And with a shrill cry of anguish the princess clung to the neck of her
favorite.
The door was now hastily opened, and upon the threshold appeared Lestocq
and Woronzow.
"Princess Elizabeth!" exclaimed Lestocq, with solemnity, "I have come
for you. The throne awaits its empress!"
"Up, Princess Elizabeth," said Alexis, "take courage, my fair empress,
give us an example of spirit and resolution!"
The princess slowly raised her pale face from Razumovsky's shoulder, and
looking around with timid glances, faintly said: "I suffer fearfully!
This anguish will kill me! My destiny is so cruel, I am so tormented.
Why must I be an empress?"
"That you may be no nun," laconically responded Lestocq.
"And to become the greatest and loftiest woman in the world!" said
Woronzow.
"To raise to your own elevation the man you love," whispered Alexis.
With a glance of tenderness, Elizabeth nodded to him.
"Yes," said she, "for your sake, my Alexis, I will become an empress!
Come, let us go. But where is Grunstein?"
"With his faithful followers he awaits us before the casern of his
regiment. We go there first."
"Then let us go!" said Elizabeth, striding forward. But she stopped on
seeing that Alexis followed with the other two.
"No," said she, "you must not go with us, Alexis. If I am to have
courage to act and speak, I must know that you are not mingled in the
strife--I must not have to tremble for your life! No, no, only when
I know that you are concealed and in safety, can I have courage to
struggle for an imperial crown. Promise me, therefore, Alexis, that you
will quietly remain here until I send a messenger for you!"
Razumovsky begged and implored in vain--in vain he knelt before her, and
covered her hands with tears and kisses.
Elizabeth remained inflexible, and, as Alexis yet persisted in his
prayers, she earnestly and proudly said: "Alexis Razumovsky, I command
you to remain here. You will obey the first command of your empress!"
"I will remain," sighed Alexis, "and the world will point the finger of
scorn at me, calling me a coward!"
"And I will compel the world to honor you as a king!" said Elizabeth,
with tenderness, beckoning to Lestocq and Woronzow to follow her from
the room.
Silently they hastened down the stairs--silently was Elizabeth handed
into her sledge, while Lestocq and Woronzow took their places in the
second.
"Forward!" thundered Lestocq's powerful voice, and the train rushed
through the dark and deserted streets.
St. Petersburg slept. No one appeared at the darkened windows of the
silent palaces, no one boded that a new empress was passing through
the streets,--an empress, who at this time had but two subjects in her
train!
They had now reached the casern of the Peobrajensky regiment. There they
halted. In the open door stands Grunstein with his thirty recruits.