Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-12-15

| bowed. and followed her into the
room. She motioned me to n chair, out
forgot to take one herself, and confin-
ued standing.
my father says you talk Of leaving
u.s." she said, abruptly. MAY ask
the r%easonT'
II anne to the conclusion that what |
did for-the Nihilist could not remain
unknown to the government; M uhat
IL even the Prince were willing to over
look 1t. the government would ask hiih
10 dismiss me. | thought 1t better TO
anticipate matters by dismissing my
self But | have another and Il stronger
reason for wishing to leave. ! am OF
opinion that the Prince Is simply vast
ing money over these alterations. ! do
not think they will succeed in making
the castle look like an Italian palace.
or even the town house of n New YORK
millionaire. | have gone as far as re-
spect will allow me. in pressing my
views upon him, without the slightest
effect. But new that he is to go away
for some time, my going away may IN
duce him to give up, or at least TO pose
pone. what | can only regard as an ez-
travagant fad. III l had Known what
he had in hand when he engaged me,
| would never have left England. or
course. if the work is stopped. the eX-
pense that has been already incurred
will be wasted: but. from au archi-
tect's point of view, | can only say that
the loss of all that has been done
would be a much smaller calamity
than the completion of the work would
be. | have spoken with brutal plain
ness, but l paid you the compliment OF
believing that you would prefer the
truth"
"You are right; and | thank you.
For perhaps a minute the Princess
was silent. We remained standing, on
ly n few feet apart, III eyes fixed on
the ground. AT last she spoke.
You have been frank with me. and |
will be equally frank with you. | must
contide in you. and | do so without hes
~itation. knowing that whatever | Gay
is safe with you. | wish. then. that
you would stay. Believe me, you could
not do a greater kindness to my father
than in helping him to carry out his
plans. You could not do him Il greater
unkindness than by showing him thai
they are absurd or impracticable. or
leading him TO abandon them. | know
what | am saying. | know the expense
hat has been incurred over what |
quite agree with o are useless II
unslghtly operations. But they occupy
my fathers mind and keep him from
thinking of other things.
lone of these things is the hatred he
bears to revolutionary principles and
all who hold them. | believe 1t is his
uncompromising hostility to the Mill
lists. his ready acquiescence in meas
ures, no matter how severe, that have
won him this mark of favor from the
Car. Many a time have l feared for
his life. I fear for his life now. If he
has nothing to occupy him at home.
how viii he care to stay here after his
g~oyernorship expires?
And there is another danger he is
exposed to-" She paused a moment,
and then went on, in firmer tones:
MY father-I say it without disre-
spect-has in his blood the national PAS
sion for high play. We are living in
comparative poverty now, on account
of gambling debts contracted years
ago. Since you have been here. he has
Rot touched a card. Can you wonder
that / look upon the expense Of stone
cutting and woOd-cutting, v of
building, as trifing compared with a
course of life that would have beg
CARED us in a very short time?
Il am convinced that If you return 10
England, my father will not settle
down at home when he comes back
from VolotZka. He will hate the sight
Of the abandoned work, and he will
carry us off to st. Petersburg with
him. What the end Of that will be |
know well. My uncle. who is dead
now, told my mother long ago that If
she could not keep her husband at
home, she would be a penniless widow
in n very few years. And what can
she do, in her wretched state Of health,
to influence him in any way? He has
no one to think for him but mel mean
Il mean-I think you know what l
mean! All men, wen the wisest. are
the better for a woman's management,
are they not? You will not misunder-
stand me-"
A blush tinged the girls lovely face
as she turned her eyes full On mine for
n moment, only to let them fall. the
next instant, To the floor. | was sur
prised and delighted, not only by this
proof that | had misjudged the Prin-
cess-that she vas not the proud, self
ish creature that | had often been
tempted to think her. To think that
she. a girl Of eighteen or nineteen.
should not merely take thought for her
fathers failings, but strive TO avert
the consequences of his vices! There
was something touching 10 me i'm her
anxiety. and | do not deny that ! was
at the same time battered by her conf
dences. All my sensible resolutions
vanished. | felt as If l had no option
but to do as the Princess asked me.
please, Mr.. Heath" she said, when
/ had told her | would stay, please
don't let me urge you to do ANYTHING
against your own interests or liking.
This is a dull place, and you may well
be tired OF our company. But IL that
is not the real reason OF your wishing
TO leave us"
She did not finish the scntence-there
was no need. She had come back again
the gracious, gentle girl I had known
six months before. Her sweet voice
still fingered in my ears. | could find
no words to answer Ii. / took her un.
resisting hand, touched it with my lips,
and bowed before her as / would have
bowed before an empress, ere l left the