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 To my wife, Sharon, for everything.
– John

To my wonderful wife Susan, and our children, Grace, Anthony, Adam, Lily, EJ, and Peter IV.
Your continued love and support keep me going as always.
– Pete

To my loving wife, Melissa, for her support and encouragement.

– Joe
Contents
Prefacevii
Creditsxxix
VideoNotesxxxi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 The Java Programming Language 2
A Java Program 3
Comments 5
Identifiers and Reserved Words 7
White Space 9

1.2 Program Development 11

Programming Language Levels 11
Editors, Compilers, and Interpreters 13
Development Environments 15
Syntax and Semantics 16
Errors 17

1.3 Problem Solving 18

1.4 Software Development Activities 20

1.5 Object-Oriented Programming 21

Object-Oriented Software Principles 22

Chapter 2 Data and Expressions 33

2.1 Character Strings 34
The print and println Methods 34
String Concatenation 36
Escape Sequences 40

2.2 Variables and Assignment 41

Variables 41
The Assignment Statement 44
Constants 46

xiii
xiv CONTENTS

2.3 Primitive Data Types 47

Integers and Floating Points 47
Characters 48
Booleans 50

2.4 Expressions 51
Arithmetic Operators 51
Operator Precedence 52
Increment and Decrement Operators 56
Assignment Operators 57

2.5 Data Conversion 58

Conversion Techniques 60

2.6 Reading Input Data 61

The Scanner Class 61

Chapter 3 Using Classes and Objects 75

3.1 Creating Objects 76
Aliases 78

3.2 The String Class 80

3.3 Packages 83
The import Declaration 84

3.4 The Random Class 86

3.5 The Math Class 89

3.6 Formatting Output 92

The NumberFormat Class 92
The DecimalFormat Class 94
The printf Method 96

3.7 Enumerated Types 97

3.8 Wrapper Classes 100

Autoboxing 102

Chapter 4 Conditionals and Loops 111

4.1 Boolean Expressions 112
Equality and Relational Operators 113
Logical Operators 114
 CO N T E N T S xv

4.2 The if Statement 116

The if-else Statement 119
Using Block Statements 121
The Conditional Operator 124
Nested if Statements 125

4.3 Comparing Data 127

Comparing Floats 127
Comparing Characters 127
Comparing Objects 128

4.4 The switch Statement 130

4.5 The while Statement 134

Infinite Loops 140
Nested Loops 141
Other Loop Controls 144

4.6 Iterators 145

Reading Text Files 146

4.7 The do Statement 148

4.8 The for Statement 151

Iterators and for Loops 156
Comparing Loops 157

Chapter 5 Writing Classes 169

5.1 Classes and Objects Revisited 170
Identifying Classes and Objects 171
Assigning Responsibilities 173

5.2 Anatomy of a Class 173

Instance Data 178
UML Class Diagrams 179

5.3 Encapsulation 181

Visibility Modifiers 182
Accessors and Mutators 183

5.4 Anatomy of a Method 188

The return Statement 194
Parameters 196
Local Data 197
Constructors Revisited 198
xvi CONTENTS

5.5 Static Class Members 199

Static Variables 199
Static Methods 200

5.6 Class Relationships 203

Dependency 203
Dependencies among Objects of the Same Class 204
Aggregation 206
The this Reference 211
5.7 Method Design 212
Method Decomposition 213
Method Parameters Revisited 218

5.8 Method Overloading 223

5.9 Testing 224

Reviews 225
Defect Testing 226
Unit Testing 227
Integration Testing 228
System Testing 228
Test-Driven Development 228

5.10 Debugging 229

Simple Debugging with print Statements 230
Debugging Concepts 230

Chapter 6 Graphical User Interfaces 245

6.1 Introduction to JavaFX 246
GUI Elements 249
Alternate Ways to Specify Event Handlers 252
Determining Event Sources 253

6.2 Other GUI Controls 256

Text Fields 256
Check Boxes 259
Radio Buttons 263
Color and Date Pickers 267

6.3 Mouse and Key Events 270

Mouse Events 271
Key Events 276
 CO N T E N T S xvii

6.4 Dialog Boxes 279

File Choosers 283

6.5 JavaFX Properties 286

Change Listeners 289
Sliders 292
Spinners 295

6.6 Tool Tips and Disabling Controls 299

Chapter 7 Arrays 313

7.1 Array Elements 314

7.2 Declaring and Using Arrays 315

Bounds Checking 318
Alternative Array Syntax 323
Initializer Lists 324
Arrays as Parameters 325

7.3 Arrays of Objects 325

7.4 Command-Line Arguments 335

7.5 Variable-Length Parameter Lists 337

7.6 Two-Dimensional Arrays 341

Multidimensional Arrays 344

7.7 Arrays and GUIs 346

An Array of Color Objects 346
Choice Boxes 349

Chapter 8 Inheritance 361

8.1 Creating Subclasses 362
The protected Modifier 367
The super Reference 368
Multiple Inheritance 372

8.2 Overriding Methods 373

Shadowing Variables 376

8.3 Class Hierarchies 376

The Object Class 377
Abstract Classes 379
xviii CONTENTS

8.4 Visibility 381

8.5 Designing for Inheritance 383

Restricting Inheritance 384

8.6 Inheritance in JavaFX 385

Chapter 9 Polymorphism 395

9.1 Dynamic Binding 396

9.2 Polymorphism via Inheritance 397

9.3 Interfaces 409

Interface Hierarchies 414
The Comparable Interface 415
The Iterator Interface 415

9.4 Polymorphism via Interfaces 416

Chapter 10 Exceptions 425

10.1 Exception Handling 426

10.2 Uncaught Exceptions 427

10.3 The try-catch Statement 428

The finally Clause 431

10.4 Exception Propagation 432

10.5 The Exception Class Hierarchy 435

Checked and Unchecked Exceptions 439

10.6 I/O Exceptions 439

Chapter 11 Analysis of Algorithms 449

11.1 Algorithm Efficiency 450

11.2 Growth Functions and Big-Oh Notation 451

11.3 Comparing Growth Functions 453

11.4 Determining Time Complexity 455

Analyzing Loop Execution 455
Nested Loops 456
Method Calls 457
 CO N T E N T S xix

Chapter12 Introduction to Collections—Stacks 463

12.1 Collections 464
Abstract Data Types 465
The Java Collections API 467

12.2 A Stack Collection 467

12.3 Crucial OO Concepts 469

Inheritance and Polymorphism 470
Generics 471

12.4 Using Stacks: Evaluating Postfix Expressions 472

Javadoc 480

12.5 Exceptions 481

12.6 A Stack ADT 482

12.7 Implementing a Stack: With Arrays 485

Managing Capacity 486

12.8 The ArrayStack Class 487

The Constructors 488
The push Operation 490
The pop Operation 492
The peek Operation 493
Other Operations 493
The EmptyCollectionException Class 494
Other Implementations 495

Chapter 13 Linked Structures—Stacks 503

13.1 References as Links 504

13.2 Managing Linked Lists 506

Accessing Elements 506
Inserting Nodes 507
Deleting Nodes 508

13.3 Elements without Links 509

Doubly Linked Lists 509

13.4 Stacks in the Java API 510

13.5 Using Stacks: Traversing a Maze 511

xx CONTENTS

13.6 Implementing a Stack: With Links 520

The LinkedStack Class 520
The push Operation 524
The pop Operation 526
Other Operations 527

Chapter 14 Queues 533

14.1 A Conceptual Queue 534

14.2 Queues in the Java API 535

14.3 Using Queues: Code Keys 536

14.4 Using Queues: Ticket Counter Simulation 540

14.5 A Queue ADT 545

14.6 A Linked Implementation of a Queue 546

The enqueue Operation 548
The dequeue Operation 550
Other Operations 551

14.7 Implementing Queues: With Arrays 552

The enqueue Operation 556
The dequeue Operation 558
Other Operations 559

14.8 Double-Ended Queues (Dequeue) 559

Chapter 15 Lists 565

15.1 A List Collection 566

15.2 Lists in the Java Collections API 568

15.3 Using Unordered Lists: Program of Study 569

15.4 Using Indexed Lists: Josephus 579

15.5 A List ADT 581

Adding Elements to a List 582

15.6 Implementing Lists with Arrays 587

The remove Operation 589
The contains Operation 591
The add Operation for an Ordered List 592
 CO N T E N T S xxi

Operations Particular to Unordered Lists 593

The addAfter Operation for an
Unordered List 593

15.7 Implementing Lists with Links 594

The remove Operation 595

15.8 Lists in JavaFX 597

Observable List 597
Sorted List 597

Chapter 16 Iterators 605

16.1 What’s an Iterator? 606
Other Iterator Issues 608

16.2 Using Iterators: Program of Study Revisited 609

Printing Certain Courses 613
Removing Courses 614

16.3 Implementing Iterators: With Arrays 615

16.4 Implementing Iterators: With Links 617

Chapter 17 Recursion 623

17.1 Recursive Thinking 624
Infinite Recursion 624
Recursion in Math 625

17.2 Recursive Programming 626

Recursion versus Iteration 629
Direct versus Indirect Recursion 629

17.3 Using Recursion 630

Traversing a Maze 630
The Towers of Hanoi 638

17.4 Analyzing Recursive Algorithms 643

Chapter 18 Searching and Sorting 651

18.1 Searching 652
Static Methods 653
Generic Methods 653
Linear Search 654
xxii CONTENTS

Binary Search 656

Comparing Search Algorithms 658

18.2 Sorting 659

Selection Sort 662
Insertion Sort 664
Bubble Sort 666
Quick Sort 668
Merge Sort 672
18.3 Radix Sort 675

18.4 A Different Way to Sort—Comparator 679

Chapter 19 Trees 693

19.1 Trees 694
Tree Classifications 695

19.2 Strategies for Implementing Trees 697

Computational Strategy for Array
Implementation of Trees 697
Simulated Link Strategy for Array
Implementation of Trees 697
Analysis of Trees 699

19.3 Tree Traversals 700

Preorder Traversal 700
Inorder Traversal 701
Postorder Traversal 701
Level-Order Traversal 702

19.4 A Binary Tree ADT 703

19.5 Using Binary Trees: Expression Trees 707

19.6 A Back Pain Analyzer 719

19.7 Implementing Binary Trees with Links 724

The find Method 728
The iteratorInOrder Method 730

Chapter 20 Binary Search Trees 737

20.1 Binary Search Trees 738
Adding an Element to a Binary Search Tree 739
 CO N T E N T S xxiii

Removing an Element from a Binary

Search Tree 741

20.2 Implementing a Binary Search Tree 743

20.3 Implementing Binary Search Trees: With Links 745

The addElement Operation 746
The removeElement Operation 748
The removeAllOccurrences Operation 752
The removeMin Operation 753
Implementing Binary Search Trees:
With Arrays 755

20.4 Using Binary Search Trees: Implementing

Ordered Lists 755
Analysis of the BinarySearchTreeList
Implementation 758

20.5 Balanced Binary Search Trees 759

Right Rotation 760
Left Rotation 761
Rightleft Rotation 762
Leftright Rotation 762

20.6 Implementing Binary Search Trees: AVL Trees 762

Right Rotation in an AVL Tree 763
Left Rotation in an AVL Tree 764
Rightleft Rotation in an AVL Tree 764
Leftright Rotation in an AVL Tree 765

20.7 Implementing Binary Search Trees:

Red/Black Trees 766
Insertion into a Red/Black Tree 766
Element Removal from a Red/Black Tree 770

Chapter 21 Heaps and Priority Queues 779

21.1 A Heap 780
The addElement Operation 782
The removeMin Operation 783
The findMin Operation 784

21.2 Using Heaps: Priority Queues 784

xxiv CONTENTS

21.3 Implementing Heaps: With Links 788

The addElement Operation 788
The removeMin Operation 792
The findMin Operation 795

21.4 Implementing Heaps: With Arrays 795

The addElement Operation 797
The removeMin Operation 798
The findMin Operation 800
21.5 Using Heaps: Heap Sort 800

Chapter 22 Sets and Maps 807

22.1 Set and Map Collections 808

22.2 Sets and Maps in the Java API 808

22.3 Using Sets: Domain Blocker 811

22.4 Using Maps: Product Sales 814

22.5 Using Maps: User Management 818

22.6 Implementing Sets and Maps Using Trees 823

22.7 Implementing Sets and Maps Using Hashing 823

Chapter 23 Multi-way Search Trees 831

23.1 Combining Tree Concepts 832

23.2 2-3 Trees 832

Inserting Elements into a 2-3 Tree 833
Removing Elements from a 2-3 Tree 835

23.3 2-4 Trees 838

23.4 B-Trees 840

B*-Trees 841
B+ -Trees 841
Analysis of B-Trees 842

23.5 Implementation Strategies for B-Trees 842

 CO N T E N T S xxv

Chapter 24 Graphs 849

24.1 Undirected Graphs 850

24.2 Directed Graphs 851

24.3 Networks 853

24.4 Common Graph Algorithms 854

Traversals 854
Testing for Connectivity 858
Minimum Spanning Trees 860
Determining the Shortest Path 863

24.5 Strategies for Implementing Graphs 863

Adjacency Lists 864
Adjacency Matrices 864

24.6 Implementing Undirected Graphs with an

Adjacency Matrix 865
The addEdge Method 870
The addVertex Method 870
The expandCapacity Method 871
Other Methods 872

Chapter 25 Databases 879

25.1 Introduction to Databases 880

25.2 Establishing a Connection to a Database 882

Obtaining a Database Driver 882

25.3 Creating and Altering Database Tables 885

Create Table 885
Alter Table 886
Drop Column 887

25.4 Querying the Database 887

Show Columns 888

25.5 Inserting, Viewing, and Updating Data 890

Insert 891
xxvi CONTENTS

SELECT ... FROM 891

Update 896

25.6 Deleting Data and Database Tables 897

Deleting Data 897
Deleting Database Tables 898

Appendix A Glossary 903

Appendix B Number Systems 937

Place Value 938

Bases Higher Than 10 939

Conversions940

Shortcut Conversions 943

Appendix C The Unicode Character Set 949

Appendix D Java Operators 953

Java Bitwise Operators 955

Appendix E Java Modifiers 959

Java Visibility Modifiers 960

A Visibility Example 960

Other Java Modifiers 961

Appendix F JavaFX Graphics 963

Coordinate Systems 964

Representing Colors 964

Basic Shapes 965

Arcs970
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“It will be my first duty, your Majesty,” she replied, “when I see
mademoiselle.”
He made her a mocking bow. “When you see her, madame,” he
replied with a cynical smile, and then, turning on his heel, he walked
away through the rooms, followed by M. de Lambert and me, but
ignoring us both until he reached the head of the stairs. At the foot I
saw Pierrot with the czar’s equerry looking up at us, and understood
why Peter had come up unannounced. He turned upon us with a
return of his haughty manner, his dark eyes on M. de Lambert’s face.
“As for you, young sir,” he said coldly, “you are too clever in the
gallantry of courts. France is your proper sphere, and pray do not
allow us to detain you here. I will direct the authorities to furnish
you with your passport.”
The young man bowed haughtily, his face flushed with anger and his
eyes returning the czar’s glance with a defiance equal to his own.
“I am beholden to your Majesty,” he said in a low voice. “Since I
have been here, I have had occasion to feel the need of a safe-
conduct.”
Peter gave him a searching glance.
“You are pleased to speak in riddles, M. de Lambert,” he said
sharply, “but it is well that something has warned you to be
cautious. We Russians know how to resent idle interference with our
affairs.”
M. de Lambert bit his lip, his face paling a little. “Your Majesty has
the advantage,” he said, folding his arms on his breast, “since we
cannot meet on terms of equality.”
Peter laughed harshly. “You are a true knight-errant, monsieur,” he
said mockingly. “You forget, though, that the arm of Peter Romanoff
is not so feeble that he could not do battle, even if he did not wear a
crown. Do not be a fool, young man, and waste breath in idle
boasts.” Then turning to me, “As for you, M. l’Ambassadeur,” he
added bluntly, “I leave it to your conscience if it is consistent with
your honor and the honor of France to conceal and aid a little rebel
against her master.”
“Your Majesty makes serious charges,” I replied with composure,
“but I trust that my honor and that of my country will remain
untarnished.”
The czar was already on the stairs, but at my words turned and
looked at me. I was lighting the way, holding the taper over my
head, and I saw the gleam of amusement in his eyes.
“You are an old fox, Brousson,” he said gravely, “but remember that
the fox is no match for the lion, and you are treading on dangerous
ground.”
We were at the door, and I stood aside to permit him to pass out,
still holding the taper between us.
“The fox is no match for the lion, your Majesty,” I admitted calmly,
“but neither is the lion a match for the turtle-dove.”
He had gone out in the dark, but turned, and, coming close to me at
the door, spoke so low that none could hear.
“M. de Brousson,” he said sternly, “I have yielded to-night from
courtesy to madame, but if that young man yonder takes one step
to make Najine his wife without my sanction, it will cost him his
head, were there forty kings of France instead of one!”
 CHAPTER XVI.
A DUEL WITH TONGUES.

With the czar’s threat ringing ominously in my ears, I ascended the

stairs and, asking M. de Lambert to remain in the salon, went on to
Madame de Brousson’s door to inquire for Najine. At the sound of
my voice they both came out into the ante-room, mademoiselle’s
face still pale with excitement. She ran up to me with the pretty
manner of a child, and, taking my hand, kissed it with impulsive
gratitude.
“M. l’Ambassadeur,” she said, “I feel as if I ought to go down on my
knees to you and Madame de Brousson, for rescuing me from this
situation; I do not know how I could have faced the czar in this
house.”
“Mademoiselle,” I replied gravely, “it was our happiness to shield
you, but I fear that we can do little more at this time. I wished to
talk to you without restraint, therefore I came alone. The czar has
spoken freely to me, and I believe that it is impossible for you to
escape to France at present; you are too closely watched. It is
equally impossible for me to protect you here; therefore,
mademoiselle, there is but one course open: you must go with all
speed to your good aunt at Troïtsa.”
“We had ourselves reached that conclusion,” Zénaïde said, “and
Najine and I were perfecting our arrangements to leave here in the
morning.”
“That will not do,” I replied at once; “you must go within the hour.”
Mademoiselle glanced up with surprise, and Zénaïde uttered a
protest.
“Philippe!” she exclaimed reproachfully, “mademoiselle will think you
lacking in courtesy.”
“No, no!” protested Najine, warmly, “I am sure that M. de Brousson
has some good reason for his haste.”
“I have the best, mademoiselle,” I replied; “the czar will undoubtedly
order your uncle to remove you from my house, and I have no
authority to resist him.”
“I know it, monsieur,” she replied gravely; “it is as I said, I cannot
remain here. Madame has urged me in her kindness, but it is
impossible. Neonila and I must find a way to escape from Moscow at
once.”
“How can they?” cried Zénaïde, casting an indignant glance at me,
—“two women, and at this hour!”
“M. de Lambert and Pierrot will accompany them,” I replied firmly;
“they must not lose an hour.”
“I must go with them,” Zénaïde exclaimed.
“Pardon me, madame,” I answered, “you must, on the contrary,
remain here and detain the Councillor Zotof’s party.”
In a moment Zénaïde understood my scheme, and let me go to
summon Pierrot and give my orders. It was nearly midnight, and he
was sleepy and loath to go on his errand; but a few words from me
roused him to meet the emergency. Then I sought M. de Lambert,
and informed him of the measures which I had taken without
consulting him, because I knew that it would be folly to expect his
acquiescence, and fatal to delay Najine’s flight. He was angry and
surprised at my action, and mastered his emotion with difficulty, for
his nature was impulsive.
“This seems a hard measure for mademoiselle,” he exclaimed at
once, “to send her away at this hour, when she came here for aid
and protection.”
“M. de Lambert,” I replied gravely, “I understand your feeling, and
you have my sympathy in your indignation for mademoiselle, but I
am truly giving her the best aid in my power. If she stays here until
morning, I should be compelled to surrender her to her uncle; the
demand is inevitable, and may come at any hour. Moreover, I think it
has cost mademoiselle something to take this decided step; she is
not without regret and hesitation at the thought of acting directly in
opposition to her guardians, and it is possible that, under their
persuasion, she might yet surrender her will to theirs, which would
be fatal to your interests. It is no light thing for a young girl, reared
as she has been, to evade her uncle’s authority and contemplate a
stolen marriage. If you hope to succeed in your suit, you must
speedily get her out of the reach of Zotof and his wife.”
He listened to me thoughtfully, and I saw that he realized the truth
of my words. He stood with folded arms, his eyes bent on the fire
and his brows furrowed with anxiety. He was probably thinking of a
dozen ways to evade the czar, and in the end finding himself, each
time, in a cul-de-sac. I heard Pierrot’s step on the stair, and knew
that all things were in readiness.
“M. de Lambert,” I said gravely, “when this errand is over, we must
seriously consider your own situation. The czar has virtually
demanded your return to France, and I have no doubt that the
passports will be forthcoming; in which case there will be an
accumulation of difficulties.”
He looked at me calmly. “I shall remain here, monsieur,” he said at
once, “as long as mademoiselle remains.”
I smiled in spite of myself. “Even if she becomes the Czarina of
Russia?” I asked naïvely.
At this moment Pierrot announced that all preparations for departure
had been made, and so checked the angry retort that was on M. de
Lambert’s lips, for he always lost his temper at the suggestion that
mademoiselle would ultimately wed the czar. As Pierrot came,
Madame de Brousson entered by the other door with Najine and her
woman, and I had my last instructions to give, so that we had no
further words over mademoiselle’s future. Indeed I was anxious to
hurry them off, knowing that the reprieve would be short. Najine
herself was nervous and impatient, although she clung affectionately
to my wife and, I thought, would have been happy to stay with her.
Zénaïde petted and soothed her, after the fashion of women, until I
felt it necessary to hasten them.
“Pardon my seeming discourtesy, mademoiselle,” I said, “but haste is
imperative. Pierrot, is everything in readiness?”
“At your service, M. le Vicomte,” he replied promptly.
Zénaïde herself adjusted mademoiselle’s mantle and hood, and M.
de Lambert, having placed his pistols in his belt, assumed his cloak,
and they were ready to follow Pierrot down to the rear door. Najine
came to me with outstretched hands, her charming face just peeping
out of the great gray fur-lined hood, which was peaked at the top
and, framing her face, met under her small firm chin.
“I thank you from my heart, monsieur,” she said softly. “May the
saints reward you for your kindness.”
“Mademoiselle,” I replied warmly, “I am always entirely at your
service, and, I trust, may yet find a way out of your difficulties.”
Something in the simplicity of her manner touched me more than
her words, and I went with her to the door and stood there, while
she bade Zénaïde farewell, without the heart to hasten her again.
Finally, however, M. de Lambert drew her arm through his and led
her out into the night, followed by Pierrot and her woman, while we
watched in the entry until we heard the horses start, and knew that
they were safely off; then I closed the door and barred it.
“And now for a few hours of repose!” I exclaimed with a sigh of
relief; but I was destined to disappointment. The words were
scarcely out of my mouth before a knock on the front door
resounded through the house.
“Hark!” exclaimed Zénaïde, “what can it mean?”
“Some one who is determined to enter,” I remarked dryly, as we
ascended the stairs which communicated with my rooms by a rear
door, so that we could avoid the entrance. I heard Touchet stumbling
through the house, evidently roused from a nap, for he was slow,
and there was a second summons before he unbarred the door.
Zénaïde followed me to the head of the stairs, and we stood looking
down into the lower hall. When the door was opened, several
persons immediately crowded into the entrance, and I at once
suspected who were our visitors, and in another moment a sharp
female voice confirmed my conclusion.
“Where is the marshal, and where is Madame de Brousson?” she
exclaimed.
It was Madame Zotof, and she pushed past Touchet and began to
come up the stairs before her husband could collect himself for the
attack. It was characteristic of madame, who was always at the front
of the battle, and she was eager now for the fray. As I saw her on
the stair, I glanced at Zénaïde and smiled. Madame de Brousson was
looking down at her with a peculiar expression in her blue eyes, and
knowing, as I did, her estimate of Madame Zotof, I wondered a little
what thoughts were in her mind, as she stood there with unruffled
composure awaiting the onslaught. It was not until she was half-way
up the stairs that Madame Zotof looked up and saw us standing at
the top; then she paused an instant, and eyed us with that keen, ill-
tempered look of hers, her thin face and shrewish mouth showing in
the glare of the taper that Touchet had set upon the landing.
“I am fortunate to find you awake at this hour,” she remarked
sharply.
“And we are fortunate to receive you at any hour, madame,” Zénaïde
replied suavely, “even if it is at a time when we usually seek repose.”
Madame Zotof looked at her keenly, suspicious of her opponent’s
smooth courtesy.
“It is evident that I did not rouse you,” she retorted tartly. “You do
not look as if you had come from your couch.”
By this time the councillor had come up the stair and stood behind
his wife, a few steps below us. Zénaïde, ignoring madame’s reply,
greeted him with quiet courtesy, and invited them to enter the salon,
ordering Touchet to bring fresh tapers, for those upon the table were
already exhausted. Madame Zotof, with an eager air, hurried into the
room behind my wife, and looked about, apparently for some token
of her truant niece, but there was no sign of her recent presence.
The apartment was in order, and the logs had burned down on the
hearth, so that there was a chill in the atmosphere. Zotof, following
his wife, stood in the center of the room, but seemed conscious that,
for the time, there was no need of speech from him, madame, as
usual, taking the lead.
“Be seated by the fire, for it grows cold here,” Zénaïde said easily;
“and, Touchet, bring hither some wine.”
“We do not want it,” Madame Zotof exclaimed angrily; “we did not
come out at two in the morning for entertainment. I came here for
that mad niece of ours, Madame de Brousson, and I would thank
you to order her to join me immediately; her conduct is
unpardonable.”
Zénaïde looked at her with mild surprise. “You labor under a
delusion, Madame Zotof,” she said gently; “mademoiselle your niece
is not here.”
Madame Zotof stared at her with exasperation showing in every line
of her face.
“It is you, Madame de Brousson, who labor under a mistake,” she
replied with a mocking imitation of Zénaïde’s manner. “A little bird
told me that my niece was here, and that it would be wise for you to
surrender her to her guardians.”
Zénaïde smiled. “It is unwise to listen to the counsel of little birds,
madame,” she remarked sweetly, “since your little bird was
possessed of the spirit of untruth.”
“It was not so small a bird as you think,” Madame Zotof exclaimed.
“It was a double-headed eagle, and it spoke the truth.”
“How could it,” Zénaïde said with a little laugh, “since it was double-
tongued and therefore versed in duplicity?”
“Beware, madame!” cried Madame Zotof; “the eagle knows how to
avenge both insult and injury.”
My wife’s face flushed with quick indignation. “Threats are wasted
upon me, Madame Zotof,” she said haughtily; “I am not so poor a
coward as to fear even an imperial eagle.”
“You will find that it has both beak and talons, madame,” the other
woman replied.
“Have done with this, wife,” Zotof exclaimed suddenly. “What profit
is it? In plain language, M. le Maréchal, his imperial Majesty has
notified us that my niece is in your house, and commanded us to
take her away. We must obey.”
“That may be, M. Zotof,” I replied haughtily; “but it does not signify
that a marshal of France must obey you.”
He looked at me gravely, evidently embarrassed by the position in
which he found himself, but stubbornly determined to obey the czar.
“It is true, M. le Vicomte,” he said, “that I cannot compel you to
obey my master, yet we are in Moscow, and the King of France does
not reign here. However, I ask you, as one man may ask another, in
all courtesy, to deliver my niece into my hands.”
“And I reply in the same spirit, monsieur, that your niece is not in my
house,” I said courteously.
He seemed for the moment perplexed; but Madame Zotof grasped
the truth of the matter at once.
“She was here,” she exclaimed in her high voice. “Where have you
sent her?”
“Madame forgets,” interposed Zénaïde, suavely, “that if she cannot
control her own niece, it is certainly not in our power to do so; that
is demanding a good deal of two strangers.”
The other woman turned upon her with a flash of temper. “Perhaps,
Madame de Brousson,” she said hotly, “you can also repudiate your
knowledge of M. de Lambert’s persistent pursuit of Mademoiselle
Zotof.”
My wife smiled, her composure still unruffled. “I do not venture to
account for the love affairs of M. de Brousson’s suite,” she said
suavely; “it is customary in France for the families of the two young
people to manage these matters.”
“And customary for French people out of France to aid and abet a
young gallant in his pursuit of another man’s niece,” Madame Zotof
retorted sharply.
“I really cannot say, madame,” Zénaïde replied with naïveté, “for, you
know, I am myself a Russian.”
Madame Zotof stood biting her lip, too angry to keep up the play of
words, and her husband was red with impatience. I regarded the
scene with intense enjoyment. It was a fair match between two
women, and Zénaïde, having the better command of her temper and
the sharper wit, was lashing her opponent to fury. Meanwhile every
moment’s delay was precious to mademoiselle. Zotof took matters
into his own hands; he went to Zénaïde, and looked at her with
almost an appeal in his eyes.
“Madame,” he said, “be kind enough to produce my niece.”
Madame de Brousson threw out her hands with a comic gesture of
despair.
“M. Zotof,” she exclaimed, “I am not a magician! Mademoiselle is not
here.”
“I should like to look behind you in those rooms,” cried Madame
Zotof, pointing her finger at the door that led into the other
apartments.
Zénaïde, seeing instantly an opportunity for delay, was all
complaisance.
“You shall be gratified,” she said sweetly. “Philippe, lead us with a
light.”
Madame Zotof was a little dashed by her ready compliance, but, still
full of suspicion, followed her closely, as I took the taper, and,
opening the door, conducted them slowly through the rooms.
Zénaïde consumed much time by insisting that Madame Zotof should
look behind every arras and into every cupboard, and Madame, full
of doubt and eagerness, peered into the crevices and behind the
doors; her husband following with a stolid obstinacy that did not
permit him to see how entirely they were playing into my wife’s
hands. As we passed on without success, madame’s face fell, and I
saw the suspicion in her pale eyes grow more intense as she began
to realize that there was a possibility that her niece had evaded her,
even though we were both in the house. At the door of my wife’s
apartment I detained the councillor, and the two women went in
alone, while we stood on the threshold. It was a strange scene; the
room was brightly lighted both with tapers and by the logs blazing
on the hearth. The walls were covered with tapestries, and Madame
Zotof went about lifting them up and searching for the truant, while
Zénaïde stood in the center of the room, her figure clearly outlined
in its dignified repose, and a smile of scorn on her face, her blue
eyes following the other woman’s quick movements. Never were two
women so strongly contrasted; the fine form and stately head of
Madame de Brousson dwarfing the smaller figure of Madame Zotof,
whose face was naturally homely and shrewish; her eyes of that
cold, pale blue that is opaque, and her mouth like a slit, while her
chin projected. She had too an affectation of youth that was absurd.
When she had quite completed her investigation and was satisfied
that mademoiselle was not there, she paused a moment
confounded.
“You have had the pleasure of searching my house, Madame Zotof,”
Zénaïde said with a cold smile, “and now I have the pleasure of
asking you to leave it with what speed you may.”
She spoke with scorn, and Madame Zotof recoiled before the
unexpected attack; she felt that she had overstepped the bounds of
propriety, and that my wife was justified in her retort. After a
moment she recovered and made a sweeping curtsy.
“You carry things with a high hand, madame,” she said bitterly, “but
his Majesty the Czar will have satisfaction. You cannot spirit away my
niece without accounting for it.”
“You speak wildly,” replied Zénaïde, haughtily; “from your own
statement, I understand that your niece has gone, and you are
searching for her, but I see no reason for the accusation that I took
her from your house. It is absurd!”
“You may not have taken her from my house, but you certainly sent
her from yours,” madame replied quickly.
“That is your conclusion, madame,” Zénaïde said calmly; “and if you
are quite done with your search, I will bid you good-morning, for I
find myself in sore need of repose.”
“Do not allow me to disturb you,” Madame Zotof retorted with mock
courtesy; “my husband and I will withdraw instantly, and report to
the czar that you have found means to despatch Najine to some
unknown spot.”
“As you will, madame,” Zénaïde retorted with assumed weariness;
“but be careful to adhere to the truth, for sometimes kings are
exacting.”
Madame Zotof grew red with anger. “Madame is kind,” she
exclaimed; “on my word, I never received such treatment. I am
requested to go, and accused of falsehood in a breath. Truly, French
manners have not improved the Russian woman.”
Zénaïde had her hand on the door in the act of closing it upon the
other, but she paused with a little soft laugh of disdain.
“I am rebuked, madame,” she said lightly, “but you must remember
that the provocation was great;” and with that she shut the door,
leaving me with the pair upon my hands,—M. Zotof angry and
embarrassed, and madame fuming with passion but still ready to
lead.
“Come, Zotof,” she said curtly, passing me without a glance; “it is a
waste of time to dally here. Najine has duped us again. Why stand
there gaping? Find a way out of this difficulty!” and she walked on
before us like a huge bird whose plumage had been ruffled in the
fray.
“Permit me to conduct you, madame,” I said graciously, advancing
with the light; “the stairs are dark and somewhat steep.”
“Nay, I shall not break my neck,” she retorted with a discordant
laugh; “I am sure of foot. You will be sorry for this night’s work, M.
l’Ambassadeur.”
“That is true,” said Zotof, as he came slowly down behind us. “I am
truly sorry, M. le Maréchal, that you have mixed yourself up in this
matter.”
“I thank you for your solicitude, monsieur and madame both,” I
replied, shading the taper from the wind, for Touchet had already
opened the door and their attendants were waiting at the threshold.
“I trust, however, that I shall surmount the embarrassments of the
occasion, and hope that the king my master will not resent the
discourtesy shown to his subjects.”
At this Zotof stopped with his mouth open, his breath coming fast,
for he was a very stout man. It was obviously a new light on the
situation; but madame chose to ignore it, merely gathering her skirts
about her as if she shook off the dust of my dwelling.
“I should like,” she remarked, eying me keenly, “to know where M.
de Lambert is at this moment.”
I smiled. “Madame asks too much of me,” I said, shrugging my
shoulders. “I am not omniscient.”
“You have a devil of diplomacy, monsieur,” she retorted sharply; then
turning on her stout and slow moving lord, “Come, come, Zotof, we
have been fools long enough; the day is breaking.”
But he let her go out, and then, pausing on the threshold, looked
back at me.
“I may have seemed discourteous, M. l’Ambassadeur,” he said too
low for her ears; “but women will be women, and we came at the
command of—of one in authority.”
“Of the czar, monsieur,” I replied with a frankness that made him
wince. “I understand, and bear you no ill-will; but, M. Zotof, no
Frenchman endures such impertinence with patience; therefore let
this be the last time that either you or madame your wife trespass
upon my hospitality after such a fashion;” and with this I closed the
door sharply in his face.
 CHAPTER XVII.
MENTCHIKOF.

An hour after daybreak, Touchet came to me with the information

that one of the imperial equerries was in waiting. I had been
endeavoring to snatch a few hours’ rest, but roused myself at once,
and throwing on some clothing went out into the salon and received
the czar’s messenger. He was a young fellow, who had been
instructed to see me before delivering his document,—a packet with
the imperial seal. I was not surprised, on opening it, to find M. de
Lambert’s passports, with a formal note to me requesting that the
young man be sent at once to France.
“M. de Lambert is absent,” I said to the equerry, “but as soon as he
returns I will inform him of the czar’s pleasure.”
The Russian seemed satisfied with my assurance, and with a few
civil words departed, evidently having been instructed to serve his
notice with all due respect to me.
The whole affair was profoundly annoying, and I wished from my
heart that M. de Lambert had found it convenient to fall in love at
home. I was well aware that nothing but force would induce him to
leave Moscow at this crisis, and bitterly repented my folly in bringing
a young court gallant in my suite. How to get him out of the
imbroglio with a whole skin was a difficult question, and I was not
reassured by the thought that Catherine Shavronsky was still under
a cloud. I determined to see Mentchikof at my earliest opportunity
and feel his pulse on the situation. His threats against mademoiselle
were not to my comfort, but I was convinced that he would never
resort to extreme measures while there was a possibility of
reinstating the Livonian in favor.
The day passed without event, and the inaction of all persons
concerned was not altogether satisfactory. I feared that some
trouble was brewing, and was not quieted by the delay in the return
of M. de Lambert; he and Pierrot did not arrive until the following
morning. They were travel-stained and weary, but exultant; they had
conducted mademoiselle safely to her aunt at Troïtsa. Before
allowing M. de Lambert to remove the dust of the journey, I handed
him the czar’s document without comment, watching his face while
he read it. His expression was both scornful and perplexed, and his
cheek flushed scarlet as he flung the packet on the table.
“Ma foi!” he exclaimed with impatience, “the czar takes me for a fool
if he fancies that I can be packed off at his pleasure and leave
mademoiselle to his tender mercy!”
“You forget, monsieur,” I said gravely, “that he is master here.”
“I do not forget,” he returned passionately,—“parbleu! it is thrown in
my teeth at every turn,—but I am a French soldier, and forty czars
shall not intimidate me.”
“Bravo, monsieur!” I retorted, clapping my hands; “but how do you
propose to beard the lion in his den?”
“I will find a way to defeat him,” he replied quietly; “he cannot
always conquer circumstances.”
While he was talking, Touchet came to the door and addressed him.
“There is a youth below, sir,” he said, “who would speak with you
alone.”
M. de Lambert looked up in surprise. He had not had the opportunity
to lay aside his cloak, and he picked up his sword from the table and
started, as he was, to the door.
“Be careful,” I said to him at once; “you are in a delicate position—
take no hasty step.”
“It can be nothing of importance,” he replied, “but I thank you for
the caution, M. le Maréchal.”
With those words he went down the stairs to the door, and, Pierrot
at the moment bringing in my breakfast, I sat down by the fire to
eat it, while my equerry, giving place to Touchet, went to seek a little
rest himself. In a moment Zénaïde came in through the corridor and
joined me at the table.
“Who went out the door, Touchet?” she asked.
“M. de Lambert is talking to a lad there,” I explained.
“Not now,” she said at once; “some one went out and closed the
door.”
I rose and went to the window in time to see M. de Lambert walking
away alone and at a rapid pace.
“On some fool’s errand,” I muttered to myself, and went back to the
chair, explaining the departure with impatience.
Zénaïde looked disturbed, and was yet more troubled when I found
an opportunity to show her the passport.
“You should not have allowed him to go unattended, Philippe,” she
said gravely; “he is surrounded by dangers and so rash and
headstrong.”
“By all the saints, madame!” I exclaimed, “I cannot be his guardian.
He has been here scarcely more than a quarter of an hour, and has
not removed the dust of his long ride; how could I foresee his
immediate departure?”
Madame de Brousson sighed. “I feel as if we were responsible for
him,” she remarked pensively, “and you and I both know the
methods here more thoroughly than he.”
“I am half thankful for his passports,” I grumbled, “since Russia is no
place for a young courtier.”
As I spoke, I looked up and caught my wife’s eyes fixed upon me
with an arch glance of amusement. She laughed softly.
“If you had possessed your mature wisdom twenty years ago, M. le
Vicomte,” she said gravely, “we should never have met.”
I had risen from my chair and I made her an obeisance.
“I am convicted, madame,” I replied with mock gravity, “and crave
your permission to withdraw.”
Touchet came, at the moment, with my mantle and sword, and,
taking him for an attendant, I went to Mentchikof’s house. As I
approached it, I noted with amusement the certain indications of the
humor of a court. A week before, he had been the czar’s favorite,
the patron of a beautiful woman who was likely to be the successor
of Anna Mons, and the courtyard and hall had been crowded with
courtiers and those miserable creatures who fawn upon the man of
the hour. But for a few days the sunshine of imperial favor had been
obscured, and lo, the gay host of butterflies had fluttered to some
brighter spot. The entrance was deserted, and a solitary usher
conducted me through the splendid salons to the small room in the
wing where the great man worked alone. I had not seen Mentchikof
since the day that we parted on his stairs, with his veiled threat
against mademoiselle in my ears, and I approached him now with
some feelings of curiosity. How would the pampered favorite endure
this season of neglect? how would the darling of a court face the
solitude of a discarded counsellor? Without any ceremony, the usher
threw open the door and I stood face to face with Alexander
Mentchikof. He sat in a large chair by his writing-table, in an easy
attitude; his left elbow resting on the arm of his chair, his right arm
thrown across the table; the pen, still wet with ink, in his fingers,
while his left hand supported his chin, for his head was bent in
thought and his fine face was unusually grave in its repose. His rich
dress of black velvet was arranged as carefully as if for some court
function, and the blue ribbon of the Order of Saint Andrew showed
on his breast. He greeted me without emotion and with his usual
urbanity, asking me to be seated.
“There are chairs in plenty to-day, M. le Maréchal,” he remarked,
smiling, as he glanced at the vacant room; “you find my state
reduced, and my friends”—he laughed, looking at me with those
keen brilliant eyes, “my friends are running for a safer covert. It
reminds me of an ancient legend,—of a great lion to whom all the
beasts, through fear, paid court. The lion had a favorite, a mouse,
whom he guarded tenderly, and all the other beasts paid homage to
it, telling it that it resembled its patron, until the mouse, through
conceit, offended, and the lion deserted it in anger. Immediately all
the beasts departed, save one, who swallowed the wretched little
mouse. Presently, the lion, returning, found his pet gone, and was
enraged, and fell upon the beast who had eaten it, and tore him and
drove off the others, and was afterwards a scourge because no
animal dared any more to try to soothe his mood.” Throwing out his
hands with a gesture of disdain, he added, “I am waiting to be
devoured.”
“It is easy to draw a parallel,” I said thoughtfully, “for afterwards no
man will rule the heart of this lion.”
He laughed bitterly. “Fools rush upon their fate, M. le Maréchal,” he
rejoined; “each man thinks that he is born to scale the dizzy heights
of fame. The greater the fool, the more eager he is for the attempt.
Unhappily, they find their error out too late, and run headlong to
their ruin.”
“I have often considered whether it was worth while or not,” I
remarked quietly, “the glitter of a court dazzles, but its honors are
hollow.”
Mentchikof smiled. “It is easy to philosophize in the hour of good
fortune, M. l’Ambassadeur,” he replied dryly, “but in the day of evil it
is difficult to apply it. We who have tasted the sweets of power find
the loss a bitter one. However, sometimes our friends desert too
soon, and Fortune changes when it is least expected.”
“It will be so with you, monsieur,” I said with conviction; “meanwhile
I find myself also in embarrassment. This morning I received this
communication from the czar.”
He held out his hand for the papers with an expression of curiosity;
he was far from suspecting their contents, for, after glancing over
the documents, he looked at me in open astonishment, smiling a
little at the gravity of my face.
“When a man is a king, it is easy to dispose of rivals, monsieur,” he
remarked quietly; “it makes the less fortunate envious.”
I laughed. “The case is peculiar, however,” I replied, “for M. de
Lambert is a young hot-head and ill to guide; it will be difficult to
send him away. I have had some hope that this order might be
reversed or, at least, a delay permitted.”
“It might have been,” Mentchikof replied thoughtfully; “but,
unhappily, Mademoiselle Shavronsky’s folly has made it impossible
for me to arrange it. His Majesty would be instantly suspicious of any
interference on my part. I fear, M. le Maréchal, that the young man
must go.”
I did not reply at once, and he folded the papers gravely and
returned them to me; as he did so, he glanced at me keenly and
smiled.
“Where is Mademoiselle Zotof?” he asked abruptly.
For the moment I was taken unawares and hesitated to reply, and
he laughed.
“You must inquire of the Councillor Zotof,” I said with composure,
meeting his eye.
“If rumor makes no mistake, sir,” he rejoined quietly, “the councillor
is anxious to know.”
I had risen to take my leave. I was disappointed at the failure of my
effort, and no longer disturbed by his inquiry.
“You ask a good deal, monsieur,” I remarked calmly. “If the young
lady’s uncle cannot find her, certainly a stranger could not.”
He was still laughing softly and regarding me from beneath his
drooping lids.
“The czar may not think the same,” he said gently, “and it will be
difficult to avoid an explanation. As your friend, M. le Maréchal, I
warn you.”
I thanked him and withdrew, satisfied that he was really unable to
prevent M. de Lambert’s dismissal, but still gravely uncertain of his
intentions toward Najine. He would never accept his defeat with
resignation, and I had no doubt that he and Catherine were deep in
plot and counterplot. Meanwhile M. Guillaume would remain in
Moscow at his peril, and I shared Zénaïde’s feeling of personal
responsibility. I must send him away at once, or conceal him; and he
would dispute either expedient. Never was man more perplexed than
I, as I walked slowly toward my quarters. Mademoiselle, for the
time, was safe, but it was manifest that the Livonian girl was still out
of favor, and the czar’s fancy for Najine was likely to prevail; and,
after all, would she still persist in her repugnance to a crown?
When I entered the house, Pierrot met me with a grave face.
“M. de Lambert has not returned,” he said quietly, “and he went out
without eating a morsel.”
I paused to think. It was not reassuring, and yet there was a
possibility that there was no cause for apprehension.
“We will give him a few hours more, Pierrot,” I said; but I was ill at
ease.
 CHAPTER XVIII.
MISSING.

When the day was far spent and there was still no sign of M. de
Lambert, I began to share Madame de Brousson’s solicitude. That he
could be again duped when he knew that Najine was miles away,
seemed improbable, but I could expect almost any folly from his
impetuosity. Pierrot had been out in search of him, but without
result, and came back manifestly disquieted, for years had not dulled
his suspicion of the Russian. He told me too that he had seen Tikhon
in the vicinity of my quarters, and I saw that he suspected some plot
to make away with M. Guillaume. This seemed improbable to me,
because of the czar’s order for his departure, for it would be
unnecessary to deal summarily with the young man until he failed to
obey the instructions. However, I became uneasy and, ordering my
horse, took Pierrot and started for Prince Dolgoruky’s house. I could,
at least, observe the prince, and learn something of his designs,
especially if he had really interfered with M. de Lambert. We rode at
a smart pace, and in a few moments I was dismounting in the
courtyard. While he did not assume the state of Mentchikof,
Dolgoruky belonged to the older boyars, and there was more of the
ceremony of twenty years before about his household. I was
ushered into his presence by an old Russian attendant who had
probably performed that office in the family for fifty years. The
prince was not alone, but surrounded by a group of friends, and, to
my discomfiture, attended by Zotof, who, I fancied, smiled a little at
my entrance. His presence disconcerted me, suggesting, as it did, an
intimate relation between the two, and therefore strengthening the
probability of Dolgoruky’s interference with my friend. However, I put
a bold face upon the matter, and, waiving the formal courtesy of the
occasion, spoke to the point, inventing a story for the purpose of
entrapping him.
“I come on a pressing errand, prince,” I said at once. “M. de
Lambert, a gentleman of my suite, left my house this morning at a
summons from one of your household and has not yet returned. His
presence being imperative at my quarters, owing to a message from
his Majesty the Czar, I came here to inquire for him. Doubtless you
can tell me where he is.”
Dolgoruky stared at me with an astonishment that was either
genuine or exceedingly well feigned; then, turning to his friends, he
exclaimed,—
“I call you to witness, gentlemen, the extraordinary demand of M. de
Brousson. He asks me to produce a French soldier whom I have not
seen for at least a fortnight and then at the palace.”
“M. de Brousson is a very extraordinary person,” remarked Zotof,
calmly. “He demands M. de Lambert at your hands, and yet refused
to account for my niece, Najine Alexeievna, when she visited his
wife.”
“Then let us make a bargain, M. l’Ambassadeur,” said Dolgoruky,
smiling; “if you will produce Najine Zotof, we will endeavor to find M.
de Lambert.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I am not a magician, gentlemen,” I said
dryly, “but I must account to the king my master for an officer of his
household troops, in the person of Guillaume de Lambert. King Louis
loves not an injury offered to any true Frenchman.”
The Russians looked at me intently. I was standing before them, my
hat in my hand, and my cloak still thrown across my shoulders,
armed and booted as I had ridden, and I was measuring them with
a certain scorn of their ability to dupe me, yet curious too as to their
own estimate of the situation, for I no longer doubted that they
knew something of M. de Lambert.
“All honor to the King of France,” Dolgoruky replied suavely; “long
may he live and learn to stand with Russia against the madman of
Sweden and the Turk! Why should I desire to offend his Majesty?”
“Nevertheless, the king will be gravely offended, Prince Dolgoruky,” I
said calmly, “if I cannot account for this young man who has served
with conspicuous gallantry in the armies of France.”
“Am I his keeper, M. l’Ambassadeur?” exclaimed the prince, tartly.
“Why do you demand a hot-headed boy at my hands?”
For a moment I did not reply. I wished my words to have additional
weight, and I let a silence intervene and then spoke with
deliberation.
“I asked him at your hands, prince,” I said, “because you have set a
spy upon him for two months and more. It was your man, Tikhon,
who dogged his steps before Apraxin joined the pursuit and
attempted to assassinate him. I am responsible for his life, and am
compelled to demand your aid in my search for him.”
Dolgoruky’s face flushed deeply at my words, and I saw that he was
struggling with a passionate impulse to reply with violence, and his
anger was reflected in the faces of his friends. But he had much at
stake and was something of a diplomat; before I finished speaking,
he had smoothed his brow and was looking at me with candid
reproach.
“You do me foul injustice, M. le Vicomte,” he said plaintively; “how
have I deserved such treatment at your hands? My assistance you
shall have. Tikhon shall go with you into every corner of Moscow, to
search for this young gentleman.”
He had assumed the only tone possible to evade my importunity,
and I was astonished at the ease with which he played the injured
party. I could not quarrel with so passive a foe, and was forced to
accept Tikhon for what he was worth as a guide. I had no authority
to search Dolgoruky’s house, and indeed doubted that he would
attempt to detain M. de Lambert there.
So it was that, baffled in my intention of taunting him into an
acknowledgment of his work, I left his house as quickly as possible
to prosecute my search, accompanied by Tikhon, who rode along
sullenly enough with Pierrot, for he probably still remembered the
day when M. de Lambert had stretched him on the pavement of the
Grand Square of the Kremlin. In truth, I scarcely knew what use to
make of the silent Russian, who protested an ignorance as great as
his master’s, but whom I suspected of considerable malevolence, for
he was not the man to forget or forgive.
We rode back rapidly to my quarters to inquire if M. de Lambert had
returned in the interval, and, finding that he was yet absent, went
on upon our errand. The improbability of his voluntarily staying so
long away now that Najine was absent was palpable enough, and I
had no longer any doubt that he had met with foul play. We had
searched every quarter where he was likely to visit, with the result of
receiving repeated assurances that he had not been seen that day,
and I was deeply disquieted. The dusk was gathering, and we rode
back upon our tracks in an aimless fashion. I had ordered my two
attendants in front, and was riding several yards behind absorbed in
troubled thought. We were below the Kremlin, on the bank of the
Moskva, and so lost was I in meditation that I started when my
horse shied at the sudden appearance of a man before him. The
stranger laid his hand on my bridle, and I drew my pistol, thinking
him some cut-purse.
“You stop me at your peril, knave,” I said harshly, wrenching the rein
free.
“Do not shoot, sir!” he exclaimed, and I knew his voice at once; it
was the Swedish spy.
“You took a serious risk,” I remarked, putting up my weapon; “what
would you have from me?”
“You are searching for M. de Lambert,” he said quietly; “I have heard
of it. That man Tikhon knows something—and also, monsieur,
Apraxin is here again.”
I started; these were evil tidings, for I looked upon him as an
assassin. The Swede’s knowledge did not astonish me, since it was
his business to acquire information, and his devoted gratitude had
already been proved. I leaned from my saddle and spoke to him in a
low tone.
“I thank you,” I said; “learn all you can, for I fear that he has met
with foul play. They desire his absence or his death.”
“Compel yonder man to speak, M. le Vicomte,” he said earnestly,
“and I will do my best. One good turn deserves another;” and with
these words he slipped back behind the shadow of a low building,
and I rode on.
He had scarcely detained me five minutes, but the others had gained
upon me and were quite a way in advance, so that as I went I had
time to formulate a plan for learning something definite from Tikhon.
After a while I rode faster and, overtaking them, ordered them to
proceed to the Zemlianui-gorod by way of a lonely lane with which I
was familiar. It was now quite dark, and the quiet of the hour and
the place suited my purpose. When we had reached the loneliest
spot, I called Pierrot to me under the pretence that my saddle
needed a tighter girth, and thus found an opportunity to whisper a
word or so in his ear. Tikhon had halted and was waiting in sullen
acquiescence, when Pierrot and I rode forward, one on either side of
him, and, Pierrot seizing his horse’s rein, I pressed my pistol to his
temple. He was taken unawares, and for the moment, I think, was
badly frightened.
“We have had enough of this child’s play,” I said sternly, “and now
you can tell us where to find M. de Lambert or you can die—like the
miserable wretch that you are.”
“I know nothing,” he replied stubbornly; “it will avail nothing to kill
me.”
“Tush, man!” I exclaimed sharply, “a spy is never so ignorant. You
cannot escape me. Either take me to M. de Lambert, or tell me
where to find him.”
“I can do neither,” he retorted, in the same sullen tone, gaining
courage because I did not immediately execute my threat. “I know
nothing, nor does the prince my master.”
“Probably you know how to say your prayers,” I remarked dryly, “in
which case you had better say them, for you have only about five
minutes to live. I give you so much space to choose between
confession and eternity.”
He did not reply. I think he only just began to believe that I was in
earnest. He was not a coward, but the touch of cold steel thrills even
a strong man. There was no chance of escape for him; we were in a
desolate spot, and the night grew intensely dark. There was no
sound as we sat there on our horses but their occasional restive
movements. Pierrot held his bridle with an iron grip, and I had
covered him with my weapon. A pistol-shot more or less would not
be noticed in Moscow, and death stared him in the face. In the
silence I could hear his breath coming short and thick, and knew his
heart was failing him. He could not see my face, and I smiled in the
darkness. It would not be necessary to use violence. He was
struggling hard with himself, and I had no doubt that he had cause
to fear the result of a confession. Dolgoruky, of course, had bound
him to fidelity, and it was possible that he saw death as an
alternative on either hand, for the prince would never pardon the
betrayal of his trust, and he must have placed great confidence in
this man or he would not have permitted him to go with me. The
minutes passed, and Tikhon was silent, still doubtless hoping for
rescue. The stillness was oppressive; the city was strangely quiet,
only, far off, a cathedral bell tolled twice from the Kremlin. Once
more I raised and levelled my pistol.
“The time has expired,” I said quietly. “I shall count three before I
fire, therefore be prepared for eternity.”
Still he did not speak; he had a stubborn courage which was slow to
yield.
“One,” I counted, tightening my grip upon my horse’s rein, for it
seemed as if the fool was determined to rush upon his fate and I
was losing patience.
“Two!”
I heard him draw his breath with a gasp.
“Wait!” he cried thickly.
It had come at last, but I carried things with a high hand.
“Do not trifle,” I exclaimed sternly, “you are facing death; speak the
whole truth.”
“You are a hard man,” he said in his sullen voice. “I am likely to die
in either case, but I am not prepared now.”
“Be quick!” I cried with impatience; “where is M. de Lambert?”
“Where he is not likely to escape so easily,” he answered, with a
certain vicious triumph in his tone; “he is in a guard-room of the
Kremlin.”
I started; something in his tone convinced me that he spoke the
truth, and I was not prepared for it.
“He could not be there without the czar’s order,” I exclaimed, “and I
have his passports.”
“He was committed by the czar’s officers,” he replied.
“And you betrayed him into their hands,” I said fiercely.
“I did not,” he replied boldly; “not that I bore him any good-will, but
I had no need to do more than watch. Zotof’s relative, Apraxin, did
the work.”
“Ah!” I ejaculated, “where is the miserable coward?”
“Truly, I know not,” Tikhon said bluntly; “he is a sullen boy for whom
I have no love. He has doubtless taken care to escape your
vengeance.”
“Not if he is in Moscow,” I said sharply, all the while thinking of some
way out of the difficulty.
“Are you satisfied, M. le Vicomte?” he asked after a moment; “am I
at liberty to live, having betrayed my trust?”
“If what you have told me proves true, you are safe,” I replied
slowly; “if it is false, you will answer for it. Let go his rein, Pierrot,
and ride with him to my quarters, and let him not escape your close
surveillance until I order his dismissal. I have another errand.”
I watched them ride away until their dark figures became parts of
that other darkness, and then, turning my horse’s head, made all
speed to the Kremlin.
 CHAPTER XIX.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE DWARFS.

I rode toward the Kremlin with a heavy heart; the perplexity and
perils of my position were increased a hundredfold. My distance from
my own government and my comparative isolation in Moscow made
a demand for justice not only difficult but practically futile. The czar
had no right to imprison arbitrarily one of my suite, but how absurd
was it to talk of privileges to the autocrat of all the Russias! It was
well enough to carry matters with a high hand and threaten the
wrath of the King of France while M. de Lambert was a free man,
but the coup d’état was accomplished; he was actually in a Russian
prison, and might easily starve there before aid could come from
Versailles. What folly had led him into the trap? What madness on
his part had prompted this sudden seizure? Not only did I find these
questions difficult to answer, but I found it difficult, too, to hit upon
a plan of action. Never was man in more unfortunate position,—
responsible for a delicate mission to the king my master; responsible
for a reckless young soldier; responsible for the honor and dignity of
my country, and dealing with a man of violent passions, for the czar
was a volcano ready to breathe smoke and fire at a moment’s
provocation. And how could I approach him now? Should I assume
ignorance, and appeal to him to aid me in my search for M. de
Lambert, or should I boldly proclaim my knowledge of the
imprisonment and demand justice in the name of the King of
France? I checked my horse and rode slowly to give myself time for
thought. On the whole, I reflected that feigned ignorance would suit
my purpose best, since defiance could scarcely help me and might
deeply incense the czar. There was one chance in a hundred for the
young man’s release, and that was a slender one. I fancied that he
would be offered an alternative; renunciation of mademoiselle or