Discovering his own overwhelming influence this sinister favourite of both Tsar and Tsaritza suddenly resolved upon a further move, the cleverness of which was indeed well within keeping with his marvellously astute reasoning. He decided not to be dependent upon the charity of the Imperial pair, whom the Bishop Teofan had one day declared kept him in the Winter Palace as a tame saint. His friend's taunt stung him to the quick. In consequence, he took a luxurious house in the Gorokhovaya, just beyond the Moyka, and close to the Palace, and while still retaining his apartments in the Palace, he lived mostly in his new abode, where in future he announced that the bi-weekly meeting of his disciples for prayer and consolation would be held. Like wildfire the decision of the "wonder-worker" ran through the salons of Society. There was now a chance for others to enter the cult of the "Sister-disciples," and to become as one flesh with the Saint, and to be cured by Divine agency of any ill. Hundreds of society women were frantically anxious to enter this new sisterhood. His house was an expensive one, but only a few of the rooms were well furnished. The dining-room on the ground floor was a large rather bare-looking place, with cheap chairs set round and equally cheap tables of polished walnut. On the walls were portraits of the Tsar, the Tsaritza and himself. Upstairs was his study, a large luxurious apartment, and from it led the bedroom of the "holy" man, which even eclipsed the study in luxury. To this house the smart band of society converts who called themselves the "Sister-disciples" went regularly twice each week to hear the "miracle-worker" descant upon the beauties of his new religion. Among the members of this degenerate group were:--the pretty fluffy-haired little Princess Boyarski, Madame Pistolcohrse, sister of Madame Vyrubova, a certain Countess Yepantchine, whose splendid house was in the Sergiyevskaya, the most fashionable quarter without equal in Petrograd, as well as the Grand Duchess Olga, daughter of the Tsaritza, and many others. Though the blasphemous discourses were delivered and the disgusting secret rites practised twice each week at Rasputin's house, as well as also twice weekly in secret at Tsarskoe-Selo, many women seeking knowledge of the new religion--after having fallen beneath the spell of the mock-saint's eyes--went to the monk alone by appointment, and there had what the blackguard termed "private converse" with him in his upstairs study adjoining his luxurious sleeping apartment. The uncouth peasant's actions, his open immorality, and the cold-blooded manner in which he turned wife from husband, and betrothed from her lover, had now become open gossip at the street corners. Whenever the mock-saint went forth in any car or carriage of his female admirers or of the Court, the people grinned and recognising the lady, would whisper-- "Look! Grichka has taken yet another bride!"