Produced by Al Haines [Frontispiece: "We are what conditions make us, Miss Wellington," he said.] PRINCE OR CHAUFFEUR? A STORY OF NEWPORT BY LAWRENCE PERRY AUTHOR OF "DAN MERRITHEW," "FROM THE DEPTHS OF THINGS," "TWO TRAMPS," ETC. WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. V. McFALL CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1911 COPYRIGHT BY A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1911 Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England Published, March, 1911 TO MY MOTHER CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS II MISS WELLINGTON ENLARGES HER EXPERIENCE III PRINCE VASSILI KOLTSOFF IV THE TAME TORPEDO V AT TRINITY VI AN ENCOUNTER WITH A SPY VII MISS WELLINGTON CROSSES SWORDS WITH A DIPLOMAT VIII WHEN A PRINCE WOOS IX ARMITAGE CHANGES HIS VOCATION X JACK McCALL, AT YOUR SERVICE XI THE DYING GLADIATOR XII MISS HATCH SHOWS SHE LOVES A LOVER XIII ANNE EXHIBITS THE PRINCE XIV UNDERGROUND WIRES XV ANNE AND SARA SEEK ADVENTURE XVI THE ADVENTURE MATERIALIZES XVII THE NIGHT ATTACK XVIII ANNE WELLINGTON HAS HER FIRST TEST XIX AN ENCOUNTER IN THE DARK XX WITH REFERENCE TO THE DOT XXI PLAIN SAILOR TALK XXII THE BALL BEGINS XXIII THE BALL CONTINUES XXIV THE BALL ENDS XXV THE EXPATRIATE XXVI CONCLUSION ILLUSTRATIONS "We are what conditions make us, Miss Wellington," he said . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ "If you 'll allow me the honor of playing waiter, I 'll be delighted to serve you in the cabin" "Is n't it beautiful," murmured Anne. "So different from being on the _Mayfair_, is n't it?" To-night she was a professional beauty, "rigged and trigged" for competition PRINCE OR CHAUFFEUR? CHAPTER I THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS John Armitage, Lieutenant U. S. N., followed the porter into the rear car of the midnight express for Boston, and after seeing his bag deposited under a lower berth, stood for a minute in frowning indecision. A half-hour must elapse before the train started. He was not a bit sleepy; he had, in fact, dozed most of the way from Washington, and the idea of threshing about in the hot berth was not agreeable. Finally, he took a short thick pipe from his pocket, and picking his way gingerly between the funereal swaying curtains and protruding shoes, he went outside to talk to the porter. The features of this functionary relaxed, from the ineffable dignity and self-containment of a dozing saurian, into an expression of open interest as Armitage ranged alongside, with the remark that it was cooler than earlier in the evening. "Ya'as, suh," agreed the porter, "it sut'nly am mighty cooler, jes' now, suh." He cocked his head at the young officer. "You 's in de navy, suh, ain't you, suh? I knowed," he added, as Armitage nodded a bored affirmative, "dat you was 'cause I seen de 'U. S. N.' on yo' grip. So when dat man a minute ago asked me was dere a navy gen'lman on my cyar, why I said--"