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 DICK DONOVAN'S DETECTIVE STORIES. 
 
 Post 8vo., illustrated boards, 2s. each ; cloth, as. 6d. each. 
 
 THE MAN-HUNTER. 
 
 CAUGHT AT LAST ! 
 
 TRACKED AND TAKEN. 
 
 A DETECTIVE'S TRIUMPHS. 
 
 WHO POISONED HETTY DUNCAN? 
 
 IN THE GRIP OF THE LAW. 
 
 WANTED ! 
 
 LINK BY LINK. 
 
 FROM INFORMATION RECEIVED. 
 
 SUSPICION AROUSED. 
 
 DARK DEEDS. 
 
 RIDDLES READ. 
 
 Crown 8vo., cloth extra, 3s. 6d. each ; post 8vo., illustrated 
 boards, 2s. each ; cloth limp, 2s. 6d. each. 
 
 TRACKED TO DOOM. With 6 illustrations by 
 
 Gordon Browne. 
 THE MAN FROM MANCHESTER. With 23 
 
 illustrations by J. H. Russell. 
 THE MYSTERY OF JAMAICA TERRACE. 
 
 Crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 CHRONICLES OF MICHAEL DANEVITCH. 
 
 London: CHATTO & WINDUS, in St. Martin's Lane, W.C.
 
 THE CHRONICLES 
 
 OF 
 
 MICHAEL DANEVITCH
 
 THE CHRONICLES 
 
 OK 
 
 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 OF THE RUSSIAN SECRET SERVICE 
 
 BY 
 
 DICK DONOVAN 
 
 author of 
 
 'the man-hunter,' 'tracked and taken,' 'caught at last, 
 
 'a detective's triumphs,' 'vidocq,' etc 
 
 L - lock./ c ETners*-* 7 
 
 LONDON 
 CHATTO & WINDUS 
 
 1897
 
 TVs 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF MICHAEL DANEVITCH : 
 
 INTRODUCTION . . . . .1 
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 7 
 
 A MODERN BORGIA . . . . .33 
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE . • 60 
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF . . -91 
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA . . . . Il6 
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY . . . .143 
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS . . . . . l66 
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY . .193 
 
 HOW PETER TRESKIN WAS LURED TO DOOM . . 227 
 
 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND : 
 
 I. NEW YEAR'S EVE : THE MYSTERY BEGINS . . 262 
 II. THE MYSTERY DEEPENS — THE NARRATIVE CONTINUED 
 
 BY PETER BRODIE, OF THE DETECTIVE SERVICE . 276 
 
 III. THE DEAD HAND SMITES . . . . 288
 
 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A year or two before the outbreak of the Franco Prussian 
 War a daring- attempt was made upon the life of the 
 Emperor of Russia. He had been out shooting in the 
 neighbourhood of St. Petersburg, and was returning at 
 dusk in company with numerous friends and a large suite. 
 As the Royal carriage passed an isolated house on a 
 country road, which was bordered on each side by a dense 
 pine forest, a bomb was hurled from an upper window of 
 the house. Fortunately it did not strike the carriage, as 
 was intended, but, going over it, fell between the horses 
 of two of the Royal Guard. The horses were blown to 
 pieces, the riders were killed on the spot, and several other 
 men were more or less injured. For some minutes a panic 
 ensued. The Emperor's driver whipped his horses into a 
 gallop, and everybody seemed at a loss what to do. The 
 house, however, was soon surrounded, and a man and 
 woman were seized as they were in the very act of escaping. 
 It was soon made evident that this man and woman were 
 mere tools, and the arch-conspirators had availed them- 
 selves of the confusion caused by the bursting bomb to get 
 off. Darkness favoured the fugitives, and though the 
 forest was scoured they were not captui-ed. Subsequent 
 investigation brought to light that the plot for the 
 Emperors taking off had been the work chieiiv of a daring 
 
 1
 
 2 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 and notorious Nihilist, whose capture the Russian Govern- 
 ment had long been trying to effect. His connection with 
 this dastardly attempt caused a heavy price to be set upon 
 his head, and every effort was made to arrest him. But, 
 extraordinary as it seems, he succeeded in evading his 
 pursuers, and, alter travelling many hundreds of miles 
 through the country in various disguises, he managed to 
 get on board of a vessel bound to Constantinople — so much 
 of his flight was subsequently learnt when it was too late ; 
 but at Constantinople all trace of him was lost, though 
 there was reason to believe that he had escaped to either 
 France or England, and a large staff of the most able 
 Russian and Polish detectives were sent out to scour 
 Europe. 
 
 One winter night of that memorable year, I was on my 
 way from Paris to London via Calais. It had been a wild 
 and stormy day ; a high wind, bitter cold, snow, sleet, 
 hail, rain — such were the atmospheric conditions. We 
 had had an assortment of the worst samples of weather, 
 and as night approached it was onlv too evident we were 
 in for ' a buster. 1 There were very few passengers by the 
 night train from Paris. It was not a night when anyone 
 was likely to be travelling for pleasure. On our reaching 
 Calais Station the wind had attained the force of a heavy 
 gale, causing a tremendous sea to run in the Channel, and 
 we who were pressed for time heard with dismay that the 
 boat was not likely to attempt the crossing before the 
 
 morning. 
 
 The cramped and starved passengers made a rush for the 
 buffet, but I had to see the guard of the train, owing to a 
 hand-bag of mine having gone astray. This bit of business 
 occupied me for quite twenty minutes, and then, almost 
 frozen to the marrow, I made my way to the buffet. The 
 large stove in the centre of the room was surrounded by 
 the passengers, so I seated myself at one of the long 
 tables and called for hot soup. It was not until I had 
 finished the steaming bouillon, and had begun to thaw, 
 that I became conscious I had a vis-a-vi.<i. On the opposite 
 side of the table, on the carpeted settee in a corner next
 
 INTRODUCTION 3 
 
 the wall, sat a man with his legs upon the settee, his anus 
 folded on his breast. The place was lighted by lamps. 
 The light was dim, and the man was in partial shadow ; 
 but I noted that he wore a heavy fur coat, he had a peak- 
 less fur cap on his head, and was puffing away at a long 
 and strong cigar. At his elbow on the table was a large 
 basin of tea, and floating in the tea were three or four 
 slices of lemon. 
 
 I really don't know how it was that I was suddenly 
 attracted to this stranger. Some people may try to ex- 
 plain it bv saving it was animal magnetism, odic force, or 
 something of the kind. I shall offer no explanation myself; 
 I merely state the bare fact. My eyes having got accus- 
 tomed to the semi-gloom, I was enabled to observe that he 
 had a clean-shaven face, with a rather prominent nose, a 
 clean-cut mouth, which, taken in connection with the 
 formation of the chin and jaw generally, indicated an 
 iron will, a dogged determination. It was altogether 
 a very striking face, full of character, and with points 
 that removed it far from the category of the common- 
 place. 
 
 Having partaken of the rest of my supper, and feeling- 
 more comfortable and cheerful, I lit a cigar, called for 
 coffee and a petit verve, assumed an easier position at the 
 end of the seat, so that I was enabled to lean my back 
 against the wall, my shoulders being thus parallel with the 
 strangers, the table separating us ; then I spoke to him in 
 French — made some ordinary remarks about the weather, 
 and expressed a fear that we were doomed to pass the 
 night there in the buffet. He answered me very affably, and 
 in a rich, well-modulated voice. Fancying that I detected 
 a foreign accent in his French, I politely asked him if he 
 was a Frenchman. He smiled pleasantly, and expressed a 
 wish to know why I doubted his being French. I told him 
 frankly, whereupon he laughed again, and in perfect 
 English, except that it betrayed a foreign tongue in its 
 pronunciation, he said : 
 
 ' I guess you are an Englishman. , 
 
 I admitted that I was, and we chatted away first in 
 
 1—2
 
 4 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 French and then in English for a long time ; we exchanged 
 cigars ; he drank with me, I with him. Now, throughout 
 the conversation there was one thing I was conscious of 
 — the whole drift of his talk was to elicit information. 
 This was done so delicately and skilfully that the majority 
 of people would not have heen aware of it. But I was. 
 It was part of my business to know when I was being 
 pumped, to use a vulgar but expressive phrase ; I was also, 
 even as he was, a seeker after knowledge, and I fancy I 
 framed my questions perhaps not much less skilfully than 
 he. At any rate, we seemed to become en rapport, and it 
 is safe to sav we interested each other. There was a 
 reciprocal attraction between us. After a time the con- 
 versation flagged ; tired nature was overcome, and we slept 
 where we sat. At about seven in the morning a porter 
 with stentorian lungs came in and aroused us from our 
 uneasy slumber by bawling out that we were all to get on 
 board the boat, as she was about to start. Confusion at 
 once reigned ; there was a hasty gathering up of bags, 
 wraps, rugs, and other impedimenta, and a stampede was 
 made for the steamer, each man trying to be first, in order 
 that he might secure the best place in view of the stormy 
 passage we were likely to have. For myself, I went leisurely ; 
 I was too case-hardened a traveller by land and sea to 
 concern myself even about the Channel in its anger. I 
 had, in the confusion, lost sight of my acquaintance of the 
 night, and for the moment had forgotten him, when 
 suddenly I heard his voice behind me. He had caught 
 me up. 
 
 ' You, like me, don't give yourself much concern, 1 he 
 remarked. ' We shall have a rough crossing, no doubt, 
 but it doesn't alarm me ; I have been sodden with salt 
 water too often. 1 
 
 This struck a keynote again ; we passed on board. As 
 we reached the deck, he asked me if I was going below ; I 
 said no, I preferred to remain on deck. So did he. AVe 
 therefore secured two camp-stools, placed them so that we 
 sat with our backs to the funnel for the sake of the warmth, 
 enveloped our knees in rugs, buttoned up our coats, battened
 
 INTRODUCTION 5 
 
 our caps down, and made ourselves as snug as it was 
 possible to do under the circumstances. 
 
 It "was a wild and wicked morning, and still very dark, 
 though in the far east there was an angry gleam of glary 
 light. The crossing was a rough one — as rough a one as I 
 ever remember to have experienced. When we reached 
 Dover Ave were all bedraggled and weary-looking, and 
 thankful indeed for the hot coffee that was served out to 
 us at the refreshment-bar. It was now broad daylight, 
 and for the first time I was enabled to distinctly see my 
 companions face. It was altogether a remarkable face. A 
 more pliable and mobile one I never saw. It never seemed 
 to be (juitc alike for five minutes at a time. His eyes were 
 small, but with, as it seemed, an almost unnatural brilliancy; 
 and there was a suggestiveness about them that they were 
 looking you through and through. His complexion was 
 olive ; his eves were black. In stature he was about the 
 middle height, with a well-knit frame. I noted that his 
 hands and wrists indicated great muscular strength. He 
 trod with a firm step ; he walked upright ; he was a man 
 whose presence asserted itself. None but a fool would be 
 likely to overlook him even in a crowd. There is one 
 other thins: I must mention : his manner was that of an 
 exceedingly well-bred man ; he was the pink of 'politeness. 
 
 The ' something 1 — call it by what name you will — that 
 had drawn us together, kept us together, and we became 
 the sole occupants of a first-class compartment, in which 
 we journeyed to London. Long before our destination 
 was reached, I had made up my mind that my compagnon 
 tic voyage was no ordinary man, and from certain things I 
 made a guess at his profession, and wishing to put my 
 opinion to the test, I alluded to the attempt that had been 
 made some time before on the Czai^s life. At this his 
 eves transfixed me, as it were. Question and answer 
 followed, and at last, when I was sure that I should not 
 make any mistake, I led him to understand that my visit 
 to France had indirectly been in connection with the crime 
 in Russia. When we reached London, I found he was 
 going to stay at a hotel close to Trafalgar Square. I
 
 6 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 gave him mv card. He gave me his, which simply bore 
 the name 
 
 MICHAEL DANEVITCH. 
 
 I knew then from the name that I had formed the ac- 
 quaintance of one of the foremost detectives in the world — 
 a man who had had more to do with unravelling political 
 crimes than anv living beinsr ; and there was hardly a 
 civilized Government that had not, at some time or other, 
 availed itself of his services. He was endowed with won- 
 derful gifts, and having once got on to the track of a 
 criminal the criminal was to a certainty doomed. Dane- 
 vitelfs visit to England on this occasion Mas in connection 
 with the attempt on the Czars life. He ultimately suc- 
 ceeded in unearthing one of the criminals in London, and 
 though the English Government would not give the rascal 
 up, Danevitch lured him to France by a wonderfully clever 
 ruse. There he was arrested ; in due course the French 
 handed him over to Russia, and he expiated his wickedness 
 on the scaffold. The story of this thrilling capture will 
 be told in the course of this series. The acquaintance 
 which I struck up with Danevitch on that ever-to-be- 
 remembered night ripened into a very warm friendship, 
 which continued for many years. The result was he 
 promised me that if he predeceased me he would leave me 
 all his notes and papers that had any reference to his 
 professional career, and give me full permission to do what 
 I liked with them. Subsequently he was in a terrible 
 railway accident in Russia : the train by which he was 
 travelling came into collision with another train, and there 
 was an awful smash. Poor Danevitch was so injured that 
 both his legs had to be amputated. For several weeks he 
 seemed to be doing well, but a change took place, and he 
 realized that his fate was sealed. He sent for me, and 
 during the fortnight that passed after my arrival he told 
 me his history to a large extent, and handed me the 
 promised records of the extraordinary cases in which he 
 had played so important a part. It is from these records 
 that I now compile this series of stories.
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF 
 A MILLION ROUBLES. 
 
 Oxe evening, towards the end of summer, four Government 
 officials left Moscow for St. Petersburg in charge of an 
 enormous amount of money, partly in specie, but for the 
 most part in Russian rouble notes. The money was con- 
 signed to the Treasury in St. Petersburg. All the officials 
 had been in the Government service for a long time, and 
 were selected for this special duty on account of their 
 trustworthiness and the confidence reposed in them by the 
 heads of the department to which they belonged. The 
 oldest man, and the one in command of the little party, 
 was upwards of seventv years of age. He had been in 
 the Government service for forty years, and was greatly 
 trusted and respected. His name was Popoff. The next 
 in seniority was Ivan Basiloviteh, who had been thirty- 
 three vears in the sen ice. Then came Stroa,onoft, with 
 twenty-eight years 1 service, and lastly a young man named 
 Briazga, with ten years and a half to his credit in the 
 service of the Government. In addition to these four 
 Government officers, four gendarmes, fully armed, accom- 
 panied the treasure as a guard of safety. The party 
 travelled by the ordinary train, but had a special saloon 
 carriage, the packages of money being placed at one end. 
 The only doors to the carriage were at the opposite end, 
 one on each side, the offside door being locked by means 
 of a secret lock, which could not be opened except with 
 the proper key. 
 
 The bullion was carried in oak boxes fastened with iron
 
 8 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 bands. The notes were in small square boxes, sewn up in 
 strong canvas. In addition they were securely corded with 
 fine but extraordinarily tough cord, which was made 
 especially for the Government, and could not be used 
 except for Government purposes. Every package bore 
 the State seal. Anyone unlawfully breaking the seal was 
 guilty, according to the law of Russia, of treason, and 
 liable to death or banishment to Siberia. In due course 
 the train reached St. Petersburg, where the packages of 
 money were examined, counted in the train, and found 
 correct. They were then loaded into a covered Govern- 
 ment waggon, counted and examined again, and also found 
 correct ; and all being ready, the waggon drove off, accom- 
 panied by the four officials and the gendarmes. At the 
 Treasury the packages were once again counted, examined, 
 and found correct, and the deputy of the Minister of Finance 
 himself gave the necessary receipt to the head-officer. The 
 important duty being thus completed, the gendarmes were 
 dismissed to their quarters, and the officers went to their 
 respective homes. In the course of the next day Danevitch 
 received a sudden command to attend without a moment's 
 delay at the bureau of the chief of the police. He found 
 that important functionary looking very grave and serious, 
 and it was obvious he was disturbed by something of more 
 than ordinary importance. With official brevity he told 
 Danevitch about the money having been removed from 
 Moscow to St. Petersburg the previous night, and added : 
 
 ' This morning, in the presence of the Minister of 
 Finance himself and the official staff, the various packages 
 were opened. Two of the note boxes, although intact as 
 regards seals and cords, and which ought to have contained 
 five hundred thousand rouble notes each, were found to be 
 stuffed with blank paper. There has been some clever 
 hanky-panky business, and you are wanted at the Treasury 
 immediately. Now, it strikes me, Danevitch, that though 
 you've cracked some very hard nuts in your time, this one 
 will prove too much for you. 1 
 
 ' Why do you think so T 
 
 ' Why do I think so ! Well, because the whole business
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 9 
 
 has been managed so cleverly that the thieves have cal- 
 culated every chance, and are not likely to have left any 
 trail behind them that can be followed up. However, see 
 what you can do. You may succeed, but I'm afraid you 
 won t. 
 
 Danevitch made no comment on his chiefs remark, but 
 at once betook himself to the Treasury, where he found 
 evervbodv in a state of great excitement. He was at 
 once conducted into the presence of the Minister of 
 Finance, with whom he had a long interview, and from 
 whom he learnt all the details of the transit of the money. 
 Necessarily the detective sifted these details, examined 
 them one by one, and took such measures as occurred to 
 him to prove that they were absolutely correct. In the 
 end he was satisfied that they were. The Minister then 
 showed him a long; telegram he had received from the 
 
 • ill 
 
 Treasury Office in Moscow, in which it was stated that the 
 monev was packed in the usual way in the presence of the 
 cashier-in-chief, six of his subordinates, and a large staff. 
 ;;11 of them proved and tried servants. Every box was 
 numbered, registered, and sealed, and there was not the 
 shadow of a doubt that when the boxes left Moscow each 
 contained the full sum marked against it in the books of 
 the department. Danevitch saw at once that if that was 
 correct it proved that the robbery must have occurred in 
 transit, which obviously necessitated a prearranged plan 
 of a very ingenious nature ; moreover, it pointed to the 
 confederacy of every man, including the gendarmes, 
 engaged in safe-guarding the treasure. It was difficult to 
 believe in such a conspiracy ; but on the first blush it 
 seemed the only rational conclusion that one could come 
 to, otherwise the officers and the police must have been 
 culpably negligent of their duty to have allowed a stranger 
 to have walked off the boxes, leaving dummy facsimiles in 
 their place. However, Danevitch would express no opinion 
 then, although the Minister was anxious that he should do 
 so ; but it was the detective's invariable rule to keep his 
 opinions to himself until he was in a position to speak 
 with something like certainty. As he himself was in the
 
 10 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 habit of saving, he never prophesied until he knew. It 
 was a safe rule, and it saved him from many an error. 
 
 Having completed his investigations in St. Petersburg 
 so far as he could at that stage, he proceeded without loss 
 of time to Moscow, where he satisfied himself, from the evi- 
 dence laid before him, that the money really left the Moscow 
 Treasury all right ; and it was impossible the boxes could 
 have been exchanged between the Treasury and the station. 
 The treasure was conveyed in a closed waggon, which was 
 locked and barred, and in its passage through the city it 
 was guarded by twelve mounted soldiers specially told off 
 for the duty. At the station the waggon was backed right 
 up to the railway-carriage, and was unpacked in the pre- 
 sence of quite a little army of officials. Again, unless 
 there had been a huge conspiracy, the boxes could not 
 have been abstracted there. This narrowed the inquiry 
 somewhat, because it made it clear that the exchange must 
 have been effected while the train was on its journey 
 between the two cities. But admitting that to be the case, 
 it at once suggested that the eight men, that is, the four 
 officers and four gendarmes, were in league together. To 
 that, however, was opposed the fact that the gendarmes 
 were only told off for the duty an hour before they started, 
 and up to that time had had no intimation they were 
 going. Therefore, assuming the four clerks had pre- 
 arranged the matter, they must have corrupted the gen- 
 darmes en route. That, however, was such a far-fetched 
 theory that Danevitch would not entertain it. 
 
 The next phase of inquiry upon which Danevitch 
 entered was that of ascertaining as much as possible about 
 the four Government officials who travelled in charge of 
 the treasure. These inquiries elicited the fact that they 
 bore irreproachable characters, and were held in high 
 esteem in the department. Popoff was a married man 
 with a family. He was in receipt of a good salary, and 
 appeared to be free from financial worries of any kind. 
 The same remarks applied to Basilovitch and Strogonoff. 
 They were both married and family men, and to all 
 appearances in comfortable circumstances. Briazga was
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 11 
 
 unmarried, but he was regarded as a very steady, well-to-do 
 young fellow, and was known to be the main support of 
 his father, mother, and an only sister, whose name was 
 Olga. She was younger than her brother, and, owing to 
 an injury to the spine when she was a child, she had been 
 more or less an invalid all her life. 
 
 Danevitch realized at this stage, even as the chief of the 
 police predicted he would, that he was called upon to 
 crack a very hard nut indeed, and he did not feel confi- 
 dent about being; able to crack it at all. The minutest 
 investigation had failed so far to elicit anything that 
 would have justified a suspicion of a conspiracy amongst 
 the eight men. And yet without the connivance of them 
 all it seemed impossible that the boxes could have been 
 changed. But there was the indisputable fact that they 
 had been changed ; nevertheless, there was not a single item 
 in the list of circumstances that supported the hypothesis 
 of a conspiracy. How, then, had the robbery been worked ? 
 Of course the Treasury people, as well as everyone con- 
 nected with the Finance Department, to say nothing of 
 the higher authorities themselves, were in a very per- 
 turbed state of mind, for apart from the largeness of the 
 sum carried off, the robbery proved that, in spite of the 
 safeguards employed when money was being conveyed from 
 one town to another, there was a risk which up to that 
 time had not been suspected. It was decided at last by 
 the head officials to offer a reward of ten thousand roubles 
 for any information that would lead to the capture of the 
 thieves and the recovery of the stolen money. Danevitch 
 was opposed to the offering of a reward, and pointed out the 
 absurdity of it ; as he said, even supposing the whole of 
 the eight men of the escort had been concerned, they were 
 not likely to betray each other for the sake of ten thousand 
 roubles, when they had a million to divide amongst them- 
 selves. And if anyone else had come to know who the 
 thieves were, he would not be blind to the fact that he 
 could blackmail them to the tune of a much greater sum 
 than ten thousand roubles to induce him to hold his 
 tongue. Therefore, as Danevitch anticipated, the reward
 
 12 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 brought forth no informer. In the meantime he had been 
 working on his own lines, and had satisfied himself the 
 money had been put into the train all right at Moscow, 
 and that, unless with the connivance of ever so many 
 people, the boxes could not have been changed between 
 the St. Petersburg station and the Treasury Office ; con- 
 sequently, the business must have been done while the 
 money was in transit between the two towns. Further than 
 that, it was as clear as daylight that the robbery had been 
 prearranged, because the facsimile boxes had been prepared 
 beforehand ; the cord used to bind the false boxes was 
 Government cord, and the Government seal was so cleverly 
 imitated that the forgery could only be detected after 
 close inspection. All this proved unmistakably that there 
 was a traitor in the camp. 
 
 In one of many interviews that Danevitch had with the 
 Minister of Finance, that gentleman said : 
 
 ' Danevitch, you must brino; the thief to lis;ht. It is 
 absolutely necessary that an example should be made of 
 him as a deterrent. Although the loss of the money 
 would be a serious one, we would rather lose it than let 
 the thief escape.'' 
 
 'I think, sir, that the thief will not escape; and it is 
 possible, even probable, that the money may be recovered. " 
 
 ' Have you any clue P" 1 asked the Minister quickly. 
 
 ' None whatever/ 
 
 ' Then, why do you speak so hopefully P 1 
 
 ' Because it seems to me that sooner or later I am sure 
 to find a clue, and then — well, then I shall succeed in 
 bringing the criminal to justice. 1 
 
 His belief that sooner or later he was sure to find a clue 
 was quite justified, although he had been doubtful at first. 
 It was pretty clear now, however, that the thief had an 
 accomplice, otherwise it would have been impossible for 
 him to have carried out the robbery. Now, Danevitch 
 knew too much of human nature to suppose that two or 
 three men and more than likely a woman, as he shrewdly 
 suspected, would be able for all time to conceal the fact 
 that they had suddenly acquired wealth. A something
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 13 
 
 would leak out — a something that would betray them to 
 the keen eyes that were watching for the sign. Danevitch 
 had learnt the great lesson of patience. He did not aim 
 at accomplishing the impossible, but he knew where it was 
 a case of human ingenuity he had the best chance, inas- 
 much as he was an expert in the ways of criminals. From 
 the moment that he had gathered up all the details of the 
 robbery, he had set a watch upon the movements of every 
 one of the eight men who had travelled with the treasure 
 from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The gendarmes belonged 
 to Moscow, and had returned, but they were watched, 
 nevertheless ; though not a movement of theirs was calcu- 
 lated to arouse suspicion. The four Government officials 
 were also watched, but no sign came from them. But of 
 course they knew they were being watched ; they would 
 have been dolts indeed if they had remained in ignorance 
 of what everyone else knew ; for Government treasure to 
 the tune of one million roubles could not be abstracted 
 without causing a sensation and setting the populace on 
 the tip -toe of expectation and the tenter -hooks of 
 curiosity. The theory by which Danevitch was guided 
 was this, that one or more of the eight men who travelled 
 that night when the money was stolen between Moscow 
 and St. Petersburg must certainly be in a position to 
 throw some light on the robbery. On the other hand, 
 every one of the eight knew for a fact, or by instinct, 
 that he was suspected of some complicity, consequently he 
 would take particular care not to do anything calculated 
 to give emphasis to that suspicion, and justify active legal 
 measures being: taken against him. 
 
 Although Danevitch, by reason of the eminence he had 
 attained in his calling and the originality of mind he had 
 displayed in dealing with some of the most notorious 
 crimes of his day, was allowed more latitude than his 
 confreres, he was nevertheless subordinate at this time to 
 the chief of the police, and that functionary, having an 
 eve to a decoration or promotion if the mystery should be 
 cleared up, strongly advocated the wholesale arrest of the 
 eight men, and flinging them into a dungeon in the in-
 
 14 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 famous fortress of Peter and Paul, or the still more in- 
 famous Schlusselburgh in Lake Ladoga, there to remain 
 until misery and madness loosened their tongues. Against 
 this inartistic and brutal measure Danevitch set his face, 
 and he asked to be allowed to work out the problem in his 
 own way. The Minister of Finance, and it was said even 
 the Czar himself, supported Danevitch, so that he was not 
 hampered with the red-tapeism of the bureau. 
 
 A month passed ; no arrest had been made, and ap- 
 parently not a trace of the criminal discovered. The 
 Treasury officers were in despair, and the chief of the 
 police showed a tendency to lower Danevitch from the 
 high standard of estimation to which he had previously 
 elevated him. It is true that Danevitch had many big 
 successes credited to his score, but even a successful man 
 cannot afford to make a bio- failure. The chief told him 
 this, and Danevitch replied quietly : 
 
 ' I have not yet made a failure.'' 
 
 ' But you have not recovered the money ; you've brought 
 nobody to book/ 
 
 ' No, not yet. 1 
 
 ' Not yet ! Are you still sanguine, then? 1 
 
 ' Certainly. 1 
 
 The chief laughed a little bitterly as he replied : 
 
 ' Well, perhaps it is good to be sanguine, even in a hope- 
 less cause. It keeps a man's spirits up, doesn't it T 
 
 The chief was comparatively new to his office ; that is, he 
 had only held it two years. He had received very rapid 
 promotion owing to strong influence at Court, and influence 
 in Russia often counts a good deal more than merit ; in- 
 deed, it does in most countries. It was said that the chief 
 had certain friends of his own he was anxious to move into 
 the front rank, hence he was not averse to see Danevitch 
 go down a bit. 
 
 About a week after this conversation between the chief 
 and Danevitch, an old peasant woman left St. Petersburg 
 by the Moscow train. She did not book to Moscow, how- 
 ever, but to a place called Vishni Volotchok, about midway 
 between the two cities. She was an uncouth, clumsy, burly-
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 15 
 
 looking woman, wearing the big mob frilled cap, the heavy 
 woollen wrap crossed over the breast, the short homespun 
 linsey-woolsey gray skirt, coarse gray stockings, and big 
 shoes of her class. She bore with her a ponderous basket, 
 containing a stock of slippers, boots, shoes and sabots, and, 
 being a travelling pedlar, she was furnished with an official 
 license, a formidable-looking document, stamped and vised. 
 In due course she reached her destination. Vishni Yolotchok 
 is a small town of some importance. The station is the 
 principal refreshment place between St. Petersburg and 
 Moscow, and a long wait is generally made by the trains 
 going and coming. The old woman's license having been 
 duly examined and vised, she was allowed to go her ways, 
 and soon after she proceeded to a fairly large house 
 situated close to the railway, and facing a road that 
 crossed the track. It was a detached house, built for the 
 most part of wood. There were numerous outbuildings — 
 a large barn, stables, cowsheds, and similar places. It was 
 the residence of a landed proprietor named Ivan Golovnin. 
 It was almost dark when the old woman reached the house ; 
 she tried to sell some of her wares to the servants, but was 
 not successful. Then she pleaded illness, and begged, as 
 she was a stranger in the town, to be allowed to pass the 
 night in the barn. With true Russian hospitality, the 
 servants took her into the great kitchen, and made her up 
 a bed by the stove. As she had not recovered her health 
 the next day, she was allowed to remain, and, in fact, find- 
 ing herself in comfortable quarters, she stayed for three 
 days ; then she took her departure, before doing so present- 
 ing the three principal servants with a pair of shoes each. 
 Being market-day, she went into the market, disposed of 
 the rest of her stock-in-trade, and returned at once to 
 St. Petersburg. 
 
 It chanced that a couple of days after the old woman's 
 return to the capital, Danevitch was at the Bureau of 
 Police, having some business to transact with the chief, 
 who was excessively busy and excessively bad-tempered. 
 
 ' Bv the way, 1 said Danevitch, as he was on the point of 
 leaving, when he had transacted his affairs, ' concerning the
 
 16 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 robbery of the Treasury notes, I shall succeed in bringing 
 the criminals to justice. 1 
 
 The chief glanced at the detective and smiled. It was 
 not a smile of satisfaction, but of doubt ; and yet he knew 
 that Danevitch had the reputation of never speaking with 
 anything like certainty unless he felt absolutely sure. But 
 the chief was somewhat sceptical ; it was even possible he 
 was not altogether free from jealousy, knowing as he did 
 that Danevitch was looked upon with great favour in high 
 quarters. 
 
 ' There's a cocksureness in your statement, 1 said the 
 chief brusquely. ' I suppose you've discovered something T 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' What P 
 
 ' You must pardon me, but I am not justified in dis- 
 closing even to you at present what I know. 1 
 
 The chiefs face darkened. He was aware that, though 
 Danevitch was nominally his subordinate, he had but little 
 control over him. Nevertheless, it galled him to think 
 that he, the chief of his department — in Russia it is a very 
 influential and important position — should not be con- 
 sidered worthy of the confidence of Danevitch the detective, 
 high as he was in his calling. He was weak enough to 
 display his chagrin, and remarked with some warmth : 
 
 ' Well, you have your own way of working, of course ; 
 and perhaps you are right, though on the other hand you 
 may be wrong. But since you do not choose to take me 
 into your confidence, and as the authorities expect that my 
 department will unravel the mystery, I must now inform 
 you that unless you produce evidence within the next 
 twenty-four hours that you really are on the track of the 
 criminal or criminals, I shall take the business out of your 
 hands, and put it into the hands of others. 1 
 
 Danevitch was not the man to be affected by any such 
 empty threat as this. Conscious of his own strength, and 
 firm in the resolve to pursue his own undeviating course, as 
 he had done for years, uninfluenced by jealousy, criticism, 
 or the opinions of others, he bowed to the chief and merely 
 remarked : 
 
 \
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 17 
 
 ' If in the course of the next twenty-four hours I am in 
 a position to reveal anything, I will do so. If I am not 
 you are at liberty to act according to your own views. 
 Permit me also to remark that, though you are pleased to 
 doubt my abilities, people in high quarters do not.' 
 
 This galled the chief, though he had sufficient tact to 
 refrain from provoking further argument, which would not 
 only be profitless, but beget ill feeling, so he allowed 
 Danevitch to withdraw. 
 
 A fortnight later a wedding was celebrated at the Church 
 of St. Sophia. It was rather a stylish wedding, and a good 
 many minor Government officials were present, principally 
 from the Treasury office. During that intervening fort- 
 night Danevitch had not given any sign to the chief that 
 he was making progress ; nor had the chief taken any steps 
 to put his threat into execution. Nevertheless, he had 
 displayed some impatience, and one day, during an inter- 
 view with the Minister of Finance, he said : 
 
 ' I am sorry, your Excellency, that we have made no 
 progress in the Treasury robbery business ; but the fact is, 
 Danevitch 1 * self-assurance and enthusiasm somewhat mis- 
 lead him. He speaks confident] v where he ought to doubt, 
 and is hopeful where other men would despair. 1 
 
 ' Hopefulness is rather a good trait in his character, 
 isn't it ? You know the old saying, " He who despairs 
 never succeeds/' ' 
 
 ' True, your Excellency, 1 answered the chief, somewhat 
 crestfallen. ' But light-heartedness does not always com- 
 mand success/ 
 
 ' No, perhaps not ; but it deserves it." 
 
 ' Well, the fact is this, your Excellency. I am of opinion 
 myself that more active steps should be taken to bring the 
 culprits to justice. Now, we have to deal with facts, not 
 fancies. A very ingenious robbery has been committed, 
 and the Treasury of the State is a heavy loser. The 
 thieves must still be in existence, and, being in existence, it 
 ought not to be bevond the ingenuitv of a trained mind 
 used to working out criminal problems to discover where 
 thev are/ 
 
 2
 
 IS MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' I admit the force of your argument, 1 answered the 
 Minister sedately. 
 
 The chief bowed. He was pleased with himself. He 
 believed he had made an impression. 
 
 ' Of course,'' he went on, ' it is most desirable that the 
 culprits should be brought to book, and punished in such 
 an exemplary manner that it would stand out as a warning 
 for all time, and deter others who might feel tempted to 
 tamper with the coffers of the State. But desirable as 
 this is, it is even more desirable that the whole of the 
 stolen money should be recovered. Your Excellency, how- 
 ever, will readily see that every day that passes lessens the 
 chances of that, because the rascals will be revelling in their 
 ill-gotten gains, and squandering them with the reckless- 
 ness peculiar to criminals who enrich themselves dis- 
 honestly. 1 
 
 'That is not Danevitch's opinion,' answered the Minister. 
 
 ' Possibly ; but presumably he has no warrant for his 
 opinion. It is a mere expression of opinion, after all — 
 nothing more. 1 
 
 ' Let us grant that. Now, what do you suggest ?' 
 
 AYhat the chief wanted was to have all the credit for 
 unravelling the mystery. It meant to him promotion, and 
 strengthening his influence in high quarters. As matters 
 then stood, there was no confidence between him and 
 Danevitch, who had so consolidated his position as to be 
 independent. The chief therefore suggested that Dane- 
 vitch should be put upon a case of secondary importance 
 then occupying the attention of the authorities, and another 
 man of the chiefs choosing should be selected for Dane- 
 viterfs work. This other man was a creature of the chief, 
 though he kept that little fact strictly to himself. 
 
 The Minister was not deceived by the specious arguments 
 of his visitor ; nor was he so obtuse as to fail to see the 
 jealousy and ill-will underlying those arguments. 
 
 ' Personally, I should object to anyone else taking up 
 the matter at this stage,' 1 he said, ' and as far as my 
 influence goes I should use it to prevent any change being 
 made. For myself, I have confidence in Danevitch. He is
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 10 
 
 an able man, and until I find that my confidence is mi*- 
 placed I shall continue to believe in him. 1 
 
 The chief was nonplussed, and he felt that it would be 
 imprudent to pursue the subject any further. He there- 
 fore took his leave. But just as he was in the act of 
 bowing himself out, the Minister exclaimed : 
 
 ' Oh, by the way, on Thursday next there is to be a 
 marriage in the Church of St. Sophia. A daughter of one 
 of my subordinates is to wed one Peter Golovnin, the son, 
 as I understand, of a wealthy landed proprietor. Curiously 
 enough, I met Danevitch last night by chance, and he 
 asked me if I was going to the wedding. I told him no, 
 I had had no invitation ; whereupon he expressed surprise* 
 that my subordinate had not paid me the compliment of 
 inviting me. At the moment there did not seem to me 
 anything out of the way in the remark, but subsequentlv. 
 on pondering over it, I could not help feeling that it was 
 full of significance. Danevitch had a deep motive in what 
 he said. Have you any idea what the motive was P 1 
 
 The chief was not only utterly amazed, but deeply 
 annoyed. He tried, however, to conceal his annovance, 
 though it was very hard to do so. In his own mind he 
 was perfectly sure that Danevitch had a motive, though 
 what that motive was he could not possibly guess, and 
 his annoyance was occasioned by having to confess his 
 ignorance. 
 
 ' And does your Excellency intend to go ?' he asked. 
 
 ' Well, yes, I think I shall. I fancy developments may 
 take place/ 
 
 As the chief went away, he resolved that he, too, would 
 be present at St. Sophia, for he knew Danevitch too well to 
 suppose for a moment that his remark to the Minister of 
 Finance was a meaningless one. 
 
 The marriage was rather a grand affair. The bride- 
 
 groom was a good-looking young man, about six or seven 
 
 and twenty ; but he had the appearance of one who had 
 
 led a reckless and dissipated life. There were incipient 
 
 lines in his face, and a want of brightness about the eyes 
 
 that was not good in one so voung. The bride was, per- 
 
 q 9
 
 20 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 haps, two years younger, with rather pretty features and 
 an abundance of dark hair. Some affection of the spine, 
 however, had cruelly distorted her figure, and she was 
 twisted out of shape. Her name was Olga, and she was 
 the only sister of Briazga, the Government clerk in the 
 Finance Department, who was present during the cere- 
 mony. The Minister of Finance was also present, thinking 
 from Daneviteh's remark that something was to happen. 
 The wedding went off all right, however, and the whole 
 party seemed very jolly and happy, until Briazga, suddenlv 
 espying the Minister, went up to him and, looking very 
 confused and a little excited, said : 
 
 ' You do us an honour, sir, by gracing the ceremonv 
 with your delightful presence. I scarcely expected you 
 would have been here/ 
 
 ' I suppose not,'' answered the Minister dryly ; * but as 
 you did not honour me with an invitation, nor even con- 
 descend to mention that your sister was to be married, I 
 thought I would be a witness on my own account. 1 
 
 Briazga grew more confused, and stammered out a lame 
 apology, adding : 
 
 ' The fact is, sir, I have endeavoured to keep the matter 
 secret from all except my most intimate friends, for the 
 simple reason that, as we are comparatively poor people, 
 we could not afford to have much ceremony, and I felt it 
 was too humble an affair to ask you to come to it. But 
 since you have come, may I venture to hope that you will 
 now do us the supreme honour of joining the luncheon- 
 party at my house P 1 
 
 The Minister excused himself on the score of business 
 engagements ; but five minutes later, when Briazga had 
 left him, and he was going out of the church, Danevitch 
 came up to him. 
 
 ' I saw you talking to Briazga, 1 the detective remarked. 
 
 ' Did you ? Where were you ? I didn't notice you in 
 the church. 1 
 
 ' Perhaps not ; but I haven't been far off. Briazga has 
 invited you to the luncheon ?" 
 
 ' How do you know P 1 asked the Minister, in surprise.
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 21 
 
 ' I guess it.' 
 
 ' Then, you must have the power of a seer." 
 
 ' Not at all, your Excellency. Nothing could be simpler. 
 You being here, your subordinate would have been guilty 
 of an unpardonable rudeness and affront if he had not 
 paid you the compliment to invite you. But, of course, it 
 was a mere formality. He doesn't wish and does not 
 intend you to go if he can prevent it. 1 
 
 ' I suppose not ; nor do I wish to go/ 
 
 ' But I should like you to go, 1 answered Danevitch. 
 ' Indeed, I consider it of some importance that you should 
 go. A little drama may be enacted in which you can play 
 a part."' 
 
 The Minister looked hard at Danevitch, as if trying to 
 read his thoughts, and asked pointedly : 
 
 ' Do you suspect Briazga of having stolen the Treasury 
 notes P 1 
 
 ' Will you pardon me for simply saving at this moment 
 that it would be imprudent for me to answer your 
 question P 1 
 
 ' Will you be there ?' 
 
 ' Again I must respectfully decline to answer the 
 question. 1 
 
 ' But you have an object in wishing me to be present. 1 
 
 ' Undoubtedly. 1 
 
 ' Then I will go. 1 
 
 Whereupon the Minister hastily pencilled a note on a 
 slip of paper torn from his note-book, and sent it by one 
 of the church attendants to Briazga. In the note he simply 
 said he had changed his mind, and would do himself the 
 pleasure of being present at the wedding-feast, as he found 
 he had a couple of spare hours on his hands. Danevitch 
 moved off, and had not got far away, when he was accosted 
 by the chief of the police, who remarked sarcastically : 
 
 ' I understood there were to be some developments at 
 this wedding. 1 
 
 ' From whom did you understand that P 1 asked Dane- 
 vitch, without any attempt to conceal the annoyance he 
 felt.
 
 22 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' It is not necessary to mention names. I heard that 
 you were to be here, and the Minister of Finance was to 
 be here. The information was significant, so I came too. 
 You suspect somebody amongst this marriage-party V 
 
 * Yes." 1 
 
 ' Who is it ? 
 
 ' Pardon me, I decline to state at the present moment/ 
 
 ' why r 
 
 ' Because I have no proof/ 
 
 ' You are seeking a proof, then ?" 
 
 ' I am. 
 
 ' Do you expect to find it P 1 
 
 ' Yes. 1 
 
 ' Where and when P" 1 
 
 ' I cannot say. It's problematical. A few hours will 
 decide. As soon as I am sure of my ground I will report 
 to you.'' 
 
 The chief recognised the uselessness of further question- 
 ing, and left, while Danevitch withdrew into the back- 
 ground as the wedding-party left the church and drove to 
 Briazga's house. He lived in what was known as the 
 English quarter, near the English quay. There were no 
 English living there then. Bad times and oppressive 
 restrictions had ruined most of them, and they had gone 
 away. The house inhabited by Briazga had been formerly 
 occupied by an English merchant ; it had many conveni- 
 ences and improvements not usually found in the average 
 Russian house. Here the Government clerk had lived 
 very comfortably with his father, mother, and sister Olga. 
 The father and mother were well advanced in years. They 
 had a small income of their own to live upon. 
 
 Soon after the wedding-party had arrived at the house, an 
 old woman, a professional fortune-teller, presented herself 
 and begged to be admitted. There was nothing unusual 
 in this. Vagrants of both sexes make a good living in 
 Russia by attending wedding-parties and forecasting the 
 future of the bride and bridegroom. As the Russians are 
 a superstitious people, they encourage these fortune-tellers, 
 who are feasted, and generally add to the entertainment
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 23 
 
 by story and jest. Having been treated well in the 
 servants 1 quarter, the woman was introduced to the com- 
 pany. The bridegroom, who was hilarious and full of 
 vodka and wine, immediately presented himself to have 
 his fortune told ; but when the woman had looked at his 
 hand and peered into his eyes, while the company waited 
 in breathless expectancy, she said : 
 
 ' I cannot tell you your fortune/ 
 
 At this there was considerable laughing and jeering, 
 and on all sides arose the question, ' Why, why P 1 
 
 ' Oh, ladies and gentlemen, 1 exclaimed the seer, ' pray 
 don't laugh. I can read all your fortunes — better, perhaps, 
 than you would like me to do. 1 
 
 'Then, why don't you begin with the bridegroom? 1 was 
 asked bv several. ' He is anxious to know what is before 
 him. 1 
 
 ' Good ; it shall be told, 1 answered the woman sharply. 
 ' Give me a pack of cards. 1 
 
 The pack of cards was brought. She spread the cards on 
 the table in several rows. Next she shifted them about, 
 and placed them in squares and circles, and all the time 
 the company gathered round and waited in eager ex- 
 pectancv for what was coming. Presently the woman 
 jumbled the cards up together, then repacked them and 
 told the bridegroom to cut them four times, and the bride 
 three. That done, the fortune-teller seemed absorbed in 
 some abstruse calculation as she slowly sorted the cards out 
 in four rows. 
 
 ' You are a precious long time, 1 exclaimed the bride- 
 groom irritably. ' It strikes me vou are a humbug. 1 
 
 'Patience, patience, 1 murmured the woman. 'There is 
 something wrong about the cards. Thev won't come right. 1 
 
 ' Because you don't understand them,' suggested some- 
 body. 
 
 'Possibly; but patience, patience; I shall understand 
 them directly. Ah ! I see something now. It's strange, 
 very strange J 1 
 
 The curiosity and interest of the company were fully 
 aroused by the mysterious manner of the old woman, who
 
 M MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 seemed deeply absorbed in what she was doing ; but 
 Briazga was annoyed, and he called out : 
 
 ' Ladies and gentlemen, let us stop this nonsense. The 
 woman is an impostor, and is only wasting our time, which 
 can be more joyfully and pleasurably employed. It is an 
 auspicious occasion, this, and we don't want it marred by 
 any unpleasant incident. Let us banish the woman to the 
 kitchen. 1 
 
 At these words the old fortune-teller drew herself up 
 with a certain dignity, and remarked : 
 
 ' It is customary for my people to be kindly and hos- 
 pitably entertained at these festive gatherings ; and I 
 myself have the reputation of being a most successful 
 fortune-teller ; it is not my fault now that the cards will 
 not come right. But I read certain things about the 
 bridegroom which I am sure he would like to know. Say, 
 shall I proceed ? 
 
 The bridegroom himself answered. 
 ' Certainly, 1 he exclaimed, and there was a curious look 
 on his wine-flushed face. « I want to know my future ; let 
 the woman go on. 1 
 
 Briazga appeared to be very greatly irritated, but as 
 there arose a murmured assent from the assembly he 
 yielded to the evident desire of his guests, who 'now 
 crowded round the table and urged the fortune-teller to 
 rearrange the cards. This she did, and having laid them 
 out again in live rows, she uttered an ejaculatory ' Ah I 1 
 and after a pause added : 
 
 ' It is better ; but still there is a block somewhere. Can 
 you, sir 1 — this to the bridegroom — ' place on the table five 
 thousand rouble notes? That will perhaps break the 
 spell. 1 
 
 It was a common thing for these fortune-tellers to 
 request that small sums of money might be produced ; 
 but five thousand roubles was a large sum, and there was 
 a general murmur of surprise, while Briazga appeared to 
 be particularly uneasy and troubled. He was trying to 
 push his way through the crowd to get at his brother-in- 
 law, for there was such a hubbub and din of voices that
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 25 
 
 he could not make himself heard ; but before he succeeded 
 in accomplishing his purpose, Peter Golovnin, with a 
 boastful air and a drunken leer on his red face, pulled 
 from his pocket a leather wallet, which, on opening, was 
 found to be stuffed full of notes. With an unsteady hand 
 he proceeded to count out five notes of the value of one 
 thousand roubles each. Having done so, he laid the notes 
 upon the table, and once more there was breathless silence 
 as the company craned their necks in their eagerness to see 
 what the old woman would now do. The bridegroom him- 
 self seemed the least concerned of anyone, and, with a 
 coarse, drunken laugh, remarked : 
 
 ' I suppose the old fool thought I did not possess so 
 much money. It shows what an impostor she is, otherwise 
 she would have been able to tell you exactlv how much I 
 have in my wallet. However, let her go on, and if she 
 fails this time I will kick her out. 1 
 
 The fortune-teller seemed in no wavs affected bv the 
 threat, but busied herself in rearranging the cards. She 
 spread out the five bank-notes. On each of four she 
 placed a knave from the pack, and on the fifth she put a 
 queen. Suspicious eyes watched her every movement, as 
 more than one person present was of opinion that she 
 wanted to purloin the money by some hanky - panky 
 business. 
 
 ' There is a lot of knavery here, 1 she remarked thought- 
 fully. ' The queen, as you will see, is the victim of knaves, 
 and I am afraid will come to grief. 1 
 
 ' Who does the queen represent ?' asked someone. 
 
 ' The bride, 1 answered the fortune-teller. 
 
 At this there was a strong murmur of disapproval, and 
 the bridegroom, with an angry cry, put out his hand to 
 sweep up the notes, but the woman, quicker than he, 
 gathered them in a heap, and said sternly : 
 
 ' Do not touch them for a moment, or you will break 
 the spell. 1 Then suddenly she snatched them up, and 
 exclaimed : ' These notes are forged ones. That accounts 
 for my difficulty. 1 
 
 Tkis was the signal for a general uproar, and the com-
 
 26 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 pany, believing that the woman wished to steal the money, 
 seized her, and she would have been roughly handled had she 
 not shaken herself free, and energetically forced her way to 
 the Minister of Finance, who was present, and, thrusting 
 the notes into his hand, said : 
 
 ' Sir, I know you ; you are the Minister of Finance. 
 Look at those notes. They are forged ! I give them into 
 your keeping. No man has a right to have false notes in 
 his possession. You, sir, as an officer of the State, have it 
 in your power to demand an explanation. Ask the bride- 
 groom, your Excellency, why he carries forged notes in his 
 purse. 1 
 
 The Minister took the notes, though he seemed distressed 
 and puzzled. 
 
 ' The wretched hag lies I 1 thundered the bridegroom. 
 ' The notes are perfectly good. My brother-in-law, if he 
 respects me and the good name of his family, and loves his 
 sister, ray wife, will order his servants to whip this lying 
 fortune-teller, who has broken up our party and destroyed 
 our pleasure. -1 
 
 There was a disposition on the part of some of those 
 present to act on the suggestion made, and subject the old 
 woman to rough treatment ; but the Minister, holding up 
 his hand in a deprecatory manner, said : 
 
 ' Ladies and gentlemen, control yourselves, please. Keep 
 quiet. The woman is quite right. These notes are not 
 genuine ones. But no doubt Mr. Golovnin can offer some 
 explanation as to how they came into his possession.' 
 
 ' Yes," cried Golovnin excitedly. ' They were given to 
 me by my father, and I cannot believe they are false. If 
 they are, then he himself has been cheated, and it will 
 break his heart.'' 
 
 ' That the notes are not genuine, there can be no possible 
 doubt, 1 said the Minister gravely ; ' and that you or vour 
 father should be in possession of forged notes representing 
 so lar«e a sum is extraordinary. 1 
 
 ' I pray you return them to me," wailed the bridegroom, 
 looking very sorrowful and sad, while his trembling bride 
 stood beside him the picture of puzzled distress. She
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 27 
 
 seemed scarcely able to realize the situation, and her 
 tearful eyes wandered from her husband to her brother, 
 and from him to the Minister of Finance, as if in dumb 
 entreaty to clear the mystery up, and not mar the pleasure 
 of her wedding-day. But the Minister, although not there 
 in any judicial position, clearly recognised that, as a 
 servant of the State, he had a duty to perform, and, 
 despite the painfullness of the situation in which he thus 
 found himself, he felt forced to that duty. 
 
 ' I cannot return the notes," he said gravely, ' and I must 
 ask you to let me examine the other notes in your wallet." 
 
 At this request, Golovnin pulled out his pocket-book 
 without the slightest hesitation, and, producing a packet 
 of notes, handed them — with the air of a man conscious of 
 his own rectitude — to the Minister, who, having subjected 
 them to a close scrutiny, pronounced them to be forgeries 
 also. 
 
 The company were startled by this into a united cry of 
 astonishment and alarm, while the unhappv bride, with a 
 low moan, fell to the floor in a swoon. 
 
 ' Surely, sir, there is some mistake," suggested Briazga, 
 pallid and pale as a corpse. 
 
 6 Of course it's a mistake," shouted the bridegroom ; 
 ' his Excellency is wrong — entirely wrong. It is impos- 
 sible the notes can be forged. I am sure they are genuine." 
 
 { Briazga," said the Minister sternly, ' you have been 
 handling notes long enough in the Treasury to be able to 
 tell a genuine one from a false one. Look at these, and 
 give me your honest opinion." 
 
 The Minister placed the notes on the table. Briazga 
 took them up with a trembling hand one by one, and 
 examined them, holding them to the light, and subjecting 
 them to other tests, while the amazed guests held their 
 breath in anxious suspense, as they waited for his verdict. 
 Slowly and deliberately, notwithstanding that he was 
 suffering from intense nervous emotion, Briazga went 
 through the notes one by one, while his superior watched 
 him intently and curiously. At last, when he had finished 
 his task, he said :
 
 28 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Sir, I am forced to confess that every note there is 
 nothing more than a clever imitation. But my brother-in- 
 law must surely be the dupe of a knavish trick. The 
 matter is capable of explanation."' 
 
 ' It must certainly be investigated,' answered the Minister. 
 ' It is far too serious to be lightly passed over. I shall have 
 to carry the notes away, and consult with the authorities 
 as to the steps to be taken. 1 
 
 ' Stay,' exclaimed the bridegroom, with a pitiful wail of 
 despair ; ' this may mean for me utter and irretrievable 
 ruin. Remember, sir, it is my wedding-day, and my ruin 
 involves also the ruin, and perhaps the death, of my wife, 
 who has been my wife not yet a day ; to say nothing of 
 the ruin, dishonour, disgrace of those near and dear to me. 
 Let me beseech of you, therefore, to delay taking any 
 action until I myself have made inquiries. I am convinced 
 — absolutely convinced — there is some hideous mistake 
 somewhere. I am the victim of a cowardly trick. I will 
 swear on oath that when I left home the notes I put into 
 my pocket were good ones. Is it not possible that the 
 hag of a fortune-teller has brought this about by her 
 devilish art ? 
 
 At this everybody looked to see where the * hag ' was, 
 but she had made herself invisible. In the hubbub and 
 confusion consequent on the discovery that the notes were 
 forged, she had managed to slip away unperceived, and had 
 left the house. 
 
 ' I regret very much indeed, 1 answered the Minister, 
 ' that such an unhappy affair as this should have occurred 
 on your wedding-day; but it is far too grave a circum- 
 stance for me to adopt the course you suggest. In fact, I 
 should not be justified in doing so. I repeat, I have a duty 
 to perform, and I must do it, however unpleasant the con- 
 sequences may be. Of course, as you say, the matter is 
 capable of explanation, and any explanation you may offer 
 will receive due attention ; but a very serious official inquiry 
 will have to be made, and the origin of these notes must 
 be traced. 1 
 
 With a dignified bow to the dumfounded company, the
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OP A MILLION ROUBLES 29 
 
 Minister passed out of the room and left the house, carry- 
 ing the notes with him. On reaching his official residence, 
 he found a letter waiting for him. It was from Danevitch, 
 and read as follows : 
 
 ' Your Excellency, 
 
 ' I am suddenly called away from St. Petersburg, 
 but shall be back in three days' time. I am happy to say 
 I can restore the whole of the stolen notes to the Treasury. 
 I hope your Excellency enjoyed yourself at the house of 
 Briazga on the occasion of the wedding-feast." 
 
 The Minister was a little mystified by this letter ; and 
 though he knew that Danevitch was not the man to make 
 a rash statement, he sent for the chief of the police and 
 questioned him. But that worthy had to confess that he 
 himself was no less mystified. He said some harsh things 
 about Danevitch, and even went so far as to express some 
 doubt whether Danevitch was capable of fulfilling his 
 undertaking to restore the whole of the stolen money. 
 
 ' Pve faith in Danevitch,' said the Minister. ' What he 
 says he means ; and though he puzzles me very much, I 
 feel certain that all will come right in the end/ 
 
 The chief had no answer to this, so he simply bowed 
 and took his leave. 
 
 True to his promise, Danevitch returned to St. Peters- 
 burg in three days 1 time, and, to the amazement of the 
 officials and all concerned, he duly delivered to the 
 Treasury the whole of the missing million roubles, and 
 was enabled to lay such information before the authorities 
 that Briazga and Ivan and Peter Golovnin were im- 
 mediately arrested. 
 
 Ivan Golovnin lived at Vishni Yolotehok, where he owned 
 some property. He was an old man, and had been married 
 twice. By his first wife he had had a large family, and 
 they were nearly all scattered. By his second wife he had 
 one son, Peter. This young fellow had been a managing 
 clerk in a fur store in St. Petersburg, and had known 
 Briazga's family some years. Olga Briazga had fallen
 
 30 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 desperately in love with him, but her deformity prevented 
 him reciprocating her passion. Between Olga and her 
 brother an extraordinary affection existed — an affection 
 unusual even between brother and sister. He idolized her; 
 and when he saw she was breaking her heart about Peter, 
 and that her life was in danger, he told Peter he would 
 enrich him if he would marry her. From this a conspiracy 
 was hatched, in which Briazga, Peter and Peter's father 
 joined interests. The old man was induced to enter into 
 it for his son's sake. It was prearranged that when 
 Briazga was next engaged in the duty of conveying 
 treasure from Moscow to St. Petersburg, an attempt 
 should be made to purloin some of it ; but from the first he 
 gave his co-conspirators distinctly to understand that, while 
 he would do all he possibly could to assist them, he would 
 not keep a single rouble himself. The opportunity came 
 at last with the removal of treasure from Moscow. Briazga 
 knew a week beforehand that he would be employed upon 
 the duty, and he also knew what money would be removed. 
 Everything, therefore, seemed to favour him, and he lost 
 no time in communicating the intelligence to the Golovnins. 
 Peter at once set to work to prepare two facsimile boxes, 
 and to fill them with paper, the whole being the exact 
 weight of the Government boxes when filled with a million's 
 worth of rouble notes. The Government cord and the 
 forged seal were supplied by Briazga. The train conveying 
 the treasure stopped for a long time at Vishni Volotchok, 
 that being a buffet station where passengers usually dined 
 or supped. The night of the robbery happened to be very 
 dark and very hot. On arriving at Vishni Volotchok, the 
 treasure escort went four at a time to the buffet to eat and 
 drink. Briazga was included in the first four. When they 
 had finished they relieved the other four ; but the night 
 being sultry, Briazga's party sauntered about the platform 
 smoking, the door of the treasure waggon being locked. 
 On the plea of getting some tobacco, Briazga returned to 
 the waggon ; he was not absent more than ten minutes — 
 indeed, not so long ; but during the time he was enabled 
 to open the off-side door with a secret key, and to hand
 
 DISAPPEARANCE OF A MILLION ROUBLES 31 
 
 out the two boxes to Peter, who was lying in wait with the 
 dummies. Thus was the robbery cleverly committed, as 
 proved by the evidence twisted and wormed out of the 
 culprits themselves by the inquisitorial nature of the 
 Russian law. 
 
 The sequel of the remarkable story has yet to be told. 
 When Danevitch took the matter up, he came to the conclu- 
 sion after a time that the robbery had taken place at Yishni 
 Yolotchok. There were numerous and obvious reasons for 
 that conclusion. It was no less obvious that one or more 
 of the eight persons composing the escort must have had 
 some hand in the robbery. He soon determined in his own 
 mind that the gendarmes were guiltless. This reduced the 
 suspects to the four Government officials. Now, assuming 
 that the deduction was a correct one, it was no less clear 
 that there must have been a confederate at Yishni Yolotchok ; 
 so Danevitch set to work to find out which of the officials 
 had any connection with that place, and he soon ascer- 
 tained that the Briazgas and the Golovnins were acquainted. 
 That stage of the inquiry reached, he began to feel that he 
 would ultimately succeed in unravelling the mystery. The 
 means that he employed to track down his quarry Dane- 
 vitch was careful never to make public, for very obvious 
 reasons, but he had a habit of setting them forth fully 
 in his diary, and from that source I am able to give them 
 here. 
 
 It was known almost throughout Russia that this re- 
 markable man had a protean-like faculty for changing his 
 appearance. He could so alter his voice and features that, 
 in combination with change of dress, he could defy de- 
 tection even bv those who were well acquainted with him. 
 His most favourite disguise was that of an old woman, 
 whom he could imitate to the life. In the character of a 
 female, therefore, he penetrated into the Golovnins' home. 
 He found, bv close watching, that Peter made frequent 
 journeys backwards and forwards between the house and a 
 small plantation of firs, about a quarter of a mile away. 
 As there was no apparent reason why the young man 
 should go to the plantation so often, Danevitch was in-
 
 m MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 duced to search it, with the result that he found the two 
 stolen boxes artfully concealed in an old quarry, which was 
 almost entirely hidden by creepers and brambles. The 
 boxes had been opened, but the contents were intact. 
 This find was a great triumph for Danevitch, but his work 
 was far from complete. It was necessary that he should 
 spread a net that would capture all the culprits, and he 
 carried this out with singular ingenuity. That one or 
 both of the Golovnins had had a hand in the robbery was 
 pretty evident, but others must also have been concerned, 
 and they might escape if caution was not observed. When 
 he ascertained that Peter Golovnin and Olga Briazga were 
 on the eve of marriage, the plot seemed to make itself 
 clear to him, and when he gained entrance to the marriage- 
 feast in the role of fortune-teller, his triumph was com- 
 plete. In the boxes hidden in the wood at Vishni 
 Volotchok he had placed a large number of cleverly imitated 
 notes, taking the genuine ones away. The imitations had 
 been lying at one of the police bureaus for a very long 
 time. They had been seized on the premises of a notorious 
 note-forger. Danevitch was sure that Peter Golovnin, the 
 bridegroom, would liberally supply himself with money 
 from the boxes for his marriage, and if the forged notes 
 Avere found in his possession, the evidence would be over- 
 whelming. 
 
 It remains to say that the guilt was brought home to all 
 concerned. They were condemned to death, as they had 
 committed a crime against the State, but the sentence was 
 commuted to banishment for life to Siberia. Poor Olga 
 Briazga, whose love for Peter Golovnin had been the cause 
 of the crime, accompanied her unhappy husband to 
 Northern Siberia, where he was doomed to pass the first 
 ten years of his sentence.
 
 A MODERN BORGIA. 
 
 During his long and remarkable career, Danevitch was 
 called upon to solve problems of a very varied nature, and, 
 while his efforts were not always crowned with success — 
 and he never hesitates in his journals to confess his failures 
 — the percentage of his triumphs was very large. Neces- 
 sarily, of course, his work lay amongst the by-ways and 
 allevs of life, so to speak ; for so long as there are crimes 
 and criminals — and that will be as long as the world lasts 
 — men must be found who will endeavour to lessen the one 
 and bring the other to book. In his own particular way, 
 Danevitch was a genius ; and it almost seemed sometimes 
 as if Nature had endowed him with an eighth sense, for he 
 saw and grasped points which no one else could see. 
 Although a born detective, there are many other callings 
 in which he might have risen to eminence, notably that of 
 the stage. He was a perfect actor, and his powers of 
 mimicry and of changing his expression and personal 
 appearance were little short of marvellous. He could with 
 ease assume the role of an ambassador or a peasant market 
 woman, and he possessed to a remarkable degree the faculty 
 of patience, which is indispensable to anyone who wishes to 
 distinguish himself in the detective's art. Moreover, he 
 was well educated, and a fluent linguist, and these accom- 
 plishments helped him immensely. In referring to the 
 case which I am now about to relate, he himself speaks of 
 it as ' a remarkable and complicated one, 1 which all but 
 baffled him ; and he cites it as an example of the depths of 
 depravity to which human nature is capable of descending. 
 
 3
 
 34 MICHAEL DAN E\ ITCH 
 
 It appeared that one summer night Colonel Ignatof, 
 who was in command of an infantry regiment of the line, 
 temporarily stationed in Moscow, returned to his barracks 
 after being out all the evening, and, complaining of being 
 very ill, ordered that the regimental doctor should be 
 immediately sent for. From the time that the order was 
 given to the arrival of the doctor in the commanding 
 officers room not more than ten minutes elapsed. But 
 during that short space the Colonel had vomited violently, 
 and the doctor found him lying on the bed, cold, pallid, 
 and collapsed. The soldier-servant who was with him 
 said that his master had suffered awfully, and had described 
 his feelings as if a fire was raging in his inside. The 
 doctor administered remedies, which so far had a good 
 effect that the patient rallied, and on being asked if he 
 could account for his sudden illness — he had always been 
 an exceedingly robust and healthy man — he faintly mur- 
 mured that he believed it was attributable to some iced 
 fish soup (a favourite Russian dish), of which he had 
 partaken freely. He thought it probable that the fish 
 from which the soup had been concocted were not quite 
 fresh. It seemed a natural supposition, for the intense 
 heat of the short Russian summer makes it very difficult to 
 keep meat and fish fresh for many hours. 
 
 He was next asked where he had partaken of the soup, 
 but before he could give an answer he was again seized 
 with violent retching. When the spasm had passed, he 
 collapsed once more, and all the remedies that were tried 
 failed to restore him. He continued, however, to breathe 
 for two hours, and then died. As the symptoms from 
 which the unfortunate man had suffered were identical 
 with those set up by irritant poison, an order was received 
 that a post-mortem examination was to be made. In due 
 course this order was carried out, and resulted in the dis- 
 covery that death was due to an irritant poison that had 
 set up violent inflammation of the stomach. This seemed 
 to be quite consistent with the unfortunate man's own 
 theory that his illness was due to unwholesome soup. 
 
 The fish soup is a very common dish in Russia. It is
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 35 
 
 made from various kinds of fish boiled to a pulp. It 
 is then highly seasoned, thickened with rich, luscious cream ; 
 a quantity of olive-oil is next added, and the mess is iced 
 until it is nearly frozen. It is a singularly seductive dish, 
 but only those who have strong stomachs can stand it. As 
 it is only partaken of in the summer, great care has to be 
 exercised that the fish is quite fresh. Any carelessness in 
 this respect is apt to produce serious illness. The peasantry, 
 who cannot afford cream, and enrich the soup with large 
 quantities of inferior oil, often suffer severely, and not 
 infrequently die, after a hearty meal of this national soup, 
 for as often as not the fish used is stale, and, as most 
 people know, decaying fish is a virulent poison. 
 
 It was a knowledge of these facts which no doubt led 
 the medical men to jump to the conclusion that the 
 Colonel's death was entirely due to the soup, a conclusion 
 that seemed quite justified by what the dying man himself 
 had said. Some attempt was made to discover where he 
 had dined, but as this was not successful, the doctors 
 certified that the deceased had died from internal in- 
 flammation after partaking of soup which was probably 
 not fresh. Here the matter ended. The dead man was 
 buried with military pomp and ceremony, and many 
 eulogies were uttered over his grave. It was known 
 amongst his intimate friends that he was a married man, 
 but owing to ' incompatibility ' he and his wife had long 
 lived apart. All his effects he left by will to a nephew 
 named Peter Baranoff, who was a Captain in an artillery 
 regiment, which was also stationed in Moscow. 
 
 It was generally supposed that Colonel Ignatof was well 
 off, if not wealthy, but it became known after his death 
 that he died worth very little. This gave rise to much 
 gossip, and it was more than hinted that he had squan- 
 dered his means and substance on a certain lady to whom 
 he had been greatly attached. However, these little 
 incidents were not so rare as to cause any great surprise, 
 and the Colonel and his affairs were soon forgotten, and 
 the world went on as usual. Colonel Ignatof had been in 
 his grave about twelve months, when Moscow was furnished 
 
 3—2
 
 36 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 with another sensation. Although he had died poor, 
 relatively, his nephew had got something like three 
 thousand pounds, besides a fair amount of jewellery, some 
 plate, books, and other odds and ends. The young fellow 
 had never been very steady, and after his uncle's death 
 launched out into excesses which brought him under the 
 notice of his superiors ; and he was warned that he would 
 have to regulate his conduct a little better or he might be 
 called upon to resign his commission, as his name was 
 mixed up with a good many scandals, and there had been 
 much talk about certain gambling debts he had incurred 
 and was unable to meet. However, an unexpected and 
 effective stop was put to his ' goings on, 1 and set everybody 
 talking again. 
 
 Late one night a man was picked up near one of the 
 gates of the Kremlin wall in a state of unconsciousness, 
 and was conveyed by a police patrol to the nearest station- 
 house, as the natural inference was that he was intoxicated. 
 He was speedily identified as Captain Peter Baranoff, from 
 cards and letters found in his pockets. Within half an 
 hour of his admission his symptoms had become so serious 
 as to cause alarm, and it was deemed advisable to com- 
 municate with the military authorities. No time was lost 
 in doing this, but before any instructions could be received 
 Baranoff collapsed, and within an hour of his admission he 
 was dead, in spite of all the efforts made to restore him to 
 consciousness and prolong his life. 
 
 The case, as may be supposed, surrounded with mystery 
 as it was, caused an immense sensation. The deceased 
 man's social position, his connection with the army, and 
 the financial difficulties in which it was thought he was 
 involved, removed the matter out of the sphere of an 
 ordinary affair, and it was the ' talk of the town. 1 As no 
 reason could be assigned for his premature decease, an 
 autopsy was made, and it was then found that, as in his 
 uncle's case, there was violent inflammation of the coats of 
 the stomach and the intestinal track. In the stomach 
 itself were the remains of some half-digested morsels of 
 fish ; and it was also made evident that a little while before
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 37 
 
 his death the deceased had partaken freely of vodka. This 
 led to the supposition — which was probably correct — that 
 intoxication was accountable for the unconscious condition 
 in which he was found ; but intoxication would not account 
 for his death. He was a young fellow of splendid physique, 
 and none of the organs were diseased. His death, there- 
 fore, was not due to any natural cause ; and after some 
 discussion amongst the medical men, it was decided to 
 certify that he had died from eating impure food, which, 
 by its poisonous action, had set up inflammation, which had 
 been much aggravated by the vodka. Of course, there was 
 a good deal of curiosity to know where he had spent the 
 evening, and how it was he should have been wandering 
 alone outside of the Kremlin until he fell unconscious. 
 The inference was that he had been revelling with friends 
 at one or other of the numerous haunts which abound in 
 Moscow, and which often lure young men to their destruc- 
 tion, Some attempt was made to trace his movements on 
 the evening of his death ; but all the attempt resulted in 
 was that it was proved he left his quarters between six and 
 seven. He was in private clothes, and he incidentally 
 mentioned to a friend that he was going to the opera, 
 and afterwards intended to sup with a lady acquaintance. 
 He did go to the opera, but left early — that is, before 
 ten o'clock. From that time until he was picked up 
 unconscious later there was a blank that could not be 
 rilled in. 
 
 Strangely enough, at this time there was no suspicion of 
 foul play. That he should die in a similar manner to his 
 uncle was considered rather remarkable, but there the 
 surprise ended. But within a week of the burial a sharp- 
 eyed and thoughtful medical student, who was pursuing 
 his studies in the great college at Moscow, addressed a few 
 lines to the Moscoic Gazette, in which he ventured to 
 suggest that the doctors who examined Baranoff's body 
 had failed in their duty in not causing a chemical analysis 
 to be made of the contents of the deceased man's stomach ; 
 and he advanced the opinion that both BaranofF and his 
 uncle had been wilfully done to death.
 
 38 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 At first this idea was laughed at. It was spoken of as 
 being 'ridiculous, 1 and the suspicion of foul play utterly 
 unjustified. In a few hours, however, public opinion 
 changed. It would be difficult to tell why, unless on the 
 hypothesis that a new sensation was wanted. A clamour 
 arose, and grave doubts were thrown upon the doctors' 
 judgment. Now, in Russia public opinion has not the 
 weight that it has in England, and the popular voice is 
 often stifled whenever it begins to grow a little too loud. 
 But in this case there were certain details which lent a 
 good deal of weight to the suspicion of foul play ; and in 
 official quarters, after much discussion, it was considered 
 advisable that some notice should be taken of it. Probably 
 it would have been otherwise but for the seeming fact that 
 the medical men had done their duty in a very perfunctory 
 way, and had not been at sufficient pains to establish the 
 accuracy of the conclusion they came to from what they 
 saw during their scientific investigations. It was pointed 
 out that all the symptoms exhibited by the two men were 
 quite compatible with the suggestions of drug-poisoning ; 
 that the theory that both met their end through in- 
 advertently partaking of stale fish soup was so remarkable 
 a coincidence that it could not be regarded as a common- 
 place matter ; and that in the interest of justice, no less 
 than of science, some further investigation should be per- 
 mitted. 
 
 In the end an official order was issued that BaranofTs 
 body should be exhumed, and the usual means taken to 
 test, by the aid of chemical knowledge, whether or not the 
 deceased man came by death through an accident, through 
 natural causes, or as the victim of foul play. In order 
 to leave nothing to be desired in the way of research, a 
 Professor of Chemistry, who stood at the very top of the 
 profession, was instructed to make the analysis. This he 
 did, with the result that he came to the conclusion that the 
 deceased had met his death from a strong dose of black 
 hellebore. As soon as the authorities were informed of 
 the result of the analysis, they had Colonel Ignatof s body 
 taken up and subjected to chemical examination. And in
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 30 
 
 this instance also the Professor declared that death had 
 been brought about by black hellebore. 
 
 At this period black hellebore was by no means a well- 
 known poison outside the medical profession, and the 
 average doctor was perhaps quite ignorant of the morbid 
 symptoms it set up in the human subject when a fatal dose 
 was administered. It is classed amongst what is known as 
 the true narcotico-acrids, and bears the botanical name of 
 Hellcborus niger, and is familiar to the general public as 
 the Christmas rose. Few people, however, who admire the 
 beautiful rose-tinted flowers of the Christmas rose, which 
 serve to enliven the house in the gloomy winter months, 
 have any idea how deadly a poison can be extracted from 
 its roots and leaves. Its active principle, according to 
 chemists, is an oily matter containing an acid. Its effects 
 on the human being are violent retching and vomiting, 
 delirium, convulsions, and intense internal pains. These 
 symptoms generally appear in from an hour to two hours 
 after the fatal dose is swallowed, and death usually results 
 in about six hours. If administered in alcohol or food of 
 any kind, no suspicion is aroused on the part of the person 
 who takes it, as the taste is quite disguised. The morbid 
 appearances produced in the human bodv are inflammation 
 of the stomach, the digestive canal, and particularly the 
 jjreat intestines. Poisonous fish or food of any kind 
 almost will produce these symptoms. Therefore the medi- 
 cal men who certified that Colonel Ignatof and his nephew, 
 Captain Baranofi', both died from the effects of impure fish 
 used for soup were misled, and jumped to too hasty a con- 
 clusion. Some excuse would be found for them, however, 
 in the fact that the effects of hellebore were not as well 
 known then as now ; at anv rate, not in Russia. And as 
 the Colonel's own dying opinion was that his illness was 
 due to the iced fish soup he had partaken of, it was per- 
 haps pardonable, all the other circumstances considered, 
 that the doctors should have been put upon a false scent, 
 and it is pretty certain that but for the medical student's 
 letter to the Moscow Gazette, which sounded the alarm, no 
 suspicion of foul play would have been aroused.
 
 40 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 Like most vegetable poisons, hellebore is difficult to 
 detect, and it can only be discovered in the dead body by 
 means of the most delicate tests. The chemical Professor 
 who was charged with the important duty of examining 
 the remains of Ignatof and Baranoff had made toxicology 
 an especial study, and he had given particular attention to 
 the very large class of vegetable poisons, having travelled 
 for this purpose in various countries. He stood at the 
 head of his profession in Russia, and it was owing to his 
 skill and care, and the technical knowledge he brought to 
 bear, that he was enabled, beyond all doubt, to establish 
 the fact that the two subjects he was charged to examine 
 Avere the victims of poison. 
 
 So much having been determined, the question was 
 mooted whether or not the poison had been administered 
 wilfully or accidentally. The theory of accident was at 
 once negatived. It was like an outrage on common-sense 
 to ask anyone to believe that two men, related to each 
 other, should each die within a year from precisely the 
 same cause. The coincidence was too remarkable to be 
 admitted as probable ; therefore the matter resolved itself 
 into murder — it was an ugly word, and all the incidents 
 suggested a tragedy of no ordinary kind. The case was 
 placed in the hands of the chief of police, who was 
 instructed to use every means possible to unravel the 
 mystery. An attempt was at once made to trace the 
 movements of the two men for some hours before their 
 death. In the Colonel's case this was not an easy matter, 
 as he had been dead for a year ; but it was discovered that 
 Captain Baranoff called on a friend of his — a civilian 
 named Alexander Ylassovsky, who lived in a villa just on 
 the fringe of the town — and thev went together to a cafe- 
 restaurant, where they dined. After dinner they played 
 billiards for a short time, when they separated, as Vlas- 
 sovsky had an assignation with a lady. He did not know 
 where Baranoff was going to. He did not ask him, and 
 the Captain volunteered no information. It was proved, 
 however, that he went to the opera, and left about ten. 
 It was stated most positively that when Baranoff quitted
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 41 
 
 the cafe he was in the pink of health, and in most excellent 
 spirits. Some hours later he was found in a state of un- 
 consciousness outside of the Kremlin walls. It followed, 
 therefore, if the story about the cafe was correct — and 
 there was no reason to doubt it — that Baranoff must have 
 partaken of the fatal dose a short time before he was 
 discovered, for the action of the poison is very rapid. 
 From the time, however, of his leaving to the time he was 
 discovered unconscious all remained a blank. Nothing 
 could be ascertained of his movements. It was obvious 
 that wherever he had been to, or whoever were the people 
 he had been with, somebody had an interest in keeping his 
 movements dark, as the efforts of the police quite failed to 
 elicit any information. It was the same in the Colonel s 
 case, and no one could discover where he had been to on 
 the fatal night. Moscow is a large city, honeycombed 
 with evil haunts ; crime flourishes there to a greater extent 
 than in any other town or city in the whole of Russia. It 
 has been the scene of very many deeds of violence, for 
 blackguardism is rampant, and numerous are the traps for 
 the unwary. Its population is perhaps more varied than 
 that of any other city of the world. Here may be seen 
 cut-throats from the Levant ; fishermen and sailors from 
 the Baltic ; Circassians, Cossacks, Tartars, Persians, Bok- 
 harians, Georgians, Greeks, and Jews of almost every 
 nationality. It may be imagined that in such a place, 
 and amongst such a heterogeneous collection of humanity, 
 
 • • • * 1 * 1 
 
 wickedness of every description finds a congenial soil. 
 Notwithstanding that, Moscow is known to all Russians 
 as ' The Holy City, 1 and a devout Russian, who pins his 
 faith to the Russo-Greek Church, regards Moscow with the 
 same veneration that a Mohammedan looks upon Mecca. 
 
 After several weeks of fruitless effort to solve the 
 mystery in which the deaths of Colonel Ignatof and his 
 nephew was involved, the police had to confess themselves 
 baffled. It seemed pretty evident that both men had been 
 cruelly done to death by the hand of an assassin. But 
 whose was the hand that committed the deed, and the 
 motive for it, could not be ascertained.
 
 42 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 It was at this stage of the proceedings that a request 
 was made to Michael Danevitch — who was then in St. 
 Petersburg — to come through to Moscow, and endeavour 
 to solve the mystery. He complied with the request, and 
 at once waited upon General Govemykin, the military 
 governor of the city, by the General's special desire. 
 
 ' I want yon, 1 said the General, ' to use every means 
 that vour skill can suggest to clear up the mystery sur- 
 rounding the deaths of Colonel Ignatof and Captain 
 lJaranoff. Both these gentlemen were murdered ; of that 
 there seems to he no doubt ; and the murderers must be 
 brought to book. During the last few years a good many 
 soldiers have lost their lives in this city by foul play, and 
 in several instances justice has gone unsatisfied. Now two 
 officers, men of unblemished reputation and good social 
 position, are killed by the same means, and yet the police 
 are unable to bring the crime home to anyone. It seems 
 to me that it is little short of disgraceful that the police 
 supervision of a city like this is so deficient. 1 
 
 ' Is it deficient P 1 asked Danevitch. 
 
 ' Yes ; otherwise, how is it officers and gentlemen can be 
 brutally done to death and the murderers escape ? 
 
 ' As far as I gather, this is no ordinary crime, 1 remarked 
 Danevitch. 
 
 ' Well, perhaps not ; but it shows a weakness in the 
 organization when our police fail to get the slightest clue 
 to the perpetrator of the crime. Now, what are you 
 going to do V 
 
 ' I don't know, 1 Danevitch answered, as brusquely as the 
 General asked the question. 
 
 ' If you don't know, what is the use of your taking the 
 matter in hand T 
 
 * Pardon me, General, but I am not a prophet, therefore 
 I cannot foretell what I am going to do. 1 
 
 'Well, no, perhaps not; but you must have some idea 
 of the lines you intend to proceed upon. 1 
 
 ' I shall simply try to succeed where the police have failed. 1 
 
 ' And you may fail, too, 1 exclaimed the General, who 
 was a little piqued by Danevitch's brusqueness.
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 43 
 
 ' Oh, that is very likely, 1 was the answer. 
 
 w If vou do, Til take some other and more drastic means 
 to solve the problem. Officers and men under my control 
 shall not be done to death with impunity.' 
 
 Danevitch was not affected by this display of temper, 
 and when the subject had been exhausted he withdrew. 
 He recognised that the case was a difficult one, and, in 
 view of the fact that the police had exhausted all then- 
 efforts, he was by no means sanguine, although he was of 
 the opinion that the ordinary methods of the Russian 
 police were very clumsy, and, in their eagerness to lay their 
 hands on somebody, and their fossilized belief that the 
 whole populace was ever engaged in some deep and dark 
 conspiracy against constituted authority, they often com- 
 mitted the most ludicrous errors. He never hesitated to 
 condemn the police methods of his country. He described 
 them as inartistic, unscientific, and brutal. His out- 
 spokenness on this score made him very unpopular with 
 the police, and they did not like him to have anything to 
 do with cases in which they had failed. It is needless to 
 sav this did not disturb him. He had an independent 
 mind ; he worked by his own methods, and he never 
 allowed himself to be influenced by jealousy or ill-will. 
 
 His first step in connection with Colonel Ignatof s death 
 was to try and get hold of his private letters and papers, 
 as he was of opinion that they might furnish him with a 
 keynote ; but he was informed that private documents of 
 all kinds belonging to the Colonel had passed into the 
 possession of his nephew, and when the nephew died all his 
 papers were secured by his executor, who declined to allow 
 them to be seen by anyone until he himself had gone 
 through them ; for, though he did not give it as his reason, 
 he was afraid of anything becoming known that might 
 cause a family scandal. Danevitch next sought an inter- 
 view with Alexander Vlassovsky, with whom Captain 
 Baranoff had dined on the night he met his death. 
 
 Vlassovsky was a fashionable young man, and lived in 
 what was known as the Slobodi quarter, where most of the 
 wealthy merchants had their villas. The business he
 
 44 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 carried on in the city was that of a stockbroker, and, judg- 
 ing from his surroundings and the style he kept up, he 
 was in a flourishing way. He was a bachelor, and made 
 no secret about it that he was fond of gaiety. 
 
 According to the account he gave, he had been ac- 
 quainted with Baranoff for a long time, and had lent him 
 considerable sums of money to enable him to keep up his 
 extravagances ; for though BaranofFs people were people 
 of note, and exceedingly proud, they were not rich. At 
 any rate, the young man was not able to get much from 
 them, and his pay as a Captain was too small to enable him 
 to uphold the "position he aspired to. Of course, his 
 financial transactions with Vlassovsky had been kept very 
 secret, for had they become known to the military authori- 
 ties, he would have got into serious trouble. 
 
 It will thus be seen that the relations between the 
 young men were those of borrower and lender. They 
 "were not friends in the ordinary sense. Indeed, Vlassovsky 
 remarked to Danevitch with some bitterness : 
 
 ' You know, like most young officers, he was as proud as 
 Lucifer, and seemed to think I was not his equal ; though 
 he was never averse to dine with me and drink wine at my 
 expense.'' 
 
 * Why did he come to you on the night of his death ? 
 
 ' To borrow money.'' 
 
 ' Did vou lend him any P 1 
 
 ' Yes. 1 ' 
 
 ' How much P 1 
 
 ' Two hundred roubles.'' 
 
 ' What security did he give you for the various sums 
 you lent him T 
 
 ' Nothing beyond his acknowledgment. 1 
 
 k And you were satisfied with that P 1 
 
 'Yes/' 
 
 ' Why r 
 
 ' Because, if he had failed me at any time, I could have 
 reported him to the military authorities, and that would 
 have been his ruin. 1 
 
 ' But you never had occasion to do that P 1
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 45 
 
 ' No, certainly not. 1 
 
 ' Did he ever pay you back any of the money he 
 borrowed T 
 
 ' Oh yes/ 
 
 ' Where did he get the money from to pay his debts T 
 
 ' How can I tell you that ? He did not make me his 
 confidant.'' 
 
 ' Did he owe you much at the time of his death T 
 
 < Yes. 1 
 
 ' How much ?' 
 
 ' Nearly ten thousand roubles. 1 
 
 ' That is a large sum ! I suppose you will lose it T 
 
 ' Oh dear no I 1 
 
 ' Why ? Did he the worth money ? 
 
 ' His life was insured for ten thousand. I hold the 
 policy and a letter from him to the effect that, should he 
 die before paying me my due, I was to receive the policy 
 money. 1 
 
 ' Have you any idea where he spent his last evening, 
 after leaving you P 1 
 
 ' It is known that he went to the opera, because some 
 acquaintances saw him there. 1 
 
 ' But after that T 
 
 ' I haven't the remotest idea. 1 
 
 ' Do you know nothing of his affairs of gallantry T 
 
 ' Absolutely nothing. 1 
 
 ' You think, however, that he had lady acquaintances T 
 
 ' I should say there isn't a doubt about it. He was 
 wild. 1 
 
 ' And possibly his death was due to jealousy on the part 
 of a rival P 1 
 
 ' Very possibly. 1 
 
 ' Did you know his uncle T 
 
 ' I did. 1 
 
 ' Did you accommodate him with money P 1 
 
 ' Yes, occasionally. 1 
 
 ' Was he in your debt when he died T 
 
 ' No ; he paid me all he owed me a little while before 
 his death. 1
 
 46 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Have you any theory to suggest with reference to the 
 deaths of these two gentlemen P 1 
 
 ' None whatever. 1 
 
 ' Were you very much surprised when you heard of the 
 strange way in which they both died P 1 
 
 ' I can't say that I was.' 
 
 ' Why were you not P 1 asked Danevitch quickly. 
 
 'In the first place, I didn't know they had been 
 murdered. 1 
 
 ' But when you did T 
 
 ' Then I thought they had made themselves obnoxious to 
 somebody, and the somebody had put them out of the way. 1 
 
 ' And yet you have no idea who that somebodv is T 
 
 ' No. 1 * 
 
 Danevitch stopped his questioning at this point. As 
 he left the house of Alexander Vlassovsky he was of 
 opinion he had 'struck a trail 1 — to quote his' own words — 
 and he began to think out the ways and means of proving 
 whether he was right or wrong. 
 
 In a semi-fashionable quarter of St. Petersburg lived a 
 lady known generally as Madame Julie St. Joseph. She 
 was of French origin, but had been a great many years in 
 Russia. Her husband had carried on business in Moscow 
 as an engraver and chromo-lithographer. He had been 
 dead, however, a very long time, and seemed to have passed 
 from the public mind ; but it was vaguely remembered that 
 he was almost old enough at the time of his death to have 
 been his wife's grandfather. 
 
 Julie St. Joseph Avas exceedingly handsome, and at this 
 period was about forty years of age. She might have 
 passed, however, for being even younger, as she was re- 
 markably well preserved, fresh-looking, bright of eye, and 
 with an abundance of animal spirits, which seemed rather 
 to indicate the girl than the matured woman. Much 
 wonder was very naturally expressed that the pretty widow 
 had remained a widow so long, for, as was well known, she 
 had had offers of marriage innumerable, and might, had 
 she been so disposed, have made an excellent match. But 
 the pretty Julie was fond of gaiety and freedom. As a
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 47 
 
 wealthy widow — it was universally believed that she was 
 wealthy — she could do as she liked, and attract around her 
 men of all sorts and conditions, and of all ages. They 
 paid her homage. She held them, so to speak, in her hand ; 
 she could twist them round her fingers. Quarrels about 
 her were innumerable, and more than one jealous and hot- 
 blooded fellow had lost his life in a duel of which the 
 bewitching Julie was the cause. 
 
 The style she elected to live in was compatible with the 
 possession of riches. She kept up a splendid establishment ; 
 her house was sumptuously furnished ; she had numerous 
 servants, many horses. Her winter sledges were renowned 
 for their luxurious appointments ; her summer carriages 
 were almost unique. She was a woman of the most 
 sybaritic tastes ; and every taste was pandered to and 
 pampered. Among her servants was a Creole ; he was a 
 man of medium height, though of powerful build, and 
 with a sullen, morose expression. He was always called 
 Roko, but of his origin and history nothing was known. 
 He seemed to be very strongly attached to his mistress, 
 and always attended her wherever she went ; but no man 
 endowed with the faculty of speech could have been more 
 silent than he was. He rarely spoke, except when com- 
 pelled to answer some question ; and it was rumoured that, 
 like a faithful hound, he slept at his mistress's door, and 
 kept watch and ward over her during the hours of night, 
 while during the day he obeyed her slightest beck or call. 
 
 It was the beginning of the Russian New Year, and 
 Madame Julie St. Joseph gave a ball. It was a very grand 
 ball ; everything was done on a lavish scale, and the pomp 
 and magnificence was almost on a par with a State function. 
 The people, however, who attended the widow's festive 
 gathering could not lay claim to any high social position — 
 at any rate, not so far as the ladies were concerned. The 
 ladies who were in the habit of frequenting the pretty 
 Julie's salons were of questionable reputations. Julie was 
 not recognised as a person of social distinction, and in the 
 female world some rather cruel things were said about her. 
 The men, however, represented many grades of life : the
 
 48 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 Army, Navy, Law ; the Diplomatic Service ; Art, Litera- 
 ture, the Drama — intellectual Bohemia generally, though 
 not a few of these men were at considerable pains to conceal 
 the fact that they visited the charming widow, for, had it 
 been generally known, their own women-folk might have 
 protested in a way that would have been anything but 
 pleasant, and they would have found themselves ostracised 
 in those higher circles in which many of them moved. 
 Probably Madame St. Joseph was indifferent to the 
 opinions of her own sex, so long as she could exact homage 
 from men ; and there could be no two opinions about the 
 power which she wielded over the sterner sex. It was, 
 therefore, scarcely matter for wonder that the ladies of 
 St. Petersburg should feel embittered against her. When 
 a man is jealous, he takes a rough-and-ready means of 
 showing his jealousy ; if he has a rival, he generally ' goes 
 for him, 1 and the best man wins. A woman's jealousy, on 
 the other hand, finds expression in a different way. In her 
 bitterness she would sully the reputation of a spotless angel, 
 and her mother-tongue has no words strong enough where- 
 with to express her hatred. No wonder that the old 
 painters, in depicting jealousy, always took a female as a 
 model. Of course Madame Julie St. Joseph's beauty, and 
 the power it enabled her to wield, made the women very 
 jealous indeed ; but if her female guests lacked quality, the 
 deficiency was amply compensated for by the high standing 
 of many of the men. She knew, and was proud of the 
 fact, that there was hardly a man in Russia, no matter 
 how exalted his position, that she could not have brought 
 to her footstool had she desired to do so. Such a woman 
 was necessarily bound to become notorious and have 
 numberless enemies. But the widow was beautiful, she 
 was rich, she gave grand receptions, she spent money 
 liberally ; therefore she had no difficulty in rallying around 
 her a powerful body of adherents ; and, while half St. 
 Petei'sburg spoke ill of her, the other half lauded her. 
 
 Amongst the guests who attended the ball in question 
 was a dark-skinned, somewhat peculiar-looking man, said 
 to be a Polish Count, named Prebenski. He had a heavy
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 49 
 
 moustache and beard, and wore spectacles. As he appeared 
 to be an entire stranger to the company, the hostess took 
 him for a time under her wing ; but, as he could not or 
 would not dance, and seemed to find irresistible attraction 
 in the buffet, where there were unlimited supplies of vodka, 
 as well as wines of all kinds, she left him to his own devices, 
 and bestowed the favour of her smiles on more congenial- 
 guests. At length the Count, from the effects, apparently, 
 of too great a consumption of strong drinks, sought a 
 quiet nook in an anteroom, and ensconcing himself in a 
 large chair, sank into a heavy sleep. Some time later, 
 when the night was growing very old and the grayness of 
 the winter dawn was beginning to assert itself, and the 
 guests had dwindled down to a mere handful, Roko, the 
 Creole, entered the room. Seeing the Count sleeping 
 there, he paused for a moment as if surprised ; then he 
 shook the guest roughly, but getting no response, save a 
 grunt, he went away, returning in a few minutes with 
 another man. That man was Alexander Vlassovsky, who 
 approached the Count, shook him, called him, and being no 
 more successful in his efforts to arouse him than Roko had 
 been, he told Roko to carry him upstairs to a bedroom. 
 That was done, and the Count was tossed upon a bed and 
 left there ; but before half an hour had passed Vlassovsky 
 came into the room carrying a small shaded lamp, for 
 though it was fullv davlight heavv curtains were drawn at 
 the window. 
 
 He passed the light of the lamp over the sleeping man's 
 eyes, shook him, called him, but as the Count remained un- 
 conscious of these efforts, the intruder placed the lamp on 
 a small table and, seating himself in a chair by the bedside, 
 began to search the pockets of the guest. The search 
 resulted in the production of a miscellaneous collection of 
 articles, which were duly returned ; but at last a pocket- 
 book was drawn forth ; it was opened, and found to contain 
 a considerable number of bank-notes, representing in the 
 aggregate a large sum of monev. These notes Vlassovsky 
 took the liberty of transferring to his own pocket, and 
 replacing the lightened pocket-book, withdrew. 
 
 4
 
 50 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 Some hour,, later Count Prebenski rang the bell in his 
 room, and in response to the summons Roko appeared, 
 bearing a lamp. The Count eyed him for some moments 
 in apparent astonishment, and then asked : 
 
 ' Where am I r 1 
 
 ' In the house of Madame Julie St. Joseph.' 
 
 ' What is the hour T 
 
 i It is three o'clock/ 
 
 ' In the morning T 
 
 ' No. The afternoon ." Roko drew the curtains, and 
 revealed the bright, steel-coloured winter sky, tinged a 
 little towards the horizon with a Hush of red. 
 
 The Count seemed puzzled. He stared first at the sky, 
 then at the Creole. 
 
 ' How is it I am here p 1 he asked. 
 
 Roko revealed all his gleaming teeth as he grinned in reply. 
 
 ' How is it I am here T repeated the Count, peremptorily 
 and hotly. 
 
 ' Your Excellency indulged too freely in liquor, and we 
 had to put you to bed. 1 
 
 ' Umph I 1 mused the Count ; ' it was kind ; now, tell me, 
 did your mistress, Madame St. Joseph, know of my con- 
 dition ? 
 
 ' She did/ 
 
 ' Was she angr>' T 
 
 ' Well, Excellency, she certainly wasn't pleased." 
 
 ' Ah ! I fear I have made a bea a fool of myself. 
 
 Give me the wherewith to put myself in a presentable con- 
 dition, and I will see madam. By the way, has she risen yet?" 1 
 
 ' Oh yes. 1 
 
 ' Good ; as soon as I have performed my toilet, return 
 here and conduct me to your mistress. 1 
 
 Roko bowed and withdrew. In half an hour he came 
 back again, and, followed by the Count, led the way to 
 Madame St. Joseph's boudoir, a very comfortable little 
 retreat, daintily furnished, cosy and bright with knick- 
 knacks, cushions, curtains, luxurious rugs, and warmed to 
 the high temperature beloved of Russians by means of a 
 polished metal radiating stove Dressed in a most elegant
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 51 
 
 fur-trimmed dressing-gown, madame was stretched upon a 
 divan. Beside her was a Moorish table, on which stood 
 coffee and cigarettes. She was smoking as the Count 
 entered. Without rising, she extended her delicate white 
 hand to him, and, smiling sweetly, said : 
 
 ' Pray be seated, Count, Roko, pour out some coffee. 
 Will you take vodka or cognac with it, Count P 1 
 
 The Count chose vodka, and his wants having been 
 supplied* the lady bade Roko retire. 
 
 ' I owe you an apology, madame, 1 began the Count. * 1 
 forgot myself last night. It was good of you to take care 
 of me. I am deeply indebted to you for your hospitality. 1 
 
 ' Oh, a mere trifle,'' smiled the lady. ' My faithful slave 
 found you asleep in a chair, and as his efforts failed to 
 awaken vou, he carried you upstairs by my orders. 1 
 
 At this point in the conversation the door opened, and 
 Vlassovsky appeared on the threshold ; but seeing that 
 madame had a visitor, he quickly withdrew. 
 
 ' I am sorry to say I am the victim of a strange weak- 
 ness," answered the Count. ' I am a temperate man, but 
 should I be tempted to indulge beyond my ordinary allow- 
 ance it throws me into a sort of coma, from which I only 
 recover after many hours of death-like sleep. 1 
 
 ' You are to be pitied, Count. 1 
 
 * Your pity is worth having, 1 he answered. ' Now, tell 
 me, madame," what penalty am I to pay for having so far 
 forgotten myself?" 
 
 1 Penalty, Count I 1 
 
 ' Yes. I am wealthy. Money is no object to inc. I 
 have notes. I am almost alone in the world. 1 
 
 'Indeed I 1 exclaimed the lady, with animation, and regard- 
 ing her guest with new-born interest ; ' you are fortunate. 
 I presume you are staying here temporarily ? 
 
 ' Yes. I am travelling for my pleasure. When our 
 mutual friend Trepoff was good enough to ask you to 
 extend your courtesy to me, and sent me an invitation to 
 your ball, I accepted it with pleasure, and was glad to 
 leave the loneliness of my hotel ; but it grieves me sorely 
 to think that I so forgot myself. 1 
 
 4—2
 
 52 MlfcHAEL danevitch 
 
 ' Pray, Count, do not let the matter give you any con- 
 cern,' 1 said the charming widow, as she sat up and again 
 extended her soft hand to him to kiss. ' Are you likely 
 to remain in St. Petersburg long P 1 
 
 ' My stay will be regulated by the amount of pleasure 
 I experience here. But a hotel is not the most comfort- 
 able place in the winter, and I confess I feel dull and 
 
 lonely/ 
 
 The lady fixed her keen eyes upon him as she re- 
 marked : 
 
 ' Indeed, I can well understand that, Count. Now, if I 
 might venture to ask you to make my poor abode your 
 residence during your stay in the city, it would afford me 
 great pleasure to* play the hostess. Will you accept of 
 my hospitality ? 1 
 
 4 Reallv, Madame St. Joseph, I, I ' 
 
 * Pray," no thanks or excuses, Count ; the pleasure is 
 mine, aiid I will endeavour at least to prevent your suffering 
 from ennui. 1 
 
 The Count rose, and warmly pressing her hand, said he 
 was overwhelmed by her goodness, and no less enchanted 
 with her beauty. He accepted her invitation in the spirit 
 in which it was given, and without losing any time would 
 hasten to his hotel, pay his bill, and remove his things at 
 once to madame\s house. An hour later he drove up in a 
 drosky with his luggage, and was conducted to the hand- 
 somest of the guest-chambers. That night he dined tete- 
 a-tete with madame, and in the course of the dinner he 
 told her that the previous night he managed to lose, or 
 had been relieved of, in some way, a large sum of money. 
 When she uttered exclamations of regret, and expressed 
 her sympathy with him, he laughed carelessly, made light 
 of his loss, and said that, large though the sum was, it 
 o-ave him no real concern, and he would regard it as a fine 
 he had paid for his rudeness. 
 
 The widow sighed and told him he was a fortunate man 
 in being able to bear such a loss without feeling it. 
 
 A fortnight passed, and the Count found himself in 
 comfortable quarters. As if desirous of monopolizing his
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 58 
 
 company, the widow invited nobody to the house, and 
 those who paid the ordinary courtesy calls she speedily 
 dismissed ; while gentlemen who had been in the habit ol 
 dropping in of an evening to play cards and sup with 
 pretty Julie were told by Roko that she was suffering so 
 much from the fatigues 'of the ball that she could see no 
 one. One caller, Peter Trepoff, who came specially to 
 inquire about the Count, was told that though he had 
 been there he had departed, without saying where he was 
 going to. All that fortnight she remained very secluded. 
 She would not accompany the Count when he invited her 
 to go out, and she so strongly persuaded him not to go 
 that he yielded and remained indoors. Every fascination, 
 every talent she possessed, she put forth and exerted to 
 amuse and entertain him, until he was as pliable as clay in 
 her hands. One night he had retired to rest, and had 
 been in his room about an hour, when he heard the handle 
 of his door move. The door was not locked ; indeed, 
 there was no kev wherewith to lock it, and he had not 
 concerned himself about it in any way. Very gently, and 
 almost without a sound, the latch was raised and the door 
 pushed open. Presently Roko entered on his hands and 
 knees. He paused and listened. Certain nasal sounds 
 seemed to indicate that the Count was sleeping very 
 soundly. Roko carried a tiny little lantern, and he flashed 
 a ray across the sleeper's face. Having satisfied himself 
 that the Count was asleep, he drew from his pocket a 
 phial containing a colourless liquid, and, approaching a 
 night-table, on which stood a jug of barley -tea, which the 
 Count had in his room every night, as he said it had been 
 his custom for years always to drink barley-tea in the 
 night-time, the Creole poured the contents of the phial 
 into the jug, and having done that, he withdrew as 
 stealthily as he had entered. Soon afterwards the Count 
 rose, procured a light, and took from his portmanteau a 
 large flask, into which he emptied the barley-tea. Then 
 he addressed himself to sleep again, and slept the sleep of 
 the just. 
 
 At the usual morning meal he did not put in an ap-
 
 54 MICHAEL DANEYTTCH 
 
 pearance ; but he sent a request to madame, asking her to 
 be good enough to come and see him. The request was 
 speedily complied with. "When she appeared she looked as 
 charming and as radiant as ever. He was profuse in his 
 apologies for having troubled her to come to his room, but 
 pleaded as an excuse a feeling of extreme illness. She 
 displayed great anxiety and concern, and wanted to send 
 for a doctor ; but he told her it was nothing. He thought 
 something had disagreed with him ; that was all. It would 
 pass off. A doctor was not needed. She declared, however, 
 that if he felt no better in an hour's time she would insist 
 on his seeing a doctor. An hour slipped by, and he was 
 still in the same condition, so a messenger was despatched 
 for a doctor, who speedily put in an appearance. 
 
 To the doctor's inquiries, the patient said he believed he 
 had eaten or drunk something which had upset him. The 
 doctor was of the same opinion, and prescribed accordingly. 
 In the course of the afternoon the Count said he felt some- 
 what better, and though the hostess tried to dissuade him 
 from doing so, he announced his intention of going out to 
 get a breath of fresh air. He wanted her to accompany 
 him. That she stoutly refused to do ; and when she saw 
 he was determined to go she withdrew her opposition, and 
 expressed a hope that he would speedily return. He 
 assured her that he would do so. He said he was going to 
 have a drive in a sledge on the Neva for two or three hours. 
 Having put on his Shuba, his fur gloves, fur-lined boots, 
 and fur cap, he took his departure. 
 
 After an absence of about three hours, he returned, and 
 declared that he felt much better. He spent about an hour 
 with the lady in her boudoir, then retired. She was very 
 anxious that Roko should sit up with him, but he resolutely 
 set his face against that, saving that there was not the least 
 necessity for it. He was an exceedingly sound sleeper, and 
 he was sure he would sleep as soundly as usual. About 
 midnight his door was opened silently, as on the previous 
 night, and once again Koko crept stealthily to the bed- 
 table, and emptied the contents of a phial into the barley- 
 tea. Soon after he had withdrawn the Count jumped up,
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 55 
 
 poured the tea into another flask, which he produced from 
 his portmanteau, and then lay down in the bed again until 
 a neighbouring church clock solemnly and slowly tolled 
 out two o'clock. Almost immediately the Count rose, and 
 dressed himself. That done, he took from his portmanteau 
 a revolver, and having examined it to ascertain if it was 
 properly loaded, he lighted a lantern provided with a 
 shutter, to shut oft* the light when required. Going to the 
 door, he opened it gently, and listened. All was silent. 
 There wasn't a sound, save that made by the wind, which 
 whistled mournfully through the corridor. Having satisfied 
 himself that nothing human was stirring, the Count pro- 
 ceeded cautiously along the corridor, descended a short 
 flight ot stairs to another corridor, along which he passed, 
 and gained the main door that gave access to the street. 
 He opened this door, though not without some diflicultv, 
 as there were bolts and chains to be undone, and he worked 
 cautiously for fear of making a noise. 
 
 At last all obstacles were removed, and the heavy door 
 swung on its hinges, letting in a blast of icy air, and re- 
 vealing the brilliant stars that burned like jewels in the 
 cloudless black skv. In a few minutes eight men filed into 
 the house noiselessly, and the door was closed, but chains 
 and bolts were left undone. The men exchanged a few 
 sentences in whispei's. Then, following the Count, they 
 proceeded to the sleeping apartment of Madame Julie St. 
 Joseph. In an anteroom, through which it was necessary 
 to pass to reach her room, Roko, enveloped in furs, lay on 
 a couch, locked in sleep. A shaded lamp stood on a bracket 
 against the wall. 
 
 Four men remained in this room ; the other four and 
 the Count entered the lady's chamber. Here, again, a 
 shaded lamp burned on a bracket, and close to it an ikon 
 — or sacred picture — hung. The pretty widow was also 
 sleeping. By this time the Count had undergone a strange 
 transformation. His beard and moustache had disappeared, 
 revealing the smooth-shaved, mobile face of Michael Dane- 
 vitch, the detective. He shook the lady. With a start 
 she awoke. The four policemen had concealed them-
 
 56 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 selves ; Danevitch alone was visible. It was some moments 
 before maclame realized the situation ; then, seeing a strange 
 man by her bedside, she uttered a cry, and called for Roko. 
 He sprang up, and instantly found himself in the grip of 
 two stalwart men, while the revolver under his pillow, 
 which he tried to get, was seized. 
 
 ' Madame Julie St. Joseph," said Danevitch, ' get up and 
 dress yourself." 
 
 ' What does this mean T she asked, with a look of alarm 
 on her pretty face, as she thrust her hand under the pillow, 
 where she likewise had a revolver concealed. But in an 
 instant Danevitch had seized her wrist in his powerful 
 grasp, and one of his colleagues removed the Aveapon. 
 
 ' It means,'' he answered, ' that your career of infamy has 
 come to an end. You are under arrest. 1 
 
 A look of terror and horror swept across her face as she 
 asked in a choked sort of voice : 
 
 ' On what grounds am I arrested P 1 
 
 ' That vou will learn later on. Sufficient for you to 
 know that vou are a prisoner. Come, rise and dress 
 yourself. 1 
 
 She recognised the hopelessness of resistance, and, of 
 course, she understood that her faithful watch-hound 
 Hoko had been rendered powerless. She was trapped ; 
 that she knew. But it did not dawn upon her then that 
 the Count and Danevitch were one and the same. Conse- 
 quently she was puzzled to understand how her downfall 
 had been brought about. 
 
 With a despairing sigh she rose and put on her clothes. 
 Half an hour later she was being conveyed to the gaol 
 with Roko, accompanied by Danevitch and three of his 
 colleagues. The other five had been left in charge of the 
 house. When madame had somewhat recovered her presence 
 of mind, she assumed a bravado which she was far from 
 feeling, and asked Danevitch airily if he knew how her 
 guest the Count was. 
 
 ' Oh yes, 1 answered Danevitch. ' He is perfectly well, 
 as you may judge for yourself; for I it was who plaved 
 the part of the Count so effectively. 1
 
 A MODERN BORGIA ">7 
 
 With an absolute scream madame bit her lij) with passion, 
 until the blood flowed, and dug her nails into the palms of 
 her hands. 
 
 'What a fool, a dolt, an idiot I've been! But tell 
 me, how was it Peter Trepoff asked me to invite vou to 
 the ball Y 
 
 4 Peter Trepoff is my agent, madame. 1 
 
 With a suppressed cry of maddening rage, the wretched 
 woman covered her face with her hands and groaned, as 
 she realized how thoroughly she had been outwitted. 
 
 That same night, or, rather, some hours before the widow 
 and Roko were swept into the net which had been so 
 cleverly prepared for them, Alexander Ylassovsky was 
 arrested in Moscow. Danevitch learned that fact by 
 telegraph when he went out in the afternoon. He had 
 first begun to suspect Ylassovsky after that interview when 
 he was making inquiries about the death of Captain 
 Baranoff. The result was that he intercepted letters from 
 Madame Julie St. Joseph, who had returned to St. Peters- 
 burg. She had a small house in Moscow, which she occa- 
 sionally visited in order to secure victims. In Moscow, 
 where he was well known, the wily Ylassovsky did not go 
 near her, but he helped her as far as he could in her 
 fiendish work. He had been very cleverly trapped by the 
 notes which he relieved the supposed Count of. Those 
 notes were not genuine, and when he attempted to pass 
 them he was arrested, for Danevitch had notified the 
 Moscow police. 
 
 Subsequent re\elations brought to light that the 
 wretched woman had been in the habit of luring men to 
 their doom by means of her fatal beauty. She bled them 
 of their money, her plan being to cajole them into giving 
 her^a lien on any property they might possess. This was 
 most artfully worked by the aid of Ylassovsky, and when 
 the victim had been securely caught, he was poisoned. 
 The poisons were concocted by Madame St. Joseph herself, 
 and when she could not do it herself, Roko administered 
 the fatal dose or doses. She had picked up this man in 
 Spanish America, where she had been for some time, and,
 
 58 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 weaving her spell about him, had made him absolutely her 
 slave. 
 
 Vlassovsky, who, up to the time that he made her ac- 
 quaintance, had been an honest, industrious man, fell under 
 the magic of her influence, as most men did, and became 
 her all-too-willing tool. His nature once corrupted, all 
 scruples were thrown to the winds, and he hastened to try 
 and enrich himself. It seemed that the miserable woman 
 really loved him, and though he was fatally fascinated 
 with her, he was afraid of her ; and, as he confessed, his 
 aim was to accumulate money as quickly as possible, and 
 then flee from her and the country for ever. But unfortu- 
 nately for himself, during that memorable interview follow- 
 ing Captain BaranofTs death, he had aroused the suspicions 
 of Danevitch, whose marvellous perceptive faculties had 
 enabled him to detect something or another in Vlassovsky's 
 manner, or answers to the questions put to him, which 
 made him suspicious. For Danevitch to become suspicious 
 meant that he would never rest until he had proved his 
 suspicions justified or unfounded. 
 
 It need scarcelv be said that with her arrest in St. 
 Petersburg Madame St. Joseph's career came to an end. 
 From the moment that Danevitch entered her house her 
 doom was sealed. Believing him to be the person he 
 represented himself to be, she begged of him to help her 
 financial lv ; and, seeming to yield to her entreaties, he 
 drew up a document which purported to make over to her 
 at his death certain estates in Poland. Of course, these 
 estates had no existence. Having secured him, as she 
 thought, her next step was to poison him by small doses of 
 black hellebore, so that he might gradually sicken and die. 
 Her devilish cunning was evidenced in every step she took. 
 She would not appear in public with him, nor did she 
 allow any of the visitors to her house to see him. Conse- 
 quently it would not be generally known that she had 
 associated with him. As his illness developed by means 
 of repeated doses, she would have had him removed to a 
 hotel, and she knew pretty well that, as in Colonel 
 Ignatof s case, he would shrink from letting it be known
 
 A MODERN BORGIA 59 
 
 that he had been intimate with her. Her cunning, how- 
 ever, overreached itself; she was defeated with her own 
 weapons ; Danevitch had been too much for her. The 
 poisoned barley-tea he submitted to analysis, and the evi- 
 dence against her was overwhelming. But when she found 
 that there was no hope, she was determined to defeat 
 justice, and one morning she was found dead in her cell : 
 she had poisoned herself with prussic acid. The acid was 
 conveyed to her by a warder, who was heavily bribed by 
 one of her friends to do it. It cost him his liberty, how- 
 ever, for he was sent to Northern Siberia for the term of 
 his natural life. 
 
 Roko died very soon afterwards from typhoid fever con- 
 tracted in the prison, but he was faithful to the last, for 
 never a word could be wrung from his lips calculated to 
 incriminate the strange woman who had thrown such a 
 spell around him. Vlassovsky was deported to Northern 
 Siberia in company with the treacherous warder. He 
 very soon succumbed, however, to the awful hardships he 
 was called upon to endure and the rigours of the Arctic 
 climate. 
 
 The number of Madame St. Joseph's victims was never 
 determined. That they were numerous there was not the 
 slightest doubt ; and had it not been for the cleverness of 
 Danevitch she would probably have continued to pursue 
 her infamous career for years longer, and ultimately have 
 passed away in the odour of sanctity. Her downfall, it 
 need scarcely be said, caused great satisfaction in St. 
 Petersburg and Moscow, where she had destroved so many 
 of her victims.
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE. 
 
 It can readily be understood that Danevitch led not only 
 an active life, but a varied one ; and the cases he was 
 called upon to deal with revealed many remarkable phases 
 of human nature. He never attempted to pose as a 
 moralist, but he frequently deplored the fact that wicked- 
 ness and evil should so largely predominate over goodness. 
 He was also apt to wax indignant against the vogue to 
 decry anything in the nature of sensation. He was in the 
 habit of saying that life from the cradle to the grave is 
 full of sensations, and that the inventions of the fictionist 
 are poor, flat, and stale, when compared with the realities 
 of existence. But this is undoubtedly the experience of 
 everyone who knows the world and his kind. It is only 
 the cheap critic, the bigot, or the fool, who has the bold- 
 ness to deny the existence of sensation in real life, and to 
 sneer at what he is pleased to term melodramatic improba- 
 bilities. There is no such thing as a melodramatic im- 
 probability. The only charge that can legitimately be 
 levelled at the so-called sensational writer is his tendency 
 to grotesque treatment of subjects which should simply be 
 faithful reproductions from life. The curious story of 
 young Count Dashkoff, the Russian attache, with whom 
 this narrative is concerned, illustrates in a very forcible 
 way the views advanced in the foregoing lines. Indeed, 
 as Danevitch himself says, if anvone had invented the 
 story and put it into print, he would have raised the ire 
 of the army of critics — the self-constituted high-priests of 
 purity, who, being unable to improve or even equal that
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 61 
 
 which they condemn, are all the more violent in their con- 
 demnation. 
 
 Count Dashkoff' was a young; man, a member of a verv 
 old Russian family, who had in their day wielded great 
 power, and before the abolition of serfdom took place, 
 had held sway over more serfs than any other family in the 
 whole of the empire. The Count had distinguished him- 
 self in many ways. His career, up to the time of the 
 extraordinary events about to be recorded, had been 
 marked bv brilliancy and shade. As a student and a 
 scholar he had attracted the attention of many notable 
 men, more particularly by his well-known and remarkable 
 work, entitled 'The Theory of Creation, 1 which is con- 
 spicuous for its erudition, its deep research, and its wide 
 grasp and clever treatment of a tremendous subject. The 
 hook is, and will ever remain, a standard, and consequently 
 an enduring; monument to the Count's ability and industrv. 
 On the other hand, he had made himself notorious by 
 certain excesses, and a recklessness of conduct which had 
 shocked the proprieties and outraged the feelings of those 
 who were interested in him and hoped that he would ulti- 
 matelv rise to power and position. Of course, excuses 
 were forthcoming on the grounds of his youth, and, as if 
 trying to establish a right by two wrongs, it was urged 
 that he had simply done what most Russian youths do 
 who are born to high estate and have control of wealth. 
 As a stepping-stone to the future greatness predicted for 
 him by his friends, the Count, after a probationary course 
 in the diplomatic service at home, was sent as an attache 
 to the Russian Embassy in Paris. As might be supposed, 
 he took kindlv to Parisian life. He was what is usually 
 termed an elegant young man, with aesthetic tastes. "When 
 he first went to Paris he was about eight -and-twenty, and, 
 apart from the advantages of youth, he had wealth, good 
 looks, sound health, and a cheerful disposition. He en- 
 joyed life, and showed no disposition to mortify the flesh 
 by an austere or monastic regime. His private residence 
 hi the Champs Elvsee was conspicuous for the magnificence 
 of its appointments, and was the rendezvous of the elite
 
 m MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 of Paris society — that frivolous section which lives for no 
 higher purpose than to live, and is attracted to wealth and 
 luxury as bees are attracted to sugar. It seemed that this 
 apparently fortunate young man, who could be serious 
 enough when occasion required, was fond of attention and 
 homage. He loved to be surrounded with a crowd of 
 admirers, who flattered him, praised his bric-a-bric, and 
 gorged themselves with the good things he invariably set 
 before them. He knew, no doubt, that they were all 
 fawners and sycophants, but, still, they made up a little 
 world over which he ruled, and wherever he led the noodles 
 would follow. 
 
 Two years of this sort of life passed, and then Danevitch 
 was instructed to proceed with all haste from Russia to try 
 and discover what had become of the Count, for he had 
 suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and all efforts of 
 the Paris police and the boasted skill of the Parisian 
 detectives had failed to reveal a trace of him. The facts 
 of the case were as follows : In the course of the month of 
 January the Count gave a grand ball and reception at his 
 elegant hotel, and the event drew together the gilded 
 youth of both sexes. These functions at the Count's resi- 
 dence were always marked by a magnificence of splendour 
 and a lavish expenditure which seemed hardly consonant 
 with his position as a mere attache. But it must not be 
 forgotten that he was the heir to great wealth, and repre- 
 sented a noble family who had ever been distinguished for 
 the almost regal style in which they lived. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning the Count drew an 
 intimate friend of his — a Monsieur Eugene Peon — on one 
 side, and told him he wanted to slip away for an hour, but 
 he did not wish it to be known that he had gone out. He 
 would be sure to be back in about an hour, he added. A 
 few minutes later the concierge saw him leave the hall. 
 He was attired in a very handsome and costly fur coat, 
 with a cap to match ; and though the weather was bitterly 
 cold and the ground covered with snow, he wore patent- 
 leather shoes. The concierge, who was much surprised at 
 the fact of his master leaving the house in the midst of the
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE (>:5 
 
 revels, asked him if he wanted a carriage. To this question 
 the Count answered curtly, and, according to the porter, 
 angrily, ' No. 1 The night wore itself out. The dancers 
 danced themselves into limpness and prostration, and 
 began to depart. Some surprise had been expressed at the 
 Count's absence, and various inquiries had been made about 
 him ; but it was suggested that the seductive influences of 
 the wine-cup had proved too much for him, and he had 
 retired. This hint or suggestion appeared to satisfy the 
 light-headed revellers, who gave no further thought to the 
 matter. His friend, Eugene Peon, considered it very 
 strange that the Count should go away and remain away 
 in such a manner, to the neglect of his guests, for he 
 was the most punctilious host. But Peon set it down to 
 an assignation, and thought that he had found the society 
 of some fair one more attractive than the glitter and glare 
 of the ballroom. The day had very well advanced before 
 there was anything like real surprise felt at the Count's 
 prolonged absence. 
 
 It appeared that Eugene Peon called at his friend's hotel 
 soon after three o'clock in the afternoon, and, ascertaining 
 that he was not at home, went down to the Embassy to 
 inquire for him there, but to his astonishment was informed 
 that the Count had not been there for two days. Although 
 astonished, Peon was not uneasy. He stated that he saw 
 no cause to be uneasy, although he had never known his 
 friend do such a thing before, and was aware that he was 
 most attentive to his duties. When he called again on the 
 following morning, however, and was informed that the 
 Count was still absent, he began then to fear that some- 
 thing was wrong, and he at once communicated his fears to 
 some of the Count's close personal friends ; he had no re- 
 lations in Paris at all. A consultation was held, but there 
 seem to have been divided counsels, and no steps were taken 
 to ascertain the Count's whereabouts, though some inquiries 
 were made of the members of the household, but all that 
 could be elicited was that the concierge saw his master go 
 out about two o'clock, and that he was dressed in patent- 
 leather boots, a heavy fur coat, and a fur cap. From the
 
 64 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 tone in which he said ' No," 1 when asked if he wanted a 
 carriage, he appeared to be angry ; bnt there was no in- 
 dication in his gait or speech that he was under the in- 
 fluence of wine. It was not until another whole day had 
 passed that anything like real alarm had set in. The 
 alarm by this time had reached the Embassy, and it was 
 decided that the police should be communicated with. 
 Strangely enough, the police did not at first attach any 
 serious importance to the matter. They made certain 
 inquiries in a perfunctory manner, and for some inscrutable 
 reason — unless it was sheer, downright pig-headedness, a 
 quality often enough conspicuous in the French police — 
 they came to the conclusion that ' Monsieur le Comte 1 had 
 been guilty of some little escapade, and would turn up very 
 shortly. As this prediction had not been fulfilled when 
 another twenty -four hours had elapsed, a much more 
 serious view was taken of the young man's absence, and 
 dark hints were let drop that he had been inveigled into 
 one of the haunts of vice which abound in the gay city, 
 and had been murdered. The murder theory was at once 
 taken up ; detectives were communicated with, and the 
 theory of murder found general acceptance. 
 
 As may be imagined, a gentleman, who by reason of his 
 position and his riches had cut a conspicuous figure in 
 society, disappearing suddenly in this way was bound to 
 cause a sensation, and as the Parisians dearly love a sensa- 
 tion and a scandal, the matter was a fruitful topic of con- 
 versation for several days, while much ink was expended 
 over it by the journalists. But notwithstanding the pub- 
 licity given to the matter, and the efforts of police and 
 detectives, another week passed, and not a trace or sign of 
 the missing man had been obtained. 
 
 Up to this point the Count's relatives in Russia had not 
 been communicated with, from a desire to avoid alarm, for 
 there were those who still hoped he would turn up again 
 all right ; but now his Russian friends in Paris regarded 
 the affair as too serious to be longer withheld. As a pre- 
 liminary, a message was at once sent asking if the Count 
 had returned home, and almost simultaneously with the
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 65 
 
 despatch of that message a courier set out for Russia with 
 the tidings and details. 
 
 As the Count — as far as was known — had not returned 
 to Russia, great consternation was caused amongst his 
 friends by the report that reached them, and no time was 
 lost in securing the services of Danevitch, who was in- 
 structed to leave for Paris without a moment's delay, and 
 institute independent inquiries. 
 
 'I found, on arriving in the French capital, 1 says Dane- 
 vitch, ' that by order of the Russian Ambassador all the 
 Count's things had been sealed up and his house temporarily 
 closed. My preliminary investigations were directed to 
 trying to discover if there were any grounds for believing 
 that the missing man had committed suicide. This inquiry 
 was necessarily forced upon one — at any rate upon me, 
 although I learnt that the possibilities of suicide had never 
 entered the heads of the French police. And though at 
 first thev had suggested murder, they soon abandoned that 
 
 Do , 7 J 
 
 idea, for no other reason, as it appeared, than that they 
 had not been able to find his body. And in consequence 
 of this they insisted that he had taken himself oft' to some 
 other country in order to avoid the results of conduct un- 
 becoming a gentleman and a member of the Embassy. 
 When they were asked to give a name to his conduct, they 
 declined, but darkly hinted at something very dreadful. I 
 myself could find no grounds for the theory of suicide, 
 while everyone at the Embassy, as well as all who knew 
 him, indignantly repudiated the slur which was sought to 
 be cast upon the young gentleman's character. I could 
 find no one who had a word to say against his honour. 
 That he might have had affaires d'amour, as the French call 
 them, was readily admitted ; but as all is considered fair in 
 love, as in war, these matters were not supposed to reflect 
 on the honour of a man. 
 
 ' As Monsieur Eugene Peon had been very intimate with 
 the Count, I questioned that gentleman very closely con- 
 cerning his friend's movements, and elicited that he had 
 been a pretty general lover, but, so far as he knew, the 
 Count had formed no serious attachment to anvbody.
 
 66 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 Peon could suggest no reason why the Count should have 
 left his guests so abruptly, unless it was to keep an assig- 
 nation. 
 
 ' Now, it must be remembered that when he left his 
 house it was about two o'clock on a winter morning, and, 
 according to the concierge, he seemed angry when he went 
 out. This seemed to me to point to two things as abso- 
 lutely certain. Firstly, the Count's going out at such an 
 hour was not premeditated. Secondly, whatever appoint- 
 ment he went to keep, it was not an agreeable one to him, 
 and, being annoyed, he displayed his irritation in the sharp 
 answer he gave the concierge. These points seemed to me 
 of great importance, and naturally led me to an inquiry 
 directed to finding out if one of his servants had delivered 
 any message to him, or conveyed any letter during the 
 evening. 
 
 ' The servants had been dismissed, and it was not an easy 
 matter to reach them all ; but by persevering I succeeded 
 in doing so, and found at last that the Count's bodv- 
 servant, a Frenchman, named Auguste Chauzy, had been 
 out all the evening, after having dressed his master, and 
 knowing that he would not be wanted again until the 
 morning. He returned, however, soon after midnight, and 
 just as he was about to enter the house, a man stepped up 
 to him hurriedly, and, putting a sealed envelope into his 
 hand, said, " Give that immediately to your master, Count 
 Dashkoff. Fail not to do so, as it is a matter of life and 
 death/'' 
 
 ' When Chauzy got into the hall, he glanced at the 
 envelope, and saw that it simply bore the Count's name — 
 no address; but in the left-hand corner was the French 
 word Pressant (Urgent) underlined. The valet could not 
 get near his master for some time after this, but as soon as 
 an opportunity occurred to do so, he handed him the note. 
 The moment the Count's eye caught the superscription, a 
 frown settled on his face, and, with a gesture of annoyance, 
 he thrust the letter unopened in his pocket. About half 
 an hour later, however, the valet was informed by another 
 servant that the Count required his fur coat and cap.
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN AIT ACHE (J7 
 
 They were to be placed in his dressing-room ready for 
 him. 
 
 ' I questioned Chauzy about the man who had handed 
 him the letter in the street ; but the only description he 
 could give of him was that he seemed to be well dressed, 
 was of medium height, and had a dark beard and 
 moustache. ' 
 
 Having brought to light the fact about the letter, 
 Danevitch struck a key-note, as it were — and one which 
 had not been touched upon by the French police. If that 
 letter could have been found, it might have revealed much; 
 hut it was almost certain that if the Count did not destroy 
 it before leaving the house he had it in his pocket when he 
 went out. Danevitclfs deduction from the letter incident 
 was this : The Count went out owing to some communica- 
 tion made to him in that letter. He did not go willingly ; 
 consequently his errand was a disagreeable one, and could 
 hardly have been to keep a love tryst. Whoever the 
 writer of the letter was, he or she must have had some 
 powerful hold on the Count to induce him to leave his 
 friends and guests, and go out at two o'clock on a bitter 
 winter morning. This line of reasoning was one which 
 Danevitch could not avoid, for it was his wont to argue 
 his subject from a given set of premises, and a strict regard 
 for probabilities. He was led — and it was but natural 
 he should be — to the conclusion that the Count's dis- 
 appearance was due to conduct which had brought him in 
 contact with unscrupulous people, into whose power he 
 had fallen. It was clear that if he was still living he was 
 forcibly detained somewhere or other, and was in such 
 a position that he could not communicate with those who 
 were so anxious about him. If this was not the case, it 
 was hard to understand why he should have remained 
 silent, knowing well enough the anxiety and distress his 
 prolonged absence would cause. The other hypothesis 
 was — the idea of suicide not being entertained — that he 
 had been murdered. If that was the case, the motive for 
 the murder was either revenge or robbery. It seemed 
 almost absurd to think of robbery, for this reason : it was 
 
 5—2
 
 68 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 hardly likely that anyone would have chosen such an 
 inopportune moment ; for, at two o'clock in the morning, 
 and entertaining a house full of guests, he would scarcely 
 have much valuable property on his person. If he had 
 been murdered, the crime had been prompted by feelings 
 of revenge, and committed by someone who believed he 
 had a deadly grievance against the young man — a grievance 
 that could only be compensated for by the shedding of the 
 Count's blood. 
 
 It was impossible to ignore what, on the face of it, 
 seemed to be a fact — that the writer of the letter was 
 personally acquainted with the Count, and possessed know- 
 ledge which placed a weapon in his hand. Of course, the 
 Count's friends wouldn't listen for a moment to any 
 suggestion that he had been guilty of conduct unbecom- 
 ing a gentleman, and, having discovered that, Danevitch 
 kept his views to himself; though he closely questioned 
 Eugene Peon, who, while admitting that he had had 
 numerous little adventures with the Count, declared that 
 these adventures were only those which a young, handsome, 
 and rich man would engage in, and while they might be 
 described as foolish and reckless, they were never of a 
 nature to reflect upon his honour. They were, in short, 
 simply the follies and venial sins of youth, such as were 
 common, in a greater or lesser degree, to all young men. 
 Nothing further than this could be elicited from Peon, 
 who appeared to be a reserved and reticent person, giving 
 Danevitch the impression that he always had something in 
 reserve — that he had an arriere pensee, and would not tell 
 more than it suited him to tell. At any rate, he declined 
 to suggest any theory that would account for his friend's 
 sudden and mysterious disappearance. 
 
 ' Do you not know if he had any serious love affair ?' 
 asked Danevitch with some sharpness, as he came to the 
 conclusion that Peon was not as candid as he ought to be. 
 
 ' I don't,' answered Peon emphatically. 
 
 ' But surely, intimate as you were with him, you must 
 know something of your friend's little gallantries ?' 
 
 ' I do not, beyond what I have told you.'
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 69 
 
 Peon gave this answer with a sharpness and decisiveness 
 which made it clear that he would not submit to pumping, 
 and would not be drawn on the subject of his friend's 
 amours. 
 
 During the time that Danevitch was searching for a clue 
 — without avail up to this stage — the Count's friends did 
 not remain inactive. Necessarily, they were impatient, and 
 grew more restless as the weeks sped by without bringing 
 any tidings of the missing man. The police confessed 
 themselves baffled, and seemed to be at a loss to suggest 
 a feasible theory, and they urged the friends to offer a 
 substantial reward for information that would lead to the 
 discovery of the Count if living, and a lesser reward for his 
 body if dead. The friends yielded, and intimated that 
 they would pay ten thousand francs for the Count's 
 recovery living, or live thousand for his body. The police 
 quite believed this reward would have the desired effect, 
 and that they would be relieved from an embarrassing 
 situation. Of course, the human water-rats who haunt 
 the Seine kept a very sharp look-out indeed, and every 
 corpse that they dragged from the foul and reeking waters 
 of the sluggish river was eagerly scrutinized in the hope 
 that it would turn out to be the bodv of the missing 
 Count. But though it was reported several times that the 
 dead Count had been fished out of the river, the report, on 
 investigation, proved to be false. Nor did the offer of the 
 ten thousand francs prove more potent. Not a trace of 
 the missing man was discovered. 
 
 This failure of the substantial reward to bring forth any 
 tidings confirmed Danevitch in the opinion he had formed 
 that the Count's disappearance was the result of some plot, 
 and those engaged in it were in a position which rendered 
 them indifferent to the reward. This did not imply that 
 the detective considered it a certainty that the Count was 
 living. On the contrary, he inclined to the belief that he 
 had been murdered, but, necessarily, the murderers could 
 not produce his body for fear of betraying themselves. In 
 his own way, Danevitch worked away quietly and unos- 
 tentatiously. He was perfectly convinced that the clue to
 
 70 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the mystery would be found in the habits of the Count, or 
 among some of his possessions. But the friends in Paris 
 opposed strong objections to any exhaustive search of his 
 effects being made, influenced thereby, no doubt, by a fear 
 of anything being made public calculated to reflect on the 
 missing man's honour. This supersensitiveness was annoy- 
 ing, and at last Danevitch applied to the relatives in 
 Russia, and asked them to give a peremptory order for 
 him to be allowed to go through the Count's papers. In 
 response to this application, the Count's father came at 
 once to Paris, and took possession of everything belonging 
 to his son, and he and Danevitch went through the papers 
 together. There was a mass of official correspondence and 
 business letters, but very few private letters, except those 
 from his parents and his near relatives, and love-letters 
 from a young lady residing in Russia. She was of high 
 family, and Avell known to the Count's people, who hoped 
 that he would ultimately make her his wife, as in every 
 way the match was a desirable one. The letters evinced a 
 very strong attachment on the lady's part, and were in 
 many instances couched in warm, even extravagant, phrases 
 of love. But there was nothing in them calculated to 
 throw light on the mystery. She knew of her lover's dis- 
 appearance, and was prostrated with grief and anxiety, so 
 the Count's father asserted. 
 
 The result of the examination of the papers so far was 
 very disappointing, but a small diary was found in which 
 were some rather remarkable passages. It was not a diarv 
 of doings and events from day to day, but seemed to be 
 the outpourings of the writer's feelings and emotions, 
 written in a fitful and irregular manner. Those which 
 struck Danevitch the most were as follows : 
 
 ' I often wonder whether we are really free and respon- 
 sible beings ; whether the evil we do is the result of 
 deliberate sinning, or whether it is due to some inward 
 promptings which we are absolutely powerless to resist. 
 If the latter, to what extent can we be held liable for our 
 sins ? I am sorely troubled at times with this thought,
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 71 
 
 and yearn for someone to whom I could appeal with a 
 hope of receiving such an answer as would seem to me 
 satisfactory. The teachings of my Church do not satisfy 
 me. The Church says that to do evil is to incur the 
 wrath of Heaven ; but if I cannot resist doing evil, is it 
 right that I should be held responsible ? Of course, the 
 world would say that this is sophistry, but when I find 
 myself on the one hand trying with all ray might to avoid 
 doing anything which, according to the laws of ethics and 
 the canons of the Church, could be construed into wrong- 
 doing, and, on the other, being drawn by some vaguely 
 defined power, which I am too weak to resist, into doing 
 that which I am conscious it is not right to do, I ask 
 myself if I can really be held responsible. It seems to 
 me that I have two distinct characters, clearly separated, 
 and entirely antagonistic to each other. The one leads 
 me into paths that I would fain avoid ; the other causes 
 me to weep for my frailty. I wonder if all men are con- 
 stituted like this ? Perhaps they are, but are less sensitive 
 
 than I am. 
 
 ***** 
 
 ' If a man entangles himself in a net, he may exhaust 
 himself in his struggles to get free again, and it may even 
 be that the more he struggles the more tightly he ma\ 
 enmesh himself, until he realizes the horror that he is 
 doomed to remain powerless until death itself releases him. 
 This is figurative Language, but it is by such language thai 
 we can best convey our true meaning. It is but speaking 
 in parables, and parables better than anything else often 
 enable us to understand and grasp what would otherwise 
 be obscure. Unhappily, I am entangled in a net, and I 
 have struggled in vain to free myself. If I could undo the 
 past, I might know true happiness once more ; but that 
 which is done is done, and though we weap tears of blood, 
 we can never obliterate the record which is written on the 
 tablets of memory. I wonder what the pure being in 
 Ilussia, to whom I gave my heart, would sav if she knew 
 how I had wronged her. Can I ever look into her clear 
 honest eyes again with the frank, unflinching gaze of the
 
 72 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 happy days past and gone ? I fear not. Indeed, I feel that 
 I dare not meet her again. I have dug a gulf between us, 
 and that gulf can never be bridged. But I suffer agony 
 of mind when I think how she will suffer when she knows 
 my baseness, as know she must, sooner or later. It is hard 
 to have to live two lives, as I am doing. To my friends I 
 appear all they would believe me to be ; but in the soli- 
 tude of my chamber my heart bleeds as I realize how false 
 
 I am. 
 
 ***** 
 
 k I have been weak, but am growing strong again. 
 Desperation is lending me strength, in fact ; and I shall 
 burst these accursed bonds asunder. I have still youth 
 and energv, and must make an effort to climb to higher 
 heights. I have been walking blindlv hitherto, and have 
 missed my way, but I see it clear enough now ; and a 
 resolute and determined man, who finds himself surrounded 
 by obstacles, should sweep them away. He who hesitates 
 is lost ; I have hesitated, but will do so no longer. Great 
 things are expected from me, and I must not disappoint 
 those who have placed their hopes upon me. Marie must 
 not be allowed to keep me bound down in the gutter. It 
 is not my place. I was destined to walk on higher heights ; 
 and since it is impossible for me to raise her, she must be 
 cut adrift. It may seem cowardly ; it may be cruel for 
 me to do this ; but it must be done, for I cannot endure 
 the double life any longer. Is a man to suffer all his life 
 for one false step ? Am I justified in breaking the hearts 
 of parents and betrothed ? No. It must not be — shal 1 
 not be. In a few weeks I shall send in my resignation, 
 and quit Paris for ever. It will cause a nine days' 1 wonder, 
 but what of that ? People will say I am a fool, but it 
 won't affect me. I shall plead that I know my own affairs 
 best, and that circumstances of a private and pressing 
 nature necessitate my hasty return to Russia. This I am 
 determined to do, cost what it may. I have taken Eugene 
 Peon into my confidence. He will help me, and satisfy 
 the curious when I am gone. 1 
 
 ^ft" ^f flf T *
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 73 
 
 There was a significance in the foregoing passages which 
 was not lost upon Danevitch. The Count gave himself 
 away, though, of course, he never expected that any eyes 
 but his own would read what he had written. It will be said, 
 of course, that it was foolish for him to have committed 
 his thoughts to paper; though it must be remembered 
 that there are some men who seem to derive a strange 
 pleasure in recording their evil deeds. It is a well-known 
 fact that some of the greatest criminals have kept diaries, 
 in which they have written the most damning evidence of 
 their guilt. The Count's diary proved conclusively that 
 there were certain ugly passages in his life, and two points 
 were made clear — there was a woman in the case, and 
 Eugene Peon knew more of the Count's affairs than he 
 cared to own to, and confirmed Danevitch in his belief 
 that Peon was a crafty man, and by no means carried his 
 heart upon his sleeve. 
 
 As may be imagined, the Count's father was much cut 
 up, as he realized that his son had been guilty of evil which 
 was calculated to reflect upon the honour of the family, 
 that honour of which the old man was so proud, and which 
 he would gladly have died to shield. 
 
 Of course it became necessarv now to find out who the 
 * Marie ' referred to in the diary was ; for it was obvious 
 that she was directly or indirectly responsible for the 
 Count's disappearance. No letters could be discovered 
 which were calculated to throw any light on the subject, 
 but in a small drawer of the Count's desk there was found 
 the photograph of a young woman, and on the back, in a 
 scrawling hand, was the following : 
 
 ' For ever and ever thine. 
 
 Marie. 1 
 
 The likeness was that of a singularly handsome girl of 
 about two-and-twenty ; but the handwriting was so bad 
 it suggested that the writer was not educated. 
 
 Danevitch felt now that he was in possession of a clue — 
 a vague one, it was true, but it was possible it might lead 
 to very important results. Marie must be found, though
 
 74 MICHAEL DANEYTfCH 
 
 he did not know at the moment how he was going to mid 
 her. Paris was a big place ; Marie was a very common 
 name. Danevitch, however, having once got on the scent, 
 was not likely to go very far astray, and he generally 
 found some means of bringing down his quarry at last. 
 He was not indifferent to the self-evident fact that in this 
 case there were no ordinary difficulties to contend against; 
 this was proved by the large reward having failed to bring- 
 forth any information. It showed that those who were 
 responsible for the Count's disappearance had very power- 
 ful motives for keeping their secret ; and whether few or 
 many were interested in that secret, ten thousand francs 
 was not strong enough to tempt one of them ; and it 
 seemed as if it was not the Count's money that was 
 responsible for his disappearance. He kept a banking 
 account in Paris, but this had not been drawn upon since 
 the week before he went away, when he cashed a cheque 
 for three thousand francs. But at this stage a curious 
 incident was brought to light, which put a new complexion 
 on the matter altogether. 
 
 The incident was this : It appeared that the Count also 
 kept a considerable account at the Moscow branch of the 
 Bank of Russia. He owned a good deal of property in 
 and about Moscow, part of it being a flourishing flax- 
 mill, which turned over a princely revenue. His Moscow 
 affairs were managed bv an agent who had been connected 
 with the family for nearly half a century. It was his duty 
 to pay all money that he received into the bank without 
 delay. Consequently, there was generally a large balance 
 standing to the Count's credit. One day a three months' 1 
 bill of exchange, purporting to be drawn on the Count by 
 Paul Pavlovitch and Co., flax merchants, at Riga, for one 
 hundred thousand francs, and accepted bv the Count and 
 payable at the bank in Moscow, was duly presented by an 
 individual, who stated that he was a member of the firm. 
 As all seemed right, the bill was paid, and a receipt given 
 in the name of Peter Pavlovitch, who represented himself 
 as the son of Paul. A week later the cancelled bill passed 
 into the hands of the Count's agent, and he at once de-
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 75 
 
 clared it to be a forgery. Pavlovitch and Co., of Riga, 
 were immediately communicated with, and they denied all 
 knowledge of the Count, had never had any business trans- 
 actions with him, had never drawn a bill upon him, and 
 knew nothing of Peter Pavlovitch. This was a revela- 
 tion indeed, and pointed conclusively to a conspiracy. It 
 seemed to Danevitch pretty evident that the person who 
 forged the bill knew a good deal about the Count, and if 
 that person could be laid hold of the plot might be un- 
 masked. There was another thing, too, that appeared to 
 be no less clear : the forger of the bill was acquainted with 
 the Count's affairs, and also with Russia. The firm of 
 Paul Pavlovitch and Co., of Riga, was an old-established 
 firm, and there was nothing to strike a stranger as peculiar 
 in their holding a bill of the Count's ; for the Count was the 
 owner of a flax-mill, and did business with a good many flax 
 merchants. Nevertheless, the bank in Moscow was blamed 
 for having been somewhat lax in paying the bill without 
 having taken steps to satisfy themselves that the person 
 who presented it was the person he represented himself to 
 be. Moreover, in the business world bills of that nature 
 were usually collected by a bank. However, the Moscow 
 bank people defended themselves by saying that, though 
 a little out of course, there was nothing extraordinary in 
 a bill being presented by a member of a firm holding it. 
 
 As soon as Danevitch heard of the incident of the 
 forged bill, he returned at once to Moscow, deeming it 
 probable that he might there pick up some thread which 
 would lead him to a clue. The man calling himself Peter 
 Pavlovitch, to whom the money was paid, was described as 
 of medium height, of muscular build, dark-complexioned, 
 black hair, beard, and moustache, in age about thirty. 
 He was well dressed, and the receipt he gave was written 
 in a bold, clerkly hand. Of course, there was nothing in 
 this description to distinguish him from thousands ot 
 others, and Moscow was a large place ; but Danevitch went 
 to work on the assumption that the man, whoever he 
 might be, was well acquainted with the Count, and he 
 knew a good deal of his business ; that, to some extent,
 
 76 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 narrowed the inquiry, which was necessarily directed to 
 trving to discover a person upon whom suspicion could 
 justifiably fasten. 
 
 The Count's agent was a Pole named Padrewski. He 
 was a man of high repute, and one in whom his employer 
 placed the greatest confidence. He could not even vaguely 
 identify the self-styled ' Peter Pavlovitch ' from the de- 
 scription given, and was of opinion that he was not a resi- 
 dent in Moscow, though probably not a stranger. If he 
 was not a resident in the city, it was likely enough that 
 he sojourned there long enough to enable him to transact 
 his business, and having possessed himself of the money, he 
 would depart without delay. Danevitch ascertained that 
 the bill was presented for payment about half-past ten in 
 the morning. That argued that the person who drew the 
 money and gave the receipt had slept in the city, and 
 probably lodged at some cafe or hotel. So the detective 
 set to work at once to make inquiries at the various hotels 
 and lodging-houses. In Russia, as in Prance and Germany, 
 every lodging-house-keeper and hotel proprietor is com- 
 pelled by law to keep a register of his guests. It is there- 
 fore far easier to discover anyone who occupies temporary 
 lodgings than it is in this country. Now, it struck Dane- 
 vitch that, if the presenter of the forged bill had come to 
 Moscow for the sole purpose of drawing the money, he 
 would in all probability select a place near the railway- 
 station. There were several hotels and cafes in the 
 vicinity of the station. At all of these inquiries were 
 made, and, at a third-rate cafe -restaurant, called in 
 Russian The Traveller's Joy, it was found that a man 
 answering the description of the one required had stayed 
 in the house for four days, and had taken his departure by 
 train on the same day that the bill was presented ; and on 
 that very day he had paid his account with a brand-new 
 five hundred rouble note, receiving the change in small 
 money. As the restaurant-keeper could not cash the note 
 himself, he got it done at a money-changer's in the neigh- 
 bourhood. The money-changer made an entry of the 
 number of the note, and by that Danevitch was able to
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACIIK 77 
 
 prove that it was one of the notes paid by the bank to 
 ' Peter Pavlovitch/ This, of course, was an important 
 discovery, as it conclusively proved that the man who 
 handed the note to the landlord was the one who got the 
 money for the forged bill. This was an important link, 
 and another was soon discovered. 
 
 ' From information received, 1 to quote the common 
 police-court expression, Danevitch learnt that during the 
 time the pseudo Peter Pavlovitch was staying at The 
 Travellers Joy he was visited daily by a pretty young 
 woman, who, from her manner, style of dress, and general 
 get-up, was supposed to be connected with the theatrical 
 profession. Every evening Peter went out with her, then 
 both returned together and supped, and after that went 
 out again, and some time later Peter returned alone. The 
 deduction from this was, assuming she belonged to the 
 theatrical profession, that Peter took her to the theatre at 
 night, brought her back to supper after she had done her 
 work, and then saw her home to her lodgings. Fortu- 
 nately, a very minute description of the woman was forth- 
 coming, and from this Danevitch ultimately identified her 
 as a Friiulein Holzstein, supposed to be of Austrian or 
 German nationality. She was a music-hall singer, and had 
 been fulfilling an engagement at a hall in Moscow, but had 
 then left and gone to a place of entertainment in St. 
 Petersburg, whither Danevitch journeyed without delay. 
 He soon discovered the lady he was seeking, but was very 
 cautious not to let her know that she was under sur- 
 veillance. He had no difficulty in making her acquaint- 
 ance, in the capacity of a man about town who enjoyed 
 the privilege of being allowed on the stage ; and on one 
 or two occasions she deigned to accept an invitation to sup 
 with him. He learnt from her that when her engagement 
 terminated in St. Petersburg, as it would do in a few days, 
 she was going to Vienna for a week, thence to Berlin for a 
 fortnight, and after that to Paris to perform in a sensa- 
 tional drama at the Chatelet. Danevitch was now in- 
 stinctively certain that he was on the trail, and he 
 resolved not to lose it. Therefore, when Friiulein Holzstein
 
 78 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 took her departure from the Russian capital, he left by the 
 same train, though she was not aware of it. He followed 
 her to Vienna, from Vienna to Berlin, from Berlin to Paris. 
 When she arrived at Paris she was met by a man who was 
 at once identified from the description Danevitch had 
 received as the man who had presented the forged bill for 
 payment at the Moscow bank. The scent was now getting 
 warm, but at this stage it would have been premature to 
 have taken any steps calculated to frighten the quarry 
 which was being so patiently shadowed. This man and 
 woman were not the only actors in the drama, if, as was 
 thought probable, they were in any way connected with 
 the Count's disappearance; and Danevitch had yet to 
 prove that there was any connection between that incident 
 and the forged bill. 
 
 The man who had passed himself off* as Peter Pavlovitch 
 in Moscow was known in Paris as Henri Charcot, and by 
 calling he was a theatrical and music-hall agent. He rented 
 a small office not very far from the Chatelet Theatre ; but, 
 judging from appearances, he was not in a very flourishing- 
 way of business, although Danevitch gathered that at one 
 time he had had an extensive connection. He had lost 
 it, however, by inattention and shady practices. Fraulein 
 Holzstein was, or at any rate represented herself to be, 
 the wife of Charcot. 
 
 Another discovery was now made by the patient and 
 watchful Danevitch. A man was in the habit of visiting 
 the Charcots. He occupied a much higher social position 
 than they did ; but it was made evident he did not care 
 for his visits being known to other people, for he always 
 went at night, and invariably wore a cloak of such ample 
 proportions that his figure was practically disguised, while 
 a broad-brimmed, soft hat served to conceal his features. 
 The Charcots lived in rather a poor quarter of Paris, not 
 far from the Gare de PEst. In this region was a very 
 popular and much-frequented restaurant, largely patronized 
 by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. The Charcots 
 invariably went there to dine. And when the strange man 
 visited them, he generally went with them to dine or sup,
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 79 
 
 as the case might be, on those occasions. They indulged 
 in the privacy of a cabinet partkidure, as it is called in 
 France— that is to say, a private room. 
 
 One night the three went to the restaurant for dinner, 
 and were shown into a snug cabinet, where a small stove 
 dispensed a comforting warmth, for the night was ex- 
 cessively cold, and to protect the occupants from draught 
 a heavy screen was drawn between the table and the window. 
 When* the coffee and cognac were placed on the table, 
 and Madame Charcot and the two men had lighted their 
 cigarettes, the waiter was dismissed and the door closed. 
 Then the lady and her two companions, feeling under no 
 restraint, freely indulged in conversation. 
 
 ' Do you people intend to remain in Paris T asked the 
 stranger. 
 
 ' Yes, I think so, 1 replied Charcot, ' I don't see that 
 there is much to fear. No one suspects us, and it is not 
 worth while giving up our business, such as it is. 1 
 
 'You feel sure that your visit to Russia in connection 
 with the bill is not known ? 1 
 
 ' Perfectly sure. My wife and I managed the business 
 too cleverly for suspicion to be directed against us. 1 
 
 ' But you mustn't forget that Michael Danevitch has got 
 the matter in hand. 1 
 
 Madame Charcot broke into a mocking laugh, as she 
 exclaimed : 
 
 ' Pooh ! There is nothing to fear from Danevitch. He 
 is a very much over-rated man. All the wonderful stories 
 that one hears about him are, I believe, invented by him- 
 self ; any way, I am not afraid of him. It seems to me 
 that it was impossible for anyone to get a clue in Russia. 
 No, mon frere ; the business has been managed too cleverly, 
 and unless we give ourselves away we are perfectly safe. 1 
 
 'I am not so sure of that, 1 answered the stranger 
 musingly. 
 
 'But you've not heard or seen anything to cause you 
 alarm, have you P 1 asked Charcot. 
 
 ' No, no, riot at all, 1 said the stranger, pulling his mous- 
 tache and looking grave ; ' but one never knows. 1
 
 80 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' You are surely in a despondent mood, cher frere. 
 The dinner must have disagreed with you,"' madame re- 
 marked banteringly. 
 
 ' The dinner was all right ; but I haven't been easy in 
 my mind for some time." 1 
 
 ' It's the liver, the liver, my dear boy, 1 Charcot remarked. 
 
 ' What's the use of troubling yourself about shadows ?' 
 put in the lady. ' Haven't the Paris police used some of 
 their best men, and yet failed to get a scent ?' 
 
 ' That's true,' said the stranger ; ' but the affair must 
 come to light sooner or later.' 
 
 ' And what if it does ?' asked madame. ' How are we 
 to be identified with the case ?' 
 
 ' Not easily, if he is dead,' answered the stranger. ' The 
 dead tell no tales.' 
 
 'Then, why in the name of common -sense should he 
 live ?' asked Madame Charcot, blowing a stream of smoke 
 from her nostrils, and speaking with energy. 
 
 The stranger shuddered, and said : 
 
 ' I'll have nothing whatever to do with his death.' 
 
 'You are chicken-hearted, man,' Charcot remarked. 
 ' One word and an extra hundred francs to old Pierre, and 
 every danger would be removed.' 
 
 ' It might, or might not. Any way, I would rather not 
 speak the word. The business has been bungled as it is, 
 and instead of its proving a source of wealth to us, we 
 only made a miserable hundred thousand francs between 
 us, and it's hopeless to expect that w r e can get any more.' 
 
 ' You should have played your cards better,' remarked 
 Charcot. 
 
 ' But who in the name of Satan thought that he was 
 going to peg out as he has done. 1 
 
 ' AVell, there is one thing we mustn't forget,' said 
 madame ; ' unless Pierre's palms are kept well greased, he'll 
 let the cat out of the bag.' 
 
 ' No, I don't think he will do that. He has already 
 been well paid ; and before I gave him the last thousand 
 francs I made the old rascal sign a document, in which he 
 confesses his share in the business, so that if he turns
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 81 
 
 traitor I've got him on the hi]). But, any way, it strikes 
 me this is not a safe place, and I shall go abroad. No 
 living soul suspects me, but one never knows what may 
 happen ; it's best to be on the safe side." 
 
 ' Well, you are a soldier of fortune,'' said Charcot, ' and 
 can march at an hour's notice ; but we've got interests here, 
 and unless danger really menaces, it would be folly for us 
 to sacrifice those interests. What do you say ?' turning to 
 his wife. 
 
 ' Oh, I think it's all right. If we have reason to believe 
 there is any danger, we can clear out ; but my own im- 
 pression is that there is not much chance of our being 
 suspected. Besides, we must have more money yet. Fate 
 has been against us in that respect. We bungled in the 
 beginning, and are paying the penalty of the error. By- 
 aud-bv, however, we may be rewarded.' 
 
 ' If you think so, you are much more of an optimist than 
 I am,' the stranger remarked. 
 
 ' You've always been disposed to look on the gloomy side 
 of things,' said madame sharply. ' What is the use of 
 meeting trouble half-way ? We've played our cards, and 
 must abide bv the game. At any rate, you've done fairly 
 well, and fortune has favoured you throughout your life. 
 You've no just cause to grumble.' 
 
 ' But suppose the game goes against us ?' now asked the 
 stranger. 
 
 ' What is the use of supposing ? It hasn't done so up 
 to the present, and we've netted a fair stake.' 
 
 ' But nothing nearly as much as we ought to have 
 done.' 
 
 'That can't be helped. We've not lost, any way. But, 
 for goodness' sake, don't mope like that. You make me 
 miserable. We've bled our victim pretty freely, and though 
 he has plenty more blood in him, if we cannot get it, we 
 had better be satisfied.' 
 
 ' It's tantalizing, nevertheless. Don't you think we 
 might risk another bill here ?' 
 
 ' No ; it would be too dangerous,' said madame. 
 
 ' I would have nothing to do with it, 1 added her husband, 
 
 (J
 
 82 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Any attempt of that kind would betray us as sure as fate. 
 No, no, mon cher ; it can't be done." 1 
 
 The stranger sighed, and resigned himself to the situa- 
 tion, for he was forced to admit that the arguments used 
 against him were unanswerable. 
 
 In a little while the party broke up. The stranger 
 embraced the woman warmly, and, shaking hands with the 
 man, hurried away. 
 
 Charcot and his wife lingered for a while to smoke 
 another cigarette, and for the man to consume an absinthe. 
 
 ' Eugene is melancholy,'' the woman remarked ; ' but it's 
 folly to weep over the milk that is lost. If matters hadn't 
 turned out as they have done, we might all have raked in 
 a snug little fortune. But, as it is, we haven't done so 
 badly, and we're safe." 1 
 
 ' But not as safe as we should be if the Count were 
 dead, 1 the husband remarked. 
 
 ' That's true, 1 said the woman thoughtfully, while her 
 pretty face took on a very wicked expression. ' But you 
 know Eugene is far too sentimental. It doesn't do to be 
 sentimental in a case of this kind. We've jjot ourselves to 
 consider, and, having gone so far, it is downright folly to 
 hesitate to take the final step, which would complete the 
 work. What do you think ?' 
 
 ' I agree with you.' 
 
 ' Then, you go and see Pierre, and give him a quiet hint." 
 
 *" I've a good mind to,' mused the husband. 
 
 ' Don't spoil a good mind, dear.' 
 
 ' But, you know, we should have to give the old rascal 
 two or three hundred francs more.' 
 
 ' And it's worth it ; we can afford it. Better to pay 
 that than allow a risk to remain that we can remove.' 
 
 ' You are right — you are right, dear,' said the husband. 
 
 ' And you will go and see Pierre ?' 
 
 ' I must consider the matter.' 
 
 ' Tut, man ! What does it want consideration for ? We 
 are agreed on the subject. Vacillation shows weakness. 
 Hesitation may cost us dear. Make up your mind at 
 once.'
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 83 
 
 ' It's made up, 1 said the husband, after some reflection. 
 
 k And you will go ?' 
 
 ' Yes." 
 
 ' When r 
 
 ' To-morrow morning/ 
 
 * Good. That's a point settled, and my mind is easier.' 
 
 The man and woman now took their departure ; but 
 little did thev dream that every word of the conversation 
 which they and the stranger — who was none other than 
 Eugene Peon — had uttered had been most carefully taken 
 down in shorthand. Behind the screen a young man had 
 patiently sat the whole evening, with note-book and pencil 
 in hand. He was a trusted agent of Danevitch, who had 
 made arrangements with the landlord of the restaurant. 
 And thus the conspirators had been neatly trapped. 
 Nevertheless, the story was not all learnt yet, and Dane- 
 vitch considered it would have been premature to make 
 any move or show his hand until he found out where the 
 Count was concealed. Of course, a close watch was set on 
 Eugene Peon's movements, so that no chance should be 
 afforded him of slipping through the meshes of the net 
 which was so cleverly being drawn around him and his 
 companions in guilt. Charcot was also closely shadowed, 
 and the next day was followed to an old house situated in 
 the western part of Paris, outside of the barrier. It was a 
 curious, ramshackle, tumble-down-looking building, mourn- 
 ful and melancholy in its ruin, and mournful and melan- 
 choly in its surroundings. At one time it had probably 
 been the country residence of some rich person, standing 
 in pleasant gardens, on the banks of a stream, and com- 
 manding a fine panoramic view. But that was in the long 
 ago. The grounds were now a howling wilderness ; the 
 stream was a foul and stagnant strip ot slimy water, from 
 which protruded the decaying ribs of a half-sunk barge. 
 
 Within twenty or thirty yards were the grim and 
 blackened ruins of a burnt-out mill that at one period had 
 been a flourishing concern. The stream communicated 
 with a canal a quarter of a mile away, and time was when 
 barges came and went. The house had been the private 
 
 a— 2
 
 84 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 residence of the owner of the mill, and he lived there for 
 many years in contentment and comfort with his wife and 
 son and daughter. Then misfortune overtook him. His 
 daughter was accidentally drowned in the stream. Some 
 time afterwards the son died of consumption. Then the 
 unfortunate father gave way to dissipation, and neglected 
 his business, with the usual result. At length the mill was 
 destroyed by tire, and when the owner went to the in- 
 surance offices to claim the amount for which he had 
 insured, the people refused to pay it, alleging that the fire 
 was due to incendiarism, and a charge was laid against the 
 unfortunate man ; but he rendered it useless by drowning 
 himself in the stream. And his widow did not long; survive 
 him ; grief killed her. Then litigation ensued about the 
 property, and as a legal heir could not be found, it fell into 
 ruin and neglect. For many years a man named Pierre 
 Mousson had been allowed to occupy the place, subject to 
 the payment of a nominal rental. He was a rag-picker 
 by calling, and a reputed miser : a low-browed, villainous- 
 looking rascal, who had once served a term of imprisonment 
 for nearly beating a companion to death during a quarrel 
 about a franc, which he accused his companion of stealing 
 from him. With that exception, there had been no charge 
 against him. He was a big, muscular old fellow, with a 
 suggestiveness in his appearance that he could be very 
 dangerous in defence of himself or his belongings. His 
 mother lived with him. She was an old woman, upwards 
 of eightv vears of age, and half imbecile. 
 
 To this place Charcot was followed by Danevitch and 
 three French police officers, all heavily armed ; and while 
 Charcot and old Pierre were conferring together, the 
 Russian and his companions entered, to the utter amaze- 
 ment of the two rascals, who were made prisoners before 
 they could recover from their surprise. To both of them 
 this coup must have been like a thunderbolt, but perhaps 
 more particularly so to Charcot, who only the night before 
 seemed to think he was in little or no danger. In a cellar 
 or vault, below the level of the putrid stream, a man was 
 discovered in a state of idiocy. He was lying on a low
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACHE 85 
 
 truckle bed, close to the clamp, slimy wall, to which he was 
 fastened bv a chain and staple, and a broad leather belt 
 round his waist. The vault was foetid, and inconceivably 
 horrible with filth and noisomeness, and the wretched man's 
 feet and hands had been partly gnawed by rats. That 
 man was Count Dashkoff, the once brilliant and handsome 
 attache, but now a pitiable and unrecognisable wreck. His 
 hair was matted with slime and dirt, his beard unkempt, 
 his eyes sunken, his face awful in its corpse-like appearance. 
 His bodv was so emaciated that he was simply an animated 
 skeleton, while the few rags that clung to his vermin- 
 covered body scarcelv sufficed to hide his nakedness. 
 
 As soon as possible, the poor fellow was removed in an 
 ambulance to a hospital, the imbecile old woman was 
 conveyed to an asylum, while Charcot and Pierre were 
 hurried to prison. An hour later Eugene Peon and 
 Madame Charcot were arrested, and before the day was 
 out — thanks to certain letters found in Madame Charcot's 
 possession — another man was being searched for. His 
 name was Buhler, and he had recently acted as secretary 
 to the Count, replacing a young man who had died. 
 Buhler was a Russian, but had long resided in Paris. He 
 was recommended to the Count by Eugene Peon. As 
 was subsequentlv proved, Buhler had once before fulfilled 
 the position of a secretary, but been dismissed for dis- 
 honesty. Since then he had got his living as a waiter, 
 until he became a creature of Peon's. The strangest part 
 of the tale has now to be told. 
 
 As most people know, the mode of procedure in France 
 in connection with criminal cases is very different to that 
 adopted in England. In a certain sense it partakes some- 
 what of the nature of the Inquisition. A functionary, who 
 is known as a Judge of Instruction {Juge (T Instruction), 
 with his assistants and clerks, subjects a suspected person 
 to an ordeal of examination which few can pass through 
 unscathed, unless they be absolutely innocent. The Judge 
 is a legal man of wide experience, and generally with a very 
 intimate knowledge of human nature. He is an adept in 
 the art of cross-examination, and the 'suspect 1 must be
 
 86 MICHAEL DANEYITCH 
 
 clever indeed if he can outwit this examining Judge. Where 
 several persons are under suspicion of complicity, they are 
 confronted with each other, and very rarely do they fail to 
 condemn themselves, and betray their guilt, if they are 
 guilty, under the pitiless fire of questioning to which they 
 are subjected. In this way the truth is brought to light, 
 and piece by piece a story is built up. The story that 
 was partly wrung from the prisoners in this case, and 
 partly learnt from other sources, was as follows : 
 
 Years before the events already narrated, an Austrian 
 named Schumacher took up his residence in Paris, with 
 his wife and two daughters, named respectively Rosine and 
 Anna, and a son, Fritz. The girls were at that time quite 
 children. Schumacher, who was a cabinet-maker by trade, 
 and his family ultimately became naturalized French 
 subjects. As the girls grew up, they developed remarkable 
 beauty ; but this was allied to vulgar tastes and loose 
 habits, well calculated to bring them to trouble sooner 
 or later. At quite an early age they showed talent for 
 the stage, and began life at a cafe-ehantant. In the 
 course of time Anna married a theatrical and music-hall 
 agent named Charcot ; and Rosine, who seems to have had 
 numerous lovers, joined a theatrical company, and travelled 
 for some time, but ultimately secured a permanent engage- 
 ment at a Paris theatre. Soon after that, when she was 
 only one-and-twenty years of age, and noted for her good 
 looks, she made the acquaintance of Count Dashkoff. The 
 Count was young, impressionable, foolish ; the girl artful, 
 cunning, clever. And there is no doubt she resolved to 
 play her cards with a view to gaining a powerful influence 
 over the Count. In this matter she was aided and abetted 
 by her brother Fritz, though that gentleman was no longer 
 known as Fritz. 
 
 At quite an early age Fritz had come under the notice 
 of an old and rather eccentric lady, who sent him to school, 
 fostered in him expensive tastes, luxurious habits, and led 
 him to dream of future greatness. He received a good 
 education, and spent four years — from sixteen to twenty — 
 at the Lvceum. Unfortunately for him, his patroness
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AN ATTACH^ 87 
 
 died. It was then found that, though she had made a 
 will leaving a million and a half francs to the young 
 man, she was not worth a million sous. She had simply 
 enjoyed a life interest in a property which produced her a 
 handsome income, though she expended it to the last sou 
 every year. Fritz had also taken her name of Peon, and 
 had suhstituted Eugene for that of Fritz. 
 
 To find himself penniless was a great blow to his hopes 
 and pride. His natural talents and the education he had 
 received should have enabled him to have done well, but 
 he hated work ; he lacked energy, and so he set himself 
 to live bv his wits. He was a fascinating voung fellow, 
 with the power of attracting both men and women. When 
 he made the acquaintance of the Count, the Count at once 
 took to him, and Peon was far too clever to lose such an 
 opportunity of benefiting himself: for clever as the Count 
 was, he was rash and weak-minded in many respects, and 
 no match for an unscrupulous adventurer like Peon, who 
 arranged with his sister Rosine that they were to keep 
 their relationship secret, and use every endeavour to trap 
 the Count into a marriage. Rosine was quite equal to 
 playing her part in this nefarious little scheme. Her 
 fascinations proved too much for the Count, and when he 
 found that she Mas deaf to all his entreaties, and proof 
 against his costly presents, he came to the conclusion that 
 she was a model woman, a paragon of virtue, a credit to 
 her sex, and in an evil hour he married her. After that 
 it did not take him long to discover what a terrible error 
 he had made. The wife's rapacity for money, jewellery, 
 dress, was insatiable, and her brother Eugene took good 
 care to share her purse. 
 
 For a considerable time the Count yielded to the bleed- 
 ing process tamely ; and his secretary, Buhler, working in 
 connection with Peon and Rosine, succeeded in drawing 
 from him large sums of money. Of course, all this time 
 the unhappv Count believed that his friend pAigene Peon 
 was true and reliable, that Buhler was the most faithful 
 of secretaries, and he began to yearn for some means of 
 breaking the matrimonial bond with which he had bound
 
 88 MICHAEL DANEV ITCH 
 
 himself. He found that Rosine had developed a taste for 
 drink ; he encouraged this in every possible way, and 
 induced her particularly to consume large quantities of 
 absinthe. The result was, she soon became a confirmed 
 dipsomaniac ; and one night, to the horror of the band of 
 conspirators, she either threw herself into the Seine or 
 fell in accidentally ; at any rate, she was drowned. That 
 was at a little village about twenty miles from Paris, where 
 the Count had installed her, and where, under an arrange- 
 ment with him, she lived as a single woman. 
 
 Peon, Buhler, and Anna Charcot and her husband 
 managed to keep the news of his wife's death from the 
 Count, and he was given to understand that she had taken 
 herself off somewhere. A few months passed, and the 
 conspirators felt the loss of their supplies severely. Then, 
 in their desperation, they concocted a scheme which, for 
 daring and wickedness, had not been surpassed for a long- 
 time. The scheme was nothing more nor less than the 
 abduction of the Count, who was to be kept a prisoner 
 until he secured his release by the payment of a large 
 ransom. 
 
 The night of the ball was chosen as a fitting oppor- 
 tunity to put the plan into execution. Buhler wrote a 
 letter closely imitating Rosine's handwriting. The letter 
 stated that she had been away from Paris, but had come 
 back seriously ill, and was then unable to leave her bed. 
 She craved him to go and see her immediately, and 
 promised that, if he would give her a sum of money down, 
 she would go away and he should never hear of her again. 
 If not, she would proclaim the following morning to all 
 Paris that she was his lawful wife, and would also send an 
 intimation to that effect to the Embassy. The note 
 wound up by saying that a carriage would be in waiting 
 not far from his house to convey him to her lodgings, and 
 that he could easily get back again in an hour or an hour 
 and a half. 
 
 This letter was delivered to the Count in the way that 
 we have seen, and, unhappily for himself, he was influenced 
 by it. He found the carriage at the spot indicated, and
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF AX ATTACHE 89 
 
 was driven out to the barrier to Pierre's house. Two 
 powerful ruffians, who were to be well paid for their part 
 of the work, had ridden on the box beside the coachman. 
 When the destination was reached, the Count alighted, 
 and then the lonely spot seems to have caused him to 
 suspect that he had been brought there for some villainous 
 purpose. He at once stepped into the carriage again, and 
 ordered the coachman to drive him back to Paris. The 
 two ruffians, however, seized him and dragged him out on 
 to the road, where a desperate struggle took place. To 
 put an end to it, one of the rascals struck the unhappy 
 Count a violent blow over the head with a heavy stick, 
 rendering him unconscious. He was then carried into 
 Pierre's den. 
 
 For two days he remained insensible, and when he 
 recovered it was found, to the horror of all the wretches 
 concerned, that he was imbecile, but it was hoped that he 
 would be all right in a few days. These hopes, however, were 
 doomed to disappointment, and, being pressed for money, 
 Buhler undertook to forge a bill, and Madame Charcot, 
 who was then fulfilling an engagement in Moscow, was 
 instructed to find out something of the Count's business 
 transactions there ; while Charcot went to Moscow, and, 
 representing himself as Peter Paviovitch, presented the 
 forged bill at the bank and received payment for it. The 
 money was, of course, shared by all concerned. Buhler, 
 who seems to have been shrewder than the rest of them, 
 having got his share, and possessed himself of such portable 
 property of the Count's as he could lav his hands upon, 
 took himself off somewhere, and managed to elude justice, 
 though every effort was made to capture him. 
 
 As already stated, all this terrible story of fiendish 
 wickedness was gradually brought to light bv the Juge 
 d'Instruction, and there was little doubt that, had Dane- 
 vitch not succeeded in unravelling the plot, the unfortunate 
 Count, who was becoming an expensive burden, and a 
 menace to the safety of the plotters, would have been 
 placed in a sack with a quantity of scrap iron, and de- 
 posited at the bottom of the foul and stagnant water
 
 90 MICHAEL DANEMTCH 
 
 opposite Pierre's hovel. Peon showed considerable reluctance 
 to resort to this extreme measure, but Madame Charcot, 
 who was less sentimental and more callous, had no scruples. 
 She saw clearly enough that as long as the poor Count 
 remained alive there was an ever-present danger, for if 
 Pierre should get into trouble or die a revelation was 
 certain. She influenced her husband to take her view of 
 the case, and had Danevitch not stepped in when he did, 
 murder would have been added to the other infamy. As 
 it was, the careers of the wretches were brought to a close, 
 and exemplary punishment was meted out to all of them. 
 The extradition of both Charcot and his wife was de- 
 manded by the Russian Government, to answer in Russia 
 for the affair of the forged bill — the man for having pre- 
 sented it and drawn the money, the woman for aiding and 
 abetting him. But, of course, this demand was not com- 
 plied with, as they had first of all to suffer punishment in 
 France for their deeds there. After that they Mould be 
 handed to the tender mercies of the Russian Government, 
 and were destined to end their days in exile in Siberia. 
 
 For a long time Count Dashkoff remained in a pitiable 
 state, but under tender care and treatment his health was 
 gradually restored, though his mind was shattered beyond 
 l'epair. Of course, he could not be altogether exonerated 
 from blame for the part he had played with regard to his 
 unhappy wife. But if he had sinned, he had also suffered, 
 and everyone must admit that it was a terrible endino; to a 
 brilliant and what seemed a most promising career. Un- 
 happily, neither his position, his wealth, nor his associa- 
 tions could save him from yielding to the fatal fascinations 
 of vulgar beauty ; and the disastrous results that followed 
 doomed him to social extinction and a living death.
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF. 
 
 Possibly very few readers of these chronicles know any- 
 thing- of the peculiarity — I had almost said iniquity — <)£ 
 the Russian law. The freeborn Briton, who in his own 
 country may spout and write treason as long as it pleases 
 him, and do anything that is not regarded as a legally 
 punishable offence — and the law is very tolerant in this 
 respect — is apt to open his eyes in astonishment when he 
 goes on the Continent and finds himself haled to a prison- 
 house simply because he has been jotting down some 
 memoranda in a note-book, or mayhap has taken a snap- 
 shot with a Kodak at a picturesque fortification which he 
 thinks will look well in his album when he gets home. 
 This arbitrary and high-handed proceeding is common to 
 all parts of Europe outside of Great Britain. But though 
 the liberty of the subject and of the foreigner is ever 
 menaced on the Continent, and a simple indiscreet act may 
 serve to bring the might of the law down on the luckless 
 offender, this state of things is nothing as compared with 
 that which prevails in Russia. It is a plain statement of 
 fact to say that, of all the countries which boast of their 
 civilization, Russia is the least civilized. The Russians 
 themselves are a most hospitable people, they are clever, 
 they make good friends and good neighbours ; but their 
 laws are antiquated, the method of government is barbar- 
 ous, while the system of espionage which is in force all 
 over the country would irritate a Briton into madness. 
 And there is another aspect of the law, which, though it
 
 92 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 has been denied, still obtains in Russia, and that is the 
 power of the law to keep an untried man whose guilt is 
 not proved in prison indefinitely, and to subject him to 
 such mental or physical torture that, to escape from it, the 
 victim either confesses to a crime of which he is innocent 
 or goes raving mad. To understand this, one must bear 
 in mind that, while in our country a man is considered 
 innocent until he is proved guilty, in Russia, as soon as 
 ever he falls under suspicion, he is regarded as a criminal. 
 He can then be thrown into a dungeon and kept there. 
 If he persists in asserting his innocence, the law, if it can 
 procure no proof one way or the other, will persist in re- 
 garding him as guilty, and will exhaust every means to 
 overcome him, and if compelled to let him go will do so 
 with the greatest reluctance. 
 
 This is reallv no exaggerated statement. A thousand 
 and one proofs can be furnished in support of it. Dane- 
 vitch, who was Russian to the backbone, was nevertheless 
 sufficiently broad-minded to frankly admit that the laws of 
 his native country left much to be desired. The case dealt 
 with in this story will illustrate very forcibly what I have 
 stated in the foregoing lines. 
 
 Vassilo Ivanoff was by profession an architect, with, as 
 was supposed, a large and profitable connection. He was 
 also an artist of some repute, and two or three of his 
 pictures had found a place on the walls of the St. Peters- 
 burg Salon. His friends sometimes rated him for devoting 
 too much time to painting pictures that did not pay, and 
 too little to his profession, which did pay. Ivanoff, how- 
 ever, was young, ardent, enthusiastic ; a dreamer somewhat. 
 He believed in himself, in his future. The world was 
 beautiful, life was good, all men were brothers. Such in 
 effect were his principles ; but he forgot the maxim of 
 science, which insists that theory and practice should go 
 together. Ivanoff was a theorist, but he found it difficult 
 to be practical. He had long been engaged to Maria 
 Alexeyevina, who had the reputation of being one of the 
 most beautiful young women in St. Petersburg. She was 
 a member of an exceedingly good family, who, though
 
 the fate OF VASSILO IVANOFF 93 
 
 poor, boasted of their noble descent. The marriage of 
 the young couple had been delayed from time to time on 
 the grounds that, until his financial position improved, he 
 could not afford to keep a wife. It was a great disap- 
 pointment to him, but he set to work with a will, and so 
 far increased his business that he felt justified at last in 
 appealing to Maria and her relatives that the marriage 
 should be no longer delayed. 
 
 Among IvanofTs most intimate friends was one Riskoff 
 by name, who was said to be wealthy, and also exceedingly 
 practical. He and Ivanoff had been to school together, 
 and had studied at college together ; but Riskoff, being 
 considerably older than his friend, completed his studies 
 some years before the other. 
 
 Ivanoff was in the habit of consulting Riskoff about 
 many things, and he took him into his confidence with 
 regard to the marriage ; but Riskoff, knowing that Ivan 
 was improvident, as well as impractical, strongly counselled 
 him to delay the marriage. Ivanoff, however, was head- 
 strong, Riskoff was persistent, with the result that the 
 lifelong friends virtually quarrelled, and in the circles 
 which they frequented it was a matter of comment that 
 these two* men, who had been like brothers, now passed 
 each other by as if they were strangers. 
 
 Unable at last to control his feelings, Ivanoff pleaded so 
 pathetically to Maria to consent to the marriage that she 
 yielded, and they became man and wife. The marriage 
 ceremony was one of those semi-grand affairs peculiar to 
 the middle classes in Russia, and the festivities that 
 followed were conspicuous by their magnificence and the 
 lavish expenditure incurred. It was noted with much sur- 
 prise at the time that Riskoff was not present at the 
 wedding or the feast. It was known that there had been 
 strained relations between the two men ; nevertheless, 
 everyone expected that Riskoff would have been invited. 
 Butj in spite of his friend's absence, Ivanoff was supremely 
 happv ; the beautiful woman for whom he would have 
 laid down his life willingly, had she desired it, was his at 
 last. What more could mortal man wish for? Life
 
 94 MICHAEL DANEVTfCH 
 
 henceforth would know no pang. The doting couple 
 would exist on each other s love, and not the tiniest of 
 clouds should ever obscure the matrimonial sky. It was 
 all very pretty. Others had thought the same thing over 
 and over again, only to find, when the first transports 
 of joy were past, that the married state is not quite the 
 Elysium they believed it to be when they hastened to ex- 
 change single blessedness for wedded bliss. The blessed- 
 ness is at least a known quantity, but the bliss is as 
 often as not found to be little better than a delusive 
 mirage. Ivanoff, however, did not concern himself about 
 the future. With him, sufficient for the day was the evil 
 thereof. Why think of the morrow when the to-day was 
 so full of joy ? That was his theory, and he lived up to it. 
 The first year of his married life, so far as was known, 
 was a very happy one ; the young couple revelled in each 
 other s society. Their social functions were attended by 
 people from far and near, for Maria's beauty was the talk 
 of the town, and her husband was very happy and very 
 proud. He believed that no such woman as his wife had 
 ever walked the fair earth before. Romance, however, 
 cannot last for ever, and joy must ever be evanescent in 
 this wicked world. Vassilo Ivanoff was soon to prove 
 the truth of this. Necessity compelled him at last to look 
 into his affairs, and he found to his horror that he was on 
 the verge of bankruptcy. Bills were pouring in upon him, 
 but there was nothing in the exchequer to meet them with. 
 It was a terrible state of matters, and to a sensitive man 
 with a poetical temperament little short of maddening. 
 From his ideal world he had suddenly to descend to the 
 vulgar commonplace one, where the butcher, the baker, and 
 candlestick-maker clamour for their little accounts ; where 
 summonses and writs run ; and where brokers' men and 
 sheriffs'' officers have no bowels of compunction. It was a 
 revelation, and a very terrible one, to Vassilo, and he had 
 to face the fact that he was heavily in debt, with no means 
 to meet his engagements. He could not apply to his wife's 
 relations for assistance, for they were poor and proud, and, 
 while unable to help him, they would not have hesitated to
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 95 
 
 rate him for the disgrace he would bring upon them if his 
 affairs should be made public, and there was every proba- 
 bility that such would be the case. 
 
 It was subsequently brought to light that in his distress 
 he applied to various friends for temporary assistance ; but, 
 because thev either could not or would not render it, his 
 appeals met with no response. There is no doubt that his 
 affairs at this stage of his career were in a very complicated 
 state, and he realized for the first time that he was practi- 
 cally ruined ; and to such an extent did it affect him, that 
 one night he was seen at one of the fashionable and best- 
 known cafes in a state of intoxication. Probablv a good 
 deal was due to his mental excitement rather than to the 
 amount of stimulant he had imbibed, for he was a most 
 temperate man, and rarely went to excess. Some ac- 
 quaintances tried to persuade him to go home, but his 
 excitement only increased, and he was heard to exclaim ; 
 ' It's a burning shame that I should be poor when there 
 are thousands less worthy than I am rolling in wealth. I 
 feel as if I could do murder on those who hoard their gold 
 when so many are suffering for the want of common neces- 
 saries. 1 ; 
 
 This little outburst of passion and ill-will was no doubt 
 due entirely to his condition ; but it was a dangerous 
 sentiment to give expression to in a Russian cafe, though, 
 but for subsequent events, no importance would have been 
 attached to it. 
 
 With some difficulty the unfortunate man was taken to 
 his home, and it would appear that on the following day. 
 when no doubt he, figuratively speaking, sat on the stool 
 of repentance, he resolved, in his extremity, to appeal to 
 his whilom friend Riskoff. With that intention he went 
 to Riskoff 's house, but found that he was out; and, a> it 
 was uncertain when he would return, Vassilo asked for pen 
 and paper, and wrote a letter, in which he confessed 
 that he had been living in a fools' 1 paradise. But he had 
 come to his senses, and intended to be more business- 
 like in future. He wound up with begging Riskoff to lend 
 him two thousand roubles, promising faithfully to repay
 
 96 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the loan in six months' time. The following day he re- 
 ceived this reply : 
 
 ' Dear Ivanoff, 
 
 ' I confess to feeling some surprise, after the coolness 
 there has been between us of late, that you should apply 
 to me in your monetary difficulties for assistance. It is 
 true I have the reputation of being a rich man, and it is 
 highlv probable that under different circumstances I would 
 have accommodated you with this loan. But I flatly refuse 
 to do so now. I do not consider you have treated me well. 
 I was your warm friend at one time, and would have done 
 anything for you ; but you thought proper to trifle with 
 that friendship, so there's an end of it. As you have made 
 vour bed, so you must lie upon it. I don't know that I am 
 an unkindly man — indeed, I am sure I am not ; but I feel 
 angrv now, and my heart hardens against you. I am truly 
 sorry for your beautiful wife, and consider that you have 
 done her a gross wrong in bringing her to this state of 
 poverty. It is no use your writing to me or calling here 
 again, as to-morrow morning I set off on my journey to 
 visit my estates, and shall not be back for a month. I 
 hope in the meantime you will pull through your diffi- 
 culties, and that the lesson which poverty teaches will not 
 be lost upon you. 
 
 ' Riskoff. 1 
 
 It is easy to understand the effect a letter of this kind 
 would have upon a sensitive and proud man. The refusal 
 of his friend to help him must have been a stinging and 
 bitter blow to Ivanoff. It appeared that for a long time 
 he sat in moody and gloomy silence. Then he showed the 
 letter to his wife, and it was a shock to her. Up to that 
 moment she had 7iot quite realized that things were as bad 
 as they were. Allowing her feelings to get the better of 
 her, she reproached her husband, and he made an angry 
 retort, with the inevitable result that other harsh things 
 were said on both sides, until the young wife, in a fit of 
 petulance and wounded pride, hastily put on her cloak and
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 97 
 
 bonnet and went off to her parents. Soon afterwards the 
 unhappy husband also went out, and was absent for some 
 hours. In the evening his wife returned, accompanied by 
 her brother. She had repented her hastiness, and her 
 people had told her that her place was at her husband's 
 side. In the meantime he also had come back. He seemed 
 in a much happier frame of mind, and Maria's brother 
 witnessed a very pleasant reunion. He spent the evening 
 with her. They had supper, and were happy. Before re- 
 tiring, Vassilo told his wife that he was in funds again, and 
 all would be well. He said the little cloud that had over- 
 shadowed them had passed, and that henceforth they would 
 live in clover. She asked him how he had managed to so 
 suddenly bring about the change, but he laughingly replied 
 that he couldn't explain just then, but would do so later on. 
 
 The next day Ivanofr' rose betimes. He attended to 
 some business matters, paid several of the most pressing 
 claims against him, and at mid-day he and his wife lunched 
 at a cafe, and in the evening they dined at their own house 
 in company with some friends who had been invited. In 
 the midst of the dinner the company were suddenly startled 
 by the violent ringing of the large bell which hung at the 
 gate. It was by no means an ordinary ringing, but sug- 
 gestive of impatience and anger. The servant whose duty 
 it was to attend to the door had not time to get down 
 before the bell was rung a second time still more violently. 
 The servant hurried to the door, and, flinging it' open, was 
 confronted by an important- looking official known as a 
 Judge of Instruction, accompanied by his two legal satel- 
 lites and two armed policemen. 
 
 ' Is your master in ?' demanded the Judge angrily. 
 
 ' Do you mean Mr. Vassilo Ivanoft* ?' 
 
 ' Of course I do. Why have you kept me so long at the 
 door T 
 
 ' I came immediately, sir,' answered the frightened 
 servant. 
 
 ' Very well. Now, is your master in ?" 
 
 ' Yes.' 
 
 ' Take me to him, then. 1 
 
 7
 
 98 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' He is dining with some friends.* 1 
 
 ' Blazes and thunder I 1 roared the official ; ' what do I 
 care whether he is dining with friends or whether he isn't ? 
 Conduct me to him. Men, follow me. 1 
 
 The now speechless servant led the way to the dining- 
 room, and close at her heels were the Judge and his men. 
 As the intruders thus unceremoniously entered, Vassilo 
 jumped to his feet, and his wife uttered a little cry of 
 alarm, while the visitors looked aghast, for the presence of* 
 the Judge and the police with drawn swords was ominous. 
 
 ' Sorry to disturb you, 1 growled the Judge gruffly. 
 
 ' What do you want here T asked Ivanoff sharply. 
 
 ' Fve come on business." 1 
 
 ' What business P 1 
 
 ' Very unpleasant business. I am empowered to search 
 your house. Here is my authority.'' He displayed a blue 
 document bearing the Government seal. 
 
 Yassilo's wife had recovered her presence of mind by this 
 time, and, going to her husband's side, she remarked : 
 
 ' Oh, I suppose this is some absurd denunciation on the 
 part of an enemy, for I am afraid that even I and my 
 husband have enemies. But, happily for us, we never 
 interfere in politics ; we are content to lead peaceful lives. 1 
 
 ' It is not a question of politics, 1 answered the Judge, 
 his gruff manner somewhat softening as he gazed upon the 
 beautiful young wife and felt sympathy for her. 
 
 ' Not politics I 1 she exclaimed, in new alarm, as she 
 glanced at her husband's face, which had become very pale. 
 
 ' No ; my visit has nothing to do with politics. 1 
 
 ' Why are you here, then P 1 demanded Mrs. Ivanoff 
 anxiously. 
 
 ' I am here on very serious business indeed. Your husband 
 is accused of— well, that is, he is suspected of murder. 1 
 
 ' Murder I 1 broke like an echo from the wife's lips, and 
 all present started to their feet in deadly alarm, as if a 
 bombshell had been exploded in the room. 
 
 ' I am accused of murder T gasped Ivanoff, looking 
 dazed, as if he had received a blow on the head that had 
 half stunned him.
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 99 
 
 4 Yes, murder,"' answered the Judge solemnly. 
 'The murder of whom? 1 asked the wife, a half- in- 
 credulous smile on her face. 
 
 < Mr. Riskofi': 
 
 ' Riskoff I 1 echoed the poor lady, as the smile gave place 
 to a look of terror, and she fixed her eyes on her husband 
 as if every hope she had on earth hung on the words he 
 would next utter. 
 
 ' Is he dead V Ivanoff gasped, the dazed expression 
 strengthening. 
 
 ' Yes, -1 said the Judge, ' and you are charged with having 
 murdered him.' 
 
 Ivanoff broke into a strange laugh as he exclaimed : 
 
 ' This is positively absurd. Why, I was with him 
 yesterday."' 
 
 * Yes, that fact is well known. You went to his house 
 to see him T 
 
 < I did. 1 
 
 ' No one was with him after you left him T 
 
 ' That I have no knowledge of," moaned Ivanoff, as he 
 passed his hand distressfully over his head from his fore- 
 head backward. 
 
 ' Soon after you had taken your departure from his 
 house he was found dead in his library. 1 
 
 Poor Mrs. Ivanoff was now almost in a state of collapse, 
 and would have fallen had not one of the ladies present 
 caught and supported her. 
 
 The Judge had become stern and hard again. His 
 assistants had out their note-books, and while one wrote 
 the questions and replies in shorthand, the other took 
 them down in longhand. 
 
 ' You possessed a revolver T asked the Judge. 
 
 ' I did, 1 muttered Ivanoff. 
 
 < Where is it T 
 
 ' I — I lent it to — to my friend Riskoff/ 
 
 1 You lent it to him !" exclaimed the Judge ironically. 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' Why did you lend it to him T 
 
 ' Because he asked for it. 1 
 
 7—2
 
 100 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 * Ah ! very likely, 1 remarked the Judge, still more 
 ironically. ' Why did he ask you for it T 
 
 ' He told me he was starting at once to visit his estates, 
 and as he was without a revolver mine would be useful to 
 him. 1 
 
 ' Why did you take your revolver to his house T 
 
 The Judge glanced at his assistants as he asked this 
 question, then fixed a searching glance on the suspected 
 man's ghastly white face. Mrs. Ivanoff also gazed at her 
 husband with staring eyes, and waited breathlessly for 
 his answer. She had been led to a chair, and her friends 
 were crowding round her ; but with outstretched arms 
 she kept them back, so that they might not obstruct her 
 view of her husband, who stood motionless as a statue, 
 save for the rapid rising and falling of his chest ; and he 
 was white as a statue, while his hands were clenched firmly 
 together. 
 
 ' Give me an answer, sir, 1 exclaimed the Judge angrily, 
 as the suspected man remained dumb. ' Why did you 
 take your revolver with you to your friend's house '? 
 
 Ivanoff was still silent. The assistants were busy writing. 
 The Judge became more peremptory. 
 
 ' Again I ask you : Why did you take your revolver to 
 Riskoff 's house T 
 
 Ivanoff glanced nervously round the room now, and his 
 eyes fell upon his wife. The pitiable sight she presented 
 broke him down, and, covering his face with his hands, 
 he burst into tears, and stammered forth, in a broken, 
 emotional voice, the following reply : 
 
 ' I went to my friend to ask him to lend me some money. 
 I took the revolver with me, determining to shoot myself if 
 he refused. 1 
 
 ' Or shoot him, 1 said the Judge, with a sneer. 
 
 * No, no — on my soul and before my God, no I 1 cried 
 Ivanoff, raising his hands to heaven. 
 
 ' Well, your friend was killed with a bullet fired from 
 this revolver. 1 He produced a revolver as he spoke. ' Do 
 you recognise it P 1 
 
 ' Yes. 1
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 101 
 
 ' Your name is engraved upon it. It was picked up on 
 the floor of his room, Riskoff had been shot in the back 
 of the head. The murderer, therefore, was behind him. 1 
 
 A shudder ran through all present as this announcement 
 was made. There was an exception, however. It was 
 Mrs. Ivanoff; she sat motionless, as if she had been 
 petrified. Her eyes were still fixed on her husband. 
 
 ' Have vou any monev ?' asked the Judge. 
 
 ' Yes, 1 answered the wretched man. 
 
 ' In notes ? 1 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 'Let me see them.' 
 
 Ivanoff put his hands into his pocket, and produced a 
 well-filled pocket-book. The Judge took it, opened it, and 
 disclosed a packet of new notes. He examined them care- 
 fully, and consulted certain memoranda he had made in his 
 note-book. 
 
 ' Ah, this is very damning evidence V he said at last. 
 ' Riskoff drew from his bankers yesterday a large sum 
 of money in notes. These notes are part of those he drew 
 from the bank.' 1 
 
 Mrs. Ivanoff started to her feet now, and uttered a low 
 moan of agony. Somebody wanted to support her, but 
 she pushed them back, and, steadying herself with a 
 tremendous effort, she said : 
 
 ' Yassilo, what does this mean P 1 
 
 ' Some hideous mistake, 1 he murmured. 
 
 ' I hope so. God grant it is so, 1 sobbed the unhappy 
 lady. ' But I remember RiskofTs answer to your applica- 
 tion for a loan. And now lliskoff is dead, your revolver 
 is found in his house, and you are in possession of notes 
 which he drew from his bank. Oh, my God, it's awful ! 
 It's too, too horrible ! I am going mad f 
 
 She uttered a suppressed scream, pressed her hands to 
 her head, reeled and staggered, and fell fainting into the 
 arms of some of her friends. 
 
 Apparently unmoved by this sad and pathetic scene, the 
 Judge preserved his sternness and stolidity. 
 
 ' So Riskoff wrote to you ?' he asked.
 
 102 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Yes," 1 answered Ivanoff in a mechanical way. 
 
 ' Where is the letter T 
 
 1 1 will give it to you. Come with me. 1 
 
 The Judge motioned to the armed men, and they placed 
 themselves one on either side of the suspect, while the 
 Judge himself brought up the rear. In this order they 
 proceeded to IvanofTs studio, where, opening a bureau with 
 a key he took from his pocket, he produced the letter he 
 had received from Risk oft", wherein he point-blank refused 
 to lend the money, and handed it to the Judge, who, 
 having perused it, remarked : 
 
 ' This is a fatal piece of evidence against you. You had 
 better make a clean breast of the whole affair."' 
 
 By this time Ivanoff' had somewhat recovered himself, 
 and said firmly : 
 
 ' I have nothing to confess. I am innocent before God/ 
 
 ' Most criminals declare themselves innocent at first, 1 
 answered the Judge coldly. ' However, I have no doubt 
 you will tell another tale before we have done with you. 
 I charge vou now with being the murderer of Mr. RiskofF, and 
 make you my prisoner. Secure him and bring him along. 1 
 
 The policemen seized the wretched man, and fastened 
 his wrists together with a pair of handcuffs. He begged 
 to be allowed to write two or three letters, but this request 
 was refused, and he was taken from the house, still protest- 
 ing his innocence, and without being; able to take a final 
 
 O © 
 
 leave of his wife, who remained unconscious. In accordance 
 with the mode of procedure peculiar to Russia, the sus- 
 pected man was conducted to the office of the criminal 
 prison, where he was subjected to another cross-examina- 
 tion, and the Judge of Instruction handed in his proces- 
 verbal, as the French call it. The Judge, having finished 
 his part of the affair so far, received an official receipt for 
 his prisoners body and left, while the prisoner himself, 
 having been stripped of his clothing, and a prison suit 
 allotted to him, was consigned to a secret cell, which 
 meant that he would be kept isolated from everyone until 
 the police had worked up sufficient evidence to secure his 
 conviction. But in the event of their failing to do that,
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 103 
 
 the prisoner himself would in all probability ultimately 
 confess in order to be relieved from the awful horror of 
 solitary confinement in a secret dungeon. 
 
 The case against Ivanoff seemed perfectly clear. The 
 public condemned him from the first, for the evidence was 
 so strong. There was the letter which Riskoff had written 
 declining to lend the money Ivanoff had applied to him 
 for. Yet within thirty-six hours of that letter being- 
 received, Riskoff was discovered dead in his own house. 
 He had that very morning drawn from his bank a large 
 sum of money. A portion of the money was found in 
 IvanofTs possession. Riskoff had been shot from behind. 
 A bullet had entered the back part of the head, traversing 
 the brain and producing instant death. The deed was 
 done with a revolver, which was left in the room, no doubt 
 by an oversight on the part of the slayer. The revolver 
 was the property of Ivanoff, as proved by a little silver 
 plate let into the butt, on which his name was engraved. 
 On his own confession, Ivanoff had visited Riskoff. He 
 knew that he was about to set out on a journey. He 
 knew also that he would draw money from the bank for 
 the purposes of his journey. Therefore, having been 
 refused the loan he had asked for, he went to the house 
 with the deliberate intention of killing; his erstwhile friend 
 and robbing him of his money. 
 
 Such was the construction put upon the case, and it 
 seemed as if no one but an idiot could doubt for a moment 
 that Ivanoff had committed the crime. And as a piece of 
 strengthening; evidence the words he had uttered in the 
 cafe were raked up against him. ' It's a burning shame,'' 
 he had said, ' that I should be poor when there are 
 thousands less worthy than I am rolling; in wealth. I feel 
 as if I could do murder on those who hoard their gold 
 when so many are suffering for the want of common 
 necessaries." 1 
 
 All these things taken into consideration left no room 
 to doubt that Ivanoff was a murderer. He had committed 
 a clumsy crime, and left such tracks behind him that in a 
 very short time the outraged law had him in its grip.
 
 104- MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 The tragedy aroused more than the usual amount of 
 interest, as both Ivanoff and Riskoff were well known, 
 while the prisoner's story was not without a certain 
 romance which added to the interest. His poetical ten- 
 dencies ; his essays in art ; his struggles ; his wooing of 
 the beautiful Maria in opposition to the sage counsels and 
 earnest advice of his school-fellow and friend, Riskoff ; his 
 marriage ; his monetary difficulties ; his appeal for help 
 to the man whose advice he had scouted — all these things 
 afforded the general public subject-matter for discussion ; 
 they were so many chapters in an exciting tale, the end of 
 which was murder. 
 
 As may be imagined, Mrs. IvanofTs friends were furious, 
 for, though poor, they were as proud as Lucifer, and felt 
 strongly embittered against the man who had brought 
 such disgrace into the family. Poor Maria came in for a 
 fair amount of blame. She was told very bluntly that she 
 had no business ever to have married such a man. These 
 reproaches made her dreadful position still harder to bear ; 
 but when the first shock of the disclosure and the arrest 
 had passed, she rose equal to the occasion, and startled 
 everyone she knew bv declaring her unalterable belief in 
 her husband's innocence. This seemed to most people like 
 flying in the very face of Providence. The accused man's 
 guilt was so obvious that it was an outrage on intelligence 
 to argue otherwise. But Maria I van off was a young and 
 newly-married woman. She had married for love. Her 
 husband had always treated her with the greatest tender- 
 ness and consideration. Over and over again he had told 
 her he worshipped the very ground she walked upon, and 
 had done everything in his power to prove that he did not 
 speak mere words. She believed in him ; she believed in 
 his assertion that he was innocent ; and though all the 
 world condemned him she would not. She was his wife, 
 his loving wife, and she would try to save him. The poor 
 woman saw clearly enough that she stood alone, and that 
 she could expect neither sympathy nor help from anyone. 
 Nevertheless, she was not daunted, nor was she deterred, 
 and her first step was to seek an interview with the
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 105 
 
 Minister of the Interior, or, as we should call him, the 
 Home Secretary. It was not easy to obtain this interview, 
 but thanks to the influence of a gentleman holding a high 
 official position, with whom she was acquainted, she suc- 
 ceeded at last, and found herself face to face with the 
 proud and pompous personage who was invested with such 
 tremendous power that he could snatch a person from his 
 doom even at the eleventh hour. To the Minister she 
 pleaded, literally on her knees, for an order to visit her 
 husband. At first the official was obdurate ; but her tears, 
 her eloquence, her distress, and perhaps, more than all, her 
 beauty, softened him ; and she left his bureau with a 
 Government order which "ranted her a twenty minutes'' 
 interview with the prisoner. She flew to the gloomy prison, 
 presented the order, and in a little while, in the presence 
 of numerous officials, husband and wife met again ; but it 
 was in a dismal corridor, and they were separated from 
 each other bv an iron grill. 
 
 mi © 
 
 Although only little more than a week had elapsed 
 since that cruel night when he was torn from her side, a 
 wonderful change had taken place in him. He looked 
 ten vears older. He was hag-o-ard and ghastlv, and no 
 wonder, for he had suddenly changed the sunshine and 
 brightness of the world for a pestiferous dungeon, far 
 below the ground, where every movement of the prisoner 
 was watched, where the walls were lined with felt to deaden 
 all sound ; where miasma rose up from the ground, and 
 ooze and slime dropped from the roof; where no human 
 voice was heard, for the stern warders were prohibited 
 from opening their lips to a prisoner; where the food was 
 horrible, and even the common decencies of life were not 
 observed. No wonder that in such a place men went 
 mad ; no wonder that even in a few weeks youth and 
 vigour were changed to tottering age. 
 
 Maria was startled and horrified. She would have 
 thrown her arms about her wretched husband's neck, but 
 cruel bars kept them asunder. Ivanoff iterated and reit- 
 erated again and again that he was innocent. He swore 
 it by all that a Russian holds most sacred, and he begged
 
 106 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 with streaming eyes that his wife would use every means 
 possible to prove his innocence and secure his release, 
 otherwise he would in a very short time be raving mad. 
 
 When Maria Ivanoff left that awful place and got into 
 the light again, she felt like one who had come up out of 
 a tomb, where she had looked upon death. She knew that 
 there was but little hope for her husband unless his inno- 
 cence was made clear as day. She thoroughly believed his 
 assertions ; and she made a mental resolve that she would 
 rest neither night nor day until she had exhausted every 
 possible means to release him. Her friends were angry 
 with her; everybody said it was an impossible task to 
 prove a guilty man innocent. Her distress of mind may 
 be imagined, not described ; she told her friends she herself 
 would go mad if somebody did not come to her assistance. 
 Then it was that her brother, with what he intended to be 
 the most pointed irony, said : 
 
 ' You are seeking to do that which is impossible. Now, 
 if there is a man in all Russia who can perform seemingly 
 impossible deeds, that man is Michael Danevitch, the 
 Government detective. Why don't you go to him ? He 
 might perform a miracle, who knows T 
 
 Maria Ivanoff jumped at the suggestion, though it was 
 never intended she should take it seriously. But she 
 sought out Danevitch. She laid all the facts of the case 
 before him. It was the first he had heard of the matter. 
 It was the first time he had ever set his eyes on Maria. 
 But her moving tale stirred him ; her beauty won him ; 
 her tears found their way to his heart. He consoled her 
 in a measure by a pledge that he would examine the case 
 from every possible point of view, and communicate with 
 her later on. Nearly a fortnight passed before she saw 
 him again. 
 
 ' There is one point, and a very curious point it is, 1 he 
 said, ' that makes the evidence against the accused weak, 
 and vet nobody seems to have noticed it. 1 
 
 ' VVhat is it P 1 cried Maria, breathless with new hope. 
 ' On the day that Riskoff was murdered, he drew from 
 the bank three thousand roubles. Your husband had one
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IYAXOFF 107 
 
 thousand of this sum, according to his own statement, and 
 the most critical investigation has failed to prove this 
 statement false ; not a rouble over and above the one 
 thousand has been traced to his possession. 1 
 
 ' Yes, yes ; go on, -1 moaned Maria, as she clasped her 
 hands together with the emotion the detective's words 
 begot. ' What has become of the other two thousand P 1 
 
 ' Ah, that is what I want to know. If your husband 
 murdered Riskoff for the sake of the money, why did he 
 only take one thousand roubles and leave two thousand ? 
 And if he left two thousand behind, what has become of 
 them ? 
 
 Maria was holding her breath with that intensity of 
 nervous emotion which one experiences when it seems as 
 if some revelation is about to be made which means life 
 or death to the listener. Danevitch remained thoughtful 
 and silent. His eyes were fixed on vacancy ; his lips were 
 closely compressed ; he looked absorbed and dreamy, as 
 was his wont when he was unusually thoughtful. At last 
 Maria could endure her pent-up feelings no longer, and in 
 a husky voice she asked : 
 
 ' What inference do you draw ':' 
 
 1 An inference which on the face of it seems to corro- 
 borate your husband's assertion of his innocence. Mark 
 vou, I onlv sav it seems to do so. I do not say it does. 1 
 
 Maria covered her face with her hands and wept 
 passionately, but her tears were rather the result of hope 
 than of despair. Her over-strained nerves were in that 
 state when they were as liable to give way under the effects 
 of joy as they were under the effects of sorrow. She fell 
 On her knees at Danevitch"s feet, and, clasping her hand> in 
 passionate appeal, implored him to save her husband. He 
 raised her up, and said softly : 
 ' I will do what I can." 
 
 It was really remarkable that it should have been left 
 for Danevitch to bring out that curious point about the 
 money. All the police officials had overlooked it. They 
 were cock-sure, for they believed that the case was so clear 
 against the prisoner that it would not admit of a doubt.
 
 108 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 For some days after the interview with Maria, Danevitch 
 concerned himself with endeavouring to prove if Ivanoff 
 had had more than the one thousand roubles, but the most 
 exhaustive inquiries, and the most rigorous search of his 
 house, failed to get a trace of a single rouble beyond the 
 one thousand which he had declared Riskoff had lent him, 
 a portion of which he had paid away to his creditors. 
 When it became known that Danevitch was engaged on 
 the case, and that he was trying to find out what had 
 become of the two thousand roubles out of the three 
 thousand drawn from the bank, not only was public 
 curiosity aroused, but to some extent opinion swung round, 
 and sympathy was expressed for the prisoner. The police, 
 however, were not moved, unless it was to become still 
 more prejudiced against Ivanoff. They knew the power of 
 Danevitch, and the influence he had in high quarters, and 
 they were determined not to lose their prey. They there- 
 fore resorted to all the forms and pressure allowed by the 
 Russian law to exact from the unhappy man a confession 
 of his guilt. Beyond the facts they had already got 
 together, they could obtain no other evidence. They knew 
 that it was just possible those facts might fail to secure a 
 conviction, whereas a confession wrung from the suspected 
 man, no matter under what torture it was obtained, would 
 be accepted without question. Such was the law in 
 Russia. 
 
 Weeks passed, and it leaked out that the prisoners 
 obstinacy had at last been overcome. All that remained, 
 therefore, to be done was to bring him up for trial, which 
 would be a mere perfunctory business, and fix the date for 
 his transportation. At last he appeared before the judges. 
 The interest the case had aroused caused the court to be 
 crowded to suffocation. When the prisoner appeared at 
 the bar, those who had known Ivanoff previous to his arrest 
 were shocked. They saw now an old white-haired man, with 
 a haggard, hunted expression of face, and a wild stare in the 
 restless eyes, as if he had suffered some tremendous mental 
 shock. He seemed stunned, and as if he did not recognise 
 anyone, and could not realize his position. Truly it is
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 109 
 
 said of him who is sent to a Russian dungeon : ' He shall 
 return no more to his house, neither shall his place know 
 him any more. 1 The prisoner had been chained, tortured, 
 and punished until he had become imbecile. But what of 
 that ? Was he not the slayer of a fellow-man — a scarlet- 
 handed murderer who for the sake of a comparatively small 
 sum of money had ruthlessly taken the life of his best 
 friend ? He himself had confessed to it, so that no one 
 could raise up a doubt. The counsel for the prosecution 
 seemed to have an easy task of it. He went over all the 
 evidence that was known. Ivanoff had applied to his 
 friend for a loan ; the loan was refused, and the letter of 
 refusal was read in court with a great flourish. Neverthe- 
 less, the prisoner went to his friend's house, taking a 
 revolver engraved with his own name with him. What 
 passed between them would never be known until the 
 secrets of all hearts were revealed ; but a little later 
 Riskoff was found dead. Some distance from him was 
 IvanofTs revolver. The dead man had been shot with a 
 bullet from that revolver. The bullet had gone through 
 his brain. By an inconceivable act of folly, the piisoner 
 left his revolver behind. It must have fallen from his 
 hand when he was rifling the victim's pockets for the 
 money, and he had forgotten to pick it up. Subsequently 
 the money was found in his possession. Was ever there 
 clearer circumstantial evidence in the world ? But to make 
 assurance doubly sure, there was the prisoner's confession, 
 taken down from his own lips in his cell, by the Judge of 
 Instruction ; there it was for the jury to inspect, duly 
 witnessed and attested and legalized by the great seal of 
 the Minister of the Interior. 
 
 The prosecuting counsel sat down with the air of one 
 who had performed a noble deed and scored a great 
 triumph. The prisoner was silent, motionless, his eyes 
 staring blankly into space, and his white face without any 
 expression. Amidst a hush that was painful, the counsel 
 for the defence — one of the ablest men in Russia — rose to 
 his feet, and, adjusting his gown with professional gravity, 
 said : * I claim one of two things : either an immediate
 
 110 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 acquittal of the prisoner on the grounds of lack of con- 
 demnatory evidence, or an adjournment of the trial for a 
 few days, when I shall be able to prove his innocence. As 
 everyone knows, lliskoff, the murdered man, drew three 
 thousand roubles from his bankers on the morning of his 
 death. One thousand roubles only was traced to the 
 prisoner. All the money was in small notes. I have here 
 one thousand five hundred of the missing two thousand. 
 There are witnesses present from the bank who Mill identify 
 every note. We hope to regain the other five hundred 
 shortly. These notes were not in possession of the 
 prisoner, but of another man, the man who committed the 
 murder, and who will yet be brought to justice. The 
 prisoner at the bar is innocent. 1 
 
 The effect of this announcement was startling and 
 dramatic in the highest degree. Everybody seemed affected 
 except the prisoner — he was unmoved ; he continued to 
 stare into space. There was a hasty consultation among 
 the jury, and a hurried whispering with the Judge, who 
 asked if it was true that Michael Danevitch had the case 
 in hand. He was answered in the affirmative, and in the 
 end he announced that no verdict would be given that day, 
 but the prisoner would be put back for a fortnight. 
 
 Mrs. I van off had not been present at her husband's 
 trial. She was prostrated with illness, the result of long 
 mental strain and intense anxiety ; but a day or two before 
 the case came on Danevitch called upon her and bade her 
 be of good cheer, for her husband was innocent. Although 
 she knew that Danevitch was not likely to make such a 
 definite statement as that without warrant, she exclaimed : 
 
 ' But it is rumoured that my husband has confessed the 
 crime.'' 
 
 ' I have heard the same rumour, 1 Danevitch answered ; 
 'but a confession that is wrung from a prisoner is not 
 always reliable. But come, now, take heart. I told you, 
 in the first instance, that I was much struck by the fact 
 that only one thousand roubles could be traced to your 
 husband. If he murdered his friend for his money, why 
 did he not take the lot ? It seemed absurd that, having
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 111 
 
 committed the crime, he contented himself with one-third 
 only of the amount he could have had. His story was 
 that he visited Riskoff, who repented of his hastiness, and 
 said he had written the letter of refusal when he was in a 
 had temper, and that had your husband not called, he was 
 going to write an apology to him and enclose him one 
 thousand roubles. As it was, he handed him the money, 
 for which your husband gave a receipt as an acknowledg- 
 ment that he was indebted to Riskoff to the extent of 
 a thousand roubles. Subsequently, on Riskoff saying he 
 was going- to a gunsmith's to buy a gun and a revolver to 
 
 ill 1111" 
 
 take with him on his journey, your husband pulled his 
 own revolver out and offered the loan of it to his friend. 
 The offer was accepted, and soon afterwards the two men 
 parted. On the first blush this story had the appearance 
 of being very far-fetched, and calculated to tax one's 
 credulity ; but when I came to examine it in connection 
 with ali the circumstances, it presented itself to me as a 
 statement of fact. Now I have no hesitation in saying 
 that in the main, if not in actual detail, it is true. 1 
 
 Mrs. Ivanoff heard this in silent thankfulness. She felt 
 that her prayers had been heard, for night and day the 
 poor woman had prayed that her husband might be proved 
 innocent. Like most Russian women, she had an intense 
 faith in the rites of her Church and the efficacy of prayer. 
 Needless to say that after Danevitch's statement her faith 
 was strengthened, for she knew he was not the man to ex- 
 press such a pronounced opinion without he had a very 
 good foundation for it. 
 
 As he himself had said, when he came to look into the 
 matter the case presented itself to him in a very different 
 aspect, and the prisoner's story appeared probable. If 
 that story was true, it necessarily followed that a third 
 person must have been aware of the monetary transaction 
 between the two men, and, taking advantage of the circum- 
 stances, had himself committed the crime for the sake of 
 the two thousand roubles. It was upon that theory that 
 Danevitch set to work. Riskoff led a bachelor life. His 
 household consisted of two female servants and a man
 
 112 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 servant. On the morning of the crime the man had gone 
 to the market. One of the females was an old woman 
 who had been in the service of the family for upwards of 
 fifty years, and had nursed Riskoff when he was a baby; 
 the other was a young girl of about eighteen. The old 
 woman at the time was in bed suffering from an ulcerated 
 foot, the result of a cut with a piece of glass on which she 
 had inadvertently stepped. Consequently the girl — Olga 
 was her name — was in charge of the house. She admitted 
 Ivanoff, and very soon afterwards her master and the visitor 
 went out, and were absent nearly an hour. Her master 
 told her that he was going to the bank to draw some 
 money for his journey on the morrow. The two men re- 
 turned together. In about half an hour afterwards she 
 opened the door for Ivanoff' to depart. The murder was 
 not discovered until the return of the man-servant. Then 
 ( )lga went to her master's room to inquire whether he in- 
 tended to dine alone that evening; or whether there would 
 be guests. On opening the door, she was horrified to find 
 her master lying dead on the floor. 
 
 Such was Olga's story, and it seemed probable enough, 
 but Danevitch was not satisfied. The missing two thousand 
 roubles set him pondering deeply, and he had a private 
 interview with the old housekeeper, and questioned her 
 about Olga. 
 
 ' Was Olga a steady girl '? 
 
 ' Yes. 1 
 
 ' Had she a lover T 
 
 The old woman thought not ; at any rate, no one who 
 came to the house. But did nobody visit her ? Well, 
 yes, a brother had been to see her the previous day. Her 
 brother was called Andrey. He was a soldier stationed at 
 Cronstadt, but was on furlough, and passed through St. 
 Petersburg on his way to visit his parents, who resided 
 at a place called Ladeinoe Pole, a little village lying 
 to the north of St. Petersburg and the east of Lake 
 Ladoga. 
 
 ' Was the brother at the house on the day of the 
 murder T
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IVANOFF 113 
 
 The housekeeper did not know. She thought not. But, 
 still, he might have been without her knowing it. 
 
 Pursuing his inquiries, Daneviteh found that this soldier 
 brother had left St. Petersburg on the night of the murder 
 for his home. Daneviteh followed him there, but found on 
 his arrival that, his furlough being up, he had returned to 
 Cronstadt. The parents were peasants, and, like most 
 Russian peasants, living a miserable sort of life ; but 
 Daneviteh learnt this fact, that quite recently they had 
 been to a neighbouring market-town and purchased a horse 
 and two cows, which made the neighbours quite envious ; 
 and, of course, such an event in so small a village was a 
 nine days" wonder, and was much commented upon. The 
 soldier son, who was so good to his parents, had no doubt 
 provided them with the money. Daneviteh, however, was 
 well aware that, however dutiful and affectionate the son 
 was, he could not save from his miserable pay a sum suf- 
 ficiently large for the purchase of two cows and a horse. 
 The pay of the Russian private is about one halfpenny a 
 day. It is therefore impossible for him to save money. 
 Having regard to these facts, the detective deemed some 
 explanation imperatively necessary. Put before he took 
 his departure from the little village, it came to his know- 
 ledge that Andreyviteh, the father of Audrey, the soldier, 
 was carrying on negotiations with a Jew — Weissmann bv 
 name — a nationalized German, for the purchase of a little 
 plot of land in the village. Weissmann had had a mortgage 
 on the land, had foreclosed, and was anxious to sell. At 
 last a bargain was struck, and Andreyviteh paid one 
 hundred roubles as earnest money. The hundred roubles 
 was paid in notes. They formed part of the amount 
 Ftiskoff' had drawn from the bank. Thereupon Daneviteh 
 confronted old Andreyviteh with two armed officers of the 
 law, and demanded to know where he got those notes from. 
 The simple and ignorant old peasant at once answered that 
 he had received them from his son. 
 
 ' Where did the son get them from r" 
 
 The father understood that his son had found a roll of 
 notes, and though he ought to have delivered them at the 
 
 8
 
 114 MICHAEL DANEMTCH 
 
 bureau of police, his .strong affection for his poor old 
 parents prompted him to commit a breach of the law by 
 retaining the money and giving it to his father. 
 
 ' Had the father any more notes P 1 
 
 Yes, he had a roll of them. He produced them from a 
 hole in the thatch of his house. They were carefully 
 wrapped up in a piece of sheepskin to keep them from the 
 damp. There were notes to the value of one thousand five 
 hundred roubles. The old people had already spent about 
 five hundred roubles in the purchase of the cows and the 
 horse, and in clearing off certain debts. To the astonish- 
 ment and terror of the old people, the notes were retained, 
 and steps were taken to recover those that had already been 
 paid away. 
 
 AYith the money in his possession, Danevitch returned 
 to St. Petersburg, and handed it over to the defending 
 counsel in time for him to make that dramatic cowp in 
 court. The next step was the arrest of Olga and Andrey. 
 They were arrested simultaneously, though one was in St. 
 Petersburg, the other in Cronstadt. The woman was 
 terrified at first, but when she was confronted with the 
 Judge of Instruction, she became sullen, and refused to 
 answer any questions. Not so Andrey ; he at once con- 
 fessed that he had stolen the money, but vowed that he did 
 not commit the murder. 
 
 * Who did commit the murder, then T 
 
 He believed that Ivanoffdid. All that he knew about 
 it was what his sweetheart had told him ; she said she had 
 found her master shot. He was lying on the floor with a 
 bullet-wound in the head, and on the table was a pile of 
 bank-notes. She asked him to go to the room and take 
 the notes, which he did. 
 
 Danevitch saw at once the discrepancies in this story. 
 It was not at all likely that Ivanoff would have gone off 
 leaving a large number of bank-notes on the table. So 
 Olga and Audrey were each consigned to a secret dungeon. 
 In the course of a week the discipline of the dungeon life 
 had worked its effects on Olga, and with blanched lips she 
 related the following story to the Judge of Instruction. 
 
 Her soldier lover had come to see her two davs before
 
 THE FATE OF VASSILO IYANOFF 115 
 
 the crime, and, unknown to her master, she had kept him 
 in the house during those two days. On the morning of 
 the crime, when her master and Ivanoff returned from the 
 bank, she had to go into the room to take in some refresh- 
 ments. She saw a great heap of notes on the table ; she 
 heard the conversation about the revolver, and saw Ivanofi' 
 hand his to her master. When the visitor had departed 
 and she had closed the door upon him, she thought how 
 easy it would be to murder the master, take his money, 
 and let it seem as if Ivanoff had done it. Her fellow- 
 servant was ill in bed ; the man-servant was out. Her lover 
 was at hand, and nobody knew that he was there. She 
 hurried to him. She told him all. He was entirely under 
 her influence. She went to her master s room again. The 
 notes were still on the table, so was the revolver. He was 
 busy making up his books, and did not seem to notice her. 
 As she removed a tray containing glasses and biscuits, she 
 secretly took away the revolver also. Then she flew to 
 Andrev, gave him the weapon, and they returned to the 
 room. She opened the door gently ; Riskoff was sitting 
 at the table, still writing. Audrey crept in on his hands 
 and knees and shot him. He took the notes and the 
 receipt given by Ivanoff to his friend for the thousand 
 roubles, and immediately left the house. In six months'' 
 time he would be drafted into the reserve ; then he and 
 Olga would be married, and go to live with his people. 
 Nobodv would suspect them of the crime. The case was 
 clear against Ivanoff; he would probably die, and there 
 would be an end of it, for dead men tell no tales. 
 
 All would no doubt have turned out just as the wretche 
 desired, had Danevitch not been brought upon the scene. 
 The horrible story as told by Olga was corroborated in 
 every detail, and the receipt given to lliskoff by Ivanoff 
 was recovered. Andrey expiated his crime in the mines. 
 Olga was sent to Northern Siberia for life. Ivanoff was 
 released, but he was a mental wreck, and his loving and 
 devoted wife had to place him in a lunatic asylum. 
 Danevitch had saved him from Siberia, but could not 
 save him from the living death to which a cruel fate had 
 doomed him. 
 
 8—2
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA. 
 
 Ferguson, Tauchnitz and Co. were the largest firm of 
 exporters in Riga. Their trade consisted of tallow, timber, 
 corn, flax, hemp, flax-seed, quills, furs, etc. They had 
 agents all over the great Russian Empire, including the 
 far eastern and far northern parts of Siberia. The 
 trade was principally with Great Britain, and it was said 
 the firm employed a fleet of upwards of a hundred steam 
 and sailing vessels, besides numerous small craft for the 
 navigation of the Russian rivers. 
 
 Donald Ferguson, the head of the firm, was a Scotch- 
 man, naturalized in Russia, where he had lived for nearly 
 forty years. He had married a Russian lady, by whom he 
 had several children. 
 
 Ferguson enjoyed the distinction of being reputed one 
 of the wealthiest merchants in Russia, and he was no less 
 conspicuous as a prominent citizen, who had done an 
 immense deal for his adopted country. For many years he 
 had taken a very active part in all philanthropic move- 
 ments. He had spent large sums of money in the improve- 
 ment of Riga and its harbour ; he had built and endowed 
 a national hospital ; had founded schools, and done much 
 for the improvement of the lower classes, whose cause he 
 espoused with great warmth and enthusiasm. He had 
 earned for himself, from one end of Russia to the other, a 
 name for fair dealing, probity, and honourable conduct. 
 In the mercantile world he and his firm were held in the 
 highest repute. 
 
 One night at the beginning of spring he was found
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 117 
 
 lying dead in his private office at his warehouse on the 
 quay at Riga. It was thought at first that he had died a 
 natural death, that he had had an apoplectic seizure ; but 
 when the body came to be examined, there was conclusive 
 evidence of his having been strangled. On each side of 
 the throat were unmistakable signs of thumb pressure, and 
 a post-mortem examination made it clear that strangula- 
 tion had caused death. Such a prominent and well-known 
 man could not have died in an ordinary way without his 
 fellow - citizens experiencing a shock ami being deeply 
 affected, but when the news spread that he had been 
 murdered it caused a profound sensation. Then there 
 was a universal expression of regret, followed by a cry of 
 indignation and horror, and a demand for vengeance, swift 
 and pitiless, on the slaver of this good man. Naturally 
 enough, the first thought was that he had been killed in 
 order that some of his property might be carried off, but 
 a little investigation soon put a very different complexion 
 on the affair, and proved that the crime was mysterious, 
 inexplicable, and remarkable. "When many hours had 
 passed, and no trace of the murderer could be got, Michael 
 Danevitch was communicated with. 
 
 The warehouse of Ferguson, Tauchnitz and Co. was an 
 immense block of buildings on the Grand Quay at Riga. 
 The counting-house was in the very centre of the block, 
 and faced the quay and the harbour. Adjoining, but at 
 the back of the counting-house, was Mr. Ferguson's 
 private room. This room was lighted by a large window- 
 overlooking a covered-in courtyard. On three sides of this 
 yard were platforms provided with cranes and communi- 
 cating with different floors, and it was here that carts and 
 waggons were loaded and unloaded. 
 
 Frequently when business was very brisk, work was 
 carried on all night at the warehouse ; but the murder was 
 committed in the early spring, when the export trade was 
 only beginning, and the usual hour for closing up was six 
 o'clock, and three o'clock on Saturdays. Mr. Ferguson met 
 his death on Saturday, March 3, about seven o'clock. He 
 was the last to leave the office, as he remained behind to
 
 118 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 close up some business he was engaged upon. It was then 
 four o'clock, or thereabouts. He proceeded to his home 
 on foot, being greeted on the way by many people who 
 knew him. 
 
 His private residence was in the suburbs of Riga. His 
 family at home consisted of his wife, two grown-up sons, 
 and two daughters. He had two other sons, one being 
 established in Hull as the English agent of the firm. 
 The other travelled all over Russia, and was absent at the 
 time of his fathers death. On arriving at his home, 
 Mr. Ferguson partook of some refreshment. He then 
 told his wife that he had suddenly remembered something 
 of importance he neglected to do at the office, and he 
 would go back. He did not say what this something was. 
 
 Mrs. Ferguson asked her husband how long he was 
 likely to be, and he answered that he would return in an 
 hour, or an hour and a half at the outside. When 
 he left his house it was a few minutes past five. At 
 this time his sons were out. They arrived a little after 
 seven, and as their father had not returned, they set off, 
 expecting to meet him. Failing to do that, they went on 
 to the warehouse. On arriving there they were surprised 
 to find the main entrance door slightly ajar. They pushed 
 it open and entered. The place was in pitch darkness, and 
 there was unbroken silence. They naturally thought there 
 was something wrong, otherwise the door would not have 
 been open, but did not feel any alarm. They groped their 
 way to their father's room. Darkness and silence there. 
 In 'moving about, Donald, the elder of the two, struck his 
 feet against something soft and yielding ; he started back 
 with a cry of horror. 
 
 ' What's the matter ?' asked James, the younger one. 
 
 ' I don t know,' answered Donald ; ' but I believe there 
 is a body lying on the floor.' 
 
 The young man procured a light as speedily as possible. 
 Then was revealed to them sure enough the sight of their 
 father lying on his back, with his left leg up, and his right 
 arm bent under his body. At first the sons thought he 
 had fainted, but the peculiar and ghastly appearance of 
 
 •
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 119 
 
 his face soon undeceived them, and when they touched him 
 they had painful evidence that their worst fears were well 
 founded. Terribly alarmed, they rushed out and sought 
 assistance, which was soon forthcoming. The police were 
 informed and a doctor was procured. The latter at once 
 said that Mr. Ferguson was dead, that he had been dead 
 about an hour. The time then was a little after eight 
 o'clock. 
 
 ' What has my father died of?' asked Donald. 
 
 ' I am not prepared to say right off,' said the doctor, 
 ' but I suggest apoplexy/ 
 
 Ferguson was a fine man. He was above medium 
 height, well proportioned, muscular, and looked much 
 vounger than his years. His age was sixtv-eight. He 
 had gray hair, and a long flowing beard turning gray. 
 
 It was now noted bv all present that the place was in 
 great disorder. Ledgers, cash-books, and other books 
 were lying in a confused jumble on the floor ; papers and 
 documents were scattered about in a very unbusiness-like 
 way on the desk. A large safe was open, and its contents 
 of papers and books had been hastily dragged out. These 
 signs were suggestive of robbery, and the doctor was in- 
 duced thereby to make a more thorough examination of 
 Mr. Ferguson's body. For this purpose the dead man was 
 carried into a packing-room and placed on a counter. 
 Then the medical man noticed the marks on the neck, and 
 having satisfied himself that he was correct, he said it was 
 a case of murder ; Ferguson had been strangled, and there 
 were indications of great force and strength having been 
 used. Several scratches were noticeable on the dead man's 
 hands, and abrasions on his head, from which a little 
 blood had flowed. These things had escaped the doctor's 
 notice in the uncertain light, but were revealed on closer 
 inspection. Thev were suggestive of a struggle, a fight for 
 life, and this was corroborated by the way things were 
 scattered about the room. 
 
 Other policemen were now brought in, and means were 
 taken to ascertain to what extent robbery had been com- 
 mitted ; but, strangely enough, on the desk was a cash-
 
 120 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 box. It was open, and contained a considerable sum of 
 money. In the safe, so conspicuous that it could not have 
 been overlooked by the eager eyes of a thief who had com- 
 mitted murder in order to rob, was a leather bag full of 
 money. Apparently the bag had not been touched ; the 
 mouth was still tied up with tape. On Mr. Ferguson's 
 person were many valuables, including money. It was 
 difficult to understand how all this money should have re- 
 mained untouched, if the deed of violence was the result of 
 greed for gain. Whv did the criminal, having committed 
 murder, not avail himself of the hoard that lay to his 
 hand ? The investigators were naturally puzzled in the 
 face of such an inexplicable state of matters. 
 
 In the meantime Ferguson's partners had been com- 
 municated with, and arrived on the scene as speedily as 
 possible. When they had made an examination, they 
 expressed an opinion that nothing had been taken away. 
 That the deceased had been murdered was evident ; that 
 no robbery had been committed was scarcely less evident. 
 Here was a problem at once. 
 
 Did the murderer enter the premises to rob, and, find- 
 ing the master there, slay him, and having done this 
 fearful deed, did he become so indifferent to his first 
 intent as to go off without the blood-monev, which was 
 there for the taking ? Having- realized the extent of his 
 
 s 
 
 crime, was he so appalled that in his eagerness to escape 
 from the awful scene he forgot the gold ? Such a thing 
 might be possible, but it didn't seem probable. At any 
 rate, it was hardly in accordance with the principles of 
 debased human nature. 
 
 Mr. Tauchnitz, the second partner, who was intimately 
 acquainted with the working of the business, and had been 
 with Ferguson most of that day, could suggest no reason 
 whv the deceased should have gone back to the warehouse. 
 He had never been known to do such a thing before. 
 
 As may be imagined, it was a dreadful night for the 
 friends and relatives of the deceased ; and the hour being 
 so late when the discovery was made, the police were placed 
 at a tremendous disadvantage. Riga is a large place. It
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 121 
 
 is a populous and busy seaport, doing an enormous trade 
 with other parts of Europe. An immense number of ships 
 of various nationalities were lying in the harbour. As in 
 all maritime places, there was a very rough element always 
 prominent in the town, and after dark many shameful and 
 brutal scenes took place. In addition to the sailors who 
 came and went, there was always a large garrison, for the 
 town is strongly fortified. So what with sailors and 
 soldiers, and the nondescript hangers-on who are always to 
 be found in their wake, law and order were not so well 
 observed as in some other towns ; and it will be under- 
 stood that in the low quarters of such a place a criminal 
 might find safe refuge from pursuing justice. In the 
 instance we are dealing with, all the police could do was to 
 notify the facts to their agents and spies as speedily as 
 possible ; but, necessarily, this was the work of hours ; and 
 through the long, dreary winter night — for, though nomin- 
 ally spring, the winter still lingered, though the ice had 
 broken up — not much could be done. This, of course, was 
 all in favour of the criminal. He had a big start, and 
 unless he was absolutely a fool he would avail himself of 
 his advantages. 
 
 The murder was supposed to have been committed about 
 seven. The discovery was made a little after eight, but it 
 was after nine — in fact, close- upon ten — before the police 
 really began to bestir themselves. During the time from 
 half-past six to ten, several trains had left the town, vessels 
 had left the harbour, and vehicles innumerable were driven 
 forth in all directions. It will thus be seen that the 
 murderer had many roads of escape open to him, and it 
 could not be doubted that, if he was really desirous of 
 saving his neck, he would avail himself of the chance he 
 had to get clear. 
 
 That the murder was brutal could not be gainsaid ; but 
 on the face of it the crime was not one of the ordinary 
 type. Danevitch's preliminary investigations led him to 
 the conclusion that the motive which had prompted the 
 deed Avas not robbery. That admitted — and there was 
 evidence of it — the case was invested with a certain mystery
 
 122 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 suggestive of many things. Tauchnitz and the other part- 
 ners were questioned by Danevitch as to why Mr. Ferguson 
 had remained behind at the office on that fatal Saturday 
 afternoon, when everybody else had gone. No satisfactorv 
 answer could be given to this question. Tauchnitz, who 
 had been with Ferguson all the morning, declared that 
 there was no reason whatever, as far as the business was 
 concerned, why the ill-fated man should have staved at the 
 office. 
 
 ' Was he in the habit of staving ?' 
 
 1 No; 
 
 ' Was he a methodical man P 1 
 
 ' Most methodical. " 
 
 ' Was he given to making; confidants P 1 
 
 ' No. He was very reticent/ 
 
 ' But he bore the reputation of being straightforward, 
 honest, upright, and just? 1 
 
 ' Unquestionably. He won the respect of all men. His 
 character, so far as one knew, was without blemish." 
 
 The members of the dead man's family spoke of him 
 with profound sorrow and regret. He had proved himself 
 a model husband, a kind, indulgent father, and though he 
 was not communicative, either to his family or anyone else, 
 no importance was attached to that. It was his nature to 
 be somewhat silent and reserved. 
 
 Furnished with these meagre particulars, Danevitch 
 began his work. From the first he formed the opinion 
 that there was a deep and underlying motive for the crime, 
 which, however, he did not consider was premeditated. 
 And his reason for so thinking was this : A man who 
 deliberatelv sets forth to slav another in cold blood generallv 
 provides himself with some lethal weapon. In this case 
 the slayer would hardly have trusted entirely to his hands, 
 unless he was a man of gigantic strength ; for though 
 Ferguson was well advanced in vears, he was not only 
 unusually vigorous, but unusually powerful. He was 
 known also to be determined, resolute, fearless. Such a 
 person was not likely to yield up his life easily. Conse- 
 quently, anyone who was acquainted with him would
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 123 
 
 surely have hesitated before engaging in a personal en- 
 counter. Of course it may be suggested that the murderer 
 was an utter stranger, and knew nothing of his victim. 
 Rut that was not the opinion of Danevitch, whose deduc- 
 tions wei-e as follows : 
 
 Firstly, the murder was unpremeditated. 
 
 Secondly, the murderer met his victim by appointment. 
 There were several reasons for thinking this. It was 
 Saturday afternoon, and Ferguson had never been known 
 to go back to the office after it was closed on Saturdav 
 afternoon before. His partners were emphatic in saying that 
 there was nothing in connection with the business which 
 required his personal attention at that time. No valuables 
 having been carried off, so far as could be ascertained, and 
 the confusion in which the papers were found, pointed to 
 the motive being a desire on the part of the murderer to 
 obtain possession of some document which certain circum- 
 stances and conditions, not definable at that stage, gave a 
 greater importance to than money. 
 
 Thirdly, the victim and the murderer having failed to 
 agree upon some point, and the former, perhaps, proving 
 stubborn and immovable, the latter, in a sudden frenzy of 
 passion, fell upon him, and got so much advantage in the 
 very initial stage of the struggle that he was enabled to 
 conquer with comparative ease, although the victim had 
 made an effort to free himself from the death-grip. 
 
 Fourthly, the crime having been thus accomplished, and 
 without forethought, the criminal, agitated and filled with 
 fear and alarm, frantically turned over papers and books, 
 and rummaged the contents of the safe, in his eager desire 
 to find what he wanted. Finally, without discovering 
 what he wanted to discover probably, he fled, and in his 
 hurry and confusion forgot to close the door after him. 
 
 The foregoing was the line of reasoning that Danevitch 
 pursued, but he kept it to himself. It was absolutely and 
 entirely opposed to public opinion, and to the theories set 
 forth by the police. 
 
 As is invariably the case at such times, some very wild 
 suggestions were made ; but there was a general tendency
 
 124 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 to believe that robbery was responsible for the crime, not- 
 withstanding that nothing appeared to be missing. But 
 public opinion did not influence Danevitch. He saw with 
 his own eyes and thought with his own brains, and he 
 came to the conclusion that he would probably find the 
 key to the puzzle if he knew more of Mr. Ferguson's 
 private life. There, of course, he was at once confronted 
 with great difficulty. Everyone spoke well of the victim. 
 His family believed him perfect. For Danevitch, there- 
 fore, to have breathed a word calculated to tarnish, even 
 by suggestion, the fair fame of this merchant prince and 
 good citizen would have been to incur odium and ill-will. 
 But he knew human nature too well to run any such risk 
 for the sake of a mere hypothesis. The problem, how- 
 ever, had to be solved if possible, and he proceeded upon 
 his own lines to search for a tangible clue. 
 
 In taking up a case of this kind, one must ever feel in 
 the initial stage that he is groping in the dark ; but the 
 trained mind at once begins to reason the matter out, and 
 the very first thing sought for is a feasible and probable 
 motive. Motive is the very keynote in all detective work, 
 and when the motive has been more or less accurately 
 guessed, the next stage is to try and determine who was 
 likely to have been actuated by that motive. These 
 remarks necessarily apply to complicated cases, where the 
 mystery surrounding them seems impenetrable. When a 
 man is found murdered in his house, and his valuables 
 have been carried off', the motive is apparent enough. 
 That is a crime of mere vulgar sordidness, and the motive 
 is writ large. All crime is, of course, more or less vulgar, 
 but sordidness is not always the actuating influence. 
 Whether sordidness was or was not at the bottom of this 
 Riga crime, it was difficult at that stage to sav ; but the 
 inquirer was confronted with the remarkable fact that 
 nothing seemed to have been stolen. 
 
 In spite of the many rumours of this, that, and the 
 other, and the various opinions expressed, all of which 
 were counter to his own views, Danevitch remained un- 
 influenced by them, and adhered to the opinion he had
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 125 
 
 formed, which, as I have endeavoured to show, was hased 
 on sound reasoning. The manv documents scattered about 
 the office where the murder took place, although carefully 
 examined by Danevitch, did not help the inquiry, as they 
 were all business papers, and obviouslv had been discarded 
 by the murderer as of no value to him. They had been 
 dragged rudely out of the large safe, and scattered broad- 
 cast on the ground. Now, that was either the act of a 
 madman, or of someone who was searching hurriedly for 
 something he knew or believed to exist, and which he ex- 
 pected to find in the safe. 
 
 Danevitch's next step was to examine the contents of a 
 large waste -paper basket that stood in the office. The 
 basket was full of paper, torn and otherwise. He records 
 that this proceeding of his was regarded as an absolutely 
 useless one ; but those who condemned it did not know 
 what he was looking for. I have already said that, in 
 weighing all the particulars he had gathered up so far, he 
 formed an opinion that Mr. Ferguson had returned to his 
 office to meet somebodv bv appointment. The reasons for 
 this opinion have been set forth. One of his strong points 
 was, having formed an opinion, which he never did until 
 after much reflection, and a very careful examination of all 
 details, so far as he could gather them up, he would not 
 swerve from that opinion until he had proved it wrong ; 
 and as soon as ever he was convinced that he was in error, 
 he was always ready to admit it. 
 
 It is strong testimony to the wonderful perseverance and 
 patience of the man that every scrap of paper in the basket 
 was careful lv examined. Amongst the great mass he found 
 some fragments which attracted his attention. One scrap 
 bore the following words : ' Door at five. 1 It was a coarse, 
 common enough paper, of Russian make, and the formation 
 of the letters indicated that the writer was an uneducated 
 person. With infinite trouble and pains he searched for 
 the corresponding morsels of paper. And if anvone wants 
 to know what a difficult task it was, let him fill a basket 
 with fragments and shreds of paper, shake them well up, 
 and then endeavour to pick out certain pieces and fit them
 
 126 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 together. No Chinese puzzle, complicated and ingenious 
 as most of them are, was ever harder to do. But human 
 ingenuity, coupled with exemplary patience, will accomplish 
 much, and Danevitch at last succeeded in getting all the 
 scraps together. Then he pasted them in their proper 
 order on a sheet of foolscap, and was thus enabled to read 
 the following : 
 
 'This is the last chance I shall give you. You must see 
 me. I will be opposite your warehouse door at five on 
 Saturday. We can then discuss the matter alone and un- 
 disturbed. You need not try to shuffle me off. If you 
 fail to do justice to those you have wronged, I will make 
 the whole affair public. So stay away at your peril/ 
 
 The importance of this discovery could not be overrated ; 
 and it not only gave Danevitch a clue, but proved him 
 right in his surmises. The letter was clearly a laboured 
 one. It was a man's handwriting, and the writer showed 
 that he was not a practised correspondent. There were 
 smudges and smears, and words wrongly spelt, although in 
 the translation given above it has been deemed advisable 
 to give the correct spelling, because in rendering it from 
 the original into English, if the inaccuracies were retained, 
 all sense would be lost to the reader. 
 
 It was very evident now to Danevitch that Ferguson had 
 had a secret — the secret of some dark transaction, which 
 placed him so far in the power of an uneducated person 
 that he had obeyed the command to go to the office, after 
 all was closed up for the day, in order to hold an interview 
 with the writer, who neither dated his missive nor signed 
 his name. 
 
 Of course Danevitch kept this discovery to himself; and 
 he set to work with all the caution and skill for which he 
 was famed to get some accurate and reliable information 
 of Ferguson's disposition and his peculiarities of tempera- 
 ment. Everyone spoke highly of him — indeed, there 
 seemed a general desire to belaud him, even beyond his 
 merits, perhaps. In common phraseologv, his word was
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 127 
 
 considered as good as his bond. His acts were above 
 suspicion ; he was eminently respectable ; he was charitable, 
 though there was a feeling that there was a tendency to 
 ostentation in his giving. In other words, he could hardly 
 be ranked amongst that class of men who will not let their 
 right hand know what their left hand gives. His marked 
 peculiarities were an obstinately strong will, and his refusal 
 to budge from a position he had once taken up. In this 
 Danevitch saw a probable cause of the crime, when it was 
 taken in consideration with the letter. The writer had 
 not premeditated the crime, but had been exasperated into 
 madness by Ferguson's obstinacy. This was the detective's 
 first deduction, and as he advanced step by step it seemed 
 to receive remarkable confirmation. Finally, as an estimate 
 of Ferguson's character, he was regarded as a faithful and 
 honourable husband, an affectionate father, a loyal friend. 
 Amongst his workpeople he was looked up to with respect, 
 if not with actual affection. He was, however, thought an 
 exacting master, requiring the full measure of labour he 
 bargained for ; but that rendered, he could be considerate 
 enough, and, in fact, did much for the physical and moral 
 welfare of those who served him. 
 
 Danevitch had now reached a stage in his investigation 
 when he could conoratulate himself on havin<>' obtained a 
 clue. It is true it was a slender one, but to such a man it 
 was of great value. He found himself handicapped, how- 
 ever, by the very obvious disadvantage he would be placed 
 in if he had ventured to suggest that there was a flaw in 
 Ferguson's character — that he had done something or other 
 which had placed him in the power of a person who was 
 far below him in the social scale. A Vhatever the error was 
 he had committed, it was clearlv serious enough to draw 
 him back to his warehouse after business hours, in order to 
 have a clandestine interview with that person. As showing 
 Danevitch's difficulty, it is worth while recording a con- 
 versation he had with Mr. Tauchnitz, who, as his name 
 implies, was a German — a very shrewd, long-headed fellow, 
 who held his partner in the highest estimation. Tauchnitz 
 had been associated with Ferguson in business for a great
 
 128 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 many years, and he claimed to know and understand him 
 better than anyone else outside his own family. 
 
 ' Uo you think, Mr. Tauchnitz, 1 Danevitch asked — ' do 
 you think that your late lamented partner had by some 
 rash act compromised himself to such an extent with an 
 inferior as to be completely in the power of that inferior P 1 
 
 Tauchnitz looked as though a thunderbolt had suddenly 
 fallen at his feet, and Danevitch had to repeat his question. 
 The answer was an emphatic, ' No. Certainly not. I 
 believe that Ferguson was absolutely incapable of anything 
 of the kind.' 1 
 
 ' You had the most perfect faith in him as a business man P 1 
 
 ' Indeed I had. 1 
 
 ' His business integrity was above suspicion P 1 
 
 ' Undoubtedly/ 
 
 " He concealed nothing from you you were entitled to 
 know P 1 
 
 ' I have no hesitation in saying he did not/ 
 
 ' Nevertheless, he was regarded as a reticent man/ 
 
 ' About his own affairs he certainly was reticent/ 
 
 ' Now, if I were to suggest he had been guilty of some 
 dishonourable action, what would you say P 1 
 
 4 1 should say you were doing the man a gross injustice, 1 
 replied Tauchnitz warmly. 
 
 ' Had you free access to all the books and papers relating 
 to the business P 1 
 
 ' Undoubtedly. 1 
 
 ' But is it possible that Mr. Ferguson had transactions 
 in his office of which vou knew nothing; P 1 
 
 ' I won't admit the possibility at all, 1 answered Tauchnitz, 
 waxing wroth. 
 
 ' You must remember, sir, 1 said Danevitch severely, ' I 
 have been instructed to try and unravel the mystery sur- 
 rounding your late partner's death ' 
 
 ' But I don't think you are going the right way to work, 1 
 interrupted Tauchnitz. 
 
 'That is a matter of opinion,' was the quiet rejoinder. 
 ' But be good enough to tell me if Mr. Ferguson kept any 
 private papers in his office ? 1
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 129 
 
 'Oh yes; I believe he did. 1 
 
 ' Ah ! That is a point gained." 
 
 ' He had a large tin box, -1 proceeded Tauchnitz, in ex- 
 planation, ' in his own room, in which he kept documents 
 which did not relate to the business/ 
 
 ' You don't know what was in that box, I suppose ? 
 
 ' I haven't the remotest idea/ 
 
 ' Could I have access to the box, do you think T 
 
 ' No ; I am sure you could not. I have sent it away to 
 his family. 1 
 
 The opinion expressed by Mr. Tauchnitz of his partner's 
 
 probity and honour was but a reflex of that which was 
 
 held throughout the town — indeed, it is not too much to 
 
 say throughout the greater part of Russia ; for Ferguson 
 
 belonged to that class of men who understand the art of 
 
 getting themselves talked about. He had been Wonder- 
 ed O 
 
 fully successful as a merchant, and his name was associated 
 with so many public acts, and he had shown so much public 
 spirit, so much enterprise, and had advocated so many 
 measures calculated to benefit the working classes, that he 
 had come to be regarded as a benefactor, a philanthropist. 
 
 It is interesting to dwell upon these points, because the 
 sequel will be in the nature of a surprise. Danevitch's next 
 step was to seek an interview with Donald, Mr. Ferguson's 
 eldest son, who was also a partner in the business — as, in 
 fact, all the sons were. Danevitch displayed great caution 
 in dealing with Donald. His experience with Tauchnitz 
 impressed him with the necessity of exercising all the 
 diplomacy he was capable of exercising. Donald was 
 much distressed by his father's sad end, and expressed a 
 desire that no stone should be left unturned to bring his 
 murderer to justice ; but he evidently inherited his father's 
 reticence, and displayed in a very marked manner the Scotch 
 characteristic of so-called caution. 
 
 ' Can vou make any suggestion as to the motive for the 
 murder ?' asked Danevitch. 
 
 1 It isn't for me to do that,' was the answer. 
 
 'We know that it wasn't robbery,' Danevitch said. 
 
 ' I'm not so sure about that.' 
 
 9
 
 ISO MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 4 But nothing is missing. 1 
 
 4 As far as we know at present, nothing is." 1 
 
 ' Then, do you think something may have been stolen 'f 
 
 4 I won't express an opinion one way or the other. 1 
 
 * Still, as far as one can judge, nothing was carried oft? 
 
 'So far as we can judge, that is so, 1 answered Donald ; 
 ' but the ways of thieves are incomprehensible. 1 
 
 ' Then, you think that the man who strangled your father 
 was also a common thief? 1 
 
 ' I cannot say he was, and I cannot say he wasn't. We 
 have the broad fact before us that my father was murdered. 
 It is for you to try and find out why he was murdered. 1 
 
 ' I understand, Mr. Donald, that your father kept a box 
 of private papers in his office. 1 
 
 4 He did. 1 
 
 ' Where is that box now T 
 
 ' We have it here. 1 
 
 4 Would you allow me to examine the papers P 1 
 
 ' Why P 1 asked Donald, evincing some surprise. 
 
 ' Because it is possible — I only say it is possible — that I 
 might find something amongst them that will help me in 
 my inquiry. 1 
 
 Something like an ironical smile flitted across Donald's 
 face as he said : 
 
 ' I don't think that is at all likely. 1 
 
 4 And yet, in the interest of all concerned, I should like 
 to put it to the test. May I do so P 1 
 
 ' You may, 1 answered Donald, after a pause, ' if my 
 mother and brother have no objections to your taking 
 that course. 1 
 
 The mother and brother being consulted, they gave 
 their consent, subject to the two sons being present at 
 the time of the examination. That being agreed to, the 
 box was brought forth and opened. It was not unlike 
 the tin boxes seen in lawyers 1 offices, but it was furnished 
 with a peculiar and unusually strong lock, and as the key 
 to fit it could not be found, the services of a blacksmith 
 were secured, and after a great deal of trouble he got the 
 lid open. The very first thing that Danevitch 1 s eye fell
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 131 
 
 upon was a packet, tied round with red tape, and marked 
 in the corner very Legibly, 'In the event of niv death burn 
 this packet unopened. 1 
 
 By an adroit movement he seized that packet unseen by 
 the others and slipped it into his pocket. He had a feel- 
 ing that it contained the solution of the mystery, and he 
 considered that, in the interests of justice, he was perfectly 
 entitled to appropriate it and examine it. 
 
 It was the law of Russia, at any rate, that any papers or 
 documents, however private, could be seized if justice was 
 to be aided thereby. If he was mistaken in his surmise, 
 then he would certainly carry out the dead man's request 
 and burn the packet, and any secrets it might reveal to 
 him would never be breathed to living soul, and the packet 
 once burnt, no one would be any wiser. The other papers 
 in the box were looked through, but there was nothing; 
 found that could be of any use — nothing of a compromising 
 character, and the sons seemed gratified and pleased. 
 
 An hour or two later, locked in his room at the hotel 
 where he was staying, Danevitch opened the packet, and 
 its contents revealed to him in a very short time an astound- 
 ing story, and put him on the track of the murderer. 
 
 He found, as he had all along suspected, that Donald 
 Ferguson, the upright merchant, the man of unimpeach- 
 able honour, the philanthropist, the public-spirited citizen, 
 the defender of the weak, the faithful husband, the good 
 father, had been very human, very weak. From the par- 
 ticulars furnished by the secret packet of papers, Danevitch 
 g-raduallv learnt the following- story. 
 
 A woman named Blok had come some years before 
 Ferguson's murder to reside in Riga. She had spent the 
 greater part of her life in a small town in the far interior 
 of Russia. Her husband had followed the occupation of 
 a boatman on the Volga, being assisted by his two sons, 
 Alex and Peter. He had two daughters, Catherine and 
 Anna. The Blok family were held in high estimation by 
 all who knew them. Although occupying but a com- 
 paratively humble position in the social scale, they were 
 eminently respectable, and were regarded as hard-working, 
 
 9—2
 
 132 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 honest people. Of course, they were very poor, and were 
 not able to make much, if any, provision for old age or 
 accident. One day Blok and his son Alex were drowned. 
 A steamer laden with convicts on their way to Siberia ran 
 their boat down during a dense fog. At certain seasons 
 of the year fogs are very prevalent on the Volga River. 
 The breadwinner of the family being thus suddenly taken 
 away, the Bloks found themselves without means of sup- 
 port. The youngest son, Peter, was then but eighteen, 
 and unable to earn more than would suffice for his own 
 wants. Under these circumstances, and acting on the 
 advice of a married sister, who resided in Riga with her 
 husband, who was a shipwright, Mrs. Blok removed to 
 Riga with her two daughters, hoping that in the busy 
 seaport they would all be able to find some emplovment. 
 
 Catherine, the younger of the two girls, was noted for 
 her good looks. They were both pretty girls, in fact, but 
 Catherine was exceptionally attractive. Moreover, she was 
 bright, intelligent, and in a certain way clever. They 
 had not been in Riga very long before they both obtained 
 work in the firm of Ferguson, Tauchnitz, and Co. It 
 appears that they very soon attracted the notice of Mr. 
 Ferguson, who displayed great interest in them and im- 
 proved their position very much. Six months later Anna 
 fell seriously ill through blood-poisoning, caused by pricking 
 her finger at the warehouse, and, in spite of the best 
 medical advice provided for her by Mr. Ferguson, she died. 
 
 It was well known that Mr. Ferguson showed the greatest 
 kindness to the family during their trouble, and all the 
 expenses of the funeral were defrayed by him. Peter Blok, 
 the only surviving son, came to Riga at this time to attend 
 his sister's funeral, and it seemed that Mr. Ferguson took 
 a fancy to him, and gave him employment in the ware- 
 house, where he remained for about three months. At 
 the end of that time he was sent on board a vessel belong-- 
 ing to the firm, and made several voyages, and finally he 
 was placed in command of a river-boat employed in the 
 Astrakhan trade. 
 
 About two years after Anna's death the Blok family, to
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 133 
 
 the surprise of everyone, suddenly left Riga. The reason 
 of their going, and the place where they were going to, 
 were alike kept secret. For a few weeks before they went, 
 Catherine remained at home on the plea of ill-health. 
 She did not seem ill, and nobody thought she was ill, 
 consequently the astonishment of her companions was 
 great, as may be imagined. It would appear that Catherine 
 Blok was a somewhat remarkable girl in this way. She 
 was exceptionally good-looking. She was far above the 
 average peasant in intelligence. Had the opportunity 
 been afforded, her intellectual powers would probably have 
 enabled her to take a superior position in life — that is to 
 say, superior to vast numbers of people occupying the 
 same plane as herself. What is meant by this will be 
 better understood if it is borne in mind that, as a rule, 
 the Russian peasantry are more ignorant and more stupid, 
 probably, than any other peasantry in the world. There 
 are two main causes for this. The primary one is climatic ; 
 the secondary the powerful influence of the Church. The 
 climatic conditions are a very long and terribly severe 
 winter, which for a period ranging from seven to eight 
 months prevents the peasant from labouring out of doors ; 
 in consequence of this he is reduced to much the same 
 condition as hibernating animals. His winter life, in 
 fact, is one of enforced indolence and inactivity. His 
 house is insanitary, comfortless, and more or less filthy. 
 His whole surroundings are calculated to debase and 
 brutalize him. He has no intellectual enjoyments because 
 he has no intellectual yearnings. He is content to live as 
 his father and grandfather before him lived. What was 
 jjood enough for them is good enou<>h for him, he savs. As 
 regards the influence of his Church, that makes itselt telt 
 from his earliest years. He is taught to believe that he 
 has no right to reason or question. Everything must be 
 accepted in blind, implicit faith. Such education as he 
 receives is of the most elementary character ; and having 
 inherited from his forefathers dulness of perception and a 
 lethargic temperament, he does not concern himself about 
 anything beyond gratifying his animal wants.
 
 134 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ( )f course, there are exceptions to all this. Among the 
 teeming millions of Russia this must obviously be the case. 
 The Blok family were a very notable example indeed, and 
 Catherine was the head of them. 
 
 It presents a most interesting study in psychology — 
 though it cannot be touched upon here except in a passing 
 way — that Ferguson, the rich merchant, the broad-minded 
 citizen, the respected husband and affectionate father, 
 should have been irresistibly attracted to Catherine Blok, 
 the very humble-born and ignorant peasant. Yet so it 
 was, and when Catherine left Riga, she was influenced 
 thereto by Ferguson, and her object in going was to 
 conceal, as far as could be concealed, the fact that the 
 merchant prince and the peasant girl had met on a 
 common ground ; and as is invariably the result under 
 such circumstances, and in such a case, the meeting was 
 fraught with terrible consequences to both of them. 
 
 When Mrs. Blok and Catherine left Riga, they retired 
 to Valdai, in the Valdai Hills, in the province of Novgorod, 
 to the south of St. Petersburg. Valdai was a very quiet, 
 out-of-the-way place. Here the mother and daughter 
 took up their quarters in a stone-built house, and enjoyed 
 comfort, convenience, and luxury, which must have been 
 very novel to them. They knew no one, and were utterly 
 unknown ; nor did they seek to be known or to know. 
 At regular intervals, about once a month, a man visited 
 them. He was in the habit of going to St. Petersburg. 
 There he posted to Valdai, a distance of nearly a hundred 
 miles. He could have gone quite close to the place by 
 train, but he preferred the round-about way for reasons of 
 his own. He invariably arrived at Valdai at night, and 
 when he left he always went away early in the morning. 
 
 This sort of tiling went on for something like three 
 years. Then the visits of the man ceased, but correspon- 
 dence passed between him and Catherine, who was the 
 mother of a son about two and a half years old. The 
 man had looked after her and her offspring, but not as 
 liberally as he might and ought to have done. At last 
 differences arose between them. These differences were
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 135 
 
 traceable to Mrs. Blok. She thought, probably not with- 
 out some justification, that her daughter had not been 
 treated well. In the end the man exacted from Catherine 
 a document, which was signed by herself and counter- 
 signed by her mother. In this document, which was very 
 artfully drawn up, and was not, it is needless to say, 
 Catherine's composition, the man was represented as 
 having been the victim of extortion and blackmailing, and 
 the girl stated that it was impossible for her to fix the 
 parentage of her son. It need hardly be said that the 
 man who was in the habit of visiting Catherine at Valdai, 
 and who took such extraordinary precautions to prevent his 
 visits being known to anyone else, was Donald Ferguson, 
 the merchant of Riga. 
 
 By means of the papers found in the packet which he 
 took from Ferguson's private box, aided and supplemented 
 by many and patient inquiries, Danevitch was enabled to 
 work out the foregoing pitiable little story. During the 
 time he was so engaged — it extended over several weeks — 
 there was an outcry against him. He was expected to do 
 so much ; and those who ought to have known better 
 thought he was doing so little. Of course the general 
 public did not know that he was engaged in the business 
 at all, and, with the pig-headedness and stupidity peculiar 
 to a mob, they railed against the authorities, saying it was 
 shameful that so popular, upright, and true a man as Mr. 
 Ferguson should be strangled to death in a place considered 
 to be so well policed and watched as Riga ; and yet all the 
 vigilance and all the cleverness of the police were powerless 
 alike to stay the crime and to bring the criminal to justice 
 when the crime had been committed. 
 
 'Our lives and property are not safe, 1 exclaimed the 
 rabble. ' The police are supine ; they are useless ; they 
 are in league with the knaves who prey upon honest 
 citizens. If this is not so, how is it they have not brought 
 Mr. Ferguson's murderer to book P 1 
 
 This was the tone adopted by a low Radical anti- 
 Government paper, which stvled itself the organ and the 
 mouthpiece of the people. Although as a rule it was
 
 136 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 opposed to the moneyed and privileged classes, it was 
 pleased in this instance— because it gave it a ra'ison d'etre 
 for hurling abuse at the heads of the authorities — to place 
 Mr. Ferguson upon a pinnacle of greatness, and to speak 
 of him almost as if he were a martyred saint. The rulers 
 in Russia are peculiarly sensitive to, and intolerant of, 
 criticism, and the authorities in Riga, stung by the lash- 
 ings of the local organ, lunged out, so to speak, and 
 grabbed the first person they could lay their hands on. 
 The Russian police have a habit of doing this when driven 
 to desperation. 
 
 In the Riga case the arrests were made so indiscrimin- 
 ately and fatuously that the unfortunate suspects, after 
 enduring much misery and indignity, were set at liberty 
 with a growl that was not unlike a curse, and the local 
 paper hurled more thunderbolts at the heads of the police, 
 and showed a disposition to canonize the murdered man at 
 the expense of the authorities. During all the time that 
 this agitation was going on, Danevitch was working slowly 
 but surely at his task of drawing aside the curtain and 
 revealing the mystery. But those in authority above him, 
 in spite of his record, considered that he was fumbling in 
 the dark, and looking for clues in impossible places. But 
 having learnt something about Mr. Ferguson's skeleton 
 from that packet of private papers, which was to be 
 destroyed unopened in the event of Mr. Ferguson's death, 
 he proceeded on his own lines. It would not be easy to 
 give a reason that would satisfy all minds why Mr. 
 Ferguson kept those incriminating documents ; but no 
 doubt he thought that as long as he lived the confession 
 — if it could be so called — which he had exacted from 
 Catherine Blok would effectually protect him against any 
 further claims she might be inclined to make against him ; 
 because he could confront her with that document, and say, 
 4 Look here, you acknowledge certain things. Here is your 
 confession in black and white signed with your name. 
 Therefore, if you don't leave me alone I will charge you 
 with blackmailing me.' 
 
 This, of course, was the weapon of a cunning and artful
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 137 
 
 man which he used to menace and subdue the ignorant, 
 the weak and wronged woman. He knew well enough in 
 his own mind that he dare not make that document public; 
 for though part of the girl's statement might be believed, 
 he would not come oft' scot-free, for would not people say, 
 ' If you had nothing to fear, why did you get that con- 
 fession from her? 1 
 
 The first step which Danevitch took after reading the 
 contents of the sealed packet was to learn something of 
 the Blok family ; and to that end, in the character of an 
 old vagrant man, he visited the mother and the daughter 
 in their retreat at Valdai. It took him some time to 
 gather the materials for the little family history already 
 narrated. Necessarily, before he could do that, he had to 
 worm himself into their confidence, and he would not have 
 succeeded in doing that had he not laid a pretended claim 
 to occult powers, which enabled him to read the past and 
 divine the future. With such people as the Bloks this 
 went a long way. They, in common with their class, had 
 a fixed belief in charms, fortune- telling and spells. 
 
 When Danevitch saw the infant son of Catherine, he 
 exclaimed : 
 
 ' Ah, that is a fine child ! but alas for his future f 
 
 ' How so ? What mean you P 1 asked the young mother 
 in alarm. 
 
 ' The child that knows not his father is ill-starred. 1 
 
 ' Knows not his father I 1 echoed Catherine, with flashing 
 eyes, and a voice tremulous with indignation. ' How dare 
 you say that P 1 she added menacingly, as she stamped her 
 foot. 
 
 ' Think you, 1 asked the pseudo-seer, ' that I can be 
 deceived ? I see with eyes different to yours. That child 
 knows not his father, and never will know him, for he is 
 dead. 1 
 
 Here Catherine burst into tears, and between her sobs 
 she exclaimed : 
 
 ' Ifs true, it's true, it's true V 
 
 ' Of course it is, 1 said Danevitch, with an air of triumph. 
 
 Catherine recovered herself, and in an irascible tone said :
 
 138 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' No doubt you are very clever ; but I doubt if you can 
 tell me how his father died/ 
 
 Danevitch closed his eyes for some moments, and drew 
 his hand down his face like one deeply immersed in thought. 
 Then, suddenly starting up, he answered solemnly : 
 ' He was done to death foully. He was strangled.'' 
 Catherine was terribly distressed, and, sinking into a 
 chair, she covered her face with her hands and wept 
 bitterly. 
 
 Mrs. Blok, who was present, was indignant, and said 
 angrily to Danevitch : 
 
 ' Get you out of the house. You distress my daughter. 
 She is an honest woman, and we do not want to hear any- 
 thing more from you." 
 
 ' Be not angry, good mother, 1 said Danevitch. ' Your 
 daughter questioned, and I answered. 1 Then, with sudden 
 and startling abruptness, he asked, ' Where is your son ?" 
 
 The mothers face grew pale, and, with evident distress 
 and emotion, she said : 
 ' He is dead. 1 
 
 ' Yes, one is ; he moulders at the bottom of the Volga ; 
 but the living one, the living one, where is he ?" 
 
 Mrs. Blok looked appalled, and drew back from this 
 strange old man from whom nothing seemed hidden, and 
 before she could answer, Catherine started up, passionate 
 and flushed, and cried excitedly : 
 
 ' Leave us, leave us ! in the name of the Great Father, 
 go ! My brother is far away ; hundreds of versts of sea 
 divide him from his native land, and mayhap he will come 
 back no more. 1 
 
 ' It were well for him if he stayed away, 1 remarked 
 Danevitch with solemnity. ' But why grow angry with 
 me, my child ? I have sorrow for you ; I have tears for 
 you. You have been ensnared, deluded, cheated ; and he 
 who ensnared you and cheated you stood high in the 
 estimation of men. The penalty of his folly was his life. 
 He has paid it. For your weakness blood lies at your door, 
 and nothing can ever wash it away. 1 
 
 At these words Catherine uttered a smothered cry, and 
 
 &
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 139 
 
 fell into her mother's arms, and Mrs. Blok, excited and 
 enraged, screamed at him : 
 
 ' Out of the house, I tell yon, out of the house ! You 
 lay murder to our charge, and you He. Go away ! I 
 command you in God's name to go. 1 She crossed her- 
 self as she spoke, and with her finger drew an imaginary 
 cross between herself and the prophet of evil, murmur- 
 ing as she did so : ' We are defenceless women ; God 
 shield us !' 
 
 The painful and dramatic scene affected Danevitch, and 
 he silently withdrew ; but he felt that he had got con- 
 firmation of his surmises, for as soon as he learnt the story 
 of the family, he came to the conclusion in his own mind 
 that the man who had deprived Ferguson of his life was 
 Catherine's unhappy brother. The young fellow, proud- 
 spirited and honest, flamed up at his sister's wrong, and, 
 taking the matter in his own hands, had penned that letter 
 to Ferguson demanding an interview. It was obvious 
 there had been other letters written, because the writer 
 said, 'This is the last chance I shall give you.' Who 
 could have written that letter — which Danevitch so 
 patiently pieced together from the shreds picked out of 
 the waste-paper basket — if it had not been the broken- 
 hearted brother ? He knew Ferguson, he had been 
 employed in the warehouse ; and the great wrong his sister 
 had suffered made him desperate — made him forget the 
 social division which separated him from his sister's wronger. 
 He went to him, not with robbery in his heart— he was 
 too proud for that — not with murder in his heart, but to 
 demand that the false statement which had been wrung 
 from poor Catherine should be given up to him, and that 
 Ferguson should recognise the claims the girl and the child 
 had upon him. 
 
 It was easy to work out the sequel. Peter went to the 
 office ; he wanted the paper his sister had signed. He 
 probably grew angry, and threatened his employer. The 
 employer was obstinate, stubborn, perhaps insulting, until, 
 stung into frenzy, the unhappy youth flew at him, and, 
 blinded by his passion, Peter had crushed the life out of
 
 HO MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the man before he knew it. Youthful strength and fury 
 made Peter Blok a murderer, although he may have had 
 no wish to slay his victim. Finding, to his dismay, that 
 death had silenced for ever the lips of his sisters betrayer, 
 he made a frantic effort to discover the paper which he 
 knew was in Ferguson's possession. But his search proving 
 fruitless, he fled with remorse, no doubt, gnawing at his 
 heart. 
 
 Danevitch says that never throughout his career did he 
 start to hunt down a man with greater reluctance than he 
 did in the case of Peter Blok. With the exception of 
 Danevitch himself, no one suspected Peter, and as it had 
 taken him some weeks to learn what he had learnt, the 
 young fellow had got a start which would probably save 
 him from the law's vengeance. 
 
 Danevitch, proceeding with great caution and tact, found 
 out that Peter had been second in command of a river-boat 
 engaged in bringing furs down from Astrakhan. The boat 
 was one of the river fleet belonging to Ferguson, Tauchnitz, 
 and Co. Three weeks before the crime in Riga, Peter 
 obtained leave of absence in order to visit his mother, who 
 was sick. As it was a long journey to where his mother 
 was living, his lengthened absence did not arouse any 
 suspicion. After the commission of the crime, there was 
 every reason to believe he quitted Riga at once, and 
 Danevitch satisfied himself that Peter had not gone to 
 Valdai again. As he had already spent several days there 
 with his mother and sister, had he returned he must have 
 been noticed, for it was a small place, and a stranger was 
 spotted immediately. 
 
 From what Danevitch had gathered during his interview, 
 in the character of a gipsv, with Catherine and her mother, 
 he inferred that Catherine, at any rate, if not Mrs. Blok, 
 knew that Peter was going to see Ferguson. And from 
 what Catherine said during the interview — ' My brother is 
 far away ; hundreds of versts of sea divide him from his 
 native land, and maybe he will come back no more ' — the 
 deduction was Peter had gone to sea. Being a sailor, he 
 would probably experience no difficulty in obtaining a
 
 THE MERCHANT OF RIGA 141 
 
 ship. And it was equally feasible to suppose that before 
 going he wrote to his sister, telling her he was going far 
 beyond the seas. 
 
 The most diligent and careful inquiries in Riga failed to 
 elicit any sign that Peter had sailed from that port, and 
 it was likely enough that he had made his way to some 
 other port on the Baltic Sea, or else to Cronstadt. Any- 
 way, he could not be found ; and as Danevitch could not 
 entertain a doubt that Peter had killed Ferguson, he felt 
 bound, as a matter of duty, to circulate a description of 
 him. This description, however, was not made public, but 
 placed in the hands of the police and their thousand and 
 one spies. A whole year passed, however, and no trace of 
 Peter was obtained. The crime had died out of the public 
 memory, though not out of that of the police. They have 
 long memories, and thus it came to pass that one day 
 it was announced that the supposed murderer of Donald 
 Ferguson, the merchant of Riga, had been arrested in 
 St. Petersburg. Although he had grown a beard and 
 whiskers, he was soon identified as Peter Blok, and a ship's 
 discharge upon him showed that he had come from New 
 York to Cronstadt in an American ship. 
 
 Up to this point Danevitch had kept his knowledge of 
 Ferguson's wrong-doing to himself, but now that Peter 
 Blok was under lock and key he was bound to make the 
 matter public. To the people of Riga it was like a bomb- 
 shell suddenly dropped in their midst. Everywhere where 
 Ferguson's name was known, it was a shock. At first 
 doubts were thrown upon it ; then there were open and 
 loud expressions of disbelief; but the damning documents 
 were produced, and could not be gainsaid. Then many 
 sympathizers with Peter came forward when the reaction 
 set in, and he was provided with funds for his defence ; 
 and, of course, at the trial the whole miserable story was 
 pitilessly unfolded, until everyone knew it. It was a bitter, 
 terrible blow to the Ferguson family. It redounds to 
 their credit, however, that they unostentatiously made the 
 most ample provision for Catherine and her mother, and 
 the boy was provided for in such a way that it was not
 
 142 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 likely he would ever want, and it was stated that he was 
 to be well educated and well brought up. 
 
 The trial of young Blok clearly proved that nearly all 
 Danevitch's surmises and deductions were correct. The lad 
 had heard through his mother of his sisters wrong, and 
 from his sister herself he learnt how Ferguson, in order to 
 save himself, had wrung from the unhappy girl that false 
 confession, which, when she signed, she knew very little 
 about. It was not until later that she realized how she 
 had belied herself. Naturally that incensed her, and her 
 brother — smarting with shame and broken pride — placed 
 himself in communication with Ferguson, who at first tried 
 to ignore him, until at last, threatened with exposure, he 
 granted that interview which proved fatal to him. 
 
 When the story was all told, a revulsion of feeling in 
 the prisoner's favour took place, and he received the mild 
 sentence of seven years 1 banishment in Siberia.
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY. 
 
 Count Obolexsk had resided in London for a good many 
 vears. He occupied a magnificent house in the neighbour- 
 hood of Hyde Park, where he lived in almost regal style. 
 He kept a retinue of servants. The furnishings and ap- 
 pointments of his princelv abode were said to be unique ; 
 and he dispensed hospitality with a lavish hand. He was 
 known to be wealthy, to be a member of a very old and 
 influential Russian family, and at one time to have held a 
 high political position in his own country. Here the 
 general knowledge of his affairs ended ; but there were 
 vague and ill-defined impressions in the public mind that 
 he had been expelled or had fled from Russia owing to 
 some of those political causes which in Russia count for so 
 much, but which in most other countries, or at any rate 
 in England, would be treated with contempt. But what- 
 ever the reasons were which had induced the Count to take 
 up his residence in London, those who enjoyed his ac- 
 quaintance and hospitality did not allow themselves to be 
 troubled by them. In his own country he might have 
 been regarded as little short of Satanic in his iniquity for 
 aught that the throngs of people who attended his re- 
 ceptions, his at-homes and parties, knew or cared. The 
 majority of mankind, in its concrete selfishness and gluttony, 
 thinks little and cares less about the personal qualities of 
 those who minister to its sensuous gratifications ; what 
 most concerns it is the quality and nature of the giver's 
 gifts. Let these be liberal and lavish, and nothing more 
 is asked. In Count Obolensk's case it was universally
 
 144 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 admitted that he excelled as a host, that his benevolence 
 knew no bounds, and he dispensed charity with a cosmo- 
 politan open -handedness which was worthy of all praise. 
 Personally he was a handsome man, with the tact and re- 
 finement of a courtier, and the delicacy and deference of a 
 true-bred gentleman. He was a widower, with two grown- 
 up daughters — Catherine and Nathalia — both handsome 
 young women ; while at the head of his household, as 
 oeneral manageress, was an English lady, known as Mrs. 
 Sherard Wilson, who, it was generally understood, had 
 lived in Russia for a good many vears. She was a fine- 
 looking woman, of commanding presence and strong 
 personality. She invariably presided at the Count's social 
 functions, and acted as chaperon to his daughters. Of 
 her history no one knew anything, and nobody seemed con- 
 cerned about it. She was a power in the Count's house- 
 hold ; and while she proved herself to be a woman of 
 exceeding great tact, and one who had made the art of 
 finesse a study, there was a tacit understanding that anyone 
 who offended her ever so slightly could never hope to enjoy 
 again the hospitality of the house over which she presided. 
 Her general characteristics could be summed up thus : she 
 was clever beyond the ordinary, well educated, a good 
 linguist, a tasteful and excellent hostess; she was well in- 
 formed, had more than a passing taste for politics, and 
 appeared to have been acquainted with many of the lead- 
 ing statesmen of her time. Of them she would talk freely ; 
 about herself she was silent, and he would have been a 
 bold man indeed who would have made the attempt to 
 ' draw her out ' ; he would most certainly have come to 
 grief. She was frequently absent from London ; sometimes 
 for a few days, at others for weeks. But where she went 
 to, why she went, and what she did, were mysteries, and 
 the eye of vulgar curiosity was unable to penetrate them. 
 One thing was noted as peculiar : the Count's daughters 
 never accompanied her. 
 
 One night at the end of January, a night that, according 
 to Russian reckoning, was New Year's Eve, and usually 
 celebrated with great ceremony in Russia, there was a re-
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 145 
 
 ception at the Count's house. It was one of the few 
 
 occasions when every nationality save Russian was excluded. 
 It had been one of those trying and maddening davs. 
 peculiar to the English climate in January. A leaden skv, 
 a choking, foggy atmosphere, a general gloominess, and a 
 sense of that awful depression which seems to justify all the 
 hard things said about our climate by foreigners. 
 
 However, the weather notwithstanding, there was a large 
 gathering at the Count's house. Russians had come from 
 France, from Germany, from Switzerland, in order to be 
 present, and they made up a brilliant assembly. According 
 to Russian custom, there was a religious ceremony first of all. 
 Then followed a sumptuous repast, which included almost 
 every known Russian dish. After that the Count and his 
 guests retired to a large, heavily-curtained room, which, 
 compared with other apartments in the house, was plainly 
 furnished. It was lighted by three long windows on the 
 east side, but each of these windows was screened by 
 massive velvet curtains, which completely shut out the fog 
 and the gloom, while a very handsome twelve-light gaselier, 
 with tinted, rose-coloured shades, diffused a soft and agree- 
 able light throughout the apartment. The floor was 
 covered with an unusually thick carpet laid on very stout 
 felt. Not only was this most comfortable to the feet, but 
 it deadened sound, and the footfalls of the heaviest person 
 walking across the room could not be heard. At one end 
 of the room was a deep angle or recess, and placed diago- 
 nally in this recess was a large carved oak bureau or 
 writing-desk. The entrance to the chamber was by a 
 panelled doorway, closed by an ordinary door, masked by 
 a second door lined with thick red felt or baize. This ex- 
 cluded draught as well as sound. And assuming that 
 anyone had been prompted by curiosity or other cause to 
 play eavesdropper, he would have needed an abnormally 
 acute sense of hearing to have gathered any of the con- 
 versation carried on in the room. At the opposite end of 
 the apartment — which was oblong — was another door, 
 giving access to a small anteroom, the walls of which were 
 lined with shelves filled with books. 
 
 10
 
 146 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 On the evening in question, when the Count and his 
 guests retired to the large chamber described, they made it 
 evident that they wished to be free from any possibility of 
 interruption, for the baize-covered door was locked inside, 
 and so was its companion door. The curtains at the 
 windows were so closely drawn that human eye could not 
 by any possible means have discerned from the outside 
 what was going on in the inside. 
 
 In this room the Count and his visitors remained for 
 over two hours. They talked much, but not loudly nor 
 excitedly. Nearly everyone smoked, until the atmosphere 
 became heavy and thick, in spite of a large ventilator in 
 the ceiling. But nobody seemed to mind the heat or the 
 fetidness. Every man appeared to be very earnest and 
 absorbed with what was going on, and when he rolled a 
 new cigarette, he generally did it in a preoccupied and 
 automatic sort of way. Occasionally the host, who sat at 
 the large desk in the recess, made notes, and read them out 
 to the company. Sometimes what had been written was 
 approved of; at others dissent was expressed, and discussion 
 ensued. Then the writing would either be altered or 
 allowed to remain as first written, according to the wishes 
 of the majority. 
 
 It was two o'clock in the morning when the meeting 
 broke up. Then the Count carefully locked his desk, and 
 placed the keys in his pocket. He unlocked the doors, 
 and led his guests to the spacious dining-room, where light 
 refreshments were provided. A quarter of an hour or 
 twenty minutes later a man very cautiously rose up in the 
 recess in the room where the meeting had been held, and 
 where he had been concealed behind the bureau or writing- 
 desk, and, stretching his cramped limbs, he got out, crept 
 towards the door, listened intently, and, having assured him- 
 self that the coast was clear, hurried out. At three o'clock 
 such of the guests as were not staying in the house began 
 to take their departure, a few in broughams, the majority 
 in cabs, which had been waiting through the bitter night. 
 
 As most people know, the Russian New Year time is 
 kept uj) with great festivity ; and, hospitable though he
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 147 
 
 was at all times, the Count, if possible, excelled himself on 
 
 this occasion, and those who were privileged to be present 
 
 went away with a feeling that they might have travelled 
 
 the wide world over without meeting with such princely 
 
 entertainment so delicately and gracefully dispensed. Host, 
 
 hostess, and the host's daughters were always voted perfect, 
 
 and very lavish praise was uttered when Mrs. Sherard Wilson 
 
 was referred to, the English people particularly, who had 
 
 the entree to the Count's rooms during- the festive gather- 
 . ....... ~ © 
 
 mgs, expressing their admiration in no measured terms. 
 
 At last the series of New Year receptions and enter- 
 tainments came to an end, and there was a lull, which was 
 taken advantage of by the Misses Obolensk to make their 
 arrangements for a forthcoming ball, which they intended 
 to give on a grand scale. The organizing of this ball was 
 left entirely to the young ladies, as Mrs. Sherard Wilson 
 was on the eve of departure on a journey to the Continent. 
 The Count never concerned himself about his domestic or 
 social arrangements ; he left everything to the ladies. He 
 was a great reader, and he wrote a good deal. Such exer- 
 cise as he took he got either in his carriage or on horseback. 
 He did not visit much, but was passionately fond of music, 
 and went to all the principal concerts, and occasionally 
 attended the theatres. His was a routine life ; he was 
 very regular in his habits, and one day was much like 
 another with him. His position in every way seemed an 
 enviable one, and apparently he lived in amity with all 
 men. All those who knew him respected and honoured 
 him. 
 
 About a fortnight after the gathering of Russians at his 
 house to celebrate the New Year's Eve, Miss Nathalia 
 Obolensk was descending the main stairway in a white 
 satin evening dress, with a magnificent red camellia in her 
 hair, for she was going to a grand concert with her father, 
 and the carriage was waiting; at the door. Coming' after 
 her was a liveried man-servant bearing a large tray full of 
 tea-things, including a kettle of hot water, a silver teapot 
 with the remains of the tea in it, a large jug of cream, and 
 other things, that he had just brought from the drawing- 
 
 10—2
 
 148 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 room. He was a stolid, stupid-looking man, and suddenly 
 he justified his looks by stumbling and scattering the 
 contents of the tray over the young lady, tea, hot water, 
 jelly, being poured over her splendid dress, to its ruin. She 
 uttered a shrill cry of alarm, which quickly brought her 
 father, Mrs. Wilson, and some of the other servants into 
 the hall, and a very dramatic scene ensued. The shock to 
 her nerves, and the realization that the mishap had not 
 onlv spoilt her pretty frock, but would prevent her going 
 to the concert, had such an effect upon Nathalia that she 
 flew down the few remaining stairs, flung her arms about 
 her father's neck, and fainted. 
 
 In the meantime the author of the mischief presented a 
 very sorry spectacle. He seemed thoroughly ashamed of 
 himself, and undecided whether to bolt at once or gather up 
 the wreckage. Nor was his confusion and distress lessened 
 bv the torrent of abuse and passionate scolding which fell 
 from Mrs. Sherard Wilson's lips. In the choicest of 
 Russian she told him he was a ' dolt," an ' idiot, -1 a ' fool,' 
 a ' brute beast." 1 
 
 ' Leave the things, you stupid !' she exclaimed fierily. 
 ' Ever since you entered the house, you have done nothing 
 but make mistakes and smash things up. But it's the last 
 chance you'll have of doing mischief here. In ten minutes 
 vou'll be out. Uo you mark what I say ? Ten minutes 
 only, and if you are not out of the house, then the other 
 servants shall kick you out. 1 
 
 ' If you please, my lady, -1 whined the man, ' I am entitled 
 to a month's notice or a month's wages.' 
 
 ' You will get neither, you blockhead !' replied the lady. 
 v Why, your month's wages won't pay for the things you've 
 broken. And what business had you coming down the 
 main staircase. It was your place to use the servants' 
 staircase.' 
 
 ' I'm very sorry,' moaned Audrey, k and beg your 
 pardon ' 
 
 ' Sorry, you wretch ! well you may be !' exclaimed the 
 irate lady, unappeased by the culprit's penitence ; ' but get 
 out of my sight, and in ten minutes you must have left
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 14<) 
 
 the house. Paul 1 — this to the head - butler — 'Paul, I 
 charge you to see the fellow is oft' the premises in ten 
 minutes. 1 
 
 With this peremptory command, she hastened to the 
 reception-room, whither the Count had had his daughter 
 conveyed. He was much annoyed, but did not allow his 
 annoyance to find expression, as Mrs. Wilson did. 
 
 Xathalia had by this time recovered from her faint, and 
 was bewailing her woe-begone condition, and the blighted 
 prospects of an evening's enjoyment. Her father was 
 urging her to go upstairs and change her dress, saying 
 that they could still be in time for the concert, but she 
 said it was impossible; she was too much upset, and had 
 neither energy nor inclination to perform her toilet over 
 again, notwithstanding that she had two maids to wait 
 upon her. Finding that she was inflexible on this point, 
 her father expressed a hope that she would soon regain her 
 composure, and that he would see her at supper-time, and 
 leaving her to the care of Mrs. Wilson, he retired to his 
 study. In a little more than ten minutes the butler came 
 to Mrs. Wilson and announced that Audrey had gone. 
 
 ' Thank goodness I 1 exclaimed the lady. ' I am sure I 
 never had such a stupid person in my service before. 
 Whatever were you doing to engage such a dolt P 1 
 
 ' He came to me very well recommended, madame. 1 
 
 ' Then, those who recommended him ouo-ht to be ashamed 
 of themselves ; that's all that I 1 ve got to say. It's reallv 
 shameful that people who call themselves honest should 
 recommend incompetent servants in order to get them off 
 their hands. 1 
 
 ' I am afraid it's frequently done, madame, 1 the butler 
 remarked. 
 
 ' That is no excuse. 1 
 
 ' I do not offer it as an excuse, madame. I agree with 
 you that it is shameful. 1 
 
 ' But surely when you engaged Andrey you might have 
 seen that he was a fool. 1 
 
 ' No, madame, I did not, 1 answered the butler with some 
 show of wounded dignity. ' He seemed sharp enough at
 
 150 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 first. His stupidity set in afterwards. I fancy he is a little 
 given to drink, though I've never missed anything, and have 
 never seen him really the worse for liquor.'' 
 
 ' How long is it since he came here ?' demanded the lady 
 warmly. 
 
 'Just six weeks, I think/ 
 
 ' That's six weeks too long. Take good care that the 
 next man you engage knows his business. -1 The butler 
 bowed and was retiring, when Mrs. Wilson called him 
 back. ' Stay a minute. You are aware that I am leaving 
 London to-morrow, and may be absent three or four 
 weeks. You had better not engage anyone else until I 
 return.' 1 
 
 ' But, madame, we shall be short-handed, and ' 
 
 ' I don't care whether you are short-handed or not. 
 You will do as I tell you."' 
 
 Paul knew that it would be fatal to his interests to 
 attempt to argue with his mistress when she was in a bad 
 temper, so he made his bow and discreetly withdrew. 
 
 ' Now, Nathalia,' said Mrs. Wilson, when the man had 
 left them, ' away you go upstairs, change your dress and 
 take vour father to the concert. You know how dis- 
 appointed he will be if he doesn't go, and as I am leaving 
 to-morrow, I don't wish to see him miserable and unhappy. 
 You know what a sensitive man he is, and though he doesn't 
 say much, he feels the more.' 
 
 This appeal had its effect. Nathalia's ruffled feelings had 
 smoothed down. 
 
 'Very well, I will go,' she said; 'but it's an awful 
 nuisance having to change my things in a hurry. -1 
 
 She rang for her maids, and while Mrs. Wilson gave 
 orders that the carriage was to be kept at the door, 
 Nathalia hurried to her room, reappearing in about twenty 
 minutes, looking, as far as personal appearance was con- 
 cerned, as if nothing had happened, though there was still 
 an expression of worry and concern on her handsome face. 
 Mrs. Wilson had alreadv warned the Count not to settle 
 himself to his reading, as he would still be able to go to 
 the concert. He was delighted at this, for he did not like
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 151 
 
 to have his plans changed, and he was waiting in the hall 
 
 when his daughter came downstairs. 
 
 ' Well, my dear, 1 he said to her in complimentary strains, 
 
 ' you look charming in spite of the little contretemps. It's 
 
 an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and I suppose the 
 
 spoilt dress means a fresh order to your dressmaker, and 
 
 a further lightening of my purse. 1 
 
 He laughed pleasantly, and, following his daughter into 
 
 the carriage, they drove off, and after all were in time to 
 
 hear the best part of the concert. 
 
 When Mrs. Wilson and Nathalia appeared at the 
 
 breakfast-table the next morning, they had both recovered 
 
 from the previous evening's little annoyance. Mrs. Wilson 
 was somewhat hasty-tempered, but she very soon got over 
 
 her small outbursts, and her usual condition was a very 
 pleasant geniality. During the breakfast, Audrey's gross 
 stupidity was discussed and laughed at; and when the 
 Count, with his usual generosity, said he thought that the 
 fellow's wages should be sent to him, for, in spite of his 
 stupidity, it was after all an accident, the lady acquiesced, 
 and a little later she put up the amount in a packet, and 
 instructed Paul to see that Andrey got it. Then she 
 busied herself during the rest of the day in seeing that 
 everything was in ' apple»pie order 1 previous to her de- 
 parture, for whenever she was away the management of 
 the household devolved almost entirely upon the servants. 
 It was true there was an excellent housekeeper, and 
 Catherine was exceedingly domesticated ; besides this, she 
 took an interest in the house. Nevertheless Mrs. Wilson 
 was always under the impression that her absence meant 
 disruption, and that it was impossible for things to flow 
 smoothly while she was away. It was a pleasant little bit 
 of conceit and did no harm, for while it gratified her it 
 amused the others. 
 
 Dinner was unusually early that evening, for Mrs. Wilson 
 had to catch the night* mail to Dover. Her luggage — she 
 never travelled without a considerable quantity — had pre- 
 viously been conveyed to the station, and, dinner over, she 
 arrayed herself in a costly and handsome Russian fur cloak,
 
 - 
 
 15°. MICHAEL DANEY1TCH 
 
 and, in company with her maid, was driven in her brougham 
 to Holborn Viaduct, and a first-class compartment was 
 specially reserved for herself and her companion. 
 
 The weather was still atrocious. It was bitterly cold. 
 There had been a drizzling rain all day long. The mud 
 in the streets was of inky colour, and of glutinous con- 
 sistency. People flitted by in the foggy atmosphere like 
 ghosts, and not all the lights of London could relieve the 
 gloom and depressing atmospheric effects. There were 
 very few passengers that night ; but amongst them was a 
 man of medium height, attired in a long ulster and a seal- 
 skin cap, the flaps of which were turned down until his 
 face was all but hidden. He had taken a second-class 
 ticket, and he and a young German, a commercial traveller, 
 were the only occupants of the compartment. When 
 Dover was reached, the rain was pouring down, the sea 
 roared, and Channelward all was dark as Erebus. The 
 man in the ulster, whose only luggage consisted of a hand- 
 bag, hurried on board the small steamer, which was grinding 
 away at the pier as the water tossed her up and down. 
 Ensconcing himself in the shadow of the funnel, he watched 
 the passengers as they descended the unsteady gangway ; 
 and having seen Mrs. Wilson and her maid come on board 
 and retire to the cabin reserved for them, he dived down 
 into the saloon and ordered supper, for he was hungry. 
 
 The crossing was an exceedingly rough one. The 
 wretched cockleshell of a steamer which the railway com- 
 pany considered good enough to carry their passengers 
 from one shore to the other was tossed about in a manner 
 well calculated to alarm any but hardened travellers. The 
 man in the ulster, however, was not affected. Having 
 enjoyed a good supper, and washed it down with a pint of 
 champagne, he produced from his case a very big and very 
 strong-looking cigar, and lighting it, he battened his seal- 
 skin cap down on his head and went on deck, where he 
 remained until the steamer glided into Calais Harbour 
 from the storm -tossed waters of the Channel. He re- 
 mained until Mrs. Wilson and her maid had gone on 
 shore. Then he followed, carrying his hand-bag. He
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 153 
 
 went into the douane, had his bag examined, saw a porter 
 deposit the lady's wraps and rugs in the first-class com- 
 partment of the carriage labelled 'Through carriage to 
 Geneva,' and, that done, placed his own bag in an adjoin- 
 ing compartment, and as his second-class ticket had only 
 been from Eondon to Calais, he secured a first-class for 
 Geneva, and was one of the very few passengers who 
 travelled that dark and stormy night to the French 
 capital of Switzerland on the shores of Lake Leman. 
 
 At the period of this story Alexander II. sat upon the 
 throne of All the Russias. It is a matter of history now 
 that he was one of the best-threatened monarchs who ever 
 ruled over a so-called civilized people. His life had been 
 attempted so many times that he lived in constant fear and 
 dread, and the most extraordinary measures were taken for 
 his preservation. He changed his bedroom every night ; 
 his palace was filled with soldiers ; his food was cooked by 
 special cooks, who were solemnly sworn in in accordance 
 with the rites of their Church to protect him ; neverthe- 
 less, their chef had to appear in the royal presence at every 
 meal and taste all the dishes before they were served to his 
 august master. But even then dozens of eyes watched 
 the man's even* movement, lest he might adroitly slip 
 poison into the food. It was a terrible penalty for an 
 Emperor to have to pay for his greatness, but, unhappily, 
 it was a condition of things that had been familiar, more 
 or less, to Russian rulers for a long time. Michael Dane- 
 vitch was held high in the esteem of the Czar, who re- 
 garded him as one of his strongest safeguards. The famous 
 detective's restoration to the Treasury of the stolen million 
 roubles was a thing of the past, and was almost forgotten ; 
 but that exploit had made his reputation, and gave him an 
 absolutely independent position as well as power. Since 
 then he had displayed remarkable zeal and acumen. He 
 had unearthed numerous dastardly plots, and had sent 
 to the fortress of Peter and Paul, the prison of Schlusell- 
 burg, and to Siberia, many desperate men, who believed 
 that the way to freedom and reform was by the destruction 
 of human life and the shedding of innocent blood.
 
 154 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 It was well known throughout Russia at this time that 
 a secret Nihilist organization existed of vast proportions, 
 and that one of the main objects of the association was to 
 bring about the death of the Czar. It is difficult to under- 
 stand how men and women, claiming to be intelligent and 
 reasoning beings, could come to believe that by slaying 
 their monarch they would redress their own wrongs, real 
 or imaginary. Everyone was aware that the moment the 
 breath was out of the body of one Czar, another would 
 step into his place. The cry of ' Le Roi est mort I 1 would 
 be echoed back by ' Vive le Roi P 
 
 There could be no interregnum for a single hour, unless 
 a tremendous social upheaval took place and a republic was 
 proclaimed. But while that is the easiest thing imaginable 
 in France, it never has been possible in Russia ; firstly, on 
 account of the enormous extent of the countrv; secondlv, 
 by reason of the varied nationalities represented ; and 
 thirdly, owing to the want of anything like homogeneous- 
 ness among the vast masses of people swaved by the 
 Imperial rule. Nevertheless, to kill the Czar was the con- 
 stant aim of thousands and tens of thousands of his 
 subjects. It thus became necessary for his Imperial 
 Majesty to take the most extreme measures for the pre- 
 servation of his life. It was like a game of check and 
 counter- check. The Nihilists watched with a thousand 
 eyes ; they plotted and planned with busy brains. But 
 they in turn were watched ; and the forces of the law were 
 constantly at work against them. The Nihilists, however, 
 had the best of it. They played the cleverer game. For 
 in the army, the navy, in the law, the civil service, in all 
 classes and ranks of society, even in the Church itself, they 
 had their spies and agents, and those who were on the side 
 of the Czar found all their energies, all their vigilance, 
 taxed to avoid the mines which the others were ever ready 
 to spring. Amongst the Czar's most devoted adherents 
 and trusted followers was Colonel Vlassovski, who was in 
 command of the military guard which night and day did 
 duty at the Winter Palace, where the Emperor was then 
 residing.
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 155 
 
 The Winter Palace of St. Petersburg is the largest 
 residential palace in the world, with the exception of 
 Versailles and the Vatican. Its length is four hundred and 
 fifty-five feet, and its breadth three hundred and fifty. So 
 spacious is its interior that as many as six thousand persons 
 can be easily accommodated there at one time. It will be 
 readily understood that to effectually guard a place of these 
 stupendous dimensions from a crafty, cunning, and silent 
 enemy, who gave no sign of his presence until he had 
 struck his blow, was not an easy task ; and the tremendous 
 responsibility and ceaseless strain on the nerves which were 
 inseparable from Colonel Vlassovskfs position, transformed 
 him in a few months from a comparatively young man to 
 an old and haggard one. One day in the month of 
 December the Colonel sent an urgent message by special 
 courier to Danevitch, in whom he had the utmost con- 
 fidence. The message was to the effect that he wished to 
 see Danevitch immediately. The detective hurried at once 
 to the palace, and was immediately ushered into the 
 Colonel's private cabinet, where there were numerous 
 telegraphic machines that placed the chief in communica- 
 tion with all parts of the city, and nearly every part of 
 Russia. The Colonel temporarily dismissed his clerks and 
 attendants when Danevitch arrived, and bolted the door so 
 that they might be alone and free from interruption. 
 
 ' I have sent for you, 1 he began, ' to make an investiga- 
 Hon. Last night one of the guard in the interior of the 
 palace, a young soldier named Vladimir, who was on duty 
 near the Czar's apartments, was surprised by the corporal 
 in the act of making drawings and plans of that part of 
 the palace. He was immediately arrested, but made the 
 most desperate efforts to destroy his papers. He was pre- 
 vented, however, from doing this, and an examination 
 proved them to be drawings to scale of certain portions 
 of the interior of the palace. Vladimir, before he joined 
 the army, was in an architect's office. On being questioned 
 he grew sullen, and resolutely declined to say anything/ 
 
 ' And what inference do you draw from the man's act, 
 Colonel F
 
 156 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' What inference ! Why, can there be any doubt that 
 he is a Nihilist spy P 1 
 
 ' Where is he now P 1 
 
 ' In the fortress of Peter and Paul.' 
 
 ' What will be his punishment T 
 
 ' As a soldier on duty he has been guilty of treason — for 
 it has been declared treason for any unauthorized person 
 to make drawings or tracings of any part of a royal 
 residence — he will therefore be summarily tried, and, if 
 proved guilty, will be instantly shot/ 
 
 ' And you think he will be proved guilty T 
 
 ' There is not a doubt about it. He was discovered 
 making drawings of the palace without orders. When 
 questioned, he declined to give any explanation, and his 
 endeavours to destroy the plans showed that his motives 
 were not innocent ones. Of course we shall try, before he 
 is executed, to get information from him."' 
 
 ' Which you will fail to do. 1 
 
 ' Why ?' 
 
 1 Because these Nihilists' 1 agents will not betray their 
 comrades." 1 
 
 ' But he will be tortured into a confession. - ' 
 
 ' You may torture him, but he will not confess. The 
 Nihilists are pitiless. A traitor to their cause not only 
 destroys himself, but all those belonging to him, for the 
 vengeance falls also on his family and connections, however 
 innocent they may be. Vladimir knows that, and you may 
 depend upon it that, punish him as you will, you will never 
 wring from him a word of confession. 1 
 
 ' What's to be done, then T asked the Colonel, in 
 distress. 
 
 ' Let the fellow go free. Reinstate him. 1 
 
 The Colonel stared in blank amazement ; then he broke 
 into a mocking laugh, as he asked caustically : 
 
 ' Have you taken leave of your senses, Danevitch, or 
 become a fool '{' 
 
 ' Neither. 1 
 
 'Explain, then. What do you mean T 
 
 ' A dead man cannot speak ; a live one can. Put
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 157 
 
 Vladimir back into his place again, and leave the rest to 
 me. He is a key, as it were. With him you may open 
 many doors. Kill him, and the doors will remain closed 
 against you/ 
 
 A new light broke on the Colonel. He looked thoughtful, 
 and for some moments remained silent ; then he remarked : 
 
 ' But there are a thousand difficulties now in the way of 
 setting him free.'' 
 
 ' Under ordinary circumstances, yes. But in this case a 
 stroke of the Czar's pen can do it. You are in the 
 Emperor's confidence. Explain to him what is required, 
 and in two hours" time Vladimir can be back in the palace 
 again. Then he will betray himself by some act, some 
 sign ; on the other hand, all the resources of Peter and 
 Paul will fail to wring from him a word that will be of use 
 to us/ 
 
 The Colonel saw the force of the argument, and said 
 that he would lose no time in procuring an interview with 
 the Czar. That was done ; result, in the course of the 
 dav Vladimir was reinstated. He had been told that on 
 investigation the authorities were not disposed to take a 
 serious view of his offence. He was a young soldier, and 
 of value to the State, and another chance would be given 
 to him. So he was severely reprimanded, and brought 
 back to the palace, much to his own amazement. He had 
 considered himself doomed, and his restoration to liberty 
 puzzled him ; but he was too obtuse to divine the real 
 cause, and he did not dream how every movement of his 
 was being watched. Some days later he justified Dane- 
 vitch's prediction. Being off duty, he went into the city, 
 and, making his way to one of the quays on the Neva, now 
 frozen over, he met a young woman, and was seen to hand 
 her a paper. They did not confer together long, and when 
 they separated, the young woman was followed to her home 
 bv Danevitch. Had he been a mere subordinate of the 
 chief of police, he would have been compelled to have re- 
 ported this incident, with the result that a domiciliary 
 visit would have been paid to the house, and as a natural 
 corollary of that action, assuming that, as was suspected,
 
 158 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 she was in conspiracy with others, her co-conspirators would 
 be warned, and justice might be defeated. Danevitch was 
 aware of all this, and, like a well-trained sleuth-hound, he 
 did not attempt to strike his quarry until he was absolutely 
 sure of it. He knew that at the most Vladimir could be 
 but a humble instrument ; behind him and influencing him 
 were more powerful foes to the State. These were the 
 people he wanted to lay his hands upon. It was no use 
 easting his net for the little fish only ; it was the big ones 
 he fished for. After witnessing the meeting between 
 Vladimir and the young woman, Danevitch had another 
 interview with Colonel Vlassovski, during which he in- 
 formed him that Vladimir was dangerous, and should be 
 closely watched, though care was to be taken not to allow 
 him to suspect that he was being watched. A few days 
 later Danevitch again went to the Colonel, and said : 
 
 ' I believe I am in the way of bringing to light a great 
 conspiracy, and I am going to leave Russia for a time. 1 
 
 fe But how in the world can you bring the conspiracy to 
 light if you are out of Russia P 1 asked the Colonel in alarm. 
 ' Your presence is required here if there is danger. 1 
 
 ' No. I can do better elsewhere. There is danger, but 
 it does not threaten immediately. The head of the move- 
 ment is not in Russia. If the head is destroyed, the tail 
 is sure to perish. I am going to seek the head. The tail, 
 which is here, can be trampled on afterwards." 1 
 
 ' Where is the head, do you think T 
 
 4 I don't exactly know. In Berlin, perhaps ; in Geneva, 
 Paris, London/ 
 
 ' Ah, Geneva and London P exclaimed the Colonel 
 angrily. ' Those two places are responsible for much. 
 They offer refuge to the vilest of wretches so long as they 
 claim to be merely political offenders. Like charity, that 
 term covers a multitude of sins, and under its protecting 
 influence some of the most desperate and bloodthirsty 
 scoundrels who ever walked the earth have found 
 sanctuary."' 
 
 ' True, 1 answered Danevitch ; ' but we cannot help that. 
 There are ways and means, however, of dragging rascals of
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 159 
 
 that kind from their sanctuary. I am going to see what 
 can be done/ 
 
 ' You will keep in touch with me, 1 the Colonel remarked. 
 
 * Certainly I will. In the meantime, draw a closer cordon 
 round the palace, and let no one sleep. You must not 
 forget, Colonel, that the plots we are called upon to 
 checkmate are hatched not in Russia, but in some of the 
 European capitals. The poor fools who execute the work 
 here are mere tools. We want to lay hands on the prin- 
 cipals, the people who from a safe retreat supply the 
 money. Stop the money, and the tools will cease to 
 work." 1 
 
 All that Danevitch urged was undeniable. The Colonel 
 knew it. Those in power knew it. The Czar himself 
 knew it. But hitherto the great difficulty had been to 
 secure the principals. The prisons were full of the hire- 
 lings ; hundreds and hundreds of them dragged out their 
 miserable lives in Siberia; but still the danger was not 
 lessened, for as long as ever money was forthcoming men 
 and women could always be found ready and willing to 
 pit their liberties and lives against the forces of the 
 Government. It cannot be denied that amongst them 
 were some, many perhaps, who were not mere hirelings, 
 but were prompted by mistaken notions of patriotism ; 
 they were generally young people led awav by false senti- 
 ments and misplaced enthusiasm. It had been found, too, 
 that young women, for the sake of men they loved, were 
 willing to risk all they held sacred on earth at the bidding 
 of their lovers. They were the most pliant, the most 
 willing tools ; but they were also the weak links in the 
 chain. They acted with less caution than men. They 
 went to work blindly, and with a stupid recklessness which 
 was bound sooner or later to betray them. Danevitch had 
 a favourite theory, or saying, to the effect that, given a 
 plot with a woman in it, all you had to do was to find out 
 the woman, and you would discover the plot. In this case 
 he had found out the woman. The one who met Vladimir 
 on the quay by the Neva was a book-keeper in a general 
 store. She shared apartments with another young woman
 
 160 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 in a poor part of the town: At night, when her duties for 
 the day were over, she was in the habit of attending 
 secret meetings, mostly of women, with a sprinkling of 
 men amongst them. One of these women was a Madame 
 Petrarna. She was an organizer and a leader. Vladimir's 
 sweetheart was in high favour with her. Petrarna was the 
 wife of a man who was in exile as ' a danger to the State/ 
 He had been arrested as a suspicious personage, and though 
 nothing was actually proved against him, he was sent to 
 Siberia. 
 
 Having learnt so much about Vladimir's sweetheart, 
 Danevitch devoted his attention to Petrarna. He had 
 made the ways of Nihilists a study, and though they had 
 their spies everywhere, he was often able to outwit them, 
 and he succeeded in getting around him a little band of 
 devoted agents who were ready to go anywhere and do 
 anything at his bidding. Amongst these agents was a 
 clever little woman, and she succeeded one night in gain- 
 ing admission to a meeting over which Petrarna was 
 presiding. The president spoke of the arrest and release 
 of Vladimir, and how he had been able, after all, to hand to 
 his sweetheart and their colleague certain drawings of the 
 palace, which would be invaluable to them in their work. 
 
 This and many other things the agent learnt, and con- 
 veyed the intelligence to her employer Danevitch, whereby 
 he was induced to go abroad to search for the head, as he 
 had told Colonel Vlassovsky. 
 
 Weeks passed, and Danevitch was in Geneva. The 
 Aveather was bitter. The winter had set in very early, and 
 so, far had been unusually severe. At this period there 
 were something like five thousand Russians living in 
 Geneva and its environs. The majority of these Russians 
 were Nihilists. One night, although a black bise was 
 blowing, filling the air with spiculae of ice, and freezing 
 to the marrow all those who ventured into the streets, 
 various individuals — singly, in twos and threes — wended 
 their way to an old building in a lonely side-street not 
 far from the Gare. It was a short street, and devoted 
 principally to warehouses, which were closed at night ;
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 161 
 
 consequently it was badly lighted, and after business hours 
 practically deserted. The entrance to one of these build- 
 ings was by an arched gateway, closed with massive wooden 
 gates, in one side of which was a small door to allow the 
 workpeople to pass in and out when the gates were closed. 
 On the night in question, this little door opened and shut 
 many times ; each time it opened, somebody entered after 
 having been asked for a sign, a counter-sign, and a pass- 
 word. Without these none could enter. At length there 
 were nearly fifty persons present. Then the gate was 
 barred and guarded. In a long back upper room, the 
 windows of which were so screened that not a rav of light 
 could escape, a meeting was held. It was a Nihilist 
 meeting, and the chief thing discussed was the destruction 
 of the Czar of Russia. Reports were also read from many 
 ' Centres," detailing the progress that was made in what was 
 called ' The Revolutionary Movement/ One man brought 
 with him a great quantity of seditious literature in Russian. 
 It had been printed by a secret press in the town. The 
 meeting was presided over by a lady ; that lady was Mrs. 
 Sherard Wilson. She distributed a considerable amount 
 of money among those present, and talked the most 
 violent of language. She was a fluent and eloquent 
 speaker, and swayed the meeting as reeds are swayed by 
 the wind. 
 
 A long discussion followed, and many things were 
 settled. Amongst others, the date of the ' Czar's execu- 
 tion ' was fixed ; and Mrs. Sherard announced that she 
 would leave for St. Petersburg in a very few days to 
 hasten the 'good cause.' 1 
 
 The meeting was orderly, business-like, and quiet. 
 Every person present — man and woman — seemed terribly 
 in earnest, and there was a grim severity in their tone and 
 speech which argued unrelenting bitterness and hatred 
 against the ruler of Russia and many prominent members 
 of his council, all of whom were marked for swift and 
 sudden death. It was midnight when the meeting broke 
 up. Silently the people came, silently they departed ; and 
 when the last one had gone, and the door in the gate had 
 
 11
 
 162 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 been locked, a death-like stillness reigned in the deserted 
 warehouse. Outside, the black bise roared, bringing from 
 the lake and the surrounding hills fierce storms of hail. 
 
 A little later the door of the gate opened noiselessly, 
 and a man, having glanced carefully up and down to see 
 that no one was in sight, passed out, locked the door after 
 him, and disappeared in the darkness of the night. 
 
 That man was Michael Danevitch. He had heard all 
 that had passed at the meeting, for he had been concealed 
 behind a pile of packing-cases, and his note-book was filled 
 with the names, so far as he could gather them, of all those 
 who had taken part in the proceedings. 
 
 Three days after the meeting had been held, Mrs. Sherard 
 Wilson took her departure for Berlin, where she rested 
 for a dav and a night, and had interviews with several 
 influential people, and at a certain bank and money- 
 changer's in Berlin she converted an English cheque for a 
 large amount into Russian money. She was known to the 
 money-changer ; he had cashed similar cheques before. 
 Having completed her business, she pursued her way to 
 Russia. At the frontier her luggage and passport were 
 examined. There was nothing liable to duty in the former ; 
 the latter was all in order and duly vised. The examiners 
 at the frontier, however, failed to discover in one of her 
 trunks a very artfully and cleverly contrived false bottom, 
 where lay concealed not only a mass of inflammatory litera- 
 ture, but documents of the most damaging description. 
 So she passed on her journey, distributing largess freely, and 
 regarded by the officials as a lady of distinction, travelling 
 no doubt on important business, for no one travelled for 
 pleasure in the winter weather. Mrs. Wilson spoke French, 
 German, Russian, and many dialects, so that she had no 
 difficulty with regard to tongues. In the same train with 
 her travelled a man, who was ostensibly a fur merchant, in 
 reality her shadower — Danevitch the detective. 
 
 In due course they reached St. Petersburg, and the lady 
 was driven to one of the principal hotels, where she 
 engaged a suite of rooms ; and when three or four days 
 had elapsed, during which she was very active and went
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY W6 
 
 about much, she attended a secret meeting, held in the 
 house of one Alexeveff, who was a bookseller in a small 
 way of business. In that house over sixty persons as- 
 sembled, including the indefatigable Mis. Sherard Wilson. 
 \Yhen the last person had entered, there gradually closed 
 around the place a cordon of heavily-armed policemen. 
 They, again, were reinforced by a body of soldiers with 
 loaded guns and fixed bayonets. At a given signal, when 
 all was ready, the door of the house was burst in and the 
 meeting, which had just got to business, was broken up in 
 wild confusion. The people saw that they had been 
 betrayed and were trapped. For a moment a panic seized 
 them. Some made a bid for liberty, and rushed off, but 
 could not get far ; the cordon was too strong to be broken 
 through. Others, with a wild despair, prepared to sell 
 their lives and liberties dearly. Rut, as is well known, 
 Continental police, and particularly the Russian police, 
 stand on no ceremony when resistance to their authority is 
 offered. The maudlin sentiment which we in England so 
 often display, even when the most desperate ruffians are 
 concerned, is quite unknown abroad. Resistance to the 
 law generallv means injury, and often death, to the resist er. 
 On the occasion in question, the police and the soldiers were 
 all heavilv armed, for they were aware that the work they 
 were called upon to perform could not be undertaken 
 with kid gloves on ; the glittering swords and bayonets 
 which menaced the trapped people had an effect, and what 
 threatened to be a scene of bloodshed and death ended in 
 a despairing surrender to the forces that were irresistible. 
 From the moment that the police broke in upon the 
 meeting Mrs. Sherard AVilson felt that hope had gone, and 
 she made no attempt either to save her own liberty or 
 arouse her followers to action. 
 
 Under a very strong escort the misguided people were 
 conveyed to prison, and very soon it was made evident that 
 Danevitch had brought to light one of the most desperate 
 and gigantic conspiracies of modern times. Not onlv had 
 plans been drawn up and arrangements made for killing 
 the Czar, but many noblemen and high officials were to be 
 
 11— a
 
 164 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 killed. The conspirators were chosen from all ranks of 
 society, and they had followers in the army and the navy, as 
 well as in the police. That they would have succeeded in 
 their nefarious designs there is little doubt, had it not been 
 for the vigilance and cleverness of Danevitch. He found 
 out that Count Obolensk, who resided in London, was 
 supplying large sums of money to aid the work of the 
 conspiracy. The detective therefore decided upon the bold 
 step of taking service in the Count's household for a time. 
 This he succeeded in doing, and on the night of the 
 meeting recorded in the early part of this story, which 
 was held at the Count's house, he hid himself behind the 
 writing-desk and heard all that took place. In order to 
 get away from the house without raising suspicion, he let 
 the tray of china fall on the stairs as Miss Obolensk was 
 descending. He followed Mrs. Sherard Wilson to Geneva, 
 and was present at that other meeting, when he gained 
 most important information, and subsequently, all unknown 
 to her, accompanied the lady to Russia. 
 
 Investigation brought to light the fact that Mrs. Wilson 
 was the wife of a Russian of high social position, but he 
 had been sent to Siberia for life as a political offender. 
 From that moment his wife became the sworn enemy of 
 the Government and the Czar. She had previously been 
 acquainted with Count Obolensk, and was able to exert 
 great influence over him, and, as he was very wealthy, he 
 proved a valuable ally. The plot failed, however, at the 
 eleventh hour, thanks to Danevitch. How narrow had 
 been the escape of the Emperor from a violent death was 
 revealed at the trial of the prisoners, when it was proved 
 that a considerable number of the officials of the palace, 
 as well as soldiers and servants, had been corrupted, and 
 on a given date a man was to be admitted to the palace at 
 night, and he was to throw a bomb into the Czar's bed- 
 room. 
 
 Simultaneously an attempt was to be made on the lives 
 of several influential people residing outside of the palace. 
 Desperate and terrible as all this seems, there is no doubt 
 it would have been attempted, for the men and women
 
 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 165 
 
 who were mixed up in the plot were reckless of their lives, 
 and terribly in earnest. 
 
 No mercy was shown to the prisoners, and the majority 
 of them were sent to some of the most inhospitable regions 
 of Northern Siberia, including Mrs. Sherard Wilson. To 
 her it must have been infinitely worse than death, and it 
 may be doubted if she ever survived to reach her destina- 
 tion.
 
 .* a 
 
 V 
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS. 
 
 Moscow — or, as the natives call it, Maskva — might almost 
 be described as a city within a city ; that is to say, there 
 is the Kremlin, and a town outside of that again. The 
 word Kremlin is derived from the Slavonic word Krim, 
 which signifies a fort. It is built on a hill, and is sur- 
 rounded by a high turreted wall from twelve to sixteen 
 feet thick. This wall varies from thirty to sixty feet high, 
 and is furnished with battlements, embrasures, and gates. 
 Within the Kremlin are most of the Government offices : 
 the Treasury ; the renowned Cathedral of St. Michael, 
 where the monarchs of Russia were formerly interred ; and 
 the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, long- 
 used as a place of coronation of the Emperors. 
 
 In the Treasury are preserved the State jewels, which, 
 in the aggregate, are probably of greater value than any 
 other State jewels in the civilized world. There are some- 
 thing like twenty crowns of such a size, splendour, and 
 intrinsic value that each in itself is a fortune. Tradition 
 says that one of these crowns was given by the Greek 
 Emperor Comnenus to the great Vladimir. Some are 
 covered with the most magnificent diamonds ; others with 
 turquoises of immense size ; others, again, with rubies and 
 pearls; the groundwork of all is solid gold, and the work- 
 manship exquisite. Then there are sceptres of massive 
 gold, powdered with priceless gems. There are diamond 
 tiaras, diamond cinctures, services of gold and jewelled 
 plate, jewelled swords. These costly treasures are pre- 
 served in a large well -lighted room of noble proportions,
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 167 
 
 and to this room the public are freely admitted. It need 
 scarcely be said that the State jewel-room of the Treasury 
 is a source of great attraction to foreigners, and no one 
 visiting Moscow for the first time would think of leaving 
 the city without having paid a visit to the Treasury jewel- 
 room. One morning, on opening the Museum for the day, 
 there was tremendous consternation amongst the officials 
 and attendants, when one of the guardians of the treasure- 
 house made the discovery that no less than three crowns, 
 two sceptres, a diamond belt and a diamond tiara were 
 missing. The circumstance was at once reported to the 
 keeper of the jewels — General Kuntzler. The office was 
 generally held by a retired military officer, and was much 
 sought after, as it was a life appointment and the salary 
 was good. The keeper had many subordinates under him, 
 and while they were responsible to him, he himself was 
 held entirely responsible by the Government for the safe- 
 guarding of the jewels. General Kuntzler had occupied 
 the position for about two years, after long and important 
 military service. When he heard of the robbery, he was 
 so affected that his mind gave way, and before the day 
 was out he shot himself. 
 
 Investigation soon made it evident that a crime of un- 
 paralleled audacity had been committed under the very 
 noses of the Government officials, and property intrinsi- 
 cally valued at many thousands of pounds had disappeared. 
 As the affair was a very serious one for all concerned, no 
 time was lost in summoning Michael Danevitch and en- 
 listing his services. As can readily be understood, quite 
 apart from the monetary value of the lost baubles, the 
 associations surrounding them made it highly desirable that 
 every effort should be put forth to recover them ; and it was 
 impressed upon Danevitch how imperatively necessary it was 
 to take the most active measures to get on the track of 
 the thieves immediately, because, as everyone knew, the gold 
 would be melted down as soon as possible, and the precious 
 relics be thus destroyed. Amongst the crowns carried off 
 was the one worn by the last King of Poland. It was a 
 magnificent bauble, and was so thickly encrusted with
 
 168 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 gems that in round figures it was worth in English money 
 something like fifty thousand pounds. It will be seen, 
 therefore, that the loss in mere value to the State was 
 enormous. It was, of course, as Danevitch saw clearly 
 enough, no ordinary robbery. It must have been planned 
 deliberately, and carried out with great ingenuity. Nor 
 was it less obvious that more than one person had been 
 concerned in the daring crime. 
 
 There was a prevailing impression at first that General 
 Kuntzler must have had a share in the robbery, but 
 Danevitch did not take that view. The unfortunate 
 General had an untarnished record, and though his suicide 
 was calculated to arouse suspicion, it was established by 
 Danevitch that the poor man — fully realizing the great 
 responsibility that rested on his shoulders — was unable to 
 face the blame that would attach to him. It would be 
 said that he had not exercised sufficient care, and had been 
 careless of the safety of the priceless treasures committed 
 to his charge. This was more than he could bear, and he 
 ended the whole business as far as he was concerned by 
 laying violent hands upon himself. 
 
 ' I saw from the first, 1 Danevitch writes, ' that the guilty 
 parties must be sought for among the ranks of those who 
 make robbery a fine art, if one may be allowed to so 
 express himself. Mere commonplace, vulgar minds would 
 have been incapable of conceiving, let alone of carrying 
 out, so daring a deed as that of robbing the State of its 
 priceless historical baubles. It was no less self-evident to 
 me that the affair must have been very carefully planned, 
 and arrangements made for conveying the articles out of 
 the country immediately, or of effectually destroying their 
 identity. In their original condition they would practi- 
 callv be worth nothing to the illegal possessors, inasmuch 
 as no man dare offer them for sale ; but by taking out the 
 gems and melting the gold the materials could thus be 
 converted into cash. I ascertained that when the Museum 
 was closed in the evening previous to the robbery being 
 discovered, everything was safe. 1 
 
 It appeared that it was the duty of the chief subordinate,
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 169 
 
 one Maximoff, to go round the hall the last thing, after it 
 had been closed to the public for the day, and see that 
 everything was safe. He then reported to General 
 Kuntzler. This had been done with great regularity. It 
 so happened, however, that the day preceding the dis- 
 co verv that the jewels had been stolen was an official 
 holiday. At stated periods in Russia there is an official 
 holiday, when all public Government departments are 
 closed. This holiday had favoured the work of the thieves, 
 and some time during the forty hours that elapsed between 
 the closing of the hall in the evening before the holiday, 
 and the discovery of the robbery on the morning after the 
 holiday, the jewels had been carried off. 
 
 The holiday was on a Wednesday ; on Tuesday evening 
 Maximoff made his round of inspection as usual, and duly 
 presented his official report to his chief, General Kuntzler. 
 According to that report, everything was safe ; the place 
 was carefully locked up, and all the keys deposited in the 
 custody of the General, who kept them in an iron safe in 
 his office. It was pretty conclusively proved that those 
 keys never left the safe from the time they were deposited 
 there on Tuesday night until Maximoff went for them 
 on Thursday morning. During the whole of Wednesday 
 Maximoff and the attendants were away. Maximoff was 
 a married man, with three children, and he had taken his 
 family into the country. Kuntzler remained, and there 
 was the usual military guard at the Treasury. The guard 
 consisted of six sentinels, who did duty night and day, 
 being relieved every four hours. 
 
 ' The whole affair was very complicated ,' proceeds Dane- 
 vitch, ' and I found myself confronted with a problem of 
 no ordinary difficulty. I was satisfied, however, that 
 General Kuntzler was entirely innocent of any complicity 
 in the affair ; and, so far as I could determine then, there 
 was not the slightest ground for suspecting Maximoff. 
 There were twelve other subordinates. They were charged 
 with the duty of dusting the various glass cases in which 
 the jewels were deposited, and of keeping the people in 
 order on public days, and I set to work in my own way to
 
 170 MICHAEL DANEYITCH 
 
 endeavour to find out what likelihood there was of any of 
 these men being confederates. It seemed to me that one 
 or more of them had been corrupted, and proved false to 
 his charge. Without an enemy in the camp it was difficult 
 to understand how the thieves had effected an entrance.' 
 
 The Treasury was a large white stone building, with an 
 inner courtyard, around which were grouped numerous 
 Government offices. The entrance to this yard was by a 
 noble archway, closed by a massive and ornamental iron 
 gate. In this gateway a sentry was constantly posted. 
 The Museum was situated in about the centre of the left 
 wing of the main block of buildings. The entrance was 
 from the courtyard, and the hall, being in an upper story, 
 was reached by a flight of marble steps. To gain ad- 
 mission to the hall, the public were necessarily compelled 
 to pass under the archway, and so into the courtyard. Of 
 course there were other ways of reaching the hall of jewels, 
 but they were only used by the employes and officials. 
 General Kuntzler, his lieutenant, Maximoff', and four of 
 the subordinates, resided on the premises. They had rooms 
 in various parts of the building. 
 
 A careful study of the building, its approaches and its 
 exits, led Danevitch to the conclusion that the thief or 
 thieves must have reached the hall from one of the 
 numerous Government offices on the ground-floor of the 
 block, or from the direction of Kuntzler's apartments, and 
 he set to work to try and determine that point. He found 
 that one of the offices referred to was used as a depository 
 for documents relating to Treasury business, and beneath 
 it, in the basement, was an arched cellar, also used for 
 storing documents. This cellar was one of many others, 
 all connected with a concreted subway, which in turn was 
 connected with the upper stories by a narrow staircase, 
 considered strictly private, and used, or supposed to be 
 used, by the employes only. The office was officially 
 known as Bureau 7. Exit from it could be had by a door, 
 which opened into a cul-de-sac, and was not a public 
 thoroughfare. It was, in fact, a narrow alley, formed by 
 the Treasury buildings and a church.
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 171 
 
 Danevitch was not slow to perceive that Bureau 7 and 
 the eul-de-sac offered the best, if not the only, means of 
 egress to anyone who, being on the premises illegally, 
 wished to escape without being seen. It was true that 
 one of the sentries always on duty patrolled the cul-de-sac 
 at intervals ; but that, to the mind of Danevitch, was not 
 an insuperable obstacle to the escape of anyone from the 
 building. Of course, up to this point it was all conjecture, 
 all theory ; but the astute detective brought all his faculties 
 to bear to prove that his theory was a reasonable one. 
 
 He ascertained that the door into the cul-de-sac was 
 very rarely used indeed, and had not been opened for a 
 long time, as the office itself was only a store-room for 
 documents, and days often passed without anyone going 
 into it. Critical examination, however, revealed to Dane- 
 vitch that the outer door had been very recently opened. 
 This was determined by many minute signs, which revealed 
 themselves to the quick and practised eyes of the detective. 
 But something more was forthcoming to confirm him in 
 his theory. On the floor of Bureau 7 he found two or 
 three diamonds, and in the passage of the cul-de-sac he 
 picked up some more. Here, then, at once was fairly 
 positive proof that the thief or thieves had made their 
 exit that way. Owing to rough handling, or to the jarring 
 together of the stolen things, some of the precious stones 
 had become detached, and by some cai-elessness or other a 
 number of them had fallen unperceived to the ground ; 
 these as surely pointed the way taken by the robbers as 
 the lion in the desert betrays his track by the spoor. This 
 important discovery Danevitch kept to himself. He was 
 fond of likening his profession to a game at whist, and he 
 used to say that the cautious and skilful player should 
 never allow his opponent to know what cards he holds. 
 
 Having determined so much, his next step was to dis- 
 cover, if possible, the guilty persons. It was tolerably 
 certain that, whoever they were, they must have been well 
 acquainted with the premises. Of course it went without 
 saving that no one could have undertaken and carried 
 out such an extraordinarv robbery without first of all
 
 172 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 making a very careful study of every detail, as well as of 
 every means of reaching the booty, and of conveying it 
 away when secured. The fact of the robbery having been 
 committed on the Wednesday, which was a Government 
 holiday, showed that it had been well planned, and it was 
 equally evident that somebody concerned in it was in- 
 timately acquainted with the premises and all their rami- 
 fications. The importance of the discovery of the way by 
 which the criminals had effected their escape could not be 
 overrated, and yet it was of still greater importance that 
 the way by which they entered should be determined. To 
 do that, however, was not an easy matter. The probability 
 — a strong probability — was that those concerned had lain 
 perdu in the building from the closing-time on Tuesday 
 night until the business was completed, which must have 
 been during the hours of darkness from Tuesday night to 
 Wednesday morning, or Wednesday night and Thursday 
 morning. In the latter case, however, the enterprising 
 ' exploiters ' must have remained on the premises the whole 
 of Wednesday, and that was hardly likely. They certainly 
 could not have entered on Wednesday, because as it was a 
 non-business day a stranger or strangers seeking admission 
 would have been challenged by the sentries, and not allowed 
 to pass without a special permit. At night a password 
 was always sent round to the people residing in the build- 
 ing, and if they went out they could not gain entrance 
 again without giving the password. These precautions 
 were, in an ordinary way, no doubt, effective enough ; but 
 the fact that on this occasion they had proved of no avail 
 pointed to one thing certain, which was that the intruders 
 had gained admission on the Tuesday with the general 
 public, but did not leave when the Museum was closed for 
 the night, and to another thing, not so certain, but 
 probable, that they had been assisted by somebody living 
 on the premises. 
 
 Altogether something like sixty persons had lodgings in 
 the Treasury buildings, but only fourteen of these persons, 
 including Kuntzler himself, were attached to the Museum 
 portion. The General's apartments were just above the
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 173 
 
 hall in which the Crown jewels were kept. He had a suite 
 of six rooms, including a kitchen and a servant's sleeping- 
 place. He was a widower, but his sister lived with him as 
 his housekeeper. She was a widow ; her name was Anna 
 Ivanorna. The General also had an adopted daughter, a 
 pretty girl, about twenty years of age : she was called 
 Lvdia. It appeared she was the natural child of one of 
 the General's comrades, who had been killed during an 
 emeute in Siberia, where he was stationed on duty. On the 
 death of his friend, and being childless himself, Kuntzler 
 took the girl, then between six and seven years of age, and 
 brought her up. For obvious reasons, of course, Danevitch 
 made a study of the General's household, and so learned 
 the foregoing particulars. 
 
 As may be imagined, the General's death was a terrible 
 blow to his family, and Lydia suffered such anguish that 
 she fell very ill. Necessarily it became the duty of Dane- 
 vitch to endeavour to ascertain by every means in his 
 power if Kuntzler's suicide had resulted from any guilty 
 knowledge of the robbery. But not a scrap of evidence 
 was forthcoming to justify suspicion, though the outside 
 public suspected him. That, perhaps, was only natural. 
 As a matter of fact, however, he bore a very high reputa- 
 tion. He had held many important positions of trust, and 
 had been elected to the post of Crown Jewel Keeper, on 
 the death of his predecessor, on account of the confidence 
 reposed in him by the Government, and during the time 
 he had held the office he had given the utmost satisfaction. 
 An examination of his books — -he had to keep an account 
 of all the expenses in connection with his department — his 
 papers and private letters, did not bring to light a single 
 item that was calculated to arouse suspicion, and not a 
 soul in the Government service breathed a word against 
 him, while he was highly respected and esteemed by a very 
 large circle of friends. 
 
 It was admitted on all sides that General Kuntzler was 
 a very conscientious and sensitive man. The knowledge 
 of the robbery came upon him with a suddenness that 
 overwhelmed him, and, half stunned by the shock, his
 
 174 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 mind gave way, and he adopted the weak man's method 
 to relieve himself of a terrible responsibility. That was 
 the worst that anyone who knew him ventured to say ; 
 he was accorded a public and a military funeral, and was 
 carried to his last resting-place amidst the genuine sorrow 
 of great numbers of people. 
 
 ' I confess that at this stage of the proceedings,' writes 
 Danevitch in his notes of the case, ' I did not feel very 
 sanguine of success in the task imposed upon me ; and 
 when Colonel Andreyeff', Chief of the Moscow Police, sent 
 for me, and asked my views, I frankly told him what I 
 thought, keeping back, however, for the time being, the 
 discovery I had made, that the culprits had departed 
 from the building by Bureau 7, and had scattered some 
 diamonds on the way. The Colonel became very grave 
 when he learnt my opinion, and paid me the compliment of 
 saying that great hopes had been placed on me, that the 
 reputation of his department was at stake, and if the 
 jewels were not recovered, and the culprits brought to 
 justice, it might cost him his position. I pointed out that 
 I was quite incapable of performing miracles ; that while 
 I could modestly claim to have been more successful in my 
 career than any other man following the same calling, it 
 was not within my power to see through stone w r alls, or 
 divine the innermost secrets of men's hearts. 
 
 ' " But you are capable of reading signs which other men 
 have no eyes for," exclaimed the Colonel. 
 
 ' " Possibly," I answered, as I bowed my thanks for 
 the good opinion he held of me ; " but in this instance 
 I see no sign. 1 ' 
 
 ' " But you are searching for one P 11 said the Colonel 
 anxiously. 
 
 ' " Oh, certainly I am, 1 ' I responded. 
 
 ' The anxious expression faded from the Colonel's face, and 
 he smiled as, fixing his keen gray eyes on me, he remarked : 
 
 ' " As long as you are still searching for a sign, Dane- 
 vitch, there is hope. There must be a sign somewhere, 
 and unless you have grown blind and mentally dull, it will 
 not escape you for long."
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 175 
 
 'This was very flattering to my amour propre, and I 
 admit that it had a tendency to stimulate me to renewed 
 exertion, if stimulus was really needed. But, as a matter 
 of fact, I was not just then very hopeful. Nevertheless, as 
 I took my leave, I said that, if the problem was solvable 
 by mortal man, I would solve it. This was pledging 
 myself to a good deal ; but I was vain enough to think 
 that, if I failed by methods which I had made a lifelong 
 study, to say nothing of a natural gift for my work, no 
 one else was likely to succeed, except by some accident 
 which would give him the advantage. 1 
 
 Like most men of exceptional ability, Uanevitch was 
 conscious of his strength, but he rarely allowed this self- 
 consciousness to assert itself, and when he did he was 
 justified. His methods were certainly his own, and he 
 never liked to own defeat. That meant that where he 
 failed it was hardly likely anyone else would have suc- 
 ceeded. Not only had he a tongue cunning to question, 
 an eye quick to observe, but, as I have said elsewhere, a 
 sort of eighth sense, which enabled him to discern what 
 other men could not discern. 
 
 After that interview with Colonel Andreyeff, he fell to 
 pondering on the case, and bringing all the logic he was 
 capable of to bear. He saw no reason whatever to change 
 his first opinion, that there had been an enemy in the 
 camp. By that is meant that the robbery could never 
 have been effected unless with the aid of someone connected 
 with the place, and knowing it well. Following his course 
 of reasoning, he came to the decision that the stolen 
 property was still within the Kremlin. His reason for 
 this was, as he states : 
 
 ' The thieves could not have passed out during the night, 
 as they would have been questioned by the guards at the 
 gates. Nor could they have conveyed out such a bulky 
 packet on Wednesday, as they would have been called upon 
 for a permit. On the other hand, if the property had been 
 divided up into small parcels, the risk would have been 
 great, and suspicion aroused. But assuming that the 
 thieves had been stupid enough to carry off the things in
 
 176 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 bulk, they must have known that they were not likely to 
 get far before attracting attention, while any attempt to 
 dispose of the articles as they were would have been fatal. 
 To have been blind to these tremendous risks was to argue 
 a denseness on the part of the culprits hardly conceivable 
 of men who had been clever enough to abstract from a 
 sentry-guarded Government building property of such 
 enormous value. They Mould know well enough that 
 melted gold and loose gems could always find a market ; 
 but, having regard to the hue and cry, that market was 
 hardly likely to be sought for in any part of Russia. 
 Therefore, when reduced to an unrecognisable state, and 
 when vigilance had been relaxed, the gold and the jewels 
 would be carried abroad to some of the centres of Europe, 
 where the infamous receiver flourishes and waxes fat on the 
 sins of his fellow-men. 
 
 ' In accordance with my custom in such cases/ continues 
 Danevitch in his notes, ' I lost not a moment when I took 
 up the case in telegraphing to every outlet from Russia, 
 including the frontier posts. I knew, therefore, that at 
 every frontier station and every outlet luggage would be 
 subjected to very critical examination, and the thieves 
 would experience great difficulty indeed in getting clear. 
 But there was another aspect of the case that could not be 
 overlooked, and it caused me considerable anxiety ; it was 
 this — the gems could be carried away a few at a time. A 
 woman, for instance, could conceal about her person small 
 packets of them, and excite no suspicion. To examine 
 everyone personally at the frontiers was next to impossible. 
 There was another side, however, to this view, and it 
 afforded me some consolation. To get the gems out of the 
 country in the way suggested would necessitate a good 
 many journeys on the part of the culprits, and one person 
 making the same journey several times would excite 
 suspicion. If several people were employed in the work, 
 they would be certain to get at loggerheads sooner or 
 later, and the whole business would be exposed. I always 
 made it a sort of axiom that " when thieves fall out honest 
 men come by their due," and experience had taught me that
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 177 
 
 thieves invariably fall out when it comes to a division of 
 plunder. Of course, I was perfectly alive to the fact that 
 it would not do to rely upon that ; something more was 
 wanted : it was of the highest importance to prevent the 
 stolen property being carried far away, and all my energies 
 were concentrated to that end. 
 
 ' I have already given my reasons for thinking that at 
 this stage the stolen jewels had not been removed from 
 the Kremlin. Although there are no regular streets, as 
 understood, in the Kremlin, there are numerous shops and 
 private residences, the latter being inhabited for the most 
 part bv the officials and other employes of the numerous 
 Government establishments. The result is that within 
 the Kremlin itself there is a very large population/ 
 
 It will be seen from these particulars that the whole 
 affair bristled with difficulties, and, given that the thieves 
 were sharp, shrewd, and cautious, they might succeed in 
 defeating Danevitclis efforts. One of the first things he 
 did was to request that every sentry at the Kremlin gates 
 should be extra vigilant, and subject passers to and fro to 
 more than ordinary observation, while if they had reason 
 to suspect any particular person, that person should be 
 instantly arrested. The precautions which were thus 
 taken reduced the matter to a game of chance. If the 
 thieves betrayed themselves by an incautious or careless 
 act they would lose. On the other hand, if they were 
 skilful and vigilant the detective would be defeated ; and 
 as the stakes were very large, and to lose meant death to 
 them (that being the penalty in Russia for such a crime), it 
 was presumable that they would not easily sacrifice them- 
 selves. At this stage Danevitch himself confessed that he 
 would not have ventured to give an opinion as to which of 
 the two sides would win. 
 
 The more Danevitch studied the subject, the more he 
 became convinced that the thieves must have been in league 
 with someone connected with the Treasury Department. 
 In face of the fact that false keys had been used, the 
 theory of collusion could not be ignored ; the difficulty 
 was to determine who was the most likely person to 
 
 12
 
 178 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 have proved traitor to his trust. Maxinioff bore a high 
 character ; General Kuntzler had reposed full confidence 
 in him. The subordinates were also men of good repute. 
 That, however, was not a guarantee that they were proof 
 against temptation. Nevertheless, Danevitch could not 
 get hold of anything that was calculated to arouse his 
 suspicion against any particular individual. If there was 
 a guilty man amongst them, he would, of course, be par- 
 ticularly careful not to commit any act, or utter any 
 word, calculated to betray him, knowing as he did that 
 Danevitch was on the alert. 
 
 When several days had passed, and General Kuntzler 
 had been consigned to his tomb, Danevitch had an inter- 
 view with his sister, Anna Ivanorna. She was in a state 
 of great mental excitement and nervous prostration ; and 
 Lydia, the General's adopted daughter, was also very ill. 
 Anna was a somewhat remarkable woman. She was a tall, 
 big-boned, determined-looking individual, with a soured 
 expression of face and restless gray eyes. Her manner of 
 speaking, her expression of face, and a certain cynicism, 
 which made itself apparent in her talk, gave one the notion 
 that she was a disappointed woman. 
 
 'This is a sad business," 1 began Danevitch, after some 
 preliminary remarks. 
 
 ' Very sad, 1 she answered. ' It has cost my brother his 
 life/ 
 
 ' He evidently felt it very keenly, 1 said Danevitch. 
 
 ' A man must feel a thing keenly to commit suicide, 
 unless he is a weak-brained fool, incapable of any endur- 
 ance,"' she replied with a warmth that amounted almost to 
 fierceness. After a pause, she added : ' My brother was 
 far from being a fool. He was a strong man — a clever 
 man." 1 
 
 ' So I understand. Did he make any observation to you 
 before he committed the rash act T 
 
 'No/ 
 
 ' Yes, he did, Anna, 1 cried out Lydia from the couch on 
 which she was lying, wrapped in rugs. 
 
 Anna turned upon her angrily, and exclaimed :
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 179 
 
 ' How do you know ? Hold your tongue. He made no 
 observation, I say/ 
 
 Lvdia was evidently annoyed at being spoken to in such 
 a manner, and she replied with spirit, as she raised herself 
 on her elbow : 
 
 ' Don't snap at me like that, Anna. I know perfectly 
 well. My poor father said over and over again that he 
 had been betrayed, that there had been a traitor in the 
 house. It was that that distracted him. He couldn't 
 bear the thought of it. 1 
 
 ' And who do you suppose the traitor was ?' Anna asked 
 angrily. ' You are always thinking wrong of people.' 
 
 Lydia did not take any notice of this. She lay still, 
 and seemed to be suffering keen mental anguish. 
 
 ' Have vou any opinion how the robbery was com- 
 mitted ?' asked Danevitch of Anna. 
 
 ' No. 1 
 
 ' But surely you must have some idea. -1 
 
 ' No, 1 haven't. 1 
 
 ' Do you think it possible, now, that such a crime could 
 have been committed without a confederate in the camp ?' 
 
 ' What do vou mean V demanded the woman sternly, as 
 though she resented the bare suspicion which the question 
 implied. 
 
 ' My meaning is plain, surely. An utter stranger to the 
 place could not have done this deed." 1 
 
 6 1 suppose he couldn't. But whoever did it couldn't 
 have been an utter stranger.' 
 
 ' Do I understand from that that you suggest the culprit 
 or culprits are people who were employed here ?' 
 
 ' Xo, I don't suggest that. But it stands to reason that 
 
 ' on 
 
 anyone undertaking a deed of this kind would be careful 
 to make himself acquainted with the building.' 
 
 ' And how do you think he did that ?' 
 
 ' You know as well as I do that the place is open to the 
 public. What is there to prevent anyone studying the 
 place ?' 
 
 ' Nothing whatever, so far as the public part of it goes. 
 But, unless with the aid of a confederate, I do not quite see 
 
 12—2
 
 180 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 how anyone could become acquainted with those parts 
 where the public are not admitted.' 1 
 
 ' Well, Mr. Danevitch, 1 said Anna, with a decisiveness 
 which was meant to clinch the argument, ' I am not an 
 expert like you, nor do I know anything at all about the 
 matter, therefore don't bother me with any more questions. 
 I am troubled enough, and have enough on my mind with- 
 out this affair. I want to forget it. 1 
 
 ' I make every allowance for you, 1 replied Danevitch. 
 ' I quite understand that your feelings are lacerated, but 
 I thought it was within the bounds of possibility that 
 you might be able to throw some light on the matter. 
 However, I will not disturb you further, but take my 
 leave. 1 
 
 Anna showed him out with a sigh of relief, and she shut 
 the door with a bang that indicated too plainly how glad 
 she was to get rid of him. At this stage, Danevitch 
 writes, he felt in a quandary. There were certain signs 
 that suggested probabilities, but it was not easy to deter- 
 mine just then whether or not the signs were anything 
 more than shadows, by which he might be misled. 
 Speculation and theory were all he had to guide him, and 
 he was only too well aware that the most astute of 
 reasoners is apt to be misled. What necessarily concerned 
 him was the danger of being led out of the true track by 
 a false sign. He was not indifferent, of course, to the fact 
 that he had made some progress — that is to say, he had 
 determined pretty conclusively how the thieves had left 
 the Treasury buildings when once they had secured their 
 booty. But what was of still greater importance was to 
 discover how they got in. Could lie solve that part of the 
 problem, he felt sure it would give him many points. 
 
 It was remarkable about Danevitch that, while he was 
 often mistrustful about his own instincts, he seldom erred. 
 He had made human nature so close a study that the 
 person who, as the saying is, could have thrown dust in 
 his eyes would have had to have been preternatural ly 
 clever. He maintained, and proved it over and over again, 
 that the face was so certain an index to what was passing
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 181 
 
 in the mind that every thought of the brain was com- 
 municated instantly to the features, which indicated it 
 as unmistakably as a delicately - balanced needle notes 
 the slightest current of electricity. Of course, it was 
 necessary to understand these face-signs. That in itself is 
 a science. Indeed, the power to understand it is a gift, 
 and he who fully possesses it is what is termed to-day ' a 
 thought-reader. 1 Danevitch did not call himself that, but 
 he possessed the power in a marked degree, nevertheless ; 
 and no one could be indifferent to the extraordinary 
 strength and power of his eyes. When he looked at you, 
 you felt somehow as if he was looking right into your 
 brain. Mr. Gladstone is said to have that peculiar eye, 
 and it can readily be understood that anyone with guilty 
 knowledge having to meet the piercing gaze of such an 
 eve is almost sure to betray himself by face-signs, which 
 to the expert are full of meaning. Danevitch had brought 
 this study to such perfection that it proved invaluable to 
 him, and often afforded him a clue which otherwise he 
 would never have got. Another strong trait in his character 
 was the persistency with which he stuck to an idea when 
 once he had thought it out. That, again, was largely 
 responsible for the success that attended his efforts in the 
 art of solving criminal problems. Of course, his ideas 
 were generally very sound ones, and the result of much 
 cogitation. He never jumped to hasty conclusions. 
 
 The foregoing little disquisition is not out of place in 
 view of what follows, and will certainly add to the reader's 
 interest. 
 
 About three weeks after that interview between Dane- 
 vitch and Anna Ivanorna, three men were seated in a 
 restaurant situated in what is known as the Zemlidnoi- 
 gorod, which, being interpreted, means ' earthen town, -1 and 
 it is so called because at one time it was surrounded by an 
 earthen rampart. This part of Moscow contains a number 
 of drinking-places, spirit-stores, shops, cafes and restaurants. 
 The one in which the three men were seated Avas a very 
 typical Russian fifth -rate house. The ceiling was black 
 with smoke. Flimsy and frouzy curtains hung at the
 
 182 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 windows ; the floor was sanded ; long, rough, wooden 
 tables, forms, and common chairs constituted the furniture. 
 At one end of the room was a small counter, covered with 
 lead, on which stood sundry bottles, glasses, and plates of 
 caviare and sandwiches; at the other end was the indis- 
 pensable stove — a huge affair with a massive convoluted 
 iron flue, that was suggestive of a boa constrictor. 
 
 The night being very cold, the three men were crowded 
 round the stove, engaged in deep and earnest conversation. 
 Two of the men were young ; one about two or three and 
 twenty, the other a year or two older. They were well 
 dressed, and apparently belonged to a class not given to 
 frequenting drinking-plaees of that kind. The third man 
 was of a somewhat striking appearance. He was swarthy 
 as a gipsy — a black beard and moustache, black eyes, black 
 hair, cropped close to the skull. In his ears he wore small 
 gold rings, and his style, manner, and dress proclaimed him 
 unmistakably a seafaring man. 
 
 Presently the glazed door of the shop swung open, and 
 a .Jew tumbled in. He was heavily bearded ; on his head 
 was a small black, tightly-fitting skull-cap. He wore long- 
 boots, with his trousers, which were very baggy, tucked into 
 the tops, and a fur-lined coat, which must have been in 
 existence for a generation at least. He divested himself 
 of this coat and hung it on a peg, and then ordered vodka 
 and caviare. 
 
 The three men ceased their conversation when the 
 stranger entered ; and he, when he had finished his repast, 
 rose, and with somewhat unsteady gait, as if he had been 
 drinking, walked to the stove and asked if he might be 
 allowed a seat there. The other three, with by no means 
 good grace, made room for him. The seafaring man was 
 smoking a very black, very strong cigar. The Jew pro- 
 duced from his pocket a huge pipe, and, filling it with 
 coarse tobacco, asked the seafarer for a light, which was 
 given. When his pipe was fairly in swing, he said to the 
 man with the cigar : 
 
 ' Unless Fin mistaken, you reek of the salt sea. 1 
 
 * I suppose I do, 1 answered the other brusquely. ' Any
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 183 
 
 way, I've been soaked with it often enough. Where are 
 you from ?' 
 
 ' Constantinople/ 
 
 ' So. A trader, I suppose P 1 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' What do you trade in ?' 
 
 'Anything on earth, so long as it will turn me in 
 money. 1 
 
 'Bahf sneered one of the young men — 'just like you 
 Jew dogs. It's always money with you — money, money. 
 It's your only prayer. 1 
 
 ' In that respect fin not sure that there is much 
 difference between the Jew dog and the grasping Christian. 
 But I don't want to quarrel with you. Fm a stranger in 
 the town. Will you drink at my expense P 1 
 
 ' Yes, 1 answered the three as one man. 
 
 So drink was ordered, and for a time the conversation 
 was friendly and general, and when it flagged a little the 
 Jew said : 
 
 'That's a curious robbery that has taken place lately." 
 
 ' What robbery ?' asked one of the young men, eyeing 
 the Jew keenly. 
 
 'The robbery of the Crown jewels.' 
 
 ' Oh yes ; very curious.' 
 
 ' By Father Abraham !' exclaimed the Jew, with a great 
 puffing out of his breath, ' but I should like to call some 
 of the precious stones mine. The God of Jacob ! I wonder 
 what has become of them. They haven't caught the 
 thieves yet, I suppose r' 
 
 ' No,' was the curt answer. 
 
 6 Ah ! they are clever fellows ; must be wonderfully 
 clever to do such a deed. But I expect they'll be laid by 
 the heels yet.' 
 
 ' No fear,' answered one of the youngsters. ' You can 
 depend upon it they know what they are about." 
 
 'Ah ! just so, just so,' mused the Jew — 'just so. It's a 
 clever bit of business — clever, clever; by God it is ! I 
 wonder, now, what has become of those jewels. They are 
 worth risking body and soul for.'
 
 184 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' I say, stranger, 1 remarked the seafarer, ' you had better 
 be careful what you say, or you may land yourself in 
 trouble. 1 
 
 ' True, true, true !' moaned the Jew. ' But, God in 
 heaven, only to think of all those precious gems ! It 
 almost turns one's brain. 1 
 
 He sank into a moody silence, and stared fixedly at the 
 stove, as though he was dreaming dreams about the gems. 
 The other three men conversed in low tones for a little 
 time, until the two younger ones rose up, said ' Good- 
 night, 1 and left, for the hour was getting late. Then the 
 Jew seemed suddenly to wake up from his reverie, and he 
 asked the seafarer if he was going. 
 
 ' No ; I am lodging here, 1 was the answer. 
 
 ' So. That reminds me. Landlord, can I have a bed P 1 
 
 He was told he could. There was some haggling about 
 the price to be paid, but the matter was amicably settled 
 in the end, and the Jew invited the seafarer to have some 
 more vodka. True to the traditions of his kind the world 
 over, the sailor man accepted the invitation, and the two 
 sat drinking until the landlord came to remind them it 
 was time they retired. 
 
 The sailor was pretty far gone in his cups, and the Jew 
 offered to assist him up the stairs to bed. With some 
 difficulty the pair managed to mount the greasy, rickety 
 stairs to where the sleeping chambers were, and the Jew 
 accompanied the sailor man to his room, and then from 
 his capacious pocket he produced a bottle of vodka, and 
 they set to work to discuss it. Presently the Jew 
 murmured in a maudlin way, as his thoughts still ran upon 
 the gems : 
 
 ' By Father Abraham, but it was a big haul ! Why, 
 there must have been a million roubles 1 worth of them.'' 
 
 ' Of what P 1 asked the skipper, who, though pretty well 
 soaked, seemed to have his wits about him. 
 
 ' The stolen jewels, 1 mumbled the Jew. ' I would buy 
 every one of them at a price ; I would, so help me God I 1 
 
 ' Now, what price would you give P 1 
 
 ' How could I tell — how could I tell, unless I saw them ?'
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 185 
 
 The sailor man became thoughtful and silent, and the 
 Jew sank down in a corner like a sack, mumbling in- 
 coherently guttural sentences, in which the words ' gems, 
 jewels, gold, 1 predominated. Presently the sailor was over- 
 come by his potations, and stretching himself on the bed, 
 boots and all, was soon snoring in drunken sleep. A 
 couple of hours later the Jew crept from the room, sought 
 his own chamber, and was speedily sound asleep in the 
 bed. 
 
 The next morning the two men drank their tea together, 
 and having lighted one of his long black cigars, the sailor 
 invited the Jew forth into the city. 
 
 ' You say you are from Constantinople P 1 asked the 
 sailor, as they walked together. 
 
 ' Yes. 1 
 
 ' Do you reside there P 1 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' In what part ? 1 
 
 ' The Jews 1 quarter. 1 
 
 ' And, I suppose, like all your tribe, you don't know 
 your own wealth P 1 
 
 The Jew sighed dolefully. 
 
 ' Alas, alas I 1 he exclaimed ; ' by Abraham in heaven, I 
 swear I am very poor. 1 
 
 ' Ah ! you all say that. 1 
 
 ' It's true, it's true. But why do you ask P 1 
 
 ' Oh, nothing ; only, if you had been rich, I might have 
 put something in your way by which you could have 
 doubled your riches. 1 
 
 ' What is it ? What is it P 1 cried the Jew eagerly. 
 ' Tell me ; I can get money. Thousands, tens of thou- 
 sands, millions of roubles, if needs be. But tell me what 
 it is. I want to grow rich ; I want money — want it by 
 sackfuls. It is my dream ; I worship it. 1 
 
 ' Ah, 1 grunted the sailor, with a smack of his lips, ' you 
 are all alike. Have you any friends in Moscow P 1 
 
 4 No ; I am a stranger. I have come to trade. I will 
 lend money at interest on good security, or I will buy any- 
 thing that I can sell again. 1
 
 186 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 The sailor became very thoughtful. He puffed away at 
 his rank cigar like a man who was deeply absorbed, and 
 the Jew ambled on by his side, mumbling to himself. 
 Presently the sailor addressed him : 
 
 ' Do you stay in the same lodgings to-night P 1 
 
 1 1 do; 
 
 ' Good. HI meet you at nine o'clock, and may be able 
 to put something in your way. I must leave you now/ 
 
 'Count on me, 1 said the Jew. 'If we can do a deal 
 together, I'll put money in your purse. 1 
 
 ' You bet you will ! * You don 1 1 suppose Fin going to 
 serve you without serving myself. I don't love your race 
 enough for that. It's a matter of convenience. But till 
 to-night, adieu. 1 
 
 ' By the way, how are you called P 1 
 
 ' I am known as Captain Blok. I command a small 
 trader doing business in the Black Sea. 1 
 
 ' Where is she now P 1 
 
 ' She is being overhauled at Azov. 1 
 
 ' Will you be alone to-night P 1 
 
 < No. The two friends you saw last night may be with me. 1 
 
 'Good. This looks iike business. I will meet you 
 without fail. 1 
 
 The sailor went off, and the Jew continued his jaunt 
 through the town. When nine o'clock came, it found him 
 by the big stove in the restaurant. There were several 
 other customers there, but he held aloof from them, for 
 one had a little before called him ' a dog of a Jew, 1 saying 
 he had no business to be there amongst Christians, and 
 tried to pick a quarrel with him. As a quarter-past nine 
 struck, Captain Blok entered. He was alone. He addressed 
 a few preliminary remarks to the Jew, then requested that 
 he would follow him to his bedroom. 
 
 'What is your name, Jew P 1 asked Blok, as he shut the 
 door. 
 
 ' Nikolai — Israel Nikolai. 1 
 
 ' Are you a Russian P 1 
 
 ' I was born in Poland, but have been trading in 
 Constantinople and the Levant for many years. 1
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 187 
 
 ' You are good for a deal in a big way ?' 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' And can be secret ?' 
 
 ' As the grave. 1 
 
 At this point the door opened, and Blok's companions 
 of the previous night entered. They looked at Blok in- 
 quiringly, then at the Jew suspiciously. 
 
 ' He's right, 1 said Blok. Then turning to the Jew, he 
 continued : ' Now look here, Israel Nikolai, you say you 
 can command money ?' 
 
 ' Yes, to any extent.' 
 
 ' Very well ; now, we've got some stuff to sell, and we are 
 going to take you to see it. The stuff is contraband, 
 therefore you must be careful. And if you play us false, 
 just as sure as God Almighty is up in heaven, your throat 
 will be cut, and your dirty carcase will be flung into the 
 river Maskva.' 
 
 The Jew smote his breast, and wailed out with pas- 
 sionate eagerness : 
 
 'Trust me — trust me ! To those whom I serve, I am as 
 i/J stanch as steel.' 
 
 ' That's right. Now, then, come with us.' 
 
 The four men descended the greasy staircase, and went 
 forth into the street. It was an intensely dark night. A 
 few hazy stars were alone visible in the black sky. The 
 street-lamps in that part were very poor affairs, and gave 
 but little light. The four proceeded for a short distance ; 
 then Blok said : 
 
 ' Nikolai, before we go any further, you must let us 
 blindfold you.' 
 
 The Jew protested, but at last yielded, and a thick scarf 
 was bound about his eyes. Then one of the men took his 
 hand and led him. They walked along in silence for quite 
 half an hour, until, by the sound of flowing water, the Jew 
 knew he was near the river. A halt was made. There 
 was the grating of keys in a lock, a door was opened, and 
 Israel was led forward into a passage, while the door was 
 locked and barred. He was then taken down a flight of 
 stairs, where the bandage was removed from his eyes, and
 
 188 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 a light was procured. He found himself in a cellar, with 
 an arched brick roof, from which water dripped, while the 
 floor of red brick was slimy and foul. The place was 
 furnished with a single trestle table and a stool or two. 
 In one corner was a large trunk, bound with cowhide. 
 This was opened, and some bundles lifted out, placed on 
 the table, and untied, and there were revealed to the won- 
 dering Jew heaps of precious stones, including diamonds, 
 rubies, amethysts, pearls, sapphires, turquoises. At the 
 sight of the gems the Jew rubbed his hands together, and 
 his eyes glistened with almost unnatural brilliancy. 
 
 ' Father Abraham P he exclaimed. ' What wealth ! 
 what a fortune ! Are they all real ? Let me feel them ; 
 let me examine them. 1 
 
 Blok so held the lamp that its rays were thrown full on 
 to the heaps of gems, and the three men watched the Jew"^ 
 every movement. He examined the stones carefully, picked 
 out some of the finest, weighing them in his hands, holding 
 them close to the light so as to see them better, then 
 placing them in little heaps. 
 
 A full hour was spent in this way. But few remarks 
 were made, though every now and again the Jew broke 
 into an exclamation of delight. At length Blok asked 
 Nikolai what he thought of them. 
 
 ' Splendid ! wonderful ! magnificent I 1 was the gasped 
 answer. 
 
 ' Now, then, are you open to trade P 1 
 
 ' Yes. 1 
 
 ' Will you buy the lot ? 
 
 ' At what figure ?' 
 
 ' A million roubles. 1 
 
 The Jew started back with a look of disgust on his 
 face. 
 
 ' It is too much — too much I 1 he almost screamed. 
 ' They are not worth it." 1 
 
 ' You lie, you dog I 1 put in one of the young men. 
 ' You know they are worth a good deal more. But we 
 want to sell them quickly, and you shall have them as a 
 bargain for a million roubles.''
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 189 
 
 Nikolai groaned, swore, protested, declared by all the 
 fathers that the price was outrageous, and at last, when he 
 had exhausted himself, he wound up by offering seventy- 
 five thousand roubles for the lot. After much haggling, 
 the three men agreed to take the price, and Nikolai said 
 he would 20 next dav to the Bank of Moscow, to which 
 he had letters, and draw the money, and it was arranged 
 that the four men were to meet the following night out- 
 side of the restaurant, and proceed again to the cellar, 
 where the monev would be exchanged for the jewels. And 
 Blok added : 
 
 ' As soon as the bargain's completed, you had better 
 clear out. You can travel with me to Azov, if you like, 
 and ril give vou a cheap passage to Constantinople. 1 
 
 The Jew turned to Blok, with a glance full of meaning, 
 and replied : 
 
 ' I may sail with you, but 111 send my jewels a safer 
 way. 1 
 
 The business, so far, being concluded, Nikolai was once 
 more blindfolded. The lamp was extinguished, and they 
 all left the house together. After going some distance, 
 the bandage was removed from the Jew's eyes. The two 
 young men went away, and Blok and Israel continued 
 their walk to their lodgings. 
 
 The following morning Nikolai told Blok that he was 
 going to the bank to arrange about the money, but that 
 the deal would have to take place that evening in their 
 bedroom at the cafe, as he would not trust himself with 
 them in the cellar with so much money about him. To 
 this Blok answered that the transaction would have to be 
 arranged in the cellar, that everything would be perfectly 
 square and fair. 
 
 Reluctantly the Jew yielded, and went away. He met 
 the captain again in the evening at the restaurant, and 
 Blok anxiously inquired if he had got the money, where- 
 upon the Jew pulled from a deep pocket inside his vest 
 a bundle of notes, the sight of which caused the captain's 
 eyes to sparkle. 
 
 A little later they set off, being met on the route by the
 
 190 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 two young men. Nikolai resolutely declined to be blind- 
 folded again. He said there was no necessity for it. He 
 also warned his companions that he was well armed, and 
 was prepared to resent any treachery. They laughed, and 
 said he was a fool not to see that they were anxious to 
 trade, and not likely to offer violence, which would imperil 
 their own safety. 
 
 The house by the river was at last reached. It had 
 formerly been a store of some sort, but had apparently 
 long been untenanted, and was falling into decay. One of 
 the young men had inserted the key into the lock of the 
 door, and was about to turn it, when a whistle was blown, 
 and almost as if it was by magic the four found themselves 
 surrounded by armed men, who seemed to come through 
 the earth. Before they could offer the slightest resistance, 
 Blok and the two young men were seized and ironed, and a 
 guard set over them. Then a police officer, the Jew, and 
 three or four other men, entered the premises, descended 
 to the cellar, and, having ascertained that the gems were 
 in the trunk, they bore the trunk out, and placed it on a 
 cart that was in readiness, and under a strong escort the 
 stolen jewels were conveyed to the Treasury, where several 
 high officials were waiting to receive them ; and Blok and 
 his companions realized that they had been tricked, 
 trapped, and betrayed by the ' dog of a Jew, 1 who was 
 none other than Danevitch. 
 
 He says it was one of the proudest moments of his life, 
 for his part had been played with consummate art, and his 
 triumph was complete. It remains now to explain how he 
 managed to get on the track of his men, and net them so 
 cleverly. 
 
 After his interview with Anna Ivanorna, he began to 
 think that she could throw some light on the mystery if 
 she liked, and he had her shadowed. He ascertained from 
 Lydia that Ivanorna had a son about five-and-twenty. 
 He had paid court to Lydia, but she did not like him. A 
 few months before the robbery this young man had spent 
 a fortnight with his mother during the temporary absence 
 of General Kuntzler. His mother was blindly devoted to
 
 THE CROWN JEWELS 191 
 
 him, although he was known to be an idle, dissolute vaga- 
 bond. He had been well educated, and had once held a 
 position in the Post Office, but had been discharged for 
 some irregularity. His name was Peter, and one night, 
 some days after the robbery, he and his mother were 
 seen to meet in a lonely part of the suburbs. 
 
 From that moment a close watch was kept on Peter's 
 movements, and it was ascertained that he was associated 
 with another young man, called Maiefski. They were 
 always together, and in a little while were joined by Blok, 
 who was Peter's half-cousin. The old disused store on the 
 banks of the river was taken in Maiefski's name, ostensibly 
 to store grain there ; but little by little the gems from 
 the stolen articles, which were ruthlessly broken up, 
 were conveyed from a house in the Kremlin which 
 Peter rented to the place on the river bank. 
 
 Blok had secured lodgings in the miserable restaurant in 
 the poor quarter of the earthen city, as he hoped thereby 
 to escape attracting any notice. At this restaurant the 
 three rascals were in the habit of meeting. Then it was 
 that Danevitch, being sure of his ground, assumed so 
 successfully the role of the Jew. 
 
 On the* night when he and Captain Blok staggered up 
 to the latters room, Danevitch was perfectly sober, 
 although he assumed the gait and manner of an intoxi- 
 cated person. When Blok had gone to sleep, Danevitch 
 searched his person, and in a pocket-book found letters of 
 a most compromising character. They seemed to show 
 that the first idea was that the three men were to travel 
 singly to Azov, each man carrying as many of the gems as 
 he could without causing suspicions. They were to be 
 deposited on Blok's vessel, and when all was ready Blok 
 and his companions were to sail away to Constantinople, 
 where thev hoped to dispose of the gems, but if not, they 
 were to take a journey to Persia, where precious stones could 
 always be sold. 
 
 The appearance of the Jew on the scene altered their 
 plans, and they thought if they could only get him to buy 
 them their risk would be greatly lessened, and the moment
 
 192 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 they touched the money they were prepared to clear out, 
 and seek safetv in some other country. Their little 
 scheme, however, was entirely frustrated, thanks to the 
 cleverness of Danevitch. 
 
 At Peter's lodgings the battered gold of the stolen 
 property was found, but ultimately the Polish crown was 
 restored almost to its original state, and may still be seen 
 in the museum at Moscow. 
 
 As the plot of the robbery was gradually unfolded, it 
 was proved that Anna Ivanorna was the victim of her 
 perfidious son. She was a weak, rather stupid woman — 
 at any rate, where he was concerned — and she fell a victim 
 to his wiles and wickedness. If she did not actually assist 
 him, she shut her eyes while he made wax impressions of 
 various keys, and on the night of the robbery she unques- 
 tionably helped him and his companion, Maiefski, who was 
 secretly admitted. It is possible that, when Kuntzler 
 heard of the crime, he had some suspicion that his sister 
 knew something about it, and, unable to face the awful 
 shame of exposure, he took his life. 
 
 Neither Maximoff' nor his subordinates had anything to 
 do with the robbery. They were all exonerated after a 
 most exhaustive investigation, which led to the conviction 
 of the guilty parties, who, with the exception of Anna, 
 were sent to the Siberian mines for life. She was con- 
 demned to ten years 1 incarceration in the prison fortress 
 of Schlusselburg. That was practically a living death.
 
 THE STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET 
 TREATY. 
 
 ' I received orders, 1 says Danevitch, ' to proceed without 
 delay to the official residence in St. Petersburg of Prince 
 Ignatof,* who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs. He 
 had the reputation of being one of the most powerful 
 Ministers who had ever held the position in Russia. It 
 was said of him, as it used to be said of Bismarck, that he 
 was a man of blood and iron. He was dead to emotion ; 
 he had no nerves ; he was pitiless ; he was anti-evervthing 
 that wasn't Russian ; but he was also a born diplomatist — 
 clever, brilliant, unscrupulous, far-seeing, polished as a 
 rapier, and as deadly as a rapier when occasion called 
 for it. 
 
 ' Such was the common report about him, and no doubt 
 it was, in the main, true. He was a widower, with one 
 grown-up daughter. There was a deadly feud, however, 
 between them, and he had disowned her, as she had chosen 
 to marrv against his will, and very much beneath her, as 
 her father averred. Her husband was in the consular 
 service. His name was Kasin ; he was a member of a 
 middle-class family who had made money in trade ; but 
 Kasin himself was said to be poor, and almost entirely 
 dependent upon his salary. 
 
 ' These facts were common property, and naturally it 
 must have caused the Prince great annoyance to know that 
 
 * This name is a fictitious one, for obvious reasons, but the 
 incidents related in the story are well authenticated. 
 
 18
 
 194 MICHAEL DANFYITCH 
 
 his daughter s name was in everyone's mouth, and that she 
 was vulgarly referred to as the wife of a poor devil of a 
 consul, who found it difficult to rub two roubles together. 
 Caste is very strong in Russia, and the line of demarca- 
 tion separating class from class is exceedingly well defined. 
 
 ' The Prince was an utter stranger to me ; I had heard 
 much about him, but had never seen him. On being 
 ushered into his bureau, I beheld a small-made, delicate- 
 looking man, with a remarkable and striking face. The 
 mouth was small and firm ; the nose prominent ; the eyes 
 deep-set, and of exceptional brilliancy ; the eyebrows were 
 thin, but well defined ; and the forehead, in proportion to 
 the small, sharply-cut features, seemed enormous. He was 
 slightly bald in front, and such hair as he had was turning 
 gray. His face was clean-shaven. When his lips parted, 
 he revealed a splendid set of teeth, absolutely without 
 a flaw. 
 
 ' As I looked upon this remarkable man, everything I had 
 heard about his personal character seemed to me to be 
 more than confirmed. It was impossible to study the 
 mouth without feeling that it was capable of uttering 
 cruel, cutting, bitter things. It was no less impossible 
 not to understand that the small, brilliant eyes could peer 
 into men's brains, and almost read their secret thoughts. 
 Every line of his face, every feature, every glance, indicated 
 an iron, a relentless, will ; and when he spoke, the smooth, 
 incisive tones confirmed this. His hands were small, well- 
 shaped, but sinewy, as were his wrists. This was no doubt 
 due to many years 1 practice with the sword and the foil. 
 He was a noted swordsman, had fought many duels, and 
 had always succeeded in either severely wounding or killing 
 his man. Physically and mentally he could be a deadly 
 antagonist ; one glance at him was sufficient to determine 
 that fact, for fact it was. 
 
 ' He was perusing a document as I entered. He glanced 
 over the edge of the paper, motioned me to be seated, and 
 went on reading. 
 
 ' For ten minutes the silence was unbroken, save for the 
 rustle of the paper as he turned over the leaves. Only a
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 195 
 
 man of very pronounced characteristics could have remained 
 silent so long under such circumstances. 
 
 ' He finished his manuscript, folded it up, and placed it 
 in a safe. Then he condescended to address me. 
 
 ' " You have the reputation of being able to unravel 
 mysteries when other men fail r" he commenced. 
 
 ' I could only bow to this. 
 
 4 He drew an elegant little penknife from his pocket, 
 and began to trim his nails, but I noted that all the time 
 his piercing eyes were fixed on me. 
 
 ' " You are reliable ?" was his next remark. 
 
 ' It was put in the form of a question. In other men 
 the remark might have seemed commonplace. Coming 
 from the Prince's lips, it was full of meaning; it even 
 covered a menace. That is to say, it carried with it the 
 implication, " Woe betide you if you are not !" 
 
 4 " If I were otherwise,"" I answered, 4 ' I should not occupy 
 the position I do. 11 
 
 444 True," he replied. "Now, the matter in which I am 
 going to enlist your services is a delicate one." 
 
 4 He paused, and fixed his eyes upon me again, and toyed 
 daintily with the penknife. 
 
 4 " I* have had to do with many delicate cases," I 
 said. 
 
 4 44 Ah ! And have been successful ?" 
 
 4 " More frequently than not." 
 
 4 " You've been employed in Government business 
 before ?"" 
 
 4 44 Yes,"" I answered shortly, as I felt somewhat annoyed 
 at the manner in which he put his questions. 
 
 4 " I am impressed with you," he was good enough 
 to say. 
 
 k I returned no answer to that, merely making a very 
 formal motion of the head. 
 
 4 " Our little introduction places us en rapport with each 
 other," he continued, closing the blade of his penknife with 
 a snap. Even this remark was pregnant with meaning. 
 It really meant that he understood me, or believed that he 
 did. "And now I will tell vou the business." 
 
 13—2
 
 196 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' He had been standing up to this moment, but here he 
 seated himself, crossed his legs, and thrust his hands into 
 his pockets. To the ordinary observer he would have 
 appeared as the most unconcerned person in the world, but 
 I could not fail to see that he was a master in the art of 
 restraint. It was not difficult to determine that, beneath 
 the cold, passionless, immobile face was tremendous 
 anxiety, and a suppressed nervous energy, that could 
 only be kept in subjection by extraordinary will-power. 
 
 ' " A special, confidential, and trusted courier,' 1 he 
 continued, " arrived here yesterday afternoon, and placed 
 in my hands the draft of a secret treaty of the very 
 greatest importance.'''' 
 
 ' Here he paused again, and looked at me in his peculiar 
 manner, as if he was trying to thoroughly understand how 
 I was affected by the information he was giving me. Or, 
 on the other hand, it might have been that he had not 
 quite made up his mind whether or not I was a fit and 
 proper person to be entrusted with State business of such 
 a momentous nature. 
 
 ' " Pray proceed, Prince,*" I said, with the greatest 
 unconcern. 
 
 ' "Bah f 1 he muttered, almost inaudibly, allowing irrita- 
 tion to display itself for a brief instant. His irritation 
 arose, I inferred, because he failed to read me as easily as 
 he imagined he could do. Perhaps that was not quite the 
 case, but it was something of the kind. The exclamation 
 had scarcely left his lips when he broke into a smile — a cold, 
 cynical smile, but full of meaning. " That draft has been 
 stolen, - " he added abruptly, and watched to see what effect 
 that announcement would have upon me. 
 ' But I merely said : 
 ' " I anticipated that."" 
 1 " Why ?" he asked sharply. 
 ' " By your maimer, Prince. 1 ' 
 ' He smiled again, and said caustically : 
 ' " I didn't know 1 was so shallow, and could be so easily 
 fathomed. But pardon me ; 1 had forgotten for the 
 moment that you are a master in your craft. We shall
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 197 
 
 get on together. Yes, you are clever ; the draft has been 
 stolen. What that means you will better understand when I 
 tell vou that it may possibly plunge this country into war." 
 
 ' " I recognise the seriousness of the matter, Prince," I 
 said, " and, seeing how very serious it is, I would suggest 
 that there should be no restraint, no reserve. If I am to 
 be of use, I must not only have a free hand, but be trusted 
 absolutely." 
 
 '"You are right, you are right," he replied quickly. 
 " Rut the whole business is fraught with such terrible 
 potentialities that extreme caution is needed." 
 
 ' He rose, and paced up and down for some moments, 
 still keeping his hands in his pockets. His face betrayed 
 no agitation, but his manner did. Nevertheless, his self- 
 restraint was very remarkable. I waited for him to continue 
 the conversation, and presently he stopped and faced me. 
 
 ' " Ah, yes !" he said, speaking in an absorbed way. 
 " Well, these are the particulars : The courier, who had 
 been travelling night and day, arrived, as I have already 
 said, yesterday afternoon, and delivered to me a draft of a 
 treaty. Having perused it, I placed it in a despatch-box 
 and locked the box in that safe; but, notwithstanding 
 the precaution, it has been stolen." 
 
 ' " The box ?" I asked. 
 
 ' " No ; the treaty only." 
 
 ' " When did you make that discovery ?" 
 
 ' " This morning." 
 
 < " At what time ?" 
 
 ' " Soon after eight o'clock." 
 
 ' He did not proceed to give me all the particulars in 
 narrative form, as another person might have done, but I 
 had to drag them from him, so to speak, by question and 
 answer. 
 
 ' " Where did the courier come from, Prince ?" I asked. 
 
 ' " Rul^aria." 
 
 s u 
 
 "Was he aware of the importance of the despatches 
 he carried ?" 
 « " Certainly." 
 ' " You don't doubt his honesty, I suppose P"
 
 198 MICHAEL DANEYITCH 
 
 ' " I don't see the slightest reason for doing so. He is 
 one of the best men in the service.' 1 
 
 ' " Has he been here since P 11 
 
 ' " No. He was excessively fatigued with his long and 
 trying journey, and being relieved of his responsibility, he 
 said he should sleep for the next twenty-four hours. 11 
 
 ' " I suppose you have caused a search to be made ?" 
 
 ' " No,'' 1 answered the Prince, with great decisiveness ; 
 " what was the use of doing that ? The thief who steals 
 a State document of that kind is not likely to leave much 
 trace behind. 11 
 
 ' " Of course a good many persons have access to your 
 establishment P 11 
 
 ' " Yes — that is, to the business part of the establishment ; 
 but my official residence is private ; and this bureau is 
 sacred to myself : no one but very privileged people can 
 enter here. 11 
 
 ' " Do you suspect anyone ? 11 
 
 ' " No. It's a mystery. 11 
 
 ' " But is it clear that, whoever the person is, he must 
 have been well acquainted with this place P 11 
 
 ' " Yes, 11 answered the Prince thoughtfully, as he stroked 
 his chin. 
 
 ' " He must also have known that the draft had been 
 delivered to you P 11 
 
 ' " True, true,'* 1 the Minister responded, with increased 
 thoughtf ulness. 
 
 ' " That argues that he was behind the scenes ; he knew 
 a good deal of what was going on, and was particularly 
 well acquainted with the importance of the treaty."" 
 
 ' " Obviously. 11 
 
 ' " And the document has been stolen for political 
 purposes P 11 
 
 ' " Obviously, again." 1 
 
 ' " Or the thief, being a traitor to his country, if he 
 belongs to this country, was actuated by mercenary motives 
 only, and stole the draft to sell it to our enemies P 11 
 
 ' The Prince fixed his eye upon me again, and answered 
 very slowly, and with emphasis on every word :
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 199 
 
 ' " It might be so — perhaps it is so/"' 
 
 ' " Very well," I said. " Now, Prince, I must ask you to 
 let your mind dwell upon everyone in touch with you, and 
 tell me if there is a single one of them against whom you 
 might justifiably entertain some suspicion.'" 
 
 '"There is no one,'''' he answered, after a thoughtful 
 pause. 
 
 ' " And yet an utter stranger to the place could hardly 
 have committed such a theft ?" I suggested. 
 
 ' " That seems a feasible theory." 
 
 ' " You've no reason to suppose, Prince," I asked, " that 
 the despatch-box was opened on the bare chance of its con- 
 taining; something of value P 11 
 
 ' " No. My deliberate opinion is the thief wanted that 
 draft, and that alone. He is an enemy — a traitor ; and 
 if he can be identified the penalty of his crime will be 
 death.' 1 
 
 ' " If your opinion is right, the thief, of course, must 
 have known the draft of the treat v was there P 11 
 
 ' " Quite so." 
 
 ' " Who was likely to have known it, do you think ?"" 
 
 ' Another long pause ensued before the Prince answered. 
 Then he said : 
 
 ' " Legitimately, very few indeed. It is one of the State 
 secrets. There are many people who come and go here, 
 and an alert traitor might learn much. I see no sign to 
 guide me. Clearly enough, the thief must have been in 
 possession of certain information supposed to be known 
 to this bureau alone, and he has availed himself of the 
 knowledge to purloin a document of extraordinary political 
 importance. Heaven and earth will have to be moved to 
 stop the thief leaving the country ; but, what is of more 
 consequence, he must be prevented sending the document 
 awav, or any abstract of it/ 1 
 
 ' " That is easily said, 11 I remarked, with a smile, for he 
 seemed to me to be underrating the difficulties of the 
 case. 
 
 '"And it must be done, 11 came from him in a tone so 
 commanding, so authoritative, so decisive, that it revealed
 
 200 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the man in his true character. Moreover, his face wore a 
 look of iron determination, and his eyes appeared to glow 
 with a strange, almost unnatural, light. After a pause, he 
 added : " You have the resources of an empire behind you 
 — a well -organized police force, an army of spies, the 
 telegraph system. These things, added to your own skill, 
 should enable you to bring the miscreant to justice, and 
 save the State secret from passing to our enemies. 1 '' 
 
 ' He spoke with a great deal of subdued force, and I 
 could see that his mental anxiety was painful ; and yet 
 there was an outward semblance of calm. The extra- 
 ordinary power of self-subjection which the man possessed 
 enabled him to almost entirely hide the nervous excite- 
 ment which would have entirely overcome any ordinary 
 man. 
 
 ' The situation was certainly a singularly trying one ; for 
 here was a responsible minister of the Crown, who, being- 
 entrusted with a State document of stupendous importance, 
 had to confess to its having; been stolen within twenty-four 
 hours of its coming into his possession. There appeared 
 to have been great carelessness somewhere, and I could see 
 that the Prince was terribly anxious, in spite of his self- 
 possession. 
 
 ' " You say that the document was delivered to you 
 yesterday afternoon, Prince ?" I remarked, for I found it 
 necessary to still question, in order to make clear certain 
 points which were very necessary for my own guidance, 
 and his natural reticence kept him from giving me every 
 detail right off. 
 
 ' " Yes, 11 he answered shortly, as though he considered 
 the question superfluous, for he had already told me what 
 I now wanted repeating, but I intended that the question 
 should lead up to others. 
 
 ' " How long did the courier remain with you after he 
 had delivered the papers into your hands?" 
 ' " Not more than five minutes. 11 
 
 ' " When he left did anyone else come into your 
 bureau P 11 
 ' « No. 11
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 201 
 
 ' " You perused the document, of course ?"" 
 
 ' " I did. And to-day it was to have been laid before 
 his Majesty the Emperor." 
 
 '"How long did you remain here after the departure of 
 vour courier ?" 
 
 < " An hour/ 1 
 
 ' " And you are sure nobody came in during that 
 time?" 
 
 ' " Absolutely certain. 1 ' 
 
 ' " And are vou as certain, Prince, that nobody was con- 
 cealed in the room without your knowing it ?" 
 
 ' The question seemed to startle him, but in an instant 
 he controlled himself again, and, with a cold smile, re- 
 marked, as he glanced round the room : 
 
 ' " I am quite as certain. You can see for yourself 
 that there is no place where a person could conceal him- 
 self." 
 
 k I had to admit that that was so. 
 
 ' " If I have not misunderstood you," I went on, " when 
 you had perused the document, you placed it in the 
 despatch-box ?"" 
 
 "'I did. Roth safe and box were afterwards locked. 
 I locked them myself, and took the keys with me." 
 
 ' " When did yon discover the loss ?" 
 
 ' " About an hour and a half ago." 
 
 ' " Had the lock of the safe been tampered with ?" 
 
 < " Not at all." 
 
 ' " It was intact ?" 
 
 ' " Certainly." 
 
 ' " And the despatch-box ?" 
 
 ' " That was intact also." 
 
 ' " Then, both safe and box must have been opened with 
 kevs that fitted them ?" 
 
 « " That is obvious." 
 
 ' " Are there any duplicate keys in existence ?" 
 
 ' " Yes ; there are duplicate keys of all the despatch- 
 boxes and all the safes in this department, but they are in 
 possession of the Emperor himself. They are kept to 
 guard against any possible contingency."
 
 202 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' " But presumably it would be very difficult for any 
 unauthorized person to obtain possession of them ?"" 
 
 '"I should say that the difficulties in the way are so 
 great that we may dismiss it as being practically im- 
 possible.*" 
 
 ' " That throws us back, then, on the theory that some- 
 body must have got possession of your keys/'' 
 
 ' " There, again, the difficulties are so great that I cannot 
 think it possible. Come with me, and I will show you the 
 safeguards that are adopted/ 1 
 
 ' I followed him out of the room. At the door of his 
 bureau was an armed sentry. We traversed a long cor- 
 ridor. On each side were doors. At the end of the 
 corridor another sentry was posted. We gained a large 
 square hall, where several liveried servants stood. Two 
 came forward, and partly drew aside the massive velvet 
 curtains hung before the marble stairs ; these stairs were 
 covered with massive carpet, into which the feet sank. 
 
 ' On the landings more liveried servants were posted. 
 We passed along a carpeted passage to the Princess official 
 residence, and entered a magnificent room, and thence into 
 a luxuriously furnished boudoir, where a lady sat alone, 
 perusing a book. For a moment she did not notice me, 
 as I was some little distance behind the Prince, and partly 
 screened by the velvet portiere at the door. She jumped 
 up, and was about to throw her arms around his neck, but 
 catching sight of me, she blushed, drew back, and said to 
 him : 
 
 ' " I did not expect you so soon/ 1 
 
 * " I am engaged on some important business, Catarina, 11 
 he replied, a little brusquely. " You had better retire for 
 a time."" 
 
 ' Without another word she withdrew. She was a young 
 woman, about four or five and twenty, and one of the few 
 I have seen whose beauty might be said to be without 
 blemish. Complexion, features, eyes, teeth, lips, hair — 
 the whole figure was perfect. She was ravishing — a 
 woman for whom a man would have perilled his soul. 
 
 ' From the boudoir we entered a spacious and mag-
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 20.'} 
 
 nificently arranged and furnished sleeping apartment. In 
 one corner was a large cupboard. The Prince drew a 
 peculiarly constructed key from his pocket, opened the 
 door, and flung it back, remarking as he did so : 
 
 ' " That door is of steel. In that niche in the cupboard 
 all my keys are deposited every night. The door is then 
 secured, and the key of the door, together with many 
 other keys, are given into the charge of the confidential 
 clerk, Vladimir Nicolayeff. He is an institution here, 
 and has been in the Government service upwards of fortv 
 years." 
 
 ' " Does he reside on the premises ?" I asked the Prince. 
 
 ' " He does,*' was the answer ; " and you will now see 
 how difficult it is, with all these precautions, for anyone 
 to abstract the keys.* 1 
 
 ' In answer to this, I could not refrain from remarking : 
 
 ' " And yet, Prince, there is the hard fact that your safe 
 and despatch-box have been opened, and a State document 
 stolen." 
 
 ' He looked very thoughtful and grave as he replied 
 somewhat sternly : 
 
 ' " That is so. And what you have got to do is to 
 endeavour to find out how they have been opened, who 
 opened them, and where the papers have gone to. Please 
 commence your work at once, as every hour's delay is in 
 favour of the thief." 
 
 ' " You must pardon me, Prince," I remarked ; " but I 
 have a few more questions to ask, and you must allow me 
 to work in my own way." 
 
 ' " Oh, certainly !" he exclaimed, a little peevishly, which 
 somewhat astonished me, having regard to the way he had 
 controlled himself so far ; but it was another indication of 
 the anxiety that was consumino- him. 
 
 ' Nor was it to be wondered at, for he himself had hinted 
 that if this State secret was made known to the enemies of 
 Russia it was quite within the bounds of possibility that 
 war might ensue.* 
 
 * This was quite true. The contingency of war was even less 
 remote than the Prince's words suggested. As a matter of fact, it
 
 204 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' No man, much less the Prince, could have been in- 
 different to that, for it was an open political secret that 
 Russia at that moment was far from being in a fit con- 
 dition to take the field against a powerful foe. The signs 
 of the times pointed to a coming conflict at no distant 
 date, and fully aware of that, it was known, or believed, 
 that the Prince, who was intensely patriotic, intensely 
 ambitious, and no less intensely desirous of enormously 
 expanding the Czar's dominions, had been making her- 
 culean efforts to consolidate the Empire, and gain the 
 allegiance, or at least the neutrality, of certain States, 
 without which Russia's aims might, and in all probability 
 would, be frustrated. Bearing all this in mind, the reader 
 will be at no loss to understand how a man like the Prince 
 would be distressed by the danger which confronted him ; 
 for if anyone did know, he certainly did, that the internal 
 weakness of Russia was too great just then for a respon- 
 sible Minister to risk a great war. 
 
 ' By further questioning the Prince, I ascertained that 
 he had a private and confidential secretary, in addition to 
 twelve ordinary secretaries. But not one of them was 
 admitted to the private bureau, where for the time being 
 the State papers were deposited, without the Prince's per- 
 mission. His official business was transacted in another 
 department, and the inner sanctum sanctorum was in a 
 measure sacred to the Prince himself. A sentry was always 
 posted at the door, and he had strict orders to allow no 
 one to enter who had not special business, and who was not 
 furnished with a pass. 
 
 ' Being hedged round with these precautions, it seemed 
 very difficult to comprehend how anyone could have gained 
 
 is now well known that the treaty had been formed between Russia 
 and another country against Turkey, and had Turkey become aware 
 of it, there is little doubt she would have flown at Russia's throat, 
 with results less disastrous to herself than those which befell her at 
 a later period, when the legions of Russia crossed the Pruth, and 
 commenced that sanguinary struggle which entailed such enormous 
 loss of life, the expenditure of thousands of millions of money, 
 and human agony and suffering beyond the power of words to 
 describe.
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 205 
 
 access to the room in order to obtain possession of the 
 precious documents. In constructing a theory, there were 
 many points that could not possibly be overlooked. The 
 chief of them was the all but absolute certainty that there 
 had been a conspiracy, and a traitor and a spy was in the 
 camp. He had known of the negotiations that were going 
 on with respect to the treaty ; he knew that the special 
 courier was travelling post-haste to Russia ; that the draft 
 was delivered into the Prince's hands, and deposited tem- 
 porarily in the Prince's safe, where all documents relating 
 to the Prince's department — that is, political documents — 
 requiring the Foreign Ministers close personal attention 
 were placed for his convenience. 
 
 ' In the case of a document of such paramount import- 
 ance as this secret treaty, no copy of it could be made at 
 first. This was another point the thief was obviously 
 aware of, and it was also certain that he must have been 
 pressed for time, or he would have made a copy of the 
 draft himself, or extracts from it, which it was presumable 
 might have answered ;ill the purposes for which the docu- 
 ment had been stolen. Such a course would not only have 
 prevented the hue and cry being raised, but all the re- 
 sources of a great Empire being put in motion against 
 him. 
 
 'Examining the matter in this light, the question 
 necessarily arose, "Who was there who, having access to the 
 Foreign Office, was enabled, in spite of all the stringent 
 regulations and safeguards, to penetrate to the very centre 
 of the temple — if one may use such an expression — and 
 carry off a secret which was known to comparatively few 
 people ? 
 
 ' This question was, of course, the crux of the whole 
 affair, but I felt satisfied in my own mind about one thing. 
 The guilty person was someone who knew the working of 
 the Foreign Office, was well acquainted with the internal 
 arrangements, and in close contact with the Prince. It 
 need scarcely be said, perhaps, that the Prince was exceed- 
 inglv anxious to prevent the matter leaking out and 
 becoming public property. It would necessarily have
 
 206 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 caused great excitement and grave anxiety, and I agreed 
 with him that on many grounds it was highly desirable to 
 keep it from the public. 
 
 ' There was one other point I ought to refer to, and it 
 is a very important one ; the theft was clearly committed 
 during the night, or, at any rate, after business hours. 
 On the first view that might seem to narrow the inquiry 
 somewhat, though, as a matter of fact, it presented the 
 affair in a more complex aspect ; but, on the other hand, 
 it seemed to me to point conclusively to several persons 
 being concerned. 
 
 ' In setting to work to read the riddle, I proceeded on 
 the analytical principle, and searched, to begin with, for 
 the motive. That seemed very apparent. Firstly, it was 
 a secret treaty ; secondly, it was framed against Turkey ; 
 thirdly, it was conceivable that it was of vital importance 
 to Turkey to know what the treaty was likely to do, what 
 it aimed at ; therefore, somebody' in the pay of Turkey, 
 or somebody as a speculation, had stolen the document 
 with a view to pecuniary gain. 
 
 ' The latter supposition seemed to me hardly tenable — at 
 any rate, not so likely as the idea that Turkey had her 
 spies even in the Russian Foreign Office. I don't mean to 
 say these spies were Turks themselves. As can be under- 
 stood, it would have been next to impossible for a Turk to 
 have gained entrance to the Foreign Office ; but Turkey, 
 of course, had her emissaries, and Russians were to be 
 found so debased, so dead to all patriotism, so lost to 
 every sense of honour, so mercenary, that they were ready 
 to sell their country for the gain of gold. " Of course, 
 black sheep of this kind are numbered in every nation, 
 therefore Russia was no exception. 
 
 ' Everything pointed to the thief being a Russian, and, 
 being a Russian, he also had some connection with the 
 Foreign Office, a connection which gave him the right of 
 being under the roof all night. 
 
 ' It is necessary to explain that the Foreign Minister in 
 Russia is provided with an official residence in the Foreign 
 Office itself; that is to say, a portion of the actual building
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 207 
 
 is set apart for the accommodation of himself and family 
 and suite. An official of this kind keeps up a great deal 
 more state than an English Minister does, and his suite 
 and servants are generally very numerous. 
 
 ' In the Prince's case, there were fewer people about him 
 than usual, for the reason that he had no family. Never- 
 theless, I found that, including footmen, pages, and lower 
 servants, there were forty persons in his menage, and his 
 domestic affairs were attended to and presided over by the 
 lady whom he had addressed as Catarina, and whose ravish- 
 in"- beaut v had so struck me. It is not necessary to refer 
 to her by any other name. This lady had two private 
 maids, and she exercised very considerable influence over 
 the Prince's personal and domestic affairs. 
 
 * At this stage of my theorizing it seemed to me very 
 clear that the miscreant would be found amongst the per- 
 sonnel of the Prince. The consideration of all the facts 
 forced me to this, the most feasible conclusion. But I 
 did not lose sight of the almost absolute certaintv of a 
 conspiracy, because it was hardly conceivable that one 
 person, and one person only, would have committed such 
 a daring act of treason ; for an act of that kind was very 
 foul treason indeed, and in Russia was punishable with 
 death. 
 
 ' Assuming that I was right with regard to my surmises, 
 it would seem that a member of the household had been 
 tampered with ; pressure and temptation had been brought 
 to bear upon him from outside. The temptation must 
 have been great ; heavy payment would be made ; the 
 traitor had been willing to sell his country for blood- 
 money, and I was at pains to try and ascertain if any 
 member of the Prince's personnel had given indications of 
 being in possession of an unusual amount of money. 
 
 4 1 have endeavoured so far to make clear to those who 
 may read this narrative the mental process by which I 
 tried to lay hold of a clue. I need scarcely say that at 
 the outset in a case of this kind one gropes in the dark. 
 There is not a ray of light at first to guide him, and he 
 must proceed cautiously and warily lest he go astray, and,
 
 208 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 while he is straining his eyes in one direction, his quarry is 
 safely flying in another. Seeming impossibilities have to 
 be reconciled with probabilities, and probabilities reduced 
 to certainties. And when a clue, no matter how faint, 
 has once been struck, it must be followed up patiently, 
 intelligibly, and doggedly. There are three golden rules 
 to be strictly observed by him who would succeed in con- 
 necting crime with its author. They are patience, silence, 
 watchfulness. 
 
 ' Human craft and human cunning are very difficult things 
 to deal with, nor can one deal with them at all unless he is 
 deeply read in human nature. In this instance craft of no 
 ordinary kind had to be encountered. The criminal, to 
 begin with, was not of the ordinary type. It was probable 
 that up to this time he had lived a seeming virtuous life, 
 and knowing how terrible was the penalty attaching to his 
 wrong-doing, he would strain every nerve to prevent sus- 
 picion falling upon him. I had necessarily to consider all 
 these little details, for they were essential to success. 
 
 ' Although the Prince bore the reputation of being a cool, 
 calculating diplomatist, who had outwitted every other 
 diplomatist in Europe with whom he had had dealings, I 
 found that in this matter of the stolen treaty he somewhat 
 discredited his reputation ; for he was by no means cool, 
 and seemed unable to enter into the calculations which 
 were necessary to a clear understanding of the course to be 
 pursued if the mystery was to be unravelled. He had at 
 the outset reminded me that I had the resources of an 
 empire at my command, and he insisted on the telegraph 
 being set instantly to work, and the police throughout the 
 country being placed in possession of the facts. I was 
 opposed to that course myself ; I thought it was as likely as 
 not to frustrate our efforts. But, of course, he had his own 
 way, and he soon began to display not only irritation, but 
 decided anger, when he found that I narrowed my search to 
 the Foreign Office, and showed no inclination to go further 
 afield. " It seems to me, 11 he cried warmly, " that you are 
 simply wasting time, and giving the enemy a chance. While 
 you are hanging about here the traitor is making good his
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 209 
 
 escape. Is it not certain that, whoever it is who stole the 
 document, lie is now hurrying to Turkey with it as fast as 
 he can r" 
 
 ' " No, Prince, 11 1 replied ; " it is by no means certain that 
 such is the case. On the contrary, I incline very strongly 
 indeed to the belief that the traitor will be found here 
 under this roof; that he has not stirred away, and is not 
 likely to stir away/ 1 
 
 ' " You are wrong, 11 he said sharply. 
 
 ' " We shall see, 11 1 answered. " I admit that it is highly 
 probable the document is being- conveyed to the Turkish 
 Government. If that is so, we cannot hope to overtake it, 
 and another move will have to be made on the diplomatic 
 board in order to checkmate those who have circumvented 
 vou. Y'our splendid skill in the game will enable you to 
 determine the move. You may depend upon it that those 
 who have entered into this conspiracy to convey valuable 
 information to our country's enemy have well calculated 
 the chances of success, and have taken means to ensure the 
 information reaching its destination. But the key of the 
 puzzle must be searched for here. If we find that key 
 quickly, we may be able to prevent the information reach- 
 ing the Turkish Government ; but it is useless trying to do 
 so without the key/ 1 
 
 ' " Then, you suspect someone in the department P 11 the 
 Prince asked. 
 
 ' " I don't suspect anyone at present, 11 I answered. 
 
 ' " What I mean to say is, you think the thief is one of 
 the employes of the Foreign Office P 11 
 
 * " I think the thief is a member of your own household, 
 Prince. 1 * 
 
 ' He looked at me in astonishment ; then something like 
 a smile of incredulity flitted across his stern face as he ex- 
 claimed, " Oh, nonsense I 11 
 
 ' " Whv do you think it nonsense ?" I asked. 
 
 ' " It seems to me simply impossible that it could be so. 
 No member of my household could have gained access to 
 the bureau." 
 
 * At this I reminded him that, whereas in the daytime 
 
 14
 
 210 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the corridors of the Foreign Office were patrolled by 
 sentries, they were withdrawn when business hours closed, 
 though sentries were on duty all night outside. 
 
 ' " But all communication between my residence and the 
 office is shut oft' at night by locked doors, 11 he answered. 
 
 ' " That only serves to show how very cunning and very 
 clever the thief was to succeed in reaching your room and 
 opening the safe in spite of bolts and bars, 11 I said. 
 
 * The Prince grew very thoughtful. He seemed greatly 
 struck by my theory, and ultimately confessed that he had 
 not seen the matter from that point of view before. The 
 result was he said I Mas to work in my own way, to follow 
 my own lead, and to have an absolutely free hand. 
 
 ' " It is a dastardly business, 11 he exclaimed with warmth, 
 " and even if the traitor were to turn out to be my own 
 brother, I would not hesitate to shoot him, for nothing 
 short of instant death would be a fitting punishment. 1 '' 
 
 Of course, all the resources peculiar to the Russian police 
 system were utilized so far as they could be in a case of 
 this kind. But the difficulties in the way will at once be 
 apparent when it is borne in mind that the fact of a treaty 
 having been stolen from the Foreign Office had to be kept 
 as secret as possible. If the matter had leaked out, and 
 become generally known to the public, the excitement 
 would necessarily have been tremendous, and the objects 
 in view — that is, the capture of the thief and the recovery 
 of the missing document — would, in all probability, have 
 been frustrated. 
 
 It will not be out of place here to explain that in Russia 
 there is an armed police answering to the French gendarme ; 
 then there is a municipal police, very similar to the police 
 of Great Britain ; and lastly there is a vast army of spies, 
 or moucJtards, as the French call them. In this army both 
 sexes are represented, and they overrun Russia. The three 
 branches of the police service are not worked and con- 
 trolled from one centre, owing to the vastness of the 
 country ; and this want of centralization has always been 
 a flaw in the administration, as it is sometimes difficult to 
 bring the various centres into complete harmony.
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 211 
 
 From these particulars, it will be gathered that a great 
 deal must depend on individual effort, for while in the 
 concrete the system may present weak parts and differences 
 that are irreconcilable, in the abstract there is a unity of 
 motion which gives the individual tremendous power, in 
 this way : An accredited Government agent moving from 
 point to point could demand, and would receive, every 
 possible assistance, and the lumbering methods of the 
 bureaucracy would be dispensed with. 
 
 In our own country we often complain very bitterly 
 about the red-tape-ism which so seriously clogs and 
 hampers freedom of movement. But this red-tapeism of 
 ours is nothing as compared with Russia. Russian red- 
 tapeism is responsible for tremendous evils, and it often 
 retards in a painful manner the administration of 
 justice. 
 
 It will now be clear, probably, to the mind of the 
 reader that an individual in Russia, endowed with 
 faculties beyond the ordinary, has a chance of very 
 signally distinguishing himself. This was certainly the 
 case with Danevitch ; and while nominally he was under 
 the control and subject to the authorities in St. Peters- 
 burg, he was allowed a latitude and a freedom of action 
 accorded to but few. His peculiar talents and his 
 individuality begot him this distinction, and while it 
 placed great responsibility on him, it left him so far 
 untrammelled that he was enabled to exercise his indepen- 
 dent judgment, and pursue the course which seemed to 
 him, according to the circumstances of the hour, the right 
 one. 
 
 After all, this was but another illustration of the fact 
 that nothing succeeds like success. Danevitch had been 
 singularly successful, though his success was due to talents 
 only one remove from genius. 
 
 He has already, in his own words, made it plain that, 
 in the case of the missing treaty, he believed, and in fact 
 felt certain, that the culprit would be found amongst the 
 Prince's household, though this did not prevent him avail- 
 ing himself of all the resources of the police department, 
 
 14—2
 
 21 2 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 which of course he had a right to do. But necessarily he 
 was hampered by the secrecy it was so important to 
 observe. What he did was to request by telegraph that 
 the authorities in all the principal towns, seaports, and 
 frontier stations should issue orders for a more than 
 ordinarily strict examination of the passports and papers 
 of people passing out of the country ; that every person 
 from St. Petersburg should be closely questioned, and 
 should suspicion be aroused by his answers, he should be 
 detained, and his luggage searched. 
 
 This is a measure permissible in Russia, but would not 
 be tolerated in England. But in the vast dominion over 
 which the Czar rules it is a necessity, and through its 
 means many a crime has been detected and many a plot 
 frustrated. It is right to say that the seizure of luggage 
 is only resorted to when there is strong reason for believing 
 that the owner is a dangerous person. 
 
 Although Danevitch took the steps indicated, he did not 
 believe for a moment that anything would result beyond a 
 great number of people being seriously inconvenienced, 
 some innocent persons being arrested, and a great deal of 
 blundering on the part of jacks in office, and of boorish - 
 ness on the part of local police, who, dressed in a little brief 
 authority, like to exercise it with all the brutal brusque- 
 ness peculiar to ignorant minds. He relied upon his own 
 methods, and felt convinced that, if the mystery was ever 
 to be unravelled, it could only be done by his own individual 
 efforts. The more he dwelt upon all the details of the 
 case as he had gathered them, the more he was convinced 
 the guilty person would be found to be somebody who was 
 in close communication with the Prince. Workino- on 
 this basis, he classified the household under three heads 
 for the purpose of giving his theory a somewhat practical 
 form : 
 
 Firstly, there were the lower servants of the menage. 
 
 Secondly, the upper servants. 
 
 Thirdly, the body servants of the Prince and his close 
 personal attendants, including his secretaries, clerks, short- 
 hand-writers, and amanuenses.
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 213 
 
 Those in the first category he dismissed from his calcula- 
 tions altogether, since it was so highly improbable that any 
 one of them could have had the opportunities for commit- 
 ting such a crime. Obviously, in an establishment so 
 constituted as the official residence of the Prince was, an 
 inferior servant could not have gained access to the Prince's 
 private rooms without running the gauntlet of many 
 vigilant eyes, and incurring so much risk as to make it all 
 but impossible that he could succeed. 
 
 Those who fell into the second category were not passed 
 over without a little more consideration and a critical 
 examination of the possibilities which were presented, when 
 they were weighed individually and collectively. But 
 when all this had been done, Danevitch scored them off 
 the slate, too, and the sphere of his inquiry was so far 
 narrowed. 
 
 In the third category there were necessarily included 
 persons of intelligence which ranked higher than that to 
 be found in the other two. But, as Danevitch progressed 
 with the working out of his theory, he deemed it impor- 
 tant to subdivide this third category, because his investiga- 
 tions made it clear that only a few of these individuals 
 were so situated as to have the chance of abstracting the 
 document. 
 
 Let it be distinctly borne in mind that the paper was in 
 a despatch-box, locked. The despatch-box was in a safe, 
 locked. The safe was in the Prince's private bureau, 
 where none but the privileged were allowed to enter, and 
 the door of which was also locked. Now, then, let it be 
 still further remembered that the keys necessary to open the 
 door of the safe and the despatch-box were kept in a safe 
 in the Prince's bedroom, and the key of that safe was one 
 of a number which every night were given into the custody 
 of Vladimir Nieolayefr', the Clerk of the Kevs. 
 
 There was another point which had to be very closely 
 considered. It was this : the person who stole the docu- 
 ment must have known it was there. He could not have 
 known it was there if he had not occupied a position 
 which enabled him to learn a good deal of what was going
 
 214 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 on ; but as it could not be supposed for a moment that a 
 Minister like the Prince would have lightly made a confi- 
 dant of an inferior and irresponsible person, it was difficult 
 to believe that the crime was the work of one individual ; 
 and here again Uanevitch had to build up a theory, which 
 he did as follows : 
 
 A was in possession of a secret that a draft treaty was 
 being conveyed from Bulgaria to Russia, and would reach 
 the Prince at a certain hour on a certain day, and for 
 political or mercenary motives imparted the information to 
 B, who, probably for political motives only, wished to 
 make it known to the Government of the country against 
 which the treaty was framed. B had to fall back upon C 
 to procure the keys, without which the documents could 
 not be carried off. 
 
 Here at once a conspiracy was suggested, and, a con- 
 spiracy admitted, it was impossible to dismiss the courier 
 and Vladimir Nicolayeff from it. These two men, of 
 course, represented extremes of position. The courier, 
 whose name was Boruff, was a trusted and confidential 
 Government officer of good birth and high social position. 
 Nicolayeff, on the other hand, was a porter— a trusted 
 servant, it was true, but a servant of humble origin and 
 low rank. His services, if they had been given and used, 
 must have been bought ; that is, he had been corrupted, 
 tempted from his allegiance by money. Next, the third 
 or middle person had to be considered. What position 
 did he occupy ? It was not easy to answer that beyond 
 saying it was obviously someone very close to the 
 Prince. 
 
 Having arranged these various points, and set them 
 forth in their order, he felt satisfied that his theory was 
 a feasible one, and, if acted upon, was more likely to' yield 
 results than the search-for-the-needle-in-the-bottle-of-hay 
 process of stopping people at the frontiers. At any rate, 
 while that process was being carried out, Danevitch pro- 
 ceeded on his own lines, and his first step was directed to 
 learning some particulars about Boruff. 
 
 In age the courier verged on forty. He had been in the
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 215 
 
 Government service for fifteen years. Every confidence 
 was reposed in him, and he was greatly respected. He 
 had been engaged on cornier duty for something; like 
 four years, ana had made many journeys between Turkey 
 and Russia. Formerly he had been a confidential clerk at 
 the Russian Consulate at Smyrna. 
 
 He was a married man, and had four children, but lived 
 apart from his family. There had been serious disagree- 
 ments between him and his wife, owing, so it was stated, 
 to his infatuation for another lady, which had led to 
 all sorts of complications, difficulties, and domestic jars. 
 These, of course, were purely family matters, and had not 
 affected his Government position, as it was considered there 
 were faults on both sides. Boruff was not well off. Such 
 officials are poorly paid in Russia ; and as he was forced to 
 keep up two establishments, and moreover was extravagant, 
 his resources were severely taxed. 
 
 So much did Danevitch learn of Boruff. Not much, if 
 anything at all, to suggest a probability that Boruff had 
 any guilty knowledge. He was a poor man ; that was the 
 worst that could be said about him. But poverty lays a 
 man open to many temptations. Starving virtue is sorely 
 tested when gold is jingled in its ears. It is so easy to be 
 honest when one wants for nothing. 
 
 Such were Danevitch's reflections, and he put Boruff in 
 his note-book, as he says, for future use if necessary. He 
 thought it was just possible that ultimately the courier 
 would prove one of the pieces necessary to complete the 
 puzzle. 
 
 He next turned his attention to Vladimir Nieolayeff, a 
 man of a total lv different stamp. He was an old man- 
 well, that is, he was close on sixty. He had been in the 
 army, and had seen service in his youth, but, having been 
 severely wounded, was discharged, and ultimately got em- 
 ployment under the Government. He had served at the 
 Foreign Office a great many years. His position, though 
 humble, was an important one. In his lodge in the 
 entrance-hall all the keys not in use were kept. He also 
 received messages and parcels, answered questions of in-
 
 216 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 quirers, and pointed out the way to the different depart- 
 ments. 
 
 At this stage Danevitch sought another interview with 
 the Prince, who cast a quick, keen glance at the detective, 
 and asked curtly : 
 
 ' What news ? 
 
 ' None, 1 was the equally curt answer. 
 
 4 Have you entirely failed 'f asked the Prince. 
 
 ' At present I can say nothing. 1 
 
 ' But you have got no clue T 
 
 ' No. 1 
 
 A look of annoyance swept across the face of the Prince, 
 and he shrugged his shoulders, as if in disgust. 
 
 ' I suppose it is hopeless now to expect any results from 
 your inquiries T 
 
 ' You forget, Prince, 1 said Danevitch, with dignity, ' it is 
 not many hours since you instructed me in the matter. I 
 cannot perform impossibilities. 1 
 
 ' True, true, 1 was the irritable response. ' But tell me, 
 do you see any likelihood of being able to bring the guilt 
 home to anyone P 1 
 
 ' Excuse me, Prince, 1 answered Danevitch firmly, ' I am 
 not given to expressing ill-formed opinions, and, not being 
 a prophet, I decline to run the risk of prophesying. 1 
 
 ' Forgive me, 1 said the Prince ; ' I am afraid I have 
 allowed my anxiety to blind me to common-sense. But 
 the fact is, this loss has preyed upon my mind terribly. 
 It is a very serious affair indeed — very serious. Moreover, 
 it shows that there is a traitor somewhere. If we have 
 traitors about, the State is in danger. Therefore it is im- 
 perative that this matter should be sifted to the very 
 bottom. No time, no money, no patience, no skill, must 
 be spared. The truth will have to be revealed. 1 
 
 ' I would venture to remind you, Prince, 1 said Danevitch, 
 ' that the virtue of patience is one which, above all others, 
 should be exercised in a case of this kind. 1 
 
 The Prince was not indifferent to the point of the 
 remark, and, bowing with consummate politeness, said : 
 
 ' Pardon me, Danevitch ; I have perhaps been hasty.
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 217 
 
 You understand your art better than I do. I have no 
 right to dictate to you. Prav proceed on your own 
 lines.' 
 
 ' Thank you, 1 Danevitch replied. ' We shall get on now. 
 My object in requesting this interview is to ask who con- 
 veys your keys to Nicolayeff at night T 
 
 ' No one. It is his duty to come to me and receive 
 them. But as it often happens that it is not convenient 
 for me to see him myself, the keys are then given to him 
 by my valet — a fine youth named Andre." 
 
 ' Did Andre give them to him the night before last, 
 when the papers were stolen T 
 
 ' No ; I gave him the keys myself." 
 
 ' There is no mistake about that, Prince ?' 
 
 ' None whatever.' 
 
 ' One more question : Did you go out that night V 
 
 ' I did. I went to the opera." 
 
 ' What time did you return ?' 
 
 ' About two in the morning." 
 
 ' Did you note if the door of the safe in your sleeping 
 apartment was closed then ?" 
 
 ' I haven't a doubt about it." 
 
 ' But you didn't try the door ?' 
 
 ' No." ' 
 
 ' Were the keys in their proper places in the morning ?' 
 
 The Prince did not answer immediately. He appeared 
 to be reflecting- At last he said : 
 
 ' Yes, of course they were. I remember now taking 
 them out of the safe myself, and handing them to my 
 private secretary, who proceeded with me to my bureau. 
 There is one point I forgot to tell you at our last interview. 
 When I opened the safe in the bureau, I noticed that the 
 lid of the despatch-box was wide open. It was that that 
 aroused my suspicions, and led to my discovering im- 
 mediately that the papers had gone." 
 
 * But the despatch-box had been locked overnight ':' 
 
 k I am certain of it." 
 
 ' So that the thief must have forgotten to close it again 
 after abstracting the papers."
 
 218 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Precisely so. -1 
 
 After this interview, Danevitch felt more than ever con- 
 vinced that someone in very close personal relations with 
 the Prince had been a party to the deed, and began to look 
 round to see if suspicion could be justifiably entertained 
 against any one of the inner household, so to speak. With 
 a view to this end, he arranged the following plan with the 
 Prince. He was to spend two days at the official residence 
 in the character of a foreign visitor — the Prince's guest. 
 Andre, the valet, was to be told off to personally attend 
 him. 
 
 In due course Danevitch arrived. He was driven to the 
 residence in one of the Prince's carriages, which was sent 
 to the station to meet him. He had a certain amount of 
 luggage, which was deposited in the handsome bed-chamber 
 allotted to him. He was a German on a secret mission, 
 and did not understand Russian. His get-up would have 
 deceived his own mother. He found Andre a smart, 
 intelligent young man, who seemed to wear his heart upon 
 his sleeve. There was nothing whatever in his manner or 
 bearing; which caused Danevitch to mistrust him. 
 
 The beautiful Catarina presided over the Prince's house- 
 hold, but never sat at his table. The detective was a little 
 puzzled at first to understand the reason of that ; and, in 
 fact, Catarina was a kind of mystery, but in a few hours 
 he had defined her position. Ostensibly she was his ward. 
 She was the daughter of a very old friend of his, a military 
 man, who had been killed on active service, and, in ac- 
 cordance with a solemn compact made between the two 
 men, the Prince undertook to be a father to the orphan 
 daughter. That was the story generally believed ; at any 
 rate, people affected to believe it. Danevitch did not. He 
 found that Catarina had great influence over the Prince at 
 times ; but at others he seemed to treat her with coldness, 
 even disdain, according to his mood. Danevitch came to 
 the conclusion that Catarina was, in her way, almost as 
 much a diplomatist as the Prince himself; but he saw 
 signs — trifling ones, but significant to him — that whatever 
 love or affection there was was on the Prince's side. He
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 219 
 
 was sure that Catarina was not happy, but led a lonely, 
 fretting - life in that splendid palace. 
 
 Danevitch went for two days, but his visit was extended 
 to a week. When he was taking - his departure, the Prince 
 asked him if he was any wiser than when he went. 
 ' A little, 1 answered Danevitch. 
 
 ' But is there anybody in my household whom you 
 suspect T asked the Prince with some anxiety. 
 ' Frankly there is, 1 said the detective. 
 ' Who is it P 1 the Minister demanded in a peremptory 
 tone. 
 
 ' Pardon me, 1 said Danevitch, ' for declining to answer 
 you now. But unless I am very much mistaken, I shall be 
 able to give you some valuable information before many 
 days have passed. 1 
 
 In less than a week Danevitch sought another interview 
 with the Prince. 
 
 ' I have a request to prefer this time, 1 said Danevitch 
 after some preliminary remarks. 
 
 ' What is it T asked the Minister quickly, and possibly 
 reading in his visitor's face that he had made a discovery. 
 ' Y'ou have a daughter P 1 
 
 ' Yes, 1 gasped the Prince, who, in spite of his power of 
 self-control, started at the question, and his brow clouded 
 over. 
 
 ' She is the wife of Kasin, who is the Russian Consul at 
 Smyrna. 1 
 
 A cold, cynical smile of bitterness played about the 
 Prince's thin lips as he remarked : 
 
 ' That is an open secret. But let me tell you at once, 
 I have not seen my daughter for years, and never wish to 
 see her again. She is an ingrate. I have cast her forth 
 from my heart. 1 
 
 The Prince betrayed the fact that, though he bore the 
 reputation of being a man of blood and iron, and very 
 likely justified his reputation when it came to matters of 
 diplomacy, he had hidden springs of deep emotion and 
 passion which were capable of being called into play. 
 
 ' I do not wish to probe you, sir, nor touch upon your
 
 220 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 domestic affairs more than can possibly be helped. I have 
 come here to request that you will influence the recall of 
 your son-in-law from Smyrna.'' 
 
 The Prince sprang to his feet, and grasped the back of 
 his chair, and though he tried to control himself, it was 
 evident he was greatly excited. 
 
 ' Good God P he exclaimed, ' do you mean to say that 
 my son-in-law has had a hand in this business T 
 
 ' I mean to say nothing, sir, at present.'' 
 
 4 But your request carries with it an accusation. Re- 
 member the terrible responsibility of that. If Kasin has 
 had a hand in purloining these papers he is a traitor, and 
 the penalty is death." 1 
 
 ' I am aware of that, Prince. 1 
 
 ' The disgrace to me would be terrible. I hate him, 
 but he is my son-in-law. 1 
 
 The Prince paced up and down the room. He was 
 strongly agitated. His pride was wounded, perhaps, as it 
 had never been wounded before. Danevitch remained 
 silent. He had nothing more to say then. Presently the 
 Prince swung round on his heel, and said sternly, and 
 threateningly : 
 
 ' Remember this, Danevitch, not only is your own repu- 
 tation at stake, but the honour of my family. You may 
 risk your reputation as much as you like — it is fraught to 
 me ; but, by the Virgin ! be careful of my honour, or ' 
 
 He suddenly checked himself. Danevitch rose, and, 
 with a cold bow, remarked : 
 
 ' I will withdraw from this business altogether. What 
 I have learnt shall be a locked secret with me. I wish you 
 good-day, sir. 1 
 
 ' Stay I 1 cried the Prince. ' I apologize to you. I 
 forgot myself, but make allowance for my feelings. I am 
 in the wrong ; you are in the right. Forgive me. This 
 matter must go through, let the consequences be what 
 they may. Though my daughter, my own flesh and blood, 
 be guilty of this crime, she shall suffer. My country — 
 Russia's interests have the first claim upon me. Pray 
 proceed. I was the father a few minutes ago. I am
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 221 
 
 Prince IgnatofF, Russia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, 
 again. 1 
 
 He resumed his seat. He was the calm, cold, passion- 
 less, unemotional diplomatist once more. 
 
 ' Now, then, tell me all," he said peremptorily. 
 
 ' At this hour I have nothing to tell you. I am here to 
 prefer a request. That I have a motive in making that 
 request, you may take for granted/ 
 
 ' You want Kasin to be recalled ?* 
 
 ' Yes/ 
 
 ' It shall be done. 1 
 
 4 When ? Immediately. 1 
 
 ' Is it so urgent as that T 
 
 ' It is. 1 
 
 ' Good. He shall be recalled by telegraph/ 
 
 ' I would request that he be commanded to leave Turkish 
 soil in twelve hours 1 time, and to telegraph as soon as he 
 is in Russia. 1 
 
 ' And after that P 1 
 
 ' And after that I will make a revelation to you. 1 
 
 ' So be it. In three days 1 time, call here again at this 
 hour. You will find me alone, and prepared to receive 
 vour revelation. 1 
 
 Danevitch took his departure. That same evening 
 Vladimir Nicolayeff was walking along one of the principal 
 streets. He had been dining at a cafe, and was making 
 his way back to his duties at the Foreign Office. A 
 bearded man suddenly confronted him at a corner of a 
 street, and said : 
 
 * Nicolayeff, what was your reward for being false to 
 your trust T 
 
 ' What do you mean ?" demanded the porter angrily. 
 
 4 Why do you answer my question with another ? I 
 ask how much were you paid for being false to your 
 trust T 
 
 Nicolayeff was agitated and confused. 
 
 1 Who are you F 1 he demanded. 
 
 ' The devil. 1 
 
 ' Then, betake yourself to your kingdom.*
 
 222 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 ' Not until I have clone with you here. Again I ask 
 you how much were you paid for giving up the key of 
 Prince Ignatof s safe to the beautiful Catarina ? Or was 
 it her beauty alone that tempted you T 
 
 Nicolayeff reeled. It almost seemed as if he was sud- 
 denly seized with palsy, and he uttered a strange, half- 
 choked cry as he sank to the ground in a swoon. Perhaps 
 in his superstitious mind he really thought the bearded 
 man was the Evil One. A policeman approached. The 
 bearded man whispered something in his ear and dis- 
 appeared. The policeman blew a whistle, and assistance 
 came. Then Nicolayeff was carried to the station, and 
 when he recovered from the swoon he found himself a 
 prisoner. In the meantime a message had been sent to 
 the Foreign Office to say that the Clerk of the Keys had 
 been picked up in the street in a swoon, and was then in 
 custody. The message was conveyed direct to the Prince. 
 
 Three days passed, and Danevitch again presented him- 
 self at the Prince's bureau. 
 
 ' Have you any news, Prince T he asked. 
 
 ' A code telegram was sent to Kasin recalling him. 1 
 
 ' Is he in Russia T 
 
 ' I don't know. He has not answered. 1 
 
 ' Ah, I suspected that would be the case. 1 
 
 ' I await your revelation,' said the Prince calmly. 
 
 ' It is here, 1 answered Danevitch, as he took a letter 
 from his pocket-book and handed it to the Prince. ' Shall 
 I retire while you read it P 1 
 
 The Prince glanced at the handwriting, and became 
 very agitated. 
 
 ' Yes, 1 he said, ' do. Come back in a quarter of an 
 hour. 1 
 
 As Danevitch went out, the Minister called to the sentry 
 at the door : 
 
 ' He will return in fifteen minutes. In the meantime 
 let no one else enter at your peril. 1 
 
 When Danevitch went back, he found the Prince seated 
 at his desk. His face was almost deathly in its whiteness; 
 but he was calm and frigid.
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY <m 
 
 xo 
 
 ' You arc deserving of your reputation,"' he said. ' You 
 have indeed made a revelation. How did you obtain 
 possession of that letter P 1 
 
 ' I intercepted it. The writer believes, no doubt, that 
 it is now on its way to Turkey/ 
 
 ' Nicolayeff is under arrest.' 
 
 < He is/ 
 
 ' See that not a moment is lost in securing Boniff/ 
 
 ' That shall be done, Prince/ 
 
 ' The interview can end.' 
 
 ' Have you no other instructions P 1 asked Danevitch 
 significantly. 
 
 The Prince understood. A pang of emotion caused his 
 face to twitch, and he turned away. But in a few 
 moments he was the cold, passionless man once more. 
 
 ' I have no other instructions," 1 answered the Prince with 
 equal significance. 
 
 ' And the letter P 1 
 
 ' I will keep it. 1 
 
 Danevitch bowed and withdrew. 
 
 The following morning, early, a closed carriage, drawn 
 bv four superb horses, left the Foreign Offices. The occu- 
 pants of the carriage were Prince Ignatoff and the beautiful 
 Catarina. She was elegantly attired, and looked charming ; 
 but there was an expression of some anxiety on her face, 
 and when she gave certain instructions to her maid, who 
 was to sit with the driver, there was a tremulousness in 
 her tone which was not natural to her. 
 
 The carriage was driven to one of the Prince's country 
 estates on the great Moscow road. It was an old-fashioned 
 mansion in the midst of pine-woods, and the extensive 
 pine-woods round about swarmed with game, fur and 
 feathered. The Prince often entertained large shooting- 
 parties there, but on this occasion he had no guests. The 
 servants in charge had been apprised of his coming, and 
 had the mansion in readiness. 
 
 Two nights later a strange thing happened. The Prince 
 and Catarina were together in their chamber, when a shrill 
 scream resounded through the house. It was a woman's
 
 224 MICHAEL DANEYITCH 
 
 scream. A few minutes afterwards the Prince flung open 
 the door, and rang his bell for assistance. He was pale 
 and agitated. When the servants rushed up, he said, 
 ' Your mistress has been taken suddenly ill. Attend to 
 her, 1 and at the same time he ordered a man-servant to 
 ride with all speed for a doctor from the neighbouring 
 village, six miles away. 
 
 When the servants entered the room, they found Catarina 
 fully dressed, lying on the bed. Her face was ashen in 
 its hue. Her eyes seemed starting from her head. Foam 
 was oozing from her mouth ; her limbs were convulsed. 
 The servants did what they could, but Catarina never 
 spoke. When the doctor came, she was dead. He ex- 
 amined her, and said she had died from the effects of some 
 powerful poison. There was a strange smell in the room ; 
 there was a broken glass on the floor. Before leaving the 
 house, however, he changed his opinion, and certified that 
 she had died from apoplexy. 
 
 Some nuns were brought from a neighbouring convent 
 to pray and watch by the body. Three days afterwards 
 it was quietly and unostentatiously buried in a plain grave 
 in the little village cemetery. The Prince followed as 
 chief mourner. An hour later he was a changed man. 
 He seemed to have grown ten years older. About three 
 weeks later it was officially announced in the Gazette and 
 other papers that Prince Ignatoff had retired from the 
 Foreign Office by the advice of his physicians, his health 
 having completely broken down. 
 
 Some few particulars have yet to be told. The letter 
 which Danevitch intercepted and handed to the Prince 
 was written by Catarina. It was addressed to Madame 
 Kasin at Smyrna. There are reasons why the letter should 
 not be given in cjctenso, but its substance can be indicated. 
 The writer made it evident that Madame Kasin, who was 
 as strongly embittered against her father as he was against 
 her, conspired with her husband and Buroff and Catarina 
 to obtain the information contained in the secret treaty, 
 and sell it for a large sum of money to Turkey, to whom 
 it was of immense value. Kasin, it appeared, had learnt
 
 STRANGE STORY OF A SECRET TREATY 225 
 
 that a treaty was being negotiated ; and though BurofF 
 would not undertake to purloin the document himself, 
 he was heavily bribed to inform Catarina that he had 
 brought it. 
 
 Between Catarina and Madame Kasin a very strong 
 friendship existed. Catarina considered the daughter had 
 been very badly treated. This sympathy and friendship 
 had led to great ill-feeling between Catarina and the 
 Prince, who had threatened to send her adrift. She under- 
 took to abstract the document, but she went to work so 
 clumsily that, as the saying is, she gave herself away. 
 And her incautiousness in writing that condemnatory letter 
 showed that she had not in her the qualities of a trickster 
 and a thief. She told the whole miserable story in the 
 letter, and said that she herself would convey the precious 
 document to Smyrna. She did not mention XicolayefTs 
 name, but Danevitch felt certain that the Clerk of the 
 Keys had been corrupted in order that the key of the 
 Prince's bed-chamber safe should be procured, and to put 
 his belief to the test he accosted the unfortunate porter in 
 the street in the way we have seen. His intention was, if 
 the porter betrayed himself, to place him at once under 
 arrest. He was not prepared, however, for the sudden 
 collapse of the wretched man, who did not long survive 
 the shock and the disgrace. 
 
 The whole matter, of course, was hushed up as much as 
 possible. It was deemed advisable that the details should 
 not reach the ears of the public. It is perhaps needless 
 to say that the Kasins, Avho were ready to prove traitors 
 to their country, never again set foot on Russian soil. 
 Danevitch confesses that he was anxious, if possible, to 
 save the Prince the disgrace of having his own daughter 
 arrested, hence the telegram. He was sure that telegram 
 recalling Kasin would sound a note of alarm to him, and 
 he would take himself off. That proved to be the case. 
 When some months had elapsed, BurofF was quietly packed 
 off to Siberia. 
 
 The Prince when he had sold ofF a large proportion of 
 
 15
 
 226 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 his estates, went abroad — to France, it is said — where he 
 spent the rest of his days in strict retirement. Before 
 leaving Russia, he erected a magnificent and costly marble 
 monument over the grave of the beautiful Catarina, the 
 mystery of whose death will never be solved until the secrets 
 of all hearts are known.
 
 HOW PETER TRESKIN WAS LURED TO DOOM. 
 
 THE FIRST ACT THE PLOT. 
 
 The period was the reign of Alexander II. The time, the 
 afternoon of a day in early summer. The place, an office 
 in the huge building in St. Petersburg known as the 
 Palace of the Admiralty, one of the finest and most im- 
 posing structures of the kind in the world. Its principal 
 front is more than a quarter of a mile in length, while its 
 wines, which extend to the Neva, are nearly seven hundred 
 feet long. In this palace an enormous number of people 
 are employed, including many women ; and here the whole 
 business in connection with the Imperial navy is trans- 
 acted. 
 
 The office referred to was a large room lighted bv several 
 long windows. Running the whole length of the room 
 was a flat-topped mahogany desk, on which were spread a 
 number of plans of vessels, tracing-papers, compasses, 
 squares, pencils, and other things of a like kind usually 
 found in the office of a draughtsman. To give the place 
 its official description, it was ' Department H, Left Wing, 
 Second Floor, Room 12. Imperial Yachts. 1 
 
 It was under the control of a much-trusted Government 
 servant, one Samuel Snell. That was not a Russian name, 
 but an English one. Snell was an Englishman — a Cocknev, 
 for he was born within sound of Bow bells. He had been 
 brought up as an engineer's designer and draughtsman, and 
 was considered very clever. He left his native country 
 when he was three -and -twenty, and went to Russia, in- 
 
 15—2
 
 228 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 duced thereto by a Russian friend in trade in London, who 
 had taught him to speak the Russian language, and assured 
 him that his talents would find greater appreciation and a 
 better market abroad than at home. Samuel Snell was 
 influenced by this, and went. He was fortunate, through 
 his friend's influence, in speedily obtaining employment, 
 and having marked ability, he made his way. 
 
 In the course of time he obtained naturalization ; 
 married a Russian lady, the daughter of a gentleman hold- 
 ing an appointment in the naval construction department ; 
 and ultimately, through his father-in-law's influence, 
 obtained an appointment himself as assistant copyist in 
 the Admiralty Palace. His talents soon made him con- 
 spicuous ; he was singled out for gradual promotion, until 
 at last he was placed at the supreme head of the depart- 
 ment responsible for the building and repairs of the Im- 
 perial yachts. It was no sinecure, but an important and 
 responsible position. 
 
 In this room, on the day and at the hour in question, 
 two young women were seated. One had soft brown hair, 
 bright blue eyes, a delicate complexion, and regular 
 features. She was the daughter of Snell, and was just 
 twenty years of age. Her name was Catherine. She was 
 unmistakably of an English type, though born in Russia, 
 of a Russian mother, and had never been out of the 
 country in her life. Her companion was as unmistakably 
 Russian ; she had dark eyes, black hair, olive complexion, 
 and was slightly older than the other girl. They were 
 both good-looking. The brunette was called Anna Plevski. 
 Her face indicated great strength of character. She had 
 a strong, determined mouth ; intelligence beamed from her 
 eyes ; her forehead spoke of brain-power. 
 
 Their respective positions were as follows : Catherine 
 was a confidential clerk to her father. She had been 
 specially trained for the work, and had held the appoint- 
 ment for over three years. Anna was in another depart- 
 ment altogether. She was what was termed ' an indexer. 1 
 
 The two girls were friends. They had been to school 
 together. Anna had taken advantage of a little relaxation
 
 LURED TO DOOM 229 
 
 to slip into Room 12 to have a chat with Catherine, for 
 she knew Mr. Snell was away ; he had gone down to 
 Kronstadt on official business. But it wasn't for the sake 
 of a purposeless chat that Anna went to Room 12. She 
 had a deep and dark design, as was destined to be revealed 
 at a later stage of this strange and tragic drama. Her 
 own department was a long way oft', in another part of the 
 huge building, and she was at some trouble to reach her 
 friend's office by a very circuitous and roundabout route, 
 anxious, presumably, that it shouldn't be generally known 
 that she had gone to Room 12. 
 
 ' It"s a beautiful day, Catherine, isn't it ?' said Anna, 
 after some preliminary greeting. ' It's a pity you and I 
 are not rich.' 
 
 ' Why ?' asked Catherine, with a simple expression on 
 her pretty face. 
 
 ' Surely you don't need to ask why. If we were not 
 mere drudges, we should be able to taste some of the 
 
 I'll 1 
 
 pleasures of the world — go where we liked, stay as long 
 as we liked, and enjoy ourselves generally, instead of being- 
 stewed up here when the sun is shining.' 
 
 ' Well, you know, money doesn't always bring happiness, 
 Anna, my dear,' answered Catherine. 
 
 ' It may not always do so ; but as sure as eggs are eggs 
 there can be precious little happiness without it.' 
 
 k Oh, I don't know. Contentment goes a long way,' 
 Catherine said, with some timidity, for she knew that her 
 friend held very pronounced views, was unusually strong- 
 minded, and had an iron will, to say nothing of an un- 
 yielding dogmatism, which occasionally, when stirred up, 
 became objectionable, and at times offensive. In short, 
 Anna had an aggressive spirit, and was disposed to find 
 fault with all constituted authority. 
 
 ' Contentment !' she echoed with a malicious sort of 
 chuckle ; ' how can one be contented with a lot that is 
 hard, toilsome, and irritating ? It's not pleasant to realize 
 every hour of your life that you are only a drudge. I ask 
 myself over and over again why wealth is so unequally 
 distributed. Why should it be 'in the hands of the few,
 
 230 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 while the vast majority of mankind are the slaves of those 
 few, and groan and sweat under the yoke of paid labour — 
 for what ? merely to keep body and soul together. 1 
 
 Catherine had heard her friend express similar sentiments 
 before, so that she was not surprised at this bluntness of 
 speech ; but as she herself did not consider she had any 
 particular cause to complain, and as the views she held 
 were not altogether in accordance with Anna's, she ventured 
 to mildly express dissent from Anna's doctrine. It only 
 seemed, however, to arouse that young woman to a more 
 vigorous display of her feelings, and with a pepperiness 
 that was distinctly characteristic of her, she exclaimed 
 scoffingly : 
 
 ' Well, friend Catherine, I can't help saying that I've no 
 patience with anyone who is willing to accept stripes and 
 lashes without a murmur. That's not my spirit. I've got 
 brains, so have you, and yet we are forced to toil long 
 hours every day for bare sustenance, while thousands and 
 tens of thousands of brainless louts are rolling in riches. 
 Ugh ! It makes me mad to think of it.' 
 Catherine smiled prettily as she remarked : 
 ' You seem to have been stirred up to-day, dear. Some- 
 thing has put you out of temper.' 
 
 ' Yes ; I am out of temper. I'm dissatisfied. Why, 
 only to-day an order was issued in our department that we 
 are to work two hours extra every day owing to pressure 
 of work ; but, as you know, the miserly Government take 
 precious good care thev won't pay us so much as an extra 
 copeck, no matter how long we work. I say it's shameful !' 
 'But what's the use of fretting about it if we cannot 
 alter it ?' asked Catherine. 
 
 ' But I say we can alter it. The working classes of this 
 country are the bone, sinew, and brains of the country ; 
 yet they are kept in shackles and ground into the dust.' 
 
 ' And yet, after all, Anna, talent is always recognised, 
 and individualism will make its mark.' 
 
 ' Great heavens !' cried Anna, lifting her dark eyebrows 
 in amazement, while she looked at her friend with some- 
 thing like pitying contempt, ' is it possible that you can
 
 LURED TO DOOM 231 
 
 cheat yourself into the belief that that i.s true ? You know 
 as well as I do that talent and individualism are not worth 
 a rap without influence to advance them. Kissing goes by 
 favour in this world ; and if you've no influence you may 
 starve, while some idiot is pitchforked into power and 
 authority. But, there, don't let us wrangle any more at 
 present. Some day I shall convert you, and bring you 
 round to my views. By the way, I see that our Little 
 Father, the Czar, is to make a yachting cruise round the 
 coast of Finland next month, and that his yacht, the 
 North Star, is to be entirely overhauled and refitted. ' 
 ' Yes, that is so/ 
 
 4 It's a very fine yacht, isn't it, the North Star T 
 ' I should think so. I've never seen it, though.' 
 'That's a wonder. I thought your father could have 
 taken you on board any of the Emperor's yachts." 
 
 ' So he could, I've no doubt ; though he has never done 
 so.' 
 
 ' But you have the plans of the North Star in this de- 
 partment, haven't you ?' 
 « Oh yes.' 
 
 ' I should like to see them. Would you mind showing 
 them to me ? I want to know what this grand vessel is 
 like- 
 Catherine hesitated; ! ut failing to see that she would 
 do any harm by complying with her friend's request, she 
 went to a huge safe, and took therefrom a large roll of 
 cartridge-paper, which she spread out on the desk, and 
 kept it in position by weights at the corners. And then 
 there was revealed to Anna a scale drawing, showing the 
 hull, the sections, the ground-plan, and general design of 
 the Imperial vessel, which was one of several used by his 
 Majesty for pleasure cruises. 
 
 This particular one was then in the hands of the 
 Admiralty for refit and overhaul, and was under orders to 
 be at Kronstadt on the 20th of the following month ; to 
 receive the royal party, including the Czar, for a trip up 
 the Gulf of Bothnia, and along the coast of Sweden, 
 returning by the coast of Finland.
 
 232 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 Anna looked at the plan attentively, critically. Indeed, 
 she studied it ; and having an excellent memory, the result 
 of training as an ' indexer, 1 she was enabled to carry the 
 whole of the plan in her mind's eye. 
 
 She would have liked to have made some notes, but did 
 not dare do so, and so she fixed the details in her mind. 
 
 ' The Little Father's apartments seem very spacious/ 
 Anna remarked carelessly, as though she meant nothing. 
 
 ' Oh yes, 1 said Catherine ; ' but they are all to be recon- 
 structed, and removed from the after-part of the vessel, 
 where they are now. 1 
 
 Anna's dark eyes opened wide, and her ears were all 
 alertness. 
 
 ' Indeed ! Why T 
 
 ' Well, they are in the extreme stern of the ship now ; 
 and as the vessel pitches very much, they are not comfort- 
 able. 1 
 
 ' Then, where are the Czar's rooms to be placed 'f asked 
 Anna eagerly. 
 
 ' A large deckhouse is to be constructed amidships. It 
 will be fitted up like a little palace. 1 
 
 ' Ah ! umph ! I understand, 1 Anna muttered thought- 
 fully. ' Then I suppose that is where the rooms will be ?' 
 and she placed her finger in the centre of the plan. 
 
 < Yes. 1 
 
 Catherine made a movement to remove the weights 
 from the corners of the paper, when Anna exclaimed : 
 
 'Stop a minute. I just want to look at something. 
 All right. Thanks. It's mostinteresting. I wish I were 
 a rich person, that I could have a steam-yacht like that, 
 and go where I liked. 1 
 
 ' You should marry an emperor ; then you would have 
 all you could desire, 1 said Catherine with a laugh, as she 
 rolled the draft plan up and restored it to the safe. 
 
 ' No ; I wouldn't be an empress if I had the chance, 1 
 Anna replied tartly. 'Kings, queens, emperors, empresses, 
 and the like, are all tyrants. There should be no crowned 
 heads. I don't believe in 'em. They are a curse to the 
 world. 1
 
 LURED TO DOOM 233 
 
 'Anna, you surprise me! 1 said Catherine with a frightened 
 look. ' I knew you were peculiar, and held remarkable 
 views, but I had no idea you were disloyal. 1 
 
 ' Hadn't you, dear T answered Anna, with a laugh. 
 ' Well, well, don't take me too seriously, you know. I say 
 some queer things sometimes/ 
 
 Then, suddenly throwing her arms round her friend's 
 neck, she kissed her on both cheeks and sped out of the 
 
 room. 
 
 ***** 
 
 The scene changes. In what is known as the St. Peters- 
 burg quarter, which is situated on the north side of the 
 Neva, is an old and lofty house, not unlike some of the old 
 buildings in Edinburgh. 
 
 The house is let out in tenements, and there is a common 
 stair for the use of all the tenants, who for the most part 
 are working men, artisans, and the like. At the very top 
 of the building, immediately under the tiles, is a long 
 room with a slanting roof. In this room three men are at 
 work, busily at work, though it is the dead of night. They 
 carry on their work by lamplight. 
 
 Two are seated at a bench, which is covered with a 
 miscellaneous lot of tools — pliers, small hammers, pincers, 
 files, tiny saws, screw-drivers, chisels of various shapes, 
 punches, etc. There are also sets of mathematical instru- 
 ments ; and before the men are carefully-prepared diagrams 
 and drawings to scale, and to these the men make constant 
 reference. 
 
 They are fitting together an ingenious and clever piece 
 of mechanism in a small oblong box, lined with tin, and 
 divided into compartments. It is a sort of clockwork 
 arrangement they are engaged upon, and it is intended 
 that the motive power of this mechanism shall be a noise- 
 less spring, acting on a solid brass, notched wheel. In the 
 rim of this wheel are forty-eight notches. The wheel can 
 be made to revolve slowly or quickly, as may be desired. 
 As the wheel revolves, every time a notch reaches a given 
 point, mathematically determined, a tiny, but powerful, 
 steel lever drops into it, and this causes a steel rod, some-
 
 234 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 thing like a miniature shaft of a screw-steamer, to advance 
 at right angles with the wheel towards a partition at the 
 end of the box. 
 
 When this rod or shaft has been pushed forward a stage, 
 the lever rises again, until the next notch is reached, when 
 the same thing occurs, and the rod gets a little nearer to 
 the partition, in which, immediately facing the point of 
 the rod, is a circular hole corresponding in circumference 
 to the rod itself, so that ultimately the rod must pass 
 through the hole into a recess between the partition and 
 the end of the box. 
 
 The object of this will presently be seen. The two men, 
 who are evidently skilled mechanics of a high class, are both 
 young. Neither of them has yet numbered thirty years. 
 
 A third man is engaged in a totally different occupation. 
 He is an old man, tall and thin, with a grave, professional 
 face, small, keen eyes, and a high forehead. He is dressed 
 in a long, dark blouse, and wears a black silk skull-cap. 
 He has a square table before him in the centre of the room ; 
 on it are retorts, crucibles, phials, mortars, and pestles. 
 
 In a retort, beneath which burns a spirit-lamp, he is com- 
 pounding something from which most obnoxious vapours 
 arise, but immediately above is a skylight, which is open 
 to give egress to the fumes. 
 
 The man watches the retort anxiously and nervously, 
 and every few minutes he plunges a small thermometer 
 into the boiling liquid, and then, withdrawing it, reads by 
 the light of an Argand lamp what the figures indicate. 
 At last he suddenly extinguishes the flame of the spirit, 
 utters a sigh of relief, and straightens his aching back. 
 As he does so, one of the two young men turns towards 
 him, and says : 
 
 ' Well, Professor, have you finished T 
 
 ' Yes, thank God, I have, and I am glad. 1 
 
 It seemed like blasphemy that he should have thanked 
 God, having regard to the deadly objects of his work. 
 But the phrase was either uttered carelessly, or he was a 
 fanatic who believed that what he was doing was blessed 
 of Heaven.
 
 LURED TO DOOM 235 
 
 Presently there were three light taps on the door. The 
 men paused in their labours and listened. Then the 
 Professor advanced noiselessly to the door, and gave 
 three raps himself. 
 
 This was followed from outside by two quick raps, then 
 two deliberate ones. Instantly on receiving this signal the 
 professor turned the key, opened the door, and admitted a 
 man, who wore a large cloak, which, on entering the room, 
 he threw off, and a handsome, striking young man was 
 revealed, with a strongly-marked face, and a well -shaped 
 head covered with dark, curly hair. 
 
 It was a face full of intellectuality. The mouth, which 
 was shaded by a carefully-trimmed moustache, was well 
 shaped, but the lower jaw was heavy, and destroyed the 
 general symmetry of the features. His eyes were almost 
 coal-black, restless, and full of fire. They indicated an 
 intense nervous energy. 
 
 There was something — it is really difficult to define it — 
 about the man's whole appearance which suggested the 
 masterful, commanding spirit — the leader of men. And 
 when he spoke, the full, resonant voice, the rich, decisive 
 tones, accentuated and emphasized this something, and 
 proclaimed that he was one to be feared, to be obeyed. 
 Peter Treskin — that was his name — was in every way a 
 remarkable man. And even at the present day there are 
 parts of Russia where he is referred to with sorrow, and 
 spoken of with reverence. 
 
 Peter Treskin came of good family. He was intended 
 for the law, and had studied hard and acquired an immense 
 amount of general knowledge. But somehow he had been 
 attracted to a set of malcontents, who were for revolu- 
 tionizing everything and everybody. 
 
 They believed, or fancied they believed, which was much 
 the same thing, that it was their mission to set the world 
 right ; to alter this and change that, to pull down thrones 
 and set up their own forms of government, which would 
 be so perfect, so just, so equitable, that every human 
 wrong and every human sorrow would be done away 
 with.
 
 236 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 It was the Utopian dream of lotus-eaters ; but fools 
 have dreamed it through all time; they will go on dream- 
 ing it until time closes, and instead of ending sorrow, they 
 will, as they have ever done, increase it manifold. 
 
 However, these men thought differently, and Peter 
 Treskin\s vanity was gratified, his ambition found a 
 channel, his fiery disposition a means of satisfying it ; and 
 as he never played second fiddle to anyone, he was raised 
 to a height, from which he commanded. 
 
 In other words, he became the head of a vast conspiracy 
 which had for its object the destruction of the rulers who 
 then ruled. In short, Peter, at the head of a mob, so to 
 speak, opposed himself to the constituted forces of law and 
 order. 
 
 It is true those forces were not what they might, and 
 perhaps ought to, have been. They were stern, in many 
 ways oppressive, in some respects unjust, and often un- 
 generous ; but Peter Treskin's methods were not calculated 
 to change them. 
 
 It was astonishing, however, how he was enabled to 
 enlist clever and intellectual men of all sorts and con- 
 ditions under his banner, which, figuratively speaking, was 
 inscribed with one word of ghastly import — Revolution ! 
 
 ' Well, friends, how does the work go on V he asked, as 
 he entered the room, wiped his perspiring forehead with 
 his handkerchief, and then, with a quick, nervous touch, 
 rolled a cigarette and lit it. 
 
 ' We've nearly finished, 1 answered one of the two men. 
 ' By to-morrow night the machine will be ready. 1 
 
 ' Good ! excellent ! bravo I 1 said Treskin. ' And you, 
 Professor P 1 
 
 'My part is also nearly completed. It has been a 
 dangerous operation, but will be successful. 1 
 
 The man who spoke was Professor Smolski, a clever 
 chemist, whose researches and knowledge, if properly 
 applied, might have been of immense benefit to the world, 
 and have earned him a niche in the gallery of worthies. 
 But he had ranged himself on the side of the malcontents, 
 and for the sake of his craze he was willing to sacrifice the
 
 LURED TO DOOM 237 
 
 prospects of fame, if not fortune, and to run the almost 
 certain risk of a shameful death. Truly human nature is 
 a mystery. 
 
 The other two men were brothers — Jews, Isaac and Jacob 
 Eisenmann. They were born in Russia, but their parents 
 had fled from Germany to avoid persecution, though, in 
 flying from the hornets, they had encountered the wasps ; 
 that is to say, they had found no peace in Russia. They 
 had been oppressed, persecuted, harried, and their offspring 
 had vowed vengeance. Isaac and Jacob were sworn foes of 
 
 O 
 
 the Government. They were clever mechanics, and their 
 cleverness was used to build up a destructive instrument of 
 death, contrived with devilish ingenuity and diabolical 
 cunning. 
 
 These men represented a large party, which included 
 women as well as men ; but Treskin was the head, the 
 leading light, the impelling spirit. His influence, his 
 restless energy, his ambition, his vanity, made him one of 
 the most dangerous men in all Russia. He seemed able 
 by some extraordinary power he possessed of swerving men 
 from the paths of rectitude into the tortuous ways of 
 crime. He led women like lambs to the slaughter ; he 
 bent even strong men to his will. 
 
 Strangely enough, however, up to the time that he is 
 brought under the readers notice, he had managed to 
 escape falling under suspicion. It is difficult to say what 
 this immunity was due to ; possibly some superior cunning, 
 some extraordinary cautiousness. But whatever it was, 
 Peter was not wanting in courage, and was quite ready to 
 take his share of risk. 
 
 His co -conspirators now proceeded to explain to him 
 the result of their labours and their ingenuity. The 
 empty recess at the end of the mechanical box was to be 
 filled with a novel preparation containing a latent explosive 
 power of immense force. This latent power, however, 
 could only be aroused into activity by the combination of 
 a chemical fluid, and in order to bring this about, the 
 mechanism had been arranged Avith wonderful precision 
 and cleverness. Professor Smolski had produced the
 
 238 MICHAEL DANEHTCH 
 
 necessary fluid, and the two Jews had, between them, con- 
 structed the machinery. At the end of the rod or shaft 
 already described a glass tube, hermetically sealed, would 
 be attached by fitting into a socket. As the rod was 
 advanced by the revolving notched wheel, which could be 
 set to do its work in one hour or forty-eight, the glass 
 tube would ultimately be thrust through the hole in the 
 partition, where, coming in contact with an opposing rigid 
 bar of iron, it would break, and then instantly something 
 like a cataclysm would follow. 
 
 This, of course, only describes the machine in rough 
 outline, and that is all that is intended to be done. Those 
 who are curious to learn the details of the strange instru- 
 ment of death and destruction will find drawings of it 
 preserved in the police archives of St. Petersburg. It was, 
 at the time, the most perfect and certain thing of its kind 
 that man's devilishness had been able to create. And in 
 some respects it is doubtful if it has been improved upon 
 up to the present day. 
 
 Four o'clock was striking- when Peter Treskin stole forth 
 from that recking den of evil designs, and made his way 
 into the sweet, fresh air. Overhead the stars burned with 
 an eflfulgency only seen in a Northern climate. Peace and 
 silence reigned in the sleeping city. The clear, pellucid 
 waters of the Neva glistened and glinted as they flowed to 
 the sea, emblematic of the Stream of Time, which silently 
 but surely sweeps all men into the great ocean of eternity, 
 and obliterates even their memory. 
 
 Man's life is a little thing indeed when compared with 
 the stupendousness of Time and Eternity. The bright 
 stars shine, the rivers roll for ever ; but man is born to-day ; 
 to-morrow he is dust and forgotten. No such feeling or 
 sentiment, however, stirred Peter Treskin's emotion as he 
 hurried along to his lodgings. He was elated, neverthe- 
 less, and full of a fierce, wicked joy, for his designs seemed 
 to be going well. He had that night seen the completion, 
 or almost the completion, of an instrument of destruction 
 which was calculated and intended to strike terror into the 
 hearts of tyrants, and he even believed that the hour was
 
 LURED TO DOOM 239 
 
 at hand when constituted power and authority, as it then 
 existed, would be shattered into the dust, and from its 
 ruins a new order of things would arise, in which he would 
 figure as a supreme ruler. 
 
 Fools have dreamed these dreams before, and awakened 
 with the curses of their fellow-men ringing in their ears ; 
 and then, having died a shameful death, have been thrust, 
 unhonoured and unwept, into a nameless grave. But 
 Treskin was not disturbed by any gloomy forebodings, and 
 having reached his lodgings, he hurried to bed. 
 
 * * # * * 
 
 The scene shifts once more, and shows us Kronstadt, a 
 busy, thriving seaport, arsenal, and naval and military 
 town, at the head of the Gulf of Finland, exactly thirty- 
 one miles west from St. Petersburg. The town is built on 
 an island, and is so strongly fortified that it is called the 
 ' Malta of the Baltic." The greater portion of the Imperial 
 navy assembles here, and there are armour and appliances, 
 not only for repairing vessels, but building men-of-war. 
 There are three great harbours. Two are used exclusively 
 for the Imperial ships, and the third is a general harbour 
 capable of accommodating seven hundred vessels. In the 
 winter no trade with the outer world is carried on, owing 
 to the ice; but during the summer months the Hags of 
 various nationalities may be seen, but by far the largest 
 number of foreign vessels visiting Kronstadt sail under the 
 British flag. 
 
 At this place, one summer afternoon, a man and woman 
 arrived, and made their way to a tavern near the entrance 
 to the general harbour. The woman was young, good- 
 looking, very dark, but her features wore a careworn ex- 
 pression, and she seemed to glance about her with a 
 nervous fear, as though she was in dread of something. 
 The man was of middle height ; he had an iron-gray beard 
 and iron-gray hair. Judging from his grayness, he was 
 advanced in years ; but his step was firm, his eyes, which 
 were very dark, were the eyes of youth — they were restless 
 and full of fire. He carried a leather hand-bag, which he 
 deposited on a chair beside him as he and the woman
 
 240 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 seated themselves at a table outside of the tavern and 
 ordered refreshment, which was served by the tavern-keeper 
 himself. The stranger got into conversation with the 
 landlord, and asked him many questions. 
 
 'Where is the Little Father's yacht, the North Star, 
 lying ?" he asked. 
 
 ' Out there, moored to that big buoy. You will see she 
 has the Imperial flag flying." As he spoke, the landlord 
 pointed to the outside of the harbour, where a large steam- 
 yacht, painted white, was moored. A thin film of smoke 
 was issuing from her funnels, and a little wreath of steam 
 from her steam -pipes. 'She has been outside into the 
 roadstead this morning to adjust her compasses. I see a 
 bargeload of stores has just gone off* to her. 1 
 
 'At what hour will the Imperial party arrive to- 
 morrow ?" 
 
 ' They are timed, I understand, to be here at nine o'clock," 
 said the landlord. 
 
 ' The Czar is a stickler for punctuality, isn't he ?" asked 
 the stranger. 
 
 ' Yes. I understand he is seldom behind time if he can 
 help it. Well, his Majesty will have a good trip, I hope. 
 The weather promises to be fine. God protect him I 1 
 
 ' She is a fine yacht, is the North Star, I suppose ?" 
 
 ' Splendid ! Magnificent ! I once had the honour of 
 going on board by the courtesy of one of the officers, who 
 gave me an order. But she was laid up then, and partly 
 dismantled. Now would be the time to see her, when she 
 is all ready for the Little Father's reception. But that is 
 impossible. No one not connected with the vessel would 
 be allowed on board." 
 
 The stranger smiled, as he remarked : 
 
 ' I am not connected with the vessel, and yet I am going 
 on board." 
 
 ' You are !" cried the host in astonishment. ' Im- 
 possible !" 
 
 ' By no means impossible. I have official business."' 
 
 ' Oh, well, of course, that"s another thing. Well, I 
 envv you."
 
 LURED TO DOOM 241 
 
 When the landlord had "one about his affairs, the girl 
 said to her companion, speaking in low tones : 
 
 ' You are a fool to talk about your intentions in that 
 way. You are simply directing attention to yourself/ 
 
 ' Tut ! hold your tongue ! What does it matter ? 
 There is nothing to fear from this thick-headed publican.' 
 
 ' But you ought to be more careful — you ought indeed,' 
 urged the girl tearfully. ' You are far too reckless. Re- 
 member the tremendous risks you are running — we are 
 running — for if you sacrifice yourself you sacrifice me too.' 
 
 k Are you beginning to funk T asked the man irritably. 
 
 ' No. But there is no reason why the risks should be 
 made greater than thev are. We have a great task to 
 accomplish, and every possible caution should be exercised.' 
 
 ' Well, now what have I done that is wrong ?' demanded 
 the man angrily. 
 
 ' You told the landlord vou were sroing on board the 
 yacht. It was foolish to do that. You drew attention to 
 yourself.' 
 
 ' Possiblv you are right — possiblv vou are right,' her com- 
 panion returned thoughtfully. ' It was a little bit of vanity 
 on my part, but it slipped out. However, all will be well. 
 Our plans are so well laid it is impossible for them to 
 miscarry.' 
 
 ' Nothing is impossible ; nothing should be counted upon 
 as certain until it is accomplished,' the girl said. 
 
 ' You are a nice sort of Job's comforter. Do, for 
 goodness' sake, keep quiet !' answered the man snappishly. 
 He was evidently in a highly nervous state, and very 
 irritable. 'Well, I must go. Be sure, now, that you 
 don't stir from here until I return.' 
 
 ' I understand,' said the girl. ' But, remember, the 
 suspense will be awful. Don't be away from me a minute 
 longer than you can help.' 
 
 He promised that he would not. Then, taking up his 
 hand-bag, he embraced his companion and went out. 
 Making his way down to the quay, he hired a boat, and 
 instructed the boatman to row him to the Imperial yacht. 
 
 On reaching the vessel, he was challenged by the sentry 
 
 16
 
 242 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 on duty at the gangway, and he replied that he had come 
 on official business, and had a Government order. Where- 
 upon he was allowed to get on to the lower grating of the 
 steps, where an officer came to him, and he produced a 
 Government document, stamped with the official seal, and 
 setting forth that his name was Ivan Orion 1 ', that he was 
 one of the naval clockmakers, and had been sent down to 
 adjust all the clocks on board the North Star preparatory 
 to the Czars arrival. Such an order could not be gainsaid, 
 so he was admitted on board, but an armed sailor was told 
 off to accompany him about the ship, and show him where 
 the various clocks were situated. There were a good many 
 clocks, as every officer had one in his cabin. 
 
 The man came at last to the Czars suite of apartments 
 in the newly-constructed deck-house. The sailor paused 
 at the entrance to cross himself before a sacred picture 
 that hung on the bulkhead, but Orloff pushed on, and, 
 passing beneath costly and magnificent curtains, he reached 
 Lhe Czar's sleeping-cabin, which was a dream of splendour. 
 With quick, hurried movements he took from his bag an 
 oblong box, turned a handle on an index dial, and placed 
 the box beneath the royal bed. He scarcely had time to 
 recover his position, and get to a chest of drawers on which 
 stood a superb clock, when the sailor entered, and said 
 
 ST 
 
 o 
 
 uffly 
 
 ' You ought to have waited for me. 1 
 
 ' I'm in a hurry, friend, 1 said Orloff. i I want to get my 
 work finished and return to St. Petersburg to-night.'' 
 
 As he lifted the glass shade off the clock, his hands 
 trembled and his face was as white as marble, but the 
 sailor did not notice it. 
 
 Half an hour later Orloff had completed his task, and 
 took his departure, and landing once more on the quay, he 
 made his way to the tavern and joined the girl. 
 
 ' Have you succeeded T she asked anxiously. 
 
 * Yes. But a sailor kept guard over me, and I was 
 afraid the plan would have miscarried ; I racked my brains 
 trying to find an excuse for freeing myself from him. But 
 fortune favoured me. He stopped to mumble a prayer
 
 LURED TO DOOM 243 
 
 before an ikon, and I seized the opportunity to get into 
 the Tsars bed-chamber, where I planted the machine. It 
 is set for thirty -three hours, and will go off' to-morrow 
 night when the Tsar has retired to his couch/ 
 
 The girl looked frightened, and said nervously : 
 
 ' Well, let us leave here, and get back without a moment's 
 delay. 1 
 
 ' Don't worry yourself, my child ; there is plenty of time. 
 I am going to dine first.' 
 
 He ordered dinner for two and half a bottle of vodka 
 beforehand by way of an appetizer, and, having drunk 
 pretty freely, he and the girl strolled out while the dinner 
 was being prepared. 
 
 It was a glorious evening. The sun was setting. The 
 heavens were dyed with crimson fire. In the clear atmo- 
 sphere the masts and rigging of the vessels stood out with 
 a sharpness of definition that was remarkable. There was 
 no wind. The water of the gulf was motionless. 
 
 Suddenly there was a tremendous shock as if a great 
 gun had been fired, and in a few moments a cry arose from 
 a hundred throats that something had happened on board 
 the Imperial yacht. The air about her was filled with 
 splinters of wood. Men could be seen running along her 
 decks in a state of great excitement, and she appeared to 
 be heeling over to the starboard side. ' Her boilers have 
 burst,' cried the people, as they rushed pell-mell to the 
 quav, while from all parts of the harbour boats were 
 hurriedly making their way to the North Star, as it was 
 thought that she was foundering. 
 
 THE SECOND ACT THE CXRAVELLIXG OF THE PLOT. 
 
 When the explosion on board the Imperial yacht occurred, 
 OrlofF and the girl were strolling along one of the quays 
 which commanded a full view of the harbour, and, attracted 
 bv the tremendous report, thev turned their eves seaward 
 
 16—2
 
 244 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 to behold a dense column of vapourish smoke rising up- 
 wards, and wreckage of all kinds filling the air. The girl 
 staggered, and reeled against her companion, and he, 
 clapping his hand suddenly to his forehead, exclaimed : 
 
 ' My God ! what have I done ? The machine has 
 gone off before its time. I must have set the index 
 wrong.' 
 
 The excitement both on shore and in the harbour was 
 tremendous, otherwise Orloff and the woman would surely 
 have drawn attention to themselves by the terror and 
 nervousness they displayed. 
 
 ' We are lost ! we are lost I 1 wailed the woman. 
 At this the man seemed to suddenly recover his self- 
 possession. 
 
 ' Peace, fool P he muttered savagely between his teeth. 
 ' We are not lost.' 
 
 He glanced round him anxiously for some moments ; 
 then, seeing a boat containing a solitary boatman about to 
 put off from the quay, he said hurriedly to his companion, 
 ' Stop here for a little while ; I will return shortly.' 
 
 She was so dazed and stupefied that she made no attempt 
 to stop him, and he hurried away, rushed down a flight of 
 stone steps, and hailed the boatman. 
 
 After a few words of haggling and bargaining, Orloff 
 sprang into the little craft and the boatman rowed rapidly 
 out towards the Xo?-th Star. 
 
 The girl waited and waited in a fever of anxiety and 
 impatience. She paced the quay — up and down, up and 
 down. To and fro she went. Her face was as white as 
 bleached marble. Her dark flashing eyes bespoke the fear 
 she felt. Her hands opened and shut spasmodically from 
 the extreme nervous tension she felt. 
 
 All the light of day faded out of the sky. A blood-red 
 streak did linger in the western sky for a time, but was 
 suddenly extinguished by the black robe of Night. The 
 girl still paced the quay, but Orloff did not return. She 
 heard the gossip of people as they returned to the shore 
 from the harbour, and from this she gathered that the 
 Imperial yacht had been partially destroyed, and many
 
 LURED TO DOOM 245 
 
 lives had been lost. The prevailing opinion was that the 
 mischief was due to the bursting of a boiler. 
 
 Unable longer to endure her misery, the girl went back 
 to the tavern. The landlord came to her, and asked if 
 she had been off to the wreck. 
 
 ' No, 1 she answered. ' My husband has gone. It's an 
 awful business, isn't it ? They say the boiler of the steamer 
 blew up, and that there have been many lives lost. 1 
 
 ' I heard that half the crew are killed, 1 said the landlord. 
 ' God be praised that the accident occurred before our 
 Little Father arrived ! Ifs a Providential escape. 1 
 
 ' Yes, 1 answered the girl sullenly. 
 
 The landlord asked her if she would have dinner, as it 
 was all ready. She replied that she would wait for her 
 husband. She drank some vodka, however, to steady her 
 nerves, and smoked a cigarette. 
 
 Presently she went forth again, and paced the quay, 
 going back to the tavern after a time to learn that Orloff 
 had not returned. It was then a little after nine. And 
 as the last train to St. Petersburg started at half-past nine, 
 she settled the bill at the tavern, and, taking the leather 
 bag with her, hurried to the station and got back to town. 
 She was full of nervous apprehension, and puzzled to 
 account for the strange disappearance of Orloff. Had he 
 deserted her ? Had he been apprehended ? The suspense 
 was horrible. It almost drove her mad. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 When the news of the disaster on board the Czar's yacht 
 reached St. Petersburg, the consternation was tremendous, 
 and a special train filled with Government officials, in- 
 cluding Michael Danevitch, started at once for Kronstadt 
 to investigate the affair on the spot. 
 
 Several bodies had been recovered and brought on shore. 
 They were laid out in a shed on the quay. The shed was 
 lighted by oil-lamps, and their feeble glimmer revealed a 
 ghastly sight. The bodies were all more or less mutilated. 
 Some were unrecognisable. There were nine altogether, 
 including the chief officer and the chief enoiueer.
 
 246 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 The captain arrived with the Government officials. He 
 had been in town, and was to have travelled down the 
 next day in the Emperor's suite. 
 
 In mustering his ship's company, he found that twentv- 
 three were missing altooether. Nine of that number were 
 lying in the shed. The rest were being searched for by 
 boats. Several were recovered, but some drifted out with 
 the currents and were seen no more. 
 
 Investigations soon proved that the destruction was not 
 due to the bursting of a boiler. The boilers were intact. 
 The cause of the disaster, therefore, was a mystery, until 
 somebody on board, having recovered his presence of mind 
 after the dreadful shock, referred to the visit of the Govern- 
 ment clock-winder. 
 
 That sounded suspicious. As far as the officials knew, 
 no one had been sent down to wind the clocks. But still, 
 as the fellow had come furnished with Government-stamped 
 credentials, it was probably all right. 
 
 Owing, however, to some strange oversight or stupid 
 blunder, nothing could be ascertained then, as no one was 
 at the telegraph-office in St. Petersburg to receive messages, 
 and so the night wore itself out, and many hours' 1 start was 
 given to Orloff and his co-conspirators. 
 
 During this time Danevitch was not idle. He knew, 
 perhaps better than anyone else, how the Emperor was 
 encompassed round about with enemies who sought his 
 destruction, and the wily detective smelt treason in the 
 air. 
 
 Although it was night, Kronstadt kept awake, for people 
 were too excited to sleep, and a messenger was despatched 
 to St. Petersburg on an engine, whose driver was ordered 
 to cover the distance in an hour — a fast run for Russia. 
 The messenger was furnished with a description of Orloff — 
 at this time it was not known that a woman had been 
 with him ; it will be remembered she did not go on board 
 — and was told to lose not a moment in circulating that 
 description. 
 
 Then Danevitch began inquiries on his own account in 
 Kronstadt. From the survivors on board the vacht he
 
 LURED TO DOOM 247 
 
 ascertained at what time Orloff went on board ; an hour 
 and a half before he presented himself a train had arrived 
 from St. Petersburg. 
 
 He had probably arrived by that train. The boatman 
 who took him off to the yacht was found. He said the 
 supposed clock-winder carried a black bag with him both 
 going and coming. 
 
 After his return to the shore only two trains left for 
 St. Petersburg. By neither of those trains did he travel, 
 so far as could be ascertained. 
 
 The sailor who had been told off to accompany Orloff 
 over the vessel was amongst the missing ; but it was 
 gathered that when the clock -winder had gone the sailor 
 mentioned to some of his companions that he had been 
 much annoyed by the stranger rushing forward to the 
 Emperor s bed-chamber, while he (the sailor) was mumbling 
 a prayer before an ikon (sacred picture) which hung at 
 the entrance. 
 
 When he got into the room, he noticed that the stranger 
 was pale and flurried, as if he had received a shock. Those 
 who heard the story thought the sailors imagination had 
 run away with him, and so no importance or significance 
 was attached to what he said. 
 
 The destructive force of the explosion on board the 
 North Star had been tremendous. Not only had the 
 whole of the Czar's rooms been completely destroyed, but 
 a large section of the ship's decks and bulwarks had been 
 shattered, and one of her plates started, so that the water 
 came in so fast that the pumps had to be kept going, 
 while preparations were made to tow her into the docks, 
 for her own engines being damaged, they would not work. 
 
 Soon after six in the morning, the engine that had been 
 sent to the capital returned and brought some more 
 officials. They stated that, from inquiries made, no one 
 by the name of Orloff had been sent down to regulate the 
 clocks on board the Czar's yacht. 
 
 All the clocks on board the Imperial fleet were kept in 
 order by contract, and no special warrant had been sup- 
 plied to anybody of the name of Orloff.
 
 248 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 This information made it clear that a dastardly con- 
 spiracy was at work, and it was easy to surmise that the 
 explosion on board the yacht was premature. The inten- 
 tion evidently was that it should take place after the 
 Czar had embarked ; but the cowardly wretches, by some 
 blundering, had allowed their mine to go off* too soon, and 
 though many innocent people had been sacrificed, and 
 immense damage done to valuable property, the life of the 
 Emperor had been spared. 
 
 It was not long before Danevitch found out that the 
 man calling himself Orloff, and a female companion, had 
 put up at a tavern near the quay, and the landlord gave 
 all the information he could. 
 
 He stated that Orloff told him he was going on board 
 the vessel, and started off for that purpose, leaving the 
 woman behind him. He returned later, and ordered 
 dinner, and then he and the woman went off again for a 
 stroll. 
 
 After the explosion the woman returned alone, and 
 hurried away by herself, taking the black bag with her, to 
 catch the last train. 
 
 This was instructive, but it was also puzzling. It was 
 established that the woman did go up by the last train, 
 but not Orloff. What had become of him ? 
 
 Danevitch took measures to have every outlet from 
 Kronstadt watched. Then he set off for St. Petersburg;. 
 In reasoning the matter out, it was clear to him that 
 several, perhaps many, persons had had a hand in the 
 conspiracy. 
 
 The infernal machine carried on board the North Star 
 by the man calling himself Orloff was hardly likely to be 
 the work of one man. Any way, a woman was mixed up in 
 the business. 
 
 The official document that Orloff had presented was 
 written on Government paper, and it bore the Govern- 
 ment seal. The officer of the North Star who had 
 examined it before admitting the pseudo-clock-regulator, 
 and who was amongst those who escaped without hurt 
 from the explosion, testified to that.
 
 LURED TO DOOM 249 
 
 Such being the case, and the order being- written on 
 what was known as 'Admiralty 1 paper, it followed that it 
 must have been stolen from the Admiralty office. It 
 struck Danevitch that the thief was probably a female 
 employe in the Admiralty Palace, and that it was she who 
 accompanied Orloff to Kronstadt. 
 
 This was a mere surmise, but it seemed feasible, and 
 with Danevitch all theories were worth testing. Whoever 
 it was, in the hurry of leaving the tavern at that town 
 she had left behind her a glove. 
 
 It was a black silk-thread glove, ornamented at the 
 back with sprigs worked in white silk. With this glove 
 in his possession, Danevitch proceeded to the Admiralty 
 Palace. But as soon as he arrived he learnt that Miss 
 Catherine Snell had made a statement about Anna Plevski 
 having visited Room 12 and requested to look at the 
 plans of the North Star. 
 
 Anna was at once confronted with Danevitch. Asked 
 where she had been the night before, she replied indig- 
 nantly, ' At home, of course."' 
 
 Did she know a person named Orloff? No, she did not. 
 Why did she go to Catherine Snell and ask her to show 
 her the plans of the North Star ? Simply to gratify her 
 curiosity, nothing else. She was next asked if she had 
 worn gloves the day previous. She replied that she had. 
 What sort were they ? Kid gloves, she answered. Had 
 she those gloves with her ? No ; she had left them at 
 home, and had come to the office that morning without 
 gloves. 
 
 After a few more inquiries she was allowed to return to 
 her duties, but was kept under strict surveillance, while 
 poor Catherine Snell was suspended for dereliction of 
 duty. 
 
 In the meantime Danevitch proceeded to Anna's lodgings, 
 and a search there brought to light the fellow to the glove 
 left in the tavern at Kronstadt. It had been thrown care- 
 lessly by the girl on the top of a chest of drawers. This 
 glove was a damning piece of evidence that Anna had 
 accompanied Orloff to Kronstadt the day before, and that
 
 ^50 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 established, it was a logical deduction that she had stolen 
 the stamped paper on which he had written, or caused to 
 be written, the order which had gained him admission on 
 board of the North Star. All this, of course, was plain 
 sailing. Catherine SnelPs statement had made matters 
 easy so far. But there was a good deal more to be learnt, 
 a great deal to be sifted before the truth would be re- 
 vealed. 
 
 When a person in Russia is suspected of crime, the law 
 gives the police tremendous power, and there are few of 
 the formalities to be gone through such as are peculiar to 
 our own country ; and in this instance Danevitch was in a 
 position to do almost absolutely whatever he thought fit 
 and proper to do. 
 
 The finding of the glove carried conviction to his mind 
 that Anna Plevski was mixed up in this new plot for the 
 destruction of the Emperor. So, without any ceremony, 
 he proceeded to rummage her boxes and drawers for further 
 evidence. The want of keys did not deter him ; chisels 
 and hammers answered the same purpose. His search was 
 rewarded with a bundle of letters. These were hastily 
 scanned ; they were all, apparently, innocent enough ; the 
 majority of them were love letters. A few of these were 
 signed 'Peter Treskin'; the rest simply bore the initial 'P. 1 
 There was nothing in any of these letters calculated to 
 cause suspicion, with the exception of the following some- 
 what obscure passage in a letter written a few days before 
 the explosion : 
 
 'The time is at hand when your faith and love will be 
 put to a great test. The serious business we have in hand 
 is reaching a critical stage, and success depends on our 
 courage, coolness, and determination. You and I must 
 henceforth walk hand-in-hand to that supreme happiness 
 for which we have both toiled. We love each other. We 
 must unite our destinies in a bond that can only be severed 
 by death.' 
 
 Having learnt so much, Danevitch once more confronted 
 Anna. She confessed she had a lover named Peter Treskin ; 
 they had quarrelled, however, and he had gone away ; but
 
 LURED TO DOOM £51 
 
 she knew not where he had gone to, and she did not care 
 if she never saw him again. 
 
 ' Perhaps you will be able to remember things better in 
 a dungeon," suggested Danevitch, as he arrested Anna, and 
 handed her over to the care of a gendarme. 
 
 She turned deathly white, but otherwise appeared calm 
 and collected, and declared that she was the victim of a 
 gross outrage, for which everyone concerned would be made 
 to suffer. 
 
 Danevitctfs next move was to go to Treskin's lodgings. 
 He found that gentleman had been absent for three days. 
 Here also a search was made for compromising papers. A 
 good many letters from Anna Plevski were brought to 
 light. They all breathed the most ardent love and de- 
 votion for the man ; and the writer declared that she could 
 not live a day without him, that for his sake she was 
 prepared to peril her soul. But there were other letters — 
 love letters — written to Treskin by a woman who signed 
 herself Lydia Zagarin. This person not only betrayed by 
 her writing that she was desperately, madly in love with 
 Treskin also, but from her statements and expressions it 
 was obvious that he had carried on an intrigue with her, 
 and was as much in love with her as she was with him. 
 She wrote from a place called Werro, in the Baltic 
 provinces. Danevitch took possession of these letters, and 
 continued his search, during which he came across a slip of 
 paper which bore the printed heading, ' The Technical 
 School of Chemistry, St. Petersburg. 1 On it was written 
 this line : ' Yes, I think I shall succeed. — Smot.ski/ 
 
 Apparently there was not much in this, but what there 
 was was quite enough for Danevitch under the circumstances, 
 and he had Professor Smolski arrested. It was a summary 
 proceeding, but in times of excitement in Russia anyone 
 may be arrested who may possiblv turn out to be a guilty 
 person. It is not necessary that there should be a shadow 
 of a shade of evidence of guilt in the first instance ; it is 
 enough that there is a possibility of the police being right. 
 But if they are wrong what does it matter ? The person 
 is released, and the police are not blamed. Danevitch,
 
 ^52 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 however, did not often go wrong in this respect ; and in 
 this instance, Smolski being a Professor in the Technical 
 School of Chemistry, there were probabilities that he 
 might be able to afford some valuable information respect- 
 ing Treskin. 
 
 Smolski was one of those extraordinary types of men 
 who, having conceived a certain thing to be right, are 
 willing to risk fame, fortune, life itself, for the sake of their 
 opinions. Smolski was undoubtedly a gentle, high-minded 
 man ; nevertheless he believed that the ruler of his country 
 was a tyrant ; that his countrymen were little better than 
 slaves, whose social and political rights were ignored; 
 that the ordinary means — such as are familiar to more 
 liberally-governed countries — being useless to direct atten- 
 tion to their wrongs, violent measures were justified, and 
 the removal of the tyrant would be acceptable in God's 
 sight. Holding these views — and though he was a family 
 man and one respected and honoured — Smolski had allied 
 himself with a band of arch-conspirators, whose head was 
 Peter Treskin. He was calm, dignified, and collected 
 under his arrest, and when he was interrogated, in ac- 
 cordance with Russian law, by a judge of instruction, he 
 frankly admitted that he had been concerned in an 
 attempt to bring about a better form of government ; but 
 he steadfastly refused to denounce any of his accomplices. 
 He could die bravely, as became a man, but no one should 
 say he was a traitor. 
 
 All this would have been admirable in a nobler cause ; 
 as it was, he simply proved that he had allowed his extreme 
 views to blind him to the difference between legitimate 
 constitutional agitation and crime — crime that, whether 
 committed in the name of politics or not, was murder, and 
 an outrage against God's ordinance. Smolski, in common 
 with most men, neglected the safe rule that letters should 
 be destroyed when they are calculated to compromise one's 
 honour or betray one's friends. And thus it came about 
 that when the Professor's papers were examined, not only 
 were Isaac and Jacob Eisenmann brought into the police 
 net, but many others ; and in a diary he had kept there
 
 LURED TO DOOM 253 
 
 was a record of his experiments with the deadly compound 
 which was destined to blow the monarch of the Empire 
 into eternity, but which, owing to an accident or a blunder, 
 had failed in its object so far as the Czar was concerned, 
 though it had cruelly cut short the lives of many hard- 
 working and worthy men. Under any circumstances, even 
 if the Czar had been involved in the destructive influences 
 of the infernal machine, many others must have perished 
 with him. Such conspirators never hesitate to destroy 
 nine hundred and ninety -nine inoffensive people if they 
 can only reach the thousandth against whom they have a 
 grievance. 
 
 Piece bv piece the whole story as set forth in the first 
 part of this chronicle was put together, and the plot laid 
 bare ; but though many had been brought under the iron 
 grip of the law, the arch-conspirator, to whose ruling spirit 
 and genius the plot was due, was still at large, and no trace 
 of him was at that time forthcoming ; but Danevitch did 
 not despair of hunting him down, of bringing him to his 
 doom. And no one whose mind was not distorted could 
 sav his life was not forfeited. His whole career had been 
 one of plotting and deceit. His commanding presence 
 and masterful mind had given him such an influence over 
 manv of those with whom he came in contact — especially 
 women — that he had proved himself more than ordinarily 
 dangerous, while his reckless and cowardly wickedness in 
 carrying the infernal machine on board the Czar's yacht, 
 and thereby causing the sudden and cruel death of some- 
 thing like two dozen people, stamped him at once as a 
 beino- asrainst whom every honest man's hand should be 
 raised. 
 
 In the meantime, while Danevitch was trying to get a 
 clue to Treskin's whereabouts, his co- conspirators — they 
 might truly be described as his dupes — were tried, found 
 guiltv, condemned, and executed. Smolski, the two Eisen- 
 manns, and four others, were ignominiously hanged in the 
 presence of an enormous crowd. Smolski met his end with 
 a perfect resignation, a calm indifference. He firmly 
 believed he was suffering in a good cause. He died with
 
 254 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 the words ' Khrista radi ' (For Christ's sake) upon his 
 lips. He posed as a martyr. 
 
 Anna Plevski had been cast for Siberia, but before start- 
 ing upon the terrible journey, the prospects of which were 
 more appalling than death, she would have to spend many 
 months in a noisome dungeon in the Russian Bastile, 
 Schussleburgh, in Lake Ladoga. 
 
 But a circumstance presently arose which altered her 
 fate. Danevitch had kept his eye on Lydia Zagarin, of 
 Werro. He found she was the daughter of a retired ship- 
 master, who had purchased a little property in the small 
 and pleasantly -situated town of Werro. He was a 
 widower. Lydia was his only daughter. On her father's 
 death she would succeed to a modest fortune. Treskin 
 had borrowed money from her, and it was probable that 
 he had singled her out from his many female acquaintances 
 as one to whom he would adhere on account of her money. 
 Four months after the fateful day when the Czar's yacht 
 was partially destroyed and many people were killed, 
 Treskin wrote to this young woman, renewing his protesta- 
 tions of regard for her, and asking her to send him money, 
 and to join him with a view to his marrying her. He 
 gave his address at Point de Galle, Ceylon, where, accord- 
 ing to his own account, he had started in business as a 
 merchant. He stated that, though he had taken no active 
 part in the destruction of the North Star, he happened to 
 be in Kronstadt on the night of the crime, and as he knew 
 he was suspected of being mixed up in revolutionary move- 
 ments, he deemed it advisable to go abroad ; and so he 
 had bribed a boatman to convey him to a Swedish schooner 
 which was on the point of leaving the Kronstadt harbour 
 on the night of the explosion, and he bribed the captain 
 of the schooner to convey him to the coast of Sweden. 
 By this means he escaped. From Sweden he travelled to 
 England ; from England to Ceylon, where he had a cousin 
 engaged on a coffee plantation. 
 
 This letter came into the hands of Danevitch before it 
 reached Lydia. How that was managed need not be 
 stated ; but Danevitch now believed he saw his way to
 
 LURED TO DOOM 255 
 
 capture Treskin. He knew, of course, that, as a political 
 refugee, claiming the protection of the British flag, he 
 could not be taken in the ordinary way. The British flag 
 has over and over again been disgraced by the protection 
 it has afforded to wretches of Treskin's type, and it was so 
 in this instance. To obtain his extradition was next to 
 impossible. He was a wholesale murderer, but claimed 
 sanctuary in the name of politics, and he found this 
 sanctuary under the British flag. 
 
 Danevitch, however, resolved to have him, and resorted 
 to stratagem. He visited Anna Plevski in her dungeon. 
 She knew nothing at this time of the fate of her lover, 
 though she did know that he had not been captured. 
 Danevitch, by skill and artifice, aroused in her that 
 strongest of all female passions — jealousy. He began by 
 telling her that Treskin had deserted her in a cowardly 
 and shameful manner on the night of the crime, and did 
 not care whether she perished or lived. Then he laid 
 before her Lydia Zagarin's letters to Treskin, which had 
 been seized at Treskiifs lodgings, and he watched the effect 
 on the girl as she read them. Finally he showed her the 
 letter sent from Ceylon. 
 
 That was the last straw. Her feelings burst from the 
 restraint she had tried to impose upon them, and she 
 cursed him again and again. She declared solemnly that 
 she was his victim ; that she was innocent and loyal until 
 he corrupted her, and indoctrinated her with his revo- 
 lutionary ideas. He had sworn to be true to her, and used 
 to say they would live and die together. On the night of 
 the crime he had persuaded her to go with him to Kronstadt, 
 because he declared that he could not bear her to be out 
 of his sight. They had arranged that on the morrow they 
 were to quit St. Petersburg, and travel with all speed to 
 Austrian soil. But not only had he basely deceived her, 
 but treacherously deserted her. She was furious, and 
 uttered bitter regrets that she could not hope to be 
 revenged upon him. 
 
 In this frame of mind she was left for the time. A 
 week later, however, Danevitch once more visited her.
 
 256 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 She was still brooding on her wrongs and her hard fate. 
 To suffer Siberia for the sake of a man who had so cruelly 
 deceived her and blighted her young life was doubly hard. 
 
 ' Would she be willing, if she had the chance, to bring 
 him to justice? 1 Danevitch asked. 
 
 Her dark eyes filled with fire, and her pale face flushed, 
 as she exclaimed with passionate gesture that she would 
 do it with a fierce joy in her heart, and laugh at him 
 exultingly as he was led to. his doom. 
 
 She was told that the chance would be given to her to 
 betray him into the hands of justice. She would be set 
 free on sufferance, and allowed to proceed to Ceylon, and, 
 provided she succeeded in her task and was faithful to the 
 trust reposed in her, she would, on returning to Russia, 
 receive a full pardon, and be supplied with a con- 
 siderable sum of money to enable her to live abroad if she 
 desired it. 
 
 In setting her free, however, in the first instance, the 
 Government intended to retain a hold upon her, and to 
 that end her youngest and favourite brother, who was an 
 invalid, and to whom she was devoted, had been arrested 
 on suspicion of being mixed up with revolutionary move- 
 ments. If she did not return within a fixed time, the 
 brother would be sent to the Siberian quicksilver-mines. 
 While she was away he would be treated with every kind- 
 ness, and on her return he would be set at liberty. His 
 fate therefore was in her hands. If she allowed the false 
 lover to prevail over her she would sacrifice her brother. 
 If, on the other hand, she was true to her trust, she would 
 save her brother, gratify her revenge, and be provided for 
 for life. 
 
 She was allowed a week in which to make up her mind ; 
 but in two days she gave her decision. She would go to 
 Ceylon. She would lure Treskin to his doom. To prepare 
 the way she wrote a letter to dictation. In it she stated 
 that she had been tried and found not guilty. No sooner 
 was she released than she had been visited by a wretch of 
 a woman named Lydia Zagarin, who abused her fearfully 
 for having corresponded with Treskin, whom she claimed.
 
 LURED TO DOOM 257 
 
 And in her mad passion she had disclosed his whereabouts, 
 but vowed that she hated him, knowing that he had been 
 false to her, and that all he wanted now was her money. 
 Anna, however, had no such thoughts about him. She 
 loved him to distraction, and could not live without him. 
 She intended, therefore, to go to Ceylon ; and she had 
 managed to secure some money, which she would take to 
 him. She was perfectly sure, she added, that he loved her, 
 and that they would be very happy together. 
 
 This letter was duly despatched, and a fortnight later 
 Anna set out on her strange mission, having first had an 
 interview with her brother, though she was cautioned 
 against telling him or any living soul where she was going 
 to. She found him almost broken-hearted, for he declared 
 he was as innocent of revolutionary ideas as a babe unborn; 
 but he knew that when once a man fell into the hands of 
 the police as a ' suspect ' he had very little to hope for. 
 Anna endeavoured to cheer him up by saying she would do 
 all that mortal could do to prove his innocence ; and as 
 the Government had failed to substantiate their charge 
 against her, she was sure they would not succeed in his 
 
 case. 
 
 * * *- * * 
 
 The scene changes again for the final act, and shows the 
 beautiful island of Ceylon and the wide, sweeping bay of 
 Point de Galle, with its splendid lighthouse, its great 
 barrier reef, and its golden sands. Anna Plevski had 
 landed there from a P. and O. steamer, and had been met 
 by Treskin, who, while he declared he was delighted to 
 see her, showed by his manner he was annoyed. 
 
 As a matter of fact, he hoped for Lydia Zagarin, but 
 Anna Plevski had come to him instead. But there was 
 another cause for his annoyance, as Anna soon discovered. 
 He had a native mistress ; but in a little time Anna had 
 so far prevailed over him that he put the dusky beauty 
 away. He had commenced in business as a commission 
 agent and coffee merchant ; but so far success had not 
 attended his efforts. He had neither the energy, the 
 perseverance, nor the patience necessary if one would 
 
 17
 
 258 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 succeed in business, so that he very eagerly inquired of 
 Anna what money she had brought. She told him that 
 she had not very much with her, but in a few weeks would 
 receive a remittance. In the meantime there was enough 
 to be going on with. She thus won his confidence. Indeed, 
 he never for a moment suspected her mission. There was 
 nothing whatever to arouse his suspicions. It all seemed 
 perfectly natural and he believed that under the aegis of 
 the British flag he was perfectly safe. So he would have 
 been if Danevitch had not played such a clever move to 
 checkmate him. 
 
 A little more than two months passed, during which 
 Treskin knew nothing of the sword that swung above his 
 head. Then Anna complained of illness. She thought 
 Point de Galle did not agree with her ; she wanted a 
 change ; she had been told that Colombo was a very pretty 
 place ; she would like to see it ; and as she had received 
 a remittance of thirty pounds they could afford the 
 journey. He must take her there. To this he consented, 
 and they travelled by gharry. It was the first step towards 
 his doom. With the remittance came another letter to 
 Anna giving her secret instructions. • 
 
 Colombo was duly reached. It was the best season. 
 The days were tranquil and brilliant. The nights were 
 wordless poems. The third night after their arrival Anna 
 expressed a desire to go out in a native boat on the water. 
 The sea was motionless. It was like a sheet of glass. The 
 night was glorious ; a soft land-breeze blew, laden with 
 rich scents. The heavens were ablaze with stars, and a 
 dreamy languor seemed to pervade the delicious atmo- 
 sphere. Accordingly, a native boat and two stalwart 
 rowers were hired, and Treskin and Anna embarked. It 
 was the second step towards his doom. 
 
 The boatmen pulled from the land. The calm water 
 and tranquil night made rowing easy, and presently a little 
 bamboo sail was hoisted, which helped the craft along. 
 Treskin lay back in the stern and smoked ; Anna sat 
 beside him, and sang softly snatches of plaintive Russian 
 airs.
 
 LURED TO DOOM 259 
 
 When about five miles from the shore, they saw a small 
 steamer creeping slowly along. She came close to the 
 boat, and an English voice hailed her and asked if anyone 
 in the boat spoke English. 
 
 Treskin answered. The voice then inquired if the 
 occupant of the boat would kindly take some letters on 
 shore. The captain of the steamer did not want to go 
 into the port. 
 
 Treskin gladly consented, and he was asked to order 
 his boatmen to pull alongside the steamer, which proved 
 to be a pleasure-yacht. 
 
 Without a shadow of suspicion in his mind, Treskin did 
 so, and he was politely invited to step on board, a ladder 
 being lowered for that purpose. He turned to Anna, and 
 asked her if she would go. Of course she would. So she 
 preceded him up the ladder. 
 
 As soon as he was on the deck the gangway was closed, 
 and a man in uniform directed him to the little saloon, 
 where some wine and biscuits stood on the table. The 
 engines of the steamer were started, though that did not 
 alarm him ; but in a few minutes a stern, determined man 
 entered the cabin. He wore the uniform of a lieutenant 
 of the Russian Navy, and had a sword at his side. 
 
 ' Peter Treskin, 1 he said in Russian, ' you have been 
 cleverly lured on board this boat, which is owned by a 
 Russian gentleman, and flies the Russian flag, in order 
 that vou may be taken back to Russia to answer for your 
 great crime.' 
 
 Treskin's face turned to an ashen grayness, and, springing 
 to his feet, he rushed to the door, but found his exit barred 
 by armed men. In another instant he was seized, and 
 heavily ironed. He knew then that his fate was sealed, 
 and his heart turned to lead with an awful sense of 
 despair. 
 
 Steaming as hard as she could steam, the yacht rounded 
 Point de Galle, and when about fifteen miles due east of 
 Ceylon she suddenly stopped. A Russian gunboat was lying 
 in wait. To this gunboat the prisoner was transferred, 
 but Anna remained on board the yacht. 
 
 17—2
 
 260 MICHAEL DANEVITCH 
 
 The gunboat steamed away at once, and shaped her 
 course for Manilla, where she coaled ; and that done she 
 proceeded under a full head of steam for the sea of Japan 
 and Vladivostock. 
 
 The yacht went in the other direction, making for the 
 Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and after a pleasant and 
 uneventful voyage she sailed by way of the Bosphorus to 
 the Crimea. She made many calls on the way, and at 
 every port she touched at she was supposed to be on a 
 pleasure cruise, and Anna was looked upon as the owner's 
 wife. 
 
 As Anna Plevski entered Russia in the west, her false 
 lover entered it in the far east, and thence under a strong 
 escort he was conducted through the whole length of 
 Siberia to St. Petersburg, a distance of something like 
 five thousand miles. 
 
 It is an awful journey at the best of times. In his 
 case the awfulness was enhanced a hundredfold, for he 
 knew that every verst travelled placed him nearer and 
 nearer to his shameful doom. 
 
 He was six months on the journey, and when he reached 
 the capital his hair was white, his face haggard and drawn, 
 his eyes sunken. He was an old and withered man, while 
 the terrible strain had affected his mind ; but as he had 
 been pitiless to others, so no pity was shown for him. He 
 had brought sorrow, misery, and suffering to many a home. 
 He had made widows and orphans ; he had maimed and 
 killed, and he could not expect mercy in a world which he 
 had disgraced. 
 
 THE DENOUEMENT. 
 
 It is a typical Russian winter day. The sun shines 
 from a cloudless sky. The air is thin and transparent, 
 the cold intense ; the snow is compacted on the ground 
 until it is of the consistency of iron. 
 
 On the great plain outside of St. Petersburg, where the 
 public executions take place, a grim scaffold is erected. It 
 is an exposed platform of rough boards, from which spring
 
 LURED TO DOOM 261 
 
 two upright posts, topped with a cross-bar, from which 
 depends a rope with a noose. 
 
 It is the most primitive arrangement. The scaffold is 
 surrounded with troops, horse and foot. There are nearly 
 two thousand of them ; but the scaffold is raised so high 
 that the soldiers do not obscure the view. 
 
 The plain is filled with a densely-packed crowd ; but on 
 one side a lane is kept open, and up this lane rumbles a 
 springless cart, guarded by horsemen with drawn swords. 
 In the cart, on a bed of straw, crouches a man, bound 
 hand and foot. His face is horrible — ghastly. It wears a 
 stony expression of concentrated fear. 
 
 A priest sits with the man, and holds a crucifix before 
 his eves. But the eyes appear sightless, and to be starting 
 from the head. 
 
 The cart reaches the foot of the ladder which leads to 
 the platform. The bound man is dragged out, for he is 
 powerless to move. He is pushed and dragged up the 
 ladder, followed by the priest. As soon as he reaches the 
 platform and sees the noose, he utters a suppressed cry of 
 horror, and shrinks away. 
 
 Pitiless hands thrust him forward again, and he is placed 
 on some steps ; the noose is adjusted round his neck. No 
 cap is used to hide his awful face. At a given signal the 
 steps are drawn away, and the man swings in the air and 
 is slowly strangled to death. A great cheer rises from the 
 crowd, but it is mingled with groans. 
 
 Thus did Peter Treskin meet his doom. He lived like 
 a coward ; he died like a coward. He had talents and 
 abilities that, properly directed, would have gained him 
 high position, but he chose the wrong path, and it ended 
 in a dog's death. 
 
 He well deserved his ignominious fate, and yet, even at 
 the present day, there are some who believe he was a 
 martyr. But these people may be classed amongst those 
 who believe not, even though an angel comes down from 
 heaven to teach.
 
 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 THE STORY OF AN EDINBURGH MYSTERY 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 NEW YEAR'S EVE : THE MYSTERY BEGINS. 
 
 A strange, weird sort of place was Corbie Hall. There 
 was an eeriness about it that was calculated to make one 
 shudder. For years it had been practically a ruin, and 
 tenant! ess. 
 
 Although an old place, it was without any particular 
 history, except a tradition that a favourite of Queen Mary 
 had once lived there, and suddenly disappeared in a 
 mysterious way. He was supposed to have been murdered 
 and buried secretly. 
 
 The last tenant was one Robert Crease, a wild roisterer, 
 who had travelled much beyond the seas, scraped money 
 together, purchased the Hall, surrounded himself with a 
 number of boon companions, and turned night into day. 
 Corbie Hall stood just to the north of Blackford Hill, as 
 those who are old enough will remember. 
 
 In ' Rab 1 Crease's time it was a lonely enough place ; 
 but he and his brother roisterers were not affected by the 
 solitude, and many were the curious tales told about their 
 orgies.
 
 NEW YEAR'S EVE 263 
 
 However, Rab came to grief one night. He had been 
 into the town for some purpose, and, staggering home in a 
 storm of wind and rain with a greater burden of liquor 
 than he could comfortably carry, he missed his way, pitched 
 headlong into a quarry, and broke his neck. 
 
 He left the place to a person whom he described as his 
 nephew. But the heir could not be found, nor could his 
 death be proved. Then litigation had ensued, and there 
 had been fierce wrangles ; bitterness was engendered, and 
 bad blood made. The place, however, remained empty 
 and lonely year after year, until, as might have been 
 expected, it got an evil reputation. People said it was 
 haunted. They shunned it. The wildest possible stories 
 were told about it. It fell into dilapidation. The winter 
 rains and snows soaked through the roof. The window- 
 frames rotted ; the grounds became a wilderness of weeds. 
 
 At last the heir was found. His name was Raymond 
 Balfour. He was the only son of Crease's only sister, who 
 had married a ne'er-do-weel of a fellow, who came from no 
 one knew where, and where he went to no one cared. He 
 treated his wife shamefully. 
 
 Her son was born in Edinburgh, and when he was little 
 more than a baby she fled with him and obtained a 
 situation of some kind in Deeside. She managed to give 
 her boy a decent education, and he was sent to Edinburgh 
 to study law. 
 
 He seemed, however, to have inherited some of his 
 father's bad qualities, and fell into disgrace. His mother 
 dying before he was quite out of his teens, he found him- 
 self friendless and without resources. 
 
 His mother in marrying had alienated herself from her 
 relatives, what few she had; and when she died no one 
 seemed anxious to own kindredship with Raymond, whose 
 conduct and ' goings on ' were described as ' outrageous.' 
 So the voung fellow snapped his fingers at everyone, 
 declared his intention of going out into the world to seek 
 his fortune, and disappeared. 
 
 After many years of wandering in all parts of the world, 
 and when in raid-life, he returned to Edinburgh, for he
 
 264 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 declared that, of all the cities he had seen, it was the most 
 beautiful, the most picturesque. 
 
 He was a stalwart, sunburnt, handsome fellow, though 
 with a somewhat moody expression and a cold, distant, 
 reserved manner. He had heard by mere chance of his 
 inheritance, and, having legally established his claim, took 
 possession of his property. 
 
 Although nobody could learn anything at all of his 
 affairs, it was soon made evident that he had plenty of 
 money. He brought with him from India, or somewhere 
 else, a native servant, who appeared to be devoted to him. 
 This servant was simply known as Chunda. 
 
 He was a strange, fragile-looking being, with restless, 
 dreamy eyes, thin, delicate hands, and a hairless, mobile 
 face, that was more like the face of a woman than a man. 
 Yet the strong light of the eyes, and somewhat square 
 chin, spoke of determination and a passionate nature. 
 When he first came he wore his native garb, which was 
 exceedingly picturesque ; but in a very short time he donned 
 European clothes, and never walked abroad without a 
 topcoat on, even in what Edinburgh folk considered hot 
 weather. 
 
 When it became known that the wanderer had returned, 
 apparently a wealthy man, those who years before hail 
 declared his conduct to be 'outrageous,*'' and declined to 
 own him, now showed a disposition to pay the most servile 
 homage. 
 
 But he would have none of them. It was his hour of 
 triumph, and he closed his doors against all who came to 
 claim kinship with him. 
 
 Very soon it was made manifest that Raymond Balfour 
 was in the way to distinguish himself as his predecessor 
 and kinsman, Crease, had done. 
 
 Corbie Hall was turned into a place of revel and riot, 
 and strange, even startling, were the stories that came into 
 currency by the vulgar lips of common rumour. Those 
 whose privilege it was to be the guests at Corbie Hall 
 were not people who, according to Edinburgh ethics, were 
 entitled to be classed amongst the elect, or who were
 
 NEW YEARS EVE 265 
 
 numbered within the pale of so-called ' respectable society/ 
 They belonged rather to that outer fringe which was con- 
 sidered to be an ungodly Bohemia. 
 
 It was true that in their ranks were certain young men 
 who were supposed to be seriously pursuing their studies 
 in order that they might ultimately qualify for the Church, 
 the Law, and Medicine. 
 
 But their chief sin, perhaps, was youth, which, as the 
 years advanced, would be overcome. Nevertheless, the 
 frowns of the ' superior people ' were directed to them, 
 and they were solemnly warned that Corbie Hall was on 
 the highroad to perdition ; that, as it had always been an 
 unlucky place, it would continue to be unlucky ; in short, 
 that it was accursed. 
 
 Raymond Balfour's guests were not all of the sterner 
 sex. Ladies occasionally graced his board. One of them 
 was a Maggie Stiven, who rejoiced in being referred to as 
 the best hated woman in Edinburgh. 
 
 She was the daughter of a baker carrying on business 
 in the High Street ; but Maggie had quarrelled with her 
 parents, and taken herself off to her only brother, who 
 kept a public-house in College Street. 
 
 He, too, had quarrelled with his people, so that he not 
 only welcomed Maggie, but was glad of her assistance in 
 his business. 
 
 Maggie bore the proud reputation of being the prettiest 
 young woman in Edinburgh. Her age was about three- 
 and-twenty, and it was said she had turned the heads of 
 half the young fellows in the town. She was generally 
 regarded as a heartless coquette, a silly flirt, who had brains 
 for nothing else but dress. 
 
 She possessed a will of her own, however, and seemed 
 determined to shape her course and order her life exactly 
 as it pleased her to do. 
 
 She used to say that, if 'the grand folk ' turned up their 
 noses at her, she knew how to turn up her nose at them. 
 
 When she found out that a rumour was being- bandied 
 from lip to lip, which coupled her name with the name of 
 Raymond Balfour — in short, that he and she were engaged
 
 266 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 to be married — she was intensely delighted ; but, while she 
 did not deny it, she would not admit it. It was only in 
 accordance with human nature that some spiteful things 
 should be said. 
 
 ' It's no for his guid looks nor his moral character that 
 Maggie Stiven's fastening herself on to the reprobate of 
 Corbie Hall, 1 was the sneering comment. ' It's his siller 
 she's thinking of. She's aye ready to sell her body and 
 soul for siller. Well, when he's married on to her he'll 
 sune find that it taks mair than a winsome face tae make 
 happiness. But fules will aye be fules, and he maun gang 
 his ain way.' 
 
 It is pretty certain that Maggie was not affected by this 
 sort of tittle-tattle. She knew the power of her ' winsome 
 face,' and made the most of it. She knew also that the 
 scathing things that were said about her came from her 
 own sex. 
 
 She could twist men round her little finger. They 
 were her slaves. That is where her triumph came in. 
 She could make women mad, and bring men to their 
 knees. 
 
 Whether or not there was any truth in the rumour at 
 this time, that she was likely to wed the master of Corbie 
 Hall, there was no doubt at all that she was a frequent 
 visitor there. 
 
 Sometimes she went with her brother, who supplied 
 most of the liquor consumed in the Hall — and it was a 
 pretty good source of income to him — and sometimes she 
 went alone. 
 
 Scarcely a night passed that Mr. Balfour was without 
 company ; and Maggie was often there three or four nights 
 a week. She had even been seen driving about with him 
 in his dogcart. 
 
 It seemed, therefore, as if there was some justification 
 for the surmise as to the probable match and the ultimate 
 wedding. 
 
 These preliminary particulars about Maggie and the 
 new owner of Corbie Hall will pave the way to the series 
 of extraordinary events that has now to be described.
 
 NEW YEAR'S EVE 267 
 
 It was New Year's Eve. Raymond Balfour had then 
 been in possession of his property for something like nine 
 months, and during that period had made the most of his 
 time. 
 
 He had gone the pace, as the saying is ; and the old 
 house, after years of mouldiness and decay, echoed the 
 shouts of revelry night after night. There were wild 
 doings there, and sedate people were shocked. 
 
 On the New Year's Eve in question there was a pretty 
 big party in the Hall. During the week following 
 Christmas, large stores of supplies had been sent out 
 from the town in readiness for the great feast that was 
 to usher in the New Year. 
 
 Some fifteen guests assembled in the house altogether, 
 including Maggie Stiven and four other ladies, and in 
 order to minister to the wants of this motley crowd, three 
 or four special waiters were engaged to come from Edin- 
 burgh. 
 
 The day had been an unusually stormy one. A terrific 
 gale had lashed the Firth, and there had been much loss 
 of life and many wrecks. The full force of the storm was 
 felt in Edinburgh, and numerous accidents had occurred 
 through the falling of chimney-cans and pots. Windows 
 were blown in, hoardings swept away, and trees uprooted 
 as if they had been mere saplings. 
 
 The wind was accompanied by hail and snow, while the 
 temperature was so low that three or four homeless, starving 
 wretches were found frozen to death. 
 
 As darkness set in the wind abated, but snow then began 
 to fall, and in the course of two or three hours roads and 
 railways were blocked, and the streets of the city could 
 only be traversed with the greatest difficulty. Indeed, by 
 seven o'clock all vehicular traffic had ceased, and benighted 
 wayfarers despaired of reaching their homes in safety. 
 
 The storm, the darkness, the severity of the weather, 
 the falling snow, did not affect the spirits nor the physical 
 comfort of the guests assembled at Corbie Hall. 
 
 To the south of Edinburgh the snow r seemed to fall 
 heavier than it did in the city itself. In exposed places
 
 268 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 it lay in immense drifts, but everywhere it was so deep 
 that the country roads were obliterated, landmarks wiped 
 out, and hedges buried. 
 
 In the lonely region of Blackford Hill, Corbie Hall was 
 the only place that gave forth any signs of human life. 
 Light and warmth were there, and the lights streaming 
 from the windows must have shone forth as beacons of 
 hope to anyone in the neighbourhood who might by chance 
 have been battling with the storm and struggling to a 
 place of safety. 
 
 But no one was likely to be abroad on such a night ; 
 and the guests at the Hall, when they saw the turn the 
 weather had taken, knew that they would be storm-stayed 
 at the Hall until the full light of day returned. But that 
 prospect did not concern them. 
 
 They were there to see the old year out and the new 
 one in ; and so long as the ' meal and the malt ' did not 
 fail they would be in no hurry to go. 
 
 From all the evidence that was collected, they were a 
 wild party, and did full justice to the stock of eatables 
 and drinkables — especially the drinkables — that were so 
 lavishly supplied by the host. 
 
 When twelve o'clock struck there was a scene of wild 
 uproar, and everyone who was sober enough to do so 
 toasted his neighbour. During the whole of the evening 
 Balfour had openly displayed great partiality for Maggie 
 Stiven. 
 
 He insisted on her sitting next to him, and he paid her 
 marked attention. When the company staggered to their 
 feet to usher in the new year, Raymond Balfour Hung his 
 arms suddenly round her neck, and, kissing her with great 
 warmth, he droned out a stanza of a love-ditty, and then 
 in husky tones exclaimed : 
 
 ' Maggie Stiven's the bonniest lass that ever lived, and 
 Fm going to marry her. 1 
 
 About half-past one only a few of the roisterers were 
 left at the table. The others had succumbed to the too- 
 seductive influences of the wine and whisky, and had 
 ceased to take any further interest in the proceedings. 
 Suddenly there resounded through the house a shrill,
 
 NEW YEARS EVE 269 
 
 piercing scream. It was a scream that seemed to indicate 
 intense horror and great agony. 
 
 Consternation and silence fell upon all who heard it. 
 In a few moments Raymond Balfour rose to his feet and 
 said : 
 
 'Don't be alarmed. Sit still. Til go and see what's 
 the matter.'' 
 
 He left the room with unsteady gait, and nobodv showed 
 any disposition to follow him. Something like a super- 
 stitious awe had taken possession of the revellers, and they 
 conversed with each other subduedly. 
 
 Amongst them was a tough, bronzed seafaring man, 
 named Jasper Jarvis. He was captain of the barque 
 Bonnie Scotland, which had arrived at Leith a few weeks 
 before from the Gold Coast with a cargo of palm-oil and 
 ivory. 
 
 Jarvis, who seems to have been quite in his sober senses, 
 got up, threw an extra log on the tire, and in order to put 
 heart into his companions, began to troll out a nautical 
 ditty ; but it had not the inspiriting effect that he expected, 
 and somebody timidly suggested that he should go in search 
 of the host. 
 
 To this he readilv assented, but before he could get 
 from his seat, Maggie Stiven jumped up and exclaimed : 
 
 ' You people all stay here. Ill go and look for 
 Raymond." 1 
 
 Captain Jarvis offered no objection, and no one else 
 interposed, so Maggie hurriedly left the room. From this 
 point the narrative of what followed can best be told in 
 the skipper's own words. 
 
 THE STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN JASPER JARVIS. 
 
 When Maggie had gone we were six all told. The four 
 ladies had previously gone to bed. Two out of the six were 
 so muddled that they seemed incapable of understanding 
 anything that was going on.
 
 270 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 The other three appeared to be under the spell of fear. 
 They huddled together round the fire, and all became 
 silent. 
 
 It is curious that they should have been so affected by 
 the scream ; and yet, perhaps, it wasn't, for somehow or 
 other it didn't seem natural at all. But the fact is, we 
 had all been so jolly and happy, and the cry broke in 
 upon us so suddenly, that it impressed us more than it 
 would have done otherwise. 
 
 And then another thing was, it was difficult to tell 
 whether it was a woman or a man who had screamed. It 
 was too shrill for a man's cry, and yet it wasn't like the 
 scream of a woman. 
 
 When Maggie Stiven had been gone about ten minutes 
 — it seemed much longer than that to us— Rab Thomson, 
 who was one of three men who sat by the fire, looked at 
 me with white face, and said : 
 
 ' Skipper, you go and look after them. I don't feel 
 easy in my mind. I've a sort of feeling something queer 
 has happened.' 
 
 On that I rose, saying I would soon find out, and went 
 to the door. As I opened it I heard a sigh, and then a 
 sort of prolonged groan, and I saw, or fancied I saw, a 
 shadowy figure flit up the stair. 
 
 The hall was in darkness, save for the light that fell 
 through the doorway as I held the door partly open. I'm 
 ashamed to say it, but when I saw — if I did see it— that 
 ghostly figure glide up the stairs, and heard the sigh and 
 the groan, I shut the door quickly and drew back into the 
 room. 
 
 Like most sailor men, I'm not without some belief in 
 signs, omens, wraiths, and those kind of things ; though 
 nobody can say, and nobody must say, I'm wanting in 
 pluck. 
 
 I've been at sea for thirty-two years, and during that 
 time I've faced death in a thousand forms, and never had 
 any feeling of fear. But, to be straight, I don't like any- 
 thing that's uncanny. I like to be able to get a grip of 
 things, and to understand them.
 
 NEW YEAR'S EVE 271 
 
 When I started back into the room, Rab Thomson rose 
 to his feet and asked me what I'd seen. I told him I had 
 seen a shadowy figure glide up the stairs, and had heard a 
 sigh and a groan. 
 
 He laughed, but it wasn't a real kind of laugh. He 
 was as white as death, and I heard his teeth chatter, and 
 with a sudden movement he went to one of the long 
 windows, pulled aside the heavy curtain, and, pressing his 
 face to the glass, peered out. 
 
 I think his intention was to get out of the window and 
 go home ; but he saw what an awful night it was. The 
 snow was still falling heavily ; it was piled up against the 
 window, and no one but a madman or a fool would have 
 dreamed of going forth in such a storm, for it was all but 
 certain he would have lost his life in the drifts. 
 
 Rab let the curtain fall, and, drawing back, filled 
 himself a measure of whisky, and, tossing it off, said 
 to me : 
 
 ' Why don't you go and see what's the matter, man ? 
 Surely, you are no' frightened ?' 
 
 ' No,' I said, ' but you are.' 
 
 And I walked to the door again, flung it open wide, so 
 that the light streamed forth, and as I did so I saw a 
 woman lying huddled up on the mat at the foot of the 
 stairs. 
 
 I recognised her at once by the dress, which was a kind 
 of pink silk, with a lot of fluffy lace all round the neck 
 part of it, as Maggie Stiven, and, thinking she had fainted, 
 I rushed forward, lifted her up with ease — for I am a power- 
 ful man, and she Avas a lightly-built little woman — and 
 carried her to a big chair that stood empty near the fire. 
 As I put her in the chair I noticed that her head fell 
 forward on to her bosom with a strange kind of limpness, 
 and her face was of a greenish, chalky kind of hue. 
 
 I felt frightened, and called out to the others to rouse 
 up James Macfarlane, who had been studying medicine, 
 but had nearly finished his course, and expected to get 
 his diploma the next session. 
 
 Jamie had stowed away too much liquor in his hold in
 
 272 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 the early part of the evening, and had foundered, so some- 
 body had rolled him up in a rug and put him on a couch, 
 where he had been sleeping for hours. Notwithstanding 
 that fact, it took a long time to waken him. 
 
 In the meanwhile I chafed Maggie's hand, and Rab 
 tried to get brandy down her throat, but it flowed out of 
 her mouth again. 
 
 When James Macfarlane realized that something was 
 wrong, he pulled himself together at once, and having felt 
 Maggie's pulse, he exclaimed with a horrified expression 
 on his face : 
 
 ' My God, boys, she's dead !' 
 
 This was only a confirmation of my own fears ; never- 
 theless, the definite assertion by one who was qualified to 
 tell was an awful shock to us. 
 
 A little more than a quarter of an hour before, Maggie, 
 radiant with health and spirits, and looking very bonnie — 
 she was one of the prettiest girls I think Fve ever seen 
 — had run out of the room ; and now she was there in the 
 chair, dead. 
 
 At Macfarlane's suggestion we laid her flat on her back 
 on the rug before the fire, and he tried to force a little 
 brandy down her throat, but failed ; and as he rose to his 
 feet again, he said sadly : 
 
 ' There's no mistake about it, boys : she's dead as a 
 herring.' 
 
 Our first thought now was of our host. What had 
 become of him ? I and Rab, who had recovered from his 
 fright by this time, undertook to go in search of him. 
 We lit the swinging lamp in the hall, and, taking candles 
 Avith us, went upstairs to his room ; but he was not there, 
 and there were no signs of his having been there. Then 
 we went to the room of the black fellow, Chunda. 
 
 The door was locked, and we had to shake and hammer 
 it pretty hard before we roused him up. As he opened 
 the door and stood before us in his night-clothes, he 
 looked dazed, as one does when just wakened from sound 
 sleep. 
 
 He did not speak English, but I could manage a little
 
 NEW YEARS EVE 273 
 
 Hindustani, having been much in India, and I asked him 
 if he had seen his master lately, and he answered ' No." I 
 told him he must come with me and look for him, as he 
 knew the run of the house better than I did. 
 
 He only stopped to slip on some of his clothes and wrap 
 a heavy rug round his shoulders, for he felt the cold very 
 much. 
 
 Then we roused up the other three house-servants and the 
 temporary servants, who had retired soon after midnight, 
 and we went from room to room, passage to passage ; in 
 fact, we searched the house from top to bottom, but all in 
 vain ; not a trace of our friend could we get. 
 
 Our next step was to ascertain if he had gone out. But 
 all the doors and windows were fastened. Nevertheless, I 
 undertook to search the grounds, and, having been pro- 
 vided with a horn lantern, we got the big hall door 
 opened ; but the snow had drifted against it to such an 
 extent that a great mass of it fell into the hall. 
 
 The night was pitch-dark, the air thick with snow. I 
 made some attempt to go forth, but sank up to my waist, 
 and was forced to return. 
 
 We then tried the back of the house, where there was a 
 stable-yard. The snow was pretty heavy there, but not so 
 heavy as in the front. Two men slept over the stable. I 
 roused them up, got the keys of the stable, and went in. 
 Balfour kept three horses, and they were in their stalls all 
 right. 
 
 The stable-yard gate was barred, and it was very clear 
 no one had been out that way. 
 
 I returned to the house, half frozen and very depressed. 
 We then consulted together, and decided that nothing- 
 could be done until daylight. 
 
 It was an awful ending to our merry meeting, and the 
 mystery of the whole affair weighed upon us like a night- 
 mare. 
 
 The ladies of our party, who had gone to bed soon after 
 we had drunk in the New Year, got up and dressed them- 
 selves. In the meantime we earned Maggie Stiven's body 
 into another room, where it was laid out on a table. 
 
 18
 
 274 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 James Macfarlane's opinion was that she had died from a 
 sudden shock of fright ; and when that was taken in con- 
 nection with the eldritch scream which had so startled us, 
 and the mysterious disappearance of our host, we felt that 
 there was something uncanny about the whole business. 
 
 The rest of the night was wearily passed. The others 
 of our party, having been o'er fii 1 when they went to sleep, 
 continued to sleep through it all, and knew nothing of the 
 tragic ending until they awoke in the morning. 
 
 With the coming of the morning our spirits revived a 
 little, though we still felt miserable enough. It had 
 almost ceased to snow, but the whole country was buried, 
 and round about the house the drift was piled up until it 
 reached to the lower windows. 
 
 As soon as it was broad daylight we made another care- 
 ful search of the house, but not a sign of Raymond 
 Balfour could we see. 
 
 Chunda helped us in our search. He was terribly cut 
 up, and became so ill from grief and the cold that he was 
 obliged to go to bed. 
 
 The only reasonable theory that we could find to 
 account for Balfour's strange disappearance was that, by 
 some means we could not determine, he had managed to 
 leave the house, and had perished in the snow. 
 
 As it had continued to snow all night, and at eight 
 o'clock was still falling lightly, all traces were, of course, 
 obliterated. 
 
 Every one of the visitors was now anxious to get away, 
 but before anyone went, I drew up a statement which was 
 duly signed. James Macfarlane and I then undertook to 
 report the matter to the police in Edinburgh. 
 
 Before any of us could leave, we had to clear the snow 
 away from the door and dig a path out. And even then 
 it was no easy matter to get clear. 
 
 We were a sorrowful enough party, as may be imagined, 
 and we all felt that the New Year had commenced badly 
 for us. 
 
 The death of Maggie Stiven was a terrible business, and 
 I confess to feeling surprised that she should have died
 
 NEW YEAR'S EVE 275 
 
 from fright, for she was by no means a nervous girl. 
 Indeed, I think she was as plucky as any woman I have 
 ever known, and I was certain that if fright had really 
 killed her she must have seen something very awful. 
 
 With reference to this, nobody, I think, liked to put 
 his thoughts into words, but somehow we seemed to 
 divine that each believed Satan had spirited Raymond 
 Balfour away and frightened poor Maggie to death. Any 
 way, the mystery was beyond our solving, and we were 
 silent and melancholy as we straggled into Edinburgh, 
 where armies of labourers were busy clearing the streets 
 of snow. 
 
 It was an awful day. The cold was intense, and over- 
 head the sky was like one vast sheet of lead. Except the 
 labourers, few people were abroad, and those few looked 
 pinched up, draggled, and miserable. 
 
 God knows, we were miserable enough ourselves ! I 
 know that my heart was like a stone ; for I was not so 
 wanting in sense as not to see that trouble was bound to 
 come out of the business, and I fairly shuddered when I 
 thought of poor Balfour's end, for it seemed impossible to 
 hope that he was still alive. 
 
 Look at the matter whichever way I would, it was a 
 mystery which absolutely appalled me, and it had all come 
 about with such awful suddenness that, speaking for my- 
 self, I felt stunned. 
 
 18—2
 
 276 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. THE NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY 
 
 PETER BRODIE, OF THE DETECTIVE SERVICE. 
 
 I was in Liverpool, engaged on a leather delicate matter, 
 when I received a telegram from the chief of the police in 
 Edinburgh, telling me to return by the next train. I 
 wasn't at all pleased by this recall, for it was wretched 
 weather, and the prospect of a night journey to the North 
 was far from agreeable. 
 
 The date was January 3. During the whole of New 
 Years Eve there had been a violent storm, which seems to 
 have been general all over the country. The result was a 
 breakdown of telegraph-wires and serious interruption to 
 traffic. 
 
 The telegram sent to me was five hours on the road ; 
 and as the 'next train 1 meant the night mail, I had no 
 alternative but to bundle my traps together and start. 
 
 When we reached Carlisle a thaw had set in, and on 
 arriving at Edinburgh I thought I had never seen Auld 
 Reekie look so glum and dour. The streets were ankle- 
 deep in slush. 
 
 Snow was slipping from the roofs everywhere in 
 avalanches, necessitating considerable wariness on the 
 part of pedestrians. 
 
 Horses panted, groaned, and steamed as they toiled 
 with their loads through the filthy snow, and overhead 
 the sky hung like a dun pall. 
 
 On reaching the head office, I was at once instructed 
 to proceed to Corbie Hall to investigate a case of murder, 
 and endeavour to trace the whereabouts of one Raymond 
 Balfour, who, according to the statement of a Captain 
 Jasper Jarvis, corroborated by James Macfarlane, medical 
 student at the Edinburgh College, had mysteriously dis-
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 277 
 
 appeared soon after midnight on January 1. The re- 
 markably sudden and unaccountable death of Maggie 
 Stiven necessitated a legal inquiry, and Dr. Wallace Bruce 
 was sent to examine the body and report on the cause 
 of death. 
 
 On removing the clothes, he noticed that the linen that 
 had been next to the chest was slightly blood-stained, and 
 an examination revealed a very small blue puncture, 
 slightly to the left of the sternum, and immediately over 
 the heart. 
 
 On probing this puncture with his finger, he felt some- 
 thing hard. He therefore proceeded to open the chest, 
 assisted by a colleague, Dr. James Simpson, the well- 
 known Edinburgh surgeon. To their astonishment, they 
 found the puncture was due to a thrust from a very fine 
 stiletto, which had pierced the heart on the left side. 
 The stiletto had broken off', and four inches of the steel 
 remained in the wound. This, acting as a plug, had 
 prevented outward bleeding to any extent, but there had 
 been extensive internal haemorrhage. There was nothing 
 else to account for death. 
 
 The girl was exceedingly well developed, well nourished, 
 and without any sign or trace of organic disease. As she 
 could not have driven the stiletto into her chest in such 
 a way herself, it was obviously a case of murder. 
 
 When I reached Corbie Hall, the country round about 
 was still white with snow, and Blackford Hill was like 
 a miniature Alp, although the thaw was making its 
 influence felt. 
 
 The Hall was a curious, rambling sort of place, with 
 every appearance of age. It was a stone building, flanked 
 by a small turreted tower at each end. It stood in about 
 an acre of ground that was partly walled and partly fenced 
 round. Two cast-iron gates of good design, hung on 
 pillars, each surmounted by a carved greyhound, admitted 
 to a carriage-drive that swept in a semicircle to the main 
 entrance. 
 
 Passing through the doorway — the door itself was a 
 massive structure — I found myself in a large square, paved
 
 278 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 hall, and immediately in front a broad flight of oak stairs 
 led up to the first landing, where there was a very fine 
 stained-glass window. 
 
 On the left was a long dining-room, which communicated 
 by means of folding doors with another room of almost 
 equal dimensions. 
 
 On the opposite side of the passage, and close to the 
 foot of the stairs, was the door of the drawing-room, which 
 was a counterpart almost of the dining-room. 
 
 Between the banisters of the stairs and the partition 
 wall of the dining-room, the passage was continued to 
 a door that gave access to a passage communicating with 
 the kitchen and back premises. 
 
 The recess underneath the stairs was used for hanging 
 up coats, hats, and other things. From the second landing 
 the stairs struck off at an acute angle, and rose to the 
 second story, where there were at least a dozen rooms, 
 large and small. 
 
 Under the guidance of Chunda, the black servant, who 
 seemed very ill and much depressed, I made a thorough 
 inspection of the house. As he could not speak English, 
 we had to communicate in signs, which was rather awkward. 
 In addition to this Indian, Mr. Balfour had kept a cook 
 and a small girl to help her, also a housemaid. Besides 
 these, he employed a groom and a coachman. The coach- 
 man lived over the stables at the back with his wife and 
 daughter, a girl of eighteen, and she and her mother both 
 assisted in the house when necessary. The groom had a 
 room to himself above the coach-house. 
 
 I questioned each of these servants individually and 
 apart from the others as to whether they had heard the 
 scream alluded to by Captain Jarvis. The three women 
 living in the house said that they heard it, but those who 
 lived over the stables did not. The ones who heard it 
 slept in the right-hand tower. They did not retire until 
 after the New Year had come in. Although the master 
 had given them some hot drink, they were quite sober 
 when they went upstairs. 
 
 As they were in the habit of doing every night, they
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 279 
 
 extinguished the hall lamp and a lamp that stood on the 
 bracket at the top of the stairs, thus leaving that part 
 of the house in darkness. They did not attach any im- 
 portance to the scream, as they thought it was some of 
 the visitors larking, for they had all been very frisky 
 during the evening. 
 
 The cook, however — her name was Mary Ken way — 
 opened her door, which commanded in perspective a full 
 view of the corridor leading to the top of the stairs, and 
 she saw, or thought she saw, a shadowy figure standing 
 in this corridor near the top of the stairs. Feeling a bit 
 nervous, she shut the door hurriedly, and said to her 
 fellow-servants, who shared the room with her : 
 
 ' One of those fools is playing at ghosts or something. 
 Well, when the wine's in, the wit's out. 1 
 
 She and her companions then got into bed, and some 
 time afterwards were startled by a loud knocking at their 
 door. The cook hurriedly procured a light, and on asking 
 who was there, and being informed it was Captain Jarvis, 
 and that he was searching for the master, who had dis- 
 appeared, she slipped on her clothes and opened the door. 
 The temporary servants, of whom there were three, were 
 sleeping in a room above her. They had indulged some- 
 what too freely, and it was a considerable time before they 
 could be made to understand that something dreadful had 
 happened. 
 
 With these details, and the statement of Captain Jarvis, 
 I felt I was in a position to begin my researches. 
 
 If Captain Jarvis's statement was true, and there wasn't 
 the slightest reason to doubt it, for it was in the main 
 corroborated by Robert Thomson and others, the whole 
 affair was shrouded in considerable mystery. Indeed, I 
 think it was one of the strangest cases I ever had to do 
 with. Maggie Stiven had been foully done to death by 
 some subtle, deft, and treacherous assassin. She had been 
 struck with great force, and the breaking of the weapon 
 showed the fury with which her murderer had done his 
 damnable work. 
 
 The skipper's statement that when he opened the dining-
 
 280 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 room door he heard a sigh and sort of groan was com- 
 patible with the nature of the wound, for though the 
 heart was injured, the fact of the piece of steel remaining 
 in the wound would prevent a sudden emptying of the 
 heart, and she might have lived after being struck five 
 to ten minutes. The shadowy figure which Jarvis said 
 he saw ' gliding ' up the stairs was no doubt the assassin, 
 although Jarvis — his imagination having been fired — 
 thought it a supernatural appeai'ance. 
 
 The cook also spoke of ' a shadowy figure," and thought 
 that some of the guests were ' playing at ghosts." 1 This 
 independent testimony suggested that there was something 
 curious and out of the common about the figure, and I 
 was led to infer that the person who had done the deed 
 was small, light of foot, and agile of movement. When 
 he struck Maggie down he had probably been lurking in 
 the drawing-room, the door of which, as I have already 
 described, was just at the foot of the stairs, or he may 
 have been concealed in the recess under the stairs. Which- 
 ever way it was, the girl had not mounted the stairs, and 
 must have been stabbed the moment she reached the mat 
 where the body was found, and before she had time to 
 get her feet on the stairs to go up. 
 
 Now came the question, Why was she killed ? Her going 
 in search of Raymond Balfour was quite unpremeditated, 
 and the assassin could hardly have known that she was 
 coming out of the room. 
 
 Why, then, did he kill her? On the face of it, it 
 seemed to be an unprovoked and brutal crime without any 
 reason. But a little pondering, and a careful weighing of 
 all the pros and cons, led me to the conclusion that the 
 deed was not as purposeless as it seemed. If it was the 
 result of madness, there was certainly method in the 
 madness. 
 
 Some people expressed the opinion that Balfour himself 
 had murdered the girl, but that opinion would not hold 
 water. 
 
 Firstly, he himself was induced to leave the room by a 
 scream or cry that was described as 'uncanny. 1 Did he
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 281 
 
 arrange for that cry to be uttered in order that he might 
 have an excuse for going out, knowing that the girl would 
 follow him ? 
 
 Secondly, if he was the slayer, why did he choose to kill 
 the girl in his own house ? for very little reflection must 
 have shown him that to escape detection would be an 
 impossibility. 
 
 No. It was only too evident that he did not kill 
 Maggie Stiven, and his extraordinary disappearance led 
 me to believe that he also had fallen a victim to the 
 assassin. But if that was so, where was his body ? It 
 was, of course, of the highest importance that he should 
 be discovered, dead or alive. 
 
 I caused a search to be made of the house from top to 
 bottom. There wasn't a room missed, not a cupboard 
 overlooked, not a recess but what was scrutinized. Every 
 box or trunk large enough to contain a man's body was 
 opened without result. 
 
 Every hole and corner, every chimney, every likely and 
 unlikely place, was examined, but not a trace, not a sign, of 
 the missing man was brought to light. 
 
 His bedroom was the largest and most important room 
 in the house. It was panelled with dark oak panelling. 
 The ceiling was carved wood, and there was a very large 
 carved oak mantelpiece, which was considered a work of 
 art. Two lattice-paned windows were in keeping with the 
 place, which had also been furnished with a view to its 
 character. 
 
 A massive four-post bedstead occupied one corner, and 
 near it was an unusually large clothes-press of oak. This 
 press was spacious enough to have held the bodies of three 
 or four men, but Balfours body was not there. 
 
 From this room a small door gave access to a short, 
 narrow passage, leading to another door at the foot of a 
 stone staircase of about twenty steps, by which the top of 
 the tower at that end of the building was gained. From 
 the roof of the tower a very beautiful view was obtained. 
 I need scarcely say I critically examined the doors, the 
 passage, the stairs, the tower itself.
 
 282 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 The locks of both doors were very rusty, and it was 
 evident they had not been opened for some time. In the 
 one at the foot of the tower stairs there was no key, and it 
 was only after considerable search that one was found to 
 fit it. And even then the lock could not be turned until 
 it had been well oiled. 
 
 The dust on the stone stairs was the accumulation of 
 months, and bore not the faintest trace of footprints. It 
 was obvious that no one had passed that way for a very 
 long time. 
 
 Having thus exhausted the interior of the building, I 
 now proceeded to search outside. 
 
 Skipper Jarvis declared that, when he and Bob Thomson 
 went through the house on the night of the tragedy, they 
 looked to every door and window, but all were properly 
 secured, and unless Balfour had squeezed himself through 
 a keyhole or a cranny, he could not have left the building. 
 Nevertheless, it seemed to me that the man must have got 
 out in some way ; otherwise, if he were dead, how was it 
 we had failed to find his body in the house ? So thorough 
 had been the search that a dead mouse could not have 
 escaped me. 
 
 There was still a great deal of snow on the ground, 
 especially in the hollows and ravines ; but it was soft and 
 slushy owing to the rise in temperature. 
 
 Aided by half a dozen men — mostly gamekeepers — and 
 several dogs, we commenced systematically to examine the 
 grounds, the country round about, the burns, the woods, 
 but all to no purpose. Every inch of Braid Glen was gone 
 over; what is now the Waverley curling pond was dragged; 
 the Jordan and Braid streams examined ; all the quarries 
 in the neighbourhood — of which there are many — were 
 looked into ; the Braid Hill and all round about the Braid 
 Hill was paced ; but the result was the same. Raymond 
 Balfour was not found. 
 
 When our failure became known, the excitement in- 
 creased greatly, especially amongst ignorant and stupid 
 people, who stoutly maintained that the master of Corbie 
 Hall had been spirited away by the Evil One, who had
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 283 
 
 also killed Maggie Stiven. These good folks failed to 
 explain why the Evil One should have stabbed Maggie 
 with a stiletto, and have left more than half the blade 
 in the wound, when he might have deprived her of life so 
 much more easily. I found that even Captain Jarvis was 
 not without some belief in this absurd theory. 
 
 ' If there is not something uncanny about the whole 
 business, how is it you have failed to get trace of the 
 man P 1 asked Jarvis, with the air of one who felt he was 
 putting a poser which was absolutely unanswerable. ' You 
 see,' pursued the skipper, with an insistency of tone that 
 was very amusing — ' you see, we were a bad lot. We\l 
 just come there for an orgie, and the meat and drink that 
 we wasted would have kept many poor wretches from 
 starving on that awful night/ 
 
 ' Do you consider that Raymond Balfour was an ex- 
 ceptionally wicked man T I asked Jarvis. 
 
 ' Well, no, 1 he answered seriously ; ' I shouldn't like to 
 say that. But he was a wild fellow. 1 
 
 ' What do you mean by wild T 
 
 ' Well, he was a little too fond of liquor and the 
 ladies. 1 
 
 ' Have you known him long T 
 
 ' Yes, several years. I first met him in Madras. I saw 
 a good deal of him later in Calcutta. He was a very wild 
 boy then, I can tell you. 1 
 
 ' But still no worse than tens of thousands of other 
 people T I suggested. 
 
 ' Oh no ; I don't say he was, 1 Jarvis answered quickly, 
 and in a way that suggested he was anxious his friend 
 should not be painted too black. 
 
 ' Now, I want you to tell me this, Captain Jarvis,'' I said 
 somewhat solemnly, as I wished to impress him with the 
 importance of the question : ' was there any love-making 
 between Raymond Balfour and Maggie Stiven P 1 
 
 The skipper did not answer immediately. He seemed 
 to be revolving the matter in his mind. Then, with a 
 thoughtful stroking of his chin, he replied : 
 
 ' Balfour was fond of Mag-o-ie. 1
 
 284 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 ' Did he allow that fondness to display itself before 
 others P 1 
 
 ' When he was a bit gone in his cups he did, 1 answered 
 the captain, with obvious reluctance. 
 ' And was she fond of him P 1 
 
 ' Yes — I think so ' — the same reluctance showing itself. 
 ' Did she show her partiality P 1 
 ' Sometimes."' 
 
 ' Maggie wasn't considered to be very stanch to anyone, 
 was she ?' 
 
 ' Well, she 1 d a good many admirers. She was an awful 
 good-looking lass, you see. And lads will always run after 
 a pretty girl. 1 
 
 'That scarcely answers my question, captain, 1 I said. 
 'I want to know if she openly — that is, before others — 
 showed that she liked Balfour better than any other body P 1 
 ' You see, Mr. Brodie, Fin not altogether competent to 
 answer that, 1 said the skipper, as though he was anxious 
 to shirk the question. 
 
 ' But did she do so on the New Year 1 s Eve, when you 
 were all so jovial P 1 
 < Yes. 1 
 
 ' How did she display her liking P 1 
 
 ' She sat on his knee several times. She kissed him, and 
 he kissed her. 1 
 
 ' That was before the company P 1 
 ' It was. 1 
 
 ' Did he make any remark, or did she P I mean, any 
 remark calculated to engender a belief that this spooning 
 was serious, and not a mere flirtation, the result of a 
 spree P 1 
 
 ' Well — I — I heard him say two or three times, " Mag, 
 old girl, Fm going to marry you. 11 1 
 
 ' He had been drinking then, I suppose P 1 
 ' He had, a good deal. 1 
 ' And what did she reply P 1 
 
 ' As near as I mind, she said, " All right, old man. 
 We are just suited to each other, and well make a match 
 of it. 11 1
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 285 
 
 ' I must now ask you one or two other questions, 
 captain. There were several men present, were there 
 not ?' 
 
 ' There were.' 
 
 ' They were all young men ?' 
 
 < Yes.' 
 
 ' And belonged to Edinburgh or its immediate neigh- 
 bourhood ?' 
 
 ' They did/ 
 
 ' Consequently they were all more or less well acquainted 
 with Maggie ?' 
 
 ' Yes. I don't think there was a man there who didn't 
 ken her. You see, in her way she was a kind of celebrity 
 in Edinburgh. Certain folk said hard things about her, 
 and that made her mad sometimes, so that she took a 
 delight in just showing how she could lead the lads by 
 the nose. 1 
 
 ' Now, I want you to give me an answer to this ques- 
 tion, captain. Is it within your knowledge that out 
 of her many admirers there was one who had been 
 emboldened by her to think that he had the best claim 
 upon her ?' 
 
 ' I couldn't say for certain ; but it's likely enough. 1 
 
 ' Has it occurred to you to ask yourself if that favoured 
 one was among Raymond Balfour's guests on New Year's 
 Eve ?' 
 
 The question seemed to startle Captain Jarvis. He 
 looked at me searchingly and inquiringly, and it was 
 some moments before he spoke, while his expression gave 
 every indication that he fully understood the drift of 
 my inquiry. At last he replied, hesitatingly and cau- 
 tiously : 
 
 ' You see, Mr. Brodie, I wasn't the keeper of Maggie's 
 conscience. She didn't make me her confidant. Nor was 
 I one of her favoured suitors. I'm an old married man, 
 and she preferred young fellows.' 
 
 ' You've avoided my question now,' I remarked, a 
 little sharply, as it seemed to me he was prevari- 
 cating.
 
 286 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 Tin trying- to think, 1 he said, with a preoccupied air. 
 Then, after a pause, he added : ' I can't answer you, 
 because I don't know. What your question suggests is that 
 some chap who was madly jealous of' her murdered her. 1 
 ' You are correct in your surmise, 1 I answered. 
 ' Then, all IVe got to say is this : It was impossible for 
 anyone to have left the room and committed the crime 
 without my being aware of it. I say again, it would 
 have been impossible. She couldn't, have been out of the 
 room two minutes before she was struck. You see, she 
 had even been unable to get up the stair. Her goino- out 
 was quite unpremeditated ; and until she jumped up from 
 her seat, and said she would go and look for Balfour, 
 nobody knew she was going out of the room. No, Mr. 
 Brodie, I'm convinced that no man of that company did 
 the deed. 1 
 
 I had every reason to think that Captain Jarvis was 
 perfectly right in his conclusions. The logic of his argu- 
 ment was unanswerable. I had already taken means to 
 ascertain some particulars about every person who had 
 been present on the fateful night, including the extra 
 servants ; and I saw nothing and heard nothing calculated 
 in any way to justify a suspicion being entertained against 
 any particular individual. Nevertheless, I had them under 
 surveillance. 
 
 What I had to deal with was the broad, plain, hard 
 fact that Maggie Stiven had been brutally and suddenly 
 murdered, while Raymond Balfour had disappeared as 
 effectually as if the earth had suddenly opened and 
 swallowed him, leaving not a trace behind. If he went 
 forth from the house after quitting his guests, where had 
 he gone to ? 
 
 The state of the country, owing to the snow, made 
 it physically impossible that he could have travelled far on 
 that awful night ; and had he perished in the snow near 
 the house, his body must have been discovered, so thorough 
 had been our search. 
 
 Then, again, assuming that he had got away, there 
 would surely have been some indication of his mode of
 
 THE MYSTERY DEEPENS 287 
 
 exit — an unfastened window, an unlocked door. But the 
 most exhaustive inquiry satisfied me there was neither one 
 nor the other. 
 
 But if Balfour was not out of the house, he must be in 
 the house ; and if he was in the house, it was as a dead 
 man. And where was his body ? 
 
 It seemed unreasonable to suppose that a human body 
 could be disposed of so quickly and so effectually as to 
 leave not a trace behind. 
 
 Then, again, granting that he was murdered, who mur- 
 dered him, and why was he murdered ? Who raised the 
 unearthly cry, and was it raised purposely to draw him 
 from the room in order that he might be immediately 
 struck down ? 
 
 Such was the problem with which I was confronted, and 
 I freely confess that at this stage I felt absolutely baffled. 
 I saw no clue, and nothing likely to lead me to a clue ; but 
 though baffled, I was not beaten. The mystery was pro- 
 found, and the whole case so strange, so startling, that I 
 was not surprised at ignorant people attributing it to 
 supernatural agency. It had about it all the elements of 
 some wild, weird story of monkish superstition, lifted from 
 the pages of a mediaeval romance. It was no romance, 
 however, no legend, but a hard, dry fact of the nineteenth 
 century that had to be accounted for by perfectly human 
 means. 
 
 There was one point, however, which made itself clear 
 through the darkness. It was that the author of the deed 
 was a person of such devilish cunning, such brutal ferocity, 
 such crafty ingenuity, that he would occupy a niche all to 
 himself for evermore in the gallery of criminals. 
 
 As I have already said, though I was baffled, I was 
 not beaten, and I felt sure I should ultimately succeed in 
 the task set me. I had in my possession the broken blade 
 of the stiletto, and I knew that might prove of value as a 
 clue ; and having done all that it was practical to do for 
 the moment, I set to work to define a motive for the crime, 
 and to construct a theory that would aid me in my efforts 
 to solve the problem.
 
 288 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES. 
 
 Peter Buodie stood very high in his profession. He had 
 made his mark as a detective, and had solved some very 
 complicated problems. In recalling him from Liverpool, 
 whither he had been sent on important business, the 
 authorities felt that if the Corbie Hall mystery was to be 
 cleared up he was the man to do it. They saw from the 
 first that it was a very difficult case, when all the circum- 
 stances were considered, but they were sure that Brodie 
 was the one man likely to tackle it successfully. 
 
 It seemed as if the evil reputation of Corbie Hall was 
 never to pass away, and after this new tragedy people 
 recalled how Peter Crease, the drunken owner of it, and 
 uncle of Balfour, had broken his neck in a quarry ; how, 
 following that, the gloomy house had fallen into dilapida- 
 tion, until it was shunned as a haunted place. When the 
 rightful heir turned up, they thought he would put things 
 right ; but instead of that he proved himself to be as big a 
 reprobate as his relative had been : and now his mysterious 
 disappearance, and Maggie Stivens murder, realized the 
 croak ings of the wiseacres, who had said that a curse hung 
 over the house, and that anyone who went to live in the 
 Hall would come to grief. 
 
 Of course, the tradition that a favourite of Queen Mary's 
 who had once lived there mysteriously disappeared, and 
 was never heard of again, was also recalled ; and the sages 
 predicted that as that mystery was never cleared up, so 
 would Balfour's disappearance go down to posterity as an 
 unsolved mystery. Possibly it might have done if Peter 
 Brodie had not brought his intellect to bear upon it. 
 
 On the fourth day after his arrival the thaw had been 
 so thorough that the land was quite clear of snow, and
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 289 
 
 a second search was made for Balfour, but it only ended in 
 failure, as the first had done. 
 
 Brodie was now convinced that the unfortunate man had 
 never left the house ; and yet, having regard to the critical 
 wav in which it had been examined from top to bottom, it 
 was difficult to conceive where he could be hidden. Never- 
 theless, Peter stuck to his guns ; for as Balfour had not 
 gone out of the house, he must be in it, and if so, time and 
 patient search might reveal his hiding-place. 
 
 With a view to learning as much as possible about 
 Balfour's habits, Brodie had a long talk with Chunda, 
 Captain Jarvis acting as interpreter. The native stated 
 that he had travelled with his master extensively through 
 India. He had found him rather a peculiar man. He was 
 very secretive, and given to fits of moodiness. Although 
 Chunda was exceedingly fond of him, he did not wish to 
 accompanv him to Scotland, but yielded on the master 
 pressing him. Now he bitterly regretted having come, for 
 not only did he feel crushed by his master's strange dis- 
 appearance, but the cold and dampness of the climate 
 made him very ill, and he intended to leave immediately 
 for Southampton, so as to get a ship for India, as he 
 yearned to return to his own warm, sunny land. He was 
 dying for the want of smi and warmth. 
 
 Asked if his master was much given to flirtations, 
 Chunda, with flashing eyes and an angry expression in his 
 dark face, said that he was, and he had frequently got into 
 trouble through it. 
 
 After this interview, Brodie came to the conclusion that 
 the motive of the crime was undoubtedly jealousy. That 
 is to say, someone had been jealous of Balfour, someone 
 who considered Maggie a rival. 
 
 If this was correct, the someone must be a woman — no 
 ordinary woman, for no ordinary woman would have been 
 capable of carrying out such a terrible revenge. Besides 
 Masraie Stiven, there had been four other young women in 
 the party. 
 
 One was a married woman named MacLauchlan. Her 
 husband kept a grocer's shop in the High Street, but he
 
 290 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 and his wife didn't get on well together. He had no idea, 
 however, that she was in the habit of visiting at Corbie 
 Hall. 
 
 Brodie dismissed her from suspicion. He felt sure she 
 didn't commit the deed. She was rather good-looking, 
 but a mild, lackadaisical, phlegmatic, brainless creature, 
 without the nerve necessary for such a crime. 
 
 Another of the ladies was Jean Smith. She was twenty 
 years of age, and Maggie Stiven's bosom friend, and since 
 the night of the crime had been seriously ill in bed from 
 the shock. 
 
 A third was Mary Johnstone. Until New Year's Eve 
 she had never met Balfour before in her life. She had 
 gone to the Hall in company with her sweetheart, James 
 Macfarlane, the medical student. 
 
 The fourth was Kate Thomson, cousin to Rab Thomson. 
 She was a woman about thirty years of age, strong and 
 well knit, but was a good-tempered, genial sort of creature. 
 She, too, was almost a stranger to Balfour, and was 
 enoajved to be married to a man named Robert Mur- 
 chison, who was factor to a Mr. Rennie of Perth. 
 
 Brodie was absolutely certain, after studying them all, 
 that not one of these four women had done the deed. 
 Nor was there the slightest reason for harbouring a 
 suspicion against the female servants. 
 
 He was, therefore, puzzled, but not disconcerted, and he 
 stuck to his theory that a jealous woman had committed 
 the crime. 
 
 That, of course, only made the mystery more mysterious, 
 so to speak. For who was the woman ? Where did she 
 come from ? How did she get into the house ? Where 
 did she go to ? 
 
 These questions were inevitable if the theory was main- 
 tained. It did not seem easy then to answer them. 
 
 As Brodie revolved all these things in his mind, he 
 remembered that, though he had subjected the house to a 
 very careful search, he had done little more than look into 
 Chunda's room, the reason being that the native was ill in 
 bed at the time.
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 291 
 
 The room adjoined Balfours, and at one time was con- 
 nected by a communicating door, but for some reason or 
 other the door had been nailed up and papered over. 
 AVhile less in size than Balfour's, it was still a fairly large 
 room, also wainscoted, and with a carved wooden ceiling. 
 It was lighted by one window, which commanded a good 
 view over Blackford Hill. 
 
 To this room Brodie went one evening when Chunda 
 happened to be absent from it. It reeked with the faint, 
 sickly odour of some Indian perfume. 
 
 On a sideboard stood a small gilt Indian idol, and 
 various Indian knick-knacks were scattered about. As in 
 Balfour's room, there was a massive carved oak mantel- 
 piece, with a very capacious fireplace ; and on each side of 
 the fireplace was a deep recess. 
 
 The floor was oak, polished, and dark in colour either 
 by staining or time. The only carpet on it was a square 
 in the centre. A clothes-press stood in a corner. It was 
 the only place in which a man could be concealed. Brodie 
 opened the door, and found nothing but clothes there. 
 The mystery, therefore, was as far from solution as ever, 
 apparently, as now there wasn't a corner of the house that 
 had not been examined thoroughly and exhaustively. 
 
 As Brodie was in the act of leaving the room, his eye 
 was attracted by something glittering on the hearthstone, 
 where the cold, white ashes of a wood-fire still remained. He 
 stooped down and picked from the hearth a scrap, a mere 
 morsel of cloth. It was all burnt round the edges, and 
 was dusty with the ash ; but he found on examination 
 that it was a fragment of Indian cloth, into which gold 
 threads had been worked ; and it was these gold threads 
 which, in spite of the dust, had reflected the light and 
 attracted his notice. 
 
 Taking out his pocket-book, he deposited that scrap of 
 charred cloth carefully between the leaves, then went 
 down on his knees and subjected the ashes to critical 
 examination, with the result that he obtained unmistakable 
 evidence of a considerable amount of cloth having been de- 
 stroyed bv fire. There were patches here and there of white, 
 
 19—2
 
 292 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 or rather gray, carbonized, filmy fragments of cobweb-like 
 texture. As everyone knows, cloth burnt in a fire leaves 
 a ghostlike wrack behind, that, unless disturbed, will remain 
 for some time. 
 
 Brodie rose and fell into deep thought, and he mentally 
 asked himself why the cloth had been burnt. It was 
 reasonable to presume it was some portion of clothing, 
 and if so, why should anyone have been at the trouble 
 to consume it in the flames unless it was to hide certain 
 evidences of guilt. 
 
 ' What would those evidences of guilt be P 1 Brodie 
 muttered to himself, as he reflected on the singular dis- 
 covery he had made. And suddenly it seemed to him — 
 of course, it was purely fancy — that a voice whispered in 
 his ear : 
 
 'Blood! blood f 
 
 Although but fancy, the voice seemed so real to him 
 that he fairly started, and at that instant the door opened 
 and Chunda entered. He seemed greatly surprised to 
 find the detective in the room, and muttered something 
 in Hindustani. 
 
 As Brodie did not understand him and could not con- 
 verse with him, he made no response, but passed out, 
 and, hurrying to Edinburgh, called on Professor Dunbar, 
 the eminent microscopist, and asked that gentleman to 
 place the fragment of cloth found on the hearthstone 
 under a powerful microscope. 
 
 The Professor did as requested, and, after a careful 
 examination, he said he could not detect anything sug- 
 gestive of blood. The cloth was evidently of Indian 
 workmanship, and the bright threads running through it 
 were real gold. 
 
 Brodie did not return to Corbie Hall until the following 
 day. By that time Maggie Sti veil's body had been 
 removed by her friends for burial, and he was informed 
 by the servants that Chunda had gone out to attend the 
 funeral. He was rather surprised at that, and still more 
 surprised when he found, on going to Chunda , s room, that 
 the door was locked.
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 293 
 
 He hurried back to Edinburgh, and was in time to be 
 present at Maggie's burial in the Greyfriars Churchyard, 
 but he saw nothing of Chunda ; the native was not there, 
 and nobody had seen him. Captain Jarvis was amongst 
 the mourners, and when the funeral was over he and 
 Brodie left together. 
 
 ' Do you know how long Chunda has been in Balfour's 
 service P 1 the detective asked, as they strolled along. 
 
 ' I believe a considerable time, but I don't know from 
 absolute knowledge. As I have already told you, Balfour 
 was a curious sort of fellow, and particularly close in 
 regard to his own affairs. He was one of those sort of 
 men it is difficult to get to the bottom of. You may 
 try to probe them as much as you like, but nothing comes 
 
 of it: 
 
 ' You possibly were as familiar with him as anyone,' 
 suggested Brodie. 
 
 ' Yes, I should say I was. 1 
 
 ' And if he had wanted a confidant, he would probably 
 have chosen you T 
 
 ' I think it is very likely he would. So far as such 
 a man would make a confidant of anyone, he made one 
 of me. 1 
 
 ' Do you know why he brought Chunda from India 
 with him T 
 
 ' No. What I do know is this : Chunda had been with 
 him for some time, and when Balfour returned to Scot- 
 land, he thought he was only going to make a temporary 
 stay here. 1 
 
 ' Was he fond of Chunda T 
 
 ' I cannot tell you whether he was or was not. 1 
 
 ' Can you tell me this : Has Chunda been in the habit 
 of always wearing European clothes since he came to 
 Edinburgh T 
 
 ' I don't know that. You see, I only came into port 
 with my vessel four weeks ago. "When I first called at 
 Corbie Hall, the fellow was wearing European clothes. 
 
 ' Did you see much of Chunda on New Year's Eve V 
 
 ' He came into the room now and again. In fact, I
 
 2<H THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 think he was in and out pretty often. Balfour used 
 occasionally to smoke an opium pipe, and Chunda always 
 filled it for him. 1 
 
 ' How was the native dressed that night T 
 
 ' He had trousers and vest, and wore a sort of fancy 
 Indian jacket.'' 
 
 ' Was there gold embroidery on it ?' 
 
 ' I believe there was a sort of gold thread, or something 
 of that kind. But, really, I didn't take much notice. We 
 were all pretty jolly, and I didn't look to see how anyone 
 was dressed. 1 
 
 ' But, still, you have no doubt that Chunda did wear 
 a jacket or robe similar to that you describe T 
 
 ' ' Oh yes, Fin sure about that part of the business. It 
 was conspicuous enough.' 
 
 When Brodie parted from the skipper, he felt that 
 he had struck a trail, although he could not make much 
 of it just then. But it will readily be gathered that he 
 had begun to suspect Chunda of having committed the 
 crime. 
 
 It was difficult to understand why Chunda should have 
 burnt his gown or jacket unless it was to destroy traces of 
 guilt. If there was blood on his jacket, and it was the 
 blood of one of the victims, he would know that it might 
 prove a ghastly piece of evidence if detected ; and so he 
 had committed it to the flames as the most effectual means 
 of getting rid of it. 
 
 Now, assuming this surmise of Brodie's was correct, it 
 was obvious that it was not Maggie Stivens blood, because 
 the nature of the wound that brought about her death was 
 such that there was only very little outward bleeding. 
 But if Balfour, when he went upstairs to ascertain the 
 cause of the scream, was suddenly attacked and stabbed to 
 death by the native, was it not reasonable to suppose that 
 he bled so profusely as to dye the garments of his 
 murderer ? 
 
 This chain of reasoning threw a new light on the affair, 
 and Brodie, who had made up his mind that he would read 
 the riddle if it could be read, returned once more to Corbie
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 295 
 
 Hall. He learnt that Chunda had been back about half 
 an hour, and had given the other servants to understand 
 that he was ill and half frozen, and was going to bed. 
 Whereupon the detective furnished himself with a lamp, 
 and proceeded to carefully examine the stair carpet and 
 the landings for suggestive stains, but saw nothing that 
 aroused his suspicions. As he could not talk to Chunda, 
 he did not disturb him, but the next morning, quite 
 early, he went down to the Hall again in company with 
 Jarvis. 
 
 Chunda told the skipper, in answer to questions put to 
 him, that he had not gone out on the previous day to 
 attend the funeral, as stated, but to make arrangements 
 for taking his departure from the country. He could not 
 endure the climate ; it made him very ill. Besides that, 
 he felt that he would go mad if he stayed there, for there 
 wasn't a soul he could talk to, and his loneliness was 
 terrible. He therefore intended to start on the following 
 day for Southampton, and two days later would sail in a 
 P. and O. steamer for India. 
 
 All that he had said seemed very feasible, and that he 
 was ill and did suffer from the cold was evident. 
 
 Nevertheless, Brodie's suspicions were not allayed. It 
 was not easy to allay them when once they were thoroughly 
 aroused ; and having reasoned the case out from every 
 possible point of view, he had come to the conclusion that 
 Chunda was in a position to let in light where there was 
 now darkness if he chose to speak. That is to say, he 
 knew something of the crime, though, of course, at this 
 stage there wasn't a scrap of evidence against the native 
 that would have justified his arrest. Moreover, Brodie 
 found himself confronted with a huge difficulty in the way 
 of making his theory fit in. If Chunda had really mur- 
 dered Balfour, how had he managed to dispose of the 
 body ? That question was certainly a poser, and no 
 reasonable answer could be given to it. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that, from the moment of the 
 scream being first heard to the discovery of Maggie 
 Stiven's body on the mat at the foot of the stairs, not
 
 296 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 more than half an hour at the outside had elapsed. In 
 that brief space of time Balfour had been so effectually got 
 rid of that there was not a trace of him. It was bewilder- 
 ing to try and understand how that disappearance had 
 been accomplished, unless it was with the aid of some 
 devilish art and unholy magic. But as Brodie had no 
 belief in that kind of thing, he was convinced that, sooner 
 or later, what was then an impenetrable mystery would be 
 explained by perfectly rational, though probably startling, 
 causes. Be that as it might, having got his fangs fixed, 
 to use a figure of speech, he held on with bulldog tenacity, 
 and he was not disposed to exonerate Chunda until he felt 
 convinced that his suspicions were unfounded. 
 
 ' Do you know, captain, if there are any balls of any 
 kind in the house? 1 he asked abruptly of Jarvis, who 
 looked at him with some astonishment, for the question 
 seemed so irrelevant and out of place. 
 
 ' What sort of balls ? said Jarvis, expressing his surprise 
 by his manner and voice. 
 
 ' Oh, any sort — billiard-balls, golf-balls, balls of any 
 kind. 1 
 
 * There are plenty of golf-balls. But why do you ask ? 1 
 
 ' I want you to get two or three of the balls, 1 said 
 Brodie for answer. ' Put them into your pocket, ask 
 Chunda to accompany you into the dining-room, and 
 make him sit down in a chair opposite to you. Engage 
 him in conversation for a few minutes ; then, suddenly 
 taking the balls from your pocket, tell him to catch them, 
 and pitch them to him. Do you understand me T 
 
 Captain Jarvis stared at the detective as though he 
 could hardly believe the evidence of his ears. Then, as he 
 broke into a laugh, he asked : 
 
 ' Do you mean that seriously T 
 
 ' Of course I mean it. 1 
 
 'And what's the object? 1 
 
 ' Never mind the object. Do what I ask you. 1 
 
 'And where will you be? 1 
 
 ' In the dining-room, too. But take no notice whatever 
 of me. 1
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 297 
 
 ' Well, it's a daft-like sort of proceeding, any way ; but 
 
 ni do it: 
 
 Then, having procured some golf-balls, he addressed 
 himself to Chunda in Hindustani, and in a few moments 
 they went together into the dining-room. 
 
 Brodie followed shortly after, and, taking a book from 
 a little shelf that hung on the wall, he threw himself on to 
 a lounge and appeared to be reading. 
 
 In a short while Jarvis took the balls from his pocket, 
 and, saying something to Chunda, who sat on a chair by 
 the window, he threw one ball after another at him, and 
 the native held forth his hands to catch them ; but, not 
 being in a playful humour, he did not cast the balls back, 
 but very soon got up and went out, looking very much 
 annoyed. 
 
 ' Well, what does that tomfoolery mean ?' asked Jarvis. 
 
 i A good deal to me. I've learnt a startling fact by it. 1 
 
 The skipper would have been glad to have had an 
 explanation, for naturally his curiosity was greatly aroused, 
 and he couldn't conceive what the ball-throwing could 
 possibly have indicated. But Brodie resolutely refused to 
 satisfy him. 
 
 ' You have rendered me a service, 1 he said. ' Now, that's 
 enough for the present. If I succeed in fitting the pieces 
 of this strange puzzle together, you shall know what my 
 motive was. Rest assured I do nothing without a motive. 
 But I am a'oing; to exact a further service from you now. 
 I want you to stay here all night, as I myself intend to 
 stay. Chunda talked of leaving to-morrow. He must not 
 leave, and, if necessary, you must find some means of 
 detaining him.' 
 
 ' Do you mean to say you suspect Chunda of having 
 committed the crime ?' — his amazement growing. 
 
 ' Frankly, I do.' 
 
 ' Well, all I've got to say, Brodie, is this,' answered the 
 skipper decisively : 'you are on the wrong tack.' 
 
 ' How do you know I am ?' 
 
 ' I am sure of it.' 
 
 ' Give me your reasons for being sure.'
 
 298 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 'Why, I tell you, man,'' exclaimed the skipper warmly, 
 ' the nigger is as harmless as a kitten, and no more likely 
 to commit a crime of this kind than a new-born baby.'' 
 
 'That is simply your opinion, Captain Jarvis. 1 
 
 ' It is my opinion, and it's a common-sense one. You 
 are doing the fellow a wrong. I never saw a native servant 
 so attached to Balfour as Chunda was to his master. I 
 tell you, Brodie, you are on the wrong scent. 1 
 
 ' All right, we shall see, 1 he said carelessly. 
 
 'But in the name of common-sense, 1 cried Jarvis, who 
 was argumentatively inclined, ' if there's any reason in 
 your suspicions, how on earth do you suppose this nigger 
 chap got rid of Balfour? Where has he stowed him, do 
 you think ? Do you suppose he swallowed him P 1 
 
 ' Ah ! an answer to that question is not easily framed. 
 Perhaps before many hours have passed I may be able to 
 tell you. 1 
 
 ' Do you think because he's black he"s the devil, and has 
 spirited Balfour away P 1 pursued the skipper, with a defiant 
 air, for he honestly considered that Chunda was being 
 wronged, and he was ready to champion him. 
 
 ' No, I don't think so, 1 answered Brodie, with a smile, 
 ' because if he had been the devil he wouldn't have com- 
 mitted such a clumsy crime as this. 1 
 
 ' Well, clumsy as it is, it's defied you, 1 said Jarvis, by no 
 means satisfied or convinced. 
 
 ' For the time being it has. But it won't continue to do 
 so much longer, unless Fin very much mistaken. But it's 
 no use continuing the argument. A man is judged by his 
 acts, not by his words. If I am wrong, I must abide by 
 the penalty which attaches to failure. If I am right, I 
 shall take credit for some amount of cleverness. You will 
 stay here to-night, won't you P 1 
 
 The skipper scratched his head, and looked as though 
 he wasn't comfortable. 
 
 ' Well, upon my word ! I don't know what to say. I'm 
 not a coward, but I'm blowed if I like the idea of passing 
 another night in this uncanny place. 1 
 
 ' Why P 1 Brodie asked with a smile.
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 299 
 
 ' I should be afraid of seeing Maggie StiverTs ghost/ 
 * And what if you did ? A ghost couldn't do you any 
 harm. 1 
 
 ' Perhaps not, but I'd rather not see one.'' 
 'Nor are you likely to, except as a product of your 
 own heated imagination. However, to cut the matter 
 short, you 1 11 stay, won't you ? You've got your pipe and 
 tobacco, and Eve no doubt the cook will be able to pro- 
 vide us with some creature comforts. We'll have another 
 log put on the fire, and make ourselves comfortable ; and, 
 if you like, I'll give you a hand at cribbage.' 
 
 The skipper yielded, and the matter was settled. 
 ' Before we settle down, I want you to entertain Chunda 
 here for half an hour during my absence,' continued 
 Brodie. 
 
 ' You are not going out, are you ?' asked Jarvis 
 quickly, and with some nervousness displaying itself in his 
 manner, indicating evidently that he did not wish to be 
 left alone. 
 
 ' Well, no, not out of the house. But you understand, 
 Captain Jarvis, I am doing my best to unravel this 
 mystery ; you must let me act in my own way, and take 
 such steps* as I think are necessary to the end I have in 
 view. You can aid me, and I want you to aid me ; but 
 you can best do that by refraining from questioning, and 
 in doing exactly as I request you to do.' 
 
 ' All right,' said Jarvis. ' I've nothing more to say. 
 You must sail your own ship, whether you come to grief 
 or whether you don't.' 
 
 'Precisely. Now, I'll send one of the servants up for 
 Chunda, and you'll keep him engaged in talk for half 
 an hour, or until I come back into the room. Don't 
 talk about the crime, and don't say a word that would 
 lead him to think I suspect him. Do you understand 
 me r 
 
 ' Yes, of course I do.' 
 
 ' And will carry out my wishes ? It is most important 
 that you should.' 
 ' To the letter.'
 
 300 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 The business being thus arranged, Brodie left the room, 
 and ten minutes later Chunda entered it. Brodie was 
 absent nearly three-quarters of an hour before he returned. 
 There was a look of peculiar satisfaction on his face. 
 Chunda was dismissed ; and the two men, having, through 
 the cook, secured something in the way of eatables and 
 drinkables, satisfied their wants in that respect, and then 
 engaged in cribbage, and continued their game until a late 
 hour. 
 
 At last Jarvis retired. It was arranged he was to sleep 
 in Balfour's bedroom, but Brodie said he would stow 
 himself on a couch in the dining-room, which was warm 
 and comfortable. 
 
 He dozed for three or four hours, and exactly at five 
 rose, and made his way to the stable-yard, where, according 
 to prearrangement, the groom was ready with a horse and 
 trap, and Brodie drove rapidly into Edinburgh. He was 
 back again soon after eight, with two constables in plain 
 clothes, who were for the time confined to the kitchen, 
 until their services might be required. 
 
 Jarvis did not rise until after nine. He was a good and 
 sound sleeper, and neither ghosts nor anything else had 
 disturbed him. He was kept in ignorance of Brodie's 
 journey into Edinburgh. 
 
 A few minutes before ten Chunda made his appearance. 
 He was ready to start, and he enlisted the aid of the other 
 servants to bring his luggage down into the hall. Again 
 Brodie requested the skipper to detain the native in 
 conversation, while he himself went upstairs to Chunda's 
 room, where he shut himself in and locked the door. 
 Then he began to tap with his knuckles the wainscoted 
 walls, going from panel to panel. 
 
 When he reached the deep recess near the fireplace, 
 already described, he started, as his taps produced a 
 hollow sound. He tapped again and again, putting his 
 ear to the woodwork. There was no mistake about it. 
 The wall there was hollow. He tried to move the hollow 
 panel, but only after many trials and much examination 
 did he succeed. The panel slid on one side, revealing a
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 301 
 
 dark abyss, from which came a strange, cold, earthy, 
 clammy smell. 
 
 He closed the panel, went down stairs, and told the 
 constables the time for action had come. They filed into 
 the dining-room, and Jarvis was asked to tell Chunda that 
 he would be arrested on a charge of having murdered 
 Raymond Balfour and Ma<™ie Stiven. 
 
 If it is possible for a black person to turn pale, then 
 Chunda did so. Any way, the announcement was like an 
 electric shock to him. He staggered ; then clapped his 
 hands to his face, and moaned and whined. 
 
 Brodie went upstairs once more — this time in company 
 with one of the constables. They were provided with 
 lanterns, and when the panel in Chunda's room Avas opened 
 again, the light revealed a narrow flight of stone steps 
 descending between the walls ; and at the bottom of the 
 steps lay something huddled up. It was unmistakably 
 a human body, the body of Raymond Balfour. 
 
 Chunda was at once conveyed to Edinburgh, and other 
 men were sent out from the town to the house. Then the 
 decomposed body was got up. It was Balfour, sure 
 enough. He had been stabbed in the chest, and the heart 
 had been pierced through. 
 
 At the bottom of the stone steps there was also found 
 the other portion of the long stiletto. 
 
 All this, however, was not proof that Chunda had done 
 the deed. But there was something else that was. 
 
 The dead man's right hand was tightly clenched, and when 
 it was opened by the doctor who was called in to examine 
 the remains, a piece of cloth was released from the death 
 grip. It was a piece of Indian cloth, interwoven with gold 
 threads, and identical with the scrap that Brodie had 
 found in the ashes. 
 
 The dead hand afforded the necessary clue ; it forged 
 the last link. The dead hand smote the destroyer. It 
 proved beyond doubt that Chunda was the murderer. He 
 had by some means discovered the secret panel. He had 
 inveigled Balfour into the room. There he had stabbed 
 him. In his dying agony the wretched man had clutched
 
 302 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 at his murderer, and had torn out a piece of the gold- 
 threaded jacket he was wearing. That jacket must have 
 been deeply stained with blood, and Chunda had cast 
 it upon the fire. But murder will out, and the unconsumed 
 fragment gave the sharp-eyed Brodie the first clue. 
 The dead hand itself of the' murdered man afforded the 
 last. 
 
 Chunda was the murderer, or, rather, the murderess ; for 
 Chunda was a woman. Brodie had begun to suspect this 
 from a peculiarity of voice, from the formation of her neck 
 and shoulders, and from other signs, and his suspicions 
 were confirmed when he resorted to the ball test. 
 
 When the balls were thrown, Chunda did not, as a man 
 would have done, close his knees, but spread them open. 
 A woman invariably does this when she is in a sitting 
 posture and anything is thrown at her lap. 
 
 Chunda subsequently proved to be a woman, sure 
 enouah, and the murder was the result — as Brodie had also 
 correctly divined — of jealousy. 
 
 The wretched creature succeeded in strangling herself 
 before she was brought to trial, and she left behind her a 
 paper written in excellent English, in which she confessed 
 the crime. She declared that she was the wife of Balfour, 
 who had espoused her in India. She represented a very 
 old and high-caste family. Her father was a Ilajah, and 
 Balfour had been in his employ. He succeeded in winning 
 her affections, and when he returned to his own country 
 she determined to accompany him. He treated her very 
 badly, and twice he attempted to poison her. His flirta- 
 tion with Maggie Stiven excited her to madness, but it 
 was, nevertheless, a very cunning madness. She had pre- 
 viously discovered by chance the sliding panel and the 
 secret stairs. 
 
 On New Year 1 s Eve she opened the panel, went to the 
 top of the stairs, and uttered that eerie screech or scream 
 that had so alarmed the company. She felt sure it would 
 bring her husband to her. She told him that she had 
 received a horrible fright in her room ; that part of the 
 wall had opened, revealing a dark abyss, from which strange
 
 THE DEAD HAND SMITES 303 
 
 noises issued. As soon as he was in the room she stabbed 
 him with a long Indian stiletto. It then suddenly struck 
 her that, when he didn't return, it was very likely Maggie 
 Stiven would go in search of him. So she hurried down 
 the stairs and hid underneath them, and as soon as Maggie 
 appeared she sprang upon her and stabbed her with such 
 fury that the blade of the dagger broke. 
 
 Although her husband had treated her so badly, she had 
 yielded to his earnest entreaties to conceal her identity and 
 continue to pass as a man. She spoke and wrote English 
 fluently, although he had made her promise not to let this 
 fact be known. 
 
 Such was the story she told, and there was no doubt it 
 was substantially correct. She considered that she had 
 managed the crime so well that suspicion would never rest 
 upon her, and, having carried out her deed of awful 
 vengeance, she would be able to return to her own sun- 
 scorched land. 
 
 That she would have succeeded in this was likely enough 
 had Peter Brodie not been brought upon the scene. He had 
 worked out the problem line by line, and at last, when it 
 struck him that if Balfour was murdered he must have 
 been murdered in Chunda's room, he proceeded to examine 
 the floor carefully on the night when he asked Jarvis to 
 keep Chunda in conversation for half an hour. That 
 examination revealed unmistakable traces of blood on the 
 boards. Then it occurred to him that, as the house was 
 an old one, it was more than likely there was some secret 
 closet or recess in which the body had been hidden. 
 
 Chunda had evidently been well educated. In a post- 
 script to her confession she said that, out of the great love 
 she bore the man who had so cruelly deceived her, she 
 had, at his suggestion, consented to pass herself off as his 
 servant. He had assured her that it would only be for a 
 short time, and that when he had his affairs settled, and 
 sold his property, he would go back with her to India, 
 and they would live in regal splendour to the end of their 
 days. 
 
 That she loved him was pretty certain. That he shame-
 
 304 THE CLUE OF THE DEAD HAND 
 
 fully deceived her was no less certain ; and that love of 
 hers, and that deception, afforded some palliation for her 
 bloodthirsty deed of vengeance. 
 
 For some time after the double crime Corbie Hall 
 remained desolate and lonely. It was now looked upon 
 as a doubly-accursed place, and nobody could be found 
 who would take it, so at last it was razed to the ground, 
 and is known no more. 
 
 In pulling it down it was discovered that in Balfour's 
 room was a secret panel corresponding to the one in the 
 next room, and that the stone stairs had at one time led 
 to a subterraneous passage, which had an opening some- 
 where in Blackford Glen. It had no doubt originally 
 been constructed to afford the inmates of the house means 
 of escape in the stormy times when the building was first 
 reared. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.
 
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 Yankee at Court of K. Arthur. 
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 By SYDNEY GRUNDY. 
 The Days of his Vanity. 
 
 By THOMAS HARDY. 
 
 Under the Greenwood Tre9. 
 
 By BRET HARTE. 
 A Waif of the Plains. 
 A Ward of the Go!den 
 Gate. [Springs. 
 
 A Sappho of Green 
 Col. Star bottle's Client. 
 Susy. | Sally Dows. 
 Bell-Ringer of Angel's. 
 
 By JULIAN HAWTHORNE. 
 
 Beatrix Randolph 
 
 A ProtcgOe of Jack 
 
 Hamlin s. 
 Clarence. 
 Barker's Luck. 
 Devil's Ford, [cels'or.' 
 The Crusade of the ' Ex- 
 Three Partners. 
 
 David Poindexters Dis- 
 appearance. 
 
 The Spectra of the 
 Camera. 
 
 Garth 
 
 Ellice Quentin. 
 
 Sebastian Stroma, 
 
 Dust. 
 
 Fortune's Fool. 
 
 By Sir A. HELPS. 
 
 Ivan de Biron. 
 
 By I. HENDERSON. 
 
 Agatha Page. 
 
 By G. A. HENTY. 
 
 Rujub the Juggler. | Dorothy's Double. 
 
 By JOHN HILL. 
 
 The Common Ancestor 
 
 By Mrs. HUNGERFORD. 
 
 A Point of Conscience. 
 
 Nora Creina 
 
 An Anxious Moment. 
 
 Lady Verr.er's Flight. 
 
 The Red House Mystery 
 
 The Three Grace3. 
 
 Professor's Experiment. | Aprils Lady 
 
 By Mrs. ALFRED HUNT. 
 
 The Leaden Casket. I Self Condemned. 
 That Other Person. | Mrs. Juliet. 
 
 By C. J. CUTCL1FFE HYNE. 
 
 Honour of Thieves. 
 
 By R. ASHE KING. 
 
 A Drawn Game. | ' The Weaiing of the Green 
 
 By EDMOND LEPELLETIER. 
 
 Madame Sans Gme. 
 
 By HARRY LINDSAY. 
 
 Rhoda Roberts. 
 
 By HENRY VV. LUCY. 
 Gideon Flevce. 
 
 By E. LYNN LINTON. 
 
 Patricia Hemball 
 Under which Lord? 
 ' My Love 1 ' | lone. 
 Paston Carew. 
 Sowing the Wind. 
 
 By JUSTIN 
 
 A Fair Saxon. 
 
 Linley Rouhford. 
 
 Dear Lady Disdain. 
 
 Camiola. 
 
 Waterdale Neighbours. 
 
 My Enemy's Daughter. 
 
 Miss Misanthrope. 
 
 By JUSTIN H. MCCARTHY. 
 
 A London Legend. | The Royal Christopher. 
 
 By GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 Heather and Snow. I Phantasies, 
 
 The Atonement of Learn 
 
 Dundas. 
 The World Well Lost. 
 The Our Too Many. 
 Dulcie Evertou. 
 
 McCarthy. 
 
 Donna Quixote. 
 
 Maid of Athens. 
 
 The Comet of a Season. 
 
 The Dictator. 
 
 Red Diamonds. 
 
 The Riddle run". 
 
 By L. T. MEADE. 
 
 A Soldier of Fortune. I The Voico of tha 
 In an Iron Grip. Charmer. 
 
 By LEONARD MERRICK. 
 
 This Stage of Fools. 
 
 By BERTRAM MITFORD. 
 The Gun Runner. The King's Assegai. 
 
 The Luck of Gerard Renshaw Fanning'S 
 Ridgeley. Quest. 
 
 By J. E. MUDDOCK. 
 Maid Marian and Robin Hood. 
 Basile the Jester. I Young Lochlnvar. 
 
 By D. CHRISTIE MURRAY 
 
 Cynic Fortune. 
 The Way ot the World. 
 BobMartins Little GirL 
 Time's Revenges. 
 A Wasted Crime. 
 In Direst Peril. 
 Mount Despair. 
 A Capful o flai's. 
 
 A Life's Atonement. 
 
 Joseph's Coat. 
 
 Coals of Fire. 
 
 Old Blazer's Hero. 
 
 Val Strange. | Hearts. 
 
 A Model Father. 
 
 By the Gate of the Sea. 
 
 A Bit of Human Nature. 
 
 First Person Singular. 
 
 By MURRAY and HERMAN. 
 The Bishops' Bible. I Paul Jones's Alia3. 
 
 One Traveller Returns. | 
 
 By HUME NISBET. 
 ' Bail Up 1 ' 
 
 By VV. E. NORRIS. 
 
 Saint Ann's. I Billy Bellew. 
 
 By G. OHNET. 
 A Weird Gift. 
 
 By Mrs. OL1PHANT. 
 The Sorceies3. 
 
 By 
 
 Held in Bondage. 
 
 Strathmore. 
 
 Chandos. 
 
 Under Two Flags. 
 
 Idalia. tGaga. 
 
 Cecil Castlemaine's 
 
 Tricotrin. | Puck. 
 
 Folle Farine. 
 
 A Dog of Flanders. 
 
 Pa<scarel. | Signa. 
 
 Princess Napraxine. 
 
 Ariadne. 
 
 By MARGARET A 
 Gentle and Simple. 
 
 By JAMES PAYN. 
 
 OU1DA. 
 
 Two Little Wooden 
 
 In a Winter City. Shoes 
 
 Friendship. 
 
 Moths. | Ruffino. 
 
 Pipistrello. 
 
 A Village Commune. 
 
 Bimbi. | Wanda. 
 
 Frescoes. | Othmar. 
 
 In Maremma. 
 
 Syrlin. | Guilderoy, 
 
 Santa Barbara. 
 
 Two Offenders. 
 
 PAUL. 
 
 High Spirits. 
 Under One Roof. 
 Glow-worm Tales. 
 The Talk of the Town 
 Holiday Tasks. 
 For Cash Only. 
 The Burnt Million. 
 The Word and the WilL 
 Sunny Stories. 
 A Trying Patient. 
 
 Lost Sir Massingberd. 
 Less Black than We're 
 
 Painted. 
 A Confidential Agent. 
 A Grape from a Thorn. 
 In Peril and Privation. 
 The Mystery of Mir- 
 By Proxy. [bridge. 
 
 The Canon's Ward. 
 Walter s Word. 
 
 By WILL PAYNE. 
 Jerry the Dreamer. 
 
 By Mrs. CAMPBELL PR A ED. 
 Outlaw and Lawmaker. 1 Mrs. Tregaskis3. 
 Christina Chard. 
 
 By E. C. PRICE. 
 Valentina. | Foreigners. | Mrs. Lancaster's Rival, 
 
 By RICHARD PRYCE. 
 Miss Maxwell's Affections. 
 
 By CHARLES READE. 
 
 Peg Wofflngton ; and 
 Christie Johnstons. 
 
 Hard Cash. 
 
 Cloister & the Hearth. 
 
 Never Too Late to Mend 
 
 The Course of True 
 Love Never Did Run 
 Smooth ; and Single- 
 heart an dDouble face. 
 
 Autobiography of a 
 a Thief; Jack of all 
 Trade.) : A Hero and 
 a Martyr ; and The 
 Wandcvir.g Heir. 
 
 Griath Gaunt. 
 
 Love Me Little, Love 
 
 Me Long. 
 The Double Marriage. 
 Foul Play. [Place. 
 
 Put Yourself in His 
 A Terrible Temptation. 
 A Simpleton. 
 A Woman Hater. 
 The Jilt, & otherStories ; 
 
 &Good Stories of Men 
 
 and other Animals. 
 A Perilous Secret. 
 Ees.diana ; and Bible 
 
 CharacUrs
 
 CHATTO & WINDUS, in St. Martin's Lane, London, VV.C. 
 
 29 
 
 The Piccadilly (3/6) Novels— continued. 
 
 By Mrs. J. H. RIDDELL. 
 
 Weird Stories. 
 
 By AMELIE RIVES. 
 
 Barbara Dering. 
 
 By F. W. ROBINSON. 
 
 The Hands of Justice. | Woman in the Dark. 
 
 By DORA RUSSELL. 
 
 A Country Sweetheart. | The Drift of Fate. 
 By W. CLARK RUSSELL 
 
 Round the Galley Fire. 
 In the Middle Watch. 
 A Voyage to the Cape. 
 Book for the Hammock. 
 The Mystery of the 
 
 ' Ocean Star.' 
 The Romance of Jenny 
 
 Harlcwe. 
 An Ocean Tragedy. 
 
 By JOHN SAUNDERS. 
 
 Guy Waterman. I The Two Dreamers. 
 
 Bound to the Wheel. | The Lion in the Path. 
 By KATHARINE SAUNDERS 
 
 My Shipmate louise. 
 Alone on Wide Wide Sea 
 The Phantom Death. 
 Is He the Mai ? 
 The Good Ship 'Mo- 
 hock.' 
 The Convict Ship. 
 Heart of Oak. 
 The Tale of the Ten. 
 
 Heart Salvage. 
 Sebastian. 
 
 Margaret and Elizabeth 
 Gideon's Rock. 
 The High Mills. 
 
 By ADELINE SERGEANT. 
 
 Dr. Endicott s Experiment. 
 
 By HAWLEY SMART. 
 
 Without Love or Licence. 1 Long Odds. 
 The Master of Rathkelly. | The Outsider. 
 
 Bv T. W. SPEIGHT. 
 A Secret of the Sea. I The Master of Trennnce. 
 The Grey Monk. I A Minion of the Moon. 
 
 By ALAN ST. AUBYN. 
 
 By JOHN STAFFORD. 
 
 Doris and I. 
 
 By R. A. STERNDALE. 
 
 The Afghan Knife. 
 
 By BERTHA THOMAS. 
 
 Proud Maisie. | The ViolinPlaver. 
 
 By ANTHONY TROLLOPE. 
 
 The W.iy we Live Now. | Scarborough'3 Family 
 
 Frau Frohmann. 
 
 By FRANCES 
 
 Like Ships upon the 
 
 C By IVAN TURQENIEFF; &c 
 
 Stories from Foreign Novelists. 
 
 By MARK TWAIN 
 
 The Land-Leaguers. 
 
 E. TROLLOPE. 
 
 Anne Furness. 
 Mabel's Progress. 
 
 A Tramp Abroad. 
 The American Claimant. 
 The£1.0C0,030 Bank note 
 
 Tom Sawyer Abroad. 
 Pudd nhead Wilson. 
 Tom Sawyer. Detective. 
 
 A Fellow of Trinity. 
 The Junior Dean. 
 Master of St. Benedict's. 
 To his Own Master. 
 
 In Face of the World. 
 
 Orchard Damerel. 
 
 The Tremlett Diamonds. 
 
 By C. C. FRASER-TYTLER. 
 
 Mistress Judith. 
 
 By SARAH TYTLER. 
 
 Lady Bell. I The Blackhall Ghosts. 
 
 Buried Diamonds. | The Macdonald Lass. 
 
 By ALLEN UPWARD. 
 The Queen against Owen | The Prince of Balklstan 
 
 By E. A. V1ZETELLY. 
 
 The Scorpion : A Romance of Spain. 
 
 By WILLIAM WESTALL. 
 
 Sons of Belial. 
 
 By ATHA WESTBURY. 
 The Shadow of Hilton Fernbrook. 
 
 By JOHN STRANGE WINTER. 
 Cavalry Life and Regimental Legends. 
 A Soldier's Children. 
 
 By MARGARET WYNMAN 
 My Flirtations. 
 
 By E. ZOLA. 
 
 The Downfall. 1 Money. | Lourdea. 
 
 The Dream. I The Fat and the Thin. 
 
 Dr. Pascal. I Rome. 
 
 CHEAP EDITIONS OF POPULAR NOVELS. 
 
 Post Svo, illustra 
 
 By ARTEMUS WARD. 
 
 Artemus Ward Complete. 
 
 By EDMOND ABOUT. 
 
 The Fellah. 
 
 By HAMILTON AIDE. 
 
 Carr of Carrlyon. | Confidences. 
 
 By MARY ALBERT. 
 
 Brooke Finchley's Daughter. 
 
 By Mrs. ALEXANDER. 
 
 Maid. Wife or Widow 7 | Valerie s Fate. 
 Blind Fate. 
 
 By GRANT ALLEN. 
 
 The Great Taboo. 
 Dumaresq's Daughter. 
 Duchess of Powyslaud. 
 Blood Royal. [piece- 
 Ivan Greet's Master. 
 
 ted boards, 2s. each. 
 
 By Sir W. BESANT and J 
 
 Ready-Money Mortiboy By Celia's Arbour 
 My Little Girl. Chaplain of the Fleet. 
 
 With Harp and Crown. 
 This Son of Vulcan.. 
 The Golden Butterfly. 
 The Monks of Thelema. 
 
 Phllistla. 
 
 Strange Stories. 
 
 Babylon 
 
 For Maimle's Sake. 
 
 In all Shades. 
 
 The Beckoning Hand 
 
 The Devil's Die. 
 
 The Tents of Shem. 
 
 By E. LESTER ARNOLD. 
 
 Phra the Phoenician. 
 
 By SHELSLEY BEAUCHAMP. 
 
 Grantley Grange. 
 
 BY FRANK 
 
 Fettered for Life. 
 Little Lady Linton. 
 Between Life & Death. 
 The Sin of Olga Zassou- 
 
 lich. 
 Folly Morrison. 
 Lieut. Barnabas. 
 Honest Davie. 
 
 The Scallywag. 
 This Mortal CoiL 
 At Market Value. 
 
 BARRETT. 
 
 A Prodigal s Progress. 
 Found Guilty. 
 A Recoiling Vengeance. 
 For Love and Honour. 
 John Ford ; and His 
 
 Helpmate. 
 The Woman of the Iron 
 
 Bracelets. 
 
 RICE. 
 
 The Seamy Side. 
 The Case of Mr. Lucraft. 
 In Trafalgar's Bay. 
 The Ten Years' Tenant. 
 
 By Sir WALTER BESANT. 
 
 All Sorts and Condi- 
 tions of Men. 
 
 The Captains' Room. 
 
 All in a Garden Fair. 
 
 Dorothy Forster. 
 
 Uncle Jack. 
 
 The World Went Very 
 Well Then. 
 
 Children of Gibeon. 
 
 Herr Paulus. 
 
 For Faith and Freedom. 
 
 To Call Her Mine. 
 The Bell of St. Paul's. 
 The Holy Rose. 
 Armorelof Lyonesse. 
 S.Katherine's by Tower, 
 Verbena Camellia Ste- 
 
 phanotis. 
 The Ivory Gate. 
 The Rebel Queen. 
 Beyond the Dreams of 
 
 Avarice. 
 
 By AMBROSE BIERCE. 
 
 In the Midst of Life. 
 
 By FREDERICK BOYLE. 
 
 Camp Notes. I Chronicles of No man's 
 
 Savage Life. | Land. 
 
 BY BRET HARTE. 
 
 Californian Stories, 
 
 Gabriel Conroy. 
 
 The Luck of Roaring 
 
 Camp. 
 An Heiress of Red Dog. 
 
 Flip. I Maruja. 
 
 A Phyllis of the Sierras. 
 A Waif of the Plains. 
 A Ward of the Golden 
 Gate. 
 
 By HAROLD BRYDGES. 
 
 Uncle Sam at Home.
 
 30 
 
 CHATTO & WINDUS, in St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C. 
 
 Two-Shilling Novels — continued. 
 By ROBERT BUCHANAN. 
 
 Shadow of the Sword. 
 A Child of Nature. 
 God and the Man. 
 love Me for Ever. 
 Foxglove Manor. 
 The Master oi the Mine. 
 Annan Water. 
 
 The Martyrdom of Ma- 
 deline. 
 The New Abelard. 
 Matt. 
 
 The Heir of I.lnne. 
 Woman and the Man. 
 Rachel Bene. 
 
 By BUCHANAN and MURRAY. 
 
 The Charlatan. 
 
 By HALL CAINE. 
 
 The Shadow of a Crime. I The Deemster. 
 A Son of Eagar. 
 
 By Commander CAMERON. 
 
 The Cruise of the ' Black Prince.' 
 
 By Mrs. LOVETT CAMERON. 
 
 Deceivers Ever. | Juliet's Guardian. 
 
 By HAYDEN CARRUTH. 
 
 The Adventures of Jones. 
 
 By AUSTIN CLARE. 
 
 For the Love of a Lass. 
 
 By Mrs. ARCHER CLIVE. 
 
 Paul Ferroll. 
 
 Why Paul Ferroll Killed his Wife. 
 
 By MACLAREN COBBAN. 
 
 The Cure of Souls. | The Red Sultan. 
 
 By C. ALLSTON COLLINS. 
 
 The Bar Sinister. 
 
 By MORT. & FRANCES COLLINS. 
 
 Sweet Anne Page, 
 Transmigration. 
 From Midnight to Mid 
 
 night. 
 A Fight with Fortune. 
 
 By WILK1E COLLINS. 
 
 Sweet and Twenty. 
 The Village Comedy. 
 Ton Play me Falsa. 
 Blacksmith and Scholar 
 Frances. 
 
 Armadale. | AfterDark. 
 
 No Name. 
 
 Antonina. 
 
 Basil. 
 
 Hide and Seek. 
 
 The Dead Secret. 
 
 Oueen of Hearts. 
 
 Miss or Mrs. 1 
 
 Tha New Magdalen. 
 
 The Frozen Deep. 
 
 The Law and the Lady 
 
 The Two Destinies. 
 
 The Haunted Hotel. 
 
 A Rogue's Life. 
 
 By M. J. 
 
 Every Inch a Soldier. 
 
 By DUTTON COOK. 
 
 Leo. I Paul Foster s Daughter. 
 
 By C. EGBERT CRADDOCK. 
 
 The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains. 
 
 By MATT CRIM. 
 
 The Adventures of a Fair Rebel. 
 
 My Miscellanies. 
 The Woman in White. 
 The Moonstone. 
 Mac and Wife. 
 Poor Miss Fmch. 
 The Fallen Leaves. 
 Jezebels Daughter. 
 The Black Robe. 
 Heart and Sciencs 
 •I Say Nor 
 The Evil Genius. 
 Little Novels. 
 Legacy of Cain. 
 Blind Love. 
 
 COLQUHOUN. 
 
 CROKER. 
 
 A Family Likeness. 
 Village Tales and Jungle 
 
 Tragedies. 
 Two Masters. 
 Mr. Jervis. 
 
 CYPLES. 
 
 By B. M. 
 
 Pretty Miss Neville. 
 Diana Barrington. 
 •To Let.' 
 
 A Bird of Passage. 
 Frccer Pride. 
 
 By W 
 
 Hearts of Gold. 
 
 By ALPHONSE DAUDET. 
 
 The Evangelist; or. Port Salvation. 
 
 By ERASMUS DAWSON. 
 
 The Fountain of Youth. 
 
 By JAMES DE MILLE. 
 
 A Castle in Spain. 
 
 By J. LEITH DERWENT. 
 
 Our Lady of Tears. | Circe s Lovers. 
 
 By CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 Sketches by Bon. 
 
 DONOVAN. 
 
 In the Grip of the Law, 
 From Information Re- 
 ceived. 
 Tracked to Doom. 
 
 Link by Link 
 Suspicion Aroused. 
 Dark Deeds. 
 R.ddles Read. 
 
 By DICK 
 
 The Man-Hunter. 
 Tracked and Taken. 
 Caught at Last 1 
 Wanted 1 
 Who Poisoned Hetty 
 
 Duncan ? 
 Man from Manchester. 
 A Detective's Triumph? 
 The Mystery of Jamaica Terrace 
 
 By Mrs. ANNIE EDVVARDES. 
 
 A Point of Honour. | Archie Lovell. 
 
 By M. BETHAM = EDWARDS. 
 
 Felicia. | Kitty. 
 
 By EDWARD EGGLESTON. 
 
 Roxy. 
 
 Bv G. MANVILLE FENN. 
 The New Mistress. I The Tiger Lilv. 
 
 Witness to the Deed. | The White Virgin. 
 
 By PERCY FITZGERALD. 
 
 Bella Donna. Second Mrs. Tillotson. 
 
 Never Forgotten. Seventy - five Brook* 
 
 Polly. Street. 
 
 Fatal Zero. The Lady of Erantcrne 
 
 By P. FITZGERALD and others. 
 
 Strange Secrets. 
 
 By ALBANY DE FONBLANQUE. 
 
 Filthy Lucre. 
 
 By R. E. FRANCILLON. 
 
 Olympia. 
 One by One. 
 A Real Queen. 
 Queen Cophetua. 
 
 By HAROLD 
 
 Seth's Brother s Wife. | 
 
 Prefaced by Sir BARTLE 
 
 Pandurang Hari. 
 
 King or Knave 1 
 Romances of the Law. 
 Ropes of San;!. 
 A Dog and his Shadow. 
 
 FREDERIC. 
 
 The Lawton Girl. 
 
 FRERE. 
 
 By 
 
 One of Two. 
 
 HAIN FRISWELL. 
 
 By EDWARD GARRETT. 
 
 The Capel Girls. 
 
 By GILBERT GAUL. 
 
 A Strange Manuscript. 
 
 By CHARLES GIBBON. 
 
 Robin Gray. 
 
 Taney Free. 
 
 For Lack of Gold. 
 
 What will World Say 7 
 
 In Love and War. 
 
 For the King. 
 
 In Pastmres Green. 
 
 Queen of the Meadow. 
 
 A Heart's Problem. 
 
 The Dead Heart. 
 
 In Honour Bound. 
 Flower of the Forest 
 The Braes of Yarrow. 
 The Golden Shait. 
 Of High Degree. 
 By Mead and Stream. 
 Loving a Dream. 
 A Hard Knot. 
 Heai-t's Deiight. 
 Blood-Money. 
 
 By WILLIAM GILBERT. 
 
 Dr. Austin's Guests. | The Wizard of 
 James Duke. Mountain. 
 
 By ERNEST GLANVILLE. 
 
 The Lost Heiress. I The Fossicker. 
 
 A Fair Colonist. 
 
 By Rev. S. BARING GOULD 
 
 Red Spider. | Ewe. 
 
 By HENRY GREVILLE. 
 A Noble Woman. | Nikanor. 
 
 By CECIL GRIFFITH. 
 Corinthia Marazion. 
 
 By SYDNEY GRUNDY. 
 The Days of his Vanity. 
 
 By JOHN HABBERTON. 
 
 Bruetous Bayou. I Country Luck. 
 
 By ANDREW HALLIDAY. 
 
 Every day PaDers. 
 
 By Lady DUFFUS HARDY. 
 
 Paul Wynters Sacrifice. 
 
 By THOMAS HARDY. 
 
 Under the Greenwood Tree. 
 
 By J. BERWICK HARWOOO 
 
 5Pha 'JfBoth K»rl, 
 
 the
 
 CHATTO & WINDUS, in St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C. 
 
 31 
 
 Two-Shilling Novels— continued. 
 By JULIAN HAWTHORNE 
 
 Beatrix Randolph. 
 
 Love — or a Name. 
 
 David Poindexter s Dis- 
 appearance. 
 
 The Spectre of the 
 Camera. 
 
 Garth 
 
 Ellice Qnentin. 
 
 Fortune s Fool. 
 
 Miss Cadogna. 
 
 Sebastian Stroma. 
 
 Dust. 
 
 By Sir ARTHUR HELPS. 
 
 Ivan de Biron. 
 
 By G. A. HENTY. 
 
 Knjub the Juggler. 
 
 By HENRY HERMAN. 
 
 A Leading Lady. 
 
 By HEADON HILL. 
 
 Zambra the Detective. 
 
 By JOHN HILL. 
 
 Treason Felony. 
 
 By Mrs. CASHEL HOEY. 
 
 The Lover s Creed. 
 
 By Mrs. GEORGE HOOPER. 
 
 The House of Raby. 
 
 By TIGHE HOPKINS. 
 
 'Twlxt Love and Duty. 
 
 By Mrs. HUNGERFORD. 
 
 A Maiden all Forlorn 
 
 In Durance Vile. 
 
 Marvel. 
 
 A Mental Struggle. 
 
 A Modern Circe. 
 
 Lady Vemer's Flight. 
 The Rod House Mystery 
 The Three Graces. 
 Unsatisfactory Lover. 
 Lady Patty. 
 
 By Mrs. ALFRED HUNT. 
 
 Thornicrofts Model. | Self Condemned. 
 That Other Person. | The Leaden Casiet. 
 
 By JEAN INGE LOW. 
 
 Fated to be Free. 
 
 By WM. JAMESON. 
 
 My Dead Self. 
 
 By HARRIETT JAY. 
 
 The Dark Colleen. | Queen of Connaught. 
 
 By MARK KERSHAW. 
 
 Colonial Facts and Fictions. 
 
 By R. ASHE KING. 
 
 A Drawn Game. I Passion's Slave. 
 
 ' The Wearing of the Bell Barry. 
 Green.' 
 
 By EDMOND LEPELLETIER. 
 
 Madame Sans Gene. 
 
 By JOHN LEYS. 
 
 The Lindsays. 
 
 By E. LYNN LINTON. 
 
 Patricia Kemball 
 The World Well Lost 
 Under which Lord ? 
 Paston Carew. 
 ' My Love I ' 
 lone. 
 
 By HENRY 
 Gideon Fleyce. 
 
 By JUSTIN 
 
 Dear Lady Disdain. 
 Waterdale Neighbours 
 My Enemy's Daughter 
 A Fair Saxcn. 
 Linley Rochford. 
 Miss Misanthrope. 
 
 By HUGH 
 
 Mr " 
 
 The Atonement cf Leam 
 
 Du.nda3. 
 With a Silken Thread. 
 Rebel of the Family. 
 Sowing the Wind. 
 The One Too Many. 
 W. LUCY. 
 
 McCarthy. 
 
 Camiola. 
 
 Donna Quixote. 
 
 Maid of Athens. 
 
 The Comet of a Season. 
 
 The Dictator. 
 
 Red Diamonds. 
 
 MACCOLL. 
 
 Stranger'3 Sealed Packet. 
 
 By GEORGE MACDONALD. 
 
 Heather and Snow. 
 
 By AGNES MACDONELL. 
 
 Quaker Cousins. 
 
 By KATHARINE S. A1ACQUOID. 
 
 The Evil Eye. | Lost Rose. 
 
 By W. H. MALLOCK. 
 
 A Romance of the Nine- I The New Republic. 
 teenth Century. j 
 
 . By FLORENCE MARRYAT. 
 
 Open 1 Sesame I l A Harvest of Wild OatB. 
 
 Fighting the Air. | Written in Fire. 
 
 By J. A1ASTERMAN. 
 
 Haifa dozen Daughters. 
 
 By BRANDER MATTHEWS. 
 
 A Secret of the Sea. 
 
 By L. T. MEADE. 
 
 A Soldier of Forttne. 
 
 By LEONARD MERRICK. 
 
 The Man who was Good. 
 
 By JEAN MIDDLEMASS. 
 
 Touch and Go. | Mr. Dorillion. 
 
 By Mrs. MOLESWORTH. 
 
 Eathercourt Rectory. 
 
 By J. E. A1UDDOCK 
 
 Stories Weird and Won 
 
 derful. 
 The Dead Man's Secret 
 
 By D. CHRISTIE MURRAY 
 
 A Model Father. 
 
 Josephs Coat. 
 
 Coa!s of Fire. 
 
 Va! Strange. | Hearts. 
 
 Old Blazer s Hero. 
 
 Tne Way of the World 
 
 Cynic Fortune. 
 
 A Li.es Atonement. 
 
 From the Bo3om of the 
 Deep. 
 
 By the Gate of the Sea. 
 
 A Bit of Human Nature. 
 
 First Person Singular 
 
 Bob Martins Little Girl 
 
 Time's Revengrs. 
 
 A Wasted Crime. 
 
 In Direst Peril. 
 
 Mount Despair. 
 By MURRAY and HERMAN. 
 One Traveller Returns. I The Bishops Bible 
 Paul Jones's Alias. 
 
 By HENRY MURRAY. 
 
 A Game of Bluff. | A Song of Sixpence 
 
 By HUME NISBET. 
 'Blimp!- | Dr.Bernard St. Vincent 
 
 By W. E. N ORRIS. 
 Saint Ann's. 
 
 By ALICE O'HANLON. 
 The Unforeseen. | Chance? or Fate? 
 
 By GEORGES OHNET. 
 Dr. Rameau. | A Weird Gift. 
 
 A Last Love. 
 
 By Mrs. OLIPHANT. 
 Wtuteladies. I The Greatest Heiress in 
 
 Tne Primrose Path. Ergland 
 
 By Mrs. ROBERT O'REILLY. 
 Phcabe's Fortunes. 
 
 By OUIDA. 
 
 Held in Bondage. 
 
 Strathraore. 
 
 Chandos. 
 
 Idalia. 
 
 Under Two Flags. 
 
 Cecil Castlemaine sGage 
 
 Tricotrin. 
 
 Puck. 
 
 Folle Farine. 
 
 A Dog of Flanden. 
 
 Pascarel. 
 
 Signa. 
 
 Princess Napraxlne 
 
 In a Winter City. 
 
 Ariadne. 
 
 Friendship 
 
 Two Lit. Wooden Shoes. 
 Moths. 
 Bimbi. 
 Pipistrello. 
 A Village Commune 
 Wanda. 
 Othmar. 
 Frescoes. 
 In Maremma, 
 Guilderoy. 
 Ruffino. 
 Syrlin. 
 
 Santa Earbara. 
 Two Offenders. 
 Ouidas Wisdom, Wit 
 and Pathos. 
 
 By A1ARGARET AGNES PAUL 
 
 Gentle and Simple. 
 
 By C. L. PIRKIS. 
 Lady Lovelace. 
 
 By EDGAR A. POE. 
 
 The Mystery of Marie Roget. 
 
 By Airs. CA.MPBELL PRAED 
 
 The Romance of a Station. 
 The Soul of Countess Adrian. 
 Out 1 aw and lawmaker. 
 Christina Chard 
 
 By E. C. PRICE. 
 Valentina. | Mrs. Lancaster 3 P.'yaL 
 
 The Foreigners. | Gerald. 
 
 By RICHARD PRYCE 
 Kiss Maxwells ASectioas.
 
 33 
 
 CHATTO & WINOUS, in St. Martin's Lane. London, vV.C. 
 
 Two-Shilling Novels — continued. 
 By JAMES PAYN. 
 
 Bentinck's Tutor. 
 
 Murphy's Master. 
 
 A County Family. 
 
 At Her Mercy. 
 
 Cecil 8 Tryst. 
 
 The Clyffards of Clyffe. 
 
 The Foster Brothers. 
 
 Found Dead. 
 
 The Best of Husbands. 
 
 Walters Word. 
 
 Halves. 
 
 Fallen Fortunes. 
 
 Humorous Stories. 
 
 £200 Reward. 
 
 A Marine Residence. 
 
 Mirk Abbey. 
 
 By Proxy. 
 
 Under One Roof. 
 
 High Spirits. 
 
 Carlyon's Year. 
 
 From Exile. 
 
 For Cash Only. 
 
 Kit. 
 
 The Canons Ward. 
 
 The Talk of the Town. 
 Holiday Tasks. 
 A Perfect Treasure. 
 What He Cost Her. 
 A Confidential Agent. 
 Glowworm Tales. 
 The Burnt Million. 
 Sunny Stories. 
 Lost Sir Massmgberd. 
 A Woman's Vengeance. 
 The Family Scapegrace. 
 Gwendoline s Harvest. 
 Like Father, Like Son. 
 Married Beneath Him. 
 Not Wooed, but Won. 
 Less Black than We re 
 
 Painted. 
 Some Private Views. 
 A Grape from a Thorn. 
 The Mystery of Mir- 
 
 bridge. 
 The Word and the Will. 
 A Prince of the Blood. 
 A Trying Patient. 
 
 By CHARLES READE. 
 
 It Is Never Too Late to A TerribleTemptation. 
 
 Mend. 
 Christie Johnstone. 
 The Double Marriage. 
 Put Yourself in His 
 
 Place 
 Love Me Little, Love 
 
 Me Long. 
 The Cloister and the 
 
 Hearth. 
 The Coarse of True 
 
 Love. 
 The Jilt. 
 The Autobiography of 
 
 a Thief. 
 
 By Mrs. J. H. RIDDELL 
 
 Foul Play. 
 
 The Wandering Heir. 
 
 Hard Cash. 
 
 Singleheart and Double- 
 face. 
 
 Good Stories of Men and 
 other Animals. 
 
 Peg Woffington. 
 
 Griffith Gaunt. 
 
 A Perilous Secret. 
 
 A Simpleton. 
 
 Readiana. 
 
 A Woman Hater. 
 
 The Uninhabited House. 
 The Mystery in Palace. 
 
 Gardens. 
 The Nun s Curse. 
 Idle Tales. 
 
 Weird Stories. 
 Fairy Water. 
 Her Mother's Darling. 
 The Prince of Wales's 
 Garden Party. 
 
 By AMEL1E RIVES. 
 
 Barbara Dering. 
 
 By F. \V. ROBINSON. 
 
 Women are Strange. | The Hands of Justice. 
 
 By JAMES RUNCIMAN. 
 Skippers and Shellbacks. | Schools and Scholars 
 Grace Balmaign's Sweetheart. 
 
 By W. CLARK RUSSELL. 
 
 Round the Galley Fire 
 
 On the Fo k'sle Head. 
 
 In the Middle Watch. 
 
 A Voyage to the Cape. 
 
 A Book for the Ham- 
 mock. 
 
 The Mystery of the 
 ' Ocean Star.' 
 
 By DORA 
 
 A Country Sweetheart. 
 By GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA. 
 
 Gaslight and Daylight. 
 
 By JOHN SAUNDERS. 
 
 Guy Waterman. I The Lion in the Path. 
 
 The Two Dreamers. 
 
 By KATHARINE SAUNDERS. 
 
 The Romance of Jenny 
 Harlowe. 
 
 An Ocean Tragedy. 
 
 My Shipmate Louise. 
 
 Alone on Wide Wide Sea. 
 
 The Good Ship 'Mo- 
 hock.' 
 
 The Phantom Death. 
 
 RUSSELL. 
 
 Joan Merryweather. 
 The High Mills. 
 Heart Salvage. 
 
 Sebastian. 
 Margaret 
 beth. 
 
 and Eiiza- 
 
 By GEORGE R. SIMS. 
 
 The Ring o Bells 
 Mary Jane's Memoirs. 
 Mary Jane Married. 
 Tales of To day. 
 Dramas of Life. 
 Tinkletop s Crime. 
 
 By ARTHUR SKETCHLEY 
 
 A Match in the Dark. 
 
 My Two Wives. 
 
 Zeph. 
 
 Memoirs of a Landlady. 
 
 Scenes from the Show. 
 
 The 10 Commandments. 
 
 Dagonet Abroad. 
 
 By HAWLEY 
 
 Without Love or Licence. 
 
 The Plunger. 
 
 Beatrice and Eenedick. 
 
 By T. W. 
 
 The Mysteries of Heron 
 
 Dyke. 
 The Golden Hoop. 
 Hoodwinked. 
 By Devious Ways. 
 
 By ALAN 
 
 A Fellow oi Trinity. 
 The Junior Dean. 
 Master of St.. Benedict's 
 
 SMART. 
 
 SPEIGHT. 
 
 Back to Life. 
 
 The LoudwaterTragedy. 
 
 Burgo s Romance. 
 
 Quittance in Full. 
 
 A Husband from the Sea 
 
 ST. AUBYN. 
 
 To His Own Master. 
 
 Orchard Damerel. 
 
 In the Face of theWorld. 
 
 By R. A. STERNDALE. 
 
 The Afghan Knife. 
 
 By R. LOUIS STEVENSON. 
 
 New Arabian Nights. 
 
 By BERTHA THOMAS. 
 Cressida. I The Violin-Player. 
 
 Proud Malsle. 
 
 By WALTER THORNBURY. 
 Tales for the Marines. | Old Stories Retold. 
 By T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE 
 Diamond Cut Diamond. 
 
 By F. ELEANOR TROLLOPE. 
 Like Ships upon the I Anne Furness. 
 Sea. | Mabel's Progress. 
 
 By ANTHONY TROLLOPE. 
 
 Fran Frohmann. 
 Marion Fay. 
 Kept in the Dark. 
 John Caldigate. 
 The Way We Live Now. 
 
 The Land-Leaguers. 
 The American Senator 
 Mr. Scarborough's 
 
 Family. 
 GoldenLion of Granpere 
 
 By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. 
 
 Farnell's Folly. 
 
 By IVAN TURGENIEFF, &c. 
 
 Stories from Foreign Novelists. 
 
 By MARK TWAIN. 
 
 A Pleasure Trip on the 
 
 Continent. 
 The Gilded Age. 
 Huckleberry Finn. 
 MarkTwain s Sketches, 
 Tom Sawyer. 
 A Tramp Abroad. 
 Stolen White Elephant. 
 
 By C. C. FRASER=TYTLER. 
 
 Mistress Judith. 
 
 By SARAH TYTLER. 
 
 Life on the Mississippi. 
 The Prince and the 
 
 Pauper. 
 A Yankee at the Court 
 
 of King Arthur. 
 The £1,000,000 Bank- 
 
 Note. 
 
 The Huguenot Family. 
 The Blackhall Ghosts. 
 What She Came Through 
 Beauty and the Beast. 
 Citoyenne Jaqueline. 
 
 The Bride's Pa3s. 
 Buried Diamonds. 
 St. Mungo's City. 
 Lady Bell. 
 Noblesse Oblige. 
 Disappeared. 
 
 By ALLEN UPWARD. 
 
 The Queen against Owen. | Princfe of Balkhtan. 
 By AARON WATSON and L1LLIAS 
 WASSERMANN. 
 
 The Marquis of Carabas. 
 
 By WILLIAM WESTALL. 
 
 Trust- Money. 
 
 By Mrs. F. H. WILLIAMSON. 
 
 A Child Widow. 
 
 By J. S. WINTER. 
 
 Cavalry Life. | Regimental Legends. 
 
 By H. F. WOOD. 
 The Passenger from Scotland Yard. 
 The Englishman of the Rue Cain. 
 By Lady WOOD. 
 Sablna. 
 By CELIA PARKER WOOLLEY 
 
 Rachel Armstrong ; or, Love and Theology. 
 
 By EDMUND YATES. 
 
 The Forlorn Hope. I Castaway. 
 
 Land at Last. 
 
 By I. ZANGWILL. 
 
 Ghetto Tragedies. 
 
 ©GDEN, SHALE AMD CO. LIMITED, PRINTERS, GREAT SAFFRON HILL, E.C.
 
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