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diff --git a/40433-8.txt b/40433-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f702b7e..0000000 --- a/40433-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5236 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Hildreth, Volume 3 of 3, by -Augusta de Grasse Stevens - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Miss Hildreth, Volume 3 of 3 - A Novel - -Author: Augusta de Grasse Stevens - -Release Date: August 7, 2012 [EBook #40433] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS HILDRETH, VOLUME 3 OF 3 *** - - - - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - MISS HILDRETH. - - A Novel. - - BY A. DE GRASSE STEVENS, - - AUTHOR OF "OLD BOSTON," "THE LOST DAUPHIN," - "WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE," ETC. - - - In Three Volumes. - VOL. III. - - LONDON: - WARD AND DOWNEY, - 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. - 1888. - - [_All rights reserved._] - - _Copyright by_ A. de GRASSE STEVENS, 1888. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. A VIGIL 1 - - CHAPTER II. LUDLOW STREET JAIL 22 - - CHAPTER III. "FATHOM HER MOTIVES, PHILIP" 33 - - CHAPTER IV. MIXED MOTIVES 54 - - CHAPTER V. A WOMAN'S LOGIC 74 - - CHAPTER VI. A QUESTION OF COMITY 86 - - CHAPTER VII. NON-COMMITTAL 104 - - CHAPTER VIII. A DAMAGING PROMISE 117 - - CHAPTER IX. CONFLICTING IDENTITIES 134 - - CHAPTER X. A GLEAM OF LIGHT 153 - - CHAPTER XI. CHECKMATE 169 - - CHAPTER XII. OUR LADY OF KAZAN 183 - - CHAPTER XIII. NO EXPLANATION 205 - - CHAPTER XIV. "FORGIVE HER" 218 - - CHAPTER XV. VLADIMIR'S WELCOME 233 - - CHAPTER XVI. AN ETERNAL FAREWELL 251 - - CHAPTER XVII. AFTER TEN YEARS 268 - - - - -MISS HILDRETH. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A VIGIL. - - -The news of Patricia Hildreth's arrest on a criminal warrant had flown -like wild-fire throughout society. Mr. Tremain found himself almost the -only one of his world not cognisant of the facts from the beginning; and -as he listened to one garbled statement after another, coloured -according to the narrator's fancy, he cursed the evil fortune and his -own selfishness, that had kept him so effectually out of the way, and -made him play so blindly into the enemies' hands. - -He knew very well that had he been at home, or allowed his letters and -papers to be forwarded to him, matters would never have reached so -serious a pass; but shutting himself away as he had done from all -outside communication, there had been no one at hand to avert the blow -as it fell, or to force a more definite showing from the attacking -parties, before the extreme measure of arrest was put into execution. - -Esther Newbold's absence, and the uncertain movements of the -_Deerhound_, had proved an additional disaster for Patricia. It was only -on the yacht putting in at New London, that Esther heard of her friend's -trouble. A flaming poster outside the hotel had caught Mrs. Newbold's -attention as she sauntered along the planked side-walk with Miss -Darling, and the next moment they were both reading with horrified -comprehension the bold sensational headings: - -"Arrest of Miss Hildreth. Further developments expected shortly. Miss -Hildreth's appearance in Ludlow Street, etc., etc." - -These were the lines, in staring red letters, that first greeted Esther -on her landing, after a three weeks' cruise; and their effect upon her -can better be imagined than described. She was, however, essentially a -person of action, and not an hour had passed before she, her husband, -and Dick Darling, were on their way to New York, leaving the yacht and -its guests to dispose of themselves. - -That Patricia should be in such dire trouble, and alone, struck Esther -as something so preposterous as to be almost incredible. Patricia, who -counted her lovers and admirers by the score; who was always triumphant -and victorious and worshipped wherever she appeared; whose smile was a -reward highly coveted; whose favour was a prize eagerly courted--to be -in prison, arrested on some crime too horrible even to be named. Alone; -subjected to indignities and privations whose very meaning had been -hitherto unknown to her easy, luxurious existence. - -"Ah, do let us get to her at once," Esther had cried, imploringly, after -she had poured out all the horrible story in George Newbold's -astonished ears. "Only to think of her in that dreadful place; how she -must suffer! And in this weather too, so hot and breathless as it is; -and we never knowing all the time, but enjoying ourselves like brutes -and heathens! Oh, Patricia, Patricia, is this what your wilfulness has -brought you to? Oh, George, do make haste; and to think what a viper we -entertained in that dreadful Count Mellikoff!" - -"Well, he certainly hasn't turned out an angel," answered George, in his -slow fashion. "For once, my dear Esther, the scripture has gone back on -itself, for he _was_ a stranger, and we made him very welcome; in return -for which he took us in most neatly." - -"Don't be profane," retorted his wife, "I'm sure this is no time for -such joking. Isn't poor Patty a lesson to us all, and the evil that has -overtaken her a judgment on our folly? But will you make haste? We shall -lose the train if you are so deliberate. There's the gig along-side at -last; good-bye, my Mimi, be very good and you shall come to Mumsey in a -day or two." - -She put her little daughter out of her arms, drew down her veil, and -hurried off her husband and Miss Darling, without further leave-takings. -Little Marianne stood on the deck straining her blue eyes for a last -glimpse of the dancing boat, her white frock and golden hair fluttering -in the light breeze. - -Mr. Tremain found himself embarked on a fruitless expedition when he -yielded to Dick Darling's entreaties and started off impetuously to -visit Miss Hildreth in prison, and, as Dick evidently expected, wrest -her there and then from its odious confines. - -Indeed, had he been less overwhelmed by the calamity that had fallen -upon Patricia, he would have saved himself the needless journey; for, -although the evening was still young when they reached the gloomy -building, no amount of bribery or corruption could effect an entrance at -that hour. In vain Philip pleaded the exigencies of the case and his -own legal position; the not too polite official was adamant to all -entreaties. His instructions were decisive; any one wishing to see the -prisoner must come at the proper hours, and with a proper permit. - -"But I am her counsel," urged Philip, with a reckless disregard of -truth. - -The man looked at him disdainfully. "I guess that won't wash, Judge," he -said, and turned away determinately. - -Mr. Tremain looked down at Dick, who stood crying openly beside him, not -even taking the trouble to wipe away the tears as they fell. - -"It's no use, Miss Dick," he said, "we can do nothing until morning. You -must let me take you home." - -"Oh, it's too horrible," cried Dick, sobbing. "It's brutal, it's wicked! -Only to think that poor Patricia is _somewhere_ in this awful place and -we can't get to her. Oh, Mr. Tremain, which one of those dreadful -windows with the iron bars belongs to her----?" she could not bring -herself to say "Cell," so choked down the final word in a fresh burst of -tears. - -"Ah, which indeed!" answered Philip, sadly. The same thought had come to -him, as his eyes traversed quickly the long blank stone front of the -building, its monotony of outline only broken by the narrow barred -casements. - -Behind which of those apertures lay Patricia, abandoned in her -extremity? Her beauty tarnished, her fair name tossed from lip to lip, -her character at the mercy of an unsympathetic human world. - -"Oh, Patty, Patty," he cried to his own heart; "has it come to this, my -love? Have all your pride and loveliness brought you only to this?" - -He turned away slowly, and, drawing Dick's hand within his arm, led her -to the carriage that stood some little distance down the street. - -"Will you go back to Esther?" he asked as he helped her in. - -"Yes," she answered; "and oh, Mr. Tremain, come with me; oh do, please -do." - -He hesitated for a moment; then giving the address, stepped in and -seated himself beside her. - -Neither Philip nor Miss Darling ever forgot that long night drive, or -the moving panorama made up of lights and shops and people, that seemed -for ever passing and repassing before them. It was as if they stood -still, while all this restless pageant went by them in brilliant -sequence. - -As they turned into Broadway, and drove somewhat slowly up that narrow -thoroughfare, they met the stream of pleasure-seekers at its height; the -theatres were just over, and a crowd of brightly-dressed, gay-voiced -people were passing from the entrances into the streets. Now and then a -light laugh, or some careless jest, would reach the silent occupants of -the carriage, and wound them; as a blow wounds falling upon a hurt still -fresh and bleeding. - -"Oh," cried Dick at one such moment, "how cruel the world is, how -unfeeling! Ah, Mr. Tremain, how can any one laugh and jest when _she_ -lies in that awful place,--while Patricia is in prison?" - -But Philip said nothing; the anguish of his own heart was too absorbing -to leave room for superfluous words of comfort. For no anguish is so -great and so overwhelming, as the knowledge of one's powerlessness to -help when one's best beloved is in dire need of aid. - -Fifth Avenue was reached at last, heralded a long way off by the huge -electric transparency, which flaunts its advertisement high above the -heads of the pedestrians, and causes the very stars of heaven to pale -before its garish light. - -Turning down a side street, well up among the "thirties," and then into -Madison Avenue, the coachman drew up before a large brown stone house, -across whose many-windowed front not a light was to be seen, save the -faint gas-jet of the ornamental brass sconce in the vestibule. - -Miss Darling sprang out unassisted, and running quickly up the steps, -pulled out a latch-key and swung open the door as Philip came up behind -her. - -"You will find Esther in her morning-room," she said briefly, and -leaving him to find his own way, turned towards the stairs. Philip -watched her as she mounted them wearily, step by step. There was -dejection and despondency in her movements, and in the tired droop of -the young shoulders beneath the long dark cloak. - -A deeper feeling than he had ever believed it possible for him to -entertain for gay, volatile Miss Dick, had been born within his heart -that evening; and, as he stood now and watched the girlish figure fade -into the shadows of the upper corridor, it was with a sense of sudden -loneliness that he turned and walked slowly across the wide entrance -hall. - -Mrs. Newbold's town house wore that look of desolation and inhospitality -that is born of holland covers over the furniture, carpets rolled up -into corners, statues, ornaments, and chandeliers wrapped in protecting -winding-sheets. The advent of the mistress of the house had been sudden -and unexpected, and the mansion had not as yet thrown off the depressing -atmosphere of care-takers and board-wages. - -In Esther's boudoir, however, matters were a little more homelike; the -cases had been taken off the chairs and couches, and various feminine -belongings, flowers and books, redeemed somewhat the forlornness of -shrouded pictures, and a fireless hearth. - -Mr. Tremain knocked in a perfunctory way on the door, and immediately -Mrs. Newbold's voice bade him enter. He found her lying on a couch drawn -up to an open window, over which the Venetian blind had been lowered. - -She had been crying bitterly, and the face she raised from the pillows -bore but a faint resemblance to its usual _insouciant_ blonde -prettiness, in the blurred lines, heavy eyes, pallid cheeks, and tumbled -golden hair. - -She sprang up impetuously on seeing Mr. Tremain, and ran towards him -holding out her hands in welcome. - -"Oh, Philip," she cried, "have you come at last? Oh, is it not all too -dreadful? Have you seen her, Philip? How is she? Is she brave and full -of courage? Oh, Patricia! poor, poor Patricia!" - -Mr. Tremain took her hands in his as he answered: - -"No, I have not seen her, Esther. We were too late." - -She turned away from him and sank down again on the couch, looking up at -him with the tears gathering in her tired blue eyes. - -"I made sure you would see her," she said, simply. "I never doubted -your power, I never thought _you_ could fail." - -"Alas, I am not omnipotent," he answered, somewhat bitterly. "Even a -little brief authority, officially bestowed, can render me powerless. It -will not be for very long, however. I shall go back again at the -earliest possible hour in the morning." - -"And you will help her, Philip, you will not let any foolish feeling of -pique come between you and her now? You will not remember her cruelties, -you will only think of her sufferings? Oh, Philip, you must take up this -matter for her, and you must plead for her, when the time comes, as you -have never done before. You will, Philip, promise me you will?" - -"There is little need for that," he answered, sadly; "all my services -are at her disposal if she will accept them." - -"Yes, I am sure of it," replied Esther. "Ah, Philip, I did not think -_this_ would be the service she was to require from you, when I begged -you, that last day at the Folly, to help her if occasion came." - -"No, nor did I," answered Philip, quietly; then after a moment's pause -he continued: "Do you think, Esther, you can bear to tell me a little -more about this matter? So far I know nothing beyond the bald fact of -the arrest, and the nature of the charge lodged. Miss Darling was too -much overcome to enter into particulars. If I put a few plain questions, -will you answer them?" - -"Oh, yes, I will try," replied Mrs. Newbold, clasping her hands closely -together, and looking earnestly up at him. - -Philip drew forward a low chair, and placing it in front of her, sat -down wearily, and with a half sigh. - -"Do you know when--she--she was arrested?" He avoided Patricia's name -with something of the same dread which makes us hesitate over that of -one but lately dead. - -"I think it was only a few days ago, but I don't know exactly; I cannot -give you the precise date," answered Esther. - -"Ah, that accounts for the delay that has occurred in their pushing on -the matter," said Philip, more to himself than to her. "August is the -legal holiday month, and Anstice, the District Judge, before whom the -examination, if there be one, would be made, is not due here for another -week. We have therefore seven clear days before us, in any event, -without counting on the chapter of accidents for further delays. Now -tell me, who was it brought the application for arrest?" - -"Count Vladimir Mellikoff," replied Mrs. Newbold. "Oh, Philip," she -added, her eyes flashing, "is he not a coward, and does not his seem -coward's work, when one remembers how he was received and trusted?" - -Mr. Tremain answered by a gesture of his hand. - -"One would rather not think of that," he said; "let us try and put aside -personalities, and look at the case only from an outside point of view. -You may be very sure Count Mellikoff wasted neither time, nor the -opportunities afforded him by your hospitality, to work out his -nefarious scheme. But what I wish to ask you, Esther, will, I know, -grieve you to answer; still I must clear up one or two points in my own -mind, before I see her. Who was the person murdered; and why is she -suspected of complicity in the crime?" - -He spoke sternly, and the hard lines of his face appeared in greater -prominence. Esther looked at him half frightened. - -"He believes her guilty," she thought, with quick and decisive -perception. "How terrible! But it is so, I see it in his face." Then she -said aloud, and with a slowness that was almost hesitancy: "The name of -the murdered man was Count Stevan Lallovich; but I can't tell you--that -is--at least I don't know, how it is that they prove Patricia to be -mixed up in the horrible affair." - -Mr. Tremain noted her hesitancy and the sudden reserve that had come -over her; he put it down to the knowledge of some facts she was wilfully -withholding from him, and this suspicion added weight in the scale, that -balanced so evenly between Patricia's innocence and guilt. - -When he next spoke, his voice was even colder and harder than before. - -"There is something very mysterious in the whole affair," he said, -looking Esther straight in the eyes; "it seems inconceivable that an -American citizen should be arrested in her own country, on the charge of -a foreign agent, for a murder committed in a foreign land, on a foreign -subject. Of course Count Mellikoff has no power to arrest of himself; he -must therefore, have laid sufficiently compromising evidence before our -authorities to obtain a warrant, and an officer to execute it. As it -appears now the whole affair reads more like a midsummer madness than -anything else; but a madness pregnant with serious complications and -results. Who was this Stevan Lallovich, Esther, and did--she--know him?" - -"He was a cousin, or a relation, or a near connection of the Russian -Tsar's," answered Mrs. Newbold, still avoiding Philip's eyes. "I heard -Patricia--I mean I believe she did once admit knowing him when she was -in St. Petersburg. He was a great swell there, I am told, and the -favourite of the Court society. I don't know anything more about it, -Philip, indeed I don't. And oh, it is all so horrible, and so dreadful, -how can you go on asking questions in that cold way? It's just as if you -admitted to yourself that there was a possibility of her--her knowing -something about the death of this miserable man. Oh, Philip, how can you -doubt her? How can you, when you think of her in prison, and remember it -is Patricia, our own Patricia, they accuse of this terrible crime?" - -And Esther buried her face in her hands weeping passionately. - -But Mr. Tremain was scarcely moved; he remained sitting, resting his -head on his hand, and apparently lost in close study of the carpet under -his feet. Esther's words rang in his ears. - -"Oh, Philip, how can you doubt her?" - -And yet he knew he did doubt her. He knew that when Mrs. Newbold -admitted Patricia's acquaintance with the murdered Stevan Lallovich, and -placed that acquaintance within the ten years of Miss Hildreth's -absence--those ten unexplained years--he felt all the old distrust and -suspicion leap into life again, and range themselves before him in mute -confirmation of Miss James's calculated insinuations. - -"Ten years is a long time--long enough to plant and sow and reap--long -enough to sink one's self to the neck in intrigue, to bury one's self in -crime." - -How could he declare her innocent when this terrible, impassable gulf -lay between them? Since she had known this Stevan Lallovich, might not -another of Miss James's suppositions prove true? Might she not also have -known Vladimir Mellikoff in that past, and have reason to fear him now? -How much could he believe even of what she, Patricia, might tell him? - -Several long moments passed by in silence, during which Esther sobbed -hysterically, before he roused himself, and, getting up, said, very -quietly: "I will not trouble you further to-night, Esther; you had -better get to bed, little woman. You do not quite trust me, I know, but -you may, my dear; never fear, she shall not suffer or be overcome if I -can prevent it. I will come back to-morrow after--I have seen her--and -tell you of her." - -"Oh, Philip, be gentle to her," pleaded Esther, "be very gentle; -remember you did love her--once." - -"I am not likely to forget it," he replied, and then he turned away -abruptly and left her. - -All night long he walked to and fro, up and down, across an open common -of waste land that skirted the railway at Manhattanville, and all night -long, as the hours crept by, and the stars faded, and the dawn drew on, -he fought the battle over and over against himself--the battle of his -love for her, against his doubt of her. And when the day broke in a -sunrise of golden splendour, it found him still uncertain, neither -victor nor vanquished; still loving her, and still doubting her. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -LUDLOW STREET JAIL. - - -Mr. Tremain did not return to his rooms with the dawning of the day; he -indeed shunned them with an almost superstitious dread of what he should -find there. It seemed to his overwrought nerves that they must for ever -be haunted by the horrible spectres evolved by Miss Dick, and by the -memory of her terror-stricken eyes and tear-stained face. - -With the lengthening of the morning hours civilisation awoke again to -its monotonous round of employment. A grey-coated policeman, making his -way to the park, yawning as he walked, and but half awake, passed Mr. -Tremain, and turning round stared at him inquiringly. - -And, indeed, Philip, as he stood outlined against the clear blue sky, -his hands thrust into his pockets, his hat drawn down over his eyes, his -face stern and pale, his dress disordered from his long night vigil, -appeared a strangely incongruous figure, out of keeping with the fresh -dewy daintiness of the summer morning, and might well arouse suspicions -in the commonplace mind of a respectable Central Park policeman. - -The pertinacity of the man's curiosity awoke in Philip at last a sense -of his position, and brought back to him, with a sudden rush, the reason -of his presence there--the reason of the dull anguish that grew into -keener suffering with each heart-beat. In the bright sunshine everything -appeared more hard and real; the night vigil had soothed him somewhat, -and the slow on-coming of the dawn had held something of illusive hope -in its vague tertiary half-tones; but with the breaking forth of the -sun, in the vast triumphant heaven of illimitable blue, came the -sternness of reality, the hardness of fact, banishing the gentler mood, -and renewing the struggle and vacillation of his mind against his heart. - -As the bell of the Sacred Heart Convent rang out for early mass, Mr. -Tremain turned his steps citywards, and, walking with long swinging -strides, was soon skirting the river Boulevard, and, entering the Park -on the west side, made his way to the Fifth Avenue gates, and so down -that deserted promenade until he came to an hotel; here he went in, -ordered a room, and flinging himself on the bed fell into a deep and -dreamless sleep which lasted for hours. It was nature's demand to -recuperate her exhausted faculties, and would not be denied. - -When Philip awoke it was close upon noon, and greatly annoyed at the -flight of time, he swallowed a cup of tea and hurried away. On reaching -the gloomy building in Ludlow Street, he demanded an interview with the -superintendent, and after considerable delay, was admitted to that -functionary's presence. - -The office of prison superintendent is one not altogether to be desired; -the men who fill the post are usually drawn from the rank and file of -disappointed office seekers on a larger scale, who for political reasons -consent to be mollified by the less honourable appointment. As a rule -they are neither refined in mind nor manner, and, with an eye to the -main chance, look upon the inmates committed to their charge as so many -victims to be fleeced according to their means. - -As we know, there is a golden key that fits all locks, before which even -bolts and bars have been known to fly apart, and nowhere is its power so -potent and so comprehensive as in the cases of a certain class of -prisoners awaiting trial, who if they can control the "coin" can be -supplied with every luxury, save those of freedom and fresh air. - -The man who received Philip, with a short nod, was neither better nor -worse than others of his tribe. He was apparently very busy--or wished -to seem so--over a large assortment of letters and bulky documents, -which, he rustled ostentatiously, and a trifle offensively, as he looked -at Philip over his large round spectacles, and bade him, "Morning." - -"Good morning," replied Mr. Tremain, with considerable hauteur. - -"Now then, what can I do for you, sir?" asked the superintendent, -fussily, and with another documentary rustle. - -"I have called," said Philip, quietly, "to obtain full permission to -visit and to wait upon a lady now confined here, at all times, and on -all days, that I may deem it necessary to do so. The lady's name -is--Miss Patricia Hildreth." - -He hesitated as the last words passed his lips; how strange it seemed to -use her name to this coarse unsympathetic official, how incompatible -with all the traditions of his and her past! - -"As for my own name," he continued, "it may be better known to you than -my personal appearance." - -He drew out his note-book and put one of his cards on the table. The -superintendent took it up and scrutinised it narrowly. - -"Oh, so you're Mr. Tremain, are you?" he said at last, rolling the card -between his fingers as he spoke. "Oh, yes, I've heard of you, sir, often -enough. I guess we oughtn't to be strangers, Mr. Tremain, since we're -both in the same profession." - -"Oh, indeed," replied Philip, seeing an answer was expected. "You are a -lawyer, then?" - -"You can bet on that, sir; I've served my day at the bar, out in the -west there," with a comprehensive jerk of his thumb, "and I can tell you -we get through some pretty tall work out there. Plenty of cases like the -one you're interested in, you know; plenty of blood-letting, and many a -pretty young woman mixed up in it all." - -Philip winced; this classing of Patricia with the lawless crimes of a -wild civilisation seemed little short of brutality, and brought home to -him with terrible exactitude the attitude she had assumed, in the eyes -of the public, by her association with crime. - -The keen eyes of the official noted Philip's susceptibility, and he drew -his own conclusions. - -"Beg pardon if the subject's distressing," he said, not unkindly; "it's -a pretty bad look-out as it stands, Mr. Tremain, and if I was a friend -of the lady's, I should own to feeling uncommon squeamish. It takes a -deal of evidence to get a warrant issued at any time, and specially -against such a top-sawyer as Miss Hildreth. But there, that foreign -Count, he's left no stone unturned; he's like one of those old -blood-hounds down south, that used to track the niggers before the war. -_He's_ tracked to some purpose." - -All this was horrible to Philip. It seemed to him he could not stand -there and endure this man's crude criticisms and cruel deductions, -passed so unconcernedly upon Patricia. To him each look was an open -insult, each word a lash wherewith to strike at her; they brought the -reality of her position before him with unvarnished accuracy. - -She was no longer Miss Hildreth surrounded by her own little court, the -cynosure of every eye, the honoured guest of every drawing-room, the -reigning favourite of all society; she was only Patricia Hildreth, -stripped of all accessories, a woman under arrest, a woman charged with -murder, a prisoner awaiting the law; just as any other of the poor -wretches within those hateful precincts awaited it, and with no more -merciful outlook than had they. It was indeed, as he had said, horrible, -incredible, maddening. - -His silence had at length impressed itself upon his loquacious -companion, who now sat looking up at him keenly, turning the visiting -card round in his fingers. It was Philip who was the first to speak, -coming back to his immediate surroundings with a start, and turning so -sad a face, and such sorrow-haunted eyes, upon the little official, as -to rouse to life all the dormant sympathy of his shallow soul. - -"And the permit?" asked Philip, quietly. "I should like to use it now, -if you please." - -His very gentleness disarmed his opponent, who without further comment -drew towards him a large volume, and filling in a blank order, tore it -out noisily and handed it across the table. Mr. Tremain took it and -folded it quickly without glancing at it. Each separate item in this -horrible drama was agony to him; he had never fully recognised the -gravity of Patricia's position until brought face to face with the -official details of it. - -"I've made it out as you wanted," said the superintendent a little -protestingly, as Philip took up the scrap of paper, "it's available for -any day and any hour, up to the official inquiry. You'd like to go to -her now, perhaps." He touched an electric bell, and in the moment that -passed before the summons was answered, said somewhat awkwardly: "I'm -real sorry for the lady, Mr. Tremain, we all are. I've done what I can -to make her comfortable, and let us hope her stay with us won't be a -very long one. Woods," he continued, addressing the tall warder, who had -entered as he was speaking, "take this gentleman to Miss Hildreth, and, -look here, he's to come and go as he pleases, do you understand? Good -morning, Mr. Tremain." - -Philip bowed and walked out of the official presence as one in a dream. -He lost even his own identity as he followed the guide down endless -passages and corridors, and heard the jingle of the keys he carried -suspended by a ring from his finger. - -It seemed to him he was back again at the Folly; he was walking along -the paths of Esther's flower-garden, with the stillness and hush of the -night above and around him. And now he had reached the little -hazel-copse and was pushing back the bough that barred his entrance; -there was the marble fountain in the distance, he could hear the drip of -the water as it fell from the upraised vase in the boy Narcissus' hands; -and there was the rustic bench, and the figure in the flowing, shining, -white drapery, that rose up hurriedly and came forward a little, holding -the soft laces closely about the white throat and heaving bosom. - -Yes, it was Patricia--Patricia in all her regal loveliness, in all her -wealth of beauty; with her eyes glowing beneath the dark brows, her -mouth tremulous and wistful. - -He started forward quickly--the vision faded, the night fled away, the -tinkling water-drops resolved themselves into the surly clink of key -against key on the warder's ring. All the poetry, and grace, and glory -fell away from him, as he found himself brought to a standstill before a -heavy door, into the lock of which Woods fitted a key from those on the -ring, unlocked it, and with a slight push threw it open. - -Philip was conscious of a muttered "I'll be back in an hour, sir," and -the noise of a closing door behind him; and then he realised that he was -alone--face to face with Patricia. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -"FATHOM HER MOTIVES, PHILIP." - - -"Philip!" she cried, eagerly, and came forward, her hands held out in -greeting, and then, as if struck by some sudden remembrance, and with a -return to her old imperious manner, she dropped her hands, and turning, -walked away from him towards a small table that stood at the further end -of the room. - -Mr. Tremain remained motionless just within the door, his senses taking -in by degrees the surroundings, and growing accustomed to the half gloom -that served as an apology for daylight, and that made its way through -the narrow barred casement set high up in the whitewashed wall. - -The room was too large to be called a cell, and if sparsely furnished, -was not uncomfortable. Philip noted an easy-chair and a rug spread -beneath the table, while on the table were writing materials and books, -and a vase of delicate-hued roses; the counterpart of those he had seen -in Esther's boudoir the night before. It touched him strangely to see -this proof of Esther's love and Esther's faith; the golden blossoms -came, he knew, from the rose-houses at the Folly, and spoke eloquently -of Mrs. Newbold's belief in Patricia's innocence, since their presence -in that prison-room--fraught as they were with so many memories--must, -if she were guilty, prove a scourge rather than a comfort. - -It took Philip some moments to realise his position and to adjust his -faculties; when at last he roused himself and looked across the -dimly-lighted room, it was to meet Patricia's eyes fixed upon him with -an expression of proud endurance, that was more pathetic than tears. - -She had seated herself at the table and was leaning forward, her hands -folded across the portfolio that lay open before her. She was dressed in -black, and the severe lines and folds of the yielding cashmere seemed to -mark with painful accuracy the increased slenderness of her form--a -slenderness, it struck Philip, that had almost reached attenuation. Her -face was very pale; only the vivid burning scarlet of her lips, and the -blue fire of her eyes beneath the straight dark brows, redeemed it from -absolute pallor. - -The confinement, added to the tropical heat without, and the close -atmosphere within, had told visibly upon her freshness and vigour; there -was a lassitude about her attitude and a weariness in the lines of her -face that bespoke mental as well as physical exhaustion, and now that -the sudden flush, called up at sight of him, had died out of her cheeks, -Philip perceived how hollow they had grown, and how the circles under -her eyes had darkened. Her hands as they rested on the open portfolio -were stripped of all their wonted brave array of rings, and looked as -white as the paper beneath them, the blue veins painfully apparent. - -It was thus that he saw her again; it was thus that they met after that -parting on the night of the theatricals when she, radiant, beautiful, -sparkling with jewels, triumphant and successful, had laughed aside his -love, and swept by him with a light jest and indifferent word, that -wounded deeper than she might ever know. He had gone from her then, -smarting under his humiliation, and in the hour of his pain proffered -the love she had rejected to another woman, who could scarcely be called -her rival, and yet who influenced him as potentially as she. - -And what the result had been of that second wooing he dared not now -remember, for even as he recalled his bondage to Adèle Lamien, and as he -looked upon the wrecked beauty, the stained loveliness of the woman -before him, so, too, he realised that he loved her and her only, loved -her better in this her hour of disgrace and misery than ever before; -and that never in reality had his true allegiance swerved from this one -woman of his heart--Patricia Hildreth. - -The silence between them grew oppressive, embarrassing; it was she who -first broke through it, saying, in a voice that trembled somewhat, and -with a little laugh that was but a pitiful mockery of its old gaiety, -and that ended in a half sob: - -"So you have come at last to see me, Philip. Well, and is it not absurd -that you should seek and find me--here?" She emphasized her words by a -swift glance up at the grated window and around the bare un-homelike -room. - -At her voice Philip awoke as it were to life, his eyes followed hers in -that momentary, but comprehensive glance, and he understood only too -well the meaning of the quickly-repressed sigh, that half escaped her, -as she caught the gleam of yellow light upon the roses in the tall -vase. - -He crossed the room quickly, and standing beside her, rested his hand -near hers, bending over her and speaking rapidly, in a voice whose deep -emotion was only kept in check by his strong will. - -"Patty," he said, "believe me, I came as soon as I could. I knew nothing -of your trouble until last evening, when Miss Dick came to me about it. -I lost no time then. I, we, came to--to this place late as it was, but -we were not permitted to see you, we were obliged to go away and wait -until the morning." - -At the sound of her homely, familiar diminutive her lips trembled, -though she answered with a little smile: - -"Yes, the rules of this--this institution are rigorously observed;" then -with a sudden transition to the old mocking raillery: "Ah, Philip, in -all your gloomy prognostications for my future you never once thought of -me as coming to--this--did you?" - -The flippant words and manner jarred on him, he drew back from her -mentally, and found himself wondering if there could be any situation -in life, however tragic, that she would take seriously; and as he -thought this, Patricia was noting the difference between his hand and -hers, as they rested on the table side by side. Hers so white and -dainty, luxurious, useless, with rounded nails and rosy finger-tips; his -strong and nervous, with fine lines in the long firm fingers and -well-modelled wrist. Were they not fitting types of their two -characters? - -"Patricia," he said again, and even more gently because of his half -criticism of her, "it is a very terrible grief to me to find you here, -and to know the--the reason of it all. I have come now because I want -you to hear one thing from my own lips, and that is, Patty, that all I -have, or can give you at this time, is yours without the asking, if you -care to make use of it. I know I may be too late in offering you my -services--indeed, I may be too late to be of any practical advantage to -you--but in any case, as a lawyer, or a friend, I beg you will command -me. You can surely trust my friendship." - -At the last word she smiled, and raising her eyes met his, with a sudden -leaping to life of the old blue fire in her own. - -"Yes," she said slowly. "Yes, oh yes, I am quite sure I can rely upon -the disinterestedness of your--friendship." Then, after a moment's -silence: "Have you seen Esther? How is she? These are her roses. Are -they not exquisite, and redolent of the Folly?" - -"They are redolent of _my_ folly," he answered sharply, and then -continued, hurriedly withdrawing his hand from its close proximity to -hers, "I saw Mrs. Newbold last evening; she has made herself quite ill -by grieving over you and your present position. She is a most loyal -friend, Patricia." - -"And loyalty is so priceless an ingredient in--friendship," replied Miss -Hildreth, "one should put a fictitious value upon it when one finds it. -Will you find a chair, Philip, and sit down? I believe I shall make use -of your protestations now." - -He crossed the room in answer to her invitation, bringing back with him -the one other chair afforded by official regulations. Her eyes followed -his movements, and a smile, half tender, half wistful, trembled about -her lips, fleeting in its gentleness as was her mood; for, when Philip -returned and seated himself at some little distance from her, the fine -well-cut lips were closed firmly and with something of sternness in -their expression. - -"Philip," she began, in a low distinct voice, and looking at him with -resolute decision, "let us have done with this beating round the bush; -let us be quite frank with one another for this one half-hour at least. -You know why I am here; you know I have been arrested on a warrant for -complicity in a murder." - -He made a hurried gesture of appeal, and would have spoken, but she -appeared not to heed him. - -"They are ugly words; it is an ugly charge to bring against me, but -since it has been brought I should like you to tell me, Philip, just -what will be the course pursued. What will be the next move in the game? -I have been here now--in prison--three days; ah, it does not do to mince -one's words, my friend! And so far I am absolutely in the dark regarding -my possible fate. What will happen to me next, Philip? What is the next -step usual in such cases?" - -For a moment Mr. Tremain looked at her in unfeigned amazement. Her -coolness, her almost indifference staggered him. He had expected to find -her overcome with apprehension and dismay, full of fears for the future; -dependent, humble, imploring. Instead of which she met him with her -accustomed ease and grace, and with even a touch of that old badinage -which had always jarred somewhat upon him. - -He could not but contrast Dick Darling's passionate pleading, and -Esther's tears, with the calmness and self-possession of the friend for -whom they wept and pleaded. Was she worthy of the intense devotion it -seemed her prerogative to call forth? With this question his old doubt -of her reawakened, and when he answered her it was with a possession no -less assured than her own. - -"To reply with anything like accuracy I must be professional," he said. -"That you will understand?" - -She made a little gesture of assent. - -"It is useless for me to cite any usual course of procedure," he -continued, "because all the details and circumstances surrounding this -case are of so peculiar a character as to admit of no ordinary -precedent. You have been arrested, not under the law strictly speaking, -but under what is defined as the comity of nations; that is, that -sufficient evidence of an incriminating character has been lodged -against you to induce the authorities to accede to the pressing request -of a foreign Power and to issue a warrant for your arrest. This arrest -will be followed by an official inquiry, which consists chiefly in an -examination of the warrant, to determine its regularity, and the -identity of the person therein named with the person arrested." - -"And this examination," she interrupted, "where does it take place?" - -"Before the District Judge. Undoubtedly it will come under his -jurisdiction." - -"And this particular inquiry--my inquiry? How soon shall _I_ be inquired -into?" she asked again, with a scornful inflection of voice, and a -little smile. - -"Judge Anstice is the District Judge for New York," he replied, in his -coldest and most professional manner; "this particular examination will -come on next week at the latest, it has only been delayed on account of -Anstice's unavoidable absence." - -"I see," she answered. "And what happens next, Philip? You must forgive -my utter ignorance, the situation is a novel one for me." - -Again there was a sufficiency of mockery in her voice to strike Mr. -Tremain afresh with the complete incongruity of the entire situation. It -was evident she either did not, or would not, comprehend the gravity of -her position; she was still looking at it as an outsider and not as the -principal actor, the pivot upon which all turned; just as she forgot or -put aside the terrible nature of the charge, and the fearful -compensation demanded should that charge be substantiated. - -"Good heavens," thought Philip; "she cannot realise it is for complicity -in a murder that she stands accused! She cannot realise the nature of -the obstacles that lie between her and acquittal, or how awful will be -the consequences should our efforts in her behalf fail." - -"Well," she said again, "what happens next, Philip? What is the next -proceeding of the law? You have brought me as far as the Judge and the -inquiry, what follows after?" - -"Should there be any fault in the warrant papers," answered Mr. Tremain, -speaking against his will, and in short detached sentences, "or should -the evidence brought forward by those who obtained the arrest fail to be -of such a character as to justify the person under arrest being put on -trial, that person would be discharged, and therefore freed from any -further action. The arrest in fact falls to the ground, unsubstantiated, -there being no _primâ facie_ case." - -"And if otherwise, Philip? If the evidence is of such a nature as to -prove a _primâ facie_ case, what then?" - -She asked this question very slowly, looking at him steadily with -unflinching eyes. - -"Then," he answered as slowly, and with every line of his stern face -tense and drawn, "then I fear--I believe, that the person under arrest -would be dealt with in the same manner as though legally proved guilty; -the accused would doubtless be sent back to the country from which the -request for arrest emanated, and where the crime was committed, for -trial according to that country's laws." - -"I understand," she said, after a moment's absolute silence; "and in -this particular case--in my case--that would mean--Petersburg?" - -He made no other reply save an assenting gesture of his hand. - -For a long interval there was silence between them; a silence in which -each was lost to the other's presence, and which was so full of dark -meaning, so pregnant with dread possibilities, as to leave upon each -like traces to those once impressed indelibly upon the countenance of a -saint of old, who for one brief second was permitted to gaze into the -bottomless pit of anguish. - -Again it was the woman who first broke the silence, and though it was -but the lightest whisper it pierced Philip's soul with dismay. - -"Petersburg," she murmured, "and that means the mercies of the Imperial -Chancellerie!" - -"Patty," cried Philip with sudden passion, "this terrible alternative -must never come to pass--it must be averted at all costs; do you hear -me?--_must_ be. You must be frank with me now, as frank as though your -last hour had come. Answer me with absolute truth the questions I shall -ask. I can only save you if you will save yourself." - -She was not slow to read his meaning beneath his words, and the smile -that curved her lips was bitter enough as she exclaimed: - -"So you doubt me, Philip--you!" Then, with a quick indrawn breath: "Ask -any questions you like, I will answer them." - -"You know by whom your arrest has been accomplished?" he said quickly, -avoiding any definite answer to her reproach. - -"Yes, by Count Vladimir Mellikoff." - -"And the charge?" - -"For being an accomplice in the murder of Count Stevan Lallovich," she -answered quietly. - -"Did you ever know this Count Stevan Lallovich?" - -"Yes." - -"Did you know of his murder?" - -"Yes." - -"Do you know the circumstances connected with it?" - -"Yes." - -"Will you tell them to me?" - -"I had rather not do so--now." - -"Very well, let that pass. Did you ever know Count Mellikoff previous to -meeting him at the Folly?" - -"No, I think not. One meets so many people in the course of one's life; -but I am quite sure I had never met Count Mellikoff before." - -"Do you know of any reason he might have for enmity against you?" - -"No, indeed; none whatever." - -"It is very extraordinary," Mr. Tremain continued after this brief -colloquy. "I cannot but think there is some other person mixed up in -this affair besides Count Mellikoff, some one who has perhaps personal -motives to serve in bringing this charge against you. Can you think of -any one who has sufficient cause against you to make such a course -possible? Any woman, let us say, to whom the blackening of your -character would give a vindictive satisfaction?" - -"Ah," she replied, with a scornful gesture, and the superiority of a -beautiful woman over her plainer sisters, "I cannot follow you there. We -all have our feminine enemies without doubt; but who of us can put our -finger on the most venomous of them?" - -"All the same we must find this one, Patricia; when we find her we shall -perhaps unearth the secret of her spleen. I am convinced Count Mellikoff -has a woman for his ally." - -Miss Hildreth shrugged her shoulders, but made no further reply. -Presently, however, she turned a little more towards him, leaning still -further across the table, and looking full into his eyes, said, with -sudden directness: - -"Why do you ask nothing concerning your friend, Adèle Lamien, Philip? Do -you not know that she, too, is implicated in this affair?" - -"Adèle Lamien!" he exclaimed, taken off his guard by the unexpectedness -of the assault. "Good Heavens! what has she to do with all this?" - -"Ah, what indeed?" answered Miss Hildreth, slowly. "Fathom her motives, -Philip, and you will lay bare the secret of my arrest." - -"Patricia," he cried again, strangely moved and excited by her words and -manner, and by the sudden return of that vague, intangible influence, -evoked by the mere mention of Mdlle. Lamien's name, that had from the -first played so distinct a part in his intimacy with her, "Patricia, -what do you mean? Explain yourself. What can Adèle Lamien have to do -with you?" - -"Ah, what indeed?" she answered, in the same measured tones, still -looking at him earnestly. "What indeed? All--or nothing,--Philip. Simply -that." - -"I must know more," he exclaimed, almost roughly. "You must tell me what -you mean. I must find her." - -"That may prove more difficult than you imagine," answered Miss -Hildreth, quietly, and as she said the words, Woods the warder entered, -and Philip understood the end of his interview had come. - -He got up mechanically and held out his hand. "It is best I should go -for a little while," he said. "I will come back again. After all, we -have settled very little." - -"I should say we had settled a great deal," she answered, with another -of those quick, mocking smiles. - -Then she bade him good-bye; and it was not until he had walked up the -longer half of Broadway, that Mr. Tremain remembered two things. -Patricia had calmly ignored his outstretched hand, and he had forgotten -to inquire of the superintendent the nature of Mdlle. Lamien's -complicity in the charge brought against Miss Hildreth. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MIXED MOTIVES. - - -Mr. Tremain had not been far wrong when he told Esther Newbold that the -arrest of so prominent and well-known a person as Miss Hildreth bid fair -to develop into an international question. - -The charge entered against her was of too grave a nature not to excite -and sustain public attention. It certainly appeared to the community at -large a very arbitrary and high-handed proceeding that an American -citizen could be thus imprisoned at the request of a foreign Government. - -Her offence being in no respect a political one, this loophole of escape -could not be urged in her favour, for in that case the foreign -Government interested in her committal would never have demanded her -arrest or expected her surrender into their hands. Doubtless had Miss -Hildreth been but a poor workwoman, on whom depended the support of her -family, no such strenuous efforts would have been put forth to -accomplish her arrest, or a precedence have been created to deal with -her position. - -But being what she was, and controlling almost unlimited wealth and -influence, the case assumed potential proportions, and therefore it was -deemed expedient to allow an official inquiry to take place, and to -permit the greatest latitude in its operations, even to the calling of -witnesses. - -To meet this position of affairs great exertions were made on the part -of Miss Hildreth's friends, foremost among whom stood Philip Tremain. He -had quitted Patricia's presence, at the conclusion of that first -interview, as undecided in his own mind as to her guilt or innocence as -he had been when he heard of her arrest. Her words, her insinuations, -her reticence, had all been so many damning factors against her, while -her manner, so light-hearted, so inconsequent, so trivial, were the only -elements in her favour. - -To Philip, indeed, that very light-heartedness--which he called -flippancy--appeared the most suspicious feature of her behaviour. It -seemed to him that any woman, no matter how frivolous or hardened, must -have given vent to tears and protestations when brought so close to the -awful consequences of even supposed guilt; whereas, he found Miss -Hildreth even more composed--if that were possible--and more trivial -than at their parting in the flies on George Newbold's birthday night. - -Good heavens, how long ago that seemed! And what a page of tragedy--or -was it melodrama? he had construed since then! - -As he walked back to his rooms from Ludlow Street Jail that hot August -evening, his mind was very full of Patricia's farewell words: - -"Fathom Adèle Lamien's motives, Philip, and you will lay bare the secret -of my arrest." - -He had, indeed, in the sudden tumult and agitation of Dick Darling's -appearance and communication, lost sight of Mdlle. Lamien's claims upon -him; nor was it until Patricia spoke with that enigmatical smile that he -remembered them, or paused to consider what was likely to be her -attitude in the present complication of affairs. - -He had neither heard from or of Mdlle. Lamien since their parting, and -while he held himself bound to her by honour, he could not help -reflecting upon the fact that no actual engagement existed between them, -and that she might so regard their equivocal position, and desire him to -understand her silence as an expression of her final refusal of his -suit. However that might be, he felt matters had reached such a crisis -as to make his seeing her an imperative duty, since, by so doing, he -might elucidate the true motive for Patricia's arrest. Recalling Adèle -Lamien's last words, and the note of victory in her voice--"surely this -should be triumph enough, even for me, to know that I have won you from -the remembrance, nay, from the very presence of Patricia Hildreth"--he -felt more than ever convinced that Vladimir Mellikoff had not only been -helped by a woman, but by this very woman. - -Had not her own words betrayed her jealousy and dislike of her former -rival? What more natural than that she should join issue with Count -Mellikoff, and play into his hands, not realising perhaps the nature of -the train she set alight, or the gravity of the consequences? - -Was she not a Russian, and had not Mellikoff himself enlightened him -regarding the system of that secret police, whose ranks were reinforced -by members of one's own household! According to the Count's black -note-book, the very people who ate your bread, who clasped your hand in -friendship, who instructed your children, were, one and all--if -Russian--banded against you, and ready to strike at you in the dark at -the word of command. - -Separated from Mdlle. Lamien, and freed from the dominating influence of -her personality, Mr. Tremain realised how little his own volition had -had to do with his offer of marriage to her. - -In looking back at their interview, it seemed to him he had been -possessed by some demon of evil who urged him on to his doom; and under -whose specious reasoning and cunning insinuations, his own stronger -sense and will had become but passive agents. - -How gladly would he not now welcome any honourable means of escape from -the light fetters that bound him! He knew this, and acknowledged it -frankly; even while he also realised that, were he again to stand -before Adèle Lamien, and listen to her low suggestive voice, and look -upon her strangely familiar face, he would again yield to her influence -as he had yielded before, and be subjugated by that same nameless -_something_, to which he had succumbed before. It was not a pleasant -position for any man to accept, and yet he was obliged to accept it from -its very uncontrovertibleness. - -He walked all the way from Ludlow Street to his up-town chambers with -such reflections for his only companions; it was not to be wondered at, -therefore, that he felt himself out of tune with his surroundings, or -that the light-hearted gaiety apparent in those he met, whose labours -over for the day, were evidently on pleasure bent, jarred upon him as -exuberant examples of positive callousness. Just so would they laugh and -smile and jest, even though the worst predictions came true; and she, -counted guilty, had already set sail across the ocean of destiny to meet -her fate--alone, in a land where neither his skill nor his love could -avail her anything. He reached his rooms at last, exhausted in body and -mind; he found them in the most scrupulous order, Harris, the -invaluable, having reduced everything to the level of every-day -commonplace. Not a trace of last night's emotional interview remained, -even Miss Dick's little glove had been neatly folded and lay upon the -table, with the faded rose-bud from her corsage placed on top of it. -With a sigh, Mr. Tremain threw himself down upon a couch drawn up -against an open window, and passed his hand wearily over his forehead. -The silence and coolness and half darkness were absolute rest and -refreshment to him after the heat and glaring sunshine, and conflicting -experiences of the day; it was a physical relief to sink into a state of -semi-apathy and to pass from the tense excitation of feeling into a -corresponding insensibility. - -Philip could not have told how long he remained in this state of -suspended activity; he was aroused at length by the slamming to of the -heavy outer door, and with this ordinary sound he reawakened to the -exigencies of the immediate situation. He got up wearily and struck a -match, not with any definite object in view, but because he felt he must -be doing something, and that something could be better accomplished in -the light. - -The slowly igniting candles on his writing-table threw but a faint -aureola into the darkness, sufficient, however, to reveal to Philip's -eyes the pile of unopened letters, across the topmost one of which was -written that under-scored _immediate_. - -He took it up indifferently. "It is Mainwaring's writing," he thought -listlessly, and had almost a mind to put it by until a more propitious -moment--until he had written that letter to Adèle Lamien demanding an -interview, upon the wording of which it had taken him so long to -decide. John Mainwaring's communication could not possibly be of such -importance as to demand instant attention; it had waited several days as -it was, it might wait a few hours longer without disaster. - -And so it is with the wisest and most sagacious of us. We pray on bended -knees, and with streaming eyes, for one, only one chance, one -opportunity more wherein to work out our salvation; and then when the -grace is given we reject it because, forsooth, it comes to us in so -accustomed and natural a guise we cannot believe in its efficacy. - -How should Philip, hesitating and uncertain, holding Mainwaring's letter -in his hand, guess that within the long business envelope lay the -solution of all that was most enigmatic to him--the key to what was now -a locked book to his perceptions? - -Do any of us ever know the exact moment when we stand upon a mental -precipice, or realise how far our next step may carry us on to our -doom? - -He broke the seal at last, more from habit than impatience, and glanced -carelessly down at the page as he unfolded it. It was not a long letter, -only a few lines written hastily across one side; but had it been a -printed folio of engrossing depth it could not have riveted Philip's -attention more closely. The candles, flaming up with a sudden assured -brilliancy, shone full upon his face, and upon the startled, excited, -incredulous expression which spread over it as he read. - -It was a long time, many moments, that he stood thus, reading and -re-reading John Mainwaring's hurried lines, and when at last he raised -his head and threw back his shoulders, he took a long deep breath as of -one who, but lately spent and exhausted, sees opening before him a fair -plain, smiling and verdant, wherein his tired nature may refresh its -weary faculties. - -"If this is true," he said, half aloud, "why then----" and finished his -soliloquy with a smile. - -Half an hour later Mr. Tremain was ringing the bell at Mrs. Newbold's -door, and somewhat astonished the servant by the vehemence of his demand -for her mistress. - -"Tell her I must see her," he said, "it is of the utmost importance;" -then he pushed by the maid and made his way to Esther's boudoir. - -He found the room empty, though traces of late occupancy were apparent -in a book tossed carelessly down on the tumbled cushions of the couch, -and a long strip of artistic needlework, in which the needle was -standing upright, and a tiny gold thimble, that had fallen down and lay -beside a "Kate Greenaway" picture book. - -He had scarcely time to note these particulars before the door was -opened, and Esther came towards him quickly, looking a little pale and -excited, her fair hair tumbled about her face, and the long train of her -_négligé_ making a slight rustle as she moved. She came close up to him -and raised her eyes to his; they caught the reflection of the hopeful -gladness therein, and her cheeks flushed suddenly, as she cried, putting -out her hand and touching his arm: - -"Philip, oh, Philip, you have news--good news?" - -Her voice had a ring of expectancy in it that did not escape Philip. - -"Esther," he replied, looking down at her steadily, and speaking -gravely, "I have come to you at this late hour for one reason only--to -ask you one question. Will you be frank and honest in your answer?" - -"Ah," she exclaimed, "there are both reproach and reflection in your -words. Ask me the question first, Philip, and judge of my veracity by my -reply." - -She turned and walked to the couch, seated herself, and, taking up the -strip of embroidery, examined it attentively. - -Mr. Tremain followed her. - -"It is all very well, your trying to parry my thrust, Esther; but it is -useless. I shall oblige you to give me a direct answer." - -He drew up a chair as he spoke, and, as he sat down, took from his -pocket a note-case. - -"Will you oblige me by reading this letter?" he said, handing her -Mainwaring's communication. - -She took it with a deprecatory shrug of her shoulders, and read the few -lines it contained with an absolutely expressionless face. - -"Well?" asked Philip, after several moments had passed. - -"Well?" she echoed, folding the letter with exactness and handing it -back to him, but avoiding his eyes. - -"Esther," he said, bending forward and forcing her to look at him, -"Esther, the news contained in that letter is no news to you." - -Still she did not reply; she had again taken up the strip of embroidery, -and her fingers trembled a little as she drew out the needle. Mr. -Tremain put out his hand and took it from her. - -"My dear Esther," he said once more, in the same measured tones he had -used from his first greeting of her, "you can at least answer a direct -question. Did you know of this before?" - -"Since you put it in that way--yes," she replied. - -"For how long--all the time?" - -"Yes, all the time." - -"And you have kept it to yourself--why?" - -But to this she made no answer. - -"Why did you keep it from me?" he asked, more sternly. "Do you think you -had any right to do so?" - -"Yes, I do," she answered, quickly, stung by the reproach in his voice. -"I think so still. A promise should always be sacred." - -"A promise--and to whom?" - -"If you consider that a necessary question, I do not," she answered, -with a touch of asperity in her voice. "You surely have lost somewhat of -your customary acumen, Philip, to ask it." - -"Then let me put it in another form," he replied, not in the least -disturbed by her show of temper. "Did you promise--_her_?" - -She looked at him for a moment, before she spoke, and the rebellious -blood dyed her cheeks scarlet, her blue eyes flashed. - -"I am not compelled to answer you," she said mutinously, "but I will do -so. Yes, I promised _her_." - -"But why, Esther, why? What induced you to make so absurd a promise? -And, having made it, why, when such extraordinary circumstances arose, -did you still keep your lips closed? Why did you not tell me that -evening, when I came to you, and when you were in such grief and -anxiety? Surely you must have known it would have greatly simplified -matters." - -But Mrs. Newbold was obstinately silent. She shut her lips firmly -together and looked at Philip beneath a decided frown. - -"Do you mean to tell me," he continued, a trifle impatiently, "that you -could believe such a matter was not of vital importance? Do answer me, -Esther, I beg; what motive can I have save to help----" - -"Oh, if you will look at it in that light," interrupted Mrs. Newbold, -quickly, "why then I must say, I don't see what great difference your -having known this would have made. It couldn't stop the arrest, you -know." - -"I know nothing of the kind," he replied shortly; "I am not at all sure -that it might not have done so. It is always far more difficult to -rectify a blunder than to prevent one. I cannot but feel that you have -treated me badly in this matter, Esther; at such a time and under such -circumstances the utmost candour should have been shown." - -He did not speak angrily, but with so much of sadness in his voice, -Esther felt compunction stealing over her and absorbing her late -vehemence and impatience. - -"I should much prefer your being angry with me, Philip," she said, -wistfully, "or that you shook me; it's much more awful to see you look -so hurt and pained. But can't you believe me, can't you understand? It -was her wish--her demand--from the very beginning. She made me solemnly -swear that no one should know--least of all--you." - -"Ah, yes--I least of all," he replied, half sadly. "Very well, my dear -Esther, I will ask you no more questions. You shall not be tempted -further to break your promise. Let us only hope that this unfortunate -secrecy may not in the end prove our greatest stumbling-block. I do not -see the way any clearer before me because of this unexpected document, -but I shall do my best to use it to our advantage. After all, what a -truly womanly bit of _finesse_ it was--and is!" - -As Philip spoke the door was again thrown open, and Dick Darling came -in, followed by little Marianne carrying a basket filled with roses. She -ran up to her mother, holding out the basket to her, and crying: - -"They've only just come, Mumsey. Perkins brought them up himself. Oh, -they do smell puffeckly 'licious!" - -Esther took the flowers from her little daughter's hand. - -"You can guess whom they are for," she said to Philip, smiling a little. -"Dick and I intend taking them early to-morrow morning." - -Mr. Tremain took up one of the fragrant blossoms, and, bending down -towards Esther, said, in a half undertone: - -"And is Miss Dick also a sharer in this secret?" - -Esther shook her head. - -"Not through me," she answered. - -"And Mainwaring, how did he become a conspirator?" - -"I do not know," she replied, looking down again. "I do not know--how -should I?" - -He made no answer for a moment, during which his eyes never left the -downcast face before him. - -"Good-bye," he said simply, at last, and including Miss Darling in his -leave-taking by a half bow, passed out of the room, carrying the red -rose-bud with him. - -It was a distinct source of pleasure to him, as he contemplated the -little flower, to remember for whom its sister roses were destined. The -tiny blood-red blossom seemed to put him in touch once more with his old -life--that life which antedated his visit to the Folly--when Adèle -Lamien was still unknown to him. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A WOMAN'S LOGIC. - - -The first check experienced by Count Mellikoff in the fulfilment of his -well-laid plans, was one of which he took but slight account. - -In calling into action the machinery of the law, and thereby obtaining -the warrant for Miss Hildreth's arrest, he overlooked one point. He had -designedly delayed this summary action until such a moment, when knowing -the Newbolds and Mr. Tremain to be well out of his way, he could proceed -without apprehension of interference on their part. - -He was quite well aware that to act against their combined forces would -be a far more serious undertaking than to attack Miss Hildreth alone -and unbefriended. But could he once accomplish her arrest, he believed -that here in America, as in Russia, he had only to demand an official -inquiry, as a matter of form, and it would at once be granted; at which -inquiry, trusting to the strength of his evidence, he foresaw her -immediate committal for trial, and expected by the time the _beau monde_ -were returning to New York, and before a cabal could be raised in Miss -Hildreth's behalf, to be already on his way to Petersburg with his -prisoner, about whose subsequent fate, when once she was handed over to -the Imperial Chancellerie, he had no need to concern himself. - -Then he would be free to seek Olga, and, laying his love and his life at -her feet, demand that reward for the sake of which she had persuaded him -to undertake this mission. Patouchki also would be convinced of his -loyalty by this last signal service in the Emperor's behalf; and even -the Tsar himself might bestow a further distinction upon him; one -ribbon more, perhaps, to swell the number of those upon which his -beautiful Olga set such store. - -And, indeed, so far fortune had favoured him and his plans; up to a -certain time events marched according as he directed. The warrant was -obtained; Miss Hildreth was arrested; and, save John Mainwaring, none of -her special friends were in town to stand by her or act in her defence. -On Mainwaring, Count Mellikoff bestowed not a thought; he had not even -seen him in the crowd of transient guests at the Folly, and his name was -suggestive of nothing. - -The matter of an immediate official inquiry, however, was not so easily -managed. Count Mellikoff found countless obstacles to overcome, raised -by that very organ, the law, which so far he had played upon to his own -purpose. Innumerable technicalities and difficulties were for ever -cropping up, resulting in unheard-of delays. Even Mellikoff's patience -gave way at last, and he anathematised the entire Western continent, its -institutions and customs, in language more forcible than polite. Despite -of his choler, however, Vladimir Mellikoff was obliged to swallow his -wrath, and bear with what patience he could muster, that most difficult -of all trials--enforced inaction. - -Meantime he heard again from Patouchki, and the tone of his letter was -such as to create a fever of anxiety and unrest, that threatened to -prostrate him mentally and physically. From Olga Naundorff he received -neither word nor sign. - -And so the long, hot days came and went, and by none of the waiting -actors in that life-drama were they ever forgotten in the years that -followed. - -To Patricia, Philip, Esther, Dick Darling, Vladimir Mellikoff, and -Rosalie James, each sunrise brought but an increasing weight of -torturing anxiety; each nightfall was fraught with an additional burden -of suspense. - -Within the week after his return, Mr. Tremain had another interview with -Miss Hildreth. He found her in the same half flippant, half rebellious -mood that had so angered him at their last meeting. He stayed with her -for more than an hour, during which she remained as adamant to all his -arguments, entreaties, prayers. He left her at last in anger, and with -hot words of passion as his farewell. - -"You force me to draw my own conclusions," he said. "It would be more -reasonable if you would give me ever so foolish a motive as your reason -for denying the truth of the assertion contained in this letter." He -struck John Mainwaring's offending epistle as he spoke. "Once more, -Patricia, will you, or will you not, acknowledge this affirmation as -true?" - -She had grown very pale under the lash of his ill-concealed anger; but -she gave no other sign either of embarrassment or yielding, and when she -answered she looked him straight in the eyes, and spoke without a -falter in her clear musical voice: - -"I have nothing to say, Philip. Mr. Mainwaring is the best person for -you to apply to for confirmation, since he has made the statement." - -"And that is all you have to tell me--all you will tell me?" he asked, -his voice reflecting the doubt and pain of his mind. "At least, -Patricia, since I know on what grounds Count Mellikoff will seek to -justify your arrest, you might confide the truth to me. Are you, or are -you not----" - -"My dear Philip," she broke in hastily, the colour rushing to her face -in a sudden overwhelming torrent, "cannot you see what I am?--is not -that enough? Why should you try to solve Vladimir Mellikoff's motives? -It is he who has brought this charge against me, let him prove its -validity." - -"And Mainwaring?" he asked, slowly, looking at her keenly. - -"Mr. Mainwaring shall answer to me for his officiousness," she replied, -quietly. - -"And this is all you have to say, Patricia? This is all you will tell -me?" - -"Yes, that is all I have to say," she answered. - -And at her reply he turned from her abruptly and left her; nor did he -again seek an interview with her during the few days that remained -before her quasi-trial. - -Philip could not but contrast the emotions with which he had sought this -meeting, with those which overwhelmed him at its close. John -Mainwaring's letter had apparently opened the way to a satisfactory -unravelling of the tangled skein, and it was with a full belief in the -solution thus presented, that he had gone to Patricia, and begged for a -more explicit explanation than that suggested in Mainwaring's statement. -He believed also, that at last he had fathomed Mdlle. Lamien's part in -the transaction, and the secret of her power over him; he had already -accused her of being Count Mellikoff's accomplice, and now he thought he -saw how it was that all unconsciously she played advantageously into -his hands. - -It needed but a word from Patricia to reduce his theory to reality; but -this word Miss Hildreth declined to pronounce, nor could he force from -her any admission upon which he could establish his hypothesis. The only -outcome of his interview with her was a return to the old uncertainty -and doubt that had made his life a torture for so many days. - -To the great surprise of every one, Mr. Tremain did not appear as Miss -Hildreth's solicitor, nor, indeed, take any active part in her behalf. -It was John Mainwaring who was selected by Patricia as her adviser, and -to John Mainwaring she opened her whole heart; holding nothing back, and -in no way excusing or exonerating herself for the part she had played in -the plot, that bid fair to develop all the characteristics of tragedy -before its termination. She bound the young lawyer by the most solemn of -promises not to reveal certain portions of her confession, although the -consequences of his secrecy might be the worst possible for her. And -Mainwaring, being a man of quick sympathies and ardent chivalry, had, -under the spell of her beauty and her emotion, passed his word of honour -to use only such particulars of her statement, in her support, as she -should designate. - -"I think you are mistaken," he had said, after urging a greater latitude -upon her, "I cannot say how far your reticence may not tell against you. -I wish you would be quite frank with me, Miss Hildreth, or rather let me -be on your behalf. I don't believe you half realise the gravity of your -position, or how terrible the result may be for you should I fail to -overthrow the validity of the warrant. You see a certain amount of -complicity we must acknowledge, since we cannot set up an _alibi_, and -that will go just so much against you if I may not show the context. -Won't you reconsider, Miss Hildreth, or let me take another opinion upon -the matter?" - -"No," she answered with decision, "I cannot reconsider. It is -impossible. Only think in what a position it would place him were I to -allow you to proclaim my miserable attitude. No, be the consequences -what they may, I have brought sorrow and shame enough upon Philip -Tremain through my influence, I will not disgrace him publicly by having -my weakness dragged out to the light of day. You have given me your -word, Mr. Mainwaring. I have no fear of your breaking it, and I do not -care for any second opinion. I must stand or fall by the line of -argument we have marked out between us." - -And from this decision he could not move her. - -After he left her, Miss Hildreth sat for a long time quite still and -motionless. The slow heavy tears gathered in her eyes and fell down her -cheeks unnoticed and unchecked; the sobs, deep weary sobs, burst now and -then from her brave heart; and at last, as the evening shadows -lengthened into night, and all about her became wrapt in soft -impalpable darkness, she fell upon her knees, bowing her proud head to -the ground, and praying as she had never prayed before; entreating -forgiveness for her wilful pride, her cruel selfishness, her obdurate -egotism, through which, not she only had been brought to so terrible an -alternative, but he whom she loved bid fair to be dragged down with her -in her fall. - -"No, no, no," she cried aloud, clasping her hands together and throwing -them outward in a passionate gesture of entreaty, "I will never give in. -I will never confess the shameful part I have taken in this deception. I -will never, my poor Philip, by word or sign permit one slight or sneer -to fall on you through me. If I have failed in everything else, I will -not fail in this. At least, I have courage and endurance left, I am not -afraid but that they will stand me in good stead; and should the very -worst consequences fall upon me, I deserve them all. Yes, every -individual item, in that horrible possibility of which he spoke, is not -too much for me to bear in punishment. Oh, Philip, Philip, to think I -should be the one to bring the disgrace upon you of biting scorn, and -evil laughter, and venomous tongues! I, who love you, and yet whose love -can point to no higher achievement than this!" - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A QUESTION OF COMITY. - - -The morning of the fateful 15th of September dawned at last; and long -before the hour fixed for the official inquiry, the court-room was -filled to overflowing by a crowd gathered from every grade of Society, -to each member of which the arrest and possible fate of so prominent a -person as Patricia Hildreth assumed a special and individual importance. - -The very secrecy and mystery that had surrounded the case from the -outset, and the reticence of the Press regarding it--usually so -garrulous and self-opinionated--served only to whet the sensation-loving -appetite of the community. The examination being held in open court, -any one was free to enter, and to exercise that naïve candour of -criticism and good-natured interference in other people's affairs -peculiarly American. Not a member of the assemblage but was cognisant of -the case in all its details, or who could not, at a moment's notice, -reel off a synopsis of its peculiar features, embracing the names, -social standing, personal incomes, and general habits of the persons -most implicated in it. - -The Folly, the _Deerhound_, and Esther Newbold, as the mistress of both, -were fully canvassed, together with Miss Darling's openly expressed -anger at being detained by the accusing party to give special evidence, -and Mr. Tremain's extraordinary conduct in refusing to act as Miss -Hildreth's solicitor; while Patricia's private life, her jewels, wealth, -and beauty, were scarcely more absorbing topics than were the treachery, -blackheartedness and ingratitude of Vladimir Mellikoff; who, having been -received with such cordial hospitality, returned it in so evil and -back-handed a fashion. - -A strong party of Patricia's friends occupied prominent places, among -whom were George Newbold, Sir Piers Tracey, Freddy Slade, and Jack -Howard, further enforced by a feminine contingent of the _super-chics_, -to whom a morning spent in a court of inquiry, of which they formed, as -it were, an independent jury, to decide upon the guilt or innocence of -one of their own sex and order, offered too new a sensation to be -despised in this age of satiated experience. They came, therefore, -arrayed in the most exquisite of costumes, and bringing with them their -individual fads and fancies in the way of salts, eau-de-cologne, and -fans. They rustled into their places with the same arrogance and -assurance with which they distinguished a "first night" at Wallack's or -the opera, and, raising their long tortoise-shell handled _pince-nezs_ -with elaborate superciliousness, gazed at the gathering crowd with the -same indifference as they inspected the unfamiliar face of an aspirant -to histrionic fame whose success was still in embryo. - -Patricia Hildreth had indeed no severer tribunal to stand before than -these butterflies of the hour, who were equally ready to bestow upon her -smiles, congratulations, and assurances of their undeviating fidelity, -or scoffs and jeers of objurgation--none the less defamatory because -spoken in soft tones and with downcast eyes--according as the decision -was given for or against her. - -As the great clock in the tower of the City Hall struck ten, echoed by -all the lesser clocks of the neighbourhood, the little crowd of -black-coated lawyers and attorneys, that filled the space between the -bench and a certain railed off space, within which a chair had been -placed, separated, the different members taking their places to right -and left of the official bench set apart for the District Judge, before -whom Patricia Hildreth was to stand arraigned, by virtue of arrest, on a -charge of murder. It was understood, of course, that the proceedings -were in a manner informal; the inquiry purported to deal solely with the -validity of the warrant issued against Miss Hildreth, and did not in any -sense partake of the nature of a trial; that, should Count Mellikoff -substantiate the arrest, would take place in St. Petersburg, before a -Russian tribunal. Nevertheless, to all those concerned in the case, and -to the onlookers, this official inquiry was regarded in the light of a -trial, especially since, owing to the gravity of the circumstances, -witnesses were to be allowed on both sides. - -John Mainwaring's dark, clean-shaven face wore a somewhat anxious -expression as he bent down towards George Newbold and spoke earnestly to -him. Mr. Tremain, Esther, and Miss Darling were not present in the -court-room; later they were to be called to give evidence. Count -Mellikoff was there, however, looking very pale but perfectly -self-possessed, his deep-set burning eyes flashing looks of disdain upon -the unfriendly crowd, whose hostile expressions did not fail to reach -his ears. - -As his solicitor Vladimir had engaged Peter Munger, one of the most -famous members of the Bar, whose name alone was supposed to ensure -success. He was a large man, with a forbidding forehead and an offensive -smile; and his very aggressiveness was popularly supposed to weigh -heavily with the Bench. - -He spoke very little to any one, but scowled darkly upon Mainwaring, and -muttered a rather unprofessional expletive beneath his breath, against -his opponent's youth and inexperience. - -"I had rather it had been Tremain," he had growled out to Count -Mellikoff, when first apprised of the name of Patricia's solicitor, -"it's worth my while to beat _him_; but that youngster--bah!" And out -flew a shower of little chewed-up quids of paper, which it was the great -man's habit to indulge in as a break-water to the more pernicious -tobacco. - -Count Mellikoff had shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands in -deprecation, but made no other reply, upon which the giant snorted out -something not over polite regarding foreigners, which Vladimir felt it -was wiser not to notice. - -As the last stroke of the hour died upon the air a moment's silence fell -upon the assembly, and in that silence the peal of old Trinity's bells -rang out, calling the worshippers to morning service. Vladimir, as he -listened to the deep peal, thought of Petersburg, and found himself -waiting involuntarily for the victorious pæan, "How glorious is our God -in Zion," which in his country followed the striking of the hour, -drowning the sadder notes of the _Miserere_. - -But the bells ceased, and with their final chord of aërial music the -small door behind the official bench was thrown open, and the legal -_cortège_ entered and took their seats in a silence that was absolute, -save for the throbbing of the air stirred by the expectant breathing of -the waiting crowd. - -Judge Anstice, the District Judge for New York, was eminently imposing -both in person and manner. He was unusually tall, with an intellectual -head, a face of much power and kindliness, and a reputation for leniency -whenever compatible with a strict observance of justice. It was to him -that both John Mainwaring and Mr. Tremain looked instinctively for -sympathy, though knowing him to be before all things a strict -disciplinarian in all points pertaining to his profession. He was, -moreover, a popular favourite with the public, who hailed his appearance -with subdued satisfaction. - -The half murmur of applause which greeted Judge Anstice developed into -decided expressions of excitement as a tall, slight figure advanced, -piloted up the narrow aisle by a policeman, and shown into the railed -off space before the Bench. The new-comer was Patricia Hildreth, and the -hush of expectation, that followed close upon the audible comments -called forth by her appearance, became breathless, as, with a firm step -and upright bearing, she took the place indicated and stood for a moment -confronting her accusers. - -Her beautiful face was colourless, her blue eyes looked black and -luminous beneath the dark brows, her lips were resolutely closed, with -just a touch of defiance in the firm set curves. She was dressed plainly -in black, and she wore no veil. - -It had never been Miss Hildreth's custom to hide her beauty when most -triumphant; why should she do so now in the hour of her extremity? - -It was intimated to her that she was at liberty to sit down, and with a -slight bend of her proud head she availed herself of the permission. - -Mr. Munger opened the proceedings with a short and technical explanation -as to the nature and purport of the warrant of arrest, the issuing of -which had been formally requested by the Russian Government, and -acceded to by that of the United States, not as a matter of absolute -right, but through that comity of nations by which the relationships -existing between two great powers were kept intact and justly balanced. -The warrant thus issued had been executed upon the person of Patricia -Hildreth, _alias_ Adèle Lamien, _alias_ Adèle Lallovich, on the charge -of her having been an accomplice in the murder of Stevan Lallovich, -which occurred at St. Petersburg in the month of December last. The -investigation of this warrant was what they had before them now, and in -so doing he would first call attention to the point of nationality, -since upon this point very much depended. Should Miss Hildreth, or -rather should Adèle Lamien, prove to be a Muscovite subject, the -American authorities could have but one course open to them, namely, to -surrender her to the Russian officials, and let her be put upon trial in -the country, and according to the laws, where the crime was committed. - -A like course had been adopted by another foreign Power, when the -United States was the petitioner, and the offender a political criminal. -Spain had at once delivered up this fugitive from justice,[1] though not -legally compelled to do so, and the offender was brought to trial solely -through the courtesy of a foreign Government. Having then this case as a -precedent, it would, according to national honour, be impossible to -refuse a like amenity in the present instance. As the Bench was aware, -the circumstances in the case now before them were of so extraordinary a -nature, it had been deemed wise to allow of evidence being given, a -course entirely at variance with the usual procedure in such cases. -Special emergencies, however, required special treatment. But before he -availed himself of the privilege thus accorded, he would call the -attention of the Bench to a few of the peculiarities of this case, by -which it would be seen how weighty and grave were the reasons which led -to the demand and the issuing of the warrant. - -[Footnote 1: The late Mr. W. M. Tweed]. - -In his opinion there had never been a more deliberately planned and -executed murder than that of Count Stevan Lallovich, nor one in which -greater skill and _finesse_ had been displayed, both before and after -the perpetration of it. It was needless for him to tell the Bench who -the lady purported to be that stood accused before them; her name and -her position were far too well known and defined to require any -blazoning forth by him. His task was the more unpleasant one of proving -that this Patricia Hildreth had no right to her recognised patronymic, -since she, under the name of Adèle Lamien, had contracted a marriage -with Count Stevan Lallovich, and had subsequently consented to, and -participated in, the murder of the same Stevan Lallovich. It was owing -to these exceptional features that the warrant had been issued against -her, and he submitted to his honour that the papers of arrest would be -found regular on all these points. - -Having gone thus far, Mr. Munger paused and threw an imperative glance -at the Judge and auditors collectively; it was plainly evident that his -statement had made a decided impression. - -The public interest in the case had been pronounced enough even when but -little of its real nature had been revealed, and now, when the true -aspect of the charge was exposed, and Patricia Hildreth stood stripped -of all protection, even that afforded her by her name and position, and -was openly branded not only as a murderer, but as a wilful impostor and -adventuress, the excitement reached fever heat, and not one pair of all -those hundreds of watching eyes but were turned upon the proud beautiful -face of the accused woman; that face never faltered nor winced beneath -their gaze, eager though they were to note the first sign or expression -of fear upon it. - -After this scarcely perceptible pause, Mr. Munger took up his theme -again, and in incisive phrases, with rough eloquence, told the story of -the brilliant, dissolute, captivating Russian noble, Stevan Lallovich; -painting his character in forcible lights and deep shadows; dwelling -strongly on his blood connection with the Muscovite Emperor, his life at -Court, the unstinted adulation poured upon him, the continuous round of -success that attended his every caprice; until it became an article of -belief in his circle that he had but to express a wish, or whisper a -desire, and the fulfilment of it was accomplished without the asking. -Like Jove of old, did he but nod his head his whole world trembled, or -smile and they rejoiced. With great skill the able pleader brought down -his narrative to ten years ago, when, as he said, with a disagreeable -smile, Miss Hildreth, then in the full glory of her exceptional beauty, -had left her native country--he would not suggest under what -circumstances--and for the greater part of those succeeding ten years -had been an independent wanderer over the European continent, answerable -to no one; concerning her experiences during those ten years Miss -Hildreth was known to be obstinately reticent. They had her admission, -however, as he would show later, of her having been in St. Petersburg a -part of that time, and also of her having known Count Stevan Lallovich. -The date of her acknowledged visit to Petersburg comprised the month -before and the very day of Count Stevan's murder. She returned to -America early in February, the crime having been committed in the -December previous. - -It was a well-known fact among Count Lallovich's friends, that about a -year before his ill-fated death he had become so infatuated by the -extreme beauty of a foreign lady--foreign in the sense of her not being -a Muscovite subject--as to marry her according to the ceremonies of the -Roman Catholic Church, which Church, not holding communion with the -Greek religion, is looked upon in Russia as schismatic. After a few -months of retired felicity the affair became known to the Tsar, who -revoked the marriage by Imperial ukase, and recalled Count Stevan to -Petersburg; the unfortunate lady was thus turned adrift, with her -character ruined, and her personality numbered among the many suspects, -over whom the Chancellerie keeps so close a watch. - -On the morning of the 28th of December, Count Stevan Lallovich was found -murdered in his own palace, stabbed through the heart. The assassin had -left behind no more tangible proof of identity than was contained in a -small handkerchief, evidently dropped in the haste of flight, marked -across one corner in embroidered letters _A. de L._; above these letters -the initials _P. H._ had been carelessly written in ink. The -handkerchief was that of a woman, and was traced as belonging to Adèle -Lamien, or de Lallovich, Count Stevan's repudiated wife. Suspicion fell -naturally upon this woman, a suspicion which soon became assurance; but -she, with consummate cunning, eluded every effort put forth for her -apprehension, and finally escaped to America, landing in New York some -time within the month of February last. - -It would be understood that in so grave and terrible a crime, where the -victim was a member of the Imperial Russian family, no efforts would be -spared to track and find the perpetrator of the deed. From positive and -unimpeachable evidence the Chancellerie had reason to believe the -assassin to be in the United States, and they accordingly authorised -Count Vladimir Mellikoff, a member of the Tsar's household, to act as -their agent in the matter; and he it was who in the furtherance of this -work had traced the criminal link by link, and bit by bit, until he was -able to lodge such information before the proper authorities in this -country as resulted in the arrest of Patricia Hildreth; who now, as -Adèle Lamien, or Lallovich, stands accused of her husband's murder. - -"That, your honour," summed up Mr. Munger, "is my statement. To prove -the regularity of the warrant, and the validity of the evidence upon -which it was issued, I propose first to show that the lady calling -herself Patricia Hildreth is, _in propriâ personâ_, Adèle Lallovich, and -that by her marriage with Stevan Lallovich, she became _de facto_ a -Russian subject, and is therefore answerable to Russian authority. To do -this, I will avail myself of the precedent established for this case, by -taking informal evidence upon it. I will therefore ask Count Mellikoff -to come forward." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -NON-COMMITTAL. - - -As Vladimir Mellikoff stepped out from the group of men surrounding him -and took the place indicated by Mr. Munger, a low murmur of disapproval -surged up from the highly wrought crowd of listeners and onlookers, at -the sound of which his colourless face flushed, for one brief second, -while the dark eyes in the cavernous sockets gleamed intemperately, and -the mouth beneath the dark beard and moustache tightened visibly. - -He gave his evidence quietly and dispassionately, but with great -deliberation, his restless eyes glancing now at Miss Hildreth's calm, -unmoved face, now at John Mainwaring's dark, shapely, outlined -countenance, and back again to Mr. Munger's beetling brow and heavy -frown. - -Each word he uttered told with distinct force against Patricia, and -gathering confidence as he went on, Count Vladimir carried the wavering -opinions of the public with him. - -Ably interrogated, he proved the presence of Miss Hildreth in St. -Petersburg at the time of Count Stevan's murder, her acquaintance with -him, and her precipitate and mysterious flight from the Russian capital -the morning after the perpetration of the crime. He next proved that a -lady, calling herself Adèle Lamien, had taken passage and sailed in a -steamship of the International Line from London for New York; that, on -the ship's arrival at the latter port, Miss Hildreth was found to be -among the passengers, while Adèle Lamien was missing. Miss Hildreth's -friends were kept in ignorance of her arrival for several days, and when -questioned regarding her sudden and unexpected return, she displayed the -greatest reticence. - -He, Vladimir Mellikoff, had arrived in New York somewhat later in the -same month of February, but, owing to various causes of delay, he made -no progress in his mission for several weeks; and, while waiting the -further development of events, he had accepted an invitation extended to -him by Mr. George Newbold, to pay him a visit at his country-house, the -Folly, on Staten Island. The first evening of his arrival he met Miss -Hildreth, and from something in her manner, he was led to observe her -closely; these observations resulted in the conviction that she was -playing a part, which it was vitally important she should succeed in. An -unexpected clue to her secret had fallen into his hands that very -evening; he had found beneath Miss Hildreth's chair, when she and the -house party had withdrawn for the rehearsal, a fine cambric -handkerchief, edged with lace and embroidered in a monogram, _A. de L._; -the very counterpart, in fact, of the one left by the criminal in her -precipitate flight from the rooms of the murdered Stevan Lallovich, the -only point of difference being that the one now in his possession did -not have the written initials _P. H._ upon it. - -He next drew attention to the presence at the Folly of a person calling -herself Adèle Lamien, who filled the position of governess to Mr. -Newbold's little daughter. He, personally, had not met Mdlle. Lamien -during his visit; but others had done so who would prove her identity -with the lady before them. He had, however, been witness to an interview -between Mdlle. Lamien and Mr. Philip Tremain, during which Mr. Tremain -made no secret of his knowledge concerning that lady's past life. He had -also in his possession a note addressed to Miss Darling, one of the -young lady guests at the Folly, signed Adèle Lamien, written on paper -bearing the Lallovich crest, and dated the 3rd of May; the very evening -on which Miss Hildreth was said to have arrived at the Folly. - -During all of Count Mellikoff's narration, Patricia never once took her -eyes from his dark, inscrutable face; she watched him with the same -expressionless countenance which she had worn from the opening of the -inquiry. But at the mention of the interview between Adèle Lamien and -Philip Tremain her face changed perceptibly, a wave of emotion passed -over it as she turned her troubled eyes appealingly towards John -Mainwaring. Then the mask of impenetrability settled over it again, and -she sat immovable, her hands clasped together on her lap, her head -thrown back in proud defiance. - -Count Mellikoff's further statements were purely technical, and related -chiefly to his position in Russia, his credibility, authority, etc., all -of which were vouched for by the Russian Ambassador. - -As Vladimir resumed his seat, a low murmur of disapproval escaped from -the crowd, a murmur promptly subdued, but that told of the growing -excitement. Mr. Munger, on hearing its threatening notes, tossed back -his head with a snort of defiance, and called up his next witness with -prompt alacrity. - -As the slight, thin figure of Rosalie James appeared in answer to Mr. -Munger's call, another change passed rapidly across Patricia's face, her -lips curled slightly, while into her eyes there flashed a look of -comprehension. Had not Philip hinted at some hidden woman enemy; some -one to whom she, Patricia, had given cause for anger, for retaliation, -for revenge? And had not this girl, with the sharply outlined face, -always held aloof from her? Had she not often found those keen, -observant eyes fixed upon her with the same scrutiny with which they now -regarded her? She had put Mr. Tremain's supposition by as not worth -consideration; she saw now how important had been its bearing, for in -Rosalie James she recognised, with a woman's quick perception, her most -pronounced and calculating enemy. And with this certainty came another. - -This girl loved Philip, and knowing her passion to be hopeless, she had -sought out, with the unfailing prescience of slighted love, the woman -who was her rival, hoping that in striking at her she would also wound -the man who had rejected her. Love is proverbially cruel, none knew this -truth better than Miss Hildreth; it was, therefore, with a strange -illogical sympathy that she listened to Miss James's defamation of her. - -Rosalie spoke in her usual high pitched voice, every note of which -carried her words into the furthest corners of the crowded room. Under -Mr. Munger's manipulation she gave a condensed and telling account of -her instrumentality in the arrest of Miss Hildreth. In substance it was -as follows. - -She had been a guest at the Folly at the same time as Patricia, and had -taken part in the same theatricals, though not in the same play. She had -often heard Miss Hildreth discussed before she met her, and from what -had been said had formed no very high opinion of that lady's character. -Miss Hildreth was always singularly reticent concerning her experiences -during her residence abroad. She had only once heard her make any -voluntary allusion to her visit to St. Petersburg, and that was on the -morning of the 4th of May, when some of the house party were gathered -together in Mrs. Newbold's boudoir. Miss Hildreth had then related a -curious tale; she had not actually detailed the murder of Count Stevan -Lallovich, but she had alluded to it very pertinently and with great -excitement of manner. She had also distinctly named Adèle Lallovich as -the victim of a moral crime, and had intimated the form of her revenge. - -To her, Miss Hildreth had from the first appeared as a woman with a -secret, and she had determined to fathom that secret. She had her -reasons for doing so, they were purely personal reasons. She had, from -the first day of her arrival at the Folly, heard a great deal about -Adèle Lamien. She had seen her once or twice, but had paid little -attention to her, noticing only that she shunned observation and kept as -much in the background as possible. On the arrival of Mr. Tremain, -however, Mdlle. Lamien apparently lost her shyness, for she, Miss James, -had several times seen them together, and had once discovered the -governess in a state of great agitation. - -She had not liked Mdlle. Lamien at any time, and believed her quite -capable of the most flagrant deception. Mrs. Newbold had been -remonstrated with for her credulity, and on one such occasion she had -related to her guests an extraordinary story, which purported to be that -of her governess, and which was substantially that of Adèle Lallovich, -as told by Count Mellikoff; the details and make-up differed somewhat, -and the murder of Count Stevan was not touched upon, but the main -features were the same. Mr. Tremain was present on the occasion, and it -had occurred to her at the time that Mrs. Newbold had some covert -meaning in her recitation; at all events Mr. Tremain seemed much moved -by it. Mdlle. Lamien was not at the dinner-table when her story was -discussed. - -She had first suspected Miss Hildreth and Mdlle. Lamien of being one and -the same person, from a hint thrown out by Count Mellikoff. She had -previously remarked that Mdlle. Lamien and Miss Hildreth were never -present at the same time, and on the evening of Miss Hildreth's arrival, -it was given out that Mdlle. Lamien had suddenly been called away. It -was not long before these suspicions became assurances; she could not -form an opinion as to the motives for the deception being practised upon -them all; she had no previous acquaintance with Miss Hildreth, -consequently she could not vouch absolutely for her identity; but in any -case it was plain that the lady passing under that name had some -desperate motive for doing so. - -It was not until the last day of Mr. Tremain's visit at the Folly that -the nature of this intrigue was made plain. The theatricals took place -on the evening of the 4th of May, Mr. Newbold's birthday; on the -following morning Mr. Tremain announced his departure for that -afternoon. About half-past four she and Count Mellikoff were seated on -the stone terrace beneath the library windows; they did not observe any -one enter the room until close on to five o'clock, when Mr. Tremain came -in, walked first up to the book-cases and then passed on into the -music-room, which was separated by _portières_ only from the library. -She and the Count remained a few moments longer on the terrace, and then -entered the library by one of the open French windows; as they did so a -sudden exclamation from the inner room arrested them, and they thus -became the listeners to a very remarkable interview between Mr. Tremain -and Adèle Lamien, during which Mdlle. Lamien played and sang in a manner -which seemed to greatly affect Mr. Tremain. At the close of the song he -had offered himself to Mdlle. Lamien, and this had called forth from -her a confused and rambling statement, in which she hinted at crime and -shame being not unknown to her. Mr. Tremain's ardour, however, had not -been daunted by these equivocal innuendoes; he pressed her for an -answer, and Mdlle. Lamien had at last accepted him conditionally. The -interview terminated by Mdlle. Lamien exclaiming, excitedly: "Surely -this should be triumph enough, even for me, to know that I have won you -from the remembrance, nay, from the very presence, of Patricia -Hildreth!" - -She had thought them remarkable words at the time; but they assumed a -still greater significance when Mdlle. Lamien pushed back the -_portières_ and, walking rapidly across the library, turned as she -reached the open door and looked back. Believing herself to be alone, -she let the mask of deception fall from her, and, despite all disguise -of paint and powder, they recognised in the countenance thus turned -towards them, smiling and triumphant, the face of Patricia Hildreth! - -Miss James gave her evidence throughout in so calm and assured a manner, -and in such cold and concise sentences, as to admit of no interruption -and impress the seal of unimpeachable truth on all she said. Both her -face and voice were hard and impassive; but, notwithstanding her -pronounced, unsympathetic attitude, she carried weight with her, and -reduced the majority of wavering opinions into affirmative antagonism -against Patricia. - -Looked at through the medium of Count Mellikoff's and Miss James's -statements, that lady's conduct did indeed appear not only perplexing -but condemning. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A DAMAGING PROMISE. - - -With the close of Miss James's testimony, the noon recess was called, -and to the relief of every one the mental strain and tension was laid -aside for an hour. - -Miss Hildreth walked out of the court-room with the same firm tread and -upright bearing with which she had entered it; Judge Anstice disappeared -through a private door, and his withdrawal was followed by the -instantaneous appearance, on every side, of sandwich-boxes and -lunch-baskets. The ladies under George Newbold's escort regaled -themselves on chickens' wings and "cup;" the humbler crowd making -audible comments thereon over their humbler fare. - -The silence was broken by a Babel of voices all raised to concert pitch, -all going together, and all discussing volubly the events of the -morning. - -The public pulse stood at fever height, and public opinion, with its -usual consistency, was veering round in favour of Vladimir Mellikoff. -Miss Hildreth had been chief favourite when the inquiry opened, but Miss -Hildreth's chances for keeping that position looked scarcely favourable -now, judging from public expressions. - -The refreshment hour passed all too quickly, and with the prompt return -of Judge Anstice, the crowd settled itself down, re-nerved and -fortified, for the long afternoon's work that evidently lay before it. - -Once more Miss Hildreth took her place within the railed-off space, and -those nearest to her were quick to perceive the additional pallor of her -face, and the troubled look in her dark blue eyes. - -Almost imperceptibly the _modus operandi_ of this informal inquiry had -assumed the proportions and importance of a legal trial; and so -exceptional and perplexing were the circumstances surrounding the case, -the usual manner of procedure was tacitly waived, and the investigation -carried on on broader lines. The dramatic element so predominated, it -insensibly bore both the Bench and the crowd along with it, breaking -down all ordinary barriers of legal treatment. - -The stipulated point at issue was of course the examination of the -warrant papers, and if Judge Anstice stretched the cordon in this -respect it was scarcely to be wondered at. The case virtually had no -precedent; it was only in deference to that unwritten code of the -courtesy of common law between nations that any such inquiry took place -at all, and had the charge been a less grave one than that of murder, no -proceedings would have been entered upon. But, as has been said, -exceptional cases demand exceptional remedies, and since an arrest and -inquiry had been granted, the lines for the carrying out of the latter -could not be too broad and comprehensive. - -Mr. Munger reappeared like a giant refreshed, and immediately called up -Mrs. Newbold as his next ally. Esther's fair, pretty face, flushed and -anxious, looked as much out of keeping with its surroundings as did her -costume of lace and muslin. She glanced appealingly at Miss Hildreth -before speaking, and that silent appeal called up a ghost of a smile to -Patricia's lips. - -Despite the soft prettiness of her blonde colouring, however, Mrs. -Newbold could lay claim to plenty of self-possession, and Mr. Munger -found her not quite so malleable as he had imagined. She answered any -question put directly to her as briefly as possible, but she would not -advance any detail or explanation. Notwithstanding the neutrality of her -replies, however, her evidence was gravely important, for it established -beyond question the fact that Miss Hildreth and Marianne's governess, -known at the Folly as Adèle Lamien, were one and the same person. Esther -did not attempt to deny this, nor did she vouchsafe any explanation -concerning it. When asked if she had always been cognisant of this fact, -she answered, simply: - -"Yes." - -"Had she then assisted Miss Hildreth in the deception?" - -"Yes." - -"Had she told the story purporting to be that of Adèle Lamien, as -recounted by Miss James?" - -"Yes." - -"Was she present when Miss Hildreth indicated that of Adèle Lallovich?" - -"Yes." - -"Did she endeavour to stop her?" - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"Because she thought Miss Hildreth was indiscreet." - -"Was she acquainted with Miss Hildreth's reasons for wishing to keep her -identity with Adèle Lamien secret?" - -Mrs. Newbold's face flushed, and she turned another appealing look upon -Patricia before she replied, slowly: - -"Yes." - -"Would she state those reasons?" - -"No, she could not." - -"Why?" - -"She was under a promise." - -"To whom?" - -"She would rather not say." - -"To Miss Hildreth?" - -"Yes." - -"Had she agreed with Miss Hildreth's reasons?" - -"Not altogether." - -"Yet she assisted her to carry them out. Why?" - -"She would rather not say." - -"Had those reasons anything to do with Mr. Tremain?" - -Mrs. Newbold was silent, and, with a snort and a smile, Mr. Munger -continued: - -"Did Mrs. Newbold know Adèle Lamien, or Lallovich, to have committed a -crime at some period of her life?" - -"Yes, she had been told so." - -"And Mrs. Newbold was perfectly sure that the lady calling herself Miss -Hildreth was the same person who, at the Folly, was known as Adèle -Lamien?" - -"Yes." - -"Then Mrs. Newbold believed her friend--Miss Hildreth--to be guilty of -murder?" - -Clear and sharp came the answer: - -"No, I do not." - -"What then did Mrs. Newbold believe?" - -And Esther, her face flushing and paling alternately, her blue eyes -fixed dauntlessly upon her tormenter, replied, that while forced to -admit that Patricia Hildreth and the person purporting to be Adèle -Lamien were to her certain knowledge one and the same, to the best of -her belief this was not the whole truth. Miss Hildreth had reasons, -grave reasons, for what she had done, and she, Mrs. Newbold, had -consented to help her, never foreseeing the grave and terrible -consequences that might ensue. She was not at liberty to state those -reasons; but she was as certain as she stood before them then, that Miss -Hildreth was absolutely guiltless of the crime of which she was accused. - -"How did Mrs. Newbold account for the two handkerchiefs marked _A. de -L._?" - -"She could not account for them." - -"Had Miss Hildreth ever spoken to her concerning her life -abroad--especially her life at St. Petersburg?" - -"No; Miss Hildreth had always been uncommunicative on all such topics." - -This closed Mrs. Newbold's statement; and Esther could not but feel, as -her husband handed her to a seat not far from Patricia, that she had -done more to injure her friend's cause than to help it. - -"Oh, if she would but have let me speak!" she said to her husband, the -tears dimming the brightness of her blue eyes. - -Patricia caught the half whispered exclamation, and saw the glistening -tear-drops; but she only folded her hands more closely together, and -waited with a look of quiet endurance on her pale face. - -Dick Darling was next interrogated, and her violent partisanship was -decidedly refreshing to the excited listeners. She indignantly denied -any possible connection between Miss Hildreth and Adèle Lallovich; but -when pinned down to say why, she could only shake her brown head and -declare she was sure of it from a moral point of view. - -Yes, she had received the pink note from Mdlle. Lamien, on the evening -of the 3rd of May. She could not say if the handwriting was that of Miss -Hildreth, or if it was the same as that on the handkerchief. She was not -familiar with Miss Hildreth's calligraphy. She had never had the -smallest suspicion of Miss Hildreth's identity with Mdlle. Lamien; she -didn't believe it. She was not given to looking for suspicious motives -in every-day life; thank goodness she was not a sneak, and hoped she -never might be; this last with a malevolent glance at Miss James. Miss -Hildreth had told the story of Adèle Lallovich at her special request. -Yes, she had used both names in telling it, Lamien and Lallovich. - -Miss Darling finished with an open scowl at Mr. Munger, and a smile at -Patricia, and fluttered off to Esther's side, where she kept up a -running commentary on all subsequent events. - -Once more there was a few moments' interval or breathing space, and then -Mr. Munger played his trump card by requesting Philip Tremain to step -forward. It had been, undoubtedly, a disagreeable surprise publicly when -it transpired that Mr. Tremain was not to appear as Miss Hildreth's -solicitor; but it created a still greater sensation that he should be -called in evidence against her; and, for a few moments, as he stood -there, composed, dignified, and impassive, such a silence fell upon the -assemblage that even the dropping of the proverbial pin would have -resounded loudly. - -And in that brief interval Philip lost all sight or knowledge of those -around him; he saw only the pale, proud face of the woman he loved, the -close-shut curve of her lips, the anxious expectancy of her eyes. Was -she fearful of him then, and of what he might say? he asked himself a -little bitterly. She had never rightly estimated his love, why should he -expect her to do so now? - -Perhaps, since she had deceived him, she judged him by her standpoint of -deception. - -Then he lost touch with the more personal elements of the scene, and -remembered only where he was, and why he stood there. That woman yonder, -that dark, silent, motionless figure, with the clasped hands and the -pallid beautiful face, was Patricia Hildreth--the woman of his life-long -devotion, the love of his youth and his manhood--and she was charged -with what? Murder! - -And he? He could do nothing to exonerate her, nothing; he was helpless, -powerless. She had refused even to give him an explanation of her -position, and should Vladimir Mellikoff come off triumphant and she be -taken from him, taken away to that Russia whose hand is as iron, whose -vengeance is of blood, whose retribution stern as death, he should never -know--never, never--how much of truth, how much of falsehood, she had -kept back from him; or what was the secret that not all his passionate -pleadings could wrest from her. - -Patricia had not lifted her eyes from her folded hands, or apparently -taken any notice of Philip's appearance; only for one brief moment a -faint wave of colour tinged her cheeks and faded slowly away. - -Mr. Munger's harsh voice broke the silence, and with an audible sigh of -relief the audience fixed its attention upon Mr. Tremain. In replying to -the lawyer's questions, Philip made his statement as brief as possible. - -He had gone to the Folly by invitation, and had had no expectation of -meeting Miss Hildreth there; he had not seen Miss Hildreth for ten years -previous to his meeting her at the Folly. He had not found her -particularly changed; and had not had much intercourse with her. Yes, he -acted in the same play with her--_The Ladies' Battle_--on the evening of -Mr. Newbold's birthday, but as Miss Hildreth did not arrive until the -afternoon of the day before, they had not rehearsed together. He had -first met Mdlle. Lamien the evening of his arrival at the Folly; she had -interested him at once, and increased that interest by her courage on -the occasion of the carriage accident. He had never for a moment -suspected Mdlle. Lamien and Miss Hildreth of being the same person; he -could see no resemblance between them beyond height and certain tones of -voice. No, he had never seen Mdlle. Lamien in full daylight; at the time -of the accident she wore a thick black veil drawn closely over her -face. - -Miss Hildreth had never spoken to him of her absence abroad, or -volunteered any information concerning it. He had known Miss Hildreth -for ten years; yes, at one time they had been engaged to be married. The -interview described by Miss James had certainly taken place between him -and Mdlle. Lamien; he had no wish to repudiate his position; at the end -of the interview he considered himself engaged to Mdlle. Lamien; nothing -had since occurred to alter his relations towards her. He had been out -of town from August to September; his orders were that no letters or -papers should be forwarded to him. He returned to New York on the -evening of the 8th of September; he had only just reached his rooms when -Miss Hildreth's arrest was made known to him; it was Miss Darling who -told him. He had gone at once to Ludlow Street but was denied -admittance; he then went to Mrs. Newbold's house in Madison Avenue. It -was only two days ago that he had learned that Miss Hildreth and Mdlle. -Lamien were supposed to be one and the same person. Yes, he had asked -Miss Hildreth either to confirm or negative the charge, but she had -declined to do so. He had no reason to believe that Miss Hildreth had -contracted an unhappy alliance while abroad, nor had he any for denying -the possibility of her having done so. Miss Hildreth was his friend, he -would not therefore insult her by protesting his belief in her -innocence. He had never seen Count Vladimir Mellikoff before meeting him -at the Folly, on the evening of the 2nd of May. - -With the termination of Mr. Tremain's statement further inquiry was -adjourned until the following morning. The long, hot day had run its -course at last, and as the pent-up crowd surged out into the mellow, -lambent atmosphere of the summer evening, and melted away in all -directions, twilight and desertion settled down upon the empty -court-room. - -Patricia, turning for one last look, as she passed out of the private -door, smiled sadly at the change wrought in so short a time. Would it be -so when she too had passed out of the lives of those who surrounded her -now? Would her name--her place--become but an empty memory--a -recollection to be put aside with all haste? Would he forget her, -too--he, Philip, for whose love she had played so hazardous a game? -Would _he_ forget her, as these people forgot her, glad to rush away -from the excitement of looking at her to the greater excitement of -condemning her? Must she, too, like Adèle Lallovich, drink to the very -dregs the bitter cup of humiliation and desertion? - -When all this grim comedy--this farce that touched so close on -tragedy--was over, when Russia's hand had closed upon her, would he -think of her then? Would he come to know her better when she had passed -from out his life for ever, and, perchance, give now and then one -backward look, one sigh, to the days that were no more? - -"Ah, Philip," she murmured, "I would rather far you should never know, -lest in knowing you should come to despise me for my weakness and my -love!" - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -CONFLICTING IDENTITIES. - - -On the second day of the inquiry public excitement and interest reached -a higher pitch than ever, when it became known that Mr. Mainwaring would -occupy the greater part of the morning in refuting the evidence given, -and in protesting against the legality of the warrant. - -Considering how positive had been the evidence, even of Miss Hildreth's -own friends, it was difficult to see what possible line of argument the -young lawyer could take, with any surety of success. Mrs. Newbold's -testimony had disposed effectually of any doubts as to the identity of -Miss Hildreth with that of the governess at the Folly--Adèle -Lamien--and with this fact established irrefutably, was not Miss -Hildreth's complicity in the murder of Stevan Lallovich a foregone -conclusion? - -The suborning of Miss Hildreth's particular friends against her had -certainly been a master stroke on Mr. Munger's part; how could John -Mainwaring confute such a mass of convicting testimony? Of course he was -bound to make a brave fight for his client; but--and here the public -shrugged its shoulders collectively--they were sorry for him, and sorry -for the poor figure he must inevitably cut; and then went to work to -show their sorrow by discussing Patricia's guilt as a proved premise, -and her probable fate only a question of time. - -John Mainwaring had once again sought Miss Hildreth, and, with every -argument he could bring to bear, every pleading of rhetoric and -common-sense, entreated her to reconsider her decision, and loose him -from that promise of reservation respecting one point in her -confession. - -But Patricia was not to be moved one jot or tittle. She heard him to the -end in silence, sitting, as Philip had last seen her, at the little -table, her hands clasped upon it, and leaning slightly forward. Her face -looked worn and sad, her eyes pathetic in their weariness, but the -beautiful lips were set in firm decision, their expression one of -dauntless courage and endurance. - -The sweet, pungent perfume of the Maréchal Niel roses, grouped together -in a tall glass vase, filled the heavy atmosphere with overpowering -sweetness. She waited until John Mainwaring had quite finished speaking, -and then said, slowly, and with the musical notes of her voice less -reverberant than usual: - -"No, Mr. Mainwaring, I cannot alter my decision; I cannot give you leave -to drag my poor secret out into the light of day; not, believe me, on my -own account, but on _his_. To you only have I opened my whole heart--you -alone know my weakness and my strength. For my own part, I should care -very little how much was known of my motives; but for him--for Philip -Tremain--I could not bear the thought and live, that, through me, and my -love, he should be exposed to public ridicule. Ah, Mr. Mainwaring, was -it for nothing, do you think, that I sat through those long, terrible -hours yesterday, and heard the murmurs of the crowd, their open -comments, their cruel innuendoes, their still more cruel laughter? Do I -not know how eagerly they would seize upon my poor secret, and, tearing -it limb from limb, dissect it and discuss it, in their cold, cruel, -analysing fashion, until even the garment of reverence that clothes all -love, however poor and mean, was torn from it, and it lay revealed--a -poor denuded passion in tatters? Do you think he could bear that? Do you -think Philip Tremain could hold up his head against such disgrace? Would -he not despise and hate the one who brought it upon him, and would he -not have reason to cast from him for ever all memory or recollection of -such an one? Could I plead anything in extenuation to him--then? No; -better, far better, the worst fate that can befall me than to clear -myself in the eyes of the world, at the expense of sinking for ever in -the estimation of him, to gain whose love I have placed myself in so -terrible a position." - -John Mainwaring made no reply; indeed, what answer could he make to such -passionless reasoning as this? Whenever he was brought face to face with -Patricia, and listened to her clear, calm voice, he felt himself carried -away by the very attitude of her pleading. He saw things only from her -point of view, and was ready to acquiesce and agree with her, however -over-strained he considered her arguments. But when he was away from -her, and without the radius of her personal influence, he was apt to -anathematise himself in unparliamentary language, and to wish Miss -Hildreth's selection of a lawyer had fallen on some one less susceptible -to impressions. - -"Since you give me no option, Miss Hildreth," he said presently, -somewhat sullenly, "I must perforce make the best of my material; but, I -warn you, my reasoning will sound very weak after yesterday's testimony, -and Munger is sure to pounce upon its weakest point, in substantiation -of which I have nothing to advance--positively nothing." - -"I am very sorry for you, Mr. Mainwaring, believe me," she answered, -earnestly, "and very grateful; but I cannot change my mind." - -Then he had gone away, and for many long minutes Miss Hildreth sat as he -had left her, her hands outstretched upon the table, her face quiet and -expressionless, save for the close set curve of the mobile lips. - -John Mainwaring, on leaving Miss Hildreth, walked quickly to his office, -not in the most enviable frame of mind. As he entered the outer room, -his clerk came forward and whispered a few words to him, then preceding -him to the inner office, opened the door and held it back for Mainwaring -to enter. As he did so, a dark figure rose up from the depths of a -lounging chair, and advanced towards him. The brilliant sunshine from -the outer room struck full athwart the stranger's face, and revealed the -features of the Italian, Mattalini; then the door swung to, and the -clerk returned to his desk in the full glare of the hot sunshine. - -By ten o'clock the court-room was again filled to overflowing, -apparently with the identical crowd of the day before. The battalion of -fashionable ladies showed an increase of recruits, and the knot of -lawyers gathered about the Bench was augmented in numbers. Close beside -the railed off space, sat Mrs. Newbold and Dick Darling, while not far -off, engaged in earnest conversation, were Mr. Tremain and Mainwaring. - -Again there arose the concentrated murmur of many voices as Miss -Hildreth took her place within the rails, and at the same moment Judge -Anstice walked quietly to his seat on the Bench; and so began the second -act in the tragic drama. - -Mr. Munger intimated to his honour that his part in the proceedings had -terminated with yesterday's evidence; which, he repeated, was in itself -sufficient to incriminate a dozen suspects, and to prove a dozen _primâ -facie_ cases. Bearing this in mind, it was not necessary for him to -recapitulate it in detail, or indeed to make any comments upon it. The -point at issue was the identity of the lady arrested with the person -named in the warrant as Adèle Lamien, or Lallovich. Yesterday's -evidence--that of Miss Hildreth's intimate friends, and especially Mrs. -Newbold's--had conclusively established that point; there could -therefore be no hesitancy in proclaiming the warrant a valid one, and -surrendering the lady up to the Russian Government. As to the guilt or -innocence of Adèle Lamien, or Lallovich, in the affair of Count Stevan's -murder, they were not called to pronounce upon; she must take her trial -on that charge in the country where the crime was committed. The only -point they were called upon to prove, was the legality of the warrant -papers, and the identity of the person arrested; this point having been -substantiated beyond question, he could not see any cause for further -delay in the matter. - -And then Mr. Munger sat down with an ugly triumphant frown on his -rough-hewn face, and out flew a shower of his favourite paper pellets. - -The silence that followed was intense. The hot summer sun beating in -through the bare windows fell across a sea of expectant, excited faces, -all turned in one direction, towards the slight, dark, upright figure -seated within the railed off space. She, who, as the rich and beautiful -Miss Hildreth, had been the object of their covetous envy, and who now, -as Adèle Lamien, stood charged with so vile a complicity in crime as to -separate her for ever from the poorest and lowest of that onlooking -multitude, beside whose poverty and honesty her wealth and beauty fell -away in torn and soiled fragments. - -In the midst of this silence John Mainwaring arose to address the Bench. - -Mr. Mainwaring's face was at all times non-committal, it wore now an -absolutely sphinx-like imperturbability. Tossing back the heavy lock of -black hair that fell over his forehead, and squaring his shoulders with -a motion that bespoke both doggedness and obstinacy, Mr. Mainwaring's -first words fell upon the listening audience with ringing distinctness, -and with sudden, unexpected surprise. - -"His learned friend," he said, "had proved, beyond all shadow of doubt, -the question of Miss Hildreth's identity with the lady, who, as -governess to Mrs. Newbold's little daughter, was known as Adèle Lamien. -It was not a point upon which they could for one moment disagree; he had -no reason or desire to raise issue upon it; in fact, he not only -acknowledged the identity, but had been cognizant of it from the outset. -Miss Hildreth herself had no wish to dispute it; so far, indeed, from -that being the case, he desired particularly to impress upon his honour -the absolute truth of the assertion. Miss Hildreth was one and the same -person as that Adèle Lamien, who became Marianne Newbold's governess. He -wished to keep this fact distinctly before them; it was a very important -fact, as he would show them before he had finished." - -At this uncalculated-upon acceptance of their theory, both Mr. Munger -and Count Mellikoff showed signs of perturbation. They had not, at any -one of their conferences upon the line Mainwaring was likely to take up, -imagined so bold an expedient as his flitching from them the very -corner-stone of their plan, and building upon it such an edifice as -should best suit his requirements. It was a decidedly clever move, and -sent John Mainwaring up in Mr. Munger's estimation at a bound. - -"Well, then," continued Patricia's defender, "that point well -established, he would go on to the next; and here he must just remind -them of Mr. Munger's concise recapitulation of the case. They were not -there on any other business than that of proving, or disproving, the -legality of the warrant on which Miss Hildreth had been arrested, as -also of proving the identity of Miss Hildreth with that of Adèle Lamien, -or Lallovich, named in the warrant, who was charged with complicity in -the murder of her husband, Count Stevan Lallovich. This was the only -point at issue; all other points were extraneous, and they need not -trouble themselves about them. Now, while he acknowledged frankly that -Mr. Munger had proved the identity of Miss Hildreth with that of the -person received and known at the Folly as Adèle Lamien, he desired -humbly to submit one question to his honour. In establishing the -validity of this identity, how had they proved the identity of the Adèle -Lamien--Mrs. Newbold's governess--with that of the Adèle Lamien, or -Lallovich, who had murdered her quasi-husband, Count Stevan? He -unhesitatingly declared that they had not established such identity in -any particular. - -"They had heard," he said, "a great deal of testimony, all of which had -been cited only to prove that Miss Hildreth and the governess at the -Folly were one and the same. That was not at all difficult to prove, -because Miss Hildreth had never for one moment denied the impeachment; -but he must say he failed to see how proving that, proved also her -identity with the cast-off wife of the dissolute young Russian noble, -Stevan Lallovich; and until such identity was established, he certainly -should protest against the accused being delivered up to the tender -mercies of the Russian authorities. He would not call into question the -truth of the facts and details, concerning the murder, as related to -them--they could all be verified if necessary; but it was not necessary. -Undoubtedly the poor deserted woman had committed the crime imputed to -her--it would be but a savage justice after all. With that he had -nothing to do; but when it came to the arrest of a lady, an American -citizen, in her own country, on the charge of so grave a crime, it -behoved that country to be very careful in its investigations, and to -leave no stone unturned to come at the actual truth. It was a terrible -alternative, that of handing over a fellow-countryman to the despotic -treatment of a foreign Power, and before such a thing was made possible, -every item of extenuation should be urged in behalf of the accused. - -"He had listened to every word of the evidence, and while in every -instance he could lay his finger on weak links, he would pass them all -over, and recall only to his honour the substance of Miss James's, and -Mr. Tremain's, statements. The former had dwelt mostly upon the evidence -of her own eyes, and upon the nature of an interview which had taken -place between Mrs. Newbold's governess and Mr. Tremain. Miss James had -not hesitated to affirm that she recognised in the lady's face, despite -artistic accessories, the countenance and features of Miss Hildreth. Mr. -Tremain, on the contrary, assured them positively that he had never at -any time during his visit at the Folly, entertained the slightest -suspicion of this identity; it was not until after Miss Hildreth's -arrest that this complication was made known to him, and Miss Hildreth, -to whom he appealed for confirmation or reputation, refused to reply. -Miss Hildreth had her own reasons for thus treating the matter. - -"He would next ask them to listen to a very strange chapter in this -strange story, and if it appeared incredible and beyond possibility, he -must beg them to remember that truth was often stranger than fiction. - -"Early in the autumn of the last year Miss Hildreth had gone to Russia, -with the intention of travelling from place to place to form her own -opinions upon the customs and people of that country. While on one of -her expeditions one of the horses cast a shoe, and while waiting its -replacement she was invited to rest at a villa some four miles outside -of St. Petersburg. She did so, and was greatly impressed by the luxury -and beauty displayed in the interior arrangements of the unpretending -mansion. It was some little time before the lady of the house came to -her; but, from the moment she entered the _salon_, Miss Hildreth was -conscious of a sudden curious sympathy, that sprang to life in her -heart, combined with a puzzling certainty of having in some past -situation met and known the beautiful woman, who advanced towards her -with a smile of welcome. This perplexing enigma was presently solved in -the most commonplace way; Miss Hildreth and her hostess, rising together -to examine some object of art, passed a long mirror, and one glance -towards it was sufficient to explain the familiarity of the stranger's -countenance and bearing; between the two ladies there existed a marked -and positive likeness in feature, form, and colouring. So pronounced -indeed was it that both commented upon it. The impromptu visit lasted -some hours, and on parting Miss Hildreth carried with her the name and -rank of her chance acquaintance. She was known to her narrow, outside -world as Adèle Lamien, but she was in reality secretly married to Count -Stevan Lallovich, a near relative of the Tsar. - -"Being often at Court and mingling in Court society, it was not long -before Miss Hildreth came in contact with Stevan Lallovich, who was -accounted the gayest, wealthiest, most fascinating, and most dissolute -man of his circle. He chose to devote himself conspicuously to Miss -Hildreth, and though posing as a bachelor, he more than once hinted at -some special reason for his attentions. Miss Hildreth accounted for them -as a tacit acknowledgment of the likeness that existed between herself -and his wife. She more than once drove out to the villa across the -Troitski Bridge, and each time returned more and more interested in its -mistress. - -"Early in December, all St. Petersburg was thrown into a state of -consternation by the murder of Count Stevan Lallovich, who was found -dead in his palace, stabbed through the heart. With one of those -marvellous intuitions, granted only to women, Miss Hildreth, on first -hearing the bald details, felt confident as to the hand that had dealt -the fatal blow. She hurried alone and by night to the villa, and there -found the poor wife, whom desertion had changed into a demon of revenge, -and without a moment's reflection changed clothes with her, and by -morning both were flying across country, making straight for the -frontier, protected by Miss Hildreth's passport for herself and maid, -and by her unstinted use of money. In Paris they separated, Miss -Hildreth continuing her journey to England, and embarking on board the -_Suisse_, of the International Line, as Adèle Lamien, for the express -purpose of turning the Russian police off the track. The real Adèle -Lamien, or Lallovich, remained under the protection of her mother's -family, well-to-do people in the west of France." - -So far, Mainwaring had gone on from point to point with rapid and -uninterrupted utterance, carrying his audience with him, who, from -sheer amazement, sat spell-bound and breathlessly attentive. He stopped -now, and with another upward toss of his head threw back the offending -lock of hair, turned a quick comprehensive look at his audience, and -then fixed his eyes for a brief second upon Patricia. - -She sat bending forward a little, her hands folded, her face raised, on -either cheek a streak of vivid crimson staining their wax-like pallor; -her eyes beneath the dark, straight brows met his with one responsive -flash of their old quick fire. - -With the very slightest smile of encouragement upon his lips, John -Mainwaring drew a deep breath and took up the thread of his discourse. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A GLEAM OF LIGHT. - - -"And now, your honour," his deep voice rang out, "I come, perhaps, to -the most inconsequent and incomprehensible part of any that Miss -Hildreth has played in this curious and complicated history of a crime. -I have shown you how she, actuated by an enthusiastic and Quixotic -chivalry, imperilled her own life to help and succour a sister-woman, -who, in a moment of mad passion, had committed such a crime as put her -life in danger. Miss Hildreth, with a courage few men could emulate, had -not only planned her flight, but accompanied her in it, and accomplished -it with safety. It was a daring and hazardous undertaking; but Miss -Hildreth considered neither the danger nor the hazard, so long as there -was a chance of escape for that cruelly-wronged woman, who had struck -down the villain who ruined her. - -"The crime committed by Adèle Lamien was an offence against the laws of -man, and being such, she stood a criminal and fugitive in the eyes of -men. But what should be said of the false-hearted traitor who had -committed a far graver moral crime, when he killed for ever the soul and -heart of the woman he had called his wife? That was a question for a -higher tribunal than any mere earthly one to answer, and before that -eternal justice Stevan Lallovich had entered, with the guilt of moral -murder fresh upon him. - -"As he had already told his honour, Miss Hildreth parted from Adèle -Lamien in Paris, and although she kept up her disguise and name until -she reached America, it was only to gain time for the poor fugitive, and -to give a false scent to the police. On reaching New York Miss Hildreth -landed under her own proper name, and proceeded at once to her country -place in the White Mountains, where she remained for several weeks -without acquainting her friends with the fact of her return home. This -desire on her part to remain quiet and unnoticed did not arise, as Mr. -Munger would have them believe, from any criminal wish to keep her -whereabouts unknown, but was the outcome of purely personal -motives--motives he was not at liberty to divulge; but this much he -would say, these motives had nothing whatever to do with Adèle Lamien's -movements; Miss Hildreth had indeed heard nothing from, or of, that lady -since their parting. - -"During this month or six weeks of solitude Miss Hildreth was engaged -upon a very delicate and purely personal matter, the successful result -of which she had very deeply at heart, and in the carrying out of which -she was willing to adopt any measures, no matter how compromising. - -"Upon the nature of this work his lips were sealed, but he was willing -to stake his honour as to the probity and lawfulness of Miss Hildreth's -intentions. In the furtherance of this object circumstances arose which, -in Miss Hildreth's opinion, made it necessary for her to adopt another -character than her own; to enter, in fact, upon a little play-acting, in -which she personated the sole character. What more natural than that she -should make use of the name and disguise of the lady she had so lately -protected? As Adèle Lamien--a foreigner and dependent, with the -suspicion of a tragic past to give effect to the present--she could -enter without fear of detection upon the delicate mission she had marked -out for herself. - -"The danger of such a personation never occurred to her; Miss Hildreth -was not one always on the outlook for danger-signals. She desired to -borrow Adèle Lamien's name and story, the latter with modifications, for -a certain length of time, and she did so, without thought of any -possible evil arising therefrom. But, to carry out her project, Miss -Hildreth was obliged to take some one person into her confidence, some -one who, knowing the why and wherefore of this masquerading, would keep -her secret intact while aiding and abetting her. And this some one she -found in Mrs. Newbold. They had all heard Mrs. Newbold's statement; she -acknowledged frankly that Miss Hildreth and her governess, known as -Adèle Lamien, were one and the same, that she had always known this to -be the case, and had given her countenance and support to the deception. -But here he would remind them of Mrs. Newbold's refusal to give any -reason for her collusion with Miss Hildreth, or any explanation of the -latter's motives. Like himself, Mrs. Newbold's lips were sealed by a -promise; she could not reveal her friend's motives, even though that -revelation were to save her from a graver situation than the present -one." - -Once more John Mainwaring paused, and once more a sympathetic murmur -ran through the crowd. - -He had struck the right chord in his opening sentences, and from the -moment of that favourable beginning he carried the harmony of his -audience along with him. - -Even Judge Anstice leant forward in his chair and followed him point by -point with a keen and appreciative interest. Mr. Munger snorted and -tossed back his leonine head, and Vladimir Mellikoff's dark face grew -sterner and more set, while both of them acknowledged that the young -lawyer had hit upon a productive mine, and was working it to good -advantage. - -Patricia Hildreth changed neither her attitude nor expression, only the -crimson stain upon her cheeks grew deeper as Mr. Mainwaring entered upon -more delicate ground. - -Philip Tremain never took his eyes from her face; gradually, and at -first in faint gleams only that grew steadier as his memory added the -one touch needful, the true meaning of John Mainwaring's defence was -breaking upon him, and with the overwhelming rush of the revelation he -felt all the old love and tenderness for Patricia spring afresh to life -within his heart. He longed to snatch her up from out that curious, -eager crowd, and, carrying her away to some spot of safety and -seclusion, lay her head upon his heart and bid her be for ever at peace. - -Meantime John Mainwaring had begun again. - -"Mrs. Newbold, your honour, having consented to sustain Miss Hildreth in -her adopted character, the two ladies laid their plans and _modus -operandi_, and when the invited guests assembled at the Folly, in the -month of April, they found there a foreign lady whose appearance and -manner were unmistakably suggestive and interesting, to whom they were -introduced as Mdlle. Lamien, the new governess, and whose strange story -Mrs. Newbold related one evening during dinner. And so well did Mrs. -Newbold guard her friend's secret, that not even her husband was -entrusted with it. - -"Mr. Tremain was one of the guests, and his attention was immediately -attracted to the quiet, retiring foreigner, an attraction which soon -developed into a stronger sentiment. Mr. Tremain had told them, that he -found no point of resemblance between Miss Hildreth and Mdlle. Lamien; -there were similar tones in their voices, but that was no uncommon -coincidence: he had, however, never seen Mdlle. Lamien in broad -daylight, though this fact made no impression upon him at the time; how -positive had been Mdlle. Lamien's influence over him was shown by his -subsequent proposal of marriage to her. He, Mr. Mainwaring, felt -convinced that were he but free to speak frankly at this point he could -show sufficient reason for this proposal; reasons arising from an -outside source, and which unfortunately he was not at liberty to -explain. - -"Miss James had said that she suspected Miss Hildreth from the first; -Miss James was certainly a very clever young lady, for she admitted -entertaining similar doubts of Mdlle. Lamien. She, however, if they -excepted Count Vladimir Mellikoff, would seem to have been the only one -who had suspected a play within a play. Miss Hildreth's arrival was -announced for the 2nd of May, and from the time of her advent, _in -propriâ personâ_, Mdlle. Lamien disappeared. Miss James had not failed -to make a note of this coincidence. Mr. Tremain's proposal to Mdlle. -Lamien, whose reappearance took place after his _adieux_ to Miss -Hildreth, was made on the afternoon of the 5th of May, and from that day -he had heard nothing from her, although he considered himself in honour -bound to her. Nor had he again seen Miss Hildreth up to his return from -Maine early in September, when he was met with the astounding news of -her arrest. Here again, unfortunately, he was debarred from frankly -explaining Miss Hildreth's conduct at this juncture. - -"She had carried out her project to a certain limit, and then it would -seem had capriciously abandoned it; for they must not lose sight of the -fact, that, though Mr. Tremain believed himself to be addressing his -proposals to Mdlle. Lamien, it was in reality Miss Hildreth who received -them. On this point he would make no comment, he was not in a position -to do so. - -"A good deal of stress had been laid upon the two handkerchiefs, the one -found in the drawing-room at the Folly, the other left in the apartment -of the murdered Stevan Lallovich, both of which bore the same -embroidered initials. To his mind there was nothing incriminating in -this, the coincidence was a strange one, but nothing more. What was more -likely than that during one of the frequent visits paid by Miss Hildreth -to the villa outside St. Petersburg, she should have taken in mistake -one of the unfortunate Adèle Lamien's handkerchiefs, and, on seeing her -error, have remarked it carelessly with her own initials; or that after -a time the bit of muslin should have found its way back to its rightful -owner? As to the second handkerchief, that was a very simple riddle; -Miss Hildreth had in her possession many articles of dress belonging to -Adèle Lamien, having required them in her first disguise as that lady. -The note-paper was easily explained in the same way; he could himself -prove that the penmanship was Miss Hildreth's, though slightly -disguised. As to the conversation which took place in Mrs. Newbold's -boudoir, and the latter lady's evident agitation during it, he would -only ask his honour to consider the decidedly awkward position in which -Mrs. Newbold was placed. She knew what the consequences would be were -Miss Hildreth's Quixotic protection of the real Adèle Lamien to become -known, and she already had her suspicions regarding Count Mellikoff: she -alone rightly estimated the danger run by Miss Hildreth in personating -one who was a fugitive from justice. - -"As to the part Miss James had played in the whole matter, he should be -sorry to call it by its right name; he believed there was no enmity so -bitter or treacherous as the enmity of a jealous woman. Might not the -motive power of Miss James's conduct be found in the one word--jealousy? -However, with that he had nothing to do. He begged again, and finally, -to submit to his honour's consideration the point at issue; namely, the -proved identity of Miss Hildreth, not with the governess known as Adèle -Lamien, but with the real Adèle Lamien, the wife and murderer of Stevan -Lallovich, which identity he submitted, had in no particular been -established. The warrant of arrest must therefore fall to the ground." - -Up to a certain point Mr. Mainwaring felt that he carried his public -with him; but beyond that point--when he came to the equivocal position -held by both Miss Hildreth and Mrs. Newbold--he knew himself to be -losing touch again. He could calculate his audience's pulse to a -fraction of a beat, and he was aware of the exact moment when their -allegiance fell away from him, and veered back again to the opposing -scale. - -It was as he had warned Patricia it would be; the instant he touched -delicate and doubtful ground and advanced a theory in support of which -he could produce no proofs, that instant the _entente cordiale_ failed -him. The public likes to believe in its own strict integrity, and its -abhorrence of anything not honest and above-board, and to have so -extravagant a story as this masquerading of Miss Hildreth's thrust down -its throat, accompanied by such lame excuses as sealed lips and secret -promises, was not at all to its taste. - -Therefore when Mr. Munger sprang to his feet, he but expressed the -public's opinion when he told his honour "that Mr. Mainwaring must gauge -them by a fool's measurement, if he expected them to swallow such a -cock-and-bull story as that he had expounded. If Miss Hildreth had not -some awkward secret to conceal, why should she bind the tongues of both -her lawyer and her friend? What possible reason could she have for -concealment, unless the work she was engaged upon would not bear -official scrutiny? Mr. Mainwaring had begun boldly enough, and had not -spared his insinuations as to the good faith of those opposing him; but -he must say he failed to see how Mr. Mainwaring had established even one -point in his elaborate theory. - -"He had submitted that while Miss Hildreth was Adèle Lamien, still she -was not Adèle Lamien. Such reasoning sounded to him very like a page out -of 'Alice in Wonderland,' where everything was not what it seemed, and -seemed not what it was. Why did not Mr. Mainwaring bring forward proofs -to establish his theory of there being two Adèle Lamiens? Were they to -meekly accept this melodramatic story of Miss Hildreth's heroic -championship of the wretched woman who had killed her lover, and not ask -for proofs? Both Mr. Mainwaring and Mrs. Newbold had made a great show -of acknowledging Miss Hildreth as Adèle Lamien, the governess; and then -they asked his honour to accept the absurd tale of Miss Hildreth's -personating Adèle Lamien, only to further some foolish plot of her own -devising, some personal intrigue that would not bear investigation. - -"Either Miss Hildreth was or was not Adèle Lamien-Lallovich. She had -been proved to be the Adèle Lamien of the Folly, and had been -acknowledged by Mr. Mainwaring as such, and yet now, forsooth, he wanted -to prove that while she was the one Adèle Lamien, she was not the real -Adèle Lallovich--not the Simon Pure article. It was about as logical a -deduction as that of a child, who told you it either rained, or it did -not rain; it did not rain, therefore it rained! Altogether too much time -had been spent in such foolish arguments; on his side time was valuable, -would his honour, therefore, make known his decision; a decision which -could only be made in one way, and end this farce by declaring in favour -of the validity of the warrant, and the identity of the Adèle Lamien, -therein named, with the lady calling herself Miss Hildreth." - -Mr. Munger's harsh voice threw out his words energetically, while he -clenched each sentence by a single hammer-like beat of one hand upon the -other. He had sprung up so suddenly, and poured out his rough eloquence -in such a stream, no one had an opportunity of interrupting; he finished -with another contemptuous snort and settled himself down in conspicuous -defiance. - -With the calling of the noon recess, the case against Patricia Hildreth -had assumed a more ugly and threatening aspect than ever. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -CHECKMATE. - - -When the Court re-assembled, however, a change in the moral temperature -had evidently taken place. - -John Mainwaring entered with a certain assured step, and with almost a -smile upon his sombre countenance. - -The audience, quick to notice the bent of any straw in this stream of -sensationalism, became at once aware of the slight increase of definite -self-possession in Mr. Mainwaring's bearing, and whispered amongst -themselves that the young lawyer had "caught on" to something new since -his speech of the morning, and was looking mighty pleased and smiling -over it. - -So soon as the room was reduced to order, Mr. Mainwaring arose, and, -addressing Judge Anstice, begged to be permitted to substantiate his -statements of the morning through one witness only. - -"He had," he said, "been jumped upon so summarily by his learned friend, -Mr. Munger, almost before he had finished his few remarks--he could not -dignify them by calling them a speech--that he had had neither time nor -opportunity in which to introduce this _vivâ voce_ evidence. He might be -somewhat out of order in wishing to do so now; but, as to that, the -entire examination had been conducted on purely informal lines. They had -all understood why it had been so conducted, for, where such grave -issues were at stake, it was not to be cavilled at if a few exceptions -were given and taken." - -As he understood, the present position of affairs stood in this wise. -Could he prove that there were two Adèle Lamiens, or rather that Miss -Hildreth, in personating Adèle Lamien, had in truth portrayed the only -Adèle Lamien, and that the whereabouts of that lady were known to him -and could be substantiated? Should he establish this, he supposed the -charge against Miss Hildreth would be withdrawn. Doubtless the story he -had related to them, did sound incredible and marvellous; but they must -bear in mind that it was not given to every one to understand and -appreciate the higher gifts of heroism and courage. Mr. Munger had -clearly pointed out that what was required were proofs, proofs and -nothing but proofs. As he had said, truly, either Miss Hildreth was, or -was not, the woman, Adèle Lamien, wanted by the Russian police. If she -was proved not to be Adèle Lamien, then she would be released from her -present painful position, and would go out from this examination without -a stain upon her character. On the other hand, if this point was not -established, but remained doubtful, or if she was proved -circumstantially to be Adèle Lamien, then her fate was a hard one -indeed; she had only the tender mercies of the Russian law to look to. - -Mr. Munger had seen fit to taunt him with his frank acknowledgment of -Miss Hildreth's personation of Adèle Lamien; he had, indeed, made very -merry over his childish logic. He could not hope to emulate Mr. Munger's -flow of rhetoric, still he could and would meet Mr. Munger's demand for -proofs, by introducing certain conclusive testimony. He would put aside -all extraneous matter, whether personal or otherwise, and stick to one -or two points only. Was there another Adèle Lamien, beside Miss -Hildreth, who was the real criminal, and if so, where was she to be -found? If he established these two points he should consider the -question of identity definitely disposed of. He would now produce his -sole and only witness. - -At the sound of his name the Italian, Mattalini, stepped forward, and -with the slightest shrug of his shoulders, gave a meaning smile, as his -eye caught and held that of his master Vladimir Mellikoff. - -At the sight of this paid servant of the Imperial Chancellerie appearing -against him, Vladimir Mellikoff gave a perceptible start, and for the -first time his belief in the ultimate success of his mission wavered. He -was, however, too seasoned a diplomatist to show any outward signs of -his inward disquietude, and, save for that momentary impulsive change of -expression, his dark, cold face remained as inscrutable as ever. - -Following Mr. Mainwaring's lead, the Italian began by telling how and -why he had first become attached to the service of Count Mellikoff. He -had been sent by the Imperial Chancellerie about a month ago to wait -upon Count Mellikoff as valet. He had not been told in so many words -that he was also to act as a spy upon his master, but he knew this was -what was expected of him. It was the system employed by the -Chancellerie; each one of their agents had a double, whose business it -was to report to headquarters the other's every action, movement, or -word: it was a fine system, because it distributed power irrespective of -rank. - -From something he heard at Petersburg, before joining Count Mellikoff, -he had reason to believe that the Chancellerie were not altogether -pleased with the Count's manner of procedure; he was, therefore, -despatched to look after Count Vladimir, and report upon his progress. -He had not been long in New York before he made up his mind that Count -Mellikoff was working on a wrong scent; he knew the nature of the -Count's mission, and he very soon discovered that the Count was not -showing his usual discretion in this case; he was, in fact, taken in by -a lay of circumstances, and by the assurances of the young lady, Miss -James. He had endeavoured, on one occasion, to speak to the Count upon -the subject; but he had been told to hold his tongue; a piece of advice -he strictly adhered to, until such a time when his not holding it would -most injure the Count. No one told him to hold his tongue twice, for -nothing. - -Yes, he was ready solemnly to swear that the young lady, Miss Hildreth, -was in no way identical with the fugitive, Adèle Lamien, the murderer of -Stevan Lallovich. He had at one time often seen Adèle Lamien; there was -a strong resemblance between her and Miss Hildreth; but he knew for a -certainty that Miss Hildreth was not Adèle Lamien, and that Adèle Lamien -was, at the time he quitted Russia, in Petersburg, where she still -remained. He did not know this when he first came to Count Mellikoff; -but he did know it for a fact now, and he was quite ready to bear out -this statement; and, what was more, he could prove that Count Mellikoff -was not unaware of this fact; that he had indeed been warned by the -Chancellerie of Adèle Lamien's presence in Petersburg, which had been -sworn to by a member of the council, though, so far, they had not been -able to verify the report. He could not say why Count Mellikoff had paid -no heed to the warning and discredited it; it had come straight enough -to him--Mattalini--and from an unimpeachable source. - -Miss James had several times visited Count Mellikoff at his hotel; he -had overheard one of their conversations, he had listened purposely; it -was the conversation in which the manner of Miss Hildreth's arrest had -been planned; it was arranged to take place during the absence of Miss -Hildreth's friends. Miss James had urged Count Mellikoff to greater -haste in the matter; she had seemed consumed with hatred of Miss -Hildreth. Oh, yes, he knew quite well what it meant to hate any one; he -hated Count Mellikoff, and was glad to pay him back for some of his -haughty insolence. He had known from the beginning of the inquiry that -Miss Hildreth was not Adèle Lamien, but he had had no absolute proof of -it until that morning. He had gone to Mr. Mainwaring and told him what -he was now telling his Excellency. Mr. Mainwaring had asked him for -proofs, but he had none then, only the proof of his inward convictions. -Mr. Mainwaring told him that they were no good; but within the last hour -he had got proof, and that proof he wanted to give up now. - -Within the last hour a sea-telegram had come for Count Mellikoff; it was -his--Mattalini's--business to receive all telegrams and bring them to -the Count; it was not his habit to open and read them first; but of this -one the yellow envelope was not stuck down--when an envelope was not -stuck down it was no crime to look at the contents. He had done so, and -the first words he saw made him glad he had not been a stupid fool of an -innocent and stuck down the envelope flap, as for a moment he had -thought of doing. The telegram was in cipher, but he knew enough of the -Chancellerie cipher to make it out. It was sent by one Paul Patouchki, -who was the chief of the Chancellerie Council, and it ran to this -effect: - -"The woman, Adèle Lamien, arrested this evening in the Nevski. She -attempts no defence. Your presence before the Council peremptory. Return -immediately." - -As the Italian finished he drew out of his pocket a thin, crackling, -yellow envelope, indicative of a telegraphic message. He looked at it -fondly for a moment. - -"_Eccelo!_" he exclaimed, "'tis a little thing with which to save one -woman's life, and yet big enough to kill another!" - -Then he handed the missive up to the Judge, and stood waiting further -developments. - -The sensation caused by the Italian's statement was beyond all -precedent; the excitement of the crowd burst all restraints; it seemed -as though, having once doubted Patricia Hildreth, they could not now be -loud enough in vociferating her innocence. - -The clamour lasted but a few seconds; but in that short interval -Vladimir Mellikoff caught sight of such a sea of angry, menacing faces, -and heard the echo of such violent threats as to shake even his trained -courage, and warn him of the perilous position he should occupy if once -that public Nemesis was set loose. - -The rage and anger of his own heart knew no bounds. To be duped and done -in such a fashion by his own paid assistant; to find out all too late -that a spy had been dogging his actions at every step of the way, and -that that spy had been sent by the Chancellerie--by Patouchki, his -chief, on whose honour he would have staked his own! - -This then was his reward, this was Russia's gratitude! A thrust in the -dark, a blow from behind, and he was laid low, unable to defend himself -or fight for his life. He realised all too well what this failure meant -for him--disgrace utter and complete; the Chancellerie never forgot or -forgave a false move in the game, any more than it ever remembered the -many successes and triumphs achieved for it. To fail once was -sufficient, when one had reached so high an altitude as his, and with -failure came a downfall more disastrous and engulfing even than that of -death. - -And Olga? But no, he must not think of her now, or he should go mad. He -must forget her, put her by, believe in her, trust her; he must pull -himself together, he must not succumb like the veriest novice before -this blow. Were not all those cruel faces turned upon him, those -hundreds of eyes peering with wonder and delight at him? He must not let -them see any fear upon his face, they must not hear a word of cowardice -from his lips. - -Then he became aware of a single voice addressing him, and the sounds -slowly resolved themselves into Judge Anstice's familiar tones, asking -him to examine the cablegram, and state if the Italian's translation of -the cipher was a correct one. - -He took the slip of flimsy paper with a hand that never trembled, and -scanned the few bald lines. Mattalini had read them only too correctly, -they were confirmation positive of the utter breakdown of all his -elaborate structure. - -He could have leapt upon the Italian then and there in his blind rage, -and struck him to the ground; he could have beaten him senseless and -felt a savage joy in each blow he dealt him. Had he not ruined him for -ever, not only in the eyes of the Chancellerie, but in those of Olga -Naundorff? That was where the lash cut deepest, that was the agony -impossible to bear. - -And yet, despite all this mad tumult going on within him, he still was -conscious of standing up and answering Judge Anstice in his usual -controlled voice. The Italian Mattalini had perfectly translated the -cipher, the message ran as he had said. A person called Adèle Lamien had -been arrested in Petersburg; he should immediately demand further -confirmation of the matter; in the meantime he left the custody of Miss -Hildreth in the hands of the Bench. He had no statement to make; he had -acted throughout in good faith and according to instructions; he would -at once communicate what further particulars he received to Judge -Anstice; without doubt his Government's Ambassador would stand surety -for the integrity of his future movements. He begged to return the -cablegram to the keeping of the Bench. - -Then he sat down, and after a few moments' whispered conversation with -Mr. Munger and Mr. Mainwaring, Judge Anstice rose and withdrew, and the -crowd were free to force their way out into the streets, flooded with -the golden sunshine, and there to discuss this last change in the day's -excitements. And so ended the second day of what, in after years, came -to be known as Patricia Hildreth's trial. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -OUR LADY OF KAZAN. - - -When Ivor Tolskoi quitted the presence of Patouchki, he carried with him -the remembrance of the chief's troubled face, and almost imperative -appeal: - -"Find me the woman, here, in Petersburg, and I shall know how to act." - -"I will find her," he had replied, and it needed no strong oath or -asseveration to convince Patouchki that Ivor would grudge nothing in the -fulfilment of this promise. - -It was early afternoon when Tolskoi left the Chancellerie; it was long -past sundown ere the chief aroused himself from the anxious reverie into -which the young man's suspicions and insinuations had plunged him. - -Despite the hardness and impregnability of Patouchki's nature, there -existed somewhere, deep down in the inner recesses of his rugged heart, -a softer spot than he was ever given credit for, and in that remote and -hidden nook he had set up the fidelity and friendship of Vladimir -Mellikoff, as the one bright sentiment in which to believe and trust. He -had watched his career from the outset, and had spared neither influence -nor interest to advance the abilities and talents he believed him to -possess. He entertained for him a feeling as nearly approaching love as -his temperament was capable of experiencing. And he had beheld with -concealed delight the increasing regard manifested by his august master -towards his favourite. It was owing entirely to his exertions that this -last delicate mission had been entrusted to Mellikoff's skill and -courage, and he had for once spoken almost with enthusiasm, at the -council, of Vladimir's peculiar fitness for the undertaking. He had said -to himself that with his success in this Mellikoff's name might be -fearlessly put forward for some signal mark of Imperial favour. - -It may be imagined then with what proportionate anger and disappointment -he listened to Tolskoi's plausible insinuations. They did not lose one -feather's weight of value in Ivor's manner of expressing them; the very -candour of his words, the collectedness of his bearing, but increased -their reasonability; and Patouchki, with his quick perception, realised -this, and gave it more weight, perhaps, because of that weakness which -he knew existed in his heart for the absent Vladimir. - -There is no judge so cruel and relentless as a human heart that owns but -one outlet for its affections. Unlike those happier natures who -sympathise, and in a manner love all fellow mortals, because of their -common humanity and common redemption, this poor starved soul sets all -its store on one poor fallible object, and then, when the floods of -doubt and mistrust are let loose and sweep away the idol, marring its -beauty and exposing its blemishes, it owns no larger creed to fall back -upon, and so drifts into the opposite extreme, and welcomes with -sardonic pleasure the mocking devils of resentment and retaliation. - -It was so with Patouchki. Out of the very affection he had borne -Vladimir, sprang now the hydra-headed demon of doubt; and since he could -doubt him in one particular, he could doubt him in all. Ivor had set -alight such a train of implacability as even he would have hesitated to -fire, could he have foreseen its consequences; for with the downfall of -Patouchki's perspicuity came his resolve, to punish the one who had thus -dared to set at naught his judgment, and who by playing the rôle of -deceiver had inflicted on his self-love so dire a wound. - -It was well for Vladimir Mellikoff that he could not see the chief's -face at that moment, for, as the evening shadows closed around the -motionless, lonely figure, sitting so still and rigid, they paused, half -afraid to creep about the stern hard countenance, whose eyes gleamed -with such passionate fire, whose lips were locked in so firm and cruel a -line. And so he sat for hours, his busy fingers idle, his active brain -absorbed in bitter contemplation of broken trust and ruined faith. - -It had appeared to Ivor an easy and simple task to track and find the -poor fugitive, Adèle Lallovich. Petersburg and its environs covered a -considerable area, it was true; but these, when compared with Paris or -London, sank into insignificance, and yet every day fugitives from -justice were hunted down and trapped in those great cities, whose -mileage so far exceeded the Muscovite capital. - -"It needed but system," so he told himself, with a smile and a shrug of -his shoulders at the tactics of the Chancellerie old women. "System and -perseverance, and a judicious use of gold," he would back these three -against the craft and _finesse_ of any woman. He therefore set about -laying the plan of his operations, being careful, however, to keep -himself out of the actual work, and to be recognised in it only as the -agent of the Chancellerie. - -But day succeeded day, and week followed on week, without the least -success attending his efforts. Either he had mistaken a chance likeness -in some transient worshipper at St. Isaac's for the fugitive, or else -Adèle Lallovich had again made good her escape across the frontier. Each -day Patouchki looked at him with the same strange, hard expression, as -he asked: - -"Have you found her?" - -And each day Ivor, with a frown, was obliged to reply: - -"Not yet! but I shall do so." - -Then the chief would turn away with a grim smile, and Tolskoi would vow -with hot intemperance that he would be successful, even if his life were -to be the penalty. - -And so the summer drew on apace, and Petersburg became a desolate -wilderness; empty, save for the thousands of poor souls who toiled on -and on, irrespective of the seasons' changes, and whose sole recreation -was a walk across the Troitski, or Nicholas bridges, stopping for an -instant's prayer before the shrine of the good name-saint, or leaning -against the granite parapet, drinking in the languid breeze that came, -touched with a suspicion of coolness, from off the grey Neva; or an -hour's stroll in the Boulevard-park, shorn now of its aristocratic -idlers, but gay enough with the brilliant colours in the costumes of the -less favoured _mondaines_. - -The Court had long since flown westward; and after a few weeks' halt at -Gatschina, the gentle Tsarina had taken a favoured few of her -_personnel_, among whom was Olga Naundorff, and departed for her native -Denmark; where, in the dear old home of her childhood, she dropped the -restrictions of royalty even as she put off her state robes and jewels, -and in a cotton frock and straw hat became a girl again, outvieing even -her daughter, the Grand Duchess Xenia, in her happiness and delight. - -Neither Patouchki nor Ivor left Petersburg. The former because no place -possessed half the charm for him as did the frowning Chancellerie, and -his own office within its walls; no music sounded so sweet to his ears -as the triumphant clang of the _jubilate_ chimes, or the mournful -cadences of the _miserere_ bells; no recreation so well pleased him as -an hour passed in reviewing the Chancellerie's past achievements, or in -building up vast schemes for its future greatness. - -And Ivor stayed because his self-imposed task was not yet accomplished, -and because he felt the time growing daily shorter, when, unless he -could redeem his word and find the woman Adèle Lallovich, his rival -would return and snatch his prize from out his very arms. - -Therefore he waited and he watched with a dogged patience and -perseverance. The July days passed into August, and August became -September, and still he made no further progress in the path of victory; -while on the other hand, according to private despatches from the -Italian, Mattalini, Vladimir Mellikoff was apparently succeeding in his -undertaking beyond his most sanguine hopes, and spoke confidently of his -speedy return to Petersburg. - -Ivor felt the situation to be critical, and yet was unable to force the -march of events. So far his every effort had miscarried; each well-laid -plan, each secret scheme had but resulted in failure. Adèle Lallovich -seemed to have as completely vanished from out the orbit of his -machinations, as though she had never come within that of his vision. - -And so the 15th of September dawned, and Tolskoi, with the sense of -defeat pressing heavily upon him, failed for the first time to report -himself at the Chancellerie. He felt he could not bear with equanimity -Patouchki's piercing glance, or the harsh tones of his voice as he put -the invariable question--"Have you found her?" and still less could he -meet the slow, cold smile that curled the chief's lips at the monotony -of his negative reply. He knew, too, that this was the day appointed in -America for the examination of the warrant papers, under which Count -Mellikoff had effected the arrest of a certain person calling herself -Adèle Lamien, and should this inquiry terminate in the establishment of -the woman's identity with the murderer of Stevan Lallovich, Mellikoff -would lose no time in starting for Russia; and, when once on the ground, -and his influence over Patouchki restored, what would become of his, -Ivor's, charges against him? The deepest laid schemes must fall to -pieces under the pressure of bald fact. It had never been a part of -Ivor's design that Vladimir should return triumphant; his defeat and -disgrace, while absent, were necessary factors in the carrying out of -his project. It was on that very defeat and disgrace that he depended -most for his success with Olga; like her royal ancestress, she could -not tolerate or forgive the sin of failure. - -The day had been very close and hot; what breeze there was came laden -with a fiery touch, the great gilded dome of Isaac's Church blazed with -blinding intensity, the tall, lance-like spire of the great -Petropavlovsk fortress quivered in the palpitating atmosphere; there was -no retreat, however secluded, that was not laid bare and permeated by -the searching, cruel sunshine. - -Ivor had remained a voluntary prisoner all day; but as evening drew on, -and the garish sun sank gradually down to rest in a panoply of royal -crimson and gold, he roused himself, and passed out into the rapidly -filling streets. Walking idly along the Boulevard de Cavalerio, he made -his way to the Nevski--the Rue Rivoli of Petersburg--stopping now and -then to look in the shop windows, and to wonder aimlessly which one of -all the pretty baubles displayed in the Circassian Bazaar would best -please Olga's fancy. - -After half an hour's wandering through the arcades he turned in the -direction of the church of Our Lady of Kazan. The great doors stood -open, and on either side the semi-circular colonnades, like those of St. -Peter's at Rome, made deep and shadowy resting-places for the weary. - -Pushing past the kneeling beggars gathered about the entrance, Ivor -passed in to the deep stillness and tranquillity of the grand interior. -No service was going on, and the hushed silence was unbroken save for -the occasional footsteps of coming or retreating worshippers. The rich -glory of colour and ornament, for which Our Lady of Kazan is famous, -were half hidden by the gathering on of night; here and there, where a -taper gleamed, the sparkle of gems, the reflection of gold, the green of -malachite, or the blue of lapis-lazuli would flash out, lost again in -the feeble, flickering rays. - -Half hidden by one of the great columns, Ivor watched the ever-changing -stream of visitors, as they came and went, and fell to speculating upon -the nature of the petitions they pleaded so earnestly, throwing -themselves on their knees, bowing their heads, beating their breasts, -and making unceasingly the sacred symbol upon brow and heart. He did not -kneel himself; he would have told you that he had out-grown all such -old-world superstitions, but he watched with half-amused, -half-sympathetic toleration the rapt devotion of those about him. - -Presently a woman, some little distance away, got up from her knees, -and, after a moment's hesitation, turned and walked swiftly down the dim -aisle. Ivor looked at her without much thought beyond the half-formed -one that her long cloak of black serge and closely-veiled bonnet were -ill fitted for the heat of that summer evening. As she drew near to him -his attention wandered, caught by the trifling incident of a baby's cry, -and when his thoughts returned to the heavily-draped figure it had -vanished out of sight. - -In another moment Ivor also quitted the now dark church and retraced his -steps to the Nevski, where fascinated again by the frivolities in the -Circassian shop he halted, and returned to the vexed question of Olga's -taste in the matter of a gift. - -Next door to the Bazaar was a small, rather bare-looking shop, whose -only sign of business was the significant one of St. Nicholas' three -golden balls. The entrance door was low, and as it opened or shut a tiny -bell above the transbeam gave out a warning jangle. It was this bell -that aroused Tolskoi's attention and caused him to look up suddenly. As -he did so, a tall figure dressed in a thick black serge cloak and close -bonnet came out of the low door; the nature of the woman's errand was -painfully apparent, for in her hand were two or three coins, over which -her head was bent down. - -Ivor at once recognised her to be the same woman he had seen in the -church of Our Lady of Kazan, not half an hour before, and his interest -thus reawakened, he watched her not unkindly. - -As she passed him the light wind caught at her long black veil, floating -out one end of it; she put up her hand to catch it, turning a little as -she did so, and there, in the half lights, partially concealed by the -black folds surrounding it, Ivor saw again the face that had haunted him -for so many months; the face he had seen wild and haggard and imploring -at the great door of St. Isaac's--the face of Adèle Lallovich! - -His first impulse in his excitement was to cry out, to speak to her, to -stop her further progress, to make her his prisoner by violence if -necessary, to force her to accompany him to the Chancellerie. Then as -swiftly reason reasserted itself, and he determined to do nothing rash; -he had no power to arrest, he would but give her another chance of -escape if he raised a street _émeute_ against her. He understood too -well the organised power of the Nihilists; at one cry from this woman a -dozen defenders would spring to her assistance; she would be rescued -before his very eyes, and he should get but a fool's recompense for his -pains. - -No, what he must do was this. He must follow her adroitly, without -arousing her suspicions; he must track her to her place of abode, and -when sure of her refuge, send for Patouchki and deliver her into his -hands. - -The woman walked on swiftly, threading her way deftly between the -droschkies and heavier vehicles that thronged the Nevski, and as -stealthily as a sleuth-hound, Ivor kept pace behind her. At the door of -a good-sized, respectable house she stopped, raised her hand and knocked -twice; in an instant the door opened on a cord, and she passed into a -narrow passage. The pent-up shadows rushed forward to greet her, and -swallowed her up in their dark embrace. Then the door swung to -noiselessly, and Ivor was left without, staring vacantly at the -non-committal walls and casements. - -An hour later and night had thrown her sombre mantle over the gay city. -One by one as the hours crept on, the noise of returning revellers grew -fainter and less frequent; gradually the peace of midnight settled down -upon the myriads of human souls who make up the sum of Petersburg's -life. The heavens were dark and formless, save for the millions of -shining stars; Isaac's golden dome loomed up in giant outline against -the sombre sky; only the glittering lance-like spire of Peter's fortress -caught and held a transitory gleam upon its slender shaft. - -And then presently a noise of wheels broke the stillness, wheels that -came ever nearer and nearer; down the Boulevard first, and then into the -Nevski, where the pace slackened, and a covered droschky drew up in -front of the commodious and respectable house, before which Ivor had -stood baffled. - -Three persons got out of the carriage, two of whom were easily -recognisable, despite the disguise of mufflers and low hats, as -Patouchki and Tolskoi. Not a word passed between them, while Ivor, -stepping a little in advance, knocked twice distinctly. Instantly the -door swung back on its cord, and the three men entering shut it quietly -behind them. - -A light gleamed at the head of the stairs, and a woman's figure detached -itself from the surrounding gloom. She held a lamp high up above her -head, from which the close black bonnet had been removed. And thus -looking down upon them, calm and unsuspecting, they saw the beautiful -face of the fugitive Adèle Lallovich. - -For, indeed, she was still very beautiful, despite the lines passion and -pain had graven on her forehead, and about her eyes. The eyes themselves -were deep blue beneath black pencilled brows; the dusky hair, wherein a -thousand golden tints played at hide and seek, fell loosely about her -throat; the curve of the lips was proud, with a touch of suffering in -its downward droop. - -This, then, was the woman they sought! This was the defenceless being -against whom they came armed with Russia's law! This was Stevan -Lallovich's wife--this was his murderer! - -For a moment they hesitated, stayed by the fearlessness and dependence -of her position; then Patouchki stepped forward and ascended the -staircase. She watched him as he came, step by step, and she knew that -her days were numbered. - -She was alone in the house, save only for a little serving-maid; any -resistance would be but vain. She did not mean to resist. She had prayed -night and day for months that some release might come to her. Had she -not that very evening begged Our Lady of Kazan to have a little pity -upon her; to give her some little respite from the horrible dreams and -spectres that haunted her; to let her forget for only one small fraction -of time, the horror and reproach that had settled on her lover's face -when she dealt him his death-wound? - -Our Lady of Kazan never turns a deaf ear, it is said. Was not this her -answer to that wild, imploring cry? - -Patouchki reached her at last. She faced him boldly and with eyes that -never flinched; the lamp in her upraised hand burnt on steadily, no -tremble of weakness made its flame flicker, or grow dim. - -And now Patouchki laid his hand upon her shoulder. - -"You are Adèle Lamien," he said, in his harsh, bullet-like tones, "and -as such I arrest you, for the murder of Count Stevan Lallovich." - -She made no gesture either of assent or dissent, she only looked at him, -with all her soul in her wonderful eyes. Then she spoke slowly and with -deliberation. - -"I am Adèle Lallovich," she said, "I recognise no other name." - -"That makes small difference," replied Patouchki. "I must trouble you, -madam, to accompany me." - -Again she raised her beautiful eyes to his, and spoke, this time a -little wildly. - -"I am Adèle Lallovich--and I killed him--my husband--with my own hand." - -Then she turned, and walked with quick steps across a narrow hall, where -on a peg hung her black cloak and bonnet. She set down the lamp, and -with dexterous fingers put on her outside garments. When this was -accomplished she took some money from her pocket--the few silver pieces -Ivor had seen her counting over in her palm--and, wrapping them in a bit -of paper, wrote across it. - -"It is for Paulina," she said in explanation, "my little maid." - -Then she turned, and motioning Patouchki to precede her, followed him -down the stairs and along the passage. The door opened as noiselessly as -before, and was closed with equal caution. There was a moment's -whispered consultation, the slight dark figure stepped into the waiting -droschky without assistance, followed by Ivor and Patouchki; the door -was shut, and the vehicle moved quickly away down the deserted Nevski in -the direction of the Chancellerie, whose frowning portals were watched -over by Petropavlovsk's grim fortress. - -As the noise of the wheels grew fainter, the sad _miserere_ bells rang -out the quarter past midnight. - -On the following morning Patouchki, with an unusual light in his eyes, -and a cruel smile on his lips, wrote out the telegraphic cable, that -sounded the death-knell to Vladimir Mellikoff's love and hope. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -NO EXPLANATION. - - -Not many hours passed after that dramatic scene in the court-room, in -which the Italian, Mattalini, played so conspicuous a part, before ample -confirmation of his statement came over the ocean telegraph, -establishing beyond all question of doubt the arrest of the real Adèle -Lamien, and the innocence of Patricia Hildreth. - -As John Mainwaring had said, his theory once confirmed, all shred of -suspicion must, as a matter of course, fall from her, and she would -re-enter society's world stainless in character and reputation. At the -end of the second day's examination, however, she returned voluntarily -to Ludlow Street Jail, refusing with decision the conditional liberty -bestowed upon her. - -"I had much rather wait," she said to John Mainwaring. "Please, Mr. -Mainwaring, do not urge me to go against my conscience. You can surely -understand my feeling in this matter. I will not leave what has been my -prison, until my innocence is unqualifiedly established, and until those -who forced me into this position are convinced of its falsity. After a -week's experience of the delights of Ludlow Street, what can a few -additional hours matter?" - -She finished with one of her rare smiles, which made John Mainwaring -again realise the utter futility of his eloquence, when pitted against -the charm of her loveliness. - -So Patricia returned to her house of detention, and John Mainwaring left -her at the entrance thereto, with a more cheerful look upon his dark -countenance than had visited it for many a day. - -It was still early in the afternoon when the inquiry terminated, and the -sunshine lay upon all things external with so lavish a touch and so -tropical a force, that the dark corridors and dim halls of the gloomy -building appeared most grateful to Miss Hildreth's tired brain and eyes. - -She entered her room, the scene of so many conflicts between her love -and pride, and sank wearily down upon the chair before the table, on -which the yellow roses in their tall glass vase made a single spot of -golden colour. Resting her elbows on the open portfolio, she buried her -face in her hands and remained motionless, wrapt in a long desultory -retrospect of the week's events. - -She was too weary even to remove her bonnet, or the light scarf of lace -about her shoulders. - -Now that the long strain was ended, the tension slackened, she felt her -strength lapse from her, and an overpowering weakness take its place. - -It was true she stood cleared in the eyes of the public, who now -regarded her in the light of a heroine, concerning whose courage and -chivalry they could not say enough. But was she cleared in her own eyes? -It was well for her that the secret of her disguise had not been dragged -ruthlessly out of its hiding-place. Had that been the case, would not -this same public be gloating over it now; mouthing it and discussing it, -with even greater avidity than they had displayed in the discussion of -her late situation? She was spared such an humiliation; but was she -spared the humiliation of her own thoughts, the scorn of her own -accusing conscience? Must not the knowledge of her motives, in thus -playing with the misery of another woman's crime, separate her for ever -from the very one for whose sake she had entered on the path of -deception? Could good ever come out of evil? Did the end ever justify -the means? - -All the suffering and anguish of those last seven days would seem as -nothing, she told herself, could she but face Philip Tremain with -unfaltering integrity; could she but look into his eyes and not feel her -own fall beneath the honesty of his. Woman-like, she forgot his doubt of -her, his half belief in her criminality, a criminality which, if proved, -would have swept away all lesser indiscretions in its magnitude. - -No; she gave no thought to the part he had borne. A woman is never so -happy as when she forgives, with all her heart, some wrong-doing on the -part of the man she loves. But with Patricia this active magnanimity was -not called into requisition, for the simple reason that Philip's -attitude during the past week was clean forgotten by her--swept away as -were all lesser matters in the contemplation of her own moral obliquity. - -How long she sat thus absorbed and motionless she could not have told; -but it was long enough for the light in the room to wane, and for the -dying rays of the sun to gleam aslant through the narrow window, casting -long tremulous bars of tinted light upon the bare unlovely walls. -Presently a slight noise aroused her, and, the chain of reflection thus -broken, she raised her head and saw, standing some little way from her, -with the tinted sun-rays resting on his stern face, the man of whom she -thought. - -For a moment she gazed at him without realising the actuality of his -presence; and then, as her sad beautiful eyes sought his they faltered, -while a rush of sudden colour dyed the pallor of her face. - -"Philip!" she exclaimed, drawing in her breath with a half sob, -"Philip!" - -Her voice broke the spell, and, while its trembling cadences still -lingered on the air, Mr. Tremain came nearer and stood beside her, -looking down upon the troubled face and anxious eyes that dared not meet -his own. - -"Patricia," he said, "I have come to you now, because I must know the -truth. Because, notwithstanding the speciousness of John Mainwaring's -pleading, there still remains a little matter between you and me that -needs some explanation. I have come, Patricia, to hear that explanation -from your own lips." - -His voice was harsh despite the tender supplication of his eyes; and -Miss Hildreth, looking down, missed this contradictory tenderness, and -realised only the commanding ring of his tones. - -Her face hardened, and the old look of mocking defiance settled down -upon it. She gave a little laugh; the artificiality of its ring jarred -on Philip's sensibilities, and caused the tenderness in his eyes to give -place to quick anger. - -"Ah!" said Miss Hildreth, "how could I forget that you, Philip, would -require even stronger proof than any afforded by Mr. Mainwaring's -eloquence, to convince you of my inability to commit a murder? I failed, -you see, to take into account the incredulity of a legal mind." - -If her words were insolent, the smile and laugh accompanying them were -more so, but Mr. Tremain would not let his hasty temper get the better -of his discretion. He had come to her with the unformed theory, evoked -by John Mainwaring's ambiguous words, still at work within him, and he -determined, if it lay in his power, to force confirmation of it from -her. - -"You know that is not what I mean," he said gently; "no one can ever -again entertain so vile a suspicion against you." - -"Yet _you_ doubted me, Philip," she interrupted; "you doubted me -throughout." - -"Yes," he answered, "if you like to classify a feeling, that scarce had -formation in my mind, under so grave an emotion as doubt--why, then--I -did doubt you, Patricia." - -She made no reply to this, and after a short pause he began again: - -"That, as you know, is not the subject to which I referred just now. You -may put me by with subterfuge and raillery, Patricia, but I shall -always come back to my point, again and again. Patty, what was your -reason for personating that most miserable woman, Adèle Lamien? What was -your inducement for imposing upon all at the Folly? What was your motive -in wishing to deceive me?" - -Still she made him no answer. She had turned her head away as he spoke, -and taken one of the yellow roses from the vase. She raised this now, -and drew it once or twice across her lips. She felt his eyes upon her, -but she would not meet them. She knew this to be the crucial moment; and -she must meet and overcome it as best she might. - -"Patricia," he said again, and his voice grew sterner, "you force me to -impute to you motives that are unworthy of you, unworthy of any woman. -But how can I think otherwise, if you will not help me to do so? How can -I put any other construction upon your conduct, save that of wilful and -wanton cruelty, when I remember, that twice as Miss Hildreth, you -refused me, scorning my love; and then, that only a few short hours -afterwards, as Adèle Lamien you accepted me, and all I had to -offer--accepted me, with a lie upon your lips, and deceit in your smile. -Have you no explanation to give me, Patricia? Oh, my dear, I will accept -any pretext you may offer; only make some little excuse, no matter how -trivial, for the duplicity of your conduct." - -His voice grew pleading as he finished. Looking at her, as she sat -there, so near to him, and yet so far; a beautiful, lovely woman, whose -very beauty had brought suspicion and distrust upon her, and remembering -how first he had loved her in the full tide of her girlish fairness and -innocence, and how through all these years he had cherished her memory, -and could not put her from out his heart, all the old tenderness and -longing surged up within him, and he knew he could forgive her -everything, if only she would give him one little opportunity for such -forgiveness. - -Had Miss Hildreth but looked up at that moment, while the light of love -still lingered in his eyes, and trembled on his lips, surely her foolish -pride would have broken down, and all the misery of those last few weeks -slipped from her, in the peace of a confession made with his arms about -her, her head upon his breast. - -But Miss Hildreth, like many a woman before her, let slip the golden -chance, and passed by the propitious moment. She still played with the -yellow rose and avoided his eyes as she replied, slowly: - -"I can explain nothing, Philip; I have no excuse to offer. You must form -your own opinion, and I must be judged and sentenced according to it." - -"But, Patricia," urged Mr. Tremain, "I ask for so little. Will you not -at least assure me, that it was no more wanton motive than love of -conquest and power of coquetry, that led you to deceive me, and draw -from me that mad proposal, which you, as Adèle Lamien, were pleased to -triumph in against your own proper self? My dear, give me but one such -assurance, I will be content, I will ask for nothing more." - -"No," she replied in a dull, quiet voice, "I cannot. I have nothing to -add to my former words. You had better leave me, Philip, and--forget -me." - -"That I can never do," he said, "I have never for one moment forgotten -you in all the ten years of our separation. I am not likely to do so -now, when I have again looked so often and so longingly, upon your -beauty." - -Her lips trembled a little at his words, but she made no response. - -"Good-bye," he said sadly, and turned from her. - -She listened to his firm footsteps as they traversed the floor; then -came the click of the lock in the catch, the sound of the opening and -shutting door, and then again the echo of his footsteps down the long -stone passage. - -Then all was still. The tinted sun-rays paled and faded, then vanished -altogether; and Miss Hildreth, bowing her head upon her clasped hands, -burst into a passionate storm of tears. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -"FORGIVE HER." - - -A week later the daily papers chronicled two events. - -The first was contained in a short paragraph, supplemented by a long -leader, stating that evidence having been received from Russia, -confirming the arrest of the real criminal, Adèle Lamien, or Lallovich, -the conspiracy against Miss Hildreth had fallen to the ground, and she -had been released from her very unpleasant and unjust position. Miss -Hildreth, on leaving Ludlow Street Jail, had immediately retired to her -country place in the White Mountains. - -The second item was even more briefly worded, though commented on -exhaustively in a still longer leader, and ran to the following effect. -That Count Vladimir Mellikoff, having failed signally in his efforts to -traduce and incriminate a certain young lady, prominent in New York -circles for her wealth, beauty, and amiable qualities, had sailed on the -previous Saturday for Havre, _en route_ for St. Petersburg. - -And so the "comity sensation," as it was called by _Town Optics_, died a -natural death, and the next social scandal, hurrying close upon its -heels, crowded it out of general consideration and recollection. - -But those whom it had concerned so nearly could not forget it thus -easily; to them it always remained a very vivid and terrible experience, -out of which it seemed they had escaped almost by a miracle. - -Mrs. Newbold returned at once to her island home, taking Dick Darling -with her; and there, after several weeks had elapsed, Mr. Tremain sought -her. - -He took an early afternoon boat from the city, and walked up from New -Brighton to the Folly; where not finding his faithful friend within that -Palace of Idleness, and being informed vaguely by Perkins that his -mistress was "somewhere about the gardings," Philip, declining his aid, -set forth in search of her. - -And so it came about that unconsciously his feet followed his memory, -for very soon he found himself at the opening of the little hazel copse, -where he and Patricia had so nearly touched on reconciliation. - -The marble boy Narcissus was still there, and still holding aloft the -vase from which the water trickled in a gaily tinkling stream. There, -too, was the rustic bench, and seated on it, doing nothing very -gracefully, was Esther Newbold. - -She jumped up at sight of him and ran forward, dragging her scarlet -parasol behind her. Her face was bright with welcome, her smile -affectionate and a little patronising. - -"My dear Philip, what a pleasure!" she exclaimed, putting out her small -hand in a loose gardening glove. "We began to think you had given us up -altogether for 'a bad lot,' as my slang-loving Dick would say. Why have -you not come before, sir?" - -And holding that frank little hand in his, and looking into the -sincerity of her blue eyes, Mr. Tremain asked himself the same question, -and answered it truly, as he replied: - -"Esther, my dear, I did not come, because--I was afraid." - -"Ah," she said quickly. "Afraid! That is not like you. Of what, or of -whom, were you afraid?" - -"Of you, and of your powers of persuasion," he answered; at which Esther -shook her head, and laughed a little. - -"It is as well you should acknowledge it," she said, "and with your -first breath. For, of course, you know, I don't mean to speak with you -upon any but one subject. Philip, why are you here; why are you not -already at the feet of Patricia?" - -"Yes, I knew you would ask that," he answered; "but, my dear Esther, how -can I go to Miss Hildreth, when she herself has raised an impassable -barrier between us?" - -But Esther failed to follow his reasoning. - -"Nonsense," she said, a little brusquely. "Nothing should be impossible -to a man who loves; and all things should be forgiven to the woman who -loves him. I have no patience with either of you; but least of all with -you, Philip. Were I a man, no fantastical barrier should keep me from -the woman of my heart. Do you always intend to go on like this? To live -and to die, or, worse, grow old and grey, waiting for the barrier to -tumble down of itself, and never put out a hand to help its overthrow?" - -Mr. Tremain could not but smile at her vehemence; he felt his spirits -rise under the energy of her assault. - -"It is for Patricia to make the first overture," he said. "I went to -her, as you know, at once, and begged of her to give me ever so trivial -and light an excuse for the ambiguity of her conduct towards me, but she -would not. She had no explanation to offer, she said, and she let me go -from her without any word of resistance, any sign of relenting." - -"Then she was a little fool," cried Esther, "and I wish I had her here -to scold, and pet, and tease, and kiss. But you, Philip, are not much -wiser. I dare say you went at her hammer and tongs, with your gravest -face, and in your longest words! Of course Patricia could not bear that -sort of argument. I wonder, for my part, that she listened to you at -all." - -"But, surely, my dear Esther, you must admit I had a little show of -reason on my side," said Mr. Tremain, more quickly. "You must -acknowledge that Patricia's conduct in refusing me repeatedly, as Miss -Hildreth, and then accepting me, as Adèle Lamien, requires a little -explanation. It is not over pleasant to one's _amour propre_ to feel -that one has been duped; but to have been duped wantonly, is more than -unpleasant--it approaches insult." - -Mrs. Newbold looked at him earnestly for several moments before -replying; when she spoke it was in a far graver and more serious manner. - -"And have you no idea, Philip, why Patricia played this somewhat ignoble -rôle? Cannot you form some theory concerning it?" - -Mr. Tremain shook his head. - -"I have formed a dozen theories, my dear Esther, and dismissed them all; -each seemed less tenable than the other." - -"And yet, you are very sure you love her?" - -"Yes, I am very sure of that. I wish I was as sure that she cared -one-fifth part as much for me." - -"Ah!" said Esther, a satisfied smile creeping in and out of her dimples. -"Then, Philip, I think I must read the riddle for you. _Patricia -deceived you--because she loved you._" - -But if Mrs. Newbold expected Mr. Tremain to indulge in heroics at this -declaration, she was destined to be disappointed. Instead of rhapsodies -of delight, he replied with an echo of scorn in his voice. - -"Are you aware what a paradoxical sentiment you are promulgating, -Esther? Love is not commonly supposed to take pleasure in deception." - -"Ah," she interrupted, "but Patricia is not a common woman; perhaps she -is as paradoxical as my sentiment. However that may be, I assure you, -Philip, she deceived you because she loved you. Do you remember -receiving a letter from her, early in the spring?" - -"I do indeed." - -"Very well. I don't absolutely know what was in that letter, but I have -my shrewd suspicions, and I do know that your answer, when it arrived, -was not what she had looked for. She came to me soon after she received -it, and I was positively frightened by the look of pain and -determination on her face. She told me that she had written to you, that -she had humbled her pride sufficiently to do so, because she loved you, -and had never loved any one else but you. Then she told me of your -answer to her letter. She should never forgive you, she said, never, -until she had made you suffer, through a woman, some portion of the pain -and humiliation you had brought upon her. And then she told me her -plan." - -Here Mrs. Newbold paused and stole a look at her auditor. He was -standing with his arms folded, his eyes fixed upon the sparkling drops -of water as they fell from the uplifted vase, in the marble-boy -Narcissus' hand. With a quickly-repressed shrug of her shoulders, Mrs. -Newbold opened her scarlet umbrella, and continued, watching Philip -meanwhile from under its friendly shade. - -"And this was Patricia's plan. She would come down to the Folly, -ostensibly as Mimi's governess, and as such she was to be introduced to -you. I was to tell the story of Adèle Lallovich, more or less modified, -as if it were her own, and she was to strive to win your interest and -regard, despite the damaging evidences of so black a past. 'I will -conquer him yet,' she said, 'he shall not escape me always; and then, -when he has acknowledged himself vanquished, when he has laid down his -pride and his superiority for the sake of Adèle Lamien, why then, it -will be my turn to scorn and reject him, and he shall understand what it -is to make advances and be repulsed.' She was very angry, Philip, and -hard and desperate; and I was obliged to yield to her wishes for fear of -something worse. So we arranged it all between us, and I comforted -myself with the thought that perhaps, after all, good might come out of -it, if even under a disguise, Patricia could win you back again to her." - -Again Mrs. Newbold paused, but Philip neither changed his attitude nor -raised his eyes. So intent was his gaze, he might have been counting the -drops as they fell, with rhythmic measure, into the marble basin. - -Mrs. Newbold continued. - -"And then at last you came, Philip; and the rest was easy work, because -from the very first, you were apparently strangely attracted to Adèle -Lamien, and I felt almost righteous when I saw how well all was working -as we had planned. Patricia came to me the evening of the day you left -the Folly, and falling on her knees beside me, told me of her interview -with you, as Adèle Lamien. She cried and laughed and was girlishly happy -over it, because, as she said, she could see all the time, even when you -were urging your suit most impetuously, she could see that it was not -Adèle Lamien you really loved, but she--in her own proper -person--Patricia Hildreth. 'Oh, Esther,' she cried, 'I know, I know he -loves me! And now, oh, how shall I ever face him; how shall I ever tell -him by what subterfuge and deceit I have won him from--myself? Oh, -Philip, it was unworthy of me, unworthy of my love; and yet I did it -because of my love.'" - -Once more Mrs. Newbold stopped, and looked at him, but Philip was -oblivious of her gaze. She smiled, and closing her scarlet umbrella -moved a step or two nearer to him. - -"And then you know," she went on, "our party broke up, and Patricia left -me. She promised me she would lose no time, she would write and tell you -all; she would keep nothing back, she would restore your pledge to you, -which she held as Adèle Lamien, and she would ask nothing from you but -your forgiveness. You who know Patricia's proud nature, can realise how -difficult such a confession would be for her; and indeed, Philip, she -would have carried out her purpose had I been able to keep near her. -Away from me, and alone, she grew fearful and lost courage. 'I cannot do -it,' she wrote me, 'Esther, I cannot do it. I could not bear the scorn -of his eyes, the lash of his words. I cannot tell him that I deceived -him, wantonly and cruelly, and of set purpose. My dear, I love him, and -yet see what my love has brought me to. Do you think he could ever -believe in it, or me, or trust to it, or me, again? No, let me say -nothing; let me drift out of his life. As Adèle Lamien I can easier bear -the certainty of his contempt, since I mean never to claim his promise, -but as Patricia Hildreth I should die beneath the scorn of his just -anger. I have been rightly punished for my wilfulness. Do not urge me -any further. I cannot tell him, Esther, I cannot.' Then you know, -Philip, came the terrible blow of her arrest, and the first thing she -demanded of me, when I went to see her, was that I should swear to keep -silent regarding the motive of her disguise. 'He must never know,' she -said, 'more than ever, he must never know; and Esther, of this be very -sure, I will face anything, Russia, condemnation, exile, rather than -that my weakness and folly shall be dragged out as my excuse, and he be -made the object of public derision. I have harmed him enough, Heaven -knows, but he shall suffer no more through my pride and weak revenge. I -would rather he believed me guilty of this horrible crime, Esther, than -that I should make him ridiculous, as the dupe of a selfish woman, in -the eyes of the world.' That is why John Mainwaring had so poor a -defence to work upon, and that is why both my lips and his were sealed." - -Mrs. Newbold came still closer to him, she put her hand on his arm, her -eyes forced his to look at her; there were tears in their blue depths, -her voice was tremulous and she spoke impetuously. - -"You know the rest, Philip; I have kept nothing back, and I think when -you remember the severity of her punishment, the bitterness of her -suffering, the humiliation of her spirit, you will forgive her. She -loves you, Philip; it is from her very love that all this misery has -fallen upon her. Will you leave her to bear it alone, or will you go to -her? Ah, Philip, no one has ever had a braver opportunity for carrying -out the old, old precept; the legacy left to us by One whose mercy and -forbearance knew no bounds, and who said, forgive, even if it be until -'seventy times seven.'" - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -VLADIMIR'S WELCOME. - - -It was winter once more, and the gay Russian capital had returned to its -round of festivities and merry-makings. - -The Imperial family were in residence at the Winter Palace, and the long -_salon_ resounded nightly to the laughter and jests of the Court circle. -Not a cloud apparently marred the harmony and well-being of Petersburg. - -All without was bright and brilliant; the sun shone on the dazzling -snow, the merry sleigh-bells rang out on the frosty air, and the Nevski -arcades were thronged with richly-dressed _mondaines_, who laughed and -chatted, and tossed over the costly trifles in the Circassian shop with -careless fingers. Within were ease and comfort and luxury; huge fires of -keen-scented woods, heavy draperies to shut out the shrewd air, and -respectful attendants to minister to the most wilful caprice. - -But beyond and below all this brave assumption of security, there lay -hidden a terrible passionate hate. Slowly, slowly, the patient masses of -that under world had wakened to the consciousness of their wrongs, and -with the bitter knowledge of contrast came the thirst for compensation; -the burning desire to throw off the hand that had so long oppressed -them, the yoke that had galled for centuries. - -"What maketh us to differ?" was the cry of thousands; and, with the -wording of the dumb misery that had held them silent so long, there -awoke also the craving for vengeance. "How long," went up the cry to -heaven, "how long, O Lord, shall the wicked oppress us?" And in the -pause that ensued between petition and answer, pleasure was stalked by -blood-red fear, and distrust kept pace with merriment. - -The Countess Vera had opened the season by a grand _bal costumé_, in the -huge palace of her name. It was the maddest of all the little Countess's -mad freaks, for her guests were to come attired as beasts of the forest, -the chase, and the field. Grizzlies from the Rockies elbowed white -lambs, elephants and camelopards hob-nobbed with pussy-cats and fawns, -while tigers and wolves flirted tentatively with rabbits and red -squirrels. - -The Countess, in a delightful white-cat costume, with diamond eyes and -jewelled paws, was the life and soul of the revels; flying hither and -thither, her little feet in their white fur boots treading as lightly as -her namesake, and startling more than one king of the forest by the -sharp tap of a little fur paw, and the merry smile beneath the -pussy-head that covered her giddy little brain. - -It was during one of these frolicsome onslaughts that she caught sight -of Ivor Tolskoi's fresh face and yellow locks, looking ridiculously out -of keeping under the heavy disguise of a polar bear. She ran up to him -lightly, and stood before him laughing, a tiny figure set against his -feet and inches. - -"Oh, my brave Ursa Major!" she exclaimed, "what a beautiful fierce -creature you are, to be sure! I am quite frightened to look at you." - -Ivor glanced down at her smiling, but he failed to toss back her jesting -words with an equally quick repartee. - -The little Countess laughed and shook her head, until the diamond eyes -in the pussy-cat mask danced with a thousand reflections. - -"Oh, what a cross Ursa Major it is!" she cried, "and all because of -_some one_ who is not here, and who will not come." Then she came a step -nearer, and, dropping her bantering tone, said quickly: "I am sorry for -your disappointment, _mon cher_, but it is one of the prerogatives of -beauty, to be fickle. She would, and she would not, and the latter, you -see, won the day. Olga Naundorff has declined to honour my ball with her -presence. But is that a matter of such grave importance to you? Ah, I -see, it is the old story; he who has most, always craves more. You are -not satisfied with having won the Court favourite, even to the naming of -the wedding day, but you must be miserable because she is not always -present to swell your triumph! Be content, my dear boy, you _have_ won -her, and broken Vladimir Mellikoff's heart, that ought to suffice; and -after you are married, you can force her to attend any and all kinds of -festivities." - -Ivor did not respond to this pleasant outlook, and Vera, with a mutinous -grimace, continued, banteringly: - -"For my part, my sympathies all go out to that most unfortunate Count -Mellikoff. Only to think of what he has come to! So established as he -was in the Emperor's regard, so esteemed by the Chancellerie; such a -diplomatist and courtier, so distinguished and beyond reproach. And now, -behold, where is he? Poof! he is but a feather, blown about by each -contrary wind of prejudice. A failure, a fallen idol, a suspect. Bah, I -would rather die than be a failure! Be content, _mon cher_, be content; -you are on the crest of the wave, don't spoil your success by a fit of -the sulks." - -Then she laughed again, and shook her fan of soft white feathers at him, -and fluttered off to a sedate elephant, whose thin cheeks and eagle eyes -beneath the grotesque head-gear, betrayed him to be a certain State -minister, whose word was law, whose smile power. - -"Such a foolish boy I never saw," cooed the Countess Vera in the -statesman's ear, "as that Ivor Tolskoi. Not contented with ruining -Vladimir Mellikoff, and winning the lady of his affections, he mopes -because, forsooth, she is not here to illustrate his triumph. Youth is -very hard and illogical, monsieur; it takes older heads and hearts to -be merciful." And the little Countess sighed profoundly. - -"Ah," she said, suddenly, "my heart is all in tune with the fallen -Mellikoff. I wonder, monsieur, what is to be the nature of his -punishment, and what his--destination?" - -But the wary minister was not to be caught even by Vera's casuistry. - -"Punishment is so entirely a relative matter," he replied. "I, for -instance, can imagine no severer sentence, no more desolate outlook than -to be shut away for ever from the light and sweetness of the Countess -Vera's presence." - -"A thousand thanks," she answered quickly. "I appreciate your chivalry, -monsieur; but when one adds the mines, or a casemate in Petropavlovsk, -to the lesser evil--what then?" - -"Neither are to be desired, madame," he replied, gravely, "and neither -can ever come within the experience of the Countess Vera. The mines, -and Petropavlovsk, are for those who betray, or mock at, Russia; not for -loyal subjects of his Majesty." - -"Loyalty is such a very big word," sighed the Countess flippantly; and -then she flew away with a laughing gesture. But to herself she said: - -"I know your destination now, my poor friend. I back a woman's wits -against a statesman's imperturbability. Alas! poor Vladimir!" - -It was as the Countess Vera had said. Ivor Tolskoi had triumphed beyond -his most sanguine hopes. Olga was now his formally betrothed bride, and -the marriage day was in the immediate future. - -With the arrest of Adèle Lallovich in Petersburg, came the downfall of -Mellikoff's mission, and the ruin of all his cleverly-laid schemes. He -would reach Russia only to find his disgrace had preceded him, and only -to find distrust and displeasure on every side. He too well knew the -nature of Russia's resentment, to strive to stem the current that set so -steadily against him. - -It was worse than useless to expect such a thing as justice, at the -hands of the Chancellerie, or to look for condonement from the Council. - -He had not only failed, but he had bungled, and in so doing had opened -the flood-gates of public opinion upon the Imperial policy. Russia never -forgave inefficiency, still less inefficiency that brought ridicule in -its wake. He knew this, and he knew also that his disgrace was imminent. -Still he clung to Patouchki, to his belief in the chief's calm equipoise -of judgment. He could endure a public expression of disgrace, if only -Patouchki absolved him from intentional failure. - -And then, too, was not Olga awaiting him? He had done nothing to -alienate her love; she stood far above and beyond the lesser prejudices -of political intrigue and jealousy. He was still her lover. What -mattered anything so long as he had Olga to cling to; Olga's love and -trust for his haven of refuge? He would marry her at once, and take her -away, out of the foetid artificial air of Petersburg, out of the -network of personal envy and political stratagem, to those wide, -far-reaching estates on the Balkan frontier, and there they would be -free and untrammelled, removed from the narrow suspicions and cruel -dogmatism of the Court. - -And so planning, hoping, believing, Vladimir Mellikoff turned his face -towards Petersburg. He lingered on his homeward journey, hoping against -hope at each halt to receive more pacific communications from the -Chancellerie; and thus when at last he reached the Russian capital, the -first month of the long Muscovite winter was already on the wane. He -drove to his lonely palace on the Neva, where the dark windows and -barred doors afforded but a sorry welcome. - -It was a dreary home-coming, and Vladimir, as he crossed the threshold -and met the cold, damp atmosphere of long-closed and disused rooms, -shrank back shuddering. Unsuperstitious though he was, he could not -throw off the chill of apprehension which seized him, as he entered the -echoing corridor and passed on to a small drawing-room, that served as -study and office. - -A fire smouldered in the stove, and the curtains were closely drawn, -giving a less cheerless aspect to the apartment. A couple of candles in -tall silver sticks were lighted on the chimney shelf, and beneath them -were arranged the numerous notes and cards of invitation that had -accumulated during his absence. Somewhat apart from these lay a small -sealed envelope, addressed in a clear, flowing hand. - -Vladimir glanced over the notes and cards, holding in his hand the while -the huge ticket, covered with a Noah's Ark gallery, by which the -Countess Vera had invited her friends to her unique _bal costumé_. With -a half smile on his lips, called out by the little Countess's vagaries, -Vladimir caught sight of the note lying apart by itself, and in a moment -his heart told him who was the sender. - -"It is from Olga," he murmured passionately, as he took it up and -touched it with his lips. "It is from Olga; it is my welcome home." - -Then he broke the seal and drew forth the thick, creamy paper; as he did -so a slight, subtle perfume floated across the air. - -It was a short letter; brief almost to cruelty. But when one deals a -death-blow, it is as well to strike swift and sure. - -Vladimir read the words through, again and again, without comprehension, -without understanding; and then, suddenly, as their meaning struck him, -one low and terrible cry burst from him; he flung himself down on his -knees, burying his face in his hands. The letter floated slowly from his -grasp and fell noiselessly upon the carpet, the distinct careful -penmanship plainly visible in the candlelight. - - "Vladimir," the lines ran, "I never forgive or forget treachery or - failure. You have failed, and you are a traitor. Knowing this, you - must also realise that all is over for ever between you and - - "OLGA NAUNDORFF." - -That was all. No word of regret, no expression of sorrow, no hint of -personal grief and pain. - -Simply he had failed: failure was a sin never to be condoned by Mdlle. -Naundorff. It was shipwreck utter and entire--shipwreck without a chance -or hope of rescue. He knew it, he realised it, as perfectly as though -Olga had stood before him in her proud beauty, and spoken the cruel -words in her sweet, cold voice. - -What was death compared to this agony of loss that overwhelmed him? -What was life--oh, God! what could life be without Olga? - -How long he knelt there he never knew. The hours crept on long past -midnight, the great house was silent as a tomb. Outside, the stars shone -in myriad numbers, lighting the cold, dark heavens with thousands of -fairy lamps. The snow lay dense and white, stretching miles away, in -unbroken masses along the Neva's banks. - -Presently the cathedral chimes struck the quarter, and the _miserere_ -bells followed with their minor chant, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, have -mercy upon me." - -As the last note died away Vladimir arose; and with the change of -attitude he became aware of a stealthy, muffled sound--a sound that came -ever nearer and nearer; and that was neither the sweeping up of the -wind, nor the jangle of bells, but a sliding, creaking noise, as of two -smooth surfaces in friction. - -A low exclamation escaped him, a look of horror crept over his dark -face. For a moment he stood as if paralysed, then he moved suddenly, -with soft, quick steps, towards one of the heavily-draped windows. - -The stealthy, creaking noise had ceased. - -He cautiously drew back a corner of the heavy curtain and peered out. -All was still and silent; a great field of glistening snow, with the -dull swish of the Neva against its banks. Was he mistaken? Had he not -heard aright? For a moment the wild beating of his heart threatened to -overpower him, then as suddenly it grew still. - -Drawn up within the shadow of the deep _porte-cochère_, standing out -black and distinct against the white background, stood a covered -droschky; the horses' flanks steaming in the chill air, the lamps -carefully shaded. A figure stood beside the vehicle, wrapped in a heavy -coat and peaked fur cap; where the folds of the coat opened a gleam of -steel was visible. - -Vladimir dropped the curtain and came back to the centre of the room. - -"It has come," he said in a half whisper. "It is my turn at last. I, who -have gloried in Russia's stern vengeance, am I to feel her power now?" - -Then his eye caught the open letter on the carpet. - -He picked it up, touching it half-tenderly. - -"How little it matters to me, now!" he said. "But you, Olga, shall be -freed from all reproach, and no one shall ever know that it is through -you the heaviest disgrace of all has come upon me. That much I can still -spare you." - -He looked at the signature she had written with so firm a hand--Olga -Naundorff--"Good-bye," he said again, "good-bye." - -He pressed his lips to her name, then held the paper in the candle-flame -with a steady hand, and watched it burn slowly, slowly. - -As the last bit fell from his fingers and fluttered down to the little -heap of ashes on the velvet mantel-shelf, the door opened without -noise, and two men stepped within the room. - -Vladimir turned and faced them. The foremost spoke quietly, and without -menace or threat. - -"Count Vladimir Mellikoff, you are arrested in the name of the Emperor. -Long live the Tsar." - -Vladimir bowed, and a smile for one moment passed over his dark face. - -"I am ready, gentlemen," he said, and turning, took up his heavy coat -and cap of sables. - -In the meantime the second intruder had crossed the room, attracted by -the faint odour of burnt paper. He fingered the little pile of ashes -suspiciously. Again Vladimir smiled. - -"A burnt-out passion, monsieur," he said, "a discarded love-letter. That -is all; nothing in any way interesting to the Chancellerie--or, its -agents." - -Then he put on the heavy furred coat and signified his readiness to -depart. - -A moment later the three dark figures were lost in the shadowy interior -of the waiting droschky, and the curious scraping noise of steel runners -upon frozen snow began again. - -As one of his captors leant forward to give a last instruction to the -officer without, a gleam from the shaded lamp fell across the face -beneath the high-peaked hat; in it Vladimir recognised the boyish -contour and innocent blue eyes of Ivor Tolskoi. - -The heavy equipage moved on, and as the hour of dawn struck from the -great cathedral clock, and the chimes clashed out triumphantly the -liturgical chant, "How glorious is our Lord in Zion," Vladimir Mellikoff -stood a prisoner, within a nameless casemate of the impregnable fortress -of Petropavlovsk. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -AN ETERNAL FAREWELL. - - -It was the 4th of January--the New Year's Day of Russia. - -All the morning, from the earliest peep of dawn, the bells had rung -clamorously and joyfully; from every public building the blue, red, and -white standard floated in the keen breeze; the streets were full of -merry-makers, the Boulevard de Cavaliero and the Nevski, were thronged -with sight-seers, the little shrine and chapel of St. Nichola, on the -Nicholas Bridge, were buried in lights, evergreen wreaths, and votive -offerings; an air of festivity and joyousness pervaded the atmosphere, -and even the grim Chancellerie, and Peter's Fortress, crept out of -their habitual gloom, under the lavish caresses of the brilliant -sunshine. - -The old year was dead--dead and buried--with all its weight of sin and -failure; of wrongs unrighted, of crimes unavenged, of evils unremedied. -Let it go, let it go! "Ring out the false, ring in the true!" Welcome -this jocund New Year, this youngster, with the rosy cheeks and sturdy -limbs, this herald of a new _régime_, this hopeful progeny of a decrepit -past! - -It wanted but half an hour to mid-day, and already the approaches to St. -Isaac's Church were thronged by a numerous and ever increasing crowd. -The eight grand entrances were all thrown open; down the wide central -granite steps a rich carpet was spread, and up this crimson pathway -passed a continuous stream of guests, the bright costumes of the ladies -mingling with the uniforms, Court dress, and plainer citizen habiliments -of the sterner sex, until one and all became submerged and impersonal -in the greater glory of the grand cathedral's gorgeous interior. - -A line of the Petersburg Grenadiers, in their sombre green uniform, were -drawn up on either side of the central approach, while behind them were -grouped a guard of honour of the Caucasus Cossacks, their long scarlet -tunics adding picturesque vividness to the scene. All that was best and -brightest, most distinguished and most renowned, of the great Tsar's -Court was represented within St. Isaac's, on that winter morning, and -nothing could exceed the brilliancy and vivacity of the scene. - -For not only was it the festa of the gay New Year, but it was also the -marriage day of Olga Naundorff, and the religious function was to be -celebrated with Royal splendour and pomp, honoured by the presence of -the Tsar and Tsarina, who took this occasion to testify their friendship -for the beautiful orphan, whose father had laid down his life in the -service of Russia. - -And now excitement reached the highest pitch, for the Imperial _cortège_ -was in sight, each equipage drawn by four black horses, mounted by -postillions, and accompanied by outriders. The Tsarina, looking fair and -fresh and young, bowed her acknowledgments to right and left, smiling as -she did so, while the Grand Duchess Xenia laughed girlishly at the -sparkling pageant. And now Alexander himself appeared, the great Tsar of -all the Russias, wearing his favourite crimson kaftan, and saluting -courteously in response to the old patriotic cry, as it echoed again and -again: "Health we wish your Imperial Majesty! Long live the Tsar!" - -But the greatest and final burst of enthusiasm was reserved for Olga. -When she appeared--stepping down from the royal equipage, her white -draperies sweeping behind her, a cloak of regal ermine wrapped about her -neck and shoulders, from which her proud, beautiful face arose as cold -and white as the surrounding snow, crowned by the shining masses of her -golden-tinted hair, in which the Imperial gift of diamonds shone -resplendent--a hush of admiration held the onlookers for one brief -second; then, as she passed up the crimson foot-path, a deep low murmur -burst forth, growing in strength and enthusiasm, until, as the great -portal received her, it broke all bounds and ended in a prolonged and -hearty cheer. - -Within St. Isaac's all was hushed and reverent, though gorgeous and -magnificent in its adornments. The lights from the eight great -candelabra threw their beams on the golds and purples, the reds and -blues of the mosaic decorations, and flashed forth in myriad reflections -from the jewels that gleamed and sparkled in the costumes of the Court -ladies. - -The ceremonial was of the grandest; the Metropolitan, vested in cloth of -gold, entered by the central door and was met by a procession of -priests, who walked before him to the great altar, where the eight -massive malachite columns, and priceless lapis-lazuli shafts, separated -"the holy of holies" from the body of the cathedral. The trained voices -of the Imperial choir rose and fell in regular cadences, unsupported by -instruments of any kind, but perfect in harmony and unison. The bells -chimed at intervals, while the worshippers, as they fell upon their -knees, repeated again and again the symbol of the cross on forehead and -breast. - -And so it was that Olga Naundorff became the wife of Ivor Tolskoi. - -Sanctioned by the most solemn ritual of her faith, surrounded by the -highest nobility of her land; loved, admired, feared, and envied, Olga, -the beloved of Vladimir Mellikoff, pledged her vows to Ivor Tolskoi; and -shuddered even as she did so, at the light of triumph that flashed in -his bold blue eyes, when, as her husband, he bent his head, and for the -first time pressed a kiss upon her proud lips. - -She had made her choice. But, after all, was it a wise one? Could she be -sure of ruling this lover, who had now become her husband? Despite the -_insouciance_ of his boyish face, despite the frank boldness of his blue -eyes and innocent smile, was he not destined to be the master, she the -slave? Already she could feel the iron hand beneath the velvet glove, -already she descried the touch of cruelty beneath his gayest smile, the -echo of tyranny beneath his fondest caress. - -Alas, poor Olga! If the dawn of her marriage morning was marred by such -fore-bodings, what were its noontide and evening likely to prove? - -We may not follow her so far into the future; and even if we dared, it -were wisest to draw the curtain close about that ruined life, and not -seek to pry into its wretchedness. A woman scorned is of all beings the -most desolate, so Vladimir Mellikoff had said, little thinking that his -prophecy was one day to come true of his passionately-loved Olga. Let us -refrain from gazing on her in her hour of despair. - -There is no fairer woman to-day, in all Russia, than Olga Tolskoi; one -more envied and feared, nor one more hopeless and beyond hope. Like her -Imperial ancestress, she has forsaken the good for the evil; and, in -giving rein to the lower passions of her nature, has lost for ever the -power of repentance and contrition. She who once ruled supreme, is now -the neglected wife of a husband who is one in name only, and whose -indignities have long since reached the climax of insult. - -Ivor has risen higher and higher on the wave of success. He holds a -foremost place in the Imperial Councils, he is esteemed and feared in -the Chancellerie, bowed down to and fawned upon at Court. Only within -the privacy of his own household is his true character known; only there -does he lay aside the mask of hypocrisy, and let loose the passions of -cruelty and oppression; only there does he give rein to the bitter joke -and cutting mockery, which are all that remain of the once humble wooing -and suppliant entreaty. - -And Olga, knowing how he has deceived her, finding out too late by what -cunning subterfuge he turned suspicion upon Vladimir Mellikoff, and thus -won from her the only free gift a woman has to bestow--herself--hates -him, with an ever increasing hatred and loathing, that drives her to the -wildest deeds of imprudent folly. - -And so the baser nature within her triumphs, and the better nature dies; -crushed out by passions too consuming to bear contradiction. Alas, poor -Olga! So to her has come the lesson, that not even the fairest charms of -woman's beauty and purity can bind the constancy of one, who, knowing -his legal rights secure, scorns to keep them intact, and throws fidelity -to the winds in the indulgence of the moment. - -Well may the old despairing cry break from her in her splendour and -loneliness, as she thinks of the time when Vladimir loved her, and her -faith and trust in him were still unbroken: - -"_Eheu fugaces! Postume, Postume!_ Oh, for the days that are lost to me, -lost to me!" - - * * * * * - -Brilliant indeed was the scene within the Onyx Hall, of the Winter -Palace, on that New Year's night, the morning of which had seen the -completion of Ivor Tolskoi's highest hopes. The bride and her husband -were already far on their way towards those vast possessions on the Ural -frontier, of which Ivor was so justly proud; but the time-honoured -ceremonies of the festa were no less gay and joyous because shorn of -Olga's fair presence. - -The great Onyx Hall was filled with guests, awaiting the magic signal, -gathered together in groups, chatting, laughing, intriguing, while ever -nearer and nearer the hands on the dial of the large gold incrusted -clock, standing at one end of the apartment, crept on to the hour of -midnight. Suddenly a single stroke from the great bells of Isaac's -Church, rang out, and a hush fell upon the waiting assembly; the clock -chimed deep and full--twelve slow notes, whose dying echoes were caught -up and thundered back by twelve salutes from the guns of Petropavlovsk, -broken here and there by the triumphant strains, "How glorious is our -Lord in Zion!" And as these died away the cathedral chimes broke forth -in resonant glad music. - -Simultaneously the folding doors at the top of the great hall were -thrown open, and the Tsar entered, with the Empress leaning on his arm, -and followed by the Imperial family. Passing down between the double -lines of the Preobrashensky Grenadiers, and the Semenoffskoie Guards, -drawn up on either side, his Majesty walked up to the chief actor in -this brilliant pageant, and, halting before the tiny figure of the -smallest cadet in the Russian army, dressed in the historical uniform of -the Emperor Paul's Grenadiers, bent down over the mimic warrior and -bestowed upon him the kiss of peace. - -At this mark of kindly condescension the trumpets burst forth in a grand -flourish, the bands struck up the spirited national air, and all the -guests cried out with one accord: - -"Many years to the Tsar! Health we wish your Imperial Majesty!" - -And thus the first day of the New Year sinks to rest, crowned by the old -but ever fresh benison, "Peace on earth, to men of good will." - -With the departure of their Majesties the tongues of the guests were -once more let loose, and the little Countess Vera, flitting across the -wide hall, stops long enough beside the grave keen-eyed State minister, -who in the guise of an elephant had graced her costume ball, to say, in -a half whisper, and with a mocking smile: - -"Well, monsieur, and were you present at the famous marriage function -this morning? Was ever man so lucky as _ce cher_ Ivor?--if it be luck to -win so cold and cheerless a bride as Olga Naundorff. For my part, I -could think of no one save that unfortunate Vladimir, whose shrift I -hear is to be short enough. No trial for him, poor soul! He has played -his game but ill, and we know, monsieur, you and I, what fate awaits one -who has played to win for the Chancellerie and--lost. It's a dreary -march to Siberia, even in the best of company; what must it be then when -one's companion is a murderer by confession? _Hélas_, poor Vladimir, you -should not have failed; for to failure Patouchki is implacable, and for -failure Russia can punish silently and surely. And so ends the farce, -monsieur, or was it tragedy? But let me whisper one word--let him laugh -loudest who wins last. There are evil days in store for Ivor, or I am no -true prophet; and for his bride? Bah! she will get but what she -deserves; I will leave her fate in the hands of the gods, whose mills, -we are told, 'grind slowly, but with justice grind they all.' And, after -all, her beauty will not last. _Sans adieu, monsieur, à tantôt._" - -Then with another laugh the little Countess flew away, and was lost in -the undulations of the crowd. - - * * * * * - -A second day's journey had begun for Ivor and his bride; the afternoon -was already closing down upon them, as they halted at a small post-house -where a relay of fresh horses awaited them. Ivor sprang out, glad to -exercise his cramped limbs and light a cigarette; but Olga remained -within the sleigh, buried in her costly wraps of fur. - -There was some little delay, and as she sat alone, half lost in a -retrospective dream, she was suddenly aroused by the dull clank of arms -and the regular tread of marching feet. Leaning forward she looked out, -and saw coming towards her a party of men and women, who trod wearily, -with downcast heads, and hopeless hanging hands, and whose every step -was accompanied by the monotonous clank of steel chains. As she gazed -upon them she realised their situation and their destiny. They were -Russian criminals, arrested by Russian law, on their way to Siberia and -the mines. - -Instinctively she drew back, shivering; as she did so the foremost -detachment of prisoners came into line with her sleigh. At that moment a -halt was called, to enable the officers in charge to refresh themselves -at the bar of the post-house. - -Once more Olga leant forward; her heart beat rapidly, her breath came -quick and short, she clasped her hands together passionately, and as her -white face gleamed out from the heavy sables surrounding it, one of the -prisoners, he who was nearest to her, lifted his head, and thrust back -as well as he could with his manacled hand, the peaked hat that shaded -his forehead. - -As he did so he turned his head slowly towards her, and in the dark -haggard face, the burning feverish eyes, Olga beheld the countenance of -Vladimir Mellikoff! - -Fascinated, she gazed upon it, her own face blanched, her eyes wild with -horror. She tried to speak, to call out, to break the cruel band of -silence that held her as in a vice. It was useless. No words would come, -no sound, no cry. - -And as she thus looked upon him, a sudden light of recognition sprang to -life within his eyes. He bent forward, holding her gaze with his; -studying each curve and line of that fair, beautiful countenance, noting -each golden curl where the hair lay about her neck and upon her brow, -reading each fleeting expression of the proud lips, and deep blue eyes. -And as he thus held her spell-bound, a smile passed over his worn face, -a smile so pitying and accusing that Olga shuddered and drew closer her -rich wraps, as if to ward off the cruelty of its tenderness. - -For full a moment they looked thus upon one another, without word or -gesture of recognition. Then the order came for the march to recommence, -and Vladimir, with a single upward movement of his manacled hand, bade -her an immutable farewell. - -As he did so the figure next to him was drawn forward by the heavy -chain that linked them together, and thus turned upon her companion in -exile a face so beautiful, despite the marks passion and suffering had -stamped upon it, that again Olga started, and drew back instinctively. - -It was the face of Adèle Lamien, the murderer of Count Stevan Lallovich. - -In another moment the exiles were in full march, and Olga, straining her -eyes to the utmost, could see nothing save an indistinct moving mass -against the miles of far-stretching snow; which even as she watched was -lost in the evening shadows that crept up with silent but resistless -steps. - -It was a farewell from out eternity. - -Truly Ivor Tolskoi's vengeance was complete, when Patouchki's cruel -sentence was carried out to the letter, and Vladimir Mellikoff, linked -to Adèle Lallovich, passed onward to that desolate Gehenna--Siberian -exile. - -For Russia never forgets, and Russia never forgives. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -AFTER TEN YEARS. - - -It was a golden day in the golden month of October, when Philip Tremain -stepped down from the railway train, and stood, a solitary traveller, -upon the platform of the open station at Beetons, high up among the -rolling "white hills" of New Hampshire. - -An open waggon, drawn by four sturdy mountain ponies, was in waiting -beside the rustic platform, and into this he sprang; the driver cracked -his long whip, accompanying it by a shrill whistle, and off the willing -little creatures started. - -Up the steep winding roads and down again they went at a swift, even -gallop, while Mr. Tremain, with a sudden recollection of Mrs. Newbold's -park ponies and irreproachable basket phaeton, laughed aloud at the -dissimilarity between them and his present primitive conveyance, and at -the contrast of the solemn hills, and long wooded slopes, with the -suburban and ornamental prettiness that environed the Folly. - -All before him stretched the grand White Mountain range, from -Jefferson's and Madison's verdure-tipped sides, to Washington's rocky -cliffs and snow-crowned peak. On every side the richest glory prevailed; -scarlet and crimson of the sugar maple, gold and amber of beech and -birch, russet brown of oak, and sombre green of hemlock. A keen -pine-scented breeze swept past him, swaying the tall golden-rod and blue -asters, and shaking out the bitter-sweet perfume from the purple gentian -where it grew far up the mountain side. - -The road wound on, up and up, growing steeper and steeper with each -mile, fringed on either side by tall ferns, grasses, and brown bracken, -and starred with late yellow-and-white ox-eyed daisies. To his right the -steep mountains rose far above his head, to his left the beautiful "wild -Ammonoouc" leapt from stone to stone, and dashed into rivulets against -the lichen-covered boulders, breaking over them in creamy foam. - -Once Philip bade his charioteer stop, and climbing down over the -high-sided vehicle, he gathered a nosegay of the wild, white daisies, -adding a maple and beech leaf as a set-off to the pure petals. Then, -with a smile upon his lips, he took his place beside the taciturn Jehu, -and on they went again, with the same long swinging gallop. - -As the last roseate glow of sunshine was lighting up the western -heavens, and the great Phoebus was sinking to rest in the arms of grey -and violet clouds, they came upon a long low house, built far out on a -projecting spur of rock, which seemed to hang 'twixt earth and sky, and -looked as if a stiff north-easter would make short work of its walls -and foundations. This house was painted a dull venetian red, and was -covered with creepers and wild vines, and brilliant with rows of scarlet -geraniums marking each casement. - -It glowed like some bird of tropical plumage, alighted suddenly upon the -cooler neutral tints of this northern land. - -And this was the home of Patricia Hildreth. - -Door and window stood open wide, and Philip's impatient feet carried him -over the threshold into the dainty atmosphere of Patricia's -drawing-room. And what a paradise it was to his hungry eyes! And how -redolent of her! - -Flowers, birds, books, an open piano, and through the windows such a -view of mountain towering above mountain, all transfigured and -etherealised by the magic touch of the dying sun-god. Ah, it was good to -be here, it was good to breathe this free, keen air; it was good to -stand within her home, to think how soon, how very soon, he should look -upon her face, and read within her deep blue eyes the secret hidden -there for ten long years. - -The sunlight blinded him, the birds' song dulled his hearing, the -perfume of the flowers steeped his senses; he was lost in a day-dream of -ecstatic bliss. - -And did he still dream, or was this reality? This graceful, bending -figure, whose hands flashed in and out among the piano's ivory keys, -awaking the music of a plaintive strain, that, as it grew into melody, -became so strangely familiar? - -It was no surprise to hear it, and still less was it a surprise to find -the melody take shape in words, falling across the refrain, half -chanted, half spoken as they were. - - "I am a woman, - Therefore I may not - Call to him, cry to him, - Bid him delay not. - Showing no sign to him, - By look of mine to him, - What he has been to me. - Pity me, lean to me, - Philip, my king!" - -"Patty, my little Patty! Oh, my darling, I have found you at last, I -shall never let you go from me again." - -"And have you forgiven me, Philip?" she asked, some long minutes after. -"Have you forgiven me my selfishness, and wilfulness, and deception? I -sometimes think I can never forgive myself." - -He framed the beautiful face in both his hands, and feasted his eyes -upon it. - -"Forgive you, my darling! Forgiveness is not necessary between us now. -We have found our love, Patty, after ten long years of loss; thank God, -my darling, we have not found it too late." - -And to them both it seemed, that a little of the joy and beatitude of -heaven had come down to them on the golden sunset clouds. - -"And so it was you, Patty," Philip says again, "who sang that very song -that evening--how long ago it seems, dear--at the Folly; and it was your -presence and your personality that influenced me so strongly, that drew -me to you as Adèle Lamien, and yet that perplexed and troubled and -almost frightened me?" - -"Yes, Philip, it was I," she answered. "And, do you know, through all my -trickery and deceiving, it gave me keen delight to see how truly you did -love me; for, after all, Philip, even as Adèle Lamien, when I won your -half avowal of love, I was scarcely treacherous, because it could be no -treachery for Patty, to win you from--Patricia Hildreth." - -It was specious reasoning mayhap, but it served. - -It was Miss Hildreth's old mocking laugh that next broke the silence, -and Miss Hildreth's most tantalising voice that said: - -"Ah, but Philip, there is one thing more that lies between us. Do you -remember a certain evening ten years ago, when an angry lover parted -from his fickle sweetheart? And do you remember his words when she -begged for one little good-bye token? 'When I can think of you, look at -you, speak of you as other men do; when all my love is dead; ask me -then, Patricia.'" - -"And do you ask me?" he cried, a little of the old masterful ring in his -voice. "Nay, Patty, do not ask me, for that supposes it possible for me -to refuse you. My dearest, let me rather plead from you." - -And there was that within her eyes that gave him leave to gather her -close into his arms, and bending down to lay his lips on hers. - -And so, after ten years, the kiss was given and taken. - - -THE END. - - * * * * * - -CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Miss Hildreth, Volume 3 of 3, by -Augusta de Grasse Stevens - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISS HILDRETH, VOLUME 3 OF 3 *** - -***** This file should be named 40433-8.txt or 40433-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/4/3/40433/ - -Produced by Robert Cicconetti and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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