The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1900-11-30
Room Room Room Room
PLAN or SLEEPING CAR.

'hN VI hN' ''' >N'' H
"Oh, l forgot to tell You, excellency,
that room b has been taken by an Eng
fish lady, who is there nowl'
'.Ten thousand devilsl' cried the
Russian in a hoarse whisper. ''Why did
you not say that beforeS'
The voices now fell to so low a MUIR
muir that Jennie could not distinguish
the words. A moment later there was a
rap at her door, and she had presence Of
mind enough to get in the farther cor
ner and say in a sleepy voice:
"Come inl'
The conductor opened the door.
"Wotre billet. sill vous plait, ma
dame"
Cant you speak English ?" asked
Jennie.
The conductor merely repeated his
Iher head the big Russian looked over
the conductors shoulder and said in
passable English;
He is asking for your ticket, ma
dame. Do you not speak FrenchY" ag
In answer to the direct question Jen-
ME, fumbling in her purse for her tick
cts, replied;
IL speak English, and l have already
shown him my ticket"
She handed her broad sheet sleeping
car ticket to the Russian, who had push
ed the conductor aside and now stood
within the compartment.
''There has been a mistake, he said.
Groom Q is the one that has been re-
served for you"
~ am sure there isn't any mistake"
said Jennie. IL booked berths 8 and 8.
See, there are the numbers'-pointing
to the metallic plates by the door-'and
here are the same numbers ON the tick
ct"
The Russian shook his head.
1.-The mistake has been made at the
Office OF the sleeping car company. l
am a director of the company"
"Oh. are your" asked Jennie inno-
Gently. '.Is room g as comfortable as
this oneT'
at is a duplicate of this one, ma
dame. and is more comfortable because
it is nearer the center of the carr,
"Well, there is no mistake about my
r~eserving the two berths, is there2"
sob. no. madamel The room is en-
tirely at your disposal"
"Oh, well. then, in that CASE" said
Jennie, II have no objection to making
a change"
She knew that she would be compel
led to change, no matter what her ticket
recorded, so she thought it best to play
the simple maiden abroad and make ms
little fuss as possible about the trans
fer. She had to rearrange the car in hel
mind. She was now in room G, which
had been first reserved by the British
embassy. 1t was evident that at the
last moment the messenger had decided
to take room A, a four berth room al
the end of the car, The police theI
would occupy room b, which she ha(
first engaged. and from the bit of con
versation she had overheard Jennie wal
convinced that they intended to kill o.
render insensible the messenger wht
bore the important letter. The police
were not to protect, but to attack. Tn,
amazing complication in the plot con
centrated all the girls sympathies OF
the unfortunate mar VINO was messen
ger between two great personages, ever
though Ire travelled apparently unde
the protection of the British embassy a
ST, Petersburg. The fact, to put 1t bald
ly, that she had intended to rob hin
herself if opportunity occurred ros
before her like an accusing ghost. +"
shall never undertake anything like thi
again" she cried to herself. never
neverl' And now she resolved to max
reparation to the man she had intende,
, to %injure. She would watch for hin
until he came down the passage an
, then warn him by relating what sh
had heard. She had taken off her ha
, when she entered the room. Now sh
put it on hurriedly. thrusting a lon