“Yes,” she said, buttoning up her jacket again. “I robbed the robbers. Listen, and I will tell you all that happened. But, first, are you armed?”
“Yes,” he replied, “I have a trumpery revolver in my pocket; little good it did me last night.”
“Very well, we shall be across the frontier by noon to-day. If the Russian authorities find before that time how they have been checkmated, and if they have any suspicion that I am the cause of it, is it not likely that they will have me stopped and searched on some pretence or other?” Lord Donal pondered for a moment. “They are quite capable of it,” he said; “but, Jennie, I will fight for you against the whole Russian Empire, and somebody will get hurt if you are meddled with. The police will hesitate, however, before interfering with a messenger from the Embassy, or anyone in his charge in broad daylight on a crowded train. We will not go back into that car, but stay here, where some of our fellow-countrymen are.”
“That is what I was going to propose,” said Jennie. “And now listen to the story I have to tell you, and then you will know exactly why I came to Russia.”
“Don’t tell me anything you would rather not,” said the young man hurriedly.
“I would rather not, but it must be told,” answered the girl.
The story lasted a long time, and when it was ended the young man cried enthusiastically in answer to her question,—
“Blame you? Why, of course I don’t blame you in the slightest. It wasn’t Hardwick who sent you here at all, but Providence. Providence brought us together, Jennie, and my belief in it hereafter will be unshaken.”
Jennie laughed a contented little laugh, and said she was flattered at being considered an envoy of Providence.
“It is only another way of saying you are an angel, Jennie,” remarked the bold young man.