Barbara stared hard at the speaker, having no suspicion of his sinister purpose in preferring this request.
"You would see the original document?" she repeated. "This is truly a singular demand. As the Charter was signed in duplicate, why not consult your own original, which, if history err not, was deposited in the archives of the Kremlin?"
"We would, if it were there; but seek as we may, we have never been able to find the alleged document!"
"Alleged document?" repeated Barbara, knitting her brows. "Did you say alleged?"
"Yes," retorted Orloff, with an insolent sneer that brought all the blood to Barbara's face, and caused the more fiery portion of the assembly to half-draw their blades. "Yes; for the truth is," he continued, glancing defiantly around, "Czernova never had any such Charter as is commonly alleged. How the first so-called Prince of Czernova contrived to impose upon Russia the fiction of a Charter granted by Catherine is indeed inexplicable; nevertheless the council of the empire has received ample proof that such document has never existed."
Barbara's lifted hand quelled the wrathful murmurs.
"And without such Charter," she said, "it necessarily follows that—will you finish the sentence for me, Count?"
"It follows that Czernova is as much a part of the Czar's dominions as the rest of Russian Poland."
"Proceed a step farther, Count. Say that in reigning over Czernova I have become liable to a charge of treason in having usurped the authority of the Czar."
"His Majesty will permit you to plead ignorance."