A SEARCHING CROSS-EXAMINATION . 209 



lency beamed on Sascha even more sweetly, more irre- 

 sistibly than ever. 



In the same smooth and fascinating tone of voice, 

 accompanied by the same irresistible, confidence-in- 

 spiring smile, he then kindly asked Sascha a few ques- 

 tions, similar to those that had been put to us at the 

 police station. None but a very skeptic, however, 

 would have found it in his heart to have suspected 

 the Governor of asking those questions because he had 

 any suspicions of us, or of taking anything but the 

 most paternal and kindly interest in our case. 



He also hoped that Sascha had not shown me any- 

 thing bad in the country, as the Chief of Police had 

 hoped ; but so fatherly and benevolent a friend to us 

 as the Governor would never be guilty of expressing 

 himself in the form of a command. 



It was all very sweet and bewitching, this interview 

 with His Excellency, and when we were graciously 

 dismissed, one of us, at least, was in the seventh heaven 

 of bliss and walked down and out of the Gubernatorial 

 presence with a flutter of delicious excitement. 



We had been received in the Gubernatorial ball 

 room, a large apartment, with mirrors, gilt chairs, and a 

 pretty little balcony for the orchestra. We had been 

 shown to seats just beneath this balcony to wait until 

 the Governor came out to receive us, and it was under 

 the balcony, with backs turned to it, that we had stood 

 all the time that His Excellency smiled on us and 

 questioned us. 



My somewhat varied experience of the Oriental 

 world led me to suspect that seats had been thought- 

 fully set for us under this pretty little balcony previous 



