(THE WINTER OF 1913-14)
TO Rasputin was once more attributed the improvement in Alexis Nicola?evitch’s health a few days after the terrible attack to which I have referred.
It will be remembered that the attack had occurred shortly after that change in the Czarevitch’s manner of life I had thought it my duty to advocate. I thus felt partially1 responsible.
I was in a very great difficulty. When I decided2 as I did, I had, of course, realised the great dangers involved and thought myself strong enough to face them. But the test of reality was so dreadful that I had to consider whether I ought to persevere3.... And yet I felt strongly that I had no alternative.
After two months’ convalescence—the Czarevitch only recovered slowly—the Czar and Czarina made up their minds to persevere with the method they had adopted, notwithstanding the risks.
Dr. Botkin[12] and Dr. Derevenko were of a contrary opinion, but bowed to the parents’ desires and bravely accepted a decision which added considerably4 to the difficulties of a task{70} which was exacting5 and unpromising enough as it was. They were always on the look-out for the possible crisis, and when the accident happened the struggle was all the harder for them because they realised the inadequacy6 of the remedies at their disposal. When, after nights of watching, they had the joy of seeing their young patient out of dangerous, the improvement was attributed, not to their care and efforts, but to the miraculous7 intervention8 of Rasputin! But there was no false pride or envy about them, for they were inspired by feelings of the deepest pity for the tortured mother and father and the sufferings of the child who, at ten years of age, had already had far more to bear than most men in a long lifetime.
Our stay in the Crimea was longer than usual owing to Alexis Nicola?evitch’s illness, and we only returned to Tsarsko?e-Selo in December. We then spent the whole winter of 1913-14 there.
Our life at Tsarsko?e-Selo was far more intimate than when we were in residence at other palaces. With the exception of the maid-of-honour on duty and the officer commanding the “composite”[13] regiment9, the suite10 did not live in the palace, and unless relations were visiting the family the latter generally took their meals alone very quietly.
Lessons[14] began at nine o’clock, and there was a break from eleven to twelve. We went out driving in a carriage, sledge11, or car, and then work was resumed until lunch at one. In the afternoon we always spent two hours out of doors. The Grand-Duchesses and, when he was free, the Czar, came with us, and Alexis Nicola?evitch played with them, sliding on an ice
[Image unavailable.]
THE CZAREVITCH WITH HIS DOG “JOY” ON THE BALCONY OF THE ALEXANDER PALACE, TSARSKO?E-SELO. SEPTEMBER, 1914.
[Facing page 70.
{71}
mountain we had made at the edge of a little artificial lake. He was also fond of playing with his donkey Vanka, which was harnessed to a sledge, and his dog Joy, an attractive little liver spaniel with short legs, and long silky ears which almost touched the ground.
Vanka was a creature of quite unusual intelligence and sense of humour. When the idea of giving Alexis Nicola?evitch a donkey had been mooted12, all the horse-dealers in St. Petersburg had been referred to in vain. Cinizelli’s Circus had then agreed to part with a thoroughbred animal which had grown too old to perform any longer. Thus had Vanka come to Court, and he seemed to be immensely attached to the young family. He certainly was most amusing, for his repertoire13 of tricks was quite inexhaustible. In the most expert manner imaginable he would turn out your pockets in the hope of discovering delicacies14. He was particularly fond of old indiarubber balls, which he would quietly chew, closing one eye like an old Yankee.
These two animals played a large part in the life of Alexis Nicola?evitch, for his amusements were few. Above all, he was very short of playmates. The two sons of his sailor Derevenko, his ordinary companions, were much younger than he, and had neither the education nor the development desirable.
It is true that his cousins sometimes spent Sundays and birthdays with him, but these visits were rare. I often pressed the Czarina to remedy this state of things. As a result of this pressure an attempt was made, but without result.
Of course, the disease to which the boy was a prey15 made the choice of his comrades an extremely difficult matter. It was lucky that, as I have said, his sisters liked playing with him. They brought into his life an element of youthful merriment which would otherwise have been sorely missed.{72}
During our afternoon walks, the Czar, who was very fond of walking, usually went round the park with one of his daughters, but quite frequently he came and joined us. It was with his help that we made a huge tower of snow which became quite an imposing16 fortress17 before long and kept us busy several weeks.
At four o’clock we went in and resumed lessons until dinner, which was at seven for Alexis Nicola?evitch and at eight for the rest of the family. We ended the day by reading one of his favourite books.
Alexis Nicola?evitch was the centre of this united family, the focus of all its hopes and affections. His sisters worshipped him and he was his parents’ pride and joy. When he was well the palace was, as it were, transformed. Everyone and everything seemed bathed in sunshine. Endowed with a naturally happy disposition18, he would have developed quite regularly and successfully had he not been kept back by his infirmity. Each of his crises meant weeks and sometimes months of the closest attention, and when the h?morrhage had been heavy it was followed by a condition of general an?mia which made all hard work impossible for him, sometimes for a considerable period. Thus the interludes between attacks were all that were available, and, in spite of his quick brain, this made teaching a difficult matter.
The Grand-Duchesses were charming—the picture of freshness and health. It would have been difficult to find four sisters with characters more dissimilar and yet so perfectly19 blended in an affection which did not exclude personal independence, and, in spite of contrasting temperaments20, kept them a most united family. With the initials of their Christian21{73} names they had formed a composite Christian name, Otma, and under this common signature they frequently gave their presents or sent letters written by one of them on behalf of all.
I am sure I shall be forgiven for allowing myself the pleasure of recording22 some personal memories here—memories which will enable me to recall these girls in all the bloom and spontaneous enthusiasms of their youth. I might almost say their childhood. For these were girls who fell victims to a dreadful fate at a time when others are blossoming into womanhood.
The eldest23, Olga Nicola?evna, possessed24 a remarkably25 quick brain. She had good reasoning powers as well as initiative, a very independent manner, and a gift for swift and entertaining repartee26. She gave me a certain amount of trouble at first, but our early skirmishes were soon succeeded by relations of frank cordiality.
She picked up everything extremely quickly, and always managed to give an original turn to what she learned. I well remember how, in one of our first grammar lessons, when I was explaining the formation of the verbs and the use of the auxiliaries27, she suddenly interrupted me with:
“I see, monsieur. The auxiliaries are the servants of the verbs. It’s only poor ‘avoir’ which has to shift for itself.”
She read a good deal apart from her lessons. When she grew older, every time I gave her a book I was very careful to indicate by notes in the margin28 the passages or chapters she was to leave out. I used to give her a summary of these. The reason I put forward was the difficulty of the text or the fact that it was uninteresting.
An omission29 of mine cost me one of the most unpleasant{74} moments in my professional career, but, thanks to the Czar’s presence of mind, the incident ended better than I could have hoped.
Olga Nicola?evna was reading “Les Miserables,” and had reached the description of the battle of Waterloo. At the beginning of the letter she handed me a list of the words she had not understood, in accordance with our practice. What was my astonishment30 to see in it the word which is forever associated with the name of the officer who commanded the Guard. I felt certain I had not forgotten my usual precautions. I asked for the book to verify my marginal note, and realised my omission. To avoid a delicate explanation I struck out the wretched word and handed back the list to the Grand-Duchess.
She cried, “Why, you’ve struck out the word I asked papa about yesterday!”
I could not have been more thunderstruck if the bolt had fallen at my feet.
“What! You asked your——”
“Yes, and he asked me how I’d heard of it, and then said it was a very strong word which must not be repeated, though in the mouth of that general it was the finest word in the French language.”
A few hours later I met the Czar when I was out walking in the park. He took me on one side and said in a very serious tone:
“You are teaching my daughters a very curious vocabulary, monsieur....”
I floundered in a most involved explanation. But the Czar burst out laughing, and interrupted:
“Don’t worry, monsieur. I quite realised what happened,
[Image unavailable.]
THE CZARINA AND THE CZAREVITCH IN THE COURT OF THE PALACE AT LIVADIA. AUTUMN, 1913.
[Image unavailable.]
THE CZARINA SEWING IN THE GRAND-DUCHESSES’ ROOM.
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{75}
so I told my daughter that the word was one of the French army’s greatest claims to fame.”
Tatiana Nicola?evna was rather reserved, essentially31 well balanced, and had a will of her own, though she was less frank and spontaneous than her elder sister. She was not so gifted, either, but this inferiority was compensated32 by more perseverance33 and balance. She was very pretty, though she had not quite Olga Nicola?evna’s charm.
If the Czarina made any difference between her children, Tatiana Nicola?evna was her favourite. It was not that her sisters loved their mother any less, but Tatiana knew how to surround her with unwearying attentions and never gave way to her own capricious impulses. Through her good looks and her art of self-assertion she put her sister in the shade in public, as the latter, thoughtless about herself, seemed to take a back seat. Yet the two sisters were passionately34 devoted35 to each other. There was only eighteen months between them, and that in itself was a bond of union. They were called “the big pair,” while Marie Nicola?evna and Anastasie Nicola?evna were still known as the “little pair.”
Marie Nicola?evna was a fine girl, tall for her age, and a picture of glowing health and colour. She had large and beautiful grey eyes. Her tastes were very simple, and with her warm heart she was kindness itself. Her sisters took advantage somewhat of her good nature, and called her “fat little bow-wow.” She certainly had the benevolent36 and somewhat gauche37 devotion of a dog.
Anastasie Nicola?evna, on the other hand, was very roguish and almost a wag. She had a very strong sense of humour, and the darts38 of her wit often found sensitive spots. She was rather an enfant terrible, though this fault tended to correct{76} itself with age. She was also extremely idle, though with the idleness of a gifted child. Her French accent was excellent, and she acted scenes from comedy with remarkable39 talent. She was so lively, and her gaiety so infectious, that several members of the suite had fallen into the way of calling her “Sunshine,” the nickname her mother had been given at the English Court.
In short, the whole charm, difficult though it was to define, of these four sisters was their extreme simplicity40, candour, freshness, and instinctive41 kindness of heart.
Their mother, whom they adored, was, so to speak, infallible in their eyes. Olga Nicola?evna alone showed occasional traces of independence. They surrounded her with every attention. Of their own initiative they had arranged matters in such a way that they could take turns of “duty” with their mother, keeping her company for the day. When the Czarina was ill the result was that the daughter on duty could not go out at all.
Their relations with the Czar were delightful42. He was Emperor, father, and friend in one.
Their feelings for him were thus dictated43 by circumstances, passing from religious veneration44 to utter frankness and the warmest affection. Was it not he before whom the ministers, the highest dignitaries of the Church, the grand-dukes, and even their mother bowed in reverence45, he whose fatherly heart opened so willingly to their sorrows, he who joined so merrily in their youthful amusements, far from the eyes of the indiscreet?
With the exception of Olga Nicola?evna, the Grand-Duchesses were very moderate pupils. This was largely due to the fact that, in spite of my repeated suggestions, the Czarina would never have a French governess. No doubt she did not wish{77} anyone to come between herself and her daughters. The result was that though they read French, and liked it, they were never able to speak it fluently.[15]
The Czarina’s state of health accounts for the fact that the education of her daughters was to some extent neglected. The illness of Alexis Nicola?evitch had gradually worn down her powers of resistance. At times of crisis she spared herself nothing and displayed remarkable energy and courage. But, once the danger had passed, Nature resumed her rights, and for weeks she would lie on a sofa quite exhausted46 by the strain.
Olga Nicola?evna did not fulfil the hopes I had set upon her. Her fine intellect failed to find the elements necessary to its development. Instead of making progress she began to go back. Her sisters had ever had but little taste for learning, their gifts being of the practical order.
By force of circumstances all four had soon learnt to be self-sufficient and to find their natural good nature their sole resource. Very few girls would have accommodated themselves so easily to a life such as theirs—a life deprived of outside amusements, and with no other source of distraction47 than those joys of family life which are so despised in these days!
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1
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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3
persevere
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| v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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inadequacy
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| n.无法胜任，信心不足 | |
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7
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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8
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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9
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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11
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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12
mooted
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| adj.未决定的，有争议的，有疑问的v.提出…供讨论( moot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
repertoire
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| n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表 | |
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delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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15
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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18
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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19
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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temperaments
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| 性格( temperament的名词复数 )； （人或动物的）气质； 易冲动； （性情）暴躁 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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22
recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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26
repartee
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| n.机敏的应答 | |
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27
auxiliaries
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| n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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29
omission
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| n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长 | |
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30
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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31
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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32
compensated
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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gauche
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| adj.笨拙的，粗鲁的 | |
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38
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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39
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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40
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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41
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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42
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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43
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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44
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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45
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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46
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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47
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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