It was getting late when we left the Palace. The sentries in the
Square had all disappeared. The great semi-circle of Government
buildings seemed deserted. We went into the Hotel France for dinner,
and right in the middle of soup the waiter, very pale in the face,
came up and insisted that we move to the main dining-room at the
back of the house, because they were going to put out the lights in
the caf?. "There will be much shooting," he said.
When we came out on the Morskaya again it was quite dark, except for
one flickering street-light on the corner of the Nevsky. Under this
stood a big armored automobile, with racing engine and oil-smoke
pouring out of it. A small boy had climbed up the side of the thing
and was looking down the barrel of a machine gun. Soldiers and
sailors stood around, evidently waiting for something. We walked
back up to the Red Arch, where a knot of soldiers was gathered
staring at the brightly-lighted Winter Palace and talking in loud
tones.
"No, comrades," one was saying. "How can we shoot at them? The
Women's Battalion is in there-they will say we have fired on Russian
women."
As we reached the Nevsky again another armoured car came around the
corner, and a man poked his head out of the turret-top.
"Come on!" he yelled. "Let's go on through and attack!"
The driver of the other car came over, and shouted so as to be heard
above the roaring engine.
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