I shrugged my shoulders. “He must protect himself,” I said dryly; “and as for you, monsieur, be careful to wear your own cloak in the future.”
“It is a dangerous thing to wear another man’s in Russia, it appears,” he replied with a smile.
CHAPTER VIII.
A MEDDLESOME COUSIN.
Since the first meeting with mademoiselle before the Tower of Ivan Veliki, M. de Lambert had found it convenient to pass in that direction at a certain hour every afternoon. Mademoiselle did not appear so frequently, but Madame de Brousson and I knew the days on which he was fortunate by his high good-humor; and the rest of the week we had cause enough to regret Najine’s caprice, since his mood was usually gloomy, and he found endless fault with Touchet, who was his particular attendant. But one evening he came in from the Kremlin, having seen mademoiselle, but still being in so terrible a temper that I divined at once that something was wrong. He ate little at supper, and it evidently cost him an effort to respond to Zénaïde’s pleasantry. She made covert signs to me to observe him, and soon slipped out of the room to give me an opportunity to sound him. When we were alone, I rallied him on his gloomy mood.
“You were fortunate to-day, I know,” I said lightly; “you saw mademoiselle, yet you have been but an owl at my feast. Forsooth, when I was of your age, I had a lighter heart.”
He looked at me gravely. “I have had heavy tidings,” he said; “mademoiselle had some information to-day. The intrigues of Catherine Shavronsky are in vain. The czar has spoken openly to the Councillor Zotof.”
I started; here indeed was a climax. Since the scene at Mentchikof’s, I had hung high hopes on the Livonian girl; but if the czar was seriously considering a marriage with mademoiselle, all my schemes dissolved in air.
“Did she give you the particulars?” I asked.
“All that she knew,” he replied moodily. “Madame told her that she must prepare to accept the formal proposals of the czar, as he had already spoken of it to Zotof. When Najine protested that she would not listen to him, madame became violent and screamed with passion, threatening her with confinement and I know not what. Before she shall be coerced,” he touched his sword, “I will settle the account with her uncle.”
I looked at his haughty face with secret admiration, but I laughed.