ad
never heard of, from a man he had never seen, but he was also to impress
this unknown individual with the immense sense of fidelity to another who
no longer had any power to reward him, and besides this, to persuade him,
being a Greek, that the favour of a great ambassador of England was better
than roubles of gold and vases of malachite.

Modern history has shown us what a great aid to success in life is the
contribution of a 'light heart,' and Joe Atlee certainly brought this
element of victory along with him on his journey.

His instructions were assuredly of the roughest. To impress Lord Danesbury
favourably on the score of his acuteness he must not press for details,
seek for explanations, and, above all, he must ask no questions. In fact,
to accomplish that victory which he ambitioned for his cleverness, and on
which his Excellency should say, 'Atlee saw it at once--Atlee caught the
whole thing at a glance,' Joe must be satisfied with the least definite
directions that ever were issued, and the most confused statement of duties
and difficulties that ever puzzled a human intelligence. Indeed, as he
himself summed up his instructions in his own room, they went no further
than this: That there was a Greek, who, with a number of other names, was
occasionally called Speridionides--a great scoundrel, and with every
good reason for not being come at--who was to be found somewhere in
Stamboul--probably at the bazaar at nightfall. He was to be bullied,
or bribed, or wheedled, or menaced, to give up some letters which Lord
Danesbury had once written to him, and to pledge himself to complete
secrecy as to their contents ever after. From this Greek, whose perfect
confidence Atlee was to obtain, he was to learn whether Kulbash Pasha,
Lord Danesbury's sworn friend and ally, was not lapsing from his English
alliance and inclining towards Russian connections. To Kulbash himself
Atlee had letters accrediting him as the trusted and confidential agent of
Lord Danesbury, and with the Pasha, Joe was instructed to treat with an
air and bearing of unlimited trustfulness. He was also to mention that his
Excellency was eager to be back at his old post as ambassador, that he
loved the country, the climate, his old colleagues in the Sultan's service,
and all the interests and questions that made up their political life.

Last of all, Atlee was to ascertain every point on which any successor to
Lord Danesbury was likely to be mistaken, a