Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-02-08

dCCSsS anu opportunity oOhiN 'AANS "
uniting their destnies hereafter.
As he opened the door Of the turret,
Nadege flew up the stair to meet him, and
observing the cloak in the faint glimmer OF
the stars, she pIayfuIIy endeavored to enve-
lope herself i'll it. But seizing her hands,
La Chetarde turned all Gli4ed backward,
drawing her after him toward small paw
lion in the remoter pert G the garden
Here they had never been interrupted, the
empress alone having the power to intrude
upon them, and La Chetardie felt safe IN
devoting this place and time to the double
disclosure of his secret and his suppressed
passion.
Persuading her with difficulty to desist
from putting her arms about him and sit
down without caress, he retreated few
steps, and in the darkness of the pavilion,
shook down his imprisoned locks to Their
masculine abandon, threw off his cloak,
and drew up the blind of the lantern. The
scream of surprise, which instantly parted
from the life of Nadege, made him regret
his imprudence in not having prepared her
for the transformation; but her second
thought was mirth, for she could believe 1t
Of course To he nothing hut a playful mas
querade; and with delighted laughter she
sprang to his neck, and overwhelmed him
with her kisses-another voice, however,
joining very Unexpectedly in the laughter!
The empress stood before them
For an instant with all his selfposses.
sion La Chctadie was COMPOUNDED and dis
mayed. Siberia, the knout, the scafiod,
fitted before his eyes, and Nadege was the
suffered But ance at the face OF the
tzarine treasured him. She, too, took it
for a girlish masquerade
But the empress, unfortunately, was not
disposed to have partner in her enjoyment
of the society of this new apparltion Of
hose and doublet" She ordered Nadege
to her turret, with one of those petulant
commands which her attendants understood
to admit of no delay, and while the eclipsed
favorile disappeared with the tears of UNI
willing submission in her soft eyes, La Che
tardie looked after her with the anguish of
eternal separation as his heart, for pre-.
sentiment crowded irresistlbly upon him
that he should never see her more
The empress was in slippers and robe de
mutt, and, as if fate had determined that
this well kept secret should not survive the
hour, her majesty laid her arm within that
OF her supposed masquerader, and the way
to the palace. She was wakeful, and wish
ed to be read to sleep. Aud, with many
compliment to the beauty of her fayorte in
male attire, and many a playful caress, she
arrived at the doore of her chamber.
But the marquis could 90 no farther
He had hitherto been spared the embarrass-
ment of passing this sacred threshold, for
the passee empress had secrets of toilet for
the establishment ofher person, which she
trusted only to the eyes Of an antiquated
attendant, La Chetardie had never passed
beyond the boudoir which was between the
the aHtechamber and the bedroom, and the
time had come for the disclosure of his Sc
himself a man
Fortunately they were alone. Incredu.
louS at first, the empress listened to his as
severations, however, with more amusement
than displeasure, and the immediate deliye-
ry of the dispatches, with the commenda.
tons of the disguised ambassador by his
royal master to the forgiveness and kind
ness OF the empress, ampl y secured his par
don. But it was on condition that lie
should resume his disguise and remain in
her service.
Alone in this tower (ior Nadege had dis
appeared, and he knew enough of the cru
city of Elizabeth to dread the consequences
to the goor girl of venturing on direct in
qulres as to her fate, La Chetardie after
few weeks fell i'll; and fortunate, even at
this price, to escape from the siIken letters
OF the enamored tzarine, he departed under
the care Of the imperial physician, for the
more genial climate of France-not without
reiterated promises of return, however, and
offers, IN that event, of unlimited wealth and
advancement.
But, as the marquis made his way slowly
toward Vienna, g lean OF light dawned on
his sadness. The Princes Sophia Charlotte
was newly affianced to George the Third of
England, and this daughter of the house of
MeckIenberg had been the playmate of
Nadege was sent to the tzarine by the Ouch
ess of Mecklenberg. Making a confdant
ofthe kind physician who accompanied him,
La Chetardle was confirmed, by the good
mans better experience and knowledge. in
the belief that Nadege had shared the same
fate of every female of the court who had
ever awakened the jealousy of the empress.
She was doubtless exiled to Siberia; but
as she had committed no voluntary fault, it
was probably without other punishment !;
and, with playmate on the throne of En-
gland, she might be demanded and recoy-
cred ere long, in all her freshness and beau.
| ty. Yet the recent fate Of the fair EudoXie
Lapoukin, who, for one offence but little
more distastelul to the tzarine, had been
pierced through the tongue with hot iron,
whipped with the knout, and exiled for life
to Siberia, hung like cloud of evil auqurv
over his mind.
The marquis suddenly determined that
ne would see the affianced princess. and
plead with her for her friend, before the
splendors of throne should make her in.
accessible. The excitement of this hone
had given him new life, and he easily per.
suaded his attendant, as they entered the
gates o! Vienna, that he required his atten.
dance no farther. Alone with his own scr.
wants, he resumed his female attire. and ii.
rected his course to Meckenberg. Strelitz
The princess had maintained an intimate
correspondence with her playmate up to
the time of her betrothal, and the name of
Mademolselle do Beaumont was passport
enough. La CEetardie had sent forward
his servant, on arriving at the town. in the
nnInhhnrhnnd Of Tho l,,a.l -. = -