The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-04-04

with knife-thrust The whole court
is honeycombed.
while the prince was still hesitat-
ing, he suddenly became aware of an
unusual sound, coming from the far
end of the gallery, where it ended in
the disused apartments l have de
scribed. The sound appeared to be
that of a door slowly turning on its
hinges. In an instant Boris realized,
or thought he realized, the situation,
The parsonage of the garden had ar
rived in the vacant suite by means OF
a secret stairway from the garden
door, and was now about to pass
through into the gallery, with the OBJ
ject, no doubt, of making his way
finally into the imperial corridor.
There was not a moment to lose
Unarmed, as he stood there, Boris for
tunately recollected that in the little
chamber, which l have spoken of as
set apart for the use of the pages,
there were pair of loaded pistols and
sword. He darted in through the
open door of the room, snatched up
the sword and one of the pistols, and
had got back nearly as far as the
threshold, when he was arrested, and
his very limbs were rooted to the
ground, by the sight of the figure
which passed noiselessly along the
corridor outside.
Imagine tall and somber appari-
ton, with long black robes sweeping
the floor, the head shrouded in a deep
cowl, from whose recesses cleaned
out, pallid and spectral in the light of
the moon, the features of the dead
monarch, Alexander I'LL"
At this point his excellency pretend
ed to perceive for the first time the
change which had taken place in the
position of the chessmen.
"Ah! You have moved your king"
he exclaimed, and promptly shifted his
attacking bishop so as to give me a
fresh check. Then he returned to the
narrative.
"A moment passed. The first shock
of terror over, the awe-struck page
ventured to the door of the chamber
and glanced out into the gallery. The
ghost had disappeared, as suddenly
and as mysteriously as it had come"
Were there no other rooms off the
gallery into which it might have
passed." l demanded, not to appear
too credulous.
"Thara uara mona Tho oD1v otbar
door in this part Of the gallery was
that which have already described as
closing off the imperial corridor
BE sure that l put the same ques-
ton myself when my young friend told
me the story. His manner convinced
me that he was not lying, and that he
really believed himself to have seen
the specter he described.
"As you know, am not believer in
the supernatural. / sought to shake
the boys superstitious state of mind.
"'What you saw was some Illusion,
some trick of the imagination, l said
to him.
HE shook his head mournfully.
"I am as certain of what | saw as if
it were before me now he replied. My
mother will tell you that l am not sub
ject to idle fancies.'
"The princess confirmed this state
ment with nod of her head.
Il am sure that my son must have
seen something like what he de-
scribes,' she said to me, though it is
evident to me that it must have been
some living person, masquerading as
the ghost of the tsar. The question is
for what purpose such disguise could
have been assumed, and on this point
confess l feel uneasy. What do you
say, my friend?
Il shook my head.
az fear that the first suspicious of
Boris were correct replied, and that
the enemies of his majesty have re-
sumed their internal schemes
Both mother and son appeared
struck by this view of the circum-
stances. But Boris was by no means
prepared to abandon his belief in the
character of what he had
seen.
"'It may very well be that this was
merely a first visit l added, "a recon-
noissance, to discover the nature of
the ground, before introducing some
explosive machine or other, and the
villain may easily have kept himself
out of sight for few minutes. Doubt
less he returned Immediately, only you
had then left the gallery.
"'But there is an easy way of put
ting the matter to the proof. If | am
right in my suspicious this creature,
whoever he may be, will infallibly re-
turn at the same hour another night.
Tonight, on account OF the presence Of
everybody at this ball, will be his most
favorable opportunity, as he may con-
fidently expect to find the imperial
suite deserted. l propose to you that
we repair to this little room of yours
together, at the moment when the
page who has replaced you tonight
comes off duty, and if this mysterious
parsonage again presents himself, l
will compel him to disclose his
identity.
Boris welcomed this idea. i could
see that he was secretly ashamed of
the ridicule which attached to him for
his story of ghost-seeing, and that he
was anxious to re-establish his char
acter. The princess was good enough
to express her opinion of my courage
and devotion in terms which it would
not become me to repeat to you. In
the end we arrived at an understand
ing, and departed to the palace to-
gether.
"Tbrouehout tho nroqrass If tho bau