The Russian Story Book 25
"Oh," said the man, "I am able to do everything."
The reply of the Tsaritza came quickly upon this boast. "If you can do
everything, make me a wedding robe embroidered with gold and ornamented
with diamonds and precious stones, which will fit my body as exactly
as these shoes fit my feet. Let it be ready by to-morrow morning,
for, if it is not, off goes your head."
The face of the shoemaker fell, and he went out into the street and
walked a long, long way thinking very hard. "Well, well," he said at
last, "it is of no use mourning. To-day will be my last day, that is
quite certain, and I may as well spend it in jollification. For though
a shoemaker may by great industry make a wonderful pair of shoes,
he cannot make a wonderful wedding robe for a beautiful Tsaritza
without measurements, to say nothing of trying on." Then he went off
to the inn, where he found his companions, who seemed to live there.
"Well, what is wrong now?" they asked him as soon as they saw his
gloomy face.
"Nothing but contradiction," he said. "My high-born patron has now made
me Court Dressmaker and has ordered me to make her a wedding-robe
embroidered with gold and ornamented with diamonds and precious
stones, which will fit her body as exactly as my shoes fit her feet,
and the whole contraption is to be ready by to-morrow morning, for,
if it is not, off goes my head."
"Ah, brother," said the loafers, "it is clearly impossible that you
should execute the order, and as we suppose you have the stones on
your person we may as well go and frolic for to-day."
The face of the shoemaker fell still lower, for in his consternation
he had forgotten to ask for the jewels from the royal treasury. But
he had in his pocket the large price paid for the shoes, and, as his
previous score was paid, the inn-keeper allowed the topers to have
a good supply of spirits. Once more they caroused and once more the
shoemaker-dressmaker took a keg of spirits home with him and told Ivan
all his tale, concluding with the words, "Wake me in the morning. I'm
off to bed." In a few minutes he was sound asleep.
Ivan at once blew the whistle, and Lame and Crooked appeared before
him.
"What is your pleasure?"
"Make me a robe which will fit Elena the Beautiful to perfection. Let
it be embroidered with gold and ornamented with diamonds and precious
stones, and deliver it here before dawn."
"We obey," said Lame and Crooked. "The wedding robe shall be ready."
Ivan slept and woke before dawn. He knew at once that the light in
his chamber came from the shining gems on the bodice of the beautiful
robe which lay across a chair by his bedside. He jumped up, dressed
himself quickly, and taking up the dress kissed the corsage where
the heart of Elena would beat, and carried the wonderful garment to
the chamber of his snoring master.
The light from the gems roused the man, who groaned, sat up slowly,
and rubbed his eyes. "What!" he cried in a trembling voice, "is it
broad day already, and have they come to cut off my head? Give me
that keg of spirits and a can. I will drink three gallons at a draught
and then I shall be so full of courage that I shall not feel the axe."
"But the robe is ready," said Ivan very quietly.
"What?" roared the Court Shoemaker-Dressmaker. "When did we make it?"
"It was made in the night, of course, and it is not the first time
that a Court Dressmaker has had to work until the small hours. Do
you not remember cutting the cloth?"
"Ah, brother," said the man who was now weeping like a crocodile for
sheer relief, "it must have been the sheen of the gold embroidery
that dazzled my wits. I barely remember, but only very barely. But
I must make haste to carry this robe to Elena the Beautiful. Thank
goodness I have been able to rise to the occasion once more."
"Yes, thank goodness," said Ivan, "but it is to be hoped that you
will not be honoured with any more Court appointments." His employer,
however, did not hear this last remark, for by the time that Ivan
had finished speaking he was standing in the apartment of Elena the
Beautiful, where the preparations seemed to be as busy as ever.
The Golden Tsaritza looked at the robe and something to which she
dared not give a name told her heart what had taken place. "Surely,"
she said to herself, "the good Spirits made this robe for Ivan." Then
aloud she said to the prinking shoemaker, "How did you make this?"
"Oh," said the unlucky man, "I can make anything."
The reply of the Tsaritza came like a flash of lightning. "See that
at to-morrow's dawn," she said, "the Kingdom of Gold be on the sea,
seven miles from shore, and across the blue waters stretching from
that Kingdom to our palace let there be a bridge of gold with costly
crimson velvet laid upon it and set at each side with wonderful trees
to form an avenue full of love-birds singing sweetest songs of dawn
with varied voices. If this is not done by to-morrow morning I will
have you cut up into four quarters."
As the Tsaritza spoke, the face of the shoemaker took on an __EXPRESSION__
of wonder worthy of a large audience at the most wonderful conjuring
entertainment you can imagine. Then he turned slowly and left the
apartment of Elena the Beautiful, muttering to himself, "Court
Shoemaker, Court Dressmaker, and now Court Magician. I may as well
have another day's frolic, for though a man may rise twice in drowning
he does not rise thrice and live."
He walked slowly off to the inn, heavily weighed down with greatness
and cursing the day when he had forsaken his simple life. But he had
the price of the robe in his pouch and the third carousal was as jolly
as the others, and he swore to drink six gallons of spirits on the
following morning. His friends gave him a drunken cheer, sang "He's
a jolly good fellow," and saw him home with the keg under his arm.
As before Ivan was waiting for him, and as good luck would have it,
the poor man for all his intoxication was able to remember what was
required of him; and as for Lame and Crooked he smiled a crooked but
very intelligent smile when the task was detailed to him. "At last,"
he said, "you give me real work to do."
Ivan went to sleep and woke early thinking that he had overslept
himself and that it was now broad noon, for a bright light as of the
sun was shining in at his chamber window which, as he knew very well,
faced due south. He sprang from his bed, and, drawing aside the blind,
saw across the sea the Kingdom of Gold in all its splendour lying like
a shining island seven miles from the shore, and across the waters
stretching from that Kingdom to the palace of the Great White Tsar
there was a bridge of gold with costly crimson velvet laid upon it,
at each side of which were set wonderful trees to form an avenue full
of love-birds singing sweetest songs of dawn with varied voices. Ivan
dropped the blind, dressed himself with particular care in the golden
light which filled his chamber, went into his master's room and roused
him from his heavy sleep.
"Have they come for me?" cried the man in great terror, "give me the
keg and-----" But Ivan said quietly:
"But the Kingdom of Gold is upon the sea."
"Ah," said the shoemaker. "How did we do that?"
"Don't you remember how we fixed it?" said Ivan.
"Yes, yes," was the hasty reply. "I dimly remember, very, very
dimly. Let us go out to see if we have finished the work with the
care expected of our exalted appointments."
In a few moments they were upon the shore and found everything prepared
in a manner which seemed to be fit even for Elena the Beautiful,
but one thing did not please the fastidious taste of Ivan.
"Here, master," he said, "here is a peacock feather duster. Go and
dust the railing of the pathway to the kingdom. And if you meet any
persons in the avenue give them this letter."
The man at once went off to do the bidding of his journeyman, and
was soon busily engaged in delicately dusting the golden railing of
the bridge.
Meanwhile Elena the Beautiful arose, and drawing the curtains of her
chamber which looked towards the sea saw the Kingdom of Gold lying
like a shining island on the bosom of the deep blue waters. Her maids
dressed her in a simple robe of white lawn, with a girdle of gold,
and then she went to the Great White Tsar, who sat at breakfast with
Golden Tress, and told him what she had seen across the sea. At once
the mighty monarch sent out royal messengers and these men walked
along the bridge until they met the shoemaker, who was busily engaged
in the task which Ivan had set him. When they accosted him he did not
cease his work, but taking a letter from his pouch handed it with his
left hand to the men whose duty it would have been to hang, behead,
and quarter him if it had not been for his wonderful assistant who
could get everything done.
The men went away and brought the letter to the Great White Tsar just
as he was beginning on toast and marmalade. He propped it up against
the diamond teapot and read it as he finished his morning meal,
and as he did so he made such strange exclamations that Golden Tress
thought with concern that a crumb of toast must surely have gone down
the wrong way.
Then he arose and ordered out the golden State coach for himself and
Golden Tress, as well as a simple waggon of dark wood drawn by a small
shaggy pony for the Golden Tsaritza, and in this way they came to the
end of the bridge which led to the Kingdom of Gold, where stood Ivan
with Peter on one side of him and Vasily on the other.
The Tsar frowned when he caught sight of his two elder sons, for Ivan's
letter had told him all the truth, but as he looked Ivan embraced both
of them as a sign that on this golden morning he could forgive any one.
The State carriage came to a stop, and Ivan ran forward to greet his
parents, but hearing a low cry of gladness from the simple waggon behind he ran forward, lifted Elena the Beautiful to the ground, and leading her to his mother knelt to receive her blessing.
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