New Arabian Nights | Page 8

sir," said the Prince. "I am not the man to go back from a
thing once said."
"Your coolness does me good," replied their guide. "I have never seen
any one so unmoved at this conjuncture; and yet you are not the first
whom I have escorted to this door. More than one of my friends has
preceded me, where I knew I must shortly follow. But this is of no
interest to you. Wait me here for only a few moments; I shall return as
soon as I have arranged the preliminaries of your introduction."

And with that the young man, waving his hand to his companions,
turned into the court, entered a doorway and disappeared.
"Of all our follies," said Colonel Geraldine in a low voice, "this is the
wildest and most dangerous."
"I perfectly believe so," returned the Prince.
"We have still," pursued the Colonel, "a moment to ourselves. Let me
beseech your Highness to profit by the opportunity and retire. The
consequences of this step are so dark, and may be so grave, that I feel
myself justified in pushing a little farther than usual the liberty which
your Highness is so condescending as to allow me in private."
"Am I to understand that Colonel Geraldine is afraid?" asked his
Highness, taking his cheroot from his lips, and looking keenly into the
other's face.
"My fear is certainly not personal," replied the other proudly; "of that
your Highness may rest well assured."
"I had supposed as much," returned the Prince, with undisturbed good
humour; "but I was unwilling to remind you of the difference in our
stations. No more - no more," he added, seeing Geraldine about to
apologise, "you stand excused."
And he smoked placidly, leaning against a railing, until the young man
returned.
"Well," he asked, "has our reception been arranged?"
"Follow me," was the reply. "The President will see you in the cabinet.
And let me warn you to be frank in your answers. I have stood your
guarantee; but the club requires a searching inquiry before admission;
for the indiscretion of a single member would lead to the dispersion of
the whole society for ever."
The Prince and Geraldine put their heads together for a moment. "Bear

me out in this," said the one; and "bear me out in that," said the other;
and by boldly taking up the characters of men with whom both were
acquainted, they had come to an agreement in a twinkling, and were
ready to follow their guide into the President's cabinet.
There were no formidable obstacles to pass. The outer door stood open;
the door of the cabinet was ajar; and there, in a small but very high
apartment, the young man left them once more.
"He will be here immediately," he said, with a nod, as he disappeared.
Voices were audible in the cabinet through the folding doors which
formed one end; and now and then the noise of a champagne cork,
followed by a burst of laughter, intervened among the sounds of
conversation. A single tall window looked out upon the river and the
embankment; and by the disposition of the lights they judged
themselves not far from Charing Cross station. The furniture was
scanty, and the coverings worn to the thread; and there was nothing
movable except a hand-bell in the centre of a round table, and the hats
and coats of a considerable party hung round the wall on pegs.
"What sort of a den is this?" said Geraldine.
"That is what I have come to see," replied the Prince. "If they keep live
devils on the premises, the thing may grow amusing."
Just then the folding door was opened no more than was necessary for
the passage of a human body; and there entered at the same moment a
louder buzz of talk, and the redoubtable President of the Suicide Club.
The President was a man of fifty or upwards; large and rambling in his
gait, with shaggy side whiskers, a bald top to his head, and a veiled
grey eye, which now and then emitted a twinkle. His mouth, which
embraced a large cigar, he kept continually screwing round and round
and from side to side, as he looked sagaciously and coldly at the
strangers. He was dressed in light tweeds, with his neck very open in a
striped shirt collar; and carried a minute book under one arm.
"Good evening," said he, after he had closed the door behind him. "I

am told you wish to speak with me."
"We have a desire, sir, to join the Suicide Club," replied the Colonel.
The President rolled his cigar about in his mouth. "What is that?" he
said abruptly.
"Pardon me," returned the Colonel, "but I believe you are the person
best qualified to