He knew that in the
comparatively short interval since Parliament had risen no act
of aggression had marked the Russian occupation of Meshed, but
he also knew that Fraide and his followers looked askance at
that great power's amiable attitude, and at sight of his
leader's message his intuition stirred.
Turning to the nearest lamp, he tore the envelope open and
scanned the letter anxiously. It was written in Fraide's own
clear, somewhat old-fashioned writing, and opened with a
kindly rebuke for his desertion of him since the day of his
speech; then immediately, and with characteristic clearness,
it opened up the subject nearest the writer's mind.
Very slowly and attentively Loder read the letter; and with
the extreme quiet that with him invariably covered emotion, he
moved to the desk, wrote a note, and handed it to the waiting
servant. As the man turned towards the door he called him.
"Renwick!" he said, sharply, "when you've given that letter to
Mr. Fraide's servant, ask Mrs. Chilcote if she can spare me
five minutes.
Pages:
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321