Word came that they'll cross-check the register in three days. The wax sets by a count of twenty-six, and until twenty-six, nothing is real yet.

• Mikhail FyodorovichMy hand is better suited to the seal. Though a stroke that doesn't tremble is exactly what invites suspicion.
  YekaterinaOne trembling hand is enough, and it's mine. You just count the strokes.
• DashaThe Chancery clerks have been stamping their feet outside the palace gate for three days now.
  YekaterinaBring them in by the fire. A frozen man counts fast; a thawed one counts slow.