her enthusiastically, in a quite
impersonal sort of way--high-flown and sentimental. He's a typical
German! He says she is back in Russia, with her father or uncle. She
belongs to the Vassilitzi family, Poles who have been political
intriguers for generations, and have suffered accordingly. They're
actively engaged in repairing the damage done to their precious Society
in that incident you know of, when all the five who formed the
executive, and held and pulled the strings, were either killed or
arrested."

This was startling news enough, and it was not easy to maintain the
non-committal air of mild interest that I guessed to be the safest.
Still I think I did manage it.

"That's queer," I remarked. "He said the Society had turned against her,
condemned her to death."

Southbourne shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"I'm only repeating what he told me. Thought you might like to hear it.
She must be an energetic young woman; wish I had her on my staff. If you
should happen to meet her you can tell her so. I'd give her any terms
she liked to ask."

Was he playing with me,--laughing at me? I could not tell.

"All right, I'll remember; though if she's in Russia it's very unlikely
that I shall ever see her in the flesh," I said coolly. "Did he say just
where she was? Russia's rather vague."

"No. Shouldn't wonder if she wasn't Warsaw way. McIntyre--he's at
Petersburg in your place--says they're having no end of ructions there,
and asked if he should go down,--but it's not worth the risk. He's a
good man, a safe one, but he's not the sort to get stuff through in
defiance of the censor, though he's perfectly willing to face any amount
of physical danger. So I told him not to go; especially as we shan't
want any more sensational Russian stuff at present; unless--well, of
course, if you should happen on any good material, you can send it
along; for I presume you are not going over to Soper, eh?"

"Of course I'm not!" I said with some warmth. Soper was chief proprietor
of several newspapers in direct opposition to the group controlled by
Southbourne, and he certainly had made me more than one advantageous
offer,--the latest only a week or two back, just after my Russian
articles appeared in _The Courier_.

"I didn't suppose you were, though I know he wants you," Southbourne
rejoined. "I should rather like to know what you are up to; but it's
your own affair, of course, and you're quite right to keep your own
counsel. A