Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07
| be too young to keep secret. Nc

be too young to keep secret. Moreover
there were other Considerations.
Rezanov, although in his earlier years ne
had so far sacrificed his interests and
played into the hands of his enemies in
avoiding the too embarrassing Partially OF
Catherine the Great, had nevertheless held
a high place at court by right of birth and
been man of the world always; rarely ab-
sent from ST. Petersburg during the last
and least susceptible part of the imperial
courteSan's life, the brief reign of Paul, and
the, two years between the accession OF
Alexander and the sailing of the NadeShda.
Moreover, there was hardly another court
of Importance in Europe with which he was
not familiar, and few men had had more
compete experience of life. And the life OF
COurtier, a diplomat, traveller, noble,
wealthy, agreeable to women by divine
| right, with active enemies and a horde OF
| f1atterers, in daily contact with the meaner
| and more disingenuous corners OF human
nature, is not conducive to broad OPP
tinlism and sweet and immutable Chris
| tianity. ReZanoV inevitably was more or
| less cynical and blase and too long versed
, In the ways of courts and courters TO re-
| tain more than a whimsical tolerance OF the
l.izaked truth and an appreciation of its eX-
! cellence as a diplomatic vancouver. Never
| theless, he was by nature too 1mpetuous
| ever to become under any proVocatlon a
J dishonest man, and too normally gentle-
! man to deviate from a certain personal code
| of honor He might come to California with
| fair words and a very DEFINITE intention OF
anneXlng 1t TO Russia at tle HlSl oppoi
! tupftv but he was incapable of abusing the
! hospitality of the Arguellos by making love
I to their sixteen year-old daughter. HAD
she been OF the years he had assumed he
! would have had less scruple IN emparkiiis
upon a Irritation, both for the pastlme and
! the use he might make of her. A spanish
beauty of twenty still unmarried, would be
more than his match. But child. however
precocious inevitably would fall in love
with the first uncommon stranger she met !:
and ReZanov less vain than most men OF
his kind, and with a fundamental humanity
that was the chief cause IN his eHortS 10
improve the condition of his Wretched pro.
niuschlenki had no taste for the role OF
heartbreaker
But the girl had proved her timeliness
would. if trustworthy, be OF further use III
incIining her father and the governor To-
ward such of his designs as he had any
intention of revealing: and weighing care
fully his conversation with her, ne was
disposed to believe that she would screen
and abet him through vanity and love OF
intrigue. After the dinner, In the seciu-
sion of the sala. he had taken pains to
explore for the causes of her mental ma
turty. Concha had told him of Don Jose
Arsuello's ambition that his children in
their youth should have the education he
had been forced to acquire in his man
hood; he had taught them himself, ana
Notwithstanding his piety and the dlsap-
proval of the priests. had permitted them
to read the histories, travels and biogra-
phies he received once year from the city
of Mexico ReZanov had met Madame de
Stael and other has bleus. and given them
no more of his society than politeness de-
manded but. although astonished at the
amount of information this young girl had
assimilated he found nothing in her man
ner of wearing her intellectual crown TO
offend his fastidous taste. She was wholly
artless in her love of books and of dis
cussing them; and nothing in their con-
tents had disturbed the sweetest Innocence
he had ever met. OF the little arts of
coGuetry she was mistress by inheritance
and much provocation. but her unawakened
inner life breathed the simplicity and pu
rity of the elemental roses that lowered
about her in his thoughts. Her very UNI
susceptibility made the game more dan
gerous: if 1t piqued him-and he aspired
to be no more than human--he either should
have to marry her, or nurse a sore spot in
his conscience for the rest of his life; and
for neither alternative had he the least
relish.
lie dismissed the subject at last with
an impatient shrug. Perhaps he was a
conceited ass, as his English .riends would
say: perhaps the governor would be more
amenable than she had represented No
man could forecast events. 1t was enough
to be forearmed.
But his thoughts swung to a theme as
little dlsburdening. His needs, as he had
confided to Concha, were very pressing.