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diff --git a/old/66358-0.txt b/old/66358-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5833651..0000000 --- a/old/66358-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8243 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Rasputin and the Russian Revolution, by -Princess Catherine Radziwill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Rasputin and the Russian Revolution - -Author: Princess Catherine Radziwill - -Release Date: September 21, 2021 [eBook #66358] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RASPUTIN AND THE RUSSIAN -REVOLUTION *** - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is enclosed in _underscores._ - - - - -RASPUTIN AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION - -[Illustration: - - _Photo by Paul Thompson_ - -GREGORY RASPUTIN - -“The Black Monk of Russia”] - - - - - RASPUTIN - AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION - - BY - - PRINCESS CATHERINE RADZIWILL - (COUNT PAUL VASSILI) - - AUTHOR OF - “BEHIND THE VEIL AT THE RUSSIAN COURT,” - “GERMANY UNDER THREE EMPERORS,” - ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY - LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD - MCMXVIII - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1917, - BY PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY - - COPYRIGHT, 1918, - BY JOHN LANE COMPANY - - - Press of - J. J. Little & Ives Company - New York, U. S. A. - - - - -TO - -MONSIEUR JEAN FINOT - -_Editor of the “Revue”_ - - -_My dear Mr. Finot:_-- - -_Allow me to offer you this little book, which may remind you of the -many conversations we have had together, and of the many letters which -we have exchanged. In doing so, I am fulfilling one of the pleasantest -of duties and trying to express to you all the gratitude which I feel -towards you. Without your kind help, and without your advice, I would -never have had the courage to take a pen in my hand, and all the small -success I may have had in my literary career is entirely due to you, -and to the constant encouragement which you have always given to me, -and which I shall never forget, just as I shall always remember that it -was in the “Revue” that the first article I ever published appeared. -Permit me to-day to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and believe -me to be,_ - - _Always yours most affectionately, - Catherine Radziwill - (Catherine Kolb-Danvin)_ - - - - -PUBLISHERS FOREWORD - - -When the book called “Behind the Veil at the Russian Court” was -published the Romanoff’s were reigning and, considering the fact -that she was living in Russia at the time, the author of it, had her -identity become known, would have risked being subjected to grave -annoyances, and even being sent to that distant Siberia where Nicholas -II is at present exiled. It was therefore deemed advisable to produce -that work as a posthumous one, and “Count Paul Vassili” was represented -as having died before the publication of “his” Memoirs. This however -was not the case, because on the contrary “he” went on collecting -information as to all that was taking place at the Russian Court as -well as in the whole of Russia, and, consigning this information to -a diary, “he” went on writing. If one remembers, “Count Vassili” -distinctly foresaw and prophesied in “his” book most of the things that -have occurred since it was published. This fact will perhaps give added -interest to the present account of the Russian Revolution which now -sees the light of day for the first time. Though devoid of everything -sensational or scandalous it will prove interesting to those who have -cared for the other books of “Count Vassili,” for it contains nothing -but the truth, and has been compiled chiefly out of the narrations -of the principal personages connected in some way or other with the -Russian Revolution. The facts concerning Rasputin, and the details of -this man’s extraordinary career, are, we believe, given out now for the -first time to the American public, which, up to the present moment, -has been fed on more or less untrue and improbable stories or, rather, -“fairy tales,” in regard to this famous adventurer. The truth is far -simpler, but far more human, though humanity does not shine in the best -colours in its description. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - PART I.--RASPUTIN 13 - - PART II.--THE GREAT REVOLUTION 191 - - PART III.--THE RIDDLE OF THE FUTURE 301 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Gregory Rasputin--“The Black Monk of Russia” _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - The Ex-Czar and His Family 34 - - Rasputin and His “Court” 74 - - Rasputin 94 - - The First Bolsheviki Cabinet 200 - - The Bolsheviki Headquarters in Petrograd 220 - - The Bolsheviki General Staff 230 - - Soldier and Sailor Citizens’ Duma 240 - - Foreign Minister Leon Trotzky 250 - - Meeting Addressed by Nikolai Lenine 260 - - Alexander Kerensky 276 - - Revolutionary Crowd in Petrograd 280 - - Bolsheviki Sailors Buried at Moscow 290 - - Kerensky Inspiring Troops To Support Revolutionary Government 304 - - Peace Document of Delegates at Brest-Litovsk Conference - 310 - - The House at Brest-Litovsk Where Peace Negotiations Between the - Russian Bolsheviki and the Austrian-Germans Were Conducted 318 - - - - -PART I - -RASPUTIN - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -This exposé, based on facts which have come to my knowledge, though -probably far from being complete, aims at depicting the recent state -of things in Russia, and thus to explain how the great changes which -have taken place in my country have been rendered possible. A lot of -exaggerated tales have been put into circulation concerning the Empress -Alexandra, the part she has played in the perturbations that have -shaken Russia from one end to another and the extraordinary influence -which, thanks to her and to her efforts in his behalf, the sinister -personage called Rasputin came to acquire over public affairs in the -vast empire reigned over by Nicholas II. for twenty-two years. A good -many of these tales repose on nothing but imagination, but nevertheless -it is unfortunately too true that it is to the conduct of the Empress, -and to the part she attempted to play in the politics of the world, -that the Romanoffs owe the loss of their throne. - -Alexandra Feodorovna has been the evil genius of the dynasty whose head -she married. Without her it is probable that most of the disasters that -have overtaken the Russian armies would not have happened, and it is -certain that the crown which had been worn by Peter the Great and by -Catherine II. would not have been disgraced. She was totally unfit for -the position to which chance had raised her, and she never was able -to understand the character or the needs of the people over which she -ruled. - -Monstrously selfish, she never looked beyond matters purely personal -to her or to her son, whom she idolized in an absurd manner. She, -who had been reared in principles of true liberalism, who had had -in her grandmother, the late Queen Victoria, a perfect example of a -constitutional sovereign, became from the very first day of her arrival -in Russia the enemy of every progress, of every attempt to civilise -the nation which owned her for its Empress. She gave her confidence -to the most ferocious reactionaries the country possessed. She tried, -and in a certain degree succeeded, in inspiring in her husband the -disdain of his people and the determination to uphold an autocratic -system of government that ought to have been overturned and replaced by -an enlightened one. Haughty by nature and by temperament, she had an -unlimited confidence in her own abilities, and especially after she had -become the mother of the son she had longed for during so many years, -she came to believe that everything she wished or wanted to do had to -be done and that her subjects were but her slaves. She had a strong -will and much imperiousness in her character, and understood admirably -the weak points in her husband, who became but a puppet in her hands. - - * * * * * - -She herself was but a plaything in the game of a few unscrupulous -adventurers who used her for the furtherance of their own ambitious, -money-grubbing schemes, and who, but for the unexpected events that -led to the overthrow of the house of Romanoff, would in time have -betrayed Russia into sullying her fair fame as well as her reputation -in history. - - * * * * * - -Rasputin, about whom so much has been said, was but an incident in -the course of a whole series of facts, all of them more or less -disgraceful, and none of which had a single extenuating circumstance to -put forward as an excuse for their perpetration. - - * * * * * - -He himself was far from being the remarkable individual he has been -represented by some people, and had he been left alone it is likely -that even if one had heard about him it would not have been for any -length of time. - - * * * * * - -Those who hated him did so chiefly because they had not been able to -obtain from him what they had wanted, and they applied themselves to -paint him as much more dangerous than he really was. They did not know -that he was but the mouthpiece of other people far cleverer and far -more unscrupulous even than himself, who hid themselves behind him -and who moved him as they would have done pawns in a game of chess -according to their personal aims and wants. These people it was who -nearly brought Russia to the verge of absolute ruin, and they would -never have been able to rise to the power which they wielded had not -the Empress lent herself to their schemes. Her absolute belief in the -merits of the wandering preacher, thanks to his undoubted magnetic -influence, contrived to get hold of her mind and to persuade her that -so long as he was at her side nothing evil could befall her or her -family. - -It is not generally known outside of Russia that Alexandra Feodorovna -despised her husband, and that she made no secret of the fact. She -considered him as a weak individual, unable to give himself an account -of what was going on around him, who had to be guided and never left to -himself. Her flatterers, of whom she had many at a time, had persuaded -her that she possessed all the genius and most of the qualities of -Catherine II., and that she ought to follow the example of the latter -by rallying around her a sufficient number of friends to effect a -palace revolution which would transform her into the reigning sovereign -of that Russia which she did not know and whose character she was -unable to understand. Love for Nicholas II. she had never had, nor -esteem for him, and from the very first moment of her marriage she had -affected to treat him as a negligible quantity. But influence over him -she had taken good care to acquire. She had jealously kept away from -him all the people from whom he could have heard the truth or who could -have signalled to him the dangers which his dynasty was running by the -furtherance of a policy which had become loathsome to the country and -on account of which the war with Germany had taken such an unexpected -and dangerous course. - -The Empress, like all stupid people, and her stupidity has not been -denied, even by her best friends, believed that one could rule a nation -by terror. She, therefore, always interposed herself whenever Nicholas -II. was induced to adopt a more liberal system of government and urged -him to subdue by force aspirations it would have been far better for -him to have encouraged. She had listened to all the representatives of -that detestable old bureaucratic system which gave to the police the -sole right to dispose of people’s lives and which relied on Siberia and -the knout to keep in order an aggrieved country eager to be admitted to -the circle of civilised European nations. - -Without her and without her absurd fears, it is likely that the first -Duma would not have been dissolved. Without her entreaties, it is -probable that the troops composing the garrison at St. Petersburg -would not have been commanded to fire at the peaceful population of -the capital on that January day when, headed by the priest Gapone, it -had repaired to the Winter Palace to lay its wrongs before the Czar, -whom it still worshipped at that time. She was at the bottom of every -tyrannical action which took place during the reign of Nicholas II. And -lately she was the moving spirit in the campaign, engineered by the -friends of Rasputin, to conclude a separate peace with Germany. - -In the long intrigue which came to an end by the publication of the -Manifesto of Pskov, Rasputin undoubtedly played a considerable part, -but all unconsciously. Those who used him, together with his influence, -were very careful not to initiate him into their different schemes. -But they paid him, they fed him, they gave him champagne to drink and -pretty women to make love to in order to induce him to represent them -to the Empress as being the only men capable of saving Russia, about -which she did not care, and her crown, to which she was so attached. -With Rasputin she never discussed politics, nor did the Emperor. But -with his friends she talked over every political subject of importance -to the welfare of the nation, and being convinced that they were the -men best capable of upholding her interests, she forced them upon her -husband and compelled him to follow the advice which they gave. She -could not bear contradiction, and she loved flattery. She was convinced -that no one was more clever than herself, and she wished to impose her -views everywhere and upon every occasion. - -Few sovereigns have been hated as she has been. In every class of -society her name was mentioned with execration, and following the -introduction of Rasputin into her household this aversion which she -inspired grew to a phenomenal extent. She was openly accused of -degrading the position which she held and the crown which she wore. In -every town and village of the empire her conduct came to be discussed -and her person to be cursed. She was held responsible for all the -mistakes that were made, for all the blunders which were committed, for -all the omissions which had been deplored. And when the plot against -Rasputin came to be engineered it was as much directed against the -person of Alexandra Feodorovna as against that of her favourite, and it -was she whom the people aimed to strike through him. - -Had she shown some common sense after the murder of a man whom she well -knew was considered the most dangerous enemy of the Romanoff dynasty -things might have taken a different course. Though every one was agreed -as to the necessity of a change in the system of government of Russia, -though a revolution was considered inevitable, yet no one wished it -to happen at the moment when it did, and all political parties were -agreed as to the necessity of postponing it until after the war. But -the exasperation of the Empress against those who had removed her -favourite led her to trust even more in those whom he had introduced -and recommended to her attention. She threw herself with a renewed -vigour into their schemes, urging her husband to dishonour himself, -together with his signature, by turning traitor to his allies and to -his promises. She wanted him to conclude a peace with Germany that -would have allowed her a free hand in her desires to punish all the -people who had conspired against her and against the man upon whom she -had looked as a saviour and a saint. Once this fact was recognised the -revolution became inevitable. It is to the credit of Russia that it -took place with the dignity that has marked its development and success. - -This, in broad lines, is the summary of the causes that have brought -about the fall of the Romanoff dynasty, and they must never be lost -sight of when one is trying to describe it. It is, however, far too -early to judge the Russian revolution in its effects because, for -one thing, it is far from being at an end, and may yet take quite an -unexpected turn. For another, the events connected with it are still -too fresh to be considered from an objective point of view. I have, -therefore, refrained from expressing an opinion in this narrative. My -aim has been to present to my readers a description of the personality -of Rasputin, together with the part, such as I know it, that he has -played in the development of Russian history during the last five years -or so, and afterward to describe the course of the revolution and the -reasons that have led to its explosion in such an unexpected manner. - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -We live in strange times, when strange things happen which at first -sight seem unintelligible and the reason for which we fail to grasp. -Even in Russia, where Rasputin had become the most talked-of person -in the whole empire, few people fully realised what he was and what -had been the part which he had played in Russia’s modern history. Yet -during the last ten years his name had become a familiar one in the -palaces of the great nobles whose names were written down in the Golden -Book of the aristocracy of the country, as well as in the huts of the -poorest peasants in the land. At a time when incredulity was attacking -the heart and the intelligence of the Russian nation the appearance of -this vagrant preacher and adept of one of the most persecuted sects -in the empire was almost as great an event as was that of Cagliostro -during the years which preceded the fall of the old French monarchy. - -There was, however, a great difference between the two personages. -One was a courtier and a refined man of the world, while the other -was only an uncouth peasant, with a crude cunning which made him -discover soon in what direction his bread could be buttered and what -advantages he might reap out of the extraordinary positions to which -events, together with the ambitions of a few, had carried him. He was -a perfect impersonation of the kind of individual known in the annals -of Russian history as “Wremienschtchik,” literally “the Man of the -Day,” an appellation which since the times of Peter the Great had clung -to all the different favourites of Russian sovereigns. There was one -difference, however, and this a most essential one. He had never been -the favourite of the present Czar, who perhaps did not feel as sorry as -might have been expected by his sudden disappearance from the scene of -the world. - -I shall say a thing which perhaps will surprise my readers. Personally, -Rasputin was never the omnipotent man he was believed to be, and -more than once most of the things which were attributed to him were -not at all his own work. But he liked the public to think that he -had a finger in every pie that was being baked. And he contrived to -imbue Russian society at large with such a profound conviction that -he could do absolutely everything he chose in regard to the placing -or displacing of people in high places, obtaining money grants and -government contracts for his various “protégés,” that very often the -persons upon whom certain things depended hastened to grant them to -those who asked in the name of Rasputin, out of sheer fright of finding -this terrible being in their way. They feared to refuse compliance with -any request preferred to them either by himself or by one who could -recommend himself on the strength of his good offices on their behalf. -But Rasputin was the tool of a man far more clever than himself, Count -Witte. It was partly due to the latter’s influence and directions that -he tried to mix himself up in affairs of state and to give advice to -people whom he thought to be in need of it. He was an illiterate brute, -but he had all the instincts of a domineering mind which circumstances -and the station of life in which he had been born had prevented -from developing. He had also something else--an undoubted magnetic -force, which allowed him to add auto-suggestion to all his words and -which made even unbelieving people succumb sometimes to the hypnotic -practices which he most undoubtedly exercised to a considerable extent -during the last years of his adventurous existence. - -Amidst the discontent which, it would be idle to deny, had existed -in the Russian empire during the period which immediately preceded -the great war the personality of Rasputin had played a great part -in giving to certain people the opportunity to exploit his almost -constant presence at the side of the sovereign as a means to foment -public opinion against the Emperor and to throw discredit upon him by -representing him as being entirely under the influence of the cunning -peasant who, by a strange freak of destiny, had suddenly become far -more powerful than the strongest ministers themselves. The press -belonging to the opposition parties had got into the habit of attacking -him and calling his attendance on the imperial court an open scandal, -which ought in the interest of the dynasty to be put an end to by every -means available. - -In the Duma his name had been mentioned more than once, and always -with contempt. Every kind of reproach had been hurled at him, and -others had not been spared. He had become at last a fantastic kind -of creature, more exploited than exploiting, more destroyable than -destructive, one whose real “rôle” will never be known to its full -extent, who might in other countries than Russia and at another time -have become the founder of some religious order or secret association. -His actions when examined in detail do not differ very much from those -of the fanatics which in Paris under the reign of Louis XV. were called -the “Convulsionnaires,” and who gave way to all kind of excesses -under the pretext that these were acceptable to God by reason of the -personality of the people who inspired them. In civilised, intelligent, -well-educated Europe such an apparition would have been impossible, -but in Russia, that land of mysteries and of deep faiths, where there -still exist religious sects given to all kinds of excesses and to -attacks of pious madness (for it can hardly be called by any other -name), he acquired within a relatively short time the affections of a -whole lot of people. They were inclined to see in him a prophet whose -prayers were capable of winning for them the Divine Paradise for which -their hungry souls were longing. There was nothing at all phenomenal -about it. It was even in a certain sense quite a natural manifestation -of this large Russian nature, which is capable of so many good or -bad excesses and which has deeply incrusted at the bottom of its -heart a tendency to seek the supernatural in default of the religious -convictions which, thanks to circumstances, it has come to lose. - -The American public is perhaps not generally aware of the character of -certain religious sects in Russia, which is considered to be a country -of orthodoxy, with the Czar at its head, and where people think there -is no room left for any other religion than the official one to develop -itself. In reality, things are very different, and to this day, outside -of the recognised nonconformists, who have their own bishops and -priests, and whose faith is recognised and acknowledged by the State, -there are any number of sects, each more superstitious and each more -powerful than the other in regard to the influence which they exercise -over their adherents. These, though not numerous by any means, yet are -actuated by such fanaticism that they are apt at certain moments to -become subjects of considerable embarrassment to the authorities. Some -are inspired by the conviction that the only means to escape from the -clutches of the devil consists in suicide or in the murder of other -people. - -For instance, the Baby Killers, or Dietooubitsy, as they are called, -think it a duty to send to Heaven the souls of new-born infants, which -they destroy as soon as they see the light of day, thinking thus to -render themselves agreeable to the Almighty by snatching children away -from the power of the evil one. Another sect, which goes by the name -of Stranglers, fully believes that the doors of Heaven are only opened -before those who have died a violent death, and whenever a relative -or friend is dangerously ill they proceed to smother him under the -weight of many pillows so as to hasten the end. The Philipovtsy preach -salvation through suicide, and the voluntary death of several people in -common is considered by them as a most meritorious action. Sometimes -whole villages decide to unite themselves in one immense holocaust and -barricade themselves in a house, which is afterward set on fire. - -An incident that occurred during the reign of Alexander II. is -remembered to this day in Russia. A peasant called Khodkine persuaded -twenty people to retire together with him into a grotto hidden in the -vast forests of the government of Perm, where he compelled them to die -of hunger. Two women having contrived to escape, the fanatics, fearing -that they might be denounced, killed themselves with the first weapons -which fell under their hand. It was their terror that they might find -themselves compelled to renounce their sinister design, and thus fall -again into the clutches of that Satan for fear of whom they had made -up their minds to encounter an awful death. Even as late as the end of -the last century such acts of fanaticism could be met with here and -there in the east and centre of Russia. In 1883, under the reign of the -father of the last Czar, a peasant in the government of Riazan, called -Joukoff, burnt himself to death by setting fire to his clothes, which -he had previously soaked in paraffin, and expired under the most awful -torments, singing hymns of praise to the Lord. - -Among all these heresies there are two which have attracted more -than the others the attention of the authorities, thanks to their -secret rites and to their immoral tendencies. They are the Skoptsy, -or Voluntary Eunuchs, about which it is useless to say anything here, -and the Khlysty, or Flagellants, which to this day has a considerable -number of adepts and to which Rasputin undoubtedly belonged, to which, -in fact, he openly owed allegiance. This sect, which calls itself “Men -of God,” has the strangest rites which human imagination can invent. -According to its precepts, a human creature should try to raise its -soul toward the Divinity with the help of sexual excesses of all kinds. -During their assemblies they indulge in a kind of waltz around and -around the room, which reminds one of nothing so much as the rounds of -the Dancing Dervishes in the East. They dance and dance until their -strength fails them, when they drop to the floor in a kind of trance or -ecstasy, during which, being hardly accountable for their actions, they -imagine that they see Christ and the Virgin Mary among them. They then -threw themselves into the embrace of the supposed divinities. - -As a rule the general public knows very little concerning these sects, -but I shall quote here a passage out of a book on Russia by Sir Donald -Mackenzie Wallace, which is considered to this day as a standard work -in regard to its subject. “Among the ‘Khlysty,’” he writes, “there -are men and women who take upon themselves the calling of teachers -and prophets, and in this character they lead a strict, ascetic -life, refrain from the most ordinary and innocent pleasures, exhaust -themselves by long fasting and wild ecstatic religious exercises and -abhor marriage. Under the excitement caused by their supposed holiness -and inspiration, they call themselves not only teachers and prophets, -but also Saviours, Redeemers, Christs, Mothers of God. Generally -speaking, they call themselves simply gods and pray to each other as -to real gods and living Christs and Madonnas. When several of these -teachers come together at a meeting they dispute with each other in a -vain, boasting way as to which of them possesses most grace and power. -In this rivalry they sometimes give each other lusty blows on the ear, -and he who bears the blows the most patiently, turning the other cheek -to the smiter, acquires the reputation of having the most holiness. - - “Another sect belonging to the same category and which indeed - claims close kindred with it is the Jumpers, among whom the - erotic element is disagreeably prominent. Here is a description - of their religious meetings, which are held during summer in a - forest and during winter in some outhouse or barn. After due - preparation prayers are read by the chief teacher, dressed in - a white robe and standing in the midst of the congregation. - At first he reads in an ordinary tone of voice and then - passes gradually into a merry chant. When he remarks that the - chanting has sufficiently acted on the hearers he begins to - jump. The hearers, singing likewise, follow his example. Their - ever-increasing excitement finds expression in the highest - possible jumps. This they continue as long as they can--men - and women alike yelling like enraged savages. When all are - thoroughly exhausted the leader declares that he hears the - angels singing, and then begins a scene which cannot be here - described.” - -I have quoted this passage in full because it may give to the reader -who is not versed in the details of Russian existence and Russian -psychology the key to the circumstances that helped Rasputin to absorb -for such a considerable number of years the attention of the public in -Russia, and which, in fact, made him possible as a great ruling, though -not governing, force in the country. In some ways he had appealed -to the two great features of the human character in general and of -the Russian character in particular--mysticism and influence of the -senses. It is not so surprising as it might seem at first sight that he -contrived to ascend to a position which no one who knew him at first -ever supposed he would or could attain. - -At the same time I must, in giving a brief sketch of the career of -this extraordinary individual, protest against the many calumnies -which have associated him with names which I will not mention here out -of respect and feelings of patriotism. It is sufficiently painful to -have to say so, but German calumny, which spares no one, has used its -poisoned arrows also where Rasputin came to be discussed. It has tried -to travesty maternal love and anxiety into something quite different, -and it has attempted to sully what it could not touch. There have been -many sad episodes in this whole story of Rasputin, but some of the -people who have been mentioned in connection with them were completely -innocent of the things for which they have been reproached. Finally, -the indignation which these vile and unfounded accusations roused in -the hearts of the true friends and servants of the people led to the -drama which removed forever from the surface of Russian society the -sectarian who unfortunately had contrived to glide into its midst. - -The one extraordinary thing about Rasputin is that he was not murdered -sooner. He was so entirely despised and so universally detested all -over Russia that it was really a miracle that he could remain alive so -long a time after it had been found impossible to remove him from the -scene of the world by other than violent means. It was a recognised -fact that he had had a hand in all kinds of dirty money matters and -that no business of a financial character connected with military -expenditure could be brought to a close without his being mixed in -it. About this, however, I shall speak later on in trying to explain -how the Rasputin legend spread and how it was exploited by all kinds -of individuals of a shady character, who used his name for purposes -of their own. The scandal connected with the shameless manner in -which he became associated with innumerable transactions more or less -disreputable was so enormous that unfortunately it extended to people -and to names that should never have been mentioned together with him. - - * * * * * - -It must never be forgotten, and I cannot repeat this sufficiently, -that Rasputin was a common peasant of the worst class of the Russian -moujiks, devoid of every kind of education, without any manners and in -his outward appearance more disgusting than anything else. It would be -impossible to explain the influence which he undoubtedly contrived to -acquire upon some persons belonging to the highest social circles if -one did not take into account this mysticism and superstition which lie -at the bottom of the Slav nature and the tendency which the Russian -character has to accept as a manifestation of the power of the divinity -all things that touch upon the marvellous or the unexplainable. -Rasputin in a certain sense appeared on the scene of Russian social -life at the very moment when his teachings could become acceptable, at -the time when Russian society had been shaken to its deepest depths by -the revolution which had followed upon the Japanese war and when it was -looking everywhere for a safe harbour in which to find a refuge. - - * * * * * - -At the beginning of his career and when he was introduced into the most -select circles of the Russian capital, thanks to the caprices and the -fancies of two or three fanatic orthodox ladies who had imagined that -they had found in him a second Savonarola and that his sermons and -teachings could provoke a renewal of religious fervour, people laughed -at him and at his feminine disciples, and made all kinds of jokes, good -and bad, about him and them. But this kind of thing did not last long -and Rasputin, who, though utterly devoid of culture, had a good deal -of the cunning which is one of the distinctive features of the Russian -peasant, was the first to guess all the possibilities which this sudden -“engouement” of influential people for his person opened out before -him and to what use it could be put for his ambition as well as his -inordinate love of money. He began by exacting a considerable salary -for all the prayers which he was supposed to say at the request of his -worshippers, and of all the ladies, fair or unfair, who had canonised -him in their enthusiasm for all the wonderful things which he was -continually telling them. He was eloquent in a way and at the beginning -of his extraordinary thaumaturgic existence had not yet adopted the -attitude which he was to assume later on--of an idol, whom every one -had to adore. - -[Illustration: - - _Photograph, International Film Service, Inc._ - -THE EX-CZAR AND HIS FAMILY] - - * * * * * - -He was preaching the necessity of repenting of one’s sins, making -due penance for them after a particular manner, which he described -as being the most agreeable to God, and praying constantly and with -unusual fervour for the salvation of orthodox Russia. He contrived -most cleverly to play upon the chord of patriotism which is always so -developed in Russians, and to speak to them of the welfare of their -beloved fatherland whenever he thought it advantageous to his personal -interests to do so. He succeeded in inspiring in his adepts a faith -in his own person and in his power to save their souls akin to that -which is to be met with in England and in America among the sect of -the Christian Scientists, and he very rapidly became a kind of Russian -Mrs. Eddy. A few hysterical ladies, who were addicted to neuralgia or -headaches, suddenly found themselves better after having conversed or -prayed with him, and they spread his fame outside the small circle -which had adopted him at the beginning of his career. One fine day a -personal friend of the reigning Empress, Madame Wyroubourg, introduced -him at Tsarskoie Selo, under the pretext of praying for the health -of the small heir to the Russian throne, who was occasioning some -anxiety to his parents. It was from that day that he became a personage. - - * * * * * - -His success at court was due to the superstitious dread with which -he contrived to inspire the Empress in regard to her son. She was -constantly trembling for him, and being very religiously inclined, with -strong leanings toward mysticism, she allowed herself to be persuaded -more by the people who surrounded her than by Rasputin himself. She -believed that the man of whose holiness she was absolutely persuaded, -could by his prayers alone obtain the protection of the Almighty for -her beloved child. An accidental occurrence contributed to strengthen -her in this conviction. There were persons who were of the opinion -that the presence of Rasputin at Tsarskoie Selo was not advantageous -for many reasons. Among them was Mr. Stolypine, then Minister of the -Interior, and he it was who made such strong representations that at -last Rasputin himself deemed it advisable to return to his native -village of Pokrovskoie, in Siberia. A few days after his departure the -little Grand Duke fell seriously ill and his mother became persuaded -that this was a punishment for her having allowed the vagrant preacher -to be sent away. Rasputin was recalled, and after this no one ever -spoke again of his being removed anywhere. From that time all kinds of -adventurers began to lay siege to him and to do their utmost to gain an -introduction. - -Russia was still the land where a court favourite was all-powerful, -and Rasputin was held as such, especially by those who had some -personal interest in representing him as the successor to Menschikoff -under Peter the Great, Biren under the Empress Anne and Orloff under -Catherine II. He acquired a far greater influence outside Tsarskoie -Selo than he ever enjoyed in the imperial residence itself, and he -made the best of it, boasting of a position which in reality he did -not possess. The innumerable state functionaries, who in Russia -unfortunately always have the last word to say everywhere and in -everything and whose rapacity is proverbial, hastened to put themselves -at the service of Rasputin and to grant him everything which he asked, -in the hope that in return he would make himself useful to them. - -A kind of bargaining established itself between people desirous of -making a career and Rasputin, eager to enrich himself no matter by what -means. He began by playing the intermediary in different financial -transactions for a substantial consideration, and at last he thought -himself entitled to give his attention to matters of state. This was -the saddest side of his remarkable career as a pseudo-Cagliostro. He -had a good deal of natural intelligence, and while being the first to -laugh at fair ladies who clustered around him, he understood at once -that he could make use of them. This he did not fail to do. He adopted -toward them the manners of a stern master, and treated them like his -humble slaves. At last he ended by leading the existence of a man of -pleasure, denying himself nothing, especially his fondness for liquor -of every kind. At that time there was no prohibition in Russia and, -like all Russian peasants, Rasputin was very fond of vodka, to which he -never missed adding a substantial quantity of champagne whenever he -found the opportunity. - -I shall abstain from touching upon the delicate point of the orgies -to which it is related that Rasputin was in the habit of addicting -himself, the more so because I do not really believe these ever took -place in those higher circles of society where it was said they -regularly occurred. That strange things may have happened among the -common people, who in far greater numbers than it has ever been known, -used to attend the religious meetings which he held, I shall not deny. -It must always be remembered that Rasputin belonged to the religious -sect of the Khlysty, of whose assemblies we have read the description, -and it is quite likely, and even probable, that the assemblies of these -sectarians at which he presided were not different from the others to -which these heretics crowded. But I feel absolutely convinced that as -regards the relations of the adventurer with the numerous ladies of -society silly enough to believe in him and in his gifts of prophecy, -these consisted only of superstitious reverence on one side and -exploitation of human stupidity on the other. - -I must once more insist on the point that the apparition of Rasputin -in Russian society had nothing wonderful about it, and that the only -strange thing is that such a fuss was made. Before his time people -belonging to the highest social circles had become afflicted with -religious manias of one kind or another out of that natural longing for -something to believe in and to worship which lies hidden at the bottom -of the character of every Russian who has the leisure, or the craving, -to examine seriously the difficult and complicated problems of a future -life and of the faith one ought to follow and to believe in. - -In 1817 there was discovered in the very heart of St. Petersburg, -holding its meetings in an imperial residence (the Michael Palace), a -religious sect of most pronounced mystical tendencies, presided over -by a lady belonging to the best circles of the capital--the widow of a -colonel, Madame Tatarinoff. In her apartments used to gather officers, -State functionaries, women and girls of good family and excellent -education who, with slight variations, practised all the religious -rites of the Khlystys. One of the Ministers of Alexander I., Prince -Galitzyne, was suspected of having honoured these assemblies with his -presence. Thanks to a letter which accidentally fell into the hands -of the police, the Government became aware of what was going on, and -Madame Tatarinoff, this Russian Madame Guyon, expiated in exile in a -distant province of Siberia the ecstasies which she had practised and -which she had allowed others to practise under her roof. Some of her -disciples were prosecuted, but the greater number escaped scot free. -The authorities did not care to increase the scandal which this affair -had aroused in the capital. - -Much later, in 1878, after the Russo-Turkish war, which, like the -Japanese affair, had been followed by a strong revolutionary movement -in the country that culminated in the assassination of the Czar, -Alexander II., another prophet, this time of foreign origin, appeared -on the social horizon of St. Petersburg society, where he made a -considerable number of converts. This was the famous Lord Radstock, -whose doctrines were taken up by a gentleman who up to that time -had been known as one of the gayest among the gay, a colonel in the -Guards--Mr. Basil Paschkoff. He was enormously rich, and put all his -vast fortune at the service of the religious craze which had seized -him. He used his best efforts to convert to the doctrine of salvation -through faith only not alone his friends and relatives, but also the -poorer classes of the population of the capital, devoting in particular -his attention to the cab drivers. All these people used to meet at -his house, where they mingled with persons of the highest rank and -standing, such as Count Korff, and a former Minister, Count Alexis -Bobrinsky. Later on the whole Tchertkoff family, to which belonged -the famous friend of Count Leo Tolstoy, associated itself with them, -and, indeed, displayed the greatest fanaticism in regard to its -participation in the doctrines of the new sect. - -The Paschkovites, as they came to be called, had nothing at all in -common with the Khlystys. Their morals were absolutely unimpeachable, -and what they preached was simply the necessity to conform one’s morals -were absolutely unimpeachable, and what they explained and commented -upon, each person according to his own light. They were Protestants in -a certain sense, inasmuch as their views were distinctly Protestant -ones. But they had much more in common with the nonconformists than -the real followers of Luther or of Calvin. They were a kind of refined -Salvation Army, if this expression can be forgiven me; though they -never acquired the importance, nor did the good which the latter has -done, perhaps because they could never make any practical application -of the principles and of the ideas which animated them. But at one time -the Paschkovist craze was just as strong as the Rasputin one became -later on, and Lord Radstock and Mr. Paschkoff were considered just as -much prophets among their own particular circle as was Rasputin among -the fanatical ladies who had taken him up. - -These crises of religious mania are regular occurrences in Russian -higher social circles when unusually grave circumstances arrive to -shake their equanimity. Seen from this particular point of view, -the apparition of Rasputin and the importance which his personality -acquired in the life of the Russian upper classes present nothing very -wonderful. Before him other so-called prophets had kept the attention -of the public riveted upon their doings and their actions. - -What distinguished his short passage was the fact that it was made -the occasion by the natural enemies of the empire, consisting of the -discontented at home, and of the Germans outside the frontier, to -discredit the dynasty as well as those whose life was spent in its -immediate vicinity and to present this figure of the vagrant half-monk -and half-layman, who preached a new relation to those foolish enough to -listen to him, as being one of almost gigantic importance, who could at -his will and fancy direct the course of public affairs and lead them -wherever he wanted. - -My object in this study will be to show Rasputin for what he really -was, and in retracing the different vicissitudes of his strange career, -not to give way to the many exaggerations, which, in familiarising -people abroad with his person and with his name, have made out of him -something quite wonderful, and almost equal in power with the Czar -himself. It is time to do away with such legends and to bring Rasputin -back to his proper level--a very able and cunning, half-cultured -peasant, who owed his successes only to the fanaticism of the few, and -to the interest which many had in dissimulating themselves behind him, -in order to bring their personal wishes to a successful end. It is not -Rasputin who performed most of the actions put to his credit. It was -those who influenced him, who pushed him forward and who, thanks to -him, became both rich and powerful. He has disappeared. I wish we could -be as sure that they have disappeared along with him. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -The beginning of the career of Gregory Rasputin is shrouded with a veil -of deep mystery. He was a native of Siberia, of a small village in the -government of Tobolsk, called Pokrovskoie. Some people relate that -when quite a youth he was compromised in a crime which attracted some -attention at the time--the murder of a rich merchant who was travelling -from Omsk to Tobolsk to acquire from an inhabitant of the latter town -some gold diggings, of which he wished to dispose. This merchant -was known to carry a large sum of money, and as he never reached -his destination inquiries were started. At last his body was found, -with the head battered by blows, hidden in a ditch by the high road, -together with that of the coachman who had driven him. The murderers -were never discovered, but dark rumours concerning the participation of -the youth Rasputin in the deed spread all over the village. - -Whether it was the desire to put an end to them, or remorse for an -action of which he knew himself to be guilty, it is difficult to say, -but the fact remains that suddenly Gricha, as he was called, developed -mystical tendencies and took to attending some religious meetings at -which a certain wandering pilgrim used to preach. The latter used to -go from place to place in Siberia predicting the end of the world and -the advent of the dreaded day of Judgment when Christ would once again -appear to demand from humanity an account of its various good or bad -actions. For something like two years Rasputin followed him, until at -last he began himself to assume the character of a lay preacher, to -apply himself to the study of the Scriptures and to try to establish a -sect of his own, the principles of which he exposed to his followers in -these terms: - - I am possessed of the Holy Spirit, and it is only through - me that one can be saved. In order to do so, one must unite - oneself with me in body and soul. Everything which proceeds - from me is holy, and cleanses one from sin. - -On the strength of this theory, Rasputin declared that he could do -whatever he liked or wished. He surrounded himself with worshippers -of both sexes, who believed that by a close union with him they could -obtain their eternal salvation, together with divine forgiveness for -any sins they might have committed during their previous existence. - -Strange tales began to be related concerning the religious assemblies -at which the new prophet presided. But, nevertheless, the whole -village of Pokrovskoie, whither he had returned after his few years’ -wanderings, accepted his teachings and submitted to his decrees with -scarcely any exceptions. These unbelievers were looked upon askance -by the majority of the inhabitants, who had succumbed to the “monk’s” -power of fascination and hypnotism. It was with nothing else that -Rasputin kept his “flock” subjugated. He introduced among them the -cult of his own person, together with certain rites which he called -“sacrifice with prayer.” - -According to the narratives of some people, who out of curiosity had -attended these ceremonies, this is how they proceeded: In the night, -as soon as the first stars had become visible in the sky, Rasputin, -with the help of his disciples, dragged some wood into a deep ditch dug -for the purpose and lighted a huge bonfire. On a tripod placed in the -midst of this fire was put a cup full of incense and different herbs, -around which people began to dance, holding themselves by the hand all -the while, and singing in a voice which became louder and louder as the -wild exercise became more and more accelerated different hymns which -always ended with the phrase: “Forgive us our sins, O Lord, forgive us -our sins.” - - * * * * * - -The dance went on until people fell exhausted to the ground and groans -and tears replaced the former singing. The fire died out slowly and, -when darkness had become complete, the voice of Rasputin was heard -calling upon his disciples to proceed to the sacrifice which God -required them to perform. Then followed a scene of general orgy. - - * * * * * - -As one can see by this tale, the strange practices introduced by the -seer, about whom people were already beginning to talk, differed in -no way from those generally in use among the Khlysty, and, indeed, -Rasputin made no secret of his allegiance to this particular form of -heresy, in which, however, he had introduced a few alterations. For -instance, he did not admit that the souls of his followers could be -saved by a general prayer, but only thanks to one uttered in common -with him, and by a complete submission to his will. Some persons have -alleged that during the early wanderings of Rasputin he had gone as far -as China and Thibet, and there learned some Buddhist practices, but -this is hardly probable, as in that case his instruction would have -been more developed than it was. It is far more likely that during his -travels he had met with exiled sectarians belonging to the different -persecuted religious Russian communities, of which there exist so many -in the whole Oural region, and that they initiated him into some of -their rites and customs. They also made him attentive to the hypnotic -powers, which he most undoubtedly possessed, teaching him how to use -them for his own benefit and advantage. - -Very soon Rasputin found that Pokrovskoie was not a field wide enough -for his energies, and he took to travelling, together with a crowd of -disciples that followed him everywhere over the eastern and central -Russian provinces. There he contrived to win every day new adherents -to the doctrines in which free love figured so prominently. Among the -towns where he obtained the most success can be mentioned those of -Kazan, Saratoff, Kieff and Samara. - -Concerning his doings in Kazan, people became informed through a letter -which one of his victims addressed to the bishop of that diocese, -Monsignor Feofane, who had shown at the beginning of Rasputin’s career -a considerable interest in him and who had protected him with great -success. In this letter, which later on found its way into the press, -the following was said among other things: - - “Your Reverence, I absolutely fail to understand how it is - possible that you continue to this day to know and see Gregory - Rasputin. He is Satan in person and the things which he does - are worthy of those that the Antichrist alone is supposed to - perform, and prove that the latter’s advent is at hand.” - -The writer then proceeded to explain that Rasputin had completely -subjugated the mind of her two daughters, one of whom was aged twenty, -whilst the second had not yet attained her sixteenth year. - - “One afternoon,” writes this unfortunate mother, “I met in the - street, coming out of a bathhouse, Rasputin, together with my - two girls. One must be a mother to understand the feelings - which overpowered me at this sight. I could find no words to - say, but remained standing motionless and silent before them. - The prophet turned to me and slowly said: ‘Now you may feel at - peace, the day of salvation has dawned for your daughters!’” - -Another woman, who had also fallen under the spell of Rasputin, wrote -as follows about him: - - “I left my parents, to whom I was tenderly attached, to follow - the prophet. One day when we were travelling together in a - reserved first-class carriage, talking about the salvation of - souls and the means to become a true child of God, he suddenly - got up, approached me, and * * * proceeded to cleanse me of - all my sins. Towards evening I became anxious and asked him: - ‘Perhaps what we have been doing to-day was a sin, Gregory - Efimitsch?’ ‘No, my daughter,’ he replied, ‘it was not a sin. - Our affections are a gift from God, which we may use as freely - as we like.’” - -Bishop Feofane finally was obliged to recognise the evil which Rasputin -was constantly doing, and he bitterly repented having been taken in -by him and by his hypocrisy. He reproached himself especially for -having given him a letter of recommendation to the famous Father John -of Cronstadt, through whom Rasputin was to become acquainted with -some of the people who were later on to pilot him in the society of -St. Petersburg. The bishop was not a clever man by any means, but he -had been sincere in his admiration for Rasputin, a fact which added -to the consternation that overpowered him when the truth about the -famous sectarian became known to him. He assembled a kind of judicial -court, composed of one bishop, one monk and three well-known and highly -respected civil functionaries, and called upon the prophet to come and -explain himself before this court as to the actions which were imputed -to him. Among these figured his general conduct in regard to the women -who had enrolled themselves in the ranks of his disciples. But somehow -the adventurer succeeded in dispelling the suspicions that had become -attached to his name and conduct, and he explained in a more or less -plausible manner the things which had been told about him. His leanings -towards feminine society, and his invariable custom of bathing with -women, he declared to be quite innocent things, and only a proof of -his desire to show that it was quite possible for human beings to rise -above every kind of carnal temptation. - -In spite of this episode, which would have interfered with the career -of any one but Rasputin, the fame of the latter grew with every day -that passed. He established himself at last in the town of Tiumen in -Siberia, where he hired the whole of a large house for himself and some -of his most favoured disciples, and he began to turn his activity into -another and more profitable channel. He established reception hours -every day, when all his followers, admirers and friends could come to -speak with him about any business they liked. Hundreds of people used -to attend those receptions, among them some very influential persons -curious to see and speak with the modern Peter the Hermit, who declared -that he had been called by God to save Holy Russia. In some mysterious -manner he acquired the reputation of having great influence in high -quarters, where (this must be noticed) he was at the time still quite -unknown. Governors fearing dismissal, rapacious functionaries whose -exactions had become too flagrant, as well as business men in quest -of some good “geschaft,” to use the German expression employed before -the war among financial circles in Russia, crowded round him, waiting -sometimes hours for an opportunity to speak with him, and fully -believing in his capacities for obtaining what they required. - -Rasputin soon became a kind of business agent and surrounded himself -with a number of secretaries of both sexes, whose occupation consisted -in attending to his correspondence--he could himself hardly read or -write--and in receiving the numerous offerings which were being brought -to him daily. These secretaries, among whom figured a sister of the -Bishop of Saratoff, Warnava, made an immense amount of money themselves -because no one was ever admitted into the presence of Rasputin -without having previously paid dearly for this favour. Very soon they -established a tax in regard to the audiences granted by their master. - -Besides this sister of Bishop Warnava, Rasputin had another female -secretary, and they both accompanied him in all his travels, calling -themselves his spiritual sisters. They constituted, so to say, his -bodyguard, and wherever he went, even in St. Petersburg, they never -left off attending him and seeing to all his wants. They were the -channel through which everything had to go, and without their consent -no one was ever admitted into the presence of the “Saint,” as they -already had begun to call him. - -Gregory Rasputin very often used to visit Tobolsk, where he was always -received with great ceremony and pomp, as if he had been really the -important personage he believed himself. The policeman in the streets -saluted him as he passed; the carriage in which he drove was escorted -or preceded by a high police functionary, and the governor asked him -to dinner. The same kind of thing used to take place in other Siberian -cities. In one of them the staterooms reserved at the railway station -for any high authority on a visit to the place were thrown open to -him. In another triumphal arches were erected in his honour, while in -a third he was met by deputations in the midst of which could be seen -civil functionaries and religious dignitaries. - -How all this happened no one knew or could explain. In what consisted -the fame of Rasputin and what he had done to deserve all these honours -nobody could tell. But fame he had acquired, honours he had obtained, -and where another person gifted with a smaller amount of impudence -than he was possessed of, would have been put into prison or sent to -a madhouse, Gricha had it all his own way, and defied governors and -judges with an equal indifference, sure that none among them would be -daring enough to try to put a stop to his progress or to his avidity. - -Most friendly, not to say intimate, relations were established between -Rasputin and Bishop Warnava, especially after the latter’s elevation to -the Episcopal See of Tobolsk. The first sermon which Warnava preached -in that town he dedicated to the wife of Rasputin. One need not say -that the whole clergy of the town and of the diocese trembled before -Rasputin, who did not fail to exact from it large sums of money, which -he extorted, thanks to the promises which he made but never meant in -the least to keep. - -During the course of the year 1909 complaints about Rasputin’s -behaviour increased to a considerable extent. He was once more called -before an ecclesiastical court to give explanations in regard to -his general conduct. Among his judges figured again Bishop Feofane. -This time Rasputin could not clear himself of the charges preferred -against him, and he was invited to retire for one year into a monastery -by way of penance. But Rasputin refused to submit to this sentence -and categorically declined to do as he had been told. He gave as a -reason for his disobedience to the commands of his ecclesiastical -superiors that his conscience obliged him to resist because it would be -impossible for his “spiritual sisters and daughters” to accompany him -in his retreat and live together with him in the monastery they wished -him to enter. - -At the time this incident took place Rasputin was already living in -St. Petersburg, whither he had repaired on the invitation of some of -his admirers and protectors, who had the opportunity to listen to his -preachings in Kieff and other Russian towns. Among them figured the -Countess Sophy Ignatieff, a woman of high standing, irreproachable -reputation and great influence in some circles of the capital, where -her salon was considered the centre of the conservative orthodox party. -Bishops and priests figured among her daily visitors, and it was among -her habitués that the most important ecclesiastical appointments in the -Empire were discussed. Often it was the candidates whom she honoured -with her protection who were chosen for a bishop’s place or for that -of a superior to one of those rich monasteries the heads of which are -quite personages in the state. - -The Countess was already an old woman, widow of a man who had been -murdered during the revolution of 1905, and, incapable of being even -suspected of any frailties of conduct. She was the mother of a large -family, and though by no means brilliant, was yet clever in her way, -with a slight propensity to intrigue. She was extremely devout, with -a strong tendency to exaltation where religious matters came into -question, and was continually lamenting what she called the relaxation -of modern society in those practices of strict church discipline -which Russians belonging to the higher classes have lately taken -to forgetting. She would not have missed attending any of the long -Church services, sometimes so tiring in the Orthodox faith, which are -celebrated on Sundays and many feast days, and she strictly fasted at -prescribed times. Indeed, her whole existence was, as regards its daily -routine, more that of a nun than of a woman of the world. But for all -that, she liked to keep herself well informed as to all that was going -on around her, and politics was her especial hobby. - -Among those who frequented her house were Mr. Sabler, then Procurator -of the Holy Synod, together with his future successor, Mr. Loukianoff; -a good sprinkling of ministers--she was distantly related to Mr. -Stolypine, a fact that had considerably added to her importance -during the latter’s lifetime--and a few influential dames belonging -to the immediate circle of friends of the imperial family. All -this constituted a coterie that had gradually assumed perhaps more -importance than it really deserved, but that brought into St. -Petersburg society an element with which it would not have been wise -to trifle and which it was impossible to overlook, for any one caring -to concern himself or herself with the course that public affairs were -taking and assuming. - -A few years before the time I am referring to, that is about 1908 or -1909, a good deal of interest was excited not only in St. Petersburg, -but in the whole of Russia, by a monk called Illiodore, who also -preached a new gospel to those willing to listen. There was, however, -about him none of the peculiarities which distinguished Rasputin, and -no one had ever found one word to say against his morals. But he tried -also to found a religion of his own in the sense that he attempted to -develop on a higher scale, and with certain Protestant leanings, the -feelings of fervour of the people. At Saratoff, where he lived, he did -a great deal of good, and he had built there a large church, Orthodox, -of course, which soon became a centre of pilgrimage to which flocked -thousands and thousands of people desirous of hearing him and of -listening to his inflamed speeches. They reminded one of those crusades -that in the Middle Ages had stirred whole nations to rise and rush to -deliver the Holy Sepulchre from the yoke of the infidels. He was far -more a Peter the Hermit than Rasputin, and had, moreover, education, -which the other lacked. - -But ecclesiastical authorities in St. Petersburg did not approve of -his teachings, and he soon came into conflict with them, together -with the Bishop of Saratoff, who had all along supported him and who -considered him as being really a good and pious man. This conflict -led to a quarrel, the result of which was that Illiodore was confined -in a monastery, whence, however, with the help of his disciples and -adherents, he contrived to make his escape. There was also a whole -series of lawsuits, into the details of which it is useless to enter -here. At last the monk was unfrocked for rebellion to his superiors, -by a decree issued from the Holy Synod, and compelled to take back his -secular name of Trufanoff. He became fearful of further annoyance and -managed to get hold of a false passport, with the help of which he made -his way into Norway, where we shall find him presently mixed up in a -most extraordinary adventure with which Rasputin was concerned. But -before all this had occurred there was a brief period when Illiodore -was quite an important personage in Russia, and the salons of the -Countess Ignatieff and of other ultra-devout ladies used to see a lot -of him whenever he happened to be in St. Petersburg. These feminine -listeners were very fond of him, and did their best to spread his -reputation all over the capital. - -During Rasputin’s wanderings he had come across Illiodore at Saratoff, -and the latter, like so many others before and after him, had succumbed -to the hypnotic spell which “Gricha” was casting around him. He had -believed him to be a real servant of God, and he had engaged him -to come to St. Petersburg and to preach there before some of the -people who had already listened to his (Illiodore’s) sermons. He -had introduced him to the celebrated Father John of Cronstadt, this -saintly priest who was so famous for his virtues and his good deeds. -And, strange though this may appear, Father John also had been struck -by Rasputin’s eloquence and had believed him to be really inspired -by the Lord. In order to explain the state of mind prevalent at the -time among the orthodox clergy one must say that the clergy, or at -least some of their important members, were trying to bring about a -revival of religious fervour in the Orthodox Church, especially among -persons belonging to the upper classes, who had, during the last -twenty-five years or so, become more than indifferent in regard to -spiritual matters, and who had considered religion more a question of -“convenience” than anything else. Since the religious censorship had -been suppressed and books to any amount treating of every conceivable -subject had been allowed to circulate freely in the country, the former -attachment to the Mother Church had waxed fainter and fainter, until -this Church appeared in the eyes of many as simply a question of good -breeding, to which it was necessary to conform when one belonged to -good society, but which, beyond this, was treated entirely as a matter -devoid of importance. - -In view of this fact, those Prelates and Dignitaries who lamented over -this state of things were not sorry to find that there were still in -the world people capable of arousing in the minds of others an interest -in religion and religious matters. This explains partly why the craze -which seized some persons in regard to Illiodore at first, and to -Rasputin later on, was not viewed with the dissatisfaction one might -have expected by the Russian ecclesiastical authorities. They argued -that surely it was better for people to pray in the way these two -so-called “saints” told them to do than not to pray at all. It was only -much later, after Illiodore’s rebellion to the orders of his superiors, -and Rasputin’s ever-growing personal influence had begun to alarm them, -that there were found some bishops in Russia who made a stand against -both, until at last a catastrophe removed these two men from the scene -of their previous labours and successes. - -Rasputin and Illiodore were in time to become mortal enemies, but at -first a great friendship united them, and when Rasputin was sentenced -to enter a convent in the manner already related, Illiodore took up his -cause most warmly and telegraphed to one of the former’s admirers, an -ecclesiastic of high rank in St. Petersburg, in the following terms: -“Neither Bishop Feofane nor Archimandrite Serge has behaved fairly in -regard to the ‘Blessed Grigory.’” Illiodore’s efforts, however, did -not avail and Rasputin was ordered to leave the capital immediately. -But instead of being compelled to enter the convent whither they had -wished to confine him at first, he was allowed to return to his native -village of Pokrovskoie. Before doing so he bethought himself of calling -on his former patron, Bishop Feofane, but the latter met him with the -exclamation, “Don’t approach me, Satan! Thou art not a blessed thing, -but only a vulgar deceiver!” At Pokrovskoie Rasputin surrounded himself -with twelve sisters, of whom the oldest was barely twenty-nine years -of age. They all lived in his house, which was extremely well arranged -and richly furnished. Rasputin’s wife, together with her children, -was also there and occupied a suite of five rooms, whilst each of the -sisters had a separate room to herself. - -People wondered that the woman who ought to have been the sole mistress -in the place had consented to share her authority with all these -girls, and some even thought that she was just as bad as her husband. -In reality, the “Prophet’s” consort had done all that she could to -persuade her husband to give up the “mission” which he declared had -been imposed upon him by the Almighty and to return to his former life -of a simple peasant. Her efforts had remained fruitless, and Rasputin -had replied to all her entreaties that his past existence had come -forever to an end, and that he knew his star was about to shine in a -wonderful way within a short time. He commanded his wife not to attempt -to interfere in the matter of his own personal relations with the -“Sisters” living under their roof. Though she tried to submit to his -will, yet there were occasions when terrible scenes occurred between -husband and wife. Then the latter would attack violently the girls, -whom she accused of all kinds of dreadful things, and would then fall -on the ground in attacks of strong hysterics, screaming so dreadfully -that people heard her from the street. But tears and submission were -equally of no avail and Rasputin did not trouble about his wife’s -rage or grief any more than he had troubled in general with any other -impediment he had found in his way. As concerns the kind of life which -the “Sisters” were leading at Pokrovskoie this is how one of them -describes it: - - It is now already six months since I am here, living in a kind - of nightmare. I do not know to this day whether the “Blessed” - Gricha is a saint or the greatest sinner the earth has ever - known. I cannot find a quiet place in this miserable village. I - would like to run away, to return to St. Petersburg, but I dare - not do so. I am so afraid, so terribly afraid of the “Blessed” - one. His large, grey, piercing eyes crush me, enter into my - very soul and absolutely terrify me. At a distance of 5,000 - versts I feel his presence near me. I feel that he has got - extraordinary powers, that he can do everything that he wishes - with me. - -For two whole years Rasputin was not allowed to show himself in the -Russian capital, but the influential friends he had there never left -off trying to get the decree of banishment rescinded. Among others, the -Archbishop of Saratoff, Hermogene, and Illiodore worked most actively -in his favour, and the latter in one of his sermons did not hesitate -to call Rasputin the “greatest saint which the modern Russian Church -had ever known.” At last the efforts of his friends proved successful -and Rasputin, toward the end of the year 1912, reappeared in St. -Petersburg, where this time his progress was far more rapid than it -had been formerly, and here his reputation of a latter-day saint grew -with every hour, until at last he came to be looked upon as a real -manifestation of the Divinity upon earth. - -It was about that time that he was seen more frequently at Tsarskoie -Selo, where the poor Empress was eating her heart away in anxiety over -the health of her only son, the little heir to the throne, whose days -seemed to be numbered. Rasputin, who had been introduced to her as a -pious, good man, whose prayers had already worked miracles, was very -quickly able to influence her in the sense that he persuaded her that -the small Grand Duke could only be cured if constant prayers were said -for him by people who were agreeable to the Lord. It is not to be -denied that the pseudo-saint had cultivated to a considerable extent -the science of hypnotism and that he used it in regard to the consort -of the sovereign in the sense that she grew really to believe that the -presence of the “Prophet” by the side of her sick child might cure the -latter. There was nothing else in their relations to each other, which -remained always, in spite of all that has been said, purely official -ones. - -Rasputin was far too clever ever to say one word capable of offending -the Empress, whose proud temperament would never have forgiven him any -familiarity had he dared to venture upon it. Whenever he was in her -presence he kept a most humble attitude, and certainly never discussed -with her any matters of state and never dared entertain her with aught -else than religious questions. He was far less guarded with regard to -what he told the Emperor, with whom it is unfortunately true that he -sometimes allowed himself remarks he would have done better to keep -to himself. But the Czar never looked upon him in any other light -than in that of a jester whose sayings were absolutely devoid of any -importance whatever, but who could amuse him at times by the daring -manner in which he would touch upon things and criticise people whose -names no one else would ever have dared to mention in a disparaging -tone before Nicholas II. But between that and the possession of any -real power and influence, there was an abyss which, unfortunately, in -view of the turn that events were to take, no one noticed among all -those who lamented over the almost constant presence of Rasputin at -Tsarskoie Selo. - -All that I have said, however, refers only to the Emperor and Empress. -In regard to some people who surrounded them it was not quite the -same. It is certain that from the first day that the “Prophet” was -introduced at Tsarskoie Selo some intriguing persons applied themselves -to make use of him for their own special benefit and advantage, and -tried to create around him a legend that had hardly anything in common -with the real truth. It is useless to mention the names of these -people, whose influence it must be hoped is now at an end. But it is -impossible not to speak of their activity in regard to the spreading of -these rumours which attributed to Rasputin an importance he was never -really in possession of. This caused no small damage to the prestige -of the dynasty. Rasputin ought to have been considered for what he -was--that is, a kind of jester, “un fou du roi,” who, like Chicot in -Dumas’ famous novels, allowed himself to say all that he thought to -his sovereign and whose words or actions no one could take seriously -into account. Instead of this some ambitious men and women, mostly -belonging to that special class of Tchinovnikis or civil functionaries -that has always been the curse of Russia and that, happily, is losing -every day something of its former power, profited by the circumstance -that the solitary existence led by the Imperial Court in its various -residences did not allow any outside rumours to penetrate to the ears -of the rulers of the country. They intentionally transformed Rasputin -into a kind of _deus ex machina_, whose hand could be traced in every -event of importance which occurred and who could at will remove and -appoint Ministers, generals, ladies in waiting, court officials and -at last induce the Czar himself to deprive his uncle, the Grand Duke -Nicholas, of the supreme command of the army and to assume it himself. - -These different tales were repeated and carried about all over Russia -with alacrity, and all the enemies of the reigning house rejoiced in -hearing them. They were untrue nine times out of ten, and generally -invented for a purpose. Rasputin did not influence the Czar, who is -far too intelligent to have ever allowed this uneducated peasant to -guide or to advise him, but unfortunately he influenced other people, -who really believed him to be all powerful. A kind of camarilla formed -itself around Rasputin that clung to him and used him for its own -purposes, and that went about saying that he was the only man in the -whole of Russia capable of obtaining what one wanted, provided it -pleased him to do so. One declared that he could persuade the Empress, -always trembling for the health of her only son, to discuss with -her imperial spouse any subject that he might suggest. In reality no -such thing ever took place. Alexandra Feodorovna always kept Rasputin -at arms’ length, and for one thing had far too much faith in his -absolute disinterestedness even to imagine offering him any reward -or gratification. But it is a fact that he was often called by her -to pray at the bedside of the little boy, who represented the best -hope of Russia. This circumstance was cleverly exploited. No one was -ever present at his interviews with the Czar or with the Empress; it -was therefore easy for him to say what he liked about them, certain -that no one could ever contradict him, with the exception of the -interested persons themselves, and these could never get to hear or -to learn anything about the wild tales which it pleased him, together -with his friends, to put into circulation regarding the position which -he occupied at the court. Thanks to his persuasive powers and to the -undoubted magnetic force he was possessed of, he contrived to imbue -even earnest and serious people with the conviction that he was at -times the echo of the voices of those placed far above him, and that -they had called upon him to say to others what it embarrassed them to -mention themselves. - -In Russia, as a general rule, the people in power were all cringing -before the Czar, whom they never dared to contradict. There were at -the time I am writing about some Ministers who believed, or affected -to believe, in all the extraordinary tales which it pleased Rasputin -to repeat, and who thought it useful to follow the indications which -it pleased him to give to them. He was only too delighted to be -considered the most powerful personage in the whole of the Russian -Empire. He helped as much as he could to accredit all the legends going -about among the public in regard to his own person, and he imagined -that the best way to add to his reputation as a man who did not care -for the opinions of the world was to treat this world with disdain and -with contempt, and to transform into his humble slaves ladies belonging -to the highest social ranks, just as he had transformed into his -hand-maidens the peasant girls who had fallen under his spell. - -That he magnetised most of the people with whom he prayed seems but too -true. Perhaps they did not notice it, and perhaps this was done with -the consent of those on whom he exercised his hypnotic strength--it -is difficult to know exactly--but that his prayer meetings were the -scene of spiritist and magnetic experiences all who have ever been -present agree in saying. He made no secret about the fact, and openly -acknowledged the use which he made of the state of trance in which he -liked to throw his disciples, especially those belonging to the weaker -sex. He practiced to the full all the customs of the “Khlystys,” but he -added to them a cunning such as is but rarely found in a human being, -and a rough knowledge of human nature which gave him the facility to -exploit the passions of the many vile people who thought that he was -their instrument while in reality it was they who were playing fiddle -to his tune. - -After his return to St. Petersburg he applied himself to the task of -setting aside all his former patrons, such as Illiodore, against whom -he contrived to irritate several important members of the Holy Synod -with false reports about remarks which the now disgraced monk was -supposed to have made. He contrived also to bring about the exile of -the Archbishop of Saratoff, Hermogene, from whom he feared disagreeable -revelations concerning his own past life and certain episodes connected -with the days when he had preached his so-called doctrine in the -town and government of Saratoff. On the other hand, he toadied to -other ecclesiastical dignitaries eager for promotion, and in that way -obtained their support in the Synod. Very soon he turned his thoughts -to more practical subjects than religious fervour or religious reforms, -and sought the society of business and financial people. Among these he -soon obtained the opportunities he longed for and established a kind of -large shop or concern where everything in the world could be bought or -sold, from a pound of butter to a minister’s portfolio. - -It is no exaggeration to say that there was a time when nothing of -importance ever occurred in the political, social and administrative -life of the Russian capital that was not attributed to Rasputin, and -the result of this was that there crowded about him all kinds of -dark personalities, who hoped, thanks to his support and influence, -to obtain this or that favour. Everything interested him, everything -attracted his attention; railway concessions, bank emissions, stock -exchange speculations, purchase of properties, acquisition of shares -in industrial concerns, arranging of loans for persons in need of -them--nothing seemed too small or too important for his activity. He -liked to think himself necessary to all these high-born people, whom -he compelled to wait for hours in his ante-chambers, just as if he -had been a sovereign. And for every favour he granted, for every word -which he promised to say, he exacted payment in the shape of a pound of -flesh, which consisted, according to circumstances, in a more or less -important commission. - -Ministers and functionaries feared him. They knew that he could do -them an infinitude of harm by causing to be circulated against them -rumours of a damaging character, the result of which would have -undoubtedly been their disgrace or removal to another sphere of action -very probably not at all desirable. He was credited for an infinitude -of things he had never thought of performing, and he was supposed -to have been privy to all kinds of governmental changes that either -pleased or displeased those who criticised them. As time went on one -accused him among other things of the dismissal of the procurator of -the Holy Synod, Mr. Loukianoff, with whom he had for a long period -been at daggers drawn and who had openly expressed his disapproval -of the “Prophet” and his disbelief in his miraculous powers. The -elevation of the Archimandrite Warnava, one of his warmest patrons in -the past, to the Episcopal See of Tobolsk was also said to have been -Rasputin’s work, and the public persisted so entirely in seeing his -hand everywhere and in everything that it was even rumoured that it -was he who was answerable for the decision of the censor forbidding -the representation of a drama by the celebrated author Leonide -Andreieff called, “Anathema,” on the eve of the day when it was to be -produced--a decision which caused an immense sensation in the society -of the Russian capital. - -It was natural that among the many people who crowded around Rasputin -some secret police agents found their way. One of these who was -later to become the hero of more than one scandal, a certain Mr. -Manassevitsch Maniuloff, bethought himself of becoming the mentor -of the “Prophet.” He was in close relation with Count Witte, always -eager for his own return to power, and desirous of overturning every -individual in possession of the posts which he had formerly occupied -himself. The two men tried to imbue Rasputin with the idea that he -had great political talents, and that it was a pity he had not yet -turned these into account for the good and the welfare of Holy Russia. -Rasputin did not believe in the sincerity of his newly acquired -advisers, but he was shrewd enough to see that their help would be of -wonderful value to him. He willingly entered into the plans which they -unfolded to him between two glasses of brandy or two cups of champagne -as the occasion presented itself. Count Witte was very well aware of -all the secret influences which were paramount at Tsarskoie Selo, and -he contrived to turn them in favour of Rasputin, suggesting at the same -time to the latter the things which he ought to say, when in presence -of certain personages. It was easy to throw in a word now and then, -either in the shape of a jest, or of a remark uttered inadvertently and -unintentionally, but yet sure to bear fruit in the future. The great -thing was to give to Rasputin the idea that he was a personage of -importance. This was not a very difficult matter considering the very -high opinion which he already had of his own capacities, coupled with -his set resolution to make the most hay whilst the sun was shining, and -never to miss an opportunity of asserting his personality no matter on -what occasion or with what purpose. - -The Balkan war gave Rasputin a golden opportunity for exercising his -various talents, and it is pretty certain that he made at the time -strenuous efforts in favour of peace, repeating to whomsoever wished -to hear him that he had had visions which predicted that the greatest -calamities were awaiting Russia, if she mixed herself up in it. This -feeling was shared by a numerous party, and the sovereign himself -was the most resolute adversary of any military intervention in this -unfortunate affair. It is likely that even without Rasputin Russia -would not have drawn her sword either for Bulgaria or for Serbia, but -nevertheless it pleased his friends to say that without him this would -have most undoubtedly occurred. And it also pleased him to assert -that on this occasion he had proved to be the saviour of his native -land. We shall see him repeat this legend with great relish during a -conversation which I had with him personally just before the breaking -out of the present war. - -There was also another incident in which Rasputin most certainly was -implicated. This was the dismissal of Mr. Kokovtsoff, then Prime -Minister and President of the Council, followed by the appointment -in his place of old and tottering Mr. Goremykine, to whom no one in -the whole of Russia had ever given a thought as a possible candidate -for this difficult post. Count Witte was the personal enemy of Mr. -Kokovtsoff, whom he had never forgiven for his so-called treason in -regard to himself, and he never missed any opportunity to attack him -in the Council of State, of which they were both members, criticising -his financial administration and making fun of the splendid budgets -which were regularly presented to the Duma. These Witte declared to be -entirely artificial, reposing on a clever manipulation of figures. In -some ways it was easy to find fault with Mr. Kokovtsoff, whose name had -been mixed up far too much for the good of his personal reputation in -all kind of financial transactions and Stock Exchange operations. But, -then, the same thing had been said about Count Witte with perhaps even -more reason than about Mr. Kokovtsoff, whose wife, at least, had never -been suspected of any manipulations with her banking account. Indeed, -no finance minister in Russia had escaped accusations of the kind from -his detractors or his adversaries, and it had never interfered with -their administrative careers nor prevented them from sleeping soundly. - -So far, so well; but then this was more the work of events as they -had unfolded themselves naturally than the merit of Rasputin; yet he -was openly congratulated by his friends, or so-called ones, on the -success which he had obtained in driving Mr. Kokovtsoff away. The -ultra-orthodox party which hailed the advent to power of one of its -members--Mr. Goremykine having always been considered as one of the -pillars of the conservative faction--not only cheered the “Prophet” -with enthusiasm but also started to proclaim anew his genius and clear -understanding of the needs of the Russian people. Thus a ministerial -crisis culminated in the apotheosis of a man whose only appreciation -of the qualities and of the duties of a Minister consisted in the -knowledge of that Minister’s existence as a public functionary. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -Among Rasputin’s adversaries was Mr. Stolypine, who, with strong -common sense and great intelligence, had objected to the importance -which certain social circles in St. Petersburg had tried to give to -the soothsayer. At first he had regarded the whole matter as a kind -of wild craze which was bound to subside in time, as other crazes of -the same sort had dwindled into insignificance in the past. Later on, -however, some reports that had reached him concerning the persons who -frequented Rasputin’s society had given him reason to think that there -might be something more than stupid, enthusiasm in the various tales -which had come to his ears in regard to the Prophet of Pokrovskoie. -He, therefore, expressed the wish to see him, so as to be able to form -a personal judgment of the man, and a meeting was arranged in due -course at the house of one of the ladies who patronised Rasputin. It is -related that after he had cast his eyes upon him Mr. Stolypine, when -asked to give his opinion on the personality of the individual about -whom he had heard so many conflicting reports, had simply replied: - -“The best thing to do with him is to send him to light the furnace; he -is fit for nothing else.” - -The words were repeated and circulated freely in St. Petersburg; -they reached Rasputin, and enraged him the more, because, shortly -afterwards, it was Mr. Stolypine who had insisted on having him -expelled from the capital, and who for two whole years had refused to -allow him to enter it again. When, therefore, in the early autumn of -1912 the “prophet” at last was allowed to return to St. Petersburg, -it was with the feelings of the deepest enmity against the Minister -who had exiled him. He had the satisfaction of finding that during -his enforced absence the popularity of Mr. Stolypine had decreased, -and that a considerable number were openly talking about overthrowing -him. Rasputin very soon discovered the use which could be made of this -state of things, which surpassed by far any hopes he might have nursed -of being able to be revenged upon the President of the Cabinet for the -injury which he imagined that the latter had done to him. He proceeded -in all his sermons to compare him with the Antichrist, and to say that -Russia would never be quiet so long as he remained one of its rulers. - -The police agent, whose name I have already mentioned, Mr. -Manassevitsch Maniuloff, who always had his eye on Rasputin, and who -had hastened to call upon him as soon as he had seen him return to -the capital, was not slow to notice the now outspoken animosity of -the latter in regard to the Prime Minister, who was offensive to him -as well as to the whole secret police. The latter, finding that it -could no longer do what it pleased, and that it had to respect the -private liberty and life of the peaceful Russian citizens, or else be -called to account by Mr. Stolypine, who ever since his appointment had -been working against the occult powers of the “Okhrana,” had but one -idea; and this was to get rid by fair means or by foul of a master -determined to control the police. It is known in Russia that Mr. -Stolypine’s assassination was the work of the secret police itself, who -had found the murderer in the person of one of its own agents, to whom -it had furnished even the revolver with which to kill the unfortunate -Stolypine. But few people dared relate all that they suspected in -regard to this heinous crime, and fewer still were aware of all its -details, and of the manner in which it had been planned. - -The truth of the story is that Mr. Maniuloff secretly took to -Rasputin’s house two or three police agents, to whom the latter said -that God himself had revealed to him that Russia could never be saved -from the perils of revolution until the removal of Mr. Stolypine. -He even blessed the officers, together with a pistol with which he -presented them. It turned out afterwards that this pistol was the -very weapon which the Jew Bagroff fired at the Prime Minister in the -theatre of Kieff during the gala performance given there in honour of -the Emperor’s visit to the town. When Stolypine had succumbed to his -wounds, Rasputin made no secret of the satisfaction which his death -had occasioned to him, and exerted himself in favour of several people -who were supposed to have been privy to the plot that had been hatched -against the life of the Prime Minister. He told his disciples that the -fate which had overtaken the unhappy Stolypine did not surprise him at -all, and that every one of those who would venture to oppose him would -meet with a similar one in the future. - -In a certain sense, this threat had an effect on those before whom -it was uttered. People began to dread Rasputin, not on account of -any supernatural powers he might have been endowed with, but because -they saw that he had managed to get into association with individuals -utterly unscrupulous and ready to resort to every means, even to -assassination, in order to come to their own ends. They thought it -better and wiser, therefore, to get out of his way and not to attempt -to thwart him. He became associated in the mind of Russian society -with conspirators similar to the Italian carbonari or Camorrists. The -conviction that, under the veil of religious fervour, he was able to -persuade his satellites to do whatever he pleased, and to hesitate at -nothing in the way of infamy and crime, gradually established itself -everywhere until it was thought advisable to have nothing to do with -him, or else to submit to him absolutely and in everything. It was very -well known that he had had a hand in the murder of Mr. Stolypine, but -not one single person could be found daring enough to say so, and an -atmosphere of impunity enveloped him together with those who worshipped -at his shrine or who had put themselves under his protection. - -It was during this same winter of 1912–13 that the name of Rasputin -became more and more familiar to the ears of the general public, -which until that time had only heard about him vaguely and had not -troubled about him at all. It was also then that rumours without -number concerning the prayer meetings at which he presided began to -circulate. Innumerable legends arose in regard to those meetings, -which were compared to the worst assemblies ever held by Khlysty -sectarians. In reality nothing unmentionable took place during their -course. Rasputin was far too clever to apply to the fine ladies, whose -help he considered essential to the progress of his future career, the -same means by which he had subjugated the simple peasant women and -provincial girls whom he had depraved. He remained strictly on the -religious ground with his aristocratic followers, and he tried only to -develop in them feelings of divine fervour verging upon an exaltation -which was close to hysteria in its worst shape or form. In a word, it -was with him and them a case like that of the nuns of Loudun in the -sixteenth century. Had he lived in the middle ages it is certain that -Rasputin would have been burnt at the first stake to be found for the -purpose, which, perhaps, would not have been such a great misfortune. - -[Illustration: - - _Photograph, International Film Service, Inc._ - -RASPUTIN AND HIS “COURT”] - -I have seen a photograph representing the “Prophet” drinking tea with -the ladies who composed the nucleus of the new church or sect, which -he prided himself upon having founded. It is a curious production. -Rasputin is seen sitting at a table before a samovar or tea urn slowly -sipping out of a saucer the fragrant beverage so dear to Russian -hearts. Around him are grouped the Countess I., Madame W., Madame -T. and other of his feminine admirers, who, with fervent eyes, are -watching him. The expression of these ladies is most curious, and makes -one regret that one could not observe it otherwise than in a picture. -Their faces are filled with an enthusiasm that bears the distinct -stamp of magnetic influence, and it is easy to notice that they are -plunged into that kind of trance when one is no longer accountable for -one’s actions. - -The method used by Rasputin was to humiliate all the women of the -higher circles whom he had subjugated, and who had been silly enough -to allow themselves to fall under his spell. Thus he liked to compell -them to kiss his hands and feet, to lick the plates out of which he had -been eating, or to drink out of the glass which he had just drained. -He made them say long prayers in a most fatiguing posture, compelled -them sometimes to remain for hours prostrate on the ground before some -sacred image, or to stand for a whole day in one place without moving, -as a penance for their sins; or again to go for hours without food. -Once he commanded one of them to walk in one night to the village of -Strelna, a distance of about twenty-five miles from St. Petersburg, and -to return immediately, without giving herself any rest at all, with a -twig from a certain tree he had designated to her. - -In a word, Doctor Charcot would have found in him an invaluable -assistant in the experiments he was so fond of making. But he did -not go further than these eccentricities. Orgies did not take place -during the prayer meetings in which Rasputin exerted to the utmost -the magnetic powers which he undoubtedly possessed. While he had been -preaching to the humble followers he had at the beginning of his career -of thaumaturgy the theory of free love, to his St. Petersburg disciples -he declared that sensuality was the one great crime which the Almighty -never forgave to those who had rendered themselves guilty of it. It -was in order to subdue the flesh and the devil that he commanded his -victims to mortify themselves together with their senses, and that he -submitted them to the most revolting practices of self-penitence before -which they would have recoiled with horror had they been of sound mind. - -There is a curious account of an interview with him which was published -in the _Retsch_, the organ of the Russian Liberal party, immediately -after the death of Rasputin by Prince Lvoff, who had had the curiosity -to speak with the “Prophet.” The Prince was one of the leaders of the -progressive faction of the Duma. This is what he wrote, which I feel -certain will interest my readers sufficiently for them to forgive me -for quoting it in extenso: - - “I have had personally twice in my life occasion to speak with - Rasputin. The first time was toward the end of the year 1915, - when I was invited by Prince I. W. Gouranoff to meet him. - - When I arrived Rasputin was already there, sitting beside a - large table, with a numerous company gathered around him, - among which figured, in the same quality as myself, as a - curious stranger, the present chief of the military censorship - in Petrograd, General M. A. Adabasch, who was the whole time - attentively watching the “Prophet” from the distant corner - whither he had retired. Rasputin was dressed in his usual - costume of a Russian peasant and was very silent, throwing - only now and then a word or two into the general conversation - or uttering a short sentence, after which he relapsed into - his former silence. In his dress and in his manners he was - absolutely uncouth, and when, for instance, he was offered an - apple he cut a hole at its top with his own very dirty pocket - knife, after which he put the knife aside and tore the fruit - in two with his hands, eating it, peel and all, in the most - primitive manner. After some time he got up and went to the - next room, where he sat down on a large divan with a few ladies - who had joined him, toward whom his manner left very much to be - desired. - - I had kept examining him the whole time with great attention, - seeking for that extraordinary glance he was supposed to - possess, to which was attributed his power over people, - but I could not find any trace of it or notice anything - remarkable about him. The expression of his face was that of - a cunning mougik, such as one constantly meets with in our - country, perfectly well aware of the conditions in which he - found himself, and determined to make the best out of them. - Everything in him, to begin with his common dress and to end - with his long hair and his dirty nails, bore the character of - the uncivilised peasant he was. He seemed to realise, better - perhaps than those who surrounded him, that one of his trump - cards was precisely this uncouthness, which ought to have been - repelling, and that if he had put on different clothes and - tried to assimilate the manners of his betters, half of the - interest which he excited would have disappeared. I did not - stay a long time, and went away thoroughly disappointed, and - perhaps even slightly disgusted at the man. - - A few months later, in February of the present year, 1916, - I was asked again to meet Rasputin at Baron Miklos’s house. - There I found a numerous and most motley company assembled. - There were two members of the Duma, Messrs. Karaouloff and - Souratchane; General Polivanoff; a great landowner of the - government of Woronege, N. P. Alexieieff; Madame Svetchine; - the Senator S. P. Bieletsky and other people. Ladies were in a - majority. Rasputin remained talking for a long time with the - Deputy Karaouloff in another room than the one in which I found - myself. Then he came to join us in the large drawing room, - where he kept walking up and down with a young girl on his - arm--Mlle. D., a singer by profession--who was entreating him - to arrange for her an engagement at the Russian Opera, which he - promised her to do “for certain,” as he expressed himself. - - Every five or ten minutes Rasputin went up to a table on - which were standing several decanters with red wine and other - spirits, and he poured himself a large glass out of one of - them. He swallowed the contents at one gulp, wiping his mouth - afterwards with his sleeve or with the back of his hand. During - one of these excursions he came up to where I was sitting, - and stopped before me exclaiming: “I remember thee. Thou art - a gasser, who writes, and writes, and repeats nothing but - calumnies.” I asked the “Prophet” why he did not say “you” to - me, instead of addressing me with the vulgar appellation of - “thou.” - - “I speak in this way with everybody,” he replied. “I have got - my own way in talking with people.” - - I made him a remark concerning some words which he had - pronounced badly, adding, “Surely you have learned during the - ten years which you have lived in the capital that one does not - use the expressions which you have employed. And how do you - know that I have written or repeated calumnies. You cannot read - yourself, so that everything you hear is from other people, and - you cannot feel sure whether they tell you the truth.” - - “This does not matter,” he replied. “Thou hast written that one - is stealing, and thou knowest thyself how to do so.” - - “I do not know how to steal,” I answered. “But I have written - that one is doing so at present everywhere. This it was - necessary to do for the public good.” - - “Thou hast done wrong; one must only write the truth. Truth is - everything,” he said. - - The conversation was assuming an angry and sharp tone. Rasputin - became enraged at my telling him that all he was saying was - devoid of common sense, and he began shouting at me, at the top - of his voice. “Be quiet, how darest thou say such things. Be - quiet!” - - I did not wish to remain quiet, and I began in my turn to shout - at the “Prophet,” who became absolutely furious when I assured - him that I was not a woman whom he could frighten, that I - wanted nothing from him, and that he had better leave me alone, - or it might be the worse for him. - - He then howled at me, screaming as loud as he could: “It is an - evil thing for everybody that thou art here!” - - When in the following April it came to my knowledge that Mr. - Sturmer wanted to expel me from the capital, I was surprised to - have Baron Miklos come to me one day in the name of Rasputin, - who had asked him to tell me that though I was a “proud man,” - he did not bear me any grudge, that if I wished it, he would - take steps to have the order for my expulsion revoked, and that - at all events, he begged me not to think that he had taken any - part in this whole affair. I categorically refused to avail - myself of the help of Rasputin, and there ended the whole - matter.” - -I have reproduced this tale because it seems to me that it helps one -to understand the personality of Rasputin, and because it describes -to perfection the manner in which he used to treat the people with -whom he dealt. Personally, when I interviewed the “Prophet,” I had -the opportunity to convince myself that the impression which he had -produced upon Prince Lvoff was absolutely a correct one, and I made the -same remark which the latter had done in regard to the total absence -of this magnetic strength which Rasputin was supposed to possess over -those with whom he entered into conversation. The man was a fraud -and nothing else. He had been deified by the group of foolish people -whom he had persuaded that he was a messenger from Heaven, come to -announce to Holy Russia that a new Christ had arisen. But his pretended -fascination existed only in the imagination of the persons who -asserted its existence. To the impartial observer he appeared what he -was--an arrogant and insolent peasant, who, knowing admirably well on -which side his bread was buttered, exploited with considerable ability -to his personal advantage the stupidity of his neighbours. - -I have already related that his house had become a kind of Stock -Exchange in which everything could be bought or sold, where all kinds -of shady transactions used to take place, and where the most disgusting -bargaining for places and appointments was perpetually going on. Gifts -innumerable were showered upon him, which he pretended he distributed -to the poor, but which in reality he carefully put into his own pocket. -This peasant, who when he had arrived in St. Petersburg for the first -time, had hardly possessed a shirt to his back, had become a very rich -man. He had bought several houses, gambled in stock shares and other -securities, and had contrived to accumulate a banking account which, -if one is to believe all that has been related, amounted to several -millions. From time to time, however, he used to come out with some -munificent offering to some charity or other, with which he threw -dust in people’s eyes. They thought that it was in this manner that -he employed all the money which was showered upon him by his numerous -admirers. It was in this way that he built in St. Petersburg, not far -from the spot where, by a strange coincidence, his murdered body was -afterwards found, a church which was called the Salvation Church, which -adjoined a school for girls. There he used to go often. Whenever he -went he was always met by the clergy in charge with great pomp, as -if he had been a bishop or some great ecclesiastical dignitary, and -was awaited at the door with the cross and holy water. This church was -placed under the special protection of the Metropolitan of Petrograd, -Pitirim, who often celebrated divine service in it, at which Rasputin -always made it a point to be present. But instead of meeting the -Metropolitan, as he ought to have done, he was in the habit of arriving -after him. Mgr. Pitirim, however, awaited his arrival just as he would -have waited for the Emperor. Indeed the submission which the official -head of the clergy of the capital affected in regard to Rasputin is one -of the most extraordinary episodes in the latter’s wonderful career. - -In fact, when one reviews all one has heard concerning this personage, -one is tempted to ask the question whether his appearance in St. -Petersburg had not brought along with it an epidemic of madness among -all those who had come in contact with him. It hardly seems possible -that bishops, priests, ministers, high dignitaries, statesmen, even, -or at least men having the pretension to be considered as such, should -have thought it necessary to go and seek the favour of this vulgar, -ill-bred, dirty Russian mougik, devoid of honesty and of scruples, -about whom the most disgraceful stories were being repeated everywhere, -and whose presence in the houses where he was a daily visitor used -to give rise to the worst kind of gossip. This gossip was of such a -nature that decent persons hesitated before repeating it, let alone -believing it. Like an insidious poison it defiled all whom it touched. -One fails to realise by what kind of magic grave men like Mr. Sabler, -for instance, who for some time had occupied the highly responsible -and delicate function of Procurator of the Holy Synod, one of the most -important posts in the whole Russian Empire, could be made so far to -forget himself as to prostrate himself before Rasputin in his eagerness -to become entitled to the latter’s good graces and protection. And that -he did so is at least not a matter of doubt, if we are to believe the -following letter which the monk Illiodore wrote from his exile on the -fifth of May, 1914, to a personage very well known in the political -circles of St. Petersburg. - - “I swear to you with the word of honour of an honest man - that the letter in which I called Sabler and Damansky the - instruments of ‘Gricha’ (Rasputin) contained nothing but the - solemn truth, and I repeat it once more, that according to - what Rasputin told to me on the twenty-eighth of June, 1911, - at 3 o’clock in the afternoon in my little cell, Sabler really - kissed the feet of ‘Gricha,’ who, in relating this story to - me, showed me with an expressive pantomime in what way he had - done so. I consider as utterly false and as a barefaced lie the - declaration of Mr. Sabler that he had never prostrated himself - before any one, except before the sacred images. Respectfully - yours, - - S. M. TROUFANOFF, - formerly the monk Illiodore.” - - -It is difficult to say, of course, how much reliance can be placed on -those assertions of Illiodore, and whether Mr. Sabler really thought -it necessary to fall on the ground before Rasputin. But out of this -letter one can infer that the influence of the latter was considered -to be important enough for people to trouble themselves about relating -stories of the kind to show it up. Altogether, one may safely conclude, -out of the very spare material which so far has come to light in regard -to the activity of Rasputin, that we have not yet heard the whole truth -about all the circumstances which accompanied his sudden rise and fall, -and that there must have been in both events things which perhaps will -never come to light. But all of them point out to some dark intrigue -in which he was but one of the pawns, whilst believing himself to be -the principal actor. One must not forget that the Czar himself was at -one time liberal in his ideas and opinions, and that it was entirely -due to his personal initiative that the Constitution, such as it is, -which Russia possessed before his fall was promulgated. This was not -done without arousing terrible animosities, provoking awful discontent. -From the first hour that its contents were published, there were found -persons who began to work against it, and who by their efforts brought -about the revolution of the year 1905, with the help of which they -hoped to bring back the days of absolute government, when every public -functionary was a small Czar in his own way, and when the caprice of -the first police official could send away to distant Siberia innocent -people. This abuse Nicholas II. had tried to put an end to, which was -not forgiven by the crew of rapacious crocodiles, who up to that day -had administered the affairs of the Russian Empire, and they it was -who determined to take their revenge for this noble and disinterested -intention of their sovereign. - -Rasputin became the instrument of the reactionary party, which he, -in his turn, contrived to make instrumental in carrying out his own -views and aims. His head had been turned by the unexpected position in -which he had found himself placed. It is not surprising that he lost -his balance and that he ended by considering himself as being what he -had been told by so many different people that he was--a Prophet of -the Lord, having the right to say what he liked, to calumniate whom he -liked, to make use of whatever means he found at hand, to eliminate -from his path any obstacles he might have found intruding upon it. -His name became synonymous with that of this ultraconservative party -which was leading Russia towards its ruin, and which always contrived -to reduce to nothing all the good intentions of the Czar. Rasputin -was a symbol and a flag at the same time; the symbol of superstition, -and the flag of dark reaction. It is impossible to know to this day -whether he was not also what everything points to; that is, an agent of -the German Government, who had entered into German interests, and who -had during the last months of his life been working together with Mr. -Sturmer and the latter’s private secretary, the famous Manassevitsch -Maniuloff, towards a separate peace with the Central Powers, the -conclusion of which would have dishonoured forever the Czar, together -with his Government, and which would have provoked such discontent in -the country that the dynasty might have collapsed under its weight. - -There exist at least indications that such a thing was within the -limits of possibility, and, if so, those who put an end to the evil -career of this dangerous man deserve well from their country, and the -leniency which has been shown to them is but the reward for an act of -daring which, though unjustifiable from the moral point of view, is -nevertheless to be condoned by the circumstance that its patriotic aim -was so great that it was worth while risking everything, even remorse, -in order to accomplish it. - -In a certain sense, Rasputin was the curse of Russia. Thanks to him, -the purest existences were subjected to a whole series of base attacks -and of vile calumnies. Thanks to him, our enemies were given the -opportunity to pour out upon us, upon our institutions, our statesmen -and even upon our sovereign the poison of their venom, and to represent -us to those who do not know us in a light which, thanks be rendered to -God, was an absolutely false and untrue one. - -Russia was far too great for such things to touch her. That Germany -rejoiced at every tale which reached its ears in regard to Rasputin is -evident if one reads its newspapers. That it was in understanding and -accord, if not directly with him, at least with some of those who were -his immediate friends and habitual confidents, has been proved to the -satisfaction of all impartial persons. And that he worked continually -towards establishing an understanding between the Czar and the Kaiser -is another fact of which more than one man in Russia is aware. Whether -he did so intentionally, or whether he was the unconscious instrument -of others cleverer and more cultivated than he ever was or would -become, is still a point that has not been cleared up to the general -satisfaction. But that his so-called influence only existed over -certain weak people, and that the Czar himself never knowingly allowed -it to be exercised in matters of state, is a fact about which there can -exist no doubt for those who knew the sovereign. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -I have quoted the impressions of Prince Lvoff in regard to Rasputin, -and have remarked that I have had personally the opportunity to -convince myself that they were correct, at least in their broad lines. -The interview which I had with Rasputin in the course of the winter of -1913–14 left me with feelings akin to those experienced by the Prince. -This interview took place under the following circumstances: I had been -asked by a big American newspaper to see the “Prophet,” whose renown -had already spread beyond the Russian frontiers, and who was beginning -to be considered as a factor of no mean importance in the conduct of -Russian state affairs. This, however, was by no means an easy matter. -For one thing, he was seldom in St. Petersburg. He spent most of his -time at Tsarskoie Selo, where his headquarters were the apartments of -Mme. W. He used to make only brief and flying visits to the capital, -where he possessed several dwellings. One never knew in which one he -could be found, as he used to go from one to another, according to -his fancy. He gave audiences like a sovereign would have done, and -before any one was allowed to enter his presence that person had to be -subjected to a course of cross-examination so as to make quite sure -that no malicious or evil designs were harboured by him in regard to -the “Prophet.” - -At last, after a succession of unavailing efforts, I chanced to light -on a certain Mr. de Bock, with whom Rasputin had business relations, -and for whom he procured when the war broke out an important contract -connected with the supply of meat for the troops in the field. It was -this personage who finally obtained for me the favour of being admitted -into the home of Rasputin. The latter was living at the time in a -very handsome and expensive flat, in a house situated on the English -Prospekt, a rather distant street in St. Petersburg, whose proximity to -the quarters of the working population of the capital had appealed to -the “Prophet’s” tastes. When I arrived there at about 4 o’clock in the -afternoon, I was, first of all, stopped by the hall porter, who wanted -me to explain to him where and to whom I was going. Upon hearing that -it was to Rasputin he insisted on my taking off my fur coat downstairs, -and then examined me most carefully and suspiciously, surveying with -special attention the size and volume of my pockets, so as to make -sure that I was not carrying any murderous instruments hidden in their -depths. - -Upstairs the door was opened by an elderly woman with a red kerchief -over her head, who, I learned afterward, was one of the “sisters” -who followed the “Prophet” everywhere. She asked for my name, and -then ushered me into a room, sparely but richly furnished. There some -half-dozen people were waiting, in what seemed to me to be extreme -impatience, for the door of the next room to open and admit them. -Voices were heard through the door angrily discussing something or -other. Among the people present I recognised a lady-in-waiting on the -Empress, an old general in possession of an important command, two -parish priests, three women belonging to the lower classes, one of whom -seemed to be in great trouble, and a typical Russian merchant in high -boots and dressed in the long caftan which is still worn by some of -those who have kept up the traditions of the old school. Then there was -a little boy about ten years old, poorly clad, who was crying bitterly. -All these people kept silent, but the eager expression on their faces -showed that they were all labouring under an intense agitation and -emotion. When I entered the apartment a distinct look of disappointment -appeared on all their faces. At last the old general approached me, and -asked me in more or less polite tones whether I had a special card of -admission or not. - -“What do you mean?” I inquired. - -“Well, you see,” he said, “we all who are in this room have got -one, but there”--and he pointed with his finger to the adjoining -door--“there sit the people who have come here on the chance, just to -try whether Gregory Efimitsch will condescend to speak to them. Some -have been sitting there since last night,” he significantly added. -And as he spoke he slightly pushed ajar the door he had mentioned. I -could see that a room, if anything smaller than the one we were in, was -packed full of persons of different ages and types, all of whom looked -tired. They were sitting not only on the few chairs which the apartment -contained, but also on the floor. There were women with children -hanging at their breast, military men, priests, monks, common peasants -and two policemen. The last named were seated by the window leisurely -eating a piece of bread and cold meat, which they were cutting into -small slices with a pocketknife. They had evidently made themselves at -home, regardless of consequences or of the feelings of other people. -Suddenly we heard another door slam, and a strong step resounded in the -hall. A man began to speak in a loud voice. He said: “You just go to -see----” and here the name of one of the most influential officials in -the Home Office was mentioned, “and you tell him that Gricha has said -he was to give you a place, and a good one, too. It does not matter -whether there is none vacant, he must find one. There, take this paper, -and now go, and don’t forget to show it when you come to the Home -Office.” - -The door slammed again, and all remained silent for a few minutes. Then -the elderly woman who had admitted me, came into the apartment where we -were sitting and beckoned me to follow her. But this proved too much -for the feelings of the old general who had accosted me on my entrance, -and he pushed himself forward in front of me, exclaiming as he did so: - -“I have been here a longer time than she has been,” pointing at me with -his finger, “and I must get in first.” - -“You cannot do so,” replied the woman; “my orders are to let this lady -in first.” - -“Do you know who I am, woman?” screamed the general at the top of his -lungs; he was evidently in a towering passion. “Go at once, and tell -Gregory Efimitsch that I must see him at once, I have been waiting here -for more than an hour.” - -“I cannot do so,” replied the woman, “I must obey the orders that have -been given to me.” - -“Then I shall do it myself,” exclaimed the general, and he rushed -toward the door, which he opened, when he was stopped by a whole -torrent of invectives coming from the next room. - -“How dare you disobey my orders?” cried out an angry voice. “Thou pig -and son of a pig, I have said I wish to see this person and no one -else! Thou idle creature! Chuck him out of the room, that pig who -dares to contradict me, and you come in here!” And the tall figure of -Rasputin appeared on the threshold of the room. He rudely pushed aside -the general and, seizing my hand, pulled me into another apartment, -which seemed to be his dining room. - -It was a rather large corner room with three windows, in which stood -a quantity of flowers and green plants. A round table occupied the -middle, on which was laid a striped white-and-red tablecloth. A samovar -was standing on it, together with glasses on blue-and-white saucers, -slices of lemon, sugar in a silver sugar basin, and quantities of cakes -and biscuits. Chairs were placed around it, on one of which Rasputin -sat down, facing the tea urn, after having made me a sign to do -likewise. I noticed that there was a large writing table in one corner -covered with books and papers. - -The “Prophet” himself did not at all strike me as being the remarkable -individual I had been led to expect. He must have been about forty -years old, tall and lean, with a long black beard and hair, falling -not quite down to his back, but considerably lower than his ears. The -eyes were black, singularly cunning in their expression, but did not -produce, at least not on me, the uncanny impression I had been told -they generally made on those who saw them for the first time. The hands -were the most remarkable thing about the man. They were long and thin, -with immense nails, as dirty as dirty could be. He kept moving them in -all directions as he spoke, sometimes folding them on his breast and -sometimes lifting them high up in the air. He wore the ordinary dress -of the Russian peasant, high boots and the caftan, which, however, was -made of the best and finest dark-blue cloth. What could be seen of his -linen was also of the best quality. - -After having beckoned to me to sit down, Rasputin poured out some tea -in a glass and proceeded to drink it, sipping the beverage slowly out -of the saucer into which he poured it out of the glass which he had -just filled. Suddenly he pushed the same saucer toward me with the word: - -“Drink.” - -As I did not in the least feel inclined to take his remains, I declined -the tempting offer, which made him draw together his black and bushy -eyebrows with the remark: - -“Better persons than thou art have drunk out of this saucer, but if -thou wantest to make a fuss it is no concern of mine.” - -And then he called out, “Avdotia! Avdotia!” The elderly woman who had -opened the door for me hastened to come into the room. - -“There,” said Rasputin, “this person”---pointing toward me with his -forefinger--“this person refuses to drink out of the cup of life; take -it thou instead.” - -The woman instantly dropped on her knees and Rasputin proceeded to open -her mouth with his fingers and pour down her throat the tea which I had -disdained. She then prostrated herself on the ground before him and -reverently kissed his feet, remaining in this attitude until he pushed -her aside with his heavy boot and said, “There, now thou canst go.” - -Then he turned to me once more. “Great ladies, some of the greatest -in the land, are but too happy to do as this woman has done,” he said -dryly. “Remember that, daughter.” - -Then he proceeded at once with the question, “Thou hast wished to see -me. What can I do for thee? I am but a poor and humble man, the servant -of the Lord, but sometimes it has been my fate to do some good for -others. What dost thou require of me?” - -I proceeded to explain that I wanted nothing in the matter of worldly -goods, but asked this singular personage to be kind enough to tell me -for the paper which I represented whether it was true that but for him -Russia would have declared war upon Austria the year before. - -[Illustration: - - _Photograph, International Film Service, Inc._ - -GREGORY RASPUTIN] - -“Who has told you such a thing?” he inquired. - -“It is a common saying in St. Petersburg,” I replied, “and some people -say that you have been right in doing so.” - -“Right? Of course, I was right,” he answered with considerable -irritation. “All these silly people who surround our Czar would like -to see him commit stupidities. They only think about themselves and -about the profits which they can make. War is a crime, a great crime, -the greatest which a nation can commit, and those who declare war are -criminals. I only spoke the truth when I told our Czar that he would be -ruined if he allowed himself to be persuaded to go to war. This country -is not ready for it. Besides, God forbids war, and if Russia went to -war the greatest misfortunes would fall upon her. I only spoke the -truth; I always speak the truth, and people believe me.” - -“But,” I remarked, “no one can understand how it is that your opinion -always prevails in such grave matters. People think that you must have -some strange power over men to make them do what you like.” - -“And what if I have,” he exclaimed angrily. “They are, all of them, -pigs--all these people who want to discuss me or my doings. I am but a -poor peasant, but God has spoken to me, and He has allowed me to know -what it is that He wishes. I can speak with our Czar. I am not afraid -to do so, as they all are. And he knows that he ought to listen to me, -else all kind of evil things would befall him. I could crush them all, -all these people who want to thwart me. I could crush them in my hand -as I do this piece of bread,” and while he was speaking he seized a -biscuit out of a plate on the table and reduced it to crumbs. “They -have tried to send me away, but they will never get rid of me, because -God is with me and Gricha shall outlive them all. I have seen too much -and I know too much. They are obliged to do what I like, and what I -like is for the good of Russia. As for these ministers and generals, -and all these big functionaries whom every one fears in this capital, -I do not trouble about them. I can send them all away if I like. The -spirit of God is in me and will protect me. - -“Thou canst say this to those who have sent thee to see me. Thou canst -tell them that the day will come when there will be no one worth -anything in our holy Russia except our Czar and Gricha, the servant of -God. Yes, thou canst tell them so, and be sure that thou dost it.” - -I protested that I should consider this my first duty, but at the same -time begged “the servant of God,” as he called himself, to explain to -me by what means he had acquired the influence which he possessed. - -“By telling the truth to people about themselves,” he quickly replied. -“Thou probably thinkest that all these fine ladies about the court who -come to me do not care to be told about their failings. But there it -is that thou art mistaken. They feel so disconcerted when they hear -me call them by their proper names and remind them that they are but -b----s, and the daughters of b----s, that they immediately fall at my -feet. A silly lot are these women, and Gricha is not such a fool as -one thinks. He knows how they ought to be treated. Wilt thou see how I -treat them?” - -I said that nothing would give me more pleasure. Rasputin went to the -door and called Avdotia. - -“Go to the telephone,” he said when she came in, “ask the Countess -I---- to come at once. She must come herself to the telephone, and if a -servant replies, say that he must call her immediately, and then tell -her that I require her presence here at 12 o’clock to-night; not one -minute earlier or later, mind.” - -The woman went away, and I could hear her talking at the telephone in -the next room in an authoritative tone. Soon she returned with the -words: - -“The Countess sends her humble respects to Gregory Efimitsch, and she -will be here at midnight as she has been ordered to.” - -Rasputin turned toward me with a triumphant smile on his coarse cunning -countenance. - -“Thou canst see, they are losing no time to obey me. Thou dost not know -what women are, and how they like to be handled. Wait, and thou shalt -see something better. Avdotia,” he called again. “Is Marie Ivanovna -here?” he asked, when she came in response to his call. “Yes, since -three hours,” was the reply. “Call her here.” - -A young woman of about twenty-five years of age appeared. She was very -well dressed in rich furs, and ran up to Rasputin, kneeling before him, -and kissing with fervour his dirty hands. - -“How long hast thou been here?” he asked. - -“About three hours, Batiouschka,” she answered. - -“This is well, thou art to remain here until midnight, and neither to -eat or to drink all that time, thou hearest?” - -“Yes, Batiouschka,” was the reply, uttered in timid, frightened tones. - -“Now go into the next room, kneel down before the Ikon, and wait for -me without moving. Thou must not move until I come.” - -She kissed his hands once more, prostrated herself on the floor before -him three times in succession, and then retired with the look of being -in a kind of trance during which she could neither know nor understand -what was happening to her. - -“If thou carest, thou canst follow her, and see whether she obeys me or -not,” said Rasputin in his usual dry tone. - -I declined the invitation, protesting that I had never doubted but -that the “Prophet” would be obeyed, adding, however, that though I had -understood he could control the fancies and imagination of women gifted -with an exalted temperament, yet I was not convinced that his influence -could be exerted over unemotional men, and that this was the one point -which interested my friends. - -“Thou must not be curious,” shouted Rasputin. “I am not here to tell -thee the reasons for what I choose to do. It should suffice thee to -know that I would at once return to Pokrovskoie if ever I thought my -services were useless to my country. Russia is governed by fools. -Yes, they are all of them fools, these pigs and children of pigs,” he -repeated with insistence. “But I am not a fool. I know what I want, and -if I try to save my country, who can blame me for it?” - -“But Gregory Efimitsch,” I insisted, “can you not tell me at least -whether it is true that some ministers do all that you tell them?” - -“Of course, they do,” he replied angrily. “They know very well their -chairs would not hold them long if they didn’t. Thou shalt yet see -some surprises before thou diest, daughter,” he concluded with a -certain melancholy in his accents. - -Avdotia entered the room again. - -“Gregory Efimitsch,” she said, “there is Father John of Ladoga waiting -for you.” - -“Ah! I had forgotten him.” Then he turned toward me. - -“Listen again,” he said; “this is a priest, very poor, who is seeking -to be transferred into another parish somewhere in the south. Avdotia, -call on the telephone the secretary of the Synod and tell him that I am -very much surprised to hear that Father John has not yet been appointed -to another parish. Tell him this must be done at once, and that he must -have a good one. I require an immediate answer.” - -The obedient Avdotia went out again, and we could hear her once more -talk on the telephone. “The secretary of the Synod presents his humble -compliments to you, Batiouschka,” she said when she returned. - -“Who cares for his compliments?” interrupted Rasputin. “Will the man -have his parish or not? This is all that I want to know.” - -“The order for his transfer will be presented for the Minister’s -signature to-morrow,” said Avdotia. - -“This is right,” sighed Rasputin with relief. And then turning to me: - -“Art thou satisfied?” he asked, “and hast thou seen enough to tell to -thy friends?” - -I declared myself entirely satisfied. - -“Then go,” said Rasputin. “I am busy and cannot talk to thee any -longer. I have so much to do. Everybody comes to me for something, -and people seem to think that I am here to get them what they need or -require. They believe in Gricha, these poor people, and he likes to -help them. But as for the question of war, this is all nonsense. We -shall not have war, and if we have, then I shall take good care it will -not be for long.” - -He dismissed me with a nod of his head, and his face assumed quite -a shocked look when he found that I was retiring without seeming to -notice the hand which he was awkwardly stretching out to me. But I -knew that he expected people, as a matter of course, to kiss his dirty -fingers, and as I was not at all inclined to do so, I made as if I did -not notice his gesture. As I was passing into the next room, I could -perceive through a half open door leading into another apartment the -young lady whom Rasputin had called Marie Ivanovna. She was prostrated -before a sacred image hanging in a corner, with a lamp burning in -front of it, with her eyes fixed on Heaven, and quite an illuminated -expression on her otherwise plain features. St. Theresa might have -looked like that. But seen in the light of our incredulous Twentieth -Century, she appeared a worthy subject for Charcot, or some such -eminent nerve doctor, and her place ought to have been the hospital of -“La Salpetriere” rather than the den of the modern Cagliostro, who was -making ducks and drakes out of the mighty Russian Empire. - -As I was going down the stairs, I met an old man slowly climbing them, -with a little girl whom he was half carrying, half dragging along with -him. He stopped me with the question: - -“Do you happen to know whether the blessed Gregory receives visitors?” - -I replied that the “Prophet” was at home, but that I could not say -whether he would receive any one or not. - -“It is for this innocent I want to see him,” moaned the man. “She is so -ill and no doctor can cure her. If only the blessed Gregory would pray -over her, I know that she would be well at once. Do you think that he -will do so, Barinia?” the man added anxiously. - -“I am sure he will,” I replied, more because I did not know what to say -rather than from the conviction that Rasputin would receive this new -visitor. I saw the old creature continue his ascent up the staircase, -and the whole time he was repeating to the child, “You shall get well, -quite well, Mania, the Blessed One shall make you quite well.” - -On the last steps before the stairs ended on the landing, two men were -busy talking. They were both typical Israelites, with hooked nose and -crooked fingers. They were discussing most energetically some subject -which evidently was absorbing their attention to an uncommon degree, -and discussing it in German, too. - -“You are quite sure that we can offer him 20 per cent?” one was saying. - -“Quite sure, the concession is worth a million; the whole thing is to -obtain it before the others come on the scene.” - -“Who are the others?” asked the first of the two men. - -“The Russo-Asiatic Bank,” replied the second. “You see the whole matter -lies in the rapidity with which the thing is made. The only one who can -persuade the minister to sign the paper is the old man upstairs,” and -he pointed out toward Rasputin’s apartment. Thereupon the two in their -turn started to mount the steps. - -My first interview with Rasputin, all the details of which I wrote down -in my diary when I got home, gave me some inkling as to the different -intrigues which were going on around this remarkable personage. It -failed, however, to make me understand by what means he had managed to -acquire, if he really acquired, a fact of which I still doubted, the -strong influence which he liked to give the impression he exercised. -It was quite possible that he had contrived through the magnetic -gifts with which he was endowed to subdue to his will the hysterical -women, whose bigotry and mystical tendencies he had exalted to the -highest pitch possible. But how could he, a common peasant, without any -education, knowledge of the world or of mankind, have imbued ministers -and statesmen with such a dread that they found themselves ready to do -anything at his bidding and to dispense favours, graces and lucrative -appointments to the people whom he called to their attention. There was -evidently something absolutely abnormal in the whole thing, and it was -the reason for this abnormality that I began to seek. - -This search did not prove easy at first, but in time, by talking -with persons who saw much of Rasputin and of the motley crew which -surrounded him, I contrived to form some opinion as to the cause of -his success. It seemed to me that he was the tool of a strong though -small party or group of men, desirous of using him as a means to attain -their own ends. There is nothing easier in the world than to make or to -mar a reputation, and it is sufficient to say everywhere that a person -is able to do this or that thing, to instil into the mind of the public -at large the conviction that such is the case. This was precisely what -occurred with Rasputin. - -Count Witte, who was one of the cleverest political men in his -generation and perhaps the only real statesman that Russia has known in -the last twenty-five years, ever since his downfall had been sighing -for the day when he should be recalled to power. He knew very well all -that was going on in the Imperial family, and it was easier for him -than for any one else to resort to the right means to introduce an -outsider into that very closed circle which surrounded the Czar. So -long as he had been a minister and had under his control the public -exchequer it had been relatively easy for him to obtain friends, or -rather tools, that had helped him in his plans and ambitions. When -this faculty for persuasion failed him he bethought himself to look -elsewhere for an instrument through which he might still achieve the -ends he had in mind. He was not the kind of man who stopped before any -moral consideration. For him every means was good, provided it would -prove effective. When he saw that certain ladies in the entourage -of the sovereigns had become imbued with the Rasputin mania, he was -quick to decide that this craze might, if properly managed, prove of -infinite value to him. He therefore not only encouraged it as far as -was in his power by pretending himself to be impressed by the prophetic -powers of the “Blessed Gregory,” but he also contrived very cleverly to -let the fact of the extraordinary ascendancy which Rasputin was rapidly -acquiring over the minds of powerful and influential persons become -known. Very soon everybody talked of the latter-day saint who had -suddenly appeared on the horizon of the social life of St. Petersburg, -and the fame of his reputation spread abroad like the flames of some -great conflagration. - -Russia is essentially the land where imperial favourites play a rôle, -and soon the whole country was not only respecting Rasputin, but was -trying to make up to him and to obtain, through him, all kinds of -favours and material advantages. Together with Count Witte a whole -political party was working, without the least consideration for the -prestige of the dynasty which it was discrediting, to show up the -rulers as associated with the common adventurer and sectarian, who, -under other conditions, would undoubtedly have found himself prosecuted -by the police authorities for his conduct. They had other thoughts in -their heads than the interests of the dynasty, these money-seeking, -money-grubbing, ambitious men. They represented nothing beyond the -desire to become powerful and wealthy. What they wanted was important -posts which would give them the opportunity to indulge in various -speculations and more or less fraudulent business undertakings they -contemplated. - -Russia at the time was beginning to be seized with that frenzy -for stock-exchange transactions, share buying and selling, railway -concessions and mining enterprises which reached its culminating point -before the beginning of the war. Men without any social standing, and -with more than shady pasts, were coming forward and acquiring the -reputation of being lucky speculators capable in case of necessity -of developing into clever statesmen. These men began to seek their -inspirations in Berlin, and through the numerous German spies with -which St. Petersburg abounded they entered into relations with the -German Intelligence Department, whose interests they made their own, -because they believed that a war might put an end to the industrial -development of the country, and thus interfere with their various -speculations. The French alliance was beginning to bore those who had -got out of it all that they had ever wanted; it was time something new -should crop up, and the German and Russian Jews, in whose hands the -whole industry and commerce of the Russian Empire lay concentrated, -began to preach the necessity of an understanding with the great -state whose nearest neighbour it was. A rapprochement between the -Hohenzollerns and the Romanoffs began to be spoken of openly as a -political necessity, and it was then that, thanks to a whole series of -intrigues, the Czar was induced to go himself to Berlin to attend the -nuptials of the only daughter of the Kaiser, the Brunswick. - -This momentous journey to Berlin was undertaken partly on account of -the representations of Rasputin to the Empress, whose love for peace -was very well known. Europe had just gone through the anxiety caused -by the Balkan crisis, and it was repeated everywhere in St. Petersburg -that a demonstration of some kind had to be made in favour of peace -in general and also to prove to the world that the great Powers were -determined not to allow quarrels in Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece to -trouble the security of the world. The marriage festivities of which -Berlin became the theatre at the time seemed a fit opportunity for this -demonstration. The bureaucratic circles in the Russian capital and the -influence of Rasputin were used to bring about this trip of the Czar. - -Rasputin was thus fast becoming a personage, simply because it suited -certain people--the pro-German party, to use the right word at last--to -represent him as being important. They pushed things so far that many -ministers and persons in high places refused on purpose certain things -which were asked of them and which were absolutely easy for them to -perform simply because they wished Rasputin to ask for them for those -who were weary of always meeting with a non possumus in questions for -which they required the help of the Administration. - -Rasputin’s various intermediaries, through whom one had to pass before -one could approach him, sold their help for more or less large sums of -money, and thus began a period of vulgar agiotage, to use the French -expression, of which Russia was the stage, and Rasputin, together with -the men who used him, the moving spirits. I very nearly said the evil -spirits. But of this, more later on. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -I must now make one remark which is absolutely necessary in order to -enable the foreign readers to understand how the numerous legends -which were connected with Rasputin and the influence of the latter on -the course of public affairs could come to be accepted by the nation -at large. One can seek its principal reason in the tendency which the -Russian government has cultivated since immemorial times to forbid the -open discussion of certain things and facts. At the time about which -I am writing present military censorship did not exist, and there was -no war which could have justified the control by the government of -the publication by the daily press of the current events of the day. -Yet the censors did not allow any mention of Rasputin to be made in -any organ of publicity. Thanks to this senseless interdict, it helped -the invention of the most unbelievable tales concerning him and the -attitude which he had adopted in regard to state affairs, with which -he had begun to occupy himself, much to the dismay of those who had by -that time learned to appreciate the fact that the “Prophet” was but -the plaything of men far cleverer than himself and 50,000 times more -dangerous. - -St. Petersburg has always been famed for its gossiping propensities, -and in no place in the whole world do the most incomprehensible rumours -start and flourish with the rapidity that they do in the Russian -capital. What the newspapers are forbidden to mention is told by one -person to another, whispered from one ear to another and discussed -everywhere, in clubs, drawing rooms, restaurants, in the houses of -the proudest aristocrats as well as in the dwellings of the humblest -citizens. Nowhere does, or rather, did, because I believe this has -become impossible nowadays, the telephone contribute more to relate -all kind of gossip concerning both private people and public matters. -Of course, as there existed no possibility of controlling all that -was being related under the seal of secrecy all over St. Petersburg, -the most improbable rumours were put in circulation and were carried -about not only in the town itself, but in the provinces, where the -travellers returning from St. Petersburg were but too glad to repeat -with considerable additions all that they had heard in the capital. - -The very secrecy which was enjoined by the authorities in regard to -Rasputin added to the latter’s importance and transformed him into -a kind of legendary personage, either too holy or too bad to be -mentioned. Soon all kinds of things in which he had had absolutely -no part began to be attributed to him, and many persons, earnestly -believing him to be all-powerful, took to asking his help not only in -the matter of their administrative careers, but also in questions where -their private life and private interests were involved. It happened -every day that a man who had a lawsuit of a doubtful character sought -out Rasputin, hoping that he might be able to put in a word capable -of influencing the judges before whom the case was to be tried. As -it was absolutely impossible for any one to approach him without -passing through an intermediary of some kind, it was generally this -intermediary who began the regular plundering of the pockets of all the -unfortunate petitioners who had hoped to retrieve their fortunes by an -appeal to the “Prophet’s” protection. This plundering went on as long -as the victim had a penny to spare and a hope to live upon. - -On the other hand, the liberal parties in the country began to be -seriously alarmed at the importance which this uncouth peasant was -assuming, and they it was who helped by the anxiety which they openly -manifested to set the general public thinking about him more than it -ought to have done. In the Duma the name of Rasputin was mentioned -with something akin to horror, and allusions without number were made -concerning the “Dark Powers,” as they were called, who were grasping -in their hands the conduct of public affairs. The “Prophet” began to -be mentioned as the scourge of Russia long before he had become one. -His followers, on the contrary, made no secret of his ever-growing -importance, and invented on their side any number of tales absolutely -devoid of truth and tending to prove that nothing whatever was done -in regard to the management of state affairs without his having been -previously consulted. Who consulted him no one knows, and no one could -tell. Certainly it was not the Emperor, who had, when the “Prophet” -once or twice had attempted to touch upon this point in his presence, -rebuked him most sharply; certainly it was not the Empress, who at that -time had never yet cared for politics, whether foreign or domestic. It -was also not the ministers, and most certainly it was not the leaders -of any party in the Duma, because all parties there were agreed as to -one thing, and that was a thorough detestation of Rasputin and of the -whole crew which surrounded him and without which he could not exist. -Who consulted him, then? No one knew, and very probably no one cared to -know. But the fact that he was consulted was an established one, most -probably due to the efforts of those persons in whose interests it lay -to represent him as the deus ex machina without whom nothing could be -done in general, and upon whom everything more or less depended. - -It was even related in St. Petersburg that one day, during an audience -which he had had with the Czar, Mr. Rodzianko, the President of the -Duma, had attempted a remonstrance on the subject of Rasputin for -which he had been severely reproved by the Sovereign. Personally, -I do not believe for one single instant that such an incident ever -took place. For one thing, no one, not even Mr. Rodzianko, would have -dared to talk to the Emperor about such an unsavoury subject as that -of the “Prophet,” even if he had been endowed with a moral courage -far superior to that of the President of the Duma. Then, again, the -well-informed were, at the time I am referring to, far too cognisant -of what was going on in the way of court intrigues not to understand -that all protestations against the constant presence of Rasputin -in the vicinity of the Imperial family would have led to nothing, -for the simple reason that those upon whom it depended did not and -could not even recognise the danger that it presented, because they -simply looked upon him as upon a holy man. He soothed the anxieties -of the Empress in regard to her small son, promising her that the day -would come when, thanks to his prayers, the child would outgrow his -delicacy. He amused the Emperor by talking to him in a rough but bright -language, describing bluntly all the incidents that had reached his -knowledge generally through the channel of those interested in having -them conveyed to the Sovereign in the way that best served their own -interests. But Nicholas II. never took him seriously into account, and -therefore could hardly have been brought to think that others were -doing so, and doing it with a vengeance into the bargain. - -Rasputin, however, was of a different opinion, and in his desire that -others should share it he liked to boast in public of the things which -he had not done and of the words which he had not spoken. He was upon -excellent terms with some of the palace servants, in whom he had found -comrades and with whom he felt more at his ease than with any one else. -He got them to relate to him all that was going on in the family of -the Czar. He very cleverly made use of this knowledge later on. It is -well known in Russia that the Emperor himself was watched by the secret -police, not only in view of his personal safety, but also because it -was to the interest of the police to be thoroughly acquainted with all -that he did and with the remarks it pleased him to make. And the secret -police were working hand in hand with Rasputin. Their provocative -agents, of which there existed considerable numbers, were everywhere -talking about the “Prophet’s” influence and ever-growing importance, -as well as relating in all the restaurants and public places in the -capital wonderful and improbable tales concerning him and his doings. -From these they were spread among the public and penetrated to people -who otherwise would never have had the possibility of hearing anything -about them. Among those who showed themselves the most active and the -most eager to talk about Rasputin and about the influence which he -was acquiring were persons well known for their German sympathies and -others suspected of being German agents in disguise. - -At that period the great aim of the German Foreign Office was to bring -about the collapse of the Franco-Russian alliance, and it set itself -most cleverly to try to bring it about. Among the persons whom it -employed for the purpose was Rasputin, perhaps unknown to himself, but -led by men like Count Witte, who had always been pro-German in sympathy -and who had almost engaged himself to bring about a rapprochement -between the St. Petersburg and the Berlin Court. Working with Witte was -Mr. Manusevitsch Maniuloff, one of the most abominable secret agents -the world has ever known, who in his unscrupulousness would have done -anything he was asked, provided he were paid high enough. For years -he had been in receipt of German subsidies. By dint of blackmailing -he had contrived to maintain himself in the capacity of one of the -editors of the _Novoie Vremia_, where he wrote all that was asked of -him for a consideration, the extent and nature of which depended -upon circumstances. He was also on the staff of the Russian political -Intelligence Department, to which he rendered such services as he -considered to be advantageous to himself without the least thought of -the use these might be to the State which employed him. - -Mr. Maniuloff was a spendthrift who never could deny himself any of -the good things of life. These are always considered to be expensive -ones, and consequently he had expensive tastes. His capacity of police -agent had allowed him to blackmail to advantage people against whom -he had discovered, or thought he had discovered, something in the way -of dangerous political opinions. One of his favourite occupations -consisted in going about among these people and hinting to them that -unless they showed themselves willing to minister to his numerous wants -they might find themselves one day in a very tight corner. Generally -these tactics proved successful, until he was caught red-handed in -Paris, where he had been sent on a special mission, tampering with -the funds of which he had control. This accident caused him to be -dismissed. But the man knew far too much and had been far too advanced -in the confidence of his superiors for them to be able to do without -his services, so he was allowed to return to Russia and enroll himself -in journalism, thus to make himself useful again. He had a wonderful -intelligence and was an excellent worker and talked fluently in most of -the European languages. He therefore made his way up the ladder once -more, until at last he became the private secretary to Mr. Sturmer when -the latter was Prime Minister, an advancement that proved fatal to -him because it brought him to prison. But of this I shall speak later -on when touching upon the events which culminated in the murder of -Rasputin. - -Such were the men who virtually controlled every action of the -“Prophet,” and it is no wonder if guided by them he sometimes contrived -to influence never the Czar himself, but the latter’s Ministers and -officials who had been told, they did not even know by whom, but -probably by the loud voice of the public, that to do anything to please -Rasputin was to secure for oneself the good graces of the highest -people in the land. As time went on the “Prophet” showed himself less -and less in public, remaining among a small circle of personal friends -whose interest it was to represent him as a kind of Indian idol, -unapproachable except to his worshippers. - -And in the meanwhile the ladies who had been the first artisans of -Rasputin’s favour were still holding religious meetings under his -guidance and still seeking inspiration from his teachings. They -believed him to be a real saint, refused to admit that he could do -anything wrong and refused to accept as true the rumours which went -about and which, unfortunately for the “Prophet’s” reputation, were but -too exact, that he was fond of every kind of riotous living, that he -spent his nights in drunken revels and that he gave his best attention -to brandy mixed with champagne. His admirers persisted in seeing in him -the prophet of the Almighty and believed that they could never be saved -unless they conformed to all the directions which it might please him -to give them. - -The Rasputin craze became more violent than ever during the few months -which immediately preceded the war, and it very nearly verged upon -complete fanaticism for his personality. Everything that he did was -considered to be holy. His insolence and arrogance, displayed with -increasing violence every day and hour, were almost incredible. This -illiterate peasant dared to send dirty little scraps of paper on which -he had scribbled a coarse message to ministers and public men ordering -them to do this or that according to his pleasure, and presuming to -give them advice, which was never his own, in matters of the utmost -public importance. At first people had laughed at him, but very soon -they had discovered that he could revenge himself on them quickly -and effectively, and this had led to the general determination not -to interfere with him any more, but to leave him severely alone, no -matter what extravagance he might commit or say. And when it came to -the extortion of large sums of money, those who were challenged to pay -them generally did so with alacrity, as happened in the case of several -banks to which Mr. Maniuloff applied for funds, with the help of these -illiterate scraps of paper upon which Rasputin had scribbled his desire -that the money should be put at the disposal of his “protégé.” - -What I have been writing is fact, which has been proved publicly, and -never contradicted by so much as one single word of protestation. It -accounts for the hatred with which the “Prophet” came to be viewed. -As time went on it was felt that something ought to be attempted -against the imposter who had contrived to break through barriers one -could have believed to be absolutely impregnable. But no one knew how -this was to be done, and at the time I am referring to the idea of a -political assassination of Rasputin had not entered into the people’s -heads. It was a woman who was to bring it before the public in the -following circumstances: - -During the spring of the year 1914, Rasputin, to the general surprise -of everybody, declared to his friends that he intended to leave the -capital and to return for a few months to his native village of -Pokrovskoie in Siberia to rest from his labours. Strenuous efforts were -made to detain him in Petrograd, but he remained inflexible and rudely -thrust aside those who would fain have kept him back. He declared that -he was tired and weary of the existence which he had been leading the -last year, and that the various annoyances and difficulties that had -been put in his way by his numerous enemies had quite sickened him. -Such, at least, was the explanation which he chose to give and to -which he stuck. Others, it is true, declared that the real reason for -his departure was that he had been given to understand that he would -do better to absent himself from St. Petersburg during the time when -the visit of the President of the French Republic was expected, as his -presence there might prove embarrassing from more than one point of -view. The hint had enraged him, and he had determined to go away for -a much longer time than he had been told to do. He had even declared -to a few of his closest friends that he was not going to return to the -capital any more, but that he would remain in Siberia, where, as he -graphically put it, “there was a great deal more money to be made than -anywhere else in the world.” - -Whether the above is strictly true or not, I am not in a position to -say, but it does not sound improbable. The fact remains that Rasputin -left St. Petersburg for Pokrovskoie, where he arrived in the first days -of June, 1914, accompanied by the “Sisters,” who were his constant -companions. He was received with such honours that he might have been -the Sovereign himself instead of the simple peasant he was. A crowd -composed of several thousand men and women met him at the gates of -the village and threw themselves at his feet imploring his blessing -and calling upon him to pray with them, and to show them the real way -to God which he was supposed to be the only one in Russia capable of -indicating. For a few days this kind of thing continued, and Rasputin’s -house was literally besieged by crowds of people who had gathered at -Pokrovskoie from all parts of Siberia eager to pay homage to their -national hero, for such he was considered to be. Rasputin smiled and -chuckled and rubbed his hands, as was his wont in those moments when -he allowed his satisfaction at anything to overpower him. If in St. -Petersburg he had been considered as a prophet, here in this remote -corner of Siberia he was fast becoming a kind of small god at whose -shrine a whole nation was worshipping. This was just the sort of thing -to please him and to make him forget any small unpleasantnesses he -might have experienced before his departure from the capital. - -One morning, it was the 13th of July, 1914, Rasputin was leaving his -house on his way to church, whither it was his custom to repair every -day. On the threshold of his dwelling a woman was awaiting him. She had -her face muffled in a shawl in spite of the warm weather. When she saw -him she threw herself on her knees before him, as persons of her kind -invariably did when they met him. The “Prophet” stopped and asked her -what it was she wanted from him. Her only reply was to plunge into his -stomach a large kitchen knife, which she had held the whole time hidden -under her shawl. - -Rasputin uttered one cry and sank upon the ground. The crowd which was -always following him rushed toward him and lifted him up, while two -local policemen who had been set by the authorities to protect and -guard him threw themselves upon the woman and seized her violently by -both arms. She remained perfectly quiet, declaring that they need not -hold her as she had not the slightest intention of running away. She -knew very well what she had done, and she had meant to do it for a long -time. When asked what had been her motives, she declared that she would -speak before the magistrates, and only asked to be protected in the -meanwhile against the fury of the mob that was threatening to tear her -to pieces in its rage. She did not seem to be in the least disturbed -by what she had done and throughout she showed the most extraordinary -coolness and self-possession. - -Very soon it was ascertained that she was a native of the government -of Saratoff, and that her name was Gousieva. When Rasputin had been -preaching in Saratoff she was among the women who had been taken in by -his speeches, and though married she had left her husband and family -to follow the “Prophet.” He very soon proceeded to “cleanse her from -her sins,” according to his favourite expression. We know, of course, -what this meant, and Gousieva, who at that time was young and pretty, -only shared the fate of so many other women, deluded by the mealy -mouthed utterances of the “new Saviour,” that it was only by means of -a complete union with himself that they could be saved and their sins -forgiven them. The unfortunate Gousieva had been only one of many. -When she had found it out an intense rage had taken hold of her, which -had been further enhanced and strengthened by the monk Illiodore, to -whom she had related her misfortune. He had already at the time she -sought him out become the deadly enemy of his former friend Rasputin. -The miserable woman had lost everything--home, children, husband, -relatives--on account of her mad infatuation for the deceiver who had -made her forget her duties by the fascination which he had exercised -over her weak mind. She swore that she would revenge herself and kill -the “Prophet,” so that at least other women could be saved from the -awful fate which had befallen her. - -After Rasputin had dismissed her she had been compelled to lead a -dreadful kind of existence in order to obtain a piece of bread. At -last she had become attacked by an awful disease, which had already -eaten away a part of her nose and completely disfigured her face. -This, too, she attributed to the “Prophet.” In her despair she decided -that as she had nothing to lose the best and only thing left for her -to do was to try and rid the world from the awful impostor who had -caused so much misery, brought about such abominable misfortunes and -occasioned so much distress to such a number of innocent women. She -had followed Rasputin for a long time in St. Petersburg, but had never -been able to approach him near enough to execute her design. But when -it had come to her knowledge that he was returning to Pokrovskoie she -had taken it as an indication that the Almighty would be with her in -the deed which she was contemplating, and she, too, started for the -distant Siberian village. There she had spent three days waiting for a -favourable opportunity until the morning when she had at last succeeded -in getting close enough to him to plant in his body the knife which she -had carried about with her for more than two years. - -This whole story was related by Gousieva with the utmost composure, -and without any hesitation at all. She considered Rasputin as the -incarnation of the devil, and she had thought it a good deed to put -him out of the way of committing any more evil. For the rest, she did -not care what was to become of her. As it was she knew that she had -not long to live, and with the illness with which she was afflicted -existence in itself was not so sweet that she should sacrifice her -revenge in order to retain it. She had had no accomplices, and she had -consulted no one. In spite of the efforts which were made to induce her -to say that she had acted under the directions and the inspiration of -Illiodore, she denied it absolutely, adding that had she spoken to him -about her intention she knew that he would have dissuaded her from it -and that he might even have warned the police so as to frustrate her -design. - -In the meanwhile, Rasputin had been carried back to his room and -telegrams dispatched everywhere for a doctor. The wound, though deep, -was not a serious one and it had not attacked any vital organs. The man -was in no danger, but his disciples chose to say that it was a miracle -of Providence that he had not succumbed at once under the blow which -had been dealt at him. The “Prophet,” when he had felt himself stabbed, -had cried out that some one was to “arrest that b----h who had hit -him.” Then he caused several telegrams to be sent to his friends in -St. Petersburg in which he described the attempt against his life as -the work of the devil, who had inspired the woman Gousieva and induced -her to commit her abominable action. He added that at the moment when -her weapon had touched him he had seen an angel descend from Heaven, -stop her arm, and then put a hand on his wound so as to stop it from -bleeding, and that it was only due to this direct intervention of the -Almighty that he had escaped with his life. Of course, the story was -believed by the credulous people who accepted every one of his words as -a manifestation of the will of the Lord, and he became more than ever a -saint, to whom the people began to raise altars, and to regard in the -light of another Saviour come to redeem mankind from the terrors of sin. - -In St. Petersburg the news of the attempted assassination of Rasputin -had produced an immense impression, and had been commented upon in -different ways. Some people saw in it an intervention of the secret -police, who had been told to get rid in some way or other of a man who -was fast becoming a public nuisance and embarrassment for everybody, -even for those who had benefited through their acquaintance with him. -Others declared that it was a just punishment for his evil deeds, -and that the woman Gousieva had not been badly inspired when she had -tried to revenge herself on him for the terrible wrong which he had -done to her. Every one was anxious to learn how the news would be -received in certain quarters and among the bevy of feminine worshippers -whose existence was wrapped up in that of Rasputin. Public curiosity, -however, was not destined to be satisfied, because nothing was heard -concerning the feelings of these adepts of his on this remarkable -occasion. - -The only thing which one learned in regard to the whole affair was that -two ladies who figured among his most prominent supporters had started -at once for Pokrovskoie, and that a celebrated surgeon from Kazan had -also been requested to go to see him regardless of what his journey -might cost. - -The care that was taken of Rasputin soon restored him to his usual -health, and he became at once a martyr. When the first moment -of fright--and, being a great coward, he had been thoroughly -frightened--had passed away, he felt rather satisfied at the fuss which -was made about him, and more grateful than anything else to the woman -Gousieva for having given him such a splendid opportunity to recover -some of his popularity, which he had feared might decrease during his -absence from St. Petersburg. The fact that his attempted assassination -had brought his name and his person once more prominently before the -public pleased him, and his natural cunning made him at once grasp -the whole importance of the event and the capital that might be made -out of it. He was the first to plead for indulgence for his would-be -murderess, perhaps out of fear of the scandal which a trial might -produce, a trial during which a lawyer might be found daring enough and -enterprising enough to speak openly of the reasons which had driven the -accused woman to this act of madness, and to disclose certain episodes -in the past existence of the “Prophet” which the latter would not have -cared at all to become the property of the public. On the other hand, -the authorities, too, felt that a public trial would only cause a most -painful sensation, by the mention of names which it was of the highest -importance to keep outside the question. The culprit herself insisted -upon being brought before a jury, declaring that she had sought -publicity and that she would not rest until she had it; that, moreover, -she did not intend to be cheated out of her revenge or prevented from -exposing the man in whom she saw the most flagrant and daring impostor, -a creature for whom nothing in the world was sacred and who would not -hesitate at anything in order to come to his ends. She insisted on the -fact that she would have rendered a public service to the country had -she killed him, and that, whatever happened to her personally, the -vengeance of God would one day overtake “Gricha” and his wickedness, -and that others would be found who would follow the example which she -had given to them and not fail as she had failed. - -Gousieva told all this to the examining magistrate to whom had -been intrusted the preliminary inquest, and she persisted in her -allegations, notwithstanding all the efforts and even the threats which -were made to her to induce her to retract her first deposition. The -authorities found themselves in a dilemma from which they did not know -how to extricate themselves, when Rasputin himself came to their rescue. - -“The woman is mad,” he said. “All that she relates is but the ravings -of a madwoman. Lock her up in an asylum, and let us hear nothing more -about her!” - -This piece of advice was considered to be the best possible under -the circumstances, and Gousieva was placed first in a hospital for -observation and then a few months later adjudged insane by order. -She was removed to a madhouse, no one knows exactly where, and there -she probably is locked up to this day unless death in some shape or -form has overtaken her and removed her forever out of a world which -certainly had never proved a kind one for her. - -In the meanwhile her victim was mending rapidly, and three weeks -after his accident he was removed first to Tobolsk and then to St. -Petersburg. His disciples were preparing a great reception for him, and -he himself was openly talking of all that he would do on his return -and of the revenge which he was going to take on the people to whose -influence he attributed the “mad” act of the woman who had attacked -him. He made the greatest efforts to connect Illiodore with the attempt -of Gousieva, and he was quite furious to see them fail, declaring that -when he was once more in the capital he would make it his business -to find out whether it was not possible to discover some points of -association between the unfrocked monk and the woman whose knife had -been raised against him. He further made no secret of his intention -to obtain the proofs which he needed, thanks to the intelligence and -with the help of his friend Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff. Whether he -would have succeeded or not, it is difficult to say, because when -Rasputin returned to St. Petersburg and was enabled to visit his -friends at Tsarskoie Selo once more, there were other preoccupations -which were troubling the public more than anything connected with his -individuality. War had broken out with Germany. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -It was perhaps a fortunate thing for Rasputin that he was not in St. -Petersburg when Germany attacked us so unexpectedly. It is quite -probable that if he had found himself in the capital at the time he -would have intrigued in so many ways that he might have put even the -Sovereign in an embarrassing position, for any hesitations in the -decisions of the Government would have been attributed to the influence -of the “Prophet.” At this time of national crisis, it certainly would -have been a misfortune if anything had occurred likely to endanger -the prestige of the dynasty. But in regard to Rasputin himself, it is -likely that his absence delayed the conspiracy which resulted in his -death, as he was forgotten for the moment, so intensely was public -opinion preoccupied with the grave events that were taking place. - -Later on, after the disaster of Tannenberg, the friends of the -“Prophet,” in order to win back for him some popularity, spread the -rumour that he had from his distant Pokrovskoie written to one of his -warmest patronesses, Madame W, that he had had a vision during which -it had been revealed to him that the Russian armies were to march -immediately upon eastern Prussia, where it would be possible to deal -a decisive blow at the enemy, and to do so with all their strength. -Now this is precisely what was not done, owing to the military -misconception of the Russian General Staff, which for political reasons -started to proceed to the conquest of Galicia, that could have been -delayed with advantage until after the Prussian monster, if not killed, -had been at least seriously injured. - -The enemies of the Grand Duke Nicholas, of whom there were plenty, -seized hold of this rumour, and rallied themselves round Rasputin, -declaring that once more God had intervened in favour of Holy Russia, -in blessing it with a prophet whose clear glance and visions could -be relied upon far better than the strategical combinations of the -Grand Duke that had proved such a complete failure. The Grand Duke was -accused of having despatched two army corps into the Mazurian region -without having taken sufficient precautions to insure their safety, -and it was said that the only one who had seen clearly the disaster -which had overtaken these corps had been Rasputin, and that it had been -revealed to him direct from Heaven even before it had taken place. - -All this was great nonsense, of course, but nevertheless it did a -considerable amount of harm. One must not lose sight of one fact when -one judges the whole history of the impostor who for so many years -contrived to occupy with his personality the attention of the Russian -public, and that is that his sermons and utterances appealed to that -mystical side of the Slav character which in all hours of great -national crises and misfortunes asserts itself a manner which to the -Occidental mind seems quite incomprehensible. It is sufficient to have -looked upon the crowds kneeling in the streets of St. Petersburg, and -of Moscow, during those eventful August days which saw the breaking -out of the catastrophe, to become persuaded of the fact that they -reckoned more on God’s intervention on their behalf than on the -efficacy of any guns or soldiers to insure a victory for the Russian -arms. - -Rasputin, for a short period, became once more a national hero, at -least in the eyes of the select circle that had first brought him -prominently before the public, and they began to say among this circle -that until one followed his directions and gave oneself up entirely -to the service of God in the manner it pleased him to recommend, the -campaign that had just begun would never be won. For other people, too, -the return of the “Prophet” to Petrograd, as St. Petersburg had been -rechristened, was also a boon. All the speculators, army purveyors and -persons interested in army contracts awaited him with an impatience -which surpassed every description, and they surrounded him at once and -laid siege, not so much to his person as to the influence which he was -supposed to possess. - -There are innumerable anecdotes about this agitated period in the -career of Rasputin, each more amusing and each more incredible than the -others. I shall here quote a few: - -A Danish gentleman had arrived in Petrograd from Copenhagen with a load -of medicines and different pharmaceutical products which he wanted to -sell to the Red Cross. He brought excellent credentials with him, and -he imagined that the business would be a relatively easy one. But to -his surprise he found that this was not at all the case. Though the -prices which he asked for his goods were not at all high compared with -those current in the Russian capital, he could not get rid of them, -and he was always put off until the next day. At last he became quite -discouraged and was already thinking of returning home when he met in -the lounge of the principal hotel of Petrograd (famed for the financial -transactions which were regularly taking place under its roof) a Jew -who, seeing him looking worried and annoyed, asked what was the matter. -The Dane then related his story, adding that he failed to understand -why at a time when the things which he had brought with him were in -great demand he could not sell them, though he had lowered his prices -to a point below which it was quite impossible for him to go. The Jew -looked at him for some minutes, then asked him whether he would feel -inclined, if he could help him to dispose of his wares at a profit, to -give a large commission in exchange. The Dane of course assented, and -the Jew took him the next day to Rasputin, to whom he told a long story -of which the seller of the articles in question understood nothing at -all, but which culminated in the “Prophet” scribbling something in -pencil on a dirty scrap of paper, and handing it to his visitors. The -same afternoon the two men went to the head offices of the Red Cross, -accompanied by another gentleman, who introduced himself as Rasputin’s -secretary. To the intense surprise of the Dane, the medicines which he -had been trying uselessly to sell for three weeks were at once accepted -on the producing of the “Prophet’s” note, and sold at such an enormous -profit that he remained absolutely astounded. The contract was signed -there and then, and a cheque handed to the happy seller. His two -companions then accompanied him to the bank, where he handed over to -them their share in the transaction, Rasputin’s representative taking -the lion’s share of course, but whether for his master or for himself -has never been ascertained. - -Another example is still more typical. There existed in Petrograd a -German who had lived there for years, and who had acquired considerable -property, among other things several houses in Petrograd, bringing -him a large income. Very soon after the breaking out of the war the -properties belonging to the enemy were sequestrated, and German -subjects sent away from the capital to live out the war in some -northern government. The same fate overtook our friend. But he was a -man of resources, and he immediately proceeded to pay a visit to Mr. -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff. The latter was about the last man capable -of allowing such a wonderful chance to escape him. How he managed he -did not say, and the German never cared to learn, but he was allowed -not only to remain in Petrograd, but also to sell his houses to a -personage occupying such a very important administrative position that -no one cared or dared to inquire of him whether he paid into the bank, -as he ought to have done, the price of his acquisitions, or whether -he gave it in the shape of a cheque on a foreign bank to the seller. -And to crown the whole matter, the German in question was allowed -to leave Russia with all due honours, and received the position of -official buyer of different military goods for the Russian government -in Scandinavia. He soon managed to indemnify himself to the full for -the loss he had incurred in parting from his property for a mere song, -and in paying the three hundred thousand rubles commission which Mr. -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff and Rasputin had together obtained from him. - -Such things were of daily occurrence, known to the general public, and -of course commented upon in terms which were anything but favourable to -the “Prophet.” The latter, however, did not mind and seemed absolutely -convinced of immunity in regard to the different transactions in -which he indulged and which increased in importance every day. He -began to give his special attention to the interesting matter of army -contracts, and there he found a very rich field to explore. All the -different agents and intermediaries who constituted such a notable -element in Petrograd crowded around him, offering him their services, -or imploring his help in all kinds of shady business, out of which no -one with the exception of Rasputin himself got a single penny. Thanks -to him, bad cartridges were delivered to the army; rotten meat, or meat -at a fabulous price, was sold for its wants, and not only sold once, -but several times over. No matter how strange this last assertion may -sound, it is absolutely true. If at the beginning of the war people -were afraid to indulge in that kind of sport, they became adepts at -it later on, and the only art which was practised in regard to it -consisted in bribing an official not to put the Government stamp on -the goods which were delivered to the Red Cross or to the Commissariat -Department, an omission which allowed them to be returned to those who -had already once disposed of them, and thus become the object of a new -transaction, perhaps even more profitable than the first. - -In regard to important matters, Rasputin did not disdain occasionally -to play the spy. I remember a curious instance which during the first -five or six weeks of the war greatly amused those who became aware of -it. The whole incident is most characteristic of the business methods -then in vogue in Russia, which are at present dying out fast, thanks -to the co-operation of the English and French authorities with the -Russians in all questions connected with army contracts. - -When war was declared the military administration proceeded to -requisition numerous things which it required in the way of war -material. Among others were sand bags for the trenches. Now there -happened to be a Jew in Petrograd who had about 50,000 of them. He -did not care to declare them as he ought to have done, knowing very -well that he was not in a position to obtain from the Commissariat -Department the price which he wanted. He therefore sold them to another -Jew, who gave him a certain sum on account, stipulating that he would -take the delivery of the goods in the course of the next week or so. -But in the meanwhile prices went down, and the unlucky buyer found that -he had indeed made about as bad a bargain as possible. While he was -thus lamenting his bad luck, he happened to meet one of the secretaries -of Rasputin to whom he related his misfortune. - -“Is this troubling you?” exclaimed the latter. “This is nothing, and -we shall soon set it all right.” He took him to the “Prophet,” where -the trio came to the following arrangement: The Jew was to go forthwith -to the Commissariat Department and declare that he had so many thousand -sand bags to sell. Rasputin was to speak in his favour and to do his -best to obtain the highest prices possible. Rasputin’s secretary -proceeded then to denounce the first Jew, who was the real owner of -the bags, as having neglected to declare their existence. Immediately -a requisition was made in the latter’s store, where the bags of course -were found. Then the Jew who had given an account of them interfered, -and said that they were his property, and that he had fulfilled all -the formalities required by the law in regard to them. He forthwith -proceeded to take possession of the bags, laughing in the face of their -real owner whom he defied to claim the balance still due to him, well -knowing that the unfortunate victim could do nothing, because if he -had tried to complain he would inevitably have been condemned to pay a -heavy fine and to be imprisoned. - -Then again there was a story of railway trucks in which the “Prophet” -also was mixed up in some unaccountable way. Some Jews, protected -no one knows to this day by whom or in what way, had obtained some -contracts from the Government for different goods which were to be -delivered to the army, together with the necessary numbers of railway -trucks to carry them to the front. They immediately proceeded to sell -these contracts at a fair price, though not an exaggerated one, to -other people, but with the clause that these other people were to take -upon themselves the care of forwarding the goods to their destination. -And they kept for their own use and benefit the trucks which had been -allotted to them, hiring them afterward to whoever wanted to have them -for as much money as they could get. One Jew, a certain Mr. Bernstein, -thus obtained control over more than 500 trucks, out of which he drew -during six months an income amounting to something like 250,000 rubles -a month. And this occurred while everybody was complaining of the -impossibility of forwarding anything anywhere, owing to the total lack -of railway material. It is related that in this little business, too, -Rasputin was mixed up, and that without him the military contracts -which the heroes of the anecdote I have just related obtained would -never have been granted. - -These stories, scandalous though they were, are well known. There were -others of which it is hardly possible to speak in a language fit for -a drawing room. Such, for instance, is the sad case of a young girl, -the daughter of a rich merchant in Moscow, who travelled all the way -to Petrograd, to see the “Prophet” and implore his prayers for her -fiancé who was at the front. Rasputin received her, and forthwith -proceeded to tell her that the young man for whom she felt so anxious -was doomed and could be saved only if she consented to unite herself -with him, Rasputin, and to be cleansed by him of all her sins. The poor -child, frightened out of her wits and fascinated by the terror which -the dreadful creature inspired in his victims, allowed him to do what -he liked with her. But she afterward became mad, on hearing that in -spite of her sacrifices her lover had fallen at Tannenburg, during the -terrible battle which took place in that locality. - -All these things were whispered from ear to ear with horror and -disgust, but they did not harm in the least the impostor who was -pursuing his career of wickedness, deceit and crime. As time went on, -he got more and more insolent, more and more overbearing, so that at -last even some of his former protectors found that he was going rather -too far, and he was no longer received at Tsarskoie Selo with the same -kindness that had been shown to him previously. - -He did not care for this, nor did those with whom he was working care -either. They were all unscrupulous, daring people, determined to make -hay while the sun was shining, and careless as to what others might -think of them. Count Witte, who saw further and understood better than -most of the public the hopeless muddle into which the administration -had fallen, felt sure that sooner or later the country would demand an -explanation for the many mistakes and errors which had been committed, -and that a change in the Government was bound to take place. He fully -meant this change to affect his own prospects in so far that it would -put him again at the head of affairs, and he was helping Rasputin as -hard and as well as he could to discredit the Cabinet then in power, -and to show it up as being thoroughly incapable of managing the country -at this moment of grave crisis. - -It was about that time that the Massayedoff incident took place, about -which such a lot has been written, and which deserves a passing -mention in this record. Massayedoff was a colonel who had already given -some reasons to be talked about for misdeeds of a more or less grave -nature. General Rennenkampf, when he had received the command of the -Kovno Army Corps, had energetically protested against his appointment -on his staff, but headquarters ignored his representations and -maintained the colonel in his functions. - -After the disaster of Tannenberg and the loss of two Russian army -corps in the swamps of the Mazurian region, it was discovered that -some spying of a grave nature had been going on and that the principal -spy was Colonel Massayedoff, who had kept the enemy informed of the -movements of the Russian troops. He was tried and condemned to death, -which sentence was duly executed. Together with him several individuals -compromised in the same affair, mostly Jews connected with questions of -army purveyance, were also hanged. Among these last was a man called -Friedmann, who had been one of the parasites who were perpetually -crowding around Rasputin. The latter, however, when asked to interfere -in his favour had refused to do so, but whether this was due to the -desire to get rid of a compromising accomplice or the dread of being -mixed up himself in a dangerous story, it is difficult to say or to -guess. But others talked, if the “Prophet” himself remained silent, and -soon it began to be whispered that he was also, if not exactly a German -agent, at least a partisan of a separate peace with Germany. - -There certainly exist indications that such was the case. In spite of -the strong character upon which Rasputin prided himself, it is hardly -possible that he could have escaped the influence of the people who -were constantly hanging about him, and who were all partial to Germany. -This was due to the fact that they hoped, if the latter Power triumphed -and vanquished the Russians, to obtain from the German Government -substantial rewards for their fidelity, in the shape of some kind of -army contracts, for the time that the Prussian troops remained in -occupation of some Russian provinces. It is quite remarkable that while -the nation in general was all for the continuation of the war, and -would have considered it a shame to listen to peace proposals without -consent of its Allies, commercial and industrial people were always -talking about peace to whomever would listen. And Rasputin had now more -to do with that class of individuals than with the nation. - -It was at that time that he suddenly imagined himself to be endowed -with perspicacity in regard to military matters, and that he attempted -to criticise the operations at the front, and especially the leadership -of the Grand Duke Nicholas, whom he hated with all the ferocity for -which his character had become famous. He was known to be absolutely -without any mercy for those whom he disliked. He disliked none more -than the Grand Duke, who had, on one occasion when the “Prophet” -had tried to discuss with him the conduct of the campaign and even -volunteered to arrive at headquarters, declared that if he ever -ventured to put in an appearance there he would have him hanged -immediately from the first tree he could find. Rasputin was prudent, -and moreover he knew that Nicolas Nicolaievitsch was a man who always -kept his word, so he thought it wise to leave a wide berth between -him and the irascible commander-in-chief. But he applied himself with -considerable perseverance to undermine the position of the latter, -and especially to render him unpopular among the people, accusing him -openly of mismanagement in regard to military matters and of want of -foresight in his strategical dispositions. - -In the beginning this did not succeed, partly because the staff did -not allow any news of importance to leak out from the front and partly -because the country believed so firmly in a victory over the Prussians -that it was very hard to shake its confidence in the Grand Duke’s -abilities. The early successes of the first Galician campaign had -strengthened this confidence, and no one in Petrograd during the first -months of the year 1915 ever gave a thought to the possibility of our -troops being compelled to retreat before the enemy, and no one foresaw -the fall of Warsaw and of the other fortresses on the western frontier. -Rasputin, however, knew more than the public at large. He had his -spies everywhere, who faithfully reported to him everything that was -occurring in the army. He was well aware that the army was suffering -from an almost complete lack of ammunition, and that it would never be -able to hold against any offensive combined with artillery attacks on -the part of the enemy. This knowledge, which he carefully refrained -from sharing with any one, enabled him to indulge in prophesies of -a more or less tragic nature, the sense of which was that God was -punishing Russia for its sins, and that with an unbeliever like the -commander-in-chief at the head of its armies it was surely marching -towards a defeat which would be sent by God as a warning never to -forget the paths of Providence, and never to disdain the advice of the -one prophet that He had sent in His mercy to save Russia from all the -calamities which were threatening her. - -He used to speak in that way everywhere and to everybody, even at -Tsarskoie Selo, not to the Emperor and Empress, of course, but to all -those persons surrounding them who were favourably inclined toward -himself and likely to spread abroad the prophecies which he kept -pouring into their ears. - -But, in spite of all this, he was not quite so successful as he had -hoped, because owing to the ignorance which prevailed as to the real -state of things in the army, few people believed him, and fewer still -would own that they did so. Once more Rasputin’s star was beginning to -wane, and even the Empress began to think him very wearisome with his -perpetual forebodings concerning misfortunes which seemed to be far -away from the limits of possibility. - -Then suddenly things changed. Mackensen began his march forward, and -the Grand Duke, with his heart full of rage and despair, was compelled, -owing to the mistakes, the negligence and the crimes of others, to make -the best out of a very bad job, and to try at least to save the army -confided to his care. Even if he had to sacrifice towns and fortresses, -he had declared he would never, and under no conditions whatever, -surrender to the enemy. The great retreat began, and proved to be one -of the most glorious pages in the history of Russian warfare, a deed -the gallantry of which will live in the military annals of the world -as almost as grand a one as the famous retreat of Xenophon and his -10,000 warriors. Russia appreciated its importance; the world admired -it; the Czar, though he may have shed bitter tears over its necessity, -felt grateful for the talent which was displayed in such a terrible -emergency; but people in Petrograd began looking for those upon whom -they could fix the responsibility for this awful disappointment which -had overtaken them. This was the moment for which Rasputin had been -waiting with the patience of the serpent watching for its prey, and -of which he hastened to make use with the infernal cunning he usually -displayed in all the evil deeds with which he was familiar. - -The secret police agents, who were working with him, and thanks to whom -he had been enabled to make the enormous profits that had added so many -millions to his fortune since the war had started, began to spread the -rumour that the Grand Duke was plotting against the Czar, and wanted -to usurp the latter’s throne and crown, out of fear of being called -upon to render an account of his activity during the nine months of the -campaign. Though it was quite evident that the responsibility for the -lamentable want of organisation which had culminated in the momentary -defeat of the Russian troops lay upon the War Office and the Artillery -and Commissariat Departments, and though the War Minister, General -Soukhomlinoff, had been dismissed in disgrace before being sent to the -fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul to await there his trial; though -strenuous efforts had been made to punish those to whose carelessness -this mass of misfortunes had been due, yet Rasputin and his friends -applied themselves to the task of representing the Grand Duke as being -more guilty than any one else, and of having on purpose kept secret -the real state of things, out of fear that he would be called upon, -if he revealed the truth, to surrender his command. There was not one -word of truth in these accusations, because Nicholas Nicholaievitsch -had, on the contrary, worked harder than any one to repair the blunders -of others, and had never shared the blind confidence in victory which -so many people who knew nothing about the real condition of affairs -professed to nurse. He had done all that it was humanly possible to do, -in order to save a situation which had been doomed from the first day -that it had begun to develop. If he had failed, this had been in no way -his fault, but that of circumstances and of fate which had proved too -strong for him. - -The public, however, thought differently, and Rasputin’s numerous -supporters helped it to come to the conclusion that the Grand Duke -ought to be deprived of his command by some means or other. This, -however, was not such an easy thing to do, because the Emperor had a -sincere esteem and respect for his uncle, and understood better than -all those who criticised the latter the extent of the difficulties -against which he had had to fight. He refused to listen to those who -tried to shake his confidence in the commander-in-chief. He might have -gone on for a long time doing so had not Rasputin succeeded in winning -over to his point of view several high ecclesiastical dignitaries, who -took it upon themselves to speak to the Sovereign of the desire and -wishes of the nation to see him assume himself the supreme command over -his armies. They assured him that it was quite certain that the armies -would fight ever so much better under the personal leadership of their -Czar than under any other commander-in-chief, no matter how high might -be his military reputation, or how elevated might be his rank. This -was quite a new point of view, and Nicholas II. had to examine it with -attention, the more so as the Empress, too, had been won over to the -idea, and was pressing him to give to his subjects this satisfaction -for which they craved. - -The military situation was then recognised, even by the most -optimistically inclined people, to be very serious, and it was -generally felt that something had to be done to excite the enthusiasm -of the troops, which had lately begun to wane. The assumption by the -Czar of the supreme command seemed to present itself almost in the -light of an absolute necessity. Perhaps from some points of view -Rasputin was not so very wrong to urge it, as it most certainly -produced a salutary effect on the whole situation. But it is to be -doubted whether the “Prophet” had ever looked at it in that light. It -is far more likely that his only aim had been the displacing of the -Grand Duke Nicholas, who had begun to look too closely into all that -was going on around Rasputin, and to watch the different intrigues in -which the latter was taking part with an attention that did not promise -anything good for him, or for the further development of his career as -an adventurer. - -When the Grand Duke had been appointed Viceroy of the Caucasus, and -had left for his new residence, Rasputin breathed freely once more. -For one thing, this incident had given him a greater confidence in his -own strength than he had even possessed before. Now that he had been -able to remove the commander-in-chief of the Russian armies from his -post, it seemed to him that it would be a relatively easy thing to push -forward, and to appoint to the most important functions in the State -people indoctrinated with his view and ready to help him in keeping -undisturbed and unchallenged the position into which he had glided so -naturally, and as now appeared to him, so simply--a position which -he was absolutely determined not to lose. With a Prime Minister at -his command, he would become the real master of Russia, and the Czar -himself would be compelled to take him into account, a thing which up -to then he had refused to do, much to the distress of the “Prophet.” -Though he repeated everywhere, and to whomsoever wished to listen to -him, that he could do all he liked at Tsarskoie Selo, he knew very -well in his inmost heart that such was not the case, and that in the -Imperial Palace Rasputin was nothing but Rasputin, an ignorant peasant, -endowed sometimes with gifts of second sight and always with religious -fervour, but a peasant all the same, with whom one might pray, but whom -one would never dream of appointing to any responsible position. - -The knowledge that such was the case, and that his so-called influence -existed mostly in the imagination of the people who spoke about it, -worried Rasputin. Though he dictated to ministers his will, though he -decided together with them more than one important matter, yet he felt -that there was a flaw in the edifice of his fortune, and that this flaw -consisted in the fact that the Sovereign did not share the feeling of -reverence with which the Russian nation, as the “Prophet” flattered -himself was the case, experienced for his person and for his teachings. -This was what tormented him, and he spent the whole time thinking how -it might become possible to put in the place of Mr. Goremykine another -Prime Minister more ready to enter into his views, and to follow his -advice in regard to matters of state. This the then President of -Council, in spite of his deference for Rasputin, had refused to do, -preferring to discuss the affairs of the Government alone with the -Emperor, without any interference of the former. - -Rasputin spoke of his wishes to some of his confidants, and even -mentioned the subject to several of the high-born ladies who formed -the great bulk of his “clientele.” These entered into his views with -alacrity, the more so as he developed them in a pathetic tone, which -appealed to their feelings of “patriotism.” They would have given much -to be able to help him, but they did not very well know how this was -to be done. This was due to the sad fact that there seemed to be no -one available. The unexpected and sudden death of Count Witte, which -had occurred in the meanwhile, removed the only person whom they could -suggest as a candidate for the functions of Prime Minister. All those -whose names might have been mentioned as fit individuals for the post, -such as Mr. Krivoscheine for instance, were people who would, with a -greater energy even than Mr. Goremykine had ever displayed, oppose any -interference of Rasputin into the conduct of the Government. Their -perplexity might have lasted a long time if Providence, in the shape -of Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, had not interfered in their favour, -and had the latter not suggested the advisability of entering into -negotiations with Mr. Sturmer. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -Mr. Sturmer was not a novice in politics and he was known to be a -reactionary of the deepest dye. It is likely that even Rasputin’s -friends would never have given a thought to the possibility of his -becoming Prime Minister if Count Witte had still been in the land of -the living. With the latter’s death the sort of coalition or secret -society that had hoped through the occult influence of the “Prophet” -to rise to power had lost its best head. There was no one to take his -place, officially at least, because with the best will in the world it -was impossible to suggest as a candidate for a ministerial portfolio -Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff. The past record of this man did not permit -him to play any rôle but that of the Père Joseph of a minister who was -not a Richelieu. And though the secret position of principal adviser -to a personage of the importance of Rasputin had its advantages, it -nevertheless precluded the possibility of becoming a candidate for the -place of a statesman. - -The next best thing, therefore, was to find some one who would be -willing to become consciously what the “Prophet” was unconsciously, -the instrument of the vile crew whose ambition was to make money by -all means out of the terrible situation into which the country was -plunged. These unscrupulous people all felt that they would never again -in the whole course of their life have another such opportunity of -becoming rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and they were not the kind -of people to allow it to escape them. Every effort was therefore put -forward to bring Mr. Sturmer to the notice of the Emperor, and to the -attention of all those capable of suggesting to the latter the choice -of this functionary to replace Mr. Goremykine, who had openly declared -that he could not any longer go on fighting against the subterranean -forces which were slowly but surely working against him, and making his -position more unbearable every day. The candidate who would have been -the most welcome to public opinion was Mr. Krivoscheine, but he was the -last man whom Rasputin’s friends would have cared to put forward. - -On the other hand, Mr. Sturmer, for personal reasons into which it is -useless to enter here, when approached by Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, had -not hesitated a single moment in promising to indorse the purposes of -the small group of persons who had made up their minds to become the -real rulers of the State. As soon as he had declared his willingness to -join with them in the future an energetic campaign was started in his -favour, not in the press nor in the Duma, nor even among the public, -but in the immediate vicinity of the Sovereign, a campaign in which -some of the highest authorities in the Greek Church were enrolled, and -in which the Empress herself was persuaded by some of her personal -friends to take part. The expected then occurred. The Czar was finally -persuaded that in Mr. Sturmer he would find a faithful servant, which -in a certain sense he did, and also a minister determined to govern -according to the old principles of autocracy with an utter disregard -for the liberal parties, as well as for the Duma. The Duma had not -spared the Government during the whole summer, and its activity had -been viewed with dismay by certain members. Yet the country was glad -to find that at last there existed among its representatives men -courageous enough to say what they thought, and to try to save Russia -from the abyss into which it was felt that she was falling through the -influence not so much of Rasputin himself as of those who surrounded -him and who used him for their own ends. - -This campaign succeeded and Mr. Sturmer was appointed. His selection -caused an outcry of indignation throughout the whole country, and -distressed its best friends for more than one reason. But even among -the functionaries of the Ministry, which had to accept him as its -chief, there were found some rebellious spirits, among whom was the -then Minister of the Interior, Mr. Chvostoff, who made up their minds -that it was at last high time to get rid of Rasputin in some manner -or other. He was also a reactionary, like Mr. Sturmer, and even a -furious one. When he was still a deputy in the Duma he had been one of -the leaders of the faction of the right and before that time had made -for himself the reputation of being an ultraconservative in all the -different administrative posts which he had occupied. Among others, he -had been Governor at Nijni Novgorod for a short period. He belonged to -the number of persons who held the opinion that Rasputin ought to be -removed. But whether he was really a party to the extraordinary story -I am going to relate is a matter about which I shall abstain from -expressing an opinion. - -The fact is that about the beginning of the year 1916 people were -startled by hearing of a new conspiracy against Rasputin, in which it -was rumoured that the Minister of the Interior himself was a party. -Things stood thus: A secret agent of the Russian police called Rgevsky, -a man about as unscrupulous as Manassevitsch-Maniuloff but not so -clever, who had already figured more than once in occasions when the -need for a provocative agent had been felt, arrived in Christiania, -in Norway, where the unfrocked monk Illiodore was living, and sought -him out. His journey had been undertaken without the knowledge of the -chief of the secret police, Mr. Bieletsky, but on the express orders of -Mr. Chvostoff, the Minister of the Interior. Bieletsky, however, had -suspected that some underhand game was going on, and had caused Rgevsky -to be watched. When the latter had crossed the frontier at Torneo, he -had been thoroughly searched and examined by special orders received -from Petrograd, without, however, anything suspicious being found on -him. When he was questioned as to the reasons for his journey abroad he -had, in order to be allowed to proceed, to own that it was undertaken -by command of the Minister of the Interior. - -On his return from abroad Rgevsky was at once arrested under the -pretext of having blackmailed another police agent. Furious at what he -considered to have been a breach of faith, he contrived to apprise -Rasputin of the position in which he found himself placed, and revealed -to him that the object of his mission had been to see and speak with -Illiodore to try to persuade the latter to organise a conspiracy with -the help of the many followers he still had in Russia. The object of -this plot was to be the murder of the “Prophet.” Illiodore had been -considered ever since his quarrel with Rasputin one of the latter’s -worst enemies, and it was felt that he would enter with alacrity into -the plot which it was proposed to engineer. But to the stupefaction of -the persons who had thus applied to him in the hope of finding in him -the instrument which they required, Illiodore went over to the enemy. -On the advice of Rgevsky he telegraphed to Rasputin, asking the latter -to send some one whom he could trust to Norway, and telling him that he -would deliver into the hands of that person the proofs of the plot that -was being hatched against his, Rasputin’s, life. - -Mr. Chvostoff, when taken to task for the affair, of course, denied -it in its entirety. He declared that he had given quite different -instructions to Rgevsky, and that he had sent the policeman to Norway -to buy the memoirs of Illiodore, which he had heard the latter was -about to publish abroad. But at the same time Chvostoff made no secret -of his feelings of repugnance to Rasputin, and declared that he -considered him a most dangerous and mischievous man, whose presence -at Petrograd was exceedingly harmful for the prestige of the dynasty, -as well as for the welfare of the State in the grave circumstances in -which the country was finding itself placed. - -According to Mr. Chvostoff, Rasputin was surrounded with individuals -of a most suspicious character, who spent their time in concocting -any amount of shady affairs and transactions, and who had organised -a regular plundering of the public exchequer. He did not dare to do -anything directly against the “Prophet,” but he tried to get at him -through the arrest of several of his adepts and friends. He caused the -houses of a considerable number of these to be thoroughly searched for -compromising documents. Among other places searched was the flat of -a Mr. Dobrovolsky, who held the position of a school inspector. This -search gave abundant evidence by which he might have been incriminated -in more than one dirty transaction. But he was not immediately arrested -and contrived to make his escape. Another of the Rasputin crew, a -certain Simanovitsch, was arrested at the very moment when he returned -to his home in the private automobile of Mr. Sturmer, one of whose -familiar friends he happened to be. - -At the request of the “Prophet” an inquest into the denunciation of -Rgevsky was ordered by Mr. Sturmer, and a certain Mr. Gourland, whose -name had often been mentioned as that of a rising secret agent, was -entrusted with it. But Manassevitsch-Maniuloff contrived to oust him -and to get himself appointed in his place. At the same time it was -decided to send some one to Norway to interview Illiodore, and to try -thus to come to the bottom of the whole business. A certain General -Spiridovitsch, who had already more than once been entrusted with -missions of a delicate character which he had always accomplished to -the satisfaction of those who had employed him, was selected for -the task. The General had several interviews with Mr. Chvostoff, but -they all came to nothing, and he did not go abroad as it had been -rumoured that he would do. At last both the Minster of the Interior -and the chief of the secret police, Mr. Bieletsky, had to resign their -functions, and Rasputin found himself delivered from two of his most -dangerous enemies. - -The next question which arose was that of the appointment of -Chvostoff’s successor. The post which he had vacated was such a -difficult and responsible one that several persons who were sounded as -to their readiness to accept it refused the offer in a most categorical -manner. The story which I have just related died at last a natural -death. Rgevsky disappeared, no one knew where, but the difficulties out -of which it had arisen were still there. They could hardly be set aside -by any minister, unless some radical measures were adopted, such as the -exile of Rasputin, a thing which no one dared to propose, and which no -one would have dared to enforce even if some one else had proposed it. - -After the resignation, or rather the dismissal, of Mr. Chvostoff, -his post was finally offered, by the advice of Rasputin and at the -suggestion of Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, to Mr. Protopopoff, a rich -landowner of the Government of Simbirsk, who for some time had occupied -the position of vice president of the Duma of the Empire. - -Just before his appointment to what is the most important and -responsible function in the whole Russian Empire, there was much talk -of an interview which he had had at Stockholm with Mr. Warberg, a -representative of the German Government, during which the conditions -at which a separate peace might come to be concluded between Russia -and the Central Empires had been discussed. Later on, when this -meeting, which had been arranged through the good offices of a Jew, Mr. -Maliniak, became the subject of general knowledge in Stockholm, and -details concerning it had found their way into the Russian press, Mr. -Protopopoff was violently attacked by the liberal parties in the Duma, -which accused him of treason, and refused even to listen to the clumsy -explanations which he attempted to give of the affair. - -It was then generally believed that the political career of this -gentleman was at an end, and it was assumed that he would have to -resign his vice presidency in the House. Certainly no one ever thought -that he would suddenly develop into a minister. And yet, this is the -very thing which happened, thanks to the Rasputin crew, which persuaded -Mr. Sturmer to present Mr. Protopopoff to the Emperor as the best -candidate for the place vacated by Mr. Chvostoff. In the meanwhile, -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, who had been the moving spirit in this whole -intrigue, had been appointed private secretary to Mr. Sturmer, and at -his instigation there began dissipation of public funds such as Russia -had never seen before, and such as, let us hope, she will never see -again. - -There are many more things than I could possibly relate in regard -to the incidents of which I have given the outline here, but these -could hardly be published at present. The only thing which I can do -is to try to make my readers understand the general position as it -presented itself before the murder of Rasputin by quoting some speeches -which were delivered in the Duma as far back as the year 1912. They -were reproduced in the Russian Liberal organ, the Retsch, on the day -following the assassination of the “Prophet.” The Russian censor -offered no opposition to this republication. - -The first of these speeches was made by Mr. Goutschkoff, one of the -most enlightened men in the whole of the Russian Empire, whose liberal -opinions and sound political views had won for him the respect of all -parties, even those who were opposed to them. The occasion upon which -it was pronounced was that of the discussion of the budget of the Holy -Synod, a discussion during which for the first time the personality of -Rasputin, together with his activity, was publicly denounced as one of -the greatest sources of danger that had ever threatened the country as -well as the dynasty. - -“You all know,” said Mr. Goutschkoff in this memorable address, “what a -terrible drama Russia is living through at present. With sorrow in our -hearts and with terror in our souls we have followed its developments, -and we are dreading its consequences. Standing in the very heart of -this drama we see a mysterious, enigmatical, tragi-comical figure, who -seems to have come out of the dark ages, which we believed had passed -away forever, into the full light of the twentieth century. Perhaps -this figure is that of a sectarian of the worst kind who is trying to -popularise amongst us his mystical rites; perhaps it is that of an -adventurer seeking to hide under the cloak of religious fanaticism and -superstition his numerous swindles. By what means has this individual -succeeded in rising to such a prominent position and in acquiring such -an influence which even the dignitaries of our church, together with -the highest functionaries in our State, acknowledge and which they seek -to propitiate? - -“If we had had to do with only this one figure which had made its way -on the field of religious superstition and which has thriven, thanks -to an exalted spirit of mysticism, a state of mind which, though not -perhaps bordering on insanity, is yet not quite normal, then we should -have said nothing. We might have regretted the fact; we might even have -wept over it, but we would not have spoken about it. - -“But unfortunately this figure is not standing alone. Behind it there -is a whole crew, strong and varied, unscrupulous and grasping, which is -taking advantage of its position and of the talents of persuasion which -it may possess. Amongst this crew there are to be found journalists in -want of copy, shady business men, adventurers of every kind and sort. -It is they who are the moving spirits in all this sad history, it is -they who inspire it, they who tell it what it is to do. They constitute -a kind of commercial enterprise, and they understand how to play their -game in the most clever manner. - -“Before such a spectacle it is our duty to cry out as loud as we can -that one ought to beware of all those people, and that the church--our -church, and the country--our country, find themselves in imminent -danger, because no revolution and no anti-Christian propaganda have -ever done them more harm than the events which are daily taking place -under our eyes for the last twelve months.” - -Two years later, in 1914, a few weeks before the breaking out of the -present war, another deputy, this time a clergyman, Father Filonenko, -spoke about Rasputin in the Duma, and did so in the following strong -terms: - -“As a faithful and devoted son of our Holy Orthodox Church, I consider -it my painful duty to mention once more what has already been discussed -here, by so many orators better than myself, and to recur to a subject -which is at present talked of at the corner of every street, in every -town and in every village, no matter how distant and how far from -any civilised centre in our vast Empire. We find ourselves compelled -to look upon this unexplainable influence of a common adventurer, -belonging to the worst type of those sectarians, whom until now we have -known by the name of Khlystys, and despised accordingly. We are obliged -to reckon with this influence of a man upon whom all the sane elements -in our society look with contempt.” - -On that same day another deputy belonging to the group of -Ultra-Conservatives, Prince Mansyreff, also spoke about Rasputin, with -perhaps even more energy than any one had ever done before in the Duma. -Said the Prince: - -“The adventure of Illiodore ended in ridicule, but we have now in his -place another adventurer, with the personality of whom are connected -the most nefarious and disgusting rumours, the most unnatural and -contemptible crimes. It is useless to mention his name; every one -knows who he is, and of whom I am talking. He has been let loose -on our society to acquire some influence over it, by men even more -shameless than he is himself; he has been used to terrorise all those -who have dared to express their opinions against the currents which -prevail at present in our administrative circles. This adventurer, -whenever he travels and whenever he arrives in St. Petersburg, is -met at the railway station by the highest dignitaries of the church; -before him pray, as they would do to God, unfortunate hysterical ladies -of the highest social circles. This individual, who only seeks the -satisfaction of the lowest instinct of a low nature, has introduced -himself into the very heart of our country and of our society, and we -find and feel everywhere his disgusting and filthy influence.” - -A few days after this memorable sitting of the Duma the Government -issued instructions to the press never to mention Rasputin’s name or to -speak of any subject connected with him in the newspapers. As soon as -this became known the Octobrists put down on the order of the day in -the Duma an interpellation on the matter, and Mr. Goutschkoff in moving -it exclaimed: - -“Dark and dangerous days have arrived, and the conscience of the -Russian nation has been deeply moved by the events of the last few -months, and is protesting against the appearance amongst us of symptoms -proving that we are returning to the darkest periods of the middle -ages. It has cried out that things are going wrong in our State, and -that danger threatens our most holy national ideals.” - -Prince Lvoff seconded the motion, and asked the Government to explain -who was this “strange personality who had been taken under the special -protection of the administration, who was considered as too sacred to -be subjected to the criticism of the press, and who had been put upon -such a pedestal that no one was allowed to touch or even to approach -him.” - -I would not have quoted these speeches but for the fact that they -all bore on the same point, the one that I have tried to make clear -to the mind of my readers. This point is that the danger which -Rasputin undoubtedly personified in Russian society at large did not -proceed from his own personality, but from the character of the men -who surrounded him, who had made out of him their tool and who were -trying through him to rule Russia and to push it into the arms of -Germany. There is no doubt that Germany had been carefully following -all the phases of the drama which culminated in the assassination of -the “Prophet” and had been helping by her subsidies the underhand -and mysterious work of men like Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff and his -satellites, and like Mr. Sturmer. Sturmer believed quite earnestly -that he would secure immortality for his name and for his work if -he contrived to conclude a peace which every one knew that Russia -required, but which no one except himself and the adventurers to whom -he owed his elevation thought of making except in concert with Russia’s -Allies, and only after Germany had been compelled to accept the -conditions of her adversaries. - -The whole Rasputin affair was nothing but a German intrigue which -aimed at discrediting the dynasty and perhaps even at overthrowing the -sovereign from his throne. - -Thanks to the infernal cunning of the people who were its leaders, the -Imperial circle and even some of the Imperial family were represented -as being entirely under the “Prophet’s” influence. And thanks to the -solitary existence which the Emperor and Empress were leading, and to -the small number of people who were allowed to see them, these rumours -gained ground, for the simple reason that there existed no one capable -of contradicting them or of pointing out their absurdity. Calumnies -as stupid as they were degrading to the authors of them were set in -circulation, and the revolutionary movement which Germany had been -fomenting grew stronger and stronger every day, until it reached the -lower classes. These classes by a kind of miracle were also kept very -well informed as to everything that was connected with Rasputin or -with the subterranean work performed by his party, a work which tended -to only make the House of Romanoff unpopular, and to represent it as -incapable of taking to heart the interest of the country over which it -reigned. - -If we consider who were the people at the side of the “Prophet,” and -who inspired all his actions as well as his utterances we find police -agents, adventurers who had been sometimes in prison, and sometimes in -exile; functionaries eager to obtain some fat sinecure in which they -might do nothing and earn a great deal; stock exchange speculators -of doubtful morality and still more doubtful honesty; women of low -character and army purveyors, mixed up with an innumerable number of -spies. Most of these last were in the German service and were working -for all that they were worth to bring about some palace conspiracy or -some popular movement capable of removing from his throne a Czar whose -honesty and straightforwardness of character precluded the possibility -of Russia betraying the trust which her Allies had put in her. - -Yet this was precisely what these people wanted, and what they had -made up their minds to force through, thanks to the indignation which -the various stories which were being repeated every day concerning -Rasputin and the favour which he enjoyed was arousing all over Russia. -The Emperor, of course, knew nothing of all this; the Empress even -less. There was no one to tell them the truth, and they would have been -more surprised than any one else had they suspected the ocean of lies -which had been told concerning themselves, and concerning the kindness -with which they had treated a man whom they considered as being half -saint and half mad, but of whom they had never thought in their wildest -dreams of making their chief adviser. - -In this extraordinary history there is also another point which must -be noticed. When the first deceptions produced by the disasters of the -beginning of the campaign had thrown public opinion into a state of -mind which was bordering well nigh upon despair, and before it had had -time to recover from the shock of the fall of Warsaw and the line of -fortresses upon which they had relied to protect the western frontier, -people had begun to seek for the cause of the great disillusion they -had been called upon to experience. It was very quickly discovered, -partly through the revelations that had been made in the Duma, that -the real reason for all the sad things which had happened lay in the -systematic plundering of the public exchequer, that had been going on -for such a long time and which even the experiences of the Japanese war -had not cured. When the fierce battle against Germany began in grim -earnest, the first thought of the Emperor had been to try to put an end -to these depredations that had compromised the prestige and the good -name of Russia abroad as well as at home. Great severity was shown to -the many adventurers who had enriched themselves at the expense of the -nation. When it had come to the fabrication of the necessary ammunition -required by the army, then the help of Russia’s Allies--England and -France--had been sought. Thanks to the efforts of these two Powers, -something like order was re-established in the vast machine of the War -Office. - -The fabrication of shells of a size that could not fit any gun was -stopped. The army at the front got clothes and food of which it -had been in want at the beginning of the campaign. Ammunition was -despatched where it was required, and not in the contrary direction -as often had been the case before. The Allies helped Russia to the -best of their ability, and Russia, at least the sane and honest part -of Russian society, felt grateful to them for their co-operation in -the work of their common defence against a foe which it had become -necessary to defeat so thoroughly that civilisation could no longer be -endangered by its existence and activity. - -But the people who surrounded Rasputin and with whom he was working -were not grateful for the labour of love which Great Britain and France -had assumed. They began to complain of the so-called interference -of foreign elements with the details of the Russian administration. -Some went even so far as to say that Russia was becoming an English -colony. All the plunderers, all the thieves who had had their own way -for so many months, perceiving that they would no longer have the -opportunities which they had enjoyed before to add to their ill-gotten -gains, tried by all means in their power to discredit the Sovereign -whose firmness they had found in their way. They joined all the -pro-Germans of whom, alas, there existed but too many in the country, -in an effort to bring about a peace, the shame of which would have been -quite indifferent to them. - -It is not at all wonderful if those shameless adventurers started the -conspiracy for the success of which they required the moral influence -of Rasputin and the authority of his person. It was, after all, such -an easy matter to say that in such and such a case he had been acting -in conformity with the Imperial will. No one could disprove the truth -of the assertion, and in that way the Emperor was made responsible -for all the unavowable things which were going on. He was supposed -to have given his sanction to all these things simply because it -had pleased, not even Rasputin himself, but individuals like Mr. -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, to declare that they had been done with his -knowledge and approval. - -Can one feel surprised if in the presence of this artificial -atmosphere, and still more artificial position, an intense feeling of -disgust took hold of real patriots, and made them contemplate seriously -the possibility of trying at least to unmask Rasputin and his crew and -bring to the ears of the Czar all the different rumours which were in -circulation concerning the “Prophet” and what was going on around him? -Men of experience and of weight seriously thought how this could be -done. They made no secret of the fact, unfortunately for themselves as -well as for the success of their plans. What was going on very soon -came to the knowledge of Manassevitsch-Maniuloff and made him more -frantic than he had ever been to overthrow what he called “foreign -influences” in Russia. He applied himself with renewed energy to bring -about, by fair means or foul, the conclusion of a peace on which -depended his whole future destiny. And he might perhaps have succeeded -if circumstances had not turned against him and put an end to his -machinations, at least for a time. - -Mr. Sturmer was but a tool in the hands of this artful, clever private -secretary whom he had been persuaded, or rather compelled, to take. -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff had managed to get hold of him and to keep him -securely bound to his own policy. He was the man who had contrived -to put him into the position of authority which he enjoyed, and Mr. -Sturmer, whatever may have been his other defects, had a grateful -nature. Besides, Maniuloff amused him, and took an immense amount -of trouble off his hands. He could rely on his never doing anything -stupid, even when he did something very dishonest. Mr. Sturmer was -absorbed in great political combinations and was looking toward a long -term of office. He felt absolutely safe in the situation which he -occupied, where at any moment he liked he could speak with the Czar and -explain to him what he thought to be most advantageous to the interests -of his party, or the events of the day as they followed in quick -succession. - -Alas for this security! An unexpected incident was to destroy it in -the most ruthless manner. Rasputin, together with Mr. Maniuloff, went -too far in the system of blackmailing which they had been practising -with such skill for so many long months. For once they found their -master in the person of one of the directors of a large banking -establishment in Petrograd, who, upon being threatened with all kinds -of unpleasantness unless he consented to pay a large sum of money, did -not protest as others had done before him in similar cases, but gave -it immediately, first having taken the numbers of the banknotes which -he had handed over to Mr. Maniuloff. He went with these numbers to the -military authorities and lodged with them a formal complaint against -the blackmailers. The result was as immediate as it was unexpected. The -General Staff had been waiting a long time for just such an opportunity -to proceed against Rasputin and the members of his crew. That very -same night, in obedience to orders received from the military commander -of Petrograd, Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff’s house was searched from top -to bottom, and he himself conveyed to prison, without even having been -allowed to acquaint his chief, Mr. Sturmer, with what had happened to -him. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -The arrest of the Prime Minister’s private secretary produced, as -may well be imagined, an immense sensation in Petrograd and intense -consternation among the friends of Rasputin. They were thus deprived -of the one strong ally capable of guiding their steps in the best -direction possible under the circumstances, and, moreover, of the one -who was possessed of information which no one else could possibly get -at. Mr. Sturmer himself was more than dismayed at this step taken by -the military authorities without consulting him and resented it as a -personal affront. He tried to interfere in the matter and went so far -as to demand as his right the liberation of Manassevitsch-Maniuloff. -But his intervention, instead of helping the person in whose favour -it had been displayed, gave on the contrary the signal for a series -of attacks against Mr. Sturmer himself, attacks of which the most -important was the speech made by Mr. Miliukoff in the Duma, where he -publicly accused the Prime Minister of being in league with Germany and -of working in favour of a separate peace with that country. - -Of course, the remarks of the leader of the opposition in the Chamber -were not allowed to be published, but so many persons had heard them -and so many others had heard of them that the contents of the address -of Mr. Miliukoff very soon became public property. No one had ever -cared for Mr. Sturmer, whose leanings had always been for autocracy. -While Governor of Tver he had distinguished himself by the zeal which -he displayed in putting down every manifestation of public opinion in -his government. In addition he had been connected with various matters -where bribery played a prominent part, a fact which had not helped him -to win any popularity in the province which he had administered. His -only merits lay in his ability to speak excellent French and in his -having very pronounced English sympathies. These sympathies, however, -by some kind of unexplainable miracle, died out immediately after -his assumption of office. He at once fell under the influence of a -certain party that clamoured for the removal of foreigners from the -administrative and political life of Russia. He was not clever, though -he had a very high idea of his own intelligence and knowledge. - -Though he had never carried his knowledge beyond a thorough grasp -of the precedence that ought to be awarded to distinguished guests -at a dinner party (which he had acquired while he was master of the -ceremonies at the Imperial Court), yet he was convinced of his capacity -to fill the most important offices of the Russian State. These he -looked upon with the eyes of a farmer in the presence of his best -milking cow. He was not a courtier, but a flatterer by nature, and -an essentially accommodating one, too. There was no danger of his -ever turning his back on persons who he had reasons to think were in -possession of the favour of personages in high places. And he had a -wonderful faculty for toadying wherever he expected that it might prove -useful to his career. - -For some years he had vegetated in a kind of semi-disgrace and fretted -over his inactivity. When he found himself able once more to make -a display of his administrative talents he took himself and these -talents quite seriously and imagined that perhaps he could become the -saviour of Russia, but surely a very rich man. This last idea had been -suggested to him by Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, who in conversations -with him had imbued Mr. Sturmer with the conviction that it would be a -proof of careless neglect on his part if he did not make the most of -the many opportunities his important position as Prime Minister put -in his way, and did not assure the prosperity of his old age, when he -had at his disposal all possible sources of information out of which -he might make a profit. Mr. Sturmer was no saint, and the weaknesses -of the flesh had always appealed to him. There is nothing wonderful in -the fact that he listened with attention, and even with satisfaction, -to the confidences which were poured into his ear by his private -secretary, of whose talents he had a most exalted opinion. - -When his Fides Achates was arrested and thrown into a more or less -dark dungeon, Mr. Sturmer was so dismayed that he allowed himself to -be drawn into the mistake of identifying himself with the prisoner and -claiming his liberty as a right. It is related that when the object -of his solicitude heard of the various steps undertaken by the Prime -Minister on his behalf he gave vent to words of impatience at what he -considered an imprudence likely to cost a good deal to the guilty ones. - -“Sturmer ought to have known that a man like myself does not allow -himself to be arrested without having taken the precaution to be -able to impose on those who had ventured to do so the necessity of -liberating him,” he had exclaimed. - -The fact was that Manassevitsch-Maniuloff had put to profit the months -when, in his capacity as private secretary to the Prime Minister, he -had access to all the archives and secret papers of the Ministry of -the Interior. He had taken copies of more than one important document, -the divulging of which might have put the Russian Government in an -embarrassing position. Some persons even said that his zeal had carried -him so far as to make him appropriate to himself the originals of -these documents, leaving only a worthless copy in their place. True -or not, it is certain that the spirit of foresight that had always -distinguished him had induced him to take certain precautions against -any possible mishap capable of interfering with his career. He was -able to regard his imprisonment philosophically. This was more than -Mr. Sturmer could do. The latter had reason to fear that during the -police search of the flat occupied by Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff some -compromising letters had been discovered. This fear did not add to his -happiness or to his equanimity. Besides, he was not strong enough to -resist the attacks which, dating from that day, were poured upon his -head. In spite of the assurances which Rasputin was continually giving -him that he had nothing to fear, he did not share the confidence of the -“Prophet.” - -He had good reasons for this fear. In the Duma, in the Petrograd -drawing rooms, in the army and among the public, all had grown tired -of Mr. Sturmer, and all spoke of nothing else but of the necessity -of compelling him to resign his post. Among the different reproaches -which were addressed to him was that of being an enemy of England -and of trying to work against the Russo-English alliance. It was -very well known that his relations with Sir George Buchanan, the -British Ambassador, were not cordial. Sir George, in spite of all that -the pro-Germans liked to say about him, was a popular personage in -Russia, that is, among the sane portion of Russian society, which had -hailed with joy the initiative that he had taken in the great work of -reorganisation of the Russian administration. - -Thanks to the English officers who had arrived in Russia with the aim -of bringing some kind of order out of the chaos that had prevailed not -only in the War Office, but in every other branch of the Government, -the military position of the Empire had considerably improved, and -the great work of national defence had been at last put upon a sound -basis. As a man occupying a very important position in Petrograd wrote -to me during the course of last summer: “There are some people here -who say that Russia is fast becoming an English colony, but I reply to -them that she might certainly do worse, if by that word is meant the -introduction of the English spirit of order and of English honesty in -our country.” - -This was the opinion of a sincere Russian patriot. There is no doubt -that it was shared by all the best elements of the nation, who had -recognised that in the crisis through which their Fatherland was going -only one idea ought to dominate everything, and that was the necessity -of imposing upon Germany a peace that would at last give to the world -the assurance that it would never be called upon again to undergo -another such catastrophe as the one under which it was struggling. -Mr. Sturmer, however, was of a quite different opinion. This was well -known everywhere, especially in parliamentary circles. Mr. Miliukoff -made himself the echo of the popular voice when he delivered his famous -indictment of the Prime Minister. The latter retorted by issuing -against the leader of the Opposition a writ for libel, and applied -himself with renewed energy to the task of getting out of prison the -man who had been the prime mover in the dark and sinister intrigue of -which Rasputin was the principal figure. At last he succeeded, and -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff was released on bail. Among all the papers -which had been confiscated at his home not one incriminating document -had been found, and the only thing against him that could be proved -was the blackmailing scheme against the Bank whose director had had -him arrested. He threatened, in case he should be brought to trial, to -make certain revelations absolutely damaging for more than one highly -placed personage, and he contrived to inspire a great terror even among -those most eager to have him condemned for his numerous extortions and -other shameful deeds. As soon as he was at liberty he set Rasputin to -working in his favour, and made the latter display an activity that at -last exasperated the public against the “Prophet” to such an extent -that the first thought of organising a conspiracy to remove him was -started, and very soon became quite a familiar one with more than one -person. - -To be quite exact, this thought had already existed for some time. -About a year after the beginning of the war some enterprising -individuals in Petrograd tried to get rid of the “Prophet” by -entangling him in some disgraceful escapade which would have made it -necessary for him to leave Petrograd. In accordance with this plan he -was invited one night to supper at some fashionable music hall, of -which there exist so many in the Russian capital. Bohemian singers were -called in and an unlimited amount of champagne provided. Rasputin, -who was rather fond of such adventures when he was not obliged to pay -for their cost in rubles and copecs, accepted with alacrity. He soon -became quite drunk. Then, at the invitation of one of the guests, he -proceeded to show them the manner in which the Khlistys, the religious -sect to which he belonged, danced around the lighted fire, which was an -indispensable feature of their meetings. As he was dancing, or rather -turning round and round a table that had been put in the middle of the -room, he took off some of his clothes, just as his followers used to do -when they were holding one of their assemblies in real earnest. Some -of the assistants seized hold of the opportunity and hid the garments -of which he had divested himself, then called in the police, requiring -them to draw up a report of what had taken place. On the next day this -report was taken to a high authority, in the hope that it would have a -damaging effect on the reputation of Rasputin. The result, however, was -quite different from that which had been expected, for the person who -had brought the report to the authority in question instead of being -believed was treated as a libeler and himself compelled to retire from -public life. After this it was generally recognised that nothing in -the world would be strong enough to bring about the downfall of the -“Prophet.” - -In the meanwhile the efforts of the Opposition party in the Duma had -succeeded to the extent of forcing Mr. Sturmer to resign as Prime -Minister; but he had influence enough to secure his appointment as High -Chancellor of the Imperial Court, one of the most important positions -in Russia. He did not fall into disgrace, but remained the power -behind the throne whose existence, though not officially recognised, -yet was everywhere acknowledged. He had not been dismissed, he had -simply gone away--a very different thing altogether in the realm of -the Czar. Though no longer a Minister, he was still a personage to be -considered as capable of an infinitude of good or of harm, according -as it might please him to exert his influence. His successor, Mr. -Trepoff, an upright and fairly able man, did not long retain the office -he had accepted much against his will. With him departed one of the -most popular Ministers Russia had known for a long time, Count Paul -Ignatieff, the able son of an able father. He had for something like -two years held the portfolio of Public Instruction to the general -satisfaction of the public and had come to the conclusion that it was -useless to go on fighting against dark powers which were getting the -upper hand everywhere. - -The resignation of these two statesmen was preceded by one of the -most scandalous incidents in Russian modern history, the trial of -Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff. This had been put off from day to day -for a considerable length of time until at last it became impossible -to secure further delay. The culprit had taken good care, as I have -already indicated, to put in safety documents of a most incriminating -nature, implicating many persons whom the authorities could not afford -to see mixed up in the dirty business connected with the numerous sins -of Mr. Sturmer’s private secretary. When the latter was questioned by -the examining magistrate in regard to that last transaction which had -brought him into court, he declared that he had acted in accordance -with the instructions which he had received from his chief and that it -was not he himself, but the Prime Minister who had received the money -which the bank that had lodged a complaint against him had been induced -to pay in order to be spared certain annoyances with which it had been -threatened. He had insisted upon this version of the affair and warned -the magistrate that his counsel would develop it in all the details -before the jury. - -In the meanwhile Rasputin was moving heaven and earth to get the trial -postponed and to get the charges against the prisoner quashed by the -Chamber of Cassation. He had long conferences with several ladies -having free entrance into the Imperial Palace and he put forward, -among other arguments, the one which had certain points in its favour: -that it would be detrimental to the public interest to have the -scandal of such a trial commented upon by the press of the whole of -Europe at a time when Russia was struggling against a formidable foe, -always ready to catch hold of anything that would discredit it or its -institutions. For a time it seemed as if the efforts of the “Prophet” -would be crowned with success. Then one fine day opposite currents -became powerful and Mr. Maniuloff was sent before a jury in spite of -his protestations and his threats of revenge upon those who had taken -upon themselves the responsibility of subjecting him to that annoyance. - -On the fifteenth of December, the day appointed for the trial, the -halls and corridors of the law courts of Petrograd were filled with an -inquisitive crowd struggling to get access to the room where it was -to take place. The spectators waited a long time, watching curiously -the impassive face of the hero of the day, who had quietly entered the -hall and taken his place in the criminal dock. About 12 o’clock the -Judges, together with the public prosecutor, made their entrance, when -to the general surprise the latter rose and said that, owing to the -absence of several important witnesses for the prosecution, he moved -an adjournment of the proceedings until an indefinite time. What had -happened, what had brought about such an extraordinary change? This was -the question which one could hear everywhere after the Court had risen -and the assembly dispersed. Comments without number followed upon this -decision, which no one would have thought possible a few hours before. - -In spite of the severe censorship over the press, the principal Liberal -organs of the capital published short commentaries which revealed -the feeling of intense indignation that prevailed in every class of -society. The words “Shame, shame!” were heard on all sides. It is not -at all wonderful that they found an echo among some determined spirits -who resolved at last to free Russia from the scourge of Rasputin, whose -hand was again seen in the whole disgraceful affair. - -This, however, was not at all an easy matter, considering the fact -that the “Prophet” had become very careful and that his followers -had him watched wherever he went for fear of an attack which they -strongly suspected was being contemplated. The house where he lived, -64 Gorokhovaja Street, was always surrounded by policemen and secret -agents, who examined every person who entered or went out of it. -Rasputin himself had also grown suspicious, even of persons with whom -up to that time he had been upon friendly terms, and he avoided the -numerous invitations that began once more to be showered upon him. He -spoke again of returning to Siberia, which was always with him a sign -that he did not feel himself at ease in the capital. - -I had an opportunity to observe this restlessness the second time -that I met him at the house of that Mr. De Bock whom I have already -mentioned, when he declared to us that he was sick of Petrograd and of -the many intrigues which were going on there. But that was before the -war, and it seems that after it began the ideas of Rasputin changed -and that he was always saying that he considered it his duty to remain -beside his friends at this hour of national peril. The fact that his -feelings had changed on the last point proves that he was aware of the -danger in which he stood, and of which it is likely that he had been -warned by the numerous spies who were but too ready to keep him well -informed of all that was to his interest to know. - -One thing seems certain, and that is the activity which he began to -display during the last weeks and days of his evil life in favour of -the conclusion of a peace, which he now said Russia ought to make if -she wished to escape from further sin, as he termed it. - -Why his feelings had undergone such a change it is impossible to say, -but one may make a pretty near guess. One of the principal motives -which actuated him undoubtedly was the idea that existed among a -certain circle of persons that if peace were made with Germany, -the English and French officials working with Russian officials in -perfecting the defence of the fatherland, and whose presence already -had prevented so many malversations, would depart. This would leave -once more a free field for the rapacity of all the civil and military -functionaries of the War Office and Commissariat Departments, who could -make a new harvest of rubles as a result of the unavoidable expenses -which the liquidation of the war would necessarily entail. - -There were, however, some persons who, seeing the dangers in the path -in which this nefarious individual was leading Russia, decided that, -as nothing else could bring about his removal, it had to be effected -by violent means. I do not seek to excuse them, far less to take -their part. Murder remains murder, but if ever an assassination had -an excuse, this was the slaying of Rasputin, which also implied the -destruction of the crew of unscrupulous people of which he was the -tool. There was something of self-sacrifice in the conspiracy to which -he fell a victim, something of an intense love of the Fatherland in -the spirit that armed the hand of the man whose pistol sent him into -eternity. One may condemn the deed and yet excuse its motive. Though -I am not trying to do so, yet I shall not be the one to cry out for -vengeance against the over-excited young people who risked everything -in the world to deliver their country from evil. - -Of the details of the murder we know very little, and even the -travellers who have gone abroad since it was committed could only -speak vaguely about the circumstances that attended it. It is certain, -however, that there was a deeply laid and well organised plot to kill -the “Prophet,” that about a dozen persons, some of them belonging to -the best and to the highest social circles, were concerned in it, and -that at last lots were drawn to select the man who was to execute the -victim. Among those persons were members of the Conservative faction -of the Duma, some officers of several guard regiments, and even ladies -of the smartest set of Petrograd. That something was known concerning -this plot in governmental circles can be seen from the fact that the -Minister of the Interior, Mr. Protopopoff, who had always been one of -the most ardent disciples of Rasputin and who had been working with -him for the conclusion of a peace which both considered to be useful to -their personal interests, hearing that he was going to have supper at -the house of Prince Youssoupoff, sent there the Prefect of Petrograd, -General Balk, with instructions to watch over the “Prophet.” When the -Prefect appeared upon the scene, he was politely asked by the master of -the house to withdraw, as his presence was not required. - -Young Prince Youssoupoff, who, by the way, is well known in London, was -the husband of the Princess Irene of Russia, the first cousin of the -Czar. By virtue of his position he could be whatever he liked, even -to dismiss curtly the principal police official of the capital. At -the supper which he gave on the night when Rasputin was killed about -a dozen people belonging to the best circle of Petrograd society were -present. What passed during the meal and how the murder itself was -committed is not known even now, though several versions of the crime -are given. Some say that it was done during the meal, and that the -pretext for it was the conduct of Rasputin toward one of the ladies -present at the table. Other people relate that they waited until the -“Prophet” was on the point of departing, and that as he was putting on -his overcoat the young man who had drawn the lot designating him for -the deed shot him with his revolver at the foot of the stairs. The body -was then wrapped up in a blanket and put into the automobile of a very -high personage, which was waiting in the garden of the house where the -event took place, and driven to the Neva, where it was dropped under -the ice. It seems that after this had been accomplished one of the -conspirators went to Tsarskoie Selo and informed the Czar of what had -taken place, as well as of his own share in the deed. - -In the meanwhile the authorities had become suspicious. At 3 o’clock in -the night screams had been heard by a policeman on duty at the corner -of the street in which was situated the house of Prince Youssoupoff. -He also noticed several persons coming out of the house, not by the -usual entrance, but by the garden, which had a door leading into -another street. After this, an automobile was seen driving out of that -same garden, an altogether strange circumstance. This automobile was -seen by another policeman about one hour later in the islands which -surround Petrograd, driving close to the Neva and not on the usual -road. The next day the garden of Prince Youssoupoff was searched by -Secret Service agents, who found some traces of blood on the snow, but -the servants of the Prince declared that it was that of a dog that had -been shot the day before. No one dared say or do anything more against -the supposed murderers, especially as the body of their victim had not -yet been found. The river was dragged, but it was not until twenty-four -hours after the event that the dead man was discovered under the ice in -a frozen condition, with the features so completely battered that they -could be recognised only with difficulty. - -The curious thing is that, though it was known exactly where the body -had been dropped, it could not be found at once, having been carried -away by the current further than had been expected. This gave rise -to all kind of rumours, and the friends of Rasputin tried to spread -the news that he had escaped and was hiding away somewhere from his -persecutors. The tale, however, could not be kept up for any length -of time, as the whole capital with an unheard-of rapidity became -aware that the most detested man in the whole of Russia had at last -met with the fate which he so richly deserved. The joy of the public -could not be suppressed, notwithstanding the fear of the police. In -all the theatres and public places the national anthem was sung with -an immense enthusiasm. No one regretted what had happened, and the -people suspected of having had a hand in the murder received messages -of congratulation from every quarter. In fact, they became at once -national heroes. The murder so far has remained unpunished, and it is -more than likely that no one will be brought to account for it. - -As for the body of Rasputin, it was at first kept in the hospital where -it had been taken after its recovery from under the ice. The police -received orders not to allow it to be seen by the crowds, which it was -feared would flock in numbers to have a last look at their “saint,” the -“Blessed Gregory,” as he was called. But to the general surprise these -crowds did not manifest any curiosity to view the mortal remains of the -man about whom so much fuss had been made in his lifetime, but after -whose death the whole Russian world seemed to breathe more freely than -it had been able to do for the last ten years or so. Among the clergy -satisfaction was openly expressed, and it was only a few hysterical -women who were found to weep over the end of the career of one of the -wickedest men who had ever lived. - -The question most discussed in connection with the death of this -sinister adventurer was whether he was to be allowed a Christian -burial. He had been, after all, but a sectarian, a heretic, the -follower of a creed which was not only reproved by the orthodox church, -but also prosecuted by the law of the land. The synod was called upon -to pronounce itself on the subject when the advice of the Metropolitan -Pitirim of Petrograd, one of the personal friends of Rasputin, at last -prevailed, and he was buried with the rites of Holy Church. Some of -the ladies who had been the first cause of his having obtained the -importance which grew to be attached to his strange figure did not -wait, however, for the permission of the ecclesiastical authorities, -and a few hours after the body had been discovered Madame W., one of -the most hysterical among the many women followers of Rasputin, caused -solemn prayers to be celebrated in her apartments for the repose of -his soul. She went to fetch his two daughters, girls of sixteen and -fourteen years of age, who were living with him at Petrograd, taking -them to her house and declaring that she would henceforward consider -and treat them as her own children. - -But apart from this small group of blind admirers no one regretted him, -not even the crew of parasites that had surrounded him and exploited -him. By one of those strange anomalies, such as can only take place in -Russia, Mr. Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, who had been the indirect cause of -his death, was appointed, together with other secret police agents, -to investigate the details connected with the murder of his former -friend and patron. Of course, the inquest led to nothing. No one had -any wish to see it end otherwise than in oblivion. Every political -party in Russia was agreed in thinking that with the disappearance of -this dangerous man the dynasty had won a battle just as important for -the safety of its future existence as would have been a victory on the -battlefield against a foreign foe. The names of the murderers, though -pronounced nowhere, were blessed by all sincere Russian patriots, who -cried out when they heard that Rasputin was no more, “Thank God that -this adventurer is dead and long live the Czar!” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Rasputin, taken individually, did not deserve any notice. He was -never in possession of the influence which was attributed to him, -and his voice was never preponderant in the councils of the Czar. It -served the interests of those whose tool he had become to spread the -notion that he had acquired it, and that, thanks to the religious -enthusiasm which he had contrived to arouse among a certain small -circle of influential men and women, he had installed himself in the -confidence of his Sovereign. Unfortunately for Russia, these people not -only had accomplices in their evil deeds, but also had the means to -spread their opinions among the public and the ability to make these -opinions penetrate into all the different classes of the nation. They -discredited the Imperial family; they discredited the Government of the -day; they discredited the monarch, until it became at last a political, -and I shall even say a national, necessity to suppress them, together -with the adventurer whom they had put forward and thanks to whom they -had been able to play unmolested for so many years the most nefarious -of games. - -Unfortunately, the slaying of Rasputin did not destroy the persons -who had used him. It did not put an end to the many abuses which had -brought Russia to the sad state of chaos in which it found itself at -the moment of its great trial. The man himself was but an ensign, and -the loss of an ensign does not mean that the regiment that carried it -about has shared its fate. - -Rasputin was the last representative of the old régime. His appearance -on the horizon of Russian social life was but the last flicker of a -detestable past. During his time of favour and of success the two -forces that struggled for supremacy in the land of his birth fought -their last battle, in which he was the stake. We must rejoice that it -was not the force which he was supposed to incarnate in his enigmatical -and mysterious person that remained master of the field. Whether he -would have been killed under different circumstances is a question to -which it would be very difficult to find a reply. Most probably the -spirit of mysticism which lies at the bottom of the Slav character -would have prevented even his worst enemies, let alone his simple -adversaries, from trying to remove him from the position into which he -had been thrust. They would most likely have shrugged their shoulder -and waited for that intervention of St. Nicolas, who, according to -Russian traditions, always arrives at the right moment, to put straight -everything that has gone wrong. - -The peril in which Russia found herself placed gave energy even to -those to whom that quality had hitherto been unknown, and it was felt -everywhere that, together with the Fatherland, the Czar ought to be -saved from a danger of which, perhaps, he did not himself realise the -real importance. Rasputin, and especially Rasputin’s followers, had -worked as hard as they could to make Russia’s Allies, and especially -England, unpopular with the Russian nation. He paid with his life for -the attempt, and one can only rejoice that such was the case. As things -stand at present, it is principally toward Great Britain and America -that Russia must look for its salvation. What I am writing to-day -has been my earnest and deep conviction for long years, and I have -preached it not only since the beginning of this war in all the books -and articles which I have written, but also long before any one ever -thought or suspected that the day would come when the English Union -Jack and the Stars and Stripes would float beside the Russian flag and -the French Tricolor on the same battlefields, united against one common -enemy. I have always considered that in human life, as well as in the -existence of nations, it is essential to recognise the superiority -of others where this superiority exists, and that true civilisation -consists in assimilating to oneself with gratitude the virtues of -other nations, whose example one ought to follow instead of trying to -ridicule. Russia, with all its vast resources and with its immense -territory, would do well to imitate England and the United States in -their immense work of culture and to call the latter countries to her -help in developing her own national existence on proper and useful -bases. In doing so she would not abase herself; she would only prove -that she was great enough to admire the greatness of others. - -It is certain that if Anglo-Saxon influence had been so dominant in -Russia in the past as it is to be hoped it will remain in the future, -we should not have seen occur in Petrograd incidents like those -connected with the career of Rasputin. We should not have witnessed all -these perpetual changes of Ministers, over which Germany has rejoiced -with such evident relish. We should not have heard people defy the -authority of the Czar, as unfortunately has been the case. - -We former monarchists, who have been brought up in the old traditions -of loyalty to bygone days, have often been accused by this crew of -adventurers of harbouring revolutionary ideas. They have reproached us -with the spirit of criticism that has sometimes induced and prompted -us to speak out what we thought and to lay blame where blame was due; -to criticise where criticism was almost a national necessity. Time -shall prove whether we have been mistaken. It seems to me, however, -that as English ideals and English respect for individual liberty and -individual opinions become more and more familiar to Russians and -penetrate into the Russian mind, the public, will acknowledge that we -have not been so very wrong when we have raised our voices against -the importance which individuals such as Rasputin have been allowed -to take in our society and in our governmental circles, and against -this corrupt system of administration, which, thanks to its crawling, -flattering propensities, caused our people to kneel at his feet with -the idea that by doing so they were pleasing the higher authorities, -who most of the time knew nothing about the developments for which this -intrigue was responsible. Russia has still something oriental about -her, and in some respects she resembles the Greek empire which fell -under the blows dealt at it by the power of Islam. It needs new life -and new blood in its veins. It requires the support of this strong, -earnest British civilisation, which is, perhaps, the most beautiful the -world has ever known. - -I have always been accused of being too pro-English in my ideas and -opinions. If being pro-English means the wish to see my country -freed from the abuses, the existence of which has prevented her from -developing herself on the road of a progress embodied in the respect of -the individual, together with the institutions that rule him, such as -Great Britain has known for so many centuries, then I will willingly -confess it, I am pro-English. I feel sure that all good Russians share -my feelings. We have had enough of the German Kultur and of German -intrigues. They it is that have brought my beloved Fatherland to the -brink of ruin. The whole sad incident of Rasputin’s rise and fall -has been the result of German interference, and it would never have -assumed the proportions to which it rose if the German press had not -exaggerated it and German spies spoken about it, not only abroad, but -also in Russia itself. - -When thinking about this story, which savours in some of its details -of superstitions of the Middle Ages, one must always remember what -I said at the beginning of this sketch of the career of a man whom -circumstances and the hatred of our enemies transformed into a kind -of monster devouring all that it touched. This fact is that Russia -is still the land of many surprises, because of its tendency toward -mysticism, always so strong in all the Slav races. Before Rasputin -appeared there had been other sectarians who had drawn thousands of -men and women around them and who had inspired crowds with feelings -of fanaticism in no wise different from the ones which the modern -“Prophet,” as some called him, the modern Cagliostro, as others had -nicknamed him, had evoked in the breasts of the simple-minded people -whose confidence he had abused and whose spirit of superstition he had -impressed. But these had remained strictly in the field of religion and -had not meddled with any other questions. They had grouped around them -only persons convinced of the truth of their teachings, while Rasputin -had gathered about him men determined to use him for the benefit -of their money-seeking, money-grubbing schemes; men who saw in the -misfortunes that had fallen upon their Fatherland only the possibility -to enrich themselves at her expense. They would not have sacrificed the -smallest things for her welfare; far less would they have given up the -chance to add to the ill-gotten gains they were daily accumulating. -Without those persons the whole story of Rasputin would have ended in -ridicule. Thanks to them and to their rapacity, it finished in blood. - -It was, after all, the aristocracy that finally got rid of Rasputin, -perhaps to the great relief of many persons who out of weakness, or -let us say kindness, had hesitated before taking the strong measure -of sending him away where it would have been difficult for him to do -any more mischief. And it is doubtful whether his removal anywhere -than to a place whence there existed no possibility for him to return -would have stopped the evil which the very mention of his name alone -was sufficient to cause. Credulous persons exist everywhere and will -always exist; timorous ones also abound in the world. Even if Rasputin -had been exiled it would have been relatively easy for those who -reaped such a rich harvest out of the blood and the tears of the whole -Russian nation to attribute to him powers which he did not possess, -to threaten with his vengeance the persons who might refuse to lend -themselves to their dirty schemes. He would have been a perpetual -menace suspended over the heads of those who would have tried to rebel -against the directions issued by the enterprising scoundrels who abused -the prestige which his so-called holiness had won for a man who in -other times and in another country would not have arrested for a single -moment the attention of any one, let alone the crowds. - -Rasputin is dead! Let us hope that his former supporters have lost, -together with him, their audacity and their power of doing mischief. -But to say that he was ever a paramount strength in Russian politics is -an error which I have tried to correct as far as lay within my power. -Rasputin’s story is simpler than many persons think, and perhaps the -best explanation that can be given of it is to be found in the Book of -Esther in the Bible, a careful perusal of which is recommended to those -who are interested in the character of Rasputin. - - - - -PART II - -THE GREAT REVOLUTION - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -On the 15th day of May, 1896, Moscow was celebrating the Coronation -of the Czar Nicholas II. of Russia. In the large courtyard inside the -Kremlin, an immense crowd was gathered, awaiting the moment when the -Sovereign together with his Consort would come out of the Cathedral of -the Assumption, to make the customary round of the different shrines -and churches, which according to the ancient custom, they had to visit -after they had assumed the old Crown of the Russian Autocrats. Among -this crowd, there were persons who remembered having witnessed the same -kind of ceremony thirteen years before, when Alexander III. had been -standing in his son’s place. What a splendid apparition it had been -that of this Czar, gigantic in stature, whose quiet and strong features -seemed in their placidity to be a true personification of the might of -that Empire at the head of which he stood. One had hoped at that time, -that he would preside over the destinies of his Realm for long years to -come, and no one had given a thought to the possibility that he would -so soon be lying in his coffin. Now it was with mixed feelings of pity, -combined with a sympathy which already was no longer so strong as it -had been when he had ascended the throne, that all were awaiting the -new Monarch, who had become in his turn the chief of the old House of -Romanoff, so that when the golden gates of the Assumption were thrown -open to give passage to the procession which was escorting Nicholas -II. all the heads of the numerous people gathered in honour of the -occasion, under the shade of the ancient belfrey of Ivan Weliky, turned -with an anxious curiosity towards the Sovereign about to show himself -for the first time before his people, in the full pomp of his Imperial -dignity. - -What did one see? A young man thin and slim, who seemed to be entirely -crushed under the weight of the massive crown which was reposing on his -head, and of the heavy robe of cloth of gold, lined with ermine, which -was thrown upon his shoulders. He was tottering as he walked along, -and his pale, tired face, together with his uncertain steps, bore no -resemblance whatever to the firm and superb countenance of his father -thirteen years before. As he reached the door of the Church of the -Holy Archangels, one noticed that he suddenly stopped, as if unable to -proceed any further, completely worn out by the fatigue of the long -ceremony that had come to an end a few moments before, and the hand -which was holding the sceptre, enriched with precious stones, which -the Metropolitan of Moscow had just handed to him, dropped down at his -side, whilst the symbol of might and of power which it was holding, -escaped from its grasp. Chamberlains and lords in waiting hastened to -pick it up, and the crowd never noticed what had occurred, but those -who had witnessed the incident, were deeply impressed by it, and -different rumours began to circulate in regard to it, rumours which -would have it that it was a bad omen, whilst persons well up in the -study of history, and especially in that of foreign countries tried to -find an analogy between it, and the remark made by Louis XVI. on the -day of his Coronation at Rheims, when he had complained that his crown -was hurting him, and felt too heavy for his head. - -A few days later there happened another event, which reminded one of -a similar coincidence between the life of the unfortunate King whose -head was to fall on the scaffold of the Champs Elysées, and that of -Nicholas II. It occurred during the popular feast which is always -given in Moscow after the Coronation of a Czar. A crowd amounting to -several thousands of men and women, some say three hundred thousand, -had gathered together on a field known by the name of Khodinka Plain, -in the immediate neighbourhood of the town, to be present at it, when -suddenly a panic which was never accounted for nor explained, seized -this multitude, and about twenty thousand human creatures were crushed -to death in the short space of a few minutes. The emotion produced by -this disaster among all the different classes of society was very deep -and terrible. The only person who accepted it with calm and even with -indifference, if the reader will forgive me for this expression, was -the Czar himself, who, however, and this is a justice which I must -render to him, only heard much later the whole extent of the disaster, -but who at the same time, did not try to learn anything definite about -it, on the day when it took place, and who, under the direct influence -of his Consort, gave directions to reply to the French Ambassador, the -Comte de Montebello, who had enquired whether he ought to postpone the -ball he was giving that same night, that “he did not see any necessity -for doing so.” - -This answer became known at once, and it traced between the Monarch and -his subjects one of these white lines which in a tennis ground marks -the antagonistic camps, and out of two players makes two enemies ... -and this line went on getting wider and wider as time went on. It still -existed when Nicholas II. abdicated, but it had then become an abyss. - -In general there is nothing sadder in the world than a misunderstanding -between two people both possessed of good intentions towards each -other. It is something worse than a discussion, worse than a quarrel, -and even worse than hatred, because it is the only thing which sound -reasoning cannot conquer, and which is bound to go on aggravating -itself from day to day. How much worse therefore is a thing of the kind -when it has established itself between a nation and those who rule it. -The great, the supreme misfortune of Nicholas II. consisted in the -fact that he never could understand his people or their wants, whilst -Russia on the other hand was, through circumstances independent of its -will, brought to distrust the real feelings harboured by the Czar in -regard to its welfare, and to indulge in comparisons which certainly -were not to his advantage, between him and the Sovereign to whom he had -succeeded, who had possessed the full confidence of his subjects. - -This fatality which has dogged all the footsteps of the Emperor who -abdicated a year ago, from the very first moment that he had ascended -his Throne, can be partly attributed to the defective education -which he had received, together with the deplorable weakness of his -character; and partly to the state of absolute subjection in which -he had been kept first by his father, during the whole time of the -latter’s life, and later on by his wife, together with the complete -ignorance in which he remained in regard to the wants, the aspirations, -needs and character of his people. He was a despot by temperament, -perhaps because he had never seen anything else but despotism around -him, and perhaps because he had got a mistaken idea in regard to the -duties which devolved upon him. He had always been told that he ought -to uphold intact the principle of autocracy, thanks to which his -predecessors had maintained themselves upon the throne. He had seen -Alexander III. adopt him with these principles with success, and he -had forgotten, or rather he had never known, that in order to be a -successful autocrat, one must neither prove oneself a tyrant, nor an -oppressor of people’s consciences and opinions. His first steps as a -Sovereign had hurt all the feelings of loyalty of his subjects. Among -the many addresses of congratulation that had been presented to him on -the occasion of his marriage and of his accession to the Throne, there -had been one from the Zemstvo or local assembly of the government of -Tver, a town which was known to be very liberal in its opinions, in -which was expressed the hope that the Monarch would try to govern his -people with the help and with the co-operation of these same Zemstvos -or local assemblies, the aim of which was the improvement of the local -conditions of existence of the population of the different governments -or provinces of the Russian Empire. There was absolutely nothing that -was revolutionary in this address. Unfortunately there happened to -be in the vicinity of the young Empress a person whose influence had -always been perniciously exercised, whenever it had manifested itself: -the Princess Galitzyne, her Mistress of the Robes. Out of a feeling of -personal dislike, or rather hatred, against one of the signatories of -this document, which, on account of the consequences that followed upon -its composition, became historical, Princess Galitzyne explained to the -Sovereign at the head of whose household she stood, that this appeal -in favour of a liberal system of government ought to be discouraged, -if not crushed, at once. Alexandra Feodorovna was then beginning to -acquire the absolute power over her consort’s mind, which she was never -to lose in the future, and she spoke to him of the matter suggested by -the Princess, on the very day that different deputations, coming from -all parts of Russia to express their good wishes to the young Imperial -couple, were about to be received by them in the Winter Palace. - -Nicholas II. has never in his whole life had an opinion of his own, -but he has shown himself enthusiastic for all those that have been -suggested to him. He promised his wife “to say something,” which would -put into their proper place the people daring enough to dream of -anything likely to diminish his own power or prerogatives. He forgot, -however, one thing, perhaps the most important one, and that was -that these persons he was about to see, were not at all those who had -signed the unlucky address, of which it would have been far better for -everybody to forget the text as soon as possible. The result of this -first intervention of the Empress in affairs of State which did not -concern her is but too well known. The Czar instead of thanking the -people who had come to lay at his feet the expression of their loyalty, -declared to them that they ought never to “indulge in any senseless -‘dreams.’” The words were repeated everywhere, and ran from mouth to -mouth in the whole of Russia. They inflicted on the young popularity of -Nicholas II. a blow from the effects of which it never recovered. - -This was the prologue of the tragedy which came to an end, if it has -done so, with the signature of the Manifesto of Pskov. After this rise -of the curtain was to begin a drama, all the different acts of which -appear to us shrouded in bloody clouds. - -One questions at present whether this drama could have had a different -end from the one which we are witnessing, or whether the historical -evolution that has been accomplished in the course of the last few -months in Russia could have been avoided, or at least otherwise -directed. Personally I believe it to have been unavoidable, but it -could have unfurled itself with dignity, if the Crown had consented -to concessions which would have taken nothing away from its greatness -or importance, but which would on the contrary have lent to it a new -lustre. In any case it would have been possible for autocracy to -die, or better still, to live otherwise. No matter what reproaches -could have been addressed to the Romanoffs in the past, no matter the -injustices and the cruelties they had committed in the course of their -family history, there is one thing which cannot be taken away from -them, and that is that they have all of them been strong and courageous -men, incapable of trembling before the attacks of any enemies, however -powerful, or before the fury of a revolted mob. Nicholas II. was the -first one among them who proved himself unable to inspire either love -or hatred in his subjects, and for whom they held nothing but contempt, -because they very quickly grasped the fact that he would never be able -to give to himself or to others an account of the position he stood in, -or to realise the tragedy of his own fate. - -People who knew him well have wondered whether he ever understood what -his duty really meant. I think, however, from the personal knowledge -which I have of his character, that in a certain way he wished to do -what was right, but I doubt whether he knew the responsibilities of -his position, and the fact that he ought to put the interests of the -State before those of his own family. For him his wife and children -held the first place, and were the first objects of his consideration. -This would have been a virtue in a private person, but it could easily -assume the proportions of a crime in a sovereign. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, International Film Service, Inc._ (_Courtesy - Seattle Times._) - -THE FIRST BOLSHEVIKI CABINET] - -His father had left to him a splendid inheritance, which he might -have kept intact with a little care, and very small trouble. Before -the Japanese war it might have been still possible for him to rule -his country autocratically, though not despotically; but after -Moukhden and Tschousima, and especially after the revolution which -followed upon these two catastrophes, and which would have been hardly -possible, had they not occurred, the thing became more difficult, -if not impossible, because the Russian nation had begun to wonder -at the causes that had brought about these terrible disasters, the -consequences of which had been the loss of Russian prestige in the Far -East, and even in Europe. It would, however, still have been possible -to save something out of the former form of government, if a serious -and honest appeal had been made to the nation to help to consolidate -its strength, and if an attempt had been made to modify it according -to the exigencies of the times and of the moment. But after the famous -day which saw rivers of blood flow in the streets of St. Petersburg, -and the wholesale slaying of thousands of innocent workmen, whose only -crime had consisted in wishing to lay their grievances before their -Czar, every attempt to keep up the old order of things was bound to -fail. Something else had to be tried to save the dynasty together with -the country, but not the granting of a so-called Constitution, which -it had been determined beforehand to leave a dead letter. If on the -occasion I have just referred to, Nicholas II. had found sufficient -courage to meet his people face to face, and to speak with them as -his great grandfather had done on an occasion far more critical even -than the ones which prevailed in 1905, it is likely that the divorce -which finally separated him from his subjects would never have taken -place. But he went to Tsarskoie Selo as soon as he heard there was -likely to be trouble in his capital, forgetting everything else but -his own personal safety, which, by the way, had never been seriously -threatened. He proved himself to be a coward, and cowardice is the -last thing which a nation forgives in those who rule it. The Czar lost -in consequence of his conduct every prestige he had left. And he also -lost the respect of Russia, owing to the shameless corruption which -established itself everywhere during his reign, when at last everything -under the sun could be bought or sold in the country, to begin with, a -Court appointment, and to end with, the highest functions in the State. -The Emperor was unable to refuse anything to those whom he liked, and -he never grasped this essential fact, that when one gives too easily -and without discernment, it inevitably follows that one also allows -people to take what perhaps one would never have granted, had one -thought about it. - -Alexander III. had been just as generous as his son showed himself -to be later on. But his generosity was only exercised in regard to -what belonged to him personally, whilst no one was more careful than -this sovereign of the public exchequer. He had seen what corruption -meant during his own father’s reign, when abuses had also prevailed, -which though in no way comparable to those that established themselves -towards the close of the one which has come to an end a year ago, -were still sufficiently grave and serious to cause anxiety to a -Monarch eager and anxious for the welfare of his State. He therefore -had applied himself to put an end to them, and knowing as he did, -admirably well the character of the Russian nation, he took up morally -the famous stick of Peter the Great, with which he dealt at times -most severe blows to those whom he believed to be in need of them. -The result of this system made itself felt within a very short time, -and when Alexander III. died, the old custom of taking bribes, which -had been formerly so prevalent in Russia, had nearly died out, or at -least existed upon such a small scale that it could no longer do any -harm. But under Nicholas II. the old evil was revived, and finding no -obstacle in its path, it soon assumed most unheard of proportions, -and became at last a regular institution. Soon everything in the vast -Empire of the Czars was put up at public auction, everything could be -purchased or sold, and everything became buyable, provided a sufficient -price was offered for it. The Emperor knew nothing, and saw nothing, -and no one dared to tell him anything, whilst many unscrupulous persons -found it to their advantage to profit by the changes that had taken -place to enrich themselves quickly and with very little trouble. The -whole country was seized with a perfect fever of speculation, and with -the frantic desire to win millions as rapidly as possible. When I say -the whole country, this is not quite exact, because it was not the -country, but only some people in it, who, thanks to the position which -they occupied, or to their relations in influential circles, found -themselves able to take a part in this general plundering. The Japanese -war which was to have such a sad end, was entirely brought about -through certain concessions being granted by the Russian government on -the River Yalou which never belonged to the Russian State, to a number -of persons who hoped to transform them into shareholders’ companies, -and to make money out of them. They had bribed officials who persuaded -the Emperor to sign the decree which was presented to him, of which -he failed to see the importance or the meaning, or the strange light -in which it put him, to distribute thus what he did not possess, and -what had still to be taken away from the Japanese government before -it could be disposed of. This war, one cannot sufficiently repeat it, -was brought about willingly and knowingly, by people who saw in it an -opportunity to enrich themselves at the expense of their fatherland, -thanks to the ammunitions and provisions they would be able to deliver -for the use of the army in the field, and which that army never got at -all. The system of an organised plundering which in the present war has -had such mournful and such tragical consequences, was then inaugurated -with a success that went far beyond the most sanguine expectations of -those who indulged in it. Huge fortunes were made in the space of a few -months whilst our troops were in want of everything, and enduring cold, -hunger and thirst. The Czar remained in utter ignorance of all that was -being done in his name. He never suspected anything. But his people -never forgave him for this indifference to its fate. One sees it to-day. - -One wonders what was in the mind of this Sovereign, who having ascended -the throne amidst so many sympathies, had contrived to lose them within -the space of a few months! Did he ever realise the importance of the -ocean of unpopularity which was submerging him slowly, and the waves -of which were rising higher and higher, with each day that passed? One -would like to know it now, when one tries to go back to the sources of -the tragedy to which he has fallen a victim. Or was his character so -shallow and so careless, that he only looked at the outside of things, -and could not appreciate their real depth? He was of a very reticent -nature and disposition, and rarely confided in any one, not even in -his wife, whose inspiration and advice he was nevertheless to follow -so blindly. And the tastes for solitude which he was to develop so -strongly later on soon brought him to lead a kind of existence that can -be compared only to that of the Mikado of Japan, before the reforms -that were to change everything in that country. - -That he was surrounded by flatterers goes without saying, but he could -nevertheless have manifested some desire to learn the truth, and not -have been so continually busy with the exclusive wish to maintain his -own authority, which in spite of his efforts to the contrary, no one -in the whole of Russia either respected or feared. All the concessions -which politically were squeezed out of him, came too late, or else -were accepted by him at the wrong time. Even when he seemed in the -eyes of the public to be following the advice which was given to him -by disinterested and honest persons, he tried in an underhand way to -counteract the efficacy of the measures he had himself ordered to be -taken, and whenever he resigned himself to the inevitable, he did not -understand the reason why he was so doing. - -With it all he was in some respects an intelligent man. He cared for -good reading, for arts, for music, for all the things which help to -make out of life a pleasant thing for irresponsible individuals. He was -fond of study, very painstaking, but ignorant, and doing all that was -required of him, in an almost automatic manner; kind, it is true, but -incapable of coming to any serious resolution or determination of his -own accord; devoid of political sense, occasionally most obstinate, -and, unfortunately for him as well as for his country and dynasty, he -had the misfortune in all the circumstances when a sacrifice of some -fraction of his Imperial prerogatives came into question, not to be -able to understand either his people or the times he was living in, and -to have no thought for anything else but the safety of his own family, -forgetting utterly that his country and its welfare ought to have come -before them. - -When he resigned himself to grant that shadow of a constitution, the -advent of which was hailed with such enthusiasm by the whole of Russia, -he might still, had he liked, have regained some part at least, of -his lost popularity. His personal prestige, or rather that of the -position he stood in, was still so great among the nation, that it -would have felt gratitude toward him, for every favour he would have -chosen to confer upon it, if only he had not taken back all that he -had given, almost immediately after he had awarded it. It is quite -certain that the first Duma committed many errors, but it should have -been remembered that no human achievement can reach perfection at -once; and the excitement and effervescence that had followed upon the -opening of the first Russian Parliament ought to have been allowed to -cool down, and been given sufficient time to make an honest trial of -its rights and privileges. At the period I am referring to, and this -notwithstanding all that was said to the contrary, a revolution like -the one which took place the other day, would have been an impossible -thing, because the Sovereign could still rely upon the army, and it -would have been better for him had he always leant upon it rather than -upon the low crowd of state functionaries with which he was exclusively -surrounded and out of which his wife had picked her favourites. He -might have checked the then rising tide of radicalism with which he -found himself unable to cope later on, and in the strength of which he -was to remain to the end mistaken, because he dreaded it when it was -not dangerous, and imagined that he had subdued it, at the very moment -when it had become, thanks to his own errors, and to his own faults, -sufficiently strong to carry him away on its waves. - -Such a thorough weakness of character was bound to bring about the most -serious consequences, and these did not fail to produce themselves. If -Nicholas II. had had beside him a wife able to lead him, to advise him, -to open his eyes which perhaps he did not quite close, but which he -was never to succeed in keeping sufficiently open, and to show him not -only the perils which surrounded him (these she never forgot to point -out to him in an exaggerated manner), but also to bring to his notice -his duties towards his subjects, he might have become a Sovereign like -any other, neither better nor worse, insignificant perhaps, but never -really dangerous for his country or for his dynasty. Even if that wife -he was so devoted to had wished not to identify herself with State -affairs, had kept outside them, and not surrounded herself with people -lost to every sense of shame, he might have come out of the numerous -difficulties with which he found himself confronted, if not exactly -to his honour and credit, at least without losing too much of his -prestige. But Alexandra Feodorovna was the fatal and dissolving element -which destroyed, thanks to her attitude and conduct, every scrap of -respect for the Sovereign, and who inspired in the whole of the nation -the desire to get rid of an authority in which it believed no longer, -and in which it saw only an obstacle in the way of its development and -of its historical evolution. The Empress understood even less than her -husband the state of mind of his subjects; she raised between him and -them a barrier which nothing could destroy, because it was made out of -the contempt which they both inspired in the whole of Russia. - -There is one curious thing contrasting with the facility with which -Nicholas II. accepted the opinions of others, and with his total -absence of personal initiative; and that is the persistence with which -he maintained himself during the whole time that his reign lasted, in -one line of conduct which never varied in regard to the determination -to govern his country in a despotic sense, and which was the more -singular that he never knew the meaning of real authority. He always -kept listening to those who represented to him that the first duty of -a Russian Emperor consisted in keeping up the prestige of the police -before the mass of the citizens. Under no reign in Russia, if we -except the dark period of the Opritschnikys under Ivan the Terrible, -did the police play such an important part in public life, or become -guilty of more abuses and of more malversations of every kind. I -will not mention here the horrors which took place during and after -the revolution of 1905, when no one felt secure against an anonymous -denunciation, the consequences of which might be that one saw oneself -exiled in Siberia, simply because one had not sufficiently bribed -the police officer in charge of the district where one lived; but -later on, even after things had calmed down, the might of what was -called the Okhrana, remained just as formidable as it had been before. -Literally no one could feel safe under this so-called liberal Czar, -whilst under the reign of his father everybody possessed of a good and -clear conscience could rest peacefully in the certitude that neither -the security of his domicile or his personal safety would ever be -threatened or infringed upon by the caprice of this secret power called -by the vague name of “administration.” - -But after all was he really liberal, this Czar who had so little -known or understood how to endear himself to his subjects, or did he -merely say that such was the case, in order to dissimulate despotic -leanings which were the more dangerous that they exercised themselves -without any judgment or without any justification for their explosion? -A considerable number of persons have wondered about it, and have -found themselves unable to solve this riddle. To hear him speak, -one would have thought that such was the case, whilst it was hardly -possible to talk with him for any length of time, without finding him -a sympathetic, kind personality, curious mixture of totally different -elements in a character that was chiefly remarkable for its weakness. -One could like him, one could even admire some of the qualities which -he undoubtedly possessed, but it was utterly impossible to respect -in him the Monarch, or to esteem the man, so strange did his conduct -sometimes appear, a conduct which finally dragged him into an abyss, -together with his family and with his dynasty. Physically, he had a sad -and kind face, affectionate and clear blue eyes, a charming voice, much -affability in his manners; a wonderfully bright smile, reminding one of -his mother’s, a most cordial manner of shaking hands that went straight -to the heart and made one suspect a lot of things which in reality did -not exist; a rapid and quick walk, a certain hesitation in his speech, -and in the expression of his face at times; such was the man. Morally, -he was possessed of honesty of purpose to such an extent that he could -realise its absence in others; he had no will of any kind, but a good -deal of obstinacy; principles which were always forgotten when they -interposed themselves between his personal welfare and his duty; no -sense of responsibility, but a very exalted opinion of his own rights, -and especially of his might; the conviction that autocracy ought to be -maintained at any cost, and simultaneously the sincere desire, during -a short while, to govern according to the change of system to which -he had been compelled to submit, more by the force of things and of -events, than through his personal opinions; absolutely no consciousness -of the great events with which he found himself mixed up, or of the -wants of the country over which he ruled; no conception of the aims -he ought to have had in view; no real sympathy for his people, but a -vague wish to help them; an unacknowledged dread of finding himself -thrown into any intimate contact with the mob, combined with the hope -that this feeling would not be noticed by the public at large; far too -much confidence in incapable advisers; an exaggerated mistrust of the -persons courageous enough to tell him the truth, an absolute incapacity -to resist bad influences; sometimes considerable dignity, and often -useless haughtiness; a good deal of superstition combined with -religion; a deep conviction that his own person was something so sacred -that though it might come to be attacked and criticised, yet nobody -would be daring enough to lay a sacrilegious hand upon it; a complete -incapability of making any distinction between his friends and his -foes, and such a persuasive manner that no one could ever contradict -or resist him, so that the Revolution in which he lost his Crown must -have surprised him to the extent of paralysing all his faculties of -realising its importance and its extent; such was the Sovereign. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -By the side of this Monarch in whom his subjects at last lost every -vestige of confidence, there stood a sinister figure, the bad genius -of a reign that would most probably have been far more peaceful if -it had not been there: the figure of his wife, the Empress Alexandra -Feodorovna, “the German,” as she had been called even long before the -present war broke out. It was undoubtedly to her that were due, at -least to a considerable extent, the various misfortunes which have -assailed the unfortunate Nicholas II., and it was also she, who, in the -brief space of a few short years, discredited him together with the -throne to which he had raised her. It was she who destroyed all the -prestige which the Monarchy had retained in Russia, until the day when -she tarnished it. She was another Marie Antoinette, without any of the -qualities, or the courage that had distinguished the latter, who had -become the object of the hatred and furious dislike of her subjects, -more on account of the vices which were attributed to her, than of -those which she really possessed. In regard to the Consort of the Czar -Nicholas II., it was just the contrary that occurred, because the -general public never became aware of all the strange details concerning -the private life of this Princess, who compromised by her conduct the -inheritance of her son, together with the Crown which she herself -wore. On her arrival in Russia she had been met with expressions of -great sympathy, and it would have been relatively easy for her to -make herself liked everywhere and by everybody, because the peculiar -circumstances which had accompanied her marriage had won for her a -sincere popularity all over Russia. At the time she arrived there as -the bride of the future Sovereign there existed in the country a strong -current of anglomania, which disappeared later on, to revive again -during the last year or two. The Princess who came to Livadia from -Darmstadt was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, by -whom she had been partly brought up, a fact which spoke in her favour -because it was supposed that her education would have developed in her -liberal opinions, love for freedom, and the desire to make herself -liked as well as respected by her future subjects, who received her -with the more enthusiasm that they all hoped she would influence in the -right direction her husband, whose weakness of character was already -at that time known by those who had had the opportunity of becoming -acquainted with him. One felt therefore inclined to forgive her any -small mistake she might be led into committing during those first days -which followed upon her arrival in her new Fatherland. One pitied -this young bride, whose marriage was to follow so soon the funeral of -the monarch whose untimely death was lamented so deeply by the whole -of Russia, and one felt quite disposed, at least among the upper -classes of St. Petersburg society, as well as in court circles, to -show oneself indulgent in regard to the almost inevitable errors into -which she might fall, at the beginning of her career as an Empress. -This feeling was so strong that during the first months which followed -upon her marriage, the popularity of her mother-in-law, who had been -so sincerely loved before, suffered as a consequence of this general -wish to make an idol of Alexandra Feodorovna. The eyes of everybody -were turned towards the new star that had arisen on the horizon of the -Russian capital. - -Amidst this general concert of praise which arose on all sides in -honour of the newly wedded Empress, there were a few persons who, -having had the opportunity to listen to some discordant notes, kept -aloof and waited for what the future would bring. At the time of the -death of Alexander III., a man belonging to the prominent circles of -Russian society, who had been for a long period of years upon terms of -personal friendship with the German Royal Family, happened to be in -Berlin, and during a visit which he paid to the Empress Frederick, the -aunt of the future wife of the new Czar, he told her how many hopes -were set in Russia upon her young niece. He was very much surprised to -hear the Empress express herself with a certain scepticism in regard -to the bride, and finally say that she felt afraid the Princess Alix, -as she was still called at the time, would not understand how to make -herself beloved by her subjects, or how to win their hearts. Seeing the -astonishment provoked by her remark, she added that the character of -the girl about to wear the crown of the Romanoffs, was an exceptionally -haughty and proud one, and that as in addition to this defect she was -possessed of an unusual amount of vanity, she would most probably have -her head turned by the grandeur of her position, and would put forward, -in place of the intelligence which she did not possess, an exaggerated -feeling of her own importance. The gentleman to whom I have referred -returned therefore to Russia with fewer illusions concerning Alexandra -Feodorovna than the generality of his compatriots indulged in. - -I must give the latter their due, they did not keep these illusions -for any length of time, because from the very beginning of her -married life the new Czarina contrived to wound the feelings and the -susceptibilities of all those with whom she was thrown into contact. -She had absolutely no tact, and she fancied that if she allowed herself -to be amiable in regard to any one, she would do something which was -below her dignity. She applied herself to treat everybody from the -height of her unassailable position, and she took good care never to -say one word that might be interpreted in the light of a kindness or -amiability towards the people who were being presented to her, so that -though they tried hard to attribute her utter want of politeness to -a timidity which in reality did not exist, yet they felt offended at -it. Russian society had been used to something vastly different, and -to a certain familiarity in its relations with its Sovereigns. The -mother of Nicholas II., the Empress Marie, had been worshipped for the -incomparable charm of her manners, and the simple kindness with which -she received all those who were introduced to her, asking them to sit -down beside her, and talking with them in a charming chatty way, -full of sweet and unassuming dignity. Her daughter-in-law abolished -these morning receptions which had brought the Sovereign into close -intercourse with so many different people. She received the ladies who -had asked to be presented to her, standing, surrounded by her court, -with two pages behind her holding her train, and she merely stretched -out her hand to be kissed by those whom she condescended to admit -into her august presence, without speaking one single word to them. -Of course the people whom she treated with such rudeness felt hurt -at it, and it began to be said among the public that the Empress was -not at all amiable, and people abstained from seeking her presence -or appearing at Court, unless it was absolutely necessary to do so, -leaving thus the field free to people devoid of self respect, to whom -one impoliteness more or less did not matter. The balls at the Winter -Palace, which formerly had been such brilliant ones, became dull and -monotonous. The smile of the Empress Marie was no longer there to -enliven them. At last the Czarina left off giving any, and no one -missed them, or felt the worse for their absence. One felt rather -relieved than otherwise not to be compelled any longer to appear in the -presence of the Empress. - -As time went on, an abyss was formed which divided the Consort of -Nicholas II. from her subjects, whose feelings manifested themselves -quite openly on the day of the solemn entry of the Imperial Family into -Moscow, on the eve of the Coronation of the new Sovereigns. The golden -carriage that contained the Dowager Empress was followed all along its -way by the cheers of the population of the ancient capital, whilst a -tragic silence prevailed during the passage of the coach in which sat -her daughter-in-law. The contrast was such a striking one that it was -everywhere noticed and commented upon. - -This latent animosity, the first signs of which manifested themselves -on this memorable occasion, became even more acute after the -catastrophe of Khodinka. Russia did not forgive its Empress for having -danced the whole of the night that had followed upon it, and for -having given no sign of regret at a disaster that had cost the life -of more than twenty thousand people, who had perished in the most -awful manner possible. The divorce between her and her subjects was -accomplished definitely after that day, and without any hope of a -future reconciliation coming to annul its effects. - -This unpopularity, and let us say the word, this hatred of which she -became the object, did not remain unknown to the Empress, who either -noticed it herself, or else was enlightened on the point by her -German relatives, with whom she had remained upon most intimate and -affectionate terms. She attributed it at first to the fact that she had -not during many years given a son to her husband and an heir to the -Russian Throne, but later on she was compelled to acknowledge that the -dislike which she inspired was due to other causes which were dependant -on her own self. The discovery angered and soured her, and made her -nasty and ill natured. She tried to avenge herself by the assumption -of an authority in the exercise of which she found a certain pleasure, -because it procured her at least the illusion of an absolute power, -allowing her, if the wish for it happened to cross her mind, to crush -all those who were bold enough to criticise any of her actions or her -general demeanour. - -Her character was obstinate without being firm. She believed herself -in all earnestness to be the equal of her husband, and did not think -of herself at all as his first subject, so that, instead of giving to -others the example of deference towards their Sovereign, she applied -herself to lower him down to her own level, to diminish his importance, -and to show quite openly that she did not in the very least respect -either him or the throne which he occupied. One heard a number of -anecdotes on the subject, among others one to the effect that during -a regimental feast, at which the Imperial Family was present, the -Empress, who had arrived a little in advance of the Czar, did not rise -from her seat when he entered the riding school in which the guests -were assembled to receive him. This want of deference was commented -upon in unfavourable terms, and caused such a scandal that Alexandra -Feodorovna was taken to task for it by her mother-in-law, with the only -result that she impertinently told the latter to mind her own business -and to hold her tongue. The Dowager Empress did not allow her to repeat -such a remark, and withdrew herself almost entirely from the Court, -much to the regret of all her admirers. All these things were perhaps -not important ones, at least from other points of view than the purely -social one, but they constituted this drop of water, which by its -constant and continual dripping ends in attacking the solidity of the -hardest granite. Very soon it became a subject of general knowledge -that no one cared for the Empress, and one came to the conclusion -that this initial want of sympathy would easily become very real and -implacable hatred. - -The woman who had become the object of it, instead of trying to fight -against the general dislike which she inspired, did absolutely nothing -to try to persuade her subjects that she was not the detestable being -she had been represented to be, but that she cared for their welfare, -in spite of her cold appearance. The haughty and mistaken pride which -was one of the chief features in her strange character, led her to -retire within herself and to try to avoid seeing the people, who by -that time had grown to meet her whenever she appeared in public, with -angry and unpleasant expressions in their faces. The Imperial Court -under her rule was quickly transformed from the brilliant assemblage -it had been into a desert--a solitude no one cared to disturb. The -Empress amused herself chiefly in turning tables and in evoking spirits -from the other world, in company with mediums of a low kind who abused -the confidence that she so unwisely and unnecessarily placed in them, -and predicted for her (as it was to their interest to do) a happy and -prosperous future. - -Then came the war with Japan, together with the disasters which -attended it, a war that shook most seriously the prestige of the throne -of the Romanoffs. It brought to light all the defects, the disorder, -and the inefficiency of the War Office; it enlightened the nation as -to the real worth of the people who were standing at the head of its -government, and it sounded the first knell of the Revolution which -was at last accomplished. This war afforded another pretext to the -public for attacking the personality of the Empress, who according -to the rumours which circulated at the time, had only looked upon it -from the joyous and glorious side, and never noticed its earnest and -sad one. It is a fact that neither disasters like those of Moukhden -and Tschousima, nor even the revolutionary movement that broke out in -consequence of them, affected her equanimity. She remained absolutely -cold in presence of these grave events and was absorbed in the joy of -the new maternity, which just at that time was granted to her--the -birth of the long expected and hoped for Heir to the Russian Throne, -which occurred in the very midst of the Japanese campaign. This event -certainly did not contrive to make her more popular among her subjects, -whilst on the other hand it increased considerably her importance, so -that after the appearance in the world of the son she had so ardently -wished for, she began to display more independence in her conduct than -had been formerly the case, and to discuss more eagerly, and more -authoritatively than she had ever been able to do before, matters of -State which her position as the mother of the future Sovereign gave her -almost a right to know, and to interfere with. She brought forward her -own opinions and judgments, which never once proved in accord with the -real needs of the Russian people. The Empress was neither good, kind, -nor compassionate. Her nature was cold, hard and imperious, and she -had never been accessible to the divine feeling which is called pity -for other people’s woes. She would have signed a death warrant with -the greatest coolness and indifference, and more than once her husband -decided, thanks to her intervention, to confirm those submitted to his -consideration. This last fact became known, and, as may be imagined, it -did not procure her any sympathy among her subjects. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, International Film Service, Inc._ - -THE BOLSHEVIKI HEADQUARTERS IN PETROGRAD] - -It was about that time, that is just before the birth of the Heir to -the Throne, and whilst the war with Japan was being fought, that people -began to spread dark rumours concerning the private life of Alexandra -Feodorovna. A most extraordinary friendship which she contracted with -a lady whose reputation left very much to be desired, and who had been -divorced from her husband under circumstances that had given rise to -much talk, Madame Wyroubieva, was severely criticised. The Empress -remained deaf to all the hints which were conveyed to her on the -subject. She kept the lady in question beside her, gave her rooms in -the Imperial Palace, and took her about with her wherever she went, -without minding in the least the impression which this bravado of -public opinion produced everywhere. Another friendship for a certain -Colonel Orloff, an officer in her own regiment of lancers, also gave -rise to considerable gossip, which increased in intensity when after -the death of the latter, who committed suicide under rather mysterious -circumstances, the Empress repaired every afternoon to the churchyard -where he was buried, prayed and laid flowers upon his grave. One -wondered why she did such strange things, and of course persons were at -once found to explain her motives in a manner which was the reverse of -charitable. - -The Emperor knew and saw all that was going on, but said nothing. His -wife by that time had acquired over his mind quite an extraordinary -influence, and either he did not dare to make any remarks as to the -originality which she displayed in her conduct, or else he imagined -that her position put her so much above criticism that it was useless -to interfere with what she might feel inclined to do in the matter of -eccentricity. A legend soon established itself in regard to Alexandra -Feodorovna. She was said to suffer from a nervous affection, which -obliged her at times to keep to her own apartments, and not to appear -in public. People tried, thanks to this pretext, to explain her absence -on different occasions when her position would have required her to -show herself to her subjects. But the truth of the matter was that -the Empress did not wish to see anybody, outside the small circle of -people before whom she need not constrain herself to be amiable or -pleasant; and that utterly forgetful of the duties entailed upon her -by her high rank and great position, she wanted only to live according -to her personal tastes, surrounded by flatterers or by people resigned -beforehand to accept and bow down before her numerous caprices, and to -fulfil with a blind obedience all the commands it might please her to -issue to them. - -She mixed openly in public affairs, and began to play a leading part -in the conduct of the State. Her husband never dared to refuse her -anything, and the Empress attempted to lead the destinies of Russia in -the sense which she had the most at heart, that is in one corresponding -to the interests of her own native country. She had remained entirely -German in her tastes and opinions, and her English education had -had absolutely no influence on her character. Thanks to an active -correspondence which she kept up with her brother, the Grand Duke of -Hesse, she was able to acquaint the Emperor William II. with a good -many things that he would never have learned without her. This is the -more curious, if one takes into account the fact that during the first -years which had followed upon her marriage, and especially after the -different journeys which she had made in France, Alexandra Feodorovna -had expressed great sympathy and admiration for everything that was -French, perhaps on account of the great enthusiasm with which she had -been received by the French population. But later on, thanks to the -influence of the unscrupulous people into whose hands she fell, her -ideas became transformed, and she boldly tried to fight against the -French leanings of her husband, and to lead him towards an alliance -with Germany, in which she thought that she saw the advantage, and even -the safety of her throne, and of the son she loved above everything -else in the world. - -All these facts could not long remain unknown, and soon the public -began to discuss them, together with the story of the different -intrigues of which the Palace of Tsarskoie Selo became the centre. -Thanks to the friends whom she had chosen for herself, the ante-chamber -of the Empress was transformed into a kind of annex to the Stock -Exchange, where all sorts of people, honest or dishonest, used to meet, -in order to obtain through her intercession more or less extravagant, -if not dangerous, favours. Thanks to Madame Wyroubieva, there were -introduced into the intimacy of the Czarina certain members of the -orthodox clergy recommendable only by their love for money and for -lucrative employments, or rich dioceses and monasteries. The Empress -together with her sister, the Grand Duchess Elisabeth, who after the -murder of her husband had become a nun and the superior of a cloister -which she had founded in Moscow, and to whom one might have applied -with success the remark of Marie Antoinette in regard to her aunt -Madame Louise of France, “she is the most intriguing little Carmelite -in the whole of the kingdom,” tried to mix themselves up in every -important matter in the State, and to lead it according to their -own lights and aims, making use of the Emperor as of an instrument -of their own private ambitions and desires. They were both fierce -reactionaries, who from the first day that Nicholas II. had promulgated -the Constitution of the 17th of October, had tried to persuade him to -recall it. It was thanks to the initiative of the Empress that the -first Duma was dissolved, and that the government began to exercise -considerable pressure over the elections in order to prevent the -candidates whom it believed it could not trust from being chosen by -their constituents. One Minister after another of those whom the -Czar appointed in rapid succession, resigned their functions, until -at last it was an acknowledged fact in Russia that no honest trial -of constitutional government could or would be attempted so long as -Alexandra Feodorovna would be there to counteract its existence. When -the Revolution broke out in the year 1905, and especially at the time -of the disturbances which took place in Moscow, it was the Empress -who excited her husband to adopt rigorous measures in order to crush -it, measures which led to nothing, and which only made Nicholas II. -a little more unpopular than he already was among his subjects. It -was related, whether true or not I cannot say, that when the famous -Semenovsky Regiment was sent to Moscow to reduce into submission the -insurrection which had broken out there, Alexandra Feodorovna had -desired to say good-bye to the officers before their departure, and -that the only recommendation which she had made to them had been not to -show any mercy to the insurgents. She had read without understanding it -in the very least, the history of the French Revolution in 1789, and -one had often heard her say that to show any weakness or compassion in -times of danger was equivalent to signing one’s own death warrant. Her -friends were nearly all of them men and women with a bad reputation, -and amidst the circle of her own immediate family she had only -contrived to make herself enemies. Thanks to her influence, and to her -petty personal spite, the young Grand Duke Cyril, the son of the Grand -Duke Vladimir, was deprived of his titles and dignities and exiled from -Russia for having dared to marry his first cousin, the divorced wife of -the Empress’s brother, the Grand Duke of Hesse, the Princess Victoria -Melita of Edinburgh. This punishment, however, was promptly cancelled, -thanks to the numerous protests which followed upon it from all -quarters, but the two people concerned never forgave the Empress her -attitude in regard to their union, and we saw an echo of this hostility -the other day when the Grand Duke Cyril on the outbreak of the -Revolution tried to play the part of Philippe Egalité in the Romanoff -family, and went with his regiment to put himself at the disposal of -the new government appointed by the Duma. - -The only brother of Nicholas II., the Grand Duke Michael -Alexandrovitsch, saw the influence of the Empress exercised against -him in a manner which was even more odious, because she contrived to -deprive him of the control not only of his fortune, but also of his -personal liberty to manage his estates. With her mother-in-law, the -Dowager Empress Marie, Alexandra Feodorovna showed herself absolutely -abominable in her disdain, haughtiness and pride. With the persons -composing her court and household, she was unpleasant and bitter. Even -in regard to her own daughters she proved herself heartless, and she -never once during the twenty-three years which followed her arrival -in Russia until the day of her downfall, tried to do any good around -her or induce her husband to accomplish one of those actions full of -generosity and mercy which unite a nation with its Sovereign, and make -their hearts beat together for some noble cause or other. Then again -there occurred the Rasputin incident. I have discussed it at length in -the first part of this book, and shall therefore not enter here into a -second description of the career of this strange personage, this low -Cagliostro of a reign that did not deserve to have any great nobleman -or even gentleman for its favourite. The only thing which I want to -point out to the reader, is the responsibility which devolves upon the -Empress in this disagreeable story, which more perhaps than anything -else hastened the fall of the old Romanoff monarchy. Whether she was -really persuaded of the holy character of the sinister adventurer who -had contrived so cleverly to exploit her credulity, or whether there -was in this curious infatuation for an unworthy object a question of -hypnotism, combined with the extravagance of a badly balanced mind -and imagination, it is difficult to say, especially when one has not -followed otherwise than by hearsay the different incidents of this -almost unbelievable tragedy. It is probable that the mystery, such as -it was, will never be quite explained, but one may reasonably suppose -that the perpetual invocations to spirits of another world, which -Alexandra Feodorovna had practised for so many years, have had a good -deal to do with the obstinacy with which she insisted upon imposing -this personage upon all those who surrounded her, and with which -she allowed him to interfere with the details of her family life, a -thing which went so far that one day the governess of the young Grand -Duchesses, Mademoiselle Toutscheff, a most distinguished lady, went to -seek the Emperor, and told him that she could no longer be responsible -for the education of his daughters if Rasputin was allowed to enter -their apartments at every hour of the day and night. The only reply -which was made by Nicholas II. to this communication was that the -Empress ought not to be crossed, on account of the state of her nerves. -He seemed to approve of everything that was going on in his house, -and, this is the point which has always seemed so incomprehensible in -his character, he even appeared to view with a certain pleasure the -admittance into the intimacy of his home life of this uncivilised and -uncouth creature called Rasputin, whose hand Alexandra Feodorovna bent -down to kiss with a reverence that she had never before in the course -of her whole life shown to any one else, not excepting Queen Victoria -of England, whom she had tried to snub during the official visit which -she had paid to her after her marriage. - -The complete indifference of the Czar as to what was going on around -him and under his own roof, combined with his weakness of character -and his unreasonable love for his wife, did not add to the feelings -of respect that his subjects ought to have entertained for him. In a -very short time extraordinary rumours began to circulate concerning -all that was supposed to take place at Tsarskoie Selo, rumours -which, disseminated as they were among the population of Petrograd, -contributed in no small degree to the promptitude with which it -rallied itself to the cause of the Revolution that put an end to the -reign of Nicholas II. It was related amongst other things that the -Commander-in-Chief of the Army, the Grand Duke Nicholas, had one -day told his Imperial nephew that if he did not lock up Alexandra -Feodorovna in a convent, he would come himself at the head of his -troops, to carry her away, and confine her within the walls of the -monastery of Novodievitvchy. True or not, the story was repeated -everywhere, and it procured for the Grand Duke a considerable number of -friends and sympathisers. - -Soon after this it was related that the Empress was in connivance -with the numerous people who had made it their business to plunder -the national exchequer, and that she looked with indulgence upon the -malversations from which profited the partisans and the accomplices, -for one could hardly call them by another name, of Rasputin. She began -to be hated even more ferociously than had been the case before, and -at last the police had to let Nicholas II. know that his Consort would -do better not to show herself too often in public, because an attempt -against her life might easily come to be made, under the influence of -all the stories which one heard right and left concerning her private -conduct and her affection for a being who was accused by the whole -nation of being fatal to Russia’s prosperity at home and good renown -abroad. The Czar listened to all this, as he was to listen later on to -the remonstrances of his own family, but he did not act on all that he -had been told. He continued to see Rasputin, partly because, according -to the tales of those who were in the secret of what really went on -in that strange Imperial household, the frank way of speaking of this -uncouth peasant amused him and pleased him, being something so totally -different from the language which he was accustomed to hear. But -contrary to what was generally believed, he did not discuss with him -matters of State, any more than did the Empress. It is to be hoped that -this last assertion is correct, and that Rasputin in regard to Nicholas -II. only played the part sustained by Chicot at the court of Henri III. -of France, that of the King’s Jester, capable occasionally of telling -some truths to his master. But during the last months which preceded -the removal of this sinister figure from the horizon of Tsarskoie Selo, -no one in Russia would believe in such a version, seeing that this -Jester could dispose according to his pleasure of all the high places -in the State, that he had created ministers, functionaries of paramount -importance, church dignitaries, and that whoever addressed himself to -him generally got what he wanted, whilst it was his friends who were -controlling the government of the vast empire of the Czars. One did not -realise that this had become possible only because all persons endowed -with the slightest independence of character, had gradually become -estranged from their Sovereign, and had come to the decision to abandon -him to his fate, disgusted as they were by his weakness in regard to -his wife, and being moreover unwilling to accept the responsibility -of duties which they were not allowed to fulfil according to the -dictates of their conscience. One after another the Ministers, who -at the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II. had helped him to rule -Russia, had been dismissed by him, or retired of their own accord, -and their places had been taken by simple subaltern functionaries, -preoccupied only with that one single thought of remaining as long as -possible in possession of the places which they had been called upon -by a caprice of destiny to occupy, and for which they knew at heart -that they were not fit. Everybody who had a sense of decency left, -had fled from Tsarskoie Selo, not caring to enter into conflict with -the mysterious and subterranean powers, which, to repeat the words -used by Professor Paul Miliukoff in his famous speech in the Duma -a few days before the Revolution, alone decided the most important -questions in the State. The whole country was disgusted at the conduct -of those who ruled it, and this disgust was soon to change into an -absolute contempt. The unpopularity of the Empress had extended itself -to the person of the Czar himself, whom one was beginning to render -responsible for the different things going on under his roof and to -accuse of seeing, without any emotion, the Imperial prestige and honour -sullied, and this autocracy for which he cared so much dishonoured. -This unfortunate Emperor did not find anywhere a support. His mother -had been estranged from him; his whole family had turned against him, -after numerous and useless attempts to open his eyes as to the dangers -which surrounded him and the position in which he stood before his -subjects. His brother had been systematically kept away from him by the -Empress, who did not care to have in her vicinity a man in whom she -saw an eventual pretender to the throne of her son. His sisters tried -to remove themselves as far from him as possible. He was longing for -disinterested affections, and there is therefore nothing wonderful or -surprising that he sought them from the wife whom fate had associated -with his existence, whom in spite of everything he continued to -love tenderly, and whose nefarious influence was to lead him to his -destruction. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -THE BOLSHEVIKI GENERAL STAFF] - -And she, this woman who alone stands responsible for all this ruin that -has overtaken her consort, and his dynasty, did she ever understand -the terrible responsibility that she had assumed? Did she ever try -to be for her husband the faithful companion whom he required, and on -whom he might have leant in the hour of danger and of peril? Did she -attempt to develop in him those strong and virile qualities a sovereign -conscious of his might requires to be able to handle it wisely? Did -she ever enter into the needs of her people, or identify herself with -the interests of the nation whose Empress she happened to be? Alas! -Alas! history has already replied to those questions, and it is history -which tells us that, thanks to Alexandra Feodorovna, the inheritance -bequeathed by Peter the Great to his posterity has been squandered and -lost. If there has ever existed a woman who has proved fatal to all -those with whom her lot has been thrown, it is this little Hessian -Princess, whom fate or chance associated with one of the greatest -political crises of which Russian history will keep the record and the -remembrance, and for whose tears no one will find any pity, even when -her sorrows will need it most. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -In one of her letters addressed to her daughter Marie Antoinette, the -Empress Marie Therese wrote: “I am glad to hear that you have decided -to re-establish the old etiquette and representation of Versailles. -However tiresome it may be, its inconveniences are still far less than -those which arise out of its absence. A Court must learn to know well -its sovereigns.” These words of a woman who knew better than any other -queen had ever known how to uphold the prestige of her crown, ought -to have been remembered by the Czar Nicholas II., because it is an -undoubted fact that the custom which was established during his reign -to keep the Emperor and his family isolated from the nation over which -he ruled, had a good deal to do with the change that established itself -gradually in the ideas of the people, as well as in the minds of the -aristocracy, in regard to the reigning house. One forgot that there -existed in Russia an Emperor, and one only remembered the manifold -abuses which were the consequence of the detestable government to -which the nation was subjected. All the personal ties that might have -bound the monarch with those who could in an emergency have defended -him against danger, had been snapped asunder by that monarch himself. -St. Petersburg, which formerly (I have now in mind only the upper -classes) had converged towards the sun represented by the Imperial -Palace and its inhabitants, learned how to do without it, and it was -no longer considered to be an honour to have relations, no matter of -what nature, with any member of the House of Romanoff. The Imperial -Family, in imitation of the conduct pursued by its Chief, seemed as -if it wished to efface itself and to lead the existence of common -mortals, which it did not succeed in doing, because it had been brought -up too far from the world in general, represented by that portion -of humanity which suffers and which works in silence, to be able to -enter into its interests, and to make them its own. On the other -hand that same family gave the first signal of rebellion against the -system represented by the masters of the Palace of Tsarskoie Selo, -whom it applied itself to discredit with an energy which was the more -tenacious that it would have liked to be in their place. The Grand -Duchess Vladimir, especially, together with her two sons, who had never -cared for the Head of their dynasty, were the first ones to greet in -their house all the discontented people who abounded in the Russian -capital, and to deplore in their presence the scandal occasioned by -the strange conduct of the Empress. The Revolution which was to come -later on was prepared silently in the palaces of the very persons who -ought to have fought against it, as well as in the homes of those old -servants of the monarchy, who would have wished to save it from the -disaster, which they saw but too well, was fast overtaking it, but who -had to own themselves powerless to do so, and had to acknowledge with -sorrow and with shame that it was discrediting itself a little more -with each day that was passing. The nation, on its side, was preparing -itself for the impending struggle. The systematic manner in which the -labour party in Russia organised itself in view of the approaching -Revolution, has never been sufficiently known or appreciated abroad. -It has constituted for those who have followed the slow evolution -which was the consequence of the premature revolutionary movement that -had failed in 1905, one of the most interesting political problems -of the twentieth century. I have lived in Russia during the years -which have immediately preceded the war, and I have been in personal -relations with some of the leaders of this party. I can therefore -write about it from the point of view of a witness eager to watch the -slow transformation, which out of a party essentially violent in its -view and aspirations had produced a political faction, sufficiently -ripened and saddened by the unsuccesses of its first fight not to seek -elsewhere than in a too rapid solution the end of the difficulties -under which it had been condemned to develop itself. It was quite -sufficient to have witnessed the manifestations that used to take place -each first of May, to come to the conclusion that the workman who was -walking the streets, singing and carrying revolutionary flags, in 1906, -was quite a different man from the one who indulged in manifestations -of the like kind in 1913 and 1914. The general strike which preceded -the war by a few weeks upon which the Germans founded so many useless -hopes was, notwithstanding its revolutionary character, rather an -expression of opinion on the part of a powerful and perfectly well -organised party than a rebellion against authority. The workman had -at last realised that he had got the future for him, provided he did -not allow his natural impatience to carry him too far, and that he -could resist the temptation to proceed too quickly with the plans -which he had formed. He had also realised another thing, and that was -that neither the liberals nor the octobrists, nor the party called -that of the cadets, nor even the revolutionary socialists, were strong -enough to constitute a government, and that all the plans they were -continually talking about, would only end in speeches more or less -empty and devoid of practical common sense. The workman applied himself -to avoid mistakes, which perhaps he had noticed before he had quite -grasped their importance. He understood on the other hand perfectly -well the fact that the immense industrial movement, which had developed -itself during the years that had followed immediately upon the war with -Japan, was bound to increase still further in importance, and that the -future belonged to those who would be able to profit by it, to guide -it, and to direct it in the sense of a great and general reform of the -different abuses which had corrupted all the higher classes of the -nation. The number of factories which suddenly arose everywhere, the -speculation that followed upon the rise in the value of all kinds of -industrial securities, and the knowledge that the workman very quickly -acquired as to the different means thanks to which the fortunes of -so many people come, no one knew from whence, had been edified, gave -him a strength which became the more formidable that he was compelled -to remain silent in presence of so many spectacles that revolted -his sense of integrity. In regard to this particular point, the -impossibility to hold public meetings proved a blessing in disguise for -the development of the activity of the labour party, because it allowed -it to proceed in secret to a propaganda that became the more dangerous -for the security of the government in that there existed no one able -to point out to those among whom it flourished its perilous, and even -to a certain extent, its disastrous sides. Under the very eyes of the -police, the mass of the workmen employed in the different factories -scattered all over Petrograd, prepared itself for the mission which it -felt but too well was bound sooner or later to devolve upon it; so that -whenever it allowed its voice to be heard, it was always with prudence, -and even with a certain amount of cautious wisdom that prevented the -general public and the authorities noticing how strong and powerful it -was getting, and what a wonderful instrument it would prove later on, -in the hands of those who in the meanwhile were leading it in secret, -until the day when, thanks to their help, it would be able in its turn -to lead others. - -It must here be remarked that the Russian government of that time -never understood the wants of the labour party. It is sufficient to -recall the terrible drama which was enacted in the Lena gold fields -of Siberia, when the troops, called to the help of the owners of the -works, fired on the mass of workmen who were simply asking for some -legitimate improvements in their conditions of existence, to come -to the conclusion that, according to the words of Hamlet, “there -was something rotten in that state of Denmark.” Only, neither the -government nor the upper classes of society, who were all of them, or -nearly all, in the dependence of a few lucky speculators in stocks and -shares, nor these speculators themselves, whose number was getting -larger and larger every day in St. Petersburg, cared to remember that -such was the fact. - -During the years which immediately preceded the great war, the whole -of Russia had become one vast Stock Exchange, the securities of which -were quoted at every street corner, where the only things that had any -value, were those which could be turned into a shareholder’s company. -The Emperor Alexander III. had tried, during the whole time of his -reign, to improve agriculture in his land, and he had tried to bind -together the different social classes of the nation, by a common love -for their native soil. It had been told at that time that he had been -wrong in looking upon Russia exclusively from the agricultural point of -view, but in presence of the things which have happened recently, one -may wonder whether after all he had not been right, because it is quite -certain that the change of system that had followed upon his death, and -the exclusive protection which to the detriment of everything else, -industry was awarded, during the twenty-two years of Nicholas II.’s -administration, and especially during the time that Mr. Kokovtsoff -remained at the Treasury, darkened the judgment of the people who -under different circumstances, and if they had made less money, would -have probably noticed the progress made by socialism, and the growing -influence of the labour party over its adherents, who from the outset -had been determined to break this might of capital which was of no good -to the country, and simply added to the importance of lucky speculators. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -SOLDIER AND SAILOR CITIZENS’ DUMA] - -As for the Emperor, he had ceased to count for anything in Russia, -after the failure of the so-called Constitutional government, which -he had inaugurated rather out of caprice than because he had become -convinced that it was indispensable to the welfare of Russia to see it -ruled by a responsible Cabinet. At the time I am referring to, it was -an acknowledged fact in the whole of Russia that it was governed by -some mysterious and dark powers which in secret were proceeding to any -amount of malversations, most harmful for the prosperity of the nation, -as well as for its prestige in Europe. The one general feeling which -prevailed everywhere was one of immense lassitude at a state of things -one knew but too well could not last, but which no one yet felt strong -enough to try to ameliorate, change, or overturn. If the war had not -broken out, it is likely that this condition, which hovered between -a dream and a nightmare, might have gone on for a long time, because -though the public realised perfectly well that the Throne, as well as -the man who occupied it, represented only a dead thing, yet it appeared -still so immense that no one dared to touch it, but continued looking -upon it, with the same eyes one would have done had it remained the -great one it had been formerly. - -The war broke out and awakened the nation out of the state of marasm -into which it had fallen. During the first weeks which followed upon -its declaration there took place in Russia an explosion of enthusiasm -such as had never been witnessed before. It did not, however, last -any appreciable length of time, and collapsed together with the news -of the reverses that attended the Polish campaign. Nowhere were these -reverses felt more than amidst the ranks of the labour party, which, -as a direct consequence of them, acquired all at once an importance it -had hardly dared to hope it could win so soon. Factories became the -principal organ of the national defence, and the word “ammunition” was -transformed into the flag under which all those who were dissatisfied -with the government then in power enrolled themselves as well as the -people who longed for the end of an order of things the faults and -mistakes of which were known in Russia long before they came to be -recognised abroad. The workman suddenly became the individual to whom -was awarded the greatest importance, there where the question of the -salvation of the Fatherland came to be raised. He was the one to whom -everybody said aloud what he had been himself aware of long before, -that it was from him, and from his efforts, that depended victory over -the enemy who had audaciously invaded Russian territory. This workman -(this must never be lost sight of) was intimately connected with the -army in which he had served, with the army that had far more confidence -in him, and in his knowledge and efforts, than in the incapable -government that had sent it to be slaughtered without providing it -with any means to fight its foes. The workman became thus conscious -of his extreme importance, and he aspired to be awarded the place in -society which he imagined that he had the right to pretend to. He -raised his voice, and insisted upon its being listened to. Perhaps -Nicholas II. would still be in possession of his throne had he had -sufficient common sense to do so. There were at this juncture people -who tried to make the Sovereign understand that it was not enough for -him to have assumed the supreme command over his troops in order to -win back the popularity he had so completely lost, and that he would -do well, in the interest of his dynasty as well as in his own, to show -himself more frequently to the population of Petrograd, and to try -to get into direct touch with it otherwise than through his official -visits to the factories where ammunition was prepared for the army; -visits during which he was escorted with great pomp and ceremony by his -usual cortège of attendants and in the course of which he had never -found one single word of encouragement to say to those who were toiling -for the welfare of the Fatherland. The Emperor failed to grasp the -wisdom of this piece of advice, nor did he realise the importance of -another one, which proceeded from the few friends he had still left to -him, the advice to call together a national and responsible Ministry, -composed of men chosen among the representatives of the country in the -Duma, and in possession of the confidence of the latter. He understood -even less the necessity, recognised everywhere outside the gates of his -Palace, to try and raise the prestige of the Crown, by getting rid of -the compromising personalities, whose presence at his side dishonoured -him as a man, and discredited him as a sovereign. He did not see, -and perhaps no one dared to point out to him, the shameless money -speculations which were taking place everywhere in Russia, and even -under his own roof; the bargaining of everything that there was to sell -or to buy in the country; honours, dignities, distinctions, places, -and the Fatherland itself, by a gang of shameless adventurers, who had -found the protection which they needed to carry on their plunder within -the walls of the Imperial residence. He believed what his wife kept -repeating to him, that once he had declared such was not the case, no -one would dare to think that he consulted Rasputin or the metropolitan -Pitirim in regard to State affairs, and he simply laughed at those -who pretended that he was doing so. He was blind until the end. He is -perhaps blind still, and it is quite possible that he will persist in -remaining so until the day when his revolted subjects will come and -claim his life, after having compelled him to surrender his throne. -Unconscious creature, unable to notice the dangers amidst which he had -been living, or the abyss that was already swallowing him up. - -It is when considering this point that one feels tempted to ask what -would have become of Nicholas II. had he had beside him one of these -intelligent women, endowed with a strong character, and understanding -the nature of her duties as a wife, as a mother and a sovereign. It is -likely that if he had found such a help he might have prevented or at -least have contrived to give a different shape to the crisis through -which Russia had to pass. The war was an unavoidable misfortune, owing -to the firm determination of Germany to provoke it, no matter in what -way, or under what pretext, but it would have been possible to conduct -it differently than was the case. One could also have been prepared -for it, and one ought to have realised that the old and superannuated -system of government so utterly rotten, where everything was left in -the hands of corrupt functionaries, who had never learned anything -out of the book of history, for whom the intellectual development -of nations meant nothing at all, and who did not look beyond their -personal advantages in all the great crises which might come to shake -the equanimity of the country, that this system had served its time, -and was bound to collapse under the weight of the universal contempt. -But Nicholas II. called together a Duma which he had determined -beforehand to deprive of every initiative, and of the liberty to say -what it wished concerning the needs of the country that had entrusted -it with the defence of its interests. He made many fine promises which -he never intended to keep, and when he spoke about the necessity of -bringing about a close union between the Czar and the representatives -of his people, he never wished to give to the latter the possibility -to approach him, or to lay their grievances at his feet. Had there -been in Russia an Empress worthy of the name, and competent to fill -the position she occupied, she would have told her husband that the -duty of them both consisted in remaining loyal towards their subjects. -She would have exposed her person, and risked her life if necessary, -in the accomplishment of the task which had been allotted to her -by Providence. She would have spent her time otherwise than in the -practices of a piety that was nothing else but superstition mingled -with erotic tendencies. - -What did Alexandra Feodorovna do during those solemn hours of a -supreme crisis? I do not wish to be hard on her now that misfortune -has overtaken her, but the truth must be told, and it is necessary to -point out that her principal preoccupation during the months which -preceded the Revolution consisted in defending Rasputin against the -attacks directed against him from all sides, and in isolating the -Emperor from all the people capable of enlightening him in regard -to the conduct and the character of the sinister personage whom her -imagination had transformed into a Saint, and to whose presence at -her side she attributed a miraculous power, capable of protecting her -and her family, against every kind of danger. Under his influence -and thanks to the impulse which he gave to her activity, she applied -herself to persuade the Czar to conclude a separate peace with Germany, -working upon the humanitarian feelings of Nicholas II., and repeating -constantly to him that he owed it to his subjects to put an end to a -useless effusion of blood, and not to go on with a perfectly hopeless -struggle. If the Revolution had not taken place it is most probable -that a separate peace would have been signed between Russia and Germany -during the course of the next few months, and it is also likely that -if this intention of the Empress had not transpired outside the gates -of her Palace the Revolution would not have broken out when it did, -because all the different political parties in the Duma were agreed -as to the advisability of putting it off so long as the enemy was in -occupation of a part of the country. But Alexandra Feodorovna poured -the last drops into a glass which was ready to overflow, and the hatred -which the Russian nation bore her found at last its justification in -the general opinion which suddenly exploded like a barrel of powder in -the whole of the country, that she also was a traitor, who had been -won over to the German cause, and who was ready to give up into the -hands of the adversary against whom one had been fighting for so many -long and anxious months of a struggle during which so much blood had -flown, this Russia that had offered her the Imperial diadem, which she -had found nothing better to do than to sully with the mud of the dirty -roads whither her steps had taken her. - -Here I must make a pause, and try to analyse the real part played in -the drama by the unfortunate Sovereign on the head of whom so many -curses have been showered. I do not believe that it was in order to -hand over to her own native country, the one which had become hers by -marriage, that Alexandra Feodorovna lent herself to the intrigue in -which it is unfortunately an uncontested fact that she took an active -share. It seems to me, so far as I can judge of things which did not -take place in my presence, that her intentions were sincere according -to her lights. She was not an intelligent woman by any means, and what -she possessed in the way of intellect had disappeared in a vanity -and haughtiness of which it is hardly possible to form an adequate -idea. She cared only for her crown, and for autocratic power over -her subjects, and under the influence of those who represented to her -that the least concession to the spirit of the times was bound to -further the cause of a revolution which she abhorred, she had awarded -her protection to this reactionary party represented by men like -Sturmer, Protopopoff, and others of the same kind. She had preached -to her husband whenever she had had the opportunity for doing so, the -necessity to stand firm, and never to sacrifice one fraction of the -principle of absolute power over his subjects. She had pointed out -to him on every possible occasion the example of Louis XVI., who had -been beheaded, because he had not had sufficient courage to resist -to the pressure exercised over him by the revolutionary elements in -the French monarchy. She did not grasp in the very least that times -were different, that ideas as well as men had changed, and that a -sovereign who in a moment of danger does not seek help from his people, -or try together with them to find a solution to the difficulties of -a threatening situation, courts an inevitable ruin. The Empress has, -without any doubt being allowed as to this point, been the direct cause -of the misfortunes as well as of the fall of her husband, and probably -when history will be called upon to judge her, it will show itself even -more severe in regard to her and to her conduct than her contemporaries -have been, because she has certainly done more to destroy the respect -of Russia for the throne to which she had been raised than the most -violent revolutionary attacks that were ever directed against it. -Instead of trying to bring her consort nearer to the nation at -whose head he stood, she only inspired him with suspicions and even -with dislike for this nation, or at least for the best among its -representatives. - -There happened circumstances when the Empress interfered directly -in the affairs of the State, and persuaded the Czar to do what she -required of him; as, for instance, the exile in Siberia, this Siberia -whither she was to be sent herself, and the arbitrary arrest of several -leaders of the labour party, whom, under some futile pretext or other, -the government threw into prison a few weeks before the outbreak of the -Revolution, in spite of the indignant protestations made by the Duma -on the subject. It was also Alexandra Feodorovna, who, on the advice -of the metropolitan Pitirim, a creature of Rasputin, who had caused -him to be appointed to the See of Petrograd, the most important one in -the Empire, persuaded the Emperor to follow the advice of the minister -Protopopoff to prorogue the Duma, and to arm the police with machine -guns, in view of a possible revolt of the inhabitants of the capital -against the government, a fatal and most imprudent measure, if there -ever was one, which decided the fate of the Romanoff dynasty. - -In this last occurrence, it was less out of fear of the debates that -might take place in the Duma, than because he wanted to have his -hands untied in regard to the conclusion of peace for which he had -been working ever since he had been called to the ministry of the -interior, that Protopopoff induced his Sovereign to resort to a measure -absolutely devoid of common sense, and the only effect of which could -be to add fuel to a fire that had been smouldering for months, if -not years. It proved fatal for everybody, and it is still a question -whether it was not to be more fatal for Russia than anything else which -Nicholas II. had ever done, because it has thrown her into an era of -revolution and of trouble, for which she was neither prepared nor ripe. - -At that time I am writing about, the members of the Imperial family -together with the aristocracy were beginning to get more and more -alarmed at the manner in which events were unfolding themselves, and -were wondering as to what could be done to put an end to the influence -of the Empress and of her favourites. One of the oldest, and the only -surviving personal friend of the late Czar Alexander III., Count -Vorontzoff Dachkoff, when he visited the Emperor to take leave of him, -on his resignation of the functions of Viceroy of the Caucasus, had -tried to remonstrate with him on the subject, and to point out to him -the necessity of getting rid of Rasputin and of the followers of the -latter. He had known Nicholas II. as a child, and he could therefore -talk with him more familiarly than any one else in Russia: “I must tell -you the truth,” he said. “Do you know that, thanks to your Rasputin, -you are going to your ruin and endangering the throne of your son?” -The old soldier, who had served under four sovereigns, became quite -eloquent in his speech. The Czar listened to him in silence, and at -last exclaimed almost with a sob: “Why did God lay upon me such a heavy -burden?” - -After Count Vorontzoff, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna tried -to do something to save her son. She had left Petrograd months -before, not caring to live in the vicinity of her daughter-in-law, -whom she disliked as much as did the other members of the Imperial -family. When Nicholas II. visited Kieff in October, 1916, where his -mother was residing, the latter had a long conversation with him, in -which she pointed out to him the peril which threatened him and the -dynasty, unless he decided upon an energetic step, and removed from -her side the favourites of his wife. But even Marie Feodorovna was -powerless in presence of the dark and occult powers that held her son -in their trammels, and nothing followed upon her remonstrances or -her adjurations that he might consider the dangers with which he was -surrounded, and try at least to conjure them. - -After this interference of the widow of Alexander III., some of the -members of the Cabinet who were not of the same opinions as Messrs. -Sturmer and Protopopoff, attempted to reason with their Sovereign, -among others Count Ignatieff and Mr. Bark, but they were also not -listened to, and the former at last handed in his resignation which was -accepted with alacrity, Alexandra Feodorovna not trying even to hide -the extreme satisfaction she felt at its having taken place. - -Count Ignatieff had been the most popular minister of public -instruction Russia had ever known, and his departure was looked upon -in the light of a national misfortune, adding to the dislike with -which the Empress was viewed everywhere. Mr. Bark did not feel himself -at liberty to abandon the department of finances of which he had -the charge at the very moment when a new loan was being floated, but -he avoided seeing the consort of his Sovereign, and only appeared at -Tsarskoie Selo, when he could not help doing so. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -FOREIGN MINISTER LEON TROTZKY] - -On the 1st of November, 1916, one of the cousins of the Czar, the -Grand Duke Nicholas Michaylovitsch, who was perhaps the cleverest -member of the Imperial family, a man wonderfully well learned, and who -had acquired the reputation of an excellent historian, thanks to the -remarkable studies which he had published on the life and times of -Alexander I., and the Napoleonic wars, made another effort to shake -the influence of Rasputin, Protopopoff and the Empress. He asked the -Czar to receive him, and during a long and heated conversation which -he had with the latter, he read to him a letter which he had prepared -beforehand, in which were exposed not only the political, but also -the private reasons, which made it an imperative necessity to remove -Rasputin from Tsarskoie Selo. As the Grand Duke told his friends later -on, there were in this letter some passages that might have wounded -Nicholas II. in his feelings as a husband, not only as a sovereign. But -the Czar did not reply one single word, only went to fetch the Empress, -and in his turn read to her the incriminating epistle. When he reached -the passage in which remarks were made concerning her, Alexandra -Feodorovna rose up in a passion, and snatching the document out of -her husband’s hands, she tore it up into a thousand small pieces. In -the course of this memorable conversation, the Grand Duke asked the -Emperor whether he knew that the appointment of Protopopoff was the -work of Rasputin, with whom the former had become acquainted at the -house of one of their common friends, a certain Badmaieff. - -“Yes,” replied the Czar, “I know it.” - -“And you find this a matter of course,” exclaimed his cousin. - -Nicholas II. replied nothing. - -In spite of the angry tone which the discussion had assumed, the -Emperor remained perfectly civil to the Grand Duke. The latter -afterwards remarked that he had been more than surprised to meet -with such utter indifference, and at the same time such kindness, in -appearance at least, from his cousin. It seemed as if nothing that he -could say could move the Czar, who, during the most heated moments of -this interview, handed the matches to his kinsman, when he noticed -that the cigarette of the latter had gone out. At last the Grand Duke -exclaimed: “You have got Cossacks here, and a great deal of room in -your gardens. You can have me killed and buried without any one being -the wiser for it. But I must tell you the truth, and say to you that -you are going to your ruin.” - -The Czar continued to be silent, and his cousin had to take his leave, -without having been able to obtain one single word from him by which he -might have guessed whether he had been believed or not. - -The confessor of the Imperial family, Father Schabelsky, was induced to -interfere in his turn, and to warn the Emperor of the ever increasing -unpopularity of his consort, advising him at the same time to send her -somewhere for the benefit of her health, until the storm had abated -which everybody except the few people who surrounded the Sovereign saw -was on its way. His advice also was disregarded. A lady belonging to -the highest social circles, whose family had always been upon terms -of intimacy with that of Nicholas II., the Princess Vassiltschikoff, -bethought herself to write to the Empress, and to entreat her to -save the country and the dynasty, and to induce her husband to call -together a responsible ministry, in possession of the confidence of -the Duma and of the nation. The only reply which she received was an -order commanding her to leave the capital immediately for her country -seat, with a prohibition to return to it again. Alexandra Feodorovna -remained the only person the Czar would listen to, and Alexandra -Feodorovna was but the mouthpiece of people like Rasputin, Sturmer, -and Protopopoff, who kept telling to her that she must not yield, and -that the only thing capable of restoring peace to Russia was to subdue -the rebellious spirits who dared talk about the necessity of making -concessions to public opinion, coupled with the firm determination to -crush, even by force, any manifestations which might be made in that -direction. Acting upon this advice, the Empress assumed a power which -had never belonged to any consort of a sovereign before. In the absence -of Nicholas II. at the front, it was she who gave out orders, not -only to the different ministers, but also to the troops composing the -garrison of Petrograd; she had people arrested according to her fancy, -she caused the houses of others that had displeased her to be searched -by the numerous police agents whom she had at her disposal, ready to -execute any of her caprices; she showed herself the absolute master in -her consort’s dominions, and she held everybody, including himself, in -a firm grasp, which (this must be added) was more the grasp of Rasputin -and Protopopoff, than her own. - -It was evident that such a state of things could not go on -indefinitely. There were still some persons left who hoped to be able -to save the dynasty by removing its principal enemy, the unscrupulous -peasant who had tarnished its prestige. A plot, into which entered -different persons belonging to the highest aristocracy of the land -as well as some members of the Imperial family, was arranged, and -culminated, as I have already related, in the murder of Rasputin. All -this has been told, but what has not yet been written is the manner -in which the news of the assassination of her favourite was received -by the Empress. At first her despair was pitiable to behold, then she -quickly rallied, and getting back her energy, proceeded to avenge her -murdered friend. The Czar was at Headquarters, and she happened to find -herself alone with her children at Tsarskoie Selo. She sent for one of -her husband’s aide de camps, General Maximovitsch, and commanded him to -proceed immediately to Petrograd, and to arrest the Grand Duke Dmitry -Pavlovitsch, allowing him, however, to remain in his own palace, but -with strict orders not to leave it, even for a short walk. The whole -Imperial family protested, but it was of no avail. Mr. Protopopoff -was on the side of the Czarina, and he alone was in command of the -police forces of the capital. Any thought of resistance was out of -the question. The hated minister would not have hesitated to proceed, -even against the relatives of his Sovereign, to gratify the revengeful -feelings of Alexandra Feodorovna. - -How vindictive the latter showed herself to be can be seen out of the -severity of the punishments which, at her instigation, were showered -upon all those who had taken part in the conspiracy to which Rasputin -had fallen a victim. Prince Youssoupoff, with his wife, was exiled in -one of his properties in the government of Koursk, and the young Grand -Duke Dmitry was ordered to proceed to the front in Persia, which, -considering his delicate state of health, was tantamount to a death -sentence. When this became known, the whole of the Imperial family -wrote to the Czar in the following terms: - -“May it please Your Majesty, we, whose signatures you will find at the -bottom of this letter, urgently and strongly beg of you to reconsider -your decision in regard to the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovitsch, and show -him some leniency. We know for a fact that he is physically ill, and -morally broken down. You have been his guardian in his youth, and you -are aware of the deep feelings of affection and of respect that he has -always entertained in regard to you, and to our Fatherland. We implore -Your Majesty in view of his youth, and of the precarious state of his -health, to allow him to repair either to his own estate of Oussoff, or -else to Vilensky. - -“Your Majesty is probably aware of the terrible conditions in which -our army finds itself placed in Persia at the present moment, and of -the many illnesses and epidemics of all kinds that are raging there. -To expose the Grand Duke to those dangers is simply compassing his -ruin, because he can only come out of such a trial a physical and moral -wreck, and surely the kind heart of Your Majesty will take pity on a -youth for whom you have had some affection in the past, and in regard -to whom you have always shown yourself a kind father. We pray to God to -soften the feelings of Your Majesty, and to induce you to alter your -decision, and to show some mercy to your own kinsman.” - -To this letter was received on the next day the following reply: - -“No one has the right to commit a murder. I am aware that many people -are suffering now from qualms of conscience, because it is not only -Dmitry Pavlovitsch who is mixed up in this business. I am surprised at -your daring to address me in such terms. Nicholas.” - -The Grand Duke had to submit. He departed for the Persian front, -accompanied by an officer who had received strict orders to oppose any -attempt that he might feel tempted to make, in order to escape his -doom. A curious incident, very characteristic of the state of mind -prevailing in the capital at that time, then occurred. The comrades of -this officer, upon hearing of his appointment, obliged him to resign -his commission, considering that he had disgraced himself by accepting -such a mission. - -In the meanwhile the body of Rasputin was taken at night to Tsarskoie -Selo and buried in a small chapel which had been erected some years -before by the Empress, quite close to the palace which she inhabited. -Troops surrounded it so as to prevent any one getting near to it, -whilst the ceremony lasted, and the funeral was attended by the -Emperor, the Empress, and the intimate friend of the latter, Madame -Vyroubieva. Alexandra Feodorovna used to go every afternoon to pray on -the grave of the man whose influence had proved her bane, until at last -the Revolution imprisoned her, and threw to the winds the ashes of the -greatest enemy that the dynasty of the Romanoff’s had ever known. When -the body was exhumed by the angry populace, one found on its breast -a sacred image, bearing the names of the Empress, and of her three -daughters, last memento of an affection which had proved so fatal to -those who had nursed it. - -The murder of Rasputin had one very clear and definite object, that of -ridding the Czar of an individual who had sullied his honour. Those who -were courageous enough to send him into eternity had nursed the hope -that once this evil influence had disappeared, the counsels of wisdom -would prevail, and Nicholas II. might be at last brought to understand -that his duty required of him to look bravely into the face of the -situation in which he had been thrown together with the Empire over -which he ruled. Until that time, no one had been able to talk seriously -with him, with hopes of being listened to. The Emperor had acquired -the habit of never giving an immediate reply to any proposition that -was submitted to him, but deferred his decisions, in order to discuss -them first with the Empress, who in her turn consulted her favourites -Sturmer and Protopopoff, who had taken to a certain extent the place -left empty by Rasputin’s disappearance. They were all of them working -together towards the conclusion of a separate peace with Germany, -because they believed that if once this were achieved they would be -able to recall the army from the front, and to use it against the Duma -and the nation, establishing with its help upon a sounder and firmer -base their own power and might. None among them gave a thought to the -possibility that the troops might practise with the people, and work -together with it towards the downfall of the government and of the -dynasty. - -This desire of the Empress to bring about, no matter at what cost, -the ending of the war, was suspected by a good many people. A few -officers in possession of important commands had an inkling of it, -and the leaders of the labour party had also heard about it. The last -named, who had worked more than any other class of the nation for the -continuation of the struggle in the material sense of the word, and who -wanted to avenge their sons fallen before the enemy, became anxious -at the possibility of such a peace being concluded; and very distinct -threats were uttered not only in Petrograd, but all over Russia, -against the Ministers, the Emperor, and especially the Empress. This -explains, apart from other reasons, why the murder of Rasputin was -hailed with such joy. One hoped that his removal would put an end to -a state of things out of which could only result disaster, shame and -misfortune. - -Unfortunately things turned out quite differently. Alexandra Feodorovna -declared that she considered it her duty to go on doing exactly what -her dead and gone friend had advised her to do, and the partisans of a -separate peace with Germany found in her a more solid protection than -the one they had enjoyed before. She pursued unmercifully all those -who had tried to open the eyes of the Emperor, and the first thing she -did, after having seen the Grand Duke Dmitry sent to Persia and Prince -Youssoupoff exiled, was to cause the Czar to write to the Grand Duke -Nicholas Michaylovitsch, who had addressed to him the letter which had -incensed her so terribly, and command him to leave Petrograd and repair -for two months to an estate which he owned in the South of Russia, in -the government of Kherson. This order was brought to the Grand Duke -by an Imperial messenger, on the last day of the year 1916, at half -past eleven o’clock at night. It was written entirely in the Emperor’s -hand, and was couched in the following terms: “I command you to start -at once for Grouchevka, and to remain there two months. Nicholas.” But -there was added a postscript that had been probably written without the -Empress’s knowledge, under the vague feeling of remorse for such an -unjustifiable action, and which said: “I beg you to do what I ask you.” -Other Grand Dukes attempted in their turn to shake the influence of -Alexandra Feodorovna, and to point out to the Czar the peril which it -represented for the dynasty. Many angry scenes took place at Tsarskoie -Selo, between them and the master of this Imperial place, but they -all led to nothing, and when the wife of the Grand Duke Cyril, the -Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, sought the Sovereign on her own -initiative, and tried to make him realise the great unpopularity of -his consort, Nicholas II. interrupted her with the exclamation: “What -has Alice got to do with politics? She is only a sister of mercy, and -nothing else. And in regard to her so-called unpopularity, what you say -is not exact.” - -He then proceeded to show his cousin any amount of letters emanating -from wounded soldiers, who thanked the Empress for the care which she -had taken of them, letters of which not a single one was genuine, -and which had been manufactured at the instigation of Sturmer and -Protopopoff. The truth of the matter was that the wounded and sick -in the different hospitals visited by Alexandra Feodorovna, did not -at all harbour kind feelings in regard to her, as they reproached -her with giving all her care and attention to the German prisoners, -to the detriment of her own soldiers. And among other stories which -were related concerning those visits of hers, there was one which had -obtained a wide circulation. It was related that one day the Empress, -talking to a wounded officer who had been brought to her own hospital -at Tsarskoie Selo, had asked him the name of the German regiment -against which he had been fighting. The officer had replied that it was -a Hessian regiment, upon which Alexandra Feodorovna had turned her back -upon him, and had left the room in a violent rage which she had not -even tried to control or to dissimulate. - -The Grand Duchess Victoria was not discouraged by the manner in -which her disclosures had been received by Nicholas II., and she had -attempted to discuss the subject with the Empress, but the latter, at -her first words, had stopped her with the remark: “The people whom you -advise us to take into our confidence, are the enemies of the dynasty. -I have been for twenty-two years upon the throne, and I know Russia -well. We are beloved by the nation, and no one will ever dare raise -his hand against us. All this opposition about which you are talking -proceeds from a few aristocratic bridge players, and is devoid of any -importance.” After this, there was nothing to be done but to allow -events to take their course, and to proceed. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -MEETING ADDRESSED BY NIKOLAI LENINE IN FRONT OF WINTER PALACE, -PETROGRAD] - -They were to develop far quicker than one could have imagined. The -army had begun to discuss the position, and to comment upon it. Every -one who had watched the march of affairs during the last months, felt -that something was going to happen, but no one knew what it would be, -or wished even to know it, so general was the discouragement that had -taken hold of the public mind. There was, however, one factor left, -which towered over the whole of the situation; that was the sincere -desire on the part of the different political parties to try and keep -back as long as possible a crisis which was recognised to have become -inevitable, but which no one wished to see hastened. This feeling was -such a general one that a member of the Duma, who for family reasons -had come for a few days to Stockholm where I was residing at the time -just before the Revolution, told me that no one had been more surprised -than he when the news had reached him that it had broken out, because, -though he had been convinced it was going to produce itself, yet he -had never believed that it could take place so soon. - -Whilst this fearful storm was brooding on the horizon and getting -nearer and nearer to him with each day that passed, Nicholas II. -refused to listen to the thunder which was already resounding close -to his ears, and was getting more and more determined to persist in -the fatal resolution of holding his own against the tempest, and if -necessary of using force in order to conjure and to subdue it. If ever -the old Latin proverb, “Quod Deus vult perdere, prius dementat,” has -ever been realised, it was in the case of this unfortunate Sovereign, -who had fallen into the hands of an ambitious, cold woman, devoid -of intelligence and of scruples, and incapable of appreciating the -character of the people over whom she had been called upon to reign, -and of whom she had been unable to conquer either the esteem, the -respect or the affection, during the quarter of a century that she had -lived in its midst. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -This discredited Monarch, and his hated and despised Empress, by -whom were they surrounded during those eventful days which preceded -their fall? Who were the people whom they trusted, and on whom they -relied? Whom do we see advising them? Only a handful of flatterers, -of sycophants, always ready to turn against him and to betray them at -the first opportunity, together with Ministers devoid of any political -sense, and without any knowledge or comprehension of the position -into which the country had been allowed to drift; without any courage -or energy, incapable of imposing themselves or their opinions upon -the masses, and of convincing them of the soundness of their views; -incapable even of subduing these masses by the use of sheer force. -Apart from these flatterers and these weak advisers, whom could -Nicholas II. and his Consort trust and believe in? Whom had they got -beside them? A discontented army, that was too thoroughly weary of -seeing itself neglected and passed over like a negligible quantity, -whilst it was fighting for dear life on the frontiers, and who had lost -all wish to go on with what appeared to it to have become a hopeless -struggle; a few functionaries who cared for nothing but their own -advantage or advancement; a handful of adventurers in quest of places, -influence and riches, especially of the latter; a police always ready -to listen to every kind of low denunciation; that had abused its power, -that had destroyed, thanks to its criminal activity, every sense of -personal security in the nation, and that prosecuted only those who -did not pay it sufficiently to leave them alone. Blackmailers, spies, -and valets; this was all that was left to the Czar of All the Russias, -to watch over him. They were the only people on whom he could rely, -and even they would only remain faithful to him as long as the supreme -power would remain, at least nominally, in his hands. His family, as -we have seen, detested the Empress, and was ready and prepared to side -against him on the first notice of his downfall, which it effectively -did. What was left in Petrograd of aristocracy had withdrawn itself -from him, lamenting over evils which it knew itself powerless to allay, -and had come to the sad conclusion that the further it kept from -Tsarskoie Selo the better it would be for everybody. The Emperor stood -alone, forsaken by all those who under different circumstances would -have considered themselves but too honoured to die for him, let alone -defend him against his foes. Alexandra Feodorovna had created a desert -around her husband, and, thanks to her, there was hardly a Russian left -in the world who did not for some reason or other curse the Sovereign -whom Providence had destined to become in all human probability the -last of the Romanoff’s crowned in Moscow. Nicholas II. imagined that -he could rely on the devotion and the loyalty of his army. He forgot -that this army was no longer the one that had acclaimed him with such -enthusiasm at the beginning of the war. Most of the officers who had -been in command of it at the time had fallen on some battle field or -other; the soldiers too had disappeared, and the young recruits who had -taken their place had been reared in different ideas, and were ignorant -of the old discipline which had inspired the former regiments whose -original contingents had been slain. The army had become a national -one from the Imperialist it had been before; it was composed of the -same elements of discontented minds who before they had been called -to the colours had freely discussed the conditions under which the -war was being fought, and who had noticed better than it would have -been possible for them to do at the front, the mistakes of those in -command, the remorseless dilapidation of the Public Exchequer which was -going on everywhere, together with all the faults and the carelessness -that had brought about all the disasters which had fallen upon the -nation. This army could no longer nurse, in regard to the Czar, the -veneration and almost religious respect which had animated it in -earlier days. It had perceived at last that he was not at the height -of the duties and responsibilities which had devolved upon him, and as -a natural consequence of the fall of the scales from its eyes it had -sided against him, together with the Duma, from which it was hoping -and expecting the salvation which its masters of the present hour were -unable to procure for it. - -But whilst the whole of Russia was aware of this state of things, -Nicholas II. alone refused to see it. He felt afraid of appearing as -the weak man that he really was; he refused all the urgent entreaties -which were addressed to him, to appeal to his people, and to appoint -a popular and responsible Ministry, capable once he had called it to -power of requiring from him the fulfilment of his former promises, -which he had determined beforehand never to keep. He threw himself from -right to left, and from left to right, in quest of councillors after -his own heart, or rather after the heart of the Empress, because it was -she who finally decided everything; and he changed his Ministers with -a facility which was the more deplorable that those of the morrow did -not differ from the ones whom he had dismissed the day before, until at -last, thanks to his irresolution and to his obstinacy, he contrived to -discredit, not only in Russia, but also abroad and among his Allies, -the government of which he was the head, together with his own person -and the great Imperial might which he personified. At last even the -extreme conservative parties, who until then had been on his side, -joined the ranks of his enemies, and this defection of theirs made the -disaster an irremediable one, and the fatal catastrophe inevitable. - -England at this moment made an effort to save the Czar, together with -his dynasty. Lord Milner, who had repaired to Petrograd to attend the -conference of the Allies which was being held there, tried to open -the eyes of Nicholas II. as to the dangers which surrounded him, and -to persuade him to grant at last a constitutional government to his -people, and to entrust the interests of the country to a Cabinet in -possession of its confidence. His representations proved absolutely -useless. The Emperor replied to him that if the troubled state of -public opinion persisted, he would establish a military dictature. He -forgot in saying so that in order to carry an attempt of the kind it -is indispensable to have at one’s hand a man strong enough to accept -the responsibility of such a post, and an army faithful and loyal -enough to back him up. Protopopoff, whom the Empress consulted as to -the wisdom of the decision which Lord Milner had implored the Czar to -take, declared that he thought it would be an extremely dangerous one -to adopt, and that the only thing which could and ought to be done, -in the present circumstances, was to resort to rigorous measures; to -prorogue the Duma and the Council of State; and to repress without -the least mercy every demonstration against the government. He added -that he was quite ready to assume the responsibility of the repression -which he advised, and if the necessity for doing so presented itself, -to give orders to the police to fire on the crowds. At the same time -he inundated the capital, and even the provinces, with a whole army of -spies, whose only occupation consisted in denouncing to him all the -people who did not pay them sufficiently well to leave them alone. A -kind of committee of public safety, such as had existed in France at -the time of the Terror, became, thanks to Mr. Protopopoff, the sole -master of the Russian Empire, and it disposed, according to its fancy, -of the existence as well as of the property and liberty of the most -peaceful citizens. During one night, fifty workmen belonging to the -group that was sitting in the industrial war committee, entrusted with -the fabrication of ammunitions, as representatives of the labour party, -were arrested, without any other apparent reason than the fact that -they had allowed themselves to discuss in public the debates which had -taken place in the Duma, and had been overheard by some spy or other. - -This Assembly had met on the 27th of February, 1917, as had already -been settled before the resignation of Mr. Sturmer, and the appointment -of Prince Galitzyne as Prime Minister in his place. It became evident -from the very first day the Session was opened that most violent -discussions were about to take place, and that the government -would never be able to command a majority, because even the ultra -Conservatives who had backed it up before had forsaken it. One more -reason for discontent with it had arisen: the almost total lack of food -in Petrograd, where, thanks to the mismanagement of the railways and -the lack of tracks, no provisions of any kind could arrive. Riots of -a more or less serious character took place in different quarters of -the town; the population clamoured for bread, and broke the windows -in the bakers’ and butchers’ shops, wherever it could do so. This -was one more complication added to all those already existing. The -Duma thought it indispensable to make an energetic manifestation of -its want of confidence in the government’s power to grapple with the -difficulties of the situation. The parties composing the moderate left, -together with the Cadets that had recently united themselves into one -group denominated the “Bloc,” declared by the mouth of their leader, -Mr. Chidlovsky, that it was indispensable to call together a Cabinet -comprising really national elements, in possession of the confidence -of the country as well as that of the Sovereign, because the one in -existence was entirely discredited, even among its former supporters. -During the debates which followed upon this motion, the socialist -deputies, among others Mr. Tcheidze, expressed themselves in most -violent terms, and said, among other things, that the government then -in power would never understand the wishes or the needs of the nation, -or become reconciled with it, and that between it and the country there -existed an abyss which nothing in the world could ever fill. It had -against it the whole of Russia, and it had done nothing and was doing -nothing to smooth over the difficulties which it had itself created, -and for which it was alone responsible. And Mr. Tcheidze concluded his -speech by expressing his conviction that a compromise was no longer -possible, and that only a great national movement of revolt could -overturn the Cabinet and replace it by another one better able to -understand the needs of the country and of the army. - -One of the leaders of the extreme right who, up to that time, -had been famous for his reactionary opinions and sympathies, Mr. -Pourichkievitsch, went even further than his socialist colleague, -and proceeded to sketch the character of Mr. Protopopoff, accusing -him of spending his time in suspecting everybody (the zemstvos, the -aristocracy, the Duma, and even the Council of State) of conspiracies -against his person, and of meditating the suppression of these two -institutions within a short time. Mr. Pourichkievitsch added that in -what concerned the Duma he was personally convinced that it would -prefer a dissolution to the alternative of a blind submission to a -tyrant like the Minister of the Interior, and of keeping silent when it -knew that the Fatherland was in danger. - -Another speaker of great talent, Mr Efremoff, said that he had come -with great regret to the conclusion that all means at the disposal of -a parliamentary assembly to fight the government had been exhausted, -and that the whole country was a prey to deep dissatisfaction with the -existing order of things. It was high time, he added, that the system -which had ruled Russia for such a long time should give way before a -responsible cabinet, the constitution of which was claimed imperatively -by public opinion. It was only such a cabinet that would be able to -encourage the country to go on with the struggle in which it found -itself engaged, against a foe who had obtained so many advantages over -it, thanks to the mistakes and to the crimes of the administration -represented by Mr. Protopopoff, and by his friends. - -But it was the leader of the Cadets, Mr. Miliukoff, the greatest -statesman that Russia possesses at the present moment, who dealt the -last blow to the Ministry, thanks to the acerb criticisms which he -addressed to the Sovereign and to the latter’s advisers, and to his -indignant protest against the arbitrary imprisonment of the delegates -of the workmen of Petrograd, who had been chosen by them to represent -their interests in the industrial war commission. The vice president -of this commission, Mr. Konovaloff, joined him in this protest, whilst -another deputy belonging to the extreme left, whose name was to become -famous very soon, Mr. Kerensky, in language of a violence such as had -never been heard before in the Duma, prophesied that the time would -soon come when this Duma would find itself compelled to fight for its -rights and for the liberty of the nation, and would adopt decisive -measures to put an end to the danger which was threatening the great -work of the national defence, if it was allowed to remain in the hands -and under the control of people who had so badly understood its claims -and its necessities. - -After these debates, during which had been voted by an immense majority -the immediate release of the arrested workmen, Mr. Protopopoff rushed -to Tsarskoie Selo, the metropolitan Pitirim, and Mr. Sturmer (who had -remained a persona grata at Court, notwithstanding the fact that he -had been compelled to resign his former functions of Prime Minister) -accompanied him. A conference took place between them and the Empress, -towards the close of which Nicholas II. was asked to come in and -to listen to the decisions that had been arrived at, which he was -requested to sanction. This conference decided that the negotiations -already engaged with Germany in view of the conclusion of a separate -peace should be hastened; that the Duma should be prorogued for an -indefinite period of time, and the police armed with machine guns, in -order to be able to crush at once, by a display of its forces, every -popular manifestation that might be attempted in favour of a change of -government, should such manifestation take place in the capital. - -Here I am touching in this short sketch of the Russian Revolution -upon a point which is still dark, the point concerning this separate -peace with Germany, about which there arose at that time so much -talk in Petrograd. The idea of a step of that kind, which would have -constituted an arrant treason in regard to the Allies of Russia, had -been conceived first in the brain of Mr. Sturmer, to whom most probably -it had been suggested by his confidential friend and secretary, Mr. -Manassevitsch-Maniuloff, about whom I have already spoken in the first -part of this book, and who, after the murder of Rasputin, had been -finally brought to trial and sentenced to eighteen months hard labour -for blackmail. He had always been in the employ of Germany, and he -had spoken to his patron of the necessity for putting an end to a war -which, if it went on much longer, might endanger the very existence of -the dynasty. Mr. Sturmer had also sympathies for the “Vaterland,” and -he was but too glad to act according to the hints which were given to -him by a man in whom he had every confidence. He found an unexpected -ally in Rasputin, who in his turn induced the Empress through Madame -Vyroubieva to rally herself to his opinion, which was a relatively easy -thing to do, considering the fact that she had been already, of her -own accord, working towards a reconciliation between the Romanoffs and -the Hohenzollerns, the only people whom she thought of any consequence -in the whole affair. The difficulty consisted, however, in finding -a person willing and disposed to act as intermediary in so grave a -matter. Rasputin knew Protopopoff, discussed the subject with him, and -found him quite ready to enter into the views which he expounded to -him. - -At that time Mr. Protopopoff was vice president of the Duma. No -one knew exactly how he had contrived to secure his election as -such, considering his reputation of reactionary and especially of -opportunist. He had, however, succeeded in getting himself appointed, -and the fact that he held this position gave him a certain weight and -prestige abroad. He was given very precise instructions as to what he -was to do, and started with several of his colleagues of the Duma for -England, under the pretext of returning the visit which some members -of the English House of Commons had paid to Petrograd a few months -earlier. On his way back, he stopped at Stockholm as I have already -related, conferred there with an agent of the German Foreign Office -called Mr. Warburg, and settled with him the conditions under which an -eventual peace could be concluded. After this Protopopoff returned to -Russia, where, however, the story of his Swedish intrigues had already -become known so that he was awarded a very poor welcome by his friends. -People believed then that his political career had come to an end, -when, just at this juncture, the most important post in the Russian -Empire, that of Minister of the Interior, became vacant, thanks to the -dismissal of Mr. Chvostoff who had tried to get rid of Rasputin with -the help of the monk Illiodore, and, to the general stupefaction of the -world, the place was offered to Mr. Protopopoff by the Empress herself. - -By that time one had become used in Russia to every possible surprise -in regard to the appointment of Ministers, and nothing that could -happen in that line astonished those (and they were legion) who knew -that it was a gang of adventurers that was ruling the country. The rise -of Mr. Protopopoff was not therefore considered by them as something -out of the way, but in parliamentary circles it gave rise to deep -indignation; an indignation which eventually found its way into the -press, where, however, it was very quickly suppressed by the censor, -and also in the various speeches uttered in the Duma, during which -allusions were made for the first time to the unhealthy influence -exercised by the Empress over her husband. - -The former was triumphant. As soon as she became aware of the -conditions under which the German government would consent to conclude -peace with Russia, she set herself, in conjunction with her friends, -to try to persuade Nicholas II. that his duty in regard to his people -required him to put an end to a hopeless conflict during which the best -blood in Russia was being spilt for a cause doomed beforehand. She made -him observe that if the war went on much longer, the revolutionary -elements in the country would wax stronger, in proportion to the -sacrifices entailed upon the nation, and that it was quite possible, -the latter, exasperated by their magnitude, would attempt to get -rid of a government that had not succeeded in restoring to it the -tranquillity which it so sorely needed. It did not take her a long -time to convert the Czar to her point of view, and the negotiations -officiously inaugurated by Mr. Protopopoff were officially continued by -him together with Mr. Sturmer, whom Alexandra Feodorovna personally -entreated to assume their direction in conjunction with her own self. - -In spite of the extreme secrecy which had presided at these different -conferences between the Empress and her favourites, something of their -purport had transpired among the general public, and threats had been -proferred against those who had accepted to play the sad part of Judas -in regard to their country. These threats had been whispered in the -corridors of the Duma, and Mr. Protopopoff had been informed of their -purport by his spies. It became therefore one of his principal aims -to get rid of an opposition which, he knew but too well, would only -increase in violence as well as in importance as the sorry work he was -bent upon performing would come out in the light of day and become -known to his numerous adversaries. Apart from this, he thought it -would be better to present himself later on before the Duma with an -accomplished fact behind him. He therefore persuaded the Empress that -whilst he would be pressing with the utmost speed the negotiations -with the Kaiser, begun already, it would be advisable to bring from -the front a considerable number of troops to Petrograd, so as to be -able with their help to crush any effort at resistance attempted either -by the population of the capital or by its garrison, about whose -state of mind the minister did not feel quite sure. The Cabinet was -so badly informed, in spite of its numerous spies, of what was going -on in the army that it imagined the latter would only feel grateful -and happy to see the campaign come to an end and be able to go back -to its homes, and that in consequence it would lend itself with the -greatest pleasure to any attempt made by the Monarch and the government -to put an end to a struggle for which it did not feel any longer any -enthusiasm at heart. - -The men who reasoned thus were absolutely mistaken. The army had made -up its mind to win the war; the workmen whose importance was increasing -with every day that went by, also wished it, because they hoped that -out of this victory they were longing for might result a radical change -in the form of the administration they had begun to despise more and -more as its incapacity became more and more apparent. The person of -the Czar did not inspire respect or enthusiasm any longer, but on the -other hand love for the Fatherland had made considerable progress -since the beginning of the war, and the national sentiment which, up -to that time, had only existed in the state of an Utopia had become a -reality, especially since one had perceived the great strength which it -had communicated to Russia’s allies, to France among others, where the -Republic, which many people were already seeing loom in the distance as -a possibility in the land of the Czars, had inspired so much patriotism -to its citizens. - -Neither Mr. Sturmer, nor Mr. Protopopoff, nor those who shared their -opinions and their views, were able to understand what was going on -in the heart and in the soul of the Russian nation. They were far -too much absorbed in their own petty, personal interests, to be able -to give a thought to such a subject. For them the conclusion of a -peace with Germany meant the strengthening of their influence and of -their power, together with honours, dignities, and the possibility -to enrich themselves, and to have a few more stars attached to the -golden embroideries of their uniforms. It meant also the possibility -of getting rid once for all of this spectre of a responsible ministry, -of which they stood in such dread. They therefore threw themselves in -the struggle against the Duma with an ardour that grew as they saw the -increasing difficulties with which the accomplishment of their designs -was going to encounter in that Assembly, and, as a first step in the -course of action they had determined to follow, they submitted to the -signature of Nicholas II. the fatal decree which prorogued the Duma -together with the Council of State, and which was to give the signal -for the conflagration of which they were to become themselves the first -victims. - -Traitors are always to be found in hours of great national peril. Among -the people who resided in the palace of Tsarskoie Selo, there was a -person who, becoming acquainted by chance of what was going on there, -rushed to communicate the news which he had heard to Mr. Kerensky, the -leader of the extreme left party in the Duma. The latter did not lose -one moment in communicating to his colleague the news which had come to -his knowledge, and also to the president of the Assembly, Mr. Rodzianko. - -[Illustration: - - _Photograph, International Film Service, Inc._ - -ALEXANDER KERENSKY] - -Mr. Rodzianko was about the last man whom one would have suspected of -being possessed of the necessary determination to resort to a “Coup -d’Etat.” He was a Chamberlain of the Czar; he had been brought up in -monarchical traditions, and during his whole life he had submitted -to the one which, in Russia, placed the Sovereign in the light of -something holy and sacred before his subjects. He was respected but -did not enjoy an immense authority in the Chamber that had never -taken quite kindly to him, not thinking him possessed of sufficient -courage to fight its battles with efficiency. It is probable that -he felt terrified rather than anything else, at the prospect which -the communication of Mr. Kerensky opened before him, but things -had advanced too far for him to be able to withdraw. There was no -alternative left but to perish oneself, or to destroy others. Mr. -Rodzianko called together a meeting of several deputies belonging to -the moderate parties, with whom he discussed the situation. They very -quickly came to the conclusion that if one entered into a struggle -with the government in this all important question of war and peace, -one would be backed up by the whole country, which did not wish to see -the war come to an end until the enemy had been driven out of Russian -territory. There was also another thing which added itself to all the -different questions roused by the discovery of the intentions of the -Court. It was the determination of the radical groups of the Duma to -proceed to the “Coup d’Etat” on their own accord, and no matter under -what conditions, with or without the help of the moderate elements -in the Assembly. This might have become extremely dangerous, as they -had behind them the whole mass of the working population of the -capital. The question had therefore to be considered as to whether -the Revolution was to be made with the concurrence of all the parties -represented in the Duma, or by the radical socialists alone, who, -in the latter case, would have become the absolute masters of the -situation, and might have pressed for the immediate proclamation of -a Republic which could easily have degenerated into an anarchy, and -which in the best of cases would have lacked the necessary dignity, -capable of giving it prestige and authority at home and abroad. Mr. -Rodzianko found himself placed in the presence of a dilemma of a most -difficult kind and nature. He took the only decision possible under the -circumstances, he boldly placed himself at the head of the movement -and constituted a provisional government, in place of the one that had -foundered under the weight of the contempt of the whole nation. - -The first thing that was done by the Duma was to refuse to disperse and -to resist the ukaze of the Czar that had prorogued its debates for an -indefinite time. The socialist deputies went about trying to get the -population of Petrograd to join in the vast movement of revolt they -meant to bring about. The latter was but too willing to do so, and the -want of provisions was the pretext which the people took to organise -vast meetings, and a strike in all the factories. Great masses of men -and women paraded the streets, and were dispersed by a formidable -police force which had been assembled by Mr. Protopopoff and armed with -machine guns that were used against the crowds, whenever these did not -obey immediately the injunctions to disperse given to them by special -constables and Cossacks gathered together in all the principal streets -and squares of the capital. The regular troops had been consigned in -their barracks and ordered to keep themselves ready to lend a hand -to the police. But the unexpected happened. The soldiers had been -worked upon by delegates from the workmen, and they declared that they -would not obey orders, should any be given to them, to fire upon the -populace assembled in the streets. The latter seemed quite sure of -impunity, because notwithstanding the preparations made by the police -to quell the revolutionary movement, the existence of which was already -recognised everywhere, it refused to disperse, and on the contrary -proceeded to commit the only acts of violence which were performed -during the course of the mutiny. It threw itself on the prisons where -political offenders were confined, plundered and burned them, and -liberated their inmates. A few other excesses were performed, upon -which the Duma constituted itself an executive committee, which assumed -the task of restoring order in Petrograd. - -In the meanwhile, the Czar who had been kept in total ignorance of what -was going on in the capital, had left Tsarskoie Selo for headquarters, -after having signed the prorogation of the Chambers. In his absence, -it was the Empress who was left sole mistress of the situation, and -it is to her and to Protopopoff that were due all the attempts at -repression which happily for all parties concerned were not allowed to -be executed, at least not in their entirety. - -Mr. Rodzianko telegraphed to the Czar. He informed him that the -position was getting extremely serious, that the population of -Petrograd was absolutely without any food, that riots were taking -place, and that the troops were firing at one another. He implored -the Sovereign in the interests of the dynasty to send away Protopopoff -and his crew, and he drew his notice to the fact that every hour was -precious, and that every delay might bring about a catastrophe. At the -same time he telegraphed to the principal commanders at the front, -asking them to uphold his request for a responsible government capable -of putting an end to the complete anarchy that was reigning in the -capital, an anarchy which threatened to extend itself all over the -country. The commanders replied that they would do what he asked them -to perform. Nicholas II. alone made no sign. It was related afterwards -that he had telegraphed to the Empress, asking her what she advised -him to do. But it is more likely that the telegram of the President of -the Duma was never handed to him. Mr. Rodzianko, however, sent another -despatch to headquarters which contained the following warning: “The -position is getting more and more alarming. It is indispensable to take -measures to put an end to it, or to-morrow it may be too late. This -is the last moment during which may be decided the fate of the nation -and of the dynasty.” To this message also no reply was received. The -Czar seemed unable to understand the gravity of the situation. Others -did, however, in his place, and on that same day, the 12th of March, -the troops composing the garrison of Petrograd went over to the cause -of the Revolution. They marched to the Duma in a long procession, -beginning with the Volynsky regiment, one of the crack ones in the -army, to which joined themselves almost immediately the famous -Preobragensky Guards, and they declared themselves ready to stand by -the side of the new government. The President of the Duma received -them, and declared to them that the executive committee which had been -constituted was going to appoint a provisional government; of the Czar, -there was no longer any question. It had become evident that his army -would no longer support his authority or fight for him and for his -dynasty. Soon the troops composing the garrisons of Tsarskoie Selo, -Peterhof, and Gatschina left their quarters and joined the mutineers. -The Revolution had become an accomplished fact. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, International Film Service, Inc._ - -REVOLUTIONARY CROWD IN PETROGRAD] - -The new executive committee displayed considerable patriotism at this -juncture. It might have provoked enormous enthusiasm in its favour had -it revealed what it knew concerning the peace negotiations entered into -by the Empress, but this might have given a pretext for explosions -of wrath on the part of the mob, which could easily have ended in -excesses, compromising the dignity of the Revolution. It therefore -decided to keep back from the public its knowledge on this subject, and -contented itself with arresting the ministers, and all the persons whom -it suspected of having lent themselves to this intrigue, and it simply -empowered two members of the Duma, Mr. Goutschkoff and Mr. Schoulguine, -to proceed to Pskov, where it was known that the Emperor had arrived -the day before, to ask the latter to abdicate in favour of his son. -Nicholas II. in the meanwhile had arrived at headquarters which were -then in Mohilev, and where no one seemed to know anything about what -was going on in Petrograd. None of the people about him even suspected -that a storm was brewing which would overturn in a few hours a power -which they considered far too formidable for anything to be able to -shake. The only person who was kept informed of the course which events -were taking was the head of the Staff, General Alexieieff, who had -been won over from the very first to the cause of the Revolution, and -who, if one is to believe all that one hears, played all the time a -double game. It was he who received all the telegrams addressed to -the Emperor, and who communicated them to him. The latter at last was -shaken out of his equanimity, and gave orders to prepare his train -to return to Tsarskoie Selo. He took this decision in consequence -of a message from the commander of the Palace, addressed to General -Voyeikoff the head of the Okhrana, where the latter was advised that -the presence of the Sovereign was necessary, because the troops of the -garrison in the Imperial residence had mutineed, and the safety of the -Empress and of her children was endangered. But in spite of the orders -given to press the departure of the Imperial train it somehow could not -be got ready as quickly as was generally the case, so that it was only -during the night from the 12th to the 13th of March, that it started -at last. It went the usual route as far as the station of Lichoslav, -where it was met with the news that a revolutionary government had been -formed at Petrograd which had seized the railway lines and appointed -a deputy to take them in charge. Another telegram from the military -station master of the Nicholas station in Petrograd instructed the -officials at Lichoslav to send the Imperial train to Petrograd, and not -to Tsarskoie Selo. This was communicated to General Voyeikoff, who, -however, gave directions not to heed this warning, but to proceed to -Tsarskoie Selo, as had been arranged at first. At twelve o’clock at -night the Imperial train reached Bologoie. There a railway official -informed the persons in charge of it that Tosno and Lioubane were in -possession of the troops which had mutineed against the government, and -that it might be dangerous to proceed any further. General Voyeikoff -would not listen to this advice, and the train went on to the station -of Vichera, where it had perforce to stop. The General was told that -the first train which always preceded the one in which the Sovereign -was travelling had been seized by the insurgents, and the members of -the Imperial suite who were travelling in it had been arrested and -conveyed under escort to Petrograd. - -The Czar was awakened. General Voyeikoff informed him that it was -impossible to proceed to Tsarskoie Selo, because the railway line was -in the hands of the revolutionaries. It was then decided to go to -Pskov, where commanded General Roussky, on whose fidelity the Sovereign -believed that he might rely. - -But Roussky had been won over to the cause of the Duma, notwithstanding -the fact that he had been loaded with favours by Nicholas II. When the -latter reached Pskov, where the General met him at the railway station, -the troops there had already been sworn over by their commander -in favour of the Revolution, and were quite ready to enforce its -decisions. The Czar knew nothing about this, and after a few moments’ -conversation with Roussky, who acquainted him superficially with the -spirit reigning in the army, he declared to him that he consented to -call together a responsible Cabinet chosen out of the principal leaders -of the different parties in the Duma. But the General replied that -he feared this concession came too late, and that it would no longer -satisfy the country or the army. - -On the 15th of March, Roussky succeeded in talking over the telephone -with Rodzianko, whom he informed of the details of his conversation -with Nicholas II. The president of the Duma then told him that the -former must decide to abdicate in favour of his son. They spoke for -more than two hours, and before their talk had come to an end, Roussky -had promised to do all that lay within his power, even to resort to -violence if need be, to further the views of the new government that -had taken up the supreme authority in Russia. He went then to make his -report to the Emperor, after which the latter signified his intention -to resign his throne to his little boy. The telegram announcing -this resolution, however, was not sent to Petrograd, because in the -meanwhile there had reached Pskov the news that the two delegates sent -by the Executive Committee, Mr. Goutschkoff, and Mr. Schoulguine, had -started on their way thither, in order to confer personally with the -Czar. - -At ten o’clock in the evening of that same day, the 15th of March, they -reached Pskov. Their intention had been to confer at first with General -Roussky, but an Imperial aide de camp met them on the platform, and -asked them to follow him immediately into the presence of Nicholas -II. The latter received them in his railway carriage. With him were -old Count Fredericks, the Minister of his household, and a favourite -aide de camp, General Narischkine. Nothing in the appearance of the -Emperor could have led any one to suppose that something extraordinary -was happening to him. He was as impassible as was his wont in all the -important occasions of his life, and he shook hands with the delegates -as if nothing whatever was the matter, asking them to sit down. He -motioned Goutschkoff to a chair beside him, and Schoulguine opposite. -Fredericks and Narischkine stood at some distance from the group, and -Roussky, who came in uninvited at that moment, placed himself next to -Schoulguine. - -Goutschkoff was the first one to speak. He was extremely agitated -and could only control his feelings with difficulty, keeping his -eyes riveted on the table and not daring to lift them up to the face -of the Sovereign whose crown he had come to demand. But his speech -was perfectly correct, and contained nothing that could have been -interpreted in an offensive way. He exposed the whole situation, such -as it was, and concluded by saying that the only possible manner to -come out of it would be the abdication of the Czar in favour of his -son under the regency of the former’s brother, the Grand Duke Michael -Alexandrovitsch. - -At this juncture Roussky could not restrain his impatience, and, -bending down towards Schoulguine, murmured in his ear: “This is already -quite settled.” - -When Goutschkoff had finished his speech, Nicholas II. replied in a -perfectly quiet and composed tone of voice: - -“I thought the matter over yesterday, and to-day, and I have made up my -mind to abdicate. Until three o’clock I was ready to do so in favour of -my son, but then I came to the conclusion that I could not part from -him.” - -He stopped for a few moments, then went on: - -“I hope that you will understand this,” and after another pause he -continued: - -“On that account, I have decided to abdicate in favour of my brother.” - -The delegates looked at each other, and Schoulguine remarked that they -were not prepared for this complication, and that he begged permission -to consult with his colleague. But after a short conversation they -gave up the point, as Goutschkoff remarked that he did not think they -had the right to mix themselves up in a matter where paternal feelings -and affection came into question, and that besides a regency had also -much to say against it, and was likely to lead to complications. The -Emperor seemed satisfied that the delegates had conceded the point, and -then he asked them whether they could undertake to guarantee that his -abdication would pacify the country and not lead to any disturbances. -They declared that they could do so. Upon this he got up and passed -into another compartment of his railway carriage. In about half an hour -he returned, holding in his hand a folded paper, which he handed over -to Goutschkoff, saying as he did so: “Here is my abdication, will you -read it?” After which he shook hands with the delegates and retired as -if nothing unusual had happened, perhaps not realising that with one -stroke of his pen he had changed not only his own life, but the course -of Russian history, and, in a certain sense, destroyed the work of his -glorious ancestor, Peter the Great. - -It is difficult here not to make some remark on the part played by -General Roussky in this tragedy which without his interference would -probably have taken a different course. It is impossible not to come to -the conclusion that the unfortunate Czar whom he induced to abdicate, -might have found better and more faithful servants than the people who -forsook him in the hour of his peril. Very probably Roussky believed -that he was acting in the interests of his country, which in a sense -he was also doing, because something had to be attempted in order to -stop the nefarious work of Alexandra Feodorovna, and it is certain -that her husband would never willingly have consented to be parted -from her. Killing a woman would have been disgracing oneself, together -with the Revolution which had been accomplished under such exceptional -circumstances; but still one would have preferred that the man who was -instrumental in the destruction of the Romanoff dynasty should not have -been one who wore on his epaulettes the initials of the Sovereign he -was helping to dethrone. One would have liked him to feel some pity for -the master whose hand he had kissed a few days before he presented to -him the pen with which he ordered him to sign his own degradation. In -spite of the impassibility preserved by Nicholas II. during the last -hours of his reign, it is likely that the tragedy which took place at -Pskov must have been one of the most poignant that has ever assailed -a Sovereign, who, after having reigned for twenty-two years, found -himself, in the course of a few hours, reduced to utter powerlessness -and compelled to give up of his own accord the crown which his father -had bequeathed to him, and which he had hoped to leave in his turn to -the son, whom fate and perhaps a mistaken feeling of affection had made -him despoil. He was not a bad man after all, although he had done many -a bad action; he was a tender father, and the thought of his child must -have added to the moral agony of his soul. By what means he was induced -to put his name at the bottom of the document which snatched away from -him the sceptre which he had dropped on his coronation day in Moscow, -remains still a mystery. Whether violence was used, or whether he was -persuaded by the eloquence of Roussky alone to give up the inheritance -of his race, is a thing which the future alone will reveal to us. It -is probable that he found himself compelled to come to his decision in -some way or other, and perhaps the threat to reveal the treason against -his allies in which he had participated, and which had been the work of -the Empress, was the most powerful argument which was used to oblige -him to sign his abdication. It was after all better to fall as a weak -man than to be covered with shame in the eyes of the world. He was -perhaps told to choose between degradation and dishonour, and he cannot -be blamed if he refused to resign himself to the latter. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -The abdication of Nicholas II. was but one of the acts of a drama the -end of which is awaited with anxiety not only in Russia, but in the -whole of the world. Like everything else that he had ever done, it was -not performed in time, and it was badly executed. His own selfishness, -together with that of his wife, had brought about catastrophes which it -would have been relatively easy to avoid, by displaying a small amount -of political tact, good sense, and knowledge of the real requirements -of the Russian people. If the Czar had only been able to render to -himself an account of all that was going on around him, he would in -the interest of his dynasty have given up his son to the care of the -nation, and allowed him to take his place under the regency of the -Grand Duke Michael. This would have left Russia with a Czar, and not -allowed the people to see that they could very well exist without -one, which, as events have proved, has not been a particularly lucky -experience for them. This would also have ensured to Nicholas II. his -own liberty, because it is not likely that the Grand Duke Michael -would have had his brother and sister-in-law imprisoned. But neither -the dispossessed Monarch nor Alexandra Feodorovna were characters able -to rise to any heights of unselfishness. She had not the faintest -knowledge of the duties imposed upon her by her position as Empress -of Russia, and when she was placed between the alternative of seeing -her husband dethroned, or being compelled to give up his crown to their -child, she suggested a third one; that of substituting for the latter -his uncle, because she thought it would be easier for her later on -to overturn him than an Emperor who owned her for a mother; and that -she already contemplated the eventuality of a protest on the part of -Nicholas II. against the abdication to which he had been compelled is a -fact that can hardly be denied. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -BOLSHEVIKI SAILORS BURIED AT MOSCOW] - -On the other hand the Grand Duke Michael could not have refused to act -as Regent for his nephew, though it was, in a certain sense, natural -for him to show some hesitation in accepting over the head of his -brother, and of his brother’s son, the crown of their common ancestors. -Personally the young Grand Duke did not care for power or for honours, -and the fact that he was married to a lady not belonging to any royal -house made it easier for him to resign himself to go on for the rest -of his existence living as a very rich private gentleman, which he had -done for a number of years. Pressure was also brought to bear upon -him, in the sense that he was told by persons interested in his not -accepting the throne that if the Constitutive Assembly which it was -proposed to call together, would elect him as Emperor, it would put -him later on in an easier position in regard to his nephew, the little -Grand Duke Alexis, and perhaps even allow him to secure the possession -of his empire to his own children after him. All these considerations -put together decided him not to avail himself of the immediate -opportunity which lay before him, of becoming the Czar of All the -Russias, and his proclamation on the subject may have been a wise one -from a personal point of view; it was, however, disastrous as regarded -the future fate of the dynasty, and it is doubtful now whether it will -ever be possible for a Romanoff to reign again in Russia. - -The men who had made the Revolution were but too well aware of this -fact, and they proceeded, immediately after this act of Renunciation, -to organise the government of the country on the new lines which they -hoped and wished to follow in the future. Their lead was followed -by the nation with an enthusiasm which was so intense that it is no -wonder it came to collapse so soon as was the case. Russia seemed to -have been seized with a perfect frenzy; she was like a man who after -having been unjustly imprisoned for years does not know what to make -of his newly acquired freedom. People were literally mad with joy, and -inclined to find that everything their new government wished to do was -right. Hardly a voice of discontent arose during these first weeks that -followed upon the abdication of Nicholas II., and this absolution, -which was granted beforehand to the Ministry that had taken into its -hands the direction of the affairs of the country, allowed the men at -the head of it to decide the fate of the Sovereign whom they had helped -to overthrow, in a manner perhaps different from what would have been -done under other circumstances. - -The Czar, after having parted from Mr. Goutschkoff and Mr. Schoulguine -at Pskov, and seen them leave with his abdication for Petrograd, -proceeded himself in his own special train to Mohilew, where the -headquarters of the army were established. It is not easy to understand -the reasons which induced him to do it. Perhaps he thought he would -be in greater safety among the troops that had owned him as a chief -but the day before than anywhere else. At that time he had not the -slightest inkling of the treason of General Alexieieff, and he might -have nursed the vague thought that the latter might lend himself to -another effort to subdue the revolutionary movement which had seized -hold so rapidly of the whole country. Others say that he wished to bid -good-bye to his army before returning to Tsarskoie Selo to join his -wife and family. The real motive of his determination has, however, -not been ascertained so far, though the rumours going about at the -time would have it that he had been invited to repair to headquarters -by Alexieieff, who thought that it would be easier for him to keep his -former Sovereign a prisoner there than anywhere else, until the moment -when the new government should have decided as to what was to be done -with him. That something of the kind must have been in his mind can -be deduced from the fact that from the day of the return of Nicholas -II. at Mohilew he was no longer allowed to see any of the officers -of the Staff, or those attached to headquarters, and that the only -person who visited him twice a day, as if to assure himself that he was -still there, was General Alexieieff himself, and this only for a few -minutes. It was also the general who insisted on both Count Fredericks, -formerly Minister of the Imperial household, and General Voyeikoff, -the head of the Okhrana, or personal police guard of the Czar, being -sent away from Mohilew. He explained his request by saying that these -two gentlemen were looked upon with such inimical feelings by the -garrison and officers stationed at Mohilew, that he could not answer -for their safety were they to remain near the Emperor. In consequence -of this warning both of them left for Petrograd, but on their way -thither were arrested, and conveyed under escort to the fortress of -St. Peter and St. Paul, from whence Count Fredericks in view of his -advanced age (he is over eighty), and of the precarious state of his -health, was transferred to the Evangelical hospital. General Voyeikoff -having been invited to tear off the initials of Nicholas II. from his -epaulettes, proudly refused to do so, and declared that he had rather -take off these epaulettes altogether. He was the only one who did not -consent to submit to the orders of the government in that respect, all -the other members of Nicholas II.’s military household having shown -themselves but too eager to do it, General Roussky divesting himself -of his aiguillettes five minutes after the Emperor had handed over his -abdication to the Delegates sent by the Duma to require it from him. - -The unfortunate Monarch returned to Mohilew from Pskov on the 17th -of March. On the next day arrived there by special train his mother, -the Dowager Empress Marie, who, upon hearing of the misfortunes that -had befallen her son, had hastened to his side. Their relations had -been more than strained for a long time, thanks to the intrigues of -the Empress Alexandra, but in those moments of agony the mother’s -heart forgot aught else save that her child was in trouble, and she -rushed to him to try at least to help him by her presence to bear it. -Nicholas II. felt the nobility of this conduct, and the few days which -he spent with Marie Feodorovna did away with much of the bitterness -that had presided at their intercourse with each other for some time. -But what they must have been for the widowed Empress it would be hardly -possible to imagine. She understood but too well, if he did not, the -perils which awaited her son in the future, and the contrast which his -reign had presented with that of his father must have filled her soul -with agony and distress. Fate proved itself indeed hard for this noble -woman, because it inflicted upon her that last, supreme sorrow, of -seeing, before her train carried her back to this town of Kieff which -she had made her home for the last two years, Nicholas II. taken away a -captive to that palace that was to know him no longer for its master. - -If one is to believe all that one hears, it seems that it was General -Alexieieff, together with General Roussky and a few socialist leaders, -who insisted on the provisional government ordering the arrest of the -former Czar and of his Consort. They represented to Mr. Miliukoff and -to his colleagues, that it would be the height of imprudence to allow -the Empress to remain at liberty and able to go on intriguing, as was -her wont, against the new administration. On the other hand sending the -Imperial family immediately abroad had also its inconveniences, because -their presence in Denmark or in England would only have been a cause of -embarrassment to the Allies. Then again, the hatred of the population -of Petrograd for Alexandra Feodorovna had reached such immense -proportions that it was feared it would give way to excesses against -her, and even attempts to murder her, if some kind of satisfaction -were not given to its incensed feelings in respect to a woman who was -considered everywhere in the light of the worst of traitors. For this -reason or for another, it is not quite clear, but most likely because -of the representations made by Roussky and by Alexieieff, the Executive -Committee of the Duma, which was then the highest authority in Russia, -decided to arrest Nicholas II. together with his Consort. - -Four members of the Duma, Messrs. Boublikoff, Gribounine, Verschinine -and Kalinine, were commanded to repair to Mohilew, and to signify to -the ex-Emperor the decision of the government. It seems that what had -hastened it had been the discovery of a correspondence between the -Empress and Protopopoff, which the latter, in abject fear for his -life, had himself given up to the Duma, hoping that he would thus be -able to drive away from his own person the responsibility for the -conspiracy which had been going on at Tsarskoie Selo, under the plea -that he had been compelled to obey the orders which had been given to -him. Apart from this correspondence, other things had come to light; -amongst others the part that a Thibetan doctor, who had been a friend -of Rasputin, and whom Madame Vyroubieva had introduced to the Empress, -had played in the private life of the Imperial pair. It seems that he -had given to Alexandra Feodorovna certain drinks and drugs, which, -unknown to him, she had administered to Nicholas II., with the result -that the latter had been completely stupefied, and had become a tool -in the hands of his enterprising wife. The fact sounds incredible, -and I would not have mentioned it here had it not been that young -Prince Youssoupoff, one of those who had executed Rasputin, publicly -spoke about it during an interview which after his return to Petrograd -from the exile whither he had been sent by the Czar, he awarded to -a correspondent of the Vovoie Vremia, where the account of it was -published. Both these incidents gave a free hand to those who, from the -very first day of the Revolution, had insisted upon the Empress being -put under restraint, and once this measure was adopted, it was hardly -possible not to extend it also to Nicholas II. - -The Commissioners started on March 20th for Mohilew. General Alexieieff -had been privately informed as to the reason of their arriving there, -and, unknown to others, gave orders for the Emperor’s train to be -prepared to carry him away at a moment’s notice. At four o’clock of the -afternoon of March 21st, the Commissioners reached their destination, -and they sent at once for the General, with whom they held a conference -of about twenty minutes. He assured them that he had already made full -preparation for the departure of the Monarch. They asked him for a list -of the people in attendance on the latter, and noticing thereon the -name of Admiral Niloff, who was considered to be one of the staunchest -supporters of the Empress, they said at once that he could not travel -in the Imperial train, and sent for him to acquaint him with the fact. -Niloff asked only if he was to consider himself as being under arrest, -but the commissioners assured him that they had received no orders to -that effect. - -Whilst this was going on, Nicholas II. was lunching with his mother in -the latter’s special train, which all the time of her stay in Mohilew -had remained at the station, and which she had not left during these -days. General Alexieieff was the one who took it upon himself to tell -the Czar that he had been made a prisoner. He boarded the train of the -Empress, pushed himself most unceremoniously into the carriage where -she was sitting with her son, and acquainted the latter with his fate. -Neither the deposed Sovereign nor the widowed Empress said a word. -She simply got up and went to the window. She saw a crowd of people -standing around her train, and the one that was about to carry away her -son, then she turned back, and folded him in one long embrace. Speech -was impossible to either of them and Marie Feodorovna remained tearless -all through this tragedy. - -On the platform were standing several officers who had formerly been -attached to the person of the Emperor, whilst he had been in command of -the army. They were waiting to say good-bye to their former chief. A -guard, no longer of honour alas! was also standing at the door of the -railway compartment assigned to him, who a few days before had been the -Czar of All the Russias, together with the commissioners of the Duma, -into whose hands Alexieieff delivered his prisoner. Nicholas II. passed -on from his mother’s train to his own. Every head was uncovered; he -spoke to no one, and no one spoke. A silence akin to that of the grave -prevailed. Standing at the window of her carriage could be seen the -figure of the Empress Marie watching this sad departure. A few minutes -later the train started on its mournful journey. Another act in this -drama had come to an end. - -Whilst this was going on at Mohilew, the officer in command of the -garrison of Petrograd, General Korniloff, had repaired to Tsarskoie -Selo. From the station he telephoned to Count Benckendorff, the head -of the Imperial household, asking him when he could see the Empress. -The Count asked him to wait a few minutes at the instrument, and then -told him that Alexandra Feodorovna would be ready to receive him in -half an hour. At the appointed time the General was introduced into the -presence of the Sovereign who entered the room dressed in deep black, -but as haughty as ever, and asked him in ironical tones to what she was -indebted for the honour of his visit. Korniloff got up, and briefly -communicated to her the decision of the government in respect to her -person, and warned her that the Palace would be strictly watched, and -all communications between her and the outside world forbidden. The -Empress then enquired whether her personal servants and those of her -children would be left to her, and after having been reassured as to -that point, she withdrew as impassible as ever, though strong hysterics -seized her as soon as she was once more alone in her private apartments. - -The guard in charge of the Palace was changed; the telephone and -private post and telegraph office were taken over by a staff which -General Korniloff had brought over with him from Petrograd, and the -Empress was informed that she could not leave her rooms, even for a -walk, without the permission of the officer in charge of the troops -quartered in the Imperial residence. Though no orders had been issued -in regard to her personal attendants, yet the proud Princess was to -find that most of them had left her of their own accord. Her children -were all ill with a severe attack of measles, but this did not prevent -the salaried domestics who up to that moment had been so happy and -eager to be allowed the privilege of serving her, deserting her in the -hour of her need. The few friends she thought she could rely upon were -in prison. She was alone, all alone; and so she was to remain until the -end. The devotion with which Marie Antoinette was surrounded during the -tragedy of her existence was not known by Alexandra Feodorovna in the -drama of her life. She had made far too many enemies during the time -of her splendour and prosperity to find any one willing to cheer and -comfort her in the hour of her misfortune. - -And the next day her husband was brought back to that Palace of -Tsarskoie Selo they had both liked so much, brought back a prisoner to -find her captive. What did she think when she saw him again? Did she -realise at last all the evil which she had done, all the misery, which, -thanks to her influence, had overtaken the Emperor whose crown she had -shared? How did she feel in presence of this catastrophe, of this wreck -of all her ambitions, plans and hopes? Outwardly she made no sign that -she understood the full significance of the events that had swallowed -her up in their depths, together with her pride and haughtiness. She -only manifested some emotion when told that the body of Rasputin had -been exhumed and burned publicly by exasperated crowds. Otherwise she -remained silent and if not resigned at least disdainful, even when she -was subjected to a close interrogation by General Korniloff, who was -deputed to examine her as to certain points in the correspondence which -Mr. Protopopoff had surrendered to the Duma. She denied to every one -the right to question her; she proudly refused to reply to the demands -addressed to her, and it was only when she was alone in her rooms that -she used to give way to terrible fits of despair at the loss of that -grandeur by which her head had been turned. Her children were so ill -that they could not even be told of the change that had taken place in -their existences and destinies. Her husband was too much crushed by the -weight of all the calamities which had fallen upon him to be able to -comfort her in any way. Her friends had left her, her attendants had -forsaken her, her family had abandoned her.... And it was thus, amidst -the stillness of sorrow and of anxiety, that the curtain was to fall -upon the tragedy of Nicholas II. and of Alexandra Feodorovna, or at -least upon one of its principal acts.... - - - - -PART III - -THE RIDDLE OF THE FUTURE - - - - -CONCLUSION - - -More than one year has gone by since the events narrated in this book, -and it is possible now to throw a retrospective glance on them, as well -as on all the tragedies that have followed the fall of the Romanoffs. -It has been proved beyond doubt that it is not sufficient to destroy -a political system and to overturn a monarchy. These must be replaced -by something else, and it is this something else which Russia has been -vainly looking for during the last twelve months. After the abdication -of Nicholas II., successors had to be found to take up the power which -had been snatched out of his hands owing to the clamours of public -indignation at his weakness of character and want of comprehension of -the needs of his people. These successors, who were taken here and -there in the hazards of an adventure brought about by the intrigues -of a few and by the cowardice of many, who were they? What did they -represent? And what elements of strength did they possess? They were -called upon to take the direction of the destinies of their Fatherland -in an hour of national crisis, such as it had never known before in -the whole course of its history, and to try to save a situation which -had become already so entangled that it had almost reached the limits -of desperation. It is possible to-day to pass judgment on the first -government that assumed authority after the fall of the unfortunate -Czar. And, much as one would like to think well of it, it must be -admitted that though it was composed of men of great talent and -integrity, it did not possess one single character determined enough -and strong enough to deliver it from the demagogues who had secured an -entry into it, and from the anarchist elements that had tried from the -very outset to impose themselves upon it and their doctrines. Moreover -these men were devoid of experience, and they believed sincerely (there -can be no doubt as to this point) but absolutely erroneously, that it -was sufficient for them and their party to come to the foreground in -order to bring about in Russia an era of bliss such as exists only in -fairy tales. Among them was found Alexander Kerensky, a Socialist, one -of the leaders of the Labour Party, an indifferent lawyer but a most -eloquent speaker, who, better than any one else in Russia, understood -the art of stirring the souls and appealing to the passions of the -crowds upon which he relied to keep him in power; and who by his -wonderful speeches could easily lead these crowds upon any road he -wished to have them follow, though it might not land them where they -imagined they were going. Kerensky imposed himself upon the Revolution -in the same way he imposed himself upon a jury, and he treated it as -he would have treated a jury during a criminal trial. Of politics he -had but a hazy idea; of the art of government he understood nothing. He -believed in the value of words, and imagined that he could establish -in Russia an ideal State, living upon ideal principles. But at -one time he was popular, and people thought him a strong man, whilst -he was only an eloquent demagogue. With this he had an overbearing -character, would not admit contradiction, and soon was at variance with -his colleagues in the ministry, who, unfortunately for Russia, were -as weak as he was himself but with less tyrannical dispositions; they -retired when they found that they could not prevent him from carrying -out his plans of reforming the army and of abolishing its military -discipline, without which no troops in the world could be expected -to stand bravely in presence of an attacking foe. It is a thousand -pities that men like Paul Milyukoff, Prince George Lvoff, Rodzianko -and others, to whose initiative was due the success of the Revolution, -allowed themselves to be overruled by Kerensky, until he was left alone -to bear upon his shoulders the whole burden of the government and the -whole responsibility of the war, when he collapsed like a weak reed at -the first real attack directed against him. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y._ - -KERENSKY INSPIRING TROOPS TO SUPPORT REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT] - -Another misfortune connected with the government that replaced that -of Nicholas II. was that it failed to recognise the terrible German -propaganda that was carried on with renewed energy in Russia after the -Revolution. It would not believe in its danger, and it could not bring -itself to employ violence to put an end to the Socialist or, rather, -anarchist agitation fomented by German intrigues and kept up by German -money, which alone has rendered possible the triumph of Bolschevikism -and the seizure of supreme power by people such as Lenine, Trotzky, -Kameneff, and other personalities of the same kind, and the same -doubtful or, rather, not doubtful reputation. - -And yet it would have been relatively easy to put an end to the career -of these men, had one only applied oneself to do so in time and -bravely faced the criticisms of the people who were in their pay, or -in their employ. The whole story of the Lenine-Trotzky intrigue has -not yet been told, at least not here in America; and it may not be -without interest to disclose some of its details. When Milyukoff and -Prince Lvoff proceeded to form a government after the overthrow of the -Monarchy, they offered the portfolio of Justice to a Moscow lawyer -called Karensky (nothing to do with Alexander Kerensky) who enjoyed the -reputation of being one of the most eloquent, and, at the same time, -honest members of the Moscow Bar. They called him to Petrograd, where -they held several consultations with him. Karensky declared himself -ready to accept the position offered him, but only on one condition: -that he would be given an absolutely free hand to proceed with the -greatest energy and vigour against all the German spies and agents with -which the Capital was infested, and that he would also be allowed the -same free hand in his dealings with the anarchists who were beginning -to make themselves heard. Neither Prince Lvoff nor Milyukoff would -agree to give him these powers he demanded. They feared that if they -did so they would be reproached for doing exactly the same as the -government that had crumbled down a few days before; and they also -objected to allowing a member of the cabinet to dispose at his will and -fancy of such grave questions as those involved in repression exercised -against any political party, no matter of what shade or opinion. -Karensky thereupon refused the position offered to him, but accepted -the post of State Prosecutor under Alexander Kerensky at first, and, -afterwards, when the latter had been transferred to the war office, -under Mr. Pereviazeff. This allowed him to watch the growing German -agitation, connected with anarchist conspiracies, which was beginning -to feel its way previous to its explosion. He had heard about Lenine -and Trotzky, and was from the first convinced that they were both in -the employ of the Kaiser either directly or indirectly, and he set -himself to obtain proof that such was the case. He had wondered at -the easiness with which Lenine had been able to obtain a passport -from the German government authorising him to cross the dominions of -William II. on his way from Switzerland to Russia. He, therefore, had -the correspondence of both Lenine and Trotzky watched, and very soon -his attention was attracted by the fact that they were both sending -and receiving constantly telegrams to and from Sweden and Finland, all -of which were deeply concerned with the health of a certain “Kola” -who seemed to be always getting ill, and then better, in a sort of -regular way which appeared more than strange. This was the first remark -which led to the result that at last, it was established, to the -absolute satisfaction of Karensky and of others, that Trotzky, Lenine, -Kameneff, a certain Zinovieff, a lawyer called Kozlovsky, a lady going -by the name of Madame Soumentay, and the wife of Lenine, had received -not less than _nineteen millions of rubles_ from the German government. -This money had been sent through so many different channels that it was -next to impossible to discover its origin. It had passed through eight -banks, and, I do not now remember, through how many private hands. But -the people whose names I have just mentioned had received it, partly -in Russian banknotes, and partly in banknotes printed in Berlin, which -were supposed to be Russian, of a new type with which the German -government was beginning to meet its obligations so as not to make them -too heavy for its own Exchequer. - -Karensky sought Prince Lvoff, who was still Prime Minister at the time, -and asked him to sign an order for the arrest of Trotzky and Lenine. -The Prince had not the courage to do so, and the State Prosecutor had, -perforce, to wait. But in July the first insurrectionary movement, -engineered by the Bolscheviki, broke out, and then Karensky thought -that his duty obliged him to assume the responsibilities which the -ministry did not care to face. By that time Prince Lvoff, Milyukoff -and others had resigned, and Kerensky was virtually master of the -situation. But he was weak, weaker perhaps than any of his colleagues -had been, and he openly declared to the State Prosecutor that he felt -afraid to arrest the two men who were ultimately to lead Russia to -her destruction. Karensky, however, was made of sterner stuff, and he -bravely decided to act for himself, and signed alone the order for -the incarceration of both Lenine and Trotzky. But the former had been -warned, and had fled to Finland. A thorough search was made of the flat -which he occupied, where the sum of one million and a half of rubles -was found in possession of his wife, who could not explain whence she -had this money. Trotzky at the same time was incarcerated and brought -before the State Prosecutor. The latter, in order to justify the course -of action he had taken, had caused to be published in all the Petrograd -and Moscow newspapers an account of the discoveries which he had made, -together with the names of the people who had participated in the work -of treason he was determined to suppress. A curious thing in the story -is that none of the papers that printed it (and they all did with the -exception of the Bolschevik organ _Prawda_), was allowed to get abroad, -which accounts for the fact of no publicity having been given to the -story. Petrograd then was exasperated against Trotzky to such an extent -that Karensky feared he would be lynched, and caused him to be conveyed -to the prison called “Kresty” in an automobile driven by his own son, -as no chauffeur would undertake to drive him there. What happened -later on remains to this day a mystery. The Minister of Justice, Mr. -Pereviazeff, resigned his functions two days after the arrest of -Trotzky, and his place was taken by Nekrassoff, who, when asked by -the Committees of soldiers and peasants who had begun by that time to -be all powerful, to give the reasons which had induced the government -to resort to this measure, became so embarrassed in his replies that -these Committees insisted on Trotzky being set at liberty, which was -done three days afterwards. Karensky then resigned his functions, and -returned to Moscow whence, however, he was obliged to fly and seek a -refuge in Kharkov, as soon as the Bolscheviki seized the government. -The latter inaugurated a system of terrorism that claimed more victims -than is known abroad, completed the disorganisation of the army, and -at last started the negotiations which culminated in the shameful -peace signed at Brest Litovsk. After three and a half years’ war and a -Revolution, Russia as an independent nation ceased to exist, and became -virtually, and to all appearance, a German province. - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, International Film Service, Inc._ - -PEACE DOCUMENT OF DELEGATES AT BREST-LITOVSK CONFERENCE] - -This is the story as it reads, and sad enough it sounds. Germany can -look triumphantly on the success of her work and glory in it. Happily -for Russia, for the world and for the cause of civilisation, it is only -one chapter of it that has come to an end. Russia, the great Russia -of the past, is not dead. She possesses far more vitality than she is -given credit for, and she still has sound, true, and honest elements -amidst her citizens. When attempting to judge her, one ought to think -of the great French Revolution, and to remember that in France, also, -it took years before its work was at last consolidated and set upon a -sound basis. One must bear in mind that in France, too, a period of -terrorism made people despair of the future and fear that the end of -their Fatherland had come. Our Russian Revolution is hardly one year -old, and though perhaps one will be aghast at what I am going to -say, I think that she has not yet passed through that phase of real -terror which is always a symptom of great upheavals such as Russia -has undergone and is undergoing. We may see worse things yet; we may -live to look upon the erection of a scaffold on one of the squares of -Petrograd or of Moscow. But this will not mean that the end of Russia -has come, nor that she has become, or will remain, a German province. -The hatred of the Teuton, on the contrary, will grow as events progress -and the great disillusion arrives. A few more months, and the peasants -whom Trotzky, Lenine and their crew have lured with false promises will -perceive that these demagogues have been unable to fulfil all that they -had sworn to them they would do. They will realise that their lot has -become under the rule of these new masters ten thousand times harder -than was the case before, and they will be the first to rise against -these deceivers. If we are to believe all that we hear from people -who have arrived here from Russia recently, this movement of reaction -has already started, and it is bound to grow stronger with every day -and hour which goes by. The peace signed at Brest Litovsk will remain -verily a “scrap of paper” which will end by being thrown into the -waste-paper basket. Not one Russian will recognise it, not one Russian -will accept it; the Germans feel it themselves, and are preparing for -a new struggle which may have a far different conclusion from the one -which they are now trying to persuade the world has come to an end. - -What has helped them, apart from the treason of Trotzky, Lenine and -their followers, who have only had one idea in heart and brain, that of -enriching themselves at the expense of the country for which they feel -neither affection nor pity, has been the state of confusion into which -Russia was thrown by the Revolution that broke up so unexpectedly--a -confusion which can only be compared to that which prevails in the -house of a man whom sudden ruin has overtaken, when every servant or -menial in the place tries to steal and take something in the general -disaster or to profit out of it in some way or other. In Petrograd, in -Moscow, as well as all over the country, looting took place, not only -of private property, but also of the Public Exchequer, especially of -the latter, and the Russian officials, who had always been grasping, -became all at once bandits after the style of Rinaldo Rinaldino, or -any other brigand illustrated by drama or comedy. They stole; they -took; they carried away; they seized everything they could lay their -hands upon. To begin with the silver spoons of the unfortunate Czar -and as many of the Crown Jewels as they could get hold of, down to the -paper money issued by the State Treasury, of which, as the Kerensky -government had to own before the so-called National Assembly at Moscow, -eight hundred millions were put into circulation every month after -the Revolution, in contrast with two hundred millions which were -issued formerly. I do not think that it is a libel on these officials -to suppose that part of this fabulous sum found its way into their -pockets, instead of being applied to the needs of the nation or of the -army. - -This wholesale plundering, if I may be forgiven for using such a word, -was of course not the fault of Kerensky and of his colleagues, under -whose ministry it began, but whereas the latter realised immediately -that it was taking place and resigned rather than countenance it; the -former, though aware of it, found his hands tied in every attempt he -made to subdue it, by the fact that those who were principally guilty -were either his personal friends or his former partisans, or people -with whom he had associated in earlier times, and with whom he had -compromised himself to a considerable extent. With regard to those -associates of his former life, Kerensky found himself in the same -position as Napoleon III. after his accession, in presence of the -Italian Carbonari, who claimed from the Sovereign the fulfilment of -the promises made to them by the exiled Pretender. Kerensky had also -given certain pledges at a time when he never expected he might be -called upon to redeem them; and when he became a Minister he had to -give way to the exigencies of all the radicals, anarchists, and extreme -socialists among whom he had laboured, and with whom he had worked at -the overthrow of the detested and detestable government of the Czar. He -could not cast them overboard or set them aside. He had to listen to -them, and in a certain sense to submit to their demands. For example, -in the case of the exile to Siberia of the unfortunate Nicholas II., -a measure which in the first days of the Revolution he had declared -that he would never resort to, but which he nevertheless executed -under conditions of the most intense cruelty, simply because it was -demanded from him by persons to whom he could not say no. People -who knew him well say that the fact of his powerlessness caused him -intense suffering, but he had neither the strength to assert himself in -presence of his former comrades, nor, perhaps, the will to do so. - -In a certain sense, he was the man of the hour, “le maitre de l’heure,” -as the Franco-Arab proverb says. He was even to some extent the one -indispensable element without which it would have been impossible for -a Republic ever to become established in Russia. And everybody seemed -to agree, one year ago, that a Republic was the only form of government -possible after the fall of the Romanoffs. Of this Republic Kerensky -rapidly became the symbol and at the same time the emblem of a new -Russia; a regenerated and better one, in the opinion of his followers -of the moment; a worse one from what it had been formerly, in that of -his adversaries, but at all events of a different Russia from the one -previously known. - -But, unfortunately, Kerensky was neither a statesman like Milyukoff -nor an administrator like Prince Lvoff, nor even a business man like -Konovaloff. He lacked experience and knowledge of the routine of -government. He had but a limited amount of education, no idea of the -feelings of people born and reared in a different atmosphere from that -in which he had grown up. He was only a leader of men, or rather of -the passions of men; and, unfortunately for him, what Russia required -was more a ruler than a leader, of whom she had more than she wanted, -though perhaps at that particular moment none so powerful as Kerensky. -He had emerged a Dictator out of a complete and general chaos; and -he was to add to it the whole weight of his unripe genius and of his -exuberant personality. After having been the Peter the Hermit of a new -Crusade, he was to become the false Prophet of a creed which he had -preached with an eloquence such as has been seldom surpassed, but in -which it is doubtful whether he himself believed. Had he consented, -or had he been able to work in common with more experienced men than -himself towards the triumph of the Republican cause, he would have -taken in the annals of his country the place of one of its greatest -men. As it has turned out, he will rank among its most interesting and -brilliant historical figures, but only as a figure. His disappearance -also has had something romantic about it, which will perhaps appeal to -certain people in Russia, and which will disgust others. The world is -wondering where he has gone and what has become of him; but everything -points to the fact that he has either done away with himself, as he -often said he would do in case of failure, or else that he has been -murdered by the Bolscheviki during those days when the Neva and the -different canals of Petrograd were carrying away to the sea hundreds of -dead bodies every day. At least this is the opinion of persons who were -in Russia at the time Kerensky vanished into space; and very probably -this opinion will prove to be a true one. - -The moderate liberal parties in Russia, who are the really intelligent, -would, of course, wish their country’s future government to become a -Republic modelled after that of the United States. At the same time, if -we are to believe the rare news which reaches us from Petrograd, and -especially from Moscow, one hears people say now what they would never -have dared to mention a few months ago--i. e., that a constitutional -Monarchy, if it could be established, would offer certain advantages. -I hasten to say that, personally, I do not see where these advantages -would come in, unless they were associated with a new dynasty. But at -the same time, together with many others, when I look at all that has -taken place recently in my poor country, I cannot but feel sad at the -great uncertainty as to the morrow which the Revolution of last year -has opened, not only before Russia, but before the whole world, and I -would like to see this incertitude come to an end in some way or other. - -I have but little more to add. It is difficult even to try to guess -what the future holds in store for the former realm of the Romanoffs. -The only thing which one can say at present with any certainty is -that Russia will never honour the signature of Trotzky in regard to -the peace treaty concluded with Germany. Any hesitation Russia might -have had as to this point in her moments of discouragement, that must -have made themselves felt at times, disappeared after the message sent -by the President of the United States to the Soviets in Moscow. This -message dispelled any fear the Russians might have had as to whether -their allies had abandoned her. At present the country knows that it -does not stand alone, and that any resistance it has to offer to its -foes will be appreciated and encouraged. This is much, indeed this is -the one thing which was capable of rousing the energies of the whole -of that vast land which the Teutons imagine that they have conquered. -I can but repeat: Russia is not dead yet. Russia shall show the world -that, betrayed as she has been, she can still lift the yoke put upon -her, save herself, and help to save the world for the great cause of -Democracy. - -And the conclusion of this book? I do not pretend to offer any. I -simply invite my readers to draw the one they like best. I ask them -only to do so with kindness and an appreciation of the difficulties of -the situation. I have not tried to write a volume of controversy; I -have merely attempted to describe, as well as I could, the Revolution -and the events which preceded it, among which the extraordinary story -of Rasputin figures so curiously. - -I have given the narrative as it was related to me by people whose -veracity I have no reason to challenge. It is certain, however, that -many of its details are still unknown, and it is doubtful whether -they will be revealed before the end of the war. At present there are -too many persons interested in dissimulating the part which they have -played in the drama, either out of fear, or because they do not think -the time opportune. It seems sometimes as if there exists a tacit -understanding among the actors of the tragedy to hide the details of -the conspiracy which came to an end by the signature of the Manifest -of Pskov. This signature was wrenched, no one knows yet by just what -means, out of the weakness of Nicholas II!--that unfortunate Monarch -who has never realised the obligations and duties he owed to the -nation that dethroned him. The last crowned Romanoff had never had, -unfortunately for him, and still more unfortunately for his subjects, -a sense of appreciation of the real value of facts or of events, which -sometimes is even more useful than a great intelligence, to those whom -destiny has entrusted with the difficult task of ruling over nations. -He believed that his duty consisted in upholding the superannuated -traditions of autocracy, and he did not perceive that these traditions -had been maintained so long only because there had existed strong men -to enforce them. Honest and kind of heart though he was, at least in -many respects, he had contrived in spite of these qualities to rouse -against him from the very first days of his accession to the Throne all -the social classes of his country. He had irritated the aristocracy, -wounded the feelings of the army and of the people, and excited against -himself the passions of the proletariat and of the peasantry, by his -weakness of character and his obstinacy in surrounding himself with -the most hated and most despised elements in Russia. A few days before -his fall he might still have made a successful effort to save himself -and his dynasty, had he only followed the disinterested advice which -was forwarded to him by his Allies and consented to the establishment -of a responsible Ministry. He preferred to listen to his wife and -to the people she kept around her. Instead of trying to conciliate -his subjects, he threatened them, until the expected occurred, and -he lost not only his crown but also his liberty; and has perhaps -forfeited his life and that of his family. - -But the future, the future, my readers will ask me, What will be the -future, what shall it bring forth for Russia? The only reply possible -to this eager question is to quote the words of Victor Hugo in his -wonderful Ode to Napoleon: “The future belongs to no one, it is -controlled by God alone.” - -[Illustration: - - _Copyright, 1918, International Film Service, Inc._ - -THE HOUSE AT BREST-LITOVSK WHERE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN -BOLSHEVIKI AND THE AUSTRO-GERMANS WERE CONDUCTED] - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they -were not changed. 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