Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-05-14

believed himself 10 have seen the
spccter he described.
"As you know, am not q believer in
the supernatural. l sought to shake
the boys superstitious state of mind.
"'What you saw was some illusion,
fomc trick of the Imagination l said
to him.
"IIe shook his head mournfully.
81 am ms ccItain of what saw as II
IL were before me now he replied. My
mother will tell you that am not sub
jcct to idle fancies.'
"Tho princess confirmed this state
Inent with nod of her head.
"'I am sure that my son must have
scen something like what he describes,
she said to me. although it is evident
- me that it must have been some lvlng
person, masquerading as the ghost of
the car. The question is for what pur-
pose such a disguise could have been
assumed, and on this point l confess
feel uneasy. What do you say, my
fricnd?'
81 shook my head.
"I fear that the first suspicious of
Boris were correct replied. 'and that
the enemies of his majesty have re-
sumed their Internal schemes. 1t APP
pears that they have obtained key 10
the garden door, and who knows that
they have not secured another to the
door of the imperial apartments, that
door from which the guard was to have
been removed last night for the first
time? Surely it is not by mere coin
cldence that this strange figure presents
itself in the corridor Immediately after
midnight, that is to say, at the hour
when the conspirat tors had every reason
TO expect that the page on guard would
have just quilted his post?'
Both mother and son appeared struck
by this view of the circumstances. But
boris was by no means prepared "a
character of what he had seen.
81 can understand that it is difficult
for my mother and you to share my
/ opinion, he remarked, but I cannot be-
lieve that any conspirator could have
succeeded in assuming so close II re-
semblancc to Alexander Ill, with whose
features l was so well acquainted. Re
he had disappeared through the impe'
rial corridor why is it that nothing has
happened, and that no one seems tc
have seen or heard anything of the in
trusion?'
at was of course difficult to answer
this objection but l reiterated my de-
termination to take common-sensc
view of the occurrence.
"Tt may very well be that this wal
merely first visit l added; n recon
noissance to discover the nature of IN
ground, before introducing some eX
plosive machine or other, and the vii
lain may easily have kept himself out .
sight for few minutes. Doubtless h
returned Immediately, only you hat
then left the gallery. But there is al
easy way of putting the matter to tn
proof. If l am right in my suspicious
this creature, whoever he may be, vii
infallibly return at the same hour an
other night. Tonight, on account j
the presence of everybody at this bal,
will be his most favorable opportunit,
as he may confidently expect to find ii,
imperial suite deserted. / propose t
You that we repair to this little roor
of yours together at the moment whe
the page who has replaced you to-nigh
comes off duty, and if this mysteriou
parsonage again presents himself wi;
compel him to disclose his identity
Boris welcomed this idea. coul
see that he was secretly ashamed of tn
ridicule which attached to him for hi
story of ghostseeing, and that he wa
anxious to reestablish his chnractci
The princess was coed enough to ,,
press her opinion ofmy courage aud de
votion in terms which 1t would not bt
come me to repeat toyou In the end W
arrived at IN understanding and Il.
parted to the palace together.
Throughout thaprogSrss Of the bal
during, which Grand Duchess dig