e answered, and thereupon he proceeded to give the
representative of his native land the history of his case, so well known
to the reader.

It was a startling story of cruel outrage, as we all know, and the
recital of it made the minister very indignant.

Turning to the officers, he said:

"You can shadow this man if you think it your duty, but you must not
arrest or interfere with him in any way while he is under the protection
of the American flag. I shall take him at once before the prime
minister," and without loss of time he proceeded to do so.

He was instantly admitted to the august presence of that high
functionary, where the story was again told and verified.

The minister of state was astounded, both at the audacity of the outrage
and the fact of his being a victim of Prince Mastowix, the very letter
he had innocently brought being the one that sealed the traitor's fate.

The whole business was confirmed by Tobasco, the police spy, who secured
the letter and gave it to the prefect of police.

Search was at once made for the passport and money belonging to
Barnwell, and after a deal of red tape had been unwound the property was
found and restored to him.

And not only that, but the Russian prime minister ordered him to be paid
five thousand rubles for indemnity, and the American minister rendered a
most abject apology for the the outrage.

This was followed at once by orders from the prefect of police to all
his subordinates touching Barnwell's case; espionage was withdrawn, his
"Number" obliterated from the secret records, and in a short time he was
one of the freest men in the Russian empire.

In justice to Surgeon Kanoffskie, he cleared him of all complicity in
the matter, although he promptly withdrew, of course, from the menial
attitude he had so long occupied towards him, and which had enabled him
to escape.

Yes, he was a free man once more, and had, through the dictates of his
country, been the recipient of an apology almost from the throne. Yet
all this did not efface the cruel stripes left by the knout, or efface
from his heart the wrong and misery he had endured.

Indeed, he felt quite as bitter towards the tyrannical government as
ever, and there was awful bitterness in his heart.

A few days after regaining his rights, he remembered Zora Vola and the
message he had agreed to carry to her brother, and without loss of time
set about finding him, a task he soon found to be an exceedingl