? Only in your own imagination,
I am beginning to think."

These words led to a serious quarrel and bitter recriminations, for the
Empress, to save herself, had dropped Stuermer, so that Protopopoff had
become instantly the favourite at Court, and, indeed, dictator.

Two weeks went by, weeks of the tensest scenes in the contest between the
democracy and the conspirators, of whom Rasputin and the Empress were the
head. Protopopoff defied the new Premier, Alexander Trepov, a hide-bound
bureaucrat, as well as the Duma, and it was then that the crisis was
reached.

Each day we went regularly to Tsarskoe-Selo, and there another plot was
quickly hatched. While the public were daily expecting the downfall of
Protopopoff as a natural outcome of Stuermer's denunciation and
degradation, they were one day suddenly staggered by the news that the
retired Premier was about to be appointed Ambassador to a neutral
country.

Everywhere I went I heard the most sinister dissatisfaction. The people
knew what was meant, namely, that the Germanophile Stuermer was to
negotiate a premature peace, and this within three weeks of his downfall!
The whole Empire was agog at the news, yet Rasputin remained calm and
silent, believing that his clever plot would be successful.

Certainly it might have been had not the Duma continued its concerted
attack on the "dark forces," demanding a responsible Ministry. Even half
of the Extreme Right, the most rabid monarchical faction in the Duma,
joined the Opposition, a fact which, when told to the Empress, sent her
again into hysterics.

I remember that day well. Hardt had arrived hot-foot from Berlin, and
brought the monk a dispatch which, when deciphered, read as follows:

"MEMORANDUM FROM NO. 70. A.43,286.
"November 8th, 1916.

"The attitude of the Duma is creating much alarm for your
personal safety. As you have failed to suppress Miliukoff,
endeavour at once to remove his chief supporter Purishkevitch.
Inform A. [Anna Vyrubova] that Korniloff has revealed to P. her
duplicity in the Zarudni affair, and P. has in his possession
certain documents incriminating her. These should be secured at
all hazards. [G. Zarudni, active in political law cases, and who
was, after the Revolution, appointed Minister of Justice in the
Kerensky Cabinet.] P. intends to make use of these in the Duma.
It is suggested, t