about twenty miles outside
Petrograd.

Under the evil hypnotic influence of Rasputin, the smart little woman,
who often called at the house and whom I sometimes met at the palace, was
quickly transformed from a steady tradesman's wife into a giddy,
pleasure-loving and intriguing degenerate, perhaps even more vicious than
the rest. Indeed, it was this very fact which caused the Empress to look
upon her with favour. Thus she soon had the run of the private
apartments, and became upon friendly terms with both Stuermer and
Fredericks.

This went on for some months, and even at the Imperial Court, where
nobody was over-squeamish, the conduct of little Madame Violle--who came
from nowhere and whose past was quite obscure except to Rasputin, Madame
Vyrubova, her sister and myself--was looked upon somewhat askance.

Violle, who was most devoted to his extremely pretty wife, one day had a
sudden shock. By some means a copy of the photograph of the
sister-disciples went astray in the post. A photographer obtained
possession of it and promptly made some picture post-cards, which were
quickly upon the market, much to Rasputin's chagrin. Somebody,
recognising Madame Violle in the picture, sent one anonymously to her
husband. The result was a terrible domestic scene.

Madame Olga came to Rasputin in great distress, and in my presence,
falling upon her knees before him, in tears, kissed his unwashed hands
and begged him to advise her.

"Your precious husband has made a fool of himself," the monk remarked
grimly. "Let him take warning lest Gregory Rasputin lift his hand against
him. Return home, and tell him that from me."

That was all the advice he would give her. He was full of anger that the
woman who had taken the picture should have been so negligent as to allow
a copy to fall into the hands of others. Always elusive, he hated to be
photographed, as he feared that it might constitute evidence against him.

The pretty woman, still much agitated, went out, and took train to
Tsarskoe-Selo, where she had audience of Her Majesty, who, in turn, urged
her to defy her husband.

Meanwhile the latter was going about Petrograd in a state of fury at
discovering that his wife was one of the monk's followers. But he was
not the first furious husband who had had cause to hate the hypnotic
peasant. The man Striaptchef and the woman Sabler, who constituted
Rasputin's bodyguard, assisted by Prince Gorianoff, quickly heard of the
furrier'