The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 3 — page 121: what you’re looking at

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BY RIGHT OF SWORD. 505 details. I had gauged the risk and knew full well that the probabilities were all against my being alive on the following night. But this at least was equally certain—if I lived and was free I would have won my way out of Russia. These were the thoughts that filled me, and so occupied was I with them that it was not until I purposely put them away from me, in order to get to sleep, that I recalled how little I had thought of Olga during the whole of that eventful day. She was in my thoughts when I fell asleep, however, and her face cheered me in my dreams. CHAPTER XXVII.—TuE Four ALDER TREES. I wAs up very early on the morning of the Czar’s visit. We had a parade at six thirty to receive final instructions, and as I walked to the barracks I was in high spirits, buoyant, self confident, and alert—much asI had felt on the morning of my duel with Devinsky. The morning air was very fresh and clear, and the sunlight fell every- where upon flags, decorations, triumphal arches, and the rest of the festal preparations for the great holiday, to which workpeople were busy putting the final touches. : liverybody seemed in the highest spirits. Laughter and jest and a pleas- ant interchange of greetings rang in the air on all sides of me, and the whole city seemed to be already wreathed in smiles. My brother officers came straggling up after I had reached the ground, - and* more than one of them showed abundant signs of the previous night’s carouse, looking as though a couple more hours’ sleep were sadly wanted. When the colonel came and we all fell in, there was a disappointment for me. My new pian was based on the correctness of the Nihilist information—that I should have the command of the troops guarding the section of the line where were four alder trees ; and I reckoned confidently upon hearing from the colonel of the alteration in the original plans. But no announcement of the sort was made. On the contrary, as soon as the troops had fallen in, the arrangements which had been announced on the previous day were repeated, and I found that, instead of being told off to take charge of the railway to the north of the city, I had to pass the whole day in guarding the western gate, and the road for some distance on either side of it. I was ordered to parade my men at eight o’clock and march straight to the place of guard. I went home to breakfast, disappointed and disgusted. I didn’t care a jot about missing the sightseeing ; but I was angry that the plan on which I had now set my heart had failed ; and that instead of being able to strike a vigorous blow for my own freedom I should have to pass the hours dawdling about doing nothing more than a sort of police work in keeping order among a crowd of gaping, staring, gawky, country yokels. I was in an exceedingly ill temper, therefore, when I returned to the parade ground to start on my most unwelcome and unpalatable task. Eomichbooks.com