CHAPTER XVI

After having delivered her letter in the way recorded in a previous
chapter, Katerina had sped away with the swiftness of the proverbial
arrow. She was well on her way home before it reached the hands of
General Beilski, who was closeted with an official of high importance
and could not be disturbed till the interview was finished.

The Chief of Police was, above all things, a man of action. There was
nothing in the letter itself to give the least clue as to the writer,
but it was evidently genuine. He came to the conclusion that the woman
who had sent it was unwillingly mixed up in some plot against which
her conscience revolted.

He immediately called in one of his subordinates to make arrangements
for the immediate despatch of a body of mounted police to Pavlovsk,
where they would lie in wait for the arriving carriage.

The man who had taken the letter from the somewhat frightened maid
was called in and questioned, but his evidence was of no value. His
recollections of the appearance of the young woman were very hazy.
She was young, slim, and rather good-looking, but he had taken so
little notice of her that he admitted that he would not be sure of
recognising her if he met her again. There were other callers at the
time and his attention had been distracted.

The man was dismissed, and the General and his lieutenant closely
scrutinised the letter for the second time. All that they could do was
to agree upon two points. The handwriting was evidently a feigned one,
and also that of a person of education.

"There is one peculiar thing about it; our informant wishes to save
the person threatened," remarked the Chief; "but she evidently wishes
to involve as little as possible the perpetrators. Otherwise she would
have told us where the carriage was going to start from for Pavlovsk,
so as to save us the trouble of going all that way. Still, when we
stop the carriage, we shall be able to get something out of the
scoundrels who are in charge of it."

"Unless they are too staunch or too well paid to give away their
employer," observed the subordinate, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Many of these criminals, and none but criminals would engage in such
a job, are very loyal."

"In the good old days we would soon have made them find their
tongues," said the General with a grim smile.

That night Beilski dined alone with Golitzine and his wife. After
dinner was over, the two men adjourned to the Count'