The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-11-03

dead? l had evidently been drugQed. Had been drugged out of life-pois- oned2 l almost hoped SO. It seemed dreadful to go down into the dark grave, helpless and motionless, but with all my senses clear about me. And yet it seemed even more awful to wake up to the shame and ruin that awaited me in this life. How infatu- ated l had been. Where were the relatives tho Cattanis had spoken of? had never seen any of them; had never verified any statement they had made about themselves. In the blindness of my passion I had trusted implicitly to the word of two people who were perfect strangers to me, two people of which l knew ab- solutely nothing. And this was the result; two great nations plunged into bloody war, all through my own re- missness and follyl
 Something like half an- hour, which seemed to me like an eternity, must have passed when a quick step was heard on the landing outside; there was sharp rap st the door, and be- fore the count could answer I heard the door open and recognized the quick step and clear voice of Mir. Gray, who was private secretary to Lord, the foreign secretary, as he said
 "Helloa, Brown, we have been ex- pecting to hear from you, and ran down here to see you with & message from Lord -. Why don't you speak?"
 /! could see the count turn very pale as MT. Gray came into the room.
 "Come, what is the matter? Are you asleep?" continued MT. Gray, shaking me by the shoulder as he spoke. "Oh, come, come, Brown, Pm in hurry. What is this nonsense2'
 "Good heavensi there is something the matter with him 1" exclaimed the count with we'll -feigned a arm.
 They laid me back in my chair and looked into my eyes.
 "Oh, heavensl he's not breathing l'' cried the count again. "It is cata- lepsy or death. We must get & sur- geon," saying which he ran out of the room.
 "What is the meaning of this?" said MT. Gray aloud to himself when Cat tani was gone. "Merciful goodness. the key to the cipher, and that man reading itl" He took up the book from where Cattani had laid it down.
 As he did so his eye was caught by the cipher telegram which was lying on the table with my translation of it.
 "What can be the meaning of this2' he said to himself again. What, I cannot help saying, would I not have given to have been able to tell himl
 He had just glanced at the papers when two attendants came into the room. One of these was the man whom Cattani dispatched with the telegram to St. Petersburg.
 MT. Gray rapidly questioned them as to what had happened since Cattani came into the room, and heard about the telegram which Cattani had given to be sent to St. Petersburg while was sitting st the table.
 "Go, one of you," he said. "for a surgeon at once. That foreign gentle man may not find one, and he may not come back. Let the other wait here and take this telegram. You have opened his collar. That is all right. At least that is all we can do for him."
 He sat down at the table as he spoke, and, with the assistance of the key, wrote telegram, which he gave to the messenger. need hardly say that this was 8 telegram warning the ambassador of what had happened. I cannot tell you how blessed MT. Gray for his intelligence as sat look ing fxedly at him through the eyes that could not close.
 A surgeon came into the room few afterwards.
 They took me up stairs, put me to bed, and applied various restoratives, but fully three hours elapsed before I recovered the least power of motion.
 MT. Gray's telegram reached our just as he was asking Prince Gortchakoff for his papers. It was just in time. In another ten min- utes the news would have been bruited abroad. As it was, there was } long explanation, which ended nat nrally in 6 laugh, and it was this laugh, think, for which they have to thank me, that saved the two conn tries from going to war. Cattani did not return to the foreign office, nor was he or the countess to be found next day in Porchester Terrace. What became of them do not know. They were never heard of afterwards, and on making inquiries, which ought to have instituted before, I found that no such count or countess was known n Italy. The foreign office did not are to move in the matter; it was 'hushed up," in fsct. The only sat- sfaction l have is that the "countn must have lost pretty heavily, whether he was "bearing" stocke and