A Russian Romance

Walter Besant, the English. novelist, in a note received from him by the Philadelphia Press, says: "Here is a true story which does not belong to my correspondence, but I think it very interesting. I give it as it was told to me: A certain young Russian, oí good tamily, feil in love with a villaje girl, whom he wished to marry. His father, objeeting on the ground of social disparity, made arrangements by which the girl was betrothed to a young peasant of her own class. "Xow, it is the custora in some parts of Russia for the bridegroom and his friendo to begin drinking early in the day of the marriage, so that when the timo comes for the church ceremony the groom has often to be led to the altar and supported by a friend on either hand. This happened on the morning of the marriage of the girl. The bridegroom was led to the altar and supported by two men, of whom one was the young gentleman himself. ■Now mark his craft and subtlety. When the time came for ioining hands he put out his owu hand, the grooin being too far gone to notice anything, and so was joined in matrimony to the girl. The certifícate of the marriage had already been written in the register before the ceremony, a precaution. obviously necepsary. "The wedding over. the young noble took the g-irl from her people at the church door, drove her away, and took her to Paris, where they lived together in atnity for several years. "Then the father died, and it became necessary to return to Russia, and, if possible, for the sake of the children, to get the marriage duly acknowledged. "This business was intrusted to a lawyer, who visited the vilkige and saw the register. He returned, stating that it was impossible, because the marriage was entered in the books aa between the rustic and the girl. Being. however, assured that something must be done he returned, got possession of the register, and clumsily erased the name of the rustic bridegroom. This done he - at this point you ask what he did, and everybody says. 'Filled in the other name.' No, he did not; he wroto again over the erasure the name of the village swain. He did not, therefore. forge the record, but if his noble dient afterward found it desirable to assert Ihat some one had done so the fact of the erasure would be apparent. "