ois Boriskoff's fate were known and Alban had
visited her this morning. If there were danger to be apprehended, the
moment of it would arrive when the girl was arrested and the story of
Alban Kennedy's misadventure made known to her friends. Sergius began to
perceive that he must not linger an hour in Warsaw when this were done.
He could direct operations as easily from Paris or London as from this
conspicuous hotel, and with infinitely less risk to himself and his
empire. Sometimes he wondered that he had been so foolish as to enter
Russia at all. Why could he not have telegraphed to the Chief of the
Police to arrest the girl as soon as might be and to flog her into a
confession. The whip would have purchased her secret readily enough,
then the others could have been arrested also and Gessner left reassured
beyond question. Sergius blamed himself very much that he had permitted
a finer chivalry to guide his acts. "I came because this young man
persuaded me to come," he admitted, and added the thought that he had
been a fool for his pains.

This would have been about four o'clock of the morning. He slept a
little while upon it, but woke again at five and sat up in bed to mark a
step on the landing without and to ask himself who had the right to be
there at such an hour. When he had waited a little while, he came to the
conclusion that two people were approaching his door and making little
secret of their coming. Presently a knock informed him that he had
nothing whatever to fear; and upon asking the question "What do you
want?" a voice answered immediately, "From the bureau, your excellency,
with a letter." This he concluded to mean that the Chief of the Police
had some important news to convey to him and had sent his own messenger
to the hotel.

"Wait a moment and I will let you in," he replied, and asked, "I suppose
you can wait a little while?"

"It is very urgent, excellency--you had better open at once."

The Count sprang up from his bed and drew the curtains back from the
window. A warm glow of sunlight instantly suffused the cold room and
warmed it with welcome beams. Down there in the streets the Cossacks
still nodded upon patient horses as though no event of the night had
disturbed them. A drosky passed, driving an old man to the railway
station--there were porters at the doors of some of the houses and a few
wagons going down toward the river. All this Sergius perceived
instantly in one swift vision. Then