Yesterday, I was reading Tatiana Botkin’s memoirs which I got translated by Google Translator in early 2012 (forgot to copy the website of the original Russian -_-) and I saw this little anecdote of the Little Pair. Anastasia really was the boss in their pairing XD
Maria and Anastasia loved to play … (Google translated it as nuliki and crosses), and knew a secret on how to always win. Gleb eventually became aware of that, and Anastasia, having been defeated by him several times, warned Maria Nikolaevna:
“Be careful Maria; he plays well.”
Another of Anastasia:
At about every five o’clock, my father would go to check Her Majesty’s heart[beat]. Before he would do so, my father always asked us to give him water for washing his hands, which we put into a glass … (it has been translated as a “cup” but I think it’s a “bowl” instead) which is called the Grand Duchesses' “prostokvashnitsey”.
One day while we were away, my father asked Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna who was sitting nearby to go to the hallway and ask an attendant to get him water.
“What are you going to do?”, asked Anastasia.
“I will wash my hands”, my father replied.
“I’ll get it for you”.
My father protested so she said, “If your children can do it, why can’t I?”
Anastasia is so kind and helpful ^^ I wonder how old she was when this happened.
