was dead.

I led him in, and he started slightly when he saw Anne, who stared at
him with a queer expression of half-recognition. She knew who he was,
for I had told her a good deal about him; though we had all agreed it
was quite unnecessary that she should know the whole story of my
experiences in Russia; there were a lot of details I'd never given even
to her father and Jim.

She recovered herself almost instantly, and held out her hand to him
with a gracious smile, saying in German:

"Welcome to England, Herr Pavloff! I have heard much of you, and have
much to thank you for."

He bowed clumsily over the hand, with the deference due to a princess,
and watched her as she passed out of the room, his rugged face strangely
softened.

"So, she is safe, after all," he said when the door was closed. "We all
hoped so, but we did not know; that is one reason why you were never
told. For if she were dead what need to tell you; and also--but I will
come to that later. There is a marvellous resemblance; but it is often
so with twins."

"_Twins!_" I ejaculated; and yet I think I'd known it, at the back of
my mind, ever since the night of my return to England; only Pendennis
had spoken so decidedly about his only child. "Why, Herr Pendennis
himself doesn't know that!"

"No, it was kept from him,--from the first. It is all old history now,
though I learned it within these last few months, chiefly from Natalya.
It was her doing,--hers, and the old Count's, Stepan's father. The old
Count had always resented the marriage; he hated Herr Pendennis, his
brother-in-law, as much as he loved his sister. Herr Pendennis was away
in England when the children were born; and that increased the Count's
bitterness against him. He thought he should have hastened back,--as
without doubt he should have done! It was but a few days later that the
young mother was arrested, and, ill as she was, they took her away to
prison in a litter. The Count got timely warning, and made his escape.
It was impossible for his sister to accompany him; also he did not
believe they would arrest her, in her condition, and as she was the wife
of an Englishman. He should have known that Russians are without pity or
mercy!"

"But the child! He could not take a week-old baby with him, if he had to
fly for his life."

"No, Natalya did that. She escaped to the Ghetto and took the baby with
her,--and young Stepan, who was then a lad of six years. There was great
con