“Say, Lucie,” the Englishman said to her, as shivering in my overcoat, she came out to say good-bye to him, “the benzine is in the barn, over there under the hay.  Tell your man to be careful and not to smoke around here.”

“If it did not explode after your pipe, sir,” I replied in my best Shakespearian, “my cigarette won’t do any harm.  So don’t be alarmed.”

It took him about half a minute to digest the fact that I could understand his cockney.  Lucie became almost hysterical with laughter and ran into the house.

Then he made a serious face and sprang into the sledge and the Russian flicked the horse with the whip.  Near the corner, I saw him say something to the Russian and they turned back.

“Say,” the Englishman asked, “are you English?  Or Canadian, I fancy?”

“Never mind me, Major or Captain, or whoever you are.  I’m just I. Don’t fancy, and proceed.  I’m busy.”

I closed the gate and heard another formidable crack of the whip on the pony’s fat flanks.

Hundreds of bells started ringing again, and then died away in the distance, drowned out by a locomotive whistle....

And here I was in my room again.  In the corner stood Lucie, lovely creature with all her funny actions and thoughts, Heaven knows by what and whom inspired.

“Look what I brought, Alex!  Here are canned goods, and chocolate and coffee, and ham, and ...” and she threw package after package on the bed.  On one of them I read “Army and Navy Calcutta,” but said nothing and looked away.  I’m getting sly.  She noticed it too, the little devil!  She sent me out to see whether or not the gate was closed, and when I came back the label was scratched out.

34

(Sixth letter to M. Goroshkin)

“There are, virtually, three—­or perhaps more—­organizations, members of which have decided to save the Emperor from imprisonment.  They all realize the danger of letting things go on by themselves, or of relying upon German promises.

The latter are well known here and in Tobolsk from Bolshevik sources.  When during the Brest-Litovsk pourparlers the Russian Delegates were waiting for the Germans, the latter entered the room of conference, and found it filthy with smoke; the Bolsheviki were extremely hilarious, and laughed and joked among themselves.  To show his independence Monsieur Trotsky was sitting on the table; others were without collars and in the most unrespectable state of humor.  When the German delegation entered they did not move; the leader of the Germans, an old general, stopped for a moment, looked at them in disgust, and then suddenly shouted:  “Stand!  Attention!  Get up, you, Kameraden!”

Electrified—­they all got up, Trotsky first, although with the remark “For why”?  The General continued: 

“By order of His Majesty the King and Emperor, I declare that there is at Tobolsk in your hands the relative of my August Master,—­Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Russia with her consort and children.  Until this is arranged—­we shall not proceed with this conference of ours.  We demand your guarantees that 1st—­you vouch for their perfect safety; 2d—­you immediately will take steps to deliver the prisoners abroad.  Now, at rest!  Sit down!”