The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 100: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

100 BY RIGHT OF SWORD. ‘Murdered. Found this morning in the lower part of his own house with a dagger thrust through his heart.’’ ‘“ Murdered !’’ I could scarcely believe my ears. ‘Yes. “For freedom’s sake,’ ’’ said the man, with acurl of the lip, >* At least, so a message on the dagger said. Now you can understand the signifi- cazce of my questions.”’ I understood it all well enough; far better than the man himself even imagined ; and I was completely beaten as to what the inner meaning of this most terrible event could be. One of my first reflections was that if any of the suspicions of my Nihilism which the dead man entertained were chronicled anywhere, my arrest and that of Olga would certainly follow ; and we should both be doomed. ‘*T can scarcely realize it,’ I said. ‘‘It is horrible.” ‘‘ So these wretches will find,’’ returned my interlocutor. ‘‘ T’hese car- rion. But now, in view of this—and I have told you because of the candid manner in which you have answered my questions—is there anything you noticed in your visit yesterday to help us.’’ , Clearly he did not suspect me ; and no records had been found yet. ‘“No. The place seemed alive with inmates—like a rabbit warren. Enough to have held it against a regiment. Great heaven, what villains !’’ I cried in horror. Mine was genuine feeling enough, for some of the terrible effects to myself were fast crowding on my thoughts. I recalled my encounter with my Nihilist comrade on the very threshold of the house. ‘“ Of course, those permits will be withdrawn now, lieutenant,’’ said the official as he dismissed me. But his manner was much less severe and curt than at the outset. ‘‘ As a matter of fact they ought never to have been granted, though I cannot explain why just now. But under the circum- stances you will probably feel personally unwilling to leave Russia at such a juncture.’’ ‘I should feel myself a traitor,’’ said I grandiloquently ; and in fact I did feel very much like one as I left him, rejoicing that I still breathed the fresh air of heaven instead of the fetid atmosphere of a jail. One thing was certain now—neither Olga nor I could hope to escape yet. Any attempt would be fatal. ‘The murder of sucha man would mean that the lurid searchlight of suspicion would fall in all directions, on the guilty and guiltless alike. The liberty certainly, and probably the life of every suspected Nihilist in Moscow were at stake; and the slightest trip or false step on our part would amount to direct invitation to ruin. As I walked back sadly and thoughtfully to my rooms, I had abundant proofs of the terrible effects of the assassination. ‘The police agents were everywhere, watching, raiding, arresting ; and in my short walk I met more than one gloomy party of them, each with its one or two prisoners, hurrying on foot or in hired carriages to the police stations. It is not ‘my business, however, to describe here the scenes that followed the most daring, most secret, most thrilling, and, save one, most terrible assassination that ever convulsed Russia. The murder of the Czar stirred the surface of the world more, because it had more of the pageantry of crime Eomicbooks (E@)