Alexander II_ The Last Great Tsar - Edvard Radzinsky [13]
“Went for the last time to the dear Krasnoe Selo theater to say goodbye to K. Dined with Mama until 1.”
She did not understand him. But it was all so simple: he was saving himself for Alix H.
Little K. read the newspapers daily—she was following his travels. News came that left Petersburg dumbfounded: a Japanese policeman had attacked the heir on the street of a small Japanese town and tried to behead him with a sword. By a miracle, Nicholas had survived.
The capital was full of rumors. Fantastic stories about inadmissible courting by a most adventuresome Nicholas. (Well aware of her timid admirer’s character, Little K. did not believe it possible.) Finally the attacker was declared an insane fanatic.
“27 April 1891. Arrived in Kyoto. My eyes didn’t know where to look first, such were the wonders. Watched archery and horseracing in ancient costumes.… At 9 set out with Georgie [the Greek Prince George, who had accompanied him on his travels] for a teahouse. Georgie danced, provoking gales of laughter from the geishas.”
“Even in my dreams the waters of the Gion [the teahouse quarter in Kyoto] flow under my pillow.… Hundreds of geishas filled Gion’s narrow streets. The teahouses’ residents are brocade dolls in kimonos woven with gold thread. Japanese erotica is more refined and subtle than the crude proffers of love on European streets.… The tea ceremony ends.… All that follows remains a secret.”
“29 April. Woke up to a marvelous day whose end I would not have seen had I not been saved by the Lord God’s great mercy.
“We set out from Kyoto in a jinrikisha for the small town of Otsu, where we went to the house of the little round governor. In his house, which was utterly European, he had set up a bazaar where each of us ruined ourselves on some knickknack. This was where Georgie bought his bamboo cane, which was to do me such a great service an hour later. After lunch we prepared to make the return trip, and Georgie and I were glad we would be able to take a rest in Kyoto before evening. We rode out in our jinrikishas and turned left down a narrow street crowded to either side. At that point received a strong blow to the right side of my head, above my ear. Turned and saw the loathsome scowl of a policeman, who was waving his saber over me in both hands a second time. Could only cry out: ‘What, what do you want?’ He jumped out over the jinrikisha onto the pavement. Seeing that the monster was headed toward me and that no one was attempting to restrain him, I ran off down the street, stopping the blood spurting from the wound with my hand. Wanted to hide in the crowd but couldn’t, because the Japanese themselves were terrified and had scattered in all directions.… Turning around once more as I ran, noticed Georgie chasing the policeman pursuing me.… Finally, having run an entire 60 paces, I ducked around the corner of a side street and looked back. By then, thank God, it was all over. Georgie, my savior, had felled the loathsome creature with one blow of his cane, and as I approached our jinrikishas, several policemen were dragging him off by the legs. One of them was holding a saber to his neck. What I couldn’t understand was how Georgie, that fanatic, and I had ended up alone, in the middle of the street, why no one from the crowd rushed to my aid.… No one from our suite could have helped, evidently, since they were riding in a long file. Even Prince Ari Sugava, who was third in line, didn’t see anything. Had to reassure everyone and stay on my feet as long as possible. Rambakh [the doctor] did the first bandage and, most important, stanched the blood. The people on the street were touching: most of them got down on their knees and raised their arms in a sign of regret. More than anything I was upset at the thought of alarming dear Papa and Mama and about how to write them of this incident.”
Nicholas’s outcry in this deadly moment