The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-11-03
was about and whom associated

was aDOut ana whom associated with.
 Well, when we arrived, a very i'm. portant message was expected from St. Petersburg :; in fact, reply to what was practically an ultimatum from the British government. But it would, probably, not come to hand for an hour or two, perhaps not until late the following morning. So when Evans had gone to bed, Count Cat tani and l sat down to while away the time over some brandy and water and a cigar.
 i He was 8 tall, thin man, about thirty years of age, with raven- black hair, black moustache, piercing black eyes, but without any whiskers or beard. As we sat opposite to each other at either side of the table, on which the box that contained the key of the cipher was standing, could not help mentally contrasting his pale, keen features and dark hair with the high con plexion, blue eyes, golden hair and round Saxon face of his sis- ter. It was very strange, but, as sometimes happens, there was not a particle of family likeness between them. Even the development of their foreheads, which is generally the surest test in such cases, was quite different. I had often been struck before by the want of resem- blance there was between the count and his sister. But, some- how, on this particular night the matter engaged my thought more than it had done before. I did not speculate in any way or frame any hypothesis about 1t. But again and again the thought forced itself upon my mind that, for 8 brother and sis- ter, they were two of the most dissim- liar people I had ever seen.
 Well, we sat chatting by the table for nearly an hour. The count was, to me at least, very interesting com panion, for he was acquainted with most of the prominent statesmen in Europe, and had wonderful knowl- edge of foreign politics, so much so that he seemed frequently to derive more information from the slig htest hint I dropped than I did from full perusal of official documents. We had been sitting, then, for about an hour, when there was tap at the door. It was messenger with the telegram had been expecting from St. Peters burg. l opened the envelope as the messenger was leaving the room.
 "From St. Petersburg" said as I looked at the enclosure.
 "Oh, would you mind calling back the messengerp" cried the count. went out on the landing with the telegram, which as yet was undeci- phered, in my hand, and called the messenger back. was onlyout of the room for a few seconds, but the count had changed his mind. He had thought of sending letter he had in his pocket to be posted, but, on second thoughts, there was something in it he wished to alter, and he would post it himself.
 "And now," he said, when the mes- senger had left the room second time. "I shall engage myself with this book while you are deciphering the tele- gi am. But the issue is momentous. Let us fill our glasses and drink to good fortune" We poured out, each of us, a little brandy and water, and drank it off. | And then, when we had laid down our glasses, the count turned his back to the table, and seemed to be absorbed in his book, while I took the key of the cipher out of it's box and proceeded | to translate the telegram.
 l am not at liberty, even now, to ! tell you the contents of this telegram: but l may say that, before had de- ciphered very much of it, I began to see that the chances of peace were more precarious than ever. It was rather long, and had to be very care- fal; so l worked on steadily and slow ly, verifying every word translated. until l arrived at just the end of, per- haps, the most important telegraphic dispatch that had been received at the foreign office tor the last ten years or more. How long had been engaged at the task l do not know exactly- perhaps about seven or eight minutes, When-what do you think happened3 Oh, you would never guess. The most extraordinary thing you could possi. bly, conceive. I was looking in the key for word, when suddenly I be- came perfectly motaonless. Without any sense of cramp or rigidity, I was simply the inhabitant of motionless. immovable body, looktag out of pair of eyes schich I could not evcn sctak. As you know, there are two sets of nerves in the human body, the nerves of sensation and the nerves of motion. and 1t IS possible to suspend one set of nerves while the other remains intact. My nerves of motion had been sus- pended. I could see before me the ta- ble and the book which was in my hand, could read the book and un- derstand what read. I could think I