Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-05-16
CHAPTER TX.

Bolshoi Prospect, st. Peters
burg. After a few preliminaries which
need not be set down here Drummond
continued:
sThe day after Jack arrived In Lon
don, there being nothing whatever to
detain him in England, we set off to-
gether for st. Petersburg and are now
domieiled above his blacksmith shop,
We are not on the fashionable side OF
the river, but our street Is wide, and
very short walk brings us to a
bridge which, being crossed, allows
us to wander among palaces if we are
SO disposed We have been here only
four days, yet a good deal has already
been accomplished. The influence OF
the prince has smoothed my path for
me. Yesterday had an audience with
a very important parsonage in the for
eign Office, and today | have seen an
officer of high rank In the navy.
ssThe prince warns me to mention no
names, because letters, even to young
lady. are sometimes opened before
they reach the person to whom they
are addressed. These officials who
have been kind enough to receive me
are gentlemen so polished that | feel
quite uncouth in their presence. / am
a little shaky in my French and feared
that my knowledge of that language
might not carry me through, but both
of these officials speak English much
better than do. and they seemed ratll-
er pleased / had voluntarily visited st.
Petersburg to explain that no dis
courtesy was meant in the action had
so unfortunately taken on the Baltic,
and they gave me their warmest as
surances they would do what they
could to ease the tension between our
respective countries. 1t seems that my
business here will be finished much
sooner than expected, and then / am
off on the quickest steamer for New
York in the hope of seeing Niagara
falls. have met with one disappoint-
ment, however. Jack says be cannot
possibly accompany me to the United
States. | have failed to arouse in him
the faintest interest about the electric
works at Niagara. He insists that he
is on the verge Of most important dis
coYery, the nature of which he does
not confide in me. I think he is work
ing too hard, for he is looking quite
haggard and overdone, but that Is al
ways the way with him. He throws
himself heart and soul into any diff
Guilty that confronts him and works
practically night and day until he has
solved it.
Yesterday he gave the whole street
a fright. | had just returned from the
foreign Office and had gone upstairs to
my room when there occurred an ex-
plosion that shook the building from
cellar to roof and sent the windows Of
our blacksmith,s shop rafting into the
street. Jack had a most narrow es-
cape, but is unhurt, although that fine
beard of his was badly singed. He has
had it shaved off and now sports mere
" mustache, looking quite like a
man from New York. You wouldn't
recognize him If you met him on Broad
way. The carpenters and GLACIERS are
at work today repairing the damage.
Il told Jack that if this sort Of thing
kept on I'd be compelled to patronize
another hotel, but he says it won't hap
pen again. It seems he was trying to
combine two substances by adding q
third, and, as / understood him, the
mixing took place with unexpected
suddenness. He has endeavored to ex-
plain to me the reaction, as be calls It
which occurred, but I seem to have nc
head for chemistry, and, besides, If
am to be blown through the roof some
of these days it win be no consolation
to me when / come down upon the
pavement outside to know accurately
the different elements which contrib
uted to my elevation. Jack is very
patient In trying to instruct me, but he
could not resist the temptation Of max.
ing me ashamed by saying that your
friend, Miss Katherine Kempt, would
have known at once the full particulars
of the reaction. Indeed, he says she
warned him of the disaster by mark
ing a passage in book she gave him
which foreshadoWed this very thing
She must be most remarkable young
woman, and it shows how stupid I am
that / did not in the least appreciate
this fact when in her company"
The next letter was received week
later. He was getting on swimming