Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-05-22

"V hSANt ~ NiiS pASoCuCC vi
the whole court, at the public table,
you put such a question to mel"
"0hp replied the prince, "you
need not make any verbal reply.
1t will be sufficient for you to give
me some pledge of your affection.
] see there, on your hand, small
ring, whose possession would make
me very happy. Give it to mep
" What do you think of? Here
in the presence Of a hundred spec.
tators?n
"Ah, it can be easily done with
out being seen by anybody. Now
we are chatting SO quietly with each
other that there Is not one among
the guests who suspects in the least
what We are speaking about; press
the ring into a morsel of bread and
leave it on the table. l will take
the talisman and nobody will no
tice it"
"The ring is really a talisman."
"I expected SO. May | hope to
hear its history"
"Why not? Ny first governesS
was a Swiss lady by the name of
Wildermatt. Once she went to
Switzerland in order to enter upon
an inheritance which had been be-
queathed to her by a distant rela-
tive. When she came back to
Berlin a few weeks afterwards she
showed me quite collection of
pretty and costly iewelry, which
formed a part Of the inheritance.
This is a curious ring, said | to
her as put this little, old-lashion-
ed ring on my finger. Does itnot
look queer and cunning? Perhaps
it is an old relic or talisman, and
may have been worn centuries ago
by pious lady who had received it
from her knight, starting for the
Holy Land tried to take the
ring from my finger again, but ]
could not get it off for / was a
little heshler then than now" said
, Charlotte, smilingly. "My COVER
r ness insisted on my keeping the
> ring as a souvenir. | accepted her
present, and the ring has been on
my finger ever since. Some time
afterwards, when was contemplat-
ing its strange workmanship, sue
J ceeded iu pulling it from my finger,
and was much surprised at seeing
r engraved on the inside some words,
which. though nearly rubbed out
by wear OF time, were still legible.
Now, your imperial highness, what
: do you think were the words en-
graved upon it? think when you
E hear them you will take some in
a terest in the ring"
t "Ah ! and pray, what we're they?'
f "The words engraved upon the
= inside we're, Empress Of Russia.
e This ring had undoubtedly been
:. presented by an empress of Russia
to the relatives Of Mrs. Wildermatt
!. for l was told that both this lady
5 and her mother had formerly be-
/ longed to the household of the
: czarina, youraugust grandmother
Y "This is really remarkable" said
! the grand duke, thoughtfully. 81
e am quite superstitious, and am
t really inclined to regard this ring
! If should be happy enough to re.
4 ceive it from you as a pledge ol
4 your love, as an omen Of very aus
0 picious significance"
In answer to this second and
: even more direct appeal to hel
S heart, the princess took a small
S piece of bread, played carelessly
with it, and managed to press the
: ring into the soft crumbs. Then
she dropped it playfully on the
table quite close to the plate Of hel
= neighbor. And, after this adroit
exhibition of her skill as an actress
t she continued to eat as unconcern.
5 edly as if she had performed the
. most trivial action of her life.
/, With the same apparent GOODNESS
and indifference, the. grand duke
o picked up the bread enclosing the
n ring, took the latter out of its in.
genious envelope, and concealed il
!. in his breast, for it was too small to
fit any of his fingers. 1t was this
), ring-both the pledge of Charlotte;
love and the auspicious omen Of his
E own elevation to the imperial dig.
q nity-which Nicholas wore on d
! golden chain around his neck to
r the very last day of his life, aud
which, if we are not mistaken, has
| even descended with him into the
vault of his ancestors.
b Three years afterwards, in 1871,
e Princess Charlotte, then onlynine
teen years of age. and in the full
splendor of beauty and happiness,
: made her entry into st, Petersburg
G by the side of her husband, whose
eye had never looked prouder and
whose 0lympian brow had never
o been more serene than at this hap
piest moment of bis life. AS he
. looked down upon the vast multi
Ftpde who had focked together from
5 all parts of the vast empire to greet