his laudable anxiety to escape infection), was
playing on a concertina a fanciful selection of
airs from the repertoire of the solitary Russian
composer, Glinka.

"Here they are, grubbing away as usual!"
cried Kalthofer, a Livonian.

"They'll kill themselves!" cried a young
Prussian, "I know they will. Come, Pellican,
make a second table at whist; here's Maslovitch
and Hoffman been cleaning us all out."

Up leaped Pellican, all his good resolutions
forgotten in a moment. He drew a pack of
cards from his pocket, flapped them with a
practised hand, threw them in an arch over his head,
and caught them as cleverly as a clever juggler.

"Not quite so much noise, old fellows," said
I; "remember, this is a terrible time, and we
have our hands full. Besides, I have an hour's
writing to do before I go round the wards.
Come, troop!" And I rose from my seat with
the gestures of a drover collecting his flock.

I was driving them out at the door, when
two fresh students arrived, leading Alexis
between them; he was pale, his coat was torn, he
had a black eye, and his mouth was bleeding.

"Hallo, young Hydrocephalus," said
Pellican, "what's this? Look at him."

"Tell them all about it, Alexis," said his
conductors, thumping him on the back.

"They call me a spy," groaned Alexis.

"Who did?" said I.

"Who? why the black people in the market place.
They took away the cholera cart from me,
carried off the sick men, and would have thrown
me into the canal, if one of them, a coachman,
hadn't said, kindly, "Let the beast go; he sold
his head to the poisoning doctors years ago, and
they'll only thank us for killing him."

"And so we should," cried Pellican, laughing
unfeelingly till he grew quite red. "Come
along, Alexis, and have a schnapps, and tell us
the whole story! Mr. Campbell, here, is busy.
Come along, mes garçons; I say you must. I've
got some news for you. Look at Campbell!"

The students already in the passage huddled
back into the doorway, their faces looming
through blue rings of smoke.

"Campbell's in love!"

"In love?" they all broke out, like the Greek
chorus.

"Yes; in love in love with old Tillmann's
daughter but he has no chance. She smiles at
me whenever I meet her."

I rushed at my tormentor in a pretended rage,
there was a shout of laughter, and the door
closed on Pellican and his roystering friends.

An hour afterwards I entered Dr. Tillmann's
room. Olga was not there, but there was her
book with a flower in it to mark the place. The
doctor was at his desk, the paper on which was
strongly illuminated by the yellow light thrown
upon it by the glow of an Argand lamp, over
the glass of which was placed a circular green
shade. Half in light and half in shadow, just
beyond the lamp, stood three glass jars con-
taining specimens of enormous tarantulas and
centipedes.

The doctor looked up as I entered, and in the
coldest manner possible acknowledged my
presence.

I mentioned the report of Alexis, and the
possibility of the hospital being attacked during
the night. I requested to be allowed to send
to the citadel for a company of the
Preobrajensky regiment.

"How long, sir, am I to be troubled with
these absurd fears?" demanded the doctor,
suddenly. "Is it not enough that you deceive
me, mock me, encourage your fellow-students
to mutiny and insubordination? No, sir, I will
have no soldiers to guard the Petro-Paulovsky .
Hospital. I have seen too much of our peasantry
to fear them."

"You do me a great injustice, Dr. Tillmann,"
I replied, "and but for one reason that I have,
I would not remain another day under your
direction."

The doctor's eyes turned red as he took
up one of the glass jars and shook it before
me. "There is no reptile here," he said, "so
full of poison as thou art. Do you think I have
not discovered that you have dared to administer
to the patients of the emperor's hospital, your
infamous drug? No wonder the ignorant
peasantry accuse us of poisoning the sick. I
understand, sir, also, your insolent allusion to my
daughter; but be sure, sir, she shall never become
the wife of a beggarly adventurer. You see this
letter" (here he pointed to a letter on the table);
"it contains an order for your instant dismissal
from the staff of this hospital. No words, sir.
Good night. We shall see to-morrow who is
master in this place."

I bowed and retired. 'I was paralysed by
Dr. Tillmann's threats. A cruel hand seemed
snatching me from Olga, and hurling me into an
abyss of obscurity, penury, and despair. When
I was on the verge, too, of fame, happiness, and a
great discovery!

Still I was young and persevering. I might
still set myself right with the minister, obtain
some fresh appointment, become rich and famous,
and win Olga. One thing I determined. I
would send (on my own responsibility) for
soldiers, so imminent seemed to me the danger in
which we stood at the hospital. I wrote a
hasty note to General Mouravieff, then in command
of the citadel, sent it by Alexis, and turned
in for the night.

My room was at so great a distance from the
entrance, and was approached by so many long
barrack-like passages, that no groans of the
populace could reach me there, no shuffling sound of
feet as the bearers bore the bodies to the dead-
house disturbed me. I ordered the main entrance
of the building to be strictly barred, before I
went to my room. It was now ten o'clock. I
blew out the candle, and, without undressing,
threw myself on my bed, and fell fast asleep.

I suppose I had slept three hours, when a
roaring noise from the market-place awoke me. I
sat up and listened. It was a deep surging sound,
such as you may hear arise from the sea when
a storm is growing. It was interrupted every