CHAPTER VI
THE NIHILIST SPY
The hackneyed simile of the cat and the mouse seemed to me to beespecially applicable in the present instance. In one breath I was toldthat there would be many interviews of the kind I was then enjoying(?), and in the next that my destination was Siberia. It was certainlyparadoxical and somewhat threatening, but I still refrained from askingquestions. Presently, as I made no further comment, the emperor resumedthe conversation.
"What brought you to Russia?" he demanded, but in a tone that was notunkind.
"The desire to obtain an interview with you," I replied, rememberinghis caution for me to ignore his rank.
"For what purpose?"
"To enter your service."
"In what capacity?"
"In any capacity for which I seem most fitted."
His majesty smiled broadly as if my replies suited the humor he was in.I knew that I had made an impression that was not detrimental to me inhis eyes, and thought that I began to see through the puzzle. Thesucceeding few moments convinced me that I was not mistaken.
"Whose was the suggestion that determined your visit to Russia?" hecontinued.
"The suggestion came to me a long time ago--more than a year," Iresponded. "Since then it has been constantly in my mind, and at last Idecided to act upon it."
"That does not answer my question, Mr. Derrington."
"The idea first came to me through an old friend; one whom I used toknow here, in this country; one who afforded me very great assistancewhen I was here three years ago on a secret mission for my government."
"What is his name?"
"I have forgotten it."
"You are troubled with a poor memory, sir."
"Yes; concerning the names of friends who have assisted me when theyhave been compelled to place their own interests in jeopardy in orderto do so."
"Do you know Alexis Saberevski?"
"I do."
"Can you tell me where he is now?"
"In New York, I think."
"Did you not have a definite proposition to make to me, in case youwere successful in securing an audience?"
"I did."
"Very well, you have secured the audience. I will hear theproposition."
I hesitated. Here before me ready at my hand was the very opportunity Ihad so eagerly sought and which I had determined to go to many lengthsto obtain. Already I had undertaken great expense to arrive at thismoment and to encounter a circumstance very like the one by which I wasnow confronted; and yet I hesitated to take his majesty at his word andto render up the proposition he required of me, and which I hadtravelled so far and gone to such pains to submit. But you will admitthat the circumstance was an unusual one, and that the very manner ofmy introduction to the Czar of all the Russias was calculated to beconfounding to me and to place at naught my customary determined poise,and unswerving self-reliance. The abrupt mention of Alexis Saberevski,coupled with other insinuations already brought forward in ourconversation, confirmed me in the idea already half formed, that myapparent arrest at the hotel, my strange and mysterious journey throughthe night, and the threat of Siberia, were all in the nature of what weAmericans call a "bluff"; were only intended to conceal the realpurpose of this enforced interview. During that moment of hesitation,which was so short that it would not have been noticeable to adisinterested party, I decided that the perfectly frank and open coursewould be the best one to adopt with this giant of a man who confrontedme; a giant not only in physique and stature, and in strength ofpurpose as well as in muscle, but in the wonderful power he swayed bythe mere exertion of his will.
I glanced upward into his eyes, which were bent half quizzically andnot at all unkindly upon me, and then in words that flowed easily, andwhich came to me like an inspiration, I stated almost in one sentence,and certainly in one paragraph, the concise explanation of my presencein St. Petersburg at that moment. I said:
"I believe that I can organize and maintain a secret service bureau inyour majesty's interest, which will be more effective than all thepresent police force put together. In order to do so I must have my ownway entirely, must be absolute master of the situation, as far as mymen are concerned, and can have no superior officer--not even the czarhimself. My plans have been formulated with care, and I can go intominute details whenever I am directed to do so."
"Modesty is not one of your accomplishments, Mr. Derrington."
"Possibly not; but thorough familiarity with the work I would do isone. Interference with my duties by any one no matter how high inplace, would render my efforts impotent, and I should decline undersuch circumstances to undertake the task I have set for myself."
"What is that task?"
"The utter dismemberment and destruction of an organization ofanarchists known as nihilists against whom I have already been twicepitted, and both times successfully."
The czar arose from his chair and crossed the room to the window wherehe stood for some time peering out into the darkness, in the interimdrumming ceaselessly on the pane with the tips of his fingers. Duringthat time there was not a word spoken. Presently he turned and cameback to the chair where I was seated, towering over me like a veritablegiant, the most magnificent specimen of masculine humanity I have everseen; and according to his lights, as good as he was great in stature.When ultimately the nihilists succeeded in destroying him, they killedthe best friend that Russia ever had on the throne. They did not, couldnot know it; but I do.
"Mr. Derrington," he said, speaking with great deliberation, as thoughhe weighed each word he uttered, "we will end this farce of questionsand answers. They are unnecessary as far as I am concerned, and areunworthy of you. A long time ago I held a conversation in this veryroom with your friend Alexis Saberevski who possesses my entireconfidence. In that conversation he recommended you to me, and Idirected him to put the bee in your bonnet that has been buzzing thereever since; so you see that I really sent for you, although you did notknow it. It was necessary that I should first be entirely convincedthat I could trust you implicitly, before entering into negotiationswith you. I am convinced. I accept your service. You will sleep in thepalace to-night, and to-morrow we will discuss your plans in detail.Mr. Smith has been arrested as a nihilist, and the morning papers willannounce that he has started on his journey to Siberia. Mr. Derringtonwill remain in St. Petersburg and to-morrow he will decide whatdisposition to make of himself. The prince will act as your host forto-night."
I got upon my feet and bowed to him, but he extended his hand in themost cordial manner; and with a genial smile upon his face whichrendered it handsome, and which won my affection as well as my respect,said:
"It will be a pleasure to me to be upon terms of familiarity with onewho wears no title and who does not wish for one. Henceforth we willcount ourselves as friends, and forget relative positions and rank.Give me your hand."
I was nearly as tall as he but much more slight in build, and my handwas almost lost in his great palm when they were clasped together. Iforgot the czar in the magnificence of the man, and as I gave him myhand, I said:
"My life goes with it, sir, if the necessity arises."
"I believe you, Mr. Derrington. In the morning I will send for you.Good night."
Then I followed the prince from the room and was presently conducted toan apartment which evidently had been designed for me; at least I sodecided when I had an opportunity to examine it and to familiarizemyself with all that it contained. The prince found some Russiancigarettes on the table, and lighted one while he said laughingly: "Isee that you are prepared to entertain your guests, Mr. Derrington.Shall we chat together a little before we part for the night?"
"If you will be so good as to remain with me, at least until I catch mybreath, I will esteem it a great favor," I replied. "Is the boycott ofthe interrogation removed?"
"Certainly."
"Then will you please tell me how the dev----"
A hearty laugh interrupted me.
"I know all
that you would ask," he said. "Our mutual friend Alexis ismore in the confidence of his majesty than any other man in the world,and this plot to induce you to come here and offer your services to theczar, was deliberately planned between them nearly three years ago.From time to time Alexis dropped little hints to you which set you tothinking, and the thought finally blossomed into action. Had youconfided your plans to anybody, even to Alexis, your services would nothave been accepted. As it is, after to-morrow I tremble for you in thepower that you will have, for in many ways it will be as great as thatof the czar himself. Shall I give you a bit of history in order thatyou may know something of what is expected of you?"
"If you will do so."
"Peter the Great organized a system of police which still endures,though to-day it contains only three members, the emperor, Alexis andmyself. It is called the Fraternity of Silence. During all these yearsits members have been selected with the greatest care and withincreasing difficulty so that now it has dwindled to nothing. In themean time the necessity for it has grown greater, for nihilism infeststhe country like a plague. Without nihilism in Russia, Siberia would beunnecessary. The very faults which nihilism seeks to remedy are keptalive by its existence. If it were eradicated Russia would take itsplace among the liberal nations of the world, and it is the ambition ofAlexander to perform that service for the empire he controls, just asit was his idea to free the serfs. But the character of our people isdifferent from that of any other people in the world, and your task isnot so much to find out and banish those who conspire against the czar,as it will be to convert the men who organize such conspiracies. Youare to reorganize the Fraternity of Silence on a new plan, and thepower to act upon your own judgment will be absolute. It may seemstrange to you that considering yourself almost unknown you should havebeen selected for this work, but you must remember that you have beenrecommended by one whose word is entirely respected by the emperor, andthat you have been under careful espionage for three years. Does theoutline that I have given you accord with the plans which you thoughtof submitting to the czar?"
"Yes; largely."
"Plots for the assassination of the emperor are hatching every day. Ourpresent system is not adequate. You must fill the breach."
"Is the existence of this organization of which you speak known toanybody, prince?"
"To nobody save those whom I have mentioned."
"Not to any nihilist?"
"Alexander, Alexis, you and I are the only living beings who ever heardof it. No one else has ever known of it."
"Will you pardon me, prince, if I tell you that you are mistaken?"
"Mistaken! Do you mean, Mr. Derrington, that you doubt my word?"
He got upon his feet and I saw that he was angry, believing that I hadwantonly offended him. I arose also and began to pace up and down theroom taking care that each turn would bring me nearer to the heavycurtains which hung about one of the great windows. The prince repeatedhis question, this time in a louder and angrier tone than before, andwhen I made no reply was about to leave the room; but I made a signthat compelled him to pause. At the same instant, being sufficientlynear the curtain, I made a quick leap forward and with all my strengthstruck with my fist the exact point behind which I thought the head ofthe concealed person should be located.
My aim was true and the blow was sufficient, for the body behind thecurtain crashed against the hardwood casing of the window and then sankto the floor, motionless, and in another instant I had dragged intoview the senseless form of a man in the livery of the palaceservants--a man whom the prince instantly recognized as a trustedservitor of the czar--one who had been told that a guest was expectedto occupy that chamber, and who had been detailed to wait upon me--onewho had been especially selected for his loyalty and discretion.
"That man heard and knew, and to-morrow the nihilists would have heardand known. Let us hope that they do not already know more than theyshould," I said, indicating the spy, and smiling up at the prince.
The fellow was evidently not a Russian. He was a tall man, lithe andsinewy rather than muscular, but he had a handsome, Patrician face; anddespite his condition of insensibility, or perhaps because of it, heseemed strangely out of place in the predicament in which he was nowdiscovered.
It was an extremely fortunate thing that I had become sensible of hispresence in the room almost from the first, and that I had been able,therefore, to direct the conversation and my line of conduct, to thepoint of the present denouement. I could realize just how shockedPrince Michael was by the event; just how puzzled his own reasoningpowers were for the moment, because of this discovery of a spyconcealed in the private room of the palace, who might, if I had not sofortunately discovered him, have betrayed the real purpose of mypresence there, even before the accomplishment of any results.
I had expected to find a net work of spies surrounding the palace ofthe Czar of all the Russias, as well as inside it, and I knew becauseof my former experiences in the Moscovite capital, with what I wouldhave to contend if circumstances permitted me, as they now promised todo, to take up and to perform what I considered would be the greatestwork of my life. There before me on the floor, prostrate and senseless,although rapidly returning to consciousness, was the undoubted personalproof of the deadly danger of my mission; but as I had foreseen andforestalled this incident, so I believed I would be able to foresee andforestall others that would be like unto it; and I determined to makethe most of this one, by using it to an advantage which had instantlyoccurred to me when I saw and read the physiognomy, and behind that,the character of the man on the floor. His features and the general airof refinement about him, notwithstanding his dress and position,suggested refinement, and I believed that I could appeal to him in away that would call forth some response if I were given the opportunityto do so. He was lying on his back with his right arm outstretched, andwhile the prince and I stood there regarding him with such differentemotions, his eyelids fluttered and parted and he once more becameconscious of his surroundings.
Beside him on the floor, was a long knife, which I have no doubt hewould have used upon me had my attack been less sudden and violent. Asit was, he opened his eyes and gazed sullenly upon us, realizing betterthan I did, the fate that was in store for him now. I used the silkencurtain cords with which to bind him, and when that was accomplished,placed him on one of the couches.
"Was it your intention to commit suicide when you entered this room tospy upon us?" I asked; but he did not reply. "Prince," I added, turningto my companion, "I think if you will leave me alone with this man, Iwill find a way to make him talk. Will you return in half an hour?"
"Would it not be better to----"
"Must I wait until to-morrow for my authority?" I asked, smiling. Sothe prince bowed and left me alone with the spy.
Princess Zara Page 6