Peter Nichols chuckled. It was his last chuckle as Peter Nichols.
"Well, I'm not what you thought I was. I've been acting under false colors—under false pretenses. My name isn't Peter Nichols. It's Peter Nicholaevitch——"
"Then you are all Russian!" she said.
Peter shook his head.
"No. Only half of me. But I used to live in Russia—at a place called Zukovo. The thing I wanted to tell you was that they fired me out because they didn't want me there."
"You! How dared they! I'd like to give them a piece of my mind," said Beth indignantly.
"It wouldn't have done any good. I tried to do that."
"And wouldn't they listen?"
"No. They burned my—my house and tried to shoot me."
"Oh! How could they!" And then, gently, "Oh, Peter. You have had troubles, haven't you?"