New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-27

ot the renCOnfrc, UfdWIIB
asked anxiously what was the matter? toiu me-
breathlessly all that had happened, ana sne salu
she had been struck by my pale, frlghIencu ~ 90
when she had seen me an hour ago; anu 10 nau Su
haunted her, that she was now on her way 10 ny
room She looked rather rueful when sne neaIu
of the loss OF her clothes but her womaniy sym
pathy went out heartily TO the poor boy when oh
scribed his terror and distress and she fortnwic,
began to consider how best TO conceal the scene VI
| his fight | did not then understand THAI this
more for my sake than for that s q mine seg at that
| moment the folly" of wisdom came later. , 4,
| Susette returned at once with me to my Deu,
room, for the Waterman she said had luckily seIi
her as she entered IL an hour before anu ne "oulu
| think she had remained there all night, so we
| locked the door and lay down together MOI long
after had done so, we again heard ioos,els FL T
the balcOny, and as the moon was SHINING Drigh.B,
we saw the shadow of man pass quickly aI ionS
| the blind and it returned it fingered Ione
| enough at my window for me to recognize tne spare
| form of the priest but finding, L suppose, tiao
| everything was unsuspiciously quiet ana the
| window closed, the figure vanished as cautiousN
as it had appeared and although we listened iohS
| and attentively, we heard nothing more AiIer q
| while my nervousness Gained down, and SuSett e.,
| propnquity giving me sense OF security, zen
asleep. The sun was shining brightly INTO une
room as awolle, and overheard the file de cham
bre tell Susette that the Russians had all LETT the
! hotel quite two hours before
| As soon as / was dressed hurried TO my mother
| and related the whole adventure. She was much
excited and proposed going at once to the britis1
| Embassy Ito relate the story, which we did; anu
were admitted directly into Lord Queensland
| presence. | was terribly disappointed when the
| great man assured us nothing whatever had been
| heard of the fugitves, and equally indignant when
discovered that both he and his attache discred,-
| ed my story! The ambassador was barely CIVIL,
| and thought l had been hoaxed," that my
Imagination had exaggerated the facts etc;
| lie asked whether any person beside myself had
| witnessed the alleged flight" and fancied he
seemed relieved when l replied in the negative
| and my suscions Of his sincerity were still more
aroused by his evident anxiety that we should
keep the story to ourselves, impresslng upon my
| mother twho turned very palel that we had better
| do so for her pretty young daughters sake.
| Being young and inexperienced, missed the lnnu-
endo but the minister had early let out that he
was " personally acquainted" with the Princess
Lpetska, that she was nearly related to the I'M
perial Family and that such an unlikely story
rs mine might give great offence, shrewdly sus-
pected his anxiety for secrecy arose from some Sc
| cret motive.
| In a few minutes Lord Queensland rose, thus,
ms he thought, ending the discussion; but feeling
my veracity was unfairly mpugned, was not TO
he so summary dismissed: besides the ambassa,-
doris parting words did not tend to soothe my lrrl
tatiOn. advise you. madam" he said to my
mother " not to allow pretty Lady Muriel to sleep
| alone in hotel again. Keep her to her dolls,
dear lady; there are really no children nowadays.
This was unbearabe, so losing all self-control
said angrily " It is a pity. my lord that some old
men should be chosen to fill high positions who are
little better than dolls themselves, especially
/ cried, bursting into childish tears, they are not
so nice dolls. for although their heads may be
| equally empty, dolls have hair whereas old men
! very often-have mott" Need l say Lord Queens
| land was bald
Ny mother was Mortified at my words, but the
ambassador seemed ticlxed, and patting me on the
shoulder, called me a god-headed little spitfire:"
/ was not, however to be Modified, and as |
marched from the room, | said maliciously, II
| you, my lord, will not take the story up, | shall
| spread it abroad, as an instance of the ncOmpe-
tcncy of our officials to defend the frendless!" To
| my surprise, / perceived that my words " at ran
dom sent, had found a mark they never MEANT
| for Lord Queensland mOtiOnng to his attache
to- close the door, SAID to my mother ;
May ask you favor? / frankly y confess l
know something of the story and | wished, for
| certain reasons. to keep it quiet So will you
| will your daughter-for the young princes sake
keep the secret until you hear from me 7" My
mother was shocked at the ambassadors want OF
candor, and so alarmed at the superabundance of
that quality in me, that she would have promised
anything to get away but said coldly, " 1t is
| pity YOU should not have placed confidence IN us
from the first, instead OF doing so only as PTS
aller but if with great dignity, | said III you
can assure me, on the honor Of an m Engli.hm,an'
("nOt Of diplomat / said cuttngly that silence
will serve the poor boy, L am ready to pass my
Any other course of action will iniurc him,
So be it," I said loftilv, delighted to feel that
a signorna had proved herself no nonentity after
all
We took leave of the minister and his scared
attache and returned to the hotel and 1t IS
needless to say. we never heard again from t ~
| Excellency: but in ten days time the paners In
formed us that his lordship had quilted Florence
for some months
The whole story seemed to have passed away
like an uneasy dream. The Russians had van
shed. and their rooms now occupied by a
common place, middlc-class English family who
| heard conversing about the Pity Pally" tmean-
ing / presumed, the Pitt Palais, and the padrone
and his wife avoided mentioning, the princess or
any of her suite; indeed the subject seemed so
dstasteful to them that we fJrbore abiding to It,
and after q short uneventfn period had elapsed,
we directed our footsteps homeward to London.
One morning my mother put The Morning
int my desiring read
a paragraph aloud; 1t was quotation from St.
Petersburg journal, and it ran thus: Great eX-
element has been caused lately in St Petersburg
in consequence Of mysterious event which has
taken place in the family of the Prince Lpetska.
Ills hghness lost his first Wlfe sixteen years ago az
delicate child, survived his mother, and was the
object of his fathers tenderest affections -Four
ago b sf rprrsS MHrzs S zesehW ady
of great beauty and for whom 1t was well known,
certain Exalted Parsonage avOwed distinctly
Maternal interest The Princess Myrza bore two
sons. and was devoted mother, not only to her
own offspring hut also TO her step-s0n, who was
much attached TO her, and whose recent uncertain
health seemed the only cloud IN the prlncely pair
domestic loriZon.
few months ago the young prince became
so seriously i'll that the best medical advice was
sou ght when change of air and n warm climate
were suggested. The Prince Llpetska being unable
Just then to lay aside his court duties (he was one
of the Cars highest functlonarles, the princess
offered to leave her own young family, and proceed
with her stcp-son to Italy, purposng lat the
princess wish to visit a famous but very old
doctor resident at Pisa, who had known the young
Michael from his birth
Accordingly the princess started, accompanied
by priest, dame de cOmpagnie and a large suite
| and they had not been long absent before it was
remarked that the Prince LiretslSa BECAME greatly
depressed and that he constantly closeted with
n certain Doctor d'Obreslloff, who had attended
the family for years, but who in consequence OF
increasing age, and strong dislike conceived
against him by the princess, had given up his
position family physician. The accounts from
italy getting worse the anxious father would have
started at once to JOIN his son, but ITO the sur
prise of all partes he yielded to Doctor d'Obres-
| I,off's entreaties, and instead of going himself
dispatched a young English doctor, who received
instructions to travel with the utmost speed.
g" DR. Granve's arrival at Pisa bringing his
credentials from the princc) took the princess en-
tircy by surprise, and he installed himself with
hinaln mil IL hnrr