true faith to victory. But keep our holy Russia uncontaminated by the
poison of that heretical spirit, which would be a worse foe than any
foreign power can be."

He sat down, and for a moment absolute silence reigned. The Grand Duke
made a serious face, and exchanged a few whispered words with both his
nephews.

Then he said: "All the gentlemen who have here given us their views on
the situation are agreed that a declaration of war upon England is
an exceedingly lamentable but, under the circumstances, unavoidable
necessity; yet before I communicate to His Majesty, our gracious
Lord, this view, which is that of us all, I put to you, gentlemen, the
question whether there is anyone here who is of a contrary opinion. In
this case, I would beg of him to address us."

He waited a short while, but as no one wished to be allowed to speak, he
rose from his chair, and with a few words of thanks and a gentle bow to
the dignitaries, who had also risen in their places, notified that
he regarded the sitting, fraught with momentous consequences for the
destiny of the world, as closed.




II

THE OFFICERS' MESS