[11] Relations between the Czarina and Mlle. Tioutcheva were never again what they had been, and the latter resigned her post in the spring of 1912. [12] Son of the famous Professor Sergius Botkin and Court Physician. [13] The regiment which acted as the Czar’s bodyguard. It comprised representatives of all the regiments of the Guard. [14] At the time my pupil was learning Russian, French, arithmetic, history, geography and religious knowledge. He did not begin English until later, and never had German lessons. [15] Her Majesty talked English with them, the Czar Russian only. The Czarina talked English or French with the members of her suite. She never spoke in Russian (though she spoke it pretty well ultimately) except to those who knew no other language. During the whole period of my residence with the Imperial family I never heard one of them utter a word of German, except when it was inevitable, as at receptions, etc. [16] It was thus that I learned that from January 1st, 1914, to the day of his death in December, 1916, Rasputin only saw Alexis Nicolaïevitch three times. [17] Kerensky’s “Extraordinary Commission of Enquiry” established the falsity of the libellous reports about her relations with Rasputin. In this connection see the report of M. Roudnief, one of the members of that Commission: “La vérité sur la famille russe” (Paris, 1920). What he says was confirmed during our captivity at Tsarskoïe-Selo by Colonel Korovitchenko, who will come into this book later on. [18] Now Crown Prince of Rumania. [19] Now Queen of Rumania. [20] Now King of Rumania. [21] Who could have foreseen that if the marriage had taken place she would have escaped the dreadful fate in store for her! [22] A few weeks later the King of Saxony was the only prince in the German Confederation--with the exception of the Grand-Duke of Hesse, the Czarina’s brother--who tried to prevent a rupture with Russia. He was averse to associating himself with any employment of force against a nation whose guest he had just been. Yet it did not prevent him from indulging in the most fiery speeches once war had been declared. [23] A small steam-yacht with paddles. The draught of the _Standard_ was too great to allow her to fetch us from Peterhof. [24] This subcutaneous hæmorrhage is particularly painful when it occurs in a joint. [25] Rasputin was taken to the hospital at Tioumen and operated upon by a specialist sent from St. Petersburg. The operation was a wonderful success, and a week later the patient was out of danger. His recovery was considered miraculous. Neither fire not steel could avail against one who was obviously under the direct protection of the Almighty!