Evening star., 1901-05-18

EVEN III d IilcIliuc O1c iOoAi iA' DNS >-~~--
OF life I. myself. may say that 1 came
to forty years, still not knowing that man
will can no more be resisted than a noun
tain torrent; yet that there lives no man
who may not yield to love: and THAT the
hate that is born Of love is the strongest
force of all. And these three things
learned in a single night.
The day preceding that night was the
gloomiest I ever spent. 1t was, If re-
member, the second day after the disap-
pearance of the Crown Prince Michael You
will recall how the news thrilled Europe
but you can form little idea Of the terror
that shook the capital in those days. Men
went about their work with anxious faces
and mutely passed each other, fearful OF
they knew not what, but silent from that
fear Squadrons of the household guard
swept grmly through the streets. Inc
ambassador and the other secretaries were
away on official business. and | was alone
in the embassy. Toward night the snow
began to fall and somewhere near peii
tolled, tolled until thought l should go
mad. l gave up my. correspondence, ana
was just closing my desk when note was
brought to me.
Looking back on it now, wonder ! was
not surprised. Yet it all seemed In keep
ing with the character of the man ana with
that desolate day that 1 should be reading
a note from Murdoch, whom L had lasl
seen ten years before. and on the other
side of the world. There We're but Two
lines and no signature, but L knew the
hand:
Il will need you tonight at 10. The
bearer will direct you Be discreet.
1 smiled at the tone of it. imperfous and
mysterious as Murdoch ever was 1 could
learn nothing from the messenger a simple
lad, who evidently knew no more than the
way to the house where he had received
the note. Yet 1 believe l did not once
think of refusing to go. and that because
the one man in the world to whom coulo
refuse nothing was Angus Murdoch
1 suppose none knew Murdoch better
than 1, yet what l knew was but little.
for it was only what he chose to show
me. In the university there were among
his fellows many who admired him. some
who feared him, none who loved him. MY
affection. indeed, he might have had but
he would not. Coldly, almost contemptu-
ously, he went his way. among us all easily
the strongest body and the keenest mlnd'
yet utterly without influence, for he was
utterly Indifferent. Well-nigh half OF his
twenty-four hours he spent In the labora-
tories, and the fame of his work there
spread abroad but the honors 1t brought
him he put aside, saying that he would
be behoIden to no man. Those VINO onered
him kindness found his eyes forbidding
those who opposed him found them ter
ribly compelling. 80
Once he happened to. save my life, with
the tranquil manner of one who llfts a ny
from hts wineglass. He was quite brusque
when I made much Of it, but afterward he
began to spend With me his infrequent
periods of leisure. At times 1 broke
through his reserve, and he was almost
genial but at the slightest touch of affec-
ton he froze and held me off. He is all
mind" said to myself, piqued, all mind,
and stone for heart And that shows
how little knew the man, after all.
He quilted the university with strange
suddenness, leaving for me a message that
was little more than cold farewell. With
| in few months 1 received by foreign ex-
press a box with card on which was
written, "You wished to be kind to me
and I would not let you, for which l am
sorry Sell these and use the money. In
side were diamonds of some value was
badly In need of funds to finish my uni
versity course and he knew It, There was
no address. and so, again, could offer no
words of thanks Once after that l saw
him. 1t was on the street In Buenos Ayres'
but I could hardly believe it was Murdoch.
for he was smiling into the face Of beau
tiful woman, and had not thought Muir
doch could smile like that. He caught
sight of me- waved his hand gayly and
afterward left his card at my hotel during
nv absence. The next day l returned his
CALL but found he had left the city within
the hour It was very like Murdoch and
now after another ten years, his note lay
| In nv hand and was not surprised.
I spent the evening wondering what
might lie at the end Of 1t. Shortly before
| 10 o'clock I set out, purposeiy choosing
cIrcuitous route. 1t was a wild night. The
snowy, bitter blasts nearly swept me off
nv feet as I turned the corner of the mar
row street that had been named to me. The
house was easily found. waited cautiously
| in the shadow of the gateway, peering up
and down to make sure l was not spied
| upon; but had no soner given the signal
| than the gate swung open. closing immedi-
ately behind me- A servant led me across
| the court and up a dark stair to a room
| where he muttered something and left me.
| I looked about me inquisitfvely. The
| apartment had more the air of labora
| tory than a living room. Evidently Muir
| doch was still devoted to his science. At
| the far end of the room loomed shadowy,
| irregular masses that aroused my curios
ity, and 1 found they were the dark cloth
| covers of pieces of apparatus-two strange
wooden frames, bearing polished steel re-
/ fectors: and connected with these by
| wires. a yellow revolving disk, set upright,
! its lower half covered with a silk bag.
| Clearly the whole was some sort Of cleo
| tric device, but I could make nothing of
| its purpose I was still examining 1t when
| the door opened to admit Murdoch. He
| grasped me by the hand and drew me close
| to him with an eagerness that was like a
caress. Yet all he said was, II am right
glad to see you, John" 1t was as though
we had met but yesterday; but he called
me by my Christian name, which he had
never used before. So he stood clasping
Ill