E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, L. Barber, and Project Gutenberg

Distributed Proofreaders

AFFAIRS OF STATE

Being an Account of Certain Surprising Adventures Which

Befell an American Family in the Land of Windmills

BY

BURTON E. STEVENSON

AUTHOR OF "THE MARATHON MYSTERY," "THE HOLLADAY CASE," ETC.

With Illustrations by F. VAUX WILSON

1906

TO G. H. T.:

OLD FRIEND

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. THE WILES OF WOMANKIND

II. THE ROLE OF GOOD ANGEL

III. DISTINGUISHED ARRIVALS AT WEET-SUR-MER

IV. AN ADVENTURE AND A RESCUE

V. TELLIER TAKES A HAND

VI. THE PATH GROWS CROOKED

VII. AN APPEAL FOR AID

VIII. PRIDE HAS A FALL

IX. PELLETAN'S SKELETON

X. AN INTRODUCTION AND A PROMENADE

XI. THE PRINCE GAINS AN ALLY

XII. EVENTS OF THE NIGHT

XIII. THE SECOND PROMENADE

XIV. A BEARDING OF THE LION

XV. "BE BOLD, BE BOLD"

XVI. A PRINCE AND HIS IDEALS

XVII. THE DUCHESS TO THE RESCUE

XVIII. MAN'S PERFIDY

XIX. AN AMERICAN OPINION OF EUROPEAN MORALS

XX. THE DOWAGER'S BOMBSHELL

XXI. PARDON

ILLUSTRATIONS

"EEF MONSIEUR PLEASE"

"IT WAS MY GREAT GOOD FORTUNE," SAID THE STRANGER, BOWING, "TO BE OFSERVICE TO A COMPATRIOT"

"OH!" SHE CRIED, WITH A LITTLE START, "THERE HE IS NOW, ALMOST NEARENOUGH TO HEAR!"

"WHAT IS IT?" SHE DEMANDED. "DON'T YOU SEE WE ARE ALL WAITING?"

AFFAIRS OF STATE

CHAPTER I

The Wiles of Womankind

Archibald Rushford, tall, lean, the embodiment of energy, stood at thewindow, hands in pockets, and stared disgustedly out at the dreary vistaof sand-dunes and bathing-machines, closed in the distance by a stretchof gray sea mounting toward a horizon scarcely discernible through thedrifting mist which hung above the water.

"Though why you wanted to come here at all," he continued, presumablyaddressing two young ladies in the room behind him, "or why you want tostay, now you are here, passes my comprehension. One might as well beburied alive, and be done with it. The sensations, I should imagine,are about the same."

"Oh, come, dad!" protested one of the girls, laughing, "you know itisn't so bad as that! There's plenty of life—not just at this hour ofthe morning, perhaps,"—with a fleeting glance at the emptylandscape,—"but the hour is unfashionable."

"As everything seasonable and sensible seems to be here," put in herfather, grimly.

"And such interesting life, too," added the other girl.

"Interesting! Bah! When I want to see monkeys and peacocks, I'll go to amenagerie."

"But you never do go to the menagerie, at home, you know, dad."

...