ritical speech, was telegraphed to England,
and actually found its way into some of the newspapers under the
heading, "Peace Demonstration in St. Petersburg: No Russian Wants
War."

There was one of the guests, however, who made no pretense of
listening with pleasure to the smooth speech of M. Petrovitch. This
was a dark young man of about thirty, in a naval uniform. He sat
scowling while his host spoke, and barely lifted his glass from the
table at the conclusion.

A minute or two later I took an opportunity to ask the promoter the
name of this ungracious officer.

"That?" my host exclaimed, looking 'round the table, "Oh, that is
Captain Vassileffsky, one of our most distinguished sailors. He is a
naval aide-de-camp to the Czar."

I made a note of his name and face, being warned by a presentiment
which I could not resist that I should come across him again.

The champagne now began to flow freely, and as it flowed the tongues
of many of the company were unloosed by degrees. From the subject of
peace the conversation passed rapidly to the possibilities of war,
and the Japanese were spoken of in a way that plainly showed me how
little those present understood the resolution and resources of the
Island Empire.

"The Japanese dare not fire the first shot and, since we will not,
there will be no war," declared my left-hand neighbor.

"The war will be fought in Japan, not in Manchuria," affirmed the
Grand Duke with a condescending air. "It will be a case of the Boers
over again. They may give us some trouble, but we shall annex their
country."

M. Petrovitch gave me a glance of alarm.

"Russia does not wish to add to her territory," he put in; "but we
may find it necessary to leave a few troops in Tokio to maintain
order, while we pursue our civilizing mission."

I need not recount the other remarks, equally arrogant.

Abstemious by habit, I had a particular reason for refraining from
taking much wine on this night. It was already past nine o'clock, the
train for Moscow, which connected there with the Siberian express,
started at midnight, and I had to be at the police bureau by eleven
at the latest to make the changes necessary for my disguise.

I therefore allowed my glass to remain full, merely touching it with
my lips occasionally when my host pressed me to drink. M. Petrovitch
did not openly notice my abstinence, but presently I heard him give
an order to the butler who waited behind his chair.

The bu