Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-05

noisome spot We spoke of the white
bread of Moscow, and the fashion of her
gowns, and all such triyialities,-duly
chroniced by Dmitri with his pencil. But
what was all this to the tumult of delight
that filled my soul ut sights of her, at
sound Of her voice. AS II thirsty desert |
drank in the dew of her beneficent pres
ence, and relied on the little anchor that
she always wore
Then there came ten days of absence
and, on the eleventh, Dmitri, with that
slow, iprosac tone OF his, read me the
official order for my removal to the fortress
of St Petersburg Then |. knew that my
fate was sealed that Nalera's influence
had failed that the anchor of our hope
had been lost in bottomless sea. Well. |
should be removed at night on the day
after tomorrow. Had | aught to say
for the first time | was asked. No, had
nothing to say.
Tomorrow came, and with it Valeria
Yes, she was very pale, more so than had
ever seen her. We were not allowed to
speak with one another, but still she wore
that tiny anchor at her girdle
Ten minutes today, madame
And am allowed to speak with you,
Dmitri - inquiries the Princess, endeavor-
ing to compose her trembling hands.
at is not forbidden" Dmitri shrugs.
"Ah So, permitted. Dmtri, the
Count quits here tomorrow night. 1t is
bitterly cold. If | send to you, to you,
you comprehend, Dmitri a furred gar
ment for him. is it allowed You will
give it to him before he leaves here, you
Will-Dmitri ~ In her feverish anxiety,
in twisting her hands together a richly
gemmed bracelet rattles to the ground it
becomes entangled in the fringes of her
gown. There is much noise of it on the
stone flooring ere the Princess and Dmitri
together can disengage the jewel from
where it has caught. During this-swilt-
ly, in French, between her Russian eX-
CARNATIONS to the jailer, catch these
words Kip the lining Of the garment.
BE careful. DO not despair"
tAnd then, with graceful motion of
dissent, the Princess LismontotT refuses
to receive the now discntangled bracelet,
aud bestows it upon Dmitri. Does he de
cline No. He lives by what he accepts
and how well. too. But he relaxes not
Il whit, that might cost NJ. Dmitri his
round head. He hastens to record the
accident, barring its finale, and tersely
remarks:
"The time allowed is expiring" as he
holds the tlmepiece in his hand. watch
ed her fade from my sight. | sat down
on the stones and stretched forth my hands
through the grating, to rest upon the
places weere her feet had stood | re
manned there for many hours. So Dmltri
found me, when he came at night with
my supper-ah, and with somewhat else
also the turred garment OF which the
Princess had spoken to him.
\ powerful bride had probably supple
mented the bracelet for Dmitri, although
he made great efforts at shaking and beat
ing the garment, turning the pockets in
side out, etc, still gave it to me and left
me.
clasped it to my heart. | kissed it,
buried my face in the warm skins, for
knew hers had been pressed there earlier I!
~. l, Il ~ 1, III.
ate my bread and drank mouthful of
the nauseOus water. | then went to work
|, with my finger nails grown long by
months of neglect, picked at the threads
that could not see bit them with my
teeth; | snapped them in twain, laughing
softly as tolled. | was careful as she
had hidden me be: and, at last in the
padding of the shoulder felt soft roll.
drew it forth, fingered it; a bit of paper
seemed to tlutter from within to the floor
| CROPPED for 1t Oh my hands and knees and
found it; thrust it next to my heart
Again | fingered this curiously feeling
roll. " hat was it Aha | could distin-
guish with a touch grown keen, that it
was some sort of singular masque And
for the rest must wait until that pale
ray of light should visit me in the morn
ing. One thing | could do: gather to-
gether the lining | had taken out and
tearing II hole i'll my miserable mattress,
lnOllltlN
straw.
Then to await, to hail, to bless, to invoke
the dawn, by the first faint glimmer to
decipher Naleria's writing on the scrap of
paper, and these words: 1.-The other side
of the garment, revealed by your tearing
out the outer lining, is Il fac sinilC of
Dmitri's cloak. | made it. The masque
is his double, | made it. Wear the gar
ment conceal the masque in the inner
pocket you will find. AS you cross the
street by st. Isaac's church, melee will
occur, throw yourself upon the ground us
if Shot. Contrve in the darkness to turn
your cloak; adjust your masque Il cap
the like of Dmitri's, will be thrown to you
put it on mix with the officials and the
three prisoners who leave the prison with
you. Then, make for the prison as if &c
give the alarm. Double on your own
steps; cross the corner, into the church by
the portico; leave it by the transept west.
a friend will meet you at the portal
Yours till death, Naleria."
The last day passed away as usual only
to me more slowly. Eight O'Clock arrived
the hour appointed for the transfer to the
railway station where a special trair
would convey us to the capital and the
| fortress. Is it to be wondered at that as
crossed that threshold my body trembled
That, as guarded by twenty officials under
an escort OF troops, although not mana
| Cltu, oS Wclc WV VI lily WIZ
had already undergone their SO called
trial" my whole frame tingled with the
terrible excitement of the situation We
neared the corner by st. Isaac's church
marching slowly; "A few moreisteps, wheI
Il carriage with liveried servants dashed
around the corner. In the fiickerins
lamplight recognized at once the liver
les OF the Prince O., Il devoted servant O
the government and for long time per
sistent sutton for the hand of Naleria A
moment more and the report of Il pisto
flashed upon the hearing. The spirited
horses sprang reared, tore madly arounC
the corner, were pulled to their launches
and
Obeylng Valera scode of instructions i'm
plicitly, was, strange as ii may seem, no
only possible, but the work of but a few
seconds merely. From the window o
Prince o. Is carriage amid the clash of bay
onets, the veil of smoke, the screams o
women and the shouts of men, Il whit,
hand threw to me the promised cap;
caught it and set it upon my head. | rose
rs if stunned, slowly.
"lia Dmitri," grinned one OF the OIL
Gals, you out tonight Where is you
pet bird, then-the count Chapolsky ~
"Never fear" answered |, boldly, '
will attend to him NOuder he il ~