Julius flees with Anastasia in a coach, but is forced to leave
the woman by the intervention of Rostofski, Yusupov's adjutant.
Julius continues her escape alone, arriving by chance at the
Mihailovic villa; she asks the help of Alekseij's grandmother,
but the only answer of the old lady is to hand her over to
Rostofski, who takes Julius back to the Yusupov palace.
At the party for the formal betrothal of Anastasia and Strahoff,
Leonid Yusupov sneers at Rasputin and incurs the perennial hatred
of the devilish monk. From this moment on Rasputin will always
try to hinder Yusupov's career. The hostility of Rasputin is also
the cause of the first disagreements between Yusupov and his wife
Adèle, niece to the Tsar. Yusupov is then charged to
suppress a sedition at Minusa, beyond the Ural Mountains.
On September 5, 1905 Russia signs the peace treaty of Portsmouth
with Japan in the presence of American President Roosevelt.
Arlaune's revolutionary group debates the division between
Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
Arlaune feels that Alekseij's education is not yet completed and
her feeling proves right when comrade Zahar is condemned to
Siberia as a result of a fault by Alekseij, who now works in a
printery.
To redress his error, Alekseij is sent to the district of Ufa to
deliver some documents. The train by which he travels is seized
by a platoon of revolutionary soldiers, among whom Alekseij meets
Mihail Karnakov, a friend from his childhood. Mihail stands for
the Bolsheviks and supports the idea of armed revolt (unlike
Arlaune).
The train controlled by Mihail's platoon attacks the train that
is taking Yusupov and his troops to Minusa; Alekseij fortuitously
saves the life of Ludmil, Yusupov's youngest brother, who was
hidden in the train. Out of gratitude, Yusupov lets Alekseij go
free, although he had recognised Alekseij's identity.
While Mihail's train reaches his destination, Tovorisk, Yusupov's
train is held up in Ufa without weapons and explosive, and his
mission seems lost. But Yusupov manages to lay an ambush to the
revolutionaries' train on its way back and makes it crash into a
goods train; only Mihail saves himself from the explosion.
Yusupov gets back to St. Petersburg in triumph.
One day Julius, who had stayed quietly in Yusupov palace after
her escape attempt, brings help to Leonid when he has a collapse.
Yusupov tells her that he has seen Alekseij in Ufa.
Strahoff gives Anastasia Alekseij's violin – lost by Julius
when she arrived in Russia – as a present. Antonia, jealous
of her sister's outward happiness, reveals Strahoff that
Anastasia is still in love with Alekseij. Seeking revenge on her,
on the day of their wedding Strahoff tells Anastasia that it was
him who denounced Dimitrij and Alekseij Mihailovic five years
ago.
On the meantime, Russia is paralysed by strikes. On October 13,
1905 the Soviet of the workers representatives is established.
The Soviet of St. Petersburg is led by Mensheviks, the Soviet of
Moscow by Bolsheviks. The Tsar promises to convene the Duma
(Russian Parliament).
On November 8, Lenin gets back to Russia after four years of
exile. Zubosfky leaves Arlaune's Menshevik group and goes to
Moscow to the Bolsheviks. When the workers ask for 8 hours of
work by day, bourgeoises dissociate themselves from them. The
president of St. Petersburg Soviet, Chrustalev Nosar', is
arrested.
There are also rounds–up against Jews and the soldiers kill the
mother and the little brothers of Garina, a poor Jewish girl
already raped by the head of the factory where she works.
The capitalist factory owner Ustinov, allied with Arlaune, offers
his daughter Schula in marriage to Alekseij, but he refuses.
Yusupov tells Julius they have found Alekseij's hiding place
after Ustinov's denunciation.
Finally Julius understands that Alekseij is involved in
revolutionary activities.
Unexpectedly, the soldiers come to Yusupov palace to arrest her
too.
Characters appearing in chapter 12:
♣ Text by Cecilia. Layout by Francesca. Please respect our work, do not steal. If you can't help using part of these texts, please ask for permission first and give credits. Thanks!