and noble of the
realm in the brilliant imperial halls above, the palace was surrounded
by dense masses of people looking up with curiosity at the bright
windows, and listening with astonishment to the joyful shouts that
reached their ears below. And when they heard the cause of the rejoicing
above, they shrugged their shoulders and murmured low: "The empress will
henceforth punish no one with death! What is that to us? That the great
shall no more be put to death by the empress, is no concern of ours, the
serfs of the great! The empress is powerful, but our lords and masters
have yet more power over us. They will still scourge us to death, and
the empress cannot hinder them!"

That a word of authority from the czarina had abolished the punishment
of death, did not stir them up from their dull, expectant silence; but
when a messenger from the empress came and announced that Elizabeth had
ordered a flask of brandy to be given to each one of the crowd assembled
below, that they might drink her health, then came life and movement
to these stupid masses, then their dull faces were distorted into a
friendly grin, then they screamed and howled with a brutish ecstasy, and
they all rushed to the opened door to avail themselves of the promised
benevolence of the empress and receive the divine liquor!

For the great, the abolition of capital punishment--for the people, a
flask of brandy--these were the first rays that announced the appearance
of the newly-rising sun Elizabeth in the horizon of her realm!

No,--Elizabeth did yet more!--in this hour she remembered with a
grateful heart the faithful friends who had assisted her to the throne;
to reward these was her next and most sacred duty!

A nod from her called to her presence the thirty grenadiers of the
Preobrajensky regiment whom Grunstein had won over, and the empress with
a gracious smile gave them her hand to kiss.

Then, rising from her throne, and glancing at the assembled magnates and
princes, she said, in a clear and flattering tone: "It is service that
ennobles, it is fidelity that lends fame and splendor. And service and
fidelity have you rendered and shown to me, my faithful grenadiers! I
will reward you as you deserve. From this hour you are free; nay, more,
you are magnates of my realm; you belong, with the best of right, to
their circle, for, in virtue of my imperial power, I raise you to
the nobility by creating you barons, all of you, my thirty faithful
g