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7°
7° RASPUTIN
[chap. vii.
"Oh! You will soon hear of it; no one talks of
anything else in town."
I let the matter drop, as in honour bound.
Two or three days later, I got out of the train at the
Tsarskoe-Selo station and got into a Royal carriage to
go to the Alexander Palace, the usual residence of the
Imperial family. The weather was beautiful, dry and
sunny. As we were nearing the palace, the footman
began to explain to me—with the usual familiarity of
those sort of people—why I was being taken to a
different entrance than usual.
"See, your Excellency, the Empress’s carriage
standing at the other door! Her Majesty is going out
for the first time for a long while," continued the footman
with a self-satisfied smile.
A few minutes later, preceded by another Royal
servant, I was making my way to the Emperor’s study
through the charming Louis XVI. rooms of the Palace,
and across the spacious library, all lit up by the
sunshine, and I was admiring the fine and simple architecture
of this masterpiece of Guarenghi’s. And beyond the
grand colonade of the Palace, I could see the Empress’s
carriage disappearing on its way to the station. . . .
The following day the whole of St. Petersburg was
saying that the Empress, having gone unexpectedly into
the town to visit an institute for young ladies, then went
on to the house of one of Rasputin’s faithful followers,
and spent two hours there conversing with the "holy
man." . . .
How many times since then have I recalled that
morning, and that Imperial carriage driving away
through the dazzling snow across the park at Tsarskoe.
How many times have I recalled that magnificent
dwelling, simple and grand in outline, with its
exquisitely-proportioned rooms, its beautiful works of art,
its admirable library, its beautiful bay-windows
overlooking the park, which is delightful even in winter; all
this setting which seemed to call for a royal existence,
not so much sumptuous as refined and distinguished ;
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