might be on hand to divert its force, as on a former occasion.

Under the weight of this imminent secret, the Princess Martha could
neither eat nor sleep. Her body wasted to a shadow; at every noise
in the castle, she started and listened in terror, fearing that the
news had arrived.

Prince Boris, no doubt, found his courage fail him when he set
about writing the promised letter; for a fortnight elapsed before
it made its appearance. Prince Alexis received it on his return
from the chase. He read it hastily through, uttered a prolonged
roar like that of a wounded bull, and rushed into the castle. The
sound of breaking furniture, of crashing porcelain and shivered
glass, came from the state apartments: the domestics fell on their
knees and prayed; the Princess, who heard the noise and knew what
it portended, became almost insensible from fright.

One of the upper servants entered a chamber as the Prince was in
the act of demolishing a splendid malachite table, which had
escaped all his previous attacks. He was immediately greeted with
a cry of,--

"Send the Princess to me!"

"Her Highness is not able to leave her chamber," the man replied.

How it happened he could never afterwards describe but he found
himself lying in a corner of the room. When he arose, there seemed
to be a singular cavity in his mouth: his upper front teeth were
wanting.