“It’s all right—you know me—set him down, I’m responsible.” The clerk looked grave, and shook his head. The Major added: “It’s all right, it ’ll be here in twenty-four hours—it’s coming by mail. Here’s mine, and his is coming right along.”

The clerk was full of politeness, full of deference, but he was firm. He said, in English:

“Indeed, I wish I could accommodate you, Major, and certainly I would if I could; but I have no choice, I must ask him to go; I cannot allow him to remain in the house a moment.”

Parrish began to totter, and emitted a moan; the Major caught him and stayed him with an arm, and said to the clerk, appealingly:

“Come, you know me—everybody does—just let him stay here the one night, and I give you my word—”

The clerk shook his head, and said:

“But, Major, you are endangering me, you are endangering the house. I—I hate to do such a thing, but I—I must call the police.”

“Hold on, don’t do that. Come along, my boy, and don’t you fret—it’s going to come out all right. Hi, there, cabby! Jump in, Parrish. Palace of the General of the Secret Police—turn them loose, cabby! Let them go! Make them whiz! Now we’re off, and don’t you give yourself any uneasiness. Prince Bossloffsky knows me, knows me like a book; he’ll soon fix things all right for us.”

They tore through the gay streets and arrived at the palace, which was brilliantly lighted. But it was half- past eight; the Prince was about going in to dinner, the sentinel said, and couldn’t receive any one.

“But he’ll receive me,” said the Major, robustly, and handed his card. “I’m Major Jackson. Send it in; it ’ll be all right.”

The card was sent in, under protest, and the Major and his waif waited in a reception-room for some time. At length they were sent for, and conducted to a sumptuous private office and confronted with the Prince, who stood there gorgeously arrayed and frowning like a thunder-cloud. The Major stated his case, and begged for a twenty-four-hour stay of proceedings until the passport should be forthcoming.

“Oh, impossible!” said the Prince, in faultless English. “I marvel that you should have done so insane a thing as to bring the lad into the country without a passport, Major, I marvel at it; why, it’s ten years in Siberia, and no help for it—catch him! support him!” for poor Parrish was making another trip to the floor. “Here—quick, give him this. There—take another draught; brandy’s the thing, don’t you find it so, lad? Now you feel better, poor fellow. Lie down on the sofa. How stupid it was of you, Major, to get him into such a horrible scrape.”

The Major eased the boy down with his strong arms, put a cushion under his head, and whispered in his ear:

“Look as damned sick as you can! Play it for all it’s worth; he’s touched, you see; got a tender heart under there somewhere; fetch a groan, and say, ‘Oh, mamma, mamma’; it ’ll knock him out, sure as guns.”

Parrish was going to do these things anyway, from native impulse, so they came from him promptly, with great and moving sincerity, and the Major whispered: “Splendid! Do it again; Bernhardt couldn’t beat it.”

What with the Major’s eloquence and the boy’s misery, the point was gained at last; the Prince struck his colors, and said:

“Have it your way; though you deserve a sharp lesson and you ought to get it. I give you exactly twenty- four hours. If the passport is not here then, don’t come near me; it’s Siberia without hope of pardon.”