he fragments of
conversation which she heard from the lips of her ill friend.

Sonya sometimes spoke of her girlhood and then again of her life in the
United States and in England. Once or twice she even called the name of
Captain Dalton. Nona supposed that she must be recalling her meeting
with Captain Dalton at the Sacred Heart Hospital. Then she remembered
that Sonya had spoken of knowing the English officer years before.

But although her patient betrayed many facts of her past life to her
nurse, never once did Sonya explain why she was living in such an
out-of-the-way place. Neither did she give any clue to the kind of work
that must have engaged her time and energy. Surely Sonya Valesky must
have been upon some secret mission in the days of their first meeting on
board the "Philadelphia!" Even then she had papers in her possession
which she would allow no one to see.

However, Sonya was too desperately ill to permit her nurse much
opportunity for surmising. Nona would never have left her alone for a
moment except that she knew it was her duty to keep up her own strength.

Every afternoon she went for a short walk. And because no one but the
Russian physician was allowed to enter the house, now and then the
young Russian lieutenant would join Nona along the road. This could only
occur when he was able to get leave, yet Nona began to hope for his
coming. She was so depressed and lonely.

Once she asked him if he had ever heard of a member of his family named
"Anna Orlaff." Of course she gave no reason for her question. But it
made no difference, because the young soldier could recall no such
person.

In the course of one of their talks, however, he confided to Nona that
he was a younger brother, but that his family were members of the
Russian nobility.

Never once, however, did the young man betray any fact connected with
Sonya Valesky's history. He explained that their families had long known
each other and that he had always been fond of her, nothing more.

So for this reason as well as others Nona found herself attracted by the
young Russian officer. He seemed very simple, much younger than an
American of the same age. At this time Michael Orlaff must have been
about twenty-three. But Nona was wise enough to discover that he was not
so simple and direct as she had first believed him. A Russian does not
readily betray either his deeper thoughts or his deeper feelings. The
young Russian lieutenant would no