The Diary of Olga Romanov (8 page)

21 June.

My darling Papa!

I am awfully happy that you are coming back soon. I am sitting with Mama on the balcony after breakfast. Isa just came out and sat in the armchair which I planned [to use] myself. The sisters are going to the Grand Palace and the infirmary, and I don't think are too happy about it. When they return, we will go to ours. They have arranged a croquet game and we will play. Aleksei and his endless suite are going to Ropsha, but will return at 6 o'clock, in order to go to Anya's. Alexander Konstantinovich went to the Caucasus to buy a horse and so forth, so on Sundays it is now less cozy, although still fun. By the way, Father Kedrinski has been hit by a trolley, and his left leg was amputated—poor thing, especially unfortunate for a priest. On Wednesday Tatiana and I had tea at Grandmother's on Yelagin and returned on the motor for the first time. Rode for an hour and five minutes, since there is road work in the city and very backed up.
Irina and Felix had tea with us yesterday. They said that Andrusha was dressed as a page with spurs—and was rather embarrassed at first. Today Kostya is coming over. He is leaving to the regiment in a few days. Isa continues sitting and talking a lot. Our
Yerivantzy
²²
are recovering way too fast and tomorrow the best of them is returning to the regiment, which is very sad. During all these months we had 15 officers as patients from their regiment. We met the former
nizhnegorodetz
²³
Kusov at Anya's. He was in the Moscow Dragun regiment for 4 years already. We felt right at home with him immediately, and he did even more, and he talked about masses of things. Last night he visited us, count and countess Grabbe, Nini Voikova and Emma Fredericks. Alya sang, and it was rather cozy. Isa finally left and I will be ending. May God keep you, Papa, my jewel. I kiss you very very affectionately and love you. Your loyal Elisavetgradetz.

Regards to Nikolai Pavlovich. Tell him that he is a pig, because he did not even write once. I started twice but it didn't come out and tore it up.

25 June.

My golden Papa!

Didn't get the chance to write you with today's
feld-yeger
,
²⁴
since there was no time. We went to the Grand palace infirmary today with Aleksei, and it was amazingly boring and lame, as we and the sisters stood by one tree, and the patients by another, and could not part for a long time. After that we played a game of tennis for the first time since Your departure. Four nets all different and I lost them all. The weather was wonderful, and the sun was very strong, so we are slowly
getting tan, and the evenings are so cool, so that it's cold to sit outside in a dress. Here on the balcony it got very cozy ever since Mama acquired the new wicker furniture made by the invalids, and the two lamps stay lit. Now the tea table was brought in, and Galkin is fixedly shoving Anya's wheelchair under the table. Papa darling, I think about you so much during these anxious days. God willing, everything will soon pass and things will become “more lighthearted,” as Grigori always says. Oh yeah! We 4, Isa, Kira and Vilchkovsky went to
Kolpin
yesterday. It is much warmer there than here, and really beautiful near the river. We went to six infirmaries and a church where the image of Nikolai Chudotvorets [Miracle Worker, one of Russia's main saints] is. There were rather a lot of workers and among engineer-mechanics [was] Solovov—remember him from the yacht, and then on “
Abrek
.” I apologize for the ink smudge I just made. Kolenkin is at our infirmary—his left ear is infected, but he is better. He arrived to the Alexandrisky regiment for only a week, but everyone loved him very much and he is revving to return.
Well, I am ending now. May He keep you, Papa, my angel.
I kiss you and love you very very much.
Your loyal Elisavetgradetz.
Regards to Nikolai Pavlovich.

—

Sunday. 28th June.

During the day ate on the balcony with A., M. and T. At 5 o'cl. went to meet darling Papa. I am so happy that he is here. Until 10 o'cl. sat on the balcony—raining heavily…. Lord save us.

Wednesday. 1st July.

We 2 to
Znamenie
and to the infirmary. Changed dressings…. Sat with the Yerevantzy
²⁵
—it was so cozy. At 2 1/2 we 2 to the city to charities and after that to Yelagin—Papa too. Had tea with Grandma and Aunt Ksenia in the garden. Vasya was there. Warm, but not very. Returned at 7 1/2. Had dinner on the balcony…. Anya came over. Mama is feeling fair. At 11 hrs 10 min. to bed.

Saturday. 11th July. [Olga's name day]

We 2 and Al. to the infirmary. From there to
Znamenie
. Changed dressings…At 12 1/2 had
moleben
for me. Grandma had breakfast. Sat on the balcony with Mama and wrote telegrams. Very warm—14 deg. In the evening went to
vsenoshnaya
. Later, we 3 with Papa and Mama to Pavlovsk. Sat on the balcony with T., Aunt Olga, Mavra, Ioannchik…and Elena. Came home at 11 o'cl. Save us, Holy Lord.

—

From the memoirs of V. I. Chebotareva:
²⁶

Zalivsky's surgery on the 21st went very well. Tatiana Nikolaevna handed over the silk, and Olga Nikolaevna the instruments, I—the equipment. In the evening, we came again to clean the instruments, all sat terribly crowded. Opened the windows ourselves, dragged over the silk ourselves. O[lga] Nikolaevna once again said “Mama sends her regards especially to you, Valentina Ivanovna. It is so nice here, if there was no war, we would not have known you, so strange, isn't it?” Scrubbed thoroughly with soap, alcohol, prepared instruments and put them into the closet ourselves.
The officers were surprised “But you have attendants, why ruin your hands!”

26 July.

The Empress and the grand duchesses started working in August [1914]. At first they were so distant! [We] kissed hands, greeted the grand duchesses, and that was the end of it. Vera Ignatievna gave lectures in their room for a half hour, and Anna Alexandrovna was always there, then [we] went to do the dressings: grand duchesses—the soldiers, the Empress and Anna Alexandrovna [Vyrubova]—the officers.

—

Saturday. 22nd August.

Papa, Mama and Aleksei were in the city, receiving [members] of the Duma. Breakfast on the balcony with Nikolai Pavlovich, marvelous weather. Caught 39 bees. During the day walked with Papa and Nikolai Pavlovich. Mama on a cart in Bablovo. Spoke to Mitya
²⁷
on the telephone. Tea in the playroom. Anastasia was downstairs in the evening…Nikolai Pavlovich and Anya had dinner. At 10 o'clock went to the train station to see off darling Papa. Lord help and save him on this new difficult journey as the Commander-in-Chief
²⁸
. Mama was tired from everything and these difficult times. [We] went to bed right away….

—

Letters from Olga to Nicholas II:

24 August.

Papa, my priceless jewel!

Your evening telegram made everyone really happy. May the Lord help you…. Shvybzik [Anastasia] had breakfast with us but [she] sat at a separate table in the sun. There were a lot less wasps. At 9 o'clock we went to
Obednya
in the grotto church. The little
batushka
²⁹
Anfis did the service. There were many appetizing looking children [their height] below the knee, took the host, and it took a lot of restraint for me not to grab and squeeze them. After this, we went to do dressings at the infirmary, dressed everyone really fast since there weren't too many patients, and went to play croquet. There was a lot of laughter and arguments, as I don't think that there was any way to play more dishonestly than we did. The rest of the non-ambulatory patients sat in wheelchairs and on benches, like in a theater, and laughed hysterically. Aleksei asked me to send you a kiss and tell you that he will write about Irina Tolstaya. We had cozy time at Anya's, with her and Rita Khitrovo.
³⁰
She grew even more and is awfully lovely. In the evening we took a ride with Mama in a half open motor around the boulevard and a little farther, it was very warm and dark. Oh yeah, I was at the Grand palace during the day. Half of the patients were in the garden, and when it started to rain, they carted them into a large tent, where they lived nicely for a while. Anya had breakfast at Countess Paley's
³¹
…Alya's husband came for a few days. He got tan and more buff, but looks weak in a
chekesska
. He is being transferred to the 3rd
Ulan
regiment, it's really not necessary, right? Anya read Volodya Paley's
³²
lovely poetry to us, they were copied down by his mother. And this morning, as usual, went to the infirmary. At the end of the dressings
Mama came, to everyone's joy. In the meantime, the weather is awful. It's raining, cool and foggy. We had breakfast upstairs in the playroom, as Aleksei's arm hurts a bit. He regrets that he cannot write to you today. We sat there for an hour—Mr. Gilliard read something to Aleksei, and before and after breakfast he showed us his magic lantern.
³³
Right now I am sitting in Mama's lilac [mauve] room by the window. We just came down. She was planning on resting but was reminded that Ordin and Apraksin are waiting, and she was forced to go and receive them. Upstairs in the red room the tuner is sitting at the piano and I am rather sick of him, banging out one note.
Well, Papa my dear, I am ending now.
May Christ be with you. Regards to Kolya, and I kiss you
very very affectionately.
Your loyal Elisavetgradetz.

27 August.

Papa, my darling!

I am writing to you in Mama's lilac room, in Your comfortable easy chair. She just left. We have dinner in the playroom these days, and it is so cozy. The weather today, although clear, is cold. During the day we rode in 2 equipages to the
Pavlovsk
forest. It was so nice there, reminded me of
Belovezh
, and also
Shkheri
, as we found a few cowberries and bilberries. Uncle Pavel had tea with us and later talked with Mama “in private,” while we headed to Tatiana's [Konstantinovna] who arrived for a few days from the village and is living in
Strelna
, and spent the day in
Pavlovsk
today. She looks a little better, although still very thin. We saw Your goddaughter Ekaterina in her grandma's arms, she is very darling. I am not going to talk about Vsevolod. Kostya sat there the entire time being a
pest. Georgii too [KR's sons], he had a cold and was intruding into conversation the entire time, which was tiresome. Afterwards went to
vsenoshnaya
in the upper church, and the
batushka
gave a long but good sermon. It's a shame that more people can't hear him. Yesterday we 2 went to the city. At first went to see the charity warehouse for Tatiana's refugees…. From there headed to the Winter Palace, Tatiana to a committee, and I to charities. Received a lot of money, more than 2,000 rubles, but there were not a lot of people. Volkonsky was very pleasant, said a lot of interesting things. Countess Karlova was the “birthday girl” and we all forgot to congratulate her, of course. Had tea on Yelagin with Grandma and Aunt Ksenia. Aunt Ksenia had a cold and did not feel well, and was pale, while Grandma, thank God, is fine. She was happy about the good news…. Irina [Alexandrovna] had a stomach ache and was lying down [in bed] for a few days. Anya just came and sat down in your easy chair and I migrated next to the piano. During the day we went to the Grand palace. The patients there are 4 young ensigns from
Preobrazhensk
. They are all together and their rooms are called “Children's,” since they are acting naughty like small children, for which they get chastised sometimes, but what else have the poor things to do. Now it's time to go to bed, therefore I will be ending, Papa my dear, everyone was awfully happy about Your letter to Mama. She read some excerpts to us, and we squeezed you in our minds and loved you an awful much, Papa our little jewel. Continuing on the 28th. We are sitting on the balcony having tea. The weather is exceptionally nice…During the day we rode again and at one of the farm stands in Pavlovsk bought two wonderful jars of raspberry and bilberry preserves. Aleksei is also spending the entire day in the garden. During the day, before our walk, we went to the Christening of ensign Kobb's son. Marie was
the godmother, and former
Ulan
Yakovlev (commandant of her train) [was] the godfather. His eldest boy, whose Christening was last year with Mama, was very lovely. Nikolai Dmitrievich was the duty officer, so Marie was fussing around a lot and yelling on the balcony. At Anya's we saw the wife and daughters
³⁴
of Gregori Yefimovich. She is so nice and cozy. Papa, darling, it's time for me to end. Right now we are going to the
vsenoshnaya
and the general confession—I am asking Your forgiveness.
May the Lord keep and help you.
I kiss you affectionately and warmly, my dear Papa, kiss you
the same way I love You.
Your loyal Elisavetgradetz.

—

Sunday. 30th August.

Sonia Orbeliani
³⁵
had breakfast on the balcony, tea there too. During the day rode around, I with Mama and the sisters in the back. Aleksei [went] to Peterghof. Went to the graveyard of the wounded and Count Nirod. Spoke with Sh[vedov] on the telephone, his name day. Lord save us. Papa telegraphed. Dinner in the playroom. Mama is [feeling] fine, thank God…. Spoke with Mitya, he is sad for some reason, poor little thing…. Lord help us.

—

Letters from Olga to Nicholas II:

1 September.

My Dear Papa!