platoff was afraid to present himself before the eyes of the emperor, because nikolai pavlovitch was a terribly remarkable man, with a long memory—he never forgot anything. platoff knew that he would, infallibly, question him about the flea. and so he, who feared no enemy in all the world, lost his courage there. he entered the palace with the casket, and slily thrust[pg 50] it behind the stove in the hall. having thus concealed the casket, platoff presented himself before the emperor in his study, and began, with all possible speed, to report the internecine conversation of the cossacks on the quiet don. he reasoned thus: that he would engage the emperor's attention in this manner, and then, if the emperor himself remembered and mentioned the flea, it would be necessary to hand it over and answer for it; but if the emperor should not refer to it, then he would hold his own tongue: he would order the valet attached to the study to put the casket away out of sight, and would confine the left-handed tula man in a casemate of the fortress for an indefinite period, and allow him to sit there until he was needed.

but the emperor nikolai pavlovitch had forgotten nothing, and platoff had barely terminated his internecine [pg 51]conversations, when he immediately inquired: "well, and how have my tula artisans justified themselves against the english nymfozoria?"

"the nymfozoria, your majesty," says he, "is still in the same space, and i have brought it back, for the tula artisans could make nothing more marvellous."

the emperor replied: "thou art a valiant old man, but that which thou hast just reported to me cannot be."

platoff began to assure him, and related the whole course of the matter; and when he had reached the point where the men of tula entreated him that the flea might be shown to the emperor, nikolai pavlovitch slapped him on the back and said: "give it here! i know that my own people cannot deceive me. something beyond comprehension has been done here."