Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-02
tGT @@Y TGbhGT

we have been betrayed And if it once gets
into the papers. as you think 1T will. there
Will be such an outCry that We shall have
to modify it. 1t is a terrible blow, espe-
cially for me, as it will be impossible for
me now to secure anything like such favor
able terms for my sovereign. No misfor-
tune SO great has ever befallen me in the
whole course of my official career. And all,
through that interruptions lie Grand
SympathiZing with the prince, 1 did m!
best to soothe and comfort him. but his
chagrin was too profound for my efforts to
have much success
Then 1 tried 10 turn his attention to the
document as a possible means of Identify
ing the traitor.
do you know the handwriting?" asked
Not in the least; it seems to me to be a
disguised hand"
$50 thought. And there is nothing about
the document to suggest to you any one in
particular as the writer"'
"Nothing!"
We had a little further conversation, and
then 1 left him, taking the document with
me. l had an idea that possibly Gresham
might help me. At any rate it was a good
opportunity of putting his boosted science
to the test.
When l brought the subject before him he
smiled a little Sarcastically.
80 the scoffer has come TO pray" he
said.
Then he carefully scrutinized the writing,
at first. with the naked eye. and afterward
with pocket tense. At last he said:
Now 1 think 1 have mastered it. Pray
ask me any question you like. 1 will not
undertake to answer them all, but If do
not know, l will say SO frankly"
Very well. then. First-Is this hand
writing natural or disguised?"
Undoubtedly disguised
''Secondly-Is it mans hand or wo-
man's?"
''Thrily-Is the writer educated or I'M
educated?"
Highly educated"
Can you fix approximately the age of
the 'vriter?''
only in the toughest way. He is GER
tainly not a chld-not even a youth-for
the hand is perfectly formed. And he can
firm. But he might be any age between,
sey. twenty-five and fifty or even sixty"
l could think of only one more question.
AS yet Gresham's science had done but lit
tie to help is.
us there any popularity about the writ
Ing which enables you to give any fur
Their Information respecting the writer?"
"Ah,' he said. that is a crucial ques-
ton; the rest was mere child's play. 1 an
swer it by saying that there is something
very peculiar about the writing which does
enable me to give a piece of information
lieve ME when 1 tell you what 1t is
Tell me, nevertheless I said.
THE writer is blind of one eye
How can you possibly know that?"
'Oh, it is easy enough, If you only take
the trouble to observe. 1 know, too. that
it Is the left eye of which he is blind and
that the sight of the right eye is not
good"
1T is very remarkable. If true
1T is perfectly true. You can judge for
yourself. Did you ever see rs dotted as
these ara?'
II do not know. What is there peculiar
about them?'
Perhaps you have never noticed how
people generally dot them. No one, ex-
cept perhaps, a Schoolboy over his round
at ha ip1o no
the letter; he always waits at least until
he has reached the end of the word. Well.
now. a man who has lost the sight Of his
left eye, and whose sight is generally de-
fective. bends over his paper and his nose
gets iE his way when he wants to dot his
is. The consequence is that it Is all done
haphazard. Now look at the dots of these
U.s. they are here. there and everywhere;
sometimes-but rarely-before the letter;
more often behind it: sometimes too high
up; sometimes too low down. You can
see at once that it Is all done by faith and
not by sight"
looked more carefully at the writing;
1t was indeed as Gresham had said. 1
thought at once of Count Shrievaliieff.
Every one knew that he was blind of the
left eye. He had acted as secretary to the
congress. If. as seemed certain 1t was
one of the plenipotentiaries who had be-
trayed the secret, Count Shrievaljief must
be the man. l fastened with my new
piece of information to the prince but 1
had to wait till the evening before 1 could
see him, as he had just gone back to the
congress.
When we met. 1 told him what Gresham
had said about the handwriting. The
prince was no great believer in graphol-
oey, and said so.
STILL" l said. Just consider the actual
position of affairs. Some one has divulged
the main provisions of the treaty That
some one must be one of the plenipoten-
tiaries, for no one else has had an oppor-
tunity of knowing them. And if 1t is one
of them, the cut bono question arises.
Which of them has the greatest interest in
upsetting the thirteenth clause?"
Undoubtedly" said the prince, "Shrie-
setting that clause. So much must be pat
ent to everybody. Still, I say again, it is
impossible that he can have betrayed us.
He may not be prescriptions, but STILL he
would not violate the essential principles
of diplomacy.
But consider again." said 1.-THE count
is the man to whom the cut bono test ap-
plies. and he is also the man to whom my
friends description applies. A man be-
tween twenty-five and sixty-that is moth
irg: bit also a man blind of the left eye
that is really significant. Is there any
other of the plenipotentiarias blind of the
left eye?"
'It is very strange" said the prince,
shaking his head mournfully. This busi-
ness will kill me; 1 can think of nothing
else but that unlucky thirteenth clause"
Whilst We were thus discussing the af-
fair, the post came and from amongst a
pile of letters and papers, the prince picked
out the London Dial. His delicate, jeweled
hands trembled visi5ly as he opened it.
One glance was sufficient, and he passed it
There 1t Isl he said. The most sacred
Of secrets published urbi ct orb, and all my
labor thrown away. 1t is mons.rous."
Concluded in Thursdays Starr