29 May/11 June 1915

Mama has a letter from Aunt Ella in Moscow. She says that mobs broke into a piano store and began throwing grand pianos out of the windows because they had been made by German companies.

Then an angry crowd went to the Convent of Martha and Mary, which Aunt Ella founded many years ago after her husband was killed. They accused Aunt Ella of hiding our uncle Erni there, which is ridiculous, because of course he’s in Germany. She did as Mama would have done and bravely faced them down, even though someone threw a big stone at her.

It’s Tatiana’s birthday. She’s eighteen. I gathered some flowers for her and put them by her plate at breakfast, and Anya has invited us for tea tomorrow.