"Yes. When this cousin of mine—his name was Nicholas—when Nicholas was killed——"
"They killed him! Who?"
"The Bolsheviki—they killed Nicholas and his whole family—his wife, son and four daughters——"
"Peter!" Beth started up and stared at him in startled bewilderment, as she remembered the talks she had had with him about the Russian Revolution. "Nicholas——!" she gasped. "His wife—son—daughters. He had the same name as—as the Czar—!" And as her gaze met his again she seemed to guess.... "Peter!" she gasped. "What—what do you mean?"
"I mean that it was the Little Father—the Czar—who was my cousin, Beth."
She stared at Peter in awe and a kind of fear of this new element in their relations.
"And—and you——? You're——?"
"I'm just Peter Nichols——," he said with a laugh.
"But over there——"
"I'm nothing. They chucked us all out, the Bolsheviki—every last one of us that had a handle to his name."