added to a previous donation,
and, without any surprise, agreed to let any one calling take away the
horses; they certainly were above the means of strolling singers who had
to flee from a town. Farther discussion, if he had sought it, was
curtailed by the electric signal heralding the coming of a train. In
eight minutes, the two were ensconced in a first-class compartment and
hurried along toward the Land of Lakes.

In the sumptuous coach, the girl unburdened herself, but, with rare art
or imperfect knowledge of her origin, she was more explicit on the
family of her cousin than on her own. However, it was his that had made
a niche in art and scandalous story.

As for Kaiserina, her mother was the eldest daughter of a Count
Dobronowska, of a Polish branch of the Vieradlers, who had settled in
Fuiland. The count had meddled with politics and the Czar had promptly
confiscated his landed property. The loss and fear of Siberia had broken
his heart. After his death, the widow passed the intervals of her grief
in besieging persons of influence to obtain a restitution of the
estate. Unfortunately, she had no son to fight the battle with the Czar,
but two daughters were growing up with such a superabundance of charm
that they promised to be no mean allies in the enterprise. But fortune
did not altogether favor the widow; it is true that she interested a
Russian of great wealth and political sway, but when the time came for
his co-operation to be active, he played her a wicked trick. He
attracted her elder daughter to him and married her. Not liking to have
a mother-in-law in his mansion, he pensioned her off, with the proviso
that her presence should never clash immediately with his own in any
country. It is regrettable to add that Wanda, Madame Godaloff, agreed to
this arrangement, and, indeed, having attained woman's goal, troubled
herself not once about her parent who had schemed and plotted tirelessly
for this end. The countess had brought her deer to a pretty market; but,
unhappily, she gained little by the bargain compared with what she had
dreamed.

She had a brother-in-law who had acted very differently from her
husband. Instead of playing the patriot--and the fool--he had submitted
to the tyrant and won a lucrative post at St. Petersburg. He was afraid
to injure himself by giving countenance to his brother's relict, who was
always seeking an audience of the Emperor. It was strongly suspected
that she intended, sinc