The house was built of stone, and although its architecture was plain, it had the solidity of a castle. Even the vines that grew up the lattice-work and walls seemed to intertwine their curly branches into a living network that helped fortify the stone nest of the Captain and his beautiful Vera. The lovely creature was passing her hands lightly over the keyboard of the piano as the Captain entered. "It is only I," he called, but she was startled nevertheless. "I am glad you came," she said as she rose to meet him, and placing her pale head on his decorated breast added--"I am afraid to remain here alone." "But where are the servants, my dear?" "Oh, servants don't count." "Well, well, my darling," spoke the Captain, petting her. "You have nothing to fear. It is all imagination." "But I am so nervous." "Come, my dear. Let's have tea and I will tell you a funny story." Presently they were seated at the table drinking tea, and the Captain began his story. "You know, my dear," he said; "we are going to put an end to all this foolish political talk and people's committees. Any beggar forms a committee, and they do what they like. Civil authorities and military authorities are all alike to them." "Oh, I am so afraid of beggars," interrupted the beautiful Vera. "Well, my dear; soon there will be nothing to be afraid of; a propaganda council was organized at headquarters this morning, and what do you think? This morning two men arrived with a moving picture camera to take pictures of our orderly town, and in the afternoon we took an object-lesson picture. I marched the soldiers into the square and we dug up a plot so that the earth might be soft. "Then we had a beggar dig his own grave as we took the picture. When he had dug enough, I gave the signal and the firing squad drew up their rifles and blazed away." "Why did you kill him?" "No, my dear; we only pretended to kill him. I myself was careful to see that the leads were taken off the cartridge. But you see we could not tell the beggar that he was not going to die because we wanted to make the picture look realistic--he might have run away in the middle and ruined the film. "Well, my dear, to make a long story short, the fool beggar fell into the pit, believing himself really killed. It will make a fine picture. It will be shown in all the surrounding towns as an object lesson, and before the picture itself appears on the screen it will be entitled--I suggested it myself--it will read--'This is what happened to a fool who thought he could oppose the military authorities,' and then will be shown the picture of the beggar digging his own grave.