THE NIHILIST SPY
The hackneyed simile of the cat and the mouse seemed to me to be
especially applicable in the present instance. In one breath I was told
that there would be many interviews of the kind I was then enjoying
(?), and in the next that my destination was Siberia. It was certainly
paradoxical and somewhat threatening, but I still refrained from asking
questions. Presently, as I made no further comment, the emperor resumed
the conversation.
"What brought you to Russia?" he demanded, but in a tone that was not
unkind.
"The desire to obtain an interview with you," I replied, remembering
his caution for me to ignore his rank.
"For what purpose?"
"To enter your service."
"In what capacity?"
"In any capacity for which I seem most fitted."
His majesty smiled broadly as if my replies suited the humor he was in.
I knew that I had made an impression that was not detrimental to me in
his eyes, and thought that I began to see through the puzzle. The
succeeding few moments convinced me that I was not mistaken.
"Whose was the suggestion that determined your visit to Russia?" he
continued.
"The suggestion came to me a long time ago--more than a year," I
responded. "Since then it has been constantly in my mind, and at last I
decided to act upon it."
"That does not answer my question, Mr. Derrington."
"The idea first came to me through an old friend; one whom I used to
know here, in this country; one who afforded me very great assistance
when I was here three years ago on a secret mission for my government."
"What is his name?"
"I have forgotten it."
"You are troubled with a poor memory, sir."
"Yes; concerning the names of friends who have assisted me when they
have been compelled to place their own interests in jeopardy in order
to do so."
"Do you know Alexis Saberevski?"
"I do."
"Can you tell me where he is now?"
"In New York, I think."
"Did you not have a definite proposition to make to me, in case you
were successful in securing an audience?"
"I did."
"Very well, you have secured the audience. I will hear the
proposition."
I hesitated. Here before me ready at my hand was the very opportunity I
had so eagerly sought and which I had determined to go to many lengths
to obtain. Already I had undertaken great expense to arrive at this
moment and to encounter a circumstance very like the one by which I was
now confronted; and yet I hesitated to take his majesty at his word and
to render up the proposition he required of me, and which I had
travelled so far and gone to such pains to submit. But you will admit
that the circumstance was an unusual one, and that the very manner of
my introduction to the Czar of all the Russias was calculated to be
confounding to me and to place at naught my customary determined poise,
and unswerving self-reliance. The abrupt mention of Alexis Saberevski,
coupled with other insinuations already brought forward in our
conversation, confirmed me in the idea already half formed, that my
apparent arrest at the hotel, my strange and mysterious journey through
the night, and the threat of Siberia, were all in the nature of what we
Americans call a "bluff"; were only intended to conceal the real
purpose of this enforced interview. During that moment of hesitation,
which was so short that it would not have been noticeable to a
disinterested party, I decided that the perfectly frank and open course
would be the best one to adopt with this giant of a man who confronted
me; a giant not only in physique and stature, and in strength of
purpose as well as in muscle, but in the wonderful power he swayed by
the mere exertion of his will.
I glanced upward into his eyes, which were bent half quizzically and
not at all unkindly upon me, and then in words that flowed easily, and
which came to me like an inspiration, I stated almost in one sentence,
and certainly in one paragraph, the concise explanation of my presence
in St. Petersburg at that moment. I said:
"I believe that I can organize and maintain a secret service bureau in
your majesty's interest, which will be more effective than all the
present police force put together. In order to do so I must have my own
way entirely, must be absolute master of the situation, as far as my
men are concerned, and can have no superior officer--not even the czar
himself. My plans have been formulated with care, and I can go into
minute details whenever I am directed to do so."
"Modesty is not one of your accomplishments, Mr. Derrington."
"Possibly not; but thorough familiarity with the work I would do is
one. Interference with my duties by any one no matter how high in
place, would render my efforts impotent, and I should decline under
such circumstances to undertake the task I have set for myself."
"What is that task?"
"The utter dismemberment and destruction of an organization of
anarchists known as nihilists against whom I have already been twice
pitted, and both times successfully."
The czar arose from his chair and crossed the room to the window where
he stood for some time peering out into the darkness, in the interim
drumming ceaselessly on the pane with the tips of his fingers. During
that time there was not a word spoken. Presently he turned and came
back to the chair where I was seated, towering over me like a veritable
giant, the most magnificent specimen of masculine humanity I have ever
seen; and according to his lights, as good as he was great in stature.
When ultimately the nihilists succeeded in destroying him, they killed
the best friend that Russia ever had on the throne. They did not, could
not know it; but I do.
"Mr. Derrington," he said, speaking with great deliberation, as though
he weighed each word he uttered, "we will end this farce of questions
and answers. They are unnecessary as far as I am concerned, and are
unworthy of you. A long time ago I held a conversation in this very
room with your friend Alexis Saberevski who possesses my entire
confidence. In that conversation he recommended you to me, and I
directed him to put the bee in your bonnet that has been buzzing there
ever since; so you see that I really sent for you, although you did not
know it. It was necessary that I should first be entirely convinced
that I could trust you implicitly, before entering into negotiations
with you. I am convinced. I accept your service. You will sleep in the
palace to-night, and to-morrow we will discuss your plans in detail.
Mr. Smith has been arrested as a nihilist, and the morning papers will
announce that he has started on his journey to Siberia. Mr. Derrington
will remain in St. Petersburg and to-morrow he will decide what
disposition to make of himself. The prince will act as your host for
to-night."
I got upon my feet and bowed to him, but he extended his hand in the
most cordial manner; and with a genial smile upon his face which
rendered it handsome, and which won my affection as well as my respect,
said:
"It will be a pleasure to me to be upon terms of familiarity with one
who wears no title and who does not wish for one. Henceforth we will
count ourselves as friends, and forget relative positions and rank.
Give me your hand."
I was nearly as tall as he but much more slight in build, and my hand
was almost lost in his great palm when they were clasped together. I
forgot the czar in the magnificence of the man, and as I gave him my
hand, I said:
"My life goes with it, sir, if the necessity arises."
"I believe you, Mr. Derrington. In the morning I will send for you.
Good night."
Then I followed the prince from the room and was presently conducted to
an apartment which evidently had been designed for me; at least I so
decided when I had an opportunity to examine it and to familiarize
myself with all that it contained. The prince found some Russian
cigarettes on the table, and lighted one while he said laughingly: "I
see that you are prepared to entertain your guests, Mr. Derrington.
Shall we chat together a little before we part for the night?"
"If you will be so good as to remain with me, at least until I catch my
breath, I will esteem it a great favor," I replied. "Is the boycott of
the interrogation removed?"
"Certainly."
"Then will you please tell me how the dev----"
A hearty laugh interrupted me.
"I know all that you would ask," he said. "Our mutual friend Alexis is
more in the confidence of his majesty than any other man in the world,
and this plot to induce you to come here and offer your services to the
czar, was deliberately planned between them nearly three years ago.
From time to time Alexis dropped little hints to you which set you to
thinking, and the thought finally blossomed into action. Had you
confided your plans to anybody, even to Alexis, your services would not
have been accepted. As it is, after to-morrow I tremble for you in the
power that you will have, for in many ways it will be as great as that
of the czar himself. Shall I give you a bit of history in order that
you may know something of what is expected of you?"
"If you will do so."
"Peter the Great organized a system of police which still endures,
though to-day it contains only three members, the emperor, Alexis and
myself. It is called the Fraternity of Silence. During all these years
its members have been selected with the greatest care and with
increasing difficulty so that now it has dwindled to nothing. In the
mean time the necessity for it has grown greater, for nihilism infests
the country like a plague. Without nihilism in Russia, Siberia would be
unnecessary. The very faults which nihilism seeks to remedy are kept
alive by its existence. If it were eradicated Russia would take its
place among the liberal nations of the world, and it is the ambition of
Alexander to perform that service for the empire he controls, just as
it was his idea to free the serfs. But the character of our people is
different from that of any other people in the world, and your task is
not so much to find out and banish those who conspire against the czar,
as it will be to convert the men who organize such conspiracies. You
are to reorganize the Fraternity of Silence on a new plan, and the
power to act upon your own judgment will be absolute. It may seem
strange to you that considering yourself almost unknown you should have
been selected for this work, but you must remember that you have been
recommended by one whose word is entirely respected by the emperor, and
that you have been under careful espionage for three years. Does the
outline that I have given you accord with the plans which you thought
of submitting to the czar?"
"Yes; largely."
"Plots for the assassination of the emperor are hatching every day. Our
present system is not adequate. You must fill the breach."
"Is the existence of this organization of which you speak known to
anybody, prince?"
"To nobody save those whom I have mentioned."
"Not to any nihilist?"
"Alexander, Alexis, you and I are the only living beings who ever heard
of it. No one else has ever known of it."
"Will you pardon me, prince, if I tell you that you are mistaken?"
"Mistaken! Do you mean, Mr. Derrington, that you doubt my word?"
He got upon his feet and I saw that he was angry, believing that I had
wantonly offended him. I arose also and began to pace up and down the
room taking care that each turn would bring me nearer to the heavy
curtains which hung about one of the great windows. The prince repeated
his question, this time in a louder and angrier tone than before, and
when I made no reply was about to leave the room; but I made a sign
that compelled him to pause. At the same instant, being sufficiently
near the curtain, I made a quick leap forward and with all my strength
struck with my fist the exact point behind which I thought the head of
the concealed person should be located.
My aim was true and the blow was sufficient, for the body behind the
curtain crashed against the hardwood casing of the window and then sank
to the floor, motionless, and in another instant I had dragged into
view the senseless form of a man in the livery of the palace
servants--a man whom the prince instantly recognized as a trusted
servitor of the czar--one who had been told that a guest was expected
to occupy that chamber, and who had been detailed to wait upon me--one
who had been especially selected for his loyalty and discretion.
"That man heard and knew, and to-morrow the nihilists would have heard
and known. Let us hope that they do not already know more than they
should," I said, indicating the spy, and smiling up at the prince.
The fellow was evidently not a Russian. He was a tall man, lithe and
sinewy rather than muscular, but he had a handsome, Patrician face; and
despite his condition of insensibility, or perhaps because of it, he
seemed strangely out of place in the predicament in which he was now
discovered.
It was an extremely fortunate thing that I had become sensible of his
presence in the room almost from the first, and that I had been able,
therefore, to direct the conversation and my line of conduct, to the
point of the present denouement. I could realize just how shocked
Prince Michael was by the event; just how puzzled his own reasoning
powers were for the moment, because of this discovery of a spy
concealed in the private room of the palace, who might, if I had not so
fortunately discovered him, have betrayed the real purpose of my
presence there, even before the accomplishment of any results.
I had expected to find a net work of spies surrounding the palace of
the Czar of all the Russias, as well as inside it, and I knew because
of my former experiences in the Moscovite capital, with what I would
have to contend if circumstances permitted me, as they now promised to
do, to take up and to perform what I considered would be the greatest
work of my life. There before me on the floor, prostrate and senseless,
although rapidly returning to consciousness, was the undoubted personal
proof of the deadly danger of my mission; but as I had foreseen and
forestalled this incident, so I believed I would be able to foresee and
forestall others that would be like unto it; and I determined to make
the most of this one, by using it to an advantage which had instantly
occurred to me when I saw and read the physiognomy, and behind that,
the character of the man on the floor. His features and the general air
of refinement about him, notwithstanding his dress and position,
suggested refinement, and I believed that I could appeal to him in a
way that would call forth some response if I were given the opportunity
to do so. He was lying on his back with his right arm outstretched, and
while the prince and I stood there regarding him with such different
emotions, his eyelids fluttered and parted and he once more became
conscious of his surroundings.
Beside him on the floor, was a long knife, which I have no doubt he
would have used upon me had my attack been less sudden and violent. As
it was, he opened his eyes and gazed sullenly upon us, realizing better
than I did, the fate that was in store for him now. I used the silken
curtain cords with which to bind him, and when that was accomplished,
placed him on one of the couches.
"Was it your intention to commit suicide when you entered this room to
spy upon us?" I asked; but he did not reply. "Prince," I added, turning
to my companion, "I think if you will leave me alone with this man, I
will find a way to make him talk. Will you return in half an hour?"
"Would it not be better to----"
"Must I wait until to-morrow for my authority?" I asked, smiling. So
the prince bowed and left me alone with the spy.