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7°
7° RASPUTIN
[chap. vii.
On arriving at my relation’s house, I found him talking
at the telephone: " Is that you, my dear? I ventured
to ring you up on the telephone to tell you how very
much I admired your excellent speech of yesterday at
the Duma. . . . No, no! do not excuse yourself for a
good deed; you have only done your duty as a citizen:
it is very regrettable that every one else does not do the
same," etc. ... I could not believe my ears, and when
my relation had at last finished his conversation, I
exclaimed : " Is it really you talking ? How many times
have I quarrelled with you by standing up for Goutchkoff
when you were abusing him ; and now you overwhelm
him with compliments, whereas I—I frankly admit—
considered his speech to be a want of tact. What does
this change mean ? "
"Listen," replied my host, "do not let us lose time
in idle discussion : you see a great many more people
in St. Petersburg than I do ; in three days from now
you will have seen and heard so much that there will be
nothing left for me to tell you. And then we shall see
what you will say ! " My relation was only wrong
about the time-limit! On the evening of the very next
day, I had only one remark to make to him : " You were
perfectly right; but, good God! how sad it all is, and
what is more how dangerous ! "
I had heard the name of Rasputin mentioned in St.
Petersburg for the first time in 1908. An intimate friend
of mine with whom I was discussing Court affairs—I
forget exactly why—said amongst other things : " There
are strange rumours in circulation among the public, or
rather, among the people! Yesterday, my wife’s
housekeeper—you know the one we have had for more than
ten years—came into my study and said : ’ Pray excuse
me, sir, but I have something I wish to say to you. I
have often heard you complain that your son-in-law
could not get the post which had been promised to
him ages ago. . . . Well ! I believe I can help you.’
’You! my good woman; but in what way?’ ’In
this way. My sister, who is also in domestic service,
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