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"If from M h,,, II. ..Ir Ol.d your own tbe dimpled binds bad pittl. ne'.r wuultl umiliH in your palm nuaio. If the whiui t.- tutu Ui Krav* had tripped" When H...M.- li-,1 - Webrai.l.-<i tin liniwn hair. and tied It ju-t a> li. r <>wu little hnuila Bad i,u u i I.KVk tiiK silken su-ands A lli'iunaui) tiiium the crinuuu bit Of nbtxiu woveo int. it That hba ii..t wuru witb oblMUh pride fmootsed duwu thy dainty bow ; and cried Wbeu Bowie died. Wbun li. .. ,iie.l- Wu drew tbe uuruery blinds aside, And, it* ibe uuorumg ID tb* room burnt liktt a imiuruM) iuto bloooi. Her pet canarv'iicaxe we bum Wbure abt> might utar hi ... when be sung And yet not auy Dote ber tried, Tbonnti stio lay Imttmiun lulded eved ! Wbeu lltwsie diel We wrubed in |.rvtr unaatliflsd! We hongoil ' <io*l. aud He did nuiile In aiiuoe oa us all tbe while; Au.i we did fee Him. lnrou*b our U>ar8 nfoldlnii that fair form urban. She laughiUK back ax&lnBt Hii love The itiKfi-r. we bad uutbiug of ( Aud deatb to UK Ho Mill denied Wbuu Itch&ie died When Msasis died I If I winlnxl, tbe Governor of Tobolsk should be teii-xraubod or writtou to ; but, M I wan bound auy way to no to thai town, it would be j ant M well if I made my inquiries lu person. To tbu I qaito agreed, lalruHiiuK ihe *paed of tbe Kaasiau post or tbe newly. upoued telegraph. I wan ready to nun to. marrow. Bo, after Kitting aj| the hints and infor- mauou 1 could, I tbauked Ibe obief for bin courtesy, aud with my prtoioaa paper* in my pocket, waul to complete try pnpars- tioun for niy jooruay ; a jiuruey wbiob mixtii be a tbonaand or two tbouaand miles longer or shorter, according to where it bad pleased lie G iveruor of Tobolsk tj bestow ibe w retched Ceneri. Before I Btar el I received a letter from PrisoilU one of those labored and ratber miity rpiatles tiually wrilteu by people of ber HIB'.IOU in life. It told me tbat Pauline w*s well , tbat the wae willing to be guided y P isoilla's advice, and to remain witb ber until the return of ber unknown relaii nor friend. " Bat, Muter Qilcerl,' ih I -tier wut on, I am tarry to ' av I beiieve ifao is not quite right ai Um . Ti e p or OJUK lady talk* wildly about an awful orime ; but abt nays he i con 'en to wait for juttios to be done, M on uue i-hn bae aeeo in ber dream* dunn* l.er till e< it working for ber. Bbe doesn'. know wh > it IH. bat it U aome ooe who kaowi everything ." Tbu intellixsnat mtde me feel easisr. Not only did it abow me tbat 1'auliue would wait quietly until my return, but also tbat some glimmering of tbe imaie diate past miaul be dawning upon her Tbe) oloeiog liuee at Prucillt ' letter made y heart beat with bope. "Tbu afleruein, Master Gilbert, the teemed to ill-cover for ibe first time tbat tbe had a wedding ring ou ber linger. She aiked me how r oame there. I told ber I oould not eay. Then abe tat for honn and boore twitting il round and round, think- ing and thinking. I aeked ber, al last, what the wae. thinking of. ' Dreamt I am trying to remember,' said ibe, with that pretty, quiet uLutla of here. I wan dying to tell the dear young lady that the we* my Own matter'* lawtul wife. I wae afraid the would take ibe nugofi, butane didn't, Ibauk Ood I" Tee. thank O .d, the did not I At 1 read Prieoilla't letter I yearned to turn home- ward and fly back to my wife. Bat I oou- qaered tbe inclination, although I felt more and more eertaiu that ay meeting with Oeneri erould be a bappy one for uie ; that I should return, and, if ueeeaeary, oooe ore plaoe thai ring on bar floger aud elaim ber ae my own, knowing that the wai purer than tbe gold of which tbat hming oirolet was made. Pauline I my betutful 1'auhne 1 my wife, ray love, we -ball be bappy yet t The next day I started for Siberia. CHAPTER XL A HBLL OFDM KAMTII. It wan mideammer when I left St. Petersburg. Tbe heat was oppressive and qoita disturbed my idea of tbe Haitian climate. I went by rail to Moscow, by the iron road wbiob rans etraigbt ae a line from tbe OUR Urgt oily to tbe other. The Czar ordered it to be eo made, without curve* or deviations. When tbe eogineere asked him what populous placet they should take on their way, hie Imperial Majeety took a rnlar and on the map ruled a straight line from St. Petersburg to Moa- oow. " Make it HO," were hit commands, and eo it wae made, a* rigid and oaraleee of the) convenience of other pereone a* hie own deep>ttem a railway for aome four hundred ID i lea running simply to iti desti- nation, not daring, however muob tempted, to swerve aeide and diaobey tbe autocrat 'e command!. At Moscow, tbe colossal, I lingered a couple of dayt. Il wae there 1 had eattled te engage a guide and interprte)r. As I poke two or three language* beiides my own, I wat able to pick and ohooen, and at laet eeleotd a pleasant mannered, sharp looking youog fellow who averred that be knew every mob if tbe great poet road to tbe eat>t. Tbeo bidding farewell to the mighty Kremlin with it* churches, watch towers and battlemente. I started with my new companion for Nijni Novgorod ; at which plaoe we matt bid adieu to the railway. We passed tbe old picturesque but decay, ing town of Vladimir, and after duly admiring its five-domed cathedral I found nothing more to distract my attention until we reached Nijni. My companion wae vary aniiou* that we should linger for a day or two at tbit city. Tbe great fair was on, and be aeeured me it wat) a tight not to be missed. I had not coins to Russia to look at faire or festivities, to commanded him tc make instant prepara- tion! for continuing the journey. We now changed our mode of convey MM, Being Rammer the rivers were open and navigation practicable. We took the tteamer and went down tbe broad Volga Mil we pained Kaean and reached the river Kama. Up tbu tortuous stream we went until we landed at the large, important town of Perm. We were flve dayt on the water I think the five) longeet daye I aver spent. Tbe winding river, the slow-going steamer, made me long for the land again ; there oue seemed to be makiug progress. Tbe road there was straight, not ruuuing into a buodrtd beuda. We were now nearly at tbe eud of Karope. A hundred miles further and we I tall uroas tbo Ural Mountain! and be in Aniatio Rottia. At Perm we made our final preparation*. From uow we oiut depend ou pout borae*. Ivau, my guide, after tne proper amount of |IKX"LIK. DoUKbtatarauttuw atortof phae- ton. 1 be lufttjage w * "towed iuto it , we took our seaui ; our urst relay of hotge! were eugaged three in number and bar- uemied lu tbe peculiar Ku*tiaii faebiou the yemoobik Htarted taem witb tbe words ut encouragement aud ondearmeut wbiob in Huiuiia are Bupponed to be more effija- tbau the tboug, aud away we weot on our long, loug drive. We oroesed tbe Urals, which after all are not no very high. Ws passed tbe none ooelisk erected, Ivan told me, in bouor of a Uotsaok chief uamed Yermak. We read tbe word ' Europe" on tbe tide wbiob firtt met our eyet, and, turning round we express the treatment I received. How I abould have beau treated without these potent talismans I oacnol say. Tha whole cotalrv-sidi in most plaoes wae busy with Ifce bay bar v out ; a matter of such importance to IDS community at large tbat oouviols are told off for some six weeks to aatisl in the work of saving the crops. Tue wild flowers, many of them very beautiful, grew freely ; the people looked well aud ou tented. Altogether cay impressions of Siberia m rummer were pleasant ones. Yet I wished it had been tbe dead of winter. Then it is tbt, in spile of cold one travels more pies oauily. Ivan assured me thai wben a good HUOW road is formed and a tarantaas may be exchanged for a ledge, the amount of ground passed over in a day ia something marvellous. I am afriii from memory to lay how many miles may be covered iu twenty-four hours when tba amoolh-going runners take the plaoe of what Is. We bad of course, various small accidents and delays ou tba road. However strongly built a tarautau may be, It is but mortal. saw " Asia" written on the back. 1 speut Wheels broke, ailelrees gave way, ibaf is my first bight in Asia at Kkateriueburg ; and lay awake tbe best part of it trying to calculate how many milea stretched between Pauliue aud myeelf. 1 or dayi and days bave passed since 1 lelt Bl. f atarsburg and I have travelled at all possi- Die speed ; yet tba journey seems scarcely Deguu. Indeed, 1 cannot even guess at its leugth until I gtt to Tooolsk. A trifle of tome four hundred miles from Ekstermeburg to Tinmen, another of two nuudred from Tiumen to Tobolik, and I hall await Ibe pleasure of tbe Governor - Oeneral and what information be may choose to give me. Tbe carriage and eorselvee are ferried aoroM tbe broad yellow Irtuiab tbat river, tbs crossing of which by a Kussiau officer al once raises bim a step in rauk ; for such u tbe mduoemsut held oul to serve in Biberia; and at tbe east bank of tbe Irtuish Siberia proper begins. Tobolsk at last I Thi sight of my past- ports renders ibe Governor civility itself. He invited me to dine witb him and, a* for prudeutial reasons 1 thought il better to aooept his invitation, treated me royally. His register told me all I wanted to know about Ceueri. II* had been sent to tbe very extreme of the Czar's dominion*, aa bis was a case which called for epecial severity. Where be would fiuiau bis jour- ney was net settled, but thai made a little difference to me. As ha would travel tbe greater part of tbe way on foot, aud a* there was but oue road, I must overtake him, although be left Tobolsk months ago. Tbe eaooit which accompanied thai par- ticular gang of prisoners was uuder the command of Captain Varlamoff, to whom hi* Exoelleuoy would write a few liuee which 1 abould take with me be would also give mi a supplementary passport signed by himself. " Where do you think I shall overtake Ibe party 7" I asked. The Governor made a calculation. " Somewhere about Irkutsk," be thought. And Irkutsk two thousand miles, more or less, from Tobolsk I 1 bade tbe great man a gratefol adieu aud spurred on at such speed thai even tbe good tempered Ivan began to grumble. Man, even a Russian, wss bat mortal, be said, and I oould not expect to find Arab steeds among Government post horses wbiob the postmasters were compelled to furnish at about two pence a mile a boree. I lelt the yeintobik aud himself no time tor refreshment. Their tea bad not grown cool enough to swallow before 1 wae insist- iog on a fresh start. And as for a proper uight'e rest! Tea I Uutil I made tbat journey I never knew tbe amount of tea a mortal stomach oould bold. Uue and all tbey drank it by Iba gallou. Tbey carried it about com pressed into bricks, cemented, I beard with a shudder, by sbeep'i or some other animal's blood. Thiy drank it morn, noon aud night. Whenever there was a stop page aud boiling water oould be obtained buoketsful of tea were mads and poured down their throats. Tbs impressions I retain of tbat long journey are not very deep. I was not traversing tbt country for tbe sake of writ- ing a book of travels, or to observe tbe man- nert and customs of Iba people. My great object was to overtake Ceueri as quiokly ae poassible, and my eudeavora were directed to panning from one posting Italian to another as swiftly as I oould. We sped over vast lleppea, wild marshes, through foraets of birob, tall pinee, oak, ash, and othsr trees ; we were tarried over broad rivers. On and on we went as itraigbl to our destination as the great poet road would take us. Whan nature forced us to rut we bad to put up witb such pitiful accommodation as we oould get. Unless tbe plaoe at wbiob we stopped was of aome importance, inns wen unknown. By dint of practice I st last contrived to obtain almost enough sleep, if not to satisfy me, t) servo my needs, whilst jolting along in the tarantaa*. It was a monotonous journey. I turned aside) to vitil no objects of interest spoken of by travellers. From morn to night and generally tbrougb the greater part of the uigbt our wheels rolled along the road. And at every posting itation I read ou tbe wooden poll which stand* in front of it tbe number of milei we were from St. Petersburg, until, an the days and weeks passed, I began to feel appalled at tbe distance I bad come and tbe distance 1 must return. Should I ever tee Pauline agaiu ? Who can say what may havs hap- pened before I return to England 7 At times I grew quite dispirited. I think what made me realize the length of tbe journey even more than days or measured miles was to me, as we went on, the country people gradually changing their costume and dialect. Tha yemsohika who drove us changed in appearance and in nationality ; tbe vary breed of tbe horses varied. But let man or cattle be of what kind tbey may, we were well and skilfully conducted. Tbe weatbar was glorious, almost too glorious. Tbe cultivated country we passed through looked thriving and productive. Siberia was very different iu appearance from what il usually associated with its name. The air wben not too warm was limply delicious. Never bave I breathed a napped, twioa w* were overturned, but ale no evil exempt delay ensued I need uot relate tbe bisory of these mmfortuues. Nor need I enumerate tbe town! and village! through wbiob we pasted unless I wished to make my ttory as inter- eating aa a scriptural geuaalogy Tara, KiabHk, K iliuvan, Tomi-k, Achinsk, Kraa- uoyarak, Nijul Udmak, may or may not be familiar to the reader, according to the depth of bis geographical studies; but moat of the otbats, eveu if I knew how to spell tbeir names, would be nothing more tbau vain Bound*. Perhaps, when we trace the march of tbe Kuuiau army de- tioed to invade our ludiau empire we may beoome batter acquainted with tba Czar's Asiatic dominions. Yat at tbe entrance to oacb of trcse littlu towns or villages, tbe very names of which I bave forgot sen, so surely as you found the well appointed pottltig station, you fouud also a gloomy square building, varying with tbe aize of toe place, surrounded by a tall palisade, tbe galas of wbiob were barred, bolted and eeutried these building! were tbe ostrogi, or prison*. Hsrs il was tbat the wretched jonvictn were boused at tbey hailed on tbsir long march. In these plaoee tbay were paoked like tardmes iu a box. I'riaoui built to hold two hundred were olten called upon to accommodate st least twice that nomoer of luckless wretobei. I was told that when ioe was breaking up iu Ibe rivers ; when tbe fljods wt>re out ; wbso in tact tbe progress moat perliuoe be delayed, tbe Hoeues st these tiruoua or depot* beggared description. Hso, aometimea uusexed women with them, huddlsd into rooms reeking with filtb, the floors throwing out poisonous emanations rooms built to give but scanty space to a small number, crowded to suffocation. The mortality at time* was fearful Tbe trial* of tbe march wereaa nothing whan compared to tbe hor- rors of the so oalltd rest. And it was iu one of tbeae ostrosM 1 nbuuld tiuJ Oeosri. We passed many gaugs of convict* plod ding along to their (ate. Ivan told me tbat most of them wait in chains. This I shoulu not have noticed, as the irous are only on tbe legs aud worn uuder tbe trouscre. Poor wretched btfngs, my heart ached for them I Kalous ibough tbey were, I oould uever refute the charity tbey invariably prayed for. 80 far aa 1 ouuld see tbey were not nukiudly treated by the soldiers aud officers, but terrible tales were told me about their suOsringa at tba hands of mhu man jailers aud ooiumaudauts of prisons. There, for tbe ightest infraction of rales, the rod, tbe dark sTil and i variety of otbsr punishment* were called into play. I alwa)sfslt relieved whanws had passed out of sigbt of a gang like this. Tba con- trat between my own position and tbat of such a number of my lellowmen was too painful to contemplate) -aud yet if Ceneri did not clear away every shadow of doubt from my mind I might retrace my ittpi a more miserable wtetob than either of those foot- sore oouvicti. Borne week or ten days after leaving Tobolsk I began to make inquiries at avery ostrog si to whan Oaf/tain Varlamoff s gang patted, and when I might expect to overtake il. The answers I received to the latter question corresponded witb tbat given ma by tbe Uoternor all agreed, at Irkuttk, or just bavond. Day after dsy I found wa were gaining rapidly upon the party, and when al lant wa reached tbe large, handsome town of Irkutsk, I rightly reckoned tbat I had reached the end or nearly tba end of my journey. On inquiry I fouud Captain Varlamoff bad not jet arrived. At the plaoe wbtre I bad laet inquired I bad been told he had passed tbrougb s day before, eo it was evident wa bad overlooked and outstripped them. Tbt beet thing to be done was to wait in Irkutsk tbe arrival of tbe party. I was not at all lorry to take a oouple of days' real after my fatigues. I was not sorry to indulge once more in tbe comforts of comparative civilization ; yet nearly every hour I wa* wading down to ioquire if tbe convict! had trnved. More ardently than I had longed to reach Irkutsk, I longed to turn tbe horsed' bead* westward and start ou the return journey. I bad beard no saws from home since I left Bl. Petersburg. Indeed I oould not expect a latter, a*, after my departure from NIJUI Novgorod, I bad positively outstrip more invigorating and bracing atmosphere. There were dayi when tba breeze seemed to send new lifa through every vain. Tbe people I thought fairly honest, and whenever I found a need of producing my paper* the word civility will .oaroely ped the post. On the road home I hoped to find letters wanalg me. After I bad kicked my heels in Irkutsk for two dayi I received tba welcome news thai Captain Varlamoff had marched his prisoners to tbe ostrog at 4 o'clock tbat afternoon. I roae from my dinner aud went with all speed to tba prison. A man in plain clothes a civilian demanding to be conducted to the presence of a Russian oaptain who bad just arrived from a long march, teemed almost too great a joke for tbe aeoliiei to besr in a soldier- like manner. Their stolid ftoes broke into scornful smiles as they aaktd Ivan if " tbe little father" bad gone quite mad. It required much firmness, much permission and a gratuity, which to ibi limple mili- tary mind represented an unlimited quan- tity of " vodka," and consequently many bappy drinking bout*, before 1 waa allowed to pass through the gales of the high palia- ads, and, with many misgivings on the part of my guide, was conducted to tbe prosenoe of tbe oaptain. A floe, nirae- looking young soldier, wbo glared at me for disturbing him ; for having, by advioe, adopted the Russian oootuine, wbiob by now wai stained and frayed by travel, there wa* nothing to -show him I was not s civilian whom auy soldier rnignt kick at hit pleasure. It wai delightful to see the ohance the perusal of the Tobolsk Governor'* letinr made in the captain's appearance. He rote, and with tbe greatest oonrteay Lffarad me a obair, and asked me in t reoob if 1 epoke thai language. I aoanrtd him on tbat point, and finding I ouuld dispenss witb Ivan'* service* sent bim outiide to wail for me. Varlamoff would net bear of oommeno ing business until wins aud cigarettes made their appearance then he was at my ser- vice in anything sod everything. I tuld him what I desired. " To speak in private witb one of my convicts. Certainly this latter places me at your commands. But which oonvict?" I gave him tbe true name. He shook his bead. " I know none of them by that name. Most of tbe names tbe political prisoners^ pass under are false ouet. Whan ibey leave me Ibey Will become numbers, so it doeau't matter." I lOggetted Ceueri. He shook bis bead again. " I know the man I want it witb you," I said. How shall I find him '." " You know him by sight 7" " Yes-well." " Then yon had better come witb me and try aud pick him out among my nnforln- uatee. Light another cigarette you will want it," be added witb meaning. He leid the way, and soon we stood before a heavy door. At his oommand a jailer, armed with migbty keys, appeared. Tbe grinding locks were turned, aud tha door was rpttued. " Follow me," said Varlamoff, with a long pull al bis cigarette. I (bayed, and standing on tbe threshold bad uiuob ado to keep from fainting. Prom tba stench which rushed through it, tbat open door might bave been tbe entrance to tome pestilential cavern, at tbe bottom of which all tbe impurities of tbe world were rotting and putrsfying. At it pasteJ you, you felt that the thick air was poisoneut with disease and death. I recovered myeelf aa beat I oould, and followed my guide into the grim interior. Tha door closed behind as. lUil I tbe pownr to describe tbe sights I saw when my eyee grew aooustomed to the gloom, I should not be believed. Tha prison wa* rpaeioos, but, wbsn tbe cumber of tbe prisoners was considered, it should have been three times tbe size. It wae thronged witb wrttflhed beings. Tbey were staudiug, sitting and lying about. Men of all agee, and, it seemed, of all nationalities. Mao with featuree of tbe loweat human type. They were huddled in groups- many were quarrslliug, cursing aud sweai- mg. Moved by curiosity tbey pressed around us aa closely as tbey dared, laughing and jabbericg in tbeir barbarous d.a e u I was in hell, an obscene, unclean bell! a bell mads by msn for tbeir fellow- men. Filth 1 the plaoe was one maea of it. Filth under foot filth on tbe walls, tba rafters and tne beams filth floating about in tbe hot, heavy, pestiferous air. Each man seemed to be a moving mass of fllih. Zols would revel in a minate description of the horror* of that plaos, but I mutt leave them to the imagination, although I know and even trust that no one'i imagina- tion cau come near the reality. The only thing I oould think of was this : Why did not these men rush out, overpower tbe guards, and escape from this reeking dan ? I put tbs question to Varlamoff. " Tbey never attempt to escape whilst on tba march," be esid. "It is a point of bouor among them. If oue escapes those left are treated with much greater severity." " Do none aver get away 7" " Yes, many do when tbey are sent to tbe work*. But it doee them no good. Tbey must pass tbrougb tbe towns on tbeir flight or they would starve. Tben tbay are alwaye oaagbt and sent back." I was peering into all tbe faces about, trying to nnd tbe one I sought. My ioipeo- lion was received with look* inlleo, sui.pi cuus, deCant or careless. Remarks were made in undertones, but Varlamoff ' dreaded pretence kept me from insult. 1 sxamiued mary groups without suooeiB, than 1 made a tour of the prison. All along the wall was a slanting plat- form upon wbioh man lay in various atu tudei. Being the most oomfortable ststiou every inch of it wee covered by reoumbeni forms. In tha angle formed by the prison walli I saw a man reclining, tt if utterly worn out. His head tank down upon bit breast, his aye* wsre closed. Tbsre was something in his figure which struck m* a* familiar. I walked to him and laid my hand upon his shoulder. He opened hit weary eyee and raised bit sad face. It wai Manuel Ceneri !Q CHAPTER XII. TBI MAJfl OF TUB MAX. He looked at me witb an expression in bis eyee wbioh paesed at once from hope- lessness to bewilderment, lie teemed to be uncertain whether it wan a phantom or a man be wai looking at. Hi rose to his feat in a dazed, stupefied way, and stood face to face with me, whilst bit wretched fellow- prisoners pressed curiously around ui. Mr. Vaugban t Here I In Siberia I he said, as one not believing hii own senses. " I have come from England to see you. Tbit i* the prisoner I am looking for," I said, turning to tbo officer who ttood al my side, mitigating to some extent the noxious- ness of the atmosphere by the cigarette he puffed vigorously. " 1 am glad yon have found bim," be tald politely. " Now the sooner we gat outside tbe better ; tba air here is unhealthy." Unhealthy I II wai fetid ! I was tilled with wonder, as I looked at tbe bland French Ipeaking oaptain at my tide, at tbe state of mind to wbiob a man must bring himself before be oould calmly stand in tbe midst of bis fellow creatures and lee such misery unconcernedly oould even think be was but doing bii duty. Perbapi he wai. It may be the crimes of the prison- en forbade sympathy. But, oh I to stand there in the midst of those poor wretches, turned for tha time into little more than abimalt I I may be wrong, but it eeemi to me tbat the jailer must have a harder bean than the worst of his captives I " I oan eee him talk to him alone 7" I asked. " Certainly ; so yon are authorized to do. I am a soldier ; yon in this matter are my superior officer." " May I take bim to tbs inn 7" "I tbink not, I will find you a room bare. Pleass follow me. Pbsw ! that is a relief." We ware now ouuide tbe prison door and breathing fresh air oboe more. The captain led me to a kind of cfBoe, dirty aud furnished barely enough, but a para- dise compared to the toeue we bad just quittsd. " Wail here ; I will tend tbe prisoner to you." A be tamed to leave me I thought of the miserable, di j-oted sppearauoe Ceneri bad presented. Let him be the greatest villain iu the world, I oould uot ke*p from wish- ing to do tome little thiug to benefit bim. "I may give him food and drins?" I aaked. Tbe oaptain shrugged hit shoulders acd laughed good temperedly. " He ought not to be hungry. He baa tbe rations wbiob Government says are) sufficient. But tbeu yon may be hungry aud thirsty. If so, 1 do uot see how I can stop you lending for wine aud food of . course for yuurself." I tbauked bim and forthwith dispatched my guide m quest of the beat wiue and meat be could gel. Wine, when ordered Dy a gentleman, means in Russia bat one Ibiug champagne. At an inn of any standing ohaiupague, or at least its substi- tute, wiue of tbu Don, u-ay be procured. My messenger soou returned with s bottle of the real beverage *ud a good supply of cold meat and while bread. At soou ss it was placed on tba rough table a tall soldier led iu my expected Koeat. I placed a chair for Caneri, into wbioh be sank wearily. At be did to I beard tbe jingle of tha irons on bit legs Then I told uiy interpreter to leave us. Tbs sol- dier, wbo no doubt bad received bit orders, tainted me gravely and followed bis exam- ple. Tbe door closed behind him, and Ceueri aud I were alons. He bad somewhat recovered from bis stupefaction, aud as be looked at me I taw an eager, wistful expresriou on bis face. Drowning as be was, no dour t be caught at the straw of my uoeipecUd appearance, thinking it might assist him t - freedom. Perhaps it was to enjoy a moment sr t jvo brightened by tbe faintest or wildest glesm of hope, made bim pause before be spoke te me. " I bave come a long, long way to eee yon. Dr. Ceueri," I began. " If tbe way seemed long to you, what bat it been to me 7 You at least oan return when vou like to freedom and happiness." He epoke in tbe <juitt tone of despair. I bad been unable to prevent my words sounding cold and my voice being stern. If my coming bad raited auy bone in bis heart, my manner now dispelled it. He kuew I bad not made tbe journey for bis sake. " Whether I oan go back to bappinaes or not depends on what yoa tell me. Yon may imagini il Is no light matter wbiob has brought me to far to tee you for a few minutes. He looked at me curiously, but not sus- piciously. I oould do him no barm for bim the outer world wat at an eud. If I accused hi u of fifty murders, and brought each one home to him, bis fate would be uo worse. He was blotted out, erased ; nothing now oould matter to bim, except more or less bodily discomfort. I shud- dered as I realized what hii sentence meant, and, in spite of myself, a compas- sionate feeling atjle ovar me. " I have much of importance to say, bat first Ut me give you some wine and food." " Thank you," be said, almoet humbly. " You would scarcely believe, Mr. Vaoghan, that a man may be reduced to suoh a state tbat be oan hardly restrain bimeelf at the eight of decent meat and drink." I could believe anything after the inte- rior of the ostrog. 1 opened tbe wine and placed it before bim. As be ate and drank, I bad leisure to observe bim attentively. Hisiuffermgi bad wrought a great change in him. Every feature wae sharpened, every limb teemed slighter be looked at leest ten years older. He wore the Roi- aian peasant!' ordinary garments, and these hung in rags about bim. His feet, swathed in fragment' of some woollen malarial, showed in plaoes through his boots. The long, weary m arches were tell- ing their ta.e upon bii frame. He bad never given me tbe idea of being a robust man, and as I looked si him I thought tbat whatever work be might be pot to, it would not pay the Russian Government for bis aorry keep. But the probabilities were, tbey would not bave to keep bi.u long. He ate, not voraciously, out with a keen appetite. The wine he used sparingly. Hi* meal being finished, he glanced around as if in quiet of something. I guenel what ho wauled and pasted him my oigar- abd a light, lie thanked me and began to Rsnoke with an air of enjoyment. For a while I had not tbe heart to inter- rapt tbe poor wretch. When be left me it must be to return to that bell peopled by human beings. Bat time was slipping by. OaHide the door I oould hear tbe monot- onous itep of tbe sentry, and I did not know what period of grace the polite oap- tain might allow to hi* prisoner. (To be continued.) What I roubi.,1 ih, i i.i i. The salary of the Baptiit pastor at Orantville, Nab., is 100 a year. Tbs recipient does not try to live on it, bat works at bie old trade of tboemaking. His congregation do not object to tbii way of providing ohiap minittry to tbem, but they have made a tremendous row because sev- eral Sundays, iu making announcements from the pulpit, he included a notice that be would mend H'.IOOH better and cheaper than the opposition cobbler. Now we think tbat it IK real mean. The man saw he oould be uieful in both channels snd hie congrega- tion oould not interfere. AII, , " Wby are you to thoughtful?" aaked a wits of her convalescent husband. He bad been very sick, and for several dayi his life was depaired of, but he was gelling better very rapidly. I am afraid, ' be aid in response to bis wife's question, " that I may have committed myself rather too strongly with the minister." I The school population of Vermont is 73.000. Tba grete*t depth 10 far discovered in tbe ocean is 36 HSO feet, flve mils, or about 2,200 feet less than tbe height of the world's 1 .fupt mountain peak, Mount Everest, one of tbe Himalaya chain, wbiob is found' to be not less, and apparently a little more than ."j.OOO feat above tha sea level.