l you nothing, Excellency. You say you care for her and not
for the League. That is impossible, for she is its life; her life is
bound up in it; she would wish your service for it,--never for herself!
This I will do. If she does not hear otherwise that you are at Zostrov,
as you will be to-morrow--though it is unlikely that she will not have
heard already--I will see that she has word. That is all I can do."

"That must serve. You will not even say if she is near at hand?"

"Who knows? She comes and goes. One day she is at Warsaw; the next at
Wilna; now at Grodno; again even here. Yes, she has been here no longer
than a week since, though she is not here now."

So I had missed her by one week!

"I do not know where she is to-day, nor where she will be to-morrow; in
this I verily speak the truth, Excellency," he continued. "Though I
shall perchance see her, when my present business is done. Be patient.
You will doubtless have news of her at Zostrov."

"How do you know I am going there?"

"Does not all the countryside know that a foreigner rides with Mishka
Pavloff? God be with you, Excellency."

He made one of his quaint genuflexions and backed rapidly to the door.

"Here, stop!" I commanded, striding after him. "There is more,--much
more to say. Why did you not keep your promise and return to me in
London? What do you know of Selinski's murder? Speak, man; you have
nothing to fear from me!"

I had clutched his shoulder, and he made no attempt to free himself, but
drooped passively under my hand. But his quiet reply was inflexible.

"Of all that I can tell you nothing, Excellency. It is best forgotten."

There was a heavy footstep on the stair and next moment the door was
tried, and Mishka's voice exclaimed: "It is I. Open to me, Herr Gould."

There was no help for it, so I drew back the bolt. The door had no
lock,--only bolts within and without.

As Mishka entered, the Jew bowed low to him, and slipped through the
doorway. Mishka glanced sharply at me, muttered something about
returning soon, and followed Yossof, closing the door behind him and
shooting the outer bolt.

CHAPTER XXXVI

STILL ON THE ROAD

"Will you never learn wisdom?" demanded Mishka, when, after a few
minutes, he returned. "Why could you not rest here in safety?"

"Because I wanted to walk some of my stiffness off," I replied coolly.
"I had quite a good time, and met an old acquaintance."

"Who gave you much interesting news