Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) [etext transcriber's note: The biased attitudes expressed by the author do not reflect those of the etext volunteers.] ONE YEAR AT THE RUSSIAN COURT: 1904-1905 [Illustration: THE EX-EMPRESS ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA OF RUSSIA WITH THE EX-TZAREVITCH ALEXIS] ONE YEAR AT THE RUSSIAN COURT: 1904-1905 BY RENÉE ELTON MAUD LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMXVIII _Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ CONTENTS PART I PAGE THE FULFILMENT OF MY DREAM 1 PART II IN THE CAUCASUS 79 PART III AT PETROGRAD 105 PART IV RASPUTIN: HIS INFLUENCE AND HIS WORK 189 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE EX-EMPRESS ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA OF RUSSIA WITH THE EX-CZAREVITCH ALEXIS _Frontispiece_ FACING PAGE RUSSIAN COACHMAN 6 CAUCASUS--GOURIAN PRINCE 6 RUSSIAN EQUIPAGES--TWO TROÏKAS 7 IN THE PARK OF MONREPOS--THE FERRY TO LUDWINSTEIN 14 MONREPOS--THE CHAR-À-BANCS 15 THE CASTLE OF MONREPOS FROM THE PARK 22 PETERHOF--THE IMPERIAL CHILDREN 23 CRONSTADT--TWO SURVIVORS OF THE GLORIOUS KOREITZ 62 THE BARRACKS AT PETERHOF--TWO COSSACKS OF THE ESCORT 62 THE CROWN PRINCE OF GERMANY WITH PRINCESS CECILIE AS FIANCÉS 63 SCENERY IN THE CAUCASUS 90 IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE CAUCASUS 91 TIFLIS--A PERSIAN BAKER’S SHOP 94 TIFLIS--A PERSIAN SHOEMAKER’S SHOP 95 PLOUGHING IN THE CAUCASUS 216 THE IMPERIAL PALACE OF TZARSKOË-CELO 217 PART I THE FULFILMENT OF MY DREAM CHAPTER I