ose behalf does Boolba act?" asked the old man. "Think, Sophia
Kensky! Who will give this foreigner twenty thousand roubles?"

"I do not know," she answered again.

Presently a note of distress was evident in her voice, and Israel Kensky
rose up and took the box from her hand.

"You will go to bed, Sophia Kensky," he said slowly and deliberately,
"and to-morrow morning, when you wake, you shall not remember anything
that happened after you came into this house to-night. You shall not
remember that I spoke to you or that I asked you to look in the little
box. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Israel Kensky," she replied slowly, and walked with weary feet
from the room.

Israel Kensky listened and heard her door click, then closed his own,
and, sitting at a table, began to write quickly. He was still writing
when the grey dawn showed in his windows at six o'clock. He blotted the
last letter and addressed an envelope to "The Most Excellent and
Illustrious Highness the Grand Duchess Irene Yaroslav" before, without
troubling to undress, he sank down upon his bed into a sleep of
exhaustion.

* * * * *

Malcolm Hay had an appointment with Mr. Tremayne on the morning that saw
Israel Kensky engaged in frantic letter-writing. It was about Kensky
that Tremayne spoke.

"He has arrived in London," he said, "and is staying in Colbury Terrace,
Maida Vale. I think you had better see him, because, as I told you, he
is a local big-wig and may be very useful to you. Our wells, as you
know, are about thirty miles outside Kieff, which is the nearest big
town, so you may be seeing him pretty often. Also, by the way, he is our
agent. If you have any trouble with Government officials you must see
Kensky, who can generally put things square."

"I believe his daughter is with him," Mr. Tremayne went on, "but I know
very little about her. Yet another neighbour of yours arrives by special
train at midday."

"Another neighbour of mine?" repeated Malcolm with a smile. "And who is
that?"

"The Grand Duke Yaroslav. I don't suppose you'll have very much to do
with him, but he's the King Pippin in your part of the world."

A clerk came in with a typewritten sheet covered with Russian
characters.

"Here's your letter of introduction to Kensky. He knows just as much
English as you will want him to know."

When Malcolm presented himself at the lodgings, it was to discover that
the old Jew had gone out, and had lef