prison at the public expense, and to have to maintain his wife and
children also at the public expense while he is there. Besides, I
thought you said the other day that they did not flog political
prisoners."

"Well, they don't, at least not at any of the large prisons; but in some
of the small establishments, with perhaps a brutal drunken captain or
major as governor, no doubt it may be done sometimes."

"Well, I will take my chance of it."

"And when do you think of starting?" Alexis asked after a pause.

"Directly. I have only to decide how I am to get out after the door is
locked, and to make a rope of some sort to climb the fence with. The
blankets tied together will do for that. As to the getting out there is
no difficulty. One only has to throw a blanket over that cross beam, get
up on that, and get off one of the lining boards, displace a few tiles,
crawl through."

"I have half a mind to go with you, Godfrey."

"Have you, Alexis? I should be awfully glad, but at the same time I
would not say a word to persuade you to do it. You know I make light of
it, but I know very well that there will be some danger and a tremendous
lot of hardship to be gone through."

"I don't think I am afraid of that, Godfrey," Alexis said seriously. "It
is not that I have been thinking of ever since you began to talk to me
of getting away. I consider it is a hundred to one against success; but,
as you say, if we fail and get brought back no great harm is done. If we
get killed or die of hunger and thirst, again no harm is done, for
certainly life is not a thing to cling to when one is a prisoner in
Siberia; but it is not that. You see I am differently situated to you.
If you do succeed in getting away you go home, and you are all right; if
I succeed in getting away what is to become of me? I speak Russian and
German, but there would be no return for me to Russia unless some day
when a new Czar ascends the throne, or on some such occasion, when a
general amnesty is granted; but even that would hardly extend to
political prisoners. What am I to do? So far as I can see I might
starve, and after all one might almost as well remain here as starve in
Pekin or in some Chinese port. Granted that I could work my way back to
Europe on board ship, what should I do if I landed at Marseilles or
Liverpool? I could not go through the streets shouting in German 'I am a
doctor, who wants to be cured?'"

"No, Alexis," Godfrey agreed, "you could