murder of the boy, and killing them out of hand.

Terrible had been the vengeance which Boris had exacted. Of the
luckless inhabitants of the town two hundred were put to death by
his orders, and the rest sent into banishment beyond the Ural
Mountains, whilst the Tsarina Maria, Demetrius's mother, for
having said that her boy was murdered at the instigation of
Boris, was packed off to a convent, and had remained there ever
since in close confinement.

That had been in 1591. The next to go was Feodor's infant son,
and lastly--in 1598--Feodor himself, succumbing to a mysterious
illness, and leaving Boris a clear path to the throne. But he
ascended it under the burden of his daughter's curse. Feodor's
widow had boldly faced her father, boldly accused him of
poisoning her husband to gratify his remorseless ambitions, and
on a passionate appeal to God to let it be done by him as he had
done by others she had departed to a convent, swearing never to
set eyes upon him again.

The thought of her was with him now, as he stood there looking
into the heart of the fire; and perhaps it was the memory of her
curse that turned his stout heart to water, and made him afraid
where there could surely be no cause for fear. For five years now
had he been Tsar of Russia, and in these five years he had taken
such a grip of power as was not lightly to be loosened.

Long he stood there, and there he was found by the magnificent
Prince Shuiski, whom he had bidden Basmanov to summon.