d by
Muscovite authority, which is not an easy thing, I know, we thought of
you, and I have come to your Excellency as I would have gone to the chief
of the Legion of Students to demand his aid in a case of danger!"

Yanski Varhely was no diplomat; and his manner of appealing to the
memories of the past was excessively disagreeable to the minister, who,
however, allowed no signs of his annoyance to appear.

Count Ladany was perfectly well acquainted with the Warsaw affair. As an
Hungarian was mixed up in it, and an Hungarian of the rank and standing
of Count Menko, the Austro-Hungarian authorities had immediately been
advised of the whole proceeding. There were probably no proofs of actual
complicity against Menko; but, as Josef Ladany had said, it seemed
evident that he had come to Poland to join Labanoff. An address given to
Menko by Labanoff had been found, and both were soon to depart for St.
Petersburg. Labanoff had some doubtful acquaintances in the Russian army:
several officers of artillery, who had been arrested and sent to the
mines, were said to be his friends.

"The matter is a grave one," said the Count. "We can scarcely, for one
particular case, make our relations more strained with a--a friendly
nation, relations which so many others--I leave you to divine who, my
dear Varhely--strive to render difficult. And yet, I would like to oblige
you; I would, I assure you."

"If Count Menko is not set at liberty, what will happen to him?" asked
Yanski.

"Hmm--he might, although a foreigner, be forced to take a journey to
Siberia."

"Siberia! That is a long distance off, and few return from that journey,"
said Varhely, his voice becoming almost hoarse. "I would give anything in
the world if Menko were free!"

"It would have been so easy for him not to have been seized by the
Russian police."

"Yes; but he is. And, I repeat, I have come to you to demand his release.
Damn it! Such a demand is neither a threat nor a cases belli."

The minister calmed the old hussar with a gesture.

"No," he replied, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth; "but
it is embarrassing, embarrassing! Confound Menko! He always was a
feather-brain! The idea of his leaving diplomacy to seek adventures! He
must know, however, that his case is--what shall I say?--embarrassing,
very embarrassing. I don't suppose he had any idea of conspiring. He is a
malcontent, this Menko, a malcontent! He would have made his mark in our
e