er examined.

Leonoff had nothing whatever to do with the Revolutionary movement, but
absolute innocence does not free people from the police inquisition, and
five or six years ago, when the Search mania was at its height, a case is
on record of a poor lady whose house was searched seven times within
twenty-four hours, though there was no evidence whatever that she was
connected with the Nihilists; the whole affair was, in fact, a
misunderstanding, as she was perfectly innocent.

This search in Dmitry Leonoff's house was also a misunderstanding, and in
the dominions of the Czar misunderstandings are of frequent occurrence.

Leonoff knew himself to be innocent, and he felt no fear, though
considerable annoyance, while the search was prosecuted; he could hardly
believe the evidence of his senses when, without a word of explanation,
he was informed that he must take leave of his wife and children, and go
in charge of the gendarmes to the House of Preventive Detention.

Being a sensible man, he kept his temper, remarked courteously that some
mistake must have been made, embraced his weeping wife, and went off
passively, while the pristav carried away a bundle of letters in which I
occupied the most prominent place.

Leonoff remained a prisoner only for a few days; there was not a shred of
evidence against him, and, having suffered terrible anxiety, he was
finally released. But Mr. Crichton-Morley's letter was never restored to
him, it remained in the hands of the authorities, and the night after
Leonoff's arrest the pristav, the procurator, and the gendarmes made
their way into the dwelling of Sigismund Zaluski's uncle, where a similar
search was prosecuted.

Sigismund was asleep and dreaming of Gertrude and of his idyllic summer
in England, when his bedroom door was forced open and he was roughly
roused by the gendarmes.

His first feeling was one of amazement, his second, one of indignation;
however, he was obliged to get up at once and dress, the policeman
rigorously keeping guard over him the whole time for fear he should
destroy any treasonable document.

"How I shall make them laugh in England when I tell them of this
ridiculous affair!" reflected Sigismund, as he was solemnly marched into
the adjoining room, where he found his uncle and cousins, each guarded by
a policeman.

He made some jesting remark, but was promptly reprimanded by his gaoler,
and in wearisome silence the household waited while the most