“To-day about noon,” said Boris, proceeding to tell all he knew, “there drove up to the inn door a troika containing four persons, two equerries attired in blue and silver livery, and two women, who——”
“Who,” interposed Nadia, “from their dress might have been taken for grand-duchesses, but who proved in the end to be only ladies’ maids.”
“The four had been sent on to prepare for the coming of their mistress, a boyarine, so they said, of the highest rank. They wished to engage the whole inn for the night. They insisted that the time of their lady’s sleep must be free from the slightest noise, to ensure which they stipulated that I must exclude all other visitors, and to this I agreed, as they promised to pay well. They then went the round of the inn, selecting such rooms as they deemed suitable.”
“And the airs and graces of the maids!” said Nadia. “They strutted about with their noses held high. Nothing was good enough for them.”
“They selected the Tapestried Chamber as the bedroom of their lady,” continued Boris.
“Yes, and grumbled because there was no room communicating directly with it. They wished to be near their lady, and actually wanted us to connect the Tapestried Chamber with the adjoining room by there and then cutting a doorway through the wall.”
“And when I refused,” pursued Boris, “on the ground that I could not make any alteration in government property without the consent of the government, I thought they would never cease laughing, though for my part I could see nothing to laugh at. In the evening about seven of the clock the boyarine and her party arrived.”
“And how sweet and gracious she was!” commented Nadia. “Different altogether from her retinue. Do you mind that ugly haughty man in uniform, with the long spurs and the fierce moustaches. He’s a fire-eater, if you like! He spent an hour after dinner in fencing with another officer, as lordly as himself. One of the maids so far condescended to me as to say that he practised this sword-play every day in order to be able to kill a certain Englishman.”
“He must take care that the Englishman doesn’t kill him,” smiled Wilfrid.—“They have all gone to bed, I suppose?”