"
she protested. "Some day when this war is over the Czar will pardon you.
Please remember that I shall never forget you and never stop trying to
do what I can for your release. If I am allowed to have it, I will take
care of your money until you are able to come to me."

Hearing a guttural noise behind her, Nona Davis now turned around. Her
guard was signaling that the time allotted for her visit was over.

She was not able to kiss the older woman good-by, only to hold both her
hands close for another moment and then to go away with her eyes so
blinded with tears that she could not see. Yet she never forgot the
picture that Sonya Valesky made when she had a final glance at her.

Four days later a few lines appeared in the Russian daily papers,
stating that Sonya Valesky, a woman of noble birth, but at present a
Russian nihilist, had been condemned to penal servitude in Siberia for
life. She had been proved guilty of treason to the Imperial Government.

CHAPTER XIV

_Mildred's Return_

On the same afternoon that Nona and Barbara read the news of Sonya
Valesky's sentence, Mildred Thornton came to Petrograd.

Her return was characteristic of Mildred.

It was a little past twilight and Nona and Barbara were in their shabby
sitting room; they now shared the same bedroom in the new lodgings. Nona
had been crying, and in order to try and make her forget, Barbara was
reading aloud. She had received a package of books and magazines from
Dick Thornton earlier in the day, but this was her first chance to look
them over.

Although endeavoring to listen, in reality Nona's attention was only
pretence. Her thoughts were with the Russian woman whose life had been
so strangely associated with her own. It seemed to Nona that she had
not realized how much she cared for Sonya Valesky until these last few
weeks. She had become like an exquisite older sister whom she might
possibly have had as a companion and friend. Never had Nona been more
conscious of her own loneliness. It is true that she had been more or
less lonely all her life, but this she had taken as a matter of course.
Now in these last few hours she had suddenly been overwhelmed by the
thought.

Apparently their work as Red Cross nurses in Europe was nearly over.
At least, when Mildred finally joined them, the three girls intended
returning to France to spend a little time with Madame Castaigne and
Eugenia. Then Barbara and Mildred would doubtless go back to