Derevenko--a man with the same
name as the tutor of Alexis; Monsieur Gillard, a Swiss instructor of
the Hier; Captain Melnik (I heard that he is going to marry M-elle
Botkin); Lady-in-waiting Countess G.; M-me Schneider and several
others; I shall give you their names in my next letter.
The Emperor and the Empress used to have certain liberties, they could
even go to church. But then no one was admitted there, unless they
could get in under the pretext of being singers in the choir. Many
were going,--used to go to the Anunciation Church. They would put
soldiers all of the way from the Mansion to the Church. Reports are
coming that these church parades are stopped and a chapel is being
built in the Mansion.
Shortly after their arrival, Mr. Kerensky sent two boxes of wine
to the Tsar; the soldiers broke the boxes. They do not want any
"luxuries" for the exiles. The Empress has no coffee--it is a luxury.
But otherwise the attitude is not too bad. M. wrote that under the
charming manners of the Tsar and especially the Heir, before the
Soviet rule came, the soldiers very often changed their manners, their
revolutionary hearts were melting--and then Col. Kobylinsky used
to send those "soft rags" back to Petrograd, for they might be
counter-revolutionary.
Kobylinsky himself was trying to maintain good relations with the
soldiers, with Kerensky (who promised him promotion) and with the
family through Kornilov's House, for the Emperor, like everybody else
in Tobolsk, despises him.
Pages:
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168