The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-02-04
PRINCESS ZARA


deliberately planned between them near :
/ ~ three years ago From time TO time
Alexis dropped little hints TO YOU which I
set YOU 10 thinking. and the thought !
{ finally blosSomed into action HAD you |
cGHlldeu your plans 10 any Dod4s e 81 20 |
Alexis your services would not nave !
been accepted As IL is, after toInOT- /
row, / tremble for you in the power
that YOU viii have, for in many ways I
IL viii Do as great as that Of the car /
himself Shall / give you OFT OF ms
tory, in order that you may know ,,,7: some
thing of what Is expected OF YOU
IF YOU VIII do so
Peter the Great organized syS-
TEN Of police which still enduIes'
though today il contains only tdree
/ members, the emperor. Alixis and my
self It is called the Fraternity OF /
Silence During all these years its
members nave been selected with the
greatest care md with increasing oil
hculty SO tina now Il has dWlndled
+ to nothing In the meantime the
/ necessity for il has grown greater,
/ for nihilism infests the country like
[ q plague Without nihilism iu Russia,
/ Siberia would be unnecessary. The
very faults which nihilism seeks to
I remedy are kept alive by its exist
I ence II IL were eradicated Russia
would tikP It's place among the lIb-
4 era nat Ous Of the world, and IL IS
! the ambition OF Alexander 10 perform
/ that service Ger the empire he con-
/ the serfs- But the character of our
{ people is different from that of any
other people in the world and your
Z task Is not SO much 20 find out ana
( Danish those who cOnspiTe against the
car as 10 viii he TO convert the men
/ who organize such COuspiraCiCs- You
I are To- reorEanEZe the Fraternity Of
/ Silence on q new plan, and the power
/ to act upon your own judgment Wiz
! be absolute II may seem strange 10
! YOU that considering yourself almost
unknown You should have been Sc
leCtCd for this Work, but you must
! remember that YOU have been recon-
/ mendCd by one whose word is en-
! tireIv respected by the emperor, and
THAT YOU have been under careful
/ espionage for three years Does the
outline that 7 have given YOU accord
/ with the plans which YOU have thought
/ Of sumbit-iuE 10 the czar2'
/ ives, largely"
/ PLOTS for the assassination of the
I emperor are Matching every day. Our
/ present system is not adequate. You
2 rs the existence Of this organiza-
ton OF which you speak known 10 any
70 nobody save those whom 7 have
! mentioned
[ Not % any nlhHist2'
| Alexander Alexis YOU and 7 are the
/ only living beings VINO ever heard or
/ IT, No one else mas ever known OF It,
VIII YOU pardo7, me prince II I tell
| YOU that you are mistaken
Mistaken, Do YOU mean. Mr. Der
] rI1Eton- that YOU doubt nv wOrd7F
He got upon his feet and 1 saw that
/ ne was angry believing thar 7 had
/ Uautcnly offended him 7 arose sl5D
! and began lD pace t,u and down che
1 room. taking care Jhat each turn would
I bring me nearer TO the heavy curtains
| which hung about one Of the great win
] frUS- The prince repeated his question
/ this time in q louder and angler tone
/ than before ard svgeu made no reply
was about 30 lave the room but T
made sign that compelled him 20
I pause At the same instant. being Suf-
ncieiltly near the CIIrtaiu.T made quick
I leap forward and with all my strength
/ struck with my FIST the exact point be
hind which I thought the head Of the
concealed person should be located
Ny aim was true. and the blow was
SUuiCieIf. Tor the body behind the cur
tain crashed against the hardwood cas-
inE o. the window and then sank TO
/ The floor WotIoaieSs. and In another
/ instant ! had dragged into view the
! seuseIess form Of a man fin the livery
/ OF the palace servauts-a man whom
] the prince instantly recognized as
4 trusted SevIrOr Of the CZar-One who
had been told that a guest was eX-
/ pecteo TO occupy that chamber, and
/ who had been detailed TO wait upon
Tne-oDe who had been especially Sc
I -ected for his loyalty and discretion
That mar beard and knew. and to
morrow the <shilisrs would have heard
and known Let ~s1s hope that they DO
not already know more than they
should, / said, indicating the spy and
smiling up at the prince
I The fellow was evidently not 2 Rus
sian He was tall man. 1.-the End
sinewy rather than muscular but he
had a handsome patriCian face and
/ despite his condition Of inseusi Utility. or
/ perhaps because of IT, he -.--1ed
strau NICELY out Of place in the z =E--s-
meut in which he was now discovered.
( II was an extremely fortunate thing
that had become sensible OF his pres
/ euCe In the room almost from the first,
and that 7 had been able, therefore 20
direct the conversation and my line OF
conduct, 20 the point Of the present de
movement ] could realize just how
shocked Prince Michael was by the
event. Just how puzzled his own reason
ing powers were for the moment, be
cause OF this discovery Of a spy con-
iCeaIed in the private room Of the palace,
who might, IL I had not 50 fortunately
discovered him. have betrayed the real
fore the accomplishment Of any results
/ r had expected TO find a network OF
spies surrounding the palace Of the
Gar OF the Russians, a. we'll as in
side e. and I knew because Of my
former experiences in the Moscovite
capital. with what ! would have 10
tcoUteud Z circumstances permitted
( me, a. they now promised 10 do, 70
take up and 20 perform what 7 consld-
ere would he the greatest W0rK OF my
life. There before nc on the floor,
pIOstrate anC senseless. although rap
/ idly returning 10 consciousness, was
1.-THE undountgd personal proof OF the