would instantly bring you within the sphere of his and her influence and
power. Now, she, as Nitocris Marmion, the mortal, is betrothed to the
English officer, Merrill. She loves him, and therefore, since you are
great and powerful in the earth-life, your ruin, or even your death,
might seem necessary to remove you from her path."

Oscarovitch shivered in spite of all his courage and self-control. The
idea of fearing anything human had never occurred to him after his first
battle; but this, if true, was a very different matter. To be threatened
with ruin or death by a power which he could not even see, to contend
against enemies who could read his very thoughts, and even be present in
a room with him without his knowing it--as Phadrig had assured him more
than once that they could be--was totally beyond the power of the
bravest or strongest of men. No, it was impossible: he could not, would
not, believe that, such a thing could be. His invincible materialism
came suddenly to his aid, and saved him from the reproach of fear in his
own eyes.

"No, Phadrig," he said, with a gesture of impatience, "that is not to be
credited. To you it may seem a reality: to me it can never be anything
more than a phantasy of intellect run mad on a single point--which, I
need hardly remind you, is a by no means uncommon failing of the
greatest of minds. Another reason has just occurred to me which would
need no such fantastic explanation."

"And that, Highness?" queried Phadrig, looking up with an almost
imperceptible shrug of his shoulders.

"The Zastrow affair. Unlikely as it seems, it is not impossible that
there has been treason there. I have many enemies in both Russia and
Germany, and it is well known that Zastrow and I were rivals once. Yes,
that is it: it must be so, and therefore we must prepare to fight the
International; and with such weapons as you are able to use there is not
much reason why we should fear them."

He dismissed the subject with an imperious wave of his hand, and
continued in an altered tone:

"And now, _apropos_ of your weapons. Tell me something about this
wonderful gem with which you hypnotised the Jew."

"I will not only tell you about it, Highness, I will show it to you, if
you desire to see it," replied Phadrig, who now fully recognised the
hopelessness of overcoming the blind materialism which was, of course,
inevitable to the life-condition in which the Prince had his present
being.

"What! yo