audacious dream of a daring man kept awake the spirits of his men. The
dream was this: That he should be the husband of the Czarina of All the
Russias.

Katharine II. was passionately fond of playing tarok, and she
particularly liked that variety of the game which was later on named,
after a celebrated Russian general, "Paskevics," and required four
players. In addition to the Czarina, Princess Daskoff, Prince Orloff,
and General Karr sat at her table. The latter was a distinguished leader
of troops--in petto--and as a tarok-player without equal. He rose from
the table semper victor! No one ever saw him pay, and for this reason he
was a particular favorite with the Czarina. She said if she could only
once succeed in winning a rouble from Karr she would have a ring welded
to it and wear it suspended from her neck. It is very likely that the
mistakes of his opponents aided General Karr's continual success. The
two noble ladies were too much occupied with Orloff's fine eyes to be
able to fix their attention wholly upon the game, whilst Orloff was so
lucky in love that it would have been the greatest injustice on earth if
he had been equally successful at play. Once, whilst shuffling the
cards, some one casually remarked that it was a scandalous shame that an
escaped Cossack like Pugasceff should be in a position to conquer a
fourth of Russia in Europe, to disgrace the Russian troops time after
time, to condemn the finest Russian officers to a degrading death, and
now even to bombard Orenburg like a real potentate.

"I know the dandy, I know him very well," said Karr. "During the life of
His Majesty I used to play cards with him at Oranienbaum. He is a stupid
youngster. Whenever I called carreau, he used to give coeur."

"It appears that he plays even worse now," said the Czarina; "now he