Show I 1 I 1 0 K 9 m m y CHAPTER continued 24 all 11 the same said hall tommy 1 1 I dont ri think the patriarch out ought to have talked tier ik ti father that way to the princess about tile the princess princes evidently felt that y herself said janet she bhe changed borit the tae subject abruptly and well she about the hush u bit ani and it vas rather hard to make out exactly what the she meant but I 1 think she was try tr log ing to explain to the patriarch that she he had no object objection iol to marrying farming you vou of course billat illat it ft thing site she could very ver well say straight lelit out in plan plain words and evidently the lie paerl arch quite grasp what site she was mas at how did tt it endt end said tommy ini im not asking imply out of fit curios ity its really rather tin matter with me 1 I cant tell you iou how it ended said janot janet that tall count man tame cattle lit in who ho sat bat at supper with you ou lust last night albert that 3 his name ile ho canie came in anti and told rue me that I 1 might inight come here to see you 1 I wish waited a little sold bald tom tommy tit y 1 I waited IB as long as I 1 cot could tit I 1 was ft as practically ordered out of the ille room but I 1 have been much wiser if id stayed staged they were all three but Listi Lys trian lun As soon as the princess realized loal led that tile the patriarch taking in whar she said she dropped german and poke Lyst rinn so lid did the lie count all I 1 can bay aay Is that it sounded its as it if they the were arguing it always sounds as if people were arguing when they talk a Itin language guage one understand genera Genei generally ally 1 ly they appear to be qua AVII which ach side bide was casimir on the princess or the patriarchs it seemed to tile me said janet that they were all three on different sides aides 11 well Vell said tommy 1 I suppose its ita all settled by tills time lime I 1 wish I 1 knew how from the way they the were speaking said janet 1 I should wy ay the discussion might go on for hours they all seemed to have a lot to say sav 1 I with go back ciack said tommy and try what you can do in the way of influencing the patriarch 1 I dont see that ive any right to interfere still I 1 think you ought to try its a frightfully serious thing for me As far as I 1 can make out im either cither going to be hanged or married im afraid ive no influence with the patriarch oh yes you have said tommy as a representative of the league of christian churches you must have suppose you were to offer the patriarch to make him president of a world conference of religions to be held tit nt chicago or some place like that where a conference of the kind might be held hed love that and nt at the sanie same time you could tell casimir that I 1 dont in the least mind whether im king of L atria or not if im allowed to marry calypso id every bit as soon go home as stay here that young woman said janet Is totally unsuited to be a curates ccrates cu rates wife she Is in said tommy 1 I 1 know that perhaps it would be hotter better for you to say to casimir that id make quite a good king fro from n tits his point of view give him film any amount of balls and dinners keep up the opera not have any income tax t ind and all that sort of thing the late king told me exactly wanted and im prepared to do it it will be easy enough to talk falk over casimir Caslin lr the real trouble Is the patriarch look here miss church if you ou nin manage ringe to persuade him ill promise faithfully to use all my influence as king to unite tile the ays fys tria church to any christian body in the world you choose to name even if we have to wait till t III lie present patriarch dies and I 1 have tile the appointment ment of a new one well pull the thing off in the end that must havi have been a strong temptation to janet I 1 dare say slie would have given way to it and gone to the patriarch with will it a proposal eliat he should be president of 0 some sort of world bonfe conference rence whether lie would have accepted the position lon or will ever know before not no nn one janet had made an any v reply to tommy ij count albert entered tile room ile he immediately ordered the two soldiers who stood on guard to go 90 away ile he spoke to them in a manner 1 just as if that was a actually savage their way ivay into tom they the had forced mys apartments against again st orders which he had find repeatedly given them then ile he marched over to tile the window where tommy was standing and saluted aft after er that lie he marched back to the door flung it open stood to attention of it and said side elde at on one e fe that tommy wits wd it at it was evident liberty again casimir questioning jant jar t eagerly translate his bis 2 to pausing sex scarcely treelY ouline of got tin an aers to tommy what hod had happened hart had carried tier her point princess ane casimir who did nr arl 1 I much care who king of Ly lustrin so BO long its as there was kark of some sot bit backed ched tier her karf kirf was wa a who wha wn yes it kindhearted patriarch up the old and ad rr fund ial ue e had birto or of the pr toc and ud by george A birmingham copyright by bobble cow N U service part IV london and CHAPTER I 1 find malf tit it lust last to my illy own kreut great able to return to it part of tile the story tit in which I 1 myself bore a part I 1 ant no longer writing hearsay li ersay but narrating what I 1 actual ly saw tind and heard tile the scene of lord Troy tob library lit in grosvenor street when 1 lord rd INor Nortie heys ys tind and ht his bride walked sulked in 0 ru re vividly in my illy mind tronto sat t bolt upright on tit the edge of it 11 deep chair in which lie lind had been lounging at tits his elbow wim was a little table fill the empty corfee codyce cups cupa and the alio liqueurs lique urs on it behind it sat iro coelus cable staring ut ili Nor liea with nn an express loa of angry amazement on ills his face unit half way between tile the door and the fireplace the place stood Norlie ys and tits ills bride I 1 tin had never before seen viola temple on oft the stage singe and it her r UNe artince surprised me I 1 expected tier to ile he pretty of course I 1 IN did no not expect tier to took look gentle shy and nd even timid A girl who tins has faced huge audiences hundreds of ti times ea would not one might suppose be frightened of three old gentlemen sitting round a fire but she was nor beys attitude was protective he held one of her hands and kept her clo bloc SC beside him the library in troyles Troy tes house in grosvenor Oros venor street Is a comforte comfor comfortable tn lie anti and I 1 think a beautiful room there lire fire a couple of good pictures hilt but for tile the most part the walls tire arc covered with bookcases i has spent a great deal on boo books k s luring during ills ilia life rare books exquisite examples of printing and books which have fine fans bindings I 1 do not know that he or indeed any one ever reads books of that kind it Is generally easier and plea to buy it a modern modem edition of an old author it you want to read him at all but there Is no doubt that tile the presence in ili a room of good books good front from a bibliophiles point of view creates an atmosphere which Is very agreeable especially after dinner A persian carpet one of the best I 1 have evev ever seen covers the floor of the library some good chairs chinese chippendale stand with their hacks backs against the bookcases but Is too sensible a man to fire comfort to artistic feeling round hound the fire he had deep leather covered chairs of thoroughly satisfactory late victorian design 1 I the fifth person present anil and by far the least important leaned back in my illy chair and giggled feebly unless its emiles curate w chos h os gone to Ly L I 1 repented repeated 1 I dont know who it can be procopius Proc oplus cable turned and glared tit at roe me with ferocity and contempt I 1 had been guilty of tin nn ill timed attempt at a joke in tile the middle of ft a very ery serious crisis I 1 stopped giggling abruptly and murmured an apology after that for a u while nobody spoke wits was the farst to recover ills his self poR possession session ue rose from his chair and walked over to where nor heys and his bride were standing my dear viola lie he said that stupid husband of yours hos has never introduced trod me to you so I 1 must introduce myself as your uncle wont avont you QU come over to the fire and ot felt down 7 up ile took tooh her by the liand hand and led tier lier to 10 tits his own chair ile ie set tier lier lit in it and placed a footstool tit at tier her feet the alie recognition had find been a little long in coming coining but there were excuses to be made for tile delay nothing could have been more inore courteous than troy tes manner when lie ile got over the shock of tier her sudden appearance and le up tip tits ills mind to accept the inevitable tile the girl looked up tip at him with timid gratitude and blushed lit in tile tho most charming manner good 0 old ld uncle ned 11 sold nor heys 1 I knew take it like a man what I 1 always said to Vio viola lawas was tills unel uncle e ned may be a member of and a cabinet minister tind and all that but hes still a gentleman cable tits his hands thrust deep into ills trousers pockets stood scowling scow ling in Ly he said it seems toine to me sald said Nor heya heys tl at soule some oilier blighter tins has chipped in cable strode over to troyles Troy tes writing table tn lIi seized a pen and begun began to 0 o scribble lit at a ler terrific rifle pace faster than any one ive ever seen write except on oil ahe liec stage ile he talked while lie he wrote another than thing which reminded rue roe of the theater 1 I shall wire vire to berlin v at t once cas cai lenir imar Is still in berlin I 1 r shall hall wire to king I 1 shall wire ire to the patriarch pan larch in Ly c secellia 11 pity it said Norh Nor heys evs tt butt in like ilke that what 1 always say Is if a things done then it Is done even it if it happens to be tho the tiling thing which a fellow would rather done passed ills hand over ills forehead forche iid anxiously therell be trouble tn in the balk balkans tins ile he said 11 1 dont see how tills this business can end without fresh trouble 1 in the balkans Bal ral kona kans 1 the marriage has bag probably not trl tak en place i ut awl said cubic cable we ve may lie he in littleto stop it nien hven it wo we do said paid therell oll he trouble 1 1 I dont set sec why said Nor lioi heys of course im only tin nn outsider anti and tills ti ig your our job uncle ned but I 1 dont see sec N lit y it to 0 o tile me things ought to settle down these fellows in III what you ou cull call tile the place I 1 prompted tile the rood good old 11 sald nor lies heys it a kins and tt ipp g got it one that dusky dusk queen of yours ours uncle ned wanted a husband und ashes got one or will very ery soon noon if we dont interfere lie may ili hr it wrong all n seems rather ns its it if lie 14 K but if rhes I 1 dont see lint hat it matters to u us its tile the great thing la is not to start lit in rIng with W other people peo plea ta husane never does any good who ho was troubled murmured something about a i war in the balkans which lilli it he lincon sible to localize cable the room front the lie writing table alth three sheets alie ot of note piper in lila ills hand this lie ho said holding out one of if thein Is a i telegram legnini te to tile other ollier two tire re to the king an and to ti alie air tf patriarch can you ou net get them sent seat off ut lit onee lord 1 I think so ao sald bald troyt arote p 1 I cabi cnn send them round to tile lio foreign loftlee and ret get them off air for me ine hut but I 1 doubt it if therell bo be any operators on duty nt at tills hour in tile the post offices abroad I 1 shall have alme to write sonie telegrams myself inise lr I 1 must cato nt at once with our in berlin and with our ministers in prague and bukarest und and seems seeing 11 pity it said Nor heys after nil undo uncle neil ned that fellow whoever he la Is evidently wants a princess arid and what I 1 always bay any li 19 why lie he have tier her if 1 lie he does doear the patriarch will probably have him shot out of hand when lie ho gets my said coble cable betterly bt terly 1 I hope not sold antl lorhea No Nor rhea hoys lie ile may be quite a decent fellow not a wrong lun un tit nt fill all and it every one take on that princess oj of yours uncle ned lots lota of men dont like it ive told you ou nil all along I 1 nil sold I 1 d that the princess calypso Is as white as you sou are still theres n risk said Nor heys A throw buck back dont you ou know what scientific johnnies cyll atavism you never can tell ell when a perfectly coal black baby might turn up horrid things black babies what I 1 always say aay to Is that if ft a fellow h IB prepared to take the risk why not let him no particular business of ours Is it if the lie babies turn out to be black black or even brownl brown was attending to viola taking tier lier coat from her offering her cash cushions lons trying to induce her to drink champagne cable grow grew impatient ller perhaps hups he said you will clione these telegrams through to the foreign office or would you rather I 1 sent a messenger with them got up tip and went to tile the telephone talked on addressing no one in particular what I 1 cant see he said to Is why we should li butt in so si far as I 1 can make out im the only one of us with a shadow of a grievance anti and I 1 dont want to trot it out I 1 cant well take an action for breach of promise against an indian queen id look such an ass 1 I uncle hill lie he turned to me because was at the telephone and cable had turned tits his back on us ua 1 11 I know say sites not an indian said Nor heys hut but Ier persians seem to me just as an had bad sites not ll erslan either I 1 staid eald TO OB big CONTINUED |