The mountain Democrat., 1863-12-05


ers of the night before led away to tht
: Conciergerie, and was sure, or nearly
sure, that one of them was the missing
: Chevalier.
r l heard this news with mixed feelings
r An Englishman's instinct always rises ir
arms against an act of arbitrary Oppres
/ sion; and the arrest Of the night before
had in it something Of cat-like and Orien
: tai stealthiness that was peculiarly odious
, But had an uneasy distrust of the Chev
alier, a smOuldering jealousy ~hich
tried to trample down, and could moi
: help feeling a vague sense of relief
However, while | was copying preci>
in the attaches room at the embassy that
afternoon, old Mr.. Campbell came in,
chucklng and rubbing his hands.
"Yon fine conspeeracy has just turned
: out mere flash in the pan "A mares nest
of the police" said he; "the chaps are
set free, Gliska and the rest of them.--
Their captivity was over by lunch time. y
"Then there was no real plot, after
all ?" | asked, looking up from my wri-
ting.
~ Gamma tell" said the cautious Scot,
shaking his head as he took fresh pinch
Of high dried; "the thing broke down for
want Of evidence; verdict Of not proven,
as We say in the North. They say the
Emperor had Gliska taken into his own
cabinet, and questioned him there. but
could ma cross.examine much cut Of the
close fellow. And the story goes that his
Majesty said, in loud voice, before the
aide-de camp You may 60, Chevalier,
but be careful how you give me the right
to punish! Nicholas is i'll to thwart. lie
likes contradiction even less than con-
speeracy. SO Id advise N. Gliska to heed
his steps in future. ~"
Gliska had, in effect, been set at liberty,
and met him that evening, calm and elc-
CANT as ever, at the LccZinZka mansion.
lie said very little about the exciting
events of the night, or the formidable in.
tervlew of the morning, but talked pleas.
antly on general topics. Sophie was pres
ent, having fortunately recovered from
her headache, but she was silent and
thoughtful, and fancied that detected
a glance of intelligence once or twice be-
tween her cousin and herself. But soon
felt convinced that was mistaken. Glis-
ka paid no sort of attention to Sophie
He addressed her rarely, and never with
any particular show oil interest indeed,
he spoke less to her than to her brother, a
pale, slcepy.cycd STRIPPING, whose Russian
tutor was his inscparable mentor and COM
panion.
The noise the arrest had made in St.
Petersburg society soon died away, and
the usual round of gayeties went on, as if
Siberia and the knout, plots and disaifec-
ton, had been myths. My own prospects
Unexpectedly improved. The relative to
whose estate | was heir of entail, aud
whom | had never seen since he had lived
in mOrose secu>ion, died, and | found
myself rich enough to lead an idle life.
An idle life was not my choice, however,
and at about the same time that succeed.
ed to this inheritance seemed likely to
rise in my professional career. Certain
promotions and rctirements had occurred
among the diplomatists, in consequence
OF which | was promised the post of Sc
nor attached at one of the Southern courts
as soon as the present occupant should
vacate it, which would probably be in
3 cdiN SuIlllHeT.
Fortified by this intelligence, | was en-
couraged to renew, or rather to press, my
suit for Sophic's hand the old Prince
standing my friend in the affair, the Prin-
cess objections TO parting with her
granddaughter were by degrees overrulcd.
As for Sophie'S consent, that was rather
assumed than asked for. Her grandfather
blessed her, and stroked her raven hair as
caressingly as if she had been child for
whom some holiday treat was in prepara-
ton; her grand mother cried as she press
ed her darling in her arms, and dilated on
the happiness of her future life and the
spenGorS of her prospective trosscau.-
1t was settled that Sophie and were to
be married soon after Easter that, in the
meantime, milliners, lawyers. and jewel
lers were to be busy in providing laces,
diamonds ard deeds of settlement; and
that ali was to go merry as marriage
bell.
In all this arrangement the bride elects
part seemed a curiouSly passive one. So
phie Leczinzka neither ratified nor re.
jectcd the engagement which her nearest
relations had thought fit to conclude on
her account; she listened submSsivcly to
all the Prince and Princess chose to say
on the subject, kissed their wrinkled hands
in the ancient Polish fashion, in sign OF
obedience, made me formal cUrtscy, and
left the room with downcast eyes and
something like smothcred sob. After
that, Sophie always seemed 10 shrink from
me; her spirits grew variable, her cheeks
thinner, her manner graver and more
thoughtful. ought to have read the les
son thus mutely conveyed, but was will
fully blind to it, and lent too ready an ear
to the assurances Of the old folks that
Sophie's manner was merely the result OF
girlish timidity and deep sense Of duty.
The aged Princess, in especial, was cont.
dent that her grandchid esteemed Inc
quite as highly as could be expected from
"a young person bien clevee."
must not, the old lady said, Judge oI
the sentiments of a Polish girl as if she
were Meess AnglaiSe."
Gliska's conduct left no room for fault
finding. lie wished me joy, as the phrase
goes, politely, but with no affectation o
heartiness. Indeed, we had never beer
, intimate, though had been at first dis
posed to like him we'll enough; but there
was something dark and inscrutable in hi:
bearing and disposition, very unusua
) among his rash. chivalrous countrymen
Perhaps the wretched years Of degrade
ton and suffering during which he haC
been soldier in the Caucasus, and from
= any reference to which he always shrank
, had changed his character. He often re
/ minded me of the traditional Italians o
, the middle ages; such Italians as Macchia
velli knew, and Shakespeare painted.