Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 184: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

176 HER ROYAL LOVER. valuable source of his information would be the examination of the writing which the ambassador was now collecting. When Bolski returned to the prince, he was hard at work. “Let your highness give me those which you have already selected,” said he. Taking from a little table the whole mass of papers which he found there, he established himself before a candelabra, whose bright, clear light, fell fully on the tedious anonymous letter; thus in- stalled, he commenced his duty of comparisons. Each letter was, with him, the object of an ex- amination as minute as if he had to decipher some Egyptian hieroglyphic. Not one, which was not examined with the magnifying-glass. While he was engaged in this pursuit, Mineleko, for his part, was passing and repassing, scrupulously continuing his researches. “Prince,” said Dimitri Feodorowitch, suddenly, “there has been a murder committed at your house, lately. Whom do you suspect of it?” Mineleko, at first, did not dare to respond to this question. We know that he was not far from ac-. cusing the king. “Prince, conceal nothing from me. Who knows how useful the least word from you would be to me about this affair.” Knowing that he could not conceal from Bolski that which he was determined to know, Mineleko frankly told him his suspicions. “Your suspicions astonish me, and I cannot share them, monseigneur,” the detective responded. i Then, what do you think, Bolski?” Mineleko replied, => Gomicbooks co m i - ES eel o