The town-council organised a banquet for three thousand soldiers belonging to the Preobrajenski guard regiment within a few miles of Moscow, in a village bearing the name of that regiment. Our Emperor was present at the festival; he walked round the refreshment tables set up near the Imperial pavilion, and lifting up his glass, His Majesty drank to the health of his soldiers who threw up their caps in the air and shouted with all their might. Many crowned heads had come to Moscow to see the Coronation, Prince Amédée d’Aoste amongst them. He is said to have the Evil-Eye, and as I am somewhat superstitious, I provided myself with a “Getattore,” a tiny coral hand with two extended fingers. This Prince has really brought many misfortunes during his life with him; one day the part of the tribune on which he stood smashed and fell, another time a part of the ship on which he was sailing was blown up. By that time much of the excitement had calmed down and Moscow relapsed into its former quiet. At the end of May our troops began to leave Moscow. The regiment of the Chevalier Guards, with their band marching in front of them, defiled before our windows on their way to the railway station. At this sight, without knowing why, I burst into tears like a silly that I was. I suppose it was due to the state of my nerves, irritated by the unusual mode of life I was leading during the Coronation. A great number of rewards have been distributed on account of the Coronation. My husband having already got all the rewards due to the rank of major-general, received as a present from the Tzar a rich gold snuff-box set all over with big diamonds—a custom dating from the times of the Empress Catherine II. September came, bringing in premature cold weather, the rain fell continually. These showers had their good side in laying the phenomenal dust in the streets of our venerable old city. CHAPTER XX OUR JOURNEY ABROAD An event occurred which overwhelmed me with joy. My husband was quite unexpectedly sent to Italy to be present at the Grandes Manœuvres at Milan. What a splendid surprise it was! We packed up and started on our journey in the first days of June. As the manœuvres begin only in July, we shall have plenty of time to wander about sight-seeing. First we are going to the sea-side, and have decided upon proceeding straight on to Boulogne-sur-mer. That will be a treat indeed! The country between St. Petersburg and the Prussian frontier is very uninteresting, nothing but flat corn-fields, woods and wide expanses of pasture-land stretching on both sides of the railway.