I feel awfully good reading this one:
(an excerpt from The Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna by Sophie Buxhoeveden)
Once when the Empress was sitting on a rug under a tree, I got up from my seat beside her to pickup something she had dropped. A soldier immediately took my place remarking in reply to my protests that “now it was turn about”. The Empress edged a little bit away, making a sign to me to be silent, for she was afraid that the whole family be taken home, and the children robbed of an hour’s fresh air. The man seemed to her not to have a bad face, and soon she was engaged in a conversation with him.At first,he cross-questioned her, accusing her of “despising” the people, of showing by not traveling about that she did not want to now Russia. AF quietly explained to him that, as in her young days she had had 5 children and nursed them all herself, she had not time too go about the country and that, afterwards, her health prevented her. He seemed to be struck by this reasoning and,little by little,he grew more friendly. He asked the Empress about her life, about her children,her attitude towards Germany,etc. She answered in simple words that she had been a German in her youth,but that was long past. Her husband and children were Russians, and she was a Russian too,now, with all her heart. When I came back with the officer, who seemed a decent man, and to whom I had risked appealing, fearing that the soldier might annoy the Empress. I found them peacefully discussing questions of religion. The soldier got up on our approach, and took the Empress’ hand saying, “Do you know, Alexandra Feodorovna,I had quite a different idea of you? I was mistaken about you. “ It was more striking because this man was the deputy of the Soviet . When he came on guard the next time, he was quite polite.
It’s so sweet,right? I wonder who that guard is. Sophie failed to mention his name yet it seems like they’ve gotten close to each other. Confidential matter, I think.
