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With a facetious smile on his face, he was telling the ladies

about last Wednesday's meeting of the Imperial Council, at which

Sergey Kuzmich Vyazmitinov, the new military governor general of

Petersburg, had received and read the then famous rescript of the

Emperor Alexander from the army to Sergey Kuzmich, in which the

Emperor said that he was receiving from all sides declarations of

the people's loyalty, that the declaration from Petersburg gave

him particular pleasure, and that he was proud to be at the head

of such a nation and would endeavor to be worthy of it. This

rescript began with the words: "Sergey Kuzmich, From all sides

reports reach me," etc.

"Well, and so he never got farther than: 'Sergey Kuzmich'?" asked

one of the ladies.