to my great delight, that she would receive me when she had
completed her toilette. In my eager curiosity I now counted every
minute, until an officer followed by an aged female, veiled, came to
usher me into the mysterious palace of which, as yet, I had seen only
the lofty outer wall.

"My husband, as we had preconcerted, attempted to follow us, and, no
impediment being offered, unceremoniously passed through the little door
into the park, crossed the latter, boldly ascended a terrace adjoining
the palace, and at last found himself--much surprised at his
extraordinary good fortune--in a little room that seemed one of the
princess's private apartments. Hitherto no male stranger except Count
Worontzov, had entered the palace; the flattering and unlooked-for
exception which the princess had made in my husband's favour, induced us
to hope that she would carry her complaisance still further. We were
soon undeceived. The officer who had acted as our guide, after offering
us iced water, sweetmeats, and pipes, took my husband by the hand, and
conducted him from the room with significant celerity. As soon as he had
disappeared, a curtain was raised at the other end of the apartment, and
a strikingly beautiful woman, richly clad, made her entry. Advancing
with a singularly dignified air, she took both my hands, kissed me on
both cheeks, and with many friendly demonstrations sat down by my side.
She was highly rouged, her eyelids were painted black and met over the
nose, communicating to her countenance a certain sternness, that,
nevertheless, did not impair its agreeable character. To her still
elegant figure fitted closely a vest of furred velvet. Altogether she
was far more beautiful than I had imagined.

"We passed a quarter of an hour in close examination of each other,
interchanging as well as we could a few Russian words which very
inadequately expressed our thoughts. But in such cases, looks supply the
deficiencies of speech, and mine must have expressed the admiration I
felt. Hers, I own, in all humility, seemed to indicate much more
surprise at, than approval of, my travelling costume. What would I not
have given to know the result of her purely feminine analysis of my
appearance! In this _tete-a-tete_ I felt an inward twinge of conscience
at having presented myself before her in male attire, which must have
given her a strange idea of European fashions.

"I would fain have prolonged my visit in the hope of seeing he