“I want to speak to the governor.”
There was another silence. “Is this Governor Kavelin?”
“Yes.”
Sabatoff’s voice had taken on a tone of cold, supercilious politeness. “This is the second secretary of General Pavloff, administrator of prisons. General Pavloff presents his compliments to Colonel Kavelin and begs to inform him that the Czar in his clemency has commuted the sentence of the prisoners Borodin and Sonya Varanova to life imprisonment.”
“Why, I’m all ready to execute them!” exclaimed the governor.
“The administrator also wishes me to inform you,” Sabatoff went on, “that it has been decided to remove these two prisoners, together with Razoff and the White One, to Schlusselburg.”
“Remove them to Schlusselburg!” cried the governor. “What does this mean?”
“I dare say that if General Pavloff had wished you to know the reason he would have instructed me to inform you,” was the cool response.
“Pardon me,” Colonel Kavelin returned angrily, “but it seems to me that General Pavloff, knowing my record, could have considered the prisoners perfectly safe in my charge!”
“I am not authorized to answer for General Pavloff. Do you know Captain Laroque of the gendarmerie?—who was recently transferred here from Moscow?”