"Poor Michael!" I murmured. "Did I drive you to this? Would that I had
not spoken."
I turned to glance around the room, professional instinct getting the
best of me even in that moment of sorrow, and I quickly espied a letter
upon the table. It was addressed to his majesty, the emperor, and was
tightly sealed, so I placed it in my pocket and started to leave the
room. At the door I met the captain of the guard with two of his men,
and them I instructed to keep watch, but on no account to touch
anything without his majesty's permission. Then I sought the czar.
"Well, Derrington?" he asked, as soon as I was admitted to his
presence. "What of the night? Is the conspiracy crushed, and have you
been successful?"
"Entirely so. Nihilism is effectually crushed for many years to come.
My work in St. Petersburg is really done, I think. At least I can
assure you that you will have no cause to fear the hand of an assassin
for a long time; until this weed starts up anew."
"We are safe, then. Thank God for that."
"You are perfectly safe. The prisons are full to overflowing. I have
sent many of the less guilty ones over the border with instructions not
to return for many years to come. You will miss a few faces at court.
You will be forced to fill a few vacancies in the army. The next
caravan across Siberia will be a larger one than the last, and the
population of this city will be depleted by nearly three thousand souls
counting all that I have enumerated."
"This is glorious news to awaken to--glorious! I cannot repay you the
debt I owe you, Derrington."
"Now that you have heard the good news, can you bear to hear some that
is not so good, monsieur?"
"What! Is there bad news also?"
"Necessarily, there must have been some fatalities."
"Ah! Some one was killed? Some friend of mine?"
"Yes. Some one has killed himself."
"Durnief?"
"No. He is a prisoner."
"Why keep me waiting? Tell me at once."
"I greatly fear, your majesty, that I am responsible for this death.
Here is the letter he left. Read it. I do not know what it contains. I
only just now discovered the body."
"Michael!" He exclaimed as soon as he saw the handwriting. I made no
reply and he broke the seal and read the last words of his lifelong
friend. Presently he returned it to me.