"I feel very much obliged," the girl said; "but don't you bring my name
into it though."

"How could I?" he laughed. "I do not see that I am likely to be
cross-questioned in any way; but never fear, I will keep your counsel."

By this time they had arrived at the door of the box. "Wait a moment,"
she said, "I will speak to him first."

She was two minutes gone, and then opened the door and let him in. "I am
greatly obliged to you, sir," a man said as he entered. "It is a foolish
business altogether, but if you will enact my part for a few minutes
you will get me out of an awkward scrape."

"Don't mention it," Godfrey replied. "It will be a joke to laugh over
afterwards." He placed the broad hat, to which the black silk mask was
sewn, on his head, and Katia put the cloak on his shoulders.

"I trust you," she said in a low voice as she walked with him to the top
of the stairs. "There, I must go now. I had better see Captain
Presnovich safely off, and then go and tell the young lady, who is a
great friend of mine--it is for her sake I am doing it, you know, not
for his--how nicely we have managed to throw dust in the colonel's
eyes!"

Regarding the matter as a capital joke, Godfrey went down-stairs and
made his way to the entrance, expecting every moment to be accosted by
the irascible colonel. No one spoke to him, however, and he began to
imagine that the colonel must have gone to seek the captain elsewhere,
and hoped that he would not meet him as he went down the stairs with
Katia. He walked down the steps into the street. As he stepped on to the
pavement a man seized him from behind, two others grasped his wrists,
and before he knew what had happened he was run forward across the
pavement to a covered sledge standing there and flung into it. His three
assailants leapt in after him; the door was slammed; another man jumped
on to the box with the driver; and two mounted men took their places
beside it as it dashed off from the door. The men had again seized
Godfrey's hands and held them firmly the instant they entered the
carriage.

"It is of no use your attempting to struggle," one of the men said,
"there is an escort riding beside the sledge, and a dozen more behind
it. There is no chance of a rescue, and I warn you you had best not open
your lips; if you do, we will gag you."

Godfrey was still half bewildered with the suddenness of the
transaction. What had he been seized for? Who were the men who had got