[In general, any person capable of reading the Creed can baptise a weak baby in articulae mortis *. Even a woman can do that if it comes to the pinch. I took a little cross, plunged it into water and read Lord's Prayer slowly and distinctly. Then, Vera Leonidovna ** took her baby out of a suitcase, passed him to me and bent her knees near the crate clasping her hands and reclining her head on them.]
The kindle stuck in a bottle weakly lightened a big crate we used as an altar stand. A young grandson and great-grandson of Admirals Nevelskoys who made a lot for Russia was wrapped in a piece of white frieze and weakly stirred in my arms. It was a solemn minute... Having no Holy oil I dipped the cross into the water and drawn the signs of cross on his forehead, chest, groan, palms and soles when saying,
"Let your feelings be pure, your mind clear. Let your way go towards the good and your acts serve the truth. Thy will be done, Lord! Amen!"
And everybody echoed,
"Amen!"
All the women, one after another, bent their knees.
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* in articulae mortis – close to death (Latin).
** Vera Leonidovna Tan'kova was soon transferred probably to Mariinsky prison camps where they had orphanages for prisoners' children. Her and her son Dmitri's fate is unknown.