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i9i7] REVOLUTION BREAKS OUT 467
the regiments arriving to guard the representatives of the
people, and acclaiming the President of the Duma, who
congratulates them; the Grand-Duke Cyril being the
first to bring his seamen of the crew of the Guard ;
the last strongholds of the police taken by the people
armed; finally the Emperor abdicating for himself and
for his son, and passing his crown on to his brother the
Grand-Duke Michael. A Provisional Government was
being installed, at the head of which names as universally
respected as those of Prince Lvoff, Miliukoff, Rodzianko,
Gutchkoff, were allied to those of a few revolutionary
Socialists such as Kerensky, Tseretelli, Tchkeidze, etc.
The entire town appeared to be given over to festivity,
and all the towns of Russia, and all the heads of the
armies gave their adherence, their homage of fidelity,
their spontaneous admiration to the new Government!
One really thought one must be dreaming. But news
continued to pour in, one bit confirming the other,
arriving from all corners of allied Europe; and all spoke
ecstatically of the generosity of the people in the struggle,
of their moderation in victory, of the unanimity of
public feeling. No revolution had ever been so easy, or
so glorious ; one could be proud of being Russian !
And all that contrasted in such a striking manner
with the humiliations, so bitterly felt, of the closing
months of the disastrous former regime. Patriotic
feeling beat in unison with generous sentiments of
liberty and justice. The country was saved, victory
definitely assured!
Such were the quite sincere illusions of the
enormous majority of Russians living abroad during the
weeks succeeding the triumph of the Revolution of
Petrograd.
When I received the telegram from the official agency
announcing the abdication of the Emperor in favour of
his brother; the refusal of the latter to accept power
otherwise than from a constituent assembly; and the
formation of a responsible Ministry under the
presidency of Prince Lvoff, appointed to this post by
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