"The new League is striving to preserve peace and to save the innocent.
Here in the country its members are pledged first to endeavor to improve the condition of the peasants, to teach them to be peaceable, self-supporting, and self-respecting,--a hard, well-nigh hopeless task, since in that, as in all other attempts at reform, one has to work in defiance of the Government."
"Well, from what I"ve heard--and seen--during the last part of my journey, you"ve managed to do a good deal in that way, sir," I suggested respectfully.
"It is little enough. I have worked under sufferance, and, as it were, with both hands tied," he said sadly. "If I had been any other, I should have been sent to Siberia long ago. It is the mere accident of birth that has saved me so far. But as to the League. The present plan of campaign is, roughly speaking, to prevent riots and bloodshed. If news is gained of an intended raid on an isolated country-house, or, what is more frequent, on a Jews" quarter, a warning is sent to those threatened, and if possible a defence arranged. Even from here I have been able to a.s.sist a little in such matters." Again his eyes gleamed with that swift flash of mirth, though he continued his grave speech.
"More than one catastrophe has been averted already, but the distances are so great; often one hears only of the affairs after they are over.
"That will be part of your work. To bring news as you gather it,--the Pavloffs will help you there,--and to accompany me when I choose to elude my jailers for a few hours; perhaps to go in my stead, if it should be impossible for me to get away. I know what you can do when it comes to a fight! Well, this is the "sport" I offered you! Do you care to go in for it? If not--"
"You know I care!" I exclaimed, half indignantly; and on that we gripped hands.
We talked for a good while longer. He gave me much information that I need not set down here, and we spoke often of Anne. He seemed much interested in my cousin, Mary Cayley,--naturally, as she was Anne"s friend and hostess,--and seemed somehow relieved when I said Mary was still in complete ignorance of all that had happened and was happening.
"I should like to meet your charming cousin; but that will never be, I fear; though perhaps--who knows?--she and her friend may yet be reunited," he said, rousing himself with a sigh and a shiver.
I slept late when I did get to bed, and was awakened at last by Nicolai, who had breakfast ready, and informed me that Mishka was in readiness to escort me to his father"s house.
For a time life went smoothly enough. I was out and about all day with the Pavloffs, superintending the trial of the new farming machines and the distribution of the implements. During the first day or two Grodwitz or one of the other officers always accompanied me, ostensibly as an act of courtesy towards a stranger,--really, as I well understood, to watch me; and therefore I was fully on my guard. They relaxed their vigilance all the sooner, I think, because, in my pretended ignorance of Russian, I blandly endeavored to press them into service as interpreters, which they found pretty extensively boring.
They treated me quite _en bon camarade_; though even at dinner, and when we were playing cards at night, one or other of them was continually trying to "draw" me, and I had to be constantly on the alert. I had no further public audience with the Duke, though he came to my room several times by the secret stair.
But one evening, as Mishka and I rode towards the castle, a pebble shot from a clump of bushes near at hand, and struck his boot. With a grunt he reined up, and, without glancing in the direction whence the missile came, dismounted and pretended to examine one of the horse"s feet. But I saw a fur cap, and then a face peering from among the bushes for an instant, and recognized Yossof the Jew. Another missile fell at Mishka"s feet,--a small packet in a dark wrapping. He picked it up, thrust it in his pocket, swung into the saddle, and we were off on the instant.
All he condescended to say was:
"See that you are alone in the hour before dinner. There may be work to do."
I took the hint, and as usual dispensed with Nicolai"s proffered services. Within half an hour the bookcase swung back and the Duke entered quickly; his face was sternly exultant, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Dine well, my friend, but retire early; make what excuse you like, but be here by ten at the latest. You will manage that well, if you do not attend the reception," he exclaimed. "We ride from Zostrov to-night; perhaps forever! The great game has begun at last,--the game of life and death!"
CHAPTER x.x.xIX
THE FLIGHT FROM ZOSTROV
At dinner I heard that the Grand Duke was indisposed, and was dining alone, instead, as usual, with the Count Stravensky, Commandant of the Castle--by courtesy the chief member of his suite, but in reality his custodian--and two or three other officers of high birth, who, with their wives, formed as it were, the inner circle of this small Court in the wilderness. There were a good many ladies in residence,--the great castle was like a world in little,--but I scarcely saw any of them, as I preferred to keep to the safe seclusion of the officers" mess, when I was not in my own room; and there was, of course, no lack of bachelors much more attractive than myself. I gathered from Grodwitz and others that they managed to enliven their exile with plenty of flirtations,--and squabbles.
On this evening the Countess Stravensky was holding a reception in her apartments, with dancing and music; and all my usual after-dinner companions were attending it.
"Better come, _mon ami_," urged Grodwitz. "You are not invited?
Nonsense; I tell you it is an informal affair, and it is quite time you were presented to the Countess."
"I"d feel like a fish out of water," I protested. "I"m not used to smart society."
"Smart! _Ma foi_, there is not much smartness about us in this deadly hole! But have it your own way. You are as austere as our Grand Duke himself; though you have not his excuse!" he retorted, laughing.
"What excuse?"
"You have not heard?" he asked quizzically; and rattled out a version of the gossip that was rife concerning Anne and Loris.
"The charitable declare that there is a morganatic marriage," he a.s.serted. "They are probably right; for, I give you my word, he is a sentimental fool, our good Loris. _Voila_, a bit of treason for the ears of your friend Mishka, _hein_?"
"I don"t quite understand you, Colonel Grodwitz," I said quietly, looking at him very straight. "If you think I"m in the habit of gossiping with Mishka Pavloff or any other servant here, you"re very much mistaken."
"A thousand pardons, my dear fellow; I was merely joking," he a.s.sured me; but I guessed he had made one more attempt to "draw" me,--the last.
As I went up to my room I heard the haunting strains of a Hungarian dance from the Stravensky suite, situated on the first floor in the left wing leading from the great hall, while the Duke"s apartments were in the right wing.
Mishka entered immediately after I had locked the door.
"Get your money and anything else you value and can carry on you," he grunted. "You will not return here. And get into this."
"This" was the uniform of a cavalry officer; and I must say I looked smart in it.
Mishka gathered up my discarded clothes, and stowed them in the wardrobe.
"Unlock the door; Nicolai will come presently and will think you are still below," he said. "And follow me; have a care, pull the door to--so."
I closed the secret opening and went down the narrow stairway, steep almost as a ladder, By the dim light of the small lantern Mishka carried, I saw the door leading to the Duke"s rooms. We did not enter there, as I expected, but kept on till I guessed we must about have got down to the bowels of the earth. Then came a tremendously long and narrow pa.s.sage, damp and musty smelling; at the end of it a flight of steep steps leading up to what looked like a solid stone wall. Mishka motioned me to wait, extinguished the lantern, and I heard him feeling about in the pitch darkness for a few seconds. Then, with scarcely a sound, the masonry swung back, and I saw a patch of dark sky jewelled with stars, and felt the keen night wind on my face. I pa.s.sed out, waited in silence while he closed the exit again, and kept beside him as he walked rapidly away. I glanced back once, and saw beyond the great wall, the castle itself, and the lights gleaming from many windows, while from the further wing came still the sound of the music.
We appeared to be making for the road that led to Pavloff"s house, where I guessed we might be going, but I asked no questions. Mishka would speak when necessary,--not otherwise. We pa.s.sed through a belt of pine trees on to the rough road; and there, more heard than seen in the darkness, we came on two hors.e.m.e.n, each with a led horse.
"That you, Wynn?" said a low voice--the Duke"s. "You are in good time.
This is your horse; mount and let us get on."
We started at a steady pace, not by the road, but across country, and for three versts or more we rode in absolute silence, the Duke and I in advance, Mishka and his father close behind.
"Well, I told you I could get away when I wished to," said Loris at last. "And this time I shall not return. You are a good disciplinarian, my friend! You have come without one question! For the present we are bound for Zizcsky, where she probably awaits us. There may be trouble there; we have word that a _pogrom_ is planned; and we may be in time to save some. The Jews are so helpless. They have lived in fear, and under sufferance for so long, that it is difficult to rouse them even to defend themselves,--out here, anyhow. In Warsaw and Minsk, and the larger towns within the pale, it is different, and, when the time comes, some among them at least will make a good fight of it!"
"We may find that the alarm was false, and things are quiet. If so,--good; we ride on to Count Va.s.silitzi"s house some versts further.
He is Anna"s cousin and she will be there to-morrow if she is not in Zizcsky; and there we shall decide on our movements.
"I said that the game begins,--and this is it. Perhaps to-morrow,--or maybe a week or a month hence, for the train is laid and a chance spark might fire it prematurely,--a great strike will commence. All has been carefully planned. When the moment comes, the revolutionists will issue a manifesto demanding a Const.i.tution, and that will be the signal for all workers, in every city and town of importance, to go on strike; including the post and telegraph operatives, and the railway men. It will, in effect, be a declaration of civil war; and G.o.d alone knows what the upshot will be! There will be much fighting, much violence; that is inevitable. The people are sanguine of success, for many of the soldiers and sailors are with them; but they do not realize--none of the lower cla.s.ses can realize--how strong a weapon the iron hand of the bureaucracy wields, in the army and, yes, even in the remnant of the navy. Supposing one-tenth of the forces mutiny, and fight on the side of the people, or even stand neutral,--and I do not think we can count on a tenth,--there will still be nine-tenths to reckon with. Our part will be, in a way, that of guerillas. We go to Warsaw, the headquarters of our branch of the League. We shall act partly as Anna"s guards. She does not know that; she herself is utterly reckless of danger, but I have determined to protect her as far as possible, as you also are determined, eh, _mon ami_? Also we shall give aid where we can, endeavor to prevent unnecessary violence, and save those who are unable to defend themselves. That, in outline, is the program; we must fill in the details from one moment to the next, as occasion serves. I gather my little band as I go," he continued, speaking, like a true son of the saddle, in an even, deliberate voice that sounded distinct over the monotonous thud of the horses" hoofs. "Yossof has carried word, and the first recruits await us outside the village yonder. They are all picked men, members of the League; some have served in the army, and--"
From far in our rear came a dull, sinister roar, followed by a kind of vibration of the ground under our feet, like a slight shock of earthquake.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "_My G.o.d, how they hate me!" I heard Loris say softly._ Page 259]
We pulled up, all four of us, and, turning in our saddles, looked back.
We were nearing the verge of the great undulating plain, and the village from whence in daylight the first view of the castle, some eight versts distant, was obtained. Even now the long range of lights from the left wing could be seen distinctly, like a galaxy of stars near the horizon, but from the right wing, where the Duke"s apartments were, shone a faint reddish glow, which, as we looked, increased rapidly, revealing clouds of black smoke.
"An explosion," grunted Mishka. "Some one has wrecked the state apartments, and they are afire. There will be a big blaze. If you had been there,--well, we are all well out of it!"
He rode on with his father; but Loris and I remained as if spellbound for a minute or more, staring at the grim light that waxed brighter every instant, till we could actually see the flames darting through the window s.p.a.ces and up the outer walls. The place was already a raging furnace.