Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-27


We'll, that's all right" said with sigh of
relief, when Grodwitz and | were back in the
| corridor again; but there doesn't seem to be
much of the peasant about him!"
Il was but listing mon am'," Gr0d J! as
You will take hand at bridge-heins"
CHAPTER XxxVIII.
The Game Begins
THAT hand at bridge lasted till long past
L midnight, and got away at last only on
| the plea that was dead tired after my two
| days ride.
Tired or not, you play good hand, mon
| ami" Grodwitz declared. We had been part
| ners and had won all before us.
They shall have their revenge in good
| time" said, sitting yawn. Good evening,
| sent Nicolai to bed and, wrapping myself
| in dressing gown found laid out for me, sat
down in deep divan chair to await the Duke,
| and fell fast asleep. | woke with start, as the
great clock over the castle gateway doomed
four and saw the Duke sitting quietly smoking
| in chair opposite.
He cut short my stammered apologies in the
frank, unceremonious manner he always used
when we were alone together, and plunged at
once into the matter that was uppermost in his
mind, as in mine. Now at last learned some
thing of the working of that League with which
had become so mysteriously entangled, and
of his and Anne's connection with it.
tive, he told me. Its aims were as vague as
its organization admirable. At least nine
tenths of the so-called Nihilist murders and
| outrages, in Russia as elsewhere, have been
planned and carried out by its executive and
| members. To remove all who came under
| their ban, including any among their own ranks
suspected of treachery, or even of delaying in
carrying out their orders, practically its
| one principle. But the time for this insensate
discriminating violence is passing has
a &c H0r1-
structive as well as destructive. The younger
generation sees that more clearly every day.
She-Anna-was one of the first to see and
| urge it: hence she fell under suspicion, es-
pecially when she refused to carry out certain
orders" He broke off for moment, if in
| slight embarrassment.
4 think understand said. She was
| ordered to remove you sir, and she refused?"
That is SO: at least she protested, even then
knowing that | was condemned merely as
member of the Romanoff family. Later, when
we met and learned to know each other, she
| found that was no enemy, but stanch friend,
blindly, so desperately to fling off the yoke
| that brushes them Then it was that, with the
| noble courage that distinguishes her above all
| women l have ever met, she refused to carry
out the orders given her: more than that, she
has twice or thrice saved my life from other at
| tempts on it. / have long been a member of
the League, though, save herself, none other
| connected with it suspected the identity of
certain droshky driver who did good service at
| one time and another
HIS blue eyes twink1ed merrily for an instant.
- In his way his character was as complex as
| that of Anne herself, COOL clever, courageous
| to a degree, but leavened with keen sense
| of humor. which made him thoroughly enjoy
playing the role of "Ivan," even though it had
| brought him to his present position as State
prisoner.
THAT reminds me- l said. "How was it
you got caught that time, when she and her
father escaped"
He shrugged his shoulders. II had to choose
either to fly with them, and thereby endanger
us all still further, or allow myself to be taken.
That last seemed best. and think. am sure,
was right"
did you know the soldiers were coming?"
mo. That, by the way, Selinski's
doing: Cassavetti, as you call him.
Cassavetti!" / exclaimed. why, he was
dead weeks beforei"
True; but the raid was in consequence of
information he had supplied earlier. He was .
| double dyed traitor. The papers she-the
papers that were found in his rooms in Lcndor.
proved that amply. He had sold information
| to the Government and had planned that
Countess Anna should be captured with the
others, after he had induced her to return, by
any means in his power
"But-but he couldn't have brought her
backi" / exclaimed. For she left London
only the day after he was murdered, and she
was at Ostend with you next day."
10 xo1I tho<o he 81