The next day, Christmas Day, we went to church. By the
[Illustration: AT TOBOLSK, WHERE THEY WERE INTERNED FROM SEPTEMBER, 1917, TO APRIL, 1918. THE CZAR AND HIS CHILDREN ENJOY THE SIBERIAN SUNSHINE ON THE ROOF OF A GREENHOUSE.
From left to right: The Grand-Duchesses Olga and Anastasie, the Czar and the Czarevitch, the Grand-Duchess Tatiana, the Grand-Duchess Marie (standing). The Czarina was confined to her room, indisposed.
orders of the priest the deacon intoned the _Mnogoletié_ (the prayer for the long life of the Imperial family). This was an imprudence which was bound to bring reprisals. The soldiers, with threats of death, demanded that the prayer should be revoked. This incident marred the pleasant memories which this day should have left in our minds. It also brought us fresh annoyances and the supervision became still stricter.
On January 1st/14th, 1914, I resumed the diary I had given up when we were transferred to Tobolsk. I shall give a few extracts from it as I did when describing our captivity at Tsarskoïe-Selo.
_Monday, January 14th_ (January 1st O.S.).--This morning we went to church, where the new priest officiated for the first time. Father Vassilief (the cause of the incident mentioned in the preceding chapter) has been transferred by Archbishop Hermogenes to the monastery of Abalatsky.
_Tuesday, January 15th._--At 2 p.m. there was a meeting of the committee of our garrison. It was decided by 100 votes to 85 to prohibit the wearing of epaulettes by officers and men.
_Thursday, January 17th._--Colonel Kobylinsky came this morning. He wore mufti rather than wear his uniform without epaulettes.
_Friday, January 18th._--The priest and choir[62] arrived at 3 o’clock. To-day is the Blessing of the Waters and the first time the new priest has officiated in the house. When it was Alexis Nicolaïevitch’s turn to kiss the cross held out by the priest the latter bent down and kissed his forehead. After dinner General Tatichtchef and Prince Dolgorouky came to beg the Czar to remove his epaulettes in order to avoid a hostile demonstration by the soldiers. At first it seemed as though the Czar would refuse, but, after exchanging a look and a few words with the Czarina, he recovered his self-control and yielded for the sake of his family.