lution of these, apparently, inexplicable
proceedings.

Stepan was devotedly attached to all the members of his
house--himself, his sister, and his mother. When he had seen the two
drugged and helpless women carried out of the Palace, he had
recognised the young Princess and her maid as they were put into the
waiting carriage.

In his slow, feeble brain he had realised that some danger was
menacing them. His loyalty to his master had experienced a sudden
revulsion. Some chivalrous instinct in him had urged him to espouse
the cause of the weak and defenceless. A sudden inspiration had come
to him by which he could secure his object. Before they could stop
him, he had sprung on the box and whipped up his horses, with a view
of placing the two women under safe protection. This seemed a
reasonable explanation of that sudden and unexpected action. But there
was always the disturbing thought--how would Golitzine, having once
got Stepan into his clutches, deal with him? He would force him to
write some account of the events of that night, even if he could not
make him speak.

And then a comforting thought came to the Prince. It was possible that
Stepan had been loyal to both, to his master and the young Princess.
He had halted the carriage at the Secretary's door, rung the bell,
and run away before the door was opened, leaving the astute Count to
unravel for himself the mystery of the two drugged women, one of whom
he would recognise at once.

Still there was not much comfort in that thought, after all. Even if
Stepan had not betrayed him, was there any reasonable hope that Nada
and Katerina would keep silence for a moment, after they had been
brought back to consciousness?

No, it was touch and go. He must strike swiftly, before Golitzine
could get in his blow. And the puzzling thing was, why had Golitzine
not already struck?

CHAPTER XXV

Five men were seated in the private cabinet of the Czar--the Emperor
himself, his diligent and faithful Secretary, Golitzine, General
Beilski, the Head of the Police, General Burovkin, a man with a heavy
mustache and cast-iron countenance, one of the great military chiefs
of Russia, devoted like the others to the services of the autocrat,
and Nello Corsini.

Golitzine explained in his smooth, passionless accents. He was a man
who was never excited, never perturbed. Except that he was of lean
build, he might have suggested the idea of a relentless spider, moving
amongst