Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-01-01

inc threw off all ceremony, and pinchng
the cheeks and imprinting kiss on the
forehead of the beautiful stranger, APP
pointed her, by one of these sudden whims
or preference against which her minister
had so much trouble to guard, letrice IN
time ct particuliere,-in short, confiden-
tia personal attendant. The bushes Of
the confused marquis, who was unprepared
for so atfectionate a reception, served ra-
Their to heighten the disguise, and old Bes-
tuchef bowed himself out with compli-
ment to the beauty of Mademoiselle de
Beaumont, yelled in diplomatic con-
graduation TO her imperial mistress.
Elizabeth was forty and little passee,
but she still had professions, and was par
ticularly fond of beauty in her attendants,
female as well as male. Her favorite, Of
her personal suite, at the time OF the arr
val of the marquis, was an exquisite little
creature who had been sent TO her. as a
complirient to this particular taste, by the
Duchess of Mecklenberg Sterlitz--a kind
of German "Fenela" or "Mignon," by the
name of Nadege Stein. Not much below
the middle size, Nadege was a model Of
symmetrical proportion, and of very extra
ordinary beauty. She had been carefully
educated for her present situation, and
was highly accomplished; a fine reader,
and singularly sweet musician and dan
Ger. The tzarine's passion for this love-
ly attendant was excessive, and the arrl-
val of new lavorite of the same sex, was
looked upon with some pleasure by the
eclipsed remainder of the palace idIers.
Elizabeth summoned Nadege, and COM
mitted Mademoiselle de Beaumont tempo
rarily to her charge; but the same mystic.
rious magnetism which had reached the
heart Of the tzarine, seemed to kindle,
quite as promptly, the affections Of her at.
tendant, Nadege was no sooner alone
with her new friend than she jumped TO
her neck, smothered her with kisses,
called her by every endearing epithet,
and overwhelmed her with questions, min.
gIed with the most chId.ike EXPLANATIONS
of wonder at her own ineSplicabIe love
for a stranger. In an hour she had shown
to the new demoiselle all the contents Of
the little boudoir in which she lived; talked
to her of her loves and hates at the Rus
sian court; of her home in Mecklenberg,
and her present situation: in short, poured
out her heart with the Raif abandon Of 4
child. The young marquis had never
seen so lovely creature; and, response
bly, as he felt his difficult aud delicate stu
alton, he returned the affection so inno-
Gently lavished upon him, and by the end
of this first fatal hour, was irrecoyerably
in love. And gay as his life had been at
the French court, it was the first, and sub
sequenlly proved to be the deepest passion
of his life.
On the tzarne's return TO her private
apartment, she summoned her new favo-
rite, and superintendent, with condescend-
ing solcilude. the arrangements for her
palace lodging. Nadege inhabited small
tower adjoining the bedroom of her mis-
tress, and above this was an unoccupied
room, which, at the present suggestion of
the fairy little attendant, was allotted to
the newcomer. The Staircase opened
by one door into the private gardens, and
by the opposite, into the corridor leading
Immediately to the imperial chamber
The marquis's delicacy would foin have
had some objection to this very intimate
location; but he could hazard nothing a.
gainst the interests of his sovereign, and
he trusted to a speedy termination Of his
disguise with the attainment Of his object
Meantime, the close neighborhood Of the
fair Nadedge was not the most intolerable
of necessities.
The marquis's task was a very difficult
one. He was instructed, before abandon
ing his disguise and delivering his secret
dispatches, TO awaken the interests Of the
tzarine on the two subjects to which the
/ documents had reference--yiz: a former
Partially of her majesty for Louis, and a
formerly discussed project Of seating the
Prince dc Cont on the throne Of Poland,
Bestucheff had so long succeeded in cut.
ting off all approach Of these topics TO the
ear Of the tzarine, that her majesty had
probably forgotten them altogether.
Weeks passed, and the opportunities
to breach these delicate subjects hac
been inauspiciously rare. Mademoiselc
de Beaumont, it is.true, had completely
eclipsed the favorii6 Nadege; and Eliza
beth, in her hours Of relaxation from state
affairs, exacted the constant attendance q
the new favorite in her private apartments
But the almost constant presence OF some
other of the maids Of honor, opposed con
linual obstacles and interruptions and th'
tzarine herself was not always disposed 4
talk of matters more serious than The cur
rent tr:iles Of the hour. She was extreme
Nv indolent in her personal habits and OF
ten reclining at length upon cushions Of
the floor of her boudoir she laid her 10
perial head in tho lap Of the embarnsse'
Y demoiseIie, and was sooihed to sleep b.
/ reading and the bathing Of her temples