The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-16
A Night at Mrs. OIdcastle's
JUSTIN HUNTLY MCCARTHY.

in the dancing shop in Golden square.
AS Lady Dye sat ~thoughtfully tumbling
about her treasure of pleasant memories
and making merry guesses as to the result
of her imbroglio the gilt clock on the
mantelpiece struck twelve little silver notes
that stirred her from her reverie. Her
quick ears caught the sound of a distant
~footstep in the corridor, and in a second
[she had leaped to her feet, caught up her
mask and domino and looked about her for
conceaIment. The Oriental screen enticed
her for a second, only TO be abandoned as
toe obvious a lurking place, and she ran
quickly TO the window and ensconced her
self behind its heavy curtains just as she
heard the click OF a key in the lock. Muf-
fled in folds of crimson velvet, Lady Dye
could peep unseen upon the room and wit
ness all that took place in it,
The door opened softly and a young man
entered the room, and closed the door be-
hind him. The newcomer was portly, flor
id, richly-dressed, with a distinguished
carriage and "a commanding glance, and
Lady Dye laughed silently as she made a
hidden reverence to the Prince of Wales.
His mask swung on his wrist. his domino
foated open from his shoulders; in one
hand he carried an open letter, in the
other a small golden key; and the express
sion on his face was one of amused sur
prise. Lady Dye knew very we'll what he
had been reading; the lines of her letter
I danced before her, with it's foreign hand
and it's feigned imperfect English, impu-
IDENTIFY calculated to persuade the prince
that it came from a French nymph of the
opera. 1t protested a sudden passion; it
entreated it's recipient to use the golden
key; it directed his steps to. the dim cor
ridor and the distant parlor; it summoned
him to appear at the precise stroke of
midnight. Lady Dye, chuckling to her
self at the success of her strategy, had
no idea what a naughty girl she was, and
what a foolish adventure she had en-
barked upon.
The prince read the letter again, and
then looked about him.. So far as he could
see, the room was empty, though he made
at once for the screen and looked into the
vacant room beyond. "Where in the world
is the jade?'' he said to himself, with a
smiling fmpatience, as he placed his large
body languiGly upon the settee. Lady Dye,
masked and hooded, was about to emerge
from her concealment and begin her auda-
cious trickeries, when a simple sound made
ner draw Dach dRdils anu DIOuSnl lHN
young prince swiftly to his feet. 1t was
the sound of a key in the door lock, and
Lady Dye bit her lip with vexation, for
she knew that part of her plan had mis-
carried. The missive to John Russell had
summoned him to the mysterious assigna-
ton for half an hour after midnight, by
which time-she had counted that her game
with the prince would have been played to
an end. Yet here, no doubt, was John Rus
sell at the door. The prince, however,
merely accepted the sound at the door as
the sign hat the fair unknown was keep
ing her appointment, and he Immediately
resolved to take her unawares. Rapidly
masking, he stepped behind the Chinese
screen and waited for the door to open.
The moment it did so. he saw, TO his in
tense surprise and disgust, that the in
truder was a man, masked and cloaked,
who carried, as he had carried, a letter in
one hand and a little gilded key in the
other. Dear me-" Lady Dye thought, in
her corner, this is a predicament!' fol
she knew very we'll that the black domino
with the large favor of white ribbon con
cealed the sturdy form of her simple lover
and she felt sure that he was cudgelins
his honest brains to understand why al
anonymous lady who wrote in bad Eng
lish implored him so earnestly to be in thai
room at half an hour after midnight. Whar
she did not know was that honest john:
watch, having stopped, he had made {
guess at the time; and so had come upoI
the scene unexpected and too soon.
John Russell looked about the room. saw
that it was empty, and with an impatient
shrug of his broad shoulders was abou'
to seat himself when. to his immense sur
prise, he was confronted by an apparitioI
that emerged from the shelter of the Chi
nese screen, the apparation of a NAL
masked like himself and. like himself. en-
veloped in a voluminous black domino
which differed from his own only in tn,
fact that it sported for its favor a kno'
of orange ribbon. Dimly suspicious tina
he was the victim of a hoax. John Russell
stiffened himself irritably as the masked
figure advanced towards him; and, with
slightly imperious gesture of salutation
requested to know the reason Of his pres
ence. Russell replied stifiy that he wa!
present by request: the prince asserted hi
prior claim, and for a few seconds Lad,
Dye. nestled in her nook, heard will
mingled amusement and annoyance
: steady interchange of angry interrogation
and indignant response, which ended by
each of the disputants producing his let
ter, and waving it in the masked face O
2 the other. For a moment Lady Dye feareC
: that the argument might end in an appea
to the swords which both gentlemen wore
in which case she would have been oblige,
5 sorely against her will TO quit her con
Y cealment and interfere. Before thing
came to this desperate pass, however, tn,
I prince proposed a way out of the diff
/ Guilty. He had noticed a brace of die,
boxes on the mantelpiece, and he PROPOSED
to his antagonist that they should settl
their question of precedence in their inter
view with the unknown by casting a main
2 To such a suggestion there was only on
possible answer, and in another momen
the adversaries were bending overthe table
and the dice were rafting in the roya
fingers. The disguised duke called an,
I won. and the prince. with a good-humore,
laugh. surrendered his advantage. Their
I Is a room yonder." he said: twill be NOR
cheerful for me to linger there than TO kicl
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