74 
THROUGH WONDERLAND . 
no woman may set her foot, and across the inner ones to the innermost sanc¬ 
tuary none but the priest himself, or his superiors in the general Greek Church, 
or the white Czar, can enter. The doors, however, usually stand open ; and the 
priest in residence, Father Metropaulski, is exceedingly courteous to visitors, 
showing them the costly and magnificent vestments and the bishop’s crown, 
almost covered with pearls and amethysts. The ornaments and the candelabra 
are all of silver, the walls are hung with portraits of princes and prelates, and 
the general effect is rich in the extreme. 
Next to the church in interest—with some visitors, probably, ranking before 
it—is the old Muscovite castle on the hill. Here, in days gone by, the stern 
Romanoff ruled this land, and Baron Wrangell, one of Russia’s many cele¬ 
brated Polar explorers, held sway. It is said that it has been twice destroyed, 
once by fire and then by an earthquake, but was again erected with such staunch 
belongings that it will probably stand for ages much as it is to-day. It is now 
used as an office for United States Government officials, and it has a ball-room 
and theatre, with the same old brass chandeliers and huge bronze hinges that 
adorned it in its glory. The whole building has a semi-deserted and melan¬ 
choly appearance ; but it is of exceeding interest, speaking to us as it does of a 
grander history, when Sitka was the metropolis of the Pacific coast of North 
America, and it was the centre from which such power emanated. To senti¬ 
mental tourists I will relate a tradition that has been published concerning the 
stern old castle ; and, whether it fits the truth or not, it fits the sombre 
surroundings of the ancient pile. It runs, that, when Baron Romanoff was gov¬ 
ernor, he had living with him an orphan niece and ward, who, like all orphan 
nieces in feudal castles, especially those who figure in tradition, was very beau¬ 
tiful. But, when the baron commanded her to marry a beautiful prince, who 
was a guest at the castle, she refused, having given her heart to a handsome 
young lieutenant of the household. The old baron, who, like the rest of his 
race in traditional accounts, was an accomplished diplomate, feigning an interest 
in the young lieutenant which he did not feel, sent him away on a short expe¬ 
dition, and in the mean time hurried on the preparations for the marriage of the 
unhappy girl to the prince. Deprived of the support of her lover’s counsels and 
presence, she yielded to the threats of her uncle, and the ceremony was solem¬ 
nized. Half an hour after the marriage, while the rejoicing and the gayety were 
at their height, the young lieutenant strode into the ball-room, his travel- 
stained dress and haggard appearance contrasting strangely with the glittering 
costumes and gay faces of the revelers ; and, during the silence which followed 
his ominous appearance, he stepped up to the hapless girl, and took her hand. 
After gazing for a few moments on the ring the prince had placed there, he, 
without a word, and before any one could interfere, drew a dagger from his belt, 
and stabbed her to the heart. In the wild confusion that followed, he escaped 
from the castle ; and, overcome with grief, unable to live without the one he so 
fondly loved, yet ruthlessly murdered, he threw himself into the sea. And now 
her spirit is seen on the anniversary of her wedding night, her slender form 
