Unsuspectingly had she followed Orloff to Leghorn; full of devoted
tenderness, full of glowing love, she was only anxious to fulfil all his
wishes and to constantly afford him new proofs of her affection.
And how? Did he not deserve that love? Was he not constantly paying her
the most delicate attentions? Was he not always as humbly submissive
as he was tender? Did it not seem as if the lion was subdued, that the
Hercules was tamed, by his tender Omphale, whom he adored, at whose feet
he lay for the purpose of looking into her eyes, to read in them her
most secret thoughts and wishes?
She was not only his wife, she was also his empress. Such he called her,
as such he respected her, and surrounded her with more than imperial
splendor.
The house of the English Consul Dyke was changed into an imperial palace
for Natalie, and the young and beautiful wife of the consul was her
first lady of honor. She established a court for the young imperial
princess, she surrounded her with numerous servants and a splendid train
of attendants whose duty it was to follow the illustrious young empress
everywhere, and never to leave her!
And Natalie suspected not that this English consul received from the
Empress of Russia a million of silver rubles, and that his wife was
rewarded with a costly set of brilliants for the hospitality shown to
this Russian princess, which was so well calculated to deceive not only
Natalie herself, but also the European courts whose attention had been
aroused. Natalie suspected not that her splendid train, her numerous
servants--that all these who apparently viewed her as their sublime
mistress, were really nothing more than spies and jailors, who watched
her every step, her every word, her every glance. Poor child, she
suspected nothing! They honored and treated her as an empress, and she
believed them, smiling with delight when the people of Leghorn--whenever
she with her splendid retinue appeared at her husband’s side--shouted
with every demonstration of respect for her as an empress.
And finally, one day the long-expected Russian fleet arrived!
Radiant with joy, Alexis Orloff rushed into Natalie’s apartment.
“We have now attained our end,” said he, dropping upon one knee before
his wife; “I can now in truth greet you as my empress and mistress!
Natalie, the Russian fleet is here, and only waits to convey you in
triumph to your empire, to the throne that is ready for you, to your
people who are languishing for your presence! Ah, you are now really an
empress, and marvellous will you be when the imperial crown encircles
your noble head!”
“I shall be an empress,” said Natalie, “but you, Alexis, will always be
my lord and emperor!”
“Natalie,” continued the count, “your people call for you!--your
soldiers languish for you, the sailors of all these ships direct their
eyes to the shore where their empress lingers. The admiral’s ship will
be splendidly adorned for your reception, and Admiral Gluck will be
the first to pay homage to you. Therefore adorn yourself, my charming,
beautiful empress--adorn yourself, and show yourself to your faithful
subjects in all the magnificence of your imperial position. Ah, it will
be a wonderful and intoxicating festival when you celebrate the first
day of your greatness!”
And Count Orloff called her attendants. Smiling, perfectly happy at
seeing the pleasure and satisfaction of her husband, Natalie suffered
herself to be adorned, to be enveloped in that costly gold-embroidered
robe, those pearls and diamonds, that sparkling diadem, those chains and
bracelets.
She was dressed, she was ready! With a charming smile she gave her hand
to her husband, who viewed her with joyous glances, and loudly praised
the beauty of her celestial countenance.
“They will be enchanted with the sight of you,” said he.
Natalie smilingly said: “Let them be so! I am only happy when I please
you!”
In an open carriage, attended by her retinue, she proceeded to the
haven, and all the people who thronged the streets shouted in honor
of the beautiful princess, astonished at the splendor by which she
was surrounded, and estimating Count Orloff a very happy man to be the
husband of such an empress!
And when she appeared upon the shore, when the carriages stopped and
Princess Natalie rose from her seat, there arose from all the ships the
thousand-voiced cheers of their crews. Russian flags waved from every
spar, cannon thundered and drums rolled, and all shouted: “Hail to the
imperial princess! Hail, Natalie, the daughter of Elizabeth!”
It was a proud, an intoxicating moment, and Natalie’s eyes were filled
with tears. Trembling with proud ecstasy, she was compelled to lean upon
Orloff’s arm to preserve herself from falling.
“No weakness now!” said he, and for the first time his voice sounded
harsh and rough. Surprised, she glanced at him--there was something
in his face that she did not understand; there was something wild and
disagreeable in the expression of his features, and he avoided meeting
her glance.
He looked over to the ships. “See,” said he, “they are letting down the
great boat; Admiral Gluck himself is coming for you. And see that host
of gondolas, that follow the admiral’s boat! All his officers are coming
to do homage to you, and when you, in their company, reach the admiral’s
ship, they will let down the golden arm-chair to take you on board. That
is an honor they pay only to persons of imperial rank!”
Her glance passed by all these unimportant things; she saw only his
face; she thoughtfully and sadly asked herself what change had come over
Alexis, and what was the meaning of his half-sly, half-angry appearance.
The boats came to the shore, and now came the admiral with his officers;
prostrating themselves before her, they paid homage to this beautiful
princess, whom they hailed as their mistress.
Natalie thanked them with a fascinating smile; and, graciously giving
her hand to the admiral, suffered herself to be assisted by him into the
great boat.
As soon as her foot touched it, the cannon thundered, flags were waved
on all the ships, and their crews shouted, “Viva Natalie of Russia!”
Her eyes sought Orloff, who, with a scowling brow and gloomy features,
was still standing on the shore.
“Count Alexis Orloff!” cried she, with her silvery voice, “we await
you!”
But Alexis came not at her call. He hastily sprang into an officer’s
boat, without giving her even a look.
“Alexis!” she anxiously cried.
“He follows us, your highness,” whispered the wife of Consul Dyke, while
taking her place near the princess. “It would be contrary to etiquette
for him to appear at the side of the empress at this moment. See, he is
close behind us, in the second gondola!”
“Shove off!” cried Admiral Gluck, he himself taking the rudder in honor
of the empress.
The boats moved from the land. First, the admiral’s boat, with the
princess, the admiral, and the Englishwoman; and then, in brilliant
array, the innumerable crowd of adorned gondolas containing the officers
of the fleet.
It was a magnificent sight. The people who crowded the shore could not
sufficiently admire the splendid spectacle.
When they reached the admiral’s ship the richly-gilded arm-chair was
let down for Natalie’s reception. She tremblingly rose from her seat--a
strange, inexplicable fear came over her, and she anxiously glanced
around for Orloff. He sat in the second boat, not far from her, but he
looked not toward her, not even for a moment, and upon his lips there
was a wild, triumphant smile.
“Princess, they wait for you; seat yourself in the arm-chair!” said
Madame Dyke, in a tone which to Natalie seemed to have nothing of the
former humility and devotion--all seemed to her to be suddenly changed,
all! Shudderingly she took her seat in the swinging chair--but,
nevertheless, she took it.
The chair was drawn up, the cannon thundered anew, the flags were waved,
and again shouted the masses of people on the shore.
Suddenly it seemed as if, amid the shouts of joy and the thundering
of the cannon, a shriek of terror was heard, loud, penetrating, and
heartrending. What was that? What means the tumult upon the deck of the
admiral’s ship? Seems it not as if they had roughly seized this princess
whose feet had just now touched the ship? as if they had grasped her, as
if she resisted, stretching her arms toward heaven! and hark, now this
frightful cry, this heart-rending scream!
Shuddering and silent stand the people upon the shore, staring at the
ships. And the cannon are silenced, the flags are no longer waved, all
is suddenly still.
Once more it seems as if that voice was heard, loudly shrieking the one
name--“Alexis!”
Trembling and quivering, Alexis Orloff orders his boat to return to the
shore!
In the admiral’s ship all is now still. The princess is no longer on the
deck. She has disappeared! The people on shore maintained that they had
seen her loaded with chains and then taken away! Where?
All was still. The boats returned to the shore. Count Orloff gave his
hand to the handsome Madame Dyke, to assist her in landing.
“To-morrow, madame,” he whispered, “I will wait upon you with the thanks
of my empress. You have rendered us an essential service.”
The people at the landing received them with howls, hisses, and
curses!--but Count Orloff, with a contemptuous smile, strewed gold among
them, and their clamors ceased.
Tranquil and still lay the Russian fleet in the haven. But the ports
of the admiral’s ship were opened, and the yawning cannon peeped
threateningly forth. No boats were allowed to approach the ship; but
some, impelled by curiosity, nevertheless ventured it, and at the cabin
window they thought they saw the pale princess wringing her hands, her
arms loaded with chains. Others also asserted that in the stillness of
the night they had heard loud lamentations coming from the admiral’s
ship.
On the next day the Russian fleet weighed anchor for St. Petersburg!
Proudly sailed the admiral’s ship in advance of the others, and soon
became invisible in the horizon.
On the shore stood Count Alexis Orloff, and, as he saw the ships sailing
past, with a savage smile he muttered: “It is accomplished! my beautiful
empress will be satisfied with me!”