For a long time all was very silent. Jost’s valet and confidential servant, sleepy and tired, waited in the hall to let his master’s visitor out,--and hearing no sound, ventured to look into the study now and then,--but to no purpose. He knew the sanctity of that inner chamber beyond; he knew that when the Premier came to see the great Jost,--as he often did,--it was in that mysterious further room that business was transacted, and that it was as much as his place was worth to venture even to knock at the door. So, yawning heavily, he dozed on his bench in the hall,--woke with a start and dozed again,--while the clock slowly ticked away the minutes till with a dull clang the hour struck One. Then on again went the steady and wearisome tick-tick of the pendulum, for a quarter of an hour, half an hour,--and three-quarters,--till the utterly fatigued valet was about to knock down a few walking-sticks and umbrellas, and make a general noise of reminder to his master as to how the time was going, when, to his great relief, he heard the inner door open at last, and the voice of the mysterious visitor ring out in clear, precise accents. “Nothing will be done publicly, of course,--unless Parliament insists on an enquiry!” The speaker came towards the hall, and the valet sprang up from his bench, and stood ready to show the stranger out. Jost replied, and his accents were thick and unsteady. “Enquiry cannot be forced! The Marquis himself can burk any such attempt.” “But--if the King should insist?” “He would be breaking all the rules of custom and precedent,” said Jost,--“And he would deserve to be dethroned!” Pasquin Leroy laughed. “True! Good-night, Mr. Jost! Can I do anything for you in Moscow?” The two men now came into the full light shed by the great lamp in the hall. Jost looked darkly red in the face--almost apoplectic; Leroy was as cool, imperturbable and easy of manner as a practised detective or professional spy. “In Moscow,” Jost repeated--“You are going straight to Russia?” “I think so.” “I suppose you are in the secret service?” “Exactly! A curious line of business, too, which the outside world knows very little of. Ah!--if the excellent people--the masses as we call them--knew what rogues had the ruling of their affairs in some countries--not in this country, of course!” he added with a quizzical smile,--“but in some others, not very far away, I wonder how many revolutions would break out within six months! Good-night, Mr. Jost!” “Good-night!” responded Jost briefly. “You will let me know any further developments?” “Most assuredly!”