reason for fearing to expose them, I have never told--only Rokoff
and I know it. I wonder," and then she paused, looking intently
at him for a long time.

"And what do you wonder?" he asked, smiling.

"I was wondering why it is that I want to tell you the thing that
I have not dared tell even to my husband. I believe that you would
understand, and that you could tell me the right course to follow.
I believe that you would not judge me too harshly."

"I fear that I should prove a very poor judge, madame," Tarzan
replied, "for if you had been guilty of murder I should say that
the victim should be grateful to have met so sweet a fate."

"Oh, dear, no," she expostulated; "it is not so terrible as that.
But first let me tell you the reason the count has for not prosecuting
these men; then, if I can hold my courage, I shall tell you the
real reason that I dare not. The first is that Nikolas Rokoff is
my brother. We are Russians. Nikolas has been a bad man since
I can remember. He was cashiered from the Russian army, in which
he held a captaincy. There was a scandal for a time, but after a
while it was partially forgotten, and my father obtained a position
for him in the secret service.

"There have been many terrible crimes laid at Nikolas' door, but he
has always managed to escape punishment. Of late he has accomplished
it by trumped-up evidence convicting his victims of treason against
the czar, and the Russian police, who are always only too ready
to fasten guilt of this nature upon any and all, have accepted his