The Russian Sisters were most interested in our adventures, and most kind and nice to us in every way, but assured us that we should not be allowed anywhere near the front, as only Russian Sisters were allowed there.  They were very surprised when the order came a few days after our arrival, that we were to get ready to go to Warsaw at once.  That was certainly not quite at the front at that moment, as just then Russia was in the flush of victory, following the retreating Germans back from Warsaw to the German frontier.  But it was a good long step on the way.

One errand still remained to be done.  I had not posted the letter given me by the English lady at the Brussels station to her husband in Petrograd, wishing to have the pleasure of delivering it myself after carrying it at such risks all through Germany.  Directly I arrived I made inquiries for this Englishman, picturing his joy at getting the long-deferred news of his wife.  Almost the first person I asked knew him quite well, but imagine what a blow it was to hear that he had a Russian wife in Petrograd!  I vowed never again to carry any more letters to sorrowing husbands.

Before we went I received a very kind message that the Empress Marie Federovna would like to see us before our departure.  Prince Gustav of Denmark had been most kind in writing to his aunt, the Empress, about us, and had also been good enough to give me a letter of introduction to her which I sent through the British Embassy.

A day was appointed to go to the Gatchina Palace to be presented to her Majesty.  The palace is a little way out of Petrograd and stands in a beautiful park between the Black and the White Lake.

We were greeted by General K——­, one of the Empress’s bodyguard, and waited for a few minutes in the throne room downstairs, chatting to him.  Soon we were summoned upstairs, a door was thrown open by an enormous negro in scarlet livery, and we were ushered into the Empress’s private boudoir.  The Empress was there, and was absolutely charming to us, making us sit down beside her and talking to us in fluent English.  She was so interested in hearing all we could tell her of Belgium, and we stayed about half an hour talking to her.  Then the Empress rose and held out her hand, and said, “Thank you very much for coming to help us in Russia.  I shall always be interested in hearing about you.  May God bless you in your work,” and we were dismissed.

I would not have missed that for anything, it seemed such a nice start to our work in Russia.

Every spare moment till our work began had to be devoted to learning Russian.  It is a brain-splitting language.  Before I went to Russia I was told that two words would carry me through the Empire:  “Nichevo” meaning “never mind,” and “Seechas” which means “immediately” or “to-morrow” or “next week.”  But we had to study every moment to learn as much Russian as possible, as of course the soldiers could not understand