The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 179: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. poor mother perished at the time of the accident by the breaking up of the ice on the Neva.’— ‘Ah?’ said the Ambassador after a pause: ‘I was not aware of this circumstance: and once more I must crave your pardon for having alluded to a painful topic. May I inquire whether it be your intention to revisit Russia? have you no inclina- tion to return to St. Petersburgh ?’—I thought it might seem singular, and even excite suspicion, if I were to proclaim my resolve never to set foot in the Russian capital again, or even if I were to show any distaste for so doing; and I therefore said, with an air of easy carelessness, ‘Oh, I think it is very probable I shall some day take St. Petersburgh in my way; for I am a very great traveller. I cannot tell how many thousands of miles I have journeyed in my time.—‘ Ah, in- deed?’ said Count Olonetz; and again I could not help thinking there was something peculiar if not mysteriously significant in his look, his manner, and his accents. But this impression was almost immediately effaced, when rising from his seat, he took me by the hand, saying, ‘It will afford the Countess the greatest pleasure to welcome you, Miss Malcolm, at the Russian Embassy. {fam sorry her Excellency is not here this evening, or XY should be gratified in presenting you.’—I thanked the Count for his kindness; and as my French friends, accompanied by other acquaint- ances, now came to rejoin me, his lordship bowed and retired to the upper extremity of the saloon. ‘““ On the following day I received a card of in- vitation from the Countess Olonetz for a party in the evening. I went with a number of friends for an excursion upon the waters of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus: and I greatly admired the scene, for there were war-ships of nearly all nations assembled there. Amongst the crowd of vessels my attention was particularly attracted by a superb steamship bearing the Russian flag; and I was informed that it was there at the orders of Count Olonetz for any service in which a fast- going ship might be required. Steam-vessels were not then quite so plentiful as they are now-a-days, particularly in that part of the world: and thus it was no wonder that the particular one to which I am alluding should have been an object of such special admiration on the occasion. I returned to the hotel; and after dinner, I was thinking of my toilette for the soirée at the Russian Embassy, when the landlord entered my sitting-apartment. I have before said that he was a Frenchman: he was a little active bustling person, of middle age, very intelligent and good-natured. He closed the door; and advancing towards me with a mysterious air, apologized for the intrusion, but excusing himself on the ground of the importance of the purpose which he had in view. I begged him to explain himself.—‘ Do not be frightened, madam,’ he said: ‘but you incur a very great danger, and it is against this that I come to warn you; not only to warn you, but also to aid your escape from it’—‘A great danger?’ I ejaculated. ‘Good heavens! what can you mean ?’—‘ You yourself, madam, can best tell,’ continued the landlord, ‘how you have drawn down upon your head the anger of the Russian Government, or else of the Russian Ambassador individually; but so is the fact.’— I looked confounded, for such indeed I felt; and then I assured the Frenchman that he must be mistaken, for that I could never have possibly 1Uo given any offence to the Russian Government, that I was on good terms with the Russian Am- bassador, and that I was going that evening to a soirée at the Russian Embassy.—‘ To be sure,’ said the Frenchman, ‘that is a part of the stratagem. You will go to the soirée; but when you leave the Russian Embassy, it will only be to be carried forcibly and stealthily on board yon steamship, to be borne to Sebastopol or Cher- son, and thence God knows whither; either to be plunged into a Russian fortress, or to be sent thousands of miles away into the awful wilds of Siberia.—I shuddered for a moment at the picture that was thus drawn; and then I smiled and said, ‘I thank you for your kindness, which is evidently well meant; but believe me you are labouring under some egregious and unaccount- able mistake.‘ Madam, I am not. think that I should be fool enough to frighten away a good customer from my hotel; but if you value your safety you will depart. I know not how you have offended the Russians, and if you yourself do not know, there must either be a mystery or mistake on their part, but of which you will not the less become a victim. Your name is Mildred Malcolm; your father was a merchant at St. Petersburgh ; he died there; and your mother was drowned in the Neva? Is all this correct?’ —‘It is,’ I answered, beginnir, to grow alarmed for more reasons than one; for if anything unpleasant occurred or sesmed to threaten me, I invariably associated it with the secret of the imposture which I was prac- tising upon the world.—‘ Well then.’ pursued the Frenchman, ‘you must not deluce yourself, madam, with the idea that I am labvuring under any error. I will briefly tell you my authority, and then you must act for yourseif. The fact is, the chief engineer of yon stcam-vessel is an Englishman, as most of the engineers in foreign steamers are. Heis a wortuy man, has a good situation, and is engaged to my niece. This morning one of the persons employed in the Russian Embassy went on board the steamer, was closeted with the captain, and told him to get ready to start in the middle of the coming night, for that he was to receive on board his ship, under certain circumstances, an Inglish lady named Mildred Malcolm, who was at present staying at this hotel. Some little farther conversation took place, every portion of which the worthy English engineer overheard, for he happened to be at the time in a position to catch what was going on, though his presence so close at hand was unsus- pected. Not choosing to let a fellow-country- woman of his suffer such villanous treatment when no real crime seems to be brought against her, he obtained leave to come ashore just now, and he made me acquainted with the facts of the case. Now, madam, I repeat, you can judge for yourself. But, Ah! here is some little corrobo- rative evidence at all events! The Russian steamer, which has been lying perfectly quiet for the last six weeks, has now got her steam up, and she has laid herself right opposite the steps leading down to the water from the garden of the Russian Embassy! There, madam! look from this window, and you will see that it igs so !’—The moonlight was shining brilliantly upon the waters; and on glancing forth, I saw every- thing precisely as the Frenchman had described oO COMO You do not ° Colin