That afternoon Paul and his love--for a day, as she had told
him--walked down the long avenue of pine-trees. And pacing back and
forth beneath the shade he told her many things, some of which she
knew already.
She could not repress a smile as he recounted to her the manner in
which he had walked up and down the terrace at Lucerne, while--though
he knew it not--she saw him from her window.
"And now," he said at last, pausing to look down into her dear face,
"forsake, I beg of you, this scene of trouble. Leave this strange
land, half West, half East, and come away with me to England. There I
will try to make you happy, and the day will come, I hope, when you
will forget that this threatening evil ever came into your life. I do
not know even yet the reasons that seem to demand this marriage with
your cousin. Come! it shall not be, even though the Tsar demands it.
By marrying me, you will become a British subject, and we then can
laugh at any human will that would take you from me."
And then he saw a tear upon her lovely cheek. Like a pearl upon the
snow it was. Paul took her in his arms, and her beautiful weary head
sank upon his shoulder.
"You weep, dear heart!" he said to her, for she was sobbing softly.
"Surely this dreadful union must not be. Come--early to-morrow we will
start for Kieff, and then--in a few days more--England and freedom!"
She recovered quickly and shook her head.
"No!" she told him. "That can not be. To-morrow morning you must leave
this unhappy place. To stay here would be of no avail. It would only
make matters worse. Boris is furious now, I know. And it will only
make my lot harder if you remain."
Paul could not move her though he pleaded with her for a long time;
and his heart was heavy as they at last drew near the house again.
That night, at dinner, Natalie tried bravely to be gay, but even the
brilliancy of her conversation and her brother's effort to entertain
his guest did not conceal from Paul the strain of the situation. A
young relative, Alexis Vseslavitch by name, was present at the board,
having ridden in that afternoon from his estate back in the hills. He
was a high-spirited youth and loved dearly to tease his cousin
Natalie. But even he saw that for once an unusual restraint seemed
upon her.
Afterward, they passed the long evening in the great hall where Paul
had waited in the morning. The room was ablaze with candles--and even
then the pale lady rang for a servant to bring in more. It was a wild
night. A storm had come with the darkness, and outside the wind howled
a savage symphony to accompanying crashes of thunder. Mademoiselle sat
by her brother, with her hand on the head of an old wolf-hound which
frequently looked up at her in dumb adoration as she chattered with
the men upon a hundred topics--chiefly travel--for they all loved it.
"Hush, Moka!" she said to the great beast when he sprang up once with
a sudden growl. "He does not like the thunder," she explained. "Some
people who were not welcome came here once, on a wild night like this,
when he was but a puppy. They forced their way into this very
room--and the old fellow never has forgotten."
In spite of her soothing words, the old dog was restless, and when, as
the hour grew late, Paul said good-night, he noticed that the faithful
brute was bristling as with anger at some unseen enemy.
Paul reached his chamber by the light of an ancient oil-lamp held
aloft by a servant--a hulking chap of somewhat forbidding appearance.
Baxter had already prepared Paul's room for the night and was not
waiting for his master. Paul said good-night to his attendant, and had
turned his back upon the man--when he heard a shout which appeared to
come from the hall below. He stopped short and turned--a movement
which he always thought afterward must have saved his life--to receive
a glancing, though still a stunning blow, from the butt of a revolver.
Like a log, Paul fell with a crash that shook the room, and knew no
more.
* * * * *
Paul was right. The shout did come from below. It was Peter's voice
that had sent out that alarming cry.
Paul, it seems, had been gone but a few minutes, when the door of the
great hall was flung open and a half-dozen men burst in. It was then
that Peter gave a great shout to alarm the household, and in response
to which a handful of servants rushed in, Alexander Andrieff, the
red-bearded overseer, among them.
All the men were masked, not only their foreheads, but their faces
right down to their chins being hidden in black.
The man who led them stepped forward and ordered the servants back;
and they retreated.
A couple of armed and masked men sufficed to keep the few domestics
penned in the corner. Two others were stationed on the stairs to check
any advances in that direction, while two others kept the passages
closed against all further comers.
At the head of the intruders the leader walked swiftly towards Peter,
who had advanced to meet him.
"Get back, Peter Vseslavitch," said the leader, still in a pleasant
and easy voice; "get back, or I will not answer for your life."
Peter checked himself, but craned his head forward.
"By heaven!" he said in a low voice, "I believe that is you, Boris!"
"Never mind who I may be, but keep your tongue still. Unless you wish
it to be forever quieted, refrain from mentioning names in my
presence.
"Now turn about, if you please, and get back near the wall."
Mademoiselle's brother was a strong, courageous man. But what may one
do against such odds? He looked straight and steadily at the veiled
eyes of the intruder, and declined to turn about. So for a brief
instant they stood.
The bluster of the storm had effectually drowned any noise of the
disturbance except for those who had heard Peter's cry for help. Among
them was Baxter. At a glance, he had taken in the position of
affairs.
Nor did he hesitate for a moment. Breaking into a run, he dashed
across the hall toward a wall where hung a heavy sword, an heirloom
that had not been used for a hundred years. Before he could be stopped
he tore it from its fastenings and started toward the nearest of the
ruffians, who brought him to a standstill with a revolver.
The leader noted his progress, and turned about and cried, "Keep that
man away. If he moves another foot--shoot!"
Baxter threw one contemptuous glance at Boris (for it was he) and came
on. The man hesitated to fire.
"Fire! you fool," shouted Boris, but the man still held his hand and
hesitated so long that Baxter had gripped the barrel of his revolver
in his left hand before the fellow quite realized what was happening.
If the man had scruples, Boris had none. His revolver spoke quickly,
and Baxter, with a little cough, fell forward on his face.
Turning from his butcher's work, Boris whipped round to meet the
terror-stricken eyes of Mademoiselle Vseslavitch.
"It is not my fault," he said, "that you have been compelled to look
on this."
Then his voice rang out clear and hard.
"Gentlemen," he cried, "I have no desire to create further
disturbance. If you will listen to me all will be well."
Turning for a second to Peter, he said, "Get back to the corner of the
room."
Peter had no other course but to obey.
Boris next proceeded to deal with the others.
"All of you," he said in a tone of easy command, "all of you get back
into the corner, except Mademoiselle."
He watched the retreat through his mask, and when all had crowded
together at the end of the room he gave them further orders.
"Let no man move," said he, "if he desires to see another day-break.
And if one of you stirs for a quarter of an hour after we leave this
room, he will be shot down from yonder window like a dog."
"Now, Mademoiselle," he cried, almost gaily, "take the arm of my
fascinating friend here. He will escort you out."
Natalie did not move. Instead she faced him with flaming eyes, the
very picture of defiance, and stood there, looking scornfully at Boris
and his men.
"Very well," he said. And he motioned to a tall figure a few paces
distant. Then a huge red hand seized Natalie roughly by the arm and
dragged her to the door.
Peter and his cousin, and the others in the corner hesitated, looking
one to another; then Alexis, more bold than the rest, jumped forward,
crying, "Never, you dirty scoundrel!" And dashed across the floor.
Boris let him come on, and it said something for the coolness of the
man that he did not even fire, but waited till the lad was upon him.
Then he swung round, and catching him back of the ear with the butt of
his pistol, sent him sprawling senseless to the floor.
After that there was no demonstration of any kind. It was obvious that
Boris and his scoundrels had provided against every contingency and
had counted on complete success.
They backed toward the door, through which Michael, the pseudo-cousin,
had dragged his captive, and Boris was the last to leave the hall. As
he stood there, he made a little bow of mockery.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I have to thank you for your hospitality and
for your generosity. With your kind permission I will now withdraw."