he has a razor
hidden, tied round with silk, just like the one that Moscow murderer
had. This man also lived with his mother, and had a razor hidden away,
tied round with white silk, and with this razor he intended to cut a
throat.

"All the while I was in their house I felt sure that somewhere beneath
the floor there was hidden away some dreadful corpse, wrapped in
oil-cloth, perhaps buried there by his father, who knows? Just as in the
Moscow case. I could have shown you the very spot!

"He is always silent, but I know well that he loves me so much that he
must hate me. My wedding and yours are to be on the same day; so I have
arranged with him. I have no secrets from him. I would kill him from
very fright, but he will kill me first. He has just burst out laughing,
and says that I am raving. He knows I am writing to you."

There was much more of this delirious wandering in the letters--one of
them was very long.

At last the prince came out of the dark, gloomy park, in which he had
wandered about for hours just as yesterday. The bright night seemed to
him to be lighter than ever. "It must be quite early," he thought. (He
had forgotten his watch.) There was a sound of distant music somewhere.
"Ah," he thought, "the Vauxhall! They won't be there today, of course!"
At this moment he noticed that he was close to their house; he had felt
that he must gravitate to this spot eventually, and, with a beating
heart, he mounted the verandah steps.

No one met him; the verandah was empty, and nearly pitch dark. He opened
the door into the room, but it, too, was dark and empty. He stood in the
middle of the room in perplexity. Suddenly the door opened, and in came
Alexandra, candle in hand. Seeing the prince she stopped before him in
surprise, looking at him questioningly.

It was clear that she had been merely passing through the room from door
to door, and had not had the remotest notion that she would meet anyone.

"How did you come here?" she asked, at last.

"I-I--came in--"

"Mamma is not very well, nor is Aglaya. Adelaida has gone to bed, and
I am just going. We were alone the whole evening. Father and Prince S.
have gone to town."

"I have come to you--now--to--"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"N--no!"

"Half-past twelve. We are always in bed by one."

"I-I thought it was half-past nine!"

"Never mind!" she laughed, "but why didn't you come earlier? Perhaps you
were expected!"

"I thought" he stamme