us in the dark in this
way. Mind, if the secret is not something very important and
delightful, you will be in disgrace, and we shall banish you from this
room altogether."

The lads made a laughing reply, and then, promising they would soon be
back, they went to the study. Alexis was standing silent before his
master, having explained that he would rather not speak until the
young English lords appeared. Jack began the narrative, and said that
fearing Count Smerskoff, whom they knew to be his enemy, might have
suborned one of the servants to act as his spy they had watched him
closely, and had heard him make an appointment with Paul to meet him
that evening at the cross-roads; that they had taken Alexis into their
confidence, and had with him been concealed spectators of the
interview; that they themselves had been able to gather only the
general drift of the conversation, but that Alexis would give him a
full report of it.

The count's face had at first expressed only surprise at Jack's
narration, but the expression changed into one of fierce anger as he
proceeded. Without a word he motioned to Alexis to continue, and the
latter detailed word for word the conversation which he had overheard.
When he had concluded, he added, "Your Excellency must pardon me for
not having killed your enemies upon the spot, but the young English
lords had told me that it was necessary to lie quiet, whatever I
heard, and besides, the governor might have ridden off before I could
reach him."

The count stood for a minute silent when the narration ceased. "You
did well, Alexis," he said in a stern voice. "It is for me to judge
and sentence. I had thought that I, at least, was safe from treachery
among those around me. It seems I was wrong, and the traitor shall
learn that the kind master can be the severe lord, who holds the life
and death of his serfs in his hand." He was silent, and remained two
or three minutes in deep thought. "Go to the stable, Alexis. You will
be joined there soon by Ivan and Alexander. They will have their
instructions. After that Paul will come out; seize him and bind him
when he enters the stable. Now go. You have done well. Tell Paul, as
you go out, that I wish to see the steward."

A minute or two later the steward, a white-headed old man, who had
from childhood been in the service of the family, entered. "Demetri,"
he said, "will you tell Ivan and Alexander to go out into the stable?
They will find Alexis