SATAN AND THE LADY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2220, 29 April 1880, Page 3

SATAN AND THE LADY.

One evening (says the London Daily “ Telegraph ”) Maria A.scharowna, the wife of a distinguished State ollicial, was driving homewards from a party through the dimly-lighted Ssarotnaja street, in St Petersburg, when she suddenly felt herself grasped from behind, and, turning round, beheld with terror Satan himself, “in his habit as he lived,” perched at the back of the sledge, gnashing his teeth ferociously, and glaring at her with his gleaming eyes. Screaming to (lie saints for protection, she clutched her istvostchik round the waist and clung desperately to him, while the Evil One climbed into her place in the sledge, and drew her towards him with such irrpsistable force that, after a brief struggle, she found herself, to her inconceivable consternation, actually seated on I lie Enemy of Mankind’s lap. Fortunately at this moment a policemen hove in sight, whereupon the istvostchik, scarcely less frightened than his mistress, pulled up, and the gorodovoi conveyed Lucifer to the luck-up. It is painful to rolalc that the infernal potentate was found to be so drunk that he was unable to explain his extraordinary conduct or to give any satisfactory account of himself. Next morning, however, sobered by Ids night’s repose in the watch-house, he confessed himself to bo one Mr Michael SpiJaulicff. the son of a wealthy St. Petersburg merchant, and stated that having assumed the garb of Sal an, with a view to attending a masquerade, he had dined with some joyous young companions, indulged in too copious libations, ami sallied forth into the public streets. Further his remembrance extended not. It is to be hoped that the especial patron of the forgers’ guild did not defraud Russian justice by paying his fine in spurious notes.