to release our fellows, of course,' he
whispered. 'I guess you KNOW why he sent _some people_ to Ekaterinburg
a couple of days before the Czecho-Slovaks are scheduled to _take_
it, and I guess you know too how it happened that so many MOTOR TRUCKS
came all the way from Archangel to Ekaterinburg so as to be on
hand when a certain Indian officer shows up, the ridiculous ranter
raved.... But...."

"... If these lines should ever come to light I want to record right
now, in justice to that apparently besotted creature, that I am under
unutterable obligations to him for assigning to me the most diabolical
piece of brutality that has been conceived during this period of moral
leprosy and unrepenting malevolence.... _I shall do my work well_."

22. Then the following odds and ends appear:

"... The Metropole performer is a Baroness sure enough.... She knows
a Syvorotka but declines to give his rank or whereabouts.... She tells
me that this place was founded by Count Tatischshev in 1721 ...
when Catherine was a baby.... The Monastery of 'Our Lady of Tikhvin'
looming up before me is a very graceful compliment to the Mosque of
St. Sophia it resembles in so many ways.... fine place to radio
from to friends at Odessa ... especially if the NUN has been obeying
orders.... Lvov is out of the way, over in the city prison, _cooking_,
where he can't betray the prisoners at Ipatiev's.... When I was alone
with my Imperial prisoner I tore the patch off from my shirt
sleeve and handed it to him.... '_Sa lettre!_' he exclaimed in an
undertone.... His manner was exceedingly polite.... '_Ouvrez, lisez_,'
I advised.... '_Oui, oui, je sais! je sais!_' he said softly, '_mais
malheureusement cela est impossible!_'... 'Soak it in water', I
replied.... '_Et vous, monsieur_, _etes-vous americain ou francais_?'
he came back.... '_Je suis ne a Paris, mais je suis americain_, and if
the prisoner has no objection I'd rather speak in English.'... 'That
will be delightful,' he said; 'I shall do as you say.'... He ran back
to the bathroom. In a moment he returned holding the patch up before
him.... 'Ah!' he continued aloud, 'this merely says that the Heir
Apparent will make a cruise of the world in a man-of-war; what does
that signify?'... 'If you recognize the writing,' I replied, 'you
will, doubtless, remember the methods of its author when extending an
invitation.'... 'Yes, yes, I see; how clever of you! Had you been a
subject of mine I should have ma