The Shadow of the Czar Part 44

The sound seemed to madden Katina.

"Is he come here in pomp, to be graciously received by the princess, to be feasted by her ministers, while I, his victim, scarred with the knout for refusing to become his plaything, am to remain still and do nothing to avenge myself? Your state policy to the winds," she cried pa.s.sionately. "Stand aside. You shall not stay my hand."

She made as if she would have escaped from the apartment, but Zabern, on the watch for this movement, intercepted her and placed his back against the door.

"Nay, Katina, here you must remain till Orloff shall have quitted Czernova."

She recognized the futility of resistance, and turning away with her face very white, and speaking very slowly, she said,--

"Then if you prevent me from killing Orloff I will kill myself." Her words startled Zabern from his cynical composure. For a moment he hesitated whether to leave her, for Katina looked as if she fully intended to carry out her threat.

"Be it so," he said, coldly. "The guilt will not be mine. Better that maid perish by her own hand than that the liberties of a whole people be destroyed."

With that saying the marshal withdrew and having locked the door upon Katina, he darkly wended his way to the audience chamber.

With a view of rendering due honor to the imperial envoy it had been decided by Barbara that the reception should be attended with considerable pomp.

The Throne Hall was accordingly chosen as the place of interview--a magnificent apartment, its vaulted roof fretted with gold. The frescoes and pictures were adapted to appeal to the patriotism of those present, portraying, as they did, some of the n.o.blest events in Polish history; among them the envoy might have seen more than one Russian defeat by Polish arms.

Ranged round the saloon, with back to the wall, were the finest and loftiest of the princess's uhlans. Clad in gleaming breastplates, and with burnished lances erect, they seemed in their rigidity and silence more like statues than men.

Barbara occupied the throne, a slender gold diadem resting on her dark hair, a purple robe of state looped gracefully over her dainty white attire.

On each side of the throne were her ministers, and the chief of her n.o.bility. Patriots to a man, animated by a spirit of defiance to Russia, ardent for the restoration of Poland, they formed a chivalric band ready to die in defence of their fair princess.

The scene was striking and poetical; and more than once Paul, who was present, received a secret glance from Barbara, as if she would fain invite him to contrast her present state with that of the forlorn maiden wandering in the Dalmatian forest; and truly, it was a marvellous and brilliant contrast.

The emissary of the Czar was a man of giant stature clad in a gorgeous uniform. His countenance gave indications of a harsh and arrogant nature, nor did his countenance belie him; as a matter of fact he had been purposely selected by the Russian ministry in order that his objectionable manners, combined with the catechetical character of his mission might provoke recriminatory language from the young and proud princess, language that might afford Russia pretext for a quarrel with Czernova. Therefore Barbara, warned of this beforehand by Zabern, had determined that the envoy's speech, however provocative, should not tempt her to play the enemy's game.

To Paul and Zabern he was an object of secret loathing, both as the knouter of Katina, and also as an accessory to, if not the actual author of, the plot which had resulted in the destruction of the Czernovese Charter. Hard necessity precluded them from denouncing the hypocrisy of the man who came to demand the production of what he had himself destroyed.

"His grandfather did a n.o.ble deed," remarked Zabern in a whisper to Paul.

"What did his grandfather do?"

"He strangled a Czar," replied Zabern, grimly. "What?" he continued, noting Paul's look of surprise, "did you not know that we have here the grandson of Gregory Orloff?"

Unjust as it may be to be influenced by the ill-deeds of a man's grandsire, Paul nevertheless found his aversion to Orloff increasing, that such a creature should be appointed amba.s.sador to stand in the presence of the pure and sweet Barbara! Orloff had removed his leathern gauntlets, and Paul could not avoid glancing from time to time at his large and knotted hands as if they were the same mighty palms that had squeezed out the breath from the windpipe of the unhappy Peter the Third.

With an odd mixture of humility and pride, the envoy knelt before the throne, and having presented his credentials to the princess, he rose again to his full height, and began to speak in a loud voice, and with a sweeping glance that took in the whole a.s.sembly.

"Nicholas Paulovitch, Autocrat of all the Russias"--Here the envoy proceeded to enumerate a variety of t.i.tles, among which there figured "King of Poland,"--a t.i.tle which made the more ardent patriots whisper, "For how long?"--"Nicholas Paulovitch, as Head of the Holy Greek Church throughout the world, is interested in learning whether the Princess of Czernova has seceded from that Church."

Among Barbara's audience there was only one person who knew that secession was not a term to apply to her conduct. It was hard to be accused of apostasy, but political necessity compelled her to submit to the imputation.

"Though denying the right of the Czar to catechize the ruler of Czernova on such a matter I will, nevertheless, give answer,"

responded Barbara quietly. "I am not a member of the Greek, but of the Catholic Church."

"His Imperial Majesty would direct your Highness's attention to the Czernovese coronation-oath, the formula prescribed by the Charter."

"How is that oath phrased?" asked Barbara.

"Its precise wording is: 'I swear to maintain the Greek Faith.'"

"And it is my intention to maintain it. The Greek Church shall meet with no interference or oppression from the Catholic princess. Its liberty and privileges shall remain inviolate."

Orloff seemed quite dumfounded at this way of explaining the oath.

Recovering from his surprise, he said,--

"That is not the interpretation put upon those words by the Czar. In his view 'maintaining' is synonymous with 'believing.'"

"Not so, count," replied Barbara, firmly. "On this point we have consulted not the forensic authorities of Czernova, who might be suspected of favoring our interest, but the leading jurists and statesmen of Europe, and they are unanimous in the opinion that the coronation-oath does not bind the ruler of Czernova to a personal belief in the faith of the Greek Church, but merely imposes the obligation of maintaining it as an establishment _in statu quo_."

That the Czernovese ministry had been seeking the views of Europe in the matter of the coronation-oath came upon Orloff as a complete surprise. If the princess had spoken truly, the consensus of opinion would seem to show that the argument by which Russia had been hoping to exclude her from the throne was lacking in validity. An appeal by Czernova to the arbitrament of the Powers on this question would enable the princ.i.p.ality to sail triumphantly in the teeth of Russian ambition.

"I will report your answer to the Czar," replied Orloff, and with mortification plainly visible on his face, he proceeded to his next point.

"The Czar regrets the necessity which compels him to prefer against the state of Czernova a charge of the violation of his own jurisdiction in the matter of his kinsman, the Duke of Bora, who while on Russian ground was summarily arrested by order of the princess."

"Have you proof of this alleged violation of territory?"

"How?" exclaimed Orloff in feigned amazement. "'Proof'? 'Alleged violation'? The sacred word of his Majesty doubted?"

"I can of my own knowledge testify that his grace was on Czernovese ground at the time of his arrest."

"We have our witnesses, Baron Ostrova, the duke's secretary, and a Cossack sentinel."

A murmur of indignation ran through the a.s.sembly at the envoy's insolent language.

"And you have the word of a princess," replied Barbara, with dignity, "word purer far than that of twenty Ostrovas or twenty Cossacks. But we have a witness whom even the envoy of the Czar must respect. My lord of Bora, stand forth."

And to the surprise of those, unaware till then of his presence, the Duke of Bora, who had been keeping in the background, came forward and stood before the throne.

However great his sympathy with the envoy's aims, however much embittered with the princess by reason of his imprisonment, he durst not in her presence, and in the presence of other witnesses of his arrest, state anything else but the truth.

With a forced smile he bowed to Orloff, his fellow-conspirator.

"As the princess avers," he said, "there has been some error on the part of his Majesty's informants. My arrest took place on the Czernovese side of the frontier."

The envoy grew more disconcerted at this, his second failure to entangle the princess in his political net.

"A twofold offence has been committed in his Majesty's dominions," he continued; "first, in the matter of the duel itself, duelling being contrary to the law of Russia; and, secondly, in the matter of corrupting by bribes a soldier of the Czar, a Cossack sentinel."

"That honest Cossack," said Barbara, sweetly, "whose testimony you would have used against me?"

A smile rippled round the a.s.sembly.

Orloff flushed angrily.