The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-30

| lon-d 'essai. 1t is sometimes very desir-
| able to ascertain the drift OF public opin-
ion before one commits oneself to def
mite course. But this is not the case now.
| Absolute secrecy is our only chance of
accomplishing our aim. There are cer-
tain provisions which, IL they are divulg-
ed prematurely, would no doubt stir up
an amount OF opposition which would
| render 1t impossible 10 persist In them. But
il they are not made known until the
| treaty Is actually signed and sealed,
| though, no doubt, there will be some
grumbling, yet they will be allowed to
stand.
"well, now, lie Grand, who is always a
dangerous man, has managed TO excite
the most uncomfortable suspicions in my
mind. When he rose TO take leave Of me
he said:
81 must thank you, prince, for your
courtesy in receiving me, and am only
sorry that you do not need my services
not even with respect to the provisions Of
the thirteenth cause.o
"I pretended not to have heard the last
word and kept my countennce until be
had left the room. But in reality was
astounded and annoyed beyond measure. -
81 think can guess why" said.
"Of course you see at once what II
means. 1t is fact that the clause which
treats OF the indemnifications, and which
has given us almost all our trouble, 10
the thirteenth clause. Now, how could
lie Grand possibly have discovered this
fact?''
at is indeed serious" said, "for II
could not have been mere guess.
"Oh, no; that is impossible. And his
air of triumph, and the sig nificant empha-
sis which he laid upon the words were
quite enough to conv nee me that he had
some definite information. But IL he
knows this, he probably knows good
deal more. And should he publish his
information, as OF course he will, all our
efforts will have been in vain. 1t is really q
fatal business. That man must be the
devil.
CHAPTER III.
"But how could he possibly have got
'How, indeed?n We have taken everv
possible precaution. We hold our sit
tings, as you know, at the foreign Office.
in an immense saloon upstairs. The wall
and ceiling are prodigiously thick. We
sit at table in the middle OF the room,
and never raise our voices; there is no oc.
casion for US to do SO. Perhaps you sug-
gest the chimney-something was once
done in that way, or supposed to be
done, for i never quite believed the story.
But with US il Is impossible, for we keep
up a roaring fire. Neither Is 1t through
the plotting paper that our secret has
powder our writing in the good old fash
ioned style. In fine, II is absolutely inn
possible for any outsider to get sight or
hearing OF our proceedings And what
mnkes the incident all the more painful is
that. in the discussion OF this particular
clause, we decided for the sake OF greater
security to dispense with the attendance
OF "a secretary"
or course saw the significance O. this.
IL seemed to point to treachery on the
part of one of the diplomatist. limited as
much to the prince, but he was staunch
in defence of his order.
"No doubt" he said, "it looks like IL.
NO other explanation seems possible, and
yet that explanation is impossible Di-
plomatists as you and / know, are not
considered specially scrupulous class OF
people. But there is honor amongst
thieves, and diplomacy itself would be-.
come impossible IL there were not a GER
tain back ground OF confidence amongst
diplomatists. Here. m in so many other
cases, rigid, professional etiquette serves
ne a succedaneum for conscience. When
we act individually, no doubt we are
liable TO do all sorts OF queer things.
But when we agree 10 act collectively. |
and mutually pledge our honor to keep
our proceedings secret, we fnow we can
trust each other.
was aware from my own exrerience
that there was great deal ql truth In |
what the prince said; still nv ycuriositv
prompted me TO ask him, who had acted |
as secretary when the real secretary wa,
absent.
son, there need be no secret about
thst, said the prince; il is Shrievaljieff, I
How pleased he will be II lie Grand mn
sets the treaty My chief difficulty bs. /
been with him.
] knew Count Shrievaliien well. hut
did not care much for him. lie was a tail.
nns man, between 6fty and sixty, sxcsp.