they fetched out the casket from behind the stove, removed its cloth case, opened the golden snuff-box and the diamond walnut, and there lay the flea, just as it had lain before.
the emperor gazed and said: "how clever!" but his faith in the russian workmen was not diminished, and he ordered that his favorite daughter, alexandra nikolaevna, be summoned, and commanded her: "thou hast delicate fingers on thy hands—take the little key and wind up the belly machine of this nymfozoria as speedily as possible."
the princess began to turn the key, and the flea instantly began to move its feelers, but did not stir its legs. alexandra nikolaevna wound up the whole machinery, but still the nymfozoria neither executed its dance nor performed a single variation, as in former times.
[pg 53]
platoff turned all green, and cried; "ah! the rascally dogs! now i understand why they would not tell me anything there. 'tis well that i fetched one of the fools along with me."
with these words, he rushed out upon the porch, seized the left-handed man by the hair, and began to hurl him about hither and thither, until the tufts flew. but when platoff ceased to beat him, the man recovered himself and said: "my hair has already been all pulled out, during my apprenticeship, and now i do not know for what necessity such a repetition has descended."
"'tis because i had set my hopes upon you," said platoff, "and had gone surety for you, and you have spoiled a valuable thing."
the left-handed man replied: "we are greatly satisfied that you went surety for us, but as for spoiling—we have[pg 54] spoiled nothing: take and look through the very strongest melkoscope."
platoff ran back, told about the melkoscope, and merely threatened the left-handed man.
"i'll give it to you well, yet," says he, "you thus-and-thus-and-so!" and he ordered the cossacks of the suite to fasten the left-handed man's elbows still more strongly behind him, and himself mounted the stairs, fuming and reciting a prayer in one breath: "blessed mother of the blessed king, pure, all-pure," and so on, as is proper. and all the courtiers who were standing on the stairs turned away from him and thought: "platoff is caught, at last, and in a few moments he will be driven from the palace,"—for they could not endure him on account of his bravery.
