Page:Brandes - Poland, a Study of the Land, People, and Literature.djvu/102

 90 first time, since the partition of the kingdom," the last phrase was obliterated.

This was discouraging in so far as I saw that there would not be anything left of the second lecture, which was the boldest. I then made the third almost colourless in political, religious and social respects, intending, to the best of my ability, to atone for the weakness by a stronger colouring in delivery and style.

Then it happened that my censor—the only one who was hated among the censors of Warsaw—suddenly died. They found my last two lectures, uncorrected, under his pillow. They were as grateful to me in Warsaw as if a causal connection had been found between this last-named fact and his disappearance from his earthly vocations as judge.

Now everything looked brighter. There was hope of a milder treatment. In order to shorten the process I determined to make a direct appeal to the Governor-General. The hero of Tirnowa and the Pass of Shipka could not be so narrow-minded as subordinate police officers and subordinate censors. I drove to the castle on Gurko's audience day. It is the old royal palace on the Vistula, unchanged externally, but plundered of all its objects of art.

In the ante-room, an oblong hall, several hundred petitioners sat in a row with petitions. In an inner hall, spacious and empty, with large mirrors and red furniture, the notabilities of the city, old senators, old generals, the President of the Censors, the President of the theatre, waiting their turn, walked up and down in their uniforms. In the middle of the hall stood a young Russian cavalry officer, Gurko's adjutant, tall and good-looking, who spoke French fluently with the other Russians, but with a strong Russian accent. He struck his heels together so that the spurs jingled, practised a dancing step, and seemed to be dreaming of court balls at St. Petersburg. I made my request for an audience to him. I met with an unqualified refusal. The audience time was from one o'clock and it was now five minutes past one. On my suggestion that I did not at all expect to be the first to be admitted, the answer was that the list of those seeking an audience was closed when the