t
hesitate to commit murder.

That night proved a sleepless one for us all. I tried to warn Miliukoff
again by sending him an anonymous letter, which I posted in secret after
the monk had retired. But my great fear was lest the letter would not
reach his hand in time. Probably it would not be delivered till the
midday post--and if so, he would not see it till after the opening of the
Duma!

Next morning passed anxiously. Protopopoff had told us over the
telephone that Stefanovitch had seen the woman Grozdoff, and that all was
arranged.

I went early to the Duma, and sat among the crowd in the public gallery,
while Rasputin remained at home, and the Empress at the palace, with Anna
near the telephone, she having arranged for brief reports of the
proceedings to be telephoned to her at intervals of a quarter of an hour
each during the sitting.

M. Michael Rodzianko, the President, gravely took his seat on the stroke
of two, and the House was crowded. The diplomatic boxes were filled to
overflowing, the British, French, Italian and United States Ambassadors,
together with the Ministers of most of the neutral countries, being
present.

The usual prayer was offered, but neither M. Miliukoff nor M.
Purishkevitch was in his place!

Had the attempt been successful? I held my breath and wondered. I had
been listening for a shot, but heard nothing.

Suddenly my heart gave a bound. A pleasant-looking, grey-haired man, in
gold-rimmed spectacles, and carrying a big bundle of papers, had entered
by the back way, and was walking to his seat. It was M. Miliukoff! He had
had my anonymous letter, and had come in by the back way, being followed
by his bearded, bald-headed friend. Once again had I been able to warn
him of danger.

The Government was now dancing upon a volcano.

The sitting opened, the President Rodzianko made a speech in which he
criticised severely the policy of the Stuermer Government, and everyone
realised the seriousness of the situation now that the President of the
Duma came out against the Prime Minister.

"The Government must learn from us what the country needs," said
Rodzianko fiercely. "The Government must not follow a path different from
the people. With the confidence of the nation it must head the social
forces in the march toward victory over the enemy, along the path that
harmonises with the aspirations of the people. There is no other path to
be followed."

Then the President went on to decl