" repeated the Princess, knitting her brows with
a puzzled air. "Do you happen to know her father's name?"

"Philip Leithcourt."

"And has he actually been living in Scotland?"

"Yes," I answered in quick anxiety. "He rented a shoot called Rannoch,
near Dumfries. A mysterious incident occurred on his estate--a double
murder, or murder and suicide; which is not quite clear--but shortly
afterwards there appeared one evening at the house a man named Chater,
Hylton Chater, and the whole family at once fled and disappeared."

Princess Zurloff sat with her lips pressed close together, looking
straight at the silent girl before her. Elma had removed her hat and
cloak, and now sat in a deep easy chair of yellow silk, with the
lamplight shining on her chestnut hair, settled and calm as though
already thoroughly at home. I smiled to myself as I thought of the
chagrin of Woodroffe when he returned to find his victim missing.

"Your Highness evidently knows the Leithcourts," I hazarded, after a
brief silence.

"I have heard of them," was her unsatisfactory reply. "I go to England
sometimes. When the Prince was alive, we were often at Claridge's for
the season. The Prince was for five years military _attache_ at the
Embassy under de Staal, you know. What I know of the Leithcourts is not
to their credit. But you tell me that there was a mysterious incident
before their flight. Explain it to me."

At that moment the long white doors of the handsome salon were thrown
open by the faithful Tartar servitor, and there entered a man whose hair
fell over the collar of his heavy overcoat, but whom, in an instant, I
recognized as Otto Kampf.

Both Elma and I sprang to our feet, while advancing to the Princess he
bent and gallantly kissed the hand she held forth to him. Then he shook
hands with Elma, and acknowledging my own greetings, took off his coat
and threw it upon a chair with the air of an accustomed visitor.

"I come, Princess, in order to explain to you," he said. "Mademoiselle
fears rearrest, and the only house in Petersburg that the police never
suspect is this. Therefore I send her to you, knowing that with your
generosity you will help her in her distress."

"It is all arranged," was her Highness's response. "She will remain
here, poor girl, until it is safe for her to get out of Russia." Then,
after some further conversation, and after my well-beloved had made
signs of heartfelt gratitude to the man known from end to e