nto a frightful rage:

"Cossacks!" he bellowed. "You cowardly dogs, what do you mean by
letting Kaledines' horsemen gallop over you like that--you with your
saws and axes--twenty lusty comrades to block the road and pull the
Imperialists off their horses! Shame! For all I know you've let a
Romanoff escape alive into the world! That's probably what you've
done, you greasy louts!"

The wood-cutters gaped stupidly; the Bolshevik officer cursed them
again and gesticulated with his pistol. Other soldiers of the Red
battalion ran up. One nudged the officer's elbow without saluting:

"That other prisoner can't be found----"

"What! That Swedish girl!" yelled the officer.

Several soldiers began speaking excitedly:

"While we were in the cellar, they say she ran away----"

"Yes, Captain, while we were about that business in the crypt,
Kaledines' horsemen rode up outside----"

"Who saw them?" demanded the officer hoarsely. "God curse you, who saw
them?"

Some peasants had now come up. One of them began:

"Your _honour_, I saw Prince Kaledines' riders----"

"_Whose!_"

"The Hetman's----"

"Your _honour_! _Prince_ Kaledines! The Hetman! Damnation! Who do you
think you are! Who do you think I am!" burst out the Red officer in a
fury. "Get out of my way!----" He pushed the peasants right and left
and strode away toward the convent. His soldiers began to straggle
after him. One of them winked at the wood-cutters with his tongue in
his cheek, and slung the rifle he carried over his right shoulder _en
bandouliere_, muzzle downward.

"The Tavarish is in a temper," he said with a jerk of his thumb
toward the officer. "We arrested that Swedish girl in the uniform
of the woman's battalion. One shoots that breed on sight, you know.
But we were in such a hurry to finish with the Romanoffs----" He
shrugged: "You see, comrades, we should have taken her into the crypt
and shot her along with the Romanoffs. That's how one loses these
birds--they're off if you turn your back to light a cigarette in
the wind."

One of the wood-cutters said: "Among Kaledines' horsemen were two
women. One was crop-headed like a boy, and half naked."

"A White Nun?"

"God knows. She had some white rags hanging to her body, and dark hair
clipped like a boy's."

"That--was--she!" said the soldier with slow conviction. He turned and
looked down the long perspective of the forest road. Only a raven
stalked there all alone over the fallen leaves.