Show x o O M. M y i Secrets of the Courts of j t x t An Old Ambassadors Ambassador's Revelations of the t tInner t I Inner History of Famous Episodes Episodes Episodes' Heretofore Cloaked in Mystery t Chronicled by ALLEN UPWARD U WAnD 1 THE TI-IE GHOST OF Or T THE E WINTER PALACE f A AAA VV Check Checkl proclaimed the ambassador ambassador dor dor- with a threatening air as he advanced advanced ad ad- the kings king's bishop to the one square re I had omitted to guard And he back in his seat and smiled smiled as t he considered the game already won I I sat silently studying the position But my opponent was not a man who played chess choos merely by moving the pi pieces es on the board He did not neglect neglect neg neg- lect the opportunity to distract my attention attention attention at at- by conversation The game of ot chess is an admirable on one for men of ot my calling he ob- ob served There Thero Is Is' something truly in- in ys in tho the le lessons sons which it conveys con con- veys Look for instance at the pawn a Po piece which in its earlier career scarcely repays the trouble of ot capture but to which later on even the queen may have to be sacrificed I r resigned signed myself to the prospect of ot 10 losing the game and prepared to toUs Us listen ten The people of western Europe do donot donot donot not understand Russia It is of ot course Russia the Russia of ot the tho government that I speak During the whole time that I spent in St St. Petersburg I could always perceive that I was a mere spectator allowed to see no more of ot the true condition of ot affairs than it suited Bulged the purpose e of qt the officials to display to toe me e. e Nevertheless I flatter myself that I penetrated farther be behind be be- behind hind bind the scenes than they were aware Outwardly as everybody knows the government of ot this empire is an autocracy the absolute power being vested In the hands of ot the tsar But Dut the true government of Russia is a secret society the mysterious which includes the whole of the official official oID- oID cial class and in whose whose hands the the tsar is often no more tl than an a puppet powerless pow pow- powerless powerless pow pow- erless to exert his hi's his own will How bui burdensome this position is may be estimated d from the fact that eight decades ago the Grand D Duke ke Constantine Constantino Constan Constan- tine tino deliberately refused to ascend the throne which passed to his younger brot brother 1 r. r the Emperor Nicholas las INor INor INor I. I Nor has the ever shrunk from asserting Its supremacy supremacy-by s supremacy by the most deplorable deeds It is not the the Nihilists who have set t the e fashion of ot assassinating tsars It is by the hands of ot their own ministers and courtiers tha monarchs of Russia h have ve most most often p perished It Ii is necessary necessary to bear these facts In nind in order to to understand nd the incident in in- I am about to relate It is not so r very rY many years rears since nce the attention o og Eu Europe was as concentrated concentrated concentrated concen concen- upon the death of Alexander III Occurring as it ft did in in a remote corner corner of ot his his' dominions on the Hie shores of ot the the Black Black sea the accounts supplied supplied supplied sup sup- plied by bi the correspondents of f the he Eu Eu- who flocked in hi Vast aI- aI press num numbers bers hers to the spot were were as circumstantial a as if It each one had been admitted to the bedside of th the dying monarch 7 The e interest taken In this thie event vent was moreover moreover r enhanced by the the romantic circumstances of ot the marriage of th the present tsar Nicholas II However the result of ot all all this was that the Nihilists relaxed their heir activity ac- ac ac activity c- c and for fora a time there was absolute absolute absolute lute repose repose Pose in th the Russian n capital This repose was broken by a strange and disturbing rumor rumor wh which ch circulated circulated observe merely among the exclusive ex ex- elusive circles of ot the court This rumor rumor rumor ru ru- mor w was teas s to the effect that the winter palace had become haunted It was stated that a ghost had been seen walking in one of or orthe the corridors at midnight And there were those who asserted that the spirit in question question ques question tion was that of ot the dead tsar As you may imagine such a report could not be long In attracting the attention at at- tent gnot of the s secret police The result was l very erY soon apparent l Ij Never ver was the marvelous power of ot the police exerted with more crushing rushing effect effects The rumor died out as swiftly I. I and suddenly as it had arisen It never penetrated beyond the inner circle of society and above all never reached the pars ears of ot a single correspondent of ot any journal outside the Russian em- em f Aire In the Russian press of ot course it was impossible for anything to pass the stern stem scrutiny of ot the censorship It Itis is for this reason that the public of Europe has never had even an inkling inkling inkling ink ink- ling of f a a secret of ot which outside the immediate court circle I I am perhaps the pole ole ola possessor That m mere r cur curiosity curiosity curi curi- is not one of my fallings failings you have doubtless long ago observed But Butin Butin in th the interests of France I deemed it necessary to pe penetrate to to the bottom bottom of this extraordinary affair and circumstances cir clr- circumstances fortunately put it in my power to do soI soI so I was not there in any political capacity T i 1 was favored In my investigation investigation by the accident o 0 of my friendship friend friend- ship with a avery very charming woman the Princess whose son Prince Boris Doris was an imperial page at that time on duty in the winter pal palace ce I had to formed med the a acquaintance o. o ol of the princess during my my former official residence at the embassy and though s some me years had bad elapsed since I had seen seen her she she received me with unAbated unabated un un- un- un Abated friendliness on my return I iI chanced to to tobe be dining at her man man- 1 r v r.-v w vv o Ov sion on the Prospect on the day after the royal apparition was wa said to have made its appearance We Ve were enjoying g a. a a tete-a-t tete tete-a-tete tete te after dinner before before before be be- fore proceeding to a ball given that night at the pal palace when we we were e Interrupted interrupted interrupted in In- by the arrival of the young Boris Doris dressed in the imposing uniform of ot his office He was quite a lad indeed indeed indeed in in- deed when I had formerly known him he 16 was a mere child and had been accustomed to consider me in the light of ot a father He entered the room in which we were seated more abruptly that was perhaps consistent with his filial respect respect re re- respect re- re but the agitation under which he evidently labored furnished some excuse Mother he cried out as soon son as ashe ashe asle he le was inside the door have you you heard about the event of ot last night 7 The princess wi with h a gesture full of ot dignity drew his his' my pres press ence Boris l' l she exclaimed in a voice of at reproof You have omitted to pay your respects to the baron The young prince blushed blush d and hastened hastened has- has ened to make his apologies with that grace which he inherits I from his par par- ent Say no more I commanded it ft is easy to see th that t. t you have something of ot Importance which you wish to communicate communicate communicate com com- to your mother With madame's permission I will withdraw But this neither of ot them would hear icar of both mother and son sou assuring me that there was no secret which they would not to my dis dis- dis- dis credon It wa was then that my young friend proceeded to disclose the reason for appearance and to astound us with the intelligence that he was himself the author of ot the rumor which had so perturbed the society of St St. Petersburg It will perhaps save time U if f I 1 repeat the substance of ot his story In n my own words You must know that the winter palace palace palace pal pal- ace is one of ot the most colossal buildings buildings build build- ings fags in iri the world Whole suites of apartments in it are never used even but in order to guard against all danger danger danger dan dan- ger from the odious attempts of ot the Nihilists a certain w watch is maintained even in the most deserted quarters of ot the he palace The rhe imperial suite comprising eight principal rooms is traversed throughout through through- out its length by a corridor which opens at one end on the first landing of ot the grand staircase at which point two of ot the pages are always on duty day and night At the other end the corridor is closed by a door which is I always kept locked On the further side of ot this door is a disused gallery overlooking a garden in the rear of orthe the pal palace c and leading to a suite of ot rooms rooms which had not b been en used for years It was at this spot that the young prince had been on on d duty ty the preceding night Y You ou will understand that the task of keeping guard at night f ia b i a deserted gal gallery ery was by no means means a pleasant one although no one page was required required required re re- re- re to be there for more than three hours hours in the twenty Moreover a small room opening out of the gallery I had been suitably furnished for tor the I lads to relax themselves in during I their solitary watch On n the night in question Boris Doris had i repaired to the gallery to relieve his comrade at nine He had sim sim- ply to remain there till twelve and then as soon as the clock struck he was at liberty to retire to hi his own quarters It wanted very few minutes to the hour and he was pacing the gallery impatiently waiting for his release when he happened to stop opposite one of ot the windows and lo look k out into the grounds It was a bright moonlight night and every tree and shrub in the garden stood out with startling dis dis- He gazed idly letting his eye roam over the expanse when all at once his attention was arrested by a sight calculated calculated calculated cal cal- to disturb anyone living in the alarmist atmosphere of the Russian court This was a tall and closely muffled muffled fled fied figure stealing along in the broken shadows of the trees and making making making mak mak- ing its way towards the nearest corner corner cor cor- ner of the building It was nas as inevitable that the startled page should at once connect this fig fig- figure figure figure ure with the audacious intrigues of the dreaded secret society whose plots constitute constitute con con- a perpetual menace to the imperial imperial im im- penal throne His impression that he was watching a Nihilist emissary was confirmed when he saw him confidently confidently confidently con con- approaching a door in n the wall of ot the palace which was never used and was supposed to be securely fastened fastened fas tas- fas- fas against ingress and egress ress This door on the contrary appeared to yield to a a. touch of ot the mysterious visitor visitor visitor vis vis- vis- vis who disappeared from sight beneath beneath be be- beneath neath its arch Greatly disturbed by what he had seen seen Boris Doris kept his station in the gal gallery gallery lery considering what it was advisable for him to do To have given the alarm might have been of ot the greatest dan danger danger danger ger to the prince The first person whom he approached with the news might have been a secret Nihil Nihilist st and have i re repa repaid aid such a communication with a k khi ife knife The whole courtIs court courtis is honeycombed While the prince was still hesitating hesitating hesitating ing he suddenly became aware of an unusual sound coming from the far tar end of ot the gallery wh where re it ended In Inthe inthe inthe the disused apartments I have de de- de- de scribed The sound appeared to be that of ot a door slowly turning on its hinges In an instant Boris Doris realized or thought he realized the situation The personage of ot the garden had arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived in the vacant suite by means of ofa ofa ofa a secret stairway from the garden door and was now about to pass through into the tho gallery with the object object object ob ob- ob- ob no doubt of of making his way finally into the imperial corridor There was not a moment to lose Unarmed as he stood there Boris fortunately fortunately fortunately for for- recollected that in the little chamber which I have spoken of ot as asset asset asset set apart for the use of the pages there were a pair of ot loaded pistols and anda a sword He darted in through the open door of ot the room snatched up the sword and one of the pistols and had got back nearly as far tar as the threshold when he h was arrested and his very limbs were rooted to the ground by the sight eight of the figure which passed noiselessly along the corridor outside Imagine a t tall ll and somber apparition apparition apparition tion with long black robes sweeping the floor the head shrouded in a deep cowl from whose recesses gleamed out pallid and spectral in the light of ot the moon the features of ot the dead monarch Alexander III HU HUAt At this point his excellency pretended pretend pretend- ed to perceive for the first time the change which had taken place in the position of t the chessmen Ah Ahl You have moved your king he exclaimed and promptly shifted his attacking bishop so as to give me a afresh afresh afresh fresh check Then he returned to the narrative A moment passed The first firt shock of ot terror error over oyer the awe struck struck awe page ventured to the door of ot the chamber and glanced out into the gallery The ghost had disappeared as suddenly and as mysteriously as it had come come Were there no other rooms room off the gallery into which it might have passed I demanded not to appear too credulous There were none The only other door in iri this part of ot the gallery was that which I have already described as closing o imperial corridor Be J sure ur that I I put the same question ques question tion myself when my young friend told me the story His manner convinced me that he be was not lying and that he really believed himself to have seen the specter he described As you know I am amnot not a believer in inthe inthe inthe the s supernatural I sought to shake the boys boy's superstitious superstitious' state state state-of of mind What you saw was some illusion some trick of the imagination I said to him He lIe shook his he head d mournfully I am as certain of ot what I saw as if it were before me now he replied My mother will tell you that I am not subject subject subject sub sub- to idle fancies The princess confirmed this statement statement statement state state- ment with a nod of ot her head I am sure that my son must have seen something like what he describes describes de de- scribes she said to me though it is evident to me that it must have been some sonie living person person masquerading as the ghost of ot the tsar The question is for what purpose such a disguise ise could have been assumed and on on this point I confess confers I feel uneasy What do you say my friend I shook my head I fear that the first suspicions of ot Boris were correct I replied and that the enemies of his majesty have resumed resumed resumed re re- re- re their infernal schemes schemes' Both mother and son appeared struck by this view of ot the circum circum- stances was by no means prepared to abandon bandon his belief bellet in the supernatural character of ot what he had seen It may very well be that this was merely a first visit visit I added a recon recon- to discover the nature of the ground before introducing |