As to protection--what right had he-- "Alone," he said to himself, "alone, in the midst of these wandering tribes! And yet the present dangers are nothing compared to those she must undergo.

Siberia! Irkutsk! I am about to dare all risks for Russia, for the Czar, while she is about to do so--For whom?
For what?
She is authorized to cross the frontier! The country beyond is in revolt! The steppes are full of Tartar bands!" Michael Strogoff stopped for an instant, and reflected.
"Without doubt," thought he, "she must have determined on undertaking her journey before the invasion.

Perhaps she is even now ignorant of what is happening.

But no, that cannot be; the merchants discussed before her the disturbances in Siberia--and she did not seem surprised.
She did not even ask an explanation.

She must have known it then, and knowing it, is still resolute.