Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XXV. In Spain and in exile
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
i9i7] KING ALFONSO XIII. 503
the King, and His Majesty, still seated, read his answer
in Spanish. Then he rose, descended the steps of
the throne, and taking me by the hand, bade me
welcome.
Just then the course of the ceremony was interrupted
by an unusual pause : the King advanced a little towards
the centre of the room so as to be able to speak a few
words to me without any formality, and said : " Monsieur,
in your speech you were good enough to allude to the
help we have been able to render to your prisoners.
Allow me to tell you of the deep interest I take in the
fate of other ’ Russian prisoners,’ I allude to His
Majesty the former Emperor Nicolas II. and his family.
I come to beg you, Monsieur, to transmit to your
Government my fervent prayers for their liberation."
The King’s words touched me deeply. " Sir," I
replied, "will Your Majesty permit me to be quite
frank in my answer ? "
"Not only do I permit, but.I desire you to be frank,
Monsieur."
" You see before you, sir, a faithful servant of the
Russian people and of the new order of things in
Russia; but at the same time, by virtue of all my
traditions, all my antecedents, the person of him who
was once my Sovereign is and will always remain
sacred to me, without speaking of the feelings of personal
gratitude and sympathy which bind me to him. If
anything on earth can be done to help him and his, you
may be absolutely sure and certain, sir, that I shall be
ready to lay aside my interests, my career, perhaps even
more. So I shall not hesitate to transmit to my
Government the words that Your Majesty has just spoken.
But I would beg you to consider one thing most
carefully : I know for certain that the Provisional
Government has but one wish and that is to allow the Emperor
and his family to leave for foreign parts ; if it does not
do so, it is on account of the extreme elements. Now,
any official intercession coming from abroad would not
fail to excite these extreme elements, and the agitation
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
