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

cortance with the strict rule already
mentioned, an imperial page has always
been stationed in this gallery to preveit
the possibility of access to the locked
door. 1t was ut this spot that the young
prince had been on duty the preceding
night.
You will understand that the task of
keeping guard at night in a deserted
gallery was by no means pleasant one.
although no page was required to he
there for more than three hours in the
twentyfour. Moreover, small room
opening out of the gallery had been
suitably furnished for the lads to re!o Y
themselves in during their solitary
watch. In spite of this, the duty had
remained an unpopular one, so much -
that the new car, on taking up his
quarters in the palace, had earned the
gratitude of the pages corps by decree
ing that from the hour of midnight to
six in the morning the watch in the gal.
lery should no longer be kept up.
son the night in question Boris had
repaired to the gallery to relieve his
comrade at nine o'clock. He had simply
soon as the clock struck, he was at lib.
erty to retire to his own quarters.
ut wanted very few minutes to the
hour, and he was pacing the gallery, i'm.
patiently waiting for his release, when
he happened to stop opposite one of the
windows and look out into the grounds.
1t was q bright moonlight night, and
evary tree and shrub in the garden
stood out in startling distinctnens. lie
gazed idly, letting his eye roam over the
eXpanse, when al ut once his attention
was arrested by sight calculated to
disturb anyone living in the alarmist at
mosphere of the Russian court. This
was Il tall and closely-muffled figure
stealing along in the broken shadow s
of the trees and making its way towards
the nearest corner of the building.
at was inevitable that the startle,l
page should at once connect this figure
with the audacious intrigues of The
| dreaded secret society whose plots con,
,,.tu,e perpetual menace to the i'm
| perial throne. His impression that he
was watching n nihilist emissary was
confirmed when he saw him confidently
approaching a door in the wall of the
palace which was never used, and was
supposed to be securely fastened
against ingress and egrcss. This door,
or the contrary, appeared to yield to II
touch of the mysterious visitors, who
disappeared from sight beneath its arch.
Greatly disturbed by what he had
seen, Boris kept his station in the gui-
lery, considering what it was advisable
for him to do. The clock struck the
hour for his release, but he paid no At
tention. absorbed in the thought of how
to deal with the dangerous intruder"
81 should have thought it a simple
matter to give the alarm" IveSured 10
murmur.
His excellency regarded me with n
look in which pity and rebuke strovc
for the mastery.
my friend, it is evident that you do
not know Russia. To have given this
alarm Of which you speak might have
been of the utmost danger to the prince.
The first person whom he approached
with the news might have been secret
nihilist and have repaid such a COM
munication with knife thrust. Tho
whole court is honeycombed. Even if
Boris had succeeded in bringing about
the arrest of the person whose move
ments had reused his attention, this
might have turned out to be some high
functionary, perhaps a general or n
chamberlain, who, after easily explain
ing away his mysterious proceedings
would have privately exerted his intn'
ence to have my young friend removed
to Tobolsk or Tifis. Believe me, in
Russia to be too jealous courtie. "
hardly less dangerous than to be ni
actual conspirator, as you will perhaps
realize when you have heard my story.
"While our prince was still hesitat.
ing, he suddenly became aware Of an
unusual sound, coming from the far
end of the gallery, where, it ended in
the disused apartments have de-
scribed. The sound appeared to be
that of a door slowly turning on iii
hinges. In an instant Boris realized
or thought he realized. the situation
The parsonage of The garden had ar
! rived in the vacant suite by means o.
a secret stairway from the garden door
and was now about to pass through
| into the gallery, with the object. ne
doubt. Of making his way finally int.
| the imperial corridor.
! "There wns not O moment to, lose
, Unarmed, as he stood there, Boris for
: tunately recollected that In the l,ttl,
chamber which have spoken Of q se