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diff --git a/2757.txt b/2757.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 60c2931..0000000 --- a/2757.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2773 +0,0 @@ - VANINKA - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Vaninka -Author: Alexandre Dumas, Pere -Release Date: August 15, 2006 [EBook #2757] -Reposted: November 28, 2016 [corrections made] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VANINKA *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger. - - - - - - *VANINKA* - - _By_ - - *Alexandre Dumas, Pere* - - _From the set of Eight Volumes of "Celebrated Crimes"_ - - - 1910 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - *VANINKA* - - - - -*VANINKA* - - -About the end of the reign of the Emperor Paul I--that is to say, -towards the middle of the first year of the nineteenth century--just as -four o'clock in the afternoon was sounding from the church of St. Peter -and St. Paul, whose gilded vane overlooks the ramparts of the fortress, -a crowd, composed of all sorts and conditions of people, began to gather -in front of a house which belonged to General Count Tchermayloff, -formerly military governor of a fair-sized town in the government of -Pultava. The first spectators had been attracted by the preparations -which they saw had been made in the middle of the courtyard for -administering torture with the knout. One of the general's serfs, he who -acted as barber, was to be the victim. - -Although this kind of punishment was a common enough sight in St. -Petersburg, it nevertheless attracted all passers-by when it was -publicly administered. This was the occurrence which had caused a crowd, -as just mentioned, before General Tchermayloff's house. - -The spectators, even had they been in a hurry, would have had no cause -to complain of being kept waiting, for at half-past four a young man of -about five-and-twenty, in the handsome uniform of an aide-de-camp, his -breast covered with decorations, appeared on the steps at the farther -end of the court-yard in front of the house. These steps faced the large -gateway, and led to the general's apartments. - -Arrived on the steps, the young aide-de-camp stopped a moment and fixed -his eyes on a window, the closely drawn curtains of which did not allow -him the least chance of satisfying his curiosity, whatever may have been -its cause. Seeing that it was useless and that he was only wasting time -in gazing in that direction, he made a sign to a bearded man who was -standing near a door which led to the servants' quarters. The door was -immediately opened, and the culprit was seen advancing in the middle of -a body of serfs and followed by the executioner. The serfs were forced -to attend the spectacle, that it might serve as an example to them. The -culprit was the general's barber, as we have said, and the executioner -was merely the coachman, who, being used to the handling of a whip, was -raised or degraded, which you will, to the office of executioner every -time punishment with the knout was ordered. This duty did not deprive -him of either the esteem or even the friendship of his comrades, for -they well knew that it was his arm alone that punished them and that his -heart was not in his work. As Ivan's arm as well as the rest of his body -was the property of the general, and the latter could do as he pleased -with it, no one was astonished that it should be used for this purpose. -More than that, correction administered by Ivan was nearly always -gentler than that meted out by another; for it often happened that Ivan, -who was a good-natured fellow, juggled away one or two strokes of the -knout in a dozen, or if he were forced by those assisting at the -punishment to keep a strict calculation, he manoeuvred so that the tip -of the lash struck the deal plank on which the culprit was lying, thus -taking much of the sting out of the stroke. Accordingly, when it was -Ivan's turn to be stretched upon the fatal plank and to receive the -correction he was in the habit of administering, on his own account, -those who momentarily played his part as executioner adopted the same -expedients, remembering only the strokes spared and not the strokes -received. This exchange of mutual benefits, therefore, was productive of -an excellent understanding between Ivan and his comrades, which was -never so firmly knit as at the moment when a fresh execution was about -to take place. It is true that the first hour after the punishment was -generally so full of suffering that the knouted was sometimes unjust to -the knouter, but this feeling seldom out-lasted the evening, and it was -rare when it held out after the first glass of spirits that the operator -drank to the health of his patient. - -The serf upon whom Ivan was about to exercise his dexterity was a man of -five or six-and-thirty, red of hair and beard, a little above average -height. His Greek origin might be traced in his countenance, which even -in its expression of terror had preserved its habitual characteristics -of craft and cunning. - -When he arrived at the spot where the punishment was to take place, the -culprit stopped and looked up at the window which had already claimed -the young aide-de-camp's attention; it still remained shut. With a -glance round the throng which obstructed the entrance leading to the -street, he ended by gazing, with a horror-stricken shudder upon the -plank on which he was to be stretched. The shudder did not escape his -friend Ivan, who, approaching to remove the striped shirt that covered -his shoulders, took the opportunity to whisper under his breath-- - -"Come, Gregory, take courage!" - -"You remember your promise?" replied the culprit, with an indefinable -expression of entreaty. - -"Not for the first lashes, Gregory; do not count on that, for during the -first strokes the aide-de-camp will be watching; but among the later -ones be assured I will find means of cheating him of some of them." - -"Beyond everything you will take care of the tip of the lash?" - -"I will do my best, Gregory, I will do my best. Do you not know that I -will?" - -"Alas! yes," replied Gregory. - -"Now, then!" said the aide-de-camp. - -"We are ready, noble sir," replied Ivan. - -"Wait, wait one moment, your high origin," cried poor Gregory, -addressing the young captain as though he had been a colonel, "Vache -Vousso Korodie," in order to flatter him. "I believe that the lady -Vaninka's window is about to open!" - -The young captain glanced eagerly towards the spot which had already -several times claimed his attention, but not a fold of the silken -curtains, which could be seen through the panes of the window, had -moved. - -"You are mistaken, you rascal," said the aide-de-camp, unwillingly -removing his eyes from the window, as though he also had hoped to see it -open, "you are mistaken; and besides, what has your noble mistress to do -with all this?" - -"Pardon, your excellency," continued Gregory, gratifying the -aide-de-camp with yet higher rank,--"pardon, but it is through her -orders I am about to suffer. Perhaps she might have pity upon a wretched -servant!" - -"Enough, enough; let us proceed," said the captain in an odd voice, as -though he regretted as well as the culprit that Vaninka had not shown -mercy. - -"Immediately, immediately, noble sir," said Ivan; then turning to -Gregory, he continued, "Come, comrade; the time has come." - -Gregory sighed heavily, threw a last look up at the window, and seeing -that everything remained the same there, he mustered up resolution -enough to lie down on the fatal plank. At the same time two other serfs, -chosen by Ivan for assistants, took him by the arms and attached his -wrists to two stakes, one at either side of him, so that it appeared as -though he were stretched on a cross. Then they clamped his neck into an -iron collar, and seeing that all was in readiness and that no sign -favourable to the culprit had been made from the still closely shut -window, the young aide-de-camp beckoned with his hand, saying, "Now, -then, begin!" - -"Patience, my lord, patience," said Ivan, still delaying the whipping, -in the hope that some sign might yet be made from the inexorable window. -"I have a knot in my knout, and if I leave it Gregory will have good -right to complain." - -The instrument with which the executioner was busying himself, and which -is perhaps unknown to our readers, was a species of whip, with a handle -about two feet long. A plaited leather thong, about four feet long and -two inches broad, was attached to this handle, this thong terminating in -an iron or copper ring, and to this another band of leather was -fastened, two feet long, and at the beginning about one and a half -inches thick: this gradually became thinner, till it ended in a point. -The thong was steeped in milk and then dried in the sun, and on account -of this method of preparation its edge became as keen and cutting as a -knife; further, the thong was generally changed at every sixth stroke, -because contact with blood softened it. - -However unwillingly and clumsily Ivan set about untying the knot, it had -to come undone at last. Besides, the bystanders were beginning to -grumble, and their muttering disturbed the reverie into which the young -aide-de-camp had fallen. He raised his head, which had been sunk on his -breast, and cast a last look towards the window; then with a peremptory -sign; and in a voice which admitted of no delay, he ordered the -execution to proceed. - -Nothing could put it off any longer: Ivan was obliged to obey, and he -did not attempt to find any new pretext for delay. He drew back two -paces, and with a spring he returned to his place, and standing on -tiptoe, he whirled the knout above his head, and then letting it -suddenly fall, he struck Gregory with such dexterity that the lash -wrapped itself thrice round his victim's body, encircling him like a -serpent, but the tip of the thong struck the plank upon which Gregory -was lying. Nevertheless, in spite of this precaution, Gregory uttered a -loud shriek, and Ivan counted "One." - -At the shriek, the young aide-de-camp again turned towards the window; -but it was still shut, and mechanically his eyes went back to the -culprit, and he repeated the word "One." - -The knout had traced three blue furrows on Gregory's shoulders. Ivan -took another spring, and with the same skill as before he again -enveloped the culprit's body with the hissing thong, ever taking care -that the tip of it should not touch him. Gregory uttered another shriek, -and Ivan counted "Two." The blood now began to colour the skin. - -At the third stroke several drops of blood appeared; at the fourth the -blood spurted out; at the fifth some drops spattered the young officer's -face; he drew back, and wiped them away with his handkerchief. Ivan -profited by his distraction, and counted seven instead of six: the -captain took no notice. At the ninth stroke Ivan stopped to change the -lash, and in the hope that a second fraud might pass off as luckily as -the first, he counted eleven instead of ten. - -At that moment a window opposite to Vaninka's opened, and a man about -forty-five or fifty in general's uniform appeared. He called out in a -careless tone, "Enough, that will do," and closed the window again. - -Immediately on this apparition the young aide-de-camp had turned towards -his general, saluting, and during the few seconds that the general was -present he remained motionless. When the window had been shut again, he -repeated the general's words, so that the raised whip fell without -touching the culprit. - -"Thank his excellency, Gregory," said Ivan, rolling the knout's lash -round his hand, "for having spared you two strokes;" and he added, -bending down to liberate Gregory's hand, "these two with the two I was -able to miss out make a total of eight strokes instead of twelve. Come, -now, you others, untie his other hand." - -But poor Gregory was in no state to thank anybody; nearly swooning with -pain, he could scarcely stand. - -Two moujiks took him by the arms and led him towards the serfs' -quarters, followed by Ivan. Having reached the door, however, Gregory -stopped, turned his head, and seeing the aide-de-camp gazing pitifully -at him, "Oh sir," he cried, "please thank his excellency the general for -me. As for the lady Vaninka," he added in a low tone, "I will certainly -thank her myself." - -"What are you muttering between your teeth?" cried the young officer, -with an angry movement; for he thought he had detected a threatening -tone in Gregory's voice. - -"Nothing, sir, nothing," said Ivan. "The poor fellow is merely thanking -you, Mr. Foedor, for the trouble you have taken in being present at his -punishment, and he says that he has been much honoured, that is all." - -"That is right," said the young man, suspecting that Ivan had somewhat -altered the original remarks, but evidently not wishing to be better -informed. "If Gregory wishes to spare me this trouble another time, let -him drink less vodka; or else, if he must get drunk, let him at least -remember to be more respectful." - -Ivan bowed low and followed his comrades, Foedor entered the house -again, and the crowd dispersed, much dissatisfied that Ivan's trickery -and the general's generosity had deprived them of four strokes of the -knout--exactly a third of the punishment. - -Now that we have introduced our readers to some of the characters in -this history, we must make them better acquainted with those who have -made their appearance, and must introduce those who are still behind the -curtain. - -General Count Tchermayloff, as we have said, after having been governor -of one of the most important towns in the environs of Pultava, had been -recalled to St. Petersburg by the Emperor Paul, who honoured him with -his particular friendship. The general was a widower, with one daughter, -who had inherited her mother's fortune, beauty, and pride. Vaninka's -mother claimed descent from one of the chieftains of the Tartar race, -who had invaded Russia, under the leadership of D'Gengis, in the -thirteenth century. Vaninka's naturally haughty disposition had been -fostered by the education she had received. His wife being dead, and not -having time to look after his daughter's education himself, General -Tchermayloff had procured an English governess for her. This lady, -instead of suppressing her pupil's scornful propensities, had encouraged -them, by filling her head with those aristocratic ideas which have made -the English aristocracy the proudest in the world. Amongst the different -studies to which Vaninka devoted herself, there was one in which she was -specially interested, and that one was, if one may so call it, the -science of her own rank. She knew exactly the relative degree of -nobility and power of all the Russian noble families--those that were a -grade above her own, and those of whom she took precedence. She could -give each person the title which belonged to their respective rank, no -easy thing to do in Russia, and she had the greatest contempt for all -those who were below the rank of excellency. As for serfs and slaves, -for her they did not exist: they were mere bearded animals, far below -her horse or her dog in the sentiments which they inspired in her; and -she would not for one instant have weighed the life of a serf against -either of those interesting animals. - -Like all the women of distinction in her nation, Vaninka was a good -musician, and spoke French, Italian, German, and English equally well. - -Her features had developed in harmony with her character. Vaninka was -beautiful, but her beauty was perhaps a little too decided. Her large -black eyes, straight nose, and lips curling scornfully at the corners, -impressed those who saw her for the first time somewhat unpleasantly. -This impression soon wore off with her superiors and equals, to whom she -became merely an ordinary charming woman, whilst to subalterns and such -like she remained haughty and inaccessible as a goddess. At seventeen -Vaninka's education was finished, and her governess who had suffered in -health through the severe climate of St. Petersburg, requested -permission to leave. This desire was granted with the ostentatious -recognition of which the Russian nobility are the last representatives -in Europe. Thus Vaninka was left alone, with nothing but her father's -blind adoration to direct her. She was his only daughter, as we have -mentioned, and he thought her absolutely perfect. - -Things were in this state in the-general's house when he received a -letter, written on the deathbed of one of the friends of his youth. -Count Romayloff had been exiled to his estates, as a result of some -quarrel with Potemkin, and his career had been spoilt. Not being able to -recover his forfeited position, he had settled down about four hundred -leagues from St. Petersburg; broken-hearted, distressed probably less on -account of his own exile and misfortune than of the prospects of his -only son, Foedor. The count feeling that he was leaving this son alone -and friendless in the world, commended the young man, in the name of -their early friendship, to the general, hoping that, owing to his being -a favourite with Paul I, he would be able to procure a lieutenancy in a -regiment for him. The general immediately replied to the count that his -son should find a second father in himself; but when this comforting -message arrived, Romayloff was no more, and Foedor himself received the -letter and carried it back with him to the general, when he went to tell -him of his loss and to claim the promised protection. So great was the -general's despatch, that Paul I, at his request, granted the young man a -sub-lieutenancy in the Semonowskoi regiment, so that Foedor entered on -his duties the very next day after his arrival in St. Petersburg. - -Although the young man had only passed through the general's house on -his way to the barracks, which were situated in the Litenoi quarter, he -had remained there long enough for him to have seen Vaninka, and she had -produced a great impression upon him. Foedor had arrived with his heart -full of primitive and noble feelings; his gratitude to his protector, -who had opened a career for him, was profound, and extended to all his -family. These feelings caused him perhaps to have an exaggerated idea of -the beauty of the young girl who was presented to him as a sister, and -who, in spite of this title, received him with the frigidity and hauteur -of a queen. Nevertheless, her appearance, in spite of her cool and -freezing manner, had left a lasting impression upon the young man's -heart, and his arrival in St. Petersburg had been marked by feelings -till then never experienced before in his life. - -As for Vaninka, she had hardly noticed Foedor; for what was a young -sub-lieutenant, without fortune or prospects, to her? What she dreamed -of was some princely alliance, that would make her one of the most -powerful ladies in Russia, and unless he could realise some dream of the -Arabian Nights, Foedor could not offer her such a future. - -Some time after this first interview, Foedor came to take leave of the -general. His regiment was to form part of a contingent that -Field-Marshal Souvarow was taking to Italy, and Foedor was about to die, -or show himself worthy of the noble patron who had helped him to a -career. - -This time, whether on account of the elegant uniform that heightened -Foedor's natural good looks, or because his imminent departure, glowing -with hope and enthusiasm, lent a romantic interest to the young man, -Vaninka was astonished at the marvellous change in him, and deigned, at -her father's request, to give him her hand when he left. This was more -than Foedor had dared to hope. He dropped upon his knee, as though in -the presence of a queen, and took Vaninka's between his own trembling -hands, scarcely daring to touch it with his lips. Light though the kiss -had been, Vaninka started as though she had been burnt; she felt a -thrill run through her, and she blushed violently. She withdrew her hand -so quickly, that Foedor, fearing this adieu, respectful though it was, -had offended her, remained on his knees, and clasping his hands, raised -his eyes with such an expression of fear in them, that Vaninka, -forgetting her hauteur, reassured him with a smile. Foedor rose, his -heart filled with inexplicable joy, and without being able to say what -had caused this feeling, he only knew that it had made him absolutely -happy, so that, although he was just about to leave Vaninka, he had -never felt greater happiness in his life. - -The young man left dreaming golden dreams; for his future, be it gloomy -or bright, was to be envied. If it ended in a soldier's grave, he -believed he had seen in Vaninka's eyes that she would mourn him; if his -future was glorious, glory would bring him back to St. Petersburg in -triumph, and glory is a queen, who works miracles for her favourites. - -The army to which the young officer belonged crossed Germany, descended -into Italy by the Tyrolese mountains, and entered Verona on the 14th of -April 1799. Souvarow immediately joined forces with General Melas, and -took command of the two armies. General Chasteler next day suggested -that they should reconnoitre. Souvarow, gazing at him with astonishment, -replied, "I know of no other way of reconnoitring the enemy than by -marching upon him and giving him battle." - -As a matter of fact Souvarow was accustomed to this expeditious sort of -strategy: through it he had defeated the Turks at Folkschany and -Ismailoff; and he had defeated the Poles, after a few days' campaign, -and had taken Prague in less than four hours. Catherine, out of -gratitude, had sent her victorious general a wreath of oak-leaves, -intertwined with precious stones, and worth six hundred thousand -roubles, a heavy gold field-marshal's baton encrusted with diamonds; and -had created him a field-marshal, with the right of choosing a regiment -that should bear his name from that time forward. Besides, when he -returned to Russia, she gave him leave of absence, that he might take a -holiday at a beautiful estate she had given him, together with the eight -thousand serfs who lived upon it. - -What a splendid example for Foedor! Souvarow, the son of a humble -Russian officer, had been educated at the ordinary cadets' training -college, and had left it as a sub-lieutenant like himself. Why should -there not be two Souvarows in the same century? - -Souvarow arrived in Italy preceded by an immense reputation; religious, -strenuous, unwearied, impassible, loving with the simplicity of a Tartar -and fighting with the fury of a Cossack, he was just the man required to -continue General Melas's successes over the soldiers of the Republic, -discouraged as they had been by the weak vacillations of Scherer. - -The Austro-Russian army of one hundred thousand men was opposed by only -twenty-nine or thirty thousand French. Souvarow began as usual with a -thundering blow. On 20th April he appeared before Brescia, which made a -vain attempt at resistance; after a cannonade of about half an hour's -duration, the Preschiera gate was forced, and the Korsakow division, of -which Foedor's regiment formed the vanguard, charged into the town, -pursuing the garrison, which only consisted of twelve hundred men, and -obliged them to take refuge in the citadel. Pressed with an impetuosity -the French were not accustomed to find in their enemies, and seeing that -the scaling ladders were already in position against the ramparts, the -captain Boucret wished to come to terms; but his position was too -precarious for him to obtain any conditions from his savage conquerors, -and he and his soldiers were made prisoners of war. - -Souvarow was experienced enough to know how best to profit by victory; -hardly master of Brescia, the rapid occupation of which had discouraged -our army anew, he ordered General Kray to vigorously press on the siege -of Preschiera. General Kray therefore established his headquarters at -Valeggio, a place situated at an equal distance between Preschiera and -Mantua, and he extended from the Po to the lake of Garda, on the banks -of the Mencio, thus investing the two cities at the same time. - -Meanwhile the commander-in-chief had advanced, accompanied by the larger -part of his forces, and had crossed the Oglio in two columns: he -launched one column, under General Rosenberg, towards Bergamo, and the -other, with General Melas in charge, towards the Serio, whilst a body of -seven or eight thousand men, commanded by General Kaim and General -Hohenzollern, were directed towards Placentia and Cremona, thus -occupying the whole of the left bank of the Po, in such a manner that -the Austro-Russian army advanced deploying eighty thousand men along a -front of forty-five miles. - -In view of the forces which were advancing, and which were three times -as large as his own, Scherer beat a retreat all along the line. He -destroyed the bridges over the Adda, as he did not consider that he was -strong enough to hold them, and, having removed his headquarters to -Milan, he awaited there the reply to a despatch which he had sent to the -Directory, in which, tacitly acknowledging his incapacity, he tendered -his resignation. As the arrival of his successor was delayed, and as -Souvarow continued to advance, Scherer, more and more terrified by the -responsibility which rested upon him, relinquished his command into the -hands of his most able lieutenant. The general chosen by him was Moreau, -who was again about to fight those Russians in whose ranks he was -destined to die at last. - -Moreau's unexpected nomination was proclaimed amidst the acclamation of -the soldiers. He had been called the French Fabius, on account of his -magnificent campaign on the Rhine. He passed his whole army in review, -saluted by the successive acclamations of its different divisions, which -cried, "Long live Moreau! Long live the saviour of the army of Italy!" -But however great this enthusiasm, it did not blind Moreau to the -terrible position in which he found himself. At the risk of being -out-flanked, it was necessary for him to present a parallel line to that -of the Russian army, so that, in order to face his enemy, he was obliged -to extend his line from Lake Lecco to Pizzighitone--that is to say, a -distance of fifty miles. It is true that he might have retired towards -Piedmont and concentrated his troops at Alexandria, to await there the -reinforcements the Directory had promised to send him. But if he had -done this, he would have compromised the safety of the army at Naples, -and have abandoned it, isolated as it was, to the mercy of the enemy. He -therefore resolved to defend the passage of the Adda as long as -possible, in order to give the division under Dessolles, which was to be -despatched to him by Massena, time to join forces with him and to defend -his left, whilst Gauthier, who had received orders to evacuate Tuscany -and to hasten with forced marches to his aid, should have time to arrive -and protect his right. Moreau himself took the centre, and personally -defended the fortified bridge of Cassano; this bridge was protected by -the Ritorto Canal, and he also defended it with a great deal of -artillery and an entrenched vanguard. Besides, Moreau, always as prudent -as brave, took every precaution to secure a retreat, in case of -disaster, towards the Apennines and the coast of Genoa. Hardly were his -dispositions completed before the indefatigable Souvarow entered -Triveglio. At the same time as the Russian commander-in-chief arrived at -this last town, Moreau heard of the surrender of Bergamo and its castle, -and on 23rd April he saw the heads of the columns of the allied army. - -The same day the Russian general divided his troops into three strong -columns, corresponding to the three principal points in the French line, -each column numerically more than double the strength of those to whom -they were opposed. The right column, led by General Wukassowich, -advanced towards Lake Lecco, where General Serrurier awaited it. The -left column, under the command of Melas, took up its position in front -of the Cassano entrenchments; and the Austrian division, under Generals -Zopf and Ott, which formed the centre, concentrated at Canonia, ready at -a given moment to seize Vaprio. The Russian and Austrian troops -bivouacked within cannon-shot of the French outposts. - -That evening, Foedor, who with his regiment formed part of Chasteler's -division, wrote to General Tchermayloff: - -"We are at last opposite the French, and a great battle must take place -to-morrow morning; tomorrow evening I shall be a lieutenant or a -corpse." - -Next morning, 26th April, cannon resounded at break of day from the -extremities of the lines; on our left Prince Bagration's grenadiers -attacked us, on our right General Seckendorff, who had been detached -from the camp of Triveglio, was marching on Crema. - -These two attacks met with very different success. Bagration's -grenadiers were repulsed with terrible loss, whilst Seckendorff, on the -contrary, drove the French out of Crema, and pushed forward towards the -bridge of Lodi. Foedor's predictions were falsified: his portion of the -army did nothing the whole day; his regiment remained motionless, -waiting for orders that did not come. - -Souvarow's arrangements were not yet quite complete, the night was -needed for him to finish them. During the night, Moreau, having heard of -Seckendorff's success on his extreme right, sent an order to Serrurier -commanding him to leave at Lecco, which was an easy post to defend, the -18th light brigade and a detachment of dragoons only, and to draw back -with the rest of his troops towards the centre. Serrurier received this -order about two o'clock in the morning, and executed it immediately. - -On their side the Russians had lost no time, profiting by the darkness -of the night. General Wukassowich had repaired the bridge at Brevio, -which had been destroyed by the French, whilst General Chasteler had -built another bridge two miles below the castle of Trezzo. These two -bridges had been, the one repaired and the other built, without the -French outposts having the slightest suspicion of what was taking place. - -Surprised at two o'clock in the morning by two Austrian divisions, -which, concealed by the village of San Gervasio, had reached the right -bank of the Adda without their being discovered, the soldiers defending -the castle of Trezzo abandoned it and beat a retreat. The Austrians -pursued them as far as Pozzo, but there the French suddenly halted and -faced about, for General Serrurier was at Pozzo, with the troops he had -brought from Lecco. He heard the cannonade behind him, immediately -halted, and, obeying the first law of warfare, he marched towards the -noise and smoke. It was therefore through him that the garrison of -Trezzo rallied and resumed the offensive. Serrurier sent an aide-de-Camp -to Moreau to inform him of the manoeuvre he had thought proper to -execute. - -The battle between the French and Austrian troops raged with incredible -fury. Bonaparte's veterans, during their first Italian campaigns, had -adopted a custom which they could not renounce: it was to fight His -Imperial Majesty's subjects wherever they found them. Nevertheless, so -great was the numerical superiority of the allies, that our troops had -begun to retreat, when loud shouts from the rearguard announced that -reinforcements had arrived. It was General Grenier, sent by Moreau, who -arrived with his division at the moment when his presence was most -necessary. - -One part of the new division reinforced the centre column, doubling its -size; another part was extended upon the left to envelop the enemy. The -drums beat afresh down the whole line, and our grenadiers began again to -reconquer this battle field already twice lost and won. But at this -moment the Austrians were reinforced by the Marquis de Chasteler and his -division, so that the numerical superiority was again with the enemy. -Grenier drew back his wing to strengthen the centre, and Serrurier, -preparing for retreat in case of disaster, fell back on Pozzo, where he -awaited the enemy. It was here that the battle raged most fiercely: -thrice the village of Pozzo was taken and re-taken, until at last, -attacked for the fourth time by a force double their own in numbers, the -French were obliged to evacuate it. In this last attack an Austrian -colonel was mortally wounded, but, on the other hand, General Beker, who -commanded the French rearguard, refused to retreat with his soldiers, -and maintained his ground with a few men, who were slain as they stood; -he was at length obliged to give up his sword to a young Russian officer -of the Semenofskoi regiment, who, handing over his prisoner to his own -soldiers, returned immediately to the combat. - -The two French generals had fixed on the village of Vaprio as a -rallying-place, but at the moment when our troops were thrown into -disorder through the evacuation of Pozzo, the Austrian cavalry charged -heavily, and Serrurier, finding himself separated from his colleague, -was obliged to retire with two thousand five hundred men to Verderio, -whilst Grenier, having reached the appointed place, Vaprio, halted to -face the enemy afresh. - -During this time a terrible fight was taking place in the centre. Melas -with eighteen to twenty thousand men had attacked the fortified posts at -the head of the bridge of Cassano and the Ritorto Canal. About seven -o'clock in the morning, when Moreau had weakened himself by despatching -Grenier and his division, Melas, leading three battalions of Austrian -grenadiers, had attacked the fortifications, and for two hours there was -terrible carnage; thrice repulsed, and leaving more than fifteen hundred -men at the base of the fortifications, the Austrians had thrice returned -to the attack, each time being reinforced by fresh troops, always led on -and encouraged by Melas, who had to avenge his former defeats. At -length, having been attacked for the fourth time, forced from their -entrenchments, and contesting the ground inch by inch, the French took -shelter behind their second fortifications, which defended the entrance -to the bridge itself: here they were commanded by Moreau in person. -There, for two more hours, a hand-to-hand struggle took place, whilst -the terrible artillery belched forth death almost muzzle to muzzle. At -last the Austrians, rallying for a last time, advanced at the point of -the bayonet, and; lacking either ladders or fascines, piled the bodies -of their dead comrades against the fortifications, and succeeded in -scaling the breastworks. There was not a moment to be lost. Moreau -ordered a retreat, and whilst the French were recrossing the Adda, he -protected their passage in person with a single battalion of grenadiers, -of whom at the end of half an hour not more than a hundred and twenty -men remained; three of his aides-de-camp were killed at his side. This -retreat was accomplished without disorder, and then Moreau himself -retired, still fighting the enemy, who set foot on the bridge as soon as -he reached the other bank. The Austrians immediately rushed forward to -capture him, when suddenly a terrible noise was heard rising above the -roar of the artillery; the second arch of the bridge was blown into the -air, carrying with it all those who were standing on the fatal spot. The -armies recoiled, and into the empty space between them fell like rain a -debris of stones and human beings. But at this moment, when Moreau had -succeeded in putting a momentary obstacle between himself and Melas, -General Grenier's division arrived in disorder, after having been forced -to evacuate Vaprio, pursued by the Austro-Russians under Zopf, Ott, and -Chasteler. Moreau ordered a change of front, and faced this new enemy, -who fell upon him when he least expected them; he succeeded in rallying -Grenier's troops and in re-establishing the battle. But whilst his back -was turned Melas repaired the bridge and crossed the river; thus Moreau -found himself attacked frontally, in the rear, and on his two flanks, by -forces three times larger than his own. It was then that all the -officers who surrounded him begged him to retreat, for on the -preservation of his person depended the preservation of Italy for -France. Moreau refused for some time, for he knew the awful consequences -of the battle he had just lost, and he did not wish to survive it, -although it had been impossible for him to win it. At last a chosen band -surrounded him, and, forming a square, drew back, whilst the rest of the -army sacrificed themselves to cover his retreat; for Moreau's genius was -looked upon as the sole hope that remained to them. - -The battle lasted nearly three hours longer, during which the rearguard -of the army performed prodigies of valour. At length Melas, seeing that -the enemy had escaped him, and believing that his troops, tired by the -stubborn fight, needed rest, gave orders that the fighting should cease. -He halted on the left bank of the Adda, encamping his army in the -villages of Imago, Gorgonzola, and Cassano, and remained master of the -battlefield, upon which we had left two thousand five hundred dead, one -hundred pieces of cannon, and twenty howitzers. - -That night Souvarow invited General Becker to supper with him, and asked -him by whom he had been taken prisoner. Becker replied that it was a -young officer belonging to the regiment which had first entered Pozzo. -Souvarow immediately inquired what regiment this was, and discovered -that it was the Semenofskoi; he then ordered that inquiries should be -made to ascertain the young officer's name. Shortly afterwards -Sub-Lieutenant Foedor Romayloff was announced. He presented General -Becker's sword to Souvarow, who invited him to remain and to have supper -with his prisoner. - -Next day Foedor wrote to his protector: "I have kept my word. I am a -lieutenant, and Field-Marshal Souvarow has requested his Majesty Paul I -to bestow upon me the order of Saint Vladimir." - -On 28th of April, Souvarow entered Milan, which Moreau had just -abandoned in order to retreat beyond Tesino. The following proclamation -was by his order posted on all the walls of the capital; it admirably -paints the spirit of the Muscovite: - -"The victorious army of the Apostolical and Roman Emperor is here; it -has fought solely for the restoration of the Holy Faith,--the clergy, -nobility, and ancient government of Italy. People, join us for God and -the Faith, for we have arrived with an army at Milan and Placentia to -assist you!" - -The dearly bought victories of Trebia and Novi succeeded that of -Cassano, and left Souvarow so much weakened that he was unable to profit -by them. Besides, just when the Russian general was about to resume his -march, a new plan of campaign arrived, sent by the Aulic Council at -Vienna. The Allied Powers had decided upon the invasion of France, and -had fixed the route each general must follow in order to accomplish this -new project. It way decided that Souvarow should invade France by -Switzerland, and that the arch-duke should yield him his positions and -descend on the Lower Rhine. - -The troops with which Souvarow was to operate against Massena from this -time were the thirty thousand Russians he had with him, thirty thousand -others detached from the reserve army commanded by Count Tolstoy in -Galicia, who were to be led to join him in Switzerland by General -Korsakoff, about thirty thousand Austrians under General Hotze, and -lastly, five or six thousand French emigrants under the Prince de Conde -in all, an army of ninety or ninety-five thousand men. The Austrians -were to oppose Moreau and Macdonald. - -Foedor had been wounded when entering Novi, but Souvarow had rewarded -him with a second cross, and the rank of captain hastened his -convalescence, so that the young officer, more happy than proud of the -new rank he had received, was in a condition to follow the army, when on -13th September it moved towards Salvedra and entered the valley of -Tesino. - -So far all had gone well, and as long as they remained in the rich and -beautiful Italian plains, Suovarow had nothing but praise for the -courage and devotion of his soldiers. But when to the fertile fields of -Lombardy, watered by its beautiful river, succeeded the rough ways of -the Levantine, and when the lofty summits of the St. Gothard, covered -with the eternal snows, rose before them, their enthusiasm was quenched, -their energy disappeared, and melancholy forebodings filled the hearts -of these savage children of the North. - -Unexpected grumblings ran through the ranks; then suddenly the vanguard -stopped, and declared that it would go no farther. In vain Foedor, who -commanded a company, begged and entreated his own men to set an example -by continuing the march: they threw down their arms, and lay down beside -them. Just as they had given this proof of insubordination, fresh -murmurs, sounding like an approaching storm, rose from the rear of the -army: they were caused by the sight of Souvarow, who was riding from the -rear to the vanguard, and who arrived at the front accompanied by this -terrible proof of mutiny and insubordination. When he reached the head -of the column, the murmurings had developed into imprecations. - -Then Souvarow addressed his soldiers with that savage eloquence to which -he owed the miracles he had effected with them, but cries of "Retreat! -Retreat!" drowned his voice. Then he chose out the most mutinous, and -had them thrashed until they were overcome by this shameful punishment: -But the thrashings had no more influence than the exhortation, and the -shouts continued. Souvarow saw that all was lost if he did not employ -some powerful and unexpected means of regaining the mutineers. He -advanced towards Foedor. "Captain," said he, "leave these fools here, -take eight non-commissioned officers and dig a grave." Foedor, -astonished, gazed at his general as though demanding an explanation of -this strange order. "Obey orders," said Souvarow. - -Foedor obeyed, and the eight men set to work; and ten minutes later the -grave was dug, greatly to the astonishment of the whole army, which had -gathered in a semicircle on the rising slopes of the two hills which -bordered the road, standing as if on the steps of a huge amphitheatre. - -Souvarow dismounted from his horse, broke his sword in two and threw it -into the grave, detached his epaulets one by one and threw them after -his sword, dragged off the decorations which covered his breast and cast -these after the sword and epaulets, and then, stripping himself naked, -he lay down in the grave himself, crying in a loud voice-- - -"Cover me with earth! Leave your general here. You are no longer my -children, and I am no longer your father; nothing remains to me but -death." - -At these strange words, which were uttered in so powerful a voice that -they were heard by the whole army, the Russian grenadiers threw -themselves weeping into the grave, and, raising their general, asked -pardon of him, entreating him to lead them again against the enemy. - -"At last," cried Souvarow, "I recognise my children again. To the -enemy!" - -Not cries but yells of joy greeted his words. Souvarav dressed himself -again, and whilst he was dressing the leaders of the mutiny crept in the -dust to kiss his feet. Then, when his epaulets were replaced on his -shoulders, and when his decorations again shone on his breast, he -remounted his horse, followed by the army, the soldiers swearing with -one voice that they would all die rather than abandon their father. - -The same day Souvarow attacked Aerolo; but his luck had turned: the -conqueror of Cassano, Trebia, and Novi had left his good-fortune behind -in the plains of Italy. For twelve hours six hundred French opposed -three thousand Russian grenadiers beneath the walls of the town, and so -successfully that night fell without Souvarow being able to defeat them. -Next day he marched the whole of his troops against this handful of -brave men, but the sky clouded over and the wind blew a bitter rain into -the faces of the Russians; the French profited by this circumstance to -beat a retreat, evacuating the valley of Ursern, crossing the Reuss, and -taking up their position on the heights of the Furka and Grimsel. One -portion of the Russian army's design had been achieved, they were -masters of the St. Gothard. It is true that as soon as they marched -farther on, the French would retake it and cut off their retreat; but -what did this matter to Souvarow? Did he not always march forward? - -He marched on, then, without worrying about that which was behind him, -reached Andermatt, cleared Trou d'Ury, and found Lecourbe guarding the -defile of the Devil's Bridge with fifteen hundred men. There the -struggle began again; for three days fifteen hundred Frenchmen kept -thirty thousand Russians at bay. Souvarow raged like a lion trapped in a -snare, for he could not understand this change of fortune. At last, on -the fourth day, he heard that General Korsakoff, who had preceded him -and who was to rejoin him later, had been beaten by Molitor, and that -Massena had recaptured Zurich and occupied the canton of Glaris. -Souvarow now gave up the attempt to proceed up the valley of the Reuss, -and wrote to Korsakoff and Jallachieh, "I hasten to retrieve your -losses; stand firm as ramparts: you shall answer to me with your heads -for every step in retreat that you take." The aide-de-camp was also -charged to communicate to the Russian and Austrian generals a verbal -plan of battle. Generals Linsken and Jallachieh were to attack the -French troops separately and then to join the forces in the valley of -Glaris, into which Souvarow himself was to descend by the Klon-Thal, -thus hemming Molitor in between two walls of iron. - -Souvarow was so sure that this plan would be successful, that when he -arrived on the borders of the lake of Klon-Thal, he sent a bearer with a -flag of truce, summoning Molitor to surrender, seeing that he was -surrounded on every side. - -Molitor replied, to the field-marshal that his proposed meeting with his -generals had failed, as he had beaten them one after the other, and -driven them back into the Grisons, and that moreover, in retaliation, as -Massena was advancing by Muotta, it was he, Souvarow, who was between -two fires, and therefore he called upon him to lay down his arms -instead. - -On hearing this strange reply, Souvarow thought that he must be -dreaming, but soon recovering himself and realising the danger of his -position in the defiles, he threw himself on General Molitor, who -received him at the point of the bayonet, and then closing up the pass -with twelve hundred men, the French succeeded in holding fifteen to -eighteen thousand Russians in check for eight hours. At length night -came, and Molitor evacuated the Klon Thal, and retired towards the -Linth, to defend the bridges of Noefels and Mollis. - -The old field-marshal rushed like a torrent over Glaris and Miltodi; -there he learnt that Molitor had told him the truth, and that Jallachieh -and Linsken had been beaten and dispersed, that Massena was advancing on -Schwitz, and that General Rosenberg, who had been given the defence of -the bridge of Muotta, had been forced to retreat, so that he found -himself in the position in which he had hoped to place Molitor. - -No time was to be lost in retreating. Souvarow hurried through the -passes of Engi, Schwauden, and Elm. His flight was so hurried that he -was obliged to abandon his wounded and part of his artillery. -Immediately the French rushed in pursuit among the precipices and -clouds. One saw whole armies passing over places where chamois-hunters -took off their shoes and walked barefoot, holding on by their hands to -prevent themselves from falling. Three nations had come from three -different parts to a meeting-place in the home of the eagles, as if to -allow those nearest God to judge the justice of their cause. There were -times when the frozen mountains changed into volcanoes, when cascades -now filled with blood fell into the valleys, and avalanches of human -beings rolled down the deepest precipices. Death reaped such a harvest -there where human life had never been before, that the vultures, -becoming fastidious through the abundance, picked out only the eyes of -the corpses to carry to their young--at least so says the tradition of -the peasants of these mountains. - -Souvarow was able to rally his troops at length in the neighbourhood of -Lindau. He recalled Korsakoff, who still occupied Bregenz; but all his -troops together did not number more than thirty thousand men-all that -remained of the eighty thousand whom Paul had furnished as his -contingent in the coalition. In fifteen days Massena had defeated three -separate armies, each numerically stronger than his own. Souvarow, -furious at having been defeated by these same Republicans whom he had -sworn to exterminate, blamed the Austrians for his defeat, and declared -that he awaited orders from his emperor, to whom he had made known the -treachery of the allies, before attempting anything further with the -coalition. - -Paul's answer was that he should immediately return to Russia with his -soldiers, arriving at St. Petersburg as soon as possible, where a -triumphal entry awaited them. - -The same ukase declared that Souvarow should be quartered in the -imperial palace for the rest of his life, and lastly that a monument -should be raised to him in one of the public places of St. Petersburg. - -Foedor was thus about to see Vaninka once more. Throughout the campaign, -where there was a chance of danger, whether in the plains of Italy, in -the defiles of Tesino, or on the glaciers of Mount Pragal, he was the -first to throw himself into it, and his name had frequently been -mentioned as worthy of distinction. Souvarow was too brave himself to be -prodigal of honours where they were not merited. Foedor was returning, -as he had promised, worthy of his noble protector's friendship, and who -knows, perhaps worthy of Vaninka's love. Field-Marshal Souvarow had made -a friend of him, and none could know to what this friendship might not -lead; for Paul honoured Souvarow like one of the ancient heroes. - -But no one could rely upon Paul, for his character was made up of -extreme impulses. Without having done anything to offend his master, and -without knowing the cause of his disgrace, Souvarow, on arriving at -Riga, received a private letter which informed him, in the emperor's -name, that, having tolerated an infraction of the laws of discipline -among his soldiers, the emperor deprived him of all the honours with -which he had been invested, and also forbade him to appear before him. - -Such tidings fell like a thunderbolt upon the old warrior, already -embittered by his reverses: he was heart-broken that such storm-clouds -should tarnish the end of his glorious day. - -In consequence of this order, he assembled all his officers in the -market-place of Riga, and took leave of them sorrowfully, like a father -taking leave of his family. Having embraced the generals and colonels, -and having shaken hands with the others, he said good-bye to them once -more, and left them free to continue their march to their destination. - -Souvarow took a sledge, and, travelling night and day, arrived incognito -in the capital, which he was to have entered in triumph, and was driven -to a distant suburb, to the house of one of his nieces, where he died of -a broken heart fifteen days afterwards. - -On his own account, Foedor travelled almost as rapidly as his general, -and entered St. Petersburg without having sent any letter to announce -his arrival. As he had no parent in the capital, and as his entire -existence was concentrated in one person, he drove direct to the -general's house, which was situated in the Prospect of Niewski, at an -angle of the Catherine Canal. - -Having arrived there, he sprang out of his carriage, entered the -courtyard, and bounded up the steps. He opened the ante-chamber door, -and precipitated himself into the midst of the servants and subordinate -household officers. They cried out with surprise upon seeing him: he -asked them where the general was; they replied by pointing to the door -of the dining-room; he was in there, breakfasting with his daughter. - -Then, through a strange reaction, Foedor felt his knees failing him, and -he was obliged to lean against a wall to prevent himself from falling. -At this moment, when he was about to see Vaninka again, this soul of his -soul, for whom alone he had done so much, he dreaded lest he should not -find her the same as when he had left her. Suddenly the dining-room door -opened, and Vaninka appeared. Seeing the young man, she uttered a cry, -and, turning to the general, said, "Father, it is Foedor"; and the -expression of her voice left no doubt of the sentiment which inspired -it. - -"Foedor!" cried the general, springing forward and holding out his arms. - -Foedor did not know whether to throw himself at the feet of Vaninka or -into the arms of her father. He felt that his first recognition ought to -be devoted to respect and gratitude, and threw himself into the -general's arms. Had he acted otherwise, it would have been an avowal of -his love, and he had no right to avow this love till he knew that it was -reciprocated. - -Foedor then turned, and as at parting, sank on his knee before Vaninka; -but a moment had sufficed for the haughty girl to banish the feeling she -had shown. The blush which had suffused her cheek had disappeared, and -she had become again cold and haughty like an alabaster statue-a -masterpiece of pride begun by nature and finished by education. Foedor -kissed her hand; it was trembling but cold he felt his heart sink, and -thought he was about to die. - -"Why, Vaninka," said the general--"why are you so cool to a friend who -has caused us so much anxiety and yet so much pleasure? Come, Fordor, -kiss my daughter." - -Foedor rose entreatingly, but waited motionless, that another permission -might confirm that of the general. - -"Did you not hear my father?" said Vaninka, smiling, but nevertheless -possessing sufficient self-control to prevent the emotion she was -feeling from appearing in her voice. - -Foedor stooped to kiss Vaninka, and as he held her hands it seemed to -him that she lightly pressed his own with a nervous, involuntary -movement. A feeble cry of joy nearly escaped him, when, suddenly looking -at Vaninka, he was astonished at her pallor: her lips were as white as -death. - -The general made Foedor sit down at the table: Vaninka took her place -again, and as by chance she was seated with her back to the light, the -general noticed nothing. - -Breakfast passed in relating and listening to an account of this strange -campaign which began under the burning sun of Italy and ended in the -glaciers of Switzerland. As there are no journals in St. Petersburg -which publish anything other than that which is permitted by the -emperor, Souvarow's successes were spread abroad, but his reverses were -ignored. Foedor described the former with modesty and the latter with -frankness. - -One can imagine, the immense interest the general took in Foedor's -story. His two captain's epaulets and the decorations on his breast -proved that the young man had modestly suppressed his own part in the -story he had told. But the general, too courageous to fear that he might -share in Souvarow's disgrace, had already visited the dying -field-marshal, and had heard from him an account of his young protege's -bravery. Therefore, when Foedor had finished his story, it was the -general's turn to enumerate all the fine things Foedor had done in a -campaign of less than a year. Having finished this enumeration, he added -that he intended next day to ask the emperor's permission to take the -young captain for his aide-de-camp. Foedor hearing this wished to throw -himself at the general's feet, but he received him again in his arms, -and to show Foedor how certain he was that he would be successful in his -request, he fixed the rooms that the young man was to occupy in the -house at once. - -The next day the general returned from the palace of St. Michel with the -pleasant news that his request had been granted. - -Foedor was overwhelmed with joy: from this time he was to form part of -the general's family. Living under the same roof as Vaninka, seeing her -constantly, meeting her frequently in the rooms, seeing her pass like an -apparition at the end of a corridor, finding himself twice a day at the -same table with her, all this was more than Foedor had ever dared hope, -and he thought for a time that he had attained complete happiness. - -For her part, Vaninka, although she was so proud, at the bottom of her -heart took a keen interest in Foedor. He had left her with the certainty -that he loved her, and during his absence her woman's pride had been -gratified by the glory he had acquired, in the hope of bridging the -distance which separated them. So that, when she saw him return with -this distance between them lessened, she felt by the beating of her -heart that gratified pride was changing into a more tender sentiment, -and that for her part she loved Foedor as much as it was possible for -her to love anyone. - -She had nevertheless concealed these feelings under an appearance of -haughty indifference, for Vaninka was made so: she intended to let -Foedor know some day that she loved him, but until the time came when it -pleased her to reveal it, she did not wish the young man to discover her -love. Things went on in this way for several months, and the -circumstances which had at first appeared to Foedor as the height of -happiness soon became awful torture. - -To love and to feel his heart ever on the point of avowing its love, to -be from morning till night in the company of the beloved one, to meet -her hand at the table, to touch her dress in a narrow corridor, to feel -her leaning on his arm when they entered a salon or left a ballroom, -always to have ceaselessly to control every word, look, or movement -which might betray his feelings, no human power could endure such a -struggle. - -Vaninka saw that Foedor could not keep his secret much longer, and -determined to anticipate the avowal which she saw every moment on the -point of escaping his heart. - -One day when they were alone, and she saw the hopeless efforts the young -man was making to hide his feelings from her, she went straight up to -him, and, looking at him fixedly, said: - -"You love me!" - -"Forgive me, forgive me," cried the young man, clasping his hands. - -"Why should you ask me to forgive you, Foedor? Is not your love -genuine?" - -"Yes, yes, genuine but hopeless." - -"Why hopeless? Does not my father love you as a son?" said Vaninka. - -"Oh, what do you mean?" cried Foedor. "Do you mean that if your father -will bestow your hand upon me, that you will then consent--?" - -"Are you not both noble in heart and by birth, Foedor? You are not -wealthy, it is true, but then I am rich enough for both." - -"Then I am not indifferent to you?" - -"I at least prefer you to anyone else I have met." - -"Vaninka!" The young girl drew herself away proudly. - -"Forgive me!" said Foedor. "What am I doing? You have but to order: I -have no wish apart from you. I dread lest I shall offend you. Tell me -what to do, and I will obey." - -"The first thing you must do, Foedor, is to ask my father's consent." - -"So you will allow me to take this step?" - -"Yes, but on one condition." - -"What is it? Tell me." - -"My father, whatever his answer, must never know that I have consented -to your making this application to him; no one must know that you are -following my instructions; the world must remain ignorant of the -confession I have just made to you; and, lastly, you must not ask me, -whatever happens, to help you in any other way than with my good -wishes." - -"Whatever you please. I will do everything you wish me to do. Do you not -grant me a thousand times more than I dared hope, and if your father -refuses me, do I not know myself that you are sharing my grief?" cried -Foedor. - -"Yes; but that will not happen, I hope," said Vaninka, holding out her -hand to the young officer, who kissed it passionately. - -"Now be hopeful and take courage;" and Vaninka retired, leaving the -young man a hundred times more agitated and moved than she was herself, -woman though she was. - -The same day Foedor asked for an interview with the general. The general -received his aide-de-camp as usual with a genial and smiling -countenance, but with the first words Foedor uttered his face darkened. -However, when he heard the young man's description of the love, so true, -constant, and passionate, that he felt for Vaninka, and when he heard -that this passion had been the motive power of those glorious deeds he -had praised so often, he held out his hand to Foedor, almost as moved as -the young soldier. - -And then the general told him, that while he had been away, and ignorant -of his love for Vaninka, in whom he had observed no trace of its being -reciprocated, he had, at the emperor's desire, promised her hand to the -son of a privy councillor. The only stipulation that the general had -made was, that he should not be separated from his daughter until she -had attained the age of eighteen. Vaninka had only five months more to -spend under her father's roof. Nothing more could be said: in Russia the -emperor's wish is an order, and from the moment that it is expressed, no -subject would oppose it, even in thought. However, the refusal had -imprinted such despair on the young man's face, that the general, -touched by his silent and resigned sorrow, held out his arms to him. -Foedor flung himself into them with loud sobs. - -Then the general questioned him about his daughter, and Foedor answered, -as he had promised, that Vaninka was ignorant of everything, and that -the proposal came from him alone, without her knowledge. This assurance -calmed the general: he had feared that he was making two people -wretched. - -At dinner-time Vaninka came downstairs and found her father alone. -Foedor had not enough courage to be present at the meal and to meet her -again, just when he had lost all hope: he had taken a sleigh, and driven -out to the outskirts of the city. - -During the whole time dinner lasted Vaninka and the general hardly -exchanged a word, but although this silence was so expressive, Vaninka -controlled her face with her usual power, and the general alone appeared -sad and dejected. - -That evening, just when Vaninka was going downstairs, tea was brought to -her room, with the message that the general was fatigued and had -retired. Vaninka asked some questions about the nature of his -indisposition, and finding that it was not serious, she told the servant -who had brought her the message to ask her father to send for her if he -wanted anything. The general sent to say that he thanked her, but he -only required quiet and rest. Vaninka announced that she would retire -also, and the servant withdrew. - -Hardly had he left the room when Vaninka ordered Annouschka, her -foster-sister, who acted as her maid, to be on the watch for Foedor's -return, and to let her know as soon as he came in. - -At eleven o'clock the gate of the mansion opened: Foedor got out of his -sleigh, and immediately went up to his room. He threw himself upon a -sofa, overwhelmed by his thoughts. About midnight he heard someone -tapping at the door: much astonished, he got up and opened it. It was -Annouschka, who came with a message from her mistress, that Vaninka -wished to see him immediately. Although he was astonished at this -message, which he was far from expecting, Foedor obeyed. - -He found Vaninka seated, dressed in a white robe, and as she was paler -than usual he stopped at the door, for it seemed to him that he was -gazing at a marble statue. - -"Come in," said Vaninka calmly. - -Foedor approached, drawn by her voice like steel to a magnet. Annouschka -shut the door behind him. - -"Well, and what did my father say?" said Vaninka. - -Foedor told her all that had happened. The young girl listened to his -story with an unmoved countenance, but her lips, the only part of her -face which seemed to have any colour, became as white as the -dressing-gown she was wearing. Foedor, on the contrary, was consumed by -a fever, and appeared nearly out of his senses. - -"Now, what do you intend to do?" said Vaninka in the same cold tone in -which she had asked the other questions. - -"You ask me what I intend to do, Vaninka? What do you wish me to do? -What can I do, but flee from St. Petersburg, and seek death in the first -corner of Russia where war may break out, in order not to repay my -patron's kindness by some infamous baseness?" - -"You are a fool," said Vaninka, with a mixed smile of triumph and -contempt; for from that moment she felt her superiority over Foedor, and -saw that she would rule him like a queen for the rest of her life. - -"Then order me--am I not your slave?" cried the young soldier. - -"You must stay here," said Vaninka. - -"Stay here?" - -"Yes; only women and children will thus confess themselves beaten at the -first blow: a man, if he be worthy of the name, fights." - -"Fight!--against whom?--against your father? Never!" - -"Who suggested that you should contend against my father? It is against -events that you must strive; for the generality of men do not govern -events, but are carried away by them. Appear to my father as though you -were fighting against your love, and he will think that you have -mastered yourself. As I am supposed to be ignorant of your proposal, I -shall not be suspected. I will demand two years' more freedom, and I -shall obtain them. Who knows what may happen in the course of two years? -The emperor may die, my betrothed may die, my father--may God protect -him!--my father himself may die--!" - -"But if they force you to marry?" - -"Force me!" interrupted Vaninka, and a deep flush rose to her cheek and -immediately disappeared again. "And who will force me to do anything? -Father? He loves me too well. The emperor? He has enough worries in his -own family, without introducing them into another's. Besides, there is -always a last resource when every other expedient fails: the Neva only -flows a few paces from here, and its waters are deep." - -Foedor uttered a cry, for in the young girl's knit brows and tightly -compressed lips there was so much resolution that he understood that -they might break this child but that they would not bend her. But -Foedor's heart was too much in harmony with the plan Vaninka had -proposed; his objections once removed, he did not seek fresh ones. -Besides, had he had the courage to do so; Vaninka's promise to make up -in secret to him for the dissimulation she was obliged to practise in -public would have conquered his last scruples. - -Vaninka, whose determined character had been accentuated by her -education, had an unbounded influence over all who came in contact with -her; even the general, without knowing why, obeyed her. Foedor submitted -like a child to everything she wished, and the young girl's love was -increased by the wishes she opposed and by a feeling of gratified pride. - -It was some days after this nocturnal decision that the knouting had -taken place at which our readers have assisted. It was for some slight -fault, and Gregory had been the victim; Vaninka having complained to her -father about him. Foedor, who as aide-de-camp had been obliged to -preside over Gregory's punishment, had paid no more attention to the -threats the serf had uttered on retiring. - -Ivan, the coachman, who after having been executioner had become -surgeon, had applied compresses of salt and water to heal up the scarred -shoulders of his victim. Gregory had remained three days in the -infirmary, and during this time he had turned over in his mind every -possible means of vengeance. Then at the end of three days, being -healed, he had returned to his duty, and soon everyone except he had -forgotten the punishment. If Gregory had been a real Russian, he would -soon have forgotten it all; for this punishment is too familiar to the -rough Muscovite for him to remember it long and with rancour. Gregory, -as we have said, had Greek blood in his veins; he dissembled and -remembered. Although Gregory was a serf, his duties had little by little -brought him into greater familiarity with the general than any of the -other servants. Besides, in every country in the world barbers have -great licence with those they shave; this is perhaps due to the fact -that a man is instinctively more gracious to another who for ten minutes -every day holds his life in his hands. Gregory rejoiced in the immunity -of his profession, and it nearly always happened that the barber's daily -operation on the general's chin passed in conversation, of which he bore -the chief part. - -One day the general had to attend a review: he sent for Gregory before -daybreak, and as the barber was passing the razor as gently as possible -over his master's cheek, the conversation fell, or more likely was led, -on Foedor. The barber praised him highly, and this naturally caused his -master to ask him, remembering the correction the young aide-decamp had -superintended, if he could not find some fault in this model of -perfection that might counterbalance so many good qualities. Gregory -replied that with the exception of pride he thought Foedor -irreproachable. - -"Pride?" asked the astonished general. "That is a failing from which I -should have thought him most free." - -"Perhaps I should have said ambition," replied Gregory. - -"Ambition!" said the general. "It does not seem to me that he has given -much proof of ambition in entering my service; for after his -achievements in the last campaign he might easily have aspired to the -honour of a place in the emperor's household." - -"Oh yes, he is ambitious," said Gregory, smiling. "One man's ambition is -for high position, another's an illustrious alliance: the former will -owe everything to himself, the latter will make a stepping-stone of his -wife, then they raise their eyes higher than they should." - -"What do you mean to suggest?" said the general, beginning to see what -Gregory was aiming at. - -"I mean, your excellency," replied Gregory, "there are many men who, -owing to the kindness shown them by others, forget their position and -aspire to a more exalted one; having already been placed so high, their -heads are turned." - -"Gregory," cried the general, "believe me, you are getting into a -scrape; for you are making an accusation, and if I take any notice of -it, you will have to prove your words." - -"By St. Basilius, general, it is no scrape when you have truth on your -side; for I have said nothing I am not ready to prove." - -"Then," said the general, "you persist in declaring that Foedor loves my -daughter?" - -"Ah! I have not said that: it is your excellency. I have not named the -lady Vaninka," said Gregory, with the duplicity of his nation. - -"But you meant it, did you not? Come, contrary to your custom, reply -frankly." - -"It is true, your excellency; it is what I meant." - -"And, according to you, my daughter reciprocates the passion, no doubt?" - -"I fear so, your excellency." - -"And what makes you think this, say?" - -"First, Mr. Foedor never misses a chance of speaking to the lady -Vaninka." - -"He is in the same house with her, would you have him avoid her?" - -"When the lady Vaninka returns late, and when perchance Mr. Foedor has -not accompanied you, whatever the hour Mr. Foedor is there, ready, to -help her out of the carriage." - -"Foedor attends me, it is his duty," said the general, beginning to -believe that the serf's suspicions were founded on slight grounds. "He -waits for me," he, continued, "because when I return, at any hour of the -day or night, I may have orders to give him." - -"Not a day passes without Mr. Foedor going into my lady Vaninka's room, -although such a favour is not usually granted to a young man in a house -like that of your excellency." - -"Usually it is I who send him to her," said the general. - -"Yes, in the daytime," replied Gregory, "but at night?" - -"At night!" cried the general, rising to his feet, and turning so pale -that, after a moment, he was forced to lean for support on a table. - -"Yes, at night, your excellency," answered Gregory quietly; "and since, -as you say, I have begun to mix myself up in a bad business, I must go -on with it; besides, even if there were to result from it another -punishment for me, even more terrible than that I have already endured, -I should not allow so good, a master to be deceived any longer." - -"Be very careful about what you are going to say, slave; for I know the -men of your nation. Take care, if the accusation you are making by way -of revenge is not supported by visible, palpable, and positive proofs, -you shall be punished as an infamous slanderer." - -"To that I agree," said Gregory. - -"Do you affirm that you have seen Foedor enter my daughter's chamber at -night?" - -"I do not say that I have seen him enter it, your excellency. I say that -I have seen him come out." - -"When was that?" - -"A quarter of an hour ago, when I was on my way to your excellency." - -"You lie!" said the general, raising his fist. - -"This is not our agreement, your excellency," said the slave, drawing -back. "I am only to be punished if I fail to give proofs." - -"But what are your proofs?" - -"I have told you." - -"And do you expect me to believe your word alone?" - -"No; but I expect you to believe your own eyes." - -"How?" - -"The first time that Mr. Foedor is in my lady Vaninka's room after -midnight, I shall come to find your excellency, and then you can judge -for yourself if I lie; but up to the present, your excellency, all the -conditions of the service I wish to render you are to my disadvantage." - -"In what way?" - -"Well, if I fail to give proofs, I am to be treated as an infamous -slanderer; but if I give them, what advantage shall I gain?" - -"A thousand roubles and your freedom." - -"That is a bargain, then, your excellency," replied Gregory quietly, -replacing the razors on the general's toilet-table, "and I hope that -before a week has passed you will be more just to me than you are now." - -With these words the slave left the room, leaving the general convinced -by his confidence that some dreadful misfortune threatened him. - -From this time onward, as might be expected, the general weighed every -word and noticed every gesture which passed between Vaninka and Foedor -in his presence; but he saw nothing to confirm his suspicions on the -part of the aide-de-camp or of his daughter; on the contrary, Vaninka -seemed colder and more reserved than ever. - -A week passed in this way. About two o'clock in the morning of the ninth -day, someone knocked at the general's door. It was Gregory. - -"If your excellency will go into your daughter's room," said Gregory, -"you will find Mr. Foedor there." - -The general turned pale, dressed himself without uttering a word, and -followed the slave to the door of Vaninka's room. Having arrived there, -with a motion of his hand he dismissed the informer, who, instead of -retiring in obedience to this mute command, hid himself in the corner of -the corridor. - -When the general believed himself to be alone, he knocked once; but all -was silent. This silence, however, proved nothing; for Vaninka might be -asleep. He knocked a second time, and the young girl, in a perfectly -calm voice, asked, "Who is there?" - -"It is I," said the general, in a voice trembling with emotion. - -"Annouschka!" said the girl to her foster-sister, who slept in the -adjoining room, "open the door to my father. Forgive me, father," she -continued; "but Annouschka is dressing, and will be with you in a -moment." - -The general waited patiently, for he could discover no trace of emotion -in his daughter's voice, and he hoped that Gregory had been mistaken. - -In a few moments the door opened, and the general went in, and cast a -long look around him; there was no one in this first apartment. - -Vaninka was in bed, paler perhaps than usual, but quite calm, with the -loving smile on her lips with which she always welcomed her father. - -"To what fortunate circumstance," asked the young girl in her softest -tones, "do I owe the pleasure of seeing you at so late an hour?" - -"I wished to speak to you about a very important matter," said the -general, "and however late it was, I thought you would forgive me for -disturbing you." - -"My father will always be welcome in his daughter's room, at whatever -hour of the day or night he presents himself there." - -The general cast another searching look round, and was convinced that it -was impossible for a man to be concealed in the first room--but the -second still remained. - -"I am listening," said Vaninka, after a moment of silence. - -"Yes, but we are not alone," replied the general, "and it is important -that no other ears should hear what I have to say to you." - -"Annauschka, as you know, is my foster-sister," said Vaninka. - -"That makes no difference," said the general, going candle in hand into -the next room, which was somewhat smaller than his daughter's. -"Annouschka," said he, "watch in the corridor and see that no one -overhears us." - -As he spoke these words, the general threw the same scrutinizing glance -all round the room, but with the exception of the young girl there was -no one there. - -Annouschka obeyed, and the general followed her out, and, looking -eagerly round for the last time, re-entered his daughter's room, and -seated himself on the foot of her bed. Annouschka, at a sign from her -mistress, left her alone with her father. The general held out his hand -to Vaninka, and she took it without hesitation. - -"My child," said the general, "I have to speak to you about a very -important matter." - -"What is it, father?" said Vaninka. - -"You will soon be eighteen," continued the general, "and that is the age -at which the daughters of the Russian nobility usually marry." The -general paused for a moment to watch the effect of these words upon -Vaninka, but her hand rested motionless in his. "For the last year your -hand has been engaged by me," continued the general. - -"May I know to whom?" asked Vaninka coldly. - -"To the son of the Councillor-in-Ordinary," replied the general. "What -is your opinion of him?" - -"He is a worthy and noble young man, I am told, but I can have formed no -opinion except from hearsay. Has he not been in garrison at Moscow for -the last three months?" - -"Yes," said the general, "but in three months' time he should return." - -Vaninka remained silent. - -"Have you nothing to say in reply?" asked the general. - -"Nothing, father; but I have a favour to ask of you." - -"What is it?" - -"I do not wish to marry until I am twenty years old." - -"Why not?" - -"I have taken a vow to that effect." - -"But if circumstances demanded the breaking of this vow, and made the -celebration of this marriage imperatively necessary?" - -"What circumstances?" asked Vaninka. - -"Foedor loves you," said the general, looking steadily at Vaninka. - -"I know that," said Vaninka, with as little emotion as if the question -did not concern her. - -"You know that!" cried the general. - -"Yes; he has told me so." - -"When?" - -"Yesterday." - -"And you replied--?" - -"That he must leave here at once." - -"And he consented?" - -"Yes, father." - -"When does he go?" - -"He has gone." - -"How can that be?" said the general: "he only left me at ten o'clock." - -"And he left me at midnight," said Vaninka. - -"Ah!" said the general, drawing a deep breath of relief, "you are a -noble girl, Vaninka, and I grant you what you ask-two years more. But -remember it is the emperor who has decided upon this marriage." - -"My father will do me the justice to believe that I am too submissive a -daughter to be a rebellious subject." - -"Excellent, Vaninka, excellent," said the general. "So, then, poor -Foedor has told you all?" - -"Yes," said Vaninka. - -"You knew that he addressed himself to me first?" - -"I knew it." - -"Then it was from him that you heard that your hand was engaged?" - -"It was from him." - -"And he consented to leave you? He is a good and noble young man, who -shall always be under my protection wherever he goes. Oh, if my word had -not been given, I love him so much that, supposing you did not dislike -him, I should have given him your hand." - -"And you cannot recall your promise?" asked Vaninka. - -"Impossible," said the general. - -"Well, then, I submit to my father's will," said Vaninka. - -"That is spoken like my daughter," said the general, embracing her. -"Farewell, Vaninka; I do not ask if you love him. You have both done -your duty, and I have nothing more to exact." - -With these words, he rose and left the room. Annouschka was in the -corridor; the general signed to her that she might go in again, and went -on his way. At the door of his room he found Gregory waiting for him. - -"Well, your excellency?" he asked. - -"Well," said the general, "you are both right and wrong. Foedor loves my -daughter, but my daughter does not love him. He went into my daughter's -room at eleven o'clock, but at midnight he left her for ever. No matter, -come to me tomorrow, and you shall have your thousand roubles and your -liberty." - -Gregory went off, dumb with astonishment. - -Meanwhile, Annouschka had re-entered her mistress's room, as she had -been ordered, and closed the door carefully behind her. - -Vaninka immediately sprang out of bed and went to the door, listening to -the retreating footsteps of the general. When they had ceased to be -heard, she rushed into Annouschka's room, and both began to pull aside a -bundle of linen, thrown down, as if by accident, into the embrasure of a -window. Under the linen was a large chest with a spring lock. Annouschka -pressed a button, Vaninka raised the lid. The two women uttered a loud -cry: the chest was now a coffin; the young officer, stifled for want of -air, lay dead within. - -For a long time the two women hoped it was only a swoon. Annouschka -sprinkled his face with water; Vaninka put salts to his nose. All was in -vain. During the long conversation which the general had had with his -daughter, and which had lasted more than half an hour, Foedor, unable to -get out of the chest, as the lid was closed by a spring, had died for -want of air. The position of the two girls shut up with a corpse was -frightful. Annouschka saw Siberia close at hand; Vaninka, to do her -justice, thought of nothing but Foedor. Both were in despair. However, -as the despair of the maid was more selfish than that of her mistress, -it was Annouschka who first thought of a plan of escaping from the -situation in which they were placed. - -"My lady," she cried suddenly, "we are saved." Vaninka raised her head -and looked at her attendant with her eyes bathed in tears. - -"Saved?" said she, "saved? We are, perhaps, but Foedor!" - -"Listen now," said Annouschka: "your position is terrible, I grant that, -and your grief is great; but your grief could be greater and your -position more terrible still. If the general knew this." - -"What difference would it make to me?" said Vaninka. "I shall weep for -him before the whole world." - -"Yes, but you will be dishonoured before the whole world! To-morrow your -slaves, and the day after all St. Petersburg, will know that a man died -of suffocation while concealed in your chamber. Reflect, my lady: your -honour is the honour of your father, the honour of your family." - -"You are right," said Vaninka, shaking her head, as if to disperse the -gloomy thoughts that burdened her brain,--"you are right, but what must -we do?" - -"Does my lady know my brother Ivan?" - -"Yes." - -"We must tell him all." - -"Of what are you thinking?" cried Vaninka. "To confide in a man? A man, -do I say? A serf! a slave!" - -"The lower the position of the serf and slave, the safer will our secret -be, since he will have everything to gain by keeping faith with us." - -"Your brother is a drunkard," said Vaninka, with mingled fear and -disgust. - -"That is true," said Annouschka; "but where will you find a slave who is -not? My brother gets drunk less than most, and is therefore more to be -trusted than the others. Besides, in the position in which we are we -must risk something." - -"You are right," said Vaninka, recovering her usual resolution, which -always grew in the presence of danger. "Go and seek your brother." - -"We can do nothing this morning," said Annouschka, drawing back the -window curtains. "Look, the dawn is breaking." - -"But what can we do with the body of this unhappy man?" cried Vaninka. - -"It must remain hidden where it is all day, and this evening, while you -are at the Court entertainment, my brother shall remove it." - -"True," murmured Vaninka in a strange tone, "I must go to Court this -evening; to stay away would arouse suspicion. Oh, my God! my God!" - -"Help me, my lady," said Annouschka; "I am not strong enough alone." - -Vaninka turned deadly pale, but, spurred on by the danger, she went -resolutely up to the body of her lover; then, lifting it by the -shoulders, while her maid raised it by the legs, she laid it once more -in the chest. Then Annouschka shut down the lid, locked the chest, and -put the key into her breast. Then both threw back the linen which had -hidden it from the eyes of the general. Day dawned, as might be -expected, ere sleep visited the eyes of Vaninka. - -She went down, however, at the breakfast hour; for she did not wish to -arouse the slightest suspicion in her father's mind. Only it might have -been thought from her pallor that she had risen from the grave, but the -general attributed this to the nocturnal disturbance of which he had -been the cause. - -Luck had served Vaninka wonderfully in prompting her to say that Foedor -had already gone; for not only did the general feel no surprise when he -did not appear, but his very absence was a proof of his daughter's -innocence. The general gave a pretext for his aide-de-camp's absence by -saying that he had sent him on a mission. As for Vaninka, she remained -out of her room till it was time to dress. A week before, she had been -at the Court entertainment with Foedor. - -Vaninka might have excused herself from accompanying her father by -feigning some slight indisposition, but two considerations made her fear -to act thus: the first was the fear of making the general anxious, and -perhaps of making him remain at home himself, which would make the -removal of the corpse more difficult; the second was the fear of meeting -Ivan and having to blush before a slave. She preferred, therefore, to -make a superhuman effort to control herself; and, going up again into -her room, accompanied by her faithful Annouschka, she began to dress -with as much care as if her heart were full of joy. When this cruel -business was finished, she ordered Annouschka to shut the door; for she -wished to see Foedor once more, and to bid a last farewell to him who -had been her lover. Annouschka obeyed; and Vaninka, with flowers in her -hair and her breast covered with jewels, glided like a phantom into her -servant's room. - -Annouschka again opened the chest, and Vaninka, without shedding a tear, -without breathing a sigh, with the profound and death-like calm of -despair, leant down towards Foedor and took off a plain ring which the -young man had on his finger, placed it on her own, between two -magnificent rings, then kissing him on the brow, she said, "Goodbye, my -betrothed." - -At this moment she heard steps approaching. It was a groom of the -chambers coming from the general to ask if she were ready. Annouschka -let the lid of the chest fall, and Vaninka going herself to open the -door, followed the messenger, who walked before her, lighting the way. - -Such was her trust in her foster-sister that she left her to accomplish -the dark and terrible task with which she had burdened herself. - -A minute later, Annouschka saw the carriage containing the general and -his daughter leave by the main gate of the hotel. - -She let half an hour go by, and then went down to look for Ivan. She -found him drinking with Gregory, with whom the general had kept his -word, and who had received the same day one thousand roubles and his -liberty. Fortunately, the revellers were only beginning their -rejoicings, and Ivan in consequence was sober enough for his sister to -entrust her secret to him without hesitation. - -Ivan followed Annouschka into the chamber of her mistress. There she -reminded him of all that Vaninka, haughty but generous, had allowed his -sister to do for him. The, few glasses of brandy Ivan had already -swallowed had predisposed him to gratitude (the drunkenness of the -Russian is essentially tender). Ivan protested his devotion so warmly -that Annouschka hesitated no longer, and, raising the lid of the chest, -showed him the corpse of Foedor. At this terrible sight Ivan remained an -instant motionless, but he soon began to calculate how much money and -how many benefits the possession of such a secret would bring him. He -swore by the most solemn oaths never to betray his mistress, and -offered, as Annouschka had hoped, to dispose of the body of the -unfortunate aide-decamp. - -The thing was easily done. Instead of returning to drink with Gregory -and his comrades, Ivan went to prepare a sledge, filled it with straw, -and hid at the bottom an iron crowbar. He brought this to the outside -gate, and assuring himself he was not being spied upon, he raised the -body of the dead man in his arms, hid it under the straw, and sat down -above it. He had the gate of the hotel opened, followed Niewski Street -as far as the Zunamenie Church, passed through the shops in the -Rejestwenskoi district, drove the sledge out on to the frozen Neva, and -halted in the middle of the river, in front of the deserted church of -Ste. Madeleine. There, protected by the solitude and darkness, hidden -behind the black mass of his sledge, he began to break the ice, which -was fifteen inches thick, with his pick. When he had made a large enough -hole, he searched the body of Foedor, took all the money he had about -him, and slipped the body head foremost through the opening he had made. -He then made his way back to the hotel, while the imprisoned current of -the Neva bore away the corpse towards the Gulf of Finland. An hour -after, a new crust of ice had formed, and not even a trace of the -opening made by Ivan remained. - -At midnight Vaninka returned with her father. A hidden fever had been -consuming her all the evening: never had she looked so lovely, and she -had been overwhelmed by the homage of the most distinguished nobles and -courtiers. When she returned, she found Annouschka in the vestibule -waiting to take her cloak. As she gave it to her, Vaninka sent her one -of those questioning glances that seem to express so much. "It is done," -said the girl in a low voice. Vaninka breathed a sigh of relief, as if a -mountain had been removed from her breast. Great as was her -self-control, she could no longer bear her father's presence, and -excused herself from remaining to supper with him, on the plea of the -fatigues of the evening. Vaninka was no sooner in her room, with the -door once closed, than she tore the flowers from her hair, the necklace -from her throat, cut with scissors the corsets which suffocated her, and -then, throwing herself on her bed, she gave way to her grief. Annouschka -thanked God for this outburst; her mistress's calmness had frightened -her more than her despair. The first crisis over, Vaninka was able to -pray. She spent an hour on her knees, then, yielding to the entreaties -of her faithful attendant, went to bed. Annouschka sat down at the foot -of the bed. - -Neither slept, but when day came the tears which Vaninka had shed had -calmed her. - -Annouschka was instructed to reward her brother. Too large a sum given -to a slave at once might have aroused suspicion, therefore Annouschka -contented herself with telling Ivan that when he had need of money he -had only to ask her for it. - -Gregory, profiting by his liberty and wishing to make use of his -thousand roubles, bought a little tavern on the outskirts of the town, -where, thanks to his address and to the acquaintances he had among the -servants in the great households of St. Petersburg, he began to develop -an excellent business, so that in a short time the Red House (which was -the name and colour of Gregory's establishment) had a great reputation. -Another man took over his duties about the person of the general, and -but for Foedor's absence everything returned to its usual routine in the -house of Count Tchermayloff. - -Two months went by in this way, without anybody having the least -suspicion of what had happened, when one morning before the usual -breakfast-hour the general begged his daughter to come down to his room. -Vaninka trembled with fear, for since that fatal night everything -terrified her. She obeyed her father, and collecting all her strength, -made her way to his chamber, The count was alone, but at the first -glance Vaninka saw she had nothing to fear from this interview: the -general was waiting for her with that paternal smile which was the usual -expression of his countenance when in his daughter's presence. - -She approached, therefore, with her usual calmness, and, stooping down -towards the general, gave him her forehead to kiss. - -He motioned to her to sit down, and gave her an open letter. Vaninka -looked at him for a moment in surprise, then turned her eyes to the -letter. - -It contained the news of the death of the man to whom her hand had been -promised: he had been killed in a duel. - -The general watched the effect of the letter on his daughter's face, and -great as was Vaninka's self-control, so many different thoughts, such -bitter regret, such poignant remorse assailed her when she learnt that -she was now free again, that she could not entirely conceal her emotion. -The general noticed it, and attributed it to the love which he had for a -long time suspected his daughter felt for the young aide-de-camp. - -"Well," he said, smiling, "I see it is all for the best." - -"How is that, father?" asked Vaninka. - -"Doubtless," said the general. "Did not Foedor leave because he loved -you?" - -"Yes," murmured the young girl. - -"Well, now he may return," said the general. - -Vaninka remained silent, her eyes fixed, her lips trembling. - -"Return!" she said, after a moment's silence. - -"Yes, certainly return. We shall be most unfortunate," continued the -general, smiling, "if we cannot find someone in the house who knows -where he is. Come, Vaninka, tell me the place of his exile, and I will -undertake the rest." - -"Nobody knows where Foedor is," murmured Vaninka in a hollow voice; -"nobody but God, nobody!" - -"What!" said the general, "he has sent you no news since the day he -left?" - -Vaninka shook her head in denial. She was so heart-broken that she could -not speak. - -The general in his turn became gloomy. "Do you fear some misfortune, -then?" said he. - -"I fear that I shall never be happy again on earth," cried Vaninka, -giving way under the pressure of her grief; then she continued at once, -"Let me retire, father; I am ashamed of what I have said." - -The general, who saw nothing in this exclamation beyond regret for -having allowed the confession of her love to escape her, kissed his -daughter on the brow and allowed her to retire. He hoped that, in spite -of the mournful way in which Vaninka had spoken of Foedor, that it would -be possible to find him. The same day he went to the emperor and told -him of the love of Foedor for his daughter, and requested, since death -had freed her from her first engagement, that he might dispose of her -hand. The emperor consented, and the general then solicited a further -favour. Paul was in one of his kindly moods, and showed himself disposed -to grant it. The general told him that Foedor had disappeared for two -months; that everyone, even his daughter, was ignorant of his -whereabouts, and begged him to have inquiries made. The emperor -immediately sent for the chief of police, and gave him the necessary -orders. - -Six weeks went by without any result. Vaninka, since the day when the -letter came, was sadder and more melancholy than ever. Vainly from time -to time the general tried to make her more hopeful. Vaninka only shook -her head and withdrew. The general ceased to speak, of Foedor. - -But it was not the same among the household. The young aide-de-camp had -been popular with the servants, and, with the exception of Gregory, -there was not a soul who wished him harm, so that, when it became known -that he had not been sent on a mission, but had disappeared, the matter -became the constant subject of conversation in the antechamber, the -kitchen, and the stables. There was another place where people busied -themselves about it a great deal--this was the Red House. - -From the day when he heard of Foedor's mysterious departure Gregory had -his suspicions. He was sure that he had seen Foedor enter Vaninka's -room, and unless he had gone out while he was going to seek the general, -he did not understand why the latter had not found him in his daughter's -room. Another thing occupied his mind, which it seemed to him might -perhaps have some connection with this event--the amount of money Ivan -had been spending since that time, a very extraordinary amount for a -slave. This slave, however, was the brother of Vaninka's cherished -foster-sister, so that, without being sure, Gregory already suspected -the source from whence this money came. Another thing confirmed him in -his suspicions, which was that Ivan, who had not only remained his most -faithful friend, but had become one of his best customers, never spoke -of Foedor, held his tongue if he were mentioned in his presence, and to -all questions, however pressing they were, made but one answer: "Let us -speak of something else." - -In the meantime the Feast of Kings arrived. This is a great day in St. -Petersburg, for it is also the day for blessing the waters. - -As Vaninka had been present at the ceremony, and was fatigued after -standing for two hours on the Neva, the general did not go out that -evening, and gave Ivan leave to do so. Ivan profited by the permission -to go to the Red House. - -There was a numerous company there, and Ivan was welcomed; for it was -known that he generally came with full pockets. This time he did not -belie his reputation, and had scarcely arrived before he made the -sorok-kopecks ring, to the great envy of his companions. - -At this warning sound Gregory hastened up with all possible deference, a -bottle of brandy in each hand; for he knew that when Ivan summoned him -he gained in two ways, as innkeeper and as boon companion. Ivan did not -disappoint these hopes, and Gregory was invited to share in the -entertainment. The conversation turned on slavery, and some of the -unhappy men, who had only four days in the year of respite from their -eternal labour, talked loudly of the happiness Gregory had enjoyed since -he had obtained his freedom. - -"Bah!" said Ivan, on whom the brandy had begun to take effect, "there -are some slaves who are freer than their masters." - -"What do you mean?" said Gregory, pouring him out another glass of -brandy. - -"I meant to say happier," said Ivan quickly. - -"It is difficult to prove that," said Gregory doubtingly. - -"Why difficult? Our masters, the moment they are born, are put into the -hands of two or three pedants, one French, another German, and a third -English, and whether they like them or not, they must be content with -their society till they are seventeen, and whether they wish to or not, -must learn three barbarous languages, at the expense of our noble -Russian tongue, which they have sometimes completely forgotten by the -time the others are acquired. Again, if one of them wishes for some -career, he must become a soldier: if he is a sublieutenant, he is the -slave of the lieutenant; if he is a lieutenant, he is the slave of the -captain, and the captain of the major, and so on up to the emperor, who -is nobody's slave, but who one fine day is surprised at the table, while -walking, or in his bed, and is poisoned, stabbed, or strangled. If he -chooses a civil career, it is much the same. He marries a wife, and does -not love her; children come to him he knows not how, whom he has to -provide for; he must struggle incessantly to provide for his family if -he is poor, and if he is rich to prevent himself being robbed by his -steward and cheated by his tenants. Is this life? While we, gentlemen, -we are born, and that is the only pain we cost our mothers--all the rest -is the master's concern. He provides for us, he chooses our calling, -always easy enough to learn if we are not quite idiots. Are we ill? His -doctor attends us gratis; it is a loss to him if we die. Are we well? We -have our four certain meals a day, and a good stove to sleep near at -night. Do we fall in love? There is never any hindrance to our marriage, -if the woman loves us; the master himself asks us to hasten our -marriage, for he wishes us to have as many children as possible. And -when the children are born, he does for them in their turn all he has -done for us. Can you find me many great lords as happy as their slaves?" - -"All this is true," said Gregory, pouring him out another glass of -brandy; "but, after all, you are not free." - -"Free to do what?" asked Ivan. - -"Free to go where you will and when you will." - -"I am as free as the air," replied Ivan. - -"Nonsense!" said Gregory. - -"Free as air, I tell you; for I have good masters, and above all a good -mistress," continued Ivan, with a significant smile, "and I have only to -ask and it is done." - -"What! if after having got drunk here to-day, you asked to come back -to-morrow to get drunk again?" said Gregory, who in his challenge to -Ivan did not forget his own interests,--"if you asked that?" - -"I should come back again," said Ivan. - -"To-morrow?" said Gregory. - -"To-morrow, the day after, every day if I liked...." - -"The fact is, Ivan is our young lady's favourite," said another of the -count's slaves who was present, profiting by his comrade Ivan's -liberality. - -"It is all the same," said Gregory; "for supposing such permission were -given you, money would soon run short." - -"Never!" said Ivan, swallowing another glass of brandy, "never will Ivan -want for money as long as there is a kopeck in my lady's purse." - -"I did not find her so liberal," said Gregory bitterly. - -"Oh, you forget, my friend; you know well she does not reckon with her -friends: remember the strokes of the knout." - -"I have no wish to speak about that," said Gregory. "I know that she is -generous with blows, but her money is another thing. I have never seen -the colour of that." - -"Well, would you like to see the colour of mine?" said Ivan, getting -more and more drunk. "See here, here are kopecks, sorok-kopecks, blue -notes worth five roubles, red notes worth twenty five roubles, and -to-morrow, if you like, I will show you white notes worth fifty roubles. -A health to my lady Vaninka!" And Ivan held out his glass again, and -Gregory filled it to the brim. - -"But does money," said Gregory, pressing Ivan more and more,--"does -money make up for scorn?" - -"Scorn!" said Ivan,--"scorn! Who scorns me? Do you, because you are -free? Fine freedom! I would rather be a well-fed slave than a free man -dying of hunger." - -"I mean the scorn of our masters," replied Gregory. - -"The scorn of our masters! Ask Alexis, ask Daniel there, if my lady -scorns me." - -"The fact is," said the two slaves in reply, who both belonged to the -general's household, "Ivan must certainly have a charm; for everyone -talks to him as if to a master." - -"Because he is Annouschka's brother," said Gregory, "and Annouschka is -my lady's foster-sister." - -"That may be so," said the two slaves. - -"For that reason or for some other," said Ivan; "but, in short, that is -the case." - -"Yes; but if your sister should die?" said Gregory. "Ah!" - -"If my sister should die, that would be a pity, for she is a good girl. -I drink to her health! But if she should die, that would make no -difference. I am respected for myself; they respect me because they fear -me." - -"Fear my lord Ivan!" said Gregory, with a loud laugh. "It follows, then, -that if my lord Ivan were tired of receiving orders, and gave them in -his turn, my lord Ivan would be obeyed." - -"Perhaps," said Ivan. - -"He said 'perhaps,' repeated Gregory," laughing louder than ever,--"he -said 'perhaps.' Did you hear him?" - -"Yes," said the slaves, who had drunk so much that they could only -answer in monosyllables. - -"Well, I no longer say 'perhaps,' I now say 'for certain.'" - -"Oh, I should like to see that," said Gregory; "I would give something -to see that." - -"Well, send away these fellows, who are getting drunk like pigs, and for -nothing, you will find." - -"For nothing?" said Gregory. "You are jesting. Do you think I should -give them drink for nothing?" - -"Well, we shall see. How much would be their score, for your atrocious -brandy, if they drank from now till midnight, when you are obliged to -shut up your tavern?" - -"Not less than twenty roubles." - -"Here are thirty; turn there out, and let us remain by ourselves." - -"Friends," said Gregory, taking out his watch as if to look at the time, -"it is just upon midnight; you know the governor's orders, so you must -go." The men, habituated like all Russians to passive obedience, went -without a murmur, and Gregory found himself alone with Ivan and the two -other slaves of the general. - -"Well, here we are alone," said Gregory. "What do you mean to do?" - -"Well, what would you say," replied Ivan, "if in spite of the late hour -and the cold, and in spite of the fact that we are only slaves, my lady -were to leave her father's house and come to drink our healths?" - -"I would say that you ought to take advantage of it," said Gregory, -shrugging his shoulders, "and tell her to bring at the same time a -bottle of brandy. There is probably better brandy in the general's -cellar than in mine." - -"There is better," said Ivan, as if he was perfectly sure of it, "and my -lady shall bring you a bottle of it." - -"You are mad!" said Gregory. - -"He is mad!" repeated the other two slaves mechanically. - -"Oh, I am mad?" said Ivan. "Well, will you take a wager?" - -"What will you wager?" - -"Two hundred roubles against a year of free drinking in your inn." - -"Done!" said Gregory. - -"Are your comrades included?" said the two moujiks. - -"They are included," said Ivan, "and in consideration of them we will -reduce the time to six months. Is that agreed?" - -"It is agreed," said Gregory. - -The two who were making the wager shook hands, and the agreement was -perfected. Then, with an air of confidence, assumed to confound the -witnesses of this strange scene, Ivan wrapped himself in the fur coat -which, like a cautious man, he had spread on the stove, and went out. - -At the end of half an hour he reappeared. - -"Well!" cried Gregory and the two slaves together. - -"She is following," said Ivan. - -The three tipplers looked at one another in amazement, but Ivan quietly -returned to his place in the middle of them, poured out a new bumper, -and raising his glass, cried-- - -"To my lady's health! It is the least we can do when she is kind enough -to come and join us on so cold a night, when the snow is falling fast." - -"Annouschka," said a voice outside, "knock at this door and ask Gregory -if he has not some of our servants with him." - -Gregory and the two other slaves looked at one another, stupefied: they -had recognised Vaninka's voice. As for Ivan, he flung himself back in -his chair, balancing himself with marvellous impertinence. - -Annouschka opened the door, and they could see, as Ivan had said, that -the snow was falling heavily. - -"Yes, madam," said the girl; "my brother is there, with Daniel and -Alexis." - -Vaninka entered. - -"My friends," said she, with a strange smile, "I am told that you were -drinking my health, and I have come to bring you something to drink it -again. Here is a bottle of old French brandy which I have chosen for you -from my father's cellar. Hold out your glasses." - -Gregory and the slaves obeyed with the slowness and hesitation of -astonishment, while Ivan held out his glass with the utmost effrontery. - -Vaninka filled them to the brim herself, and then, as they hesitated to -drink, "Come, drink to my health, friends," said she. - -"Hurrah!" cried the drinkers, reassured by the kind and familiar tone of -their noble visitor, as they emptied their glasses at a draught. - -Vaninka at once poured them out another glass; then putting the bottle -on the table, "Empty the bottle, my friends," said she, "and do not -trouble about me. Annouschka and I, with the permission 2668 of the -master of the house, will sit near the stove till the storm is over." - -Gregory tried to rise and place stools near the stove, but whether he -was quite drunk or whether some narcotic had been mixed with the brandy, -he fell back on his seat, trying to stammer out an excuse. - -"It is all right," said Vaninka: "do not disturb yourselves; drink, my -friends, drink." - -The revellers profited by this permission, and each emptied the glass -before him. Scarcely had Gregory emptied his before he fell forward on -the table. - -"Good!" said Vaninka to her maid in a low voice: "the opium is taking -effect." - -"What do you mean to do?" said Annouschka. - -"You will soon see," was the answer. - -The two moujiks followed the example of the master of the house, and -fell down side by side on the ground. Ivan was left struggling against -sleep, and trying to sing a drinking song; but soon his tongue refused -to obey him, his eyes closed in spite of him, and seeking the tune that -escaped him, and muttering words he was unable to pronounce, he fell -fast asleep near his companions. - -Immediately Vaninka rose, fixed them with flashing eyes, and called them -by name one after another. There was no response. - -Then she clapped her hands and cried joyfully, "The moment has come!" -Going to the back of the room, she brought thence an armful of straw, -placed it in a corner of the room, and did the same in the other -corners. She then took a flaming brand from the stove and set fire in -succession to the four corners of the room. - -"What are you doing?" said Annouschka, wild with terror, trying to stop -her. - -"I am going to bury our secret in the ashes of this house," answered -Vaninka. - -"But my brother, my poor brother!" said the girl. - -"Your brother is a wretch who has betrayed me, and we are lost if we do -not destroy him." - -"Oh, my brother, my poor brother!" - -"You can die with him if you like," said Vaninka, accompanying the -proposal with a smile which showed she would not have been sorry if -Annouschka had carried sisterly affection to that length. - -"But look at the fire, madam--the fire!" - -"Let us go, then," said Vaninka; and, dragging out the heart-broken -girl, she locked the door behind her and threw the key far away into the -snow. - -"In the name of Heaven," said Annouschka, "let us go home quickly: I -cannot gaze upon this awful sight!" - -"No, let us stay here!" said Vaninka, holding her back with a grasp of -almost masculine strength. "Let us stay until the house falls in on -them, so that we may be certain that not one of them escapes." - -"Oh, my God!" cried Annouschka, falling on her knees, "have mercy upon -my poor brother, for death will hurry him unprepared into Thy presence." - -"Yes, yes, pray; that is right," said Vaninka. "I wish to destroy their -bodies, not their souls." - -Vaninka stood motionless, her arms crossed, brilliantly lit up by the -flames, while her attendant prayed. The fire did not last long: the -house was wooden, with the crevices filled with oakum, like all those of -Russian peasants, so that the flames, creeping out at the four corners, -soon made great headway, and, fanned by the wind, spread rapidly to all -parts of the building. Vaninka followed the progress of the fire with -blazing eyes, fearing to see some half-burnt spectral shape rush out of -the flames. At last the roof fell in, and Vaninka, relieved of all fear, -then at last made her way to the general's house, into which the two -women entered without being seen, thanks to the permission Annouschka -had to go out at any hour of the day or night. - -The next morning the sole topic of conversation in St. Petersburg was -the fire at the Red House. Four half-consumed corpses were dug out from -beneath the ruins, and as three of the general's slaves were missing, he -had no doubt that the unrecognisable bodies were those of Ivan, Daniel, -and Alexis: as for the fourth, it was certainly that of Gregory. - -The cause of the fire remained a secret from everyone: the house was -solitary, and the snowstorm so violent that nobody had met the two women -on the deserted road. Vaninka was sure of her maid. Her secret then had -perished with Ivan. But now remorse took the place of fear: the young -girl who was so pitiless and inflexible in the execution of the deed -quailed at its remembrance. It seemed to her that by revealing the -secret of her crime to a priest, she would be relieved of her terrible -burden. She therefore sought a confessor renowned for his lofty charity, -and, under the seal of confession, told him all. The priest was -horrified by the story. Divine mercy is boundless, but human forgiveness -has its limits. He refused Vaninka the absolution she asked. This -refusal was terrible: it would banish Vaninka from the Holy Table; this -banishment would be noticed, and could not fail to be attributed to some -unheard-of and secret crime. Vaninka fell at the feet of the priest, and -in the name of her father, who would be disgraced by her shame, begged -him to mitigate the rigour of this sentence. - -The confessor reflected deeply, then thought he had found a way to -obviate such consequences. It was that Vaninka should approach the Holy -Table with the other young girls; the priest would stop before her as -before all the others, but only say to her, "Pray and weep"; the -congregation, deceived by this, would think that she had received the -Sacrament like her companions. This was all that Vaninka could obtain. - -This confession took place about seven o'clock in the evening, and the -solitude of the church, added to the darkness of night, had given it a -still more awful character. The confessor returned home, pale and -trembling. His wife Elizabeth was waiting for him alone. She had just -put her little daughter Arina, who was eight years old, to bed in an -adjoining room. When she saw her husband, she uttered a cry of terror, -so changed and haggard was his appearance. The confessor tried to -reassure her, but his trembling voice only increased her alarm. She -asked the cause of his agitation; the confessor refused to tell her. -Elizabeth had heard the evening before that her mother was ill; she -thought that her husband had received some bad news. The day was Monday, -which is considered an unlucky day among the Russians, and, going out -that day, Elizabeth had met a man in mourning; these omens were too -numerous and too strong not to portend misfortune. - -Elizabeth burst into tears, and cried out, "My mother is dead!" - -The priest in vain tried to reassure her by telling her that his -agitation was not due to that. The poor woman, dominated by one idea, -made no response to his protestations but this everlasting cry, "My -mother is dead!" - -Then, to bring her to reason, the confessor told her that his emotion -was due to the avowal of a crime which he had just heard in the -confessional. But Elizabeth shook her head: it was a trick, she said, to -hide from her the sorrow which had fallen upon her. Her agony, instead -of calming, became more violent; her tears ceased to flow, and were -followed by hysterics. The priest then made her swear to keep the -secret, and the sanctity of the confession was betrayed. - -Little Arina had awakened at Elizabeth's cries, and being disturbed and -at the same time curious as to what her parents were doing, she got up, -went to listen at the door, and heard all. - -The day for the Communion came; the church of St. Simeon was crowded. -Vaninka came to kneel at the railing of the choir. Behind her was her -father and his aides-de-camp, and behind them their servants. - -Arina was also in the church with her mother. The inquisitive child -wished to see Vaninka, whose name she had heard pronounced that terrible -night, when her father had failed in the first and most sacred of the -duties imposed on a priest. While her mother was praying, she left her -chair and glided among the worshippers, nearly as far as the railing. - -But when she had arrived there, she was stopped by the group of the -general's servants. But Arina had not come so far to be, stopped so -easily: she tried to push between them, but they opposed her; she -persisted, and one of them pushed her roughly back. The child fell, -struck her head against a seat, and got up bleeding and crying, "You are -very proud for a slave. Is it because you belong to the great lady who -burnt the Red House?" - -These words, uttered in a loud voice, in the midst of the silence which -preceded, the sacred ceremony, were heard by everyone. They were -answered by a shriek. Vaninka had fainted. The next day the general, at -the feet of Paul, recounted to him, as his sovereign and judge, the -whole terrible story, which Vaninka, crushed by her long struggle, had -at last revealed to him, at night, after the scene in the church. - -The emperor remained for a moment in thought at the end of this strange -confession; then, getting up from the chair where he had been sitting -while the miserable father told his story, he went to a bureau, and -wrote on a sheet of paper the following sentence: - -"The priest having violated what should have been inviolable, the -secrets of the confessional, is exiled to Siberia and deprived of his -priestly office. His wife will follow him: she is to be blamed for not -having respected his character as a minister of the altar. The little -girl will not leave her parents. - -"Annouschka, the attendant, will also go to Siberia for not having made -known to her master his daughter's conduct. - -"I preserve all my esteem for the general, and I mourn with him for the -deadly blow which has struck him. - -"As for Vaninka, I know of no punishment which can be inflicted upon -her. I only see in her the daughter of a brave soldier, whose whole life -has been devoted to the service of his country. Besides, the -extraordinary way in which the crime was discovered, seems to place the -culprit beyond the limits of my severity. I leave her punishment in her -own hands. If I understand her character, if any feeling of dignity -remains to her, her heart and her remorse will show her the path she -ought to follow." - -Paul handed the paper open to the general, ordering him to take it to -Count Pahlen, the governor of St. Petersburg. - -On the following day the emperor's orders were carried out. - -Vaninka went into a convent, where towards the end of the same year she -died of shame and grief. - -The general found the death he sought on the field of Austerlitz. - - - - - ---- - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VANINKA *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2757 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. 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