"Perhaps he may be misinformed," I said coldly. "As far as I am aware--
and I know both the lady and her daughter Luba intimately--they are most
loyal subjects of Your Majesty."
"Tut," he laughed. "The evidence put before me was that they actually
financed the attempt in the Nevski. I had a narrow escape, Trewinnard--
a very narrow one," he added. "And if you were in my place how would
you, I wonder, treat those scoundrels who attempted to kill you--eh?"
"I have no knowledge of the true facts, Sire," I replied. "All I
petition Your Majesty is that I may be granted an Imperial permit for
the post-horses, and a personal order from yourself to see and speak
with the prisoners."
He shrugged his shoulders, and thrust his hands deeply in his breeches
pockets.
"You do not tell me the reason you wish to see her," he said with a
frown of displeasure.
"Upon a purely private matter," I said. "To ask her a question
concerning a very dear friend. I beg that Your Majesty will not refuse
me this request," I added, deeply in earnest.
"It is a long journey, Trewinnard. I believe she has been sent beyond
Yakutsk," he remarked. "But, tell me, were you a very intimate friend
of this woman? What do you actually know of her?"
"All I know of her," I replied, "is that she is suffering a great wrong,
Your Majesty. She is in possession of certain information which closely
concerns a friend. Hence my determination to try, if possible, to amend
matters."
"What--you yourself desire to make amends--eh?"
"Not exactly that, Sire," I replied. "I wish to learn the truth
concerning--well, concerning a purely private matter. I think that Your
Majesty is convinced of my loyalty."
"Of course I am, Trewinnard," was his quick reply. "You have rendered
me many important personal services, not the least being your kindness
in looking after the welfare of that harebrained little flirt Tattie.
By the way, how is she? As much a tomboy as ever, I suppose?" And his
big, strong face relaxed into a humorous smile at thought of the girl
who, at her own request, had been banished from Court.
"She is greatly improving," I assured him, with a laugh. "She and Miss
West are quite comfortable, and I believe enjoying themselves immensely.
Her Highness loves England."
"And so do I," he sighed. "I only wish I could go to London oftener.
It is to be regretted that my recent visits there have not exactly found
favour with the Council of Ministers." Then, after a long pause, he
said: "Well, I suppose I must not refuse this request of yours,
Trewinnard. But I fear you will find your winter journey an extremely
uncomfortable one. When you are back, come direct to me. I would like
to hear the result of your observations. Let me see? Besides the
permit to use the post-horses, you will require an order to speak with
the prisoner, Marya de Rosen, alone, and an order to the Governor of
Tomsk, who has the register which will show to which settlement she has
been deported."
My heart leaped within me, for at first I had feared refusal.
"As Your Majesty pleases," was my reply, and I added my warmest thanks.
"I'll write them out now," he said; and, turning, he seated himself at
the little escritoire in the corner of the small, old-world room and
commenced to scribble those Imperial decrees which no one within the
Russian Empire would dare to disobey.
While he did so I stood gazing out of the small, deep-set double windows
across a flat dismal landscape, brown with the tints of autumn--the wide
and weedy moat which surrounded the castle, the stretch of grazing-land
and then a belt of dense forest on the skyline--the Imperial game
preserves.
That silent old room, dull, faded and sombre, was just the same as it
had been when Catherine the Great had feted her favourite Potemkin, the
man who for years ruled Russia and who fought so valiantly against the
Turks. There, in that very room, the Treaty of Jassy, which gave Russia
the littoral between the Bug and the Dniester, had been signed by
Catherine in 1792, and again in that room the Tzar Alexander the First
had received the news of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.
At that small buhl table whereat the Emperor was now writing out my
permits the Tzar Nicholas had signed the decree taking away the Polish
constitution, and, years later, he had written the final orders to his
ill-fated army fighting against the British in the Crimea.
Somewhere in the stone corridor outside could be heard the measured
tramp of the sentry, but that, and the rapid scratching of the Emperor's
pen, were the only sounds which broke the quiet.
At last he rose and handed me three sheets of foolscap bearing the
Imperial arms--the orders which I sought.
I took them with thanks, but after a moment's hesitation I ventured to
add:
"I wonder if I might request of Your Majesty a further favour?"
"Well," he asked with a smile, "what is it?"
"That my journey to Siberia should be kept a secret from the police?"
"Eh--what?" he asked quickly, looking at me strangely. "You do not wish
the police to know. Why? There is to be no attempted escape, surely?"
"I give Your Majesty my word that Madame de Rosen will not attempt to
escape," I said. "I will, indeed, make myself responsible for her. The
fact is that I know I have enemies among the Secret Police; hence I wish
them to remain in entire ignorance of my journey."
"Enemies!" he echoed. "Who are they? Tell me, and I will quickly turn
them into your friends," he said.
"Alas, Sire, I do not exactly know their identity," was my reply.
"Very well," he replied at last, selecting another cigarette from the
big golden box upon the table, "I will say nothing--if you so desire.
But, remember, you have made yourself responsible for the woman."
"I willingly accept the responsibility," I replied. "But, Your Majesty,
there is another matter. I would suggest that Hartwig be detailed to
remain with Her Highness the Grand Duchess Natalia at Brighton until my
return. He is there at present, awaiting Your Majesty's orders."
At my words he rang a bell, and Calitzine, his private secretary,
appeared, bowing.
"Send a telegram at once to Hartwig. Where is he?" he asked, turning to
me.
"At the Hotel Metropole, Brighton," I said.
"Telegraph to him in cipher that I order him to remain with Natalia
until further orders."
"Very well, Your Majesty," replied the trusted official, bowing.
"And another thing," exclaimed the Emperor. "Telegraph, also in cipher,
to all Governors of Siberian provinces that Mr Colin Trewinnard, of
London, is our guest during his journey across Siberia, and is to be
treated as such by all authorities."
"But pardon me, Your Majesty," I ventured to interrupt, "would not that
make it plain to those persons in Petersburg of whom I spoke a moment
ago."
"Ah! I forgot," said the Emperor. "Write the telegram, and send a
confidential courier with it to Tiumen, across the Siberian frontier.
He will despatch it from there, and it will then only go over the
Asiatic wires."
"I fear, Your Majesty, that a courier could not reach Omsk under six or
seven days, travelling incessantly," remarked the secretary.
"In seven days will be sufficient time. Both messages are
confidential."
And he dismissed Calitzine with a wave of his hand, the secretary
backing out of the presence of his Imperial master.
When the door had closed the tall, muscular man before me placed his
hands behind his back and slowly paced the room, saying:
"Well, Trewinnard, I must wish you a safe journey. If you find yourself
in any difficulty, communicate direct with me. I must admit that I
can't quite understand the object of this rather quixotic journey of
yours--to see a female prisoner. I strongly suspect that you are in
love with her--eh?" and he smiled knowingly.
"No, Sire," I replied, "I am not. On my return I hope to be able to
show Your Majesty that I have been actuated by motives of humanity and
justice--I hope, indeed, perhaps even to receive Your Majesty's
commendation."
"Ah! you are too mysterious for me," he laughed. "Are you leaving at
once? Or will you remain here, in the castle, until to-morrow?"
"I am greatly honoured and appreciate Your Majesty's hospitality," I
said. "But I have horses ready, and I am driving back to the railway at
Olevsk to-night."
"Very well, then," he said with a smile. "Good-bye, and be back again
in Petersburg as soon as ever you can."
And he stretched forth his big sinewy hand and gave me such a hearty
grip that I was compelled to wince.
I was backing towards the door, when it opened and the chamberlain
Polivanoff, standing upon the threshold, announced:
"General Markoff begs audience of Your Majesty."
"Ah! Let him come in," the Emperor replied, smiling.
The next moment I found myself face to face with the man whom I knew to
be Natalia's worst enemy and mine--that bloated, grey-faced man in
military uniform, through whose instrumentality no fewer than ten
thousand persons were annually being exiled to the Siberian wastes.
We met just beyond the threshold.
"Ah! my dear M'sieur Trewinnard!" he cried, raising his grey brows in
evident surprise at meeting me there. "I thought you were in England.
And how is your interesting young charge?"
"She is very well, I believe," was my cold reply.
I passed on, while he, crossing the threshold into the Imperial
presence, bowed low, cringing before the monarch whom he daily
terrorised, and yet who believed him to be the guardian of the dynasty.
"Ah! I am so glad you have come, Markoff!" I heard the Emperor exclaim
as he entered. "I have several pressing matters to discuss with you."
I passed the two sentries, who presented arms, and followed Colonel
Polivanoff along the corridor, full of gravest apprehension.
Ill fortune had dogged my footsteps. Markoff had seen me there. He
would naturally inquire of the Emperor the reason of my audience.
His Majesty might tell him.
If so, what then?