“Holy Mother! there stands a Tsaritsa indeed!’ exclaimed Galitsin. ‘See, Sophia, such loveliness is surely peerless!’
‘Yes, but——’ began the Regent, and drew Galitsin aside so that Maria Apraxin (from whom Mazeppa received all that has been told of this scene) could not hear what they said. If one may guess, it is probable that Sophia would much have preferred Vera for Tsaritsa, partly because the Tsar seemed more attracted by her than by the rest, but chiefly because she fancied that Vera Tsaritsa would be more easily managed than Praskovia Tsaritsa; for the Regent Sophia did not intend to see the power go from her own hands, and the wife of Ivan should be one who would consent to take the second place in the realm.
But Galitsin had ever the ruling word of these two, and doubtless he persuaded the Regent that matters must go forward now as Ivan would, having gone thus far, and that since Vera was obstinately determined against marriage with him, and he seemed to have accepted her refusal with resignation, the better way now was to encourage him in his obvious admiration for Praskovia. Therefore the two soon returned to the spot where Ivan still stood and gazed, speechless, at Praskovia Soltikof, from whose figure he had not once withdrawn his eyes during these moments of waiting.
‘See, her hand is bound up as though it were hurt,’ said the Tsar as they joined him. ‘What ails her, think you, sister?’
‘Ask her, Golúbchick, for yourself. She is not an image of wax, she is warm flesh and blood, made for love and for caresses; ask her, my dove!’
‘What ails thee?’ stammered Ivan, blushing to the roots of his hair.
‘It is nothing, Tsar,’ said Praskovia, glancing at Olga and attempting to hide her hand.
Here Maria Apraxin stepped forward.
‘There is a dog in the terem that bites, Highness,’ she laughed; ‘poor Praskovia has been bitten.’
‘A dog?’ exclaimed Ivan, recoiling—‘a dog that bites—he may be mad, sister, let us depart!’