tal--beyond the jurisdiction of
the Governor-General?"

"I am going straight to Petersburg to ascertain," I said. "I have only
come to thank you for your kindness in this matter. Truth to tell, I
have been somewhat surprised that you should have interested yourself on
my behalf," I added, looking straight at the uniformed official.

"It was not on yours, but on hers," he answered, somewhat enigmatically.
"I know something of the affair, but it was my duty as a man to help the
poor girl to escape from that terrible place. She has, I know, been
unjustly condemned for the attempted assassination of the wife of a
General--condemned with a purpose, of course. Such a thing is not
unusual in Finland."

"Abominable!" I cried. "Oberg is a veritable fiend."

But the man only shrugged his shoulders, saying--

"The orders of his Excellency the Governor-General have to be obeyed,
whatever they are. We often regret, but we dare not refuse to carry them
out."

"Russian rule is a disgrace to our modern civilization," I declared
hotly. "I have every sympathy with those who are fighting for freedom."

"Ah, you are not alone in that," he sighed, speaking in a low whisper,
and glancing around. "His Majesty would order reforms and ameliorate the
condition of his people, if only it were possible. But he, like his
officials, are powerless. Here we speak of the great uprising with bated
breath, but we, alas! know that it must come one day--very soon--and
Finland will be the first to endeavor to break her bonds--and the Baron
Oberg the first to fall."

For nearly an hour I sat with him, surprised to find how, although his
exterior was so harsh and uncouth, yet his heart really bled for the
poor starving people he was so constantly forced to oppress.

"I have ruined this town of Abo," he declared, quite frankly. "To my
own knowledge five hundred innocent persons have gone to prison, and
another two hundred have been exiled to Siberia. Yet what I have done is
only at direct orders from Helsingfors--orders that are stern, pitiless
and unjust. Men have been torn from their families and sent to the
mines, women have been arrested for no offense and shipped off to
Saghalien, and mere children have been cast into prison on charges of
political conspiracy with their elders--in order to Russify the
province! Only," he added anxiously, "I trust you will never repeat what
I tell you. You have asked me why I assisted the English Mademoiselle to