Page:By order of the Czar.djvu/357



BY ORDER OF THE CZAR. 345

" Dolly, Dolly," said Sam, with his arm round her waist and " awfully happy/' as he told her afterwards, " you'll make me feel miserable if you talk in that way. Besides, fancy drifting from * glassy bowers, musical with birds, palaces lifting to eternal summer, and orange groves heavy with the sighs of music from sweet lutes,' into the bar- barism of Whitechapel and women-beaters ! For good- ness' sake, don't tell Jenny what we talked of, and don't mention it to Walter. We shall be chaffed unmercifully. Let us go back to poetry and sentiment."

"That's the bell for dinner," said Walter Milbanke, coming upon them unobserved, and calling their attention to the sounding gong beyond the terrace, " and here are the English newspapers. Such a discovery, by Jove ! How Comedy and Tragedy do go hand in hand ! They have found General Petronovitch floating with the tide from the Adriatic into the lagoons, stabbed to the heart with a dagger on which is engraved, in Arabic, the word 1 Vengeance." 1

" How dreadful ! " exclaimed Dolly.

" It is believed," continued Walter, " that he was killed on the night of the illuminations and taken out to sea in one of the many boats we saw on that exciting night. By Jove, it's worthy of the ancient days of Venice."

" I'm glad we didn't stay," remarked Dolly.

" So am I," said Swynford, " and you'll excuse me, V/alter, if I don't tear my hair over Petronovitch. I feel so awfully happy."

" You look it, my boy, you look it. Come along, then, we will dismiss the Venetian ghost and try the Bellaggio cuisine. I think it's all right. I have interviewed the chef, and discovered a brand of champagne that I think will even astonish you, you City sybarite ! "