Tombstone epitaph., 1915-05-09
you into my confidence 1t is for

yon into my confidence It is for tunate that you have come alone. and that your rigid honor is not less cele brated than your dexterity.
 'l bowed deeply at these compli ments His majesty continued:
 "'The only return I can make to you for fidelity Of which assure myself beforehand. is to explain 10 you my reasons for what must seem to you an extraordinary state of things. The fate of my father. Alexander II, slain by bomb in the streets of St Peters burg, Is, of course. familiar to you. But 1t is not easy for you to realize the ef- feet produced by that fearful event on my mind.
 The perils ot e battlefield may be faced by brave man in the enthusi- asm which battle calls forth. But the perpetual secret peril which dogs one day after day and year after year. and never slackens for single moment that IS a very different thing
 "I am not ashamed to confess to you, baron, that from the moment ascended the bloody throne of Russia, my life was one long haunting agony Never once did have one hour of per. feet freedom from care. And l could do nothing l was helpless. a martyr bound to the stake of my autocracy. They prated to me of reforms. You are a man who knows Russia as few men know II. and you can tell me hot bar hn -.a bn of reform wJuld not have drawn down on my head the vengeance Of men be. side whom the Nihilists are Dungling apprentices?
 T could only bow my acquiescence in this sorrowful truth.
 For years. proceeded Alexander, I had secretly set my heart on abdi eating l only waited till my son Nicholas was Of an age to face the dangers and difficulties of his task But by the time that the hour of re. lease drew near, had learned that ab- dication would earn me no respite from the hatred with which I was pur. | sued
 "'l had acquired the knowledge that there were those who had sworn that | on the throne or of It. should not be | allowed to die a natural death. To give up my imperial state would sim. | ply be surrendering my safeguards, without for a moment disarming the
 enmity of those who sought my life
 It was these considerations which ulti mately forced me to entertain the idea | of deception which I lament. but to | which l owe the first peaceful days have spent for twelve years
 T resolved, as you have gathered | by this time, to go solemnly through
 the forms Of death and burial. and | thus acquire the right to retire to some uasuspeCted retreat. where ]
 might pass the remainder of my days, | shielded from the vengeance of my re. ! lentless puTsuers. In order to carry | out this design it was necessary that l
 should take five persons into my conf. 1 dence. my wife, my son, two physi. | clans of whose personal loyalty and | friendship had had many proofs, and an old trusted body-servant on whom
 was cast the duty of arranging for my | future privacy, and attending on me in | it He is at this moment away pro
 curing supplies of food
 These words of his majesty remind, ! ed me that Boris was tmpatiently awaiting my re-appearance. l glanced
 at my watch. Twelve minutes had al. | ready passed.
 " I must leave you now, sire, l ex. claimed, rising hastily or my com.
 rade will be seeking me. Rest assured | that 1 shall not prove unworthy of the
 trust you nave deigned to repose in me. But I venture to advise your | majesty 10 discontinue your visits to | your sons apartments for the present. Should you desire to lay your com mands upon me at any time. l shall be | found at the French embassy. With these words took a respect. | ful but hurried leave of the ex+tsar, who bade me cordial farewell.
 T reioined Boris just as he was | about to set of and give the alarm and was successful in putting a stop to any questions on his part by a few ! judicious words.
 "I am forbidden to tell you what I | have discovered, said. with slightly jocular air. but may tell you in con ] fidence that l think you must have
 mistaken the son for the father Next
 time you intercept his majesty on a
 midnight excursion, you will perhaps be able to assign reasons of a less
 mysterious character for his visits to
 the very charming bachelor apartment
 which have just explored
 The young prince accepted this ex. | planation readily enough. and its effect
 was confirmed the next day by the is | sue of an order discontinuing the guard Tn the gallery altogether. As
 have told you, all trace of the incident
 quickly disappeared from the society
 of St Petersburg And al the end of a few weeks the unlucky page received
 the honor of lieutenant's commission
 Tn regiment which happened to form | part of the garrison of Eladiyostock k