"We cannot afford to allow evil tongues to speak of us; neither can we afford the vulgar scandal that some would seek to create. If you, O Father, feel apprehensive, then act boldly in the knowledge that you have your devoted daughter ever at your side and ever ready and eager to place her power as Empress in your dear hands. Therefore strike your enemies swiftly and without fear. Lips prepared to utter scandal must be, at all costs, silenced. "Our friend Protopopoff has returned from England and tells me that Lloyd George and his friends are exerting every effort to win the war. Those British are brave, but, oh! if they knew all that we know--eh? They are in ignorance, and will remain so until Germany conquers Russia and spreads the blessing of civilisation among the people. "Nikki is returning. A seance is to be held on Saturday. You must be back in time. He is sending a messenger to you to urge you to return to us to give us comfort in these long dark days. Anna and the girls all kiss your dear hand.--Your devoted daughter, ALIX." On the following day a middle-aged, fair-haired, rather well-dressed man, who gave the name of Nicholas Chevitch, from Okhta, a suburb of Petrograd, was brought to me by the monk who acted as janitor, and explained that he had private business with Rasputin. I left him and, ascending to the monk's room, found him extremely anxious to meet his visitor. "I will see him at once, Feodor. I have some secret business with him. Here is the key of a small locked box in your room. Open it and take out ten one-thousand rouble notes and bring them to me after you have brought in Chevitch." This I did. Having admitted the visitor to Rasputin's presence, I opened the small iron box which the Starets always carried in his supposed "pilgrimages," and took out the money, leaving in it a sum of about twelve thousand roubles. The ten thousand I carried to Rasputin, but as I opened the door I heard the fair-haired man say: "All is prepared. The wire is laid across the river. We tested it five days ago and it works excellently." "Good! Ah, here is my secretary Feodor!" the monk exclaimed. "He has the ten thousand roubles for you, and there will be a further ten thousand on the day your plan matures." I wondered to what plan the Starets was referring. But being compelled to retire I remained in ignorance. The man Chevitch stayed with the monk for over an hour, and then left to return to the capital. Later on I referred to the visit of the stranger, whereupon Rasputin laughed grimly, saying: "You will hear some news in a day or two, my dear Feodor. Petrograd will be startled." "How?" "Never mind," he replied. "Wait!"