"It was not on yours, but on hers," he answered, somewhat enigmatically.
"I know something of the affair, but it was my duty as a man to help the
poor girl to escape from that terrible place. She has, I know, been
unjustly condemned for the attempted assassination of the wife of a
General--condemned with a purpose, of course. Such a thing is not
unusual in Finland."
"Abominable!" I cried. "Oberg is a veritable fiend."
But the man only shrugged his shoulders, saying--
"The orders of his Excellency the Governor-General have to be obeyed,
whatever they are. We often regret, but we dare not refuse to carry them
out."
"Russian rule is a disgrace to our modern civilization," I declared
hotly. "I have every sympathy with those who are fighting for freedom."
"Ah, you are not alone in that," he sighed, speaking in a low whisper,
and glancing around. "His Majesty would order reforms and ameliorate the
condition of his people, if only it were possible. But he, like his
officials, are powerless.
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