, 1917-07-26

Tetalneu absolutely uO huOWieuSe VI
what had occurred.
81 went out quickly, and well, 1
don't know what happened" he told
me soon after dawn, as he lay in bed.
Strangely enough, he made no mention
of the man, Karl Krahl.
Later on he summoned the Countess
Won Kienitz, and for twenty minutes
or so he had an animated discussion
with her. Being outside the room, how
ever, 1 was unable to hear distinctly.
Well, l succeeded, by brides and
threats, in hushing up the whole affair
and keeping it out of the papers, while
by those who knew of the incident 1t
was soon forgotten.
Karl krahI Again.
I suppose it must have been fully
three months later when one evening,
having taken some documents over to
the emperor for signature at the Berlin
schloss, l returned to the princes pri-
waite oom in the palace, when, to my
great surprise, 1 found the man Karl
Krahl seated there. He looked very
pale and worn, quite unlike the rather
athletic figure he presented at the for
ester's house.
"If you still refuse to tell me the
truth, then l shall take my OWE meas
ures to find out-severe measures So
1 give you full warming" the crown
prince was declaring angrily, as l en-
tered so unexpectedly.
l did not withdraw, pretending not
to notice the presence of a visitor,
therefore his highness himself beck
oned the young man, who followed him
down the corridor to another room.
The whole affair was most puzzling.
What had happened OF that, afternoon
in the HarZ mountains l could not at
all imagine. By what means had his
h~ighness been rendered unconscious,
and what part could the little old
countess have played in the curious
affair?
In about half an hour the crown
prince returned in a palpably bad hui.
NOR and, finging himself into his
chair, wrote a long letter, which he
addressed to Countess o Kienitz.
This he sealed carefully and ordered
me to take it at onc to the Stuler-
strasse and deliver 1t to her person.
ally.
1.-THE countess left for Stockholm
this morning." / was informed by the
bearded manservant. "She left by the
eight o'clock train and has already
left Sassnitz by now"
"When do you expect her to re-
turn?"
The man did not know.
On going back to his highness and
telling him of the countess departure,
he bit his lip and then smiled grimly.
"That Internal old woman has left
Germany and will never again put her
foot upon our soil, HeltzendOrff," he
said. you may open that letter. II
will explain something which l know
must have mystified you"
1 did so. And as 1 read what he had
written 1 held my breath. Truly II
did explain uuch.
What the Crown Prince Told Me.
Imposing the strictest silence upon
me, the crown prince then revealed
how utterly he and the crown princess
had been mlsled, and how very narrow.
ly he had escaped being the victim of
"A cunning plot to effect his death.
The little old Countess Won KienItz
had, it seemed, sworn to avenge the
degradation and dismissal of her son,
who had been in the famous Deaths
Head Hussars. She had secretly
traced the crown prince as author Of a
conspiracy against him, the underlying
motive being jealousy. With that end
in view she had slowly wormed her
way into his highness' confidence, and
introduced to him Karl Krahl, q neu-
rOtic young Saxon who lived in Lon
don, and who pretended he had I'M.
earthed a plot against the kaiser him.
self.
ut was to tell me the truth concern
ing the conspiracy that Krahl came to
me in secret at Ballenstedt. He re-
manned with me for half an hour,
when, to my great surprise, we were
Joined by he countess. The story they
told me of the plot against the em.
peror vas a very alarming one, and !
intended to return at once to Berlin.
The countess had left to walk back to
h schloss, when presently we heard
n woman's scream-her voice-and we
both went forth to discover what was
In progress. AS / ran along a little dis
lance behind Krahl, suddenly what
seemed like II thin glass globe struck
me In the chest and burst before my
face. 1t had been thrown by an I'M
Known hand and, on breaking, must
have vnitted some poisonous gas
which wac intended to kill me, but
which happily failed. Until yesterday
n whole affair was a complete mys-
terry, but Krahl has now confessed that
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