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 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 LIBRARY 
 
i,ijrnell University Library 
 PS 3531.A25M9 1915 
 
 The mysteries of the ?i™iy,R,Y»r,ffi ,,11(11, 
 
 3 1924 021 655 174 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924021655174 
 
The Mysteries of the 
 
 ZlMNIY DVORETZ 
 
 (WINTER PALACE) 
 
 With a Chapter on 
 THE WAR IN EUROPE 
 
 BY A 
 RUSSIAN -AMERICAN 
 
 1^ 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 1915 
 
Copyright, 191 5. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The war in Europe has created an eager desire in the 
 minds of Americans to learn something more specific 
 and satisfactory about social and political conditions 
 now existing in the Czar's Empire than can be gleaned 
 from newspapers and magazines, and it is to furnish 
 this precise information that this thrilling story is 
 given to the public. 
 
 Though the action of this novel is laid in the time 
 of Nicholas I, during the Crimean War, sixty and 
 more years ago, yet the exact similarity of the state of 
 affairs at that time with that of the present is a won- 
 derful phenomenon. Nicholas I was a reactionist, fol- 
 lowing a ruler of liberal tendencies. This is also true 
 with regard to the present Czar, Nicholas II, who, al- 
 though the immediate successor of Alexander III, was 
 expected to carry out the reforms begun by his grand- 
 father, Alexander II. 
 
 This story throws a flood of light in dark places 
 which have never been illuminated. It is intended 
 primarily to entertain the novel reader; but, while it 
 possesses a remarkable fascination for the lover of 
 fiction, it is even more interesting to the student of 
 politics and sociology. The story covers the most in- 
 teresting period of Russian history, if we except that 
 which is now making. Russia was humiliated and ap- 
 parently ground to the earth in the Crimean War ; the 
 same thing happened ten years ago in her war with 
 Japan. Will the present struggle between Russia and 
 Germany result in the overthrow of the autocracy? 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 The War in Europe. 
 
 Everybody knows the immediate cause of the pres- 
 ent war. On June 38, 1914, the Archduke Francis 
 Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife 
 were assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, 
 by a Serb. It soon became evident to Austrian au- 
 thorities that high Servian officials had been the in- 
 stigators and the organizers of the plot of assassina- 
 tion. On July 23 the Austrian Government presented 
 to Servia a note demanding that Servia organize an 
 official investigation of the Sarajevo murder, "in which 
 Austrian representatives be allowed to participate." 
 Servia refused to accept this condition, whereupon 
 Austria declared war against Servia on July 28. A 
 manifesto issued by Emperor Francis Joseph reads : 
 
 "A series of murderous attacks in an organized and 
 well-carried out conspiracy, whose fruitful success 
 wounded me and my loyal people to the heart, forms 
 the visible and bloody track of those secret machina- 
 tions which were operated direct in Servia. 
 
 "Servia rejected the just and moderate demands of 
 my Government and refused to conform to the obli- 
 gations forming the natural foundations of peace in 
 the life of peoples and States. I must therefore pro- 
 ceed by force of arms to secure those indispensable 
 pledges which alone can insure tranquility in new 
 States within and lasting peace without." 
 
 Russian Interference. 
 
 On July 29 the Russian minister for foreign affairs 
 informed the German ambassador at St. Petersburg 
 that "Russia would not be able to remain indifferent if 
 
Servia were invaded." Meanwhile Russia proceeded 
 to mobilize her troops on the German frontier. Ger- 
 many vainly protested against these warlike prepara- 
 tions in Russia. The final refusal by Russia to cease 
 mobilization resulted in a declaration of war against 
 Russia. 
 
 England's Jealousy. 
 
 To understand what followed, it is necessary to 
 know what were the relations between Russia and 
 Great Britain at this juncture. The fear of an inva- 
 sion of India by Russia, which was at best problemat- 
 ical, and was not anticipated in the near future, had 
 given place to an immediate and far more alarming 
 danger. England's industrial, commercial, financial, 
 and even her naval supremacy was threatened with dis- 
 aster; and it was threatened by Germany — not with 
 the threat of war, but by Germany's superiority in the 
 arts of peace. 
 
 German Progress. 
 
 Never before in the world's history have such strides 
 been made in industry and commerce as have been 
 made in Germany since 1870 up to the present time. 
 While the trade of Great Britain has risen since 1870 
 from two billions to five and a half billions, that of 
 Germany has risen from one to five billions. So that 
 Germany has advanced at a rate of two for one for 
 England. At this rate of speed it would not be long 
 until the industry of Great Britain would be paralyzed, 
 her merchant marine smothered, and her glory de- 
 parted. And this England well knew; hence those 
 shrieks and tears. 
 
 Prince Von Biilow, in his book, "Imperial Germany," 
 gives the following interesting figures: In the year 
 1871 the number of inhabitants within the new Ger- 
 man Empire was 41,000,000, in 1900 it had risen to 
 
 VI 
 
56,000,000, and last year it was 65,000,000. From 1871 
 to 1914 German foreign trade rose from 6,000 millions 
 to 19,600 millions. In the year 1910, 11,800 German 
 ships and 11,698 foreign ships entered German ports, 
 while 11,962 German and 11,678 foreign ships sailed 
 from them. Thus, with its foreign trade of 19,000 
 millions it is surpassed only by the United Kingdom 
 with her 25,000 millions and surpasses the United 
 States with her 15,000 millions. On an average the 
 German shipyards built 70 new steamers and 40 new 
 sailing ships a year. Here is the true cause of Eng- 
 land's tremor and the open secret of her inciting the 
 war against Germany. 
 
 The German Fleet. 
 
 But even worse than this happened. Germany had 
 the hardihood to build a fleet to protect this enormous 
 commerce. That was another "menace." And so, 
 without even the pretense of any aggression on the part 
 of Germany, Mr. Arthur Lee, the Civil Lord of the 
 Admiralty, asserted in a public speech in February, 
 1905, that attention should be directed to the North 
 Sea; the British fleet should concentrate there, and in 
 the event of war it should "strike the first blow, before 
 the other side found time to read in the newspapers 
 that war had been declared." The London Daily 
 Chronicle indorsed this statement, and added : "If the 
 German fleet had been smashed in October, 1904, we 
 should have had peace in Europe for 60 years." The 
 Chronicle assumed that the utterance of Mr. Lee was 
 on behalf of the cabinet and said, "it was a wise and 
 pacific declaration of the unalterable purpose of the 
 mistress of the seas." 
 
 In the autumn of 1904 the Army and Navy Gazette 
 printed this : "Once before we had to snuff out a fleet 
 which we believed might be employed against us. There 
 are many people, both in England and on the Conti- 
 nent, who consider the German fleet the only serious 
 
 VII 
 
menace to the preservation of peace in Europe. The 
 present moment is particularly favorable to our de- 
 mand that the German fleet shall not be further in- 
 creased." A leading English review wrote about the 
 same time: "If the German fleet were destroyed the 
 peace of Europe would be assured for two genera- 
 tions," and it added that a navy on the banks of an 
 ambitious power, "with a growing population and no 
 colonies," was a dangerous thing. 
 
 Such was the view of all the bankers, the manufac- 
 turers, the merchants and shopkeepers — in short, it 
 was the expression of the unalterable English policy 
 of maintaining her naval supremacy at all costs. To 
 this aim England has always subordinated every other 
 consideration. The "mistress of the seas" was not 
 particularly disturbed about the German army. Mil- 
 itarism on land was not a "menace" to the "tight little 
 isle," secure from attack by the sea. 
 
 CoMMERCiAi, Rivalry. 
 
 But it was not sufiScient that the German fleet alone 
 should be destroyed. The opportunity for German 
 efficiency in industry and commerce must also be 
 snatched from her. To do that, however, would re- 
 quire a war, and upon that undertaking England was 
 not prepared to enter alone. She must look about for 
 allies. France was ready to join and act, too, if a fa- 
 vorable opportunity presented itself. The memory of 
 her lost provinces was still rankling and she had not 
 forgotten or forgiven Metz and Sedan. But France 
 was wise enough to see that Austria and Germany 
 could crush her in spite of all that England could do 
 and England was equally well aware of the same thing. 
 One thing was lacking — Russia. If Russia could be 
 persuaded to seize Germany on her east flank, there 
 seemed, at the least, an even chance of success. So 
 France and England paid court to the bear. 
 
 VIII 
 
Russia's Motive. 
 
 Russia wanted money ; France had it and Russia got 
 it. Nor was Russia hard to win over. There was even 
 more cause for hostility between Russia and Germany 
 than there was between Germany and France. Russia 
 and Germany are enemies by the natural law of closely 
 connected and conflicting interests, and especially in 
 territorial expansion. Russia has long directed covet- 
 ous eyes on Danzig for a winter port on the Baltic, and 
 everybody knows that her traditionary aim has been 
 the acquisition of Constantinople. The Berlin agree- 
 ment of IS'J'S deprived Russia of the fruits of her vic- 
 tory over Turkey. Russia has never forgiven Ger- 
 many for this blow. It was still worse when Austria, 
 in the hour of Russia's humiliation in the war with 
 Japan, annexed Bosnia and Herzogovinia. Russia 
 ground her teeth in impotent rage. She had to put the 
 affront in her pocket, but she kept it warm. By an alli- 
 ance with France, Russia saw the chance of realizing 
 her ambition of becoming a vast Slav Empire, with 
 one foot at Constantinople and another at Danzig, and 
 also to recoup and retrieve the loss of prestige she had 
 suffered in her encounter with Japan. 
 
 British Intrigue. 
 
 We have already seen what were England's reasons 
 for wishing to crush Germany. The fear of Russia 
 being removed and having been supplanted by another 
 and a greater fear, it was good diplomacy to make 
 friends with Russia and unite with her against the 
 common enemy. And there would be nothing in the 
 way of Russia's accepting this proffered friendship, as 
 it was not England which was now blocking the road 
 to Constantinople but Germany, which was not only 
 doing this but was extending her influence over Turkey 
 and obtaining large concessions in Asia. 
 
 IX 
 
France had let Russia have money. England fur- 
 nished not only money but supplied enterprise besides. 
 A steady stream of British capital poured into Russia 
 to promote various projects — for oil wells in the Cau- 
 casus; for mining gold, silver and platinum in the 
 Urals; for roads, canals and railways; for building 
 towns and harbors. Moscow, Nicolayev, Baku and 
 other cities have raised money in London. In this way 
 England extended her threads like a cancer, eating into 
 and taking fast hold on the industrial life of Russia, 
 while diplomacy was doing its work in administrative 
 circles. 
 
 The Master Stroke. 
 
 When the time was ripe, England put in her master 
 stroke; and, as usual, in the name of humanity and 
 religion. A delegation of members of the British Par- 
 liament was sent to Russia for the ostensible purpose 
 of effecting a union between the English and the Rus- 
 sian church. What could be more humane, what more 
 laudable than such a pious undertaking to unite the 
 hundreds of millions of people in two great empires in 
 the bonds of brotherly love? This is what the people 
 of both countries were expected to believe, but state- 
 craft knows how to appreciate religion as a handmaid 
 to diplomacy. 
 
 This delegation was cordially received and ban- 
 quetted in due form. On their mission of love they 
 visited Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the latter city 
 one of the delegates, possibly under the genial charm 
 of some vintage of France, proposed a toast to the 
 Russian army and expressed the hope and the belief 
 that the day was not far distant when the Briton and 
 the Russ would be found fighting together, shoulder 
 to shoulder, against a common enemy. From which it 
 would seem that the real mission of the delegation was 
 not the union of the churches of the two countries to 
 
fight against wickedness and sin, but the union of their 
 armies to fight against Germany. And so it happened 
 that by these means, and other means similar in their 
 nature, Russia had been put forward by England to 
 open the dance of death, France acquiescing in the 
 lead of England with docility. 
 
 Declarations of War. 
 
 We have already seen that it was Russia's interfer- 
 ence between Austria and Servia and the consequent 
 mobilization of troops on the German frontier that led 
 to the first declaration of war by Germany against 
 Russia on August 1. Events now followed in rapid 
 succession. On July 31 the German ambassador at 
 Paris inquired of the French premier what would be 
 the attitude of France in case of a Russo-German war? 
 The premier replied that France would consult her 
 own interests. On August 1 the entire French army 
 was mobilized. On August 4 the German ambassador 
 at Paris informed the French premier that a state of 
 war existed between Germany and France. On the 
 day before German troops had entered Belgium, and 
 on the following day, August 4, Great Britain declared 
 war on Germany. 
 
 Great Britain's Pretext. 
 
 The alleged ground of the declaration of war by 
 Great Britain was the violation of Belgium's neutrality, 
 which Germany had guaranteed by treaty. The trans- 
 parency of this pretext is visible to all eyes not blinded 
 by ignorance or prejudice. It would be superfluous 
 to cite instances where England has violated treaties. 
 Let it suffice to state in this regard that Mr. Glad- 
 stone himself said that "the maintenance of the obli- 
 gations of a treaty without regard to changed condi- 
 tions was an impracticable, stringent proposition to 
 
 XI 
 
which he could not adhere." And when Eng'land seized 
 the two Turkish dreadnaughts on August 8, she justi- 
 fied her action by saying they were taken "in accord- 
 ance with the recognized principle of the right and su- 
 preme duty to assure national safety in times of war." 
 To Americans, at least, there should be no difficulty 
 or hesitation in reaching a just conclusion on this point 
 if we have any respect for the formally expressed 
 opinion of our court of last resort. The United States 
 Supreme Court says in a judgment rendered in 1889, 
 written by Judge Field, expressing the unanimous con- 
 viction of the whole court: "Circumstances may arise 
 which would not only justify the Government in dis- 
 regarding their treaty stipulations, but demand in the 
 interest of the country that it should do so. There can 
 be no question that unexpected events may call for a 
 change of the policy of the country." This judgment 
 was handed down when the Chinese were excluded 
 from the United States in violation of a previous treaty 
 which had assured them the same rights as United 
 States citizens ; and the United States has acted on the 
 quoted decision ever since. 
 
 Cry of "Militarism." 
 
 But the cry is raised that Germany's militarism is a 
 menace to the peace of Europe. In what does this mil- 
 itarism consist ? In its restless activity in building war 
 ships and in its vast and powerful army. We have 
 already seen that a German navy was a necessity for 
 the protection of German over-sea trade. And when 
 did it become an injury, in the sense of an international 
 wrong, to a nation for another nation to bring its army 
 and navy to the highest efficiency? If an armament is 
 worth having at all it must be equal to the demands 
 which may be made upon it. Besides, Germany's situ- 
 ation is such that such an army is an imperative neces- 
 sity for protection. From the beginning France, Eng- 
 
 XII 
 
land and Russia had opposed the consolidation of the 
 German States in a single empire. When the empire 
 did come at last some 40 years ago, it was eyed with 
 jealousy and suspicion, not to speak of a certain af- 
 fected contempt for it as a parvenue. After the Fran- 
 co-Prussian war, in which Germany had first shown 
 her power, this terror, partly real and partly pretended, 
 was seized upon by the enemies of Germany to create 
 a public opinion hostile to Germany throughout the 
 world, and particularly in the United States. 
 
 In manufacturing this opinion the English press was 
 primarily responsible. There was no scheme of con- 
 quest, however improbable, that Germany was not 
 credited with harboring, and this despite the fact that 
 of all the nations of the world Germany had rarely set 
 out to attack and conquer. It must be re- 
 membered, too, that Germany was compelled by 
 external force imposed by Napoleon to adopt the sys- 
 tem of military organization, or militarism as it is now 
 called. After the crushing defeat at Jena, Prussia was 
 permitted to maintain but a small standing army, out 
 of all proportion to what she had maintained before. 
 The result was that she trained one part of her popu- 
 lation as soldiers and sent them home and then 
 levied another section and did the same with them, un- 
 til every Prussian able to bear arms in the kingdom 
 was a trained soldier, ready and prepared to be called 
 into active service. Prussia brought this plan over 
 into the empire. Owing to this method, and the care 
 which self-preservation made it necessary to take of 
 the army, Germany produced the most efificient army 
 in Europe. 
 
 German Miutarism Kept the Peace. 
 
 But what has Germany really done to justify this 
 hue and cry of ignorance, prejudice and malice raised 
 against her that she is a standing threat to the peace 
 
 xin 
 
of Europe? The honest and intelligent answer is: 
 "Nothing at all." The truth is that German militarism 
 has kept the peace for forty-four years. While Russia 
 went to war with Turkey and China, and, after having 
 promoted The Hague Conference, battled with Japan 
 and "protected" Persia, conquering territory double 
 the size of the United States on the might-is-right prin- 
 ciple ; while England, the defender of the rights of the 
 small States, smashed the Boer Republics, took Egypt, 
 Cyprus and South Persia; while the French Republic 
 conquered the Sudan, Tunis, Madagascar, Indo-China 
 and Morocco; while Italy possessed itself of Tripoli 
 and the islands in the ^gean Sea ; while Japan fought 
 China, took Formosa, Corea and Southern Manchuria, 
 and has now with the aid of her allies invaded China, 
 a neutral country — there is not one annexation or in- 
 crease of territory to the charge of Germany. She has 
 waged no war of any kind, has never acquired a terri- 
 tory in all her existence except by treaty and with the 
 consent of the rest of the world. 
 
 Militarism at Sea a Menace. 
 
 And what about the naval militarism of Great Brit- 
 ain — militarism run mad upon the sea? Surely the 
 replacing of land militarism by militarism on the water 
 will not bring a feeling of security to the people of this 
 country. The United States must use the seas, and 
 it must protect itself against invasion by sea. It need 
 not fear European armies, but it should be prepared 
 for possible conflict with foreign navies. The pros- 
 pect of one nation dominating the oceans, sending her 
 armored ships across every path of commerce, and 
 dictating terms upon which peaceful ships may be suf- 
 fered to pass is far more disquieting to the discerning 
 American than all the standing armies of Europe. 
 
 XIV 
 
Russian Absoi,utism. 
 
 Russia is by far the largest empire in the world in 
 territorial extent, and her population is nearly double 
 that of the United States. Her resources to supply 
 every economic demand are unbounded. Yet nowhere 
 on earth will you find such a spectacle of arrested de- 
 velopment in every branch of industry and in all the 
 arts of life. This is not due to the innate character 
 of the Slav, which is the equal of any race of the 
 Arian family in every respect. It is due to the crush- 
 ing power of the autocracy. We are in the habit of 
 saying that the government of Russia is autocratic; 
 and such it is in theory, but in fact it is an oligarchy 
 which controls the Czar and whose will he is unable 
 to resist. 
 
 This oligarchy stands for pure absolutism, and its 
 principal support is the Russian church, a species of 
 organized so-called Christianity, which persecutes with 
 fire and sword the adherents of western heresies. The 
 different objects which this oligarchy aims to accom- 
 plish have been summarily comprehended in the one 
 word "Byzantinism," which includes the ideas of un- 
 limited territorial expansion by conquest, absolute ad- 
 ministration, and Constantinople as the seat of an un- 
 limited power. 
 
 Intelugence Suppressed. 
 
 In the furtherance of these views the Russian church, 
 with its hold on the superstition of the vast masses of 
 the population, has exerted its tremendous influence. 
 Intelligence and free thought are not compatible with 
 absolutism and naturally these had to be suppressed. 
 Popular education was not to be tolerated and even the 
 education of the few who were allowed to attend the 
 high schools and colleges must be censored and re- 
 stricted. The history of all the intellectuals who have 
 dared to think and write freely has been the history 
 
 XV 
 
of a tragedy. To mention the names of only a few of 
 these martyrs: Pushkin and Lermontov were harried 
 and persecuted ; Turgeniev lived in exile ; Dostoyevski 
 was sent to the Siberian mines; Tolstoi was excom- 
 municated, and Gorki had to fiy from his native land ; 
 and such has been the fate of all Russian true patriots 
 — the dungeon, the knout, Siberia and the gallows. 
 
 This systematized suppression of intelligence not 
 only destroyed all mental activity in the peasant, but 
 degraded his moral sense and brutalized his conduct 
 and his life. Its evil effect on the national develop- 
 ment of Russia is incalculable. There is no spirit in 
 the peasantry, there is no ambition, because there is 
 no hope. There is no enterprise, no invention among 
 the people. They do not even have the desire to ele- 
 vate themselves. All commodities except the rudest 
 and most primitive kinds are imported, and manufac- 
 turing, trade and commerce is in the hands of aliens, 
 while Russia with its untold resources lies unculti- 
 vated and undeveloped. The fertile regions of the 
 Black Sea lie a dreary waste. What were once the 
 productive fields of the Mohametan agriculturist are 
 now overgrown with weeds and thistles. Of 750 towns 
 and cities in the empire, over 700 are without drain- 
 age. Small wonder that cholera and typhoid and other 
 fell diseases ravage the country and death stalks un- 
 checked. 
 
 Absolutism and their own prerogatives were made 
 secure by enforced ignorance. It was sufficient for 
 their purposes that the Czar was the little father of 
 Holy Russia, that his voice was the voice of God, and 
 that the highest happiness on earth and sure passport 
 to a heaven of bliss hereafter was implicit obedience 
 to his will as expressed by the bureaucracy. This is 
 one of the arms that autocracy employs to stifle dem- 
 ocracy and every effort for freedom and a better ex- 
 istence. 
 
 XVI 
 
Panslavism. 
 
 The other arm is the cry of panslavism. It is given 
 out through every available channel of information 
 that Russia is the natural protector of the whole vSlavic 
 race. This is quite as absurd as if Germany were to 
 set up the same claim for the Germanic race. Den- 
 mark, Sweden and Norway are Germanic; England 
 boasts of being Anglo-Saxon, and the preponderance 
 of blood in America and all her institutions are of 
 Germanic origin. The idea of any natural unity or 
 affinity or identity of habits of thought or of interest 
 among the Slavs is preposterous. The Poles are Slavs 
 and what has been their fate under Russia? Incom- 
 parably worse than under Germany and Austria; and 
 under no consideration would the Slavs of these coun- 
 tries transfer their allegiance to Russia. The Servi- 
 ans would undoubtedly welcome Russian aid to save 
 them in their present crisis, but only by conquest could 
 they be subjected to Russian dominion. They are by 
 far more intelligent than the Russian Slavs, and the 
 spirit of western democracy is in their veins. Further 
 than this, bitter hatreds exists between different groups 
 of the race. 
 
 That this is true is evident from what Leontyev, the 
 last great Slavophile publicist, says. He writes : "The 
 great problem for Russia is how to strangle democracy. 
 On the suppression of liberalism depends the outcome 
 of the solution of the eastern question. Panslavism is 
 a necessity, but if Greek-orthodox panslavism is sal- 
 vation, liberal panslavism means ruin, and ruin first 
 of all for Russia because all the Slavs outside of Rus- 
 sia are Europeans and liberal. If Greek orthodoxy is 
 still strong in the East it is due to the Turks. Turkish 
 oppression was all that preserved the Balkan Slavs 
 from the destructive influences of European liberalism. 
 Racial sympathies with the Slavs should not mislead 
 any Russian, for among all the Slavonic nations Russia 
 
 xvii 
 
is the least Slavonic. Russia is the most easterly, the 
 most, so to say, Asiatic Turanian nation in the Slavonic 
 world. Without this Asiatic influence of Russia the 
 other Slavs would soon become most miserable conti- 
 nental Europeans and nothing else, and for such a 
 miserable end it is not worth their while to 'shake ofif 
 their yoke' or for us to undertake self-sacrificing 
 crusades." 
 
 The tendencies of the Southern Slavs are evil ; worse 
 even than those of the French, continues Leontyev. 
 "But it is Russia's destiny to unite all Slavs. This 
 destiny is a dangerous burden, it is a sad necessity ; it 
 may mean the downfall of autocratic Russia exchanged 
 for God knows what. The South-Slavonic bourgeoisie 
 stands in the way of a Russo-Byzantian autocratic em- 
 pire. Russia has to reckon with this class and must 
 change or neutralize it. Russia must find some pow- 
 erful antidote for this miserable European liberalism. 
 And for the time being, the only and best available an- 
 tidote is the nursing and strengthening of the Greek- 
 orthodox Church in the Balkan States." 
 
 Leontyev scents danger in the efforts of western 
 diplomacy to diminish Russian influence in Greece and 
 Bulgaria, and says : "The other danger is still greater. 
 Russia may become contaminated, may catch the dis- 
 ease from the Southern Slav whom she is warming 
 at her bosom. The Russian, like the Frenchman, may 
 learn to love any kind of Russia, as the Frenchman 
 has learned to serve any sort of France. But who 
 could care for a Russia that is not autocratic and not 
 Greek orthodox? 
 
 "But the great truth is that Russia has already 
 caught the disease. In the bottom of their hearts the 
 Russians are already liberal. It seems that sooner or 
 later the common people will follow the intelligent 
 leaders, and these intelligent ones are throughout 
 liberal. 
 
 "What then can save a country in such a pass ? The 
 
 XVIII 
 
answer is inequality. The more equal the rights, the 
 more similar are the subjects of the empire, and the 
 more similar are their demands. Divide et impera is 
 therefore not a piece of Jesuitism, but a law of nature, 
 a fundamental principle of good government. So long 
 as there are different castes, different provinces, with 
 different peoples, so long as the education is different 
 in different classes of society, so long will there be still 
 a good chance to fight democratic progress. But if 
 the equalizing tendencies of liberalism and the demo- 
 cratic spirit gain the upper hand then there is only one 
 salvation left, and that is the conquest of new and 
 original countries, the conquest and occupation of new 
 territories with a foreign and dissimilar population, the 
 annexation of countries that carry in themselves con- 
 ditions favorable for autocratic discipline." 
 
 Such is the interpretation of the Russian system of 
 government as illustrated by all its administrative ac- 
 tivity. In fact, panslavism is not a cry to rally the for- 
 eign Slavs imder Russia's standard, nor was it so in- 
 tended by its originators. The aim and intent of it is 
 to solidify the preponderating race in Russia into a 
 compact, homogeneous mass with one mind and one 
 ideal, and that is the glory of Russia and the destiny 
 of the Slavic race to become the conqueror of all other 
 races. All of which will redound to the absolute su- 
 premacy of the autocracy. Divide et impera is the pol- 
 icy for the foreign Slav; in union there is strength 
 is the watchword for the Russian Slavs. 
 
 Hopes of Russian Patriots. 
 
 There have been not a few choice spirits in Russia 
 who have dreamed of constitutional government and 
 freedom under it, but those who attempted to make 
 these dreams a reality paid the penalty of their daring. 
 And hope was always higher and action more decided 
 when Russia was defeated in war. It was beaten and 
 
 XIX 
 
humiliated in the Crimea in 1856. The autocracy re- 
 ceived a severe blow and its prestige and power weak- 
 ened for a time. The abolition of serfdom was the 
 result. The hope for freedom bloomed, but it was 
 put out in blood and tears after the Russian victory of 
 1877. The same thing happened in 1905 after Russia's 
 defeat and humiliation by Japan. Never before had 
 the prospect seemed so fair and hopeful to Russian 
 patriots. Democracy, long stifled, began to raise its 
 ifoice. The demand for a change grew loud and persist- 
 ent. A Duma was secured. For a while the auto- 
 cracy trembled on the verge of ruin. But again the 
 knout of the Cossack, murderous rifle volleys and the 
 anathemas of the church suppressed the rising revolt 
 against absolutism. 
 
 And now again Russian autocracy seized upon the 
 Austro-Servian war to advance its policies of absorb- 
 ing the Balkan States, making its way into Constanti- 
 nople, and to further its conquests both in the near and 
 farther East. In the final summing up, it is Russia that 
 must be held responsible; it is at the door of Russia 
 the crime of provoking the present war and all its 
 horrors must be laid. 
 
 Autocracy's Purpose. 
 
 The whole aim and plan of the war, on the part of 
 Russia, is to extend and strengthen the domain and 
 the dominion of absolutism in the interest of auto- 
 cracy; and victory for the allies means just this men- 
 aced strength and expansion. It also means, and as a 
 consequence to this, a setback for many long years of 
 constitutional government and rights for the Russian 
 people. The victory of a nation in war is always the 
 victory of the ruling class in the nation and the se- 
 curity of a stronger and longer lease of power. The 
 ruling class in Russia is the autocracy and the victims 
 of a Russian triumph will be the Russian people. The 
 
 XX 
 
defeat of Russia will mean the resurrection from the 
 dead and the salvation of Russia's millions. 
 
 Not until the iron yoke of the autocracy is broken 
 can there be any hope of freedom for Russia. The 
 enticing appeal to patriotism, orthodoxy and panslav- 
 ism is the delusive and fatal song of the witch of the 
 Rhine which allures the boatman by its charm until he 
 dashes himself to death on the rocks. The true Rus- 
 sian patriot who is wise is not seduced by the spell. He 
 knows how everything that is pure and good and lov- 
 able is polluted and then pressed into the service of 
 the autocracy to impose upon and to deceive and to 
 move to action the man of untutored and honest mind 
 by appealing treacherously to his holiest feelings and 
 then to use him as an instrument for his own subjec- 
 tion and degradation. 
 
 The Czar's Fai<se Promises. 
 
 The Czar now holds out fine promises to the Poles 
 and the Jews and the Finns and incidentally to the 
 Russian people at large. If these promises are to be 
 estimated by the result of former promises and per- 
 formances — ^and they can be estimated in no other 
 way — then they are utterly false and worthless. In 
 March, 1903, the Czar issued his famous manifesto on 
 religious tolerance, wherein he declared his "inflexible 
 determination to secure, in matters pertaining to re- 
 ligion, strict observance, by the authorities, of the man- 
 dates of tolerance inscribed in the fundamental laws of 
 the Russian Empire, which, devoutly respecting the 
 Orthodox Church as supreme and dominant, grant to 
 all our subjects of heterodox and non-Christian de- 
 nominations the freedom of observing their faith and 
 worshipping in accordance with the rites thereof." 
 This solemn declaration was emphasized a few weeks 
 later by the horrible massacre of Jews at Kishinev. 
 
 XXI 
 
My Beloved Jews. 
 
 Dr. Georg Brandes, who is well known to most 
 American scholars, and who, for these, at least, is a 
 sufficient authority, has given us valuable information, 
 in a few out of many cases, about the inhuman treat- 
 ment of the Jews by the Russian soldiery since the 
 outbreak of the present war. He says: 
 
 "In the towns of Janow and Krasnik the Jews were 
 accused of having put out mines to destroy the Rus- 
 sians. The Jews, and among them many children, 
 were hanged on the telegraph-poles and the two towns 
 destroyed. 
 
 "The town of Samosch was conquered by the Aus- 
 trian Sokol troops, those beautiful, slender people 
 whom you do not forget when once you have seen them 
 train in the capital of Galicia. When they were driven 
 away by the Russian army the Poles accused the 
 Jews of the town of having been the accomplices of 
 the Austrians. Twelve Jews were arrested. When 
 they denied the charge they were sentenced to death. 
 
 "Five of them had been already hanged when, in 
 the middle of the execution, a Russian priest, carry- 
 ing an image of the Virgin in his hand, appeared and 
 with his hand on this image took the oath that the 
 Jews were innocent and that the accusation was all 
 an outcome of Polish hatred of the Jews. He proved 
 that the Poles of the town themselves had supported 
 the Austrians, and that even a telephone connection 
 with Lemberg could be found. The seven Jews were 
 then set free; five had already been hanged. 
 
 "In the town of Jusefow the Jews were accused of 
 having poisoned the wells through which hundreds 
 of Cossacks had lost their lives. Seventy-eight Jews 
 were killed, many women were ravished, and houses 
 and shops plundered. 
 
 "Similar events happened and still happen daily by 
 hundreds. Greater or smaller pogroms with murder, 
 
 XXII 
 
rape, and plunder have thus taken place in the dis- 
 tricts of Warsaw, Radom, Petrokow, and Kelcie. 
 
 "Eye-witnesses have told me about Jewish soldiers 
 in the different lazarettos who have turned mad, not 
 through the unavoidable horrors of the war, but be- 
 cause of the pogroms they have witnessed in the towns 
 they have passed. They mistake those they have seen 
 murdered for their own relations; they imagine they 
 see their own mothers, sisters, or beloved ones in that 
 plight. They are always raving about the same thing. 
 
 "The pursuit of the Jews by the Russian-Polish anti- 
 Semites is the more invidious under these circum- 
 stances, as 300,000 Jewish soldiers, among them many 
 volunteers, are serving in the Russian army, and as 
 the self-sacrifice of the army of the Red Cross hitherto 
 has been immeasurable. In the congregations are spe- 
 cial hospitals for Russian soldiers — regardless of their 
 creed — founded by Jews and with Jewish moneys. 
 
 "Not a few Jewish soldiers have already won the 
 highest military distinctions, nay, a few of them have 
 even received them from Mr. Rennenkampf, the com- 
 mander-in-chief himself, who used to be a zealous anti- 
 Semite, as the Russian court on the whole is passion- 
 ately anti-Semite." 
 
 Even supposing for a moment that the Czar was dis- 
 posed to carry out these promises, he would not be per- 
 mitted to do so by the autocratic circle which surround 
 and control him. Such an extension of human liberty 
 in Russia would put in motion a tide of democracy 
 which would sweep the autocrats from power and 
 break forever the iron rule of the church. Sooner 
 than see these promises performed, the autocracy and 
 the church would combine to assassinate the Czar if 
 that should be necessary to prevent it. 
 
 Russia's Oni<y Hoph;. 
 There is but one hope for Russia, and that is the 
 
 XXIII 
 
crushing defeat of the autocracy in the present war. 
 This will mean new life for Russia and an opportunity, 
 in the downfall of absolutism, to rear upon its ruins 
 a Russia of intelligence and of representative govern- 
 ment, with the guaranty of the rights of personal se- 
 curity, personal liberty, and of private property. 
 
 Let it be repeated liiat in no other way will the Rus- 
 sians rid themselves of the autocratic regime than by a 
 decisive defeat and disaster to Russian arms in the 
 present war. For which consummation let all who 
 wait for the resurrection of Russia hope and earnestly 
 pray. 
 
 XXIV 
 
PART FIRST 
 
PART FIRST 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A STORMY NIGHT IN ST. PETERSBURG 
 
 A fierce gale was blowing from the west, blocking 
 and reversing the motion of the waters of Lake 
 Ladoga, which sought their natural outlet into the 
 Baltic Sea. The waves lashed furiously and broke 
 in foaming crests, and turned back from the vain 
 struggle to overpower the storm and break through 
 the mouth of the Neva. Heaped up into great 
 lumps and ridges, and driven by a constantly 
 increasing force and momentum, they overleaped 
 the craggy banks and poured in floods over the high 
 inclosures of the Palace and the English Quay, and 
 the discolored torrents of the Moyka and the Fon- 
 tanka inundated the neighboring streets. 
 
 The signal gun of the Petropavlovsk Fortress 
 again and again thundered forth the announcement 
 of the gradual rising of the water. At the top of 
 the Admiralty Building a signal had been hoisted. 
 In the lower and threatened districts of the city 
 intense anxiety was manifest. In fright and con- 
 fusion people were running and shrieking and trying 
 
16 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 to save their portable belongings. In the higher 
 sections the panic stricken, motley crowds were 
 making the sign of the cross because the dread 
 prophecy that St. Petersburg would be destroyed in 
 the third overflow of the Neva seemed to be on the 
 point of fulfillment. Only the great bronze eques- 
 trian statue of Peter the Great in the Admiralty 
 Square appeared unmoved in the general terror. 
 His hand is outstretched to the waves, as if issuing 
 a command to them to retire, but they hear him not. 
 
 At one of the windows of the Winter Palace stood 
 a tall man, absorbed in thought, casting a challenging 
 glance over the wild waters of the Neva, as if threat- 
 ening the elements. 
 
 To him insubordination had long ceased to exist ; 
 he had long since forgotten what disobedience was. 
 Whenever and wherever he encountered an obstacle 
 to his will, he broke it like a straw or crushed it with 
 his foot as one crushes an insect. But now hostile 
 troops have invaded his dominions, have besieged 
 his great fortifications, and his three million soldiers 
 are unable to repel the invaders. The vast granite 
 works, his pride and suppositious security, lie power- 
 less before a despised foe. The generals — mere 
 marionettes moved by his indomitable will — on 
 whom he relied have proved themselves unequal to 
 their tasks. And now, at the time our story begins, 
 nature itself dared to rebel against him. In his 
 impotent rage he clenched his hands and exclaimed : 
 
 "Treacherous elements ! Is the West to conquer 
 you also? No; at least while I live the East shall 
 remain unconquerable! What did I say? Ah! 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 17 
 
 this thought has occurred to me more than once. 
 No, I must not outlive defeat ; and it must not take 
 me by surprise." 
 
 A cold and proud but hopeless smile spread over 
 his lips, and he whispered to himself in despair : 
 
 "Never!" 
 
 "Never \" repeated an echo of his own thoughts. 
 The chamberlain opened the door. 
 
 "Your Majesty, a courier from the Crimea." 
 
 "Let him enter," sharply ordered the monarch. 
 As he heard the announcement and gave the order, 
 the blood rushed to his face, and a bright red color 
 succeeded the marble paleness of his cheeks. His 
 antique face twitched nervously from involuntary 
 impatience. 
 
 The courier — an officer of the Yegersky Regi- 
 ment — entered. 
 
 A ten-days' journey had so worn him down that 
 he could barely keep on his feet. He wished to 
 speak, but, dizzy from exhaustion and excitement, 
 he was obliged to brace himself on a chair to keep 
 from falling. 
 
 "What news?" asked Nicholas in a commanding 
 tone. 
 
 The courier mechanically took a dispatch from 
 his pouch, which he handed to the Emperor. 
 
 Without reading it, the Tsar threw the dispatch 
 disdainfully on the table. 
 
 "I ask thee what news thou bringest, in simple 
 Russian speech; dost thou not understand me?" 
 
 The Tsar's voice, which caused the boldest to 
 tremble, brought the courier out of his daze. But 
 
18 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 nature has its rights. A ten-days* journey on horse- 
 back, with many relays, will bring down the strong- 
 est constitution. 
 
 "Your Majesty — " articulated the courier. 
 
 Advancing two steps, the Emperor seized the 
 officer in his powerful grasp and shook him angrily. 
 
 "Matveyev, dost thou not know who I am? I 
 ask thee once more what is happening in the 
 Crimea ?" 
 
 Matveyev lowered his head in silence. The pallor 
 of the Tsar's face changed to red again. 
 
 "Ah, bad news again ? And Vrevsky ?" 
 
 "Baron Vrevsky is dead !" 
 
 "Dead? And the battle?" 
 
 "The battle at the Black River—" 
 
 "What, not lost?" 
 
 "Yes, Your Majesty! His excellency Adjutant- 
 General Baron Vrevsky was fighting at the side of 
 General Dannenberg. Both seemed to court death." 
 
 "Well, what happened ?" 
 
 "The adjutant-general alone fell, and he com- 
 missioned me to transmit the sad intelligence to 
 Your Imperial Highness." 
 
 The Emperor rang the bell. 
 
 The chamberlain entered. 
 
 "Let Officer Matveyev be conducted to the for- 
 tress for a month for rest and recuperation ; but see 
 to it that he does not talk," added the Emperor in 
 a whisper. 
 
 The officer bowed in silence and left the room. 
 In the vestibule he met another courier, also an 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 19 
 
 officer and his friend, all covered with mud and 
 scarcely to be recognized. 
 
 "Where dost thou come from, Ostrovsky ?" asked 
 Matveyev. 
 
 "From the Caucasus," replied the newly arrived 
 courier. 
 
 Matveyev regarded him with a questioning glance. 
 Ostrovsky sank his head, raising his eyes at the 
 same time to his friend. The latter shrugged his 
 shoulders. Ostrovsky understood him and entered 
 the presence of the monarch with a sinking heart. 
 He, too, was the messenger of evil news. 
 
 "Whence art thou?" asked the Tsar in a loud 
 voice before the courier had crossed the threshold 
 of the cabinet. 
 
 "From Asia Minor," answered Ostrovsky, bow- 
 ing low and handing a package to the Emperor, 
 which the latter quickly unsealed and read the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 "Your Majesty," wrote Muravyev-Karsky, "in 
 obedience to your orders, we attacked Kars and were 
 repulsed with a fearful loss. My opinion that Kars 
 was impregnable has unfortunately been confirmed. 
 
 "Yesterday, when the adjutant-general delivered 
 to me Your Imperial Highness' command to attack 
 Kars, I asked him not to mention the matter to any 
 one until evening, when I had summoned a council 
 of war. The council was unanimous against an 
 attack, which it deemed not only hopeless, but even 
 useless, since the blockaded city would be obliged to 
 surrender in the course of a few weeks from famine. 
 The adjutant-general listened to the expressed 
 
20 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 opinions and remained silent. It then became my 
 duty to lay before the council the order of Your 
 Imperial Highness. I said : 
 
 " 'Gentlemen, it is the order of the Emperor that 
 Kars be attacked. At 5 o'clock to-morrow our storm- 
 ing columns will move on the fortifications. Let us 
 prove to His Imperial Highness that we gladly lay 
 down our lives when ordered by him to die.' 
 
 "And we have shown that we know how to die 
 for the Tsar and the fatherland, since 19,000 of 
 Your Majesty's choicest troops fell upon the battle- 
 field and the precipices of Kars. Unfortunately, I 
 was spared, and, hence, upon me is imposed the sad 
 duty of communicating to Your Imperial Highness 
 this grievous intelligence." 
 
 While the Emperor was mechanically running 
 over the dispatch, the signal gun continued to boom 
 at regular intervals. 
 
 As the waves of the Baltic were threatening the 
 capital, so the allied powers were menacing the 
 Empire from all sides. Resistance was unsuccessful. 
 The forts — ^the Emperor's pride and hope — were 
 powerless to arrest the advance of the enemy, and 
 the imperial troops had been defeated in the open 
 field. Sebastopol, the pearl of the southern strong- 
 holds, was still holding out, not owing to its granite 
 walls, erected at the cost of nearly one hundred 
 millions, but to the earth breastworks, hurriedly 
 thrown up by an insignificant captain, the son of a 
 foreign tradesman.* 
 
 ♦This refers to General Todtleben, who was the son of a 
 tobacco manufacturer of the city of Reval, in the Baltic Prov- 
 inces. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 21 
 
 But can it hold out much longer? If not to-day, 
 then to-morrow a courier may bring the news of its 
 fall. Like a desperate gambler, the Emperor staked 
 all on a single card by sending an adjutant-general 
 to the Crimea with instructions for an immediate 
 and decisive battle. 
 
 The battle was fought near the Black Sea. The 
 English were driven back to the water's edge. 
 Fortune again seemed to smile on the Russians; 
 victory was about to perch on the standards of the 
 brave Moscow troops, when Bosquet suddenly 
 appeared with his Zouaves. 
 
 The English were saved; the Russians were 
 repulsed and driven back to the precipitous cliffs, 
 where many fell to their death and the remainder 
 were cut down mercilessly by the enemy. Accord- 
 ing to eye-witnesses, the Black River was all red 
 with blood in those ill-fated hours. 
 
 Muravyev had invested Kars, in Asia Minor. 
 
 The Emperor sought to divert the attention of 
 Europe from the disasters in the Crimea and to 
 overwhelm the allies by a brilliant stroke, at the 
 same time rousing and inspiring the national spirit. 
 For these reasons he had ordered the attack on Kars. 
 A council of war was called at St. Petersburg, to 
 which the old Count Paskevich, who had taken Kars 
 in 1829, was summoned. The entire council was 
 opposed to the attack, with Count Paskevich at the 
 head of the opposition. 
 
 "Hast thou not taken Kars?" sharply asked the 
 Tsar of the Count. 
 
22 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "I repeat, sire, that the fortress is impregnable, 
 and can only be taken by starving- the inhabitants. 
 True, I have taken it once, but this was not accom- 
 plished with iron, but with gold. If Your Imperial 
 Highness sends such metal to Muravyev, Kars will 
 be at your feet," was the candid reply of the old 
 soldier. 
 
 The Tsar, however, did not send the gold to 
 Muravyev, but an order to attack at once. The 
 Emperor heartily disliked Muravyev because the 
 latter, in a sham battle in which he commanded one 
 side and the Emperor the other, had been guilty of 
 the impudence of capturing the Tsar with his entire 
 staff. Those who knew Nicholas, knew well that 
 he never forgave such offenses. Muravyev was sent 
 to Asia Minor as commander-in-chief on account of 
 his personal popularity among the troops and to 
 please public sentiment. But the brilliant victory 
 with which the Tsar hoped to surprise all of his 
 subjects, inspiring them to new sacrifices, was turned 
 into the ashes of defeat and an enormous and useless 
 slaughter. 
 
 The thoughts of the proud autocrat became darker 
 than the angry night which was covering the raging 
 waves of the Neva. Success, which smiled on him 
 in the course of thirty years, not failing once, pro- 
 duced in his mind deceptive visions of absolutism 
 and of lasting glory and power, in which he himself 
 came to have complete confidence. Up to the out- 
 break of the Crimean war he deemed himself as 
 specijally called to decide the fate of the whole of 
 Europe. He regarded himself as a colossus to 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 23 
 
 whom were turned the eyes of the German princes, 
 begging protection. And now — 
 
 Another report from the fortress gun caused the 
 Emperor to start, and interrupted his thoughts. He 
 became obHvious, not noticing the presence of the 
 courier or recalling the news brought by him. 
 
 "What dost thou want?" cried the monarch 
 angrily. "Who art thou?" 
 
 But before the officer had time to answer, Nicholas 
 recovered himself and recalled the dreadful report 
 the courier had made. 
 
 "Ah, yes; I know. On the morrow thou shalt 
 return to Asia Minor, and now go and rest. Thou 
 hast brought me sad news; thou wilt therefore 
 remain before Kars until thou shalt bring me an 
 account of its fall. Now go! Yet, stop. Where 
 is the messenger from the Crimea? Very well," he 
 added, after a momentary reflection, "I know now. 
 Order that he be returned here !" 
 
 Ostrovsky saluted and took his leave. Matveyev 
 was still in the palace guardhouse, as it was not 
 possible to cross the Neva in the face of the storm. 
 On his reappearance before the Emperor he was 
 ordered to return to the Crimea on the next day. 
 
 Nicholas did not spare his soldiers, supposing 
 them to be possessed of the same iron constitution 
 as himself. 
 
 Upon the departure of the officer, the Tsar sank 
 into a chair and listened mechanically to the crash 
 and roar of the tempest without. He rose precipi- 
 tately from his seat and rang for the chamberlain. 
 
24 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Have Karrel summoned !" he ordered in a hollow 
 voice. 
 
 Again the fortress gun boomed. The storm was 
 cutting its way into the imperial chamber, bursting 
 open windows with such force that the glass was 
 shattered into bits and fell jingling to the floor. 
 
 The monarch remained calm. The storm which 
 was raging in his soul obliged him to forget the 
 threatening waters. He went to an open window 
 and looked out. The waves, with constantly 
 increasing fury, continued to beat against the granite 
 banks, dashing their foam high up against the 
 barriers. The reports from the signal gun came 
 with greater frequency. 
 
 "If Napier should take advantage of this storm 
 and slip by the Kronstadt fortifications in the dark- 
 ness of this night, St. Petersburg would be lost," 
 thought the Emperor. At the same time there awoke 
 in him the blind faith in his unchangeable good 
 fortune, and, throwing a challenging glance at the 
 sky, he soliloquized : 
 
 "He won't dare, for even if he does find among 
 the swine herders a vile wretch who would be willing 
 to pilot him, the mines would destroy his fleet. My 
 star has not yet set ; it only hides behind the clouds ; 
 it may be darkened but not extinguished. The 
 storm will scatter the clouds, and the moon will soon 
 illuminate nature with its silvery rays. So my star, 
 which for thirty years has continuously led to 
 victory, will again beam in brightness. Yes; my 
 destiny is sure. The lion is not yet subdued ; on the 
 contraryi he is only sharpening his teeth and cl«iws 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 25 
 
 to be the better able to tear. Rapacious England! 
 I vow to destroy thee if I emerge victorious from 
 this conflict. I will teach thee !" he added, menacing 
 the South with his index finger. 
 
 The chamberlain opened the door and announced : 
 
 "Privy Councilor Karrel !" 
 
 The Emperor's favorite private physician was 
 ushered in. 
 
 Nicholas did not observe his entrance. He was 
 watching the battle of the waves, which pictured to 
 his imagination his own war with the allied powers. 
 He turned and beheld the sad face of his physician. 
 
 "Ah, it is thou, Karrel. I have sent for thee, for 
 I am ill." 
 
 The physician would feel his pulse, but Nicholas 
 withdrew his hand. 
 
 "No ; that will reveal nothing to thee ; my disease 
 has its seat deep in my heart . . . Tell me, how 
 much longer have I to live ?" 
 
 The doctor looked at the Tsar. 
 
 "Sire, human life is in the hands of God." 
 
 "And in a measure in our own," added the 
 Emperor. 
 
 The doctor was overcome. He understood the 
 meaning of his sovereign's words, but he was afraid 
 to allow himself to admit that he did understand it. 
 
 "I have reigned longer than any of my predeces- 
 sors," he continued, "and it is time to rest. My 
 friends, the English, are of the same opinion," he 
 added with an ironical smile. "They are determined 
 not to lay down arms until I shall have vacated the 
 throne. But thou,, Kafrel, dost know me and there- 
 
26 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 fore dost understand that I shall part with the crown 
 only when I part with life. 
 
 "Fate called me to the throne to which I was not 
 born the heir.* I have held the reins of govern- 
 ment with a strong hand, destroying everything that 
 dared oppose me. The German princes looked upon 
 me as their protector, and I could have regarded 
 them almost as my vassals. But now, the ground 
 is trembling under my feet." 
 
 The last words were uttered in a voice scarcely 
 audible. The Tsar was again immersed in gloomy 
 thoughts, and for a while remained silent. Then, 
 as if awaking from a sleep, he turned to Karrel with 
 the question : 
 
 "How long have I yet to live ?" 
 
 "Sire, I can but repeat what I already had the 
 honor to state, that human life is in the hands of 
 God. The physician who presumes to fix its dura- 
 tion for a healthy man is either a knave or a fool. 
 No one who does not know Your Majesty's age 
 would believe you to be sixty years old. You will 
 live many years yet for the welfare of Russia." 
 
 "If I do not die for her salvation !" 
 
 These words were uttered by the Emperor invol- 
 untarily. He did not realize their import. They 
 were followed by a silence which to the doctor 
 seemed to last an age. 
 
 *By the law of primogeniture Alexander's successor should 
 have been Constantine, the eldest of his brothers', but in order 
 to marry the Countess Groudzinska, Constantine had, in 1822, 
 declared to his brother his intention of renouncing the crown. 
 The Efnpefror had accepted the renunciation and named Nich- 
 olas, Paul's third son, to succeed him. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 27 
 
 The Emperor walked up and down the room with 
 bowed head. The wind was finding its way into 
 the cabinet through the open windows and the signal 
 gun was discharged again and again with long and 
 loud reverberations. At last the Tsar stopped before 
 his physician and calmly asked him : 
 
 "What poison kills in a few days without causing 
 much sufifering and without leaving its traces ?" 
 
 The doctor remained silent. 
 
 "I ask thee !" shouted Nicholas. 
 
 "Sire — " Karrel tried to speak, but could only 
 murmur unintelligibly. 
 
 Recovering at last his customary habit of acting 
 decisively, he made the following evasive reply : 
 
 "There are many kinds of poison . . . but 
 the science of toxicology has not yet been sufficiently 
 explored to enable one to — " 
 
 Nicholas, having again fallen into his reveries, 
 failed to hear the answer, and asked abruptly : 
 
 "Does prussic acid or nicotine have an immediate 
 effect?" 
 
 The doctor nodded his head affirmatively. 
 
 "Then these will not answer the purpose," con- 
 tinued the Tsar, as if talking to himself. "I must 
 not die suddenly; it would cause too much gossip. 
 I must first be ill. What are the effects of strych- 
 nine? I understand that it is absorbed by the 
 blood." 
 
 The doctor was silent. 
 
 "Am I not asking thee a question?" 
 
 "Sir^-" 
 
28 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Answer my question briefly and to the point. 
 Do not waste words." 
 
 "Sometimes — " 
 
 "Well, then, that will answer the purpose; no 
 traces or almost none. Its action is slow, and the 
 patient dies gradually, and without losing conscious- 
 ness." 
 
 Karrel nodded his head affirmatively. 
 
 Nicholas resumed his walk around the room. 
 From time to time he halted before the doctor, 
 regarding him in silence, and then continued his 
 walk. Finally he stopped and whispered so low that 
 his words were scarcely audible to himself : 
 
 "Karrel, I must have strychnine." 
 
 The doctor turned ashen pale ; the blood rushed to 
 his heart; he could scarcely breathe. He wished to 
 speak, but could not utter a word. 
 
 Meanwhile Nicholas left him, and stationed him- 
 self at the window, gazing on the wild scene without. 
 
 "The South will conquer, after all," he said. 
 Then, turning to the doctor : 
 
 "I must have the poison. Bring it to me to- 
 morrow." 
 
 The faithful servant sank to his knees at the feet 
 of his sovereign. Great tears trickled down his 
 cheeks. He grasped the Emperor's hand, covering 
 it with kisses, and articulated with difficulty : 
 
 "Sire, what do you intend to do ?" 
 
 Nicholas threw upon him a cold and disdainful 
 glance, saying: 
 
 "Since when do people dare ta ask me questions ?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 29 
 
 The tears which were choking the physician pre- 
 vented a reply. 
 
 Nicholas continued with emotion : 
 
 "Thou hast served me many years; thou hast 
 accompanied me in all my travels; thou hast seen 
 that I had only to give a sign to make all my subjects 
 prostrate themselves and obey me. 
 
 "Is it possible that thou, my faithful servant, 
 wouldst wish that I should lay down my crown, and 
 that, as in the fable, the ass should kick the lion? 
 Dost thou wish that those who trembled before me 
 should delight in my downfall ?" 
 
 Karrel was still at the feet of the Tsar, but 
 Nicholas raised him up, saying : 
 
 "Enough, Karrel; be a man. To-morrow thou 
 must bring me the poison, and I promise thee that I 
 shall resort to it only when I am compelled by fate." 
 
 Karrel found courage to say : 
 
 "Sire, we physicians are in duty bound to restore 
 health to the sick as far as science has given us the 
 power; but our calling forbids the taking of life." 
 
 Observing the angry look in the autocrat's eyes, 
 the physician continued : 
 
 "Sire, obedience has its limits. If Your Imperial 
 Highness should decree that I die for you, I would 
 die joyfully, exulting in the privilege. Think, sire, 
 of the Empress, your consort ; think of your children 
 and your people. Consider that I have sworn to 
 preserve your life, even at the sacrifice of my own; 
 and yet you demand death at my hands !" And he 
 once more threw himself at the Emperor's feet. 
 
30 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Emperor went to the window, placed his hot 
 brow against the frosty air, and was refreshed. He 
 returned to the physician and said in an austere but 
 affectionate tone : 
 
 "Stand up, thou foolish man. Who says that I 
 want to die now. But no one can tell what may 
 happen." 
 
 "For a sovereign who is supported by such a 
 devoted people as the Russians no such emergency 
 can arise, and nothing approximating it can ever be 
 possible," interrupted the doctor. "Russians will 
 lay down their lives for their Tsar to the last living 
 soul. Remember the year 1812. The enemy may 
 take a few forts; he may wreak his vengeance by 
 burning unprotected seaside towns ; he may — " 
 
 "Enough empty phrases ! Remember my order !" 
 With these words the Tsar turned his back to the 
 physician and went away. 
 
 Trembling and heart-broken, the doctor rose and 
 followed the Emperor. He was intrusted with a 
 dreadful secret, and he knew his sovereign too well 
 to indulge the hope that he could prevail on him to 
 change his determination. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE FORTUNE TELLER 
 
 In the Kolomna district of St. Petersburg there is 
 a quarter known as "Boloto" (mud). Only ten 
 years since this quarter was lined with rows of small 
 and dirty lachug (hovels) along unpaved streets. 
 In the rainy season the mud made this section 
 impassable, and in dry weather the dust obscured 
 the sun's rays. 
 
 This evening Boloto amply justified its name. 
 The Neva, having poured over its banks, overflowed 
 this low section and made canals of the streets, into 
 which neither pedestrians nor vehicles dared to ven- 
 ture, which latter, however, were seldom seen in this 
 neighborhood. Most of these miserable huts were 
 in complete darkness, as their occupants, for the 
 most part mechanics and petty officials, after hiding 
 their petty goods in the garrets, sought refuge in the 
 higher parts of the city. 
 
 In one of the meanest and dirtiest of the hovels 
 a dim light was shimmering through the bluish paper 
 serving the purpose of window glass. From time 
 to time its dull reddish light was observable, which 
 by turns flickered and vanished. 
 
 Had any one entered this kennel he would have 
 witnessed a strange spectacle. Along the walls of 
 the small room, which were covered with cheap 
 paper, were narrow benches, such as may be found 
 in the huts of peasants. A wooden table stood in 
 
32 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 
 
 the center, upon which was burning a tallow candle 
 in an iron candlestick, and around which were scat- 
 tered in confusion greasy cards and dirty cups con- 
 taining coffee grounds. 
 
 One would look in vain for the usual cross or 
 ikon* in the red corner. Near the clay stove, in 
 which burned a few chips, sat an old woman boiling 
 coffee in a tin saucepan. She gave no heed to the 
 storm. 
 
 Occasionally she would throw a few more chips 
 into the fire, and her figure, lighted up by the blaze, 
 reminded one of a witch, to which appearance her 
 fantastic costume greatly added. Her head was 
 covered with a red handkerchief, and over her left 
 shoulder was suspended a yellow shawl, with a red 
 border, falling in long folds around her waist. 
 
 At times she would jump up, whirl round in the 
 room, and sing in a hollow voice some weird melody. 
 Then she would again sit down before the fireplace 
 and in silence watch the boiling coffee. She would 
 pour the coffee into one cup and the sediments into 
 another, after first carefully washing them both. 
 Then she would look at the grounds, while slowly 
 sipping the coffee. The longer she looked, the more 
 demoniacal became the expression on her face. 
 Suddenly she burst out in idiotic laughter and hurled 
 the cup containing the grounds into a corner, break- 
 ing it in pieces. Then, raging like a tiger that 
 sniffed the scent of blood, she threw herself into a 
 
 *A Russian home is incomplete without an image of the 
 Savior, the Virgin, or the patron saint of the house shining 
 in the rays of a lamp, always illuminated, in a corner of the 
 apartment. This image is called ikon. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 33 
 
 wild dance, screeching a grewsome song, in the ill- 
 fated words of which was the prediction of her own 
 death in a few hours, and that in her last moments 
 she would enjoy sweet revenge on an enemy. 
 
 This woman was the far-famed fortune teller 
 Marfiisha, known as the "Witch of Kiev." While 
 she was thus engaged a woman entered the room 
 imnoticed, who, astonished at the conduct of the 
 uncanny creature, stopped at the door. She was 
 beautiful, about twenty-five years old, dressed plainly, 
 but in good taste, though the evidence of the storm 
 was visible in her attire. Her feet were wet 
 through, and although wrapped in a warm shawl, 
 she shook from the cold. Her face was pale, the 
 wonderful black eyes sparkled through her tears, and 
 at times her lips twitched nervously. It could not 
 have been mere curiosity that brought her in such 
 weather to such a place. Probably she came to seek 
 consolation, or perhaps to find means of safety from 
 threatening danger. 
 
 Marfiisha continued to dance and sing, without 
 noticing her visitor until she stumbled against her. 
 
 "Thou hast come to learn thy fate ?" squeaked the 
 hag. "I need not ask the cards ; thy fate is written 
 on thy face. Let me see thy hand." 
 
 She drew the stranger to the table, snuffed the 
 candle, and examined her hand attentively and long. 
 She then looked into the woman's face, fastening 
 her blinking eyes on it so keenly that she nearly 
 swooned under the examination. Drawing her 
 hand close to the candle, the witch suddenly let it 
 drop, and pushing the stranger aside she cried : 
 
34 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Thou hast dared come to me? Thou hast the 
 audacity to come here to weep? Siberia? Well, 
 what if it be so? He will not be hanged! Thou 
 wilt be spared the sight of his body dangling in the 
 air surrounded by croaking crows. Fortunate one, 
 thou wilt not see him in death !" 
 
 Terrified and almost deprived of her senses as she 
 was, the young woman listened eagerly to the old 
 crone's rambling talk. She desired to ask some- 
 thing, but could find no adequate words to express 
 the agony of her heart. Her hostess, however, 
 appeared to read her thoughts, and continued : 
 
 "My little dove sighs for her mate ? She desires 
 to know whither he has deserted her ? Yes ; he has 
 a new love ! And he nestles with her." 
 
 These words entered the young woman's soul like 
 a dart of death. She turned ghastly pale and cold, 
 and the tears froze on her cheek. 
 
 She recovered herself and said : 
 
 "Have pity on me, Marfusha! Do not kill me 
 with thy cruel words. Take everything I possess; 
 only tell me the truth." 
 
 She threw on the table her well-filled purse, brace- 
 lets, brooch, and was in the act of taking off her 
 rings, when Marfusha checked her and disdainfully 
 pushed away the money and jewelry. 
 
 "Keep thy treasures," she said roughly. "The 
 fortune teller, who is to die within an hour, has no 
 need of them." 
 
 The stranger appeared not to understand. The 
 anguish of suspense had impaired her reason. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 35 
 
 "And so thou wouldst know where thy beloved is? 
 This is what brought thee here, is it not? Thou 
 seest, I know much; I know all. To the dying is 
 given the power of forecasting future events and to 
 know the past and present. Thy husband's former 
 love for thee has yielded to other charms. He has 
 forsaken thee." 
 
 The unhappy young woman felt her knees totter- 
 ing. She cast a look of despair upon the fortune 
 teller and sank unconscious on the bench. 
 
 "Calm thyself, my child," resumed Marfusha 
 tenderly. "It is not a woman that has supplanted 
 thee in thy husband's heart." 
 
 "What is it, then?" whispered the young woman, 
 again recovering. 
 
 "This passion is of such a nature that all who are 
 seized by it find death. Thy husband, also, will die 
 for his love." 
 
 "But what is this affection?" cried the stranger. 
 
 "The fatherland !" replied the old woman, wiping 
 away her involuntary tears. 
 
 The clatter of horses' hoofs splashing through the 
 mud became audible. 
 
 The fortune teller bounded from her seat and 
 raised the young woman from the bench with a 
 force and haste that was incredible in one so feeble. 
 
 Into this closet, quick ! He must not see thee, for 
 thy husband's salvation. Quick, quick! I say — it 
 is he!" 
 
 With these words she pushed the young woman 
 into a dark closet and bolted the door. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE emperor's VISIT TO THE FORTUNE TELLER 
 
 Pretending not to observe the newly arrived 
 visitor, the witch turned to the fireplace, threw on 
 some chips and put some coffee into the saucepan, 
 to which she added some water, and set it on the 
 fire to boil. While thus engaged a tall man, wrapped 
 in an old army mantle,* entered the room. The 
 old woman knew he was present, but gave no sign, 
 and busied herself with the coffee. 
 
 The officer looked at her several times, in a way 
 which showed plainly enough that he was not 
 accustomed to wait; then, stamping the floor, he 
 impatiently called : 
 
 "How now, hag, hast thou turned deaf and 
 blind?" 
 
 Marfiisha looked up and stared at her new caller, 
 but her face indicated neither fear nor surprise. 
 
 "Thou hast come to learn how much longer thou 
 wilt live. Very well; listen then: Before spring 
 returns, thy days will be numbered. First I, then 
 thou, will rest in the grave. Yes, poison ! Not in 
 wine, but in poison wilt thou find forgetfulness !" 
 
 ♦Nicholas I. nearly always wore the military coat of his de- 
 ceased brother, and which Alexander I. had also worn during 
 the war with Napoleon. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 37 
 
 Did she utter these words at hazard, or did she 
 penetrate to the depth of his secret thoughts? He 
 stared at her in surprise, but not a muscle of his face 
 moved. 
 
 "You won't mind, batyushka,* to wait until the 
 colifee is made, not because I wish to offer you a 
 cup, which you would not refuse if you knew it to 
 contain poison. . . . Meanwhile I will lay out 
 the cards." 
 
 At the word "poison" the officer paled perceptibly, 
 but at the allusion to the cards he nodded approv- 
 ingly. 
 
 The witch snuffed the candle, sat down at the 
 table, and, inviting the officer to sit opposite, said : 
 
 "Don't be perturbed; though a bench is not a 
 throne, it is much safer and far more peaceful." 
 
 The officer sat down. The witch shuffled the 
 cards after the rules of the art. 
 
 "Dost thou hear the sound of the bugle? It is 
 proud of its former victories ; it has shown its might 
 to the East! Thine enemies will proceed likewise 
 if — " She became silent. The officer waited long 
 for her to resume, and then asked impatiently : 
 
 "If what ? Speak, hag, what dost thou mean ?" 
 
 She continued to shuffle the cards, scanning them 
 closely. 
 
 "The cards do not reveal the future; they deal 
 only with past events, which thou hast perhaps quite 
 forgotten. While the coffee is getting ready, which 
 
 *An endearing adjective, meaning "little father," indiffer- 
 ently used by Russians. 
 
38 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 will tell me thy future, let me show thee the secrets 
 of the past by the cards." 
 
 She looked at the cards. 
 
 "The five of spades means five victims whom thou 
 hast hanged — " 
 
 "Hag !" shrieked the officer. 
 
 The fortune teller did not heed him and proceeded 
 quietly : 
 
 "One of the five martyrs had a little daughter, a 
 pretty blonde. She was aroused one morning by an 
 unusual noise. This noise was caused by the police, 
 who had come to place seals on the remaining 
 property of the widow and orphan, since the court, 
 after having condemned the father to the gallows, 
 confiscated all his estate, and left the family destitute. 
 
 "Since that day mother and daughter eked out a 
 miserable existence in wretched poverty. And, as if 
 this were not enough, they were imprisoned in a 
 convent by administrative order — " 
 
 "Silence, hag !" shouted the officer. 
 
 Without noticing his remark she continued : 
 
 "By imperial order they were made to suffer every 
 conceivable humiliation, insult, and agony. The 
 wife and daughter, like the husband and father who 
 died for the cause of freedom, would have preferred 
 death to their lives of degrading slavery. They 
 made their escape, and the convent keepers, fearing 
 the consequences of their carelessness, reported that 
 the two women were dead. 
 
 "Death and oblivion is one and the same in Holy 
 Russia, and the two unfortunates were soon for- 
 gotten. The mother was barely able to earn a living. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 39 
 
 and they lived in the direst poverty, but bore their 
 lot bravely — ^they were at least free. This freedom 
 was not to last long. 
 
 "One day the mother, on returning home, found 
 her Anyiita missing. In vain did she call and 
 search; her child was gone. Gedeonov, who had 
 reached a high estate by becoming a secret procurer 
 for his sovereign — " 
 
 The visitor was aroused. His eyebrows were 
 knitted, the veins on his forehead were inflated, his 
 fists were clenched, and he restrained himself with 
 difficulty from attacking the old woman, who, with- 
 out raising her eyes from the cards, proceeded with 
 her story : 
 
 "Gedeonov saw Anyuta on the street ; he properly 
 estimated the value of her beauty and anticipated 
 the new favors he might expect from the Tsar if he 
 delivered the prey. With the aid of the police he 
 found out where she lived, and by his directions the 
 girl was kidnapped in the absence of the mother, and 
 placed in a dramatic school — a select harem for the 
 gratification of the monarch. 
 
 "The girl, although but sixteen years of age, knew 
 enough not to reveal her real name. When asked 
 what is was, she replied, 'Marya Assenkova !' " 
 
 "What! Marya Assenkova?" asked the officer in 
 great excitement. 
 
 "Yes; she was the daughter of the ruined 
 Nileyev," replied the old woman in a calm but 
 slightly tremulous voice. 
 
 "The girl soon became the belle of the school, not 
 alone on account of her remarkable beauty, but 
 
40 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 because of her great talents. Her beauty brought 
 her no happiness, for she was forced to surrender it 
 to him who signed the death warrant of her father. 
 The fruit of this compulsion was a son — " 
 
 "Where is the son?" shouted the officer. 
 
 The woman did not appear to hear him. 
 
 "On the very day of his birth the boy was kid- 
 napped by the girl's mother. Under the guise of a 
 midwife she succeeded in reaching her daughter. 
 She took the boy away that he might serve as a 
 weapon for her vengeance. He is alive now." 
 
 "Where is he ? Tell me, else I will — !" screamed 
 the officer in a terrible voice, but which did not 
 frighten the narrator. 
 
 "The boy is yet alive, but the mother is dead. 
 She died cursing him who dishonored her — the 
 father of her child. The throngs, headed by the 
 Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, which followed her 
 fragile remains to the churchyard, did not suspect 
 that the same hand that murdered the father slew 
 also the daughter, and that it was decreed that her 
 son should avenge — " 
 
 "Witch, thou knowest too much. Thou must tell 
 me all!" roared the Emperor, seizing her with his 
 iron grip, but she slipped from his grasp like an eel. 
 
 "I tell only what the cards say to me. Now we 
 will look into the future by aid of the coffee 
 grounds." 
 
 She poured off the coffee, looked curiously into 
 the grounds, and said : 
 
 "There shall come happy days for Russia, but not 
 under the present Tsar. His star ascended in blood ; 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 41 
 
 in blood shall it also set. The reign of Nicholas I. 
 shall occupy a dark and blood-stained page in his- 
 tory. The memory of Nicholas will not be blessed, 
 but rather — " 
 
 The Emperor had risen from his seat in the 
 meantime. A deathly pallor covered his marble-like 
 features, in which was the expression of a tiger 
 hungry for prey. He seized the woman's shoulder 
 and shook her as a dog shakes a rat. 
 
 "Thou knowest too much of the past and thy 
 forecast of the future is too vague. Thou dost not 
 deceive me with thy jugglery. The secret thou 
 possessest will prove thy undoing. Thou hast 
 spoken of the son of Assenkova — I will know his 
 name and where he is. Speak, or — " 
 
 "Ask the eagle of the heavens what his name is ; 
 ask the prairie wolf whence he comes," was the 
 woman's reply. 
 
 "I ask thee for the last time," shouted the 
 Emperor. 
 
 "I neither fear thy power nor thy gallows. Dare 
 not to touch one upon whom the hand of Heaven is 
 already laid !" hissed the woman. 
 
 "We shall see whether Hell or Heaven is to take 
 thy part ; but we shall first find the son of Assenkova. 
 Within the walls of the Patropavlovsk Fortress they 
 will understand how to wring a confession from thee 
 and make thee tell who thou art." 
 
 "Who I am !" cried the fortune teller, wresting 
 herself out of the Emperor's clutches. 
 
 "Dost thou not recognize in me the woman who 
 crawled at thy feet and begged mercy for her hus- 
 
42 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 band? Dost thou not know the woman who was 
 betrayed by kind words to make herself a weapon 
 for his destruction ? Neither he nor his companions 
 would ever have confessed had they not been assured 
 through me that they would be pardoned on that 
 condition. What happened ? Instead of a pardon, 
 which was promised, they were hanged! Heaven 
 itself rebelled against this treachery; the ropes 
 snapped on three of the victims.* In any other land 
 this would have secured a pardon for political 
 offenders ; here, it only aggravated their tortures. I 
 then vowed revenge on their murderers and faith- 
 fully did I keep my oath. Ah, thou knowest me 
 not? I am indeed no longer the celebrated beauty 
 of years gone by. Time, grief, and powerless hate 
 have whitened my hair and dug furrows in my face. 
 The lady of the salon has turned into a hag. The 
 widow of Nileyev !" 
 
 "Ah! so thou art the widow of the executed 
 Nileyev ?" interrupted the Emperor. 
 
 "Yes; and the mother of Assenkova !" 
 
 The Emperor shuddered. He had been devotedly 
 fond of Assenkova, the star of the Russian stage in 
 the thirties. 
 
 Nicholas exceeded Louis XIV. in his affaires 
 d' amour. The latter only had CEil-de-Boeuf, while 
 the former, beside the maids of the Empress whom 
 he would give in marriage to his courtiers and gen- 
 
 *Nileyev was the head of the Society of the North. He was 
 condemned to be hanged together with four other conspira- 
 tors. They did honor to their cause by their courage in fac- 
 ing a penalty made cruel by the awkwardness of the execu- 
 tioners, 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 43 
 
 erals, maintained a female dramatic school, at the 
 head of which was Gedeonov, the principal procurer 
 of the Emperor, and who reached the highest station 
 in the civil hierarchy, receiving the rank of "Actual 
 Secret Counselor"* of the first class. 
 
 The unhappy mother, guided by her boundless 
 love for her daughter, soon discovered her and found 
 a way to penetrate into that school, where she 
 watched her daughter's fate with an eagle eye. 
 Anyiita had long withstood the demands of the Tsar, 
 but her indifference only added fire to his passion. 
 After he had compelled her to yield to his desires 
 and she carried the fruit of his crime under her 
 bosom, his love for her knew no bounds. She gave 
 birth to a much-hoped-for boy, but the child disap- 
 peared on the day it was born. An old seamstress 
 also disappeared on that day from her home in the 
 Peskov (sandy) district, and Marfusha, the fortune 
 teller, settled at the same time in the Boloto district. 
 All the efforts of the secret police to apprehend the 
 midwife proved ineffectual. Marya Assenkova was 
 in love with an actor named Stepanov, but the 
 Emperor's jealousy prevented their union, and the 
 unhappy girl pined and died. 
 
 But now fate had overtaken Nicholas ! His 
 former love was kindled anew. An overwhelming 
 passion surged in his veins. 
 
 He caught Marfusha by the shoulder and buried 
 his nails in her flesh. She did not wince, but on 
 her face again appeared that demoniac expression. 
 
 *Dyestvitelny tayny sovyetnik is the Russian for this title, 
 and it corresponds to that of general in the army. 
 
44 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 To the Emperor's question where his son was, she 
 mockingly replied : 
 
 "Thou wouldst know where thy son is? Know, 
 then, that he has been exiled to the same place where 
 the best and noblest sons of Russia are sent. Yes, 
 thou hast banished thy son to Siberia! The child 
 was sent by his father to the Nerchinsk mines to dig 
 gold to pay the cost of his father's lusts ! But by 
 the mercy of God, he has come back to avenge on 
 his father the wrongs of his grandfather, his mother, 
 and himself !" 
 
 "Impossible!" exclaimed the Emperor. 
 
 "Impossible ? Dost thou think, then, that Siberia 
 never gives up its victims? Do not forget that the 
 dead sometimes rise from their graves to avenge 
 themselves on their assassins." 
 
 "Thou hast just said that he has returned ; tell me 
 where he is !" 
 
 "Never! He must avenge his people, and shall 
 not know who his father is until he himself is at the 
 point of death." 
 
 "Thou forgettest, old hag, that I can have thee 
 flayed alive." 
 
 In place of an answer the woman burst out in an 
 unnatural laugh, vainly endeavoring to free herself 
 from the Tsar's grasp. The Emperor was at his 
 wit's end. Suddenly he hurled the woman from 
 him. She fell against the sharp edge of the stove. 
 Her scalp was badly cut, and she lay in a pool of her 
 blood. 
 
 Without observing her condition the Emperor 
 rushed headlong from the room and a minute later 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 45 
 
 the feet of his horses were heard galloping through 
 the muddy street. 
 
 He drove to the first police station. The sentry 
 did not recognize him in the darkness. Changing 
 his mind quickly, he proceeded straight to the palace, 
 thinking to himself : 
 
 "No, the common police are unfit for such a com- 
 mission ; the woman is too garrulous. I shall send 
 Dupelt ; he knows how to keep his tongue behind his 
 teeth, and will understand also how to keep the old 
 woman from talking." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 MARFUSHA MEETS HER GRANDSON AND DIES 
 
 The young woman in the closet could hear the 
 voices of the two speakers, but she could catch only 
 a few broken phrases. At last the voices were 
 hushed. She began to knock on the door, but it was 
 securely bolted from the outside and did not yield. 
 She was seized with terror and began to scream for 
 help. 
 
 Just at this moment a young man entered the 
 room. He appeared to be about twenty-one or 
 twenty-two years old. His tall and commanding 
 figure was wrapped in an old sheenel (army coat), 
 and his head was covered with a hezkozeerka (a 
 brimless cap) deeply drawn over his eyes. His right 
 hand was in a sling. A wound in the left foot 
 obliged him to limp and to walk with difficulty. A 
 broad scar, extending from the right ear to the fore- 
 head, was visible on his face, which, while it did 
 not disfigure him, changed the natural expression. 
 Without this scar the resemblance between him and 
 the man who had just left would have been very 
 striking. 
 
 He stopped and looked around. Almost at his 
 feet lay the fortune teller, weltering in blood, and 
 from the closet came the screams of the young 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 47 
 
 woman, who, having heard the creak of the door, 
 redoubled her cries for: help. 
 
 "Save me ! For God's sake, save me !" 
 
 The young man advanced to the closet door and 
 asked : 
 
 "Who is there?" 
 
 "Whoever you may be," was the reply, "for the 
 love of God, open the door!" 
 
 The young man did so. A beautiful young 
 woman stepped out, whose pale features indicated 
 fright and disgust. 
 
 "What has happened here?" she asked, upon 
 seeing the fortune teller lying weltering in blood. 
 "Who came here?" she lisped. 
 
 The young man asked her why she had been locked 
 in the closet. 
 
 The young woman explained her presence there 
 in a few words. While she was talking he raised 
 Marfusha, laid her on the bench, and washed the 
 wound with cold water. Little by little she regained 
 consciousness. She opened her eyes and looked 
 around with a feeble glance. Finally she recovered 
 completely. Her eyes sparkled, not with their 
 wonted fire, however, but with the fire of the fever 
 which had already seized her. Her glance rested 
 first on the young woman, then wandered over to the 
 young man, and she thus addressed him : 
 
 "I knew that I would die to-day, and thou hast 
 come to hear the last word of vengeance from thy 
 babushka ( grandmother ) . " 
 
 Turning then to the young woman, she said : 
 
48 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Go now ; my hour has come. I can do nothing 
 for thee. I am powerless in good deeds. When I 
 was convinced that Heaven was unwilHng or power- 
 less to save one whom I loved better than life, I 
 turned to the powers of darkness and sought their 
 aid for my revenge The hour to wreak it is near, 
 but I shall not see it ; fate forbids, it. Go and leave 
 us alone. Yet, wait. Open the second drawer of 
 the cupboard in the corner yonder, where thou wilt 
 find a box wrapped in a speckled rag. Bring it to 
 me. 
 
 The young woman obeyed. The old crone opened 
 the box with a trembling hand. It contained gold 
 and silver coins and costly jewelry. Digging down, 
 Marfusha produced a massive gold ring, set with an 
 opal, which she handed to the young woman. 
 
 "The opal is the symbol of tears. Wear this ring. 
 But I conjure thee with thy life never to part with 
 it, even if thou art obliged to ask alms. The ring 
 is powerless to save thy husband, but it will avenge 
 him. Go now, I have but a few minutes more to 
 live." 
 
 When the young woman had gone she took out 
 from the box a small bladder. 
 
 "Come closer, vnuchek (little grandson). My 
 hour has come, and the gendarmes will soon be here; 
 but they shall find me dying, and my last words will 
 be a curse. Thou must flee before they arrive. 
 Thou must not be taken, for there is a mighty work 
 for thee to perform." 
 
 The words "grandmother" and "grandson" grated 
 on the young man's ears, and he turned to her with : 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 49 
 
 "Listen, Marfusha — " 
 
 The old woman seemed, however, to anticipate his 
 thoughts, and broke in with : 
 
 "Grandson, I once had a husband ; he perished £>n 
 the gallows. I had a daughter ; she died of a broken 
 heart. The man who signed my husband's death 
 warrant was also the cause of my daughter's un- 
 timely death. But destiny has preserved her son to 
 avenge them. With the aid of a peasant woman I 
 placed thee in an orphan asylum, where thou hast 
 grown up. Thy mother died soon after, and with 
 her disappeared every trace of the past. Although 
 I have never made myself known to thee, my eye 
 followed thee constantly. In this box thou wilt find 
 the records wherein appears the name of the man 
 who caused the death of thy grandfather, thy 
 mother, and last, my own. Take it; it is thine 
 inheritance. Thou surely dost know that a fugitive 
 galley-slave and a deserter — " 
 
 "Grandmother ! Marfusha !" exclaimed the young 
 man, astonished at her knowledge of the secret which 
 he guarded so carefully. 
 
 "Calm thyself; thy secret is known only to me. 
 I am not called the 'Witch of Kiev' without cause. 
 Thou must not be found here. They may recognize 
 thee, and all would be lost. Do not forget that it 
 is ordained that thou shalt do a great work — the 
 work of revenge. Thou must not perish. Save 
 thyself! I do not demand an oath from thee that 
 thou wilt avenge. Fate itself will show thee the 
 way. Thou art the sword of justice, which thou 
 wilt use without mercy. Begone ; they are coming !" 
 
50 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Grandmother, now that I found thee, I cannot, 
 I must not, abandon thee — " 
 
 "No; wert thou to remain, it would serve no 
 purpose, and thou wouldst perish thyself. I have 
 only a few minutes more to live." 
 
 "No, grandmother, thy wound is not dangerous." 
 
 "I know that," replied the woman, with a bitter 
 smile. "But the poison that this phial contained is 
 deadly," pointing to the fragments of a phial. 
 
 "What? thou—" 
 
 "Yes ; I have taken poison," continued the woman, 
 "that I might be spared the tortures of the knout, 
 and also that I might not be compelled to divulge thy 
 secret. Kiss me good-by and go." 
 
 After a little reflection, she added : 
 
 "No, thou resemblest him too much; I do not 
 want thy kiss. Get on thy knees and receive my 
 blessing." 
 
 The youth knelt. Marfusha laid her hands on his 
 head, muttered something and said : 
 
 "Now, thou art blest for vengeance. But hasten ; 
 I hear their approach." 
 
 It was too late. 
 
 Exerting that last strength which is generated in 
 the dying, she arose, jostled the young man into the 
 closet, shoved the box into his hand, and bolted the 
 door. That was the last effort of fading life. She 
 endeavored to return to the bench, but her strength 
 was not equal to it, and she fell senseless into the 
 pool of blood near the stove. 
 
 Just then the chief of the gendarmes, accompanied 
 by two subordinates, burst into the room. That was 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 51 
 
 Dupelt, the terror of all St. Petersburg. He 
 approached the woman, who lay prostrate, and 
 kicked her, shouting : 
 
 "Get up, witch, and follow me !" 
 
 Marfiisha opened her eyes. 
 
 "Ah, the hangmen have come already," she said 
 in a rattling voice. "You have made haste, never- 
 theless you are too late." 
 
 "No foolish jests. Get up!" repeated the chief, 
 again kicking her. "Raise the hag, since she refuses 
 to get up," he added, turning to the gendarmes. 
 
 One of them seized her with his iron grip and 
 placed her on her feet. She staggered, regarded the 
 newcomers with her dim eyes, sighed deeply, and 
 whispered faintly : 
 
 "Tell your master that the son will kill the father." 
 With these words she fell, and the blood gushed out 
 from her throat. 
 
 A gendarme stooped down, and after carefully 
 examining her he announced : 
 
 "Vdshe prevoskhodityelstvo* she is dead." 
 
 "She is perhaps drunk. Convey the carcass to my 
 headquarters." 
 
 The gendarmes obeyed, and Dupelt remained to 
 search the place. 
 
 He hoped to find something of importance, antici- 
 pating with his usual cunning that there was a secret 
 at the bottom of this affair. Why should the Tsar 
 order him, the chief of the secret police, to person- 
 ally place under arrest a mere old fortune teller, with 
 
 ♦Literally, "your eminence," but commonly used in address- 
 ing superiors in the sense of your excellency. 
 
52 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 all possible precautions to observe secrecy ? In vain 
 did he rummage througfh the boxes and cupboard. 
 He found nothing except old rags, packages of 
 coffee grounds, and greasy cards. But Dupelt was 
 not one to give up an undertaking at the first failure. 
 He observed the door leading into the closet, and 
 directed his attention to it. It was bolted. This 
 aroused his suspicion. He unfastened it and entered 
 the closet. He observed the dim figure of a man 
 endeavoring to hide in a corner. In an instant 
 Dupelt pounced upon him, and seized him with his 
 powerful hands. 
 
 "Who is here ?" he shouted in a menacing voice. 
 In place of an answer he received a blow on the head 
 that would have stunned an ox. The helmet softened 
 the blow, but it was several minutes before he recov- 
 ered his senses. On regaining consciousness he disy 
 covered that the man had escaped and bolted the 
 closet door from without. Dupelt was obliged to 
 call to his coachman through the little closet window 
 to let him out. 
 
 Terribly incensed, he hastened to the Winter 
 Palace to report to the Tsar the result of the arrest. 
 He made no mention, however, of his adventure in 
 the closet. 
 
 The inhabitants of Kolomna district were greatly 
 surprised on the following day to find the house 
 occupied by Marfiisha abandoned. Nothing was 
 ever heard of her, and the neighbors believed that 
 she had been carried off by the Devil during the 
 night of the great storm. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 A MEETING OF POLITICAL REFORMERS 
 
 Over the dirty spaces of the Viborg district are 
 scattered squat and tumble-down structures. The 
 isolated streets and alleys of this quarter furnished 
 a rendezvous for the dregs of the populace of St. 
 Petersburg. Gangs of thieves and cutthroats had 
 established their headquarters here. Burglars Eind 
 outlaws of every description, who follow their trade 
 at night, found here a hiding place during the day. 
 Escaped convicts from Siberia found security in this 
 refuge until new crimes found them out, when they 
 were flogged and sent back into exile. 
 
 The kabaky (drinking houses) were always 
 crowded with suspicious-looking men and degraded 
 women. In these saloons the customers pay for 
 their vodka, not with money, but with handkerchiefs, 
 watches, earrings, and other products of their indus- 
 try. The police often swooped down on these places, 
 but always without success; because, sharing with 
 the rogues in their booty, they gave them timely 
 warning of their intended invasion. 
 
 In one of the most remote and lonely streets of 
 this district there arose a large one-story house, 
 which had long been unoccupied. Its shutters were 
 never seen to open, and the yard, which had not been 
 trodden by human feet in many years, was covered 
 with tall weeds. This building had once belonged 
 to a rich usurer, who settled in this resort of thieves 
 
54 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 and robbers for the convenience of trading in stolen 
 goods. The usurer died intestate, and the distant 
 relatives had been fighting each other in the courts 
 for years to obtain title to the property. 
 
 Every night dark figures could be seen walking 
 noiselessly, one by one, through the yard, endeavor- 
 ing not to leave any traces behind them. Turning 
 around the corner of the house, they would disappear 
 as if they had been swallowed up by the earth. 
 On this particular night the house was, as usual, 
 immersed in complete darkness ; only at times a dim 
 light would appear on the spot where the spectral 
 forms disappeared. One would almost believe that 
 the ghost of the dead usurer was receiving his cus- 
 tomers in the cellar, where he had kept his treasures. 
 
 The mysterious figures had, in fact, descended 
 into the cellar, not, however, to deal with the dead 
 man's ghost, but for an altogether different purpose. 
 There were assembled here eighteen or twenty per- 
 sons. They were dressed in rubdshky (peasants' 
 jackets) and threadbare officers' uniforms. Any 
 other attire would have attracted the attention and 
 aroused the suspicion of the neighbors. 
 
 The assemblage was made up of officers, writers, 
 students, and of the youth who sought to transform 
 the institutions of Russia. The fate of their prede- 
 cessors, who had for their motto the words which 
 Nicholas so heartily hated, "Liberty and a constitu- 
 tion," did not intimidate them. 
 
 A tall young man in a soldier's garb stood at the 
 wicket. It was Marfusha's grandson. He had 
 already suffered for his liberal views. Having been 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 55 
 
 one of the best pupils of the Gatchina Orphan Home, 
 he was drafted into the Guards. He was made a 
 sergeant; then he became a member of the revolu- 
 tionary society organized by Petrashevsky.* 
 
 This society of young idealists was stigmatized by 
 the ignominious name of "Kt/ifmolniky" (rebels). 
 Most of them had been exiles and had worked in the 
 Nerchinsk mines of Siberia, among whom was 
 Savelyev, under which name Marfusha's grandson 
 had been entered in the asylum. In the year 1853 
 the news of the war reached Siberia. Young, 
 Savelyev, who could hope for no pardon, and, 
 impelled by youthful ardor, escaped from Siberia, 
 reached the seat of war in the Caucasus, and became 
 a soldier. He did not spare himself in the battles in 
 which he took part. More than any one did he 
 expose himself to dangers, for he hoped to earn his 
 pardon at the price of his blood. At Bush-Kady- 
 Klara he was the first to clamber upon the enemy's 
 battery. His comrades of the Nizhnigorod Regi- 
 ment followed him, and after a desperate encounter, 
 the battery was taken. Savelyev was wounded in 
 the left arm and right foot. Prior to the assault, 
 during a skirmish, a Turkish sabre laid open his 
 face. For his heroic conduct the military council 
 had voted him one of the Georgiev crosses, which 
 had been sent by the Emperor to the regiment, but 
 Savelyev refused to accept it, attributing everything 
 
 ♦Under his leadership a vast movement was started in Rus- 
 sia in 1848. An immense manuscript literature was secretly 
 distributed in which the crimes of the government and the 
 Emperor were exposed, and the people incited to strike for 
 freedom. Petrashevsky was tried and exiled in 1849. 
 
56 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 to the commandant of the regiment. A petition for 
 his pardon, signed by Prince Bogration Mukharnsky 
 himself, was immediately sent to St. Petersburg, but 
 the reader is probably aware that forgiving and for- 
 getting were unknown attributes of the relentless 
 autocrat. Instead of the looked-for pardon followed 
 an order to take him back to Siberia by etap ( foot 
 march). In recognition of his heroism in battle he 
 was exempted from punishment with the knout, to 
 which he was liable for desertion. This intelligence 
 struck him like a knife in the heart. All his com- 
 rades and superiors were greatly distressed. They 
 could not send to Siberia one who had fought side 
 by side with them with such self-abandon. He was 
 given to understand that he must flee. 
 
 Instead of going over to the enemy, he obtained 
 a false passport which would take him to St. Peters- 
 burg and protect him when there. In his simplicity 
 he clung to the hope that the Emperor would yet 
 forgive him. On reaching the capital and learning 
 the real character of Nicholas he abandoned all hope. 
 He found in the city former companions who had 
 also escaped from Siberia. 
 
 Savelyev was standing at the wicket observing the 
 entering conspirators, and asking them for the pass- 
 word. "The slave is alert !" each one said on enter- 
 ing. "By day and by night!" replied Savelyev. 
 After all had assembled, he closed the wicket, bolted 
 it with a heavy piece of timber, and descended to 
 join the group below. 
 
 In the center of the cellar stood an empty barrel. 
 Upon it lay an ikon of the Smolensk Holy Mother, 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 57 
 
 in a silver plate, with two daggers in the form of the 
 cross. Each conspirator, upon entering, made a low 
 genuflexion before the ikon, touched it with his lips, 
 and took his seat. The meeting place was rudely 
 furnished. In place of chairs and stools there were 
 empty barrels and boxes, with boards across them. 
 An old bed, with a half-rotted mattress on it, possibly 
 the very bed upon which the old usurer had died, 
 served as a chair for the presiding officer. 
 
 In the chairman's place satMikhail Dostoyevsky,and 
 on his right and left were Mikhaylov and Miklashev- 
 sky, all three of whom subsequently paid with their 
 lives for their devotion to liberty. When Savelyev 
 entered, Dostoyevsky solemnly rose from his seat. 
 
 "The meeting is open; let us sing a song to remind 
 us of the fate which awaits us." The whole assem- 
 bly joined as in one voice in singing Nyekrassov's 
 song of the Unfortunate Galley-Slaves : 
 
 "THE UNFORTUNATES." 
 
 "Lively, boys; there is work for the shovels, 
 We were not brought here to be idle ; 
 Not without purpose did God fill with gold 
 The womb of Mother Earth. 
 
 "Labor while your strength holds out, 
 Do not shirk or idly neglect your work. 
 Our grandchildren will bless us for it 
 When Russia shall have become rich ! 
 
 "Let the sweat run in streams 
 Like water from our arduous task, 
 And freeze on our branded bodies 
 While we rest from our labors. 
 
 "Let us suffer hunger and thirst. 
 Let us shiver from winter's blasts, 
 Each stone we turn over 
 Will be useful to Russia !" 
 
58 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 At the conclusion of the singing, Mikhaylov arose 
 and, in a ringing voice, spoke as follows : 
 
 "My friends, we are the pioneer workers for the 
 future happiness of Russia; we are the hope and 
 bulwark of our unhappy, enslaved fatherland. We 
 are not to be intimidated either by hardship or 
 danger. Forward! forward! Should a yawning 
 abyss confront us, we will, like Mucia Cevola, hurl 
 ourselves into it without looking behind, that we 
 may, by giving our lives, propitiate the gods. Our 
 country is young, full of strength, and ready to 
 sacrifice everything to secure freedom. Up to the 
 present time all attempts to humiliate Russia have 
 proven futile. The attacks which are directed 
 against us now would have been broken by the iron 
 will of our people if education had enlightened them. 
 
 "Let us, then, make it our purpose to labor 
 untiringly, with pen and voice, to compel Russia to 
 go parallel with the other civilized nations of Europe 
 on the road to enlightenment. 
 
 "Let us so prepare the soil that there may 
 germinate in its bosom the precious seed which we 
 shall sow there. Let us enlighten the people that 
 they may understand and feel the meaning of the 
 word Liberty. Let us swear that we will all stand 
 for this holy consummation. The great poet, whom 
 we all revere, has well said that every stone shall 
 serve for the glory and greatness of Russia. Let us 
 all swear !" 
 
 "We swear," resounded from all sides under the 
 heavy underground vaults. Dostoyevsky then rose 
 and said : 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 59 
 
 "Brethren, let us vow once more never to resort 
 to sword or dagger; for the sacred cause of Hberty 
 never flourishes on a soil stained with blood. Blood 
 produces not freedom but tyranny ! Promise, then, 
 that ye will never incite the people to useless blood- 
 shed." 
 
 "We promise!" again came from the auditors. 
 
 A young man now arose, whose gentle and noble 
 features, as well as polished manners, formed a 
 striking contrast to his rough attire. He said : 
 
 "Though I belong by birth to the ruling class, and 
 own serfs, I have always contended for their libera- 
 tion. My first act upon reaching maturity was to 
 give freedom to mine. But who could have foreseen 
 the consequences ? My wishes found an insurmount- 
 able barrier. By imperial order my former serfs, to 
 whom I had given land in the hope of making them 
 free tillers of the soil, remained bondsmen against 
 my will. 
 
 "One of the principal obstacles to the development 
 of our people is indisputably the prevailing serfdom. 
 Shall we go on forever to thrive and grow fat on 
 the sweat of our fellow-creatures?" 
 
 If the attention of the assembly had not been 
 wholly engrossed in the speaker's words, they would 
 have heard stifled sobbing. After a short pause, the 
 speaker resumed : 
 
 "While the peasantry is dragging out its pitiable 
 existence in our wonderfully rich country, often 
 suffering for the want of bread, our tables are loaded 
 with the choicest delicacies from every quarter of 
 
50 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Ihe globe. While the unfortunate serf is laboring 
 under the cruel rays of the sun or in the biting cold 
 of winter, we spend at the restaurants in a single 
 day as much as would keep a peasant family in food 
 a whole year. 
 
 "When shall we cease to be the lords of the family 
 life of the muzhik f When will the wives and 
 daughters of our serfs cease to be the victims of our 
 fancies and our lusts ? 
 
 "Slavery weakens Russia. Let us pledge our- 
 selves, then, that we will endeavor by all means in 
 our power to liberate our fellowmen. Let it be our 
 most sacred object !" 
 
 "We vow !" came from the assembly. 
 
 When the echo of the last shout died away, 
 Savelyev approached the speaker, and warmly press- 
 ing his hand, said : 
 
 "Prince Odoyevsky, you are a worthy son of your 
 father, who has been languishing in Siberia for the 
 last thirty years. He, too, sacrificed his life for 
 freedom. I talked with him as I am now talking 
 with you, and have pressed his noble hand as I am 
 now pressing yours. Let us hope that the day is 
 not far off when he can appear among us. The 
 allied powers will not lay down their arms as long 
 as the crown rests on the head of our tyrant monarch. 
 His son, the hope of all Russia, will seek to heal the 
 wounds inflicted by his father. 
 
 "You have just alluded to serfdom, which is 
 gnawing at the heart of Russia like a vulture. 
 Behold a living example of the lust of one of many 
 of our landowners !" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 61 
 
 With these words he led out from a corner of the 
 meeting place a young man, dressed in peasant's 
 garb, and introduced him to the assembly. He 
 appeared to be not more than eighteen years old. 
 His wasted and pale features inspired irresistible 
 sympathy, though they indicated neither will-power 
 nor strength of character, but rather helplessness and 
 femininity. His hair was cut short after the fashion 
 of peasants, but left the impression that it had once 
 been long, and had ornamented his lovely face with 
 soft curls. His wonderful blue eyes were red from 
 crying, and the blue circles under them spoke 
 eloquently of what he must have endured. 
 
 "Tell your story to the assembly," asked Savelyev. 
 
 "I cannot," replied the young man, sobbing. He 
 sank on a box and, covering his face with his hands, 
 continued to weep. 
 
 "Under the circumstances, I shall try to tell her 
 history myself," said Savelyev, and continued as 
 follows : 
 
 "The person before you is not a man, but a frail 
 girl who walked two thousand versts to petition the 
 Tsar for justice and protection. 
 
 "She sought in vain an opportunity to speak to 
 him who is lavish with favors to the few, and fastens 
 chains on the many. You already know of my flight 
 from the Caucasus. It happened after I had shed 
 my blood for my country. I was obliged to keep off 
 the main thoroughfares for fear of being recognized, 
 and walked along the banks of the Volga straight to 
 the capital. I lived on charity — the Russian muzhik 
 is hospitable and sympathetic. 
 
62 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "In this way I traversed many hundred versts 
 through the Astrakhan and Saratov steppes, seldom 
 meeting any one in the course of a whole day who 
 could point out the road to me, and being guided by 
 the sun. Thus I reached a village situated between 
 Saratov and Volsk. During the last days I had 
 become so faint from exhaustion and enfeebled by 
 the half-healed wounds that I could proceed on my 
 journey only with great difficulty. I wished to stop 
 several days at Saratov to rest, but feared the police. 
 I continued my journey as best I could until I fell 
 unconscious before the house of a pomyeshchik 
 (landlord). I do not know how long I lay there in 
 this condition ; I only remember that a sudden burn- 
 ing pain brought me to consciousness. Before me 
 stood a short man with a fat paunch, on whose face 
 was the expression of beastly sensuality, and who 
 shook me painfully by the sore arm. 
 
 " 'What art thou doing here, vagrant ?' roughly 
 asked the fat man. 
 
 "The word 'vagrant' restored all my energy. 
 
 " 'Since when is a man who risked his life for his 
 Tsar and country called a vagrant ?' 
 
 "There was a murmur of disapproval in the crowd 
 of muzhiks who had gathered around. 
 
 " 'Silence, dogs !' shouted the landlord, threaten- 
 ing them with his nagdyka (a whip charged with 
 lead). The peasants seemingly feared him, for they 
 immediately became silent. 
 
 " 'Where dost thou come from ?' he continued. 
 
 "I remained silent. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 63 
 
 " 'I will make thee speak !' he snarled, flourishing 
 his whip. 
 
 "The tension was becoming strained. The circle 
 of peasants crowded together more compactly, and 
 threatening murmurs began to be heard. 
 
 " 'But why waste words ? Take this beast and 
 drag him out of the village.' 
 
 "Not one of the muzhiks stirred. 
 
 " 'Have you not heard me ?' he shouted, turning 
 toward the crowd in a violent and threatening 
 manner. 
 
 " 'Dost refuse to obey me, Kovalyev ?' he yelled, 
 turning to a gray-haired old man. 
 
 " 'Bdryn (master), is he not a soldier who fought 
 for the Tsar?' replied the old man sadly. The 
 speaker was the stdrosta (village bailiff). 
 
 " 'Ah, thou darest to argue with me,' cried the 
 landlord in a furious mood, and laid his whip across 
 the peasant's face with such force that the blood 
 gushed from it. The murmur of the people was 
 about to break out in rebellion, when the bells of an 
 approaching vehicle were heard in the distance. 
 
 "'The stanovoy (district inspector) is coming!" 
 some one exclaimed. 
 
 " 'The stanovoy ' repeated the landlord, and 
 retreated several steps. Although he was on the 
 best terms with the police, he had, as I learned later, 
 many reasons for not being overjoyed at the visit of 
 the stanovoy. 
 
 "The troyka (vehicle drawn by three horses) 
 halted at the landing of the landlord's house. A 
 
64 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 man in advanced age, with a gray moustache, 
 alighted from the vehicle and approached me. 
 
 "He was a veteran of the campaign of 1812. 
 Although the infection of corruption in official life 
 had left him tainted with the disease, yet his heart 
 had not ceased to beat with a throb of comradeship 
 at the sight of a soldier. 
 
 " 'What is the matter here?' he asked on perceiv- 
 ing the commotion. 
 
 " 'A wounded soldier from the Caucasus,' came 
 from the assembled crowd. 
 
 " 'Is that true ?' asked the stanovoy, stopping 
 before me, and added, 'So, thou hast also battled 
 against the accursed enemy? In Asia or in the 
 Crimea ?' 
 
 " 'In Asia,' I answered with difficulty ; thirst and 
 fever were suffocating me. 
 
 " 'Who of you, brothers, would give me a drink 
 of water? I am dying of thirst,' I said, addressing 
 the peasants, profiting by the confusion. A young 
 girl immediately left the crowd and ran quickly after 
 the drink. 
 
 " 'Well, comrade, thou hast seen fire, then ?' con- 
 tinued the stanovoy kindly. 'We have also seen it. 
 Hast thou heard about the battle of Borodino ?' At 
 these words he unbuttoned his military greatcoat 
 and displayed his Georgiev cross and medal on his 
 breast, earned by him in that awful slaughter. 
 
 " 'Scoundrels !' he thundered at the muzhiks, who 
 were entirely blameless; 'how dare you abandon a 
 servant of the Tsar and leave him in the street? 
 Here, take this,' he said, turning to me and handing 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 65 
 
 me a 5-ruble note. 'Dogs !' he continued, berating 
 the peasants, 'if you fail to make him comfortable, 
 and if I find him still here when I am ready to leave, 
 I shall flay you from head to foot.' 
 
 " 'Come, let us go, Gospodin* Makarov !' he said 
 to the landowner. 'I come once more to see you 
 about an ugly affair. When, the devil take it, will 
 you cease to perpetrate your dirty tricks ? It strikes 
 me that it is time you ceased your pranks.' 
 
 "It was no strain on the stanovoy to give the poor 
 wounded soldier five rubles, since his visit to 
 Makarov was worth several hundred rubles to him 
 in hush money. The police is well paid in matters of 
 that kind. 
 
 "As soon as the landlord withdrew, the tongues of 
 the peasants loosened up. Each of them sought to 
 serve me ; each invited me to his hut. Just then the 
 blonde girl returned and handed me a pitcher of milk. 
 
 " 'Drink it, sluzhha (soldier) !' she said; 'milk is 
 better than water.' 
 
 "While I was slowly drinking the delicious 
 draught my eyes involuntarily met the eyes of the 
 girl, wherein was the expression of deep sorrow. 
 
 " 'Thank you, golubka (little dove), thank you!' 
 was all I could utter, for I sank again into uncon- 
 sciousness. On recovering I found myself in the 
 house of an old peasant who' had served in the cam- 
 paign of 181 2, judging from the black cross which 
 was suspended on his breast. Opposite me sat the 
 blonde girl who had given me the milk ; but as soon 
 
 *An equivalent to Mr. in English, used in addressing civil- 
 ians. 
 
66 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 as I opened my eyes she withdrew. Thanks to their 
 care I soon regained my strength. Although the 
 landlord knew of my presence on his estate, he did 
 not molest me, owing to the gracious conduct of the 
 officer in my behalf. 
 
 "On the fifth day after my arrival in the village 
 I noticed the absence of the girl whom I had become 
 accustomed to see near me constantly. I inquired 
 of the peasant the reason of this, who, in place of an 
 answer, only shook his head. On the seventh day 
 I took leave of my host, and. offered to pay him for 
 his trouble; but not only did he refuse to accept it, 
 but even gave me bread, meat, and a bottle of vodka 
 to take on my journey. I left, thanking him heartily, 
 and requested him to thank the young girl for me. 
 
 "Within a verst of the village there is a deep 
 valley overlooked by a dense forest. I sat down on 
 a hill to take a last look at the place. While I sat 
 there, buried in thought, I felt the touch of a hand. 
 Looking around I beheld the girl to whom my 
 thoughts involuntarily wandered. She burst into a 
 flood of tears. 
 
 " 'Soldier, I ought to tell thee that they forbade 
 me to tend to thee or to visit thee. But I was 
 obliged to see thee before leaving for Petersburg, 
 for my fate and my life depend on thee.' 
 
 "I looked at her in amazement, but she failed to 
 notice it and continued : 
 
 " 'We may be observed here. Let us go farther. 
 I know a place nearby where we can talk undis- 
 turbed.' 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 67 
 
 "My surprise will be understood. I got up and 
 followed her. She led me through the forest, avoid- 
 ing the pathways. We soon found ourselves in a 
 small bare place, resembling a kiosk. 
 
 " 'Here,' she said, 'we can talk unmolested. Be 
 seated, thou hast a long distance before thee ; I will 
 stand up.' 
 
 "I seated myself, and asked her to be seated beside 
 me, but she refused, saying : 
 
 " 'No, I shall remain standing ; it is better so.' 
 Reflecting a moment, she said : 'While in Petersburg 
 thou wilt see the Tsar and talk with him. I was told 
 that soldiers often have an opportunity to speak to 
 him. Thou must tell him about me ; he will believe 
 thee, for hast thou not shed thy blood for him ?' 
 
 "I myself naively imagined at that time that 
 all unfortunates could approach the Tsar. So I 
 answered artlessly : 
 
 " 'What is wrong with thee, golubka(l[tt\e dove) ? 
 I stand ready to do everything in my power for thee. 
 Yes, I shall talk to the Emperor.' 
 
 " 'Well, thou must tell him about poor Natasha. 
 For her there is nothing on earth, outside thyself. 
 As soon as thou camest to our village I felt that thou 
 wert sent by God to save me. I often told my 
 troubles to the stdrosta (bailiff), but he is the same 
 kind of a man as Makarov, and they assist each 
 other — a crow does not peck out the eyes of another 
 crow.' 
 
 " 'But tell me, child, what happened to thee ?' 
 
 " 'Well, soldier, though I am in the garb of a 
 peasant, I neither belong to them by birth nor asso- 
 
68 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 ciation. My mother was a French woman, and 
 governess to Makarov's sister. His father com- 
 pelled my mother to marry him. What could the 
 young girl do, ignorant as she was even of the native 
 language ? By many threats he obliged her to yield 
 to his suit, and from that time her heart was broken. 
 She died in giving birth to me. At first I was 
 reared as a daughter ; old Makarov worshipped me. 
 Once, as a result of many oppressions, the muzhiks 
 rebelled. The starshina (village elder) whom my 
 father, in a moment of passion, had flogged, set the 
 house on fire, and when he appeared with a whip in 
 his hand, striking with it right and left, the muzhiks 
 seized him and threw him into the blaze. The 
 unfortunate rushed to the blazing window, begging 
 for mercy, but the peasants pushed him back into the 
 furnace with their pitchforks.* 
 
 " 'After his death there appeared his son, a former 
 Hussar, who had been disgracefully dismissed from 
 his regiment. By his father's will he inherited the 
 land, while to me was bequeathed a considerable 
 amount of money. It was easy for the son, who 
 had engaged in counterfeiting, to change the will in 
 his own favor.^ 
 
 " Tn the following census I was registered as a 
 bondswoman. I was then only nine years old. I 
 was driven out from the master's quarters and placed 
 among the servants, and with the order that I should 
 perform the hardest labor. But as I grew up my 
 master became kinder towards me; his passion was 
 
 *This is a true incident of the serfdom period. 
 tTaken from the archives of criminal cases. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 69 
 
 aroused, and when I was barely fifteen years old he 
 began to persecute me with his love.' 
 
 " 'How, his own natural sister !' I exclaimed in 
 surprise. 
 
 " 'Do not be surprised, soldier. A few days ago 
 he flogged to death a daughter of his father, the 
 wife of a soldier, whose husband is now fighting 
 near Sebastopol, because she refused to yield to him. 
 You see, the nobles do not acknowledge in us their 
 relatives, and the law does not give us any rights. 
 The woman he flogged to death was born in bond- 
 age; but I, who was born free, never thought that I 
 could be treated in like manner. For two years I 
 enjoyed peace from the persecution of my master, 
 who was drafted into the army, and he dared not 
 refuse to go. A few months later he succeeded 
 under some pretense in avoiding the service, for he 
 is as cowardly as he is cruel. From that time on 
 he has been persecuting me worse than ever. I 
 dare not go anywhere or speak to any one, for he 
 follows every movement I make. During the first 
 few days of thy stay in the village I could tend to 
 thee because my master was in the city, where he 
 went to arrange with the police for the murder of 
 the soldier's wife. But since his return he punishes 
 me severely. Yesterday he beat me cruelly.' At 
 these words she showed me the blue welts on her 
 body and arms. 'He beat me because I refused him. 
 One day he will kill me with the same knout with 
 which he killed the soldier's wife. Wilt thou not 
 tell the Tsar all about this, that he may forbid him 
 to kill me?' 
 
70 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 " 'Poor child,' I replied, 'what art thou thinking 
 about ? It will be many a month before I reach the 
 capital; and before I may have an opportunity to 
 speak to the Emperor a still greater time will be 
 consumed. And in the meantime — ' 
 
 "She looked at me in despair, and bursting in 
 tears, she exclaimed : 
 
 " 'Then my last hopes are blown away like dust. 
 Poor, unfortunate one that I am, nothing remains 
 for me but to die. The lake before the master's 
 house is deep; I will not be the first to find death 
 there.' 
 
 "Her hopeless condition wrung my heart, and I 
 asked her : 
 
 " 'Natasha, is there no one in your village who 
 loves thee and whom thou couldst love in return?' 
 She looked at me in bewilderment. 
 
 " 'I have told thee everything,' she replied. 
 
 " 'Very well, then, there remains nothing but to 
 flee.' 
 
 '"But how am I to flee? And to what place?' 
 she retorted. 'I have never been anywhere beyond 
 this village.' 
 
 " 'We must go to St. Petersburg, Natasha, and 
 tell thy story to the Tsar.' 
 
 "To the Tsar? I? And how am I to do it? 
 I do not even know the way to the Tsar's city. 
 Thou hast told me thyself that the distance is very 
 great.' 
 
 "It was not an easy matter to persuade her. 
 Finally she decided to venture on the journey. It 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 71 
 
 is useless to tell here of the many hardships we had 
 to endure on the way. 
 
 "First of all I had to Cut off her hair and to dress 
 her like a peasant lad, as her loveliness attracted 
 universal attention. It is now two months since we 
 arrived, but neither I nor she have succeeded in 
 getting an interview with the Emperor. To-day 
 Natasha has come to this assembly to ask assistance. 
 In the little room which she now occupies she is in 
 constant danger of being , discovered. Comrades, I 
 decided to bring her here, and ask your aid, as I am 
 powerless to shield her alone. I myself am threat- 
 ened with the knout as an escaped convict and a 
 deserter." 
 
 While Savelyev was appealing to the comrades, 
 Natasha burst in tears, covering her face with her 
 hands. In the last words of Savelyev she discovered 
 a new grief, and started up from her place as if 
 stung. He remarked her movement and turned to 
 her with a bitter smile : 
 
 "Yes, Natasha, my pure, innocent friend, I am an 
 escaped convict. Forgive me for keeping it a secret 
 from thee. I did not wish to cause thee new and 
 useless tears. But calm thyself; thou seest in this 
 assembly the noblest sons of our fatherland ; they are 
 not ashamed of the fugitive convict-dfeserter." 
 
 Dostoyevsky, the president of the assembly, rose 
 from his seat, approached the soldier, and warmly 
 pressed his hand : "No, Savelyev, no ; perhaps the 
 same fate awaits us all ! Thou hast suffered for thy 
 country, and it owes thee thanks. I have a family — 
 a wife and two children — and thy friend can find a 
 
72 The Mysteries of the ZImniy Dvoretz 
 
 home with us until her condition has improved and 
 mine has not become worse." These last words he 
 said in a low and nervous tone. 
 
 Natasha threw on him a look full of gratitude, 
 and was about to rise to thank him, when Count 
 Odoyevsky stopped her. 
 
 "Natasha," he broke in, "I, too, could offer you 
 shelter at my house, but I am alone, and I know from 
 what my friend Savelyev has said that you would 
 refuse to accept the hospitality of a bachelor. From 
 the time I heard of your distress I reflected in what 
 way I could be useful to you and protect you from 
 your persecutors. You need a written certificate 
 showing you to be a free woman. I will register 
 you as my bondswoman whom I gave freedom. 
 This is possible in Holy Russia. God will forgive 
 me this, because I am righting a wrong." 
 
 Savelyev, still holding Dostoyevsky's hand, drew 
 him to Odoyevsky, and in an outburst of gratitude 
 threw his arms around both of them in a warm 
 embrace. 
 
 The cawing of a crow rang out suddenly three 
 successive times near the door. 
 
 "Quick, blow out the candles !" screamed Mikhay- 
 lov. In an instant all the lights were extinguished. 
 Footsteps were already heard on the sidewalk, and 
 some one knocked on the wicket. 
 
 "Well done, brave fellow!" remarked Yurkevich 
 in a whisper to a youth, almost a boy, who had been 
 guarding the entrance. The conspirators tumbled 
 the boxes and barrels helter-skelter, and left the 
 underground chamber by another exit. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A POLICE PLATOON CAPTURED BY THE ENGLISH 
 
 The soldier-policemen knocked a long time on the 
 wicket for admission. Finally, one of them climbed 
 over the fence and opened it. The reader will prob- 
 ably wonder why they acted as if they wished to 
 give warning of their coming. There is nothing 
 surprising in this, for that was really their object. 
 Count Orlov, the chief of gendarmes, had issued 
 an order to the pristav (police inspector) of the 
 Viborg district to arrest all suspicious persons who 
 assembled in the so-called "Haunted House." The 
 pristav, thinking that the object was to apprehend 
 his customary clients, the "honest" rogues and 
 thieves, who paid him a regular stipend, found it 
 best to notify them of his approach. By so doing 
 he executed the order of his chief, and at the same 
 time saved his income. In view of these consid- 
 erations he went personally with his soldiers, 
 thoughtfully forgetting to surround the house. After 
 wasting no little time in knocking, he decided to 
 enter the court, but only after being satisfied that 
 the suspected men had escaped. 
 
 The conspirators had in the meantime ascended 
 into the house by the stairway, and easily reached 
 the street through the windows. While they were 
 jumping out, one by one, the soldiers were carefully 
 
74 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 picking their way through the inner court by the 
 hght of their lanterns. Suddenly they heard the 
 cawing of crows in the cellar, which call was re- 
 peated in the street. The soldiers were frightened 
 and halted. 
 
 "Forward ! boys ; forward ! they are there," called 
 the pristav, "they are there ; we will catch them !" 
 
 "But where are they ?" asked the soldiers. 
 
 "Where? Forward, you imbeciles!" 
 
 The platoon moved carefully. Then hoots of an 
 owl came from different directions. "God protect 
 and preserve us!" murmured the superstitious 
 soldiers. 
 
 "No one seems to be here," timidly said one of 
 them. "We see no one," chimed in the rest. 
 
 "I fail to see any one," joined the pristav. "If 
 anybody were here, I would certainly know it. Oh, 
 these blue uniforms, they meddle in everything, and 
 the devil alone knows what reports they are mak- 
 ing only to interfere with us. And yet, we must 
 catch some one, otherwise I will catch it myself — 
 ah, I have it," said the pristav gleefully, as if struck 
 by a sudden idea; "if we find no one here, I will 
 bring some one out of jail and say that we arrested 
 him here." 
 
 The hoot of the owl was heard again. 
 
 "Vdshe Visokohlagorodie (your highness), had 
 we not better retreat ? We are not going to find 
 anything." 
 
 The lugubrious note of the owl produced a dis- 
 agreeable impression even on the iron nerves of the 
 pristav. After a moment's silence he said : 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 7 5 
 
 "No, rebyata (children), that will not do; we 
 must carry out our orders. Let us enter the house. 
 Where is the entrance?" 
 
 "Here," answered a strange voice. The cry of 
 the owl was heard for the third time from different 
 directions. The soldiers hastened to hide them- 
 selves in the house. They passed through bare 
 rooms. The sharp cold wind whistled through the 
 open windows, causing the soldiers to shiver. 
 
 If they had remained in the court a while longer 
 they would have heard the splash of oars on the 
 Neva, and would have seen suspicious-looking 
 figures moving in the darkness. But the pristav 
 with the soldiers was in the house on the ladder 
 leading into the cellar. He opened the door, from 
 whence issued a damp and mouldy odor. 
 
 "There cannot be any one here," said the soldiers, 
 fearing to enter the cellar. 
 
 "I think so, myself," assented the pristav, who 
 was himself impatient to leave. 
 
 The soldiers had noticed in the court an entrance 
 leading into another cellar which served at times, as 
 they well knew, as a warehouse for spirituous liquors 
 brought from abroad by smugglers from Finland. 
 
 A bright idea possessed simultaneously both the 
 chief and his detachment. 
 
 The secret society whose members they were to 
 apprehend was nothing else, according to their calcu- 
 lations, than a band of ordinary smugglers. Now 
 that all the ports were blockaded and all imports 
 were prohibited their business must be particularly 
 good. "Perhaps they have hidden there a few 
 
76 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 barrels of rum or vodka," thought the soldiers. 
 (For the common people, the anticipation of getting 
 a good drink of vodka drives away even fear.) 
 
 "Search the cellar, children!" ordered the chief. 
 
 "We are glad to do our best, your highness," 
 answered the men, and, together with their chief, 
 they descended into the cellar. 
 
 "All hands, ready !" came in a muffled voice from 
 a corner in the court. 
 
 "All right!" answered other voices. 
 
 At these words a dozen powerful Englishmen 
 leaped into the cellar. 
 
 The soldiers were not wrong in their calculations. 
 The Finnish smugglers, taking advantage of the 
 confusion of the times, were hiding spirits in this 
 underground resort. 
 
 "Come here!" cheerfully called one of the soldiers. 
 
 "What is the matter there?" asked the pristav. 
 
 "Rum in bottles and in barrels, your highness," 
 reported the soldier. 
 
 "Indeed? Let us try it. Uncork a bottle, 
 quickly!" 
 
 "Perhaps it is poisoned ; they say — " 
 
 "Go on, don't talk nonsense; whoever heard of 
 poisoned vodka? Give it here quick," urged the 
 others. 
 
 And the bottle passed from hand to hand. 
 
 "At any rate, we didn't come here for nothing," 
 remarked the chief, smacking his lips and rubbing 
 his hands. "Ugriimov, go at once to the station- 
 house and bring a wagon. We must carry off our 
 find, else the smugglers will take it from us. But 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 77 
 
 not a word to any one; it would be a bad thing for 
 us if the whole town should talk of our discovered 
 treasure." 
 
 "At your service, your highness," replied the 
 soldier, smiling, and proceeded to the exit, lighting 
 his way with his lantern. Scarcely had he uttered 
 these words when his eyes fell on a gang of men, 
 armed to the teeth. 
 
 "Your highness, the smugglers!" he screamed, 
 and was immediately felled by a powerful blow of 
 the fist from one of the smugglers. The soldiers 
 heard his alarm; they saw his lantern go out, and 
 observed the sudden disappearance of Ugriimov. 
 They were seized with terror; they were not only 
 afraid to move, but even to look in the direction 
 where their companion had disappeared. 
 
 Before they could recover they were surrounded 
 by strange men with ready revolvers in their hands. 
 
 "Bind and gag them !" ordered a voice, which was 
 probably that of the chief. 
 
 In an instant the pristav and his entire command 
 were bound, gagged, and placed in a boat, which 
 glided away like a shadow on the Neva. 
 
 (The smugglers had made known the hiding place 
 of their booty to an English reconnoitering party; 
 and now the English returned to their admiral with 
 Russian prisoners. ) 
 
 The day following, the whole city of St. Peters- 
 burg talked of the mysterious disappearance of a 
 division of police soldiers. Every one had a theory 
 to account for this singular occurrence, but it was 
 soon explained in a simple manner. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE emperor's FAVORITE MISTRESS 
 
 On the Fontanka, in a splendid palace not far 
 from the Obukhovsky Bridge, there lived at the time 
 of our story the all-powerful Minister ^of State, 
 Count Kleinmichel. The people hated but feared 
 him. Who would recognize in the proconsul the 
 son of a lackey from Finland, whom Arakcheyev* 
 once dragged out of the mire to make him a blind 
 weapon ? 
 
 Like most tune-servers, he owed his high station 
 not to ability, but to his servile devotion and blind 
 obedience; the word of the Emperor was more to 
 him than justice, morality, or even honor. The 
 proud Nicholas, who looked upon men as mere 
 marionettes whose strings were in his hands, pre- 
 ferred such people. He strangled all liberal views 
 and individuality among his ministers and servants, 
 even when such views tended toward the welfare of 
 Russia and were harmless to himself. For this 
 reason he kept at a distance such men as Yermolov 
 and Muravyev-Karsky, and took up the Klein- 
 
 *Arakcheyev, the "rough corporal of Gatchina,'' the instru- 
 ment of Paul's tyranny, gained the confidence of Alexander I., 
 and surrounded himself with men best fitted to head a reaction 
 against the liberal tendencies of the Emperor. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 79 
 
 michels, Chernishevs, Volkonskys, Gedeonovs, and 
 such like creatures. 
 
 By ascending the principal stairway of the Klein- 
 michel mansion and turning to the right, one 
 reached the apartment of the Tsar's famous favorite, 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova, Kleinmichel's kinswoman, 
 whom he personally introduced to the Tsar, to please 
 his master and forward his own ends. There was 
 a long row of parlors, one of which was the favorite's 
 boudoir. 
 
 This room was furnished de luxe and in oriental 
 style. The walls were hung with red and white 
 moire, forming a bright rosette on the ceiling, from 
 which was suspended a massive bronze chandelier 
 finished in Bohemian crystals; from the windows, 
 hung with heavy red curtains, fell a pink reflection 
 over all the room. The gilded divans and settees 
 were upholstered with red material, and the tables 
 and chairs of nalisander wood were ornamented with 
 French bronze. On the chimney-piece and the glass 
 cupboard were a hundred rare objects which usually 
 adorn the boudoirs of modern ladies. There were 
 Chinese figures sent by the ambassador from Pekin ; 
 Japanese curios, obtained by Admiral Putyatin; 
 porcelain from Berlin, Saxony, and Sevres; huge 
 pearls of irregular shape, arranged in the form of 
 human figures, animals, etc. 
 
 The finest ornament of the chamber was indisput- 
 ably the hostess herself — Mademoiselle Nelidova — 
 who sat in a kiosk under a group of rare tropical 
 orchids. Despite the three children which she had 
 borne to the Emperor, her face preserved ■ the full 
 
80 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 bloom of youth. Her regular features equalled 
 those of the loveliest women of Russia. Her beauty 
 lacked the charm of Mme. Montespan, but rather 
 reminded one of the irresistible type of beauty of 
 Mme. Maintenon, who knew how to captivate and 
 hold the heart of Louis XIV. Mademoiselle Neli- 
 dova had won the heart of Nicholas not only by her 
 beauty, but also by her intelligence. She could man- 
 age her sovereign with a tact which some women 
 understand. Appearing to be submissive in every- 
 thing, she always led the Tsar in the way which in 
 her opinion was the best. Another woman similarly 
 gifted might have used her influence for her own 
 benefit. Mademoiselle Nelidova did not. Her influ- 
 ence was often productive of beneficent results ; and, 
 knowing the proud and suspicious character of the 
 Emperor, she never attempted to show her power in 
 accomplishing her purpose. She appreciated his love 
 for his family and his regard for the invalid Empress. 
 She felt that her power lay in her private life. Her 
 name was seldom mentioned in social circles, and 
 many old citizens of St. Petersburg never so much as 
 suspected her existence, although it would have been 
 difficult to determine whether this silence proceeded 
 from actual ignorance or from fear of the all- 
 powerful secret police. In the provinces, where the 
 system of espionage was not so well established, she 
 wds often remembered by some uncomplimentary 
 allusions, while the name of Kleinmichel was always 
 pronounced with aversion and dread. 
 
 On this particular day Mademoiselle Nelidova was 
 absent-minded. Her eyes ran over the pages of the 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 81 
 
 latest novel by Alexander Dumas ; she read mechani- 
 cally as it were, without understanding what she was 
 reading. For some time past the Emperor had 
 visited her at intervals, and then apparently without 
 interest. Often he sat there whole hours in silence, 
 answering her questions in monosyllables. Had 
 her star declined? Had another taken her place in 
 the Tsar's heart? Did a crisis threaten her pride 
 and love? Formerly he used to come to her regu- 
 larly, frankly sharing with her in everything which 
 was on his mind, at times seeking her advice and 
 often her consolation. And now the Emperor 
 answered her questions so unwillingly. Was it 
 possible that he loved her no longer ? 
 
 These thoughts agitated her mind ; her eyes gli?;- 
 tened; her face glowed with a feverish heat. Even 
 a proud beauty feels at times the need of a warm 
 heart, of a loving caress. 
 
 The footman announced the arrival of the 
 Emperor. She had no time to prepare for his 
 reception. Nicholas entered. As was his custom, 
 he walked up to her ceremoniously, gallantly kissed 
 her hand, and observed that it was dry and hot and 
 that on her face glowed a feverish brightness. 
 
 "You are ill," he said in a caressing voice. "The 
 physician should be sent for." 
 
 Her heart contracted and bitter tears streamed 
 down her cheeks. 
 
 "What is the matter?" asked the Emperor, knit- 
 ting his brow. 
 
 She sought to hide her tears, knowing how 
 extremely they displeased the Tsar. 
 
82 The Mysteries of the Zitnniy Dv6retz 
 
 "What is your distress ?" again asked the Tsar. 
 
 "Nothing, Your Majesty," she replied. "I am 
 not quite well; you have surely noticed that. See 
 how my head bums." With these words she laid 
 the Emperor's hand to her forehead. Nicholas 
 regarded her with a perplexed air. 
 
 "Your head is feverish, but it is not caused by 
 illness ; there is something on your heart. Tell me 
 what it is. I wish to know it." 
 
 "Your Majesty, I have had an ugly dream." 
 
 "Dreams are nothing more than echoes of our 
 imagination." 
 
 "A terrible dream. Your Majesty. I dreamt that 
 you loved me no longer !" 
 
 It is impossible to describe the expression with 
 which she uttered these words. There was in it 
 injured pride, endless love, and complete despair. 
 
 "I have already said that dreams are simply 
 impressions from our waking mind." 
 
 "But if my dream should become a reality, I 
 shall not survive it, Your Majesty, I shall not out- 
 live it," said Mademoiselle Nelidova despairingly. 
 
 "Mina, what has happened to you? I do not 
 understand." 
 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova burst in a flood of tears; 
 but, accustomed to restrain her feelings, she mastered 
 herself and whispered in an apparently calm tone: 
 "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I forgot that you dislike 
 tears." 
 
 In spite of his hard heart, Nicholas, staggering 
 under the burden of events in the Crimea and in 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 83 
 
 the East, felt keenly the sting of her taunt, and was 
 obliged to murmur as kindly as he could : 
 
 "Cry, Mina; it is said that tears assuage grief." 
 Simultaneously with this remark, he rang the bell 
 and ordered the footman to tell Count Kleinmichel 
 to report. 
 
 "You will excuse me," he turned to Mademoiselle 
 Nelidova — "business matters." 
 
 She quickly wiped away her tears to conceal her 
 distress from her kinsman, whom she despised in 
 common with all Russians. In a few minutes the 
 Count entered. He saluted the Emperor in military 
 fashion, which the latter acknowledged with a nod. 
 
 "Hast thou executed my order?" asked the Tsar. 
 
 "Your Majesty's obedient servant always carries 
 out the behest of his gracious monarch. Here are 
 the papers." He laid a green portfolio upon the 
 table. 
 
 "To what expense were they charged?" 
 
 "Agreeably to Your Majesty's order, they were 
 charged to the disbursements on account of the con- 
 struction of the Moscow-Petersburg Railroad." 
 
 "Very good; leave us now and await my orders 
 in the reception room. I wish to talk with thee in 
 relation to to-day's session of the imperial council. 
 I shall soon order thee summoned." 
 
 Count Kleinmichel, the slave of his monarch and 
 the satrap of his subordinates, bowed low and left 
 the room. The Emperor opened the portfolio, 
 looked over the valuable papers contained in it, and 
 then turned to Mademoiselle Nelidova : 
 
84 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "I am still your debtor. Here are thirty millions 
 in French and English securities; for God alone 
 knows what may happen to Russian finances. Five 
 millions are for you, five for the girl, and ten for 
 each of the two boys. I would gladly add a title, 
 but this I cannot do on account of the Empress and 
 my lawful children." 
 
 In presenting her with a sum sufficient to secure 
 her and her children in becoming conditions, Nicho- 
 las showed his generous domestic character, but the 
 money was taken from the imperial treasury. 
 
 The late Emperor Alexander II. exceeded his 
 father in affection for his offsprings. Nicholas gave 
 them only money, sordid money, while permitting 
 them to remain illegitimates. Alexander, on the 
 other hand, not only rewarded his favorites with 
 substantial means, but secured for them a safe and 
 firm social position by opportunely marrying them 
 to men who aspired to make their way in the world. 
 As an illustrious example of this may be cited the 
 two princesses Dolgoniky, who had been the Em- 
 peror's favorites, one after the other. The older 
 one was married to Albedinsky, after being four 
 months with child. He was the Russian military 
 attache at Paris, where he had greatly compromised 
 himself by his reckless extravagance and his indis- 
 creet attentions to the Empress Eugenie, as well as 
 by the shady methods whereby he obtained French 
 military plans for transmission to Prussia. He was 
 in danger of being sent to Clichy. To save himself 
 from the threatening danger, he readily consented to 
 wed the princess. The second Princess Dolgoruky 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 85 
 
 was still better settled. The affectionate monarch 
 gave her first a large sum of money, and on the 
 children he bestowed a title and even the command 
 of several regiments. But the kind father found 
 that the amount he had given them out of his private 
 fortune was insufificient. He unhesitatingly made 
 a third interior loan, the whole amount of which 
 found its way into the coffers of the fortunate 
 princess ; that is to say, he sacrificed the interests of 
 Russia for the sake of his favorite mistress and her 
 children by himself. He crowned his good work by 
 marrying her off and bestowing the title of the 
 illustrious Yuryevsky family upon her offsprings. 
 
 But what say his faithful subjects about these 
 doings? The intelligent public smiled and laughed 
 in their sleeves, and quietly purchased shares in the 
 third interior loan, while the ignorant mass sighed 
 and continued to bear upon its bent back all the 
 burden of taxes and loans, and kept silent, which 
 was interpreted to mean that everybody was satisfied. 
 Let us return to our story. 
 
 "Then it is true!" exclaimed Mademoiselle Neli- 
 dova, pushing the valuable papers aside with a 
 trembling hand. 
 
 The Emperor again knitted his brow, and asked : 
 "What do you mean by that remark?" 
 "What I mean ?" repeated Mademoiselle Nelidova, 
 bursting in tears ; "I feel that Your Majesty loves me 
 no longer ; that another has taken my place in your 
 heart. You wish to get rid of me with money. 
 Have I loved you for the sake of money? Your 
 Majesty knows that I am a descendant of an old 
 
86 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 house, and am not a prostitute. Take back your 
 money ; I do not need it ! I have not loved you for 
 it ? In you I have found the ideal man. I repeat, I 
 love you not for money or for titles, but for your- 
 self!" 
 
 Without realizing it, the favorite touched the 
 most sensitive cord of the proud Emperor — his 
 honor. He approached her and took her hand in 
 his. 
 
 "I know all that, and never for a moment did I 
 doubt your love. But, none the less, it is necessary 
 to secure your future and the fate of our children. 
 We are living in alarming times; and, as an 
 Emperor, I am obliged to face dangers, and who 
 knows when the enemy's bomb may land in our 
 midst. Perhaps a bullet hurled by the nimble hand 
 of some traitor — poison — " 
 
 "Your Majesty, for the love of God, do not talk 
 of death! If you should die, which God forbid, I 
 shall not survive it." 
 
 "Weak-minded people ever reason in this fashion. 
 Death does not smite those who go to meet it; on 
 the contrary, it mows down remorselessly those who 
 cling to life. If death would strike those who covet 
 it, I would not now be found among the living." 
 
 "Your Majesty, you frighten me." 
 
 "Enough useless words!" he retorted, with his 
 customary harshness. "It is my duty to safeguard 
 the future of the children with whom you made me 
 happy. I only discharged my duty, and whatever 
 fate may have in store for me, I have no reason to 
 fear now." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 87 
 
 He rang the bell and ordered the servant to bring 
 a candle and sealing wax, and to summon the 
 officer in waiting. The Emperor sealed the port- 
 folio, wrote a few words on it, and handing it to the 
 officer, he said : 
 
 "Take this to the Stiglitz Bank and deposit it in 
 the name of Mademoiselle Nelidova. Tell Count 
 Kleinmichel to appear for orders." 
 
 "You will excuse me," said Nicholas, turning to 
 his favorite with cold courtesy. His tone caused 
 her heart to palpitate. She turned pale and 
 nervously pressed her hand to her heart as if trying 
 to check its rapid pulsations. 
 
 The Emperor failed to notice her distress. In 
 his stony heart there was neither sympathy nor 
 regard for his fellowman. He was a man only in 
 his family circle, and there only at brief intervals. 
 He did not think that he was abusing his favorite 
 with his last words. Threatening clouds were 
 gathering on his high forehead ; he sank his head on 
 his breast, and silently paced up and down the room. 
 Now and then he would pass his right hand across 
 his forehead, as if wishing to scatter the thoughts 
 which agitated him. But in vain ; he cannot compel 
 his conscience to be silent. 
 
 Kleinmichel had already come in, and was 
 glancing round uneasily. The Tsar did not observe 
 his presence. The Count coughed nervously several 
 times, but was not heeded. Finally he approached 
 the lady to learn what he was called for. Seeing 
 the deathly pallor on her face and the agitation of 
 the Emperor, he concluded that he was summoned 
 
88 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 to act as mediator, as he had done before, to settle 
 some disagreement between them. He met the Tsar 
 while approaching the favorite. As if suddenly 
 aroused from a deep sleep, Nicholas quickly raised 
 his head and turned to the Count with a sharp, 
 "What do you want?" 
 
 "Your Majesty pleased to summon me." 
 Regaining his senses, the Emperor said : 
 "Certainly; go to the Tsarevich and apologize to 
 him. Thou hast offended him again to-day; that 
 must never be repeated." 
 
 "Sire, only my devotion and zeal to Your 
 Majesty — " 
 
 "I know that thou art faithful to me," interrupted 
 the Emperor, "that is why I have rewarded thee — " 
 "More than I deserve," answered the Count, with 
 a strange expression. 
 
 "Alexander is my son and successor, which thou 
 hast apparently forgotten. I understand that thou 
 art not of the number who flatter the Tsarevich and 
 turn away from him to whom they owe their position 
 in life. But for thine own sake thou shouldst not 
 excite the Tsarevich against thyself, lest it might 
 happen after I am dead that he should hurl thee 
 back into the mire whence thou camest." 
 
 "Sire, you will live long for the glory of Russia !" 
 "Death is often much nearer than we suppose," 
 remarked Nicholas in a tone so gloomy that both 
 favorites shuddered involuntarily. Go at once to 
 Anichkov Palace, and ask forgiveness from the 
 Tsarevich. Yesterday, at the imperial council, I 
 observed how he turned pale from anger, and that 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 89 
 
 he could scarcely restrain from tears over thy 
 affront. Thou must do what I tell thee ; I demand 
 it !" he added in a voice which admitted no reply. 
 
 He then approached Mademoiselle Nelidova and 
 kissed her hand. 
 
 "Do sviddniya (good-by), Mina," he said. "I 
 have not been very amiable to-day, but you will 
 forgive me; I am sorely perplexed. I leave you 
 with peace in my heart since I have provided for 
 your future. Do not doubt my love ; whatever may 
 happen, believe in me." 
 
 He kissed her on the forehead, while she covered 
 his hand with a flood of tears. 
 
 The Tsar left the room without looking around. 
 Passing by the Count he turned to him and said : 
 "Go at once to the Tsarevich !" 
 
 The all-powerful minister bowed in silence and 
 followed the Tsar, gritting his wolfish teeth in 
 helpless fury. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A GANG OF ST. PETERSBURG ROGUES 
 
 Walking along Sadovaya (Garden) street to the 
 Syennaya Ploschad. (Hay Square), and turning on 
 the Obukhovsky Prospect, you pass a massive square 
 stone house on the left. This house is known to this 
 day to the inhabitants of St. Petersburg under the 
 name of "Vyazemsky's Place." Every one who 
 goes by it at a late hour of the night experiences an 
 involuntary shudder. The place might justly be 
 called "the den of crime." 
 
 On the lower floor, facing Obukhovsky Prospect, 
 there was a traktir (eating and drinking place). In 
 the main room, leading to the street, young lads were 
 always busy waiting on the guests. Another room 
 led to the court. Drinking and debauchery was kept 
 up there from morning until night, and often to the 
 following morning. In the room was to be seen 
 every species of spendthrifts. The place was also 
 frequented by a few retired officers, who lured young 
 business men there and filled them with champagne 
 mixed with a kind of thorn apple, and mercilessly 
 picked them clean in "faro," "polka," "landsknecht," 
 or in "napravo-nalyevo." On the basement floor 
 were meat and grocery stores, and a saloon for cus- 
 tomers of the lower order. There one could meet 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 91 
 
 soldiers, muziks, and night women of the lowest type ; 
 but the ever-present visitors of this place were every 
 description of petty thieves. 
 
 On the corner was a wine-cellar, where the skilful 
 proprietor, like a magician, understood how to draw 
 from one and the same cask every conceivable kind 
 of wine, selling it under the high-sounding names of 
 Kherson, Madeira, Chateau-Lafitte, etc. In one of 
 the many divisions of this cellar, the door of which 
 was piled up with a row of barrels, congregated the 
 most notorious bands of thieves of St. Petersburg, 
 drinking poperechnik (a mixed drink of wine and 
 rum), and hatching plots and plans for their nefari- 
 ous business. In the remaining portion of the house 
 lived gamblers, public women, and every descrip- 
 tion of rabble. Along with this assembly of "night 
 workers" there lived also the police inspector. In 
 former times the police lived openly on terms of 
 great friendship with the rogues. 
 
 The night was damp and cold ; not a star was to 
 be seen in the sky; the dim light of lanterns alone 
 twinkled through thick darkness here and there on 
 the abandoned square. In daytime the Syennaya 
 Ploschad swarms with people, while at night not 
 a soul is to be seen. In the midst of the general 
 darkness and quiet two men appeared on the square, 
 coming from the direction of Bank street, holding 
 an animated conversation : 
 
 "Thou art quite sure that she is here ?" asked one. 
 
 "The devil take thee; I have not turned blind. 
 How was I not to know my charming cousin?" 
 
 "How many times have I asked thee, Tovarov, 
 
92 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 not to call her by that name ? Why, Natasha is de- 
 cidedly not my sister, but simply a bondswoman, 
 whom I shall punish in a peculiar manner for run- 
 ning away." 
 
 "But what is the matter with thee, Makarov? 
 Thou canst not blame the girl for becoming tired 
 of thy behavior and whip. It is to be presumed 
 that the biblical phrase, 'whom he loveth, he chastis- 
 eth,' is not to her taste. It is evident that Natasha 
 did not care to penetrate into the depth of this 
 maxim. She is a simple muzhichka." 
 
 "Drop your moralizing! I must find her at any 
 cost, even if it comes to fifty thousand rubles." 
 
 "Ha, ha, ha! Yes, that is not bad; it is easy to 
 speak of fifty thousand rubles when one makes it 
 himself. Such an amount, or one hundred thousand 
 rubles, is of little consequence to thee ; a half-hour's 
 work on the press ; and, as a reward, such a beautiful 
 girl as Natasha." 
 
 "To the devil with thee ! Thou art surely drunk. 
 Dost not understand that we may be overheard ? If 
 thou canst not keep thy tongue behind thy teeth, I will 
 tear it out for thee," furiously retorted Makarov. 
 
 "Yes, it is true that I drank. Did I not have to 
 entertain that simpleton Khvalinsky, the merchant's 
 son, after he had just obtained from the sale of 
 bonds five thousand chervonetz (ducats). Yes, and 
 he asked to play again the following day. To-mor- 
 row, instead of one bag of gold he'll bring two. 
 Don't yawn; play with gold, but with gold only. 
 We know the value of paper money, which one can 
 make for himself — " 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 93 
 
 "Thou bawlst again," interrupted his compan- 
 ion, seeing that nothing could be done with him, 
 as the champagne had completely loosed his cousin's 
 tongue. To spare himself this dangerous conversa- 
 tion, he hastened his steps and walked ahead. 
 
 These companions were none other than Makarov, 
 the master of Natasha, and his cousin and confidant, 
 Tovarov. For many oppressions and cruelties to his 
 serfs Makarov had been deprived of the right to ad- 
 minister his estate. He then went to St. Petersburg 
 with his cousin and comrade. There they lived 
 enigmatically, which is not rare in both capitals of 
 Russia. 
 
 Makarov had already twice been under investiga- 
 tion on suspicion of counterfeiting banknotes. But 
 he had ties with the police, whom he had once served 
 as a spy ; so that both times he had timely warning 
 by them of the intended search, and of course noth- 
 ing was found. The principal occupation of the 
 cousins was the plucking of country people. They 
 made them drunk, brought in cards, and, without 
 any conscientious scruples, cleaned them to a thread. 
 
 One morning Tovarov met Natasha on the Nev- 
 sky Prospect and, knowing his cousin's passion for 
 her, set out to follow the girl, but lost her. When 
 Makarov learned that Tovarov had seen her, his 
 passion glowed with new fire. He swore that he 
 would find Natasha and that she should belong to 
 him, cost what it might. 
 
 Reaching the corner of the Obukhovsky Prospect, 
 Makarov descended into the wine cellar. Tovarov 
 followed him. At their entrance the door bell rang 
 
94 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 lightly. Trofimich, the owner of the place, with- 
 out getting out of his seat, looked at them sus- 
 piciously, but recognizing old acquaintances, he 
 again sank into drowsiness. 
 
 "A bottle of Madeira, of the very best, in the back 
 room," called Makarov. 
 
 Trofimich leisurely went to fill the order, mur- 
 muring in a hollow voice : "For a truth, they have 
 become somehow painfully important to-day. It 
 strikes me that they ought to be content with a few 
 glasses of tmina (a native drink). 
 
 "Petrusha!" he called to the waiter, "pour out 
 two glasses of tmina. 
 
 "Ivan Andreyevich, this is the last time that I 
 shall let you have it on credit," he said, turning to 
 Makarov. 
 
 "Bolvdn (blockhead), who says anything about 
 credit? A bottle of the very best Madeira; other- 
 wise the devil be with thee!" coarsely blustered 
 Makarov at Trofimich, and threw a brand new pohi- 
 imperial (five rubles) on the table. At the sight of 
 the gold the drowsiness left the saloonkeeper at once, 
 and he jumped up as if he had been shaken. 
 
 "At your service, Ivan Andreyevich; it will be 
 served immediately." 
 
 "Petrusha, hast thou not heard that Ivan Andre- 
 yevich wants a bottle of Maderia? Lively!" 
 
 "Would you not drink a glass with me, Ivan 
 Andreyevich," he said, turning to Makarov. 
 
 "Of course, old greybeard!" churlishly replied 
 Tovarov. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 95 
 
 "The gentlemen must have become rich," contin- 
 ued the proprietor, not paying attention to Tovarov's 
 remark. "You have likely received an inheritance, 
 or perhaps a sweetheart presented you with a gold 
 find in Siberia. Excellent, excellent! Now, since 
 the gentlemen have become rich, would they mind 
 to pay something on account ? It is a long time since 
 they paid anything." 
 
 "Here, take this, hungry dog!" Makarov said, 
 throwing to him several poluimperials. He and his 
 cousin then went into the back room. 
 
 "Whom have these rascals robbed again?" mur- 
 mured the proprietor. "However, what is that to 
 me? They have paid; the rest is their business — 
 They will likely end in Siberia," he added pro- 
 foundly, and began to dream again. 
 
 In the back room were assembled representatives 
 of all ages, beginning with an old gray-haired 
 rogue, apparently the leader of the whole band, and 
 ending with young men, almost boys. The gray- 
 haired old man seldom took immediate part in the 
 night expeditions; he only formed the plans and 
 located the booty, and by virtue of his experience 
 and former power he succeeded in obtaining the 
 authority over this circle; they obeyed him like a 
 prophet. There were not a few suspicious char- 
 acters of middle age, whose laughter resembled the 
 growl of hungry wolves. There were also spies 
 who found it agreeable to feast at the expense of 
 their future victims. Some played cards, winning 
 and losing with equal equanimity. 
 
96 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 In one corner of the room a group surrounded 
 a red-haired fellow, with a tangled beard, and with 
 a deck of greasy cards in his hands. As he shuf- 
 fled the cards to the right and to the left were heard 
 the calls: 
 
 "Tselkovy (silver-ruble piece) on the jack," 
 "Paroli from the seven," and such like terms. The 
 dealer answered without delay : "The jack is beaten ; 
 seven takes it," etc. 
 
 Other groups played "durachky" (game at cards) 
 or dominoes, and boasted of their success. Before 
 some of them stood bottles of vodka, Kherson, Ma- 
 deira, and even champagne. To these people, as 
 long as their hands could wield a hammer, a knife, 
 or a skeleton key, money came easy. A thief can- 
 not long enjoy freedom, in view of which fact he 
 makes the most of it while he may. 
 
 The cousins entered almost unobserved, as the 
 noise around the red-haired dealer drowned every 
 other noise. It was observed that with a skilful 
 movement he turned down a card on which there 
 was a handsome amount. 
 
 "Thou hast swindled, Sherwood; the nine-spot 
 ought to come on the left side!" screamed several 
 voices. 
 
 "You lie!" protested Sherwood. 
 
 "I just saw the nine-spot on top; what has be- 
 come of it?" , 
 
 "How am I to know it ? When it comes out you 
 will see it." 
 
 "Thou art a knave !" shouted a broad-shouldered 
 fellow, striking the table with his fist, 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 97 
 
 "Don't scold; I play honestly," retorted Sher- 
 wood, quickly putting into his pockets the money 
 which formed the bank. "Moreover, if you are go- 
 ing to quarrel, I shall not play any more." At these 
 words he hurled the cards on the table. 
 
 This red-haired faro dealer was none other than 
 that very Sherwood who became infamous by his 
 informing against the Dekabristy* 
 
 His history is as follows: 
 
 He was the son of an English locksmith, once 
 rich, but later ruined. The son became a teacher of 
 foreign langfuages at the house of the rich landlord 
 Ushakov, in the province of Smolensk. The latter 
 had two daughters. Sherwood fell in love with 
 one of them, and they were married secretly. As 
 he could not hope to make his marriage public, since 
 he had neither position nor rank, he determined to 
 enter the army and advance to the rank of an officer, 
 and thus succeed in having his marriage acknowl- 
 edged. By the recommendation of General Staal, 
 Sherwood was enrolled in the Bukh Regiment of 
 Ulans, and later he was recommended to K. L. 
 Davidov as an experienced builder, to erect flour 
 mills. In the house of Davidov he had occasion to 
 see periodically the same persons visiting the place, 
 among whom there seemed to be an intimacy. Being 
 
 *0n the 26th of December, 1825, two days after the publi- 
 cation of Nicholas' manifesto announcing his own accession, 
 the conspirators of The Society of the North raised some 
 troops and threw themselves on the Place du Senat. The Em- 
 peror had placed himself opposite the insurgents, and ordered 
 his soldiers to fire. Many were killed, and five hundred were 
 taken prisoners. The rebels were called "Dekabristy" because 
 the revolt took place in December— Dyekabr in Russian. 
 
98 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 curious by nature and an intriguer from choice, 
 Sherwood began to watch and Hsten, through door 
 chini<s and keyholes, to the conversation of the 
 guests. From what he could catch, he concluded 
 that they were conspirators whose object was the 
 transformation of the Russian Empire; in a word, 
 to bring about a complete change in the form of 
 government, which would free the serfs, introduce 
 a constitution; and, in case of stubbornness on the 
 part of the Tsar, overthrow the dynasty of Holstein- 
 Gottorp, otherwise called "Romanof," and to pro- 
 claim the Federation of Russian Republics, with 
 complete autonomy to Siberia, the Caucasus, Little 
 Russia, and Poland. 
 
 Sherwood became drunk and dizzy from satisfac- 
 tion at having accidentally discovered such a treas- 
 ure. The head of the foreigner at once swarmed 
 with plans. To become distinguished, obtain the 
 rank of an officer, which would make a lawful mar- 
 riage possible, and to get a considerable sum as a 
 reward without work — this was his ambition. He 
 immediately dispatched a note to the much-feared 
 Arakcheyev, requesting him to arrange a meeting 
 with the Emperor, whom he would personally in- 
 form of the discovery of a conspiracy against the 
 government. 
 
 Sherwood obtained what he asked. After an in- 
 terview with the Emperor he was given a free hand 
 to unearth the conspirators everywhere. He showed 
 his zeal in the most outrageous manner, shamelessly 
 including in his reports the commanding officers of 
 his own battalion who had no part in the affair. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 99 
 
 A frightful tempest of prosecution followed. 
 Searches, arrests, the disappearance of people with- 
 out any trace, exile, and executions were the order 
 of the day. In proportion as grief and misery in- 
 creased among the intelligent families of Russia, 
 Sherwood's career mounted higher. He was created 
 a prdporschik (ensign), with a transfer to the body- 
 guard of the Dragoon Regiment (afterwards the 
 Horseguards), with an addition of "vyerny" (faith- 
 ful) to his family name; and, by a supreme patent 
 of nobility he was, for his services to the "throne of 
 his country," elevated to the dignity of a Russian 
 nobleman. Nicholas could not inflict a deeper 
 wound to the native nobility than by this action. 
 Soon after this Sherwood was promoted to poruchik 
 (lieutenant) and captain. All these advances were 
 accomplished in the course of three months. But 
 neither the affixed adjective of "faithful" nor the 
 gracious favors served to change, as a contemporary 
 says, his inborn low propensities. Sherwood's self- 
 consciousness and impudence went too far. He an- 
 tagonized and displeased everybody, and they turned 
 away from him in disgust. The Emperor himself 
 noticed his low impulses, and dismissed him from 
 the service; but with a pension.* 
 
 *A11 the newly created nobles, like Sherwood, the son of an 
 English locksmith, or another, a hatter of the city of Kostroma, 
 Osip Komisarov (endowed with the adjective "Kostromsky"), 
 who were thus elevated, besotted themselves out of their circle. 
 Komisarov for example, wearied his instructor Todtleben to 
 such a degree that it became necessary to convey him to 
 Tashkent, where so many of the high-appointed official scoun- 
 drels are being drafted oflf for every kind of rascality. 
 
100 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 A government pension was insufficient for his 
 wants; so he frequented saloons, selling the secrets 
 which he overheard there to the police, practiced 
 crooked gambling, as we have just seen him, and 
 thus supplied the deficit in his pockets. 
 
 The storm which had gathered over his head soon 
 calmed down ; the thief world is very considerate to 
 each other. As soon as the arrival of Makarov and 
 Tovarov was noticed, the crowd rushed to greet 
 them heartily. 
 
 "Hello! there you are, at last!" called to them a 
 youth not more than eighteen years old. (Regard- 
 less of his young years, he was not a novice in crime. 
 At the age of sixteen he murdered his father for the 
 sake of a few rubles, and ran away from his village. 
 The police had looked for him in vain since then.) 
 "We have heard that they are going to put you on 
 the black mare* to-morrow, and award you the 
 Andreyev cross."^ 
 
 "Silence, milksop," ordered the old cutthroat, who 
 had escaped from Siberia twice. "One must never 
 recall such things. May God and the Holy Trinity 
 protect us from the black mare and the Andreyev 
 cross." 
 
 "We are not of your breed, fool muzhiks; the 
 black mare and the Andreyev cross are for you, and 
 not for us," interposed Tovarov, as Makarov stepped 
 aside with one of his fellow-counterfeiters, who 
 whispered something in his ear. 
 
 *The black gallows to which convicted criminals are tied. 
 tA knout with which the hangman lays blows on the back 
 of the criminal in the form of a cross. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 101 
 
 "Yes, I forget that you nobles make the laws 
 which forbid us to steal, so that you may do so more 
 conveniently and profitably." 
 
 "We do not call it stealing, but getting things by 
 business methods," corrected Tovarov. 
 
 In the meantime Makarov continued his whis- 
 pered conversation with the counterfeiter. 
 
 "It is difficult," he said, "to get rid of thy notes. 
 Yesterday I wanted to change a twenty-five ruble note 
 at Palkin's, but the accursed saloonkeeper turned it 
 around in his hands, looked at it from all sides, and 
 asked me who I was, and where I got that money. 
 He had already been taken in twice with such notes, 
 and the police ordered him to hold any one who 
 offered like currency, he said. Fortunately, a friend 
 turned up, an officer of the police court — thou know- 
 est him, the one who hid thy protested check for 
 eight thousand rubles ; he redeemed me by declaring 
 that the paper was all right and took it himself, so 
 that I had to give the saloonkeeper a genuine piece 
 of money." 
 
 "The mersdvetz (scoundrel) will exchange it in 
 his office for good money." 
 
 "I am sure of it ; but that is not to the point. My 
 friend and protector left the saloon with me, had 
 me take a seat with him in a carriage, and demanded 
 five hundred rubles from me if I did not wish to be 
 arrested at once." 
 
 "And thou hast—" 
 
 "I paid him," interrupted the counterfeiter, "only 
 half that amount, as I had no more money with me. 
 
102 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The other half I am to pay him to-morrow. Thou 
 must obtain it for me, if not — " 
 
 "Dost not lie?" interrupted Makarov suspiciously. 
 
 "If thou dost not believe me, thou canst go to the 
 chinovnik (officer) with me to-morrow morning." 
 
 "No, thanks ; I don't wish that we should be seen 
 together. As regards the money, here it is," said 
 Makarov, with a sigh, and handed his companion 
 a package of poluimperials. 
 
 In the meantime, Tovarov, who also had several 
 ducats, could not resist the temptation to show it 
 boastingly before Sherwood. The eyes of the old 
 crook shone with greed at the sight of the gold. 
 
 "Gold? Now, Brother Tovarov, thou shouldst 
 treat us to something. Not so, brothers ?" he turned 
 to the others. 
 
 "Of course, at least a few bottles of tmina," sev- 
 eral voices exclaimed. 
 
 "No tmina for me ; to-day I treat to champagne." 
 
 "Long live Tovarov," shouted the crooks. 
 
 "What is champagne but sweet water?" exclaimed 
 several, among them a gray-haired old man. "If 
 thou really wouldst treat us, then thou hadst better 
 order several bottles of Kherson and rum ; this will 
 at least tickle the palate." 
 
 "Petriisha, champagne, kheres, and rum — quick! 
 Here is a gold ruble for thyself." 
 
 Petriisha flew away in an instant; the sight of 
 gold lends wings to waiters. Two of the crooks, 
 playing checkers, and often doing honor to poperech- 
 nik, fell to quarreling. One of the players, a little 
 pock-marked old man, called the other, a robust fel- 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 103 
 
 low, an opprobrious name, for which he received 
 such a crack that he tumbled off the chair. The old 
 man jumped up in a rage, pulled out a sharp knife 
 from his bootleg and plunged it to the very hilt into 
 the breast of his antagonist. The whole thing was 
 done in an instant. 
 
 "What hast thou done, Andreich? The devil 
 take thee ! Bring some sand, quick, before the floor 
 gets covered with blood. Go in a hurry for an isvo- 
 shchik (hack-driver). Andreich, we must get rid 
 of him at once. Two of us will take him under the 
 arms, and drag him out like a drunken person. He 
 must be taken to the Kalinkin Bridge and thrown 
 into the Fontanka, whence he will be carried into 
 the sea; then let them find him; to the devil with 
 him. A dog gets a dog's death ; he deserves no sym- 
 pathy; he stole at least five hundred rubles of me, 
 when we together killed a merchant from Kostroma. 
 While I dragged the dead man to the ice hole, I 
 gave the merchant's watch and pocketbook to him, 
 and the thief afterwards said that there was but ten 
 rubles." 
 
 The isvoshchik arrived in the meantime; two of 
 the crooks caught the murdered man under the arms, 
 and staggering, as if drunk, the trio went out into 
 the street. 
 
 "Ah, Trofimich, where is the champagne?" 
 screamed Makarov in maudlin voice. 
 
 "Yes, champagne!" roared an old crook in a deaf- 
 ening voice. "Bring the champagne! I drink to- 
 day, for to-morrow I must be sober. I have no 
 money to-day, but I have credit," he said, bursting 
 
104 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 out in laughter. "Trofimich, wilt thou not credit 
 me?" 
 
 "Of course, certainly," said Trofimich, knowing 
 better than to joke with the old cutthroat. Once 
 already he had encountered his fist, and did not wish 
 to do so again. "But please tell me why you have 
 to be sober to-morrow. That is an unusual occur- 
 rence with thee, thou old knave." The last he added 
 in a whisper and glancing around to see if any one 
 had heard him. 
 
 "The more thou knowest, the older thou grow- 
 est, old friend. What I intend to do thou needst not 
 know, blue-nosed old fool!" replied the ancient 
 crook. 
 
 "Don't be silly, Andrey Petrovich," murmured the 
 saloonkeeper, "I only wanted — " 
 
 "To betray me. I well know that thou stealest 
 everything from us first and then betrayest us to the 
 vultures," replied Petrovich. "For my undertaking 
 I need only a spy and a clever penman, and I shall 
 apply to Sherwood and Makarov." 
 
 "Not so loud, the walls have ears," warned 
 Makarov. 
 
 "Not here. The only dangerous ones are those 
 of the old rogue Trofimich and of his worthy ser- 
 vant Petrusha ; but some day I'll cut them off. Drink 
 out and listen; the business is important. Thou, 
 Sherwood, must — " he whispered something in his 
 ear. 
 
 "Impossible," retorted Sherwood hopelessly. 
 "Since the time I told the Prince Orlov of the ghosts 
 in the cellar, and the pristav disappeared in such a 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 105 
 
 mysterious manner, my credit has been lost with him ; 
 that's how — " 
 
 "But that has nothing to do with our business. 
 The devil take the pristav and his soldiers. If the 
 devil were only sensible, he would gather up the 
 whole rabble that robs us, good, brave fellows, and 
 takes from us almost three-fourths of our booty and 
 in the end sends us to prison. While this snake- 
 breed lives, one of our sort cannot do much. That's 
 what it has come to." 
 
 With these words he struck the table such a blow 
 with his fist that the bottles and glasses were shat- 
 tered. "But I wish that thou shalt again be favored 
 by the Prince. In a word, I have discovered some- 
 thing for which he would be thankful to thee, and 
 would cover thee with gold from head to foot." 
 
 "Oh, thou liest! Thou hast smelled out some- 
 thing, and didst not personally inform !" grunted 
 Sherwood suspiciously. 
 
 "Dog!" thundered Petrovich. "Dost not know 
 that while I am a cutthroat, I am not a spy ? More- 
 over, I do not think I should tell thee anything about 
 it. These people consult and plan for 'the good of 
 Russia.' " 
 
 "Then it must be some kind of a conspiracy," ex- 
 claimed Sherwood exultingly. 
 
 "How am I to know what it is called ? There are 
 all classes of people in it — officers, nobles, burghers, 
 and peasants like ourselves. I wanted to join them 
 myself, to see how they do things, but they would 
 not accept me;" and he doubled his fists. "I know 
 
106 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 where they assemble, and at once thought it was a 
 great find for the old rogue Sherwood." 
 
 Sherwood was not in the least hurt over the epi- 
 thets applied to him by Petrovich ; and, like a hun- 
 gry wolf scenting prey, he eagerly took in every 
 word. 
 
 "But where do they meet ?" he asked impatiently. 
 
 "When the time comes I'll tell thee. Let us re- 
 turn to our business. To-morrow morning we'll have 
 to — " The remainder of the conversation was in 
 such a low breath that even the experienced ears of 
 Trofimich could not catch it. It was only possible to 
 make out a few broken words, disconnected, as "a 
 young girl," "a soldier with a wounded arm," etc. 
 
 Ending his talk, Petrovich added : "That means 
 that the business is arranged. If thou wilt go at it 
 right, thou wilt learn where — " 
 
 "The conspirators meet?" broke in Sherwood. 
 "Tell me now, uncle." 
 
 "It is a matter of indifference what they are called, 
 conspirators or anything else. On the 14th of De- 
 cember, while I was still serving in the Moscow 
 Regiment, they gave us plenty to drink and we were 
 to shout 'Constitution !' We yelled lustily, in the full 
 assurance that it was in honor of Constantine's wife, 
 in whose name we obtained the vodka. We also 
 took a shot at everything we put our eyes on. I 
 remember taking aim at a young guard lieutenant. 
 Bang! and he tumbled off the horse. When I saw 
 him again he was a cripple, but a lieutenant-gen- 
 eral. My bullet, which shattered his arm, brought 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 107 
 
 him good luck. They called us, also, conspirators 
 then.* 
 
 "The regiment was disbanded, and I was sent to 
 the Caucasus, where I would have been now if a 
 happy thought had not suggested to me to leave 
 there. Drink this glass, Sherwood, to the success 
 of our undertaking. 
 
 "Now is thy turn, Makarov ; dost thou know how 
 to make a fictitious will ?" 
 
 Makarov looked around nervously. 
 
 "What art thou looking about thee for like a fox 
 caught in a hencoop? Do we not know thy skill? 
 There is five thousand rubles as thy share in this 
 business." 
 
 "But there won't be — Thou understandest me, 
 Petrovich?" and he made an eloquent motion with 
 his hand. "I don't like such things; it is danger- 
 ous—" 
 
 "Because thou art not on thine own land," inter- 
 rupted Petrovich. "They say that there thou hadst 
 no scruples about such trifles. But that's thine own 
 affair. The business was proposed to me by the 
 heirs, and as I have never lost time on learning, I 
 at once thought of thee; thou art an excellent fellow 
 in this regard. Therefore it is necessary that thou 
 and Tovarov should sign the will as witnesses." 
 
 ♦According to the monarchical historians, the ignorant sol- 
 diers believed that Constitution was the name of Constantine's 
 wife. The revolt of the i4/26th of December was caused by the 
 troops being persuaded that the news of Constantine's resig- 
 nation was false, and that the oath of allegiance to Nicholas 
 was a sacrilege. They shouted, "Long live the Constitution!" 
 misunderstanding its import. 
 
108 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Not for any consideration," said Makarov; "this 
 is altogether too dangerous." 
 
 "Wherein is the danger? Thou hast done worse 
 things. The testator's signature we'll obtain by 
 frightening the old man ; there is a girl at his house 
 about whom he is a fool." 
 
 "A girl?" asked Makarov, with curiosity. 
 
 "Yes, a girl, the old dog. A charming girl ; rosy 
 like an apple, and the eyes — great eyes ! No wonder 
 she turned the old man's head." 
 
 "Is she his daughter?" 
 
 "No, there's the secret. She has been with him 
 only a few weeks, and God knows, or rather the 
 devil may find out, who she is and where she came 
 from. She does not leave his bedside for a second, 
 and gives him his medicine. Very likely the old 
 gray-beard scented danger, because Kurdyubekov — " 
 
 "Which Kurdyubekov?" 
 
 "Why, the old man's son, who thinks that his 
 father lives painfully long, and fears that he means 
 to deprive him of the inheritance just because he 
 lived fast and played pranks for which he almost 
 landed in Siberia. The devil alone knows how he 
 untangled himself. I know only that he did come 
 off, and since then he has been without means, and 
 as the old man does not want to help him — " 
 
 "My cousin will help him," said Makarov, 
 smiling. 
 
 "Thy cousin?" asked Petrovich, in surprise. 
 
 "Yes, my cousin, or I should say my mother's 
 nephew; our fathers married sisters. And so I am 
 to write the will of my uncle. Very well, Petrovich, 
 with the greatest pleasure. I trust that my cousin 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 109 
 
 will permit me to bequeath myself a little something. 
 And so there is a girl at uncle's. Ah, but he is an 
 old sinner!" 
 
 In his mind suddenly rose the thought: "Is not 
 this girl my Natasha? Who knows? But how 
 did she come to him ? Where could he have found 
 her ? I must see her ; I must be convinced. Tova- 
 rov met her twice. Why did fate not throw her in 
 my way?" reflected Makarov. Then he said aloud: 
 "To-morrow we will arrange this matter. However, 
 thou must take me to uncle; I am consumed with 
 impatience to receive his blessing." 
 
 "But perhaps thou wishest to capture the girl ? I 
 shall not yield thee this morsel ; I shall have her for 
 myself. Write the will and receive thy five thou- 
 sand rubles; there's the end to it. Thou shalt see 
 neither thy uncle nor the girl ; as far as I know him, 
 thy visit would not be to his taste. And now, since 
 the business is arranged, let us take another drink," 
 concluded the old crook. 
 
 Makarov stared at him fixedly and did not reply. 
 
 "Champagne," shouted Petrovich. 
 
 The orgy became livelier and louder, when sud- 
 denly, in the first compartment of the cellar, three 
 bottles fell to the floor, one after the other at regular 
 intervals, and were shattered with a crash. The talk 
 was hushed at once, for the falling of the bottles 
 served as a signal that the police were not far away. 
 All sharpened their ears and listened uneasily. 
 
 In a few minutes voices were heard outside. 
 "They are coming," nervously whispered the rogues. 
 
 In fact, there entered into the room a pristav with 
 a half-dozen policemen. The assembled persons. 
 
110 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 suppressing their breathing, waited without daring 
 to raise their eyes. 
 
 "I am very sorry that I am obhged to trouble 
 you. But why do you cause it ? Where is a certain 
 Dimitry Sergeich?" 
 
 No one answered. 
 
 "Boys, I ask you in all sincerity. You well know 
 my friendly disposition toward you ; I look on many 
 things through my fingers for which another would 
 make you pay dearly. But this time I cannot do 
 anything. I hope you won't precipitate yourselves 
 into trouble by hiding from me Dimitry Sergeich. I 
 shall have to arrest you all, and many of you are 
 in arrears. Well, where is Dimitry Sergeich ?" 
 
 "Here !" was heard a voice from the corner. 
 
 "Come here, then, friend ! Why, thou art a jester 
 as is seldom seen ! Look at this brave fellow ! He 
 stole a horse from a Cossack before the very palace. 
 For such a prank they ought to make it possible for 
 thee to escape. And the Emperor desires to see thee 
 in person. Because of that, I hope thou willst pardon 
 me if I place these ornaments on thee." At these 
 words he ordered his men to put chains on the hands 
 and feet of Sergeich. 
 
 "Ah, you drink champagne here. Well, let's see 
 its quality. The pristav poured out a glass and 
 drank it down at a gulp. "Not bad, not bad ; and 
 so as not to limp on one leg, it is well to drink an- 
 other little glassful." The pristav poured out the 
 wine and drank it, saying: "Your health, friends! 
 And I shall drink a third one for the saJke of the 
 Holy Trinity. By the by, Gospodin Makarov, you 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 111 
 
 and your cousin will also trouble yourselves to fol- 
 low me." 
 
 Makarov shuddered and walked up to the pristav, 
 shoving a package of gold rubles into his hand. The 
 latter quietly let the money slip into his pocket, and, 
 shrugging his shoulders, said : 
 
 "Impossible, golubchik (dear) Makarov. You 
 know that I am your friend, and that I am always 
 ready to serve you, but to-day it is impossible; the 
 general ordered me to bring you before him. As a 
 house is not erected without four corners, I shall 
 drink a fourth glass to your health, boys." 
 
 "And what does Galashev* want with me ?" 
 
 "The old stories about gambling give you no rest. 
 The Emperor himself learned something about it." 
 
 Makarov shoved another roll of money into his 
 hand. 
 
 "I cannot follow you. Say that you did not find 
 me," requested Makarov in a whisper. "Shall the 
 opportunity to find Natasha escape me?" reflected 
 the lover sadly. 
 
 "Be sensible, golubchik Makarov," retorted the 
 pristav, quietly letting the money fall into his pocket. 
 "You ought to know that when I say 'impossible,' 
 it means itnpossible. I must take you to the chief 
 of police this very night. The Emperor ordered 
 that you be found; that means that you must be 
 taken. We shall see later how we can help you." 
 Saying which, he scratched his right palm with his 
 finger, and then made a motion as if he were count- 
 ing money. 
 
 ♦The chief of police of St. Petersburg at the time. 
 
112 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Take a drink, Makarov and Tovarov, for we 
 shall have to breathe the cold and damp night air; 
 I will show you a good example. Our holy churches 
 always have five cupolas; I drink to your health! 
 And now, do svidaniya, brothers." 
 
 The pristav left the room accompanied by his pris- 
 oners. The first, as a peasant, was in chains; and 
 the other two, as gentlemen, were only under convoy. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 SAVELYIEV FINDS IMPORTANT PAPERS 
 
 In the Izmaylov district, on the street called Dev- 
 yataya Rota (Ninth Company), stood a large one- 
 story gray house. This house was evidently occupied 
 by a rich family. One evening every week luxurious 
 carriages crowded at its coach-entry; the windows 
 were lighted up brightly, and music was heard until 
 long past midnight. Exactly opposite this house 
 was a court wing. This wing was occupied by the 
 very poor. Lodging was not rented by the room, 
 but by corners ; or, rather, the rooms were occupied 
 by as many people as there was room for bedsteads. 
 In one such room stood four beds, and near each of 
 them a little table with a cupboard. One of these 
 beds belonged to our friend Savelyev. 
 
 The young man sat buried in deep thought. He 
 recalled his past; his childhood; the Gatchina 
 Asylum. Then his thoughts involuntarily ran over 
 into the future ; but it appeared to him as uninviting 
 as the past. In his life everything was dark and 
 sad ; but now there stole in a ray of light. He had 
 met Natasha, and loved her passionately, with all 
 the fire of youth. But had he a right to love, being, 
 as he was, an escaped convict ? 
 
114 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 To-day he could give himself freely over to his 
 reflections, for all his neighbors had betaken them- 
 selves to the saloons and drinking houses, celebrating 
 the day of the Emperor's namesake and patron saint, 
 Nikoldy Tchudotvdrez (the miracle worker). All 
 his thoughts concentrated on the past. He recalled 
 Siberia, the Caucasus, his first meeting with Natasha, 
 and particularly the journey to St. Petersburg; how 
 he learned to know her better on the road, and to 
 estimate her personal qualities. Both of them hoped 
 to find protection at the feet of the Emperor, not 
 suspecting that the Tsar can be reached only by 
 exalted persons, while to the poor the way was 
 obstructed by insurmountable obstacles. Long did 
 he think of Natasha, and his thoughts wandered to 
 his grandmother. 
 
 Two months ago he and Natasha had accidentally 
 heard the name of the witch. Natasha asked him 
 to go to Marfiisha. The reader knows of Savelyev's 
 visit to the fortune teller. From that time on he 
 never once thought of her, but now her figure stood 
 outlined before his eyes, with a knitted forehead and 
 a menacing hand. Recalling to mind Marftisha, 
 brought to his memory the box which he brought 
 home on the day of the great storm and which he had 
 entirely forgotten. 
 
 Savelyev took out the box from the cupboard, 
 placed it on the table, opened it, and began to look 
 into its contents. He found various kinds of gold 
 and silver coins, and more or less valuable rings and 
 earrings. Each article was wrapped in a piece of 
 paper, with an inscription showing from whom, 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 115 
 
 when, and for what received. Then there was a 
 mass of memoranda and letters. Savelyev looked 
 only at the signatures ; many of them were those of 
 the most noted magnates. 
 
 Although the young soldier looked over all the 
 articles and letters, his mind was nevertheless on 
 Natasha, and he was only interested in the articles 
 in the package in so far as they might be useful for 
 Natasha. But what good could these papers do her ? 
 
 Finally a bundle of old letters, grown yellow with 
 age and tied crosswise with a black ribbon, attracted 
 his attention. On the package was inscribed : "To 
 the son of my daughter." Savelyev untied it and 
 looked it over carelessly. After the first glance, 
 however, his attention was riveted on the yellow 
 sheets. The more he read, the greater became his 
 curiosity. These letters were short and unimportant ; 
 but what made them interesting were the signatures. 
 All of them were from two persons, as the signatures 
 showed. The first set, almost falling to pieces, bear- 
 ing the signature of Kondratya Nileyev, were written 
 from the jail, and directed to the wife. One of them 
 was scratched with a pin on maple-wood paper. 
 Here are its contents : 
 
 Proschdy (farewell), poor dove; without realizing, thou hast 
 served as a weapon for the destruction of thy husband. Thou 
 hadst hoped to save him, but instead, thou hast ruined him and 
 his comrades. Unfortunately we have no son to whom I can 
 bequeath vengeance. If our Anyiita should ever have a son, 
 he must avenge me and my associates, who are lost through 
 me. Pray for thy Kondrat. 
 
 The following paper was of an entirely different 
 character: "In November, 1829, a male child was 
 
116 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 placed in the Gatchina Orphan Asylum, under the 
 name of Ivan Savelyev." 
 
 The third was a clipping from a newspaper, in 
 which was stated that Sergeant Ivan Savelyev, for 
 taking part in the conspiracy of Petrashevsky, was 
 sent to Siberia for ten years, after which term he 
 is to be exiled indefinitely. 
 
 Then followed notes like the following : 
 "I cannot come to-day," or "Look for me at ii 
 o'clock." There were not a few of these notes, all 
 signed "Nikolay." Only one letter bearing this 
 signature was a long one : 
 
 Thou sayest, my friend, that our child was a son. But what 
 became of him? It is not possible that thou dost not know. 
 Tell me. Reflect that the fate and happiness of thy son de- 
 pends on this. No, thou dost not know. I well know thy soul ; 
 it is as pure as an angel and is not capable of falsehood. To- 
 day, when I interrogated thee and looked into thine eyes, thou 
 couldst not have endured my glance if there had been a secret 
 in thy heart. I am accustomed to read the hearts of people; 
 in thee there is no guile. Nevertheless, the disappearance of 
 the boy is incomprehensible. Where is he? For what pur- 
 pose has he been kidnapped ? I ordered that a search be made, 
 but could not do it officially. Use all thy efforts to help me 
 find him that- 1 may make sure for him a brilliant future; or at 
 least try to find the midwife. 
 
 Then followed a letter in a very illegible hand : 
 
 Anyiita, my dear child, they son liveth. He is in the Gatchina 
 Orphan Home, under No. 2137, and under the name of Ivan 
 Savelyev. Remember that thy father has appointed him to 
 avenge his death. 
 
 Then came some lines written in a light, nervous 
 chirography : 
 
 My son, if ever these lines should fall into thy hands, think 
 that the dead do not need to be avenged. They are now angels 
 of God, and surround the throne of the AUhighest; He is 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 117 
 
 their protector and their avenger. What am I saying — aven- 
 ger ? Our Creator is a God of love and forgiveness ; that 
 means that we also must forgive our fellows. Within a few 
 minutes I shall myself stand before the face of the Almighty, 
 and I have just learned that thou art alive. I could give thee 
 a brilliant position, as people regard it, but to what purpose? 
 Better remain simply Ivan Savelyev, an unknown orphan. 
 The career which I could create for thee is dangerous; 
 thou wouldst be envied and hated. Perhaps it might bring 
 thee death, and I do not wish that thou, my son, born in tears, 
 shouldst perish. I wish that thou mayst live long. Thou wilt be 
 happier as Ivan Savelyev than as an illegitimate son of the Tsar. 
 Good-by, dear son; I bless thee and bequeath thee love and 
 forgiveness, but not vengeance. 
 
 The soldier read and re-read these lines. Is it 
 possible that he had found his mother ? There could 
 be no doubt of it. Those lines could only have been 
 written by her. But who was she ? The letter was 
 signed "Marya Assenkova" ; but he could not recall 
 having heard that name before, which is not sur- 
 prising, since the fame of actresses is not perpetual ; 
 scarcely does the curtain fall on their lives when 
 their existence is forgotten. 
 
 But nevertheless there is a charm in the word 
 "mother" even to one who never experienced 
 motherly caresses. The thought that he was the 
 illegitimate son of the Emperor did not disturb him. 
 He only thought of his mother. Judging by her 
 letter, she had been unfortunate, and this thought 
 brought tears to his eyes. He took her letter and 
 put it away next to his heart. He then closed the 
 box and hid it. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 COUNT NESSELRODE AND THE TSAR 
 
 A thick layer of snow covered the gardens of the 
 Gatchina Palace, whose windows sparkled with light. 
 From the rigging of a frigate which was anchored in 
 the lake had been suspended vari-colored lanterns in 
 the vain endeavor to lend a holiday air to the place. 
 In the palace, as throughout the Empire, there was 
 a great fete — the anniversary of the namesake of the 
 Emperor. Nicholas preferred to celebrate the occa- 
 sion not in the noisy capital, as in former times, but 
 in the quiet Gatchina. Saint Nikoldy Tchudotvoretz 
 (miracle worker), his patron, and the protector of 
 all the Empire, seemed to have turned away his face 
 from orthodox Russia. Formerly the representa- 
 tives of foreign countries hurried to greet the mighty 
 colossus on that day; but now their number has 
 dwindled. There were only Keneritz of Saxony, 
 Werter of Prussia, and lastly Count Walenstein- 
 Esterh'azy of Austria, who, in pursuance of his 
 Emperor's order, added to the customary greeting, 
 in his gingerly voice, that if peace was not concluded 
 by the month of March, Austria would be compelled 
 to take a part against Russia. 
 
 The Emperor attended the palace church in the 
 morning, but he as well as the profopope (afch- 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 119 
 
 priest) were "absent-minded." The latter almost 
 dropped the cup out of his hand when he looked into 
 the agitated face of the Emperor — Nicholas had 
 confessed to him the evening before. Evidently the 
 confession was of great importance, since the dark 
 clouds had not since then left the face of the priest. 
 After liturgy the Emperor devoted several hours to 
 work. He dispatched an order to Finland replacing 
 Rakosovsky by Den. Then he read a report from 
 Menchikov, from the Crimea. After reading it 
 through he said : 
 
 "They are hurling stones at Menchikov now, but 
 the coming generations will erect a splendid monu- 
 ment to his memory out of those very stones." 
 
 His sons, whom he was accustomed to see around 
 him on this solemn occasion, were far away. The 
 two youngest, Nikolay and Mikhail, were in the 
 Crimea, endeavoring to earn for themselves the 
 Georgiev crosses; Alexander, the heir to the 
 throne, was in Poland in readiness to strike out 
 against Austria. Constantine was occupied with 
 strengthening Kronstadt as a protection against an 
 attack on St. Petersburg by the allied fleets, and 
 could only come for a minute to greet and kiss the 
 hand of his father. The Empress Aleksandra 
 Fedorovna was again too ill to leave her apartments. 
 The occurrences of the 14th of December, 1825, had 
 badly shaken her nervous system, and she had not 
 rallied; and the misfortunes of the last war had 
 weakened her already poor health. 
 
 The Emperor sat before his -writrng table, sup- 
 porting his head on his hands and mechanically 
 
120 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 glancing over Menchikov's report. Opposite him 
 was seated General Sukhozanet, who looked at the 
 Tsar as if he wished to ask something. 
 
 "My brave soldiers are fighting heroically at 
 Sebastopol," Nicholas said thoughtfully. "Their 
 resistance is unheard of in military history. And 
 my youngest sons are celebrating their father's 
 patron-saint day on battlefields dyed with the blood 
 of my troops. General, one month's service at 
 Sebastopol is to be credited as a year to every soldier 
 there." 
 
 "Your Majesty, think — " interrupted the minister 
 of war. 
 
 "What! Am I to consider that this allowance 
 is an extraordinary one? So is the heroism of my 
 soldiers extraordinary — ^without a parallel in the 
 history of war." 
 
 "Your Majesty, think of the envy this will call 
 forth among the rest of the army, who are no less 
 willing to sacrifice their lives for Your Majesty. 
 They can not all be at Sebastopol." 
 
 "This is my wish," replied the Emperor in a voice 
 which permitted no reply. The minister silently 
 bowed low. 
 
 "Dannenberg must not remain at Sebastopol. His 
 delay was the only cause of our defeat at the Black 
 River." 
 
 "Sire!" Sukhozanet made bold to remark, "con- 
 sider the unfavorable season, the fogs, the mud — " 
 
 "A general ought to know how to overcome 
 obstacles. Dannenberg shall be renroved." 
 
 Sukhozihet Remained silent. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 121 
 
 "Whom shall we send in his place?" asked the 
 Tsar ; but without waiting for a reply from the min- 
 ister, he said reflectingly : "Osten-Sacken." 
 
 "Sire," said the minister, "again a German name; 
 a German family." 
 
 The Tsar raised his head. "Ah," he said, "dost 
 thou also belong to the so-called 'Russian Party?' 
 By thy advice I sent Muraviev to the Caucasus, and 
 what has he accomplished there? He permitted 
 himself to be beaten by Williams and Lek, two 
 Englishmen. And now thou wouldst likely advise 
 me to appoint Ermolov commander-in-chief." 
 
 "Sire, there is much in a name. In 181 2 what 
 Barclay de Toly could not do, Kutiisov, an 80-year- 
 old man, with one foot in the grave, accomplished 
 because the will of the people — " 
 
 "The will of the people?" the Emperor broke in 
 angrily. "What is that thing, the will of the people ? 
 Do the men who surround my throne perhaps share 
 the views of the French Revolution ?" 
 
 "Sire," Sukhozanet answered in a low but firm 
 voice, "you know my feelings; you know that I 
 would consider that minute as a fortunate one when 
 the opportunity should present itself to sacrifice my 
 life for Your Imperial Highness. But permit me, 
 as a faithful servant, to tell you the truth. What is 
 needed now is a man whose name alone will awaken 
 the spirit of the troops. Forty years ago the nobjlity 
 and the substantial men of Moscow unanimously 
 chose Kutiisov as commander for this reason; 
 Yerm61ov— " 
 
122 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Again that hated name ! And it is thou, Sukho- 
 zanet, who pronouncest it ! Have I not made severe 
 remarks to the nobility of Moscow for selecting 
 Yermolov as commander of the militia? Have I 
 not stated plainly that while I live Yermolov shall 
 receive no appointment?" 
 
 "Your Majesty's deceased brother said the same 
 thing when the name of Kutusov was proposed to 
 him again. The will of the people — " 
 
 "Insubordination!" interrupted the Emperor. 
 "Thou hast spoken of names. Since when has the 
 name of Nicholas lost its terror ? Since when have 
 the people, as thou wordest it, become bold enough 
 to demand another? While I live, I shall lead the 
 Russian army to victory. Enough words ! Osten- 
 Sacken is to take the place of Dannenberg in the 
 Caucasus." 
 
 The minister of war bowed in silence. 
 
 "How is the Yegersky Regiment getting on?" 
 
 "Sire, Count Perovsky — " 
 
 "Adjutant-General Perovsky," corrected the 
 Emperor. 
 
 Sukhozanet looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 "As far as I know. Count Lev Perovsky has 
 never been a soldier." 
 
 "Here is his appointment as adjutant-general, 
 which thou wilt immediately hand to him," curtly 
 retorted the Emperor. 
 
 Sukhozanet bowed again in silence. The min- 
 isters of Nicholas' cabinet were not his counselors, 
 but the blind tools of his caprices and his obstinate 
 will. The minister of war, who had participated 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 123 
 
 in many a battle, who fought at Borodino and at 
 Fer-Champengas, heartily despised the bureaucrats, 
 who earned the thick epaulets and titles of adjutant- 
 general while sitting in their office, pen in hand. 
 
 "Where is Den?" asked the Tsar. 
 
 "Adjutant-General Den, Your Majesty, is inspect- 
 ing the fortifications near the Baltic." 
 
 "What regiments will pass through St. Petersburg 
 to-day and to-morrow ?" 
 
 "None to-day; to-morrow the Third Astrakan 
 Regiment of Cossacks and theFifth Bashkir Militia." 
 
 "Where are they going?" 
 
 "The Cossacks to the Narva and the Bashkirs to 
 Abo." 
 
 "Very well; I shall go to St. Petersburg to- 
 morrow to meet my brave soldiers. Thou mayest 
 go now." 
 
 The minister of war bowed and went to the door. 
 
 The Emperor called him back. 
 
 "I have appointed Arbusov, now colonel of the 
 Preobrazhensky Regiment, commander of the 
 archers of the royal family. The commission must 
 appear in the bulletin to-morrow." 
 
 Sukhozanet bowed again, but the Emperor stopped 
 him once more. 
 
 "I have been informed that there is being practiced 
 all conceivable abuses and irregularities at the clinics 
 and hospitals. In Riga dead soldiers have been 
 carried on the lists as alive, while at Sebastopol the 
 army remained without meat for two days. Institute 
 a strict investigation, for which I shall hold thee 
 
124 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 responsible. Let the Ryasansk, Tambovsk, and 
 Kursk Militia move to the seat of war." 
 
 Nicholas' passion was to meddle in the minutest 
 details of governmental affairs and military activity. 
 He wanted to arrange everything personally, which' 
 course caused many misfortunes. Not a regiment 
 could move without his knowledge; not a state 
 building could be erected without first having the 
 plan submitted to him for approval. 
 
 At length Sukhozanet left the Emperor's presence, 
 and his place was taken by the old chancellor, Count 
 Nesselrode, who administered the foreign affairs of 
 Russia for fifty years. He was tall and slender, 
 with a striking resemblance to Prince Metternich. 
 His features were thin and regular. The sparse, 
 snow-white hair protruded from his high forehead. 
 His gray-green eyes were keenly penetrating. In 
 his manners as well as in dress he endeavored to 
 imitate the famous Metternich, priding himself with 
 having been his pupil. Like Metternich, he owed 
 his position to his great wealth, which he handled 
 like a genuine Sybarite. He walked in with a light 
 step, which would have done credit to a dancer. 
 
 "What news?" asked the Emperor. 
 
 "Prince Gortchakov reports that at the last con- 
 ference, which took place at Count Westmoreland's 
 house on account of the latter's illness — " 
 
 "Westmoreland ill? Nonsense! He planned to 
 have this conference at his house; that's all. He 
 wanted the others to come to him instead of his 
 going to them. And they were so foolish — " 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 125 
 
 "Sire," interrupted the statesman, "Mahomet, who 
 was distinguished for his caution, said, 'If the moun- 
 tain does not wish to come to me, I shall go to it.' 
 That is the reason why the members of the confer- 
 ence went to Westmoreland." 
 
 "Shame upon shame!" sighed the Emperor; and 
 added aloud, "And how stand matters ?" 
 
 "Our affairs. Your Majesty, are progressing 
 excellently," said the diplomat, rubbing his hands. 
 
 "Excellently?" the Emperor asked in surprise. 
 
 "Indeed, Your Majesty. The members of the 
 conference, and especially Austria, hold fast to the 
 four points* of the protective treaty." 
 
 "And thou seest, therefore, that affairs are in 
 excellent condition? At this rate peace will never 
 be restored." 
 
 "Certainly not. Does Your Majesty wish for 
 peace?" asked Nesselrode, naively assuming an air 
 of surprise. 
 
 The Tsar stared at him. 
 
 "While Sebastopol remains in a state of siege?" 
 
 The Tsar was silent. 
 
 "In that case I shall take the liberty to propose 
 that Your Majesty empower me to accept the four 
 points of the treaty." 
 
 "While I live, never! As long as we shall not 
 have attained a brilliant victory, we cannot hope that 
 
 *The four points here alluded to were: The fate of the 
 Danube principalities, the free navigation of the Danube, the 
 limitation of Russian supremacy in the Black Sea, and the pre- 
 servation of the Ottoman Empire. The attempt to limit Rus- 
 sian supremacy in the Black Sea was the chief point upon 
 which the Powers disagreed. 
 
26 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 he allies will renounce the four points, particularly 
 \ustria. Ignoble Austria; it was I who saved her 
 Tom destruction in 1849. What is the use of a 
 :onference now ?" 
 
 "I have already made bold to remark, Your 
 Vlajesty, that not one of the warring powers wishes 
 )eace, Austria the least of all, although she has not 
 IS yet taken an active part in the war. Your 
 Vlajesty well knows Metternich's motto, 'Wait and 
 :atch fish in disturbed waters.' But the people must 
 )e brought to believe that all efforts were made by 
 he allies to obtain peace, but — " 
 
 "But what?" interrupted the Tsar impatiently. 
 
 "But that all their efforts failed before the deter- 
 nined will of Your Majesty." 
 
 "Well, what is to be done now?" 
 
 "Sire, I would make bold to suggest to Your 
 Vlajesty to turn to the people, in order — " 
 
 "Again that despicable word." 
 
 "It cannot be helped," observed the statesman, 
 ibrugging his shoulders. "It is necessary to follow 
 he example of our neighbors. The allies turn to 
 he people through the newspapers." 
 
 "And I am to do likewise ? Am I to follow their 
 ixample ?" 
 
 "No, Your Majesty; our people are too ignorant 
 o read newspapers. But a manifesto, read in the 
 :hurches from the altar steps, showing the impossi- 
 )ility of concluding peace, would arouse the patriot- 
 sm— " 
 
 "The idea is a good one. We shall issue such a 
 nanifesto, say, on New Year's Day." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 127 
 
 "Sire, that time is too far off. Many occurrences 
 may defeat our plans. We have now an excellent 
 occasion — the 14th of December, the day of your 
 accession — " 
 
 "The day I subdued the insurgents ; unfortunately 
 they were my own soldiers. Well, the day is well 
 chosen. Arrange the declaration, in which state 
 that—" 
 
 "That the four points of the treaty are prejudicial 
 to the honor of the empire; that to accept them 
 would mean to allow the allies to humiliate Russia." 
 
 "Yes," the Emperor interrupted his statesman, 
 "thou understandest what I wish to be said. Let 
 the declaration be proclaimed on the 14th of 
 December." 
 
 The diplomat bowed low. By his natural sagacity 
 he knew how to suggest to the Emperor his own 
 thoughts. Nicholas caught them and appropriated 
 them. 
 
 "And so I shall write to Prince Gorchakov at 
 Vienna that Your Majesty positively decided to con- 
 tinue — " 
 
 "The war, as long as there remains one man whom 
 I can send to the battlefield ; as long as I feel myself 
 strong enough to fight and die." 
 
 The diplomat bowed and continued : 
 
 "I shall write to Prince Gorchakov that it is Your 
 Majesty's fixed purpose to continue the war as long 
 as a brilliant victory shall not have given the initia- 
 tive to peace ; but that he shall nevertheless proceed 
 with the negotiations, so that the conference may not 
 be terminated by us, but by our enemies." 
 
128 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "These are diplomatic intrigues," murmured the 
 proud monarch. 
 
 "It cannot be helped, Your Majesty. The game 
 is not a pleasant one, but like a game of chess, it 
 requires skill, self-composure, and patience to watch 
 the opportunity to cleverly deceive one's opponent." 
 
 The statesman, making a deep bow, was about to 
 retire, but the Emperor, feeling that this time the 
 victory remained with his minister, wished to 
 humiliate him. Nicholas liked to meddle even in 
 the most intimate affairs of his subordinates. 
 
 "Wait; I wish to talk to thee about some other 
 matters," called the Tsar. 
 
 Count Nesselrode again approached the Emperor. 
 
 "Thou hast proposed peace to thy monarch; it 
 appears to me that thou shouldst first of all establish 
 peace in thine own household." 
 
 The diplomat looked inquiringly at the Tsar, for 
 he did not understand what he was hinting at. 
 Nesselrode had a daughter and a son. The daughter 
 was married to a retired rotmister (captain) of the 
 Horseguard Regiment, Baron Zebakh, with whom 
 she was happy. The old diplomat soon discovered 
 in his son-in-law extraordinary talents in diplomacy. 
 The son, who married the daughter of the famous 
 governor-general of Moscow, Count Zakrevsky, did 
 not find happiness with his wife, but they were both 
 to blame for it. 
 
 The statesman reflected how to ward off the blow 
 directed at him. 
 
 "Yes," said the Emperor, "I have cause to be 
 dissatisfied with thy family." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 129 
 
 The statesman, collecting- his wits, replied : 
 
 "I am astonished. Your Majesty. It has not been 
 an hour since I received a letter from the Baroness 
 Zebakh, my daughter, from Paris — " 
 
 "The selection of this honest German as a husband 
 for thy daughter was the only wise step thou hast 
 taken in thy family affairs. What does she write?" 
 
 "Sire, my son-in-law could be useful — " 
 
 "We will talk of this another time ; we often found 
 in him a careful and faithful servant. But thy 
 son—" 
 
 "Sire, how could my son have displeased Your 
 Imperial Highness? He is modest and obedient." 
 
 "Better confess that he is a fool, else how could 
 he endure his wife's conduct ? It is simply intoler- 
 able. Such a scandal at Chevalier's.* The gov- 
 ernor-general himself had to be called to restore 
 order and to put an end to the shameful scenes. He 
 imagined that he had to deal with women of light 
 virtue who were having sport witb some young 
 bloods. But whom did he find ? His own daughter, 
 the wife of the son of my chancellor." 
 
 As soon as the chancellor saw whence the blow 
 was coming, he immediately found a means of 
 defense. 
 
 "Sire," he said, "my hair has become gray, not 
 so much on account of age as from worry. My only 
 consolation is my daughter, the Baroness Zebakh. 
 My son Dimitry is also a good and excellent man, 
 but unfortunately he is not endowed with great 
 talents. I am not blessed like Your Majesty with 
 
 *A noted restaurant in Moscow at the time. 
 
130 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 four sons and numerous grandchildren. I have only 
 one son, without the hope of ever having a grand- 
 child, since the Countess Zakrevskaya,* whom he 
 was compelled to marry — " 
 
 "Compelled?" asked the Emperor, knitting his 
 brow. 
 
 "Was it not the wish of Your Majesty?" asked 
 the diplomat in naive surprise. "It was only because 
 of this consideration that I gave my consent. Had 
 it not been for that, the daughter of Count 
 Zakrevsky would not have been my daughter-in- 
 law." 
 
 ♦Young Countess Zakrevskaya, the only daughter of the 
 governor-general of Moscow, was very eccentric, and did not 
 hesitate to declare to everybody that she was not marrying 
 Count Nesselrode for love. When asked why she was marrying 
 at all, then, she made the characteristic reply : "Because he is so 
 ungainly." The questioner naturally expressed astonishment. 
 The Countess noticing his surprise, hastened to explain the 
 meaning of her answer : "Owing to his ungainliness he is the 
 only man in our circle whom my mother would not take as a 
 lover." The old Countess Zakrevskaya was also noted for her 
 dissoluteness. There remains a good story among the old in- 
 habitants of Moscow on this score. It runs as follows : 
 
 At the time Count Zakrevsky was governor-general of Mos- 
 cow there lived a certain Countess Rostopchina, the daughter 
 of the governor-general of Moscow in 1812. This woman was 
 also noted for her loose morals. Once, after having caused 
 a great scandal, Count Zakrevsky sent for her, severely re- 
 proached her for her conduct, and threatened to send her out of 
 the city by administrative order. The Countess listened quietly 
 to his moral instructions, and replied : "This is a marvelous 
 coincidence. Just twenty years ago my father sent for your wife 
 to come to this very room, and said to her word for word what 
 you have just said to me. Your wife has not changed ; so you 
 had better leave me in peace." 
 
 Countess Nesselrode, nee Zakrevskaya, is living now. She 
 obtained a divorce fJWgJ Nesselnrfde ana matrfeJd her former 
 Ibv'er, Pr'iilce Dr^tzky-ZakoKnSky. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 131 
 
 "I knew that thou and Count Zakrevsky were 
 enemies, and had hoped to put an end to this feud 
 by the alliance. But this is not to the point. There 
 must be an end to the scandalous conduct of thy 
 daughter-in-law. Thy son must return to her." 
 
 "Your Majesty, there are instances when parental 
 influence is powerless," answered the chancellor with 
 a deep bow. "Besides, the Countess Nesselrode is 
 living at her father's house, and it strikes me that 
 the governor-general — " 
 
 "Very well, very well. Thou must write to him. 
 It is my wish that there be no scandals among per- 
 sons who stand near my throne. Such is my will ; 
 dost thou hear me? Now, go and reflect over the 
 manifesto which is to be proclaimed on the 14th of 
 December." 
 
 Count Nesselrode bowed and left the presence of 
 the monarch. 
 
 Left alone, the Emperor again sank into reveries. 
 "No, peace must not be established yet. Shall the 
 history of a glorious reign end with an ignominious 
 peace ? Never ! I shall leave it as a heritage to my 
 son. Although the beginning of his reign will be 
 darkened by clouds, he will succeed in scattering 
 them, and the sun will again illuminate Russia. 
 
 "Yes, my son Alexander, my successor. He 
 always talks of progress ; of liberal beginnings. His 
 favorite thought is the freeing of the serfs, which 
 would just now undoubtedly surprise and astonish 
 the West, but it is impossible. All governors of 
 provinces replied to the secret circular on this sub- 
 ject, saying there would be great obstacles put in 
 the w'ay of such a measure by the nobility, which 
 
132 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 would result in a general uprising. Let this also 
 be left for Alexander to settle. I bequeath to him 
 the doubtful gratitude of the serfs and the sure 
 hatred of the nobility. Wilt thou understand, 
 Alexander, how to hold the reins of government 
 with a firm hand, which I, thy father, the northern 
 colossus, often found it difficult to do ? 
 
 "Why should Alexander be the oldest, and not 
 Constantine ? The latter has my firm will, while the 
 former listens to the counsels of others, and often 
 permits himself even to be led. A Tsar must think 
 and act independently. He needs no counselors, but 
 servants only." 
 
 The Tsar became thoughtful again, and his fore- 
 head grew darker and darker. He thought of Con- 
 stantine's opposition. He well knew his proud 
 character, and that he looked with longing eyes on 
 the crown which was the inheritance of his older 
 brother. He knew that Constantine had attached 
 to himself a large faction among the people and in 
 the army. Many had even insisted that he, and not 
 Alexander, was the rightful successor to the throne, 
 since the latter was born when Nicholas was not even 
 heir apparent, while the former was born when the 
 brow of Nicholas wore the imperial crown. He 
 knew all this, and he feared that the brothers would 
 contest their claims in a bloody war. He knew the 
 yielding disposition of his older son, ready for all 
 sacrifices, and he was afraid. 
 
 Nicholas began the Eastern war in the hope to 
 give the crown of Constantinople to his second son, 
 and thus satisfy his ambition. But the allied powers 
 prossed his plans and destroyed them, and the pride 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 133 
 
 and vanity of his second son again threatened the 
 fate of the first. The Emperor was so occupied with 
 his thoughts that he did not observe a young woman 
 enter the room, who approached him Hghtly and 
 affectionately kissed his hand. Nicholas, so unex- 
 pectedly aroused, started, but recognizing the new 
 arrival, his brow lighted up, and he asked her 
 caressingly : 
 
 "Is that thou, Masha ? Thou art late to-day." 
 
 "Papa, I was writing a letter to my husband. He 
 will sincerely regret being obliged to be absent from 
 his father on this day." 
 
 This young woman was the wife of the Tsarevich, 
 and the favorite of Nicholas. The Tsar was at first 
 opposed to the alliance with the Princess of Darm- 
 stadt, but despite her youth, she soon knew how to 
 establish for herself a firm position in the Russian 
 court. The Emperor soon learned to appreciate her 
 rare mental qualities and the goodness of her heart, 
 which was an inexhaustible source of love and self- 
 sacrifice. In spite of the intrigues of the courtiers, 
 who sowed discontent between the Emperor and his 
 oldest son, almost completely separating the latter 
 from the affairs of State, Nicholas felt an irresistible 
 attraction to his daughter-in-law, and often coun- 
 seled with her. Imperceptibly she succeeded in 
 overcoming the influence of the proud and vain 
 Duchess Elena Petrovna. 
 
 "Papa," said the Tsarevna in an insinuating voice, 
 "why have you such a sombre look ; why such dark 
 thoughts? Be happy. Is not this a day set apart 
 for the merriment of all ?" 
 
134 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Masha, there are moments when sad thoughts 
 will steal into one's mind involuntarily. At times I 
 think that I am celebrating my name's day together 
 with you for the last time. Thy mother — " 
 
 "I have just left the Empress. She is feeling 
 much better, and would like to see you." 
 
 "Thou hast been to see the Empress? Has it 
 occurred to thee that perhaps before a year's time 
 thou wilt be the real Empress, and that the present 
 Empress will only retain an empty title ?" 
 
 "Papa, you frighten me; do not speak so!" 
 exclaimed the Tsarevna, throwing herself upon the 
 Emperor's breast and endeavoring to hide her tears. 
 "Papa, dear papa, for the love of God, do not say 
 such things." 
 
 "Why, Masha, dost thou not wish to become 
 Empress ? Is it disagreeable to thee to be first and 
 above all ?" 
 
 "No, papa, no ! I wish to be your daughter and 
 nothing more." 
 
 The Tsar pressed her to his heart. 
 
 "Well, perhaps thou art not ambitious, but thy 
 husband is of a different disposition. He finds that 
 his father has been living far too long, and that it 
 is time that he ascend the throne. Is he not already 
 thirty-seven years old? I well know that one who 
 has the prospect of a brilliant inheritance, especially 
 if it happens to be the crown of a Tsar, becomes 
 impatient." 
 
 "Papa, bad papa," replied the Tsarevna, in tears. 
 "Are you not ashamed to talk that way, especially 
 to-day, the day of your patron saint? You well 
 know that Alexander is the best and noblest of men, 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 135 
 
 both as a husband and as a son. He is ever ready 
 to lay down his hfe for you. You know that he 
 loves you better than myself or his children, and can 
 you think that he wishes your death ?" 
 
 "But even if I do not die, thou knowest that 
 England's purpose is to compel me to abdicate, 
 when — " 
 
 "Then Alexander would not accept it. A son 
 accepts only what his father gives him of his own 
 free will, and never would accept the crown from 
 your enemies." 
 
 "If Alexander should refuse, then Constantine 
 would not hesitate to accept," said Nicholas, direct- 
 ing a searching glance upon his daughter-in-law. 
 
 "The Grand Duke Constantine is also your son, 
 and will act as Alexander would act," replied the 
 Tsarevna in a firm and positive tone. 
 
 "Masha, thou art an excellent woman and a good 
 daughter," said Nicholas, kissing her on the fore- 
 head. 
 
 "Let us go to the Empress." He then added in a 
 whisper, "My poor Alexandra is yet Empress !" 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 SAVELYEV CALLS ON DOSTOYEVSKY* 
 
 Savelyev left the room, passed through the street, 
 which was illuminated with lanterns in honor of the 
 day, and went in the direction of Sergievsky street. 
 There he stopped before a two-story frame house, 
 the shutters of which were all closed, not permitting 
 the smallest ray of light to penetrate. In the house 
 reigned a deep silence. 
 
 "Is it possible that they are already asleep?" he 
 thought, and knocked on the gate, first softly, and 
 then louder and louder. 
 
 At last heavy steps were heard and a thick voice 
 asked : 
 
 "Who knocks there at this time of night ?" 
 
 "Is Gospodin Dostoyevsky at home?" asked 
 Savelyev. 
 
 "We do not know any Dostoyevsky," came in the 
 same thick voice. "Go on." 
 
 "I tell you that Dostoyevsky does live here. Only 
 last week I called on him here ; I must see him — " 
 
 "Thou, friend, must be drunk. Go along and look 
 for thy Dostoyevsky wherever it please thee, but let 
 me go to sleep." 
 
 *A noted Russian fiction writer. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 137 
 
 Just then Savelyev observed that one of the shut- 
 ters was being partly opened, and it even appeared 
 to him that he could see an eye looking at him 
 searchingly. 
 
 The voice which had just been heard by Savelyev 
 hoarsely drawled out a song in which the words "the 
 slave is alert" were distinctly heard. 
 
 "By day and by night," quietly responded 
 Savelyev. 
 
 Scarcely had he pronounced these words when the 
 gate squeaked on its hinges, and a strong arm pulled 
 him into the yard. A voice whispered : "Walk in, 
 quick !" and the postern was immediately shut after 
 him. 
 
 "Who is that?" he was asked in a whisper. 
 
 "Savelyev," replied the newly arrived. 
 
 "Come in, brother. I did not recognize thee. 
 This is the eighth day since we met. I am obliged 
 to hide; they are looking for me. Enter, I have 
 much to tell thee, and thou hast very likely some- 
 thing of interest to tell me, else thou wouldst not 
 have come at so late an hour. Give me thy hand ; 
 I'll lead thee." 
 
 This was Dostoyevsky himself. He took the 
 soldier by the arm and led him up a dark stairway 
 into a small, lighted room without windows. At 
 the table sat a young woman before an open book, 
 which she was apparently reading. Savelyev shiv- 
 ered involuntarily at seeing her, and she turned pale 
 and threw at him an imploring glance. 
 
 This was the same woman whom he had met at 
 the fortune teller's. Dostoyevsky did not notice 
 
138 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 either the paleness of the young woman or the 
 excitement of Savelyev. 
 
 "Come, brother; here we can talk undisturbed. 
 My wife will prepare us some grog; it is cold out- 
 side, and my friend will not refuse a warm drink." 
 
 The young woman closed the book, got up, and 
 went out in silence. Savelyev followed her with his 
 eyes. 
 
 "Then this young woman is Dostoyevsky's wife," 
 he thought. "But why did she go to the fortune 
 teller ? Why did Marfusha give her the ring ?" 
 
 "I did not come to disturb thee for no purpose," 
 he said to Dostoyevsky. "Thou knowest that I care 
 not for grog; I came about an important affair." 
 
 "I well know that thou dost not drink, but I had 
 to send my wife away so that she would not hear 
 us talk about our affairs. It would be death to her 
 if she found out that I am implicated in matters 
 which are a menace to my freedom, and possibly to 
 my life. She knows nothing about our society, and 
 must not know anything. She is a weak woman; 
 her anxiety and love for me might lead to dangerous 
 results." 
 
 "But thou hast just told me that thou art in 
 hiding; that they are searching for thee," remarked 
 Savelyev. "Thy wife knows that ?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Dostoyevsky, "but she does not 
 know the real cause; she thinks it is on account of 
 my writings. We have been seen, brother ; or, rather, 
 I have been seen. That is why I have not attended 
 our meetings during the last eight days ; I observed 
 that I am being shadowed. Dark figures are watch- 
 ing my house from a distance, and I am being fol- 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 139 
 
 lowed. They will not leave me in peace until they 
 have discovered my companions. That is why I 
 keep at a distance from the brothers. Let them rack 
 me in Orlov's torture chamber ; let them tear me to 
 pieces, I shall not betray you ; they will learn nothing 
 through me. Transmit this to the brethren; let 
 them be careful, for if Orlov should scent our 
 undertaking he will find enough spies to unearth 
 everything. But hush ; my wife is coming. She is 
 an excellent and noble woman, but she loves me too 
 much," he added with a strange expression. 
 
 Savelyev looked at him questioningly, but said 
 nothing, for she entered with the grog. 
 
 They began to talk of other matters, but Savelyev 
 was on needles. He constantly turned around 
 nervously. He wanted to ask something, but could 
 not make up his mind. 
 
 Dostoyevsky at last noticed his excitement. He 
 drank his glass at once, and turning to his wife said : 
 "Dearest, prepare me another glassful; I piust go 
 out and would like to get warm before going in the 
 cold." 
 
 "How; dost thou still intend to go out? Why, 
 thou knowest — " 
 
 "Yes, dearest, I am going; it is imperative. But 
 don't worry. The night is so very dark that there 
 is absolutely no danger." 
 
 The young woman left the room leisurely. With 
 the instinct peculiar to women, she guessed that they 
 were hiding a secret from her, and that her husband 
 was resorting to subterfuge to cause her to leave the 
 room; she was also afraid that the soldier might 
 betray her secret visit to the fortune teller in her 
 
140 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 absence. As soon as she had gone out, Savelyev 
 asked : 
 
 "Where is Natasha?" 
 
 "It was because I knew that thou wished to learn 
 something about her that I made my wife leave the 
 room. Natasha has gone away." 
 
 "Gone!" repeated Savelyev, afifrighted. 
 
 "Yes," answered Dostoyevsky with a sigh. "I 
 could not keep and protect her here, as I promised 
 thee. If thou couldst only know how jealous my 
 wife is ! It was this jealousy that I hinted at when 
 I remarked that my wife loves me too much. But I 
 shall take thee to her ; she cried much about thee." 
 
 "How ; dost thou intend to go out ? Are they not 
 searching for thee ?" asked Savelyev. 
 
 "Yes, I am going to lead thee to her," replied 
 Dostoyevsky. "I do not think there is danger now ; 
 it is late, dark, and cold. There has been no light in 
 this house since three o'clock in the afternoon, and I 
 take it that the spying gentry will prefer to keep 
 warm in some saloon instead of watching for me in 
 vain. It is true, if they should have seen thee enter 
 here there would be danger. However, this danger 
 is unavoidable ; for if they saw thee enter they would 
 wait until thou hadst come out again. As regards 
 myself, I shall risk being arrested, for it must come 
 to that in the end, and what difference does it make' 
 whether it happens a day sooner or later?" 
 
 "Why dost thou not flee, if thou knowest that thou 
 art discovered?" 
 
 "Flee?" said Dostoyevsky, smiling sadly. "It is 
 easy to say it. But how can we leave? We are 
 destitute, with scarcely enough to buy our daily 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 141 
 
 bread, and to flee to another land one must have 
 money. Besides, it is a great distance to the frontier, 
 and there are more than one hundred thousand troops 
 stationed on the way. How are we, then, to reach 
 the frontier ? Why, we should be caug-ht ten times 
 over. There is only one way, and that is to reach the 
 enemy through Finland or go by boat over the Neva, 
 but that would be treason. No, no ! Hush, my wife 
 is coming." 
 
 Dostoyevsky endeavored to talk of other matters, 
 but the conversation dragged, and he felt that his 
 wife was watching him. He quickly drank the grog 
 and turned to Savelyev. 
 
 "It is time to go." 
 
 "Misha, dost thou, indeed, intend to go?" asked 
 his wife, emphasizing every word. 
 
 "Of course, dearest, I must." 
 
 "But—" she objected. 
 
 Dostoyevsky did not permit her to finish ; he kissed 
 her tenderly, and said : 
 
 "Good-by, dearest; I shall be back soon. Get 
 supper ready; I shall be hungry." 
 
 The wife made no reply. 
 
 The two men opened the door noiselessly and 
 walked into the street. Looking around on all sides, 
 they first went to the Tavrichesky Garden; then, 
 becoming satisfied that they were not followed, they 
 returned to Sergievsky street. Passing his own 
 house, he did not even glance at it for fear of being 
 observed. But had he looked he would have noticed 
 that the gate was not closed, and that a woman 
 quickly hid herself behind it on their approach. 
 They had not gone fifty feet from the house when a 
 
142 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 woman emerged from it, and followed them at some 
 distance, endeavoring to keep close to the houses so 
 as not to be observed. 
 
 They talked on their way, but so low that the 
 woman who followed could not make out what they 
 said. They avoided the large lighted streets, 
 choosing, wherever possible, narrow and dark alleys. 
 At last they stopped on the Obukhovsky Prospect 
 before a large house, which had the appearance of a 
 barracks. After some reflection, they entered it. 
 Wine and spirits were sold there, and consumed on 
 the premises. 
 
 The woman was puzzled to know what she should 
 do. To follow them into the saloon was not to be 
 thought of, and to remain on the street, lighted as it 
 was with lanterns and tallow-dips, was also impos- 
 sible, without running the risk of being recognized. 
 She crossed over to the other side of the street, and 
 paced up and down, without losing sight of the 
 entrance to the saloon. 
 
 We will leave the wife pacing the sidewalk, and 
 follow the two reformers. 
 
 They walked in without attracting the particular 
 attention of any one. 
 
 "We must buy a drink," said Dostoyevsky. 
 
 Savelyev shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "It is necessary for appearance sake, so that we 
 may leave by the back door." 
 
 "Very well," answered Savelyev impatiently, "but 
 let us make haste." 
 
 "Two glasses of ttmna," ordered Dostoyevsky, 
 throwing a grivenik (ten-kopek silver coin) on the 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 143 
 
 table. The waiter poured out two glasses. Empty- 
 ing their glasses, they went out through the back 
 door into the court. Dostoyevsky, who was ob- 
 viously quite familiar with the place, took Savelyev 
 by the arm and led him through the dark court and 
 up a dark stairway. A faint light was shimmering 
 through a small window on the third floor. 
 
 Dostoyevsky knocked lightly, upon which there 
 was heard immediately, "Who is there ?" 
 
 Savelyev shuddered and pressed Dostoyevsky's 
 hand — ^he recognized the voice of Natasha. 
 
 The door was opened and Natasha appeared before 
 them, but she did not recognize him in the darkness. 
 How she had changed in the last two weeks ! Her 
 round, full face had grown thin, and a sickly sallow- 
 ness had taken the place of the fresh red color. 
 Around her sky-blue eyes appeared bluish circles ; the 
 cheerful smile, which distinguished her even in 
 moments of trouble, was displaced by a sad and hope- 
 less expression. She stood before her friend like a 
 marble statue of despair. 
 
 "Who is there, Natasha?" came in a weak voice 
 from the adjoining room, which was followed by an 
 interminable cough, showing what efforts these few 
 words cost the speaker. 
 
 "It is I, Dostoyevsky, Prince." 
 
 "Ask him to come in," was heard in the same 
 voice, "I have been expecting him a long time." 
 
 Dostoyevsky drew his friend into the reception- 
 room. Just then Natasha raised her eyes, and a 
 deathly pallor covered her thin face. She recognized 
 DostOyeVsk/s companion. 
 
144 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Natasha," he said, taking her hand, "I brought 
 you a friend. Do you not recognize him ?" 
 
 Unable to restrain her emotion, Natasha threw 
 herself on Savelyev's neck and burst in a flood of 
 tears. 
 
 Without having spoken a word about love, they 
 had unconsciously realized that they loved one 
 another, and had concluded an eternal and inviolable 
 union. Loving hearts do not require words; they 
 understand each other. A dumb look to them is 
 often more eloquent than the strongest speech. 
 
 Dostoyevsky left them and entered the room 
 whence the coughing proceeded. 
 
 A man of advanced age lay on the bed. His 
 features, once handsome and still retaining the mark 
 of nobility, had grown sallow and transparent. The 
 eyes shone with a bright luster. The thin hands 
 impatiently tugged at the cover, now on one side, 
 then on the other. 
 
 Dostoyevsky looked at him and saw that death 
 had claimed him for its own. 
 
 The invalid made a superhuman effort to extend 
 his hand to his visitor. 
 
 "I thank you for coming," said the old man in a 
 faint voice. "I feared that I might not see you 
 again, and I must talk to you before I die." 
 
 "Prince, banish these dark thoughts. You will 
 get well, and God will permit you to live a long time 
 yet," Dostoyevsky said, fully realizing that he was 
 telling an untruth. 
 
 "No, I already feel the approach of death; it 
 awaits me impatiently," answered the invalid. "My 
 moments are counted. Yes ; I shall die soon. But 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimtiiy Dvoretz 145 
 
 where is Natasha? I do not see her. Natasha! 
 Natasha!" called the invalid in a scarcely audible 
 voice. 
 
 "Natasha, remain where you are," called Dosto- 
 yevsky through the door. "Let her be; I brought 
 her a friend about whom she cried and pined so 
 much," he continued, turning to the sick man. 
 
 The invalid was Prince Kurdyubekov. He was 
 a scion of one of the oldest and wealthiest families 
 of the Caucasus. Like his kinsmen, Chavzavadse, 
 Sharvashidze, and Bagration, he entered the army 
 service and became one of the most dashing officers 
 of the Guards. He was captivated by Makarov's 
 sister, whom he married. From the day of the 
 wedding his bright days disappeared. The worthy 
 sister of Makarov did not marry him for love, but 
 for his position, and particularly on account of his 
 great wealth. The Prince loved his spouse with all 
 the fire and jealousy of the Eastern people, but his 
 wife was far from reciprocating his feelings. Reck- 
 lessly she gave herself over to sensual pleasures, and 
 the whole town talked of her innumerable piquant 
 escapades. 
 
 The deceived husband once surprised her in the 
 embrace of one of her lovers, and struck at him with 
 his dagger. The guilty wife was not in the least 
 perturbed thereby; but, on the contrary, used the 
 incident very cleverly to her advantage. With the 
 aid of Count Panin, with whom she was on intimate 
 relations, she charged her husband with being insane 
 and had him placed in a home for the feeble-minded. 
 The Prince remained long years in this frightful 
 institution in the midst of insane people. 
 
146 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 In the meantime his wife was delivered of a son, 
 the offspring of one of her lovers, but recognized 
 by law as the son of the Prince. 
 
 Ten years since Dostoyevsky visited the insane 
 asylum in the capacity of an author, where he became 
 acquainted with the unfortunate Prince and learned 
 his sad story from his own lips. Dostoyevsky 
 worked untiringly until he succeeded in liberating 
 him, which was, after all, not so hard to accomplish, 
 since the Princess had in the meantime died, and 
 the son had been twice exiled to the Caucasus for 
 breaches of discipline. 
 
 The liberated Prince became once more master of 
 his estates, which were, however, badly crippled by 
 the profligacy of the deceased Princess and her son. 
 What little remained of his former wealth was for 
 the Prince an inexhaustible source for the perform- 
 ance of good deeds. His tastes and habits were 
 very modest. A residence of thirteen years in an 
 insane asylum had a sad influence upon him, leaving 
 him morose and soured. His face lighted up only 
 when he succeeded in accomplishing some charitable 
 or generous act. Most people thought him penur- 
 ious, because he was satisfied with the simplest fare, 
 wore old and threadbare clothes and patched shoes ; 
 but the poor and needy called him their protecting 
 angel — ^happiness and plenty returned to the homes 
 which the Prince visited. 
 
 Two weeks ago Dostoyevsky looked in at Kurd- 
 yubekov's house and found him in bed without any 
 one to see after him. He then brought Natasha 
 there, whom he could keep no longer at his own 
 house, thanks to his wife's jealousy. The Prince 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 147 
 
 liked Natasha from the first day. He asked the 
 poor girl minutely as to the cause of her tears, about 
 her past, who she was, and where she came from. 
 Learning that she was the cast-off daughter of 
 Makarov, his brother-in-law, he became more 
 attached to her. When she cried, he endeavored to 
 cheer her up, but in vain. She pined for Savelyev, 
 whom she loved secretly and feared that he did not 
 share her feelings. 
 
 "Natasha, why have our ^aths crossed?" said the 
 soldier. "I am not in a position to make thee happy." 
 
 "Thy presence alone makes me happy," replied 
 Natasha. 
 
 "Hast thou not heard what I am?" continued 
 Savelyev. 
 
 "What difference does it make what thou art? 
 I love thee," answered Natasha in the chaste inno- 
 cence of true love. 
 
 "Reflect; they may send me back to Siberia any 
 moment." 
 
 "Well, what if they do ? People live there as they 
 do here. I shall go with thee; I would be happy 
 anywhere with thee." 
 
 "Dearest Natasha, my dove," said Savelyev, and 
 kissed her on the forehead. 
 
 "Well, brother, it is time we were going," came 
 in the voice of Dostoyevsky from the adjoining 
 room. 
 
 "Already?" exclaimed the lovers. 
 
 "Yes," replied Dostoyevsky, putting away a paper 
 into his pocket. "We must stop at Odoyevsky's to 
 place the paper in his keeping, where it will be safe." 
 
 "Another minute," asked both lovers at once. 
 
148 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Dostoyevsky, moved, caught the hands of the 
 lovers, and pressed them firmly. 
 
 "Poor children, the meeting was a short one. I 
 regret to be obliged to separate you again. It would 
 indeed be well if Savelyev could remain with the old 
 man, for he has not long to live, but unfortunately 
 it is impossible. The paper which I have in my 
 pocket has just been handed to me by the Prince, 
 and I must place it in safe hands. The fate of many 
 poor and unfortunate ones depends on it. I cannot 
 go alone, for I may be arrested and then the papers 
 would be lost forever. Savelyev is in less danger 
 than I am, and I shall thus be able to give it to him 
 to hand to the Prince in case anything should happen 
 to me. My children, this parting is not for a long 
 time. To-morrow morning you will meet again." 
 
 "I will return in the morning, Natasha," said 
 Savelyev, pressing the girl to his heart. 
 
 "To-morrow morning," sighed Natasha hope- 
 fully. 
 
 "My friend, you will come in the morning, at any 
 rate," was heard in the faint voice of Kurdyubekov. 
 
 "Of course, God permitting, I shall come," 
 answered Dostoyevsky. 
 
 They descended the stairway, passed through the 
 court, and reached the street through the saloon. 
 
 The figure which followed them from Dostoyev- 
 sky's house was still standing on the sidewalk of the 
 opposite side of the Obukhovsky Prospect, intently 
 watching the door of the saloon. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE MURDER OF PRINCE KURDYUBEKOV 
 
 Natasha returned to the sick man, and bent over 
 his bed. The sad expression of her face had changed 
 to a happy smile. 
 
 "This is well, Natasha," said the Prince; "I am 
 glad to see thee happy and radiant before I die," and 
 he pressed her hand with his thin and bony fingers. 
 "I wish that the night would pass quickly," he 
 added. Natasha shared this wish completely. 
 
 "Thou seest, Natasha," he continued, "I feel death 
 hovering over i^e, and in a few more days I will be 
 caught in its bony hands — " 
 
 "Prince, do not speak so. You frighten me." 
 
 "Do not call me Prince, but call me uncle, for art 
 thou not a niece to my dead wife?" At the word 
 "wife" he was seized with a coughing spasm. Quiet- 
 ing down, he continued: "Yes, my wife's niece. 
 As hard as it is for me to utter that word, she was 
 nevertheless my wife before God and man. I for- 
 give her all the evil she brought me. She has al- 
 ready been judged by the Allhighest, before whom 
 I, also, shall soon stand. Call me uncle, then. It is 
 a comfort to have a relative at the side of one's 
 death-bed." 
 
 "Uncle, you will live; you will get well." 
 
150 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "No, Natasha, I shall die. I feel that I have 
 strength enough to battle with death for several 
 days, but I shall die before morning. An inexplica- 
 ble presentiment tells me that." 
 
 Natasha shuddered, bent over the bed, and tried 
 to cheer him. 
 
 "What is that? I hear footsteps," said the in- 
 valid, closing his eyes for a few moments. 
 
 Natasha raised her eyes and became paralyzed 
 with fear at the sight of three suspicious-looking 
 men who entered the room unobserved through the 
 door, which she had forgotten to close and bolt. 
 
 "Who is there?" asked the invalid. 
 
 "Dost thou not recognize me, bdtyushka (little 
 father) ," was heard in a thick and jeering voice. "I 
 trust that it is no breach for a son to visit his sick 
 father." 
 
 "My son? — I have no son," exclaimed the old 
 man, in a frightened voice. 
 
 "Indeed ? My dear father appears to be still out 
 of his mind, and yet he had plenty of time to be 
 cured. I always said that he was incurably crazy." 
 
 "We did not come here to talk, but to attend to 
 business," chimed in another voice. "Thou, my 
 dove, get out !" These words were directed to Na- 
 tasha, and a rough hand pulled her away from the 
 bed. 
 
 "I like to look in the face of those I talk to." This 
 voice belonged to Petrovich, with whom the reader 
 was made acquainted in the wine cellar. 
 
 "What do you want?" moaned the old man. 
 "Have you come to rob me?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz. 151 
 
 "What a fancy to use such expressions. It is quite 
 evident that thou hast not been out of the 'yellow 
 house' very long," said the old cutthroat. "We 
 have heard that thou art generous, and came in the 
 hope to profit thereby." 
 
 "Natasha, give these men all that I have here," 
 moaned the old man. "Open all the boxes; thou 
 hast the keys. Give them everything and let them 
 go." 
 
 Natasha did not respond ; she had lost conscious- 
 ness. 
 
 "We will find thy generous gifts ourselves; but 
 to our business." 
 
 "Yes; let us go at our business," repeated young 
 Kurdyubekov. "Thou hast likely thought of rob- 
 bing thy son of his inheritance. But thou wilt have 
 to think again." 
 
 "What more dost thou want, thou outcast ?" 
 
 "I want thy signature to this will, for which pur- 
 pose I have brought these two honorable witnesses." 
 
 "A will? For thy benefit?" exclaimed the old 
 Prince. 
 
 "And something also for my benefit," came in the 
 voice of one who had just arrived. "Some trifle 
 for thy dear nephew." 
 
 At the sound of this voice Natasha recovered from 
 her fainting spell and looked steadily and fearfully 
 at the speaker. 
 
 "Ah! My runaway bondswoman is also here," 
 exclaimed Makarov. With these words he dealt her 
 a blow that sent her to the floor with the blood 
 gushing out of her mouth and nose. 
 
152 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The first three villains, in the assurance that 
 Makarov was still under arrest, had framed the will 
 themselves, and had come to compel the old Prince 
 to sign it. The villains looked around in astonish- 
 ment. The old cutthroat Petrovich grabbed Maka- 
 rov's hand and pressed it with such force that the 
 blood spurted from the fingernails. 
 
 "So, thou hast come to spy on us. Very well ; I 
 advise thee, however, to leave this girl in peace. 
 Have I not told thee that she is to be mine." 
 
 "Have I not a right to my own bondswoman?" 
 
 "Thou knowest very well that thou hast no more 
 serfs. Thy estate has been confiscated and thyself 
 driven from thy former home. Hast thou forgotten 
 it, worthy companion ? But enough of this ; we have 
 business." 
 
 In the meantime young Kurdyubekov shoved a 
 pen into the old man's hand and ordered him to sign 
 the will. 
 
 "Never !" hissed the Prince, with the energy of a 
 dying man. 
 
 "We will see whether or not thou wilt sign," said 
 Sherwood, and struck him with his fist in the face. 
 
 "Have pity on the old man ! You can see that he 
 has only a few hours to live," begged Natasha, plac- 
 ing herself before the Prince. 
 
 "Silence, girl!" screamed young Kurdyubekov, 
 dragging her away by the hair. Then seizing the 
 dying man's hand in his own, he moved it against 
 the Prince's will over the paper, as teachers do with 
 children in teaching them to write. 
 
 "Ready!" he exclaimed triumphantly. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 153 
 
 "The old man will talk," remarked the careful 
 Sherwood. 
 
 "We will take care of that," said Petrovich, and 
 pulled out the pillow from under the old man's head 
 and put it on his face. 
 
 Natasha suddenly rose up, all covered with blood, 
 put her head out of the window, and screamed : 
 
 "PoHce! Murder! Robbers!" 
 
 She was immediately seized by her hair and jerked 
 away from the window so violently that she fell 
 again in a swoon. This was the work of Petrovich. 
 
 "We must stop the mouth of this accursed scream- 
 er," he said. 
 
 "Thou, Sherwood, press the pillow on the old 
 man's face, while we search the room. By that time 
 he will undoubtedly be dead." 
 
 "But — " observed Sherwood. 
 
 "What ? Do not fear that we may cheat thee of 
 thy part. Don't be uneasy; we are cutthroats and 
 not swindlers. That is why I do not trust that vil- 
 lain Kurdyubekov," he added. 
 
 Sherwood held the pillow firmly to the old man's 
 face and strangled him gradually. While he was 
 thus engaged, he carefully followed the actions of 
 his two accomplices, who were engaged in rummag- 
 ing the chests and drawers. 
 
 "Little or almost nothing," murmured Kurdyube- 
 kov, looking in vain for some valuable papers. 
 
 "The old wretch has fooled us," echoed Petro- 
 vich. 
 
 Makarov had stepped aside, without losing his 
 companions out of his sight. Improving a moment 
 when they were deep in their search, he threw the 
 
154 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 tmconscious form of Natasha on his back and dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 "Petrovich!" called Sherwood. 
 
 "What is the matter?" asked Petrovich. 
 
 "He has taken her and escaped !" answered Sher- 
 wood. 
 
 Petrovich turned around and saw that Makarov 
 and Natasha had disappeared. Like an infuriated 
 lion he rushed to the stairway and down to the street, 
 but in vain; Natasha and her captor were out of 
 sight. With his cat-like eyes he looked into every 
 nook of the court, listened to the slightest rustle — 
 there was not the least trace of them. "He must have 
 stopped somewhere on the stairway," reflected the 
 rogue, and taking off his boots he stealthily ascended 
 the steps. Reaching the landing of the third floor, 
 he stepped before the open door of Kurdyubekov's 
 room, where his companions were still busy — one 
 emptying boxes and the other holding the pillow 
 over the face of the dead Prince. He whistled 
 lightly, without leaving his post of observation. 
 
 Sherwood looked around when Petrovich mo- 
 tioned to him with his hand. Sherwood approached 
 him. 
 
 "He must be dead now. He must have the lives 
 of two cats if he has not expired by this time. Re- 
 main here, and do not let Makarov escape, while I 
 go up into the garret. He must have secreted him- 
 self there. Do not let the other one go, either; I 
 am afraid that he will rob us." 
 
 Sherwood watched the landing, and Petrovich 
 quietly crawled into the garret, but the closed door 
 barred his way ; he heard heavy breathing behind the 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 155 
 
 door. He put his hand in his pocket, took out a 
 skeleton key, with which he never parted, and opened 
 the door. 
 
 In the garret reigned deep darkness. Some one, 
 carrying what appeared to be a bag on his back, 
 glided by him. Petrovich grabbed him with his 
 powerful arm. 
 
 "Eh, eh! They do not dance that way in the 
 Ukrayna!" exclaimed the robber, and tore away 
 from Makarov's arms the senseless girl. 
 
 "Let her alone, Petrovich !" exclaimed Makarov, 
 grinding his teeth. 
 
 Petrovich pushed him away like a child. "I told 
 thee once that she belongs to me !" he screamed. 
 
 "And I tell thee that she belongs to me ; thou must 
 give her up!" 
 
 "Be careful 1" thundered Petrovich, again brush- 
 ing Makarov aside. 
 
 A knife glittered in the hand of the latter, and the 
 blow, although well aimed, shattered the knife on the 
 wide Circassian belt which Petrovich had on. 
 
 In place of an answer, the robber dealt Makarov 
 a blow with his fist, which made him spin like a top 
 down the stairway. 
 
 "That will do you !" hissed the robber, and went 
 to Sherwood. 
 
 "Are we through with our work here?" asked 
 Petrovich. 
 
 "All the boxes were emptied," replied Sherwood. 
 
 "Dearest Prince, let us now go to Trofimich's 
 place to settle up our accounts," said Petrovich. But 
 first of all, hand me the will and your pocketbook. 
 
156 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Among friends there ought to be mutual confidence, 
 you know." 
 
 "However — " began the Prince. 
 
 But the robber did not let him finish, and regard- 
 less of his burden, he put his hand into the Prince's 
 pocket and took from it the will and pocketbook. 
 The Prince dared not make any objections, as 
 Petrovich was feared as a man of unusual strength. 
 
 They went out, accompanied by Makarov, who 
 gritted his teeth and threatened with his fist behind 
 Petrovich's back, saying : 
 
 "Nevertheless, thou shalt not have her ; thou shalt 
 not keep her!" 
 
 The old robber overheard these threats, and he 
 turned to Sherwood and Kurdyubekov: "Take 
 Makarov with you to Trofimich's ; he is entitled to 
 a small share. I will soon be with you." 
 
 "And the will and pocketbook?" cried Kurdyu- 
 bekov. 
 
 "The will is absolutely useless to me, but I shall 
 keep it as a pledge. As to the pocketbook, I have 
 told you once before that I am a robber and not a 
 pickpocket. I shall first hide this little dove and 
 then I will come. 
 
 Petrovich hailed an isvoschik, and drove off. 
 
 Makarov would have followed him, but his com- 
 panions would not permit. 
 
 The trio went in the direction of the wine cellar 
 on the Syennaya Ploschad. 
 
 Suddenly, the woman who had waited on the side- 
 walk all this time, stepped up to them and, in a sup- 
 plicating voice, asked : 
 
 "For God's sake, tell me, is he still there?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 157 
 
 "Who?" Kurdyubekov asked impatiently. 
 
 "My husband. Have pity on a poor woman. Tell 
 me who the woman is with whom he keeps com- 
 pany. Probably the same one whom he once brought 
 to our house, saying that she was an unfortunate 
 creature whom he must protect. Unfortunate one! 
 It was his loved one," wailed the woman, bursting 
 in tears. 
 
 This was Dostoyevsky's wife. Tortured by jeal- 
 ousy, she had followed her husband and lost him. 
 
 "Dear woman, we do not follow the affaires 
 d' amour of thy husband; we have business of our 
 own," said Sherwood. 
 
 They disappeared in the wine cellar. 
 
PART SECOND 
 
PART SECOND 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE COUNTESS BOBRINSKY 
 
 "Your grace, His Majesty the Emperor," an- 
 nounced the footman. 
 
 The Countess Bobrinsky was reclining on a couch, 
 reading the last novel by Paul-de-Kock. She laid 
 down the book leisurely, raised herself, straightened 
 out the heavy folds in her gray-green dress, and 
 received the Emperor with a profound bow, remind- 
 ing one of the stately minuet of Louis XIV. Nich- 
 olas kissed her hand, scarcely touching it with his 
 lips, then offered her his arm and ceremoniously led 
 her to a seat. 
 
 At one time the Countess was very pretty. The 
 fame of her former beauty was not confined to St. 
 Petersburg — she had a European reputation. Her 
 youth had been a stormy one. Under the preceding 
 reign she rivaled the celebrated beauty Narishkina, 
 whose husband was appointed by Alexander I., in 
 a moment of beneficence, " oher-yegermeister." "I 
 gave him big horns that he may live on friendly 
 terms with the deer," the Emperor was said to have 
 remarked. 
 
162 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Alexander I. often had such fancies. Once,, for 
 example, he appointed Bakiinin commandant of the 
 court, remarking: "I wish to have strict economy 
 observed in my household ; I am being robbed here 
 exactly as if I were on the highway. Bakiinin is 
 the very man for the place. He is such a fool that 
 he does not know enough to steal, although it does 
 not require much sense to do it." 
 
 After innumerable more or less reckless love 
 affairs, the Countess turned her attention to piety 
 and beneficence. She strove to attain a position in 
 St. Petersburg similar to that occupied by Princess 
 Liven at Paris. But conditions are quite different 
 in the two capitals, and she was therefore obliged 
 to combine the r61e of a political intriguant with 
 that of a principal spy. The last r61e was in perfect 
 accord with her character, and she lent herself to it 
 con amore. 
 
 Her piety and beneficence were only the tools of 
 her trade. Her best friend and confidant was the 
 clever confessor of Nicholas, the protopresviter 
 (archpriest) Bazhanov. This orthodox churchman, 
 though he belonged to the party which constantly 
 aroused the Emperor against the Tsarevich! and 
 inspired distrust in him toward his son, knew how 
 to retain an influence over Alexander H. The 
 entire party was completely in the hjtnds of the 
 Countess. The Count himself, owing to many risky 
 speculations, was always in debt, and more than 
 once did he escape imprisonment only on account of 
 his exalted station. Constantly in need of material 
 assistance from the administration, he became a 
 
The Mysteries of the ZJmniy Dvoretz 163 
 
 blind slave of the powerful Tsar's favorite, Count 
 Kleinmichel. 
 
 "What is new?" asked the Emperor, after some 
 trivial conversation. 
 
 "Your Majesty," answered the Countess, pro- 
 ducing something out of her pocket, "here is a letter 
 from Lord Sydney Herbert." 
 
 The Emperor ran over the letter, written in 
 English, and frowned. 
 
 "Is that which Voronzov's nephew writes you 
 really true?" 
 
 "Your Majesty knows that his position became 
 unbearable, owing to his relationship, which, how- 
 ever, may become very useful to us. He is an 
 English minister and the nephew of a Russian field- 
 marshal." 
 
 "Yes, this kinship might indeed be useful to us 
 if the prince was not too old to undertake an active 
 part in politics. And. Aberdeen — will he h'ave to 
 leave?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, my friend the Princess Liven 
 writes me to this effect : In England the war party 
 is in the majority. Lord John Russell is in constant 
 communication with Herzen." 
 
 The Emperor's eyes sparkled with fire. "This 
 wretch Herzen dares to expand himself into an 
 important person ; he dares to banter me — " 
 
 "Golovin also went to England, and joined the 
 anti-Russian party." 
 
 The Emperor shrugged his shoulders disdain- 
 fully. "Golovin is a traitor from vanity, but 
 Herzen is a traitor by conviction." 
 
164 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "They say that His Highness, the heir appar- 
 ent — " the Countess hesitated, as if afraid to 
 proceed. 
 
 "Well, what is said about Alexander?" curtly 
 asked the Emperor. 
 
 "Your Majesty, it is said; I, I — " 
 
 "Speak, Countess, what is said of my son?" 
 
 "It is said that Herzen is in uninterrupted cor- 
 respondence with him." 
 
 "How; my son?" said the Emperor, looking at 
 the Countess threateningly. "It is not true. It is 
 impossible." 
 
 The intriguer endured his glance. 
 
 "I, myself. Your Majesty, would not believe it for 
 a long time. Unfortunately now — " She stopped 
 again. 
 
 "Proceed!" exclaimed the Tsar. 
 
 "Unfortunately I am convinced now." 
 
 "Impossible, I repeat, impossible! This is a 
 despicable calumny. Have a care, Countess! 
 Though your husband and myself have the same 
 grandmother,* it does not give you the right to 
 accuse my son of being in collusion with my 
 enemies." 
 
 "Your Majesty forgets that I did not say that 
 His Highness writes to Herzen, but that Herzen 
 writes to His Highness, and I repeat this statement." 
 
 She got up, opened a small desk, took from a 
 secret drawer a letter, and handed it to the Emperor. 
 
 "Your Majesty will please observe that the letter 
 is unsealed. Fortunately this letter was handed for 
 delivery to a person who is faithful to me, an;i thus 
 
 ♦Count Bobrinsky was the son of Catherine II. by Potemkin. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 165 
 
 fell into my hands. I was going to Your Majesty 
 with it, but Your Majesty has forestalled me in 
 coming." 
 
 The Emperor unfolded the letter feverishly, and 
 read its contents, raising his voice only in a few 
 places like the following : 
 
 "Your Highness, you are called to heal the 
 wounds inflicted by your father * * * Never 
 by servitude, but by freedom will Russia reach her 
 might and power * * * The war, which now 
 waters the Russian frontiers with blood, is a good 
 lesson, though paid for at a dear price. It shows 
 how weak a nation is to whom freedom is unknown. 
 * * * The power of a Tsar does not consist in 
 fear, but in love. * * * When Your Highness 
 ascends the throne of all the Russias * * * " 
 
 The Emperor read no more. He tore the letter 
 into pieces and hurled them into the blazing open 
 fire. 
 
 "No, Alexander, thou art not yet Emperor! I 
 am still ruler. Herzen writes thee as if thou wert 
 already on the steps of the throne. He forgets that 
 I can strangle thee with my foot; can order thee 
 shot from the fortress rampart. And yet Alexander 
 is my son," the Emperor said after some reflection. 
 "He is my son. But was not Alexis the son of 
 Peter; still he crushed him like a reptile w'hen he 
 dared to rebel against him."* 
 
 ♦Alexis, the son of Peter the Great by his divorced wife, 
 Eudoxia Lapoukhine, was a center of the conspiracy against 
 his father's reforms. In the year 1718 a tribunal, composed of 
 the highest officials of the State, condemned him to death, after 
 he had twice suffered the knout. Divers traditions exist as to 
 the manner of his death, but all that is certain is that on the 
 
166 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Tsar rose from his seat, paced up and down 
 the room, murmuring broken phrases : 
 
 "It is hardly possible that Alexander would rise 
 against me. Opinions are often misleading. Per- 
 haps he is not in communication with my enemies. 
 It is more probable that they seek to make a weapon 
 of him. I cannot believe that my son could be on 
 the side of rebels and traitors. He Shall not know 
 that I have seen this letter, but I shall watch him 
 carefully, and if what Kleinmichel and many others 
 have told me prove true, I will show him that the 
 spirit of Peter the Great abides in me." 
 
 At last he stopped before the Countess and said : 
 "Countess, let no one — do you hear, no one, whoever 
 it be — know of this letter. For the keeping of the 
 secret you shall be held responsible." 
 
 "Your Majesty—" 
 
 "Very well, I repeat, no one is to know of this 
 letter. Who gave it to you ?" 
 
 "Your Majesty will recollect the mysterious dis- 
 appearance of the pristav of the Viborg district last 
 November." 
 
 "Well, what of that?" 
 
 "He has turned up." 
 
 "How? Whence?" 
 
 "The English had captured and taken him off." 
 
 "The English had captured him ? What a story ! 
 Where could they have captured him?" 
 
 morning of the fatal day the Tsar compelled his son to appear 
 before a commission of nine of the greatest men of the State. 
 About what then took place these nine men were forever silent ; 
 but it seems now clear that, in order to wring fresh confes- 
 sions from the Tsarevich, the knout was again applied to him, 
 and that he died from the consequences of the torture. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 167 
 
 "Here, in St. Petersburg. They evidently had 
 nothing against him or the few soldiers that were 
 with him, but were looking for a more important 
 personage. They probably took him for a dignitary, 
 thanks to his embroidered collar, and took him with 
 them. Judging from his tale, they endeavored to 
 worm out of him our political secrets." 
 
 The Emperor's face assumed a dark and threat- 
 ening look. 
 
 "Indeed! And so my foes slip into my capital 
 and capture my people. It seems that I am not 
 safe even in my palace. But how is it that I have 
 not learned of the return of the pristav until now ?" 
 
 "The English, perceiving that he was not the 
 dignitary for whom they took him, released him at 
 one of the Baltic ports, handing him a letter for the 
 Tsarevich. The soldiers were sent to England as 
 war prisoners." 
 
 "But this does not explain why the return of the 
 pristav was not reported to me, or why he gave you 
 the letter to be transmitted to the addressee." 
 
 "The pristav came to me, because he knows me, 
 and had served me. He came to me because he 
 feared, and not without sufficient cause, that Your 
 Majesty might learn of his having been captured. 
 He gave me the letter to send it to its destination 
 because His Highness is out of the city. It has not 
 been an hour since he left me." 
 
 The Emperor took his cap and directed his steps 
 to the door, the knob of which was already in his 
 hand, when, as if recollecting something, he turned 
 about and said : 
 
168 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "I thank you, Countess, for the letter and for 
 the information. Let that remain a secret. Do 
 svidaniya." 
 
 The Emperor withdrew, thoughtful. 
 
 The Countess remained several minutes. An 
 ironical expression flitted over her lips, and she 
 murmured: "Aha, Your Imperial Highness was 
 pleased to call me an old intriguer. But what will 
 you say now ? Fate has been kind to me," she added, 
 rubbing her hands. 
 
 "What do you want, Zefirina?" she said, turning 
 to the French maid who had just entered. 
 
 "His excellency the Count asks permission to 
 attend your grace." 
 
 "Ask him to enter." 
 
 "What does he want of me?" thought the 
 Countess. 
 
 The Count entered, ceremoniously approached his 
 wife, and kissed her hand. 
 
 "What is it, Alexey? It must be something 
 important. You know that I have no time to talk 
 to you in the morning." 
 
 "Countess, I have just received a letter from 
 Moscow. Your brother — Countess, your brother 
 died suddenly. His valet handed him a cup of tea, 
 and when he returned he found the Count dead in 
 his chair." 
 
 "Indeed? That means that we shall not have to 
 pay him one hundred thousand a year any longer. 
 Why did you not tell me this sooner; the Emperor 
 would have been glad to know it ; he could not endure 
 my brother," 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 169 
 
 This was the only expression from the Countess 
 at the news of her brother's death. 
 
 A soft bass voice was heard in the hall. 
 
 "Does her grace receive to-day ?" 
 
 "Alexey, I am engaged," said the Countess. 
 
 He understood her and kissed her hand gallantly. 
 
 The Archpriest Bazhanov entered her boudoir, 
 put his klubok (ball-shaped hat) on the table, and 
 gave the Countess his blessing. After the customary 
 greetings, the Countess seated herself on the couch 
 and the priest sat down beside her. 
 
 His brown eyes expressed intelligence and cun- 
 ning. He was of tall build and athletic proportions, 
 witb a full, round face, overgrown with a gray beard. 
 Personally he never meddled in state affairs, but 
 nevertheless had a great influence on the Emperor's 
 policies. Foreign affairs he avoided, but interested 
 himself zealously in church matters. He well knew 
 that Nicholas hated the Raskolniky (dissenters from 
 the orthodox faith), because they would not recog- 
 nize him as the head of the church. In regard to 
 his rivals, Bazhanov skilfully managed to keep them 
 away from the Emperor. Inokenty, an able and 
 liberal churchman, who made a great impression on 
 the Emperor by his sermons, was sent off to Kher- 
 son. Filaret, who dreamt in secret of patriarchal 
 honors, was forbidden to leave Moscow, where he 
 was made metropolitan, under the pretense that he 
 was opposed to marriages between close relatives, 
 and especially to the union between the Grand 
 Duchess Olga Nicholayevna and the Prince of 
 Wtirtemburg. Another, Filaret, the metropolitan 
 
170 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 of Kiev, was likewise removed from the Holy Synod 
 under various pretexts and kept in Kiev. So that 
 Bazhanov, although a simple protopresviter, together 
 with the weakling Antony, Metropolitan of St. 
 Petersburg, centered in themselves all the spiritual 
 power, and made religion not a consolation, but a 
 tool for their monarch. 
 
 The Countess shed tears in good form, but soon 
 dried her eyes. 
 
 The priest turned to her. "Countess, what has 
 happened to you ?" 
 
 "Oh, my brother; my poor brother!" sighed the 
 Coimtess. 
 
 "What has happened to him ? Has he been sent 
 to the Caucasus for some of his doings?" asked 
 Bazhanov. 
 
 "No, father; he died." 
 
 "Well, that cannot be helped," replied the priest. 
 "We are all mortal. God gave, and God has taken 
 away." 
 
 "Yes, but he died so suddenly; so unexpectedly; 
 without the ministrations of the holy church," 
 moaned the Countess. 
 
 "What does it matter? As far as I knew your 
 brother," sharply retorted the priest, "he would not 
 have sought the consolation of the church under any 
 circumstances. Now that he is dead we shall pray 
 for the repose of his soul. He has surely left you 
 enough to pray for him." 
 
 "Ah, father, you know that I am ready to give my 
 last penny for his soul. I shall erect a church to 
 his memory." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 171 
 
 "I trust that you are speaking seriously this time, 
 for the churches you usually build never reach the 
 foundation," remarked the priest unkindly. "But 
 we will talk of this another time. I came about a 
 much more important matter." 
 
 "An important matter!" repeated the Countess. 
 
 "Yes. The Emperor had a son by the actress 
 Assenkova, whom you will probably recall. She 
 died in the early forties." 
 
 "Yes; indeed?" eagerly asked the Countess. "I 
 remember her very distinctly. I knew that the 
 Emperor visited her frequently, but did not know 
 that she had a son by him." 
 
 "Yes, she bore him a son. I know that to be a 
 fact." 
 
 "Perhaps he told you that in confession," re- 
 marked the Countess, forgetting herself. 
 
 "It is not a question how I found it out," replied 
 the priest, turning red up to the ears. "So he had 
 a son, and the boy disappeared in a mysterious way. 
 The mother of the actress kidnapped him for 
 revenge. The Emperor accidentally found the 
 mother of the actress and learned from her that the 
 boy is still alive. But unfortunately the old woman 
 died without telling the boy's name or where he may 
 be found. I know that the Emperor wishes to find 
 him—" 
 
 "Did he say so himself?" interrupted the Countess. 
 
 The priest turned red again, but made it appear 
 that he did not hear the question, and continued : 
 
 "Yes, he wants to find his son. He would be 
 very thankful for a clew. Perhaps by returning his 
 
172 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 son to him, we would destroy Nelidova's influence 
 over him." 
 
 The Countess became intensely interested, for she 
 heartily hated the Emperor's favorite, who did not 
 make any secret of her disgust toward the old 
 intriguing Countess. 
 
 "Yes," she said, "but how—" 
 
 "I thought of you. Countess. You know that I 
 cannot personally institute a search; you must help 
 me. Think of the gratitude of the Emperor." 
 
 "Very well. What is his description ?" 
 
 "That I do not know." 
 
 "Where and by whom was he brought up?" 
 
 "Neither do I know this." 
 
 "Where is he now ?" 
 
 "It is said that he had been exiled to Siberia, but 
 escaped." 
 
 "But, father, thousands escape from Siberia," 
 observed the Countess. "How old is he ?" 
 
 "He must be twenty-three or twenty-four years 
 old. You will locate him, Countess, will you not ?" 
 
 "You will acknowledge that your proposition is 
 not an easy one." 
 
 "That is true, and for that reason I apply to you." 
 
 This remark flattered the Countess, and she turned 
 over in her mind what she had learned from the 
 priest, and said : 
 
 "I shall see what can be done." 
 
 "You will find him, Countess ; I am quite confident 
 of that." 
 
 Bazhanov remained several minutes longer, but 
 their conversation was of no particular interest. 
 Whenever the Countess began to speak of the Tsare- 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 173 
 
 vich, the shrewd priest turned the conversation to 
 another theme. Ahhough he secretly worked for 
 the Grand Duke Constantine, he was exceedingly 
 cautious, having a care for his own future, particu- 
 larly from the time the Emperor had revealed to 
 him his secret in the confessional. 
 
 Bazhanov took his leave. The Countess rang three 
 times, which was the signal for her maid. 
 
 Zefirina entered. 
 
 "What is your pleasure, your grace?" 
 
 "Summon Solomonida!" said the Countess. 
 
 Solomonida was the nurse of the family, and once 
 the favorite of the Count. Many years had passed 
 since she became the tool of the Countess and her 
 chief spy. 
 
 The former nurse came in. The pair counseled 
 together a long time, but despite her usual clever- 
 ness to locate missing people, Solomonida would not 
 undertake the task alone, and it was agreed that 
 Leyming should assist her. 
 
 Leyming, a converted Jew, about 60 years old, 
 served the Count and Countess as a factor. In spite 
 of his awkward and unshapely figure, he had rare 
 skill in transforming himself. He understood, 
 according to requirements, to appear tall or short, 
 large or small. As an actor he was as charming as 
 he was despicable as a man. 
 
 And so Leyming was intrusted with the secret. 
 For some time he was silent and buried in thought. 
 At last he appeared to have formed a plan of action, 
 for his cunning, cat-like eyes sparkled; he seemed 
 to have grown taller when he declared : 
 
 "I shall find him!" 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 SAVELYEV'S VAIN SEARCH FOR NATASHA 
 
 The clock had just struck eight in the morning. 
 Thick darkness hung over St. Petersburg. The 
 capital had not yet rubbed its eyes from its sleep. 
 Only here and there was a straggler to be seen on 
 the streets. Business begins late in St. Petersburg 
 in winter time. 
 
 A young soldier, with his arm in a sling, walked 
 quickly through an almost deserted thoroughfare, 
 striking against the passers-by as if he did not notice 
 them. 
 
 "Ah, sluzhba, why such haste ?" asked a biidochnik 
 (sentry) of him on the corner of Sadovaya street, 
 offering him his snuff box. 
 
 The soldier paid no attention to him, and con- 
 tinued on his way. 
 
 The budochnik, yawning, followed him with his 
 eyes, and swinging his arm, said: "To the devil 
 with thee !" 
 
 The proprietor of the saloon, where Dostoyevsky 
 and Savelyev had stopped the night before, had just 
 begun to open the shutters of his shop when the 
 soldier approached and entered the place. 
 
 "Don't be in such a hurry, sluzhba," called the 
 proprietor. "Thy throat must be on fire this morn- 
 ing. That's the way; one has to drive out one 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 175 
 
 wedge with another. After drinking deeply at 
 night, it is well to have a bracer in the morning. 
 How can I serve thee?" 
 
 "A glass of tmina," said the soldier, which he 
 drank quickly. Then he drank a second and a third, 
 which he sipped slowly as if wishing to draw 
 courage from it. 
 
 The soldier threw upon the bar a poltinik (half- 
 ruble). Then he passed to the court through the 
 back door. This was Savelyev. He was consumed 
 with impatience to see Natasha again, whom he 
 wished to tell all that was agitating his soul. 
 
 Although he had been there but once, the way to 
 Natasha's room was so impressed on his memory 
 that he would have found it blindfolded. 
 
 In great delight he ran up the stairs to the third 
 floor, where he expected to find her. The door was 
 closed. He knocked, but received no answer. He 
 knocked again, but a deep silence reigned within. 
 He opened the door; there was no one in the hall. 
 He coughed, but no one asked, "Who is there?" 
 Savelyev began to call "Natasha," first quietly, then 
 louder and louder, but no response came. He then 
 entered the adjoining room, where he was immedi- 
 ately startled by the great disorder everywhere 
 apparent. Chairs and tables were thrown about in 
 confusion, sideboards and closets wide open, the 
 drawers pulled out, and boxes scattered. On the 
 bed lay Prince Kurdyubekov with a pillow on his 
 face. 
 
 "Natasha! Natasha!" shouted the soldier in a 
 hollow voice. "What has happened here?" 
 
176 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Natasha answered not, and the dead man alone, 
 from whose face he removed the pillow, looked at 
 him with immovable glassy eyes. 
 
 Savelyev ran out of the room and rushed head- 
 long into the saloon, where he told the proprietor 
 what he had seen, and asked him about Natasha. 
 
 "How am I to know thy Natasha?" replied the 
 saloonkeeper carelessly. What happens in the house 
 is not my affair. Thou, brother, hadst better go on 
 thy way, because if thou tellest about this to any 
 one, and the police get wind of it, it will go hard 
 with thee. For wast thou not the last one in the 
 place, a fact to which I would have to testify? And 
 who would state that thou wast not the murderer? 
 So thou hadst better hold thy tongue ; I advise thee 
 for thy own good. I know nothing and do not wish 
 to know anything of this affair." 
 
 With these last words the saloonkeeper almost 
 pushed Savelyev out of the door. 
 
 Savelyev walked down the street like a drunken 
 man, staggering from one side to the other. Grief 
 and despair had affected his mind. Unconsciously 
 he reached Nevsky Prospect. On approaching the 
 Anichkin Bridge he stopped, braced himself on his 
 elbows on the railing, and passed his hand across 
 his forehead as if trying to collect his thoughts. 
 
 "Where must I go ? What must I do ?" 
 
 Should he go home to cry over his great grief? 
 No, no ; he must go to Dostoyevsky's, a secret voice 
 seemed to suggest to him. Savelyev proceeded with 
 quick steps along Nevsky Prospect in the direction 
 of Znamenskaya (Flag) street, and stopped near the 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 177 
 
 house where Dostoyevsky lived. The gate was open. 
 He ascended the steps and knocked. No answer. 
 Had his thoughts not been entirely occupied with his 
 consuming grief he would have heard weeping inside. 
 
 The soldier knocked again, but without better 
 success. He tried the door, and finding it unlocked, 
 opened it. 
 
 At the sound of his steps Dostoyevsky's wife, who 
 stood at the window, turned around and, all in tears, 
 advanced to meet him. 
 
 "What have you done with my husband?" she 
 exclaimed, convulsively pressing his hand. 
 
 Savelyev looked at her in amazement. "Your 
 husband ? Has he not returned ?" 
 
 "In the name of God ; in the name of the Holy 
 and Great Trinity, tell me where he is. I implore 
 you, have pity on me !" The young woman sank on 
 her knees. 
 
 "For the love of God, stand up!" replied the 
 soldier, raising her. "Explain to me. Is your 
 husband not at home ?" 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 "Where is he? How am I to know ?" 
 
 "I have not seen him from the time you and he 
 left together to go to his mistress." 
 
 The soldier frowned. 
 
 "To his mistress?" he said in a sharp voice. 
 "What are you saying?" 
 
 "Yes, to his loved one," she exclaimed desperately. 
 "I have myself seen how you entered there together." 
 
 "You? Us?" 
 
178 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Yes, I. I followed you and saw with my own 
 eyes how you entered a house on the Obukhovsky 
 Prospect. That is where his sweetheart lives. I 
 know it." 
 
 "Woman," said Savelyev in a loud but faltering 
 voice, "do not express yourself in such language. 
 Yes, we have been there, but Dostoyevsky's inamo- 
 rata, if he has any, does not live there. An angel of 
 purity and innocence, whom your words, spoken 
 in blind jealousy, cannot insult — the girl to whom 
 your husband gave shelter in his house to protect her 
 from danger, and whom your insane jealousy drove 
 away — she lived there, and is my fiancee. But tell 
 me now where Dostoyevsky is. I must know." 
 
 Weeping bitter tears, the young woman listened 
 in silence, but she appeared not to understand him. 
 
 Savelyev seized her hand and pressed it with all 
 his strength. "Answer me, woman ! For the sake 
 of your husband himself, I must know where he is." 
 
 Little by little the young woman came to herself. 
 
 "Then she was not his loved one?" she sighed. 
 
 "No ; Natasha never was his sweetheart. She is 
 my bride before God and men," said Savelyev. 
 
 In spite of her grief, a spark of happiness lighted 
 up her face. 
 
 "She is not his loved one," she repeated. "Thanks 
 be to God for that ! She is not his sweetheart, then 
 he still loves me." 
 
 "I ask you again, woman, where your husband is ?" 
 repeated the soldier impatiently. 
 
 "Where? Yes; where my husband is? Where 
 have you left him ? Did you not go with him ? I 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 179 
 
 followed you and waited near the house which you 
 entered. I waited a long time, unmindful of the 
 cold and without fear, almost up to daybreak. 
 Returning here I found the door unlocked. The 
 rooms were dark and empty. Since then I have 
 been standing at the window awaiting his return. 
 I have not taken my eyes ofif the street. But Misha 
 has not come back. Tell me where he is? Where 
 can he be now ? You surely know." 
 
 "Is it possible that he has been arrested ?" flashed 
 through Savelyev's mind. "If so, it very likely 
 happened before daylight." He had accompanied 
 his friend to the young Prince Odeyevsky to hand 
 him Kurdyubekov's will, and then walked with him 
 to the corner of Sergievskaya street, and saw him 
 enter his own house. 
 
 "I am going after him," he said aloud. 
 
 "Yes, go after him and tell him that his wife waits 
 for him in agonizing impatience. Be magnanimous. 
 Have compassion on a poor woman!" she said, 
 pressing his hand in despair. 
 
 The soldier spoke a few cheering words and left 
 her. Had he looked around on reaching the street 
 he would have seen a gendarme enter the house 
 which he had just left. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ARREST OF DOSTOYEVSKY 
 
 The waves of the Neva, washing the walls of the 
 Petropavlosvk Fortress, were chanting a grewsome 
 song of exile and death to the prisoners within. 
 
 The fortress is not designed for the protection of 
 the capital against a foreign foe; no brave garrison 
 is stationed there; the gay songs of soldiers are 
 never heard there — there are heard only the sighs of 
 the wretched prisoners and the ill-boding clanging of 
 chains. Out of this frightful prison there are but 
 two roads — one into Siberia, the other to a dis- 
 graceful death. 
 
 Along the narrow corridors are stretched long 
 rows of cells, many of them lower than the level of 
 the Neva. These cells are closed by heavy iron 
 doors, with little windows in them, through which 
 the sentry watches the prisoners and hands them 
 bread and nauseating shchy (soup). These doors 
 are opened only when the prisoner is to appear before 
 the tribunal, or when he is sentenced to leave his cell 
 for the gallows or for Siberia. 
 
 The prisoners are not permitted to appear at the 
 little windows at the sound of footsteps in the 
 corridor, lest they might see newly arrived prisoners 
 and exchange signals. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 181 
 
 Dostoyevsky, in chains, between two soldiers, 
 followed behind the keeper of the prison, who was 
 armed with a large key. 
 
 "Here is No. 8," said the keeper. "Prisoner No. 
 8, enter!" he added. 
 
 As soon as a prisoner crosses the threshold of the 
 Petropavlosvk Fortress, or the boundary of Siberia, 
 he loses his name and becomes a number. 
 
 "Lasciate ogni speransa!" murmured Dostoyev- 
 sky, when the iron door was closed on him. He 
 looked around his cell ; there was a stool, a kazemat 
 (straw sack), and nothing else. There were large 
 undried blood stains on the sack. 
 
 "Jailer, jailer!" he called, frightened. 
 
 The jailer glanced carelessly through the little 
 window and asked : 
 
 "What is the matter, krikun (yelper) ?" 
 
 "There is blood on the mattress," was the answer. 
 
 "Indeed ? It is very probable that I have not seen 
 it," replied the jailer, yawning and scratching the 
 nape of his neck. "That is probably the blood of 
 that young Pole. He was flogged before the gen- 
 darmes came for him. The wretch would not con- 
 fess anything. They used up two big bunches of 
 rods!" And the jailer removed his face from the 
 window. 
 
 "But the mattress is still wet!" screamed 
 Dostoyevsky. 
 
 "That is nothing. There will be plenty of time 
 for it to get dry before thou leavest here." 
 
 Dostoyevsky sat down on the stool and began to 
 reflect over his situation. The , night before, on 
 
182 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 returning home, to his great surprise he did not find 
 his wife. When he began to call her and lighted a 
 candle to look for her, he beheld a gendarme sitting 
 quietly on the bed and watching his movements. 
 
 Dostoyevsky shuddered, and the gendarme got up 
 and said : 
 
 "At last you have come back. You have kept me 
 waiting a long time. It is well that you are at least 
 dressed. You will have to come with me." 
 
 "Where to ?" asked Dostoyevsky. 
 
 "To the Prince Orlov," quietly replied the gen- 
 darme. 
 
 "Where is my wife?" asked Dostoyevsky. 
 
 "This is a strange question. How am I to know 
 where your wife is?" answered the gendarme. 
 
 "I cannot leave the house before finding my wife," 
 declared Dostoyevsky, feeling a stinging pain. The 
 absence of his wife puzzled him. 
 
 "For the love of God, wait a little while. Perhaps 
 she will return soon." 
 
 "Wait? To what purpose? If she returns, she 
 will be here, and if she does not return, she won't be 
 here; that is all. Whether she returns or remains 
 away will not alter the matter ; at any rate, you will 
 probably not see her again soon. Besides, you will 
 thus escape a wretched scene both for yourself and 
 for me. To be present at such partings is very 
 trying. I have no time to wait; let us go," curtly 
 concluded the gendarme. 
 
 Dostoyevsky followed him, in complete despair. 
 
 On reaching Orlov's headquarters he was handed 
 over to the sergeant on duty, who announced that he 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 183 
 
 would have to wait in the reception room until day- 
 light. Dostoyevsky threw himself on a couch, but 
 sleep did not come to bring him consolation in a 
 brief forgetfulness. He looked into the immediate 
 present without worrying about the fate which 
 awaited him. On becoming one of the secret society, 
 of which he was a prominent member, he realized, 
 with his customary penetration, that he who dared 
 to rise against the prevailing national tyranny dooms 
 himself to destruction. The uncertainty regarding 
 his wife's strange disappearance was his overmaster- 
 ing torture. Like a drowning man who catches at a 
 straw, he saw a faint ray of light in the midst of this 
 dark night in the hope that perhaps to-morrow the 
 chief would have compassion on him and tell him 
 where his wife was. 
 
 Morning came. The reception room was filling 
 up with people. There were various spies, coming 
 to make their daily reports. They filed, one by one, 
 into the office of his highness, the Prince, from 
 whence they emerged, some with radiant faces and 
 others wFth their heads sunk, according to the way 
 their reports had been received. 
 
 Minutes and hours passed, which seemed an age 
 to Dostoyevsky. At last, at 11.30, his name was 
 called by the sergeant on duty. He entered the 
 Prince's cabinet. 
 
 The Prince was the terror of all Russia, but like 
 his predecessor. Count Benkendorf, he knew how 
 to carry out his disagreeable, and at times horrible, 
 duty with official etiquette. He was like a cat which 
 first fondles with its silken paw so as to sink its claws 
 into its prey afterwards with greater delight. 
 
184 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Prince was turning over the leaves of the 
 report. 
 
 "Gospodin Dostoyevsky, a writer ?" he asked. 
 
 Dostoyevsky bowed silently. 
 
 Orlov continued to look through the report, inter- 
 rupting his reading from time to time by interjecting 
 a significant hm ! hm ! and attentively looking at the 
 author. Then he would turn over the sheets 
 backward, running over once more the parts he had 
 already read, stop, and reflect, twirling his mustache 
 and shaking his head. 
 
 Dostoyevsky, suppressing his breath, tremblingly 
 followed the slightest movement of the terrible chief 
 of the Third Section. In that moment he could have 
 exclaimed with Hamlet: "To be or not to be?" 
 His fate was now being decided ; his whole future. 
 
 At last the Prince, having finished reading the 
 report, looked carelessly at the prisoner for some 
 minutes, drew from his pocket a gold snuff-box, with 
 the Emperor's portrait on it, took a pinch of snuff, 
 and said quietly, as if talking to himself : 
 
 "Well, what is to be done? Gospodin Dostoyev- 
 sky, it appears that you are a member of a secret 
 society." 
 
 The accused was silent. 
 
 The Prince continued, without heeding his silence. 
 
 "Imprudent youth, how can you hope that such 
 an affair could remain undiscovered ? Tell me, what 
 was the object of this society?" 
 
 "1 do not understand about what your highness 
 pleases to question me," replied Dostoyevsky. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 185 
 
 "Ah, you do not know ? You know it quite well. 
 You writers are all idealists. But why deny it? 
 Reflect whether any of your dreams have become 
 reahties." 
 
 "I repeat, your highness, that I do not know about 
 what you please to talk." 
 
 "Ah, young man — for in spite of your thirty years, 
 I may call you so, for I am more than twice that age; 
 young man, you can only help yourself by being 
 frank with me. I ought to forewarn you that your 
 case is a very bad one. Reveal the purpose and 
 intentions of your secret society and name its 
 members; I advise you to do this for your own 
 welfare." 
 
 "Your highness, not belonging to such a secret 
 society, it is impossible for me to name its members." 
 
 "I am very sorry," said the Prince, and rang the 
 bell. 
 
 The officer in waiting entered. 
 
 "Gospodin Dostoyevsky, trouble yourself to follow 
 the officer." 
 
 Dostoyevsky went out. 
 
 They entered a room on the lower floor, from 
 which a very pretty young woman, apparently a 
 Pole, had just emerged. She was all in tears, and 
 her eyes expressed an undying hatred, and, at the 
 same time, shame. 
 
 The officer whispered a few words to the sergeant- 
 gendarme stationed at the door. 
 
 Shall we describe the shameful scene? The 
 author was flogged, whipped like a stubborn horse. 
 
186 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 In one of the rooms of the headquarters of the 
 chief of gendarmes there is a movable parquet. At 
 a given signal a certain portion of the floor is 
 removed and the victim sinks in up to his chest. 
 In the lower section are stationed gendarmes with- 
 whips. If the victim is a man, he is stripped to the 
 waist; if a woman, they raise her skirts, and the 
 punishment is continued until a signal to stop is 
 heard. In this way the gendarmes cannot see their 
 victims and never learn the names of those whom 
 they have flogged. 
 
 The shameful execution ended at last, and Dosto- 
 yevsky was once more conducted to Orlov. 
 
 "Well, young man, have you thought over the 
 matter?" the Prince asked. 
 
 Dostoyevsky's eyes flashed with fury ; he clenched 
 his fists. 
 
 "Prince," he said, grinding his teeth, "the Empress 
 Catherine has abolished the torture chamber; is it 
 possible that it was destined to the glorious reign of 
 the Emperor Nicholas to re-establish it?" 
 
 The Prince shrugged his shoulders in silence. 
 
 "Do you really think that if I knew of the exist- 
 ence of a secret society I could be compelled to speak 
 by the means of a shameful punishment?" 
 
 "However, there have been instances. You would 
 be neither the first nor the last to make revelations. 
 And so you will not disclose what the object of the 
 society is, and who its members are?" asked the 
 Prince once more. 
 
 "I repeat, Prince, that I know nothing of the one 
 or the other." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 187 
 
 "Very sorry, young man, to be obliged to send 
 you to the fortress; such is the order of the 
 Emperor." 
 
 "Into the fortress?" 
 
 "Yes, until such time when the tribunal shall have 
 announced its decision touching you and your 
 accomplices." 
 
 "I repeat once more that I have no accomplices." 
 
 "I can call off their names to you. Here they 
 are," said the Prince, pointing to a list of names, 
 "and to-day I Shall know all the names which are 
 not here." 
 
 Dostoyevsky was silent. 
 
 "Well, be it as you wish," said the Prince, and 
 rang. 
 
 An officer entered. Orlov handed him a paper in 
 which were a few words. 
 
 "In chains ?" asked the officer. 
 
 The Prince shrugged his shoulders, and said with 
 a look of sympathy : 
 
 "Yes." Then, as if wishing to excuse himself 
 before Dostoyevsky, he added : "I am compelled to 
 proceed in this way, since you are unwilling to 
 acknowledge anything. Such is the order of the 
 Tsar, and I must obey him. Do svidaniya." 
 
 Dostoyevsky was undecided for a few moments. 
 Love and pride were uppermost in his heart. At 
 last he decided : 
 
 "Prince, however offensive and humiliating, after 
 what I have experienced, it may be to me to turn to 
 you with a request." 
 
188 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Prince shrugged his shoulders, as if saying : 
 "This is thy own doing; I wash my hands." 
 
 "Yes, as degrading as it is to me, I must neverthe- 
 less turn to you with a request. I trust that you 
 will not deny it to me. For, regardless of your 
 fearful duties, you are human." 
 
 "What do you wish? Speak. I am ready to do 
 everything in my power for you, but I would advise 
 you to confess." 
 
 "Prince, when I was arrested last night I had just 
 returned — " 
 
 "From your society, very likely," said Orlov in 
 an insinuating voice. 
 
 "I returned from a sick, dying friend," answered 
 Dostoyevsky. "On entering my room I found it 
 open and empty. My wife had gone out, without 
 my knowing why and where. She is a good woman, 
 who loves me with her whole soul ; she loves me even 
 too well. Prince, tell me, has she also been arrested ?" 
 
 The Prince looked over the report. 
 
 "I have issued no order to that effect ; and as far 
 as I know, she has not been arrested," he answered. 
 
 "Prince," said Dostoyevsky, seizing Orlov's hand, 
 "I do not ask you to spare me, but if the uniform 
 has not deprived you of all human feeling, I beg of 
 you one favor. I shall undoubtedly be isolated from 
 the world a long time." 
 
 "I suppose so," remarked Orlov. 
 
 "Prince, would it not be permissible for me to 
 learn where my wife is? Would you permit me to 
 see her ?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 189 
 
 "As regards your last request, I cannot grant it," 
 replied Orlov. "Concerning your wish to learn 
 where your wife is, I promise you on my word that 
 I will inform you to-day." 
 
 "Now, sergeant, take the gentleman to the place I 
 ordered. Please excuse me, Gospodin Dostoyevsky, 
 for being unable to spare you the chains. You have 
 yourself to blame for it, since you refuse to confess." 
 
 "After thou hast delivered the gentleman to the 
 commandant," ordered Orlov, "go to his house and 
 find out about the lady and inform him, but not a 
 word to her where her husband is." 
 
 "How so?" interrupted Dostoyevsky, supplicat- 
 ingly. 
 
 "This cannot be done. If you would confess these 
 measures would be unnecessary, but in the manner — " 
 
 "Thou wilt report to me," he continued, turning 
 to the sergeant. "I will attend to the rest." 
 
 "Young man, you shall hear about your wife this 
 very day. Good-by; I hope that you will consider 
 the matter and make a full revelation." 
 
 Dostoyevsky bowed and went out, accompanied 
 by the sergeant. 
 
 Orlov recalled the gendarme and said to him : 
 
 "Seal all papers which may be found and bring 
 them to me." 
 
 "This, your highness, has already been done. The 
 papers are in your office." 
 
 "Very well," said Orlov. "Young man, you may 
 rest easy in regard to your wife. Wait a minute — 
 call the gendarme who brought the papers." 
 
 "Your highness, he is gone," said the sergeant. 
 
 Orlov wrinkled his brow. 
 
190 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Very well, carry out my instructions. Good-by, 
 Gospodin Dostoyevsky. Let us hope that when you 
 appear here again or when you stand before the 
 tribunal, you will have arrived at a different decision, 
 and will make a clean breast." 
 
 Dostoyevsky was taken out, and the Prince, 
 following him with his eyes, murmured through his 
 teeth : 
 
 "He seems to be unusually obstinate; no matter, 
 worse ones have been tamed." 
 
 In the sentry room Dostoyevsky was put in chains, 
 and, to avoid publicity, which the secret police fear 
 more than anything else, he was taken to the fortress 
 in a closed carriage. 
 
 There he found himself in a narrow cell, isolated 
 from the outer world, perhaps forever. His thoughts 
 strayed to his wife, with whom he had spent so many 
 happy days, and some unhappy ones. 
 
 Suddenly he heard three measured knocks on the 
 wall from the adjoining cell. These were followed 
 by a series of knocks, now between long, and again 
 at short intervals. This was a secret method of 
 communication, but Dostoyevsky, not understanding 
 these signals, could not answer them. 
 
 The sun was dropping down toward the horizon, 
 lighting up the blood-stained straw sack with its fire- 
 red rays. The jailer, as if forgetting his prisoner, 
 who had not eaten since the preceding day, opened 
 the little window and handed him a dish of cold 
 shchy, a pound of bread, and a pitcher of water. 
 
 The long, brightening rays disappeared, and 
 everything was again shrouded in darkness. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE REVIEW AND ITS INCIDENTS 
 
 Every one who has been in St. Petersburg has 
 seen the Bolshaya Milliona (Great Million) street, 
 which extends from the Winter Palace to Marskavo 
 Polya (Mars Field). Opposite the Preobrazhensky 
 barracks, which are situated along the Winter Pal- 
 ace, stood a magnificent four-story house. On the 
 fourth floor lived the widow of General Yurkovsky. 
 Her history is not without interest. 
 
 General Yurkovsky,* stationed with his garrison 
 in Poland, met there a beautiful young woman, fell 
 in love with her wonderful eyes, and married her, 
 completely overlooking the fact that he had left a 
 wife and a half dozen daughters on his estate in 
 Russia. The Russian wife was not willing to share 
 her husband with the Polish woman, and he was 
 obliged to part with his second mate. 
 
 If Yurkovsky had not been a major, and of a 
 Hussar regiment besides, he would have hunted 
 sables in Siberia, or been obliged to ponder several 
 years in a monastery over the inconvenience of plural 
 marriages. But, owing to his position, his conduct 
 was regarded as the mere exuberance of a gallant 
 Hussar. His first wife continued to live on the 
 
 ♦At that time he was only a major, commanding the Eliza- 
 bethgrad Regiment of Hussars. 
 
192 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Saratov estate, while he appeared to have forgotten 
 his second wife, of whom he had grown tired in the 
 meantime. 
 
 Widow No. 2 Hved in a mysterious way. She 
 found occupation in an activity which in Russia is 
 honorable and profitable. She was a government 
 spy. 
 
 "Who is there?" answered the widow to the rap 
 of her maid. 
 
 "Your grace, it is — " She entered and whis- 
 pered a few words in her mistress' ear. 
 
 "Tell her to come in," said the widow. 
 
 It was the Countess Bobrinsky. She was received 
 with reverence, and answered in like manner. She 
 knew the value of a courtesy. 
 
 "Your excellency," began the Countess after sev- 
 eral meaningless phrases, "it appears that there is 
 nothing new from England." 
 
 The widow knitted her brow and replied, laying 
 stress on every word : "Aha, then you expect news 
 from England?" 
 
 "As if you do not know it, Anunziata." 
 
 "Yes, yes; I had entirely forogtten. But the 
 pristav of the Viborg district has returned ?" 
 
 "I know that he has returned, but what of that ?" 
 
 "Well, Anderson—" 
 
 "Anderson, the currier ? What about him ?" 
 
 "He is on the side of his fellow-countrymen, and 
 serves them." 
 
 "But he serves us also at the same time. He is a 
 shrewd fellow. He wants to earn money and he 
 does it." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 193 
 
 "Countess, I have discovered a secret." 
 
 "Aha, a secret ?" echoed the Countess. 
 
 "Yes; the Emperor has a son." 
 
 The countess shuddered. 
 
 "The Emperor has a son? As far as I know, he 
 has four sons." 
 
 "But I, Countess, do not speak of his sons — " 
 
 "Of whom, then, do you speak?" interrupted the 
 Countess, exercising her diplomatic talents. "Why, 
 you have just said that the Emperor has a son." 
 
 "Yes—" 
 
 "And I answered you that he had four sons." 
 
 "Yes, by his wife; but — " 
 
 "Who, dearest, would reproach a man for such 
 sins ? And so the Emperor has a son ?" 
 
 "But do you know by whom ?" 
 
 "Of course, I do not." 
 
 "By Assenkova !" exclaimed the general's widow 
 triumphantly. 
 
 "By Assenkova?" slowly repeated the Countess. 
 "Assenkova, who is she?" 
 
 "An actress," replied the widow impatiently. 
 
 "Assenkova?" again repeated the Countess, as if 
 recalling something. "Assenkova, who might she 
 be? I cannot recall such an actress on the stage." 
 
 "Not now ; she was an actress about twenty years 
 ago-" 
 
 "And you remember what took place twenty years 
 ago?" 
 
 The widow turned red, and found no answer. 
 
 "And the son," continued the Countess, unraind- 
 hil 'lof'the witiowr's silence, ",wl^erfe is he?*' 
 
 "Where is hfe ?" saicl th'ei wid'oW. 
 
194 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Well, yes ; where is the son ?" 
 
 "Where? Should I tell you, Countess?" 
 
 "And why not?" 
 
 "Countess — How much would you pay for this 
 secret?" 
 
 ''First of all I must know whether your secret is 
 not a fiction. Show me the son first — " 
 
 "Impossible." 
 
 "Impossible?" replied the Countess; "then good- 
 by. My time is valuable, and I cannot waste it on 
 inventions." 
 
 "Countess," exclaimed the widow, jumping from 
 her seat, "I have not the proofs yet ; we must wait — " 
 
 "Hm! We have not the proofs yet? Good-by, 
 then, dear friend, adieu!" 
 
 "But, Countess," insisted the widow, "what will 
 you give me if I find him ?" 
 
 "How much? This secret is of so little impor- 
 tance that really — " 
 
 "Unimportant? No!" 
 
 "Well, I would give you two thousand rubles." 
 
 "Impossible, countess; I myself — " 
 
 "Well, let us say three thousand, since you your- 
 self—" 
 
 "Impossible, I have promised Sher — " escaped the 
 widow's tongue. 
 
 "Aha, Sherwood has a hand in this matter. 
 Good-by." 
 
 The widow, frightened at having accidentally re- 
 vealed her secret, exclaimed: 
 
 "No, no ; it is not Sherwood ; it is — " 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 195 
 
 "Very well. I will add two thousand more for 
 you;" and she added in a semi-tone, "Five thou- 
 sand." 
 
 The trading between the two women would have 
 continued a long time if the Countess had not de- 
 clared positively: 
 
 "Well, five thousand, dearest ; this is my last word. 
 Moreover, this matter is of small importance, and 
 Sherwood would do the work for as many hun- 
 dreds." 
 
 "Sherwood?" exclaimed the widow, frightened. 
 "Have I not told you that Sherwood — " 
 
 "I believe it, my dear; I believe it. Well, you 
 understand, five thousand rubles. I only offer you 
 such a large amount because you have been useful 
 to me more than once. Are you agreed? Yes or 
 no." 
 
 The widow was obliged to agree. By her care- 
 lessness she had led the Countess on a clue, and she 
 well knew that the experienced intriguer would un- 
 derstand how to take advantage of it. 
 
 The bargain was closed. The Countess left the 
 widow Yurkovsky in an ecstasy because she had ac- 
 complished her purpose. For, as a matter of fact, 
 she had gone to the widow with the object of using 
 her as a spy, and the latter had met her half way. 
 There was already a clue, and the Countess, experi- 
 enced as she was in matters of investigation, knew 
 that the hounds she would send in pursuit would run 
 the game to earth. 
 
 She at once proceeded to the protopresviter to in- 
 form him of her success. 
 
196 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 A few lonely Bashkirs* were straggling along 
 the streets of the city, eyeing the palaces which were 
 laid out to the right and left. They belonged to the 
 Cossack Regiment, which was assigned to the shores 
 of the Baltic to protect it against the English. 
 
 The Bashkirs are of small, stubby stature, with 
 swarthy faces and prominent cheek bones. From 
 under their black, thinly outlined eyebrows sparkle 
 sly and quick-seeing lynx eyes. Their horses, with 
 their short, strong legs, short necks, small heads, and 
 large hump on the nose, show their Asiatic origin. 
 The Bashkirs have neither musicians nor buglers, 
 but they gathered, nevertheless, from all ends of the 
 city, on the square in front of the depot of the Mos- 
 cow Railway, as if by a secret signal. Their officers 
 are dressed just like the men in line. They wear 
 long khalaty (mantles) bordered with lace and orna- 
 mented with epaulets. 
 
 The regiment was going to the Peterhof turnpike, 
 where they were encamped on the square, before the 
 triumphal arch. 
 
 A sledge, drawn by a raven-black, full-blooded 
 trotter suddenly flitted by the lines of the soldiers, 
 who greeted it with a loud hurrah. A tall officer was 
 seated in the sledge. On passing through Boloto, 
 near the house formerly occupied by Marfiisha, he 
 involuntarily glanced around at the tumble-down 
 shack. The man in the sledge was the Emperor. 
 His tall, straight figure had become slightly bent, 
 and his thin hair had turned gray, to which change 
 
 *Tht Bach-Kourfes X^ha.vai heads) or Bas^tkirs arejiOf Fin- 
 nish .dri'ginj Bic^ ilp'ubt of tKei UgriaH br'ajulb^i, but adpaptpVAt Tar- 
 tarized. There are at presertt some SCX),oob of theim in Russia. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 197 
 
 recent unfortunate events had contributed not a lit- 
 tle; but the eyes had not lost their old accustomed 
 fire. 
 
 A sledge rushed by like an arrow past the Tsar. 
 It was evident that the passing coachman could not 
 check his spirited horses. The Emperor's eyes 
 flashed fire; he could not brook anyone's having 
 better horses than himself. But his wrath, imme- 
 diately gave way to fright. The rushing sledge 
 bolted against a post and was overturned. A young 
 woman was thrown to the ground. 
 
 "Stop!" commanded the Emperor to his coach- 
 man. With his practiced hand the driver brought 
 the trotter to a stand in an instant. 
 
 Nicholas alighted quickly, and went to the young 
 lady's assistance. 
 
 She had already got up and was going toward 
 her vehicle. 
 
 "You have not been hurt?" asked Nicholas, but 
 suddenly he became silent. He recognized his fav- 
 orite, Mademoiselle Nelidova, in the lady, and he 
 frowned darkly. 
 
 "You — here?" he said in a tone foreboding a 
 storm. 
 
 The lady raised her eyes and fell unconscious. 
 
 "A comedy!" murmured the Tsar through his 
 teeth. But he could not leave the young woman 
 on the snow. He lifted her like a child and placed 
 her in the sledge. 
 
 "Bolvdn (blockhead) !" he turned to her driver, 
 "art thou asleep ? Begone at full trot ! Dost hear !" 
 
 Nicholas again seated himself in his sledge, and 
 continued to review the troops. Again his horse 
 
198 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 was rushing by other vehicles, leaving them far be- 
 hind. Suddenly the horse bolted to one side. The 
 Emperor turned and looked around. On the snow 
 lay a bleeding soldier, run over by his sledge. 
 
 Once more was heard "Stop!" and the sledge 
 stopped. 
 
 The soldier held a revolver in his left hand; his 
 right hand was in a sling, and on his face was a 
 wide scar. 
 
 "What does this mean?" thought the Emperor, 
 and looking around he perceived at his side a man 
 who seemed to have sprung from the earth. 
 
 "Who art thou?" demanded the Emperor of the 
 mysterious person. 
 
 "Your Majesty, I am a police agent on duty 
 here," he replied, saluting in military fashion. 
 
 "What is thy duty here?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, I am under orders to follow 
 Your Imperial Highness at a distance, in order — " 
 
 "Useless precautions," interrupted the monarch. 
 "Convey this soldier to my apartments, dost hear? 
 To my apartments, not to the station-house. Let 
 Mandt (one of Nicholas' private physicians) ex- 
 amine him for possible injuries." 
 
 The Emperor pursued his way, muttering through 
 his teeth, "This is an unlucky day." 
 
 A sledge with three officers, who had been drink- 
 ing deeply, swept by him. They recognized the Em- 
 peror and shouted: 
 
 "Hurrah L" 
 
 Nicholas' face brightened. He imagined that he 
 heard the echo of the whole people in the shout of 
 the officers. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 199 
 
 Despite the bitter cold of twenty-two degrees, the 
 soldiers, thanks to vodka, and the officers, thanks 
 to champagne, stood bravely in line and shouted 
 such "hurrahs" as the Russians alone can shout. 
 
 "Zdordvo, rebydta (health, children) !" courtesied 
 back the Emperor. 
 
 "We wish health to your Imperial Highness," an- 
 swered a thousand voices. 
 
 The regiments were passing by him in review 
 formation in the direction of the triumphal gates, 
 when "Halt!" was heard, and the marching was in- 
 stantly stopped, and the troops stood as firm and 
 solid as if rooted in the earth. 
 
 "Children !" said the Emperor, turning to them; 
 "you are going on a holy mission; perhaps many 
 of you will lay down your lives for your faith and 
 for your Emperor — " 
 
 "We are all ready to die for the orthodox Tsar," 
 replied the soldiers, who had been instructed before- 
 hand. 
 
 "Spasibo, rebydta (thank you, children)," con- 
 tinued the Emperor. "Yes, should you have to die, 
 remember that you die for your mother Russia and 
 for your orthodox Tsar." 
 
 "For your tyrant !" came in a voice from the 
 crowd. 
 
 The soldiers and the crowd heard with horror 
 and stood petrified. 
 
 Nicholas glanced around to the side where the 
 voice was heard, and noticed several muzhiks, who, 
 not knowing the custom, kept on their hats. 
 
 "Hats off!" warned the Emperor in a cutting 
 voice. 
 
200 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Instantly all heads were bared. 
 
 "Who spoke?" he continued in a tone which re- 
 sembled the growling of a lion ready to throw him- 
 self on his victim. 
 
 The crowd remained silent, but a woman emerged 
 from it who threw herself upon the snow at the feet 
 of the Tsar, saying: 
 
 "It was I!" 
 
 "Thou ?" asked Nicholas in a dreadful and threat- 
 ening tone. 
 
 "I!" repeated the young woman, raising herself 
 and hysterically embracing the Emperor's knees. 
 
 "Stand back!" thundered the Emperor, turning 
 to the police. Then he shook the woman ofif and 
 said to her in a subdued voice : 
 
 "Who art thou?" 
 
 "I am the wife of Dostoyevsky. Where is my 
 husband ? If thou art indeed the Tsar and not the 
 tyrant of Russia, tell me where my husband is." 
 
 The Emperor looked at her in an effort to recall 
 something. 
 
 "Thy husband? Who is thy husband?" 
 
 "Dostoyevsky, I have said already, Emperor; 
 Dostoyevsky." 
 
 The Emperor thought a moment. 
 
 "Ah, I remember now ; Dostoyevsky, the idealist." 
 Turning to the police he ordered, "Take her away !" 
 
 A gang of policemen rushed forward and seized 
 the woman. 
 
 "Have pity," she screamed. "Have pity on my 
 husband and upon me — " 
 
 The Emperor's face did not show the least emo- 
 tion. The policemen dragged away their prisoner. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 201 
 
 "Save him at least !" cried the miserable woman, 
 wringing her hands. 
 
 The Emperor was about to turn away, when his 
 eye fell on the opal ring on her finger. He looked 
 at it intently, and his face turned pale. For a few 
 moments he was undecided ; at last he said : 
 
 "Let her be taken to the guardhouse of the Winter 
 Palace, and there await my orders." 
 
 He again turned to the troops, blessed them, and 
 more than once tears welled up in his eyes. He felt, 
 or appeared to feel, like a father taking what might 
 be a last leave from his children. 
 
 He followed the departing troops a long time with 
 his eyes. When the last files had vanished from 
 sight, he returned to his sledge and ordered the 
 coachman to drive to the palace. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE CELLAR ON YAMSKY STREET 
 
 Among the shambling wooden dwellings on Yam- 
 sky street, which are, for the most part, occupied 
 by isvoschiks, rises a large stone house. Once 
 this house looked proudly down on its neighbors. 
 It was built by a wealthy raskolnik (dissenter 
 from the orthodox faith) as a place of meeting for 
 his co-religionists. It was well removed from the 
 usual haunts of the police, who hated and prosecuted 
 them. A great fire which swept this section of the 
 city did not spare this building. The tongues of 
 flame licked off the exterior decorations. The in- 
 terior finishings were completely destroyed. The 
 superstitious owner would have reckoned it among 
 the greatest of sins to oppose "the will of God," as 
 he called the fire. He contented himself with stand- 
 ing before the house, ikon in hand, believing this 
 the only means of averting the misfortune. The 
 fire-fighting apparatus he looked upon as the devil's 
 invention. The house was not repaired, as the 
 owner, together with many others of his sect, were 
 exiled to the Caucasus. The unsightly ruins stood 
 deserted, and looked like a huge phantom. 
 
 Only one part of the wreck was occupied — the 
 cellar, where its former owner kept the material for 
 the rites of his sect. The strong vaults had with- 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 203 
 
 stood the flames, but all the interior arrangements — 
 pictures in rich frames set with precious stones, a 
 costly carved altar, with gold and silver furniture, 
 priestly vestments, etc. — all were stolen and carried 
 off by the police, and there remained only the rugged, 
 naked walls. The cellar was unoccupied and unused 
 many years. Only recently some one had fixed a 
 lock to the heavy oak door, and every evening a dark 
 figure was seen to approach it ; the rusty lock would 
 grate, the door open, the unknown disappear behind 
 it, and the sound of a rusty bolt would be heard 
 from within. 
 
 There was no other opening from the cellar ex- 
 cept the door, so that the light from the outside never 
 penetrated into it. It was lighted with one dim 
 candle only when its present owner was in. By this 
 faint light a female figure could be discerned crouch- 
 ing in a remote corner and wringing her hands. 
 
 This was poor Natasha, whom the old villain 
 Petrovich kept a prisoner there from the time he 
 killed Prince Kurdyubekov. 
 
 He tried first to obtain her love by kindness. 
 Failing in this, he promised her pearls, precious 
 stones, velvet and silk dresses, etc., but all to no pur- 
 pose. He then attempted force; but despair had 
 given the poor girl spirit and strength to withstand 
 him. He beat her mercilessly, dragged her by the 
 hair, threatened her with death, and starved her 
 whole days at a time— but without success. 
 
 To-day, infuriated at her resistance, he determined 
 either to subdue or kill her. He had drank all day 
 in the wine cellar already familiar to the reader. At 
 
204 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 four o'clock, when it began to grow dark, Trofimich 
 equipped him with several bottles of wine and vodka, 
 and in the nearest restaurant Petrovich bought some 
 edibles, hailed an isvoschik, and drove away. 
 
 Makarov was also in the wine cellar. He had been 
 drinking heavily, and was seemingly snoring loudly 
 and regularly, pretending to be asleep. When 
 Petrovich went out, he rose, paid Trofimich his bill, 
 made a sign to Tovarov, and followed Petrovich. 
 
 Petrovich opened the door of the cellar where 
 Natasha was imprisoned. The girl shuddered at the 
 sound of the rusty hinges, but spoke not a word; 
 she only crouched farther in the corner, covering 
 her tearful face with her hands. She once attempted 
 to escape while her jailer was opening the door, but 
 he observed her and threw her back with such vio- 
 lence that she fell all in a heap on the bare stones. 
 
 An ill-boding fire shone in the villain's eyes this 
 evening. He lighted the candle, put the bottles and 
 food on the dirty floor, and called: 
 
 "Ay, girl; come and eat! Thou must surely be 
 hungry. It is two days since thou hast eaten a mor- 
 sel of food. Thou must now know that it is not 
 well to baffle me." 
 
 Natasha did not move nor speak. 
 
 "Dost thou not hear me? Come, accursed girl! 
 To-night we amuse ourselves. I have everything to 
 make a man happy — a pretty girl and good wine. 
 Be quick!" 
 
 Natasha did not stir. 
 
 Petrovich seized her, dragged her to the chair, 
 and forced her to sit on his knee. He tried to kiss 
 her, but Natasha tore herself loose from his clasp. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 205 
 
 and pushed him with such force that he fell from 
 the chair. 
 
 The villain rose. His eyes were bloodshot, and 
 he approached the girl with a staggering step. 
 
 "That is how you behave ! The better ; I like re- 
 sistance; it is more piquant than when a girl sur- 
 renders at once; but now enough of these tricks, 
 else—" 
 
 Natasha looked at him threateningly, saying: 
 
 "Get away, vermin! Leave me, thou murderer 
 of my benefactor!" 
 
 "Ha, ha, ha !" laughed Petrovich. "If thou hadst 
 said this any other time I would have taught thee 
 better, but to-night I have nothing but love for thee. 
 Come to my arms." 
 
 With unsteady steps he walked up to Natasha. 
 She rushed to another corner, and he rushed after 
 her. His passion had become more and more in- 
 flamed by her resistance. He caught the girl and 
 again dragged her to the table. He offered her 
 vodka, but she pushed away the glass, spilling its 
 contents on the floor. 
 
 "Ha, ha! thou willst not drink, golubka?" he 
 jeered. "But thou must, for while I am in good 
 humor we must drink together." With these words 
 he forced her head backward and poured a drink of 
 vodka into her mouth. Despite the girl's resistance, 
 some of the liquor got to her throat, causing her to 
 cough. 
 
 "Did it not taste good?" asked Petrovich. "I 
 shall now drink out of the glass whicli has touched 
 thy lips." 
 
206 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 He filled a glassful!, and drank it down with a 
 gulp. "Now we will see how nice it is to kiss these 
 pretty lips." 
 
 He pressed his thick, sensuous mouth to the lips 
 of the girl, who tried in vain to protect them with 
 her hands. 
 
 "How sweet ! Once more," he said. 
 
 But before he had time to kiss her again, she 
 dealt him a blow on the face that sent him stagger- 
 ing, and she broke away. It was not possible to 
 presuppose such strength in a girl. In his fall he 
 toppled the table and knocked over the candle. The 
 cellar was in complete darkness. 
 
 "S9 thou wouldst rather amuse thyself in the 
 dark, girl," he muttered, and he crept toward her. 
 
 Natasha tried to reach the door, but her tormentor 
 kept close by her. 
 
 "What? Thou wouldst escape from me?" he said 
 in a tremulous voice — his rage had partly sobered 
 him. "No, golubka; thou dost not know Petrovich." 
 
 He pulled from a secret sheath a long, sharp 
 knife. It was pitch dark, but Natasha instinctively 
 felt the approaching knife thrust and tiptoed along 
 the walls to the door, where she sought the latch. 
 She already felt the hot breath of the assassin. The 
 next moment she felt herself seized by his rough 
 hands and pulled to him. 
 
 "Police ! Help !" screamed the girl. 
 
 "No one will hear thee," laughed Petrovich. 
 
 "Help, help!" repeated the girl, tugging at the 
 latch. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 207 
 
 "Here is help for thee !" yelled the murderer furi- 
 ously, and brought down the knife with a swing. 
 
 Just at this instant the door was opened and the 
 knife plunged into the breast of a man ; a stream of 
 blood gushed out, and for a moment the assassin 
 stood stupefied. His hand released its hold and 
 Natasha slipped from his clutch. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A BRACE OF SPIES 
 
 "He lives here," whispered Sherwood to himself, 
 turning around the corner of Dyevyataya Rota 
 street. "Yes, here; I know it for a certainty." 
 
 At the gate of a gray house sat a bearded janitor, 
 a Tartar from Kazan, lazily surveying the street. 
 
 "Knyaz (prince), does not a soldier live here?" 
 asked Sherwood, taking off his cap. 
 
 "To the devil with him!" roughly answered the 
 Tartar. "How am I to know whether or not 
 soldiers live here? There live here at least half a 
 hundred, not one only." 
 
 "A one-armed soldier," added Sherwood. 
 
 "And why should I know if the occupants of this 
 house have one, two, or three arms?" answered the 
 janitor. "There are in our house all kinds of 
 rabble." 
 
 Sherwood perceived at once that the Tartar was 
 on his guard. The widow Yurkovsky had promised 
 her detective one hundred rubles, a sum which he 
 had not possessed for a long time. The old spy did 
 not know that she was to receive five thousand rubles 
 for his discovery, else his demands would not have 
 been so modest. 
 
 With a sigh, Sherwood took from his pocket a 
 silver rublCj turned it around in his hands for a time, 
 and with a still deeper sigh he said : 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 209 
 
 "Prince, would you mind to take a drink of vodka 
 with me?" 
 
 "I do not drink vodka, but would take a little 
 balsam." 
 
 The Tartars do not drink vodka, observing Mo- 
 hammed's injunction ; but if it is called balsam, they 
 do not refuse, since nothing is said about balsam in 
 the Koran. 
 
 Let us have some balsam, then," said Sherwood. 
 He did not like to pay for others, while he himself 
 always drank at the expense of his friends when- 
 ever he had the opportunity. 
 
 The two started off, walking arm-in-arm, toward 
 the saloon. They had just left the building when a 
 man, gray-haired and with a strongly dyed mus- 
 tache, and wrapped in a shuba ( fur coat) , approached 
 the gate and rang the bell. His ring was, of course, 
 not answered by the janitor. He rang again. Then 
 he shrugged his shoulders and said to himself : 
 
 "Well, I will have to wait so as not to attract the 
 attention of the neighbors." And, disregarding the 
 eighteen degrees of cold, he proceeded to walk up 
 and down before the house. 
 
 Suddenly a hired carriage flitted past him and 
 stopped at the gate. The unknown in the fur coat 
 secreted himself in a corner to see who would alight 
 from the vehicle. 
 
 But his curiosity remained unsatisfied. No one 
 left the carriage, but the driver crawled down from 
 his box and rang the bell. 
 
 "Who can that be?" the watcher thought. "Is 
 it possible that some one else received the same com- 
 
210 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 mission that was given to me? I must find out." 
 He walked up to the gate, making it appear that he 
 was passing by it, and at the same time looked into 
 the carriage. In it he saw a wrinkled old woman. 
 Her face was familiar to him. 
 
 "Solomonida !" he exclaimed, approaching the 
 carriage. 
 
 "Leyming!" came back in reply. 
 
 The two kindred spirits recognized each other. 
 They were the principal spies of the Countess. 
 
 "By what chance, Solomonida, did you get here?" 
 asked Leyming, and red blotches appeared on his 
 cheeks, which was an indication of his angry feeling. 
 
 "Obviously by the same chances which lirought 
 you here," replied Solomonida. 
 
 "But the Cotmtess — " retorted the other. 
 
 "Well, what of that ? The Countess preferred to 
 dispatch four eyes instead of two." 
 
 "But the Countess promised — " 
 
 "To give you five hundred rubles," interrupted 
 Solomonida. "I know that, but I came to the con- 
 clusion that she can well afford to give me a like 
 amount in a transaction which brings her ten or 
 perhaps twenty times as much." 
 
 Old Le5niiing said nothing more. He had known 
 the Countess many years. She always dispatched 
 several spies to investigate the same affair; first, 'to 
 obtain the most accurate information, and second, to 
 be able, as a result, to pay a smaller reward by saying 
 that she already had the information through another 
 source. But he also knew that in this affair there 
 was a large profit. He began to reflect how he could 
 rid himself of the competition of this woman, when 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 211 
 
 he happened to see his old friend Sherwood arm-in- 
 arm with the janitor Abdulka, coming across the 
 street with unsteady steps. 
 
 "Ah, he also has a hand in this. Is he, too, sent 
 by the Countess ?" he asked himself. 
 
 As soon as Sherwood saw his rival, he went to 
 speak to him. Sherwood and the janitor were both 
 drunk — the whole ruble was spent for vodka. The 
 old spy threw himself on Lejrming's neck and wept. 
 
 "Brother, bosom friend, at last we meet again! 
 Yes, Abdulka, if thou couldst only know my friend 
 Leyming ! There is a man for thee." 
 
 Then he whispered into Leyming's ear : 
 
 "Couldst not, bosom friend, lend me a ruble? I 
 must have it, otherwise I shall cut my throat. Kins- 
 man mine, give me a ruble." 
 
 Leyming easily observed that his friend was very 
 drunk; besides, his presence there was not to his 
 liking, so he gave him a chyetvertdk (quarter of a 
 ruble), saying : "This is all I have with me ; if it be 
 of any use to thee — " 
 
 "That is all thou hast?" asked Sherwood play- 
 fully. "Oh, thou old jester!" and he kissed him 
 again and pressed him to his heart. The saying, "in 
 vinum Veritas/' is not always true. 
 
 Leyming was on needles. What would he not 
 give if only Solomonida and Sherwood were out of 
 his way. 
 
 "Well, well," he said impatiently. "I have not 
 time ; I must go ; I have business." 
 
 "Business? Art thou looking for one-armed 
 soldiers ?" said the drunken man. 
 
212 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Leyming and Solomonida sharpened their ears. 
 
 "The son of — " continued Sherwood, but 
 Leyming pressed the hand of the gossipy spy with 
 such force that it cracked. 
 
 "Silence!" he whispered in his ear in a threaten- 
 ing tone. 
 
 "Ah, yes, yes," muttered the other; "yes, I forgot 
 that it — it is — a secret of the Emperor. One must 
 be careful. But if I tell thee where he is, what willst 
 thou give me ?" 
 
 Leyming pressed his hand once more, saying : 
 
 "Silence, I tell thee to be still, fool !" 
 
 "Yes, where is he, this interesting youth? You 
 sharp rascals do not know it, but Sherwood, the 
 drunkard, does know. Sherwood is wise, but do 
 not force him to kiss Solomonida, brr — . She is so 
 old that the devil himself would refuse to kiss her, 
 brr — . And so you wish to know where he is ? He 
 is here, my friend, in this house. The last descend- 
 ant of the Kazan rulers, our worthy janitor and my 
 brother, will bear me out in this. Is it not so, my 
 heart's ease, Abdul-ben-Bahum ?" 
 
 Leyming interrupted this chatter, secretly shoved 
 a five-ruble piece in the janitor's hand, saying : 
 
 "Let us go, I wish to speak to you." 
 
 But it was not so easy to part him from Sherwood. 
 
 "Where shall I be, friend Leyming? Where am 
 I to remain?" 
 
 Leyming stamped his foot impatiently, and walked 
 off with the janitor into the interior of the court. 
 
 "Now take me to the one-armed soldier; I know 
 that he lives in this house." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 213 
 
 Abdul darted upon him his sly eyes. His drunken 
 stupor had left him, for the wily Tartar scented 
 profit. 
 
 "What one-armed soldier?" he muttered as if the 
 balsam was still tangling his tongue. "I do not 
 know any one-armed soldiers." 
 
 Le)miing gave him another five-ruble bill. 
 
 "Perhaps this will refresh your memory." 
 
 The Tartar scratched his neck. Then he struck 
 himself on the forehead and said hesitatingly : 
 
 "You are likely asking about the soldier who lives 
 at Mme. Krakhmalina ?" 
 
 "Yes, that is the one; take me there," Leyming 
 answered. 
 
 The janitor walked ahead, followed by Leyming. 
 They ascended to the fourth floor. The careful spy 
 looked cautiously around to see that Sherwood was 
 not on his tracks. 
 
 They rang Mme. Krakhmalina's door bell. An 
 old woman, coughing, opened the door. But they 
 had scarcely entered when Sherwood and Solo- 
 monida slipped through the gate behind them, un- 
 noticed. 
 
 They entered the corridor at the moment when 
 Mme. Krakhmalina was pointing to one of four beds 
 in the room, and who said : 
 
 "Yes, he did live here. A tall young man, with 
 a gash on his face. His box is here, but he has been 
 absent for two days." 
 
 "Has he a box ?" Leyming exclaimed. "Show it 
 to us ; we will open it." 
 
214 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The old woman remonstrated, but a five-ruble 
 piece, slipped into her hand by Leyming, quieted her. 
 
 "Abdul, bring us a chisel," ordered the old woman. 
 "But you will not find much. Savelyev is as bare as 
 a falcon." 
 
 "Savelyev !" muttered Sherwood and Solomonida, 
 who were secreted in the corridor and watched 
 through a crack in the door. 
 
 After a careful survey of the lock, Abdul said: 
 "A good nail will do the work. Here you are." In 
 a moment the lock flew open and Leyming's eyes 
 glistened with delight at the sight of the contents. 
 
 Leyming began eagerly to run over the letters 
 which it contained, laying aside the most important 
 ones, while the janitor and the landlady looked on 
 with indifference. He folded the papers and was 
 about to put them in his pocket, when a hand stopped 
 him and a mocking voice cried into his ear : 
 
 "Stop! Divide, brother!" 
 
 Leyming shuddered and raised his head. Sher- 
 wood and Solomonida stood before him. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 dostoyevsky's wife before the emperor 
 
 Who gave thee this ring ?" asked the Emperor of 
 the young woman who stood before him in the same 
 room in which we have seen him at the beginning of 
 our story. The Tsar walked leisurely up and down 
 the room with his arms crossed over his back. 
 
 The young woman was silent. Distress and fear 
 about her husband blurred her memory. She put 
 her hand to her forehead in an effort to recall some- 
 thing. 
 
 The Emperor fixed upon her a penetrating look, 
 but his thoughts were far away from the suppliant 
 who was on her knees before him. 
 
 The woman was completely unnerved; she could 
 only murmur : 
 
 "Have mercy on him !" 
 
 "He will be spared, but first tell me who gave thee 
 this ring." 
 
 The encouraging words restored her memory, and 
 she answered : 
 
 "A fortune teller." 
 
 "A fortune teller?" he asked in a hoarse voice. 
 "What was her name?" 
 
 The woman was silent and shuddered from fear. 
 
 "What was her name? Perhaps Marfiisha?" 
 
 "Yes, Marfiisha, Marfiisha," she cried. 
 
 "Thou hast known Marftisha?" 
 
216 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "I have seen her but once. I swear by the living 
 God that I saw her but once." 
 
 "Why did she give thee the ring?" 
 
 "Why?" thought the young woman, meditating. 
 "Why did she ?" she repeated to herself. 
 
 The Emperor kept silence, and he was trying to 
 read with his eagle eyes the secrets of her heart. 
 
 "Why?" again repeated Dostoyevsky's wife. 
 "Oh, yes; now I remember," and she removed her 
 hands from her forehead. "She gave me the ring, 
 conjuring me on my life and my salvation never to 
 take it off. She told me — " 
 
 She stopped as if reflecting. 
 
 "Well, what did she say?" asked the Emperor. 
 
 "She — she said that the ring could not save my 
 husband, but that it would avenge him." 
 
 "And if it could save thy husband, wouldst thou 
 give it to me?" 
 
 "I, Emperor ? Do not make sport of a wretched, 
 loving woman. Is it possible that I can save my 
 husband ? Is it possible that he will be restored to 
 me?" 
 
 "Art thou agreed to give me the ring ? Say yes, 
 and thy husband is saved." 
 
 Dostoyevsky's wife crawled on her knees to the 
 Emperor and kissed his feet. 
 
 "You are not deceiving me ? No, no ; that would 
 be too cruel. You will spare my husband, will you 
 not?" 
 
 "I ask thee once more, dost thou wish to sell me 
 the ring? The fortune teller told thee nothing else 
 when she gave it thee?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 217 
 
 "No! I do not know this horrible woman. I 
 had never seen her before that time. What else did 
 she tell me ? Yes, yes ; she said that I would not be 
 able to save my husband, but that I would avenge 
 him. And now he will be returned to me. Did 
 she lie, then?" 
 
 "Fortune tellers often lie; they always lie. How 
 much dost thou want for the ring?" 
 
 The young woman tore it off her finger and laid 
 it at the Emperor's feet. 
 
 "Shall I bargain about a ring, when it is a question 
 of the life and freedom of my husband ? I have not 
 heard in vain that Your Majesty is a just and 
 gracious Tsar." 
 
 Nicholas picked up the ring, looked it over from 
 all sides, pressed the hidden spring and the stone flew 
 back, revealing a hidden medallion. 
 
 "Well, what dost thou want for the ring?" he 
 asked again. 
 
 The young woman wrung her hands in silence. 
 
 "Very well," said the Tsar, "thy husband is free. 
 But he cannot remain in St. Petersburg." He then 
 went to a writing table, wrote several lines, rose, and 
 rang twice. 
 
 An officer entered. 
 
 "Conduct this lady to the fortress. Let her 
 husband, prisoner No. 8, be set free." 
 
 The poor woman did not believe that her happiness 
 was real. She kissed the Emperor's feet hysterically, 
 and weeping from joy, she said : 
 
 "Is this really true, or is it a dream ?" 
 
218 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 
 
 "Go now, so that the dream may become a reality," 
 said the Emperor with unusual emotion. "Go and 
 set thy husband free." With these words he raised 
 her up, and turning to the officer said : 
 
 "Help her, thou seest that she is weak." 
 
 The officer led the young woman out of the 
 Emperor's presence. 
 
 Nicholas followed her with a sad look, and when 
 the door was closed he soliloquized : 
 
 "I have at least succeeded in making her happy. 
 Why can I not make them all happy ? But my hours 
 are numbered — yes, they are numbered. Nesselrode 
 told me to-day that if I fail to accept the final decision 
 by to-morrow, Esterhazy will be recalled by his court. 
 Am I, then, to accept the four proposed conditions ? 
 Never! never! My decision is made." 
 
 The Emperor resumed his examination of the 
 ring. 
 
 "Is this really the index finger of fate ? Has fate 
 actually confirmed her decision?" He unbuttoned 
 his coat and fastened the ring to the gold cross which 
 was suspended from his neck. 
 
 "I must put an end to this struggle," he continued, 
 "otherwise it will break my power completely. The 
 fatal choice between submitting to my foes and 
 insisting on my own stipulations torments my soul 
 at every new dispatch from the Crimea or Asia 
 Minor. Sleep has left me, and I am pursued by 
 the hideous and ever-present phantom of defeat." 
 
 Nicholas looked again to see if the ring was 
 securely fastened to the chain, then buttoned his coat. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 219 
 
 This ring was presented to the Princess Lovich, 
 the wife of Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich, 
 when this proud and ambitious PoHsh lady stood 
 almost on the steps of the Tsar's throne, by a Cir- 
 cassian woman, brought by General Grabe from the 
 Caucasus. 
 
 "Take this ring," she had said to the Princess, 
 with whom she was on a friendly footing ; "there is 
 poison under the stone, and of a kind that we of the 
 Caucasus alone know how to prepare. Perhaps 
 some day it will be convenient for thee to have it. 
 Should thy husband's enemies triumph, or should 
 he in a moment of temptation brush thee aside as 
 many other women — thou art proud and wouldst not 
 wish to outlive such disgrace." 
 
 From that time the Princess never parted with 
 the ring. 
 
 After the death of Alexander I., when the troops, 
 partly from ignorance and partly by persuasion, had 
 sworn fealty to the Grand Duke Constantine and 
 proclaimed him Emperor, he would not accept the 
 dangerous honor. The Princess Lovich strove in 
 every way to inspire her husband with ambition. 
 
 "Only a coward would refuse," she had said to 
 him. "Show thyself to the troops, who have 
 assembled in front of the Lozenky and are calling 
 for thee with loud huzzas. Only show thyself to 
 them, and the crown is thine! If thou art pro- 
 claimed Tsar in Warsaw and Petersburg, Nicholas 
 will not dare to touch the crown, which of right 
 belongs to thee. Be a man, and thou wilt be 
 Emperor !" 
 
220 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Constantine vacillated. He had already taken 
 several steps toward the door leading to the balcony, 
 intending to show himself to the troops, when his 
 younger brother, Michael, who had just arrived from 
 St. Petersburg, entered. He succeeded in persuad- 
 ing Constantine to refuse the throne in favor of 
 Nicholas. 
 
 When Constantine signed the act of abdication the 
 Princess uttered a wild cry of despair, like that of a 
 lioness on whom the door of the strong cage is shut 
 for the first time. She pressed the opal to her lips, 
 but Constantine observed the movement in time and 
 snatched away the ring. After this occurrence the 
 ring remained in his possession until the Poles drove 
 him out of Lozenky, when he took one-half of its 
 contents, and sent the ring with the remaining poison 
 in it, along with some secret documents, to the 
 Emperor at St. Petersburg. Nicholas wore the ring 
 until Marya Assenkova, to whom he told the secret 
 of its contents, took it from him, saying : 
 
 , "It is not well for a monarch" to keep poison. In 
 a moment of weakness he may take it, forgetting that 
 the welfare of his people depends upon him. Poison 
 is the property of women who are weak, unprotected 
 creatures, but not of men, who have strength and 
 freedom of action !" 
 
 Marya Assenkova had no occasion to make use of 
 poison ; grief and despair had taken its place. 
 
 In this way, thanks to blind chance, Nicholas again 
 became master of the ring. 
 
 "Let the will of Providence be fulfilled!" he said 
 after the young woman had gone. 
 
 The protopresviter — Bazhanov — entered. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 221 
 
 The careful priest looked around, as if afraid of 
 something; then he approached the Emperor and 
 said: 
 
 "Your Majesty, you were pleased to state in your 
 confession — " 
 
 "Is this a church?" interrupted the Tsar. 
 
 "Your Majesty, we are alone, and wherever there 
 is a priest a confession may take place. Your 
 Majesty was pleased to speak of a son — " 
 
 The Emperor's face again assumed its usual com- 
 posed look. He had thought that the confessor 
 would speak of another secret, which he had also 
 confided to him in confession. He therefore said in 
 a more kindly voice : 
 
 "What have you learned about him ? Have you 
 found him?" 
 
 "We have a clue, but he has not yet been found." 
 
 The priest then handed the Tsar a bundle of 
 letters, which, as we have seen, Leyming had 
 abstracted from Savelyev's box. 
 
 The Emperor opened the package and began to 
 run over the letters. At the name of Marya Assen- 
 kova his face showed some agitation. He continued 
 to read, but the name of Savelyev attracted his 
 attention. 
 
 "Who is this Savelyev?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, he is your son, whom the midwife 
 kidnapped. It was under this name that he was 
 placed in the Gatchina Orphan Home." 
 
 "Then why not go there and inquire what became 
 of the boy, and where he is now ?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, I have sent to Gatchina, but — " 
 
222 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Well, what?" 
 
 "They only know there that Savelyev became a 
 soldier, and that subsequently — " 
 
 The clergyman stopped short. 
 
 "Well, what then?" 
 
 "That he took a part in Petrashevsky's conspiracy, 
 and was sent to Siberia." 
 
 The Emperor wrinkled his forehead. 
 
 "What, my son had a hand in a conspiracy against 
 me?" exclaimed the Emperor. 
 
 "But, Your Majesty, he did not know then and 
 does not know now that he is your son." 
 
 "True. But where is he ? Where didst thou get 
 these papers?" 
 
 The priest replied that he had intrusted the search 
 to the Countess Bobrinsky, and that she had brought 
 him the papers as the first result of her efforts ; that 
 she was perfectly confident that their owner would 
 soon be found. 
 
 The Emperor paced the room for awhile, and then 
 stopped in front of Bazhanov. 
 
 "Thou art a faithful servant, and I shall know how 
 to thank thee. Find my son, but quickly." 
 
 "Your Majesty has confessed to me another secret, 
 and a frightful one, which — " 
 
 Nicholas' face assumed a threatening look. 
 
 "Not a word about that !" 
 
 "Your Majesty," resumed the priest in a suppli- 
 cating tone, "think of the responsibility you are 
 taking. Think of the guilt one incurs who lays 
 hands upon himself." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 223 
 
 "Not another word; I command it. In the con- 
 fessional thou art master, for thou speakest there in 
 the name of God, but here I am Emperor." 
 
 Bazhanov was silent. 
 
 Nicholas again walked around the room as before, 
 and again stopped before his confessor. 
 
 "Thou hast been a faithful servant to me and to 
 my house. But who dares say my imaginations 
 shall become realities ; that my thoughts shall become 
 facts? Go now. Thou hast brought me glad 
 tidings, but thou wilt complete my joy by leading the 
 son of Marya Assenkova into my arms." 
 
 "The Countess Bobrinsky — " 
 
 "Does she need money again? How much does 
 she want ?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, her husband needs money for a 
 certain business venture — " 
 
 "Money, money, and money. How am I to get 
 all that is needed by those who surround me ? War 
 is an expensive affair. I shall talk to the Countess 
 myself. It is fortunate for her that Kenkrin is dead. 
 He was always opposed to the business ventures of 
 my nobles. Now go." 
 
 The priest took several steps in the direction of the 
 door, when the Emperor called him back, saying : 
 
 "Bless me, father." 
 
 Bazhanov blessed the monarch, who reverently 
 kissed his hand. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 NICHOLAS BECOMES SERIOUSLY ILL 
 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova, the Emperor's favorite, 
 sat brooding in her boudoir. Her look was directed 
 toward the banks of the Fontanka, as if she was 
 expecting some one. Whenever the tinkle of sleigh 
 bells was heard, or the even steps of a trotter reached 
 her ears, she would put her face to the icy window 
 and anxiously peer out ; but the sledges all went past. 
 The hour at which the Tsar usually visited her had 
 passed and he had not come. 
 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova had observed for several 
 days that the Emperor was changed. During the 
 last two days he had been more affectionate to her; 
 the wrinkles on his forehead became smoother; he 
 was more confiding and gracious than ever before ; he 
 stayed longer in her company; when he would take 
 his leave, he seemed to do so reluctantly. The day 
 before he had been unusually gracious. Five times 
 he took his helmet to go, but each time he returned 
 to her. When he went at last, his leave-taking was 
 so affectionate that Mademoiselle Nelidova cried an 
 hour after he had gone. 
 
 Where is he to-day? Why does he not come to 
 share her grief and console her ? 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 225 
 
 She recalled that there was a session of the 
 imperial council. Perhaps the sitting was continued 
 longer than usual. Perhaps new troops had arrived 
 and he had to review them. "He will come. Yes, 
 he will certainly come later. He will surely be here 
 soon," she said to herself. 
 
 Twilight was approaching, but the favorite did 
 not take her eyes from the glittering snow. Sud- 
 denly the snow crackled, and a single-span sledge 
 stopped in front of the porte cochere, and a tall officer 
 alighted. 
 
 It was impossible to recognize the visitor in the 
 deepening twilight. But her heart suggested that 
 it was he. She heard quick steps in the salon. 
 
 "It is he!" she ejaculated, and went to the door of 
 her boudoir. The door was opened, and the tall 
 officer entered. 
 
 "Your Majesty!" exclaimed Mademoiselle Neli- 
 dova, but her heart erred. Before her stood her 
 kinsman. Count Kleinmichel. 
 
 "Is it you?" asked the favorite in a tremulous 
 voice, and stepped back. The unexpected appear- 
 ance of the minister dismayed her. She tottered to 
 a chair. 
 
 "What has happened to the Emperor? Tell me 
 what has happened to him ?" 
 
 "Olympiada Arkadyevna, you must be brave; a 
 terrible blow has fallen upon us." 
 
 "Do not torture me. Tell me quickly what has 
 happened." 
 
 The Emperor is ill, very ill; he may die." 
 
226 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Impossible!" exclaimed the favorite. "It was 
 but yesterday that he was in the best of health." 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "but disease has been gnawing 
 his heart a long time like a poisonous reptile. 
 Yesterday, while he was in the Semenovsky barracks, 
 where the Siberian Cossacks are encamped, we 
 begged him to take care of himself, and he answered : 
 
 " 'I have business of greater importance than to 
 look after my health.' And to-day I found him in 
 bed. It is true that Mandt does not find anything 
 alarming in his condition, but Karrel and Enokhin 
 shake their heads significantly. Karrel has become 
 a different man. That the danger is imminent is 
 indicated by the general conduct toward me. Those 
 who formerly crawled in the dirt at my feet, to whom 
 a smile from me was the greatest reward, now turn 
 away, and refuse to recognize me. Even Bazhanov 
 turned his back, trying to make it appear that he did 
 not see me, and he conversed with Rostovtsev, my 
 avowed enemy. I should like to crush him. By 
 humiliating me, they hope to gain favor with the 
 future Emperor. But Nicholas still lives; he may 
 get well ; then yon scoundrels will learn that Count 
 Kleinmichel, like his monarch, never forgets or 
 forgives." 
 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova did not hear the last words. 
 She was absorbed in other thoughts. 
 
 "Ol5mipiada Arkadyevna, the death of the 
 Emperor will ruin both of us. We must act." 
 
 "But what can I do? For God's love, do not 
 speak of the Emperor's death. No, he cannot — ^he 
 shall not die." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 227 
 
 "I, too, hope that he will recover, to the sorrow of 
 our enemies. But his death must not take us by 
 surprise and leave us without protection." 
 
 The favorite looked at him in bewilderment. She 
 did not understand, nor did she try to understand. 
 
 He thought to use her as a means to secure his 
 own safety, as he had already used her to make his 
 position secure. 
 
 "Does the Emperor love you?" he asked. 
 
 The word "love" penetrated her heart like a ray 
 of hope. 
 
 "Does he love me?" she answered amidst tears. 
 "Of course — I think — I hope that he loves me." 
 
 "If so, then you must see him." 
 
 "See him!" joyfully exclaimed the favorite, for- 
 getting her grief for a moment. "Yes, I must see 
 him. My carriage, quick." She was about to ring, 
 but the Count arrested her hand. 
 
 "On my return I ordered the carriage for you ; it 
 will soon be ready. Which one of the ladies is to-day 
 in waiting on the Empress ?" 
 
 "Anna Abomelek." 
 
 "The Princess Abomelek reports that she is not 
 well to-day, and asks you to take her place to-night ; 
 here is her letter. Take it and go to the Winter 
 Palace." 
 
 "At once, at once!" exclaimed the favorite, and 
 stretched her hand to the bell, but the Count stopped 
 her again. 
 
 "Olympiada Arkadyevna, pray listen to me. 
 First of all you must dress; you know that the 
 Empress is very strict in her notions of etiquette." 
 
228 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "That is true," muttered the favorite. 
 
 "You will take the place of the Princess Abomelek, 
 and, under some pretext, as for instance informing 
 yourself about the Emperor's health, you will go into 
 the sick chamber. 
 
 "I shall certainly see him!" cried Mademoiselle 
 Nelidova hopefully. 
 
 "Yes, you will see him; you must see him, and 
 persuade him to receive me privately." 
 
 It was evident that the favorite did not understand 
 him, for she said joyfully : 
 
 "I will see him. No ; he will not die." 
 
 "Yes, you will see him, but do not forget that I 
 must see him also, for it concerns our mutual 
 interests." 
 
 "Yes, yes ; he loves me," said the favorite. "He 
 will not die. God will not permit it." 
 
 "I, too, hope so," said Kleinmichel. "I can 
 depend on you, then, Olympiada Arkadyevna. But 
 I repeat, remember that I must talk with the 
 Emperor. Dress yourself now; the carriage waits 
 at tiie door." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE PHYSICIAN EXAMINES SAVELYEV 
 
 The Emperor's private physician stood before the 
 wounded soldier, after having examined him. 
 
 "Hm, hm," he murmured, "the wound is not a 
 dangerous one. But where is the cause for the 
 delirium? That is inexplicable." 
 
 The officer on watch approached him. 
 
 "The Emperor asks your excellency to please to 
 come to him." 
 
 "Immediately," and the doctor took a pinch of 
 snuff. 
 
 "Captain, what is this soldier's family name?" 
 
 "Savelyev." 
 
 "Ah, Savelyev, a simple name. Do you know any 
 particulars about him ?" 
 
 "No, I know nothing, except that the Emperor 
 ordered that he be brought here and placed in your 
 care." 
 
 The doctor took another pinch of snuff, then he 
 turned to the officer : 
 
 "Captain, look at the soldier carefully. By the 
 way, what is your name?" 
 
 "Felkersam," answered the officer. 
 
230 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Yes, Felkersam, the name is familiar. Look 
 closely at Savelyev ; whom does he resemble, in your 
 opinion ?" 
 
 "He greatly resembles the — " The officer stopped 
 short. 
 
 "Well, speak up plainly." 
 
 "There is a strong resemblance to — to His 
 Majesty. Were it not for that scar across his face 
 he would be taken for the Emperor." 
 
 The doctor stared fixedly on the officer. 
 
 "You are mistaken," he said. "There is not the 
 least likeness between them. One must not judge 
 so superficially." 
 
 The captain looked at him in amazement. 
 
 "Not the slightest resemblance," repeated the 
 physician. And turning the snuff-box in his hand, 
 he said : "The wound is not dangerous ; a few cold 
 compresses and it will heal. Because of the fever, 
 it will be necessary to take him to the hospital. 
 Adieu, captain, I am going to His Majesty." 
 
 The wounded soldier again became delirious, 
 saying in a dull voice : 
 
 "Father! Am I indeed to be thy murderer? 
 What has become of Natasha?" 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 AT THE emperor's SICK BED 
 
 While the doctor was slowly ascending the steps 
 of the Winter Palace, the drum of the guardhouse 
 was beating the tattoo. 
 
 On reaching the first floor he visited first the 
 invalid Empress Alexandra Fedorovna. 
 
 "Doctor, my husband will surely recover, will he 
 not ? He is such a strong and healthy man ; he will 
 surely not go to the grave before me, who have been 
 ill for twenty-five years." 
 
 The physician approached the Empress' bed, near 
 which Mademoiselle Nelidova was seated, looking at 
 the doctor questioningly. 
 
 "It is a slight attack of pneumonia," he said, 
 "aggravated by rheumatism. His Majesty does not 
 take sufficient care of himself ; that is all. There is 
 nothing dangerous." 
 
 The favorite's eyes beamed with delight, and the 
 Empress pressed the doctor's hand with emotion. 
 
 "Doctor, you will save him ; you are the only hope 
 and comfort of our family," said the Empress. 
 
 "Pray do not be uneasy. To-morrow or the day 
 after, not later, His Majesty will himself come to 
 see you." 
 
 "Your Majesty," asked Mademoiselle Nelidova 
 when the physician had left, "shall I go and bring 
 you word of the Emperor's condition?" 
 
232 The Mysteries of the Zfmniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Wait until Doctor Mandt leaves him, my child. 
 He is a German and is more skilled than the Russian 
 physicians." 
 
 "And would you order me to go then ?" 
 
 "Certainly, my child." 
 
 Slyeptzova, the other lady-in-waiting, looked at 
 the favorite suspiciously. 
 
 The physician walked leisurely to the sick 
 chamber. He was of the opinion that a doctor 
 should never be in a hurry, for haste lessens his 
 authority. The Emperor had just fallen into a doze 
 when he entered. 
 
 Doctors Karrel and Enokhin were at the patient's 
 head, thoughtfully watching his sombre face. 
 
 Doctor Mandt walked in noisily. Both physicians 
 motioned to him to make less noise. He approached 
 his colleagues and asked : 
 
 "How is he?" 
 
 "Poorly, very poorly," said Karrel. "Not one of 
 the remedies take effect." 
 
 "Then we must try other remedies." 
 
 "Yes, but I fear—" 
 
 "What cause is there to fear ? The Emperor was 
 careless and caught cold." 
 
 "This also can become dangerous — " 
 
 "Danger is not to be thought of," was the self- 
 conscious answer of the German physician. 
 
 "But we are only physicians and not gods," 
 retorted Karrel. "I fear that his illness is more 
 deeply seated." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 233 
 
 "Well, what is it, worthy colleagues? State your 
 opinion. 'Tres faciunt collegium.' There are three 
 of us ; let us exchange opinions. And so you said — " 
 
 "I and my colleague fear — we are almost sure that 
 the Emperor is poisoned." 
 
 Mandt raised his head quickly and threw a search- 
 ing glance upon the Emperor. Then he took out his 
 snuff-box and slowly sniffed a pinch. Reflecting a 
 moment, he walked up to the Emperor and felt his 
 pulse. 
 
 "One, two, three," he began to count the pulsa- 
 tions. "The pulse is regular." Then he placed his 
 ear to the Emperor's lips, listening to his breathing. 
 "He breathes regularly. What caused you to sus- 
 pect poison ?" he turned to his colleagues. 
 
 "The trouble lies in the very fact that there are 
 no symptoms of illness, while his strength is visibly 
 breaking down. Feel the pulse ; you will find that it 
 gradually grows weaker; he — " 
 
 "Well, you are simply alarmed because the patient 
 happens to be an Emperor. His pulse is indeed 
 weak, but you must consider that a man of sixty, 
 and one who has lived a stormy life, has not as 
 much blood as a youth of eighteen. I therefore 
 consider the sick man's condition almost normal. 
 Did the Emperor complain of any pain ?" 
 
 "No," said Karrel, "and it is precisely this that 
 disturbs me — the rapid weakening of his strength 
 with complete consciousness. As regards myself, I 
 fear the worst." 
 
 Mandt smiled condescendingly and shrugged his 
 shoulders. 
 
234 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Emperor sighed suddenly and awoke. 
 
 "Where is Mandt ?" he asked. 
 
 "I am here, Your Majesty." 
 
 "How is the Empress ?" asked the Emperor. 
 
 "Better. A nervous attack. It is harassing, but 
 not dangerous," replied the doctor. 
 
 "Then she will outlive me. Poor woman !" 
 
 Mandt went up to the Emperor, took his hand, 
 and began to feel his pulse again. 
 
 "Why should Your Majesty talk of who will sur- 
 vive him. You will both live a long time yet. Ha, 
 ha, ha, I wish I would live as long as Your Majesty, 
 though I am younger." 
 
 "Ah, thou thinkest that I will live for years," said 
 the Emperor in a tone which did not astonish Mandt, 
 but which congealed the blood in Karrel's veins. 
 
 Then, turning to Karrel, the Emperor said : 
 
 "Art thou of the same opinion?" 
 
 "Your Majesty — " articulated the faithful servant. 
 
 "Yes, I know what thou wouldst say. 'We are all 
 mortal. Tsar and pauper alike.' Is not this w'hat 
 thou wouldst say? Thou wouldst also say that 
 doctors are also subject to error. You three are the 
 physicians of my perishable body, but where is the 
 physician of my soul which must survive my body ? 
 Karrel, ought I not to see my confessor? Is it not 
 true that we must at times doubt the words of a 
 physician ?" 
 
 Karrel was unable to answer; the tears checked 
 him. 
 
 "Let Bazhanov be called, and thou, Mandt, go to 
 the Empress. Thou sayest that she suffers from 
 
. The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 235 
 
 nervousness; go then and strengthen her nerves. 
 Fate has prepared a heavy trial for her in the near 
 future and she will need all her strength." 
 
 "Your Majesty, why excite yourself with such 
 gloomy thoughts ? You have a long life before you 
 yet." 
 
 'Urn !" said the Emperor. "Go to the Empress." 
 
 Mandt went out. On the stairway he met 
 Bazhanov. 
 
 "How is the Emperor ?" he asked of the doctor. 
 
 "An attack of pneumonia and hypochondria," 
 replied Mandt. 
 
 "Is there any danger ?" 
 
 "Not the slightest. It is well, father, that I met 
 you. I ihave just examined a wounded soldier by 
 the order of the Emperor." 
 
 "Well, what of that?" interrupted the confessor. 
 "This is surely not the first time that you received 
 such an order." 
 
 "Certainly not, but I discovered a resemblance." 
 
 The shrewd priest raised his head quickly, but 
 habit had taught him to control his emotions. He 
 did not wish it to appear that he surmised what the 
 doctor wished to tell him. 
 
 "A likeness ?" he asked in an indifferent tone. 
 
 "A striking likeness to His Majesty." 
 
 "Hm! it must be a trick of nature. Does not 
 Prince Suvarov also strikingly resemble the Em- 
 peror?" 
 
 "Certainly," answered Mandt, and took snuff. 
 He was too well accustomed to the ways of the court 
 
236 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 to express his opinions frankly. "His Majesty has 
 just sent for you, and I must go to the Empress." 
 
 The confessor followed him with his eyes until he 
 entered the apartments of the Empress. 
 
 "And so the soldier resembles the Emperor," he 
 said to himself. "I must see him. The Emperor will 
 forgive me if I oblige him to wait a while. Besides, 
 I have not been summoned yet, and Mandt says that 
 the Emperor is not dangerously ill." 
 
 Bazhanov walked down the stairway and entered 
 the guardhouse. 
 
 "Where is the soldier whom Privy Councilor 
 Mandt has just examined?" 
 
 An officer pointed to the soldier, who lay on a 
 cot. He was asleep and his chest heaved regularly. 
 
 One glance was enough for the priest to observe 
 the unusual likeness to the Emperor. 
 
 "What is the soldier's name?" he asked of the 
 officer. 
 
 "Savelyev." 
 
 "Savelyev ?" repeated the priest. Then he added 
 to himself : "I was not mistaken. That is the name 
 of the soldier in whose room they found the papers 
 which I gave to the Emperor." 
 
 "Captain, would you trouble yourself to leave me 
 with this soldier alone ? I have something to say to 
 him." 
 
 The officer left with a reverence. 
 
 The priest went up to the soldier and put his hand 
 on his shoulder. 
 
 "Savelyev!" he called loudly. 
 
 But he continued to breathe regularly and quietly. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 237 
 
 "Savelyev !" he repeated, and jerked his right arm. 
 The soldier cried from pain and opened his eyes. 
 
 "What is wanted of me?" he asked, but noticing 
 the priest he reverently kissed his hand and asked his 
 blessing. 
 
 The priest pronounced a benediction, and con- 
 tinued : 
 
 "Art thou Savelyev, the soldier ?" 
 
 The soldier made an affirmative sign with his 
 head. 
 
 "Hast thou been knocked down by the Emperor's 
 horse?" 
 
 The soldier again affirmed with a nod of the head. 
 
 "Thou badst at the time a revolver in thy hand." 
 
 "Yes," replied the soldier. 
 
 "What didst thou intend to do with it?" 
 
 "I wanted to kill the Emperor !" 
 
 "To kill the Emperor!" exclaimed Bazhanov, 
 terrified. 
 
 "Yes, and then to kill myself," quietly added the 
 soldier. 
 
 "Unfortunate one ! And why this double murder ? 
 What induced thee to this ?" 
 
 At this question the soldier sank to his knees, and 
 his eyes were filled with tears. 
 
 "What I have not confided to any one, I will con- 
 fide to thee, father. For art thou not a man of the 
 church, and the source of comfort and mercy ?" 
 
 Bazhanov raised him up and said : 
 
 "Sit up and make thy confession. Tell me all of 
 thy past, that I may offer thee the comfort of the 
 church." 
 
238 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The soldier narrated his sad story, beginning with 
 the time he was placed in the Orphan Asylum ; how 
 he dreamed of making a career for himself; how, 
 instead of this, he was sent to Siberia for sharing in 
 Petrashevsky's ideal. He described his escape from 
 Siberia; how 'he fought under the Russian flag, 
 hoping in vain to wipe out his transgression with 
 his blood; how his general tried to obtain pardon 
 for him unsuccessfully ; how his comrades, not wish- 
 ing to send him back to Siberia as a criminal, made 
 it possible for him to escape; how, instead of going 
 over to the enemy, he preferred to walk hundreds 
 of versts to reach St. Petersburg in the hope of 
 obtaining a pardon. He mentioned also how he met 
 and loved Natasha; how he found Kurdyubekov 
 dead by the hands of an unknown murderer, and 
 could never find the girl. He also told him of his 
 accidental meeting with Marfiisha, who told him 
 that she was his grandmother ; that from the time he 
 had lost Natasha he had looked for her day and 
 night, and at last, in complete despair and almost 
 deprived of reason, he decided to kill the man whom 
 he considered the cause of all of his misery, and then 
 end his own life. He refused to believe that the 
 Emperor was his father. A father's heart would 
 have recognized his son, even under a soldier's 
 mantle. 
 
 The clergyman listened attentively to Savelyev's 
 confession. He knew the advantages which would 
 accrue to him if he could bring to the Emperor the 
 son of his favorite, Marya Assenkova, whom he 
 never ceased to mourn. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 239 
 
 After Savelyev had finished his story the priest 
 rose, and putting his hand on the soldier's shoulder, 
 he said : 
 
 "Patience and humility, my son ! Pray to God ! 
 Perhaps there is a bright future in store for thee, 
 which will reward thee for all the trials of the past. 
 But do not speak to any one of thy criminal inten- 
 tions, nor what thou hast learned from the fortune 
 teller." 
 
 "And Natasha?" asked the soldier. "Where is 
 Natasha? The poor girl! where can she be?" 
 
 "Natasha will be found. But if thou tellest any 
 one of thy former intentions, or of thy imaginary 
 secret, it will be thy ruin and Natasha will be lost to 
 thee forever." 
 
 The priest blessed him once more and then left 
 him. 
 
 The soldier remained seated on the cot, with his 
 head sunk, and absorbed in deep reflection. 
 
 Bazhanov ascended the stairs to the Emperor's 
 apartments. In the reception room he found Karrel, 
 who, apparently, was waiting for him. 
 
 "Father," said the doctor, "the Emperor is expect- 
 ing you, but before you enter I must speak a few 
 words with you." 
 
 "What do you wish to say?" 
 
 "The Emperor's illness — " 
 
 "Is not dangerous, I have been so told by Doctor 
 Mandt a quarter of an hour ago," interrupted the 
 priest. 
 
240 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Ah, God grant that Mandt may not be mistaken. 
 God grant that he speaks the truth. For my part I 
 do not share in his hopes." 
 
 "Do you differ with him?" asked the priest 
 excitedly. 
 
 "Before God and my conscience, I do." 
 
 "Is the Emperor really so alarmingly ill ?" 
 
 "Yes, father ; and he is convinced himself that he 
 has but a short time to live." 
 
 "Doctor, you frighten me." 
 
 "I waited for you to tell you that which my con- 
 science does not permit me to hide from you. You 
 must prepare the Tsar's family for the blow which 
 may overtake them very soon." 
 
 "But wherein does the Emperor's illness consist ?" 
 
 "It is impossible for our science to discover the 
 cause, the symptoms are so strange, so conflicting. 
 But I am not alarmed without good reason." 
 
 "And what is the reason ?" 
 
 "I am afraid that the Emperor is poisoned." 
 
 "After all!" 
 
 These words escaped the confessor's lips, and he 
 would have given half of his life if he could have 
 had them back. The doctor heard this significant 
 remark, and regarded the priest with a fixed look. 
 
 At this moment an adjutant-general stepped out 
 of the Emperor's chamber, and seeing the confessor 
 he said to him : 
 
 "Father, the Emperor has asked for you several 
 times. He awaits you with increasing impatience." 
 
 "I am coming at once," said the priest, and seizing 
 the doctor's hands he said in an agitated voice : "I 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 241 
 
 shall do my duty, even more than is enjoined upon 
 me, if possible. You understand me. What you 
 have told me shall remain a secret between us." 
 
 Karrel bowed in silence. 
 
 The priest and the doctor then entered the sick 
 chamber. 
 
 "Your Majesty, the confessor has come," an- 
 nounced Doctor Enokhin, who stood at the bedside. 
 
 "Very well ; leave me now. I wish to commune 
 with the physician of my soul." 
 
 Every one left the chamber, and Nicholas 
 remained alone with the priest. What the Emperor 
 said on this occasion has never been revealed. 
 
 When Bazhanov left the Emperor and entered the 
 reception room his eyes were filled with tears. He 
 approached Karrel, and whispered to him: "You 
 were right, faithful Karrel. The Emperor is dan- 
 gerously ill ; I fear there is no hope for his recovery. 
 Try the remedies which science teaches you, and I 
 will pray that your efforts may be successful. But 
 remember that nothing confirms your theory, and it 
 must therefore remain a secret forever." 
 
 The priest then descended the stairs, directing his 
 steps to the Empress' apartments. He encountered 
 the favorite in the hall. A deathly pallor covered 
 her face and she walked with tottering steps. 
 
 "Where are you going?" the priest asked of 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova. 
 
 "The Empress was pleased to send me to the 
 Emperor to inform myself about his condition." 
 
 "At the wish of the Emperor, I am going myself 
 to the Empress. You cannot see His Majesty." 
 
242 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The favorite looked at the priest, but did not 
 understand him, for she continued to walk in the 
 direction of the Emperor's apartments. "The priest 
 then took hold of her arm and repeated : 
 
 "You cannot enter the Emperor's chamber." 
 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova was terrified, and said in a 
 faltering voice : 
 
 "I cannot see the Emperor ? I ? Impossible !" 
 
 "Since His Majesty did not know of your presence 
 in the palace, he instructed me to inform you that he 
 does not wish to see you." 
 
 "It is not true! Do not be cruel. I know you 
 are my enemy; you wish to remove me. It is not 
 the Emperor, but you who do not wish me to see 
 him. I must see him, if only for one minute!" 
 
 She was exhausted with this outburst of grief, but 
 continued in the direction of the sick chamber. The 
 priest held her back once more, and turning to the 
 officer on duty, he said : 
 
 "Announce to His Majesty that Mademoiselle 
 Nelidova prays an audience." 
 
 The officer entered the Emperor's chamber, but 
 came out immediately. 
 
 "His Majesty cannot receive you now," he said 
 courteously, offering her his arm, "and instructed 
 me to conduct you to the Empress." 
 
 A ray of hope shimmered in the favorite's heart, 
 but alas! only for a moment. On reaching the 
 Empress' ante-chamber the officer got her cloak and 
 put it on the shoulders of the startled woman. 
 
 "What does this mean?" she exclaimed. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 243 
 
 "I did not wish to tell you in the presence of 
 strangers," answered the officer politely. "His 
 Majesty commanded me to conduct you home, and 
 to forbid you — ^to request you — . You are asked 
 not to come again to the Winter Palace." 
 
 "I must not — " 
 
 "Pardon me; this is a very unpleasant duty for 
 me — the more so, owing to my deep respect for you. 
 But His Majesty desires — you will understand. I 
 do not like to use more unpleasant words. The 
 Emperor does not wish that you should again cross 
 the threshold of the palace. He says that family 
 relations will not permit your presence here. I crave 
 your pardon ; I am only performing my duty." 
 
 Insulted in her love and defeated in her ambition, 
 the favorite did not hear the officer's apologies ; she 
 fell in a swoon. 
 
 The officer picked her up like a child, carried her 
 into her carriage, and conducted her home, where he 
 handed her over to the chambermaid in an uncon- 
 scious condition. 
 
 The priest followed her with his eyes until she 
 disappeared through the palace gate, when he entered 
 the presence of the Empress. 
 
 There he remained for a long time. After leaving 
 the Empress he went to the guardhouse. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 Natasha's escape 
 
 The assassin Petrovich wiped away the blood 
 which had squirted into his eyes. 
 
 "Ah, girl, thou wouldst run away from me? 
 Wouldst slip out of my hands? Thou dost not 
 know Petrovich. Now thou art properly punished." 
 
 He staggered to the table, struck a light, and 
 looked for the candle. He found it, lighted it, and 
 turned to the door. The body had fallen across the 
 doorway, leaving it partly open. As soon as Petro- 
 vich neared the opening the cold wind struck his face. 
 
 "Where is the girl ?" he muttered. 
 
 The faint, flickering light revealed, instead of the 
 body of Natasha, that of a man weltering in blood. 
 Blood streamed from his mouth and from a deep 
 wound in his chest, covering the ground with a red 
 pool. 
 
 "What is that?" exclaimed Petrovich. "Am I 
 mistaken ? What night bird is this ?" He brought 
 the candle close to the dying man's face. 
 
 "Makarov !" he cried. "All right, now thou hast 
 found out, though a little too late, that it won't do 
 to meddle in Petrovich's affairs. But where is the 
 girl ?" he screamed in a rage, and throwing away^the 
 candle rushed out in pursuit, regardless of the dying 
 man. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 245 
 
 He did not know what direction to take. - He 
 heard the sound of hasty steps. He raged like a 
 Hon balked in seizing its prey. Looking round, he 
 saw at a distance the figure of a female form gliding 
 over the snow like a black dot. He hastened his 
 steps and gained rapidly on the fugitive. Ahead of 
 the first figure he soon observed another figure run- 
 ning. 
 
 "Who can it be ? What can it mean ?" he reflected, 
 and doubled his pace. 
 
 Suddenly an isvoshchik, driving at full speed, 
 came from a side street. Petrovich had no time to 
 escape, and bumped against the door of the vehicle. 
 Two strong arms seized him from the carriage and 
 held him securely. 
 
 "What is the meaning of this wild running?" was 
 asked him. 
 
 The villain recognized the voice at once. 
 
 "Alexey Alexandrovich, for God's sake let me go," 
 he begged, for each minute of delay increased the 
 distance between him and the girl. 
 
 "Ah, thou knowest me, friend !" retorted Alexey 
 Alexandrovich. This was that same pristav who 
 was captured by the English and who, for his care- 
 lessness, was transferred from the Viborg to the 
 Yamsky district. "Show me thy face !" and he drew 
 the villain closer to get a fair view of him. 
 
 "Bah ; why it is Petrovich !" he said, looking at the 
 blood-bespattered face of the assassin. "Bah, what 
 a face thou hast! Thou must have again worked 
 mischief somewTiere." 
 
246 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Alexey Alexandrovich, do not detain me; I 
 must — " 
 
 "Go with me to the station; that is what thou 
 must do, brother, and that without washing." 
 
 "Alexey Alexandrovich, I will give you five 
 hundred — " 
 
 "At once?" 
 
 "Yes, now." 
 
 "Then he must have it on his person, and I can 
 take it from him at the station," concluded the 
 worthy pristav. Then he added, pointing to the 
 driver : 
 
 "Impossible, brother; we will see at the station 
 what we can do for thee. Thou knowest well, dear 
 brother, that I am always ready to help thee." 
 
 "Alexey Alexandrovich, I beg you to let me go; 
 otherwise something dreadful will happen." 
 
 "Ah, dost thou think so, uncle Petrovich?" said 
 the pristav, nudging the driver. 
 
 Instantly, before the prisoner had time to collect 
 his thoughts, the driver threw a noose around him, 
 and the pristav signaled with his whistle. 
 
 In a moment there was a policeman at the side of 
 the pristav. 
 
 "Get the cord and bind this fellow," was the 
 pristav's order. 
 
 The policeman crossed Petrovich's hands on his 
 back and tied them. 
 
 "Now get inside and hold this fellow fast." Then, 
 turnittg to the driver, he said, "I suppose that he 
 does not need the necktie now ; he wdn't catth cold." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 247 
 
 The driver removed the noose from the prisoner's 
 neck, when he was about to choke. 
 
 "Alexey Alexandrovich, I never expected that you 
 would treat me in this way." 
 
 "Ah, dearest, many things happen which we do 
 not expect; so it is not worth while thinking about 
 it." 
 
 While the murderer was being taken to the station, 
 the two persons whom he had pursued were far 
 away. Natasha, to whom fear and despair had 
 given wings, ran farther and farther from her pur- 
 suer Tovarov, for it was he. 
 
 As the reader has already seen, Tovarov had left 
 the wine cellar with his nephew. Makarov had not 
 told him anything of the object of his undertaking ; 
 he had merely ordered him to accompany him. 
 
 In his heart Tovarov was not bad ; he was a weak 
 character, which often leads to unintended crime. 
 Under other environments he would likely have been 
 respected and beloved, but now he was despised and 
 hated. He had scarcely reached his nineteenth year 
 when he left the military school and was sent to a 
 garrison in the Caucasus. To be in the garrison is 
 not very cheerful at best, but to live in the small 
 fortress in the Caucasus in those times, cut off on 
 all sides by the unfriendly Circassians, was far worse. 
 The officers were absolutely deprived of social inter- 
 course, and the only means of relief from ennui was 
 found in cards and vodka. Tovarov, together with 
 the rest, abandoned himself to play and drink. In 
 the spring he obtained a furlough and went to the 
 Kisic»w^sJ« Baths. This resort was always crowded 
 
248 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 
 
 with military officers, the greater part of whom were 
 veterans, whose only means of livelihood was 
 gambling. These gentlemen lured Tovarov into 
 their toils and picked him clean of the little he had. 
 Not being able to live on his salary, he resigned 
 his commission and returned to Russia, where he 
 immediately fell into the company of his cousin 
 Makarov, and, together with him, soon passed 
 through the whole school of crime. 
 
 Having spent the whole day in dissipation with 
 Makarov, he followed him without asking where and 
 for what purpose. 
 
 As soon as he saw Natasha emerging from the 
 cellar he ran to overtake her, but drink had made his 
 feet heavy, and increased the distance between them. 
 
 Pursuer and pursued had already left the deserted 
 streets of the Yamsky district behind them. Natasha 
 neared the Obvodny Canal, when she slipped and fell, 
 striking against a stone, and lost consciousness. 
 
 Tovarov saw her fall. He rushed to the spot 
 where she lay, intending to carry her back to his 
 cousin, but he found her too heavy for a drunken 
 man. 
 
 "What must I do with her ? I shall have to leave 
 her here," he reflected. "In fact, what business is 
 this of mine. Let Makarov pick her up himself. It 
 is enough that I made a fool of myself in running 
 after her. But where is my cousin. Perhaps he 
 is waiting for me to bring her to him." 
 
 Tovarov was on the point of leaving her, when 
 his good heart asserted itself. "I cannbt leave her 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 249 
 
 in this condition ; she will die from cold. But where 
 can I take her ? It is too far to my room." 
 
 He noticed a bluish smoke not far away, through 
 which a red flame appeared. 
 
 "This is lucky," he said to himself. "This is a 
 sentry box." He went to the box, in front of which 
 he found the sentry asleep, resting on his halberd. 
 A cheerful fire was burning inside. 
 
 "Knight !" Tovarov addressed the sentry. 
 
 "What is the matter?" cried the policeman, 
 yawning. 
 
 "Knight, there is a woman lying on the ground 
 yonder." 
 
 "Let her lie and sleep. She must be drunk." 
 
 "Please, knight, she will die from exposure," 
 begged Tovarov. 
 
 "That is all the same to me ; she won't be the first 
 to die that way." 
 
 "But, knight — " interposed Tovarov. 
 
 "Go on," thundered the sentry, pushing him away 
 with the butt of his halberd. 
 
 His companion, who was warming himself in the 
 box, heard the talk and came out. 
 
 "What is the matter there ?" he asked. 
 
 Tovarov told him what he had already said to the 
 other sentry. 
 
 "Where is she ?" he asked of Tovarov. 
 
 Tovarov conducted him to the place where Na- 
 tasha lay. 
 
 The sentry picked her up, carried her to the sen- 
 try box, put her down before the fire, and covered 
 her with a sheep skin. 
 
250 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "So young and handsome," said the soldier, 
 shaking his head, "and already wallows on the 
 streets drunk. Yes, the world is becoming worse 
 every day. It was not so when we were young." 
 
 Tovarov then went home. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 CONSTANTINE BEFORE THE EMPEROR 
 
 A motley crowd surrounded the Winter Palace, 
 eagerly seeking information about the Emperor's 
 condition. 
 
 A second bulletin, signed by Doctors Mandt, 
 Karrel,and Enokhin, appeared, but it was not encour- 
 aging. Different emotions stirred the crowds, but 
 all feeling of discontent was replaced by an uneasi- 
 ness, always awakened by uncertainty. The Russian 
 national ambition feared the consequences which 
 might follow the death of Nicholas, because of the 
 foreboding that his successor would end the war by 
 a humiliating peace. 
 
 Silence reigned in the interior of the palace ; there 
 was an ill-boding quiet and repose. Only whisper- 
 ing in a bated breath could be heard. The house- 
 hold did not wish to show indifference to the 
 Emperor's illness and compromise themselves 
 thereby in case of his recovery. On the other hand, 
 they were afraid to show too much grief, for fear 
 that they might be looked upon as inimical to the 
 future ruler. All were afraid of each other, avoided 
 one another, so as not to btstray thdr iddirtgs with a 
 look or a movement. 
 
252 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Near the invalid Empress and her daughters, 
 Marie and Olga, was the priest, endeavoring to 
 encourage them and to prepare them for the 
 inevitable. 
 
 In the Emperor's reception room were assembled 
 his closest courtiers — his old friend Volkonsky, 
 Kleinmichel, Perovsky, Adleberg, and other lumi- 
 naries and champions of his illustrious reign. 
 
 The Tsarevich was agitated and pale. He sat in 
 a chair, resting his head on his right hand, while his 
 left hung listlessly at his side. His two younger 
 brothers, Nikolay and Mikh^l, stood near him, but 
 Constantine was not there — he was with his dying 
 father. 
 
 "I know thy ambition. It is not unknown to me 
 that thou dreamest of the crown, which the Almighty 
 will soon take away from me to be handed over to 
 thy older brother, my successor," said Nicholas. 
 
 "Father, you will live a long time yet; the crown 
 will grace your brow for many years to come." 
 
 "Give me thy word of honor that thou wilt not 
 attempt to keep thy brother from the throne." 
 
 Constantine kept silence. 
 
 "Thou art silent," continued Nicholas. "Then 
 my suspicions are well-founded. I have watched 
 thee long. Thy piety, over which thou art so con- 
 ceited ; thy Marble Palace, filled with old ikons which 
 are revered by the raskolniks; thy relations to the 
 troops; the money which thou spendest in paying 
 officers' debts, all that is done to secure the good will 
 and loyalty of the people and troops. But remem- 
 ber that the nobility, for wbom thbu hast more than 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 253 
 
 once expressed disregard, hate and fear thee. Thou, 
 my son, art not like Alexander. Thou art endowed 
 with energy and will, while he has inherited the 
 kind and yielding character of his uncle, whose name 
 thou bearest. I could wish thee for my oldest son, 
 because Russia needs in this crisis a firm and strong 
 arm to mend her fortunes. But God has decreed 
 otherwise, and Alexander is my heir. He is thy 
 oldest brother and thou must yield to him. Yes, per- 
 haps to-day or to-morrow he will become Emperor, 
 and I do not wish that my family should give an 
 example of dissension. I do not wish that one of 
 my sons should rise against the other. Promise me 
 that thou wilt not undertake anything against thy 
 brother. I know thee and am sure that once thou 
 hast promised thou wouldst sooner have the walls 
 of thy castle fall on thy head than to break thy word. 
 Give me, then, thy word of honor; only that, I do 
 not require an oath." 
 
 Constantine persisted in his silence. 
 
 "Constantine, think of what thou wouldst under- 
 take. I have told thee already, and thou knowest it 
 thyself, that the nobility is inimical to thee; it will 
 remain on thy brother's side. The army will divide 
 into two camps, and thou wilt be forced to depend 
 on the people." 
 
 "But supposing that Alexander should voluntarily 
 abdicate, for which course he has more than once 
 expressed an intention?" 
 
 These were the first words uttered by Constantine. 
 
 The monarch wrinkled his brow, his eyes glistened 
 and he replied in a thick, loud voice : 
 
254 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "He must not do it ! It will be said that he was 
 forced to it. He will not refuse the crown, dost thou 
 hear me? I forbid him to do 50. And should he 
 abdicate in thy favor and ignore his children, there 
 will arise factions. Factions in the Empire which I 
 have erected, around the throne which I have made 
 bright! In Russia, where the word of the Tsar 
 must rule, no parties must raise their heads. I have 
 spent my life to crush them here and in the rest of 
 Europe, and I would not have it after I am dead 
 that parties should be raised around my children as 
 centers of contention. Alexander will be your 
 Emperor, and you must obey him! Promise me 
 this, Constantine. My son, my dear child, give me 
 thy word." 
 
 The monarch's voice assumed a caressing tone 
 which was seldom heard. 
 
 He seized his son's hand and pressed it. Con- 
 stantine turned away his head, tears glistened in his 
 eyes, and he bit his lips until they bledi — ^but he 
 remained silent. 
 
 "Constantine, I ask thee once more. Think of 
 your poor sick mother. My death will grieve her 
 much, and I only pray God that she may not follow 
 me soon to the grave, but that she may be spared 
 to guard my children. A quarrel between thee and 
 thy brother would be her death. Constantine, willst 
 thou become the murderer of thy mother ?" 
 
 The proud and stubborn Constantine wept, but 
 uttered not a word. 
 
 "Constantine, dost thou promise?" 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 255 
 
 "Father, I cannot give you a promise which will 
 bind me forever. Many circumstances may arise — " 
 
 "Thou speakest of circumstances. Well, if a 
 father's supplication cannot soften the heart of his 
 son, he must act as an Emperor. I am still a 
 monarch !" 
 
 At these words Nicholas reached for the whistle 
 which was suspended from his bed. 
 
 "Father, what would you do?" exclaimed Con- 
 stantine, frightened by the dark look in the Em- 
 peror's eyes. 
 
 "Have the confessor summoned to prepare thee 
 for death. Within an hour the second son of a 
 Russian Tsar will be shot on the fortress wall for 
 daring to rebel against his monarch. Thou knowest 
 this will not be the first instance in our family. I 
 gave thee life, and have a right to take it." 
 
 "Father !" cried the Grand Duke. "Father !" 
 
 "I am no longer thy father, since the voice of the 
 father has failed to move thee. I am now thy 
 monarch and thy judge." 
 
 He rang the bell. 
 
 The Grand Duke knew that his father, like him- 
 self, never violated his given word. For a moment 
 the demon of pride struggled in his heart, but better 
 judgment prevailed, and seizing his father's hand he 
 carried it to his lips, saying : 
 
 "I give you my word !"* 
 
 ♦Subsequently the Grand Duke Constantine Nicholayevich 
 violated this promise, and founded a secret society under the 
 name of "Society of the Dead Head," the object of which was 
 to first destroy all the children of Alexander II., and after that, 
 Alexander himself. His plans were frustrated by a combina- 
 tion of circumstances. 
 
256 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Emperor's anger, vanished immediately. He 
 pressed his son's hand firmly and said : 
 
 "I thank thee, Constantine. Thy word is sufficient. 
 Now I can die in peace, for I know that thou willst 
 not only not oppose thy brother, but aid and protect 
 him." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 NATASHA FINDS PROTECTION 
 
 Morning came and Natasha awoke from a deep 
 sleep. The warmth and rest had produced a bene- 
 ficial effect. The two old soldier-policemen had 
 come three successive times to wake her, but could 
 not rouse her without too rude a disturbance. She 
 had spent three weeks in that wretched cellar, in 
 horrible anxiety and distress, both mentally and 
 physically. Thanks to her youth and health, she 
 endured it, but now nature asserted itself. She 
 yawned, stretched and, without uttering a word, fell 
 asleep again and slept until evening. The sentries 
 sympathized with her; she was young and pretty. 
 She had the air and expression of a fine woman, as 
 she was. 
 
 The hours passed on, and still she slept. The 
 sentries looked at her from time to time. 
 
 "Poor child," one would say, "if she would only 
 wake, I would give her some of our shchy before it 
 gets cold." 
 
 Another would answer : 
 
 "Let her sleep ; I'll put the shchy near the fire." 
 
 The Russian people — and the soldiers are part of 
 them — show great sympathy in the affliction of their 
 
258 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 kindred, which cannot be said of the upper world, 
 which turns a deaf ear to poverty and misfortune. 
 
 At II o'clock the girl awoke, moved her hand 
 across her forehead, and murmured : 
 
 "Where am I ?" looking around in amazement. 
 
 "What, golubka, hast thou finally waked? Thou 
 must be hungry. Here is some shchy; we prepared 
 it for thee." 
 
 "Porfirich," he called to his companion, who was 
 on watch outside. "Hey, Porfirich, what hast thou 
 done with the bottle of vodka; let the girl have some 
 to sober up." 
 
 "Where am I? How did I get here?" she asked 
 again, putting her hand to her forehead and trying 
 to remember. 
 
 "We will talk of that later. Now eat. But wait, 
 first drink a glass of vodka; that will strengthen 
 thee." 
 
 The girl shook her head. "I do not drink vodka." 
 
 The soldier reddened to the ears. He called to his 
 companion : 
 
 "Did I not tell thee, old bolvdn, that she does not 
 drink vodka?" 
 
 "Well, that is all the same to me, thou hadst better 
 give me the bottle ; I want a drink." 
 
 The old soldier did as his companion wished, and 
 whispered in his ear : 
 
 "I said she was not drunk." 
 
 "Indeed? Didst thou really say so?" 
 
 "All right," interrupted Pavlich, and returned to 
 the sentry box. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 259 
 
 Natasha ate the shchy with apparent relish, while 
 the sentry regarded her with a look of satisfaction. 
 
 "Ah, goiubka, thou hast been hungry a long time. 
 Eat, eat." And he glided out of the sentry box. 
 
 "Where art thou going?" asked Porfirich. 
 
 "Our goiubka is hungry; I'll run over to the store 
 for some sausage." 
 
 Old Pavlich soon returned with sausage for his 
 protege, and herring for himself and his companion. 
 
 Natasha ate the sausage, saying : 
 
 "Thank you, good people, thank you." 
 
 "Wouldst thou perhaps have something else ? Do 
 not hesitate, the store is only two steps distant." 
 
 The girl became drowsy again, and fell into a 
 half sleep, during which she heard the following 
 conversation between the sentries : 
 
 "What do you think? Who could have stabbed 
 the rascal in the Yamsky yesterday ?" 
 
 "The thieves must have quarreled among them- 
 selves." 
 
 "I have often said that Makarov would end that 
 way." 
 
 The girl heard the name distinctly. 
 
 "And who else could have done it but Petrovich. 
 Alexey Alexandrovich met him there all covered 
 with blood." 
 
 The following morning the girl awoke completely 
 restored, but along with her strength came also the 
 consciousness of her condition. What was she to 
 do ? What was she to say when asked who she was 
 and where she came from? She began to cry. 
 
 "What art thou crying about ?" asked Porfirich. 
 
260 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 She told him her story from the time Prince 
 Kurdyubekov was strangled to the time she escaped 
 from the cellar. She described her sufferings in 
 such a graphic maimer that poor Porfirich wiped 
 his eyes with his sleeve more than once. 
 
 "Pavlich," he said to his companion outside, "I 
 am an old fool. I cried like a woman over her story. 
 What business is it of mine, anyway ?" 
 
 Pavlich handed him the halberd, saying: 
 
 ^'Now, you watch in my place, and I will go and 
 question the girl." 
 
 The old fellow had determined to interrogate her 
 exhaustively, but he did not succeed. He had a 
 sympathetic heart, and was moved no less than his 
 companion. 
 
 "What is thy name ?" he asked. 
 
 "Natasha," she answered. 
 
 "And what else?" 
 
 "I am called Natasha; that is all." 
 
 "What is thy father's name?" 
 
 "My father? I never had a father, or rather he 
 never wanted to be my father." 
 
 "Where did you come from?" 
 
 Natasha shuddered at this question. Should she 
 acknowledge that she was Makarov's bondswoman ? 
 or should she show him the release given her by 
 Prince Odoyevsky, which she had in her possession ? 
 If she revealed the facts they would discover the 
 secret of the house in the Viborg district, and this 
 would cause the ruin of the Prince, Savelyev, 
 Dostoyevsky, and many others. She knew this too 
 well, and was therefore silent. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 261 
 
 "Well, where art thou from?" again asked 
 Pavlich. 
 
 A happy thought came into her mind. 
 
 "How am I to know?" she replied. "It is far, 
 very far from here. Do peasants remember names ? 
 It took me a long time to walk here — weeks, months. 
 I repeat, knight, that I come from a great distance." 
 
 "Yes, mother Russia is very large," was the wise 
 remark of the old sentry. "But why didst thou 
 leave thy native place? Hast thou, then, no rela- 
 tives?" 
 
 Natasha then told him that she was the daughter 
 of a French woman ; that is, of a free woman. She 
 described, without mentioning names, how Makarov 
 persecuted her; how she ran away with Savelyev; 
 how she had lost him and again found him a little 
 while before the murder of Kurdyubekov. 
 
 Pavlich went outside and counseled long with 
 Porfirich. He then went to a tea shop and returned 
 with a large potful of tea, which he placed before 
 the girl. 
 
 "Drink this, girl ; it will warm thee up." 
 
 Never before did Natasha drink tea with such 
 relish as in that filthy sentry box. 
 
 "Natasha," began the old soldier, but stoppeB 
 short, jumped up and ran to his companion, with 
 whom he had a long talk. At last he came back. 
 
 "Natasha, we cannot act otherwise — " He hesi- 
 tated. "We must take thee to the police station." 
 
 "To the station!" exclaimed the terrified girl. 
 She threw herself on her knees and began to wring 
 her hands in despair. 
 
262 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "Let me go! You are good and sympathetic 
 people. Why should you want to make me miserable? 
 You will not do it, will you?" And she began to 
 kiss Porfirich's knees. 
 
 He raised the girl and seated her on the bench. 
 
 "Sit down, golubka," he said, biting his lips to 
 keep from crying. "We will arrange it somehow." 
 
 After some reflection, he said : 
 
 "Now, wipe the tears away, golubka. Thou canst 
 not remain here. I will take thee to Marya Andre- 
 yevna. Let us go." 
 
 She followed him without asking any questions. 
 
 On reaching the door she stopped a moment, and 
 seizing Porfirich's hand in both of her own, she said : 
 
 "May God reward thee for what thou hast done 
 for poor Natasha !" 
 
 "Never mind that. God be with thee!" he 
 mumbled, turning his head away so that the girl 
 could not see the tears which welled up in his eyes. 
 
 It was ten o'clock and the streets were filled with 
 people. Now and then some one would stop to look 
 at a girl walking with a policeman. 
 
 "So young and already fallen," remarked some, 
 thinking that she was being conducted to the station. 
 
 On one of the streets appeared a yellow box on 
 four wheels, a pitiful imitation of a carriage, drawn 
 by a stout mare which bolted every once in a while 
 under the blows of the knout. Behind the equipage 
 followed a soldier, with a musket on his shoulder, 
 and from the little window in the rear of the box 
 two bold eyes were looking out. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 263 
 
 "This is a criminal who is being taken from jail 
 to the station for examination," explained Pavlich to 
 Natasha. 
 
 Suddenly her name was called from the box. 
 
 She shuddered and cowered in terror close to the 
 policeman. 
 
 "That is he," she said, looking into the opening 
 of the box. 
 
 "Who?" asked the sentry. 
 
 But before she could answer, the following words, 
 accompanied by loud laughter, was heard from the 
 box: 
 
 "Aha, thou, girl, also ! Very well, then we will 
 soon meet again." 
 
 "That was Petrovich. Dost thou then know the 
 old rogue?" 
 
 Natasha was silent a moment and then, trembling 
 in every joint, she said : 
 
 "He had a hand in the murder of Prince Kurdyu- 
 bekov. It was he who kept me a prisoner in the 
 cellar. Save me from this horrible man ! I can yet 
 feel the knife over my head which he flourished at 
 me. If the Smolensk Mother of God had not heard 
 my prayer, the door would not have opened itself, 
 and he would surely have killed me." 
 
 "So it was he that wanted to kill thee ? But how 
 did it happen that he killed Makarov instead of 
 thee?" 
 
 "Did he kill Makarov ?" exclaimed Natasha. 
 
 "How, dost thou know that knave, also?" asked 
 the soldier. 
 
264 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvdretz 
 
 "He is my father's son. It was he who persecuted 
 me with declarations of love and with such threats 
 that I was compelled to run away. He, too, took a 
 part in the murder of the good Prince." 
 
 They reached the castle of the former lover of 
 Catherine II., now deserted, and stopped at a yellow 
 stone house, which faced on the Neva. 
 
 "Here is where Marya Andreyevna lives," said 
 the policeman. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE GOOD MARYA ANDREYEVNA 
 
 Widows, orphans, and the unfortunates, without 
 exception, spoke of Marya Andreyevna as of a saint, 
 and blessed her name. Her charities were inex- 
 haustible, and where she could not help with money 
 alone, she aided through her connections, which 
 were also unbounded. She was not a professional 
 philanthropist, but a kind and sympathetic woman. 
 
 This was what was told about her. Many years 
 ago she married a rich old man. One evening, on 
 the occasion of the christening of their only son, 
 with the powerful Arakcheyev as godfather, all the 
 great nobles assembled at her home to partake of a 
 feast. At the moment when the glasses were filled 
 to drink to the health of the host, his absence was 
 observed. They looked for him everywhere, but in 
 vain. The guests departed, amazed at the occur- 
 rence. On the following day Marya Andreyevna 
 found him, with his throat cut, in the same spot 
 where a short time before Lord Castlereigh had 
 killed himself. From that time she devoted herself 
 to the son. At the age of ten the boy disappeared 
 mysteriously and was never heard from again. The 
 mother's heart was broken, but, instead of giving 
 way to grief and despair, she became a mother to all 
 
266 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dv6retz 
 
 unfortunates. Her great wealth and social connec- 
 tions made such an undertaking possible. 
 
 Her door was open to all; it was therefore not 
 dift?cult for the policeman to reach her with his 
 protege. 
 
 She received them graciously and asked : 
 
 "What can I do for you?" in a voice expressing 
 kindness and sympathy. 
 
 Natasha kept silence. She could not have ex- 
 pressed what she felt, yet something indefinable drew 
 her to the lady who regarded her with such tender- 
 ness and affection. Porfirich twisted his cap in his 
 hands in embarrassment. 
 
 "What do you wish?" again asked Marya 
 Andreyevna. 
 
 Both visitors continued in silence. 
 
 The good lady was used to like scenes, and waited 
 patiently for them to take courage and state the 
 object of their call. 
 
 But Porfirich suddenly put on his cap, saluted in 
 military fashion, and proclaimed aloud : 
 
 "I have the honor to report — an unfortunate !" 
 
 Saying this, he turned around quickly and left 
 the room. 
 
 Marya Andreyevna could not resist smiling at his 
 manner, but the smile disappeared at the sight of 
 the girl crying, on her knees. 
 
 She rose and gently raised Natasha. 
 
 "Rise, my child ! One sfiould kneel only before 
 God, and not before a fellow-creature." 
 
 She seated her on a sofa and sat down at her side. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 267 
 
 No one better understands how to win the con- 
 fidence of the unfortunate than a good woman. In 
 a short time Natasha had communicated the story 
 of her unhappy life. She even acknowledged her 
 love for Savelyev. 
 
 At the name of Kurdyubekov the kind lady 
 became eagerly attentive. She had known him well, 
 for he was her competitor in good deeds. 
 
 "Thou sayest, my child, that he was forced to sign 
 that will?" 
 
 "Yes; they traced his hand on the paper by 
 force." 
 
 "Dost thou know Prince Odoyevsky?" 
 
 Natasha hesitated, for fear of revealing the secret 
 of the conspirators. 
 
 The good woman noticed this, and said : 
 
 "Do not fear me, my child. I must know the 
 whole truth, else I shall not know how to aid thee." 
 
 Natasha then told her everything. 
 
 Marya Andreyevna embraced her, and said : 
 
 "Rest contented, my child; I shall not abandon 
 thee until thy grief has been changed to happiness." 
 
 She then went to a writing table and wrote : 
 
 "Dear Prince : I am expecting you ; come as 
 soon as you can." 
 
 She rang the bell. The footman entered. 
 
 "Take this to Prince Odoyevsky at once !" ordered 
 the good lady. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 AT THE emperor's DEATH BED 
 
 Bazhanov stood near the dying Emperor, listen- 
 ing to his last words. 
 
 "God will forgive my transgressions, for I sought 
 the welfare of my people," said Nicholas. 
 
 "Man's will is the creature of his weakness. The 
 most faithful of the Saviour's disciples denied Him 
 three times," observed the confessor. 
 
 "I pray to Almighty God in repentance. All that 
 I did, I believed to be for the good of my people. 
 If I made mistakes, I am but human, and God is 
 merciful ; there is no limit to His love." 
 
 "Has Your Majesty no other wishes, or do you 
 not desire to make some other acknowledgment 
 before partaking of the sacrament? Confess your 
 sins, and Almighty God will forgive you, even as I 
 declare you forgiven." 
 
 "At present I am not Tsar, but a penitent. I told 
 thee, father, everything which is on my conscience. 
 Olympiada — " 
 
 "I will transmit to her your farewell and com- 
 mands." 
 
 "My commands?" said the Emperor sadly. 
 "Within a few hours I will turn into dust, and 
 another will command where I have ruled." 
 
 "What do you desire done for your son?" 
 
 "Which one?" harshly asked the monarch. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 269 
 
 "The soldier, why — " 
 
 "The son of Marya Assenkova?" interrupted the 
 Emperor. "I have arranged this matter, as thou 
 knowest, but he must not remain in Russia — " 
 
 "Does Your Majesty not wish to see him?" 
 
 "Dost thou really think that I, lying on my death 
 bed, would consent to see any one except my lawful 
 children and wife? Father, wouldst thou really 
 wish me to do so ? Wouldst thou indeed dare make 
 such request of me ? A few days since I would have 
 rejoiced to see him. Perhaps something in his 
 features would have brought Marya Assenkova back 
 to me. But now — " 
 
 "Shall I tell him anything in the name of Your 
 Majesty?" 
 
 "From me? No! Tell him not to cherish the 
 thought that he is my son. What I did for him 
 was done purely from pity for his young years. 
 Was the girl whom he brought with him to the city 
 found?" 
 
 "No, Your Majesty." 
 
 "Should she be found, give her this ring." 
 Nicholas took the ring off his finger and handed it 
 to the priest. "An opal is the symbol of tears ; may 
 it become a symbol of happiness and joy for her. 
 Father, she loved the wounded soldier. If she still 
 loves him, she must become his wife ; otherwise she 
 is to go into a cloister. I put a paper writing in the 
 medallion of this ring, which will secure her admis- 
 sion in a holy retreat. Give the soldier my blessing, 
 the blessing of a father. Now, give me thy bene- 
 diction." 
 
270 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Bazhanov made the sign of the cross on the 
 Emperor's forehead and blessed him, whispering a 
 prayer. 
 
 "Now call in the Empress and my children." 
 
 The priest obeyed, and the Empress entered soon 
 after with the children. 
 
 Who could describe the scene of grief and despair 
 at that meeting? 
 
 Before the Emperor's bed knelt the children and 
 grandchildren, while the Empress was stooping over 
 his head with her lips on his forehead. 
 
 "Alexandra, for nearly forty years we have lived 
 together, sharing equally in happiness and grief. 
 The storm had just passed when we were united, 
 and we are to part in a storm at last. Now, Alex- 
 andra, thou must take my place in the care of our 
 children. My good and faithful consort, farewell! 
 And you, my children, do not forget that your 
 mother has sacrificed her health for me. You will 
 not forget it. Alexander, thou art endowed with 
 a kindly heart, and it is with consolation and con- 
 fidence that I intrust to thee my wife — ^thy mother." 
 
 The pen refuses to describe the scenes which 
 followed. The Tsar was no longer a monarch, but 
 a loving father. He alone kept up his courage, 
 while all the rest were unnerved, although the tears 
 streamed down his cheeks. 
 
 The Emperor blessed his wife and children and 
 repeated to them : 
 
 "Good-by forever! No, not forever; we shall 
 meet again in another world." Then, sealing a 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 271 
 
 farewell kiss on their foreheads, "Good-by! Now 
 I have done with earth and belong to Heaven alone." 
 
 It was necessary to remove the members of the 
 family from the chamber by force. 
 
 "Alexander, remain thou with me; I shall give 
 thee my last breath," said Nicholas to his oldest son. 
 
 He called back the Grand Duke Constantine, to 
 whom he said : 
 
 "Kneel down, my son, that I may give thee my 
 blessing once more." 
 
 After blessing him the second time, he said in a 
 solemn voice, "I thank thee, my son, I thank thee." 
 
 When the family had all gone out, the confessor 
 entered in full regalia, accompanied by the palace 
 church clergy, and the monarch partook of the holy 
 sacrament in the presence of his son Alexander. 
 
 "Holy father," said the Emperor, "I have now 
 made my peace with God. I die a Christian as I 
 have lived — an orthodox Christian and defender of 
 the holy faith." 
 
 "May God forgive thee thy transgressions, my 
 son, even as I declare thee forgiven now, in His 
 name," said the confessor. 
 
 The priest went out, and Alexander remained 
 with his father about half an hour. He came out 
 pale and haggard, and went staggering to his 
 mother's apartments. 
 
 The Empress, in a white dress, and the crown on 
 her head, awaited him on the steps of the door. 
 
 On his entering she removed the crown from her 
 head and placed it at his feet. 
 
 In that moment the Empress was more a mother 
 than a wife. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 KLEINMICHEL SHORN OF HIS POWER 
 
 The prime minister walked the floor of his room 
 impatiently. He did not intend to go to the Winter 
 Palace before learning of the success or failure of 
 the favorite. Every fifteen minutes he received by 
 wire a report of the Emperor's condition, which 
 became more and more alarming with every suc- 
 ceeding dispatch. Now and then he would stop 
 before the instrument which connected his room 
 with that of the Emperor. He hoped to receive a 
 summons to appear before the Emperor at once. 
 He did not receive one. 
 
 At last the snow creaked under the wheels of a 
 carriage, which stopped at the landing of the man- 
 sion. He put his face to the window and recognized 
 the favorite's carriage by the light of the moon. 
 He resumed pacing the floor in full confidence that 
 she would soon send for him. Time passed on, but 
 no summons from Nelidova. Dark thoughts tor- 
 tured him. 
 
 He went uninvited to her apartments, and ordered 
 to be announced. 
 
 At this moment the officer who had handed her 
 over to her waitingmaid came out of Nelidova's 
 apartments. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 273 
 
 "What are you doing here, Polovzev ?" asked the 
 Count. 
 
 "I had the honor of escorting Mademoiselle Neli- 
 dova home by order of the Emperor," he answered 
 quietly. 
 
 "You ? How did that happen ?" asked the Count 
 of the officer, regarding him fixedly, as if seeking to 
 read the depth of his soul. 
 
 "Mademoiselle Nelidova is not feeling well," he 
 answered, saluting, and took his leave. 
 
 The Count looked in the parlor of his kinswoman. 
 Mademoiselle Nelidova was lying on a couch and her 
 waitingmaids were endeavoring to restore her to 
 consciousness. 
 
 At last she sighed deeply and opened her eyes. 
 She muttered disconnected and unintelligible words. 
 
 The Count sent out the maids. 
 
 "What happened, Olympiada Arkadyevna?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "Who speaks ? Where am I ?" asked the favorite. 
 
 "Collect yourself," he said, roughly seizing her 
 hand. 
 
 "They drove me out ; yes, he drove me out like a 
 street woman." 
 
 "Impossible !" exclaimed the Count. 
 
 "He forbade me to ever return to the palace." 
 
 "Then you have talked with him?" asked the 
 Count, white with rage. 
 
 "No ; he would not see me. He caused me to be 
 led out of his palace by thte servants." 
 
 The Count heard no more. He left the house 
 and in a few minutes was at the Winter Palace. He 
 
274 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 mounted the steps quickly. At the door he wa» 
 stopped by the guard officer, who said in a courteous 
 but firm voice : 
 
 "Pardon me, your excellency, you cannot enter 
 without being announced. Such is His Majesty's 
 orders." 
 
 "But this order surely does not apply to me." 
 
 "Pardon me ; it applies to all without exception." 
 
 "Then, may I trouble you. Baron, to announce 
 me?" 
 
 The adjutant bowed and entered the Emperor's 
 room, from whience he returned almost immediately. 
 
 "I regret to have to report to your excellency that 
 the Emperor cannot see you." 
 
 "What ? Did the Emperor say so ? Are you not 
 mistaken. Baron?" asked the Count, choking from 
 rage. 
 
 "Of course, your excellency, His Majesty pleased 
 to say that you would be called when he wishes to 
 see you." 
 
 This conversation was carried on in a loud voice, 
 and attracted the attention of all present. Klein- 
 michel noticed their ironical smiles, and not wishing 
 to remain among those who formerly trembled 
 before him but now mocked him, he left the palace, 
 doubling his fists in powerless rage. It was the 
 fury of a tiger deprived of his teeth and claws. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 dostoyevsky's wife in distress 
 
 The oars struck out in rhythmic measure over the 
 transparent waters of the Neva, and the Tsar's 
 courier boat glided rapidly over the distance which 
 divided the Winter Palace from the Petropavlovsk 
 Fortress. But however quickly the boat moved, it 
 seemed to the young woman who was seated in it 
 that she was creeping at a snail's pace, for she was 
 carrying liberty and safety to her husband. 
 
 At last the oars were raised and the boat, directed 
 by an experienced hand, after making a semi-circle, 
 stopped at the stone steps of the harbor. 
 
 The young woman almost ran to the comman- 
 dant's headquarters. The adjutant, who accom- 
 panied her by order of the Tsar, could scarcely keep 
 the pace with her. 
 
 After the usual formalities, the commandant, 
 shaking his head, said : 
 
 "Dostoyevsky ? I do not know such a name." 
 
 He called the chief of the headquarters, but he 
 only shook his head more significantly. 
 
 The adjutant became impatient and said : 
 
 "Your excellency, please make haste; I have not 
 time for delay. This note from the Tsar is sufficient 
 to show that he is here." 
 
276 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The commandant again counseled with his chief, 
 and he with his assistant ; the assistant turned to the 
 director, the director to the chief clerk, and so on 
 down to the assistant clerk. 
 
 All shook their heads ; no one knew a prisoner by 
 the name of Dostoyevsky. 
 
 The adjutant lost his patience at last. 
 
 "In that case I shall report to His Majesty that 
 the political prisoner Dostoyevsky, who was com- 
 mitted here by order of Prince Orlov, disappeared 
 without trace." 
 
 "What the devil has become of that prisoner?" 
 thundered the commandant. "He must be here, 
 since His Majesty pleases to speak of him. If you 
 fail to find this Dostoyevsky at once, I will send you 
 all where Makar does not drive calves !"* 
 
 They eyed each other, trembling, and again began 
 to examine the books. At last one of the old clerks 
 approached the commandant with repeated bows and 
 a book in his hand. 
 
 "Here is the name of Dostoyevsky, committed in 
 the fortress by the gendarme division on December 
 14, 1855, under No. 7569." 
 
 "Call the jailer !" ordered the commandant. 
 
 "What prisoners were committed on the 14th of 
 December?" he was asked. 
 
 The jailer answered that he did not remember, 
 since many prisoners had been brought in lately, and 
 that he would have to consult his book. 
 
 *GdyS Makdr telydt nye gondyet is a Russian idiom, meaning 
 to go to a distant place ; often used of people sent to Siberia. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 277 
 
 "Durak (fool)," said the commandant, "go and 
 get your book immediately !" 
 
 The jailer returned at last with the book, from 
 which he read a large number of the cells which were 
 occupied on that day. 
 
 The tortures of the unfortunate young woman 
 may be imagined. 
 
 The adjutant's patience was exhausted, and turn- 
 ing to her, he said : 
 
 "Let us go ! I will take you to Prince Orlov." 
 
 He oiifered her his arm, and they went together 
 to the Prince. They found him, but he was at the 
 court and could not be seen for the rest of the day. 
 
 "Be assured," the adjutant said to the young 
 woman while he was escorting her to her house, 
 "that I will see to it that your husband is returned 
 to you as early as possible." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 PRINCE ODOYEVSKY CALLS ON MARYA ANDR^YEVNA 
 
 "You have done me the honor to send for me, 
 Marya Andreyevna," said Prince Odoyevsky, cour- 
 teously bowing before the lady. 
 
 "Yes, I wanted to surprise you." 
 
 "A surprise for me? You excite my curiosity." 
 
 "Be patient ; your curiosity will soon be gratified. 
 First tell me if you have any news from your 
 father." 
 
 "Yes; I heard from him recently through a 
 friend." 
 
 "Well, how is his health?" 
 
 "What can be expected after thirty years of 
 wretched slavery, far away from his dear father- 
 land?" 
 
 "Is there no hope of a pardon ?" 
 
 "A pardon? Is the word mercy known to the 
 Emperor ?" 
 
 "Be still !" warned the careful Marya Andreyevna. 
 
 "Very well. But you spoke of a surprise." 
 
 "Have you the will of Prince Kurdyubekov ?" 
 
 "Yes, but unfortunately it is worthless, for there 
 is another one." 
 
 "The other one is a forgfery." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 279 
 
 "I know it too well, but how can I prove it?" 
 
 "Who gave you the will ?" 
 
 "Dostoyevslqr and a soldier named Savelyev." 
 
 "Do you know that soldier Savelyev?" 
 
 "Not very well, but what I know of him is of the 
 very best." 
 
 "Who is appointed heir in Kurdyubekov's will, 
 which is in your possession ?" 
 
 "Two-thirds of his property he left to the poor, 
 and one-third to a young girl who ran away from 
 the provinces to come to the city." 
 
 "Have you ever seen that girl ?" 
 
 "Only once." 
 
 "Have you not given her her freedom as if she 
 were your bondswoman ?" 
 
 The Prince shuddered. "Who told you that?" 
 he asked excitedly. 
 
 "Do not be alarmed," said the good lady. "You 
 have a noble heart, and are a worthy son of your 
 noble father." 
 
 She left the room and returned, leading Natasha 
 by the hand. 
 
 Natasha trembled for joy at sight of the Princej 
 
 The Prince approached her with a pleasant ex- 
 pression and said : 
 
 "Ah, you here, Mademoiselle Natasha? I am 
 delighted to see you in such good hands." 
 
 "So you know each other," said Marya Andre- 
 yevna. "But why do you not tell her where her 
 soldier is? You surely see that she is consumed 
 with impatience to learn something about him." 
 
280 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 "I regret not to be able to gratify your wish. 
 Since the night of his call at my house with Dosto- 
 yevsky, I have not seen him." 
 
 Natasha turned pale, and tears bedewed her eyes. 
 
 The girl told the Prince all that took place at 
 Prince Kurdyubekov's house on the night of the 
 murder, and what happened to herself. 
 
 "What is to be done?" he said, reflecting. "I see 
 no way out of the labyrinth." 
 
 Marya Andreyevna then said : 
 
 "I know a way out of it. I will go with Natasha 
 to Prince Orlov, and tell him all the facts in the 
 case." 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 SAVELYEV FINDS NATASHA 
 
 Loud-ringing church bells announced to the 
 capital of Russia the sad news of the death of the 
 Emperor. The whole city went into mourning. 
 Groups assembled on the streets discussing the 
 possibilities of the new reign. 
 
 Savelyev walked across the Nevsky with a quick 
 step. As before, he still wore the soldier garb, but 
 there was a change in his expression and manners. 
 He no longer avoided the crowds. On the contrary 
 he seemed to seek them out, looking proud and bold 
 as if wishing to say: "I am no longer an outcast; 
 I am your equal, and as free as you are !" 
 
 Savelyev was going to Sergievsky street in hopes 
 of learning from Dostoyevsky where Natasha was. 
 
 He had nothing to be afraid of now. Archpres- 
 b3d;er Bazhanov had handed him a note, signed by 
 the Emperor himself, which granted him not only 
 a full pardon for all the past, but which also gave 
 him a yearly pension of twelve thousand rubles. 
 
 He reached Dostoyevsky's house and entered. 
 Dostoyevsky's wife rushed to him in excited ex- 
 pectancy. 
 
 "Al;, Savelyev !" she cried. "Where do you come 
 from? From the fortress?" 
 
282 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 Savelyev looked at her, bewildered. 
 
 "From the fortress?" he repeated slowly. 
 
 "Yes; why did you not bring my husband with 
 you?" 
 
 "Is your husband, then, in the fortress?" 
 
 "Yes, but he is free now. Here is the note written 
 by the Emperor himself, giving him his freedom." 
 
 "Have you seen Natasha lately?" Savelyev asked 
 confusedly. 
 
 "Natasha? Which Natasha?" asked the young 
 woman, whose thoughts were centered on her hus- 
 band. 
 
 "My affianced girl," answered Savelyev. 
 
 "Your fiancee?" exclaimed the young woman. 
 "How can you be so cruel as to wish to marry?" 
 
 The soldier began to doubt her sanity. 
 
 "Yes," she continued, "to marry a young girl ; to 
 make her unhappy forever. Surely there is nothing 
 but sorrow for a girl who marries. She only 
 becomes her husband's temporary amusement, while 
 he is the object of all her care and anxiety and of 
 her every thought." 
 
 At that moment the snow creaked under the slides 
 of a sledge in front of the house. It was the adju- 
 tant who had come to take her to Prince Orlov. 
 
 He looked at Savelyev, greeting him in military 
 fashion. 
 
 "Who art thou ?" asked the adjutant. 
 
 The word "thou" stung the soldier deeply. 
 Although he had become accustomed to it from 
 childhood, he chafed under the appellation. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 283 
 
 "My name is Savelyev, and I am a discharged 
 soldier," he replied harshly. 
 
 "Thou art the one who was in the palace guard- 
 house ?" 
 
 "Just so," he replied. 
 
 "Aha!" he said, and turning to Dostoyevsky's 
 wife, he asked : 
 
 "Well, shall we drive over to Prince Orlov ?" 
 
 "Yes, certainly!" she exclaimed. "He will give 
 me back my husband." 
 
 The young woman went away with the adjutant. 
 
 Dostoyevskaya was received by Prince Orlov at 
 once. 
 
 The Prince was looking over some reports while 
 Marya Andreyevna and Natasha were seated before 
 him. 
 
 "You may go now," he said, bowing gallantly and 
 turning to Marya Andreyevna. "You may rest 
 assured that I will see that the matter is carefully 
 investigated." 
 
 The two ladies rose and were bowing themselves 
 out when Dostoyevskaya entered the room. 
 
 She uttered a loud cry at the sight of Natasha. 
 
 The girl, who had not noticed Dostoyevskaya, 
 heard the cry and stopped for a moment, but her 
 companion drew her out of the room. 
 
 The Prince continued to turn over the papers 
 before him, and turning to Dostoyevskaya he said : 
 
 "What do you wish?" 
 
 The adjutant advanced near him and whispered 
 something in his ear. 
 
284 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The Prince shrugged his shoulders. "I am verj} 
 sorry, but I can do nothing for you in this matter." 
 
 "Nothing?" asked the adjutant. "Here is the 
 Emperor's order. 
 
 "I do not doubt that," repHed the Prince, "but 
 Dostoyevsky is no longer in St. Petersburg. He was 
 sent to Siberia a week ago. Good-by." 
 
 Crushed, appalled, and more dead than alive, the 
 young woman staggered out of the room, accom- 
 panied by the adjutant. 
 
 The Prince called the officer back. 
 
 He re-entered the room, while Natasha and 
 Marya Andreyevna cared for the unfortunate 
 woman. 
 
 "I did not wish to tell you in the presence of 
 Dostoyevsky's wife," said the Prince. "Her hus- 
 band is dead. He reached Schliisselburg, where he 
 died." 
 
 The poor woman had become unconscious in the 
 meantime, falling into the arms of Natasha. 
 
 Savelyev, who was waiting at Dostoyevsky's 
 house for the return of the young woman, in order 
 to learn the result of her interview with the Prince, 
 saw a carriage drive up and stop at the gate. 
 
 The footman opened the carriage door and 
 endeavored to lift the unconscious woman out, but 
 the task was too much for his years. Savelyev 
 rushed to aid him, when a scream from the carriage 
 obliged him to look inside, where he saw his 
 Natasha. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE POLICE COURT 
 
 "Thou art called Petrovich," asked the police 
 inspector. 
 
 Petrovich was silent. 
 
 The inspector dealt him a powerful blow on the 
 cheek. Petrovich reeled and blood gushed out of 
 his mouth. 
 
 Such were the barbarous customs at examinations 
 of prisoners. Unfortunately, these methods still 
 prevail. 
 
 "Wilt thou answer?" thundered the inspector. 
 
 "What use is there in my answering?" said Petro- 
 vich, quietly wiping the blood from his face. "You 
 have no cause to strike me. I will answer all proper 
 questions, without having my teeth knocked out." 
 
 "We know thee too well, Petrovich." 
 
 Petrovich turned aside as if he were not spoken 
 to. 
 
 "And so thou wilt not acknowledge that thou hast 
 murdered Prince Kurdyubekov first and Makarov 
 afterwards ?" 
 
 The murderer looked at him bewildered, scratch- 
 ing the back of his neck as if he did not understand 
 what was asked of him. 
 
 "Eui'dyubekov?" he mumbled. "Who is that?. 
 This is the first time I have heai-d the name. And 
 
286 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 the other one, what did you call him? Makarov, 
 Makarov ?" he slowly repeated, as if forgetting. "I 
 don't know him. I used to know a certain Makar 
 in my village, but I don't know any Makarov. No, 
 your excellency, I positively don't know any one of 
 that name." 
 
 The inspector struck him again in the face. The 
 prisoner wiped off the blood as before, and said : 
 
 "Beat me, your excellency ; it is your privilege to 
 beat us common people. But I don't know any 
 Makarov." 
 
 The inspector then went out and returned, accom- 
 panied by a lady, heavily veiled, and a young man. 
 
 The rattle of chains was heard as young Kurdyu- 
 bekov appeared. 
 
 A moment later Tovarov was brought in. 
 
 "Do you recognize the accused?" the inspector 
 asked of Natasha. 
 
 "Yes," she replied. 
 
 "Have they all taken part in the murder of Prince 
 Kurdyubekov ?" continued the inspector. 
 
 "No ; only two of them." 
 
 "Which ones?" 
 
 She pointed toPetrovich and young Kurdyubekov. 
 
 "Now, do you acknowledge that you have killed 
 the Prince Kurdyubekov ?" 
 
 "Who dares to accuse me of killing my father?" 
 boldly asked the young man. Such charges are not 
 to be made in secret under the protection of a veil. 
 Let the accuser show her face, and I will understand 
 how. to meet .her. charges." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zfmniy Dv6retz 287 
 
 "Would you be so good as to lift your veil for a 
 moment?" asked the inspector of Natasha. "The 
 assassins will perhaps confess, once they have seen 
 your face." 
 
 Natasha lifted her veil. 
 
 Terror was depicted on the faces of the murderers, 
 but they remained silent. 
 
 "Please state what you know of this case," said 
 the inspector, turning to Natasha. 
 
 She described the terrible night in which her pro- 
 tector was murdered in her presence; the horrible 
 days and nights .which she spent in the cellar as the 
 captive of Petrovich ; her escape, and her collapse on 
 the street. 
 
 "Which of you pursued her that night of her 
 escape from the cellar?" asked the inspector of the 
 criminals. 
 
 "I," answered Tovarov. 
 
 He then made a frank statement of all he knew of 
 this matter, which fully corroborated the girl's story. 
 
EPILOGUE 
 
 The sound of the bells announcing the death of 
 the Emperor was hushed, and St. Petersburg once 
 more assumed its customary air. Alexander did not 
 conclude peace with the allied powers, as it was sup- 
 posed that he would do, and news from the seat of 
 war was again eagerly looked for. At the request 
 of the Empress-mother, the new ruler retained all 
 the ministers who were connected with the rule of 
 Nicholas during the last months of his reign. But 
 one of them, one only, he could not forgive for the 
 insults he had heaped upon him. In less than two 
 weeks he was replaced by Chavkin. 
 
 Count Orlov gave Kleinmichel to understand in 
 secret that it was intended to bring him to trial for 
 misappropriating the funds belonging to the con- 
 struction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg Railway. 
 
 Since the death of his protector the former all- 
 powerful minister never appeared at the Palace, and 
 the court was greatly surprised to see him one day 
 walking proudly through the apartments and asking 
 to be announced to the Emperor. 
 
 "Kleinmichel here ?" exclaimed Alexander, stamp- 
 ing his foot. 
 
 "State to His Majesty that I wish to lay before 
 him a very important matter with reference to the 
 memory of the late Emperor." 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 289 
 
 These words immediately opened the doors of the 
 Emperor's cabinet to the fallen minister. 
 
 "Your Majesty,'' said Kleinmichel, "I have heard 
 that I am to be placed on trial." 
 
 "Yes ; the appalling peculations which were prac- 
 ticed in connection with the construction of the 
 Moscow Railway must be examined and made 
 public." 
 
 "Your Majesty, I make bold to remark that the 
 memory of the late Emperor may suffer by such 
 procedure." 
 
 "The memory of my father?" cried Alexander 
 furiously. "How darest thou speak thus ?" 
 
 "Your Majesty," quiqtly answered^ the former 
 minister, "the largest part of the money assigned to 
 the construction of the railroad went into the private 
 purse of His Majesty. 
 
 "Thou liest!" thundered the Emperor. 
 
 "Your Majesty, here is the Emperor's letter, in 
 which he orders me to place thirty millions in French 
 and English securities in the name of Mademoiselle 
 Nelidova and her children, and to charge this 
 expense to the construction of the railroad." 
 
 Alexander ran over the letter. 
 
 "Thou mayest go !" he said. 
 
 Kleinmichel made a deep bow and went out. 
 
 On the following day he received an appointment 
 in the Imperial Council. He was not brought to 
 trial. 
 
 Nelidova was ordered to take up her residence 
 with the children on her estate in Tambov Province. 
 
290 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 The ring with the opal was transmitted to Natasha 
 by the archpfiest. Within the medaUion, where the 
 poison had been, was a check for five thousand rubles 
 to be deposited in the Moscow Novodyevichy Mon- 
 astery in case of her becoming a nun. She had no 
 need of the money, for she was the happy bride of 
 Savelyev. 
 
 She also refused to accept the money left her by 
 Prince Kurdyubekov. This money, together with 
 the rest of his estate, went to the poor and for good 
 works generally. 
 
 In obedience to the late Emperor's wishes, Savel- 
 yev was obliged to leave Russia, and he therefore 
 hastened his marriage. Three weeks after the 
 Emperor's death the union between Savelyev and 
 Natasha was modestly solemnized! in the Vsyekh 
 Skorbyaschikh Church. 
 
 Marya Andreyevna served as Natasha's brides- 
 maid, while the old sentry, Porfirich, who had been 
 promoted, together with his comrade, to the rank of 
 sergeant, served as groom to Savelyev. Savelyev 
 was assigned the post of secretary at one of the 
 small Prussian consulates. 
 
 Subsequently he was appointed Russian consul at 
 one of the French seaports, where he now lives, 
 surrounded by his wife, Natasha, and numerous 
 children. 
 
 Natasha turned over the money left her by the 
 Emperor to the wife of Dostoyevsky, who entered 
 the Novodyevichy Monastery at Moscow, where she 
 still lives, praying for h^r husband's soul. Her 
 days are numbered — grief has shattered her vital 
 powers. 
 
The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 291 
 
 The opal ring can be seen in the church of the 
 monastery, among other precious gifts, attached to 
 the ikon of the Holy Mother of Kazan. 
 
 The beating of drums was heard in the streets 
 leading to Konnaya Ploschad (Horse Square). A 
 platoon of soldiers marched through the streets 
 guarding three green boxes on wheels with convicts. 
 The escort was taking them to the gallows which 
 was prepared on the square. Despite the early hour, 
 a great crowd had already assembled. 
 
 An interesting spectacle was to be enacted there. 
 Prince Kurdyubekov, Petrovich, and Sherwood had 
 been found guilty of murdier. The Prince was to be 
 publicly disgraced. His noble origin exempted him 
 from punishment with the knout, to which his 
 accomplices were subjected. 
 
 The Prince walked out of his green box with a 
 firm step. Like the other two criminals, he was 
 dressed in a long black caftan, with a small board 
 over his breast, on which was written "otseubitsa" 
 (slayer of his father), while on the boards of the 
 other two there was only "ubitsa" (murderer). 
 
 He was tied to the disgraceful post* and an officer 
 read the sentence of the court. The executioner 
 then approached him, struck a blow on his cheek, 
 and broke a sword on his head. He was deprived 
 of all rights and sentenced to be exiled to Siberia at 
 hard labor in the mines for life. 
 
 ♦The "disgraceful post" stands upon the scaffold, provided 
 with rings and chains. The convict's hands are thrust 
 through the rings, and he is fastened so that he cannot move. 
 
292 The Mysteries of the Zimniy Dvoretz 
 
 At the base of the scaffold stood his two accom- 
 plices. Sherwood, ghastly pale, shudidered in every 
 joint, while Petrovich was indifferently eyeing the 
 "white horse"* on which he was about to be placed. 
 
 "This is no great misfortune, after all," said 
 Petrovich to his companion. "True, it is quite 
 painful, but one does not always die from it, and a 
 drink of vodka tastes a hundred times more palatable 
 after the execution." 
 
 The erstwhile Prince Kurdyubekov was removed 
 from the scaffold'^ and the name of Sherwood was 
 called. 
 
 Pale as death, the spy-murderer ascended the 
 scaffold, and the air was soon filled with his pitiful 
 cries. 
 
 ♦The popular name of a bench on which the flogging of 
 criminals is administered.