don't quite understand you, Colonel Grodwitz," I said quietly,
looking at him very straight. "If you think I'm in the habit of
gossiping with Mishka Pavloff or any other servant here, you're very
much mistaken."

"A thousand pardons, my dear fellow; I was merely joking," he assured
me; but I guessed he had made one more attempt to "draw" me,--the last.

As I went up to my room I heard the haunting strains of a Hungarian
dance from the Stravensky suite, situated on the first floor in the left
wing leading from the great hall, while the Duke's apartments were in
the right wing.

Mishka entered immediately after I had locked the door.

"Get your money and anything else you value and can carry on you," he
grunted. "You will not return here. And get into this."

"This" was the uniform of a cavalry officer; and I must say I looked
smart in it.

Mishka gathered up my discarded clothes, and stowed them in the
wardrobe.

"Unlock the door; Nicolai will come presently and will think you are
still below," he said. "And follow me; have a care, pull the door
to--so."

I closed the secret opening and went down the narrow stairway, steep
almost as a ladder, By the dim light of the small lantern Mishka
carried, I saw the door leading to the Duke's rooms. We did not enter
there, as I expected, but kept on till I guessed we must about have got
down to the bowels of the earth. Then came a tremendously long and
narrow passage, damp and musty smelling; at the end of it a flight of
steep steps leading up to what looked like a solid stone wall. Mishka
motioned me to wait, extinguished the lantern, and I heard him feeling
about in the pitch darkness for a few seconds. Then, with scarcely a
sound, the masonry swung back, and I saw a patch of dark sky jewelled
with stars, and felt the keen night wind on my face. I passed out,
waited in silence while he closed the exit again, and kept beside him as
he walked rapidly away. I glanced back once, and saw beyond the great
wall, the castle itself, and the lights gleaming from many windows,
while from the further wing came still the sound of the music.

We appeared to be making for the road that led to Pavloff's house, where
I guessed we might be going, but I asked no questions. Mishka would
speak when necessary,--not otherwise. We passed through a belt of pine
trees on to the rough road; and there, more heard than seen in the
darkness, we came on two horsemen, each with a led horse.

"That