nst us.
They were driven on to the attack, and worked up by all sorts of
falsehoods, and a plentiful administration of vodka, to commit the
atrocities of which some of them were guilty.

"We are preparing to leave Moscow. Cousin Giles and Harry have gone to
get the tiresome passport business arranged with Mr Allwick, and as I
have sprained my ankle, I remained to write to you. We shall be very
sorry to part with our interpreter; he has contributed very much to the
pleasure of our visit to this city. Through his means we have seen and
understood much more than we could otherwise possibly have done about
the place and the people. We have no satisfactory news about poor
Saveleffs affairs. The Count has promised to allow him to remain among
his people as long as he wishes, and to protect him to the utmost of his
power; but he owns that that power is likely to extend a very little
way. He says that he will spare no expense, if bribery is likely to
effect the object. He thinks, however, that if the true state of the
case could be laid before the Emperor, the poor fellow's cause might be
gained, but the difficulty is to let the Emperor know the truth. We
cannot help fancying that we saw poor Saveleffs old father and mother
among the exiles starting for Siberia. Poor fellow! It is very sad.
He does not despair, and yet he has very little hope of happiness in
this world. Even now, if the police find him out, he will not be
allowed to remain very long in quiet.

"To-morrow we are off by the railway for Saint Petersburg.

"Your affectionate son--

"Fred Markham."

CHAPTER TWENTY.

Last Letter from Fred Markham to his Mother--Return to Saint
Petersburg--Ceremony at the Kazan Church--Picnic into Finland--Visit
to Peteroff--The Palace of the Czar--Villas of Peter the Great and
Catherine--Beautiful Fountain--Leave Saint Petersburg--Cronstadt--
Voyage down the Baltic--Copenhagen--Journey from Copenhagen to
Hamburg--Conclusion.

"Hamburg, 20th October, 1856.

"My own dear mother,--Here we are within two days' paddling of England,
and we hope within a week to be with you. In the meantime I will give
you an idea of what we have done since I last wrote from Moscow. We
journeyed back from that wondrous city with hundreds of other mortals
returning from the coronation fetes, and took up our old quarters at the
Gostiniza Benson. We looked in the next morning at the Kazan church,
which we had not before