Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia

put at their ease, and Ave cannot do that without being at ease ourselves. With a grave prince I could have hoped to save myself by conversation, but with a gay and youthful prince, I was left without resource.

A staircase, very narrow, but adorned with an English carpet, conducted us to the upper floor. We there saw the chamber where the Grand-duchess Marie passed a part of her infancy; it is empty : that of the Grand-duchess Olga will not probably remain long occupied. The empress might truly say that the cottage was becoming too large. These two very similar chambers are furnished with a charming simplicity.

The Grand-duke stopped at the top of the stairs, and said with that perfect politeness, of which (notwithstanding his extreme youth) he possesses the secret, — "I am sure that you would rather see everything here without me; and I have seen it all so often, that I would, I confess, as willingly leave

you to finish your survey with Madame. I will

therefore joiu my mother, and wait for you with her."

"Whereupon he saluted us gracefully, and left me, charmed with the flattering ease of his manners. It is a great advantage to a prince to be really well bred. I had not, then, this time, produced the effect that I anticipated; the constraint that I felt had not been communicated. If he had sympathised with my uneasiness, he would have remained, for timidity can do nothing but submit to its torture ; it knows not how to free itself; no elevation is safe from its attacks: the victim whom it paralyses,