Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-29
THE KILLING PRIMO ESS;
Or. The Water of Gald

dems which the industry and enterprise of her
predecessors had collected. in the iewel-cham-
Der of the Winter Palace, her imperial majesty
found it necessary TO inquire after the revenues
OF certain domains which had always been con-
sldered Its appendages. In the late uncertain
ties of the Polish throne, they had been farmed
ana superintended by 50 many hands that the
accounts were in more than ordinary confusion.
Moreover, Catherine the Great wanted money,
and the Princess Pretoyia Nicola Gredizoff had
ouered TO purchase large estate of the crown
fands situated on the Vistula, in order to build
there O southern residence for herself and suite
In ssgere winters
Ihe Princess was one Of the richest subjects
IN Russia, and used to boast in a private vay
that the blood of the ancient Czars flowed in
tne veins ct her family. Her balls, masks and
dinners a Ia FTGHcaiSe rivalled those of the
Czsrina hersrf. She kept French milIiper
IN constant occupation in her palace, had three
cooks and two hair -dressers duly i'm ported from
Paris every year-that period being as long as
any OF them could be induced to remain in the
service OF her excellency; kept French secre-
taTy Tor conducting her correspondence and
talked occasionally Of the verses she had writ
ten In Imitation of Rousseau. Her possessions
mad come partly by marriage and partly by
Inheritance; she was the heiress of her family.
and all the rest impoverished their estates in
their vain endeavOrs to emulate her splendor.
People said she did wonders for them all.
their sons, and kept them all on their estates,
10 guard against extravaganza; while Others
sought the motive for such benefactions as she
was not woman to part with a rouble easily
her turn tor hard srgain-making was univer-
sally acknowledged; even Catherine was we'll
aware of it, for she had bought crown-lands be-
fore, and the inquiry into the Polish accounts
was accordingly Instituted
1t was deemed advisable 10 entrust this DUTY
to a foreigner, and the Count CASTOR Then
Vile, an ATTACKS of the French embassy, was
selected, who had no estate but his wits, bat
was cool, keen, and clear-sighted, and always
alive to his own interest. When starting ont
ior St. Petersburg, to seek bis fortune be had
taken letters OF introduction to a poor estate
Councillor, man of noble family who had been
permitted to take up his residence in the only
corner OF the palace his family had built for
Peter the Great which the waters of the Neya
bad spared, where he lived with great economy
Tor Court and Car. His wife was dead and
ne had but one daughter, Sophia whose only
prospects were, when he died, to sell eyery-
thing to pay the expenses Of his funeral and
then retire to the convent of Fasting Sisters
The family were dlstantly related to the Prin-
cess Grcdizof, but the councillor had offended
her some thirty years before, and they were
left to their own resources
GastOn had often wished himself rich, and
parncularly after his introduction to the state
councillor home. Sophia had no fortune was
but she put his laced waistcoat in repair. when
be could not afford to buy another, to appear
at the embassy in. always smiled when he came
back, and be thought a court dress would be-
come her
Such was the state of affairs when Catherine
II; selected nam to go quietly through the
Polish accounts, and make a report of the
same; but, as a check, her majesty's private
secretary, who had been deputed to manage
the business, assigned him humble dependent
OF bis own, named Michael Clozoff by way of
clerk and assistant. He had been merchant:
but his trade went out Of fashion, and he be-
came poor Gaston and CioZOf worked dill
gently, and soon discovered that the subtrac.
tons from her majesty's new revenues were
considerable, hut the estate on the Vistula yas
entirely free from such encumbrances. The
private secretary called to assure CASTOR of
Satnerines satisfaction, and to pay him five
hundred roubles for his labor. While chatting
famlliarly, the secretary CHANGED to saw thai
tne fnncess Grodizof intended to purchase the
Polish estate, and to take a poor relative
whom nobody knew, named Sophia Petroyia.
under her protection; upon which Clozof, who
was writing IN further corner of the Office,
groaned out " Poor Sophia :" so audibly, that
Gaston started, and the secretary looked
round. This circumstance and the tone of the
secretsry's subsequent remarks satisfied Gas
ton mat there was some mystery, and he de- |
termined to come to knowledge of it, though
tcost nis entire eIchequer. With this view
ne sought out Clozof at night, at his lodgings
and offered him four hundred roubIes to tell
him plainly why he said " Poor Sophia, in the
Once, and what was the story about the Prin. |
cess GrodizOf and the ladies of hor family:
and, tempted By the chink Of the money, he
proceeded to say:
"Well, since you must be told, il is known
to all ST. Petersburg that, tor the last twenty
years, the Princess has taken nieces, grand
nieces and cousins, of every degree one after
another, to bring out and provide for She
dressed them in the height Of the fashion: she
took them to all places of entertainment she
gave them everything that money could buy.
OF girls could wish for, but none of them ever
lived year after entering the palace Seven
and-tHenty girls of the Grodizoffline lie in the
vaults OF our Lady of KaIan must say she
gave them very handsome funerals; and her
hghness family have scarce a daughter left,
though IL was once the wonder where hu sbands
would be found for them ALL Count Vezkin.
her nephew, has not one girl left out of Eve
Alexia Pauloys, her cousin 8 widow, sits alone
In the house where she had three daughters to
marry; and they say her old aunt at Smolenski
has lost her wits long ago, with thinking of
seven girls who went to the rodizof palace,
one after another, to be made hoiresses and
followed N the same order 70 the vaults of our
Lady Of Ks1an."
Did so many deaths attract no attention
Was there no inquiry ?" said CASTOR.
on, yes, there was every inquiry that could
De made about house Of such high rank"
said Clozof. "Some of them died of strange
diseases, which no physician knew Some Of
them met with still stranger accidents. There
was one, | remember who fell down stairs In
the dark; another went to the German spas,
and The water disagreed with her In short,
they went by all manner of WAYS; and have
heard say that the old aunt's youngest dauch-
ter, who had died very suddenly, had a blue
mark around her neck. The Princess has taken
no girls since, and that is three years ago.
People thought she would not try it again.
there was such whisper. Her highness la
mented sOreIy over the delicate consiitu ton of
her family, and all her friends sympathized
with her; but now che is going TO have another
heireSs. That is all 1 can tell you; and
would not say rs much for n thousand roubles
only to yourself-itis is putting my life in jeopar-
dy-" And CloEOf clutched the bag Of silver
with many additional groans over the risk be
was running, and an intimation that his SON