Chapter I: Front Matter

The Shears of Destiny

By
Leroy Scott

Author of
“To Him That Hath,” “The Walking Delegate”

_Illustrated by Alexander Popini_

New York
Doubleday, Page & Company
1910

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION
INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN

COPYRIGHT, 1909, 1910, BY THE SUCCESS COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1910, by DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
PUBLISHED, SEPTEMBER, 1910

CHARACTERS

HENRY DREXEL, a young American business man.

PRINCESS OLGA VALENKO.

GENERAL VALENKO, her father, Military Governor of St. Petersburg.

JOHN HOWARD, Drexel’s uncle, an American capitalist.

MRS. HOWARD.

ALICE HOWARD, their daughter, engaged to Prince Berloff.

PRINCE BERLOFF, a powerful Russian nobleman.

COUNTESS BARONOVA, a fair young widow.

JAMES FREEMAN, an American correspondent.

CAPTAIN NADSON, of the political police.

THE WHITE ONE, the hidden leader of the revolutionists.

RAZOFF, }
SABATOFF, } of the revolutionists’ Central Committee
PESTEL, }

IVAN, }
NICOLAI, } revolutionists.

COLONEL DELWIG, governor of the fortress-prison Sts. Peter and Paul.

COLONEL KAVELIN, his successor.

BORODIN, a prisoner of State.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE WOMAN IN BROWN 3

II. CAUGHT IN THE CURRENT 11

III. A LONG JOURNEY THAT WAS SOON ENDED 23

IV. THE PRISONER OF THE WHITE ONE 31

V. THE HOUSE IN THREE SAINTS’ COURT 44

VI. THE KING AND THE BEGGAR MAID 54

VII. CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE 63

VIII. THE PRINCESS OF HEARTS 74

IX. ONE WOMAN--OR TWO? 86

X. “YOU AND I--AGAINST THE WORLD!” 99

XI. A BARGAIN IS RENEWED 109

XII. IN THE PRINCE’S STUDY 124

XIII. BETWEEN THREE FIRES 135

XIV. THE FLIGHT WITH THE COUNTESS 146

XV. THE MAN IN THE SHEEPSKIN COAT 161

XVI. THE WHITE ONE 172

XVII. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 180

XVIII. FOR A BROTHER’S LIFE 192

XIX. THE BATTLE IN THREE SAINTS’ COURT 202

XX. THE SPY 217

XXI. THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAINS 227

XXII. A VICE-CZAR DOES HIS DUTY 240

XXIII. THE LAST CARD 253

XXIV. THE PRINCE PLAYS TRUMPS 268

XXV. A DESPERATE PLAN 277

XXVI. THE JAWS OF DEATH 288

XXVII. THE GODDESS OF VENGEANCE 303

XXVIII. THE DAY AFTER 311

XXIX. TO-MORROW? 327

ILLUSTRATIONS

Her eyes swept the room with cold
hauteur _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE
“John, dear,” she said in purest English,
“that bothersome passport must have
been packed among your things” 16

Triumph glittered in the officer’s eye. “I
believe I have seen madame before,”
he said 136

A huge, ferocious fellow vaulted the barricade.
He died in mid air 212

THE SHEARS OF DESTINY

THE SHEARS OF DESTINY