by L. Mühlbach
THE RECOMPENSING
Meanwhile, Elizabeth had made herself absolute mistress of the imperialpalace. Hastening to the throne-room, she had taken possession of thethrone of her father, and administered the oath of allegiance to theguards surrounding her.
They lay upon their knees before her, these cowardly instruments ofdespotism; they bowed their heads in the dust, and these four or fivethousand slaves, to which number the followers of the empress alreadyamounted, swore fealty to Elizabeth, ready to strangle the regentand the young emperor at her command, or to serve her the same if,peradventure, the regent should regain a momentary power.
While the guards were doing homage in the palace, Grunstein andWoronzow, by Lestocq's command, led their men to Munnich's andOstermann's, and both were imprisoned; with them, a great number ofleading and suspected persons, who, perhaps, might have been disposed todraw the sword for Anna Leopoldowna. Lestocq had thought of everything, had considered every thing; at the same time that he entered theregent's palace with Elizabeth, he sent to the printer the manifestowhich proclaimed Elizabeth as empress. With the appearance of the sunin the horizon, Elizabeth was recognized as empress in the capital, andsoon after throughout the whole empire. Who were they who recognizedher? It was not the people, for in Russia there are no people--there areonly masters and slaves. Elizabeth had become empress because fortuneand Anna Leopoldowna's generous confidence had favored her; not theexigencies of the people, nor the tyranny of her predecessor hadcalled her to the throne, but she had attained to it by the cunningand intrigues of some few confederates. She had become empress becauseLestocq was tired of being only physician to a poor princess; becauseGrunstein thought the position of under-officer was far too humble forhim, and because Alexis Razumovsky, the former precentor in the imperialchapel, found it desirable to add to his name the title of count orprince!
When St. Petersburg awoke it heard with astonishment the news of a newrevolution. From mouth to mouth flew this astounding announcement: "Wehave changed our rulers! We are no longer the servants of the EmperorIvan, but of the Empress Elizabeth! A new dynasty has arisen, and wehave a new oath of allegiance to take!"
At first only a few ventured to spread this extraordinary intelligence,and these few were tremblingly and anxiously avoided; it was dangerousto listen to them; people fled from them without answering. But as therumors became constantly louder and more significant, as at length theirtruth could no longer be doubted, as it became certain that the regentand her son were dethroned and Elizabeth was established in power, allthe doubting and anxious faces were, as by an electric spark, lighted upwith joy; then nothing was heard but the cry of triumph and jubilation;then was Anna Leopoldowna loudly cursed by those who had blessed her onthe preceding day; then was the new Empress Elizabeth loudly lauded bythose who yesterday had smiled with contempt at her powerlessness.
All again hastened to the imperial palace; the great and the noble againbrought out their state coaches for the purpose of throwing themselvesat the feet of the new possessor of power and swearing a new allegiance;again nothing was heard but the sound of universal rejoicing, nothingseen but faces lighted up by ecstasy and eyes glistening with tears ofjoy. And this was, in fourteen months, the third time that they had donehomage to a new ruler who had as regularly dethroned his predecessor,and they had each time gone through the same ceremony with the sameevidences of joy, the same ecstasies, the same slavish humility, notcommiserating the defeated party, but professing love and devotion tothe victor!
And as the day dawned on St. Petersburg, as it gloriously beamed uponthe young empress, as she saw these thousands of worshipping slaves ather feet, Elizabeth's heart swelled with a proud joy, and looking downupon the masses of humble and devoted subjects, whose mistress she was,she felt herself momentarily overcome by a deep and holy emotion.
"I will be a mother to this people," thought she; "I will love and sparethem; I will govern them with mildness; they shall not curse, but adoreme!"
Yielding to this first generous impulse of her heart, Elizabeth rosefrom the throne, and with uplifted hands loudly and solemnly swore thatshe would be a mother to her subjects--a mother who, when compelled topunish, would never forget love and forbearance!
"No one, however great his crime," said she, with flashing eyes--"noone shall be punished with death so long as I sit upon this throne! Fromthis day the punishment of death is abolished in my realm! I will punishcrime, but I will spare the life of the criminal!"
When Elizabeth had thus spoken, the large hall again resounded with therejoicing shouts of the great and noble--men breathed freer and deeper,they raised their heads more proudly; for centuries the all-powerfulword of the czars had swept over the heads of Russians like the swordof Damocles--it now seemed to be removed, and to promise to each onea longer life, a longer unendangered existence. For where was therea subject of the czars who might not at any time be convicted of acrime--where an innocent person who might not at any moment be condemnedto death? A glance, a smile, an inconsiderate word, had often sufficedto cause a head to fall! And now this eternally present danger seemed tobe removed! What wonder, then, that they raised shouts of joy, thatthey embraced each other, that they loudly and solemnly called down theblessings of Heaven upon this noble and merciful empress!
During this time of general rejoicing among the great and noble of therealm in the brilliant imperial halls above, the palace was surroundedby dense masses of people looking up with curiosity at the brightwindows, and listening with astonishment to the joyful shouts thatreached their ears below. And when they heard the cause of the rejoicingabove, they shrugged their shoulders and murmured low: "The empress willhenceforth punish no one with death! What is that to us? That the greatshall no more be put to death by the empress, is no concern of ours, theserfs of the great! The empress is powerful, but our lords and mastershave yet more power over us. They will still scourge us to death, andthe empress cannot hinder them!"
That a word of authority from the czarina had abolished the punishmentof death, did not stir them up from their dull, expectant silence; butwhen a messenger from the empress came and announced that Elizabeth hadordered a flask of brandy to be given to each one of the crowd assembledbelow, that they might drink her health, then came life and movementto these stupid masses, then their dull faces were distorted into afriendly grin, then they screamed and howled with a brutish ecstasy, andthey all rushed to the opened door to avail themselves of the promisedbenevolence of the empress and receive the divine liquor!
For the great, the abolition of capital punishment--for the people, aflask of brandy--these were the first rays that announced the appearanceof the newly-rising sun Elizabeth in the horizon of her realm!
No,--Elizabeth did yet more!--in this hour she remembered with agrateful heart the faithful friends who had assisted her to the throne;to reward these was her next and most sacred duty!
A nod from her called to her presence the thirty grenadiers of thePreobrajensky regiment whom Grunstein had won over, and the empress witha gracious smile gave them her hand to kiss.
Then, rising from her throne, and glancing at the assembled magnates andprinces, she said, in a clear and flattering tone: "It is service thatennobles, it is fidelity that lends fame and splendor. And service andfidelity have you rendered and shown to me, my faithful grenadiers! Iwill reward you as you deserve. From this hour you are free; nay, more,you are magnates of my realm; you belong, with the best of right, totheir circle, for, in virtue of my imperial power, I raise you tothe nobility by creating you barons, all of you, my thirty faithfulgrenadiers, and you, Grunstein, the leader of this faithful band!Receive them into your ranks, my counts and barons, they are worthy ofyou!"
Hesitating, not daring to mingle with those proud magnates, stood thenew barons; but the princes and counts advanced to them with openarms, with exclamations of tenderness and assurances of friendship. Theempress had spoken, the slaves must obey; and these princes and counts,these generals and field-mar
shals, who yesterday would hardly havethrown away a contemptuous glance upon these grenadiers, now calledthem friends and brothers, and were most happy to admit them into theircircle.
Elizabeth gave a satisfied glance at these hearty greetings: she foundit infinitely sweet and agreeable to make so many men happy in so easy amanner, and with pleasure she recollected that she had yet to reward hercoachman who had guided her sledge in the great and decisive hour.
She ordered him to be called. A considerable time elapsed, and all werelooking expectantly toward the door, which finally opened, and, led byfour lackeys, the coachman stumbled into the hall. They had had sometrouble in finding him, until at length he was discovered among thepeople in the court-yard, enjoying the brandy distributed by order ofthe empress. From this crowd they had withdrawn him in spite of hisresistance, in order to bring him to his sovereign.
She received the staggering Petrovitch with a gracious smile, shepraised the dauntlessness with which he had guided her sledge in thateventful night, and in gratitude for his good conduct she raised him, asshe had the grenadiers, to the rank of a nobleman by naming him a baronof the Russian empire.
Petrovitch listened to her with a stupid laugh; and when the magnatescrowded around him, offering their hands and assuring him of theirfriendship, he tremblingly and with effort stammered some unmeaningwords, and falling upon his knees, he bowed his head in the dust beforethese great and powerful magnates, humbly kissing the hems of theirgarments, not suspecting that he was their equal in rank.
And constantly more brilliant and beautiful beamed the imperial grace.None of Elizabeth's faithful friends and servants were forgotten, forshe possessed a virtue rare among princes--she was grateful.
She named Lestocq her first physician, president of the medicalcollege, and member of her privy council. She made Grunstein an imperialaide-de-camp, with the rank of brigadier-general; and Woronzow a countand her first chamberlain.
Then, at last, she repeated the name of her friend Alexis Razumovsky.Her fair brow lighted up as with a reflected sunbeam on his approachingher throne, and, holding out to him both hands, she said aloud: "AlexisRazumovsky, I have you most to thank for my success in dispossessingthe usurpers who have robbed me of my father's throne; for your wisecounsels gave me courage and force: be then, henceforth, next to mythrone, my chamberlain, Count Razumovsky!"
Bending a knee before her, Alexis gratefully kissed her beloved hand,and the counts and gentlemen surrounded him, loudly praising the greatwisdom of the empress, whose divine penetration enabled her everywhereto discover and reward true service!
"Ah," sighed Elizabeth, when, on the evening of this glorious day, shewas again alone with her confidential friends, "ah, my friends, I havenow complied with your wishes and allowed you to make an empress of me!But forget not, Lestocq, that I have become empress only on conditionthat I am not to be troubled with business and state affairs. This hasbeen a day of great exertion and fatigue, and I hope you will henceforthleave me in repose. I have done what you wished, I am empress, and haverewarded you for your aid, but now I also demand my reward, and that isundisturbed peace! Once for all, in my private apartments no one is tospeak of state affairs, here I will have repose; you can carry on thegovernment through your bureaux and _chancelleries_; I will havenothing to do with it! Here we will be gay and enjoy life. Come here, myAlexis,--come here and tell me if this imperial crown is becoming, andwhether you found me fair in my ermine-trimmed purple mantle?"
"My lofty empress is always the fairest of women," tenderly respondedAlexis.
"Call me not empress," said she, drawing him closer to her. "Thatbrings again to mind all the hardships and wearinesses I have this dayencountered."
"Only yet a moment, your majesty; let me remind you that you are nowempress, and, as such, have duties to perform!" pressingly exclaimedLestocq. "You have this day exercised the pleasantest right of yourimperial power--the right of rewarding and making happy. But thereremains another and not less important duty; your majesty must now thinkof punishing. The regent, and her husband and son, are prisoners; as,also are Munnich, Ostermann, Count Lowenwald, and Julia von Mengden. Youmust think of judging and punishing them."
Elizabeth had paid no attention to him. She was whispering and laughingwith Alexis, who had let down her long dark hair, and was now playfullytwining it around her white neck.
"Ah, you have not listened to me, your majesty," impatiently criedLestocq. "You must, however, for a few moments remember your dignity,and direct what is to be done with the imprisoned traitors."
"Only see, Alexis, how this new lord privy counsellor teases me," sighedthe princess, and, turning to Lestocq, she continued: "I think youshould understand the laws better than I, and should know how traitorsare punished."
"In all countries high-treason is punished with death," said Lestocq,gloomily.
"Well, let these traitors fare according to the common usage, and killthem," responded Elizabeth, comfortably extending herself upon thedivan.
"But your majesty has this day abolished the punishment of death."
"Have I so? Ah, yes, I now remember. Well, as I have said it, I mustkeep my word."
"And the regent, Prince Ulrich, the so-called Emperor Ivan, CountsOstermann, Munnich, Lowenwald, as well as Julia von Mengden, and theother prisoners, are all to remain unpunished?"
"Can they be punished in no other way than by death?" impatiently askedElizabeth. "Have we not prisons and the knout? Have we not Siberia andthe rack? Punish these traitors, then, as you think best. I give youfull powers, and, if it must be so, will even take the trouble to affixmy signature to your sentence."
"But we cannot scourge the regent or her son?"
"No," said Elizabeth, with vehemence, "these you must permit to go freeand without hindrance to Germany; your judicial powers will not extendto them. It shall not be said that Elizabeth has delivered up her auntand cousin to torture for the purpose of securing her own advantage.Let them go hence free and unobstructed! I tell you this is my express,imperial will!"
And Elizabeth, exhausted by so great an effort, leaned her head upon theshoulder of Alexis, mechanically playing with his locks.
"And Munnich and Ostermann?" asked Lestocq.
"_Mon Dieu!_ will, then, this annoyance never cease?" impatientlyexclaimed the empress. "What are Munnich and Ostermann to me? I knowthem not; they have never injured and are wholly indifferent to me. Dowith them as you and your colleagues think best, I shall not troublemyself about it. Judge, condemn, punish them, it is all one to me--onlytheir lives must be spared, as I have promised that no one shall bepunished with death."
"I may, then, announce to the council that you will confirm theirsentence?"
"Yes, yes, certainly," cried Elizabeth, springing up. "Scourge, banishthem, do what you please, but leave me in peace! Come, my Alexis, thisgood Lestocq is insufferable to-day; he will annoy us to death if weremain any longer here! Come, we will escape from him and his seriousface! Oh, we have much more serious subjects of conversation. To-morrowis my grand gala dinner, and we have my toilet to examine, to be certainthat every thing is in the proper order. And then the ball toilet forthe evening, which is far more important. I shall open the ball with a_Polonnaise_. You promised me, Alexis, to practice with me the new tourwhich the Marquis de la Chetardie describes as the latest Parisian mode.Come, let us essay this tour. For a new empress, at her first courtball, there is nothing more important than that she should perform herduty as leader of the dance with propriety and grace. Quick, therefore,to the work! Give me your hand--and now, Alexis, let us commence. Sing amelody to it, and then it will go better."
Alexis began to sing a _Polonnaise_, and, taking the hand of theempress, they commenced the practice of the new _Polonnaise_ tour.
"So, that is right," said he, interrupting his singing, "that is veryfine. Now let go my hand and turn proudly and majestically around.Beautifully done! Now a half turn sideward. One, two, three--la, la, la,tra la!"
"Yet one more question," interposed Lestocq; "may the council of statesit in judgment upon Lowenwald and de Mengden, and will you confirmtheir decision?"
"One, two, three--tra, la, la!" sang Alexis, and the empress whirled andmade her graceful turn, as he had taught her.
Lestocq repeated his question to the empress.
Elizabeth was precisely in the most difficult tour.
"Yes, yes," she breathlessly cried, "I deliver them all over to you;scourge them, punish them, send them to Siberia--whatever you thinkbest! Halt, Alexis, we must try this tour over again. But, indeed, Ithink I shall acquit myself very well in it."
"Heavenly!" cried Alexis. "Once more, then! One, two, three--la, la, la,tra la!"
