The triumphal arch of
unsavory animals was whirled into the Volga; all signs of the
recent reception vanished like magic; festive fir-boughs adorned
the houses, and the gardens and window-pots were stripped of their
choicest flowers to make wreaths of welcome. The two hundred boys,
not old enough to comprehend this sudden bouleversement of
sentiment, did not immediately desist from sticking out their
tongues: whereupon they were dismissed with a box on the ear. By
the middle of the afternoon all Kinesma was eating, drinking, and
singing; and every song was sung, and every glass emptied in honor
of the dear, good Prince Boris, and the dear, beautiful Princess
Helena. By night all Kinesma was drunk.
XI.
In the castle a superb banquet was improvised. Music, guests, and
rare dishes were brought together with wonderful speed, and the
choicest wines of the cellar were drawn upon. Prince Boris,
bewildered by this sudden and incredible change in his fortunes,
sat at his father's right hand, while the Princess filled, but with
much more beauty and dignity, the ancient place of the Princess
Martha.
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