nd presenting such credentials as
Claudius brought, deserved to be attended to at once--the more so when
his whole appearance and manner were such as to create a small _furore_,
in the Embassy circles. Claudius went everywhere, saw every one, and
used every particle of influence he could obtain to further the object
of his visit. And so it was that, at the end of a month or so, a special
_ukase_ provided for the payment in perpetuity to herself and her heirs
for ever of the jointure-money first decreed to the Countess Margaret
for life only from the estates of her late husband, Count Alexis of the
Guards. This was even more than Claudius had hoped for--certainly more
than Margaret had dreamt of. As for Nicholas, Claudius cared nothing
what became of him, for he probably thought him a foolish Nihilist, and
he knew enough of the Countess's character to be sure she would never
let her brother suffer want, whatever his faults.

So when he had concluded the affair he hastened to Berlin, telegraphing
from thence the news of his immediate return. In less than a fortnight,
at all events, he ought to be in New York. The thought gave him infinite
relief; for, since he had finished his business in Petersburg, the
reaction which in strong natures is very sure to follow a great effort,
for the very reason that strong natures tax their powers to the utmost,
recklessly, began to make itself felt. It seemed to him, as he looked
back, that he had heard so little from her. Not that he complained; for
he was fully sensible of her goodness in writing at all, and he
treasured her letters as things sacred, even to the envelopes, and
whatsoever had touched her hand. But he felt keenly that he was in total
ignorance of her doings; and one or two references to Barker troubled
him. He too had his suspicions that the scheming American had been
concerned in the sudden fit of caution developed by Messrs. Screw and
Scratch. He too had suspected that his quondam friend had been
insincere, and that everything was not as it should be. But he was
neither so wise as Margaret, who would have told him not to soil his
hands with pitch, nor so supremely indifferent as the Duke, who would
have said that since he had got the money it didn't matter in the least
if Barker were a brute or not. On the contrary, Claudius promised
himself to sift the evidence; and if he discovered that Barker was
guilty of any double-dealing, he would simply break his neck. And as
C