ken by her illness and confinement. She had a
terrible attack of fever only a short time before. Probably she
won't live very long, if she is taken to Siberia."

Then, to hide her tears from her companion, Mildred turned her head
aside. General Alexis seemed to be staring at her very steadfastly. But
fortunately the beauty of the landscape surrounding them gave her an
excuse for the movement.

They had crossed the Nicholas bridge and were driving out among the
parks and estates that cover the small islands, set like jewels among
the white fastness of the river Neva. Here and there the river was
solid ice, in other places the thin ice was decorated with a light
coating of snow.

The handsome private homes of Petrograd are situated in these island
suburbs. Beautiful trees and lawns come down to the water's edge. But
today they too were snow sprinkled and most of the homes were closed.

Mildred attempted to pretend that her attention had been attracted by
one of these houses, built like a glorified Swiss chalet.

But General Alexis continued to gaze at the side of her cheek and
Mildred was painfully conscious that the tears might at any moment
slide out of her eyes.

"You care very much about this woman, this Sonya Valesky, Miss
Thornton?" General Alexis inquired. "You say that she is a friend
of yours and that it will bring you great distress if she must suffer
the penalty of her mistakes? I do not wish you to leave Russia in
unhappiness."

Mildred slowly shook her head. Had she been almost any other girl, she
would have seen nothing to deny in her companion's last speech. But
Mildred had the spirit of entire truthfulness that belongs to only a
few natures.

"No, I cannot say that Madame Valesky is exactly _my_ friend," she
answered slowly. "I do not know her very well, but I think I should care
for her a great deal if we could know each other better. Perhaps she was
altogether wrong; anyhow, I do not think she should have attempted to
persuade the Russians not to fight for their country at a time like
this. Yet when one has seen the horrible, the almost useless suffering
that I have seen in these few years I have been acting as a Red Cross
nurse, well, one can hardly condemn a human being who believes in peace.
Still, Madame Valesky is in reality more Nona's friend than mine."

Pausing abruptly, Mildred again turned her face to look at the soldier
beside her. She had been tactless as usual in thus expressing h