by L. Mühlbach
A CONSPIRACY
A momentary pause followed. Princess Elizabeth silently motioned herfriends to be seated, and drew her favorite Alexis nearer to her.
Lestocq, her physician and confidant, with a solemn countenance, took aplace opposite her.
"We are ready to hear your bad news," said the princess.
"The regent, Anna Leopoldowna, will have herself crowned as empress,"laconically responded Lestocq.
Elizabeth looked at him interrogatively and with curiosity for thecontinuation of his bad news. But as Lestocq remained silent, she askedwith astonishment: "Is that all you have to tell us?"
"Preliminarily, that is all," answered Lestocq.
Princess Elizabeth broke out with a joyous laugh.
"Well, this is, in fact, very comic. With a real Job's mien you announceto us the worst news, and then inform us that Anna Leopoldowna is to becrowned empress! Let her be crowned! No one will interfere to preventit, and she will be none the happier for it. No woman who has takenpossession of the Russian throne as an independent princess has ever yetbeen happy. Or do you think that Catharine, my lofty step-mother, wasso? Believe me, upon the throne she trembled with fear of assassins; forit is well known that this Russian throne is surrounded by murderers,awaiting only the favorable moment. Ah, whenever I have stood in frontof this imperial throne, it has always seemed to me that I saw thepoints of a thousand daggers peeping forth from its soft cushions! Andyou would have me seat myself upon such a dagger-beset throne? No,no, leave me my peace and repose. Let Anna Leopoldowna declare herselfempress--what should I care? I should have to bend before her with mycongratulations. That is all!"
And the princess, letting her head glide upon Razumovsky's shoulder, asif exhausted by this long speech, closed her fatigued eyelids.
"Ah, if Czar Peter, your great father, could hear you," sadly saidLestocq, "he would spurn you for such pusillanimity, princess."
"It is, therefore, fortunate for me that he is dead," said the princess,with a smile. "And now, my dear Lestocq, if you know nothing further,let this suffice you: I tell you, once for all, that I have no desirefor this imperial throne. I would crown my head with roses and myrtles,but not with that golden circle which would crush me to the earth.Therefore, trouble me no more on this subject. Be content with whatI am, and if you cannot, well--then I must be reconciled to beingabandoned by you!"
"I will never desert you, even if I must follow you to suffering anddeath!" exclaimed Alexis Razumovsky, casting himself at the feet of theprincess.
"We will remain true and faithful to you unto death!" cried Woronzow andGrunstein.
"Well, and you alone remain silent, Lestocq?" asked the princess, withtears in her eyes.
"I have not yet come to the end of my bad news," said Lestocq, with aclouded brow.
"Ah!" jestingly interposed the princess, "you would, perhaps, as furtherbad news, inform us that the Emperor Ivan has cut his first tooth!"
"No," said Lestocq, "I would only say to you, that the 18th of December,the day on which the regent is to be crowned as empress, the 18th ofDecember is the day assigned for the marriage of Princess Elizabeth withPrince Louis of Brunswick, the new Duke of Courland!"
The princess sprang up from her seat as if stung by an adder. AlexisRazumovsky, who still knelt at her feet, uttered loud lamentations,in which Woronzow and Grunstein soon joined. With calm triumph Lestocqobserved the effect produced by his words.
"What are you saying there?" at length Elizabeth breathlessly asked.
"I say that on the 18th of December the Princess Elizabeth is to bemarried to Prince Louis of Brunswick, who has already come to St.Petersburg for that purpose," calmly answered Lestocq.
"And I say," cried the princess, "that no such marriage will ever takeplace!"
Lestocq shrugged his shoulders. "Princess Elizabeth is a gentle,peace-loving, always suffering lamb," he said.
"But Princess Elizabeth can become a tigress when it concerns thedefence of her holiest rights!" exclaimed the princess, pacing the roomin violent excitement.
"Ah," she continued, "they are not then satisfied with delivering meover to poverty and abandonment; it does not suffice them to see me sodeeply humiliated as to receive alms from this regent who occupiesthe throne that belongs to me. They would rob me of my last and onlyremaining blessing, my personal freedom! They would make my poor heart aprisoner, and bind it with the chains and fetters of a marriage which Iabhor! No, no, I tell you that shall they never do."
And the princess, quite beside herself with rage, stamped her feet anddoubled up her little hands into fists. Now was she her father's realand not unworthy daughter; Czar Peter's bold and savage spirit flashedfrom her eyes, his scorn and courageous determination spoke from herwildly excited features. She saw not, she heard not what was passingaround her; she was wholly occupied with her own angry thoughts, andwith those dreadful images which the mere idea of marriage had conjuredup.
Her four favorites stood together at some distance, observing her withsilent sympathy.
"It is now for you, Alexis Razumovsky, to complete the work we havebegun," whispered Lestocq to him. "Elizabeth loves you; you must nourishin her this abhorrence of a marriage with the prince. You must makeyourself so loved, that she will dare all rather than lose you! We havelong enough remained in a state of abjectness; it is time to labor forour advancement. To the work, to the work, Alexis Razumovsky! We mustmake an empress of this Elizabeth, that she may raise us to wealth anddignities!"
"Rely upon me," whispered Alexis, "she must and shall join in ourplans."
He approached the princess, who was walking the room in a state of themost violent agitation, giving vent to her internal excitement and angerin loud exclamations and bitter curses.
"I must therefore die!" sighed Alexis, pressing Elizabeth's tremblinghand to his lips. "Kill me, princess, thrust a dagger in my heart, thatI at least may not live to see you married to another!"
"No, you shall not die," cried Elizabeth, with fierce vehemence,throwing her arms around Razumovsky's neck. "I will know how to defendyou and myself, Alexis! Ah, they would shackle me,--they would force meto marry, because they know I hate marriage. Yes, I hate those unnaturalfetters which could command my heart, force it into obedience to anunnatural law, and degrade divine free love, which would flutter fromflower to flower, into a necessity and a duty. It is an unnaturallaw which would compel us forever to love a man because he pleased usyesterday or may please us to-day, and who perhaps may not please usto-morrow, while on the next day he may excite only repugnance! Wouldthey forge these matrimonial chains for me? Ah, Regent Anna, you arethis time mistaken; you may be all-powerful in this empire, but youcannot and shall not extend that power over me!"
"And how," asked Lestocq, shrugging his shoulders, "how will PrincessElizabeth oppose the regent or empress? What weapon has she with whichto contend?"
"If it must be so, I will oppose power to power!" passionately exclaimedthe princess. "Yes, when it comes to the defence of my freedom and mypersonal rights I will then have the courage to dare all, defy all;then will I shake off the lethargy of contented mediocrity, and upon thethrone will find that freedom which Anna would tread under foot!"
"Long live our future empress! Long live Elizabeth!" cried the men withwild excitement.
"I have long withstood you, my friends," said Elizabeth, "I have notcoveted this imperial Russian crown, but much less have I desired thatcrown of thorns a compulsory marriage. I am now ready for the struggle,and, if it must be so, let a revolution, let streams of blood decidewhether the Regent Anna Leopoldowna or the daughter of Peter the Greathas the best right to govern this land and prescribe its laws!"
"Ah, now are you really your great father's great daughter!" criedLestocq, and bending a knee before the princess, he continued: "Let mebe the first to pay you homage, the first to swear eternal fidelity toyou, our Empress Elizabeth."
"Receive also my oath, Empress Elizabeth," said Alexis, falling upon hiskn
ees before her, "receive the oaths of your slaves who desire nothingbut to devote their bodies and souls to your service!"
"Let me, also, do homage to you, Empress Elizabeth!" exclaimed Woronzow,falling to the earth.
"And I, too, will lie at your feet and declare myself your slave,Empress Elizabeth!" said Grunstein, kneeling with the others.
But Elizabeth's anger was already past; only a momentary storm-wind hadlashed her gently flowing blood into the high foaming waves of rage; nowall again was calm within her, and consequently this solemn homage sceneof her four kneeling friends made only a comic impression upon her.
She burst into a loud laugh; astonished and half angry, the kneeling menlooked up to her, and that only increased her hilarity.
"Ah, this is infinitely amusing," said the princess, continuingto laugh; "there lie my vassals, and what vassals! Herr Lestocq, aphysician; Herr Grunstein, a bankrupt shopkeeper and now under-officer;Herr Woronzow, chamberlain; and Alexis Razumovsky, my private secretary.And here I am, the empress of such vassals, and what sort of an empress?An empress of four subjects, an empress without a throne and without acrown, without land and without a people--an empress who never was andnever will be an empress! And in this solemn buffoonery you cut suchserious faces as might make one die with laughter."
The princess threw herself upon the divan and laughed until the tearsran down her cheeks.
"Princess," said Lestocq, rising, "these four men, at whom you nowlaugh, will make you empress, and then it will be in your power toconvert this chirurgeon into a privy councillor and court physician,this bankrupt merchant into a rich banker, this chamberlain into animperial lord-marshal, and your private secretary into a count or princeof the empire."
The eyes of the princess shone yet brighter, and with a tender glance atAlexis Razumovsky she said: "Yes, I will make him a prince and overloadhim with presents and honors. Ah, that is an object worth the pains ofstruggling for an imperial crown."
"No, no," interposed Alexis, kissing her hand, "I need neither wealthnor titles; I need nothing, desire nothing but to be near you, to beable to breathe the air that has fanned your cheek. I desire nothing formyself, but everything for my friends here, with whose faithful aid weshall soon be enabled to greet you a real empress."
Elizabeth's brow beamed with the purest blessedness. "You are asunselfish as the angels in heaven, my Alexis," said she. "It sufficesyou that I am Elizabeth, you languish not for this imperial title whichthese others would force upon me."
Alexis smilingly shook his fine head. "You err, princess," said he; "Iwould freely and joyfully give my heart's blood, could I this day butsalute you as empress! I should then, at least, have no more to fearfrom this strange prince whom they would compel you to marry!"
A cloud passed over the brow of the princess. "Yes, you are right," saidshe, "we must avoid that at all events, and if there are no other means,very well, I shall know what to decide upon--I shall venture an attemptto dethrone the regent and make myself empress! But, my friends, letthat now suffice. I need rest. Call my women to undress me, Woronzow.Good-night, good-night, my high and lofty vassals, your great andpowerful empress allows you to kiss her hand!"
With a pleasing graciousness she extended her fair hands to her friends,who respectfully pressed them to their lips and then departed.
"Alexis!" called the princess, as Razumovsky was about to withdrawwith the others--"Alexis, you will remain awhile. While my womenare undressing me, you shall sing me to sleep with that charmingslumber-song you sing so splendidly!"
Alexis smiled and remained.
A quarter of an hour later deep silence prevailed in the dark palaceof Elizabeth, and through the stillness of the night was heard onlythe sweetly-melodious voice of the handsome Alexis, who was singing hisslumber-song to the princess.
From this day forward her four trusted friends left the princess nopeace. They so stormed her with prayers and supplications, Alexisso well knew how to represent his despair at her approaching andunavoidable marriage, that the amiable princess, to satisfy her friendsand be left herself at peace, declared herself ready to sanction theplans of her confidants and enter into a conspiracy against the regent.
Soon a small party was formed for the cause of the princess.Grunstein--who, as the princess had said, from a bankrupt merchant hadattained the position of subordinate officer--Grunstein had succeededin winning for the cause of the princess some fifty grenadiers ofthe Preobrajensky regiment, to which he belonged; and these people,drunkards and dissolute fellows, were the principal props upon whichElizabeth's throne was to be established! They were neither particularabout the means resorted to for the accomplishment of the proposedrevolution, nor careful to envelop their movements in secrecy.
Elizabeth soon began to find pleasure and distraction in exciting theenthusiasm of the soldiers. She often repaired to the caserns of theguards, and her mildness and affability won for her the hearts of therough soldiers accustomed to slavish subjection. When she rode throughthe streets, it was not an unusual occurrence to see common soldiersapproach her sledge and converse familiarly with her. Wherever sheshowed herself, there the soldiers received her with shouts, and thepalace of the princess was always open to them. In this way Elizabethmade herself popular, and the Regent Anna, who was informed of it,smiled at it with indifference.
Just as incautiously did Elizabeth's fanatical political manager,Lestocq, set about his work. He made no secret of his intercourse withthe French ambassador, and in the public coffee-houses he was oftenheard in a loud voice to prophesy an approaching political change.
But with regard to all these imprudences it seemed as if the court andthe regent were blinded by the most careless confidence, as if theycould not see what was directly before their eyes. It was as if destinycovered those eyes with a veil, that they might not see, and againstdestiny even the great and the powerful of the earth struggle in vain.
