The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lost House, by Richard Harding Davis

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Title: The Lost House

Author: Richard Harding Davis

Posting Date: October 15, 2008 [EBook #1807]
Release Date: May, 1999

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST HOUSE ***

Produced by Aaron Cannon

THE LOST HOUSE

by Richard Harding Davis

I

It was a dull day at the chancellery. His Excellency the American
Ambassador was absent in Scotland, unveiling a bust to Bobby Burns,
paid for by the numerous lovers of that poet in Pittsburg; the First
Secretary was absent at Aldershot, observing a sham battle; the Military
Attache was absent at the Crystal Palace, watching a foot-ball match;
the Naval Attache was absent at the Duke of Deptford's, shooting
pheasants; and at the Embassy, the Second Secretary, having lunched
leisurely at the Artz, was now alone, but prepared with his life to
protect American interests. Accordingly, on the condition that the story
should not be traced back to him, he had just confided a State secret to
his young friend, Austin Ford, the London correspondent of the New York
REPUBLIC.

"I will cable it," Ford reassured him, "as coming from a Hungarian
diplomat, temporarily residing in Bloomsbury, while en route to his post
in Patagonia. In that shape, not even your astute chief will suspect its
real source. And further from the truth than that I refuse to go."

"What I dropped in to ask," he continued, "is whether the English are
going to send over a polo team next summer to try to bring back the
cup?"

"I've several other items of interest," suggested the Secretary.

"The week-end parties to which you have been invited," Ford objected,
"can wait. Tell me first what chance there is for an international polo
match."

"Polo," sententiously began the Second Secretary, who himself was a
crackerjack at the game, "is a proposition of ponies! Men can be trained
for polo. But polo ponies must be born. Without good ponies----"

James, the page who guarded the outer walls, of the chancellery,
appeared in the doorway.

"Please, Sir, a person," he announced, "with a note for the Ambassad