Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-05-19

ance which the prince had forecasted as the result of Mistitch's being put to death. But the prince was not afraid of the disturbance. Why should Ste movies be? The commandant was all confidence. Was the minister afraid? In some sense he was afraid. That she accepted. But she hesitated to believe that he was afraid in the common sense that he was either lacking in nerve or overburdened with humanity, that he either feared fighting or would shrink from salutary severity in re- pressing tumult. If he feared, he fear ed neither for his own skin nor for the skin of others. He feared for his policy or his ambition.
 These things were nothing to her. She was for the prince, for his policy and his ambition. Were they the same as Stenovics'? Even a novice at the game could see that this by no means followed of necessity. The king was elderly and went a-fishing. The prince was young and martinet. In age Ste movies was between the two-nearly twenty years younger than the king, a dozen or so older thsn the prince. Un- der the present regime he had matters almost entirely his own way. At first sight there was of a certainty no req son why his ambitions should coincide precisely with those of the prince. Eff ty-nine, forty-one, twenty -eight-the ages of the three men in themselves H. luminated the situation-that Is, if forty-one could manage fifty-nine, but had no such power over twenty-eight.
 New to such meditations, yet with native pleasure in them, taking to the troubled waters as though born a swim mer, Sophy thought and watched and looked about As to her own part she was clear. Whether Rastatz was right, whether that most vivid and indelible memory of hers -s wrong, were ques- tions which awaited the sole determi- nation of the Prince of Slavna.
 Her attitude would have been un- changed, but her knowledge much in- creased, could she have been present at certain meeting on the terrace of the Hotel de Paris that same evening. Markart was there, and little Rastatz, whose timely flight and accommodating memory rendered him today not only free man, but parsonage of value. But neither did more than wait on the words Of the third member of the party that Colonel Stafnitz of the hussars who had an old feud with Mistitch, for whom Mistitch had mistaken the Prince of Slayna. A most magnani- nous, forgiving gentleman apparently, this spare, slim built man with thought ful eyes. His whole concern was to get Mistitch out of the mess! The feud he seemed to remember not at all. It was feud of convenience, a feud to swear to at the court martial. He was as ready to accommodate Stenovics with the use of his name as Rastatz was to offer the requisite notifications of his memory. But there, with that supply of a convenient fiction, his pli- ability stopped. He spoke to Markart, using him as a conduit pipe-the words would flow through to General Ste movies.
 If the general doesn't want to see me now-and can understand that he mustn't be caught confabbing with an, supposed parties to the affair-you must make it plain to him how matters stand. Somehow and by some means our dear Hercules must be saved. Her cules is an ass, but so are most of the men and all the rowdies of Slavna. They love their Hercules, and they won't let him die without a fight-and a very big fight. In that fight what might happen to his royal highness, the commandant2 And if anything did happen to him, what might happen to General Stenovics? I don't know that either, but 1t seems to me that he'd be in an awkward place. The king wouldn't be pleased with him, and we here in Slavna, are we going to trouble ourselves about the man who couldn't save our Hercules"
 Round faced Markart nodded in a perplexed fashion. Stafnitz clapped him on the shoulder, with laugh.
 For heavens sake don't think about 1t or you'll get 1t all mixed! Just try to remember t. Your only business is to report what say to the general"
 Rastatz staggered shrilly. When the wine was not in him he was a cunning little rogue-a useful tool in any mat ter which did not ask for courage.
 "If I'd been here Mistitch wouldn't have done tue thing at all-or done fl better. But what's done is done. and We expect the general to stand by us.
 If he won't VIC
 must act for