ood plan,
because it meant that the man who could talk would talk no more, and
that the comrade who shot down the murderer would stand well with the
Government."

Serganoff nodded.

"And your plan has failed," he said, "failed miserably at the outset.
You dog!"

He leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing, and Boolba stepped back.

"Highness, wait, wait!" he cried. "I have something else in my mind! I
could have helped Highness better if I had known more. But I could only
guess. I had to grope in the dark all the time."

"Do you imagine I am going to take you into my confidence?" asked
Serganoff. "What manner of fool am I? Tell me what you have guessed. You
may sit down; nobody will come in, and if they do you can be buttoning
my boots."

Boolba wiped his damp face with a handkerchief and leaned nearer to the
man.

"If the Grand Duke dies, a certain illustrious person succeeds to his
estates," he said, "but not to his title."

Serganoff looked at him sharply. The man had put into words the one
difficulty which had occupied the mind of the Chief of Police for
months.

"Well?" he said.

"The title is in the gift of the Czar," said Boolba. "He alone can
create a Grand Duke who succeeds but is not in the direct line.
Therefore, the killing of Yaroslav would bring little but the property
to the illustrious person. Only if His Imperial Majesty decided upon a
worthier holder, or if the Grand Duke fell under a cloud at Court, could
it pass to the illustrious person."

"That I know," said Serganoff. "Well?"

"Well, Highness, would it not be better if the Grand Duke were
disgraced, if he were brought to St. Petersburg to answer certain
charges which the illustrious person formulated? After, the Grand Duke
might die--that is a simple matter. Russia would think that he had been
put to death by the Court party as a matter of policy. Yaroslav is not
in favour at the Court," he added significantly; but Serganoff shook his
head.

"He is not sufficiently out of favour yet," he said. "Go on, man, you
have something in your mind."

Boolba edged closer.

"Suppose the Grand Duke or the Grand Duchess were involved in some
conspiracy against the Imperial House?" he said, speaking rapidly.
"Suppose, on evidence which could not be disputed, such as the evidence
of the London police, it was proved that either the Grand Duke or his
daughter was in league with an anarchist society, or was attending their
meetings--does your Excel