Omaha daily bee., 1897-08-15

lously.
Never" said the duke, positively But
It 10 not my intention to lose sight OF him
again"
"Ah," the king said.
81 have not told you. sir. all that hap.
pened," the duke continued, reading,
think, the kings thoughts. But. briefly,
Mr.. Ferguson. who has come to be little
short of a made man, drew pistol on me
at the close of our interview, and but for
! his friend here-who had been placed TO
listen, but at that broke from his place OF
hiding and knocked up the muzzle that
! IL exploded harmlessly-I should have come
off ILL.,"
"And l not much better" the king said,
| nodding and looking grave. You are un-
hurt?"
yes sir"
! We'll that puts another face on it, and Il
you retain him beside you what he has now
heard will be Of the lees importance. Hark
| You, my friend" he continued, addressing
me. 'can you keep your mouth shut?"
said humbly that could and would
Then, taisez. taisez," he answered EN-
! phatcally. "And take this letter to Hogsden
Gardens to Bishop Lloyd's. See Bishop Lloyd
and put 1t in his hands. Say nothing, give
no message, but go to your masters in st,
James square. You will seal it, duke. with
| plain seal? Good. And go you out, man
| by the way you came in, and answer no
| questions. And now for the council and the
warrants, my lord. We have lost too much
| time already"
To say that l went from the presence
| without knowing how l did it, aud when
| reached the courtyard had no more dea how
had gained IL or by what staircase | had
descended than If had been blind. is but
the truth; nor Is 1t to be wondered at when
! the amazing thing which had happened to
me Is in the least degree taken into con-
| sderation. In truth, | walked on air and
saw nothing, | so deeply overoyed; (;
and though 1t is certain that as went out
| | met one and another, passed the sentries.
| and ran the gauntlet of curious eyes-for
| who that quits court escapes that ordeal
IL was no more conscious OF the Observa-
| tions made upon me. or surprise | excited
| as went by than IL had really walked in
| the clouds Issuing from the gates | took
| by Instinct rather than design the road to
| London, and hugging to my breast the let
| ter which the kng-the king-had intrusted
to me, made the best of my way toward
| Tyburn.
| road through the village. and taken the first
| first coach | found. There are commonly
| one or two at Kensngton waiting to carry
| passengers to London But in the fiuster OF
my spirits did not measure the distance
| had to go, or the time I should consume in
| walking. My main anxiety for the moment
| was to be alone, alone and at leisure to
probe my fortune and success, and appreci-
ate both the relief and the good luck | had
| compassed ! could have sung as I walked .
could have skipped and danced and a
CLEAN of sunshine breaking the March sky
and gliding the leafless arms of the trees
and the fiat green pastures that bordered
the road north of Hyde park. 1 was moved
to raise my hat and look upward and rever-
emily thank Providence for this wonderful
instance of it's goodness, which 1 had not
had the heart to do for some time.
When l descended a little to earth. a step
which was fastened by flash of recolec-
ton that showed me Ferguson's niece wait
Ing at Clerkenwell gate, little figure for
, | lorn and desolate, yet with eyes of wrath
and face puckered with determination
when l came. / say, little to myself and
| to think OF HOgsden gardens and remem-
bered that it lay on the further side of town
by Bunhill Fields, | was already at Tyburn
turning, and 1t seemed to be no longer worth
while to ride. The day was on the wane
and the road thence to ST. Giles pound was
lively with persons come out to take the air
through whom threaded my way at a good
, race, and coming to Holburn without a
m!shap, turned up Cow lane and so got
speedily to Smithfield and across the marke;
to Long lane, knowing my way so far with
! ! out having need to ask.
Here, however, took sudden fright MY
mini which, as | walked, had been busy
with the girl and the steps l should take
to hnd her-if, indeed, / wished to find
: her, about which l was puzzled the sur
rounding circumstances being so different
was invaded by the notion that I had been
long on the read. To this was added next
moment the reflection that messengers sent
to arrest me the duke could, by taking a
coach, forestall me. The thought threw
, me INFO hot fit, which increased on me
, when l considered that | did not know the
) remainder OF the road, and might waste
much time in tracing it. Naturally nv
first impulse in this strait was to seek a
guide, but Long lane by Smithfeld is only
one degree better than Milestone park and
| shrank from applying to the sots and
, drabs, who stood at the doors and corners
| n npEl pltt of thn natn nhpl Nt.in
!, | lazily or rudely watched me go by.
In this difficulty, and growing the more
difident and alarmed the more slowly l
walked, l looked about eagerly for some
/, | person of passable aspect of whom | could
inquire. | none, and my uncertain
glances and lettering step were beginning
, to draw on me advances and an attention
that were Anything but welcome, when,
| reaching a corner where an alley, now re-
moved-I think it was then called Dog
alley-runs out Of Long lane / saw a man,
decently habited. como out of a house lit
tie way down the alley. He closed the
, | door sharply behind him, and | looked
went off in the opposite direction
Here was my opportunity Without les
ing a moment | ran after him, and he, hear
; ing my steps, turned and we came face to
face. Then, when it too late to re-
treat, / saw with unutterable dismay that
, the man had stopped was no stranger, but
the person who had dressed me up the night
before and taken me to the mysterious
| house in the SuDurDS; the man calleu smith,
whom | had first seen under the piazza in
Coveat Garden, and again in Ferguson g
. room
To come face to face with any one OF the
gang with the knowledge that / had but
now left the palace after informing against
them, was of itself enough to make my knees
tremble under me. But of this man, though
; his civil treatment had been in pleasant
, contrast to Farguson's brutality. | had con-
ceived an instructive dread; based as much
on his silence and reserve and sort OF
quiet power with which credited him, as on
his contemptuous treatment of my tyrant.
! In word, had / come Ferguson him
SELF ] could scarcely have been more over
come.
, On hearing my footsteps he had turned
: on me very sharply, with the air of man
, who had NJ mind to be followed and no
taste for followers. But on seeing who 1t
was, his face grew light, and he whistled
his surprise. II was on my way to you, y
he said "and here you are. That is good
: luck ] suppose Ferguson sent you?"
mo" / said, avoiding his eyes, and Won
dering with inward quakngs what was
going to happen to me. II lost my
i road"
, "Oh!" said he, and looked keenly at me.
1 Lost your road, did you? Well, 1t was very
r much to the purpose it happened. May /
; ask where you are going?"
shifted my feet uneasily. ITO Bunhill