order to observe and to
study certain features of your life, but, believe me, I have felt the
strain--I have felt it sometimes very badly. These countries, yours
especially, are like what one of your great poets called the Lotus-Lands
for us. Much of your life here is given to pursuits which we do not
understand, to sports and games, to various forms of what we should call
idleness. In my country we know little of that. In one way or another,
from the Emperor to the poor runner in the streets, we work."

"Is there nothing which you will regret?" she asked.

"I shall regret the friends I have made,--the very dear friends," he
repeated, "who have been so very much kinder to me than I have deserved.
Life is a sad pilgrimage sometimes, because one may not linger for a
moment at any one spot, nor may one ever look back. But I know quite
well that when I leave here there will be many whom I would gladly see
again."

"There will be many, Prince," she said softly, "who will be sorry to see
you go."

The Prince rose to his feet. Another little stream of callers had come
into the room. Presently he drank his tea and departed. When he
reached St. James' Square, his majordomo came hurrying up and whispered
something in his own language.

The Prince smiled.

"I go to see him," he said. "I will go at once."

CHAPTER XXVII. A PRISONER

Dr. Spencer Whiles was sitting in a very comfortable easy chair, smoking
a particularly good cigar, with a pile of newspapers by his side. His
appearance certainly showed no signs of hardship. His linen, and the
details of his toilet generally, supplied from some mysterious source
into which he had not inquired, were much improved. Notwithstanding
his increased comfort, however, he was looking perplexed, even a
little worried, and the cause of it was there in front of him, in the
advertisement sheets of the various newspapers which had been duly laid
upon his table.

The Prince came in quietly and closed the door behind him.

"Good afternoon, my friend!" he said. "I understood that you wished to
see me."

The doctor had made up his mind to adopt a firm attitude. Nevertheless
the genial courtesy of the Prince's tone and manner had the same effect
upon him as it had upon most people. He half rose to his feet and became
at once apologetic.

"I hope that I have not disturbed you, Prince," he said. "I thought that
I should like to have a word or two with you concerning something which
I