his eyes and gazed sullenly upon us, realizing better
than I did, the fate that was in store for him now. I used the silken
curtain cords with which to bind him, and when that was accomplished,
placed him on one of the couches.

"Was it your intention to commit suicide when you entered this room to
spy upon us?" I asked; but he did not reply. "Prince," I added, turning
to my companion, "I think if you will leave me alone with this man, I
will find a way to make him talk. Will you return in half an hour?"

"Would it not be better to----"

"Must I wait until to-morrow for my authority?" I asked, smiling. So
the prince bowed and left me alone with the spy.

CHAPTER VII

FOR LOVE OF A WOMAN

I had discovered at a glance that the spy was not a Russian; and that
being the case he was presumably engaged in his present occupation for
pay only, and I believed that I could turn what seemed to be a
catastrophe into a decided advantage. Experience had taught me long ago
that the Russian nihilist is a fanatic who possesses distorted ideas of
patriotism upon which he builds a theory of government, and that
nothing short of death can turn him from his purpose. But with the
foreigners who ally themselves with the fortunes of the
nihilists--Germans, Frenchmen, Italians, etc.--it is different. They
are always open to argument--for pay--although they are hardly to be
relied upon even then, for they will sell out to another with the same
celerity with which they formerly disposed of themselves to you.

"You are a Frenchman, are you not?" I asked this man, as soon as we
were alone together.

"Yes," he replied, reluctantly.

"Do you know what is in store for you now?"

"Siberia, or death; one is as bad as the other. I'm only sorry that I
did not have a chance to use my knife before you struck me; that's
all."

"I have not a doubt of it. And yet you may escape both, Siberia and
death, if you are reasonable."

"How? I'll be reasonable fast enough if you can prove that to me."

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes; as well as I do French, and Russian, and German, and half a dozen
other languages."

"Then you heard and understood everything that passed between the
prince and me?"

"Certainly. I might have pretended that I did not, if I had thought to
do so. Still it would have made no difference, any way."

"Not much, that's a fact. Why did you hide in this room?"

"To hear what you said. To get what information I could