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

up came porter to tell me, cringingly,
that my excellency must, he feared, be
( content to wait six hours or more for
train. There had been q movement of
troops toward Poland, disordering the
company's arrangements, and taking up
the rolling stock.
"The emperor's orders, noble gos-
| podin," he added, with deprecatory
shrug, as he saw my vexed face.
Then Demetrius chimed in. His train,
too, had been delayed by the concentra-
! tion of troops on the Polish frontier.
He, too, had some hours to spend at
Minsk. He had ordered dinner at the
Black Eagle, hard by. The landlord
knew him well, and would serve up
tolerable repast. Would be charitable
and share what would otherwise be q
solitary meal?
Vassili gave me good dinner, and we
fingered long over our cigars and coffee,
chatting of other scenes and old times.
Then, at length, word was brought that
the train for Wilma was in sight.
p" Now l think of it, said my host, in
his careless way, con your road to the
counts chateau you will pass Staritza-
yes !" he added, glancing at the open
map that lay beside me on the table !;
"of course you will, and change horses
there. L wish, if it be not too much to
ask, that you would kindly give a mes
sage from me to the village priest, OF
papas, there-Pope John Petrovich." "
81 will, with pleasure" / replied,
=" but remember, my Russian is not very
fluent, and L presume the priest talks
! no French"
Vassili laughingly assured me that the
words were very few and simple, and
suggested that I should pencil them,
from his dictation, on a slip of paper
which he pu he'd toward me. These
were the words of the message: "Your
sol" " "our clergy marry, you know,
like the laity," interjected Demetrius)
"has been i'll, but take comfort. He is
doing well now, and, if he acts promptly,
with the blessing of the Panagia, will
succeed. He sends his love, faith and
duty"
81 saw the pope's son." explained
Demetrius, "the other day at Odessa.
Young Cyril is corn dealer and hay
merchant, pushing, speculative fellow,
but as honest as the day. He was re-
covering from a fever, but hoped to fill
his purse by buying up all the-ah |!
there is the railway whistle, so we must
be quick You'll do my errand, then,
dear Arthur, will you not, and gladden.
the heart of the good old man ?"
1t was not until long after Vassili and
bad parted that it occurred to me to
wonder why he should have charged me
with such a message. 1t would have
been simpler, surely, and more speedy,
as means OF communicating with Pope
John, to have relied on the post
Pope John, English lord ?" said the
inn-keeper at Staritza, falteringly, as I
asked for a guide to show me the way to
the parsonage, while the slow postillions
were embarrassing, in the tardy fashion
in which work is done in Russia, the
tired horses from the carriage.
Certainly" said I, observing his
embarrassment. els the priest i'll, or
what is there surprising in travellers
inquiries for him ?"
The landlord bowed obsequiously.
" You'll find the papas in good health,
noble gospodin," he said, in sugared ac
cents. Yonder is the parsonage, with
the white gable"
"Then l want no guide to conduct me
there, said I, laughing, and at once
walked across to the garden gate. A
neat, snug little dwelling was the par
sonage, with its white walls, it's tiny
garden full of humble potherbs and
hardy flowers, and the sacred pigeons
cooling softly as they summed themselves
upon its red-eaved roof. An ill-looking
fellow opened the door in answer to my
summons, scanned me narrowly, and, rs
L thought, with suspicion, and after
some colloquy conducted me to what
guessed, and by the few books and the
many pictured saints on the wall, to be
the priests study. Ten minutes elapsed,
and then in came the master of the
house, Pope John.
" Forgive me, noble sir, if I have
kept you waiting" said the priest, with
as low bow as he could have executed
in the presence of his bishop. "You
bring me news, I am told, of my dear
son ?"
[ cannot say that the reverend gentle
man impressed me very favorably. Pope
John was O corpulent old man, with a
snowy beard that would have done credit
to hermit; long white locks falling
from beneath his black velvet skull-cap,
a snufy and frayed cassock, and dark
blue spectacles, from behind which O.
pair of keen though half-shut eyes sur
veyed me with watchfulness that had
in it something feline. Twice over did
| repeat the substance of Vassili's re-
marks concerning the young corn-dealer
at Odessa, and twice, at the old mans
request, did 1 mention every circum-
stance of my interview with Demetrius.
p" his kind and noble PATRON" as he
called him; then I placed the written
slip OF paper, on which I had penciled
the message, in the priests hands, and
declining his offer of refreshments, took
my leave of him. AS 1 left the parsonage
I thought heard some whispered talk.
and then low, sneering laugh.
am much mistaken, said I to N.Y.
self, as [ stepped into my carriage, and
gave my postillion the signal to start,
eff Pope John, the good old man. as
Vassili called him, be not as consummate
and greasy humbug as any in Mus
covy." Then my thoughts reverted to
rosy dreams of Marie and the future,
and sank into reverie, from which /
only awakened to perceive that my driver
was proceeding in leisurely manner
that was most unusual, for if Russians
wor k slowly they drive fast.
"Come, come, my lad p said / good
humoredly; "surely three good nags
and light kibitka ought not to go at q
snail's pace like this p
AS I spoke I heard the gallop of dis
tant horses, mingling with the clank of
steel. We were on sandy road,
t,ox,aroino, oDa of tbooa l,,,o,o 49, ~