The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-02-21
CHAPTER XVII.
TRANSACTIONS OF A NIGHT.

And whittier shall we go!
"Anywhere rather. than remain
here. Oh, my mistress, if you do
stay here lou know the fate which
awaits you. There is no other
means of escape from the wicked
dukes power"
"And / must thus cast myself
among strangers, lose my all of
EARTH
"Hold, Rosalind! By st. Paul,
there is surely one in Moscow who
will help you! Let us go to the en-
peror. Oh, if he be the man have
heard, he will surely listenp
"Ah, Zenobie, the duke is high in
power, and his influence is great at
court. Peter would not dare to
thwart him."
at may be SO, but l do not believe
it. And yet, my mistress, just think
for one moment how you stand in
that respect. You have nothing to
lose. This life of earth, with all its
pains and sorrows and with its most
exquisite tortures, holds nothing
worse for you within the bounds of
possibility than to become the
dukes wife. If there were but one
chance in the thousand, you had
better try it. Remember, you can
not possibly lose anything, but the
chances are for you. Let us go to
the emperor"
"But how, Zenobie ?"
"This evening, after the darkness
of night has gathered over the city,
let us go. | tell you / do not believe
the emperor will deliberately suffer
a great wrong to be done for the
sake of pacifying the duke. He has
more noble independence than
that"
The young countess did not an
swer at once. She pressed her small
white hand hard upon her brow, and
thus she remained for some time
buried in profound thought. At
length she raised her head, and the
fire of determination was in her eye.
81 will CO." she said. 81 will go
to the emperor. He will help me if
he has human heart"
"Iou have one satisfaction, my
mistress-he cannot harm you"
"Cannot % (,
81 mean that you can but be made
to marry with Olga, and all other
harm would be as nothing compared
with@that."
"Aye; you are right, Zenobie. We
will 60 this very night"
The more Rosalind pondered up
on this new resolve the more hope
did she derive from it. Ere long she
conversed more freely with her at
tendant, and,at times that old smile
would struggle for moment upon
her face. Yet she had gloomy mo-
ments too. Her fear was too deeply
fixed to be swept away so easily.
The afternoon passed away, and
as the shades of night gathered over
the great city the two girls were
astr. Zenobie gathered together
such articles of clothing as would be
needed and then proceeded to pre-.
pare her mistress for the adventure.
Gear not" she said as she drew
on Rosalind's robe of fur, 'for there
can be no danger worse than that we
flee from. Try only to remember
that you flee from the dukes foul
This served to nerve the fair
young countess up to the task, and
her frame ceased its trembling.
81 shall not falter now," she said.
'But shall we find the emperor at
his late hour?"
"Bless me, It's not late! But even
f we do not see him tonight We can |
10 it in the morning. We shall find
olenty in the imperial palace who
will shelter us till then"
The girls were now ready, and all
hat remained was to start on their Il
strange mission. With noiseless r
teps they left the apartment where
hey had dressed and proceeded r.
long the corridor to the great stair C.
ase. Zenobie knew there would be
ess danger there than to go down I
he other way among the servants. S
having descended these stairs, they Il
anne to the great hall which opened
me way into the saloons. They
ook the former course and were d
Don in the court. The only trouble II
low was in passing the porter's r
odge at the gate, for they knew the
reat gate was not open, and to gain
he street they must pass through /.
he room where the porter always
laid. Zenobie went ahead and look
in. The porter sat b" the fire
lawn with hie doc