B619 <=> B621 [BTG XXXIV Russia, p. 620]

“The owners of the houses, shopkeepers, children, and in general all who dwelt in the same street as I did, became as amiable with me as if I intended to leave each of them a large ‘American legacy,’ and so on and so forth.

“After this ‘Emptykralnian’ happening to me, I, by the way, further learned that this unfortunate czar of theirs also always prepares himself for such official meetings with beings strange to him.

“Of these official meetings like this he has very many, almost every day and even several times a day: here, a parade of the troops; there, an ‘audience’ with the ambassador of some other emperor; in the morning, a ‘delegation’; at noon, a ‘presentation’ such as mine; later a ‘reception’ of different what are called ‘representatives-of-the-people’; and with each of these it is necessary for him to talk, or even to make them an entire speech.

“As each word of every such terrestrial ‘czar’ can have and often does have serious consequences not only for the beings of that community of whom he is czar, but also for the beings of other communities, therefore each word must be thought out from every side.

“Well, for this, around these emperors or czars who become such by hereditary rights or by election, there are many specialists from among the ordinary three-brained beings there, in order that they may prompt them as to what they must do and say in every circumstance; and these promptings and directions must be carried out in such a way that the strangers may not notice that their emperor or czar manifests not from his own but from others’ initiative.