s taken out into the dazzling light
of day back to Petrograd, and to the Ministry of the Interior, where in a
private room--one that was in a wing of the great building familiar to
me--I was left alone.

I had only been there for a few minutes, looking out of the window in
wonder, when the door opened, and before me stood the goat-bearded man
Boris Stuermer.

"Welcome back, my dear Rajevski!" he exclaimed, coming towards me and
shaking my hand warmly. "We only knew yesterday where you were. Those
fools in Kazan spirited you away, but that idiot the Chief of Police has
been to-day dismissed the service for his meddling. I do hope you are
none the worse for your adventure," he added with concern.

"Surely Grichka knew of my arrest!" I said. "Did he not inquire?"

"He did not dare to do so openly, lest he himself should be implicated,"
replied the German. "We were compelled to wait and inquire with due
judiciousness. Even then we could not discover whither you had been
sent--not until yesterday. But it is all a mistake, my dear Rajevski--all
a mistake, and you must overlook it. The Father is eagerly awaiting your
return."

"I must first go home and exchange these dirty clothes," I remarked.

"Yes. But first accept the apologies of the General and myself. You, of
course, knew that we should extricate you--as we shall again, if any
other untoward circumstances happen to arise. Recollect that we can open
any door of prison or palace in Russia," and then he smiled grimly as I
took my leave.

I returned to my own rooms to find that they had, during my absence, been
searched by the police, and some of my correspondence, of a private and
family nature, had been taken away. At this I felt greatly annoyed, and
resolved to obtain from Kouropatkine immunity from such domiciliary
visits in future.

Upon my table lay a letter which had, I was told, arrived for me that
morning. On opening it I found that it was from the head office of the
Azof-Don Commercial Bank, in the Morskaya, officially informing me that a
sum of fifty thousand roubles had been placed to my credit there by some
person who remained anonymous.

The present was certainly a welcome one, made no doubt as reparation for
the inconvenience I had suffered.

Half-an-hour later I arrived at the Poltavskaya where old Anna admitted
me, and I at once went to the monk's sanctum.

Rasputin sprang from his chair and, seizing both my hands, cried:

"Ah! my dear Feodor