LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1770, 22 October 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ME BAGGLES’S AMBITIOUS RUSSIAN TRIP. [Abrigded from ‘“Truth. (Concluded.) It so chanced that on that same evening Mr Baggies’ manservant Thomas came to him to say that he and the maid Jane (to whom he was betrothed) begged permission to leave his service, having found an opportunity for bettering themselves by entering the household of one of the Princes Roubeloff. * Why, that’s very sudden,’ remarked Mr Baggies, astonished; ‘ you are going to put me to serious inconvenience. Can’t you wait?’ ‘ I’m afraid not, sir,’ replied Thomas, who was agitated by his good fortune; ‘Prince Roubeloff took a fancy to me for my fine figure, sir—-so ho says —and he wants me to enter his service at once as butler, and Jane is to be the princess’s maid.’ ‘ I think the prince might have had the civility to speak to me about it before enticing you from my service,’ said Mr Baggies. ‘ P’rhaps he forgot, sir,’ suggested Thomas ; ‘ he’s a very lofty nobleman, sir—not speaking by height, for ho ain’t above five foot five, but in his manners, so to say,’ ‘ Well, please yourself,’ responded Mr Baggies drily, and there the matter stopped. Next day, however, when he called again at the embassy about his presentation, Mr Baggies had a double errand, for be wished to ask the attache whether the latter could recommend him a new valet and maid of undoubted respectability, Mr B. being of opinion that an attache was just the person to serve him in this respect. Rather to his surprise, the attache was already aware of Thomas’s and Jane’s intended departure, ‘ and I think I can recommend some one to you,’ he added blandly ; 1 Prince Porriwitz is about to reduce his establishment in consequence of being sent on a diplomatic mission, and he has an excellent valet and maid who would like to go to Eng.

land. Aa «oon as X heard you were without servants, I said to the prince—“ Tour people will just do for Mr Baggies.” ’ ‘ But how the deuce came you to hare such early news about my man’s doings ? ’ ashed the dressing-case maker. ‘ Oh, the police told ns ; they know everything, and tell us everything,’ replied the attache carelessly; • and now, let me give you a piece of advice. There will be no receptions this year at the Winter Palace ; so as soon as you have got your servants, just leave Russia.’ ‘ Why should I leave Russia ? ’ ‘ Because life and property are not safe here. There will be new Nihilist outrages before long, and perhaps a revolution, Tou don’t want your son Sempronius to be impressed by a gang of rioters, and forced to fight in a civil war ? ’ ‘But do you mean to say there is any danger of that ? ’ asked Mr Baggies, staring. * The utmost danger,’ answered the attache coolly ; ‘in case of a rising there are no excesses to which the revolutionists would not proceed, and they would try to get all the able-bodied young men on their side, without caring whether they were natives or foreigners.' This communication sent Mr Baggies back to Demuth’s in haste, and he had no sooner imparted the attache’s warning to his wife than that good lady concurred in the expediency of a speedy departure. Both she and her husband were, however, put out of conceit with Russia by this affair, so that they gave a cold and rather haughty greet' ing to the valet and maid, who presently came with a recommendation from Prince Perriwitz. The valet, who gave his name as_ Dimitri, was a tall, soft-spoken fellow, with an enormous brown beard; the maid, called Pauline, was a blue-eyed little thing, with hair so golden that it looked as if it had been dyed. There was something in the appearance of this pair that the Baggies couple did not like, but both were so humble, and expressed with so much politeness their wish to be taken to England, that Mr Baggies pompously decided to give them a trial. 1 1 don’t wonder at your wishing to leave this country of yours,’ said he in a dry tone; ‘in England you will find freedom, and no political assassins.’ ‘So I have heard, sir,’ responded Dimitri deferentially, ‘ and I love freedom.’ ‘Ah ! perhaps yon are a Nihilist ?’ ‘ No, sir,’ said Dimitri, coloring at the imputation. ‘So much the better, for I have no liking for revolutionists. Where did you learn to speak such very good English?’ ‘With my master, sir.’ ‘ And you speak French, too, and German ?’ ‘ Tes, sir, and Italian.’ ‘And yon can shave ?’ ‘ Yes, sir. ’ * Well, then, you must begin by shaving off that beard of yours, for we don’t like bearded servants in England.’ Dimitri turned very red, and begged that he might at least be allowed to retain his face hair until he was out of Russia, because of the climate. This request was acceded to, but not very graciously ; and during the three days that elapsed before Mr Baggies left Russia, Dimitri and Paulina had rather a hard time of it from their new employers’ ill-humour. Mr Baggies was not a bad sort of man, and his wife was a very good, homely body, but it seemed as if their disappointment at not being presented at the Winter Palace made them determined to vent their spleen upon some one or other among the Czar’s subjects. Nothing that Dimitri did satisfied Mr Baggies; nothing that Paulina did or said pleased his wife. If it had not been for the continuous humility of the pair—humility exceeding that of all English servants, and testifying to long discipline under the knout, as Mr Baggies profoundly remarked—there must have been a quarrel between the servants and their master. As it was, Mrs Baggies’ family took Dimitri and Paulina with them as far as Berlin ; but here the incurable trickiness of foreigners was evinced by the behaviour of this conple, who one day disappeared without giving any warning or leaving any cine to their whereabouts. They disappeared withont even taking away their luggage, which on being overhauled was found to contain linen of the finest quality; ‘ linen that must have been stolen,’ observed Mr Baggies, indignantly. ‘Well, dear, I never liked the looks of those two,’ said Mrs Baggies, with a kind of shudder; * I am sure they must have been Nihilists.’ ‘ Very likely,’ answered the dressing-case maker ; * and after what I’ve seen of them I don’t wonder that the Czar finds it difficult to rule his subjects.’ However, Mr Baggies hired a new servant and Mrs Baggies a new maid, and soon afterwards Dimitri and Paulina were forgottan. * * # *

Bat now comes the epilogue to the story. At one of this year’s drawing-rooms Mr and Mrs Baggies were presented to royalty by an obliging customer of theirs who owed them money (and whose bill was tacitly cancelled by this proceeding), and they in their tarns presented Miss Sophia, Miss Maria, and Mrs Setnpronius Baggies. As the happy family party were filing into the throne-room in the midst of the usual rush, they were suddenly shot almost into the arms of a magnificent looking [person, covered with stars and wearing a Russian uniform. On his arm hung a lady shining with diamonds and of nSost majestic bearing. Both these persons colored on seeing Mr Baggies, and their eyes met his. * Why, bless me, it’s Dimitri,’ whispered the astounded dressing-case maker to his wife; * I’d know him anywhere, though he’s shaved off his beard—and that’s Paulina, though her hair is black now instead of golden.’ ‘Quite right, Mr Baggies,’ said the Russian with a smile, for he had overheard the remark ; and so saying he held out his hand. ‘ How are you ? Allow me to myself—Prince Bilkine—and this is my wife.’ *ls it possible ?’ stammered Mr Baggies, dropping the cocked hat of his court costume in astonishment. ‘ Quite possible,’ laughed the prince; ‘forgive me for the little triok we played in enticing away your servants Thomas and Jane in order that my wife and I might take their places. It was all planned between Prince Roubeloff and our friend the English attache, for I was unjustly accused of participation in a Nihilist plot, and if we had not been able to leave Russia in disguise we should have been in Siberia now. lam very much obliged to you, though you were a precious hard master.’ ‘ I don’t know what to say in apology,’ stammered poor Mr Baggies, upset by the prince’s laugh ; ‘ but—but are you exile now ?’ ‘ Oh, no. I have succeeded in clearing myself, and am going back to Russia shortly. If you come there again I shall havo great pleasure in presenting you at court.’ ‘JMeanwhile, do ns the honor to come and dine with us at our hotel— Claridge’s,’ said the princess, addressing her former mistress, with a delightful smile ; ‘ you shall show me how to dress hair, for I am afraid I am still as clumsy as when you used to scold me. ’ The dinner at Claridge’s came off, and it is from that date that Mr Baggies has always spoken cautiously of the Nihilists.