第67章

"I will go.He ought to have wind of what is being plotted, and as for me, I don't know where Annoucbka has gone.I have more to learn from him than he has from me.Besides, as Athanase Georgevitch said, one may regret not accepting the Head of the Okrana's pleasant invitation.">From six o'clock to seven he still waited vainly for Natacha's response.At seven o'clock, he decided to dress for the dinner.

Just as he rose, a messenger arrived.There was still another letter for Joseph Rouletabille.This time it was from Natacha, who wrote him:

"General Trebassof and my step-mother will be very happy to have you come to dinner to-day.As for myself, monsieur, you will pardon me the order which has closed to you for a number of days a dwelling where you have rendered services which I shall not forget all my life."The letter ended with a vague polite formula.With the letter in his hand the reporter sat in thought.He seemed to be asking himself, "Is it fish or flesh?" Was it a letter of thanks or of menace? That was what he could not decide.Well, he would soon know, for he had decided to accept that invitation.Anything that brought him and Natacha into communication at the moment was a thing of capital importance to him.Half-an-hour later he gave the address of the villa to an isvotchick, and soon he stepped out before the gate where Ermolai seemed to be waiting for him.

Rouletabille was so occupied by thought of the conversation he was going to have with Natacha that he had completely forgotten the excellent Monsieur Gounsovski and his invitation.

The reporter found Koupriane's agents making a close-linked chain around the grounds and each watching the other.Matrena had not wished any agent to be in house.He showed Koupriane's pass and entered.

Ermolai ushered Rouletabille in with shining face.He seemed glad to have him there again.He bowed low before him and uttered many compliments, of which the reporter did not understand a word.

Rouletablle passed on, entered the garden and saw Matrena Petrovna there walking with her step-daughter.They seemed on the best of terms with each other.The grounds wore an air of tranquillity and the residents seemed to have totally forgotten the somber tragedy of the other night.Matrena and Natacha came smilingly up to the young man, who inquired after the general.They both turned and pointed out Feodor Feodorovitch, who waved to him from the height of the kiosk, where it seemed the table had been spread.They were going to dine out of doors this fine night.

"Everything goes very well, very well indeed, dear little domovoi,"said Matrena."How glad it is to see you and thank you.If you only knew how I suffered in your absence, I who know how unjust my daughter was to you.But dear Natacha knows now what she owes you.

She doesn't doubt your word now, nor your clear intelligence, little angel.Michael Nikolaievitch was a monster and he was punished as he deserved.You know the police have proof now that he was one of the Central Revolutionary Committee's most dangerous agents.And he an officer! Whom can we trust now!""And Monsieur Boris Mourazoff, have you seen him since?" inquired Rouletabille.

"Boris called to see us to-day, to say good-by, but we did not receive him, under the orders of the police.Natacha has written to tell him of Koupriane's orders.We have received letters from him; he is quitting St.Petersburg.

"What for?"

"Well, after the frightful bloody scene in his little house, when he learned how Michael Nikolaievitch had found his death, and after he himself had undergone a severe grilling from the police, and when he learned the police had sacked his library and gone through his papers, he resigned, and has resolved to live from now on out in the country, without seeing anyone, like the philosopher and poet he is.So far as I am concerned, I think he is doing absolutely right.When a young man is a poet, it is useless to live like a soldier.Someone has said that, I don't know the name now, and when one has ideas that may upset other people, surely they ought to live in solitude."Rouletabille looked at Natacha, who was as pale as her white gown, and who added no word to her mother's outburst.They had drawn near the kiosk.Rouletabille saluted the general, who called to him to come up and, when the young man extended his hand, he drew him abruptly nearer and embraced him.To show Rouletabille how active he was getting again, Feodor Feodorovitch marched up and down the kiosk with only the aid of a stick.He went and came with a sort of wild, furious gayety.

"They haven't got me yet, the dogs.They haven't got me! And one (he was thinking of Michael) who saw me every day was here just for that.Very well.I ask you where he is now.And yet here I am!

An attack! I'm always here! But with a good eye; and I begin to have a good leg.We shall see.Why, I recollect how, when I was at Tiflis, there was an insurrection in the Caucasus.We fought.

Several times I could feel the swish of bullets past my hair.My comrades fell around me like flies.But nothing happened to me, not a thing.And here now! They will not get me, they will not get me.You know how they plan now to come to me, as living bombs.

Yes, they have decided on that.I can't press a friend's hand any more without the fear of seeing him explode.What do you think of that? But they won't get me.Come, drink my health.A small glass of vodka for an appetizer.You see, young man, we are going to have zakouskis here.What a marvelous panorama! You can see everything from here.If the enemy comes," he added with a singular loud laugh, "we can't fail to detect him."Certainly the kiosk did rise high above the garden and was completely detached, no wall being near.They had a clear view.

No branches of trees hung over the roof and no tree hid the view.