This chapter revealed a turning point for Marie. At the age of six, her father made the decision to begin her education and he brought in an English governess, Mlle. Hélène. She was to instruct and love her. Mlle. Hélène was with Marie for 12 years, until Marie married. In turn, Nanny Fry, her head nurse, left with many gifts, moved to England, and later wrote and published her looking back on the Russian court which had a unique view. The new governess was stunned that her English (British) pronunciation sometimes really unexpected and that Marie had not learned Russian, despite being a Russian princess.
In 1897, they went on foreign travel. That travel required much luggage, bathtubs, and other objects to be carried in the caravan. They traveled to Birgenstoch and to St. Jean de Luz (near the sea). During their time at the seaside, their bulldog ran off and never to be found despite a somewhat extensive search for it. Marie had an experience where she was caught in an undertow and was rescued by a younger man who years later, experienced an unexpected surprise when her brother, Dmitri, received a recommendation of an attorney in Paris. Following their time at St. Jean de Luz, they traveled to Tsarskoie-Selo. Then to St. Petersburg, their last stop before winter really began.
Tsarskoie-Selo were apartments in the Great Palace of Catherine II. Marie shared a story when she visited the young Empress at the Alexander Palace to play with her daughters with one of 2 years of age. Their nursery apartments was an entire wing of the second floor of the Palace. That area was luxurious, yet peaceful and comfortable. The windows had shown the view of the palace gardens and guardhouses, to the tall iron gate and to the sidewalk. The attire for the English head nurse and chambermaids were in all white and they wore small nurse caps of white tulle. The Russian nurses were peasants who wore “magnificent” costumes of their custom. Marie was “enchanted by” a large trousseau of dolls with fine clothing that had been a gift from the French President to Olga on Olga’s first visit to France. Marie spoke of her kissing the Empress’s hand and in turn, the Empress would embrace she and Dimitri. The Emperor embraced Marie and Dimitri. Then, the Empress received her own youngest from the nurse and she held it while lying on a chaise lounge. Marie would look through some of the photo albums, as there were at least several on each table.
The Emperor would enjoy a cup of tea which was in a glass cup inserted in a gold frame with a handle. After the Emperor had finished with his tea, he would proceed with going through batches of mail. The envelopes had an orange silk thread which made the envelope easier to open. During this time, he would use a “cigarette holder formed like a small pipe.” The Emperor would receive news prior to the public release on the next day. Sometimes he would pass one to his wife to read, though it was in good taste to not discuss politics in family. The Empress, despite the Palace renovations, kept her boudoir from renovation. It was the same as when she married.
As for Marie, her studies had become more systematic. She now was learning Russian from a young blonde person (not recalling their name), began piano lessons, and she met with a priest twice a week for catechism instruction. For the Russian Orthodox, a child at birth would receive communion, and near 7 years old would begin confessing their sins.
In St. Petersburg, at breakfast, she would eat with an electric light on, as the mornings were dark. Then off to prepare her lessons as she met with her first teacher at 9am. At 11am, she would go for a walk. at 12:15pm, lunch was downstairs and was her first year to attend with the adults. Her father would often have guests, and Marie needed to respond well to questions asked of her and otherwise not engage in adult conversations. She was to sit-up with good posture with her fingertips at the edge of the white table clothed table in between courses. There were Renaissance wainscots of black oak in the room. The chairs were high and uncomfortable, with a maroon leather coverings with monograms on the back.
Following lunch and coffee in the drawing room, often they went for a carriage ride. The livery men had a long scarlet coat with a cape and wore a bicorn hat. The coachman, she described as enormous and bearded. They would go into town. Initially the footman would follow them when walking on the sidewalks. That changed to the coachman and the footman stay with the horses, while the children and Mlle. Hélène would walk together. Often there was a procession when leaving on their carriage.
Two hours every evening, her father would read aloud from his leather arm chair using a lamp with a green shade which reflected on the page he was reading from. The rest of the room was darkened. She would be off in what was like a dream-like state and wanted to hold onto that feeling after he had ended his reading for the evening.
As days began to lengthen and was closer to Spring, the labourers as she referred to, removed the boards that had been placed to use as sidewalks to cross the iced Neva river. She had such a poetic description of nature beginning to open up. When the ice began melting, the river would have large bits of ice and a a rush of water speeding to toward the sea.
There was a tradition which began during the time of Peter the Great. During this year, the Chief Commissioner of the river police - 1st regiment of the Infantry Guard was the lead with cannonades, banners, flags, along with quays with crowds. After the ceremony, many crafts were launched into the river and the waves had an oiled appearance. Spring was here!
She and her family are packed-up and they go to the suite at the apartments in the Great Palace at Tsarskoie-Selo. There was a children’s playground which was a pond with many small islands, Summer houses, kiosks, and temples were built there. One farmstead was of Russia style and built by Emperor Alexander for Marie’s father’s sister, Duchess of Edinburgh who later was Duchess of Saxe-Coburg. This small house had 2 rooms, a kitchen and a dining room. There were plates, dishes and kitchen utensils. There were bushes, barberry and syringa, along the veranda and near the window. In the front yard, there were railway tracks with tunnels and posts. Children and adults had built a fortress with a small bridge in the middle, using red bricks.
This year, instead of going from Tsarskoie-Selo to Illinskoie, they went abroad. They went to Kneuznach. Around that time her governess Mlle. Hélène was asking Marie to respond to lengthy questionnaires to better understand Marie’s gestures and movements. Marie did not know how or why she did what she did, and the pressing for answers had Marie coming up with answers so as to stop the accusations that the governess was making with Marie’s responses, such as Marie of “lack of frankness and even deceit.” The governess would punish Marie. Discipline had taken many forms. One experience brought Marie to conclude that her governess was unjust. That situation was that Marie was to go up to a “beggar” on the street and talk with the man, yet Marie felt really wary. The second day of the governess’ demand, Marie said no, which led to Marie getting locked in a room alone for the afternoon. The governess had accused Marie of a hard heart and was cruel. (Note Marie was not schooled at that time on how to respond to someone in much different circumstance.)
When they returned from St. Petersburg, Marie was now moving from the nursery area (where Dmitri remained) on the 2nd floor to her deceased mother’s suite or apartment on the 1st floor. Now Marie had 2 spacious rooms separated by a large dressing room, and on the same floor as Mlle. Hélène. Her governess did inventory on the items and Tania, her Russian chambermaid, assisted with the process. There was the unrecoverable that was burned, the in-good condition silks were made into priests’ vestments, some of the clothing given to the poor. The laces and linens were given to Marie. Marie had moments of what the many garments would have been like in a fresh and pretty.
During the winter, she received dance lessons and often children would be invited to participate on Sundays. The teacher was a former ballet dancer and whom Marie’s father had seen in his youth. Marie’s father would often attend and would laugh himself into tears at times. The teacher could be severe with moments of sarcasm in response to errors made or a lack of grace. Marie was considered an adult and others were not to call her by name.
Marie reflected on that she and Dmitri was play together in what was considered a more boy interests. They would play with lead soldiers. Dmitri was heading the military operations and she would work in the background. Their armies involved constructions of pasteboard bricks covering entire tables. As they got older, there were more technical difficulties and thus evolved to a field. In the large reception room, there was set-up a slide of waxed boards and was several yards high. At the bottom/end there was a square cloth to land on. Their father would join in this game. They also had jungle gym to climb on.
The governess tried to balance the more boy play to having good manners, deportment, and humility. As Marie’s great grandfather, Emperor Nicholas I had stated, “always act so that you will be forgiven for being born Grand Dukes.” Mlle. Hélène had also worked in another position which was with the Red Cross. Marie understood that her governess was highly valued there. Marie would sometimes take Marie to visit the hospital and taught her how “to gaze on suffering humanity and not be afraid.” Marie really valued her experiences there, and she began to understand that her governess was a good and charitable person, and really “attached to religion.” The Bible that her governess had pictures of parents and older brother who were deceased. Marie had felt sympathy for her loneliness.
In 1901, her father had given Dmitri a teacher and wanted Dmitri to have additional male influence in his life. General Laiming who had already educated a 1st cousin and knew Mlle. Hélène. In the Spring, he cam with his wife and young son. They stayed in an apartment connected with Dmitri’s room. Marie was glad her relationship with her brother had continued after this new tutor for Dmitri. The General would be a part of the play with Dmitri and Marie, which helped establish trust and appreciation with the General and allowed Dmitri and Marie to remain close in friendship. Marie felt now a sense of a real family life. There were dry fruit and nuts in the evenings after lessons in the dining room. She was not fearing of offending “susceptible sentiments” or the brusque tones of her governess.
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