Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-02

impatient, and to accuse Boris in my own
mind of having invented some fable. But
when limited this to him he became so in
dignant that l was compelled in spite of
myself to believe that the boy had really
some grounds for his story.
AT last, tired of this useless perform
ance, rose from my seat and moved eau
tiously out into the gallery. l glanced up
and dow it without perceving anything
in the least resembling the figure of the
previous night All at once, however, 1 did
see something which caused my heart to
give a greac bound. Looking at the far
end of the gallery where the deserted
apartments of which Boris had told me
were situated. 1 distinctly perceived faint
glow of light along the floor.
INSTANTLY / turned to the threshold OF the
room in which l had left the young prince,
and beckoned to him to come out into the
gallery. He saw by my manner that had
made some important discovery and obeyed
my gesture with shaking limbs No sooner
had he emerged from the doorway and
followed with his eyes the direction in which
/ pointed than he gave a great gasp of
terror
The deserted suite" he exclaimed, in
hoarse whisper There has never been
light there in all the years that L have
known this part of the palace!
Il nodded my head.
"1t Ia what 1 expected you to tell me-
] whispered back. But do not give way to
nervousness. You must see that this con-
firms my theory of the circumstances which
as you were deceived into thinking you saw,
would not need light for its purposes. 1t
Is evident that we are on the track of more
real and dangerous secret. The person or
persons who are engaged in 1t have OBJ
tanned possession of these vacant rooms,
in which they are probably now engaged in
developing their schemes
The young prince no longer combatted
the soundneSs of my conclusions.
But what is to be done" he mtlrmured.
Shall ! summon the guards, or inform
NeloVitch Of the secret police?
Il considered well before answering. One
of those subtle intuitions which are born
OF long experience in secret politics warned
me that l stood on the threshold of some
discovery of no ordinary kind. one which
might perhaps regret having to share with
the secret police, and which 1T might, for
many reasons, be better that Boris himself
should not be NADER acquainted with.
NO., L said. at lastIfwe have no right
to act precipitately. Whatever we may sus-
pect, we as yet know nothing that would
warrant us in communicating with the au-
thorities, 1t is duty which feel owe to
nature of this mystery on which we have
stumbled. You are young man, and,
moreover, Russian. and, therefore, 1 do
not ask you to expose yourself to peril in
the matter. AS the envoy of foreign power
my person Is inviohble and I can, there
fore, afford to risk an indiscretion. Remain
mere, beg of you while go forward and
effect an entrance into the apartment from
which that light proceeds. Should not re-
turn by the end of fifteen minutes, l au-
thorze you to go to NJ. Velovltch and in
form him of the affair
THE lad was at first disposed to be in
dignant at my thus proposing to exclude
him from the perils of the enterprise. But
by dint OF an appeal to the authority of his
beloved mother 1 succeeded at length in
winning his consent to the plan I had sug-
gested. He then consulted his watch so as
to measure the lapse of fifteen minutes, and
1 advanced with noiseless steps down the
gallery.
"The light which had observed streamed
out under an ancient and massive door set
in deep stone arch at the eastern end of
the passage My first impulse was to knock
at this door. but as got close to it another
idea suggested itself to me. 1t was evidently
through this door that the parsonage be-
held by Boris had made his approach the
night before, and it was Just possible that he
might have omitted to lock the door on his