ed. They were settled in a large
agricultural school building in very fine surroundings. I managed to
visit Nelka at that hospital for a few days.

Soon, however, the fighting resumed and the Germans resumed their
advance. The hospital once again had to be moved. At that moment
Nelka came down with a very severe case of scarlet fever. The doctor
said that she could not be moved, just as the hospital was getting
under way. The head doctor had her arranged in bed in a tent, leaving
her one nurse. At the last moment when leaving, he slipped a revolver
under her pillow! But Nelka recovered. The Germans did not reach
that point and ultimately she was able to rejoin her unit.

Soon after that she was sent to the rear to a town called Novgorod,
to organize a new unit. There she spent most of the winter and once
again I managed to visit her there, as it was not very far from
Petersburg.

All during the war, at different intervals, Nelka came back to
Petersburg, mostly for just a few days and because of some business
for her hospital or unit. Each time when she came to Petersburg she
stayed at my mother's and thus I was able to see her occasionally.

The impression she had made on me when I first saw her as a small boy
never changed. The only difference was that growing up I came more
and more under her spell and was more and more deeply attached and
devoted to her. I was then 17 years old and very much in love with
her. But she was fully grown and I was but a boy yet, so that any
hopes would seem rather futile for me. Futile because of the
difference of age and because I could hardly expect that she could be
interested in me. Also because of her great charm and personality she
always had great success with men everywhere and it was more than
possible that some fortunate man would be able to win her.

Both in Russia and in America and also while she was in Bulgaria and
in Paris she had a great number of admirers and had over thirty
proposals from men of different nationalities. She even had a
Japanese suitor. But she never was interested in any of these suitors
and once told my mother that she would never marry unless she had a
complete and all consuming feeling for the man she chose.

But for the moment the war was on and everyone had other thoughts and
jobs on hand than romance.

But I was growing up and so was my feelings for her. Every time
Nelka would come to Petersburg, I would see her off to the train,
taking her