guard."

Menken gave a self-confident smile.

"I am pretty well able to take care of myself, I believe," he said
boastfully. "As for the Nihilists, I no longer believe in their
existence. You may point out the man you suspect, if you like, of
course."

"It is not a man, Colonel, it is a woman."

"In that case the adventure promises to be interesting. I do not know
any of the women on board except the Princess Y----."

"You know her!" I allowed a note of surprise to appear in my voice.

"The Princess is related to me," the Czar's messenger declared, with
a rebuking frown. "I presume she is not the object of your
suspicions?"

"And if she were?"

"If she were, I should tell you that you had made a very absurd
mistake, my good fellow. The Princess is in the confidence of the
Dowager Empress; she is perfectly aware of the object of my mission,
and she has just promised me that if I carry it out successfully she
will become my wife."

CHAPTER IX

THE BETROTHAL OF DELILAH

Colonel Menken regarded me with ironical contempt as I tried to
apologize for my hinted distrust of his betrothed.

"That will do, my man. I shall tell the Princess of your blunder, and
I can assure you she will be heartily amused by it."

"At least you will remember that I wear his imperial majesty's
uniform," I ventured. "And, however much I have been misled as to the
intentions of her highness, I submit that I am entitled to secrecy on
your part."

"Am I to understand that some one has given you orders referring to
the Princess? I thought this was simply some idle suspicion of your
own?"

"My instructions were to watch over your safety, without letting you
perceive it, and to take particular note of any one who seemed to be
trying to form your acquaintance on the journey. If you now denounce
me to her highness, she will be annoyed, and in any case I shall be
of no further use to you."

"So much the better," the Colonel said rudely. "I consider your
being here at all as an act of impertinence. If I engage to say
nothing to the Princess--who, as you say, might be annoyed--will you
undertake to leave me alone for the future?"

"I will undertake to leave the train at Tomsk," I replied.

Colonel Menken closed with this offer, which was meant as a delusive
one. I had selected the first important stopping-place at which the
train waited sufficiently long for me to procure the materials of a
fresh disguise.

I took the train s