When I Was Czar

by Arthur W. Marchmont

The footsteps came right to the house and then stopped.

In a fever of impatience I dragged myself cautiously to the entrance and peering out, watched them.

They stood a moment talking together in whispers at the other end of the house. The woman seemed to be giving the man some information and instructions, for I saw her point several times toward that end of the building.

After perhaps a couple of minutes she left, and the man shrank back into the deep shadows, until the sound of her footsteps had ceased. Then I heard the scrape of his feet against brickwork, and could just make out that he had climbed on to a low wall which ran by the side of the house.

At the risk of discovery I felt that I must know where he had gone, so I drew off my boots and stole after him. By the side of the house ran a very narrow passage guarded by a heavy iron gate, and crawling on to the wall I followed the man with as much haste as the need for extreme caution permitted.

The house was as still as a charnel vault; but I was no longer dismayed by this. It was evident that such a visitor must have very strong motives for this kind of secrecy; and as I judged that the woman had pointed out the means by which an entrance to the house could be gained, it was easy to understand that this was all connected with the threatened attack upon Helga. This meant therefore that she was still safe, and that I had arrived in time to take a hand in matters.

When I had gone far enough along the wall to get a view of the rear of the house, I lay down and looked about for the man, and soon discovered his plan. There were no underground rooms to the house, but there were cellars, and the way to these was protected by a heavy grating. He had removed this, and when I caught sight of him he was standing below in the act of replacing this grating above his head.

As soon as it was in its place, I slipped off the wall and listened. He entered the cellar, and when once inside struck a match, the feeble flickering light from which enabled me to watch him.

He looked round for a moment as if in doubt, and then went to a door in the far right-hand corner and knocked: three double knocks, repeated at short intervals. After a while I heard the door open; the sound of muffled gruff voices came to me; the door was closed, and then all was silent as the grave once more.

For a moment I hesitated whether to follow him or to go back to the front and try again to get into the house that way. But my former failure to attract attention there decided me against that course.