|
a
complete arsenal of pistols and dirks, while their well-poised heads were
covered by jaunty hats, from which hung long white streamers.
I found the peasantry tall, graceful and beautiful,
with a dignity of poise and bearing that made their smile delightful,
especially when the curling lips revealed the pearly whiteness of their
teeth. Their rich, dark complexions, aquiline noses, delicate and
sensitive nostrils, impassioned, deep-set eyes that seemed to
scintillate with a hidden fire, their sonorous language, which sometimes
sounded almost guttural, used with remarkable ease and eloquence, charmed
me; these austere men, dignified matrons, and beautiful children, who
regarded me with soft, liquid eyes, all combined to stir my heart with new
emotions, to awaken a bond of sympathy that should last forever, and to
kindle with in me an affection and interest that I had never felt towards
any other people.
Occasionally, as we had floated down the Danube through
Servia and Bulgaria, a troop of soldiers passing up the riverbanks would
stop to salute our royal barge, or from some hillside port would come the
distant echo of a fanfare of trumpets. As we entered Roumania the river
became more majestic in its silence, and the towns grew smaller in size
and less in number. So I entered into my new possessions and the country I
was hereafter to call my own.
On that day I arrived at the sad conclusion that my
own soul was not sufficient in my new position, no matter how noble, how
full of love, how rich in good intentions. For the first time in my life
I was compelled to think of my personal appearance. Prior to this I had
never had time for thoughts of myself, or for daydreaming, as my youth
bad been passed by the bedside of the dying, my leisure moments spent in
the midst of intellectual circles, and my eyes had wept more for the
sorrows of others than my own, and now, entering into a new life, my
spirits were indeed cast down as I slowly realized my own weakness and
inefficiency.
With a fluttering heart, parched lips, cold hands, and
trembling limbs, I endeavored to smile bravely in response to my
husband's attentions as we entered the capital, and listened to his words
of description and explanation. His face was beaming with pride as the
multitude greeted his young wife with "huzzas," and his words of
encouragement to me were almost drowned in the roar of the cannon, the
wild peal of the bells, and the sweet strains of the national anthem sung
by the greeting thousands. In spite of my nervousness I could not suppress
a cry of admiration, as we stepped to our carriage, surrounded by
glittering troops of soldiers, gay postilions, decorated with flags and
bunting, and I caught a glimpse of the city my new home which lay nestled
among the green hills and verdant fields, the very picture of restfulness
and idealization of beauty.
As we entered the carriage and drove toward the palace
the salutes along the roadside became incessant. I smiled and bowed to the
people, but my smile was forced; as we entered the city, it seemed as
though between the throbbing in my ears, and the riotous clanging of
bells, that my head would burst.
We entered the metropolitan court, and were greeted by
officers in gorgeous uniforms, ladies in court costumes, and the
red-vested clergy, with their long white |
