before Sir Reginald and the other members
of the party, they will one and all help you to the utmost extent of
their ability," answered Lady Olivia. "Meanwhile, my dear child," she
continued, turning to Feodorovna, "since we seem to be about to attempt
the rescue of your unhappy father, you must do us the favour to become
our guest on board the _Flying Fish_ during the progress of the
adventure. You will naturally be anxious to know what is happening, and
you can only possess that knowledge by becoming one of our party. Did
you bring any baggage with you from London?"

"I brought a small portmanteau, so that I might be prepared for any
emergency; but I left it at the village inn," answered Feodorovna,
hesitatingly.

"Very well," said Lady Olivia, "then you had better send for it at once.
The fly that brought you over is still waiting, I see; so you can give
the driver a note to Collins, the landlord, informing him that you are
staying here, and asking him to send over your baggage forthwith."

Gratefully accepting Lady Elphinstone's invitation, the young Russian
lost no time in penning the suggested note to the landlord; and then, as
the first dinner bell had already rung, the trio separated to dress, a
maid conducting the new guest to a room, and assisting her to prepare
herself, as far as was possible, for the impending function.

When, about twenty minutes later, the party re-united in the
drawing-room, Feodorovna--introduced to Sir Reginald, Colonel
Lethbridge, and Captain Mildmay by Lady Elphinstone, who had made a
point of being down early to receive her--created quite a little
sensation by her refined and delicate loveliness, and her perfect yet
unaffected manner; and when they were given to understand by Lady
Elphinstone that the unexpected guest had a tale to unfold that would
enlist their deepest sympathy, they were all impatience to get through
the ordeal of dinner, so that they might be free to listen undisturbed
to the story. Sir Reginald, of course, took the young stranger in to
dinner, and soon contrived, by the polished courtesy and gentle
kindliness of his manner, to win her entire confidence. The gentlemen
that night sat over their wine only long enough to enable them to smoke
a single cigarette each, and then hastened to the drawing-room, where
they listened with breathless interest to the story, as told by von
Schalckenberg, of Colonel Sziszkinski's wrongs; and when the history had
come to a