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 arrest them, they quieted down. Platon then told me in everybody's presence that it was absolutely impossible for him to procure the money in dollars, but that he was expecting the arrival of a certain person, who was bringing him dollars, and that as soon as he received them, he would repay me all he owed plus the interest. I took his word and released him, particularly because his promise was given not only to me personally, but also to Metropolitan Benjamin.

A few days later my wife and I called on the Patriarch. Platon was also there and told me in the Patriarch's presence that he would give me the money not later than the next day, and asked me to call for it "to-morrow." The Patriarch was very well satisfied that the matter was about to be settled peaceably, but when I told him that I had heard this "to-morrow" a number of times before, Platon replied that he had sworn in the Holy Patriarch's presence. I reminded him that in September, 1917, I had asked him for my money in the presence of Metropolitan Benjamin, Archbishops Constantine, Mitrophan and many others, he had also sworn to return it but never did. To this he replied: "Come to-morrow and you will get all that's owed you."

And, indeed, just as on the former occasion, so now, too, when I called on Platon the next day, I learned that he had disappeared. He was no longer in Moscow. Upon inquiry, I found out that he had left for Kiev. Although as captain of the Russian Army I had to hurry to rejoin my regiment, I determined instead to go to Kiev. On January 4, 1918, when H. Skoropadsky was the ruler of Kiev, in the presence of witnesses—I. M. Volia, Justice of the Peace of the 24th ward of Kiev; Attorney D. I. Lubansky, and N. I. Luzgin, Secretary of the Kiev Consistory, who, as it turned out later, were all his friends, Platon at last declared his willingness to