THE 
 
 OF 
 
 J 
 
 LUBS 
 
 •I 
 
 •"(^.T^T ■-' 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PG 7158.L92A17 1890 
 
 Ace of clubs / 
 
 3 1924 026 810 691 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026810691 
 
THE 
 
 AGE OF CLUBS 
 
 BY 
 
 PRINCE JOSEF LUBOMIRSKI, 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 META DeVERE. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY, 
 
 ISO WORTH STREET. 
 

 COPTBieHT, 1890, BY 
 
 JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY 
 
 tff 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The drizzling rain that had continued several 
 hours increased the darkness which in late autumn 
 evenings covers St. Petersburg as with a pall. The 
 gas lamps had not yet been lighted in the streets and 
 on the square adjoining the Blue Bridge the semi- 
 circle of lamps was still dark ; only here and there 
 a faint ray of light came through the show windows 
 of the large stores on the wharf which were always 
 lighted early. 
 
 The long passages in the Ministry of the Interior . 
 were deserted. Here and there a lamp suspended 
 from the smoke-blackened and vaulted ceiling gave 
 a little light and much bad smell. On a dirty bench, 
 carved by awkward, idle hands, a humble official 
 snored aloud. 
 
 It might be 8 o'clock. The ofBces on either side 
 of the passages, resembling cells, were almost all 
 closed. Only now and then a ray of light pierced 
 the keyhole and showed a belated occupant. At one 
 place, where the passage was wider, another bench 
 contained a second watchman, an old soldier, who 
 ■was asleep. The whole vast building was silent as 
 
 (3) 
 
4 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 the grave, for the office hours had just come to an 
 end and nearly all the officials had gone home. 
 
 Suddenly the sleeping invalid started up ; an un- 
 usual noise, coining from the broad staircase, had 
 frightened him out of his sleep. The quick steps of 
 a man a^Dproached, spurs rattled and a sword knocked 
 at every step against the stairs. The soldier listened 
 in surprise and the walls of the building seemed to 
 -be similarly impressed, for they echoed the noise in 
 a low, subdued tone, as if they meant to protest and 
 complain. The old guardsman was not long left in 
 doubt; he smoothed his slightly disordered hair, 
 straightened himself into the shape of a lamppost 
 and in this prescribed posture awaited the newcomer. 
 Soon the dim light of the lamp showed an officer, 
 who came up with hasty strides and now stood before 
 the old soldier. 
 
 He was a man of gigantic stature ; his features 
 •were hard and in his eyes resolute courage shone 
 brightly. His beard was jet black. The whole face 
 produced an impression of stern severity. An omin- 
 ous, ironical smile played now and then around his 
 narrow, pale lips. In his whole carriage insolence 
 was reflected ; in every gesture boundless pride. 
 
 He saw the soldier in the uncertain light and called 
 out curtly in a tone of command : 
 
 " I must see the minister ! " 
 
 " Your Excellency will please walk down the cor- 
 ridor ; there is an officer down there who will take 
 you to the minister." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 5 
 
 " How they make us run about before we can find 
 one of these bureaucrats," the officer growled angrily. 
 
 As he disappeared around a corner in the passage 
 the old soldier stretched himself out again on his 
 bench, saying : 
 
 " That must be somebody — he has not a nice way 
 of speaking." 
 
 The officer soon reached the other bench, but here 
 also the sleeper had been roused, hearing the ring- 
 ing of spurs and the short conversation with the 
 watchman. As, however, there was a certain hatred 
 existing at that time between the military and the 
 civil services, he pretended to be still asleep. The 
 colonel made more noise as he approached and 
 knocked with his sword against the walls of the nar- 
 row passage ; the official seemed to hear nothing. 
 The officer saw himself compelled to shake him not 
 very gently. 
 
 " Sir ! " he cried, angrily. " You, sir ! " 
 
 The official, thus stirred up, rose slowly. 
 
 " How can I serve you ? " 
 
 "'Show me the way to the minister's office." 
 
 The official shrugged his shoulders contemptu- 
 ously. 
 
 " The minister's ? I crave your pardon ! A nice 
 desire ! He is not here, for the present moment. 
 Those who have anything to do with him, must de- 
 mand an audience." 
 
 The colonel looked anything but patient. As the 
 official spoke to him in a somewhat bold tone of 
 voice and did not by any means cringe, as many did, 
 
6 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 his eyebrows twitched very ominously. Unfortu- 
 nately the official smiled. This was more than the 
 officer could endure; he seized the unfortunate man 
 of the pen by the ear and pulled him up violently. 
 
 " T, I can see the minister at all times ! Do you 
 hear?" he exclaimed, furiously. 
 
 The poor man yelled with pain. 
 
 " Help ! help ! Save me ! " he cried in despair. 
 
 " Hush ! " broke in the officer. " I am Col. Palkin, 
 aide-de-camp of the head of the gendarmes ! " 
 
 The official was silenced instantly. The name- of 
 the head of the gendarmes, a person who in the reign 
 of Emperor Nicholas was omnipotent, was a terror 
 for everybody. The unfortunate man of the pen 
 turned deadly pale and tried to suppress his groans, 
 although the colonel still held his ear. A whole 
 long minute he continued this torture and finally he 
 let him go, saying : 
 
 " You see, the minister must always be at home 
 for me ; make haste, therefore, and announce me and 
 then you may hope that I shall forgive you ! " 
 
 The man assumed a humble and devoted posture. 
 
 "Your Excellency," he said, almost crying, "I 
 told you the truth. At this hour the minister is 
 never here." 
 
 " Then send word to him that I am waiting for 
 him." 
 
 " We do not know where to find him. But if 
 your Excellency have very urgent business, the 
 head of the Division for Political Affairs, the min- 
 ister's alter ego, has not yet left." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 7 
 
 The colonel interrupted him eagerly. 
 
 " That is Schelm, is it not? " 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency." 
 
 "I am not an Excellency. You can show me 
 proper respect without giving me titles that I do not 
 own." 
 
 " Very well, your Colonel ! " 
 
 " And now announce me quickly to Schelm." 
 
 The official opened a door nearly opposite the 
 bench and showed the colonel into a large room, 
 saying humbly : 
 
 " Colonel, condescend to wait a moment here." 
 
 " Well ! Make haste ! I have no time to lose." 
 
 The aid of the head of the gendarmes walked up 
 and down in the vast apartment, chewing his mous- 
 tache almost fiercely. Three minutes had passed ; 
 his impatience was visibly growing and showing 
 itself verj'- clearly when the door opened, and the 
 man of the pen said : 
 
 " I pray, Colonel ! " 
 
 Behind a table, covered with documents and papers 
 of all kinds, sat Mr. Onophri Schelm, head of the 
 Division of Political Affairs under his Excellency 
 the Minister of the Interior, Count Perowski. His 
 study was large and comfortable ; the furniture cov- 
 ered with green velvet ; thick curtains and portieres 
 at all the rooms and windows, a thick carpet covered 
 the floor. Two enormous paintings, representing 
 Alexander I. and Nicholas I., looked down upon a 
 desk in oak, standing in the centre of the room. 
 
 A mysterious, dim light reigned in the apartment; 
 
8 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 a half-covered lamp on the writing table and a flick- 
 ering fire on the hearth alone lit up these dark walls, 
 out of which the stern figures of the Czars of all the 
 Russias seemed to step forth. 
 
 Mr. Schelm was still young ; he could hardly be 
 more than 35, but his features looked worn full of 
 wrinkles and without expression ; his complexion 
 was yellow, like parchment, and his hair, carefully 
 oiled and brushed, could not quite conceal a prema- 
 ture baldness. His small gray eyes looked keen and 
 sharp around him. Hei-r Schelm, however, subdued 
 his glances by wearing large spectacles. 
 
 When the head of the division was alone he fre- 
 quently took off his glasses to wipe the perspiration 
 which continually shone on his face. Then Mr. 
 Schelm looked positively fearful ; his eyes flashed 
 lightnings, the red lids opened wide as if they wished 
 to draw breath ; the dark mark which the spectacles 
 made on his nose turned bright red and the nose 
 itself looked not unlike the beak of a bird of prey ; 
 an uncanny smile played around his pale, firmly 
 closed lips. Schelm felt in such moments that he 
 was alone and took no pains to disguise himself, and 
 his eyes turned from his own person to the forms of 
 the all-powerful rulers of Russia, which he had con- 
 tinually before his eyes. 
 
 As soon, however, as somebody entered he closed 
 his eyelids and hid them behind the glasses, sat 
 square down in his arm chair and assigned, with his 
 inky, crooked fingers, to each visitor his place, as if 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 9 
 
 he did it not from courtesy, but in wrath and indig- 
 nation. 
 
 In short, Schelm's exterior was terrible ; the ex- 
 pression of his half-concealed, squinting eyes did not 
 encourage the boldest of the bold. This delighted 
 him. All who entered this luxurious apartment felt 
 instantly what power this man possessed, and were 
 uncomfortable, even anxious. Schelm was fully 
 aware of this ; quite conscious, in fact, that he made 
 a painful impression upon all, and he liked it. It 
 gave him a kind of joy and he took it almost amiss 
 if any one did not seem to be afraid of him and to 
 tremble in his presence. In the meantime our offi- 
 cer had not in the least changed his appearance ; he 
 remained as cold and as haughty as before. 
 
 Upon a sign from Schelm, who seemed to ask per- 
 mission to finish the perusal of certain papers before 
 hiin, the colonel answered with a slight bow, threw 
 himself into a comfortable easy chair, put one leg 
 over the other and looked at the ceiling as if study- 
 ing the stucco ornaments. Schelm noticed all this 
 through his spectacles. The head of a division under 
 Count Perowsl&i was a great man and almost omnip- 
 otent in the Ministry. The Emperor knew him per- 
 sonally and occasionally deigned to have him near 
 him. The colonel's indifference offended him there- 
 fore, and in order to give him a little lesson he 
 seemed to be absorbed in his papers. 
 ' The colonel waited patiently five minutes, looking 
 fixedly at the ceiling. After five minutes more he 
 looked fixedly at the writing desk. .Schelm pre- 
 
10 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 tended to read, but in reality he did not cease watch- 
 ing his visitor. 
 
 The aide-de-camp smiled ironically, raised his eyes 
 once more to the ceiling and at the same time began 
 to whistle very softly. When the head of division 
 heard these subdued, measured notes, he jumped up 
 from his chair and began to cough aloud. The offi- 
 cer coolly continued a familiar Italian air, but getting 
 louder and louder. Behuid one of the portieres 
 suppressed laughter could be heard. 
 
 Angrily Schelm threw away the documents, 
 arranged his chair so as to face his visitor and said 
 rather roughly : 
 
 " What is your desire, Col. Palkin ? " 
 
 Palkin answered with a honeyed smile : 
 
 " It is a mere trifle. The head of the gendarmes 
 has charged me to inform his Excellency the Minis- 
 ter of the Interior of the arrest of Count Prosoff and 
 Prince Marin, who are involved in a conspiracy 
 against the Emperor." 
 
 Schelm sprang up and, forgetting his usual cau- 
 tiousness, beat the table so that several papere fell 
 to the floor. 
 
 " Again ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 Palkin's smile was sweeter still. 
 
 " What will you have ? " he continued. " The 
 police must watch over the life of the Czar when 
 they have no time to do so in the Ministry of the 
 Interior. This is now the fifth conspiracy which we 
 have discovered without your knowledge and your 
 assistance." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. li 
 
 Schelm turned pale, he was furious aftd entirely 
 lost his self-control. 
 
 " Or which you pretend to have discovered ! " he 
 sneered. 
 
 " Mr. Schelm I " exclaimed the officer, threaten- 
 ingly. 
 
 The head of division replied in the same tone : 
 
 "Mr. Palkin!" 
 
 Their eyes glowed with hatred and thus they 
 measured each other for some minutes. At the same 
 time the folds of one of the portieres moved gently 
 and for a second the face of a curious official peeped 
 in. The two adversaries saw nothing ; they were on 
 the point of falling one upon the other. The colo- 
 nel, however, resumed his seat and laughed aloud. 
 
 " Your insults do not reach me and I should be 
 foolish indeed to feel annoyed. It provokes you to 
 find that we are cleverer than you ! I understand 
 your anger and can easily explain it ! " 
 
 " Cleverer ! " repeated Schelm ; " say, rather, 
 greater intriguants ! " 
 
 " Oh, call it what you choose ! " replied Palkin, 
 shrugging his shoulders ; " I will not discuss that 
 with you. I have been ordered' to deliver that mes- 
 sage to Count Perowski, and as this affair concerns 
 you likewise — or rather mainly — I have done my 
 duty as promptly as I could. Your criticism does 
 not concern me. I repeat, therefore, that I have 
 been ordered to report. Last night the police occu- 
 pied the house of Prince Marin ; after a long search 
 documents were found there which strongly commit 
 
12 THE ACE OE CLUBS. 
 
 the prince as well as Count Prosoff. Both have 
 been arrested forthwith ; the examination will take 
 place next Monday. The conspiracy seems, how- 
 ever, to extend over the whole province, and hence 
 the head of gendarmes requests the Minister of the 
 Interior to take charge of this matter as soon as pos- 
 sible. The papers and documents on the question 
 will be sent to-day." 
 
 " How can a conspiracy that never existed extend 
 to the province ? Marin is known to be a drunkard, 
 Prosoff a philosopher. The whole affair reminds me 
 curiously of your last conspiracy, which ended in 
 sending twelve young men to Siberia, who every 
 week gave a dinner to ballet dancers. Your reports 
 stated at the time that the regularity of these meet- 
 ings looked very suspicious and little was wanting or 
 you would have convinced yourself that the ballet 
 dancers talked politics." 
 
 " That was only a plausible pretext," said Palkin. 
 " The Agent Black himself heard how one of those 
 men said the Czar ought to give Russia a Constitu- 
 tion." 
 
 Schelm clapped his hands in apparent indignation. 
 
 " And that was enough for you to send twelve 
 men to Siberia. And you have the face to acknowl- 
 edge it ? " 
 
 Palkin laughed bitterly. 
 
 " This holy indignation is exceedingly becoming 
 to your honorable chevalier. Confess, however, that 
 you would be very glad to hear something of the 
 kind yourself, in order to discover behind it a grand 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 13 
 
 conspiracy. But, no ! You are too well known ; 
 nobody would speak aloud in your presence. We, 
 we have our secret agents, whom nobody fears 
 because nobody knows them. And that is what 
 grieves your chivalrous head of division ? " 
 
 Schelm gave him a poisonous look. 
 
 " A nice craft, no doubt," murmured Schelm to 
 himself. " That was the way Kaloff got into the 
 Senate, had high decorations, etc. One of these 
 days Count Palkin also will make a brilliant career ; 
 he will be made colonel of a regiment in a distant 
 garrison, where the echo of his deeds has never 
 reached. After a Avhile his original profession will 
 be forgotten, and then the spy will be made a gen- 
 eral." 
 
 " And you consider already in your mind, honored 
 friend, how you may denounce me ? I warrant you it 
 will be useless. .The Czar is high above us, as the 
 eagle above the toad ! He knows nothing of us and 
 if he ever should hear anything his contempt would 
 hurl both of us into eternal oblivion ! Our superiors 
 do not wish to soil their hands with this profession and 
 bear with us, because they must have tools — tools 
 that are very vulgar but also very necessary — tools 
 that are too much despised to be easily replaced. 
 Your possible report passes through the hands of 
 my superior, as mine passes through your hands. 
 Where others would be punished we receive a 
 reward. But that you must know even better thaa 
 I do." 
 
14 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 Suddenly an official interrupted them, opening the 
 door and announcing : 
 
 "Count Lanin, aide-de-camp of his Majesty the 
 Emperor." 
 
 Schelm and Palkin rose quickly and bowed deeply. 
 
 The imperial adjutant noticed their submissive 
 bows with contempt and said in a haughty tone : 
 
 " Glad to find you here together, as I have import- 
 ant orders for both of you from the Emperor." 
 
 Schelm and Palkin, who had risen again, bowed 
 once more to the ground. 
 
 " Too much grace and happiness," they exclaimed. 
 
 The imperial aid, hearing the two voices blending 
 so closely that no separate voice nor single word 
 could be heard, could not keep from laughing. 
 
 " Col. Palkin," he said at last, " the Emperor sends 
 you word through me that he is well pleased with 
 you, and as a token of his favor he bestows upon 
 you the order of St. Vladimir." 
 
 " Excellency ! " was all Palkin could utter, so 
 overwhelmed with happiness was he. 
 
 "For you, Mr. Schelm, I have less pleasant orders. 
 You know nothing of the most important events and 
 affairs ! You are asleep while the empire is in danger ! 
 and yet the high office which the Emperor has 
 intrusted to you ought to have spurred you to be 
 unceasingly watchful ! " 
 
 " Your Excellency, the secret police is not in my 
 handso" 
 
 The adjutant did not let him finish. 
 
 " You are not expected to be a spj' — only watch- 
 
THE ACE OF CLT7BS. 15 
 
 ful ! You are not spies, only sentinels ! " he added, 
 without concealing his scorn, " only with this differ- 
 ence, that Col. Palkin has known how to watch. 
 His Majesty the Emperor has therefore ordered me 
 to make you aware of his dissatisfaction, as will be 
 done moreover by the Minister of the Interior also ! " 
 
 Schelm turned pale and trembled. 
 
 " His Majesty the Emperor does not seem to 
 know " 
 
 The count turned to the door, saying as he 
 went out : 
 
 " I have nothing else to say to you ! " 
 
 When both were alone Palkin at once drew him- 
 self up and his arrogance returned doubly offensive. 
 On his narrow lips hovered a smile of triumph. He 
 patted Schelm on his shoulder and said : 
 
 "Ha! ha! ha! What do you say now. Minister? 
 But I am an honest fellow and bear no ill-will. To 
 honor my new decoration I invite you to dinner." 
 
 " Go to the devil ! " said Schelm. 
 
 " All right. I am going at once," replied Palkin, 
 humming an air that was then very popular: 
 
 " Your wrath rejoices, rejoices me highly ' " 
 
 This song of triumph resounded a long time in the 
 ears of the unfortunate head of division ; long he sat 
 at his desk absorbed in sad thoughts, throwing 
 unconsciously his papers from one place to another. 
 
 Suddenly he rose, and supporting himself with his 
 hand on the table, he said, looking at the Emperor's 
 portrait, with a resolute voice : 
 
16 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " To win your favor, we must discover or make 
 up a conspiracy? Very well then. I shall discover 
 one and such a one that you shall tremble on your 
 throne, you ruler of all the Russias." 
 
 Then he took off his spectacles, wiped with his 
 dirty yellow handkerchief the large drops of perspir- 
 ation that had gathered on his brow, took his hat, 
 pulled it down over his face and hurriedly left the 
 office. 
 
 The official on duty in the anteroom made a deep 
 bow and accompanied it with a scornful smile, which 
 he did not even attempt to conceal, since Schelm 
 never deigned to look at one of his subordinates. 
 He then went into the office of the head of 
 division, arranged the papers on the table and did 
 not leave the Ministry till toward eight o'clock. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Alexander Weekin was 60 years old. He was 
 a senator, councilor of state and a knight of many 
 orders. He had an income of 100,000 rubles a year 
 and only one daughter, the fair Jana, who was to 
 inherit his whole fortune. 
 
 Wernin was a favorite at Court and devoted heart 
 and soul to the Emperor. In every reform or inno- 
 vation he saw revolutionary tendencies and believed 
 firmly that since the French Revolution of 1789 the 
 reign of the Antichrist had begun. His respect for 
 the hierarchy of the civil service was very extraordi- 
 nary ; subordination and etiquette were to him Chris- 
 tian virtues. As soon as he saw a privy councilor 
 
THE ACK OP CLTJES. 17 
 
 he rose ; a general he accompanied bareheaded to his 
 carriage in the bitterest cold, and always bared his 
 head when any one uttered the name of the Czar 
 in his presence. He required, however, something 
 like it from his inferiors, also, for himself ; he called 
 every inferior officer by his Christian name and only 
 became respectful^ with privy councilors. He often 
 repeated the words : " In my eyes no one is any- 
 body who is not a councilor of state or a colonel." 
 
 The only exception he made was in behalf of the 
 surroundings of the Czar. Whenever he appeared 
 at Court — and this occurred quite often— he bowed 
 even to the lackeys who wore the imperial livery. 
 In spite of these eccentricities Alexander Wernin 
 was one of the best men in the world ; courageous, 
 noble, ever ready to help others and benevolent. 
 He won the love and esteem of all who came in close 
 contact with him. 
 
 Jana, his only daughter, whom he loved with his 
 whole heart, was in every sense of the word a spoiled 
 child, and the enormous fortune of her father enabled 
 her to gratify every whim. Gradually she came to 
 tyrannize over him entirely ; he never ventured to 
 check her in her caprices and he trembled at a look 
 from her. Jana did not look at all like a fair 
 daughter of the North. Tn her dark eyes, over- 
 shadowed by heavy, black brows, every moment 
 flashes of impatience or wrath would shine forth ; 
 her gestures were quick, passionate, full of life and 
 energy. Her beauty was enchanting, and everybody 
 soon recognized in her the omnipotent woman, before 
 2 
 
18 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 whom all in the house knelt down. And Jana was, 
 by nature, not bad at all ; there was nothing devilish 
 in her eyes as in those of George Sand's heroines; 
 when she was at rest her features reflected the sat- 
 isfaction of a Queen whose every wish is silently ful- 
 filled by her subjects. Wrath was not infrequent, 
 but it was short-lived. Her heart was good and her 
 joy greatest when she could make others happy. 
 Unfortunately, she, the object of continuous flattery, 
 had become so proud that when she did a kind act 
 or conferred a benefit she made the recipient feel 
 that her presence alone was a great favor. 
 
 On the same day when the remarkable scene took 
 place at the Ministry of the Interior Jana was sitting 
 in a large drawing-room idly turning over the leaves 
 of an album. The clock struck four. Facing the 
 fire sat a young man of very fine and promising 
 exterior, busily engaged in arranging visiting cards 
 and writing addresses. This was Count Vladimir 
 Lanin, Jana's betrothed. 
 
 Jana refused to hear marriage spoken of till -she 
 was 20 ; she knew how to dispose of all aspirants to 
 her hand very cleverly and kindly, though occasion- 
 ally one fared not quite so well. One day, however, 
 she met a young diplomat who was presented to lier 
 by her uncle, the Emperor's first aide-de-camp. She 
 had known him now a whole year. She had early 
 begun to favor him among the host of admirers who 
 constantly filled her father's house. He was desper- 
 ately in love with her, yet he did not venture to 
 declare himself, although his position and his foi'tune 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. , 19 
 
 would have justified the step. Jana anticipated the 
 eoufession, which the young diplomat did not ven- 
 ture to make. 
 
 " Count Vladimir," she said one evening to him, 
 calling him for the first time by his . Christian name, 
 " you are in love with me, are you not ? " 
 
 The young man blushed, then turned pale, and 
 was barely able to fold his hands as if in silent 
 prayer. 
 
 " I love you also," continued Jana, and her voice, 
 which was generally icy cold, became of a sudden 
 soft and gentle. " Will you make me your wife ? " 
 
 Count Lanin fell on his knees overwhelmed by his 
 unexpected good fortune, kissed the hem of her dress 
 and was so rejoiced and so deeply moved that the 
 haughty beauty did not repent having given him 
 such vigorous encouragement. 
 
 The next day Jana informed her father of her 
 engagement. The councilor was unable to oppose 
 any wish of his daughter, and moreover, Lanin 
 possessed all that could be desired in a son-in-law 
 and was certainly an excellent match. Alexander 
 Wernin gave his consent most willingly. 
 
 As Jana knew only one will and that her own, 
 and as she never liked to wait, she determined to 
 have the wedding at once. Wernin knew no difiS- 
 culties and no impediments when his daughter's wish 
 was made known to him, and he turned everything 
 upside down in the house in preparation for the 
 wedding on the following Sunday. 
 
 On Tuesday Lanin was already busy sending out 
 
20 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 invitations, which he did very methodically, having 
 gone through all the cards of friends and acquaint- 
 ances, selecting those to be favored and now append- 
 ing their names to engraved invitations. Lanin 
 paused for a moment in this occupation. Examin- 
 ing one card which evidently caused him great sur- 
 prise, he read it once more, laughed aloud and asked, 
 showing it to his betrothed : 
 
 " Who might this be ? " 
 
 Jana raised her eyes and said smiling : 
 
 " I must see the name ; I cannot read it from 
 here." 
 
 " Onophri Schelm, Privy Councilor, Head of 
 Division in the Ministry of the Interior, Knight of 
 the Order of St. Stanislas, I. Class of the Order of 
 St. Ann, etc.. President of the Society for the Pro- 
 tection of Animals, etc. Caravan street, 35." 
 
 Jana laughed aloud. 
 
 " He is one of my adorers, who last Saturday asked 
 my hand through the agenc}' of a very high person- 
 age. When father brought me his card he said very 
 solemnly : ' This is a man recommended to us from 
 high places, and if Lanin did not have our word he 
 would, not be a man to be despised. At all events, 
 we must be careful not to offend him, and I shall at 
 once go to the minister and tell him that Mr. Schelm 
 came too late. Monday I shall call on Mr. Schelm 
 himself.' " 
 
 " Do you know this admirer ? " asked Lanin. 
 
 " I never saw him," answered Jana. " To tease 
 father, I asked him if my unknown worshipper was 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 21 
 
 handsome and young. ' He is not 40 yet,' was the 
 answer, ' and has already secured a high position ; he 
 looks very well, too, when he puts on all his orders 
 and decorations.' To punish father for saying this, 
 I forbade his goiiig to the minister, and told him to 
 use nothing but empty phrases of politeness and not 
 to forget our wedding. He wanted to make excuses," 
 continued Jana, laughing merrily, " but I did not let 
 him get his breath, so that, to this day, I have no 
 idea what sort of a man he may be — nor do I care in 
 the least." 
 
 " Schelm ! Schelm ! " repeated Lanin. " I re- 
 member a fellow-student who had that curious name ; 
 he studied law. He was an untidy, malicious, pois- 
 onous sort of man whom nobody could endure. Per- 
 haps it is he ? " 
 
 " What ? " exclaimed Jana. " Such a man dared 
 ask me to become his wife ? We must punish him ! 
 Write at once his address on one of those cards of 
 invitation, but do not forget to give him all his title. 
 My father can afterwards make his excuses to the 
 minister. Quick ! Quick ! Write to Mr. Onophri 
 Schelm, etc., etc. Copy the card faithfully." 
 
 Lanin was hesitating, but Jana frowned and he 
 quickly did as he was bid. 
 
 " What is now to be done with his visiting card ? " 
 he asked, after having copied it exactly. 
 
 " Throw it into the fire," she said, eagerly, " even 
 his memory shall perish. A man whom I never saw 
 in all my life, who did not even condescend to appear 
 
22 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 in person as a suitor for my hand, he dared ask my 
 hand. I have indeed a right to be angry ! " 
 
 Lanin tossed the card into the fiie and rang a bell. 
 
 "Now I have done with the first list of invita- 
 tions," he said, turning to Jana, " may I send them 
 off at once ? " 
 
 Jana consented, and the count handed to the serv- 
 ant a pile of letters to be carried to the post-office ; 
 then he sat down near Jana and looked enraptured 
 into her eyes. 
 
 " When I see, my love," he said, in a whisper, 
 " how you treat other mortals, I wonder and rejoice 
 at my own great good fortune. I love you, not 
 merely because you are delightfully enchanting, 
 ■witty, vrise and fair, but also because you are con- 
 scious of yourself and respect yourself." 
 
 She pressed his hand. 
 
 " I seem cold to you, perhaps, Vladimir, but believe 
 me, I can love ! Bear in mind, my darling, all my 
 life I have been spoiled and flattered. Thus I prob- 
 ably overestimate myself; but, at all events, I demand 
 to be loved passionately, alone and above all others. 
 For him who loves me thus — and you, Vladimir, I 
 think, are capable of doing so — for him I am ready 
 to make every sacrifice and to surrender everything. 
 It is not difficult to love, surrounded with almost 
 regal luxury as we are, but I soihetimes dream of 
 very different circumstances, and, will you believe it, 
 I sometimes feel as if I wished my dream was ful- 
 filled?" 
 
 " What dream, dear heart? " asked Lanin. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 23 
 
 "I sometimes see you, in my dreams, alone, for- 
 saken and unhappy. I see you in a far off country, 
 in a hut, hopeless and almost despairing. I step into 
 the poor, wretched hut, but not in rich dresses and 
 full of joy, not, as now surrounded by flatterers and 
 admirers, but fatigued by a long journey and in rags. 
 And yet I am fair and you love me still. You were 
 despairing mainly because you thought you would 
 never see me again. My presence makes the hut 
 look beautiful to your eyes; I bring you new hope, 
 happiness, the best consolation, and I am myself 
 happy. Oh, so happy ! " 
 
 Lanin fell on his knees before her and covered her 
 snow-white hand with ardent kisses. Tears were in 
 his eyes as he cried : " Jana, do not say such things 
 or you will drive me mad with sheer happiness. I 
 could almost wish to be unhappy, to find you near 
 me, to live for you and in you and then to die at 
 your feet, but I cannot imagine your living in such a 
 condition. Luckily, it is all a dream," he added, 
 smiling, " an idle dream, that can never be realized, 
 for if you should ever follow me to foreign lands it 
 could only be to Paris or London, when I am 
 appointed secretary of legation ! " 
 
 At this moment the doors opened and Wernin 
 entered, dressed in his gala uniform and covered 
 with stars and orders. He shook hands with Lanin, 
 kissed his daughter and said : 
 
 "Your obedient father reminds you that this is 
 the last of the three days during which your last 
 admirer was not to be mentioned, and I was forbid- 
 
24 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 den to make my excuses to the minister. You see 
 how your slave obeys you, but longer I dare not 
 wait!" 
 
 " Dear father," replied Jana, " do what you like ; 
 I set you free. So that was the Minister of the 
 Interior I- ' Count Perowski was kind enough to be 
 interested Jn my fate. I am exceedingly obliged to 
 him!"* * 
 
 " You are forever jesting, child, because you do 
 not know miat life is. You do not know what trifles 
 may suddenly become of the utmost importance. 
 People who hold the rudder must never be offended ! " 
 
 Jana interrupted him : " You can take my ex- 
 cuses, too, when you call on the count and on 
 Schelm ; I have just played a good trick on the head 
 of division ! " 
 
 Old Wernin was almost beside himself. 
 
 " You are not in earnest, I hope, when you say 
 that. You surely were not childish enough to offend 
 a man who has never done you any harm ? What 
 frivolity that would be ! " 
 
 " He has done me no harm, you say, father ? A 
 man who dares ask- for my hand through his Min- 
 ister, without knowing me, without ever having 
 entered our house ? Who does he think I am ? Dear 
 father, you almost make me angry. " 
 
 " For four years Mr. Schelm has been at every 
 ball given in our house and two years ago he hinted 
 at his intentions, although so obscurely that I took 
 it but for general politeness." 
 
 " Then, I suppose, he belongs to the ugly old men 
 
 i 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 25 
 
 who play whist duiiug the ball or watch our dancing 
 from afar off. All the greater is his guilt." 
 
 " He is neither very old nor very ugly. The min- 
 ister was kind enough to come in person and to 
 solicit your hand. I was not at home. To-day I 
 shall explain the matter, and I beg you will not cause 
 me any new anxiety with your frivolity." | 
 
 " But, dear father," said Jana, laugMng 'heartily, 
 " I did not dream of jesting with you. TTn Answer to 
 his demand for my hand I have sent Mr. Schelm an 
 invitation to mj^ wedding, giving him carefully all 
 the titles on his ridiculous card." 
 
 " Did she really do that ? " asked Councilor 
 Wernin. 
 
 " Certainly, Councilor," replied;1 Lanin, smiling, 
 " and we have actually committed that crime." 
 
 Old Wernin turned very pale. 
 
 "Foolish, impudent children!" he exclaimed. 
 " Do you know who that man Schelm is ? Do you 
 know that from his office in the Ministry of the 
 Interior he disposes of our fortunes and our lives ? 
 Do you know that he decides questions which we 
 dare not allude to in conversation ? You all tremble 
 when you hear the head of jthe gendarmes mentioned. 
 Well, Schelm is a hundred .times more dangerous 
 than Count Orloff. Do your duty to the Czar and 
 to Russia, and you need not fear the high officials. 
 But tremble when those subordinate people approach 
 you who have such formidable powers in their hands ; 
 tremble when you hear their names mentioned ! This 
 man Schelm disposes of an equal power with the 
 
26 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 head of the gendarmes, but it is hidden, mysterious, 
 and he is capable of using his power readily to gratify 
 his ambition and his revenge. You have offended 
 Schelm, and you laugh ! I tell you, if you have 
 wounded his self-love, we are lost I No money, no 
 influence, can save us from ruin ! " 
 
 Jana did not mind her father's ominous forebod- 
 ings in the least. 
 
 " He must be a chamberlain," she said, ironically, 
 " or you would not esteem him so highly. How is it 
 that this title is not on his card ? " 
 
 Perhaps for the first time in his life the old man 
 cast a stern look at his daughter. 
 
 "My child," he said, very seriously, "your jests 
 are out of place here. No, Scbelm is not a chamber- 
 lain ; he does not even hold a high place, but his 
 power is great. I am not a Liberal, and I do not 
 despise the men who are necessarj^ in order to watch 
 over the life of his Majesty and who honorably do 
 their duty. I know Schelm too little to say what 
 sort of a man he is, but his hatred fills me with 
 apprehension for you, my child, my dearest Jana " — 
 here the poor old man's eyes filled with teare and he 
 pressed his daughter to his breast. " I tremble for 
 you, Vladimir, and for my own child." 
 
 The young diplomat, who had silently listened to 
 the old man's words, looked proudly up and said : 
 
 " Fear not, Councilor, for us ! My life is blame- 
 I'ess. I am loyal to my Emperor and always shall 
 be. I fear nothing, but against vile calumny the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS; 27 
 
 influence of my uncle, the adjutant of his Majesty 
 the Emperor, will protect me." 
 
 " And if he were the adjutant of St. Nicholas him- 
 self he could not protect you against Schelm's 
 denunciation ! Do you hear that, young Hotspur ? " 
 
 Never had the councilor shown such excitement 
 — never had he uttered the names of the Emperor 
 and of St. Nicholas in such a way. Jana became at 
 last aware that her ill-timed jest might find result in 
 evil consequences, and as in the depths of her heart 
 she loved her father dearly, she stepped up to him, 
 kissed him tenderly and said : 
 
 " Be calm, I beseech you, dear father ! If this Mr. 
 Schelm holds such a high position he cannot be a 
 fool. He must see the real meaning of our invitation 
 and look upon it as a poor joke." 
 
 " Schelm is a vain, ugly and malicious man," 
 replied Wernin, forgetting what he had just said. 
 " He makes all the greater pretensions because he 
 feels how little he deserves them. Perhaps it would 
 be better for you if you had conspired against the 
 Czar, than to indulge in such a dangerous jest. But 
 this is no time for complaints — we must see what can 
 be done. Tell me quickly where he lives." 
 
 " Vladimir, do you remember his address ? " asked 
 Jana. 
 
 "No I But it was near the Newski Prospectives 
 in one of the side streets." 
 
 "His card must be here somewhere," exclaimed 
 Wernin. " Look for it quickly ; it will soon be 5 
 o'clock and there is no time to be lost." 
 
28 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 At the sight of the old man's visible anxiety Jana 
 and Vladimir lost their heads entirely and became 
 confused. 
 
 " Father," said Jana, folding her hands, " I have 
 burned the cards and cannot remember the address." 
 
 "What a chain of mishaps!" said the old man. 
 " Jana, my angel, what is to become of us ? I will 
 hasten to see the minister and if they cannot tell me 
 there I shall have to call at every house near -the 
 Prospective and inquire." He left the room hastily. 
 
 " My father is so easily disquieted," said Jana. " I 
 cannot see anything in this that we should be so 
 frightened." 
 
 " Uufortunately,"said Lanin, " I, also, have become 
 anxious. I never saw your father in such a state of 
 excitement." 
 
 Count Ivon, the owner of the house in which 
 Schelm lived, had arranged it after French fashion. 
 The porter inhabited a small room, from which all 
 the staircases started that led to the different apart- 
 ments of the tenants. As in Paris, he also received 
 all that came by post for the inhabitants of the vast 
 building. 
 
 It might have been 7:30 when Schelm came home 
 and passed the porter's lodge. 
 
 " Here is a letter for you ! " cried the latter. 
 
 " Give it to me at once ! " said Schelm, stopping a 
 moment. 
 
 As soon as he had received the letter he stepped 
 under the lamp that lighted up the hall. At the 
 sight of the imposing address he began to frown : 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 29 
 
 quickly he tore open the envelope and found this 
 letter : 
 
 The Privy Councilor, A. A. Wernin, has the honor to inform 
 you of the engagement of his daughter Jana with Count Valdi- 
 mir Lanin, and at the same time to invite you to be present at 
 the wedding ceremony in the Cathedral of Our Dear Lady of 
 Kasan, on Novembers. 
 
 For a moment Schelm stood as if struck by light- 
 ning; he grew fiery red, the perspiration covered his 
 forehead and his knees trembled. With one hand he 
 took off his spectacles, with the other he sought his 
 yellow silk handkerchief, wiped his brow, looked 
 blankly at the porter, who smiled stupidly, and 
 crushed the letter wrathfully and threw it down ; 
 then he rushed out into the street without his hat 
 and spectacles. 
 
 " What a look that was ! " said the porter to him- 
 self ; " he must have gotten bad news." 
 
 Faithfully following the example of his Paris 
 colleagues, he picked up the letter on the floor and 
 tried to read the contents. Schelm could not have 
 gone far when a carriage drove up, and a gentleman, 
 covered with decorations, called the porter and 
 inquired for Schelm. 
 
 " He has just left," answered the porter, carefully 
 concealing the crumpled letter in his hand. 
 
 " Did he get any letters ? " 
 
 The porter looked very much surprised, but did 
 not answer the in«liscreet question. Wernin did not 
 like to wait any longer, and repeated his question in 
 a voice of thunder. 
 
80 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 The frightened porter's conscience smote him. 
 The letter was beginning to burn his fingers, and he 
 thought the impetuous stranger might punish him 
 for his curiosity. He stammered, therefore : 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency ; he had just received this 
 note, and had thrown it, crumpled, to tKe'fioor . . . 
 so I thought . . ." 
 
 " Quick ! Hand it here ! You ass," cried Wernin, 
 tearing the ball of paper from the porter's hand. 
 " Too late ! " he whispered, after he had read the 
 fatal invitation. 
 
 Then he returned the letter to the porter and step- 
 ped into his carriage, saying to himself, " I was not 
 mistaken ! We shall have to fight a fierce battle"! " 
 
 CHAPTER in. . 
 
 The drizzling rain had, in the meantime, become a 
 very hard rain — it poured. And yet Schelm was 
 still wandering about, unmindful, without his hat or 
 spectacles. His egotism had been terribly wounded, 
 and this aroused in him all his evil passions. He 
 was so excited that he could not even devise a plan 
 of revenge, and yet his mind, as well as his heart, 
 thirsted for revenge. His instinct told him that he 
 could form plans only in the Ministry, and without 
 any clear purpose he returned to his office. The 
 perspiration ran from his brow and his scanty hair 
 was damp. . His eyes, always inflamed, were blood- 
 shot and bleared. He looked hcftrible in his dumb 
 despair. Only after he had walked about half way 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 31 
 
 he stopped and tried to collect his turbulent 
 thoughts. 
 
 " There we see what human life is," he said to him- 
 self. " Yesterday I fancied I was on the high road 
 to honors and riches ; to-day all is over, at one blow." 
 
 His thoughts filled him with new bitterness and he 
 again hastened his steps. 
 
 " A Lanin is aid of the Emperor. Another mar- 
 ries Wernin's daughter. That name is unlucky for 
 me. 
 
 An ominous smile disfigured his mouth. 
 
 " The 28 th of October is written in bloody letters 
 upon my memory. I cannot forget it,' but I shall 
 remember the names." 
 
 He went on repeating to himself: 
 
 "Lanin! Palkin! Weniin ! " 
 
 In the same moment he heard somebody call out 
 behind him : 
 
 " That must be he ! Schelm ! Schelm ! " 
 
 The head of division, who had not a friend on 
 earth, turned round, quite surprised, on bearing him- 
 self called in this familiar way. Before him rose the 
 dismal walls of the Ministry of the Interior, and in a 
 corner of the huge portico, half in the shade, stood a 
 man who looked sharply into Schelm's face. The 
 man was a picture of misery ; his shabby costume, 
 his lean, haggard face, all spoke but too clearly. 
 When he saw that Schelm looked at him attentively 
 he exclaimed with a smile of delight: 
 
 " To be sure ! Schelm in his own person ! A 
 strange meeting ! " 
 
32 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 The head of division cast at liim a look of con- 
 tempt. 
 
 " I do not know you ! " he said, drily. 
 
 " You do not know me?" continued the unknown. 
 
 " Well, it is some years since you saw me last. I 
 am your school friend and your only friend. Don't 
 you recognise me? I am Miller, of Millertown ! 
 Come into my arms, comrade ! " 
 
 The meeting was not pleasant for the great man ; 
 he attempted to break off the conversation. 
 
 Miller, however, willed differently; he almost 
 forced his friend to come under the shelter of the 
 balcony, where he himself had sought protection, and 
 said to him : 
 
 " Are you in such a frightful hurry ? I under- 
 stand how, in the position which you seem to occupy, 
 a meeting with an old comrade may not be very 
 pleasant, but console yourself ; my misery is as great 
 as j'^our ill-luck. You need only look at nie, my coat, , 
 my hat, my boots : I am thoroughly demoralized. I 
 should be glad if I found you to be slill the san.e 
 man you were of old. I was glad just now to notice 
 that you were not happy. At the sight of your 
 unhappiness my heart warmed up. Surely, you 
 must still be the same as of old." 
 
 Schelm did not conceal his annoyance, but sub- 
 mitted to his fate and did not leave his old friend. 
 fie asked him, with an air of bitter haughtiness : 
 
 " What do you want of me. Out with it ! 
 Quick." 
 
 " To press your hand, dear friend, and to tell you 
 
THE AGE OF CLUBS. 33 
 
 how I have tried since we separated, and then per- 
 haps, to take leave of you for another ten years. Ah, 
 my friend, fate has not been kind to me. I had a 
 small patrimony which I soon squandered. I could 
 not bear the position of an office holder ; I resigned 
 and plunged into the whirlpool of life. That lasted 
 five years. At last I awoke one morning from this 
 dream, without money, not a friend, no prospect for 
 the future. For five years I have knocked at all 
 doors, tried every profession and can do nothing to 
 earn a living. All this time I wanted to work 
 honestly and fairly ; my feelings revolted against all 
 that was contrary to honor and to conscience. This 
 disposition closed every career against me. I was 
 driven away everywhere as being good for nothing. 
 For three days I have been living on crusts. To-day 
 I am ready to do anything. If any one were to ask 
 me to steal I verily believe I could do it ; if I were 
 asked to libel and slander any one I could do it ; if 
 they wanted me to commit murder I would be able 
 to do even that. Hunger is powerful ! " 
 
 Schelm had listened attentively to the words of his 
 old schoolmate. When he paused he shrugged his 
 shoulders and said brutally : 
 
 " What is all this to me ? " 
 
 " You are just as kind, I see, as you used to be," 
 replied Miller. " I thought I would please you by 
 telling you my history. I felt a certain comfort in 
 seeing you, whom I expected to find rich and happy, 
 looking anything but happy — your disordered dress 
 3 
 
34 THE AGE OF CLUBS. 
 
 — your melancholy face — all this encouraged me to 
 offer you my hand." 
 
 " Who told you I was poor and unhappy ? " inter- 
 rupted Schelm. " On the contrary, I hold a high 
 oflBee and have a salary of 15,000 rubles. Perhaps 
 you like to hear that news ? " 
 
 " Is it possible ? " cried Miller, " that's very differ- 
 ent, I am sure. Pardon me, but be so kind as to lend 
 me 25 rubles." 
 
 Schelm drew back a step quite surprised. 
 
 » Twenty-five rubles ! What for ? " 
 
 " That I will tell you at once. To-night takes 
 place the annual law supper, at which aU appear who 
 have studied law together. You are no doubt 
 invited as well as I. But you have perhaps never 
 been present, while I do not neglect a single meeting. 
 It is the only place where I can appear without 
 accepting it as alms and where I always meet kindred 
 and sympathizing hearts. Every one of my places or, 
 employments I owe to these annual suppers, to my 
 former fellow-students. To-night I shall attend for 
 the last time," continued Miller, leaning on his 
 schoolmate's arm, " but I must have 25 rubles to pay 
 my score and to hire a decent costume. Can you 
 lend me that amount ? " 
 
 Schelm withdrew from the hands of his colleague 
 and said in a hard, icy cold tone : 
 
 " Mr. Miller, I observe in life the principles that 
 everybody lives and cares for himself alone. I only 
 show favor to those who can return me favors. But 
 how could you prove your gratitude ? That would 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 35 
 
 be simply impossible. You could not even return 
 the borrowed money. You are simply a beggar and 
 1 do not like beggars I Good-bye ! Hereafter leave 
 me alone and do not refer to our former acquaint- 
 ance." 
 
 Thus the head of division left his friend perfectly 
 dumfounded and entered the office. 
 
 " A very nice man, indeed," murmured Miller. 
 "I must try Vladimir. I must absolutely attend 
 this supper once more." 
 
 Trembling with cold and wading through the deep 
 mud. Miller went away. 
 
 In the meantime Schelm, in still worse temper than 
 before, ran up the stairs. It had just struck 9 and 
 a few clerks were again at work. The old soldier 
 slept once more on his bench. Schelm hurried down 
 the passage, drew a key from his pocket and opened 
 the door of his office. 
 
 There was no life in it, the fire in the grate had 
 gone out and it was bitter cold in the vast apartment. 
 Schelm looked all around, uttered a fearful curse, 
 pulled the bell rope and waited a moment. No one 
 came. More and more excited, Schelm rang and 
 rang, till at last the old soldier appeared in the door, 
 only half awake. Schelm's eyes glared in the dark 
 and his repulsive form assumed strange, fantastic 
 outlines. Th6old soldier crossed , himself, fearing he 
 saw a ghost. 
 
 " Why have you not lit the lamp and made a fire 
 in the grate ? " asked Schelm. " Don't you know 
 
36 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 your orders ? You know that I often work here at 
 night." 
 
 " YoLir Excellency, I have received no orders from 
 the officer on duty." 
 
 " Call him at once ! " 
 
 The soldier hesitated. 
 
 " You do not obey," repeated Schelm, in a rage. 
 " You obstinate rascal ! A hundred blows with the 
 stick if you do not bring him here instantly." 
 
 "Your Excellency, the officer on duty has not 
 returned yet from his dinner." 
 
 " Is that the way you do your duty in the Minis- 
 try of the Interior ? Whose turn is it to-day ? " 
 
 « Mr. Popoff." 
 
 " Very well. I know Popoff. Call to me instantly 
 the head of his bureau, No. 71 : you hear ? Aftd 
 then make a fire on the spot and light the lamps if 
 you wish to escape your punishment ! " 
 
 The soldier hurried away. Schelm stepped back 
 into the dark that seemed to suit his temper, and 
 fell into deep thought. His whole past came up 
 before his mind's eye- The memory of his youth, 
 however, which ordinarily causes men to be deeply 
 moved, only increased his fury. 
 
 " Ah ! if I could but make others sufPer what I 
 suffer to-day ! " he exclaimed, grinding his teeth. 
 
 The soldier brought light. Soon after the head of 
 bureau No. 71 entered also. 
 
 " You have excellent subordinates," scolded 
 Schelm, very loudly. " At 9 o'clock they have not 
 come back from dinner I I shaU remove your name 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 37 
 
 from the list of those who are to receive special 
 rewards, and Popoff you will instantly dismiss." 
 
 The official tried to excuse himself and to defend 
 his subordinate, but Schelm did not allow him to 
 speak, and said : 
 
 " I will hear nothing more ! And now get 
 away ! " 
 
 The fire soon danced merrily in the grate, the lamp 
 illuminated the room brilliantly, and yet Schelm was 
 in a very bad humor and found it impossible to 
 work. 
 
 " I can't do it," he said at last. " What if I did 
 as Miller does ? If I were to go to the lawyer's sup- 
 per ! I have had no dinner yet ! " 
 
 He rang the bell. 
 
 «" Get me a droschka at once," he said to the sol- 
 dier. " This room is too cold to work in." 
 
 The Restaurant Dusan was brilliantly lighted and 
 illuminated the whole street for some distance. The 
 lawyers ■ rented the principal hall for their annual 
 suppers. Servants were seen hurrying to and fro 
 \yith dishes and plates, bottles and glasses. Some 
 forty men had taken seats at the long table and car- 
 ried on a lively and loud conversation. Several 
 chairs were still vacant. Miller had taken a seat 
 next to Vladimir Lanin. The supper was just begin- 
 ning when Schelm entered and cast a side glance at 
 the assembly, who looked at him with astonishment. 
 His insignificant figure contrasted with the luxurious 
 furniture and the elegant company. The younger 
 and more fashionable members cast one look at him 
 
38 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 and then turned away with a contemptuous smile, 
 not troubling themselves any more about him. 
 Schelm soon became aware that he knew no one in 
 the assembly, and took one of the unoccupied chairs 
 without looking around. 
 
 Miller was engaged in earnest conversation with 
 his neighbor at table, and did not become aware of 
 Schelm's presence till the latter took his seat rather 
 noisily. Then both looked at each other and started. 
 
 " You have remembered after all that you studied 
 law ? " Miller asked. 
 
 " And you have managed to collect the necessary 
 means." 
 
 " As you see," continued Miller, " I have found 
 assistance elsewhere after my schoolmate and friend 
 of my youth had refused me. But no offense. To- 
 day we'll eat and drink and leave care outside. 
 Lanin, hand me a bottle of champagne ! " 
 
 Schelm trembled. " How did you call your neigh- 
 bor?" 
 
 " He is the one who has lent me money." 
 
 " That is not the question. Tell me his name." 
 
 " Vladimir Lanin." 
 
 " Are you intimate friends ? " 
 
 " He is my last friend and patron." 
 
 In a still lower tone of voice Schelm continued : 
 
 " I behaved foolishly when I treated you badly a 
 while ago, especially when I said you could not do 
 anything to serve me. On the contrary, I find Ave 
 can be very useful to each other. You said you were 
 willing to do anythhig, provided you were well paid. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 39 
 
 Dear Miller, I want yoa to-day and you can earn 
 one, perhaps even two, thousand rubles for nothing," 
 .he added, with a pressure of his hand. 
 
 But Miller withdrew his hand. 
 
 "I said that under pressure— when cold and hun- 
 ger drove me to despair. Now I am sitting in a 
 ■warm, well-lighted hall, at a richly served table. 
 Before I enter upon your conditions I must know 
 what they are." 
 
 "Come next Friday to the Ministry of the Inte- 
 rior ; there we can confer better with each other." 
 Schelm was thinking to himself that by Friday his 
 friend would be penniless again and ready to do any- 
 thing. 
 
 " Well ! " replied Miller. " But how can I get at 
 you? There are so many officials in the Ministry." 
 
 " Send your name up to the head of the Division 
 of Political Affairs." 
 
 "What! are you employed under so great a 
 man?" 
 
 " I am the head of division myself." 
 
 "What, the devil!" cried Miller. "That is 
 another matter. I shall be there on Friday cer- 
 tainly." 
 
 " Now be so kind as to introduce me to your 
 friend." 
 
 " Very well," said Miller, and lightly touched his 
 neighbor. Lanin turned around. 
 
 " Vladimir, M. Onophri Schelm wishes to be pre- 
 sented to you." 
 
 " 1 know you very well, Count," said Schelm with 
 
40 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 his most obliging smile. " I remember our school 
 days very well. We were schoolmates for some 
 time, and to-day I received the polite invitation to 
 your wedding. Ah! Count Vladimir! You young 
 people are ready to laugh at us old people, book- 
 worms or office rats, as we are. Fortunately I cannot 
 be angry with anybody. You must have had some 
 work, writing the whole long address — I take it for 
 granted it was your handwriting." 
 
 Lanin blushed and could hardly stammer a few 
 words. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir. I confess the jest was 
 out of place." 
 
 " Oh, I ask for no excuse. I am not angry. It is 
 all right. I remember you very well ; Vladimir 
 Lanin, that handsome, clever, witty young man ! I 
 was ugly and everybody ran away from me, and I 
 am still the same. But that does not matter. I am 
 happy to renew our acquaintance. Let us turn to 
 the past ! " 
 
 " Really, Mr. Schelm, I am ashamed " 
 
 " Oh, never mind ! Let us drink your health and 
 that of your fair one ! " 
 
 During the somewhat protracted supper Lanin, 
 Schelm and Miller chatted like three excellent 
 friends. Vladimir repented again and again that he 
 had permitted Jana to tempt him to commit such a 
 grievous mistake, especially now when he saw that 
 terrible man, who made the old councilor tremble, in 
 such good humor by his side. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 41 
 
 At last all was over. They took leave and Sclielm 
 ■whispered into Miller's ear : 
 " Remember I On Friday ! " 
 " Certainly ! " replied Miller. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 After crossing a number of islands in the Neva 
 and as many bridges of almost every possible shape 
 and size — some of iron and beautiful, others built of 
 wood and not too secure — you reach, at last, the 
 other bank of the vast river where you find yourself 
 in another world. 
 
 Low huts, half underground, wooden stables and 
 tumble-down fences are here reflected in the waves 
 of the Neva. Not a trace here of streets or squares, 
 of sidewalks or pavement ; here the huts are hud- 
 dled together, there they stand like the squares of a 
 chess-board and again they appear isolated and alone. 
 Smoke covers the whole place and you breathe it ; 
 the muddy soil looks like asphalt. The city shows 
 but one side, a mean, wretched suburb, and in the 
 opposite direction stretch out as far as the eye can 
 reach the sad plains and dismal swamps of Ingermann- 
 land. 
 
 There are the boundary lines of the city of Peter 
 the Great; beyond these the town seems to be 
 unwilling to extend. No one lives here who is not 
 compelled to do so ; the city avithorities seem actu- 
 ally to have forgotten this part of the town and no 
 land owner or speculator has yet attempted to im- 
 prove this forsaken suburb. 
 
42 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 The opulent residents of Petersburg are not even 
 aware of the existence of such miserable outskirts 
 of the magnificent and gorgeous capital of the em- 
 pire. None but poor people live here. This is the 
 only refuge that is left them. To be sure, life is no- 
 • where as dear as in Petersburg ; only in this one sub- 
 urb prices are reasonable and living cheap — but then, 
 people live here on half-spoilt fish and cucumbers, 
 because both may be had for a mere song. The 
 poorest man can exist here for a few cents a day. It 
 takes not less than three hours to reach the centre 
 of the city, and those who reside here are virtually 
 separated from the other inhabitants of Petersburg. 
 
 In one of the most wretched parts of this miser- 
 able suburb there stood a wooden hut, which sought 
 support from an adjoining church. The deca3-ed 
 appearance of this wretched hut defied description. 
 The roof had fallen in ; the walls sunk into the 
 ground ; the only window hardly reached above the 
 swampy soil, in which the whole hut threatened to 
 sink and vanish. In the middle part there was a 
 dark, vaulted room, and on the right hand door 
 might be read : " Sewing Needles & Yarn For Sale 
 Here." 
 
 A narrow staircase, close by the door, led to the 
 garret. The interior of the little shop was in no way 
 better than the outside. A huge stove, a bed, a few 
 chairs, a wooden table and a chest of drawers formed 
 the furniture, and these were old, black and worn. 
 
 A little pile of thread on the chest of drawers and 
 a few small boxes containing needles constituted the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 43 
 
 whole stock in trade. The store was cold and the 
 windows covered with moisture ; even the floor was 
 wet and the whole hut fearfully cold and damp. 
 
 At the window sat an old woman knitting. A child 
 was asleep on the ledge of the big stove. The 
 woman was not over 40, but misery and want had 
 made her hair gray and covered her face with 
 wrinkles. She wore a wadded gown and had a yel- 
 low handkerchief around her head. The child might 
 be 8 years old. A sheepskin cloak, intended to pro- 
 vide for rapid growth, reached down to his feet, 
 which were hidden in wooden shoes. The old woman 
 was whispering prayers without interrupting her 
 work. The little boy blew into his chilled hands and 
 tried to attract the old woman's attention. At last 
 he cried : 
 
 " Mother, I am so cold ! " 
 
 " You good for nothing ! Breathe into your hands, 
 Andrew, and you will soon be warm ! " 
 
 " Why don't you buy wood, mother ? It is no 
 longer so dear. The sexton bought a wliole wagon 
 load yesterday for a ruble." 
 
 " Because, first, you must have the ruble. Just 
 wait till the 1st of the month. Then your brother 
 will get money. Then we'll be nice and warm here." 
 
 " Two days longer, and to-day I have had no 
 breakfast at all I I am hungry, mother, give me 
 something to eat ! " 
 
 " Wait, child ; at 6 you will have dinner ! " 
 
 " What will there be for dinner ? " 
 
44 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " What we always have. There is some bread left 
 and four cucumbers." 
 
 " Every day the same thing ! " and the poor boy 
 began to cry. At that moment some one knocked 
 very gently. The woman rose to open the door and 
 whispered to little Andrew as she passed him : 
 
 " Behave now ! You know it is not my fault. 
 Quick ! Dry your tears. Somebod}' is coming ! " 
 
 She drew the latch and opened the door. On the 
 threshold stood a young girl ; her pretty, sunburnt 
 face had the color of health, her features were pleas- 
 ing and cheerful, her hair light and her hands showed 
 that they were familiar with work. She was wrapped 
 in a warm fur cloak and her feet were protected by 
 comfortable boots lined with fur. Her simple dress 
 was utterly lacking in elegance' and yet no one could 
 help noticing the natural grace which showed in the 
 whole presence of the girl, especially iu her large 
 blue ej'^es, full of gentleness and delicacy. 
 
 Miller, of Miller town, looked over the girl's 
 shoulder into the room. 
 
 " How are you Helen, my angel ! " exclaimed the 
 old woman, " come here to me, my child ! " 
 
 " Ah ! Is it Helen ? " cried the boy, rejoicing. " She 
 surely brings something to eat." 
 
 With these words he sprang up from his bench and 
 began to examine the girl's pockets. Now Miller 
 also entered. 
 
 " Dear neighbor," he said, " give me a little black 
 thread ; you see my coat is in great trouble ; I shall 
 have to sew again the AVhole evening." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 45 
 
 " Directly, neighbor." 
 
 She went to the drawers to get the thread. In the 
 meantime, little Andrew had found a paper with 
 raisins in Helen's pocket. Shouting with joy he fell 
 upon them, while Helen laughed merrily. 
 
 " How are you, dear neighbor ? " asked Miller. 
 " Tolerably ; thank you." 
 " Have you seen Nicholas recently ? " 
 " A week ago. He never has time. On the 1st 
 of the month he brings me half of his pay ; he gives 
 me that. Otherwise we see him rarely. He has no 
 time. He earns fifty rubles a month and gives us 
 twenty-five. Under such circumstances a man has 
 to work hard." 
 
 " You have a good son, Mrs. Lina, have you not ? " 
 " Oh, sir ; he is our Providence. What could I, 
 unfortunate woman, do without him? He denies 
 himself of everything to provide for our wants, and 
 I really do not see how he manages to live aLd dress 
 for twenty-five rubles, for at the Ministry they expect 
 them always to be well dressed. Fortunately, they 
 have promised him promotion and an advance in 
 salary besides, as a reward for his exemplary con- 
 duct. They advanced him a month's pay, so that we 
 might be able to buy warm clothes. But there I am, 
 talking to you of our domestic affairs, that canijot 
 possibly interest any one, and least of all you, dear 
 neighbor." 
 
 " On the contrary ! You know how I like to come 
 to see you and how often I come down from my 
 garret to have a pleasant chat with you, especially 
 
i6 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 when I have the good luck to meet this fair young 
 lady lieie, whom I admire so greatly, as I do all her 
 sex. 
 
 " You scapegrace ! " exclaimed the old woman, and 
 just then, noticing Andrew devouring the raisins, she 
 added ; " What are you doing there ? Surely j'ou 
 have taken something again from Miss Helen ! Are 
 you not ashamed to beg and at the same time to 
 steal ! " 
 
 " But I must eat something," replied the boy, with 
 cheeks stuffed full ; " you never give me anything." 
 
 Old Lina was fiery red with anger. 
 
 '■ Are j'ou not ashamed to say so, when your 
 brother is working hard to give you your daily bread. 
 But bread you will not eat. You want candy and 
 sweets ! As if bread was not the staff of life ! " 
 
 "But you never give me enough bread ! " 
 
 Lina, who did not like that her neighbor should 
 see their poverty, felt terribly mortified, and a tear 
 ran down the wrinkles of her face. 
 
 " Oh, you bad boy ! You always worry me." She 
 turned away to hide her tears. She never complained 
 and did not like to be pitied. She was as all people 
 are who have seen better days and preserve their 
 pride. 
 
 At that moment the door was thrown open sud- 
 denly and Nicholas Popoff, Lina's eldest son, rushed 
 in, deadly pale, wet through and utterly unnerved. 
 In one hand he lield a bottle of brandy, in the other 
 a portfolio which he threw away as he entered. At 
 this unusual sight all drew back. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 47 
 
 Nicholas next seized his little brother, raised him 
 on high and looked at him with bewildered eyes. 
 Liua had in the meantime recovered from her fright 
 and went up to him, saying : 
 
 " What is it, Nicholas ? " 
 
 " You shiver," said the man to his little brother. 
 " You shiver all over and cry from cold and from 
 hunger. Cry on, my boy, for henceforth you will 
 always hunger. You will never have a piece of 
 bread any more." 
 
 He kissed the boy passionately and let him fall so 
 suddenly out of his arms that the poor little fellow- 
 crept behind the stove and lost all of his raisins. 
 
 " What do you mean, ray son ? " asked Lina, aloud. 
 
 " Mother," said Nicholas, "you thought that, 
 thanks to my work, you would be able, in your old 
 age, to lead a quiet life — and now we shall have to 
 beg in the streets and die in the hospital. Helen, 
 your father, a wealthy merchant, allowed you to visit 
 us and promised me your hand when I should have 
 secured a better position. Go home, Helen, and look 
 for another husband, for I shall never marry you. 
 Neighbor, guard your money well, for I might steal 
 it, if I should live here ; hunger is a bad counselor." 
 
 " Nicholas, are you mad ? " asked Lina, sternly. 
 
 " Not yet, mother, nor drunk, but I shall soon 
 become both. Here is a bottle of brandy, the last 
 present I shall ever bring you ; I have spent my last 
 penny on it." 
 
 Helen approached the unfortunate official and asked 
 him in a gentle, soft voice : 
 
48 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Nicholas, what is the matter ? " 
 
 Nicholas pushed her back. 
 
 " Hush ! Do not say a word. Your voice pierces 
 my heart. You ask what is the matter ? They have 
 turned me out of the Ministry ! " 
 
 Lina's head sank low ; two big tears rolled down 
 her furrowed cheeks and she said, in a low tone : 
 
 " Lord, Thy will be done ! Now we must prepare 
 for misery, for starvation. I am an old woman, it 
 matters not for me — but this cluld ! " 
 
 She wiped her tears and asked, in a quiet, resolute 
 tone of voice : 
 
 " And why have they turned you out ? " 
 
 " The chief was in a bad humor yesterday. At 7 
 he went away. I could not anticipate that he would 
 come back as soon as 8 o'clock, and went to dinner. 
 When I returned they told me his Excellency had 
 been there but had driven away again, in great wrath, 
 because the fire had gone out in the grate and the 
 lamp had not been lit. You know, every officer 
 when on duty, has an hour free for dinner. I was 
 not a minute behind my time ; but because the great 
 man stayed an hour beyond his usual time I also had 
 to wait a whole hour before I could go to my dinner. 
 The way from the office to my restaurant, you 
 know, is pretty long, and a man must, after all, eat 
 at least once a day. When they told me that the 
 chief had been angry I feared at once that some of 
 us would have to suffer, but I never expected that 
 matters would be quite as bad as this. This morn- 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 49 
 
 ing the head of the bureau told me that I had lost 
 my place under the Government." 
 
 " At first I thought this sentence could not be final. 
 I begged, implored. I wished to speak to his Excel- 
 lency. But there was no help. These six years that 
 I have been in service I have never had a complaint 
 against me, and this is the way they reward services 
 rendered the Czar ! For long years we work hard 
 and earn little more than our daily bread. Then 
 one day the chief is in bad humor and the poor sub- 
 ordinate is turned adrift ! Therefore, mother, let us 
 drink, let us forget all, and to-morrow let us die ! " 
 
 He sat down and put the bottle on the table. 
 
 " Hand us glasses," he cried. " Mr. Miller, Helen, 
 pray i * * * Our last meal ! Mother, 
 have you nothing to eat ? I am starving ! " 
 
 "Nicholas ! Control yourself. You do not know 
 what you are doing ! God is with us. It is His 
 doing." 
 
 " Quiet ! " commanded the clerk. " I am hungry 
 and I want you to give me something to eat." 
 
 The old woman turned slowly to the chest of 
 drawers and took from it a piece of bread and four 
 cucumbers. She put a plate before her son and two 
 glasses on the table. 
 
 " That is all you have, mother ? " said Nicholas. 
 "Then, to-morrow we shall have nothing at. all to 
 eat. Mother, let us drink. Let the toast be, ' Our 
 impending death ! ' Bring me the first glass ! " 
 
 Lina shook her head, filled one of the glasses and 
 put it before her son. 
 4 
 
50 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Will you not drink ? Not if I beg you ? " 
 The mother pushed back the glass he offered her. 
 " If you will not do it I must get druuk." 
 Nicholas' wild looks and his strange ways had in 
 the meantime frightened the little boy so terribly 
 that he crept farther and farther behind the stove. 
 
 "Don't hide so, boy, don't be afraid! Taste the 
 brandy ! Believe me, it is a good drink and makes 
 us forget everything. When I am drunk I may 
 dream that I am the head of a division and sit in my 
 arm chair in a beautiful office and gaze at the por- 
 traits of the Czars. Come here, Andrew, come to 
 
 me 
 
 The boy, whose terror had grown steadily, was no 
 longer visible. 
 
 " Will no one drink ? Not you, Helen ? Nor you, 
 Mr, Miller? Then I must drink alone anil get drunk 
 alone. And then we shall go away from here, I unto 
 death and you mother, with the boy, to beg in the 
 street ! " 
 
 He emptied the glass at one draught, wiped his 
 lips with his sleeve and seized the botlle. The 
 women wept silently, utterly unnerved by this 
 picture of despair. At that moment Miller, who so 
 far had listened without opening his lips, rose from 
 the bench, went up to Nicholas, and said : 
 
 "Stop there, neighbor! Perhaps all is not lost 
 yet. Perhaps I can get you another place. But in 
 
 the meantime " « » « -y^rith these 
 
 words he emptied his pockets and threw a five ruble 
 note and some small change upon the table. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 51 
 
 " So much for to-day ! I need no money ! I can 
 always have what I want. Only do not give up 
 hope ! Till we meet again ! " 
 
 To hide his increasing emotion and to escape the 
 gratitude of the women he went away quickly, 
 repeating on the threshold : " To-morrow at the 
 latest I'll bring you news ! " 
 
 Helen broke the silence that followed the depart- 
 ure of the man from Courland, saying : 
 
 " Your neighbor is a good man ! Nicholas, he'll 
 help you ! " 
 
 " He," repeated Nicholas ; " he is neither rich nor 
 has he any influence whatever, nor should he be able 
 to help one. He is a poor devil as I am. To be 
 sure, he has given us five rubles, and I bless him for 
 it. But what is that? We may live a day longer, 
 and instead of dying to-morrow we shall die the day 
 after." 
 
 " Nicholas," said Helen, rathei" timidly, " I have 
 some little money and I'll ask father also." 
 
 ■' Many thanks, dear Helen, but I cannot accept 
 any sacrifice from you. The brandy has given me . 
 thought and I begin to feel as if we had been res- 
 cued." 
 
 He rose and said with bright, shining eyes : 
 
 " Yesterday they beat ine ! Every day I had to 
 bear scorn and disgrace. If anybody gave me an 
 order, it was generally : ' You ass, do this and that 
 and make haste ! ' And all that because they paid 
 me fifty rubles a month. I have borne that treat- 
 ment for five years, although my soul revolted at 
 
52 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 such injustice. Yes, Mr. Palkin and Mr. Schelm ! 
 Like a dog you have treated me, because you knew 
 that the work of my hands had to support my mother 
 and my little brother, and that my place was my 
 life. But now that I have lost the place, I raise at 
 last my head once more and bend my neck no longer. 
 Mr. Schelm ! Mr. Schelm ! Tremble before the worm 
 you have so long trodden under foot ! " 
 
 He emptied a second glass, rose, embraced his 
 mother, and took Helen's hand. 
 
 *' Where are you going, Nicholas ? " asked his 
 mother, anxiously. 
 
 He made no reply, but in the door he turned once 
 more and bade the women farewell with tear-filled 
 eyes. 
 
 "Take some money, Nicholas, and come back 
 soon. Think well before you doanythir.g," implored 
 Lina. 
 
 " I need no money. I shall have enough where I 
 am now going.^' 
 
 Helen wrung her hands. 
 
 " Where are you going, Nicholas ? " she asked, with 
 trembling voice. 
 
 " If you should not see me again in two days, 
 pray for my departed soul." 
 
 With these words he slammed the door behind 
 him. The two women, dumb with despair, sat along 
 time. Neither of them touched the money. At 
 last little Andrew came forth from his hiding place, 
 gathered the raisins that were scattered over the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 53 
 
 floor and devoured them eagerly. Then the two 
 women began to cry bitterly. 
 
 Outside the rain was pouring down furiously, con- 
 tinually increasing in violence. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 It might have been 9 o'clock at night, but the 
 windows in the office of the head of division were 
 brilliantly illumined. In spite of the late hour, 
 Schelm was still at work ; opposite him sat his for- - 
 mer schoolmate. Miller of Millertown. The conver- 
 sation between the two old friends seems to have con- 
 tinued for some time, as their passionately agitated 
 features testified. Miller's face was especially 
 excited. He was deadly pale, but in his eyes glowed 
 an uncanny fire. 
 
 " I have told you," he said, " I am ready for any- 
 thing you may order to be done ! The straight road 
 is a nuisance to my eyes. But yesterday I allowed 
 myself to be misled by my better feelings and gave 
 my last money to people who were even poorer than 
 I am. That has not paid well. To-day I have had 
 literally not a morsel of food." 
 
 "The more readily you will comprehend that I 
 cannot agree to your demands," said Schelm. 
 
 " For five long years I have led this miserable life, 
 and might, if needs be, stand it a little longer. To 
 be sure, I have often felt sick and tired of it. The 
 philosophers tell us that he is happy who needs little 
 — but they ought to have added and does not have 
 an empty stomach. Your offers are vulgar. But 
 
54 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 why not do a vulgar thing? Only I cannot respect 
 the thief who makes a distinction between him who 
 steals a loaf of bread and him who runs away with 
 a million. The world despises both alike, but the 
 thief knows the difference. If you wanted me to 
 steal a few rubles I should say nothing. But as it is, 
 I tell you : I will not leave the path of virtue and of 
 honor without being paid well for it. After that 
 may happen what will ! It is only .the first step that 
 calls for courage ; afterwards we do no longer mind 
 conscience and its reproaches. Do vou understand 
 me ? " 
 
 " Perhaps. You surely never had so much money 
 in your life ! " 
 
 "I had at times ten, perhaps twenty, times as 
 much ! " 
 
 " But just now you have not 10 kopecks in your 
 pocket." 
 
 " For that very reason my conversion to the bad 
 must produce a goodly sum. Otherwise I do not 
 sell my honor and my conscience. I have mentioned 
 my price. Ten thousand silver rubles and an annual 
 income of the same amount during the time of my 
 mission." 
 
 " But, my dear friend, consider a moment what 
 your demands are. I myself have only 15,000 rubles 
 a year ! If I pay you 5,000 out of that at once, and 
 then defray the other expenses besides, I would 
 really take the bread out of my own mouth, and if I 
 did more than that I would simply ruin myself." 
 
THE ACE OF ULUBS. 65 
 
 " And what is your ruin to me ? Do you think I 
 sell myself to you in order to jjlease you?" 
 
 Schelm looked at him threateningly. 
 
 "Cautious, Miller, be cautious?" 
 
 Miller laughed aloud. 
 
 " Dear friend, how could you hurt me ? Do you 
 think of imprisonment ? What is that to me ? Board 
 costs nothing there and perhaps I should fare even 
 better there than as a free man. And Siberia? 
 That would give me a most desirable change of air 
 and perhaps I would be happier there than here. 
 No, no, I am in such a state of abject misery that 
 I can fear nothing worse. I say, therefore, pay out 
 your money or I go." 
 
 " How could I raise at once such a sum ? " 
 
 " A man who fills such a high office as you do does 
 not mind a paltry 10,000 rubles. Besides, you know 
 very well that if your plans succeed, all your ex- 
 penses will be repaid a hundredfold." 
 
 Schelm covered his brow with his hand and 
 reflected a long time ; then he seemed suddenly to 
 have come to a decision, for he drew from his pocket 
 a large portemonnaie and said to Miller : 
 
 " May I, at least, count upon your loyalty and 
 blind obedience? You would be lost were you to 
 betray rae ! " 
 
 " Why will you give yourself the trouble to 
 threaten me ? I have told you. I have nothing to 
 fear. Rich people and men in high position may 
 tremble when they think of the dark power you 
 wield, but I, I do not care. I was born an honest 
 
56 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 man. As I was honest in good things I shall not 
 cease to be honest in bad things also. As soon as I 
 accept your conditions I am yours entirely." 
 
 Schelm looked at him sharply, opened his porte- 
 monnaie, and began slowly to count the bank-notes. 
 At the sight of the money Miller's eyes glowed with 
 covetousness. Schelm counted them once more, 
 pinned them together and said, finally : 
 
 " Here are the 10,000 rubles you demand." 
 
 Miller eagerly stretched out his hand. 
 
 " One moment," said Schelm. " Who secures me 
 that, when you have my money, you keep your 
 promise ? " 
 
 Miller drew himself up with dignity : 
 
 " My word ought to satisfy you ! " 
 
 Schelm laughed scornfully. 
 
 This harsh, defying laugh wounded Miller's heart. 
 He hung his head and said in a low voice : 
 
 " Schelm, Schelm, it is not right in you to treat 
 me so ! " 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! " laughed Schelm again, quite as 
 contemptuously as before. " You do not wish me to 
 make merry over your word of honor ? Confess that 
 is rather comical in such a moment." 
 
 The man from Courland sprang up and walked up 
 to the great man. His face was deadly pale and an 
 expression of dumb pain distorted his mouth. 
 
 " Look here, my friend," he said, in a suppressed 
 tone of voice and in abrupt sentences ; " we have sat 
 upon the same benches at school and entered life 
 together. You can to-day do me a favor for which 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 57 
 
 I shall be your life-long debtor. You have a big 
 sura of money in your hand. With that you wanted 
 to buy me and for a bad purpose. Do more ! Lend 
 me the hundredth part of the amount. The humilia- 
 tion which your laughter has inflicted upon me will 
 give me the necessary strength to persevere in the 
 path of virtue. I shall repay the hundred rubles, 
 preserve mj honor and begin to work. Do this, 
 schoolmate, and you will earn the merit of having 
 done a good deed." 
 
 Tears stifled his voice ; his eyes and his whole car- 
 riage were eloquent. Schelm took off his spectacles 
 and regarded him as he would have regarded a 
 curiosity ; at last he turned aside and said, very 
 drily : 
 
 " I do not iinderstand you." 
 
 Miller passed his sleeve quiiskly over his moist eye- 
 lids, suppressed his sobs, turned round and fell into 
 a chair. 
 
 " I was a fool," he cried. " How could I expect 
 to find in Schelm a trace of a noble sentiment? In 
 vain ! I cannot escape my fate ; I cannot remain an 
 honest man when everything is against me. I am 
 ready to sell myself. Pardon me for thinking, for a 
 moment even, so well of both of us ! Let us make 
 our bargain ! " 
 
 Silent and solemn as usual, Schelm made no reply. 
 Miller trembled at the thought that he might break 
 off the negotiations. The notes were still lying on 
 the table ? Miller looked at them fixedly ; they 
 would suffice him for life. All of a sudden a cramp 
 
68 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 seized him in the stomach and reminded him that he 
 was suffering hunger. With a trembling voice he 
 repeated, therefore : 
 
 " Hand it here ! I am ready for everything." 
 
 Schelni answered coolly : 
 
 "You will write me an acknowledgment of 
 indebtedness for that sum and a solemn promise to 
 do my bidding. These last five minutes have 
 increased my distrust considerably." 
 
 The man breathed again. 
 
 " If that is all— willingly ! Dictate if you choose, 
 I'll sign anything ! " 
 
 Schelm dictated : 
 
 "I have received from M. Schelm, head of a 
 division in the Ministry of the Interior, the sum of 
 10,000 rubles as compensation for the trouble and 
 the steps which I pledge myself to take in behalf of 
 the speedy discovery of all the motives and the 
 branches of the conspiracy " 
 
 At these words Schelm paused ; Miller looked up 
 at him and their glances met for a moment. 
 
 " How shall we call them ? " 
 
 " Write La — and leave space for several letters. 
 If the thing succeeds, everybody will know what 
 that means." 
 
 Miller's hand did not tremble ; he wrote the pre- 
 scribed letters. Schelm rose and looked over tlie 
 writer's shoulders. In the folds of the portiere the 
 head of Nicholas Popoff appeared for a moment. 
 Schelm went on dictating : 
 
THE ACE OP CLtfBS. 59 
 
 "I bind myself to serve M. Sclielm as agent pro- 
 vocateur " 
 
 Miller cast t)ne more imploring look at Schelm, 
 and deadly pallor covered his face. 
 
 " How did you say ? " he asked, and his voice rat- 
 tled in his throat. 
 
 " As agent provocateur" repeated Schelm. 
 
 " And now sign your full name with all your 
 titles. Have you done ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Miller, so low that Schelm could 
 hardly hear it. 
 
 Now the great man pushed tlie money toward the 
 small man whom he had purchased, and then care- 
 fully locked up the contract signed by Miller and his 
 certificate of indebtedness in one of the drawers of 
 his table. 
 
 " I cannot understand what value you attach to 
 these papers," said Miller. 
 
 " You will understand it," was the reply, " when 
 3'ou are again in better circumstances. But you will 
 see this much even now. By virtue of this sheet of 
 paper you are in my power. Whenever you repay 
 me the money I have paid you this paper also will 
 be returned to you." 
 
 Miller was about to remonstrate, but now Schelm 
 assumed at once a very different bearing ; he became 
 stiff, abrupt and hard, as he was with all his subor- 
 dinates. 
 
 " Enough of this," he said. " You will now come 
 here every Friday at the same hour, to report to me 
 
60 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 as to the result of your efforts. Now I do not want 
 you any more and you can go where yon choose." 
 
 Miller bowed and went into the adjoining room. 
 There he found an official, who seemed to watch the 
 last remnant of a coal fire in the grate. At the 
 noise of the closing of the door he turned round 
 quickly. 
 
 " Nicholas Popoff ! " cried Miller, astonished. 
 " What are you doing hereT* " 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! neighbor," whispered Nicholas. 
 " Schelm's goodness has presented me with my dis- 
 missal. An obliging colleague has allowed me to do 
 my duty to-day, and I hope I may procure my pardon. 
 But what are you yourself doing here, neighbor? I 
 saw you enter, but I did not trust my own eyes." 
 
 " I have in the meantime thought of you," replied 
 Miller, " and I have found a place for you which 
 will pay you better than what you get here, even if, 
 contrary to my expectations, Schelm shQuld be mer- 
 ciful and pardon you." 
 
 " But, neighbor, who are you — really ? " 
 
 " That does not matter to you. I am able to do 
 you a great service. Go at once, to-morrow in the 
 forenoon, to 17 English street, and ask for Count 
 Vladimir Lanin. I have recommended j'ou to him 
 and he will make you his private secretary with a 
 salary of a hundred rubles a month and free board 
 and lodging. I, myself, shall not return to my 
 former quarters. You can take whatever you may 
 find there : it does not amount to much, but " 
 
 Nicholas Popoff opened his eyes wide. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 61 
 
 "Neighbor, dear, what does this mean? Yester- 
 day jou were as poor as I, and to-day " 
 
 " You need not accept my offer," broke in Miller, 
 "if you have any scruples. I only repeat that I have 
 recommended you to Count Lanin, my friend, whom 
 I happened to meet yesterday. I give you my word 
 of honor that yesterday you could accept favors from 
 me because I was as honest as you are." 
 
 In the words of Schelm's new agent there spoke 
 such candor that Nicholas shook hands with him. 
 
 " I do believe you, neighbor, and thank you with 
 all my heart. But what can have happened since 
 yesterday ? " 
 
 " Good-bye," said Miller curtly, and he disappeared 
 in the windings of the long passage. 
 
 As soon as Schelm was alone he looked at the 
 door to make sure that it was locked ; then he drew 
 curtains and portieres closer together, opened a 
 drawer and began to examine Miller's acknowledg- 
 ment of debt most carefully. 
 
 " One agent I have," he said to himself, " but that 
 is not enough. He shall serve my personal revenge. 
 He is right when he says it will be easy for him to 
 play the part of a friend. Then a closer intimacy 
 must and no doubt will spring up. So, that is set- 
 tled I But it has cost dear! In order to attain my 
 ends I want more ; I must have a regular organiza- 
 tion. But how? It must be done -for the minister 
 was very cool last night." 
 
 While thus thinking aloud Schelm pressed a spring 
 in the portrait of Alexander ; it turned half round 
 
62 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 ;iii(l revealed a secret compai'tmeiit in the wall. In 
 the same moment Nicholas Popoff had opened the 
 door without making the smallest noise and had 
 entered the room on tiptoe. Schelm had heard 
 nothing. He drew a small package of writings from 
 the niche and added Miller's paper. Then he touched 
 the spring once more — the portrait moved back to its 
 place. Deeply absorbed in thought, Schelm sat 
 down on a chair near by and said to himself: 
 
 " I must have money. This rascal has cost me 
 already 10,000 rubles ; if 1 were to sell all I possess 
 and to deny myself everything I could hardly scrape 
 together twice as much. And what could I do with 
 that? I must absolutely have 100,000 rubles to carry 
 out such a gigantic intrigue as this. Where can I 
 get it?" 
 
 Nicholas, who was standing close to the wall, pur- 
 posely made a noise. Schelm jumped up and fell 
 upon him like a tiger. 
 
 " Who are you? How dare you enter here ?" he 
 cried, beside himself. " Answer I I must know you. 
 What is your name?" 
 
 " My name is Nicholas Popoff and till yesterday I 
 had an office in the Ministry of the Interior," said 
 Nicholas, quietly. 
 
 "Popoff!" cried Schelm, furious. "Did I not 
 have you turned off ? How dare you reappear here ? 
 That is open rebellion ! You shall pay for that ! " 
 
 A sudden thought flashed through his mind. 
 
 " How long have you been standing here ? " 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 63 
 
 " One moment, and I heard your Excellency's 
 words." 
 
 " Heard them ? You confess that, you insolent 
 rascal ! " 
 
 While uttering these words Schelm turned to his 
 table to seize the bell that was standing there near at 
 hand. Popoft" did not let him do it — he placed him- 
 self between his former chiel and the table. Schelm 
 turned pale with fury. 
 
 "Insolent fellow!" he cried again. "Do you 
 want to die under the knout?" 
 
 " More calmly, your Excellency,'' replied Popoff, 
 not without a slight admixture of scorn. " I came 
 to render your Excellency a great service." 
 
 " A service ? You to me ? Hallo ! is anybody 
 
 there ? " 
 
 His voice, however, hardly penetrated the heavy 
 portiere, and besides, there was nobody in the adjoin- 
 ing room. The man on duty had left Popoff in his 
 place and had gone awaj'. 
 
 " I can furnish your Excellency the money you 
 want." The firm voice of his former subordinate 
 calmed Schelm and let him recover his senses. 
 
 " Speak ! What do you want of me ? " 
 
 "Your Excellency has sent me out of the Minis- 
 try, when I was supporting my mother and a younger 
 brother out of my modest pay. I want to recover 
 the lost place, because I need it absolutely. I pro- 
 pose, therefore, to your ^Excellency this : If I suggest 
 means to secure the sum of money you want, may I 
 
64 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 then hope that you will restore me to my former 
 position ? " 
 
 " Is that what you want ? " asked Schelm, very 
 much pacified. " We'll see, we'll see ! What else 
 have you to say ? " 
 
 " Your Excellency, I have long been employed in 
 the Finance Department. I know, therefore, that 
 the treasurer has secret funds which are at the dis- 
 posal of the Ministrj'^ of the Interior. The present 
 treasurer knows me very well." 
 
 " I know all that, and very accurately," said 
 Schelm. " But how can I get the minister to 
 authorize my using such a lar^e sum from the secret 
 fund ? " 
 
 " Your Excellency has only to permit me to con- 
 tinue. The treasurer pays out these funds upon 
 the signature of the head of the bureau, even if the 
 minister consents only by a marginal note. How 
 does he express his consent ? He writes on the mar- 
 gin nothing but his name, as evidence that he has 
 read the paper and grants the demand. Now it is 
 not difiScult to imitate such a signature." 
 
 " Wretch ! " cried Schelm ; " how can you dare ? " 
 
 Tlie silence of Schelm up to this point had made 
 Popoff thhik he would listen still further. Hence, 
 the affected indignation made no impression upon 
 him and he went coolly on : 
 
 " Your Excellency will write the receipt and I will 
 forge the signature of the minister. I can prove to 
 your Excellency's satisfaction that I am able to do 
 it. We amuse ourselves in our leisure hours in the 
 
THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 65 
 
 offices by imitating various signatures. And, later, 
 your Excellency will have no difficulty in proving 
 that you did not forge the writing." 
 
 "But what are you really aiming at?" asked 
 Schelra, cautiously. " Your offers are very far- 
 reaching." 
 
 " I beg leave, therefore, to propose to your Excel- 
 lency the following compact : You appoint me your 
 private secretary and send me apparently to the 
 minister to obtain his vise." 
 
 " Go on ! " 
 
 " Suppose your Excellency should want 100,000 
 rubles, I bring you the money ; but the story goes 
 that I have only gotten 80,000 rubles because the 
 minister thought that would suffice for the purpose 
 in question. In the receipt this purpose has to be 
 mentioned, I believe." 
 
 " Certainly — but go on." 
 
 " Your Excellency knows, moreover, that the 
 secret fund is only examined once in three years. 
 The last time this was done was in November. We 
 have, consequently, more than two years before- us. 
 If we succeed no question will ever arise as to the 
 means by which that purpose was accomplished and 
 the ministers will be glad enough to make matters 
 easy. Should we fail you could, in the worst case, 
 accuse me of having kept back 20,000 rubles and of 
 having forged the signature. Appoint me, therefoi^e, 
 your private secretary and pay me a handsome salary 
 so that I can spend a good deal of money. Such a 
 change in my mode of life will coincide with the date 
 6 
 
66 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 of the whole affair ; besides, the experts will easily 
 recognize my handwriting. Then comes the accusa- 
 tion. I am tried and sentenced in contumaciam, for 
 your Excellency is kind enough to give me timely 
 warning and let me escape abroad with some little 
 means of living." 
 
 Schelm had attentively listened to this exposition 
 and patted his former subordinate on the shoulder. 
 
 " You are a cunning man and I am sorry I did not 
 know you as I do now. I cannot conceive, however, 
 what your personal advantage can be in this matter." 
 
 Popoff looked at him firmly and fixedly. 
 
 " I do not want my mother to suffer any longer 
 from hunger and misery. I sacrifice myself for her, 
 and I offer your Excellency my services because I 
 know you are wise and cunning, and I believe in the 
 success of all your enterprises and intrigues. I pro- 
 pose an immoral thing, because such things alone 
 pay, for a moral and good thing a nod of the head is 
 tliought to be ample reward." 
 
 Schelm made no reply, but went to his table, this 
 time unhindered by Nicholas. He promptly wrote 
 this certificate : 
 
 "Upon this voucher the treasurer will pay to Mr. Popoff, my 
 private secretary, the sum of 100,000 rubles, from the secret fund. 
 I need this amount iu order to ascertain the character, etc. , of the 
 conspiracy La . 
 
 " The head of the Division for Pol. Affairs, 
 
 " Schelm, Privy Councilor." 
 
 "Is that satisfactory?" 
 " Truly, your Excellency." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 67 
 
 "Then you do not go the minister; you forge 
 his signature, keep back 20,000 rubles and bring me 
 the remainder ! " 
 
 " Very well, j^our Excellency." 
 
 Popoff wrote the usual exequatur, with signature 
 of the minister, and then handed Mr. Schelm the 
 paper. 
 
 " Excellent ! Now go to the Treasury ! Our com- 
 pact is concluded ! " 
 
 Popoff seemed to be unwilling to go. 
 
 " Your Excellency will have the kindness to 
 appoint me your private secretary." 
 
 "Well!" said Schelm, and rang the bell. 
 
 The old invalid appeared on the threshold. 
 
 "Call the head of Bureau No. 7." 
 
 The soldier disappeared instantly. 
 
 " But will the thing succeed? Your former chief 
 is perhaps no longer at the Treasury at this hour." 
 
 " We need not fear. The treasurer lives in the 
 Ministry, and even when he goes out he always 
 leaves word where he may be found; such are the 
 regulations. The man knows me personally and 
 will make no difficulties." 
 
 The head of the Bureau No. 7 entered the room. 
 At the sight of Popoff he was greatly surprised, but 
 his astonishment grew, when he heard Schelm's 
 words : 
 
 "I did Mr. Popoff wrong, and to make amends 
 I ajjpoint him my private secretary. He will, how- 
 ever, belong as heretofore to Bureau No. 7, and only 
 
68 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 draw a larger salary. And now, my friend, go to 
 the minister and attend to my commission there ! " 
 
 " I thank your Excellency ! " said Popoff, bowing. 
 
 Schelm dismissed him with a friendly gesture, but 
 retained the head of the Bureau No. 7, who was also 
 about to withdraw. After he was sure that Popoff 
 had reached the end of the passage he quickly locked 
 the door and turned to the other man : 
 
 " You will receive a letter from me, which you will 
 have to send instantly to the police." 
 
 Then sitting down at his table he hastily wrote 
 these words : 
 
 " The head of division of hie Excellency Connt Perowski directs 
 the attention of the police to the official Popoff. He is a danger- 
 ous man ; he cherishes revolutionary ideas and is dishonest. He 
 has jnst stolen 20,000 rnhles in the Ministry. As the matter is 
 secret the head of division requests his Excellency, the chief of 
 the police, to have Popoff arrested to-morrow and quietly to be 
 put aside." 
 
 After signing these lines Schelm ordered the offi- 
 cial to jump into a cab and drive at full gallop to the 
 police. 
 
 Popoff, in the meantime, had become thoughtful. 
 
 " It is, at all events, better for me to be private 
 secretary of the head than to seek a place at the 
 hands of an utterly unknown count. But one can- 
 not be too cautious in having to deal with a man 
 like Schelm." 
 
 With these words he stepped into the perfectly 
 empty bureau, lit the lamp and got the copying press ; 
 then he put Schelm's receipt under the press, copied 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 69 
 
 it into the book and tore out the sheet which he 
 had taken from the blank part of the book and 
 carefully put it in his pocket. 
 
 " Thus," he said, " I shall secure a feeble but still 
 very weighty weapon for my defense." 
 
 Then he went to the Treasury, received the money 
 and returned in order to fulfill this part also of his 
 compact with Schelm. As he, however, passed the 
 invalid who slept on his bench he looked almost 
 unconsciously at the staircase, and noticed how the 
 head of his bureau, with a letter in his hand, was 
 hurrying away. 
 
 " My chief at this hour running down a staircase 
 that is not his ! What can that mean ? Evidently 
 he has but just left Schelm's bureau and the two 
 must have discussed me ! " 
 
 A sad foreboding overpowered him. Instinctively 
 he felt a great danger hanging over him. His first 
 step was to rush down stairs and to follow his chief. 
 He saw him race down the street and take a cab. 
 Popoff, hiding behind the other hacks, heard him 
 say, " To the police ! At full gallop ! " 
 
 That was enough for Nicholas. He -hurried back 
 to the Ministry, approached a table in the passage 
 on which paper and envelopes were always kept 
 lying for those who came to ask for an audience. 
 He selected five large envelopes, put one-fifth of the 
 sum of money he held in his hand into each one and 
 directed a sixth to " Mr. Schelm, private and confi? 
 dential." Then he hastened to Schelm's ante-cham- 
 
70 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 ber, where there were always two officials and a ser- 
 vant on duty. 
 
 Popoff said to himself: 
 
 " Evidently Schelni has asked the police to have 
 nie arrested at once. But he will not have it done 
 here — I shall, therefore, have time to await the return 
 of my chief." 
 
 He sat down on a bench and waited. Half an 
 hour later the official appeared. Popoff stepped up 
 to him, handed him the six envelopes and said : 
 
 " Here is the money which I was to hand to his 
 Excellency ; also a confidential letter. His Excel- 
 lency ordered me to wait for you here and to hand 
 you the money. You were to be so kind as to carry 
 it to him at once in his private room. The amount 
 is 100,000 rubles ; his Excellency will have the kind- 
 ness to count it over in your presence. I myself 
 have important business to attend and must leave." 
 
 "Very well, Mr. Secretarj% 111 fulfill your com- 
 mission at once !" 
 
 Popoff left the building slowly, but as soon as he 
 reached the first corner he began to run as fast as 
 his feet would carry him. 
 
 In the meantime Schelm was impatiently walking 
 up and down in his room, when the chief of bureau 
 was announced. 
 
 " Your Excellency's demand will be carried out 
 to-morrow," was the report, "and here are 100,000 
 rubles which your Excellency's private secretary has 
 just handed me to give to you, together with this 
 letter." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 71 
 
 " A hundred thousand rubles ! And a letter ? 
 Quick ! " 
 
 The letter ran thus : 
 
 " I send yoa the money untouched. I have convinced myself 
 that you wished me to disappear, and I have handed the whole 
 sum to my chief of bureau iu the presence of witnesses. I pos- 
 sess a copy of your receipt, signed by you, but I shall use this 
 vfeapon only when I am attacked. You wanted nie to disappear. 
 Be calm, I do disappear. But I shall know how to defend myself 
 ■when I should be attacked." 
 
 Schelm trembled from rage and terror combined. 
 He shouted at his subordinate : 
 
 " Pursue him ! Arrest hiin I Kill him ! " 
 
 The official stood there staring at him and not 
 knowing what it all meant. 
 
 " Whom ? Popoff ? Is the amount not correct? " 
 
 Schelm recovered himself. 
 
 " No ! no ! It is all right ! I did not mean to say 
 that. What was it I meant to say?" 
 
 His eyes were wandering around. He looked like 
 a madman. 
 
 " Oh ! the rascal ! " he cried at last. " Petroff, 
 make haste, go to the police and tell them I had 
 made a mistake. Tell them to stop all proceedings. 
 Why do you stand here?" 
 
 The poor bewildered man left the room and Schelm 
 fell almost fainting into an arm chair. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The following Sunday the marriage of young 
 Lanin took place. The day before Vladimir had 
 
72 THE ACK OF CLUBS. 
 
 appointed Nicholas Popoff his secretary, upon Mil- 
 ler's special and emphatic recommendation. The 
 latter, having found out that the young couple meant 
 to spend the honeymoon on the estates which old 
 Wernin possessed in the Crimea, asked and obtained 
 leave to go ahead and prepare everything properly. 
 On the day after the wedding therefore, Popoff left 
 Petersburg, after having handed his mother a con- 
 siderable sum of money, which Vladimir had 
 advanced him on his salary. 
 
 Miller went immediately after his remarkable 
 interview with Schelm to Vladimir. He explained 
 the change in his circumstances, which was very 
 striking, by an inheritance he had made in Courland. 
 He belonged to a wealthy family there and Lanin 
 had once upon a time known him in a better class of 
 society, and thus he readily believed the story and 
 congratulated his friend very heartily. Both had 
 met in a perfect whirlpool of amusements, but Vla- 
 dimir had soon wearied of easily purchased joys, while 
 Miller had been forced to do the same by the stress 
 of necessity, but had held on to Lanin as his last 
 friend, even after he had been completely ruined. 
 
 Toward evening of the same day on which Miller 
 had made known this welcome change in his circum- 
 stances, he had taken the sum of 1,514 rubles and 
 given it to his friend on the plea that he owed him 
 this amount. Vladimir had often lent his friend 
 small sums of money, he refused, however, to accept 
 this amount, till Miller becoming slightly angry, 
 forced him to consent. The man from Courland then 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 73 
 
 told him how conscientiously he had year after year 
 put down every penny he had borrowed hoping 
 one of these days to be able to make a return. This 
 great delicacy made a great impression upon Lanin 
 and deeply interested him in the unfortunate posi- 
 tion of his old schoolmate. 
 
 He offered Miller the rooms he had himself occu- 
 pied as long as he was a bachelor, leaving behind 
 nearly the whole of the furniture, and even intro- 
 duced him at the English Club where he had, up to 
 this time, spent nearly every moment he could not 
 be near his betrothed. As was mentioned before. 
 Miller had in his early years, lived much in good 
 society and met here some of his earliest companions. 
 No wonder, that when they heard of his inheritance 
 they all recognized him again and greeted him most 
 kindly. Vladimir, since his engagement, had a heart 
 overflowing with love and kindness toward all men, 
 and thus he told all to whom he introduced his old 
 schoolmate : " This is my best friend, Mr. Miller of 
 Millertown." 
 
 On Tuesday, November 2, 1849, Vladimir and 
 Jana turned their faces southward, after Miller had 
 first been presented to the new countess and made 
 to promise that he would come and pay them a visit 
 in the Crimea. 
 
 Strangely enough Miller in consequence of his 
 much changed circumstances, and Lanin on account 
 of his marriage, had entirely forgotten Popoff. His 
 name was not once mentioned. When, therefore, 
 Miller went to spend, as he had promised, the Christ- 
 
74 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 m^s holidays in the Crimea and found Nicholas here 
 installed as his friend's secretary, he was greatly 
 surprised. Miller had not the slightest idea of what 
 had happened between Schelm and Nicholas, but, as 
 by instinct, he thought Popoff's presence here and his 
 intimacy looked very suspicious. When Lanin, sit- 
 ting down at table said to Miller: "I thank you, 
 dear friend, for having made me acquainted with 
 Mr. Popoff," the latter had simply replied by a cool 
 bow. At night Popoff managed to find himself a 
 moment alone with Miller. 
 
 " Believe me, neighbor," he said to him, " I am 
 here with no evil intentions, since I am as happy 
 here as I could be at home in my own family, it, 
 is you to whom I owe everything, and I am under 
 eternal obligations to you. My people at home need 
 fear nothing as long as I remain in my present posi- 
 tion and am not attacked." 
 
 Although Miller could not undei'stand the mean- 
 ing of the last words he was at least freed from all 
 doubt as to Popoff. When the latter noticed a few 
 days later that Miller made no secret of his former 
 poverty he related at dinner how very kind the latter 
 had been to his mother, and this sympatliy of a man, 
 then so very poor, \\ ith other poor people, deeply 
 affected Jana, so that the tears started to her beau- 
 tiful eyes, while Lanin cordially pressed liis friend's 
 hand. Miller gradually became convinced that 
 Nicholas had none but thoroughly honest intentions 
 and renewed his old friendship with him. 
 
 Miller spent two weeks in the Crimea, and, as if 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 75 
 
 fortune favored him, no unpleasant visitor inter- 
 rupted them during this time, so that he became 
 daily more intimate with husband and wife. He had 
 very good manners, conversed well, had his share of 
 wit and possessed an unusual stock of information, 
 lu a short time Jana had become very fond of him 
 and everybody liked him. 
 
 The happy young couple, loving each other daily 
 more tenderly, would have liked to prolong their 
 honeymoon in this enchanting solitude, but Vladi- 
 mir's leave of absence draws near its end and old 
 Wernin longed for his daughter. Toward the end 
 of February they began to think of returning. 
 
 Popoff again went in advance to prepare a 
 house. He had changed so completely that few 
 could have recognized him. The poor official in his 
 shabby uniform was now a young man of elegant 
 appearance and the manners of a gentleman. The 
 n ime of Popoff is far spread in Russia, and thus 
 Nicholas could return without fear to Petersburg, 
 where he rented a superb palace in a fashionable 
 street for Count Lanin. He was permitted to lodge 
 his mother in one of the outbuildings, although he 
 dared not visit her yet, even in the new home to 
 which she had moved in the meantime. When he 
 at last met his mother he heard with joy that no 
 inquiries had been made after him. 
 
 In the first days of March the young people 
 returned to Petersburg, and Vladimir immediately 
 informed Miller of their arrival. Easter week, the 
 highest of Russian festivals, was drawing to a close. 
 
76 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 and the balls and entertainments which usually close 
 the winter season were beginning. 
 
 Jana was sitting in her boudoir, surrounded by all 
 the splendor and the luxury of the Orient ; magic 
 odors were wafted through the air and everywhere 
 works of highest art and best taste were visible. 
 Stretched out on a luxurious couch Jana was giving 
 her foot to a maid kneeling on the thick carpet, who 
 was trying on her tiny satin slippers. Another maid 
 was busy putting some white camelias into her abund- 
 ant raven-black hair. Near bj' two more maids were 
 standing, busy holding other articles of ornamentation 
 for Jana. One was doing something to her gloves, the 
 other was arranging the folds of her baU dress. The 
 mistress herself, draped in a gorgeous morning gown, 
 trimmed with matchless lace, seemed to be dreaming. 
 
 A slight knock aroused the attention of some of 
 the servants. One went to see \^ho it was, a few 
 words were whispered, and then a maid came 
 saying : 
 
 " The count begs to know whether the countess 
 will have the kindness to receive him." 
 
 " Let him be so kind as to wait a few minutes," 
 replied Jana ; " how late is it ? " 
 
 " Half past five ! " 
 
 " Quick ! Dress me as quickly as you can, for it is 
 late ! " she exclaimed, rising at once. 
 
 It was not ten minutes later when the young wife 
 sent her maids away and let her husband know that 
 she was waiting for him. 
 
 She was just buttoning the last button of her long 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 77 
 
 gloves when Vladimir entered ; his features spoke of 
 great impatience, but when he beheld the magnifi- 
 cent figure of his wife, as she smiled upon him, he 
 quickly drew her to his heart. Jana slightly held 
 him back. 
 
 " Be careful, Vladimir ! You spoil my dress ! " 
 
 He drew back surprised. 
 
 "You do not love me any more, do you?" he 
 whispered. She laughed aloud. 
 
 " You men make strange demands upon us I You 
 doubt our love if we do not spend the whole day in 
 assuring and swearing that we love you ! My dear 
 Vladimir, I love you as much as ever; perhaps even 
 more than before, but we need not ruffle and crumple 
 my beautiful dress on that account." 
 
 He fell into a meditation. 
 
 " We were so happy with each other in the 
 Crimea ! There the world did not part us. There 
 there were no soirees, no beautiful dresses, we lived 
 for and in each other." 
 
 " My dear Vladimir," she said, resting on his arm, 
 •'don't trouble yourself, and believe me that I love 
 you with all my heart ! No one was happier than I 
 was when we were alone. Bat here, in Petersburg, 
 I have to consider my father, my old friends and 
 kinsfolk. Let me enjoy the world a little longer — 
 and then we'll be so happy again in our solitude." 
 
 " Ah ! that world ! " he repeated sadly, " where I 
 cannot accompany you. During these five weeks 
 I doubt if I have seen you three hours daily. If you 
 are not dressing you are resting or you are undress- 
 
78 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 ing. Dinners, balls, parties, promenades, and if we 
 come together by chance I have to behave as if I 
 hardly knew yon. If you receive at home I must 
 stay away. Believe me, Jana, a man who wants to 
 live in society ought not to love his wife. If he 
 does, it is all pain and sorrow." 
 
 Jana laughed again. 
 
 " You are incomparable, Vladimir, and as a reward 
 you shall have a sweet kiss. But mind my dress." 
 
 She kissed him and exclaimed, rising: 
 
 "And now I must tell my lord and master how I 
 mean to spend the day : dinner with Sophie and Count- 
 ess Halm at Rita's ; next to the Princess Olga, where 
 an important affair is to be discussed, of which you shall 
 hear something if you behave well. At 11 I'll come 
 home and then we'll take tea together. How do you 
 like my plan?" 
 
 "I cannot .tell you how much, my angel. But let 
 me make one little remark. This Rita, of whom you 
 are always speaking, is not a suitable companion for 
 a woman of your age and in your positioS ; and 
 besides, who knows if her name is unstained ? " 
 
 Jana bit her lips. 
 
 " I cannot bear evil tongues, dearest. What can 
 they say against Rita ? " 
 
 " Perhaps nothing more than that her name is on 
 everybody's tongue. This Frenchwoman has turned 
 everything topsy-turvy in siKnety. Her dress, her 
 carriages, her liveries, all excite attention. Her 
 whole manner is marked with an irrepressible desire 
 to be independent. She has succeeded in charming 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 79 
 
 everybody, so that her eccentricities and her bold 
 original ways are forgiven. I prize you so highly 
 that I suffer when I see you continually in the com- 
 pany of a French secretary of legation who, like his 
 countrymen, seems to think he can do whatever he 
 chooses." 
 
 "Why," replied Jane, "you develop no small 
 diplomacy by appealing to my self-love. But, 
 remember ! She is almost ugly, while I reign by my 
 beauty. She is poor. I have a large fortune. No 
 one will ever count me her equal. Her eccentricities 
 arise all from her naturally gay and cheerful temper. 
 You surely would not have me be more fastidious in 
 the choice of my friends than the Empress — who can- 
 not get along without Rita ! " 
 
 " I repeat, my darling, her name is too well known. 
 A woman Vho is much talked of always arouses mis- 
 trust. Sophie and the Princess Olga are both of 
 them slightly insane. And this Count Halm who 
 passes for ever so many years now, for a Don 
 Giovanni, who is always with you everywhere, is not 
 a desirable companion for a good woman." 
 
 Jana went to the mirror. 
 
 " Have I not listened long enough patiently? But 
 now it is enough, if you do not wish to make me 
 angry. You know I do not like to be contradicted. 
 Rather tell me, how do you like this dress ? " 
 
 ^Vladimir turned very pale. He went up to his 
 wife and said with a tremor in his voice : 
 
 " Jana, do you know what jealousy is." 
 
 She turned round quickly; her eyes flashed fire. 
 
80 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Do not repeat that word before me ! I look 
 upon it as an insult. If there are women who are 
 humble enough to pardon their husband for being 
 jealous I am not one of them ! If you love me more 
 than all things else, Vladimir, you must never pain 
 me again by such a mean idea ! I demand not only 
 love but esteem ! " 
 
 Vladimir loved his wife passionately, and was so 
 aocustomed to see her everywhere adored and 
 worshipped that he now bent his knee before her and 
 said, deeply moved : 
 
 " What a woman you are, Jana ! And how I love 
 you and feel unworthy of you ! " 
 
 She held out her enchanting little foot and 
 laughed : 
 
 " Humble yourself, then, and kiss I " 
 
 He pressed it to his lips, while she kissed him on 
 his forehead arid said laughing : 
 
 " The little boot j'ou can luckily not injure ! If 
 you will only leave me alone and not contradict me, 
 you do not know how happy we shall be." 
 
 " So I must again dine along with Miller ? " 
 
 "Is he here?" 
 
 " Yes, he is waiting for me in the salon. I shall 
 take him to a restaurant, for at home I can eat noth- 
 ing. 
 
 " And you do not even tell him to come here and 
 see me in my splendor I I have fifteen minutes to 
 spare." 
 
 She rang the bell and soon Miller appeared. The 
 way in which he entered the room showed at once 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 81 
 
 the footing on which he stood in the house. He went 
 up to Jtina, kissed her hand and exclaimed, clapping 
 his hands in affected delight and admiration : 
 
 "Is there anything more beautiful in the world 
 than a fair woman in . evening costtime ? Pray 
 turn round a little so that I may admire your side 
 also. Vladimir, what can be grander than your wife ? 
 See how graciously she accepts homage and allows 
 herself to be admired." 
 
 " I am certainly exceptionally good," laughed 
 Jana. 
 
 " I would not trust that goodness very far. May I 
 venture to ask where the countess will display this 
 splendor ? " 
 
 "At Madame de Dugarcy's; I shall meet Sophie 
 von Linska and Count Halm there." 
 
 " If I were Vladimir I might be a little jealous," 
 said Miller. " This man Halm is such a Don 
 Giovanni." 
 
 " You see, Jana," said Lanin, " Miller says what I 
 also said and you do not scold him." 
 
 " What is excused in a stranger is not allowed to 
 you. Let drop that subject, however. I leave you 
 to my husband, for I hear you are going to dine 
 together. What pleasure, by the way, you will 
 enjoy on Saturday also." ' 
 
 " Again ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed," she said, laughing. 
 
 Lanin hung his head and this resignation disarmed 
 Jana. 
 
 " Since you must know everything sooner or 
 6 
 
82 THE ACE OP CLtTBS. 
 
 later," she said to Lanin, " I will tell you a secret 
 that nobody else knows as yet This is nothing less 
 than a conspiracy. We — Sophie. Olga, Rita and I — 
 have determined to meet once a week at Rita's ; no 
 gentlemen are to be admitted. Halm alone is 
 expected in his capacity as secretary, but he must 
 stay in another room. This will give us a kind of 
 club like yours. Saturday is the first day when we 
 meet; then we shall draw up the statutes and found 
 the club." 
 
 " How pretty ! And then we shall not see each 
 other on certaili days at all. 
 
 " Certainly. In Paris the}"^ have already such a 
 club. The ladies have invented the whole thing to 
 punish you, gentlemen, for your fondness for race 
 courses and hazard playing. So much the worse for 
 husbands like you, Vladimir. You will have to 
 suffer for the others." 
 
 Miller broke out into uproarious laughter, but 
 Lanin grew sad. 
 
 " May the whole concern go to the land where 
 pepper grows, and the insane Frenchwoman who 
 has invented it with it ! " cried he, more in jest than 
 in real earnest. 
 
 Jana laughed now. 
 
 " You can do nothing against us, husband ! You 
 had better submit to your fate and get used to it. 
 Now, for instance, next Saturday you will not see 
 me at all the whole day ; you can go and drive with 
 Mr. Miller in the city, and at night take a box at the 
 Michael Theatre. I and Rita will join you there, as 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 83 
 
 I have not seen the French actors yet. You may 
 expect us between 9 and 10. And now, good-bye ! 
 Six o'clock ! I must make haste ! " 
 
 " Well, good-bye, Jana. Come back soon I " 
 sighed Vladimir. 
 
 " All right ! " she replied, and disappeared behind 
 the velvet portieres. 
 
 Vladimir took the Courlander's arm. 
 
 " What shall we do till dinner, I do not think you 
 will care to drive before 7 ? " 
 
 " To-da}''; not before 8 ; I have much to do and 
 must leave you. If you insist upon dinner with me, 
 you may expect me at Dusaux, at 8 o'clock sharp." 
 
 " That is very nice ! " 'said Lanin, angrily. " What 
 can you have so much to do ? " 
 
 " I call that pretty good. Such animosity and such 
 egotism as you married people possess, has no limits. 
 You forget that I am a bachelor ! " 
 
 "Well, then adieu! I shall have to take a drive 
 thro' town," said Vladimir. 
 
 Miller, who had already opened the door, turned 
 back once more. 
 
 " I shall go by the theatre — shall I order a box for 
 Saturday ? " he asked. 
 
 "Very well! Do so." 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Miller, after leaving Vladimir's palace, has- 
 tened his steps along the canal for some distance, 
 then turning into a wretched side street, a mere lane, 
 he stopped, raised the fur collar of his cloak to 
 
84 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 entirely conceal his features, stepped into the door- 
 way of one of the houses and waited patiently. 
 
 He began to whistle a curious air ; then took off 
 his sable cap, as if to smooth his hair, and began to 
 stroke the cap with his sleeve. 
 
 This must have been a preconcerted sign, for after 
 repeating it several times, he proceeded on his way 
 and entered a low tavern. Taking a seat on a bench 
 near the window he ordered a glass of beer. 
 
 Almost at the same time with Miller, a poorly-clad 
 man entered, whistling to himself, as it seemed, the 
 same air which IMiller had whistled, and he also like 
 Miller had smoothed his cap with his sleeve. 
 
 The last comer sat down by Miller ; and when he 
 had his glass of beer before him he at once began a 
 low conversation. 
 
 After a while the insignificant looking man arose, 
 when Miller said to him : 
 
 " Do not forget ; Saturday, at the Michael Thea- 
 tre two decently well-dressed agents. At night I 
 will give you the number, but there can be no mis- 
 take, as I shall sit in the same box." 
 
 " All right," said the other man, who bowed and 
 went out. Miller paid the score for both, left the 
 tavern, stepped into the entry of the next house and 
 quickly ran up to the third story, where he rang the 
 bell. 
 
 A little flap in the door opened from within and a 
 cautious eye scanned the newcomer. Slowly a latch 
 was drawn back and Miller was admitted. He found 
 himself in an anteroom which looked like an office. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 85 
 
 Opposite the door an iron railing prevented intrusion 
 and there stood a man who asked : 
 
 " You want ? " 
 
 "• The great party ! " 
 
 " Who are you ? " 
 
 » Ace of Clubs ! " 
 
 " Your name as a player ? " 
 
 " Initiative ! " 
 
 " You may enter ! " 
 
 Miller raised the heavy portiere, behind which was 
 a door, knocked three times and was admitted. He 
 entered a large hall, lighted by lamps that hung from 
 the ceiling. In the centre was a large table covered 
 with cloth. Around it some thirty men were seated. 
 
 They were mostly young men. Some were in 
 ordinary civilian's dress, others wore the brilliant 
 uniform of the Imperial Guard. Among the youth- 
 ful men a few graybeards were visible. Before each 
 lay a card fastened to the green cloth, which marked 
 the seat and the name of the owner ; on the table 
 lay a second pack of cards. The assembly was evi- 
 dently not complete as yet; several places were 
 marked, but not occupied. Ace of clubs evidently 
 marked the place of the presiding officer, because 
 this card was lying between a bell and a strong-box. 
 The chair was empty. 
 
 The man who had opened the second door, returned 
 silently to his seat, while neither advanced toward 
 the chair before which the ace of clubs was lying ; 
 he spoke to no one. The dismal looking, cold hall 
 might very well have belonged to a gambling hell, 
 
fe 
 
 86 ■ THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 but nobody thought of playing and the deep silence 
 was not interrupted. 
 
 The clock struck 6:30. Miller drew a key from 
 his pocket, opened the strong-box, took a letter from 
 it, read it and rang the bell. Two men entered and 
 took two of the empty chairs. They were the men 
 who had watched at the door, admitting the mem- 
 bers as they arrived. Miller then rang the bell once 
 more. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said in a low voice, " the Ace of 
 Clubs cannot attend our meeting to-day. I have 
 been duly informed and authority has been conferred 
 upon me in the usual way." 
 
 He seated himself in the president's chair and 
 rang the bell a third time. 
 
 " Gentlemen, the session is opened." 
 
 All the members present listened attentively while 
 Miller spoke to them. 
 
 "Before we discuss the measures to be decided 
 upon in this, our last meeting but one, I must excuse 
 the absent members. Ten of Spades is ill, King of 
 Clubs, Knave of Hearty, and Eight of Hearts are 
 prevented, being on official duty. The secretary 
 will take down the details and deposit them in the 
 strong-box. We count, therefore, to-day only forty- 
 one men, but as we are so near the end I propose not 
 to admit any more. How do you say ? " 
 
 There came an unanimous reply, "agreed ! " 
 
 " Secretary General ! what was decided at our last 
 meeting?" 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 87 
 
 The man who had first admitted the arrivals rose 
 and said : 
 
 "Ace of Hearts, Knave of Diamonds and Ten of 
 Diamonds spoke to the satisfaction of all and the 
 plan proposed by them was unanimously adopted. 
 In to-day's session, Ten of Hearts, called ' Power,' 
 is to report as to the measures taken." 
 
 "Ten of HeartKS has the floor," said Miller. 
 
 A young man, colonel of one of the regiments of 
 the Foot Guards, rose and said : 
 
 " Gentlemen, my regiment follows me wherever I 
 go. For six months since the work of regeneration 
 assembled forty-two bold hearts around tliis table 
 and formed this our union, I have been able to 
 point out to them %e sacred rights of man. 'J'hey 
 know now what a soldier's honor means ; they hate 
 slavery, as we do, and the bodily punishments, which 
 demoralizes man. As soon as the hour strikes for 
 action you will find me ready. Two of Clubs is able 
 to exercise a thorough influence on all the regiments 
 of the guards ; the six colonels and seven captains 
 who belong to us make themselves personally respon- 
 sible for their batalions and their companies. In 
 this way, gentlemen, you virtually command a large 
 ••part of the army now in the capital. Nine of Dia- 
 monds, represented by the treasurer in the Finance 
 Department, will be active for us." 
 
 " I am ready even to steal for the benefit of our 
 country," said a man of forty, as he rose. "What I 
 have said once I say for all times. There are eight 
 millions of rubles in the money chest, entrusted to 
 
88 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 ine. On the appointed day I shall hand the whole 
 sum to our union." 
 
 The colonel continued : 
 
 " Thus we control the army which represents 
 might, the Treasurj', which means intelligence ; in all 
 classes of society, in every department of the Admin- 
 istration, we have men belonging to our conspimcy. 
 To my mind gentlemen every moments' delay only 
 increases the danger. Thanks to our energy, thanks 
 especially to the secret protection of a high and 
 influential person, who has not yet made himself 
 known to us, we have been able to form thisgiganiic 
 plan at the very doors of the home of tyranny — a 
 case so far unknown in the history of despotism. 
 
 " We, the leaders of all Russians, who demand an 
 account from the Czar for letting sixty millions of 
 subjects suffer in slavery, we can no longer stem the 
 current, if we do not open a sluice somewhere. In 
 the name of the army I demand the signal for action. 
 Gentlemen, say the word for which we are impa- 
 tiently waiting ! Delay no longer ! In the name of 
 the army I repeat : On, for Russia's sacred liberty ! " 
 
 The colonel sat down, having produced a profound 
 impression. Almost all the conspirators gave signs 
 of assent, but a few of the older men shook their 
 heads. 
 
 Miller rose and said : 
 
 " I second the proposition with all my heart. The 
 time for action hiis come. We can hardly go on 
 without arousing the attention of the Government. 
 I therefore propose that we hold our last meeting 
 
THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 89 
 
 next Saturday at 10 o'clock. Then we can assign 
 the duties and begin to live in deed and no longei-in 
 word alone. We shall cease to be conspirators, we 
 shall be archangels of freedom, or die as martyrs! " 
 
 All noisy demonstrations had to be avoided in this 
 hall. In Petersburg the walls have ears and the 
 police are alert at every unusual sound. Neverthe- 
 less a low murmur of satisfaction manifested itself. 
 Miller was in the act of seizing the bell in order to 
 close the session, when suddenly one of the elderly 
 men rose and asked to be permitted to speak. 
 
 " Gentlemen ! Ace of Spades has the floor ! " 
 
 " You have given me, gentlemen, the name of 
 ' Experience ' and not without cause. I am indeed 
 an experienced conspirator. I have, from childhood 
 up, hated that despotism which disgraces our Holy 
 Russia. I have conspii-ed against Katherine, Paul 
 and Alexander. In 1826 I was a member of the con- 
 spiracy against Nicholas " 
 
 " Order ! " called one of the members. 
 
 " Ace of Spades ! Tell us what you have to say, 
 without going back into the past ! " 
 
 " I thought," continued the old man, addressing 
 Miller directly, " I ought to preface my words to this 
 extent in order to justify what follows, which other- 
 wise you might interpret as lacking in courage. So 
 far, gentlemen, we have been content with secret 
 meetings and confidential talk. We have listened to 
 eloquent and powerful speeches against tyranny ! but 
 now we are to proceed openly ; we are, as the Presi- 
 dent has said, to risk our lives and our fate. I want 
 
90 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 to know now who is going to lead us and who is vir- 
 tually at the head of the whole enterprise. Before 
 we proceed I want to know Ace of Clubs ! " 
 
 Several members ■ showed that they approved the 
 motion. Miller had turned pale. The old man con- 
 tinued : 
 
 " We were assured that he was a high personage, 
 who wished to remain unknown. Very well ! So 
 far our head may have had his reasons, but now, 
 when we are to appear openly this want of confi- 
 dence is offensive to us! To-day, when our lives are 
 demanded of us, we have a right to know who our 
 leader is ! 
 
 "Ace of Spades is right! " cried several voices. 
 
 Miller frowned. The assembly was evidently 
 excited. At last he seized the bell and said ; " Gentle- 
 men ! It is you who show a want of confidence in 
 Ace of Clubs. Has he not given you proof enough 
 of his power and influence ? Has he not shown his 
 devotion to our cause ? Who freed the bookseller, 
 Schimon, who distributed revolutionary works and 
 restored him to his business and his family ? Does 
 not Two of Clubs, who was arrested for having con- 
 spired with soldiers, owe it to him that he was set 
 free ? Must I recall to you in how many instances 
 Ace of Clubs has shown you the power he wields? 
 Is idle curiosity to turn your hearts away from our 
 great work ? " 
 
 " It is not idle curiosity," said Ace of Spades. " I 
 have asked no question till the day when we are to 
 proceed to action. We must at least know who is 
 
THE ACE OP CLTTBS. 91 
 
 our leader. We are not children to be led blindly. 
 No doubt, we have learned to know the energy, the 
 power and the wisdom of Ace of Clubs — our nurnber 
 has increased from a dozen to forty members, since 
 Ace of Clubs has become the soul of our meetings. 
 But while he knows us, we have never been per- 
 mitted to know him. And as he always transfers 
 his privileges as president to Mr. Miller, of Miller- 
 town, I think we have a right to ask the latter, who 
 alone seems to enjoy his confidence, to tell us who 
 he is. I am inclined to move that we do not take 
 another step till we learn who leads us ! " 
 
 The assembly murmured applause. Some whis- 
 pering took place and then one of the younger oflS- 
 cers said : " We all vote for the motion of Ace of 
 Spades." 
 
 Miller was painfully pale ; a dark resolve flushed 
 his face and glowed in his eyes. 
 
 "If you insist upon it you shall have your will. 
 I know Ace of Clubs and am ready to make you 
 acquainted with him, but our president, who has 
 given so often evidence of his self-sacrifice and his 
 courage, can have no confidence in men Who mis- 
 trust him. Brother Experience has confessed that 
 Ace of Clubs is the soul of our conspiracy. He has 
 brought us everything — power, intelligence- and 
 material subsidies. He can make himself known 
 only to such as have done the same. I therefore 
 move that you choose nine delegates, who will 
 remain with me in this hall. They shall learn from 
 my lips the name of Ace of Clubs. They can meet 
 
92 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 again on Saturday and carry the final orders to other 
 members. To-day I move we close the meeting." 
 
 He appeared almost great under the influence of 
 his sublime courage. All were carried away, they 
 were ready to explain, to excuse themselves, even 
 Ace of Spades hung his head. All cried unani- 
 mously : 
 
 " We believe it ! We trust our leader ! " 
 
 Miller, however, meant to profitby this lucky turn 
 of affairs. He insisted upon the election of nine 
 delegates. After a moment's general confusion the 
 secretary named eighteen members, with eight cor- 
 responding cards. Then each man present drew a 
 card from the pack that was lying on the table and 
 threw it into a basket. The president, to whom the 
 basket was handed, mentioned thereupon the nine 
 names upon which the lot had fallen. Then Miller 
 turned ironically to the conspirators and said : 
 
 " As we have no other room and all leave at the 
 same time to avoid suspicion, I beg you will wait a 
 while in the anteroom. In a moment you shall be 
 called." 
 
 The conspirators felt humilated by Miller's 
 haughty manner. All, even Ace of Spades, now 
 regretted their want of confidence. In deep silence 
 they waited. 
 
 When .Miller had only the nine delegates before 
 him, he drew himself up proudly and said : 
 
 " Gentlemen, I am happy that the choice has fallen 
 upon you. I, myself, could not have chosen better. 
 Those who are to hear my words must be tried men, 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 93 
 
 ready for everything. Gentlemen, you wished to 
 know Ace of Clubs. I will gratify your wish. I, 
 myself, am Ace of Clubs." 
 
 Andrew back dumbfounded. In the meantime 
 Miller had quickly drawn forth a black mask with a 
 hood, covered his head and in a changed voice 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Do you recognize this mask and this voice ? " 
 
 Then casting aside in a somewhat theatrical but 
 dignified manner both mask and hood, he added : 
 
 " You need then mysterious influences and import- 
 ant individualities? Genius and mind are enough 
 for the multitude ! I knew this. I had in mind a 
 gigantic project which I had invented, prepared and 
 elaborated. To carry it out I needed a hand. Then 
 you admitted me to your circle. It counted only 
 twelve members, and all your dreams and your ambi- 
 tions amounted to the reading of forbidden books. 
 I came, I kindled your imagination and warmed your 
 patriotism, I filled you with courage, but what was I 
 in your eyes ? An honest man, that was all. If I 
 had offered to become your leader you would have 
 thought me insane. Then 1 appeared one day before 
 you, masked, bringing in one hand Schimon's par- 
 don, and in the other 5,000 rubles. The colonel has 
 introduced me here. Ask him why he did it." 
 
 " I had," said the colonel, " received a letter from 
 our correspondent in London, who recomm|nded 
 you. Two of our brethren vouched for the 'masked 
 man. At the sight of the money and the pardon I 
 hesitated no longer." 
 
94 THE ACE OP CLTTBS. 
 
 " How I could do all this," continued Miller, " I 
 shall, perhaps, tell you hereafter, but you know how 
 my cunning, my powerful intellect, has overcome 
 every impediment in our way. I do not deny that I 
 was endorsed by a man, an enthusiast for our holy 
 cause, who was ready to support it, and who had 
 opened me up an unlimited credit. This man is still 
 alive, has large means and extensive relations, but 
 he is not a man of great weight in the empire, and 
 need not hide behind a mask. You shall see him 
 Saturday. He gave me the money I spent, he made 
 my task easy for me, but, after all, he was but an 
 instrument in my hands, which I knew how to use 
 profitably. All this I have done alone ! Gentle- 
 men, now you know me ! Do you acknowledge me 
 as your leader?" 
 
 " Yes ! yes ! " they cried with one voice. 
 
 They had listened in silence ; they could not con- 
 ceal their surprise, their admiration. Miller opened 
 the door. 
 
 " Gentlemen, come in, I pray you. One of the 
 delegates will draw up the resolutions. I must leave 
 you now. Colonel, will you follow me ? " 
 
 He gave Ten of Hearts his arm, and proudly left 
 the hall. In the street he said good-bye to the col- 
 onel, adding : 
 
 " Return, and if the members should insist upon 
 removing Ace of Clubs I authorize you to give them 
 my name. We shall meet again, I hope. Colonel, 
 and in the fire of action ! " 
 
 Then he beckoned to a cab driver, drove to the 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 95 
 
 Michael Theatre and bought tickets for a proscenium 
 box. It was past 8 when he entered the restaurant, 
 where Lanin sat waiting for him impatiently. 
 
 " Pardon me," said Miller, " but I was engaged 
 until this moment." 
 
 And while he unfolded his napkin he handed him 
 the tickets and said : 
 
 "I thought of you — here are tickets for Satur- 
 day." 
 
 " I thank you," said Lanin, and sat down opposite 
 him. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The whole Imperial Court was assembled in the 
 Winter Palace. The gentlemen in full uniform, the 
 ladies in the national costume, were standing at 
 their places opposite those reserved for the imperial 
 family. The master of ceremonies with his mar- 
 shal's staff was seen hurrying to and fro, seeing that 
 the rules were observed. It was a gala day, and all 
 hoped to see the Czar's family as they were return- 
 ing from church. 
 
 The Winter Garden, separated from the Hall of 
 St. George by the Pompey Gallery, had attracted 
 several higher officials. They were engaged in con- 
 fidential talk. 
 
 Only in the gallery nobody remained, for here two 
 of the greatest statesmen of Russia were walking up 
 and down. They were Count Orloff, head of the 
 gendarmes, and the Emperor's intimate friend, 
 Count Perowski, Minister of the Interior. 
 
98 THE AOEi OP CLUBS. 
 
 A soldier of the Golden Regiment who stood 
 sentry at the door that opened upon the gallery and 
 the rooms of the mighty ruler of the empire pre- 
 sented arms every time they came near him, and the 
 Arab who was posted on the opposite side never took 
 his &ye from them. 
 
 "Thus it is," said Count Orloff. "I left his 
 Majesty under the impression of very sad thoughts, 
 nor could I bring him better news, for I have known 
 for two months what you told me but now. My 
 police have been watching a very dangerous conspir- 
 acy all this time, but as they often met with Mr. 
 Schelm's emissaries they would not interfere with 
 them. Yesterday, however. Col. Palkin assured me 
 that Schelm was in the dark and that we must root 
 up the whole conspiracy at once or there might be 
 real danger ! " 
 
 " Really ? " replied the Minister. " Your Palkin 
 is very cunning. Schelm always tells me he is bet- 
 ter at fictions than at real conspiracies." 
 
 " Palkin told me literally the same of Schelm," 
 said Count Orloff, smiling. " One is worth as much 
 as the other. But. I do not think him capable of 
 inventing a conspiracj'. He knows me too well for 
 that ; but I tell you frankly that I have authorized 
 him to proceed, as he assures me he is on the point 
 of discovery. I have, however, for your sake, 
 ordered him to wait a whole week." 
 
 The minister's bi'ow looked dark. 
 
 " I thank you. Count. I am sorry I shall have to 
 trouble his Majesty the Emperor once more, but as 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 97 
 
 my people have unearthed this conspiracy I should, 
 of course, also like to get the reward for the dis- 
 covery." 
 
 " And justly so," said the head of the gendarmes, 
 " that is why I leave the field clear for you." 
 
 At this moment the soldier on duty raised the 
 portiere which concealed the door of the White Hall, 
 and the admiral-general of the Emperor, Count 
 Lanin entered. When he saw the two statesmen 
 conversing he walked up to them and shook them by 
 the hand. 
 
 "I cannot recover from my conversation with the 
 Emperor just now. Count, you cause him constant 
 grief with your continuous reports of new conspira- 
 cies ! " 
 
 " Unfortunately I What did the Emperor say ? " 
 
 " I wish all could have heard him ! ' Dear Lanin,' 
 he said to me, rousing himself from profound medi- 
 lation, 'they have discovered a new conspiracy ! Tlie 
 head of the secret police has told Orloff. Why will 
 they not acknowledge me as their father and master ? 
 Why do they force me to be the stern judge instead? 
 I am the Emperor and autocrat of all the Russias, 
 but I should like to bear that title only for the hap- 
 piness and the glory of all my subjects ! ' An in- 
 describable emotion was reflected on his manly face 
 and in his voice. When he noticed that I shared his 
 feelings, he continued : ' You, at least, love me, 
 Lanin ! But how few such hearts have I around me ! 
 Everywhere Court intrigues and flattery ! I hate 
 revolutions — but I despise conspiracies ! I can com- 
 7 
 
98 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 ply with the wishes of my people without humilia" 
 tion, but to be afraid of the threatenings of a few 
 malcontents, that would be madness, vulgarity ! ' 
 'You are perfectly right, sire,' I said ;' such people 
 deserve punishment and severe punishment.' 'Pun- 
 ishment I ' repeated the Emperor, ' I always hear the 
 same words and it wounds my heart. ' " 
 
 " Our master is a man of rare nobility," saiJ Or- 
 loff, deeply touched. " Why cannot all learn to 
 know him as well as we do, his nearest friends ! " 
 
 The minister did not break the ominous silence 
 and his features grew sharper and harder. 
 
 "Then the Emperor," continued Lanin, "repeated 
 the same words, adding : ' Alas ! that punishment 
 should be necessary ! The country must be protect- 
 ed against these frequent shocks. If th^t conspiracy 
 should be real you, Lanin, will judge the guilty and 
 punish them severely, but,' he unexpectedly added, 
 holding me back, ' do not forget, my friend, that I 
 will hear nothing of capital punishment. During 
 my teign too many lives have already been sacrificed. 
 However great the crime may be, I swear, I give 
 them their lives ! ' " 
 
 A reverential murmur here interrupted Lanin's 
 recital. The chief chamberlain appeared in the door 
 of the Hall of St. George. At a sign from him all 
 the doors were suddenly opened wide, so that the eye 
 could range through all the intervening haJls and 
 galleries to the end of the Winter Palace. * 
 
 The master of ceremonies, knocked three times 
 with his gold stick and cried aloud : 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 99 
 
 " His Majesty the Emperor ! " 
 
 When a few hours later Count Perowski sent for 
 Mr. Schelm he received him in an unexpectedly cold 
 and stiff manner. He reproached him with negli- 
 gence and repeated his conversation with Count 
 Orloff. 
 
 " The conspiracy of which you have been talking 
 now for three months has already been discovered 
 by the secret police. Col. Palkin is close on their 
 tracks. The whole merit and all the advantages 
 thus fall again into the hands of the gendarmes. Mr. 
 Schelm, I warn you; if this continue, you might lose 
 your place ! I cannot meddle with such matters, 
 and it looks as if you were not equal to such difficult- 
 ies. They actually accuse you of making up arti- 
 ficial conspiracies ! I repeat, therefore, Mr. Schelm, 
 take care ! " 
 
 Schelm bowed very low, but did not show any 
 signs of fear. 
 
 " Your Excellency, the conspiracy is in our hands ; 
 to end the matter finally, however, requires means 
 which I do not possess. I do not have the whole 
 secret police at my disposal. I have to pay high for 
 my agents. I have spent much already of my owai, 
 but did not wish to mention it to your Excellency." 
 
 " Why did you not tell me that before ? '' asked 
 the minister. " Is there not a secret fund at our 
 disposal ? How much do you want to-day ? " 
 
 " Two hundred thousand rubles, your Excellency." 
 
 Amazed at such an enormous demand, the minis- 
 
100 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 ter looked at his head of division suspiciously and 
 curiously. 
 
 " I have spent already 50,000 rubles," said Schelni, 
 " and in order to wind up the matter in a week I 
 must bribe the man who is the soul of this con- 
 spiracy. He is an independent man, but would not 
 be able to resist a large sum. In that case I warrant 
 success." 
 
 The minister interrupted him. 
 
 "The thing must succeed! That is absolutely 
 necessary." 
 
 He took up a blank sheet of paper and began to 
 write. Schelm, who stood near, added humbly: 
 
 " Your Excellency will have the kindness to write : 
 'for expenses already incurred and still to come,' 
 considering, that I have advanced money." 
 
 " Well," said the count, writing : " toward the dis- 
 covery of the conspiracy." 
 
 "What name shall we give to this famous con- 
 spiracy ? How is it spoken of in the papers ? " 
 
 " As the conspiracy Lanin," replied Schelm, coolly. 
 The minister sprang up. 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " As the conspiracy Lanin, your Excellency." 
 
 " Gen. Count Lanin, one of the adjutants-gen- 
 eral, special favorite of the Czar, a conspirator ? Mr. 
 Schelm, you must be mad." 
 
 " I am not speaking of the general, but of his 
 nephew, a young man very prominent on account cf 
 his revolutionary ideas." The minister shook his 
 head incredulously. 
 
THE ACE OP CLDBS. 101 
 
 " But are you quite sure of your man ? " 
 
 " As sure as a man can be." 
 
 " And this man, who has one of the largest for- 
 tunes in Petersburg, yon mean to bribe with two 
 hundred thousand rubles ? " 
 
 " No, your Excellency ; I spoke of the soul, the 
 leader, of the conspiracy. A man of wonderful 
 shrewdness, whom your Excellency will learn to 
 know at the proper time." 
 
 " You are not mistaken, Schelm ? Consider. A 
 blunder might cost you dear." 
 
 " I opine your Excellency, I am not mistaken. I 
 assume every responsibility." 
 
 The minister wrote in big letters, " Conspiracy 
 Lanin," and signed his name and titles, then he 
 handed the paper to Schelm, saying : 
 
 " Now act as will be best for your advantage and 
 mine." 
 
 Schelm went himself to the treasury and drew the 
 money; then he returned to his ofiSce, He had only 
 100,000 rubles in his pocket. He was well pleased 
 with the situation and now, to crown his joy. Miller 
 was announced. 
 
 The head of division assumed a very cool air to 
 receive Miller, but Miller gave him no time to utter 
 his phrases, and cried, even while at the door : 
 
 "Excellency, I bring good news! " 
 
 For some time already Schelm had no longer 
 allowed Miller to treat him unceremoniously. He 
 spoke to him as to a subordinate and required to be 
 called " Excellency " by Him. 
 
102 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Tell it, then, quickly." 
 
 " Tlie conspiracy is at last ready. Hold your men 
 in readiness. Saturday, at 10 o'clock, you can catch 
 all the conspirators at their usual meeting-place." 
 
 'f And how about him ? " exclaimed Schelm. " I 
 have mentioned his name already to the minister. 
 Will he escape you after all ? " 
 
 " It will be just as you wish. To be sure, I prom- 
 ised you forty-two conspirators, guilty of high trea- 
 son, and now I can hand you over only eleven." 
 
 " Why ? " asked Schelm, angrily. 
 
 Miller's voice betrayed an unusually soft emotion 
 and sounded almost sorrowful. 
 
 " It cannot be helped. At the last moment my 
 conscience smote me. I let the small fry escape 
 and only kept the big fish, selecting nine victims, the 
 most dangerous, because eminent in intelligence, also 
 in courage. But that is nothing to you. The con- 
 spiracy exists ,and you will yourself tremble when 
 you hear of its importance and extent. The army, 
 the finances and the Administration, are all three 
 represented in their ranks ! Next Saturday they 
 were all to rise like one man ! It was determined to 
 ask for reform. If refused, opinions were divided. 
 Some were for murdering the Czar, others proposed 
 to place themselves at the head of the army, to storm 
 the Winter Palace and to force the Czar to abdicate ! 
 It was a splendid conspiracy ! We never met with 
 a single impediment I We conspired under the pro- 
 tection of your Excellency I Oh ! It was a splen- 
 did conspiracy ! " 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 103 
 
 " You are right," said the minister, " to call it a 
 splendid conspiracy. I'll write to Palkin at once 
 and ask him to lend me his gendarmes. What a 
 revenge ! " 
 
 At this moment Miller sprang up with a wild, dark 
 look in his eyes. 
 
 " Excellency," he said, " I shall, of course, be ar- 
 rested with the others ; but I count upon you ! You 
 send me abroad, where I can live quietly and forgot- 
 ten. Perhaps I shall be able under another sky to 
 forget myself." '- 
 
 " Well, well ! " replied Schelm. " That was settled 
 long ago. But, Miller, you tell me nothing about 
 him. You do not know how I hate him ! Yester- 
 day I met his wife and was presented to her. A 
 splendid woman. I hate that man ! Without him 
 the whole story is nothing to me." 
 
 Miller replied : " I hope to deliver him soon into 
 your hands. He is one of the conspirators, is he ? " 
 
 " He conspire ? In his presence such a thing can- 
 not even be mentioned. The Emperor has no more 
 faithful servant. In all Russia there is no better 
 patriot than he is! " 
 
 " How then will you get him implicated ? " 
 
 " Excellency, you know the words of a Roman 
 senator : ' If my shirt knew my secret, I would 
 burn it instantly ! ' " 
 
 With these words he bowed himself out of the 
 room. 
 
104 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock Lina, PopofPs 
 mother, now an upper servant in the Lanin palace, 
 had finished her work. She had given the necessary- 
 orders and dropped now, very tired, into an arm 
 chair. 
 
 Nicholas, standing by her, smiled at her. 
 
 " This active life suits you, dear mother ? " 
 
 " Admirably, my son. I thank God every day 
 that He has brought us to such a noble master. How 
 good and gracious he is to us." 
 
 " And all this we owe to Neighbor Miller ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, a precious friend. But he also is 
 better off — you know his inheritance in Courland." 
 
 " I do not know how that is," said Popoff. " Miller 
 does not like to speak of it. There is some secret 
 behind it." 
 
 " But to speak of another subject. My dear son, 
 why do you never mention Helen now ? Have you 
 given her up ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, mother, my feelings are still the 
 same, but there is no hurry ; my position is very 
 insecure as yet." 
 
 " She was here yesterday and very sad. She 
 doubts your attachment, and her father repeats to 
 her : ' You see, child, when he was poor he wanted 
 you because he hoped to get a good dower with j'ou. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 105 
 
 Now he no longer cares. That is the way with them 
 all.' " 
 
 " Dear mother, I tell you my feelings toward 
 Helen have never changed and my apparent coldness 
 arises purely from the desire to collect as much 
 money as I can, that her father may not refuse me 
 a second time." 
 
 "That would have been sheer madness," said 
 Vladimir unexpectedly, who had entered unnoticed 
 and had heard the conversation between mother and 
 son. " Why did you not mention that before ? We 
 should soon have removed all impediments." 
 
 " Oh, Count," exclaimed PopofF, deeply touched. 
 
 Behind Lanin Miller also had entered. As a 
 good huntsman he did not lose sight of his game and 
 was a daily guest at the palace. 
 
 " May God reward you a hundred -fold," said the 
 housekeeper. 
 
 " I only regard the good deeds of your son. My 
 dear Secretary," he said, turning to Popoff, " do you 
 know, by chance, if my wife is at home ? " 
 
 " The countess ordered her carriage," answered 
 Lina. " It has just come up. But here she is." 
 
 The door opened and Jana entered in company 
 with a lady in a magnificent costume. Popoff and 
 Lina withdrew, with a deep bow. 
 
 " I thank chance for meeting you on a day in 
 which I had been sentenced not to see you at all," 
 said the count, half in jest and half in earnest, to his 
 wife. 
 
 She threatened him with her finger. 
 
106 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Is it chance alone that brought it about ? At 
 all events I pardon you. We must not ask too 
 much." 
 
 " Dear Rita," she said, then turning to her com- 
 panion, " permit me to present my husband to you. 
 If you wish to make him one of your admirers j^ou 
 must be warned. He does not like you. Permit 
 me also to introduce our best friend, Mr. Miller of 
 Miller town." 
 
 The gentlemen bowed and Vladimir began quite 
 embarrassed to say : 
 
 " But, wife, how can you ? " 
 
 The Frenchwoman, however, did not let him go 
 on ; she said eagerly : 
 
 " Do ngt apologize ! I understand your feelings. 
 The happy man who is Jana's husband must be 
 jealous of all who also love her and slightly claim 
 her. I am one of them. I capture Jana now and 
 then, and mean to do it again. Instead of being 
 angry with me, you had better come and join us, even 
 though it be at my house. I shall be pleased to see 
 you there very often." 
 
 Vladimir bowed silently and Mme. de Dugarcy 
 offered him her fair hand. 
 
 " You see we shall soon be reconciled ! " 
 
 " We'll meet you at the theatre, won't we ? " asked 
 Jana. 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " May I ask at what hour the Ijidies will appear? " 
 asked Miller. 
 
 " We cannot possibly fix the time," said Mme. de 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 107 
 
 Dugarcy laughing. " You may expect us between 9 
 and 11. We have much to do to-day." 
 
 " To be sure ! " said Vladimir. " In your Ladies' 
 Club." 
 
 " But now it is time to be off," said the French- 
 woman. " They will be waiting for us, I fear. Good' 
 bye." 
 
 The two ladies went laughing to the door. On the 
 threshold Jana turned round. 
 
 " Oh, I am glad I remembered it ! Guess, Vladimir, 
 who had himself introduced to me last night at the 
 minister's. Mr. Schelm ! Why, he is a very min- 
 ister ! He apologized, however, for his daring aspi- 
 rations, so very cleverly that I was entirely disarmed 
 and almost repented the bad joke we permitted our- 
 selves to play upon him. I do not know what kind 
 of a man he is. At all events, he is a very able 
 man." 
 
 " I entirely agree with you," said her husband, and 
 still laughing, the ^two ladies went out. Vladimir 
 took Miller td his room. 
 
 " Did you notice," he asked there, " how anxiously 
 the Frenchwoman talked ? I fear innovations from 
 abroad, into which she wishes to inveigle your wife." 
 
 Vladimir pressed his friend's hand. 
 
 " You are right. She is no fit companion for 
 Jana, and I dislike her very much. I do not know, 
 but I feel as if some great misfortune was impending 
 on us. That is childish, but still I cannot tell you 
 how depressed and unhappy I feel ! " 
 
 " You have a right to be jealous. Your wife is too 
 
]08 THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 
 
 much in the world, too little at home. But now, 
 good-bye. We shall soon meet again. We dine 
 together,- 1 hope." 
 
 " Certainly ! " 
 
 Miller was busy all day long between the Ministry 
 and the tavern, where we have seen him. About 7 
 he met Lanin at the restaurant, and after dinner they 
 adjourned to the theatre. 
 
 Tliey came just as the operetta closed. The cur- 
 tain fell amid the applause of the enthusiastic audi- 
 ence. The theatre looked as usual. The imperial 
 box was still empty, but the public hoped that at 
 kast one of the grand dukes would yet appear. In 
 the boxes the aristocracy of St. Petersburg displayed 
 its beauty and its jewels, surpassed, however, in 
 toilets by a number of French ladies who had come 
 to St. Petersburg attracted by the wealth and the 
 luxuries of the bazaars of Russia. In the auditorium 
 the gorgeous uniforms of the army formed a magnifi- 
 cent spectacle. Officers of all Jjhe twenty-six regi- 
 ments of the Guards ; generals in gala uniform with 
 innumerable stars and crosses in diamonds ; lancers 
 in red, with gold and silver epaulets, while here and 
 there a bashful black dress coat hid itself in a corner. 
 
 Between the acts Prince Max, a young officer of 
 the Artillery of the Guard, came into the box. 
 ' Miller frowned at the unexpected visitor. Lanin 
 received his friend kindly. 
 
 At the same time two gentlemen rose who had 
 been sitting in the front row of the pit by the side of 
 a general covered with decorations and looked 
 
THE ACE OK CLUBS. 109 
 
 around. Miller, who had been in the front part of 
 the box, quickly drew back and threw himself into 
 a chair. 
 
 Vladimir handed Prince Max his opera glasses, 
 and they, resting on the velvet covered edge of the 
 box, looked into the auditorium, nodding to many 
 acquaintances. The two men we mentioned stood 
 directly under him, and as they spoke loud he could 
 hear all they said. 
 
 " How on earth did you get all these details ? " said 
 one. 
 
 " Simply because I was one of the chosen ones, and 
 I shall not forget it through all my life. Unfortu- 
 nately, I shall never have that pleasure again. I am 
 forgotten, and so I do not consider myself bound any 
 longer to preserve secrecy." 
 
 " But why did Count Halm choose you ? " 
 
 " He knows nothing of it. I got it through the 
 ladies." 
 
 " What self-conceit ! " 
 
 " You are very much mistaken. I am no excep- 
 tion. It is enough to be well dressed, well man- 
 nered and especially to be known in the world, to be 
 admitted. A certain Dugarcy, a Frenchwoman, is 
 at the head of the club. Count Halm knows how to 
 profit by everything. He is fully initiated, but of no 
 weight in society." 
 
 " Vladimir ! " said just then the young prince. 
 "Look at that lady opposite us; how strangely her 
 coifPure looks ! " 
 
 Lanin begged him to be silent. 
 
110 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Hush," he said. " Just listen to what these men 
 ^ay." 
 
 Miller also invited him to come and smoke a cigar 
 in the passage, but Vladimir begged him also not to 
 disturb him. The thread of the conversation, how- 
 ever, had been broken. At last he heard these words 
 which seemed to refer to the same subject : 
 
 " You say Batoff square, No. 17 ? " 
 
 "Yes. Under the pretense of playing — and there 
 is really baccarat going on in the second story— the 
 Frenchwoman has organized a kind of Ladies' Club. 
 You know how women love to surround everything 
 with secrecy. The club took thus very well with 
 many ladies. Count Halm became their confidant. 
 He rented a house and does the honors." 
 
 " I can hardly trust my ears when I hear such non- 
 sense. It sounds like a novel." 
 
 The prince and Lanin listened with almost pain- 
 ful attention. Miller seemed to suffer torture. He 
 managed to smile incredulously whenever Vladimir 
 glanced at bim. 
 
 " That is the romance of these fair ladies," con- 
 tinued the first speaker. " As to what happens in 
 the house, who visits them during the day and who 
 belongs to the happy chosen ones, who are admitted 
 in the evening — Mme. de Dugarcy alone can answer, 
 and being a Frenchwoman, no doubt, slie knows the 
 mysteries of Paris perfectly. The club is, however, 
 admirably organized. No one is admitted who does 
 not have the watchword. 'What do you desire?' 
 Count Halm asks you. 'The Great Partie ! ' you 
 
THE ACB OF CLUBS. Ill 
 
 answer. 'You are?' 'Ace of Clubs!' Then the 
 door is opened." 
 
 "But does the police permit such things?" 
 
 " The police does not trouble itself with anything 
 but politics. Mme. de Dugarcy is, besides, a for- 
 eigner. She stands well at Court and the ladies who 
 visit her belong to the highest classes of society. 
 The police does not see them." 
 
 " And these meetings take place daily ? " 
 
 "No! To-night, however, an unusually large 
 assembly is expected to meet there. When I left 
 home I saw the Frenchwoman, accompanied by the 
 beautiful Countess Lanin, drive up to the door. 
 They sent the carriage back." 
 
 Vladimir sprang up. The prince turned pale. 
 
 "Miller, what are these men talking about?" 
 
 Miller could hardly stand up. He pressed his 
 friend's hand. 
 
 "At first," continued the speaker below, "I was 
 not a little surprised seeing the beautiful Jana in 
 such company, but our great ladies must always have 
 some novelty." 
 
 "Pray," said Vladimir to the prince, "go to this 
 gentleman and ask him for his card. There is mine. 
 You know what else you have to do". I shall wait 
 for you at home." 
 
 "Count upon me!" replied the young man, and 
 went at once. 
 
 " I shall convince myself with my own eyes how 
 matters stand," said Vladimir in a low voice. 
 "Batoff square, No. 17, to the Great Partie, Ace of 
 
112 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 Clubs. I remember it all. Every word has stabbed 
 my heart." 
 
 At the saiiie time he seized Miller by the arm ; 
 the latter trembled at sight of his despair. 
 
 " I must go there — convince myself — and yet he 
 must have lied, Miller — he must have invented the 
 whole story." 
 
 " Brother, I know that house ! " 
 
 Lanin passed his hand over his brow. 
 
 "I believe I am losing my mind. Is it a bad 
 dream, or can it really be so? Till to-morrow, 
 friend ! " 
 
 " I shall follow you, Vladimir. I cannot leave you. 
 You know I have heard the whole story!" 
 
 "Come!" cried Vladimir, almost beside himself. 
 "If that man has lied I must kill him like a mad 
 dog, and if he has told the truth — the world no 
 longer exists for me ! Let us make haste ! " 
 
 He sprang into a droschka. " A hundred silver 
 rubles if you drive fast ! " 
 
 The horses flew as if they had wings. The night 
 was dark and cool, but neither of tlie two men noticed 
 anything. Not a word was spoken. 
 
 "No! It cannot be true! Jana is too proud, too 
 noble ! " 
 
 " I hope so with all my heart, for 3-our sake," 
 whispered Miller. "But remember, her father has 
 si)oilt her a little, and this Frenchwoman ... I 
 warned you this morning ! " 
 
 In five minutes they reached the house. Lanin 
 rang the bell. The door opened. 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 113 
 
 " I have the watchword ; but, as you say you know 
 the house, you can lead me." 
 
 " The card-room is in the second story ; we shall 
 have to go up to the third, I suppose," answered 
 Miller. 
 
 In the little cell of the porter three men were 
 assembled, who seemed to converse eagerly, but at 
 the sight of Lanin and Miller they suddenly stopped 
 and one of them whispered a few words in the ear of 
 the porter, 
 
 " Gentlemen," cried the latter, " where are you 
 going?" 
 
 "I am the Ace of Clubs," said Lanin without 
 turning. 
 
 "And I am Ace of Diamonds," added Miller. "If 
 every ace is admitted here, I presume they will not 
 refuse me." 
 
 Lanin saw nothing and heard nothing ; he did not 
 notice Miller's strange conduct. The porter ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Very well, gentlemen ! Please go up-stairs ! " 
 
 One of the three men made an entry in his note- 
 book. Vladimir had hastened in advance, and went 
 so fast that Miller could hardly overtake him. 
 
 When they reached the third story Miller said in 
 a completely altered voice : 
 
 " It must be here ! Ring the bell, Vladimir ! " 
 
 Lanin almost broke the bell rope ; a small window 
 opened and the door groaned on its hinges. Vladi- 
 mir rushed in like a madman, erjdng: 
 
 " To the Great Partie ! I am the Ace of Clubs ! " 
 8 
 
114 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Tray ! " said the man at the door. 
 
 It was not Count Halm, and this circumstance 
 aroused new suspicions in Vladimir's mind. 
 
 " To-day it is probably another man's turn ! " he 
 hissed through his teeth. 
 
 Miller was about to knock at the second door. 
 Lanin's excitement was so great, however, that he 
 drove in the folding doors with his foot ; they flew 
 open and he found himself suddenly in the hall 
 where the delegates were assembled. The Ten of 
 Hearts was in the act of uttering these words : 
 
 " Gentlemen, if the Emperor refuses, death awaits 
 him ! " 
 
 At the breaking open of the door the conspirators 
 all turned around. Dazzled by the brilliant lights, 
 astonished at seeing only men before him, and dum- 
 founded by the words he had heard, Lanin stopped 
 on the threshold as if struck by lightning. He could 
 not master his thoughts. A moment later he recog; 
 nized some of the members of the assembly. 
 
 At the same time several voices cried out : 
 
 " What is that? You, Lanin, you are our Ace of 
 Clubs ! Hurrah for Lanin ! " 
 
 Vladimir was utterly dumfounded. 
 
 "Where am I? What is the meaning of this? 
 Miller, explain ! " 
 
 Miller was as pale as death ; perspiration stood in 
 great drops on his forehead ; he intended to reply, 
 but it was too late. The secretary had to-day 
 attended the door alone and let in the two friends. 
 Now he rushed in out of breath barely able to cry. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 115 
 
 « The police ! " 
 
 A sabre cut struck him down ; he fell covered with 
 blood. In an instant the doors and windows were 
 broken to pieces and through every opening gen- 
 darmes, armed to the teeth, rushed in and fell upon 
 the conspirators. 
 
 Col. Palkin's thundering voice drowned every 
 voice. 
 
 " Seize these rascals who threaten to kill the Em- 
 peror ! Bind them at once ! " 
 
 When the first surprise was over all the conspira- 
 tors, with the exception of Lanin, who did not know 
 what was going on, and of Miller, who had quickly 
 recovered his ordinary calmness, crowded toward a 
 corner of the hall. The man called Ten of Hearts 
 fell with his sword upon one of the gendarmes, but 
 instantly a shot was heard and he fell weltering in 
 his blood. The others were unarmed and easily 
 secured. 
 
 All this was done in an instant. The conspira- 
 tors did not utter a sound; they were terror- 
 struck. At this moment Lanin, who could not yet 
 find out what it all ineant, felt a brutal hand on his 
 shoulder. Now, only, he awoke and recovered his 
 usual energy. Powerfully he freed himself from the 
 hands of the gendarmes, who were about to bind 
 him. 
 
 " You are mistaken ; I only came in by accident. 
 I am Count Vladimir Lanin I " 
 
 His voice was so clearly the voice of truth that the 
 soldiers stopped. At this moment Ten of Hearts, 
 
116 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 who was lying wounded on the floor, raised his head, 
 looked at Lanin so contemptuously that Palkin 
 laughed aloud and said : 
 
 "Ha! ha! Ace of Clubs is innocent! That is 
 news indeed ! I swear " 
 
 Now Palkin also looked at him with contempt. 
 
 "Go on boldly!" he called out to Lanin; "he 
 who engages in such matters must take the conse- 
 quences. I was present downstairs when you called 
 yourself the Ace of Clubs." 
 
 " But I only came " 
 
 " Quiet ! Enough of that ! Tie his mouth ! " 
 
 Lanin tried in vain to resist ; the gendarmes seized 
 him, tied him, and actually gagged him. Soon all 
 the conspirators were lying on the carpet by the side 
 of the wounded secretary. Vladimir, dazed by the 
 occurrence, thought it all a horrible dream. At this 
 moment Schelm entered, highly rejoiced, with a port- 
 folio under his arm. 
 
 Vladimir looked instinctively at this portfolio and 
 read there in large letters the words : 
 
 " Conspiracy Lanin." 
 
 Now he comprehended and Schelm 's diabolical 
 smile told him the rest. The words of old Werniii 
 came back to him. He gave himself up as lost. He 
 looked reproachfully at Miller, but his face was 
 turned the other way ; he could not see his features. 
 
 " To the fortress with them all ! " ordered Schelm. 
 " To-morrow the investigation will begin." 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 117 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In the meantime Jana and Mme. de Dugarcy had 
 reached the theatre. The countess went to her box 
 and was surprised not to find her husband there. 
 
 " The gentlemen may have gone out to smoke a 
 cigarette," said Jana. 
 
 " Oh, certainly ! " replied Mme. de Dugarcy. 
 
 The arrival of the two ladies caused a great com- 
 motion in the theatre. Prince Max was one of those 
 men who love to enjoy the misfortunes of their 
 friends. After having in vain looked for the 
 unknown man in the pit, he could not refrain from 
 telling everybody he met the strange story of Count 
 Vladimir and his wife, together with the commission 
 he had received. 
 
 Now, when Jana entered, all eyes were directed to 
 her box. Although the -young countess was accus- 
 tomed to receive such homage, she still wondered 
 why the admiration should be so marked to-niglit. 
 The Frenchwoman, who possessed more knowledge 
 of the world, felt at once that something extraordi- 
 naiy must have occurred and something that con- 
 cerned herself. After having looked around once 
 more she said to her companion : 
 
 " They stare too much to-night."' Jana shrugged 
 her shoulders contemptuously. '■ 
 
 " We must not miiid it I " 
 
118 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 The first act was ended. During the short pause 
 all opera glasses were directed to their box and 
 remained fixed there so long that even Jana began 
 to resent it. She felt, besides, troubled, because 
 neither Vladimir nor Miller showed himself. 
 
 " Something must have happened to them," she 
 said to her friend. " My heart feels oppressed. I 
 cannot imagine why the gentlemen are not here." 
 
 In the middle of the second act Jana suddenly rose 
 and said : 
 
 " Pardon me, but I must go home." 
 
 Mme. de Dugarcy reflected a moment. 
 
 " I dare say you are right. It is evident some- 
 thing has happened that concerns one of us. Ordi- 
 narily our box is full of visitors ; to-night not a soul 
 comes here." 
 
 " I can bear this uncertainty no longer. Good- 
 night ! '" 
 
 " Will you permit me to accompany you ? " 
 
 " Oh, certainly, with pleasure. I do not know 
 why, but I feel as if I should not like to be alone." 
 
 When they reached the palace no one knew any- 
 thing. Jana could get no answer to her questions. 
 
 Jana was perfectty helpless, and even the cheer- 
 fulness of the Frenchwoman disappeared gradually. 
 All of a sudden Popoff rushed in like mad and cried : 
 
 " The police are here ! The whole palace is full of 
 gendarmes." 
 
 At that moment Jana remembered her father's 
 prophecy. Schelm's miserable figure appeared before 
 her mind's eye and she fell into a chair with the cry : 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 119 
 
 " My God ! We are lost ! " 
 
 " Lost ? Why ? " asked Popoff. " The coming of 
 the gendarmes is surprising but by no means neces- 
 sarily terrifying. They perhaps look for a criminal 
 who has hid here." 
 
 " Do you not know," said Jana, " that my husband 
 disappeared several hours ago ? No doubt he has been 
 arrested. I recognize Schelm's revenge." 
 
 Popoff sprang up. 
 
 " Did you say Schelm ? Do you know Schelm ? " 
 
 " I know him and have mortally offended him. 
 My father predicted that he would avenge himself, 
 and he was right." 
 
 In an instant everything that had so long been a 
 mystery to Popoff — Miller's sudden wealth, his inti- 
 macy with Vladimir, those letters, " La. . ." on the 
 certificate of the chief of bureau — all became clear 
 to him. Popoff was endowed with rare energy and 
 no small acuteness. Since they attacked Lanin they 
 would attack him also. At once he formed his decis- 
 ion. 
 
 " I think you are mistaken," he said, after a 
 short pause. " But calm yourself. It may be that I 
 can be practically useful to the count." 
 
 He had suddenly secured a great influence over 
 the mind of the frightened ladies and sat down by 
 them while he poured out a cup of tea for himself. 
 
 " When the gendarmes come please say I am your 
 guest." 
 
 This whole consultation had not lasted two min- 
 utes. Popoff was just putting sugar into his tea 
 
120 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 when the door opened. Palkin entered and brutally 
 asked : 
 
 " Which of you is the Countess Lanin ? " 
 
 Jana, whom nobody had ever addressed in this 
 way, forgot for a moment her trouble and proudly 
 asked : 
 
 " And who dares to speak to me in this way ? " 
 
 Palkin threw himself insblently into an arm chair 
 and said: " O ho ! the worthy wife of a man 'guilty 
 of high treason ! That is not the way to speak to an 
 officer of gendarmes, who has just arrested j-^our hus- 
 band because he has conspired against the Czar ! " 
 
 Jana anticipated this news, and yet she trembled 
 as if the blow had been unexpected. 
 
 " My God ! " she exclaimed, " is it really true ? " 
 
 Palkin looked sharply at the countess, who had 
 thus been thinking aloud. 
 
 "Ah! " he said, "you seem to have known what 
 was going on." 
 
 Mme. de Dugarcy looked scornfully at the oflScer 
 of gendarmes. 
 
 " You must know," she said to him in French, 
 " that I understand a little Russian, and that I find 
 you behave very indecently. It looks almost as if 
 you were to examine us here." 
 
 Palkin turned to the foreigner and answered yi 
 the same language : 
 
 " And who is this ? No doubt a governess. But 
 mind ; there are prisons for such birds also, and 
 nothing is easier than to send you to the frontier. 
 Enough of this. What is that door there ? " he asked 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 121 
 
 Jaua, who in the meantime had recovered her com- 
 posure and ordinary dignity. 
 
 " I shall answer," she replied, " when you speak 
 as it is becoming you should speak in this house." 
 
 Palkin cast a threatening look at the unfortunate 
 woman. 
 
 " This manner benefits neither you nor your hus- 
 band. You can do, however, as you choose. — Halloo ! " 
 he said to the gendarme at the door, "send me two 
 men." 
 
 " Are you going to use force ? " asked Jaua. 
 
 " No, although I have the right to do so. I send 
 for the men to post a sentinel at every door." 
 
 He noticed Popoff. 
 
 " What man is that?" he asked Jana. But before 
 she could answer Nicholas said very quietly : 
 
 " My name is Popoff ; an invitation " 
 
 "You keep bad company, young man," interrupted 
 Palkin. " But I must have seen you somewhere." 
 
 He had no time to ask more, as the gendarmes 
 entered just then. Palkin turned to the door lead- 
 ing to Jana's sitting-room. The proud woman was 
 burning with indignation. 
 
 " That is my own room ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 Palkin shrugged his shoulders without looking at 
 her. He disappeared behind the velvet portieres and 
 left the two ladies under guard of a gendarme, with 
 Popeff. 
 
 " Countess," said the latter, in French, " I must 
 get away from here at once and speak to your father. 
 I know that nothing will be found here and you will 
 
122 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 be free soon, but the gendarmes will remain, to- 
 morrow Schelm himself will appear here to examine, 
 and he would, of course, recognize me instantly. If 
 I am to serve you I must be very cautious so as not 
 to lose my freedom." 
 
 " Oh, God ! what a terrible catastrophe ! He is, of 
 course, innocent. I cannot doubt it for a moment ! " 
 
 " No doubt, but a denunciation by a man like 
 Schelm is all-powerful. Still, I do not give up the 
 hope of saving the count. Keep up your courage." 
 
 " Courage I have," replied Jana. " You have 
 seen that. I must save my husband or perish with 
 him." 
 
 Now Mme. de Dugarcy also took part in the con- 
 versation. She looked a different person. Indigna- 
 tion glowed in her eyes, her whole carriage spoke of 
 courage and resolution. 
 
 " I'll take you away from here. Give me your 
 arm ! Jana," she continued, kissing her friend, " be 
 of good courage. I shall always watch over you and 
 go myself to see the Emperor to save your husband. 
 And now let us go ! " Leaning on Popoff's arm, she 
 turned to the door. On the threshold the gendarme 
 stopped her with the words : 
 
 " You cannot leave here." 
 
 The lady did not look at him even. 
 
 " I may go where I choose, I am not a Russian 
 subject." 
 
 " You cannot 1 " repeated the soldier, but in vain, 
 for Mme. de Dugarcy seemed not to hear him. At 
 the sight of a fair lady in full dress passing him with- 
 
THE ACE OF CLUfiS. ] 23 
 
 out minding his threats the man hesitated to use 
 violence. The weak woman compelled the strong 
 man to respect her ! 
 
 " Colonel ! " he called at last. 
 
 Palkin appeared at once. 
 
 "What is it? Miss, do you wish to be sent tojail?" 
 
 When the lady saw Palkin she said : 
 
 "Order this man to let me leave? I advise you, 
 moreover, to be more polite or I shall complain to 
 his Majesty the Emperor. I am Mme. de Dugarcy 
 of the French Legation." 
 
 Mme. de Dugarcy was at that time one of the 
 most brilliant stars in the great world of St. Peters- 
 burg ; her name was on everybody's lips. Palkin 
 knew her relations to the Empress very accurately. 
 He bit his lips and said : 
 
 " Of course that changes matters. But as I do 
 not have the honor of knowing you personall}' I shall 
 send a gendarme with you. As soon-as your identity 
 is established I shall not fail to apologize at your 
 Embassy. I regret I cannot act differently, but duty 
 first." 
 
 Then bowing coolly he told the soldier : 
 
 " You are no longer needed here. Follow this 
 lady and do not leave lier for a moment." 
 
 " Yes, Colonel." 
 
 " Madame, you can go now. That gentleman, 
 however, will stay here till further orders." 
 
 "Pardon me," said the lady, very firmlj-. "Mr. 
 Popoff 's arm and protection are indispensable to me. 
 
124 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 I must take several important steps to-day, and your 
 gendarme cannot well pay visits with me." 
 
 " You forget that the gentleman is a Russian sub- 
 ject," said Palkin, impatiently. 
 
 " A truce to these formalities," said Mme. de Du- 
 garcy, haughtily. " Mr Popoff is just now under the 
 protection of France. He gives me his arm and 
 that settles the question. Use force if you dare." 
 
 " Cautious, madame ; be cautious. Diplomatic 
 privileges do not go quite so far. The Emperor 
 shall know all." 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the young lady. " Now you 
 threaten me with the Emperor ? Very well, I shall 
 drive from here directly to the Winter Palace and 
 explain it all to the Emperor. Gendarme, get me a 
 coach." 
 
 " You will not take your eye from this person ! " 
 said Palkin, bowing." 
 
 She motioned to Jana, who, half fainting, awaited 
 the end of this scene, to keep up her courage and 
 went down stairs, leaning on Popoff's arm. The 
 gendarme had brought a drosclika, she took a seat 
 and ordered the coachman to drive as fast as he 
 could to the Winter Palace. 
 
 They had barely left when from tlie opposite 
 direction another droschka appeared, and Schelm, 
 with a huge portfolio under his arm, got out. 
 
 It was, perhaps, 2 o'clock in the morning, when 
 Count Wernin's valet waked him from profound 
 sleep and announced that a sti-ange lady in company 
 witli Count Laiiin's secretary wished to see him. A 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 125 
 
 gendarme, he said, accompanied her. Wernin arose 
 reluctantly and somewhat impatiently put on a 
 gorgeous dressing gown. When he entered the 
 reception-room he found there Popoff and Mme. de 
 Dugarcy warming themselves at the fire. The gen- 
 darme stood at the door. The Frenchwoman had 
 found it impossible to see the Emperor at tliis hour 
 and therefore came to Jana's father. 
 
 The old man wept bitterly when he heard the 
 terrible news and cried: "That is Schelm's revenge ! 
 My poor, poor child ! I shall see Schelm at once 
 and fall at his feet. My son-in-law is innocent ! I'll 
 sacrifice my whole fortune to save him ! " 
 
 "If your Excellency should not succeed it will be 
 my turn to act," said Popoff. 
 
 Wernin looked at him astonished. 
 
 " Who are you ? " 
 
 " I am Count Vladimir's secretary and owe him 
 everything. Before I came to him I was employed 
 in Schelm's office and I have a weapon, which, in my 
 liands, may not be very dangerous, but " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " That in the hands of your Excellency this 
 weapon is mightier than all the gold of Russia." 
 
 " Why don't you tell me at once what weapon it 
 is?" 
 
 " Clear evidence that Schelm has stolen money and 
 that the Count is innocent. But these documents 
 can only be submitted to the Emperor himself." 
 
 Wernin sank exhausted into a chair. 
 
 "The Emperor! Only yesterday I could have 
 
126 THE acp: op clttbs. 
 
 done that ! But to-morrow they will arrest me as 
 the father-in-law of a man who is accused of having 
 conspired against the person of the Emperor, and I 
 shall never obtain an audience. Your weapon is 
 useless." 
 
 The Frenchwoman interrupted him. 
 
 " I am Jana's friend and I can always reach the 
 Emperor ! Intrust those papers to me ! Monday 
 the burgesses will give a great ball, at which the 
 Emperor will certainly appear. I promise you I 
 will speak to him and hand him the papers ! " 
 
 Weruin shook his head. 
 
 " Idle hopes ! You are not allowed to address the 
 Emperor at a ball ! " 
 
 " What a gentleman may not do a lad}' can, and 
 what is forbidden a Russian is permitted a foreigner. 
 Besides, I take the responsibility ! " 
 
 " Ah ! my lady," exclaimed Wernin, " if you 
 could do that ! " 
 
 " Certainly, it shall be done ! And now, Mr. 
 Popoff, may I ask for those papers ? " 
 
 " Only as a last resource, when everj'thing else 
 fails, can this weapon be used, for as it crushes 
 Schelm it crushes me also. When a poor man rises 
 to overthrow a great man he generally perishes first." 
 
 " But who can be this man Schelm ? " she asked, 
 filled with awe and terror. 
 
 " He is the man who watches over the safet}- of 
 the empire, works in secret, concocts conspiracies." 
 
 " Now I understand ! A policeman, a spy on a 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 127 
 
 large scale. Ah, the more zealously shall I work 
 for you. Mr. Popoff, what are your plans now ? " 
 
 " Your Excellency will go on Monday to Schelm 
 and offer him a large sum of money. Perhaps the 
 countess will go with you. If you fail I'll go to 
 him at night. In the meantime you will go to the 
 ball and wait for me there. If I cannot bring you 
 the count's pardon I shall at least bring you irre- 
 futable proof of Schelm's criminality." 
 
 "Your son-in-law is innocent?" asked Mme. de 
 Dugarcy. 
 
 " Beyond all doubt. Vladimir must be innocent. 
 Schelm's association with the conspiracy proves it. 
 I predicted the man would avenge himself." 
 
 " I swear to save the count," said Popoff. 
 
 " Count upon my gratitude, young man," replied 
 Wernin. 
 
 "And now I must go," said Mme.de Dugarcy. 
 " To-morrow morning 111 come and see Jana, and I 
 am always ready to serve you." 
 
 " A thousand thanks," said Wernin, kissing her 
 hand. 
 
 When the lady reached the door the gendarme 
 stopped her. 
 
 " Does your companion remain here ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! I return to the French Legation." 
 
 " You cannot do that. I am ordered not to lose 
 sight of both of you." 
 
 She said smiling to Nicholas : 
 
 " Mr. Popoff, you will have to spend the night at 
 the Embassy. Nothing can be done with this man." 
 
128 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 "Oh, God! "cried Wernin, when he was alone, 
 " take my life, but save my children ! " 
 
 And the old councilor remained all night sitting 
 before the fire, wrapped in dark and dismal thoughts. 
 
 The bells began to ring merrily and the streets 
 were full of people. The gilt cupolas of St. Isaac's 
 and Our Dear Lady of Kasan shone in the rays of the 
 sun. All Petersburg was in gala dress ; it was Sun- 
 day, the day following the events just mentioned. 
 
 The Fort of Peter and Paul, the foundations of 
 which are laid on the bed of the Neva, seemed alone 
 to keep aloof from the universal joyousness. The 
 rays of the sun seemed to be unable to warm these 
 sad walls, and the dense enveloping fog gave to it 
 the appearance of a tomb. The bells of the fort 
 rang, to be sure, like all others, but their sound came 
 low and sorrowful, as if tolling for a funeral. 
 
 The casemates, on a level with the river, have to 
 be lit by day and by night with oil lamps. The 
 prisoners are fearful. Cell No. 12, at the end of a 
 corridor, lies opposite to a grated door, that is cover- 
 ed over with bars and padlocks. This door leads to 
 a few steps which descend to the river. Here, as 
 everywhere, the walls are damp and cracked in many 
 places ; the dirty, uneven floor consists of bricks ; 
 the vaulted ceiling is very low ; the small window 
 heavily grated outside, nothing but the waves of the 
 Neva can be seen. And yet the keepers open this 
 cell only reluctantly, never as long as any other cell 
 is unoccupied. For this cell has its own grewsome 
 story. A large number of unhappy beings have 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 129 
 
 here ended their lives, and if tradition may be believ- 
 ed, the famous Princess Tarakoff also perished here 
 in the waves, when, in 1787, her cell was suddenly 
 flooded. In the year 1849, an old keeper was still 
 alive who vowed he had seen the corpse of the 
 wretched lady, as it was found after the waters had 
 subsided. The rats, however, had left nothing but 
 the skeleton of the beautiful woman. On the even- 
 ing of the day, which had just passed, a rich capture 
 seemed to have been made, for eleven times in suc- 
 cession the ponderous gates of the fortress had been 
 opened. At last all was full, and Miller of Miller- 
 town was sent to the ill-fated cell. He rested his 
 elbows on the small table, the one article in the 
 cell, and was sunk in deep meditation. Fifteen 
 hours had gone by since his arrest, and he could 
 not yet recover his usual calmness. He was empha- 
 tically a man of action, of energy, and preserved 
 even in battle his incomparable repose, while giving 
 proof of his matchless boldness and resolution. 
 But now, alone in his dungeon, he had ample time 
 to reflect, and with reflection came conscientious 
 scruples and apprehension. 
 
 " Well," he said to himself, " it is done ! Schelm has 
 conquered and I have committed the most horrible 
 deed that human imagination can well devise. I 
 shrink from myself. Ten of Hearts, that brave, 
 loyal colonel, will be shot or hanged, or sentenced to 
 lifelong labor in the mines ! Four of Hearts, the 
 young man, full of trust and confidence, at whose 
 mother's table I dined recently, is in prison ! The 
 9 
 
130 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 treasurer of the Ministry of Plnance, who had 
 remained honest these thirty years, was tempted by 
 me and by my misleading words. I have used my 
 talents — for I have it in me to become a leader of 
 men — to ruin nine men bj' taking them into a con- 
 spiracy of which they did not even dream. And 
 Vladimir ! I cannot think of him ! I do not believe 
 in parsons' tales — but if there should really be a just 
 God^" 
 
 And now Miller began to speak, as is often the 
 case in solitary confinement, to an invisible person : 
 
 " Do you know that Schelm is capable of deceiving 
 me even yet? The world knows no greater rascal 
 than Schelm. I may, after all, have committed this 
 fearful crime in vain. Why is he not here ? I have 
 waited so long already I He ought to have been here 
 to give me my money and my freedom. He is really 
 cruel to keep me waiting so long. I long for fresh 
 air. I long for the wide, wide world ! I must flee 
 from Russia and try to forget all. Oh, my former 
 misery, how I now envy you ! 
 
 " There below me flows the river, farther on is the 
 Baltic, then Germany, France and England. There 
 I want to forget Vladimir, Schelm, Russia, the Czar 
 and Siberia. But where is the rascal? Does he not 
 know that with one blow I can knock over the whole 
 cunning structure of his intrigue ? " 
 
 Suddenly he paused in his walk, a rat ran across 
 the floor, climbed up on the damp wall and disap- 
 peared in a crack near the window. 
 
 " That was only a rat — one of those that will eat 
 
THE ACE OF CLtTBS. 131 
 
 me here, for Schelm is capable of forgetting me. If 
 he should betray me as I betrayed them ! " 
 
 The rat had been friglitened by a noise in the 
 passage. ' Miller's heart began to beat violently 
 when he heard the door open slowly and saw the 
 lantern of the keeper, who was followed by another 
 person. It was Schelm, who sent back the keeper 
 and remained alone with his victim. 
 
 " At last ! " exclaimed Miller. " I have waited for 
 you impatiently. I think I should have lost my 
 mind if you had not come." 
 
 Schelm smiled knowingly. 
 
 " I come to keep my word, because I am fully 
 satisfied. Here are 100,000 rubles. Are you con- 
 tent?" 
 
 "Perfectly, if I can live away from here. But 
 that is not all. When shall I be free again ? You 
 come surely to give me liberty." 
 
 " Not exactly," replied Schelm. " Your evidence 
 will be required. Lanin will deny, no doubt ; he 
 will have to be convicted." 
 
 "Another step down in my humiliation ! " 
 
 " Yes, you two will be confronted with each 
 other ! " 
 
 " Spare me that— onlj'^ that ! I would rather take 
 my life than to look into his eyes after what has 
 happened." 
 
 " Be calm, foolish man ! Your wish shall be 
 granted, but your evidence is needed. This alone 
 will secure your liberation," 
 
132 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " You will not spare this poor young man, 
 Schelm ? " 
 
 "Look at me ! Do I look like a man who spares 
 an enemy ? His cell adjoins yours." 
 
 Miller went quickly over to the other side. " Will 
 you soon let me out of this cursed hole?" he asked, 
 with trembling voice. 
 
 " Certainly, next week ! " said Schelm, hastily 
 going out. 
 
 No sooner, however, did he reach the passage than 
 he shrugged his shoulders and ordered the next cell 
 to be opened — Vladimir's. 
 
 Lanin had spent sixteen hours here. At midnight 
 he had been arrested ; at 2 o'clock cast into this 
 fearful cell ; now it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 
 He ate a little of the black bread left by the keeper 
 and looked out of the small window. The Neva was 
 flowing'close under it; he could not even see a piece 
 of the sky above. The setting sun, reflected from 
 the surface of the river, cast a greenish, unhealthy 
 light on the prison walls. At this moment the door 
 opened and Schelm entered. Lanin shook with 
 excitement when he saw who it was. The keeper 
 remained outside without closing the door. 
 
 In a moment Vladimir was at the threshold and 
 with one look at his adversary asked him : 
 
 " Perhaps you can explain why this has been done 
 to me, as you seem to have the threads of this intrigue 
 in your hand." 
 
 A devilish, scornful laugh was Schelm's only 
 answer. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 133 
 
 " You laugh ! " exclaimed Lanin, " and yet you 
 know that I am innocent." 
 
 Schelm raised his dirty, crooked forefinger and 
 said ironically : 
 
 " Innocent ? Why, that is news ! " 
 
 Vladimir seized him by his coat. 
 
 " Mr. Schelm, explain yourself. I allowed perhaps 
 an unbecoming jest to pass when I ought to have 
 checked it ; you wish to punish me for it, and 
 certainly I have been punished already. Mr. 
 Schelm, I have suffered, suffered agony. I repent 
 that jest ! Shorten now my sufferings and release 
 me!" 
 
 Schelm smiled, continually feasting his eyes and 
 his mind at the sight of his victim's suffering. 
 
 " You answer not. What more do you want of 
 me, my fortune ? Take it ! I know you are omnip- 
 otent ; remember that we once were comrades ! " 
 
 "What nonsense are you talking?" suddenly 
 asked Schelm. " You do not see before you Mr. 
 Schelm, whom j'ou once knew, and who may have 
 had reason to be offended by your conduct. No ! 
 You have now to do with the head of a division in 
 the Ministry of the Interior, who comes here to 
 examine and sees in the prisoner solely a man 
 accused of high treason." 
 
 Vladimir looked into his eyes ; Schelm could not 
 endure his nonest scrutiny. 
 
 "Do you think I amguilty?" asked Lanin, trying 
 to master his indignation. " The letters on your port- 
 
134 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 folio made it clear to me that this is your revenge. 
 Do you know that I have ever conspired ? " 
 
 "For two months my agents have been looking 
 for the Ace of Clubs, the head of this disgraceful 
 conspiracy. You yourself acknowledged that you 
 were the Ace of Clubs." 
 
 " I ! Great God ! But you know this is vile 
 slander. I will not be ruined, however. I have 
 many friends and kinsmen." 
 
 Schelm laughed aloud. 
 
 "The man who once conspires against the 
 Emperor loses friends and kinsmen at once. Young 
 man, be candid, try to tell me the truth and your 
 honest confession may soften the Emperor's just 
 wrath." 
 
 An unusual noise was heard at this instant. 
 Spurs sounded and swords struck the stone floor; 
 there were hurried steps of soldiers ; four men with 
 torches preceded the newcomers. On the threshold 
 appeared the governor of the fortress, in company 
 with the Emperor's aid, Count Lanin. Schelm 
 turned deadly pale; Vladimir quickly approached 
 the door and called out : 
 
 " Villain, my friends and kinsmen have not 
 deserted me. Dear uncle, save me ! " 
 
 The general kept him back coldly. 
 
 " If this gentleman told you that you had no kins- 
 men he was perfectly right. I did not come to set 
 you free, nor to pity you, because you have deserved 
 your fate. I come in obedience to an order of his 
 Majesty the Emperor, who does not wish to see our 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 135 
 
 name forever disgraced, in consideration of my faith- 
 ful services." 
 
 As soon as Schelm noticed the drift of affairs he 
 endeavored to poison the mind of the. count. 
 
 " Your Excellency," he said, " let us begin the 
 investigation." 
 
 Count Lanin looked at him severely. 
 
 " My words were not addressed to you. From 
 personal regard the Emperor has deigned to suppress 
 this affair in quiet without judicial sentence. The 
 men were caught in the act. The criminal here 
 present has himself confessed that he was the anony- 
 mous head of the conspiracy. What good could an 
 investigation do? His Majesty the Emperor has 
 graciously ordered that all proceedings shall be 
 stopped out of consideration for the name which I 
 unfortunately bear. Yo;i are exiled to Siberia as a 
 simple colonist, not as a private soldier, nor as one 
 condemned to forced labor in the mines. Consider- 
 ing the magnitude of the crime this, is very mild 
 punishment. In like manner your fellow-conspira- 
 tors, also, will be sent to Siberia. His Majesty thus 
 richly rewards my modest services. Be grateful, 
 young fool, and forget, under the smock frock which 
 you Avill hereafter wear, the name you have covered 
 with shame ! " 
 
 Vladimir listened to his uncle's words perfectly 
 dumfounded. His uncle had so far always shown 
 him an affection which approached weakness. The 
 manner in which he now spoke showed him that he 
 would never be able to justify himself since his 
 
136 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 nearest relatives doubted his innocence. Still he was 
 indignant at such injustice. 
 
 " Uncle ! " he cried, " I want to be tried. I demand 
 an inquiry. I am innocent. I am the victim of a 
 wretched intrigue ! " 
 
 This language of despair touched the old gentle- 
 man deeply ; he replied, therefore, in a milder tone : 
 
 " You are out of your senses. Instead of attempt- 
 ing to defend yourself try, rather, to conduct your- 
 self well. The Czar is graciously inclined toward 
 you, and perhaps in ten years " 
 
 " But, I swear I am innocent. Let me tell you — " 
 
 " Enough ! " said Wernin, sternly. " Have the 
 courage at least to confess your crime ; your accom- 
 plices have confessed all." 
 
 " I beseech you be kind enough to listen to me ! " 
 
 " Not a word more. Day after to-morrow you start 
 for Siberia. And you," he added, turning to Schelm, 
 " you have nothing more to do here. Follow me." 
 
 " Uncle, as.God is my judge " 
 
 But the torches had already disappeared ; the door 
 groaned and Vladimir was once more alone in his 
 cell. 
 
 The sun had set. Instead of the greenish shim- 
 mer which had been reflected from the waters of the 
 Neva, night had come, and darkness had covered all. 
 The poor, despairing prisoner, unable to bear all this 
 at once, threw himself on the damp floor and wept. 
 
 Schelm had in the meantime left the prison. In 
 the passage the general, leaning on the arm of the 
 commandant of the fortress, had curtly dismissed 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 137 
 
 him. The head of division remained standing in the 
 dark passage. 
 
 His thirst for revenge was not completely satis- 
 fied ; he had hoped to see Vladimir hanged or at least 
 sent into the mines; the Czar's mercy made him 
 furious. The jailer interrupted his dark meditations 
 by asking humbly : 
 
 " Does your Excellency go up ? " 
 
 " No ! " replied Schelm. " Open No. 12 once more 
 and remain at hand as long as I am speaking with 
 the prisoner ! " 
 
 Miller had become more quiet and vi^as eating a 
 piece of the dry black prison bread, when the door 
 opened a second time and Schelm appeared on the 
 threshold. His face looked so ominous that Miller 
 sprang up, seized with sudden apprehension. 
 
 " Not one of you is to be tried ! The Czar's 
 pardon includes eweiy one of you. I no longer need 
 your evidence and you will never see me again. The 
 money you may keep ! " 
 
 " And my liberation ? " asked Miller, trembling. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! A conspirator wants to be set 
 free ! I wish you farewell, Miller ; in Siberia remem- 
 ber me ! " 
 
 Miller was about to fall upon Schelm. He would 
 have killed him upon the spot. He hurt himself 
 against the iron-bound door which the jailer had 
 closed at the right moment. When Schelm saw him- 
 self safe he rubbed his hands with joy. 
 
 In the meantime Miller shouted so loud that the 
 words were heard through the thick stout door : 
 
138 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " You do not know me yet ! And if I were buried 
 in the mines of Siberia you should not escape my 
 revenge ! " 
 
 " What powerful lungs the man has," said Schelm 
 to his companion. " He has missed his vocation. 
 The Czar likes to have men in his army who can give 
 loud orders — he might have become a general." 
 
 The jailer opened his eyes wide. Schelm patted 
 him on the shoulder affectionately. 
 
 " Well, in Siberia they will have enough to tell 
 each other. That will be nicer still," he added, with 
 his Satanic smile. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 As the search in Lanin's house was fruitless, Pal- 
 kin had withdrawn his gendarmes and left Jana per- 
 fectly free. 
 
 It was not ten o'clock yet and the clerks had not 
 yet begun work in the offices, although it was Alon- 
 day when Wernin and his daughter entered the 
 Ministry of the Interior and sent their cards to the 
 head of the division. Schelm sent word that he was 
 engaged with the minister and could not see them 
 before seven in the evening. The whole day was to 
 pass in this fearful anxiety. No, Jana resolved to 
 call on the minister himself. Popoff, however, 
 showed her how dangerous such a step would be, as 
 all chance of bribing Schelm would thus be lost. 
 
 "The minister knows the whole affair from 
 Schelm's report only. He would send us straight 
 back to him." 
 
THE ACE OP CLTTBS. 139 
 
 "What can be doue? I cannot live in uncertainty. 
 I am dying of apprehension." 
 
 " We must be patient till seven o'clock. I shall 
 go with you, Countess, and wait for you in the car- 
 riage. If you do not succeed my turn will come. 
 We shall have time enough before the ball." 
 
 In the meantime Mme. de Dugarcy had come in. 
 " What news ? " she asked. 
 
 " Alas ! no news as yet. Have you heard any- 
 thing?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed. I know that your husband left the 
 theatre in search of you. He had heard a conversation 
 between two men in the pit, who asserted they had 
 seen you come out of a gambling hell which I had 
 made a meeting-place for mysterious purposes. He 
 had run out of the theatre like a madman in com- 
 pany with your friend Miller, whom I have never 
 trusted in spite of your friendship for him. Since 
 then no one has seen him." 
 
 "What?" cried Jana, excited. " Vladimir could 
 doubt me ! " 
 
 " What could you expect, dearest ? Think of his 
 great love, his jealousy, the eccentricities for which 
 people are kind enough to blame me, and especially 
 your not coming. It was evidently a preconcerted 
 plan. Prince Max, who told me all this, said a few 
 moments ago : - 1 do not understand it at all. 
 Lanin is accused of belonging to a conspiracy and 
 was arrested in an unknown house.' Then he whis- 
 pered into my ear : ' This is a secret of state ; they 
 have used your name and mine.' Your husband, 
 
140 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 you must know, had asked the prince to challenge 
 that man in the pit. This is all I have been able to 
 learn, but it is enough. They have made use of my 
 name also, and I am determined to clear up the 
 whole affair. I mean to support you- with all my 
 power, but it will be a difficult task. Everybody 
 trembles at the mere mention of your name." 
 
 " Dear Rita, how vulgar the world is, how wicked 
 at the same time ! For myself, however, I feel that 
 I love my husband a thousand times more since his 
 unhappiness." 
 
 " What a rascal and what a formidable adversary 
 that man Schelm is!" said the Frenchwoman. 
 
 " How cunningly he has devised the whole plan ! " 
 replied Jana. " For now I doubt no longer that he 
 is the author of all our misfortunes. I saw him. He 
 came here on the pretense of having the house 
 searched. He knew beforehand that he would find 
 nothing and showed it by the haste with which he 
 went through it. But the question is : What can 
 we do?" 
 
 Popoff said : " Madame, this evening at seven 
 Count Wernin and our dear countess here will call 
 on Schelm. I shall wait for the result of their inter- 
 view in the carriage. You, madame, will have the 
 kindness to appear at the masked ball and to tell 
 the countess how she may recognize you. If 
 Schelm should refuse to listen to our offers I'll go 
 and see him and will warrant that he will not refuse 
 me. The countess will then accompany the count, 
 her father, to the ball and will have the kindness 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. ' 141 
 
 to .wait for me at the foot of the staircase. I shall 
 be there at ten at the latest. Then the countess 
 will tell you what is next to be done." 
 
 " I shall appear to-night in a black domino. You 
 shall recognize me by the camellia I shall wear, but I 
 shall, of course, see your father, who will be at 
 your side." 
 
 " No doubt." 
 
 " Remember, however, madame, that you must 
 speak to the Emperor at all hazards," said PopofP. 
 " This will be your last opportunity, because from 
 this time you will be looked upon as connected with 
 the family of an exile." * 
 
 " Do not fear," replied Mme. de Dugarcy, " I am 
 not a Russian subject ; I shall, therefore, always be 
 able to approach the Emperor." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Jana, " when it becomes clear that 
 Vladimir's innocence cannot be established, will you 
 then still be free to visit us? Will not your hus- 
 band separate us?" 
 
 Mme. de Dugarcy hung her head, for that morning 
 she had been informed at the Embassy that soon she 
 would no longer be at liberty to enter the house of a 
 man who was accused of high treason. 
 
 " To-night, however," she said, " each one must 
 do his duty. I promise I shall do all in my power. 
 Your husband is, in my eyes, perfectly innocent and 
 I shall spare no trouble to establish his innocence. 
 At the ball we shall meet again. Mr. Popoff, pre- 
 pare your ammunition." 
 
142 • THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 
 
 " Madame," said Popoff, decisively, " I warrant the 
 victory." 
 
 " God grant it," sighed Jana. 
 
 At seven o'clock Mr. Schelm received the count 
 and his daughter-with that cold and stiff oflBcial air 
 which he assumed with his subordinates. The 
 councilor offered him a million rubles, then half of 
 his whole fortune. Jana — proud Jana — humbled 
 herself before him, and with tears in her eyes begged 
 for mercy. It was all in vain. 
 
 Schelm, whose eyes began to sparkle as he exulted 
 in the offers of the old man and the humiliation of 
 •Jana, who knelt before him, only answered coldly : 
 
 " I am out of the question now. But calm your- 
 selves. The Czar is merciful. The criminals will 
 be sent as colonists to Siberia. That is the limit of 
 punishment." 
 
 "But you know that Vladimir is innocent," 
 exclaimed Jana. 
 
 Schelm removed his spectacles and played the part 
 of an astonished man to perfection. 
 
 " Innocent ! He ? The Ace of Clubs, the head 
 of the conspiracy ? " 
 
 " Enough of this farce, this hypocrisy," cried Jana, 
 indignantly. " You avenge yourself for an innocent 
 jest and your revenge is terrible. Ypu alone have 
 invented the whole conspiracy, or, at least, with 
 devilish cunning, managed to involve my husband 
 in this affair ! " 
 
 Schelm piously folded his hands. 
 
 " I appreciate your grief, madame, but I cannot 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 143 
 
 help you. Calm yourself; go home and send for a 
 physician." 
 
 He rang a bell and a clerk entered. 
 
 " Please accompany these visitors down. Pardon 
 me, my time is not my own." 
 
 " Be careful, Mr. Schelm," said Jana. " We shall 
 fight till our last breath." 
 
 " I shall move heaven and earth to discover this 
 infamous plot. Do you hear, wretch ! " cried Wernin, 
 furious at the discourtesy shown his daughter. 
 
 Schelm shrugged his shoulders and said to the 
 clerk : 
 
 " Accompany this poor old man and his daughter 
 down stairs, and see to it that they do not fall." 
 
 "Very well," said Jana. "We will go, but 
 beware ! " 
 
 " At last ! " said Schelm. " I have not humiliated 
 this proud woman enough yet. I must crush her. 
 Well, I wonder how they will enjoy the separation. 
 Sometimes these high personages escape us after 
 all." 
 
 After ten minutes' profound meditation a knock 
 was heard at the door. In answer to his " Walk in" 
 a clerk handed him a letter. 
 
 " There is a man waiting down stairs who wants 
 to be announced at once. He has written his name 
 and says your Excellency will no doubt receive 
 him." 
 
 " Nicholas Popoff ! " exclaimed Schelm, with a 
 glance at the card. " Let him come up at once. 
 When he does come look well at him." 
 
144 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Very well, your Excellency." 
 
 " As soon as h3 is in my bureau you will hasten to 
 the nearest police station and ask for two policemen ; 
 these you will station at the entrance of the Minis- 
 try. When the stranger leaves me you will accom- 
 pany him, and, under some pretext, hand'him over 
 to the police. You know him. I am sorry he used 
 to be employed here." 
 
 " I have been here only two months." 
 
 " Then look at him all the more carefully. He is 
 a very dangerous fellow. Let him be searched 
 carefully and bring me everything that is found on 
 him." 
 
 "Your Excellency," said the clerk, "Col. Palkin 
 happens to be in the minister's bureau, I might per- 
 haps " 
 
 " Do what I have ordered," said Schelm. " You 
 deliver this man into the hands of the police — if I 
 should not change my mind. In that case I shall 
 say, ' I do not wish to see any one.' That will be a 
 sign for you to send the policemen back. Do you 
 understand ? " 
 
 " Perfectly, your Excellency ! " 
 
 " Now send the stranger up ! " 
 
 " Ha I ha ! " cried Schelm, delighted. " He alone 
 was still waiting. He comes into my net of his own 
 accord." 
 
 The clerk comes back ushering in Popoff. He 
 drew near to Schelm. 
 
 "Ah! Is that you?" said Schelm. "What do 
 you wish ? " 
 
THE ACE or CLTJB8. 146 
 
 " A mere trifle, Count Lanin's pardon." 
 
 Schelm sprang up from his chair. 
 
 " Count Lanin's ! What have y'ou to do with 
 Lanin?" 
 
 " I am his secretary. He took me in when I was 
 driven away from here. I wrote to you at that time 
 that I should keep silent unless I was attacked. I 
 have kept silent. Now you persecute my benefactor 
 and rob me of my daily bread. You will not wonder 
 if I defend myself, therefore. I say I ask for Count 
 Lanin's pardon. Stop, I expressed myself badly ; I 
 ask for documents establishing. his innocence and the 
 immediate stopping of all proceedings against him." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! " said Schelm, as soon as he had 
 gradually recovered from his first surprise. " Now I 
 have the key of the whole mystery in my hand I I 
 allowed you to finish your speech. That ought to be 
 enough for you. If you wish for an answer here it 
 is: You are a rebellious and dishonest clerk! 
 Away ! Out of my sight ! " 
 
 Popoff drew still nearer. 
 
 " I shall not go till I have what I want. I have 
 proof against you in my hands." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! a copy of a few lines ! show me your 
 proof. The low clerk Popoff against the head of 
 division ! That is laughable, but I will take pity and 
 talk with you as my accomplice. The old certificate 
 is already in my possession — yours has no value. 
 Nobody will inquire about the means if the end is 
 only attained. That is what you yourself said. The 
 minister will even thank me for having acted thus. 
 10 
 
146 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 To whom will you show your paper ? At best to 
 some subordinate official. . . . You had better listen 
 to me, my friend. Give me back that paper and per- 
 haps I'll pardon you. Although it is of no value to 
 any one, I do not like my signature to be seen in the 
 world." 
 
 "I shall only exchange it for the freedom of the 
 count." 
 
 " Are you insane ? " cried Schelm. " Is it for you 
 to make conditions? I can have you arrested, 
 searched and stripped of every paper you possess." 
 
 " You are right," replied Popoff coolly. " In my 
 hands this little sheet of paper may be worth little 
 enough, but in the hand of Count Lanin or his wife 
 it goes quite far, and if you do not do what I ask I 
 shall hand it to some one and tell the whole story to 
 the Emperor's aid. You can have me searched ; you 
 will find nothing. . . . Pardon me," he added, as he 
 noticed that Schelm was reaching for the bell, 
 " please do not play with it ! " 
 
 Popoff's voice sounded so threatening that Schelm 
 turned round. There he stood, aiming at his former 
 chief, with a pistol in his hand and his eye glowed 
 with such irrevocable decision that Schelm was for 
 the moment paralyzed. 
 
 " Ha, ha ! You thought I would call on you 
 unarmed, Mr. Schelm. You were about to ring, to 
 have me arrested, searched and sentenced to lifelong 
 confinement. You would search my papers in vain ! 
 I have waited till the last moment, because I know 
 very well that if I take your life I jeopardize mj own 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 147 
 
 also. The moment, therefore, you move or call I kill 
 you like a mad dog. They will rush up as soon as 
 the shot is heard, arrest me, and then I shall tell all I 
 know, and they will soon find out, in addition, all I 
 do not know. I count upon the scandal being big 
 enough to reach the highest personages. I sacrifice 
 myself, but I save the count and he will not let my 
 mother suffer, nor my betrothed, nor my brother." 
 
 Schelm had lost his mind entirely and turned 
 deadly pale. 
 
 " To threaten me with a pistol — here in the 
 Ministry of the Interior — such a thing has never 
 happened in Russia. You are mad ! " 
 
 " We must finish our business ! " said Popoff, raising 
 his pistol. 
 
 " Tell me what you want ! " stammered Schelm. 
 
 "I have told you twice the documents proving 
 Count Lanin's innocence! " 
 
 "How can I furnish them when the count is 
 guilty ! I know nothing — I can do nothing — I have 
 no proofs." 
 
 "Enough ! " cried Popoff, toying with the trigger. 
 " Will you do my bidding or not." 
 
 " I'll try, I'll endeavor, and after all I do not care 
 so much for him." 
 
 " What fools men are in the face of danger," 
 sneei'ed Popoff, contemptuously. " You keep me 
 waiting, hoping that somebody may come and save 
 you. Do you think I'll leave your room and be 
 arrested as I come out ? I can find the papers myself. 
 
148 THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 
 
 They are there, in the concealed niche behind the 
 portrait of Alexander. Open it at once ! " 
 
 Schelm was beside liimself. If looks could kill 
 men, Schelm's would have annihilated Popoff in- 
 stantly. 
 
 A second time Popoff touched the trigger. Schelm 
 bowed low as if to avoid the ball. Almost uncon- 
 sciously he went up to the picture, touched the 
 spring and, muttering curses opened the box. 
 
 " Now stop ! " cried Popoff. " I'll find the papers 
 and return them when Count Lanin is set free ! " 
 
 Schelm stood there as if struck by lightning and 
 tried to master his fury. Popoff stepped up to take 
 the papers. This forced him for an instant to turn 
 the pistol aside from Schelm's head. That was the 
 critical moment. The same instant Schelm sprang 
 aside, and, with almost supernatural strength, closed 
 the swinging portrait of the Czar, so that Popoff was 
 almost crushed between it and the wall behind. 
 
 Now Schelm laughed aloud and threw himself into 
 a chair to wipe the perspiration off his face and catch 
 breath. 
 
 Popoff, although struck hard, suffered no injury. He 
 tried to ascertain where he was, arid noticed that he 
 was imprisoned in a space about six feet high and 
 three feet wide. Soon he felt sick and the blood rose 
 to his head. Evidently there was no ventilation. 
 He began to shout ; then he tried to recover the pistol 
 which he had dropped, but it was too dark to see 
 anything. Now despair seized him and he began to 
 strike the walls with his fists, knowing that he would 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 149 
 
 soon lose his consciousness. Suddenly he felt an 
 acute pain in one hand. He had struck something 
 harder than the wall. At the same time he began 
 to breathe more freely and thought at once that he 
 must have struck a secret spring which opened a con- 
 cealed outlet. 
 
 "I am not yet lost! " he cried, joyfully. 
 
 Popoff was as cunning in mind as resolute in action. 
 He put as many papers as he could seize in his 
 pockets and felt along the passage which he had acci- 
 dentally discovered. It was so narrow that he could 
 only proceed sideways. A little distance further on 
 it took a different direction and Popoff perceived a 
 faint glimmer of light, which came through a small 
 opening from an adjoining room, evidently con- 
 nected withSchelm's private office. 
 
 Soon Popoff was at the end of the passage and 
 could look into that room. The light came from a 
 lamp standing on a table, and the sound of several 
 voices, conversing, struck Popoff's ear. He hesitated, 
 but suddenly he heard behind him Schelm's voice 
 crying out : 
 
 " That man is the devil himself, he has discovered 
 the secret passage ! " 
 
 For nothing in the world would Popoff fall again 
 into the power of his enemy. He gathered his whole 
 strength and burst open the door. There was a 
 great noise, a desk was evidentlj^ moved in great 
 haste and Popoff found himself in a large, gorgeously 
 furnished and brilliantly lighted apartment. 
 
 An elderly man in the uniform, of a general, the 
 
150 THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 
 
 colonel of the gendarmes and several officials looked 
 at him amazed and at the same time curious. 
 
 " The minister ! " exclaimed Popoff, " I am lost." 
 
 " Who is that man ? How did he get in here ? 
 How does he know the secret passage ? " asked 
 Count Perowski. 
 
 Palkin observed the newcomer attentively. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " he exclaimed. " I have seen that man 
 at Count Lanin's. He must be one of the conspira- 
 tors. Are they to be found even in the Ministry of 
 the Interior? I recognize the man ! " 
 
 He approached him, put his hand on his shoulder 
 and said : 
 
 " I arrest you." 
 
 " The colonel of the gendarmes, Palkin," reflected 
 Popoff. " He is Schelm's bitterest enemy. Now I 
 shall at least avenge the count and get me a splen- 
 did general. — Yes, Colonel," he said aloud, " I am 
 your prisoner ! " 
 
 Behind the furniture that had been upset by 
 Popoff's violent entry Schelm's frightened face now 
 appeared. 
 
 " Hold him fast. Arrest him. He is a dangerous 
 man, a former clerk of mine ! He has stolen secret 
 papers from the Ministry ; he must be searched and. 
 the papers taken from him." 
 
 " Pardon me I " said Popoff. " I am ready to con- 
 fess all. I do possess secret papers of the Ministry 
 of the Interior and shall hand them over to Col. 
 Palkin, who will have the kindness to peruse them. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 151 
 
 The head of the gendarmes must know everything. 
 I have many revelations to make ! " 
 
 " That is a different matter ! " said Palkin. Will 
 your Excellency permit me to send at once for two 
 of my men? " 
 
 "I have already two policemen below for this 
 man," observed Schelm. 
 
 " Thank you ! " replied Palkin, who guessed that 
 there was a secret here. " We can manage it 
 alone ! " 
 
 " But these are our own secret affairs," said 
 Schelm, " by what right?" 
 
 " Do not resist ! " said Count Perowski. " We 
 certainly have no secrets from the head of the gen- 
 darmes." 
 
 With a commanding gesture of the hand the min- 
 ister made an end to the scene and dismissed all the 
 persons present. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Emperor Nicholas had appeared at the ball 
 at about 10 o'clock, and a few moments later put on 
 his cap, thus intimating that now, by the favor of 
 the Czar, all etiquette was set aside. From this 
 moment the monarch's presence was ignored. He 
 actually got more than once into a crowd and re- 
 ceived many a slight push, but these little accidents 
 amused him greatly, and he was always delighted 
 when several times a year he could thus come down 
 from the altitude of his position. Moreover, every 
 mask was at liberty to address him, and even to 
 
152 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 indulge in pleasantries if he assented — the one con- 
 dition being that no business matter must be intro- 
 duced. The Emperor was thus walking up and 
 down in the ballroom, and seemed to be highly 
 amused by the merry company of a black domino 
 with a white camellia. She seemed to entertain him 
 so well that he showed no desire to leave the room 
 with its motley crowd of merry masks. Alone in 
 the joyful assembly and hidden behind a pillar stood 
 Jana, wrapped in the wide folds of a dark domino, 
 her father standing by her in simple ball costume. 
 The Emperor had not noticed Wernin, who kept his 
 place near the principal entrance, while Jana fol- 
 lowed in feverish excitement every gesture of the 
 Czar and the elegant mask. 
 
 It struck 10:30. Jana whispered to her father 
 with a sigh : 
 
 " No sign of him ! And yet he promised he would 
 be here before 10." 
 
 " What is it, Jana ? " said a low voice close to her 
 ear. The black domino with the camellia had left 
 the Emperor and was now at her side. 
 
 " Nothing," replied the countess, " as yet we know 
 nothing. And yet it is time he should be here. The 
 Emperor has promised me he will not leave the ball 
 before 11:.30. I have promised then to take off my 
 mask and let him know who I am. But at midnight 
 he will be gone, and we shall never find a better 
 opportunity." 
 
 " Can he also be a traitor ? " whispered Jana. 
 
 "Jana! " said her father. "Stay here, I'll drive 
 
THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 153 
 
 to the Ministry, perhaps I can hear something 
 there ! " 
 
 " Quick, dearest father ! I shall wait here pa- 
 tiently." 
 
 " Are 3'^ou afraid of remaining here alone ? " 
 
 " How could I be afraid, when we work for my 
 husband ? " 
 
 " I must also go. When you see me again on the 
 Emperor's arm and you have any papers to hand 
 him, do not fear, but step up boldly before him ! " 
 
 She disappeared in the crowd and Jana remained 
 alone, anxiously watching the staircase where she 
 expected every moment to see Popoff appear. She 
 saw nothing. She did not even notice a small crowd 
 of merry young officers of the guard who came down 
 from the galleries rather noisily. They had all of 
 them been drinking heavily, especially Prince Max, 
 who led them. His eyes fell upon Jana. The won- 
 derful grace with which her whole presence was 
 impregnated ; her delicate, beautifully shaped foot 
 excited his curiosity. He stopped to look at her and 
 then said : " She must be wonderfully fair." 
 
 Then he pointed out the solitary domino to his 
 friends. Jana said nothing, until the prince slightly 
 touched her arm. She turned round quickly and at 
 the sight of these young men, who had evidently had 
 too much wine, she uttered a little cry of terror. 
 
 " Fear not, fair mask," said the prince, " we are 
 all admirers of yours. Choose from among us a 
 partner. So fair a mask must not be left alone ! " 
 
164 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 "Gentlemen ! " said Jana, in a low tone of voice, 
 " I beseech you to leave me." 
 
 " Oh, you cruel one, you wait for some one, and 
 we are all in love with you ! " 
 
 " Your Highness is mistaken," said Jana. " Have 
 pity on me ! " 
 
 " Ah ! You know me ! " laughed the prince. 
 " Now I shall not think of leaving you. Come, let 
 us take a walk into the room, and I will bring you 
 back in time for the happy one '' 
 
 The countess trembled in all her limbs. 
 
 "I must remain here. You do not know — I pray 
 you will leave me alone — such persistence is rude- 
 ness." 
 
 " What ? You mean to scold us ? " said the prince. 
 " Pray, your arm ! " And once more he touched her 
 arm. Jana, in her indignation, struck him with her 
 fan, saying : 
 
 " Has no one here respect for ladies ? " 
 
 The officers drew back, but the prince, half angry 
 and half aniused by the scene, was about to repeat 
 his appeal, when a strong hand moved the officers 
 aside, and Wernin, pale and out of breath, offered 
 Jana his arm. 
 
 " Come, child, let us leave this place as soon as 
 possible. All is lost. Popoff has been arrested. I 
 saw him in a droschka between two gendarmes." 
 
 " It is his daughter," said several voices. " It is 
 the Countess Lanin. And here at a ball. When her 
 husband is suffering in prison, she goes to a ball ! " 
 
 Jana was almost fainting. Her father supported 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 155 
 
 her, measuring the crowd around him as it increased, 
 with proud, angry looks. 
 
 All of a sudden the crowd stepped aside full of 
 awe. All heads bowed. An imperious voice asked : 
 
 " What is this noise ? " 
 
 The Emperor Nicholas appeared in the centre of 
 the curious crowd. He faced poor, trembling Jana 
 and her father, who had been carried away by his 
 indignation. The sudden stillness startled Jana. 
 When she raised her eyes she saw the Czar. 
 
 At sight of him she pulled off her mask and cried, 
 falling' at the monarch's feet : " Your Majesty, I am 
 the wife of Count Lanin and beg to ask for one favor 
 only." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " They tell me my husband has sinned against the 
 empire, but that does not make hirti cease to be my 
 husband. Your Majesty's justice has sentenced him 
 to exile. Will your Majesty's high favor grant me 
 leave to follow him to Siberia ? " 
 
 The Emperor's eyes grew milder and a benevolent 
 expression appeared in his features. 
 
 " Poor woman, your wish shall be fulfilled ! " 
 
 He raised her and offered her his arm. 
 
 " And, now, allow me to see you to your carriage. 
 This is no place for you ! " 
 
 Casting a stern look at the bystanders, the Em- 
 peror left the ball, pooi' Jana hanging on his arm. 
 
156 THE ACK OF CLUBS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The snow was frozen hard and glittered on the 
 fields, reflecting every ray of the sun in all the colors 
 of the rainbow. 
 
 Below, on the valley the Volga flowed, as though 
 through an enormous, narrow pass. Everywhere all 
 things were white with golden stars. The road, 
 which here faithfully follows the river, looks like 
 another narrow defile, surpassing the former in depth. 
 To the left the horizon is boundless, to the right a 
 dark line of evergreen forests confine the view. This 
 black edge gives to the landscape the appearance of 
 a mourning dress, made for a gigantic woman. Black 
 and white meet, contrasting violently. 
 
 Not a cloud on the sky, not a breath of air stir- 
 ing. The sun shines in full splendor, but the rays 
 are pale and cold. A coach, put upon a sledge, push- 
 ing on diligently along the highroad beside the river, 
 looked, at a distance, like a little black insect, creep- 
 ing busily along upon the snow. The ringing of the 
 horses' bells leave a mournful sadness in this vast 
 solitude. 
 
 Far away, a dark spot became gradually visible on 
 the white ground. It was the toll booth of Kasau, 
 which the fast traveling coach soon reached. Here 
 the snow, trod under foot by men and horses, had 
 changed into mud ; and all around an unwonted 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 167 
 
 activity became perceptible. Many sleighs, covered 
 with furs, another coach, many open, and a crowd of 
 men, were awaiting the raising of the huge beam, 
 which, like a colossal latch, closed the road to Kasan. 
 Men rubbed their hands to warm them and animals 
 trembled with frost. 
 
 Every five minutes the toll bar rose and each time 
 a sleigh was passed through, but was stopped imme- 
 diately again before a small house which stood close 
 by the tollgate. This was a dirty, damp hut, with 
 a very small window that gave it the appearance of 
 a prison, and whenever the door opened vile odors 
 came steaming forth. 
 
 In spite of that the hut seemed to be clothed with 
 a certain importance because every one seemed to 
 enter it with a feeling of "anxiety. The driver, who, 
 on the road, had sung so merrily and talked to his 
 horses so amicably, now took off his fur cap, scratched 
 himself behind the ears and looked around shyly. 
 The wealthy merchant, who, during the journey, had 
 with a smile of satisfaction calculated his daily 
 profits, here made a deep and lowly bow, and even 
 the bojar, who had a few minutes before haughtily 
 looked through the windows of his comfortable coach 
 at his humbler fellow- travelers, here took off his sable 
 tolpac with a certain respect. 
 
 Only after closing the door of the little hut behind 
 them did the driver recover his usual good humor. 
 The merchant began once more to calculate and the 
 bojar to settle his tolpac and all mounted their sleighs 
 in a better frame of mind. 
 
168 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 This little house was the residence of the police 
 official, who inspected the passports and established 
 the identity of the travelers. 
 
 Nearby stood a picket of Cossacks, ready to be at 
 hand upon a sign of the officer. ^ 
 
 The coach upon the sledge stopped at the toUgate ; 
 the postilion got down and walked about to warm his 
 feet. One window of the coach was lowered and a 
 man of 60 with pleasant and gentle features asked : 
 
 " Is this the tollhouse ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied the postilion, " we are near Kasan." 
 
 The man who had put his head out of the window 
 drew back and said to the ladies within : 
 
 " We are stopping at the tollhouse and will have 
 to show our passports." 
 
 In the coach there were four travelers ; three 
 ladies and one man. The person whom the latter 
 addressed was a woman in the bloom of youth and 
 of extraordinary beauty. The splendid furs in which 
 she was wrapped from head to foot spoke of princely 
 wealth. An old woman who sat by her was decently 
 but modestly dressed. On the other seat, by the 
 gentleman, sat a girl, the very type of a maid. A 
 snub nose, lively eyes and a sharp look gave to her 
 features an expression of gayety, which contrasted 
 strangely with the sadness impressed upon the faces 
 of the travelers as upon the landscape without. The 
 young lady who looked like a Queen among her sub- 
 jects asked in a melodious voice : 
 
 " Dear Doctor, Kasan is surely the last half Euro- 
 pean city which we shall have to visit." 
 
. "■ THE ACE OF CLUBS. 159 
 
 " Certainly, Countess ; but we have still 800 versts 
 to the Siberian frontier and we leave only the easiest 
 part of our journey behind us." 
 
 " Ah, my dear friend, how anxious I am to reach 
 the end! You canWOt i&agine what I have suffered 
 since that catastrophe ! Poor Vladimir. How 
 xinhappylie must be. Every verst brings me nearer 
 to him and I count eacli one impatiently, knowing 
 how he waits and longs for me. This exile has cut 
 him off entirely from the world. He receivfes no 
 news from home and yet I know he expects me and 
 this hope keeps him alive. Since that fearful night 
 I have not heard a word about his fate. Is not such 
 uncertainty agonizing ? " 
 
 " I suifer the same pain for my son," said the old 
 woman. " He also has disappeared and I do not 
 knbw what has become of him and yet I hope cer- 
 tainly to meet with him in Siberia ! If in our empire 
 a man disappears, there is nothing for it but to start 
 on one's way eastward ; every unfortunate man is to 
 be found somewhere there. It is this hope. Countess, 
 which has made me and this poor girl join you on 
 your journey. Perhaps we shall there find our poor 
 Nicholas ! " 
 
 " My dear Lina," said the young lady, " I cannot 
 tell you how grateful I am to you that you have not 
 left me. All the little influence I may still possess 
 shall be employed to help you. That is my sacred 
 duty." 
 
 " As it is our duty to serve you with self-sacrifice 
 and devout respect, I always tell Helen we must 
 
160 THE ACE OF CLTIBS. 
 
 devote every moment of our lives to the happiness of 
 the countess, anticipating every wish of hers, serve 
 her on our knees, weep when she weeps, and as never 
 a smile plays around her lips, we also must never 
 smile. Is it not so, Doctor ? " 
 
 " You are perfectly right, Lina," said the doctor. 
 " Have not I also laid my old experience at the feet 
 of our countess and devoted myself, body and soul, 
 to her cause ? Since you have been kind enough to 
 engage my services, Countess, I am only the first of 
 your servants and agree with Lina that we ought to 
 do you homage on our knees." 
 
 Jana offered him her hand. 
 
 " Alas ! It is my fate ! All who surround me spoil 
 me ! I have sometimes actually to fight against such 
 warm attachments. Would you believe it, that my 
 dear father, who at first woiild not let me go at all, 
 afterwards insisted on accompanying me ? It was only 
 when I solemnly promised to be back in two years 
 that he let me go. 'If you do not return,' he said, 'I 
 shall follow you ! ' " 
 
 " Why would you not let him accompany you ? " 
 
 " How would that have been possible at his age ? 
 He has to remain, moreover, in order to prove Vladi- 
 mir's innocence. As it is my duty to comfort my 
 husband by sharing his exile, it is my father's duty 
 to watch over our fate at St. Petersburg." 
 
 Just then the coach moved forward. They passed 
 the tollgate and stopped before the policeman's hut. 
 
 Two Cossacks came up to open the door. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 161 
 
 " Doctor ! " said Jana, " will you have the kind- 
 ness, to get out and show our passports." 
 
 One of the Cossacks said : 
 
 "All must get out." 
 
 Jana obeyed, and on the doctor's arm entered the 
 lowly hut. 
 
 The official, who was throwing about some papers 
 on a dirty table, rose, filled with surprise and admi- 
 ration. The unwonted appearance of such a beauti- 
 ful and noble-looking being in this dark and dirty 
 hut impressed him deeply. He actually removed his 
 cap, and said in a milder tone than usual : 
 
 " May I ask for your passports ? " 
 
 The doctor handed him the papers, which he pe- 
 rused, shaking his head. 
 
 " This is not enough," he said at last, " the pass- 
 port says merely, ' Dr. Haas is traveling with three 
 persons, and has the right to demand four horses at 
 every station.' That was enough till Kasan, but at 
 the gates of this city we demand more detailed state- 
 ments. Have your companions passports ? Pray, let 
 us see them." 
 
 Jana approached him, proudly, saying : 
 
 " I am the Countess Lanin and am going to 
 Irkutsk to share my husband's exile. I have the 
 special permission of his Majesty the Emperor." 
 
 The officer bowed low. 
 
 " We have expected your arrival for some time, 
 having been notified. The governor wishes to see 
 you. Please go to him." And without waiting for 
 her answer he beckoned to one of the gendarmes. 
 11 
 
162 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " What does this mean ? " asked Jana, troubled. 
 
 " We have strict orders," was the only reply. 
 
 « I think," said the doctor, " as the countess has 
 the express permission of the Emperor, she ought not 
 to be delayed on her journey." 
 
 " Nor do I detain her ; I only obey orders. You 
 can discuss that with the governor." Then turning 
 to the soldier he added : " You will go with these 
 travelers to the governor's palace." 
 
 The governor of Kasan was engaged in a conver- 
 sation with our old friend, Col. Palkin. 
 
 " You have but few prisoners," he said, " as I see 
 here." 
 
 " Only twelve, but there is one among them who 
 is dangerous." 
 
 " And who is that ? " 
 
 " Popoff, a former clerk in the Ministry of the 
 Interior. He is pointed out to us by the minister. 
 Count Perowski himself, as a very dangerous char- 
 acter. He is to be gotten out of the way. In the 
 meantime he lies in solitary confinement." 
 
 If the governor had watched his friend's face he 
 would have seen how the colonel's eyes flashed out 
 when he heard this. Still, he asked very quietly : 
 
 " Could I see the man, perhaps ? " 
 
 " Of course," replied the governor, " the mission 
 in which you are engaged opens you the doors of all 
 prisons." 
 
 " Yes, in Siberia, but here I am virtually only a 
 guest. But as I know the whole affair of this man 
 Popoff, whom I consider a very dangerous man, I 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 163 
 
 should like to see him and to take him with me so as 
 to make sure of his disappearing." 
 
 The governor understood that Palkin begged 
 where he might have commanded, and at once bowed, 
 saying : 
 
 " As you desire." 
 
 At the same moment the officer on duty entered 
 and whispered a few words to the governor. 
 
 "I pray they will," was the reply. 
 
 As the man left he said to Palkin : 
 
 " The Countess Lanin, the wife of the exiled man, 
 will appear directly. You know, of course, the 
 whole affair?" 
 
 " Of course ; but why does she stop here ? " 
 
 " She is on her way to Irkutsk, where she hopes to 
 meet her husband. Mr. Schelm has sent me most 
 detailed instructions concerning her. I am to detain 
 her here, to prevent her journey to Siberia, as she is 
 said to have formed treasonable plots against the 
 Emperor. She claims to possess a permission of the 
 Emperor, but the Minister of the Interior informs 
 me that she has obtained this permission by an abuse 
 of the Emperor's kindness." 
 
 " I should like to meet the countess," said Palkin. 
 '* I know her slightly, as I have just arrested her 
 husband." 
 
 " Nothing is easier. If you will remain here you 
 will see her in a moment. Here she is ! " 
 
 The door opened. Jana and the doctor entered. 
 The countess seemed to anticipate misfortune. She 
 was deadly pale, but her innate pride did' not 
 
164 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 abandon her for a moment. The mild face of the 
 doctor, on the other hand, had changed very 
 strangely ; usually quiet and placid, it now shone 
 with resolute determination. She entered the room, 
 Baying : 
 
 " Your Excellency, the officers here " 
 
 Jana interrupted him. 
 
 " Never mind, Doctor, I will speak with his Excel- 
 lency the governor myself." 
 
 The doctor was silent. 
 
 " Your Excellency," said the countess, turning to 
 the governor, "the Emperor has been graciously 
 pleased to grant me leave to share my husband's 
 exile. Here are papers confirming it. I do not know 
 by what right your subordinates drag me into your 
 presence. This is a want of respect for the Emperor's 
 will which I cannot comprehend. You will please, 
 therefore, examine the papers and in no way prevent 
 my continuing my journey " 
 
 Here Jana broke down under the pressure of sud- 
 den fright and consternation. When she entered she 
 had not noticed Palkin, who had purposely concealed 
 himself behind a desk. Now the governor arose to 
 take the papers and in so doing revealed his guest. 
 At once the memory of that fearful night came back 
 to her, and the ominous figure of the officer of the 
 gendarmes had left its impress upon the poor 
 woman's heart. She recognized him instantly and 
 this meeting with one of her persecutors, who, she 
 thought, must have pursued her even to the frontier 
 lines of the empire, filled her with unspeakable 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 165 
 
 anguish. She fell almost lifeless into a chair, saying 
 to herself: 
 
 "Lost!" 
 
 Palkin, however, approached her and said, trying 
 to give a milder tone to his rough voice : 
 
 "I understand. Countess, that my presence here 
 cannot be pleasant to you. I had a most painful duty 
 to perform at your house. I only did my duty. I 
 pray you will not imagine that, therefore, I am your 
 enemy. Very far from it. If I can be in any way 
 of service to you I pray you will command me." 
 
 The governor, who had been wondering at Jana's 
 haughty carriage at first and her discomfiture so soon 
 after, now said : 
 
 " I regret very much, Countess,.that I must disap- 
 point your hopes. I knew that this document was in 
 your hands. I had, however, received orders to pre- 
 vent your journey and to send you back to St. 
 Petersburg." 
 
 The countess was so unnerved that she could not 
 answer; she seemed to be unable to see or to hear. 
 The doctor, however, protested. 
 
 " Your Excellency has no right to detain us ! Per- 
 haps you have not read the document very carefully. 
 It contains the express words : ' Upon his Majesty the 
 Emperor's special order,' and below is the Emperor's 
 own signature." 
 
 The governor turned round quickly, surprised at 
 the tone in which the doctor spoke to him. 
 
 " Who are you ' " he exclaimed. " What right 
 have you to interfere in this affair ? " 
 
166 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 "I am Dr. Haas and accompany the Countess 
 Lanin as her medical adviser. I am one of the per- 
 sons to whom his Majesty has given leave to go with 
 her to Irkutsk. I have, therefore, the right to con- 
 tinue the journey and no one dare prevent me." 
 
 " No one prevents you," said the governor, " My 
 orders concern the countess alone ! " 
 
 " Since I have offered my services to the countess 
 I am no longer my own master. I speak, therefore, 
 in claiming my rights only of those of the countess." 
 
 Now the colonel also began to take a part in the 
 discussion, after having asked permission to examine 
 the documents and papers. Having read them he 
 said : 
 
 " The papers of the countess are in perfect order 
 and nobody has a right to stop her." 
 
 Jana raised her beautiful eyes with a ray of hope 
 in them, astonished at the courtesy of one whom she 
 considered her bitter enemy. 
 
 " You see. Governor, I was right," said Dr. Haas. 
 
 The governor shrugged his shoulders, replying : 
 
 " I have already stated that I have received precise 
 orders to pay no regard to that permission of his 
 Majesty. These orders came from the Minister of 
 the Interior, whom I am bound to obey." 
 
 " I do not see that," said Palkin. " In no case can 
 a man like Schelm nullify an imperial order. I am 
 of the doctor's opinion. Nobody has a right to stop 
 the countess." 
 
 " What ? " said the governor, amazed. 
 
 " I not only advise you, I urge you — remember 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 167 
 
 that a single order given by the Emperor supersedes 
 all other orders." 
 
 " But my responsibility to Mr. Schelm ? " 
 
 " Cannot be greater than that to the Czar." 
 
 The governor hung his head. 
 
 " I can, however, relieve your mind," continued 
 Palkin. " You know that as superior officer of the 
 gendarmes I have the duty to see to it that his 
 Majesty's orders are faithfully carried out. If the 
 countess does not herself wish to remain here " — 
 with a profound bow to Jana — " ask the countess if 
 she would rather comply with Mr. Schelm's demand, 
 in which case I do not oppose." 
 
 The doctor, full of joy, seized both of Palkin 's 
 hands and said : 
 
 " I thank you. Colonel. You are sent us by Pro- 
 vidence I " 
 
 Jana had suffered so terribly from treason and 
 deception that she dared not hope. Besides, she mis- 
 trusted Palkin, whose lowering face and ugly features 
 had made a bad impression upon her. A secret 
 aversion besides warned her not to intrust herself to 
 his hands. 
 
 She said, therefore, only a few words of cool grati- 
 tude, thanking him for having assisted her. 
 
 The indifference of these words wounded Palkin, 
 but he did not show his discontent. 
 
 " Well, then ! " he said to the governor. " You 
 let the countess continue her journey, without mak- 
 ing any difficulties about it, and as I am going also 
 to Irkutsk I can be some protection perhaps." 
 
168 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 When he said this Jana took the doctor's hands 
 and whispered : 
 
 " Nothing in the world could induce me to travel 
 with him. I am frightened ! " 
 
 " Accept his offer ! " whispered the doctor in 
 return ; " it is your salvation. Shall I not always be 
 near you ? " 
 
 She bowed, and thus consented. In the meantime 
 Palkin had removed the governor's last scruples, and 
 turning to Jana he said : 
 
 " Countess, I shall leave Kasan to-day, as soon as 
 some important business which I was sent to transact 
 shall be finished. I have been appointed chief of 
 the gendarmes in East Siberia and this will explain 
 to you why I go to Irkutsk. If you will, therefore, 
 have the kindness to wait till evening, I shall have 
 the honor to accompany j'^ou to the end of your 
 journey and remove every difficulty from your way." 
 
 " Very well, as you order it," said Jana, haughtily. 
 
 " The question is not to obey me," replied Palkin, 
 rather hurt, " but whether you will accept my pro- 
 tection." 
 
 " The countess accepts it gratefully," said the 
 doctor, and the colonel had to be content with 
 Jana's silent consent. 
 
 As Jana and the doctor rose to go Palkin detained 
 them a moment, saying : 
 
 " Pray wait for me at the post-office. We travel 
 together. My sleigh will follow your coach and I 
 promise you I shall do everything in my power to 
 make the long journey pleasant and easy." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 169 
 
 He spoke with such respect that Jana was con- 
 quered. She offered him her hand but only said : 
 
 " Very well, we shall wait for you." 
 
 When the chief of the gendarmes was alone in the 
 governor's room he rubbed his hands joyously and 
 said to himself : 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! Mr. Schelm, you have not won the game 
 yet ! The trumps are all in my hand I " 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 It was not exactly a subterranean cave, and yet a 
 more dismal cell could hardly be imagined ; a small, 
 cold, bare room with a thickly grated window, thro' 
 which only a roof covered with snow could be seen, 
 uncanny like a huge pall. 
 
 During nearly a year Nicholas Popoff had lived in 
 this hut, waiting for the detachment with which he 
 was to march to the frontier of the empire. 
 
 Popoff did not delude himself as to his future. He 
 knew that because he had rebelled against a superior, 
 he was to be struck from the roll of the living. 
 Since a more talkative jailer had told him that he 
 was looked upon as a dangerous man, Siberia's 
 boundless deserts had ever been before his mind's 
 eye, never leavin^g his imagination. 
 
 For a whole year he had lived in seclusion, seeing 
 no human form except his jailer, who twice a day 
 handed him his scanty food through an opening in 
 the door. Popoff did not even know where he was ; 
 he took it for granted that he was far. from the 
 capital, on the road to Siberia, but during his long 
 
170 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 journey in the kibitka he had not been able to form 
 an idea of where he was going. The solitude was 
 becoming unbearable to him, the enforced idleness 
 was hateful to him. 
 
 As his cell had not been opened for 12 months, he. 
 shuddered, when all of a sudden he heard unusual 
 sounds. The latches were unfastened and the door 
 opened — a sign that his long imprisonment was at 
 an end. Nicholas was painfully excited. 
 
 Palkin entered. At this sight Nicholas forgot 
 everything, his sufferings and his hopes, and sudden 
 wrath seized upon him. He looked at Palkin and 
 shouted in his face : 
 
 " Wretch ! Hangmaji I " 
 
 Palkin only smiled and his features assumed even 
 a seeming good nature. 
 
 " Yes," repeated Nicholas. " You are an infamous 
 traitor, a contemptible scoundrel." 
 
 "• That is not correct," said Palkin, scornfully. " At 
 the worst only : Fool ! " 
 
 This calm reply acted like cold water upon 
 Popoffs raging passion. He stepped back in aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 " Listen, my friend," said the chief of the gen- 
 darmes, " I confess having cheated you, but I have been 
 cheated myself. The papers found upon you " 
 
 " You sold to Schelm ! " shouted Popoff. 
 
 " Of course ! But I managed it badly. You see 
 wolves do not eat one another. I have fared badly 
 in that bargain, because T followed the proverb 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 171 
 
 Schelm gave me 50,000 rubles for the papers, and 
 that round sum led me into temptation." 
 
 " And ^0 you betrayed me and other innocent 
 men." 
 
 "What is there strange in that? What do you 
 complain of? Did you entrust those documents to 
 me ? Did I not find them during the inquiry, and 
 had I not the right to use them for my own benefit ? " 
 
 " I doubt not that a chief of gendarmes will always 
 find an excuse ! " 
 
 " Look here, Popoff ! " said Palkin, shrugging his 
 shoulders, " enough of these complaints and re- 
 proaches ! Listen rather ! I never wished you ill, 
 and do not to-day." 
 
 " Because the worst has come to me," said Nicho- 
 las, bitterly. " But speak ! " 
 
 " As soon as Schelm found out that I had the 
 papers he became very humble and submissive, and 
 declared finally his desire to buy them of me. I was 
 fool enough to accept the money, rather than to 
 injure a rival. But no sooner did Schelm get hold 
 of the papers — but did you not have some more 
 papers?" asked Palkin, interrupting his narrative. 
 I gave him a treasurer's receipt, a letter signed 
 by Miller, which compromises him seriously. This, 
 however, did not satisfy him ; he constantly asked 
 for more, and kept me an hour inquiring. Could 
 you possibly possess some more papers against him ? " 
 asked Palkin, looking sharply at Popoff. 
 
 Like a flash of lightning Nicholas' eye blazed up 
 for a single instant. The colonel, an old policeman, 
 
172 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 had noticed it, but waited with pretended indiffer- 
 ence for an answer. Popoff shrugged his should«rs. 
 
 " How could I keep anything concealed here ? I 
 had to undress when I was searched ; even my boots 
 I had to pull off." 
 
 " Very true," said Palkin, " but what cannot be 
 kept concealed when a man will do it." 
 
 " Unfortunately I possess nothing," sighed Popoff. 
 
 " That is a pity ! Formal proof would have been 
 very useful to you. But it is no use lamenting. . . . 
 Well, as soon as Schelm had gotten the papers and 
 saw that I had no longer any weapon in my hand 
 against him, he changed his tactics. He became 
 openly my enemy. Denunc'ations and evil reports 
 poured in to my superiors. At first without effect, 
 these attacks gradually obtained an entrance into 
 the count's mind, perhaps mainly by dint of constant 
 repetition. In vain I tried to convince him that 
 Schelm was a malicious man and his conspiracy a 
 fiction. This injured me seriously, and one fine 
 morning I received the appointment of head of the 
 gendarmes — in East Siberia ! " 
 
 " But that is a ver^ high office. Surely you can- 
 not complain." 
 
 " Do you think so ? Then you do not know what 
 such an office means for a man who has been coolly 
 dismissed by his chief. You are told that it is only 
 for two years, and that after the expiration of that 
 time you will be recalled, and probably promoted to 
 a higher post. We cannot decline. Then one of 
 two things happens — either we are entirely forgot- 
 
THE ACiJ OP CLtTBS. 173 
 
 ten, and this is the preferable fate, or they send an 
 inspector, who is specially instructed to discover 
 malfeasance in office or short accounts, and one fine 
 day we become exiles and colonists like the rest. 
 You'll find in Kamschatka many a degenerated 
 family, whose ancestor was head of the gendarmes ! " 
 
 Popoff looked surprised at the colonel, not know- 
 ing what he could mean by this statement. 
 
 " Schelm is the cause of my being in disgrace. 
 But with Col. Palkin he cannot deal as easily as with 
 Count Lanin ! I have good teeth and mean to bite 
 when I am attacked ! It is now a battle for life or 
 death between Schelm and myself. He wants to 
 become director of the secret police. Then I should 
 be his subordinate. I must anticipate him. You 
 must know much about him ; he is your bitter 
 enemy." 
 
 " I hate him with my whole heart ! " 
 
 " Well then, will you follow me ? I am going to 
 Count Lanin in Siberia ; his wife is traveling with 
 me ; she is here to-day." 
 
 Nicholas trembled with excitement. 
 
 " The Countess Lanin here ? " 
 
 " Yes ! she is waiting for me at the post-office." 
 
 Popoff passed his hands over his eyes like one sud- 
 denly aroused from deep sleep. 
 
 " Tell me, please," he said a moment later, " where 
 I am. What is the city to which this prison be- 
 longs? " 
 
 The question was so heartrending that even Palkin 
 felt touched. 
 
174 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 "You do not know that? You are in Kasan. 
 But answer me quickly, will you go with me ? You 
 are considered here a very dangerous personage, and 
 I have promised the governor that you should surely 
 disappear under my protection. I'll take you as an 
 important prisoner in my sleigh. Do you agree ? " 
 
 Popoff could not overcome the mistrust which 
 Palkin produced in his mind. 
 
 " Why do you make this proposal ? " he asked. 
 
 " I have told you already. I want you to help me 
 overthrow Schelm. I have no doubt that you can do 
 it. I understand your mistrust. You will throw it 
 off as soon as you see Count Lanin. Bear in mind 
 that I ask as a favor what I might readily order you 
 to do." 
 
 " You will take me in your sleigh ? " asked Nicho- 
 las, scornfully. " Are j'ou not afraid I will escape? " 
 
 Palkin simply drew himself up to the full height 
 of his gigantic frame; then leaning on Nicholas' 
 shoulders, who had been utterly worn out by inac- 
 tivity and suffering, he made him at once succumb 
 to the pressure of his iron hand. 
 
 " You see ! " said the colonel. " Well, decide ; 
 will you go with me or stay here ? I will not force 
 you, although I might easilj' do so. Do you really 
 wish to spend a few more years in this hut and then 
 be sent to Nertschinsk ? I do not object." 
 
 Popoff shuddered at the thought. 
 
 " I should liave fallen at the feet of any one who 
 should have opened these doors to me, most grate- 
 fully, loo. You alone I mistrust. And yet — I can- 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 175 
 
 not endure this any longer. Yes ! I'll follow you ! 
 Give your orders ! " 
 
 " Our sleigh will follow tlie coach of the Countess 
 Lanin. You must give me your word that you will 
 not speak to her till I give you leave ? " 
 
 " I shall obey. Shall I see the count also and 
 receive news of my family ? " 
 
 " Later, when we reach Siberia." 
 
 " I will be strictly obedient to every wish of yours." 
 
 " Agreed I Take your things and follow me ! " 
 
 " What ? At once ? " 
 
 " Yes ! Make haste ! " 
 
 Nicholas felt blinded for a moment ; this sudden 
 transition from utter solitude to active life; this 
 unhoped for change made him happy, but terrified 
 him also. Seized by a mysterious sensation, he 
 once more looked at these walls within which he 
 had a whole year suffered such anguish ; then he 
 took his cloak and cap and said ; 
 
 " I am ready, whatever your intentions ma}' be. I 
 thank you for restoring me to freedom and for letting 
 me see my fellowmen once more." 
 
 The jailer opened the door and they stepped out 
 into the street. Palkin made Popoff sit at his side 
 and the sleigh drove rapidly to the post-oflSce. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 In Siberia, not far from Irkutsk, a young man, 
 who almost broke down under an enormous load of 
 wood, was wading with difficulty through the deep 
 snow. He followed slowly a path lined with pines, 
 
176 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 which ended in the main street of a small Tillage. 
 The huts on both sides were low, poverty-stricken 
 and irregularly built ; the snow in huge drifts, 
 formed embankments which often reached the roofs 
 of the dwellings occupied by poor Siberian exiles. 
 
 Large, glittering icicles hung like stalactites from 
 the roofs. The sky looked dark and dismal, and the 
 whole village seemed to be forsaken. Not a bird 
 was visible; not a window open, and in the streets 
 was. not a human being. 
 
 The young man alone broke the monotony of the 
 landscape. It was evidently an unusual task which 
 he had undertaken. His distinguished looking feat- 
 ures had undergone no change, but his eye had lost 
 its lustre and his whole carriage spoke of mental as 
 well as physical depression. 
 
 The little village was a colony of exiles; the 
 young man. Count Lanin, only here he did not bear 
 that name. He was neither count, nor nobleman, 
 nor landowner ; he was nothing more nor less than the 
 colonist Vladimir. He had been forced to build his 
 own little hut ; he had to cultivate a piece of land 
 which the Government gave him, and in the winter he 
 lived on the result of his hunting. He had no indi- 
 vidual rights, the inspector disposed of him accord- 
 ing to his arbitrary will. This man could impose on 
 him any labor he chose ; he could punish him in any 
 way, not excepting corporeal punishment, and the 
 poor colonist had in such cases no protection. 
 
 On that day the frost was hard, and Vladimir had 
 gone into the forest to fetch wood to warm his hut. 
 
THE ACE OF CLtTBS. 177 
 
 Tired, half frozen, sadder than ever, he was now 
 returning. 
 
 He stopped before one of the huts, and threw the 
 load, which had nearly overcome him, into the snow ; 
 then he opened the door and entered. The colonists 
 do not even own their huts as property ; they may 
 not lock them, hence the doors are only fastened 
 with hooks to facilitate inspection. Thus Vladimir 
 was not at all surprised to find a Cossack within, one 
 of the soldiers who guarded the village. 
 
 " Where have you been so long ? " asked the man 
 very roughly. " I have waited half an hour for you ! " 
 
 " I had to get wood from the forest, and as I am 
 not used to such work it goes a little slowly." 
 
 " All right,". growled the Cossack. "Follow rae. 
 The inspector wants you.'* 
 
 " What can he want again ? " asked Vladimir, 
 angrily. 
 
 " What is that to you ? " said the soldier, brutally. 
 " You have to obey me blindly." 
 
 Lanin's eyes flashed fire, but he checked himself 
 and bowed his head submissively. 
 
 " Follow me ! " said the Cossack once more, and 
 he turned to the door. 
 
 Vladimir obeyed but looked sadly at the wood he 
 had brought home with so much trouble. 
 
 They were soon standing before a house that was 
 much larger and looked much better than the others. 
 It was the inspector's house. 
 
 They found here another colonist who said to 
 Vladimir : 
 12 
 
178 THE ACE OF CLtTBS. 
 
 " You will surely join us to-night, Vladimir, in 
 our expedition to our fur store ? We must make an 
 end to these constant thievings. The inspector has 
 permitted us to go into ambush before night, and 
 there can never be too many of us." 
 
 " The inspector has sent for me," answered Vladi- 
 mir. " I do not know that he will dismiss me in time. 
 Ill ask him, however, to let me join you — we must, 
 as you say, make an end to this robbery." 
 
 The inspector was a former oiEcer, a drunkard and 
 a man without culture. He was not exactly a bad 
 man, but he was also literally good for nothing. He 
 did no harm for harm's sake, but it never occurred 
 to him to do a kindness. When drunk he was 
 wicked and brutal; when sober, simply an indiffer- 
 ent egotist. Such a man need only to be subject to 
 bad influences and he becomes terrible, and for the 
 misery of the colonists such influences were at work 
 here. 
 
 When the man was still in active service, and in 
 garrison in one of the frontier towns, he had married 
 a foreign woman, by name Caroline. No one knew 
 her past ; her youth had probably not been edifying. 
 It appeared, however, that she had once been beau- 
 tiful, and her fortune was traced back to various, 
 ah, very strange sources. She might have been 
 about 36 years old when the inspector fell in with 
 her ; he had married her partly from affection and 
 partly from interest, not inquiring into her past. 
 Now she was perhaps 40, and her beauty had entirely 
 vanished. Kind hearted she had never been, and 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 179 
 
 when the mirror began to tell her that her pretty 
 face was gone she became a bitter, malignant and 
 cruel woman. Her husband obeyed her blindly ; in 
 fact, he trembled before her, and this power she used 
 to rule the colonists with an iron rod. Caroline had 
 light hair, regular features, sharply marked, thin, 
 compressed lips, and an expression in her eyes which 
 was truly diabolical. 
 
 When Vladimir crossed the threshold of the low, 
 smoke-blackened room in which the officer received 
 visitors, Caroline was sitting on a sofa reading a 
 novel, while her husband was walking up and down 
 the room. 
 
 He had no sooner entered than she raised her eyes, 
 and, although she pretended to read on, she con- 
 tinued to observe closely every movement of the 
 exile. The inspector came up to Vladimir and, 
 familiarly patting him on the shoulder, he said : 
 
 " At last I have caught you ! I sent for you to 
 give you a new kind of work You are an educated 
 man, and in your former position you learned to 
 make phrases, such as an unlearned man does not 
 know. The matter is this : I have received orders 
 from Irkutsk to report to the governor-general of 
 Siberia the condition of my district, and at once. 
 Write me, therefore, such a report, as well as you 
 can." 
 
 " Very Avillingly," said Vladimir. " What is to be 
 in the report ? " 
 
 The inspector laughed aloud. 
 
 " Anything you choose ! Nobody will ever think 
 
180 THE ACE OP CLTTB8. 
 
 of looking at it or seeing how far the reality corres- 
 ponds with the report. No higher officer ever strays 
 into this accursed region. It is quite enough if the 
 governor sees it is well written and in good form. 
 Write, therefore, whatever you fancy, only you must 
 have pretty phrases and nice terms. God is on high 
 and the Czar far away ! Here are pens and paper and 
 everything you need. Begin now at once. I am 
 going into town and shall not be back till night. I 
 hope by that time you will nearly have done your 
 work." 
 
 " As you command ! " said Vladimir. " But per- 
 haps you will remember that you permitted us to 
 make an expedition against the Tunguses, who steal 
 our furs at night. It is to be undertaken to-night 
 and my comrades are anxious to have me join them." 
 
 " Well, if I come back in time you may go at 11." 
 
 « But " 
 
 " Not another word ! What I have said I have 
 said!" 
 
 The inspector took his cap and went away. 
 Vladimir remained alone with Caroline. He sat 
 down at the little table pointed out by the officer 
 and began to write, paying no attention to the lady 
 of the house, who pretended to be immersed in her 
 book. 
 
 Thus passed several minutes. Cai-oline watched 
 Vladimir, and in her eyes shone an unusual softness. 
 The colonist made his pen travel rapidly over the 
 paper and did not look up. Suddenly the woman 
 seemed to have formed a resolution and said : 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 181 
 
 " Count, do you know this district so well that 
 you can write so fluently and so well ? " 
 
 Lanin trembled as he heard himself called by his 
 title which he had not heard for so long. 
 
 " If a man works a whole year in the same region, 
 goes hunting and fishing, it is no wonder, madame, 
 if he finally learns to know the land." 
 
 After this short interruption he continued his 
 work. Caroline's face looked ill-content. 
 
 "Count!" she began once more, "you are not 
 amiable at all. Leave your writing, and let us con- 
 verse." 
 
 Vladimir replied without looking up : 
 
 " You have heard the orders which I received. I 
 must obey ! " 
 
 Caroline was angry. 
 
 " What are my husband's orders to me ? I want to 
 speak to you. The simplest politeness demands that 
 you should do what I wish. Be so kind, therefore, 
 as to put your pen down and answer my questions ! " 
 
 " I am very sorry I cannot do that," said Vladimir, 
 turning a very little toward her. " My task is to be 
 finished as soon as possible, and if I am too late I 
 could not excuse myself by saying that I had to 
 entertain you. You need not mind your husband's 
 orders, but I am dependent on them." 
 
 " But, Count ■" 
 
 " And besides, I beg you will not give me a title 
 which only reawakens painful memories, and which 
 has, moreover, been taken from me." 
 
 He began to write again, while she bit her lips till 
 
182 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 the blood came. The inspector's wife had been 
 pleased with Vladimir ever since he had come into 
 the village as a colonist. She always had shown him 
 little attentions, which he had noticed with aversion. 
 The more this antipathy grew the more the officer's 
 wife insisted upon favoring him, till she was at last 
 really in. love with him. As she used no precaution, 
 the count soon became aware of it. He only took 
 pains to avoid her wherever he could, but he com- 
 mitted the imprudence that he never looked her in 
 the face. Had he done that he would have read in 
 her eyes the unbridled malice that shone there. 
 
 Lanin did not see what was happening close by, 
 because his heart was so full of his love for Jana and 
 his yearning for her, that it absorbed his whole atten- 
 tion. 
 
 An hour passed without further interruption, 
 Lanin was writing and Caroline seemed to be 
 immersed in lier book. It struck 7. Caroline laid 
 her book down and cast a glance at the exile. 
 
 " It is time for tea," she said aloud. " Interrupt 
 your work a moment. Go into the kitchen and pre- 
 pare the samovar." 
 
 " Do you speak to me ? " asked Vladimir, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
 " Of course. There is no one else here ! " 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders, and continued to write. 
 Like a panther she rusjied down upon him, seized 
 him by the arm and cried furiously : 
 
 " I command you instantly to bring me the sam- 
 ovar I Do you hear?" 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 183 
 
 He looked at her coldly. 
 
 "Are you mad? Pray, call one of the Cossacks 
 who are sleeping out there." 
 
 "But I will that you shall wait on me to-day, you 
 obstinate creature ! " 
 
 " You know very well that I am not your servant. 
 Pray, leave me alone." 
 
 "You are not my servant, perhaps, but subject to 
 me, a subject of the Czar, whom I here represent. 
 You must obey." 
 
 " I beg of you calm yourself, madame ; you do 
 not seem to be well." 
 
 " Do you think I am jesting ? Ha ! Ha ! My hus- 
 band has the right to ask of you any kind of labor, 
 and I share that right with him. I command you to 
 bring me the tea service. Have a care ! Do not 
 force me to repeat my command a third time ! Will 
 you obey me ? " 
 
 "Certainly not-!" 
 
 " But if I ask it of you as a favor ? If it is a wish 
 that you should do it for me," she continued in a 
 dull, threatening voice, " will you still refuse to be 
 civil?" 
 
 " Certainly," he replied, looking firmly at her. 
 
 " Have a care ! I repeat it a third time ! " 
 
 " No ! " he replied, " for I see you must have lost 
 your senses ! " 
 
 He began to write again, 
 
 Now Caroline turned furiously to the door, and in 
 her blind rage knocked her head against a beam that 
 supported the ceiling. Furious at the resistance she 
 
184 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 uttered a cry. She threw open the door and cried 
 "Help!" 
 
 Immediately four Cossacks rushed into the room, 
 and Vladimir once more confronted an unforeseen 
 danger. Without stirring from his chair he patiently 
 awaited what might happen. 
 
 "Seize this infamous person and tie him to this 
 beam ! " Caroline cried, beside herself in her wrath. 
 " He has dared to take advantage of my husband's 
 absence to insult me ! " 
 
 The Cossacks fell upon Vladimir, and in a 
 moment fulfilled Caroline's order. Lanin tried to 
 defend himself. 
 
 " This woman lies most impudently. It was 
 she." 
 
 "Gag him ! gag him ! " cried Caroline, threaten- 
 ing with her fist. " My husband when he returns 
 will decide what is to be done with him." 
 
 At the same time bells were heard and a coach 
 stopped before the inspector's house. 
 
 " Well, here is my husband ! " exclaimed Caroline. 
 " Now you shall learn what it means to disobey my 
 orders ! " 
 
 The door opened. Almost insane with wrath, 
 and firmly believing that it was her husband who 
 came home, she cried : 
 
 "In your absence Colonist Vladimir has dared — " 
 
 She could not proceed any farther, for she found 
 herself suddenly facing a tall, imposing-looking lady. 
 Behind her appeared a man in company with 8. 
 colonel of gendarmes. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 185 
 
 The Cossacks were instantly all attention. 
 
 The newcomer asked, pointing at Caroline, who 
 had almost fallen into his arms, " Who can this 
 be?" 
 
 " I do not know : perhaps the wife or the cook of 
 the officer here." 
 
 He entered the room and said aloud, " I am Col. 
 Palkin, and I shall stay overnight at this house. 
 Get me a bed ready, old witch." 
 
 The beam to which Vladimir had been bound stood 
 in the shade, so that the newcomer could not see it. 
 Palkin now turned to his lady companion, saying : 
 " Countess." 
 
 The sight of the bound man did not let him end 
 the sentence. 
 
 "What does this mean ? " he asked. " What man 
 is this ? " 
 
 Jana had in the meantime advanced a few steps 
 and was now standing near the lamp. Vladimir thus 
 saw her in a bright light. The excitement drove 
 the blood to his head. The cloth that had been 
 stuffed into his mouth took away his breath. His 
 eyes burned like two flames. He tore his bonds. 
 His face was so wrapped up that the countess could 
 not recognize him ; still this unfortunate creature, 
 writhing in despair, filled her with pity. She came 
 nearer ; Palkin asked in a tone of commond: 
 
 " I have said once before, I want to know who this 
 man is." 
 
 The Cossacks dared not say anything. Now 
 Caroline approached, pale and trembling ; she was 
 
186 THE ACS OF CLTTBS. 
 
 afraid of the gigantic frame of the colonel, who had 
 the right to enforce obedience from all. But the 
 presence of another woman encouraged her to make 
 opposition. 
 
 " Colonel," she said, slowly, " this man is an exile, 
 whom my husband had ordered to copy a report and 
 who availed himself of his absence to make me a 
 declaration of love. Hallo ! " she cried to the Cos- 
 sacks, " Throw him into the cellar ! " 
 
 " By your leave," said Palkin ; " not so fast. 
 Untie the man. I'll speak to him myself. Quick, 
 remove that handkerchief." 
 
 Caroline, who had again become furious, tried to 
 interfere, but Palkin stopped her severely, saying : 
 
 " Do you want a taste of the knout ? " 
 
 The Cossacks hastened to carry out the colonel's 
 order. First they removed the cloth that covered 
 Vladimir's face. 
 
 " Jana ! " he exclaimed, as soon as he could speak. 
 " You surely do not believe this fury's words ? " 
 
 " Vladimir ! " cried the countess in return, falling 
 upon his neck and covering him with kisses. " You 
 here and in such a state ! Oh, God ! " 
 
 " Jana! Say that you do not believe her ! " 
 
 " Not a moment! " replied the young wife, proudly. 
 " The man whom I love, who lives in his thoughts 
 with me, is incapable of stooping so low. Colonel," 
 she added, in a tone of command, which made even 
 Caroline shrink back, " you have not yet loosed the 
 bonds that fasten my husband to this post ! " 
 
 Palkin beckoned and instantly Vladimir would 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 187 
 
 rise and embrace his wife ; Dr. Haas wiped away a 
 tear in silence. 
 
 Caroline's fury had risen in the meantime to white 
 heat. Jana's marvelous beauty filled her with insane 
 jealousy. Full of rage she approached Palkin. 
 
 " By what right do you dare command here ! 
 I am only a woman — but if my husband were 
 here " 
 
 " If your husband were here he would have long 
 since been on his knees. Do you know that I can 
 any day send both of you into the mines ? And now, 
 old witch, out with you and bring in the samovar ! 
 Bend a maid also to help the countess take off her 
 traveling dress." 
 
 "I am not bound to wait on anybody. I cannot 
 quarrel with you because you are stronger than I 
 am, but I think as little of obeying you." 
 
 " Well, then, your own Cossacks will drag you 
 into the kitchen. Here all must obey me, as I am 
 the head of all the gendarmes. " 
 
 The Cossacks approached Caroline. When she 
 became aware that resistance was in vain she hung 
 her head and said, " Well, I am going." 
 
 " Send a maid." 
 
 "I have no maid." 
 
 " Then come back directly and take off the 
 countess' traveling dress and her fur boots." 
 
 " I ? " cried the inspector's wife. 
 
 "Yes, you ! " replied Palkin. 
 
 Jana turned to the colonel, saying: "We shall 
 drive on to Irkutsk to-night, surely. I cannot leave 
 
188 THR ACE O^ CLUBS. 
 
 my husband one moment longer in the hands of this 
 terrible woman." 
 
 " Unfortunately, that is not in my power ! I can- 
 not transfer a colonist by my own power. That lies 
 with the Government," answered Palkin. 
 
 " That does not matter ! I shall drive on with 
 you, Colonel, to-night ; to-morrow morning I'll see 
 the governor and come back here in the evening, 
 either to take my husband away from here or to 
 remain with him here. The doctor will remain 
 here to protect my husband." 
 
 " But, Countess, our horses are tired ; there are no 
 post horses here. This is an accursed country. 
 The weather may change, besides, and we may lose 
 our way in this desert." 
 
 " Nothing shall keep me, Colonel ! You hlEive 
 done so much for me already — you will not deny me 
 this request ? " 
 
 Palkin bowed ; his eyes shone with an uncanny fire. 
 
 " I have learnt to admire you. Countess, and can- 
 not refuse you anything. But what shall we do 
 about the horses ? " 
 
 " Let them feed and rest three hours and then 
 we'll go on." 
 
 " Very well," said Palkin, and he was about to go 
 away to give the necessary orders. In so doing he 
 noticed Caroline, who was curiously listening at the 
 door. Frowning, he called out to her : " You still 
 here 1 Away with you to the kitchen ! " 
 
 Caroline disappeared, casting revengeful looks at 
 Jana and the colonel. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 189 
 
 " And now, Countess," said the latter with a pro- 
 found bow, " we will leave you alone with the count, 
 your husband, and wait for further instructions in 
 the inspector's room. • In an hour you will perhaps 
 permit us to return and take a cup of tea together ? 
 In three hours we'll start for Irkutsk. 
 Come, Doctor ! " 
 
 Jana walked up to him, holding out her hands, 
 saying : 
 
 " My very best thanks, Colonel, for the protection 
 you have been pleased to extend to me during our 
 journey. . . . Vladimir," turning to her husband, 
 " do you recognize Col. Palkin ? " 
 
 Palkin'g features were not such as could be easily 
 forgotten. The terrible circumstances under which 
 he had seen the officer of gendarmes for the first time 
 returned before his mind's eye. He shuddered as he 
 said: 
 
 " Of course ! " 
 
 " Thank him now, to-day, in my name as well as 
 in your name ! Pe possesses a noble heart and a 
 great soul ! It is due to him that you see me here 
 to-day ! When he arrested you he did but his duty; 
 to-day he only obeys his heart. The colonel is from 
 henceforth one of my best friends." 
 
 The inexplicable antipathy, which almost every- 
 body felt when first coming in contact with Palkin, 
 a feeling which Jana also at first could not over- 
 come, made Vladimir hesitate. Palkin approached 
 him. 
 
190 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Count, will you not be kind enough to shake 
 hands with me? " he asked. 
 
 To give an exile, a political exile especially, a 
 title is in Russia a rare proof of courage and inde- 
 pendence, especially on the lips of an officer of the 
 police. Vladimir knew how to appreciate this in 
 Palkin. 
 
 " Very cheerfully, Colonel," he said, promptly. 
 
 Palkin offered his arm to Dr. Haas and said: 
 " Come, Doctor." 
 
 " Vladimir, hereafter I will tell you who this 
 second friend is," said Jana, smiling at Dr. Haas. 
 " Now come and help me take off my furs, for I am 
 fearfully hot." 
 
 Palkin was already on the threshold when Jana 
 uttered this last wish. A cruel smile disfigured his 
 mouth. 
 
 " Hello ! Old Witch ! " he cried with a thundering 
 voice. " Come here, quick ! " 
 
 Caroline was tamed ; her pale face appeared in the 
 half open door. 
 
 " The countess wishes to lay aside her furs. Pull 
 off her her boots ! " 
 
 Caroline, pale with rage, turned back into the 
 kitchen. Palkin followed her, raised her with his 
 powerful hands and pushed her into the room, where 
 Jana had laid aside her furs except only her fur 
 boots. The colonel forced the inspector's wife to 
 kneel down, and Jana, prompted by a feeling of 
 womanly revenge, held out her tiny foot to her, 
 smiling. Caroline, whose features were grotesquely 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 191 
 
 disfigured by her rage, dared not disobey and pulled 
 off the boots. 
 
 " Thank you, my dear," said Jana. 
 
 " And now quick and bring the samovar ! " ordered 
 the colonel. 
 
 In the kitchen the inspector's wife was heard to 
 sob aloud. Palkin smiled. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Jana and Vladimir were left alone ; the whole 
 tenderness that filled their hearts revealed itself in 
 words, in looks and in embraces. Vladimir looked 
 at Jana, as pure and fair as ever, and wondered that 
 she had not changed ; he had so often feared that her 
 early sorrows might injure her beauty. The two 
 young people exchanged* thoughts and sentiments 
 with wonderful rapidity, tellii^g each other every- 
 thing that had happened since their enforced separa- 
 tion. 
 
 " Many a time I should have died," said Vladi- 
 mir, " if I had not thought of you. That thought 
 strengthened me in every situation. Do you remem- 
 ber the day when you told me one of your strange 
 dreams ? Well, one night I stood at the window of 
 my cell in the fortress and looked at the fast pass- 
 ing waves of the Neva, when your words came to 
 my mind and brought me great comfort. I said to 
 myself, ' She will come to me. I shall see her again,' 
 and since that moment I have been resigned and con- 
 tent in my heart's imperishable hope." 
 
192 THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 
 
 " Dearest Vladimir ! Then you liave at no time 
 doubted me for a moment ? " 
 
 He hung his head. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Jana, but at one single time ; 
 that evening when all happened — I was cruelly pun- 
 ished for my doubt, but I bore it all. My Jana, to 
 doubt you is a crime ! " 
 
 She laid her head on his shoulder tenderly ; then 
 she told him how she had come to Siberia, not only 
 to bring him aid and comfort, but also to collect 
 proof of his innocence. She asked him to relate to 
 her once more the events of that fatal night. Vladi- 
 mir narrated all the incidents ; then he told her how 
 one night he had been -put on a kibitka reaching 
 Irkutsk after a two months' journey. 
 
 "The name on Sehelq^'s portfolio had explained 
 to me all. I felt perfectly innocent. I repeated it 
 to the walls of my prison and to the jailer who 
 brought me my meals. The walls preserved silence, 
 and the jailer laughed ironically. Till the very end 
 1 lived in hope my uncle would yield and procure me 
 an investigation. This hope was not to be realized. 
 When I sat in the kibitka and drove along the wide 
 highroad toward Siberia, I tried a last time to strug- 
 gle against my fate. I told the gendarme who ac- 
 companied me my whole story, although he seemed 
 to be dull and unfeeling. Can you imagine that this 
 man during the time of 18 days which we spent in 
 going from Petersburg to Kat-Arinenburg, never had 
 said one word to me ? In the meantime I repeatedly 
 asserted my innocence and accused infamous Schelm. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 193 
 
 It was not until we were on this side of the Ural 
 mountains that his tongue was loosened. I do not 
 know, Jana, if you have noticed here in Siberia 
 people are so far out of the world that everything 
 assumes another form? Here the fear of high per- 
 sonages vanishes, because they are so far distant ; 
 even the love of money has an end, because money 
 is of no avail here. Conscience seems to speak louder 
 here, in the face of God and immeasureable space. 
 My gendarme grew less and less silent, we met no 
 men any more, no human settlements; flight seemed 
 to be entirely impossible, and many a whole long day 
 we did not meet a living being. ' Poor young man,' 
 he said one day to me, 'perhaps all is true what you 
 have told me so often — but I cannot help you. Why 
 do you pour out your heart to me ? Guilty or not 
 guilty, you are a Siberian colonist, and you have but 
 one hope — the mercy of the Czar ! But this also 
 reaches but rarely the innocent man, because be- 
 tween him and the Czar there are always many whose 
 interest it is that the exile should not return! ' 
 
 " Thus the gendarme spoke to me one evening in a 
 boundless plain of snow, which glittered in the pale 
 light of the moon. His sympathy soothed and 
 cheered me. I began to hope once more. But if 
 you hope to find here proofs of my innocence, you 
 will be disappointed. I have no evidence but my 
 own conscience." 
 
 " You are mistaken, dearest ! We are no longer 
 quite so weak as we were. That portfolio itself is a 
 strong proof. And then I also have found out that 
 13 
 
194 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 Siberia changes men's character. Will you believe 
 it, that this colonel of the gendarmes has been inde- 
 fatigable in kindness to me ? As soon as we were on 
 Siberian soil there was no token of respect and con- 
 sideration which he did not show me." 
 
 " I would be cautious, Jana," said Vladimir, " his 
 features are not such as awaken confidence." 
 
 " There is certainly nothing attractive in his face. 
 I felt the same aversion at first of which you speak. 
 But I did him wrong. He was my faithful protector 
 during the whole long journey, and much concerned 
 about my comfort. He seems actually to have fallen 
 in love with me." 
 
 " In love ! oho ! " said Vladimir. 
 
 " You will not be jealous ? " threatened Jana. 
 " But I do not take back what I have said. I 
 really think he is now sincerely inclined to help you, 
 and has proved that already. I have found out, in 
 our conversations that he is abitter enemy of Schelm, 
 who has injured him in his career, and on whom he 
 wants now to avenge himself. Moreover, he con- 
 fessed to me that his present mission is a kind of dis- 
 guised disgrace. He is convinced of your innocence, 
 and will help us to prove it to the world." 
 
 " Can we really fully trust his sincerity ? " 
 
 " We cannot doubt it. Your former secretary, 
 Popoff, who has come with him " 
 
 " Popoff is here ? " 
 
 " Yes, with his mother and his betrothed, who 
 have accompanied me. For the first time since we 
 left Kasan, Palkin has allowed them to converse with 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 195 
 
 each other. They have gone ahead to Irkutsk under 
 the escort of a gendarme, to select rooms for us 
 there." 
 
 " How did he get here ? " 
 
 " He is exiled as you are ; that is all I know. Only 
 once, at Oursk, he succeeded in spite of Palkin's 
 strict watchfulness in speaking to me ; he could only 
 whisper these words to me : ' Palkin is honest, for 
 he hates Schelm ! ' Popoff has in his possession some 
 evidence against our enemy and persecutor, and only 
 waits for a favorable moment to use it. That is why 
 they want him to disappear in some way or other. 
 He kissed the hem of my dress when I told him that 
 his mother and his betrothed were with me. The 
 colonel had told him nothing of it, and the sleigh in 
 which he sat always remained so far behind ours that 
 he could not recognize any one. Thus, you see, dear- 
 est, there is reason to hope ! " 
 
 " God grant it, my darling Jana ! " 
 
 " I have brought a large amount of money, nearly 
 a million rubles. Much can be done with that. My 
 father is busy with your affair in Petersburg. I shall 
 soon start now for Irkutsk. By the help of the col- 
 onel I hope I shall prevail on the governor to permit 
 you to live in a colony nearer to the capital, for I 
 think this place is still 50 miles off, is it not ? " 
 
 " I think so." 
 
 " While I am gone Dr. Hass will remain and pro- 
 tect you here. You must know he is a friend whom 
 my misfortunes have brought to me. He is a French- 
 man, brought as a child to Russia with the great 
 
196 THE ACE OP CLXJBS. 
 
 army. His whole life is a series of acts of devotion. 
 Misfortune has taught him to love his neighbor. 
 Another time I'll tell you his story. His own labor 
 has made him rich ; he now never takes a fee, and 
 gives himself up mainly to unfortunate exiles. The 
 Emperor knows him, esteems his faith, which is not 
 ours, and gives him free scope. This highly honored 
 physician has taken an interest in me and offered to 
 accompany me. Vladimir, you must make his ac- 
 quaintance and learn to love him." 
 
 " With all my heart, Jana ! " 
 
 The door opened, the Cossacks brought the tea 
 service and Dr. Haas, appearing at the door, asked 
 timidly : 
 
 " Is it permitted ? " 
 
 " Pray, come in ! " replied Jana. " Where is the 
 colonel? " 
 
 " He is speaking with the inspector, who has just 
 returned." 
 
 When the inspector reached home, the Cossacks 
 were eager to tell him of the arrival of the colonel 
 of gendarmes, and as their mode of speech is, using 
 the pluralis mayestatis, they said : 
 
 " They condescended to be in horribly bad humor ; 
 their angry faces s&emed to predict nothing good." 
 
 Terrified, the inspector hastened to appear before 
 Palkin, who, at first very severe, seemed to grow 
 milder, perhaps pitying the poor man, who trembled 
 like an aspen tree, and said : " Your wife has made 
 a terrible blunder, for which you, however, can make 
 amends." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 197 
 
 "I shall promptly obey all your orders," stam- 
 mered the poor frightened man. 
 
 Palkin looked at him quite graciously. 
 
 " How would you like, for instance, to be made 
 captain of gendarmes at Irkutsk?" 
 
 The inspector expected so little promotion, after 
 having been received so sternly, that he thought 
 Palkin was jesting. He made, therefore, a profound 
 bow and repeated the Siberian proverb : " Unfortu- 
 nately that fur cloak is too fine for my dirty back ! " 
 
 Palkin looked at him searchingly. 
 
 " You do not look to me a man of scruples. I am 
 even convinced you are a consummate scoundrel ; 
 am I right ? " 
 
 The officer answered coolly : " I endeavor to 
 carry out the orders of my superior without inquir- 
 ing what their nature may be." 
 
 "Very well! -Now listen! You know I might 
 send you to Kamschatka ? " 
 
 " Yes, Colonel ! " 
 
 " Well, now, if you promise to obey me I shall 
 not only forgive you all you have done " — the poor 
 inspector hung his head — " but engage to make you 
 captain of the gendarmes in Irkutsk." 
 
 " Colonel, command and it shall be done ! " 
 
 Palkin whispered into his ear : 
 
 " For reasons that you need not know I am com- , 
 pelled to protect this man Lanin. In reality I do 
 not care for him. I leave here to-night with the 
 countess for Irkutsk. She hopes to return to-mor- 
 row, as soon as the governor has given her leave to 
 
198 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 live with her husband nearer the capital. If she 
 succeeds she will return here before sunset ; if she 
 does not return, you will never see her again. Up 
 to that moment the colonist Vladimir must not be 
 touched ! As soon, however, as night falls to-morrow 
 Heave him in your or rather your wife's hands. 
 You can do with him as you choose, and I advise 
 you to manage it so that he is never heard of again. 
 In that case I shall bear witness in your behalf 
 should any question be raised. The countess leaves 
 Dr. Haas with her husband. He might be an incon- 
 venient witness for you. Well, nobody will inquire 
 if he should also disappear." 
 
 "All you ask of me, Colonel, can be easily carried 
 out, and it will give me special pleasure to do it." 
 
 " I start in an hour. How far is it from here to 
 where we fall into the great post roads ? " 
 
 " At most ten versts ! " 
 
 " Does the road pass forests or plains ? " 
 
 " Both occur ! " 
 
 " Do the postillions know the road perfectly ? " 
 
 " Very accurately ! " 
 
 "My coachman must take the wrong road; I will 
 have it so. Tell him so in my name ! " 
 
 "Once more: Have you understood me well? 
 Will you make no blunder ? " 
 
 " Every word, Colonel ! " 
 
 " Well, then, you can go. Mind what I have told 
 you! Now go and announce to the countess that I 
 shall be there in ten minutes ?" 
 
 Palkin fell into profound meditation. Jana had 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 199' 
 
 guessed rightlj^ ; he was desperately in love with her ' 
 But he knew very well that one incautious look, one 
 somewhat bolder word would part him and- Jana for- 
 ever ; he had, therefore, tried hard during the jour- 
 ney to veil his passion under the appearance of 
 profound and respectful admiration. He gradually 
 came to feel that he would never again be happy in 
 his life if he could not gratify this passion of his, and 
 as he was perfectly convinced of the hopelessness of 
 such wishes he resolved to commit a crime. "This 
 does not interfere," he said to himself, " with my 
 revenge on Schelm. Lanin will tell all he knows ; 
 if he has any documents he'll give them to his wife. 
 The main thing is to make sure of Popoff, and him 
 I shall not let go very soon. I can pursue my cam- 
 paign against Schelm as well without Lanin and his 
 wife. Lanin's death is my gain. To-day I must find 
 out what the Lanins know, and this night — " He 
 shrugged his shoulders and sat silent for a moment ; 
 then he rose, emptied a glass of brandy at one 
 draught and went into the room where the other 
 three were already sitting around the tea table. The 
 inspector humbly withdrew, and Caroline listened at 
 the door. 
 
 The colonel noticed it and bade her shut the door. 
 At first they spoke of indifferent- things, and Jana let 
 no opportunity go by without expressing her grati- 
 tude to Palkin. After some time had thus been 
 spent, Palkin turned to Vladimir and said : 
 
 " Count, you know I mean well by you and wish to 
 serve you. But in order to do that I ought to know 
 
200 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 all the details. You have no doubt proofs of your 
 innocence. Will you be so kind as to tell me every- 
 thing, to hand me your documents " 
 
 " Unfortunately," said Vladimir, " I have nothing 
 of the kind. I only know I am innocent ! " 
 
 " That is a pity. You have heard perhaps from the 
 countess that my position has changed entirely since 
 those days. Now my fate is closely connected with 
 yours. In defending you, I defend myself. If I 
 now possessed those papers, you might be free very 
 soon and that rascally Schelm should take your place 
 in Siberia." 
 
 " What papers are those ? " asked Vladimir. " Un- 
 fortunately I do not know one of them." 
 
 " A receipt for 10,000 rubles, signed ' Schelm.' 
 He drew this amount from the secret fund Oct. 30, 
 1849, and marked the purpose for which it was drawn 
 thus : ' For the discovery of the conspiracy. La — .' 
 These are the first two letters of your name. A jest 
 that dates frpm the day before your wedding and 
 which the countess has narrated to me, corresponds 
 in a remarkable manner with that date. It could, no 
 doubt, easily be proven that at that time you could 
 not well engage in a conspiracy. The question now 
 is only to have an inquiry ordered. 
 
 " This would be our first evidence. The second 
 paper is still more valuable. lu this whole affair 
 Schelm employed as his agant provocateur a certain 
 Miller of Millertown. 
 
 " Miller ? " exclaimed Lanin. " Oh, that is impos- 
 sible." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 201 
 
 " Yes indeed," said Jana ; " your friend was a 
 traitor! Rita never trusted him from the begin- 
 ning ! " 
 
 " Miller ? My best friend ? I thought of it sev 
 eral times, but the certainty now kills me. Is it 
 really so, Colonel ? " 
 
 " Beyond doubt ! I have read the engagement of 
 this man in which he binds himself to act as agent 
 provocateur in the conspiracy La — always the same 
 initials and the same date." 
 
 " I presume the first thing now will be to find this 
 man Miller," remarked Jana, "but no doubt Schelm 
 will have sent him abroad ! " 
 
 " No. I know from good authority that Schelm, 
 faithful to his principles, has cheated his own agent. 
 Miller is in Siberia. We shall find him, for the 
 arms of the gendarmes are far-reaching. In the 
 meantime, Count, tell me exactly how you were 
 arrested." 
 
 Vladimir complied with the request and when he 
 had ended, Palkin said : 
 
 " That is as clear as sunlight, and it will be easy 
 enough to prove your innocence. First, Miller must 
 be found — and that shall be my task. You — you 
 miist make up a petition to the head of the gen- 
 darmes. I will forward it. You, Countess, will please 
 not mention this to the governor, who is connected 
 with Schelm. I warrant an inquiry will be ordered. 
 But you must draw up the petition at once, for who 
 knows when we shall meet again ? " 
 
202 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " I thank you, Colonel," said Vladimir, pressing 
 his hand. 
 
 " I also shall ever be grateful to you," added Jana. 
 
 Dr. Haas, who had kept silent, now rose, and 
 shaking hands ■ with Palkin, said : " You are an 
 honorable man, and other honorable men can joy- 
 fully shake hands with you ! " 
 
 Palkin seemed touched. 
 
 "You are too kind. But how time flies ! Here 
 it is 11 o'clock ! Hallo ! is any one there ? " he cried. 
 
 The inspector came hastily in. 
 
 " Bring paper and ink and order the postillion to 
 put the horses in," said Palkin. 
 
 As the inspector went out to obey orders, Palkin 
 turned to Lanin and asked him if he knew the roads 
 in the neighborhood pretty well. 
 
 " Is there a good road leading to the post road ? " 
 
 " No, especially not in winter. But the snow is 
 frozen hard and the road is excellent for sleighs ; 
 along the forest you can trot all the way." 
 
 " The road cannot be missed, I suppose ? I inquire 
 not for myself, but as the countess will accompany 
 me " 
 
 " As long as the weather keeps clear you cannot 
 miss the road. For five versts you skirt the forest, 
 then you pass our fur store, and after that you 
 follow a creek. You must always keep to the left — 
 on the right you might easily lose your way on the 
 plain. My comrades undertake to-night an expedi- 
 tion against the Tunguses who steal our furs. If 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 203 
 
 you leave within an hour I can keep my promise. 
 Will you tell the inspector so?" 
 
 " Why will you expose yourself, as you are not to 
 remain here ? " 
 
 " I promised the men, Colonel, and must keep my 
 promise to my less fortunate comrades." 
 
 Vladimir sat down at the inspector's writing-desk 
 and hastened to write his petition. Jana, leaning on 
 a chair, followed with her eye every line he wrote. 
 Now and then her womanly instinct made her sug- 
 gest a milder expression or a better turn of the 
 phrase. Palkin and Haas engaged in lively conver- 
 sation, drinking one glass of tea after the other : 
 Palkin poured a quantity of arac into his. 
 
 At midnight Lanin had finished. He read his 
 petition to Palkin, who approved both form and con- 
 tents and took it from him. 
 
 " The postillion is waiting ! " said the inspector, 
 whose bearded face appeared in the door. 
 
 The colonel bowed to Jana. 
 
 " I await your orders, Countess ! " 
 . " I am ready. To-morrow we'll met again, Vladi- 
 mir. I hope no one will part us. Doctor, I intrust 
 my husband to you." 
 
 , "Colonel, will you be kind enough to tell the 
 inspector that I have your permission to join the 
 expedition ? " 
 
 " Well," said Palkin, " till the countess returns — " 
 the colonel emphasized these words — Colonist Vladi- 
 mir disposes freely of liis time ! You understand ? " 
 
 The inspector bowed low. 
 
204 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " And now, Countess, we shall have to start I " 
 Jana wrapped herself in her costly furs. 
 " Come, I commit myself once more to your pro- 
 tection." 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 " Jenar," a tall man said to his companion in the 
 language of the natives, " the foxes are getting rare 
 in the forest." 
 
 The other man had narrow, squinting eyes, pro- 
 truding cheekbones, a yellow complexion, and a face 
 that had been tatooed. The Mongolian was easUy 
 recognized. 
 
 " That has come about because men have filled up 
 our deserts," replied Jenar-Kus to the foreigner. 
 
 " Believe me, we do not come because we wish it. 
 We are compelled to do so." 
 
 " No one, however, compelled tlie conquerers to 
 oppress us or impose a tribute upon us." 
 
 " Is it hard for you to pay the tribute ? " 
 
 "Soon it will be impossible. Your merchants 
 destroy our forests, which were created to provide 
 for our wants: Game flees so far away that we can- 
 not reach it any more. Oh, these are hard times ! " 
 
 "If we were to spend the whole night here in 
 complaints, not a fox nor a sable would come within 
 reach. Friend Jenar, whistle to your dogs and take 
 me to the Shaman valley — I must meet my brethren 
 there ! " 
 
 " Very well ! " replied Jenar-Kus. 
 
 This conversation took place about six versts from 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 205 
 
 the colony, beneath some pine trees that stood there 
 quite alone in the vast mass of snow. They looked 
 like outposts of the unfathomable forest which 
 framed the landscape on all sides. Both hunters, 
 clothed in reindeer skin from head to foot, were 
 reclining on the hard frozen snow. Near by, con- 
 eealed under the trees, stood a narta, a Siberian 
 sleigh. At first sight such a vehicle looks as if it 
 could hardly hold two men, and yet it usually con- 
 tains under the seat in addition everything needed 
 by a traveler in Siberia — fl9ur, grits, dried fish and 
 other victuals, besides knives, axes and hunting gear ; 
 finally, the skin which covers the whole narta can be 
 put up as a tent whenever the traveller is forced to 
 remain at any place a longer time for hunting and 
 fishing. 
 
 The two hunters, of course, did not resemble each 
 other in the least. One was very tall and well made, 
 with handsome, strongly marked features, slightly 
 curling hair, and stamped in every detail as a Euro- 
 pean. He could not, however, be one of the unfor- 
 tunate exiles, since he carried a double gun on his 
 shoulder, while the law prohibits exiles having fire- 
 arms. But as eastern Siberia, with its almost infinite 
 variety of flowers, trees and metals, possesses only 
 two varieties of man — colonists and savages — this 
 huntsman had some mystery about him. He could 
 not be a wealthy merchant who might have left his 
 dwelling in the city to hunt with the natives, because 
 his worn and patched clothes spoke of poverty. His 
 companion was evidently the chief of a tribe of 
 
206 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 Tunguses. His costume, made of reindeer skins, 
 was, after the fashion of the natives, richly adorned 
 with glass beads and bits of colored cloth. On his 
 head he wore a handsome sable tolpak, and the bow, 
 with which he killed game admirably, was orna- 
 mented with gold pieces. It was in fact, the prince of 
 the Tunguses himself, one of the most famous hun- 
 ters far and near. He led the life of a nomad ; in 
 summer, when foxes and sable retired northward, he 
 crossed to the opposite shore of the Baikal lake and 
 was said to carry on a profitable trade with some 
 tribes on the Chinese frontier. Jenar-Kus owned 
 innumerable herds of reindeer and many tents ; he 
 had won the respect even of the Russian officials 
 and inspired them with a certain fear, because he 
 was closely allied with all the wandering tribes of 
 Tunguses and other natives. 
 
 The Siberian prince whistled piercingly, and at 
 once from five different sides five immense Siberian 
 dogs came rushing forth. These gigantic animals 
 resemble wolves and are of imposing size ; they are 
 yellowish, have a black muzzle and strangely-shaped 
 ears. These dogs sprang up on Jenar-Kus, barking 
 joyously ; upon a sign of their master's, these intelli- 
 gent animals rushed back to the sleigh, pulled it out 
 and remained near it as if awaiting further orders. 
 
 " These good creatures," said the prince, " are so 
 clever and bright ! I learnt this way of travelling 
 from the Samapedes of the North, and daily rejoice 
 at it. As to speed, nothing can compare with these 
 racers. To be sure, they are not, as reindeer are, 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 207 
 
 able to draw a whole family, but then they are so 
 much faister. Besides, they are obedient, while rein- 
 deer " 
 
 The Russian interrupted this eulogy on his dogs 
 by saying : 
 
 " Quick, to work ! It must be late ! " 
 
 They took ropes from the sleigh and began put- 
 ting the dogs into harness. 
 
 "We need not come back here," he said, "the 
 forest is empty. To-morrow I'll take my hunting 
 gear to the other bank of the Angara." 
 
 " I am very much astonished," said Jenar-Kus, 
 "that you should be one of those whom the Czar's 
 finger has touched, and still enjoy such great free- 
 dom. I have now been hunting 30 years in this dis- 
 trict. I have met a great number of exiles and have 
 learnt to know intimately many of them, but no one 
 was like you ; you never remain at any one place ; 
 you are allowed to have firearms ; j'ou go where you 
 list and command others ! I cannot understand 
 that ! " 
 
 " And yet I have often explained it to you. I am 
 the head of the colonists of this district. Before me 
 others were here, whom you perhaps did not know." 
 
 The Tunguse shook his head. 
 
 " I have known all the colonists who were sent 
 here these 30 years." 
 
 " Perhaps they were not as cunning and as active 
 as I am. All the colonists of this district would let 
 themselves be cut to pieces for me, because they 
 know how zealously I work to restore them to liberty. 
 
208 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 For three days a man has been lying in my hut, 
 wrapped up in furs, in my bed, and groaning fear- 
 fully whenever an inspector enters. This makes 
 them think I am sick. In Siberia there are np physi- 
 cians ; exiles have to do their work. Our district 
 doctor is a Polish surgeon ; he knows my secret. 
 You see, then " 
 
 " That may pass once." 
 
 "I have other means to mislead the authorities. 
 Day and night I am at work. You know my pro- 
 ject, and you have promised me your assistance ! " 
 
 " A Tunguse chief keeps his promise ! " 
 
 " I know, Jenar, and I have initiated you into all 
 our secrets, because I know the honesty of your 
 character. You see, my friend, in my native coun-^ 
 try, far, far away, there live many rascally people. 
 There treachery and vulgarity prevail, such as you, 
 simple children of nature, cannot imagine. I must 
 return there, in order to punish a traitor and to make 
 amends for a crime ! " 
 
 " I have often told you : rely on Jenar ! " 
 
 " Did you speak with the chief of the Chalchals, 
 that he gives us leave to march through his land ? 
 Did you tell him we would pay him 4,000 fox skins 
 and 10,000 sables ? At my storehouse in the Shaman 
 valley I still have twice as many." 
 
 " I have not yet crossed tlie Holy Sea. When I 
 have carried you to the Shaman valley then I'll go 
 to the Chalchals, and you may rely upon it that I 
 will make them do what you wish. But, speaking 
 
THE ACE OF CLtJBS. 209 
 
 of furs, do you know that quite near here there is a 
 large storehouse ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; that is the stock of our poor neighbors. 
 The skins are the property of my fellow-sufferers ; 
 we must not touch them, not even to further the 
 good cause. I hope, however, soon to communicate 
 with these poor exiles, and to win them over for our 
 cause. I have several times already sent emissaries 
 to them." 
 
 Jenar-Kus smiled. 
 
 "I do not understand your scruples. We also 
 hold the property of a friend sacred, but here there 
 are only strangers. However, others are ahead of 
 us. In a village not far from here there is a band 
 of Tunguses, who know this magazine and mean to 
 plunder it. They have several times already gotten 
 large spoil and hauled it away safely ; and I have 
 noticed during the day tracks of men's feet." 
 
 " At all events I do not mean to have anything to 
 do with that ! " 
 
 In the meantime everything had been made ready. 
 But just then the Siberian beckoned to his compan- 
 ion to be quiet; he threw himself down and put his 
 ear on the snow. 
 
 " A post-sleigh ! I hear bells ! We must flee ! " 
 he exclaimed, rising. 
 
 " From which direction is the sleigh coming ? " 
 
 " From the lakeside." 
 
 " Then we cannot flee, because we would meet 
 them. But I must be to-night in the Shaman valley. 
 Whip the dogs ! Make them, gallop ! We can pass 
 14 
 
210 THE ACE OP CLTTBS. 
 
 them like a shadow and horses can never overtake 
 us." 
 
 Jenar-Kus clacked with his tongue : the dogs flew. 
 The traces of their small feet could barely be seen 
 on the hard snow and the sleigh was jerked to and 
 fro. The narta looked like a supernatural creature 
 flying like an arrow over the plain, like one of the 
 spirits of the North which the Tunguse worship. 
 Wrapped up in their furs, their caps pulled down 
 over the ears, the two huntsmen sat close by each 
 other never uttering a sound. 
 
 The bells came nearer. Soon Jenar made out a 
 sleigh with four horses ; the animals sank half into 
 the snow and the sleigh made little progress. 
 
 " Go on ! " said the Russian. " They have lost 
 their way. We'll pass them like a ghost." 
 
 Jenar-Kus repeated the clack of the tongue and 
 the dogs redoubled their efforts. The stars shed a 
 pretty fair light over the snow-covered plain, and 
 every dark point contrasted vividly with the white- 
 ness of the pall. About 100 yards off the postillion 
 saw the narta and cried : " Stop and show us the 
 way ! " 
 
 The hunters paid no attention to the cry and went 
 on. At the same time Jana's head appeared at the 
 window of the coach and she said : 
 
 " For God's sake, help us, friends ! We have lost 
 our way, don't you see." 
 
 The Russian trembled as he heard Jana's voice ; 
 he said to his companion : 
 
 " It is only a woman. Let us stop a moment and 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 211 
 
 show them the way by an arrow. I do not want to 
 be recognized. My Toice might betray me." 
 
 In the meantime Palkin's face had become visible 
 behind Jana. 
 
 "Will you stop, instantly ! " he shouted. "You 
 scoundrels! Obey the orders of a colonel of the 
 gendarmes ! " 
 
 The narta had already passed the coach, and the 
 postillion said to the colonel : 
 
 " They are natives who do not understand Rus- 
 sian." 
 
 But at that moment the narta stopped. The 
 Tunguse rose, put an arrow on his bow and shot it 
 in the direction of the forest ; then he whistled loud, 
 and in an instant the little sleigh was lost to sight. 
 
 "These rascals! " cried Palkin. "Now they shoot 
 at us ! " 
 
 " Excuse the man, your Excellency," said the pos- 
 tillion ; " that is the way for those people to show 
 the way ; we must meet a colony in the direction in 
 which the arrow was sent off." 
 
 " Well, then, whip your horses and go on." 
 
 The horses now brought the heavy carriage around 
 and started in a different direction. For an hour 
 already, the colonel had been driving about on the 
 plain ; for an hour ago the postillion had told the 
 coloriel that he had lost his way. Jana was in de- 
 spair because she was very anxious to reach Irkutsk. 
 When the colonel, however, represented to her that 
 it would be better to await the morning in some 
 colony, than to use up their own strength and that 
 
212 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 of the horses, she yielded. After a considerable 
 time the postillion at last cried: "We are near the 
 forest ! I see the road again ! " 
 
 Deep silence reigned in the coach. Jana looked 
 all around the vast plain, hoping to discover traces 
 of a human dwelling. Thus they reached the forest. 
 Of a sudden, the colonel turned to his companion, 
 and looking at her with passionate eyes, he said : 
 
 " Countess, you surely do not know the power of 
 your beauty." 
 
 The eyes of the. gendarme glowed like will-o'-the 
 wisps in the dark coach, and Jana drew back fright- 
 ened. They had made so long a journey together, 
 and Palkin had ever treated her with so much respect 
 and esteem that Jana had become quite reassured, 
 and now also sought to give his words a laughable 
 turn. 
 
 " I have heard that so often ! But let us drop idle 
 compliments, and rather think how we shall escape 
 out of this predicament." 
 
 " Compliments ! They are no compliments, but 
 the expression of a feeling that overwhelms nie ! " 
 
 " Then you ought to suppress it. In our relative 
 positions you cannot speak of such things with- 
 out " 
 
 " You think so ? Do you imagine that a man, 
 because he is a gendarme, has no feelings which a 
 magically charming being must arouse in every heart. 
 Do you think we can with impunity remain near you 
 because we have authority " 
 
 The coach was driving into the forest, the birch- 
 
THE ACE OK CLUBS. 213 
 
 trees and the larclies stretched out their bare 
 branches into the air as if they were skeletons. Jana 
 began now seriously to fear, as a glance showed her 
 Palkin's eyes glowing with a strange fire and his face 
 burning red. Retiring into the farthest corner of 
 the coach she said : 
 
 "Colonel, what is it?" 
 
 " What is it ? I must at last confess that I love 
 you ! I know you are an honest woman and will 
 scorn me. Nevertheless " 
 
 " What do you mean ? Are you out of your 
 senses? Stop, postillion!" cried Jana in perfect 
 anguish. 
 
 " You call in vain ! The postillion as well as all 
 these people whom you see are sold to me ! They 
 will obey me only. You call, therefore, in vain. He 
 has purposely lost his way, because I ordered it." 
 
 " Help ! save me I What shall I do, poor woman 
 that I am?" 
 
 " I told you you would call in vain. Don't you 
 see how calm I am ? I love you, I repeat it once 
 more. In a few hours we shall be in Irkutsk and 
 then I shall be forever cut off from you. If you 
 were to die I might forget you, but to live and to see 
 you " 
 
 At this moment the sleigh stopped. A shed was 
 visible between the trees, at which the postillion 
 stopped. He jumped down from the box and opened 
 the door. Jana breathed again and quickly got out. 
 
 " Here we are at last," said the man. " I must 
 take the horses out, but in the meantime the countess 
 
214 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 will find so many skins in the house that you will be 
 warm there." 
 
 " Postillion ! " said Jana to him, " do not leave 
 me I Follow me and do not go away one moment ! " 
 
 Palkin laughed scornfully. Jana leant on the arm 
 of the postillion, who looked at her amazed. 
 
 The huge shed seemed to be quite empty. In the 
 corners furs of reindeer, bears, wolves, foxes and 
 sable were heaped up. Jana sank breathless on a 
 pile of furs. 
 
 " Remain here, my friend," she said to the postil- 
 lion. " If your horses should run away, I'll pay for 
 them. You yourself, shall be richly rewarded if you 
 will not leave me." 
 
 Jana saw Palkin enter. 
 
 " Leave me," she said to him. " This good man 
 will surely protect me. 
 
 Palkin turned to the postillion. 
 
 " Take your horses away at once and do not return 
 here till daybreak, unless you wish to make me 
 angry." 
 
 The postillion left immediately. 
 
 Palkin cast a fearful look, full of bitterness and 
 scorn, at the countess. 
 
 " Postillion ! " she called after the man — when 
 suddenly she stopped, full of astonishment. 
 
 A strange commotion became perceptible under 
 the pile of furs and a sudden light illumined the 
 shed. The colonel crossed liimself, terrified, as he 
 saw wolves and bears come up against him. Soon 
 the furs fell off, and lanterns kept concealed until 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 215 
 
 now, shed a better light, and 40 colonists surrounded 
 Palkin and Jana. 
 
 " My wife ! " exclaimed one of them. " Colonel, 
 how did you get here ? " 
 
 The officer whose presence of mind never left him, 
 whispered into Jana's ear : 
 
 " Keep silence, for your husband's sake ! " 
 
 Palkiu's voice sounded like a hidden threat, and 
 Jana was so fully convinced that for the present 
 Vladimir's fate lay in Palkin's hands — that with her 
 usual devotion she consented, and announced it by a 
 haughty bend of the head. 
 
 "Vladimir!" she exclaimed, " God sends you to 
 help us. We have lost our way on the plain. What 
 lucky accident brings you here ? " 
 
 " I told you, we prepared an expedition against 
 the Tunguses who steal our furs. The inspector 
 allowed us to lie in ambush here." 
 
 " That was the hand of God ! " she said, looking 
 sternly at the colonel. 
 
 " But how could you miss your way ? " asked one 
 of the exiles. >^ Were you not on your way to 
 Irkutsk?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed." 
 
 " Why, then, I do not see — unless the postillion 
 was drunk, or perhaps bribed ; otherwise he could 
 not possibly miss the road." 
 
 Jana was determined to keep silent. She said : 
 
 " I must go on at once. Could you perhaps show 
 us the way to the nearest station ? The horses can 
 very well make a few versts more. Colonel, you 
 
216 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 will kindly permit my husband and one of these men 
 to accompany us ? " 
 
 " But — " Palkin tried to object. 
 
 " Oh, you certainly permit it," she said, looking 
 hini into the face ; " my husband can return to the 
 colony in a post sleigh. So much you can surely 
 permit. Colonel." 
 
 Palkin saw that he could not refuse. He con- 
 sented, with rage in his heart. Orders were given 
 not to take the horses out, and in a quarter of an 
 hour the four took their seats in the coach. Jan a 
 tried to keep up the same conduct as before with 
 Palkin, but she was so utterly exhausted that she 
 reclined in a corner of the coach, saying : 
 
 " I am very tired. I must rest." 
 
 She leaned back upon the soft cushions and soon 
 seemed to sleep quietly. Palkin was silent. At 3 
 o'clock they reached the station ; they now had the 
 high road before them, which could easily be seen in 
 the snow. All danger was over. Jana parted with 
 her husband full of love ; the horses were changed 
 and the dark gendarme once more took his seat by 
 Jana's side. 
 
 Far off the white mists allowed the towers of 
 Irkutsk with the tall walls to pierce the veil here and 
 there. Jana's coach was already descending toward 
 the Angara, and the eye was now able to discern 
 cupolas and steeples rising high above the pines and 
 larches. This was the convent of St. George, which 
 lies several versts from the city. The Angara winds 
 around in the valley in grand dimensions, and then 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 217 
 
 sends its waves straight upon the walls of Irkutsk. 
 From this point the city presents a truly magnificent 
 aspect. The town is surrounded by lofty, fortified 
 walls, and above the houses rises quite a forest of 
 cupolas and smaller towers. The whole scene is 
 again surrounded by hills, covered with snow and 
 pine forests, which seem to embrace and protect the 
 capital of East Siberia. 
 
 Now Palkin formed a sudden resolve. He turned 
 to Jana, saying : 
 
 " Countess, will you not forgive me if I forgot 
 myself for a moment? It was a passing attack of 
 madness ; I did not know what I was saying or 
 doing." 
 
 Jana trembled, and in the look with which she 
 answered the officer there was so much contempt 
 that he instinctively cast down his eyes. 
 
 " Countess," he continued, nevertheless, in a very 
 submissive tone, " I know how much I deserve your 
 scorn and your contempt. I wish only to say how 
 much I repent what I did. It must have been the 
 bad brandy. Do not treat me with contempt and 
 listen to me to the end." 
 
 " You must know, madame, that we are a sort of 
 Free Masons, we officers of the Government. The 
 inspector obeyed me, although we spoke of a crime. 
 I must again shut my eyes with superiors of mine. 
 Be cautious with the governor. He will be ready at 
 any time to sacrifice you to Schelm, who is, in secret, 
 his superior in the ministry of the interior. To con- 
 vince you of my sincerity and of my repentance for 
 
218 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 what has happened I will accompany- you myself to 
 the governor and support your petition. But follow 
 my advice. Do not speak of your husband's inno- 
 cence, nor of the petition which I have promised to 
 forward to Count Orloff himself. We shall prob- 
 ably, both of us, take lodgings in Irkutsk. In all 
 probability I shall not be permitted to see you, but 
 you may count upon my devotion. The day may yet 
 come when you will be gracious enough to pardon 
 me for the sake of the services I shall have rendered 
 you." 
 
 The colonel's voice became more and more sub- 
 missive and convincing. Jana knew but too well 
 how much she needed his help to prove Vladimir's 
 innocence. She had, however, been too deeply 
 wounded to yield at once. 
 
 " Let it be so," she said, sternly. " We shall see. 
 Now I am forced to accept your favors. But I beg 
 you will not speak to me ; you have insulted me too 
 grossly ; I cannot so easily forgive." 
 
 "Still," she continued, when he bowed and simply 
 proffered to obey her in all she might order, " I shall 
 never forget how much we owe you." 
 
 The sleigh reached the walls of Irkutsk. 
 
 " I wish to give you one more piece of advice. 
 Countess," said Palkin. " As soon as you have had 
 your audience, lose not a minute, not a moment, but 
 returA instantly to your husband. I shall send a 
 gendarme in advance to the colony ; nevertheless, I 
 repeat, do not lose an instant to meet your hus- 
 band ! " 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 219 
 
 " Such was my intention." 
 
 Five minutes later the coach stopped before the 
 palace of the governor of East Sibetia. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 ^ As soon as Vladimir reached the colony he showed 
 the inspector Palkin's permit for his longer absence. 
 The officer received him civilly but coolly, and 
 ordered him to go home. There he found Dr. Haas, 
 fast asleep on a pile of skins. Vladimir also felt 
 overburdened with fatigue, and was soon fast 
 asleep. 
 
 It was dark already when suddenly a great distur- 
 bance aroused him. He opened his eyes and saw the 
 room full of Cossacks. At the foot of the couch 
 stood Dr. Hass with an axe in his hand. 
 
 " As long as I am alive not a hair of his head shall 
 be harmed," cried the doctor. 
 
 "Seize him," cried the inspector's wife,- "blind 
 him at once and give him 500 blows. And as to that 
 rebel there," pointing at Dr. Haas, "kill him 
 instantly, because he openly resists the authority of 
 the Czar." 
 
 The Cossacks were pressing forward when sud- 
 denly the door was opened violently and the inspec- 
 tor rushed in, pale and out of breath. 
 
 " Stop ! " he cried. " This moment an order has 
 come for Colonist Vladimir to go at once to 
 Irkutsk." 
 
 The Cossacks were accustomed to obey Caroline 
 
220 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 rather than her husband, and hesitated, therefore, for 
 a moment. She was now entirely beside herself. 
 
 " No I no ! " she cried as if she were possessed. 
 " Give him 500 blows ! " 
 
 Her husband, however, seized her by the arm. 
 
 "Are you mad?" he exclaimed, angrily. "A 
 gendarme has just brought the order to surrender 
 the colonist to his wife, who wiU arrive here directly, 
 with the governor's permit. Do you want to ruin 
 us?" 
 
 He then bowed low to Vladimir and the doctor, 
 saying : ^ 
 
 " Pardon her, gentlemen ; pardon my vnfe ; she is 
 liable to attacks of dementia." 
 
 " And so are you ! " cried Caroline. 
 
 " For God's sake, keep quiet ! " whispered the 
 inspector into his wife's ear. " I swear to you you 
 shall have an opportunity to avenge yourself later on ; 
 only be still now ! Mr. Vladimir," he continued 
 aloud, " gather up your things, and go where the 
 governor permits you to reside hereafter." 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Two months had passed since Lanin, thanks to his 
 wife's devotion and presence of mind, had escaped 
 the revenge of the inspector's wife. These two 
 months had gone by quietly and without any serious 
 interruption. 
 
 Jana had rented one of the finest homes in Irkutsk, 
 and lived there with Dr. Haas, Lina and Helen. As 
 the law did not allow Vladimir to live in a town, he 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 221 
 
 was sent to a village in the district and near the 
 capital. He spent, however, most of his days at his 
 wife's house, because the governor, a mild and 
 humane man, would not notice this transgression. 
 He was specially moved to this by Jan'a's beauty, 
 which he admired, while her devotion had made so 
 deep an impression upon him that he soOn became 
 one of the most zealous defenders and protectors of 
 the noble woman. 
 
 Palkin lived likewise iu the city, and had made 
 Popoff his secretary. He allowed him, however, not 
 the slightest liber^. From the blissful day on which 
 he had been permitted to accompany his mother and 
 his betrothed, he had not seen them once in public. 
 
 " I will willingly save you the sufferings connected 
 with work in the mines," said Palkin to Popoff. " I 
 like to employ you in my office, because you are a 
 willing and thoughtful worker. But 1 cannot 
 possibly set you free. The slightest imprudence 
 would bring fearful punishment upon you, and I 
 myself run great risk because I have kept you here, 
 transgressing my authoritj'.." 
 
 Popoff was content, because he hoped that better 
 days might come. He lived in Palkin's house, and 
 never left it. He was, however, less unhappy, 
 because he could see Helen now and then in secret. 
 Palkin pretended not to know of these interviews, 
 but no doubt had his plans. 
 
 The gendarme kept the promise he had made the 
 inspector. He became a captain, and was sent to 
 
222 THE ACE OP CLtJBS. 
 
 Irkutsk, where, strangely enough, he rented a house 
 near Jana. 
 
 March was drawing to an end, but the cold did not 
 diminish. A white fog enveloped the city as in a 
 pall. Palkin had just received his letters and 
 despatches from Europe, which were sent him by a 
 courier. Popoff was standing before him waiting 
 orders. Palkin said: 
 
 " The chief of all the gendarmes has received the 
 letter in which I reported that I had taken charge of 
 my office here. The governor-general also must have 
 received letters from Schelm, because the latter must 
 have had reports from Kasan. I'll wager that I shall 
 be received to-night at the palace like a dog. 
 Schelm's blows do not hurt me directly ; because, 
 strictly speaking, he is not my superior. He must 
 work secretly against me. I must, however, lose no 
 time. I have not sent Lanin's petition yet, because 
 I have been waiting for you. Will you not be can- 
 did with me ? You have always told me you had 
 more proofs against Schelm." 
 
 Popoff had gradually lost his mistrust of Palkin ; 
 still he would not at once surrender himself into his 
 hands. 
 
 " If I possess anything of the kind," he said, " I 
 shall use it to save my benefactor, to free myself, or 
 to avenge myself on Schelm. Who can assure me 
 now. Colonel, that you do not again betray me ? Two 
 such great personages as jou and Schelm may readily 
 become reconciled and sacrifice us, petty and power- 
 less men." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 223 
 
 " Have I not proven to you how well I mean 
 toward you ? " 
 
 " Pardon me, Colonel," said Popoff, " you may 
 have your own plans, but if I surrender the proofs I 
 possess " 
 
 " You confess, then, that you have these documents 
 about you ? " exclaimed Palkin, eagerly. 
 
 Popoff bit his lips. He had, however, gone too far 
 to be able to draw back. All he could do was to 
 weaken the importance of his confession. 
 
 " I doubt whether these documents are of much 
 weight. I have reserved for myself a weapon against 
 my former chief, but you must pardon me, Colo- 
 nel^ " 
 
 " What are you aiming at ? " 
 
 " I mean to say that I can hand that weapon to no 
 one except to Count Lanin or the countess. As I 
 am not permitted to meet them " 
 
 " Why did you not tell me that sooner ? Lanin is 
 not as suspicious as you are. I will willingly permit 
 you to go and see him. Go and give him your docu- 
 ments. Only tell him expressly that I want them ! " 
 
 " Of course. At soon as the count agrees, you 
 will have a powerful weapon against Schelm in your 
 hand, which is now in my possession." 
 
 " What ? You have it here ? Now ? " 
 
 Popoff saw too late the blunder he had com- 
 mitted. 
 
 " No ! Not here ! " he stammered. " I only meant 
 I knew where it is." 
 
 " Never mind ! I only repeat, you will have to be 
 
224- THE ACE OE CLTJBS. 
 
 very careful, because I transgress my authority, and 
 the governor might some time become my enemy. 
 Your betrothed comes to see you now and then — does 
 she not?" 
 
 " Colonel, I can assure you " 
 
 " Don't swear ! " said Palkin, in a friendly tone and 
 with a very kind smile. " You see I am not as bad as 
 you think." 
 
 Popoff could not but thank Palkin very lieartily ; 
 his mistrust gave daily more way to his gratitude. 
 
 " Lanin is never in the place assigned to him as his 
 residence, the last hut in the little village Krowa, 
 close to the corporation line of Irkutsk. You may 
 go there on Sunday, because then the police are not 
 as watchful. Your betrothed will, no doubt, come 
 and see you before Sunday. I will inform the count- 
 ess ■*7ho can then tell her husband, when he may 
 expect you. But you must by no means be seen 
 entering the house of the countess itself; to take 
 every precaution, 111 assign you as the place for your 
 interview the hut of a colonist." 
 
 " You are right, Colonel ! " 
 
 " But as Schelm has, no doubt, sent instructions to 
 the governor, it will be better for your betrothed not 
 to come and see you for some time. You must 
 adapt yourself to your fate and bear patiently what 
 cannot be helped." 
 
 " Colonel, I obey. Helen shall not come here any 
 more." 
 
 " Do you think so ? You know little of women ; 
 they become all the more eager for what is forbidden 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 225 
 
 fruit. You must, however, use your best means not 
 to let her come here for a time ; I shall on my part 
 try also to persuade her not to do it. Now to work, 
 these circulars have to be copied and sent to all 
 officers of gendarmes." 
 
 Popoff bowed and went to work, while Palkin was 
 reading his letters and despatches. 
 
 Almost at the same time Vladimir was sauntering 
 down the street leading to Jana's house. In his 
 appearance a great change had taken place ; he was 
 dressed like one of the rich Siberian land owners, in 
 a bearskin cloak and a sable tolpak. The city 
 authorities left him evidently to his own will ; no 
 one interfered with him or minded how he dressed 
 and how he lived ; exile was to him no very severe 
 punishment. He went to see Jana, head on high 
 and with firm steps. 
 
 An elegant sleigh passed close by him. Vladimir 
 noticed that it contained the governor-general and 
 one of his adjutants. He at once took off his 
 hat and bowed respectfully. The governor ordered 
 a halt and beckoned to Vladimir : 
 
 "What does it mean, that I see thee in town 
 to-day? " he asked the exile in a stern voice. 
 
 Vladimir was very much amazed at the sternness, 
 to which he was by no means accustomed. 
 
 " Your Excellency, I thought had permitted " 
 
 " Thou must not abuse the confidence shown thee. 
 Consider, thou oughtest to live in Krowa and canst 
 not leave without permission. Hast thou the inspec- 
 tor's leave ? " 
 16 
 
226 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Your Excellency- 
 
 "This time I will overlook it, but take care in 
 future. Thou art a dangerous man." 
 
 " I am innocent," said Vladimir. 
 
 The governor frowned. 
 
 " Do not begin that story anew ! I have just 
 received orders on thy account from Petersburg. 
 They say nothing of thy innocence. I advise thee 
 to be more cautious — else I should have to be much 
 more severe." 
 
 Astonished at this unusual severity of the govern- 
 or, who so far had been exceedingly kind to him, 
 Vladimir showed such signs of grief that the govern- 
 or felt moved to pity. 
 
 Turning to his adjutant, he said : 
 
 " Be kind enough to go over there to Merchant 
 Lateff and tell him I wish to see him to-night about 
 the ball he wishes to give. I shall wait for you here. 
 Come back at once, if you please." 
 
 The adjutant guessed that his presence was not 
 desired by the governor, and therefore stepped out 
 of the sleigh and went off quickly. Vladimir was 
 about to leave, when the governor stopped him, say- 
 ing: 
 
 " Dear Count, I was compelled to use such lan- 
 guage with you, because I received to-day the very 
 strictest orders concerning you. An autograph let- 
 ter from M. Schelm, the head of a division in the Min- 
 istry of the Interior, concerning you exclusively. I 
 am ordered to be very strict with you if you should 
 disregard the rules in the slightest way." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. " 227 
 
 " Schelm ! " exclaimed Vladimir. " He^ is my 
 greatest enemy. He " 
 
 " Hush ! " said the gdf ernor, in a whisper. " I 
 must not even hear such words. They might already 
 count as a crime against me. I do not know whether 
 you are guilty or innocent. That is not my busi- 
 ness. I can only admit you do not look like a hard- 
 ened sinner. I admire the countess and revere her; 
 on that account I warn you. If you are in town, 
 avoid me like sin itself, for, if I should meet you, I 
 would have to proceed with great severity. Yon 
 must, next, keep on good terms with the captain 
 of gendarmes and the inspector, because it would be 
 difficult for me to protect you against these two 
 men. Now I must make my excuses to the countess 
 that I cannot receive her any longer at my house. 
 Good-by, and be cautious." 
 
 " Your Excellency ! Do not forsake me ! I am 
 innocent ! " 
 
 " As to that I am helpless. I am an officer, and 
 must obey orders. I have no right to declare you 
 guilty or not guilty. If you force me I should even 
 have to punish you, however repugnant." 
 
 The adjutant was seen approaching ; the governor 
 dismissed Vladimir with a gesture of the hand, and 
 the sleigh drove away. 
 
 Vladimir remained standing there, as if struck by 
 lightning. For two months he had cherished illusory 
 hopes, which now vanished in smoke. The good 
 will of the governor, the politeness of Colonel Palkin, 
 of w;hose conduct Jana had told him nothing — all 
 
228 - THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 this he thought betokened a favorable turn in his 
 situation. The governor's words threw him back 
 again into an abyss of daubt. He hastened to his 
 wife's house. 
 
 Jana was waiting for him to breakfast with him. 
 The unexpected blow had changed his features so 
 that the loving wife at once detected his trouble by 
 the expression of his face. 
 
 " Vladimir ! What is the matter ? " she asked, ex- 
 citedly. 
 
 « "What is the matter ? " he replied, sadly. " Well. 
 I cannot endure this any longer. We had, so far, 
 only one enemy ; the captain of gendarmes whom 
 Satan must have brought here. Now we shall have 
 to humble ourselves to him also. The governor has 
 received letters from Petersburg which bring that 
 rascally Schelm's orders to be strict with me. The 
 governor must obey. He sends his apologies to you, 
 that he cannot receive you any more at the palace. 
 As to myself, I have to return to my lonely life as a 
 colonist, exposed to the persecutions of subordinates." 
 
 " But our petition, Palkin's protection ? " 
 
 " He is an ofiBcer like the others. For a month he 
 was a man ; here he has again become a machine ; 
 either he never sent the paper, or he got an answer 
 which prevents his taking any further steps." 
 
 " And you think the governor also has joined our 
 enemies ? " 
 
 " He is personally as kind as ever, but he must 
 obey the orders that have been sent to him. No, 
 Jaha, by begging for it I shall never get my rights. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 229 
 
 I stand alone, and I face this whole free masonry of 
 officials. For two years I have hesitated to join the 
 conspiracy in which all my fellow exiles are engaged ; 
 its aim is to shake off this yoke on our necks. I 
 have always refused to join them, because, while 
 almost all of them have done some wrong by which 
 they have incurred punishment, I am innocent, and 
 have patiently waited till my innocence should be 
 acknowledged publicly. Two long years I have 
 waited, and now I will wait no longer." 
 
 " What do you mean to do ? " asked Jana, fright- 
 ened by the excitement with which her husband 
 spoke. 
 
 " There is a grand conspiracy spread over the 
 whole of East Siberia. There is a regular adminis- 
 trative body, and at the head a chief who has been 
 chosen by the members. They propose to shake off 
 the Russian yoke, to escape to a country where the 
 Czar cannot reach them. As the terrible frost this 
 winter has frozen over the whole Baikal lake, where 
 on account of its vast extent the authorities cannot 
 watch them easily, they meet on one of the islands. 
 I know this conspiracy, because I was invited six 
 months ago to enter. I had to keep it a secret, 
 especially as I declined to join them. Now, however, 
 that all my hopes have failed, I have changed my 
 mind. If they deny me what is right, I shall take 
 it. I cannot be a martj'r who waits and waits, and 
 at last dies, still waiting for release ; nor can I bear 
 it that you, so fair and so noble, should lead such a 
 wretched life." 
 
230 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " But, my dear Vladimir," said Jana, " I am per. 
 fectly happy here. Have we not found here that 
 domestic life of which you so often dreamed ? What 
 does it matter whether we live in Irkutsk or in 
 Paris?" 
 
 " And yet, instead of witnessing the homage that 
 is paid you on all sides, I am not even allowed to 
 visit you any more ! Was that why you joined your 
 fate to mine ? No, Jana, my resolution is fixed. In 
 the little village in which I live quite a number of 
 unfortunate exiles are going to try to recover their 
 liberty. They are all members of the conspiracy. 
 To-morrow I shall join them. They will be glad to 
 receive me. You will give them the money they 
 need so sadly. I tell you everything, because I 
 know your heart. I know how well you know how 
 to use your fortune." 
 
 She interrupted him sadly : 
 
 " With that one word, Vladimir, you close my 
 life. Alas ! I had a thousand reasons for dissuad- 
 ing you from taking this step ; now I can say nothing 
 more. Nothing, nothing at all ! I do not wish you to 
 doubt me a moment. That has happened once, and 
 we have been punished too severely ever to try it 
 again. Who knows, however, if you are not right. 
 The world generally does justice to those who no 
 longer need it. I have nearly a million. You need 
 not want money, therefore. If we but once could 
 feel the frontier beliind us — the means should not be 
 wanting." 
 
 She pressed a burning kiss on his brow. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 231 
 
 " Now go and conquer the freedom whicli you can- 
 not secure in a legal way. I shall follow you where- 
 ever you go." 
 
 He bent his knee before her and said : 
 "I thank God every day that He has given me 
 such a helpmate in life ! You are my comfort and 
 my hope, Jana. You will not see me for two whole 
 days. I now return to my hut and to-morrow I go 
 to work." 
 
 " May God protect you and guide you ! " she said, 
 deeply moved. 
 
 At that moment Dr. Haas' voice was heard : 
 " Will you please come to breakfast ? It has been 
 ready some time and is getting cold." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 About 60 versts from Irkutsk lies Lake Baikal, 
 one of the largest masses of fresh water on earth. 
 Russians and natives alike call it the Holy Sea. It 
 forms the natural frontier between Russia and the 
 empire of China. The line has, however, long since 
 ceased to mark any difference ; the overflow of Rus- 
 sians has extended the Czar's dominion far beyond 
 its shores. The Angara river leaves the lake in 
 foaming waves, and the road to Irkutsk runs along 
 its shores nearly all the way. At the spot where the 
 Angara comes out of the lake some tall, pointed 
 rocks rise suddenly from the level plain ; they are 
 known as the Shaman rocks. Behind them the 
 broad surface of the lake stretches out its dark 
 water as far as the Amur Daya, with its perpetual. 
 
232 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 snow. The Shaman rocks are religiously revered by 
 the natives, and the Russians, naturally inclined to 
 be superstitious, share the feeling of the Siberians for 
 these dismal rocks. A legend, current in that 
 region, says that Christ, in a visit to these distant 
 parts of Asia, had ascended the largest of these rocky 
 points, and, after blessing the west, had stretched out 
 his hands toward the north, saying : " Yonder there 
 is nothing more ! " 
 
 Numerous islands give a certain life to the enor- 
 mous lake. The largest is called Orka. A few 
 versts beyond them a group of similar gray rocks 
 rise ; in summer they are inaccessible ; the waves of 
 the lake break against them, making a tremendous 
 surf, so that even the lightest of boats cannot 
 approach the steep shore. The dark and dismal 
 rocks look like guardians watching over the lake. 
 In winter, however, the outlook is very different. 
 The dark, restless waters of the lake freeze and form 
 dark blue, white or green crystals of the strangest 
 forms. At a distance one might imagine a battle- 
 field or a graveyard in which thousands of bodies 
 had been interred in terrible disorder. 
 
 Light sleighs cross the lake in winter in all 
 directions. The ice, 10 or 12 feet thick, could bear 
 a whole army, with its heavy artillery. But the new- 
 comer, when he first steps on the vast frozen surface, 
 is sure to be taken aback by the very curious sounds 
 which the lake emits, sounding now like the sweet 
 notes of a hunting horn and now like the subdued 
 sighs of a giant. From time to time the whole vast 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 233 
 
 surface begins to shake or tremble as if the lake 
 wanted to shake off the heavy burden and see the 
 sweet light of the sun once more. 
 
 The largest of the rocks which surround the island 
 of Orka is triangular and stands out slightly before 
 the others. The rock has no name, but a kind of 
 cave in it is known all over Siberia as the Shaman's 
 valley. On the black sides of the rock the white 
 foam of the waves is frozen instantly, the pointed 
 peaks look like so many sentinels guarding the en- 
 trance. 
 
 It was night. The huge blocks of ice were glow- 
 ing like gigantic diamonds and reflected a faint light 
 upon the frozen surface of the lake.' It was cold to 
 bursting, as they say in Siberia. 
 
 A sleigh with three reindeer came up quickly. 
 The reindeer seemed to know the way ; they turned 
 to the right and to the left within these enormous 
 blocks of ice without pausing an instant. Two men 
 in furs sat in the sleigh. They did not speak, for 
 that is impossible for people who drive fast in such 
 fearful cold. A sharp wind whistles ominously. All 
 around reindeer became visible. Evidently men 
 were present nearby. The sleigh stopped at the 
 entrance to the Shaman's cave. The men jumped 
 out and the reindeer lay down in the snow to rest. 
 
 The newcomers walked a few steps and found 
 themselves in the Shaman's cave. Stalactites of all 
 shapes and colors hung from the ceiling. Torches 
 illumined the cave, and their Ifght was reflected from 
 the ice crystals in all the hues of the rainbow. 
 
234 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 Twenty exiles had met here to consult. Each one 
 had a fur robe in addition to his ordinary costume. 
 It was so warm inside the cave that the new arrivals 
 laid aside the masks which they had worn as a pro- 
 tection against the excessive cold. 
 
 " What? Without any precautionary measures? " 
 asked Vladimir. " You have no sentinels ? I am 
 admitted as I am, without any oath or question." 
 
 " The vast extent of the cave and the prevailing 
 superstition protect us against any danger. No 
 Siberian, unless it be a half-mad hunter, would dare 
 approach these rocks at night. The agents of the 
 Government care not to come out in such weather. 
 But we have "sentinels : First, the reindeer, who 
 would make a noise like seals if a stranger were to 
 approach, and these two friendly Tunguses, who 
 warrant our safety. You are not yet accustomed to 
 this life in the desert, and have heard nothing yet, I 
 suppose ? " 
 
 " Not the least." 
 
 " Well, our arrival has been announced. I am at 
 home here. When you desired to join us the matter 
 was referred to me, because I am the head of all the 
 exiles in Irkutsk. I was security for you. Our 
 brethren knew that I was going to bring a stranger." 
 
 " But this is a complete organization. How could 
 you accomplish all this under the eyes of the author- 
 ities ? " 
 
 " All that we owe to one man ! Formerly we com- 
 plained, endured, and gave ourselves up to despair. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 235 
 
 That man came and soon understood how to inspire 
 our hearts with hope and our minds with courage." 
 
 « And who is that ? " 
 
 " One moment and you shall know him. He is 
 not here yet, but he will come soon, because he knows 
 we have a new member and generally he receives 
 such himself. You will notice that of the 20 -mem- 
 bers present not one comes near me or speaks to me. 
 That is one of our rules." 
 
 Indeed the newcomers were left standing quite 
 alone in the cave, while farther in a small number of 
 conspirators stood in silence, their hoods drawn over 
 their faces. 
 
 " I admire your discipline," said Vladimir. " He 
 must be an exceptional man who is at the head of 
 this society." 
 
 " It is an old custom now for the exiles of a district 
 to choose a head whom the Government acknowl- 
 edges as such. He is to mediate between the latter 
 and ourselves, but in fact this title is an empty form ; 
 our demands, our complaints never produce a result. 
 We are not even allowed to make our complaints 
 known to an inspector or other official. You, Count," 
 he added with some bitterness in his tone. "You 
 have enjoyed certain privileges, we are told, and have 
 not yet fathomed the depth of our sufferings. The 
 exile has no rights whatsoever, not even that of com- 
 plaining ! " > 
 
 " But that is terrible ! " 
 
 " And yet it is true. The Czar is just, but his 
 ministers are strict. The upper officials are usually 
 
236 THE ACE OP CLtTBS. 
 
 hard of heart, but the subordinates — they are mon- 
 sters ! " 
 
 " They say the Czar is just ! " 
 
 " No doubt, but the Czar has no idea of our fate. 
 He wants only to get rid of us, he no doubt thinks 
 we are pretty well off here and have little or nothing 
 to suffer. As I told you, we are permitted to choose 
 a chief, so that even among us the idea of rank and 
 authority may be preserved. Last year our chief was 
 old Count F., a man who was completely crushed by 
 his niisftjrtunes and had lost his courage. He dared 
 not say a word. He lived in a suburb of Irkutsk, a 
 village to which I was likewise consigned. Our 
 inspector was an old army officer, who was entirely 
 dependent on his wife, when he was not drunk. This 
 man is now captain of gendarmes in the city." 
 
 " I know him," said Lanin. « What else ? " 
 
 " At that time there came a new exile to us, a man 
 of rare energy and superior intellect, who was sent 
 here on account of his share in a great conspiracy, 
 together with 11 others. He never spoke of this con- 
 spiracy ; he was melancholy and reserved. After a 
 while we learnt to appreciate his rare merit; he 
 managed to help everybody and soon won favor with 
 all of us. Several weeks after his arrival this hap- 
 pened: The inspector's wife had a grudge against a 
 young man of high rank who was sent to Siberia 
 because he had wiatten some verses against one of 
 the ministers. One day we missed him — and the 
 next day we found his corpse. The inspector, drunk 
 and urged on by his wife, had ordered him to receive 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 237 
 
 500 blows. The poor man bad been unable to bear 
 the punishment and had died. A few days later the 
 governor came to that district. In consequence of a 
 happy event in the emperor's family, a partial 
 amnesty had been proclaimed, which included the 
 young poet. We were beside ourselves and all of us 
 urged Count F. to report the simple facts. He dared 
 not say a word. We all knew the benevolent nature 
 of the governor and yet the letter of the law did not 
 allow us to open our lips. Then this man, of whom 
 I spoke, the chief of the unknown conspiracy, step- 
 ped forth from the ranks of the exiles drawn up 
 before the governor and approached the latter. The 
 inspector was just stating that the young poet was 
 no longer alive. Our comrade interrupted him and 
 related what had actually happened. We listened in 
 amazement. His language sounded superhuman. It 
 was full of deep emotion, sorrow and threats. The 
 inspector was in a terrible fury, but the governor 
 allowed the speaker to conclude his narrative. When 
 our comrade had spoken a quarter of an hour, he 
 ended by saying : ' I have done. His majesty the 
 Emperor decides that we have deserved death. We 
 give up our lives, but we demand to be judged. 
 Here, however, is no judgment, but murder ! In the 
 name of all of us I venture to beg your Excellency 
 to let justice proceed against the murderer ! ' That 
 was certainly more than courage, that was high dar- 
 ing. The governor made no reply, but went, frown- 
 ing, into the inspector's house. That same evening 
 
238 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 the officer was retired, but we lost also our comrade, 
 who was sent to another district." 
 
 " That man retired ? Why, is he not captain of 
 gendarmes in Irkutsk ? " 
 
 " Those people are like cats and always fall upon 
 their feet. We have another governor now, who 
 does not know the past of this scoundrel. But I 
 must end my story. Just at that time the Count F. 
 died. The superiority of the new exile, of whom I 
 spoke, had in the meantime become generally known 
 and after six months he was chosen to succeed poor 
 Count F. The past project " 
 
 At this moment they noticed two men who entered 
 the cave. One of them was Jenar-Kus, the other his 
 European companion. When the latter came in, he 
 threw back his hood, and by the light of the torches 
 his manly, strongly marked features became visible. 
 
 " Miller ! " exclaimed Vladimir. 
 
 The huntsman trembled. 
 
 " Vladimir ! " he groaned, indistinctly. 
 
 At the same time he raised his hand and turning 
 to the assembled exiles, he said : 
 
 " Withdraw ! all of you ! Leave me a moment alone 
 with this man ! " 
 
 The gesture with his hand was so peremptory, and 
 the tone of his voice so commanding, that the exiles 
 silently withdrew. Wrath, contempt, surprise, all 
 filled Vladimir's soul at once and nearly robbed him 
 of his presence of mind. There they stood, the 
 former friends in this cave of ice, illumined by the 
 lurid light of torches, which cast a flickering sheen 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 239 
 
 on Vladimir's pale face and on Miller's, who looked 
 still paler. 
 
 The man from Courland bent his knee, and slowly, 
 imploringly said, " Forgive ! " 
 
 Vladimir could not answer. 
 
 " I may not ask for pardon," Miller continued 
 " and you may not grant it. I do not beseech you — 
 on my knees — now to pardon me, but only to listen 
 to me. You may kill me if you choose ! " 
 
 Lanin shook his head and answered in a voice full 
 of the most consummate contempt: 
 
 "No, I shall not kill you. Speak! I am almost 
 anxious to know what you can say to excuse your- 
 self." 
 
 " I do not mean to excuse myself," said Miller, ris- 
 ing. " My guilt is so great that I shall find no 
 excuse even when I stand before the Supreme 
 .Judge." 
 
 " What, then, do you want of me ? " 
 
 " I want you to pardon those ! The matter stood 
 thus: I was dying from starvation and despair. 
 Schelm temped me by promising me life and fortune. 
 He wanted to buy me and make me his tool. I 
 struggled long and hard. I was in the midst of the 
 conspiracy, before I had made up my mind. Then 
 came the intoxication of success ! I saw the project 
 succeed beyond all expectation. I no longer knew 
 good or evil. I saw only one thing, the end ! I 
 worked hard for two months, day and night. I came 
 finally to the conviction that I had no longer any 
 choice. Schelm held me in his power. I was his 
 
240 THE ACE OP CLXJBS. 
 
 tool before I knew it. I became his agent provoca- 
 teur, as he had wanted me to be from the beginning. 
 I stooped so low! I then forgot everything, honor, 
 God, the whole world ! At last I triumphed — I, sur- 
 rounded by men of mediocre capacity. I their head 
 and master ! At once I commanded them all. Good 
 fortune intoxicated me. I advanced blindly. I was 
 proud of my work, and in an attack of insanity I 
 even forgot that I was committing a crime ! " 
 
 Vladimir shuddered. Miller had become terribly 
 excited. His thundering voice resounded from the 
 walls of the cave. Lanin's gentle temper shrank 
 from the wild tale. 
 
 " You terrify me, Miller," he said. " In the place 
 of contempt and bitterness which I at first felt I now 
 tremble." 
 
 A glow of self-consciousness flashed over Miller's 
 face, but vanished at once. " It is true I betrayed 
 you," he continued. " I had become a worthless, 
 contemptible creature. At that time I was so exult- 
 ant in my triumph that I would have answered you 
 had you complained. But you must confess the 
 intrigue was beautifully carried out. Later, how- 
 ever, when I was alone with my conscience, I suf- 
 fered agony. The sighing of the Neva, the waves 
 of which broke against my prison walls, sounded to 
 me like your voice. My cell adjoined yours, and I 
 fancied I ever heard your voice. When the wind 
 arose in the Siberian steppes, it seemed to bring me 
 the sound of your sorrow ; when I saw a woman at 
 a distance, I saw your wife ! All my conscientious 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 241 
 
 sufferings were concentrated in you. I forgot all the 
 others whom I had sent to Siberia and thought only 
 of you, my friend, my benefactor, my helper in the 
 hour of need, whom I had sold in this vile way. 
 Then, a third time, the desire seized me to carry out 
 a great work. I wanted to make amends for my 
 crime, bring your innocence to light, restore your 
 honor — who are you ? Persecuted innocence, and on 
 that account neither dangerous nor altogether a "vic- 
 tim of despair. I, on the contrary, I am a criminal 
 who repents his crime, a man who has stooped to the 
 lowest, meanest act. To-day my one aim is to have 
 revenge and to make amends for the evil I have done. 
 I feel the strength in me to move mountains. I shall 
 devote all my zeal, all my energy and perseverance — 
 and they are great — -to you ! " 
 
 Vladimir was amazed. This man- who had cheated 
 him out of his life now no longer appeared to him so 
 vulgar, so contemptible, but rather terrible, and 
 great in the infamy which he had heaped upon him- 
 self. In his heart he pitied this powerful nature 
 which had not found a favorable sphere in which to 
 act and to exert itself. He replied : 
 
 " Believe me. Miller, I have often thought of you 
 in sleepless nights or in summer when I was hard at 
 work. The feeling of revenge glowed in my heart. 
 But you know how little I love to indulge such sen- 
 timents. Only yesterday I was perfectly happy here 
 since my wife shares my exile." 
 
 " What ! The countess is here ? I was not mis- 
 led then by my apprehensions ? " 
 16 
 
242 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Yes, she lives in Irkutsk. I was happy, quiet and, 
 MS I thought, forgotten by my pursuers. I had 
 forgotten you ! I had almost forgotten Schelm. But 
 there came letters from Petersburg showing that 
 there I was not forgotten. The victim had been 
 ready to forgive, but the executioner could not for- 
 get that he had not done all the evil he meant to do. 
 This made me rebellious, and I came here." 
 
 " Schelm ! Who is Schlem ? Vermin, that I 
 shall Qrush with others. No ! I do not war against 
 Schelm ! I mean to reform the whole of our society, 
 which murders the weak and protects the great, 
 where might ever rules over right, and where a man 
 like myself must become a spy or a robber ! I mean 
 to conquer a realm of my own, in Europe or in China, 
 what care I ? There is no lack of space here — then 
 when I am great and powerful, I shall return to my 
 country and raise there the banner of justice ! Per- 
 haps I shall then become a good man. But, in order 
 to be able to act freely, I must, first of all, banish 
 your face, which now rises before my eyes every 
 night and reproaches me bitterly. You must ; yes, 
 Vladimir, you must forgive, forget and pardon me ! " 
 
 And a second time he fell on his knees before his 
 former friend. 
 
 " Forgive me, Vladimir. Give me your hand that 
 I may kiss it, and do not look at me so pitilessly I " 
 
 " I have long since forgiven you, and finding you 
 now here, at a place where I myself seek support, I 
 am not able to hate you." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 243 
 
 " Do you — will you believe that I have told these 
 people how I have once been a spy and a traitor ? " 
 
 " Did you tell them that? " 
 
 " Everything. Was it hot better to confess all at 
 once than afterwards to be discovered by one of 
 those whom I have sent here ? I told them I had 
 betrayed my best friend. The boldness and the can- 
 dor of my confession perhaps but strengthened my 
 influence and my power over them. Now, Vladi- 
 mir, I have laid open to you my innermost heart. 
 Are you still disposed to pardon me ? " 
 
 " I pity you and at the same time I fear you, but I 
 do not cherish one thought of hatred against you. 
 Here is my hand ! " 
 
 Now Miller rose quickly and called with a loud 
 voice : 
 
 " Come here, comrades ! " 
 
 He towered with his gigantic stature high above 
 the count, on whose arm he was leaning ; he might 
 have looked like the protector of this small, youth- 
 ful man. The cave was nearly filled by the con- 
 spirators. Miller spoke : 
 
 " This is the man whom I have betrayed ! My 
 blood, my life belongs to him henceforth. You have 
 sworn to be obedient to me unto death. In the face 
 of God and of freedom I swear that I devote the rest 
 of my life to his service ! BrethreUj this man must 
 be a hundred times dearer to you than I myself. 
 Swear that you will defend him to the last drop of 
 your blood ; that you will surround and protect him 
 at the first call ; that you, pursued and banished, 
 
244 THE ACE OP CLXJBS. 
 
 nevertheless will be the guardian angels of this exile, 
 who from this day ceases to be one ! " 
 
 Deeply moved, Lanin embraced his friend. 
 
 "We swear," cried all with one voice. Miller 
 saw the prince of the Tunguses in the centre of the 
 conspirators. 
 
 "I owe this man a debt of blood," he said to him, 
 pointing to Lanin. " Brother Jenar, I ask you, pro- 
 tect Count Vladimir Lanin." 
 
 The Tunguse bowed reverently. 
 
 " If need be, brother, Jenar-Kus will pay your 
 debt of blood ! " 
 
 Then a circle was formed and a protracted council 
 was held in the cave. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Morning began shortly to dawn, and the laud- 
 scape, though still veiled in a white mist, grew 
 lighter and lighter. 
 
 The frozen bed of the Angara looked like a second 
 high road by the side of the great post road. Down 
 on the wide bed of the river the narta of Jenar-Kus 
 was flying toward Irkutsk. All around still asleep, 
 the narta alone, like an evil spirit fleeing before the 
 light of day, was an exception. 
 
 The prince of the Tunguses had given Vladimir 
 his swift-footed dogs and sleigh. In the narta sat 
 Miller at his side. The white walls of the city were 
 already visible in the distance when Miller, who did 
 not seem to feel the cold in the least, continued : 
 
 " It is certainly most fortunate that you have 
 
THE AOB OF CLUBS. 245 
 
 joined us. We had an organization and men, but 
 we lacked till now both money and arms. Now you 
 will furnish both. This will help us greatly. The 
 countess arid her friends will enable us to purchase 
 arras. As the merchants are permitted to s'ell car- 
 bines to the Tartars in the Chinese empire, Jenar-Kus 
 can be our agent. Now I feel our strength ! You 
 cannot imagine what a hundred resolute men can do 
 in these' vast deserts, where the Czar can hardly 
 raise a thousand men in all." 
 
 " You speak of a hundred, but count only twenty ? " 
 
 " You have seen only a part of the conspirators. In 
 all the districts where exiles are living we have 
 branches. To-day we count a hundred ; to-morrow 
 there may be five hundred ! " 
 
 Vladimir interrupted him. 
 
 "Look here. Miller, I promise you every assist- 
 ance to enable you to flee from here. I am ready 
 with my wife to accompany you as far as the Siber- 
 ian frontier. But, mind, you must not raise your 
 hand against the Czar or our mother country. Will 
 you promise ? " 
 
 Miller made no reply. They had just then passed 
 a snow-covered hill, which rose abriiptly from the 
 banks of the Angara. ^ Miller pointed it out to his 
 companion and said : 
 
 " Do you notice this Tartar tomb ? Here you 
 must come whenever you wish to see me. Every 
 night a man of the tribe of Jenar stands guard 
 here. This Tunguse knows where I may be found. 
 The mound is hollow inside, although the Eussians 
 
246 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 have not yet discovered this. Jenai-Kus, a descend- 
 ant of the former rulers of this country, told me so 
 on the day when we swore brotherly friendship and 
 sealed it with our blood. You need only go to the 
 east side of the hill and call Jenar's name three 
 times ; one of his men will, after a while, come out 
 from within and tell you what you may wish to 
 know." 
 
 " So near the city ? " asked Lanin, cautiously. 
 
 " This desert has many other mysteries yet 
 unknown to the conqueror. And this is my power. 
 During the two years that I have been living here I 
 have not ceased trying to find out these secrets, until 
 now I probably know this land of snow and ice as well 
 as those who were born here. Remember, whenever 
 you need me, hasten to this mound and 24 hours 
 later I shall be at your service. Every order of 
 yours will be fulfilled. From this hour Miller, the 
 traitor, is your slave. Never forget that, Vladimir ! " 
 
 They stopped under the walls of the city. 
 
 " Here my dominion ends," said Miller, checking 
 the fleet dogs. "Farewell, Vladimir. You are 
 almost in town." 
 
 They shook hands. Once more the count turned 
 round and said : 
 
 " My first care shall be now to purchase arms ; I 
 am told there is a merchant, Lateff, who mainly 
 furnishes arms to the Tartars." 
 
 " Yes ! But be cautious ! Remember, that an 
 exile is not permitted to buy arms! " 
 
 " Never mind ! My wife has an old friend, a Dr. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 247 
 
 Haas, who has accompanied her to this place. He 
 will not be suspected." 
 
 " Good ! But make chaste, for I burn with the 
 desire to be free once more ! " 
 
 They parted. As Miller drove off he once more 
 heard the warning words : 
 
 " Remember, Miller ! Nothing against the Czar 
 and holy Russia ! " 
 
 Miller did not seem to have heard these words, 
 which once before he had apparently disregarded, and 
 soon the narta had disappeared behind the mound. 
 Lanin went into the city. For two days Jana had 
 been anxiously expecting him. Now he told her 
 all. He spoke of his hopes, his meeting with Miller, 
 how he had forgiven him and had joined him in the 
 conspiracy. He had been afraid Jana would dis- 
 approve of this. All the more he rejoiced now, when 
 she said : 
 
 " A man such as Miller is does nothing by halves. 
 Betrayed by officials, he will never become a spy. 
 His very crime proves that he is honest now. You 
 must never be a traitor to your native land, but you 
 must and may try, by all means, to recover your 
 liberty." 
 
 Dr. Haas was summoned. His answer was calm 
 and dignified. 
 
 " Countess, I have devoted myself to your service, 
 and I am not a Russ. What you approve I am pre- 
 pared to approve, and what you order I shall try to 
 do. I am an old man, and my last sacrifices are 
 
248 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 made for you. Do not ask my opinion, therefore, 
 but simply command ! " 
 
 It was now decided that Dr. Haas should draw 
 from the Bank of Irkutsk enough of Jana's money 
 to purchase arms and then return with the count to 
 his hut in the village, in order to calm the governor, 
 and to take other precautionary measures. The day 
 after Dr. Haas was to open negotiations with Lateff 
 and buy 500 rifles, intended for a khan of the 
 Catchas, who had risen in rebellion against the 
 Chinese authorities. 
 
 Lanin and Dr. Haas bade Jana farewell and then 
 went to the bank, walking down the main street. The 
 town clock was striking 10. Almost at the same 
 time, when Count Lanin returned from Lake Baikal, 
 Popoff and his betrothed entered the offices of the 
 head of the gendarmes. Palkin was out, having 
 been ordered to appear before the governor. He had 
 directed his secretary, on leaving, to continue the 
 work begun the day before. Popoff wanted to have 
 one more long conversation with his betrothed, and 
 in order not to interrupt his work he had called Helen 
 in, and now was distributing several papers in her 
 presence. Palkin, when he left, had said he would 
 hardly be back before two hours, and Popoff, there- 
 fore, thought he would have time to explain his plans 
 to Helen. They had been conversing a good hour, 
 and Popoff had told his betrothed that on the follow- 
 ing Sunday he would have to meet the count, and in 
 speaking of the document against Schelm, which he 
 still had in his possession, he said : 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 249 
 
 " The less this paper meant at that time, the more 
 formidable it has since become. The receipt and 
 the forged signature prove beyond all doubt that I 
 was Schelm's accomplice. He never prosecuted me. 
 He only had me arrested as a dangerous man, not as 
 a man who had stolen money and forged a signature." 
 " But, Nicholas, how could you keep this paper?" 
 " That I'll tell you," he said, and his eyes glowed 
 in triumph ; " I used to carry this paper about me, 
 and it kept me anxious in the day and prevented my 
 sleeping at night. One night I dreamt I had lost it, 
 and I should be drowned in the Neva. I started 
 from my sleep bathed in perspiration, and next 
 morning I had a terrible toothache. This gave me a 
 mad idea. I went to Sebastopol, where I knew an 
 eminent American dentist. I got him to draw two 
 of my teeth, one perfectly healthy, the other slightly 
 diseased. Then I ordered a very small box of ivory 
 to be made, shaped outwardly exactly like the two 
 teeth. The paper of the copying book is excessively 
 thin ; I folded my precious paper very small, put it 
 into a diminutive bladder and then went back to my 
 dentist. I asked him if he could put the little box 
 back into my jaws, to look like the two missing 
 teeth. He thought me at first half mad, but when 
 I offered him 200 rubles he agreed to humor me. 
 Whenever now I think I am in danger I put in my 
 two teeth, and so far Providence has been merciful 
 to me, and my treasure has never been detected. I 
 confide my secret to you, my Helen, for the hour of 
 the conflict is approaching, and I know not what may 
 
250 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 be my fate. Remember, therefore, that I am in your 
 power, and not I only, but the fate also of the whole 
 family of our benefactor." 
 
 He had barely ended these words when he, acci- 
 dentally looking out of the window, saw Palkin's 
 sleigh before the door, and the colonel with the cap- 
 tain of gendarmes getting out of it. 
 
 " What can that mean ? The colonel back so soon ! 
 Helen, get away as fast as you can and consult with 
 the countess Sunday in the twilight. I'll go out 
 to Krowa to see the count. Perhaps the countess 
 would be so kind as to be there at the same time. 
 Make haste, Helen, the colonel might be angry that 
 I let you in." 
 
 " It is too late. I must hide somewhere." 
 
 She pointed at the curtain of coarse linen which 
 hung in the corner of the room and screened piles of 
 papers. 
 
 " Are you mad ? " cried Nicholas. " Those are 
 the archives of the corps of gendarmes." 
 
 She smiled and insisted. It was high time. The 
 colonel's voice was heard quite near by. Helen ran 
 to the corner and hid behind the curtain. 
 
 " Even if he finds me, what can he do to me ? " 
 she whispered into Popofif's ear. He was terrified. 
 
 Popoff bent over his papers and gave himself the 
 air of being very busy. The door opened and the 
 two officers entered. 
 
 " Popoff, jump into my sleigh, drive to the prison, 
 get them to give you a list of all the prisoners and 
 bring it to me at once. It will not take much of 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 251 
 
 your time and you will have a chance of drawing a 
 breath of fresh air." 
 
 Popoff bowed, but could not rejoice, so great was 
 his fear for Helen, He remonstrated a moment, but 
 in vain ; he had to leave her. 
 
 " The fool thinks I show him so much considera- 
 tion from sheer goodness of heart ! Listen to me : I 
 can speak openly to you, for you are an excellent 
 oiBcer and know that he who wants promotion must 
 be supported by influential persons in high offices. 
 So far I have asked nothing of you, but now I shall 
 want you. Are you ready to comply with my 
 wishes ? " 
 
 " Most assuredly ; I know what influence you 
 wield ; you are the poor gendarme's only protector. 
 Order and I obey." 
 
 " Count Lanin must be arrested before Sunday; 
 I give you three days' time to do that ! " 
 
 The captain hesitated. 
 
 'f Colonel," he said, " I should be glad to do that, 
 for I can bear that fool as little as typhus or cholera, 
 but the governor favors him greatly." 
 
 " You are mistaken ! That was so yesterday — that 
 is not so to-day. He can no longer protect him. I 
 promise you nobody will henceforth have anything 
 to do with that man. I promise you, besides, to 
 assume the trhole responsibility. We love and we 
 hate people here, not as we like, but as we are 
 ordered from Petersburg. I rely upon it ; you must 
 arrest the count ! You can easily find a pretext. He , 
 
262 THE ACE OP CLTTBS. 
 
 is hardly ever at home ; you need only appear unex- 
 pectedly in Krowa ; the law is on your side ! " 
 
 The captain's eyes blazed at once. 
 
 " I shall go there from here. The matter is set- 
 tled ! " 
 
 " Well ! And once in jail, you have the house 
 watched, and let no one enter. Have a few men on 
 hand, moreover, in case I should need them." 
 
 " Very well, Colonel I " 
 
 " I rely on you, and now you can go, but come to- 
 morrow and report ! " 
 
 The gendarme left, and the colonel walked up and 
 down in the room, meditating on the blackest plans. 
 Like all men, who pursue their thoughts energeti- 
 cally, he spoke to himself aloud : 
 
 " I must get that paper from Popoff, by cunning 
 or by force, if I should have to kill him ! Schelm can 
 no longer be dangerous to me ; he will have reason 
 to fear me. We shall both of us make a brilliant 
 career. I do not hate him. I only want to prevent 
 him from injuring me. Let him take Lanin. What 
 do I care ? He was useful to me as a weapon so far. 
 If I find a better weapon, what do I care for him ? 
 I'll give Schelm the husband ; he'll give me the wife 
 as my reward, and all is well ! " 
 
 Palkin, having just returned from the governor, 
 was still in full uniform. He went into his chamber 
 to relieve himself of his sword and heavy boots. No 
 sooner had he disappeared than Helen's pale face 
 peeped from behind the linen curtain. She looked 
 around, and, seeing nobody, she slowly opened the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 253 
 
 dooE- to the salon. Here also nobody. She had 
 come to see her betrothed often enough to know the 
 house. She slipped down the stairs to Popoff's 
 room. Alas, it was empty ! 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Not 10 minutes had elapsed since Lanin and Dr. 
 Haas had left Jaaa, when Helen rushed in, pale with 
 excitement, to tell her all she had heard. 
 
 " I hardly know how I escaped. I waited a whole 
 hour for Nicholas, but he did not return. I asked 
 one of the gendarmes who generally are very kind 
 to me, to call the secretary out. ' Ah, here you are, 
 you nice little damsel ! ' he shouted at me. ' Clear 
 out from here, and never show yourself again in this 
 house ! We have all of us gotten such a scolding on 
 your account ! Here comes your betrothed, and quite 
 unnecessarily tells the colonel that you have been 
 here. Is that the way you reward our goodness ? ' 
 And thus he talked on, till he shut the door and bade 
 me go instantly ! Oh, Countess, save the count ; for 
 God's sake, save Nicholas I " 
 
 Jana was terrified, but not specially surprised. 
 Since that scene in the coach she had never again 
 fully trusted Palkin, in spite of all his assurances of 
 boundless devotion. She had, however, kept silence, 
 hoping thus to keep him from injuring her or her 
 husband hereafter. Now she quietly rose and said 
 to Helen : 
 
 " I shall at once go to the governor. So just a man 
 will surely not deny us his support. Do you, in the 
 
254 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 meantime, go into town ; you will surely meet my 
 husband and Dr. Haas. Tell them all, and beg them at 
 once to come here. You will easily find the doctor, 
 because everybody likes and honors him for the good 
 he has already done." 
 
 Helen could not recover ; she was still trembling 
 all over with excitement and fear. Jana tried to 
 calm and to encourage her, and did not leave her till 
 she had at least partially succeeded. Then both 
 these good and noble women left the house. 
 
 Irkutsk has, like most large Russian cities, a main 
 street, which consists of splendid, symmetrically 
 built palaces. From this street smaller ones branch 
 off with poor log-houses, and then follow mudholes 
 and so-called suburbs. Every great town, however, 
 has at least one square built after European models. 
 
 The main street of Irkutsk crossed the street in 
 which Jana lived, and which at the corner especially 
 looked very much like the main street. Seven 
 superb mansions rose on both sides. They were of 
 massive structure, had several stories, and possessed 
 real architectural merits. At the house of the 
 countess the symmetry ceased. After it followed 
 only poor, smoke-blackened huts, and the end of the 
 street encountered a hill utterly uninhabited. 
 
 The house which immediately adjoined Jana's 
 dwelling, although looking very insignificant and 
 even poverty-stricken, was in reality not so badly 
 arranged. It was a one-story log-house, surrounded 
 by a small garden. Here lived the captain of gen- 
 darmes. Jana did not know this. Her servants 
 
THE ACE OF CLITBS. 255 
 
 Were all aware of the fact, but they did not know of 
 the ill-feeling that existed between the two families. 
 
 Helen, when she left J ana's house, looked all 
 around, to see if she could perceive any trace of the 
 count or of Dr. Haas. She saw in the door of the 
 captain's house a woman standing who was idly gaz- 
 ing at the passers-by. Helen approached her and 
 asked : 
 
 "Pardon me, dear neighbor, but you probably 
 know Count Lanin and Dr. Haas? " 
 
 " Very well," replied the woman, looking eagerly 
 at the girl, who noticed nothing, occupied as she was 
 with her great grief. 
 
 " Did you notice in what direction they went? " 
 
 The woman became more attentive as she perceived 
 Helen's anxiety. 
 
 " I have seen no one, as I have but just come out. 
 But my husband has been standing a whole hour at 
 the door, smoking his pipe, and has but just gone in. 
 Step in a moment, my child ! " 
 
 Helen accepted the invitation. When the two 
 women were in the front room the kind neighbor sud- 
 denly turned to Helen, asking : 
 
 "Why do you want to know that?" 
 
 Helen drew back a step. 
 
 " I am the captain's wife, and your conduct makes 
 me very suspicious. Answer me candidly. Why do 
 you want to know where the two men are ?" 
 
 Helen tried again to get to the door, but Carjaline 
 prevented her. She remained standing on the 
 threshold, laughing loud and cruelly. She said : 
 
256 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 . " You shall not get away from here till my hus- 
 band returns ; he has jiist gone out on business about 
 your master ! " 
 
 " But that is vulgarity," cried Helen. "I am in a 
 great hurry ! " 
 
 " Ha, ha ! " laughed Caroline. " Just wait, child, 
 and amuse yourself as you can." 
 
 In an instant she had slipped out, closed the door 
 behind her, drew the key out of the lock and left 
 Helen imprisoned. 
 
 In the meantime Jana had driven to the governor's 
 palace and asked for an audience. The governor sent 
 an excuse ; he could not possibly receive her. Jana 
 begged and implored — ^in vain. She next hurried to 
 all the upper officials who had been kind to her. No 
 one received her. Two hours she had wasted thus, 
 and now returned in great anguish and utterly ex- 
 hausted. Lina told her that Dr. Haas had been 
 waiting for some time. 
 
 " Your husband has been arrested," he told Jana 
 as soon as she entered. "The persecution begins 
 anew. After I had gotten the money from the bank 
 I accompanied the count to his dwelling. "We found 
 a gendarme there quite at home. He took no excuse. 
 The count had been caught away from his house. 
 The soldier, of course, acted under orders. It was 
 lucky I had the money, or matters might have been 
 much worse." 
 
 Conflict had a different effect on Jana from the 
 general effect ; it roused her energies and inspired 
 her instead of casting her down. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 257 
 
 "We have nothing more to hope from the author- 
 ities. If law and order forsake us we must seek help 
 with the rebels — what else can we do ? Doctor, pro- 
 cure me a man's costume ! I shall go to-night to the 
 Tartar mound. My husband cannot invoke Miller's 
 assistance from his prison — it is my duty to do it for 
 him ! " 
 
 " Oh, Countess, how can you ? You alone ! . At 
 night ! Consider to what danger you expose your- 
 self!" 
 
 " Do not prevent me, Doctor ; .1 must do it." 
 
 " Let me go in your place." 
 
 "Miller does not know you. You would make no 
 impression upon him, while I personify, to his mind, 
 his conscience ! He must obey me ! " 
 
 " No one can resist you. Countess ! But at least do 
 not forbid me going with you. I shall accompany 
 you to the mound ! " 
 
 She held out her hand and said simply, " I thank 
 you ! " 
 
 The nights at the North, where all life ceases and 
 every noise is silenced, are infinitely more impressive 
 and grander than those of more southern countries. 
 As soon as the vast plains of Siberia are overshad- 
 owefT, you hear your own breathing ; you notice 
 your heart's pulsation ; you count the echo of your 
 footsteps on the hard snow ; the ear is susceptible of 
 perceiving the faintest noise. 
 
 The whole Tartar mound trembled when Jana, at 
 10 o'clock at night, three times repeated the magic 
 name : 
 
 17 
 
258 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Jenar ! Jeiiar ! Jenar ! " 
 
 The name came back echoed from the hills and the 
 mountains, from the valleys and the frozen waters of 
 the Angara, like three shots fired from a mortar. 
 Then all was still as before. 
 
 Jana appeared in the full costume of a colonist. 
 By her side stood the faithful doctor. Both had 
 found no difficulty in leaving the city, because neither 
 of them was subject to the strict laws by which the 
 exiles were bound. 
 
 They did not know how long a time might have 
 passed, when suddenly steps became audible on the 
 snow, and like a spirit of the grave the dark form of 
 a Tunguse became visible on the white background. 
 He bowed to the countess as if waiting for orders. 
 
 " My friend," she said in Russian, " I stand in 
 need of Miller's assistance. I am the Countess 
 Lanin." 
 
 The Siberian looked at her in amazement, but did 
 not say a word. 
 
 " You surely know where he is ? I must see him 
 and speak with him as soon as possible." 
 
 The young native made a sign with his hand, that 
 he did not understand a word. 
 
 " You do not understand me ? " asked poor Jana. 
 
 He repeated the same unmistakable sign. 
 
 She tried once more to make herself understood, 
 repeating very slowly all she had said. In vain ! 
 The poor woman sank, overwhelmed, on her knees. 
 
 " Oh, God, enlighten me that I may know what to 
 do ! Must we perish thus ? " 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 259 
 
 Haas now walked up to the native, and touching 
 his arm, he said : " Jenar ! " The Siberian repeated 
 the name. Then the doctor sat down on the snow 
 and tried to slide down the hill. The Tunguse 
 laughed joyfully and disappear^ in a crevice of 
 the rocks. 
 
 " He will take me to his leader. If that man does 
 speak Russian he will at least know Miller." 
 
 " Oh, Doctor, certainly Providence has sent you to 
 me. Return now to town ; I'll go with this man." 
 
 " No, Countess, you cannot do that ; I demand it 
 in my quality as your protector ! I am responsible 
 to the count for your safety. Believe me, besides, 
 the count might not like your going with this man ! 
 You are a lady, and have to think of that ! " 
 
 Jana at last understood the doctor, and gave him 
 her hand, saying : 
 
 " You are right, Doctor. Go, then, with God ! If 
 prayers and threats fail, use money ; use it lavishly. 
 I leave 'the fate of my husband in your hands. I 
 shajl do, on my part, what I can. We have hardly 
 48 hours before us ; let us make good use of them." 
 
 The Siberian appeared as suddenly as before, but 
 now with a smart sleigh and reindeers. Haas took 
 leave of Jana, sat down by the Tunguse, and whisp- 
 ered once more the magic word, "Jenar." 
 
 The Siberian looked assent and whistled fiercely. 
 The reindeer flew down the slope to the river bed, 
 and then galloped along on the smooth ice as upon a 
 level road. 
 
 Jana remained standing still, almost lifeless, fol- 
 
260 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 lowing the quickly vanishing sleigh as long a^ her 
 eyes could discern the faint outlines. Then she 
 knelt down on the snow and sent a fervent prayer to 
 God's throne on high in behalf of Vladimir and the 
 doctor. After having crossed herself she rose and 
 returned to Irkutsk. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 In Vladimir's hut the twilight had long changed 
 into night. More than a quarter of an hour Nicho- 
 las Popoff had waited for the count, according to his 
 promise, paying no attention to the increasing dark- 
 ness. At first he wondered why Lauin had not ap- 
 peared, because he had charged Helen very specially 
 to mention the hour at which he would be there. He 
 had obtained two hours' leave and no more, and 
 knew perfectly how dangerous this step might become 
 for him and for Palkin himself. 
 
 " Oh ! these women ! " he thought to himself. 
 
 "No doubt Helen has blundered. I ought to have 
 done it myself. Why, it is perfectly dark ! " 
 
 Nicholas rose, looked for a piece of light wood, 
 kindled it -with the aid of a match, and put it into a 
 beam. Thus the smoking, flittering light illumined 
 the hut at least after a fashion. No other light is 
 known in the Siberian villages. 
 
 " Why does he not appear ? " Nicholas continued 
 his musings. " I have been waiting an hour now. 
 What can have happened to him ? " 
 
 He waited half an hour longer. As jjo one came, 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 261 
 
 he thought it high time to return home, so as to cause 
 no suspicion of his prolonged absence. 
 
 He went to the door, opened it, and started back 
 with a cry of surprise and horror. 
 
 Col Palkin was standing on the threshold, and 
 behind him he saw the forms of several men, who 
 were walking up and down. 
 
 " Colonel ! You here ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 Tlie colonel walked close up to him and pushed 
 him with his whole strength' back into the room. 
 
 " Are you surprised? " 
 
 " Where is the count ? What do you want 
 here ? " 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! The inquiry begins ! , Well, I can 
 give you an answer. I am here to take those docu- 
 ments which I need. Out with them ! The count 
 will never return here ! " 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Unnecessary curiosity! Out with those papers 
 or " 
 
 " That is treachery ! " 
 
 " Call it what you choose ! I have no time for 
 discussion. Hand me the papers ! " 
 
 Now Popoff saw clearly that he had been caught in 
 a trap, and that Palkin was his enemy. With the 
 strength of despair he seized the colonel by the 
 throat, crying : 
 
 " You shall at least pay for the others ! " 
 
 The colonel, however, a man of Herculean 
 strength, pushed the poor, weak man easily back, 
 
262 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 seized his hands and pressed them till his joints 
 cracked and he sank down on the floor. 
 
 " Here ! People ! Here ! " 
 
 In a moment two gendarmes had seized Popoff, 
 who was crying for help with all his might, hoping 
 to attract the attention of neighbors or passers-by, 
 and bound him with ropes. 
 
 " Now search him accurately ! This time nothing 
 shall escape me ! " 
 
 Nicholas, however, when thus confronting immi- 
 nent danger, had recovered his presence of mind, and 
 a scornful smile even plaj'^ed on his lips. The gen- 
 darmes began to search him, He was stripped of his 
 clothing : pockets, boots, even his hair was thor- 
 oughly searched. Nothing was found but a tobacco- 
 bag and a penknife. Palkin was foaming with rage. 
 
 "You think, perhaps, you will cheat me once 
 more ! Well, we'll see. All has not been tried yet. 
 And if I have to kill you I must have those papers. 
 Speak, where are they hid ? " 
 
 Nicholas silently shrugged his shoulders. This 
 gesture made the colonel furious. 
 
 " Tie him to that bench and fetch a nagaika ! " 
 
 Nicholas turned deadly pale. The nagaika is a 
 knout, a strap of leather with two knots, the end of 
 which is forked, like the tongue of g, serpent. After 
 a hundred blows the flesh is generally gone from the 
 bones, and no man is able to bear five hundred 
 blows. 
 
 Nicholas was tied to the bench, and they only 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 263 
 
 waited for the man who had been sent for the knout, 
 which was kept at the inspector's house. 
 
 " Obey me ! " said Palkin to Popoff. " You have 
 a moment's time yet to consider. Don't be obsti- 
 nate ! Tell me your secret." 
 
 " You may murder me, wretched hangman," replied 
 Popoff; "but you shall never learn my secret. I'd 
 rather bite off my tongue, you wretched spj^ and 
 traitor ! I shall yet live to see you overthrown." 
 
 Palkin laughed cruelly and sat down, facing the 
 bench. The nagaika was brought in. 
 
 "Well! Now begin and strike slowly, so he may 
 have time to reflect and give me the answer I want." 
 
 The knout whizzed through the air and fell upon 
 the bare back of the wretched victim. Instantly a 
 dark blue mark appeared, and Popoff uttered a heart- 
 rending cry. He bit into the wood of the bench and 
 did not complain further. 
 
 After the twentieth stroke the blood poured forth 
 in streams, and large fragments of flesh were torn off. 
 The pain was too fearful. Nicholas let go the bench 
 in which his teeth had made deep indentations and 
 began to cry madly. Palkin was calmly smoking his 
 cigar. 
 
 "At last!" he exclaimed. "Have you opened 
 your mouth at last ? Perhaps you will now be kind 
 enough to answer?" 
 
 With a gesture of the hand he ordered the gen- 
 darme to stop. The fellow coldly wiped the leather 
 strap with his fingers. Pieces of flesh came off, 
 
264 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 which he coolly threw aside. Popoff's throat rattled 
 like that of a dying man. 
 
 " Where is the paper I want," asked the colonel. 
 Nicholas turned his face to the cruel man, and in his 
 bloody, tearful eyes invincible resoluteness still spoke 
 clearly. 
 
 " You shall get nothing from me, cursed hangman," 
 he replied. 
 
 " Well, let us see ! " 
 
 And down came the nagaika again. The torture 
 was all the more cruel, as it had been interrupted. 
 At the first blow Popoff uttered a perfectly fearful 
 heartrending cry. Palkin laughed. At each blow 
 Popoff's cries became less violent, his trembling less 
 perceptible. At last he hardly breathed. Palkin 
 thought the gendarme was tired. 
 
 " Strike better ! " he ordered, " or you share 
 Popoff's fate r " 
 
 The gendarme struck with all his force. He struck 
 the backbone. Popoff uttered such a terrific cry 
 that the soldier himself was terrified. 
 
 " Will you answer now ? " 
 
 " Never ! " breathed Nicholas, who was dying. 
 
 " Strike ! strike ! I say ! " shouted Palkin. " Below, 
 at his legs and feet ! Make him feel the nagaika ! " 
 
 At this moment the door opened and Dr. Haas 
 entered. He slowly walked up to Palkin. 
 
 "Where does this man come from?" shouted the 
 colonel. " Who let him in ? Aha ! the doctor." 
 
 In the meantime the nagaika had regularly fallen 
 and risen. Nicholas gave no longer any sign of life. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 265 
 
 Haas went to the bench and put his hand on Popoff's 
 head. 
 
 " Enough of this torture ! " he said, in a tone of 
 command. " Your victim is dying ! " 
 
 " Go on ! strike hard ! " cried Palkin, furious at 
 the interruption. " I can talk to the doctor after- 
 wards." 
 
 The gendarme raised the knout, but at the moment 
 Haas snatched it from his hand and threw it aside. 
 
 " Enough ! " he exclaimed. " Why, the poor 
 unfortunate man is giving up the ghost ! " 
 
 Palkin approached the doctor and seized him by 
 the arm. Tired and disgusted with the punishment 
 he had been compelled to inflict, the executioner 
 looked in amazement at the man who dared defy 
 his colonel, and never thought of picking .up the 
 nagaika. 
 
 Haas quietly confronted the colonel. 
 
 "Do you know, Doctor, that you are guilty of 
 resisting the authority of the Government, and that 
 you may.have to pay dear for it ? How did you get 
 in ? Answer." 
 
 Haas disengaged himself calmly and said : 
 
 " Allow me first to assist the dying man." 
 
 " A man who is dying and yet takes his secret 
 with him into the grave, you mean. But do you 
 know what is awaiting you yourself, old quack ? " 
 
 Haas cast a cold look at him, and replied with 
 unaffected calmness : 
 
 "No one knows his fate. Allow me just now, 
 however, to assist this poor man." 
 
266 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 This calmness infuriated the colonel beyond con- 
 trol. 
 
 " He and you and your count, you are all of you 
 simply a band of traitors. You say he is dead. 
 Well, then you no doubt know his secret, and will 
 perhaps reveal it to me. Hallo, there ! untie that 
 dying man there and go to work on this mad fellow 
 in his place. That'll give us new pleasure. Ha ! 
 ha ! " he laughed wildly, " after all I shall attain my 
 end!" 
 
 Haas measured him with a look of contempt. 
 
 "You, insane man, threaten i me when you ought 
 to be very humble. Listen " 
 
 "Do you think I'll listen to your empty stuff? 
 Bind this old man. You are too tired," he said to 
 the man who had beaten Popofif, and called another 
 gendarme. " Now it is your turn." 
 
 The man was slow to obey the colonel. Haas 
 rose to his full height now and said : 
 
 " I do not like to take vengeance. As you, how- 
 ever, will not give up your intention, your wish shall 
 be fulfilled. . . Help!" he cried with a thunder- 
 ing voice. 
 
 Instantly a rattling noise was heard as if window- 
 panes were broken, and in the opening appeared two 
 rifles pointed at the colonel. At the same time the 
 door was burst open violently, and soon 30 exiles, 
 armed with clubs and swords, filled the room. Pal- 
 kin was at first confused, but soon recovered his 
 insolence. 
 
 " Here is the rebellion ! Aha ! We are only three 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 267 
 
 of US, but this unarmed rabble we shall soon master. 
 Come on, childreil ! We shall soon have assistance 
 sent from town ! " 
 
 The gendarmes ^obeyed, but they fell almost in- 
 stantly, being shot down by the two riflemen. The 
 exiles surrounded Palkin. Haas busied himself with 
 the dying man, as if the combat did not concern him 
 at all. 
 
 "You must take the colonel alive," ordered a 
 voice from the window. "If ten of you fall, you 
 must take him alive." 
 
 " We shall see that," replied the gendarme, un- 
 daunted. " You have not gotten me yet." 
 
 He fired a pistol twice into the thickest of his 
 assailants. Then he alone resisted the overwhelming 
 force of exiles. Gigantic as he was, he struck with 
 his sword right and left, and fought on, even after 
 he had been seriously injured by heavy clubs. He 
 tried to gain the door, wounding and killing who- 
 ever was in his way, and all the time shouting for 
 help. Blood was flowing in streams. 
 
 A certain mistrust seized upon the exiles. Eight 
 men had fallen under the blows of the colossal, rag- 
 ing soldier. Palkin had actually reached the door, 
 when all of a sudden, he lost his balance and fell to 
 the ground. A new enemy had appeared and struck 
 him down with one powerful blow. 
 
 The gendarme roared like a wild beast. 
 
 " At last I have you, vile vermin ! " exclaimed 
 Miller. It was he, who, watching the fight from the 
 window, had used a favorable moment to attack Pal- 
 
268 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 kin from behind. In a moment the colonel was dis- 
 armed and bound in spite of his violent resistance. 
 . Now Miller went to the window, and, taking off his 
 tolpak, he said : 
 
 " Countess, there is no danger now. You can 
 enter!" 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A FEARFUL scene it was that struck the eye in the 
 interior of the small hut. The bodies of the dead 
 gendarmes were lying under the bench on which 
 Popoff had been tortured. Dr. Haas had brought 
 his surgical instruments, and was exclusively occu- 
 pied in assisting the poor secretary, whose whole 
 body was one vast wound. The walls were spattered 
 over with blood and mud. Four of the exiles lay 
 lifeless on the floor, others were trying to staunch 
 the blood that was abundantly flowing from their 
 gaping wounds. The colonel was tied to the central 
 post, which in Siberia supports the ceiling. He 
 writhed like a snake and uttered fearful threats and 
 curses. 
 
 Miller stood facing him, his hair pushed back 
 from his forehead ; all around stood the exiles, and 
 the hut resounded with cries of revenge and of 
 triumph. The light wood was near extinction and 
 dispensed but an indistinct and flickering light. 
 Now and then the room was bloodily lighted up, and 
 then again it sank back into deep dai-kness. The 
 exiles, however, had brought lanterns which they 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 269 
 
 how hung on tlie central post. Jana entered, with 
 Helen. 
 
 "Where is my husband? Where is Vladimir ?" . 
 asked the countess, full of apprehension. 
 
 " You need not fear, Countess," said Miller, bowing 
 before her as he used to do in Petersburg salons, 
 " the count is not here and was not present." 
 
 " And my poor Nicholas ? " asked Helen. 
 
 The stillness of the grave gave the only answer. 
 Miller hung his head ; Helen, at one glance, counted 
 the dead bodies and saw seven ; she examined them 
 one after another. Palkin's curses continued. All 
 looked full of pity at the poor girl who had followed 
 her betrothed to Siberia and now looked for him 
 among the dead. 
 
 She soon approached his bloody remains. Haas 
 raised his hands to> heaven. At once Helen under- 
 stood it all and fell in silent despair on her knees. 
 
 Miller's opportune arrival had come about in this 
 way. The Tunguse had brought Dr. Haas to Jenar- 
 Kus, who understood a little Russian and knew 
 Miller's name. The same evening Haas saw Miller, 
 who at once collected a small number of exiles and 
 gave the prpmise that the colonists of the village 
 itself would also render assistance. The doctor 
 had Jana's money still about him, and was already 
 suspected; he thought it best, therefore, to give 
 Jenar-Kus the 40,000 rubles, who, in return, engaged 
 to furnish the exiles with the necessary arms. As 
 time was pressing. Miller determined to go on, 
 
270 THE ACE OV CLUBS. 
 
 althoygh most of the men had only heavy clubs and 
 a few swords. 
 
 Whilst Palkin was trying to persuade Popoff to 
 surrender the unlucky paper, Miller reached the 
 village, where he had many allies. They first sur- 
 prised the house of the inspector, seized and bound 
 two Cossacks and the captain of gendarmes of 
 Irkutsk. In another room they found Jana and 
 Helen, held prisoners. Helen had been released 
 after she had told the captain all she knew, but as 
 Jana was not an exile some regard had to be had to 
 her name and rank. Then Jana and Helen had at 
 once started to warn Vladimir and Popoff against 
 Col. Palkin's treacherous intentions. They had, 
 however, been seized by the captain, who was on the 
 watch for them. Then Miller with his followers had 
 hastened to assist Popoff. The whole viUage was 
 involved in the conspiracy, hence no one warned the 
 gendarmes. 
 
 Palkin did not cease to shout and to curse ; his 
 uninterrupted threatenings at last made Miller 
 impatient. 
 
 " Keep silence ! " he commanded. " Did we utter 
 complaints when we were in your hands ? Tyrants 
 are always cowards. Keep silence, you wretched 
 coward ! " 
 
 These last words hurt Palkin like a mortal 
 offense. He ceased to cry. 
 
 Helen, kneeling by the Corpse of her betrothed, 
 was apparently praying quietly, but in her face 
 threats seemed rather to prevail than resignation. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 271 
 
 Dr. Haas cast a last look at Nicholas, bandaged the 
 slightly wounded men, and turned to the countess : 
 
 "Countess, we have nothing more to do here. 
 Your husband is in danger, and Popoff is beyond 
 our help. Human justice must proceed. Scenes 
 like these are not for your eyes. I also cannot stay 
 here ; my duty is to help and to save, not to punish. 
 Follow me, I pray." 
 
 Jana understood ot once. 
 
 " Blood enough has been shed," she said. " Pardon 
 the guilty man ! " 
 
 Miller shrugged his shoulders and turned round, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " The doctor advised you well, Countess. This is 
 no place for you ! " 
 
 " For my husband's sake do not avenge yourself." 
 
 " Your words are in vain, Countess. I pray you 
 once more leave us, unless you wish to witness the 
 execution." 
 
 Haas seized her hand, saying, "Come, I beseech 
 you ! This is nothing for you, and we cannot 
 change matters as they are. These men have gone 
 too far to stop here ! " 
 
 She followed him, saying almost unconsciously : 
 
 " Oh, my God ! My God ! Pardon them ! Pardon 
 him, also ! And pardon me, who have caused all 
 this shedding of blood ! " 
 
 Haas was already in the door with the countess, 
 when Helen sprang up and, in her despair, cried: 
 
 " Doctor ! You abandon him ? Stay ! You must 
 stay!" 
 
272 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 Haas shook his head. 
 
 " I can do nothing more. I can assist no one and 
 save no one here." 
 
 " Then Nicholas is no longer alive ? " 
 
 Haas had no answer to give. He turned to the 
 countess, who took Helen by the hand. 
 
 " Come, Helen ! Let us return together to town. 
 We must submit to God's will, all of us, my child ! " 
 
 The doctor noticed that the exiles were becoming 
 impatient at this delay; they meant to have their 
 revenge. He therefore drew the countess along 
 with him, saying : 
 
 " Come ! Helen will follow us soon ! " 
 
 Helen, however, stood like a statue, and when the 
 door closed behind. Haas and the countess, she 
 spoke : 
 
 "He is dead! really dead! Murdered by those 
 who despised him because he served them. You 
 will surely punish that man, won't you ? " she added, 
 pointing at Palkin. 
 
 The exiles bowed their heads. 
 
 " That will be the beginning of revenge, but only 
 the beginning. Other men as powerful as this man, 
 have been as guilty of his death. He is dead, but 
 do not believe that he can not avenge himself! " 
 
 " Listen to me," she said, turning to Miller. 
 " You seem to be the leader of the others. They 
 have tortured him to death to extort his secret from 
 him. I have kept it as he has kept it, and I will 
 entrust it to you. What do I now care for Count 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 273 
 
 Lanin ? I shall avenge myself and him at the same 
 time." 
 
 She sat down on the bench and took Popoff's cold 
 head in her lap. 
 
 " You searched in vain for that document," she 
 said, turning to Palkin, "and yet he had it in his 
 possession. Now that he is dead you shall see it. 
 Do you know what he did ? He had a false tooth 
 inserted as large as two ordinary teeth, and in that 
 he kept the paper. Will you be kind enough," she 
 added, turning to Miller, " to take it out ? " 
 
 Palkin roared with fury, while Miller thought the 
 girl was crazy. 
 
 " Follow my advice, my child," he said to her in a 
 gentle voice. " Go with the countess. You will see 
 bad things here, and you are already in a fever." 
 
 " We Russian women are still half savages," she 
 said, never letting go Popoff's head. " Yesterday I 
 was a cheerful, merry girl — to-day I cannot weep, 
 and only thirst for revenge. You think I am insane. 
 I swear to you I tell the truth. He is dead, you 
 say. Will you have the courage to open his firmly 
 closed mouth while I hold his head ? Do you think 
 I do not love Mm because I thus treat his body ? 
 Then you are mistaken, for I only carry out his last 
 will. I only came here, because he had commanded 
 me to do so. He was my life, my hope, my all. 
 To-day I have lost all ! " 
 
 " Are you afraid then ? " she continued as Miller 
 hesitated. " You want revenge and you neglect such 
 a formidable weapon. Must my weak hand set you 
 18 
 
274 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 an example and show you that you are weaker than 
 a helpless woman ? " 
 
 With these words she hastily seized a dagger in 
 Miller's belt, knelt down, put Popoffs head on the 
 bench and tried to open the firmly closed mouth of 
 the dead man. 
 
 The bystanders shuddered. 
 
 Helen tried in vain ; she even tried it again and 
 again, but in vain. She gave the dagger then to 
 Miller, saying in a flood of tears : 
 
 " You see, I am too feeble." 
 
 Helen's courage had made a deep impression upon 
 Miller. He took the dirk, but he also tried in vain. 
 To end this fearful scene he struck the handle with 
 his whole strength. The front teeth dropped out I 
 The whole body shook and Pop#ff uttered a cry of 
 pain that sounded superhuman. The powerful blow 
 had aroused the last breath that dwelt in the body. 
 
 Miller dropped the dagger in amazement. Nicholas 
 opened his eyes and saw Helen, Palkin in bonds 
 and the exiles around him. That glance revealed all. 
 With a superhuman effort he raised his bloody arin, 
 took out the false tooth, handed it to the nearest 
 bystander and whispered " Lanin ! Schelm ! " Then 
 he breathed his last. "And now," said Helen, 
 " break the tooth." 
 
 Miller struck the apparent tooth with the dagger. 
 When the ivory broke a small roll of paper drojiped 
 on the floor. Miller picked it up and examined it. 
 
 " A receipt by Schelm ! That is Schelm's own 
 handwriting ! 30 October ! Conspiracy La. . . . 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 275 
 
 Secret funds. ... I do not see at once what this 
 means, but it must be a weapon of very great 
 importance." 
 
 Palkin could not help, by a powerful curse, to 
 show his wrath at having failed to secure the paper. 
 
 " I was a fool ! " he cried in his fury. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! " said Miller. " The bird is singing 
 again ! We must have made a good bargain ! " 
 
 " You shall know it all," said Helen. " I know 
 all, and shall have strength enough, I trust, to tell 
 you the details. And then all is at an end. Now I 
 have done my work. Do you now administer justice 
 and avenge yourself. I shall pray for him here." 
 
 She knelt down by the body of her betrothed. 
 
 " And now," said Miller, turning to Palkin, " it is 
 your turn. Did you, perhaps, think we had forgotten 
 you?" 
 
 Miller turned next to the exiles with these words : 
 
 " We have transgressed the criminal laws of this 
 country. We shall henceforth be looked upon as 
 murderers, and be hunted down like wolves and 
 bears. To-morrow I shall procure arms for you all. 
 To-day we must create general terror. This man 
 here is one of our bitterest and most powerful 
 enemies. I need not accuse him before you ; you 
 know yourselves of what he is capable. What pun- 
 ishment do you decree against him? What has he 
 deserved ? " 
 
 " Death ! " cried the exiles, unanimously. 
 
 " Death? Really ? Have you thought of nothing 
 better ? " laughed Miller scornfully. " Listen to me ! 
 
276 THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 
 
 Far in the west of the world, across the ocean, in 
 America, they have a law they call Lynch law. 
 This law says : ' An eye for an eye, a tooth for a 
 tooth!' This man has had one of us murdered, 
 killed by the knout ! I condemn him to the same 
 penalty ! " 
 
 At these words Palkin changed color, and tore 
 madly at his bonds. 
 
 " What ! You will dare touch your colonel ? " 
 
 Miller laughed aloud. 
 
 " You shall see what we think of your rank." 
 
 In the meantime the exiles looked at each other ; 
 some one had to be found who would take upon 
 himself the duty of the executioner. Miller grasped 
 their secret thoughts. 
 
 " Well, we must have an executioner ! Bring the 
 captain from Irkutsk in here ! " 
 
 The exiles all agreed, and two men immediately 
 went to the inspector's house. 
 
 " Listen to me, altho,ugh I do not know you," said 
 Palkin now. " Don't do this. Do not disgrace a 
 superior officer by striking him with the nagaika. 
 Rather kill me at a blow, at once ! What harm did 
 I ever do you?" 
 
 Miller interrupted him angrily. 
 
 " You pretend not to know me, and ask me what 
 liarm you have done me. And yet you arrested me 
 at the same time with the Ace of Clubs, and I 
 owe it to you that I am here in exile ! " 
 
 " I only did my dutj' at that time." 
 
 " Perhaps you also murdered this man, from duty. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 277 
 
 who was my friend ? You onlj gratify me immensely 
 by your prayers, which show me what cowards you 
 are, after all." 
 
 Paikin, now convinced that nothing could prevent 
 his destiny from being fulfilled, showed contempt, 
 and boastingly said : 
 
 " Do what you choose, robber ! You shall see how 
 a colonel of the gendarmes can die. You shall not 
 hear my voice, and see how differently from your 
 friend I shall bear your torment ! " 
 
 " We'll see ! " said Miller. 
 
 The door opened, and four of the exiles dragged 
 the captain in. He trembled and looked deadly 
 pale ^ when he saw the corpses lying about he fell on 
 his knees and cried, addressing Miller : 
 
 ".Pardon me ! Mercy ! " 
 
 Miller kicked him back with his foot. 
 
 " Get up, dog ! You shall escape with your life if 
 you obey our orders." 
 
 " Whatever you order I'll do it cheerfully." 
 
 " I have sentenced this man here to receive 600 
 blows with the nagaika. That is your duty, as you 
 are an officer of the police. Carry out the sentence 
 and your life shall be spared ! " 
 
 The. captain sprang up. 
 
 " A knout ! Give me the knout ! T understand 
 that art to perfection. You shall see it ! " 
 
 With these words he took the instrument of tor- 
 ture in his hands, approaching Paikin and letting 
 the leather strap whizz through the aii'. At the same 
 
278 THK ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 instant, however, he started back; he had recognized 
 in the bound prisoner his terrible colonel. 
 
 " That man I am to beat ? No, never ! " 
 
 " Well," said Miller, " then you will have to die, 
 too. Comrades, this vermin writhing at our feet is 
 one of our worst and crudest enemies. He has the 
 death of many a brother on his conscience. You are 
 all of you soldiers, and therefore it is no disgrace to 
 any one to carry out the sentence which I pronounce. 
 It is death for the captain of Irkutsk, and death by 
 being shot. We have only two guns, but they will 
 suffice. Two men forward ! " 
 
 Instantly two exiles advanced who had once been 
 dependent on the hated captain, and had suffered 
 accordingly. 
 
 The hesitation of the captain had, however, been 
 founded only upon the fear of the inferior before 
 the superior.' When he saw death so near to himself 
 his apprehensions vanished and he cried : 
 
 " Stop. I'll inflict the punishment ! " 
 
 " First tear off the gold lace of his uniform," com- 
 manded Miller. 
 
 " Consider ! " cried Palkin. " You are committing 
 treason against the Czar." 
 
 The captain saw only death threatening him 
 visibly. Like a wolf he fell upon the colonel, tore 
 off the lace and the whole uniform. 
 
 " Consider I " cried Palkin once more. " It is high 
 treason ! " 
 
 The captain, half insane with fear, tore off his shirt 
 also, leaving the Lroad back of the colonel of the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 279 
 
 gendarmes bare. The exiles looked curiously at the 
 proceeding. 
 
 " Captain, take time to reflect ! " cried Palkin once 
 more. 
 
 " Strike ! " commanded Miller. 
 
 The nagaika whizzed through the air, and Palkin 
 uttered a cry that went through marrow and bone, as 
 Russians say. 
 
 " Captain, strike harder, if you wish to save your 
 life ! " 
 
 The man struck almost without knowing what he 
 did. At the twentieth blow -Palkin roared like a 
 wild beast. 
 
 " Rather kill me at once, but cease torturing me ! " 
 
 Miller laughed aloud. 
 
 " Did I not say so ? You have weakened very 
 quickly. Captain, mind, if you do not use the 
 nagaike well " 
 
 Miller's revenge was, however, not to be complete. 
 Suddenly one of the exiles, who had stood sentinel, 
 rushed in, exclaiming : 
 
 " Take care ! A troop of soldiers is approaching 
 the village. We must have been careless and 
 allowed one of the Cossacks to escape." 
 
 " Let us escape ! " cried Miller. At the same 
 time he drew his dagger and threw it at Palkin, but 
 the hut was too dark and the dagger struck in the 
 post without injuring Palkin. Miller jumped out of 
 the window, all the others had scattered in a moment. 
 Helen alone remained near the body of Popoif. 
 
 She did not listen to one of the exiles who asked 
 
280 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 her to go with them. The captain alone saw and 
 heard nothing; he continued piljlessly to inflict blow 
 after blow. Only when all the exiles had left and 
 the room had become quiet, he looked around, and, 
 lo ! he was alone with Palkin, Helen only kneeling 
 at her betrothed's side. The heavy tread of 
 approaching soldiers, the rattling of arms became 
 audible. The captain became aware that help came 
 for Palkin. Instantly the wretch fell on his knees 
 before the bound colonel. 
 
 " Pardon me ! I was compelled to do it ! " 
 The revengeful look of his superior, however, 
 changed his mind. He pulled Miller's dagger out of 
 the post and raised it before Palkin's eyes with the 
 words : 
 
 " Die ! then you will betray no one ! " 
 At the same moment, however, a strong hand 
 seized him from behind. An officer of Cossacks held 
 him. A troop of soldiers rushed in now and occupied 
 the hut. 
 
 " Do not let that traitor escape you," cried Palkin, 
 gathering all his remaining strength. " Arrest that 
 woman also ! " 
 
 Overcome with pain and fury, the colonel sank 
 down fainting. When he recovered his senses he 
 had been relieved of his bonds. The captain and 
 Helen, on the other hand, lay bound on the floor. 
 Palkin looked around with eyes full of bloodthirsty 
 revenge. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 281 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Jana had in the meantime returned to Irkutsk 
 under the protection of Dr. Hass. She constantly 
 reproached herself for not having remained in the 
 hut, leaving Helen behind, and not interceding 
 energetically enough in behalf of Palkin. She even 
 told Hass that she thought he ought to have permit- 
 ted her to await the end of those fearful scenes. He 
 told her, however, that his first duty was to watch 
 over her safety and to preserve her for her husband's 
 sake. She finally offered him her hand and said 
 most kindly to him : 
 
 " You are always right, my dear Doctor." 
 Now, only, Dr. Hass could tell her how he had 
 reached the hut at the critical moment. Jenar-Kus 
 had at once carried him to Miller, and he had not 
 hesitated a moment when he heard that Vladimir's 
 safety was endangered. The countess, as well as 
 Haas, agreed that the whole had been a trap to 
 catch the count. Miller called such exiles together 
 as were within immediate reach, regretting deeply 
 that he could not arm them yet. Then Haas had 
 handed him the money of the countess and Miller 
 had instantly handed it to Jenar-Kus, with the words : 
 " This time we have no weapons, but this money 
 will secure us the future, for from to-day I shall lay 
 
282 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 aside my mask." When they had all started, eight, 
 as we have seen, reached the hut in time. 
 
 Jana became deeply anxious about Helen, whose 
 non-appearance troubled her sorely. Dr. Haas also 
 acknowledged that her prolonged absence made him 
 fear some accident. Just then Lina entered and 
 announced that an aid of the governor's had come to 
 escort Jana to the palace. 
 
 " What can this mean ? " exclaimed Jana. " Can 
 they have heard it already ? " 
 
 Haas tried to calm her. 
 
 " That is simply impossible. And even if they 
 should apprehend trouble at the palace, they cannot 
 interfere with you, Countess, as you are not an exile. 
 But be very catitlous, and weigh every word you 
 say." 
 
 When Jana entered the governor's palace, she had 
 already prepared her plan of defence, thinking that 
 the governor might have heard of her nightly expe- 
 ditions. She expected, on that account, to be 
 received with frowning looks and scant courtesy. 
 How great was, therefore, her surprise when the 
 governor received her in the most friendly manner, 
 offering her a chair, and saying : 
 
 " You will be kind enough to pardon me, Countess, 
 that I took the liberty of troubling you to come here 
 instead of going to your house, but time is pressing, 
 and what 1 have to say brooks no delay." 
 
 The ceremony with which these friendly words 
 were uttered removed Jana's fears. She bowed in 
 silence. Tlie governor continued : 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 283 
 
 " It is absolutely necessary that you should leave 
 Irkutsk instantly." 
 
 Jana trembled. 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 The governor made a gesture with the hand as if 
 requesting her not to interrupt him. 
 
 " I wish to be of service to you and my words are 
 dictated by my kind wishes for you. Listen, if you 
 please, and be kind enough to look upon me as your 
 best friend. Last night two couriers arrived. One 
 brought me confidential news from the head of the 
 gendarmes, who is my personal friend. The other 
 came from Omsk. Count Orloff, in Petersburg, 
 informs me that there is a perfect deluge of denun- 
 ciations against me coming to his. office. From all 
 sides the Emperor is informed that I secretly enter- 
 tain communications with the exiles ; that I protect 
 them, pardon them, etc. Your name appears most 
 prominently. The count advises me, therefore — and 
 such advice is an order — to separate you, for the 
 time being, from your husband, by assigning to him 
 a more remote place of residence. At the same time 
 he informs me that very shortly a most influential, 
 great personage will appear here, furnished with almost 
 unlimited powers and inspect my administration. 
 The letter from Omsk adds to this that this great 
 inspector has reached that city, and would be nearer 
 even, if an indisposition had not detained him. 
 This re visor — that is the name by which we designate 
 such high personages — informs me very drily and 
 coolly himself, of his arrival, and thus clearly fore- 
 
284 THE ACE OE CLUBS. 
 
 shadows the spirit in which he comes. He also speaks 
 of you, and specially orders me not to lose sight of 
 your husband till his arrival." 
 
 "But, General," replied Jana, trembling," I swear 
 my husband is innocent ! " 
 
 "I begin myself to believe in his innocence," said 
 the governor with almost paternal kindness, " for 
 this bitter persecution makes me doubt the crime for 
 which the count was condemned." 
 
 "Oh, General!" 
 
 " Very well. Countess — but just now I can do noth- 
 ing for you. As soon as the re visor arrives — and 
 that may be to-day or to-morrow — my power here 
 ceases. Believe me, leave Irkutsk. Of course this 
 is not an order. . I give only friendly advice. You 
 ought to start to-day." 
 
 " And leave my husband ! That I cannot do." 
 
 The governor sadly shook his head. 
 
 " And yet you cannot remain with him here. Day 
 before yesterday the count was caught, being absent 
 from his assigned place of residence. He was at 
 once arrested, and will have to endure the three 
 months' imprisonment which follows such a crime. 
 During this time you will not be able to see him. 
 And besides, I shall not be able to serve you in any 
 way. I have told you distinctly that they are bent 
 upon separating you and him." 
 
 " I shall at least be near him in this town ! " 
 
 " What are you thinking of. Countess ? They may 
 send him 500 miles farther on, and prohibit you even 
 to write to him. Countess; listen to me ! The arri- 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 285 
 
 val of this revisor is a grevious insult to me, and I 
 shall soon go to Petersburg to justify myself before 
 the Emperor. I give you my word that I shall then 
 do for your husband all that my best efforts may en- 
 able me to do." 
 
 She bowed, full of gratitude. 
 
 " We shall be very, very grateful to your Excel- 
 lency." 
 
 " But you must facilitate my task, and not put im- 
 pediments in my way. When you came here, Count- 
 ess, you had an unlimited passport, which allowed 
 you to go where you chose. As usual, you gave me 
 this passport, and I return it now to you, after hav- 
 ing taken the liberty of adding : ' With permission 
 to return to St. Petersburg.' " 
 
 Jana repeated with great decision : " T do not 
 think of leaving Irkutsk." 
 
 The governor tried to master the emotion which 
 he could not quite control, and continued more 
 sternly : 
 
 " That is simply womanly obstinacy. I now 
 declare to you that my successor may consider you 
 also an exile, and may send you to work in the 
 mines, hundreds of miles from the place to which he 
 may order your husband, and I shall be powerless. 
 For God's sake, be prudent ! You only ruin your 
 husband and yourself! In Petersburg you might 
 in the meantime use your influence." 
 
 " No, your Excellency," said Jana, offering him her 
 hand, " I thank you most heartily for all the kind- 
 ness you have shown me, and I shall ever be grateful 
 
286 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 to you ! I have learned to know you as a noble, 
 high-toned man, and, therefore, fully appreciate the 
 advice you so kindly give. But the nobler you are, 
 the better you will understand me : I am not a 
 heroine, and yet I am capable of remaining where 
 my sense of duty bids me stay." 
 
 The governor seemed to be hardly able to repress 
 a tear. After a pause, he continued : 
 
 " I assure you most solemnly that my successor 
 will not overlook anything. Believe me, I try to 
 enable you to take measures which may bear fruit in 
 the far future." 
 
 " At least, permit me to reflect," begged Jana. 
 
 " Reflect ! I repeat again, I give you no order, 
 but friendly advice. For your husband's sake, as 
 well as for your own sake, Countess, I should be 
 glad if you would return at once to Petersburg. If 
 you should refuse I fear you will be forced." 
 
 Bowing low, he whispered into her ear : 
 
 " If it should be necessary, I mean to save you 
 contrary to your own wishes." 
 
 After having courteously seen her to the door, he 
 said with a deep bow : 
 
 " I truly hope we shall not meet again in 
 Irkutsk." 
 
 When Jana told Dr. Haas all the governor had 
 said to her, he at once took the general's side, and 
 made every effort to convince the countess that she 
 must, if she valued her freedom and her husband's 
 life even, yield to his demands. He concluded from 
 what the governor had said that the events of last 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 287 
 
 night were known to him, and that they not only- 
 endangered the countess, but might seriously affect 
 her husband's position. The reviser's arrival only 
 increased the danger. The doctor might, in the 
 meantime, stay on the spot and keep an eye on the 
 count. All these arguments, however, made no im- 
 pression upon the countess, who insisted upon remain- 
 ing. Jana at last said impatiently : 
 
 " I feel I cannot help him, but he will at least 
 know that I am watching near by." 
 
 " Even that he cannot know, because he is not 
 allowed to communicate with any one." 
 
 " Then it will be enough that I know it," replied 
 Jana, proudly. 
 
 Soon, however, she hung her head and began to 
 shed tears. 
 
 " If they make gendarmes take me and carry me 
 to Petersbarg, who will then stay here ? Who will 
 watch over him ? " 
 
 With these words she reached her house. Lina 
 was waiting for her at the door, 
 
 " Your Excellency, there is a man in the salon, an 
 unknown man, who insists upon seeing you. I do 
 not know why, but it seems to me I have seen that 
 man somewhere. Perhaps he'll bring us news about 
 my son." 
 
 Jana had not yet been able to tell the poor woman 
 of her son's sad end. She could now not postpone 
 it any longer. 
 
 " At once, my dear ! Afterwards come to me, I 
 must speak to j'ou." 
 
288 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 "Has your Excellency heard anything?" 
 
 Jana left her without an answer, only saying : 
 
 " Lina, pray ! " 
 
 At these words the poor old woman sank down 
 fainting. Dr. Haas at once hastened to her assist- 
 ance. 
 
 As soon as Jana entered, the stranger who had been 
 waiting for her, threw back his hood and revealed 
 his features. 
 
 " I come to pay my debt ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 " Mr. Miller ! How reckless you are ! " 
 
 " Here nobody will recognize me. Besides, I 
 have friends watching over me. Whether reckless 
 or not, my coming here was necessary. I have 
 caused your misfortunes — in return I bring you the 
 certainty of Vladimir's speedy liberation. Only you 
 must at once start for Petersburg." 
 
 The fact that Miller and the governor both gave 
 her the same advice made some impression upon 
 Jana. 
 
 " You also advise me the same ? " she exclaimed, 
 almost unconsciously. 
 
 " I do not know who has suggested to you to leave 
 Siberia, but he was right. You will from henceforth 
 have to go to work in Petersburg. Your longer res- 
 idence here in Irkutsk has no purpose to serve any 
 longer, and is even dangerous." 
 
 Miller thereupon told Jana all the events of the 
 past night and showed her how, from this moment, 
 she would be looked upon as being in open rebellion 
 against the Government. If Palkin was still alive, 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 289 
 
 he told her, he would of course prosecute her at 
 once. Then there was the captain of the gendarmes, 
 who had also seen her. He repeated his advice to 
 start at once for Petersburg. 
 
 " For," he continued, " I have sworn to atone for 
 my crime, and now I can do it. I have the proof in 
 my hands of your husband's innocence. I should 
 have risked my life to bring it to you. " 
 
 With these words he drew forth the carefully con- 
 cealed receipts of Schelm, written and signed in his 
 own handwriting, and gave it to Jana. 
 
 "Upon the strength of this document," he said, 
 " you can at any time demand an investigation as 
 soon as you can see the head of all the gendarmes or 
 the Czar himself. Your Excellency, Providence itself 
 comes to our assistance ! This piece of paper proves 
 clearly Schelm's guilt. Mind the date, Oct. 30, 
 1849. You will easily be able to prove that at that 
 time there could be no conspiracy in existence. That 
 began only three months later. Vladimir was exiled 
 because he was the Ace of Clubs. Even this name 
 did not exist on tha;t day. Furthermore, I hand you 
 this paper signed by myself. I swear in it by the 
 Holy- Gospels — though I have ceased to believe in 
 them, those who will read it, still do believe — that I 
 was employed by Schelm as agent provocateur. 
 With these two documents your Excellency must 
 start to-night." 
 
 Jana's face had undergone a great change as Mil- 
 ler proceeded in his statement. 
 
 " You are right," she said ; " I must start to-night I 
 19 
 
290 THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 
 
 r must not be reckless now, when Vladimir's liberty 
 is at stake. I thank you for having come to me, to-day, 
 otherwise I should never have agreed to undertake 
 this journey, and who knows but to-morrow it may 
 be too late." 
 
 " And now, your Excellency, if my evidence should 
 at any time be necessary, I will appear at your bid- 
 ding, should it cost me my life. Do not hesitate to 
 resort to extreme measures ! In a few months my 
 evidence will be of great weight. We have arms, 
 now, and in a short time my name will be so well 
 known that it will reach even the Czar's ears ! " 
 
 " You frighten me ! What are your plans ? " 
 
 " You have assisted us in procuring arms, and we 
 shall^ make a good use of them ! I repeat, if you 
 ever want me, summon me and I shall come ! I 
 mean, above all things, to atone for my crime." 
 
 Jana offered him her hand. 
 
 " If your life should have to be imperilled in order 
 to prove Vladimir's innocence, how shall I ever be 
 able to accept such a sacrifice ? " 
 
 He knelt down before her and kissed the hem of 
 her dress. 
 
 "You know how to inspire even criminals with 
 lofty feelings, Countess. I bless you ! Leave here. 
 Do not fear ; I shall watch over him ! " 
 
 Jana next called Dr. Haas. 
 
 " Doctor," she said to him, " I shall leave here to- 
 night, following your advice. Will you accompany 
 me or wait for me here ? " 
 
 " When will you cease asking my opinion, Count- 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 291 
 
 ess ? I do what you order me and what you think 
 right or proper." 
 
 This perfect devotion, so unselfish and so modest, 
 moved Jana to tears. 
 
 " I will obey you. Doctor, and ask you : Where 
 do you think you can serve me better, here or in 
 Petersburg ? " 
 
 " Here I cannot do much. Mr. Miller is perfectly 
 able to watch over the count. There might be 
 fighting, and he is born for fighting, while I would 
 be useless in such a case. Permit me to accompany 
 you, Countess ! " 
 
 Miller here walked up to Dr. Haas and said : 
 
 "You know my past. The countess has just 
 shaken hands with me ; will you also have the kind- 
 ness to take my hand in yours ? " 
 
 Haas hesitated a moment and Miller noticed this, 
 although it was but a moment. 
 
 " There is my hand ! " said the doctor in his usual 
 mild voice. 
 
 Miller was on the threshold. In a muffled voicS 
 he said, " Till we meet again," and disappeared. 
 
 That same evening Jana left Irkutsk with Dr. 
 Haas. Lina remained behind in charge of the 
 house. 
 
 " I want to die in Siberia," she said, " and not 
 leave my son's grave. Why should I return to 
 Petersburg ? I was not allowed ever to see my son : 
 I shall at least be able to visit his grave ! " 
 
 On the third day after these events, during the 
 gloaming, when Jana's carriage was stopping before 
 
292 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 th,e toll-gate of a little village, it suddenly opened to 
 let a sleigh pass through that was ou its way to 
 Irkutsk. The revisor was just leaving the city. 
 Neither Jana nor Haas could see his face. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 On the third day after Jana's departure, Colonel 
 Palkin presented himself at the palace of the gov- 
 6*nor-general of Irkutsk. He had come in a coach, 
 and found it difficult to mount the stairs. His 
 sharply marked features had become still more angu- 
 lar in consequence of his sufferings ; his eyes glowed 
 with fierce but subdued excitement; his face was 
 pale, and his whole form bowed. He had had to 
 spend several days in bed, partly from the chastise- 
 ment he had received and partly from the effect of 
 his fury. Still sick and trembling, he slowly crept 
 along the passage in the palace, and told the adju- 
 tant on duty that he wished to see the governor on 
 very important business. The governor admitted 
 him at once. 
 
 " Your Excellency," exclaimed Palkin, as soon as 
 he stood before him. " I have been the victim of an 
 incredible outrage. Count Lanin and his wife have 
 formed a conspiracy with a number of rebels and 
 caught me in a trap. An exile, whom I imprudently 
 employed . as my secretary, liis betrothed and an 
 officer of the police are all involved in the same plot. 
 The whole affair looks like a rising against the Czar. 
 I therefore come to ask your Excellency to punish 
 the guilty. The matter is this " 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 293 
 
 The governor had so far patiently listened to Pal- 
 kiu, who had spoken in a threatening tone and 
 almost lost his breath, but when he began his narra- 
 tive he interrupted him coolly, saying : 
 
 " I know all, Colonel, and I hope the criminals will 
 not escape their well-deserved punishment. It seems, 
 however, as if you also were somewhat to blame — 
 but this will appear in the investigation. The kill- 
 ing of Popoff is a crime, the cruelty of which I shall 
 never approve of. As to the guilt of Count Lanin, 
 I think you must be in error ! " 
 
 " Your Excellencj-," cried Palkin, turning pale 
 with wrath, " will surely not shelter that rebel ! " 
 ' Tlie governor looked sternly at him. 
 
 " I have no intention to shelter any one. If it 
 depended on me, I should let justice be administered, 
 and the guilty ones be pursued to their most secret 
 hiding-places. But from this day I have nothing 
 more to say here. A revisor has just arrived from 
 Petersburg with most ample powers. At present he 
 is engaged in my bureau. You can have your name 
 sent in to him — I believe he is alone just now." 
 
 The governor moved aside haughtily, pointing to 
 the door that led into his private office. 
 
 " You insolent aristocrat," murmured Palkin ; 
 " we shall see if I cannot drive you away from here ! 
 So, the revisor has already come. I must see what 
 he says." 
 
 With a groan of pain he entered the room. The 
 revisor was sitting in an arm-chair, examining a pile 
 
294 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 of numbered documents. When the door opened 
 thus unexpectedly, he looked up. 
 
 " Schelm ! " cried Palkin, drawing back a step. 
 
 The former head of division rose. 
 
 " Baron Schelmenberg, if you please, senator and 
 revisor, who, at your urgent request, has come as far 
 as Siberia. Ha ! ha ! Colonel Palkin ! You desire 
 perhaps to challenge me? At present my power 
 extends also over you, since the gendarmes are sub- 
 ject to my revision. I may degrade you or send you 
 to the mines to do forced labor, and I give you my 
 word I shall make good use of my rights and privi- 
 leges." 
 
 Palkin, who at first had been frightened by this 
 sudden encounter with Schelm, soon overcame his 
 confusion. He possessed, as he had shown more 
 than once, as much real courage as cunning. He 
 drew nearer, and not minding his pain for the 
 moment, he took a chair to impose on Schelm. 
 
 " No ! " he exclaimed, boldly. " You will make no 
 use of such rights and privileges." 
 
 Schelm's character remained true to itself; Pal- 
 kin's cold self-possession made him furious. 
 
 " Who will prevent me ? You, Colonel, who have 
 at this moment nothing more to say here, for I here- 
 with divest you of your rank and whatever power 
 may have been given you ! Away with you ! You 
 are under arrest ! By what right do you dare sit 
 down in my presence ? " 
 
 " Cautious ! my dear Mr. Schelm ! " replied Pal- 
 kin, ironically. "You can, of course, destroy me 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 295 
 
 if you should in a moment of madness forget your- 
 self so far. Consider ; I shall perish with you, not 
 alone ! " 
 
 " What does that mean? I have been warned to 
 be considerate with the gendarmes, but this surpasses 
 all I have ever seen. One word more and I shall 
 send for the police ! " 
 
 " You wish to force me, then, to surrender a cer- 
 tain receipt for 100,000 rubles?" 
 
 No sooner had Palkin spoken these words than 
 Schelm fell upon him like a tiger upon his prey. 
 
 " Ah ! " he cried, " you Satan, you have that 
 receipt? " 
 
 " Would I have begun the battle without it ? " 
 
 Palkin acted upon the information he had obtained 
 during that terrible night at the village. Convinced 
 that he would be able to manage Schelm by simple 
 threats, he had permitted himself a barefaced lie, 
 and this boldness met with unexpected success. 
 Schelm dropped into his chair, almost overwhelmed. 
 
 "In spite of your double-refined intrigues, Mr. 
 Schelm, or rather von Schelmberg," said Palkin, 
 " you must confess that for once you are helpless. 
 Why did you throw down the gauntlet, when I am 
 quite willing to proceed in union with you ? " 
 
 " Traitor ! Why did you not hand me that paper 
 with the others ? " 
 
 " How can you ask? Was I to trust you so much 
 farther than you were willing to trust me ? I wanted 
 to keep one weapon for a case of need. You must 
 see that I was wise in acting thus. Calm your- 
 
296 THE ACE OF ClitTBS. 
 
 self, therefore, honored Mr. Revisor, and listen to 
 me ! You received me very badly at the very 
 moment when I was about to offer you the means 
 of making Lanin and his wife forever harmless ! " 
 
 " You do not tell the truth. You have protected 
 them ! " 
 
 " I had to keep them close at hand to produce 
 them whenever you might call for them ! But what 
 are they to me, if we can become reconciled ? You 
 wanted to avenge yourself on Lanin for an unknown 
 insult, but I assure you that your insult shrinks into 
 nothing when compared with what has happened to 
 me." 
 
 Palkin spoke with such passionate fire that Schelm 
 recognized the voice of truth, and the two men 
 shook hands. 
 
 " Do you know, Palkin," said Schelm, " we must 
 make an end of it with these people. I no longer 
 hate them, but I sometimes fear them. Now, I am 
 a senator, a man of importance in the empire, the 
 husband of the rich daughter of a German banker, 
 and with a great future before me. But for this 
 one affair I would be happy. But I still tremble 
 lest something should turn up. This is what made 
 me ask for the position as revisor — to get rid of 
 them forever. Both Count Lanin and his wife must 
 disappear, and leave no trace behind. I shall perse- 
 cute them and worry them to death. But I need 
 rest ; I cannot sleep. If you will honestly assist me 
 I promise to become your ally." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 297 
 
 Palkin looked so scornfully at the revisor that he 
 unconsciously cast down his eyes. 
 
 "And yet you are already meditating how you 
 may shake me off, when I am no longer a useful 
 tool ? But I do not mind that ! As long as I am in 
 possession of this weapon of mine, which I would 
 not surrender for hundreds of thousands, you are 
 powerless against me. I shall be your faithful ally, 
 although you know how I rejoice at your good for- 
 tune, and that I would rather see you starve. What 
 do you say ? " 
 
 Schelm replied in a voice which sounded almost 
 sincere : 
 
 " Why should we not try at least ? Well, what 
 can you tell me about Lanin ? " 
 
 " Last week I learnt through my spies that my 
 secretary, Nicholas Popoff, whom you knew, I 
 believe " 
 
 " Is he here ? " broke in Schelm. 
 
 " You need not be afraid of his evidence. He is 
 dead ! ' 
 
 " He is not alive any longer ? Is that true ? " 
 
 " Do you think a man can receive 500 blows with 
 the nagaika and live ? I did not get 50 and I can 
 hardly move ! " 
 
 " You were knouted? You, Colonel? " 
 
 Palkin shook at the mere recollection and his voice 
 became the utterance of savage cruelty. 
 
 " Listen, T pray. For some time before I had fol- 
 lowed the traces of a . vast conspiracy which had 
 many members among the Siberian exiles. I sus- 
 
298 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 pected both Lanin and Popoff of being involved. I 
 had my secretary watched, and caught him one day 
 at Lanin's hut. Now, I did not lose sight of him for 
 a moment. One night I had the hut surrounded 
 and found Popoff there. The rebellion was about 
 to explode, and certain bands were already moving 
 about the countr3^ Popoff seemed to be one of the 
 leaders. I tried, therefore, to make him confess by 
 torture." 
 
 " Well, what happened next ? " 
 
 " The wretch would not confess ! He was dying 
 when a mob entered the hut. One of the men I 
 arrested in that Ace of Clubs conspiracy was at their 
 head." 
 
 Schelm looked as if he were going to faint. He 
 turned deadly pale and asked, with a trembling 
 voice : 
 
 "Who was it?" 
 
 "I do" not know. I only saw them when they 
 were arrested. With the exception of Lanin, I 
 would not recognize any one of them." 
 
 "Could you describe the man, perhaps?" 
 
 " You will find, if you will condescend to listen, 
 that I had little time to examine his features. All 
 wore hoods, so that they all looked alike, and an 
 exile's hut is not apt to be brilliantly illuminated." 
 
 Before Schelm's eye. Miller's threatening form 
 had appeared, and he began to think that his labors 
 in Siberia would hardly be much more pleasant than 
 his work in Petersburg. 
 
 " This band of rebels had been drawn to the vil- 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 299 
 
 lage by the Countess Lanin and Dr. Haas, her insep- 
 arable companion ! " 
 
 " What ! the Countess Lanin ? " exclaimed Schelm, 
 jumping up with delight. 
 
 " Yes ! Not only I, but others also saw her ! " 
 
 " At last I get some good news ! " 
 
 At the same time he wais at the door and called 
 the adjutant on duty : 
 
 " Request the governor to come to me at once ! " 
 he ordered. 
 
 Joyously he rubbed his hands and returned to his 
 seat. 
 
 " Go on quickly." 
 
 " That band was armed with carbines. My gen- 
 darmes were instantly thrown down. I myself 
 fought as long as I could, and cut down a number 
 of these men, but in the end I was overpowered, 
 tied to a post and cruelly knouted." 
 
 Schelm's malignity was too strong for his cunning. 
 He could not conceal his delight, and laughed aloud. 
 Palkin bit his lips to keep back his fury, but his 
 eyes glowed with the fire of unquenchable hatred. 
 
 " You may laugh, now ! " he murmured to himself. 
 
 " Now to the point : The captain of gendarmes of 
 Irkutsk was their accomplice ! " 
 
 " Not possible ! How could the governor have 
 such people near him ? " 
 
 " I shall speak of him, also, presently ! Enough, 
 this captain offered to inflict the punishment." 
 
 Schelm was terrified. 
 
 " Not possible ! You don't tell the truth ! " 
 
300 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " You will soon find it to be the truth ; I received 
 about fifty blows, while T was writhing at the feet of 
 these wretches. The countess and the doctor were 
 wise enough to go away when they saw how matters 
 stood ; only the maid of the countess, the betrothed 
 of Popoff, remained behind, weeping and praying 
 over the body. Unexpectedly help came in time to 
 save my life. One of the Cossacks had escaped the 
 rebels and called a detachment of soldiers, who came 
 in the nick of time. At the sight of the uniforms 
 all fled ; I was barely able to order the arrest of the 
 captain and Popoffs betrothed. The inspector and 
 the Cossacks will bear witness that Lanin partici- 
 pated in the affair." 
 
 The governor's aid here entered the apartment. 
 
 " The governor," he said, very much embarrassed, 
 " is momentarily engaged ; he sends word, however, 
 that he will be here directly." 
 
 Schelm was so furious he did not know what to do. 
 
 " Do you know who I am ? " he threateningly 
 asked the poor, trembling officer. 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency." . 
 
 " Do you know that everybody here has to obey 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency." 
 
 " The governor is himself responsible for his own 
 conduct, but you must be ready to carry out every 
 one of my orders." 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency." 
 
 " You will go instantly to the house occupied by 
 tlie Countess Lanin. Arrest every person whom 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 301 
 
 you may find there, even strangers. The matter is 
 important. Do you hear?"' 
 
 " But, your " 
 
 Schelm sprang up from his chair. 
 
 " Are you still here ? Do you wish to be court- 
 martialed ? " 
 
 The adjutant went away in great terror. 
 
 " The minister was not mistaken ; the whole nest 
 is full of rebellious creatures ! The governor is most 
 to blame. They do not know me yet; I'll crush the 
 vermin ! Tell me, Palkin, what sort of a man is he, 
 to send me such an answer?" 
 
 " You might compare him to a knight-errant. I 
 must have sent, twenty denunciations against him to 
 Petersburg or more. It is well known that he pro- 
 tects the exiles, and believes all they say. He has 
 overcome a few barbarous hordes of natives, and 
 now thinks he can do what he chooses. I knew that 
 he was a great favorite with the Czar, and on that 
 account I feared I could do nothing against him. 
 But your arrival proves that my reports must at last 
 have had their eifect." 
 
 " Not exactly. The Minister of the Interior asked 
 me, it is true, to be strict and even severe ; but, on 
 the other hand, the head of the gendarmes recom- 
 mended to me to spare the governor-general of Irkutsk 
 as much as I could, as he was the most loyal man in 
 all Russia. I came here with the intention of being 
 very considerate with him if he should make no op- 
 position, but I see " 
 
 Schelm did not conclude, for at that moment the 
 
302 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 governor appeared in the door ; he must have heard 
 the last words of the revisor, for he asked : 
 
 " Well, and what do you see, Mr. Schelm ? " 
 
 The general was in full uniform, and his tall, sol- 
 dierlike appearance made quite an impression upon 
 people like Schelm, who are haughty only with 
 tlieir inferiors. The revisor bowed and sat down 
 slightly embarrassed. Military discipline required 
 Palkin to remain standing in the governor's pres- 
 ence, but the latter motioned him with the hand to 
 omit the formality. 
 
 " Your wounds have not had time yet to heal, Col- 
 onel," he said ironically. " Keep your seat there- 
 fore." 
 
 He seemed to evince a hidden control over the 
 two scoundrel's like a sovereign, for they looked at 
 each other helplessly. Soon, however, Schelm re- 
 membered the supreme power with which he was 
 for the time endowed, and at once his presence of 
 mind and his impudence revived again. 
 
 "I see. General," he began, in a harsh tone, "the 
 administration of East Siberia leaves much to wish 
 for." 
 
 The governor bit his lips, and his eyes flashed, but 
 he checked himself, and asked, quietly : 
 
 "How do you ascertain that, Mr. Revisor? Per- 
 haps you will have the kindness to point out any 
 shortcomings." 
 
 This apparent resignation seemed to encourage 
 Schelm to think that he had intimidated this great 
 man. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 303 
 
 " The nightly surprises and acts of violence against 
 the representatives of the Czar's authorities are quite 
 eloquent enough. A band of exiles dared attempt 
 the life of the colonel here, and the captain, whom 
 you appointed, is also involved." 
 
 The general replied w^ith studied courtesy and 
 quiet : 
 
 " The events to which you allude, are known to 
 me ; but I consider them in a different light. That 
 act of violence was provoked by the abuse of which 
 the colonel was guilty." 
 
 " General, such operations — —" broke in Palkin. 
 But the governor did not allow him to finish. 
 
 "Have you also been appointed revisor, that you 
 dare interrupt your superior ? When I shall cease 
 speaking, you may defend yourself." 
 
 " If your presence, Mr. Revisor, had not for the 
 time suspended my authority I should already have 
 ordered an inquiry into the matter, but as I heard 
 of it only at the time when your coming was 
 announced, I postponed action." 
 
 Schelm was more and more convinced that the 
 general was giving way, and this idea filled him with 
 arrogant pride. He said curtly : 
 
 " What else ? " 
 
 The general could not suppress an ironical smile, 
 but he continued quietly : 
 
 " As to the captain, of whose criminality I am 
 not informed, as the colonel keeps him a prisoner in 
 his own house, I beg to observe that I promoted this 
 man, who is unknown to me, at the special request 
 
304 THE ACE or CLUBS. 
 
 of Col. Palkin. Hence the responsibility would in 
 the first place seem to rest with himself." 
 
 " We shall inquire into that hereafter," said 
 Schelm. 
 
 The consciousness of seeing his vanity gratified 
 made him very happy. He thought the governor 
 had humbled himself before him, and was surrender- 
 ing at discretion. He said, therefore, reproachfully : 
 
 " Besides this. General, I have several other com- 
 plaints to make. The way in which you sent me 
 word through your adjutant " 
 
 The general interrupted him with the most court- 
 eous smile on his lips : 
 
 " You seemed to be so much excited when I 
 entered, and I was so much struck by the last words 
 of your conversation, that I forgot to make my 
 excuses. I was just engaged in giving orders about 
 my departure." 
 
 "You mean to leave Irkutsk?" asked Schelm. 
 " I cannot understand." 
 
 " And yet the matter is very simple. I surrender 
 the administration of East Siberia to the civil gov- 
 ernor of Irkutsk and leave to-night for Petersburg." 
 
 Schelm sprang up. 
 
 " Are you making fun of me ? " 
 
 " That is very far from me." 
 
 " Then I forbid you most solemnly to leave this 
 place." 
 
 The general could not keep from laughing aloud. 
 
 " Your journey seems to have affected you badly, 
 my dear Mr. Schelm. You will forbid me ? You 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 305 
 
 will order me ? I pray, do you really think you have 
 the right to give orders ? Who do you think I am ? " 
 
 Schelm could not at once recover his presence of 
 mind ; he was so used to see his inferiors tremble 
 before him, that a really dignified manner was incom- 
 prehensible to him. Angrily he exclaimed : 
 
 " The Czar sends me here as revisor." 
 
 " In order to inspect East Siberia, and in this no 
 one will interfere with you. But this does not by 
 any means authorize you to interfere with General 
 Count Moski and his personal affairs. If you reflect 
 a moment you will see that you made a serious mis- 
 take ! " 
 
 At these words Schelm's brow clouded over ; he 
 felt how dangerous the general with all his high-bred 
 courtesy might be, and yet he saw no escape. 
 
 " Do you Avish to declare war against me. Gen- 
 eral ? " he asked. 
 
 " What can you mean ? Do you represent any 
 high power ? I am accustomed to fight only indepen- 
 dent powers. ..." 
 
 " General ! this boldness " 
 
 " Yqu insist upon treating me as a subordinate. 
 You must know then, Mr. Eevisor, that you insult 
 me, if you peer into my private affairs, and I shall 
 not fail to report this to His Majesty the Emperor, 
 who must surely be ignorant of your being here. 
 During my long service I have been commanded by 
 sovereignsj princes of royal and imperial blood, gen- 
 erals grown gray in wars, but never bj' spies ! " 
 
 The governor said all this as coolly and calmly as 
 20 
 
306 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 if he had been speaking of very ordinary topics. 
 Schelm was clever enough to see that he was no 
 match for such a man. Besides, the insulting 
 epithet " spies " closed his lips, and he began to 
 realize the limits within which he might use his 
 privileges. 
 
 " Very well, General," he said, not without a cer- 
 tain feeling of respect, " the whole affair will be set- 
 tled before a higher authority ; but I hope you will 
 not raise any difficulty against the duties I have to 
 perform in Siberia ? " 
 
 " How could I conceive such an idea ? " replied 
 the general. " I am very well aware of my own 
 duty. You have been appointed revisor of Eastern 
 Siberia. Yerj' well then ! Revise, inquire, spy out 
 all you wish to find ! I have no right to interfere 
 with your work. For the time being I have ceased 
 to be governor-general ! " 
 
 " The Lanin family, whom you protect " 
 
 " Let me tell you, once for all, that I protect no 
 one, as I do not desire to persecute anyone." 
 
 Schelm interrupted him, visibly excited, and with 
 a wink to Palkin, he added : 
 
 " Not even the enemies of the Czar ? " 
 
 The colonel had pulled out a notebook and a pen- 
 cil. The general noticed it with a smile of contempt. 
 
 " Not even the Czar's enemies ! I insist upon it 
 that no one shall escape due punishment, but I also 
 do not persecute any one. Count Lanin was caught 
 absent from his assigned hut. I have sentenced him, 
 for this, to three months' imprisonment. These 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 307 
 
 punishments, decreed by me, continue during my 
 absence, and I insist upon their being faithfully car- 
 ried out by my subalterns. You are, therefore, not 
 at liberty to increase the count's punishment, nor to 
 reduce it. If I should not be here at the end of the 
 time, you can then do as you like." Now Palkin 
 cast an unmistakable glance at the revisor and put 
 away again his notebook with the new entries he had 
 made. Schelm replied : 
 
 " I have ordered the countess to be arrested on the 
 spot." 
 
 The governor looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 "Arrested? You? Whom?" 
 
 "The Countess Lanin — here in Irkutsk — in her 
 own house ! " 
 
 " As to that, you ought to have informed me of 
 your intentions," replied the general with an ironical 
 smile. " I could have saved you some trouble. The 
 countess left for Petersburg three days ago." 
 
 " She has left ? Who gave her leave ? " 
 
 " I, on the strength of the imperial ukase ! " 
 
 In spite of his usual self-control Palkin here 
 started up, after having been a silent witness so far, 
 and cried madly : 
 
 " You dared that ? " 
 
 The governor measured him with a look of utter 
 contempt, and said : 
 
 " You venture to use very bold language. You 
 forget you are only at liberty to make notes ! " 
 
 " And I shall not fail taking down your words. 
 General," continued Palkin, still beside himself; 
 
308 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 "but this is too much. I shall at once send my 
 report " 
 
 " Oh ! I doubt not." 
 
 Schelm trembled with subdued fury. He cried : 
 
 " I must have her pursued ! This is open rebellion ! 
 Did 3'ou not know I was coming ? Col. Palkin, give 
 at once the necessary orders and send a few gen- 
 darmes after her ! " 
 
 " I doubt whether you will do anything in that 
 way. The countess has three days' advance, and 
 she travels with a passport signed by the Czar. You 
 ought to save unnecessary expenditures. Fortu- 
 nately we have no telegraphs yet in Siberia." 
 
 " Fortunately ! " hissed Palkin, drawing forth his 
 notebook. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! Fortunately ! " repeated the gov- 
 ernor. " Put back your book, my dear gendarme, I 
 am ready to confirm with my signature all I have 
 said so far." 
 
 Schelm could not brook delay. He said to Palkin : 
 
 " I implore you, Colonel, make haste to bring that 
 woman back here ! She must be brought back ! " 
 
 " I told you your measures would be veithout 
 result," said the governor. " Besides, I have ordered 
 all post horses on the route to be reserved for my 
 own use, so that I could first of all overtake her — 
 and then I should certainly accompany her on her 
 journey." 
 
 " And thus protect her against being arrested ? " 
 
 " Certainly ! " 
 
 " Well, we'll see how that vrill be looked at in 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 309 
 
 Petersburg," Schelm exclaimed, perfectly beside 
 himself. 
 
 " Yes, yes. And now I wish, you good-by. My 
 substitute will report to you, Mr. Revisor." 
 
 The governor left them with slow, dignified steps. 
 Palkin and Schelm looked at each other rather 
 anxiously. 
 
 " That is our worst enemy," said Palkin at last- 
 " All my denunciations avail nothing as long as he 
 enjoys the Czar's favor. We must make haste to 
 destroy Lanin and' to prevent this woman from 
 reaching Petersburg, or we are lost." 
 
 Schelm shook his head. 
 
 " I do not know why, but I have had presenti- 
 ments and almost fear ! " 
 
 " That is your way ! " laughed Palkin, scornfully. 
 " You always fear. You ought rather to remember 
 that you have three months before you, during 
 which you are almost omnipotent here ! " 
 
 " That is true, to be sure ! " said the revisor. 
 Then he rang the bell and told the officials imme- 
 diately to assemble all the civil and military authori- 
 ties in the city. 
 
 Palkin rose to leave the room ; the effort cost him 
 excruciating pain. 
 
 " In life and in death we'll be loyal to each other, 
 Palkin. Is it not so ? I humbly acknowledge I 
 have not acted handsomely, as far as you are con- 
 cerned." 
 
 " In life and in death we'll stand by each other, 
 
310 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 Schelm ! I leave you the husband and you leave me 
 the wife!" 
 
 "We'll' see ! " murmured Schelm to himself. 
 
 Almost instantly the same official returned, 
 announcing that all the authorities of Irkutsk had 
 been assembled for an hour, awaiting the summons 
 of His Excellency, Baron Schelm of Schelmenberg. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Highly delighted at this turn of affairs, Palkin 
 returned home. He had succeeded in deceiving 
 Schelm, and yet made hiin his ally. He had feared 
 nothing so much as to find this former chief a bitter 
 enemy. He reflected - on their relative positions. 
 Schelm was now his only superior, and he held him 
 in subjection by means of the documents that com- 
 promised him so grievously. Suddenly Palkin 
 remembered Helen. If she met the revisor and 
 told him all, the most disastrous consequences would 
 follow. She must be put out of the way. One 
 moment he thought of going down into the cellar, 
 where he kept her imprisoned, and of murdering her 
 there. But, upon trying the strength of his arms, 
 he found that he could not overcome the resistance 
 even of a woman. Should he take a pistol to shoot 
 the girl? But the explosion might be heard. Schelm 
 might send for her — how could he explain her dis- 
 appearance ? After long meditation he came to the 
 conclusion that there was only one way to prevent 
 Schelm and Helen from meeting, and that was to let 
 her escape. This depended "bn him alone, as he had 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS, 311 
 
 kept the key, and could easily visit his prisoner, 
 without exciting attention. He disliked the idea of 
 releasing a person who had been the cause of so 
 much suffering to him, but Schelm was too danger- 
 ous ! 
 
 Toward evening the gendarmes on duty were very 
 much surprised when they received permission to go 
 home. Palkin quickly got the cellar key and went 
 down to Popoff's betrothed. He found her curled 
 up in a corner like a wild beast. As soon as she saw 
 Popoff's murderer her eyes began to burn with irre- 
 pressible hatred, and her generally very gentle feat- 
 ures changed in a fearful manner. 
 
 "Poor child," said Palkin, with hypocritical com- 
 passion. " You must not judge us from appearances. 
 We have manj' things to do from duty, over which 
 we weep in our hearts. I deeply deplore poor 
 Popoff's death ! I reproach myself continually that 
 I gave way to my wrath. I mean to atone for my 
 wrong as far as I can. I therefore give you your 
 freedom, poor child ! " 
 
 She looked at him scornfully and shook her head. 
 The colonel wanted to explain to her his good inten- 
 tions, and, seeing her mistrust, he went to the door, 
 opened it wide and said : 
 
 " Go with God, and forgive me ! " 
 
 She understood perfectly that he meant her to 
 escape ; why — that she could not divine. She feared 
 a trap. But the solitude in the dark, damp cellar 
 had been hard to bear ; she felt that she could better 
 defend herself in the open air, and thus she fled, as a 
 
312 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 bird escapes from its cage. She was no sooner out 
 of reach than Palkin repented his good deed. 
 
 " Why don't you say, at least, I thank you ? " he 
 
 A loud, weird laugh was all that came back to 
 him. She disappeared at a corner of the street. 
 Then, to relieve himself of every possible suspicion, 
 he tore off the staple of the lock, left the door stand- 
 ing open and then went to rest. 
 
 Only on the following morning did Helen's escape 
 become generally known. The gendarmes had 
 returned late, and found the lock broken. Schelm 
 scolded and blamed everybody. Palkin pulled out 
 his hair, but as Helen could not be found the matter 
 was soon forgotten. Palkin's whole wrath seemed 
 now to be concentrated on the unlucky captain. 
 The proceedings against him were hurried on, and a 
 fortnight after his arrest he appeared before the 
 court-martial. There was no escape for the poor 
 man. He could, of course, make many revelations 
 of the colonel's secret proceedings, his orders to 
 watch Popoff, and other irregularities, but all was of 
 no avail. The court came to the conclusion that he 
 had long cherished bloody hatred against his superior, 
 and he was sentenced to receive four thousand blows 
 with the knout — in other woi'ds, to death. 
 
 When the sentence was read to the unfortunate 
 man he fainted away, and when he recovered after- 
 words it appeared that he had lost his senses. Caroline 
 wished to have one more interview with him, and 
 received the necessary permission. But the captain, 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 313 
 
 knew nothing, he continually asked for mercy. He 
 besought her to intercede for him with the governor, 
 even with the Countess Lanin, of whose departure 
 he knew nothing. She promised to try, not for his 
 sake, but for he;: own sake, to avoid being known as 
 the widow of a man who was knouted to death. 
 Finally she went away in great haste, without cast- 
 . ing a glance at her husband or saying a word of ten- 
 derness. She at once went to work to petition every- 
 body, but she met with nothing but deaf ears. The 
 crime was too fearful. When she saw that all was 
 in vain she swore a most horidble oath, full of hatred 
 against Count Lanin, the exiles all, but especially 
 against Jana and Palkin. 
 
 Schelm was now the independent ruler of Eastern 
 Siberia. His first order had been to arrest the count- 
 ess. As this could not be done, Lina and the two 
 servants who were found in her house were arrested. 
 Thus began the new regime. 
 
 All the officials of Irkutsk had been, heart and soul, 
 devoted to the governor-general, and on that account 
 already looked askant at Schelm The local com- 
 mandant, a grey-haired general, brave in the field, 
 but tiinid in daily life, surrendered at once. Others, 
 however, were not as submissive, nor as patient. 
 Matters, in fact, became daily worse. Almost at the 
 same time with the arrival of the revisor there 
 appeared a well-organized and well-armed band of 
 men who created a regular panic in a few days. The 
 leader of this band had, in the short period of two 
 months, known how to make himself a legendary 
 
314 THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 
 
 hero, a second Proteus, who appeared everywhere 
 and ever in a different form. Now people swore 
 that he had been seen at 20 places at the some hour, 
 and now that he was here or there, as he chose. 
 They called him the " Czar of the Exiles." He was 
 without mercy against the government officials and 
 especially those who had shown themselves arbitrary 
 or cruel in their treatment of exiles. The band sur- 
 prised one colony after the other, always murdering 
 the inspectors with great cruelty. The robbers had 
 soon established a regular terrorism in the whole dis- 
 trict, especially after they had actually taken a 
 small town, killing all the garrison and securing a 
 regimental safe with large sums of money. No one 
 could travel without a considerable escort. Even the 
 government messengers and couriers were captured, 
 the official despatches broken open and" examined, 
 and then they were allowed to proceed on their way. 
 These couriers especially told such fearful, gruesome 
 stories that no one could sleep quietly at night. 
 Reports came actually in now that several large tribes 
 of Tunguses had risen in rebellion, reinforcing these 
 bands. Schelm was utterly helpless; for this was 
 in April, when the general thaw had cut off nearly 
 all communication. 
 
 One of Schelm's first measures had been to enforce 
 and increase the severity of all laws concerning the 
 exiles. This created great dissatisfaction, and ere 
 long the colonists began to disappear, leaving no 
 trace. Soon rumors came that it was no longer a 
 band, but-«an -edmirably officered and perfectly well 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 315 
 
 drilled military force that defied the Government. 
 They had appeared about 30 versts from Irkutsk, 
 and as the colonists generally joined them wherever 
 they showed themselves, their number was estimated 
 at 1,000 men. Such a force, quite imposing for 
 Siberia, disturbed Schelm very seriously. Schelm, a 
 coward by nature, actually tried to persuade some 
 colonists, who were still at their places, to inform 
 these rebels that he would not molest them in any 
 way if they would pass over into Mantchooria. But 
 he found no ready ears for his offers. 
 
 The rebels, so far from thinking of leaving Irkutsk, 
 on the contrary only drew nearer to the city, and the 
 monks of the convent of St. George affirmed that 
 one day the leader of the band, a giant dressed in 
 red, had flown by them at the head of a hundred 
 horsemen and disappeai'ed again in a moment. They 
 maintained that they had seen his features quite dis- 
 tinctly ; he was a man in his best years and in the 
 full vigor of manhood. The horsemen had swept by 
 like spectres in an instant; one of them, to frighten 
 them, had fired a carbine at a window in the con- 
 vent, but the leader had reprimanded him in such a 
 voice of thunder that they had heard every word : 
 
 " Keep your balls for the slaves of the Czar I Why 
 waste them against the servants of God ? These you 
 may despise, but those you are bound to kill and to 
 murder, because they do us harm ! " 
 
 In spite of his daily growing anxiety, in spite of 
 the constant efforts of his cunning mind, Schelm did 
 not cease to increase the cruelty of his treatment of 
 
316 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 the unfortunate exiles, so that the general discontent 
 grew from day to day. He was specially furious, 
 because his principal victim, Lanin, for whose sake 
 he had mainly made the enormous journey, had so 
 far escaped him. The commandant of the prison in 
 which he was, enjoyed the governor's full confidence, 
 and deserved it thoroughly. He had been summoned 
 before the latter, a few hours before his departure, 
 and was expressly forbidden to interfere in the slight- 
 est with the penalties decreed against his prisoners. 
 The governor had his doubts about Count Lanin's 
 guilt and wanted to secure him against further per- 
 secution during his absence. The commandant, 
 knowing this, had solemnly promised him to watch 
 over Lanin's person. Schelm tried various ways to 
 induce him to leave Lanin in his hands. Then he 
 attempted to persuade him to let Lanin escape, feel- 
 ing sure that in such a case Lanin would soon furnish 
 him with a new cause for arrest, but all in vain. The 
 brave old man was not to be moved. Schelm had 
 one more resource — he could depose the command- 
 ant. But he was appointed by the governor-general 
 and could, tlierefore, not be removed during his 
 absence ; besides, the whole town knew him and 
 honored him, and he had never given the slightest 
 cause for complaint. 
 
 Finally, therefore, Schelm felt compelled to resort 
 to his favorite means ; he had to employ spies, spies 
 even in prison. Vladimir's greatest pain had been 
 the unavoidable contact with the other prisoners. 
 Save two or three, whose crime was the same as his 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 317 
 
 own, he was surrounded by thieves and murderers. 
 These very naturally hated the man who stood so 
 high above them and who, they knew, loathed their 
 sight. Schelm's spies were instructed to fan this feel- 
 ing of hatred and to increase it by a variety of vile 
 and utterly false insinuations. 
 
 This was an easy task for them, under the circum- 
 stances, and soon all of Vladimir's fellow -prisoners 
 had become bitter enernies of his. 
 
 But this did not suffice for Schelm. He sent 
 another spy there to gain Vladimir's confidence and 
 lead him gradually to make confessions that could 
 be used to his destruction. Thus two months passed, 
 during which Vladimir was cautious enough to be 
 silent on all subjects that might have caused him 
 trouble. 
 
 Schelm's impatience grew with every day, and at 
 last he resolved to take a decisive step. Schelm was 
 brooding over his plan, which he felt confident would 
 deliver his victim beyond redemption into his hands, 
 when one day the courier brought letters from Pe- 
 tersburg, and among them one of special importance 
 which was handed to Schelm in Palkin's presence. 
 It enclosed a letter for Count Lanin. The rule 
 among Siberian exiles requires that every letter ad- 
 dressed to one of the colonists shall be opened and 
 read by the head of the police or the chief of the 
 gendarmes. As soon as Schelm had entered upon 
 his duties at Irkutsk, he had specially ordered that 
 all such letters should be first brought to him. For 
 two months no letters had come to Vladimir. Palkin 
 
318 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 did not know this, and was, therefore, much surprised 
 when Schelm suddenly exclaimed, triumphantly : 
 
 " At last a letter from the capital for Count 
 Lanin ! '' 
 
 Palkin did not share the joy of his ally ; on the 
 contrary, he was in a state of unusual excitement. 
 He had long been sick in consequence of his fearful 
 sufferings under the knout, and had for some time 
 been unable to follow the footsteps of his enemies. 
 He did not even know what had become of that all- 
 important receipt which was thought to be in his 
 possession. Jaua might possibly have taken it to 
 Petersburg with her and mention it in the letter that 
 had just been received. Now, if Schelm should 
 open the letter and find that the gendarme had told 
 him a falsehood, he would make him pay dearly for 
 it. Palkin thought of all this, full of anxiety, while 
 Schelm was joyfully playing with the letter. 
 
 " What do you mean to do ? " asked Palkin, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " You think perhaps I'll open the letter and read 
 it?" asked Schelm, scornfully. "I am not such a 
 fool. The letter comes from his wife and no doubt 
 contains nothing but tender caresses. I do not want 
 to excite his suspicion. The law, to be sure, is on 
 my side, but nowadays the letters are generally 
 handed over to the exiles unopened. Besides, I shall 
 be able to get the letter whenever I may want it. 
 No, no ! At last the long hoped for opportunity 
 presents itself and I shall not let it escape me." 
 
 Palkin breathed freely. That danger at least was 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 319 
 
 warded off. Schelm sent for his spy and told Palkin 
 that he would go to the prison himself the same 
 evening. 
 
 Here a new danger appeared. If Schelm should 
 ever get possession of the letters he might find out 
 everything. At one glance Palkin saw how matters 
 stood, and as promptly he came to a decision. He 
 must warn Vladimir against Schelm's schemes and 
 advise him to destroy his wife's letter as soon as he 
 had read it. Like Schelm he also had his spy in the 
 prison, and as soon as he reached the place he sent 
 for this man. 
 
 The prisoners were walking about, according to 
 the rules of the prison, in the yard, and Vladimir 
 suddenly noticed that some one- slipped a letter 
 stealthily into his hand. He looked up and noticed 
 tliat Schelm's spy, whom he considered a comrade, 
 made signs to him. Surprised, but unsuspecting, he 
 went aside from the others into a corner, covered his 
 eyes with his hand so as not to betray himself, and 
 could hardly suppress a cry of joy when he recog- 
 nized Jana's handwriting. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIH. 
 
 " I SEND this letter to you," wrote the countess, 
 " you poor martyr, not knowing even if and when it 
 may reach your hands. Six weeks have passed since 
 I left Irkutsk. I hope you have been set free, and 
 receive my letter, a free man, to bring you at least 
 consolation and to revive your hopes. 
 
 "I know you too well to doubt you a single 
 
,320 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 moment, and you also, I know, cannot doubt me a 
 moment. You must know that I am now in Peters- 
 burg, for a man as noble as powerful has surely told 
 you of the purpose of my journey." 
 
 Vladimir paused here a moment to say to himself: 
 " How well she knows how to guess every noble 
 sentiment ! The governor did, in fact, tell me all 
 about it." 
 
 " I owe it to the admirable doctor, who helped my 
 impatience by all available means, that I could make 
 the long journey in one month. The nearer I came 
 to the city where your fate was to be decided, the 
 more my restlessness and my anguish of soul in- 
 creased. As soon, however, as I reached the end, 
 truly wonderful peace came into my soul : I felt I 
 should be able to release you ! Unfortunately, the 
 first news I heard caused me great sorrow. My dear 
 father is no longer ! Five days before my arrival the 
 funeral had taken place. The solitude, grief, and 
 the conviction of his inability to help us had killed 
 him! I must confess my grief for him occupied me 
 several days exclusivel3^ He had died, yearning and 
 longing for me, and with my name on his lips ! 
 
 " My fate is certainly marvelous. They tell me I 
 am still beautiful and perfectly enchanting ! By 
 my beauty and my graceful ways, they say, I con- 
 quer all. 
 
 " But what good has it done me ? I have made 
 all unhappy who have succumbed to what the world 
 calls my charms — ^yourself first and foremost. 
 
 " My father has left me an immense fortune — 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 321 
 
 4,000,000 silver rubles! But the only good this 
 money can do me is to help me to set you free. If I 
 could only return to you in time! for I have just 
 heard — my second piece of news — who has been 
 appointed revisor for Eastern Siberia. It is our 
 bitterest enemy, that man Schelm, who has here a 
 number of adherents and dependents. 
 
 " At the head of his partj' stands the Minister of 
 the Interior, Count Perowski. I hear that my 
 father's death was to render you a great service. 
 The minister was about to banish me from Peters- 
 burg on the pretext that the wife of an exile was not 
 allowed to reside in the capital. The Emperor, how- 
 ever, heard of this and would not consent. ' It is 
 perfectly in order that this noble woman should 
 endeavor to carry out her father's last wishes. She 
 shall not be interfered with ! ' 
 
 " Count Orloff, who has received me very kindly, 
 repeated these words of the monarch to me. Unfor- 
 tunately the Char's benevolence stopped here. I 
 asked the chief of the gendarmes to promise me an 
 audience for a few minutes only with the Czar, ^e 
 answered this was an impossibility. I implored him; 
 I fell on my knees before him ! At last I suppose I 
 must have found words to move him, for he grew 
 milder and said: 'Try to get your uncle. Count 
 Lanin, to sign your petition for an audience, and 
 then I will take the rest upon myself ! ' I hastened 
 to your uncle's ; he would not receive me, and when 
 I returned to Count Orloff his door also was closed 
 to me ! How petty, how worthless they are ! 
 21 
 
322 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " And yet my dear Vladimir, I do not mean to be 
 discouraged. I shall knock at every door. To-morrow 
 I think of taking a very important step, but I do not 
 tell you what it is because I should like to conclude 
 my next letter with a piece of good news. Be 
 patient meanwhile, bear everything for the time 
 being, and remember that your wife is day and night 
 at work for you, and you alone ! 
 
 " I must speak to the Emperor, even should I have 
 to address him on his favorite promenade. But who 
 knows if I shall succeed ! The political horizon is 
 darkening — the Czar looks sad and thoughtful ; he 
 walks out but rarely." 
 
 Suddenly Vladimir paused, for he felt a hand laid 
 gently on his shoulder. Instantly he concealed the 
 letter in his clothing, and turned round. Behind 
 him stood a man, whom Lanin suspected of being a 
 spy, and whom he therefore carefully avoided. 
 
 " Have a care," whispered this man. " They want 
 to ruin you. Destroy the letter as soon as you have 
 read it. The revisor will be here in a moment. You 
 are surrounded by spies ! " 
 
 " And you are the head of them," Vladimir said, 
 contemptuously. " Leave me alone." 
 
 But the spy was not deterred. 
 
 " I give you my solemn assurance I have been 
 ordered to warn you, and thus to protect you." 
 Then he whispered Palkin's name into Vladimir's 
 ears, and moved away. 
 
 Instinctively Vladimir looked around, but as he 
 saw nothing formidable he went on reading. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 323 
 
 "I verily believe an evil destiny pursues me. 
 Once more I have been disappointed. Can a greater 
 grief be conceived than mine, when I think that one 
 word from me could change the whole state of 
 things, and that word cannot reach the man who 
 alone can help us ? The step on which I counted 
 was a visit to Rita. She is indeed a noble creature, 
 and I think you have done her injustice. She is 
 devoted to me, but she tells me that since 1850 cir- 
 cumstances have altered very much. Since Napo- 
 leon is emperor diplomatic relations between France 
 and Russia have grown cool. A breach even is 
 momentarily expected. Mme. de Dugarcy is no 
 longer such a favorite at court; the Empress sees 
 her only on solemn occasions, and says little to her. 
 Nevertheless she promised me her assistance. Five 
 times we have attempted to get an audience with 
 the Empress at the Winter Palace, but always in 
 vain. My last hope is now to meet the Czar on one 
 of his walks and to hand him my petition, lying on 
 my knees before him. For five days I have patiently 
 waited for hours before the palace, hoping to see 
 him. The doors have never yet opened! /; 
 
 " I do not send the letter yet, because the hour is 
 near to make another attempt at the palace gates. 
 Perhaps I am lucky to-day ! The sky is so pure 
 and clear ! Jana. 
 
 " P. S. — How good and gracious the Lord is ! Full 
 of despair I returned home, having given up all hope 
 to see the Czar. Then there came this card : 
 ' General Count Moski, governor of East Siberia — 
 
324 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 Be of good hope.' And you, dear Vladimir, be 
 cautious ; as I watch here over you, do you watch 
 there over yourself, and forget it not a single 
 moment ! " 
 
 Vladimir was on the point of putting the letter 
 ■again into his pocket, hoping to read it at night more 
 at leisure, when he was suddenly seized at both 
 hands with great violence. Terrified, he uttered a 
 cry and turned around. Two overseers were stand- 
 ing behind him. One of them held the hand in 
 which his wife's letter was as with an iron grasp, 
 and before him stood Schelm, accompanied by the 
 commandant of the prison. 
 
 Vladimir knew that Schelm had come to Irkutsk, 
 but he had not seen him yet. This unexpected 
 meeting with his pursuer at such a moment excited 
 him to such a degree that he lost his presence of 
 mind. 
 
 " Please give me that letter at once," said Schelm, 
 with affected politeness. 
 
 Vladimir did not think of it that Jana must have 
 expected the letter would get into hostile hands, 
 and had therefore no doubt omitted everything that 
 could compromise Vladimir. He thought especially 
 of that final reference to the governor-general, and 
 with one sublime effort he raised the letter to his 
 mouth with his left hand. At once upon a sign 
 from Schelm two men seized him and drew the paper 
 from his firmly closed teeth. He could but just 
 tear off with his teeth the postscript and swallow it 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 325 
 
 by a mighty effort. The torn letter was handed to 
 Schelm, and Lanin let free. 
 
 " You were a witness of this manifest resistance," 
 said Schelm to the commandant. 
 
 "What new punishment," said the latter, "do 
 you decree against the prisoner when his present 
 term expires ? " 
 
 " I'll decide that hereafter." 
 
 Vladimir trembled with indignation when he saw 
 Jana's letter in Schelm 's hands. Fortunately he 
 remembered her anxious prayer that he should be 
 cautious. He tried to calm down while Schelm 
 read the letter carefully. When he had finished he 
 said to Lanin : 
 
 " I do not comprehend what excited you so much. 
 One might imagine from your conduct that this 
 letter contained most dangerous things. I suppose 
 the part you tore off was not any more important. 
 I should not have punished you at all, if you had 
 not compelled me to do so by your disobedience. 
 At all events you are not the most guilty in getting 
 this letter. The guilt lies with him who gave you 
 the letter. I beg you will give me his name." 
 
 Although Vladimir was surprised at the revisor's 
 politeness, and at the same time indignant at such a 
 demand, he did not lose his self-command. 
 
 " You surely cannot demand that of me," he 
 replied. 
 
 " I recognize in those words the former count," 
 sneered Schelm. " You know I don't understand 
 a joke." 
 
326 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " And you know I do not commit treason." 
 
 " You will not denounce the guilty man ? " 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 Schelm nodded his head. " As you like," he said. 
 
 Then turning to the prisoners, who stood in a long 
 row before him : 
 
 "Which of you handed this letter to Colonist 
 Yladimir ? " 
 
 No one replied. The spy played his part well. 
 Schelm now turned to the overseers and jailers with 
 the same question. No one answered. 
 
 " Why, this is a nice state of things," said Schelm. 
 " Commandant, when the prisoners have suffered 
 their punishment, you will keep them here as long 
 again as they have been here now. The only 
 exception is the Colonist Vladimir because he is 
 innocent. The overseers and jailers will lose one 
 month's salary and their allotment of brandy." 
 
 All eyes turned threateningly to Vladimir. Schelm 
 had expected this, and rubbed his hands with 
 delight. Lanin was revolted by this injustice, and, 
 stepping up to Schelm, said : 
 
 " I beg your Excellency will make no exception." 
 
 " Ha I ha ! You do not like to expose yourself to 
 the ill-will of your fellow-prisoners ? And yet that 
 is to be your punishment for 3-our obstinacy. I will 
 not decree any other. You have too powerful pro- 
 tectors ! " 
 
 " I beg your Excellency will punish me ! " 
 
 " What have you to say until I do you the honor 
 to turn to you ? " said Schelm, contemptuously 
 
THE AGE OP CLUBS. 327 
 
 Vladimir saw the hostile glances of his companions 
 and the overseers, and continued, in great excitement ; 
 
 " I pray you will not exclude me from the punish- 
 ment as I am the guilty one " 
 
 " Be silent," said Schelm. " We have wasted 
 enough time with the letter of an adventuress to an 
 exile." 
 
 At these words Vladimir turned deadly pale, and 
 his eyes flashed fire. He walked close up to the 
 revisor, and said in broken words : 
 
 " Does that refer to my wife ? Repeat those 
 words ! " 
 
 The commandant touched Schelm's arm to call his 
 attention to Vladimir's passionate excitement. But 
 the revisor shrugged his shoulders contemptuously 
 and said : 
 
 " Do you think you stand above the law ? Do you 
 think you can do what you choose ? To be sure your 
 wife came in company of a colonel of the gendarmes 
 to Irkutsk, and now she has even had the governor- 
 general to keep her company as far as Petersburg. 
 It is very pleasant, pertainly, to have a pretty and 
 unscrupulous wife ! " 
 
 Most contemptuously he threw Jana's letter on the 
 floor and stamped on it. At the same moment 
 Vladimir fell upon him, seized him by the throat and 
 cried : 
 
 " I know it is my destruction, but first, you scoun- 
 drel, you shall feel my hand." 
 
 At the same time a blow was heard. The com- 
 man#,nt and th§ overseer seiged Vladimir, gphelm 
 
328 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 was colorless, and yet a smile of satisfaction played 
 on his lips. 
 
 " Now you are in a nice fix," said one of the jailers 
 to him. 
 
 The commandant accompanied Schelm to his car- 
 riage. 
 
 " I have found a nice state of discipline in your 
 prison," he said upon leaving. " For the present I 
 suspend you from your office ! " 
 
 His place was filled the same evening by one of 
 the most hated, because most cruel, directors of 
 prisons in all Siberia. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 We are at Petersburg, at the Court of Czar Nich- 
 olas. The entry to his rooms at the Winter Palace 
 is very simply furnished, but monumental in its pro- 
 portions. Sofas, covered with red damask, are placed 
 against the walls, which form an oval ; between two 
 windows stands a writing table, before it an arm- 
 chair and a number of other chairs — this is all. 
 Opposite to the writing table a door, white and gold, 
 opened into the Czar's own study. This room is so 
 well known in Russia not only, but in Europe gen- 
 erally, that it needs no description here ; suffice it to 
 say that its great simplicity formed a striking con- 
 trast with the gorgeous splendor and matchless lux- 
 ury that reigned everywhere else in the Winter 
 Palace. 
 
 April 21, 1852, was one of the days on which the 
 Czar received all who during the last fortnight had 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 329 
 
 asked for an audience. He observed this custom 
 strictly to the end of his life, never omitting it, when 
 in the city. The adjutant, who sat at the table, 
 entered the names of those who were admitted, and 
 compared them with his list. 
 
 The crowd of people waiting for the monarch's 
 appearance mingled with the many officers, chamber- 
 lains and other courtiers on duty. All seemed to be 
 greatly excited ; many a heart beat louder at the 
 thought that in a few moments the ruler over so 
 many millions of men, on whose word their fate in 
 this life depended, was soon to be present. 
 
 Twelve o'clock, the door opened wide, the men of 
 the Imperial Life Guards on duty presented arms, 
 and an adjutant-general entered, escorting a lady 
 draped in black and closely veiled. These adjutant- 
 generals, it must be known, are the only persons who 
 have the privilege of speaking to the Czar without 
 having previously demanded an audience. At this 
 sight the adjutant on duty rose and advanced a few 
 steps. He started, however, for the features of the 
 new-comer were strange to him, and yet the number 
 of adjutant-generals was so small that the two men 
 ought to have known each other. 
 
 " Gen. Lanin ! You seem not to know me," said 
 the last arrival. 
 
 " Indeed." 
 
 " After five years' absence in Siberia a man may 
 well change very much, especially when he has held 
 all that time the reins of government in his hands. 
 I am Count Moski ! " 
 
330 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 Lanin shook hands with him heartily. 
 
 " Pardon me, dear Count ! We courtiers have a 
 short memory for those we do not often see. I shall 
 announce you at once to his Majesty, the Emperor ! " 
 
 The governor of Siberia held him back with a nod. 
 
 " One moment, dear General ! Later I shall avail 
 myself of my privilege, but to-day I beg you will do 
 me a favor and give me a token of your good will." 
 
 Saying so, he glanced at his companion who had 
 drawn her veil still more closely around her as she 
 recognized the adjutant on duty. 
 
 " I wish to obtain an audience with his Majesty for 
 this lady!" 
 
 " Has she had an audience granted to her ? " 
 
 " No, but I hope " 
 
 " Then you ask for an impossibility. His Majesty 
 the Emperor is very strict in such matters." 
 
 The count insisted, adding : " If you knew the 
 name of this lady you would perhaps be less strict." 
 
 He was interrupted by an unusual commotion 
 among the assembly. The door of the Czar's study 
 had opened, and on the threshold Nicholas himself 
 appeared. If the Czar wants to show any one special 
 favor, he accompanies his visitor to the door and 
 there, in the reception-room, takes leave of him with 
 a cordial pressure of the hand. A diplomat from one 
 of the smaller German courts had just been thus dis- 
 missed. 
 
 Nicholas was famous for his wonderful memory. 
 The adjutant was just about to present the governor 
 of Siberia when the eagle-eye of the Czar anticipated 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 331 
 
 him. He had at once recognized his old friend in 
 the crowd. 
 
 " Welcome, dear Moski," he exclaimed, walking 
 up to him. The governor-general bowed low. 
 
 " What good star brings you here ? Do you know, 
 it rains denunciations against you." 
 
 " Yes, your Majesty." 
 
 " They report to me from all sides you are too 
 kind, especially to the political exiles. You give 
 them their liberty, and permit everything. Can that 
 be true ? " 
 
 The governor answered calmly : 
 
 " It is true, sire. My idea is that the Czar pun- 
 ishes, but does not persecute, and since I represent 
 your Majesty in Siberia — ■ — •" 
 
 Nicholas kindly held out his hand to him and said : 
 
 " Here is my right hand, dear General. You have 
 understood me, and I thank you for it. I am not 
 only glad to see you here ; I should like to grant you 
 any favor you might have to ask of me." 
 
 Full of emotion, Count Moski bent over the Empe- 
 ror's right hand. 
 
 " I came, indeed, to ask for favors." 
 
 " Speak. What is it ? " 
 
 " In the first place, I beg for mercy for myself." 
 
 " For yourself ? " asked the Czar, surprised. 
 
 " Yes, indeed. They have sent me a reviser." 
 
 " A revisoi' — to you ? " 
 
 " Should your Majesty not have known that ? " 
 
 " Then you wish to speak to me personally ? You 
 did well to count upon my good will and my justice. - 
 
332 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 I again thank you from the heart. Pray, follow me 
 into my study ! " 
 
 When Nicholas was not irritated by resistance 
 or by treachery, he showed iu his every-day life a 
 remarkably kind heart. He turned to the crowd of 
 people waiting for an audience and said : 
 
 " Pardon me, gentlemen and ladies ; I meet here 
 an old friend whom I have not seen for five years. 
 The audience will, therefore, continue an hour lon- 
 ger to-day than usual. Come, dear Count ! " 
 
 Very modestly the governor said : 
 
 " Your Majesty has heard but one of my petitions ; 
 may I be permitted to state the second also ? " 
 
 " And that is ? " 
 
 " An exceedingly important affair which is nearer 
 my heart than my own interests. I wish to present 
 to your Majesty an opportunity to redress a great 
 injustice that has been done in your Majesty's name." 
 
 With these words he took the lady in deep mourn- 
 ing, who was visibly trembling, by the hand and 
 presented her to the Emperor, saying : 
 
 " Your Majesty, grant the wife of Count Vladimir 
 Lanin an audience ! " 
 
 The Czar's countenance clouded over. Gen. 
 Lanin exclaimed, frightened and discontented : 
 
 " What ! My nephew's wife ? " 
 
 " Yes, your nephew's wife ! You see I have more 
 courage than you in the presence of our most gra- 
 cious master ! " 
 
 Nicholas knew how to appreciate independence of 
 character in those on whose devotion he could rely ; 
 
THE ACE OP CLtJBS. 333 
 
 he therefore replied : " Very well, madame. Present 
 your petition for an audience and it shall be granted." 
 
 The governor was, however, determined to remove 
 at once all impediments and to procure a hearing for 
 Jana on the spot. He said, therefore, in a beseech- 
 ing tone : 
 
 " Your Majesty ! This unfortunate woman is sur- 
 rounded by very influential enemies who strain every 
 nerve to prevent her approaching the footstool of 
 your throne. I alone take her under my protection. 
 I must soon leave here. I yield to her my own priv- 
 ilege, if your Majesty will only be graciously inclined 
 to hear her to- day ! " 
 
 " You make good use of the pleasure I derive from 
 your coming to me, very good use," replied Nicholas, 
 not without a shadow of displeasure. " But you 
 shall not say that I have refused you a favor torday. 
 Pray, follow me ! " 
 
 Nicholas opened the door to his study and beckon- 
 ed Jana to enter before him. The countess had 
 removed her veil. Her queenly beauty had not 
 failed to impress the Czar favorably. As she was 
 crossing the threshold she cast an imploring look at 
 the governor, who at once understood her. 
 
 " Your Majesty, the poor woman does not dare 
 face your Majesty alone. She wishes to have me at 
 her side at this critical moment. Your Majesty will 
 be pleased to grant her wish, T pray ! " 
 
 The monarch's brow began to clear again. 
 
 " It cannot be denied that you understand how to 
 speak for those who have secured your assistance," 
 
334 THE ACE OF CLtTBS. 
 
 he said, smiling. " Is it really so, Countess ? Do 
 you wish to have the general near you ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, your Majesty ! " replied Jana, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Well then, come. I see I can refuse you noth- 
 ing!" 
 
 They disappeared behind the closed door, and all 
 were marveling at the very exceptional favor which 
 the Czar had shown the governor of Eastern Siberia ! 
 Lanin was utterly bewildered. The protection 
 which the governor extended to his kinsman astonish- 
 ed and troubled him at the same time. He himself 
 must have been unjust and hard of heart. In the 
 greatest excitement he awaited the end of the audi- 
 ence. 
 
 Suddenly a bell rang in the Emperor's apartment. 
 Lanin was at once at hand and even, in his haste, 
 forgot to close the door behind him, so that all could 
 hear the Czar's words: 
 
 "I must instantly see the chief of the gendarmes 
 and the Minister of the Interior. You Lanin will 
 also return." 
 
 The adjutant was spared the trouble. A colonel 
 on duty had immediately gone and sent two messen- 
 gers. 
 
 " Poor Lanin," said the Czar. " You and I seem 
 much to blame. Your nephew seems to be inno- 
 cent." 
 
 " Vladimir ? " 
 
 " Yes ! As yet I am not certain, but the absolute 
 faith of this noble wife has made a deep impression 
 
THE ACE OE CLUBS. 335 
 
 upon me. Countess, please come here again three 
 days hence, at the same hour. If the investigation 
 I shall order confirms your statement I promise 
 justice shall be done you, and I give you my impe- 
 rial word upon it ! " 
 
 Jana concluded from this that she might with- 
 draw and she dropped a low courtesy. The governor 
 was about to follow her, but the Emperor held him 
 back. 
 
 " We have not spoken of your own affairs, and I 
 have not thanked you yet enough for the way in 
 which you have maintained the honor and the glory 
 of my government. Stay, I have much to ask yet." 
 
 When Jana reappeared on the third day she was 
 in a state of most painful excitement, as she did not 
 at all know what to expect. She had seen no one in 
 the meantime, and the entire absence of all news 
 from her protector troubled her sorely. 
 
 The anteroom iu the palace looked very different 
 to-day. This was not a day for audiences, and hence 
 the vast apartment was empty. A few officers on 
 duty were alone visible. Jana mentioned her name 
 to the adjutant-general, who at once rose, opened 
 the door to the Czar's study and announced her 
 name in a loud voice. 
 
 Jana was terrified at seeing the Emperor, sur- 
 rounded by many generals, and among them her 
 husband's uncle, the Minister of the Interior, and the 
 chief of the gendarmes. She was to fall at the 
 Emperor's feet, but was so unnerved that she could 
 
336 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 not stir. Nicholas approached her, bowed most 
 respectfully, and said in a voice full of emotion : 
 
 " Countess, the Emperor of all the Russias begs 
 your pardon." 
 
 - Jana had to lean against the wall, or she would 
 have fallen. 
 
 " Does your Majesty deign to pardon us ? " she 
 asked, making a great effort. 
 
 " It is not a question of pardon," replied the Czar 
 with emphasis ; " but justice shall be done you." 
 
 Now she knelt down before the Czar, and deeply 
 moved, kissed his hand, but was still unable to utter 
 a word. 
 
 " An inquiry has been held and Orloff, who can- 
 not be surpassed in a case where injustice is to be 
 redressed, has helped us greatly. All you told me 
 has been found to be perfectly true. The house has 
 been found in which your husband was arrested, and 
 it has been ascertained that the name Ace of Clubs 
 was used there for the first time in 1850, when you 
 were in the Crimea. Several conspirators, whose 
 share in the affair was too trifling to warrant their 
 being exiled, have confessed that they had never 
 heard a word of your husband. This receipt is 
 evidently in Schelm's handwriting. At the police 
 his order to arrest Popoff for stealing 20,000 rubles 
 has been found. The Minister of the Interior 
 remembers the event perfectly well. Your husband 
 has always been considered one of my most loj'al 
 subjects and servants. All this, to be sure, ought to 
 have been ascertained at that time already, but the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 337 
 
 haste with which this affair was despatched, is inex- 
 cusable. Minister," added the Czar in a stern tone 
 of voice, " you were badly informed at that time." 
 
 Count Perowski hung his head. 
 
 " Evidently, your Majesty." 
 
 " As to Schelm, we do not know exactly how far 
 he is to blame, although he is no doubt very guilty, 
 even if too great zeal should have carried him too 
 far. We shall hold him strictly to account, how- 
 ever, and punish him if he deserves it. He shall not 
 escape what is due to him. 
 
 " To-day, however, we have a more pleasant duty 
 to fulfill. Do you know. Countess, how I have come 
 so suddenly to the conclusion that your husband is 
 innocent ? Count Moski assures me that they have 
 never ceased to persecute and torment him in my 
 name. Now I give you my word as a monarch that 
 no complaint against him has ever fallen from my lips. 
 I have never even mentioned your husband's name. 
 The Emperor of all the Russias punishes, but he is 
 not in the habit of taking revenge." 
 
 Jana folded her hands. 
 
 " Your Majesty, we have never lost confidence in 
 the justice of our most gracious master, and this 
 hope alone has sustained us, as it has not deceived 
 us." 
 
 " That was all very right," said Nicholas. " Count 
 Vladimir Lanin " 
 
 Jana once more threw herself at the Emperor's 
 feet, for she knew that the use of this title by the 
 Czar was equivalent to an absolute pardon. 
 22 
 
338 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 " Count Vladimir Lanin is at our command here- 
 with restored to his rank and title. We ask you, 
 Countess, to encourage him to re-enter our service, 
 and we shall try to make amends for the injustice by 
 which he has b'een victimized." 
 
 He raised her in the kindest manner. 
 
 " At the same time we appoint him a chamberlain 
 at our Court. The Empress, to give an evidence of 
 our high esteem of yourself, has expressed a wish to 
 have you among those nearest her person. Will 
 you, Countess, accept the place of a lady of honor 
 which she offers ? " 
 
 Jana answered in some confusion : 
 
 " Most cheerfully, your Majesty. First, how- 
 ever " 
 
 " First," said Nicholas, smiling, " you wish to 
 return to Siberia, don't you ? I know your heart too 
 well to doubt that for a moment." 
 
 " It is so, your Majesty. My husband is still an 
 exile, and before he receives the news of his par- 
 don " 
 
 " We have anticipated your wishes and prepared 
 for it, besides selecting a good escort for you. Count 
 Lanin, pray, you and dear Count Moski, come here." 
 
 Both the generals advanced a step. 
 
 "Dear Moski," said Nicholas, "you will not take 
 it amiss, I hope, if I send you this time in company 
 of an inspector-general of my own selection ? " 
 
 " Your Majesty knows how gratefully I accept 
 whatever my most gracious master is disposed to do 
 for me." 
 
THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 339 
 
 " This is not to be a revisor," continued the Czar, 
 smiling at his jest, "of the government affairs in 
 East Siberia, but an inspector who will keep his eye 
 on the governor-general." 
 
 " Has your Majesty received more denunciations 
 against me ? " 
 
 " Yes ! Count Orloff brought me yesterday a 
 whole pile of them. They have given us much 
 pleasure. You are evidently not popular there. On 
 the other hand, you have warm friends here, even if 
 you will onlj'- count upon Count Orloff and myself." 
 
 " I know that well, your Majesty." 
 
 " You will at once investigate Schelm's conduct. 
 As he is, however, your, personal enemy, I shall not 
 trust your severity, and as an example must be made, 
 it is my will, that if guilty, he shall be properly pun- 
 ished. I leave the direction of the affair to you, 
 ^.dear Lanin. Both of you will accompany the coun- 
 tess and return with her and her husband as soon as 
 you can. As to Schelm, I give you full power. 
 Judge him yourselves. If he has sinned only from 
 excessive zeal, he will remain in Siberia as an exile. 
 If he has committed a crime or done it on purpose, . 
 you will send him back here and I will punish him 
 myself, and this in a way to make an example of 
 him. But I do not want the people of Siberia to 
 witness the downfall and the punishment of their 
 superior. Principle first of all ! Countess, do you 
 accept the escort ? " 
 
 Jana raised her beautiful eyes, in which tears of 
 gratitude and deep emotion were shining like pearls. 
 
340 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Your Majesty ! I swear we have always been 
 loyal subjects of our most gracious lord and master, 
 but our loyalty will henceforth be admiration. 
 Heretofore we have revered your Majesty from a 
 sense of duty, but now we shall love the father of 
 his country with all our heart ! " 
 
 The Czar offered her his right hand. 
 
 " And you will do well, for I need true devotion 
 and indulgence." 
 
 Once more a cloud rested on the Czar's brow, as 
 had recently been often noticed ; for he seemed to 
 anticipate his approaching end, when political cares 
 should have consumed this powerful organism. 
 
 Count Lanin, also a born courtier, no sooner saw 
 his niece once more restored to favor with the 
 Emperor, than he also asked her to forgive him what 
 had really been but the error of excessive devotion 
 to his beloved master. She told him that she had 
 nothing to forgive, knowing that he had only done 
 his duty, but she added a request that he would 
 hasten her return to Siberia. 
 
 Lanin looked at her deeply touched. 
 
 " I am proud of you ! From this day you may 
 count upon my devotion and my good will. If his 
 Majesty permits, we can start to-day!" 
 
 "No, general!" said the Czar, "the countess will 
 excuse a short delay, because I must consult with 
 Count Moski and have your own instructions drawn 
 up. I assure you, however. Countess, that we shall 
 all of us hasten our work ! " 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 341 
 
 Jana had another idea that pursued her, and she 
 fell once more at the Czar's feet. 
 
 "Your Majesty has so very graciously fulfilled 
 every wish of ours that I venture to ask for one 
 more favor." 
 
 " Ask ! " said Nicholas. 
 
 "Your Majesty! To-day my husband has been 
 found innocent, and to-morrow his bitter enemies 
 may discover a new crime in him, not as having 
 been wanting in reverence for your Majesty, for that 
 is impossible, but as having transgressed some law 
 or offended some official. I know the cunning of 
 these people so well ! " 
 
 The Czar interrupted her. 
 
 " I understand ! Your heart was anticipating and 
 apprehending where our mind feared no danger." 
 
 At the same time he raised her most kindly, went 
 to his writing table and rapidly wrote a few lines. 
 Then he said : 
 
 " Read, Countess ! are you satisfied ? " 
 
 She read on the paper which he handed her : 
 
 " Whatever Count Vladimir Lanin has done meets our perfect 
 approval. No law of the empire Las any further power over him. 
 Such is our highest will. 
 
 "Nicholas." 
 
 Jana shed tears of gratitude. At the same time 
 Nicholas turned round astonished. Both Count 
 Moski and Count Orloff had kissed his hand. 
 Moved by this evidence of the devotion of two such 
 men whom he especially esteemed, he pressed their 
 hands and once more turning to Jana, he said: 
 
342 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Will you have the kindness to give me back that 
 paper for a moment ? " 
 
 Then he added the following lines : 
 
 "Herewith we extend full amnesty to all who have been sent 
 to Siberia on account of the Conspiracy Ace of Clubs." 
 
 " Thus you will be to these poor exiles an angel 
 of mercy," said the Czar to Jana. 
 
 She kissed the monarch's hand, bedewing it with 
 her tears. The Czar himself seemed to be deeply 
 moved. 
 
 " I hope I have not lost this day, as that Roman 
 emperor used to say ! " he concluded, well pleased. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Spring, which in Siberia is of short duration, had 
 quickly gone by, and the whole country looked a 
 different one. Warm weather there follows immedi- 
 ately after the long protracted cold. One day the 
 trees stretch forth their long, bare branches like 
 skeletons, marking the monotonous snow on which 
 they stand with their black outlines — the next day 
 all is green and adorns the sad landscape with a 
 thousand gay colors. 
 
 At the end of May summer has full sway. The 
 heat is oppressive. The Angara rolls its merry 
 waves through flowery meadows and hills covered 
 with shrubbery. The tomb of the Tunguses also 
 has donned a new garment and resembles from afar 
 a ripe melon. Not a trace of snow remains. 
 
 The court before which Lanin had been placed had 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 343 
 
 unanimously sentenced him to death, because he 
 had laid violent hands on the representative of the 
 Czar. The sentence against the captain had been 
 proclaimed long since, but the execution had been 
 postponed at Schelm's express desire. The revisor 
 wished to impress this double execution with greater 
 solemnity, and personally be present. His arrival 
 alone delayed the torture. 
 
 On a smiling meadow, pgrhaps 500 yards from 
 Irkutsk, two companies of infantry were standing in 
 two ranks. The soldiers had no muskets and stood 
 •opposite each other, eye to eye. A number of cu- 
 rious people crowded the walls of the fortress. The 
 soldiers looked discontented. Their duty to-day 
 was evidently not to their taste. A few steps from 
 the men a detachment of Cossacks surrounded two 
 chained prisoners, the former captain of gendarmes 
 of Irkutsk and Count Vladimir Lanin. Both were 
 deadly pale, with this distinction, that the captain 
 trembled like an aspen, while Vladimir bore himself 
 with perfect calmness and resignation. 
 
 The unfortunate men were to die under the 
 nagaika. This fearful execution, known elsewhere 
 as running the gauntlet, consists in Russia in the 
 following ceremony : The criminal is tightly bound 
 to two muskets at the spot where the bayonet is 
 bent. Two soldiers seize the muskets and with 
 them push their victim forward so that he must 
 march between the two rows of soldiers. Each one 
 of these has a cane in his hand and is bound to strike 
 with it the bare shoulders of the condemned as soon 
 
344 THE AOB OF CLUBS. 
 
 as he stands in front of him. At every step the lat- 
 ter thus receives two blows. The slightest sign of 
 sympathy exposes the unfortunate soldier to severe 
 punishment. It never happens that a criminal sur- 
 vives this punishment, as he must needs receive 3000 
 blows, even when the companies are not full. Nine- 
 teen out of twenty die long before the execution is 
 over. 
 
 Whether it w-as calculated cruelty or accident, but 
 Schelm kept them waiting a long time. The execu- 
 tion had been ordered at 9 o'clock ; it was now 10, 
 and the revisor had not appeared yet. This long 
 delay caused the unfortunate victims additional suf- 
 fering; the captain was half dead already, and 
 Vladimir also turned paler and paler. 
 
 The crowd began to murmur because their curi- 
 osity remained unsatisfied so long. A repulsive 
 woman, with dishevelled hair and in ragged clothes, 
 appeared on the drawbridge. It was Caroline, who 
 had fallen into abject poverty because her property 
 had been confiscated, and she had been expelled 
 from her house. Even the money which she had 
 deposited in bank had been drawn out by the author- 
 ities. She had hastened up to witness her husband's 
 sufferings ; in her inexplicable hatred she looked 
 upon him also as one of her mortal enemies. 
 
 A murnjur of satisfaction passed through the 
 crowds when at last the revisor was seen coming. 
 In the city gate appeared a carriage drawn by four 
 thoroughbred horses; a small picket of Cossacks 
 surrounded the landau, in which Schelm and the 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 345 
 
 governor of the city were seated. Palkin rode by 
 their side ; when he reached the drawbridge, Caro- 
 line looked at -him fiercely, and threatened him with 
 her fists. The Russian criminal law punishes neither 
 acts nor words which despair elicits from kinsmen of 
 the condemned. Schelai had noticed the woman, 
 and smiled with delight when he saw that her threats 
 were directed at Palkin. The colonel shrugged his 
 shoulders. 
 
 " You know very well that he suffers death to- 
 day, because he has served you too well ! " cried 
 Caroline. 
 
 " Good that I hear that ! " said Schelm to himself. 
 " I must inquire into that ! " 
 
 Palkin had only a contemptuous smile for the 
 woman. The Cossacks moved sideways, so that the 
 carriage came to stand close by the soldiers. A 
 priest and a physician stepped forward. Upon a 
 sign by Schelm the captain was tied to the muskets. 
 He had lost all consciousness, and could not take a 
 step of his own will. He was pushed like a log of 
 wood between the two rows of soldiers. Schelm 
 wanted Vladimir to see what awaited him. 
 
 According to regulations the criminal is to con- 
 fess his sins to the pope, as Russian priests are called, 
 and receive absolution. The poor captain, however, 
 was unable to utter a word. The pope only saw his 
 tears and heard his groaning ; he raised his hand to 
 give him absolution, and the delinquent started on 
 his awful journey. The physician had, however, 
 just handed him a small glass of cordial ; the captain 
 
346 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 did not notice it and it had to be administered to 
 him drop after drop. Suddenly he started, his eyes 
 opened a moment, he saw the soldiers with their 
 canes raised, and in a superhuman voice he shouted : 
 
 " Mercy ! mercy ! Captain, you know." 
 
 The words died on his lips as the first blows fell 
 on his bare shoulders. 
 
 We need not repeat the details of this awful cere- 
 mony here — suffice it' to say that before long the 
 victim no longer felt pain, and the blows fell upon a 
 lifeless body. 
 
 His corpse was thrown aside, and Schelm gave a 
 sign that the same process should be repeated with 
 Vladimir. The revisor leaned back comfortably to 
 enjoy the sight. 
 
 Vladimir advanced without being pushed. When 
 he stood before the pope, he said in an audible 
 voice : 
 
 " Father, give me your blessing ; I die innocent!" 
 
 But before the priest could answer, horses were 
 suddenly heard to approach and a great tumult 
 arose. All eyes were turned in that direction. A 
 troop of horsemen had in a moment surrounded the 
 Tartar mound and advanced directly upon Schelm's 
 carriage. 
 
 A man in a red costume rode at their head. 
 
 " The Czar of the Exiles ! " cried the pope, a monk 
 from the convent of St. George. At the same time 
 some 500 armed men came out of the forest and 
 marched at double-quick upon the place Qf execu- 
 tion. All the soldiers, except the Cossacks, were 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 34T 
 
 unarmed. They were utterly confounded and did 
 not know what to do. The curious multitude fled. 
 Schelm ordered the carriage to return to the city, 
 but the road was already in the hands of the horse- 
 men. The revisor sank, almost fainting, back into 
 the cushions. 
 
 Palkin alone had not lost his head. He no sooner 
 saw the surprise than he dispatched a Cossack to the 
 city to summon assistance. Then only it occurred 
 to him that it would have been better if he had gone 
 himself. At once he spurred his horse, but it was too 
 late, the retreat was cut off ; he looked around and 
 prepared to sell his life dear. 
 
 The Cossacks surrounded the carriage and advanced 
 their long lances ; the soldiers hung their heads and 
 made no attempt to defend themselves with their 
 canes. The pope and the physician sought assistance 
 near the carriage. The governor gave all orders, as 
 Schelm had lost his head entirely. Vladimir was 
 still standing aside, bound to the muskets, and not 
 knowing what to do, to flee or to remain. 
 
 The infantry approached in the meantime nearer 
 and nearer, while the horsemen rode about as their 
 duty required. Schelm held on to the commandant 
 of the city, repeating continually : 
 
 " What is to become of us ? General, what is to 
 become of us ? " 
 
 When he heard the clash of arms he fainted once 
 more. The enemy and the Cossacks had met, and 
 the governor drew his sword. No one, in the mean- 
 time, seemed to think of Vladimir, although Ivan, 
 
348 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 who commanded the infantry, quickly loosened his 
 fetters and ordered a detachment to carry the count 
 toward the forest. 
 
 Soon the battle became furious. The Cossacks, in 
 close ranks around Schelm's carriage, defended them- 
 selves bravely against superior numbers. Palkin cut 
 down many men, looking all the time anxiously 
 toward the city to see if help was not coming. One 
 of the exiles had, however, come up close to him and 
 now drove his sword deep into the breast of hia 
 horse. Palkin fell. The horsemen saw this and 
 dashed away to take their part in the conflict that 
 raged around Schelm's carriage. At the place where 
 the gendarme had fallen, two weird human figures 
 were now seen struggling with each other. A 
 moment later the battle was over ; they both rested 
 on the blood-stained turf, and only the wounded 
 horse uttered a melancholy sound over the two dead 
 bodies. 
 
 Only five Cossacks were still defending the car- 
 riage ; the others had fallen. Then Ivan came up 
 and killed two of the soldiers, while the others fled 
 to the city. The exiles now surrounded the carriage. 
 The governor of Irkutsk was determined to defend 
 himself to the last breath, but Schelm did not regain 
 consciousness till loud shouts announced the arrival 
 of succor from town. 
 
 At that moment an iron hand seized his arm. The 
 threatening form of the so-called Czar of the Exiles 
 stood before his eyes. He uttered a cry of terror. 
 
 " Do you recognize me ? " cried the man to the 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 349 
 
 contemptible coward. " I promised you revenge, 
 Schelm, but I do not want to kill you. We have the 
 proof of your knavery in our hands — your receipt 
 of 100,000 rubles, and that is now on the way to 
 Petersburg. You shall first lose your position, your 
 office, your fortune and your honor, and then you 
 shall die ! " 
 
 " Miller ! " cried Schelm, « I am lost ! " 
 
 " Not to-day, but soon ! In the meantime I'll leave 
 you a little keepsake, and the like you shall have 
 every time I meet you ! " 
 
 He gave Schelm several blows with a knout upon 
 his face. The blood gushed forth from many wounds, 
 and the revisor howled with pain. 
 
 " And, now, children, let us flee ! " Miller called 
 out to his followers. 
 
 The succor from town came up at a rapid gallop, 
 and the first squadron was quite near already. When 
 the soldiers reached the carriage, they found Schlera 
 lying in it, fainting, and the governor in a great rage, 
 having been disarmed in spite of his admirable gal- 
 lantry. 
 
 The exiles had fled in all directions and it was 
 clear that to pursue them would be useless. Schelm, 
 moreover, forbade it, fearing they might fall into an 
 ambush. Surrounded by the regular cavalry, he had 
 himself driven back to the palace of the governor- 
 general, and did not become quiet till he had been 
 put to bed and was in the hands of physicians. 
 
 The soldiers were ordered, to collect the dead 
 bodies. Fifteen Cossacks and 22 exiles had paid with 
 
350 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 their lives for Lanin's liberation. A few yards from 
 them two persons were found who, even in death, 
 held each other in a firm grasp. The exile, in his 
 agony, had bitten the gendarme in the cheek : Pal- 
 kin's hand had strangled his enemy's throat. The 
 latter was dead, but the colonel was still alive. His 
 face was mutilated in the most fearful manner ; the 
 strange wounds were evidently not caused by an 
 ordinary weapon ; in his neck stuck a pair of scissors, 
 such as tailors use. Anxious to know who could 
 have used such a weapon, the soldiers drew off the 
 hood that concealed the features of the dead adver- 
 sary. It was a woman ! Long braids of light brown 
 hair hung down behind. The woman it was who had 
 thrust a sword into the horse and then tried to kill 
 the rider with her scissors. Helen had had her 
 revenge, but at a costly price. 
 
 When Schelm was told that Palkin was still alive, 
 he frowned angrily, and said : 
 
 " Carry him at once to prison ! Colonel Palkin will 
 have to give an account of his former actions." 
 
 For Schelm had well understood Miller's words, in 
 spite of his terrible anxiety, and knew now that Pal- 
 kin was not in possession of that precious document. 
 Then he shouted : 
 
 " By all means, let the captain's wife be found ! " 
 
 The same evening Schelm summoned all the higher 
 officials of the district, and an expedition against the 
 rebels was agreed upon. All trembled when Schelm, 
 whose face, with its bloody streaks and spots, pre- 
 sented a most fearful aspect, spoke of the tortures to 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 351 
 
 which he meant to expose the authors of the rebel- 
 lion. 
 
 On the following day the captain's wife, who had 
 been wandering about in the streets of Irkutsk, 
 homeless and friendless as she was, was brought to 
 the revisor. He had a long interview with her and 
 when he dismissed her he gave her a solemn promise 
 that she should not be forgotten. Soon it was 
 rumored that she had been appointed postmaster at 
 an important station. Palkin was, upon Schelm's 
 order, accused of high' treason and dragged to jail. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 For nearly six days now Vladimir had been among 
 the rebels and yet lie had only once been able to see 
 their leader, and then Miller had declined to answer 
 his questions. In spite of the great danger to which 
 the close neighborhood of Irkutsk exposed the rebels 
 they did not withdraw into the interior. 
 
 Vladimir considered himself one of them, as he 
 owed his freedom to them, and longed to cross the 
 frontier. But those among the exiles to whom he 
 confided his wishes always replied that this did not 
 depend on them, and that he must wait for their 
 leader. Lanin became very impatient to meet Miller, 
 but in vain ; the latter had continually to inspect the 
 outposts or to perform some other duty. The rebels 
 were now encamped on a hill some 35 versts from 
 Irkutsk, which rose between the Angara and a small 
 tributary. On the summit of this hill, whence the 
 whole surrounding country could easily be over- 
 
352 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 looked, Vladimir, Ivan and some of the higher offic- 
 ers were assembled. The great post road followed 
 the edge of the forest and the station on the banks 
 of the Angara shone like a bright, white point. The 
 rebels were impatiently waiting for Miller's return, 
 as they easily saw how dangerous their position was, 
 especially now that summer had come and nothing 
 impeded the communication. 
 
 "At last our leader is coming I " exclaimed Ivan, 
 the same who had accompanied Vladimir on his 
 journey to Lake Baikal. He was, this time, in the 
 usual costume of the exiles, having laid aside the red 
 cloak which he occasionally wore, red being a favo- 
 rite color with Russians. 
 
 " Miller ! " called Vladimir, " when will you lead 
 us on? " 
 
 " That does not depend on myself," was the reply. 
 " We must wait for our brethi-en who wish to join us 
 here. They will arrive to-night. JenarKus will pro- 
 vide boats. Look around, Vladimir. Without the 
 assistance of the Tunguses we can do nothing. We 
 count 500 men. We cannot use the flying ferry at 
 the station. Therefore we must wait for Jenar. He 
 will keep his word ; he is not a civilized man, and on 
 that account I trust him. Patience, my friends. 
 To-night we need not fear ! " 
 
 " But if we should be attacked before sunset ? " 
 asked Ivan. 
 
 " Then we must defend ourselves," replied Miller. 
 "Nothing, however, indicates an attack. We can 
 control from here the whole country for three miles 
 
THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 353 
 
 around. Our outposts are trustworthy and on the 
 alert. Schelm is a miserable coward, and fortunately 
 for us Gen. Moski is absent. And now, men, leave 
 me a moment alone ; I have to speak to Count 
 Lanin." 
 
 The exiles obeyed, and the two old friends were 
 alone. Both sat down on the soft turf under a giant 
 oak. 
 
 " Have you forgiven me, Vladimir ? ".asked Miller. 
 
 " Miller, how can you ask ? You have saved my 
 life. That thought absorbs all others. Only tell me 
 what you intend to do." 
 
 " That depends upon circumstances. First of all I 
 must cross the Angara, to put the river between us 
 and Schelm. I do not" fear him, to be sure, but I 
 want to know you are in safety. Look at that 
 station ; my eyes are fixed upon that point. From 
 thence Jenar-Kus is to come with a hundred boats to 
 carry us across to the other bank. Then we are 
 safe ! '• 
 
 " And then we surely go to China ! Now the whole 
 story of that document, of which you told me, has no 
 meaning any longer. Yesterday I was innocent; 
 to-day I am in rebellion. Even if Jana has been 
 successful, I shall have to remain in exile. I want, 
 on that account, to get across the frontier as soon as 
 possible, and forever bid adieu to my fatherland." 
 
 " Alas ! I think as you do. First, however, we 
 must have our revenge. I shall not leave Russia till 
 I have made my enemies tremble." 
 
 " Miller, I beseech you ! " 
 
 23 
 
354 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Not another word, Vladimir ! I warrant you 
 freedom, and shall carry you across the frontier ; 
 then we shall never meet again. You are not armed, 
 I believe ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! But why should I ? Beyond the 
 frontier I shall need no arms." 
 
 " Who knows ? We may have to fight a battle 
 first ! With whom ? you ask. With the garrison 
 of Irkutsk ! " 
 
 " Then I shall also need no arms, for I do not 
 mean to fight against the Czar and his soldiers." 
 
 " Would you rather be caught and beaten to 
 death ? " asked Miller, with a savage laugh. 
 
 " I shall flee as fast and as far as I can, but T shall 
 never take part in a battle against the Czar ! " 
 
 Miller suddenly sprang up, seeing a man hurrying 
 up the hill on which they were sitting. It was one 
 of the exiles who came, quite out of breath, to bring 
 the evil news that the enemy was approaching, and 
 that in an hour the battle would probably begin. 
 
 " Then we' must defend ourselves ! " said Miller. 
 " I foresaw this." 
 
 He looked around in the direction toward Irkutsk ; 
 a black line was seen closin'g the horizon. The 
 peninsula lay before them, silent and peaceful ; the 
 exiles all concealed behind trees and shrubs. Sud- 
 denly Miller felt a hand touch him ; he turned 
 round, and there was a native, who came forth from 
 behind an oak. 
 
 " In an hour," he said, in his native tongue, 
 " Jenar will be here with his boats." 
 
THE AGE OF CLUBS. 355 
 
 " So much the better I " exclaimed Miller, and 
 called to his comrades. " Children, we must defend 
 ourselves unto death! In an hour we shall cross the 
 river, and then we are safe from all pursuit. And 
 you," he added, turniag to the Siberian, " carry our 
 thanks to your chief, and tell him we are all anx- 
 iously waiting for him here." Like a shadow the 
 man vanished among the trees. 
 
 " A hundred men to the edge of the forest ! They 
 must check the enemy. Ivan, carry the order ! 
 You there watch the river, and give warning as soon 
 as you see the boats coming. Let some one get a 
 rifle for Brother Lanin ! " 
 
 " By no means ! I have told you I will not fight 
 against the Czar. I am under your protection, that 
 is all ! " 
 
 In the meantime the dark line on the horizon was 
 steadily growing ; quite as quickly, however. Miller's 
 sharp eyes noticed boats coming down the Angara 
 like swift arrows. Quieted and reassured by this 
 sight, he did not look farther, and yet at the same 
 moment a detachment of Cossacks was crossing the 
 ferry with a heavy travelling carriage. Not antici- 
 pating that this deserted field and this silent wood 
 were soon to be a blood-stained battle-field, the 
 Cossacks were leisurely leaving the ferry, and rode 
 at a slow pace toward the station. 
 
 Now began a scattered fire of tirailleurs. Hidden 
 among the trees and shrubs the exiles received the 
 regulars with a hail of balls. The detachment of 
 Cossacks, amazed at this-sudden explosion, stopped 
 
356 THE ACE OP CLFBS. 
 
 a moment, but as from their low place near the river 
 they could see nothing of what was going on beyond, 
 they trotted rapidly up to the little white house. 
 This they surrounded, while the travellers left the 
 carriage and went into the room. 
 
 The firing did not cease. Miller continually 
 watched the situation, now observing the boats on 
 the Angara, and now examining the edge of the 
 forest. Here the soldiers were evidently gaining 
 ground and advancing more and more rapidly, while 
 the boats of the Tunguses also were approaching the 
 post station, the place of assembly for the exiles. 
 
 " Ivan, send a number of men up here," called 
 Miller. " A hundred men will sufl&ce to check the 
 enemy here. Let the horses -be driven into the ranks 
 of the regulars to bring them into confusion. We 
 have no use for the horses. They would only 
 impede our embarkation. And then quickly down 
 the hill to the station. The boats are already there 
 waiting for us. It would be useless to attempt 
 further resistance here. Ivan, be quick and return 
 at once. We shall wait for you only to leave the 
 place." 
 
 Ivan disappeared in the bushes. Once more Miller 
 tried to persuade Vladimir to take up arms. Lanin 
 shook his head. He would not fire at his brethren, 
 he said. Ivan returned. A hundred men were 
 ordered to remain with Miller ; all the others were 
 sent down to the river. They were to hold the station 
 till all the exiles should be safe. 
 
 A quarter of an hour later Miller's detachment 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 357 
 
 came down, like an avalanche, upon the station. 
 Suddenly their leader uttered a desperate cry. He 
 had now only seen the 20 Cossacks who had held the 
 bank of the river. For the bed of the Angara lies 
 deep between steep rocks ; the post station itself is 
 built against a rock, and hardly two men can pass 
 between the rockj' wall and the house. Thus the 
 exiles could not rejoin their comrades on the other 
 side of the house, nor could they, from where they 
 were, reach the boats. The Cossacks barred the way. 
 
 " We must not be. stopped here ! " cried Miller, 
 furiously. " We must sell our lives as dear as 
 possible. At them ! children. It is a matter of life 
 and death now ! " 
 
 Despair doubled the strength of the exiles. Besides, 
 they were 100 against but 20 Cossacks. They rushed 
 down upon them and created a boundless confusion. 
 At first the Cossacks tried to defend themselves, but 
 the exiles fell upon them in ever increasing numbers, 
 as the regulars from town drove them down to the 
 river. Before them they saw the boats and their 
 allies, the Tunguses, and this increased their valor. 
 The Cossacks fell one after the other, and at last the 
 road was open. 
 
 In the meantime, however, the firing had also 
 become more lively, and large numbers of fugitives 
 came running down from the forest. Miller was 
 near the station house and cried : 
 
 " Now quick into the boats. No fear ! No con- 
 fusion, men ! We'll protect your rear and keep the 
 
358 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 enemy in check. Vladimir, get in ! Farewell — per- 
 haps we shall never meet again ! " 
 
 " Do you think me a coward ? I told you I could 
 not fight with you, but that does not mean that I 
 shall leave you ! " 
 
 " Are you mad ? " 
 
 " Enough, Miller ! You will not make me think 
 differently, and I will not leave you." 
 
 " Well, the times are not such that we should vie 
 with each other in generosity. Do what you like." 
 
 Every station house contains ordinarily two rooms, 
 which are separated from each other by a passage, 
 about six feet wide. On the right hand is the office 
 of the imperial post, on the left a room for travellers. 
 
 Miller opened the door to the passage ; through 
 the house it led down to the river. 
 
 "Ten men into the office ! " Miller ordered, " and 
 let them watch from the window the path down to 
 the Angara." 
 
 " Jenar ! " he then called, after tearing open the 
 door. 
 
 " I am awaiting your orders ! " answered the voice 
 of the Tunguse from below. " Make haste, I hear the 
 balls whistle." 
 
 " At once ! " replied Miller. 
 
 In close ranks the exiles pushed through the pas- 
 sage and jumped as soon as they reached the river 
 into the boats. 
 
 " Death to every man who leayes the ranks," cried 
 Miller. Then he wanted to enter the room of the 
 
THE ACK OF CLUBS. 359 
 
 travellers, but found it not only locked, but appar- 
 ently barricaded from within. 
 
 " What does this mean, I wonder ? Have we here, 
 also, enemies ? Listen ! " he cried to the closed 
 door. " We do not mean to hurt you, if you leave 
 us alone. If not, you are lost. Ivan, hand me a 
 musket and aim at the door." 
 
 In the meantime the crowd in the passage had 
 grown thinner. A number of boats took the men, as 
 their turn came, across the Angara. The balls of 
 the regulars whistled overhead, but did no harm. 
 The last detachment of exiles had left the hill and 
 the victorious regulars pursued the fugitives. Several 
 hundred of the exiles were already marching along 
 the opposite bank in perfect safety, and the space 
 between the forest and the station was almost aban- 
 doned. The last troop of the Czar of the Exiles sur- 
 rounded their leader. The regulars appeared at the 
 edge of the forest. Miller, Ivan and Vladimir were 
 watching the fugitives, keeping in view, however, the 
 door of the station room. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 At the beginning of the conflict, or rather at the 
 arrival of the coach with its escort of Cossacks, a 
 woman had left the house and looked curiously 
 through the open window at the new-comers. This 
 was the widow of the captain of gendarmes of 
 Irkutsk. When the exiles had reached the house 
 she had fled with the official and hid behind some 
 rockso Now, when she found that the rebels were 
 
360 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 too busy with their own escape, she quietly left her 
 hiding-place, approached the house from the river- 
 side, and stopped below the window. Thus she 
 could see everything that happened inside. She 
 mustered the travellers, then laughed out aloud and 
 ran as fast as she could to the little barn, in which 
 a mass of oats and straw was stored away. She 
 took them, bundle after bundle, and piled them up 
 at the side of the house. While at work in this way 
 she murmured scornfully to herself: 
 
 " I know this accursed woman. She surely brings 
 his pardon. But the old witch, as she called me, 
 shall have her revenge first ! " 
 
 In a moment the whole big pile was on fire, the 
 black smoke rose in dense, dark clouds and the sparks 
 flew all over the little structure. A cry of horror 
 was heard in the travellers' room, into which the 
 wind blew great masses of smoke. 
 
 " We must open the door and defend ourselves or 
 we shall be smothered by the smoke," said a voice. 
 
 " That shall be done at once I " 
 
 " No, I'll do it ! " 
 
 " Pray let me attend to that business," said the 
 first voice again. " I am least needed in this world. 
 Consider, he who opens the door is almost sure to 
 perish." 
 
 « Wait ! " 
 
 Caroline jumped up on one of the blocks of stone 
 to look into the room. When she saw how the 
 smoke was gradually filling the room, she again 
 laughed aloud, although she could no longer recog- 
 
THE ACE OF CLX7BS. 361 
 
 nize the travellers. Suddenly a loud noise was heard, 
 and Miller cried : 
 
 " Look out I We are in danger." 
 
 At the same time he fired at the door. It opened, 
 and Miller, who had aimed his rifle again, saw a man, 
 whose features he could not recognize, fall to the 
 ground, with the words, " I die." 
 
 Miller, Vladimir and Ivan at once rushed into the 
 room, which the draft created by the open door had 
 cleared pretty well of smoke. The other exiles all 
 hurried through the passage down to the river in 
 order to reach the boats and, in them, safety from the 
 closely pursuing soldiers. 
 
 The exiles noticed how Caroline was continually 
 feeding the flames. Several wanted to hurry past 
 her down to the Angara, but the insane Avoman 
 thought they wanted to put out the fire and put her- 
 self in their way. The desperate fugitives seized 
 her and pushed her into the flames; the woman 
 uttered a superhuman cry and fell down fainting. 
 
 The wind had now scattered the clouds of smoke 
 entirely, and the bright sunlight once more illumin- 
 ated the blackened walls of the room. Vladimir had 
 at once recognized in the persons who met him and 
 his comrades his wife, his uncle and Gen. Moski. At 
 the same moment he tore the gun from Miller's 
 hands and pushed Ivan aside. 
 
 " The Countess ! " exclaimed Miller. 
 
 Count Lanin advanced. 
 
 " My nephew among a band of rebels I " 
 
 Vladimir interrupted him ; 
 
362 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 " Uncle, look at me. I am unarmed ! T flee, but 
 I have taken no part in the conflict ! ' 
 
 Lanin pointed at the body that lay on the floor. 
 
 "You have committed murder! You have just 
 now shot Dr. Haas ! " 
 
 "God is my witness," cried Vladimir, " that I have 
 shot no one ! " 
 
 " That is my doing ! " cried Miller ; " I am a rebel 
 and I boast of it ! " 
 
 The last exiles had left by this time. Already the 
 words of command of the oflScers of the regulars 
 were distinctly heard, as they were standing before 
 the house. Miller cast a look through the window. 
 The fire kindled by Caroline had not been able to 
 consume the house, and was going out gradually. 
 The guns of the soldiers glistened in the bright sun- 
 light. 
 
 " Make way there ! " cried Miller, drawing a dag- 
 ger from his bosom. " Vladimir, follow me ! " 
 
 Lanin declined. "I surrender to Gen. Moski," 
 he said. 
 
 Behind Vladimir Jana's form suddenly appeared. 
 
 " Mr. Miller, surrender also ! I remind you of 
 your promise ! I need your evidence in order to save 
 my husband ! " 
 
 Miller hesitated a moment ; then he cast aside the 
 dagger an 4 said: 
 
 " Since you make that demand, Countess, I will 
 stay. Ivan, flee quickly ! Countess, you surely do 
 not demand the death of this man also ? God knows 
 it would serve no purpose ? " 
 
•the ace op clubs. 363 
 
 " I demand no man's death ! " 
 
 She pointed at the window. Quick as lightning 
 Ivan was through it and hurried down the steep 
 rocks. The balls struck the water, a body fell into 
 the waves. From the ashes of the expiring fire a 
 human shape, black all over, arose suddenly, uttering 
 groans of pain. She was moving off when all at 
 once a ball struck the wall, glanced off and hit her 
 in her bosom. Caroline fell with a heavy sigh. Jana 
 approached the doctor's body. Quite unarmed, as he 
 now was. Miller followed her, and raised the head of 
 the dead man. A ball whistled past between Miller 
 and the countess. The soldiers were occupying the 
 rocks on the bank of the river. Some exiles who 
 had not been able to reach the boats, were hiding 
 behind protruding rooks from the Russian balls. 
 
 " You have not told me yet," said Gen. Lanin to 
 Vladimir, " how you got mixed up with this band of 
 rebels?" 
 
 " I fled from my pursuers. I had been sentenced 
 to death by running the gauntlet?" 
 
 " What ! You to run the gauntlet ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! " 
 
 " Now, I see it all ! " 
 
 "General!" Jana called to him, while she and 
 Miller were busily trying to move the dead body 
 into a quiet corner, " could you not stop the 
 fight?" 
 
 The passage was empty. The last exiles had 
 reached the Angara. They saw that they could not 
 possibly reach the boats of the Tunguses, and thus 
 
364 THE ACE OP OLtTBS. * 
 
 thej' prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible. 
 The regulars, on their side, did not dare advance, 
 because they feared an ambush. 
 
 " General ! " Jana repeated in a tone of imploring 
 prayer, " can you not make an end to this unneces- 
 sary butchery ? " 
 
 A soldier cast a cautious look into the room and 
 made a sign to his comrades. The colonel and sev- 
 eral of the officers entered the room of the travel- 
 lers. 
 
 " The governor-general ! " exclaimed the colonel, 
 greatly surprised. 
 
 The soldiers presented arms, the officers bowed low. 
 
 " Stop the firing ! " commanded Gen. Moski. 
 
 The governor enjoyed universal esteem in Siberia. 
 The soldiers did not like to fight against the exiles. 
 They were, therefore, delighted when they saw the 
 general, and his first order was received with genuine 
 enthusiasm. The colonel at once stepped to the door 
 and shouted : 
 
 " Stop the firing ! " 
 
 Here and there a single shot was still heard, biit 
 soon all was quiet. The Siberians in their boats on 
 the Angara ceased rowing in amazement ; several of 
 the exiles jumped into the river to reach the opposite 
 bank, and a few surrendered to the regulars, having 
 no longer any hope of escape. 
 
 The officers came up to the station house in con- 
 stantly increasing numbers, and all questioned the 
 two generals, utterly disregarding for the moment 
 military discipline, so great was the excitement. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS, 365 
 
 Jana had carried the doctor's body, with Miller's 
 help, out of sight, and then Miller took his head and 
 tenderly laid it on his knftes. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said Jana, " is there, perhaps, a phy- 
 sician among you ? " 
 
 One of the younger officers immediately hurried 
 out to bring the surgeon who had accompanied the 
 expedition. A heavy post coach, escorted by a de- 
 tachment of Cossacks, approached the house slowly. 
 
 " The doctor will be here in a moment. The 
 re visor is also coming." 
 
 " Countess ! " declared the surgeon, after a short 
 examination, " the ball has entered the body, close to 
 the heart, so that the wounded man will certainly die 
 without recovering consciousness." 
 
 " Thus I must always commit unnecessary crimes ! " 
 cried Miller, conscience struck. 
 
 Jana wept bitterly. As soon as Vladimir heard 
 that the reviser was coming he drew close to the 
 governor-general. The officers formed a circle 
 around the two generals, and the soldiers formed in 
 rank and file. 
 
 Through the open windows Schelm's voice was 
 heard. 
 
 " Why do you not -fire ? Why ? The exiles are 
 actually fleeing, and no one hinders them? Fire! 
 Fire, and let not one of them escape ! " 
 
 A few of the soldiers fired their guns. The 
 natives, frightened, rowed down the river. The sol- 
 diers, however, had aimed high, and wounded no 
 one. 
 
366 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Who has stopped the firing ? " cried Sehelm, furi- 
 ous. " The colonel will report to a court-martial ! 
 The enemies of the Czar must be rooted up ! " 
 
 Just then he noticed Vladimir, and at once 
 shouted : 
 
 " There, we have at least made one good catch ! 
 Now I have gotten you, you arch-rebel ! You have 
 deserved worse punishment now, but we have not 
 time now to make any ceremony about you. Hi, 
 there! Take this rebel out and shoot him on the 
 spot ! " 
 
 Now only the governor-general of East Siberia 
 came forth from the crowd of officers who had sur- 
 rounded him. 
 
 " Mr, Sehelm, you seem to give orders here in my 
 presence." 
 
 Sehelm drew back a step, pale and trembling. 
 
 " Count Moski ! " he exclaimed, in a hardly audi- 
 ble voiceT 
 
 A few more shots were heard outside. Count 
 Moski turned to one of the officers, and in a stern 
 voice said : 
 
 " I have ordered to stop that firing. Who darea 
 act contrary to my orders ? " 
 
 The officer hurried out, in the meantime Schelm's 
 courage also had returned somewhat. As yet he had 
 not seen Count Lanin among the officers. Jana and 
 Miller, who were still busy about Haas, were com- 
 pletely masked by the crowd that filled the room. 
 
 "I ordered the pursuit of the rebels," said 
 Sehelm. 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 367 
 
 " By what right do you assume to give orders to 
 his Majesty's army?" asked the governor, casting a 
 look of contempt at the revisor. 
 
 "By the right of an inspector-general, as I 
 am " 
 
 " You ? Do you fancy perhaps ? " 
 
 " General, my powers." 
 
 The officers moved a little aside and thus allowed 
 Count Lanin to be seen. 
 
 " Lanin ! The Czar's adjutant-general ! " exclaimed 
 Schelm, when he recognized him. " Treason I I am 
 lost ! " 
 
 The house closely occupied by soldiers, the many 
 dead bodies lying around, the bloody conflict but 
 just ended and the flight of the exiles — all this was 
 not calculated to make people cheerful, and yet, 
 when they heard this word " treason " from the lips 
 of Schelm, it sounded so very ridiculous that they 
 could not help laughing aloud ! 
 
 Instantly, however, all was silent again, and an 
 indistinct voice was heard to utter these words : 
 
 " I pardon him who has inflicted this fatal -wound. 
 Pardon you likewise ! God has aided you ! Thank 
 him all of you ! " 
 
 Haas expired. Miller tenderly laid the lifeless 
 head down and approached Schelm. 
 
 " Well, did I have my revenge ? " he asked, seiz- 
 ing him with his iron grasp. "Did I not foretell 
 you that in the fortress already ? '' 
 
 Schelm trembled like a leaf in a high wind, while 
 his eyes erred about and around. 
 
368 THE ACE OF CLTTBS. 
 
 "And now ask on your knees pardon of those 
 whom you have so mortally offended," continued 
 the Czar of the rebels, trying to force Schelm down 
 on his knees. 
 
 Count Lanin, however, remembered the Czar's 
 orders, and as he knew that the Emperor objected to 
 any humiliation of a superior officer in the presence 
 of inferiors, he interfered with authority. 
 
 " You forget that it is not for you to be judge in 
 this matter ! You are a rebel and my prisoner." 
 
 As soon as Schelm found out that he had some 
 protection he drew, himself up again. Gen. Lanin 
 went on : 
 
 " It is not proper that you should attack an officer 
 ill the Emperor's service. Stay quietly where you 
 are ! " 
 
 The officers had murmured, for much as they hated 
 Schelm, they could not quietly see a rebel treat his 
 former superior witlx indignity. Schelm understood 
 this at once, and now fancied that he was out of 
 danger. Vladimir, he hoped, was still in his power, 
 and he would try at all hazard to keep him in his 
 hands. He assumed a haughty carriage and said : 
 
 " Miller, you are, I fear, forgetting that you have 
 been a spy, and that you are now a robber. General, 
 I do not know how far your powers may go, but this 
 man who is generally known by the name of ' Czar of 
 the Exiles ' " 
 
 " Is included in the amnesty granted by his Maj- 
 esty," exclaimed Jana, holding out the document 
 with the Emperor's own handwriting and his seal. 
 
THE ACE OF' CLUBS. 369 
 
 Here is the order issued by his Majesty : ' All who 
 have been sentenced in connection with the Ace of 
 Clubs conspiracy, as well as Count Vladimir Lanin, 
 receive complete amnesty and pardon.' Uncle, you 
 will no doubt confirm what I say." 
 
 " Certainly, but here " 
 
 " There is no but, General ! " she added, turning 
 to Gen. Moski. " Will you be kind enough to sup- 
 port me ? " 
 
 " The Czar has issued this amnest3', and it must 
 be carried out ! " 
 
 " But certainly we cannot pardon or overlook this 
 rebellion — this armed resistance, this shedding of 
 blood to-day? " said Schelm in opposition. 
 
 " My husband was at the head of this' rebellion," 
 said Jana, " and yet says the Czar : ' No law of the 
 empire shall touch Count Vladimir Lanin ! ' Vladi- 
 mir, do you not command these people ? " 
 
 Lanin did not understand what^iis wife's inten- 
 tions were, but, accustomed blindly to believe her 
 words, he answered promptly : 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! " 
 
 Miller had, as soon as he had dropped Schelm's 
 arm, gradually drawn nearer and nearer to the win- 
 dow. With one bound now he was outside, and 
 called out aloud : 
 
 " No ! He was not the leader ! I was ! I who 
 speak to you. I want no pardon and no amnesty ! 
 I have been the Czar's enemy, and I shall be his 
 enemy. I want nothing of you but my liberty, and 
 that you cannot take from me. You, Schelm, mind, 
 24 
 
370 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 if the Czar's justice does not reach you, you shall not 
 escape my revenge." 
 
 He jumped upon a rock and thence into the river. 
 
 " Fire ! Kill the man ! " cried Schelm, beside him- 
 self. " You have heard what the rebel said." 
 
 No one obeyed the revisor. The universal sur- 
 prise favored the flight and escape of the fugitive. 
 No one pursued him. 
 
 "Mr. Schelm," said Gen. Lanin now, "his Majesty 
 the Emperor has appointed me inspector in your 
 place. You will have to give me an account of your 
 administration. The soldiers can be marched back." 
 
 " First of all, however, this man must be seized," 
 said Schelm. 
 
 " You will please leave the government of Eastern 
 Siberia henceforth in my hands," replied the gov- 
 ernor, drily, "you had better occupy yourself with 
 your own affairs now." 
 
 Tur^ing to the officers he next asked if they had 
 made any prisoners. When they answered no, he 
 continued : " So much the better. Then we have 
 to inflict no punishment on any one. We'll return 
 now to Irkutsk. Mr. Schelm, you will be kind enough 
 to come with us. We have to discuss many ques- 
 tions with you." 
 
 " General ! " 
 
 " I beg," whispered Gen. Lanin into his ear, " you 
 will not compel me to arrest you here in the presence 
 of all these people. I have his Majesty's express 
 orders to arrest you on two charges: Forgery of 
 documents and malfeasance in office." 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 371 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 A GREAT change had taken place in Jana's heart 
 as in her mind. Her husband was free once more, 
 and she felt sure that a man who was protected by 
 the threefold power of the Czar, Gov. Moski and 
 Gen. Lanin had in Russia nothing more to fear. But 
 now, as if this third journey had exhausted her 
 health and her strength of mind alike, she began to 
 suffer from a permanent sense of weariness and lassi- 
 tude. The quiet and peace she could now enjoy at 
 Irkutsk did her good. She lived over once more the 
 trials and the fierce conflicts in which she had been 
 engaged, and she trembled at the memory of all she 
 had been made to suffer and to endure. The dead 
 forms of Popoff, of the captain of gendarmes, of Dr. 
 Haas and of Helen rose before her mind's eye, and 
 she said again and again to herself, " They have 
 died for my sake ! " Her heart softened ; it began 
 to overflow with the love of the neighbor, and 
 devoutly grateful for havfng herself accomplished the 
 one great purpose of her life, she felt deeply anxious 
 that no one else should suffer on her account. The 
 noble woman knew no revenge. She was once more 
 the woman, weak as her sex generally is, weaker 
 even, for at the slightest noise she started and 
 trembled. She felt happy, and she knew that her 
 happiness, under God, was her own work, but she 
 
372 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 trembled all the more at the thought that unexpect- 
 edly a cloud might arise on the bright sky of her hap- 
 piness. 
 
 On the day of his return to Irkutsk Vladimir took 
 possession again of his wife's house in the city ; he 
 had recovered all his rights and privileges. Lina, 
 who had until now been kept in prison by Schelm, 
 although he did not know that she was Helen's 
 mother, was also set free, and returned to her mis- 
 tress. She could not recover from the loss of her 
 daughter, and indulged in melancholy apprehensions. 
 
 " They have murdered my son," she would say 
 again and again. " My poor, dear Nicholas is dead ; 
 what do I now care for freedom or life ? " 
 
 " Remember, I pray, that you have another child ! " 
 said Jana on such occasions, having seen little 
 Andrew in Petersburg. 
 
 Lina seemed almost to have forgotten that child, 
 not having seen her for so long a time. The words 
 of the countess would bring a faint smile to her lips, 
 and at last she comprehended that there was leally 
 still a duty to fulfill on earth and that for all she 
 knew there might be still some happiness in store for 
 her. She was fortunately, moreover, kept very busy 
 aiding the countess in making her preparations for 
 the return to Russia. A longing for her second son 
 began to spring up in her maternal bosom. Vladimir 
 and the countess were almost daily guests at the gov- 
 ernor's palace, where Gen. Lanin, the Czar's all-pow- 
 erful adjutant-general, was grandly entertained. 
 
 According to the Czar's wishes Schelm had not 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 373 
 
 been sent to prison, but during the investigation in 
 his administration, he was not at liberty to leave the 
 government house. This remained, however, a secret. 
 It was, of course, understood in the city that his 
 administration was not approved in Petersburg, and 
 hence no one was surprised at his being dismissed ; 
 but as his chief crimes were not publicly known, 
 little attention was paid to him and his trial. The 
 two generals had begged Jana to keep the matter to 
 herself; telling her that the Czar did not like the 
 prestige of the higher authorities to be endangered 
 by such notoriety. Jana had already forgiven Schelm 
 and soon Vladimir also did, and both went so far as 
 to intercede in his behalf with tlie general. This 
 was, however, in vain ; Schelm's violence at the station 
 house had made a very bad impression upon them, 
 and they decided to proceed with the utmost severity 
 against him. Palkin was purposely forgotten in his 
 prison cell. He had taken leave of active life, and 
 even Jana agreed that it would be best to pass him 
 over in silence, and this was done. 
 
 In the meantime Schelm had sleepless nights in 
 his sumptuous apartments, which were his prison. 
 Three days had already passed since the skirmish on 
 the banks of 'the Angara and he had not yet been 
 summoned to appear before his judges. He was dying 
 with anxiety. Judging all others by himself he 
 thought his enemies were devising tortures by which 
 to avenge themselves on him. In these three days 
 of fearful suspense he had grown 10 3'ears older. 
 
 On the fourth day after their return to Irkutsk, 
 
374 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 Vladimir, who had just returned from the governor's 
 palace, entered Jana's room with the words : 
 
 " My dear Jana, I have just seen my uncle once 
 more, and begged him urgently to let Schelm be tried 
 at some other place, as he is sure to be hanged sooner 
 or later. But we can do nothing; the answer is 
 always the same. The Czar has ordered the guilty 
 to be punished, and in the course of the investiga- 
 tion I have gained the conviction that Schelm is very 
 guilty. He must suffer just punishment." 
 
 " Do you wish him to be punished ? " 
 
 " I ? I never thought of it ! I am free and happy, 
 so that I have entirely forgotten that Schelm is still 
 alive ! May he go where he chooses, even to the D. 
 if he prefers it." 
 
 " You see, Vladimir, when I think how many lives 
 have been lost in order to secure our present happi- 
 ness, an inexpressible anxiety seizes my heart. The 
 sacrifice of another human life appears to me a crime. 
 I have remorse. We must by all means try to get 
 Schelm pardoned." 
 
 " But that no longer depends on us ! " 
 
 " Let me try, Vladimir. I'll go and see your uncle 
 this evening at the governor's palace. _ He promised 
 he would do everything to please me." 
 
 Jana, animated by this noble desire, hastened at 
 once to the palace. But she found that both Gen. 
 Moski and Count Lanin had come to the conclusion 
 that Schelm had not merely abused his official posi- 
 tion, but had evidently criminal intrigues on his con- 
 science, which could not be overlooked. They had. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 375 
 
 therefore, decided to inflict the prescribed punish- 
 ment in strict justice, and to make an example of 
 him. The Czar had invested his adjutant with un- 
 limited power. But, in order to proceed with strict 
 regard to legality, Gen. Moski had summoned Schelm 
 to appear before him, thus giving him an opportunity 
 to clear himself of these charges, if he could. 
 
 Schlem had not seen the two generals since the sad 
 event on the Mound of thfi Tunguses. In his soli- 
 tude he was awaiting events. When summoned to 
 appear before his judges, he prepared skilfully his 
 whole appearance. The relative liberty which had 
 been granted him and the courteous consideration 
 shown him so far had somewhat quieted his appre- 
 hensions. He did not guess, besides, how far his 
 tricks and his intrigues had been found out, and he 
 was full of hopes the sentence would be delayed ; 
 and with time on his side, he felt he could do much, 
 help himself through his friends and perhaps even 
 form new plans and new intrigues. He appeared, 
 therefore, in the apartments of the governor-gen- 
 eral, not at all like a man accused of crime, but more 
 like a casual visitor. 
 
 " What do you wish of me ? " he asked, boldly. 
 
 " You will please answer our questions with great 
 modesty I " said Lanin, indignant at Schelm's inso- 
 lence. 
 
 The trial began. When Schelm was asked about 
 Popoff's arrest, and about his receipt for the 100,000 
 rubles, when he saw that the Minister of the Inte- 
 rior bad forsaken him, and when he finally perceived 
 
376 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 that Count Lanin held that very receipt in his hands, 
 which the Czar had given him, then he felt that there 
 was no escape for him. He folded his hands and 
 bowed so low that the judges feared he intended to 
 kneel down. 
 
 " Your Excellency, I am guilty ! Have mercy on 
 me ; have mercy on me ! " 
 
 " Mercy ! " exclaimed Lanin. " Perhaps you have 
 extenuating circumstances that you can mention to 
 keep us from administering strict justice. What can 
 you say in your own behalf?" 
 
 " I can plead my zeal in the Czar's service, your 
 Excellency," he cried, turning to Count Lanin, " and 
 we are both servants of our master the Emperor. I 
 wanted to make my way upward ; I wanted to 
 become one of those who enjoy the happiness of 
 being near his Majesty. I was ambitious, and that 
 was my ruin. I confess my guilt. But your Excel- 
 lency will consider that I was chief of a division, of 
 the Division for Political Affairs. I had the care for 
 the personal safety of our Emperor in my hands. The 
 gendarmes continually took the butter off ray bread. 
 They always accused me, that I could discover noth- 
 ing, that I knew nothing. The minister continually 
 said the same, and you, also. General, told me so in 
 the name of the Czar. I feared I should lose my 
 place, the place that gave me my daily bread. The 
 gendarmes invented conspiracies to please the Czar. 
 They deceived the Emperor, Count Orloff, you your- 
 selves. I have seen it with my own eyes! I wit- 
 nessed how they were rewarded and promoted, when 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 377 
 
 I knew it was all fiction ! You must admit that the 
 monarch's favor may become a strong temptation." 
 
 Lanin was silent. 
 
 " It is true that I employed a man who was to fan 
 the discontent of some conspirators, but this also I 
 did to prove my zeal to serve the Czar. I admit that 
 I am not free from guilt, but I never exceeded my 
 authority ; I do not deserve reward, but have I in- 
 curred any punishment ? " 
 
 Count Moski exclaimed very indignantly : " Cer- 
 tainly, and a very heavy one ! " 
 
 " The conspiracy did actually exist. The conspir- 
 ators fell into my trap, as if they had lost their 
 heads, so that I could show the Emperor who were 
 his enemies : they were unmasked. Here, also, I did 
 not exceed my authority. All whom I ordered to be 
 arrested were conspirators." 
 
 " All. What a falsehood ! " said Lanin, frowning. 
 " My nephew " 
 
 Schelm interrupted him most humbly : 
 
 " To be sure, your Excellency ! But you might be 
 indulgent with the weakness and the heart of a man 
 who does not claiin that he is faultless. You your- 
 self had announced to me the Czar's displeasure and 
 aroused my wrath. Your nephew had mortally in- 
 sulted me. I was furious against all who bore your 
 name. The count's name was mentioned, and I was 
 delio-hted to know that he was involved in this con- 
 spiracy. If, in my anger, I went too far, you may 
 punish me. The idea of distinguishing myself before 
 the Emperor's eyes had made me lose my head. I 
 
378 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 had the conspiracy in my hand, and it was surely but 
 human to take advantage of it in order to avenge 
 myself!" 
 
 "You defend yourself in a manner that is revolt- 
 ing to me," said Gen. Moski, contemptuously. " You 
 make me think worse of you than I did before. 
 Have you nothing else to say in your tiefence ? " 
 
 " No ! I can only repeat that I am guilty, but 
 guilty to have too eagerly coveted the Emperor's 
 favor. I might have earned it in a better way, if I 
 had been Count Lanin. Since I was simple Mr. 
 Schelm I was forced '* 
 
 " Enough ! " exclaimed Gen. Moski. " You can 
 return to your rooms ! " 
 
 Schelm withdrew with low bows. 
 
 " I do not see," said Lanin, " that the man is so 
 very guilty, but your wish to see him severely pun- 
 ished shall be gratified. Such men fill me with dis- 
 gust. We need only report his defence to the Czar, 
 and he would be instantly lost. I think the Czar 
 himself might be cruel in such a case. But I am not 
 the Czar, and I am not disinclined to make some 
 excuse." 
 
 " What ! Count Lanin ? " 
 
 " His devotion to the Empei'or's person." 
 
 " Is pure hypocrisy ! " 
 
 " Well, I submit to you ! I am not quite clear—" 
 
 Just then the Countess Lanin was announced. 
 Gen. Moski had become more and more attached to 
 her, the more services he had rendered her. 
 
 "Pray let her enter! " he called out. 
 
THE ACE OF CLTJBS. 379 
 
 " Mj-- dear companions in my journey," said Jana, 
 shaking hands with the two generals. " I come to 
 pray for Schelm's pardon." 
 
 " JSTever ! " said Gen. Moski. 
 
 " As for me," said Count Lanin, " I am ready to 
 obey every word you command." 
 
 "This 'never' sounds hardly very courteous in 
 the ears of a lady," said Jana, smiling. " But T see 
 I have an ally in my dear uncle." 
 
 " How should the rascal deserve such considera- 
 tion ? " 
 
 " I am so happy, so much happier than at any time ! 
 I pity all who have had to suffer for my sake ; I wish 
 harm to no one, and pardon every one of them ! " 
 
 Schelm's cunning had well calculated the effect of 
 his pretended- devotion to the Czar's person on Count 
 Lanin. The latter now joined Jana in her prayer, 
 and at last the general could no longer resist ; he 
 yielded so far that Schelm's punishment should con- 
 sist in his banishment to Beresoff, on the western 
 frontier of Siberia. Jana, however, was not quite 
 satisfied. Her noble soul wanted Schelm to be 
 entirely forgiven. She besought the general until he 
 gave way, after long resisting her. He yielded to 
 Jana as to a spoilt child. It was finally agreed that 
 Schelm should lose his office and his salary, but 
 should be allowed to return to Petersburg and to 
 live there as a private citizen. 
 
 " Oh ! You are so very good and kind, General," 
 said Jana, when he at last had given his consent. 
 
*380 THE ACE OF CLITBS. 
 
 although very reluctantly. " Permit me to embrace 
 you in return for your great kindness." 
 
 She fell around the old soldier's neck. 
 
 " And T ! As your faithful ally, do I deserve noth- 
 ing?" asked Lanin. She threatened him, smiling, 
 with her finger and said : 
 
 " You, my ally? Well, for an hour. And yet, I 
 do not wish anybody to say that I had given him 
 pain to-day ! " 
 
 She hastened to kiss her husband's uncle likewise, 
 and radiant with happiness, she returned home. 
 Nothing now prevented their departure from Irkutsk. 
 After so many severe trials the happy young people, 
 once more united, thought of nothing now but the 
 return home, there once more to resume the even 
 tenor of their daily life. 
 
 On the following day they left the capital of East- 
 ern Siberia and turned their faces toward Peters- 
 burg. Lina accompanied them, with a heart full of 
 sadness. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 One of those beautifully clear and silent nights 
 which form one of the charms of Siberia had grad- 
 ually sunk the forest into deep darkness. The 
 moon illumined the valley, and the long shadows of 
 the trees that lined the public road lay snug along- 
 side of the great thoroughfare. A gentle breath of 
 wind whispered mysteriously in the foliage of the 
 birches and larches that were here intermingled. 
 Beetles were humming drowsily in the rich grass ; 
 
THE ACE OE CLUBS. 381 
 
 lieie and there the phosphorescent green light of a 
 light-worm shone in the close turf and vanished 
 again in an instant. A mysterious humming noise 
 pervaded the forest, a sign that it concealed animal 
 life in abundance, and now and then broke out in 
 louder, but still indistinct noises. Otherwise the 
 night was silent. The highroad, which the eye 
 could follow for miles and miles across the vast 
 lev-el plain, was deserted. At a distance only now 
 and then was heard the tinkling of a little bell, the 
 forerunner of a vehicle, of which as yet nothing 
 could be seen. 
 
 The station house near which that bloody conflict 
 had taken place, which had cost so many and so 
 precious victims, stood, as has been mentioned, not 
 far from the edge of the forest, perhaps some 30 
 versts from Irkutsk. Nothing was stirring in the 
 little building, but the windows of the official's room 
 shone brightly, and at a distance somebody was 
 singing. At the door a postillion was smoking his 
 short, stumpy pipe, leisurely watching the ringlets 
 of smoke as they gracefully whirled on high. He 
 heard just then the tinkling of the bells of post- 
 horses, and entered the house to give warning that 
 travellers were approaching. At his sumiuons three 
 men or rather three dark shadows appeared in the 
 dark, silently walked around the house, and sta- 
 tioned themselves upon a huge projecting rock. 
 
 " Horses ! Quick, horses ! " cried the traveller, 
 jumping out of the carriage. "I have no time to 
 lose ! " 
 
382 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 In an instant almost the foam-covered horses were 
 taken out of harness and others brought from the 
 stables. In the meantime the traveller went into 
 the office to show his passport. 
 
 " I hope there are no reports of robbers about in 
 this part of the province?" he asked the post- 
 master. 
 
 " Nothing since the last fight here ; they have all 
 crossed the river, and everything is quiet. Travel- 
 lers have nothing at all to fear here now!" was 
 the answer. 
 
 " How far is it from here to the ferry ? " 
 
 " Three versts." 
 
 " I am told it is not quite safe to cross the forest. 
 On the other side of the river, I believe, it is all 
 cultivated land, and no forest there ? " 
 
 " Yes ; but I can assure you all the robbers and 
 rebels who used to infest this district have gone 
 away to Lake Baikal, so that everything is perfectly 
 quiet and safe here." 
 
 The postmaster opened his book, examined the 
 passport, and went to work almost to spell the entry 
 which he made : 
 
 " Onophrius Onesimowiez Schelm, councilor of 
 state and senator, travels on private business. One 
 carriage. Three horses." 
 
 "In half an hour it will all be ready for your 
 Excellency. Perhaps the senator will accept a glass 
 of tea?" 
 
 " Thanks ! I have no time to lose." 
 
THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 383 
 
 The official went out to give the necessary orders 
 and said to Schelm : 
 
 " The travellers' room is on the right hand ; it has 
 been entirely ruined during the fight between the 
 regulars and the rebels, but I have had it repaired 
 as well as my means allowed. Will you have the 
 kindness to go in there ? As soon as the horses are 
 put in I will let you know." 
 
 Schelm entered the room in which a few weeks 
 ago his power had made such lamentable shipwreck. 
 The walls still bore witness of the fight that had 
 taken place here, and near the window, where Caro- 
 line had tried to set the house on fire, a pool had 
 formed, over which beetles were busily swarming to 
 and fro. At the sight of the room Schelm could not 
 help comparing his former greatness with his actual 
 position. He sat down on a chair that stood near 
 the open window and looked down upon the quiet, 
 peaceful waters of the Angara. 
 
 " I still have my freedom and my fortune ; but 
 they want me to close my life in strict retirement. 
 The fools ! A man such as I am never leaves his 
 post, least of all after a defeat. They will hear from 
 me yet, I warrant ! Gen. Lanin has evidently 
 exceeded his authority ; he has let this band of 
 robbers escape unpunished, although they had mani- 
 festly rebelled against the Czar; and he has par- 
 doned their leader, who publicly insulted the name 
 of the Czar. That is quite enough to give me a 
 standing point for my future measures ! In Peters- 
 burg I shall find frjends, patrons and money. No I 
 
884 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 I am not i-uiiied yet! I am not conquered yet! 
 They wonder at my acting badly, and yet it is they 
 who force me to do such things. I was going to 
 abandon all this game, and now they compel me to 
 begin it once more, for I must, I must recover my 
 lost position. The fools ! They protect a man who 
 was to be my last victim, they force me to injure 
 them all ! Gen. Moski and Count Lanin ! You 
 have scotched the snake, but you have not killed it ! 
 You shall hear its ominous hissing again, I warn you, 
 and feel its venomous bite ! I am to go into retire- 
 ment ! I am to play draughts at night, I suppose, 
 and take my walk on the Prospect in the daytime ? 
 I ! Schelm ! Well, well see that ! If I only were 
 in Petersburg ! This putting in the horses takes a 
 long time here, and I want to be beyond the frontiers 
 of Irkutsk ! " At this moment he heard somebody 
 taking hold of the door handle ; then the door was 
 cautiously opened. 
 
 " Why, here is the postmaster, at last," he thought 
 to himself. He rose and buttoned his heavy over- 
 coat. A man in the uniform of a postillion 
 approached him. The ex-revisor thought it was the 
 man who came to tell him that all was ready and he 
 could continue his journey. However, he was 
 startled at the man's strange conduct, who came 
 very close to him. The moon was shining into the 
 room, only the door lay in deep shadow, and Schelm 
 could not make out the features of the new-comer. 
 
 " Are the horses ready ? " he asked. 
 
 At the same moment the stronger seized his arm 
 
THE ACE OF CLtJBS. 385 
 
 and he saw that it was not the postillion he had 
 expected. 
 
 "Schelm! Do you fancy I have forgiven you 
 and felt pity for you, as the others seem to have 
 done ? " 
 
 Schelm was dumbfounded; he recognized Miller 
 with terror. He was going to call for help, but he 
 was not given time for it. Two men had, in the 
 meantime, jumped through the window into the 
 room, and in a moment he was fettered. Miller 
 looked at him and laughed aloud. Before the door 
 the postillions also were heard laughing, as they 
 harnessed the horses. 
 
 Miller gave a sign, and instantly the bound man 
 was lifted up, passed through the open window, and 
 received on the outside by two other men stationed 
 there. Miller, with his two companions, followed 
 him in the same way, and quickly all of them hurried 
 down to the bed of the Angara. Here, on the river 
 bank, they found a saddled horse. The exiles tied 
 Schelm securely to the saddle, without removing the 
 handkerchief with which they had gagged him. 
 Miller again silently watched the proceedings and 
 laughed scornfully. When they were ready he 
 leaped on his horse, and said : 
 
 " Good-by, my friends ! " 
 
 The exiles spurred their horses, climbed the rocks 
 and Were soon oul of sight.- Miller alone pushed 
 his horse into the river. The moon was peacefully 
 silvering the waters of the quiet river; all around 
 silence reigned, and only Miller's horse, bravely 
 25 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 breasting the waves, snorted and splashed through 
 the waters in an uncanny, gruesome way. Schelm's 
 pale face, marked with the still blood-red marks of 
 his punishment, was turned to heaven as his back 
 touched the water. His eye met the glance of his 
 adversary and he closed it. 
 
 " I almost think, dear Schelm," said Miller, " that 
 since our school days you and I have never been 
 quite so near to each other? We are alone now 
 and can converse. What fate, do you think, is 
 awaiting you? You must bear in mind, dear col- 
 league, that I have much to complain of in which 
 you are concerned. You have injured many men, 
 but they were weak or good-natured men, who for- 
 gave you or disdained to avenge themselves. When 
 I heard that they were sending you home, unpun- 
 ished, and that these people, intoxicated with the 
 effect of their regained happiness, disdained revenge, 
 then I said to myself : Not so ! I shall punish you, 
 as you deserve to be punished ! " 
 
 Schelm was writhing like a worm in his fetters and 
 tried desperately to tear the gag from his mouth, 
 but in vain. 
 
 " Not yet ! The time has not come yet ! But, 
 you need not fear ; you shall have time enough to 
 cry ! My ear shall revel in your cries of anguish. 
 You need not be afraid of the water, Schelm ! You 
 may get a little wet, as we cannot let you sit 
 upright in the saddle, Schelm, but you shall not 
 drown. My horse swims as well as any fish. But, 
 Brother Schelm, what have you made of me ? I 
 
THE ACE OP CLUBS. 387 
 
 was, to be sure, poor and unhappy when you knew 
 me at school, but I was at peace with the world and 
 cheerful. One day — you may remember it, Schelm 
 — one day I asked you to lend me money. You 
 refused. You said you would rather buy me. Per- 
 haps you will tell me, honest men do not make such 
 bargains. But I tdo not pretend to be honest in that 
 sense of the word, and I'll show you presently what 
 I am. You will find out the difference between me 
 and those good people who have forgiven you and 
 refuse to be avenged on you." 
 
 Miller bent lower over the prostrate prisoner, and 
 thus forced him to look at him. 
 
 " Look at me, dear Schelm ; I must enjoy the sight. 
 Do you know, dear Schelm, that for the moment I 
 could almost love you ? You afford me the same 
 enjoyment which you felt when 3'ou left my cell in 
 the fortress to go into Vladimir's cell to examine 
 him. Ha, ha I Thus each one has his turn." 
 
 Schelm closed his eyes. He was near fainting. 
 
 " What does that mean ? I cannot permit that ? 
 You will have to listen to the end. I'll make you 
 come around." 
 
 With these words he passed his sharp dagger 
 across Schelm's forehead. The sufferer uttered an 
 indistinct groan. 
 
 " Do you hear me again ? As I am sure you can- 
 not tell out of school' in this life I will confess my 
 sins to you. Think of it — Miller confessing to 
 Schelm ! Would not the popes laugh if they could 
 hear us? Do you know that I am at the head of a 
 
388 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 thousand armed men,>^nd have a brilliant future 
 before me — and yet I long for the misery which I had 
 to endure in Petersburg, and the scant fare I could 
 indulge in only when somebody gave me a ruble ? 
 Then, like a fool, I hoped — I saw every day a lucky 
 turn, a bright change in my fate coming. It never 
 came. But to-day every unforeseen event is a threat 
 for me, and I can count upon myself alone. Schelm, 
 you have made me what I am — a spy, a robber and a 
 rebel. That is what you gave me when I came to 
 you, and begged you to help me ! " 
 
 A sudden noise interrupted him. The postillions, 
 with torches in their hands, were running up and 
 down the banks of the Angara, and cried out : 
 
 " Where is the traveller ? What can have become 
 of him?" 
 
 They noticed at last the horse, with Miller and 
 Schelm, in the middle of the river. 
 
 The torches were extinguished and the cries 
 became more threatening. Miller cut the handker- 
 chief which had stopped Schelm's mouth and said to 
 him : 
 
 " Now you may cry, dear Schelm ! Now I'll enjoy 
 your sweet cries. Cry away ! " 
 
 The unfortunate man drew a long breath and tried 
 to fill his lungs with air. This motion made him 
 again dip a little into the water ; he clung with his 
 fettered hands to the saddle and cried as loud as he 
 could : 
 
 "Help! Murder!" 
 
 " They are coming to your assistance, dear Schelm. 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 389 
 
 I'll soon let you go. Unfortunately the people have 
 no boats at hand, and the Angara is nearly two 
 versts wide. We are in the middle of the stream. 
 You may cry, now, to your heart's content ! " 
 
 " Milkr, forgive me ! " 
 
 " Do you think I am Vladimir Lanin ? or are you 
 mad ? Why should I possibly forgive you ? " 
 
 The water reached Schelm's face ; it took away his 
 breath and kept him from seeing what was going on. 
 Full of despair he seized the horse's mane and raised 
 his head a few inches above the water. 
 
 " Miller," he said, in broken accents, " I am rich. 
 Perhaps you can make use of money. I possess 
 nearly a million rubles. I will give it to you. You 
 can escape to France and live comfortably there. 
 Only set me free, take pity on me ! " 
 
 The man from Courland bent down close to his 
 face. 
 
 " What do you offer me ? " 
 
 " My whole fortune ! " 
 
 " Really ? And will you be able to keep your 
 promise ? " 
 
 " I have large sums of money in my trunks — but 
 what are you doing. Miller ? " 
 
 " Never mind that. I cut your fetters, but that 
 does not keep me from listening to you attentively." 
 
 Miller cut the straps with which Schelm had been 
 bound to the saddle. The reviser sank half into the 
 water, and felt at the same time a terrible pain in his 
 bands, which now alone supported the whole weight 
 of his body. 
 
390 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 " Help ! I am drowning ! Have pity on me ! " 
 
 " Not yet. What was that you were saying just 
 now?" 
 
 " Take the whole of my fortune ! " 
 
 " Perhaps you are deceiving me once more." 
 
 "I swear it; I do not deceive you. Miller, have 
 pity." 
 
 " Enough ! " exclaimed Miller at last. " I have 
 seen enough of your despair. There must be an end 
 to all pleasures on earth ! " 
 
 The right bank of the Angara became indistinctly 
 visible in the nightly gloom. Miller stooped once 
 more and cut the last bonds that held Schelm to the 
 saddle. The scoundrel sank into the waves. The 
 Czar of the Exiles gave the spur to his horse and it 
 swam on snorting and splashing furiously. Schelm 
 sank, but in a few seconds he reappeared on the sur- 
 face. 
 
 " Miller, have pity on me ! I repent my sins ; take 
 my million." 
 
 " I am coming to help you," replied Miller, " but 
 it is in vain ; the current is too strong." 
 
 Schelm's hands and feet were tied together ; he 
 could consequently make no efiPort to save his life by 
 swimming. The people from the post station had in 
 the meantime rowed in a boat up the river, while the 
 left bank was pretty well lighted up by torches. 
 Miller swam swiftly in the opposite direction, but 
 looked around every moment, because he hoped he 
 might see Schelm appear once more. And really, as 
 his horse began to feel the sandy bed of the river 
 
THE ACE OP CLTJBS. 391 
 
 under his hoofs, he perceived the pale, terror-stricken 
 face of the drowning man once more. Schelm opened 
 his mouth as if to summon help, but the water flowed 
 into it and he vanished in the dark waters. 
 
 " Till next time, Schelm ! " cried Miller. 
 
 When Schelm's inexorable enemy had reached the 
 bank of the river he mounted a fresh horse which 
 Ivan had prepared for him there, for fortunately he 
 and several other exiles had on the fatal day of the 
 skirmish, escaped the enemy's balls. They turned 
 round once more to see what was going on at the 
 station. Everything there seemed in a state of great 
 excitement. On the river, also, a number of boats 
 were searching evidently for Schelm. He never re- 
 appeared. 
 
 " There is nothing more to do for us here ! " said 
 Miller to his C9nipanions ; and absorbed in profound 
 meditation he made his way in the direction of the 
 Chinese frontier. 
 
 EPILOGUE. 
 
 Two young men were engaged in lively conversa- 
 tion in the beautiful gardens of the Conversations 
 Haus at Baden-Baden. It was in the year 1860, 
 when the whole elegant world used to meet here, 
 more for the sake of pleasure than to restore ruined 
 health. A famous artist had given a grand concert, 
 which was just now ended amid enthusiastic applause. 
 The audience scattered slowly in all directions ; some 
 went to the rooms where play was going on, others 
 to the terraces. The young men were so deeply 
 
392 THE ACE OF CLUBS. 
 
 interested in their conversation that they did not 
 notice the crowd by which they were surrounded. 
 One of them was a French officer, the other a colonel 
 in the Russian Life Guards. They had become 
 acquainted under the walls of Sebastopol, and there 
 formed an intimate friendship. Since then they had, 
 strangely enough, never met till this very day, and 
 their mutual delight was great. 
 
 At the same moment a gentleman passed them, 
 accompanied by a lady of astonishing beauty. A 
 few steps from the two friends he suddenly stopped. 
 
 " I should like to go for a moment into the saal. 
 You have no objection, Jana ? " 
 
 " Oh, certainly not. Besides, I have just noticed 
 Rita, and I should like to speak to her and settle 
 matters about our excursion to-morrow." 
 
 She left him. Vladimir looked leisurely around, 
 and his eye fell on the French officer, who bowed to 
 him politely. The Frenchman followed Jana with 
 his eyes. 
 
 " What a splendid figure ! " he said to his friend. 
 
 " Certainly ! She is a country woman of mine." 
 
 " What is her name ? " 
 
 " The Countess Jana Lanin." 
 
 The French officer started in surprise. 
 
 "Is she perhaps the wife of Count Vladimir 
 Lanin?" 
 
 "Yes!" 
 
 " That is a most fortunate meeting ! I have looked 
 for her now for three years and always in vain. You 
 do not object to presenting me to the count ? " 
 
THE ACE OF CLUBS. 393 
 
 " With pleasure. Here he is coming toward us ! " 
 
 " Count Lanin," said the French officer, after hav- 
 ing been duly introduced, " it is now three years that 
 a letter was handed to me for you,, and under such 
 very peculiar circumstances that I have ever since 
 been most anxious to make your acquaintance. It 
 was in Shanghai, and the Taepiiigs were besieging the 
 city. The French government had sent me, on 
 special mission to China. The siege was not very 
 oppressive, and every now and then there was a 
 trace. During these times we were at liberty to 
 walk about in the vicinity of the fortress in our 
 European uniforms. One day I was observing the 
 camp of the Taepings from a distance, when three 
 men came out of it, toward me, and waved a white 
 flag. They did not seem to harbor any hostile inten- 
 tfons, and I waited for them. They were Europeans, 
 but wore Chinese uniforms. Their light hair and 
 their features induced me to think they were country- 
 men of yours. One, who seemed to be the leader, 
 made a peculiarly strong impression upon me, on ac- 
 count of his lofty stature, and because of his brilliant 
 eyes." 
 
 " That was Miller ! " exclaimed VladimiiC " Pray 
 give me that letter ! Hearty thanks ! He is one of 
 my oldest friends, of whom I often think." 
 
 " I do not know his name. He said to me : ' You 
 are a Frenchman and will probably soon return to 
 Europe — I hope I shall ! — There is peace all over 
 Europe now, and you may by good luck at some 
 time or other meet a dear friend of mine, a Russian, 
 
394 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 who was going to France, a Count Vladimir Lanin. 
 You will easily recognize him and his wife, if you 
 should ever meet them ; he is a man of large fortune 
 and great influence in the highest circles, and she an 
 extraordinary beauty. Please hand them this let- 
 ter. '" 
 
 " At first I did not like to take the letter. Who 
 knew whether I should ever meet you in this life ? 
 ' I doubt not, you will meet him some time or other ; 
 be so kind as to take the letter.' I was going to' ask 
 for more details, but I had no sooner taken the letter 
 than he was summoned to return to camp. And 
 here. Count, is this letter, which I have carried about 
 with me nearly four years now." 
 
 Vladimir was rejoiced to receive the letter. 
 
 " My best thanks. Pardon me if I do not at oncje 
 satisfy your well founded curiosity ; I must go aside 
 to read my friend's letter at ease. I hope you will 
 not decline my invitation to dine with me to-morrow, 
 and then I shall take pleasure to make you acquainted 
 with the history of this remarkable man." 
 
 " I accept your invitation with pleasure." 
 
 "And you," said Lanin to the Russian officer, 
 " will of course accompany your friend." 
 
 " With pleasure. Count." 
 
 " Then— till to-morrow, gentlemen," said Vladimir, 
 leaving them. He sat down on a bench in the garden 
 and read as follows : 
 
 " At last I am a really great chieftain ; they negotiate with me 
 on a footing of equality, both the Son of Heaven and his rival 
 Taeping-waig. An odd name, is it not ? And yet these people 
 
THE AGE OF CLTJBS. 395 
 
 are powerful and influential and lead the same life as we do. 
 Here I have attained importance and power. My name, which 
 no one in the West would recognize in its present garb, has a 
 good sound from the Eobi desert to the mouth of the Pei-ho. 
 More than once the fate of one of the greatest realms on earth has 
 rested in my hand. The Emperor of China fears me, Gien-te 
 trembles before me. I am respected by Kirghis and Mantchoo ; 
 I am beloved by my subjects and my companions in arms. The 
 Czar hears ray name every now and then, when I invade bis 
 empire. 
 
 "You thiak, perhaps, I have reached the goal of my wishes? 
 I write you these lines, dear Vladimir, to confess to you that I 
 suffer from bitter nostalgia in my heart. I long for the misery 
 even I suffered in Europe ; I long for the days when I knocked, a 
 beggar, at the portals of your palace in Petersburg, even for the 
 sleepless nights which promised me a better, a glorious future. 
 And yet, I dare not return. Here all kiss my hand, the hand 
 which, perhaps, no one will ever shake in Europe. Here I am a 
 great chieftain and a cunning diplomat — there a robber, a spy and 
 a murderer. Even our conscience acknowledges a different law 
 here and in Bussia. 
 
 "And yet I am sad and almost a victim of despair whenever I 
 think of Europe. If I ever should return — and it is very probable 
 that I shall do so some time or other — tell me, Vladimir, will you 
 then take my hand in yours? 
 
 " I kiss the hem of thy wife's robe. 
 
 "MiLLEB." 
 
 Vladimir gave the letter to Jana, who passed him 
 on her return to their hotel. She read it in silence, 
 and took a seat by his side. Both fell into deep 
 meditation. The charming place at which they were 
 staying, the merry mingling of all races and nations, 
 the glorious beauties of the famous gardens, the 
 matchless music that came to them from afar, the 
 splendid sunset, which impresses even the most 
 
396 THE ACE OP CLUBS. 
 
 turbulent scenes of our life with the feeling of peace 
 and repose — all this formed such a terrible contrast 
 with their former history, of which Miller's letter had 
 reminded them, that the whole past rose before the 
 mind's eye, the imprisonment and banishment, 
 Irkutsk, the lake Baikal, the Angara, the wretched- 
 ness, the fears and hopes, the sorrows and sufferings 
 in Siberia. Suddenly a military step approached. 
 They turned round eagerly ; before them stood the 
 grey-haired governor-general of East Siberia, who 
 was also staying at Baden-Baden. 
 
 " What occupies your thoughts to such a degree 
 that you do not recognize your old friends ? " 
 
 Vladimir told him and handed him Miller's letter. 
 
 " Indeed," he said a moment later, " if I remember 
 that persecution that drove me to the very end of 
 Siberia, I cannot comprehend by what wondrous good 
 fortune I have escaped such unspeakable misery and 
 am now here a free man and a happy man." 
 
 "You ungrateful man ! " exclaimed Count Moski, 
 reverently seizing Jana's hand, " no one need won- 
 der who has such a guardian angel at his side and 
 can rely on such a noble heart ! " 
 
 [the end.] 
 
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