“How do you feel, Jack?” he asked anxiously.
Jack smiled up at him feebly.
“Shoulder hurts considerably, sir,” he replied, and winced with the pain. “Foolish of me to topple over like this, though, sir.”
“Foolish!” repeated the Czar, and then sprang to his feet and exclaimed excitedly:
“My doctor! My doctor! Where is he? Doesn’t the man have sense enough to hurry? By my soul, I’ll have him sent to Siberia if he is not here in two minutes!”
And His Majesty continued to rave until a few moments later a little man hurried in briskly.
“Where have you been?” exclaimed the Czar. “Don’t you know enough to hurry when I send for you? See to this boy at once. At once, do you hear?”
The physician paid no attention to the Emperor of all the Russians more than to push His Majesty aside as he said shortly:
“Stand back, now, all of you and give me room.”
Not another man was there in all the empire who could speak to the Czar like that.