He is the only man who may be trusted to take you down." They found Paul and Etta together in one of the brilliantly lighted kiosks where refreshments were being served, all hot and steaming, by fur-clad servants.

It was a singular scene.

If a coffee-cup was left for a few moments on the table by the watchful servitors, the spoon froze to the saucer.

The refreshments--bread and butter, dainty sandwiches of caviare, of pate de foie gras, of a thousand delicatessen from Berlin and Petersburg--were kept from freezing on hot-water dishes.

The whole scene was typical of life in the northern capital, where wealth wages a successful fight against climate.