Much of that which now must be described was not, of course, witnessed
by me in person, but--from one source or another--has been gradually
communicated to me. Nevertheless, of the accuracy of the version I now
place upon record I am completely satisfied.
There had been much scheming in various directions, so soon as it became
an accepted matter that the Tsar Ivan was to be married, whether he
would or no, for the dynasty’s sake. In the first place, it must be
communicated to the bridegroom himself that he should be led, presently,
to the altar, together with his bride, whomsoever he might choose.
But Ivan waxed very wroth at the communication, stamping his foot and
flushing, showing more spirit than was usual with him.
‘I have told you that I do not wish to reign,’ he cried. ‘My brother
Peter likes to be first and to speak loudly; therefore, I have told him
and I have told you also that he shall reign, not I. What is the
succession to me? Let Peter marry when he is old enough, and leave me
alone--you, sister, and you, Galitsin, and you, Miloslavsky. I have done
you no harm.’
‘But see, dear Ivan,’ said the Regent Sophia, ‘you have come to man’s
estate, and men should marry. It is the intention and the will of the
Almighty that they should do so; go not contrary to the laws of God.
Your life is dull and lonely; why should you not choose for yourself a
companion, as other men do, to comfort your days? You shall settle down
presently in your own palace, and if it be the pleasure of the Almighty
you shall be a happy husband and the happy father of children.’
‘As for whether you shall reign, or Peter Alexeyevitch, or both
together, that is another matter, and nothing to do with this,’ said
cunning Galitsin, who had no intention, however, to allow anyone to
govern the realm except his beloved mistress, the Grand Duchess Regent,
whether Peter should sit upon the throne, or Ivan, or both together.
And Miloslavsky, Ivan’s uncle, added that if the Tsar would but inspect
the assemblage of beautiful maidens already prepared for his regard he
would not long stand out against the wishes of the Regent, his sister,
who knew well what was best for his true interests.
But all their efforts failed to induce Ivan to look with favour upon the
idea of matrimony.
And for a week the great company of young maidens waited in the _terem_
of the palace, yawning and story-telling, and longing for an end one way
or another to this state of tension, and to the long dull period of
do-nothing.
It was whispered by some, gossiping with one another, as maidens would
naturally do, that Ivan had refused to be married, and this report gave
rise to some merriment and also to much bitter disappointing of
ambitious hopes.
Thus it was a surprise to all when one morning four persons entered the
_terem_, of whom three were men and one a woman. The men were Galitsin,
Mazeppa--prime favourite at this time, both of the Regent and her
admirer--and Ivan himself, the lady being, of course, the Grand Duchess
Sophia.
The maidens were engaged upon their dreary daily business of gossiping,
sewing, fortune-telling with cards, and so forth, and this incursion
into their sanctuary caused much agitation, much reddening of pale
cheeks and the paling of some rosy ones; much smoothing of skirts and
of unruly locks that had escaped the restraint of band or of ribbon.
It was obvious that Ivan came unwillingly, if not unwittingly, into the
midst of the maidens’ sanctuary. He started as he entered, and blushed,
half turning as though to retreat.
‘No, no, Vanushka; be a man and a Russian Tsar!’ said Sophia, pushing
him forward; and Ivan, with an angry look and a passionate word thrown
back at his sister, obeyed and went forward.
But though certain of the maidens sighed as he passed, and some made
audible whisper to one another, praising his beauty and what not--his
beauty! and he assuredly the most niggardly endowed of mortal men in all
that should make a man attractive to the opposite sex!--and though one
picked up his handkerchief which he dropped as he went by, restoring it
to the Tsar with a smile and a blush that suited her marvellously, he
never glanced either at this maiden or at her fellows, but walked
stolidly through the long chambers in which they stood and curtsied, his
eyes fixed upon the ground and wandering neither to right nor left, even
for a single instant.
Mazeppa’s eyes on this occasion were very busy, though Ivan’s were not.
I have it from him, who was ever a good authority when the fairness of
the ladies was the theme, that there were present that day some very
exquisite types of Russian beauty. Of our own Cossack maidens one at
least shone radiantly even in the midst of this constellation of
charming maidenhood, and that was the fair and haughty creature who had
preferred the distant chance of a very high seat, by the side of witless
Tsar Ivan, to the certainty of a moderately honourable position as my
own bride. Mazeppa laughed when he told me of this.
‘By the glory of love,’ he said, ‘Chelminsky, I believe she did wisely
enough after all to take the chances! for if ever this fool of a prince
opens his eyes and looks out among these young women, our fair Olga is
as likely as any to attract him.’
‘And that is no chance!’ I replied; ‘for it is well known that he will
not look out among them; and I think you know this as well as the rest.’
‘Why so? And what do you mean?’ said Mazeppa.
‘I mean Vera Kurbatof!’ I laughed. ‘You might have left my Olga at
Batourin for all the chance she has here. As it is, you have lost her a
moderate lover in me, and found her no better!’
‘Fear not for her, my friend,’ he laughed; ‘there are as good birds in
the nest at Batourin as have flown out of it. Olga will not lack for
lovers, even though Chelminsky should sulk! But I am not yet assured
that Tsar Ivan will not after all look beyond Vera for a bride. They say
he has forgotten her. Let not Vera be too sure of her advancement.’
‘Her advancement!’ I exclaimed. ‘Have you then forgotten that you
yourself are pledged to protect her rather than allow that very
advancement to take place?’
‘I have not forgotten, of course,’ he said; ‘but it would be a better
and a safer way if he should reject Vera by his own free will and prefer
another. Heaven knows there are some here that might tempt the very
saints themselves. There is Olga Panief, for one; then there is a
mysterious beauty whom none seem to know--Kozlof they call her, from
Novgorod; lastly, one whom to see is to love--Praskovia Soltikof, whose
father is the Governor of Siberia, which is as far away as heaven. Do
not let yourself behold her, my friend, for to see her is to lose your
heart.’
‘Then, what of your own, since you have gazed upon her already?’ I
laughed.
‘My heart is proof,’ he replied, laughing also, though not quite at his
ease. ‘I have already found food for my love to feast upon. Do not
question me now; the time comes when you shall know all, and maybe you
shall help me in a certain matter.’
This reply of Mazeppa’s caused me to reflect, and I now began to realise
that my friend intended to play a deeper game than I had guessed.
But I must return to the matter of the Tsar Ivan and his bride-choosing,
which indeed was somewhat pressing, for it was impossible to retain so
large an assemblage of maidens to wait upon Ivan’s conversion. For who
could tell how long this backward lover’s masculine spirit would require
ere it would take root and develop and mature--even so much spirit as
would suffice to lift his bashful eyes and see for himself the wonderful
sight presented for his delectation, and then to say, ‘This one is best,
or that, or another.’
Therefore, to the delight of many agitated, sanguine maiden hearts, it
was decided that the first choosing or weeding out of the maidens should
be done by others and not by Ivan himself, in the hope that, if no more
than a score, or perhaps even a smaller number, were left to choose
from, he might show himself less averse to inspect them; or at any rate
he might be induced to look upon them one at a time.
Therefore six men were named to assist the Regent in this first process
of weeding out, and again Mazeppa was of the number, the other five
being Galitsin, Miloslavsky, Shaklovity, and two whose names are
unimportant.
Then began much finessing by Mazeppa and certain others who had their
own games to play, and of these games we will first watch that of
Mazeppa.
Vera, be it remembered, Vera the beautiful, having already been seen by
Ivan, and, as many believed, approved by him, had been exempted from
living with the rest of the maidens within the _terem_ of the palace.
Now, when Mazeppa was chosen as one of the judges who should make the
first sweeping, he came in excitement to me.
‘Go, Chelminsky,’ he said, ‘and bid Vera come quickly to the palace.
Tell her that I ask this of her by design and for her advantage.’
‘For her advantage?’ I exclaimed. ‘Explain first how this should be, for
surely Ivan will see her and will immediately show his preference for
her, if only by fixing two pig-eyes upon her face, as heretofore.’
‘No,’ said Mazeppa; ‘let her come. I am chosen as one of those who are
to weed out the unsuitable, that they may be despatched to their homes.
Do you understand? I shall see that she is struck from the list this
very day: thus she shall receive a passport and may disappear. That
shall be the first move. I will see her at the palace and instruct her
further.’
This seemed a good plan, so far, and I went to tell Vera of it.