LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1611, 19 April 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

TWO FAIR DUELLISTS. (From the 1 Danbury News.’) Continued. ‘Yon are Incurable,’ said Koltoff. Lapimki sought out the laundresses of the regiment and pressed the poles on which they spread their lines, into service. Now the soldiers began, under his direction, to manufacture lanterns from the coloured paper which they had previously soaked in oil; placing the candles in them, the improvised lanterns were fastened on the poles. The work progressed with military precision, and at nightfall everything was in readiness. In the van were soldiers with lanterns in all colours, then followed the two officers, strongly guarded by lanterns, Koltoff with the famous bouquet, after which came the little drummers and filers of the Preobraschenaki Guards, in full parade uniform and stiff, well-powdered, little qveus. The procession was closed by another detachment of soldiers hearing lanterns. Numerous lookers-on followed, and when the palace of the countess was reached, an immense throng had asfembled_ placed his men in a quarre, whict surrounded by colored lanterns predated a pleasing effect, and posted Koltoff j> the foreground, facing the balcony of the beautiful major. When all was ready he

raised the cine wMbh every offi er carried in day, and the drummers opened the strange th roughly military, serenade with an uneaithlv din; the filers joined their shrill voice, and together they played the original quaint march which was then in high leaver. It was not long before the glass door leading into the balcony opened rind the beautiful Lubina stepped out in a charming white negliqe, over which a velvet cloak was carelessly thrown ; she looked en the vast crowd with invisible astonishment; but not until Koltoff had taken off his hat and thrown with a sure strong hand the huge bouquet at her feet, did she recognise her deliverer and divine his intention. She thanked him with a graceful bow, picked up the bouquet, and as the drummers broke into another rally with redoubled vigor, held her hands to her ears wed hurst into a loud laugh, Lapinski commanded quiet. The countess thanked them again with an enchanting smi e, and withdrew. A few moments later a liveried servant appeared, and invited the two offices in her name to present themselves to her. ‘ Forward,’ whispered t.apinokl fo his radiant companion. ‘ Everything is in your hands now. Propose at once. In the meantime I will take my little heroes back home,’

Ad the company turned and marched homeward, readily responding to Lapinski’s request for more noise, Koltoff ascended slowly, halting at every step to take breath, to the presence of his divinity. The servant led him through a suite of magnificently furnished chambers and then, drawing aside a heavy curtain, the young officer found himself in the presence of the beautiful woman, alone with her in a boudoir, appointed in the coquettish, extravagant manner which was then in vogue. The countess possessed sufficient tact not to ask for his companion, but invited Koltoff with the most charming motion of her perfectly moulded hand, and an amiable smile, as if their tete a tete was natural and preconcerted, to a genuine Turkish div&n. ‘ Pardon,’ began Koltoff, ‘ the poor manner in which I expressed my jojr at your providential deliverance, but ’ ‘ Why should I pardon you ?’ interrupted the countess, ‘it was a thoroughly military serenade.’ ‘You are too good,’ replied the lieutenant, ‘but again I must beg of you not to judge my feelings by the attempt I made to express them.’ ‘ I am corlvinced of the regard in which you hold me.’ said the beautiful woman, allowing the velvet cloak to fall, and disclosing the bust of an Olympian goddess. ‘Oil should be happy to shed mv blood for you—give my life for you!’ cried Koltoff, passionately. ‘lllusions of youth!’ replied the countess, ‘ but you choose words which should only be used when talking to a woman you love.’ * And you find it pitiable that a poor lieutenant Should dare to love the Countess Mentschikoff ?’ ‘ Pitiable ? No.’ ‘ I aughable, then!’ replied Koltoff, ‘Not at all,’ she returned, toying with the lace that fringed her desabilla. At the same time an amused smile played about the corners of her mouth. ‘ And yet you laugh,’ said Koltoff, in an offended tone. ‘At your lack of courage,’ replied the countess ; ‘it little becomes the soldier.’ ‘ Then you encourage me ? ’ 1 To what ? ’ ‘ To love yon.’ *Do you then really love me ?’ asked the countess, breaking into a clear, melodious laughter. ‘And now you laugh at the poor lieutenant ! ’ said Koltoff, bitterly, ‘By my faith, no! ’ replied the countess, suddenly grown earnest and thoughtful. * Laugh at roe,’ continued the young officer, ‘taunt mo to the utmost. I shall, love you for all that, and will love you forever. lam happy that I can at last tell you how intensely I love you, even if at the next moment you banish me from your presence.’ ‘Who tells you that I will do that?’ replied the counteas, evidently amused at the youthful ardour of the lieutenant. ‘ You do not banish me ?’ cried Koltoff, excitedly. The beautiful Lubina laid a shapely finger on her lips to subdue his exclamations of joy somewhat, and when the young officer repeated his question in even a more passionate though lower voice, she shook her head. Oh ! how charming, how irresistible was that simple inclination of the head to Koltoff. ‘Then you love me in return?’ he whispered, carried away by the amiability of his superior officer, the major of the Simbrisk Regiment. ‘I did not say that,’ she hastened to reply, crushing his fond hopes, ‘ but—’ she smiled that fascinating smile again, ‘ I allow you to to love me.’ ‘And you permit me to sue for your hand 9 ’ he cried, again aglow with excitement and passion. * How courageous you become suddenly,’ said the countess. ‘ At least you do not forbid me ? ’ he continued, following up his advantage, and grasping her beautifl hand, which she had vainly sought to keep from him. ‘No, no,’ she laughed. At the same moment Koltoff was at he’’ feet, he kissed her hands, and the beautiful major blushed visibly, despite the, rouge which adorred her face.

CIIA.PT ftR V. A WONDERFUL WOMXN. A few days after, on a warm Hummer afternoon, the counteas and Koltoff walked slowly up and down a shady path in the Montichikoff Park. They had been silent for some minutes and were engaged in admiring the butterflies, which floated about in pairs, occasionally alighting on the wellkept hedges, and spreading their gorgeous wings. At last Lubina turned into a byway until they arrived at a charming little retreat, a massive bench, shadowed by an ancient oak ; opposite a fountain th'ew its spray lazily into the air, and behind it stood s f atuettes of Nenus and Adonis, copied faithful in every detail from famous antique models. Koltoff fastened his eyes on the group with such a strange express : on that Lubina, tapping him slightly on the jhoulder with her, asking him in her naive manner, whether ho found the lady in marfle more worthy of attention than her. Koltoff made no reply for a few noments. Then he sighed and his eyes still fixed on the statuette, asked in an absent manner—

1 Do you not think that in thoio daya people were happier than they are new ? ’ ‘ Why ? ’ she retorted, * because the goddesses of Olympus paid visits to mortals ? ’ ‘ No, because they could love,' amwered KoltofF, ‘it seems as if corsets and erholiues had choked all natural feelings.’ ‘Why do you lay particular stress on corsets and crinolines ?’ atked the corntess, ‘do the jabot and queue allow thi heart natural play ?’ The lieutenant shrugged his shculders; ho felt that his love was pure, despbe these innovations of fashion, and that the heroes of antiquity had no advantage of him on that score.

‘You think that you love me,’emtinued she, * but what is it you feel ? It isnothing more nor lees than a little imagination and a great deal of egotism. Now a-dajs such a thing as love does not exst ; wo have liaisons, but neither passion nor love weaves the tender bond—it is only ennvi.' ‘ And to what do you ascribe thii revolution in human nature ?’

1 Fo philosophy,’ answered the countess. ‘ We study and analyse our feeling; to such an extent that they never take roct in our hearts, wo have ideals which desiroy our appreciation of nature wore the latter ever so grand, so sublime. Review my ovneaso: When I first saw yon, as I recovered con sciousness after that accident and found you on your knees before me, you took my fancy ’ Koltoll blushed and his eyes sought the ground.

‘You took my fancy even to a greater extent on the evening of that original serenade, when you confessed your love,’ continued Lubit.a, ‘ and now ’ ‘ You find mo intolerable ?’ cried Koltoff. ‘ No, ’ answered the countess, toying with her fin, ‘now I begin ti believe that 1 love yrn.’ ‘ You love me,’ cried the young officer so suddenly that a robin, who had been regarding the two with a look of curiosity in bis sparkling eyes, started up in affright and dashed away. ‘ It seems so to me,’ replied Lubina, ‘ or what can it mean when my heart beats violently as you enter into my presence, and continue while you are with me. Judge for yourself.’ And the coquette took the yonng officer’s hand a,d laid it on her heart. ‘ It is indeed so,’ stammered Koltoff. ‘Now, then, given that 1 love you,’ she continued, ‘how long will I love you? I have the misfortune for craving for a high, manly ideal. Should I meet a man who, through one or the other of those virtues which I hold are inseparable from trtfe manhood, excited my fancy, it is m/ intention to love him, love him passionately, perhaps, commit all the follies of a school girl, until—by continuous and searching observation—the bright moon displayed its spots.” ‘How ?’

‘Until I discovered the man’s weakness,’ continued the beautiful woman, ‘ then I would perceive suddenly how far the man whom I loved was removed from the man of whom I driam.t I should be completely disenchanted and scarcely feel pity for one whom I admired a moment before.'’ ‘That would be sensible,’ said Koltoff, who scarcely knew what to think of the countess, mush less what to answer her. ‘Now you see,’ she continued, ‘it would be an act of injustice both to myself and to the man whom I thought I loved were I to marry again ’ ‘ And of what does this manly ideal which yon have conceived, consist ? ’ asked Koltoff, after a short pause. ‘The man whom I would love, whom I would marry,’ answered Lubina, ‘ must combine bodily per ection with a noble, highly-cultured mind; he must be at once a thorough courtier, a brave soldier and a philosopher of uncommon mental capacity. ” ‘ You ask much,’ said the youflg lientenant ; the final qualification had almost taken his breath away. ‘ Of course it is rarely that we fi d these qualifications combined,’ continued Lubina, ‘ perhaps never. Voltaire is ugly as au npe, Maurice of Saxony possesses the logical mind of a corporal; but if this ideal exists, I am ready to descend from the exalted heights where my imagination soars and take up with the material embodiment. Am I not generous ? ’ She sank into deep thought. ‘ Shall I ever find my ideal? ’ she said in a low voice, her dark eyes thoroughly fixed on the ground. Koltoff was silent, silent though her warm round arm brushed against his hand. * A strange woman,’ he thought, ‘ can she really be incapable of loving ? ’ And the countess 1 The countess said to herself — ‘ A strange lieutenant 1 He seems to have read too much Plato.’ Chapter VI. TWO UNHAPPY REQUIREMENTS, Koltoff’ visited the beautiful countess daily now, indeed there were days when, free from official duties, he knelt at the shrine of the capricious goddess from early morning until night; when she went out for a canter, it was Koltoff who assisted her into the saddle and accompanied, her, which latter was a dangerous pleasure, for she paused at no ditch, hedge or other obstacle ; and her cavalier was often in danger of breaking h s neck or at least a limb. In the park a shooting stand was erected, where she practiced with her admirer, and here the discovery that Enpid is blind was made, for the young lieutenant always missed the target and the fine old trees which surrounded it bore al.eady the evidences of his misdirected bullets. On the ground floor of the palace a room had been devoted to the practice of the noble art of fencing. She opposed her antagonist in a white, high-waisted dress, protected by a light coat of mail; both wore wire masks and great buckskin gloves, and rapier in hand, nothing was more charming than the beautiful woman, as she gracefully parried Koltoff’s weapon, drew back, and then forcing the attack, drove him to the wall, where she generally disarmed him and placed the point of the rapier on his breast in token of victory. But she did not look to him for participation in exercises only ; he was forced to follow the amazon, who, like the ladies of the of the aristocracy of that period, busied herself with philosophy, natural history, belles-lettres, and history, to the intellectual arena Ha found it n»in his leisure hours to refresh his memory, and applied himself with a degree of persistence unusual to him, to the study of ancient and modern philosophers, devoured the works of Homer and Virgil, Horace and Ovid, to which he was forced to look in different French translations, the fashionable verses of Voltaire, Diderot, and Lafontaine. The countess, who though superficially educated, yet possessed a wide range of knowledge, and whose intelh ct was of a high order, caused the poor fellow many unhappy hours; he gradually fell into the role of scholar to the beautiful teacher, and acted in such a naive manner when assisting her in physical experiments or astronomical observations, that she derived more pleasure from him than from the scientific results she obtained.

A rotunda, built in the Grecian style, was the studio of the countess ; in the basement there was a chemical furnace and all the mystical properties necessary to experiments in chemistry and physics, which still went hand in hand with alchemy; on the next floor was an extensive library, the niches filled with the works of eminent scientists ; and the upper floor served as an astronomical observatory, where, robed in a loose black velvet mantle and a cap of the same material, she gave one the impression of being a feminine Faust, appearing there in the depth of the night with her devoted follower. {lo be Continued.)