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, benefit the ultietic ends of TurkeyFor were once the Vissarion race at anend, the subjection of the Land of the Blue Mountains ht, in theirview, be an easier task than it had yet been found to be

Such, illustrious lady, were the conditions of affairs when theGospodar Rupert first drew his handjar for the Blue Mountains andwhat it held most dear

PALEALOGUE,_Archbishop of the Eastern Church_, _in the Land of the BlueMountains_

RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_

_July_ 8, 1907

I wonder if ever in the long, strange history of the world had there cos as came to me--and even then ratherinferentially than directly--froHappily I was able to restrain e confusion which ht have evoked distrust, andwould certainly have hampered us in our pursuitFor a little I couldhardly accept the truth which wove itself through my brain as the trueinwardness of each fact came home to me and took its place in the wholefabricBut even the most welco heartMy heart, whatever itheart, but a very, very grateful oneIt was only thesplendid nitude of the truth which forbade its immediate acceptanceI could have shouted for joy, and only stilled er which my as inMy wife!My wife!Not a Vampire; not a poor harassed creature doomed to terrible woe, but asplendid woman, brave beyond belief, patriotic in a hich has but fewpeers even in the wide history of bravery!I began to understand thetrue e occurrences that have coin and purpose of that first strange visit to irl could move about the Castle in somysterious a mannerShe had lived there all her life, and was familiarwith the secret ways of entrance and exitI had always believed thatthe place esNo wonderthat she could find a way to the battlements, mysterious to everybodyelseNo wonder that she could staff when she sodesired

To say that I was in a tumult would be to but faintly express ht which had noof the veil which showed that mywife--difficulties and dangers--was no Vahost or phantom,but a real woman of flesh and blood, of affection, and love, and passionNow at last wouldrescued her fromthe marauders, I should bear her to n in peace and comfort and honour, and in love and wifely happinessif I could achieve such a blessing for her--and for myself

But here a dreadful thought flashed acrossheart to ice:

"As she is a real woer than ever in the handsof Turkish ruffiansTo them a woman is in any case noher to the harem of the Sultan, they maydeem it the next wisest step to kill herIn that way, too, they htfind a better chance of escapeOnce rid of her the party couldseparate, and thereescape asindividuals that would not exist for a partyBut even if they did notkill her, to escape with her would be to condemn her to the worst fate ofall the harethat life ht be--must be the lot of a Christian woman doomed to such alotAnd to her, just happily wedded, and after she had served hercountry in such a noble way as she had done, that dreadful life ofshameful slavery would be a misery beyond belief

"She ht soon,and suddenly, so that they may have neither time nor opportunity to har of ier

"On! on!"

And "on" it was all through that terrible night as well as we couldthrough the forest

It was a race between the mountaineers andthat anist their fiery coerof the Voivodin became knownTheseas I am, it took my utmost effort to keep aheadof themThey were keen as leopards, and as swiftTheir lives had beenspent a the mountains, and their hearts and souls on were in thechaseI doubt not that if the death of any one of us could have throughany means effected st ourselves for the honour

From the nature of the work before us our party had to keep to the top ofthe hillsWe had not only to keep observation on the flying party e followed, and to prevent the discovery of us, but we had to bealways in a position to receive and answer signals made to us from theCastle, or sent to us from other eminences

_Letter from Petrof Vlastimir_, _Archimandrite of Spazac_, _to the LadyJanet MacKelpie_, _of Vissarion_