[Illustration: _Her eyes swept the room with cold hauteur_] The Shears of Destiny By Leroy Scott Author of “To Him That Hath,” “The Walking Delegate” [Illustration] _Illustrated by Alexander Popini_ New York Doubleday, Page & Company 1910 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN COPYRIGHT, 1909, 1910, BY THE SUCCESS COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1910, by DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY PUBLISHED, SEPTEMBER, 1910 CHARACTERS HENRY DREXEL, a young American business man. PRINCESS OLGA VALENKO. GENERAL VALENKO, her father, Military Governor of St. Petersburg. JOHN HOWARD, Drexel’s uncle, an American capitalist. MRS. HOWARD. ALICE HOWARD, their daughter, engaged to Prince Berloff. PRINCE BERLOFF, a powerful Russian nobleman. COUNTESS BARONOVA, a fair young widow. JAMES FREEMAN, an American correspondent. CAPTAIN NADSON, of the political police. THE WHITE ONE, the hidden leader of the revolutionists. RAZOFF, } SABATOFF, } of the revolutionists’ Central Committee PESTEL, } IVAN, } NICOLAI, } revolutionists. COLONEL DELWIG, governor of the fortress-prison Sts. Peter and Paul. COLONEL KAVELIN, his successor. BORODIN, a prisoner of State. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE WOMAN IN BROWN 3 II. CAUGHT IN THE CURRENT 11 III. A LONG JOURNEY THAT WAS SOON ENDED 23 IV. THE PRISONER OF THE WHITE ONE 31 V. THE HOUSE IN THREE SAINTS’ COURT 44 VI. THE KING AND THE BEGGAR MAID 54 VII. CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE 63 VIII. THE PRINCESS OF HEARTS 74 IX. ONE WOMAN--OR TWO? 86 X. “YOU AND I--AGAINST THE WORLD!” 99 XI. A BARGAIN IS RENEWED 109 XII. IN THE PRINCE’S STUDY 124 XIII. BETWEEN THREE FIRES 135 XIV. THE FLIGHT WITH THE COUNTESS 146 XV. THE MAN IN THE SHEEPSKIN COAT 161 XVI. THE WHITE ONE 172 XVII. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 180 XVIII. FOR A BROTHER’S LIFE 192 XIX. THE BATTLE IN THREE SAINTS’ COURT 202 XX. THE SPY 217 XXI. THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAINS 227 XXII. A VICE-CZAR DOES HIS DUTY 240 XXIII. THE LAST CARD 253 XXIV. THE PRINCE PLAYS TRUMPS 268 XXV. A DESPERATE PLAN 277 XXVI. THE JAWS OF DEATH 288 XXVII. THE GODDESS OF VENGEANCE 303 XXVIII. THE DAY AFTER 311 XXIX. TO-MORROW? 327 ILLUSTRATIONS