THE ORLOFF. 45
Slightly
altering his nickname "Orell" into " Orloff," the respited victim
founded a family destined to become renowned in Russian history. His
son was taken into the ranks of the nobles, and his famous grandson
Gregory, born in 1734, became a soldier early in life. Gregory Orloff
was a man of ability, but his fortune was undoubtedly due to his
personal beauty. He was tall and handsome with a well-earned
reputation for audacious courage, always alluring to the mind of a
woman. His first appearance in the world of fashion reflects little
credit upon him and still less upon the Russian society in which he
lived. He was on the point of being sent to Siberia to think over his
misdeeds at his leisure, when a hand was extended to him which
afterward raised him almost to the summit of human greatness. The
Grand Duchess Catharine interested herself on his behalf and rescued
him from Siberia. Orloff rapidly advanced in her favor, and it may
have been he who first inspired her with the boundless ambi-
