Page:Pushkin - Russian Romance (King, 1875).djvu/143

Rh and fancied that all that was occurring was an empty dream. Maria Ivanovna looked pensively, now at me, now at the road, and seemed unable to realize her position. We were silent, our hearts had been too severely tried. Time passed away imperceptibly, and in two hours we were already entering the nearest fortress, also in Pougatcheff's power. Here we changed horses. I saw by the haste with which they were put to by the eager officiousness of the bearded Cossack raised to the post of commandant by Pougatcheff, that, thanks to the loquaciousness of our yemstchick, I was taken for a court favourite!

We continued our journey, night began to close around us. We approached a small town, where, according to the statement of the Cossack, we should find a detachment, about to join the pretender. We were stopped by the sentry. To the challenge, "Who goes there?" the yemstchick answered in a loud voice: "The emperor's koum, with his lady." In an instant, a troop of Hussars surrounded us, using fearfully abusive language. "Get out, thou devil's koum!" said a moustachoed sergeant-major. "Thou shalt catch it presently, thou and thy lady!"

I alighted and demanded to be taken to the officer in command. On perceiving my uniform, the soldiers desisted from abusing us. The sergeant-major conducted me to the major. Savelitch followed close after me, muttering to himself, "There is the emperor's koum for you. Out of the frying pan into the fire. Good