Mazeppa. Whishaw Frederick

quarrelled because of his new manner towards me.

      ‘Come, Mazeppa,’ I said angrily—some word of mine having been slightingly turned aside by him—‘enough of your new manner. I know nothing in you which should justify this new assumption of superiority over me, unless it be that you are a better traitor.’

      ‘Bah! traitor!’ said Mazeppa with scorn. ‘Must you for ever be a fool, Chelminsky? Shall we not do the best for our own country? What matters who is Hetman or whether a man dies, or a hundred men, if we are learning meanwhile what is wisdom and what is folly?’

      ‘I am not a reader of riddles,’ said I, ‘but this I know and will say, that you shall treat me as an equal, for your equal I am, or it maybe that swords will be drawn, and it shall be shown that you have a superior.’

      ‘See here, Chelminsky,’ said Mazeppa in his friendliest manner; ‘put up your sword, or rather do not dream of drawing it against me who am your best friend. You are my equal in most things, I admit, and maybe my superior in some. But in one matter, at any rate, I have you at advantage, for my eyes see further than yours into the coming time, which, I must tell you, if we so desire it, shall be pregnant with good things for us: for you and me that is, and through us for the Cossack nation.’

      ‘Oh, indeed!’ I laughed; ‘forgive me for my ignorance; I knew thee not for a prophet until this day!’

      ‘Prophecy goes mainly by the gathering and the placing together of little atoms of knowledge. When one has collected together a pile of such atoms he may stand upon the top and prophesy. Now I know that the Tsar has—for no merit of my own, but because he sees in me an instrument—I know, I say, that the Tsar has set a favourable eye upon me. I know also that Russia is large and full of latent force, but that Poland is small and proud and disinclined to make profitable bargains with our people. She is afraid of Russia. She has just applied to the Turk for aid against the Tsar. We should know that! but the Moslems are not to be trusted: see how they cheated the Poles in the wars of Hmelnisky and your father! As men have been they shall be; they will cheat again. Russia is the strong man armed and the best friend for us, by which I mean that with her we may make the best bargain. Now the Tsar desires that I—and of course yourself—shall return as Russian Cossacks. Samoilovitch is the Russian Hetman, and to his service we shall go. Can you now prophesy with me, or shall I say more?’

      ‘I do not see that we are any farther advanced than when we began to speak,’ said I. ‘We have, very treacherously, exchanged our allegiance from Pole to Russian; that I knew before. What else have you shown that I know not? You are a poor prophet so far, Mazeppa.’

      ‘Well, then, I will show more. The Tsar somewhat distrusts Samoilovitch. In any case the Hetman cannot live—or govern—for ever. One day, sooner or later—it may be sooner than one supposes—there will be required a new Hetman, and he will be a nominee of the Tsar.’

      ‘But he will not be a foolish, callow youth of thy age,’ I said, laughing scornfully. ‘Is this thy prophecy? Be sure, my friend, the next Hetman will not be named Mazeppa!’

      ‘Either that or Chelminsky,’ he replied, quite seriously. ‘That will depend. Mark you, there is no need of haste in these changes. In five years, in ten maybe, we shall be so much older and wiser. The Tsar, be assured, does not speak so directly of these matters as I now speak with you, but he allows his meaning to appear. As confidential secretary to Samoilovitch I shall soon learn much, says the Tsar, that it is important for him to know. The Tsar values the friendship and the allegiance of the Cossacks. They might, at emergency, bring him fifty thousand lances, or more. He would have me sit and watch and bide my time. It was the Tsar who said the Hetman cannot live for ever.’

      All this certainly gave colour to Mazeppa’s hints. The surprise of the communication took my breath away. I had never so much as dreamed of the possibility of Mazeppa attaining one day to the Hetmanship of the Cossacks, nor had I cherished so foolish an ambition for myself: the idea of such a thing had never occurred to me. I sat and gazed at Mazeppa, too amazed to speak.

      ‘I see that I have surprised you,’ he said. ‘I have thought very deeply upon this matter, and I have persuaded myself that from the Tsar’s point of view I may indeed become a useful instrument for his ends. Kings are not guided by philanthropy in their imperial schemes, but by expediency. In me Alexis sees an agent suited, as he thinks, for his purposes; therefore he will employ me. I take no credit, excepting that I have discerned as quickly as he has discerned that there is a kernel to the Cossack nut, and that it may be cracked by teeth that seem weak.’

      ‘I wager,’ said I, ‘that in this matter the Tsar did not mention my name, though you mention it!’

      ‘Well, he did not,’ said Mazeppa. ‘He cannot deal in such matters with more than one. He would scarcely say, “One of you two, whichever prove the worthier, shall serve me in this matter and be rewarded in such and such a manner.” The Tsar speaks by hints, mentioning no names. I think I do not lack in friendliness towards you, my friend, in confiding all this to you. You shall go with me to Samoilovitch, and under him we shall rise side by side; which shall rise the higher in the end matters little so long as the two highest places are ours!’

      In short, Mazeppa easily talked me over to his views, rousing my ambition and quieting my compunctions in the matter of the transfer of allegiance from Pole to Russian.

      And I was duly presented to the Tsar, who spoke kindly and regarded me with interest, as though Mazeppa had said good words for me, which, as a matter of fact, Mazeppa declared that he had done.

      And at the Court of Alexis Romanof we lived for a month, learning many things concerning Russian life and customs, and here I soon perceived that Mazeppa’s ambitions did not end where his first homily had ended.

      There was a young princess, by name Sophia, whose heart seemed of the softest. This was the daughter of the Tsar, young and moderately fair—so it was said, though I did not see her at this time, for she lived in great seclusion, as became, according to the traditions of the Russian Court, the daughters of the House-Royal. But Mazeppa—to my amazement—informed me that he had seen her, not once, but many times.

      ‘In the name of Heaven, how and why and when were you so favoured?’ asked I.

      ‘As to how, first, then,’ Mazeppa laughed. ‘The god of love has fought for me; one of the maidens of the Court is very friendly with me. I have walked many times in the garden at Preobrajensky with her, and there the Princess sometimes takes the air. As to when, I may say that I have been honoured with sight of her Highness six times, and have spoken with her four times. As to why—must I tell thee, Chelminsky?’

      ‘As you will,’ I laughed. ‘Tell me if it pleases you, that the Tsar will beg of his new Hetman the favour of becoming his son-in-law, and——’

      Mazeppa interrupted me with a laugh.

      ‘Come, Chelminsky,’ he exclaimed, ‘you make progress! Do not move too fast! No, the Tsar knows not that we have met. She herself—well, she smiles sweetly and talks shyly—there it ends to-day. But there will be a to-morrow. A Hetman is a Hetman and the brother of kings. A Hetman of Cossacks might do worse for his people than marry a daughter of the Tsar, and—who knows?—the Tsar might do worse for his than choose such a son-in-law!’