In a meagrely furnished sitting-room on the top floor of one of the dingiest houses in this mean street, a young man sat gazing moodily into the fire. He was of foreign appearance, about twenty-six years of age-- tall, dark, and rather good-looking. His negligence of attire gave him a dash of the genial good-for-nothing, yet his pale face wore a grave, thoughtful expression, as his chin rested upon his hand in an utterly dejected att.i.tude.
Beside him, with her hand placed tenderly upon his shoulder, stood a tall, fair-haired woman several years his junior. She was eminently beautiful, with delicately-moulded features and soft grey eyes that betrayed an intense anxiety. It was evident that she was not an inhabitant of that dismal quarter, for the hat she wore was of the latest French mode, her cloak, which had fallen unheeded to the floor, was heavily lined with sable, while upon her hand were several fine rings, that gleamed and sparkled in the feeble rays of the solitary candle.
"But, Paul, why cannot you remain? Here in London you are safe," she argued, speaking in French, and bending over him with earnestness.
"Impossible," he replied, shaking his head gloomily. "It is unsafe to stay here. I must start for America to-morrow."
"And leave me?" she cried. "No, no; we must not part. You know how madly I love you;" and she smoothed his hair tenderly.
"Ah, Adine," he sighed, "Heaven knows, mine will be a bitter sorrow!"
Taking her hand, he raised it reverently to his lips. In the silence that followed, the bells of a neighbouring church chimed slowly.
"Seven o"clock!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I must go at once, for I have invited some people to dine at the hotel. Come now, promise me you will not leave London. You are quite safe here, in this place. Besides, what have you to fear?"
"The police are searching all over Europe for me."
"Do not be discouraged--we shall baffle them yet. I shall return to-morrow afternoon at four, when we can discuss matters further. Be cheerful for my sake, Paul;" and she bent and kissed him.
"Ah, Adine, you are my only friend," he said brokenly. "I am tired of being hunted from place to place, and have been thinking that away in Mexico or Argentina I might be safe."
"But you are not going. We shall not part," she said decisively.
As she spoke, she picked up her cloak and wrapped it about her. Then, shaking hands with him, and lingering for a moment in his embrace, while he kissed her pa.s.sionately, she opened the door and pa.s.sed down the rickety stairs to the street.
Paul Denissoff did not offer to accompany her, but stood listening to her retreating footsteps, afterwards sighing heavily and flinging himself back again into his chair, where he sat staring aimlessly at the meagre fire.
It was nearly midnight. In a cozy and well-furnished private room at the Savoy Hotel, Adine, whose guests had departed, was sitting alone with her slippered feet upon the fender, reading. She had exchanged her dinner-dress for a loose gown of pearl-grey silk, and her hair, unbound, fell in rich profusion about her shoulders. Presently her French maid entered noiselessly, and asked--
"Will mademoiselle require anything more?"
"No, not to-night, Ninette," she replied, glancing up from her novel.
"_Bon soir_, madame," exclaimed the girl, and withdrew.
When she had gone, Adine took a cigarette from her silver case, and, lighting it, lay back in her chair in a lazy, contemplative att.i.tude, watching the blue smoke curl upward. For nearly half an hour she sat engrossed in her own thoughts, when suddenly the door was thrown open.
Turning, she saw a middle-aged, well-dressed man, wearing the conventional silk hat and overcoat.
"Colonel Solovieff!" she gasped, jumping to her feet.
"Yes," said the intruder coolly, as he closed the door and turned the key. "I have the honour to bear that name. And you? I need not ask, Madame Adine Orlovski, subject of my Imperial master, the Tzar."
Pale, trembling, and with teeth clenched, she felt in the pocket of her dress, and drew forth something bright and shining. It was a small revolver.
"No, no," exclaimed the colonel, laying his hand upon her arm. "Put away that toy. Remember that I am chief of the English Section of Secret Police, and to shoot me will not be a profitable pastime. I shall not harm _you_."
"Why do you intrude here, at this hour?" she asked indignantly.
"I come--as your friend."
"My friend! _Dieu_! Can you believe that I have forgotten the insult you offered me when we last met? My friend!--you, the chief of the Tzar"s spies!" she cried angrily.
"And you, Nihilist and a.s.sa.s.sin, eh?" added the other, with a sinister grin. "Well, well, _ma belle_, we will not speak of such gruesome subjects as the murder of your husband in Petersburg a year ago."
"My husband?" she gasped. "Have you discovered who murdered him?"
"Ah! then you do not forget the facts? Neither do I. He was found shot through the heart within a hundred yards of his house in the Vosnosenskoi Prospekt. The Third Section of Imperial Police have not been idle, and as a result of their inquiries, a warrant has been issued."
"For whom?"
"For the arrest of the woman who chooses to call herself Adine Orlovski, on a charge of murdering her husband."
"Me?" she cried. "Such imputations are infamous!"
"Pray, don"t be alarmed," continued the colonel, speaking in Russian, and taking a cigarette from the case that lay open on the table. He seated himself, and calmly lit it, saying, "Sit down; I wish to talk to you."
Breathless with anxiety, she sank into the nearest chair.
"You see," he began, "it is impossible to escape us. Our agents are everywhere. Outside the hotel at this moment are three officers ready to arrest you--"
"They shall not. I"d--I"d rather kill myself."
"Very well. You have the means; do so," he said, with a brutal laugh.
"Ah!" cried the unhappy woman. "You, the chief of the Tzar"s bloodhounds, have tracked me here, and I know that, although I am innocent, it is useless for me to expect or plead for mercy."
"Yes, madame, the warrant from the Ministry of the Interior enables me to hand you over to the English police. When you are charged before the magistrate to-morrow morning, I shall apply for your extradition. That will be your first stage upon that long, straight road which leads to Siberia. Your _dossier_ at the bureau is complete. Listen; I will relate the details of your crime--"
"No, no! I do not wish to hear," she said, covering her face with her hands. "I am innocent. I admit that I quarrelled with my husband, but I had no thought of such a horrible deed."
"You confess to the quarrel? Good! Now we may advance a step further,"
said the colonel, stretching out his legs and contemplating the end of his cigarette. "I have also discovered that you know something about the recent attempt at the Winter Palace--in fact, I have indisputable proof that you are a Nihilist."
"Ah! I understand now the depth of your villainy," she said, with fierce indignation. "The charge of murder is brought against me in order that I may be extradited to Russia and tried as a Nihilist! It is another of your devilish schemes."
"You are shrewd," observed the chief of Secret Police, with a grim smile. "But I ought to indicate that I require to know more of the plans of that highly interesting circle of gentlemen who comprise the Revolutionary Executive Committee; and you are the person to furnish it."
"How can I, when I am not a member of the organisation?"
"To prevaricate is useless. It is only by consenting to become an agent of the Third Section that you can escape arrest and punishment," he said slowly.
"A police agent?" she gasped. "It would mean death!"
"Ah!--so you _are_ a Revolutionist! I was not mistaken. Very well, I put it plainer. Either you will enter our service, and, while retaining your connection with the Nihilist Circle at Petersburg, disclose their secrets, or I shall execute the warrant. Remember, the Ministry of Police are liberal, and you will be well paid for your information."
Adine was silent. This man was her enemy, and she saw the deeply-laid plot to secure her conviction and exile to Siberia. The allegations against her of promoting the Nihilist propaganda and taking part in conspiracies were true, and she well knew how easily they could be proved. She had been an active agent in a recent attempt to wreck the Tzar"s palace, the discovery of which plot had caused Paul Denissoff"s flight from Russia. But, on the other hand, she remembered that with members of the Circle treachery was punishable by death.