sputin well
knowing that Erchoff was one of his most bitter enemies, but who on
account of the Tsaritza's interest was now posing as a friend.

After our drive back to Rasputin's house the monk, flinging himself into
a chair and lighting a cigarette, thoughtfully remarked:

"That puppet Erchoff will later on regret that he denounced me a year
ago. His term of office is at its limit."

The mock saint was possessed of an almost supernatural intuition. In
everyday life he would tell me of things that would happen socially and
politically, and sure enough they would happen. The gift of looking into
the future is given to a few men and women in the world, those persons
who sometimes when they look into the face of another hold their breath
and remain silent, because they see death written upon the countenance
before them. This curious faculty was possessed by Rasputin to a very
marked degree--a faculty which has puzzled scientists through all the
ages, a faculty which usually runs side by side with an overweening
vanity and an amazing self-consciousness. Sometimes the possessor of that
most astounding and mysterious intuition is also possessed of a humble
and retiring disposition. But it is seldom.

Grichka, as all Russia called him, was an outstanding personality,
clever, scheming, and as unscrupulous as he was avaricious. His mujik
blood betrayed itself every hour.

Even as we sat there in the Imperial carriage as we drove to the Palace,
he smiled with self-conscious sarcasm when the people saluted or doffed
their hats to him as an Imperial guest.

At last we arrived before huge prison-like gates, which opened to allow
us to pass, sentries saluted, the doors swung back again, and we found
ourselves in the great well kept park of the Alexander Palace.

I saw two civilians walking together along the drive, which led into a
wood. They were agents of the secret police patrolling the grounds, for
every precaution was being taken to guard the persons of Their Majesties.
The death of the girl Vietroff had aroused the indignation of Russia to
such an extent that the atmosphere was charged with anarchism.

Our road lay through woods, past a model dairy. Thence we went past two
large farms, and out into open meadow lands, everything being kept most
spick-and-span by the hundreds of servants.

The system of defence of Tsarskoe-Selo struck me as amazingly well
designed. The road we had driven along seemed to be a maze, for tw