f starvation or surrender for the whole of us,--we can't
stay down here indefinitely!'... 'Patience, _courage_, my friend,' my
'prisoner' replied whole-heartedly; 'this is the first time in my life
I have been absolutely alone, the first moment in our lives we have
been positively FREE!'... He took a few swift steps and swung around
gracefully, like a figure in a dance.... 'I love the mazurka!' he
exclaimed!... 'I'd like to have a real pillow fight again with the
children!... We used to have such fun!... It was about the only time
my wife would ever smile!... I used to tell her that she reminded me
of the sad goddesses that stood on the dull red cornices of my
Winter Palace looking coldly into space during any of the Court
ceremonies.... Really that was true,--a woman like my wife, in a
_manteau de cour,_ a head flaming with the rays of her kokoshnik and
supported by that long white veil, DOES resemble an icicle in the
Winter Palace!... But when we are _alone_!... the Zaritsa is
a motherly MOTHER!... You'll see.... We have always loved
simplicity.... This is our chance.... I never did like the late
suppers and high life indulged in by some of my relations.... My
greatest dissipation was at the Marinsky when we'd sup between acts
and go straight home to bed.... Grand Duke Alexis never wanted to go
to bed.... After the theatre he was always primed for another party
out at the Islands.... Our motto has always been, "Early to bed and
early to rise."... Had to.... At work early after breakfast till
eleven ... luncheon ... to work again at half past twelve until dinner
... back to work until very late at night.... NOW we are hearing of
our misguided _workmen and soldiers_ attempting to run the country on
SIX HOURS WORK A DAY!... That would be delightful if they would
only devote the remaining hours to recreation and STUDY.'... My
'prisoner' seemed positively _boyish_....

"His voice was in pleasant contrast to the shrill staccato accents I
had heard in that gloomy underground room of the Foreign Office at
Berlin.... I could see at a glance that his present attitude was not a
pose,--his simplicity, like his courage and democracy, was GENUINE....
It explains the reason for his composure at THIS VERY MINUTE when a
less courageous man would be excitedly running around in circles and
making my life miserable by bemoaning our ill luck.... To show the
_morale_ of this family of cave dwellers I'll record this incident:
'Be careful a