y harm to take proper precautions. Get
the money ready, Natasha; we must give it to him."

"What! give him the money!" and the baroness threw up her hands. "Will
that get us out of his power? Can we feel secure? It will only last
till something new happens. At the first occasion----"

"Which will also be the last!" interrupted Bodlevski. "Suppose we do
give him the money to-day; does that mean that we give it for good?
Not at all! It will be back in my pocket to-morrow! Let us think it
out properly!" and he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder, and sat
down in an easy chair in front of her.

The result of their deliberations was a little note addressed to Count
Kallash:

"DEAR COUNT," it ran, "I was guilty of an act of folly toward you
to-day. I am ashamed of it, and wish to make amends as soon as
possible. We have always been good friends, so let us forget our
little difference, the more so that an alliance is much more
advantageous to us both than a quarrel. Come this evening to receive
the money you spoke of, and to clasp in amity the hand of your devoted
friend, VON D."

Kallash came about ten o'clock in the evening, and received from
Bodlevski the sum of fifty thousand rubles in notes. The baroness was
very amiable, and persuaded him to have some tea. There was not a
suggestion of future difficulties, and everything seemed to promise
perfect harmony for the future. Bodlevski talked over plans of future
undertakings, and told him, with evident satisfaction, that they had
just heard of the arrest of the younger Prince Shadursky, in Paris,
for attempting to defraud a bank by a pretended sale of gold dust.
Count Kallash was also gay, and a certain satisfaction filled his mind
at the thought of his sister's security, as he felt the heavy packet
of notes in his pocket. He smoked his cigar with evident satisfaction,
sipping the fragrant tea from time to time. The conversation was gay
and animated, and for some reason or other turned to the subject of
clubs.

"Ah, yes," interposed Bodlevski, "_a propos_! I expect to be a member
of the Yacht Club this summer. Let me recommend to you a new field of
action. They will disport themselves on the green water, and we on the
green cloth! By the way, I forgot to speak of it--I bought a boat the
other day, a mere rowboat. It is on the Fontauka Canal, at the
Simeonovski bridge. We must come for a row some day."

"Delightful," exclaimed the baroness. "But why some day? Why