posed upon you in order that,
by committing it, you shall purify yourself for a holy life in future,"
he said, referring to one of the principles of his erotic "religion."

She began to waver, and instantly I saw that Rasputin had won--as he won
always with women--and that the patriot Miliukoff had been sentenced to
death.

"Go!" he commanded at last. "Go, and do my bidding. Return to-morrow
night, and tell me of your--_success_!"

Then he bowed out the reluctant but fascinated young woman, who in her
silver chain-bag carried the small bottle of perfume.

That night Rasputin, after drinking half a bottle of brandy, retired to
bed, declaring that women were only created to be the servants of men.
Then I sat down, and taking a sheet of plain and very common
writing-paper, I typed upon it a warning to the man who, at the Empress's
suggestion, was to be so ruthlessly "removed." The words I typed were:

"You will be invited to tea to-morrow by Xenie Kalatcheff. Do not
accept. There is a plot to cause your death. This warning is
from--A Friend."

I typed an envelope with Monsieur Miliukoff's address, and then, slipping
to the door quietly, I stole out and dropped it in the letter-box at the
corner of the Kazanskaya.

That I had saved the deputy's life I knew next afternoon when Madame
Kalatcheff sent round a hurried note to Rasputin, explaining that, though
she had invited him to her house, he had rather curtly refused the
invitation.

At this the monk telephoned her to come round, and once again she sat in
his room explaining that she had sent Miliukoff a note urging him to see
her at four o'clock, as she wished to make some revelations concerning
the monk that might be useful to him when speaking in the Duma. The
reply, which she produced, was certainly couched in most indignant terms.

"Can he suspect, do you think, Feodor?" he asked, turning to me.

"How can he?" I asked. "Perhaps, knowing madame to be a 'disciple,' he
doubts the genuineness of her promised disclosures."

"Perhaps so," Xenie said. "But what can I do if he suspects me? Nothing
that I can see."

The pair sat anxiously discussing the situation for the next half-hour,
until at last the State Councillor's wife, handing back the little bottle
of perfume to the monk, rose and left.

I was secretly much gratified that I had been able to save the Deputy's
life, yet Rasputin continued to discuss other plans with me, repeating:

"The