The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-24

n1Ir ana muStacnes waved his hand to q
seat beside him, and sat down.
81 need hardly say said Mr.. Petro-
kline, that Gustave Berger, the English
agent, is now honoring as with his pres
ence. He is youngs indeed, Alexis,'' he
continued to my pale-faced neighbor.
and yet he is of European reputation. >
Z" Come, draw it mild r thought /. add
ing aloud: "If you refer to me. Sir.
though l am indeed acting As English
agent, my name 10 not Berger, but Rob
inson, at your service"
A laugh ran around the table.
Z" So be it, so be i;,r said the man they
called Alexis. 81 commend your discre-
ton, mnch honored Sir. One cannot be
too careful Preserve your English So
briquet by all means. regret that any
painful duty should be performed upon
this auspicious evening, but the rules of
our association must be preserved at any
cost to our feelings, and dismissal is inev-
liable tonight"
"What the deuce is the fellow driving
at ?'' thought L What is it to me if
he does give his servant the sack? This
Dimidof, wherever he is, seems to keep a
private lnuatic asylum"
Take out the gag!' The words fair
ly shot through me, and started in my
chair. 1t was Petrokne who spoke. For
the first time noticed that burly, stout
man, sitting at the other end Of the table,
had his arms tied behind his chair and a
handkerchief round his mouth. A horri-
bic suspicion began to creep into my
heart. Where was /? Was | in Mr..
Dimidof7s? Who were these men with
their strange words y
I" Take out the gag.' repeated Petro-
kline; and the handkerchief was removed.
:" Now, Paul Ivarovitch,'' said he,
what have you to say before you 60 p
" Not dismissal, Sirs," be pleaded
mot dismissal anything but that! l
will go into some distant land, and my
mouth shall be closed forever. will do
anything that the society asks, but pray,
do not dismiss me-"
You know our laws and YOU know
your crime" said Alexis, in cold harsh
voice. Who drove US away from Odessa
by his false tongue and his double face?
Who wrote the anonymous letter to the
governor Who cut tie wire that would
have destroyed the arch-tyrant You
did, Paul Ivanovitch, and you must die
leaned back in my chair and fairly
gasped.
Remove him - said Petrokine and
and the man of the droschky with two
others forced him out.
heard the footsteps pass down the
passage, and then door open and shut.
Then came sound as of struggle, end
ed by heavy crunching blow and dull
thud.
G So perish all who are false to their
OATH said Alexis, solemnly, and hoarse
Amen " went up from bis companions
''Death alone can dismiss US from our
order" said another man further down;
but, Mr.. Berg-Mr Robinson is pale
The scene has been too much for him
after his long journey from England"
'Oh, Tom, Tom - thought l, " if ever
you get out of this scrape you'll turn over
a new leaf You're not fit to die, and
that's fact" 1t was only too evident
to me now that by some strange miscon-
eeption l had got in among a gang of
cold-blooded Nihilists, who mistook me
for one of their order. felt, after what
had witnessed, that my only chance of
life was to try to play the role forced
upon me until an opportunity for escape
should present itself; so tried hard to
regain my air of self-possession, which
had been so rudely shaken.
81 am indeed fatigued, replied, ''but
feel stronger now Excuse my momen-
tary weakness"
& 1t was but NATURAL" said a man with
%I1olx honrI -l,+
now, most honored Sir, how goes the
cause in England -
G Remarkably well,' l answered
Has the great commissioner conde-
scended to send missive to the Solteff
branch p asked Petrokine.
Nothing in writing" replied.
g But he has spoken oft p
eyes; he said he had watched it with
feelings of the liveliest satisfaction" |
returned.
s'Tis well It's we'll - ran round the
table.
felt giddy and sick from the critical
nature of my position. Any moment a
question might be asked which would
show me in my true colors l rose and
helped myself from a decanter of brandy
which stood on side table. The potent
liquor flew to my excited brain and as /
sat down felt reckless enough to be half
amused at my position and inclined to
play with my tormentors. l still, how
ever, had all my wits about me.
You have been to Birmingham 2"
asked the man with the beard.
"Many times" said !.
"Then you have, of course, seen the
private workshop and arsenal %
II have been over them both more
than once"
1t is still, suppose, entirely unsus-
pected by the police?" continued my in
terrogator.
Entirely" / replied.
Scan you tell US how it is that 30 large
concern is kept so completely secret p
Here was a poser, but my native impu-
dence and the brandy seemed to come to
my aid.
do not feel justified in divulging even
here. In Withholding it am acting un-
der the direction of the chief commits
si0ner."
@Yeu are right-perfecly right" said
my original friend PetrOkine. " You viii
no doubt make your report to the central
Office at Moscow before entering such de-
tails"
4E1actly so," l replied, only too happy
to get lift out of my difficulty.
ave have heard . said ALEXIS 0that