by L. Mühlbach
THE RUSSIAN FLEET
Unsuspectingly had she followed Orloff to Leghorn; full of devotedtenderness, full of glowing love, she was only anxious to fulfil all hiswishes and to constantly afford him new proofs of her affection.
And how? Did he not deserve that love? Was he not constantly paying herthe most delicate attentions? Was he not always as humbly submissiveas he was tender? Did it not seem as if the lion was subdued, that theHercules was tamed, by his tender Omphale, whom he adored, at whose feethe lay for the purpose of looking into her eyes, to read in them hermost secret thoughts and wishes?
She was not only his wife, she was also his empress. Such he called her,as such he respected her, and surrounded her with more than imperialsplendor.
The house of the English Consul Dyke was changed into an imperial palacefor Natalie, and the young and beautiful wife of the consul was herfirst lady of honor. She established a court for the young imperialprincess, she surrounded her with numerous servants and a splendid trainof attendants whose duty it was to follow the illustrious young empresseverywhere, and never to leave her!
And Natalie suspected not that this English consul received from theEmpress of Russia a million of silver rubles, and that his wife wasrewarded with a costly set of brilliants for the hospitality shown tothis Russian princess, which was so well calculated to deceive not onlyNatalie herself, but also the European courts whose attention had beenaroused. Natalie suspected not that her splendid train, her numerousservants--that all these who apparently viewed her as their sublimemistress, were really nothing more than spies and jailors, who watchedher every step, her every word, her every glance. Poor child, shesuspected nothing! They honored and treated her as an empress, and shebelieved them, smiling with delight when the people of Leghorn--whenevershe with her splendid retinue appeared at her husband's side--shoutedwith every demonstration of respect for her as an empress.
And finally, one day the long-expected Russian fleet arrived!
Radiant with joy, Alexis Orloff rushed into Natalie's apartment.
"We have now attained our end," said he, dropping upon one knee beforehis wife; "I can now in truth greet you as my empress and mistress!Natalie, the Russian fleet is here, and only waits to convey you intriumph to your empire, to the throne that is ready for you, to yourpeople who are languishing for your presence! Ah, you are now really anempress, and marvellous will you be when the imperial crown encirclesyour noble head!"
"I shall be an empress," said Natalie, "but you, Alexis, will always bemy lord and emperor!"
"Natalie," continued the count, "your people call for you!--yoursoldiers languish for you, the sailors of all these ships direct theireyes to the shore where their empress lingers. The admiral's ship willbe splendidly adorned for your reception, and Admiral Gluck will bethe first to pay homage to you. Therefore adorn yourself, my charming,beautiful empress--adorn yourself, and show yourself to your faithfulsubjects in all the magnificence of your imperial position. Ah, it willbe a wonderful and intoxicating festival when you celebrate the firstday of your greatness!"
And Count Orloff called her attendants. Smiling, perfectly happy atseeing the pleasure and satisfaction of her husband, Natalie sufferedherself to be adorned, to be enveloped in that costly gold-embroideredrobe, those pearls and diamonds, that sparkling diadem, those chains andbracelets.
She was dressed, she was ready! With a charming smile she gave her handto her husband, who viewed her with joyous glances, and loudly praisedthe beauty of her celestial countenance.
"They will be enchanted with the sight of you," said he.
Natalie smilingly said: "Let them be so! I am only happy when I pleaseyou!"
In an open carriage, attended by her retinue, she proceeded to thehaven, and all the people who thronged the streets shouted in honorof the beautiful princess, astonished at the splendor by which shewas surrounded, and estimating Count Orloff a very happy man to be thehusband of such an empress!
And when she appeared upon the shore, when the carriages stopped andPrincess Natalie rose from her seat, there arose from all the ships thethousand-voiced cheers of their crews. Russian flags waved from everyspar, cannon thundered and drums rolled, and all shouted: "Hail to theimperial princess! Hail, Natalie, the daughter of Elizabeth!"
It was a proud, an intoxicating moment, and Natalie's eyes were filledwith tears. Trembling with proud ecstasy, she was compelled to lean uponOrloff's arm to preserve herself from falling.
"No weakness now!" said he, and for the first time his voice soundedharsh and rough. Surprised, she glanced at him--there was somethingin his face that she did not understand; there was something wild anddisagreeable in the expression of his features, and he avoided meetingher glance.
He looked over to the ships. "See," said he, "they are letting down thegreat boat; Admiral Gluck himself is coming for you. And see that hostof gondolas, that follow the admiral's boat! All his officers are comingto do homage to you, and when you, in their company, reach the admiral'sship, they will let down the golden arm-chair to take you on board. Thatis an honor they pay only to persons of imperial rank!"
Her glance passed by all these unimportant things; she saw only hisface; she thoughtfully and sadly asked herself what change had come overAlexis, and what was the meaning of his half-sly, half-angry appearance.
The boats came to the shore, and now came the admiral with his officers;prostrating themselves before her, they paid homage to this beautifulprincess, whom they hailed as their mistress.
Natalie thanked them with a fascinating smile; and, graciously givingher hand to the admiral, suffered herself to be assisted by him into thegreat boat.
As soon as her foot touched it, the cannon thundered, flags were wavedon all the ships, and their crews shouted, "Viva Natalie of Russia!"
Her eyes sought Orloff, who, with a scowling brow and gloomy features,was still standing on the shore.
"Count Alexis Orloff!" cried she, with her silvery voice, "we awaityou!"
But Alexis came not at her call. He hastily sprang into an officer'sboat, without giving her even a look.
"Alexis!" she anxiously cried.
"He follows us, your highness," whispered the wife of Consul Dyke, whiletaking her place near the princess. "It would be contrary to etiquettefor him to appear at the side of the empress at this moment. See, he isclose behind us, in the second gondola!"
"Shove off!" cried Admiral Gluck, he himself taking the rudder in honorof the empress.
The boats moved from the land. First, the admiral's boat, with theprincess, the admiral, and the Englishwoman; and then, in brilliantarray, the innumerable crowd of adorned gondolas containing the officersof the fleet.
It was a magnificent sight. The people who crowded the shore could notsufficiently admire the splendid spectacle.
When they reached the admiral's ship the richly-gilded arm-chair waslet down for Natalie's reception. She tremblingly rose from her seat--astrange, inexplicable fear came over her, and she anxiously glancedaround for Orloff. He sat in the second boat, not far from her, but helooked not toward her, not even for a moment, and upon his lips therewas a wild, triumphant smile.
"Princess, they wait for you; seat yourself in the arm-chair!" saidMadame Dyke, in a tone which to Natalie seemed to have nothing of theformer humility and devotion--all seemed to her to be suddenly changed,all! Shudderingly she took her seat in the swinging chair--but,nevertheless, she took it.
The chair was drawn up, the cannon thundered anew, the flags were waved,and again shouted the masses of people on the shore.
Suddenly it seemed as if, amid the shouts of joy and the thunderingof the cannon, a shriek of terror was heard, loud, penetrating, andheartrending. What was that? What means the tumult upon the deck of theadmiral's ship? Seems it not as if they had roughly seized this princesswhose feet had just now touched the ship? as if they had grasped her, asif she resisted, stretching her arms toward heaven! and hark, now thisfrightful cry, this heart-rending scream!
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Shuddering and silent stand the people upon the shore, staring at theships. And the cannon are silenced, the flags are no longer waved, allis suddenly still.
Once more it seems as if that voice was heard, loudly shrieking the onename--"Alexis!"
Trembling and quivering, Alexis Orloff orders his boat to return to theshore!
In the admiral's ship all is now still. The princess is no longer on thedeck. She has disappeared! The people on shore maintained that they hadseen her loaded with chains and then taken away! Where?
All was still. The boats returned to the shore. Count Orloff gave hishand to the handsome Madame Dyke, to assist her in landing.
"To-morrow, madame," he whispered, "I will wait upon you with the thanksof my empress. You have rendered us an essential service."
The people at the landing received them with howls, hisses, andcurses!--but Count Orloff, with a contemptuous smile, strewed gold amongthem, and their clamors ceased.
Tranquil and still lay the Russian fleet in the haven. But the portsof the admiral's ship were opened, and the yawning cannon peepedthreateningly forth. No boats were allowed to approach the ship; butsome, impelled by curiosity, nevertheless ventured it, and at the cabinwindow they thought they saw the pale princess wringing her hands, herarms loaded with chains. Others also asserted that in the stillness ofthe night they had heard loud lamentations coming from the admiral'sship.
On the next day the Russian fleet weighed anchor for St. Petersburg!Proudly sailed the admiral's ship in advance of the others, and soonbecame invisible in the horizon.
On the shore stood Count Alexis Orloff, and, as he saw the ships sailingpast, with a savage smile he muttered: "It is accomplished! my beautifulempress will be satisfied with me!"
CONCLUSION
She was satisfied, the great, the sublime empress--satisfied with thework Alexis Orloff had accomplished, and with the manner in which it wasdone.
In the presence of her confidential friends she permitted Orloff'smessenger, Joseph Ribas, to relate to her all the particulars of theaffair from the commencement to the end, and to the narrator she noddedher approval with a fell smile.
"Yes," said she to Gregory Orloff, "we understand women's hearts, andtherefore sent Alexis to entrap her. A handsome man is the best jailerfor a woman, from whom she never runs away." And bending nearer toGregory's ear, she whispered: "I, myself, your empress, am almost yourprisoner, you wicked, handsome man!"
And ravished by the beauty of Gregory Orloff, the third in the ranks ofher recognized favorites, the empress leaned upon his arm, whisperingwords of tenderness in his ear.
"And what does your sublime majesty decide upon respecting theprisoner?" humbly asked Joseph Ribas.
"Oh, I had almost forgotten her," said the empress, with indifference."She is, then, yet living, this so-called daughter of Elizabeth?"
"She is yet alive."
The empress for some time thoughtfully walked back and forth,occasionally turning her bold eagle eye upon her two favorite pictures,hanging upon the wall. They were battle-pieces full of terrible truth;they displayed the running blood, the trembling flesh, the rage ofopponents, and the death-groans of the defeated. Such were the picturesloved by Catharine, and the sight of which always inspired her with boldthoughts.
As she now glanced at these sanguinary pictures, a pleasant smiledrew over the face of this Northern Semiramis. She had just come to adecision, and, being content with it, expressed her satisfaction by asmile.
"That bleeding feminine torso," said she, pointing to one of thepictures, "look at it, Gregory, that wonderful feminine back reminds meof the vengeance Elizabeth took for the beauty of Eleonore Lapuschkin.Well, Elizabeth's pretended daughter shall find me teachable; I willlearn from her mother how to punish. Let this criminal be conducted tothe same place where the fair Lapuschkin suffered, and as she was servedso serve Elizabeth's daughter! We have no desire to tear out the tongueof this child. Whip her, that is all, but whip her well and effectually.You understand me?"
And while she said this, that animated smile deserted not Catharine'slips for a moment, and her features constantly displayed the utmostcheerfulness.
"I think," said she, turning to Gregory, "that is bringing an expiatoryoffering to the fair Eleonore Lapuschkin, and we here exercise justicein the name of God!--As to you," she then said to Joseph Ribas, "wehave reason to be satisfied with you, and you shall not go without yourreward. Moreover, our beloved Alexis Orloff has especially recommendedyou to us, and spoken very highly of your information and talents. Youshall be satisfied."(*)
(*) Joseph Ribas was rewarded by the empress with the place of an officer and teacher in the corps of cadets. Afterward, upon the recommendation of Betzkoi, he was made the tutor of Bobrinsky, one of the sons of the empress by Gregory Orloff. "He accompanied Bobrinsky in all his travels," says Massen, "and inoculated the prince with all the terrible vices he himself possessed." At a later period, as we have already said, he became an admiral and a favorite of Potemkin, the fourth of Catharine's lovers.
It was a dark and dreadfully cold night. St. Petersburg slept; thestreets were deserted and silent. But there, upon the place whereElizabeth once caused the beautiful Lapuschkin to be tortured, theretorches glanced, there dark forms were moving to and fro, there amysterious life was stirring. What was being done there?
No spectators are to-night assembled around these barriers. Catharinehad commanded all St. Petersburg to sleep at this hour, and accordinglyit slept. Nobody is upon the place--nobody but the cold, unfeelingexecutioners and their assistants--nobody but that pale, feeble, andshrunken woman, who, in her slight white dress, kneels at the feet ofher executioners. She yet lives, it is true, but her soul has long sincefled, her heart has long been broken. The chains and tortures of herimprisonment have done that for her. It was Alexis Orloff who murderedNatalie's heart and soul. For him had she wept until her tears had beenexhausted--for him had she lamented until her voice had becomeextinct. She now no longer weeps, no longer complains; glancing at herexecutioners, she smiles, and, raising her hands to God, she thanks himthat at last she is about to die.
She is yet praying when her executioners approach and roughly raise herup, when they tear off her light robe, and devour with their brutal eyesher noble naked form. Her soul is with God, to whom she yet prays. Butwhen they would rend from her bosom the chain to which Paulo's papersare attached, she shudders, her eyes flash, and she holds the papers inher convulsively clinched hands.
"I have sworn to defend them with my life!" she exclaims aloud. "Paulo,Paulo, I will keep my word!"
And with the boldness of a lioness she defends herself against herexecutioners.
"Leave her those papers!" commanded Joseph Ribas who was present byorder of the empress. "She may keep them now--they will directly beours!"
"Oh, Paulo, I have kept the promise I made thee!" murmured Natalie. Shethen implores to be allowed to read them, and Joseph Ribas grants herthe desired permission.
With trembling hands she breaks the seal and reads by the light of atorch held up for her. A melancholy smile flits over her features, andher arms fall powerless.
"Ah, they are the proofs of my imperial descent, nothing further. Howlittle is that, Paulo!"
And now lifting her up, they raise her high upon the backs of theexecutioners.
The knout whistles as it whirls through the air, the noble blood flowsin streams. She makes no complaint, she prays. Only once, overcome bypain, only once she loudly screams: "_Mercy, mercy for the daughter ofan empress!_"