CHAPTER XVIII
THE MYSTERY OF A WOMAN
Who was M. Auguste?
This was the question that kept my mind busy after my singular interview with the Russian Emperor.
In accordance with my rule to avoid as much as possible mentioning the names of the humbler actors in the international drama, I have given the notorious medium a name which conceals his true one.
He appeared to be a foreigner, and the Czar’s weakness in this direction was too well known for his patronage of the quack to excite much attention; apparently it had occurred to no one but myself that such a man might be capable of meddling in politics.
In his more public performances, so far as I could learn, the revelations of the spirits were confined to more harmless topics, such as the nature of the future state, or the prospect of an heir being born to the Russian crown.
In my quest for further light on this remarkable personage, my thoughts naturally turned to the Princess Y——.