s presence to the
Imperial family by barking in the corridors of Tsarskoe-Selo, while his
most famous imitation was that of a panther. And this of a Cabinet
Minister in days of war!

"O Nicholas Alexievitch, _do_ let us see you as a panther!" the Emperor
would often say.

Then the Minister of State would coil himself up beneath a sofa and roar
like a panther. Then, crawling slowly out on all fours, he would suddenly
take a leap and land in an arm-chair or upon a sofa, greatly to the
delight of the Imperial family, while the Grand Duchesses and the
Tsarevitch would go wild with glee.

When, by the way, Maklakoff was dismissed in 1915, as a result of the
anti-German riots in Moscow, the paper _Utro Rossy_ was fined three
thousand roubles for publishing an article headed "The Leap of the
Love-sick Panther."

Maklakoff was a bosom friend of Rasputin, a dissolute evil-liver after
the monk's own heart, and more than once had, in my presence, mentioned
the names of certain good-looking women in various classes of society who
might be invited to become disciples of the sadic Anti-Christ.

Within a week of the scene created by Madame Svetchine, Rasputin had
already commenced to seek his revenge in a deep and cunning way. He had
heard from several persons that Madame Anastasia was going about
Petrograd openly denouncing him, and that she had been in communication
with Monsieur Miliukoff of the Cadets, and also Count Bobrinski. For the
time being Rasputin was devoting his days to the reorganisation of his
"disciples." His traitorous interference in politics had already borne
fruit in favour of Germany.

The events that were happening at that very moment mercilessly showed up
the faults of our Russian administration, which was Germanic by origin in
its traditions and its sentiments. Indeed, at that moment, when the enemy
at the gates was knocking over the fortresses of Poland like ant-hills,
intrigues for place and honour were rife everywhere, and Maklakoff was
playing the "panther" to amuse the ladies of Tsarskoe-Selo!

Rasputin one day called to him one of his half-dozen sycophants of the
secret police, whom the Minister Protopopoff had placed at his disposal
for purposes of personal protection, but in reality to act as his spies
and _agents-provocateurs_.

To this fellow, Depp by name, he had given instructions that the
_dossiers_ of both Colonel Svetchine and his wife should be brought to
him. Next day they arrived, a