chance to realize how perfectly the place in which he was hidden served
its purpose. He could hear the heavy breathing of someone near the
wall. Then a chair scraped along the floor, and in a moment he heard the
scratching of a pen. And then there came a new sound, a tapping, as with
two fingers. That was Boris, and quite suddenly Fred understood. Boris
was tapping out a message to him in telegraphic code.

"You must take charge here," Boris tapped with his fingers. "I will tell
Vladimir to get you as soon as it is safe. The parsonage where I will be
taken is very near the outlet of the secret passage. If Ivan returns,
tell him I am there, and that I will sing or whistle the song of the
Volga boatmen from time to time, so that he may know the window of my
room, if there is no guard in the room with me. Do not answer, for they
might hear."

"Good boy! He certainly has nerve!" said Fred to himself, admiringly.
"He doesn't know what's going to happen to him next, but he is certainly
doing all he can to make things come right."

Then there was a new confusion of noise outside. Fred heard Boris call
Vladimir and speak to the old servant in Russian. Then the German
officer gave Vladimir his instructions.

"This place will be left alone for the present," he said. "Prince
Alexander Suvaroff has been a good friend and neighbor, and, though he
is an enemy, we desire to respect his property as long as possible. But
neither you nor any who are left in the house with you must go out--this
for your own safety--except to get food and then go yourself."

Fred heard a general movement then, and guessed that they were going