I heard an odd thumping noise behind me and whirled around, nearly falling as my foot came down on something solid underneath the snow, unbalancing me. A company of Cossacks came down the street, the thumping sound the horses’ hooves muffled by the snow. I moved out of the way, and they passed by as if they hadn’t seen me, except for one young man at the end, who turned to look at me as he rode past.
The sight of people should have made me feel better, but the looks on the men’s faces only made me more anxious. It was getting harder to make myself take in the cold air. I felt dizzy, so I stopped and tried to adjust my scarf around my mouth, forcing myself to breathe.
I made myself go on, walking until I heard sounds coming from the next block: voices and sleigh bells and what sounded like the normal shouts of the izvoschiks. I hurried up, eager to be among people again. The air seemed warmer, and I thought maybe the sun was trying to come out from under the clouds.
The noise grew, and as I turned the next corner, I saw why. The streets were packed, full of people wearing red armbands or carrying sticks with bits of red fabric tied to the ends of them. Placards had been placed everywhere, warning people not to gather in groups larger than three or they’d be fired upon. From the size of the crowds I saw, the signs were being completely ignored. At several different street corners, men stood on crates giving speeches to the people gathered around them.
There was an energy in the crowds I’d never seen before. I felt excitement running through me, but fear, too. This was a different city.
I stopped to listen to a slight man with wire-framed glasses, his voice loud and deep for such a small person. “This is the time to be brave!” he shouted. “The government doesn’t care about us, so it has to go. We can do better! Let your voices be heard!” He pumped his fist in the air, and the people around me cheered.
I didn’t cheer. My mind was in too much of a whirl. Was Raisa out in the crowd somewhere? I looked around for her and then caught myself. “Focus, focus,” I whispered to myself. I had to think about my family first.
As I got closer to the bank, the number of mounted troops patrolling the streets grew. They weren’t giving orders, but people parted anyway when they rode through.
There was no line in front of the bakery. The door had a CLOSED sign on it and there were no lights on, but a group of women stood in front of it, shouting as if the baker was inside. One woman pounded on the door while the rest chanted, “Give us bread!”
The bank was closed. I stood there in front of the door, staring at it, trying to think what to do next. Panic began to rise up. The boys had to have money. As I was trying to work out who I could borrow some from, I remembered the lockbox at the hospital. It had rubles in it. We kept some for emergencies. I pushed my way through the crowds, trying to remember how much was in it. If there wasn’t enough, I’d have to see if Papa had any on hand. I remembered his words at the grand duke’s party: Tell Sasha I’ll pay him tomorrow. I hoped that didn’t mean there wasn’t any at home, either.
A policeman rode up and shouted at me. “Get off the street!” I didn’t know why he was focusing on me. There were people everywhere. He shouted at me again, calling me redhead in Russian. That explained it. He thought I was a troublemaker because of my hair. I pretended I was going into a building, but came right back out as soon as he rode off.
On Mikhail Street the crowds were just as big and seemed to be made up mostly of women. A large group of them linked arms, pushing their way down the street and forcing the policemen to the side, all the while singing and chanting. “No more food shortages! No more war!”
I’d thought the Cossack troops would joke with them again, but all of a sudden the troops charged the women. They scattered out of the way and then cheered as if it were all part of a game.
I didn’t feel like it was a game. If someone stumbled, they’d be trampled.
“Charlotte! Charlotte Mason!”
I recognized Carter’s voice, and I looked around until I saw him waving his arm frantically at me. He had on his ridiculous hat, and he towered over the crowd around him.
The newsman made his way to me, his eyes wide and a big smile plastered on his face. “Isn’t this something! Patrick and I have been out all morning.” He waved in the direction he’d come from but I didn’t see whoever Patrick was. The crowd was too thick.
I felt jittery with nerves and a little sick to my stomach. The authorities wouldn’t let this continue, but if people refused to get off the streets, I had no idea what the troops would do.
“Patrick is getting some great photographs. It’s really happening. These people aren’t going to back down now. The crowd is too fired up. Watch out there, fellow!” Carter said to a man who jostled me. Since he spoke in English, the man ignored him.
Carter waved his arms around, nearly knocking his own hat off. “I only hope I can get this story out. I tried to file one yesterday about the ugly mood in the city, but the woman at the telegraph office told me not to waste my money. The censors aren’t letting any real news out. They don’t want the Germans to know how bad the situation is.”
His news shook me. If the censors were blocking information, the situation must be very bad. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what that meant for us.
He looked down at me as if he’d just realized who he was talking to. “Say, what are you doing out in this crowd anyway? The streets certainly aren’t going to be safe for the next few days.”
“I’m on my way to the hospital. I should keep going.”
“Oh, right. I’ll see you later. Wait, would you like to go to the ballet with me sometime? I’ve never been to one, but everyone says since I’m here, I have to go.” He didn’t seem to realize it was completely bizarre to be talking about going to a performance in the midst of what actually seemed like the start of a revolution.
“Maybe,” I said. “We can talk later at a better time.” He didn’t reply, too busy listening to a new chant the crowd had taken up.
When I finally reached the hospital, Galina stopped me before I could get to the office. “Any news?” she said. “I’ve heard all kinds of rumors, and we’ve had more patients leave early when their husbands came to get them. There are only three here now. Is the czar coming back to the city?”
“I didn’t know he wasn’t here already.” Papa hadn’t said anything, and he was my only source of news about the czar.
“He’s at the front with the troops. A nurse who was there told me. She says she thinks the czar and his men have no idea what’s happening here.”
“I haven’t heard anything,” I said. “When I see my stepfather, I’ll ask him. He’s sure to know.”
I went into the office and took off my coat. Galina came in as I was taking the lockbox out of the cupboard. She had a greenish cast to her face as if she was about to throw up.
“Are you coming down with something?” I asked.
“There are more visitors,” she said, her voice shaky, which was not something I’d heard before.
I sighed. “Which husband is it now?”
She shook her head, but before she could speak, two men pushed their way around her.
They were policemen. My heart began to pound so loud I thought they’d be able to hear it.