is
compelled to be, you will understand how an employment agency operated
for the purposes of espionage can discover and reveal secrets which
otherwise might never find their way outside the family circle. There
is no written document, no locked bureau drawer, no hidden pocket, no
secret hiding place into which the prying eyes and fingers of maid or
valet, house maid and general servitor cannot penetrate. These people
did their work for the St. Cyrs and reported to them, knowing nothing
whatever of why they made those reports or to whom they ultimately
found their way.

Canfield was also invaluable. As managing director of the Messenger
Service with many of his employees working as spies, it was a
comparatively easy matter to intercept letters and messages and to
obtain a knowledge of the contents of documents through their skilled
efforts.

I have given this resume of conditions as I established them to avoid
going into detail respecting the sources of the information I made use
of, but it will be understood now how thorough was my knowledge
whenever I chose to exert it.

During the time that passed as I have described, I became a factor in
St. Petersburg society. Supposed to possess unlimited wealth
(accumulated, by the way, in Mexican mines, for it sounded well), with
the crest of a noble family then extinct and half forgotten ornamenting
my cards and stationery, and introduced by Prince Michael, who was
known to be high in favor with the czar, palace doors were thrown wide
open to receive me. I was young then, and women said that I was
handsome, while men found me genial, companionable, and their master at
most games and with every sort of weapon; things which men respect even
if they do resent them.

The regular police systems, even to the mysterious Third Section which
has no equivalent or parallel in the world, were entirely ignorant of
the existence of my espionage, and many times during the months that
followed I fell under suspicion. My power was so much greater than
theirs that I possessed one abundant advantage, that of knowing their
spies; and many of these, from time to time, I purposely allowed to
become inmates of my house, from which they inevitably carried away the
precise information that I wished them to obtain.

By the time the organization of the fraternity was completed, I had
information in my possession which if it had gone to the emperor, would
have created a social upheaval such as has