the drawing-room is closed also, and you cannot see it
from here."

"That door is open," said Ermolai.

Koupriane swore. But he recovered himself promptly.

"Madame Trebassof will close the door when she speaks to them."

"It's impracticable," said the reporter. "That will arouse their
suspicions more than ever. Leave it to me; I have a plan."

"What?"

"I have time to execute it, but not to tell you about it. They have
already waited too long. I shall have to go upstairs, though. Ermolai
will need to go with me, as with a friend of the family."

"I'll go too."

"That would give the whole show away, if they saw you, the Prefect of
Police."

"Why, no. If they see me--and they know I ought to be there--as soon
as I show myself to them they will conclude I don't know anything about
it."

"You are wrong."

"It is my duty. I should be near the general to defend him until the
last."

Rouletabille shrugged his shoulders before this dangerous heroism, but
he did not stop to argue. He knew that his plan must succeed at once,
or in five minutes at the latest there would be only ruins, the dead and
the dying in the datcha des Iles.

Still he remained astonishingly calm. In principle he had admitted that
he was going to die. The only hope of being saved which remained to them
rested entirely upon their keeping perfectly cool and upon the patience
of the living bombs. Would they still have three minutes' patience?

Ermolai went ahead of Koupriane and Rouletabille. At the moment they
reached the foot of the veranda steps the servant said loudly, repeating
his lesson:

"Oh, the general is waiting for you, Excellency. He told me to have you
come to him at once. He is entirely well and Madame Trebassof also."

When they were in the veranda, he added:

"She is to see also, at once, these gentlemen, who will be able to tell
her there is no more danger."

And all three passed while Koupriane and Rodetabille vaguely saluted
the two conspirators in the drawing-room. It was a decisive moment.
Recognizing Koupriane, the two Nihilists might well believe themselves
discovered, as the reporter had said, and precipitate the catastrophe.
However, Ermolai, Koupriane and Rouletabille climbed the stairs to the
bedroom like automatons, not daring to look behind them, and expecting
the end each instant. But neither stirred. Ermolai went down again, by
Rouletabille's order, normally, naturally, tranquilly. They went into
Matrena