e table lay a
sheathed sword--possibly the mark of authority which Boolba carried. But
evidently this ceremony was a nightly occurrence. Boolba did no more
than pass his hand over the girl's face.

"She is cool," he said in a disappointed tone. "You do not work hard
enough, Irene Yaroslav. To-morrow you shall come with water and shall
scrub this room."

The girl made no reply, but as he walked back to his seat of authority
she continued her work, her eyes fixed on the floor, oblivious of her
surroundings. Presently she worked round the room until she came to
where Malcolm stood, and as she did so for the first time she raised her
head, and her eyes met his. Again he saw that little trick of hers; her
hand went to her mouth, then her head went down, and she passed on as
though she had never seen him.

"What did she do, Sophia? Tell me what she did when she came to the
Englishman. Did she not see him?"

"She was startled," grumbled Sophia; "that is all. Boolba, let the woman
go."

"Nay, nay, my little pigeon, she must finish her work."

"She has finished," said Sophia impatiently; "how long must this go on,
Boolba? Is she not an aristocrat and a Romanoff, and are there none of
your men who want wives?"

Malcolm felt rather than saw the head of every soldier in the room lift
to these words.

"Wait a little," said Boolba. "You forget the book, my little
pigeon--the 'Book of All-Power.' I would have that rather than that
Irene Yaroslav found a good husband from our comrades. You may go, Irene
Yaroslav," he said. "Serge!"

The officer who had taken the death warrants, and who stood waiting for
dismissal, came forward.

"Take our little brother Malinkoff and the Britisher Hay and place them
both in the prison of St. Basil. They are proved enemies to the
Revolution."

"I wonder who will feed my little horse to-night," said Malinkoff as,
handcuffed to his companion, he marched through the streets in the light
of dawn, en route, as he believed, to certain death.

CHAPTER XII

IN THE PRISON OF ST. BASIL

The temporary prison called by Boolba "St. Basil," was made up of four
blocks of buildings. All save one were built of grey granite, and
presented, when seen from the courtyard below, tiers of little windows
set with monotonous regularity in discoloured walls. The fourth was
evidently also of granite, but at some recent period an attempt had been
made to cover its forbidding facade with plaster. The wor