The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 8, 1904, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY ' CALL. Olga, I am miserable—ab- ble—at the prospect of this n,” the young alde-de- etuously. “And n get nothing ur real feel- perfect mystery have made me o will, I a month ago 1 would risk the Emperor’'s friends. I and that you interrupt- e of the Princess. for me Let us do of sepa- nding fre- telegram—every be splendia!” g at the pro- proceeded, and 4 essive. ount of perial ter so rself the mi- iterest me. No ¥ di , and sc . f the trip, In fact, with r in the w of such-like thrown How de It will add a szest in 1ove, ext day's fetes —drop my be with you nketings at n, Dubrowski nd promising Volborth 1 the portiere till 5 e farewell warned him i to himself as staircase to the views, she CHAPTER IL THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIL. It was the morning after the Tsar'’s erriva Vien and the rzin splashed down in torrents on the excited citizens who thronged the broad Ringstrasse end surged right up to the gates of the’ Hofburg. According to the programme of festivities the Russian monarch was td be present at a grand review on the Schmelz parade ground, and the drenched sightseers never dreamed that the potentate of the icy north would be prevented by “a little weather” from ettending the function. Inside the palace, however, a rumor already prevailed that a postponement was under discussion by imperial host and guest. The ladies and gentlemen of the Russian suite, a brilliant bevy in Parisian millinery and gala uniform, had gathered to await the summons to the carriages in the grand salon of the wing in which they were accommo- dzted, and they were discussing the uation as one in which they had a personal interest. T am sure I hope that this delay does mean postponement,” remarked a lady of imposing appearance but rather 1 expression, who sat on a divan ining herself vigorously. *“I would down my life for their but I cannot afford to es—and yours, my child— Worth toflette which cost twelve hundred it will be a long the review takes place nine grumble was ad- girl in a magnificent ored silk who was ijacent window, gaz- into the rain-splashed court- the Countess adles-in-walt- ed the Tsarina. daughter Ilma, number of ng ng down The of the same d to her mother with d there was a note of in her voice as she re- What is a dress more or less if one T W ' excitement? We ed up for days in the t seems that we are to Vienna shut up to- in a traveling issian bears, for fn- ire T feel like one.” e, child, do®not let in that fashion,” ne hear vou the horrified old lady, looking r in on. “It almost tc n. Besides,” she le Intended to be sig- u have antidote to en- and.” And she prodded stu forefinger toward a group where Boris Dubrowski was chatting with his broth aide-de-camp. not a housemaid—to be al- ueezing Wwith one's be- slied Iima coldly, as she to the g window with an b She was not an un- ghter, but she did not look ivolous mother for sympathy— her fr simply because she knew that she would not get it. All through the close assoclation of the long raliroad journey from Petersburg, it would have been patent to any ordinary maternal in- stinct that a widening breach existed between Ilma and Dubrowski—that the erstwhile fond lovers were drifting hopelessly apart. Yet the Countess Vassili was too busy chattering court gossip and prattling of “their dear sties” to notice that Boris held him: , when possible, sulkily aloof, and that Ilma’s proud heart was up In arms against such treatment. ce her mother could not, er would not see what was happening before her eyes, it was not possible to one of s self-contained character to en- lighten her. That would come too near whining to harmonize with the boiling indignation that consumed her, and ehe felt that it would be quite time enough to confide the situation to her mother when the breach became an open one. For the present she was de- voting all the effort of a naturally strong will to control herself, and so avoid the contretemps «f dreaking her engagement to Boris during the impe- rial tour. Yet she was fully deter- mined to give him his freedom when- ever he asked for it—and without wait- ing for him to do so, as soon as they were back at Petersburg. “Olga Pal is welcome to him. She has bewitched him, and she can have him,” Ilma said to herself a hun- dred times a day. Some such thought was in her mind now as she stood waiting, but it was interrupted by a burst of well-bred laughter from the group of officers. “Co gentlemen, it is not fair on such a dull day to keep a joke to your- selves,” the. Ccuntess Vassili called over to them. “Pray let us share the cause of your merriment.” “We were counting heads to see If we were all " said one of the aides- mp. “With the exception, of of the grandees now in solemn conclave assembled, and the ubiquit- ous Restofski, we find that Paul Vol- borth is the only absentee. Some one suggests that he has been sent for to try and re-arrange rhatters with the weather.” “Ah, very good—very good, indeed,” laughed the Countess You are mak- ing sly hits at the dear Paul’s persua- sive powers, but you would not do it to his face. He would turn the Jest against you.” “I think M zi Volborth has gone off Ilma, joining in conversation from a this as in every desire not to attract attention to her private troubles. “It is sometimes diffi- cult to recc ize in the grave, preoc- socidble dilettante f our Pete: drawing-room. I ve been 3 him and puzzling over him ever since we left home.” “The cares of office, mademoiselle,” said gray-haired Count Woronzoff, the court chamberlain. “As soon as a man receives a government appointment a little abstraction is pardonable. If he have it not he may even feign it—to = believe that his duties weigh ily upon him.” . t must be it,” said Ilma gayly. olborth is shamming a devotion cupfed histor to duty. I shall tell him so at the first opportuni Within the limits of his knowledge— for none but the Tsar, Prince Lobanof and General de “oisdeffre, the chief of the staff, was aware of Volborth's real unctions—the court chamberlain was At that moment the chief agent f the Third Section was very much mbued with “the cares of office,” nor was there any need for him to dissem- ble 2 devotion to duty. He was in the act of leaving the presence of 'his sovereign and of the Emperor of Aus- tria, and with him were Prince Lo- banof, General de Boisdeffre and Res- tofski. “Thank God eign Minist for that,” said the For- as he closed the door of the imperial sanctum, after “backing” into the corridor. “And thank God for the weather which furnished the ex- cuse. He would never have taken heed of our vague alarms if it had not been for the rain. I will convey to the suite the probably welcome intelligence that the review has been countermand- ed till to-morrow, and that the fine plumage of the ladies is safe.” The veteran diplomatist, hale and vigorous as a man of forty, started at his best pace for the part of the palace apportioned to the guests, but in a few steps Volborth overtook him. “Pardon me, your Excellency, but there is a slight arrangement which I should wish to make before the suite are informed of the change,” said Vol- borth. “General,” he added, as the chief of the staff and the ostensible head agent of the Third Secticn joined them, “I believe that in the ordinary course Captain Dubrowski would be free for the rest of the day, now that there is no public function?” “That is so0,” renlied De Boisdeffre. “May I request, then,” Volborth pro- ceeded, “that you alter the duty-roster and assign him to close personal at- tendance on his Majesty? , The affair 1s urgent.” The chief of the staff made an im- passive motion of assent. It is part of the iron system of police domination that demands made by the section, no matter how apparently {rrelevant, shall be executed by all departments without demur or cavil. This one, however, waf) so out of the common, as affecting the private entourage of the Emperor, that Prince Lobanof, secure in his high station, could not repress his surprise. “Eh? What is this, Monsleur Vol- borth?” he exclaimed. “There Is nothing wrong with the staff, T trust? Surely gJl our fellow-travelers are above suspicion?"” ““This ig rather a measure of precau- tion than of suspicion,” Volborth re- plied evasively. “I havc no cause to doubt the loyal intentions of any mem- ber of the sulte, but I must rely on my privilege not to go turther into my rea- sons for this step—even with your Ex- cellency.” Prince Lobanoi indulged In the shrug which Ruseia has imported from Paris, and his shrewd features assumed a whimeical expression. “You gentlemen of the section must be paramount on an occasion of this kind,” he said. “As I have to meet the Austrian Foreign Minister in half an hour, I shall be glad to g0 to my room instead of congratulating the ladies on the reprieve of their milllnery. Do it in your own way—at : -ur own time.” The three men bowed as the holder of the most important portfolio in the world ‘passed on to his apartments, and Volborth turned instantly to the chief of the staff. “General,” he said hurriedly, “I.shall be obliged if you will annotnce the postponement of the review to our col- leagues. Present yourself in five min- utes, and, if I may suggest a hint, en- ter hastily, as though fresh from hav- ing audience of their Majesties. At the same time notify Dubrowsk! that he is for immediate personal duty. It is necessary that I myself should be in the salon where the suite is assembled when these Instructions are given, and, of course, we must not go in together. Restofski, your work is cut out for you—a ceaseless hunt for La Tchigorin under the auspices of the chief of the Vienna police, who, by now, is await- ing you at the office.” For it was to the known presence in the city of Anna Tchigorin that the postponement of the day’s function was really due. Restofski had caught a fieeting glimpse of the notorious fe- male Nihilist in the crowd at the sta- tion during the reception on the previ- ous day, and now for half an hour the Tsar's advisers had been striving to in- duce him to consent to seize upon the rain as an excuse for a change of pro- gramme. Their hard-won victory over imperial scruples was a relief.to Vol- berth, for the knowledge that the hand- some fiend, who had shot already a Russian chief of police, was in Vienna, convinced him that some. sinister plot was afoot, and he felt that in his ig- norance of the enemy’s plans he would best baffle them by changing their own as often as possible. Besides, he wanted to {ry an experiment. Restofski, a heavy-lipped, clean- shaven man—a human automaton in the art of spying—nodded comprehen- slon, and disappeared down the next flight of stairs in the direction of the courtyard, while the chief of the staff and Volborth made their way along the noble corridors to their own wing, where they separated, De Boisdeffre entering his own private apartment, and Volborth proceeding to the salon. Up to the moment when he turned the handle of the door his brows were knit in deepest thought, but when he en- tered he met the ripple of laughter that greeted his appearance with an ami- able smile, jolning as if by accident the group of which Boris Dubrowski made one. A “No, I have not been consulted about the weather,” he replied to the banter- ing questions as to his recent where- abouts. “I had certain arrears of work to make up—in the privacy of my own apartment.” The Countess Vasslli was near enough to overhear the remark. “Oh, come, Monsieur Volboth, that won’t do,” she wheezed, with a foolish woman's aptitude to say awkward things. “Everybody else thinks that you are bowed down with the cares of office, or that you are pretending to be. I don’t. In my opinion you are up to the eyes in intrigue—engineering a Ni- hilist plot, or some other abomination.” Inwardly anathematizing the old lady for thus frivolously connecting him with a subject which he had studiously striven to keep altogether out of the mouths and minds of the suite, Vol- borth was, nevertheless, grateful to her for the information that a change (nhis manner had been noticed. He deter- mined to put & little stronger check on his anxieties in future, and his fa- clal muscles were under perfect control as he answered lightly, with a humor- ous affectation of terror: “My dear Countess, pray do not make such frightful accusations when our friend Restofski {s about. It is well he is not here now, or I should be dogged by spies for the remainder of the tour, and that would not be pleasant in Paris, where I hope to enjoy myself. If you must invent an occupation for me, why not choose the other side of the blanket gnd tax me with belonging to the section? That would be so much kinder—because safer—to the object of your solicitude.” This speech, characteristic enough of the man as he was known to his hear- ers, was a straw thrown out to feel the direction of the wind, and its reception reassured him that no serfous discus- sion had caused the Countess’ jesting accusation. Volborth’'s method was a combination of subtlety and daring, and it was typical of -this method to thns moot boldly his concealed employment as a joke in order to note how it would be taken. As it was, the laugh at the incongruity of his being _either a Nihil- ist or a police agent was general with one exception. Ilma Vassili was still standing by the window, and Volborth became conscious that she was regard- ing him with a grave interest. It instantly recurred to him that in conversation with Réestofski. He had been most careful to avold open com- munication Wwith his subordinates of the sectlon, but at one of the stoppages it had been absolutely necessary, owing to an urgent telegram from headquar- ters, for Restcfski to consult him; and having received the pre-arranged sig- nal, Volborth had slipped from his salon-carriage and ‘had gone to that in which the police agents were traveli:.s. Iima had chanc-d to pass at the time. He had a high opinion of the girl's in- telligence, and he wondered whether che was now “putting two ard two to- gether " Further surmise was for the moment curtailed by the entrance of General de Bolsdeffre, who at once created a diversion by informing the waiting suite that the orders for the day had been canceled, that the review would take place on the morrow, and that the Tsar and his party would go straight from the parade ground to the railway station to take . their . departure for Kieff. The announcement was re- ceived with a universal chorus of ap- proval, in which Volborth joined with- out showing that he was watching Boris Dubrowski’s every movement. On hearing of the change of pro- gramme, the young officer evinced by a glance at the door, and by a half- turn toward it, that he meditated leav- ing the salon. If such was his impulse the chief of the staff promptly checked it. “Captain Dubrowski,” proceeded De Bolsdeffre, “his Majesty purposes spending the day at the castle of Lainz, in the hope that, if the weather moderates, he may have some shooting. He ‘will drive’ thithe§ in' half an hour from now. You .are the Best sports- man on the staff, and I detail you, therefore, to accompany him in place of Captain Baron Alten, who is hereby relieved from duty. You will present anteroom yourself in his Majesty's forthwith.” Ilma had shifted her gaze from Vol- borth to her recreant lover, and she perceived that his face was crossed by a shade of annoyance. Discipline pre- valled, however, and, quickly mastering himself, Boris yielded cheerful submis- sion to the command. “Very good, General,” he replied. “T will go at once. May I take a minute in which to scribble a—a note?” By this time the rest of the liberated suite were busy with plans for the day; some were ‘already leaving the salon, and the little matter of the changed aides-de-camp was dttracting no atten- tion. Only Ilma, watching half-hidden by the window curtain, saw a quick telegraph of Inquiry flash from De Boisdeffre’s eyes before he answered the question. Its direction was to where Volbroth stood in apparently careless converse with Count Woron- zoft behind Dubrowski’s back. A tenth of a second elapsed, and the ‘chief of the staff gave the required ‘permission, turning away immediate- ly. to join a group of officers. Upon this, Boris produced a pocket- book, tore out a lexf and wrote a few _ Mnes in pencil. Then, looking about him, his eyes lighted on Volborth, who put himself forward much as a sharper “forces” a card on his opponent. < “Ah, Paul, you are the very man,” i 5 . exclaimed the aide-de-camp. “Your good nature will allow you to serve an unfortunate slave to duty. Here I have written a telegram which I should myself despatch were I free. ‘Will you, my dear friend, take it to the office on the Borsenplatz and fill in a form and send it for me?” Volborth, beaming a genial assent, stretched out his hand for the paper; but before he grasped it, though his greedy eyes had noticed the address and the words, “Review postponed till to-morrow,” in the body of the tele- gram, Ilma Vassill glided between them. “Why-.trouble Monsieur Volborth, Boris?” . sajid the girl quietly. “I am going out at once to visit the Art Gal- lery, and shall be pleased to do this business for you.” Politely bowing, Volborth stood aside with the air of being agreeable to either course, as in truth he was, for he had successfully applied his test and had ascertained by it that Dubrowski was keeping his promise to communi- cate changes of programme to Olga Palitzin. But for Dubrowski himself the situation was a difficult one, and he colored to the roots of his hair. It would be churlish to refuse the service offered by Ilma, who was still his affl- anced bride; and yet it would be an outrage to ask her to despatch a tele- gram from him to her rival. “Athousand thanks—to both of you,”™ he stammered; “but on second thoughts I will not send the telegram at all.” And tearing the paper, he thrust the pleces into the breast of his tunic and abruptly quitted the salon. The effect of his abrupt departure was that Volborth and Ilma were left confronting each other, the maid-of- henor looking-stightly flushed and tri- umphant, the police agent bland and smiling. Volborth was at a loss to ac- count for her demeanor, but he had no intention of remaining so. Neither of theln- knew for certain yet, but each uspected that the little scene just en- ted was the commencement of a duel between them, and Ilma was un- /der the impressfon that by preventing him from taking the tejegram she had scored the first hit. Like a true woman, she so far forgot caution as to try to “rub it in.” “I beleve that you are disappointed at not being able to run that errand for Captain Dubrowski,” she said; with a trace of defiance. “On the contrary, mademoiselle, I re- Jjoice to be relieved of it,” Volborth re- plied suavely. “My time is valuable to me, and, judging by his destruction of the telegram that it was not impor- tant, I am spared an unnecessary trip to the Borsenplatz. True, it may have been of more importance to the in- tended recipient, but to oblige her I am not concerned.” A deft pass—with feminine jealousy for the blade—and it struck home. “Her!” exclaimed Ilma. “You—you saw the address, then?” “Yes, I caught the name. It was the Princess Palitzin at Petersburg.” Ilma bit her ripe red lips till the blood came, but Volborth had no scru- ples about giving pain when it suited his purpose, and, noting her discom- fiture, he pursued his advantage. “Possibly,” he added, “that fact cre- ated the dilemma from which Captain Dubrowski extricated himself so clum- sily just now.” His end was gained. He had made her angry. “I do not understand you, monsieur,” retorted Ilma hotly. “It you insinuate that I offered to take the telegram be- cause I desired to embarrass Captain Dubrowski!, you simply insult me. I had a very different reason.” With which she swept away to the other end of the apartment. “You are a clever woman, Made- moiselle Iima,” said Volborth to him- self, as he looked after her. “But, though I do not as yet see what you are playing for, I had the best of that encounter. There was no mistaking the genuine ring in th i and it told me at least that je: t the Palitzin was not the eagerness to take that him. I must think this out, my dear young lady. I imagine that you are about to become a potent factor in our complications.” He left the salon serted by the membe cause of your egram from eady half de- f the sulte—and where he pulled window, and sat and gazed g crowds in the seven Brown stumps lay ash-tray at his elbow did he arrive ats solution that at all satisfied h “That must be it,” he muttered, as he rose and paced the floor. “She loves him .despite his treatment of her, and, suspecting that I am of the section, she must have been sharp enough to attribute the changed duty-roster to my machinations. In that case, her anxiety was not to get the telegram for her own purposes, but to prevent me from getting it for mine.” But then, in partial refutation of this theory, the thought accurred that, even if Ilma knew for certain that he was police agent, she would not have cred- fted him wit special Interest iIn Boris Dubrow e had reason to believe that r faithless lover de- served such interest. It seemed in- credible that she should have found such reason. “Unless a neglected woman's watch- ful eves have vered something that has escaped mine, and that is at least possible,” he reflected. “If that is S0, her action may have a more se- rious meaning. She may have wished not only te save Dubre but to pre- vent some des which she believes him to be impli ed.”™ Twist it as would, he could come to no defini onclusion, and, putting the matter from him for the moment, he went out, and taking a flacre, drove to the pol e, where he sat till late in the noon receiving the re- ports of the Austrian and Russian de- tectives who were searching the city for Anna Tchigorin. His leutenant Restofski, was the last to appear, with news of complete failv “The one conclusion is that we have sought his own roo a chair to the cigarette m. got through the day without an ‘event,” ™ he d “The agents who have been in personal attendance at Laime have noticed nothing suspiclous. His Majesty has just returned to the Hofburg, and he should be safe there.” “H'm. You forget the Russian chorus this evening replied Volborth thoughtfully. “I wish that Franz Jo- sef’s international co: y could have spared us that anxiety.” “De not make yourself uneasy,” said Restofski. “I contrived to get a sight of the names of our fellow-countr wonren who have be arsing, and I have since seen them all personally. They are perfectly satisfacfory There was to be a concert in the evening in the vate th r of the Hofburg palac the allusion was to a feature in the programme about which there had been some misgivings in the minds of those responsible for the Tsar’s safety. performance was to commence with the singing of the Russian national mn by Russian ladles resident in Vienna. It being time to dc evening dress, the two colleague: 1 separately to the Hofburg to snatch a hasty m pre ory to marshaling his agents for the court function, and Volborth to d the dinner of the Austrian and ian suites which pre- ceded it. At the table he percei that Ilma was, or affected to be, in excep- tionally high spirits. Her fair face locked radiant. She railled Boris on his unexpected turn of duty, as if there were no cloud between t she chat- tered of her experiences In the art gal- leries; and she even addressed Vol- borth in a breezy vein which sug- gested that the incident of the morning was forgiven or forgotten. Yet in all this gayety there was a feverish note which, taken in conjunc- tion with ome other point, puzzled Vol- borth not a little. He noticed that long after they were seated, whenever a servant entered the room she cast furtive glances at the door as though she were watching for some one who never came; and this was the more strange because, with one exception— not to include the higher officers eof state gining with the imperial party— all the members of the suite were pres- ent. The one exception was Restofski. “What can the beautiful enigma want with my worthy colleague?” mused Volborth, as for the twentieth time her eyes sought the opening door, to droop suddenly when only a servant entered. At the close of dinner the Russian guests, together with the Austrian suite, were ushered by the court cham- berlain to the concert hall of the pal- ace. The stage at the upper end was as yet veiled by the Venus and Adonis act-drop; but as the brilllant throng trooped in, the electric lights were turned up, showing the walls gayly decorated with flags, and the floor converted into a fairy-land of ex- otic plants and flowers. .The front row of chairs nearest the footlights, _re- served for the imperial party, was va- cant. The other seats were quickly filled by the expectant courtiers. Suddenly—sign that Franz Josef and his visitors were about to enter—the or- chestra glided into the sweet strains of the Austrian national anthem, and the curtain rose slowly, disclosing the la- dies who were to sing the Russian chorus. They were ranged in two rows