"Suddenly, finally, the music began to thunder, and at that same moment the entrance doors opened wide. But think and imagine how amazed they were when they saw the empress, our only namist, leading by the hand Mrs. Protasova, the empress's companion, and behind them other nobles, with her They also grabbed and led the famous ladies by the hands, who still didn’t have time to enter the hall, so they went to dance a big long dance.
“Lord, what kind of whispering and whispering began then among everyone... With indescribable sadness, they soon heard and learned that the empress, due to fatigue and slight malaise, had canceled the show, and deigned to let all of our companions and companions go to our ball... The ladies were especially saddened: “What concerns the ladies who were deceived in their most flattering hopes and then saw that all their expenses and losses were used for their own
EKATERINA'S TRAVEL TO THE CRIMEA. 9
outfits, turned to. nothing, and became futile, then sorrow, regret and even the most internal annoyance could not be depicted.”
They were at least confident that Catherine would still remain in Tula for a day or two, but in the morning the news spread that the empress was immediately setting off on a long journey to Moscow. Everyone who did not manage to see the empress in the city or at the ball wanted to see her away even when leaving Tula. "And, Lord! what a carriage rose from the whole city then into Moskovskaya Street, and what knocking and thunder came from the multitude of carriages hurrying into it. Each and every one of them wanted to find someone's house there in good time, or at least a window in it for a lookout, and they did not spare me no money, when hired for a few hours, many were unable to find revenge in the houses and windows, and they were forced to stand in the carriages, on the streets, and get out of them at the trade union, past their empresses. I only managed to look at the carriage with the Empress galloping past them, with moth-like speed, and I doubt that any of them managed to see her in person.”
Xx. MOSCOW.
In Moscow, Catherine was finally supposed to meet her grandchildren, who had recovered from their illness and
We drove out to meet her. On the way, back from the Crimea, the Empress wrote to them that she couldn’t wait for the day when she would see them: “I’m in a hurry to see you as soon as possible... I will be very happy to see you... Once we get together, there will be a lot of tea to tell, as long as one doesn’t stop the other from talking. I’m sure, at the first meeting with you, I’ll listen; for the joy is that I’ll find you in Kolomenskoye, will take away my words."...
“Having arrived in Kolomenskoye the third day,” Ekaterina wrote to Grimm, “I found my grandchildren already settled here since the beginning of this month.”... She could not immediately answer Grimm, “since both my granddaughters make a terrible noise in my rooms, but it would be cruel to drive them away when we haven’t seen each other for 6 months... Everyone around me healthy, like me, especially Count Segur and Prince de Ligne, who are making fun with Red Kaftan and even more with my grandchildren; I don’t know how I could write this.”
On June 27, Catherine left Kolomenskoye for Moscow. This was not a great pleasure for her: she had her own thoughts about the capital and openly expressed her dislike for Moscow; she didn't love her, just like she didn't love Kev. "I don't like Moscow at all," she wrote in one of her notes, "Moscow is the capital of idleness and its excessive size will always be the main reason for this. The nobility that has gathered in this place likes it there; this is not surprising; but from very early youth it adopts the tone and methods of idleness and luxury there; it pampers itself, always driving around in six-wheeled carriages."
her... Besides, the people have never seen before their eyes more objects of fanaticism... priests, pilgrims, niches, thieves, useless servants in houses - such houses, what kind of dirt in houses, the areas of which are huge, and the courtyards are dirty swamps“... |