Summary

In the chapter “An Assembly,” Nina convinced the Count to join her on the balcony of the hotel’s ballroom to spy on an Assembly meeting. The Count did not enjoy these assemblies, which the Bolsheviks had regularly, because he believed their political discussions were tedious. While he watched the men below him, he still noticed the same deference to power and ranking that he saw before the war when the ballroom was host to celebrations and dances. People acknowledged people who were revered; others wore clothing in order to make a statement, even if the statement was that they were a member of the working class.

The meeting was for the Moscow Branch of the All-Russian Union of Railway Workers. They debated the use of the word “facilitate” (68) in their charter statement. After much debate the word "facilitate" was replaced...