The Lady of the Shroud

"Moreover, may I add a word on National Defence? We are, though old inhonour, a young nation as to our place amongst Great Powers. And so wemust show the courage and energy of a young nation. The Empire of theAir is not yet won. Why should not we make a bid for it? As ourmountains are lofty, so shall we have initial power of attack or defence.We can have, in chosen spots amongst the clouds, depots of waraeroplanes, with which we can descend and smite our enemies quickly onland or sea. We shall hope to live for Peace; but woe to those who driveus to War!"

There is no doubt that the Vissarions are a warlike race. As I spoke,Teuta took one of my hands and held it hard. The old Voivode, his eyesblazing, rose and stood beside me and took the other. The two oldfighting-men of the land and the sea stood up and saluted.

This was the beginning of what ultimately became "The National Committeeof Defence and Development."

I had other, and perhaps greater, plans for the future in my mind; butthe time had not come for their utterance.

To me it seems not only advisable, but necessary, that the utmostdiscretion be observed by all our little group, at all events for thepresent. There seems to be some new uneasiness in the Blue Mountains.There are constant meetings of members of the Council, but no formalmeeting of the Council, as such, since the last one at which I waspresent. There is constant coming and going amongst the mountaineers,always in groups, small or large. Teuta and I, who have been about verymuch on the aeroplane, have both noticed it. But somehow we--that is,the Voivode and myself--are left out of everything; but we have not saidas yet a word on the subject to any of the others. The Voivode notices,but he says nothing; so I am silent, and Teuta does whatever I ask. SirColin does not notice anything except the work he is engaged on--theplanning the defences of the Blue Mouth. His old scientific training asan engineer, and his enormous experience of wars and sieges--for he wasfor nearly fifty years sent as m

ilitary representative to all the greatwars--seem to have become directed on that point. He is certainlyplanning it all out in a wonderful way. He consults Rooke almost hourlyon the maritime side of the question. The Lord High Admiral has been awatcher all his life, and very few important points have ever escapedhim, so that he can add greatly to the wisdom of the defensiveconstruction. He notices, I think, that something is going on outsideourselves; but he keeps a resolute silence.

What the movement going on is I cannot guess. It is not like theuneasiness that went before the abduction of Teuta and the Voivode, butit is even more pronounced. That was an uneasiness founded on somesuspicion. This is a positive thing, and has definite meaning--of somesort. We shall, I suppose, know all about it in good time. In themeantime we go on with our work. Happily the whole Blue Mouth and themountains round it are on my own property, the portion acquired long agoby Uncle Roger, exclusive of the Vissarion estate. I asked the Voivodeto allow me to transfer it to him, but he sternly refused and forbade me,quite peremptorily, to ever open the subject to him again. "You havedone enough already," he said. "Were I to allow you to go further, Ishould feel mean. And I do not think you would like your wife's fatherto suffer that feeling after a long life, which he has tried to live inhonour."

I bowed, and said no more. So there the matter rests, and I have to takemy own course. I have had a survey made, and on the head of it theTunnel to the harbour is begun.

BOOK VIII: THE FLASHING OF THE HANDJAR

PRIVATE MEMORANDUM OF THE MEETING OF VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE NATIONALCOUNCIL, HELD AT THE STATE HOUSE OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AT PLAZAC ONMONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1907.

(_Written by Cristoferos_, _Scribe of the Council_, _by instruction ofthose present_.)

When the private meeting of various Members of the National Council hadassembled in the Council Hall of the State House at Plazac, it was as apreliminary decided unanimously that now or hereafter no names of thosepresent were to be mentioned, and that officials appointed for thepurposes of this meeting should be designated by office only, the namesof all being withheld.

The proceedings assumed the shape of a general conversation, quiteinformal, and therefore not to be recorded. The nett outcome was theunanimous expression of an opinion that the time, long contemplated byvery many persons throughout the nation, had now come when theConstitution and machinery of the State should be changed; that thepresent form of ruling by an Irregular Council was not sufficient, andthat a method more in accord with the spirit of the times should beadopted. To this end Constitutional Monarchy, such as that holding inGreat Britain, seemed best adapted. Finally, it was decided that eachMember of the Council should make a personal canvass of his district,talk over the matter with his electors, and bring back to anothermeeting--or, rather, as it was amended, to this meeting postponed for aweek, until September 2nd--the opinions and wishes received. Beforeseparating, the individual to be appointed King, in case the new ideashould prove grateful to the nation, was discussed. The consensus ofopinion was entirely to the effect that the Voivode Peter Vissarionshould, if he would accept the high office, be appointed. It was urgedthat, as his daughter, the Voivodin Teuta, was now married to theEnglishman, Rupert Sent Leger--called generally by the mountaineers "theGospodar Rupert"--a successor to follow the Voivode when God should callhim would be at hand--a successor worthy in every way to succeed to soillustrious a post. It was urged by several speakers, with generalacquiescence, that already Mr. Sent Leger's services to the State weresuch that he would be in himself a worthy person to begin the newDynasty; but that, as he was now allied to the Voivode Peter Vissarion,it was becoming that the elder, born of the nation, should receive thefirst honour.

THE SAME--_Continued_.

The adjourned meeting of certain members of the National Council wasresumed in the Hall of the State House at Plazac on Monday, September2nd, 1907. By motion the same chairman was appointed, and the ruleregarding the record renewed.

Reports were made by the various members of the Council in turn,according to the State Roll. Every district was represented. Thereports were unanimously in favour of the New Constitution, and it wasreported by each and all of the Councillors that the utmost enthusiasmmarked in every case the suggestion of the Voivode Peter Vissarion as thefirst King to be crowned under the new Constitution, and that remaindershould be settled on the Gospodar Rupert (the mountaineers would onlyreceive his lawful name as an alternative; one and all said that he wouldbe "Rupert" to them and to the nation--for ever).

The above matter having been satisfactorily settled, it was decided thata formal meeting of the National Council should be held at the StateHouse, Plazac, in one week from to-day, and that the Voivode PeterVissarion should be asked to be in the State House in readiness toattend. It was also decided that instruction should be given to the HighCourt of National Law to prepare and have ready, in skeleton form, arescript of the New Constitution to be adopted, the same to be founded onthe Constitution and Procedure of Great Britain, so far as the same maybe applicable to the traditional ideas of free Government in the Land ofthe Blue Mountains.

By unanimous vote this private and irregular meeting of "Various NationalCouncillors" was then dissolved.

RECORD OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE LAND OF THEBLUE MOUNTAINS, HELD AT PLAZAC ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, 1907, TOCONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION, AND TO GIVE PERMANENT EFFECTTO THE SAME IF, AND WHEN, DECIDED UPON.

(_Kept by the Monk Cristoferos_, _Scribe to the National Council_.)

The adjourned meeting duly took place as arranged. There was a fullattendance of Members of the Council, together with the Vladika, theArchbishop, the Archimandrites of Spazac, of Ispazar, of Domitan, andAstrag; the Chancellor; the Lord of the Exchequer; the President of theHigh Court of National Law; the President of the Council of Justice; andsuch other high officials as it is customary to summon to meetings of theNational Council on occasions of great importance. The names of allpresent will be found in the full report, wherein are given the ipsissimaverba of the various utterances made during the consideration of thequestions discussed, the same having been taken down in shorthand by thehumble scribe of this precis, which has been made for the convenience ofMembers of the Council and others.

The Voivode Peter Vissarion, obedient to the request of the Council, wasin attendance at the State House, waiting in the "Chamber of the HighOfficers" until such time as he should be asked to come before theCouncil.

The President put before the National Council the matter of the newConstitution, outlining the headings of it as drawn up by the High Courtof National Law, and the Constitution having been formally accepted _nem.con._ by the National Council on behalf of the people, he proposed thatthe Crown should be offered to the Voivode Peter Vissarion, withremainder to the "Gospodar Rupert" (legally, Rupert Sent Leger), husbandof his only child, the Voivodin Teuta. This also was received withenthusiasm, and passed _nem. con._

Thereupon the President of Council, the Archbishop, and the Vladika,acting together as a deputation, went to pray the attention of theVoivode Peter Vassarion.

When the Voivode entered, the whole Council and officials stood up, andfor a few seconds waited in respectful silence with heads bowed down.Then, as if by a common impulse--for no word was spoken nor any signalgiven--they all drew their handjars, and stood to attention--with pointsraised and edges of the handjars to the front.

The Voivode stood very still. He seemed much moved, but controlledhimself admirably. The only time when be seemed to lose his self-controlwas when, once again with a strange simultaneity, all present raisedtheir handjars on high, and shouted: "Hail, Peter, King!" Then loweringtheir points till these almost touched the ground, they once again stoodwith bowed heads.

When he had quite mastered himself, the Voivode Peter Vissarion spoke:

"How can I, my brothers, sufficiently thank you, and, through you, thepeople of the Blue Mountains, for the honour done to me this day? Invery truth it is not possible, and therefore I pray you to consider it asdone, measuring my gratitude in the greatness of your own hearts. Suchhonour as you offer to me is not contemplated by any man in whose mind awholesome sanity rules, nor is it even the dream of fervent imagination.So great is it, that I pray you, men with hearts and minds like my own,to extend to me, as a further measure of your generosity, a little timeto think it over. I shall not want long, for even already, with theblaze of honour fresh upon me, I see the cool shadow of Duty, though hissubstance is yet hardly visible. Give me but an hour of solitude--anhour at most--if it do not prolong this your session unduly. It may bethat a lesser time will serve, but in any case I promise you that, when Ican see a just and fitting issue to my thought, I shall at once return."

The President of the Council looked around him, and, seeing everywherethe bowing heads of acquiescence, spoke with a reverent gravity:

"We shall wait in patience whatsoever time you will, and may the God whorules all worthy hearts guide you to His Will!"