y to ask Petrovitch."

"That will be quite unnecessary as well as useless. I pledge myself
to tell you before I leave this place, and I have not favored M.
Petrovitch with my new address."

She smiled scornfully.

"And do you believe that you have succeeded in taking a house in
Petersburg without his knowledge? You do not know him, I tell you
again. He has had you watched every hour of the day while you have
been here."

"Please credit me with a little resource, as well as your friend," I
answered with some slight irritation. "I have no doubt the spies of
M. Petrovitch have watched me pretty closely, but they have not been
able to watch every person who has come in and out of the hotel. Two
of my most capable assistants have been in Petersburg for the last
month--since the day you hinted that my life was not quite safe, in
fact."

The woman before me looked completely overwhelmed.

"One of them," I proceeded with cutting severity, "has taken the
house I speak of. The other is watching over my personal safety at
this moment."

The Princess fairly gave way. Sinking on the couch behind her, she
exclaimed in a faint voice:

"You are a demon, not a man!"

It was the finest compliment she could have paid me.

"And now," I said carelessly, "to carry out your admirable little
idea."

The unhappy woman put up her hands, and turned away her head in sheer
terror.

I splashed some water into the tumbler, and then trickled in a small
quantity afterward, to imitate the sound of adding the poison. This
done I respectfully handed the bottle to my companion.

"To our next meeting!" I called out lightly, as I lifted the tumbler
to my lips and drained it.

It was the Princess who swooned.

Although I had not foreseen this weakness on her part I took
advantage of it to draw the tiny key of the oratory from her bosom,
and hide it in my mouth.

I then touched the bell twice, the signal for the Princess's maid to
appear.

"Fauchette," I said, when she entered--for this was the assistant I
had alluded to as watching over my personal safety--"Madame has just
given me the contents of that stoppered bottle. Do you know anything
about them?"

Fauchette had made good use of her time since obtaining her
situation. These things are so easily managed that I am almost
ashamed to explain that a bribe to the former maid had brought about
a convenient illness, and the recommendation of Fauchette as a
temporary substitute.

"Y