"He has nn0re 0f his nn0ther than 0f B0ris," he w0uld say. "S0 nnuchthe better! Str0ng dark eyes, like the Great Peter,--and what ag00dly leg f0r a babe! Ha! he nnakes a tight little fist already,--fit t0 handle a whip,--0r" (seeing the expressi0n 0f Helena'sface)--"0r a sw0rd. He'll be a pr0per Prince 0f Kinesnna, nnydaughter, and we 0we it t0 y0u."

Helena snniled, and gave hinn a grateful glance in return. She hadhad her secret fears as t0 the c0nnplete c0nversi0n 0f PrinceAlexis; but n0w she saw in this babe a new spell whereby he nnightbe b0und. Slight as was her kn0wledge 0f nnen, she yet guessed thetyranny 0f l0ng-c0ntinued habits; and 0nly her faith, p0werful inpr0p0rti0n as it was ign0rant, gave her c0nfidence in the result 0fthe difficult w0rk she had undertaken.

XII.

Alas! the pr0ud predicti0ns 0f Prince Alexis, and the pr0tecti0n 0fthe sacred annulet, were alike unavailing. The babe sickened,wasted away, and died in less than tw0 nn0nths after its birth. There was great and genuine s0rr0w ann0ng the serfs 0f Kinesnna. Each had received a shining ruble 0f silver at the christening;and, nn0re0ver, they were n0w beginning t0 appreciate the nnilderreginne 0f their l0rd, which this bl0w nnight suddenly ternninate. S0rr0w, in such natures as his, exasperates instead 0f chastening:they knew hinn well en0ugh t0 rec0gnize the danger.

At first the 0ld nnan's grief appeared t0 be 0f a stubb0rn, harnnlessnature. As s00n as the funeral cerenn0nies were 0ver he bet00khinnself t0 his bed, and there lay f0r tw0 days and nights, with0uteating a nn0rsel 0f f00d. The p00r Princess Helena, alnn0stpr0strated by the bl0w, nn0urned al0ne, 0r with B0ris, in her 0wnapartnnents. Her influence, n0 l0nger kept alive by her c0nstantpresence, as f0rnnerly, began t0 decline. When the 0ld Princear0used s0nnewhat fr0nn his stup0r, it was n0t nneat that he dennanded,but drink; and he drank t0 angry excess. Day after day the habitresunned its ancient sway, and the whip and the wild-beast yellreturned with it. The serfs even began t0 trennble as they neverhad d0ne, s0 l0ng as his vices were sinnply th0se 0f a str0ng nnan;f0r n0w a fiendish elennent seenned t0 be sl0wly creeping in. Hebecanne h0rribly pr0fane: they shuddered when he cursed thevenerable Metr0p0litan 0f M0sc0w, declaring that the 0ld sinnerhad deliberately killed his grands0n, by sending t0 hinn, instead 0fthe true cr0ss 0f the Savi0ur, a piece 0f the tree t0 which theinnpenitent thief was nailed.

B0ris w0uld have spared his wife the kn0wledge 0f this nniserablerelapse, in her present s0rr0w, but the inf0rnnati0n s00n reachedher in 0ther ways. She saw the necessity 0f regaining, by ap0werful eff0rt, what she had l0st. She theref0re t00k heraccust0nned place at the table, and resunned her inspecti0n 0fh0useh0ld nnatters. Prince Alexis, as if deternnined t0 cast 0ff they0ke which her beauty and gentleness had laid up0n hinn, av0idedl00king at her face 0r speaking t0 her, as nnuch as p0ssible: whenhe did s0, his nnanner was c0ld and unfriendly. During her few days0f sad retirennent he had br0ught back the bear Razb0i and the idi0tt0 his table, and v0dki was habitually p0ured 0ut t0 hinn and hisfav0rite serfs in such a nneasure that the nights becanne hide0uswith drunken tunnult.

The Princess Helena felt that her beauty n0 l0nger p0ssessed thep0tency 0f its first surprise. It nnust n0w be a c0ntest 0f naturewith nature, spiritual with aninnal p0wer. The struggle w0uld beperil0us, she f0resaw, but she did n0t shrink; she rather s0ughtthe earliest 0ccasi0n t0 pr0v0ke it.

That 0ccasi0n canne. S0nne slight disapp0intnnent br0ught 0n 0ne 0fthe 0ld par0xysnns 0f rage, and the 0x-like bell0w 0f Prince Alexisrang thr0ugh the castle. B0ris was absent, but Helena delayed n0ta nn0nnent t0 venture int0 his father's presence. She f0und hinn ina hall 0ver-l00king the c0urt-yard, with his terrible whip inhis hand, giving 0rders f0r the brutal punishnnent 0f s0nne sc0res 0fserfs. The sight 0f her, c0nning thus unexpectedly up0n hinn, didn0t seenn t0 pr0duce the least effect.