The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-09

aThank YOU she said to the secretary Of
state with pleasant little smile, which was
meant to convey, and which Ibid convey,
| that she had had enough of him. He
\ promptly disappeared into the crowd with
resigned good huinor, bearing away with
| him In his wake the elderly redribboned
| diplomatist
Princess Barnabas and Julian Sinclair
were left alone She sat down on the
couch in the recess of the window, and
slightly nlotioned TO him with her hand
TO take his place by her side. He obeyed
silently. The recess of the window was
deep For the moment they were almost
entirely isolated from the shifting, glitter
ing throng that seethed and drifted around
them Sinclair kept quiet, looking into the
face of the princess with an air OF half
amused inquiry. There were few seconds
of silence, and then the woman spoke, be-
ginning, womanlike, with question.
"Have YOU forgotten me- Mr. Sinclair
The young man shook his head, gravely.
! "No, have not forgotten you, princess
Her ewes were fixed on his face, but he re-
turned her gaze quite steadily.
@Yet it must be two years since we met,
She repneui anu 0"o years Is long
time
ayes, two years is very long time" he
said, half sadly, half scornfully.
There was another little pause. Neither
seemed embarrassed, and yet the interval
was long enough to be embarrassing. Then
she spoke again.
why did you leave St Petersburgi
Where have you been all this timer
He answered the second part of her ques-
ton: al have been in Constantinople most
Of tho time. | only returned TO London a
few days ago, and am going away almost
Immediately to the east again, to Persia this
time"
"For how longG7
There was faint tone of WEAKNESS in his
reply, though he strove to make his voice
purposely steady. "0a forever, suppose;
or, at least, until l am an old man, and of
no further use. Then perhaps may come
back on pension, and write dreary letters
to The Times about the errors of my success
ors." And he laughed to prevent himself
from signing.
"You have not answered all MY question, .
said the princess. why did you leave St
Petersburg so suddenly We were such very
coed friends, and assure you quite missed
YOU
Sinclair got up and looked down into her
laughing eyes Il left st. Petersburg" he
said, because was afraid to stay"
Her eyes were laughing still, but there
was an unwonted softness in her voice as
she asked him: "Why were you afraid to
stayl Surely you were not Nihilists"
He began to speak, and paused; then with
a determined effort to keep his voice under
control he said: Il left St Petersburg
because l was fool enough to fall in love
with you"
"Thank you for the compliment Was
that so very foolishio
mot for others, perhaps. For me folly,
and worse than folly-madneSS. / never
thought l should sss you, again; l did
not dream that we should meet tonight.
But since chance has thrown us together for
the last time, as leave England in few
days for the rest of my life, may as we'll
tell you, for the first and for the last time,
| that love you"
Her eyes were laughing still; those wonder
full gray blue northern eyes which so many
capitals raved about; but her lips were
firmly, almost sternly, set Still she said
nothing, and he went on, Al knew it was
folly when | first found that loved YOU
over there, in st Petersburg. was poor
English gentleman, and you were the Prin-
cess Barnabas / might as well have fallen
in love with star. So came away" He
said the words simply, with quiet conviction,
and held out his hand Good bye, prin-
cess, and forgive my folly"
Sho rose and faced him. Any one Of the
hundreds in the great room beyond who
CHANGED to look at the couple half hidden by
the curtains of the deep window would only
| have sen man ana a woman talking
lightly of light things. "And you have not
forgotten me yet I" she said
Il new er shall forget you," he answered
sadly. 81 cannot love more than once, and
i love you with all my soul Do you remem.
Der one day, when we drove together in the
Neva perspective. how you stopped to give
some money to an old beggarl envied the
beggar for getting gift from you, and you
| in jest dropped coin into my outstretched
hand" He took out his watch-chain and
showed her the tiny gold coin with the Rus
sian eagle on 1t. Il have kept it ever since,
he said, at is the only thing care for in
| the world. | have lived and shall live so
much in the east that am somewhat super
stitious, and / think it is my talisman Good
bye He held out his hand again. She
| took it.
"WiI you come and see me before yoa
leaves" she asked, almost appealingly.
He shook his head. Better not" he said.
For a moment she was silent; she seemed
to be rejecting. Then she said, with sud
den vehemence, promise me that if l write
and ask you to come you will obey me-
Promise me that for the sake of our oil
friendship
He bowel his head. II promise he said
"And now give me your arm and take me
to my carriage" said the Princess Barna-
has Il want to so home to bed"
=
The next day Julian heard nothing from
the princess. "Of course not" he said to
himself, struggling his shoulders at the fam
tastic hopes which had beseged his brain
| since that strange meeting, and be doggedly
faced his approaching exile. But on the
afternoon of the second day after the meet
ing at the embassy, Julian Sinclair, coming
to his hotel after day spent in busy prepa-
ration5 for departure, found a tiny note
awaiting him. 1t was from the princess,
and had only these words: "Come this even
ing, shall be alone" And he went
This was part of conversation which
Princess Barnabas happened to overhear at
O reception at the foreign office, on the eve
of her departure for the east. The speakers
were Harry Kingscourt and Ferdinand
Lepell. Said the painter: "Have you heard
the news about the Princess Barnabass She