The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Great Prince Shan, by E. Phillips
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Title: The Great Prince Shan

Author: E. Phillips Oppenheim

Release Date: August 6, 2004 [eBook #13123]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

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THE GREAT PRINCE SHAN

by

E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM

1922

CHAPTER I

"A club for diplomats and gentlemen," Prince Karschoff remarked, looking
lazily through a little cloud of tobacco smoke around the spacious but
almost deserted card room. "The classification seems comprehensive
enough, yet it seems impossible to get even a decent rubber of bridge."

Sir Daniel Harker, a many years retired plenipotentiary to one of the
smaller Powers, shrugged his shoulders.

"Personally, I have come to the conclusion," he declared, "that the
_raison d'etre_ for the club seems to be passing. There is no diplomacy,
nowadays, and every man who pays his taxes is a gentleman. Kingley, you
are the youngest. Ransack the club and find a fourth."

The Honourable Nigel Kingley smiled lazily from the depths of his
easy-chair. He was a young Englishman of normal type, long-limbed,
clean-shaven, with good features, a humorous mouth and keen grey eyes.

"In actual years," he admitted, "I may have the advantage of you two,
but so far as regards the qualities of youth, Karschoff is the youngest
man here. Besides, no one could refuse him anything."

"It is a subterfuge," the Prince objected, "but if I must go, I will go
presently. We will wait five minutes, in case Providence should be kind
to us."

The three men relapsed into silence. They were seated in a comfortable
recess of the card room of the St. Philip's Club. The atmosphere of the
apartment seemed redolent with suggestions of faded splendour. There was
a faint perfume of Russian calf from the many rows of musty volumes
which still filled the stately bookcases. The oil paintings which hung
upon the walls belonged to a remote period. In a distant corner, four
other men were playing bridge, speechless