"You asked me yesterday if I knew Doctor Kelly, one of the chief
surgeons of the army, who, as you had heard, was at present on the
Volga. You mentioned that he was a friend of yours, and that you
had made his acquaintance, when you were unlucky enough before to
be a prisoner in our hands. I am sorry to say that I have today
seen an official report, in which his name appears among the list
of those who have fallen victims to the pestilence."

"I am sorry to hear that," Charlie exclaimed; "both because he was
very kind to me, and I liked him much, and because, in the second
place, I was sure that he would have used his influence, with the
czar, to obtain my exchange as soon as possible."

"It is very unfortunate," the governor said, "especially as these
exchanges are of rare occurrence. A few officers may be taken
prisoners on each side in the skirmishes, but the numbers are too
small to make the loss of any importance, either to Russia or
Sweden, and it is months since either have taken any steps to bring
about exchanges. I myself have no influence. My appointment here is
a sort of punishment, for having offended the czar by not having
brought up my regiment in time to take part in the fight, when you
attacked us at Narva. I saved the regiment, but that was not
regarded as any excuse for having been three days longer on the
march than the czar expected; so I was sent here, as a sort of
dismissal from active service.

"You know no one else who could move in your matter?"

"No one. The governor of the castle at Plescow was a surly fellow,
and was reprimanded by the czar, at least so I heard, for not
having treated me sufficiently well. I was only three or four days
there, and the only officer I saw besides Doctor Kelly was a friend
of his, another doctor. He was at the table when I dined with
Kelly. He seemed to me to be a fine fellow, and, by the by, he did
say jokingly that, if I was ever made prisoner again, I was to ask
for him, and that he would do anything he could for me."

"What was his name?" the governor asked.

"Peter Michaeloff.

"Do you know him?" he added, as he saw a look of surprise in the
governor's face.

"I know one of that name," the governor said doubtfully, "I don't
know that he is a doctor; though he may be, for he knows something
of many things."

"Oh, he was a doctor," Charlie said confidently. "I know Kelly said
he could take off a limb as well as he could do it, himself."

"What