CHAPTER V
PLAN OF WAR AGAINST A WOMAN
On the way back to Ghedimin Palace naturally nothing was spoken of bythe members of the hunt but the exciting scene to which they had justbeen witness.
"_Parole d'honneur_," said the clean-shaven horseman, as he struck hisriding-boot with his whip, "the whole world is turned upside down! Inthe time of the Empress Elizabeth, if any woman had allowed herself toinsult a Princess Ghedimin in that manner, she would have had her tonguecut out and have been punished with the knout."
"This is what we have to thank exaggerated philanthropy for! It wasnever created for us. Voltairianism will be the ruin of the nation. Howcan Araktseieff suffer it?"
"The woman is no Russian?"
"Perhaps some English or German here to spite us, and who has placedherself under the protection of the Embassy? By Jove! in 1816, when Iwas last at home, such a thing would not have been permitted!"
"These cursed foreigners! Anyway, if the president of the police doesnot take the matter in hand, we will administer the knout ourselves. Iswear your presence alone withheld me just now, Princess MariaAlexievna!"
"Indeed! You do not know who the woman is."
"What does it matter who she is? She may even be a princess."
"She is more than that."
"Then some expatriated queen, perhaps from Georgia."
"Silence!" said the lady, as she gave a warning look in the direction ofthe girl riding at her other side.
"She does not understand German. So the woman is really a queen?"
At this question the lady laughed heartily.
"Really a queen! A true queen! A reigning queen--an absolute monarch! Weall are her slaves; you, I, even Alexis Maximovitch. A queen who is notto be driven out of her kingdom by means of cannon, but with this!" andshe held out to her companion the whistle of her shattered riding-whip.
"What! an actress?"
"Of course. What else should she be?"
"Ha, ha, ha! To whom the whistle means a revolution; whose throne isupset by hisses! Ah, Maria Alexievna, present me with this whistle. Withit I will fight for you, as a knight _sans peur et sans reproche_."
The lady resigned the fatal weapon, so efficacious in the downfall ofstage potentates, to her cavalier, as the latter lifted her out of hersaddle in the portico of the Ghedimin Palace.
He then kissed her hand. She kissed him on the cheek, and, taking theyoung girl by the hand, she passed through a treble glass door andascended the broad frescoed staircase within.
Here the hunting-party broke up, making rendezvous at the opera thatevening.
Now the silent, bestarred gentleman, who had hitherto not mixed in theconversation, slapping the clean-shorn one on the back with the flat ofhis hand, said:
"Nicholas Sergievitch, a word with you. Come along with me."
"At your service, Alexis Maximovitch."
And together they rode off to the Araktseieff Palace.
There are no old palaces in St. Petersburg. The whole city only datesback a century and a half. The palace of the favorite official of theCzar is situated on the Nevski Prospect, and is built more for comfortthan for elegance. During the winter the whole building is heatedthroughout with hot-air pipes; every window has treble cases; the floorsof the rooms are of parquetry.
The two huntsmen said nothing until they had refreshed themselves withhot tea seasoned with arak and a curious compound of cayenne andcantharides. A tiny portion on the point of a knife of this latter warmsone's frozen limbs. In any other climate it were poison.
The great man whom we now recognize from the name of his palace,Araktseieff, first locking the door of the room they were in, pushed upa rocking-chair to the fireplace for his guest, gave him a chibouque,and himself took up his station before the fire.
"Hark ye, Nicholas Sergievitch, put the whistle you received from thePrincess just now among your treasures, and when you want to blow it goout into the woods. That is my advice to you. For if you carry out whatyou have sworn to the Princess you will find yourself next day on theroad to Irkutsk, and, by Heaven! I can't say when you will be comingback."
"The devil!"
"You see, the Czar is of opinion that he can create a hundred noblemensuch as you in an hour; but singers such as Zeneida Ilmarine are to bemet with but once in the century."
"Ah! So this mysterious stranger is Zeneida Ilmarine, the far-famedSimarosa heroine? All honor to her! I take my pipe out of my mouth as Ispeak her revered name! When I made my promise to Princess Ghedimin, Ihad no idea whom it concerned. This absolves me from my oath. Againstthe 'divine' Zeneida one may not revolt, even to please the 'angelic'Maria Alexievna. Rather raise the standard against the whole army oflegitimate rulers! What a fool I was! The excessive cold must havefrozen my wits like quicksilver in a thermometer. Of course, I had heardabroad that the _diva_ was a _protegee_ of the Czar and Czarina, and,moreover, the beloved of the brave Ivan Maximovitch. From the dialoguein which the two ladies indulged, I might have gathered that it was ameeting between wife and lady-love."
"Now you must devise a way to find favor with both. Favor with the wife,as with the sweetheart."
"Easy as kiss your hand. I have only to tell one about the other."
"That may succeed with the wife, for she is outspoken, straightforward,and passionate. With the favorite, however, it may be more difficult;for she understands how to play as many parts in real life as on thestage. And your office it will be to find out which is the real one."
"That I will do--as sure as my name is Galban."
"Well, Chevalier Galban, you may imagine that it is a matter of someimportance which has induced us to call you back from Versailles, whereyou were to us as eyes and ears are to man. You have there learned, inmasterly fashion, how to unravel the most secret diplomatic webs bymeans of a woman's heart, yourself the while remaining unscathed. Nowyou must carry out your masterwork at home."
"What, Holy Russia has secrets which her police and the priests areunable to fathom?"
"My dear Chevalier Galban, our good Chulkin has enough to do to catchthieves, and is not too successful in that department. I counsel you, ifyour sledge be stopped on the way home from the club at night, give thethief your purse quietly, for if you call the watch the soldiers willease you of your fur coat into the bargain. If, on the other hand, youfall into the hands of a policeman, he will not only clear you out, butthe thief too. As for the priests, they count for nothing to our people,who are atheists."
"Have we come to that?"
"Yes; to that. General Kutusoff did well to say, when our forces cameback from the French War, 'The best thing the Czar could do would be todrown the whole expedition in the Baltic.' They were all indoctrinatedto a man with liberalism, and have infected the entire army. I assureyou that many a young officer carries 'The Catechism of a Free Man' and'A Scheme of Constitutional Monarchy' about with him in hiscoat-pocket."
"How do they get hold of them?"
"They must have a secret press."
"They have been allowed to play with freedom too long."
"That were the least danger. As long as we allowed them the game offreemasonry, all was open and above board. At the court balls they wouldtalk in the presence of the Czar himself of freedom, and debate over therights of the people and the emancipation of serfs. That was allacademical discussion. But when the masonic lodges were closed, and theinsignia sold by auction in the Jews' market on the Appraxin Dwor, thesecret evil grew worse and worse. The freemasonry of Mamonoff, of asudden, took five or six different forms. One called itself a 'GeneralBetterment Society,' Orloff at its head. Another was 'Szojusz Spacinia,'a third 'The Confederation of Patriots,' a fourth 'SzojuszBlagadenztoiga.' There is another constituted under the title of'Republic of the Eight Slav Races'; its members wear an eight-pointedstar as a token, the inscription on one of the points being Hungary.They grow like mushrooms."
"Ridiculous! Even in my time there were clubs where secret meetings wereheld. But th
ere was no talk then of danger to the State. If certainmuch-wronged husbands had no complaint to make, the police might let usgo scot-free."
"That is not the case now," answered Araktseieff, impatiently. (It washis habit, when receiving secret visits in his own house, to keep asword-stick in his hand, with which he would incessantly prod screens,walls, and hangings, as though ever suspecting listeners; and did heperceive that his visitor had a bulging pocket-handkerchief ornote-book, he would prod that, too, to discover what was there.) "Theyare about everywhere, and yet nowhere to be traced. They give each otherrendezvous at balls, concerts, wine-parties, etc., and so contrive togive our spies the slip. Why, they actually keep a register, a sort ofparliamentary hand-book, in which the conferences of every distantprovince are entered concerning the organizing of a systematicrevolution throughout Russia; the best form of constitution; what is tobecome of the dynasty; how the empire is to be partitioned, and whetherto be represented by landed proprietors or the people. And this protocolit is which contains a fully named register of the conspirators, thosewho hold the threads of the net in their hands throughout the wholeland, from the shores of the Black Sea to the Arctic Pole. Amongthemselves they call it 'the green book.' Now, where is this book? Thatis the question."
"To which I reply by a counter-question. But do not keep on soincessantly prodding my coat-pockets with that sharp stiletto of yours.Has any one seen this book--and, if seen, why has he not said where hehas seen it?"
"That I will tell you, too. The conspirators are divided into threeclasses. The first are 'Brethren.' To this community any one may belong,on his introducer making himself responsible for him; they know nothingbeyond the fact that they are members of a conspiracy, and have theright to attend meetings. The second class are called 'Men.' They aretrusty people, who, on a certain watchword being given them, areauthorized to act. You may reckon one-third of the officers in the armyas belonging to this class. They cannot betray anything beyond their ownindividual names and the work given them to do. Then we come to thethird class, the 'Bojars,' and leaders of the whole affair. It isextremely difficult to get in among them; and those who do belong tothem do not betray one iota."
"Are they married men? Have they no wives--no mistresses?"
"That question occurred to me long ago. It is no new discovery thatwomen are the best mediums for discovering secrets. Bright eyes anddiamonds can cast light into many a dark corner--that is an old story!That 'the green book' is in the custody of some woman is unquestionable;but, so far, with all our espionage, we have reached no further. We wereinformed that Orloff's mistress was the possessor of 'the green book,'and paid down enormous sums for the information. And what did we find? Apack of scandalous anecdotes of St. Petersburg society, all of which,moreover, were known to us before. Then we got on another scent. 'Thegreen book' was in the keeping of the 'Martinists,' whose president hada lady-love--faithfulness itself. In her case all our bribes wereuseless. So one night we had her surprised in her room, bound, theboards of the floor raised, and actually there was found a 'green book.'But it contained nothing but atheistic theses. What was the use of them?People may rebel against the Deity, but not against the Czar! At lengthwe received secret information that the heart of the conspiracy is thatleague which calls itself 'The Northern Union'--its head PrinceGhedimin."
"The devil!"
"Yes, my friend; the next in succession to the throne! He it is who musthold possession of 'the green book,' or who has had it in his keeping.To whom should a man confide so dangerous a treasure but to his ownwife? But the husband, we are told, always wore the key of the ironchest in which the book was guarded round his neck. Father Hilaryattacked the Princess on the religious side, and persuaded her to removethe key from her husband's neck when he lay unconscious in typhus fever.She must have had many sins to atone for. Anyway, she did commit thesmall piece of treachery, and I passed a whole night studying 'the greenbook' obtained from Ghedimin."
"Well?"
"Well, having carefully gone through it, I flung it to the other end ofthe room. The book was filled with dangerous doctrines--nothing more.Pure abstract reasoning, philosophical treatises, and the like, but nosingle name of any member. What care I for the utterances of Seneca,Rousseau, Saint-Just? What I want to know is what the Muravieffs andTurgenieffs are talking about. That, too, was a mere piece of trickery.That cunning Ghedimin did not trust his wife. He gave her a book to keepwhich the Censor--had she betrayed him--would readily have condemned tobe burned, but for which the President of Secret Police would havegrudged the oil consumed in the reading."
"Then, if the real 'green book' is not to be found in his wife'skeeping, it must be in that of his lady-love--and that lady-love isZeneida?"
"Right."
"Is she a foreigner?"
"No; a subject. A Finnish girl from Helsingfors; and especially favoredby the Czar, because she has triumphed over the pride of theEmpire--Catalani. The Czarina, too, is very gracious to her. You knowthat the Czar is a great music-lover, and will not suffer the school ofCimarosa and Paisiello to be set aside by the modern school of Rossini.Zeneida Ilmarine does not sing a note of Rossini. At all hours she isadmitted to the imperial family. How often have I--ay, and even theGrand Duke Nicholas--had to kick our heels in the antechamber while shewas having audience? At the court soirees she is treated like anyreigning princess; she alone is privileged to wear in her hair a whiterose, the Czarina's favorite flower. It is entirely due to the magic ofher voice that the Finnish students of Helsingfors escaped being sentoff in a body to Kiew after the rebellion; for she can intercede aseffectually as she can sing. The Czar would have raised her to the rankof a duchess, but what do you think the spoiled _diva_ said? 'Would yourMajesty wish to degrade me?'"
"And is this the woman who could take part in a conspiracy against theCzar?"
"Why not? if the leader of that conspiracy be sweet upon her, a PrinceGhedimin, the most powerful among Russia's twelve ruling families, thenumber of whose serfs and estates more than equals the whole kingdom ofWuertemberg. Do not forget, moreover, that she is a 'Kalevaine.'"
"What are the proofs of this suspicion?"
"I have already told you that the conspirators are marvellously cleverin eluding detection. It is not their way to creep into obscure cornersor subterranean caves; they rather hold their meetings in the midst ofcrowds and in public places. This is a wrinkle they have learned fromthe Poles, among whom the 'Philaretes' and 'Vendita' usually meet attheir yearly fairs. Now the fast is at hand. For seven weeks everypublic amusement is forbidden, that the people may see that great folksdo penance as well as themselves. High and low must attend the servicesof the Church. But no one asks what takes place o' nights behind closeddoors. This is the harvest-time for secret meetings. The invited guestshave no political proclivities; they have no wish to foundconstitutions; their sole idea is to enjoy a good dinner--'Anti-fasters'they call themselves. Surprised by the police, all that would bediscovered would probably be a table spread with appetizing game orsteaming roast-beef, and, maybe, a few guests the worse for liquor. The'sinners' would, of course, be fined, but no one would be the wiser ofwhat was taking place in the more private apartments. And here our primadonna has peculiar advantages. The stage, as you know, makes its ownlaws. Who in the world expects to find strict morality among actressesand ballet-dancers? The police wisely shut their eyes to much that goeson among them. He who is lucky enough to be an invited guest to one ofZeneida Ilmarine's exclusive Careme soirees will find all the frivolousbeauties of the opera and ballet, all the _jeunesse doree_ of St.Petersburg, assembled, and will have no need to complain of either thelack of fiery eyes or fiery wines. Many a man has been singed by them.But if he be wise enough to keep his head in the midst of the tumult, hewill observe a certain portion of the company disappear gradually andnoiselessly from the reception-rooms."
"There may be other reasons for such disappearance."
"Certainly. For instance, roulette may be carried on in those p
rivateapartments. Now, the Czar has issued a severe prohibition againstroulette-playing--any one caught in the act is sent straight off toSiberia, without possibility of remission of sentence. It is a fact thatZeneida's calumniators, especially among the women who are envious ofher, have circulated the report that she keeps a roulette bank, whichenables her to indulge in all her lavish luxury. I hold a differentopinion."
"Upon what grounds?"
"That Michael Turgenieff is a constant guest at these theatricalsoirees, and is one of those who at midnight disappear into the innerapartments. Now, Michael Turgenieff is a philosopher and a puritan."
"Even philosophers have their lucid intervals, induced by combinedcharms of pretty women and good wine."
"We know Michael better. I have had my eye upon him ever since hisDemi-Decemvir. He was the only one among his young companions who didnot give way to any of the modern forms of debauchery. In his travelsthrough England, France, and Germany, he only sought out great writersand men of mind and genius; he was never to be found in fashionable orvicious haunts. Not even in Paris, where vice and pleasure reignsupreme. What, then, should possess him to secretly worship here at thealtar of false gods? No; the presence of this one man alone issufficient to betray that those closed doors conceal other thanEleusinian mysteries."
"And it has, so far, been impossible to discover them?"
"No sooner does Zeneida, taking the Duke's arm, leave the company thanit assumes the aspect of a revel. Beauty and folly take possession ofmen's senses, and next day not one of them can recall anything but thatthey have had a jolly evening. If a 'Brother' try to follow a 'Bojar' inhis retreat, he is surrounded by sirens, who lure him back by aconspiracy of charms. In order to let diamond cut diamond, and soconquer the high-priestess of the mysteries herself, it needs just sucha conquering hero as you are."
"Very flattering for me! When shall I make a beginning?"
"This very night. It is the last day of Maslica week, the last night ofthe opera. Zeneida is to sing in Cimarosa's _Secret Marriage_. Thestreets will be thronged. At the stroke of midnight the bells of all thechurches will proclaim the beginning of Lent. Every one goes toconfession. In the opera queen's kingdom, however, the revel begins.Prince Carnival, with his merry company, will make his joyous processionthrough the brilliantly lighted saloons, through whose fast-closedwindows no ray of light, no sound of music, may penetrate. You mustmanage to procure an invitation to the entertainment."
"After the insult of to-day?"
"You are master in the art of intrigue."
"I have given my promise to Princess Ghedimin to hiss her rival off thestage to-night."
"You have given me your promise to win her to-night."
"The time is too short."
"But the opportunity favorable. I am informed that yesterday two menarrived in the capital who are rarely seen here. The one isKrizsanowski, from Poland; the other, Colonel Pestel, of the SouthernArmy. Both have already received invitations to Zeneida's so-calleddance. Only there can you come across them; and you must find out fromthem what has brought them here."
"I will be there."
"How will you manage it?"
"As we men begin all love affairs--by means of presents."
"Ah! this nymph is richer than you, my dear fellow. She makes her fortythousand rubles in a single concert. If her mood is for diamonds, shechooses out the most costly; if for something better than diamonds, shedivides her night's earnings among the poor. It may happen that youreceive back your presents twofold."
"I will make her a present which will command her favor--aneight-in-hand."
"Ah! such as the Czar alone possesses?"
"Such as not even the Czar possesses! You shall see, with thiseight-in-hand, I will force open the gates of the fairy castle. Leavethe rest to me. If a 'green book' be in existence, I will know itscontents."