The Washington herald., 1914-12-20
IMPERIAL SECRETS !: IVA!

T1OW 90 KNOW IIldI SIldll get
anything in return, if l trust YOU
with this money!" he asked sus-
piciously.
Your majesty must judge by
what / have done already"
The Commander of the Faithful
sat silent. attentively regarding me
for some minutes. Finally, he dis
missed me. promising to consider
my proposal.
withdrew, confident that Abdu!
would consult his all-powcrful ia
voritc, and that Muzaffir would
see that | got my way.
\ week later | was back in Paris
with an autograph letter from the
Sultan to his ambassador in Rus
Sia and a draft on the Ottoman
bank, which | took the precaution
TO exchange for a letter of credit
from a private Partisan banking
firm to the Ephrussis of Peters
burg.
My intention was to go to Rus
sia in the character of French
financial agent, the representative
of a syndicate of Paris bankers, on
the lookout for profitable conceS-
sionS from the government of the
Gar. In this way hoped to be
able to approach influential persons
without exciting suspicion and to
ascertain their compatibility before
exposing my secret object.
The only person | purposed to
take into my confidence was the
Turkish ambassador in Petersburg.
on whom | relied for information
as to the personal influences at
work in the Russian Court.
1t was to the ambassador, there
fore, that | paid my first visit on
arriving in the northern capital
His eXcellcncy received me at first
with some reserve, which was
quickly dissipated by a perusal OF
the Sultan's missive.
The danger in dealing with this
Rescript i>,' he said, that the
other powers may take it seriously.
owing to their trust in the personal
character OF Nicholas as merely an
instrument in the hands Of three
persons, without whose advice he
does nothing, and two of those
three are themselves creatures OF
the Council of State"
And the three persons are?
They are his mother, the Dow
ager Empress Dagmar; Pobiedo-
nostzoff, the Procurator of the
Holy Synod, and the Grand Duke
-, the Cars constant conpan-
ion and bosom friend"
Has the Grand Duke any
viceS?' | asked.
He CANDLES a good deal in the
Yacht Club"
Who are his gambling compan-
ions :" was my next question.
The ambassador named several
Russian mobiles of high rank,
among whom the leading spirit
seemed to be a Prince Boris Men
delieff. was going on with my in
quiries when his excellcncy checked
me.
Il have told YOU enough, it
seems to me, to enable you to go
on by yourself. In the meantime |
am the ambassador of the Sultan,
not his secret service agent, and l
wish to know nothing that might
compromise me-"
| respected his scrupleS, though
they were such as some Russian
diplomatists would scarcely have
understood, and proceeded to form
my own plans for making the ac-
OF Prince Mendelieff.
My skill as a bridge-player, al
game in which | have no living su-
perior, proved a ready passport
into the gaming circles of Peters
burg, and it was not long before |
found myself sitting at the same
card table with the intimate of the
Grand Duke.
| was lucky enough to lose a |
sum to him, which
paid with a good grace, and he
could not do less than invite me to |
his house. Over a bottle of cham
pagne | became confidential. L
avowed myself TO be money |
lender, as well as a concession
hunter. and limited that | should be
prepared to paw handsomely for in
to clients OF high sta
ton.
Mendelieff took the bait like a |
hungry pike. He was the first to
the name of the Grand |
Duke, doubtless knowing that his
Imperial HighnesS would be only |
too pleased to meet such an accom-
person as | appeared to
be. A bargain was struck, and Men
delieff promised to let me know as