Princess Zara

"Poor Michael!" I murmured. "Did I drive you to this? Would that I had

not spoken."

I turned to glance around the room, professional instinct getting the

best of me even in that moment of sorrow, and I quickly espied a letter

upon the table. It was addressed to his majesty, the emperor, and was

tightly sealed, so I placed it in my pocket and started to leave the

room. At the door I met the captain of the guard with two of his men,

and them I instructed to keep watch, but on no account to touch

anything without his majesty's permission. Then I sought the czar.

"Well, Derrington?" he asked, as soon as I was admitted to his

presence. "What of the night? Is the conspiracy crushed, and have you

been successful?"

"Entirely so. Nihilism is effectually crushed for many years to come.

My work in St. Petersburg is really done, I think. At least I can

assure you that you will have no cause to fear the hand of an assassin

for a long time; until this weed starts up anew."

"We are safe, then. Thank God for that."

"You are perfectly safe. The prisons are full to overflowing. I have

sent many of the less guilty ones over the border with instructions not

to return for many years to come. You will miss a few faces at court.

You will be forced to fill a few vacancies in the army. The next

caravan across Siberia will be a larger one than the last, and the

population of this city will be depleted by nearly three thousand souls

counting all that I have enumerated."

"This is glorious news to awaken to--glorious! I cannot repay you the

debt I owe you, Derrington."

"Now that you have heard the good news, can you bear to hear some that

is not so good, monsieur?"

"What! Is there bad news also?"

"Necessarily, there must have been some fatalities."

"Ah! Some one was killed? Some friend of mine?"

"Yes. Some one has killed himself."

"Durnief?"

"No. He is a prisoner."

"Why keep me waiting? Tell me at once."

"I greatly fear, your majesty, that I am responsible for this death.

Here is the letter he left. Read it. I do not know what it contains. I

only just now discovered the body."

"Michael!" He exclaimed as soon as he saw the handwriting. I made no

reply and he broke the seal and read the last words of his lifelong

friend. Presently he returned it to me.