IT was instantly clear that we had to face a situation fraught with many awkward complications.

We were under arrest by Prince Kalkov’s orders, and his men left us in no doubt that both Helga and I were suspected of having caused in some way the sudden collapse.

Two of them stood by the doors to prevent our leaving, and the others lifted the Prince and laid him on a couch; and one of these three—he who had searched me and appeared to be the chief of them—said very curtly:

“I have sent for doctors and my chief; you will, of course, remain here.”

“You mean we are under arrest?” I asked.

“Those were the Prince’s orders—before this occurred.”

“You will find he is suffering from heart trouble, I expect; and pending the doctor’s arrival you had better loose the clothes about his neck, open the window to give him air, and let him take a glass of brandy.”

“Perhaps he has had some of that already,” he returned, his eye falling on the empty glass. He spoke with the knowing air of a man who suspects, and he seized the glass and put it beyond my reach.

“Do not forget I told you how to revive him, even if you are such a fool as your words suggest,” I answered contemptuously. “It was from that decanter there the brandy was poured; you had better seize that as well.”

The doctors were first to arrive, followed quickly by a police official, and shortly after by Pierre, the Prince’s confidential man.

The official spoke a few words to the doctors, and then turned to me.

Fortunately for us he was a very different stamp of man from his subordinate, and addressed me courteously.

“This is a very embarrassing position, monsieur. I understand that the Prince gave instructions for your arrest and detention.”

“We are of course at your disposal. I would first assure you that Prince Kalkov’s seizure is the result of illness merely, for which we are in no way responsible.”

“You wish to make a statement?”

“Not yet. I am an American citizen, my name is Harper C. Denver, and this lady is my wife. I wish to go at once to the American Embassy—on vitally urgent business.”

“I fear I cannot permit that.”

“I have also the honour to enjoy the friendship of His Majesty the Emperor, as the Prince’s man there, Pierre, can tell you. I was His Majesty’s guest at the Palace recently.”

He was impressed by this; but after a moment’s thought shook his head and repeated he could not grant my request.

“My purpose in going there touches all this very closely, and every moment of delay is important. May I suggest that you put a question to the man Pierre, to confirm what I told you?”

He drew Pierre aside, and they spoke together a moment.

“We must get the real papers back by hook or crook,” I whispered to Helga.

The official returned, looking very grave.“He tells me you were a Palace guest, monsieur, but adds that for some days you and the Prince have been on extremely hostile terms.”

“My wife will remain here, and I am quite content that you and any number of your men should accompany me. I assure you that my visit is of extreme interest to his Majesty.”

He thought this over, and at length assented.

“We must accompany you, as you are——”

“Come, then. That is all I ask,” I broke in. “I shall make no attempt to shirk any responsibility in all this.”

We drove to the Embassy; he and one of his men with me inside the carriage; and we were shown at once to Marvyn, who looked in astonishment at my companions, recognizing the chief.

“I am under arrest, Marvyn, that’s all. I am not going to Siberia after all, and want you to stop those papers. Wire to your man, wherever he is, and——”

“He hasn’t gone yet. Something turned up to delay him.”

“Then get back the packet and bring it along with you to the Imperial, and just see to things. Prince Kalkov was with us, and has had a seizure of some sort, and my wife and I are under arrest.”

He went away and returned soon, carrying the packet.

“If those are M. Denver’s papers, I must ask that they be given to me,” said the official immediately.

I hadn’t thought of this.

“You can see for yourself that they bear the Embassy’s seals, M. Drougoff, and are in my possession,” replied Marvyn, with a readiness for which I blessed him. “I am acting, of course, officially.”

We drove back to the hotel, and on the way I told Marvyn pretty well how the case stood, withholding for the moment, however, the fact that I had deceived him in the morning.

The Prince had been removed from the room, and Helga was alone there under guard. She was not in the least disconcerted by the fresh development, and had had tea served in anticipation of my return.

“What is the charge against M. Denver, M. Drougoff?” asked Marvyn.

“At the present I am not informed. Prince Kalkov had ordered it; and there is now of course, the fact of his Highness’s—seizure.” He hesitated for the word.

“You will allow us to consult in private?”

“Certainly, M. Marvyn. I am indeed rather at a loss what to do except that M. Denver must remain under arrest.”

We sat down then to Helga’s tea-table.

“I must explain one thing,” I began at once. “I misled you this morning about those papers. Those are the real things—what I brought away with me were shams.”

“Do you mean to say—” he began, but I interposed.

“Listen to me a moment, and be angry afterwards if you like. The liberty, and probably life, of us both were at stake. Kalkov had planned to force the things into my hands; and as soon as he thought you had given them to me, he dogged every movement of mine after leaving you this morning, and came here to get them by force. All this pretence for a journey to Siberia was just a lie; and we got wind of it in time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I had no proofs, my dear fellow. I wished you to be able to pass your word that you had given them back to me—you did hand them me, remember, and I gave them back under the different cover. I deceived you intentionally, I know—but more than my life was at stake,” and I glanced across to Helga.

“It might have been a gravely compromising matter for me, Denver,” he said, seriously.

“I should have taken the consequences of my act, of course, and my father would have exhausted every resource to put things right. But you see now what would have happened if I had had the papers here. The dummies were taken from me by force, and I was put under arrest; and my wife also.”

“I am sure Mr. Marvyn will see it as we do,” said Helga.

“I wish to,” he replied. “And was it the discovery of the—that he’d been tricked—caused this collapse?” I nodded, and he whistled: “Phew, that’s a circumstance. What are you going to do?”

“There’s only one thing. I must see the Czar, and you must hold on to those papers like grim death till I can take them to him.”

“But with this indefinite charge hanging over you——”

“My dear fellow, it’s got to be done; and done at once, before the Prince gets up enough strength to interfere. The Emperor will see me, I know; and your people must arrange it. It’s absolutely essential. I’m done, if I don’t get to him.”

“But you see——”

“There’s a most plausible reason for the audience, Mr. Marvyn,” interposed Helga quickly. “His Majesty will be most anxious to know at first hand the facts about Prince Kalkov’s illness; and we alone can tell him.”

“Splendid, Helga, splendid,” I said; and Marvyn agreed. “Get my name to him somehow; any old way’ll do; and I’ll answer for the rest.”

“I’ll go and see about it at once,” he declared. “Meanwhile, what’s to happen to you?”

“Short of cutting our heads off, I don’t care,” I replied, as we rose. “Don’t worry about that;” and I hurried him away.

“Now, M. Drougoff, we are at your disposal,” I said to the police agent as soon as Marvyn had gone. “What are you going to do with us? I may tell you the American Embassy people are working energetically in the affair, and I am sure to receive very soon a summons to wait upon his Majesty.”“My people tell me that a very serious charge is hanging over you both—I mean apart altogether from this.”

“They tell you wrong, then. My wife was charged in some Nihilist practices and imprisoned by order of Prince Kalkov; but the Prince himself ordered her release from the prison last night, and was present when she came away with me.”

“But yourself?”

“I have never been charged, and, as I say, was with Prince Kalkov yesterday when my wife was released.”

“It is a very extraordinary complication. What is behind it?”

“There is a good deal behind, of course; but the Prince himself can best explain it, when he is well enough. At present I am only concerned to know whether you wish to put us under lock and key. We are quite ready.”

He was manifestly perplexed what to do.

“I cannot release you, monsieur; you will see that?”

“It’s only for an hour or two at the worst,” and I went back to the tea-table.

“I will send and inquire how the Prince is.”

“It’s a question whether he recovers in time to stop the interview with the Czar,” said Helga to me.

“No, he can’t stop it now.”

After a few minutes the messenger returned, and M. Drougoff crossed to us.

“His Highness is much better, monsieur; he is rallying fast, and the doctors say that in an hour probably, or at most two, I may be able to see him and take instructions. In the meantime it will be most convenient for matters to remain as they are. I do not wish to trouble your charming wife and you unnecessarily.”

“Very well, I am much obliged to you,” I answered. “We can do nothing but wait,” I said to Helga, when he had gone back to his seat. “Wait, that is, and hope he won’t get well too soon.”

“I thought he was worse,” she replied.

“I wish with all my heart he was,” I agreed.

Wishing was of no use, however; and there we sat waiting for a time that seemed interminable, each trying to prevent the other from seeing how real and harassing was the anxiety of the suspense and each conscious of, and smiling, at the other’s efforts.

Helga was very brave, very calm, and very cheerful; and only in little signs and gestures—a start, a glance, a movement of the features or hands—could I see how the strain tried her.

Much less than an hour of this exhausted my patience, however.

“I wish whatever’s going to happen first would happen and be done with it,” I exclaimed. “I feel like a man staked on a volcano top, uncertain whether it’s going to explode and blow me up, or give way and let me through into the lava.”

“You’d make a bad conspirator, Harper,” said Helga, smiling. “They have to endure this kind of thing for days, weeks and months.”

“We should manage it quicker in the States.”

“Those wonderful States again. Tell me a lot about them. My new country,” she added sweetly.

“There are no Kalkovs in them, for one thing, and—what’s this, I wonder,” I broke off, as a man came in and spoke to M. Drougoff.

It was nothing, or apparently nothing, for the man went out again, and his superior sank again into the condition of watchful inactivity, the result I concluded of many years’ training in spy work.

“I wish to Heaven Marvyn would send us word what’s doing. He might know one would be anxious.”

“He can scarcely have done anything yet. He has been gone barely an hour,” said Helga gently.

“I told him he’d have to hustle.”“But he does not know the Prince is getting better.”

“If he doesn’t hurry up as if he did know it, he’s—well, he’s an ass, and my father ought never to have got him into the diplomatic service. Yes, laugh away, I know I’m an idiot; but it helps a heap to blame the other fellow;” and I laughed, too.

And so the minutes dragged until something did happen.

Another message was brought to Drougoff, and this time he got up and approached us.

“The Prince is well enough to receive me, monsieur.”

“Thank God for that,” I exclaimed, almost as heartily as if he had told me we were both free. Anything was better than suspense.

He went away, leaving the man to take his place.

“How is the Prince?” I asked him.

“Nearly recovered, monsieur. Weak, but that is all.”

“He’s won the race, I’m afraid, Helga. We may as well get ready. Where will he send us, I wonder. We must manage somehow to leave word for Marvyn.”

“They won’t let us do that. We must stop here to the last possible moment. Think of everything you can to use up time.”

“Bully for you. You always have some good notion.”

M. Drougoff was not absent long, and looked very troubled when he entered.

“My instructions are, I deeply regret to say, monsieur, to remove you at once.”

“Where?”

He named two different prisons.

“The charges?” I asked next.

“I am not instructed to mention them, monsieur.”

“Then I am not going,” I said firmly.

“Pray consider, monsieur. Resistance will be quite useless.”

“I have considered, I assure you; and I shall resist. If your instructions are to kill me or maim me, you may obey them, if you wish. But I do not move from here alive, and as I am a citizen of the United States, my death may be a circumstance.”

“Let me persuade you, monsieur.”

“You can try if you like;” and try he did for over a quarter of an hour of invaluable time, at the end of which he was in despair, and I was as obdurate as ever.

“When Mr. Marvyn returns and advises me to go, I’ll go; but until then I refuse point blank. You are too courteous a man to make a good butcher, I am sure, and I can put up an excellent fight at need.”

“I must obey my orders, monsieur,” he replied tersely.

“And as an American citizen, I refuse to budge without knowing the charge against me, and until my Embassy’s people are here.”

“I am deeply sorry, but I have no alternative;” and he rose.

Then Helga came to the rescue with a suggestion.

“Had you not better return to the Prince with our decision? My husband is a foreigner, and a friend of His Majesty; and the situation is altogether unusual.”

“It is useless,” he persisted.

“Very well, then,” I said; “we’ll clear the decks. I was getting ready for a long journey, monsieur, and have arms here. If there is blood-shed, the responsibility will not be mine. I am innocent of any offence, and you may rely on it I will not be taken alive.”

This was very unexpected, I could see, and he hesitated.

“I will acquaint his Highness,” he said after a pause, and left us again.

“Do you mean to fight, Harper,” asked Helga, anxiously.

“Not I. We’ve nothing to fight with,” I said, smiling; “but we’ve gained twenty minutes and more. I wish Marvyn would come.”“You took me in. I thought you were in earnest,” she replied, in a tone of intense relief.

M. Drougoff was away longer than even I had hoped; and when he returned he had a surprise for us.

“His Highness himself is coming, monsieur,” he announced, shortly.

“I don’t see that he can do any good, but that’s his matter,” I said; and then we all stood in silence.

The shuffling of many feet was heard, the door was thrown wide open, and the indomitable old man was carried in lying on an improvised litter, with two doctors at his side.

They set him down in the middle of the room, and the bearers drew away.

“I have come to see my orders obeyed,” he said, with a glance at Drougoff, and then at Helga and myself. His voice was weak, but his manner implacably stern.

“Then you have come to see an ugly fight,” said I, as firmly as though I meant resisting to the last.

“Arrest them both, Drougoff. You have my authority for using any force necessary.”

“What is the charge against us?” I demanded.

“Do your duty, you, Drougoff,” he said, viciously.

M. Drougoff signed to his men.

“Go forward, Helga. You can waste a little time yet,” I whispered.

She did splendidly again. She clung to me for a moment as if overcome, and then with passionate distress bade me good-bye.

The men held aloof during this; and when she went to them she contrived very cleverly to get rid of a little more time.

But the way was clear at length, and Drougoff stepped towards me.

I drew back and put my hand in my pocket.

“You will come no further, monsieur, or your life will be the forfeit.”He stopped abruptly.

“Let your men fire if he resists,” said the relentless old man.

Drougoff gave the necessary orders, and for a tense moment I looked along the barrels of three levelled revolvers.

“Come, monsieur,” said Drougoff.

I burst into a laugh.

“Yes, I will. I have no firearms;” and I pulled my empty hand from my pocket.

Then at last came the proof that I had not blustered in vain.

Harold Marvyn came hurrying in, accompanied by a man I recognized as the officer whom I had seen the previous day in the ante-room of the Emperor.

“I am glad to see your Highness is so far recovered,” said Marvyn; “but what does this mean?”

“That two dangerous Nihilists are on their way to prison, monsieur,” came the reply, sharp and stern.

Marvyn’s indignation at the tone showed in his face.

“The Emperor has commanded Mr. Denver’s immediate presence at the Palace, your Highness. This is an outrage upon an American citizen.”

“Outrage or no outrage, they are going to prison, monsieur.”

“Colonel Vilda,” said Marvyn, turning to him.

“I have the Emperor’s commands, your Highness. They are peremptory, and I must obey them.”

“And the woman?” The old bully’s tone was worthy of him.

“Madame Denver is to accompany her husband to the Palace, to be in readiness should his Majesty require to see her.”

“She is a dangerous Nihilist, Colonel.”

“They are his Majesty’s commands, your Highness.”

“I am at your service, Colonel,” I said.

“We have a carriage waiting, M. Denver.”

He offered his arm to Helga, and I followed with Marvyn, and went out without even casting a glance at Kalkov; but I saw the two doctors bend over him anxiously.

“You had to hustle, Marvyn.”

“Some,” he nodded.

“It was a near thing.”

“So it looked.”

And with that and a laugh of relief we got into the carriage.