The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-10


had but little difficulty in persuadlng
Sir Charles, with Amelias aid, backed
up on either side by Isabel and Cesa-
rine, TO acecde to the Counts more
reasonable proposal. The fSouthamp-
ton row people had possession of Ger
tain facts as to the value of the wines
in the Bordeaux market, which
clinched the matter. In a week or two
all was settled: Charles and l met the
Count by appointment in Southampton
row. and saw him sign, seal and deliver
the title deeds of SchlOss Lebenstein-
My brother-in-law paid the purchase
money INTO the Counts own hands,
by check, crossed on a hrst-class Lon
don firm where the Count kept an ac-
count to his high. well-born order
Then he went away with the proud
knowledge that he was owner Of
SchIoss Lebensteirf. And what to me
was more important still, 1 received
next morning by post check for the
5 per cent. unfortunately drawn, by
some misapprehension, To my order ON
the self-same bankers, and with the
Counts signature. He explained III
the accompanying note that the matter
being now quite satisfactorily con-
Guided, he saw no reason of delicacY
why the amount he had promised
should not be paid to me forthwith di-
rect in money.
| cashed the check at once, and said
nothing about the affair, not even to
Isabel. My experience is that women
are not To be trusted with intricate
matters of commission ana brokerage
Though ii was now late i'm March,
and the house was sitting, Charles in
sisted that we must run over at once
to take possession of our magnificent
TyrOlese castle. Amelia was almost
equally burning with eagerness. She
gave herself the airs of a Countess Al
ready We took the Orient express
as far as Munich: then the Brenner 10
Meran, and put up for the night at
the ''ErzherzOg Johann Though We
had telegrapSed our arrived and ex-
pected some little fuss, there was no
demonstration. Next morning we drove
out in state to the schloss, to enter
into enjoyment of our vines and fig
trees.
We were met at the door by the sur
ly steward. Il shall dismiss that
man. Charles muttered, as Lord of
Lebenstein. Hes too sour looking
for my taste. Never saw such
brute. Not a smile of Welcome."
He mounted the steps The surly
man stepped forward and murmured z
| few mOrose words in German. Charles
| brushed him aide and strobe on. Then
/ there followed curious scene of mu-
| tual misunderstanding The surly han
/ called Justify for his servants TO eject
| US. 1t was some time before we be-
gan TO catch the truth. The surly man
was the real Graf Won Lebenstein.
| And the Count with the mustache2
1t dawned upon us now. Colonel Clay
/ again! more audaciOus than ever!
| Bit by bit it all came out. He had
ridden behind US the first day re
viewed the place, and, giving himself
out to the servants as one of our party.
| had Joined US in the reception ROOM
| We asked the real Count why he had
| spoken to the intruder. The Count eX-
planned in French that the man with
| the mustache had introduced my
/ brother-in-law as the great South Al
rican millionaire, while he described
himself as our courtier and interpre-
ter. As such he had had frequent in
i teryiews with the real Graf and his
| LAWYERS in Meran, and had driven al
| most daily across to the castle me
| owner of the estate had named one
| price from the first, and had stuck 10
| it manfully. He stuck TO II still; and
| if Sir Charles chose to buy Schloss
Lebenstein over again he was welcome
to have it, How the London lawyers
had been duped the Count had not
really the slightest idea. He regretted
| the incident and (cOldly) wished US
very good morning.
There was nothing for it but to re-
turn as best we might to the 'Erzher-
zog Johann" crestfallen, and telegraph
particulars to the police of London.
Charles and l ran across posthaste
to England to track down the villain.
| At Southampton row We found the le-
gal firm by no means penitent; on the
contrary, they were indignant at the
way we had deceived them. An i'm
poster had written to them on Leoen-
stein paper from Meran to say that he
| was coming to London 10 negotiate
the sale Of the schloss and surround
| ing property with the famous million
| aire. Sir Charles Vandrift. and Sir
/ Charles had demonstratively recOg-
nized him at sight as the real Count
Won Lebenstein. The firm had never
| seen the present Graf at ali, and had
| swallowed the imDOstor whole, so to
speak, on the strength of Sir Charles
| obvious recognition. He had brought
over as documents some most excel
lent fOrgeries-fac smiles o. the orig
inals-which, as our cOurtier and inter-
prefer. he had every opportunity of eX-
aiming and inspecting at the Meran
lawyers. It was a deeply laid pio' ,
and it had succeeded to a marvel. Yet.
all of it depended upon the one small
fact that we had accepted the man
with the long mustache in the hall of
the schoss as the Count Won Leben-
stein on his own representation.
He held our cards in his hands when
he came in and the servant had not
I given them to him, but TO the genuine
Count. That was the one unsolved
mystery in the whole adventure.
BY the evenings post two letters ar
rived for US at Sir Charles house
one for myself and one for my employ
er Sir Charles ran thus:
"HighN Well-BOrn Incompetence I
only just pulled through very small
! slip nearly lost me everything. I be
lieved you were going to Schloss Plan
ia that day. not to Schloss Lebenstein.
You changed your mind en- route. That
might have spoiled all. Happily per-
| ceived it. rode up by the short cut,
and arrived somewhat hurriedly ard
holly at the gate before you. Then I
introduced myself. had one more
bad moment when the rival claimant to
nv name and title intruded into the
room. But fortune favors the brave;
your utter ignorance of German saved
me- The rest was pap. 1t went by it
self almost
ALLOW me- now. as some small re-
turn for your various welcome checks.
TO offer you a useful and valuable pres
ent-a German dictionary, grammar
and phrase book.