IN WHICH THERE IS SOME INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE CITY OF ST.
PETERSBURG.
For 300 roubles a month, O'Donahue had procured a drosky, very
handsomely fitted up; the shaft horse was a splendid trotter, and the
other, a beautiful-shaped animal, capered about curving his neck, until
his nose almost touched his knee, and prancing, so as to be the
admiration of the passers-by. His coachman, whose name was Athenasis,
had the largest beard in Saint Petersburg; Joey was the smallest tiger;
Dimitri, one of the tallest and handsomest yagers. Altogether, Captain
O'Donahue had laid out his money well; and on a fine, sunny day he set
off to present his letters to the English ambassador and other parties.
Although the letters were very short, it was quite sufficient that they
were written by so distinguished and so universally beloved a person as
his Royal Highness. The ambassador, Lord Saint H, immediately desired
O'Donahue to consider his house open to him, requesting the pleasure of
his company to dinner on the following day, and offered to present him
to the Emperor at the first levee. O'Donahue took his leave, delighted
with his success, and then drove to the hotel of the Princess Woronzoff,
Count Nesselrode, and Prince Gallitzin, where he found himself equally
well received. After his visits were all paid, O'Donahue sported his
handsome equipage on the English and Russian quays, and up and down the
Neffsky Perspective for an hour or two, and then returned to the hotel.
"I am very sorry," said O'Donahue, after he had narrated to McShane all
that had taken place, "that I permitted you to put yourself down on the
passport as valet in the foolish way you have. You would have enjoyed
yourself as much as I probably shall, and have been in your proper
position in society."
"Then I'm not sorry at all, O'Donahue, and I'll tell you why. I should
have enjoyed myself, I do not doubt--but I should have enjoyed myself
too much; and, after dining with ambassadors, and princes, and counts,
and all that thing--should I ever have gone back comfortable and
contented to Mrs McShane, and the cook's shop? No, no--I'm not exactly
reconciled, as it is; and if I were to be drinking champagne, and 'ating
French kickshaws with the Russian nobility for three or four months,
dancing perhaps with princesses, and whispering in the ears of
duchesses, wouldn't my nose turn up with contempt at the beefsteak pie,
and poor Mrs McShane, with all her kind smiles, look twice as corpulent
as ever? No, no, I'm better here, and I'm a wise man, although I say it
myself."
"Well, perhaps you are, McShane; but still I do not like that I should
be spending your money in this way without your having your share of it
at least."
"My share of it--now, O'Donahue, suppose I had come over here on my own
account, where should I have been? I could not have mustered up the
amiable impudence you did, to persuade the commander-in-chief to give me
letters to the ambassador: nor could I have got up such a turn-out, nor
have fitted the turn-out so well as you do. I should have been as
stupid as an owl, just doing what I have done the whole of the blessed
morning for want of your company--looking after one of the floating
bridges across the river, and spitting into the stream, just to add my
mite to the Baltic Sea."
"I'm sorry you were not better amused."
"I was amused; for I was thinking of the good-humoured face of Mrs
McShane, which was much better than being in high company, and
forgetting her entirely. Let me alone for amusing myself after my own
fashion, O'Donahue, and that's all I wish. I suppose you have heard
nothing in your travels about your Powlish princess?"
"Of course not; it will require some tact to bring in her name--I must
do it as if by mere accident."
"Shall I ask the courier if she is an acquaintance of his?"
"An acquaintance, McShane?"
"I don't mean on visiting terms; but if he knows anything about the
family, or where they live?"
"No, McShane, I think you had better not; we do not know much of him at
present. I shall dine at the ambassador's tomorrow, and there will be a
large party."
During the day invitations for evening parties were brought in from the
Prince Gallitzin and Princess Woronzoff.
"The plot thickens fast, as the saying is," observed McShane; "you'll be
certain to meet your fair lady at some of these places."
"That is what I trust to do," replied O'Donahue; "if not, as soon as I'm
intimate, I shall make inquiries about her; but we must first see how
the land lies."
O'Donahue dined at the ambassador's, and went to the other parties, but
did not meet with the object of his search. Being a good musician, he
was much in request in so musical a society as that of Saint Petersburg.
The emperor was still at his country palace, and O'Donahue had been
more than a fortnight at the capital without there being an opportunity
for the ambassador to present him at court.
Dimitri, the person whom O'Donahue engaged as courier, was a very
clever, intelligent fellow; and as he found that O'Donahue had all the
liberality of an Irishman, and was in every respect a most indulgent
master, he soon had his interest at heart. Perhaps the more peculiar
intimacy between O'Donahue and McShane, as a valet, assisted Dimitri in
forming a good opinion of the former, as the hauteur and distance
generally preserved by the English towards their domestics are very
displeasing to the Continental servants, who, if permitted to be
familiar, will not only serve you more faithfully, but be satisfied with
more moderate wages. Dimitri spoke English and French pretty well,
German and Russian of course perfectly. He was a Russian by birth, had
been brought up at the Foundling Hospital, at Moscow, and therefore was
not a serf. He soon became intimate with McShane: and as soon as the
latter discovered that there was no intention on the part of Dimitri to
be dishonest, he was satisfied, and treated him with cordiality.
"Tell your master this," said Dimitri, "never to give his opinion on
political matters before any one while in Petersburg, or he will be
reported to the government, and will be looked upon with suspicion. All
the servants and couriers here, indeed every third person you meet, is
an agent of police."
"Then it's not at all unlikely that you are one yourself," replied
McShane.
"I am so," replied Dimitri, coolly, "and all the better for your master.
I shall be ordered to make my report in a few days, and I shall not
fail to do so."
"And what will they ask you?" said McShane.
"They will ask me first who and what your master is? Whether I have
discovered from you, if he is of family and importance in his own
country? whether he has expressed any political opinions? and whether I
have discovered the real business which brought him here?"
"And what will you reply to all this?" answered McShane.
"Why, I hardly know. I wish I knew what he wishes me to say, for he is
a gentleman whom I am very fond of, and that's the truth; perhaps you
can tell me?"
"Why, yes, I know a good deal about him, that's certain. As for his
family, there's not a better in Ireland or England, for he's royal if he
had his right."
"What!" exclaimed Dimitri.
"As sure as I'm sitting in this old arm-chair, didn't he bring letters
from the brother of the present king? does that go for nothing in this
country of yours? or do you value men by the length of their beards?"
"Men are valued here not by their titles, but by their rank as officers.
A general is a greater man than a prince," replied Dimitri.
"With all my heart, for then I'm somebody," replied McShane.
"You?" replied the courier.
"I mean my master," returned McShane, correcting himself; "for he's an
officer, and a good one, too."
"Yes, that may be; but you said yourself," replied the courier,
laughing. "My good friend, a valet to any one in Petersburg is no
better than one of the mujiks who work in the streets. Well, I know
that our master is an officer, and of high rank; as for his political
opinions, I have never heard him express any, except his admiration of
the city, and of course of the emperor."
"Most decidedly; and of the empress also," replied McShane.
"That is not at all necessary," continued Dimitri, laughing. "In fact,
he has no business to admire the empress."
"But he admires the government and the laws," said McShane; "and you may
add, my good fellow--the army and the navy--by the powers, he's all
admiration, all over!--you may take my word for it."
"Well, I will do so; but then there is one other question to reply to,
which is, why did he come here? what is his business?"
"To look about him, to be sure; to spend his money like a gentleman; to
give his letters of introduction; and to amuse himself," replied
McShane. "But this is dry talking, so, Dimitri, order a bottle of
champagne, and then we'll wet our whistle before we go on."
"Champagne! will your master stand that?" inquired Dimitri.
"Stand it? to be sure, and he'd be very angry if he thought I did not
make myself comfortable. Tell them to put it down in the bill for me;
if they doubt the propriety, let them ask my master."
Dimitri went and ordered the champagne. As soon as they had a glass,
Dimitri observed, "Your master is a fine liberal fellow, and I would
serve him to the last day of my life; but you see that the reasons you
give for your master being here are the same as are given by everybody
else, whether they come as spies or secret emissaries, or to foment
insurrection; that answer, therefore, is considered as no answer at all
by the police (although very often a true one), and they will try to
find out whether it is so or not."
"What other cause can a gentleman like him have for coming here? He is
not going to dirty his hands with speculation, information, or any other
botheration," replied McShane, tossing off his glass.
"I don't say so; but his having letters from the king's brother will be
considered suspicious."
"The devil it will. Now in our country that would only create a
suspicion that he was a real gentleman--that's all."
"You don't understand this country," replied Dimitri.
"No, it beats my comprehension entirely, and that's a fact; so fill up
your glass. I hope it's not treason; but if it is, I can't help saying
it. My good friend Dimitri--"
"Stop," said Dimitri, rising and shutting the door, "now, what is it?"
"Why, just this; I haven't seen one good-looking woman since I've been
in this good-looking town of yours; now, that's the truth."
"There's more truth than treason in that," replied the courier; "but
still there are some beautiful women among the higher classes."
"It's to be hoped so; for they've left no beauty for the lower, at all
events."
"We have very beautiful women in Poland," said the courier.
"Why don't you bring a few here, then?"
"There are a great many Polish ladies in Petersburg at this moment."
"Then go down and order another bottle," said McShane, "and we'll drink
their healths."
The second bottle was finished, and McShane, who had been drinking
before, became less cautious.
"You said," observed he, "that you have many Polish ladies in
Petersburg; did you ever hear of a Princess Czartowinky?--I think that's
the name."
"Czartorinski, you mean," replied Dimitri; "to be sure I did; I served
in the family some years ago, when the old prince was alive. But where
did you see her?"
"In England, to be sure."
"Well, that's probable, for she has just returned from travelling with
her uncle."
"Is she now in Petersburg, my good fellow?"
"I believe she is--but why do wish to know?"
"Merely asked--that's all."
"Now, Macshanovich,"--for such was the familiar way in which Dimitri
addressed his supposed brother-servant--"I suspect this Princess
Czartorinski is some way connected with your master's coming here. Tell
me the truth--is such the case? I'm sure it is."
"Then you know more than I do," replied McShane, correcting himself,
"for I'm not exactly in my master's secrets; all that I do know is, that
my master met her in England, and I thought her very handsome."
"And so did he?"
"That's as may be; between ourselves, I've an idea he was a little
smitten in that quarter; but that's only my own opinion, nothing more."
"Has he ever spoken about her since you were here?" said Dimitri.
"Just once, as I handed his waistcoat to him; he said--`I wonder if all
the ladies are as handsome as that Polish princess that we met in
Cumberland?'"
"If I thought he wished it, or cared for her, I would make inquiry, and
soon find out all about her; but otherwise, it's no use taking the
trouble," replied the courier.
"Well, then, will you give me your hand, and promise to serve
faithfully, if I tell you all I know about the matter?"
"By the blessed Saint Nicholas, I do!" replied Dimitri; "you may trust
me."
"Well, then, it's my opinion that my master's over head and ears in love
with her, and has come here for no other purpose."
"Well, I'm glad you told me that; it will satisfy the police."
"The police; why murder and Irish! you're not going to inform the
police, you villain?"
"Not with whom he is in love, most certainly, but that he has come here
on that account; it will satisfy them, for they have no fear of a man
that's in love, and he will not be watched. Depend upon it, I cannot do
a better thing to serve our master."
"Well, then, perhaps you are right. I don't like this champagne--get a
bottle of Burgundy, Dimitri. Don't look so hard--it's all right. The
captain dines out every day, and has ordered me to drink for the honour
of the house."
"He's a capital master," replied Dimitri, who had begun to feel the
effects of the former bottles.