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The Daughter of an Empress

Page 42

"No," frowardly responded the young man, "I sing no more, when my

princess no longer listens!"

"There, see the ungrateful man," said the princess, with a charming

smile--"he was occupying all my thoughts, and yet he dares complain! You

are a malefactor deserving punishment. Come here to me, Alexis; kneel,

kiss my hand, and beg for pardon, you calumniator!"

"That is a punishment for which angels might be grateful!" responded

Alexis Razumovsky, kneeling to the princess and pressing her hand to his

burning lips. "Ah, that I might oftener incur such punishment!"

"Do you then prefer punishment to reward?" asked Elizabeth, tenderly

bending down to him and looking deep into his eyes.

"She loves him!" whispered Grunstein to the chamberlain Woronzow. "She

certainly loves him!"

Elizabeth's fine ear caught these words, and, slowly turning her head,

she slightly nodded. "Yes," said she, "Grunstein is right--she loves

him! Congratulate me, therefore, my friends, that the desert void in my

heart is at length filled--congratulate me for loving him. Ah, nothing

is sweeter, holier, or more precious than love; and I can tell you that

we women are happy only when we are under the influence of that divine

passion. Congratulate me, then, my friends, for, thank God, I am in

love! Now, Alexis, what have you to say?"

"There are no words to express such a happiness," cried Alexis, pressing

the feet of the princess to his bosom.

"Happiness, then, strikes you dumb," laughed the princess, "and will not

allow you to say that you love me? Such are all you men. You envelope

yourselves with a convenient silence, and would make us poor women

believe the superabundance of feeling deprives you of utterance."

At this moment the door was softly opened, and a lackey, who made his

appearance at the threshold, beckoned to Woronzow.

"What is it, Woronzow?" asked the princess, while, wholly unembarrassed

by the presence of the lackey, she played with the profuse dark locks of

the kneeling Razumovsky.

"An invitation from the Regent Anna to a court-ball, which is to take

place fourteen days hence," said Woronzow.

"Ah, our good cousin is, then, so gracious as to remember us," cried

the princess, with a somewhat clouded brow. "It will certainly be a very

magnificent festival, as we are invited so many days in advance. How sad

that I cannot have the pleasure of being present!"

"And why not, if one may be allowed to ask, princess?" asked Woronzow.

"Why?" sighed Elizabeth. "Ask my waiting-woman; she will tell you that

the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the great Czar Peter, has not

one single robe splendid enough to render her presentable, without

mortification, at a court-ball of the regent."

"Whatever robe you may wear," passionately interposed Alexis, "you will

still be resplendent, for your beauty will impart a divine halo to any

dress!"

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