followed soon, and the name of
Manuiloff was on everybody's lips. Miliukoff, in his speech, said,
regarding Manuiloff's liberation:

"Why was this gentleman arrested? That has been known long ago, and I
shall be saying nothing new if I tell you what you already know, namely,
that he was arrested for extorting bribes, and that he was liberated
because--that is also no secret--he told the examining magistrates that
he shared the bribes with the President of the Council of Ministers."

Thus was Boris Stuermer denounced as a traitor and blackmailer!

But worse was to follow. M. Miliukoff vehemently condemned the Empress
for her support of the plan, originated in Germany, of a speedy and
separate peace, regardless of circumstances, conditions, or national
honour. He quoted further passages from German newspapers, in which "_die
Friedens-partei der jungen Tzarin_" (the Peace Party of the young
Tsaritza) was freely discussed. He was very outspoken in referring to the
"dark forces" which surrounded the Throne and had lately assumed such
overwhelming dimensions, and he openly declared "that man, the monk
Gregory Rasputin, the ex-horse-stealer and pet saint of Alexandra
Feodorovna, is, gentlemen, nothing more than an erotic charlatan, who is
the catspaw of the Kaiser!"

The effect of this was electrical. The House sat staggered.

"Yes, gentlemen," he went on, striking the bundle of papers which lay
upon the desk before him, "I have here documentary evidence of the
traitorous actions of this camarilla, who are attempting to lead Russia
to her doom--papers which shall be revealed to you all in due course. It
is said that the Prime Minister has already left the Chamber to make a
personal report to His Majesty of the President's speech. All I trust is
that the words I have just uttered will also reach the Emperor's ears,
and that he will trouble himself to examine the irrefutable evidence of
Rasputin's diabolical work at the Palace and in the Ministries, and the
crafty machinations of the 'black forces' in our midst."

The Manuiloff disclosures were sufficiently dramatic, but this outspoken
exposure of Rasputin, the more bitter, perhaps, because of my warnings of
the two attempts to assassinate him, caused the House to gasp.

The very name of Rasputin had only been breathed in whispers, and his
cult was referred to vaguely as something mysterious connected with the
occult. But in that speech, to which I sat and listened, Miliu