Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/252

238 . She applied to the French ambassador, but he declined interfering. Still, however, the young Pole did not quit Russia.

The grand duke, about this time, forming an attachment with the sister of the beautiful and spirited princess Dashkoff, who afterwards made such a distinguished figure, fell into some disgrace with Elizabeth, whose health visibly declined. Catharine thought this a favourable opportunity. She threw herself at her feet, and implored forgiveness; but she would listen to no accommodation, except on the most mortifying conditions. It was afterwards proposed to her, by message, to confess her guilt, and submit to the clemency of her husband and the empress.

From this moment Catherine summoned up all her pride: she purposely avoided appearing at court, kept close to her apartments, and asked leave of the empress to retire into Germany; a permission which she was very sure of being refused: the extreme fondness of Elizabeth for the young Paul Petrovitch would never let her consent to the departure of a child's mother, which would thereby be exposed to the hazard of being hereafter declared illegitimate. The stratagem succeeded; an accommodation shortly after ensued, and, to the great astonishment of the court, she made her appearance at the theatre, by the side of the empress, who paid her much attention.

In the mean time, the cabal, formed by Bestucheff, continued to blacken Peter in the eyes of his aunt, so that she began to think of leaving the empire to her favourite grand nephew; but whatever were her designs, the execution was prevented by death. While her end was rapidly approaching, the court divided into two powerful parties; one consisted of the remains of