rm
iJL
HE following paragraph Is taken from a
paper In a large, western city and properly
opens this tale ktt mystery:
"The police of the Second precinct cam
upon a strange cas of suicide In the room
ing house district of the north side last
night, Wllingham Constance, an old Eng
lishman who lived alone in a little room
on Atlantic street its found dead on his bed, a knife
burled to the hilt In his breast. Evidently, after hav
ing stabbed himself, the suicide, fearful lest some In
nocent person be suspected and punished for his death,
had dipped the forefinger of his right hand In his own
blood and had written on the bed cover. In a weak,
scrawling hand: Wlllngham Constance killed me.' Ths
uo of his formal name under such circumstances the
police believe was due to the delirium which seized him
as death approached. The authorities took charge of
the body as It is not known that he had any relatives
or acquaintances."
This was also the view of the matter that the coro
ner's Jury took. A verdict of suicide was returned. But
both the police and the Jury were In the wrong, for it
was no case of suicide that occurred on that night, and
It was not Wlllngham Constance who died there on the
bed. Hore is the true story In full:
Wlllngham Constance was a doomed man. The Bona
of Freedom at their headquarters In Whltechnpel, Lon
don, had decided his fate moro than a year before. In
common with other anarchistic societies the Sons of
Freedom had many dark and grewsome secrets hidden
among them, and once a man had entered their Iniqui
tous fold and had gained their confidence, he was In a
jioRitlon to send several men to the gallows and a score
more to prison. Of course the man who took advantage
of his knowledge of these secrets and turned them over
to the authorities risked his life every minute, for the
society had only one code of punishment for those who
played the. spy on It death.
And this In what Wlllngham Constance had done. He
had played the spy and played It so successfully that
the anarchists had sentenced him to die. Constance
was a younger son, and as so often Is the case with
younger sons In England, he had gone astray. Possibly
he was not bad at heart to bogjn .with, but years of
roaming around the world, and living by his wits, had
made him thoroughly bad and careless of life and honor.
At first he cheated at cards when playing with friends.
For this he was ostracized ahd went out Into the world,
first to Australia, later to America, and still later to
the capitals of continental Europe where there are al
ways fat pickings for unscrupulous blackguards who
have the polish and manners of a gentleman. He had
killed a fellow gambler In Australia, helped rob and
murder a miner In one of the western statesand he had
gone to Brussels to hide and to make a living In his
usual manner. There It was that he had come Into con
tact with the anarchists, and then the Idea of entering
their society, securing possession of their secrets, and
Imparting the Information to the police, who were al
ways glad to secure and pay for such stuff, was con
ceived In Constance's mind. He needed the money badly,
and the work was much akin to other work which he had
done, for, although he was a thorough blackguard, the
man was Imbued with a courage that would have made
his name famous had he applied It to fighting In one of
his country's regiments. A few weeks after his advent
In Brussels he became one of the anarchists.
In a cheap cafe In one of the most vicious quarter of
the city the society was accustomed to hold Its meetings
and It was here that Constance was taken into the fold,
after having worn to all the oaths In the society's code
of Initiation. After ttils he was a blood brother and
qualified tp sit In the councils and listen to the Inner
most secrets of the past, present, and future.
In this manner he soon became Invaluable to the
Brussels police. His Inner knowledge of the workings of
the society soon enabled the authorities to begin a cru
sade which resulted In the arrest of the most notorious
anarchists In Europe, men Who had fled from other
countries and were hiding In Brussels. So consistent
were these arrest that the society oon began to sus
pect It had a traitor In Its midst. Naturally they
began to watch Constance, ha being the latest addition
to their ranks, and It was not long before they dis
covered that It was he who was betraying their brethren
to the hated police. The discovery spelled death for
Constance. One night as he entered the cafe he saw
that the members of the society were all there before
him. He knew that he was discovered when they rose
as one man, and with clenched fists hurled at him the
words: "The spy kill him!"
Constance, ever ready for an emergency, stepped back
and drew a revolver. A man behind him knocked tht
revolver from his hands and he stood forth, unarmed
and helpless, before hi accusers. He protested vigor
ously that he was Innocent, that It was aomeone else who
wa revealing the society's secrets, but the rest merely
laughed at him. They had tried him and they knew.
Constance had faced death before, and now he faced It
he Governor's
i.
APT. PAUL PETROVITCH had sent in hi
CI name to the governor' wife, and the
I servant had returned to say that madame
I regretted she could not see him she wa
suffering from headache.
" But It I of the utmost importance
I should see her," he explained. " I bring;
an urgent message from the governor
to be delivered to madame only. You will tell your
mistress that at once."
Left alone again, he laughed softly.
"She play the game well," he thought And he
told himself that no woman could help loving; him.
He crossed to the glass to admire his handsome face
at closer view, then turned as his ear caught the
sound of light footfall approaching.
" Madame will see you. sir," tue servant said, hold
ing open the door.
She announced him, closed the door, and descended.
The next Instant the governor' wife wa folded in hi
strong embrace, and her arm were clasped about hi
neck. N
"I am so glad you have come, Paul!" the woman
murmured. "I began to fear you would not"
Greater haste might have been Indiscreet, my dear
est Hortense," he answered. " My heart, you know, I
ever here." And he kissed her softly.
"You saw the brute safely off?" she asked.
"He la an hour on hi Journey now."
"And, pray heaven, he never will return!" the
woman cried passionately. "I hate hlra hate him!
You will keep your word, Paul? You will rid me of
this man?" v
"It 1 the only thing I live for; the only thing I
think of nightly," he assured her. "For I love you.
Hortense, darling, and I want you!"
"My own dear Paul!" Her voice was soft and
caressing. "No, no" he sought to Imprison her in
his arm "not now; be patient There la little time,
for your visit If too prolonged, may arouse suspicion;
and I hav much to tell you." She spoke quickly,
feverishly. "Now, sit down and Lien, Paul. I hav
schemed out my freedom and our happiness. All that
I have thought out and planned has been done because
of th love I have for you, dear Paul, you whom I love
with all my heart and soul."
He sat down opposite her. The love light had died
out of her eyes they were filled with a biasing hate;
the aoft smile had vanished from her lips, they were
set In a hard, thin line.
"Immediately Kremeloff returns," she began, lean
ing forward and speaking in low, hard tones. "I shall
leave for Paris. I shall receive a telegram that my
mother Is seriously 111. I hav arranged for this; it
will be my excuse to get away.
" Before I go I shall pack all my Jewels In the
Jewel case, and leave It In the safe, of which I shall
give you the key. To take them with me might excite
suspicion. Three days after I arrive there I shall send
a telegram saying my mother has died, and It will be
necessary for me to remain at least a week.
"Thus he will have no suspicion. I will send you
a telegram at the same time, so that you will know
at what hour the messag for him arrives. Following
this you must time your movements to At his. When
you are sure he la at home you will call and aee him,
and remain therein hour.
" You will bring with you. Paul, a (mall box,
which I shall give you ere I leave. You will press a
button In Its lid as you mount the stairs, and place it
yjL 1 4 JL1 c- - siaS
i 1. f : ; U?A .; .$ki
H I K . . t v i t
I J P V v.?.v;
f ft V7 t
without a tremor. He threw out hi arm and told them
to stick their knives Into hi heart and be don with it
A he stood thus someone felled him from behind with
a blackjack and he fell to the floor. But Constance had
eessss
tn the dark recess. You will see Kremeloff, speak
with him for a few moments, refuse to play cards, beg;
him to excuse you, and take your leave. Go at once
to my safe, seoure the Jewel case, and leave the house.
"Now, hear me well, Paul" she laid emphasis on
every word "from the moment you press the button
you can remain in thla house but twenty minute In
Ava more Irksh will be without a governor, I shall be
a widow, and well, six months later you will leave the
army, r.nd I shall be your wife."
Paul had listened in dead silence as sentence by
sentence the plot wa unfolded to hi wondering ear
In silence and amazement But the cold, emotionless
manner of the woman a she condemned her husband
to death chilled his heart, and horror and fear of her
were mingled with his love.
"And that is all?" he asked, In a dry, hard voice,
when Hortense had finished.
She nodded.
"I there no way out but this?" he went on. "I
do not like it I hav been bad enough to betray the
truBt of the man who has done so much for me; I can't
murder him."
The woman's eye biased furiously.
"You coward! This, then, is the depth of your
love! I have thought and plotted, willing to risk all.
Have I not already risked enough In my love for you?
Were you to beseech me Ao stoop to further depths I
would willingly go; now you desert me! You are tired
of me, maybe?"
"No, no! I "
"Listen, Capt. Paul Petrovltch!" she commanded,
sternly. "You know how I can love. You -shall lsarn
how I can hate."
"No, no!" he cried again. "Do not speak so, Hor
tense, dearest I was weak. For the moment my con
science stabbed me. Forgive me, Hortense."
"That is more like you, Paul," she said, pressing
her cheek to his own. " Believe me, it I for love of
you alone I go so far. And there is nothing to fear;
failure is impossible, discovery beyond chance. Th
crime will be credited to our enemies. Kremeloff Is
the most hated man in lrksh, as he is the crueleat
You are not afraid, Paul?"
I swear it, dearest"
" Fall me and I shall hate you," she threatened.
"I shall return from Paris; I shall denounce you to
Kremeloff, and you know what that will mean."
"I swear I will not fall," Paul said again.
There came a gentle tap at the door. In an in
stant Hortense was seated at her escritoire, busy with
the pen. Capt Petrovltch stood humbly waiting at th
other end of the room.
" Enter!" madame commanded.
A servant brought in a card. Madame glanced at
It carelessly, and threw It aside. Then sealing; an
envelope she handed it to the waiting; officer.
"Have a courier sent at once with this," she di
rected. Then, as he bowed low and passed out, she
turned to the servant: "Show the count up," she said.
Alone, she Jumped lightly from her chair and
laughed aloud a hard, mirthless, vicious laugh.
"Fool! Fool! Paul Petrovltch!" she exclaimed.
"As If I could love such a man handsome, vain fool!
I could a soon love Kremeloff; he at least In a man
who knows his own' mind, bully though he Is. But
they are all the same, these Russians ardent lovers
at first, terrible bullies when their passion wanes, and
their heart grows as cold as their country."
The door opened, and she stepped forward, her face
wreathed In smile, both bands outstretched In welcome.
1 fL. .W
a thick skull and he wa not even unconscious a he lay
there; he wa shamming. So successfully did he sham
that the anarchists took up hi supposed corpse, carried
It to a nearby pond and cast It Into the water, congrat
ulating themselves upon the ease with which they had
got rid of such a dangerous meddler. Constance lay
with his nose projected behind the leave of a water
plant until they were gone. Then he pulled himself
out of the water, made his way back to the hotel.
changed, his clothes, and within an hour was on a tra'n
sssssseesses esssss&sssss essssssoooss osssssss
Revenge
"O, my dear count, what a delightful pleasure!"
"The pleasure is mine," he said gallantly, aloud.
A the door closed he said softly: "Things are going;
well, my love?"
" Beautifully!" was the answer. "The love smitten
youth has Just left You must have passed him on th
stairs. He knows my scheme by heart He has sworn
to carry It through, and I can trust him."
"That Is well," said the count, seating himself.
" It Is a clever scheme," Hortense said. They apok
now in French. " You must have a wonderful brain,
Alfred; I could never have conceived It."
" Simplicity Itself, Hortense," he said lightly.
" It Is a pity the same bomb could not also destroy
Capt Petrovltch," she said, regretfully. "It would
have been so much safer."
"But the diamonds, Hortense," the count reminded
her. "He is the only person who could secure them.
And after he has murdered Kremeloff, and you refuse
to marry him, what can he do? He dare not denounce
you cannot without condemning himself."
" You have the bomb ready? You are sure It will
not fail?" The count laughed.
"It never has failed yet," he replied. "When doe
the governor return?" .
"The day after tomorrow. I shall leave for Paris
the same evening. Ah, my dear Alfred, soon I can
call you mine!" And she placed one arm around hi
neck and kissed him.
II.
The governor of Irksh hardly had taken off his
greatcoat when hi young wife ran to meet him. Her
face wa pale, her eyes red rimmed from recent tears.
She held a telegram in her hand, and when she spoke
her voice shook.
"My mother 1 very 111, Nicholas." she eald,
thrusting the telegram into his hands. "Look, I have
Just received the news."
"This is bad, Hortense," he remarked. "You will
go at once to Paris, of course?
"I am sorry I cannot accompany you. I would
love to see Pari again," he went on, with a yearning
look In hi deep blue eyes, " for it wa there I first
met you, five years ago."
Hortense regarded him in surprise. It waa not
often that he spoke thua He seemed to read her
thought, for he continued:
" When I think of Pari It recall all the happiness
of my Arst days there, when I found life without you
would be Impossible. Life Is so different In your warm
land; It makea for sentiment and love a this country
never can. Sometimes I think you must fancy m
changed imagine, perhaps, because I am not ever
with you. whispering endearing- terms, I hav lost
my love for you."
"Your are mistaken. Nicholas." she replied. " I know
your duties make you irritable, leave you little time
for tender thought, but I believe you love me a I
love you, my husband!"
" A you love me, Hortense, J love you," he said.
"Duty still claims me here; there I trouble brewing.
But you must go. I will send Capt Petrovltch to see
you to the station, for I must rest; I have not slept
for forty-eight hours. Oo at once, Hortense; a train
leave for the capital in an hour." He rose, and, tak
Jng her hands, kissed them. " Au revolr, dear wife;
and God be with you. I hope your mother will recover
soon."
He passed from the room, and Hortense sat think
ing. This was the old Nicholas th man ah had
which bore him toward the English channel. He took
the first steamer and wa soon on English ground. He
fancied he was safe, but before he had hi ground legs
under him a telegraph boy handed him a message. " You
have escaped but the end will be the same death! "
That wa all, but It wa enough. Constance made his
way to Liverpool on the next train. He atopped a day
befone taking a liner for America and during this day
another message came to him. " Why do you run you
cannot escape your sentence? " Constance grew fran
tic. He rushed to the booking office and mad hi reser
vation under another name. Nsxt day when he entered
his stateroom on the Oundrlo a telegram for Mr.
Wlllngham Constance lay on the floor, whoved through
the crack under the door. Th ubstance of this mes
sage was the same as the other and Patrick Monteith,
a the driven man now called himself, read It with
horror.
At New York he resumed his old name, WlHng'ham
Constance, and promptly took a train for a large city In
the weat. Here he determined to hide himself In a
cheap rooming house district. But when the Son of
Freedom doom a man they see to It that he doe not
o easily escape them. Constance was free only for the
while, and he knew It Nothing would take the killing
dogs of the anarchists off his trial except his death.
And he did not wish to die. for life was very sweet to
him.
But Wlllngham Constance must die, the society had
said It, and there was no escape. And presently, as he
considered the altuation, Constance wa (truck by an
Idea, which waa equaled. In It brilliancy only by It
diabolical feature. A Wlllngham Contance mult die,
but It must not be the real owner of that name. Some
body must die bearing that name, and Just so soon a
somebody did die thus Constance felt that he would be
afe.
The end of a week aaw hi plan of action marked
out to th smallest detail. This Is what he proposed
to do. He would get someone, an old, decrepit man.
preferably, to live near him under the name of Con
tance. He himself would change his name to something
else, whll the unsuspecting victim of hi wiles would
go on day after day living under the name that meant
death to it owner. Constance did not expect the Son
of Freedom to kill the old man. He himself would do
that. He would kill him as soon as the first good op
portunity offered, the facts of his death would be pub
lished broadcast in the papers of the country, the anar
chists would read of It, and they would cease pursuing
the real Constance whom they had marked for a victim.
Over and over in hi mind he rolled the Idea, searching
for any poaBlble flaw in his proposed scheme of action,
and never finding any. Night after night he lay awake
on his bed, atarlng up toward the roof in the darkness.
learned to love and then to hate when she thought
him grown cold and lovele for her. It wa the flrt
time for two year he had spoken to her of love.
What had wrought th change in him? Did he tlll
love her? Well, If he did, It waa too late now.
Capt Petrovltch received the promised telegram
from Mm. Kremeloff, In Pari, and set out from his
quarter to earch for the governor. His mind wa
mad up; he had trangled the remnant of hi con
science that had troubled him. Gen. Kremeloff wa
doomed.
Paul learned from inqulriea that the. governor had
Just entered hi residence. He hastened back to hi
room and secured the Innocent looking box wrapped
in black paper. Secreting it beneath his greatcoat, he
made hi way to the governor' house.
A he mounted th stairs he quickly deposited the
box in the dark recess, pressing the button a he had
been Instructed. Then he hastened on to the gov
ernor's room, where he found him writing at his desk.
The governor looked up, smiled, left the captain stand
ing, and continued writing-. On the table a small clock
ticked swiftly. It back waa toward the captain, so
he could not ee the minute a they fled. How long
would the governor keep him waiting? How many
minute had passed since he pressed the button? The
governor ceased bis writing and gazed on the paper
before him. apparently lost in thought. And th clock
ticked swiftly on. Surely five minutes had passed,
Paul thought, and he fidgeted uneasily. He coughed,
and brought his handkerchief from his pocket HI
hand had already grown clammy, hi brow wa wet,
hi mouth dry. The suspense was horrible. Now th
governor's pen crawled again across the paper O, so
slawky. while the t!ny clock ticked so swiftly.
A neighboring elock chimed a quarter of an hour,
and Paul realized that at least Ave minutes had sped.
Hi heart began to beat like a hammer, th blood
coursed madly through hi vein and beat In wave
about hla brain. Hla fae waa wet with perspiration,
his knees shook under him. Downstairs he knew the
content of the box were approaching with each mo
ment th height of temperature that would cause th
explosion.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick went the vicious
little clock; scratch, scratch, scratoh went the slow
moving pen. Now th captain oould aoarcely breathe;
he rocked a he stood; the veins in hi head seemed
ready to burst He coughed again, a harsh, dry cough
that pained hi throat A few minute more and he
must step forward and speak or be blown Into eternity.
There waa no time to wait He stepped forward.
Word trembled on hi Hp.
A he did so the governor threw down his pen,
rose from hi seat and without a word left th room.
In an inatant the captain followed. Waa there yet time
to secure the diamond? Th friendly neighboring
clock struck 4. He had been In t e house twenty min
utes th limit of hi time. Five still remained.
He would try it, for he realized he might a well
die a face Hortense without the Jewels. He aped
along the passage and into her room. Feverishly h
unlocked th safe and snatched th Jewel case; then
passing to the other end of the passage he disappeared
down th stairs and out of the houae. He was a hun
dred yard away when the sound of a terrific explosion
reat the air. startling the people In the streets. Ha
turned, and aaw the governor'a house a pile of flaming
ruins that lay half over th roadway.
and going over and over again every detail of th plan,
and laughing each time as he ended at hi own shrewd
ness and at tle freedom which would com to him at
the cost of another's life. Nothing remained save to find
his victim.
Tills was not hard for a man who knew tho eamy
side of life in a large city a did Constance. The room
ing districts of cities always contain plenty of old and
broken men who are willing to do anything In their
power In order to make a living. Constance knew this
and he set about to find such a one. He found him
without much trouble. He was living In a small rear
room on the fifth floor of a cheap house and he readily
responded to Constance's suggestion that he do some
thing to better his condition.
"Tell me what It Is and I'll do It, no mattor how
queer It Is," he said In reply to the other' volunteered
information that the work which he would be required
to do was of a strange nature. "Just so long as it don't
Interfere with the rolfte," he added.
"This does not 'Interfere with the police' In any
way," Constance hastened to assure him. "There Is
nothing criminal about It. "I Just want you to move
over In a room that I have hired In the next square, and
live under an assumed name."
" What's that for? "
" For good and sufficient reasons," wa the sharp
answer. "And there's five hundred dollar In It for you
if I pull off the deal that I'm planning. Now, then,
do you want the Job, or don't you?"
The man fairly groveled when he heard the Bum
mentioned, and wlth'n a week WIlUiK'iam Constanoe, now
an old and broken down man with white hair and shabby
clothes, was living In the rear room of a large rooming
house and receiving $5 a day for doing It. Te old
man kei largely to his room. Ho went out
tlce a day at 11 o'clock when he went to a nearby
cheap restaurant and had a meal which served both for
breakfast and luncheon, and again at 5 when he went
farther away to a better establishment and ate his din
ner. He made no acquaintances among hi fellow room
ers and spoke only to the landlady, and only to her when
he wished to complain about the heat or ventilation of
his room. He was called "grouchy" by those who ob
served his coming and going, and he was left entirely
to himself. He received much mall. In fact, there was
no mall delivery In which there was not a letter for Wll
lngham Constance, so It was not long before the name of
the silent roomer was known to every person In the
house.
As the day went ry and nothing developed the old
man grew impatient. He met the real Constance each
evening by appointment and now he began to Inquire
anxiously as to Just why nothing wa happening. Con
stance assured him that the deal waa nearlng It com
pletion, which was quite true, and told him to wait
patiently for the next few days. The truth of the mat
ter wa that even o cold blooded a criminal as Con
stance balked considerably at murdering the helpless ohl
man. But some one must be killed, and finally the
schemer nerved himself for the deed.
Taking advantage of his dupe's absence on evening
he quickly slipped into the little room and behind tho
door awaited the old man's coming. When he did come
a blow on the point of the chin silenced his scream and
a knife thrust In the middle of his chest laid htm out
helpless on the bed. It was over In a second and in a
few more Ccnstance wa In the street hurrying away
to his own apartment. And at his apartments a mes
sage from the Sons of Freedom was awaiting him. He
started a he saw It and he started more a he opened
It and read Its contents: "Do you think you can fooi
us with the old man? You cannot We know all about
your scheme. There Is no escape for you."
Constance tore the message Into a hundred bits and
cursed Impotently. Was there no escape from these
murderers? Would they follow him forever? He locked
himself in for the night and until next morning sat
and oursed and pondered over his chance. With the
coming of daylight came the shrill cries of the newsboy
in the street, and the first Item that caught his eye
after buying a paper was the news of the strange sui
cide. Now he knew that his only escape lay In flight
Into some region where he would lie beyond the reach
of both th strong arm of the law and the knives of the
anarchist. He waited until nightfall, then hurriedly
packed a grip, called a cab and prepared to start for the
cattle country of the west. But, a ho stepped Into the
cab, a man came upon him from behind and stabbed him
through the heart so that his body fell Into the bottom
of the cab. The door snapped shut after him, the cab
man whipped up his horses and drove to the nearest
bridge across the river and stopped. Here two men were
waiting. They opened the door, dragged the dead man
out and pitched him over the railing Into the murky
water below. Then they walked nonchalantly away while
the cabman continued to drive across the river.
The Son of Freedom had kept their word. And this
1 how the strange suicide did not happen.
eoeces ssseoc eesss ssssss
By WALLACE WANTHIER.
1 III.
Hortense, waiting In Paris, was shocked by th
new when she heard it two hours later. She had been
going to the theater with her brother. He purchased
a paper in the street, and read that the governor's
residence at Irksh had been blown up by anarchists
Five people had been killed outright four who were
passing In the street, and the governor himself. His
mutilated remains had been found among the ruins
when the Are had been mastered.
Hortense fainted directly she reached her hotel.
Half an hour later she was snhlilng her heart out. She
had received three telegrnms--iin official one from the
governor's secretary informing her of the outrage, one
from Paul containing one word, "Safe," one from
count de Gant, also acquainting bcr of the axsusslnu
tlon. A J swiftly as train could carry her she Jour
neyed back to Irksh. Here she put up at the hotel,
and her Arst visitor was Paul Petrovltch.
"It Is done," he said. "Here Is the Jewel case.
Now I must go. I will see you tomorrow, Hortense,
after the governor's funeral."
As he turned to the door it opened.
"The count de Gant has called!" announced a
servant
"The count de Gant has arrived," said a voice, the
sound of which struck terror Into the hearts of
madame and the captain; and they fell back with a cry
of alarm as the governor of Irksh, Nicholas Kremeloff,
entered, closing the door behind him. His face was as
pale as the faces of the pair before him, but while fear
tood in their eye, his were softly blue as ever, and
for a moment he smiled.
"You can go, Capt. Petrovltch," he said. "If you
are alive tomorrow we can settle our difference, which
is of a private, not a political, nature."
The captain crept from the room. Hortense fell
on her knees at her husband's feet, a look of wild
despair In her eye.
"Forgive me, Nlchola!" she cried. "Forgive me!"
" For such you may well ask," he answered. " But
a murderess is never forgiven. You are surprised I
am alive. You sought to murder me, having lied to
me and betrayed me, and betrayed not only me, but
ruined also Paul Petrovltch, the fool who thought you
loved hlml '
"You ee, I know all," he went on. "I was
warned of your Intrigue with Petrovltch. My last
Journey was but a blind. I returned td my house, and
in the secret passage behind your room heard all. But
I had no suspicion of the count de Gant. Petrovltch
had been a fool, lured by your wiles. Count de Gunt
wa a B-tundrel this nun you loved.
"He plotted death for me, to meet It himself. By
his own bomb this lover of yours was blown tn pieces,
and I wrecked my house to do It. I had him a prisoner
In It; and his last hours of suffering, knowing the fate
he could not escape, were terrible."
. As he laughed harshly, Mme. Kremeloff glared at
him horror stricken.
"Forgiveness," he continued, "Is Impossible. But
I Will show you mercy. Her 1 a vial of poison;
the alternative Is Sakhalin, the convicts' home, j where
all pry for the death that will not come."
He threw the bottle at her feet, turned, and quitted
the room.
A he left the hotel an officer approached with
th new that Capt. Paul Petrovltch had blown hi
bralna out Arid three daya later aaw Hortense, fet
tered and In rags on the long, long road to Sakhalin.
Willing to kill, she was afraid to die.