"Yes," said Sokolof, "an ill return, and calculated to damage me sorely at headquarters. An escape is nothing. But to be gulled in this fashion, and to call their attention to it myself by that cursed telegram, which was intended entirely for your benefit----" "He tried hard to dissuade you from it." "For his own ends. The result has been disastrous, and the matter, and your share in it, must be investigated. But, in the fact of your going, you are not incriminated. His papers were all in order, so far as we could possibly make out. In going with him you only obeyed orders supposed to have come from St. Petersburg. But that is not enough for me. There is that behind which I do not understand. If I am still to stand your friend I must understand it." Upon which Pavlof took his fate in his hands. "It is a strange story," he said, "and may try your credence at times. But I will tell you the whole matter, and you shall judge me. The man who is dying in the hospital there is Serge Palma----" "Serge Palma!" echoed Sokolof in vast surprise. "Then who----? Who the devil are you?" "I am Paul Pavlof." At which Sokolof shook his head with a perplexed pinching of the brows. He had never heard of Paul Pavlof. "But Madame----" he asked, with sudden inspiration, "Is she then not Madame Palma?" "She was Palma's wife. She came out here to join him. He and I had exchanged names on the road. He stopped at Minusinsk. I came on to Kara. Instead of her husband, she found me here." "You had known her before she married Palma?" "Yes, I had known her and loved her. But I was very poor, and she was very enthusiastic on the subject of the people." "And Palma was rich?" "Palma was rich." "I begin to see. And now--is she your wife or Palma's?" "She is my wife--now. We awaited news of Palma. We got only news of his death----" "Ah?"--as if he would have liked much to inquire how such news had reached him. "And so, after long waiting, we married. Then Palma came, at the risk of his life, to pay the debt he considered he owed me. I was quite happy here. So was my wife. His coming was terrible to us. What could we do?" Sokolof nodded. "We could not refuse to go, though we had no wish to go. If we had refused, you would have sent us. The only thing we could have done was impossible, and that was to expose the man who was risking his life for us. Would you have done that, Captain Sokolof?" "I would not." "And what would you have thought of me if I had done it?" "I should have thought you a cur." "Exactly. Now you understand the whole matter." "Now I understand." He paced thoughtfully to and fro. Once he stopped and faced Pavlof, as if about to speak, but thought better of it and went on. "I must keep you here for the present," he said at last, "till inquisition is made into the matter." "You will let me see to Palma and the others?"