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JBY ORDER OF THE CZAR. 165

" Yes," said Philip. " I was partly educated in Mos- cow."

" Ana perhaps it is that you saw some of the exiles on their long journey ; their sufferings touched your heart, you were so young. Is it not so ? "

" It is not necessary to be young, madame, to feel sorry for the wretched."

" Ah, you say well ; you have a good nature, and I would I might be your friend, but I was the friend and more of one of whom your face reminds me. But my friendship does not make good for those I love," and Philip saw that sad look of the theatre come into the expressive eyes and harden the mouth for a moment, to give way to a softer look and a more tender tone of voice ; and he was right in his observation ; for the moment the countess saw Philip Forsyth, she said to herself, " That young man has the eyes and the expression in them of my beloved Losinski, and the same tender heart ; it is strange that I should have been interested in him before I saw him." As she spoke to Philip there seemed to be tones in his voice that reminded her of Losinski, and with the memory there came the sha- dow of Petronovitch and the knout ; but with a great effort she kept to the softer side of the memory, and she talked with Philip as she had never talked to human being since the tragedy, from which she emerged not only alive but with a strange power and a strange beauty.

Philip felt the magic influence of her sudden awakening to human sympathy. For ten years she had not until now felt one throb of human feeling that had not been accom- panied with a pang of hatred, revenge, and revolt at the world and everything in it. Her charities had been as much in the way of protest and revenge as any other action of her life. She had lain next door to death for twelve months in the Czarovna hospital, half the first months of the time in terror of mind and body indescribable. When