Page:The Czar, A Tale of the Time of the First Napleon.djvu/96

86 God, for he cares very much about the poor, whom God has made."

"God give him the victory over his enemies!" said Kanikoff; and the little group responded with a hearty "Amen!"—for, "beneath all the foam and sputter" of their light and careless talk, it was true that "the heart's depths boiled in earnest."

Such a benediction as the Czar was about to receive is often bestowed, in the Greek Church, even upon private persons who have in view some important enterprise, or wish to offer some particular supplication or thanksgiving. It is called a Molében; and it would be a beautiful and touching ceremony, but for the baneful influence of that superstition which too often leads its votaries to worship and serve the creature more than the Creator. Usually, most of the prayers are addressed to the guardian angel, or to the saint with whose picture the votary is blessed—the picture being then given to him as a kind of talisman.

The benediction was to take place on the 27th of July, and early in the morning Ivan entered the Church of the Assumption, the sacred spot where the holy anointing oil had been poured upon the head of the Czar. Pope Yefim had found for him a quiet niche, from whence he could witness the whole of the ceremony. He had room to stand or kneel: in Russian churches the worshippers never sit, however protracted the services may be. From his place of waiting he heard the tumult, the shouts and cheering, which welcomed the Czar as he approached. He knew that now he was ascending the "Red" or "Beautiful" Staircase, by which, upon state occasions, the Czars were wont to enter the cathedral; but he could not know that he was "followed by an immense crowd, who wept, and blessed him, and swore to defend his empire with their lives." He knew that now this Czar would take his stand, as other Czars had done, upon the summit of the staircase, to allow