THE "EAGLES" A SENSATIONAL STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 193, 23 September 1909, Page 3

THE "EAGLES" A SENSATIONAL STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE.

Cy I'aul t :.'j

TAUT a. I turned q« ny with r. > unutterable disgust that I made no pains to ctinrcal. I had rend about poiplf and heard of Ihrm. and f rould hardly lielieve that I htt'J sat opposite to such a tlffipfrabli' creatuiT without instinctively ftvling that I wflt breathing a contaminated alm»*si»hrr«*. I am certain that had f known the gracious, bowing g»-n----llcman opposite me as cm* of tho»» loathsome wab who prevail upon proplr to commit crime for the m-re purposw* of l>ei raying them to the jiolin*. I should h«»p dnshrd th«* contents of the mustard-pot in his face lor presuming to address himself to irte.

Kv>>n now I Mt riveplng over m> a de*»ire to go in sen reh of him and lind some excuse for kit-king him. to relieve me feelings. However when I txrgan to rememlier that I won mysell aiding and abetting and protecting a beautiful spy. I philosophically decided that perhaps the Ih*i thing to do was to sa.v nothing nnd g.-t put of the business as quickly a< l>os>ible. 1 was to discover, however. before* long that a d-t-rmiiin lion of this kind was easier me;! • than put into effect when one l r,« lw>en drawn completely into thv* tjongmire of political conspiracy.

We were now well over llie frontier and on our way to St. Petersburg. "Well, you have nothing to fear now. I think." I remarks**! to th>' rountess. "In a very short time you will be safe with your friend*, and I should advise you not to venture away from them into other countries again. 1 think you have tinrdlv chosen your true vocation in life."" "I am not the chooser of my ways. I do that which is commanded." "Then 1 can only say that thoso who command you " I suddenly stopped. It was no good hurting the poor girl's fillings and possibly getting her into trouble by putting reliellious thoughts into |i> r mind, so 1 simply added : "Ki>r myself. I shall go back to Knglnml as speedily as my duty permits."

"Kngland ! What a happy placu to live in ! Kitglnnd ! " Now we were beginning to get sentimental. ami It was time we got bark to our own compartment. .lust as I was suggesting this the troin ■iliiwttl down. I looked out of Ihe window with some surprise. This was only a very small by-station, and we were not limed to stop at it As we came to a stand-still I noticed that men on horseback surrounded the station, and lined the level crossing as soon as the train pa.v-.c-l through the gate. "The police ! " said Ihe countess, in a whisper. "They are c«>ing to search the train." She pulle.l on her gloves as she spoke.

In a very few moments uniform-->l otli. uil.H were steadily marching from carriage to carriage and compartment to compartment. Nobody . ould possibly get past thein ; or

..n had any |*»rson slipp-d out al.im: the rails there was the cordon r ud the station itself. Whoever poor wretches were for whom th- | >,,|i«e were looking, their ro.-»:l fi. Sifwrin was now direct if Ihey i| io l»e on this train.

■ IV.' had twtler make our way l.a'i: '.i ntir prop-r seals. It will sav--,v t'sjumentl said, leading I he way i'.. r- the countess, who folloWltl. f'llllbl iis; wiih h-r gltiVrs in the pas.^ng**. As we passed the reserved carriage-* th.* lady *t<vp|Kfl opposite I he on** where we had seen the l!i"iic*ror. With an anxious look of inquiry she IHtinUd to the il«»or. Holh of us had realized lh- extraordinary position. Il wa-t quit.* ol»vious from what had happened ear Her that the occupant of this carriage was anxious most * f all to avoid recognition by any persons associated with Russian official life, and I knew better than the countess the reason why. "He is supposed to I*! in the Winter I'atace." she whls|iercd. "Hut one word whis|»er»-d by him in the ear of llie officer in charge will be vurb. unt. surely?" " Il»* dare not speak it." I had got enough on my hand* alread„*. in all conscience but with the meddling Hrilisher's Irrepressible «|emiv to interfere with everybody else's I found myself devising whiih I should adopt if 1 w«*r»* fh Kmperor. I conld hear the po!i, ..(Titers moving along the train, nr..l in short, sharp sentence:* d—mailing the passports of the pasrisers. The door of the compartment o|»ened very softly, and as the while face became visible once more to the countess it was being pushed tu smartly when a sudden Inspiration seizing me. 1 slipped my right foot in the opening. "How dare you. sir?" said a voice with tremulous indignation. As for the countess she covered her face with her hands. Such an Impious act was too terrible to gaze upon. Kegardless of the enormity or my offence, however, I pushed open the door and stepped into the compartment. "For reasons best known to yourself, and perhaps not unknown to me." 1 said, "you desire to avoid recognition. Von. aro tho Hon. Hubert tiascoigne. in the service ol bis Most Gracious Majesty Kdward the Seventh King of Great Itritain »~i Ireland. Here arc your credentials and passport." He clutched the documents 1 pulled out of my pocket and thrust into his hand. Glancing at the Royal Arms, and running his eye over the portentious list of titles borne by the Foreign Secretary, he looked at me nervously, and asked : "What will you do ? ~ "Oh. I shall blunder out of it somehow." I said backing out of tbj door and shutting it before he had time to offer any farther protest. It was not till we had t;ot back to out seats there to a-.ip.st calmly the on-

wJ ninrch of th" inserting office;'ha' I l.«-|k'an to understand in what kw ar. 1 predicament I had placed I: iI. A .'.mart young officer stood at th ■ •."Hop* floor liefore I had formed .iT'i_v plan nt nil. Tae great object <>f nil was, therefore, to gain lim • to think. There is nothing like the stupidity of the man who does not understand, and when the officer demanded my passport, I wished him good-morning in a hail-fellow-well-met English style. "Your passport, sir?-' he asked, smartly in Russian. "Yes. yours is a very pretiv country indeed," I saiil in Knglish. More sternly than ever he pointed to my pocket, and I promptly produced him my railway ticket. Calling mc a stupid person, nml using other complimentary epithets ahirh strongly tempted me to punch l»is bend he ordered me to come out. I stuck solidly in my seat and lie twirled his 'moustache fiercely. A big assistant was about to get nu* out by the shoulder, when an older officer coming into the compartment, inquired what was the matter. "An oltstinate person who will not his jiassport. sir." "Uf what nationality ? " "Knglish. I think, by his apj>earnnce. and his language Is barbarous jnough." The older officer with a stupendous ;-ffort to retncmlicr a few Kng'ish words pointed to the passport which it her passengers had exhibited and asked : "Voiir name, sir. and destination'' "The Karl of Lanarkshire," 1 said, promptly, using one of our f:»>i.>ly lit Irs with a pardonable disregard for n>t'- r ary «»f detail. "Your passport, my lord ? " h • 'aid. "tlrawn" as I PX[wctv«l by the tit le. "Oh, that paper," I said casually. "Tho thing thev gave me at the I'oreign Office ? It's somewhere is my bag. I couldn't In? bothered withit." The two officers drew into the corridor and held a whispered conversation. "He is evidently Knglish ond noble."- I heard the elder man say. "He has left his passports l>ehind.'' "Your orders, sir. were to detain anybody without exception, who did not possess a passport." The older officer stepped up to me again and with a politeness of which f could not complain sugg«*sted that I should wait until inquiries were made. "My business is urgent." T said. "I have introductions and friends at thn Embassy in St. Petersburg, and I must proceed with my journey."

Whatever hapl N, ned 1 could not desert the countess.

Tho two officers withdrew and again consulted. "We do not want more friction with the Knglish Government just now," I heard the older one say, "and they arc so dreadfully touchy about any of their subjects being molested."

The end of it was. I was lectured in broken Knglish with a of Russian, on the necessity of carrying my passport on my person, and the officers passed on to worry* other l>eoplc. Once again the Knglishman abroad hail muddled through. As for the countess she had herself stopped the officers in the corridor, and as she held up her papers for in-s|M-vtion they passed her by in silence.

I heard a violent knocking at the clos-'ri door of the compartment where my passport really was, and T heard the door slam again as the officers moved on. I knew exactly what had hapi»ened. My papers had lier-n pushed through the door, and the mention of his Majesty's service had I teen sufficient. The I'mperor had l>ecn wise enough to keep his face out of sight liehind a huge handkerchief and a violent fit of sneezing during the few minutes that it took to examine my credentials. The search went on. and T jumped to the window as I heard a commotion at the other 'nd of the train. An inoffensiv<-looking peasant, white and protesting, was bundled out of the train to the platform, and the train proceeded. I rould see by the faces of the officers that they were disappointed. They had caught nothing worth having and had merely detained a wretched |ieasant in ord.-r that their official dignity might not entirely suffer in the presence of the general public. Tho counless did not speak during the remainder of the journey. I quickly perceived that it was her 'le*ire not to he associated with this Knglishman who had defied the police. As tho train was Hearing St. Petersburg, 1 wandered towards the compartment of the Kmj»eror but found no opportunity of speaking to him again. When the train drew up he stepped oii». thoroughly roncealtd with huge fur wrappings, which were quite justified by the raw night and stepped into a closed carriage already drawn up at the side of the platform, drove smartly off without a scrap of luggage. I got the countess to a carriage, and drove pIT with her to the address which she gave the driver. "Well, we have had an eventful journey, countess," I said, leaning back. ."And the police have made a capture. I suppose he is one of our friends of the other evening?" The countess shook her head. She was looking out of the window with a troubled and anxious look on her beautiful face.

"Mr. Gascoigne." she said, turning suddenly towards 'me. "I wish you were back In your beautiful Kngland. There is trouble coming of which none of us can see the end. It was fate that brought us all together to-day-" •'Well, fate seems to have stood by US fairly well." ''And you have baulked the police. No. not the police, but people who arc greater than the police. If ever they should know "

"Know what ? I merely bluffed them with a title to which my family has just claim. My father doeppt want it. My eldest brother has another one, and as it happens to be going begging there is no harm in my making use of it. I've not baulked the police very badly, surely b\ doing that ? " "No. Hut do you know the mis sion of the police on that train 7 "To arrest a:< many poor wri-.i - as 'hey rould l.i\ ! heir hands on. • "■ some pretence or the other, I sup-

••.\o ; th.' |h>,io- w- iL- nut the a-g.-nts of ih<>w. u)io iiiJc th.- man whose compart in< -ji' you invaded. Ho has eluded tii'-m for so:;) 1' purpose of his own, and they are' anxious to " "Hut you suc-ly don't !.. an '■<■ the Czar wi have 1 n an--- aJ by his own p* He.* o'F.c "No ; th«' Cv'ar w«have f>een arreted. A r- -r wii i r.-!-.--'!''ng without cr>'«l-n' ir.N wuuWl i.">'n <l"'tain"d. and t h<- f.'r;Mid I)'i':es WOtll'l have t»• • •II • : ■ - 1 ■ •<• I with Whftlvr 'he Km] ht, w ;.!".-d for ihein to roni''. or wh' th'/r lv revcaltl himself to his en!-'or.-, his o'.i 'ct n remaining unknown would have been thwarted and the fa>-t that he had been out of Ilu sia wi'hout permission would have been revealed." "Hut they did not d'-tain me." "There are reasons for leaving an Knglish lord a'one just now. I am afraid my Itoyal master would hardly have carried o'f th.-. imposture as well as you did." "So : he was as flustered as a clod hopp- r in a drawing room when I handed him my By Jove ! "What is the matter ? I leaned back and looked at the rountess in helpless alarm. I had not got my credentials bark, and the Czar had driven off with them in his pocket. .CI I APT ICR IX. The situation was awkward enough fn all conscience. Here was 1. Hubert Cascoignc, an attache to the Kmbassy in Paris, stranded without my passports or my credentials in St. Pete-sburg in very dubious company ; for I ivali>xd that the countess was not exactly a jierson with whom a diplomat, concerned with the safe secret of hi.-i country's interest, should be mixed up. A woman's sex discounts a good deal ; but though I have as much sense of chivalry as most men I confess to a feeling of distrust and dislike for this woman, who made it her business in life to win herself into the confidence of others in order that she might betray them. Hut as I drove in h:-r company to the hotel It began to dawn upon mo with unpleasant strength that, insomuch as she was the on'v person who could help me, 1 was for the moment in her power. At one lime I h;i<l thought of going straight to the Kmbassy and making known the whole business ; but when one is a younger son and has more «r less expensive tastes and a small income one does not hurry to s.-ej; an oflicial reprimand that will probably end in dooming one to some inferior position and inferior salary for the rest of one's life. I had to get back my papers from the Czar without courting the anger of the Diplomatic Service, and the only person who could get thi-m back for me was the Countess. As the confidential agent of the Dowager Kmpress, I realized that she must be a force in the Palace, and that with a little tact she could induce his Majesty to part with my passport ami credentials without letting his little trip to the frontier become public property. I thought it best to take her into my confidence and as we drove over the snow I put the matter clearly before her.

"My dear Mr. Cascoigne, there will not be the slightest difficulty. I will promise you to see his Majesty to-morrow, and I have enough influence to protect you from the inquisitiveness of the police until the papers are once more in your hands. If you don't make yourself too public ami keep within the hotel all will be well. To-morrow at eleven I can obtain an audience, and at dinner 1 will promise to hand over the documents. Rut how came you to realize the Czar had special reasons lor secrecy ? Ilad you seen hiin before?" She looked up with eyes whose meaning it was not difficult to read and if I had been so dense as to be unable to understand what was written there, the fact that she slipped her hand under the rug and v.armly pressed my own would have settled any doubts in my mind. '•Remcml>er, Mr. Gascoigne." she said, looking at me, "I owe you my life. There need be no secrets between us now."

I tried to steel myself as well as I rould to appear as friendly as possible. To speak the truth the woman got on my nerves. I neither liked her nor her occupation, and yet I had to trust her. I had indeed, for the sake of my own safety and reputation to pretend a certain reciprocal aflfcetion which I was far from feeling. Diplomacy is a good game when played with men, but with a woman you dislike, and in the more dangerous game of love, it is poor fun. Hut I did my best. I piled platitude upon platitude, and returned the pressure of her hand with a warmth that I am afraid did not deceive her. When we arrived at the hotel I could see that she was regarded as a person of very considerable importance. In Russia the number of people who are willing to crintre to you is a fair test of your poTitieal ami social importance. And here the whole staff turned out bowing and cringing. As we entered the hall, followed by porters carrying our a tall man, with strongly-marked Tartar features rose from an ottoman and advanced towards the counu-s.s with outstretched hands. "My dear countess, ihis ic an unexpected pleasure. We thought thai the sun had been banished fr .m St. Petersburg for ever." "The sun has its orbits. y..tt know, prince," replied the counte.-s, and you can't expect it to shin-- on two sides of the world a' one tinvr" **Ah. but I don't like ;'p ; . '• ho said ; and then he gia:e I me with a note of inu ri oca': in his eyes. The count"." ! but the invitation was too ; renounced. "Ah, yes. IsA me in'rod yo-t. prince. Mr. Gaseoigiv ski." "Are we to fight or l.e friends, your nation and mine V " sani the prince, a sardonic stniie ;/.&:• :::sx at the corner of his lip:-. "Roth of Prince, have *r.o much : sens.- !•> :iirh ! ,' : I : : r:..L" tno < hr.n.M-e!:.' : "Wei!. *,ve •-ha!) Mr. (Jas* oigne. li>r ;.,ei i.ve.: yc-ur Cov^rnTo be Continued.