The Daughter of an Empress

Munnich and Ostermann, the faithful servants of Peter the

Great--Munnich, whom Prince Eugene called "his beloved pupil;"

Ostermann, of whom the dying Czar Peter said he had never caught him in

a fault; that he was the only honest statesman in Russia--Munnich and

Ostermann, those two great statesmen to whom Russia was chiefly indebted

for what civilization and cultivation she had acquired, were now accused

of high-treason, and sent for trial before a commission commanded to

find them guilty and to punish them. They were to be put out of the way

because they were feared, and to be feared was held as a crime deserving

death!

Firm and outrageous stood they before their judges. In this hour old

Ostermann had shaken off his illness and thrown away the shield of his

physical sufferings! He would not intrench himself behind his age and

his sickness; he would be a man, and boldly offer his unprotected breast

to the murderous weapons of his enemies!

For, that he was lost he knew! A single glance at his judges made

him certain of it, and from this moment his features wore a calm and

contemptuous smile, an unchangeable expression of scorn. With an ironic

curiosity he followed his judges through the labyrinth of artfully

contrived captious questions by which they hoped to entangle him;

occasionally he gave himself, as it were for his own amusement, the

appearance of voluntarily being caught in their nets, until he finally

by a side spring tore their whole web to pieces and laughingly derided

his judges for not being able to convict him!

He was accused of having, by his cabals alone, after the death of

Catharine, effected the elevation to the throne of Anna, Duchess of

Courland. And yet they very well knew that precisely at that time

Ostermann had for weeks pretended to be suffering from illness, for

the very purpose of avoiding any intermingling with state affairs. They

accused him of having suppressed the testament of Catharine, and yet

that testament had been published in all the official journals of the

time!

Ostermann laughed loud at all of these childish accusations.

"Ah," said he, "should I be sitting in your places, and you all, though

innocent, should be standing accused before me, my word for it, I would

so involve you in questions and answers that you would be compelled

to confess your guilt! But you do not understand questioning, and old

Ostermann is a sly fox that does not allow himself to be easily caught!

The best way will be for you to declare me guilty, though I am no

criminal; for as your empress has commanded that I should be found

guilty, it would certainly be in me a crime worthy of death not to be

guilty."

"You dare to deride our empress!" cried one of the judges.