Page:By order of the Czar.djvu/64



$2 BY ORDER OF THE CZAR.

wished for a more agreeable visit. She comes to beg for her lover."

" Pauloff," he cried, ringing a bell which had been placed by the side of his cigar box, "Pauloff."

The attendant returned.

" Listen."

"Yes, your Excellency."

" If I call you and give you an order to postpone the punishment of the man Losinski, in presence of this Jew girl, you will not deliver it. Do you understand ? written or verbal, do you understand ? "

" Yes, your Excellency. She is here."

" Let her come in. Guard the door without ; admit no one."

The attendant bowed, and Anna entered the room.

" No, no ; you may not kneel to me," said Petronovitch, advancing towards her.

" Mercy for the rabbi ! Save my father," said Anna. "It can be no gladness to you to bring such terrible suffering upon us, it can do no good to our great Emperor ; better it would be to take our money, our jewels, our property ; that will buy soldiers clothes, feed your poor, make your ladies happy ; take it, give us our lives and liberty we ask no more."

She was almost out of breath with the utterance of her little speech, that she had formulated in her despair as she entered the old palace of the local government.

" My dear young lady," said Petronovitch, and the courteous words chilled her, "do not distress yourself; I am not the tyrant your Losinski would make out ; but I owe a duty to my Imperial master. I do not want your money, nor does my Government ; we only want peace and order. We are pained to find such reputable persons as your father harboring a conspirator who, on being arrested, cut the throat of our Imperial master's officer and escaped by