It flashed into my mind to tell him Von Gaden’s story; but remembering that the latter’s interests were all with the Naryshkins, I forbore. Instead of speaking of the Ramodanofskys, I expressed my satisfaction at having been able to fulfill my mission at all, and my fears that it was too late to be a successful execution of my trust. Galitsyn’s reply reassured me on one point at least.
“In one respect it is too late,” he said, “in that, the Naryshkins overreached themselves. If anything could have prevented this scourging to-day—Ah, well, what odds! But it is just in time, since you saved it from evil hands.”
I was not a little shocked at the thought of the horrid consequences that were perhaps involved in the delay of that little packet; Galitsyn, however, apparently dismissed it from his thoughts with perfect ease.
“You have heard the news, M. le Vicomte?” he said lightly; “the ex-Chancellor Matveief has returned.”
I was startled at his careless announcement of this arrival, as I knew that the czarina’s former guardian was a power even with the Streltsi, and fancied that Galitsyn must feel firm ground under his own feet, or he would not have spoken of it so lightly.
“I knew that the ex-chancellor was at his country-place,” I said, as easily as I could, for I had no desire to betray my surprise, “but I had not heard of his arrival in this city.”
“Your head was probably tied up in one of Ramodanofsky’s rugs at the time,” the prince replied with a smile; “but it is a fact that Matveief is here, to assume, I suppose, the reins of government.”
I looked at him inquiringly, but could not read his inscrutable and smiling face, therefore I fell back on a safe reply.
“All this is news to me, your excellency,” I said. “I was probably, as you say, muffled in one of Ramodanofsky’s rugs.”
“Well, as long as you escape his steward as happily as our friend did, all will be well,” Galitsyn replied serenely; and I saw at once that Lykof had given him a full account of his treatment at the hands of Polotsky.