistocracy,

” retorted the M . P., who had risen fromthe ranks, and never lost an opportun ity of advert ising the fact. In my opinion all the vi rtues of thenation are concentrated in the middle classes .”

Pooh pooh ! rej oined his lordship, easily,that is because no one takes any notice of theirpeccadilloes . If one of our people makes a slip thescandal is blaz oned forth in every rag calling itselfa society paper but your middle classes can sin as

they please without any one being a bit the wiser.”

All men are equal , my lord !And all men are brothers, also — by Adam,

said the peer, sarcastical ly but they don’t seem tocare much about either fraternity or equality. Youar e a radical, I believe

Yes , a strong radical .Then I suppose you look upon your servants as

equals.”

C ertainly not, replied the rad ical angrilythere is a limit.”

Of course,and the limit always seems to me to

be a personal matter. Your theory is a deal betterthan your practice, my dear sir. To all above youyou urge equality , but as regards those below, youkeep silent .”

It is a matter which adm its of much argument,my lord.

”

156 A LADDIN IN LON D ON .

No doubt, but you intend all arguments to endthe same way, according to your views. However ,we will not argue at all, as neither of us wouldconvince the other . Let us talk of other things ,Princess Julia of Busk , for instance . I see hermaster -of - the-household is present .”

Yes . Intriguing as usual, I suppose .

Well , you can’ t expect any one to give up a

throne easily, especially a woman ,” retorted Lord

Kenny, with a chuckle . Of cour se Paradiso is intriguing, and so is his mistress , but they ar e onlywinding ropes of sand, un less your governmenthelps them.

”

Cer tainly not . By doing so we should involveourselves in a w ar with Russia .

”

Ah, I forgot I Peace without honour is the mottoof your party. Perhaps you ar e right. It is muchmore profitable to let the cat pull the chestnuts outof the fire.”

Princess Julia will never pull the Busk chestnutout of the Russian fire ,

” said the M . P.

, spitefully .

He had been introduced to Julia, and she hadsnubbed him severely .

She’

ll try to, at all events . A woman with the

temper of Catherine the Second does not stick at

tr ifles . She wants the throne of Busk .

”

And more than that, she wants the thr one ofCy prus .

Does she,indeed said Lord Kenny, nodding

his head. You can ’t blame her . It belonged toher family for three centur ies . I suppose vou won ’tgive it to her ?

V’ )

158 ALADDIN ix LON DON .

I thought you said you were amused .

Not at the enter taimnent, at the people themselves. I think Darwin must have picked up hisidea of monkey descent from an entertainment ofthis sor t . It ’

s all chatter and tricks . By the way,there is Richborough .

”

Yes . He came here to - dayat Hilda’s particular

request .”

What ! is she a conspirator also ?I don’t understand .

”

Have n ’

t you heard ? My dear W ilfred,it ’

s

quite the talk of the tow n. R ichborough is going infor politics .”

Parliament ?No . The de Lusignan politics . I see the

marquess Paradiso is present. You know he is intr iguing for the restoration o f Princess Julia.

”

Yes . I k now that. But what has Richboroughgot to do with it ?

He is going to as s ist . I knew you would besurprised,

”added Lord Kenny, see ing the look of

astonislmi ent on Dac re ’ s face . I confess I w as

surprised myself . Richborough’

s training has notprepared him for a political career, particularly onewhich brings him into contact with Muscovite politie iaus . But it is true , ne ver the les s . He is going too ff e r himself and what remains of his money to thisexiled queen , exchange Monte Carlo for Busk

,

and his coronet for a crow n

He might do worse .

”

Ah ! ah l said Lo rd Kenny,signifi cantly.

Ar e. you bitten also ? IVell, why don’t you join

him 9

PLEAS URE AN D POLITICS . 159

Perhaps I may .

If I were younger. I might be tempted to do thesame thing, Dacre . This life of ours is singularlydull and vapid. A revolution of f ers excitement

, and

excitement is the salt of lif e . There is Hilda beckoning to you .

”

But what about yourself , Lord Kenny ?I will talk to Mr s . Gav eston . She is a delight

ful old scandal-monger, and knows something badabout ’every one present . Go to Hilda, my dearlad .

”

SoW ilfred went, and Lord Kenny sat down besidehis antique gossip

,whom he aided to pull the charac

ter of everybody to pieces . Both of them were excellent at this work, and in a few minutes had left noone in the room with a shred of respectability.

I wish you would stay beside me , “l

ilf r ed, saidHilda, in a w hisper .

“ I am so tired receiving people

, and I want you to take some of the work of f myshoulders .”

“ I ’ll do my best, replied her husband in thesame tone ; but really, Hilda , I do not kn ow why

you bore yourself with these functions .

”

When one is in Rome , one must do as theRomans do,

” retorted Hilda, laughing . Nevermind

, Wilfred ; the season is nearly over, and thenwe can amuse ourselves in our own w ay .

”

“ It certainly won ’t be in this style . Just listen

to the conversation .

”

No one taking up her attention for the moment,Hilda did so , and certainly was not impressed by the

scraps of talk she overheard.

160 ALADD IN IN LON D ON

Said she would never receive her I have it fora fact he married a chorus girl—four thousand at

Monte C arlo of course he is determined to applyfor a divorce we went to the Palace Music Halllast night oh , my dear, the songs well theduke is going to marry her if she w ill have himLusignan and Richborough an impossible mixtureWhat ’

s that ? asked Hilda, quickly, overhearing the last remark .

“ About R ichborough said Wilfred, slowly.

Well , your father was j ust telling me that heis going to offer his services to Princess Julia.

”

Is he in love with her ? ”

I’

m sure I don’

t know. It ’

s either love orennui . However, you can ask him for yourselfhere he is .”

Hilda, said the duke . approaching at that moment, where is the marquess ParadisoWhat do you want to see him about 7

About ? ” said Richborough , laughing .

is a secret.”

“ I’

m afraid not , interpo sed “l

ilf r ed,quickly .

It is well known that you ar e going to j oin theLusignan party.

”

Richborough shrugged his shoulders . but did notdeny the statement .

“ One must have exc itement, he said, in a lowvoice . I am bored to death with everything ; so alittle conspiracy will be a change .

”

You ’

11 get yourself into trouble, hinted Hilda,with the amiab le candour of a near relation.


versation went on just as usual . f ew enthus ias ts

had gathered round the play er , but the maj ority ofthe g uests were talking incessantly , hardly loweringtheir voices to do so ; and amid the general humof talk and music, Measurby and his young friendfound an opportunity of exchanging a few words .Have you spoken to Paradiso ? asked the ma

j or, anxiously.

“ Not yet. I have not had an opportunity , butwill do so shortly. At present , he is talking to theDuke of Richborough .

”

And we know what that means, said Measurby

significantly “ He is bent on the same errand as

ourselves .So I hear .

And from whomMy father- in - law . He knows e very thingExcept how to hold his tongue . muttered the

maj or, mightily annoyed at being forestalled in hisinformation . Well , Dacre , I w ish you would introduce me to Paradiso at onceWhenever I get the chance , replied Dacre , hur

r iedly“ but we cannot speak of anything serious to

him just now .

”

“ Of course not . Ask him to make an appointment .”

About the conspiracy ?

Yes but don’

t hint at such a thing. If you do,

he ’

11 deny all about it .”

It seems to me hardly worth while his doing so,

said Wilfred sarcastically , Every one knows thata conspiracy is in the course of formation .

”

PLEASURE AN D POLI'

I'ICs . 1 63

Every one doe s not, answ ered Measurby , emphatically. There are rumours , certainly ; butnothing definite is known. Why , the Russian am

bassador is keeping a close watch on the princess ;so if he found out her plans , she w ould be checkmated in Busk. N0 ; they are keeping the af fair asquiet as possible, and there is no tangible evidencethat such a thi ng as a conspiracy is in existence.”

But RichboroughOh , I k now all about him

,said the maj or ,

rapidly. It is said that he is in love with the princess ,—a mere rumour, nothing more , of which theRussian government takes no notice . Richboroughhas no power, no money, —nothing but his title ,which goes for naught in foreign politics . His ac

cession to the party of the princess means nothingwhatever .

“ Mind I do not intend to commit myself withParadiso .

Then what is the use of speaking to him at all ?

said Measurby in an angry tone .

Every use I I wish to find out the truth of thematter. If it is some wild scheme, such as r ecom

mends itself to Richborough, I certainly will notpledge myself to interfere in any way. But if it isserious business and I can see some possibility ofsuccess

,I will do my best to help the cause , if my

wife does not obj ect .”

“ Your wife,— why

,what has she got to do

with it ?“ Everything. If I join in this , my wif e must

come with me. I have been thinking over the mat

164 f lLJDDIN IN LON D ON .

ter since I saw you last, and her cooperation will bevery useful .”

I don ’ t see it .Not now but you will

,when I explain my

plans .”

Have you any plans“Yes . I have a design for getting the princess

to Busk without any one knowing of her pre sence inthe country

ButHush, M easu rby , said W ilfred , a trifle impa

tiently , this is not the time to discuss the sematters . You will find that I am not talking without good cause . Meanwhile let a s go and speak toParadiso .

”

Measurby acquiesced in silence , and followedWilfred across the room . He (lid not like the im

perative tone adopted by Dacre , and saw that if theyoung man went in for conspiracy he would do soheart and soul . If he w ith the aid of his moneysucceeded in placing Julia de Lus ignan on the

throne , it would be as difficult to obtain the ringin Busk as in England , for its ow ner would be as

safe in the former country as in the latter . hIcasur

luv , how e ver , had a mos t hopeful disposition , and so

long as he induced “r

ilf r ed to go to Busk trustedthat some opportunity would occur enabling him togain posses s ion of the ring. Once he had that , andthe conspiracy could come to naught so f ar as hew as concerned . The major w as intriguing purelyon his own account, and making use of “T

ilf r ed as a

cat ’ s-

paw ; but the young man had proved too clever


be despised, and both Para diso a nd the princessmade much of the gallant young man . Know ingthe cosmopolitan society which met in the salons ofMrs . Dacre , the marquess came hither w ith the intention of keeping his eyes open and gaining whate ver advantage of fered ; yet, while listening to all

that went on around him , w as too w ise to commithimself to speech .

How do you do , Marquess,said lVilf r ed, salut

ing Paradiso . “T ill you permit me to introduceyou to my friend , Maj or M easurby

I have heard of you , Major, said the marquess ,shaking M easurby

’

s hand . You have done somegood work in India.

”

I have been under fire, if that is what youmean , replied Measurby , on his guard at once fromthis too gracious reception . Mere frontier w ars ,

nothing more .

”

Burmah and Afghanistan ,

’

said Paradiso sigu ificantly something more than tr ifles , I think . And

now you ar e resting on your laurelsA rest whi ch I do not require .

Ha ! observed the Marquess , darting a piercingglance at the impassive visage of the maj or. Youwish to repeat your warlike de eds .

“ I wish for any thing that means an exciting life .

said M easurby s ign ificantly .

“ The fact is , both the major and myself desireto see you privately on busin ess,

” interposed “rilf r ed

abruptly.

On bus iness ? reiterated Paradiso with feignedsurprise . I do not understand .

PLE . 1SURE D POL ITICS . 167

Well, we can hardly explain our meaning here ,Marquess , but I think you can guess it.

”

Paradiso glanced anxiously round the room,being

constantly in dread of spies,and then shook his

head with a pretence of ignorance peculiarly imi tating to a quick- tempered man like Dacre .

I am afraid I cannot fathom your meaning.

I refer to your meetings,” said Wilfred, exas

perated at this fencing .

What meetings , monsieur inquired Paradisoangrily .

I think you know that better than we dohinted the major significantly .

Paradi so shook his head with a bright smile, andshrugged his shoulders .I am really at a loss to understand these allu~

sions,messieurs,

” he said quickly Perhaps youhave reference to the receptions of my august mistress . She receives on Thursdays , and I have nodoubt will be graciously pleased to admit you to anaudience .

We do not wish to come on Thursdays , said

Wilfred in an annoyed tone but at night.”

TO-morrow night, said M easurby significantly,at ten o ’clock .

”

The marquess looked at him anxiously, astonishedthat he knew the hour of the meeting ; but, astutereader of character as he was, the stolidity of M easur

by’ s coun tenance baffled him,and he still professed

his inability to understand the meaning of thesehints . Wilfred would have retreated in despair ;but Measurby, taking the bull by the horns , whis

168 1L . 1DD I .V IN LON DON .

pered rapidly in Paradiso ’s ear without attractingthe attention of the bystanders

“re wish to join the royal cause . Dacre is a

recruit worth gaining . Money ! W ith a rapid movement Paradiso moved back and looked keenly at thetwo men .

You ar e j esting with me,gentlemen

,he said in

a low tone . There is no conspiracy ; the princessis content to remain quiet under the protection ofEngland.

In that case there is nothing more to be said .

But,”

added Paradiso with emphasis , I havea few friends coming to see me tomorrow night

,

about ten ! clock , a mere friendly gathering of mycompatriots and I will be pleas ed if you gentlemenwill do me the honour of coming.

"

“r

e will be there ,” said Measu rby decis ively .

Merely a friendly gathering , m s1sted the mar

quess, looking round to see that no one w as withinhearin g

Of course , replied ilf r ed, smiling ; merelya friendly gathering .

"

17 0 ALAD D IN Iv LON D ON .

I ’

m afraid we shall have gone too f ar to refuse,if we learn his secrets .

I fail to see that. We ar e gentlemen, I trust,and can keep silent about such things . If Paradisois not prepared to accept that amount of risk, he isless daring than I give him credit for being .

”

“ He is cautious .

”

And so am I , retorted W ilf red , coolly ; toocautious to go into this matter blindly . I must kn owall to - night

, and when we go to the meeting to -morrowI can give my answer .

”

And meantimeMeantime I will think over the matter and con

sult my Wife .

”

Consult your w ife echoedM easurby , in a vexedYou ar e mad to think of such a thln

IVhat is your objection ?

She is a woman, and cannot keep a secret .She will keep secret whatever I desire ,

” repliedWilf red, with conviction .

In that case ,”

said Measurby , ironically I

wonder that you did not intrust her with the secretof the ring .

There was no necessity for such a thing, r e

joined Dacre, flushing at this home thrust . Perhaps some day I will tell her, but at present therewould be no sense in doing so . This conspiracy,however

,

”he added in an emphatic tone , concerns

us both , and she must know all about it . Besides,I

may need the assistance of my wife .

”

In what w ay ?

All that I will tell you in the presence of

CON SPIRAC Y . 17 1

Paradiso, said lVilf r ed, with marked significance .

Don’t be afraid , Maj or. The marquess shall knowall my plans when he informs me of his .”

Will you tell him of your intention to take yourwife into your confidence

Assuredly. And what is more, I will gain hispermission to do so .

”

I don’t think you will,retorted Measurby , de

r isively. Paradiso has but a small opinion ofw omen .

In that case I wonder at his determination toplace Busk under the sway of a queen .

”

Pooh that argument is a mere quibble .

Never mind ; it is a sufficient answer to your oh

jection ,

” replied Dacre, impatiently. But tell me,Maj or, will you come with me and see the marquessto - nightWhenever you please , but I

’

m afraid he willnot be at home .

Oh,yes , he will, said Dacre, triumphantly . I

sent off a note to him some time ago telling him thatwe intended to call to—night .”

You might have consulted me , grumbled themaj or, rather annoyed at the leade rship assumed byhis proposed victim .

My dear Major, I did not wish to lose him . Youwere not present ; so I sent off the note on my mm

responsibility, and came to your rooms at once . You

can hardly accuse me of neglecting your interests .

”

It ’s a lucky thing you found me at home,

” said

Measurby , evading the point . I was going to the

theatre.

17 2 ALADDIN I v LON DON .

lVell, are you going to the theatre now ?

No . I will come w ith you . The comedy of lifeis more amusing than that of the stage. ”

It is nine o ’clock,” obs erved lVilf r ed, glancing

at his watch I told Paradiso we would call abouthalf ~past .

In that case We had better start at once .

They went outside , and speedily found them s elvesin a hansom rolling in the direction of PortmanSquare, where Ma dame de Lusignan at present r e

sided . On arriving at the house. they sent up theirnames, and at once We re conducted into the presenceof the marquess Para diso . That astute gentlemanreceived them with easy courtesy , and gave no hintby word or deed that he w as acquainted w ith theobj ect of their visit , an obj ect which he w ould havebeen dull indeed not to guess .

I duly received y ou r note , Mr . Dacre .

”he said

suavely, in English , a lang uage which he spoke admirably , albeit w ith a s light foreign accent

, and

resolved to see you and your friend as y ou suggested .

But why you wish to see me after w hat pas sed between us to-day I am at a loss to umler stand.

”

I must apologize for gi ving y ou somuch trouble,

said D acre, gravely ; but when I explain my reasonsfor this visit I have no doubt you w ill think themsufficiently good to warrant our intrusion.

The marquess, wary old diplomat as he was ,

simply bowed his head in answer to this speech , and

waited to hear what his visitors had to say .

The matter I spoke of to- day is an importantone to u s

,

” observed ll'

ilf r ed, consulting Measurbv’

s

17 4 ALADDIN IN LON DON .

is certainly just ; but in this instance your suspicionsar e ill - founded . Instead of betraying you or yourroyal mistress to your enemies . w e desire to assist he rin regaining her throne .

”

And how can you do that Z’i’ said Paradiso , w ith

a sceptical smile .

I can give you unlimited wealth .

Unlimited WealthAye . To the extent of millions .Paradiso looked at him keenly and made a depre

catory gesture with his shoulders .

My dear M . Dacre , I trust you did not call onme at this hour in order to make jokes .

”

I am perfectly in earnest,” said “Tilf r ed firmly .

And I can vouch for the truth of the statement,added M easurby , w ith great deliberation .

Paradiso walked across to the fireplace and staredvaguely into the mirror for some moments , while hepondered over his reply. This sudden visit tookhim somewhat bv surprise , and he felt greatly per

plexed how to answer these two strangers who had

so unexpectedly Of fered their services . Surroundedas he was on all sides by treache ry, he was afraid tospeak too boldly , and yet did not desire to let themgo without making sure of the honesty of their intentions . The royalists of Busk were not by any

means a strong party, and it w ould never do to losethe acc e s s ion of a man who could bring money tothe amount of millions to forward the caus e . l l

meditated over the matter for some time, and then

turned to survey his guests with an inquiring lookon his face .

CON SPIRAC Y . 17 5

If you speak truly he began with markedhesitation .

Wilfred interrupted him impatiently.

Of course we speak truly . DO you think,Marquess , that either I or my friend look like traitorsWe desire to do this thing through a love of ad

ventur e ; and rest assured that both my money and

the maj or’ s services w ill be of great value to thecause .”

I will trust you , said Paradiso , extending a

hand to each . Yes,I will trust you without bonds

or oaths of any kind . You ar e gentlemen, I know,

and would not betray an unhappy princess whosefortunes are now at their lowest ebb .

Old servant as he w as of the house of Lusignan ,the thought of such a thing caused his voice to shakewith emotion ; but , speedily recovering himself, hewent on, speaking in firmer tones .

You ar e right in your surmise regarding meetings at this house . Most of the members of ourparty ar e in London , and we meet here to concertmeasures for replacing the princess once more onthe throne . The republic is now anything butpopular. Its leaders , consulting their ow n selfi shinterests

, ar e oppressing the people , and the army isthoroughly demoralized . W ith a few brave spiritsready to act with us at the right time, we hope toraise the royal standard, and , while the country is yetin confusion

,seize on the capital for Queen Julia .

”

It is a splendid idea ,

” said W ilfred , his eyesflashing at the prospect. A nd when do you expectto do this

1 7 6 ALADDIN IN LON D ON .

We cannot say , for just now we have no money .

Money Imoney repeated the marquess in despair ,we need a great deal . Several of the republicanleaders , particularly Upravado, can be bribed, andwould then assist us to restore the queen but without money we can do nothing .

”

I will supply the money . Marquess .

How much can you give ? asked Paradiso ,eagerly .

“ As much as ou re nire , a million if needy

Impossible said the marquess , recoiling . A

private English gentleman cannot have so muchmoney at his disposal or if so , it cannot be realizedat once. We wan t ready moneyYou shall have ready moneyThe marquess turned towards Measurby w ith an

in quiring look .

It is true ,” said that individual , w ith a confident

nod of his head My friend , Mr. Dacre . is able toget the money you w ant .The marque ss , hardly believing the evidence of his

ow n ears , still looked doubtful .“ C ome , Marques s

,

”said i lf r ed, growing tired

of all this suspicion, ar e you going to accept my

of f er, or shall I withdraw ?N0 , no ,

” stammered Paradiso , se izing his hand .

I do accept, and that thankfully , on behalf of my

royal mistres s .

”

One thing I must ask , said Wilf red , returningthe pressure, that my o ff er be kept secret fromall save the princess .

1 7 8 ALADDIN IN LON DON .

can take up her abode at the villa . lVith yourmoney

,Mr. Dacre, we can sow dissens ion among the

republican troops f ar and wide . All those we gainover to the cause can meet at your villa, and whenall is ready we can strike .

”

You don ’t think the present government ofBusk will suspect me asked W ilfred anxiously .

By no means . “Y

hy should they To all ap

pear ance , the country is comparatively at peace .

You ar e a w ealthy foreigner who has bought a v illathere for pleasure . They w ill suspect nothing

, and

the princes s can go disguised, say as the maid ofyour w ife . Oh , it will be all right, believe me , monsieur. What with your money, your villa, and thepresent dissension among the republicans, we wi llgain our cause Without alm ost a blow.

”

And thenAnd then we will proclaim Queen Julia. Once

she is on her throne , she will not forget you , Mr.Dacre

,or you either , Maj or.”

The marque ss w as quite exc ited at the gloriousprospect which he foresaw , and paced to and frotugging vigorously at his ir on -

grey moustache. Hisgue sts

,also , shar e d in his excitement ; for there was

no doubt that in order to bring things to a successful i s sue , there w ould be plenty of danger and difficulty. Wilfred felt his heart beat tumultuously at

the idea of such stirring times, and foresaw that for

once , at least his possession of the ring would en

able him to accomplish a great deed . Hitherto,he

had but dealt with the small things of private lifebut now,

through being concerned in this conspiracy,

CON SPIRAC Y . 17 9

he was juggling with crowns, controlling t he fateof kingdoms and the destinies of queens.If the conspir acy succeeded, it meant a glorious

restoration ; but if it failed, there was a chance ofhis losing his head. Thoughts like these thrill a

man’ s heart and wake him out of lethargy ; so Wilfred , roused from discontented broodings, welcomedthe dangerous prospect with infinite delight:

You must come to-morrow , Mr. Dacre, said themarquess, as they arose to go , and see the pri ncess .Thi s will put new life in to her. Tell no one of yourvisit here to night, and keep silent, for we ar e

watched on all sides .We will be careful , replied Measurby, sturdily ;

and as to these spies of the republicans,Dacre

will find out all about them.

Impossible ! ” said the marquess in perplexity.

You can have no idea of their dexterity.

”

I think I can match them in that, replied \Vi1fred , with a grim smile. As you can see from myoff er, Marquess , I can command money ; and he whodoes that commands the world .

CHAPTER XIV.

H ILD A GIVES HER OPIN ION .

IT had been Wilfred ’

s intention to tell his wifeeverything that same evening but as the interview with Paradiso had taken longer than he ex

pected , he did not arrive home till late at night.H ilda, tired with the fatigue of holding a reception ,

had retired to bed somewhat earlier than usual, and,unwill ing to disturb he r , lVilf r ed delayed his revelations until the morning . When he awoke , however,he found that it w as already late , and his wife hadan appointment w ith her dressmaker ; so they hadonly time to exchange a few words before parting .

“Y

ilf r ed w as vexed at thes e untoward c irc umsta ncesbut , knowing that Hilda would be ce rtainly presentat luncheon , he res ted ,

content that he would then beable to tell her all at the meal . Meanwhile . he wentto his study and shut himse lf up , in order to thinkover the events of the previous night .He could not but s e e that his connection with this

affair promised to be somewhat serious . In the opinion of a prominent politic ian, the firs t attempt madeby Julia de Lus ignan for the recovery of her crownwould be the s ignal for a European w ar . If thisw as the case , the af fair would not be so purely localas he hoped it would be . In itself it was so , as the


doubtless have collapsed in the first year of its existence .

The royalists were endeavoring to restore themonarchy , the republican s were fighting bravely tomaintain the existing form of government, and between these parties interposed Russia, looking afterher own interests . Ostensibly aiding the republic,she w as doing her best to destroy its influence , andtrusted , when the crash came , to seize on the distracted kingdom . The royalists would be sure toappeal to arms in the long r un

, and in the event ofa civil war nothing w as more probable than that theopposing forces w ould end in destroying one an

other . Then Russ ia would step in , and the exis

tence of Busk as an independent kingdom wouldend . Meanwhile , the great powers stood aloof , andw aited some decisive movement by one of thesethree parties before interfering in the matter .

Looking at the matter in this light , W ilfred saw

pla inly that his act ion in supplying the royalistswith funds to carry on the campaign would probably end in setting Europe in a blaze . As soonas the monarchists raised the standard of revoltagain st the existing government, those in power , toofeeble to rely on their unaided strength , would enlistthe sympathy of Russia . That power , to gain herown ends , would lend her best endeavours to stampout the danger to the republic . Seeing that theroyalists w ere helped by English gold , sooner orlater that government would be entangled in thedispute

, and come into collis ion with Russia. Theshores of the Black Sea would again become the

IIILD . l GIVE S HER OPIN ION . 183

theatre of a great European war , and the disastersof the C rimea would be repeated.

Again, in the event of such a war taking place,the sympathies of Germany, united to England bydynastic ties, would undoubtedly lea d her to throw inher influence with that country whereupon France,out of hatr ed for her hereditary enemy

,the Teuton,

would form a league with Russia. Austria, in thecentre of all these quarrelsome powers

,would find

it difficult to remain neutral, and while it was hardto say which party she would embrace, she wouldundoubtedly fight to maintain her prestige and theintegrity of her empiConsequently, Europe would be in a blaze from

one end to the other ; and this gigantic catastrophedepended upon the decision of a foolish young manin possession of a ring which placed twenty mill ionsof money at his command .

In his conversation with Paradiso , Wilfred hadbeen carried away by the vivid pictures of a gloriousrestoration drawn by that astute statesman ; butnow

, uninfluenced by the oratorical power whichthe marquess undoubtedly possessed, he saw thematter in a more reasonable light, and dr eaded lest

a n ill- considered step on his part should be themeans of deluging the continent with blood . Forthe moment

,owing to this mastership of the ring, he

had the privilege of a monarch in proclaiming war ,but shrank from taking such a responsibility on hisshoulders .In this dilemma he w as more determined than

ever to consult Hilda, and trust to her judg ment in

184 ALADDIN

the matter. As a rule , w omen give excellent advic e .

and Hilda w as a remarkably clear-headed young person, who did not deliver her opinion without duereflection . was quite ignorant of the maj or ’ s premeditatml treachery with regard to the rmand merely thought that his desire to help the princ e s s de Lusignan was caused by his crav ing for ad

venture . But even looking at it in this aspect. hesaw plainly that Me asu rby was an impetuous swashbuckler who did not count the cost of the ente rpris e in w hich he desired to be engaged . lvar w as

the major’ s trade , and he thought nothing of it butW ilfred , more noble-minded in his ideas , dreadedlest he should be the cause of a unive r sal catastrophe .

I will tell Hilda eve ry thing . he said to himself,as the gong sounded for luncheon , and. she w illadvise me what to do . As yet I have committedmyself in no way. and if she disapproves of the matter I can draw back . If, on the other hand . she

thinks it would be jus t to replace Julia de Lusignanon her throne , then I will supply the money and domy best to accomplish the restoration without bloodshed .

”

\ ll this self- communing worr ied him gr eatly. and

w hen he appeared at the luncheon- table Hilda w as

quite s tartled to see how haggard w as his face .

“ M y dear lVilf r ed . she said in alarm. kissinghim. how ill you look !

The eff ect o f late hours , I suppose , repliedDacre , wondering how he w as to breach the all- im

portant subject I have not sufficient stamina tosit up all night .


star. Julia de Lu signan is a royal personage and

one of the proudest women in Europe ; so it is notlikely she would ever lower herself to marry a merenoble

,even though he be as well born as Rich

borough . But as to his desire to replace her on thethrone of Busk, I must say that I think it is a chivalrous w ay in which to act . We women love ro

mance , you know, notwithstanding that men look onu s as terribly prac tical in many ways . In taking upthe cause of the princess

,I think that R ichborough

is doing a wise thing.

”

“r

hy a w ise thing ?

H itherto he has frittered his life aw ay : and if heonly finds some obj ect w orthy of his ambition ,

it w illdevelop his latent talents . Most people look on mycous in as s imply a. frivolous man but I know him better . C ircmnstances have made him what he is

, and

c ir cumstances w ill shape his future life . As a London idler , a.Monte Carlo gambler, he is nothing ; butnow that he has undertaken the task of replac ingPrincess Julia on the. throne , you w ill be astonishedhow his character w ill rev eal itself . Perhaps I amu nduly prejudiced in his favour

,but you w ill see

that I am r ight.And yet in the end he w ill gain nothing by it.You mean that the princess w ill refuse to marry

him ? “Tell, I am not so sure about that . Gratitude carries a woman a long w ay , and if he givesher a throne , she may w ell reward him w ith herhanc

I doubt it , seeing she is so proud . So Richborough is conspiring

JIILDJ GIVES IIER OPIN ION . 187

What a nasty name for a romance l said Hilda,laughing.

It is the true one, notwithstanding, repliedWilfred, qu ietly. Well, Hilda, I must say Iadmire your cousin for what he is doing. Whatdo you say to our helping him in his wooing ?

I do not see how we can do so.

”

Oh, yes, we can , and in the simplest way. As

you k now , we ar e going to Busk this year to occupyour villa.”

Ar e you sure it is safe to do so ?” asked Hilda,anxiously. The country is in a very disturbedstate.”

Well, to tell the truth, I am tired of this humdrum London life , and a little danger will be a

pleasant change.”

Ar e y ou weary of me, Wilfred ? ” she askedreproachfully.

“My dear, you know I am neve r weary of you ;but confess, are not our surroundings a trifle wearisome

“ Yes, assented Hilda, frankly. I must say Iam very tired of balls and theatres, and drawingrooms and at homes . ’ There is such a family likeness between them all that they ar e apt to becomemonotonous .”

Then let us go to Busk , and make our villa theheadquarters of the conspiracy .

”

My dear Wilfred, that is playing with fire. We

might lose our hea ds .”

And you have no desire to ac t the part of Marie

Antoinette

188 ALAD D IN IN Loy DON .

I cannot say that I feel so heroic. But youseem quite intere sted in this princes s , ll ilf r ed . Iit on her account that you saw the marquess lastnight ? ”

“ Partly, and partly on my mm . I am w eary

of this life of frivolity, Hilda, and wish for a widersphere of action . Therefore

,I proposed to the

marquess that our villa should be the headquartersof the royalist party .

And does he accept ?

On his ow n part he does , but the Pl‘lllCt 'S S Ju lia

has yet to be consulted . lVe ll, Hilda . and what do

y ou say?

“Thy ask my Opinion . if y ou have already made

up your m ind ? ”she said in a slightly annoy ed tone .

I have not made up my m ind . It is not y e t toolate for me to w ithdraw my of f er , if I feel so disposed .

The decis ion rests with you .

”

It is a terr ible risk to unde r take . W'

ilfred .

Yes , he an sw er ed calmly . I do not disguiseth at fact. Once we stand committed to the cau se

of the princess Julia, w e’ must carry it thr ough at

whatever cost . My s elf . Richborough and MajorhIeasu rby ar e all w illing to help her to r egain the

throne : but unles s y ou freely consent to my enga

g ing in the af f air , I will hay e nothing to do w ith it .

It is a serious matter, and may lead to nothing les s

than a European w ar .

Hilda. thought for a f ew moments . and tapped he r

foot on the ground .

I hardly know w hat to say . she said at. length .

I see plainly that our possession of that villa r en


knows all about the money s , I spoke to him on the

subject, so as to be certain how I stood , in the eventof dec iding to go into this matter . He assured me

that I could safely ventiu '

e on a million .

mill ion sterling ! cried Hilda in astonishment .Yes more or less .

Hilda looked at him steadily .

“ I did not know you had so much money , she

said at last. Wilf red, you do not tell me e ver ything .

My dear, you know all there is to tell.I thought you had only the thirty thousand a

Yes,but if you remember, I told you there w ere

s ome odd mone y s .

”

“ Oh, ye s . An amount , as I thought. of some

thousands . But a million of money ! It is enormous !

IVell, Hilda, he replied. with feign ed w eariness ,

“all I can do is to satisfy you thoroughly on

the matter. Examine Janshah, and he will tell youthe fullest extent of my uncle

'

s fortune .

”

Oh,I can take your word f or it,

” said Hilda . a

trifle coldly. As you know , I cannot bear Indians ,and do not care about speaking to him . But I mus tsay I would like to be more in your confidence .

”

Hilda ! My dear Hilda ! ” cried I'Yilf r ed, muchdistressed. You are completely in my confidence .

”

I am not so sure about that, she replied doubtfully . Howeve r , we can talk of this another time.for I see my cousin is coming .

”

Hilda,” whispered W

'

ilfred , crossing over to her

mum GIVES HE R OPIN ION . 1 9 1

at once, whatever there is to tell you— you shallkn ow at Busk .

”

Then there is something ? she said quickly.

A mere triviality ,” replied her husband , shrug

ging his shoulders I would tell it to you now ,

onlyH is Grace . the D uke of Richborough

, announcedthe servant at this moment and immediately af terwards the duke made his appearance . Wilfredw as grateful for the interruption

, as it spared himthe necessity for an embarrassing explanation . As

he shook hands with Richborough,however

,he men

tally determined to tell Hilda all , when they were atBusk .

I came in here instead of going into the drawing- room ,

” said R ichborough , linking his arm inthat of his cousin . lVilf red, give me some luncheon .

“Why , have you not had luncheon ?”asked Hilda

in dismay .

“ No . I have been talking to Paradiso , and thetime passed so quickly that I quite forgot abouteating. Paradiso asked me to stay to luncheon ,but I thought I would come on here .

”

Let me ring for some more dishes, said VVilfred , hospitably .

No,thanks, this will do . I am so hungry, I could

eat anything .

VVher eupon the duke sat down gaily at the table

and began to eat, talking all the time like a school

boy.

I want to see you , W ilfred . I suppose Hildatold you of my being a conspirator .

1 9 2 .

' lL . LON DUN ,

Ye s . S he said you had made up your mind tobe a queen - l irake r .

‘ Now don ’t you be sarcastic , said Richborough,

good - humour edly.

“ I am going to occupy myselfwith politics , because I am tired of everything else .

Is that the only reason 7 " asked Hilda, mischievously .

“ Well , yes , for the present, replied the dukereddening “ Keep my secret, Hilda, or I

’ll neverforgive you .

What secret is this ? ”said IVilf red , pretending

ign orance .

Oh, nothing, nothing. I will tell it to you on

anothe r Oc cas ion ,said R ichborough

,indiff ere ntly .

“ At present I want to know why y ou and M en

surby went to see Paradiso last night .How do you know ‘

We were there ? Did Paraw

No , he did n'

t. I' le‘

s too artful to say anythingabout such a vis it , bu t I saw you leave the house .

And w hat w ere you doing about the house at

such an hour 7

I am a conspirator,you know

, said Richborough , serenely Consequently my movementsare. e rratic .

”

At that rate , if y ou judge by erratic movements ,both mys e lf and Measu r by must also be con

N ow you ar e j esting .

N o . I am a m nv wr t .

The duk e laid down his knife and fork to take a

good look at his friend .

1 9 st ALAD D ! . IN LON DON .

feel angry about it. I do not propose to be CharlotteCorday or Louise Michel. You men can conductthe matter, and I will simply look on .

”

The villa ! muttered the duke, without attendingto the latter part of this speech . A good idea !Have you mentioned it to Paradiso , W ilfredNot yet. At least, I have not done more than

hint at the thing.

“ Then do so to - night. You w ill be summoned toa meeting about ten o ’clock .

”

I suppose that is the result of my visit to Paradiso

,said W ilfred

,carelessly. “rell, I will be

there, and youOh, I will not fail to be present, you may be

What about the princess asked Hilda, lookingat her cous in .

Oh,

” he said in a lively tone, she will presideover the meeting herself . She is a woman of mas

culine control , a Semiramis , Catherine of Rus s ia .

“Tith her at the head nothing can fail . Long liveQueen Julia, and down with the. republic .

“ I would not be surprised, said Hilda, r eflec

tively,“ if shortly I had a king for my cousin .

”

CHAPTER XV.

A MIDN IGHT MEETING .

THE history of the Lusignan dynasty is as ro

mantic as that of the Stuarts, but hardly so widelyknown . From the time of Guy de Lusignan , whosegood looks gained for him the hand of Baldwin’sdaughter and the throne of Jerusalem ,

the race hasbeen renowned for its personal charm . Brave menand fair women were those Lusignans who ruled theisland of Cyprus yet some curse hung over the race ,and they lost their new heritage as they had lost theold. Driven from Jerusalem , Guy de Lus ignan became king of Cyprus, where his dynasty reigned forthree centuries , until Catherine C 0 1 ouaro abdicatedin favour of the grasping Venetian republic. But

she was the wife of an illegitimate son of the houseand the true heir to the honours of this famous familyis the house of Savoy, who inherit through Charlotte ,the daughter of Jean II.

Thus f ar it is a matter of history ; but one fact hashitherto escaped the historian , namely, that Janus ,the father of Jean II . , had another son, who foundedthe kingdom of Busk . This son , Amaury by name ,was supposed to be illegitimate ; but on his deathbed Janus acknowledged the boy as his legitimateo ffspring and heir. Notwithstanding this , his brother

1 96 ALAD D IN l .v LON DON .

Jean II. succeeded to the thr one and drove Amauryfrom the kingdom . After many adventures of themost romantic nature, Amaury . gaining a small bandof followers by virtue of his royal descent

,succeeded

in establishing himself in the little territory of Busk,where he remained unmolested for some time . \Viththe fall of Constantinople , however , came trouble ;for the Turks , having captured the city on theBosphorus , at once proceeded to reduce the surrounding country to a state of bondage.

The young kingdom , yet in its infancy, w as

threatened by the sultan but Amaury managed tosecure at least the nominal freedom of his countryby apparent submiss ion to the precepts of Mahomet .It w as a judicious ac t. for the sultan , eager to conquer fairer provinces , w as content w ith this barrenconfe s s ion of fai th , and w ithdrew his armies fromBusk on condition that Amaury pro fessed Islam ,

assumed the low er title of pacha, and ackn owledgedthe so ve re ignty o f the sultan . G ifted with noordinary degre e of diplomatic talent , the young ad

venturer accepted these conditions in default of utterextermination , and , being thus protected by a powerf ul monarch , emplov e d his time of safety in consolidating his kingdom .

Outwardly a Mahometan , he w as in reality a

Chr istiamas were all his (loser-mlants , though theyconformed to the precepts of the Arabian prophet.

in order to preserve the favour of the sultan. As

virtual Moslems, as pachas , as subject to the Ottoman dynasty, they continued till the middle of theeighteenth century, when , owing to the decay of the

1 9 8 ALAD D IN IN LON D ON .

ing party, as they called themselves , headed byMethodios, a Greek Phanariot, drove Princess Julia,the only living representative of the Lu sign ans , intoexile

,and proclaimed Busk a republic . M ethodios

w as the first president, and managed to maintain hisbasely won position w ith great difficulty while therightful ruler of the country waited her opportunityto regain the thr one of her ancestors .Then , indeed , did Busk find what a mistake she

had made in dethroning those who had hithertoruled her so successfully ; for Methodios w as quiteincapable of managing af fairs at the present dange rous juncture . He would have sold his country to theRuss ians , ha d it not been that those who served himkept a keen watch over his e very movement . As itwas, he knew not how long he could remain president, and , to secure his ow n safety

,wou ld have

sac rificed everything. In Varzo the citizens beganto talk Openly about the poss ible restoration of theLusignan ; and, informed of this fact by means ofher spies , Princess Julia. saw that the time had comefor her to act. The provinces were devoted to herhouse ; discontent reigned in the streets of Varzoso all promised well for the restoration of themonarchy.

Julia w as a woman of masculine understanding .

Young and beautiful , she possessed everything savea heart and she used all the charms of which she w asmistress a nd they were many to gain her ambition . Queen E lizabeth, without the coquetry of that

great sovereign Catherine of Ru ss ia, w ith no sensualleanings Mary of Sect-land , di vested of romantic.

A MIDNIGHT MEETIN G, 19 9

tendencies, this woma n of twenty-five years of agedeemed that there was one destiny in the world forher, to be a queen and reign as a queen . Never theslave of her passions , always astute and alert, gi ftedw ith unerring foresight and consummate tact, she wasa woman to be adm ired— and drea ded . Paradiso ,who k new her better than any one else , said that shewould sacrifice all to her ambition and he w as rightin this reading of her character. She was bornto reign , and the weaknesses of her sex werenot for her . Physically she w as a woman , in all

else a man .

Adoring such a woman , it can be easily seenwhat an unhappy future Richborough was laying upfor himself . Gallant and ardent, he believed thathe could awaken in this iceberg respons ive warmthto his passion ; but he w as mad, to dream of such a

thing . She saw in him a useful tool , and boundhim to her interests by letting him think that shew as not deaf to his sighing ; when all the time herhead governed her heart , and she would have killedhim

,with pleasure, had the condition of his death

gained her the throne of Busk .

Paradiso saw how mistaken w as the young man ,

and, despite his devotion to the princess, could nothelp hinting to R ichborough that he was making a

mistake in thus hoping for the impossible . Theduke never heeded him . He thought Julia de Lns ignan the most perfect of her sex, and hoped whenhe gave her a throne she would reward him with a

heart. He did not know the woman w ith whom hehad to deal .


Blinded by passion , those who loved Madame deLusignan for her beautiful face did not estimateher character truly but her political opponents bothk new and dreaded it .

It w ill be a bad time for peace , when Julia deLusignan gets her throne again , said a veteranstatesman to Paradiso ; for she is too ambition s

to rest content with Busk , and w ill never be satisfiedtill she has reconstructed the Byzantine empire, andseated herself on the throne of the Eastern Ozesars .”

Paradiso laughed at this , but did not deny thetruth of the remark , knowing in his own heart howtrue it w as . He w as devoted to the Lusignan dynasty he adm ired his mistress for her brilliantqualities ; but he also knew that she was a pitilesswoman

,who w ould spare ne ither friend nor foe

,so

that she could gain her ends . Love ! - the veryidea w as ridiculous . She w ould marry for politicalpurposes

,for the sake of perpetuating the Lu signan

dynasty , but not for love and therefore was Parafdiso se r r v for Richborough , to whom he had taken a

great fancy .

Needle s s to sav , Pr ince ss Julia w as delighted at

the chance of s ecuring a w ealthy follower like “T

il

fred . Hitherto , a w ant of money had been the greatstumbling - block in all her schemes ; but , now thatshe had a chance of obtaining a mill ion sterling , shedeemed and justly that the worst part of hertroubles w e re over . Force could doubtless do a

good deal in the way of regaining her throne ; butcunning could do more , and she quite agreed with


surby had as yet arrived , and it w as the obj ect ofParadiso to prepare those pre s ent for their vis it .This Monsieur Dacre , said Paradiso in French ,

is,I am informed

,extremely rich , and his of fer

to j oin our band is purely voluntary. I need notenlarge on the w isdom of accepting his help , as

hitherto we have suff ered gr eatly from the want ofmoney . Once w e ar e in Busk , in Varzo , we can

doubtless do a great deal towards undermining thedevotion of the army to the. interests of the infamousr epublic , but there ar e many who can only be bribed .

Yes, mes sieurs , the s e stainless patriots , who destroyed the monarchy for the sake of their republican principles , ar e w illing to be corrupted with gold .

Force and cunn ing can do much , gold can do everything ; therefore , it w ill be w ise for us to accept theof f er of M. Dacre and enrol him among our members

M Dacre , observed the princess in a clear, firmvoice

,i s married, I understand.

”

“ Yes,your Majesty.

” replied Paradiso, who scru

pulously gave his mistress her rightful title ; he ismarried to the Honourable Hilda Havard

,daughter

of Lord Kenneth Havard.

Mrs . Dacre is my cousin , said Richborough at

this moment. M ay I ask your hi ajesty why youallude to the marriage of Dacre

A w ife has , in many instances , a great influenceover he r husband ,

” re sponded the princess slow lyM . Dacre may be now w illing to join us

,but

should his w ife disapprove , he may draw back at the

eleventh hour.”

A MIDNIGHT MEETIN G . 203

He will not draw back ,exclaimed Paradiso

with fiery earnestness . I will stake my life on hisfidelity.

”

And I , added the duke smiling, can guar

antee that my cousin will not induce her husband todraw back .

”

She favours the scheme , then asked the princess quickly.

More than that, she intends to take an activepart in your Maj esty’s happy restoration .

”

In what way ?M Dacre will explain that to your Maj esty

,him

self , said Paradiso , at this moment for he isnow waiting your gracious permission to enter.

Is he alone, MarquessN0 . Your Maj esty also condescended to receive

Maj or Measurby .

”

“ Let them be admitted , Marquess .Paradiso turned and left the room ,

while a murmur went through the ranks of the conspirators ,who were much excited by the good news . For a

long time their scheming had seemed almost hopeless ; but now, thi s unexpected of f er promised thema fair amount of success .

“ M . le due ,” said Madame de Lusignan , beckon

ing to Richborough , “ is it true that this M . Dacre

can do what he saysYes

,your Maj esty . I know he is rich, and as

he has promised to aid the cause, you may be surehe will not fail you .

”

Good. We will accept his help, and if we regainour throne, M . Dacre will not find us ungrateful .

”

I4

20 -1 ALADDIN IN LONDON .

And my se lf , madame ," murmured Richborough

in a low tone , bending towards her .Julia de Lus ignan darted a meaning glance at the

young man,which hinted that his reward would be

the highest of all . She w e ll knew that the only wayto keep the duke true to her cause was to encour

age his romantic pas s ion, and , therefore, afiected an

interest in him w hich she (lid not feel . Any womanwould have been touched by Richborough

’

s deVo

tion,but this exiled princess had a heart of flint.

She was a queen, not a w oman .

W ilfred and M easurby , both somewhat agitated ,were duly introduced to Madame de Lusignan

,who

graciously permitted them to kiss her hand . Thisceremony w as strictly enjoined on the pair by Paradiso

,who insisted that his mistress should be treated

as a royal personage , though her rank was not recognized by the great powers .

I am glad to see you , gentlemen," said the prin

cess in English , a language which she spoke ad

mirably Now I receive you in London,but I

hope with God’ s help to see y ou shortly in my palaceof Varzo .

”

All that I can do to aid your Maj esty is at yourservice , said Wilfred , bowing. My friend Maj orMeasurby offers his sword I lay treasures at yourf eetf

’

I accept both, monsieur. Here you see all thatremain faithful to us ; but w e have also friends inVarzo. This infamous rebel M ethodios already seess igns that his pmve r is at an end . W

'

ith your help,

M . Dacre , and with the help of those present, I hope


respect, and I here o ffer her Maj esty the sum ofone million pounds to be expended in restoring herto the throne of Busk .

One million pounds I The assemblage w as struckwith astonishment at the mention of such an enormous sum

, and even the imperious princess seemedto scarcely comprehend the magnitude of the of fer.

“ One million ! ” she said in a low voice ; “ youcan give us that sum , monsieur

“ Yes . It is at yoru ' service whenever you r e

qu ire' it.

But you will beggar yourself for our sake,

M Dacre INo

,your Maj esty. I shall still have sufficient

for my wants even after expending that sum .

”

A murmur of satisfaction r an through the apartment

, and the princess , rising from her seat, claspedllf red

’

s hand .

Monsieur,

” she said with an emotion which shereally felt, “ I accept your magnificent of f er and

thank you for your generosity. Now, I am a dethroned sovere ign and cannot recognize your servicesas they deserve ; but if with your aid

,monsieur

,I

rule once more in Busk, then ask what you will andit shall be granted.

I wish for nothing , madame , but permission tohelp in your restoration .

”

I look upon that as an accomplished fact, criedRichborough with enthus iasm .

“ IVell , your Ma

j esty, now we have the money , what means w ill youadopt to get to Busk ?

“ The marquess will explain, replied Julia,r e

suming her seat.

A MIDNIGHT MEETING . 207

M . Dacre, began Paradiso , rising to his feet,has placed us all under deep obligations in of f ering to advance this money ; but he has nobly dec ided to do even more . About four miles fromVarzo is the Villa Tvar tko.

It is known . It is known .

The royal res idence ,” murmured Julia bitterly,

now occupied by M . le president .”

That villa, mess ieurs , i s the property of M .

Dacre, who goes there with madame his wife tospend the winter ; and he has generously placed hishouse at the disposal of her Maj esty .

”

But I cannot show my face in Busk until myparty is strong enough,

” said Julia in dismayYour Maj esty will go thither in disguise .

In what disguise ‘7

As the maid of Mrs . Dacre. That is, if yourMaj esty will so f ar condescend .

”

Condescend ! repeated the Pr incess with energyI will condescend to anything, prov ided it leads tothe throne .

”

Your Maj esty, pursued Paradiso, delighted at

having so read ily gained her consent, w ill disguiseyourself b y staining your face and changing yourcostume . As the maid of an English lady no onewill suspect you , and besides , at the Villa Tvar tkoyou will still be surrounded by your faithful sub

jects .

”

Meaning yourselves .Yes

,madame,

” said Wilfred quickly . I propose to make the Villa Tvar tko the headquarters ofour scheme . All these gentlemen present will stay


there as my f r iends , and thus your Maj esty ’

s partyw ill be in the very heart of the kingdom quite nu

suspected.

And afterwards ?

Then,

”said Paradiso

,taking up the tale, w e

w ill use the gold of M . Dacre to bribe the leadingofficials of the republic . M ethodios , Upr avado ,

(‘ulin , Geiz a, they can all be bribed ; and once s e

eur ed, w e can proclaim your Ma je sty s presence inBusk with safety .

”

But the army , Marquess Z’

The army , madame . is (le y otml to Upravado ,

and if w e gain him to our cause we shall gain the

umy . “Then these leaders ar e secured , M . Dac rew ill give a grand ball , to which all w ill be invited .

At the time appointed Queen Julia will be proclaimed , and y our Maj esty, wearing the roy al crow nof Busk

,will appear before the assemblage . Their

loyalty and ours w ill do the restIt is a desperate scheme , said the princess

thoughtfully .

It is a coup d ’

état. said Richborough j oyously ;“and if it can be carried Without bloodshed , so muchthe better ; but if it comes to blows

,why , I think

your Maj esty can depend upon being w ell defended .

“ lVith you by my side I am not afraid,mur

mured the prince s s in a low voice .

“ But,gentle

men ,

”she added aloud, one part of y our scheme is

rather difficult. I have not the royal crown .

”

“ It is in the. possess ion of Cardinal Gregory ,c ried Paradiso , and I will get it from him . The

210 ALADDIN IN LONDON

Next week !Next week ? ” said Richborough in his ear .

Will Hilda consent to that ?

Yes ,” replied W ilfred in the same tone . She

is anxious to get away from London as soon as pos

sibleDo we go by land or water ? ”

asked M easu rby .

By land,of course

,

” said Paradiso quickly .

We shall arrive in Busk sooner by rail than by a

long voyage up the Dardanelles .

”

And how do we go ?

By the Oriental Express . And now,gentle

men , as you have consented to all these plans , w e

must part for the present. There is much for me to

do . Good night,messieurs ; w e meet again on Mon

day night, when I hope to tell you that all is prepared. Long live Queen Julia !Long live the queen ! echoed the assemblage ,

and dispersed .

Egad said M easu i by to “v

ilf r ed as theywalked home together. I don

‘

t think Brahma

thought his treasure would be used for this purpose .

It is a noble purpose .

Eh ! Yes , I suppose it is,“ replied the major,

shrugging his shoulde rs but I confess I am ratherrepublican myself .”

Don’ t confess that in Busk , said Wilfredgrimly , or you may get into trouble . At presentit is a law less place .

As you say ,”answ ered the major significantly ,

it is a lawless place , and who know s w hat mayhappen !

CHAPTER XVI.

THE ORIENTAL EXPRESS .

THE result of the meeting was duly reported toHilda , and she w as delighted to find things hadprogressed thus f ar in so satisfactory a manner .

She w as a woman with a natural aptitude for intrigue , and hailed with j oy the prospect of endle sscomplications likely to arise from the restoration ofthe princess de Lusignan . At once she called onthat royal lady , and w as most graciously received .

Together they arranged the details of the plot,and

it w as duly settled that Princess Julia should go toBusk as the maid of Mrs . Dacre . Once in hercapital of Varzo , she determined that she wouldeither mount the throne or the scaff old , for she w asperfectly weary of being exiled from her nativeland , and her proud spirit could ill brook the pettyslights to which , as a dethroned sovereign , she w asconstantly subj ected.

Meanwhile Paradiso sent spies to Varzo in orderto report on the condition of the country, whichproved to be in a greatly disturbed state . Methodios was becoming very unpopular with his party,the leaders of the populace were intriguing amongthemselves for the supreme power, and the archbishop of Busk w as secretly fomenting all this dis

212 ALADDIN LY LON DON .

content,in the hope that it would lead to the return

of his exiled mistress . This report was eminentlysatisfactory to Paradiso , who saw plainly that if hewere on the spot he would be able to forward the

cause of the Lusignans by dint of dexterous diplomacy and lavish use of gold .

lVith regard to this latter W ilfred had seenJanshah, and obtained from him some thousands ofpounds , which he at once handed over to the marquess for immediate use . Paradiso did not want tobe overwhelmed with monev , and was quite contentthat nothing more should be paid until it was mece ss ary to bribe the rebe l leaders at the Villa Tvartko.

“T

ilf r ed. on his part , permitted Janshah to retainthe money be required , know ing that it would bep roduced at the proper time on the authority of thering .

Things being thus satisfactorily settled, arrange

ments were made by the royalists to leave for Buskat as early a date as possible . The season was

nearly over ; so Hilda gave a farewell ball to herfriends, and announced her determination to leaveLondon for Busk . The society papers contained anannouncement that Mr . and the Hon . Mrs . Dacrew ould entertain a few frie nds at the Villa Tvartko , near Varzo , on the Black Sea ; but the spiesof the republic took no notice of the paragraph ,little knowing that it meant the over throw of theirgovernment . Thanks to the astuteness of Paradisotheir enemies w ere complete ly ignorant of the princes s

’

s intended j ourney to Varzo . It was announcedin several papers that Madame de Lusignan would


w ith great hopes of success,and as yet everything

promised w ell for the fulfilment of the project.Janshah , in conformity with the commands of

lVilf r ed , had gone on ahead with his satellites , toprepare the villa for the reception of the party, andannounce their coming to those in Varzo . So skilfully did he do this that the government never for amoment dreamed that a dangerous conspiracy w ason foot , but merely thought it w as the party of anEnglish milor coming to pass the winter on theshores of the Black Sea . Some Russ ian agents , indeed , t r ied to f ind out the truth from the servantsLt Villa Tvar tko , but Janshah had guarded wellagainst all possible treachery . Owing to his dutyto protect the owner of the ring

,he had a perfect

host of invisible servitors who obeyed him implicitly,

1nd thus the spies of Russia and Busk were metand baffled by the spies of Janshah. The Indiantook a certain pride in all this , as his duties in r e

gard to Mr . Lascelle had been of a very mild description ; but now this European intrigue was ofso important a nature that he was forced to employ all his resources to fulfil his duty to the ring,and w as determined that every thing should be donein the most thorough manner .

“r

hile Janshah , therefore , awaited their arrivalin Va r z o , the royalist party , consis ting of Madamede Lus ignan , Mrs . Dacre , “

T

ilf r ed , M easurby ,

Richborough , and Paradiso , with a small suite , leftLondon by the club train for Paris . 5 0 absolutelyin the dark w ere the spies in the service of the r epublic that all those present in London had gone

THE ORIEN TAL EXPRESS. 215

down to Torquay to watch the house of the presumed princess Julia, quite oblivious to the factthat she was already on her way to Busk . Paradiso was delighted at his diplomacy, and rubbed hishands with glee as he stood with Measurby on thedeck of the Calais -Dover steamer .

“ So f ar , so good , monsieur ,” he said with a gay

laugh ;“all is going well . ”

“ A good beginning does not necessarily mean a

good ending, observed the maj or significantly .

“ Eh ? I do not know . We can only judge thefuture by the past, and you must admit that if wearrive at the Villa Tvar tko without exciting suspi

cion , it i s a great point gained .

“ C ertainly ; but then we shall be in the jaws ofthe lion .

”

“ So much the better . There is nothing like being on the spot in matters of this kind .

I quite agree with you,” said Measurby , cloak

ing his distrust in the success of the mission undera fal se smile . “We can take advantage of everymove made by Methodios and his gang . But how

are you going to approach him with a view to br ibing ?

“ That depends upon the position in which wefind ourselves

,

” replied Paradiso seriously .

“ Icannot appear in the matter myself, for the rascalknow s me too well , and might penetr ate my disgu ise , in which case it would mean failure and

death . No . You , monsieur, and M . Dacre , musttreat with him and

’ his crew . Ask them to theVilla Tvar tko, and there hint at the possibility


of buying their s e rvic e s . If they ar e willing , youwill soon discover the fact ; then the rest w ill beeasy .

”

“ That is , if the money can be produced , saidMeasu rby dryly .

Paradiso turned pale .

Eh, monsieur , you do not think there is anydoubt on that point ? ”

“ Oh , no , no ,”said the maj or , hastening to reas

sure the marquess ; but it is as well to be preparec

“ If the money cannot be produced at the propertime

,said Paradiso solemnly ,

“ it means death tous all. ”

“ But we ar e British subj ects .

That won ’ t count w ith M ethodios . He willhang you all first, and explain matters to the British government afterw ards . There is no hesitationabout the pr es i dent of Busk , I can assure you ,mons ieur .

M easurby made a gr imac e . He was fully deter n

mined to obtain the ring , and did not care if theconspiracy succeeded or failed . This idea of Paradis o ’

s, however , put a dec idedly awkward complex

ion on the a f f air , and he might gain the ring onlyto lose his head. Still , he trusted that Janshahwould be enabled to save him if he became masterof the ring, and, with diabolical coolness, was quiteprepared to leave Wilfred and his gallant littleparty to their fate. At present, therefore, he merelylaughed at Paradiso ’s alarm .

“ You need have no fear on the score of the

218 4L .—1DD I .v IN LON D ON .

request that a precisely sim ilar ring should be madefor him . The man had accomplished his work withwonderful skill

, and now M easurby carried in hispocket a ring of gold ,

with a lapis lazuli stone inscribed with Sanscrit characters , similar to the ringcommanding the treasure . The only thing wantingwas the secret mark , which w as known only to Janshah , and Measurby hoped , if all other e ffortsfailed , to seduce “

r

ilf r ed into letting him have thering , and then , changing it dexterously for the falseone , hand back the latter to his unsuspecting friend ,and retain the true one . Dacre w ould be unableto tell the dif f e rence , and the maj or could fly withhis booty , which he intended to do , leaving the royalist party in the lur ch . Such treachery might costthem their lives , but Measurby cared nothing forthat .l -Vhen “

T

ilf r ed then commanded Janshah to supply the money to the rebel leaders , the slave wouldrefuse to obey , and tell him that he w ore the falsering ; but by that time M easurby hoped to be beyond the reach of pursuit . Such w as the dishonourable plot which the maj or intended to carry out

,

and ,meanwhile , like the scoundre l he was , affected

to be the friend of the man he intended to betray .

He was always on the watch to change the j ewels,

and had several times hinted to “T

ilf r ed that hewould like to look at the ring ; but Dacre , unsuspecting as he w as of M easu rby

’

s proposed treachery,w ould never remove it from his finger . The maj or ,therefore

,carried the false ring in his pocket

, and

bided his time .

THE ORIENTAL EXPRE SS . 219

If I do get the ring , he soliloquized , after hisconversation with Paradiso ,

“ I may help to carryon the plot , but the princess will have to pay formy help . Not with money , but with her hand . Ifshe agrees to marry me and make me king, I willhelp her ; if not , I will fly the country and leavethem all in the lurch ; from which speech it will beseen that the maj or ’ s aspirations were anything butmodest .All these vis ions , however , were yet to be ful

filled , and Measurby , though he did not look at thematter in that light , w as uncommonly like Alnaschar in the Arabian Nights , building up castles inthe air which at any time might fall into ruins .

But the strange part of the whole affair w as thatM easurby could not see that he was acting dishonourably , as he argued himself to be in the right .Dacre had secured the ring by fraud , according tothe maj or ’ s opinion , and it would be only justicethat it should be taken from him in the same w ay .

This was all very well , but M easurby never thoughtthat the loss of the ring and his subsequent fl ightmight cost the lives of the whole party with whomhe was now travelling. After all, if his conditionswere complied with , he could save them from sucha fate . But there was one thing on w hich Measurby

did not count , and that w as that Julia de Lusignanwas as artful as himself , and would promise himanything till she was seated on her throne ; thenMeasurby would find himself in Queer Street .The princess Julia and Hilda got on very well

together, despite the entire dif ference in their dis

IS


positions . Hilda could not help admiring the heroiccharacter of the royal lady , though she did not carefor her in many ways ; and on her part , Julia deLusignan was grateful to Mrs . Dacre for thus risking her life in doing her a service . From the first ,not one of the party disguised the danger of thewhole affair . In an uncivilized country like Busk ,governed by a parcel of Scoundrel s , internationallaw had but little chance of being respected , andlVilf red knew that if the conspiracy were discovered ,the status of a British subj ect w ould not protecteither himself or his wife from the vengeance ofMethodios . In orde r to neutralize the danger , hehad ordered Janshah to have a yacht sent round tothe Black Sea, w here it could lie off the VillaTvar tko and thus aff ord means of fl ight if mattersbecame desperate .

Then, again , the villa w as within twenty miles

of the Bulgarian frontier , and horses ready saddledwere alw ays to be waiting day and night in thestables . If they failed to escape by the yacht , theycould ride into Bulgaria, and once across the frontier , they would be comparatively safe . Duringtheir j ourney

,“

Y

ilf r ed explained all these matters toPrincess Julia ; but though she highly approved ofthese precautions for himself and his w ife , she declined to take advantage of them for her own safety .

“ No , M . Dacre ,” she said decisively ,

“ once Iam in Varzo I w ill not leave it again . They darenot put me to death , for even M ethodios wouldshrink from such a crime . I have at least a certainnumber of the populace in my favour

, and at theworst I can take refuge w ith the archbishop .

222 -1L . 1D DI.V IN LON DON .

anything to lead you to suppose that such is thecase ?

“ You can tell by straws w hich w ay the windblows

,M . Dacre , replied the princess serenely .

Cardinal Gregory has possession of the regalia ofBusk . The rebels wanted it in order to melt downthe gold for money

, and the cardinal refused to giveit up . He would not have done that unless hecherished a hope of seeing the Lu signans once moreon the throne .

And will he give you the crown .

“ So the marquess says , and I have little doubtthat such will be the ease . I will appear before all

those faithful to me , with the crown of my ances

tors on my head . Then ,”added the princess . w ith

a dark smile ,“ I will remain and face the worst . A

crowned queen , I cannot, I will not fly .

”

“ Yet it may cost you your life .

”

I do not mind . Life is nothing to me withouta throne . I am playing for a bold stake

,monsieur ,

and with my head . If I fail I lose it ; if I winwoe to those who have put such indignities on theirrightful queen .

She dismissed “T

ilf r ed w ith an imperious ge sture ,quite out of keeping with her assumed character ofa servant , and he withdrew with a bow .

“ I am glad that woman is not my w ife, he said

to Hilda afterw ards ; she is the kind of female whowould behead a husband a day , like a she - sultan ofthe Arabian Nights

“She is heroic .

Heroic characters , my dear , ar e like oil paintings ,— best at a distance .

”

THE ORIEN TAL EXPRE SS . 223

Still , Wilfred , you cannot help admiring a wo

man who dares her life for a throne .

”

“ As for that, we dare ours without a chance ofreward .

“ Do you think , then , this expedition is so verydangerous ?

“ Yes , we carry our lives in our hands . But don’ t

be alarmed , Hilda,” he added , taking her hand ;

while Janshah is with us you need not be afraid .

”

“ But how can Janshah, a servant , protect us ?”

Jan shah is not an ordinary servant ,” replied

“r

ilf r ed with a smile ;“ he possesses more power

than you think .

”

“ There is some mystery about him , and you know

My dear Hilda, said Wilfred gravely , whenwe arrive at Varzo , you shall know all things . ”

Why not tell it now ?

There is no necessity . It is not a secret likelyto alarm you . On the contrary , it will give you a

great deal of pleasure .

”

Hilda, devoured by curiosity, would have liked tohave demanded an explanation , but stifl ing her desire

,she took his hand af fectionately .

“ I have every confidence in you , Wilfred, shesaid , kissing him ,

“and know you would not keep

the secret from me without j ust cause . I will waityour pleasure to reveal it . ”

“ At Varzo you will know all, answered W ilfred ,smiling

,

“and then you will see how important Jan

shah is to us both . But apart from the Indian , donot be alarmed, Hilda. In the event of danger ,


there is the yacht, and also horses in the stables .In some w ay we will escape ; but to tell y ou thetruth

,I have a presentiment that all w ill turn out

as w e desire . The queen will have her crown again ,and we shall be hailed by the people of Busk as thesaviour s of their country.

“ I hope so ,” replied Hilda , w ith a sigh , but I

am not so sanguine as you ar e . I fe ar for mycousin .

“ Yes . I do not think he will prosper in hiswooing ; and as a matter of fact , I would not careto see him married to Princess Julia . She is a mostimplacable woman .

“Well,” said his wife hopefully . w e must do the

best we can .

”

They had a very pleasant j ourney to Varzo , forthe Oriental Express is a very comfortable train .

On leav ing Paris they went via Munich to Vienna ,

thence through Buda - Pesth to Belgrade. Therethe line branches of f to Constantinople

,which thev

des ired to avoid ; so leaving the train , they Wenton board a steamer , and dropped down the Danubeas f ar as Rustchuk . From that tow n they tookthe train to Varna, on the Black Sea . and thentravelled by diligence to Var zo , which w as a comparatively short distance away . For timately thepassports of the whole party w ere in good order

,so

on satisfying the authorities that they were merelytravelling for pleasure , they left Varzo and pre

ceeded to the Villa Tvar tko,four miles from the

capital.Both “Tilf red and Paradiso heaved a sigh of re

CHAPTER XVII.

VILLA TVARTKO .

BUSK is one of the most picturesque places inEurope , and though as yet but little known to thetourist

,promises to become a favour ite place of

resort in the near future. Increased railway communication w ith the “ r est, a gradual civilizing ofthe inhabitants

,and the eager desire of the people to

participate in the luxur ies of the Occident,— all thesear e pow e rful causes in making Busk known to thecivilized w orld . Protected on the west by loftymountains , on the east by the wide waste of theBlack Sea , this gallant l ittle kingdom has preservedits liberty and political integrity for many years .

The conquest by the Turks w as merely one inname , owing to the successful diplomacy of the Lnsignans ; and nominally a. pashalic of the Ottomanempire

,Busk has in real ity been perfectly free .

The inhabitants , belong ing to the Slay race , ar ea hardy people , j e alous of the ir liberty and boldin defense of their cherished institutions . Had itrested with the maj ority of the people , Busk wouldnever have driven forth her ancient sovereigns ; butVarzo , the capital of the country ,

bears the samerelation to the kingdom as doe s Paris to France .

In Varzo alone have risen all the revolutions which

VILLA TVARTKO. 227

have shaken the throne of the L usignans , and therepublic once established by the last successful attempt , the rest of the country accepted the inev itable with grudging submission . Yet a strong feelingexisted in favour of the restoration of the royalhouse , and had they possessed a skillful leader , itwould certainly have followed that Julia de Lnsignan would have been recalled in a few months ,to reoccupy the throne of her native land .

C ircumstances , however , were against this revoltin her favour

,as there was no man daring enough to

defy the government at Varzo , and Princess Julia,w ith all her partisans , was in exile . Varzo , held bya handful of adventurers headed by Methodios , had

the public treasures , the fidelity of the army, andthe citadel of the power , and against this powerfulcombination the scattered cities could not coalescesuf ficiently to make any strong show of resistance .

So long as Varzo was in the possession of Methodios , so long would the republic endure : but once arevolt began there in favour of Princess Julia, there

w as but little doubt that the country people flocking to her standard would speedily restore the an

cient monarchy .

Methodios knew this ,‘

and therefore tampered with

Russia in the hope that the Muscovites would helpthe republic ; but his colleagues , more patriotic thanthe adventurous Greek , mistrusted the good faithof the St . Petersburg cabinet , and had no wish tosee their country become a Russian province . This ,then , was the situation when Princess Julia arrived

at VillaTvar tko, and it needed but her arrival to

228 ILJD D IN IN LON DON .

be know n for the whole country to revolt againstthe established government.The Villa Tvar tko, a former royal palace, took

its name from one of the ancient rulers of Busk before the advent of the Lusignans . Situated aboutfour miles from the capital , on the shores of theBlack Sea, it was a most delightf ul summer residence and a favourite resort of the kings of Busk .

“r

ear ied of the tumult of Varzo , which is the Parisof the East , and one of the most restless cities inexistence , they would retire to this enchanting villafor peace and rest . A more charming spot couldscarcely be imagined , and , adorned by the taste ofan artistic race , all that nature had failed to do artaccomplished .

On the proclamation of the republic of Busk , thepresident had used the villa occasionallv in the oldroyal style , but as time went on , the new government wanted money ; so it w as decided to sell theplace at a good round sum . About this time Janshah was searching for a summer residence for “rilfred , and, hearing from one of his underlings thatthe Villa Tvar tko w as in the market . he purchasedit at once for the sum demanded by the governmentof Busk ; and so it became the property of the Englishman . Having parted with it on these terms , therepublican government

,to maintain their reputation

for fair dealing, were obliged to do all in theirpower to protect the inmates , and render the country pleasant to them ; therefore , by the irony offate , those in power were aiding their deadliestenemies .


“T

ithout , the villa w as scarcely less splendid , forthe walls were frescoed in Italian fashion , and inthe warm,

balmy air had kept their vivid tints wonder f ully . Set amid the luxurious green of the v egetation around , Villa Tvar tko sparkled like a j ewel ;and high above its medley of turrets

,towers , min

arets , arose the enormous gilt swelling of the centraldome , surmounted by the golden crescent of Ma

homet . The grounds , laid out w ith great care and

taste , sloped down through green lawns and verdurous paths to the w hite marble terrace which bordered the blue w aters . Throughout this pleasancearose numerous statues of marble gods , amber tintedby the ardent rays of the sun ; and the whole placerepresented a mixture of East and lVest, a minglingof Arab fantasy with antique ar t, and the gracefulincongruities of the Renaissance. In ef f ect, it r epr esented the his tor v of Busk . for there were evidencesof the Slavonic genius in the des igns ; the Turkishfantasies hinted at the influence of Ottoman occupation ; and the Italian medize valisms spoke of theW estern tas te of the Lu s ignan kings . As in theHautv ille edifices of Palermo , the ascetic spirit ofthe “Tes t had impressed itself on the glowing imagination Of the Orient , and the result w as a fantasticblending of alien races , of contrasted climes.Princess Julia w as much moved when she found

herself once more in this palace of her ancestors .

Every nook and corner w as perfectly familiar toher . In these brilliant halls had she played as a

child ; in that delightful garden had she w anderedin girlhood ; and her youthful imag ination had often

VILLA TVAM 'KO. 231

seen visions in the glowing sky beyond the glittering waters of the Black Sea.

“ It w as a fair heritage to lose , she said to LadyHilda , the morning after their arrival . “ It w asfrom this villa that I fled when the rebels came fromVarzo . The marquess , anticipating trouble , had a

boat ready for me to fly, and , standing on its deck,

I felt like Boabdil when he took his last look at thetowers of the Alhambra .

“ But you have returned , and Boabdil did not .

The craven ! cried Madame de Lusignan , in a

f iery voice ; “ had I possessed Granada, I wouldhave died sooner than have yielded it to Ferdinand.

Better to perish sword in hand than to live in exile,”

“ Yet you can scarcely blame Boabdil . Likeyourself , he yielded to force .

”

“ I did not yield of my own free will , retortedthe princess indignantly .

“ I wished to stay and

face the rebels , but Paradiso persuaded me to seeksafety in fl ight . Oh , the humiliation of that moment ! I was wrong to fly . Had I stayed, I mighthave held my throne .

”

“ And possibly have lost your head .

At least , I would have died like a queen , instead of eating my heart out in exile . Ah, howoften have I sighed for these breezes ! How often ,in the gray London clime, have I longed for theblue skies of Busk ! Believe me , madame , there isnothing so bitter as exile .

”

“Still , your Maj esty has returned .

In secret,like a thief in the night , said Julia ,

clenching her hand .

“ Oh ! how bitterly will I be


revenged on those who have forced me to such humiliation ! To - day to them , to -morrow to me .

They drove me forth once , but they will not do soagain .

”

“ Pray be calm, said Hilda, alarmed lest herfurious gestures should betray her .

“ Even herewe may not be safe . The least suspicion may costus our heads . ”

I forgot I was a servant, replied the princessdisdainfully .

“ Yes , you ar e right,madame . I

must be careful ; but not for long will this humiliation endure .

”

“ You stoop to conquer madame .

And when I conquer, hissed Julia through herclenched teeth , ah ! how bitterly will I be r e

vengec I“ Pray be merciful , urged Hilda, in a pleading

tone .

“ Merciful ! Yes , I will'

be so when I have cutoff the heads of Methodios and his crew of traitors .

Oh,never fear, madame ; I shall be no Semir

amis of the N orth. The kingdom of Busk neverconsented to my exile . It is the c ity there ,

” she

added , shaking her fi st in the direction of Varzo ,“ it is the city that I will punish. They will learnthen

,those f at and comfortable citizens , what it is

to dare a Lusignan .

”

C ertainly Hilda did not envy Richborough as she

saw how tiger - like w as the nature of this woman .

In her character there w as no touch of femininesoftness . She was like a diamond , as brilliant and

as hard . Such women make admirable rulers , be


implicit obedience from his household. Not one ofhis servants would dare to betray his secrets. Theydread the law of the republic against harbour ing so

called traitors , but they dread the thunders of theVatican still more .

I thought that the thunders of the Vatican w ereharmless now.

In the “Test they ar e, in a great measure ; buthere we move slowly, and our people ar e as faithfully de voted to the church as they were hundredsof years ago . Here the church is more than a

name . It is a power, and one w hich I intend to usethrough Cardina l Gregory .

”

he submit to be an instrument ? ”asked

Richborough doubtfully .

Monseigneur , said the princess , with greatdign ity ,

“ it is not my des ire to make use of hisEminence merely as an in strument . It is my firmconviction that to govern a kingdom the church and

the monarchy should be in perfect concord . Thecrown controls the temporal needs of men ; it preserves the liberty of the country , the framew ork ofsociety . On the other hand , the church has supremecontrol of the minds of its children . It can ,

by influencing them , achieve results w hich can be arrivedat by no other means . Church and state must,therefore , be allies to control the society ove r whichthey rule . They should be one , like a husband and

w ife , for their interests ar e or should be undivided .

Cardinal Gregory is a servant of the church , but heis also my subj ect, and as such is bound in all

honour to forward the interests of his sovereign.

”

VILLA TVARTKO. 235

Where they do not clash with those of thechurch .

”

“ I have no wish to go contrary to the power ofthe pope ,

” replied Julia coldly .

“ Rather do. I desire to use his influence as delegated to the cardinalfor the improvement of my country . Monarchy isthe institution of most service to Catholicism

,not

republicanism . Cardinal Gregory has always sthat the interests of the Vatican and the Lusignansar e identical in all respects . In two years he canscarcely have changed so much as to have thrownover his sovereign for a parcel of adventurers . Heis true to me , and he is ambitious . W ithout myaid as the queen of Busk , he cannot obtain hisambition ; therefore , he is bound to me by personalinterests as well as political . ”

“ You have , I see , every confidence in him, saidHilda, after a pause

“ Every confidence , answered Julia , with emphasis . “ Still , I am on my guard against all men .

C ircumstances may turn the firmest friend into thebitterest enemy . The cardinal has

,all to

.

gain bymy restoration , yet who knows ? ”

Then you have not any confidence in him , oh

served Richborough ironically .

“ I have so f ar as I can j udge , replied the princess

,impatiently qualifying her former statements .

“ To all appearancesh e is thoroughly trustworthy ;and if I know anything of the man , he is so assur

edly . Of one thing I am certain , that whatever

may be his views , he will not betray me .

”

“ Have you instructed Paradiso to tell him you

ar e here ? 16


No,not until I see his attitude towards me .

But I have left much to the discretion of the mar

quess . In him I have great confidence .

”

“ Here is the marquess , said Hilda suddenly ,looking up ;

“

and my husband w ith him .

Julia de Lus ignan turned pale as she saw the twomen coming towards her . Much as she professedto trust in the cardinal , yet she w as of too pessimistic a nature to believe wholly in his sincerity , anddreaded lest Paradiso should have failed in his mission . She w as reassured , however , by the face ofthe marquess , which expressed nothing but hopeand contentment .

“ Your Maj esty, he said j oyously , comingtowards his mistress ,

“ I have to announce to youthat Cardinal G regory is devoted to your interests .

”

“Ah !

”cried the princess , w ith a flush of j oy

overspreading her face.

“ I knew I was not mistaken . Tell me what he said , mons ieur .

”

“ Can w e speak here ? ” said Paradiso , glancingapprehensive ly around .

“ Assuredly , interposed W ilfred promptly .

You may be certain , Marquess , that there is notraitor w ithin these walls . Janshah is utterly devoted to my interests , and all those whom he hasselected ar e as secret as the grave .

”

“ Still , there may be some one from without ,said R ichborough .

Impossible . See , we ar e in the terrace , f ar r e

moved from any trees which may afford a lurkingplace for a spy . There ar e no boats on the water .If w e talk in a moder atelv low tone we ar e safe .

238 ALADD IN IN LON DON

lVell , and what did Mons ieur le cardinal say at

your sudden appearance ? ”

“ He w as much astonished , and seemed ratherdoubtful of the policy of Monsieur Dacre ; but w henI explained the whole of the c ircumstances to himhe approved of all that had been done .

”

“ He know s,then

,of this villa being tenanted in

my interest ?“ Yes

,your Maj e sty ,

but he does not know thatyour Maj esty is here .

“ Why did you not tell him so ?

I did not think it politic to reveal all .

You have revealed quite enough to ruin all

things should his Eminence prove a traitor .

”

“ He will not prove a traitor ,” said Paradiso w ith

conviction ; “ he is quite on the side of your M ajesty . Methodios , who , as you know , belong s to theGreek church , has been despoiling the Latins forthe sake of currying f avour with the patriarch at

C onstantinople .

”

“As if that would do him auv good , Observed

the princess ironically .

They say the patriarch has influence with the

sultan ,” whispered Dacre signi ficantly .

The sultan is a cipher . He can do nothing . IfM ethodios had tried to curry favour with the patriarch at Moscow and thus gained the good will of theCzar, I could understand his statecraft. But Methodios is no politic ian . “

r

ell , Marquess , I suppose the cardinal is furious against the republic .

”

-an you wonder at it ? Devoted as he is tothe church to which the Lusignans have always con

VILLA TVARTKO. 239

tributed largely,he wishes to bring the dynasty back

into power and thus be saved from further spoliations.”

“ Then he will do his best to forward the cause .

I am sure he will . But your Maj esty must seehim for yourself . ”

“ But I understood you to say that he was ignorant of my presence in Varzo .

”

“So he is , madame ,

” said “7 ilf r ed quickly ;“ but

when the marquess and myself found that he w as onyour side , I asked permission of him for my wife tov isit his place to -morrow . He graciously grantedit, and so my wife can go there with you , and

then“And then , cried the princess impetuously,

“ Iwill assure myself of his fidelity and get him to aidme by all the means in his power .

”

“ You need have no fear on that score , madame .

Then I am to see the cardinal to -morrow ? ”

said Hilda with vivacity .

“ Yes , and her Maj esty will accompany you .

The rest will be easy .

”

“What is the temper of the country accordingto the cardinal ? ” asked Julia quickly .

It is in a state of suppressed revolt, repliedParadiso with satisfaction .

“ Methodios is not at

all popular , and may be unseated from his presidential chair at any moment .

”

Then they will recall their queen , said Rich

borough .

“ No,

”answered Paradiso , slowly shaking his

head,“ they will elect Upravado.

”


“That . exclaimed Julia in a fiery tone , doesthe country still incline to the republic ? ”

“ The country at large does not , but Varzo is inpossession of the army , and all the power is centra~

liz ed therein . The army is devoted to Upr avado,and if he desires to be president

,the army w ill

make him so .

”

“ Can we not gain him to our side ? ”

There is every chance of our doing so, according

to the cardinal , replied Dacre hopefully,

“ but yourMaj esty will hear all to -morrow .

”

“ I will go ! cried the princess dec isively . M a

dame , you will accompany me , and when I am faceto face w ith Gregory , we can concoct some measureby which to gain Upravado to our side .

”

“ If your Maj e sty can do that, all w ill be in ourfavour. M ethodios cannot stand agains t the powerof the army . But if you fail ?

“ Fail ? echoed Julia w ith a laugh of scorn . Idid not risk my life and liberty in Varzo to fail atthe last moment . ”


different grades , until, in middle age, he attained thehigh rank of a bishop . This, however, did not satisfyhis ambition , and, foreseeing a field for his abilities inBusk

,which then promised to become an important

factor in European politics , he made up his mind tobecome archbishop of Varzo . The troubles in theBalkan states , of 187 6 , af f orded him his oppor tu

nity ; for, owing to the war and the enfeebledauthority of the then archbishop, the affairs of thediocese were in a deplorable condition . Gregoryw as recommended to the notice of the pope as a

skillful prelate , able to cope w ith these ecclesiasticaltroubles

, and an interv iew w ith the holy fatherresulted in his being appointed archbishop ofVarzo .

He set out at once for his diocese , and, finding an

able cooperator in the king, Pierre II .,speedily r e

duced the affairs of the kingdom to thorough order.He became the right hand of the king , restored theprestige of the church in Busk

,and conducted the

whole of his difficult task w ith such tact and prudence that , at the solicitation of Pierre , he w asrewarded w ith the red hat . N ow ,

he w as archbishop of Varzo and a prince of the church ; but.not even satisfied w ith these honours , this insatiable

prelate w as already in imagination seated on thepontifical throne “

r

ith a v iew to securing the interest of the Lu signan s , he made himself indispensable to the king, and for many years acted as the

Richelieu of this little-k nown state .

All seemed to be going w ell , and he confidentlyexpected to some day realize his ambition , when the

THE KE Y S OF ST. PETER . 24-3

unexpected death of the king upset the whole ofhis calculations . The intrigues of Methodios, a man

whom the cardinal had always dreaded , drove outthe princess Julia, heiress to the throne, before shecould be proclaimed queen

, and the republic wasestablished. It seemed as though the church wouldbe swamped in the tempest , but Gregory w as a val

iant and crafty man . What he could not gain byforce , he resolved to obtain by fraud, and, by mak ingapparent submissions to the new president

,managed

to maintain his position in Varzo . He made gooduse of the time thus gained, and intrigued so ao

tively that in a very short space of time,though

apparently deferential to Methodios , he was in a

strong enough position to defy the republic .

Such daring, however , w as not his desire , as hedid not wish to reassert his position until, w ith thereturn of Julia to the throne, he could regain hisformer authority . As soon as he had firmly established his position , he set to work to intrigue for therestoration of the L usignan s , and so successful was hethat at the time Julia arrived at the Villa Tvar tko,he w as almost on the point of sending for her toEngland and urging her to display the royal standard . The sudden appearance of Parad iso, whom heknew to be a devoted adherent of the exiled princess,had somewhat startled him ; but on thinking overthe matter, he was glad that the marquess was onthe spot

, as he required assistance in his plans.

As yet the cardinal knew not that Julia w as at theVilla Tvar tko, and w as seated in his room musing

as to the advisability of asking Paradiso to bring her


over from England . His secretary, Nicolas , a demure

,cunning- looking man, w as present, and they

w ere conferring as to the advisability of pr ecipitating matters . In front of the secretary were a f ew

sheets of paper w hich would have cost the cardinalhis head , had they been seen by M ethodios . Theycontained a list of all those ready to join the standardof the princess Julia, of the number of men that couldbe called into the field , the amount of money promised

, and other important matters w hich proclaimedthe exis tence of a wide - spr e zuling conspiracy againstthe government .

The man who held the innumerable threads of thisintrigue in his hand w as a stately and dignified

looking prelate . His powerful face w as somethingof the Napoleonic type , and in the voluminous robesof his rank as cardinal , he looked a s ingularlymaj estic figure . The most careless observer couldhave told bv his glittering ey e . his dec is ive w av ofspeaking, and immobile face , that this prie st w as a

dangerous adversary . As ar chbishop of Varzo hepossessed great pow er , and that power he desired touse for the good of the church as w ell as for his ownaggrandizement . At pre s ent, how ever , ow ing to therepublican form of government, he w as ostensiblya c ipher, and only w ith the advent of Julia wouldhe regain the authority nece s sar v to forw ard his

scheme s for the kevs of St . Peter .

It was a small apartment in w hich these two menw ere seated, being a. pr ivate cabinet s ituate at thetop of the palace . quite fre e from any danger oflurking spies . The highes t floor of an octagonal


which he did shortly. He w as , however , not conversing with Nicolas , but soliloquizing aloud .

This arrival of the marquess ,” he murmured , as

he walked slowly up and down, is not unpr e

meditated, and I question much whether Julia deLusignan would let him embark alone on this enterprise . They have been in ignorance of my conspiracy her e , but, notwithstanding that they expectedto find difficulties , she is not the woman to remainin the background . I know these Lusig nans .

Daring to the verge of reckles sness , they oftenachieve unexpected results . Backed by the moneyof this Englishman

,and knowing she could depend

on me as a faithf ul servant of her house , I feel cer

tain that she is at present in Varzo and ready totake the field at once . If so, why did Paradiso conc eal the information from me ? He k nows I am

devoted to the Lu signans , that I desire for my ownends and those of the church to restore the princess

yet he has not told me all . I mayt

be m is taken , certainly, but I feel sure that Julia is inX

I

LII'

ZH .

The princes s here I said Nicolas , breaking in onhis master ’s reverie with the assurance of a privilegedfavourite.

l lah ejaculated the cardinal , fixing his keeney e on the secretary, I forgot for the moment thatyou were pr e sent . Ye s , I feel certain that theprincess is here . You know what the marquessParadiso said yesterday I

About the occupation of the Villa Tvar tko bythis M . Dacre ? his intention to supply the princess

to the throne

THE KE Y S OF ST. PETER . 247

with money, and the conspiracy formed in London ?

Yes , your Eminence , I heard all this,but it does not

say that Princes s Julia is here .

To me it does ,” replied Gregory emphatically

do you think that they would leave behind themsuch a necessary adjunct to the plot as Princess deLusignan ? I tell you no . With her on the spotthey can do everything ; in her absence, notw ith

standing all their craft and conspiracy, the resultwill be nothing . And again , Julia i s not the womanto be left behind .

If this is so , why did not the marquess tell yourEm inence 7

That is what I do not know. Perhaps theprincess chooses to reveal herself at her own time .

The wife of the Englishman comes to-day

Yes ; she is due now . She comes , Nicolas , tosee a poor prelate of the church , but not alone .

”

The cardinal uttered this sentence w ith suchirony that the secretary looked up quickly and thendropped his eyes again in a demure manner.

I do not understand your Eminence .

”

This Madame Dacre , said the cardinal slowly,has requested permission to bring with her a

female companion . Why so ? There can be norisk in vis iting a priest like myself . If so , thisfemale companion is useless .

Then your Eminence thinksI do not think

,

” said Gregory emphatically, I

am sur e , that this companion is the princess Julia .

At this moment an electric bell sounded, which

announced to the prelate that his guests had arrived.


He walked towards the door w ith the intention ofgoing downstairs

,but paused abruptly , as though he

had changed his mind .

No . I will not leave thi s rOOm , he said , turning towards Nicolas ; “ if it is , as I suspect, theprincess Julia ,

she will prefer that I should r'

eceiveher here . Go you down ,

Nicolas , and request theEnglish lady and her attendant to come here .

”

Nicolas bowed deferentially and left the room,

wh ile the cardinal, going over to his desk , quicklv

locked aw av all the papers pertaining to the conspiracy . Havmg done this , he glanced round the roomto see that there w as nothing else he wished to conceal from the sharp eyes of the princess, and finallyseated himself in an armchair. He w as firmly conv inced that this mysterious attendant of the English lady w as the princess Julia, as he w as too w ell

quainted w ith the re solute character of that royalperson to think she would remain in the backgroundwhile her fate w as in the balance .

“f

ell versed in the w ay of creating an impression,Cardinal Gr egory aros e from hi s cha ir as Hilda en

ter ed, and moved maj estically across the room togreet her . XVll lle apparently looking straight at theforemost lady ,

he w as quick enough to glance at thefigure in the background , and congratulated himselfon his prescience . Disguised as was the princess ,

he knew her bearing too well to be deceived by darkhair or stained face . Convinced that she thoughtherself undiscovered , and alwavs ready to seize theadvantage , Gregory resolved to receive the disguisedqueen as though she were expected.


had not. N ow I think the game will end in myfavour.”

‘ t' That is , if Methodios does not think of some new(annbination

“ He will exhaust all combinations in the end,replied the cardinal quietly .

“ The fox has manytricks

, but he is run to earth at last .”

“ How did your Eminence guess that I w ouldbring her Maj esty with me if asked Hilda, who

could not help marvelling at the prompt manner inwhich the prelate had recognized Julia. Did myhusband tell you , or the marque s s 7

Neither,madame . I know the Lu s ignans

” temper too well to think that one of them w ould remainin the background . “Then I saw the marquess yesterday I knew that her M aje stv could not be f ar Of f .

Tod ay you visit me w ith a. female attendant ; Iknow y ou , madame , as Madame Dacre ; so it neededbut little thinking on my part to guess that y ou

were accompanied by her Maj esty .

”

All the same , I think your Eminence is to becongratulated on your acumen ,

”said Julia, smiling

“ but I might have know n no disguise could baffleyour ey e . I only hope Methodios w ill not discoverthe truth also .

”

“ You must keep out of his sight, said the car

dinal hastily ; these Phanariot Greeks ar e verykeen and very suspicious . It was unwise of you tocome hither .

"

Her Maj esty was anxious to see your Eminencepersonally .

”

“ Then her Maj esty should have sent for me tothe Villa Tvar tko .

”

TIIE KEYS OF sT. PETER . 251

My dear Cardinal , broke in Julia impatiently,I was too anxious to know what position you intended to take up to await your arrival.”

What position could I tak e up,but that of your

friend ? ” said the cardinal in a reproachful tone.You forget that our interests ar e identical . But,

apart from all worldly considerations , I should indeed be base to desert the daughter of a monarch towhom I owe so much.

“ Forgive me , Cardinal , I know you are devotedto my interest, replied Julia, taking his hand ;“ but you know the fallen ar e ever suspicious.Your Maj estyWhy address me by that mockery of a title ?

A queen Without subjects , without lands I have noteven been crowned .

”

“ But you shall be, said Gregory determinedly ,and by my hands in the cathedr al of Varzo.

”

But the crown of Busk ? Is that in the posses

sion of Methodios ?

No it is yet in the treasure- vault of the cathedral , where it has ever been. Methodios wished toseize it

, and I had to threaten him with excommuni

cation before he would desist from his sacrilegiouspurpose .”

“ Still , if he is not of your church he would notcare for that ,

” observed Hilda thoughtfully.

Not in himself , perhaps . But if he was excom

municated he would lose his position as presidentof the Republic ; and he fought too hard to risk

such a loss .”

What think you of our plans, monseigneur ?”

asked Julia anxiously.


I think they ar e excellent . “Y

e ar e greatlybeholden to your husband , madame , continued the

cardinal , bowing graciously to Hilda, both for hi sproposed loan of money to the cause , and his suggestion regarding the Villa Tvar tko being the headquarters of the queen ’s partisans .

“ My husband will do all in his power to replacethe. queen on her throne . But in the event of w ar ,do you think the cause will be well supportedThe cardinal smiled , and, going over to the de sk

took from thence the papers concerning the conspiracy and placed them in the hands of Julia.

“ Look at these, your Maj esty ,” he said sigui

ficantly, and you will see that I have not been

The princess eagerly examined the lists, w hile theprelate addressed himself w ith suave courtesy toHilda, whose beauty had made a great impressionon him .

M . Dacre must indeed be a prince,madame ,

when he can af ford to raise a million of money inl ”the cause of fallen royalty

It is a. good use to make of the money,replied

Hilda politely . “T

ilf red my husband is onlytoo delighted to have some obj ect in life .

”

Ah !”said his Eminence in a significant tone .

He felt, then . that life was made for more thanplay

I think w e all feel that , monseigneur .

N0 , my daughter. There ar e those so frivolousthat they care for nothing but gaiety and idle pleasures. You are not of our communion , I believe ?

ALAD D IN LV Loxnoiv .

with an uneasy laugh, and avoided the dange r ous

I am not so sure about that, she answered,smiling .

“ \Vho knows ! I may marry for loveafter all .

And by doing so , lose your kingdom,hinted the

cardinal darkly.

M . le cardinal, we will leave the discus s ion ofthis question till another time . Meanwhile , moreimportant matters await our consideration . Can

you rely on these nobles mentioned in this list ?To the death . They ar e all devoted to your

Maj esty .

Their devotion did not save me from exile ,retorte d the princess dryly. How ever. better latethan never. They w ill ris e when Von give thesig nal ? ”

Yes 3 And if your Maj esty ’ s presence becomesknown, they w ill flock without a signal to the VillaTvar tko.

”

No 3 No 2 I do not wish that,said Julia. has

tily . In that case there would be a civil w ar .

In which I think we should conquer,

" repliedGregory ,

w ith great satisfaction . Still . I am ofyour Maj e s ty

‘

s opinion . War must be avoided at

any cost ; for, be sides the loss of men, it would af

ford Russia a pretext for interfering .

”

“ Ah, the Russian bear s till watches the Lusignan

Of course ! Through Busk lies the road toStamboul . Russia w ill never be satisfied till she

possesses the Bosphorus .”

THE KE i'

s OF sT. PETER . 255

Shall I tell you, monseigneur, what I heard an

English statesman suggest ? said Hilda at thismoment.

Pray do,madame .

That, to preserve the balance of power inEurope , Constantinople should be taken from the

Turks , made a neutral city, and given over to thetemporal authority of the pope.”

Gregory started , and looked at her keenly.

English statesmen ar e not alone in that opinion ,madame , he said significantly. Who knows whatmay happen in the near future ?

”

Julia smiled. She knew the ambition of thecardinal

,and, while quite ready to aid him to sit in

the chair of St. Peter, wished to reserve the goldenthrone of the Cw sar s to herself.

That will never occur ,” she said decis ively

the only chance of safety to Europe , from Russia,

i s the reconstruction of the Byzantine empire .

This time the cardinal smiled. He also knew theambitions of Julia de Lusignan, and w as afraid thatwhen she became queen their interests would clash.

She w as too imperious for him , and he could notmould her to his will as he had moulded her weakminded father . Too diplomatic, however, to betrayhis thoughts

, and quite willing to assist a possible

adversary in order to benefit himself in the end, hesmiled blandly, and addressed himself to the subject

in hand .

Who knows what aspect affairs may assume ,when you regain your throne ? ” he said, waving hishand gracefully . Remember, it does not concern


Busk alone , but all Europe . As vou say. it is bestto accomplish your restoration without w ar , but ifw ar must be, it must. Still , if we can secure Upravado and the army, you will have 110 one to oppose

your reentry into Varzo .

Methodios queried Hilda, curiously .

Can do nothing . The country is with her Majesty, and it is only in Varzo that the republicanshave parti sans . Upr avado has gained the devotionof the army, and they w ill follow where he leads . Ifwe can bribe him over to our cause, Methodios willb. left without a suppor ter, and will have to fly thecountry.

”

W'

ho i s to approach him on such a delicate m ission ? ” demanded the princess .

Hi . madame , that requires some cons ideration, answered the courtly archbishop ; “ not Par adiso, not myself, he will comm it himself withne ithe r of u s ; it must be some s tranger.

“ M Dacre I suggested Julia promptly, " or M .

lv due .

N said Hilda ,w ith a sudden inspiration .

Maj or Measurby is the only one who can succes sfully conduct such a de licate business .”

The archbishop shook his head .

Upravado speaks no English , he said doubtfully. I am afraid it will be useless to employ thisM . Measurby, unless he is conversant with French .

”

Oh, he is an exce llent French scholar.In that case , he may be a useful envoy. But

we must not decide on this question suddenly . Ma

dame,

” he added, bowing to Julia, I w ill call next

CHAPTER XIX.

A MOD ERN r x'

rmor .

IT w as not unintentional on Hilda s part that shehad mentioned the nam e of Maj or M easu rby . Personally , she did not care for him in the least , and ,

w ith the quick intuition of her sex , she saw that hisfriendship for her husband w as unreal . Severaltime s she had hinted to lVilf r ed that Measurby was

not a man 0 11 whom could be placed any dependence .

but he had always turned the conversation asidewhen it came to a discussion of this delicate topic .

“f ilf r ed could not r eveal the cause of his friendshipw ith M easurby w ithout exposing the secret of thering , and although he had made up his mind to tellHilda everything , yet , owing to the constant occurrence of exc iting events in connection with the conspir acy , the opportunity of so doing never took

place .

It w as therefore Hilda ’ s firm resolve that M ea

surby should undertake the dangerous mis s ion ofgaining Upravado to the royalist cause . She was

unw ill ing that either her husband or her cousinshould risk his life by thrusting his head so f ar intothe lion

’

s mouth , and if any one could be spared ,it w as Maj or M e asurby . If he succeeded in bribingUpr avado, all w ould be w ell : but if 0 11 the other

A MODERN PATRIOT. 259

hand the republican leader proved incorruptible andhad him arrested , the whole conspiracy would berevealed to the authorities , and the inmates of VillaTvartko would have to seek safe ty in flight . Hildathen wished to save her husband and cousin at theexpense of the maj or, and she could hardly beblamed for such a desire . Besides

, Measurby , whotalked a great deal about the dangers they were incurring, had hither to kept in the background , andpushed forward his friends to take the risk . This ,in Hilda

‘

s opinion , was scarcely fair ; and she wasd etermined that if he shared in the glory , he shouldalso share in the danger .On her return from the visit to Archbishop Greg'

ory, a meeting was called by Julia, to consider thesuggestion of the cardinal that some one should besent to bribe Upr avado. Paradiso of course wantedto go , but was overruled by the others , who didnot think it wise that such a well - known royalistshould visit Upr avado, and perhaps be arrested before he could of f er terms . As the cardinal said , itwas wiser that a stranger should be the delegate,and although bothW ilfred and Richborough of f eredtheir services in this capacity, the princess , at thesuggestion of Hilda , fixed on Maj or Measurby as

the best person to per form the task. He was a soldier ; in India he had been accustomed to conductdelicate negotiations with native princes ; he w as an

admirable French scholar, and to all appearancesdevoted to the cause ; so with all these qualificationsthe royalists decided that they could not have a

better man . Measu rby w as of fered the dangerous


honor of bearding the lion in his den , and not lacking physical courage

, accepted w ith the utmostpromptitude . This important question having thusbeen dec ided

,the council broke up

,and Julia r e

tired with Paradiso to confer w ith him regardingthe plans of the cardinal .M easurby w as by no means pleased to have great

ness thus thrust upon him . Had he come to Buskpurely as an adventurer to replace the princess onher throne , he w ould have been delighted ; but as

his sole obj ect in planning and pushing forward theconspiracy w as to w rest the ring from the possess ionof Wilfred , he did not care about risking his lifeand poss ibly losing it before achiev ing his desire .

As yet no Opportunity had been o f fered to him of

securing the ring by fraud, for WVilf r ed never took theprecious talisman from his finger , and it w as uselessto think of force , seeing how vigilant w as Janshahin guarding his master . The Indian suspectedM easurby

’

s des igns , and though personally he did

not care who held the ring , vet , bound by its laws ,

he had to de fend him who w as its present possessor .

l Iad M easu rby been the master of the ring , Jan

shah would have been as devoted to him as he w as

now to “v

ilf r ed . The man w as a mere machinewho obeyed no one but him who possessed the talisman , and M easurby , knowing this , was quite satisfied that if the ring w as once on his finger , Janshah

would take all precautions that Wilfred should notget it again . Force w as therefore quite out of theque stion ; no opportunity of f ered for the practice offraud , so Measurby ,

with inward reluctance , Was

262 1L . 1D DIN IN LON DON .

finally it was the cardinal who hit upon a feasibleplan of operation . At first M easurby had thoughtof calling on Upravado as an old soldier interestedin the Busk army , and requesting a review of thetroops ; but both at the interview and the reviewthey would be surrounded by the spies of Methodios . His second idea w as to invite Upr avado toinspect the Villa Tvartko ; but to do so openly , hew ould be forced to be accompanied by his suite

,

none of whom he could trust . At last the archbishop proposed that Measur by should stay withhim in concealment for a few days , and during thattime Upr avado might be lured to the palace , wherethe interview could take place in secrecy .

This appeared to be the only chance of securinga meeting w ithout the knowledge of M ethodios ; so

the maj or went one night to the palace of the car

dinal , and w as concealed by its master in the upperchamber of the octagon tow e r . Thanks to the precau tions w hich had been taken , his presence therew as quite unsuspected by the spies of the republic .despite the fact that they constantly watched thepalace . hlethodios hated and dreaded the cardinal ,but the latte r had so secured his safety that thepres ident w as unable to do him any harm .

If he had dis cove red the archbishop to be concerned in any plot against the republic , he certainlycould hav e. had him arre sted and throw n into prisonwith some show of reason , but otherw ise the peopleof Busk would not permit so famous a man as theircardinal to be arrested if innocent . Methodios

therefore watched the palace for any appearance of


treason , and bided his time to get the bette r of thearchbishop , a thing which was very doubtful, seeing how wily was the prelate . Gregory delighted inintrigues and was never so happy as when engagedin them ; so this meeting of Upr avado and the maj orw as an afi air which , owing to his diplomatic dexter ity , he managed in the most admirable manner .M easurby came to the palace and w as comfortablylodged there

,without exciting the least suspic ion

on the part of Methodios , and the next thing to bedone was to get Upravado to visit his Eminence onsome trivial pretext .This would have been impossible had not Upra

vado been inclined to the royal cause , but owing tothe machinations of Methodios , who desired his

overthrow,that general w as beginning to find his

position anything but pleasant . He saw that sooneror later the petty disturbances between himself and

Methodios would break out into open war , and as

he was the stronger, Methodios would undoubtedlycall in the aid of the Russians to crush his rival .

Upravado was a perfectly selfish man , who did not

care in the least about his country so long as hehimself was safe , and he began to question whetherit would not be best for him to embrace the royalcause , replace the Lu signans on the throne , and

thus secure his own position .

While in a state of indecision regarding this mat

ter,he received a letter from Cardinal Gregory ,

written in a religious spirit and hinting that he had

not lately been to confession . The spies of Methodios saw this letter and reported on its contents to


their master , who s imply saw in it a de s ire of thecardinal to maintain his spiritual power , now thathe had lost all temporal authority . Upravado,

however, guessed that it meant more than a merevisit to confess his sins . He knew that the cardinalwas inclined to the royalist side , and hoping that inan interview w ith the astute prelate he might gleansome information likely to decide his future course ,he went to the palac e . As he w as bent on a pur elv

religious errand he went alone , and thus , for thetime being , w as relieved from hav ing his actionsspied on by the emissaries of Methodios .

“Then he arrived at the palace he w as informedthat the cardinal w ould rece ive him in his privateoratory , and therein found his Eminence preparedto receive his confe s s ion . By a strange anomalyUpravado was a devout Catholic , and in his conf ession concealed nothing from the priest

,whereby the

archbishop w as enabled to forecast at once the success of Measurby

’

s errand . Upravado was not sodevoted to the republican s as he had thought ; 11w as in a state of indec ision . He w as an avaric iousman and fond of his ow n pleasur e ; so if the mattercould be settled by an of f e r of gold

,of a title , and

of position under the queen , there was no doubtthat he w ould cast in his fortunes w ith the roy al istcause .

“ My son , said Gregory , w hen the confe s s ionw as over , and the penitent had received absolution , “ you seem to be uneasy in your mind r e

garding your worldly af f air s .

”

“ Your Eminence is perfectly right,replied


“Y ell

,Busk at present is a republic ; so

You

must be faithful to Methodios .

”

M ethodios i s not the republic .

He seems to regard himself as such . I am notin his confidence

,I who as you say , alone con

trol the army. Methodios lavishes all his favourson Culin , Geiz a, and such like minions. When Isupported the republic

,I believed that it would

benefit the country, but now it would be better tohave the Lusignans back again.

”

DO you really think so ?”

asked the cardinal ,with af f ected s implicity .

“ Yes . The Lusignans at least ar e more scrupulous than Methodios .

”

“ You say the Lusignan s , repeated the archbishop

, in a melancholy tone .

“Remember , there

is now only one representative of that famous f amilv ,

and that one a woman .

”

“ True . She can never rule Busk .

There you ar e wrong , retorted Gregory , forthe first time giv ing a hint of his true feelings .

Julia de Lusignan w ill rule with a rod of iron .

She has the gen ius of Catherine of Russ ia .

“ If I thought so I might be inclined to restoresaid Upravado in a musing tone

Oh , I speak treason against M ethodios , I know ,

he continued , in answer to an inquiring look fromthe cardinal ,

“ but I am weary of his tyranny . Itis true I am not now speaking under the seal of theconfess ional, and you can betray me if you like .

But you will not do so . Republican as you pretendto be , you ar e a royalist at heart .

7the monarchy ,"


It is true . I am a royalist, replied Gregory,throwing of f the mask “ I owe everything to theLu signans , nothing to M ethodios . The church can

gain nothing from one who professes the heresy ofthe Greek . You , Upr avado, ar e a Catholic, he a

member of the Greek church ; you a true - born sonof Busk, he a foreigner , who would sell us to theRuss ian . For the sake of your religion

,for the

sake of your country , drive this man out of Busk,and replace Julia de Lusignan on the throne .

“Why not myself ?”

asked Upr avado, bendinghis brows I have the army at my back . I couldseize and hold Varzo

“ But not against the Russians , interrupted thecardinal imperiously .

“ If you made yourself king ,it would af ford a pretext to the Russians to interfere, and they

.

would reduce Busk to an appanageof the Czar. No ! I tell you , my son , there is nosafety for you and none for Busk in such a course .

The only thing to be done is to place Ju lia on thethrone .

”

“ And what would I gain by that ?

Her gratitude , wealth, titles , honour s.Doubtless all these would be promised , said

Upr avado cunningly .

“ But once she is on thethrone

,I may whistle down the wind for fulfilment.

No,if I support the cause of Julia I must have

some guarantee .

”

“ In what way ?

Say a sum of money , a large amount . Then ,if she proves ungrateful , I can leave Busk and liveon what I have earned . Otherwise , if I commit

18

268 iLADD IN IN LON D ON .

myself blindly to the cause , she may take all and

give nothing .

“ In the event of a sum of money being given toyou ,

” said the cardinal slowly ,“ would you be ill

clincd to assist Julia to the throne ? ”

“ I would .

”

It w as the reply expected by the cardinal , but hedid not accept the offer at once . By degrees hehad lured Upravado into a confession o f his realsentiments , but if he closed with him at once , hemight draw back through fe ar .

“ I hardly see how a large sum of money could beobtained , he said , as if doubtful . “ Julia de Lusignan is poor , and so ar e all those who still cling tothe monarchy .

”

If , as you say , all Busk , saving Varzo , supporther claim to the throne , a sum such as I require caneas ily be raised .

“ lVell, supposing it is raised and pa id to you ,what then ?

“I

liat then ‘

f ”said Upravado haughtily . I

w ill send to England for Paradiso , who, I know , isan accomplished statesman , devoted to Jul ia. Senddso f or the queen ,

and w ith the army at my back,I will seize Varzo , put M ethodios in to prison

,and,

before the Russians can interfere , I will place Juliaon the throne. Once she is there the great powerswill support her pretensions and prevent the interfer ence of Russia.

‘How much money do you desire ? asked thecardinal , ignoring this brilliant prophecy .

“ Two hundred thousand francs ,” replied Upra

davo promptly .


on this crucifix that on payment of this money youwill support the cause of Queen Jul ia , that you w illsever yourself utterly from the caus e of Methodios ,

and that , hence forth, such things as ar e said, done .

and seen in this house you will keep secret from

all.”

I swear ! replied Upr avado, laying his hand onthe crucifix with an irrepressible shudder ;

“ by thesalvation of my soul , I swear that on payment ofthis money , I am with you , and that from this moment I will re veal nothing to your enemies .The archbishop heaved a sigh of relief at seeing

Upravado commit himself thus irrevocably to theroyal cause , and replaced the crucifix on the altar .

“ My son , you ar e now one of us , and to you Ican reveal our secrets .”

“ Have you any to reveal ? said Upr avado doubtfully .

A great many . The princess Julia i s at presentin Varzo .

”

Impossible“ She is at the Villa Tvar tko in company with

Paradiso .

”

“ The Villa Tvar tko, muttered Upravado, turning pale ;

“ then that Englishman is a partisan ofthe queen ?

He is . D oes Methodios suspect him ?Not in the least ,

” replied the other frankly .

“ Neither (lid I . Your plans have been well laid .

lut the money ?“ The Englishman ill pay you the amount you

require, said the cardinal , going towards the door .

A MODE RN PATRIOT. 27 1

Come with me, my son , and I shall lead you tohis representative , who will arrange the matter .

”

“In this house ? ” said Upr avado, hanging back .

Truly this conspiracy is ripe for the outburst .Would you betray me , Cardinal ?Gregory looked at him with an air of reproach .

“ My son , I am a man of peace , not of war .

You have sworn on the crucifix that you will favourour cause . This being the case , I should indeed befoolish to destroy one whom I have gained with suchtrouble .

”

“ Lead on , said Upr avado, advancing boldly .

I will follow . I have gone too f ar to draw back.

If I didIt would mean destruction in this world and the

next,my son .

”

Upravado shuddered again , for , superstitious ashe w as , the oath he had taken bound him to hisword. Even did he not receive the money, hewould have hesitated to draw back now at the perilof his salvation . Still , the oath was contingent onthe money being paid , and he resolved to keep hispromise

,provided the cardinal did not deceive him .

W ith these thoughts in his mind he mounted thestairs , up which he w as preceded by the cardinal .On arriving at the octagonal chamber Measu rbyadvanced to meet them , and Gregory introduced thetwo men .

“ Maj or Measurby , he said in his firm voice,

this is General Upr avado, who has consented toj oin our cause on conditions which you alone can

carry out. Upravado, behold this English soldier,


who is trusted in all things by our sovereign and

who w ill give you that which you desire .

”

The two soldiers,

both , eyed one an

other keenly,and then sat dow n to talk o ve r the

conditions of the treaty , while the cardinal , w ithdrawing to his table , pretended to be busy writing ,though in reality he was drinking in every word .

‘What ar e your conditions , mons ieur ?”

askedMeasurby in a courteous tone .

“ I am ready to j oin the royal cause and bring overthe army, on condition that the sum of two hundredthousand francs is paid to me in gold before I declare myself an enemy of the republic .

“ Good . It shall be paid as you desire .

At once ?

Oh no , answered M easurby with a cunningsmile . “

Y

e also must have some guarantee of goodfaith .

Upr avado reddened , but as it w as a business inwhich no moral or honourable prin ciples were involved , he could hardly assume a virtuous indignation . He therefore swallowed his chagrin , and professed himself willing to give whatever guaranteew as required .

You know , monsieur , that the princess Julia isat the Villa Tvar tko ?

Yes, so his Eminence informed m e .

My friend , M . Dacre , will be responsible forthis money, and it will be paid over to you on theday on which the re storation of the queen is proclaimed .

“ Before that occurs I mus t have the money .

27 4 i LADD IN IN LON D ON .

Tvar tko,I am invited there to a ball by M . Dacre ,

who is an English visitor under the protection ofthe established government . As a general of thearmy I have a right to go with an escort of soldiersand a staff of officers . The rest is easy .

“ I think it could not be better , monsieur, saidMeasurby ,

springing to his feet . “ By next weekthe republic will have ceased to exi st .

“ Only on condition that M . Dacre pays me thismoney at the Villa Tvar tko,

” said Upr avado emphatically . I am not going to trust blindly to thegratitude of the queen .

“ You shall have the money , said the cardinalsoothingly . M . Dacre will c e rtainly pay you .

”

“ That is , if he has the ring ,” thought the maj or ;

but if it is mine I am afraid Uprav ado will getnothing .

” “lVell, monsieur he added aloud ,

“ar e you satisfied ?“ Pe rfectly .

In that cas e , said the cardinal j oyously,“ we

may look on the coup (Tétut as already aecom

plished.

CHAPTER XX.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM .

NEED LESS to say the princess was delighted withthe success of Measurby

’

s mission . As a matter offact its accomplishmm t w as due more to the cardinal than to the maj or, but as the latter was the ostensible agent in carrying out the affair, he receivedall the credit . So f ar as Julia was concerned itmattered but little to her who secured Upr avado solong as he w as gained over to her side ; but , confident that no ingratitude on her part could alienatethe cardinal , she ignored his share in the triumphand lavished all her praise on the maj or . Conceivethe pride with which Measu rby heard such compliments from royal lips . He knew perfectly wellthat Gregory had brought Upr avado to him en

tir ely willing to j oin the royal cause , and that nothing w as needed to clinch the matter but the promise that the money would be paid . Yet with thisknowledge the maj or began to believe that he was

an uncommonly clever diplomatist , who had conducted a difficult negotiation to a successful termination .

As to the outcome of all this intriguing , Mea

surby flattered himself that the result rested with

him ,for he had hit upon a method of securing the

27 6 ALAD D IN IN LON D ON .

ring through the instrumentality of Hilda . Thea ffair w as still in embryo , as the maj or

’

s schemingbrain had not yet completed the various deta ils , butit w as suffic iently forward to assure him that hewould obtain possess ion of the ring before the money

w as paid over to Upravado. When this happened ,Measu rby w as not sure whether he would carry outthe negotiations or fly the kingdom ,

leaving the royalists to their fate . If he stayed , he r an a chanceof losing the ring again , for IVilf r ed would do allin his power to recover possession of it ; whereas , ifhe fled

,who could tell what horrors might ensue ?

Upravado had been promised a sum of money onpayment of which he had sworn to ass ist the royal

ists . If he were disappointed in payment he wouldcertainly revenge himself by revealing the secrets ofthe conspiracy to M ethodios and arresting all theinmates of Villa Tvar tko. Measurby could notmake up his mind whether to avert or hasten thiscatastrophe , but of one thing he w as certain , thaton the night when the coup d

’

éw t was to occur he ,and not W ilfred , would be the destiny of the affair .

W ith these ideas in his mind Measu rby wentabout with a very happy expression of face , whichthose whom he had half decided to betray put downto satisfaction at having been the means of securingthe adherence of Upr avado . The maj or did not undeceive them ou this point

,but chuckled to think

how he would shortly hold all their lives in hishand . No touch of compunction for his proposedbaseness was in his heart , but as the man w as quitelacking in a moral sense this w as scarcely to be won


M ethodios knew nothing of the danger whichw as at his very doors ; which said but little for hissystem of espionage . Everywhere men in his paywere watching for signs of discontent and disaf f ection but secure in the certa inty of their success theroyalists made no sign in any w ay . Seeing , then ,this outward content

,the spies reported to Metho

dios that the royalist cause w as utterly dead and

that never w as the government of the republic so

stable . It w as the calm before the storm , butM ethodios did not know it .

The first intimation that there might be a conspir

acy on foot came from the Russian agency , whereit was hinted that political reasons had brought themaster of Villa Tvar tko to Varzo . There was noground for this belief , but the eternal suspicions ofRussia made her suspect every one . Owing to themachinations of the nihilists she w as well awarethat danger might lurk under a seeming innocentexterior

,and the Russian agent advised M ethodios

to personally vis it the Villa Tvar tko. Once there ,he could satisfy himself as to whether the inmateswere at all mixed up in politics

,and act as he

deemed best for the safety of the republic . Thinking over this matter Methodic s came to the conelus ion that it would be as well to look into itfor himself , and asked Upr avado

’

s opinion thereon .

That cunning soldier laughed at the idea of a dullEnglishman mixing himself up in foreign politics ,and adv ised Methodios to call at the villa , by all

means,if only to set his suspic ions at rest . At the

same time he warned Paradiso of the approaching

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM. 27 9

visit of the president , so the consequ ence was thatwhen Methodios did go to the villa everything wasquite ready to deceive him .

Janshah, instructed by his master, kept a strictlookout along the high - road, and one afternooncame down to the terrace where all were seated, toannoun ce that the president and his staff were appr oaching the house . At once the princess and

Paradiso hurried into the house and concealed themselves from view , as it was j ust possible that thekeen eyes of Methodios might recognize them inspite of their disguises. The remain ing party, consisting of Hilda, her husband, Richborough andMeasurby, seated themselves in careless attitudeson the terrace

,engaged in apparently aimless con

versation.

Shortly, the president arrived, as he thought um

expectedly, and hearing from Janshah that the mas

ter of the villa was on the terrace , proceeded to gothere at once , so as to catch the inmates off theirguard . Surrounded by a glittering staff of officershe descended the steps towards the water, and Wilfred

,springing to his feet in apparent sur prise ,

went forward to receive him .

Methodios was a tall , slim man , not unhandsomein face , though it was utterly spoiled by a crafty

expression which at once betrayed the falsity of hisnature . He af f ected considerable state, though but

the president of the republic , and, with the innatelove of finery possessed by all Greeks, appearedin a rich green uniform braided with gold lace.

His officers were also magnificently dressed in


uniform, and there was plenty of j ingling swords,flashing epaulettes and plumes of feathers. Toadd to the incongrui ty of the whole affair, thepresident had his breast covered with orders,some bestowed on him by the late king before hehad proved a traitor . The sight of these wouldhave infuriated the princess beyond all the boundsof endurance , but fortunately she was f ar distantwatching these jackdaws , disguised in peacocksfeathers , from an upper window of the villa.

“Why did not your Excellency let us know youwere coming ?” said Wilfred , as he saluted theGreek .

“ Had I known of your intention to payme a visit I would have been prepared for you .

”

“ I preferred to come unannounced , Mr . Dacre ,replied the president , letting his eyes wander overthe group on the terrace .

“ You speak English, I see , M . Methodios .

I lived in London for some time , Mr . Dacre ,replied the pre s ident with a smile,

“and there I

learned your tong ue . This is the first time I haveused it for many years , so you must excuse my deficiencies .

“Allow me to compliment you on your know ledgeof it,

”said Dacre, leading Methodios down the

steps to the terrace . Will your Excellency permit me to introduce my wife ?

“Charmed , madame , to see you at Busk , oh

served Methodios , with a profound bow .

“We

have few English lady visitors .

”

“When your charming climate and country become better known , sir, I think you will have many


SO all the people of Busk, so to speak , are possible presidents .”

“ E xactly ; and hence approve of a governmentwhich gives them a chance of political fame .

”

While Hilda and her husband were thus talkingto the president , his offi cers were fraternizing withR ichborough and the maj or . A number of servantsbrought down refreshments , of which all partook ,and little by little the suspicions of Methodios beganto disappear .

It is only a pleasure party , he thought, scrutiniz ing the faces of those around .

“ They could notdeceive me.

For once Methodios w as w rong, and afterwards ,when it w as too late , he often bitterly regretted thathe had been so easily lulled by the af fected carelessness of the party . At present, however , he couldnot connect these light - hearted English folk withany political designs , and , convinced that the sus

picion s of the Russian agent were groundless , hisface relaxed from the slight frown it had worn whenhe first came .

“ I trust you ar e pleased with the Villa Tvar tko,madame

,

” he said to Hilda, while “r

ilf r ed went toconverse with the other members of the presidentialparty .

“ I should be indeed hard to please were I not delighted , your Excellency . It is a dream of beauty .

”

“ It w as the summer residence of the Lusignankings .

”

“ They must have been sorry to lose it .Their own fault, I assure you , madame . Had

THE CALM BE FORE THE STORM . 283

they been less tyrannical , they might still be on thethrone . The world now is too enlightened to tolerate the despotism Of the Middle Ages

“ But I thought that in the EastThis is but Eastern Europe , madame , a vast

dif f erence from the east of Asia . The Balkanstates have thrown off the yoke of the Turks

, and

wish to have a voice in European politics . TheOttoman empire is ef fete , worn out ; we ar e youngand fresh , new states which are now starting intobeing. Islam as a power is at an end.

”

“Yet Stambou l is still the city of the sultan .

But for a time ,” replied Methodios significantly .

\Vli o knows but what the end of the nineteenthcentury may see the reconstruction of the G1 eekempire

“ Or Russia in possession of Constantinople .

Never ! ” exclaimed the Greek in a fiery tone .

To arrive there they must pass through Busk ,through Servia , and Bulgaria, all Christian states ,which will oppose the grasping ambition of the St .

Petersburg cabinet . But I weary you with politicsthey ar e not fit for the ears of ladies . Let us talkof lighter subj ects . You have seen Var z o, I tr ust ?

“ Yes,I have visited the town several times . The

cathedral is very beautiful . ”

And you know his Eminence , Cardinal Greg

ory“ I visited him last week .

He is a dangerous man ,M ethodios was

going to add , but checked himself with sudden w is

dom.Despite the fact that these were merely Eng

I9


lish tourists bent on pleasure . it would not do to betoo foolish .

“ Do you intend to stay long here , madame ?” he

asked in a lighter tone .

“ A few months .

”

It is dull .Oh, not at all. lVe can amuse ourselves in

many w ays . For instance , next w eek I am givinga ball .”

“

A ball ? ” echoed M ethodios in surprise .

to whom ? ”

Oh , to some of your nobility . lVe came w ithintroductions , you know, and as I am anxious tosee the national costumes and dances of Busk ,

Ihave invited several of your famous families to aball

And their names ?

Let me see ,” said Hilda, beginning to regret she

had mentioned the ball ,“ your names ar e so hard to

pronounce , — the families of Juda, Sinpian , N e

manja , and others .

”

“All secret royalists , thought Methodios , his

su spic ion s beginning to revive . Can it be thatKulsof f is right , after all ? ”

Meanwhile , Hilda ,feeling that she had made a

mis take , invited “r

ilf r ed to j oin her , w ith a lookand that this w as a wise proceeding speedily ap

pear ed from the next observation of the pres ident .I trust , madame , you will ask me to your ball .Hilda , doubtful what answer to make , shot an

inquiring glance at “T

ilf r ed , who at onc e respondedto the que stion .

286 i LAD D IN I.

’

LON D ON .

opinion about this new complication ; but, with thepres ident barely of f the premises , she was forced towait for some more fitting period .

From this reverie she was roused by a light handon her shoulder, and on looking up saw that Juliaw as standing beside her in a state of suppressedexcitement .

“ Well , madame , inquired the princess eagerly ,what w as the reason of this vis it 1’

Hilda arose hastily to her feet, and threw an ap

prehens ive look in the direction of the house .

“ You should not have come here so soon , ma

dame ,”

she said reproachfully . M ethodios may

return .

No,he has left the house . and is now on his w ay

to Varzo . t y do you think he w ill return ? Has

he suspic ions ? ”“ Not of the true facts of the cas e . But I fancy

he thinks we ar e here with other designs than thoseof pleasure .

”

So long as he is ignorant of my presence inBusk

,it does not matter what he thinks

,replied

Julia contemptuously .

“

As things stand now , w hate ver his suspicion s , he can take no steps . Soon itw ill be too late .

”

He is coming to the ball , said Hilda abruptly .

To the ball ? ” echoed Julia in alarm . Surel yv ou did not ask him to be present ? ”

“ I w as forced to do so . “Then he heard that hiscolleague , General Upravado, w as to be present, heinsis ted on coming . I could not refuse

, as his sus

pic ions might have been aroused and he would proh

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM . 287

ably have forbidden me to give the entertainment .Therefore , I had to invite him with apparent eagerness , and he is coming with his officers .

”

“ This will somewhat complicate matters .So I thinkAnd yet , continued the princess thoughtfully ,

he is thrusting his head into the lion ’ s mouth .

The room w ill be filled w ith our supporters . Thevilla will be surrounded by the soldiers of Upr avado,and Methodios will be caught in a trap . Yes ,

” saidJulia in a tone of lively satisfaction ,

“ by coming tothe ball he is playing blindly into our hands . As

soon as the signal is given , I will order Upravadoto arrest the president , and the republic , thus beingwithout a head , will surrender to me at once .

”

“ Do you really think that this can be done , madame

“ I have every faith in my star. replied Juliaproudly “ Methodios , by coming to this ball , isplacing himself blindly in my power . The republici s doomed .

”

CHAPTER XXI.

N EW RINGS FOR OLD .

IT would be useless to deny that M ethodios was

anything but satisfied in his own mind regardingthe true reason of the Dacres ’ visit to Busk . TheRussian agent had certainly hinted that they werethere for a diplomatic purpose , but Methodios , hav

ing, as he thought , caught them of f their guard bypaying an unexpected vis it , was for the moment satisfied that such fears were groundless . In his subsequent conversation with Hilda, however, the mention of the ball had again piqued his curiosity and

roused his suspicions . Why should these strangersgive a ball to those w ith whom they were entirelyunacquainted ? Why should they ask only royalistfamilies to that ball , and why should they be friendlywith a notorious monarchist like the cardinal , anda lukewarm republican like Upravado ?

Methodios constantly asked himself these questions ; but he could obtain no satisfactory answ erthereto . He spoke to Upr avado, and w as told bythat wily diplomat that he was going to the ballsimply to amuse himself . From the archbishop hecould learn absolutely nothing

, and the royalist f amilies gave no s ign that they took any interest whatsoever in politics. Notwithstanding all this absence

29 0 ALAD D IN IN LON DON .

from Wilfred on the evening of the ball by fraud,and had already arranged his plan of action . Oncehe was possessed of the ring , he intended to leavethe villa and cross over into Bulgaria, the frontierof which w as but tw enty - four miles distant fromVarzo . Measurby was impelled to this course bythe fear that when “

T

ilf r ed discovered his los s , ashe would soon by Janshah refus ing to obey him

,he

might , in a frenzy of fear , betray the secret of thering to all, in which case , the queen, aided by Paradiso , would hav e little scruple in mak ing him giveit up to he r . Thus all his trouble would go for nothing , and having los t the confidence of every one .he would be in a w orse plight than before . If

,how

ever , he stole the ring and placed himself in safetyon the other side of the frontier , he could treat withJulia de Lusignan . and dictate his own terms tothat imperious ladv .

Unless the money w as paid to Upr avado, Mea

surby knew that the conspir ac v w ould fail , and if‘Vilf r ed lost the ring , Jnushab would certainly r e

f use to hand over the gold . Things thus being 111

confus ion , the maj or could step in and of f er to settle111, provided the princ e s s acceded to his term s ,

which , to sav the least , w ere anything but modest .

lIe desired to marry Julia and obtain the title o f

king . when , with he r influenc e and his wealth, he

could hope to make Busk one of the greatest powersof the East .As yet all these w ere castles in the air, for Maj or

Measurby was not certain whether his scheme wouldbe entirely succe ssful . It all depended upon Hilda.

N E W RIN GS FOR OLD . 29 1

and if she failed him , the golden opportunity wouldbe lost . The hour had not yet arrived for him toexecute his purpose , and , meanwhile , so as to keepup his ordinary character of a careless spectator,he conversed gaily with Richborough.

The duke was in a very restless state of mind, ashe was aware that the proclamation of Julia as queenwould place her too high for him to dream of becoming her husband . As a political exile she w ason an equal footing with him , and he could pay hisaddresses without appearing unduly presumptuous ;but when she became queen of Busk he would beunable to press his suit . It w as true that she hadencouraged him very much and certainly appearedto love him , but at times the duke had doubts as tothe reality of this aff ection . She might, for all heknew , be using him as a tool , and when she gainedher ends would throw him on one side as useles s .

He had no proof that such woulcl be the case , butyet thought it might happen . Alas ! in this instance his instinct w as prOphetic , for Julia de Lusignan already sure of her throne , had quite forgotten that such a person as the Duke of Richboroughexisted.

So the great moment approaches , said Mea

surby late in the afternoon , as the duke moved restlessly up and down the terrace “ Let us hope suc

cess will crown our eff orts .

”

“ There can be but little doubt on that point ,Maj or .

”

“ Oh,I don ’ t know so much about that . There

is many a slip ’ tw ixt cup and lip .

”

29 2 ALADDIN IN LON D ON .

N0 one can be absolutely certain of the future ,replied the duke quietly ;

“ but all that human powercan do has been done to make the af f air a success . ”

“ And yet,if chance intervenes

All our ingenious plans will be frustrated . True ;but so f ar as we can j udge , there is absolutely nofear of failure . If w e secure Upravado and arresthIethodios

, the republic will be at an end .

”

True,

” replied M easu rby ironically . If !You answer as the Spartans answered Philip of

Macedon . Hitherto you have been certain that allw ill go well ; now ,

on the eve of fulfillment , you ar e

doubtful .“ One is never certain till the event happens ,

said Measurby significantly . Suppos ing the sumrequired by Upravado is not forthcoming .

”

“ Oh,but it w ill be . I saw it myself . It is in

the possession of ll'

ilf r ed'

s factotum , Janshah, and

he will pay it over to Upr avado to - night .”

“ Let us hope so . If such is the case , of courseJulia will be proclaimed queen , and you , DukeI don ' t understand you , Maj or Measu rby .

”

Pardon ! I did not mean to appear rude , but Ican hardly fail to see how attentive you ar e to Ma

dame de Lusigna n.

“ I admire her for the heroism of her nature .

So do I , rej oined Measurby promptly . She

will make a good sovereign . Hard , cold , masterful

, and crafty, she has all the qualifications of a

female ru ler .

“ Do you,indeed

,think she is so lacking in fem

in inity ? asked the duke with a sudden flush .


To a considerable extent it does . But he isfaithful . Provided he receives the money as has

been arranged, he will support the queen to theem

“ I should not be inclined to put much faith in a

traitor who sells his country for money ,” said the

duke bitterly .

Paradiso shot a keen glance at the sombre face ofthe young man, and answered with apparent lightness , but deep significance ,

“ You know the motto of the Jesuits , mousei

gueur ,‘The end justifies the means . ’ That saying

is true , both in the case of Upravado and ourselves .He w ishes to make himself safe by getting thismoney , for, faithless himself, he does not trust others . We see in him the only person who can suc

cess f ully carry out our plans , because he commandsthe army of Busk . When the queen is firmly estab~lished , however , Upravado will not find himself sohigh in favour as he anticipates.”

“ In that case , it seems to me he only did right toassure himself of something by asking for monev .

”

said the maj or, smiling .

“ It i s on that very account that he w ill lose allpolitical status ,

” replied Paradiso with emphasis .

“ Hc distrusts the gratitude of the queen , and showsit by asking for a certainty . You can hardly wonder that she feels somewhat sore at having to bu ! r

his services . By accepting money he has placedhimself without the pale . Others will be rewardedfor aiding the royal cause , but not Upravado, he

will receive his reward to - night in hard cash .

"

N EW RINGS FOR OLD . 29 5

Let us hope for his sake and for your own thatthe money will be paid .

”

I have no fear of that , replied Paradiso gaily.

It is now in the v illa under the care of Janshah.

“Ihen M . Dacre bids him pay it over to Upr avado,he will do so .

”

“ W'

here is Mr . Dacre now ? ” asked the maj or ,rising , with an inquiring look on his crafty face .

“ Inside the house completing all arrangementsfor to - night .

And his wife 2’

Is with him .

”

I think I’

11 go in and have a talk with them ,

said M easu rb y , foreseeing a chance of carrying ou t

his plans . I wish to know precisely what I am todo to - night .He walked up the steps , and Paradiso looked after

him with a doubtful smile .

“ I don ’ t like thatman ,

” he said abruptly to the duke .

“Why not ?

He is of the same stamp as Upr avado, and wouldsacrifice us all to obtain his own ends .”

“ ‘

I agree with you there , but , unlike Upravado,he is not important enough to give us any trouble .

”

“ At such a crisis as this the least thing may

prove fatal , replied Paradiso w ith emphasis .

“

I

distrust the tone of M easurby’

s conversation , andw ill carefu lly watch his actions to - night .

"

He is quite safe .

I doubt it . ”

The Obj ect of this conversation had now reachedthe great hall in which the ball w as to take place ,


and found l l i lf r ed talking in an animated mannerto his w ife .

“ All is ready , Maj or , called out W ilfred as

Measurby advanced towards them . Not a thinghas been neglected .

“ Then w e can count on a. triumph .

It is certain , said Hilda, confidently. All ourtroubles will soon be over, and we , instead of beingpolitical conspirators will be the favour ed guests of

! ueen Julia of Busk .

“ Where is the queen nowShe i s up

- stairs , lying down , observed -Vilfred quickly .

“ She has a difficult part to play tonight

,and requires all her strength .

“ You look a trifle exhausted y ourself , Dacre ,”

said Measurby with fe igned anxiety .

I am tired ,”admitted “

T

ilf r ed frankly . Theincessant strain of the last few weeks is beginningto tell on me . I feel inclined to lie down . Butlook at Hilda ; she feels no fatigue .

“ I expect I shall break down when all is over,replied Hilda with a smile .

“

At present my courage is screw ed up to the sticking point , and I am

too excited to feel weary . But you , Wf

ilf r ed, seemto be completely worn out . GO up to your roomand lie down .

Or lie down here , suggested M easurby , pointing to the divan running round the hall .

“

A good idea,” said Dacre , throwing himself on

the cushions . “ I will snatch forty winks . ”“lVait a minute , before you close your eves ,

Dacre . Tell me of the arrangements to - night .


he was fairly worn out . This exhaustion accountedfor his profound slumber

,from w hich nothing could

rouse him , not even the voices of Hilda and the

maj or as they walked up and down the hall talkingof the coming crisis .

“I w as quite alarmed when Methodios ins isted on

coming to the ball ,” said Hilda vivaciously .

“ Butnow I see it is the best thing that could have happened . lVith the exception of his personal attendants , all present will be de voted to the royal cause .

He can easily be arrested , and deprived of its headthe republic will fall .Unless some one of equal ability can take the

place of the pres ident .

”

“ There is no one of equal ability,replied H ilda

decisively.

“ The marquess told me all about it.

Culin, Geiz a, and the others are born to serve ,

not to command . Had it not been f or M ethodios

there would have been no republic . He is a masterspirit . “

l

ithout him the present government can

not ex ist .

That is bad for the republicans .

And excellent— for us . “Y

e have w ith usParadiso , one of the cleverest men in Europe ; Cardinal Gregory , w hose diplomatic talents ar e celebr ated : Upr avado, who is nearly equal to hIethOdios in brain power ; las t , but not least , w e havethe queen , who is a host in herself .

combination of all the talents , said M ea

surbv sarcastically °“ vet this galaxy of diplomatic

s tars can do nothing unless Upravado consents tobe bribed .

N EW a s FOR OLD . 29 9

He has consented .

And the money ?

Is in the possession of Janshah two hundredthousand francs in gold .

”

“ By the w ay , Mrs . Dacre , who is Janshah?asked the maj or in an inquiring tone .

“ He was the factotum of Wilfred ’ s uncle, and

now he looks after all our aff airs .“ Does “

T

ilf r ed trust him ? ”

Implicitly . He manages everything . All

moneys ar e in his possession . Personally, I do notlike him , but he seems to be a strictly honest man .

”

l -Vhile she spoke , they had moved near W ilfred ,and the maj or saw on the hand which hung over thes ide of the divan the famous ring which he so muchdesired to possess . Fortune had favoured his plansup to the present , so he slipped the false ring on hisown finger and waited for an opportunity to introduce it to the notice of Hilda .

“ How weary your husband looks , he said ar t

fully .

“ Yes . He is not strong, and has been workingvery hard .

The maj or threw a cloak over Wilfred ’

s form ,

and pretended suddenly to notice the ring .

That is very strange ,” he said in a puzzled tone .

What is strange ? ” asked Hilda, coming closeto the maj or .

“ Your husband possesses a ring similar to theone I wear ,

” replied the maj or , stretching out hishand .

Hilda looked at the j ewel , and also started

300 ALADDIN LY LON DON .

How very extraordinary she said“

Y'

by , “f

ilf r ed told me that his ring w as the onlyone of its kind in existence . It cannot possibly bethe same .

“ Let us compare the two rings , observed themaj or with affected carelessness .

“ We might wake ll'

ilf r ec

I don'

t think so . He seems to sleep v er v

soundly .

”

“ Your ring also has an inscription .

Yes. I should like to see if his has the same .

I am afraid “r

ilf r ed will not like my taking hisring of f his finger

,

” said Hilda , hes itating heseems to attach great value to it . ”

“ l l'

ell, there is no chance of its getting lost , r e

plied Measurbv ,smiling

“

all y ou have. to do is totake it off and compare it with this , then put it onhis finger again .

”

“ I must confes s that I am curious to see if therings a r e alike . C an you read Sanscrit , Maj or 1)

Ye s . I learned somewhat of it in India .

WVell, “T

ilf red‘

s ring has an inscription on it inthat language , and he w ill never tell me what itmeans .

\ nd you would like to know ?

Hilda shrugged her shoulders .

“ I am a woman , and therefore curious .

The inscription on my ring , sa id the maj or,

taking it of f and han ding it to her ,w ill guide thee ,

s but I don ’ t suppose f or a momentthat your husband

’

s will be the same .

“ IJPt us see ,

” replied I'Iilda . And not thinking


He slipped the real ring , which commanded thetreasures, on to his finger , and drew a sigh of relief .The j ewel he had so much coveted w as at last hisown

, and nothing now remained to do but to getHilda to slip the false ring on “

T

ilf r ed’

s finger .

Only Jan shah could tell the real from the false and

W ilfred would never know that he had lost his talisman till informed by the Indian .

“ It is a quaint ring , said Hilda, quite unawareof the dexterous change effected by the maj or .

“I

suppose I had better put it on W ilfred ’ s fingeragain , as he seems to value it so highly .

”

She bent down over her still sleeping husbandand slipped the false ring on his finger , quite una

w are that her curiosity had cost “Y

ilf r ed his fortune .and Julia her crown . The maj or felt inclined togive a shout of j oy when this last feat w as achieved .

I-Ie possessed the real ring , lVilf r ed the false , and

before the substitution could be detected he hopedto be safely acros s the Bulgarian frontier

I must tell Wilfred about your ring , observedHilda , when all this w as over ;

“ he will be surprised .

”

“r

ake. him now and tell him , said Measurby ,

w ith a master stroke of daring .

N o . He is too tired . I w ill tell him to -morrow

,for to - night he w ill be too busy to think of

my thing but the succe s s of the conspiracy .

You look tired yourself, Mrs. Dacre ,” said the

major, in a tender tone.

“

You also require rest.Yes

,I think I will lie down f or a ti me. And

you,Major ?

N E W RIN GS FOR OLD . 303

Oh , I will go to the stables to see that thehorses ar e all right in case they ar e required .

”

“ I have no fear on that score,

” replied Hilda,laughing, as the maj or took his leave .

“ One never knows what may happen , answeredMeasurby with a faint sneer , and left the hall withhis booty .

At last he w as the master of the ring , and commanded twenty millions of money ! He felt inclinedto proclaim his good fortune aloud , but fortunatelyrestrained himself , and went in search of Janshah .

His plans were already formed , and he intended tocross the frontier at once in order to treat with Juliafrom the safe refuge of Bulgaria . As to the troubles in which W ilfred would be shortly involved .

Measurby never gave them a thought . His ownsafety , his own aggrandizement , was all he sought ,and the ring would give him both .

“ Janshah ,” he said in an imperious tone , holding

out his hand ,“ obey the ring !

The Indian started when he saw the fatal talisman on the hand of Maj or Measurby , and he exam~

ined it closely . By means of the secret mark knownonly to himself

,he saw that the maj or was now his

master ; so , bowing low , he professed himself readyto obey his commands . He never asked the maj orhow he had obtained the talisman . Wilfred was

now nothing to him ,Measurby everything , and in

one moment Janshah, influenced by the power ofthe ring

,had transferred his treasure , his fidelity,

his genius for intrigue , to his former master’ s bitter

est enemy .


You Wi ll not pay that money to Upr avado,sa id Measurby , in a low voice . the timecomes for it to be paid

,tell M r . Dacre that I am

now the master of the ring . Then leave the VillaTvar tko and all within to their fate , and meet meon the frontier of Bulgaria near the main road .

Bring the gold with you .

“ My lord will be obeyed,said Janshah , w ith a

profound obeisance .“ I am going to cross the frontier now . Remem

ber. not a word of this until the gold is to be paidthen tell all.Janshah made another prostration. and the maj or

took his departure . lVithin ten minute s he w as

spurring along the main road in the direction ofBulgaria .

And lVilf red ?

He awoke without a thought of his loss , and ac

cording to his custom looked at the ring . It w asstill . as he deemed, on his finger. and. not thinkingany more abou t it, he le ft the hall to dress for theevening .

Had he only known that his kingdom had departed from him and that the cause of Julia wasal ready lost !


The garden twinkled with many coloured lights whichburned like fireflies amid the sur rounding trees, andfrom the verge of the white terrace stretched thestill waters glistening lik e silver under the beams ofthe moon. A wind laden with perfume was waftedfrom the shore , and between the bursts of musicsounding at intervals from the villa could be heardthe sobbing of the waters lapping the marble steps ofthe terrace. All that un l imited money and perfecttaste could do to make the scene Splendid had beendone by Janshah, and with its mixt ure of East andWest , its strange barbaric pomps and mediaeval f antasies, the festival was not unworthy of the palmvdays of the caliphate .

All the partisans of the princess w ere presentsave the archbishop , who deemed it politic to play a

minor part in the revolution until such time as the

restoration of the monarchy w as an accomplishedfact. He had impressed th is Vi ew of things on Julia.

so as to secure her an asylum in his house. shouldthe conspiracy fail . Neither princes s nor pries tthought for a moment that it would fail ; still, asGregory very sensibly said, it was as well to be prepared for all fortunes , and thus in the event of the irplans being upset she could fly to his house, there tobe concealed until such time as she could escape

across the frontie r. Methodios would not for a moment think that the cardinal had been engaged inthe plot, as he w ould have no proof that such wasthe case ; therefore the palace of the wily prelatewould be a saf e retreat for the fugitives . Underthese circumstance s the archbishop was not present.

THE STORM BR EAKS. 307

but waited with impatience at his palace in Varzofor the shouts that would announce that Queen Juliawas entering the capital in triumph .

“r ith the exception of the astute priest, all thoseconcerned in the plot were present. At least suchwas the opinion of W ilfred, who never noticed theabsence of Maj or Measurby. So crowded was thehall and so busy was he in engaging the attention ofMethodios, that he had no time to think of anythingelse. As yet Janshah had not informed him of theexchange of rings

, and he w as still ignorant of theloss he had sustained . By this time Measurby wasover the frontier awaiting the arrival of Janshah ,md at the Villa Tvar tko his victims were innocently rushing on to their doom .

Methodic s had duly arrived with his brilliant stafl’

and had found the hall filled w ith the nobility ofBusk. Handsome men

,beautiful women we r e pre

sent, engaged in harmles s pleasure ; but Methodios,

with all his cleverness , never for an instant guessedthat this frivolous mask concealed a design againsthis safety and that of the republic . Upravado

was there, apparently enjoying himself without a

thought ; but the vi lla w as surrounded by his soldiers , his officers ha d their orders, and Methodios, inblind security

, w as caught in a trap . On a givensignal, Julia, whom he thought w as in England,would appear ; he would be arrested by those whomhe deemed his supporters , and in the twinkling of an

eye the republic would cease to exist. The wholeair w as full of revolution , of danger, and perhaps ofdeath , but he did not know it .

308 . 1L . 1D D 1 .v LON D ON .

If, however, Methodic s “ as ignorant of his danger,

the royalists were equally in the dark concerningthe ir fate . They knew not that the die was cast. andthat the conspiracy w as at an end so both par ties ,amid the splendours of the festival , went blindly onthe path of disaster. It w as the irony of Fate thatsuch should be the case , and all the lighthearted

guests in that sumptuous hall would have recoiledaghast had they seen how terribly would end the

night of pleasure.Hilda was very much disappointed with the aspect

of the dancers . She had expected to see nationalcostumes , national dance s instea d of which, the men

w e re all in uniform a nd the ladie s in brilliant Par isian toilets , while the dances were those of theW

'

est . None of the provincial supporters of Juliawere present. else the scene might have assumed a

more national character , but these were the inhabituits of Varm . and the city prided itself in being an

exact copy of Paris . Eve rything savouring of theEas t was voted barbarous by the fashionable peopleof Varzo , and in dress , manners . customs, and socialforms they aped Paris as closely as they w ere able .

But for the Saracenic decorations of the hall, andthe wonderf ul scene outs ide , one would have takenthe ball for a fashionable dance of the London sea

son , or a festival on the banks of the Seine . Hilda.had seen both

, and ,(hi s ir ing to behold something

more . w as much disappointed at the extremely conventional character of the whole scene.

You ar e not at all national."

she said to Me

thodios . as thev stood on a dais e r ected for the presi de nt at one end of the hall .


It is a. dance about which I do not in the leastcare, said Hilda, taking the arm of the president .The figure s ar e so complicated as to be quite confusing. Let us go out on the terrace, your Excelleney.

”

Methodic s readily assented . and they passed out

side . It was a perfect night, and after the heatedatmosphere of the ballroom , the air w as wonderfullycool and refreshing . In the east, low on the horizon ,

burned the round of the moon , throwing a trail ofsilver across the waters . In the midst of that shaftof light appeared the black outline of the yacht .

That belongs to Monsieur Dacre, does it not ?

asked Methodic s abruptly .

Ye s . “Y

e often cruise about the Black Sela .

Some day w e hope that your Excellency w ill aecompany u s .

I am afraid I c annot ge t aw ay . At the presentjuncture of affairs , I must be alw ay s on the spot .”

“d ry ,is anything likely to occur, dangerous to

the republic ? asked Hilda ne rvously .

Oh,no . All is quiet, but the ruler of a re stless

people like that of Busk must alway s be preparedfor the unforeseen . I mistrust Julia de Lusignanand her machinations .

Hilda turned cold w ith fear , thinking that hemust have learned something of the conspiracy, buthis next words reassured he r .

Fortunately, however , she is in England ; andwithout he r being personally pre s ent, the discontente d roy al ists of Busk can do nothing .

Had he only known that the princess w as in Busk.

THE STORM BREAKS . 311

was in that house , that the yacht yonder w as waitingto bear her to safety should a daring scheme fail !But he knew none of these things , and, unaware ofthe danger of the moment, he talked of it as thoughit were f ar away, and he yet had time to meet and

baffle it .All this time Paradiso and the princess had r e

mained in their own rooms , preparing for the decisive moment. The latter had taken of f her disguise,and w as now arrayed in a splendid costume, ready tobe presented to her faithful subjects by Upravado .

Paradiso , also , had assumed his uniform as captainof the royal g uard , which post he had held underthe late king. Both of them were in a state ofsuppressed excitement, for in another hour theywould either be rulers of Busk, or fugitives, exposedto the vengeance of Methodios .

Everything was now ready for the proclamationof the queen

,save the payment of the money to

Upr avado but until that w as accomplished , nothingcould be deemed certain . It was now nine o ’ clock ,and the great event of the night w as arranged totake place at ten ; so there w as no time to be lost.

Wilfred went in search of Upravado to take himinto another room and pay him the price of his

treachery .

While seeking the general he met Hilda, who hadleft Methodic s , and was now leaning on the arm of

her cousin,the duke .

W ilfred ,”asked the latter suddenly, “ where is

Major Measurby‘7

In the room , I suppose .

31 2 1LADD I. IN LON DON .

No,he is not here . I have searched e ve rywhere

for him .

"

Have you seen him , Hilda ?”

asked Il'

ilf r ed

carelessly .

No,not since five o ’clock . we were speaking

together when you fell asleep , and afterwards he leftme to go to the stables .”

To the stables repeated “T

ilf red, with a start.Wh y did he go thereTo see that the horses were all saddled and

ready in case of need.

The maj or seems to quite anticipate failure,

observed Richborough disdainfully if w e w ere allas chicken-hearted

,I am afraid Julia would never

get her throne again .

”

Hush ’said W ilfred , casting a hurried glance

around you may be overheard . It is strange themaj or is absent. I wonder what it means . Did hesay anything to you , Hilda, about not being present ‘

7

Not a word , answered his wife carelessly °

w e

were talking about your ring .

“ My ring ! ” echoed ilf red, turning pale .

Good heavens I”

He looked at the ring on his finger, but could seeno dif ference . It seemed to be the one he alwayswore . Yet the maj or had spoken of the ring toHilda while he. was asleep

,and now the maj or had

vanished . His old distrust of Measu rb y revivedrapidly , and he w as so alarmed that he could hardlyask Hilda a question , the answer to which hedreaded .

314 ALAD DIN 1x LON DON .

then join myself and Upr avado in the red chamber.Where is Janshah ? I must see him at once .

"

He rushed away in search of the Indian , w ith an

expression of horror on his face, and Hilda lookedat R ichborough in surprise . They were both pale,moved by a vague fear of which they knew not thecause .

IVhat does he mean ? asked Hilda in a low

Whisper .

I don'

t know answered Richborough. considerably astonished . However , there is no doubt thatsomething is wr ong . Let me take you to the president, Hilda, and then I w ill go and see what is thematter .

Methodios , who w as much impressed by the beautyof Hilda, had missed her greatly, and his mobileface looked sombre as he stood on the dais gazing at

the throng of“ whirling dancers . It brightened, however, as his hostess approached, leaning on the armof Richborough .

I have come to ask your Excellency to take meinto the supper- room,

” said Hilda. who was quiteunnerved by “

r

ilf red’

s strange conduct.You look pale ,

”said M e thodios, giving her his

arm

The heat of the room, answered Hilda faintlybut a glass of wine w ill do me good . Gerald .

where ar e you going ? ”

I am going to dance , said Richborough, with

an affected laugh , and will see you again shoi tly .

Hilda and the president moved 0 3 in the dircetion of thc supper- room. and Richborough, trying to

THE S TOR M BREAKS . 315

control his agitation , slipped out of the hall withoutbe ing noticed . In a f ew minutes he gained the redchamber, where he found Upravado, Paradiso , Juliaand IVilf r ed. The latter looked pale and ill , somuch so that Richborough walked across to him at

once without taking notice of the others .Great heavens ! man , what is the matter ?

” hewhispered , harshly seizing his arm .

I fear everything is lost,

” muttered Wilfred ,w iping his pale lips ; but I cannot be certain untilI see Janshah.

”

He will be here in a moment, said Paradiso ,who had caught the name then all will be right.”

Or wrong, said W ilfred under his breath .

Good heavens I am lost ! We ar e all lost !He devoured the ring onhis finger with his eves

to see if there w as any dif f erence in its appearance .

But Measurby had obtained an exact facsimile ofthe ring of Brahma, and no one could tell the (lifference but Jan shah.

\Vill all go well ? ” asked Julia of Upr avado inan agitated whisper .

Yes ! The villa is surrounded by my troops .The hall is filled with your supporters, and as soonas this money is found I will proclaim you queen .

”

IVhy can you not trust to my gratitude ?” said

Jul ia with a reproachf ul glance .

Royal people have short memories, repliedUpravado dryly. Once you ar e firmly establishedon the throne , you might forget this moment . Inthe money I at least have a certainty .

”

I will never forget this moment, answered the2 1

816 ALADD I. LON D ON .

princess with terrible emphas is ; and indeed Upr avado found out to his cost that such was the case .

At this moment Janshah appeared on the threshold of the door, but he did not enter the room .

“Y

ilf r ed, cl inging to Riehborough’

s arm , hardly ableto stand , stretched out his hand in the direction ofJanshah.

I command you to pay General Upravado the

sum of tw o hundred thousand francs .

My lord , I cannot do so .

”

Hah l cried Julia fiercely and her ejaculationwas echoed by all present . Richborough looked at

Wilfred and saw that a look of despair w as stampedon his face .

By the ring I command you ," he said to Jan

shah , advancing tow ards the door .

That is a false ringI knew it, murmured llf r ed in despair .

ar e lost !The real ring of Brahma ,

said Janshah in a

deliberate voice , is now in the possession of MajorMeasurby . He is mv lord and master . Him do Iobey . He is ruler of the treasure , and you ar e a

beggar .

The next moment he had vanished , and all present ,thunderstruck w ith amazement, looked to IVilf r edfor an explanation of the strange speech of theIndian .

“I

llat does this mean , Monsieur Dacre askedJulia imperiously.

It means that I cannot fulfil my promise , saidWilfred madly I have been deceived by a traitorI can help you no more .

318 (LADD IN IN LON D ON .

~\ 11 (l ar ound the s e w alls ar e my soldiers . Yield,ma dameParadiso caught Up ravado by the arm . but he

broke away and dashed forward to seize the princess . In a second she had wrenched open the doorand w as running towards the ballroom , shriekingloudly for help .

Paradiso and Richborough both drew their sw ords ,but w ith a sudden movement Upravado avoidedthem , and dashed after Julia.

Treason ! Treason ! ” he cried loudly .

thodios ! Culin ! the republic is in danger !We must save the princess, cried Richborough .

Or die,” replied Paradiso with an oath .

The two men sprang out of the room , and has

tened to the ballroom,whence shrieks of alarm and

the hubbub of a disturbance were alr eady soundm

High above all the trunult sounded the voice of M e

thodios , sharp with alarm and terror .

Seize Julia de Lusign an

CHAPTER XXIII.

SAUVE ! UI PEUT.

THE ball - room was a scene of the wildest conf usion . Always on the alert , Methodios was the firstperson to overhear the cry of treason raised by

Upr avado, and , leaving Hilda in the midst of thedancers , he sprang back to the dais . Astonished at

thi s action , the guests looked at one another in muteamazement , and the whole throng paused in thedance , as though converted by some spell into statues of stone . The musicians themselves

,startled

by this sudden pause , ceased to play, and at that.

moment the princess Ju lia dashed into the room ,

followed by Upravado. At her appearance the

assembled guests burst out into a storm of cheers ,which struck terror into the soul of Methodios .

“ Treason ! Treason ! ” he cried, shrinking backon the dais . Arrest Julia de Lusign anWho love their rightful sovereign , aid her !

cried the princess wildly , and in response to her inv itation , a number of the guests rallied to her side .

The officers of Methodios formed a ring round theirmaster , and some g uests paused irresolutely, notknowing for the moment which side to take . Fora second there was silence , and then a tumult beganin which all j oined . The women , among whom was


Hilda,

fled in dismay from that splendid hall , whichseemed about to become a shambles . Summonedby the stentorian voice of their leader, the soldiersof Upravado were pouring into the room , not as wasarranged

,to hail Julia as queen of Busk , but to

arrest her as an enemy of the republic . In despairat the failure of the conspiracy , the partisans ofJulia drew their swords and prepared to defendthe ir royal mistress .Methodios , who never pretended to physical cour

age, was as w hite as paper , scarcely able to grasphis sword w ith a trembling hand, a nd did nothingbut cry shrilly that the princess must be arrested .

The republic is in danger ,”he cried , frantic

with alarm .

“ Soldiers , do your duty ! Beat downtheir swords ! Kill them ! Arrest Julia de Lusignan !Upravado and his troops obeyed this command at

once , but were met by the royalists with undauntedvalour . The swords of the combatants clashed together. Cries , oaths, appeals for help, were heard,and then a deadly fusillade was pour ed into theroyalists’ ranks by the attacking party.

Richborough and Paradiso had both rushed intothe ball - room in order to save the princess if possi ~

ble . She was standing in the centre of her friends ,w ith a revolver grasped in her hand . If she died

,

she would die like a queen , but yield , never .The fighting was no child

’

s play , but in grim ear

nest . The ball - room , lately so gay and brill iant,was now misty with gunpowder smoke , and strewnwith dead and dying men . The rich hangings were

00

[0

[O

ALADD IN IN LON D ON .

In that room . I w ill save her , rej oined Nico~

las rapidly .

“She w ill not come down .

“ Hilda ! ” cried “r

ilf r ed , and dashed into theroom , only to find his wife standing by the open

If you come near me , I will throw myself down ,she cried , distraught with terror , thinking it w assome r u ffian .

“ Hilda , it is I , “'

ilf 1-cd,he cried , springing

forward .

Oh, you ar e safe ! safe ! Thank Grod ! O “1 1

fred , how terrible this is .

Come ! Come w ith me ! There is not a. minuteto lose . Nicolas will sav e us .

“ The princess !Richborough is beside her . They w ill escape by

the yacht . We w ill go to the stables .

“h itherTo the house of the cardinal . Quick ! Quick !

But that dre s s You w ill be re cognized ! Here ,put this on .

It was a. black cloak ,which he picked up of f the

floor and hastily flung ove r her shoulders . Then ,taking her by the arm. he hurried her from the

Courage , my dear , courage . I w ill save youyet Nicolas !

i lere , mons ieur . C ome w ith me , quick , to thepalace of the cardinal .

“

(Jan you save mada me 1’

And you als o. W ilfred .

“ For my s e l f I care not , he answ ered reckle s sly .

s . | I’VE om I‘

E UT. 323

as Nicolas led them down the stairs . I am los t,

dishonoured. I have failed the princess at the eleventh hour . ”

Ow ing to the loss of the r ing ?Yes . It was as I suspected . Maj or Measurby

exchanged the rings , and instead of commandingtw enty millions of money , I am now a pauper , a

dishonoured pauper.”

Oh , why did you not confide the secret to mecried Hilda, pressing his arm convulsively .

would not have touched the ring .

“ Hush ! this is no time for reproaches . I mustsave your life .

”

Wilfred“ N ot a wordThev were escaping to the stables by a back way ,

not guarded by the troops of the republic . Nicolaswished to save the princess , by taking her to thehouse of Cardinal Gregory , but when told by lVilfred that she w as looked after by Paradiso and

Richborough , he professed himself satisfied .

They will not fail her ,” he observed in a whis

per as they moved stealthily towards the stables .

“ How will she fly ?

The yacht , replied Dacre in the same tone .

Once on board and they w ill be quite safe .

“ Thank Heaven ! I would never dare to face mymaster were harm to come to the princess .

”

They could hear the tumult within , the sound offiring , the ring of steel , and the Shouts of the roy~

alists mingling with the cries of the soldiery . The

stables were in complete darkness , as , with a view to


keep the presence of the saddled steeds secret , thelamps had not been lighted . Wilf red had the keyof the door

, and immediately opened it . I’Vithin ,

there w as a dim light, which enabled them to see thehorses already waiting for their riders . Two ofthem had s ide - saddles

,for

,in the event of escape

by the yacht being impracticable, W ilfred had beenmindful of his wife ’ s safety, as well as that of Julia .

Hilda was trembling convulsively , but, having a

brave spirit of her own,bore up wonderfully through

the ordeal . An avenue of cypress tre es led by a

s ide path to the main road , on to which a gateopened , so that once , outside , they could escape thesoldiers of Methodios and make at once. for Varzo ,four miles away .

Plac ing his w ife on one of the horses , “'

ilf r ed led’

it in silence down the path, follow ed by N icolas , w how as mounted on another . Notwithstanding Hilda ’

s

vehement protestations that she w ould not go toVarzo without “

T

ilf r ed,he ab solutely refused to

seize the chance of escape .

“ I am dishonoured in my own eyes and in thoseof the prince ss , he said obstinately ,

as he openedthe gate .

“ I must go back to the villa and se e

that she is safe . If so, I w ill j oin you at the cardinal

’

s palace .

”

kud if notIf not , I w ill surrender myself prisoner w ith

There w ill be no chance of her being takenprisoner ,

”said Nicolas rapidly . The queen w ill

never surrender .


should overtake Hilda and her escort , but as the

latter were well mounted , he hoped that they wouldreach Varzo and be safe in the cardinal ’ s palace before any news of the conspiracy reached the capital .By this time he trusted that Julia would have

escaped in the yacht, w ith Paradiso and the duke ,but to his dismay , on reaching the hall , he saw thatshe w as still there surrounded by her friends . Thefact w as that M ethodios had overheard the allus ionto the yacht , and seeing in a moment that the boatw as to be used as a means of flight

,had sent down

a party of soldiers to parade the terrace . Paradisohad cut his way through the crowd and found thatthere was no chance of escape in that way ,

so hadreturned to the hall in the hope that the horse swould yet be available .

The princess was leaning against the wall , defended by her party . In her hand she held the nowuseless revolver , all the chambers of which wereempty , and had vainly snatched up a sword from a

dead soldier to protect herself from the fiery ou

slaught of the soldiers . They were determined totake her either dead or alive , and the fiercest of herassailants was Upravado, who w as furiou s at theloss of his mone y and the w ay in which he had beentricked .

Richborough w as fighting bravely , though one ofhis arms w as hanging benumbed by his side . Theground was cumbered with the slain , and the royalists w ere greatly outnumbered by the enemy . At

first they had been pre tty equally matched , but as

the republicans pos se ssed guns . and the royalists

S . lUI'

E ! UI I‘

BUT. 327

only swords , the latter w ere the w eaker party and

had lost the most men . Still, knowing that theyacht would af ford Julia. a means of flight, theyfought on with reckless despair, striving to cut a

passage down to the terrace , from whence,they

hoped , she could take a boat to reach the ship .

At the moment Wilfred entered the hall , Paradi so al so returned with the news that the terracewas in possessionof the enemy , and the royalistsgave way to despair.

“ All is lost ! ” cried Paradiso madly . There isno escape for any of us . ”

“ I will not escape ,” said Julia with flashing eyes .

I will die here with my heroes .”“ The horses ! ” whispered Richborough to Para

We cannot hope to reach the stables , he r e

plied,clenching his teeth ;

“and probably they also

ar e in the hands of the enemy .

”

“Richborough ! Richborough ' cried \Vilf red,

at this moment breaking through the crowd and

throwing himself into the ring round Jul ia. Thestables are safe . Come quickly with the princes s .

”

Richborough and Paradiso both gave a cry of joy,as they alone understood the sentence spokenEnglish, and their cry was echoed by the royalists ,who

,though they kn ew not what it meant, yet

guessed it was an omen of good .

“Where is Hilda ? asked Richborough.

Safe ! Safe ! At the house of the cardinal .Now we must save the queen . Madame

“Away ! ” cried Julia ,fiercely,

“ you traitor !

328 ALADD IN J,v LON D ON .

I am no traitor , ma dame . said “T

ilf r ed hurr iedly . I can explain all, but this is not the time .

Come , I can save you .

”

“ No ! N o !

I implore you .

You betrayed me once ; you may do so again .

“ Paradiso ! Richborough ! A sk the queen toflv w ith me !

“ To the stable s , madame , — the stable s , criedParadiso , vigorously waving his sword to keep backthe soldiers . “ It may be too late soon .

”

I w ill die here , Marquess .

No ! No ! Your life is too valuable to be thusflung away . Quick ! Quick ! Dacre , take thequeen .

“ Do not touch me . said Julia fiercely If I

fly it will be with an honourable man. Monsieur leduc

“ I c ome , madame .

Paradiso has tilv told the royalists of the intendedretreat of the princess , and that it w as to be coveredby their swords . “

Y

ith a cry of j oy , they began toretreat , kee ping Madame de Lusignan in the centre .

\Vilf r ed , f eeling himself dishonour ed by the treacheryof Maj or M easurby , sought death everywhere , butdid not find it . In company with Paradiso and hisfriends

,he protected the retreat of the princess , who

w as holding on to Richborough .

Step by step the little band fell back , to the as

tonishment of the republicans , who did not knowthe meaning of this retreat . The general , how

e ver,who knew what pro v is ion had been made for

fl ight,guessed its meaning .

330 1x LON D ON .

idly , but such a defence w as vain , as a hundredsword hilts and gun butts soon knocked it intoSplinters .

Still , the respite , though mome ntary , gave himbreathing - time , and

.

he rushed down the staircaseinto the stable yard . The door of the stable w as

open, but as six of the horses w ere gone , he knew

that. the princess had now a chance of escape . Hew ould have sprung on one of the remaining twohorses , but had no time to do so , being hard pressedby the enemy . Fearing to be killed if caught in thestable , he rushed down the cypress avenue , and saw

ili ead Richborough and the princess flying towards

The soldiers Were after him , and as he r an

towards the gate surrounded him with wild crie s .

Paradiso kept them of f for a few minutes , determined to sell his life dear lv , but when Upravadocame up , he made up his mind to surrender . Hehad a strong friend in Gregory , and while there waslife there w as hope , so he flung down his sword .

Quarter , Upravado ! Quarter ! he cried loudly .

Granted , replied the general fiercely ,“ for a

death on the scaf fold .

Pa r adiso w as overpowered and borne to the

g r ound , w hile Upr avado rushed to the gate .The princ e ss ! " he cried furiously .

She is saved ,retorted Paradiso with a loud

laugh . You have no horses , and in a short time.

she w ill be safe in Bulgaria .

”

lIe qu ite forgot the tw o s teeds yet standing sad

dled in the stable s .

CHAPTER XXIV.

BOOT AN D SADDLE .

FROM Varzo to the frontier of Bulgaria stretchvast plains of an alluvial character , wonderfullyfruitful throughout their whole extent . Of oldthe waves of the Black Sea covered this tract ofland even to the foot of the distant mountains , butduring the lapse of ages the waters have recededinto their present basin , leaving acres of rich soilfor the growing of corn . This is called the granary of Busk, for f ar as the eye can se e , wave fieldsof yellow grain . It was now the middle of autumn ,and under the blazing sun of the East the greenears were rapidly turning to a golden hue , whichglinted warmly even under the cold glimmer of themoon .

Through this sea of gold r an a long Roman roadfrom Varzo nearly to the sinuous windings of theDanube . Formed by Trajan for the passage of hislegions

,it deviated neither to the right nor to the

left,but stretched a straight , white line towards the

vague line of the horizon . Many times had theLusignans determined to destroy this highway,seeing it afforded a passage to their foes right intothe capital , but , in spite of many attempts made torender it useless , the solidity of the causeway with

2 2

332 ALAD D IN Iv LON DON .

stood every attempt ; so in the end it had been leftalone . A causeway it truly w as , for when made ,the plains must have been little better than marshes ,for even now the soil was moist and in many placestreacherous . This was the road which led into theheart of Bulgaria, the frontier being only twentymiles away, and along this path of safety Jul ia and

R ichborough spurred their swift horses .The steeds were excellent and quite fresh , else

they might have had some difficulty in gaining suchan advantage over their pursuers . On leaving thecypress avenue , Hilda and Nicolas , turning to theleft

, had at once left the Villa Tvar tko behind , asthey rode to Varzo , four miles distant . Julia andher escort

,on the other hand , going to the right , in

order to reach the frontier , had to break throughsome of Upravado

’

s troops stationed in front of themansion , the principal gates of which opened di

r ectly into the main road . R ichborough , foreseeingthis difficulty , w ished to make a detour in order to

avoid the dangerous locality, but Julia, who knewevery foot of the country, assured him that this wasimposs ible . On all sides the marshy ground was

unsafe under the weight of a horse ; therefore theonly chanc e of safety w as to take the soldiers by surprise , and dash through their midst as they guardedthe main road .

-

' ith infinite caution they rode along the roadfrom the cypress avenue . keeping in the shadow ofthe trees , and on arriving at the angle where itturned to the right , stayed their steeds to reconnoitre . Fortunately most of the soldiers w ere within

334 ALAD DIN LON DON .

the rush of the horse s , and the others raised a shoutof alarm which brought their officers to the gates .

On learning what had occurred , these ordered pursuit at once , although they never for a momentthought it w as the princess herself who had succeeded in so boldly evading their vigilance .

In spite of all their haste , however , the fugitives ,being well mounted , had gained considerable adv antage in this start , and the horses of the soldiers , being already somewhat jaded , cou ld hardly hope tocome up with them . However , they knew that thefugitives were making for the frontier

, and hopingto catch them before they could cover twenty miles ,a large body of cavalry started in pursuit .Luckily for Julia and Richborough , they had a

splendid road upon which to trave l , and the hoofsof their horses rang sharply on the stones as theygalloped along . The moon , shining in a cloudlesssky

, afforded them plenty of light,and they could

see the straight white line stretching for milesahead . The keen air whistled past the ir car s as

they pressed onward at racing speed , and faintly inthe distance they could hear the hue and cry in purSuit .

“ VVe have over half a mile start , said Bichhorough , turning in his saddle . and our horses ar e sofresh that every stride increases the distance . Courage , madame , I w ill save you yet . ”

Julia let the reins lie loosely on her horse ’ s neck,

and bent forward in order to prevent the sharp air

taking away her breath .

“ IVhat is the use of being saved ? ” she replied

BOOT AN D SADDLE . 335

impatiently . I have lost all I value in life s inceM Dacre has proved such a traitor .

”

Believe me , madame , he is no traitor , answeredthe duke earnestly “ I am as sure of Dacre ’ s devotion to your cau se as I am of my own . There issome strange mystery about all this , connected withthat ring of which he w as robbed by Maj or Mea

surby . When we meet again he will , I am certain ,be able to explain .

”

When we meet again ! repeated Jul ia disda infully .

“ There is but little chance of that . If hereturned to the villa, very likely he is now dead ora prisoner .

”

“ You can see by his so returning that he was notraitor ,

” said Richborough triumphantly .

“ Hecould have escaped w ith his wife to the palace of thecardinal , but he preferred to return and rescue

7 7you .

“ His conduct is certainly inconsistent , M . le

duc . But why did he fail me at the eleventhhour ?

I cannot tell .

Had Upravado received the money all wouldhave been well

,

” continued Julia bitterly, and Iwould have been now on my w ay to Varzo , an ac

knowledged sovereign ; instead of which I am fly

ing from my kingdom , a homeless fugitive .

”

“While there is life there is hope ,” said R ich

borough lightly .

“ I believe in your star .

”

“ Yes , and you believe in M . Dacre .

”

I do . I am convinced he will explain all toyour satisfaction . If you wish to punish any one it


should be Maj or M easurby . He is the traitor , notI)acr e .

The princess did not answer , but hearing thefierce cries of those in pursuit , urged her horse togreater speed . Unable in her fl ight from the VillaTvar tko to snatch a single wrap , she looked a

strange figure , in he r rich robes , with bare neck and

rrm s . Her short golden hair w as crowned with a

small diadem , which she had assumed in order toappear before her people as their queen . On herwhite neck flashed diamonds , and costly braceletswere on her w rists , while the rich robe of blue velvet

,embroidered with gold

,looked fantastic and out

of place in her present position . “T ith regal robes ,flashing gems

, and a white,fierce face , this dis

crow ned queen rode through the night , surely themost romantic figure of modern days .

R ichborough , in his yeomanry uniform , w as better arrayed for riding , and his long boots w erearmed with spurs , which served to keep his horse atfull speed . The steed of the princess

,emulating its

companion , kept up with it neck and neck ,so that

Julia had nothing to do but let the reins hang looseand follow her friend .

Behind , the cavalry were still thundering in pursuit , and as he turned in his saddle , R ichboroughcould see them in the distance

, a black mass on thewhite road . The wind of their speed was so fierceand keen that it nearly took away their breath, andthe princess , with her uncovered neck and arms ,suf fered terribly from the lash of the breeze . R ichborough saw this , and , without stopping , tied the


“ Yes , madame . Good ! This is Dacre s d oing .

You see , madame,he has had fore s ight .

”

“ Hardly a compliment to him . It looks as

though he thought we should fail . ”‘No . I don ’ t belie ve that . Blame Measurby .

Oh , if I meet that traitor , how I w ill be avenged !I am thankful that you at least ar e safe .

”

“ I am not safe yet . ”

But will be shortly . “r

e ar e now within tenmiles of the frontier . have four pistols and

one revolver , so , if overtaken , w e can defend ourselves . But w e w ill not be overtaken , as theirhorses ar e not fresh .

“ Can we pass the frontier ? ”

It will be guarded , of course . madame .

There is a gate across the road ,”

said Juliaanx iously , and a guard - house on each side .

”

“ A high gate ?

Five feet or thereabouts .

“I

e can clear that if it be not open , unless wear e stopped by the Bulgarian soldiers .

”

“ They will deliver us up .

”

No , I do not think so , madame . TVe w ill claimthe ir protection . Besides , from all I have heard,they ar e not friends with Me thodios .

”

“ They hate him ,

” replied the princess quickly .

He is too much in favour with Russia for theprince of Bulgaria to care about him .

\ ll the better for us . Hark ! that cry !It w as one of triumph, borne on the w ind and

li ichborough’

s heart nearly leaped to his mouth as

he wondered what it meant . The onlv thing that.

BOOT AN D SAD DLE . 339

he could think was that it betokened a fresh acce ssion of soldiers to their pursuers , which was indeedthe case . Upravado, having arrested W ilfred and

Paradiso , had sent out a new squadron of cavalry,and these

,having fresh horses , were now rapidly

gaining on the fugitives .“ I will not be taken alive , cried Julia fiercely ,

urging her horse onward to its fullest speed . Shootme first , Duke .

”

“ I w ill shoot the traitor Upravado, repliedRichborough grimly .

“ I hope he is with our pursuers .”

“ Do as I bid you , sir , said the princess in a

peremptory manner .

“ Think not for a momentthat I will submit to be taken prisoner and exposedto the scorn of the f at citizens of Varzo . No ! Iwill die a queen , but not on the scaff old like MarieAntoinette .

”

Richborough was about to reply when he heard asecond cry of triumph , and , on looking back , sawtwo figures riding swiftly ahead of the rest . Forthe moment a thought crossed his mind that thiswas Paradiso and W ilfred , who had escaped on thetwo remaining horses , but he dismissed this thoughtat once .He was right to do so , for it w as Upravado and

one of his officers , who had discovered the two steedsremaining behind , — which had broken loose fromthe stable, and were now Spurring them f ar aheadof their companions to catch the fugitives . Theirsteeds were fresh and of the same quality as thoseof the princess and her companion , so it looked as


though they would be captured in the moment ofsafety . Owing to the start obtained by the fugitives , those in pursuit were yet f ar behind , and itw as now only three miles to the frontier .The whole of the seventeen miles they had come

had been covered by their horses at full speed , andthese now showed signs of exhaustion , which was

scar celv to be wondered at . Had thev not beenthoroughbred , they would hav e broken down longbefore , but they had held up bravely Bichhorough

’

s w as the best , for it still kept steadily at a

gallop , w hile that of Julia had begun to drop behind .

In despai r the duke se ized its bridle and began tourge it forward , but the steed dragged backwardand impeded the speed of his own horse . N ow itw as two miles to the frontier .

“ If we can only last the next two miles , we ar e

s afe , cried Richborough in agony .

“ But they ar e

gaining on us in every stride .

”

The main body of the pursuers had long sincegiven in

,but the two in front kept steadily gaining .

Upravado had lost no time in starting in pursuit ,and his horse and that of his compan ion , being bothfresh. they had raced f ar ahead of their companions .Now that the steeds of Julia and Richboroughshowed signs of exhaustion , they spurred theirhorses on as quickly as possible so as to come up intime . Their steeds responded bravely to the useof whip and spur , but now began to fail like theircompan ions in front , so it seemed as though thewhole party would arrive jaded and broken - dow nat the frontie r .

342 ALAD DIN I , LON D ON .

What have you done , Princess . cried Richborough , as she reached his stirrup .

“

Shot that man,

”she panted , grasping his hand .

Quick , take me on your horse , and away .

”

She placed her foot on the toe of his boot and ,with the ass istance of his hand , swung herself on tothe saddle in front , while Richborough urged hishorse forward w ith its double burden . Upravado

by this time had sprung to his feet, and sent a shotafter them . It missed , and to his confus ion hefound his prey had escaped .

They have no horses and one of the two men isdead ,

” said Julia triumphantly .

How did you do it , Princess ?

t ile he w as tangled in his stirrup I put thepistol to his head and blew out his brains .

Richborough shuddered, and for the f irst time be

gan to know of what nature this woman w as . Juliamarked his disgust and laughed .

“ IVhatT “Tould you have me taken because Ifeared to kill a man if

“ Not so ! He w as a traitor and deserved punishment . Se e , we are now safe . Upravado is alone

she sa id , with flashing eyes .

on the road w ithout a companion or a horse , andyonder ar e the gates of the guard - house .

g , and

Richborough wondered , if they did reach the gate ,

The horse,worn out

,moved slowly alonO

‘

how they w ould get over it . To his surprise it waswide open . They rode across the frontier betweenthe guard - house s

, and found themselves in safety .

Not a soldier was to be seen .

Julia sprang to the ground , and after her Ri ch

BOOT AN D s 1BDLE . 343

borough , while they both put up a prayer of thanksthat they were thus f ar safe .

Can we not go on further, Duke ?”

No,madame , the horse is worn out .

Then let us ask hospitality from the guardhouse . Hereditary foes to Busk as they ar e , theywill not refuse shelter to an exiled sovereign .

”

R ichborough fired the remaining barrel of his r evolver, and expected that the guard wou ld at oncerush out . To his surprise only one man appearedat the door of the house .

That man w as Maj or Measurby .

CHAPTER XXV.

THE POWER or TH E R IN G .

IT would be hard to say which of the two menwas the more astonished at this unexpected encoun

ter , M easurby , who thought that by this timeJulia and her partisans w ere safely bestowed inprison , or Richborough , who had no idea that themaj or had paused on the frontier . They stared at

one another in amazement , and it w as the princesswho first moved in the matter . Rushing forw ardshe struck M easurby across the face with her glove .

furious at thus beholding the cause of all he r troubles .

Traitor and cow ar c 3” she cried fiercely , you

,

at least , shall meet w ith the reward of your crime !By this time the maj or had , in a great measure

,

recovered his e ffrontery , and , enraged at beingstruck by a w oman , seiz ed the wrist of Madame deLus ignan with an angry gesture .

Re leas e the princess ,” said R ichborough , bound

ing forward .

“ How dare you lay your hand onher .

“

Egad ! she laid her hand on me , retorted themaj or , fl inging the princess roughly from him .

“

So you have escapedDoubtle s s you thought w e were dead , said

2346 ALADD IN I .V LON DON .

which they opened to let Janshah pass through .

He has gone on to the nearest town to procure mesome conveyance , and will doubtless be here shortly ,when we can leave this dangerous locality .

The maj or made this explanation with the greatest coolness , and the princess looked at him inblank astonishment at his audacity . R ichborough,however

,w as not so speechless

,and noting the con

elusion of the scoundrel ’ s speech,broke out into an

gry words .

“ye leave ! he repeated furiously I wonder

at your insolence , sir . You first betray us and ruinall our plans , then of fer us a seat in your carriage .

“7 e will not accept it .

”

Faith ,then

,you ’

ll have to stay here and becaught , retorted M easurby impudently .

“ Thispost is guarded by a dozen soldiers who ar e relievede very twelve hours by others from the barracks ofthe tow n . I have made these within incapableof staying our fl ight , but the next dozen , who willarrive soon , may prove harder to deal with .

Here w as a dilemma There w as no doubt thatthe maj or spoke truly , and unless they got awaythere would be trouble . By this time Upravadow as no doubt on his w ay back to Varzo , fromwhence he would send an envoy to demand theirsurrender from the Bulgarians . They might ormight not be delivered up to the republic

,but in

any case their situation was very critical . The

o ffer of the maj or af f orded them a w ay out of theirtrouble

, as , once having reached the town , theycould be able to see the commander of the garrison .

THE POWER OF THE RIN G. 347

If things were explained to him ,he might ass ist

them , and they would at least gain time to formplans of getting on to Stamboul .This was all very w ell , but to accept a favour

from the scoundrel who had betrayed them was

more than Richborough , even at the present j uncture of af fairs , could make up his mind to do . Notso the princess . Taught from her earl iest childhood to dissemble her feelings and make use ofevery one as an instrument , she at once decided toaccept the maj or ’ s of fer . Once in safety, and she

could be revenged on the traitor ; but , meanwhile ,it appeared to her to be only j ust that he should extr icate her from the troubles of which he w as thesole cause . She hated this man greatly , and w ouldwillingly have shot him where he stood smiling at

her . Indeed,her fingers itched to close round the

handle of the pistol in the pocket of the jacket , butwith wonderful powers of self - control , and to Richborough ’ s amazement , she smiled graciously on themaj or .

“ Can you explain your conduct ? ” she said in a

yielding manner .

Of course I can,replied M easurby

a libly .

t)

I can show you that the fault is Dacre ’ s , notmine .

”

“ How dare you say that ?” cried Richborough

angrily .

“ My friend Dacre is a gentleman , a man

of honour. You ar e a scoundrel and a thief .

”

A thief ? repeated Measurby , turning white .

That is an unpleasant word , Duke .

He did not lack courage , and stepped forward to2 3


face the duke w ithout fiinching ,when Julia, dread

ing lest an encounter between the two men shouldupset all her plans , hastily flung herself betw e en

them .

“ It is too unpleasant a word to be true , she saidsweetly .

“ You ar e too hasty , M . le duc . Mon

s ieur has promised us both an explanation , and I

have no doubt will keep his w ord . Take us into the

room, monsieur .

”

The maj or bowed , and vanished w ithin , while

R ichborough looked at Julia in astonishment as she

pre pared to follow .

“ Madame he began , when she interruptedhim hurriedly .

“ Not a word . I know what I am doing . He isa scoundrel— a tra itor ; but I will accept his aid ,

and afterward you need not be afra id he w ill escape me .

”

“ And you will treat w ith him ?

Yes . I w ill promise him whatever he asksnow . As for you , be silent and let me conduct thisaffair . You ar e too honest for intrigue . I am not . ”

“ But,madame ” protested the duke .

I will be obeyed , monseigneur ,” she replied im

per iou sly . and vanished into the house .

R ichborough stood for a minute in deep thought .

He w as now beginning to understand the nature ofJulia de Lusignan , and did not admire it . Thissubtle w oman , who could adapt herself to any situation , who could make u s e of the vilest tools to gainher own ends

,who called dishonour intrigue , and

craft diplomacy, revolted and disgusted him . If

ALADD IN IN LON D ON .

lying motionless like logs . On the table were cups ,some still half full of wine , but no common debauchcould explain the utter helplessness of the men .

They had been drugged by Janshah , and Richborough shuddered at the horrible subtlety of theIndian .

does that man obey first “ r

ilf r ed and nowM easurby

? he thought , as he proceeded towards adoor whence he heard. the vo ice of the princess .

“ Can the lost ring haVe anything to do w ith it ?

Sear-ce lv ; and yet Oh , this is some horriblemy ste ry . I cannot understand it at all. PoorWilfred ? I hope he escaped , but I doubt it , doubtit very much .

”

The princ ess was seated at the table , w ith a cup ofw ine in front of her , and the maj or standing at herelbow in an attitude o f respe ctful attention . Re

member ing the soldiers , the duke cast a shudderingglance at the w ine , but the princess , guessing histhought

,laughed ironicallv .

“ This is quite safe , monse igneur, ”

she said w itha meaning glance ; our friend here plays no trickson me . He intends to assist me to the crown ofBusk .

“ That is easier said than done,replied Rich

borough coldly . If Dacre could not do it , I am

confident the maj or will fail .“ I am not So sure of that , Duke , retorted Mea

surby w ith a. sneer ; whereat Richborough turned hisback on him in disdain .

“

Come , this will never do , observed Julia,frowning , as she noticed the actio n.

“ You ar e

THE POWER OF THE RIN G. 351

wrong , M . le due , to treat our friend in this way .

He has explained everything .

”

I have not yet heard his explanation , madame .

I can repeat it to your Grace ,” said Measurby

w ith great dignity .

“ This afternoon Dacre w as

afraid the conspiracy would fail , and sent me onhere with the request that I would make all smoothfor the princess should she be forced to fly . She

has been forced to fly , and I have obeyed my orders .

The post - chaise , or whatever they call it here , w illarrive shortly , and Madame de Lusignan can continne her fl ight . I

“ I don ’ t believe a word of it , interrupted theduke bluntly .

“ Dacre told a very different story .

And may I ask your Grace to repeat thatstory ? ”

“ He said you had stolen a ring from him ,and

Is it this ring to which your Grace refers saidMeasurby ,

holding out his hand.

“ This is my ring,and it is a s imilar one to that possessed by Mr .

Dacre . As to stealing his,why should I do that

when I have one of my own ? ”“ I don ’t understand it all, retorted Bichhor

ough, angrily turning to the princess ,

“ nor will thetruth be known until we see Dacre and he tells hisown story . But this I am sure of, that he is anhonest man and you ar e not . ”

“ Another time I would take notice of yourwords

,

” said the maj or insolently,“but aff airs ar e

too critical at the present time to admit of our quarr elling.


I only quarrel w ith men of my own rank , sir ,retorted the duke haughtily , and turned on his heel .“ Madame de Lusignan , act as you think best inthis matter . I will obey y ou in all things until y ouar e in safety . Meanwhile , permit me to withdraw ,

as I neither believe this man ’ s story nor trust hisactions . Should you desire me , I w ill be at thedoor? ”

After making this speech R ichborough bowedcoldly to the princes s , and , w ithout taking theslightest notice of Measurby , left the room . Themaj or looked after him w ith an express ion of rageon his face , but not de eming it diplomatic to quarrel at the moment , held his peace . In her heartthe princess approved of the duke ’ s action , and , likehim , she believed M easurby

’

s explanation to be all

false . Nevertheless , she had a game to play , and

played it w ith consummate skill . For this reasonshe w as rather pleased than otherw ise that Bichhorough had left the room . He was too honourable to

understand all her fines s e , and might by his honestblundering spoil her game . Honest men ar e sometimes very troublesome .

The stake w as a. c rown ; the players , an exiledqueen and an adventurer who possessed s ome my ster iou s power of which his opponent w as quite. ignorant : the scene , a mean room in a frontier guardhouse , illuminated by the dirty yellow flame of an

oil lamp ; the stake , the scene , the play ers , surelythe. strangest combination that had eve r come together for such a purpose .

The maj or prided himself on his clever head , on


Madame Dacre and Nicolas took a pair to es

cape to the cardinal ’ s palace“ Then she is safe ,

” interrupted the maj or quickly .

I am glad of that . ”

The princess,still wroth against “Tilf r ed, of

whose honesty she w as not yet assured , had her ow n

opinion as to the advisability of Hilda ’ s fl ight, butsaid nothing at the time .

“ The duke and myself took another pair , you and

your servant a third , and the fourth pair were usedby Upr avado and one of his officers .

“ Upr avado ! cried the maj or in astonishment .Did he follow you ?“ Nearly to the frontier , replied Julia quietly .

A body of cavalry pursued u s at first , but , as ourhorses were fresh and theirs w ere not , they soongave in and rode back . Upr avado and his aide ~de ~

camp w ere mounted on our ow n horses and overtookus . The duke shot Up ravado

’

s horse , and I killedhis aide - de - camp .

”

K illed his aide - de - camp ? ” echoed the maj or ,taken aback by her coolness .

“

Yes , I blew his brains out , replied the princess qu ietly .

“ It w as disagreeable but necessary .

Then Upr av ado w ent back , and w e came on . I amsorry , now , continued Julia r eflectiv elv ,

" that w e

did not kill him also .

”

M easurby , in spite of all his villainy , w as a hu

mane man , and hated to hear a w oman talk socrue lly . It did not suit his purpose

,however

,to

express his real feelings ; so he simply shook his

he ad and smiled .

THE POWER OF THE R1.

'

G. 355

It would never have done to have killed Upravado .

“rhy not ?

”

Because we must make use of him .

Unless you can pay him two hundred thousandfrancs , w e can do nothing . In fact

,I don ’ t know

whether he will accept money now .

”

Oh , yes , he will ,” replied Measurby confidently

I will double the amount . If he places you onthe throne , I will give him four hundred thousandfrancs .

”

“ But you have not so much money .

I have , and more .

”

So M . Dacre said ,” observed the princess scorn

fully ;“ but I will not believe it until I see it in

gold .

”

“ As soon as Janshah returns you will see it, an

sw er ed the maj or coolly .

“ He has in his possession two hundred thousand francs belonging to me ,and can obtain the rest at Varzo .

”

That is , if you can go back to Varzo .

Of course I can go back , and so w ill y ou , ma

dame , in disguise .

“ IVhat ! trust my head in the lion ’ s mouth ? Doyou take me for a fool , monsieur ?

“ If you go to the cardinal ’ s palace in disguise ,he will not betray you to Methodios . There youcan obtain an interview with Upravado, and if hewill consent again to be bribed , —which I thinkwill be the case , I will pay him down whateverhe demands before he leaves the room .

“ Good ! But if he refuses ?


He will not refuse . After this conspiracy ,Methodios will distrust him more than ever .

Julia reflected for a few moments , and was aboutto answer when the door of the room opened and

Janshah appeared . Obsequious a s he had beento lVilf r ed , he was more so to his new master,w hom , curiously enough , he respected for his subtlety in obtaining the ring , and bowed profoundlybefore him as he spoke .

“ I had great difficulty in getting the carriage ,

my lord , but it is now here .

”

“ IVhat is the temper of the people in the townThey know nothing of the trouble at Varzo .

“Y

e can pass through at dawn w ithout beingstay ed .

”

lVill the relief guard be here shortly ? ”

1thin an hour, my lord . The dawn w ill soonbreak in the east .

Janshah, the princess and the duke w ill comew ith me .

Ye s,my lord .

“ Now that your servant is here , said Julia, ignor ing , for her own reasons , that Janshah had beenl \

'

ilf r ed’

s servant,show me the gold .

Measu rby made a sign to Janshah, who le ft theroom and shortly reappeared , followed by two se r

vants carrying a heavy box .

“

I’Vhe r e did the s e tw o fello ws come from ?

asked M eas u rby , somewhat startled .

“ I sent them on to the town four day s ago, mylord , in case the des igns failed at Varzo .

“ You a r e a wonderful fellow,Janshah. You

358 ALADD IN I LON DON .

may not be so fortunate as to escape a third time .

Twice I have left Busk as a fugitive ; the thirdtime may be fatal .

“ Or fortunate There is luck in odd numbers .

Let us hope so . “Tell , now all is arranged ,let

us go on and obtain some disguise . It will be dif ficultJanshah w ill ma nage all that .And communicate with the cardinal .Janshah will do it . ”

And get safely to Varzo .

Janshah will arrange all.It seems that this man can do everything , said

Julia dryly . turning towards the door .

“ Let u s

hope he will j ustify your confidence .

”

“ One moment, madame ,” said Measurby , making

a signal to Janshah and his servants to leave theroom .

“IVhat is to be my reward if I place you

on the throne ?“

You can name it y ourself , monsieur .

I am afraid it w ill startle youNothing can startle me now ,

replied Madame

$ 7

de Lus ignan , throwing a piercing glance at the man

before her .

“ I w ill try if I cannot do so , sa id the maj orcalmly . My price for giving you the throne ofBusk is your hand .

t at ! exclaimed the princess loudly , turningsuddenly pale with emotion .

“ I°

h t ‘ r r ~l l rW i s 0 man y you , sau i

Julia drew herself up to her full he ight and lookedat him w ith flashn eyes .

3

THE POWER OF THE RIN G . 359

“ Truly, you have not spoken vainly , she saidfuriously ; you have startled me . Marry you I I

a Lusignan a sovereign ! Impossible !“ Ve ry well, madame ! Then I will leave you

“

Stay a moment , monsieur observed the princess , dissembling her rage . You have taken m e

by surprise . I cannot answ er you now . The que stion requires consideration .

“So long as you answer it before I pay over the

money to Upr avado, I do not mind ,” said the maj or

blandly .

“We must wait a week before we can

hope to get safely to Varzo .

”

“ A w eek ,

” repeated Julia quietly . in a

week you will have your answer . Now go and leaveme for a moment .

”

The maj or bowed and retired ,leaving the prin

cess alone . Once left to herself , she gave w ay

to her rage . Her pride was deeply w ounded byMeasurby

’

s insolence , by his audacious demand .

Still , she w as playing a deep game , and must winin the end . She would promise this adventureranything , and when she w as seated on the throne ,punish him for his audacity . That Richboroughshould aspire to her hand was bad enough in heropinion , but Richborough was at least an aristocr at . This offer took away her breath, and someminutes elapsed before she could compose herselfsufficiently to leave the room .

A week,

” she said to herself , smiling darkly as

she opened the door “ In a week , monsieur , youwill have your answer , and I w ill have your head .

”

CHAPTER XXVI.

SAN CTUARY .

A WEEK had elapsed since the failure of the conspiracy and the flight of the princes s , during w hichtime Hilda had remained secluded in the palace ofthe cardinal . Owing to the judicious action of theprelate in remaining away from the fete at VillaTvar tko, no one , not even the most rabid republican ,

suspected him of having be en concerned in theplot . S imulating indignation , he bewailed the audac ity of the attempt to overthrow the republic , andin the end succeeded in impos ing on all, even onMethodios . His hous e , therefore , af forded a secureas ylum for those who had escaped from the massacr e

at Villa Tvar tko, and , beside s Hilda, several prominent royalists were hidden in the episcopal pal

Methodios had taken strong measures for thesafe ty of the republic after the failure of the conspiracv . He imprisoned several prominent noblessuspec ted of being royalis ts , placed a. guard of soldiers on Villa Tvar tko, and publicly congratulatedUpravado on his devotion to the country , which hadthw arted the daring attempt of the princess to subvert the government .A s soon as orde r w as restored in Varzo , hlethodios


“r

ith that promptitude of action which was he r

most striking characteristic , as soon as she hadarranged with M easurby that he should pay the

money to bribe Upr avado, she went at once to Sofiaand claimed the protection of the Bulgarian government . The ruler of that principality w as by nomeans favoura bly inclined towards Methodios , Whomhe suspected of being a creature of the St. Petersburg cabinet , and would have much preferred tosee the Lus ignan dynasty once more on the throneof Busk . Julia assured the prince that if she w erere stored , Bulgaria w ould have no firmer friend thanherself ; consequently , when M ethodios sent to demand that she should be given up to the vengeanceof the republic , the government of Bulgar ia refusedto be a party to such a transaction . Having thusfoiled M ethodios on this point , Julia felt that herliberty w as at least secure , and remained safely at

Sofia while she made preparations for her secondattempt to recover the throne .

Cardinal Gregory knew that the most necessarystep to take towards securing this desirable endw as , at all risks , to attach Upravado to the r oval

cause . This w as a very difficult matter to aecom~

plish, as , after the failure to secure the money ,

Upravado w as by no means incl ined to risk his heada sem nd time . Gregory, how eve r , pers is tently f avour ed the suspicions of M ethodios against Uprava doby insinuations that he w as implicated in the lateconspirac y ,

whereat the president treated Upr av adin such an insulting manner that he began to feeldoubtful of his liberty and life . He knew w ell

N CTUAR r . 363

enough that Methodios would never dare to quarrelopenly with one who was the darling of the soldiers ,but there was such a thing in Busk as secret assassination . Upr avado dreaded this , and, much per

plexed as to his future course , consulted Gregory .

That prelate , delighted at the way in which matters were shaping themselves in accordance with hisdesires

, advised him to j oin the royal cause , andoff ered him double the amount of money providedhe would support Julia . At first Upravado demur r ed, being miw illing to be tricked a secondtime

,but at length , while committing himself to no

course,promised to call at the palace within a few

days in order to discuss the matter more fully .

As soon as Gregory had made this arrangementand fixed a time for the interview, he sent off at

once to Julia, upon which the princess , in companywith Richborough , Measurby , and Janshah, camein disguise to Varzo , and managed to gain the shelter of the palace without their presence being sus

pected in Busk .

Things were thus progressing favourably as re

gards the royal cause ; but the affairs of the Dacreswere in a very bad way . Methodios , enraged at

having been so deluded by the Englishman , had imprisoned him in the Tower of the Sultan , and wouldhave put him to death but that he w as afraid ofrousing the indignation of Great Britain . Dacrewas well connected , and had many influentialfriends in power ; so Methodios dreaded lest , if hewere put to death , complications might arise betw een his government and that of her Britannic

2 4

364 ALADDIN 1 .v LON D ON .

Maj e s ty . He had quite enough to do to managelocal troubles without embroiling himse lf in distur

bances abroad ; so under these circumstances Wilfred ’ s life was quite safe .

Nevertheless he w as strictly guarded and allowedto see no one ; but he managed to get a letter takento his w ife through the medium of his j aile r , who,though in the emplovment of the republic , was devoted to the royal cause . In this letter IVilf r edexplaned the whole myste ry of the ring , and Hildabitterly reproached herself that she had meddledwith the talisman . Had she not done so, M easurby

would never have become posses sed of the ring , andthe conspiracy would have been carried to a successful conclusion ; but as it w as , she w as a fugitive , herhusband was in prison , and the power be stow ed bythe ring w as inve s ted in the person of Maj or Mea

surby .

Several times did she wish to see he r husband ,

but this the archbishop would never permit , as hedid not w ant it spread abroad that he was harbouring a fugitive for whom the em i ssar 1es of the r e

public were in search . “Ter e such a thing knownto M ethodios , it might aw aken his suspicionsagainst the archbishop , and the house would besearched , when not only Hilda, but Princess Juliawould be discovered . Therefore , to avert this catastrophe , Gregory advised Hilda to remain in quiet ,until the second attempt Of Julia w as succes sful ,when

,of course , “

T

ilf r ed would be released , andthey could leave Busk together .

In his ow n heart G regory w as not so certain that

366 AL . 11mm LON D ov

she would not refuse to marry a man w ith tw entymillions of money . It neve r seemed to strike himthat when Julia discovered the source of his pow er,she could take the ring from him for her ow n useand banish him from Busk . Yet this w as exactlythe w ay in which she would have acted had she

know n all. This , howeve r , the maj or did not know .

R ichborough had read her character better . His

eyes had been opened during the las t week , and hesaw that she w as quite a different w oman fr 111 whathe had expected to find her . Instead of a soft andfeminine nature , he found her a masculine femaleof the most unscrupulous nature , one who stoppedLt nothing to ga in he r ends , not even murder , asw itness the w ay in w hich she had shot Upravado

’

s

aide - de - camp . Knowing , then , she w as not a fitw ife for him

,despite her roy al pow er s , R ichborough ,

w ith rare good sense , gave up all idea. of pressingher to marry him , and de termined , afte r helping toplace her on the throne , to re turn to England . Hegave no hint o f his dt te rmination , how e ver , and

Julia thought he w as as much her s lave as ever .

Both Julia and M easu rby knew that Hilda was

in the palace , but ne ither of them attempted to seeher

,— the first from indignation against “

T

ilf r ed,

the second because he w as ashamed to face the w oman whose husband he had so cruelly w ronged . Onher part , Hilda. w as equally desirous of keeping outof the ir sight , as all she des ired w as the release of“f ilf r ed and permission to leave Busk , where thevhad suffered so bitterly .

As soon as R ichborough arrived at Varzo, he at

smv e r zu m '

. 367

once sought an interv iew with his cousin , and theytalked for a long time over W

'

ilfred ’ s unfortunateposition . Hilda showed him Dacre ’ s letter, and theduke was much amazed at the contents .

It is truly wonderful , he said , on recoveringfrom his astonishment ;

“ j ust like a story out of theArabian Nights . ”

“ I hope it will have as happy a termination , r e

plied Hilda bitterly ;“ but at present the possession

of the ring has brought nothing but trouble .

”

“ The loss of the ring , you mean , Hilda . Had

“r

ilf r ed the ring still in his possession , all wouldbe well . What a scoundrel that Measurby is !

“ Do not say a word about it to him .

”

Do you think I care about speaking to such a

scoundrel ? said the duke angrily .

“ I never openmy mouth to him . I w ill say nothing about whatyou have told me to any one . But how can we r e

lease “i

ilf r ed ?

“ Surely he will be released when Julia is on the

throne .

”

“ I ’

m not so sure about that . She is very bitteragainst him for his supposed treachery .

”

“ But if all is explained to her ? ”

I do not think it would be wise to explain all,

observed her cousin, after a pause .

“ It is not desirable that an unscrupulous woman like Julia shouldlearn the secret of the ring . If she did she wouldat once take steps to get it into her own possession .

“ In that case she would come into collision withJanshah. You see what W ilfred says in his letterabout an inv is ible body- guard .

”

368 - I.L . 1D D IN LON DON .

I’

v e no doubt Janshah c an do a great de al

against a private individual ; but you forget thatJulia will shortly be a queen , with the powers ofBusk at her command . Nothing would be easierfor her than to arrest Maj or M easurby and threatenhim with death should he not give up the ring .

Then Janshah will obey her only .

”

“ You seem very bitter against Madame de Lusignan ,

” said Hilda, looking at her cousin inquiringly .

“ I thought you loved her .

”

“ I did,but not now . I deemed her to be a per

feet being , but she is f ar from that . She is a coldblooded

,selfish woman , who w ill make an admirable

despotic ruler , but a bad wife . No , my dear Hilda ,

I have no care to marry a Catherine de ’ Medici .“ I think you ar e wise . I ne ve r liked her . She

w as arrogant in her adversity . and in her prosperitywill forget all that “

r

ilf r ed has done for her . I

agree w ith you , she w ill not re lease him when queenbut I have a plan to release him myself .The Countess of Nithsdale bus iness , I suppose

“

3

Something like that See ! said Hilda, producing a small bottle . This conta ins an Indiandrug which , if admin istered , sends any one to sleepin a few minutes . I obtained it from Janshah whenhe was yet faithful to us , in order to get some rest .You know I suf fered much from neuralgia last year .

\Ve ll , I found this of great use . Two or three dropswill send you to sleep at once . Now

,if the queen

does not re lease “T

ilf r ed , I intend to ask her permission to vis it him in the Tow er of the. Sultandrug the j ailer and steal his ke vs then w e can flv

together.


And Methodios‘7

“ Suspects nothing . What a fool the man is !In spite of the late warning he takes no steps toroot out this conspiracy . True , he thinks it is at

an end , whereas it is flourishing in the very heartof his capital . ”

If Julia becomes queen she will revenge herselfon him , I suppose .

”

“ She will wade to the throne in blood , exclaimedthe duke darkly .

“ She W ill kill Methodios , Upr a

vado , and M easurby . That is why I want to goaway as soon as she is firmly established . I do notdesire to witness her cruelties .

”

“ Then you think she is cruel fVery ! I am beginning to hate her . It is bad

enough for W ilfred to be the prisoner of the republic ; it will be worse for him when Julia is queen .

She thinks he has betray ed her , and she is a v indic

tive w oman .

t ateve r she is , said Hilda, putting the phialcontaining the drug in her pocket , I will rescuemy husband from her clutches . ”

CHAPTER XXVII .

DOWN WITH THE REPUBLIC .

THERE was no doubt that Jul ia de Lusig nan possessed a truly royal spirit, so dauntlessly did shebear herself in those disastrous days. On the deathof her father

,Pierre II .

,the rebellion of Methodios

was so unexpected that she had been forced to fly .

Had she then gained a few days ’ respite , duringwhich she could have rallied her partisans , she would ,

without doubt, have remained queen of Busk . Aftersuch a crushing blow as the loss of her kingdom,

many expected that she would make no attempt toregain her throne , but they did not know the im

perious spirit of the woman .

In England she had intrigued incessantly for thedown fall of Methodios, but finding him too firmlyestablished to succumb to diplomatic trickery shehad accepted Dacre ’s offer to replace her on thethrone, and had risked her personal safety in thedesperate attempt. Owing to the treachery of Mea

surby, the conspiracy had proved abortive , and bythe merest miracle she escaped from the grasp of herenemies . Undaunted still, she used Measurby as

the instrument of a new attempt, and w as now in thecapital itself, making one final ef fort to regain hersceptre. Cruel she was in many ways , unscrupulous

37 ; ALADD IN I _v Lo v DON .

in all things,but no one could fail to admire he r

dauntless spirit,her genius for intrigue , and her

powers of endurance . After suf f ering all thesecrushing defeats

,here she w as as hopeful as ever,

presiding over a coun cil of her f ew remaining followers .Many of her supporters had per ished

'

in the fightat Villa Tvar tko, and the marquess Paradiso , herright hand, w as now in prison and powerless to helpher. Richborough was too honest for diplomacy,hlcasmb y not clever enough, so she had to manageall things with the assistance of the cardinal. Indeed , had it not been for that ingenious schemer

,

this second attempt w ould also have failed , in spiteof her untiring efforts to bend c ircumstances to herw ill . Gregory , however , was a tower of strength

,

md controlled the intrigues of the provin ces . Theprinces s , having been absent for nearly two yearsfrom Busk, was but a shadow to many of the royalists ,and they looked to Gregory for their instructions.The cardinal loved to control everything in this

manner. His palace w as the centre of the web,

whither all threads diverged . From all parts ofBusk , messengers , in the guise of mendicants , wereincessantly arriv ing. They came to the palace foralms , and , having thus escaped the vigilance of Methodios , there delivered their messages to the car

dinal . He transmitted them to Julia, and togetherthey conferred over matters important to the cause.The cardinal was very anxious for the restoration ofroyalty . IIe admired the brilliant intellect of Julia,ye t at the same time foresaw clearly that , once in

3 7 4 ALADDIN Iv LON D ON .

The matter is decided already, exclaimed theprincess impetuously ; this man is to be bribed .

Monsieur,

”she added , turning to Measurby , you

have the gold if

Measu rby pointed to a large box at the end of theroom

,beside which stood Janshah.

“ It is there,madame . Four hundred thousand

francs in gold .

”

Excellent, monsieur. This time we will notfail. Once we secure Upravado, and my return tothe throne can be proclaimed to -morrow .

”

At the cathedral , said the archbishop with a

smile of satisfaction . I have taken care that all

those devoted to your Maj esty will be there .

Alas ! there ar e many dea d at Villa Tvar tko

w howould have been the re ," said Julia, with a touch

o f regret for those who had fallen in her defence ;but this is not the time to sorrow for their fate .

I have regained my heritage and punishedmy enemies

,then w ill I raise a monument to those

who have died for their queen .

”

There w as a burst of applause from those presentat. the expression of this noble sentiment, skilfullyintroduced by the crafty princes s . All present ,save the cardinal and Richborough

,believed that

she meant what she said ; but they kn ew it w asmerely clap - trap to please her partisans . The ma

jor ity present felt that she w as indeed a tenderhearted so vere ign , who could thus sympathize withher subjects ; but in afte r years they had reason tochange the ir opinion . Julia w as pleased at thesensation produced by her speech , and w ould have

D OWN WITH THE REPUBLIC . 37 5

gone on speaking, but at that moment the electricbell rang sharply .

Upr avado I said the cardinal in a joyous tone .

I will go and prepare him to meet this honour ablecompany.

”

He left the room,with his usual dignity, while

those behind remained in a state of great anxiety.

Everything turned on Upravado, and if he declined to be bought, there would be a repetition ofthe scenes at the Villa Tv ar tko. There was noescape this time

, as Julia well knew, and, sitting

back in her chair with an artificial smile on her lips ,she passed through agonies during the absence ofthe prelate . It w as the most critical moment of he rlife , for the decis ion of Upravado either raised herto a throne or condemned her to a prison cell .

Courage , madame ,” whispered Richborough.

bending forward a daring heart w ins kingdoms .”

“ I will be satisfied with one kingdom,

” repliedJulia with apparent lightness . If I win

,I win .

If I lose, I lose . For either future I am prepared .

”

You have indeed a brave heart .I should have been a man ,

” said the princesswith a f iery glance but though a woman , I will rulelike a king.

While the words were yet on her lips , the dooropened to admit Cardinal Gregory and Upr avado.

All arose save the princess , who remained seated , inabsolute silence . This conduct seemed to abash thegeneral , who could not but feel that he had acted a

cowardly part at the VillaTvar tko and indeed , butthat he w as afraid of Methodios, would not again

37 6 AL ADD IN IN LON DON .

have supported the cause of his w ronged sovereign .

For a moment he stood irresolute , and then , with a

sudden decision,moved forward to the chair of the

princess,on arriv ing at which , he flung himself on

his knees before her .

I entreat you , madame , to par don my conduct .It is hardly deserving of pardon ,

” said Julia,sternly . I do not care for affection that is boughtfor gold .

Madame , said the general , bluntly, “ I haveexperienced the gratitude of princes be fore , in the

person of your late father ; therefo r e it w as but rightthat I should make mv self secure .

Let it be so, then , Upr avado, replied the princess

,slowly ; this t ime the money you des ire shall

be paid to you before you leave this room . If so ,

will you swear to support my cause ?

I swear it ."

You swore before ,” said the deep voice of the

archbishop , but broke your oath .

"

Pardon , monseign eur , said Upravado, rising tohis feet : I swore to help the princess if certainmoneys were paid . They w ere not paid

,so I was r e

leased from my oath . You did not keep your partof the bargain . I did not keep mine .

”

And you followed me to the frontier , said theprincess

,rising in her turn .

Ye s I would have arrested you if I could havedone so , replied Upravado boldly .

A thrill of indignation r an through the as semblage , and several of the noble s placed their handson their sword-hilts . Julia hmve ve r , smiled at the

37 8 ALADD IN IN LON D ON .

Now that your Maje sty has performed your partof the contract, I w ill perform mine . Myself and

my soldiers ar e yours .

And what about hIethodios"

K

I hate M ethodic s ! exc laimed Upravado,

fiercely ; “ he would trick me into danger,and banish

me from the country . I am no longer a servant ofthe republic . Here is my real mistress .”

It was an astonishing scene . Here w as a man

who held the destinies of Busk in his hands , coollybetraying his party for a bribe . True

,he w as de

livering the country to his rightful sovereign nevertheless he was selling it , all the same . There w asneither honour nor dignity in the transaction , and

callous as w as Julia in many w ay s , she keenly feltthe humiliation of being obliged to buy the influenceof this traitor . “

l

li en she could,she w ould punish

him,but the time w as not yet ripe for Such daring .

Upr av ado had the army at his back, and could eithermake or mar her . At pre s ent she had gained hissupport

, bu t she fully made up her mind to punishhim when she w as able .

Upr avado knew perfectly w ell what w as. pas singin her mind, and it w as for this reason that he haddemanded the money . Could he have trusted toher gratitude , he would have done so but havingexperienced the temper of the Lusignans before, hedid not care about making such a risky experiment .“ r ith his influence he could have made himself president of the republic , in place of M ethodios , but preferred a wealthy exile to an insecure position ob

tained by fraud . I'Ie tru sted neither Methodios nor

DOWN WITII THE REPUBLIC . 37 9

Julia , and , as soon as he had fulfilled his promiseand set her on the throne

,intended to place himself

t once beyond the reach of her vengeance . Thatshe hated him for the humiliations he had made hersuf fer, he knew perfectly w ell, and now that theprice of his treachery w as duly paid would makehimself safe from her hate . Meanwhile

,like Julia,

he acted a part and to hear him making all arrangements, one would have thought that he was the devoted friend of the Lusignan dynasty.

The design for the proclamation of the queen,however , w as due to the inventive genius of thearchbishop , who now placed it before the assembly .

To-morrow,

” said Gregory slowly,

as you all

know, Methodios has ordered high mass to be celebrated and a Te Deum to be sung in the cathedral ,as a mark of gratitude for the preservation of therepublic . The president with his friends will bethere, but there also will be ' the friends of our party .

In fact, I have arranged that the body of the cathedral will be quite filled with our friends . From all

the provinces they w ill come ostensibly to be presentat the festival of the church, but in reality to support her Maj esty. The soldiers of Upr avado willsurround the cathedral during the celebration of themass, and when the queen is proclaimed, Upr avadowill at once arrest Methodios . Our friends willthrow themselves on his party and disarm them , thenthe queen Will be proclaimed to the soldiers , who willaccept her with acclamations .”

You can trust your soldiers ? ” said Jul ia, turning to Upravado.

380 [LAD D IN IN LON D ON .

Implicitly , Madame,he answered , bowing .

The presence of the soldiers ,” resumed the arch

bishop, “w ill intimidate the citizens , who w ill not

dare to resist ; so we will have a bloodless r evolu

tion . The provinces will send in their submiss ionto the queen when she is established , and the kingdom of Busk will thus be once more under thesway of its rightful sovereign .

”

Then,

” said Julia with exultation, we will punish the traitors .Methodios first, said Upravado, quite forgetting

that he also was a traitor.“ Methodios first,

” repeated the princess signifi

cantly , afterwards the others .You approve of the scheme. Upr avado asked

the cardinal .Nothing could be better. M ethodios has or

dered the troops to be in the great square ; so thewhole army will be present to ass ist at his downfallWe can trust you said the princess , looking at

him keenly .

Madame , replied Up r avado in a dignified tone,

I am a man of honour. I failed you before becauseI was not treated well. N ow I have received themoney, you may be sure I will do my best to placeyour Maj esty on your rightful throne .

After making this speech , Upr av ado w ithdrew,

and the council broke up . Julia w as left alone withthe archbishop , Richborough and M e asu rby .

You do not think he will betray us,your Em i

nence ? asked the prince s s anxiously.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

LON G L IVE THE ! UEEN .

THE Duomo of San Hilarion dates from the fourteenth century, and is one of the most superb buildings of its kind in eastern E urope . Finely situated in the square of Tephr icc, it rises , an immenseedifice of white marble , from the summit of a slightmound . Broad flights of marble steps lead upwardto a wide terrace , from whence springs the highlyornate front , a miracle of Renaissance ar t, whichlooks like frozen lac e - w ork . “T ith its innumerablepinnacles . its multitiulinous statues , and somewhatsquat facade , it is not unlike the famous Duomoof Milan . Here , however , all resemblance endsbe tween the buildings , for in place of a lofty centraltow er the Varzo cathedral ha s an enormous dome ,

‘

z’

l l ltii ' bubble . Be1“O

A,

which swells in the air like aing g il ded all ove r , it flashe s back the r ay s of thesun w ith intolerable brilliance , so that f ar and w ide

,

during the day , it shines like a globe of fire abovethe city of Varzo .

U

The summit of the dome is surmounted by a crescent, from whence springs a golden cross de licatelyslender against the blue sky , and this strange mingling of Christian and Mahometan symbols is thefirst obj ect which catches the eye of the approaching

LON G LI I'

E TIIE ! UEEN . 383

traveller. The people of Varzo ar e very proud oftheir Duomo , as well they might be , from its delicate architectural beauties and rare antiquity . The

hot air and dazzling sun have mellowed the whitemarble to the soft hue of amber, but by night, inthe s ilver moonlight , it looks like some palace of enchantment erected by fairy hands .Nor is the interior less beautiful . Entering by

the principal door , the eye is at once attracted bv

a huge gilt cross placed on high , on which strikesthe light from some unseen window . In the Semigloom which prevails owing to the multiplic ity ofpainted glass , this sudden apparition of the Chr istian symbol is wonderfully ef f ective, albeit rathertheatrical in its seeming.

For the rest , there is a forest of marble pillarsspringing from the brilliantly tessellated pavementto the groined roof, a magnificent high altar glittering with jewels , and many banners hanging theirragged folds over gigantic tombs of dead and gonemonarchs . All the Lusignans are buried here .From Amaury, the founder of the dynasty, down toPierre II . , the father of Julia, they rest in magnifi

cent sarcophagi sculptured with broad -winged angelsand trumpet - blowing cherubs .The brilliant light of the East pierces the windows

filled with stained glass of innumerable tints , andthe great church , even at high noon , is full offloating shadows . Away at the end rises the glittering mass of the high altar , brilliant with star - likecandles , and flashing innumerable j ewels through thedim twilight of the building . The fumes of incense


hang perpetually round the building ; here and therepoints of red light burn before some rich shrine ;there is a constant mutter of prayer , and over all

a feeling of peace and qu iet and intense rest .On this great day , however , the Duomo had

awakened from its usual le thargy . The buildingw as crowded to the doors w ith gaily dressed people ,among whom could be seen many soldiers in uniform . Outside

,some regiments w e re drawn up in

the square to do honour to the arrival of M ethodios .

Attended by a bri lliant s taff, he passed up the

church and seated him s elf on the old throne of theLusignans near the high altar .

It w as a thanksgiv ing serv ic e for the safety ofthe republic , but M e thodios did not look happy .

Surrounded on all s ides by dangers, his eyes constantlv glanced round the church as if to spy out hisown enemies and those of the republic . Upravado

was there , prepared to betray his country , and all

was skilfully arranged for the proclamation of the

Julia, in the j ewel - vault of the church, was aux

iously waiting for the signal to appear before themultitude . She had assumed her royal robes , andon her head wore the ancient crown of the Lusi

gnans , which the cardinal had so dexterou sly pr eserved from the grasping avarice of M et hodios .

R ichborough and Measurby were with her ,both out

w ardly calm , but in reality greatly excited by the

cris is which w as now approaching .

On the arrival of the president the service. at oncebegan . The organ s ighed forth its rich music , and


Gregory alone did not move . He sat like a gravenimage on his throne , waiting for the time when hecould throw of f the mask . Looking down the

crowded church he saw everywhere the faces of thosewho he knew would support the royal cause .

Without,the soldiers had planted cannon so as to

command the square and intimidate the c itizens .“Tithin , the church w as crowded with the friends ofJulia . Only a knot of men around Methodios , and

a sprinkling of others among the crowd , were faithful to the republic . At length the mass ended , theorgan was rolling out a final march , when it suddenly ceased and the archbishop arose to his feetThere w as a single trumpet blast , which rang

loudly through the church , and in a moment Upr avado had sprung from the side of M ethodios towardsthe throne of the archbishop . Terrified by this ac

tion , the president remained seated in his chair ,white as a corpse , and saw a woman ascend thesteps of the higher altar, a w oman in regal robes ,with a royal crown on her head . She turned and

looked towards the crowd . It was Julia de Lusignan .

Before M ethodios could collect his scattered wits ,the cardinal spoke .

“ People of Busk , I present to you the rightful sovereign of your country . Long live QueenJulia !

“ Long live Queen Julia ! responded the crowd ,

though here and there were some dissenting voices .

Methodios sprang to his feet and dr ew his sw or d.

Treason ! Treason , against the republic ! (‘

u

lin f Upr avado !

LON G LIVE TIIE ! UEEN . 387

Y) ,Long nve Queen Julialoudly .

“ Traitor ! shrieked the president , and dashedtowards the higher altar . H is officers tried to follow , but were held back by the friends of Upravado.

A tumult arose in the church as Methodios , mad

w ith anger , sprang up the altar steps , sword in hand ,

towards the queen . She awaited his coming w iththe utmost calmness , trusting he would be stoppedbefore he reached her . His action , however , hadtaken all so much by surprise that no one moved .

He reached her side , he raised his sword , and inone moment would have cut her down , when R ich

cried the general

borough,who stood near , threw himself betw e en

them . The sword struck him on the shoulder , butthe blow glanced harmlessly of f , while Me thodios ,

enraged at his obj ect being thus defeated , drew a

dagger and closed with the duke .

For a moment the two men swayed to and fro ,then fell down the altar steps . R ichborough gave acry

,for the dagger of Methodios had pierced his

breast , and he w as unable to rise . M ethodios w as

on his feet in a moment and r an to the altar rails ,but before he could reach them Upravado had

cleaved his skull . The president of the late republic fell dead .

The organ pealed out a march of triumph , thepeople were shouting for Julia, the cry had beentaken up outside , and she moved away down the

church with Upr avado and the archbishop , without

a. thought of the man who had saved her life .

She did , indeed , hesitate as she pas sed him , for


e ven her cruel nature felt that his act had beenheroic , but the cardinal drew her on .

“ Not now ’ Not now ! Show yourself to the soldiers , or all may be lost

'

The procession moved down the church , and

Richborough , raising himself on his elbow , lookedafter her with bitter anguish .

“ Julia ! ” he cried , in a w eak voice , Oh , Julia,I am dying !She took no notice . The organ rolled its tr ium

phal chant , the trumpets blared , the people che ered ,all sweeter music. in the ears of Julia de Lusignanthan the c ry of a dying man , even though his deathhad saved her life . She was a queen now , and had

forgotten everything else .

The duke knew that he w as dy ing , not that thewound w as deep , but , in the struggle , M e thodios

The daggerw as poisoned , and nothing on earth could save him

7 7

had whispered the one word “ poison .

now from his fate . Ye t, to die alone , with no onebeside him , to hear these triumphal cries greetingthe woman who had so heartle ssly left him, it wasbitter indeed , and Gerald Havard , Duke of Richborough

,sighed to think that he was left to die like

a dog in a strange land , w ith no one near to comforthis last moments .

Lv ing there in a swoon , with the blood pouringfrom his breast , he felt a soft arm round his neck ,a handkerchief w as applied to the wound , and overhim bent a well - known face .

Hilda ' Ililda ! I am dy ing .

I saw it all, G erald . That hateful w oman !

39 0 AL ! DDIN LV LON DON .

Your father will be Duke of Richborough ,

Never talk of it, said Hilda , whose tears werefalling fast on the face of the dying man .

“ Oh ,Gerald

,that you should die like this ! That hateful

woman ! She lives and reigns , and you die !“ She is only true to her nature , Hilda . Oh ! I

feel I die Hilda ! G ive my love to “Tilf r edI alw ays loved “

Y

ilf r ed . Te ll Julia ! Hilda ah !

She pressed a. kiss on his lips,but no breath pro

c e eded from thence . His head fell back . Ile w asdead . The church w as quite emptied of its crowd .

w ho had all follow ed the new lv re stored (1119 9 11 .

li ven “Nicolas , seeing he could do nothing , had de

parted , and Ililda w as alone w ith her dead cous in .

She did not shriek or weep . The blow had fallentoo heavily for that

,but she lifted the handkerchief

stained with his blood , and kissing the dead man’ s

face once more , w alked slowly down the church .

Her face was as set and rigid as that of a corpse ,and with the blood - stained handkerchief clasped toher breast, she sought the queen .

Outside , all w as brilliant sunshine and shoutingcrowds . On the steps of the cathedral stood Julia,smiling and happy , a crow ned queen , withUpr avadoand the archbishop on either side . Forcing her w aythrough the crowd

,Hilda flung the blood - stained

handkerchief before the queen , and, w ith one lookof reproach , vanished .

Julia turned pale at the sight . but in a momentsmiled again . The crowd We r e s aluting he r a s

LON G LIVE THE OI'

EEN . 39 1

que en, and in that sweet music she forgot that he r

elevation to the throne had cost the life of a man

who loved her fondly .

“ At last,” she murmured , glanc ing over the sea

of upturned faces ,“at last I am queen of Busk .

The crown is on my head ; my enemiesmy feet, and all is as I desire .

”

Truly , she was more of a queen than a woman .

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE GR - \TITUD E or PRIN CES.

THUS the restoration of the monarchy w as aecom

plished . Accepted as queen by the army and theprovinces , Julia had no difficulty in forcing the people of Varzo to acknowledge her as their lawfulsovereign . They were in the minority, and darednot go against the plainly expressed wishes of thewhole kingdom . At first , they were inclined to r esent the substitution of a queen for a president ; butafter a time , began to find that the change w as forthe better . The good people of Varzo were verypleasure - loving and frivolous , so Julia , knowing thisto be so , announced that, after settling all politicalaf fairs , she would give a ser ies of fetes to inaugurate her reign . This would give employment tosome , and amusement to others ; so finding their newsove reign to be of this mind

, the Paris ians of theEas t began to pluck up spirit and look forward to a

long and brilliant re ign .

As soon as Julia w as conducted to the royal palace , she at once gave orders for the release of Paradiso , who was still confined in the Tower of the Sultan . The marquess duly appeared and kissed thehand of his mistress , with tears of j oy at her restoration , though , at the same time , he lamented very

3 94 ALAD DIN IN LON DON .

saw it w ould be dangerous at the pre sent tim e toharm him in any way . The soldiers who had placedher on the throne were quite capable of taking herof f

”

again did anything happen to their belovedleader ; so Julia, masking her resentment and hateunder bland smiles , treated Upravado with the utmost consideration . She hoped , in the near future ,to win the hearts of the soldiers so that they shouldregard her and not the general as their real leader ,and then she could avenge herself on Upr avado forthe insults to which she had been subj ected by him .

Notwithstanding her suavity of manner , Upr avado knew quite well that she was only watching foran opportunity to a rrest him , and made all preparations for fl ight . He sent on to London the moneyhe had so basely won , and kept a close watch onall the actions of the queen and her ministers , r esolving to fly at the first intimation of danger . A s

yet,however

,he was too powerful to be meddled

w ith,but sooner or later he would fall , and then ,

unless he w as fortunate enough to escape , he wouldbe thrown into prison on some trivial pretex t, whichlulia could easily invent .One other person was high in favour w ith the

que en , and his position , although he did not knowit , w as quite as insecure as that of Upr avado . Thiswas Maj or M easurby , whom Julia had made thecaptain of the royal guard as a reward for his services . Nothing more had been said about the mar

r iage , for , finding himself surrounded by her partisans , Measurby had been afraid to press a matter

which seemed so dis tasteful to her . He had handed

THE GRATITUDE OF PRIN CES . 395

over the money , she had secured the throne , and yetno promise of reward in any w ay had been made tothe unfortunate maj or . Now that she was queen ,M easurby confessed with a sigh that he had lost hischance of marrying her

,for she certainly would not

wed him , now she had gained her ends .Unless and the maj or laid great store by this—unless he told her the story of the ring , and shewas content to marry a man with twenty millions ofmoney . Such a sum could do a great deal in Busk ,

and Measurby thought that Julia , despite her pride ,would be tempted by the immensity of the sum .

As yet he had said nothing about the matter, andthough Julia suspected that he possessed some secretpower of procuring money not unconnected withJanshah , she said nothing to the maj or . Had sheonly known the secret of the ring, she would at oncehave taken steps to have secured it for herself , butluckily for the maj or she w as ignorant of this .To show her gratitude , she made him the captain

of the guard , which the maj or thought w as but theprelude to fur ther favours ; and what with the ringon his finger , Janshah at his command , and a possible royal alliance in the future , he esteemed himselfthe most fortunate of men . He did not know howinsecure w as his position

, and that Julia hoped torid herself of his presence in a very short space oftime . This she did not intend to do until shelearned the secret of his power , so she quietly awaitedher time until she could make such discovery and

turn it to her own advantage . The maj or , quiteignorant of all this , strutted about the palace in his

2 6


new uniform like a peacock , much to the amusementof Paradiso , who knew in what light the queen r e

garded him, and frequently quoted to himself the

proverb about pride going before a fall .All this time Julia had designedly neglected the

man to whom more than any one else she owed thesuccess of her attempt on the crown . Had not VVilfred Dacre made Villa Tvar tko the headquarters ofthe conspiracy, she would not have been able tocome secretly to Busk , and unless she had been onthe spot , nothing could have been accomplished .

She admitted to herself that IVilf r ed had done hera service ; but , not yet convinced of his innocenceon that fatal night , she refused to release him fromprison . C ertainly she gave orders that he was tobe treated with the utmost consideration , but thisafforded but small gratification to “

I

ilf r ed, seeingthat he w as deprived of his liberty . Paradiso

, who

had a genuine liking for the unfortunate youngman , tried to induce the queen to let him go free ,but Ju lia determined not to do so until she hadlearned the secret of the money from either Mea

surby or “Y

ilf r ed . She had them both in her power,

and w atched her Opportunity to find out what shedesired to know, but , meanwhile , kept one in a pal

ace and the other in a prison , which w as hardlyfair arrangement .Several times Hilda had attempted to see Julia at

the royal palace , but each time the queen had r e

fused to grant her an audience . Julia had a veryvindictive nature, and greatly resented the behaviourof Hilda in throw ing the handkerchief stained with

39 8 ALAD DIN IN LON DON .

band to her arms ; but Julia never acted withoutdue forethought . She received Hilda graciously ,because she wanted to get something out of her ,and, though she felt a trifle sorry for her troubles ,self - interest predominated in her mind .

Hilda was unable to greet the queen kindly . She

thought Julia a hateful , cruel woman , who had actedin a base manner

, and, notwithstanding the follyof such behav iour, could not help show ing it . Thequeen saw this at once , and immediately proceededto assure Hilda that she had no intention of actingotherwise than in the kindest and most hospitablemanner .

“ I am glad to see you here , madame , she said ,in her sweetest tone ;

“and I have to thank you for

the help which you afforded me at the Villa

Tvar tko.

“ Your Maj esty of course speaks ironically, r e

plied Hilda coldly“ By no means , returned Julia, a trifle discon

eer ted at this speech ;“ I owe much to your husband

and yourself . ”

Indeed, your Maj esty,if you think so , you have

a strange way of repaying past favours. I am homeless , save for the shelter of the cardinal

‘

s roof ; myhusband is in prison ; I have not been permitted tosee him ; and the Duke of R ichborough is dead .

“ You have cause to speak bitterly ," said Julia

softly ,“ but, indeed , I am not so ungrateful as you

think . I am aware that I owed my life to Monsieur le duc , but had I stayed beside him in hisdying hour, all might have been lost . I was forced

TH E GRATITUD E OF PRIN CES . 39 9

to appear before the a rmy in order to secure theirallegiance . When I returned , which I did as soonas possible, Monsieur le duc was dead . Blame meas you will , but confess that I was powerless to actotherwise than I did .

”

“ Ar e you powerless to release my husband fromprison ?

“ No . I am going to do so to -day . It is onlynow that I have found time to think of anything .

Ah, madame, you do not know how dangerous hasbeen my position for the last week ! Do you thinkthat because Methodios i s dead , and I am acknowledged as queen of Busk , that my safety is secured ?By no means . On all sides I have to face and conquer difficulties This has left me no time to attend to such matters as I ought , otherwise MonsieurDacre would have been released at once .”

“ Your Maj esty found time to release the marquess Paradiso .

”

“ I required the marquess,replied Julia coldly ;

and as to Monsieur Dacre , though I am willing torelease him , you must admit that I have j ust causeto keep him in prison .

I do not admit that , said Hilda firmly .

“ Hedid all in his power to help you to succeed . Thathe failed to give the money to Upravado on thatnight at the Villa Tvar tko was not his faul

“ Then whose fault was it ?Maj or Measurby

’

s .

”

Pardon me , I can hardly believe that . Maj orMeasurby proved no traitor . Had it not been forhim

,I should not now be in my palace .”


I think my husband had more share in yoursuccess than any one else ,

” said Hilda with greatspirit . “ However

,it is no use talking over the

matter. Let your Maj esty release my husband, andthen fulfil Richbo‘

rough’

s dying request.Julia turned pale . Stifle her feelings as she

could , she still felt remorse for the way in whichshe had acted towards the man who had saved herlife , and lost his own in so doing .

“ t at do you mean , madame ?”

When my cousin w as dying , he said ,‘ If Julia

has any feeling that I have done her a service , lether release “

Y

ilf r ed Dacre at once .

’

“ I will do so ,” said Julia passionately . I al

ways intended to do so . I asked you to come herefor that purpose . See ! the order of release is al

ready prepared .

”

lVith a sudden gesture she took up a paper fromthe table and held it out to Hilda.

“ Thank Heaven ! ” said Hilda j oyfully , and putout her hand to seize the paper . To her astonishment Julia drew it back .

“ One moment , madame There ar e conditions .

Conditions ? ” repeated Hilda faintly , hardlyunderstanding the queen ’ s meaning .

“ Your M a

j esty is pleased to j est .”“ No , I am in earnest . I release your husband

on condition that you tell me the real reason of thefailure at Villa Tvar tko.

“ I cannot . ”

Do you know it , then ?”asked the queen ea

gerly .


no possibility of removing her suspicions regardingthe failure at Villa Tvar tko. Yet if she revealedthe secret of the ring , Julia would at once takesteps to possess herself of the talisman .

Hilda w as rather inclined to do this , if only topunish Maj or M easurby for his treachery . She

knew that there was no chance now of obtaining thering from its present possessor, as he would be constantly on his guard . Unwilling

,however

,that the

maj or should enj oy the fruits of his dastardly conduct , she decided to tell the queen all, and let herdeal with Measurby as M easurby had dealt withWilfred .

“ IVell , madame , said the queen , returning toher seat , have you made up your mind ? ”

“Yes . I will tell all, but I am afraid your Majesty will think the story too wild for belief.I will j udge for myself . Tell me all, every

thing .

”

t er eupon Hilda related the whole story of thering , from the time it came into the possession ofW ilfred ; and to substantiate the statement , handedto Julia the letter written by her husband in prison .

The queen listened to the marvellous tale with raptattention , only interrupting Hilda every now and

then with her ejaculations of surprise .

lVonder f ul ! she said w hen the tale w as ended .

And do you mean to say , madame , that this ring,now in the possession of Maj or Measurby , com !

mands twenty millions of English money .

“ Yes . It is a marvellous story I have told yourMaj esty, but perfectly true.

”

THE GRATITUDE OF PRIN CES. 403

The queen sat silent. thinking deeply . Alreadyher active brain was at work scheming how to ob

tain the talisman from the maj or . W ith such a

sum at her command , she could perform miracles ,extend her kingdom , baffle the craft of Russia,and perhaps secure Constantinople . W ith this shecould drive the Turk across the Bosphorus , reconstruct the Greek empire , and seat herself, a secondTheodora, on the throne of the Comneni . As rulerof Busk she could do much , but as owner of the ringshe could do more ; and there and then she decidedthat before night the ring of Brahma would sparkleon her finger .W ith deep craft, however , she let no hint of her

thoughts escape her, but with a gracious smilehanded the order of release to Hilda .

“ I quite exonerate your husband now , she said ,smiling

,

“and had I known of this before , I would

at once have released him . As for Maj or Mea

surby“What about the maj or ? ” asked Hilda, slipping

the order of release into her pocket .“ He is a traitor and a scoundrel . Leave me to

deal with him ,

” replied Julia fiercely .

“ I willpunish him .

”

“ If your Maj esty intends to do so by deprivinghim of the ring , let me warn you to be careful . Ifyou use force he may get rid of it before it can be

seized .

”

“ True,

" replied Julia thoughtfully.

“ I will notuse force . I will say nothing to Maj or Measurby

to - day , lest he should suspect from your visit that I


know his secret . No ; to -morrow I will try to circumvent him .

”

“ You intend to obtain the ring then ? ” askedHilda dej ectedly .

These words recalled the queen to herself , and sherecognized the folly of making Hilda the confidanteof her plans .No

,I hardly think so , she replied carelessly .

Maj or Measurby will do anything I tell him ; sothe ring is as good as mine now . But we will nottalk of these matters at present . You have now theorder of release ; so take with you Paradiso and goto the Tower of the Sultan for your husband .

”

“ I will go at once ,” cried Hilda, j oyfully rising

to her feet .One moment , said Julia, motioning her to stay .

After all that has passed , I am unwilling to seeMonsieur Dacre again , and think it as well that youshould both leave the kingdom .

”

Hilda was struck by the ingratitude of this observation

,but made no remark thereon , save indirectly .

“ I think so , too ,” she replied coldly .

“ Rest assured that my husband is as little desirous of seeingyou as you ar e of seeing him . lVe will leave at

once f’

The queen took no notice of this pointed speech ,but continued to talk calmly to Hilda, as though shewere conferring a benefit instead of behaving likean ingrate .

“ That vacht which lay of f Villa Tvar tko is therestill

,she said coldly ;

“ it was given to me by Maj orMeasurby .


to the door . You have gained your ambition at

the cost of a noble life .

”

Julia, touched by some sudden remorse , buriedher face in her hands , and Hilda, with one last lookat the woman who was responsible for her cousin ’ sdeath, left the room . She proceeded along the corr idor for some little distance, when the place seemedto spin around her . The anxiety of the last fewweeks , the interview with the queen , the thoughtthat she was about to see her husband once more ,

all these things proved too much for her nerves ,and she sank down in a faint , on the floor of thepalace .

CHAPTER XXX.

FEMIN INE D IPLOMACY.

WHEN Hilda revived, she w as lying on a couch ina small room, and some one bending over her washolding a glass of wine to her lips. She looked uplanguid

l y and recognized in this good SamaritanMaj or Measurby.

Here, Mrs. Dacre, drink this !” said the major

in rather a shamefaced manner. “ It will do yougood .

Hilda raised herself feebly on her elbow, and

looked at him with the utmost scorn. He w as arrayed in the brilliant uniform of the queen’ s guar d,and on glancing at his right hand she saw that hewore thereon the r ing of Brahma So contemptu

onely did she look at him that the major, feelingabashed by her presence, placed the glass on thetable and turned to go.

Stop ! cried Hilda, struggling into a sitting postur e I wish to speak with you, Maj orMeasurby .

”

Recovering his presence of mind, he turned backand pointed to the wine- glass.You had better drink that first, he muttered

nervously. You ar e ill .

How dare you touch me ! she replied with flashing eyes.


You fainted in the corridor. In common humanity I could hardly leave you there , Mrs . Dacre .

”

‘ In common humanity you can hardly leave myhusband in prison

,where he is now through your

machinations .”

“ It is not my fault, began Measu rby in a

blustering tone,when she cut him short.

“ Yes,it is your fault . Had you not stolen that

ring from “r

ilf r ed , the attempt at Villa Tvar tkowould not have failed ; had it not failed he w ouldnot now be in prison .

”

As to steal ing the ring, answered M easurby

mildly,

“ I only regained my own property . It is afamily jewel

Spare me these falsehoods , Maj or, said Hilda,taking the glass of wine from the table .

“ I knowall about the ring .

”

Has lVilf r ed told youHe has told me everything .

How can that be, when he is still in the Tower ofthe Sultan ? ” said the maj or suspiciously.

“ Youcannot have had an interv iew with him .

”

He bribed his jailer to take a letter to me,and

in that letter all w as explained .

”

Hilda quickly drank the glass of w ine , which r e

vived her greatly , and then sat quietly waiting themaj or’s reply . That individual was thinking ofsome excuse to make , but could find none sufficientlyplausible .

“ Dacre stole the ring from me, he said obsti

mately.

“ It is false , retorted Hilda haughtily.


In that short space of time an idea had occurred toHilda which she forthwith determined to carry out.It w as none other than to recover the ring , and shehastily formed a plan of action .

On the table w as a tray with several glasses anda bottle of wine, which the Maj or had ordered to bebrought in order to revive her from the faint. She

still possessed the narcotic given to her by Janshah,

with which she had hoped to drug the jailer and thusaid W ilfred to escape . If she could only drug a

glass of w ine and persuade the major to drink it,

in a few moments he would be fast asleep, and shecould then take the ring from his finger . It was adesperate chance , but she determined to attempt it,and watched for an opportunity to drug the wine .

“ Mrs . Dacre,said the maj or, after a few minutes

’

thought, I am truly sorry for your m isfortun es, andI think the best thing you can do is to go back toEngland in this yacht.

lVe have no money ! ”

In England you have five thousand a year settledon yourself

,which no one can touch . Surely your“

self and your husband can live on that .The cool insolence of the man enraged Hilda, and

she could hardly keep her temper. Being des irous,

however, of getting back the ring, she suppressed herunger, and answ ered the maj or civilly enough .

“rhen we arrive in England , all will be well .But I speak of money for our j ourney .

”

“ I thought of that,” replied Measurby eagerly,

when I brought you in here . I knew that thisin terview was inevitable, and desiring to off er you

FEMIN IN E DIPLOMAC' Y . 411

enough money to get back to England , I sent Janshah to my rooms for some . He will be back hereshortly .

Did you think I would go back without my husband ? ”

No . I intended to ask the queen to releasehim , but as youhave gained her pardon , there is nonecessity for me to interfere in any w ay. I will giveyou the money, and you can go at once .W ill Jan shah be long away asked Hilda with

pretended anxiety. I wish to see my husband as

speedily as possible.Probably he is on his w ay back now,

saidM easurby readily From this door I can seethe whole length of the corridor , so I will look ifhe is coming.

”

The maj or sauntered towards the door, whereuponHilda placed her own glass on the tray on the sidenearest to herself . There were four glasses on thetray . One of these she placed beside her own , and

left the remaining two on the other side of the traywith the bottle of wine between. Then taking thephial from her pocket, she quickly dr opped some ofthe drug into the clean glass , and replaced the phialin her pocket. As her ow n glass had still a fewdregs of wine at its bottom and the remaining twoglasses were on the other side of the tray, she couldnot make any mistake as to which glass containedthe drug intended for the maj or. All this was doneso quickly that when Measurby returned she was sitting calmly on the sofa as though she had nevermoved since he left the room .


There is no appearance of him yet, said Mea

surby resuming his seat . What is the matter , Mrs .Dacre ? You look pale again.

No wonder she looked pale , considering what wasat stake ; but the major, quite unsuspicious of hertrick, poured her out another glass of wine . She

watched him closely, and saw that he had filled herow nglass . To keep him from handing it to her, shetook it of f the tray herself.Thank you, major, I do feel ill, she said faintly ;

this excitement is too much for me . “Thy do younot have a glass of wine yourself ? she added art

fu lly, as he held the bottle mechanically in his right

hand,and drink to our safe journey .

”

Had Measurby not been blind to his own good , hewould have suspected that last phrase as comingfrom a woman whose husband he had wronged .

But he never gave a thought to the matter ; and,readily adopting her suggestion, he poured out some

wine into the drugged glI drink to your safe j ourney, by all means, M r s .

Dacre,” he said, putting the glass to his lips ; and

I hope neither you nor your husband will think sohardly of me as you do now.

”

He drank down the drugged w ine and set the glassback on the table empty. Hilda drew a long breath ,for she now saw that her enterprise would be successful . In a f ew minutes M easurby would be soundasleep , and then she could secure the ring. Theonly danger lay in the u nexpected retur n of Janshah.

t ilc the ring was on his master’ s hand, he woulddo all in his power to keep it there ; but once she


manner, and his head fell forward on his chest . Inanother moment he w as breathing heavily, fastasleep . The drug had done its work , and she hadtriumphed over both the maj or and the queen . lVith

out pausing a moment she took the ring of Brahmaof f the major’ s finger and slipped it on to one of herown , where it hung loosely, too large for the slenderj oint. A soft step caused her to turn round . She

w as j ust in time, for at the door she beheld Janshah.

He came forward in his usual stealthy mannerand looked at Measu rby, then turned his eyes in

quir ingly towards Hilda. For answer she held upthe hand upon which sparkled the ring .

I am mistress of the ring !Janshah bent forward, examined the ring closely,

and then made a profound obeisance to Hilda.

The ring is yours,my lady

,and I obey it.

Have you the gold for which you were sent bythe maj or ? ”

Yes ! Fifty pounds .Hilda laughed at this sample of Measurbv

’

s

avarice . W ilfred had given him tw enty thousandpounds , and he had returned the gift by the bestowalof fif ty. She looked contemptuously on the maj or’ ssenseless form, and then turned away with a smile .

“ Go dow n to the yacht,” she said to Ja nshah,

and make everything ready to start . Mr . Dacreand myself w ill be down very shortly .

Janshah bowed .

You go to release Mr . Dacre, madame ?”

Yes

Then I will have a carriage waiting for you at

FE MIN IN E D IPLOMAC’ Y . 415

the door of the Sultan ’ s Tower. You can drive toVilla Tvar tko, and at the terrace you will find a boatto take you to the yacht .”

An English crew, i s it not ?Yes, madame You need fear no treachery.

Go then at once,Janshah , and in the mean time I

w ill seek the marquess Paradiso , to releaseW ilfred .

Janshah once more bowed and took his departure,while Hilda, fearing to lose the ring, so loosely didit hang on her finger

,slipped it into her pocket, and

went to find the marquess . She w as delighted at

thus recovering the ring for Wilfred , but saw thatthey must leave Busk as speedily as possible , as, whenthe queen came to know of the major ’ s loss, shewould at once guess the truth. In that case , bothlVilf red and herself would be arrested so she lost notime in finding the marquess , who was much pleasedto see her .

Marquess ! I have come to ask you to go wi thme to the Tower of the Sultan , to release my busband .

”

Paradiso shook his head in a melancholy manner.Alas , madame ! I dare not do that without the

express order of her Maj estyHere is the queen’ s order , replied Hilda, giving

him the paper . I have seen her, and explained all.”

My dear madame, I am indeed glad,” said Para

diso,ru nn ing his eye over the paper M . Dacre

should have been released long ago, and I urged itfrequently on her Maj esty, but she would not hearof it. You have gained a favour which I could not

obtain .


A favour,—to release from prison the man who

placed her on the throne ? ” said Hilda disdainfully.

I confess that I do not agree with you , Marquess.However

,there is no use talking any more . There

is the order of the queen to release my husbandCome to the Tower of the Sultan w ith me at once .

Willingly, madame ,” said Paradiso, as they left

the palace it is not f ar from here . “That do younow intend to doGo to England in the yacht .What, that one of f the Villa Tvar tko given by

Maj or Measurby to her Maj esty ?Yes, her Maj esty has given it to us .I am glad she has recompensed your husband

in some degree for his unjust imprisonment,” said

Paradiso hastily. You have. been treated sham efully . But I could do nothing .

I know you ar e our friend , Marquess,said Hilda

in a v oice of emotion , and so is the cardinal,but the

queen she is not even grateful .

”

Julia de Lusignan is a strange mixture,

ob

served Paradiso, casting a. hasty glance around to seethat he w as not observed ; “ there is a great deal ofgood in her

,though you might not think so. You

will see that she will make an admirable queen .

I trust so,Marquess, for the sake of this unhappy

country .

”

“ It is as w ell you ar e leav ing it ," said the mar

quess in a gloomy tone , “ for already I foresee troublewith Russia. The queen is very headstrong, and

matters are not safe yet . She will not be contentwith Busk .

”


She has some gratitude, l ’l'

ilf r ed. She has presented you with the yacht .”

What yachtThe Zoe .

”

Why , she belongs to me .

No ; she belonged by the law s of the ring toJanshah. When Measurby took the ring, he possessed the yacht and gave it to the queen. She inher turn has given it to us .”

Well, we will use it to return to England . And

Measurby , I suppose , still has the ring ?”

NoThen who has it ? asked ll“ ilf r ed , in a. tone of

lively astonishment .Hilda held out her hand , and there , on the out

stretched palm, lay the famous ring .

You ar e its master again ,said Hilda j oyously.

Place it on your finger, ll'

ilf red, and never let itbe taken of f .

”

Hilda, you ar e a witch , cried IVilf r ed , slippingthe ring on his finger with great delight. How

did you get it from hi easurbyI drugged his w ineBut ifIt ’

s a long story ,lVilf r ed, she said , drawing himaway, I will tell you another time . Meanwhile

,to

obtain your release I had to tell the queen all aboutthe ring. She thinks Maj or Me asurby still has it,and when she. finds it is gone she w ill guess I havestolen it. We must get aw av from Busk as soon as

possible .

He re is a carriage for you, M . Dacre ,Paradiso, approaching.

FEMIN IN E DIPLOMAOY. 419

Yes ! Thank you , replied Hilda, going towardsit ; we drive to Villa Tvar tko, and from thence goon board the Zoe .

Good-by , madame , and you also , M . Dacre , saidParadiso , taking of f his hat, I feel ashamed of Buskwhen I see you depart like this .”

“ N ever mind , Marquess,” responded W ilfred

thankfully. SO long as I am free, I care not.M . Dacre, I know not the circumstances of that

night at Villa Tvar tko. Who w as the traitor ? ”

Not my husband ,” said Hilda haughtily.

I never thought so for a moment,” replied Para

diso quickly, you had risked too much , M . Dacre,to turn traitor at the last moment .”

The traitor w as Maj or Measurby , said “T

ilf r ed

stepping into the carriage.Ah said the marquess , in a peculiar tone ;

then rest assured , monsieur, that he will be punished by the queen.

He has been punished alr eadv . cried Hildatriumphantly, “

and by me .

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE WILL or BRAHMA .

IN four hours Maj or M easurby awoke from hisunnatural slumber , with an aching head and a feeling of ‘giddiness . For some moments he could notcollect his thoughts suffic iently to remember wherehe was . No one had come into the room during hissleep

, and all was as he had seen it , saving that outside the brilliance of day had faded into a delicatetwilight . He looked at the empty couch, at theglasses on the table , and then sprang up with a loud

He had discovered the loss of the ring .

“ The wine,

” he said to himself savagely, itmust have been drugged , the ring has gone

, and

she has stolen it . Oh,what a fool I have been to

trust for a moment to the w ife of Dacre . By thistime he doubtless wears the ring on his finger , andI have lost all. The queen will do nothing for menow

,and I can do nothing for myself . Gone ,

gone, after all my pains ! Oh , curse the woman who

tricked m e ! Curse her !It w as no use raging in this manner , f or bad l

'

an

guage w ould never recover the ring ; so Measurby

set his wits to work to think of some plan by whichhe could get i t back again . He knew well enough


queen would find w ork for the maj or in some distant province of the kingdom , the marquess veiledhis dislike under a mask of scrupulous politeness ,and managed to be on fairly good terms with onewhom be regarded as a disloyal traitor .

Measurby fou nd the marquess at his quarters , j ustabout to go to the queen , who had summoned him toher presence ; and he at once asked Paradiso aboutthe Dacres .

“ Is Dacre released ? he asked abruptly .

“ Yes . Her Maj esty has been graciously pleased togive him his freedom ,

” replied Paradiso coldly ,the least thing that could be done , in my opinion ,

seeing how much we are indebted to MonsieurDacre .

“ He is a thief ! ” said the maj or furiously,“ and

his wife, also ; they have stolen my ring .

”

“ You forget,Maj or,

“ replied Paradiso haughtily,that both Monsieur and Madame Dacre ar e friendsof mine . I cannot permit you to speak of them soin my presence .

”

“ I speak of people as I find them , retorted themaj or, who certainly did not lack courage . “

I

liatI say behind their backs I will say to their fac e s .

”

“ I am af r aid it is too late ,” said the marquess

grimly ; “ they have left Busk .

”

“ Left Busk ! ” cried the maj or , in despair, fallingback a pace .

“lVell, if they ar e not gone now, they will leave

shortly . They ar e at present aboard the yacht Zoe ,off the Villa Tvartko, and only awa it a messagefrom her Maj e s ty before leaving.

THE WILL OF BRAHMA . 423

Has the message gone ? ” asked Measu rby anx

iously .

“ I am just going now to see the queen about itreplied Paradiso , putting on his hat .

“ I must gonow, monsieur, and youYou will find me at Villa Tvar tko, said Mea

surby , turning away . I might go on board theyacht by the messenger ’ s boat, in order to bid farewell to my friends .”

I don ’t think they will be pleased to see you ,said the marquess

,looking back .

“ Madame Dacrespoke of you in anything but a friendly manner .

”

“ Curse her ! ” muttered Measurby , and, turningon his heel , left the palace without further delay .

The information af f orded by Paradiso concerningthe message from the queen had given him an idea,and he already had concocted a plot, which he nowintended to carry out .At once he proceeded to the palace of the arch

bishop , and obtained a horse from one of the grooms ,in order to ride down to Villa Tvar tko. He couldhave used his own horse at the palace , but distrusting the queen now that she knew the story of histreachery on that famous night , preferred to havehis whereabouts unknown for the time being . Thegroom of the cardinal knew M easurby well as a

friend of his master ’ s , so without hesitation gavehim the horse he required . The maj or mounted at

once, and was soon outside the gates of Varzo , galloping in the direction of Villa Tvar tko.

The four miles were soon covered by his horse ,which w as young and fresh . Measurby alighted at


the villa , and after explaining to an officer onguard— for the villa was filled with soldiersthat he was awaiting the arrival of the queen ’ s messenger, to go on board the yacht, strolled down tothe terrace in order to await the arrival of the emissary .

It was now growing rapidly dark , and the lightwas dying out in the west , but already in the eastcould be seen the rising moon , rendering everythingbright as day . M easurby , pacing to and fro

on the terrace , saw the yacht lying out about half amile from the shore, and cursed bitterly to thinkhow favourable were cir cums tances to the escape ofhis former friend .

“ Never mind,” growled the maj or savagely ; “ I

will go on board with the queen ’ s messenger, and

once there , I will either get the ring or kill Dacre .

To think of all he had lost was very bitter toMeasurby . For years he had hunted after Lascellein order to gain possession of the ring . By using~

Wilfred as his instrument he had nearly achievedhis obj ect , and at the Villa Tvartko, through theunconscious aid of Hilda , he had gained the wishedfor pr ize . Ah, why had he not refused to aid Juliawhen he met her on the Bulgarian frontier ? Itwould have been better to go to Constantinople

,

from thence taking passage to England . Then hew ould have been still in possession of the ring ; butas things had turned out he had been tricked

,

tricked by a woman .

“ Those cursed Dacres , said Measurby , shakinghis fist at the yacht,

“ they have always stood in


Certainly . I will say nothing .

And do not wait for me to come back . I willremain on board , and ask Monsieur Dacre to let mehave one of his boats to come ashore in before the

yacht leaves .

”

“ I will Obey all your desires , monsieur, saidMostar politely . I will s imply deli ver the message of the queen and return to the boat withoutmentioning your name in any w ay . In fact , so f ar

as I am concerned , no one will know that you ar e

on the yacht . ”“ Thank you , I am very much obliged , “ replied

the maj or gratefully ;“ that is all I desire .

“ I am happy that it is in my power to accede toyour request , said Mostar courteously, and thenrelapsed into silence .In a remarkably short space of time , the boat

reached the side of the yacht , and the gangway being convenient , Mostar sprang up the s ide quickly .

Measurby did not follow him at once , as he guessedthat Janshah w as on board , and he wished to escapethe keen eyes of the Indian . After the lapse of fiveminutes

,however . he cautiously went up the side ,

and w as fortunate enough to reach the deck quiteun observed . Then he went carefully down thecabin stairs , and managed to conceal himself in a

receptacle for odds and ends,near the steward ’ s

pantry .

Hidden in there , he could hear the voice of Mostar talking to Hilda and “

I

ilf r ed in the cabin . Theofficer seemed to be giving them some present fromthe queen

,for he heard “r ilf r ed tell Mostar to thank

THE WILL OF BRAHMA. 427

the queen for her gift, and shortly afterwards they

all passed the door of his hiding - place to go ondeck .

Li s tening intently , he heard the parting farewellof Mostar , and shortly afterwards the screw of theyacht commenced to be at the waters . She was

under way , and the maj or had now quite lost hischance of returning to Varzo . Not that he regrettedthis . Varzo was too hot for him now , owing to thehatred of the queen

, and all he desired at the present moment was to punish W ilfred for regainingpossession of the ring .

Neither Hilda nor her husband came down againto the cabin , so Measurby , thinking that they weresitting on deck taking a last look at Villa Tvar tko,decided to go above . He emerged from his hidingplace , and ascended the stairs . Halfway up hemet the steward , who seemed somewhat startled at

the sight of an officer in uniform .

“ I am here with Mr . Dacre ,” explained the maj or

calmly ,“and I have been resting in my cabin . Ar e

Mr . and Mrs . Dacre on deck ? ”

“ Yes,sir

,near the wheel , replied the steward ,

never doubting for a moment but that the maj orwas a guest of his master ’ s . “ Shall I tell them youar e here , sir ?

“ N0 , thank you , I will go up on deck myself .

He cautiously put his head out of the cabin door ,and to his relief saw that Janshah was nowhere tobe seen . W ilfred and Hilda were seated in deckchairs j ust verging on the shadow of the gunwale .

Measu rby drew his sword and stole forward with2 8


the utmost care . It w as truly wonderful that theynever heard his approach , but being deep in conversation , they doubtless thought it was one of thecrew moving about .Measurby stole nearer , and saw that W ilfred ’ s

right hand , the one w ith the ring , w as resting onthe gunw ale . A moment before he had risen to hisfeet and placed his hand in this position , with hiseyes fastened on the rapidly vanishing shore . Thewrist

,bare and gleaming , lay on the wood , and in a

second Measurby had made up his mind what to do .

Raising his sword cautiously , he brought it dow nwith all his force and severed the hand from the

wrist .lVith a cry of agony lYilf red fell on the deck

with the blood spouting from the stump of his arm ,

and the maj or , with a shout of triumph,sprang for

ward to secure the severed hand which lay on the

gunwale w ith the ring glittering on its thir d finger .

Just at that moment the yacht gave a roll , and thehand fell over into the water .

The ring was gone , the famous ring , for which hehad dared so much ; and losing control of himself inhis frantic terror at the loss , M easurby sprang overboar d after the hand . The shriek of lVilf r ed, thecries of his w ife . had summoned Janshah and someof the crew . They found ll

'

ilf r ed lying in agonyon the deck , with his wife kneeling beside him . As

to M easu rby , the weight of his uniform and swordcarried him down ; he never arose to the surface .In his mad desire for the ring

,he had thrown away

his own life , and under the blue waters of the Black


The yacht , and all its contents , ar e yours , my

Mine : said “r

ilf r ed in surprise . But I am

no longer mas ter of the ring .

“

You w e re at the time I bought the yacht foryou

,my lord

,replied Janshah quietly , and the

ring w as lost by no fault Of yours ; therefore , I giveall to you

,and I am sure the owners of the treasure

will approve of my so doing . Be sides , there is onboard gold to the amount of twenty thousandpounds , which is also y ours .

“ Then I am not a pauper , after all ?” said “T il

fred,w ith a contented sigh

“ Of course not , my dear , replied his w ife , whosat beside him .

“ I have my five thousand a year ,you have this tw enty thousand pounds and thisyacht . I think mys e lf we ar e very well of f .

”

“I

hat will you do , Janshah ?

I, my lord , will return to England . “T ith the

loss of the ring of Brahma ,my task is ended .

“ IVhat adventures we have had ! ” said “V

ilf r ed

to his w ife .

ll'

e ll, all is over now ,she answered soothingly .

I am glad We escaped from that horrible Buskw ith our live s .

“Even at the cost of my hand .

My poor darling , said Hilda . kis s ing him tender ly ,

“ how you have suf f ered ! But the man whodid it is at least pun ished for his w ickedness .

There , now,ilf r ed

, you ar e quite exhausted ; donot talk any more .

”

“f ell , if I have lost the ring , I have at least my

THE WILL OF BRAHMA . 431

dear wife , he said fondly ;“and of all the treasures

which the ring has bestowed on me , I value that giftthe most . ”

Hilda kissed him again , and Janshah, looking on ,smiled his approval .

On their arrival in London all was explained toLord Kenny, who at first refused to believe such a

marvellous story. But , on hearing it again , and

seeing the evidence of W ilfred ’ s handless arm , hew as forced to accept it as true . He did this withgreat reluctance , as it w as like believ ing in theArabian Nights . Although he promised to keep itto himself

,he could not do so , and gradually the

story became known in London , as lVilf r ed w as

certain it would if confided to Lord Kenny .

He w as quite the hero of the season , as every one

wanted to see the man who had possessed the ringof Aladdin , and placed Princess Julia on the throneof Busk . W ilfred , disliking such notoriety , r e

treated to his family estate in Herefordshire , andnow spends most of his time there with Hilda .

Though not as rich as when they had that famousrimr still thev ar e comfortably off , and W ilfred isa s

f ar happier than ever he was before in the whole

course of his life .

Janshah went to India, and Wilfred never saw

him again , but it is rumoured that the Hindoos ar econspiring against the British government with a

View of recovering their old supremacy ; so no doubtthe treasure is still making mischief as it ever did .

As to Julia , she , also , is making mischief . Not


content with her kingdom of Busk , on the throne ofw hich she is now firmly established , she i s constantlyintriguing for an extens ion of territory . Paradisois her prime minister , and does his best to restra inher unscrupulous diplomacy ; but he foresees troubles in store for Busk . Upravado is dead , and howhe died Julia knows best, though some say he is inexile in Eng land. If so, “

T

ilf r ed has not yet seenhim , and thinks that the queen must have got rid ofhim secretly , as she always intended to do . Cardinal Gregory is s till hoping for the tiara , but if Juliacan prevent it she certainly will do so , as theseformer friends now hate one another bitterly . Thequeen thinks the cardinal too powerful , and he be ~

liev es her to be too despotic ; so betwe en them theymake things very unpleasant in Busk .

The prophecy of the s tate sman who spoke to “v

il

fred is rapidly coming true , for Julia is constantlythinking of the reconstruction of the Greek empire ,with herself on the golden throne of the Comneni .As yet her schemes have come to nothing , but she

often sighs as she thinks how she could haveachieved her ambitions had she secured the ring ofAladdin .

FIN IS.

In Tw e Vole, cr ow n clot/z , pr z

'

ce z i r .

A TA N G L E D W E B

LADY LIN D SAY

‘ Has an orig inal p lot, w orked out w i th many bright touches .

'—lllorm'

ngPost.

Lady L indsay’s novel may safe ly be sent for in the next l ist to the c ircu lat ing

l ibrary . It is fanc iful , unpre tentious , and unexac ting .

’ —T/ze A t/zcmcn uz .

‘W e have had occas ion more than once to Speak w e ll of Lady L indsay'

s

l i te rary w ork ; and w e w i ll only say o f her lates t two -volume nove l , that i t isw r itten w i th great taste , and is a by no means uninterest ing story .

’—Pa ll rl/a ll

Ga zette.

‘The nove l is original in plot , and is grace fully w ri tten in the form of an

autobiography by the heroine , Lady G r isell.'—Publzslzer s

'

C ir cu lar .

We can commend it as a p leasant and readable story .

’ Wor ld .

Among new books o f inte re s t a foremost p lace must be awarded to A

Tang led Web.

"

PVaman .

BY TH E S A M E A U TH O R

[ a j eep. clot/z, p r ice 55 .

A STR IN G OF BEAD SVE RSES FOR C H ILD R E N

‘They are da inty l i t tle songs , da int ily w ritten , and daint i ly pr inted , and

some m ight w e ll be se t to s imp le tunes f or chi ldren to s ing or listen to.

’

Glue/fiver .

‘Altoge ther the book may be said to have in i t the e lements o f success.

’

Bookseller .

can imag ine children themselves reading and be ing touched by theseverses .

— S u zzday S an .

‘ These l i ttle lyrics a re invested w i th the charm and sentiment which LadyL indsay infuse s into all her work.

'

Lady L indsay has w ritten a dainty l i t tle volume of da inty verse for children .

’

Pa ll [Ma ll Ga zette.

'This pre tty l i ttle volume of verses for children is swee tly w ri tten, and

claintily pr inted and b0 und .

' —Pulzll5/zer 5 '

Cir cu la r .

Refined in tone , s imple in dict ion and thoughtf—S t. f ames

'

s Ga zette.

‘

Lady L indsay , like M r . Stevenson,seems to unders tand the child heart

and the child mind , and she is informed w i t h such an absolute sympathy w i ththe li t tle one that i t is like a romp in the p lay - room

,or half- an- hour 's converse

w ith one of these fresh souls new ly come from a happ ier world , to read he rl i ttle book.

'— T/ze Speaker .

A D A M A N D C H A R L E S B LA C K

LON DON AN D ED IN BURGH

In Tli ree Vela , cr ow n cloth, pr ice 3 13 . 6d.

BO R N I N EXI L

GEORGE GISSING

AUTHOR OF N EW GRUB s r nne r ,’

ETC. ETC.

But in Sp i te of its pess im ism, th is is a story which deserves to be Wi(read. '—Rev iew of Rev iew s .

Well worth perusal.—Gr aplz ic.

Full of suggest ion and ins ight .' —Standard.

Undoubtedly c lever. Wertmz'

nster Rev iew .

Essent ially a study of character. The Athenceum.

Ful l of power. The Boo/Ema”.

‘The story is almost necessar i ly a melancholy one, but i t is singularly aband those readers who do not at an early stage g ive i t up as dull, w i l l gratefadmi t that i t is brilliant . ' The A cademy .

M r . Gissing‘

s latest work, Born in Exi le , 15 also his best. Br it

D aily M ail.

‘The thoroughness and abil ity disp layed in Mr . Gissing’s s tudy of his he

Godw in Peak, are beyond doubt. —M or u lug Post.

‘Altoge ther this is a nove l that w ill be read w i th great profit and pleasui—Scotsman.

The main idea—is a s ingu larly s trange one .—Liler a; ;y Wor ld.

‘ It is a work that w ill bear studying, and this we can say of f ew present -dnovels .

—Publir/zer s ’ Cir cular .

George G issing is a powe rful writer.—D aily N ew s.

Har d to lay down.

’—T/ze Guar dian .

It is not a work to analyse , i t is hardly one to cri tic ise. The W’

or ld.

“ Born in Exile is the work of an orig ina l writer, one who hasdis tinct individual i ty . It conta ins analys is of character which is realmasterly.

‘

Tlie Speaker .

Born in Exi le is one of the c leve rest and best w ritten books of the seasoIt will leave an impress ion on all who read it—ah impress ion permanent,troublous.—Daz'ly Chronicle.

AD AM A N D C H A R L E S BLA C K

LON DON AN D EDIN BURGH

S TO R I E S

31 11 are thoroughly enjoyable .

'—Glzzrgow H er ald.

M r . Hope is a past master in the art of p leasing boys .

’

They w ill find many readers.

'—Belf ast N ew s Letter .

Th is is a volume wh ich w ill be pri zed by any boy .—Slzefi elzi Independefl t.

‘As desirable a book for a boy as cou ld eas i ly be f0 und .

' —Scotsma zz .

"The stories are of a healthy tone , and include everything to p lease any

many -mooded boy or g irl worth

Boys and girls both w i ll find much attractive and absorb ing matte r in the

f at volume of stories .

’—Glasgow E v en ing Tz'

mer .

The bes t proof of the book is in the reading we can safely recommend the

Shou ld on no account escape the observation of those who are on the lookout for sui table p rize -books.

' —.l/arzclze5ter E xa miner .

The y are all intere st ing .

—Leed.r Ale/f ury

‘They are excellent spec imens of genre p ic tures of juveni le l ife , and shouldas such meet w i th approval .

'

Por t.

Here is a book abou t boys , and for boys , that has really most of the meri ts .

and the qu i te consc ious me r i ts , of the scie ntific schools of fictionJ—Suzm’a)

A D A M A N D C H A R L E S B L A C K

LON DON AN D ED INBURGH

In crow n clot/t, pr ice sr .

THE PHILOSOPHER’

S WINDOWAND OTHER STORIES

LADY LIN DSAY

AUTHOR or‘BERTHA '

S EARL '

‘ It is fu ll of that tender grace which can only be the accompaniment of 2very loving and real genius. - A tfl lanta .

W i th a dis tinct touch of orig inal i ty . T/ze Book/nan.

Always refined , g raceful, and thoughtful.‘—T/ze IVur lo’.

Few col lec tions of short stories are as good as th is.'

Post.

It is a p leasure to come across a collection of refined and graceful s toriesuch as these .

'—Lady'

r Pictor ial.

Lady L indsay’

s s tories have a charm all the ir own.

’—Scottz'slz Standar d.

‘ A comely volume . All are set in a minor key, but i t is s imp le naturamus ic.

’—Punclz .

We can heart ily recommend Lady L indsay’

s fictions to those who likt

orig inal and reposeful li terature.

’—T/w Lady .

Lady L indsay has command of genuine pathos, and w ri te s eas ily an

naturally. IVoma /z .

‘This is some th ing rare in everyday English fict ion, and deserves to bencouraged .

’ The S unday Sun .

There is a tender charm and grace about these short s tor ies.—Sala ’

.

Journal.

All are worth reading. T/ze Gentlew omau .

And poet ical they are—these ten stories .

’ R ev iew 0/ Reviews.

A volume of brightly w ri tten short s tories. ’ T/ze Obser v er .

‘ Sad in subject, but happy in treatment .'

‘Always p leas ing and sugges tive .—Scolrma/l .

l-[er charm ing volume w i ll be we lcome to all readers of refined literature.

’

Alone/tester Cour ier .

‘

A charming volume of stories.—Pnll M all Ga zette.

‘They impress us so strongly w i th the feel ing that they have been conce iverand w ri tten by a tr ue art ist

'

s brain and hand .

’E xaminer .

"The tales are w el l told the dialogue is alive and goes the pathos, if fronfamiliar sources , flows naturally ; the soc iety of the social s tories is not th

bare and bra zen invent ion of some precoc ious newspaper cynic.

’—St. l ames'

Ga zelle.

A D A M A N D C H AR L E S BLA C K

LON DON AN D ED INBURGH

U N D E R TW O S I E

21 collection of S tories

E . W. HORNUNG

AUTHOR or‘A BR ID E FROM THE BUSH

,

‘ C lever workmanl ike stories,manly and gentle

Bookimm.

On the w hole , this is an excel lent collect ion of stories.—Glzz5gow Herald .

Ve ry w e ll told ,’ Tbe Bookseller .

C harm ing collection of short stor ies.

’—Blacie and

'Brig’h tly wr it ten and of great promise .

—D aily N ew s.

Absolutely free from convent ional i ty and af f ectation.

’ —Be z'

ly Telegr a/lz .

Pleasantly w ritten.

’—Poll M all Ga zette.

There is individual i ty and quie t power in M r . Hornung’s work.

’

Admirably told. S/zefi eld Independent.

We can hear tily recommend this very readable volume.

’—L z'

/cr ary Opinion .

Adm irably told stories.—Leeds M er cury .

A more interest ing volume for a holiday i t would be difficul t to name’

Liverpool Mer cury .

The author always w rites with a reserve of power.' —T! ze Academy .

‘A cap i tal and interest ing volume of tales.—Sy lw

'

a'

5 j our nal.

‘ M r . Hornung never fai ls to be bright and full of f lavour.’—M anc/zester

A D A M A N D C H AR L E S BLA C K

LONDON AN D ED INBURGH

In cr ow n clatk, pr ice 55 .

TH E

STORY OF A STRUGGLE21 Romance of the fi tamptans

ELIZABETH GILKISON

'A tale of Scottish l ife , show ing a good deal of sympathy w i th , and understanding oi, its condit ions.

’ The Bookman .

Bea rs the stamp of a very intimate acqua intance w ith the people described .and the country which has he lped to fashion and modify these pecul iari t ies.Al one/tester Guardian.

The inc idental touches. the descrip t ions o f H ighland scenery and H ighlandsuperstit ions are we ll done.

’ The S r‘

u/ymmz .

‘The s tory has also sustained interest. and is w r itten w i th p leas ingsimp l ici ty. - l[ orm

’

ng Post.'One of the most vigorous , tender , and powerful dramas I have knowndep icted by a woman

’

s pen. Taken all in all. I have not come across so

sound, so admirable. and so pow erfu l a work of fict ion for many a day as this“ Story of a Struggle .

”—M rs. ALEXAN D ER IRELAN D in the Axi om/testerCou r ier .

In cr ow n SW ), cloth

, pr ice 3s . 6d.

UNDER OTHER CONDITIONSA

BY THE

REV. W. S. LACH—SZYRMA

Pleasantly told.’ The Bookseller .

A curious book. —Sco/tislz Leader .

This except ional ly beau t i ful s tory .

'—L iv erpool J/cr cury .

A very dist inc t departure from the commonplace .

’Yorkslz z

‘

r e Port.

A highly- imag inat ive romance.—D a z

'

ly Teleg r aplz .

A D AM A N D C H A R L E S BLA C K

LONDON AN D ED IN BURGH

DRYBURGH ED ITIONOF THE

WAVERLEY NOVELS

and publz'

sned monthly , commencing 1st N ov ember 189 2

PRlOE

EACH VOLUME CONTAINING A COMPLETE NOVEL

THIS ED ITION w il l contain the latest rev ised tex t, w ith

ample G lossaries and Indices and w ill be"

Il lus trated w ith 2 50

W ood Eng rav ing s , specia lly draw n by the fol low ing Artists

CHARLES GREEN. GODFREY C . HINDLEY.

GORDON BROWNE. WILLIAM HOLE, R.S.A.

PAUL“

HARDY. LOCKHART BOGLE.

WALTER PAGET. GEORGE HAY,

C . M . HARDIE,

HUGH THOMSON. W. H. OVEREND .

H. M . PAGET. STANLEY BERHELEY.

JOHN WILLIAMSON.

will be a La rge- Pap er Edition, s tr ictly limited to

3 00 cop ies , specia lly p r inted on Dickinson’

s Hand

A D A M A N D C H A R L E S BL A C K

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