The Red Symbol

by John Ironside

  CHAPTER XV

  AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE

  With the handkerchief in my hand, I started running wildly after thefast disappearing droshky, only to fall plump into the arms of a surlygendarme, a Muscovite giant, who collared me with one hand, while hedrew his revolver with the other, and brandished it as if he was mindedto bash my face in with the butt end, a playful little habit much invogue with the Russian police.

  "Let me go. I'm all right; I'm an American," I cried indignantly. "Imust follow that droshky!"

  It was out of sight by this time, and he grunted contemptuously. But heput up his weapon, and contented himself with hauling me off to thenearest bureau, where, in spite of my protestations, I was searched fromhead to foot roughly enough, and all the contents of my pockets annexed,as well as the handkerchief. Then I was unceremoniously thrust into afilthy cell, and left there, in a state of rage and humiliation that canbe better imagined than described. I seemed to have been there for halfa lifetime, though I found afterwards it was only about two hours, whenI was fetched out, and brought before the chief of the bureau,--apompous and truculent individual, with shifty bead-like eyes.

  My belongings lay on the desk before him,--with the exception of myloose cash, which I never saw again.

  He began to question me arrogantly, but modified his tone when Iasserted that I was an American citizen, resident in Petersburg asrepresentative of an English newspaper; and reminded him that, if hedared to detain me, he would have to reckon with both the American andEnglish authorities.

  "That is all very well; but you have yet to explain how you came to bebreaking the law," he retorted.

  "What law have I broken?" I demanded.

  "You were running away."

  "I was not. I was running after a droshky."

  "Why?"

  "Because there was a woman in it--a lady--an Englishwoman or American,who called out to me to help her."

  "Who was the woman?"

  "How should I know?" I asked blandly. I remembered what Von Eckhardthad told me,--that the police had been on Anne's track for these threeyears past. If the peril in which she was now placed was from therevolutionists, as it must be, I could not help her by betraying her tothe police.

  "You say she was English or American? Why do you say so?"

  "Because she called out in English: 'Help! Save me!' I heard the wordsdistinctly, and started to run after the droshky. Wouldn't you have donethe same in my place? I guess you're just the sort of man who'd be firstto help beauty in distress!"

  This was sarcasm and sheer insolence. I couldn't help it, he looked sucha brutal little beast! But he took it as a compliment, and actuallybowed and smirked, twirling his mustache and leering at me like a satyr.

  "You have read me aright, Monsieur," he said quite amiably. "So thislady was beautiful?"

  "Well, I can't say. I didn't really see her; the droshky drove off thevery instant she called out. One of the horses had been down, and I wasstanding to look at it," I explained, responding diplomatically to hismore friendly mood. I wanted to get clear as soon as possible, for Iknew that every moment was precious. "I just saw a hat and some darkhair--"

  "Dark, eh? Should you know her again?"

  "I guess not. I tell you I didn't really see her face."

  "How could she know you were an American?"

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  "Perhaps she can't speak any language but English."

  "What is this?" He held up the handkerchief, and sniffed at it. It wasfaintly perfumed. How well I knew that perfume, sweet and elusive asthe scent of flowers on a rainy day.

  "A handkerchief. It fell at my feet, and I picked it up before I startedto run."

  "It is marked 'A. P.' Do you know any one with those initials?"

  Those beady eyes of his were fixed on my face, watching my everyexpression, and I knew that his questions were dictated by some definitepurpose.

  "Give me time," I said, affecting to rack my brains in an effort ofrecollection. "I don't think,--why, yes--there was Abigail Parkinson,Job Parkinson's wife,--a most respectable old lady I knew in theStates,--the United States of America, you know."

  His eyes glinted ominously, and he brought his fat, bejewelled hand downon the table with a bang.

  "You are trifling with me!"

  "I'm not!" I assured him, with an excellent assumption of injuredinnocence. "You asked me if I knew any one with those initials, and I'mtelling you."

  "I am not asking you about old women on the other side of the world!Think again! Might not the initials stand for--Anna Petrovna, forinstance?"

  So he had guessed, after all, who she was!

  "Anna what? Oh--Petrovna. Why, yes, of course they stand for that, butit's a Russian name, isn't it? And this lady was English, or American!"

  He was silent for a minute, fingering the handkerchief, which I longedto snatch from the contamination of his touch.

  "A mistake has been made, as I now perceive, Monsieur," he saidsmoothly, at last. "I think your release might be accomplished withoutmuch difficulty."

  He paused and looked hard at my pocket-book.

  "I guess if you'll hand me that note case it can be accomplished rightnow," I suggested cheerfully. I don't believe there's a Russian officialliving, high or low, who is above accepting a bribe, or extortingblackmail; and this one proved no exception to the rule.

  I passed him a note worth about eight dollars, and he grasped and shookmy hand effusively as he took it.

  "Now we are friends, _hein_?" he exclaimed. "Accept my felicitations atthe so happy conclusion of our interview. You understand well that dutymust be done, at whatever personal cost and inconvenience. Permit me torestore the rest of your property, Monsieur; this only I must retain."He thrust the handkerchief into his desk. "Perhaps--who knows--we maydiscover the fair owner, and restore it to her."

  His civility was even more loathsome to me than his insolence had been,and I wanted to kick him. But I didn't. I offered him a cigarette,instead, and we parted with mutual bows and smiles.

  Once on the street again I walked away in the opposite direction to thatI should have taken if I had been sure I would not be followed andwatched; but I guessed that, for the present at least, I would be keptunder strict surveillance, and doubtless at this moment my footstepswere being dogged.

  Therefore I made first for the cafe where I usually lunched, and, aminute after I had seated myself, a man in uniform strolled in andplaced himself at a table just opposite, with his back to me, but hisface towards a mirror, in which, as I soon discovered, he was watchingmy every movement.

  "All right, my friend. Forewarned is forearmed; I'll give you the slipdirectly," I thought, and went on with my meal, affecting to be absorbedin a German newspaper, which I asked the waiter to bring me.

  In the ordinary course I should have met people I knew, for the cafewas frequented by most of the foreign journalists in Petersburg, butthe hour was early for _dejeuner_, and the spy and I had the place toourselves for the present.

  I knew that I should communicate the fact that Anne was in Petersburg tothe Grand Duke Loris as soon as possible; in the hope that he might knowor guess who were her captors, and where they were taking her; but itwas imperative that I should exercise the utmost caution.

  After we reached Petersburg, and before he left me, Mishka had, as hismaster had promised, given me instructions as to how I was to send aprivate message to the Duke in case of necessity. He took me to a housein a mean street near the Ismailskaia Prospekt--not half a mile from theplace where I was arrested this morning--of which the ground floor was apoor class cafe frequented chiefly by workmen and students.

  "You will go to the place I shall show you," he had informed mebeforehand, "and call for a glass of tea, just like any one else. Thenas you pay for it, you drop a coin,--so. You will pick it up, or thewaiter will,--it is all one, that; any one may drop a coin accidentally!Now, if you were just an ordinary customer, nothing more would happen;the waiter would
keep near your table for a minute or two, and thatis all. But if you are on business you will ask him, 'Is NicolaiStefanovitch here to-day?' Or you may say any name you think of,--acommon one is best. He will answer, 'At what hour should he be here?'and you say, 'I do not know when he returns--from his work.' Or 'fromWilna,' or elsewhere; that is unimportant, like the name. But thequestions must be put so, and there must be the pause, between the twowords 'returns from' just for one beat of the clock as it were, or whileone blows one's nose, or lights a cigarette. Then he will know you areone of us, and will go away; and presently one will come and sit at thetable, and say, 'I am so and so,--' the name you mentioned. He willdrink his tea, and you will go out together; and if it is a note youwill pass it to him, so that none shall see; or if it is a message, youwill tell it him very quietly."

  We rehearsed the shibboleth in my room. I did it right the first time,much to Mishka's satisfaction; and when we reached the cafe he let mebe spokesman. Within three minutes a cadaverous looking workman in ared blouse lounged up to our table, ordered his glass of tea, nodded tome as if I was an old acquaintance, and muttered the formula.

  He and I had gone out together, leaving Mishka in the cafe,--since inRussia three men walking and conversing together are bound to be eyedsuspiciously,--and my new acquaintance remarked:

  "There is no message, as I know; this is but a trial, and you have donewell. If there should be a letter, a cigarette, with the tobacco hanginga little loose at each end,--" he rolled one as he spoke and made aslovenly job of it,--"is an excellent envelope, and one that weunderstand."

  We had separated at the end of the street, and Mishka rejoined me laterat my hotel. But I had not needed to try the shibboleth since, thoughI had dropped into the cafe more than once, and drank my glass oftea,--without dropping a coin. And now the moment had come when I musttest the method of communication as speedily as possible.