he Embassy, they had any record of a
political refugee by name Paul Platzoff, who, twenty years ago, was
in India, etc. I had considerable difficulty in persuading her
ladyship to write, but at last the letter was sent. I await the
result anxiously. The chances seem to me something like a thousand
to one against our inquiry being productive of any tangible result.
What I dread more than all is that M. Platzoff is no longer among
the living.

"July 20th.--Nine days without a word from Sir John Pennythorne,
except to say that he had written his friend Monsieur H----, as
requested by Lady Chillington. I began to despair. Each morning I
inquired of her ladyship whether she had received any reply from
Sir John, and each morning her ladyship said: 'I have had no reply,
Mr. Madgin, beyond the one you have already seen.'

"Certain matters connected with a lease took me up to Deepley Walls
this afternoon for the second time to-day. The afternoon post came
in while I was there. Among other letters was one from Sir John
Pennythorne, which, when she had read it, her ladyship tossed over
to me. It enclosed one from M. H---- to Sir John. It was on the
latter that I pounced. It was written in French, but even at the
first hasty reading I could make it out sufficiently to know that
it was of far greater importance than even in my wildest dreams I
had dared to imagine.

"I never saw Lady Chillington so excited as she was during the few
moments which I took up in reading the letter. During the nine days
that had elapsed since the writing of her letter to Sir John she
had treated me somewhat slightingly; there was, or so I fancied, a
spice of contempt in her manner towards me. The step I had induced
her to take in writing to Sir John had met with no approbation at
her hands; it had seemed to her an utterly futile and ridiculous
thing to do; therefore was I now proportionately well pleased to
find that my wild idea had been productive of such excellent fruit.

"'I must certainly compliment you, Mr. Madgin, on the success of
your first step,' said her ladyship. 'It was like one of the fine
intuitions of genius to imagine that you saw a way to reach M.
Platzoff through the Russian Embassy. You have been fully justified
by the result. Madgin, the man yet lives!--