The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-08
From the Chapel Roof.
EBelgravia.j

centnry-it was, in short, Wednesday
evening, March II, 1874 solitary
pedestrian might have been seen walking
rapidly down the main street of the an
cient town of Windsor. Coming to the
road that leads to the castle, he, after a
moments hesitation, took the turning,
and walked on till he arrived at the en-
trance of the courtyard. Here he sud-
denly changed his attitude, thrust his
billy-cock hat ON the back of his head,
put his hands in his pocket, and, assum-
Ing slouching gait, attempted to walk
past the. sentry.
The wary soldier, however, was on the
'qui vive."
"On the works." said the stranger in
reply to the challenge; and without stop
ping to observe the effect of this expla-
nation, he walked on across the quad
rangle and entered the cloisters Of the
Chapel of St. George.
Five minutes later two other men
slouched into the gateway, and, being
challenged, answered as before. Then
came two others; and the sentry, musing
On these matters, began to think that
the work inside the castle must be cost
ing pretty penny, when it required the
supervision of so many persons. For
these five men, who. being ION the
works" had passed in, were evidently
not common laborers Probably fore
men," the sentry thought as he watched
the figures of the last two men fade in
the loom of the cloisters.
The five men were evidently well &C.
qnainted with each other, and, joining
within the cloisters, spoke to each other
apparently in high glee at the success
OF some strategem. There were other
people about the cloisters, as, indeed,
there seemed to be people everywhere
within the precincts of the castle. Ham
mers were falling, planks were being car
ried hither and thither; and in the court
yard, lighted only by fire that burned
In open CRATE in one corner, men we're
hurrying to and fro giving the last
touches to the preparation for The cere-
monial Of the morrow, when his Royal
Highness Arthur William Patrick Al
bert, Duke of Connaught and Strath-
earf1e, Earl of Sussex, wearer of the Or
der of the Black Eagle of Prussia, the
Elephant of Denmark, and the Seraphim
of Sweden, was to wed the daughter of
the Red Prince of Prussia.
1t was evident that the five strangers
were chiefly anxious not TO draw in
convenient attention upon themselves.
and to prevent any suspicion of loiter-
Ing.
They walked round the cloisters osten-
tatiously engaged in conversation.
Workmen passed them, and thought they
were officers of the castle. Officers Of
castle passed them, and thought they be-
longed to the working party. So they
walked about unchalleneed and almost
unseen in the semi-darkness Of the clois-
ters.
They were ordinary-looking men, such
as you might meet any day in the street.
The one who had entered first, and who
appeared to be the leader, was a man of
ordinary inches and powerful build,
though tendency to corpulency some
what detracted from his height. His
face was one which at first glance was
pleasant to look upon. 1t was fres.,-col-
ored, with blue eyes, and an honest, open
expression. He was the sort of man one
would speak to in railway carriage or
on lonely road, and think he had found
pleasant companion. A keen observer,
however, might note, keeping his glance
steadily fixed on those blue eyes, that
sometimes an evil light came into them.
They seemed to change color, cleaning
like the blue in steel, and with this the
expression of the face changed. Instead
of the pleasant, kindly, honest look, |
there was mask of hard, stony deter
mination, capable of carrying out evil in
tent to the furthermost end.
ut will be fine sight" said one of
the figures.
''Yes," replied another voice, "and
there will be more looking on than they
have provided seats for"
Then the leader spoke in a voice
which, like his face, was pleasant and
honest at first, but seemed to change to
a malignant tone before his speech was
ended.
1T will be fine" he said, Ito see the
Queen come up, and then there will be
the King of the Belgians, and the Prince
of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh,
and Lord Beaconsfield. What a roar
would run through Europe, and how the
world would be shaken even down to the
|Antipodes, If, say between the responses
'Of the marriage service, five shots were
10 sound through the startled chapel, five
flashes were to come as it were from the
mysterious holes in the roof, and five
cprpses were to lie around the marriage
alter. The Queen, the King of the Bel
gians, the Prince of Wales, the bride
groom, and Lord Beaconsfeld. Ha! ha!
hap
'Hist," said one Of the five, nudging
the leader, "you will be heard, and then
twill be all over with u.s."
The caution seemed unnecessary. No
one appeared to interrupt their tramp.
But there seemed to go up from the
cloisters, carried on tho wild March air.
u wall, which, passing over the chapel
roof, circled round the Tower OF Windsor
ihook the folds of the royal standard.