ul Dyke, while
taking her place near the princess. "It would be contrary to etiquette
for him to appear at the side of the empress at this moment. See, he is
close behind us, in the second gondola!"

"Shove off!" cried Admiral Gluck, he himself taking the rudder in honor
of the empress.

The boats moved from the land. First, the admiral's boat, with the
princess, the admiral, and the Englishwoman; and then, in brilliant
array, the innumerable crowd of adorned gondolas containing the officers
of the fleet.

It was a magnificent sight. The people who crowded the shore could not
sufficiently admire the splendid spectacle.

When they reached the admiral's ship the richly-gilded arm-chair was
let down for Natalie's reception. She tremblingly rose from her seat--a
strange, inexplicable fear came over her, and she anxiously glanced
around for Orloff. He sat in the second boat, not far from her, but he
looked not toward her, not even for a moment, and upon his lips there
was a wild, triumphant smile.

"Princess, they wait for you; seat yourself in the arm-chair!" said
Madame Dyke, in a tone which to Natalie seemed to have nothing of the
former humility and devotion--all seemed to her to be suddenly changed,
all! Shudderingly she took her seat in the swinging chair--but,
nevertheless, she took it.

The chair was drawn up, the cannon thundered anew, the flags were waved,
and again shouted the masses of people on the shore.

Suddenly it seemed as if, amid the shouts of joy and the thundering
of the cannon, a shriek of terror was heard, loud, penetrating, and
heartrending. What was that? What means the tumult upon the deck of the
admiral's ship? Seems it not as if they had roughly seized this princess
whose feet had just now touched the ship? as if they had grasped her, as
if she resisted, stretching her arms toward heaven! and hark, now this
frightful cry, this heart-rending scream!

Shuddering and silent stand the people upon the shore, staring at the
ships. And the cannon are silenced, the flags are no longer waved, all
is suddenly still.

Once more it seems as if that voice was heard, loudly shrieking the one
name--"Alexis!"

Trembling and quivering, Alexis Orloff orders his boat to return to the
shore!

In the admiral's ship all is now still. The princess is no longer on the
deck. She has disappeared! The people on shore maintained that they had
seen her loaded with chains and then taken away! Where?

All was