The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia

Thaddeus at first regardhim with more interest than he bestowed on the rest of his companionswho were younger than himself.

  Ivan was nearly two years his junior, which, at that time of life, oftenmakes a great difference in a youth's standing at school or college.From his first arrival at college, Ivan Galetzoff had appeared to keepaloof from the friendship of his companions, though he joined, andexcelled in all athletic sports and exercises. He was courteous to all;but his cold and reserved behaviour prevented the greater number of hiscompanions from making advances in his confidence or friendship.Thaddeus, by many trivial attentions to the solitary youth, was thefirst to overcome this reserve, and the latter seemed to feel gratefulfor his kindness. They had been as yet, however, but little in eachother's society, until Thaddeus was seized with a severe illness, whenIvan attended on him with fraternal care, ministering to all his wants,and scarcely ever leaving his side.

  From that period was to be dated their firm friendship, which, thoughwarm and sincere, could not thaw the reserve with which Ivan alwaysguarded the subject of his family and connexions; and when any sought toquestion him, he would turn away with a haughty and angry air, so thateven Thaddeus remained nearly as ignorant as before of his friend'shistory. Every day, however, seemed more closely to cement thefriendship of the two young men, until they were constantly together,supporting each other on every occasion of need. On one point, however,they were dissimilar in taste; while Thaddeus's love of gaiety causedhim to seek society, Ivan, on all occasions, shunned it, devotinghimself with so much perseverance and energy to his studies and militaryexercises, that he was qualified to quit college at the same period withhis friend.

  Ivan Galetzoff was generally supposed at college to be the son of theBaron Galetzoff; but as the young man never spoke of him as his father,and indeed avoided, as much as possible, mentioning his name, there weresome doubts entertained on the subject; and his proud and retiringmanners were, therefore, considered to result from the galling feelingscaused by a supposed stigma on his birth. The chateau of the BaronGaletzoff lay a short distance from Moscow; and in the neighbourhood ofthat city was also the residence of the generous noble who had been theprotector of Thaddeus's father; but there was no intercourse between thetwo families, the Baron living entirely secluded from the world.

  The Baron Galetzoff was in truth, a fierce unpolished soldier, who hadfrequently distinguished himself in the wars of Russia against the Turksand the inhabitants of the Caucasus, as much by his unexampled cruelty,as by his bravery and military talents.

  To his own soldiers he was overbearing and tyrannical, and he seemed toenjoy inflicting barbarities on the miserable foes who fell into hispower; while to his dependants and the serfs on his estates, he wasmorose and hard-hearted; so that none could love, and all feared andhated him. His compeers disliked and shunned him, while he, on hispart, seemed equally to disregard their censure or applause.

  He had now retired for some time past from military command, and hadsince then immured himself in his own chateau, within which the strangernever obtained admittance.

  When on several occasions Ivan had been tempted by Thaddeus to leave itssombre halls, and to mix in society, nothing could ever be gleaned fromhim respecting the internal arrangements of the family, notwithstandingall the attempts which were made to discover the secrets of the mansion.

  Some of the more charitably disposed neighbours concluded that theBaron's temper had been soured by domestic affliction, as it wasreported that he had lost by sudden death a beautiful wife, whom hetenderly loved, and her child, which had mysteriously disappeared;others however declared, that his brow had always been clouded by thesame dark lines.

  In spite of these various rumours, all concurred in the opinion, thatthe generous qualities of the young Ivan almost made amends for theBaron's defects; but they deplored his fate in being obliged to livewith a person of so opposite a character. The serfs on the estate lovedhim almost to adoration, every one of whom was ready to lay down hislife in his service.

  Ivan had ever regarded the Baron more with fear and awe, than with thosefeelings of affection and respect, which a son owes to a parent.

  There was however, one inmate of the chateau, on whom he lavished allthe warmth and tenderness of a fond and affectionate heart. She was theone bright star pure and lustrous, towards which he gazed through thecloudy atmosphere of his existence. From his earliest days he hadremembered that lovely countenance bending over him with a soft andenraptured gaze. Those bright eyes which looked lustreless on others,on him always shed a benign and soothing light. He had long ceased tocall her mother, for he had once done so in his childish days, when witha deep drawn sigh, and a gush of tears, she pressed him closer to herbosom, and bade him never again to use that name: the child could nothowever be taught to call her by any other, and he would therefore avoidall mention of her to any one.

  She had moreover succeeded in teaching him to refrain from paying herany attention or notice when, by chance, they appeared together in theBaron's presence, and the lady's greatest care seemed to be to appearequally regardless of the child.

  How delightful was it, as a reward for this apparent estrangement, tocommune during the Baron's absence, with her, when he would listen toevery word she uttered, and hear with delight the soft music of hervoice. Then would she teach him a strange language, which none otheraround them spoke, and they would converse in it for hours togethersecure from interruption, until the child spoke it as fluently asRussian. He had never inquired, in what country the language he hadlearned was spoken, it was sufficient for him to know, that it was givento him by the being he most revered and loved, and he cherished hisknowledge as a sacred gift which it would be profanation to impart toany other mortal. He always thought in that language, and in it healways poured forth his soul to the great Dispenser of good, for helooked upon it as the language of adoration; and as it had become hismedium of communication with her he loved most on earth, he felt it asthe most fit to adore Him who reigns in Heaven.

  Upon her he looked as upon a being with an existence separate from andabove all the rest of the world. In her presence, his thoughts becamemore holy, his aspirations loftier; his breast would swell proudly, asshe oft described to him the noble deeds of gallant warriors fightingfor the liberty of their country, until he ardently longed to emulatetheir actions; and thus were early implanted in his breast a sincerelove of liberty, and a hatred of despotism, with a contempt of everydanger which might beset him in the pursuit of the fame he thirstedafter.

  These sentiments had lain almost dormant within him, during theuneventful life which he had hitherto led, and it was only, when atcollege, he was witness to any tyrannical act of his own companions overtheir inferiors, that they burst forth; on such occasions he wouldalways step forward in aid of the weakest and injured party.

  He had so early been taught to conceal his feelings and opinions withinhis own bosom, that none of his companions were aware of their force ortendency, and had the officers of the college become acquainted withthem, a decisive check would have been given to his advancement.

  As far back as his memory could carry him, no event of importance hadoccurred to him: ere he was sent to college his education had beenplaced under the direction of a very worthy but most unintellectualpriest, who did not attempt to give him more than the first generalrudiments of knowledge; so that from an early age he was accustomed todepend much on his own powers to attain what he sought after.

  At times the Baron seemed to take an interest in his welfare, and in theprogress of his studies, but he was very uncertain and variable in hisbehaviour towards the boy; sometimes treating him with the greatestseverity, at others, with indulgence; but never with that kindness orjustice which wins the love and respect of youth.

  He would frequently summon him to attend at the usual field sports ofthe country, in which he soon learnt to excel; but when the boy couldmake his escape, he would prefer wandering by himself in the woods withhis gun, far mor
e occupied with his own contemplations, than in thepursuit of game; or at other times he would urge his light skiff overthe surface of a neighbouring lake, then resting on his oars, would sitgazing on the waters, his thoughts wandering to regions far away.

  When safe from the Baron's detection, he would hasten to a rendezvouswith his beautiful guardian and friend, and spend hours of delightfulintercourse in her society.

  Reclining at her feet, his recollection would revert faintly andindistinctly to scenes of a far distant, undefinable period, when hefancied he could recall to memory a picture of the bright and sunnymountains of a soft and genial clime--a cottage on the green hill'sside, in front a clear and rapid stream, bounding from rod to rock, andsparkling joyously on its way to the blue distant sea beyond; the treesof varied foliage waving in the breeze, and gay-coloured flowers fillingthe air with sweet perfumes. Then would appear, before the vision ofhis mind, a figure of commanding stature, with noble