The Czar (Alcock)

A Tale of the Time of the First Napoleon

As, with a hand still trembling, Clémence poured out the tea, she remembered the stories she had heard of such evening visits made by the Czar, “to talk at his ease,” and recalled the words of De Maistre when someone criticised this habit in his presence: “It is a touching thing to me to see the ruler of a great empire, in the age of all the passions, find his recreation in taking a cup of tea with an honest man and his wife.” Ivan Ivanovitch Pojarsky, an orphaned Russian Prince, adopted by loyal people in the village of Nicolofsky meets the great Czar Alexander of Russia while the Czar does his best to bring back to life a seemingly dead carpenter. This historical fact, and many others related in this captivating story, gives a very accurate picture of the life in Russia during the time of Napoleon.