“Let him go with his discovery to Golopkin, our minister of the interior.  That is his business!”

“Your grace is, above all things, regent, and should remember—­”

“Nothing—­I will remember nothing!” exclaimed Anna Leopoldowna, interrupting her favorite.  “I will not be annoyed, that is all.”

“Well, thank God!” now cried Julia von Mengden, in her natural tone—­“thank God, that such is your determination, princess! you are, then, in earnest, and I am to send these three amiable persons to the devil, or, what is just the same, to your husband?”

“That is my meaning.”

“And this is beautiful in you,” continued Julia, cowering down before her mistress.  “These eternal, tiresome and intolerable state affairs would make your face prematurely old and wrinkled, my dear princess.  Ah, there is nothing more tedious than governing.  I am heartily sick of it!  At first I was amused when we two sat together and settled who should be sent to prison and who should be pardoned; whom we should make counts and princes, or degrade to the ranks as common soldiers.  But all that pleased only for a short time; now it is annoying, and why should we take upon ourselves this trouble?  Have we not the power to act and live according to our own good pleasure?  Bah! that is the least compensation you should receive for allowing these horrid Russians the privilege of calling you their regent and mistress!”

“But, my little chatterer, you forget the three envoys who are waiting without,” said Anna, with a smile.

“Ah, that is true!  I must first send those wig-blocks away!” said Anna, tenderly looking after her departing favorite.  “She is, indeed, my good genius, who drives away the cares from my poor brain.”

“So, it is done!” cried Julia, quickly returning to the room.  “I have sent the gentlemen away.  To the Persian envoy I said:  ’Go to our emperor, Ivan.  He feeds upon brilliants, and, as he has had no breakfast this morning, his appetite will be good.  Go, therefore, and give him your diamonds for breakfast.  Anna Leopoldowna wants them not; she is already satiated with them!’—­To the second I said:  ’Go and announce your glorious victory to our sublime generalissimo.  He is at his toilet, and as he every morning touches his noble cheeks with rouge, your new paint, prepared from the purple blood of the enemy, will doubtless be very welcome to him!’—­’And as to what concerns your secret mission and your discovered conspiracy,’ said I to the Austrian ambassador, ’I am sorry that you cannot here give birth to the dear children of your inventive head; go with them to our midwife, Minister Golopkin, and hasten a little, for I see in your face that you are already in the pangs of parturition!’”

“Well,” asked Anna Leopoldowna, loudly laughing, “what said their worships to that?”