I got upon my feet and bowed to him, but he extended his hand in the
most cordial manner; and with a genial smile upon his face which
rendered 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 one
who wears no title and who does not wish for one. Henceforth we will
count 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 hand
was almost lost in his great palm when they were clasped together. I
forgot the czar in the magnificence of the man, and as I gave him my
hand, 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 to
an apartment which evidently had been designed for me; at least I so
decided when I had an opportunity to examine it and to familiarize
myself with all that it contained. The prince found some Russian
cigarettes on the table, and lighted one while he said laughingly: "I
see 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 my
breath, I will esteem it a great favor," I replied. "Is the boycott of
the 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 is
more 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 the
czar, was deliberately planned between them nearly three years ago.
From time to time Alexis dropped little hints to you which set you to
thinking, and the thought finally blossomed into action. Had you
confided your plans to anybody, even to Alexis, your services would not
have been accepted. As it is, after to-morrow I tremble for you in the
power that you will have, for in many ways it will be as great as that
of the czar himself. Shall I give you a bit of history in order that
you 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 and
myself. It is called the Fraternity of Silence. During all these years
its members have been selected with the greatest care and with
increasing difficulty so that now it has dwindled to nothing. In the
mean time the necessity for it has grown greater, for nihilism infests
the country like a plague. Without nihilism in Russia, Siberia would be
unnecessary. The very faults which nihilism seeks to remedy are kept
alive by its existence. If it were eradicated Russia would take its
place among the liberal nations of the world, and it is the ambition of
Alexander to perform that service for the empire he controls, just as
it was his idea to free the serfs. But the character of our people is
different from that of any other people in the world, and your task is
not 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. You
are to reorganize the Fraternity of Silence on a new plan, and the
power to act upon your own judgment will be absolute. It may seem
strange to you that considering yourself almost unknown you should have
been selected for this work, but you must remember that you have been
recommended by one whose word is entirely respected by the emperor, and
that you have been under careful espionage for three years. Does the
outline that I have given you accord with the plans which you thought
of submitting to the czar?"