The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-20
CHAPTER XXVII The Prison Yard


 The great gates of the prison yard rolled back to admit the carriage in which Alban had been driven from the hotel, and a cordon of straight-backed officials immediately surrounded 1t. Early as the hour was, the meanest servant whom Zaniloff commanded had work to do and well understood the urgency of his task The night had been one long story of plot and counterplot; of revolutionaries fleeing from street to street, Cossacks galloping upon their heels, houses awak- ened and doors beaten down, the screams and cries of women, the savage anger of men. And all this, not upon the fa- nous avenues which knew little of the new emeute, but down in the narrow alleys of the old city where bnlging ga- bles hid the sight from clear heaven of stars and the crazy caves had husbanded the cries.
 There had been civil battle fought and many were the prisoners. Not a cell about the great yard but had not it's batch of ragged. shivering wretches whose backs were still bloody, whose wounds were still unbouDd. The quadrangle it. self served, as a Cossack jocularly re- marked, for the overflow meeting Here you might perceive many types of men students, still defiant, sage lawyers given to the barley, ragged vermin of the slums gathering their rags close about their shoulders as though to prot<ct them from the lash; timid apostles of the gospel of humanity covering before human fends- thus the yard and its environment For Aban, however, the place might not have existed. His eyes knew nothing of this grim spectacle He followed the chief to the upper rooms, remembering only that Lois was here.
 They passed down a gloomy corridor and entered a lofty room high up on the third floor of the station. Two spacious windows gave them a fine view of the yard below with all its gregarous mis- cry. There was a table here covered by a green baize cloth, and an officer in uniform writing at it. He stood and sa- luted Zaniloff with a gravity fine to see. The chief in turn, nodded to him and drew chair to the table When he had found ink and paper he began the inter rogation which should help his dossier.
 You are an Engshman and your age is'-he waited and turned to Alban
 My age is just about twenty-one."
 You were born in England?"
 "In London: I was born in London"
 And you now live?"
 with Mir. Richard Gessner at Hamp- stead"
 So it went-fntermnab question and answer, of the most trival kind It seem ed an age before they came to the vital issue.
 And what do you know of this crime which has been committed?"
 q know nothing-how could I know anything"
 "Pardon me, you were yesterday in company of the girl who is charged with It's commission"
 The charge is absurd-I am sure of it."
 we shall decide that for ourselves. You visited her upon the barge of the German merchant. Petermann. He is now in custody and has confessed as much. What did she say to you when you were alone with her?'
 "She asked me to help her set her father free.'
 An honest admission-we shall do very well. I see. When she spoke of his ex- cellency the count. she said
 'I am not afraid to tell you. She did not like him and asked me to take her away from Warsaw, disguised as my servant"
 That was not clever, sir. AS if we should not have known-but l pass 1t by. You left her and then"
 ..T spent the day with the count and re- turned with him to the hotel at three o'clock in the morning
 's1'here was one with him. then?
 ''Yes. his valet was with him."
 Did you leave them together when you went to bed?'
 He always helped the count to un- dress l cannot remember where I left him.
 You have not good memory, I per- ceive-"