hed in my face--a laugh which made me wonder whether Elma had
not already fallen into his hands. The uncertainty of her fate held me
in terrible suspense.

"I merely wish to impress upon you the fact that I have not the
slightest interest whatsoever in the person in question," he said
coldly. "You seem to have formed some romantic attachment towards this
young woman who attempted to poison Madame Vakuroff, and to have
succeeded in rescuing her from Kajana. You afterwards disregard the fact
that you are liable to a long term of imprisonment yourself, and
actually have the audacity to seek audience of me and make all sorts of
hints and suggestions that I have held the woman a prisoner for my own
ends!"

"Not only do I repeat that, Baron Oberg," I said quickly. "But I also
allege that it was at your instigation that in Siena an operation was
performed upon the unfortunate girl which deprived her of speech and
hearing."

"At my instigation?"

"Yes, at yours!"

He laughed again, but uneasily, a forced laugh, and leaned against the
edge of the big writing-table near the window.

"Well, what next?" he inquired, pretending to be interested in my
allegations. "What do you want of me?"

"I desire you to give the Mademoiselle Heath her complete freedom," I
said.

"Is that all?"

"All--for the present."

"But her future is not in my hands. The Minister in Petersburg has
decreed her removal to Saghalien as a person dangerous to the State."

"Which means that she will be ill-treated--knouted to death, perhaps."

"We do not use the knout in the Russian prisons nowadays," he said
briefly. "His Majesty has decreed its abolition."

"But you adopt torture in Kajana and Schusselburg instead."

"My time is too limited to discuss our penal system, m'sieur," he
exclaimed impatiently, while I could well see that he was anxious to
escape before I made any further charges against him. I had already
shown him that Elma had spoken, and he feared that she had told the
truth. While this would embitter him against her and cause him to seek
to silence her at all hazards, it was of course in my own interests that
he should fear any revelations that I might make.

"You have posed in England as the uncle of Elma Heath, and yet you here
hold her prisoner. For what reason?" I demanded.

"She is held prisoner by the State--for conspiracy against Russian
rule--not by herself personally."

"Who enticed her here? Why you, yourself. Who c