Yet I did the thing for
Raoul's sake. There's that in my defence--only that."
"I don't understand," I said, trying not to show the horror of Maxine's
treachery to a man who loved and trusted her, which I could not help
feeling.
"How could you?--except that I've betrayed him! But I'll tell you
everything--I'll go back a long way. Then you'll pity me, even if you
scorn me, too. You'll work for me--to save me, and him. For years I've
helped the British Government. Oh, I won't spare myself. I've been a
spy, sometimes against one Power, sometimes against another. When there
was anything to do against Russia, I was always glad, because my dear
father was a Pole, and you know how Poles feel towards Russia. Russia
ruined his life, and stripped it of everything worth having, not only
money, but--oh, well, that's not in this story of mine! I won't trouble
you or waste time in the telling. Only, when I was a very young girl, I
was already the enemy of all that's Russian, with a big debt of revenge
to pay. And I've been paying it, slowly. Don't think that the money I've
had for my work--hateful work often--has been used for myself. It's been
for my father's country--poor, sad country--every shilling of English
coin.
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