y
sensation, and of a sourish taste on his lips, as he licked them
from time to time; but scarcely more than this, except perhaps of
a sudden shivering spasm that shook him once or twice as the
fog-laden breeze poured in upon him.

He sat there watching through the windows in a kind of
impassivity, as much as he could see of the method by which the
racing-boat was attached by long, rigid rods to the steady
floating raft that had risen from beneath. (He was even
interested to observe that these rigid rods were of telescopic
design, and were elongated from their own interiors. One of them
pushed forward once to within a foot of the windows; then the
tapering end seemed to fall apart into two hooked ends,
singularly like a lean finger and thumb with roughened surfaces.
This, in its turn, rose out of sight, and he heard it slide
along the roof overhead, till it caught some projection and
there clenched.)

So the process went on, slowly and deliberately. The driver
still remained at his post, answering once or twice questions
put to him from some invisible person outside. The Cardinal
still sat, motionless and silent, on the opposite seat. Then,
after perhaps ten minutes' delay, a sensation of descending
became perceptible.

His fear, such as it was, took a new form, as presently through
the thinning fog he became aware that the earth was approaching.
The first clear indication of this was the sound of a clock
striking. He counted the strokes carefully, and immediately
forgot what it was that he had counted. Then, as he watched with
straining eyes for buildings or towers to make their appearance,
the movement stopped; there was a faint jarring sensation, then
the sound of trampling feet, then a heavy shock. He had forgotten
that stages were used.

The Cardinal stood up.

"Come, Monsignor," he said, and gave his hand to him.

So the two stood a moment longer. Then the footsteps sounded on
the boat; a shadow fell across the glass of the stern-door. The
door opened, letting in a rush of foggy air, and two men in
uniform came swiftly inside.

"Your name and your business, gentlemen?" said the foremost
shortly, in excellent English.

"I am come on behalf of the Holy Father," said the Cardinal
steadily. "My name is Cardinal Bellairs. This is my secretary,
Monsignor Masterman. He is not an envoy."

"Exactly," said the man. "That is all in order. You were seen by
our guard-boats. Will you step this way?"

A bridge