Sasha distanced himself more and more from us, while Kobylinsky did the opposite. The colonel had become a representative of the old regime to the men, and they paid almost no attention to what he said. He became more and more friendly with us, and I began to realize that he would have liked to do something to help us escape.In fact, one evening after the members of the suite had been escorted back to their house across the street and Kolya Derevenko had gone home to his mama in the town, Kobylinsky returned to speak with Papa and Mama. We were all on our way to bed, but when I heard the colonel come in, I hung behind, pretending to look at the moon out of the window in the darkened hall.“There are people on the outside who want to help,” he said very quietly to Mama, Papa, Trina, and Zhilik, who still stayed up with them, finishing a long game of bezique.“What would they do? How could it be arranged?” Papa asked.“There is not yet a Bolshevik presence here in Tobolsk. The townspeople are on your side.
