Indeed, what struck him further was, not only the foreign look of the little room and its belongings, but also the extraordinary familiarity with foreign cities shown by both Lind and his daughter.  As the rambling conversation went on (the sonorous cattle-bell had been removed by the rosy-cheeked Anneli), they appeared to be just as much at home in Madrid, in Munich, in Turin, or Genoa as in London.  And it was no vague and general tourist’s knowledge that these two cosmopolitans showed; it was rather the knowledge of a resident—­an intimate acquaintance with persons, streets, shops, and houses.  George Brand was a bit of a globe-trotter himself, and was entirely interested in this talk about places and things that he knew.  He got to be quite at home with those people, whose own home seemed to be Europe.  Reminiscences, anecdotes flowed freely on; the dinner passed with unconscious rapidity.  Lord Evelyn was delighted and pleased beyond measure to observe the more than courteous attention that his friend paid to Natalie Lind.

But all this while what mention was there of the great and wonderful organization—­a mere far-off glimpse of which had so captured Lord Evelyn’s fervent imagination?  Not a word.  The sceptic who had come among them could find nothing either to justify or allay his suspicions.  But it might safely be said that, for the moment at least, his suspicions as regarded one of those two were dormant.  It was difficult to associate trickery, and conspiracy, and cowardly stabbing, with this beautiful young Hungarian girl, whose calm, dark eyes were so fearless.  It is true that she appeared very proud-spirited, and generous, and enthusiastic; and you could cause her cheek to pale whenever you spoke of injury done to the weak, or the suffering, or the poor.  But that was different from the secret sharpening of poniards.

Once only was reference made to the various secret associations that are slowly but eagerly working under the apparent social and political surface of Europe.  Some one mentioned the Nihilists.  Thereupon Ferdinand Lind, in a quiet and matter-of-fact way, without appearing to know anything of the personnel of the society, and certainly without expressing any approval of its aims, took occasion to speak of the extraordinary devotion of those people.

“There has been nothing like it,” said he, “in all the history of what men have done for a political cause.  You may say they are fanatics, madmen, murderers; that they only provoke further tyranny and oppression; that their efforts are wholly and solely mischievous.  It may be so; but I speak of the individual and what he is ready to do.  The sacrifice of their own life is taken almost as a matter of course.  Each man knows that for him the end will almost certainly be Siberia or a public execution; and he accepts it.  You will find young men, well-born, well-educated, who go away from their friends and their native place, who go into a remote