CHAPTER XX.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 379, 22 June 1889, Page 3

CHAPTER XX.

POOLING THE NIHILISTS. His first thought now was to relieve tteh c mind of Ivan, and he hurried accordingly to the place agreed upon. This was a room over a little wine shop of which Wat had known for a long time. He found Ivan pacing the room in the greatest agitation. < Well V He could say no more, but devoured Wat's face with agonised eyes. ' Vera is safe,' said Wat in his cheeriest tone. ' Thank Heaven 1 But you, .my friend ?' 'My hand is hurt a little, that is all. ]STo harm done to anybody, I guess.' ! Wat made light of his frightful adven- ! ture, though he had sd nearly lost his life in it. His head ached, too, from the blow he : had received on it, but he knew that was - something time would cure, so he gave no heed to it. He washed himself and readjusted his eashevelled clothing and then said : ' Now ,we must be on our guard. Those Nihilisfcs'are- never going -to feb me 'off so disily as to'stop rigbl here:' ' •

•Then they know that you have their secrets ?' •Yes, I think they do.' • Will you not tell me what you hare learned ?' ' lfc is not necessary for you to know, and it may serve a purpose for you to be ignorant.' 1 Bub you assure me that Veras life is safo, and that she will not suffer.' ' I will give you my word that what) I shall telegraph will save her or nothing will.' 4 1 will say no more. What must Ido now ?' • Return at once to our lodgings — I will go with you — and in the morning, when Chernigoff calls on you, as> I am assured he will, to learn if you have seen me, treat him as cordially as if nothing had ever come between you.' •I will try.' •My friend, you muab not try — you must succeed. Veras life is not yet out of danger. Play the hypocrite for this time, no matter how hateful it may be to you, and I as3ure, you that when the affair is satisfactorily concluded, no one will be readier than I to help you punish your false friend.' -. *1 will follow your instructions to the letter.' ' Then come. ' As will be seen, Wat had a motive in going with Ivan. When they had arrived at Ivan's apartments, Wat roused the concierge and demanded : • Has anybody been here to-night to ask for Monsieur Horwitz T ' To-night? This morning, you mean ?' growled the sleepy man. ' Anyhow you please,' answered Wat, 'only take these twenty-five francs and give us an answer.' At the sound of twenty-five francs the man became as mild as a dove, and showed an immediate alacrity in answering. ' Nobody has been here, monsieur, since monsieur went out.' ' Well, if anybody should come here and ask for Monsieur Horwitz, will you be good enough to say that he returned- at eleven o'clock last night, and has neither seen anybody nor gone out himself V 'I will, monsieur. Ah, I comprehend.' And the man, who thought he was brilliant indeed, winked his eye inglyThen Wat bade Ivan a good-morning, for it was near that, and hurried away. He went to the costumier he had already visited once -that evening, and late as it was, gained admittance and came out,a A short while after, transformed into a solid, sober Frenchman. | ' He now hastened to the central telegraph office, and as he neared ib looked cautiously about him. lAh !' he muttered. ' I thought as much. ; They will prevent the telegram being sent [at any cost. And I, my friends, will send the telegram, cost, what ib will.' He walked past the ofhee and sought a wine-shop which was just opening its doors to catch the very early birds. In there he composed, the telegram which when translated by . the double key, would tell Gresser that which would save Vera. With this committed to memory, he returned to the telegraph office and entered. He was closely followed by two men whom, at a glance, he knew to be Russians. Walking straight to the window where the sleepy operator sat -listlessly waiting, he asked ; ' Can I send a cable message to America straightaway?' 'Yes.' The two men looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and moved a little back. - • Will you please tell me how much this will co^fc to send ?' Wat wvo'te out the following, and handed ib to the operator : ; • I "want to sehd a message to St. Petersburg, and I don't want these two men to know it. -Neither do I want; them to suspect that I know them. I, will, give you fifty francs if you will carry on the conversation as if the message was going to America. ' ' One franc a word is the price,' said the operator, c and there are twenty words here.' ,- >v ..... ' • ' Thank you. Here is the mpney.' . Wab handed over a bill- wbich he knew would cover the fifty francs and the cost of the telegram to Russia. I ' But,' said the operator, ' you had better I write this more legibly, for some of the words are hardly readable. Is this 250, j Broadway, New York V ! 'No; it's 269.' • There,, you see, you'd better, write it over again. ' He handed the paper back to Wat, and he wrote out the despatch he wished to send to Gresser. • There, will that do V •That is all right.' The telegram when translated, as Gresser would know how, read : 'Czar to be assassinated at review to-day Shevitch will flro bomb. Strenikolt" a pistol, and Petrofsky will have a knife. Seditions handbills' are to be distributed as soon as Czar is dead, For Heaveji's sake, save Vera, and telegraph me to that effect as soon as you arc sure of it.' Wat' 3 simple stratagem had succeeded, and the saving message was on its way. The two nihilists who were watching there, ready at the price of their own lives to prevent the telegram being sent, went out to wait again. Wat went to his little room, over the wine-shop, and threw himself on the bed tp take a few hours of needed sleep.