hemselves,
crossing over to the front that he might see how they did, and show them
that he was determined to know for himself the conditions under which
they were so nobly doing their duty, so that they should not only have
his leadership but all the sympathy he could give them.

It has been just the same in Russia. There, at last, has come the great
departure from precedent and tradition for which the Emperor has always
longed and felt to be possible since he came to London and said, "Some
day it will be like that in Russia!" The "some day" has come at last.
One felt it when he went into the Duma last year at the outbreak of the
war, and, on his own initiative alone, addressed its members informally
on the task of serving their country together. Other things have
followed in quick succession! The Empress and her daughters became
nurses at once as soon as the wounded soldiers began to be brought in.
They wore the uniform, and were addressed as Sister Olga or Sister
Tatiana like every one else, although the Russian Court has been held to
be the most exacting and punctilious court in Europe. Again and again
the Emperor has been to the front, endearing himself to his soldiers, to
whom it is known that he equipped himself in a common soldier's uniform,
before he passed it, with kit, rifle, and boots complete, and tramped
miles across the country that he might know what it was like to be on
the march.

Does it make no difference to Ivan Ivanoff to say to himself on the
march when he thinks of his Emperor, "He knows what it's like, for he's
done it himself? Somewhere he's thinking about his soldiers, and he
_knows_." He was photographed in their uniform, just as one of
themselves, and the photograph was distributed amongst the troops. "GOD
save the Tsar!" is the one clamorous cry of the streets in Russia
to-day, we are told. The Emperor and Empress show themselves in a
balcony in Petrograd as naturally as King George and Queen Mary show
themselves at Buckingham Palace when the crowd ask for them.

Such a thing has never been seen, or even thought of, before in Russia.
The last time the Emperor came up from the Crimea to the capital, there
were soldiers within speaking distance of each other along the entire
length of rail, keeping watch and guard. Soon he will go about
unattended, and without escort; and as it was with Queen Victoria, so
"it will be like that in Russia."

Again, I want to dwell upon this link between us,