The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-09-01

Why, it is Musgravel ce cher
ATthar | thought you, mon ami, to be
i'm Spain still. What good wind, what
wind of fortune, has blown you to us
here, in Russia?"
Such were the words which reached
my ears, as a gloved grasp was suddenly
laid upon my arm, while | was travers-
turned to find myself confronted by the
smiling face of Demetrius Vassili, a
Russian whom | had known for some
three or four years at St. Petersburg,
Paris, and wherever diplomatists and
birds of passage congregate. He, this
well-whiskered, glib-tongued Vassili, be-
longed to both categories, since, when |
first knew him, in the Cars capital, he
was a Professor of the University, while
in Paris he was an underling of the Rus
sian Embassy, and at Madrid a gentle
man at large
/ confess that | did not much like
Demctrius Vassili, though / was more
than half ashamed of my prejudice, for
the man was friendly, almost too osten-
tatiously so; was polite, genial, and one
of those amiable persons who are always
taking our good opinion by storm, as it
were, by the graceful rendering of some
little service or other. Vassili, when |
was a raw lad new to the Continent, had
been kind to me once or twice, and / had
repaid his good nature by taking his part
when Others spoke evil of him in vague
way, behind his back, for he was not
popular somehow There he was, at any
rate, and evidently delighted to see me.
BY the byn' abruptly put in my old
acquaintance, linking his arm in mine,
= have to congratulate you, have | not?
1t is true that you are about to marry
the beautiful Mile. Marie, daughter of
Count Constantine Orlotf, the young
lady who at Madrid, when | was there,
broke all hearts?'
1t was true that | was betr@hed to
Marie Orloff; indeed | was on my way
then to her fathers mansion, at which it
had been arranged that [ should be a
guest until the wedding should take
place, according to both the English and
Russo-Greek forms, at St. Petersburg
Our engagement had come about in this
wise: !, Arthur Musgrave, as an at
tache of our legation at Madrid, had
been thrown much into the society of
the daughter of the Russian Envoy, had
learned TO love her. and had been lucky
enough to teach her to love me. Ny
chief difficulty was with the Count, who
was at first very much annoyed and dis
pleased. Russia-youngest of nations
has an aristocracy that in pride and pre-
tension rivals the "blue blood of Spain,
and every Muscovite noble is convinced
that the English are, as Napoleon called
Us, anation of shop-keepers, quite unfit to
mate with their own upper classes. For
tunately for me, however, | was heir to
an entailed property, small, indeed, but
the rent-roll of which seemed respectable
in Continental eyes; while | was able to
convince Count Orlotf that my border
ancestry had driven oft Scottish cattle
and ridden in warden raids, at a time
when his own forefathers were probably
unbaptized Tartars, for it is curious
fact that the titled families of Russia
are Georgian, Tartar, German, Swedish,
anything but Russian.
All now was happily settled, and, as ]
have said, | was on my way to my
future father-in-law's country chateau,
a summer residence in the lake district
of Ostaschkoi, near Tver ON the Upper
Nolga. The Counts estates lay chiefly
in that neighborhood, and he had lately
been appointed, by one of those abrupt
transitions from one service to another,
which are common under the Cars rule,
Governor of the province.
But what chance, NJ. Vassili, brings
you here?" | said. when we had shaken
hands. 81 heard of you last as in
Rome"
Here to-day, there tomorrow, >
answered Nassih, airily. have beer
IN Asia lately, shall be at wilma to-mor
row, and in st. Petersburg next week
l serve a master who has dealings in faI
away places"
f" You mean the Emperor" INQUIRED
and the Russian nodded with Inok o.
good-humored mystery. At this momen
up came porter TO tell me eringincly
that my excellency must, he feared, b,
content to wait six hours or more for
train. There had been movement o
troops toward Poland, disordering tn
company's arrangements, and taking u
the rotling-stock.
The Emperor's orders, noble gospo
din" he added with deprecator,
shrug, as he saw my vexed face.
Then Demetrius chimed in. His train
too, had been delayed by the concentra
ton of troops on the Polish frontier
He, too, had some hours to spend il
Minsk. He had ordered dinner at TIL
Black Eagle, hard by. The LANDLORD
knew him well, and would serve up
tolerable repast. Would | be charitable
and share what would otherwise be soil
tary meal9
Vassili gave me a good dinner, and we
fingered long over our cigars and coffee
chatting of other scenes and old times