ly bought of
us, because we sell considerably below the market rate. It goes
without saying that the purchaser will presently discover that we have
done him brown. But, I ask you, will he go and accuse us knowing that,
as the penalty for his purchase, he will have to accompany us along
the Siberian road?"

"No man is his own enemy," sententiously replied Kovroff, beginning to
take a vivid interest in what his companion was saying. "But how are
you going to work it?"

"You will know at the proper time. The chief thing is, that our
problem is solved in the most decisive manner. You and I are pretty
fair judges of human nature, so we may be pretty sure that we shall
always find purchasers, and I suggest that we make a beginning on
young Prince Shadursky. How we shall get him into it is my business.
I'll tell you later on. But how do you like the general idea of my
plan?"

"It's clever enough!" cried Kovroff, pressing his hand with the gay
enthusiasm of genuine interest.

"For this truth much thanks!" cried Kallash, clinking glasses with
him. "It is clever--that is the best praise I could receive from you.
Let us drink to the success of my scheme!"

XV

THE FISH BITES

Three days after this conversation the younger prince Shadursky dined
with Sergei Antonovitch Kovroff.

That morning he received a note from Kovroff, in which the worthy
Sergei complained of ill health and begged the prince to come and dine
with him and cheer him up.

The prince complied with his request, and appearing at the appointed
time found Count Kallash alone with his host.

Among other gossip, the prince announced that he expected shortly to
go to Switzerland, as he had bad reports of the health of his mother,
who was in Geneva.

At this news Kallash glanced significantly toward Kovroff.

Passing from topic to topic, the conversation finally turned to the
financial position of Russia. Sergei Antonovitch, according to his
expression, "went to the root of the matter," and indicated the
"source of the evil," very frankly attacking the policy of the
government, which did everything to discourage gold mining, hedging
round this most important industry with all kinds of difficulties, and
practically prohibiting the free production of the precious metals by
laying on it a dead weight of costly formalities.

"I have facts ready to hand," he went on, summing up his argument. "I
have an acquaintance here, an employee of one of the best-kn