The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-09-05
IN BLACK RUSSIA.

"Wby, it is Musgrave |" ce cher
Arthur I thought you, mon ami, to be
in 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 q gloved grasp was suddenly
laid upon my arm, while I was traversing
the railway platform at Mihsk. I turned
to find myself confronted by the smiling
face of Demetrius Vassii, Ru ssian
whom I had known for some three or
four years at st. Petersburgh, Paris, and
wherever diplomatists and birds of pas
sage congregate. He, this we'll 7&hisker-
ed, glib-tongued Vassili, belonging to
both categories, since, when I &rst knew
him, in the czar's capital, he was pro-
fessor in the university, while in Paris
he was an underling of the Russian
embassy, and at Madrid gentleman ut
large.
l confess that I did not much like
Demetrius Vassil, though I was more
than half ashamed of my prejudice, for
the man wes friendly, almost too ostenta-
tiously 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.
"By-the-bye!" abruptly put in my
old acquaintance, linking his arm in
mine, "I 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 I
was there, broke all hearts q
It was true that was betrothed to
Marie Orloff; indeed, I was on my way
then to her fathers mansion, at which it
had been arranged that I should be q
guest until the wedding should take
place, according to both the English and
Russo-Gree forms, at st. Petersburgh.
Our engagement had come about in this
wise. I, Arthur Musgrave, as m attache
of the English 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. My
chief difficulty was with the count, who
was at first very much annoyed and dis
pleased. Fortunately for me, however,
I WAS heir to an entailed property, small,
indeed, but the rent-roll of which SEEM
ed respectable in continental eyes !;
while I was able to convince Count Or
loft that my border ancestry had driven
off Scottish cattle, and ridden i'll warden
raids, at time when his own forefathers
were probably unbaptized Tartars, for
it is a curious fact that the titled fami-
lie, of Russia are Georgian, Tartar, Ger.
man, Swedish, anything but Russian.
All now was happily settled, and, as
have said, I was on my way to my future
father-in-law's country chateau, q sum.
mer residence in the lake district OF
Ostaschkoi, near Tver on the Upper
Volga. 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?" I asked, when we had shaker
hands. "I heard of you last as il
Rome"
"Here to-day, there tomorrow" an
swered Vassili, airily. 81 have been il
Asia lately, shall be at Wilma tomorrow
and in st. Petersburgh next week.
serve O master who has dealings in fal
away places" ... =,
"You mean the emperor ?" I inquired
and the Russian nodded with look o.
good-humored mystery. At this moment
ND came porter to tell me, cringingly
that my excellency must, he feared, bt
content to wait six hours or more for {
train. There had been movement o
troops toward Poland, disordering the
comrany's arrangements, and taking NJ
the rolling stock.
1.-The emperor's orders, noble gos