The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-05
CHAPTER v-fContinuedl.


will get beyond your control. unless
something is done speedily"
LET those who are loyal to me serve
them as they would serve Alexander,
IL there is any sign of INSTRUMENTATION.
Such is my order. and now, Ivan, you
must go. Stay though! What of Jean
horet?"
He is dead"
Dead? Do you know that to be true p"
No He has disappeared from the
palace nobody knows whittier. He has
not gone to Siberia and our agents
cannot find him in the city prisons We
have made every effort. Doubtless he
betrayed himself in some manner and
was quietly put out of the way |
II will Investigate the matter. He |
might have betrayed US if caught and |
put to the torture I can make Prince |
Michael tell me. Nforet was more fool
than knave. and might be induced to
talk
He might betray us; he would never
betray YOU princess"
4 do not think so; and yet. I might
have gone too far with him. 1t is plain
that 1 must make my prince talk"
You have only to encourage him a
little Olga
Encourage him, You use the term
as if you thought it were a pleasure TO
me TO lead men on, simply because God
gave me the beauty and the power. I
hate it, oh. how / hate 1t! Suppose
Jean Moret is dead, who is responsible
for his death? L alone! Do you think
that / am heartiess that I can look
upon such things with no pang? l wish
that l were old and ugly. fertuneless
ard an outcaSt-or dead. Then [ would
not be compelled to prostitute my
beauty and my talents to conspire with
a rabb.e of scoundrels and convicts, and
To talk of murder and assassination as
though it were a pastime.
Hush, You do not realize what YOU
say, Olga. Your own life"
My own life. What do you think I
care for that? I wish they would kill
me and end all this hateful, horrible
scheInins to murder and destroy
Hush, Olga; hush! You must not
talk in that way
Then leave me. Go. I want to be
alone before I return TO the salon. De
liver my message and the order I gave
YOU.
1 heard no more after that. but 1
knew that he had gone, although there
WAS no sound of his departure. Then
l listened for the rustic OF the princess
dress, when she should move away
Presently it came. She sighed. then
rose from the couch where she had
been sitting. and 1 knew that she had
stepped out upon the path l closed
my eyes then TO think over all the re-
Tnarkable revelations that had come to
me as q result of that conversation
One, two, five. perhaps ten minutes l
remained thus, turning the extraordi-
nary incident over in my mind, and
then I opened my eyes IaziIy and slowly
at first, and then with a sudden start
for they encountered the form of the
she stood with one arm extended, hold
ing back a palm leaf, which half filled
the entrance TO my place of conceal
uent
You are not sleeping?" she said
calmly
.-No." I replied, as calmly.
and you have not been asleep?'
You heard?"
Yes, princess, I heard
Then she was silent, ard minutes
passed before she spoke again. so that
I began to wonder if she had decided to
say more
Mr.. Dubravnilz,'' she said, in Eng
lish. will you do me one favor in re-
gard to this conversation that you have
overheard? VIII you keep my conf
dsnce till tomorrow
yes l will do that
and come to me then? I will expect
you at noon.
Yes. princess
Il thank you, sir. And now. if you
will give me your arm, we will return
to the house
] could not help marVeling at the cool
ness of the woman, whose life liberty
honor. happiness, whose all had. bJ
means of the conversation that I hat
overheard, been placed utterly at my
mercy. Even though + had been really
what she supposed me to be, an ordi
nary citizen, the danger was no less
for I had but to repeat what l hat
heard TO bring about an investigation
which would result in only one way
Her composure was absolute as W.
walked side by side toward the house
nor did she once refer to the subjec
upon which We were both thinking 81
deeply. She was a shade paler thar
usual, but beyond this there was n.
sign that anything out of the ordInar!
had occurred; nor did she manifest an,
evidence of the nervous fear whicl
would nave Frustrated most women il
such a predicament.
We parted at the door, she TO eros
the room and join d group OF he
guests who were clamoring for her
while I loitered at the door, with ~
purpose except to avoid comment OIL
the apparent fact that the princes
and 1 had been so long a time TO
gether in the garden.
The prince joined me while I stoc
there. He was accompanied by d ma
whom he wished to introduce to me.
All, Dubraynik," he said. Il hay
been looking everywhere for you. Didn
know but what you had gone. This /
my friend, Alexis Durnief. You've eac
heard me talk about the other so 20
should be good friends
Capt. Alexis Durnief?" I asked
shaking hands with him.
THE same" he replied Just re
turned from one Of the far posts i
Siberia, and I am very glad to be bac
here again. ! haven't had oppoi
tunity TO greet the princess yet; 20
kept her in the garden so long"
l thought that he gave me a signif
cant glance as he made the laughin