"Ah, indeed!" cried Cobenzl. "That accounts for all these brilliant decorations, then."
"You certainly did not suppose that I was wearing them in Honor of YOUR visit, did you?" asked Potemkin, with quiet insolence.
"Oh, no, I thought it a mere mise en scene."
"Ah, Count Cobenzl is still mad on the subject of the drama," replied
Potemkin, laughing. "What new comedy are you about to get up at the
Austrian embassy, eh?"
"A very pretty thing, just from Paris, your highness. It is called, 'The
Disgraced Favorite, or the Whims of Fortune.'"
Potemkin's eyes flashed fire, but he controlled himself, and said,
"Where is the scene of the drama laid?"
"I do not precisely remember. In Tartary, or Mongolia, or—"
"Or in the moon," interrupted Potemkin, laughing. "But come be seated, and let us be serious." So saying, Potemkin threw himself back again upon the divan, and pointed to an arm-chair, which Cobenzl quietly accepted. The chair happened to be close to the spot where the ribbon of the Black Eagle was lying. Cobenzl seeing that it was under his feet, picked it up, and presented it to the prince.
"You know not what you do, count. You raise your enemy when you raise that ribbon. It has just been sent to me by the King of Prussia. I am quite in despair at being obliged to wear it, for it takes up so much room. The star of the Black Eagle is very large. Do you not think so?"
"Yes, your highness, and I congratulate you upon its possession, for the close King of Prussia does not often give away his diamonds."