She turned her eyes upon me with a look that infected me with her enthusiasm. "You will help us, will you not?"
"With everything I possess, even to my life."
"I know it; I am sure of you. Would to heaven we had more men like you with us! I am going to trust you—put perhaps our lives in your keeping, for I know well enough the dangers of the work. But I trust you—absolutely." She held out her hand as she said this with an air and tone of implicit confidence, and I carried her fingers to my lips.
"Show me how to help," I said, my voice unsteady with emotion.
"Openly we are all allied to the Russians in a scheme which is to make me the reigning Princess, independent of all Russian influence. This is the veil which hides their real intentions. Secretly there is an engagement that I shall become the wife of the Duke Sergius, admitting him to a half share of the throne, and thus Russianising it completely. To make sure of me, it is arranged that we be married secretly, the union only to be announced after my accession. The object for this is of course to bind me irrevocably to them before-*hand; and it is expected that while I am seemingly independent, all that is national and patriotic in Bulgaria will be rallied to my support. We should thus get a firm hold of the throne and of all classes of the people without the suspicion of too great Russian predominance. Do you see that?"
I did; and my looks showed that I did not relish it.
"It is a shrewd scheme, no doubt," I said.
She gazed at me steadily, almost reproachfully, I thought. But I did not like the scheme, and would not pretend that I did.
