Alexandra Feodorovna and Rasputin were both working with Stuermer to dissolve the people's representatives, and again prevent them from reassembling. As Rasputin put it to me clearly that night: "Feodor, this is a great crisis. The Duma and Stuermer are incompatible. The victory of the latter will mean revolution. The triumph of the Duma will indicate the winning of the battle by the democracy. To achieve his purpose, Stuermer needs an audience with the Tsar, and he must have it. Alexandra Feodorovna seems to be failing us, for Nicholas has hidden himself, hoping that the storm will blow over." Stuermer strained every effort to obtain audience with the Emperor, but he was elusive, and for days no one knew where he was. An audience would mean the dissolution of the Duma, and this Nicholas feared would bring revolution. As is well known, by a record published by an American journalist, there suddenly appeared in the Duma the Ministers of War and Marine, General Shuvaiev and Admiral Grigorovitch. They announced that they had a statement to make. The representatives of the people held their breath in suspense. The War Minister mounted the tribune, and paid a tribute to the people's efforts in the cause of national defence, requesting the Duma's and the country's future co-operation in the work of equipping the army. The Minister of Marine reiterated General Shuvaiev's demand for co-operation between the Government and the Duma. The latter, perhaps, never witnessed such a scene as that which followed the two Ministers' speeches. There was a great ovation, after which Miliukoff rose and said: "The War and Marine Ministers have declared themselves on the side of the Duma and the people. We, on our part, have said that the Duma is with the army and the people." This sealed the fate of Boris Stuermer. The people had achieved their first victory over the "dark forces," and Stuermer, driven out, came one night to us, and, pacing the room, tore his beard and cursed both the Emperor and Empress. Then, turning upon Rasputin, he cried with a sneer: "And you, the holy Father and our divine guide, have been powerless to save us! Where are your miraculous powers? Only in your own imagination, I am beginning to think." These words led to a serious quarrel and bitter recriminations, for the Empress, to save herself, had dropped Stuermer, so that Protopopoff had become instantly the favourite at Court, and, indeed, dictator. Two weeks went by, weeks of the tensest scenes in the contest between the democracy and the conspirators, of whom Rasputin and the Empress were the head. Protopopoff defied the new Premier, Alexander Trepov, a hide-bound bureaucrat, as well as the Duma, and it was then that the crisis was reached.