the end of my story. It would indeed be a very easy matter,
as I have said before, to collect all the things which happened to him
into a neat romance, of which the action should not cover more than
four-and-twenty hours of such excitement as no one of the actors could
have borne in real life, any more than Salvini could act a tragedy which
should begin at noon to-day and end at midday to-morrow. I might have
divested Paul of many of his surroundings, have bereaved him of many of
his friends, and made him do himself what others did to him; but if he
were to read such an account of his life he would laugh scornfully, and
say that the real thing was very different indeed, as without doubt it
was.

This is the reason why I have not hesitated to bring before you a great
number of personages, each of whom, in a great or a small way, affected
his life. I do not believe that you could understand his actions in the
sequel without knowing the details of those situations through which he
had passed before. We are largely influenced by little things and little
events. The statement is a truism in the eyes of the moralist, but the
truth is, unfortunately, too often forgotten in real life. The man who
falls down-stairs and breaks his leg has not noticed the tiny spot of
candle grease which made the polished step so slippery just where he
trod.

XIX.

There were great rejoicings when it was known in Pera that Alexander
Patoff had been found. His disappearance had furnished the gossips with
a subject of conversation during many weeks, and his coming back revived
the whole story, with the addition of a satisfactory ending. In
consideration of the fact that Laleli Khanum was dead, Count Ananoff
thought it best to take no official notice of the matter. To treat it
diplomatically would be useless, he said. Alexander had fallen a victim
to his own folly, and though the penalty had been severe, it was
impossible to hold the Ottoman government responsible for what Patoff
had suffered, now that the Khanum had departed this life. Alexander
received permission to take three months' leave to recruit his health
before returning to his regiment, and he resolved to spend a part of the
time in Constantinople, after which his mother promised to accompany him
to St. Petersburg.

The Carvels had very soon made the acquaintance of the small but
brilliant society of which the diplomatic corps constituted the chief
element; and if anything h