Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-08-25
IN BLACK RUSSIA.

"Why, it is Musgrave p ce cher
Arthur | thought you, mon ami, to be
in Spain still. What good wind, what
wind of fortune, has blown you to us
here, in Russia ?''
my ears, as gloved grasp was suddenly
laid upon my arm, while was traversing
The railway platform at Minsk. turned
to find myself confronted by the smiling
face of Demetrius Vassili, Ru ssian
whom [ had known for some three or
four years at st. Petersburgh, Paris, and
wherever diplomatists and birds of pas
sage congregate. He, this well-whisker-
ed, glib-tongued Vassili, belonging to
both categories, since, when first knew
him, in the czar's capital, he was q pro-
fessor in the university, while in Paris
he was an underling of the Russian
embassy, and at Madrid gentleman at
large.
confess that I did not much like
Demetrius Vassili, though I was more
than half ashamed of my prejudice, for
the man was 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 p abruptly put in my
old acquaintance, linking his arm in
mine, 81 have to congratulate you, have
not F? 1t is true that you are about to
marry the beautiful Mile. Marie,
daughter of Count Constantine Orloff,
the young lady who at Madrid, when L
was there, broke all hearts ?"
1t was true that was betrothed 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. Petersburgh.
Our engagement had come about in this
wise. I, Arthur Musgrave, as an 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,
was heir to an entailed property, small,
indeed. but the rent-roll of which SEEM
ed respectable in continental eyes !;
while was able to convince Count Or
loft that my border ancestry had driven
off Scottish CATTLE and ridden in warden
raids, at time when his own forefathers
were probably unbaptized Tartars, for
it is curious fact that the titled fami-
lies of Russia are Georgian, Tartar, Ger
man, Swedish, anything but Russian.
All now was happily settled, and, as I
have said, 1 was on my way to my future
father-in-law's country chateau, 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 czar's rule,
! governor of the province.
" But what chance, M. Vassili, brings
you here?" I asked, when we had shaken
hands. 81 heard of you last as in
E Rome"
"Here to-day, there tomorrow" an.
swered Vnsrili, eirily. I have been In
& Asia lately, shall be at wilma tomorrow,
saa IN ~ petsgshprHh ssst wseki ]