Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29

a piece of thread on the back of your
coat"
We were about to go forth for stroll
the boulcyards and / had just helped
his exceIleGcy on with his overcoat. AS
j hent forward to remove the strand Of
white cotton which had attracted my at
ten!ion, the ambassador turned his head
with a startled movement / even farcied
that he gave slight shiver as picked Off
the thread and cast it away
~ thousand thanks he murnlured, me-
chaHicaiiy. e!ancing after the thread with
a strange expression. But he realized that
I had observed his singular agitation. for
he Immediately went on to say:
You ask yourself, perhaps, what it is
that has disturbed me so much in this
trivial circumstance? Do me the justice to
heIieyc. Notwithstanding. that / have not
been agitated without a real cause"'
II shall he desolated if 1 have permitted
myself 10 display any curiosity l re
sponded.
Tie cut me short.
Il forbid you to make excuses. 1t is not
for nothing that l have consented to feel
emotion. 1t is because the service which
YOU have ilst rendered me has caused me
to recall terrible experience through
which [ once passed. and the memory OF
which has never Leen able to cTace itself
from my mind
vas III doubt to what reply 20 MAKE"
and w walked on in silence for a minute
Then the ambassador resumed. speaking III
a more familiar taEe.
'Hut 7 furtsee that YOU VIII compel ne
To explain my illusions. Their" IL. how
ever. orc restriction which am compelled
70 Impose on myself. 1t is on account or
the character of the events which shall
relate Ia YOU some of the actors In which
are ny no means without inhU-nce at the
present time Do you consent to my re-
framing frcrl the use of actual names?
{ gay, The required consent with cheer
fitness The ambassador and ! UnGcTSt GOD
one aEothCr.
1T was not long after The mysterious
affair which have related 10 yen, in con-
cCtiCa with the death of Abdul AziZ, he
gan MS cxcellcGry, and ! had Just been
promoted to the rank of charG" d'2ffair@S.
In this capacity ! was intrust1d with Tho
t'r. uch mission to the court of one of those
I,arbaroaS principalitiyS in Tie southeast
Of Europe. which have hardly vet re
covered from their centuries of VaSsalaSe
to the Turks. In these unsettled societies
acts of !awiessncSS and violence are rem
'iCTed pC~>ihi" at which NOR. civ iiizc.i couu-
tries would ~" disnlayeG.
At th' time Of my arrival in the pri1
c'pality &" the court OF which / had been
accredited l found things i'll a very dis
ordered condition. rs is always the cast.
Ga these pity states in ~. REGION of the
ptfrl1hn. Russia and Austria were intriSt1-
ing for the r!cdominance, ana the whole
population was rent into factions accort-
ir@ly- which pursued each other with the
I,ttsI'st hatred.
This rivalry between tn. t,.o powers 7
haze named had even cxteE,!y,l 20 IN. pal
acc. where the Austrian itss-inations of
''-orEe. the r1iSning prince, were counter
balanced by the kuSsophilc Sympathies of
his conScrt. Catherine, q princess of Rus
sian extraction
among the pitfalls which surrounded me
! was surprised one day shortly after nv
arrival by Il visit from the Russian. minis
t"r. Baron pOurenski.
Y have come he said as soon as he
mad taken & seat and exchanged the usual
compliments. to inform you that | am
obliged I" leave for Russia in two DAYS
time. The business which REQUIRES my
presence is important, ana will nerf7ans
ttetain me four FIVE weeks
u bowed. and murmured a polite evpres
: on OF regret at the idea OF losing the So
tiety OF the minister for SO long a p.rin.!
hat is not all, however, he nrocna1e6
20 say 4 have at the legation no o,.e
whom can trust to take my place proper
~ "hile am away Shall be trespassine
100 much On your good nature if I ask Won
20 take charge of the interests of Rusc;a
Tor these few weeks?'
was not altogether surprised by this
a,I"est- AT these petty courts whore there
are M experienced secretaries OF legation
10 act during the absence of their chi.fs
II rs not unusual for diplomats to I,udar-
tdAe these services for each other 7: VS.
moreover q compliment to me 20 ask mo m
act on behalf of a minister whose rank In
Iite diplomatic body is above that of a
'taISe auaireS, as you PERHAPS know
feE. q minister ranks next TO an an
""Sstdor. dots he not:' L said. as his rx-
'then"y appeared to pause for an answer
ENactiy 1t Is only The greater powers
which arc represented at each other's
courts by ambassadors. As l have said
taIoh oourenskfs proposal was natural.
ana even gratifying. Nevertheless ] d,J
not at once give my consent
am too much honorcd by the conf
"eilce YOU place i'll me- 1 said; hut r.coi
ltct' IL you please. my dear Dourenski that
I have only recently arrived in This conn
try. ana know nothing OF the poliIicaI en-
tdJion- Had you not better apply 10 SOM
colleague of older standing to Sir Graham
Tor instance. the British Charge d-aff.ires2'
He made an emphatic gesture. of disan-
prevail as 1 pronounced this name
MOI for worlds, my dear fellow Thar
man IS a mere tool of the Austrian minis
t"r s. No. l must have some one whom T
An trust some one of real independence
tad Judgment
Thus pressed 1 could find no excus. for
"eSiihiIIa; the honor which pourenski pro-
posed 10 confer on me. He went on to add.
Fh6:" is one thing about which ] must
itSA you 10 preserve the strictcst secrecy.
IN the nail bag of the legation YOU will
from time to time find letters addressed TO
NJ. Star witch. which you will withou,
"ouht ind means to transmit to him In a
private manner. If the packages are Some
times heavy. that is merely because they
contain It little gold which it is necessary
L" distribute among our friends
Used as | was TO the tangled paths of
r'itca' intrigue l could not altogether
conceal my establishment a: hearing him
pronounce the name of NJ Staroyitch ,rhis
was the prime minister. the head of the
Pm "eS government, and although ] had