3630. One day the minister and his wife had a long meeting
at the Office of the Directory of the Financial Affairs that went on till late
in the afternoon of a hot and sultry day.
3631. Alexis, who was twelve at the time, took the liberty
of removing his outer formal cutaway velvet jacket, and his crimson scarf with
the silver studs, and lay half asleep in the sun on the rear bench of the
coach. He knew that the driver would alert him once the minister called for the
coach.
3632. He was wearing his white linen shirt with the lace
ruffle collar, and gray wool trousers tucked into high light brown leather riding
boots. The gray trousers with their mustard stripe down the side were
remarkably similar to the boys of the military academy, who obviously were all
the children of the great Moscow families associated with the court.
3633. Adjacent to the Department of Financial Affairs was a
private school for the children destined to enter the Tsar’s guards, of which I
am one and my son was enrolled there at the time of the event I am describing.
The playground of this school was bordered by a high wrought iron fence, but it
was decorative, and a thin child turning sideways would be able to pass through
it.
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