“No, no,” said Halfoff, grasping Serge by the arm.  “You must not die!”

“My brother,” said Kwitoff quietly, “let it be as he says.  It is for Russia!”

But as Halfoff turned to light the candle in the flame there came a great knocking at the door above and the sound of many voices in the street.

All paused.

Madame Vasselitch laid her hand upon her lips.

Then there came the sound as of grounded muskets on the pavement of the street and a sharp word of command.

“Soldiers!” said Madame Vasselitch.

Kwitoff turned to his brother.

“This is the end,” he said.  “Explode the bomb here and let us die together.”

Suddenly Madame Vasselitch gave a cry.

“It is Olga’s voice!” she said.

She ran to the door and opened it, and a glad voice was heard crying.

“It is I, Olga, and I am free!”

“Free,” exclaimed the brothers.

All hastened up the stairs.

Olga was standing before them in the hall and beside her were the officers of the police, and in the street were the soldiers.  The students from above had crowded down the stairs and with them were Itch, the serving man, and Yump, the cook.

“I am free,” cried Olga, “liberated by the bounty of the Czar—­Russia has declared war to fight for the freedom of the world and all the political prisoners are free.”

“Rah, rah!” cried the students.  “War, war, war!”

“She is set free,” said the officer who stood beside Olga.  “The charge of killing Popoff is withdrawn.  No one will be punished for it now.”

“I never killed him,” said Olga.  “I swear it,” and she raised her hand.

“You never killed him!” exclaimed Serge with joy in his heart.  “You did not kill Popoff?  But who did?”

“Defend us,” said Yump, the cook.  “Since there is to be no punishment for it, I killed him myself.”

“You!” they cried.

“It is so,” said Yump.  “I killed him beside the river.  It was to defend my honour.”

“It was to defend her honour,” cried the brothers.  “She has done well.”

They clasped her hand.

“You destroyed him with a bomb?” they said.

“No,” said Yump, “I sat down on him.”

“Rah, rah, rah,” said the students.

There was silence for a moment.  Then Kwitoff spoke.

“Friends,” he said, “the new day is coming.  The dawn is breaking.  The moon is rising.  The stars are setting.  It is the birth of freedom.  See! we need it not!”—­and as he spoke he grasped in his hands the bomb with its still unlighted fuse—­“Russia is free.  We are all brothers now.  Let us cast it at our enemies.  Forward!  To the frontier!  Live the Czar.”

Movies and Motors, Men and Women

IV.  Madeline of the Movies:  A Photoplay done back into Words