The Washington times., 1917-09-17
PART I-CContinued.

4 4
! know that. did | move
and speak in your Lon
don. none there are who
would not know me for a stranger.
That is not enough for me. Here l
am noble: I am boyar; the common
people know me, and I am master.
But a stranger in a strange land, he
is no one; men know him not-and
TO know not is to care not for. / am
content II l am like the rest, so that
no man stops IL he see me, or pause
in his speaking IL he hear my words,
'Ha, ha. a stranger" I have been
so long a master that would be mas
ter still--or at least that none other
should be master OF me. You come
to me not alone as agent OF my friend
Peter Hawkins, of Exeter, to tell me
all about my new estate in London.
You shall. 1 trust, rest here with me
a while. so that by our talking may
learn the English intonation: and I
would that you tell me when 1 make
error, even of the smallest. in my
speaking. 1 am sorry that had to
be away so long today; but you will,
know, forgive one who has so many
important affairs in hand"
or course l said all I could about
DGlnb "llAlnbt anu dShFN II
come into that room when / chose.
He answered: "Yes, certainly" and
added:
"You may go anywhere you wish in
the castle, except where the doors are
locked, where OF course you will not
wish to go. There is reason that all
things are as they are. and did you
see with NY eyes and know with my
knowledge, you would perhaps better
understand" said / was sure of
this, and then he went on:
1--WE are in Transylvania; and
Transylvania is not England. Our
ways are not your ways, and there
shall be to you many strange things.
Nay, from what you have told me OF
your experiences already, you know
something OF what strange things
there may be-"
THE COUNT ANSWERS
QUESTIONS FRANKLY.
This led to much conversation: and
as 1t was evident that he wanted to
talk, IL only for talking's sake,
asked him many questions regarding
things that had already happened to
me or come within my notice. Some
times he sheered of the subject, OF
turned the conversation by pretend
ing not to understand: but generally
he answered all I asked most frankly.
Then as time went on, and / had got
somewhat bolder. ] asked him Of come
II the strange things OF the preced-
IN night, as. for instance, why the
cOachman went to the places where
he had seen the blue flames. lie then
explained to me that it was commonly
believed that on a certain night OF
the year-last night, in fact, when all
evil spirits are supposed to have un-
checked sway-a blue flame is seen
over any place where treasure has
been concealed.
THAT treasure has been hidden"
he went on. ''in the region through
which you came last night. there can
be but little doubt: for it was the
ground fought over for centuries by
the Wallachian, the Saxon, and the
Turk. Why, there is hardly a foot Of
soil in all this region that has not
been enriched by the blood OF men,
patriots or invaders.
''In old days there were stirring
times, when the Austrian and the
Hungarian came up in hordes. and
the patriots went out to meet them
men and women. the aged, and the
children, too-Rnd waited their com.
ing on the rocks above the passes,
that they might sweep destruction on
them with their artificial avalanches.
When the invader was triumphant he
found but little. for whatever there
was had been sheltered in the
friendly soil"
DECLARES PEASANTS
ARE COWARDs AND FOOLS.
"But how" said !, "can It have re
malned so long undiscovered. when
there is a sure index To II II men will
but take the trouble 10 iOOk?" The
Count smiled, and as his lips ran back
over his gums, the long, sharp, canine
teeth showed out strangely; he an
swered:
"BecAuse your peasant Is at heart
a coward and n fool, Those flames