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

oWCCL uIuolCldl anu duhSNA' ~
passion for this lovely attendant was excess
sive, and the arrival of new favorite of
the same sex was looked upon with some
pleasure by the eclipsed remainder of the
palace iders.
Elizabeth summoned Nadege, and COM
mitted Mademoisele de Beaumont Temporal
riIy to her charge butthe same mysterious
which had reached the heart of
the tzarine, seemed to kindle, quite as
the affections of her attendant
Nadepe was no sooner alone with her new
friend, than she jumped to her nee k, smoth-
cred her with kisses, called her by every
endearing epithet, and overwhelmed her
with questions, mingled with the most child
like wonder at her own lnexplicable love for
stranger. In an hour, she had shown to
the new demoiselle all the contents OF the
boudoir in which she lived talked to her OF
her loves and hates at the Russian court;
of her home in Mecklenberg, and her pres
ent situation-in short, poured out her heart
with the naif abandon of child. The
Young marquis had never seen SO lovely a
creature; and, responsibly as he felt the
S go. - +. ION he returned
a Srl1 GstGUtion so nnocently lavlsneu upon
him. and by the end of this first fatal hour,
was irrecoverabIy in love. And, gay as his
life had been at the French court, it was
the first, and subsequently proved TO be the
deepest passion Of his life.
On the tzarines return to her private
apartment, she summoned her new favorite,
and superintended, with condescending So
licitude, the arrangements for her palace
lodging. Nadege inhabited small tower
adjoining the bedroom of her mistress, 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 i'm
perial chamber. The marquis's delicacy
would fain have made some objection to
this very intimate location; but he could
hazard nothing against the interests of his
sovereign, and he trusted to a speedy ter
mination of his disguise with the attain
ment of his object. Meantime, the close
neighborhood of the fair Nadege was not
the most intolerabe of necessities.
The marquis's task was very difficult
one. He was instructed, before abandon.
ing his disguise and delivering his secret
dispatches, to awaken the interest of the
tzarine on the two subjects to which the
documents had reference: viz, former
Partially of her majesty for Louis, and a
formerly discussed project of seating the
Prince de Cont on the throne of Poland
Bestucheff had so long succeeded in cutting
off all approach Of these topics to the car
of the tzarine, that her majesty had pro b.
ably forgotten them altogether.
Weeks passed, and the opportunities to
breach these delicate subjects had been in
auspiciously rare. Mademoiselle de Beau
mont, it is true, had completely eclipsed
the favorite Nadege and Elizabeth, in her
hours of relaxation from state affairs, exac-
ted the constant attendance of her new ia.
vorlte in her private apartments. But the
almost constant presence of some other OF
the maids of honor, opposed continual OBJ
stacles and interruptions, and the tzarne
herself was not always disposed to talk of
matters more serious than the current tri-
files of the hour. She was extremely indo-
lent in her personal habits; and often re-
clining at length upon cushions on the floor
of her boudoir, she laid her imperial head
in the lap of the embarrassed demoiselle,
and was soothed to sleep by reading and
the bathing of her temples. And during
this period, she exacted frequently Of the
marquis, with kind of instructive mistrust,
promises of continuance for life in her per-
sonal service.
But there were sweeter hours for the en-
amored La Chetardie than those passed in
the presence of his partial and imperial
mistress. Encircled by Sentnels, and guar
ded from all intrusion OF other eyes, i'll the
inviolable sanctuary of royalty, the beauti-
full Nadege, impassioned she knew not why,
in her love for her new companion, was ev-
er within call, and happy in devoting to
him all her faculties of caressing endear-
ment. He had not yet dared to risk the in
terests Of his sovereign by disclosure OF
his sex, even in the confidence of love. He
could not trust Nadege to play so difficult a
part as that of possessor of so embarrassing
a secret in the presence of the shrewd and
observing tzarine. A betrayal, too, would
at once pit an end to his happiness. With
the slight arm ofthe fair and relying crea
ture about his waist, and her head pressed
close against his breast they passed the
balmy nights Of the Russian summer in
pacing the howery alleys of the imperial
garden, discourslng, with but one reserve,
on every subject that hoated to their lips.
1t required, however, all the self.control of
La Chetardie, and all the favoring darkness
of the night, to conceal his smiles at the
Rdiue confessions of the unconscious girl,
and her wonderings at the peculiarly of
her feelings. She had drought, hitherto,
that there were affections in her nature
which could only be called forth by lover.
Oct now, the thought of caressing another
than her friend-ofrepeating TO any human
ear, least of all to man, those newborn
VOWS Of love-flled her with alarm and hor-
ror. She felt that she had given her heart
irrevocably away-and ia woman All,
with what delirious, though silent passion,
La Chetardie drew her to his bosom, and,
with the pressure of his lips upon hers, in
terrupted those sweet confessions
Yet the time at last drew near for the
waking from this celestial dream. The
disguised diplomatist had found his oppor-
tunity, and had successfully awakened in
Elizabath's mind both curiosity and inter-
est as to the subjects of the dispatches still
sewed safely i'll his corsets. There remain
nothing for him now but to seize favora-
BILE opportunity, and, with the delivery of
his mlssiYe. to declare his sex to the tar.