The Poacher; Or, Joseph Rushbrook

“Not with whom he is in love, most certainly, but that he has come here on that account; it will satisfy them, for they have no fear of a man that’s in love, and he will not be watched. Depend upon it, I cannot do a better thing to serve our master.”

“Well, then, perhaps you are right. I don’t like this champagne—get a bottle of Burgundy, Dimitri. Don’t look so hard—it’s all right. The captain dines out every day, and has ordered me to drink for the honour of the house.”

“He’s a capital master,” replied Dimitri, who had begun to feel the effects of the former bottles.

As soon as the third bottle was tapped, McShane continued—

“Now, Dimitri, I’ve given my opinion, and I can tell you, if my master has, as I suspect, come here about this young lady, and succeeds in obtaining her, it will be a blessed thing for you and me; for he’s as generous as the day, and has plenty of money. Do you know who she is?”

“To be sure I do; she is an only daughter of the late Prince Czartorinski, and now a sort of ward under the protection of the Emperor. She inherits all the estates, except one which was left to found an hospital at Warsaw, and is a rich heiress. It is supposed the emperor will bestow her upon one of his generals. She is at the palace, and a maid of honour to the empress.”

“Whew!” whistled McShane; “won’t there be a difficulty.”

“I should think so,” replied the courier, gravely.

“He must run away with her,” said McShane, after a pause.

“How will he get to see her?”

“He will not see her, so as to speak with her, in the palace; that is not the custom here; but he might meet her elsewhere.”

“To be sure, at a party or a ball,” said McShane.

“No, that would not do; ladies and gentlemen keep very apart here in general company. He might say a word or two when dancing, but that is all.”

“But how is he to meet her, when, in this cursed place of yours, if men and women keep at arm’s length?”

“That must depend upon her. Tell me, does she love him?”

“Well, now, that’s a home question: she never told him she did, and she never told me, that’s certain; but still I’ve an idea that she does.”

“Then all I can say, Macshanovich, is, that your master had better be very careful what he is about. Of course, he knows not that you have told me anything; but as soon as he thinks proper to trust me, I then will do my utmost in his service.”

“You speak like a very rational, sensible, intelligent courier,” replied McShane, “and so now let us finish the bottle. Here’s good luck to Captain O’Donahue, alive or dead: and now—please the fleas—I’ll be asleep in less than ten minutes.”

Chapter Fourteen

Going to Court, and Courting

When McShane awoke the next morning he tried to recall what had passed between him and Dimitri, and did not feel quite convinced that he had not trusted him too much. “I think,” said he, “it was all upon an if. Yes, sure; if O’Donahue was in love, and if she was. Yes, I’m sure that it was all upon ifs. However, I must go and tell O’Donahue what has taken place.”

McShane did so; and O’Donahue, after a little thought, replied, “Well, I don’t know: perhaps it’s all for the best; for you see I must have trusted somebody, and the difficulty would have been to know whom to trust, for everybody belongs to the police here, I believe: I think, myself, the fellow is honest; at all events, I can make it worth his while to be so.”

“He would not have told me he belonged to the police if he wished to trap us,” replied McShane.

“That’s very true, and on the whole I think we could not do better. But we are going on too fast; who knows whether she meant anything by what she said to me when we parted; or, if she did then, whether she may not have altered her mind since?”

“Such things have been—that’s a fact, O’Donahue.”

“And will be, as long as the world lasts. However, to-morrow I am to be presented—perhaps I may see her. I’m glad that I know that I may chance to meet her, as I shall now be on my guard.”

“And what shall I say to Dimitri?”

“Say that you mentioned her name, and where she was, and that I had only replied, that I should like to see her again.”

“Exactly; that will leave it an open question, as the saying is,” replied McShane.

The next day O’Donahue, in his uniform, drove to the ambassador’s hotel, to accompany him to the Annishkoff palace, where he was to be presented to the emperor. O’Donahue was most graciously received, the emperor walking up to him, as he stood in the circle, and inquiring after the health of his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, what service he had been employed upon, etcetera. He then told O’Donahue that the Empress would be most glad to make his acquaintance, and hoped that he would make a long stay at Saint Petersburg.

It was with a quickened pulse that O’Donahue followed the ambassador into the empress’s apartments. He had not waited there more than five minutes, in conversation with the ambassador when the doors opened, and the empress, attended by her chamberlain, and followed by her ladies in waiting and maids of honour, entered the room. O’Donahue had made up his mind not to take his eyes off the empress until the presentation was over. As soon as he had kissed hands, and answered the few questions which were graciously put to him, he retired to make room for others, and then, for the first time, did he venture to cast his eyes on the group of ladies attending the empress. The first that met his view were unknown, but, behind all the rest, he at length perceived the Princess Czartorinski, talking and laughing with another lady. After a short time she turned round, and their eyes met. The princess recognised him with a start, and then turned away and put her hand up to her breast, as if the shock had taken away her breath. Once more she turned her face to O’Donahue, and this time he was fully satisfied by her looks that he was welcome. Ten minutes after, the ambassador summoned O’Donahue, and they quitted the palace.

“I have seen her, McShane,” said O’Donahue; “she is more beautiful, and I am more in love than ever. And now, what am I to do?”

“That’s just the difficulty,” replied McShane. “Shall I talk with Dimitri, or shall I hold my tongue, or shall I think about it while you go to dinner at the ambassador’s?”

“I cannot dine out to-day, McShane. I will write an excuse.”

“Well, now, I do believe you’re in for it in good earnest. My love never spoiled my appetite; on the contrary, it was my appetite that made me fall in love.”

“I wish she had not been a princess,” said O’Donahue, throwing himself on the sofa.

“That’s nothing at all here,” replied McShane. “A princess is to be had. Now, if she had been a general it would have been all up with you. Military rank is everything here, as Dimitri says.”

“She’s an angel,” replied O’Donahue, with a sigh.

“That’s rank in heaven, but goes for nothing in Petersburg,” replied McShane. “Dimitri tells me they’ve civil generals here, which I conceive are improvements on our staff, for devil a civil general I’ve had the pleasure of serving under.”

“What shall I do,” said O’Donahue, getting up and preparing to write his note to the ambassador.

“Eat your dinner, drink a bottle of champagne, and then I’ll come and talk it over with you, that’s all you can do at present. Give me the note, and I’ll send Dimitri off with it at once, and order up your dinner.”

McShane’s advice not being very bad, it was followed. O’Donahue had finished his dinner, and was sitting by the fire with McShane, when there was a knock at the door. McShane was summoned, and soon returned, saying, “There’s a little fellow that wants to speak with you, and won’t give his message. He’s a queer little body, and not so bad-looking either, with a bolster on the top of his head, and himself not higher than a pillow; a pigeon could sit upon his shoulder and peck up peas out of his shoes; he struts like a grenadier, and, by the powers! a grenadier’s cap would serve as an extinguisher for him. Shall I show him in?”

“Certainly,” replied O’Donahue.

The reader may not be aware that there is no part of the globe where there are so many dwarfs as at Saint Petersburg; there is scarcely an hotel belonging to a noble family without one or two, if not more; they are very kindly treated, and are, both in appearance and temper, very superior to the dwarfs occasionally met with elsewhere. One of this diminutive race now entered the room, dressed in a Turkish costume; he was remarkably well made and handsome in person; he spoke sufficient French to inquire if he addressed himself to Captain O’Donahue; and on being replied to in the affirmative, he gave him a small billet, and then seated himself on the sofa with all the freedom of a petted menial. O’Donahue tore open the note; it was very short:—

“As I know you cannot communicate with me, I write to say that I was delighted at your having kept your promise. You shall hear from me again as soon as I know where I can meet you; in the meantime, be cautious. The bearer is to be trusted; he belongs to me.

    “C.”

O’Donahue pressed the paper to his lips, and then sat down to reply. We shall not trouble the reader with what he said; it is quite sufficient that the lady was content with the communication, and also at the report from her little messenger of the Captain’s behaviour when he had read her billet.

Two or three days afterwards, O’Donahue received a note from a German widow lady, a Countess Erhausen, particularly requesting he would call upon her in the afternoon, at three o’clock. As he had not as yet had the pleasure of being introduced to the countess, although he had often heard her spoken of in the first society, O’Donahue did not fail in his appointment, as he considered that it was possible that the Princess Czartorinski might be connected with it; nor was he deceived, for on his entering the saloon, he found the princess sitting on the sofa with Madame Erhausen, a young and pretty woman, not more than twenty-five years of age. The princess rose, and greeted Captain O’Donahue, and then introduced the countess as her first cousin. A few minutes after his introduction, the countess retired, leaving them alone. O’Donahue did not lose this opportunity of pouring out the real feelings of his heart.

“You have come a long way to see me, Captain O’Donahue, and I ought to be grateful,” replied the princess: “indeed, I have much pleasure in renewing our acquaintance.”

O’Donahue, however, did not appear satisfied with this mere admission: he became eloquent in his own cause, pointed out the cruelty of having brought him over to see her again if he was not to be rewarded, and after about an hour’s pleading he was sitting on the sofa by her side, with her fair hand in his, and his arm round her slender waist. They parted, but through the instrumentality of the little dwarf, they often met again at the same rendezvous. Occasionally they met in society, but before others they were obliged to appear constrained and formal; there was little pleasure in such meetings, and when O’Donahue could not see the princess his chief pleasure was to call upon Madame Erhausen and talk about her.