one to translate into Cingalese, and the other to translate into Hindustan.  No one who was present at that morning Sabbath service on July 8, 1900, will forget the strange impressions that translated sermon preached by Dr. Talmage made upon everyone.  Sentence by sentence the brilliant interpreter repeated the Doctor’s words in the Swedish language, while the congregation in eager silence studied Dr. Talmage’s face while listening to the translation of his ideas.

“Whether I did them any good or not they did me good,” said the Doctor after the service.

While in Stockholm we dined with Mr. Wyndham, Secretary of the American Legation, and were shown through the private rooms of the royal palace, of which my daughter took snapshots with surreptitious skill.  The Queen was a great invalid and scarcely ever saw anyone, but while driving to her summer palace we caught a glimpse of her being lifted from her little horse, on which she had been riding, seated in a sort of armchair saddle.  With a groom to lead the horse Her Majesty took the air every day in this way.  She was a very frail little woman.

From Stockholm we started by steamer for St. Petersburg, but the crowd was so great that we found our staterooms impossible, and we disembarked at Alba, the first capital in Finland.  We were curious to see the new capital, Helsingfors, and stopped over a day or two there.  From Helsingfors we went by rail to the Russian capital.

Dr. Talmage had been in Russia years before, on the occasion of his presentation of a shipload of flour from the American people to the famine sufferers.  At that time he had been presented to Emperor Alexander III., as well as the Dowager Empress.  It was his intention to pay his respects again to the new Emperor, whose father he had known, so that we looked forward to our stay in St. Petersburg as eventful.  The Crown Prince of Denmark had urged the Doctor to see his brother-in-law, the Czar, while in St. Petersburg, and we learned later that he had written a letter to the Court concerning our coming to St. Petersburg.

On July 23, 1900, we received the following note from Dr. Pierce, the American Charge d’Affaires in St. Petersburg:—­

    “July 23, 1900. 
    “Embassy of the United States, St. Petersburg.

    “Dear Dr. Talmage—­

    “I take much pleasure in informing you that you and Mrs. Talmage and
    your daughters will be received by Their Majesties the Emperor and
    Empress on Wednesday next, at 21/2 p.m.

    “Yours very sincerely,
    “HERBERT H.D.  PIERCE.

    “P.S.—­I will let you know the details later.”

Mr. Pierce called in full court dress and informed Dr. Talmage that it would be necessary for him to appear in like regalia.  As the Doctor was not accustomed to wearing swords, or cocked hats, or brass buttons on his coat, he received these instructions with some distress of mind.  Later, we received from the Grand Master of Ceremonies of the Russian Court a formal invitation to be presented at Peterhof, the summer palace.