Princess Zara

Canfield was also invaluable. As managing director of the Messenger

Service with many of his employees working as spies, it was a

comparatively easy matter to intercept letters and messages and to

obtain a knowledge of the contents of documents through their skilled

efforts.

I have given this resumé of conditions as I established them to avoid

going into detail respecting the sources of the information I made use

of, but it will be understood now how thorough was my knowledge

whenever I chose to exert it.

During the time that passed as I have described, I became a factor in

St. Petersburg society. Supposed to possess unlimited wealth

(accumulated, by the way, in Mexican mines, for it sounded well), with

the crest of a noble family then extinct and half forgotten ornamenting

my cards and stationery, and introduced by Prince Michael, who was

known to be high in favor with the czar, palace doors were thrown wide

open to receive me. I was young then, and women said that I was

handsome, while men found me genial, companionable, and their master at

most games and with every sort of weapon; things which men respect even

if they do resent them.

The regular police systems, even to the mysterious Third Section which

has no equivalent or parallel in the world, were entirely ignorant of

the existence of my espionage, and many times during the months that

followed I fell under suspicion. My power was so much greater than

theirs that I possessed one abundant advantage, that of knowing their

spies; and many of these, from time to time, I purposely allowed to

become inmates of my house, from which they inevitably carried away the

precise information that I wished them to obtain.

By the time the organization of the fraternity was completed, I had

information in my possession which if it had gone to the emperor, would

have created a social upheaval such as has never been witnessed in

history. But many of the most anarchistic and irrepressible leaders of

the nihilists were quietly arrested and sent where they would be

rendered harmless, and others who were less violent, I left undisturbed

and in seeming security, knowing that they would ultimately lead me to

the point I wished to attain, the very root of the evil which I had

determined to eradicate; but it was six months after my arrival in St.

Petersburg when I met with the adventure which I regarded as the most

remarkable of my experience, and which is really the reason for this

story.

"Well, Derrington," the prince said to me one night shortly after our

return from a function of more than ordinary prominence. He had stopped

at my rooms for a smoke and a chat before retiring. "Have you received

an invitation from the princess?"

"What princess?" I asked.