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the country.
Mich. Ay, and by the sword not by the goose-quill.
Vera. Where are the letters from Poland?
Prof. Here.
Vera. Unhappy Poland! The eagles of Russia have fed on her heart. We must not forget our brothers there.
Pres. Is this true, Michael?
Mich. Ay, I stake my life on it.
Pres. Let the doors be locked, then. Alexis Ivanacievitch entered on our roll of the brothers as a Student of the School of Medicine at Moscow. Why did you not tell us of this bloody scheme of martial law?
Alex. I, President?
Mich. Ay, you! You knew it, none better. Such weapons as these are not forged in a day. Why did you not tell us of it? A week ago there had been time to lay the mine, to raise the barricade, to strike one blow at least for liberty. But now the hour is past. It is too late, it is too late! Why did you keep it a secret from us, I say?
Alex. Now by the hand of freedom, Michael, my brother, you wrong me. I knew nothing of this hideous law. By my soul, my brothers, I knew not of it! How should I know?
Mich. Because you are a traitor! Where did you go when you left us the night of our last meeting here?
Alex. To mine own house, Michael.
Mich. Liar! I was on your track. You left here an hour after midnight. Wrapped in a large cloak, you crossed the river in a boat a mile below the second bridge, and gave the ferryman a gold piece, you, the poor student of medicine! You doubled back twice, and hid in an archway so long that I had almost made up my mind to stab you at once, only that I am fond of hunting. So! you thought that you had baffled all pursuit, did you? Fool! I am a bloodhound that never loses the scent. I followed you from street to street. At last I saw you pass swiftly across the Place St. Isaac, whisper to the guards the secret password, enter the palace by a private door with your own key.
Conspirators. The palace!
Vera. Alexis!
Mich. I waited. All through the dreary watches of our long Russian night I waited, that I might kill you with your Judas hire still hot in your hand. But you never came out; you never left that palace at all. I saw the blood-red sun rise through the yellow fog over the murky town; I saw a new day of oppression dawn on Russia; but you never came out. So you pass nights in the palace, do you? You know the password for the guards! you have a key to a secret door. Oh, you are a spy — you are a spy! I never trusted you, with your soft white hands, your curled hair, your pretty graces. You have no mark of suffering about you; you cannot be of the people. You are a spy — a spy — traitor.
Omnes. Kill him! Kill him! (draw their knives.)
Vera (Do not dare lay a hand upon him! He is the noblest heart amongst us.rushing in front of Alexis). Stand back, I say, Michael! Stand back all!
Omnes. Kill him! Kill him! He is a spy!
Vera. Dare to lay a finger on him, and I leave you all to yourselves.
Pres. Vera, did you not hear what Michael said of him? He stayed all night in the Czar’s palace. He has a password and a private key. What else should he be but a spy?
Vera. Bah! I do not believe Michael. It is a lie! It is a lie! Alexis, say it is a lie!
Alex. It is true. Michael has told what he saw. I did pass that night in the Czar’s palace. Michael has spoken the truth.
Vera. Stand back, I say; stand back! Alexis, I do not care. I trust you; you would not betray us; you would not sell the people for money. You are honest, true! Oh, say you are no spy!
Alex. Spy? You know I am not. I am with you, my brothers, to the death.
Mich. Ay, to your own death.
Alex. Vera, you know I am true.
Vera. I know it well.
Pres. Why are you here, traitor?
Alex. Because I love the people.
Mich. Then you can be a martyr for them?
Vera. You must kill me first, Michael, before you lay a finger on him.
Pres. Michael, we dare not lose Vera. It is her whim to let this boy live. We can keep him here tonight. Up to this he has not betrayed us.
(Tramp of soldiers outside, knocking at door.)
Voice. Open in the name of the Emperor!
Mich. He has betrayed us. This is your doing, spy!
Pres. Come, Michael, come. We have no time to cut one another’s throats while we have our own heads to save.
Voice. Open in the name of the Emperor!
Pres. Brothers, be masked all of you. Michael, open the door. It is our only chance.
(Enter General Kotemkin and soldiers.)
Gen. All honest citizens should be in their own houses at an hour before midnight, and not more than five people have a right to meet privately. Have you not noticed the proclamation, fellows?
Mich. Ay, you have spoiled every honest wall in Moscow with it.
Vera. Peace, Michael, peace. Nay, Sir, we knew it not. We are a company of strolling players travelling from Samara to Moscow to amuse His Imperial Majesty the Czar.
Gen. But I heard loud voices before I entered. What was that?
Vera. We were rehearsing a new tragedy.
Gen. Your answers are too honest to be true. Come, let me see who you are. Take off those players’ masks. By St. Nicholas, my beauty, if your face matches your figure, you must be a choice morsel! Come, I say, pretty one; I would sooner see your face than those of all the others.
Pres. O God! if he sees it is Vera, we are all lost!
Gen. No coquetting, my girl. Come, unmask, I say, or I shall tell my guards to do it for you.
Alex. Stand back, I say, General Kotemkin!
Gen. Who are you, fellow, that talk with such a tripping tongue to your betters? (Alexis takes his mask off.) His Imperial Highness the Czarevitch!
Omnes. The Czarevitch! It is all over!
Pres. He will give us up to the soldiers.
Mich. (to Vera). Why did you not let me kill him? Come, we must fight to the death for it.
Vera. Peace! he will not betray us.
Alex. A whim of mine, General! You know how my father keeps me from the world and imprisons me in the palace. I should really be bored to death if I could not get out at night in disguise sometimes, and have some romantic adventure in town. I fell in with these honest folks a few hours ago.
Gen. But, your Highness —
Alex. Oh, they are excellent actors, I assure you. If you had come in ten minutes ago, you would have witnessed a most interesting scene.
Gen. Actors, are they, Prince?
Alex. Ay, and very ambitious actors, too. They only care to play before kings.
Gen. I’ faith, your Highness, I was in hopes I had made a good haul of Nihilists.
Alex. Nihilists in Moscow, General! with you as head of the police? Impossible!
Gen. So I always tell your Imperial father. But I heard at the council to-day that that woman Vera Sabouroff, the head of them, had been seen in this very city. The Emperor’s face turned as white as the snow outside. I think I never saw such terror in any man before.
Alex. She is a dangerous woman, then, this Vera Sabouroff?
Gen. The most dangerous in all Europe.
Alex. Did you ever see her, General?
Gen. Why, five years ago, when I was a plain