“That is very pretty,” said the Empress, “but isn’t that what you said to your mother last week?” Anastasie couldn’t stand it any longer and fled from the room and burst into tears, but presently she went back to her grandma to tell her how sorry she was and to beg her forgiveness. The Empress accepted the child’s apology very sweetly, but told her that she could not give her the bonbon like the one she had given to all the other children.
Anastasie, one day, climbed onto the nursery table and jumped off. The governess said, “You must not do that; it is too high; you can jump off the sofa if you want to jump, but not off the table.” Paying no heed to what had been said to her, Anastasie again climbed on the table and jumped off. So her governess gently slapped her. Anastasie sat down and thought a moment, then said, “It is not nice to get a slap, but it is better to climb on the table and get a slap than to jump off the sofa and not get a slap,” and she promptly climbed on the table once more and jumped again. The governess then tied her in a chair with a sash. Anastasie did not like this so she said, “It is better to climb on the table and get a slap but it is better not to climb on the table than to be tied in a chair like this.”
The Emperor was with the children one day when Anastasie, in a burst of temper, slapped Tatiana on the face. The Emperor promptly sent for the nursery governess and told her to take Anastasie upstairs and make her hear reason. When the governess had Anastasie alone, she said, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself to slap your sister?” “I am not ashamed at all,” replied Anastasie, “because I did not really hurt Tatiana.” “But you hurt Tatiana’s feelings,” the governess told her, “and you hurt your father’s feelings.” “I did not hurt Tatiana so I won’t say ‘I am sorry’ to her but I am sorry I hurted poor daddy’s feelings,” and she proceeded to go and tell her father how sorry she felt. The governess allowed her to go downstairs. Anastasie went directly to the Tsar and said: “Daddy, I am sorry I hurted your feelings,” but to Tatiana she would not say a word. After a moment, however, she suddenly threw her arms around her sister’s neck and kissed her.
Anastasie had long wanted a cat for a pet. In the garden near Peterhof, where the Royal Family were staying for the annual manœuvres, the nursery, one day, found a cat following the gardener. Anastasie promptly said, “Sir, will you please give me your cat?” “You may have the cat if you can keep it,” the gardener replied. Anastasie took the cat home, buttered its feet and shut it up in one of the rooms. When she went to look for her cat, she found it had escaped through the chimney. The next day, Anastasie went again to the garden and, seeking out the gardener, said, “You said I might have the cat and I took it home but she ran away.” “No,” said the gardener, “I said you might have the cat if you could keep it.” Anastasie begged him to give her the cat again and to tell the cat that she was to stay with her, but the gardener was reluctant to give up his pet and so a kitten had to be found for Anastasie elsewhere.
One spring, the nursery was taken to an orchard near the Palace to pick apples, and, as a reward, they were promised some baked apples with their tea. When the baskets were filled, the apples were sent to the Palace and the children were taken off to listen to a military band. While the band was playing, Anastasie suddenly produced an apple which she had hidden and began to eat it. The governess took it away from her and told her not to eat it, as it would make her ill. A few moments later, she produced another, and said to her governess, “If you take this apple away from me, I will scream and then the people will all think you are wicked to me.” So the governess said, “Anastasie, as sure as you eat that apple, you will be punished when you get home.” Anastasie was not frightened by the threat and calmly proceeded to eat the apple. When the nursery returned to the Palace, Anastasie was put straight to bed and at tea time, all the other children had baked apples but none was given her. The other children thought to tease her by asking her if she did not want some of their lovely baked apples. “No, indeed,” remarked Anastasie, “because you don’t know how good that apple was that I had in the garden.” The next day, Anastasie wanted again to be taken to the orchard, but the governess took her somewhere where she did not want to go. Looking out of the carriage window, Anastasie said, “It is very lovely here; I am enjoying myself much more than in the orchard.” The following day, she again asked to be taken to the orchard. Her governess asked her why she wanted to be taken there again and Anastasie, throwing her arms around the governess’s neck, said: “Because it was such fun eating that apple.” Several days later, Tatiana said, “It is too bad because Anastasie was naughty that we cannot go to the orchard.” The governess said, “Until Anastasie is good and will promise not to eat any more apples you cannot go.” It was nearly a week after that before Anastasie’s stubbornness was subdued and she promised to eat no more apples if the nursery might only go and play in the orchard.
From these stories, it will be seen that Anastasie is most like her Imperial father whose traditional stubbornness of character is well known.
CHAPTER IX
THE TSAREVITCH
Alexis, son and heir of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna, was born July 30th (Russian style), 1904. When he was about an hour old, he was made honorary commander of six regiments of the Russian army.
When he was twelve days old he was taken to the Royal chapel at Peterhof in a gilded coach drawn by eight horses and christened. The name he bears, interpreted, means “Bringer of Peace.” Yet at this time the Tsaritsa said: “We are bound to hand over to our son an Autocracy such as we ourselves received.”
Here is one of the curious phases of her character. Born of an English mother, reared in Germany where at least the idea of a constitutional monarchy is accepted, she yet opposes the least step toward reform and progress in Russia, if it interferes with or threatens Autocracy. She acquiesces in the naming of her son “Bringer of Peace” at a time when nearly the whole nation is aspiring to freedom and almost ready to rise up in general revolution to fight for a constitution! It would seem that in this as in so many other things she learned to conform with the will of the Tsar, who is her sole liege. The Tsar, two years later, said in private conversation to a friend of mine: “I believe Russia can go for twenty years more without a constitution.”