The Portland daily press., 1898-04-08
Chapter XIV
SONIA.

by "a sensational press. abated but Slowly
On the morning following the melnofania
scene in tho House OF Commons great
Danic occurred on the Stock Exchange,
and ii was fully weak ere confidence
was restored. Meanwhile, at LORD warn
HAMS dictation [ exchanged constant
communications with our Ampasssoof III
St. Petersburg, and although every en-
deavor was used TO elucldatc the hys-
FERROUS reason why the russian Govern
ment so suddenly altered its tactics, 1t re-
manned as inexplicable as the means
whereby they had obtained the original
C our secret convention with Germany.
I Both tho London police and our secret
agents in Russia abandoned none OF their
activity. but all their efforts were to no
purpose. Inc lhclUeht was perIeco
enigma.
thus month went ty. Lord Warnham
had slightly relaxed towards me as if,
after ali he believed that l had spoken
tn truth, although he frequently, when
We zed would refer in uncomp1mentary
to ms to what he called my 'nareles sness
that nearly cost England her honor. :" In.
deed, although l had been reinstalled in
the position OF great trust / had previous
" held. mine WIGS no envlable lot. Inc
Foreign Minister was a man OF moods
strangely eccentric, sometimes preserv-
ing a rigid silence for hours. and often
working for long periods alone during the
night, attending to un1mportant dis
u tchos that might have been answered
Z a lower grade clerk. But it was his
.pieet alN avs to know the exact WORK
done in each department., and to be able
to do it himself Thus, he was enabled
to keep more careful watch over every
thing that went on, and was. not. lIkelthe
majority of Cabinet Ministers. a mere
figure-head Times without number l
have gone to Berkeley Square early, in the
morning when some important matter. of
diplomacy has been in progress, and
found the grey, thin faced peer still seat
ed in his study, the blinds still down, thu
electric light stiff on, showing how he
had worked On unconsciously throughout
the whole night, aud was quite unaware
of dawn. His servants had strict orders
never to disturb him, even Tor meals,
hence, when be was busy, he frequently
spent many hours in his chair, regardless
of day or night
These periods of intense mental strain
wouId. however be followed by exasper-
atine irritability of such d character that
/ often feared to utter word lest ne
should break out into fierce ebullltlon
of anger, At those times he would scat
ter broadcast the most severe censures on
all and sunday, sparing neither ambassa-
dor nor consul, SO fierce was his wrath.
Knowing this would sometimes, after
writing an abusive dispatch at his dlcta-
ton. put it aside and, instead OF for
warding it, accidentally overlook it.
Then, next day. he would almost lnyarla-
bly, relens, and after deep thought ex.
claim:
''Read ne the copy of that dispatch L
sent yesterday to Vienna, Deedes.'
ssOhl'' l would answer. as if suddenly
recollecting, II quite forgot to forward 1t.
We were SC busy yesterday
''Ah, too late now! too latel'' he would
grumble, feigning annoyance, yet secretly
pleased. destroy it, Decides; destroy
il. "
temperate and less offensive letter, which
the messenger leaving London that night
would carry in his vallse.
One morning towards the end of July
| received a strangely worded letter writ
ten in foreign hand asking mo TO call at
an address in Pembroke Road, keuslng-
ton and signed "Sonia. The mlsslve,
which had been left at my fat by a COM
missionaire, stated that the matter upon
which the writer desired to see me was
extremely urgent, and contained a re-
quest that would telegraph reply. This
/ did, accepting the appointment, Tor, on
reflection, | had very dim recollection
of having, at some time or other. written
officially 10 someone named .'Sonla, anu
the letter aroused curiosity within me.
That night, at the time she named, L
found myself Before a large substantial
looking detached house situated In the
quiet rather unfrequented thoroughfare
OF Earl's Court Road, a house winch, TO
nv excited imagination. bore extenai
evidence of mystery within. Why such
thoughts should seize me l know not,
Perhaps it was because the writer OF the
letter WAS unknown and the object Of
my visit at present unexplained; never
theless | entered the small garden that
divided the house from tho roadway, and
summons was Immediately answered by
a neat maid, to whom l gave my card,
and next moment I was ushered into
well-furnished drawingroom, dimly lit
by one tall shaded lamp, the light of
which was insufficient to illuminate the
whole room.
For few moments 1 remained alone in
wonder, when suddenly the door opened,
and there entered an extremely pretty girl
scarcely out Of her teens, dark-haired.
with clear-cut features, bright eyer. and
a deiicately rounded chin. 1t struck NE,
however, even before she spoke, that IN
her face was p strange expression OF I'M
utterabIe sadness, "a look that told of long
suffering and intense agony of mind. Her
.naannerislnS We're those of a foreigner,
her chic was that of the true Parisienne,
her dress of black silk crepon was plainly
but well made, and the fact that She
spoke in broken French was, next second,
COliSiESlfC.
'Ahi You have come, m'sieur. You
are indeed very good" she exclaimed,
with charming accent, her skirt rust
ling as she advanced to greet me.
81 am at your service. lnademoiselle, p"
answered bowling, at the same time ac-
cepting the seat she offered.
FfWelI,' she commenced, with smile
slowly sinking into an armchair near
me, "whon l wrote to you | feared you
would not come. You have been so good
to me already that fear TO ask any fur
Their favor"
81 must ask your pardon, made
moiselle' 1 said, "but I really am I'M
aware that 1 have ever rendered you any
service"
"What, do you not remember?" she
cried. "You, who were SO good to my
father and myself; you, to whom we both
owed our lives"
~ certainly have some hazy recollec-
ton of your name" [ answered puzzled,
''but try how I will [ cannot recollect in
what connection it has come before me. !"
HDo you not remember the casesof the
refugee, Anton Korolenko, the man who,
after being bounded all over Europe, in
Vienna, in Madrid, in Paris, by the
Df4 ~