"DEAREST,--Forgive me for not letting you know before that I am safe. I had no means of communicating with you with safety. The man who is dead was killed by no wish of mine. Yet I dared not run the risk of arrest. The bearer of this is an old friend of mine who will herself be in peril by delivering this. Trust her, and destroy this. She will tell you how to keep in touch with me." There was no signature. Mechanically Eileen tore the letter in two and dropped the fragments on the blazing fire. She felt the dark eyes of the Princess upon her as she did so. A spasm of jealousy swept across her at the thought that this woman should have been trusted, should have had the privilege of helping Grell rather than herself. She strove to push it aside as unworthy. He was alive. He was alive. The thought was dominant in her mind. She could have sung for very joy. "Well?" asked the Princess. "I don't understand," said Eileen wearily. "He does not explain. There is nothing clear in the note but that he is alive." "He dare say no more. We--that is--he's succeeded in evading the police so far. If by any chance that letter had fallen into their hands, it would have told them no more than they knew at present." "Where is he?" demanded Eileen. "I must go to him." "No, that will never do. You would be followed. I will give any message for you. You can help, but not in that way. He is in need of money. Have you any of your own? Can you let him have, say, five hundred pounds at once?" The girl reflected a moment. "There is my jewellery," she said at last. "He--or you--can raise more than five hundred on that. Wait a moment." She left the room, and a smile flitted across the grave face of the Princess. A few moments later she returned with a little silver casket in her hands. "And now," she said, "tell me what happened. Who killed this man Goldenburg?" The Princess Petrovska gave a dainty little shrug. "Mr. Grell shall tell you that in his own fashion," she said. "Listen." For ten minutes she talked rapidly, now and again writing something on a slip of paper and showing it to Eileen. The girl nodded in comprehension, occasionally interjecting a question. At last the Princess rose. "You fully understand?" she said. "I fully understand," echoed Eileen. CHAPTER XX