The Daughter of an Empress

  THE NIGHT OF THE CONSPIRACY

  It was a splendid dinner, that which the regent had this day preparedfor his guests. Count Munnich was very much devoted to the pleasures ofthe table, and, sitting near the regent, he gave himself wholly up tothe cheerful humour which the excellent viands and delicate wines werecalculated to stimulate. At times he entirely forgot his deep-laid plansfor the coming night, and then again he would suddenly recollect themin the midst of his gayest conversation with his host, and whilevolunteering a toast in praise of the noble regent, and closing it bycrying--"A long life and reign to the great regent, Biron von Courland!"he secretly and with a malicious pleasure thought: "This is thylast dinner, sir duke! A few hours, and those lips, now smiling withhappiness, will be forever silenced by our blows!"

  These thoughts made the field-marshal unusually gay and talkative,and the regent protested that Munnich had never been a more agreeable_convive_ than precisely to-day. Therefore, when the other guestsretired, he begged of Munnich to remain with him awhile; and thefield-marshal, thinking it might possibly enable him to prevent anywarning reaching the regent, consented to stay.

  They spoke of past times, of the happy days when the Empress Anna yetreigned, and when all breathed of pleasure and enjoyment at that happycourt; and perhaps it was these recollections that rendered Biron sadand thoughtful. He was absent and low-spirited, and his large, flashingeyes often rested with piercing glances upon the calm and smiling faceof Munnich.

  "You all envy me on account of my power and dominion," said he toMunnich; "of that I am not ignorant. But you know not with what secretpain and anguish these few hours of splendor are purchased!--thesleepless nights in which one fears seeing the doors open to giveadmission to murderers, and then the dreams in which blood is seenflowing, and nothing is heard but death-shrieks and lamentations! Ah, Ihate the nights, which are inimical to all happiness. In the nightwill misfortune at some time overtake me--in the night the evil spiritreigns!"

  With a drooping head the regent had spoken half to himself; but suddenlyraising his head and looking Munnich sharply in the eyes, he said:"Have you, Mr. Field-Marshal, during your campaigns, never in the nightforeseen any important event?"

  Munnich shuddered slightly, and the color forsook his cheeks. "He knowsall, and I am lost," thought he, and his hand involuntarily sought hissword. "I will defend myself to the last drop of my blood," was hisfirst idea.

  But Biron, although surprised, saw nothing of the field-marshal'sstrange commotion--he was wholly occupied with his own thoughts, andonly awaited an answer to his question.

  "Well, Mr. Field-Marshal," he repeated, "tell me whether in the nightyou have ever had the presentiment of any important event?"

  "I was just considering," he calmly said. "At this moment I do notrecollect ever having foreseen any extraordinary event by night. But ithas always been a principle of mine to take advantage of every favorableopportunity, whether by day or night."

  Munnich remained with the regent until eleven o'clock in the evening,and then they separated with the greatest kindness and the heartiestassurances of mutual friendship and devotion.

  "Ah, that was a hard trial!" said Munnich, breathing easier and deeper,as he left the palace of the duke behind him. "I was already convincedthat all was lost, but this Biron is unsuspecting as a child! Sleep now,Biron, sleep!--in a few hours I shall come to awaken you, and realizeyour bloody dream!"

  With winged steps he hastened to his own palace. Arrived there, hesummoned his adjutant, Captain von Mannstein, and, after having brieflygiven him the necessary orders, took him with him into his carriage forthe purpose of repairing to the palace of the Prince of Brunswick.

  It was a cold November night of the year 1740. The deserted streets werehushed in silence, and no one of the occupants of the dark houses, noone on earth, dreamed that this carriage, whose rumbling was only halfheard in sleep, was in a manner the thundering herald of new times andnew lords.

  Munnich had chosen his time well. For if it was forbidden to admit anyone whatever, during the night, to the palace occupied by the youngczar, and if also the regent had given the guards strict orders to shootany one who might attempt, in spite of these commands, to penetrate intothe forbidden precincts, this day made an exception for Munnich, as aportion of one of his own regiments was to-day on duty at the imperialpalace.

  Unimpeded, stayed by no one, Munnich penetrated to the apartments ofAnna Leopoldowna. She was awaiting him, and at his side she descended toreceive the homage of the officers and soldiers, who had been commandedby Munnich to submit themselves to her.

  With glowing words she described to the listening soldiers all theinsults and injuries to which the regent had subjected herself, herhusband, and their son the emperor.

  "Who can say that this miserable low-born Biron is called to fillso exalted a place, and to lord it over you, my beloved friends andbrothers? To me, as the niece of the blessed Empress Anna, to me, asthe mother of Ivan, chosen as emperor by Anna, to me alone belongsthe regency, and by Heaven I will reconquer that of which I have beennefariously robbed! I will punish this insolent upstart whose shamefultyranny we have endured long enough, and I hope you, my friends, willstand by me and obey the commands of your generals."

  A loud _viva_ followed this speech of Anna Leopoldowna, who tenderlyembraced the enraptured officers, commanding them to follow her.

  Accompanied by Marshal Munnich and eighty soldiers, Anna then went outinto the streets. In silence they advanced to within a hundred stepsof Biron's palace. Here, making a halt, Mannstein alone approachedthe palace to command the officers of the guard in the name of the newregent, Anna Leopoldowna, to submit and pay homage to her. No oppositionwas made; accustomed always to obey, they had not the courage to disputethe commands of the new ruler, and declared themselves ready to assisther in the arrest of the regent.

  Mannstein returned to Anna and Munnich with this joyful intelligence,and received orders to penetrate into the palace with twenty men, tocapture the duke, and even kill him if he made resistance.

  Without opposition Mannstein again returned to the palace with his smallband, carefully avoiding making the least noise in his approach. All thesoldiers in the palace knew him; and as the watch below had permittedhim to pass, they supposed he must have an important message for theduke, and no one stopped him.

  He had already wandered through several rooms, when an unforeseendifficulty presented itself. Where is the sleeping-room of the duke?Which way must he turn, in order to find him? He stood there undecided,not daring to ask any of the attendants in the anterooms, lest perhapsthey might suspect him and awaken the duke! He finally resolved to goforward and trust to accident. He passed two or three chambers--all wereempty, all was still!

  Now he stands before a closed door! What if that should prove thechamber of the duke? He thinks he hears a breathing.

  He cautiously tries the door. Slightly closed, it yields to hispressure, and he enters. There stands a huge bed with hanging curtains,which are boldly drawn aside by Mannstein.

  Before him lies the regent, Duke Biron of Courland, with his wife by hisside.

  "Duke Biron, awake!" called Mannstein, with a loud voice. The ducal pairstarted up from their slumber with a shriek of terror.

  Biron leaps from the bed, but Mannstein overpowers him and holds himfast until his soldiers come. The duke defends himself with his hands,but is beaten down with musket-stocks. They bind his hands with anofficer's scarf, they wrap him in a soldier's mantle, and so convey himdown to Field-Marshal Munnich's carriage which is waiting, below, totransport him to the winter palace.

  While Mannstein and the soldiers were occupied with the duke, hisduchess had found an opportunity to make her escape. With only her lightnight-dress, shrieking and lamenting, she had rushed into the street.

  She was seized by a soldier, who, conducting her to Mannstein, askedwhat he should do with her.

  "Take her back into the palace!" said Mannstein, hastening past.
r />   But the soldier, only anxious to rid himself of an encumbrance, threwthe now insensible duchess into the snow, and hurried away.

  In this situation she was found by a captain of the guard, who liftedher up and conveyed her into the palace to give her over to the care ofher women, that she might be restored to consciousness and dressed. Butshe no longer had either women or servants! Her reign is over; they haveall fled in terror, as from the house of death, that they may not beinvolved in the disaster of those whose good fortunes they have shared.The slaves had all decamped in search of new masters, and the regent'spalace, so often humbly and reverently sought, is now avoided as apest-house.

  With trembling hands the duchess enveloped herself in her clothes, andthen followed her husband into the winter palace.

  And while all this was taking place the court and nation yet trembled atthe names of these two persons who had just been so deeply humbled. ThePrincess Anna Leopoldowna, accompanied by the shouting soldiery, made atriumphant progress through the streets of the city, stopping at all thecaserns to receive the oaths and homage of the regiments.

  This palace-revolution was consummated without the shedding ofblood, and the awaking people of St. Petersburg found themselves withastonishment under a new regency and new masters!

  But a population of slaves venture no opposition. Whoever may have thepower to declare and maintain himself their ruler, he is their master,and the slavish horde bow humbly before him.

  As, hardly four weeks previously, the great magnates of the realmhad hurried to the Duke of Courland to pay their homage and prostratethemselves in the dust before him, so did they now hasten to the palaceof the new regent, humbly to pay their court to her. The same lips thateven yesterday swore eternal fidelity to the Regent Biron, and soundedhis praise to the skies, now condemned him, and as loudly commendedtheir august new mistress, Anna Leopoldowna! The same knees which hadyesterday bent to Biron, now bent before Anna; and, with tears of joy,men now again sank into the arms of each other, loudly congratulatingtheir noble Russia upon which the sun of happiness had now risen, givenher Anna Leopoldowna as regent!

  And while all was jubilation in the palace of the new regent, that ofthe great man of yesterday stood silent and deserted--no one dared toraise a voice in his favor! Those who yesterday revelled at his tableand sang his praises were to-day his bitterest enemies, cursing him thelouder the more they had lauded him yesterday.

  Magnificent festivals were celebrated in St. Petersburg in honor ofthe new regent, while they were at the same time trying the old oneand condemning him to death. But Anna Leopoldowna mitigated hispunishment--what a mitigation!--by changing the sentence of death intothat of perpetual banishment to Siberia!