“No, no. They are both members of this terrible Fraternity—revolutionaries. My father was one and lost his life in the cause. My uncle, Count Peter—he was the brother of my father’s first wife—has always dominated our family: even my poor dear mother.”
“Is she involved with the Fraternity, too?”
“No, and yet yes. She has no sympathy with the movement at all; but my uncle influenced her and she has given large sums of money. She is rich, you know, and, if it is found out, the government would be glad to get any pretext for confiscating her fortune. They would throw her into prison, and it would kill her.”
“But surely your uncle was not so mad as to leave anything implicating her in existence.”
“I wish I could think that. It may be so; but only this morning he warned me that if these papers did not get to Cracow and a raid was made there, things would be found which would place her in danger.”
I thought some things about Count Peter which I did not express. “I hope he was exaggerating matters,” I said.
“We have not been happy at home because I would never join in any of these miserable conspiracies. My sister Katinka, and Paul too, always upbraided me.”
“You put your sister first, I notice.”
“She influences Paul. She is very strong willed, and very—very zealous for the ‘Fraternity.’”
“I don’t think you would make a very formidable conspirator, you know.”