ngaged in digging the
grave of humanity."

But all benefit from these enormous successes was abandoned, when the
commanding Russian officer Apraxin mysteriously withdrew and returned
with his army to Russia. This was undoubtedly part of a deeply laid
plot of which Frederick was cognizant, and working in concert with a
certain distinguished lady in Elizabeth's own court--a clever puller of
wires who was going to fill some important chapters in Russian history!

The Empress had chosen for her successor her nephew Peter, son of her
only sister and the Duke of Holstein. The far-seeing Frederick had
brought about a marriage between this youth and a German Princess,
Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst. Then the Future Emperor Peter III. and his
German bride took up their abode in the palace at St. Petersburg, she
having been rechristened _Catherine_, upon adopting the Greek faith. A
mutual dislike deepened into hatred between this brilliant, clever
woman and her vulgar and inferior husband; and there is little doubt
that the treacherous conduct of the Russian commander was part of a
plan to place her infant son Paul upon the throne instead of his
father, and make her Regent. Elizabeth's death was apparently at hand
and the general mistrust of Peter's fitness for the position opened the
way for such a conspiracy--which, however, is not known, but only
suspected.

The one merciful edict which adorns this reign is the "abolishing of
the death penalty." But as the knout became more than ever active, we
are left to infer that by a nice distinction in the Russian mind death
under that instrument of torture was not considered "capital
punishment."

It is said that when the daughter of the austere Peter died, she left
sixteen thousand dresses, thousands of slippers, and two large chests
of silk stockings--a wardrobe which would have astonished her mother at
the time she was serving the table of the Pastor Glueck. Elizabeth
expired in 1761, and the throne passed to Peter III., grandson of Peter
the Great and Catherine I.

The first act of the new Tsar was a delightful surprise to the
nobility. He published a manifesto freeing the nobles from the
obligation of service imposed by Peter the Great, saying that this law,
which was wise at the time it was enacted, was no longer necessary, now
that the nobility was enlightened and devoted to the service of their
ruler. The grateful nobles talked of erecting a statue of gold to this
benig