The Illustrious Prince | Page 3

provide on request at no additional
cost, fee or expense, a copy of the etext in its original plain ASCII form

(or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form).
[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this "Small
Print!" statement.
[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits
you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate
your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg
Association/Carnegie-Mellon University" within the 60 days following
each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual
(or equivalent periodic) tax return.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TO?
The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning
machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright
licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of. Money
should be paid to "Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon
University".
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN
ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*

This etext was prepared by Theresa Armao of Albany, NY.

THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE
By
E. Phillips Oppenheim

CONTENTS

I Mr. Hamilton Fynes, Urgent II The End of the Journey III An Incident
and an Accident IV Miss Penelope Morse V An Affair of State VI Mr.
Coulson Interviewed VII A Fatal Despatch VIII An Interrupted Theatre
Party IX Inspector Jacks Scores X Mr. Coulson Outmatched XI A
Commission XII Penelope Intervenes XIII East and West XIV An
Engagement XV Penelope Explains XVI Concerning Prince Maiyo
XVII A Gay Night in Paris XVIII Mr. Coulson is Indiscreet XIX A
Momentous Question XX The Answer XXI A Clue XXII A Breath
From the East XXIII On the Trail XXIV Prince Maiyo Bids High XXV
Hobson's Choice XXVI Some Farewells XXVII A Prisoner XXVIII
Patriotism XXIX A Race XXX Inspector Jacks Importunate XXXI
Good-Bye! XXXII Prince Maiyo Speaks XXXIII Unafraid XXXIV
Banzai
CHAPTER I.
MR. HAMILTON FYNES, URGENT
There was a little murmur of regret amongst the five hundred and
eighty-seven saloon passengers on board the steamship Lusitania,
mingled, perhaps, with a few expressions of a more violent character.
After several hours of doubt, the final verdict had at last been
pronounced. They had missed the tide, and no attempt was to be made
to land passengers that night. Already the engines had ceased to throb,
the period of unnatural quietness had commenced. Slowly, and without
noticeable motion, the great liner swung round a little in the river.
A small tug, which had been hovering about for some time, came
screaming alongside. There was a hiss from its wave-splashed deck,
and a rocket with a blue light flashed up into the sky. A man who had
formed one of the long line of passengers, leaning over the rail,
watching the tug since it had come into sight, now turned away and
walked briskly to the steps leading to the bridge. As it happened, the
captain himself was in the act of descending. The passenger accosted
him, and held out what seemed to be a letter.
"Captain Goodfellow," he said, "I should be glad if you would glance at

the contents of that note."
The captain, who had just finished a long discussion with the pilot and
was not in the best of humor, looked a little surprised.
"What, now?" he asked.
"If you please," was the quiet answer. "The matter is urgent."
"Who are you?" the captain asked.
"My name is Hamilton Fynes," the other answered. "I am a saloon
passenger on board your ship, although my name does not appear in the
list. That note has been in my pocket since we left New York, to deliver
to you in the event of a certain contingency happening."
"The contingency being?" the captain asked, tearing open the envelope
and moving a little nearer the electric light which shone out from the
smoking room.
"That the Lusitania did not land her passengers this evening."
The captain read the note, examined the signature carefully, and
whistled softly to himself.
"You know what is inside this?" he asked, looking into his companion's
face with some curiosity.
"Certainly," was the brief reply.
"Your name is Mr. Hamilton Fynes, the Mr. Hamilton Fynes mentioned
in this letter?"
"That is so," the passenger admitted.
The captain nodded.
"Well," he said, "you had better get down on the lower deck, port side.
By the bye, have you any friends with you?"

"I am quite alone," he answered.
"So much the better," the captain declared. "Don't tell any one that you
are going ashore if you can help it."
"I certainly will not, sir," the other answered. "Thank you very much."
"Of course, you know that you can't take your luggage with you?" the
captain remarked.
"That is of no consequence at