Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-02
PART III.

you must know the ambassador con-
tinued, that the Winter palace Is one of
the most colossal buildings In the world.
Whole suites of apartments in it are never
used even, but, in order to guard against
all danger from the odious attempts of the
nihilists, a certain watch is maintained
even in the most deserted quarters of the
palace. In these portions, which are given
up ID the members of the imperial house
hold, this duty is performed by sentinels
selected from the imperial guard, but in
the neighborhood OF the cars own apart
ments the task of keeping guard is under
taken by the corps of pages, of whom
Boris was one. The imperial suite, COM
prising eight principal rocms is traversed
throughout it's length by a corridor which
opens at one end on to the first landing of
the grand staircase, at which point two of
the pages are always on duty, day and
night. At the other end the corridor is
closed by a door which is always kept
locked. On the further side Of this door is
a disused gallery, overlooking a garden in
the rear of the palace and leading to a
suite of rooms which has not been used for
very many years. Nevertheless, in accord
ance with the strict rule already mention
ed, an imperial page has always been sta
toned in this gallery to prevent the posi-
bility of aocess to the locked door. 1t was
at this spot that the young prince had been
on duty the preceding night.
keeping guard at night in a deserted gal
1ery was by no mears a pleasant one, al
though TO page was required to be there
for more than three hours in the twenty
four. Moreover small room opening out
of tie gallery had been suitably furnished
for the lads to relax themselves in during
their solitary watch. In spite of this, the
duty had remained an unpopular one,
much so that the new car, on taking up
his quarters in the palace, had earned the
gratitude of the pages corps by decreeing
that from the hour of midnight to in the
morning the watch in the gallery should
no longer be kept up.
ION the night in question Boris had re-
paired to the gallery to relieve his comrade
at 0 o'clock He had simply to remain
there till u, and then. as soon as the clock
struck, he was at liberty to retire to his
own quarters.
1T wanted very few minutes to the hour
and he was pacing the gallery, impatiently
waiting for his release, when he happened
TO stop opposite one of the windows and
look out into the grounds. 1t was a bright
moonlight night, and every tree and shrub
in the garden stood out In startling dis
tinctness. He gazed idly. letting his eye
roam over the expanse, when all at once
his attention was arrested by a sight cal
culated to disturb any one living in the
alGrmiSt atmosphere OF the Russian court
This was a tall and closely muffled figure
stealing along in the broken shadows of the
trees and making it's way toward the near
est corner of the building.
1T was inevitable that the startled page
should at once connect this figure with the
audacious intrigues of the dreaded secret
society whose plots constitute perpetual
menace to the imperial throne. His I'M
preston that he was watching q nihilist
emisssry was confirmed when he saw him
confidently approaching door in the wall
Of the palace which was never used, and
was supposed to be securely fastened
against ingress and egress. This door, on