Michael Strogoff · Chapter
A Fête at the New Palace explained
At a grand fête in the New Palace, the Czar receives troubling news of a Tartar rebellion and the cutting of telegraph lines beyond the frontier.
What happens
At a grand fête in the New Palace, the Czar receives troubling news of a Tartar rebellion and the cutting of telegraph lines beyond the frontier. He orders General Kissoff to dispatch descriptions of the traitor Ivan Ogareff and to maintain silence. Meanwhile, two foreign correspondents, Alcide Jolivet and Harry Blount, discuss the events and their implications, each aware of the growing crisis. The chapter ends with the Czar stepping onto a balcony overlooking Moscow, deep in thought.
Themes in this chapter
Duty and Sacrifice
The Czar's composure at the fête despite receiving grave news exemplifies the burden of leadership and personal sacrifice for the state.
Betrayal and Treason
The traitor Ivan Ogareff is a central concern, representing the threat of betrayal within the empire.
Characters to notice
- General Kissoff
Delivers the dispatch about the rebellion and receives orders from the Czar.
- Ivan Ogareff
Mentioned as the traitor whose whereabouts are unknown.
- Alcide Jolivet
French correspondent discussing the crisis with his English counterpart.
- Harry Blount
English correspondent exchanging information about the rebellion.
- The Grand Duke
Mentioned as being without intelligence since the previous day.
Key passages
“We are, then, since yesterday without intelligence from the Grand Duke?”
The Czar asks if there has been any news from the Grand Duke since the previous day.
Highlights the sudden loss of communication with the eastern frontier.
“Let a description of him be immediately dispatched to Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Kasirnov, Tyumen, Ishim, Omsk, Ilimsk, Kalyvan, Tomsk, and to all the telegraphic stations with which communication is yet open.”
The Czar orders that a description of Ivan Ogareff be sent to numerous cities and telegraph stations still reachable.
Shows the urgency to capture the traitor and the extent of the empire's communication network.
“Telegrams pass Tomsk no longer, sire.”
General Kissoff reports that telegrams can no longer get through beyond Tomsk.
Indicates the rebellion has cut off communication with the east.