once or twice he said to his wife, 'It is
not your fault that your cousin is impertinent; but let him take care.'
Then one day an old friend of his wife's father came to her, and said,
'Do you know what has happened? You are not likely to see your cousin
Konrad again. The Russian General ----, whom we bribed with twenty-four
thousand rubles to give us ten passports for crossing the frontier, now
refuses to give them, and Konrad has been sent to kill him, as a warning
to the others; he will be taken, and hanged.' I forgot to tell you,
Natalushka, that the girl I am speaking of was in all the secrets of the
association which had been started. You are more fortunate; you know
nothing."

The interest of the listener had now been thoroughly aroused. She had
turned toward her mother, and had put her remaining hand over hers.

"Well, this friend hinted something more; he hinted that it was the
husband of this young wife who had sent Konrad on this mission, and that
the means employed had not been quite fair."

"Mother, what do you mean?" Natalie said, breathlessly.

"I am telling you a story that really happened, Natalushka," said the
mother, calmly, and with the same pathetic touch in her voice. "Then the
young wife, without consideration--so anxious was she to save the life
of her cousin--went straight to the highest authorities of the
association, and appealed to them. The influence of her family aided
her. She was listened to; there was an examination; what the friend had
hinted was found to be true; the commission was annulled; Konrad was
given his liberty!"

"Yes, yes!" said Natalie, eagerly.

"But listen, Natalushka; I said I would tell you the whole story; it has
been kept from you for many a year. When it was found that the husband
had made use of the machinery of the association for his own
ends--which, it appears, was a great crime in their eyes--he was
degraded, and forbidden all hope of joining the Council, the ruling
body. He was in a terrible rage, for he was mad with ambition. He drove
the wife from his house--rather, he left the house himself--and he took
away with him their only child, a little girl scarcely two years old;
and he threatened the mother with the most terrible penalties if ever
again she should speak to her own child! Natalushka, do you understand
me? Do you wonder that my face is worn with grief? For sixteen years
that mother, who loved her daughter better than anything in the world,
wa