"
"But Oberg's connection with it?" I asked, surprised at those
revelations.
"Ah!" exclaimed Muriel. "The ingenuity of that crafty villain is
fiendish. Before he got into the Czar's favor he owed my father a large
sum, and then sought how to evade repayment. By means of his spies he
discovered the real purpose of the cruises of the _Iris_--for I was
often taken on board with a maid in order to allay any suspicion that
might arise if only men were cruising. Then he not only compelled my
father to cancel the debt, but he impressed the vessel and those who
owned and navigated it into the secret service of Russia. A dozen times
did we make attempts to obtain secret papers from Italian, French and
English dockyards, but only once in the case of Malta and once at Toulon
did we succeed. Ah! Mr. Gregg," she added, "you do not know all the
anxiety I suffered, how at every hour we were in danger of betrayal or
capture, and of the hundred narrow escapes we have had of Custom House
officers rummaging the yacht for contraband.
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