Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-01-05
CHAPTER VIII.
4 Receive "A warning.

Receive a Warning.
When I reached home | found walt
ing for me a note from NJ. de NoilieH,
the head Of the secret police, appoint
ing an hour when / could see hiru In
two days time. This was the officiel
whom ! had not yet been able TO see,
and | was glad to think that ] should
be able 10 exchange a few words with
him before giving my final answer to
the proposal OF the Nihilist leaders. l
believed that Won Mitschka had only
told me the truth, yet | thought there
would be no harm in finding out, If |
could. whether the information pos
scssed by the police tailed with the
statements he had made 10 me.
| found NJ. de Nolllef a solemn.
severe-loOking man, with a face that
might have been form ed of india-rub-
Der, so void was 1t Of all trace of senti-
ment or emotion @: any kind. His stiff
grey hair stood straight UP from his
forehead, like a circular brush; his
whiskers met under his chin; and his
upper lip was clean shaver, and very
long.
I had leisure to observe these details,
for the chief was busy writing when
/ entered his room. and did not trouble
himself to look up till he had finished
his sentence. When he did look up
and saw me standing by the door, he
gave a start, an expressio nof astonish-
ment came into his face, and he half
rose from his chair, saying at the
same time, something that | did not
catch. However. as l advanced to-
wards him his expression changed. He
became all at once the cold but court
eous official. If he had been a little
more genial, / would have taken the
liberty of asking him whether he had
noticed anything unusual in my APP
pearance; but DE Noilleff was not the
sort OF man one could take a liberty
with. and. indeed. the startled express
sion in his face had been SO quickly
suppressed, that it scarcely seemed
worth while to refer to it..
"You came to ST. Petersburg" said
NJ. de Noilleff, in n hard, formal tone,
''in order To make some inquiries on
behalf Of the Princess Kropenski, as to
the circumstances under which her
husband, Prince Kropenski, left his
bomeI'
/ bowed.
"Have you made any discoveries
"No."
"Why. then. are you wasting time
In st. Petersburg
Because | wished to be able to
carry to the Prncess n report OF the
views of your department concerning
the calamity which has befallen her"
The official starttd and forward.
''Th police have no views on the sub
ject," he said, in a harsh. overbear-
Ing voice. at is not a police matter
ut all. There was no crime. III the
Prince chooses 10 leave his house Sc
cretly, in the dead Of night, and does
not choose TO return Ii Is, strictly
speaking, no affair Of ours"
'But ii Is very doubtful If the Prince.
did leave his house voluntarily. IL
his had been the only case of mysteri-
GUS disappearance"
TIA! Who told you there had been
other casesT"
IL forget"
"You will be good enough to try to
remember"
mo, sir. / VIII not.
'Take care, sir! Your associates are
known. Take care lest you involve
yourself in their fate! We know that,
contrary to your masters specific
orders, you sheltered and relieved one
whom you knew to be under the ban
of the law. Since then you have cen
sorted on at least one occasion with
a Nihillst well known to the oplice.
Take care, | say, lest You suffer their
fate. Let ii be proved that you are an
accomplice Of the enemies Of the state,
and i promise you that your nation
ality shall not protect you"
During this speech ! had time to re-
fleet what a foolish thing ii was to
make an enemy of the chief of the
police. a man who might be a power
full friend, or no less a powerful foe.
OF course, it would never do to allow
him to suppose that | was as deep in
the counsels of the Nihilists as | act
ually was; but l determined to change
my attitude entirely-to reverse, If pos
sible. the bad opinion which the head
Of the police evidently had of me, and
allow him to believe that he had sue
eeded in frightening ME. The best
way of deceiving him was. ! thought,
to make n show of frankness.
II hope you will take into account"
said 1. in a humble tone, with my eyes
On tho ground. that If i have erred it
has been from an excess OF zeal. l
knew Raonl In London, and meeting
him here accidentally, / thought 1t pos
sible that he might be able to enlight-
en- me about the Princes disappear
ance."
And did he? Did he tell you any
tEiasg' er.ed the head d~etective-for,
after afi, he was nothing more-bend-
ing forward eagerly in his chair, and
fixing his burning eyes on mine, as II
he would read the very secrets Of my
soul.
! sighed. and shook my head.
"You cannot suppose, sir, that IL I
had been able to gain the slightest hint
as to what has become Of the Prince l
would have kept 1t to myself all this
tIme?"
''Then he told yon nothing? Proba-
bly, he knew nothing. And yeti Ia
possible. Mr.. Heath, are you really
anxious to learn what has become or
tho Princey'
Can your excellency doub< S1fXs