but born and brought up in Court circles, rich people who
ingratiate themselves into the Court set, and people neither rich nor
belonging to the Court but who ingratiate themselves into the first and
second sets.

Kasatsky did not belong to the first two sets, but was readily welcomed
in the others. On entering society he determined to have relations with
some society lady, and to his own surprise quickly accomplished this
purpose. He soon realized, however, that the circles in which he moved
were not the highest, and that though he was received in the highest
spheres he did not belong to them. They were polite to him, but showed
by their whole manner that they had their own set and that he was not of
it. And Kasatsky wished to belong to that inner circle. To attain that
end it would be necessary to be an aide-de-camp to the Emperor--which
he expected to become--or to marry into that exclusive set, which he
resolved to do. And his choice fell on a beauty belonging to the
Court, who not merely belonged to the circle into which he wished to be
accepted, but whose friendship was coveted by the very highest people
and those most firmly established in that highest circle. This was
Countess Korotkova. Kasatsky began to pay court to her, and not merely
for the sake of his career. She was extremely attractive and he soon
fell in love with her. At first she was noticeably cool towards him,
but then suddenly changed and became gracious, and her mother gave him
pressing invitations to visit them. Kasatsky proposed and was accepted.
He was surprised at the facility with which he attained such happiness.
But though he noticed something strange and unusual in the behaviour
towards him of both mother and daughter, he was blinded by being
so deeply in love, and did not realize what almost the whole town
knew--namely, that his fiancee had been the Emperor Nicholas's mistress
the previous year.

Two weeks before the day arranged for the wedding, Kasatsky was at
Tsarskoe Selo at his fiancee's country place. It was a hot day in May.
He and his betrothed had walked about the garden and were sitting on
a bench in a shady linden alley. Mary's white muslin dress suited her
particularly well, and she seemed the personification of innocence and
love as she sat, now bending her head, now gazing up at the very tall
and handsome man who was speaking to her with particular tenderness and
self-restraint, as if he feared by word or gesture to offend