Before him lies the regent, Duke Biron of Courland, with his wife by his
side.
"Duke Biron, awake!" called Mannstein, with a loud voice. The ducal pair
started up from their slumber with a shriek of terror.
Biron leaps from the bed, but Mannstein overpowers him and holds him
fast until his soldiers come. The duke defends himself with his hands,
but is beaten down with musket-stocks. They bind his hands with an
officer's scarf, they wrap him in a soldier's mantle, and so convey him
down to Field-Marshal Munnich's carriage which is waiting, below, to
transport him to the winter palace.
While Mannstein and the soldiers were occupied with the duke, his
duchess had found an opportunity to make her escape. With only her light
night-dress, shrieking and lamenting, she had rushed into the street.
She was seized by a soldier, who, conducting her to Mannstein, asked
what he should do with her.
"Take her back into the palace!" said Mannstein, hastening past.
But the soldier, only anxious to rid himself of an encumbrance, threw
the now insensible duchess into the snow, and hurried away.
In this situation she was found by a captain of the guard, who lifted
her up and conveyed her into the palace to give her over to the care of
her women, that she might be restored to consciousness and dressed.
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