From the public it was heard:

- Emperor Alexander III insisted on the transfer of S.Yu. Witte, who had previously warned the Emperor of the danger of a railway accident, to the public service. From 1889 until 1894 (when Alexander III died) S.Yu. Witte enjoys full confidence of the Emperor, occupies the most responsible public offices, carries out the most important reforms. The "Witte era" begins!

Emperor Nicholas II almost every year on October 17 in his diary recalled the train crash and the rescue of the tsar and the royal family on October 17, 1888. An entry was made in Tobolsk on October 17, 1917: "29 years have passed since the day of our salvation when the train crashed."

This statement was met with silence. Some crossed themselves.

(Ex) Premier Ivan Logginovich Goremykin (formerly prime minister several times: "between" S.J. Witte and P.A. Stolypin, then - after V.N. Kokovtsov) decided to respond to the statements of Sergei Yulevich Witte. Goremykin's words sounded skeptical:

- All this is nonsense, some loud words that will not get any use. The Emperor (Emperor Nicholas II) believed what He had been told, will very soon forget about this new course, and everything will go according to the old.

All the government in one Tsar, and that He will tell us, will be done by us, and while from Him there is no clear indication, we must wait and endure.

I didn't mind His Hobbies, because I think that your mistake was always that you took everything seriously and tried always to defend what was considered right. But it was impractical. Subjects should not contradict the Emperor...

S.Yu. Witte, not paying attention to the reaction of listeners, insisted:

- Mandjuria could not be ours ... Neither America, nor Britain, nor Japan, nor all of their allies are explicit or secret, nor will China would never agree to give us Mandjuria. That is why keeping to the conviction that one way or another, but it is necessary to seize all of Mandjuria, it was impossible to remove the war.

To the cafe library came General A. N. Kuropatkin. He stopped under a shady tree. There stood a several respectable people. The general heard the sketchy words of S.Yu. Witte, and "Manchuria" in them. After apologizing, the general took for a moment a briefcase from one of the politicians. Putting a sheet of blank paper on the briefcase, the general held a horizontal line on it and set the asterisk in the left corner rather high above the line, asking that the public watch his image.

- Here - he said - it's an asterisk above the horizon, it's me at the moment. They carry me on their hands, give me battle horses, bring all kinds of gifts, say welcome speeches, consider me almost the savior of the fatherland, and this will continue until my arrival to the troops. My star will all be exalted and exalted.

And when I come to the place and give the order to depart to the North and begin to concentrate forces, waiting for the approach of troops from Russia, the same newspapers that glorify me, will begin to wonder why I do not beat the Japanese, and I will start dropping and falling in the assessment. And then, when I will comprehend a small, inevitable setbacks, my star will descend lower and lower to the horizon and then go completely beyond the horizontal line.

At this point, support me, because then I will start the offensive, I will mercilessly beat the Japanese, my star will go over the horizon again, go higher and higher, and where and how I end - I do not know. I will never forget your support.

A.N. Kuropatkin returned the briefcase to the owner.

Someone in the public , with a sigh, with barely perceptible envy, added: "Being in disgrace after the unsuccessful battles of the Russo-Japanese War, Aleksey Nikolayevich opened in his estate agricultural school and library at his own expense." A.N. Kuropatkin died on January 16, 1925 , And in the summer of 1964 the students of the agricultural school founded by him put a marble tombstone on the grave with the inscription "Kuropatkin Alexey Nikolayevich. 1848-1925. Founder of the agricultural school."

Picture of General A.N. Kuropatkin filled the public with a blind faith in success.

Enthusiastic exclamations were heard. Began to wish success to Admiral Zinovy Petrovich Rozhdestvensky about the upcoming endless journey of the squadron around Africa on the way to the Russian Far East. Admiral Rozhdestvensky said in a low voice:

- What can be my success. Should not have started this hopeless case. But can I refuse to obey orders, when all believe in success.

S.Yu. Witte continued his thought:

- Thought to immediately extinguish the fire with a small jet of water. Due to a small, although a long stream, also launched by an incompetent fire-master, the fire was not extinguished. I had to put it out in Portsmouth on August 23 (September 5) in 1905.

At night before the conclusion of the Portsmouth peace, I did not sleep.

The worst state of a person when inside, in his soul, something twofold. Therefore, the weak should be relatively unhappy. On the one hand, the mind and conscience told me what a happy day, if tomorrow I sign a peace, but on the other hand, my inner voice tells you: "But you'll be much happier if destiny will prevents the conclusion of Portsmouth peace. They will blame you for everything. For no one will want to confess their sins, their crimes before the Fatherland and God. Even the Russian Tsar, and especially Nicholas II. "

I spent the night in some sort of fatigue, in a nightmare, in sobbing and praying.

Seeing the Americans thanking God with tears for the gift of peace, I had a question - what do they care about our Portsmouth world? And to this I had a clear answer: yes, because we are all Christians. When I left the church, the choir sang "God Save the Tsar", to the sound of which I made my way to the car and, when the anthem ceased, left.

In my deepest conviction, if the Portsmouth peace were not concluded, then there would be such external and internal catastrophes in which the Romanovs' house could not be kept on the throne.

- So it was scary? Because of this - a split? Because you did not sleep? Prayed? Was there a chance to evade the peace and to decisively modernize Russia without delay? - Asked one of the listeners. - Or the Portsmouth peace plus October 17, 1905 - is the salvation and renewal of Russia?

- Having returned to Petersburg and after October 17, 1905, having taken power, - continued S.Yu. Witte, - I clearly saw that in order for Russia (relatively safely) to survive the revolutionary crisis, and the Romanovs' house was not shaken, two things are necessary: to obtain by loan a large sum of money so as not to need money (in loans) for several years, and to return most of the army from Transbaikalia to European part of Russia.

Having money and the army, and then following in good faith the policy exactly according to the promises made by the manifesto on October 17, I was sure that in the end everything will calm down and get back to normal, for the life of 150 million people would require it.