But so imperfect is the world that it often leaves no time for mourning--that in the midst of our sorrow it causes us to hear the prosaic voices of reality and necessity, compelling us to dry our eyes and turning our thoughts from painfully-sweet remembrances of a lost happiness to the realities of practical life. Natalie’s delicately-sensitive soul was to experience this rough contact of reality, and, with an internal shudder, must she bend under the rough hand of the present. Pale, breathless, trembling, rushed Marianne into the room where Natalie, in solitary mourning, was weeping for her lost friend. “We are ruined, hopelessly ruined!” screamed Marianne. “They will drive us from our last possession, they will turn us out of our house! All the misfortunes of the whole world break over and crush us!” The young maiden looked at her with a calm, clear glance. “Then let them crush us,” she quietly said. “It is better to be crushed at once than to be slowly and lingeringly wasted!” “But you hear me not, princess,” shrieked Marianne, wringing her hands. “They will drive us from here, I tell you; they will expel you from your house!” “And who will do that?” asked the young maiden, proudly rising with flashing eyes. “Who dares threaten me in my own house?” “Without are soldiers and bailiffs and the officers of the Russian embassy. They have made a forcible entrance, and with force they will expel you from the house. They are already sealing the doors and seizing everything in the house.” A dark purple glow for a moment overspread Natalie’s cheeks, and her glance was flame. “I will see,” said she, “who has the robber-like boldness to dispute my possession of my own property!” With proud steps and elevated head she strode through the room to the door opening upon the corridor. The bailiffs and soldiers, who had been placed there, respectfully stood aside. Natalie paid no attention to them, but immediately advanced to the officer who, with a loud voice, was just then commanding them to seal all the doors and see that nothing was taken from the rooms. “I wish to know,” said Natalie, with her clear, silver-toned voice--“I wish to know by what right people here force their way into my house, and what excuse you have for this shameless conduct?” The officer, who was no other than Stephano, bowed to her with a slightly ironical smile. “Justice needs no excuse,” said he. “On the part and by command of her illustrious majesty, the great Empress Catharine, I lay an attachment upon this house and all it contains. It is from this hour the sacred possession of her Russian majesty.” “It is the exclusive property of the Count Paulo!” proudly responded Natalie.