Saddened and subdued, I quitted the audience-chamber of Pius X., and repaired to that of Victor Emmanuel II. ‘I have carried out your Majesty’s instructions. Cardinal Sarto is the new Pope. And now I can only render one more service to your Majesty, and that is----’ ‘And that is?’ the King exclaimed. ‘To advise you to make your peace with the Black Pope!’ I prefer to say no more. It would be imprudent on my part to embarrass a situation already bristling with difficulties, by indicating the steps which still remain to be taken before peace can be restored between the two mighty powers represented by the Vatican and the Quirinal. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: As I have stated already, whenever in the course of these disclosures I repeat a private conversation, I do so in the interest of the other party to it, if not in every case with his express permission.--A. V.] [Footnote 2: The title of King of Italy is not recognised by the Vatican.--A. V.] * * * * * * * * * * “_Reminds one of Cranford._” _London Telegraph._ Lavender and Old Lace By MYRTLE REED Author of “The Shadow of Victory,” “Love Letters of a Musician,” etc. 12^o. (Postage, 10 cents.) $1.50 net. _Dainty and full of delicate fancy, this new work of a favorite writer charms by its manner, pleases by its cleverness, and interests by its tale of true love, which sentiment is treated as the most exalting of emotions, but without the slightest touch of materialism_ _A Book to be Enjoyed_ “With exquisite skill quite her own, the author individualizes in this gracefully told story, the heart’s devotion as the most exalted and exalting emotion. Miss Reed has the rare genius of attuning love to thrilling heights without a touch of coarse materialism. Withal she builds on a practical plane, since her characterization is human.”--_Chicago Journal._ “A perfectly exquisite little tale, simply genuine, effecting and, rarest of all, fragrant.... A dainty and beautiful little story, full of the scent of lavender and of the atmosphere that clings to old farmhouses, filled with colonial furniture and china.... In this book all is beautiful, quiet, serene and charming; the story is touched with the most human love, joy, suffering and tears.... The thing is a gem, simply fresh, wholesome and artistic, even in its abundance of humor and pathos, a book to refresh your soul.”--_Boston Herald._ G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS _New York_ _London_ * * * * * THE TERM “Detective Story” covers a multitude of sins. The plot is apt to be weird, the evidence does not fit the crime, the detective is altogether too clever. In _A Master Hand_ The Story of a Crime BY RICHARD DALLAS