r eyes. But again she
shook her head.

"What have they done," I asked, "to make you take this step?"

"Something has happened...." she said slowly. "I can't tell you."

"Just come and talk to Vera."

"No, it's hopeless... I can't see her again. But, Durdles... tell her
it's not her fault."

At the sound of my pet name I took courage again.

"But tell me, Nina.... Do you love this man?"

She turned round and looked at Grogoff as though she were seeing him for
the first time.

"Love?... Oh no, not love! But he will be kind to me, I think. And I
must be myself, be a woman, not a child any longer."

Then, suddenly clearing her voice, speaking very firmly, looking me full
in the face, she said:

"Tell Vera... that I saw... what happened that Thursday afternoon--the
Thursday of the Revolution week. Tell her that--when you're alone with
her. Tell her that--then she'll understand."

She turned and almost ran out of the room.

"Well, you see," said Grogoff smiling lazily from the sofa.

"That settles it."

"It doesn't settle it," I answered. "We shall never rest until we have
got her back."

But, I had to go. There was nothing more just then to be done.

V

On my return I found Vera alone waiting for me with restless impatience.

"Well?" she said eagerly. Then when she saw that I was alone her face
clouded.

"I trusted you--" she began.

"It's no good," I said at once. "Not for the moment. She's made up her
mind. It's not because she loved him nor, I think, for anything very
much that her uncle said. She's got some idea in her head. Perhaps you
can explain it."

"I?" said Vera, looking at me.

"Yes. She gave me a message for you."

"What was it?" But even as she asked the question she seemed to fear the
answer, because she turned away from me.

"She told me to tell you that she saw what happened on the afternoon of
the Thursday in Revolution week. She said that then you would
understand."

Vera looked at me with the strangest expression of defiance, fear,
triumph.

"What did she see?"

"I don't know. That's what she told me."

Vera did a strange thing. She laughed.

"They can all know. I don't care. I want them to know. Nina can tell
them all."

"Tell them what?"

"Oh, you'll hear with the rest. Uncle Alexei has done this. He told Nina
because he hates me. He won't rest until he ruins us all. But I don't
care. He can't take from me what I've got. He can't take from me what
I've