United States or Poland ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
You will recall that Natacha Feodorovna was engaged to poor Boris Mourazoff, still another young man who has disappeared and who, before disappearing, charged me to deliver to General Trebassof's daughter this last token these two little ikons. I entrust you with this mission, Monsieur le Grand Marechal. Your servant, Excellency." Rouletabille re-descended the great Kaniouche.
He felt actual fear in the presence of these two figures, so atrociously commonplace, in their horrible, decent little drawing-room. Madame continued: "But you have had rather a bad dinner already, through that dreadful affair at General Trebassof's. Come into the dining-room." "Ah, so someone has told you?" said Rouletabille. "No, no, thanks; I don't need anything more.
General Trebassof's father was governor of Courlande at that time, by the grace of God and the Little Father. Thaddeus, who was just thirteen years old, killed the bear with a single stroke of his boar-spear, and just in time.
Koupriane choked with rage. "Your Excellency," said Rouletabille, taking him by the arm, "calm yourself. They are watching us. Come along and have a cup of tea at Cubat's place. Easy now, as though we were out for a walk." "Will you explain to me?" "No, no, Your Excellency. Remember that I have promised you General Trebassof's life in exchange for your prisoner's.
But Koupriane still stood in his way. "Prince, consider that this matter is very serious. Michael Nikolaievitch, General Trebassof's orderly, is dead, and this little girl has stolen his papers from his body. All persons who have spoken with Katharina will be under suspicion. This is an affair of State, monsieur, which may reach very far.
From that villa a person could see the window of the sitting-room in General Trebassof's residence, but not what might occur along the bank of the river just below its walls. An isvotchick drove along the distant route of Krestowsky, conveying in his carriage a company of young officers and young women who had been feasting and who sang as they rode; then deep silence ensued.
"Monsieur Koupriane, I offer it to you again. Life for life. Give me the life of that poor devil and I promise you General Trebassof's." "Explain yourself." "Not at all. Do you promise me that you will maintain silence about the case of that man and that you will not touch a hair of his head?"
"Annouchka had a brother, Vlassof, an engineer on the Kasan line, whom the Strike Committee had ordered to take out a train as the only means of escape for the leaders of the revolutionary troops when Trebassof's soldiers, aided by the Semenowsky regiment, had become masters of the city. The last resistance took place at the station. It was necessary to get started.
You speak as if it belonged to you, as if you could dispose of it." Rouletabille laid his hand on Koupriane's arm. "Perhaps that's so," said he. "Would you like me to tell you one thing, Monsieur Rouletabille? It is that General Trebassof's life, after what has just escaped the lips of this Touman, who is not Touman, isn't worth any more than than yours if you remain here.
General Trebassof's book in which he kept a statement of the exact disposal of each of your men during the period of siege was most instructive on that point. The other posts changed in turn, but the same agent, when he was among the guard, demanded always that same post, which was not disputed by anybody, since it is no fun to pass the hours of the night behind a wall, in an empty field.
Word Of The Day