The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 3 — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

500 THE ARGOSY, The Nihilists were not such fools as to draw down on themselves all the sensational punishments which would inevitably follow the discovery of an organized attempt on the life of the Czar for the mere empty purpose of sending the imperial train off the line. Unless, therefore, they had some emissary so highly placed as to be in possession of the information long be- fore any of us in Moscow knew about it, the whole machinery was likely to be stopped for the one flaw. And though I had had some proofs of the extraor- dinary accuracy of information they possessed, I could not believe their power would be such as this necessitated. But in the afternoon, when, according to arrangement, I went again to see Prince Bilbassoff, startling news awaited me—news that roused again all these doubts and difficulties, and set them buzzing and rushing through my brain, threatening to muddle my wits altogether. _ There was a distinct change in the manner of the prince’s reception of me, and it pleased me to set this down to the fact that his opinion of me was raised by the knowledge that the black past of Alexis Petrovitch was mine only by adoption, and that in reality I had the clean antecedents of an English gentleman. “I can’t give you more than a few minutes,’’ he said; ‘‘and I must therefore squeeze as much as possible into them. I have taken your sug- gestion, and have wired to London to find out about you. ‘The result is - what Iam bound to say I hoped, and the consequences are, I am going to trust you.’’ ‘“'That’s as you please,’’ said I quietly. ‘‘ It does please me, because I don’t want this duel to fall through. Now, you want some cause for fighting that will satisfy your honor. Will you fight this man if he insults you?’’ “Pil fight any man who does that,’’ I replied. ‘“ Now, whose officer are you?’’ ‘The Czar’s while I am in Russia.” “Will you risk your life in his service ? ”’ ““ My sword is absolutely at his command.”’ ‘‘ Ii you should hear his majesty insulted in your presence would you face the man who did it ?’’ ‘As surely as effect follows cause.’’ ‘Then this man’s whole life is an insult to the Czar.” ‘“In what way ?”’ ; ‘“He isa Nihilist to his finger tips. His presence near the throne is a standing menace to the emperor, his hand is ever raised to seek his majesty’s life, and his whole life is that of a traitor who learns the highest secrets only to betray them to these enemies of God and the emperor.’’ ‘What proof have you?’’ I asked, in the profoundest astonishment. I began to see now how it was the most secret information leaked out. ‘“ None, boy. Or do you think he would be where he is for an hour ?’’ ‘Then how do you know it?”’ ‘If a secret is known to three people, two of whom you know to be as staunch as steel, and yet it gets out, how do you think it happens? If this Eomicbooks (E(0)