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 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW
 
 THE 
 
 Highway of Sorrow 
 
 AT THE 
 
 Close of the Nineteenth Century 
 
 BV 
 
 HE SB A STEETTO]:^ 
 
 WIDE IS THE GATE, AND BROAD IS THE WAY; AND MANY THERE BE 
 WHICH GO IN THEREAT." 
 
 THIRD THOUSAND 
 
 CASSELL AND COMPANY, Limited 
 
 LONDON, PARIS <k MELBOURNE 
 
 1805 
 
 ALL BIGHTS RESERVED
 
 PREFACE. 'S^'^'^^'^ 
 
 KX 
 
 I HAVE written "The Highway of Sorrow" in 
 collaboration with a well-known Eussian anthor, 
 now an exile in England, who has supplied me 
 with the outlines of the storj^ ; especially with 
 the prison and Siberian incidents, which he 
 assures me are founded on facts. It would have 
 been impossible for me to have done this work 
 without help as complete as that which he has 
 rendered. 
 
 For information about Stundism, its simple 
 tenets and humble organisation — for it is em- 
 braced only b}^ the peasants — I am indebted to an 
 anonymous pamphlet, entitled " The Stundists," 
 opportunely published by the proprietors of 
 77ie Christian World just as T was beginning my 
 task. It seems to me that this poor and perse- 
 cuted sect approaches more nearly to the 
 
 1524S42
 
 vi THE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 Christians of the Apostolic age than any other 
 existing church. They have as yet no sys- 
 tematic theology, and no formal ritual. They 
 have neither churches nor clergy. The New 
 Testament is their code of. religious, moral, and 
 social laws ; and they interpret its precepts in 
 a very literal and child-like manner. The first 
 duty of a Stundist is to learn to read, that he 
 may read for himself the words of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 These primitive Christians are suffering 
 persecution for conscience' sake, as flagrant and 
 unrelenting as that which in the same country is 
 pursuing the Jews. But the Jews have power- 
 ful friends among the great philanthropists of 
 their own race; whilst the Stundists, themselves 
 Russian peasants, are persecuted by their com- 
 patriots, with no one to plead their cause before 
 the world, and appeal from Russian bigotry to 
 the tribunal of public opinion. They are dumb, 
 as our Lord was when He was oppressed and 
 afflicted.
 
 PRE FACE. vii 
 
 It is for the purpose of makino^ their sorrows 
 and martyrdom more widely known that the 
 facts of their history have been woven into this 
 story. There has been no exaggeration. The 
 worst has not been told. 
 
 HESBA STRETTON
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I.— Anno Domini 1888 
 11.^ — -A SxuNDisT Service 
 III. — Yarina's Garden Party 
 IV. — Testing the Future . 
 V. — Pan ASS .... 
 
 VI. LOUKYAN AT THE FaIR . 
 
 VII. — An Iconoclast 
 Vlll. — Father Vasili 
 IX. — Strongly Tempted 
 X. — Matchmaking 
 XI. — Arrested 
 XII. — Batushka and Matoushka 
 XIII — The Pannotshka's GIrave 
 XIV. — Halya's Betrothal 
 
 XV. — Inquisitors . 
 XVI. — In Deep Waters . 
 XVII. — The Lowest Depths 
 XVIII. — Stefan's Outbreak 
 XIX. — Safe Home . 
 
 PAOK 
 1 
 
 13 
 
 24 
 
 48 
 
 59 
 
 66 
 
 77 
 
 90 
 
 102 
 
 111 
 
 129 
 
 143 
 
 154 
 
 172 
 
 185 
 
 199 
 
 210 
 
 226 
 
 239
 
 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 CHAPTER PAOB 
 
 XX. — Valerian the Agnostic . . . 254 
 
 XXL— What is True? 270 
 
 XXIL— A Funeral Service . . . .280 
 
 XXIII. —A Disastrous Winter . . . .288 
 
 .XXIV.— A Sign and a Dream .... 300 
 
 XXV.— The Patron Saint's Day . . .314 
 
 XXVI. — Exorcising the Stundists . . . 326 
 
 XXVII.— Paul's Defence 339 
 
 XXVIII.— A Miracle .352 
 
 XXIX — Another Martyr . . . .371 
 
 XXX.— A.D. 1892 o.s. 1893 n.s. . . .391 
 
 XXXL— "Would God It Were Morning!" . 410 
 
 XXXII. — Via Dolorosa 424
 
 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ANNO DOMINI 1888. 
 
 Old Karpo, the richest man in Knishi, 
 sauntered out of his cottage, where he had 
 sheltered from the scorching heat. Humping 
 his shoulders peevishly, he set to work to make 
 a new handle for his plough ; but moving slovvl)^ 
 and listlessly, as if he took no pleasure in what 
 he was doing. True it was a Sunday, a day 
 when no labour should be undertaken ; and it 
 seemed onh^ half a sin to work lazily. He 
 knew that properly he ought to sit on the turf 
 seat against the cottage wall, and stare into 
 vacancy ; as he was not fond of gossiping with 
 his neighbours. Occasionally, on a Sunday 
 evening, he would obey his conscience ; but he 
 was never happy without his work, unless liis 
 daughter Halya sat beside him chatting or 
 singing her pretty songs. 
 
 Halya was not at home, for early in the 
 
 B
 
 2 THE HIGHWAY OF SORLOW. 
 
 morning, wlillst it was still cool enougli for 
 the walk, she had gone to spend the day with 
 Yarina, her old friend and companion. Old 
 Karpo — he was not more than fifty years of 
 age, but, being the head of a family, he was 
 always called old — had found the long, hot 
 hours terribly dull. There was nothing to do 
 but to watch his grey-haired, hard-featured 
 wife, Marfa, fussing about her household duties. 
 She was now cooking the supper, and the heat 
 of the stove would soon be as bad as the heat 
 of the sun. It was more pleasant to be out 
 of the way. 
 
 Knishi was a small village in one of the 
 Oukrainian provinces, scattered over a slightly 
 rising^ m-ound. A new life and movement began 
 to appear in its wide, grass- grown street. The 
 cattle lowed, and the barn-door fowls cackled. 
 The children turned out, and set to play at 
 ninepins. Here and there the heavy cranes 
 were made to draw up water from the deep 
 wells, to allay the thirst of the suffering beasts. 
 The dead stillness of the suffocating summer's 
 day was at an end. 
 
 The June sun had just set below the distant 
 and lev^el horizon. Every living creature had
 
 ANNO DOMINI 1S88. 3 
 
 sought shelter from its scorching rays. But 
 now the long, uneven shadows of the hazel 
 coppices glided upwards from the meadows, 
 and, as though melting in the cooler atmo- 
 sphere, filled it with a faint duskiness. The 
 heavens still burned with the flamins: sunset, 
 which suffused with crimson and gold the 
 feathery clouds floating on the dark-blue vault 
 of the sky. The cross of the village church 
 glittered like a star against the deep blue. 
 Even the roofs of grey thatch seemed touched 
 with a rosy mist ; and the great wooden cranes, 
 black with age, which stretched across the 
 wells, for a few minutes looked bright in the 
 golden light. 
 
 On the turf seats before the whitewashed 
 cottages the villagers were sitting ; men and 
 women chatting over their aftairs. An air of 
 sweet tranquillit}^ and peace reigned. The 
 merry cries of the children at play hardly dis- 
 turbed it. 
 
 All at once, from the last cottage in the 
 village, came the sound of soft, harmonious 
 singing. It was choral singing ; but the tune 
 was so solemn it could not be an ordinary 
 song. Neither could it be church music, for 
 B 2
 
 4 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 clear female voices were distinctly audible ; 
 and women do not sin"' in the Greek Church 
 choirs. Indeed, this song, which floated so 
 softly through the rosy twilight, bore no re- 
 semblance to anv monotonous ancient chant 
 of the Church. There Avas something quite 
 different about it — a special peasant character 
 — reminding one, now of the Kossack ballads, 
 and now of the mournful strains of the blind 
 minstrels, who sing for alms on festival days 
 in the porches of the Kussian churches. 
 The voices were fresh and pure, and the 
 singing was so full of deep emotion, and so 
 touchingly simple and devout, that even old 
 Karpo was softened in spite of himself. 
 
 " The heretics sing grandly," he muttered 
 to himself; and although he kept on with 
 his work for the look of the thing, the move- 
 ments of his arms grew slower and slower ; 
 the hatchet rested on the block of wood, and 
 old Karpo very nearly stopped to listen. The 
 words were not distinguishable at this distance. 
 
 " Stop your noise there, you young limbs ! " 
 cried Marfa, coming to the door and calling 
 to the children, who paid no heed to the 
 singing, but went on vehemently shouting
 
 AXNO DOMINI 1SS8. 5 
 
 and knocking" about tlieir wooden ninepins. 
 The gossips on their turf seats ceased from 
 chatting. But for fear of the priest's anger, 
 a little group of village people would have 
 collected round the cottage where the Stundists 
 were holding their Sunday prayer-meeting. The 
 Oukrainian peasantry are passionately fond of 
 singing, and this was different at once from 
 church music and from village songs. 
 
 " It sounds as if it came down from 
 heaven," muttered Marfa, not loud enough for 
 her husband to hear : " but it will bring- 
 trouble to Halya if Paul goes hand-in-hand 
 with them." 
 
 There were not many Stundists in Knishi, 
 and the heresy was still almost a new one. 
 There had been livinp- iust bevond the villao^e 
 a bee-master of the name of Loukyan, who 
 had earned a good living by selling wax and 
 honey. He was a peasant like all the rest, 
 untaught and ignorant, able only to read, 
 scarcely able to write. But from his youth 
 upwards he had been much given to church- 
 going, and wonderfull}" fond of reading the 
 Bible, the words of which were deeply im- 
 pressed on his memory. Father Vasili, the
 
 6 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 village priest, was often perplexed and annoyed 
 by the questions of liis devout parishioner, 
 though he felt proud of him as a good Church- 
 man. The peasants of all the country round 
 had learned to look up to Loukyan, both for 
 his book-learning aud his good, honest life. 
 Though he was not one of the rich farmers 
 like Karpo, his voice had more weight in 
 the Mir than theirs, and his counsel was 
 sought for by any of his neighbours who 
 found themselves in any kind of difficult3\ 
 He was getting on in years now, and had 
 been looked upon as a father by the wliole 
 parish until about two years ago. It was all 
 changed now. The change had come so sud- 
 denly that tlie people in Knishi said the poor 
 old fellow had gone clean off his head ! 
 Father Vasili encouraged this opinion. Louk- 
 yan had taken his honey and wax to sell in 
 the Kherson province ; his ordinary busiuess. 
 But the very day after he came back from 
 his journey, when his fellow-members of the 
 Mir caine to visit him and to hear all the 
 news of the outside world, what did they see ? 
 It was just at the beginning of the long fast, 
 the forty days of Lent ; and there upon
 
 ANNO DOMINI 188S. 7 
 
 Loukyan's table stood bowls of ordinary soup, 
 and milk, too, and he and his nephew, Demyan, 
 with his young wife, were sitting at dinner 
 as if they had forgotten Lent. 
 
 "Why, Loukyan ! have you lost 3"our 
 senses ? " they asked in amazement. 
 
 " No, no ! I have not lost my senses ! " he 
 answered, with twinkling eyes ; " it's you that 
 have never come to yours. Why should we 
 fast for forty days? Our Lord says in the 
 Scriptures : ' Not that which goeth into the 
 mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh 
 out of the mouth. For from within, out of 
 the heart, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, 
 fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, an 
 evil eye, blasphemies, pride, foolishness ; all 
 these things come from Avithin, and defile the 
 man.' Let us fast from these, and all will 
 be well with us, both in Lent and out of 
 
 Lent." 
 
 But that was not the sort of fasting that 
 suited them. They could not answer him, 
 however ; and they went away perplexed and 
 discontented. 
 
 The next thing was that Loukyan left off 
 going to the parish church, where, for forty
 
 8 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 years or more, his familiar face, full of serious 
 and gentle thought, had never been missing. 
 Soon after, the village gossips told one another 
 that he had taken down the sacred icons from 
 the shrine in his cottaofe. He had bous^ht 
 quite a number of them, and some of them 
 were good ones, for he never grudged his 
 money for them. But now he broke up some 
 of them into splinters, and gave the rest to 
 his niece to cover the milk-pails. 
 
 " They are vain idols," he said to the 
 people who asked him the reason of this 
 conduct ; " does not the commandment tell us 
 that we are not to make them, or to bow 
 down to them ? Must we not obey the voice 
 of the Lord our God? We have all of us 
 bowed down to these idols ; but now I am 
 going to worship God, and Him only." 
 
 By-and-bye, very quickly indeed, all this 
 reached the ears of Father Yasili ; and he 
 came to Loukyan's cottage in his vestments, 
 and bearing the crucifix with him. It was a 
 ceremonial visit, almost as if there was going 
 to be a funeral in the house. Though Loukyan 
 was a troublesome parishioner, full of notions 
 and knotty questions, the priest could not bear
 
 ANNO DOMINI 1SS8. 9 
 
 to lose liim from amonof his conp-resfation. 
 But Father Vasili was no controversialist; and 
 all he could do was to hold the crucifix 
 solemnly before Loukyan, and command him 
 to resume his habit of s^oino- to church. 
 
 " Father Vasili," said Loukyan, " your 
 church is no House of God. It is a place of 
 buying and selling-, as if a man could buy 
 salvation, or a priest sell it. I cannot wor- 
 ship God in it." 
 
 " Look on this, and be ashamed, poor 
 sinner ! " cried Father Vasili, pointing to the 
 crucifix wdth one hand, as he held it at arm's 
 lenc^th with the other. 
 
 "I see it," said Loukyan; "it is an image 
 of the cross, and our Saviour nailed upon it. 
 But it is only an image, father ! It cannot 
 see me and it cannot hear me. It is only a 
 bit of wood. But I pray to Him who died 
 upon the cross ; and I know in my heart 
 that He sees and hears me. I can never 
 bow down to that again. It would be an 
 offence against God, who has said, ' Ye shall 
 not make gods of silver ; neither shall ye 
 make unto you gods of gold.' " 
 
 " And you have profaned your icons ! "
 
 10 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 exclaimed Father Yasili angrily, turning 
 towards the desecrated shrine. " We shall see 
 what the authorities say about it." 
 
 Some days afterwards two policemen came 
 to Knishi, and carried Loukyan away to a 
 town at some distance, where he fortunately 
 had a few acquaintances, who had often done 
 business with him, and were favourably in- 
 clined to him. Loukj-an was put into prison, 
 but was not on the whole harshly treated. 
 From time to time he was put under examin- 
 ation as to his opinions ; but as the questions 
 asked him were principally political, he could 
 answer them satisfactorily. The new heresy 
 was scarcely known in the province ; and the 
 head officials did not as yet trouble them- 
 selves about it. They could not see the full 
 importance of Loukyan's insignificant change 
 of religion ; and after an imprisonment of six 
 months he was released with a caution to 
 avoid offending his parish priest again. 
 
 Loukyan came back to Knishi ; and with 
 the ardour of a messenger with glad tidings, 
 began to spread about his new doctrines. 
 His nephew, Demyan, and his wife, who lived 
 in the house with him, were his first disciples.
 
 ANNO DOXmi ISSS. 11 
 
 Next to them came Ooliana Eudenko, a 
 widow with one son, who were the richest 
 people in Knishi, next to old Karpo. Like 
 Loukyan, Ooliana had been one of the most 
 regular and devout worshippers in the village 
 church, giving liberally of her substance to 
 the maintenance of Father Vasili. She and 
 Loukvan had often talked tos-ether on re- 
 ligious subjects ; and now she studied the 
 New Testament with eager intelligence ; soon 
 adopting the new views, and carrying them 
 out conscientiously. After Ooliana others 
 joined ; until at last ten families, who became 
 the most steady and sober and honest of the 
 villagers, had formed themselves into a little 
 religious community, who worshipped God after 
 their own consciences. 
 
 Father Vasili, disappointed with the action 
 of the police, confined himself to cursing the 
 Stundists from the pulpit. The Mir, which 
 had treated Loukyan indulgently as long as 
 he was alone, looking upon his conduct as a 
 kind of madness, began to be angry. The 
 peasants were not very jealous for the Ortho- 
 dox Church, the dues and fees of which 
 were heavy ; but it irritated them that these
 
 12 TUE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 people, ordinary peasants like themselves, 
 should set themselves up to be better and 
 wiser and holier than their neighbours. The 
 Orthodox reliefion had been ^-ood enousrh for 
 their forefathers, and was good enough for 
 them. The Stundists were a perpetual vexation 
 to the members of the Mir, for their piety, 
 and thrift, and sobriety ; and also for the very 
 patience with which they bore jeers and injuries 
 from their neighbours. Old Karpo was speciallj^ 
 infuriated. Ooliana's son had long been in love 
 with" his dausrhter Hal ya : and no match could 
 be more suitable. But if Paul joined the 
 new religion nothing should prevail upon him 
 to sj-ive Halva to him. 
 
 The little Stundist community lived in an 
 enemy's camp, as it were. Any day might 
 find them exposed to a furious attack. These 
 men and women, whom they had known in- 
 timately all their lives, with whom they had 
 held friendly intercourse, rejoicing with them 
 and weeping with them, now looked askance 
 at them, and held themselves aloof from them. 
 There is no hatred like the hatred arising 
 from religious differences.
 
 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A STUNDIST SERVICE. 
 
 Now, in the darkening tvvilifrht of that fair 
 
 evening, a little band of Stundists had met 
 together for pra^^er and the study of the 
 Bible. There were from fifteen to twenty 
 persons present, grave and quiet-looking men 
 and women, who asked for nothing but to be 
 left to worship Grod, none making them afraid. 
 The slight persecution they had so far met 
 with had only tended to draw them closer 
 together, and to give them that fervour of 
 spirit which seems the special gift of God to 
 those who suffer for righteousness' sake. How 
 often did they say one to another, " Blessed are 
 ye when men shall hate you, and when they 
 shall separate from you, and shall reproach you, 
 and cast out your name as evil. Eejoice ye 
 in that day, and leap for joy ; for behold ! your 
 reward is great in heaven ! " Their grave, 
 quiet faces shone with an inner light ; and 
 their voices took a tone of exultation. It 
 was a great thing to endure persecution !
 
 14 TEE EIGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 It was this persecution which had at first 
 driven Paul Rudenko into the band of Stundists. 
 He was indignant and hurt at seeing his 
 mother, the best woman in Knishi, avoided 
 or molested. Was she not always read}- to 
 help anyone who was in trouble ? How often 
 had she sat up all night nursing the sick 
 and dying ! Her house had never been closed 
 to a neighbour. Yet now, because she chose 
 to pray in another fashion from theirs, she 
 must be insulted and injured, and banished 
 from the society of her old friends. It 
 must be a poor cause which needed such 
 weapons. 
 
 But for a long time, half unconsciously, 
 Paul's love for Halya, old Karpo's daughter, 
 hindered him from definitely adopting his 
 mother's religion. Halya and he had grown 
 up together, the one the only son, the other 
 the only daughter, of the two richest farmers 
 in the district. There had been no formal 
 betrothal, for they were both young ; and 
 Paul's father had died not two years ago. 
 But everybody knew that Paul and Halya 
 were intended for one another. The course 
 of their love had been smooth enough until
 
 A STUNLIST SERVICE. 15 
 
 Ooliana, Paul's mother, had openly joined the 
 Stundists. Ooliana had been insulted and 
 abused both by old Karpo and his wife 
 Marfa. Paul was threatened that he must 
 give up Halya if he followed his mother's ex- 
 ample and attached himself to that old fool 
 Loukyan. There was a deep and terrible 
 conflict in Paul's heart between his love for 
 Halya and his love for his mother, and the 
 irresistible dawning of light in his inmost 
 soul. To please his mother he had frequently 
 attended the Stundist meetings ; but to see 
 Halya he had often gone to the village church. 
 This evening he was sitting in the cottage, 
 at the Stundist prayer-meeting, with one of 
 their hymn-books in his hand. Some were 
 singing by heart, not knowing how to read. 
 In one corner, seated at a plain deal table, 
 was Loukyan, facing the little congregation. 
 He was about fifty-five years of age, with a 
 small, pensive face, a thin grey beard, and 
 large dreamy hazel eyes, shining with in- 
 telligence and gentleness. He was softly 
 humming the tune, and following with his 
 forefinger the lines of the hymn in the 
 small book lying open before him. He had
 
 16 THE HIGHWAY OF SOREOW. 
 
 long known every word of it ; but, none the 
 less, he liked to see the printed words. 
 
 Paul had taken a seat near to Loukyan. 
 He was a tall, slim young fellow of twenty- 
 two, with one of those handsome and regular 
 faces, with clear-cut features, which are some- 
 times met w^ith anions: the Oukrainian 
 peasantry. He was one of the finest singers 
 in the neighbourhood, with a pure tenor voice, 
 which rang out clearly among a chorus ot 
 voices. Loukyan gave out the hymn, and 
 Paul joined in the singing ; but he heard 
 neither his own voice nor any other. The 
 words of the hymn absorbed him : — 
 
 " "When I survey the wondrous cross 
 On which the Prince of glory died, 
 My richest gain I count but loss, 
 
 And pour contempt on all my pride. 
 
 See, from His hands, His head, His feet, 
 Sorrow and love flow mingled down : 
 
 Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 
 Or thorns compose so rich a crown? 
 
 Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
 That were a present far too small ; 
 
 Love so amazing, so divine, 
 
 Demands my soul, my life, my all."
 
 A STUNDIST SERVICE. 17 
 
 Paul sang these words almost unconsciousl}-. 
 The meaning of them was burning itself into 
 his mind with intense conviction. He had 
 all his life been given to long reveries, which 
 now and then deepened into trances, and 
 waking dreams of extraordinary vividness. 
 He was an unlearned peasant ; but his 
 imagination had been trained and exercised 
 by the poetic legends of his country. His 
 mind, like those of his people, was more 
 Oriental than Occidental ; and, like the prophets 
 of the Jewish nation, he saw visions and 
 dreamed dreams. 
 
 Now before this inward eye of his there 
 stood in distinct clearness " the cross on 
 which the Prince of gh^iy died." There 
 had been other saviours of men, who also 
 had suffered crucifixion. But here was the 
 chief of all, who could say, " Was ever sorrow 
 like my sorrow ? " He saw the divine face 
 of the Prince of glory, with His crown of 
 thorns ; and the dying eyes looked into his 
 inmost soul out of fathomless depths of 
 gi'ief. He shuddered as he met that gaze. 
 But beneath the sorrow, and greater than it, 
 because sorrow is not infinite, shone out the 
 c
 
 18 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBEOW. 
 
 infinite love of the Son of God. And it 
 was love lavished upon him, Paul Hudenko ! 
 The parched lips said to liim, " All this I 
 bore for thee ; what wilt thou do for Me ? " 
 His whole soul responded ; in unutterable 
 rapture Paul sang the last words of the 
 hj'mn : 
 
 "Love so amazing, so divine, 
 
 Demands my soul, my life, my all." 
 
 What was this strange joy which flooded 
 all his inmost being ? All the gladness he 
 had ever felt was absolutelv nothinsr in com- 
 parison with this ecstasy and rapture of 
 adoration. It was a new life breathed into 
 him, such as no words could tell. He did 
 not hear a word of Loukyan's prayer, which 
 followed the singing. But when, with a slight 
 stir, the little congregation settled itself to 
 listen to the address, Paul came back to this 
 lower world. 
 
 Loukyan, putting on his spectacles, and 
 turning over the leaves of his New Testa- 
 ment carefully, at last read out these verses, 
 with a solemn and profound tenderness in 
 his voice : — 
 
 " That Christ may dwell in your hearts
 
 A STUXDTST SERVICE. 19 
 
 by faith : that ye, being rooted and grounded 
 in love, may be able to comprehend, with all 
 saints, what is the breadth, and length, and 
 depth, and height, and to know the love of 
 Christ, which passeth knowledge." 
 
 Very simply, and in peasant dialect, the 
 old man called upon his hearers to consider 
 what human love is, as they felt it in their 
 own hearts. The love of fathers and mothers, 
 of husbands and wives, of children to their 
 parents, of lovers and friends, were all touched 
 upon. 
 
 " All this is love," he said, " and comes 
 from God ; for love is of God ; and God 
 Himself is love. And the love of God is like 
 them all ; only in this it is different — it 
 never changes, and it never ceases. For 
 husbands and wives, and parents and children 
 fall out, and quarrel, and get separated, and 
 some even hate one another. ' But who shall 
 separate us from the love of Christ? shall 
 tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, 
 or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in 
 these things we are more than conquerors, 
 through Him that loved us.' Perhaps if we 
 could see our Lord, our love to Plim would 
 c 2
 
 20 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 be earthly, like these others. But He says, 
 'Blessed are they that have not seen, and 
 yet have believed.' So we must have Him 
 dwelling in our hearts by faith. Dwelling in 
 us, you hear. AYhy ! if He was dwelling now 
 in Jerusalem, say! would not our hearts be 
 empty of Him, but full of yearning? ay ! and 
 discontent. For He would be so far away, 
 and all who love Him could not travel to 
 Jerusalem, and bide there in His bodily 
 presence. No, no ! We have something better 
 than that. He is dwelling here," cried 
 Loukyan, laying his hand on his heart, " and 
 in yours, my sisters ; and in yours, my 
 brothers." 
 
 " Ay ! ay ! " fell from the lips of most of 
 his hearers. They had been hanging on his 
 words; and it seemed only natural to respond 
 when he addressed them so individually. 
 Demyan, Loukyan's nephew, spoke the loudest. 
 He was a sturdy, broad-shouldered young 
 fellow; and his round, freckled face, with its 
 kindly grey eyes, revealed the deep emotion 
 with which he listened to every word his 
 uncle uttered. He had risen from his seat 
 in the corner, and leaned towards the preacher,
 
 A STUN'DIST SERVICE. 21 
 
 in an attitude of complete abandonment. He 
 had felt all these earthly loves ; and the 
 heavenly one was lodged in his heart of hearts. 
 The tears rolled down his cheeks ; and he 
 wiped them away, now and then, with his 
 great, horny hand. 
 
 " And now how much shall we love Him ? " 
 asked Loukyan, pausing and looking round on 
 the familiar faces confronting him, " how can 
 poor helpless creatures like us show our love 
 to the Lord Jesus Christ ? " 
 
 " I will die for Him ! " cried Demyan, 
 falling on his knees, and resting his elbows 
 on the table. Behind his large hands burst 
 out sobs ; and his tangled fair hair concealed 
 his agitated face. 
 
 "Ay!" ejaculated Loukyan, "it may be 
 that we shall have to die for Him, or deny 
 Him. Our brethren in many places are choos- 
 ing now, at this very hour, between dying 
 and denying. But I, God helping me, will 
 die for Jesus." 
 
 "And I!" cried Paul, with a thrilling 
 fervour in his voice and face, as he stood up, 
 and drew near the table. " Since I came in 
 here, I have seen Him. I saw Him nailed
 
 22 THE niGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 to tlie shameful cross, with a crown of thorns 
 upon His head. And there was in His eyes 
 a love that no words could tell. A love 
 passing knowledge ! We shall never know its 
 fulness, no ! not through all eternity. I am 
 ready to die for Him." 
 
 For a minute there was a dead silence in 
 the cottage. Ooliana, his mother, was not 
 there ; but every person present knew that 
 she had been praying ardently for Paul's con- 
 version ever since she had herself joined 
 the Stundists. Here was the answer to 
 her pra3^ers. But there was a solemn note 
 of challenge in Paul's voice, as if he looked 
 into the future and foresaw a conflict unto 
 death, if he persisted in obeying his con- 
 science. Would Ooliana rejoice if her son 
 were called to martvrdom ? The idea of 
 martyrdom was growing familiar to the 
 little band. 
 
 " I am ready to die for Him," repeated 
 Paul. The sound of his voice broke the 
 spell which bound them ; and sobs and mur- 
 murs of gladness followed the silence. Louk- 
 yau stretched out his bauds and clasped Paul's 
 between them with a gesture as if he were
 
 A STUNDIST 8EBVIGE. 23 
 
 welcoming liim into the new fellowship and 
 brotherhood. 
 
 " Thank God ! thank God ! " he exclaimed. 
 " Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant de- 
 part in peace ; for mine eyes have seen thy 
 salvation. Thou art blessed and chosen 
 of the Lord, Paul Rudenko. If I am taken 
 away from this little flock — from these few 
 sheep in the wilderness — thou wilt be here 
 to be their shepherd. Let us praise God 
 together." 
 
 Then from the lips of all present rang 
 out the Doxology of the Greek Church, which 
 had been familiar to each of them from their 
 earliest childhood. It was sung with deep and 
 solemn triumph, and echoed all down the 
 village street in the deepening twilight. Some 
 of the peasant women took up the well-known 
 words and tune as they sat at their cottage 
 doors. Old Karpo listened to it till the last 
 note died away ; but he did not guess that it 
 sounded the knell of his Halya's prosperity 
 and happiness. 
 
 " Well sung-, cursed heretics ! " he muttered 
 to himself.
 
 24 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 tarina's garden party. 
 
 When Paul left the cottage, it was already 
 dark ; only in the north-west a line of prim- 
 rose light showed softly the spot where the 
 sun had sunk to rest beyond the boundless 
 steppe. The stars hung like lamps in the dark 
 blue sky ; and the moon was climbing slowly 
 upwards, though, as yet, it gave but little 
 light. The cool air caressed his cheek as if 
 with a kiss from heaven ; and the clear deep 
 sphere of the sky seemed to clasp the earth in 
 its embrace, whilst the stars looked down upon 
 it with a loving human gaze. 
 
 " The heavens declare thy glory," he whis- 
 pered ferventl}^ sure that he was heard by 
 One who loved him. His whole heart was 
 light and glad, with such a joy as had 
 never entered his imagination to conceive. All 
 the earth was full of the glory of God. His 
 road ran beside a cornfield, and the tall stalks, 
 with their thin heavy ears of wheat pale in 
 the starlight, were swaying to and fro in the
 
 YABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 25 
 
 night breeze, with broad, rhythmical waves, 
 which followed one another over the field as 
 on the surface of the sea. The gentle rustling 
 of the ears of wheat could be hardly said 
 to break the silence. 
 
 Presently the road began to ascend to- 
 wards a low hill covered with shrubs and small 
 trees. Little groups of delicate silver birches 
 shook their tremulous leaves against the moon, 
 which was now shining more fully. A stream 
 ran beside him just below the hill — a shallow 
 stream — with here and there an almost motion- 
 less pool, which reflected a rippling image of 
 the moon and the willows growing on its 
 banks. From the wood came the scent of 
 newly mown hay ; and three hay-ricks stood 
 out tall and black against the sky. Was the 
 earth new-born, like himself, that he saw in 
 it a beauty, and a glory, and a harmony, such 
 as his most vivid fancy had never yet revealed 
 to him ? 
 
 " Blind ! and thou hast given me sight ! 
 Deaf ! and thou hast opened my ears ! Dead ! 
 and thou hast called me to life ! " he said, half 
 aloud. There was a gracious Companion walk- 
 ing with him as a friend, who would never
 
 26 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 forsake him, or leave him alone and comfortless. 
 For evermore, through all the endless ages of 
 eternity, he had found a Brother. He had 
 almost reached a neighbouring hamlet before 
 he knew he was near it. Already he could 
 hear in the distance the merry choral songs 
 he used to love so well. The road turned 
 sharj^ly to the left round the low spur of the 
 hill, and ran straight into the little street. 
 The lic^hts in the cotta^-e windows twinkled 
 like glow-worms here and there. As if a door 
 had been suddenly opened the song rang out 
 clear and low. He could even recognise voices ; 
 that of Yarina, the best singer in the hamlet, 
 and another voice, which made his heart leap. 
 Yes ! Halya was there ; his Halya, whom he 
 had loved so long. Almost unconsciously to 
 himself his feet had carried him to the spot 
 where he could find her. 
 
 Yarina was a young widow, well-to-do, and 
 inclined to make the most of her liberty and 
 wealth. Her former playmates, the village 
 girls, and still more the young men of the 
 village, frequented her house. They hardly 
 thought of her as having been a married 
 woman. She lived alone, with an old grand-
 
 YARINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 27 
 
 motlier, in a pleasant, roomy dwelling, witli 
 a large garden, sloping down to the stream 
 which loitered slowly past her lands. Yarina's 
 cottaofe was a favourite resort. Nowhere else 
 did the young people of Knishi, and its neigh- 
 bourhood, enjoy themselves so much. The 
 anxieties and dull gloom of middle life were 
 not to be met with there. The old grand- 
 mother was on the verge of a second child- 
 hood, and Yarina had not lost the gaiety of 
 girlhood. Judging by the sound of many 
 voices in her garden, there was a large gather- 
 ing there to-night, and Halya was certainly 
 amono- them. An irresistible desire to see 
 her, and tell her the marvellous change 
 wrought in him, seized upon Paul. This was 
 an opportunity of talking with her, without 
 her father's or mother's presence, which he 
 must not lose. 
 
 Yarina's cottage was in the middle of the 
 hamlet, distinguished from its poorer neigh- 
 bours by its newly painted gates and railing. 
 It lay far back, with a wide fold-yard before 
 it, and its black outlines stood out plainly 
 against the sky. There was no gleam of light 
 on this side of the house, for the Oukrainians
 
 28 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 invariably build their houses faciiiir the east, 
 even when it involves turninof their backs 
 to the village street. Yarina's cottage looked 
 deserted, and but for the sounds of music and 
 laughter which rang round it, one would have 
 thought that it was uninhabited, Paul opened 
 the gate, and turned round the corner of the 
 house. It was like a transformation scene. 
 The low door, and a small window on each 
 side of it, were all wide open, and streams of 
 light shone through them across a smooth, 
 broad grass-plot, already lit up by the rising 
 moon. Nearly all the guests were gathered 
 there ; a throng of young men and girls, every 
 one of whom he had known from his child- 
 hood. Paul drew back into the dark shadow 
 of the walls. He did not w^ant to see an^'one 
 but Hal3^a, or to be seen by them. By-and- 
 bye they would scatter in small groups about 
 the garden. Then he trusted to finding her 
 for a few minutes alone. 
 
 The merry laughter and singing had ceased. 
 Almost the only sound to be heard was the 
 scraping of a shrill home-made iiddle, phiyed 
 by a fiddler blind of one eye. He was 
 playing the gay national dance, called the
 
 YABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 29 
 
 " Casatcliok." The dance liad just begun, and 
 on the smooth level lawn a circle of young men 
 and o-irls surrounded the dancers. Of these 
 there were only two. Yarina herself was one, 
 a tall, dark, beautiful woman, with laughing 
 brown eyes, and a pert, slightly turned-up 
 nose. She stood with one of her round arms 
 akimbo, and the attitude showed off her pretty 
 figure to perfection. Her full red lips were 
 slightly parted v;ith a smile, as from time to 
 time she glided a few paces to the left or to 
 the right, as easily and gracefully as the flight 
 of a swallow when it just skims the surface 
 of the ground ; her little red shoes hardly 
 seeming to press the blades of grass under her 
 tread. But in the Oukrainian dances the chief 
 part belongs to the man. 
 
 Yarina's partner was Panass, who, from 
 their boyhood, had been Paul's rival in Knishi. 
 Next to Paul he had hitherto been the most 
 desirable match in the neighbourhood ; and now 
 that Paul had joined the Stundists, he would 
 be far before him in the estimation of the 
 public. He was a tall, well-made young fellow, 
 with an ordinary peasant-like face; but agile 
 and light-footed, and the best dancer in the
 
 30 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 country for miles round Knislii. All the 
 crowd stood silently watching him. Panass 
 was whirling round Yarina, now and then 
 rushin"- towards her, and falling back as if 
 disheartened by her careless indifference. Some- 
 times he squatted on the ground in a despair- 
 ing mood, and then he leaped exultantly into 
 the air, clashing his heels together, and making 
 wonderful steps, not dreamed of by any dancing 
 master. His swarthy face was bathed in per- 
 spiration, and it kept throughout a serious, 
 almost gloomy expression. By this trait one 
 might recognise him as a genuine Oukrainian 
 dancer, to whom the dance was more, far more 
 than a mere pastime. 
 
 Paul looked from his hiding-place round 
 the throng of spectators. The bright light 
 from the open door and windows illuminated 
 the faces of those near the house, and the 
 moonlight shone full upon those on the othor 
 side of the circle. But llalya was not amonjj: 
 them. Perhaps she was in the gardens beyoud ? 
 Pie stole softly away, and traversed the empty 
 walks ; but he could not find her. Nearly 
 all the guests were breathlessly watching 
 Yarina and Panass.
 
 TABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 31 
 
 The dance, in the meantime, was o-rowino- 
 more and more animated. The one-eyed fiddler 
 quickened the time and played more briskly. 
 Panass, striking the ground fiercely with his 
 heels, made his circles closer and closer, each 
 one bringing him nearer to Yarina. She no 
 longer glided away from him, shrinking from 
 his approach ; but she stood still, her arms 
 fallen to her side, looking as if she was about 
 to swoon away with half-concealed emotion. 
 The only other movement of her all but 
 motionless figure was a slight sidling to and 
 fro of her little red feet. The dramatic dance 
 was coming to a close. For the last time 
 Panass squatted on the ground before Yarina. 
 For the last time he made his circle round her 
 with slower and triumphant steps. He had 
 won his love ; and now both stood up, holding 
 one another by the hand. They bowed to 
 the spectators, and moved away in difierent 
 directions, indicating in this way that they 
 were not really lovers, but had merely per- 
 formed together the lovers' dance. 
 
 The one-eyed fiddler began to strum a 
 song ; but nobody listened to him. They 
 strolled away into the garden by twos and
 
 32 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 threes ; talking here ia animated tones, there 
 with hushed voices. Some of them were 
 lovers, though they doubted whether the}'' 
 could ever be husbands and wives. Love 
 was in their own power ; but marriage must 
 be decided by the arbitrary will of fathers, 
 who were nearly always guided exclusively 
 by sordid considerations of property and 
 prospects. This fact, well known and re- 
 cognised as an inevitable fate, gave an 
 underlying sadness to the love-making of the 
 young couples. 
 
 After marriage a woman becomes the abso- 
 lute property of her husband, with no free- 
 dom or rights of her own. She is his ser- 
 vant and drudge. Her children are his, not 
 her own. But before marriage a girl is at 
 liberty to see, and talk, and walk out with 
 anyone — even to stay out until the dawn, 
 nobody blaming or suspecting her. Often the 
 simplest, and sincerest, and purest friend- 
 ship exists between two young people whose 
 parents will not consent to their being 
 betrothed lovers. 
 
 All the poetry and tenderness in which 
 the southern branch of the Kussian race is
 
 YARIS^A'S GARDEN PARTY. 33 
 
 SO rich, are concentrated on the pure, confid- 
 ing, and romantic relations cherished between 
 a Russian 3'outh and maiden ; a friendship as 
 high-minded and self-controlled as the devo- 
 tion of a knight to his lady in the best days 
 of chivalry. 
 
 In Yarina's garden were scattered young 
 couples. Some of them sat down together on 
 the grass, others strayed away under the trees 
 Most of them paced to and fro hand in hand, 
 flitting across the bright streams of light, and 
 gliding away into the moonlit walks. TIk^ 
 girls — in their snowy-white blouses, open at 
 the throat, and their full, light skirts with 
 brilliant sashes round their waists, and rib- 
 bons in their hair — looked somewhat like the 
 tall, many-coloured lilies growing in the gar- 
 den borders. Even the slightly stupid Panass 
 saw the resemblance. 
 
 " You're like a living flower," he said to 
 Yarina. " And we poor lads in our blue 
 coats are like the bumble bees, seeking the 
 best honey." 
 
 " The largest quantity of honey ! " an- 
 swered Yarina sharply. 
 
 Panass was hesitating between Yarina and 
 D
 
 34 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Hal}-^ ; or, ratlier, his fatlier was diligently 
 weisrhino: the merits of the one as^ainst the 
 other, before sending the matchmakers. 
 
 The soft hum of whispering voices was 
 now and then broken in upon by the sound 
 of a kiss or a peal of laughter. In some 
 quiet shade might be heard a tender love- 
 song, sung in a subdued voice, and intended 
 jealously for the ear of one listener only. 
 All were wrapt up in themselves, and each 
 other; and no one noticed Paul, who went 
 once more round the garden, seeking in vain 
 for Halya. Below the garden ran the river, 
 glimmering in the moonlight; and a warm 
 hurried breeze blew across it. Paul strolled 
 down the slope, but Halj'a was not there. 
 
 Suddenly, from the opposite shore, came 
 the trill of the Oukrainian nightingale, ring- 
 ing as clear as a bell, and drowning the 
 laughter and the hum of voices, with a 
 dominant note like that of a solo-sinsxer, 
 whose voice rises liiiih above the music of 
 
 CD 
 
 the accoiii})animent. Paul stood listening 
 awhile, entranced by the jubilant notes. But 
 before long, his anxi(»ty to see Halya drew 
 him back towards the house.
 
 YABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 35 
 
 As he approached it, still keeping in the 
 shadows, he saw Panass go through the open 
 doorway. 
 
 "She is there!" said Paul to himself. It 
 seemed as if a cold breath blew across his 
 spirit, which had been on fire so short a time 
 ago. He stood with his eyes riveted on the 
 doorway. Presently, the pretty face he loved 
 so dearly, and the slim, graceful form, stood 
 upon the threshold ; and Halya seemed to 
 be gazing timidly into the moonlit garden. 
 She had been sittino- with the old errand- 
 mother, to escape the attentions of Panass ; 
 but now he had pursued her there, she felt 
 there would be more safety for her in the 
 companionship of her friend Yarina. Paul' 
 was rushing towards her, wdien he saw she 
 was not alone. Panass was folio win a" close 
 upon her steps, with a baudoura in his hand, 
 on which he lightly touched a few notes, 
 whilst he spoke to her in low tones. She 
 shook her head, and hesitated to pass on 
 with him out of the light, and into the 
 moonlit garden. She had never drawn back 
 from Paul. 
 
 Along the walls of the house ran a seat 
 D 2
 
 36 THE II ion WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 made of turf and soil, baked hard by the hot 
 Sim. Halya sat down on it, and Pan ass took 
 his place on the ground, at her feet, and 
 rested his head against her knee, as he went 
 on tuning the strings of his bandoura. Paul 
 could bear the sisfht no lousier. 
 
 " Halya ! " he cried, coming forward out of 
 the shadow. 
 
 She lifted her eyes to him coldly, and did 
 not stir from her position. 
 
 " Good evening ! " she said, in a tone of 
 distant reserve. But Panass sprang to his 
 feet with a shout. 
 
 " Why, Paul ! Paul the Stundist ! Paul 
 the saint I Paul the apostle ! " he shouted. 
 " You here among us heathens ? Come here, 
 boys ! " he bawled, " come here ! Here is Paul 
 the apostle ! Let's try him ! Let's see what 
 he will put up with ! Pie has thrown himself 
 into our hands ! " 
 
 It was an unforeseen chance, which took 
 them all by surprise. A cruel wish arose 
 among the young people, especially the men, 
 to amuse themselves at Paul's expense. His 
 lot in life was so far above the average ; he 
 was so much richer, and more handsome; so
 
 YAEINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 37 
 
 much more gifted than any of tliera, that 
 it came natural to them to wish to see him 
 humiliated. 
 
 The vounor men and jjirls flocked towards 
 the house at the loud call of Panass, from 
 all parts of the garden. Some of them had 
 still their arms entwined round each other, 
 with the supreme indifference of rustic lovers 
 to the jesting remarks of their comrades. 
 They stood gazing with dreamy eyes at the 
 scene before them. Panass continued to jeer 
 at Paul. 
 
 " Now, you apostle," he said, " sing us one 
 of your songs of Zion, as you call them, and 
 let it be a merry one." 
 
 He played a few chords upon his bandoura, 
 and began to parody a Stundist hymn to a 
 tune which was a favourite one with the 
 Stundists. The crowd which surrounded them 
 began to laugh boisterously. 
 
 " Come, come, apostle ! " sneered Panass. 
 " Sine second, or be our leader. You have a 
 fine voice, everybody knows." 
 
 Paul looked at Halya, who sat silent and 
 motionless on the turf seat. She had turned 
 pale, but her face was in shadow, and he
 
 38 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiROW. 
 
 could not see that she felt an}^ emotion. It 
 seemed as if she was studiously indifferent to 
 his presence, and tlie ridicule to which Panass 
 was subjecting him. His heart failed him. 
 He felt desolately alone in this throng of 
 familiar and dear faces. For he had loved 
 these mockers ; he had worked with them, 
 played with them ; gone in their company to 
 many a merry festival, and to sorrowful 
 funerals. They were his comrades, his brothers 
 and sisters ; they had clasped hands in true 
 fellowship. And now ! Oh, sorrowful words of 
 the Lord and Master : " The brother shall 
 deliver up his brother to death, and the father 
 the child ; and the children shall rise up 
 against their parents, and cause them to be 
 put to death. And ye shall be hated of all 
 men for my name's sake." 
 
 For a moment or two a strong temptation 
 assailed him to meet this insensate mockery 
 with reviling. A voice said within him : 
 " Ye fools ! ye pagans ! you laugh at a thing 
 of which you have no understanding." He 
 ahnost longed to hear their stupid laughter 
 change into a roar of rage. He was ready 
 to suffer martyrdom for the Lord whom he
 
 YABINA'S GARDE y PAB.TY. 39 
 
 had seen in a vision so short a time a^o. 
 But upon this feeling of wrath, mingled with 
 contempt, came the remembrance of the pa- 
 tience of the Lord Jesus Christ, " who, when 
 He was reviled, reviled not again." A softened 
 mood of friendliness towards his old com- 
 panions took possession of him, and he turned 
 his beautiful face towards them, with a 
 mournful Smile upon it. 
 
 "Well," he said, "for the sake of old 
 times, never forgotten by me, give me the 
 bandoura. I will sing you one of your 
 favourite songs." 
 
 Panass ceased laughing, and with an air 
 of astonishment, passed him the bandoura. 
 The crowd grew silent, too ; only the singing 
 of the nightingale across the river could be 
 heard. Paul sat down on the turf seat, at a 
 little distance from Halya, and struck some 
 chords of simple melody on the bandoura ; 
 and after a minute or two, his pure sweet 
 tenor voice rang out the opening words of a 
 Kossack ballad. He felt that he could not 
 sing a hymn to that scoffing audience. 
 
 In the meantime Panass had recovered 
 from his surprise, and now squatted down in
 
 40 THE niGIIWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 front of him, prepared to accompany his 
 singing with ridiculous gestures, provocative 
 of Liughtcr and derision from the crowd. 
 He had expected Paul would sing a Stuudist 
 hymn. But at the first unsteady notes of 
 the mellow voice which had so often charmed 
 them, the temper of the listeners changed. A 
 solemn, sym])athetic mood fell upon each one 
 present. Even Panass, on whose face the 
 jeering smile had settled into a grimace, 
 listened with most attentive ears. The beau- 
 tiful Yarina stood leaning against the door- 
 post, her laughing eyes half shut and dim 
 with tears. The ballad was a pathetic one : 
 the farewell of a voung- Kossack warrior to 
 the home and the friends of his bo3diood. 
 He was going foitli to fight the Paynim, 
 and rescue the Christian captives, held in 
 bondage by the infidels. But no vision ol 
 glory and victor}^ beguiled him ; the presenti- 
 ment of death on tlif battle-field ran throuirh 
 the ballad. Never more would he cross the 
 thresh(jld of his home ; never more clasp 
 hands with the friend who was dearer than a 
 brother ; never more kiss the lips of the 
 maiden who was betrothed to him. And all
 
 YABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 41 
 
 was well, because bis warfare was for bis 
 boly creed. 
 
 Yarina listened, and it seemed to her that 
 sbe was no longer a gay 3"0ung' widow courted 
 by all tbe marriageable men in the country. 
 She was a light-hearted, pure-minded girl again, 
 full of good impulses. She recalled her life 
 with her husband, who had lived one single 
 happy year with her in this home of hers. 
 She felt ashamed of havino^ forijcotten him so 
 soon. These merry-makings, with their high 
 revelry, were a dishonour to his memory. She, 
 too, bad her warfare to engage in. A desire 
 crossed her mind to renounce this careless 
 life. She would shut herself up in a her- 
 mitage, or a nunnery, and give all her goods 
 to the Church. How grand that would be ! 
 And how all the world would honour her ! 
 
 The one-eyed fiddler was listening and 
 dreaming too. With head bent down he was 
 brooding over the old times, when Cossack 
 knights lived in Oukrainia, redressing grievances 
 and fighting the Turks. He fancied himself 
 a warlike minstrel, no longer fiddling at 
 drunken feasts for a few kopecks ; but mounting 
 a horse, and riding to the wars. It was not
 
 42 THE niGIIWAY OF SOIiRO]V. 
 
 Petro wlio had knocked out his eye in a 
 drunken brawl ; but he had lost it in noble 
 combat for Christ's sake, with that very same 
 Turkish pasha of whom Paul was singing. 
 
 And Paul's song grew stronger and more 
 thrilling as he felt the S3^mpathy it evoked 
 in his listeners. His voice grew more and 
 more pathetic, and his face glowed with emotion. 
 Both he and they forgot the vital difference 
 w^hich separated them. They were living in 
 the macjical world of heroic memories. All 
 of them had been brought up on the legends 
 of their famous men of olden days ; legends 
 of renown, numerous among the poetical and 
 romantic people of Little liussia. 
 
 The song drew near its end ; the last 
 full, plaintive note died away into the quiet 
 night, echoed by the trill of the niglitin- 
 gale. But no one moved, or uttered a word. 
 Even Panass was silenced. What more was 
 to follow? 
 
 When they came to themselves, as it 
 were, Paul had disappeared. He was 
 himself deeply moved, and could not bear 
 to see them coming back to their mood of 
 ridicule, or even to hear their idle applause.
 
 YARINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 43 
 
 Hal^^a had kept her face turned away 
 from him ; there was nothing to be expected 
 from her. He stole quickly and silently 
 away, and turned sadly homeward. 
 
 His road took him through Knishi 
 again, where all was quiet in the village 
 street. The wooden church, with its green 
 cupola, and the wells with their long cranes ; 
 the cottages standing at the bottom of their 
 fold-yards ; the priest's stone house — all were 
 familiar to him, and seemed to warn him 
 that he was setting his feet in a path of 
 terrible estrangement and loneliness. He had 
 already lingeringly passed Halya's home, when 
 he heard footsteps running after him. He 
 turned, and speechless with joy, he could 
 not for a moment breathe a word. It was 
 Halya herself. " Halya ! " he exclaimed 
 when he recovered from his surprise. 
 " Halya ! " 
 
 " Yes ! " stammered the girl, who was out 
 of breath with running as fast as she could, 
 " what did you come for ? " 
 
 Paul seized her hand. 
 
 " My own darling ! " he exclaimed, " how 
 glad you make me ! I thought you had
 
 44 TUE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 turned away from me, and would never look 
 at me again. Why were you so cruel to 
 me, my Halya ? " 
 
 Halya drew away her hand, and repeated 
 her question, almost angrily. " What did 
 you come for?" she asked again. 
 
 " Why do you ask ? " said Paul, in a 
 faltering voice ; " I came to see you. Don't 
 you know that I hardly feel alive when I 
 cannot see you and talk to you ? " 
 
 She did not answer, but stood before him 
 with downcast eyes, and an expectant ex- 
 pression, as if she was waiting for something 
 more. Her face was pale and wistful in the 
 moonlight. 
 
 " You are not going to marry Panass ? " 
 said Paul hesitatingly. 
 
 " How do I know ? " she asked, in al- 
 most a peevish tone ; " father will settle all 
 that. He would let me marry you, if you 
 were not an infidel. It is breaking my 
 heart. How can you renounce Christ, and 
 all the saints, and our holy Church ? " 
 
 " We infidels ! We renounce Christ ! " 
 exclaimed Paul : " that is what our enemies 
 say. But you know better, my little bird.
 
 YABINA'S GAltDEN PARTY. 45 
 
 You know Louk^^an, and Demyan, and my 
 mother. And I came to tell you, Halya, 
 that my mind is made up. I have cast in 
 my lot with them. 1 shall never enter 
 the church again in order to worship 
 God. I never have worshipped Him truly 
 there." 
 
 Halj-a was exceedingly sorrowful. Until 
 quite lately Paul had attended the church 
 services when she was present, though his 
 mother had Ions: absented herself. Old 
 Karpo had sworn that he would never give 
 his daughter to a Stundist ; and Paul's de- 
 cision was a death-blow to her hopes. She 
 loved him ; she could not recollect the time 
 when they had not loved one another. 
 Panass frightened her ; he looked at her 
 with almost savage eyes of desire. If she 
 became his wife, he would soon treat her 
 as her father treated her mother, making 
 her into a slave and drudge, who lived 
 a life of daily terror. The Stundists were 
 not like that. They looked upon their wives 
 as equals ; and Paul especially was so tender, 
 so thoughtful for her; treated her always 
 with so much honour, that she felt as safe
 
 46 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 beside him as if she had been by her 
 mother's side. She could not give him up. 
 
 " If you care for me," she said, creep- 
 ing closer to him, and laying her hand on 
 his shoulder, " listen to me. Why cannot 
 you wait a little ; come to church, and 
 -p-dy your dues, to please Father Vasili and 
 my father ; and when we are safely married 
 turn Stundist if you choose. They could 
 not unmarry us ; but now " — her low whisper 
 broke into sobs. 
 
 It seemed so simple, so feasible, so 
 innocent a stratagem to poor Halya ; whilst 
 to Paul it sounded stark, horrible blasphemy. 
 He shrank from her gentle touch ; and his 
 voice sounded stern as he answered her. 
 " You do not know what you are sajang," 
 he exclaimed : " you ask me to be a 
 hypocrite — the deadliest sin of all ! I 
 should be lying both to God and man. 
 You torture me, my own dearest," he added 
 mournfullv, takinij: her hand into his, with 
 a sudden overflow of pity and love flooding 
 his heart. She did not know what all this 
 meant to him. 
 
 "AVhen you went away," said Halya,
 
 YABINA'S GARDEN PARTY. 47 
 
 " Panass told me his father was a'cinsr to send 
 the matchmakers to my father this very week 
 Father will consent, I know; for they are rich 
 folks. Oh, Paul ! save me ! I could not endure 
 him when he laid his head against my knee. 
 Paul, think what it will be if we are separ- 
 ated. It is not a heathen temple I ask 
 you to come to. It is a Christian church. 
 What harm would it do ? You say you can 
 worship Grod anywhere. Why not in church, 
 to please Father Vasili ? Cannot you do this 
 little thing to save me ? " 
 
 " I could give my life to save you," he 
 answered, " but I cannot disobey my Lord 
 and Saviour. I cannot be a hypocrite. Oh ! 
 Halya, you are dearer to me than m^^self; 
 but you are not dearer than God." 
 
 " Then j'ou have seen the last of me ! " 
 she cried, tearing her hand away, and 
 speaking in a very bitter tone ; " you give 
 me up to Panass ! " 
 
 She turned suddenly away, and ran home- 
 ward. Paul, with a heavy heart, watched 
 her slender form hastening out of his sight; 
 and then he turned his steps towards the farm- 
 stead, where his mother was waiting for him.
 
 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TESTING THE FUTURE. 
 
 OsTRON lay about half a mile from Knislii, 
 a little hamlet containiiiij: five or six homo- 
 steads, of which Paul's was by far the largest 
 and best kept. The fold-yard lying in front 
 of the house was swept and orderly ; the 
 cattle-sheds and stables were trim and weather- 
 tight ; and the barns were in good repair. The 
 whole place bore a prosperous and cared-for 
 appearance. 
 
 Ooliana, Paul's mother, was, as has been 
 said, one of Loukyan's earliest disciples. Their 
 mutual seriousness, and strict observance of 
 Church rites, had made them friends many years 
 before ; and Ooliana was speedily convinced 
 b}' the same reasons which had won Loukyan 
 to adopt the Stundist i'aith — they could 
 hardly be said to have a creed. Her most 
 fervent prayer had been that Paul should 
 throw off the superstitions of the Orthodox 
 Church. But her inthience was constantly 
 counteracted by that of Halya; liis love for
 
 TESTING THE FUTURE. 49 
 
 her leading him to continue his attendance 
 at the parish church, even after he had 
 owned himself convinced by argument that 
 there was no true worship of God there. 
 Ooliana had always regarded Halya as her 
 son's future wife ; and though she loved her, 
 there was that subtle, instinctive jealous^- 
 of her, which every woman feels of the girl 
 who is destined to steal away her son from 
 her. Besides, now she was herself a Stundist 
 she felt as Kebekah felt towards the 
 daughters of Heth. There was no girl in 
 Knishi as worthy of Paul as Halya; but 
 in towns where the Stundists were more 
 numerous, there were many brethren whose 
 daughters would be more fitting helpmates. 
 Like Rebekah, she said, " What good 
 will my life be to me if Paul marries 
 Halya?" 
 
 She was still a woman in middle age, 
 strong, and capable, and business-like. Until 
 she became a Stundist, she was very popular 
 in Knishi, for her heart was warm and her 
 hand open. Her fine, handsome face, and 
 her firm, alert step had been one of the 
 welcome sights of the grass-grown village 
 
 £
 
 50 THE HIGHWAY OF SOREOW. 
 
 street. There was not a house she liad not 
 entered on some errand of friendship or 
 charity ; and Ooliana had been the first to 
 be summoned when a disaster of any kind 
 occurred. She was a good nurse and a fair 
 doctor ; and as no doctor lived witliin twenty 
 miles, she enjoyed a large practice, without 
 fees. 
 
 To-night she had not been to the pra3'er- 
 meeting at Knishi because she hud been 
 tending a dying child at Ostron. She did 
 not know that her ceaseless, ardent prayers 
 for Paul's conversion were at last fulfilled. 
 The church clock, quite audible in the quiet 
 night, struck eight, the hour when Louk^'an 
 finished his sermon. It was usual to lincrer 
 a little while in friendly conversation ; so she 
 could not expect Paul quite yet. The large, 
 roomy house-place grew dark ; and she lighted 
 one wick of the three-socketed lamp, and put 
 it on the oak table, upon which she began 
 to lay out the supper. ' 
 
 In the dim light tlie room was full of 
 shadows, but it looked comfortable and home- 
 like. The oak table, on which there was no 
 cloth, was ver}' clean, and the oak benches
 
 TESTma THE FUTURE. 51 
 
 standins^ along the walls were polished till 
 they reflected the twinkling lamp-light. A 
 few pictures hung against the walls, their sub- 
 jects indistinguishable in the dimness. The 
 empty icon shrine looked like a black niche 
 in its place, of honour. 
 
 Paul's supper was ready, being kept warm 
 in the huge Russian stove, which seemed to 
 fill half the room. Ooliana stood at the door 
 watching and listening. She heard the neigh- 
 ing of her horses, the grunting of the pigs, 
 and the cluck of the fowls in the various 
 sheds surrounding the fold-yard, but Paul's 
 footsteps she could not catch. The clock in 
 Knishi struck nine. She put out the lamp, 
 and sat down in the window to knit by 
 moonlight. 
 
 " He is stopping with that girl ! " she said, 
 half angrily, half sadlj^ to herself. The daugh- 
 ters of Heth are always sources of great 
 trouble to saintl}' mothers. " Save him, 
 Lord ! " whispered Ooliana ; " save my son 
 in his hour of temptation. Save the soul of 
 my Paul ! " 
 
 A few minutes after this softly murmured 
 prayer, she heard the welcome sound of his 
 E 2
 
 52 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 ■well-known footsteps coming near the farm- 
 yard. His favourite mare whinnied, and his 
 dot^ sprang out to meet him. Before lit 
 could reach the door, the three sockets of the 
 lamp were lit, and a cheerful light chased 
 away the darkness. She saw, as he crossed 
 the threshold, that something unusual had 
 happened. There was an indescribable ex- 
 pression of noble decision and of deep sorrow 
 on his face. 
 
 Without a word, but with great tender- 
 ness, Ooliana placed his food upon the table, 
 and set a chair before it. For a minute Paul 
 sat silently gazing across the room to the 
 empty icon shrine. The glor}- of his vision 
 was gone, but the conviction it had wrought 
 remained. 
 
 " Mother ! " he said, standing up and f\\cing 
 her ; " mother, I have cast in my lot with 
 you. I am a Stundist." 
 
 " Praise God ! " she cried. 
 
 "Ay," he said, "they sang 'Praise God!' 
 and I never heard a sound so solemn in my 
 life. It was as if I heard the angels sing- 
 ing it in heaven with their harps." 
 
 " They were singing it, my son," said
 
 TESTING THE FUTURE. 53 
 
 Ooliana. *' Our Lord says, ' There is joy in 
 the presence of the angels of God over one 
 sinner that repenteth.' You fill my heart 
 with joy, Paul." 
 
 " Mother," he resumed, after a short 
 pause, " I was full of a peace and gladness 
 passing all understanding, till I saw Halj^a " 
 
 " You must give her up," interrupted 
 Ooliana gently. *' It will be the hardest trial 
 of all; but if the Lord requires it " 
 
 " All that I am and have are His," cried 
 Paul. " I will hold nothing back. But she 
 has given up me ; she has forsaken me. She 
 will marry Panass." 
 
 A crowd of contending emotions took pos- 
 session of Ooliana : profound joy over her 
 son's conversion ; vivid sympathy with his grief 
 at losing Halya ; relief at the fact that she 
 could never be Paul's wife, and yet an ardent 
 desire that her son's love — so faithful and 
 tender — should be satisfied. She stood gazing 
 at him, with all the unfathomable love and 
 devotion of a mother shining in her clear, 
 dark eyes. At last she broke the throb- 
 bing silence, with a supreme effort at self- 
 abnegation.
 
 64 THE HIGHWAY OF SOEBOW. 
 
 " She is in God's liaiids," she said. " I will 
 pray day and night for her that she may be 
 brought out of darkness into light. I will pray 
 that you may have your heart's desire. Has 
 not our Lord said, * Whatsoever ye shall 
 ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive ' ? 
 You and I will pray for Halya's conversion, 
 Paul."' 
 
 " ^Mother," he said, " bring me the Bible, 
 and let me open it at a venture. It may 
 be that God will show us what is His will 
 concerning this " 
 
 Ooliana fetched her Bible, bought several 
 years ago, and so faithfully and constantly 
 read that it looked as if it miirht have been 
 in her possession all her life. She laid it 
 solemnly on the table before Paul, in the light 
 of the lamp, and both of them, with shaded 
 eyes, uttered a mental prayer. Ooliana, with 
 irrepressible eagerness, looked over Paul's shoul- 
 der, as he opened the closed Bible and laid 
 his finger on a verse. She saw at a glance 
 what it was. 
 
 " And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave 
 thee, or to return from following after thee : 
 for whither thou goest, I will go ; and
 
 y 
 
 TESTING THE FUTURE. 55 
 
 where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people 
 shall be mv people, and thy God, my God." 
 
 Ooliana laid her hands upon her son's 
 bowed head. God had given them a message, 
 a token of His will, and she must submit to 
 it — nay, she must embrace it. The lingering, 
 insidious jealousy must be rooted out of 
 her heart, and Halya must lodge there, as 
 Paul did. 
 
 After a moment or two Paul looked up 
 to her with shining eyes. 
 
 " What does it mean, mother ? " he whis- 
 pered. 
 
 " Halya will go with thee whithersoever 
 thou goest," she answered. " Where thou lodg- 
 est, she wall lodge: thy people shall be her 
 people, and thy God her God. The message 
 is plain, my son." 
 
 "Let us pray together," she said, after a 
 short pause of silent gladness. She was often 
 called upon to pray at the prayer-meetings ; 
 and now, with her son kneeling beside her, 
 she poured forth a rhapsody of supplication 
 and thanksgiving. 
 
 Ooliana could not sleep that night. She 
 knew that Paul had taken his first step on
 
 56 THE mail WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 a path in wliich persecution miglit drive him 
 to exile or death. So far, there had been 
 no serious persecution in Knishi, and the 
 3'oung heres}^ liad been treated with con- 
 tempt and ridicule onl3^ Father VasiH was 
 rather above the average of vilhige priests — 
 an ignorant, superstitious man, generally 
 good-tempered towards his parishioners ; but 
 he was very avaricious, and made liard bar- 
 irains for his fees. He had occasional! v refused 
 to visit the dying, until the family consented to 
 pay double dues. He and his wife had been 
 very friendly with Ooliana ; and although she 
 could no longer conscientiously pay for the 
 lilessing of her fields and cattle and stores, 
 or give the Easter offerings, she still made 
 them handsome presents of all her produce. 
 The friendly intercourse was over for ever, 
 but, without doubt, they would send for 
 Ooliana if there was any sickness in their 
 household. 
 
 As yet the Stundists in Knishi were 
 not a tenth of the population. But Ooliana, 
 even more than Loukyan, was an ardent pro- 
 selytiser. She longed to make every one of 
 her neighbours, with whom she had such
 
 TESTING THE FUTURE. 67 
 
 intimate relations, partakers with her of the 
 great blessings of the Grospel she had re- 
 ceived. She never lost an opportunity of 
 telling the simple story of the New Testa- 
 ment, especially when the hearts of her hearers 
 were softened by sickness or sorrow. Stundism 
 was silently, but rapidly, spreading its roots 
 in Knishi ; and many a peasant, both of 
 men and women, who went punctiliously to 
 church, came secretly for instruction in the 
 new faith. 
 
 But Ooliana knew well how bitterly the 
 storm of persecution was beating upon the 
 brethren elsewhere. Across all the blessedness 
 and glory of Paul's conversion fell the dark 
 shadow of terrible da3's to come. She could 
 not wish that he had not joined the ranks 
 of the spiritual crusaders, who were waging 
 war against the deadly superstitions of the 
 Orthodox Church. Nay ! she prayed that he 
 misrht be a leader and hero in the strife. If he 
 lived, he would live unto the Lord ; if he died 
 he would die unto the Lord ; living or dying, 
 he would be the Lord's. She saw the crown 
 of martyrdom hanging over his head, and her 
 spirit exulted; but her mother's-heart quailed
 
 58 THE HianWAY OF SOEEOW. 
 
 with anguish. " If it be possible," she cried, 
 " let this cu]) pass from me ; nevertheless, not 
 my will, but Thine be done." 
 
 Paul had spread a rug on the turf seat 
 outside the door, and lay down upon it in 
 the cool and scented night air. Far off, he 
 could still hear the trill of the nightingale 
 that had sung to him in Yarina's garden. 
 Low sounds from the sheds around him fell 
 softly on his ear ; above him the moon hung in 
 the dark-blue vault ; and far awa}' the clear, 
 distinct horizon showed where the earth and sky 
 met. This was his birthplace, his home, his 
 beloved country. It seemed as if all about him 
 was tenfold dearer than it had been in the 
 morning of that day. He could die for his 
 country : how much more, then, could he die 
 for his Lord ? His whole soul seemed melted 
 in a close communion with God, who filled 
 the earth, and air, and sky, and in whom 
 he lived, and moved, and had his being.
 
 59 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 PANASS. 
 
 After quitting Paul in such an angry mood, 
 Halya ran till she was breathless, spurred by a 
 sense of having lowered herself by speaking 
 to him. She, the richest heiress in the whole 
 neighbourhood, her father's only child, had 
 run after a lover who cared little for her, 
 and she had all but besought him to marry 
 her. Her pulses beat and her cheeks burned 
 at the remembrance. She would go back 
 to Yarina's, rejoin the evening guests, and 
 forget her mortification and disappointment. 
 The adulation she was sure to receive there 
 would heal her wounded self-love. 
 
 " Fool, fool that I was ! " she thought, 
 boiling with indignation. " He had only to 
 sing a song, and I was ready to follow him to 
 the world's end. He does not love me ! — no, he 
 does not love me ! " she rej)eated, half aloud, 
 while hot tears rolled down her cheeks.
 
 60 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 She had reached a well, aud, leaning against 
 its wooden frame-work, she gave way to a 
 passion of weeping. Suddenly a sound startled 
 her, and she lifted up her head to listen, like 
 a frightened bird. It was nothing save the 
 creaking of the crane above her head, but it 
 aroused her. In a minute or two, afraid of 
 people passing and seeing her in the bright 
 moonlight, she let down the bucket into the 
 well, and drew it up sparkling and dripping 
 with water. She batlied her eyes, and eagerly 
 quenched the burning thirst she felt in her 
 parched throat. Then, with slower steps, paus- 
 ing now and then as if in some doubt, she 
 went on to Yarina's. 
 
 A dance was in full swing again, and Halya 
 went on to the grass plot where it was going 
 on, with little expression of trouble on her 
 pretty face. Paul should know she was not 
 inconsolable because he preferred his stupid old 
 Stundists to herself. She was afraid her 
 absence might have been noticed, and she 
 tried to mingle with the crowd of guests as 
 if she had never left it. But all at once, a 
 voice which made her shudder spoke close in 
 her ear.
 
 PANASS. 61 
 
 " Ha ! lia ! " said Panass, with a false-sound- 
 ing' laugh, " Paul the apostle did not come 
 here for nothing." 
 
 He had noticed her absence, then ! No 
 doubt he had watched her creep across the 
 fold-yard and follow Paul's steps. And he 
 had been watching for her return. Halja 
 was half-frightened, and wholly provoked and 
 miserable, but she dared not show her trouble. 
 She shrugged her shoulders with a little laugh 
 of scorn. 
 
 " You know best whether he came for 
 nothing," she said. " He sang us such a song 
 as you could never sing, nor anybody else, in 
 all Knishi.'' 
 
 The words hit him hard, and he looked so 
 vexed that she laughed. 
 
 " You don't like that," she added. 
 
 *'You ran after him!" cried Panass. "I 
 know it. I saw you flying like a bird after 
 her mate." 
 
 " Perhaps I did ! Perhaps I ran to the 
 well to drink some water! What is that 
 to you?" she asked, with a glance of con- 
 tempt that provoked him. 
 
 All the other girls in the village were doing
 
 62 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 their utmost to win him, but Halya was always 
 lauii'liiuij at him. It was this which attracted 
 him to lior as much as her beautv. There 
 were other pretty girls in Ivnishi, but they 
 were all at his beck. His voice changed to a 
 softer ke}', and when he spoke again it seemed 
 as if lie was continuing some conversation 
 which had been interrupted. 
 
 " But you have not answered me about 
 the matchmakers," he said. " May I send 
 them to 3'our father ? " 
 
 His voice was thin and piping, strangely 
 at variance with his str.ong frame, and the 
 harsh expression of his swarthy face. 
 
 '"You can send them," she said petulantly; 
 " the door is open to anybody. Father has 
 plenty of pumpkins in his garden ; and I will 
 roast two of them in good time ; one for you, 
 and one for Paul. You shall carry Paul's 
 to him yourself." 
 
 Panass laughed with hearty good-humour. 
 A roasted pumpkin offered by a girl to the 
 matchmakers, who came with a proposal 
 of marriage, meant absolute refusal. Of 
 course, Halya was making fun of him ; 
 and her cou])ling Paul's name with his, as a
 
 PANASS. 63 
 
 candidate for a roasted pumpkin, was very 
 
 encourao'ing-. 
 
 " But Paul cannot play the bandoura as 
 I can," be said good-temperedly ; " sball I 
 sing a new song 1 learned from tbe bisbop's 
 best singer? He taugbt it to me when I 
 treated bim in a public-bouse." 
 
 " Yes," sbe answered, in an indifferent tone. 
 
 Pan ass sang a parody of sucb a ballad as 
 Paul bad sung, in a bigb-pitcbed falsetto 
 voice, accompanying it witb a really clever 
 performance on tbe bandoura. Sbe felt as if 
 be, and bis voice, and bandoura were all alike 
 bateful to ber. But sbe would encourasre bim, 
 partly to vex Paul, and partly to boodwink 
 ber companions. Instead of jeering as usual 
 at bis song, sbe begged bim to sing anotber. 
 Sbe consented afterwards to dance witb bim, 
 and wben it was over, strolled away witb bim 
 into a tbicket of wild roses. Suddenly Panass 
 bent bis dark face to bers and kissed ber lips. 
 Halya, in a frenzy of disgust and anger, 
 gave bim a slap in tbe face wbicli almost 
 made bim stasrsfer. 
 
 " Grood Lord ! " he cried, after a short pause, 
 striving to speak playfully, though tears of
 
 64 THE niCmVAY OF SOB ROW. 
 
 pain filled bis ej-es, " if you have such a heavy 
 haiul after we are married, you will be the 
 worse for it. How could this little hand deal 
 such a stroke ? " 
 
 Halya was vexed beyond the power of 
 speech. Vexed with herself for being there; 
 vexed with Paul, who had forsaken her ; vexed 
 above all with Panass for the offensive liberty 
 he had taken. Oh ! if she had only gone in 
 home, when she left Paul. But Panass could 
 not boast of the kiss he had taken. Silently 
 they went back to the guests, who were still 
 amusiniT themselves in the moonliLrht. 
 
 Panass bade Yarina good-night in a sulky 
 manner, and took himself away. Halya was 
 only too glad to stay behind, and left almost 
 the last. Yarina kissed her at parting, and 
 said with a smile — 
 
 "Don't be too scornful with Panass. Your 
 father will never let you marry a Stundist ; 
 and Panass is the next most desirable match. 
 He has four yoke of oxen, many sheep and 
 mares, and a large house; and his fatiier will 
 leave him a lot of money. And besides, he 
 is a handsome man to look at. I'm rierht : 
 isn't it so?" she added, s})eaking to some
 
 PANASS. 65 
 
 girls who were standing round them. The 
 girls tittered ; some of them with envy of 
 Halya's chance. 
 
 " Well, then ! take him," she said, laughing, 
 " you take him, Yarina, if you like him so 
 much." 
 
 " Take care," answered Yarina, " I am not 
 too old. But don't be angry afterwards." 
 
 " Oh, no ! dearest," cried Halya, " I can 
 afford to lose him, if I did not lose you as 
 my friend." 
 
 She went home sad and downhearted. Paul 
 had forsaken her ; and she knew too well her 
 father would never let her refuse Panass, with 
 his oxen and herds, and his expectations from 
 his father. 
 
 " Oh ! if Yarina could really help me ! " 
 she thought, ' " if I could only vex Panass 
 into seeking her for his wife ! " 
 
 Like Ooliana and Paul, she lay awake a 
 great part of the night ; but at last sleep 
 overpowered her, and when the dawn came, 
 it shone upon her pretty girlish face, sleeping 
 with a smile upon it.
 
 66 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 LOUKYAN AT THE FAIR. 
 
 " Paul," said Ooliana, the next morning, after 
 their brief praj-ers were ended, and they rose 
 from their knees, " I forgot to tell you yes- 
 terday that Valerian Petrovitch came home a 
 day or two ago. He is going to stay for a 
 time at the old Manor House with his father. 
 He just looked in for a minute yesterday; 
 just the same kind-hearted, free-spoken, friendly 
 man he always was. They say he is very 
 strange. He never goes to church ; and when 
 he enters the poorest huts, he takes oft' his 
 hat, and salutes every one, even the children. 
 Jiut he does not bow to the icons, or make 
 the sign of the cross. Is it possible he is one 
 of US r 
 
 Paul was fond of books, and did not con- 
 fine his reading, as Ooliana did, to religious 
 works. He knew these signs, among the 
 upl)er classes, did not at all iniply that they 
 had embraced the humble sect of Stundism.
 
 LOUKYAN AT TEE FAIE. 67 
 
 "No, mother," lie answered, "I'm afraid 
 it means that he has joined himself to the 
 men who are opposing the Tzar; and we are 
 warned against having anything to do with 
 them. We are within our rights in joining 
 the Mir, and helping to manage our own village 
 affairs. But you know the Stuudists are bound 
 to shun all men who rebel against the powers 
 that be." 
 
 "It is a pity," said Ooliana, " Valerian 
 visits the sick, and will not take any pay. 
 He called about little Ivan, who is ill with 
 fever, and told me what more to do for the 
 child. He is very clever and learned ; and he 
 promises me he will teach me all he knows 
 about illness before he goes away. Do you 
 think a man who loves his neia'hbour as 
 Valerian does, is not sure to love Grod 
 also ? " 
 
 " It seems as if that must be so," said 
 Paul musingly. 
 
 " If you would only talk with him ! " sug- 
 gested Ooliana, with the sanguine hope of a 
 true proselytiser. 
 
 "Me! mother," he said, "me! Why! he 
 is a very learned man ; and I know almost 
 p2
 
 68 TUE HIGHWAY OF SOIiEOW. 
 
 nothing. He has been travelling all over the 
 world the last three years; and I have never 
 been farther than Kovylsk. I could not 
 artjiic with him." 
 
 " Ah ! Paul," she answered, " but our 
 wisdom is not of this world; it is the hidden 
 wisdom of God, which none of the princes of 
 this world knew, or they would not have 
 slain the Lord of Glory. But I have known 
 Valerian from his birth; and I will speak 
 to him m3'self." 
 
 Soon afterwards, when their breakfast 
 was eaten, Paul started off to see Loukyan, 
 to whom he was eager to impart the events 
 of the night before, especially the oracular 
 message from the Bible, which seemed to 
 assure him that Halya would certainly become 
 his wife. But when he reached Loukyan's 
 dwellin<r he found the old man had started 
 for Kovylsk before daybreak. 
 
 Louk3^an started on his journey in the 
 exquisite coolness of a summer's night, half 
 an hour before the dawn. It was between 
 twenty and thirty versts to Kovylsk, and his 
 old mare, as dear to hini as a friend, could 
 not be made to go more quickly than a slow
 
 LOUKYAN AT THE FAIR. 69 
 
 jog-trot. Loukyii,n's soul was full of exceed- 
 ing peace ; and the stillness and silence of 
 the sleeping land responded to it. He drove 
 slowly along the rough roads, singing hymns, 
 from time to time, as if he must give outer 
 expression of his inner gladness. A fair was 
 being held at Ivovylsk, and this circumstance, 
 and a few jars of honey stowed at the back 
 of his rude cart, were a splendid pretext for 
 a visit to the brethren there. It was far too 
 hot to carry wax, and the honey was scarcely 
 at its best ; but then no one would suspect 
 that he was going on any other errand than 
 to sell it. It was an innocent subterfuge, 
 which did not in the least disturb his simple 
 conscience. 
 
 Kovylsk was the governmental town. Here 
 was the Governor's residence. Here also were 
 the courts of law, the police offices, the prison 
 — all the panoply of rule and justice. Lou- 
 kyan nodded, with a smile on his face, to the 
 grim jail, where he had spent six not un- 
 happy months. The streets were familiar to 
 him ; but, as is usual with people coming from 
 the country, the constant j^assing to and fro of 
 pedestrians, and the number of conveyances
 
 70 THE HIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 through which he had to guide his old mare, 
 made liim n'lad wheu he reached his inn. 
 
 They knew him well, as he was in the 
 habit of putting up there two or three times 
 a 3-ear. In fact, Mitrevna, the innkeeper's wife, 
 was a woman from Knishi, and always had 
 a long gossip with Loukyan. It was already 
 late; and he went to bed, without attempting 
 to see any of the brethren. 
 
 There were more Stundists than the 
 authorities dreamed of in Kovylsk. They 
 had not ventured, under the immediate shadow 
 of the Governor, to have any stated meeting- 
 place. But about two versts from the town, 
 the reeds and sedges by the riverside afforded 
 them many a safe spot for worship during 
 fine weather. In the winter they met indoors, 
 in small detached parties, which were too in- 
 significant to attract attention. They were 
 learning to be as wise as serpents ; whilst 
 their tenet of non-resistance made them as 
 harmless as doves. 
 
 Louk3'an was a great favourite among the 
 Stundists of Kovylsk. Pie possessed an ex- 
 traordinary gift for expounding the Scripture, 
 with a spiritual insight which enabled him
 
 LOUKYAN AT THE FAIR. 71 
 
 boldly to strip off the outer husk of some 
 knotty question and elicit the inner truth. 
 He set himself strongly against any disputa- 
 tion on controversial questions, often quoting 
 Paul the Apostle's advice to Timothy : " Neither 
 give heed to fables, and endless genealogies, 
 which minister questions, rather than godly 
 edifving which is in faith." Or asrain : "0 
 Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy 
 trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings and 
 oppositions of science, falsely so called : which 
 some professing have erred from the faith." 
 There was great loss of time, he urged, in dis- 
 cussing doubtful points. It was as if soldiers, 
 in the storm and stress of battle, began to 
 wrangle about their colours. They were on 
 the battlefield, fighting against sin, the world, 
 and the devil. When they had won the victory 
 they would settle these minor matters. 
 
 To Loukyan's great sorrow and dismay, a 
 day or two after his arrival, his old mare was 
 stolen from the inn stable. He loved it with 
 a real and deep affection, and feared that it 
 must have fallen into bad hands. But it was 
 the sin which troubled Loukyan most. Theft 
 is not a common crime in a small country
 
 72 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 village, where everybody knows his neighbour's 
 jDroperty almost as well as his own ; and this 
 was the first time that the sin of stealing had 
 been brought closely home to him. He 
 mourned over the thief, and prayed for him as 
 if he was a brother. 
 
 But he could not return to Knishi and 
 take his cart with him on foot. There was 
 nothing for it but to write to his nephew, 
 Demyan, and bid him borrow a horse from 
 Paul, and come over to fetch him. 
 
 Loukyan carried his jars of honey to the 
 fair, and soon sold them at a good price, for 
 several of the tradespeople, not themselves 
 Stundists, had sympathised strongly with him 
 in his imprisonment some time before. There 
 was something so genial, so straightforward, 
 and so wise about the old man, peasant though 
 he was, which attracted the trust and affection 
 of all who came into contact with him. 
 
 All the honey disposed of, Loukyan strolled 
 about the streets, with nothing to do but to 
 dwell on the sinfulness of sin, as exemplifiod 
 in the case of the thief who had stolen his 
 old mare. On every hand he saw stores upon 
 stores of goods ; wares brought to the fair
 
 LOUKYAN AT THE FAIR. 73 
 
 for sale ; anytliing that could feed the vanity 
 of the buyer and bring a profit to the seller. 
 There was not a want of the body that did 
 not on these stalls, and in these shops, meet 
 with a supply. " But what about the im- 
 mortal soul ? " said Loukyan to himself ; " is 
 it possible that all these crowds of men like 
 myself are mere animals, caring for nothing 
 but meat and drink and clothing ? Do they 
 never feel there is something more ? " 
 
 Just then, in a corner of a square in front 
 of one of the churches, he caught sight of a 
 little stall, covered and roofed in like a tent. 
 All across the front, hanging on an iron rod, 
 were a number of small and cheap icons ; whilst 
 inside were a few larger and handsomer ones, 
 worth three or four roubles apiece. 
 
 " That is to satisfy the immortal soul ! " 
 thought Loukyan, drawing slowly nearer and 
 pausing before the entrance. The wooden 
 panels, on which the sacred images were painted, 
 were easily set in motion, and swung to and 
 fro as he touched one of them gently. There 
 were, as usual, the conventional faces of the 
 Saviour, the Virgin, Grod the Father, and a 
 few of the principal saints. A young man
 
 74 THE HIGHWAY OF SOEBOW. 
 
 was sitting inside tlie tent — a fair-liaired, 
 dream3'-e3''ed man, who noticed at once that 
 Louk^an did not cross himself or salute the 
 icons. 
 
 " You sell icons ? " said Loukyan, after 
 the ordinary greeting had passed between them. 
 He used the word " sell " purposely, because 
 it is considered irreverent to seil icons ; they 
 are always exchanged for the price demanded. 
 The young man flushed angrily. 
 
 " We don't sell the sacred images," he 
 replied. " An old man like you ought to know 
 that is not the way to speak about them. I 
 can barter with you." 
 
 " Excuse me," said Louk3'an mildl}'- ; " but 
 what do you barter them for ? " 
 
 " For kopecks and roubles," he answered. 
 
 " Then what is the dilforence ? " asked 
 Loukyan. " You don't deceive me. Do you 
 think you deceive God ? " 
 
 " Why do you play the fool ? " he replied ; 
 "if you wish to barter, look round my stall, 
 and choose what you like. If you have no wares 
 to exchange, begone, for I have no time to lose." 
 
 Louk^'an looked for a moment at him with 
 his gentle yet penetrating gaze ; and the
 
 LOUKYAX AT THE FAIR. 75 
 
 young man's eyes fell before him. He had 
 been rude, and he confessed it, though no 
 word was spoken. Loukyan laid all the money 
 he had about him on the counter — notes, 
 roubles, and kopecks. " There is all the money 
 I have," he said, " and if you have need of it, 
 my brother, take as much as you want. But 
 as for your icons, I would not have them 
 even if you gave them away for nothing. 
 Grod is not like that. ' No man hath seen 
 God at any time ; nor can see Him.' The 
 icons are false, and teach falsehoods." 
 
 " Are you in ^^our right mind ? " ex- 
 claimed the icon-seller. 
 
 " I certainly am ; there is no doubt of 
 that," answered Loukyan. "Do I look crazy? " 
 
 " But why then do you offer me all this 
 money?" he asked — "a heap of it; and you 
 will take nothing for it. Suppose I take jou 
 at your word ? " 
 
 " I shall be content," rej^lied Loukyan. 
 " I suppose you sell icons to get your living. 
 Give up selling them, and live on this money 
 till you have found something else to do. 
 God gave it to me, and He can give me as 
 much more as I want."
 
 76 THE BIGEJVAY OF SORROW. 
 
 The young man pickeJ up the money, 
 weighed it in his hand awhile and then, with 
 a smile, put it back into Loukyan's purse, and 
 returned it to him. 
 
 " I don't want another man's property," he 
 said, " yet I see I am welcome to it. What 
 kind of a man are you ? and where do you 
 come from. I have hved in Moscow, and 
 seen thousands of people ; but never one like 
 you. Come and sit down beside me, if you 
 can spare the time, and tell me why 3^ou call 
 the icons of the holy saints false ? My name 
 is Stepan ; and I come, as I said, from 
 Moscow." 
 
 For two or three hours Loukyan explained 
 to him the doctrines of the Stundists as to 
 icons, and the priesthood, and the Church. 
 Stepan listened with eager and intelligent at- 
 tention. 
 
 " This cannot be settled all at once," he 
 said, "it is too great a thing. Lend me your 
 Testament, and I will examine into it thor- 
 oughly. To-morrow come here, or rather 
 come to the inn where I put up."
 
 77 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 
 
 Early the next morning Loukyan set off to 
 find Stepan. It was not far to liis inn, and 
 Loukyan, seeing a group of people gaping and 
 staring at something which was going on in 
 the inn-3'ard, turned to join them. It was a 
 strange scene. 
 
 Stepan was standing in the midst, with an 
 axe in his hand, striking with great strength 
 and fury on an icon with a silvered frame. 
 Splinters of coloured and gilded wood, on which 
 the sacred pictures had been painted, lay all 
 around him in a glittering pile. He was not 
 heeding any of the spectators ; but, with the con- 
 centrated scorn of a true iconoclast on his face, 
 he was shivering the icons to fragments, and 
 uttering words of contempt against himself. 
 
 " Fool that I was ! a fool and blind ! " he 
 ejaculated, in short interrupted cries, " to live 
 by idols ! To make them and sell them ! 
 To call them gods, and bow down to them 1 "
 
 78 THE HIGHWAY OF SOriEOW. 
 
 Louk3-iin stood transfixed in silent astonish- 
 ment and admiration at the man's courafje. 
 True the b\'standers, who had just turned out 
 of the inn, were not devout members of tlie 
 Orthodox Church. The hindlord, Isaacke the 
 Jew, was looking on with secret sympathy, 
 but in abject terror lest the police should hear 
 the noise, and make him responsible for the 
 sacrilege. There were severe penal laws deal- 
 ing witlj crimes against icons. Only to speak 
 disrespectfully against them was punishable 
 with from eight montlis to three years' im- 
 prisonment; and wilfully to destroy one was 
 visited by exile to Siberia for life. 
 
 " Oh ! the poor man is mad, stark mad ! " 
 cried Isaacke, from time to time ; " see 1 
 the beautiful, holy icons ! Worth a pile of 
 roubles ! Only a raving madman could act 
 like this ! " 
 
 Stepan had been breaking up the last icon 
 when Loukyan entered the yard ; and now he 
 drew himself up to his full height, facing the 
 circle with a gaze full of resolute courage, 
 mingled with compassion. He lifted up his 
 face, and stretched out bis arms towards the 
 blue sl'y above him. " Great Ood in heaven!"
 
 AN ICONOCLAST., 79 
 
 lie cried, " forgive me ; I was ignorant as a 
 beast before thee ! Forgive them ! for they 
 know no better than I did ! " 
 
 Loukj^an stepped forward, and laid his hand 
 on Stepan's shoulder, gazing into his face with 
 tears in his eyes. 
 
 "Brother!" he said, "come away with me, 
 and let us have a quiet talk together. 
 Landlord, have you a room where we can be 
 alone? " 
 
 "Yes, yes," Isaacke answered eagerly, 
 "Oh! he's mad, you know," he added to the 
 bystanders, " and this good man is his brother. 
 He will take care of him. Come in, all of 
 you, and have a glass or two of vodka ; my 
 best ! And let us wink at this. My house 
 is respectable ; we never have a row with the 
 police. Come in ! come in ! " 
 
 He shut Loukyan and Stepan up in a private 
 room of his own, and served out his best 
 vodka with many a heart-pang ; but then 
 what would it cost him if the police found 
 out that holy icons had been destroyed in 
 his yard ? He had every trace of the 
 catastrophe removed ; no splinter an inch in 
 size was left to betray it ; and as soon as
 
 80 TEE EIGEWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 possible he must get Loukyan and Stepan off 
 his premises. 
 
 They were deep in conversation upon the 
 tenets of the Stundists, when Isaacke inter- 
 rupted it with an agonised appeal to them that 
 they would relieve him from their dangerous 
 presence. He was in a terrible quandary, not 
 knowing whether it was the better plan to 
 trust to his guests to forget the occurrence, or 
 to report it himself to the police, which must 
 involve him in great trouble and expense. If 
 Loukyan would take Stepan away, he would 
 do nothing, and take the chance of nothing 
 coming of it. 
 
 Stepan had made a sacrifice of all his 
 M'orldl}'- goods ; and he had not more money 
 than would last him for a few months, until 
 he could fit himself to earn his living in some 
 other way. Loukyan took him to one of the 
 leading Stundists, a corn-dealer ; and left him 
 there to return home to Knishi, with Derayan, 
 who had arrived with Paul's horse late the 
 night before. 
 
 They reached home early in the morning; 
 and as it was already daylight, and soon the 
 whole world would be astir, especially Ivan,
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 81 
 
 Demyan's little son three years of age, there 
 was not much chance of sleep. They lay 
 down to rest awhile on the wooden bench, 
 which ran around the sides of the larger of 
 the two rooms which formed the whole of 
 their dwelling. They could hear the breathing 
 of Ivan and his mother, as they lay sleeping 
 in the inner room. 
 
 " Demyan ! " said Loukyan, " Stepan's 
 another man who would die, or go into exile 
 for the Lord's sake." 
 
 " Ay ! there are a few of us," he answered, 
 somewhat sleepily. 
 
 " A godly seed ! " said Loukyan, " and it will 
 be scattered here and there, and fall upon good 
 ground, and bring forth some fiftyfold, and 
 some a hundredfold. Stepan will bring a 
 good harvest to his Lord." 
 
 Demyan did not reply. He was ready 
 to die for Christ; but he was not a man 
 of ready tongue, and he had no learning. 
 It had been with difficulty that he had 
 learned to read ; a duty earnestly impressed 
 on every Stundist, that they may ibr them- 
 selves search the Scriptures. Tliere were 
 moments when Demyan was sorely tempted 
 
 6
 
 82 THE HIGHWAY OF SOEBOW. 
 
 to envy tlie richer gifts of men like Loukyan, 
 Paul, and Stepan. But lie was a simple 
 soul, and he contented himself with saying 
 in a whisper, " Lord, Thou knowest all things. 
 Thou knowest that I love Thee." These 
 words were the anchor of his soul. 
 
 After a short rest the men roused them- 
 selves, and Deniyan went off to his work 
 with the village blacksmith, whilst Loukj-an 
 visited his numerous bee-hives, which stood 
 in a regular row along the top of his large 
 garden. The open steppe lay be^-ond, thickly 
 covered with flowers of all kinds ; and the 
 laborious bees were killing themselves, like 
 city men of business, in a headlong, unin- 
 termitting chase after the wealth that lay 
 close at hand. Loukyan was obliged to take 
 away the fresh honey every few days. He 
 had now been away several days, and there 
 was an accumulation of spoil. The bees 
 hummed and buzzed about him, and settled 
 in dozens upon his hands, which were 
 uncovered, though he had protected his head 
 and face with a gauze veil ; but not one 
 stung him. 
 
 Presently Paul opened the wicket-gate,
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 83 
 
 and entered the garden, standing at a safe 
 distance from the hustling, hissing swarm 
 that from time to time almost hid Loukyan 
 from sight. Loukyan had slightly smoked 
 them with a bit of burning hemp ; and 
 they were whirling giddily about in the 
 air, and humming dismall}^ as if com- 
 plaining of being disturbed and robbed of the 
 wealth they had so greedily gathered. Louk- 
 yan spoke to them now and then, as if they 
 could understand him. 
 
 " What do 3^0 u make such a trouble 
 about ? " he asked ; " your hives are too full 
 already. You are like the rich man who was 
 going to pull down his barns, and build 
 greater. I am doing you a service, if you 
 only knew it. One hive can only hold as 
 much as it can ; the rest is lost." 
 
 He turned to watch a dense swarm that 
 had fled off to a wild cherry tree ; and then 
 he perceived Paul. His withered face lit up 
 with a smile of love and welcome. 
 
 " Grood morning ! " he said ; " I'm glad to 
 see you so soon. There is so much to tell 
 you. That is why I asked Demy an to send 
 you word we were back again." 
 G 2
 
 i^ THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " Aud I was glad to come on my own 
 account," replied Paul; "I have wanted you 
 so much." 
 
 "What is the matter? Has anything 
 happened to your mother ? " asked Loukyan 
 in alarm. 
 
 "No, no! Onl}'- myself," he answered. 
 " I want your advice." 
 
 ** By-and-bye," said Loukyan ; '' only 
 let me take the honeycomb out of this last 
 ive. 
 
 He opened the hive, and with a skilful 
 hand broke off as much comb as was desir- 
 able. He placed it with the rest, which 
 he had collected in a large jar ; and then 
 directed his steps towards the house. A 
 few bees followed them all the way, protest- 
 ing angrily. 
 
 " Go away, you foolish beasts," said Louk- 
 3'an, laughing; "go and heap up riches, and 
 others shall gather them." 
 
 The cottage was both smaller and much 
 poorer than Paul's homestead ; and the cattle- 
 sheds were fewer. The furniture was of 
 plain deal, and worth little ; and there 
 were no pictures on the walls. The cooking
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 85 
 
 utensils consisted of a few earthen pots, one 
 or two of which were cracked, and rudely 
 mended with strips of canvas, as if there was 
 not a kopeck to spare for buying new. There 
 was no doubt Loukyan was quite a poor 
 man ; and perhaps rather improvident, for 
 had he not offered Stepan every kopeck he 
 possessed ? But the floor was well swept, 
 and the table dusted, and all the furniture 
 clean. And in the chief place, where the 
 icons formerl}^ filled the place of honour, 
 there was a shelf filled with books — more 
 even than those possessed by Father Vasili. 
 Demyan's wife was sitting by the great 
 Russian stove, rocking a cradle with her 
 foot. She was a young woman, with a 
 round face, a snub nose, and with dense 
 black eye-brows, which met across her nose, 
 and gave her an oddly morose expression. 
 She rose and greeted Paul with great 
 respect. 
 
 " Here is the fresh honey, Paraska," said 
 Loukyan; "put it in a new jar, and bring 
 us a morsel to taste. I will look after 
 the child." 
 
 In low tones, and with great delight,
 
 86 TEE HIGHWAY OF SOBFiOW. 
 
 Loukyan told Paul the story of Stepan and 
 the risks they had both run in Kovj'lsk. But 
 he spoke very cautiously, and when they heard 
 Paraska's step, he stopped abruptly. 
 
 " Not a word to her," he whispered. 
 
 Paraska was devoted to Loukyan with her 
 utmost soul, just as her husband was. But 
 being a woman of common-sense, as she said, 
 she did not alwa3^s approve of what they 
 did. There was no need to give away every- 
 thing, as they Avould do if she did not look 
 after them. And as for running into mis- 
 chief and danger as they did, they ought 
 sometimes to think of her and the baby. 
 Loukyan was a little afraid of her. 
 
 She brought in a piece of hone3'comb 
 on a wooden ])latter, and a cake of new 
 bread, and laid them on the table with the 
 demure expression of a woman who knows 
 how to behave properly when strangers are 
 present. 
 
 " Paraska, it is beautiful honev," said 
 Loukyan in a conciliatory tone; "better than 
 last year." 
 
 " Oh ! the honey is all right," she answered 
 with half-conscious sarcasm. She went to the
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 87 
 
 cradle. The baby slept quietly, with its little 
 arms stretched out, and its soft, toothless 
 mouth open. She threw a cover over it, to 
 protect it from the flies, and went away 
 again. 
 
 " I shall have a good scolding from her," 
 said Loukyan, " about my poor old mare. And 
 it would be worse if she knew about Stepan. 
 He is coming to visit us by-and-bye; and as 
 he is a man of some learning, he will pro- 
 bably be made a deacon. But mj^ successor is 
 already here," he added, gazing affectionately 
 on Paul. 
 
 In low tones as before Paul confided to 
 him all that had passed between Halya and 
 himself, and the curious result of his appeal 
 to the Bible for direction. 
 
 Loukyan listened with profound interest. 
 
 " Do not let your heart be troubled," 
 he said. " She will join us, and you will 
 marry her. This love is a great mystery ; 
 it comes from God, and ought to lead us 
 to Him.'* 
 
 " But the match-makers are going to Karpo 
 this very day ! " cried Paul. 
 
 " From Panass ? "
 
 88 THE HIGnWAY OF SORliOW. 
 
 Paul nodded, too miserable to speak. There 
 was no other rival he dreaded. 
 
 " She will not marry him," said Loukyan, 
 looking at him witii his kind, keen gaze. " If 
 God wills it, man can do nothing. To be 
 sure, no priest would marry you ; but I know 
 a German minister in the government of 
 Kherson, who comes sometimes to Kovylsk, 
 and he would do it for you." 
 
 For a moment Paul looked happy ; but it 
 was only for a moment. 
 
 " Hal^'a would never consent to it," he said. 
 
 " Then it may be there is no way out of 
 your trouble," replied Loukyan after a pause. 
 " This is the crot-s your Lord calls upon you 
 to bear after Him. Bear it bravely. Great 
 troubles lie before us. Eemember what i\\e 
 Apostle says about this very point. * I sup- 
 pose, therefore, that this is good for the 
 present distress, I say that it is good for a 
 man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? 
 seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from 
 a wife ? seek not a wife.' Alas ! the father 
 and the husband will have bitter sorrows in 
 the days at hand." 
 
 But Paul was too young, and he had
 
 AN ICONOCLAST. 89 
 
 loved Halja too long and too mucli to take 
 any comfort from the thought that he might, 
 at some future day, be glad that her lot 
 was not linked with his own. There was a 
 low, distant howl of persecution, as of a 
 wolf ; but the wolf had not come to the door 
 as yet.
 
 90 
 
 CHAPTER VIIT. 
 
 FATHER VASILI. 
 
 The busiest time of the year was come, and 
 eveiy man and woman was toiling incessantl}'- 
 over gathering in the harvest. There was 
 a constant going to and fro, and all the 
 population of Knishi lived out of doors. 
 Scarcely a day passed without Paul seeing 
 Halya ; but she was never alone, and she gave 
 him no opportunity of speaking to her. Very 
 often Panass was at her side, and her trou- 
 bled and downcast face was as much averted 
 from him as from Paul. This was the only 
 consolation Paul had. He could have given 
 up Halya — he had truly the spirit of a 
 martyr, ready to sacrifice all for his religion; 
 but he firmly believed, since his appeal to the 
 Scriptures, that Halya was destined to be his 
 wife. It was not, therefore, necessary to tear 
 her from his heart ; on the contrary, he must 
 adopt every means to win her to himself.
 
 FATHER VASILL 91 
 
 Once lie met her in the little village shop, 
 whither he had gone to buy salt ; but Panass 
 was there also, and walked home with her, 
 and stayed a long time at the gate talk- 
 ing with her, until Paul was well on the way 
 home. 
 
 The next time he saw her he was driving 
 a hay-cart from a meadow he owned near 
 Knishi, and she was at the village well with 
 the other girls, who had brought their cattle 
 to drink from the long wooden trough made 
 of the hollow trunk of an oak. He went 
 at once to water his horses, and to help 
 Halya with the oxen. 
 
 " Good day, Halya ! " he said. 
 
 It was the first time they had spoken to 
 one another since that moonlit evening when 
 she had run after him to beseech him to 
 remain an orthodox Churchman until after 
 they were married. 
 
 " Good-day to you," she answered list- 
 lessly, and scarcely looking at him. She did 
 not seem glad to see him, nor was she offended. 
 She seemed to be in utterly low spirits. 
 
 " Are you still angry with me ? " whis- 
 pered Paul.
 
 92 THE niGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 She did not reply, but lifting up her lars^e 
 grey eyes, dim with tears, she looked at him 
 in a hopeless way, as if to ask, " AVhat good 
 would it do to be angry? Would that mend 
 matters ? " 
 
 This childish, hopeless look on her beloved 
 face quite upset Paul. He must see her 
 again, and soon. He must convince her, as 
 he was convinced himself, that it was God's 
 will she should be his wife. But there was 
 no chance of arrans^ing anything there, at the 
 w^ell. A whole herd of calves rushed to the 
 trough, pushing aw'ay Halya's patient and 
 slow oxen, which were just beginning to drink. 
 It w^as as much as they both could do to 
 protect the cattle, and as soon as they 
 had iinished, Halya drove them homewards, 
 with listless step and drooping head — never 
 even turning her head to give a glance to 
 Paul. 
 
 It had become absolutely necessary to see 
 Halya alone — to tell her all that had passed 
 in his own mind, and the assurance he had 
 received that they were destined for each 
 other. There could be no power in her father 
 and Panass against the will of God. Should
 
 FATHER V AS ILL 93 
 
 he tell lier of Loukyan's plan of their being 
 married by a Grermaa pastor ? It would 
 shock her at first — shock her tremendously. 
 But for himself, the more he thought of it 
 the more feasible the project appeared, if only 
 Halj'a consented to it. 
 
 The stress of harvest at last came to an 
 end, and the community could turn their 
 attention to matters of less moment. Paul, 
 somewhat weary with a long spell of the 
 hardest labour, went to visit his wicker fish- 
 pots, which he had sunk in the river the night 
 before. All at once he saw a band of gfirls 
 coming along the banks from the washing- 
 place ; for the washing had been neglected 
 during the harvest. They all carried a yoke 
 with the dripping linen hung across each end, 
 watering the ground as they marched along. 
 Halya was the last of the little procession, 
 and her load seemed the heaviest. She loitered 
 a little, and let her companions get ahead of 
 her ; but she did not stop altogether or lay 
 down her heavily-laden yoke, as she would 
 have done in olden days. Her face was 
 full of gloom, amounting almost to despair 
 Paul's heart ached for her.
 
 94 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " Come to the water-mill to-night," said 
 Paul hurriecUv. 
 
 liiilya hesitated. 
 
 " What for ? " she asked, almost in- 
 audibly. 
 
 " I have something important to tell you," 
 he said entreatingly. " Do come." 
 
 " Well, I will come," she said, in a reluc- 
 tant tone, and hastening her steps to rejoin 
 her companions. 
 
 Paul went on his way exulting, happier 
 than he had been for weeks. It was nearincr 
 mid-day, and he had still some distance to go 
 u]) the stream ; for his fish-pots were sunk in 
 a quiet spot, removed from the noise of the 
 village, in a long, tranquil reach of the river 
 which the fish loved to frequent. The rustling 
 sedges grew thickly along the margin, and 
 Paul pushed his way through them towards 
 a little hillock which, even in the spring 
 floods, was rarely covered with water. Taking 
 off his boots, he waded cautiously across to 
 his three fish-pots, the rims of which were 
 just visible on the surface. 
 
 It was a good haul. Paul pulled up the 
 fish-pots to dry in the suu till night, and
 
 FATHER VASILL 95 
 
 loaded his creel with the fish, which were all 
 alive ; then, putting' on his boots, he hastened 
 home, drops of Avater rolling in copious streams 
 down his blue linen shirt. 
 
 Ostron could be reached by pursuing the 
 river bank and passing through a wood ; but 
 Paul resolved to return through Knishi, and 
 by a short cut running behind the church. 
 There was a chance of catching a passing 
 glimpse of Halya. 
 
 But Paul had scarcely entered the village 
 when he saw the fat, squat figure of Father 
 Vasili in a dirty cassock and a worn-out felt 
 hat with a broad brim. His first thouo-ht 
 was how to avoid him, for of late Father 
 Vasili had been anything but a pleasant ac- 
 quaintance. He regarded Loukyan and Paul 
 with far less favour or forbearance than the 
 worst drunkard in the parish. But it was 
 too late to escape. 
 
 "What are you trying to run away for?" 
 roared Father Vasili. " Ah ! you have a bad 
 conscience, one sees that with half an eye. 
 But come along here. I have wanted to have 
 a long talk with you all this harvest time." 
 
 It was impossible to avoid the interview,
 
 96 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 aud Paul drew nearer, with one of his most 
 respectful salutations. Father Vasili was an 
 old-fashioned priest ; good-natured on the whole, 
 but coarse and ignorant. He had forgotten 
 lonf^ a2ro the little and useless theolosry he 
 had ever learned, and had devoted himself to 
 the more profitable craft of husbandry. But 
 for his cassock, and his long clerical hair and 
 beard, he would not have been distinguishable 
 from an ordinary peasant. 
 
 " Come ! come ! " he cried, in a thick voice, 
 " what are 3^ou thinking of ? Now, now ! 
 you can't go on playing the rebel. Eh ? " 
 
 Father Vasili paused for a reply, as if he 
 had uttered a most convincing argument. 
 
 "I am not a rebel, father," answered Paul, 
 with a smile. 
 
 *' Not a rebel ! good Lord ! " ejaculated the 
 priest ; " why, why ! you leave off coming to 
 church, 3'ou do not take the sacrament, and 
 you never come to confession. It's the worst 
 sort of rebellion ; rebelling against me, and 
 the Holy Church, and the Tzar himself. You'll 
 get punishment enough here, and in the world 
 to come you'll be thrown into boiling cauldrons, 
 and have to lick red hot frying-pans for ever
 
 FATHER VASILI. 97 
 
 and ever and ever. Think over that, you 
 scoundrel ! " 
 
 " God is very merciful," answered Paul, 
 "and if 3'ou pray for me " 
 
 " Pray for you ! " interrupted Father Yasili 
 scornfully. " Pray for you ! Why on earth 
 should I pray for you when you never pay mf 
 a kopeck for my prayers ? Reprobates as you 
 are I Your priest might starve to death " 
 
 " No, no, father ! " cried Paul, in his turn, 
 who knew of the large gifts his mother con- 
 tinued to send to her old priest. Father Vasili 
 collected himself a little, for he did not wish 
 to lose these welcome presents by mistimed 
 reproaches. 
 
 "Well, well!" he said, "but I have to 
 answer for you. How am I to leave out 3'our 
 name when I send up a list of all who have 
 been to confession to the bishop ? He has 
 noticed your name, Paul. And now you have 
 not been to confession for a whole year." 
 
 " No ; we confess our sins to God Himself, 
 and to Him alone," replied Paul. 
 
 " Oh ! what horrible blasphemy ! " exclaimed 
 the priest, " the great Almighty God, with all 
 the angels and archangels and holy saints 
 
 H
 
 98 THE niGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 around His tlirone. Will he hear a poor 
 ignorant peasant like you ? Confess to God ! " 
 he added with a sneer of mingled contempt 
 and astonishment. 
 
 Paul was silent. He had no wish to enter 
 into any discussion with Father Vasili, for he 
 wanted to get home. 
 
 " Confess yourself frequently to the priest, 
 say the Scriptures," pursued Father Vasili, in 
 a loud, domineering voice, " and bring forth 
 fruits meet for repentance " 
 
 "Fruits ! I'm willing enough, to bring 
 them," said Paul, with a touch of boyish 
 humour. " We have some fine melons in our 
 garden ; as soon as they are ripe, you shall 
 have some." 
 
 " Well, well ! I know you are not close- 
 fisted," answered the priest, unconscious of the 
 slight irony of Paul's speech, " I can't com- 
 plain of any of you Stundists. But I give you 
 warning. You must not set your heart on 
 Halya, Karpo's girl. She must marry a 
 good Christian, and Panass shall be the man. 
 It is all but settled. Tlie match-makers are 
 going there in a day or two, now the harvest 
 is over."
 
 FATHER VASILL 99 
 
 " And what will become of poor Yarina ? " 
 asked Paul. 
 
 The priest started. Yarina — he had for- 
 gotten her. Yarina, who, next to Ooliana, 
 had been his best parishioner ; open-handed, 
 pleasant-spoken, constantly requiring his ser- 
 vices, for which she paid him handsomely, to 
 bless her house and fields. If she cared for 
 Panass, he had been guilty of a terrible 
 blunder in promoting his marriage with 
 Halya, who would be a most reluctant bride, 
 as everybody knew. His perturbation was 
 extreme ; and Paul watched him with 
 mischievous deliirht. 
 
 "What have you in your creel?" inquired 
 Father Vasili, to change the conversation. 
 Paul opened it, and showed the fish still 
 alive. 
 
 " Ah ! delicious ! " said Father Vasili, " and 
 it is just Friday to-day ; and mother is so fond 
 of new-caught fish. You heretics gobble up 
 flesh-meat every day of the week, the devil 
 take you ! You could have done well with- 
 out fish if Grod Almighty had not made 
 any. But what should we do on Fridays 
 without them ? " 
 H 2
 
 100 THE niGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 "1 will carry some up to Matouslika," said 
 Paul, a little sadly. 
 
 " That's riglit," answered tbe priest, " and 
 I'll put your name down this time in the list 
 I send up to the bishop, so he shall not miss 
 it. I don't want any disturbance in my parish, 
 if I only get my dues. The sexton will be 
 calling for the tithes, and it has been a good 
 harvest; if you and 3'our reprobate gang would 
 only send double measure you should be left 
 at peace for me. There is no getting a farthing 
 from you for my ministrations ; so you owe 
 me double dues." 
 
 "I will tell them," said Paul; "but why 
 do you call us such bad names ? ' A gang 
 of reprobates ! ' '* 
 
 " How touchy you are ! " exclaimed Father 
 Vasili, in surprise. " Hard words break no 
 bones. There is no getting on without using 
 strong language." 
 
 They soon reached the forecourt of the 
 priest's dwelling ; and the ]\Iatonshka, in a 
 green dress, a large blue apron, with a beaming 
 smile on her round, flat face, received Paul's 
 offering of live fish witli deliglit, and wanted 
 to bring him a glass of vodka.
 
 FATHER V AS ILL 101 
 
 " No, thank you, Matouslika ! " he answered ; 
 whilst the priest's face assumed an expression 
 of contemptuous pity. 
 
 " Their crazy heads won't stand it, the 
 fools!" he exchiimed involuntarily; and then 
 looking at Paul he added, " well ! well ! I 
 meant no harm." He accompanied Paul back 
 to the gate. 
 
 " Take care you don't go deeper into the 
 mud," he said ; " there's a man who would 
 help me against all of you if I lifted up a 
 little finger." 
 
 He pointed to the house where the starosta 
 Savely lived ; and then with his heavy, shamb- 
 ling gait, moved off to the kitchen, where 
 Matoushka was already busy with the fish.
 
 102 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 STRONGLY TEMPTED. 
 
 Paul was early at his trysting-place at the 
 water-mill, and waited anxiously for Halya. 
 It was again a moonlight night, but the 
 brilliance and warmth of midsummer was gone ; 
 and a touch of cliill, foreboding winter by- 
 and-by, was in the night air. The grain was 
 gone from the fields, where it had been waving 
 in rich abundance a short time ago ; and the 
 rough stubble shone yellow in tlie moonlight. 
 There was a long stretch of river here ; and 
 the water just above tlie mill lay twinkling 
 with moonlit streaks. The whole place seemed 
 asleep ; but at last soft voices broke the still- 
 ness, and two slight, dark figures came across 
 the bare fields behind the mill. Iial3a was 
 not alone ! 
 
 But before she reached the shadow of the 
 wall, which concealed him, her companion 
 went on alone along tlie river bauk. Paul 
 drew Hal^a to him ; and for a moment they
 
 STRONGLY TEMPTED. 103 
 
 stood, face to face, and moutli to mouth, in 
 a more passionate embrace than tliej had ever 
 dreamed of. Halya's round arms, beautiful 
 and strong, strained him to her for an 
 instant ; then fell despairingly to her sides. 
 She wrenched herself away from his grasp, 
 and sat down under the wall in a passion of 
 tears. 
 
 " My darling ! " cried Paul, throwing him- 
 self on the ground beside her. 
 
 " Oh ! you are killing me ! " she sobbed, 
 "you and my father between you. Save me, 
 Paul, save me ! They are going to make me 
 marry Pan ass. It would be kinder to shoot 
 me dead. If you would only kill me with 
 your own hand I would die gladly. But save 
 me from Panass ! " 
 
 Paul was deeply distressed. He hardly 
 knew what to say to the weeping girl, Avhose 
 sobs came thick and fast. At last she grew 
 more calm. 
 
 " Listen ! my Halya," he said ; " my mother 
 shall go to-morrow and make a definite j)ro- 
 posal for you to your father. We are richer 
 than Panass, and can give more dowry. Now 
 my mother knows that God wills you to be
 
 lO-t THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 my wife, and slie is reconciled to it. Yes ; 
 she loves you, my Halya. We have never 
 formally asked for you, and Karpo will be 
 surprised at what we can give. Besides, what 
 God wills must come to pass." 
 
 " How do you know it is God's will ? " 
 inquired Halj^a, in a hushed tone of awe and 
 gladness. 
 
 Then Paul, in many words, with interrup- 
 tions of fond expressions, gave her an account 
 of his appeal to the Bible for some clue to 
 guide him in his perplexity about her and 
 himself. Halva listened with intense interest. 
 
 " But I do not want to be a Stundist ! " 
 she objected, when Paul repeated : ' Thy 
 people shall be my people, and thy God 
 my God ! ' " 
 
 " That must come if it is God's will," 
 answered Paul ; and Halya was silenced. The 
 thread of fatalism, woven into the reliiiious 
 and social belief of every Russian, was 
 strong in her. " What will be, must be," 
 she murmured. 
 
 " But, Paul," she said, " if father says I 
 cannot marry you unless 3'ou are a true 
 Christian, couldn't you, just for a little while,
 
 STRONGLY TEMPTED. 105 
 
 come to diurch. Father Vasili would make 
 it easy for you. If you just stood inside the 
 porch, it would do. And we would hasten on 
 our marriage, and then you could do as you 
 chose, and me too." 
 
 It would have been a terrible temptation 
 but for Paul's conviction that Grod had willed 
 Hal3''a to be his wife, and that He would 
 bring it about in His own way, and at His 
 own time. Halya would be given to him, not 
 to Panass, however things might seem to work 
 against it. He pressed his lips tenderly on 
 her bowed forehead. 
 
 " My dearest," he said, " if you were in 
 a strange country, would you go and bow 
 down before a dreadful idol, and pretend to 
 worship it ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! " she answered, with a shudder. 
 " God would smite me dead ! " 
 
 " He mig-ht not smite me dead if I went 
 to church," continued Paul; "but I should 
 say to Him plainly : ' I know Thy laws and 
 Thy commandments, and I will keep them 
 when it is convenient to me. But I will dis- 
 obey them if I am to lose anything by keeping 
 them.' Would that please God, my Halya ? '*
 
 106 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " Oh, no ! " she replied. 
 
 " And Jesus Christ, my Lord, says to my 
 heart : ' I died for thee ; what wilt thou do 
 for Me ? ' Can I say : ' Lord, I must disobey 
 Thee this once because Halj^a wishes it. We 
 do not think Thou canst make us man and wife 
 without my becoming a hypocrite.' Would 
 that please the Lord who was crucitied for you 
 and me ? " 
 
 " No, no ! " she cried, with tears. 
 
 " You will not marry Panass ! " said Paul. 
 
 " No, my father shall kill me first," she 
 interrupted. 
 
 " I meant you will marry me, not Panass," 
 he continued ; " they may fis^ht against God, 
 i)ut it will be of no use. My mother shall 
 come to-morrow, and talk with your mother, 
 and then we shall see what happens. AVho 
 knows ? We may be married very soon. We 
 will make Father Vasili as good a present as 
 if we were married at church." 
 
 " But where else could we be married ? " 
 asked Halya. 
 
 Paul told her of Loukyan's plan ; but 
 this was not at all to Halya's mind. She 
 liad always thought of the marriage service
 
 STRONGLY TEMPTED. 107 
 
 performed with all due ceremony at the village 
 church, and the marriage feast afterwards in 
 her father's house. It was a depressing idea, 
 this plan of Paul's and Loukyan's. However, 
 the first preliminaries were not agreed to yet ; 
 and, after a while, she bade Paul farewell, and 
 hastened to rejoin her companion, who was 
 motionlessly gazing at the river out of hearing. 
 It was Yarina. 
 
 " Well ! " she said, half seriously, half 
 laughingly ; " does he consent to be a good 
 Christian for your sake ? You know if you 
 marry Paul, I am sure of Panass, and I love 
 him if you don't. Thank God ! every woman 
 does not love the same man ! I'm longing to 
 hear what Paul said." 
 
 " I Avill never marry Panass ! " exclaimed 
 Halya. 
 
 " I'm glad to hear it," answered Yarina ; 
 " but now we must run home. It is nearly 
 midnight." 
 
 The next day Ooliana went to Knishi to 
 pay a visit to Marfa, old Karpo's wife. It 
 was more than a 3^ear since she had been 
 there ; though in former days she and Marfa 
 had been close friends. They had been
 
 108 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 children and <^irls together ; and they were 
 married about the same time. Marfa had 
 been with Ooliana when Paul was born ; and 
 Ooliana had been the first to take Hal^-a in 
 her arms. They had nursed and tended the 
 babies together, and scarcely a day passed 
 without them seeing one another. But all 
 that had changed since Ooliana became a 
 Stundist. Old Karpo forbade any further 
 intercourse. Ooliana opened her commission 
 at once. 
 
 " Marfa," she said, *' it was alwa3^s in 
 your mind and mine that our boy and girl 
 should some day be man and wife. I know 
 Karpo has reasons against it ; but you tell 
 him what I have to say. If he will con- 
 sent to their marriage I am ready to give 
 them every rouble I possess ; and as you 
 know, and he knows, they are a good few, 
 thank God ! Old Okhrim cannot do a quarter 
 like that for Panass. He has another child 
 to provide for, and I have none but Paul." 
 
 " But he must come back to church," an- 
 swered Marfa, though she was astounded at 
 the magnitude of Ooliana's offer. 
 
 " That he will never do ! " she replied,
 
 STRONGLY TEMPTED. 109 
 
 " but he will not insist upon Halya becoming 
 one of us. She shall worship God according 
 to her own conscience. But Paul will some 
 day be a great man among us. Valerian 
 Petrovitch says so. Marfa, do your best to 
 make our 3'oung folks happy." 
 
 " If it only rested on me ! " she said, 
 with a sigh ; " you Stundists always seem so 
 content and joyful ! Your homes are so 
 clean, and you grow pretty flowers under 
 your windows. But there ! you all pull to- 
 gether ; and the husband is as loving to his 
 wife as on the day they were married. I 
 should wish jnj Halya to have a husband to 
 love her when she is old and ugly, like me." 
 
 " Panass wouldn't," urged Ooliana. 
 
 "No, Panass wouldn't," she assented. 
 
 Marfa, in much fear and trembling, laid 
 Ooliana's proposal before Karpo, after she 
 had fed him with a supper he particularly 
 relished. But he had only one ultimatum to 
 offer; if Paul would reconcile himself to the 
 Church, he might marry Halya; if not she 
 should be the wife of Panass. 
 
 " Father ! " said Halya, creeping timidly to 
 his side, and laying her pretty head on his
 
 110 TEE UIGHWAY OF SOBROW. 
 
 shoulder, " why must I marry at all ? Are 
 you tired of keeping me at home ? I'll be 
 very good, and please you all I can. Only 
 let me stay here at home with you and 
 mother." 
 
 Her voice died away in sobs. 
 
 " No, no," answered Karpo, half sternly, 
 half jokingly, " I'll not have my only girl 
 live to be an old maid. Besides, I want to 
 dandle my grandsons on my knee. A girl is 
 only half a child. I shall look for some 
 fine bold young urchins to make my old 
 age glad."
 
 Ill 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 
 
 GrENERAL Nesteroff lived in the old Manor 
 House, near Ostron. Since the emancipation 
 of the serfs in 1SG2 his income had dwindled 
 year by year, through neglect and mismanage- 
 ment. His mode of life was extremely se- 
 cluded and simple ; and he was all but a 
 cipher in the district, where formerly his will 
 was law. His two fashionable daughters in 
 St. Petersburg drained him of any surphis 
 money he might chance to have. His only 
 son and heir, Valerian, had been travelling 
 all over the world for the last three years, 
 indulging the Russian passion of unrest, 
 which took possession of the nation about 
 the middle of the present century. 
 
 Valerian returned from his travels a Pro- 
 pagandist pure and simple. He had studied 
 in Western lands the various constitutions 
 under which the nations lived and prospered ;
 
 112 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and his heart burned within him as he 
 thought of the condition of his .beloved Eussia. 
 He was at home again among his father's 
 old serfs, who were in reality no more free 
 than in the old times before the edict of 
 Liberation. He had been mino["lingr with 
 them during their busy weeks of harvest, 
 helping with his own hands and full}^ sharing 
 their labours, whilst he carefully studied 
 their various characters, in the hope of ele- 
 vating them during the coming winter. 
 Ooliana was one of his chief favourites ; but 
 he had seen less of Loukyan and Paul than 
 of any other of the peasants. 
 
 There was one man with whom Valerian 
 could do nothing. This was old Okhrim, the 
 father of Panass. In his 3'outh he had been 
 a famous reprobate, guilty of all sorts of 
 misconduct, and a pest to the neighbourhood ; 
 but about twenty-five years ago he had sud- 
 denly amended his ways, and married a rich 
 widow, who died a few ve^irs afterwards, 
 leaving: him his son Panass and a dauirhter, 
 whom he had latel}' married. He was con- 
 sidered one of tlie richest farmers in Knishi; 
 he was trading in cattle, and rented on
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 113 
 
 lease from Greneral NesterofF water-melon 
 beds in large quantities. 
 
 Okhrim was still a stron<^ and fine-Iookin^j- 
 man, with bushy irou-grej hair, good features, 
 and a bearing that was on the whole manly 
 and impressive. He was a far better lookin-j- 
 man than his son ; and he knew it. What 
 reason was there against his marrying Yarina, 
 when once Pan ass was settled ? She was rich, 
 but he was richer. True, she was twenty 
 years younger than he; but what was that? 
 There was not one of her many suitors who 
 was a more likely man. At any rate, he 
 would try his chance ; and Okhrim seldom 
 failed in anything he attempted. 
 
 The day after Ilalya had made her fruitless 
 appeal to her father, old Okhrim went home 
 early from his melon-beds, and ordered his 
 servant to prepare him some dinner instantly. 
 He went into tlie closet where he kept a 
 box containing all his best clothes, which 
 seldom saw the light ; and taking from it his 
 almost new navy-blue coat, with bright metal 
 buttons, and his l>est boots with red tops, he 
 hastened to dress himself in holiday attire. 
 Then pulling his new Astrachan cap well over 
 I
 
 lU THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiEOW. 
 
 his e3'es, he went straight to old Karpo's on 
 a diplomatic visit. 
 
 The dinner-table was not yet laid at Karpo's 
 house. For Halya had been washing again 
 in the river, and Marfa was very slow in all 
 she did, and did not pay any heed to time, 
 so that any other woman in Knishi would 
 do more in one hour than she did in two. 
 Halya was hurrying about the dinner, and 
 looking at the potatoes in the oven, when 
 suddenly, glancing througli the window, she 
 saw Okhrim, in his unusual holiday dress, 
 coming through the fold-yard gate. Her 
 heart sank within her. 
 
 " Father ! " she cried, " Okhrim is coming ! " 
 
 " What a nuisance ! " growled Karpo. 
 " Folks want their dinners ; and he takes 
 that moment to pay a visit." 
 
 But he went out to meet his guest with no 
 trace of irritability on his face. On the contrary, 
 it beamed with hospitalitj" and politeness. 
 
 "Well met!" he exclaimed. "How do 
 you do, Okhrim Moisevitch ? Come in ! 
 come in ! " 
 
 "Thank you for your kindness," Okhrim 
 answered, bowing low.
 
 MATCn-MAKING. 115 
 
 *' Thanks for yours in calling upon us," 
 responded Karpo, bowing lower. 
 
 They entered the house, and Karpo seated 
 his w^elcome guest in the seat of honour, near 
 the icon, and placed himself on a wooden 
 stool in front of him. His curiosity and his 
 hopes were actively aroused. Okhrim, of 
 course, had not come simpl}^ to make a call 
 upon a neighbour. He would not have decked 
 himself out for that. 
 
 " AVhere does God bring you from ? " 
 asked Karpo, really meaning, " What are you 
 come for ? " but so direct a question would 
 be bad manners. 
 
 "I am going to see Father Yasili to pay 
 him my dues ; and I want to bargain a 
 little with him," replied Okhrim, surveying his 
 bright buttons and red boot-tops. 
 
 " That's a lie ! " said Karpo to himself. 
 "If you wanted to bargain with the priest 
 you'd go in the evening when he is drunk ; 
 but not at mid- day, when he is as keen as 
 you are, and as hard as a flint." 
 
 He began talking of the crops, and the 
 price of corn in the market, all the time 
 watching his guest with his shrewd grey 
 i2
 
 116 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 eves. Halya opened the door, and stood timidly 
 ou the threshold. 
 
 " ^Mother sa3's is she to set the dinner, or 
 must we wait ? " she asked. 
 
 " Put the dinner ! " growled Karpo; "every- 
 body else has had it long ago ; and we 
 haven't yet begun. My old woman is like a 
 lazy horse," he said to Oklirim : " she takes 
 one step and then rests awhile. Hal3^a is 
 not like that ; but she has been washing all 
 the morning." 
 
 Okhrim politely stood up, and made as if 
 he was going away ; but Karpo would not 
 hear of it. If he would not sit down to 
 dinner with them, he must at least wait and 
 have some tea after dinner. Okhrim accepted 
 the invitation, and sat down near the window, 
 a little farther from the dinner-table. This 
 was a sure proof that he had some purpose 
 in coming. 
 
 The meal was almost a silent one. Only 
 Okhrim talked of the trickery of the village 
 mayor, with whom he was not on friendly 
 terms, as he wished to be mayor himself. 
 Karpo and Marfa ate slowly and solemnly, 
 whilst Halya served at the table, fetching the
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 117 
 
 dishes from the oven, and now and then 
 making a pretence of eating. But she could 
 eat nothing ; she guessed too well why old 
 Okhrim had come. 
 
 Karpo also was almost too excited to eat, 
 though no one would have suspected it. He 
 solemnly crossed the loaf with his knife every 
 time he had to cut a slice, and solidly and 
 sternly chewed his food with extreme delibera- 
 tion. His replies to Okhrim's remarks were 
 given in monosyllables, and were very judicious 
 and guarded, for he had no quarrel himself 
 with the mayor. At last the meal was ended. 
 The women cleared the table, and placed upon 
 it a boiling samovar, with tea and sugar, and 
 then disappeared. They knew the old men 
 did not wish them to be present. 
 
 " Mother, darling ! " cried Halya, throw- 
 ing her arms round Marfa's neck, "he is 
 come after me ! He is going to ask father 
 for me ! " 
 
 " But what are you afraid of, my little 
 girl? " asked her mother. "It is time for you 
 to marry. All your companions are married ; 
 and you are not going to remain an old maid 
 surely '*
 
 118 THE niGHWAY OF SOEnOW. 
 
 " Mother, mother ! don't say that," she 
 interrupted; "that's a hundred times better 
 than marrying Panass ! Oh ! I am lost ! " 
 
 She was trembling from head to foot, and 
 pressed herself against her mother, as a lamb 
 seeking refuge from a wolf. The mother 
 stroked her fair head with her knotty and 
 crooked fingers. 
 
 " God bless you, my child ! God bless 
 3'ou ! " she repeated ; " it's not Okhrim himself 
 who wants to marr}^ you..'* 
 
 Halya shook her head passionately, and 
 burst into an agony of tears. 
 
 " My poor darling ! " cried her mother, in 
 a hopeless tone, " What can I do ? I can do 
 you no good, or I'd go through fire and 
 water to do it." 
 
 " Mother, let me go out," pleaded Halya, 
 "and if father asks for me say you've sent 
 me to the shop, or the river, or anywhere 
 else " 
 
 *' Go, go ! dear child," said Marfa hurried]}'-, 
 " I will manage somehow. And if he gets 
 very cross, I must bear it. Go, go ! It will 
 be nothing, and 3'ou are my only one." 
 
 Halya vehemently embraced her mother,
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 119 
 
 and slipped out tlirouc,^li tlie garden into the 
 neighbour's yard, and so gained the street 
 without being seen by either of the old men, 
 who were discussing her fate. The poor 
 mother sat for a long time on the turf-seat 
 outside the house. Her hands lay listlessly 
 on her lap, and from time to time she shook 
 her grey head sorrowfully. She knew very 
 well what it was to be compelled to marry 
 by a father; and she disliked old Okhrim 
 and Panass. She knew them both to be of 
 a hard and cruel nature. Oh ! if Paul had 
 only remained orthodox ! How happy she 
 and Halya would be now ! They had been 
 very happy until the last few months ; till 
 the Stundists had destroyed all the peace and 
 happiness of the place. But she could do 
 absolutely nothing for her only child. She 
 would have no voice in the match-makino-. 
 It depended entirely on the two old men, 
 whose voices she heard murmurino- in low 
 and cautious tones. 
 
 Karpo and Okhrim were slowly sipping 
 from their saucers some very weak tea, gently 
 biting off from time to time minute bits of 
 sugar, from the lumps provided for them.
 
 i:0 THE niGHWAY OF SOliROW. 
 
 They drank for a long time in silence. To 
 begin to talk at once would show that they 
 did not appreciate the treat, and the solemnity 
 of tea-drinking was not properly understood. 
 It was Karpo who, as host, first broke the 
 silence. 
 
 " You have splendid water-melons this year, 
 Okhrim Moisevitch," he said ; " some hundreds 
 of silver roubles 3'ou will add to 3'our store." 
 
 " Don't say that," answered Okhrim, with 
 a gratified smile, " I shall think myself lucky 
 if I make both ends meet. ]5ut what land 
 you have, Karpo Petrovitch ! There is your 
 meadow lying close to ni}^ melon-beds — it is 
 simply a treasure field ! AVell, I thought, if 
 that meadow could be got for ni}'- children, 
 I should die a happy man ! " 
 
 Karpo pricked his ears. He expected after 
 this preamble Okhrim would proceed to the 
 object of his visit. But the old fox was too 
 sly, and shuflled away from it quickly. 
 
 "Karpo Petrovitch!" he said, "what would 
 you think it I ask you to sell me that 
 meadow ? I can give as much for it as any- 
 body else." 
 
 " You don't want to buy my meadow,"
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 121 
 
 tliouglit Karpo. But he did not show any 
 sign of discomfiture ; and apparently taking 
 the offer seriously, he looked his guest straight 
 in the face. 
 
 " For you, Okhrim Moisevitch," he an 
 swered, " I would part with it for live hundred 
 roubles." 
 
 The price was ridiculously high, and they 
 both knew it. Okhrim sighed and looked 
 away. 
 
 " I must think it over," he said ; and 
 began to talk of the hard times, the diffi- 
 culty of selling, and the falling off in prices. 
 Then he fell into a confidential tone, and 
 complained of the neglect in his household, 
 and the little help he received from his son, 
 who was always running after the girls, and 
 leaving the work to chance. 
 
 "I want to get him married," he said; 
 " that will sober him." 
 
 " That is sensible," answered Karpo coolly, 
 as if the question did not concern him, 
 " From a wife one cannot run away. The 
 girls Avould not look at him after he was 
 married. They'd break his head with their 
 distaffs, if he came pottering after them."
 
 122 THE EIGUWAY OF SOUEOW. 
 
 Karpo laughed lieartil}', shaking again 
 with laughter, but never once losing sight 
 of (Jkhrini's face. 
 
 "Let your secret out of the bag, old fox," 
 was the meaning of his look. 
 
 But Oklirim feigned not to understand 
 an3'thing, talking as simply as a fool about 
 his late wife and himself. Then he went 
 back to the question of buying the meadow. 
 Karpo grew a little puzzled. They bargained 
 to and fro, and at last Okhrim said — 
 
 " Two hundred roubles, if you like.'* 
 
 It was almost as much as the land was 
 worth, and Karpo felt sure now his only errand 
 was to buv the meadow. He bejj^an to barc^ain 
 seriously, and grew warm in the discussion. 
 Suddenly Okhrim said, as if the idea had 
 just struck him — 
 
 " Do you know what I am thinking, 
 neighbour ? Let 3'our Plalya marry my 
 Panass, and my property and ^-ours will 
 belong to them. 
 
 Karpo was caught quite off his guard, and 
 he could not hide his great pleasure. The 
 old fox had outwitted him, and it was useless 
 to prolong the business.
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 123 
 
 "Agreed! I won't object to it," lie said, 
 not looking into Okhrim's face. " But how 
 about the dowry ? " 
 
 "I won't rob you," said Okhrim. "Give 
 Halya that meadow, and two teams of oxen, 
 a pair of horses, and six pairs of small cattle, 
 and three hundred roubles to build a new 
 dwelling " 
 
 " Stop ! " cried Karpo, with genuine in- 
 diofnation. " A Tartar wouldn't ask for more. 
 But I cannot afford it," he added, in an 
 apologetic tone. " My old woman and I 
 would have to go out to service." 
 
 " Why, you could buy up the whole 
 village," said Okhrim with a quiet laugh. 
 
 " No," said Karpo firml}^ without a thought 
 of diplomacy. " I will not beggar myself. I 
 shall not give Halya one-half. That is all. 
 You may cease to bother me about it." 
 
 " As you like," answered Okhrim. He 
 turned over his empty cup, and laid on the 
 top of it the little lump of sugar he had 
 been nibbling- at. This meant the tea-drink- 
 ing was over, as well as the bargain. 
 
 " But you must have some more tea ! '* 
 exclaimed Karpo. " Here, Halya ! Maria !
 
 1-24 THE niGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Who is there ? ISIake the samovar ready 
 again ; and bring more sugar and a lemon ; 
 and be quick!" 
 
 Karpo was by no means astonished or 
 offended by Okhrim's rapacity. It was quite 
 natural. When one makes a barcrain, one 
 should strive to outwit his neighbour. They 
 began to smoke their pipes, and entered into 
 an amicable and indifferent conversation, till 
 the samovar appeared again. They had al- 
 read V drunk a dozen cups eacb ; but they set 
 to again, drinking persistently and solemnly, 
 avoiding one another's e3^es, and cautiously 
 abstaining from a word on the subject which 
 both had at heart. 
 
 But the subject had been broached, and 
 could not be forgotten. The one who spoke 
 of it first would be the one to give way. 
 Karpo sat panting and sighing, from time to 
 time wiping his face on his shirt-sleeve. 
 
 Okhrim shuffled, sipped liis tea, emptying 
 his cup again and again ; and in his character 
 of a trader who went much into the world, 
 told all sorts of s'tories about it, to which 
 Karpo listened with the deepest attention. 
 This miglit have gone on for hours if Oklirim
 
 MATCH-2IAKINQ. 125 
 
 had not accidental!}^ looked through the win- 
 dow, and saw Yarina stepping across the fold- 
 yard, and slipping round the corner of the 
 house. Her appearance excited him, and he 
 lost his self-possession. 
 
 " There's Yarina ! " he ejaculated. " Does 
 she come here often ? " 
 
 " Sometimes," answered Karpo stolidly ; 
 "women will gossip, you know. There'll be 
 a fine clatter in there by-and-by.'' 
 
 He nodded towards the inner door. 
 
 "Well ! now then! " cried Okhrim, lowering 
 his voice to a whisper ; " what will you give 
 Halya? You've got the better of me after 
 all, you old boar!" he added to himself. He 
 felt vexed that he had spoken ; but a word 
 cannot be caught again as a bird may. Once 
 flowTi it has flown for ever. 
 
 " I must think about it," replied Karpo, 
 filling his pipe again, and pressing his guest to 
 do the same. Between the puffs of smoke he 
 spoke very deliberately. 
 
 " One frock — another one — and a third one 
 with a blue pattern. Two jackets, five pieces 
 of linen cloth." 
 
 He went on enumerating his daughter's
 
 126 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 wardrobe, though both of them knew well 
 this talk was pure nonsense. The wardrobe 
 would be provided out of the savings of Halya 
 and her mother, and her father had nothing 
 to do with it. 
 
 " JUit how about the ftirm stock?" asked 
 Okhrim. 
 
 "One yoke of oxen, a cow, and twenty-five 
 roubles in money,'' said Karpo. 
 
 Okhrim sighed sorrowfully. 
 
 " People will say Panass has married a 
 beggar," he remarked, in a sad voice. 
 
 " Well, nobody shall say that," answered 
 Karpo proudly. " I will add the bay mare ; 
 she is a capital mare, and is going to foal in 
 the autumn. And I will give them, moreover, 
 two pairs of sheep ; my sheep are very good." 
 
 " They are good, that is true. But what 
 is their value ? '' asked Okhrim. 
 
 The bargaining began again in earnest, but 
 when the samovar was empty, Okhrim rose 
 to take his leave. Such an important business 
 could not be concluded at one interview, Okh- 
 rim's heir and Karpo's heiress could not be 
 betrothed as if they were beggars. 
 
 " Come to see me," said Okhrim.
 
 MATCH-MAKING. 127 
 
 *' Thanks for your invitation," replied Karpo, 
 " and in the meanwhile I will have a talk 
 with ray wife and daughter. We must do it 
 all in a godly manner," he added piously. 
 
 " That is right,'' replied Okhrim, " and now- 
 adays you cannot do it otherwise. In our 
 times, what the fathers said the young ones 
 did, and no help for it ; but now the young 
 folks choose for themselves." 
 
 " My daughter is not one of those," pro- 
 tested Karpo. 
 
 " A word in your ear," said Okhrim mys- 
 teriously, " don't let her go to Yarina's, she 
 meets Paul there. I shouldn't wonder if 
 Yarina is come for her now. You must not 
 let young folks have too much liberty." 
 
 " Marfa ! " roared Karpo, in such a tone 
 that the old woman rushed into the room in 
 terror, " tell Halya to come here instantly 
 and salute her father-in-law, Okhrim Moise- 
 vitch. Where is Halya ? " 
 
 "Halya!" stammered the poor mother, 
 " she's gone — I mean I sent her to the sho^^, 
 and then to the well " 
 
 " All right," said Karpo, turning to 
 Okhrim with a confident wave of his hand,
 
 128 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and a smile, as much as to say that every- 
 thinir ^^'ils riirht in his house and under 
 his eye. 
 
 The two okl men bowed low to one another, 
 and Okhrim went home very well pleased with 
 the business, as fiir as it had gone.
 
 129 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 ARRESTED. 
 
 In the Consistory at Kovylsk a storm was 
 gathering against the Stundists at Knishi. The 
 story of Stepan, and his broken icons, had 
 filtered through the town, in spite of the care 
 of the innkeeper Isaacke. Loukyan was in- 
 volved in it, and his imprisonment for six 
 months at the outset of his career was not 
 forgotten by the authorities. Father Vasili 
 was known to be culpably negligent, caring 
 for nothing- if his income did not suffer. There 
 were vague rumours also of a spirit of dis- 
 content spreading among the peasantry of the 
 neighbourhood. The village constable reported 
 several suspicious and secret meetings, at 
 which, in truth, no Stundist was present ; 
 but Savely did not feel called upon to notice 
 that fact. 
 
 Whilst Karpo and Okhrim were obstinately 
 bargaining over their children's future, a very 
 different scene was taking place at Loukyan's 
 J
 
 130 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 poor dwelling near Ostron. Two veliicles 
 drove up to the lonely house. In the first were 
 seated two policemen, furnished with handcuffs 
 and fetters; and the second was occupied by 
 a young clergyman, a monk, not a parish 
 priest. He had been sent by the Consistory, 
 with the powers of a Government official. The 
 constable, Savely, was seated beside the driver, 
 as he had been summoned to come to Kovylsk 
 in order to avoid any difficulty in driving at 
 once to Loukyan's house. 
 
 "This is the place," said Savely, pointing 
 out unwillingly Loukyan's little cottage. They 
 entered the house together. Paraska was 
 bustling about the oven, preparing their frugal 
 dinner, when she saw the unwelcome and ter- 
 rifying guests entering the yard. Loukyan 
 was at work in the garden, lovingly loosening 
 the soil round the stems of some rare llowers 
 which had been given to him by Valerian. 
 
 " What has happened ? " he asked, alarmed 
 by Paraska's pale i'aco, and thinking some harm 
 had befallen the baby. 
 
 " Soldiers ! " she gasped. " Savely is bring- 
 ing them ! And there is a clergy-man with 
 them. They are just coming across the yard."
 
 ARRESTED. 131 
 
 Loukyan's face grew grave. He did not 
 speak for a minute, but cast a farewell glance 
 on his beloved garden, his bee-hives, and all 
 the plants he had cultivated with so much 
 care. He knew it was a farewell g-aze ; but 
 what should he say to Paraska to cheer her 
 timid heart ? 
 
 "See!" he said; "look at these flowers. 
 A flower is one of God's pets. He clothes 
 them better than Solomon in all his glory. 
 But our Lord says we are much more than 
 flowers and birds, and Grod in Heaven cares 
 for us all far more. You shall take care of 
 my flowers for me, and my bees, and cattle. 
 They are dumb creatures, and cannot complain 
 when they are neglected. And tell the brethren, 
 Paraska, that I cannot go where God is not ; 
 and all will be well with me. They must 
 not grieve too much, or lose courage. Neither 
 they nor I can be afraid. And now let us go." 
 
 Paraska followed him, weeping. 
 
 " If they ask you about your religion," he 
 whispered, " say what God puts into 3^our 
 mouth to answer ; but if they ask about 
 the brethren do not utter a word. Tell them 
 every one must speak only for himself." 
 J 2
 
 132 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 When they entered the house the men 
 were ah-eady searching it carefully. Father 
 Paissy was conducting the business himself. 
 He had been sent on purpose that no im- 
 portant evidence against the Stundists should 
 be overlooked. He was also commissioned 
 to visit Father Vasili, on account of some 
 delay in payments due to the Consistory. 
 
 Paissy was a fair-haired young man, with 
 a small, sharp-featured face, soft blue eyes, 
 and insinuating voice. The Archbishop was 
 accustomed to despatch him on the most 
 delicate and diplomatic errands, which he, 
 with a natural love of intrigue and craft, 
 executed with great ability. He was a born 
 Jesuit. 
 
 " Here you are at last ! — Loukyan, the 
 Stundist apostle," he said, with an easy 
 smile. " We want to know something more 
 of your new religion. You have as many 
 books as if you were a priest. Have you 
 any other documents ? " 
 
 " It is true I teach my brethren all I 
 learn from God," answered Loukyan, " but it 
 is not for me, sinner as I am, to call myself 
 an apostle. Here are all my books. Please
 
 ARRESTED. 133 
 
 look at them yourself, and may God help you 
 if you read them for a good purpose." 
 
 He spoke so quietly, and with so much 
 dignity, that Paissy was somewhat discon- 
 certed. A very vigorous search was made 
 for incriminating papers. They ransacked the 
 pantry, the cart-shed, and the yard, and 
 looked suspiciously at the bee-hives, but they 
 did not dare to disturb them. The honey jars; 
 were inspected, and those turned upside down 
 were lifted one by one to see if anything 
 was hidden beneath them. No letters or papers 
 were discovered until they opened a table- 
 drawer and found a thick manuscript book, 
 in which Loukyan was iu the habit of 
 writing down the notes of his sermons. 
 Paissy seized it eagerly, 
 
 " Here is the New Gospel ! " he exclaimed, 
 with malice. 
 
 Loukyan smiled good-naturedly. 
 
 " God help us to receive the old one," 
 he said, 
 
 A list of the books was made, aiid the 
 manuscript was taken away as " material 
 proofs." After that Loukyan was bidden to 
 get ready to go to the court house.
 
 134 THE niGTIWAY OF SOBUOW. 
 
 Paraska began to weep and wail aloud, and 
 Loukyan cast upon her a look of deep 
 sympathy and pity. 
 
 "God be Avith you, ni}' daughter!" he 
 said. "Tell Dcniyan to see after all my 
 affairs ; he knows them as well as I do. The 
 brethren will hold you dear for my sake. I 
 go willingly, Paraska! Weep not for me; for, 
 living or dying, I am the Lord's." 
 
 Louk3'an was driven to the nearest court- 
 house, where an official report was drawn up 
 of the search, and the " material proofs 
 found. But, before this was finished, the 
 court-house and the yard in front of it were 
 filled with people. This was what Paissy 
 wished for. He addressed them in his most 
 persuasive tones. 
 
 "Orthodox people!" he said, "believers in 
 saints and icons ! you know that of late 3'ears 
 rebels have sprung np among you, who 
 wish to change the true JJussian religion 
 for the (Jiriiiau one. J3ut this will never 
 do, will it, ye Orthodox Christians ? " 
 
 " It will never do ! " they shouted with 
 one voice. 
 
 " Then we must stamp them out whilst
 
 Aim ES TED. 135 
 
 tliey are few and feeble," he continued. 
 " We must not let vermin flourish till they 
 eat us out of house and home. There must 
 be no temptation to become a Stundist ; it 
 must be made as great a sin as murder. We 
 are all agreed upon that ? " 
 
 He spoke in most impressive tones, but 
 the orthodox people were somewhat puzzled. 
 Their consciences assured them that the 
 Stundists were by no means guilty of any 
 great sin. At last Kuzka — a spare, middle- 
 aged peasant, very fond of hearing his own 
 voice, and with few chances of doino- so 
 except in the public-house — pushed himself 
 forward. 
 
 " To be sure, your reverence," he said, 
 " they must be stamped out in the bud — in 
 the grain — because, you see, the grain — well ! 
 the grain buds, you see." 
 
 His ideas grew so entangled that he could 
 only stammer out some incoherent sentences ; 
 and he was not sustained or cheered by his 
 rustic audience. The peasants held themselves 
 aloof from the Stundists ; and the good fellow- 
 ship of former days had ceased. Reformers 
 always find opponents ; and these men disturbed
 
 136 THE EIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 the tranquil laziness of their minds. But to 
 suppress them, to injure and persecute them, 
 or to hand them over to the dreaded 
 authorities, had never come into their 
 stolid heads. 
 
 " Tell me, who among you has heard this 
 false teacher speak evil of our I10I3' Orthodox 
 Church," said Paissy insinuatingly. 
 
 Not a word from the crowd. Even they 
 saw the foreshadow of a court of law, and 
 the mere thought of it scared them. 
 
 "AVhy don't you answer?" asked Paissy 
 gently ; " speak out boldly. You will not get 
 into trouble for it." 
 
 He meant to sot them at ease ; but only 
 frightened them the more by his remarks. 
 The orthodox people kept profoundly silent. 
 
 "Did Loukyan speak to you about his 
 religion?" inquired Paissy from Kuzka, who 
 gaped stupidl3% and scratched behind his ear. 
 
 "How should I know, your reverence?" he 
 stammered ; " I'm a poor, ignorant man. I'm 
 quite dark." 
 
 " Dark ! " repeated Paissy maliciously ; " T 
 see that, when you cannot tell wliether one 
 speaks of religion or a donkey. So it seems
 
 ARRESTED. 137 
 
 Loukyan kept his new religion to himself ! 
 He never lent books to read, or spoke to his 
 neighbours." 
 
 He looked round the crowd with an ironical 
 smile, and his ej^es unintentionally fell upon 
 Loukyan, who stood in a prominent place 
 fronting the people. The old man's grey head 
 was bowed down ; but when Paissy ceased 
 speaking he lifted it up, and cast a kindly 
 glance on the familiar faces around him. 
 
 " I lent the New Testament to all who 
 wished to read it," he said, in a clear, cheer- 
 ful voice ; " and I read it to those who could 
 not read it for themselves, I had found a 
 great treasure hidden in it ; and I wished all 
 my dear neighbours to share it with me. It 
 is a treasure that grows greater by dividing 
 it; for it is the Truth, God's Truth, Oh, 
 yes ! that I taught openly ; not in secret. 
 Everybody who wished could come to hear." 
 
 " You preached ! And to whom ? " inquired 
 Paissy. 
 
 But Loukyan, though as simple as a child 
 in everyday matters, was shrewd and wise in 
 grave questions. He made no reply, as if he 
 did not hear the question.
 
 ICS THF niGIIWAY OF SOliROW. 
 
 " Wliv are you silent?" stormed Paissy ; 
 " if you preached you knew who were your 
 listeners." 
 
 " Nay ! " said Loukyan, smiling, " the father 
 does not give up his children to destruction ; 
 and the shepherd lays down his life for his 
 Hock. There was One who heard me, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who said, ' Where two or three 
 of you are gathered together in my name, 
 there am I in the midst of you.' Lord Jesus, 
 we felt Thy presence ! " 
 
 He spoke as simply and sincerely as a 
 child speaks. But Paissy made a gesture of 
 horror. 
 
 "Blasphemy! Bank blasphemy!" he ex- 
 claimed; "we hear it for ourselves. Put him 
 in chains, and do not allow anybody to speak 
 to him," he said to Savel}'', the starosta. 
 " And I will teach you, too, 3^ou shameless 
 cowards ! " he shouted to the lookers-on ; 
 " Father Vasili gives you too much freedom. 
 We shall have to tighten the reins a good 
 deal. You will see it before lonjx. We will 
 have no heresy and no sedition in Ivnishi, 
 if wo have to burn every house in it with 
 fire."
 
 ARRESTED. 139 
 
 His thin lips were white with wrath ; and 
 his mild blue eyes blazed. All his sweetness 
 and courtesy had disappeiired. 
 
 " Out of here ! " he shouted, " get off with 
 you, you hounds ! " 
 
 Slowly and sulkily the peasants stole out 
 of the house ; but they lingered in the court- 
 yard to watch the departure of Paissy and 
 Loukyan. Paissy mounted his carriage, and 
 ordered the coachman to drive to Father 
 Vasili. 
 
 "Now he is gone to get the church 
 revenue from the Batushka," said one of the 
 men, laughing ; " Father Vasili will squeeze 
 us now." 
 
 They began to disperse ; but a few still 
 loitered about, to see what would become of 
 Loukyan. A little band of Stundists had 
 gathered together in the courtyard, though 
 Savel^^ bad not allowed them to enter the 
 house, knowing no good would come of it. 
 Ooliana and Paul were among them. Presently 
 the blacksmith, with Demyan, his assistant, 
 came hurrying up ; and by-and-by there was 
 heard the clanging of a hammer upon iron. 
 
 "They are chaining him!" cried Kuzka,
 
 140 THE niGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 peeping through the nick of the door which 
 stood ajar. 
 
 At last Loukyan. was brought out, with 
 liis head uncovered, and with fetters on his 
 liands and feet. At the same moment the 
 waggon, which liad brought the two armed. 
 poHcemen, with their swords and revolvers, 
 drove into the yard. Loukyan said to him- 
 self: "Are ye come out as against a thief 
 with swords and staves. Lord ! Thou art 
 giving me to drink of the cup of whicli 
 Thou didst drink ! " 
 
 He had not spoken his thought aloud, 
 but it Hashed across the minds of the little 
 throng watching him, both Orthodox and 
 Stundists alike. " As if he was a robber or 
 a murderer!" they murmured. Loukyan's 
 benign, kindly gaze rested upon them, as if 
 in blessing. The Stundists crowded round tlie 
 waggon to look into his face, to touch his 
 fettered hands, to hear his beloved voice for 
 the last time. Ooliana's pure devout face was 
 lifted up to his. 
 
 " Loukyan ! " she cried, in a clear and 
 fearless voice, " rejoice, and be exceeding 
 glad, for great is your reward in ht-avcu ; for
 
 ARRESTED. 141 
 
 SO persecuted they the prophets that were be- 
 fore us. We have no fear for you, brother. 
 Have no fear for us ! We will follow in 
 your steps till God calls us home." 
 
 " Get out of our way, woman ! " shouted 
 the policeman ; and Loukyan, who was anxious 
 to avoid any demonstration that might bring 
 his little flock into trouble, only answered 
 Ooliana by a smile, full of meaning. But he 
 was leaving these dear familiar faces, on 
 which he should look no more, and he could 
 not go away without one word. 
 
 " Farewell, dear neighbours ! " hie cried, 
 speaking alike to the Orthodox and Stundists ; 
 "if I have wronged any of you, or grieved 
 any of you, forgive me this day." 
 
 " God forgive us all ! " answered the little 
 crowd, whose sympathies at this moment were 
 all on the prisoner's side. Some among them 
 piously uncovered their heads, and crossed 
 themselves, as if in the presence of an icon. 
 
 " Christ bless you, and give you peace," 
 said Loukyan. 
 
 " Silence ! " roared the policeman ; " drive 
 on quickly." 
 
 But along the rough road, full of ruts
 
 142 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and holes, it was impossible to drive quickly. 
 The people accompanied the waggon through 
 the street ; most of them bareheaded, as if 
 they were conducting some personage of high 
 standing. They dared not speal: to Loukyan, 
 nor he to them. But he was deeply touched 
 by such unexpected sympathy from his old 
 neighbours, who of late had been cold and 
 even hostile to him. At the barrier o-ate he 
 lifted up his fettered hands as if in blessing, 
 and was about to speak, when one of the 
 policemen seized him by the collar, and 
 thrust him violently on to the floor of the 
 waggon. 
 
 " Drive on ! " shouted the policeman, " do you 
 belong to this dog's crew of heretics, and are 
 afraid of offending his reverence ? I will 
 show you how to drive." 
 
 The coachman gave a start, and whipped 
 up his horses, whilst the people stood still 
 gazing after the swiftly disappearing convey- 
 ance. Then with slow steps and sad faces, 
 they started homewards.
 
 143 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 BATUSHKA AND MATOUSHKA. 
 
 There was much to talk about. The philoso- 
 pher Kuzka was of opinion that as Loukyan 
 had been arrested he must be guilty of some 
 crime. Savely, the village elder, as an 
 official, approved of this opinion as manifest- 
 ing faith in the infallibility of the courts of 
 law. Yet he wanted to know something more 
 of the matter. Until now he had been in- 
 different to the Stundists, only hnding them 
 no trouble whatever to him. He had never 
 had one in custody before. Paul was walking 
 homewards near them ; and Savely and Kuzka 
 applied to him for information as to what 
 Loukyan had done. But he was crushed with 
 grief, and could not answer their questions. 
 
 " If you only read the Gospel," said Ooliana, 
 " and act accordingly, you would know what 
 crime Loukyan is guilty of." 
 
 " But that is not prohibited," said Kuzka. 
 
 " Not by law," said a voice behind them.
 
 144 TEE EIGUWAT OF SORROW. 
 
 They turned and i^aw Valerian, who, as soon 
 as he had heard of Loukyan's arrest, had 
 hastened to the village court-house, hoping 
 to get him released. But he arrived too late, 
 and had only time to hurry after the crowd 
 to the barrier gate. He heard Loukyan's 
 farewell words ; and his heart felt sorrowful 
 for the little band of Stundists, so unexpectedly 
 deprived of their leader. 
 
 " Neither Loukyan, nor any of his followers 
 are guilty of an}'- crime," he said ; " some 
 people prefer a very simple religion, without 
 priests, who so often fleece both the living 
 and the dead. That is why the Orthodox 
 Church is offended. Is that true ? " he asked 
 the Stundists. 
 
 "Partly," said Ooliana doubtfully, "but 
 that is not all — that is really' nothing." 
 
 " Do you belong to them, master ? " Savely 
 asked in a respectful tone, but with great 
 curiosity. 
 
 " Oh, no ! my religion is quite a different 
 thing," said Valerian, laughing, " but 1 did 
 not come to talk aljout religion. I want to 
 know how Loukyan's family will get on with- 
 out him. If they want any help they must
 
 BATU8EKA AND MATOUSEKA. 145 
 
 come to my father and me. Loukyan was 
 my father's serf in old times, and a thoroughly 
 good man." 
 
 " Thank you, master," said Ooliana, " you 
 are very kind and good. Bat we can take 
 care of our Loukyan's family if they need it. 
 We are bound to help one another." 
 
 " That is right and sensible ! " said Valerian 
 heartily; "if men only knew what wonders 
 they could do if they stood b}^ each other, 
 there is nothing that could not be done ! 
 Listen to me, all of you ! Whenever help is 
 needed give it, if it is only fetching a cup of 
 cold water for a child to drink. ' You will be 
 glad you have done it.'' 
 
 He nodded pleasantly, and turned away, 
 leaving the people more puzzled than before. 
 It was plain Valerian did not think Loukyan 
 guilty of any crime. 
 
 At Father Vasili's, meanwhile, the dinner- 
 table was spread with unaccustomed pomp. 
 The Matoushka w^as anxious to treat the un- 
 expected and somewhat unwelcome guest to 
 as good a dinner as possible. Paissy was 
 closeted with Father Vasili, who was passing 
 a very anxious hour, in a perfect fever of 
 
 K
 
 146 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBriOW. 
 
 fright and vexation. Paissy was scolding him 
 on two points : for not paying punctually 
 the usual gratuities expected by the Consistory 
 officials, and for not keeping his ilock from 
 the new heresy. 
 
 " You will have to answer for their souls 
 before God," he declaimed. "Woe to those 
 throuirh whom offences come into the Church ! 
 Remember what is said : ' It were better for 
 him tluit a millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and that he were drowned in the depth 
 of the sea.' Do you understand, Father 
 Vasili, what that means?" 
 
 Father Vasili only lifted up his eyes, and 
 sighed heavil}'. 
 
 "It is a common scandal," pursued Paissy, 
 " that the heretics have quite the upper hand 
 in Knishi. The Consistor}'' and the Arch- 
 bishop are much displeased about it. Is it 
 right for a village priest to patronise the 
 Stundists ? How shall you answer your Judge 
 at the Last Da}'', when He asks you what 
 care you have taken of the souls entrusted 
 to you r 
 
 Father Vasili groaned. In this world you 
 have your bishop as a judge ; in the next
 
 BATUSHKA AND 2IAT0JJSHKA. 147 
 
 you are answerable to God. This was very 
 bard upon a poor village priest, who only 
 wished to live peaceably, and receive his dues. 
 
 " Ah ! Father Paissy," he said, " you don't 
 know these people ; you think it easy to 
 manage them. But talk to them about the 
 heretics ! They say ' Leave them alone. They 
 13ay the taxes regularly, and fulfil all their 
 duties ; and if they go to hell afterwards, 
 what then ? It is no concern of yours. It is 
 their own affair; you are not responsible for 
 their souls.' " 
 
 " But we surely are responsible," said 
 Father Paissy. Father Yasili thought of 
 Loukyan, industrious, thrifty and liberal, be- 
 nign and genial with all his neighbours ; of 
 Ooliana, with her saintly self-denial and un- 
 swerving truthfulness ; of Paul, strong and 
 courageous, courteous to all men, and inde- 
 fatigably kind to those who were in trouble. 
 The whole little band of Stundists passed 
 before his mind's eye ; and with an inaudible 
 groan he said to himself they were the best 
 people in his parish. 
 
 " Do you know," Paissy resumed, ** that 
 they teach that no Christian can be a soldier? 
 K 2
 
 us THE HIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 And that usury, and profit, and wages are all 
 wronc ? Do vou know they think we are all 
 equals, and that there is no mine or thine? 
 If you lend money you sin; you must give 
 it, and not take advantage of your brother's 
 necessity. There will be no trade or com- 
 merce if the Stundists get the upper hand." 
 
 '■' But this is terrible ! " cried Father 
 Vasili, roused at last to indignation. " This 
 must be put a stop to ! We must tear them 
 up, root and branch. They are dangerous 
 people. But what can I do?" 
 
 Paissy cast upon him a glance of con- 
 temptuous pity. 
 
 " 1 suppose you preach to your people ? " 
 he said witli a sneer. " You are their spiritual 
 father, and you must give them line upon 
 line, precept upon precept, here a little, and 
 there a little. If there conies a bad harvest, 
 or a destructive storm, is it not God's punish- 
 ment a<rainst the heretics, which the Orthodox 
 are bound to share ? If there is a murrain 
 amonir the cattle, do not the Orthodox and 
 heretic cattle feed in the same pastures, and 
 drink out of the same trouirh ? You must 
 make them understand such things, teaching
 
 BATUSHKA AND MATOUSHKA. 149 
 
 them botli in church and in private. If the 
 men won't take heed, talk to the women. It 
 is your duty ; and the Consistory will call 
 you to account, if you neglect it." 
 
 He then w^ent on to speak of that other 
 serious negligence — not paying promptly the 
 offerings expected by the Church officials. 
 Poor Father Yasili listened with undissruised 
 dismay ; and Paissy softened his tone a little, 
 and even promised to intercede with the Con- 
 sistory for a postponement of the tribute due, 
 if he would undertake to watch the Stundists 
 and send in reports of their proceedings. 
 
 " But I hope we have destroyed the sect 
 here in the egg," said Paissy. 
 
 Both went to dinner in an amicable mood. 
 The Matoushka, who was an excellent cook, 
 had provided an admirable impromptu meal, 
 in her anxiety to propitiate this pillar of the 
 Church. It was quite a success. Only the 
 Matoushka kept complaining of the hard 
 times and their decreasing income. 
 
 " Folks are growing cold in their faith, I 
 say," she moaned ; " they keep away from 
 church, you know. Only come to be married 
 and buried. In old times, you know, every
 
 150 TUE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 house was blessed at least three times a year, 
 and so many kopecks or roubles for that. 
 Now everybody tries to shun it once a year, 
 you see." 
 
 She paused to fetch a hot dish from the 
 oven, and to fill Paissy's plate with food 
 from it. 
 
 " People have given up dying, I say," she 
 resumed. " To be sure, the children die like 
 flies ; but what income does a child's burial 
 bring- in, I ask you? The mother offers you 
 a basket of eggs, and you must thank her 
 even for that. But it's as much trouble to 
 bur}^ a child as a grown-up person, I say. 
 But real people like that don't die at all. 
 We had only two funerals last summer, and 
 one of them was the corpse of some vaga- 
 bond the police picked up, and ^ve had to 
 bur\' it for nothing. We were out of pocket 
 b}' it, I tell your reverence. The death in- 
 come has sunk almost to a cipher. And yet," 
 she said with a deep sigh, " there was Father 
 Cyril, of the Transfiguration, to whom God 
 sent good luck a few years ago. In one 
 summer more than a hundred ])eople died 
 of diphtheria in his parish. Have 3'ou seen
 
 BATUSHKA AND MATOUSHKA. 151 
 
 the beautiful house he has built in Kovylsk, 
 opposite the public gardens ? " 
 
 " To be sure," answered Paissy, " it is 
 a fine place. He is going to let it to the 
 officers." 
 
 " Just so," said the Matoushka, " all 
 that was built by the dead fees, I say. 
 So the Lord raises up one, and humbles 
 the other. All is according to His holy 
 will." 
 
 She spoke very piously. The Matoushka 
 had more mother-wit than her husband, and 
 knew what was probably the weak point of 
 their guest. At dessert, whilst she poured 
 out a liberal measure of liqueurs for Paissy, 
 she asked if he would not soon be appointed 
 the chief of the priests in the cathedral at 
 Kovylsk. 
 
 "Father Levitoff is resigning, people say," 
 she remarked ; " and there is nobody to fill 
 his place but you." 
 
 Paissy smiled complacently. At present 
 this was the summit of his ambition. 
 
 " I am too young for the post," he said 
 modestly. 
 
 "It is not age, but intellect, I say,"
 
 152 THE niGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 answered the Matoushka, " that ought to get 
 promotion. Intellect and holiness, you know ! 
 I reuiember years ago when there were bishoi s 
 hardly over forty. We shall see you a bishop 
 before we die." 
 
 Paissy, having dined well, entered into an 
 animated conversation, telling of the intrigues 
 going on in the Consistory, and the necessity 
 of being very diplomatic himself. In his heart 
 he fully agreed with the Matoushka that his 
 intellect and zeal more than counterbalanced 
 his youth, and ought to guide the Consistory 
 in choosing him for a dignitar}^ of the 
 Church. If he could only stamp out Stundism 
 in the province, he was sure of promotion ; 
 and his first step had been taken here, in 
 Kuishi. 
 
 He left for Kovylsk at dusk. Father Vasili, 
 after so manv unaccustomed libations, could 
 hardly move his tongue ; and certainly could 
 not comprehend a word that was said to him. 
 But the Matoushka was as fresh and clear- 
 minded as during the dinner ; and to her 
 Paissy repeated his shrewd instructions about 
 the duties of her husband as a pastor. He 
 placed his injunctions against the Stundists
 
 BAT us HK A AND MATOUSHKA. 153 
 
 in a very plain and comprehensible form. Tlie 
 Matousbka promised she would do her best 
 among the women. ■^^'^^y misfortune that 
 happened in Knishi should henceforth be laid 
 at the door of the heretics.
 
 154 
 
 CHAPTER Xril. 
 
 THE PANNOTSHKa's GRAVE. 
 
 Many curious eyes watclied Ooliana and Paul 
 the following Sunday as they walked openly 
 down the village street to the cottage where 
 the Stundists were wont to meet. The autumn 
 was treading closely on the steps of the 
 departing summer, and a soft film lay over the 
 wide undulating steppe surrounding the village, 
 and tempered the heat of the sun, already 
 half way down to his winter bed. There 
 was in the sorrowful hearts of the mother 
 and son a feeling like autumn, looking on 
 into a dreary winter. Yet when their eyes 
 met a gleam of hope and courage darted from 
 the one soul to the other. 
 
 They were passing the house of the starosta 
 Savely, when they saw him come quickly across 
 his yard to intercept them. Savely 's mothei 
 and Ooliana had been sisters, and he had known 
 her and loved her as a kinswoman from his
 
 THE PANNOTSHKA'S GRAVE. 155 
 
 childhood. She was two years younger than 
 he, and he had always looked upon himself 
 as her brother and protector. 
 
 " Ooliana," he said, stepping in front of 
 them, and speaking with the air of a man in 
 authority, " I warn you to go home. There 
 is danger where you are going ; danger foi 
 you, but above all for your son." 
 
 Ooliana looked steadily into his face with 
 her clear, dark eyes, and a wistful smile played 
 about her mouth. 
 
 " I will answer 3'ou, Savely," she said, 
 " in the words of our Lord, ' Fear not them 
 which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
 the soul : but rather fear him which is able 
 to destroy both body and soul in hell.' It 
 is sin we fear ; and not to obey our conscience 
 is a sin against God." 
 
 " You will perish for it ! " cried Savely, 
 with emotion. 
 
 "We may die, but we cannot perish," 
 she answered. " Our Lord says, ' No man 
 can pluck you out of my Father's hand.' Yes, 
 we are in His hand, Savely ; would to God 
 you were there too." 
 
 Savely turned away sorrowful and ashamed ;
 
 156 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and the mother and son, side by side, almost 
 hand in hand, as they had been wont to walk 
 when Paul was a little child, passed on to 
 the humble meeting-place. 
 
 Not more than half of the small band was 
 there, fear having taken possession of the 
 hearts of the least earnest among them. Lou- 
 kyan's chair was empty ; and at the sight of 
 it the tears suddenly dimmed Ooliana's eyes. 
 A hymn was sung, in low voices, with man}'' a 
 break in it, as one after another fell a- weeping. 
 Just at its close, a man who had been sitting 
 in a dark corner came forward, and stood 
 before the little congregation. Thc}^ recognised 
 ill him a pedlar, who had come to sell his 
 wares in Knishi the day before. 
 
 "I am Stepan,'' he said, "begotten of 
 Loukyan as my spiritual lather. The cluirch 
 at Kovylsk has sent by me an epistle to 
 the church at Knishi. Let me read it to 
 you, brethren." 
 
 All present had heard of Stepan and his 
 iconoclasm. There was a murmur of welcome 
 before he proceeded to read the letter. 
 
 " The church at Kovylsk sends greeting 
 by Stepau to the beloved brethren at Knishi.
 
 THE PANNOTSHKA'8 GRAVE. 157 
 
 We know the sorrow that has befallen you in 
 the loss of your beloved leader, Loukyan. He 
 is here, near to us ; but alas ! beyond our 
 reach save by our prayers, Tvhich shall rise up 
 before the throne of Grod our Father by day 
 and by night. What can be done, without 
 bribery and corruption, shall be done ; but God 
 forbid that we should tempt any man to sin 
 a^rainst the laws of our land ! Brethren, 
 perilous days have come. Black clouds are 
 gathering around us, and we see no light any- 
 where save from above, where the sun of 
 righteousness is shining, with healing in its 
 beams. Look up ! Lift up your hearts — yea, 
 lift them up unto the Lord. Pray tliat we 
 all may be strengthened with strength in 
 our souls. Be strong ! — be strong, we say, 
 in the Lord ! 
 
 " Brethren, you remembered us in our afflic- 
 tion, and sent largely of your own goods to 
 aid our nrcessities. Now, then, be not back- 
 ward in letting us know your needs, and we 
 will joyfully supply them. If any among 
 you hunger, or are in need of clothing, send 
 us a trustj^ messenger, and all we have you 
 shall share. We hold out to you the hand of
 
 158 THE niGnWAY OF SORROW, 
 
 fellowship and brotherliood. You are as dear 
 IS our own flesh and blood, in the bonds 
 of our Lord. 
 
 •' Beware of brealdni^ any law ! Beware 
 of arguing and disputing ! Beware of the 
 vodka shops ! Beware, above all, of those 
 men who go about stirring up the peasantry 
 and sowing discontent and rebellion ! We are 
 loyal to the Tzar, whom God in His infinite 
 wisdom has placed over us. What belongs 
 to him we give willingly. * Bender unto 
 Ca3sar the things which are Caesar's, and unto 
 God the things which are God's.' There is 
 no plainer precept than that. 
 
 " And now, beloved, both men and wo- 
 men, farewell ! Be steadfast ; be of one 
 mind ; trust in the Lord ; and the peace of 
 God, which passeth all understanding, shall 
 remain in you." 
 
 A sorrowful conversation followed the read- 
 ing- of this letter. Stepan told them that 
 he had been sent by the brethren in Volysk 
 on a mission to strengthen the scattered 
 churches in the province by telling them of 
 his own marvellous conversion, when the Light 
 of Life broke in almost instantaneously on his
 
 THE PANNOTSHKA'S GRAVE. 159 
 
 dark and dead soul. It was agreed that after 
 a few days Paul should drive in his cart 
 to Kovylsk to find out anything that could 
 be known of Louk^^an, and after a few 
 ardent and tearful prayers the little congre- 
 gation dispersed. 
 
 The village well was surrounded by groups 
 of women as Ooliana and Paul passed it on 
 their way homewards. Ooliana paused, as 
 usual, to exchange greetings with her neigh- 
 bours, and Paul found a chance of whispering 
 to Halj^a. 
 
 " Meet me this afternoon at the Pannot- 
 shka's grave," he said. 
 
 Halya nodded, but said nothing. 
 
 The Pannotshka's grave lay in the re- 
 cesses of an old forest, almost two miles 
 from Knishi. There was no road to it but 
 a by-path which ran along the crumbling 
 edge of a deep ravine, which was crossed by 
 a rude brid2:e made of the trunk of a huge 
 walnut-tree, fiung across the chasm. In the 
 spring this ravine was the bed of a roarinfj^ 
 torrent, which dried up during the summer 
 into a channel, along which lay bleached and 
 rounded stones, which looked like the bones of
 
 160 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 the dead. A terrible murder of a young girl 
 liad been committed in this ravine a century ago. 
 According to custom, a cross was put upon 
 tlie edge to mark the blood-stained spot ; but 
 lonii airo the cross, and even the mound on 
 which it stood, had been washed away b}' the 
 spring floods. Still the place was regarded with 
 the old horror. It was known to be haunted. 
 Belated travellers had heard distinctly the 
 sounds of screaming, cr3^ing, and hellish 
 laug^hter echoing: throusfh the darkness. Herds- 
 men with their cattle avoided the Pannot- 
 shkas' grave, and the stealers of wood were 
 not tempted by the splendid oak and walnut- 
 trees which grew near it, preferring the risk 
 of being caught by the foresters to being 
 caught by the evil spirits which liaunted the 
 ravine. 
 
 Left undisturbed by man, Nature took pos- 
 session of the place, and its exuberance and 
 extraordinary vigour arrested the eye and ex- 
 cited the imagination, adding incalculable force 
 to the impression that some invisible and 
 m3'sterious power was brooding over the place. 
 
 It was at night, howev^er, that the Pan- 
 notshka's grave was absolutel}^ deserted. It
 
 THE PANNOTSHKA'S GRAVE. 161 
 
 was always solitary, but during the day not 
 altogether shunned ; and though Halya would 
 not have chosen to walk there alone, she was 
 not afraid to go to meet Paul. It was a close, 
 sultry day in early autumn. Not a breath of 
 air was stirring, and all nature seemed asleep 
 as if in the sleep of death. From the cloudless 
 sky the fierce sun poured down its rays as if 
 they were liquid fire, and the pale stubble-fields 
 reflected the heat on her face, her hands, and 
 her bare feet. Xot a bird chirped. Only the 
 grasshoppers were in high glee, leaping up 
 from under her hurried footsteps with a shrill 
 twitter, as if they enjoyed the torture the heat 
 inflicted on all other living things. 
 
 " Oh ! only to reach the wood ! " thought 
 Halya. 
 
 Yet she did not go straight to the Pan- 
 notshka's grave. Suppose she should reach it 
 before Paul was there ! She was afraid of it 
 even by daylight. Besides, there were reptiles 
 there, for the spot was swampy, and she could 
 not bear the thought of them. 
 
 She threw herself on the ground as soon 
 as she reached the outskirts of the forest. 
 In the deep, dry shadow of the thick trees it 
 
 L
 
 162 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 was cool ; and she laid hev biirniD2: face on 
 the soft sward.* It seemed like paradise after 
 the broilinij^ heat of the fields. 
 
 " He must find me ! " she said ; " if he 
 loves me, he will find me easily." 
 
 B^'-and-by she lifted up her face, and 
 began to watch with eager curiosity the 
 movements of a colony of ants close beside 
 her. She forgot herself in noticing them. 
 Some were busy striving to move a little 
 bit of cork which had fallen from the tree 
 above her. 
 
 " That's a family going to build a house ! " 
 she thought. Another ant was laboriously 
 dragging along a withered stalk of grass over 
 tlie uneven ground. 
 
 " That is a tree," she said, " he has cut 
 it down. Is it his own, or has he stolen it ? 
 Probably stolen. Here is the forester running 
 after him. Now he will be caught and sent 
 to Siberia." 
 
 But the second ant, instead of lighting 
 with the first, seized the stalk at the other 
 end, and helped to drag it along. 
 
 " Oh ! 1 wish men were like that ! " said 
 llalya, sigliing heavily; "they are all against
 
 TEE PAXNOTSEKA'S GRAVE. 163 
 
 one another. Oh ! I wonder Paul does not 
 come." 
 
 The leafy trees spread their branches over 
 her, motionless in the torpid air. Here and 
 there through the boughs little bits of blue 
 sky could be seen ; but farther within the 
 forest the green roof overhead grew more 
 dense. She crept slowly and anxiously onwards 
 in the direction of the Pannotshka's grave, 
 and the trees began to form a thick, unbroken 
 wall, hemming her in on every side. She 
 felt herself very far away from home, and the 
 forest, with its mysterious atmosphere, was 
 enfolding her with a terrible embrace. Her 
 heart began to beat violently; and she stopped 
 to listen. What confused, unfamiliar sounds 
 there were in these green vaults ! 
 
 She knew she was going in the direction 
 of the Pannotshka's grave; but she could not 
 resist the fascination. Her curiosity, mingled 
 with superstitious tremors, and the desire of 
 seeing something extraordinary, carried her 
 onwards. At last she reached the blood- 
 stained spot, and gazed down, with a quaking 
 heart, into the ravine. 
 
 It was a wild, enchanted chasm of tangled 
 L 2
 
 164 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 brusliwood growing in unpruned luxuriance. 
 The pale grey-green of the wild rose-trees 
 stood out asrainst the dark hue of the nettles. 
 Large ferns sprang up from the damp soil ; 
 and the giant hemlock grew in unchecked 
 abundance. Hazel-bushes were crowding up 
 against the sturdy trunks of oaks that had 
 li\'ed for centuries. A strange odour rose from 
 the mingled verdure, an overpowering exha- 
 lation, which seemed to steal away her senses. 
 This was the very spot where the demons 
 met at niirhtfall, to consult what evil thev 
 could wreak upon Christians. Slie remembered 
 how Avdiushka, the crazy boy of Knishi, had 
 been just like other people, until he had 
 wandered hither one twilight, and did not 
 come home till dawn quite an idiot. 
 
 Suddenl}" she heard a loud bleating close 
 behind her, and something rushed past her 
 into the ravine. The blood curdled in her 
 veins, and she tried to flee from the accursed 
 spot. But her limbs failed her, and she 
 would have fallen to the ground if Paul's 
 strong: arms had not caught her at that moment. 
 JShe clung to him with all her might. 
 
 " The bleating ! " she gasped, pointing to
 
 THE PANNOTSEKA'8 GRAVE. 165 
 
 tbe thicket, and staring with a frightened 
 look. 
 
 " It is nothing but a strayed sheep, my 
 Halya," said Paul ; " you wiU not be frightened 
 now I am with you ! " 
 
 " No ! " she answered, with a sob and a 
 smile. " Why are you so late, Paul? I thought 
 you had forgotten." 
 
 " Forgotten ! " he echoed, " forgotten ! That 
 w^ould be impossible. Why ! I never cease 
 to think of j^ou. And I have been waiting 
 here an hour or more, afraid that you had 
 been hindered. Let us sit down, my darling ; 
 I have so much to say to you." 
 
 Paul looked at her bare feet, and saw that 
 one of them had got a scratch from some 
 bramble. He seated her on the trunk of a 
 fallen tree, and taking off his sheepskin cap, 
 he put both her little feet into it, touching 
 them tenderly. 
 
 " Poor little things ! " he said, " they will 
 be more comfortable like that. My Halya ! 
 I am afraid to say what I must say to you. 
 I am afraid of you." 
 
 " Afraid of me ! " laughed Halya ; but seeing 
 Paul's agitated face, she suddenly became grave.
 
 166 THE IIIGIIWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 "Lonkyan was arrested yesterday," said Paul. 
 
 " Ah ! my God ! " she answered. " I heard 
 of it ; poor old Loiikyan ! " 
 
 " He will be exiled to Siberia ! " he con- 
 tinued in an undertone of horror. 
 
 "To Siberia! What for? AVhat evil has 
 he done? " asked Halya. 
 
 " For reading the New Testament, and 
 preacliing God's salvation to those wdio are 
 in darkness," he replied. He went on to talk 
 of Loukyan's apostolic life and teaching. His 
 own iieart was full of the subject, and he 
 spoke of his leader with great w^armth. 
 
 But Halya listened carelessly. She had 
 not come to the Pannotshka's grave to talk 
 about old Loukj^an, the bee-master. She pitied 
 him ; but there were more important things 
 to talk about. 
 
 " Halj^a," said Paul, '" what I must tell 
 you is this — they all say I sliall be chosen 
 presbyter in Loukyan's stead. I am one of 
 the youngest ; but I have more learning than 
 au}^ of the rest. Then, my darling, the post 
 of greatest danger will be mine." 
 
 " Danger ! " she cried, looking at him in 
 perplexity.
 
 THE PANNOTS ERA'S GRAVE. 1G7 
 
 *' Yes ! " lie said; " what lias befallen Loiikyan 
 will befall me sooner or later. I, too, shall be 
 arrested, and sent to Siberia." 
 
 In spite of tlie summer heat and sunshine, 
 a shiver ran through them both as he uttered 
 the dread word Siberia. 
 
 " No, no ! " she cried, nestling closer to him, 
 "don't do it, Paul! Leave them. Come back 
 to me, and the true Church ! Ah ! you do not 
 love me ; or you would not speak of such 
 things. Do you love the gaol and Siberia 
 better than Knishi, and freedom, and me?" 
 
 "No, my Hah^a," he answered; "but, 
 dearest, I love God and His truth above all 
 things in heaven and earth. Oh ! if you only 
 knew the Saviour as I know Him you would 
 understand." 
 
 " Then I shall have to many Panass," 
 sobbed Halya, interrupting him ; " old Okhrim 
 came yesterday, and he and my father are 
 making up the match. If you loved me you 
 would save me from Panass. I could persuade 
 my father to give me to you, if you were 
 only a Christian. Oh ! why do 3^ou make me 
 so unhapp}^ ? " 
 
 "I knew I must tell you," said Paul,
 
 us THE HiaUWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 "because if you became my wife you would 
 have to share my lot. We shall be poor and 
 forsaken, persecuted and exiled ; and you could 
 not endure that." 
 
 " Yes ! I could — with you," replied Halya, 
 in a delicious whisper. She pressed her cheek 
 ajjainst his. 
 
 " Oh ! I love you, Paul ! " she cried ; " I 
 never loved anyone but you ! Don't leave me ; 
 don't give me up ! I could go to Siberia 
 with you a hundred times rather than marry 
 Panass ! " 
 
 She lifted up her face, and fixed a long 
 and searching gaze upon him. He was deeply 
 moved ; but his eyes were sad and steadfast. 
 She did not find in them a sign of yielding. 
 Her head fell down; and she broke into a 
 passion of weeping. 
 
 " There is no chance of happiness for us," 
 said Paul, " or rather there is only one — that 
 you should cast in your lot witli us, and let 
 us be married by the German pastor." 
 
 Halya shook her head. 
 
 "Then God's will be done!" he murmured, 
 yielding to that thread of fatalism which runs 
 through all the life of a llussian peasant, and
 
 THE PANNOTS ERA'S GBAVE. 169 
 
 wbich gives to them a strange patience with 
 their bitter lot. 
 
 They sat together, almost in silence, until the 
 red ball of the sun touched the western horizon ; 
 and deep shadows began to creep along the 
 forest glades. The herdsman's horns were 
 heard in the distance ; the cattle were being 
 gathered together for the night. Paul led 
 Halya to the outskirts of the forest ; and they 
 parted, as lovers part who have met for the 
 last time. 
 
 Paul flunjr himself under a tree and buried 
 his face in his hands. How long he remained 
 in his hopeless reverie he did not know ; but 
 when he lifted up his head the stars were 
 hanging like little lamps in the dark blue of 
 the sky. To reach Ostron he must pass 
 through the depths of the forest behind him. 
 He fully believed in the existence of demons ; 
 but he had no fear of them. What harm 
 could come to him whom God protected ? He 
 strode boldly into the wood. 
 
 At some little distance within the forest 
 stood a charcoal-burner's hut, almost fallen into 
 ruins ; for since the mischance that had 
 happened to Avdiushka no peasant could be
 
 170 THE IIIGTHVAY OF SORROW. 
 
 found to undertake any work so near the 
 Punnotshka's grave. Wliat was Paul's amaze- 
 ment to see a light shining througli the 
 chinks of the roof and the walls ? He crept 
 stealthily forward, with beating pulses and a 
 throbbing heart. His curiosity and courage 
 sustained each other ; when one failed the 
 other prompted him. He could not go on, 
 and leave this mystery unsolved. At last 
 he reached the hut near enough to see the 
 interior through the half-open door. There 
 sat Valerian ; and beside him a man with a 
 packet of papers in his hand. They were talk- 
 ing in quiet tones. 
 
 "I thought I heard a footstep," said the 
 stranger. 
 
 " Impossible ! " answered Valerian, with a 
 lauch ; " there is not a soul in Knishi would 
 venture within a mile of this at night. They 
 believe in the devil too firmly. The devil has 
 been of some use for once, my friend." 
 
 They resumed their conversation in lower 
 tones ; and Paul stole away as silently as he 
 had approached the hut. 
 
 His mother was watching for his return. 
 He could see her sitting inside the house,
 
 THE PANNOTSEKA'8 GRAVE. 17 J 
 
 with her knitting in her hands, and the 
 well-worn New Testament lying on the table 
 before her. Speechless and unhappy he crept 
 to her side, and kneeling down hid his face 
 on her breast. 
 
 Ooliana understood what he meant, and her 
 heart was torn with conflicting emotions. She 
 remembered when this beloved head nestled in 
 her bosom as its only resting-place, when no 
 pain or grief troubled it. Her baby was a 
 man now, with a man's passions and qualities. 
 He was suffering grievously; and his very 
 silence was eloquent of his grief. Her tears 
 fell fast upon his dark hair, and she pressed 
 her lips fondly against the bowed head. 
 
 "There is no man," she said, "that hath 
 left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, 
 or children, for the kingdom of Grod's sake, 
 who shall not receive manifold more in this 
 present time ; and in the world to come ever- 
 lasting life."
 
 172 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 hai-ya's betrothal. 
 
 It was well for Halya that her father was 
 not in when she reached home. He had gone 
 to Okhrim's, and would probably not be back 
 till a late hour. Marfa told her she looked 
 upon the marriage with Panass as quite settled, 
 and she was looking over Halya's wardrobe 
 and the household linen they had spun together 
 for several winters past. The mother seemed 
 to think that any girl must be delighted at 
 so splendid a match, and with such a dowry 
 as her father was willing to give to her. 
 
 " Mother ! " she cried, " what good will 
 it do me for other girls to envy me ? I shall 
 be miserable ! " 
 
 " Don't say that ! It is unlucky," answered 
 her mother. " God is with you. In time 
 you may get used to it, and you will love 
 your husband." 
 
 " You don't love my father," said Halya ;
 
 EALYA'S BETROTHAL. 173 
 
 "you are afraid of liim, and you are happier 
 when he is out of the way. He does not mind 
 striking you, if you displease him, and Panass 
 will treat me the same, as soon as he is tired 
 of me.'* 
 
 They were silent for a little while, Marfa 
 counting out the cloths and towels into tens, 
 when Halya broke out passionately. 
 
 " I will not marr}?- him ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 ** How can you say so ? " asked her mother. 
 *' Did you ever know any girl who refused to 
 marry the husband her father chose? It is 
 unheard of. He would beat you, and lock 
 you up, and starve you, and all the men would 
 say he was right. You would 'be obliged to 
 give in ; it is a woman's fate to do as she 
 is ordered. Oh yes ! I know. I was a girl 
 once, and I was afraid of Karpo. How I knelt 
 at my father's feet and bogged and prayed ! I 
 loved someone else, too. Karpo was older than 
 me, and he also loved a poor girl. But our 
 families were rich and they compelled us to 
 marry. It was a bitter sorrow for me. Yes, 
 Halya, you are not the first, and you won't 
 be the last, my poor child." 
 
 The poor mother was softened by the
 
 174 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 recollection of her own girlhood, and she began 
 to pity and ciy over her daughter. Halya 
 did not answer ; she knew her mother could 
 not help her. 
 
 She wept a good part of the night, and 
 got up with reddened eyelids and a pale face. 
 Karpo, coming in to breakfast, scanned her 
 with an attentive and searchinsr look. He 
 was fond of his only child, and it vexed him 
 to think lie might have to force her into 
 marriage with Panass. He watched her closely, 
 seeing that she ate nothing. She cleared the 
 table and folded the table-cloth listlessly, not 
 once glancing at him. It was useless to defer 
 any explanation. 
 
 "Well, daughter," he said, " I believe you 
 know that Grod is sending you a good husband. 
 Okhrim and I are pretty well agreed about the 
 dowry, and next Sunday we will have the 
 betrothal feast." 
 
 " Father ! " cried nal3-a, kneeling before 
 hiin, and hiding her face against his knee. 
 " I don't want to marry. If you loved me 
 3'ou wouldn't want to get rid of me in such 
 a hurry." 
 
 " I don't want to marry ! I don't want to
 
 EALYA'S BETROTHAL. 175 
 
 marry ! " repeated Karpo, with a sneer ; " every 
 girl wants to be married, and Panass is 
 the best match in Knishi. Any other girl 
 would light a candle before the icon and dance 
 for joy." 
 
 " Father, I dislike Panass ; I shall not be 
 happy with him. Don't make me miserable! 
 I am your only child." 
 
 Old Karpo felt dissatisfied with himself 
 when he found he could not make his heart 
 as hard as a flint ap-ainst his daughter. 
 
 " Tell me," he said, " are you still thinking 
 of Paul Rudenko ? " 
 
 " Yes ! " whispered Ilalya, pressing closer to 
 her father. 
 
 "But if he goes on as he is he will have 
 all his goods and his lands confiscated," said 
 Karpo; "I know it for certain. Savely and 
 Father Vasili were talking about it. You 
 cannot live upon nothing, my little Halya. 
 You are young and foolish, and do not under- 
 stand what life is. It is not all petting and 
 befooling one another. Perhaps, though, Paul 
 is going to give up his stupid heresy ? " he 
 added, in a softer voice. If Paul would but 
 return to the religion of his forefathers, he
 
 176 THE niGHWAY OF SORllOW. 
 
 would no longer oppose liis marriage with 
 Halva. 
 
 " No. Oh no ! " she sobbed. 
 
 " And you would marry a Stundist ! " ex- 
 claimed Karpo. 
 
 " I don't want to marry the one or the 
 other," persisted Halya ; " let me stay at 
 home, dear father ! I will work, and please 
 3'ou in every way. I will never go out except 
 to church. Oh ! let ' me stay and live with 
 you." 
 
 Marfa had been listening in silence. 
 
 " WI13' hurry her, indeed ? " she said now ; 
 " let her stay at home and prolong her girlhood. 
 It is the only happy time we women have in 
 life. She will have plenty more chances to 
 go under the yoke." 
 
 " Shut np, you fool ! " stormed Karpo, 
 glad to find someone to vent his vexation upon ; 
 " you see the girl is almost out of her mind 
 and hardly knows what she says, and instead 
 of talking reason and sense to her, you begin 
 wailing about women not being happy. No 
 more nonsense ! She shall marry Panass, and 
 there is an end to it. We will have the be- 
 trothal ft'ast on Sunday."
 
 MALTA'S BETROTHAL. 177 
 
 He fliing- himself out of the house, leavino- 
 Halya sobbing on the floor beside his chair. 
 Marfa could not offer her any consolation. 
 Both of them were thinkinsi; the same thino". 
 It would be impossible for her to marry Paul, 
 and her father would compel her to take 
 another husband. Why not Panass as well as 
 anybody else ? 
 
 Two days later Karpo went to see Okhriin 
 again, and the next day Okhrim came to see 
 Karpo. They sat together for hours, discussing 
 the most minute details of the dowry, till at 
 last they came to an agreement on all points 
 and shook hands over the barcrain. 
 
 The same day Karpo told his daughter 
 all was definitely settled. The girl received 
 the fatal news with apparent indifference. 
 
 " Thank God ! she is all right now," thought 
 Karpo. He even condescended to ask Marfa 
 what she thought of Halya. 
 
 "She seems all right," answered the 
 mother prudently. 
 
 Indeed, Halya appeared quite reconciled to 
 her fate. She cried no more ; but helped her 
 mother, and busied herself about the house 
 in preparation of the approaching feast. Once 
 
 M
 
 178 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 ^vhen she was carrying water home from the 
 well she met Paul, and greeted him almost 
 as if he was a mere acquaintance. All was 
 over between them. It was wrong now even 
 to think of him. 
 
 Long before da3^1ight on Sunday morn- 
 ing Marfa was bus}^ at her oven. Food 
 onouirh for a whole rei'iment of soldiers had 
 to be cooked. The whole house was turned 
 uj)side down. Karpo brought from the cellar 
 all kinds of liquors, especially mead made 
 I'rom honey, and vodka. In fornier days 
 Ooliana would have been there putting her 
 hand deftly to everything. Ah ! if Paul had 
 only been the betrothed lover ! 
 
 Ilalya took out the marriage-scarf which 
 she had embroidered so beautifully, weaving 
 into every stitch bright thoughts of her happy 
 life with Paul. How often she had pictured 
 to herself how she would tie it as a sash 
 round Paul, and then stoop and kiss his hand 
 in token that she looked upon him as her 
 master and husband ! 
 
 Busy as tluy were, it was essential that 
 all the family should go to church. It 
 would not do for an^'one to suppose the
 
 RALYA'S BETROTHAL. 179 
 
 preparations for the feast detained tliera. There 
 was no chance of Paul being there; and 
 Halya's heavy heart was undisturbed. On 
 their return home Marfa and Halja hastily 
 completed their arrangements ; and as the 
 church clock struck twelve the fruests beg^an 
 to come. 
 
 Neither Marfa nor Halya sat down to 
 table ; they went to and fro between the oven 
 and the dining-table, serving the guests, and 
 pressing them to eat from one dish after 
 another. Hour after hour they sat feasting, 
 until at last the hungriest guest declared he 
 had had enough. Then at a signal from her 
 father Halva went out, and brousfht in her 
 marriage scarf, with its rich embroidery. 
 Panass met her in the middle of the room, 
 and she fastened it round him, and, bowing 
 low, was about to kiss his hand. But Panass 
 lifted up her pretty face, and kissed her on 
 the lips. 
 
 " It's only once out of hundreds of times ! " 
 he said, w^ith a foolish laugh. 
 
 The blood rushed back from Halya's face, 
 leaving her as cold and white as marble. It 
 would be better to die, she said to herself. 
 m2
 
 ISO THE HIGHWAY OF SOBROW. 
 
 At dusk Oklirim siisfq-ested tliat the whole 
 coni])any should go down to his house to 
 finish up the night with drinking vodka. 
 There were no women there, he said signiti- 
 cantly. At last Halya was left alone, for her 
 mother, worn out with fatigue, crept away 
 to bed. She tore off her rich betrothal dress, 
 unbound the ribbons from her hair, and 
 tossed them, with a coral necklace, on to the 
 floor. Thev were hateful ornaments to her. 
 
 " Oh, Lord ! what will become of me ! 
 what will become of me ! " she murmured in 
 agony ; " oh, Paul ! 3'ou might have saved 
 me ! And I love you so ! I love you so ! " 
 
 In the meantime the drinkins2: Vv'ent on in 
 Okhrim's house until ever^'one was more or 
 less intt)xicated. Okhrim had invited several 
 other guests, among whom was Father Vasili ; 
 and Panass assiduously filled up every glass 
 as soon as it was empt}'. He was celebrating 
 a. double triumph; he had won the girl whom 
 he had longed for, and he had ousted his 
 rival Paul, who had alwa^-s looked upon 
 llalya as his own. Panass drank joyously 
 to his own betrothal. 
 
 The revels were carric.'d on far into the
 
 EALYA'S BETROTHAL. 181 
 
 iiiglit. At one end of the room half a dozen 
 men were tryin£c to »mo- tosrether, each one 
 with a different tune, or a different song. In 
 another corner Karpo w^as caressing the red- 
 headed Audrey, taking him for Hal3^a, and 
 saying in a thick voice that Panass was worth 
 a hundred Pauls ; that Paul compared with 
 Panass was like a pig to a horse. These words 
 were caught up hy Panass, and excited his 
 drunken imasfination. 
 
 " Paul Pudenko ! who speaks of a pig like 
 him?" he shouted. "I've got Halya; and 
 now I'd like to pound him into powder." 
 
 " Look here, boys ! " cried one of the 
 younger men, " let us go and make Paul 
 drink in honour of this betrothal." 
 
 " Let us go ! let us go ! " shouted ever\^ 
 man who could stand on his feet ; and leaving 
 the older men to continue their drunken 
 debauch they set off to Ostron. 
 
 The gate of Paul's courtyard was locked, but 
 in a moment it was broken by a rush of 
 strong men against it. Heavy fists knocked 
 at the doors and window shutters. There 
 was a sound of a child crying within, and 
 very quickly Ooliana opened a window.
 
 182 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORBOW. 
 
 " AVhiit is the nuitter?" she cried, seeing 
 the house beset bv men. 
 
 "We want Paul! where is he? where is 
 Paul?" they shouted. 
 
 *' He is not here," answered Ooliana ; 
 " Paul is gone to Kovylsk." 
 
 She closed the window sharply, and dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 " She is telllnij: lies ! " vociferated Panass ; 
 " Paul is frightened, and is hiding indoors. 
 Let us force the door, comrades." 
 
 Several of them snatched up a beam which 
 was lying near at hand, and they were about 
 to attack the door, when suddenly it was 
 opened from within, and the tall, dignified 
 form of Ooliana stood in the doorway. The 
 men involuntarilv fell back. Ooliana made a 
 step forward, and her whole face and figure 
 were lit up by the moon. 
 
 " Why have you come ? " she asked ; 
 " Panass, Audrey, Danilo, Petro ! You are 
 all of you the sons of respectable people : 
 many of them my dear friends. I could not 
 be afraid of you as if you were a band of 
 robbers. What do you want? I have l)em- 
 yan's little child in my house, very ill, and
 
 HALYA'S BETROTHAL. 183 
 
 you have startled him. Tell me what you 
 want." 
 
 "We want Paul to come out and drink 
 the health of the bride and bridegroom," said 
 Danilo. 
 
 " You ought to be ashamed ! " replied 
 Oohana. "Paul is gone to see Louk3^an. 
 Probably he will get into trouble for it ; but 
 my son is no coward. He risks everything 
 to help his old friend. He never dreamed 
 that I should be molested by our neigh- 
 bours. Demyan too is gone, and there are 
 only we two women and a baby in the house. 
 If you don't believe me, come in and see 
 for yourselves." 
 
 She opened the door wide, and stood on 
 one side, as if expecting them to enter. The 
 young men looked sheepish, and remained 
 motionless. 
 
 " Boys ! " she said in her clear and pleas- 
 ant voice, " I have known every one of you 
 all your lives. This is Sunday night ; and 
 most of you went to church this morning, 
 and prayed to God, saying : ' Our Father, lead 
 us not into temptation, but deliver us from 
 evil.' And at night you get drunk, and come
 
 IS^ THE HIGH WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 to disturb poor lonely women. I know the 
 devil tempts you, but you must resist liim, 
 and he will flee from you. Ask God to help 
 you. You are an industrious man, Panass ; 
 and you, Dauilo, are a good son ; and Petro 
 is always helping his neighbours. There is 
 good in you all. Oh, my sons, be you good 
 men ! 
 
 She confronted the subdued and silenced 
 crowd for a minute longer, and then with a 
 cordial " Good-night ! " she turned and entered 
 the house. 
 
 The young men felt ashamed to look one 
 another in the face. They dispersed quietly, 
 with no more shoutinfj and siua:iuir.
 
 185 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 INQUISITORS. 
 
 On his return to Kovylsk, Father Paissy went 
 immediately to the Archbishop with a report 
 of what he had learned in Ivnishi. He stated 
 that he found religion there in a deplorable 
 condition ; the Orthodox church almost de- 
 serted, and the Stundists flourishing, without 
 let or hindrance either from the Mir or the 
 priest. He feared that the heresy would 
 spread widely ; but he had arrested the leader, 
 and he had given wholesome advice and strin- 
 gent directions to Father Vasili and to the 
 starosta of Knishi. 
 
 " And the other heretic ? " mumbled the 
 old Archbishop, who was growing childish, 
 but who prided himself on his memory. 
 " The man who chopped the sacred icon to 
 fragments in the market-place. Is he arrested?" 
 
 "Alas! no," answered Paissy. "He is 
 hiding somewhere ; but we are on his track.
 
 1S6 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 When he is caught, he will be tried to- 
 grether with tlie Knishi Stundist on the same 
 indictment." 
 
 " Very good ! " said tlie Archbishop ; " we 
 must not bear the sword of God in vain. 
 We must root out tliis damnable heresy 
 b}^ the sword, if the}' will not listen to 
 reason." 
 
 The Archbishop proceeded to institute a 
 committee for inquir}^ into the matter, 
 the members of which were chosen from the 
 Consistory, and Paissy was appointed its 
 secretary. He became, in fact, the heart and 
 soul of it. Along this path promotion lay, 
 and Paissy was profoundly ambitious. He 
 had, moreover, a sincere hatred of all heresy 
 and schism. To him the Orthodox Greek 
 Church was the only w^ay to heaven ; and 
 attendance at its services, and due payment 
 of its many chiitns, were the steps by which 
 to pursue tliat way. There was no possi- 
 bility of salvation outside its pale ; at any 
 rate, for t1i()S(> who had been ])()rn in it. God's 
 uncovenanted mercies might be extended to 
 those nations so geographically unfortunate 
 as to be born beyond the limits of Holy
 
 IXQUISITOBS. 187 
 
 Eussia; but to Eussian seceders no mercy 
 could be sliown either by Grod or man. 
 
 Though Father Paissy had an inward 
 conviction that Loukyan was one of those 
 fanatics who could not be brought to repent- 
 ance and recantation, he still felt it his duty 
 to make the attempt. He proposed to the 
 Committee that someone should see what 
 could be done with their prisoner by argu- 
 ment and persuasion, and he was unanim- 
 ously elected for the task, as being a 
 priest imbued with the most truly Christian 
 principles. 
 
 Paissy betook himself to the prison ; but 
 his benevolent feeling towards Loukyan re- 
 ceived at once a severe shock. He found 
 him and a fellow- Stundist taking a walk 
 together in the prison-yard, their two warders 
 playing in the meantime a game of cards in 
 a corner, where they could not overhear the 
 conversation of their prisoners. This indul- 
 gence shown to the obstinate enemies of Grod 
 and the Church made Paissy's blood boil with 
 indignation. He summoned the superintendent 
 of the gaol, and threatened to denounce him 
 at once to the Governor of the province. He
 
 1S8 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 was onl}' appeased by the instant dismissal 
 of the warders and the separation of the 
 prisoners. 
 
 After this scene the task of persuasive 
 exhortation was no easy matter, and Paissy 
 went away without exchanging a word with 
 either of the imprisoned Stundists. 
 
 A few days afterwards the Committee for 
 preliminary investigation held its first meet- 
 ing in the Consistory buildings. The room 
 in which they met was adorned Avith the 
 portraits of eminent archbishops, and behind 
 the head of a large table, covered with green 
 cloth, hung a life-size portrait of the Tzar 
 in a massive gilded frame. The six members 
 of the Committee sat on each side of the 
 table, with Paissy in the middle. Before him 
 was laid a New Testament in gorgeous bind- 
 ing, and beside it was a golden cross brought 
 from the adjoining church, to give a more 
 sacred solemnity to the judicial proceedings. 
 
 At a sign from Paissy an official sum- 
 moned the warders and their prisoners. They 
 entered by dilTerent doors, and Loukyan's 
 heart leaped into his mouth as he saw the 
 other prisoner was Stepan. StejDan smiled and
 
 INQUISITORS. 189 
 
 nodded slightly. They then bowed three 
 times, as is the custom of the peasantry, first 
 in direct front, and afterwards to the right 
 and left ; hut neither of them crossed them- 
 selves, or bowed to the icons. 
 
 They both wore a prison dress, which very 
 much altered their appearance, giving them a 
 meaner and humiliated look. The warders 
 placed them side by side at the foot of the 
 table. 
 
 *' Prisoners," said Paissy, in his softest 
 tones, " you deserve severe punishment for 
 numerous offences against our holy Church. 
 Your blasphemies have been a scandal to all 
 orthodox people. But our Archbishop, in his 
 fatherly kindness and long-suffering towards 
 you, seeks rather to restore you to religion than 
 to inflict penalties upon you. He will inter- 
 cede for 3^ou to the civil authorities, and get 
 you restored to freedom and to your legal 
 rights, if you repent and expiate your crimes. 
 By public recantation of your errors you will 
 set a good example to those whom you have 
 already misled into the paths of error. Listen 
 closely to what I am about to say." 
 
 He paused for a few moments, looking at
 
 190 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 tliem with a stead}^ and searcliing gaze. Then 
 he addressed Stepan. 
 
 " Stepan Vasiliev," he said, " yielding to 
 the instigation of the devil, 3'ou profaned our 
 holy religion !)}'■ publicly cleaving into splinters 
 several sacred icons. A frairment of these is in 
 our possession, and we do not doubt that it was 
 the divine image of the Mother of God ! We 
 shudder at the thought of such sacrilege. 
 According to law you might be adjudged 
 to imprisonment, or to hard labour for life 
 in the mines of Siberia." 
 
 " I confess it," answered Stepan ; " I de- 
 stroyed the icons. But I had just read in 
 the Bible, ' Ye shall not make to yourselves 
 idols.' The poor ignorant peasants worship 
 the icons themselves ; they call them God, even. 
 ' Here is our God ! ' they say, and they bow 
 down to them and worship them " 
 
 He was interrupted by Loukyan, who 
 was calnifr and more experienced tlian his 
 fellow-prisoner, and wlio Avanted to prevent 
 him from ruining his cause by rash admissions. 
 
 " He did not gatlier a crowd, your rever- 
 ence," he said. " It was in the inn-yard, and 
 only a few people saw him."
 
 INQUISITORS. 191 
 
 *' Hold your tongue ! " cried Paissy, raising 
 his voice ; " your turn will come soon enough. 
 Then you shall have your sa3^ You fool ! " he 
 continued, addressing Stepan, " do you not 
 know that if you offend against an icon you 
 offend against the holy being whom it 
 represents ? Do you see this portrait of 
 the Tzar?" 
 
 Paissy pointed to the picture hanging on 
 the wall above his head. 
 
 "What is it?" he asked. "A piece of 
 canvas covered with colours. But try only to 
 strike it, and what would happen to you ? 
 The soldiers would tear you limb from limb. 
 Do you understand, 3'ou stupid and ignorant 
 blockhead ? The icon is the same as the holy 
 being it represents. If you strike it, you strike 
 the saint or the angel it stands for. You do 
 not understand this, yet you set yourself to 
 teach the people ! " 
 
 " But if that is so," said Stepan, " if God 
 approves of icons, why does He not defend 
 them from injury ? You should leave it with 
 Him. He is all-wise and all-strouir." 
 
 " He has already avenged His saints by 
 delivering you into our hands," answered Paissy.
 
 192 THE lIinnU'AY OF SOBEOW. 
 
 " Write down his fanatical and blaspliemons 
 answers," he added to his secretary — a young 
 man, a favourite and a distant relation of the 
 Archbishop's. 
 
 The bold answers of the iconoclast Stepan 
 did not irritate Paissy. He seemed to him 
 nothing more than many others among the 
 Dissenters — a simple fanatic — not dangerous 
 in themselves, but mere followers of their 
 leaders. Louk\-an was evidently the chief 
 person among the heretics of Knishi. If he 
 could be Gfot rid of there would be an end 
 of the heresy. 
 
 " Louk3an Petrov," said Paissy, " there 
 are many charges against you. You are put on 
 your ti"ial for unlawfully converting orthodox 
 people to your German heresy. You have 
 privily taught damnable doctrines both to old 
 and young, who have been seduced b}- you 
 from the true service of Almighty God. At 
 your instigation this unfortunate young man 
 was guilty of a sacrilegious crime. What 
 answer can you make to this ? " 
 
 " Neither Stepan nor any other soul could 
 I convert," replied Loukyan ; " and how could 
 an ignorant, unlearned man like nie teach
 
 INQUISITORS. 193 
 
 others ? It was tlie Lord Himself who taught 
 tliem and converted them. If any guilt lies at 
 my door, it is that I read to them the New 
 Testament, and told them what God had done 
 for my own soul. That is the book lying 
 before your reverence on the table. You 
 have it in a golden binding, but we have it 
 bound up in our hearts — a golden treasure, 
 containing the truth from God. It teaches 
 us how we ought to live, and what to believe, 
 and how to worship God. Heading and study- 
 ing the New Testament is our only crime. We 
 obey the laws ; we pay our taxes ; Ave pray for 
 the Tzar every time we meet for worship. 
 We love God, and we live in peace with our 
 neifjlibours." 
 
 " Silence ! " cried Paissy ; " your tongue is 
 too lung. You approved of Stepan's sacri- 
 lege ? " 
 
 " It was not I who approved of it," 
 answered Loukyan. 
 
 " That is very praiseworthy," said Paissy, 
 with a sneer. " Write that down, brother Par- 
 pheny. Loukyan, the Stundist, did not ap- 
 prove of the destruction of the icons." 
 
 " Stay ! " said Loukyan. " Whether I 
 
 N
 
 194 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 approved of it or not I do not say ; but God 
 approved of it, as He did when the temple 
 of Baal was destroyed." 
 
 Paissy reddened with anger, but he re- 
 strained himself, and only said, turning to the 
 secretary — 
 
 " Write it down carefully. Loukyan Petrov, 
 you have instigated the people to rebel against 
 the authorities instituted by God and the Tzar. 
 What do you say to that ? " 
 
 "It is a false accusation," he answered 
 firmly. " We occupy ourselv^es, not with 
 earthly Governments, but with heavenly. 
 * My kingdom is not of this world,' says 
 our Lord. It is His kingdom that we 
 seek, and we trouble ourselves with no 
 questions of worldly politics. We obey not 
 only good rulers, but bad ones. But in the 
 matter of religion we obey God only; and 
 neither principalities nor powers of this world, 
 not the Tzar himself, can compel us to obey 
 them rather than God. They may persecute 
 us and slay us ; but we shall bear death itself 
 gladly, as the early Chrihtians did, the apostles 
 and the martyrs, who have received the crown 
 ot life from our crucified Iledeemer."
 
 INQUISITOES. 195 
 
 " Then you compare yourself with the 
 apostles and martyrs," said Paissy sarcastically, 
 " and our orthodox Tzar is like a heathen 
 emperor persecuting the followers of Christ. 
 Is he like Nero or Tiberius ? " 
 
 "I know neither Nero nor Tiberius," 
 answered Loukyan, "but God knows and 
 searches the hearts of all men. I say again 
 I make supplication morning and evening for 
 the Tzar, and for all that are in authority 
 under him. We desire only to lead a quiet 
 and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty." 
 
 It was quite in vain that Paissy tried to lead 
 Loukyan into any dangerous remarks against the 
 Government. To him the question of politics 
 was purely indifferent. But as soon as the 
 investigation passed over to religious topics, 
 Loukyan was unexpectedly candid and free- 
 spoken. He admitted that he systematically 
 broke the canonical laws ; that he refused to 
 take the holy sacraments ; that he would not 
 attend the ceremonies of the Church ; that he 
 could not conscientiously pay the priests' dues; 
 and that he had removed the icons from their 
 shrine in his house. He acknowledged to 
 having christened children, and having buried 
 N 2
 
 196 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 the dead, and to conducting a simple form of 
 the Lord's Supper. 
 
 " What do you think of the holy saints ? " 
 asked Paissy. 
 
 " The}' were men like ourselves," answered 
 Loukyan ; " they prayed to God as we pray ; 
 the}' loved Him as we love Him. True they 
 were as strong men, and we are hut like babes 
 in Christ. But we too shall grow up into 
 manhood. The apostles saw Christ, and talked 
 and walked with Him ; and that makes their 
 testimony of heavenly worth to us. But they 
 were men with like passions as ourselves." 
 
 Paissy nodded. This was enough to in- 
 criminate Loukyan. 
 
 " Write it down — write it down carefully, 
 brother Parpheny," he said to the secretary. 
 
 " Well, apostle," he continued cheerfully, 
 "and what do you think of our bishops, 
 metropolitans, and the Holy Synod ? In your 
 opinion they are wolves in sheep's clothing, 
 rather than pastors of their flocks ? " 
 
 Loukyan made no answer. Paissy repeated 
 tlie question in a more guarded form. 
 
 " Even in heaven there are archangels set 
 over tlie angels,' he remarked.
 
 INQUISITORS. B7 
 
 " I do not know about heaven," replied 
 Loukjan ; " and we, too, have our pastors and 
 teachers ; but we think it unhiwful to pay 
 them, except such expenses as they are put to 
 necessarily on our behalf. If any man among 
 us is in want, we supply him with all he 
 needs. But we cannot give money for prayer 
 and spiritual ministry. This comes from 
 heaven, and is the gift of God. No man 
 among us would take money for such an 
 office." 
 
 " Write it down ! " cried Paissy, in a voice 
 of restrained anger. 
 
 The examination went on for hours. Paissy 
 quoted the decrees of -^he Holy Synod ; 
 Loukyan replied with text after text from the 
 New Testament. The decrees of the Holy 
 Synod were often directly contradictory of the 
 New Testament. Paissy grew more and 
 more irritated. 
 
 " It is simply a Grerman religion," he cried ; 
 " all that you say you have learned from the 
 Germans. The fathers of our Holy Church 
 give quite a different interpretation to the 
 passages you quote. You are among those who 
 wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction.
 
 198 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Vou have forsaken your mother Church for a 
 German heresy." 
 
 " Why should we not learn from the 
 Germans ? " asked Loukyan ; " but indeed we 
 learn only from the Bible. It does not signify 
 who first brouL^ht the light to us ; but we who 
 possess it will never plunge into darkness 
 acrain." 
 
 " So you persist obstinately in your heresy," 
 said Paissy. " For the last time I call upon 
 vou to bethink yourselves, whether you will 
 repent of this your sin, and make a public 
 confession of your repentance ; I will plead 
 vour cause with the Archbishop. Otherwise 
 you will fare badly indeed." 
 
 " We must first obey God," began Loukyan. 
 
 " Leave God alone ! " interrupted Paissy, 
 " it is not God whom you obey ; but the devil, 
 who is the father of lies. Warders ! take 
 them away." 
 
 Every one was weary of the discussion, 
 which was entirely useless, and apjxirently 
 endless. Loukyan and Stepan were led away ; 
 and the Committee drew up a report of the 
 proceedings to send in to the Archbishop.
 
 199 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 
 
 LouKYAN was confined in a solitary cell, and 
 kept apart from the other prisoners, in order 
 to avoid, what had been frequently the case, 
 the spread of Stundism among them. Many 
 of them were dangerous criminals ; but they 
 were carefully guarded from the influence of 
 the heretics. 
 
 In the same corridor was Stepan's cell, 
 two doors away. They could not communicate 
 with one another, excepting when one passed 
 the door of the other's cell ; and if the 
 warder with them was not very strict, he 
 allowed them to exchange a few words of 
 friendship and encouragement, 
 
 The prison at Kov3dsk consisted of a large, 
 two-storeyed square edifice, with several ad- 
 ditional buildings for the accommodation of 
 the staff employed. It stood in the middle 
 of a wide yard, surrounded by a high and
 
 200 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 thick wall, which was built half-way up the 
 second store3^ From the cells on the ground- 
 floor nothing but this wall could be seen. 
 But from the upper cells it was practicable, 
 by climbing on a stool, to see over the fields 
 and the suburbs of the town. The solitary 
 cells, where the most dreaded prisoners were 
 confined, were in the upper fioor, for the 
 sake of safety, it being impossible to make 
 a subterranean passage from them ; a mode 
 of escape not by any means unknown in 
 Itussian prisons. 
 
 Loukyan was lodged in one of these cells. 
 It was small and very dirty; but it was dry 
 and liirht. It was six feet wide bv ten feet 
 long; against the wall was a wooden plank 
 instead of a bedstead, and a horribly filthy 
 bucket was the only other piece of furniture. 
 It was a most uncongenial abode for a man 
 of very cleanly habits, and accustomed to the 
 pure air of an out-of-door life. I^ut one does 
 not expect a prison to be congenial ; and it 
 was at least bearable. 
 
 Twice a day food was brought to him, 
 consisting of bread and sour soup at mid-da}', 
 and some kind of prison skilly at night, lie
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 201 
 
 was not allowed to go out for exercise oftener 
 than once in five days. But he felt well, 
 and his mind was perfectly tranquil. He 
 astonished his warder by asking for his New 
 Testament, which had been taken from him. 
 The request was forwarded to the super- 
 intendent ; and as the reading of religious 
 books, approved of by the Holy Synod, was 
 encouraged in the j)risons, he was allowed to 
 have it. Now he could spend his empty hours 
 in reading the beloved records of his Master's 
 life and teaching, finding constantly in them 
 new sources of strength and consolation. Very 
 often he forgot that he was in prison. He 
 was walking with Jesus beside the Sea of 
 Galilee, listening to His voice ; or he was 
 standino; on the Mount of the Transfig-uration, 
 gazing at his glorified Lord ; or looking on 
 with tears as the Saviour hung upon the cross ; 
 or watching His triumphant ascension into 
 heaven. Loukyan's soul was as free as the 
 larks he saw wheeling up to the blue sky 
 outside the prison walls. 
 
 The first evening of his imprisonment he 
 began to sing an evening hymn, but the 
 warder sternly forbade it ; and Loukyan obeyed,
 
 2<J2 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and for the future sang only in a whisper to 
 himself. The days went on monotonously ; one 
 just like the other ; until he and Stepan had 
 been subjected to then' first examination. 
 
 The day after this interview with his per- 
 secutors, Paiss}^ entered his cell accompanied 
 by the superintendent. He looked at once 
 with disapproval at the window, from which 
 a wide expanse of sky could be seen. The 
 cell was too full of pleasant light. 
 
 " What ! IVtr Tvanovitch," he said jest- 
 ingly to the inspector, "it seems you are 
 making your prison into an hotel for passing 
 travellers ! " 
 
 " How so ? " said the superintendent ; 
 "on the contrary, all my lodgers are per- 
 manent." 
 
 " Furnished apartments," continued Paissy, 
 looking about him with a smile at the plank 
 bed and the bucket; "but if you keep them 
 in such a mansion as this tluy will never 
 want to leave." 
 
 "Oh! I can alter it, if you wish," said 
 the superintendent ; " I have plenty of rooms 
 in my mansion, suitable for dilferent guests." 
 
 They exchanged a few words in an under-
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 203 
 
 tone. On glancing again at Louk^-an, Paissy 
 caught siglit of the corner of a book pro- 
 truding from his pocket. Unceremoniously he 
 possessed himself of it. 
 
 "What is this, Petr Ivanovitch?" he 
 asked reproachfully. 
 
 " The Testament," he answered ; " it is 
 accorded by law. I could not refuse it to a 
 prisoner; it is for their good." 
 
 "Good for others," said Paissy; "but not 
 good for heretics. I confiscate the book." 
 
 " He will not want it where T shall put 
 him," answered the superintendent, with a 
 laugh. They went away, taking the Testament 
 with them. 
 
 " It is written in my heart," thought 
 Loukyan : " they cannot tear it out of that." 
 
 Hardly half an hour had passed when 
 two warders entered his cell. One of them, 
 a stranger to Loukyan, was a tall, muscular 
 man, with hawk-like eyes, and thin pale lips, 
 compressed into a hard and cruel line. His 
 name was Arefiev ; and he was the special 
 warder of the obstinate and refractory 
 prisoners. 
 
 " That one ? " he asked his comrade.
 
 204 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiEOW. 
 
 pointin<_!^ at the slight and enfeebled form of 
 Loukyan. 
 
 " Yes, precisely ! " said the other warder. 
 Arefiev snorted contemptuously. He preferred 
 dealing with strong and really refractory 
 prisoners, whom it was worth while to subdue. 
 Was it likely that this thin, quiet old man 
 could be stubborn and obstinate? 
 
 " Come out of here, 3'ou archangel ! " he 
 ordered. Loukvan obeyed instantlv. His new 
 warder led him through long, narrow galleries ; 
 and after making several turns, took him down 
 some dark and long flights of stairs. Neither 
 of them spoke a word. 
 
 " Have you any money ? " asked Arefiev 
 bluntly. 
 
 " No ; what I had in my purse has been 
 taken awa}'," answered Loukyan. 
 
 "You fool!" he said, "didn't you know 
 how to hide it, in your hair, or under your 
 arm-pits ? But have you any friends in Kovylsk, 
 who would be willing to help you?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ! I have many, here and at 
 Ivnishi," replied Loukyan. 
 
 "Look here, then ! I have different cells," said 
 Arefiev: " 1 will put you into one of the best."
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 205 
 
 ** Thank j^ou, brother," he answered. 
 
 " But what will j^ou pay for it ? " asked 
 Arefiev ; " I will take five roubles ; and only 
 that because you are such a simple old fellow. 
 Will that do?" 
 
 " No, no," said Loukyan, shaking his 
 head; "we dare not give any bribes. You 
 must do your duty to your superiors. You 
 must put me where the superintendent bade 
 you. I cannot tempt you to disobedience." 
 
 " Ah ! that's your tack ! " exclaimed Arefiev, 
 with cruel glee ; " 3'ou're one of the new 
 saints ! Very well ! you may preach and pray 
 here as long as you like." 
 
 He opened with a large key a heavy, 
 iron-cased door, and pushed him into a dark, 
 fetid dungeon. The door slammed — the iron 
 bolt clanked ; and Loukyan found himself in 
 utter darkness. His hands touched the cold 
 walls, which were covered by some soft slime. 
 The floor was slippery with all sorts of filth. 
 The atmosphere was so foul and noisome that 
 at first he felt suffocated and giddy. He 
 stood motionless for a few minutes, with closed 
 eyes and bowed head. 
 
 When he opened his eyes he found him-
 
 206 TEE HIGH WAY OF SORBOW. 
 
 self no ionirer in utter diirkness. A little 
 pencil of light shone through the key-hole, 
 and faintl}' illuminated the cell. It fell upon 
 a corner of his awful prison. Then he saw 
 that wliat he had taken for slime upon the 
 walls were innumerable swarms of creeping 
 things ; thousands upon thousands of soft, 
 grey, horrible creatures, covering every inch 
 of the walls. At that sight he shuddered with 
 horror, AVith the exception of his bees he 
 could not endure insects ; and in this hole he 
 would be eaten alive by them. It was as if 
 he had been bound hand and foot, and thrown 
 .ntu their power. 
 
 The whole odious mass of vermin seemed 
 to move towards him. Already something was 
 creeping about his skin, and stinging him. 
 J^cside himself with loathing and abhorrence, 
 lioukyan fell upon the door, and began to 
 knock vehemently, 'calling upon Aretiev to 
 come to his help. 
 
 Dead silence was all the answer he got. 
 Arefiev was gone to the su})erintendent to re- 
 })ort upon the change made in Loukyan's cell. 
 At last, worn out with his iruitless attempts, 
 J^oukyan looked in vain for a clean spot on
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 207 
 
 the floor where he could rest his weary limbs. 
 But as soon as he sank down exhausted new 
 hordes of parasites besieged him. He sprang 
 up again, and pulling his prison-cap closely 
 over his ears to protect at least his head from 
 their attacks, he began to walk to and fro. 
 It was the only way in which to defend him- 
 self a little from his greedy foes. 
 
 At mid-day Arefiev brought him a jug of 
 water and a piece of rye-bread — the customary 
 diet for those confined in the refractory cells. 
 
 " How do you like your new lodgino- ? " 
 he asked, laughing. 
 
 Loukyan said nothing. 
 
 "Would you like to change it?" he went 
 on ; " but now I shall want ten roubles. Don't 
 ask me to take less." 
 
 Loukyan still said nothing. If that offer 
 had been made to him an hour earlier, in the 
 first moments of horror and disgust, he might 
 have accepted it through physical weakness. 
 But that awful moment was over. His nerves 
 were somewhat blunted, and his soul had 
 gathered strength. He felt power given to 
 him to resist the temptation. 
 
 " What will you give me to take you
 
 208 THE HIGHWAY OF SOREOW. 
 
 into another cell ? " said Arcfiev ; " only you 
 must come in here for the superintendent to 
 see you when he comes." 
 
 " No," said Loukyan, " I dare not bribe 
 you ; and I cannot practise any deceit. I 
 must bear whatever trial God may send me." 
 
 " Ah ! that is wliat you are, old fool ! '* 
 exclaimed Areliev in a tone of pleasantry ; 
 " well ! we shall see what you will say later 
 on. 
 
 He put the scanty meal on the noisome 
 floor, and went away. Loukyan could not 
 eat. He covered the jug of water with the 
 bread, and again paced his narrow cage up 
 and down. It was about six feet square, and 
 contained no kind of furniture. 
 
 Two hours later he felt the first nanor of 
 hunger. He stooped down to pick up his 
 rye-bread, and his fingers crushed something 
 soft and slimy. He threw it with disgust on 
 the floor ; the bread was quickly covered with 
 a thick layer of creeping things. That day 
 he neither ate nor drank. By-and-bye abso- 
 lute darkness filled the dungeon. He was 
 obliiTfcd to walk to and fro witii his hand 
 stretched out to avoid knocking his head
 
 IN DEEP WATERS. 209 
 
 against the walls. Five short steps each way 
 was all the limit of exercise he possessed. 
 Later on he learned to walk easily in the 
 darkness, turning mechanically before he 
 touched the walls. Five steps, and no more. 
 The evening bugles sounded at the barracks. 
 Loukyan was still pacing to and fro in his 
 cage. The night guards came ; the prison 
 lights were lit ; but still he continued his 
 weary march, hungry, thirsty, worn-out, hardly 
 able to move his feet, until at last, unable to 
 struggle any longer, he sank down on the 
 slippery floor, and fell asleep like one who is 
 dead. 
 
 ()
 
 210 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 
 
 The next morning the Director, in his round 
 of duty, came to see the prisoner. Loukyan 
 pointed out to him the noisome filth of tiie 
 floor, and the slimy, crawling, living walls. 
 Petr Ivanovitch shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " My orders are to keep you in the 
 refractor}'' cells until j^ou renounce your 
 damnable heresy," he said ; " a refractory 
 cell is not a parlour. Say the word, and I 
 will report it at once to Father Paissy." 
 
 Loukyan shook his head. 
 
 As an act of mercy the Director allowed 
 him to have a parashka, and ordered the 
 water to be brought in a jug with a lid 
 to it. 
 
 A few horrible days passed. The torture 
 to which Loukyan was subject was so 
 humiliating and irritating, with no short space 
 of cessation in which to gather courage, that
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 211 
 
 his soul was caught in bonds as bitter as 
 death. He was unable to think or pray ; his 
 memory refused to recall the comforting words 
 of the Gospel he had embraced. Only the 
 words spoken by Job in his affliction rang 
 again and again through his wearied brain. 
 " "When I lie down I say, When shall I 
 arise and the night be gone ? and I am full 
 of tossinscs to and fro unto the dawninp- of 
 the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and 
 clods of dust ; my skin is broken, and become 
 loathsome." Now and then, however, a voice 
 within him whispered — " Ye have heard of 
 the patience of Job, and have seen the end 
 of the Lord ; that the Lord is very pitiful, 
 and of tender mercy," This seemed like a 
 message from heaven breathed in the depths 
 of hell. But Loukyan's physical strength was 
 decreasing. He could not stand firmly on his 
 feet, as if he had passed through a severe 
 illness. When he paced to and fro in his 
 cage his steps tottered, and he soon grew 
 tired. Not for a single moment was he per- 
 mitted to leave his cell and breathe the fresh 
 air. Only once a day Arefiev opened the door 
 for a few moments to pass in his allowance 
 o 2
 
 212 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 of rve-breiid aud water ; and Loukyan took 
 care to be close by the door as long as it 
 was open. At first he ate all his bread at 
 once, as the only way to keep it from being 
 covered with vermin ; and he kept the water 
 in the covered jug, drinking it little by little. 
 But after three days his appetite failed him 
 in that fetid hole. He could no longer 
 swallow the bread. 
 
 At the end of the week he was sum- 
 moned to a second examination. This time 
 Paissy was alone when Loukyan was brought 
 in. Stepan was not there, as Paissy did not 
 wish the prisoners to encourage one another 
 in their obstinacy. He could hardly recognise 
 Loukyan, so changed was he in appearance. 
 This feeble, tottering old man, unwashed and 
 uncombed, with shrunken limbs and palsied 
 head, was very different from the hale and 
 courageous prisoner who had confronted the 
 Committee a week ago. Paissy gazed at him 
 with a long and searching look — the look 
 opponents give to one another before engaging 
 in a deadly conflict ; and his face expressed 
 great satisfaction. His enemy was sufficiently 
 weakened, and would prove an eas}^ conquest.
 
 TEE LOWEST DEPTHS. 213 
 
 " Well ! have you had time to bethink 
 yourself?" he asked. 
 
 Loukyan did not answer. He wished to 
 prolong the examination as much as possible ; 
 only for the sake of remaining longer in that 
 large room, and of breathing that pure air. 
 Every breath put new life into him. 
 
 Paissy, believing that the man was reason- 
 ing with himself and wavering in his heresy, 
 did not hurry him. 
 
 " The Church would accept a late repent- 
 ance," he said softly. " It rejoices over the 
 repentance of one sinner more than over a 
 hundred of its faithful sons, who need no re- 
 pentance. Like a loving mother she must 
 punish her disobedient children ; but it is for 
 their good only, that they may be brought 
 back to the path of obedience. You have 
 been severely dealt with, I can see ; but it 
 was I who ordered you to the refractory 
 cells. I am sincerely sorry for you, old 
 man ; but I do it for the love of your soul, 
 which must be made to submit itself to 
 God, and to those whom God has put over 
 you as your spiritual pastors and masters. 
 It is better to destroy the body, than suffer
 
 1214 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiROW. 
 
 the soul to sink into the endless torments 
 of hell." 
 
 Paissy continued a long exhortation, con- 
 tainiuif all the time-honoured ars^uments of 
 inquisitors and persecutors. But he met with 
 no response from his hearer, neither by 
 word nor look. Loukyan was absolutely dumb 
 and motionless. 
 
 "Why do you keep silent like a block?" 
 asked Paissy anij^rily. "Can't you speak?" 
 
 "I do not wish to interrupt your rever- 
 ence," answered Loukj-an. " You speak wisely 
 and gently, almost like a brother. Yet you 
 kept me in a hole not fit for a dog or a pig. 
 And I am a man." 
 
 " You will fare still worse if you persist 
 in 3 our obstinacy," retorted Paissy in a quiet 
 yet terrible voice. " It would be better for 
 one of you to die than to have hundreds 
 perish in hell -fire through your teaching. 
 You are ignorant men ; but there are others 
 still more ignorant, who will follow your 
 foolish example, and be drowned in perdition. 
 It is our sacred duty t(^ protect the flock 
 committed to us, and to cast out and miser- 
 ably destroy the false teachers through whom
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 215 
 
 innocent and confiding- souls may be eternally 
 lost. In Knishi alone you have led astray a 
 score or two of precious sons and daughters 
 of our Holy Mother Church. They have fol- 
 lowed you to their ruin in this world and in 
 the world to come. Better, I say, it is to 
 make a sacrifice of you, the head and chief 
 of the religious rebellion." 
 
 Whilst Paissy was repeating these hack- 
 neyed phrases of inquisitors, Loukyan's white 
 and worn face changed rapidly in expression. 
 He was deeply moved by the priest's sophistry, 
 which was quite new to him. Stepping a 
 little backwards, and laying a hand on his 
 throbbing heart, he lifted up his eyes, and a 
 light shone in them, as if he saw the Being 
 whom he appealed to. 
 
 " My God ! " he cried in a lamentable 
 voice, "if it was not Thy truth that I pro- 
 claimed, if my teaching was the ruin not the 
 salvation of my brothers, then I implore Thee, 
 by the sufferings I have borne for Thee, by 
 the zeal I have shown for what I believed to 
 be Thy service, strike me here and now with 
 Thy just anger. Deprive me of my sinful 
 tongue 1 Blind my eyes ! Let me never
 
 21i; T]IE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 aEfiiiu take Tliy name into my mouth ! Wither 
 awa}' my hands that T may never again lift 
 them up to Thee in worthless pra3^er ! " 
 
 He finished ; liis flushed face grew white 
 again. Casting down his eyes, and dropping 
 his arms to his sides, he waited in mingled 
 dread and faith the answer of God to his 
 appeal. 
 
 At that moment the worn-out old man 
 was splendid. Scores of people, had they 
 heard and seen him, would have been con- 
 verted to the new heresy. Paissy saw some- 
 thing of the power with which the Stundist 
 leaders addressed their hearers. He watched 
 Loukyan with lynx-like eyes, and with some- 
 what assumed indifference. 
 
 " Don't play the fool ! " he said roughly. 
 " You have no audience save me. Once more 
 I warn you to think of yourself and your 
 lamily. If you persist in your fanaticism, I 
 will leave you to rot in your cell ; or it that 
 fails, I will get you sent to Siberia to hard 
 labour in the mines." 
 
 " You have power over the bod3%" an- 
 swered Loukyan, " to do the worst you can. 
 But tlie soul you cannot touch. The blood
 
 THJ<; LOWEST DEPTHS. 217 
 
 of the martyrs will fill up the sufferings of 
 Christ for the Church, He said He had not 
 come to bring peace on earth, but a sword. 
 The sword is drawn against us now, but God 
 Himself will sheathe it by-and-bje." 
 
 Paissy was biting his thin lips with rage. 
 He could have trampled upon the insolent 
 and obstinate heretic, who was unmoved by 
 his threats. But he restrained himself. There 
 was one other loop-hole through which to 
 escape the humiliation of being vanquished 
 by an unlettered Stundist. 
 
 He drank a glass of water, and began to 
 write on a large sheet of official paper. 
 Loukyan, who had a long sight, watched 
 Paissy mechanically as he wrote, in a bold, 
 clear hand, " I, the undersigned Loukyan 
 Petrov, declare." He supposed it was the 
 report of the examination which would be 
 read over to him, and he would be required 
 to sign it. 
 
 Having finished his wi*iting, Paissy looked 
 up with a conciliatory smile in his blue eyes 
 and on his thin lips. 
 
 " Took here, Loukyan, you are a sensible 
 man." he said; "you must not ruin yourself
 
 218 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 for nothingf. We have nothiiii? iiiijainst voii 
 and your I'clin-ion at all, if only 3'ou will keep 
 it to yourself. We don't want to interfere. 
 If yovL will s^o to hell, to hell you must go. 
 But it is the will of God, and the Tzar's 
 command, that we must maintain and defend 
 the Orthodox Church by eyery means in our 
 power. It is you Stundists who have intro- 
 duced heres}' — the new teaching, as you call 
 it. Before you, we had nothing of the sort. 
 Our diocese was an exemplary one, not a 
 Dissenter in it. When we have silenced you, 
 it will be the same again. I am deeply 
 grieved for 3'ou, my poor fellow. Sign this 
 paper, by which you pledge 3'ourself neither to 
 preach, nor to hold services, nor to attempt to 
 convert others to your new creed. Then we 
 will leave you in peace, and you can go back 
 to your home and family." 
 
 With one hand he offered Loukyan the 
 cross to confirm his oath, and with the other 
 the paper he was to sign. 
 
 Loukyan put aside the cross, and did 
 not so much as look at the paper. 
 
 " Tempter ! " he said, " it is a subtle 
 temptation, but the Lord will deliver me
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 219 
 
 from it. Neither your promises nor your 
 threats will move me. Woe is me if I preach 
 not the Gospel ! " 
 
 Paissy's face was distorted, and his eyes 
 flashed with rage. He lifted up the cross, 
 and struck Loukyan's head with all his might. 
 The old man tottered, but he did not fall. 
 He wiped the blood from his forehead on 
 his sleeve. 
 
 " A good use to put the cross to ! " he 
 exclaimed, lifting up his hands to ward off 
 another blow. 
 
 " Arefiev ! warder ! whoever is there ! " 
 shouted Paissy, " come here ! Take the villain 
 away to his cell, and let him rot there. He 
 has dared to lift up his hand against me." 
 
 Arefiev, who had been dozing in the ante- 
 room, quickly appeared, collared Loukyan, and 
 haled him out of the room, amid a shower of 
 brutal blows. He did not loose him till 
 they reached the door of the cell, but before 
 fitting the key into the lock he gave him a 
 rough handling, as if he could hardly bear to 
 leave off. 
 
 He opened the cell, and there came from 
 it such a rush of foul air that Loukvan recoiled
 
 220 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 iu horror. Was it possible that he had already 
 lived seven days in that fetid atmosphere? 
 It seemed as if he could not survive it for 
 one hour. 
 
 " I will not go in," he cried, putting his 
 hands against the door-post with the strength 
 of desperation. " Put me into a cell fit for 
 men ! I demand to see the Director." 
 
 " Take that instead of seeing the Direc- 
 tor ! " said Arefiev, striking him on the head 
 with the ke}^ 
 
 Loukyan caught hold of the key, and by a 
 sudden movement twisted it out of the 
 warder's hand and threw it into the corridor. 
 Arefiev sprang upon him, but Loukyan 
 struggled like a man on the verge of a preci- 
 pice ; and such was the energy of his despair, 
 that in spite of his physical weakness Arefiev 
 could not overpower him. He whistled, and 
 two other warders came to his aid. They all 
 three attacked the old mau with their keys and 
 their huge fists. In an instant he was on the 
 ground, and Arefiev, beside himself with rage, 
 kicked and trampled upon him as he lay pro- 
 strate. His comrades, afraid he might kill the 
 prisoner, dragged him away, lest they should
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 221 
 
 all get into trouble. Like a ferocious bull -dog, 
 lie struggled against them to get back to 
 Loukyan. 
 
 " Why do you go on like this ? " said 
 one of the warders. " Have you forgotten what 
 happened to Denisov ? Do you want to go to 
 Siberia for murdering a prisoner ? Beat him if 
 he deserves it — you are right enough — but you 
 must not kill him. You will be the worse for 
 it yourself." 
 
 The warders, among themselves, called 
 Arefiev a cruel wolf — not a man. But for the 
 protection of his superiors, he would have been 
 sent to Siberia long ago for torturing his 
 prisoners. The last of his victims had been 
 Denisov, who died, but his death had been 
 hushed up. Loukyan, they knew, had 
 friends in Kovylsk, and some investigation 
 was sure to be made if he died. 
 
 " Let me go 1 I won't touch him," said 
 Arefiev. 
 
 The men watched him closely, but the 
 maddened bull-dog was quieted a little. 
 Loukyan was lying motionless and breathing 
 heavily, like some creature hunted to death. 
 One of the warders, getting hold of the
 
 212 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiROW 
 
 collar of his coat, dragged liini into the 
 cell, unresisted. 
 
 " Lock him up quickly ; we must get back 
 to our posts," he said to Arefiev. The latter 
 caught hold of the heavy iron-clad door and 
 clapped it to with all his might. He did 
 not notice, or, perhaps, pretended not to notice, 
 that Loukyan's right foot lay on the door-sill, 
 and must inevitably be crushed by the closing 
 door. A heart-rending scream was heard from 
 the cell, and when they opened the door again 
 Loukyan was writhing in agony. 
 
 " So your toe was caught ? " sneered Arefiev. 
 " That's not my fault. Why didn't vou keep 
 it out of the way ? Never mind ! " he added, 
 by way of consolation. 
 
 Loukyan was left alone in his horrible cell. 
 His foot had been crushed in spite of his heavy 
 boots. It was soon greatly swollen, and, being 
 pressed upon by the boot, which he could not 
 get off, it gave him excruciating pain. Leaning 
 against the loathsome wall, he began to moan. 
 But Arefiev was accustomed to moans and 
 cries, and ])aid no attention to him. After a 
 good thrashing, it was natural for a prisoner 
 to moan.
 
 TEE LOWEST DEPTHS. 223 
 
 Presently he brought the daily allowance 
 of bread and water. Loukyan lay with half- 
 closed eyes, and moaned in a feeble voice. 
 
 " Have you learned reason at last ? " asked 
 Arefiev. " You will know for the future how 
 to rebel ai^ainst me ! " 
 
 Loukyan could not eat any bread. At 
 night his foot seemed to be a little easier ; 
 the pain was less sharp, as if it was quite be- 
 numbed. True, the leg now began to ache 
 and burn ; but there was nothing pressing on 
 it, and the pain was more bearable. Loukyan 
 even slumbered a little. The sleep refreshed 
 him, and when his mid-day meal came he was 
 able to eat a little ; but at night he grew 
 feverish and delirious. All sorts of strange 
 thoughts crowded through his brain, and he 
 had no longer any control over himself. 
 
 When, the next day, Arefiev visited the 
 cell as usual at noon, he found his prisoner 
 in a high fever and wildly delirious. The 
 warder was frightened. Here was a new un- 
 pleasantness, whilst the old one was still fresh 
 in the minds of his superiors. He locked the 
 cell, and was about to seek out the prison 
 feldsher to come to see the patient, whom he
 
 224 TUB HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 would remove into a better cell, lest he should 
 die like Denisov. But at this moment the 
 Director appeared in the corridor. Arefiev met 
 him with a military salute. 
 
 •' AVhat have you done with the Stundist, 
 villain ? " he demanded angrily. 
 
 " Nothing, your honour," he answered ; " he 
 was ver}' disorderly the day before last. He 
 struck at Father Paissy, and fought with me. 
 We were obliged to push him into the cell. 
 Just now he is lying down. He is quite 
 quiet." , 
 
 " I know how you make your prisoners 
 quiet, you brute," said the Director. " Where is 
 he ? There are inquiries being made about him." 
 
 Arefiev opened the cell door wide, and the 
 light fell in upon the prisoner. His head was 
 stained with dry blood, and his face covered 
 with bruises. One foot was lying in an un- 
 natural and distorted position. Loukyan was 
 insensible. 
 
 " You dog ! you will get me into trouble 
 again ! " shouted the Director, dealing a severe 
 box on the ear to his faithful servant. Arefiev 
 made a jerk with his head, but did not dare 
 to defend himself.
 
 THE LOWEST DEPTHS. 225 
 
 " He began to fight himself," he said ; " vve 
 were compelled to force him into tlie cell." 
 
 " But his foot, scoundrel ! Why have you 
 broken his foot?" he exclaimed, lifting his hand 
 for another blow. Arefiev took a step backward 
 to avoid it. 
 
 " By chance, 3^our honour ! " he cried, " it 
 caught in the door." 
 
 "Have you sent for the feldsher?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes, your honour," he replied. 
 
 The feldsher came, who was considered 
 skilful enough to attend to the prisoners. He 
 declared fever had set in, and Loukyan must 
 be removed at once to the infirmary.
 
 226 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 stepan's outbreak. 
 
 It whs thanks to Stcpan that the Director had 
 visited Lonk van's cell. 
 
 Areliev was hated by his fellow- warders 
 for his quarrelsome disposition and brutal 
 cruelt}', which from time to time had brought 
 down a judicial investigation of the gaol, 
 disagreeable to all employed in it. The news 
 of his brutal treatment of Loukyan spread 
 all over the prison, even with exaggeration. 
 It was said he had bound his prisoner, and 
 drasfiTod him across the threshold of the cell, 
 closing the door upon him in such a way as 
 to crush many of his bones. All this was 
 believed, because anything might be expected 
 i'rom such a brute. 
 
 At first the rumour was confined to the 
 warders, but it soon reached the common 
 criminals. On the third niorning alter Luuk- 
 yan's terrible accident Stepan went out for
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 227 
 
 exercise ; and on passing through the corridor 
 he passed a band of prisoners, who were being 
 led back to the cells. One of them called 
 out to him — 
 
 " Have you heard how j'-our Loukyan has 
 been torn to pieces like an old rope-end ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 The warder ordered him to be silent, unless 
 he wanted to get the same treatment as 
 Loukyan. Stepan heard no more. Bat these 
 few words made an awful impression upon 
 him. He imagined that Loukyan had been 
 pitilessly flogged. 
 
 When he returned to his cell he watched 
 till nobody was about except his warder. 
 
 " Paf nutitch ! " he called. 
 
 " What do you want ? " asked the wardei. 
 
 Stepan's relations with Pafnutitch were 
 tolerably good. He was an old soldier, born 
 in Moscow, which was Stepan's birthplace ; 
 and during his long hours of duty, he was 
 in the habit of wiling away the time chat- 
 ting with his prisoner about the campaign^) 
 in which he had taken part, and asking 
 him questions in his turn. Stepan was 
 a man of great intelligence, and knew how 
 p 2
 
 '2-2S THE HIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 to secure the dUI soldier's good-will, though 
 his ]irinciples did not permit him to use 
 bribery. 
 
 " Is it true, Pafnutitch, tliat Loukyau has 
 been Hogged?" he asked. 
 
 "Not Hogged," he answered; "it was all 
 that wild beast Arefiev ; he is a wolf, not a 
 man. He will ruin himself and brino- trouble 
 on us all. He has beaten the poor old man 
 almost to death ; and they say he broke his 
 legs with the door. If he were really re- 
 fractory — well ! But to deal like that with 
 a quiet man like Loukyan ! " 
 
 Stepan's blood ran cold. 
 
 " How ! Broken his lesrs ! " lie cried ; 
 " but what were the others doings ? What 
 is the matter with him now ? " 
 
 " AVho with ? With Arefiev ? " asked Paf- 
 nutitch ; "oh, he is just the same as ever. 
 He does not care a straw." 
 
 " No, no, Loukyan ! " exclaimed Ste])an, 
 " what has been done for him ? " 
 
 " Oh, Loukyan I he is Jying still in the 
 refractory cell," he answered. 
 
 " But he ma}' die there I " 
 
 "Quite possible," said the warder; "it is
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 229 
 
 not the first case, and that scoundrel gets off 
 everv time." 
 
 " To the Director ! Take me to the 
 Director!" shouted Stepan in a voice of agony. 
 
 " Are you in your senses ? " asked Paf- 
 nutitch. " Do you wish to be put into a 
 refractory cell under that brute Arefiev ? He'd 
 enjoy taming a strong young man like 3^ou." 
 
 " Take me to the Director ! " shouted Stepan 
 aofain and ao^ain. 
 
 " I won't take you," answered the warder, 
 as he walked off down the corridor after locking 
 the cell door. 
 
 Then Stepan began to revolt. He knocked 
 and kicked at the door with all his might, 
 shouted at the top of his voice, and smashed 
 the panes of his little barred window. The 
 warders came, and tried to quiet him with a 
 few blows. They tied him hand and foot ; 
 but they dared not gag him without orders. 
 At last the Director was sent for. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this ? " demanded 
 the Director. " Are you about to stir up a 
 riot? I will do you prompt justice." 
 
 "I do not want to make a riot," answered 
 Stepan, almost beside himself with indignation ;
 
 230 THE EIGnWAY OF SOEROW. 
 
 "l)\it it is illeg'al to torture prisoners — to break 
 their bones ' 
 
 " Who is torturinc^' you ? " interrupted the 
 Director. " Who has broken your bones? You 
 are talkinj^ sheer nonsense." 
 
 " Nobody is hurting me," he answered ; 
 " but ray comrade Loukyau " 
 
 " AVell ! what has that to do with you ? " 
 again interrupted the Director. "Are you an 
 inspector of the prison ? How do you know 
 what has happened to Loukyan? I know 
 nothing about him." 
 
 " Be so good, for Christ's sake," implored 
 Stepan once more, in his voice of agony, "to 
 go and see for yourself whether it is true or 
 not ! And punish me as you please. I could 
 not get anyone to fetch you till I began to 
 revolt." 
 
 The Director ordered Stepan to be put on 
 a diet of bread and water as a punishment. 
 But he followed his advice, and Avent to make 
 an invcstiiration. Areliev's habits were well 
 known to him, and it would be well to hush 
 up the matter before it went any further. 
 
 The same evening Pafnutitch appeared with 
 a guilty face at the door of Stepan's cell.
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 231 
 
 " Stepan ! Stepan ! " lie called in a gentle 
 voice. He felt grateful to his prisoner that 
 lie had not betrayed him to the Director as 
 being his informant of Loukyan's punishment. 
 
 " What do you want ? " asked Stepan 
 sternly. 
 
 " Don't be angry with me for what hap- 
 pened this morning," he said : "I mean for 
 the blows we gave you and so on. You will 
 understand yourself it was our duty." 
 
 " Grod will forgive you," said Stepan ; " I 
 am not angry with you. Christ suffered in 
 the same way ; they scourged Him and smote 
 Him. The disciple is not greater than his 
 Lord. If they hated Him, they will hate us 
 also." 
 
 " You have done me a great service to-day," 
 went on the warder; "what would have been 
 done to me if you had said I had told you 
 about Loukyan ! When he put the question 
 to you my heart was in my mouth for fear. 
 ' I am lost,' I thought. But you kept quiet. 
 You returned me good for evil." 
 
 " But I only did what I ought." said 
 Stepan ; " I could not betray you." 
 
 " Anj^one else would have done so, simply
 
 2:V2 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBEOW. 
 
 out of spite," said the old soldier; "after those 
 blows too ! But there ! you may be kind to 
 man}' a prisoner, and they turn all at once 
 on you and play 3'ou such a trick as 3'ou never 
 forget, liut you Stundists are like the saints 
 themselves." 
 
 "And why?" answered Stepan, in a low 
 voice, lest they should be overheard, " because 
 we set the Lord Jesus Christ before us as 
 our pattern. We read how He bore with per- 
 secution even unto death, and we strive to 
 bear our affliction as He did. We believe that 
 He is with us, though we cannot see Him, 
 and so we have strength to bear all things. 
 We could not call ourselves Christians if we 
 forgot Him." 
 
 He spoke for some time earnestl}^ and 
 Pafnutitch seemed to listen intently. But it 
 was evident he did not understand Stepan. 
 His brain worked ver}'- slowly, and Stepan 's 
 words and thoughts were not familiar to him. 
 One thing, however, he comprehended, that 
 he was addressed as a friend, not as a warder, 
 or a foolish old man, and this touched him 
 to the heart. 
 
 '•' As for that order to starve you on bread
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 233 
 
 and water for a whole month," he said, when 
 Stepan paused for a moment, wondering how 
 he could speak more simpl}'" to him, " you 
 need not trouble 3^ourself about that. I will 
 bring you secretly some of my own rations. 
 And if you wish to send out any news to 
 your wife, or mother, or sweetheart, trust 
 me. I will take a message or a letter, and 
 you shall not tip me for it, because you 
 think it wrong." 
 
 Stepan was puzzled. He could not have 
 bribed the man ; but was it right to ac- 
 cept this offer? Yet it was of great im- 
 portance the friends outside should know about 
 Loukyr.n. 
 
 " I have neither wife nor sweetheart, thank 
 Grod ! " he said, " nor a mother. But I want 
 to send news to some friends, if jou have 
 anybody who could go over " 
 
 "To be sure I have," interrupted Pafnutitch; 
 "my nephew is living with me, the son of 
 of my deceased sister. His name is Mitiushka. 
 He is the son of her first husband, because 
 she, Matriona, married two husbands. The 
 first was " 
 
 " Well, then ! '" said Stepan, " send the boy
 
 •134: THE incnWAY OF SOEEOW. 
 
 Mitiushka to mv friends at Ostroii, the vil- 
 ]-d'j;e Lonkvan came from. It is about twenty 
 miles from here, near Knishi. Tell him to 
 inquire for Paul Rudenko. He must tell him 
 what has happened to Louk3'an, and they 
 will send some of the brethren to minister 
 to his wants. You know what sort of at- 
 tendance he will get in the hospital." 
 
 " To be sure," said Pafnutitch, "I will send 
 the boy the first thing to-morrow." 
 
 Earl}' the next morning Mitiushka, a 
 flaxen-haired boy of fifteen, set off for Os- 
 tron. He reached it after nightfall. The 
 little village seemed asleep ; not a soul was 
 to be seen, and the boy was afraid to knock 
 at any of the closed doors. He walked up 
 and down the deserted street, vainly hoping 
 to meet with somebody to direct him to Paul 
 Kudenko. At last he noticed a stream of 
 lijxht shinin"- throuc^h one of the windows. 
 He approached it cautiously, and leaning 
 agrainst a railing- tried to see what was ""oinc 
 on within the house. The fence cracked 
 under his weight, and the window was sud- 
 denly opened. ^litiushka took to his heels 
 and ran away, only stopj^ing when he lost
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 235 
 
 liis breath. But his errand had not been 
 done. More cautiously than before he crept 
 back again to reconnoitre the lighted window. 
 It was closed, and nobody could be seen 
 through the thick, greenish glass. But at 
 that moment a quiet, kindly voice called to 
 him. 
 
 " What do you want, my boy ? '* it in- 
 quired. 
 
 At first Mitiushka was taking^ to fiia-lit 
 again, but the same voice went on — 
 
 " Don't be afraid. I won't do you any 
 harm." 
 
 Mitiushka stopped. He was very curious 
 to know who this kind man was. The gentle 
 voice continued speaking — 
 
 *' Perhaps you are in great need. You 
 are hungry, or almost naked ; or you want 
 wood to make a fire. Well ! I will supply 
 your needs. You have only to tell me, and 
 I will give you what I have. But to steal 
 about in this way is not right, my boy. You 
 are quite young ; and it is easy to fall into 
 bad ways, and offend both God and man." 
 
 Mitiushka blushed in the darkness, and 
 tears stood in his eyes. His voice trembled.
 
 236 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 "I did not come to steal,'' he said. "I 
 was sent — I want Paul Rudenko, the Stundist. 
 I have a secret message for him, himself," he 
 added, with pride. 
 
 " I am Paul Kudenko, whom 3'ou are seek- 
 ing," answered Paul; "who has sent j'-ou?" 
 
 " My uncle," he replied ; " he is a warder 
 in the prison at Kovylsk. It is about a man 
 named Loukyan." 
 
 " Come in ! come in ! " said Paul eagerly ; 
 "3'ou shall tell me inside the house." 
 
 He helped the boy over the fence, and 
 aroused his mother, who was gone to bed. 
 Together they heard all that ]\Iitiushka knew 
 about Loukyan. 
 
 " I must go to-morrow," exclaimed Paul. 
 
 "Yes," said Ooliana sorrowfully ; "and when 
 3-ou are at Kovylsk, go and see Morkovin. 
 Pie knows everybod}^ and can help you." 
 
 Paul shook his head dubiously. 
 
 " He is so timid," he said, " like a frightened 
 hare. . He has a s^ood heart ; but I can't 
 reckon on much help from him." 
 
 Early in the morning Paul started in his 
 cart, taking the boy with him to within 
 two versts of Kovylsk. It was necessary to
 
 STEFAN'S OUTBREAK. 237 
 
 be very cautious for the warder's sake. 
 Paul went to liis lodging, but the old soldier 
 could give him no further news of Loukyan, 
 except that he had been removed from the 
 prison infirmar}- to the city hospital, where 
 access to him would be more practicable. It 
 was at the other end of the town, near the 
 street where Morkovin lived; and Paul at 
 once proceeded to call upon him. 
 
 It was night, and Morkovin was not ex- 
 pecting anyone ; so a sudden knock at his 
 door terrified him. 
 
 "Who is there?" he asked, before un- 
 fastening his bolts and bars. 
 
 "It is Paul Rudenko : let me in," answered 
 Paul, very softly. 
 
 The door opened, and on the threshold 
 appeared the troubled face and trembling form 
 of a man of about forty-five years of age. He 
 was of small stature, with a bird-like face, 
 and a beard like a goat. His cotton cassock 
 was worn out at the elbows. He wore in the 
 house his old church clothes, for he had been 
 for five years a verger in the cathedral. He 
 had secretly joined the Stundists, but had not 
 courage to do so openly, the more so as being
 
 238 THE niGHWAY OF SOBROW. 
 
 an ex-verirer lie would have met with more 
 comlii^n punishment. He was now getting 
 his living by selling vegetables. Morkovin 
 li<»-hted a thin tallow candle, which gave a feeble 
 glimmer, and led Paul into his room, seating 
 him in the place of honour under the icons. 
 For fear of the authorities Morkovin had not 
 removed them, but he had drawn a curtain 
 across them to conceal them from his Stundist 
 brethren. 
 
 It appeared that ^Morkovin knew nothing 
 about Loukyan, except that one of the Con- 
 sistory clerks had told him about the pre- 
 liminary investigation, 
 
 " They brought seventeen charges against 
 Loukyan ! " said ^Morkovin, shuddering; " seven- 
 teen I and for each one he might be sent to 
 Siberia ! " 
 
 Paul listened thoughtfully. But he was 
 not so much alarmed at the prospect of an 
 exile to Siberia in the future as with the 
 present condition of Loukyan in the hospital.
 
 239 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SAFE HOME. 
 
 LouKYAN had been carried from the refractory 
 cell to the prison infirmary. When they be- 
 gan to nndress him there, it was found 
 necessary to cut away the thick leather boot 
 from the broken foot. On seeing its state 
 the feldsher shook his head, and uttered a 
 low significiint hissing. It was dark purple, 
 with black stripes, from internal haemorrhage. 
 One of the city doctors was summoned, and 
 he agreed with the apothecary that amputation 
 was necessary. He advised the Director to 
 allow him to transfer the patient to the city 
 hospital for the operation, as there only could 
 he receive all the needful attention. 
 
 " Your prisoner cannot escape on one foot," 
 he said grimly. 
 
 In the statement sent by the Director to 
 the hospital authorities, no mention was made 
 of the brutal handling to which the prisoner
 
 240 THE ITU r II WAY OF SOB ROW. 
 
 had been subjected. The accident was laid 
 t(. his own carelessness, and to liis obstinacy 
 in not callinq- attention to his sufferings. 
 The Director always screened Arefiev when 
 possible, in order to maintain discipline, and 
 to keep at hand this wild beast, ready to fly 
 at the throat of an insubordinate prisoner, at 
 the first signal from his superior officer. There 
 were some cells the Director never entered 
 without Arefiev at his heels. It was well to 
 shut one's eyes to an occasional display of 
 brutality for his own pleasure. 
 
 When, after lonij hours of unconsciousness 
 and delirium, Loukyan came to himself, he at 
 first fancied he must be in some ante-court of 
 heaven. The blessed light was shining all 
 around him, and fresh air played about his 
 face; he drank it in with long draughts. He 
 felt clean and purified. He was lying on a 
 bed, with white sheets and warm blankets 
 btretched over him. It was very quiet, but 
 there was no longer the dead silence of the 
 pit where he had lain. A murmur of voices 
 Avas in his ears. I3ut he was too weak to 
 lift his head and look about him. His eyes 
 could see the blue sky shining through a
 
 SAFE HOME. 241 
 
 window near his bed. A kind hand held a 
 cup to his lips ; he drank, and fell asleep 
 again. 
 
 When he awoke his mind and memory 
 were perfectly clear. The nurse told him 
 where he was, in the city hospital, and he 
 understood all. There was no doubt in his 
 mind that death was near — the ansrel who 
 would carry his soul from his maimed and 
 suffering body into the presence of the Lord 
 and Master, whom he had loved and served 
 so faithfully. An ineffable peace took pos- 
 session of Loukyan's soul. Not a wave of 
 trouble rolled across the tranquil sea on which 
 his little bark was floating into a harbour of 
 glory. An extraordinary sweetness and light 
 shone on his pallid and hollow face. The 
 nurses paused and looked at him as they 
 passed his narrow bed, wondering to them- 
 selves what thoughts could call such a beatific 
 expression to his face. 
 
 The morning after Paul reached Kovjdsk, 
 he presented himself in the visitors' room at 
 the hospital. He could get no information 
 about Loukyan at first, until one of the male 
 attendants told him that he was lying in one 
 Q
 
 242 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 of the wards ; but as be was a prisoner, no 
 one could see bini without a permit from the 
 authorities. 
 
 " He is very ill," said the man. " They 
 dare not take off his foot, and that is his 
 onl)' chance." 
 
 Paul liastened to the Consistory, but Paissy 
 was not there, and no one else could give him 
 the necessary permission. Paul tried tipping, 
 for this was not a bribe to make a man 
 neglect his duty, but to fulfil it. But he 
 was assured that neither tips nor prayers 
 would be of any avail. He must come the 
 next da}', when very likely Paissy would be 
 there. 
 
 But it was on the third day only that 
 Paul succeeded in getting an audience with 
 Paissy, through the influence of Morkovin, 
 and the judicious expenditure of three roubles. 
 He earnestly made known his request to 
 Paissy. 
 
 " Ah ! you are from Ostron," said Paissy. 
 "A relation of Loukvan's?" 
 
 " No, your reverence," replied Paul; " Louk- 
 yan is not of kin to us." 
 
 " Well ! well ! you arc related to liim
 
 SAFE TIO:\IE. 243 
 
 spiritually ? " said Paissy. " You belong to 
 his flock ? " 
 
 " We are near neighbours, and his famil}'- 
 have asked me to go to see him," said Paul, 
 cautiously evading the question. 
 
 " I understand," replied Paissy with a 
 sneer. " The flock sends a benefaction to the 
 apostle, and look for a blessed epistle from 
 him to strengthen their faith." 
 
 " He could not write any epistle now ! " 
 exclaimed Paul. " He is lying near to death 
 in the hospital, after being terribly beaten 
 in prison." 
 
 Paissy pretended not to know about it. 
 
 "In the hospital! Terriblj^ beaten in 
 prison ! " he repeated. " I must make inquiry 
 into this ; and until I know all about it 
 I cannot give you permission to see him. 
 Begone ! " 
 
 "Oh! your reverence," cried Paul, "he 
 may be dying even now. He has people 
 dependent upon him ; he will want to make 
 some provision for them. For Christ's sake, 
 I implore 3'ou to let me see him to-day." 
 
 " When I know all the circumstances," 
 said Paissy coldly, " I will decide whether
 
 244 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 I can give you permission to see him or not. 
 You ma}' call the day after to-morrow. I 
 have no time to waste with 3'ou." 
 
 At this moment a clerk entered and 
 whispered something to Paissy. 
 
 " Let him come in ! let him come in ! " 
 he exclaimed hurriedly. " Do not keep him 
 waiting- a moment. Begone ! " he added to 
 Paul, who stood hesitating, as if he had still 
 some petition to urge. 
 
 Paul bowed, and went away with down- 
 cast head, and a heart full of sorrow. He 
 saw with what sort of man he had to deal, 
 and feared that he should get no indulgence 
 from him. At the door he met Valerian, 
 who gazed into his face with his kind yet 
 melancholy eyes. 
 
 " Take courage," he whispered. " My 
 errand is the same as yours, and I shall 
 succeed." 
 
 The few days during which Louk3'an had 
 been in the hospital had made a great change 
 in him. Though he was still absolutely at 
 peace, he had begun to notice more what 
 passed around him in the common ward 
 where he was lying. On each side, and iu
 
 SAFE HOME. 245 
 
 front of him, stood rows of beds. Next to 
 liim on the right-hand lay a sick man in 
 great danger, who never ceased moaning. 
 The patients who were well enough to leave 
 their beds strolled up and down in long grey 
 coats, not unlike those worn in the prison. 
 At first Loukyan supposed himself to be in 
 the prison infirmary. These grey figures, with 
 their haggard faces and slow steps, did not 
 look like free men. 
 
 "How do you feel now?" asked one of 
 the male attendants, approaching Loukyan. 
 
 " All right ! " he answered cheerfully. 
 
 " How is your leg ? Do you feel any 
 pain?" he asked again. 
 
 " No ; I do not feel any pain at all," he 
 replied. 
 
 The attendant shook his head, and touched 
 the wound. 
 
 " Does it hurt ? " he inquired. 
 
 " Not a bit," said Loukyan. " I do not 
 feel as if there was anything there." 
 
 The doctor came to examine him, and shook 
 his head too. All present in the ward watched 
 and listened with anxiety. As soon as he was 
 gone the attendant was besieged with questions.
 
 246 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 "Will they take the foot oft?" they 
 asked. 
 
 " I believe so, my good fellows," he 
 answered. 
 
 " Ah, how horrible it is ! " cried one of 
 them. " One can swallow nothing for a whole 
 week after seeing a man cut about while 
 he's alive." 
 
 There was no accommodation for carrying 
 out any operation in privacy, so that the 
 most serious operation was performed in sight 
 of the other patients. 
 
 " Tf he were only a Christian!" said a 
 fishmonger, who bad undergone an operation a 
 short time before ; " but he is a damnable 
 Stundist, and we must suller on his account. 
 Tliey should not put him in company with 
 Christian men like us." 
 
 "Why is he wurse than we are, comrade?" 
 asked another patient. 
 
 " Worse ! " exclaimed the fishmoncrer : " v hv, 
 he is a Stundist, so they say. He has re- 
 nounced Christ, and the saints, and the Holy 
 Virgin even ! Tlie Stundists say she was a 
 German, and everybody knows she was a born 
 Kussian, and Holy Orthodox ! That's one of
 
 SAFE HOME. 247 
 
 their lies ! You ask him about it," he said 
 to the attendant. 
 
 But the steward had no time to take part 
 in a theological discussion, however interesting. 
 The doctor had just called him outside the 
 ward. When he returned, he announced that 
 Loukyan was not going to suffer amputation. 
 
 " But why ? " they all asked eagerly. 
 
 " He is sure to die before long," was 
 the answer, " and it is of no use taking 
 the trouble. He could not outlive it." 
 
 There was no attempt to conceal the fact, 
 or to carry on the conversation unheard by 
 Loukyan. In almost all countries a peasant 
 faces death calmly, and talks of it openly. 
 Loukyan heard all that ^^as said, and a smile, 
 j)athetic and glad, dawned upon his face. He 
 had a desire to depart and be with Christ; yet 
 he could not help mourning for those he must 
 leave behind him in great peril and affliction. 
 
 "And my son Paul ! " he murmured to 
 himself. 
 
 At that moment it seemed as if all other 
 fio^ures vanished from the ward, and onlv 
 Paul stood in sight, looking down on him 
 with unspeakable love and sympath}' in his
 
 248 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 eyes. Had God sent Paul to him in a vision? 
 liiit at Paul's side stood Valerian, who did 
 not look at all like a vision. Yet Loukyan 
 li^azed at them almost in bewilderment. Dis- 
 turbed by his silence, Paul stooped down over 
 his bed. 
 
 " Don't you know me ? " he asked. " I 
 am Paul, from Ostron." 
 
 " I thought it was a vision, and God had 
 sent it," answered Loukyan in a weak voice. 
 " Who is with you ? " 
 
 " This is Valerian Petrovitch," he replied. 
 " I could not have got permission to see you 
 but for him." 
 
 " That is good," said Loukyan. ** God 
 will reward him ! If you had been much 
 later you would not have found me alive." 
 
 Valerian approached the dying man and 
 examined him carefully, like a doctor. Paul 
 watched him with profound anxiety. 
 
 " Don't grieve too much, my son," said 
 Loukyan. " I know myself my hour is come. 
 Paul ! I have so longed to hear your voice 
 once more, singing as I think the angels will 
 sing when T enter heaven. Sing me, ' Safe 
 Home.' Could you? "
 
 SAFE HOME. 249 
 
 Paul lifted himself up, and summoned all 
 his courage. The patients gathered round the 
 bed. The fishmonger stood in the front, 
 staring. Paul's clear, melodious voice rang 
 through the ward. He sang a hymn well 
 known in the Greek Church, and a few voices 
 joined with him in the refrain of each 
 verse — 
 
 " Safe home, safe home in port ! 
 
 Rent cordage, shattered deck, 
 Torn sails, provisions short, 
 
 And only not a wreck : 
 But oh ! the joy upon the shore 
 To tell our voyage-perils o'er. 
 
 " The prize, the prize secure ! 
 The athlete nearly fell ; 
 Bare all he could endure, 
 
 And bare not always well : 
 But he may smile at troubles gone 
 Who sets the victor-garland on ! 
 
 »■" 
 
 " No more the foe can harm : 
 No more of leaguer'd camp, 
 And cry of night-alarm, 
 
 And need of ready lamp ; 
 And yet how nearly he had failed — 
 How nearly had that foe prevailed !
 
 250 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 " The lamb is in the fold, 
 
 In perfect safety penned : 
 The lion once had hold, 
 
 And thought to make an end ; 
 But One came by with wounded side, 
 And for the sheep the Shepherd died. 
 
 " The exile is at home ! 
 
 Oh nights and days of tears ! 
 Oh longings not to roam ! 
 
 Oil sins, and donbts, and fears ! 
 What matter now, when (so men say) 
 The King has wiped those tears away ? " 
 
 The doctors and their staff were by this time 
 visiting another ward, so there was nobody to 
 interrupt Paul's song. 
 
 " That is like lieaven ! " breathed Loukvan 
 when the hymn was finislied. 
 
 Paul flung liimself on liis knees beside the 
 bed, and pressed liis face on Louk van's pillow, 
 sobbing like a child. A profound silence filled 
 the ward. 
 
 '* I have fought a good fight!" said Louk- 
 yan j<>y<>nsly, " I have finished mj- course. I 
 have kept the faith, Plenceforth there is laid 
 up for me a crown of glory, which the Judge, 
 the righteous Lord, shall give me in that day."
 
 SAFE HOME. 251 
 
 Then Avitli a sudden cban^-e of tone to one 
 of humble simplicity, he added, " Lord, if I 
 have said these words presumptuously, forgive 
 thy servant." 
 
 He lay silent for a few minutes, as if to 
 gather strength. Then he turned to Paul, and 
 with a great effort laid his hand on the head 
 pressed against his pillow. 
 
 " 1 leave jou to go on with my work," he 
 murmured ; " the harvest is rich and great, but 
 the labourers are few. I have laboured, and 
 you will enter into my labours. Feed the 
 hungry, clothe the naked ; visit those who are 
 sick and in prison. Remember our Lord says, 
 " If 3'e do this to the least among my brethren, 
 ye do it unto Me." 
 
 " How can I take your place ? " said Paul. 
 
 "We can do all things through Christ, who 
 strengthens us," Loukyan answered. " He will 
 never leave you nor forsake you. Have faith 
 in Him." 
 
 Paul raised his head, and wiped away the 
 tears which dimmed his sight. Loukyan's 
 peaceful face was clear to him no^v. 
 
 " I was afraid to take a task too heavy for 
 me," he said.
 
 252 TUB HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 The eyes of the dying man grew bright 
 as they rested on Paul's young face. 
 
 " Too heavy for you ; but not too heavy 
 for you and our Lord," he said. "You will 
 lift up that cross, and carry it for the glory 
 of God. I can foresee your end, my son. 
 Much tribulation and sore affliction for the 
 flesh ; but the sunshine of God for the spirit. 
 It will be well with you to the end, even if 
 3'ou give your life for our faith, as I have 
 done " 
 
 Loukyan's voice became strong and sonorous. 
 He raised himself on his bed, and Valerian 
 quickl}' stepped to his aid, and supported him. 
 A wonderfully solemn gladness shone in his 
 face. He stretched out his hands with a gesture 
 of welcome. 
 
 " Can this be death ? " he cried in a tone 
 of triumph. " Oh ! it is life ! It is life 
 eternal ! " 
 
 A great excitement possessed the circle of 
 bystanders. One or two kissed Loukyan's 
 hands ; others pushed forward, if onl}^ to touch 
 his bed. Many of them embraced Paul. All 
 were weeping as if their dearest friend was 
 passing away. Loukyan sank back again on
 
 SAFE HOME. 253 
 
 his pillow, with glazing eyes, and with a grey 
 pallor on his face. 
 
 Valerian watched the sad scene with deep 
 emotion. He was shaken, too, but in a different 
 way. It appeared to him as a burst of fana- 
 ticism, and an aimless wasting of spiritual 
 energy, which might have been used for a far 
 better cause. With a sigh he left the ward. 
 
 The next morning when Paul arrived at the 
 hospital, he heard that Loukyan's corpse was 
 in the mortuary. He was permitted to see it. 
 There it lay, next to another dead man, with 
 an air of infinite repose and everlasting peace 
 on the worn features. It was buried the same 
 night secretly, by order of the Consistory ; 
 because rumours about him were rife in the 
 town, and neither the clerical nor the civil 
 authorities wished to have the manner of his 
 death investigated. The Stundists could not 
 learn where his grave was.
 
 2o-t 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 
 
 Paul was puttiug liis horse into his cart 
 for liis return home, when Morkovin hurriedly 
 appeared, hatless, and breathless with fright, to 
 say that two gentlemen were inquiring for 
 him, one of whom looked like a Government 
 official. An official was an object of terror to 
 poor Morkovin. 
 
 He and Paul went into the house, and found 
 Valerian, who had brought with him the secre- 
 tary of the justice of ])eace. 
 
 " We have some business to talk over 
 with you," said Valerian. " We want to take 
 action for the murder of Loukyan ; and I am 
 come to ask your opinion as a representative 
 of the Stundists." 
 
 "Of course I approve of it," cried Paul 
 eagerly. "What do you think, jNIorkovin ? " 
 
 Morkovin waved his hands deprecatingly. 
 
 "Don't ask me," lie said; "nothing
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 255 
 
 will come of it. You will onl}^ get into 
 trouble." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " declared Valerian ; " our laws 
 will not allow of such barbarities. Anyhow, 
 such a scandalous case must not be left to 
 pass unnoticed like that." 
 
 " But what can you do ag-ainst them ? " 
 Morkovin persisted. " They are all one lot 
 and hang together. You will present your 
 petition to the Public Prosecutor ; but as the 
 case belongs to the Ecclesiastical Department, it 
 will be sent on to the Consistory, to this same 
 Father Paissy himself. I tell you a raven 
 does not pick out a raven's eyes. You will 
 get into trouble, that is all." 
 
 " But it is the right thing to do," said 
 Valerian ; "if we are all afraid of g^ettinof 
 into trouble every sort of wrong will prosper. 
 I could not rest without doings somethino-." 
 
 His opinion prevailed. Together with Paul 
 he drew up a draft of the complaint to the 
 Public Prosecutor. In it were related the 
 facts of the case, as far as they knew them, 
 and an investigation was urgently required. 
 
 The secretary willingly undertook to re-write 
 the petition with the customary formalities,
 
 256 THE niGinVAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and to send it duwn to Valerian for his sig- 
 nature. It was decided that Paul, as a 
 Stundist, should be kept out of it. 
 
 Valerian had come to Kovylsk in a return 
 post-carriage ; so he willingly accepted Paul's 
 offer to drive him home in his cart. Tlie 
 afternoon had come before they started on their 
 long drive. It was a clear, sunny day in 
 autumn, and the summer heat was gone. 
 From the fields rose a thin white mist, which 
 was driven to and fro by a slight breeze, here 
 and there looking as if semi-transparent sails 
 were gliding over the waves of a green sea. 
 
 The far-off woodlands were wrapped in dark 
 blue, and were already mingling indistinguish- 
 ably with the blue horizon. Tlie road stretched 
 before them, a long white line, altogether lost 
 in the distance. Paul dropped the reins, leaving 
 his horse full freedom ; the beast was going 
 home, and knew it. Paul was longing to have 
 an earnest conversation wdtli the man whom 
 he had hitherto instinctively avoided. 
 
 The feeling of distrust Valerian had evoked 
 in him was replaced by one of deep gratitude 
 and sympathy. Without his timely aid he 
 would never ha ye seen Loukyan again. Though
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 257 
 
 Valerian had never approached tlie subject of 
 religion with him, Paul now felt convinced 
 that he could not be an unbeliever. Scholars 
 and philosophers might have their own modes of 
 speech ; but he no longer doubted that Vale- 
 rian believed in his own way, and that in secret 
 he was full of s3-mpathj with the Stundists. 
 His mother had always told him it was so ; 
 and now he was fully satisfied she was right. 
 
 Paul was five years younger than Valerian, 
 and with all the eagerness of youth, he b-^gan 
 to talk to him of Loukyan's glorious death, 
 and of the good news he had heard in Kovylsk 
 of the spread of Stundism. There had been 
 many conversions lately, in spite of the growing 
 persecution — a relentless and deadly persecution, 
 which seemed to have its spies everywhere. It 
 seemed only to deepen the enthusiasm among 
 the brethren, and to awaken sympathy for 
 them among the orthodox. 
 
 " God's truth penetrates everywhere, even 
 into the cathedrals and the prisons," said 
 Paul; "as it was in the days of Nero, when 
 St. Paul was put to death, so it is now." 
 
 " Indeed ? " said Valerian, in a tone of 
 curiosity. 
 
 R
 
 258 TEE niGHWAY OF SORUOW. 
 
 Paul told liini of a prison warder and 
 some old colleag'ues of Morkovin who had 
 lately joined the Stundists. Valerian listened 
 attentively ; the spread of Stundism among the 
 peasantr}^ was profoundly' interesting to him. 
 He saw in it a field where his own political 
 propagandism ought to tind good soil. This 
 confirmed Paul in his ingenuous supposition 
 that Valerian was a believer, and it gave him 
 courage to speak plainly. 
 
 " I want to ask 3'ou a question, Valerian 
 Petrovitch," he began, looking away from 
 his companion ; " do not be angry with me. I 
 speak to you from my heart." 
 
 " Pray ask me any question. Why should 
 I be angr}^ ? " replied Valerian encouragingly. 
 
 " What, then, are vour views about re- 
 ligion ? " asked Paul, turning his honest and 
 serious gaze upon him ; " I h'^ar people talk 
 all sorts of nonsense about you, and I have 
 partly believed it. But now I know j'ou 
 better. You are like Loukyan. always ready 
 to help anyone who is in need of help, as if 
 they were your brethren. Now you are willing 
 to get yourself into trouble for Loukyan's sake. 
 How can it be that you should care so much
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. ^59 
 
 for the bodies of people, and have no care 
 for their souls ? " 
 
 " But I do care," replied Valerian ; " when 
 I meet with a sensible and sober man or boy 
 I provide him with books for his improvement. 
 Have you not seen any of them ? " 
 
 " Oh 3^es, I have," said Paul ; " books upon 
 agriculture, and the care of cattle. About the 
 stars, too, and the history of former times. 
 They are good books." 
 
 " There are others which you have not 
 seen," continued Valerian, with a penetratins; 
 glance at Paul's earnest face ; " those book^ 
 which you say are good, are all food for the 
 brain — that is for the soul." 
 
 Paul looked at him with a perplexed ex- 
 pression. 
 
 " Is the brain the soul ? " he asked ; " you 
 are a learned man. Valerian Petrovitch. Have 
 then the animals souls as we have? But all 
 those books, good as they are, are vanity 
 if the man who reads them knows nothino- 
 about God. If you can teach a man how 
 his soul can be saved from sin, he will be 
 grateful to you." 
 
 " Of course he would ! But more than
 
 260 THE HIGHWAY OF SOB BOW. 
 
 that, he would make you rich. He would 
 pay handsomely for his soul's salvation. The 
 priests found out that long ago," answered 
 Valerian, rolling up a cigarette. He did not 
 want to enter into a religious discussion, and 
 wished to pass over the question with a joke. 
 
 " Oh ! the priests ! " repeated Paul gravely ; 
 " who does not know they think chiefly of 
 plundering and fleecing their people both alive 
 and dead? But I was speaking of the religion 
 of the New Testament. It says, ' Freely ye 
 have received, freely give ! ' And again, ' And 
 him that takcth away thy cloak, forbid not 
 to take thy coat also.' " 
 
 " One would go very naked at times," said 
 Valerian. 
 
 " But that is not like the priests," con- 
 tinued Paul. 
 
 He spoke of his religious views, not like 
 a controversialist, but as a simple peasant, 
 penetrated by the pure, unselfish teaching of 
 the Gospel. The social condition of the world 
 would be altogether changed, it appeared to 
 him, by a religion of true brotherly love. 
 
 Paul was deeply moved. His mother, he 
 knew, was praying fervently for Valerian's
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 261 
 
 conversion, and as by an inspiration from 
 heaven, his own soul yearned for it also. The 
 image of Loukyan lying in Valerian's arms 
 was before his eyes, and he sincerely believed 
 that a portion of Loukyan's spirit had descended 
 upon himself. If Valerian could be won to God 
 through him at this hour, how certain would 
 he be that he was chosen to be a leader and 
 a teacher of the people ! 
 
 Valerian listened to him with profound 
 interest. I^ever before had he heard a simple 
 peasant so eloquent. Paul attributed his at- 
 tention to other motives, and proceeded to 
 expound all the simple tenets of the Stuud- 
 ists ; their objection to a paid priesthood, their 
 abhorrence of icon-worship, their opposition to 
 vodka drinking, and to war, and their doctrine 
 of universal brotherly love. 
 
 "What you say about love and brotherhood 
 is quite right," said Valerian; "all right-minded 
 people desire it, and work for it. But all that 
 has nothing to do with religion, either of the 
 Orthodox Church, or the Stundists." 
 
 Paul looked astonished, not understanding 
 how one thing could exist without the other. 
 
 " The priests are persecuting you in the
 
 262 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBUOW. 
 
 name of the same Christ, and quote texts from 
 the same Bible," said Valerian. 
 
 " But those who raise up persecutions 
 cannot be real Christians," he replied. " If 
 they obeyed Christ they would not hate and 
 persecute us." 
 
 Valerian listlessly nodded his head. Paul 
 had uttered a truism. 
 
 " But suppose for one moment," he said, 
 " that the Stundists were the most numerous 
 and the strongest, would you not pull down 
 the orthodox churches, and destroy the icons, 
 and shut up the public-houses, and try to 
 com])el people to agree with your doctrines? 
 The orthodox people would get it hot from 
 you, and cry out that they were being perse- 
 cuted and made martyrs of. Are you sure 
 you would not annihilate them for the glory 
 of God ? " 
 
 Paul felt a little staggered. This side of 
 the question had never occurred to him. It 
 was true he would ruthlessly destroy the 
 icons, and shut up the vodka shops. But 
 could he be guilty of any other form of 
 persecution ? 
 
 " No," he answered, shaking his head.
 
 VALERIAN TEE AGNOSTIG. 263 
 
 " Our Lord says : ' All they tbnt take the 
 sword shall perish by the sword.' Christ 
 would not have any one persecuted ; and when 
 the people are left alone, they do not perse- 
 cute us for our religion. It is the priests 
 who stir them up against us." 
 
 " Your priests would do the same," said 
 Valerian in an undertone, as if speaking to 
 himself. He turned aside, looking at the 
 mist-laden fields and the distant horizon. 
 
 " But we have no priests," persisted Paul. 
 " Was our Loukj^an a priest ? " 
 
 " No, no ! " replied Valerian, turning to 
 him with vivacity; " Loukyan was an apostle. 
 But the apostles are the forerunners of the 
 priests. First come Peter, Paul, Luke — they 
 sow the seed ; then come Father Vasili and 
 Father Paissy to gather in the harvest. It 
 seems a law of nature, and nothing can be 
 dene against it." 
 
 He puffed at his cigarette energetically, 
 sincerely anxious to end the conversation. 
 But Paul could not be put off with his half 
 sayings. 
 
 "But what then are your real views?" 
 he exclaimed.
 
 264 THE JIIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Valerian did not respond at once ; lie was 
 waveriug. It seemed a pit}'" to disturb the 
 harmonious convictions and the peace of mind 
 of this single-hearted and enthusiastic young 
 peasant. But he felt sorry at the same time 
 to leave such an able man to throw himself 
 away upon a groundless illusion. Breaking 
 does not always impl}' destroying. Stones 
 east down from an insecure building ma}' Ibrm 
 a new, more solid, aud better edifice. Valerian 
 had his own convictions, and the desire to 
 convert Paul to them overpowered him. 
 
 " In my opinion," he said, " the world 
 would be wiser and ha])pier if we got rid of 
 these things altogether." 
 
 " What things ? " asked Paul gravely. 
 
 "All these." 
 
 He laid his hand on a bag of books, 
 chiefly New Testaments and hymn-books, 
 which Paul was taking home to Ostron. 
 Paul looked at him rather with pity than 
 reproach. 
 
 " They are mostly God's Word," he said ; 
 " there are a few hymn-books. The earth 
 and the heavens may ])ass away, ])ut the Word 
 of the Lord abides for ever. You may not
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 265 
 
 believe it," be added, turning to Valerian and 
 smiling radiantly, " but sometbing bappens to 
 me in my own life, it seems a trifle, of no 
 concern, yet I find sometbing in tbe Testa- 
 ment tbat exactly meets my case. I am 
 struck witb astonisbment." 
 
 Valerian smiled back again. 
 
 "Wbat is tbe Word of God?" be asked. 
 
 "Tbe Bible; above all, tbe New Testa- 
 ment," answered Paul promptly. 
 
 "But every religion bas its sacred book," 
 said Valerian ; " and tbe priests declare tbat 
 tbey also bave tbe Word of God. Tbe Jews 
 bold to tbe Old Testament, and reject tbe 
 New ; tbe Mabomedans bave tlieir Koran ; 
 tbe Buddbists tbeir Rig-Veda. How can 
 you be sure you possess tbe true and only 
 Word of God ? " 
 
 Paul looked perplexed and disconcerted. 
 No doubt bad ever been presented to bim 
 before as to tbe Bible. Tbe Ortbodox Cburcb 
 itself accepted it as a true and only revelation. 
 
 " Give me your Testament," said Valerian. 
 Turnino- over tbe leaves like one well 
 acquainted witb its contents, be pointed out 
 tbe apparent discrepancies and contradictions
 
 266 THE niGUWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 in tlio Gospels. Paul read and listened with 
 ever-deepening dismay. 
 
 " Look here ! " said Valerian, readins: the 
 story of the dumbness of Zacharias, tlie father 
 of John the Baptist, " it is said that after 
 beins: struck dumb, he continued his service 
 in the Temple. Have you got the Old 
 Testament with you ? " 
 
 Paul gave him a copy of the whole Bible. 
 
 "Good!" he said. "Now listen! In 
 Leviticus the strict command is given by 
 Jehovah : ' Speak unto Aaron, saying : " Who- 
 soever he be of thv seed in their o-enerations 
 that hath any blemish, let him not approach 
 to offer the bread of his God."' And ao-ain • 
 * " No man that hath a blemish of the seed 
 of Aaron shall come ni<rh to offer the offer- 
 ings of the Lord made by fire : he hath a 
 blemish ; he shall not come nigh to offer the 
 bread of his God. He shall eat the bread oif 
 his God, both of the most holy and of the 
 holy. Only he shall not go in unto the vail, 
 nor come nigh unto the altar, because he 
 hath a blemish."' That is clear, Paul?" 
 
 " Yes," he answered. 
 
 They were going at a foot's pace. The
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIG. 267 
 
 sensible horse, finding himself unchecked, felt 
 it a suitable time for going at his own rate. 
 
 " Then if a priest with any defect could 
 not serve in the temple," said Valerian, "this 
 account of Zacharias must be a jDure in- 
 vention, written by someone who did not 
 •know the Jewish law." 
 
 " That is so," exclaimed Paul, struck with 
 amazement, as if he had all at once seen 
 some clever trick. 
 
 "Who do you suppose wrote the Gospels?" 
 asked Valerian. 
 
 " Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John," re- 
 plied Paul. 
 
 " Ah ! but you do not know," said Valerian, 
 " that not one of these books was written till 
 many long years after Christ is said to have 
 lived. He wrote nothing Himself, and as far 
 as we can tell none of His immediate disciples 
 wTote anything. It was all done from memory 
 and tradition. I suppose, if we tried to find 
 out the true story of the Pannotshka's mur- 
 der, we should find it impossible to do so. 
 So it is with the story of Christ's life. No 
 wonder there are discrepancies and mistakes 
 made in it. Of late years learned men have
 
 268 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 come to the couclusion that none of these 
 Gospels are authentic. They are a tissue of 
 legends." 
 
 " Do all learned men say so ? " asked 
 Paul in a tremulous voice. 
 
 Valerian hesitated a moment. 
 
 "No," he answered reluctantly; "but the 
 number that maintain the truth of the Bible 
 is rapidly diminishing ; and they are mostly 
 priests, who have an interest in keeping up 
 its authority." 
 
 " What then is truth ? " said Paul, in an 
 undertone. 
 
 " It maddens me," exclaimed Valerian 
 vehemently, " to see good, true, honest men 
 like you and Loukyan, and hundreds of 
 others, throwing away your lives in following 
 a phantom. You might be so happy ! Why 
 should not you marry the girl 3'ou love, and 
 live comfortably in the house of your fore- 
 fathers, and gather your own little ones about 
 your knees? It is because you imagine you 
 serve a Being who never lived ; or who if he lived, 
 was a man like yourself, whose memory has 
 been glorified and deified by the friends who 
 loved him. You sacrifice all for nothing."
 
 VALERIAN THE AGNOSTIC. 269 
 
 " But you do not go to cliurcli," stammered 
 Paul. 
 
 " All ! I run no risk, I shall excite no 
 observation," continued Valerian ; " young men 
 of my class are not expected to be cliurch- 
 goers. But 3'ou know you bring upon yourself 
 all kinds of dangers and penalties by not 
 doing as other peasants do. And all for nothing ! 
 There is no reward in the world to come. 
 There is no Christ ! There is no God ! Or 
 if there be a Grod we know nothing about 
 Him." 
 
 Valerian spoke strongh^, as he had a great 
 desire to root out of Paul's mind the super- 
 stitions for which he was imperilling his welfare 
 and freedom. 
 
 " Oh, my God ! " cried Paul, in a voice of 
 utter ano-uish : and he stretched out his 
 hands to the pale evening sky above them. 
 Suddenly he sprang from the cart. 
 
 " Drive home ! " he said ; " tell my mother 
 I shall be there before midnight." 
 
 He rushed across the fields lying fallow 
 in their winter barrenness, and was quickly lost 
 to sisfht in the thin white mist. Valerian 
 called after him again and again, but in vain.
 
 273 
 
 CHAPTEE XXI. 
 
 WHAT IS TRUE ? 
 
 Paul did not know in what direction he was 
 wandering, but instinct carried his steps home- 
 wards. He felt like a man who has just 
 suffered from a shock of earthquake. The 
 solid earth seemed to tremble beneath him, 
 and threaten to open nnder his hurrying feet 
 and swallow him ujd alive. He could not at 
 present command his thoughts, which were 
 entangled in a mnze of terror. By-and-bye 
 the night closed round him, adding to the 
 bewildering eifect of the thin mist. His pro- 
 gress was impeded; he was compelled to 
 attend to his steps. Recalled partly to him- 
 self, he found that he was lollowiny: the 
 border of a lary-e forest. 
 
 All at once he felt himself in a place he 
 knew. The moon had risen above the mist, 
 ami poured down a Hood of pale light upon 
 the spot where he stood. The air had been
 
 WHAT IS TRUE? 271 
 
 absolutely motionless until now ; but as if 
 some spell of silence had been broken, the 
 wind began to wail in a low murmur, which 
 rose every moment higher and higher until 
 the roar of a gale rushed through the forest 
 trees around him. It seemed as if all nature 
 was moaning and crying, with shrieks of horror 
 and despair. He was standing by the Pan- 
 notshka's grave. 
 
 All the old stories of demons haunting 
 this place rushed into Paul's mind. If 
 Valerian had tried to shake his faith in 
 Christ, he had not attacked his belief in the 
 devil, Paul stood gazing into the dim ravine, 
 and listen ins: to the roar in the forest. Alas ! 
 that he had ever met with Valerian ! The 
 words he had spoken were burned in as with 
 lire upon his heart. " No world to come ! 
 No Christ! No God!" 
 
 Suddenly the thought flashed across him 
 that Valerian had given himself up to Satan. 
 The place where he stood suggested it. The 
 interview he had witnessed in the deserted 
 charcoal-burner's hut seemed to corroborate it. 
 Satan could transform himself into an an2:el of 
 light; and Valerian, with his kind-heartedness
 
 272 THE IIIGinVAY OF SOEIiOW. 
 
 and his devotion to the j^oor, might 
 ]irove a veiy successful emissary of Satan. 
 That must be the solution of what had just 
 passed. 
 
 He went listlessly homeward, almost fear- 
 inor to meet his mother, vet feelintr as if 
 in her serene presence this untold misery 
 would pass away. He had much to tell her 
 about Louk3'an ; and 3-et it seemed as if 
 all the glory of" Loukyan's death had melted 
 into thin mist, like this autumn vapour sur- 
 rounding him. 
 
 Ooliana was watching eagerly for his ar- 
 rival. Valerian had brought in the cart, 
 and delivered Paul's mysterious message. She 
 had been full of anxietv about him ever since 
 he had gone to Kov3^1sk, knowing that he 
 might be thrown into prison simpl^^ for being 
 a Stundist. But now she knew him to be on 
 his way homeward she was content. Valerian 
 simpl}' told her Louk}^an was dead, and left 
 Paul to give her all particulars. He did not 
 wish to be there when Paul arrived. 
 
 She heard his step at last in the court- 
 yard, and ran to meet him. He clasped her 
 to him in a strong embrace. How good it
 
 WHAT IS TRUE? 273 
 
 was to feel his mother's arms about him ! 
 This at least was true. 
 
 They went into the house together hand 
 in hand, and sat for a long time talking about 
 Loukyan's death, and the loss it caused to 
 the Stundists. At last Ooliana laid her hand 
 fondly on her son's shoulder. 
 
 " My Paul," she said, " Halya was betrothed 
 last Sunday to Panass." 
 
 Then she was indeed lost to him ! That 
 l^romise given to him when he made his appeal 
 to the Bible was false — false as Valerian said all 
 the rest of the book was. This confirmed his 
 assertions. And he had lost Halya for a falsity ! 
 
 " My boy ! " said Ooliana, " it is God's 
 will, and that will is best. Perilous times are 
 coming. The shepherd has been slain, and 
 they will not spare the flock. We must stand 
 together firmly ; and Halya could not have 
 walked along this path with us. It is you 
 who will have to take the lead now Loukyan 
 is taken away from our midst. You are 
 young, but you have more learning and more 
 wealth than any of the others. You will have 
 more in your power. There is no one else 
 to replace Loukyan, and do his work." 
 s
 
 27-i THE HIGH WAY OF SOriBOW. 
 
 There was a feeling of maternal ])ride stir- 
 rinir in her heart. Yes ; there was no one like 
 Paul among their little band. He was sure to 
 be elected their presbyter. No doubt was in 
 her mind as to his fitness for the post, or his 
 willingness to accept it. 
 
 " Mother ! " he cried in a passionate voice, 
 " do not say that again. I replace Loukyan ! I 
 will not listen to you. You do not know what 
 you are saying." 
 
 " I only say to-day what ever3'body else 
 will say to-morrow," answered Ooliana. " It is 
 too late for us to see even Demyan. ]^ut bad 
 news one should keep under lock and key ; 
 only good news ought to fly out quickly." 
 
 Paul went to his room, but not to sleep. 
 He lighted a small lamp which stood on an oak 
 table, on which lay a few books as he had left 
 them a few days ago when he started off to 
 Kovylsk. He recollected the calm joy and 
 strength he had gathered from them only those 
 lew days ago. He remembered quite well the 
 chapter he had read in the Gospel of St. John — 
 that Gospel which Valerian emphatically declared 
 to bo unreliable. He turned over the leaves and 
 read it again — read and re-read it. It was the
 
 WHAT IS TRUE? 275 
 
 account of Lazarus being raised from the dead 
 by the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh ! what strono- 
 consolation and triumph did it bring for 
 Loukjan's death ! 
 
 " But if all that is not true ? If it was 
 invented years afterwards by someone who 
 wished to glorify a friend ? " whispered a low, 
 still voice. 
 
 " God save me ! " murmured Paul, in horror. 
 He looked round ; it would not have astonished 
 him in the least if he had seen some bodily 
 shape of evil. But there was nothing to be 
 seen but black shadows in the corners of the 
 room. 
 
 He read the chapter again, but the beautiful 
 charm was gone. He could not imagine himself 
 any more sitting with ]\Iary in Bethany at the 
 Saviour's feet, weeping when He wept, and 
 rejoicing, with unutterable joy, when the grave 
 gave up its dead at the Saviour's command 
 The words passed through his brain, but his 
 heart remained untouched and cold — a« cold 
 as the brave heart of Loukyan laid for ever in 
 the grave. 
 
 "What if it is all false?" The icy-cold 
 question chilled his inmost soul. The poison of 
 
 s 2
 
 276 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 doubt had entered there, and was minrrllnsr 
 
 23 
 
 subtly with every thought. He pushed away 
 his; beloved Testament with a trembhng hand. 
 In his soul everything grew dim. 
 
 " My God ! what will become of me ? " he 
 cried in horror. 
 
 Until to-da}' he had believed as simply as a 
 child believes. Every line of the Bible had 
 been read by him as God's own Word. To 
 doubt their utter truthfulness would have 
 been as impossible as to doubt the light of 
 the sun or the solidity of the earth. 
 
 Now he felt the extreme horror of the savasre 
 who sees the disc of the sun eaten up b}^ an 
 eclipse, or feels the steadfast earth quaking 
 under his feet. 
 
 Thoughts which drove him almost to mad- 
 ness surged through his brain. If the Bible 
 was not true, then what was there in the world 
 that was true ? He had never before experi- 
 enced the torture of doubt, and now its sluirpest 
 pains beset him. The words Valerian had 
 spoken sounded mockingly in his ear : " There 
 is no world to come ! There is no Christ ! 
 There is no God ! " 
 
 No world to come ! Then indeed they, the
 
 WHAT IS TRUE? 277 
 
 Stundists, were of all men the most miserable. 
 Loukyan had given up his life in vain. His 
 mother, Ooliana, was passing her time in a 
 dream. His own existence was blighted in all 
 its future, and Halya, who was lost to him, 
 would live a fruitless life of misery. Was it 
 too late to save himself and Halya? No 
 Christ ! Was all that beautiful story of a 
 Saviour's sojourn on earth only a fable ? Had 
 there never been a Son of Grod moved with 
 love and pity for the wretched race of men ? 
 But if man was no more than the brutes that 
 perish, why should One come down from heaven 
 to ransom him ? He had had a lovely vision of 
 a Redeemer and a Brother ever at his side, 
 invisible, but not unfelt. He had fancied that 
 this Lord of his was holding him by the hand, 
 as a mother holds her little child along a stony 
 path. If there w^as no Christ, this had been all 
 delusion and a lie. 
 
 But when he thought of the terrible words, 
 " There is no God ! " a pang almost as of death 
 wrung his heart. No God ! no Father in 
 heaven ! no infinite, unchangeable love ! This 
 world was hell if there was no God. 
 
 He sank on his knees, and laid his bowed
 
 278 TUE IIIGTTU'AY OF SORROW. 
 
 liead ii])on the tiible. Cold drops of perspiration 
 •lathered on liis forehead. His excited ima- 
 gination sugg-ested that he was given over to 
 the power of Satan. There was no doubt in 
 his mind of the existence of this tormentor: 
 he was fighting against him and his temptations. 
 
 " Lord have mercy upon me ! Lord save 
 me ! " he groaned. 
 
 " What Lord ? " murmured a voice, whether 
 in his ear, or in his mind only, he could 
 not tell. 
 
 He rose from his knees. He was suffocat- 
 ins" ; his brain was on fire : his throat was 
 parched as after a dust}- journe}^ on a sultry 
 day. He crept softl}' into the kitchen to get a 
 (lrau"-ht ot" water. His mother heard liim, and 
 came out to see what was the matter. 
 
 " Are you ill ? " she exclaimed, frightened. 
 " You are as ])ale as death." 
 
 For a moment l-*aul thonght to tell her of 
 the fearful conflict he was undergoing. But 
 why expose her to the horror of such doul)ts ? 
 This simple and pure soul, why should it be 
 tossed on such a storm as the tempest of his 
 doubts and fears? His tongue clove to the 
 roof of his mouth.
 
 WHAT IS TRUE? 279 
 
 Ooliana recollected that Loiik3'an's death 
 and Halya's betrothal were new griefs to her 
 son. This accounted for his silence and be- 
 wildered gaze. She gave him water to drink, 
 and laid her cold hands on his fevered 
 forehead. 
 
 " Go to bed, my son," she said, " and try 
 to sleep. Grod give you sleep ! "
 
 280 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A FUNERAL SERVICE. 
 
 The next day the Stimdists met together — a 
 solemn and sad knot of mourners — to honour 
 the memorv of their leader and their first 
 martyr. All were present ; both old and youn*,^. 
 Even those who had timorously absented them- 
 selves since Loukyan's arrest were animated 
 by his death to rejoin their comrades. When 
 Ooliana and Paul entered the house where 
 tliey assembled it was already full. Paul 
 wished to take a place by the door, but the 
 little congregation made way for him to the 
 table, spread with a white cloth, on which 
 lay the Bible and hymn-book ; and bread and 
 wine for the simple rite of the Lord's Supper, 
 which was to be solemnly partaken of by the 
 brotherhood before dispersing. Old Kondraty, 
 one of tlie iirst converts in Knishi, was seated 
 at tlie table, and he olfered the book to l^aul 
 to conduct the service ; but he shook his head
 
 A FUNERAL SERVICE. 281 
 
 in refusal. It was natural that he, who had 
 been present at Loukyan's death, should be 
 too much overcome to be able to take Loukyan's 
 post. The service was accordingly led by 
 Kondraty, who, though not an eloquent man, 
 was intelligent and well versed in the New 
 Testament. 
 
 A psalm was sung, and then Kondraty 
 opened the New Testament and began to 
 read clearly, but with a peasant's slowness, 
 and with here and there a misjDronunciation, 
 which no one but Paul remarked. 
 
 " And the word of God increased, and the 
 number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem 
 greatly ; and a great company of the priests 
 were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full 
 of faith and power, did great wonders and 
 miracles among the people. 
 
 " Then there arose certain of the synagogue, 
 disputing with Stephen. And they were not 
 able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by 
 which he sjDake. Then they suborned men, 
 which said, We have heard him speak blas- 
 phemous words against Moses and against God. 
 
 " And they stirred up the people, and the 
 elders, and the scribes, and came upon him,
 
 2S2 THE IIIGinVAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and caught him, and hrought him to the 
 Council, and set up false witnesses, which said, 
 This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous 
 words against this holy place and the law; 
 i'oY we have heard him say that this Jesus 
 of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and change 
 the customs which Moses delivered unto us. 
 
 " x\nd all that sat in the Council, looking 
 steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had 
 been the face of an angel." 
 
 Dead silence reigned in the room. Under 
 the impression of recent events, this narration 
 had gained a peculiar significance. The cases 
 were so similar. It seemed as if the tale 
 was told, not of Stephen, so long since dead, 
 but of Loukyan, their leader, who a few weeks 
 ago taught them with his living voice. The 
 persecuting Jews, were they not the members 
 of the orthodox church ? Tl^e elders and 
 the scribes were the clergy and the officials 
 who, unable to confute his teacliing by argu- 
 ments, had seized liiin and cast liiiii into prison. 
 
 Both men and women bei^an to weep. 
 Covering his lace with his hands, Paul shed 
 silent tears, which relieved for a time his 
 throbbing brain. The bright, joyous face of
 
 A FUNERAL SERVICE. 283 
 
 the dying Loukyan dispelled for tlie moment 
 his doubts and sorrows. 
 
 Kondraty went on reading slowly, omitting 
 nothing. Tlie long historical speech made by 
 Stephen somewhat relieved the agitation of 
 the audience. The sobbings ceased ; sighs 
 were heard less often. All listened patiently 
 and with deep attention. But the tragical 
 catastrophe came at last. 
 
 It is not Ste^^hen standing before his judges ; 
 it is Loukyan sternly denouncing his persecutors 
 for being the betrayers and murderers of Christ, 
 the just One. The persecutors are cut to the 
 heart, and are gnashing their teeth in rage. 
 They are Paissy and his colleagues. The 
 place is not the Sanhedrim in Jerusalem, but 
 a Russian Court, with a green-covered table 
 surrounded by Russian priests and officials, 
 before whom Loukyan is standing. 
 
 All faces grew pale. Some with trembling 
 hands wiped the perspiration from tlieir brows. 
 Moans and sighs were heard again. In the 
 closely crowded room a burning tension was 
 felt, as if the whole drama was developiog 
 before their eyes. The reader went on : — 
 
 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost,
 
 284 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBIiOW. 
 
 looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw 
 the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the 
 rii^ht hand of God, and said, Behold, I see 
 the heavens opened, and the Son of Man 
 standing on the right hand of God. 
 
 " Then the}' cried out with a loud voice 
 and stopped their ears, and ran upon him 
 with one accord, and cast him out of the city 
 and stoned him." 
 
 Kondraty's voice failed him. Tt was too 
 real. The grief of the whole audience broke 
 out afresh. At last, in broken accents and 
 sobbing breath, he read : — 
 
 "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon 
 God and saying. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 
 
 " And he kneeled down, and cried with 
 a loud voice, ' Lord, lay not this sin to 
 their clKiru^e. And when he had said this he 
 Irll aslee])." 
 
 " They killed him ! they killed our own 
 dear one ! " cried Paraska, the wife of Demyan, 
 and immediately cries and lamentations filled 
 the room. The suppressed excitement burst 
 out again. Kondraty was distressed. Above 
 all, he wished to avoid hvsterical emotion. 
 He stood up, waving his hands and addressing
 
 A FUNERAL SEBVIGK 285 
 
 tliem ; but in the tumult his voice was inaudible. 
 Paul, with a pallid face and reddened eyelids, 
 rose from his seat, confronting the people. 
 In an instant all was still. 
 
 In a very simple manner, as simply as the 
 story of the Crucifixion is told in the Gospels, 
 Paul gave to them the account of Loukyan's 
 death and his last words. The sorrowing 
 cono-recration were soothed into more tranquil 
 grief. It was as if the benign and joyous 
 spirit of Loukyan was among them. 
 
 " And now," said Kondraty, when Paul 
 finished, " we must choose another teacher 
 and presbyter; one who can go to other 
 churches, and visit them for us, and take 
 counsel with other presbyters and leaders. 
 There is only one fitted for the post. You 
 all know him. You can guess who it is. But 
 we should like the election to be unamimous, 
 and you shall consider of it for a week. I 
 name Paul Pudenko." 
 
 " There is no one but Paul," exclaimed a 
 few voices. 
 
 "Let it be well thought of, and v/ell 
 prayed over," said Kondraty. 
 
 But Paul rose again, and confronted the
 
 286 THE niGnWAY OF SOFiROW. 
 
 cono'reo'ation with a face as pale as death. 
 He had foreseen this, yet had hoped that 
 Kondraty mi^ht be chosen as presbyter, as he 
 liad been a member of their community from 
 the first. It was impossible for liiin to fill 
 this post. All looked at him anxiousl}'. He 
 must speak now. With a great efibrt he 
 commanded his wandering thoughts. 
 
 " Brothers ! " he began. 
 
 His e^-es were dull and his voice thick. 
 The congregation was puzzled. In the back 
 seats the}' stood up to see and hear him better. 
 
 "Brothers!" he repeated, in a firmer voice, 
 strivinu: hard to subdue his afritation, " I am 
 grateful for all your goodness. But I dare 
 not accept this office. Kondraty ought to 
 succeed Loukyan. It would be useless to elect 
 me. No inducement on earth could persuade 
 me to be your teacher." 
 
 His voice sank, and he added — 
 
 " I am not worthy to be the least among 
 the brethren ! " 
 
 The last words burst out involuntarily, as 
 a cry of despair. They were caught only by 
 Kondraty and Ooliana. The congregation did 
 not hear them ; but there was something in
 
 A FUNERAL SERVICE. 287 
 
 Paul's manner which made it clear that this 
 refusal of office was not made from modesty, 
 real or assumed. No one dared to remonstrate 
 with him, or urge him to retract his decision. 
 But what could be the meaning of this re- 
 fusal, so decisive, and so incomprehensible ? 
 
 " What is to be done ? " whispered one to 
 another ; " whom shall we elect ? " 
 
 " Brethren," said Kondraty, " let us post- 
 pone this affair. God will enlighten and in- 
 struct us all. Let us in the meanwhile pray 
 earnestly to Him that He will guide and 
 support us through all our trials." 
 
 Nobody replied. The Lord's Supper was 
 partaken of, according to their simple rites ; 
 and the congregation dispersed. Paul had left 
 as soon as he finished his speech.
 
 2S8 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 
 
 To the burden of his inward conllict was now 
 added a load of misunderstanding of Paul's 
 conduct. His refusal of the leadership pro- 
 voked much gossip, and raan}^ fantastic con- 
 jectures. Some said Paul had committed a 
 crime ; and remorse, and the dread of being 
 found out, made him shrink from such a 
 post. Others insisted that he was studying 
 so much that he fancied himself a learned 
 man, and would perhaps found a new sect of 
 his own. Others again said he was afraid ; 
 Loukyan's death had stricken him with dread 
 of the same fate. 
 
 Not bein"- able to master his unbearable 
 doubts, and unwilling to disturb his mother 
 with tliem, Paul came to the unfortunate con- 
 clusion to consult Father Vasili, who was 
 the only man in Knislii tliat liad had any 
 experience in theological (juestions. It was
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 289 
 
 possible he might know some refutation of 
 the objections Valerian had raised in his 
 mind. He took a handsome present in his 
 hand, which he left in the kitchen with the 
 Matushka, and presented himself before 
 Father Vasili. 
 
 The Batushka was astonished to see him, 
 but made him very welcome, and bade him 
 sit down. He was not a proud priest, and 
 always received his parishioners in a homely 
 and hospitable manner. They forgave him 
 many faults for this condescension. 
 
 " I am glad to see you, my son," he said ; 
 " what can I do for you ? I cannot interfere 
 about Karpo, and Panass, and Halya. No ! 
 no ! you should have stayed among us in our 
 Holy Mother Church; and I should have 
 blessed your marriage with Halya before this." 
 
 " It is not that," said Paul sorrowfully ; 
 " I have given up Halya. But I came to 
 ask you a few questions. Father. I have 
 been talking to a man, a learned man, who 
 seems to know everything ; and he tells me 
 the Gospels are not authentic, so the scholars 
 say, and were not written by St. Matthew, 
 and St. Mark, and St. Luke, and St. John. 
 T
 
 290 TEE HIGHWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 And it seems to me there are things in the 
 New Testament not true." 
 
 "How? AVhat?" interrupted the Ba- 
 tushka, his face reddening with anger ; " not 
 true ! Oh ! this comes of leaving 3'our Church ! 
 First a heretic, and then — you vilhiin — an 
 inhdeL These are your thoughts " 
 
 " But I want to know — I only came to 
 ask 3'ou," stammered Paul. 
 
 Father Vasili would not hear another word. 
 
 " Get out of my sight ! This very mo- 
 ment ! You apostate ! You castaway ! '* 
 he shouted, driving him out of the room as 
 he might have driven a wild beast. As they 
 passed tempestuously through the kitchen the 
 Batushka caught sight of the two well-fed 
 geese Paul had brought as a present; and 
 seizing them by their web-feet he flung them 
 into the yard after his retreating ])arishioner. 
 But the Matushka quickly rectilied this mis- 
 take. 
 
 The rumour of this interview spread (juickly 
 through the village. Fatlicr Yasili gave an 
 account of it at the inn to Karpo, Okhrim, 
 and the starosta Savely, which miide them 
 ruar with hiughter, j^'t inwardly foam with
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 291 
 
 rage. The Stunclists heard of it ; and some 
 of them suspected Paul of returning to the 
 Orthodox Church. Others believed that he 
 had abjured religion altogether, and was, as 
 Father VasiJi declared, an atheist, like Vale- 
 rian, who did not conceal his free-thinkino- 
 opinions. Gradually their relations towards 
 Paul changed. They shunned his society, and 
 in a certain manner excluded him from their 
 community. The orthodox, though they dis- 
 approved of the Stundists, accej^ted their 
 judgment upon Paul, and in their turn 
 avoided him. From being one of the chief 
 and most popular persons in Knishi and 
 Ostron, a few short months had made him 
 a pariah among his own people. 
 
 Valerian heard the report, and rejoiced at it. 
 Such a man as Paul would be a great addition 
 to the ranks of the Propagandists, who were in 
 secret seeking to teach the peasantry its rights, 
 its powers, and the wrongs it suffered. Most 
 of his colleagues were nobles, or men of the 
 learned professions ; but here was a peasant of 
 great intelligence, of uncommon eloquence, and 
 of enthusiastic temperament, who could do 
 marvels of work among the peasants, so difficult 
 T 2
 
 292 THE HIGHWAY OF SOREOW. 
 
 to arouse. He sought Paul eagerly, but Paul 
 sliunned him as lie would have shunned Satan 
 iu jHM'son. Valerian terrified him. Doubt was 
 asronisini'', but what woukl conviction be? 
 
 Ooliana could not fail to hear and see what 
 was going on, and her patient heart was sorely 
 tried by it. She had always looked forward to 
 Paul being Loukyan's successor, and had re- 
 joiced at the prospect, though she knew well 
 what a post of danger it would be ; but 
 now, instead of being the first among the little 
 band of disciples, he was the last — even if he 
 was counted among them at all. He continued 
 to go to the meetings, but he sat at the door, 
 making his escape as soon as Kondraty 
 pronounced the last benediction. The elder 
 men among the Stundists did not give him up. 
 They remembered Loukyan, and the high ex- 
 pectations he had formed about Paul, and they 
 stood unflinchingly in opposition to the general 
 verdict aiifainst him. It seemed to them that 
 the young man was passing through a period of 
 deadl\- temptation and conflict, through which 
 lie would pas.s and come out more than con- 
 vjueror. They would not allow the community 
 to choo.se definitely a successor to Loukyan, and
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 293 
 
 they decided to wait till Easter, Kondraty con- 
 tinuing to conduct the services. 
 
 Paul saw that his mother suffered pro- 
 foundly, though she tried to hide it from him. 
 He could not speak to her of his doubts, and as 
 a rule he became very silent. The inward 
 struggle absorbed him, and he could see no 
 end to it. After the acute anguish and 
 horror of the first few days he fell into a 
 state of apathy — a dull frigidity of mind 
 which made him indifferent to everything 
 and everybody. Once the starosta Savely spoke 
 in his hearing of the new house Panass was 
 building for Hal3'a, but he listened listlessly. 
 The Bible had promised Halya to him, and the 
 promise was untrue. His heart was like a 
 stone, and seemed to have lost the capacity of 
 throbbing either with pain or pleasure. 
 
 So the gloomy days and long nights of 
 winter crawled slowly away. Paul worked hard 
 during the daylight, but in the evening he sat 
 idle and languid by the great stove, watching 
 his mother as she sat knitting, with Testament 
 and hymn-book open on the table before her. 
 His own Testament lay untouched on the shelf 
 in his room, with the other books, which no
 
 294 THE HIGHWAY OF SORnOW. 
 
 lonc^er possessed any charm for liim. If they 
 were not true, their falsehood was the worst 
 falsehood in life. 
 
 It was a disastrous winter in Knishi. In- 
 stead of heavy snow-storms there were torrents 
 of rain. The river overflowed its banks, llood- 
 iiii>- the fields on each side. The undrained 
 marshes became swamps of mud. A murrain 
 broke out among the cattle and sheep, and the 
 richer men who owned flocks and herds suffered 
 losses from which the poorer peasants were 
 almost exempt. Old Karpo lost the ba}^ mare 
 which was to have been part of Hal^-a's dowry, 
 and a score or two of sheep besides. Ilis losses 
 amounted to almost as much as the dowry he 
 had promised to give to his daugliter. Panass 
 began to go more often to see Yariua. 
 
 Then typhus fever came, and entered the 
 unventilated and often very dirty homes. One 
 after another were stricken down b}^ it, but 
 chiefly the children. The Matushka had not 
 forgotten Paissj'^'s counsels. Everywhere she 
 diligently traced the calamities that bel'ell the 
 people to the anger of God against the 
 Stundists. When a child la}- moaning on 
 its death-bed, and at last the sobs ceased and
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER 295 
 
 the little eyes closed for ever, sbe said tlie 
 saints and the Hol}^ Mother had taken it 
 away for fear it should become a heretic. The 
 fever itself was the finger of Grod stretched 
 out against those who were indifferent to the 
 Orthodox religion. 
 
 Father Vasili preached the same doctrine 
 from the pulpit. Not for years had he ad- 
 dressed such large congregations. The most 
 notorious drunkards in the place flocked to hear 
 his tirades against the damnable Stundists. 
 The dead village was being roused to life by 
 the underground teaching of the Propagandists 
 and the open secession of the Stundists ; and 
 the return to life is fraught with painful 
 throes. Knishi was not the peaceful, moulder- 
 ing place it had once been. 
 
 In former times Ooliana would have been 
 the faithful, constant nurse at every sick-bed. 
 She was renowned for her knowledge of 
 remedies and alleviatives ; and, as there was no 
 doctor within twenty versts, she had filled the 
 post of one without fee. But no one sent for 
 her now. Her cool touch and watchful gaze, 
 and all but inexhaustible patience and loving- 
 kindness, were wasting unclaimed, and in many
 
 296 TEE HIGHWAY OF SOBROW. 
 
 cases refused, as if she had the evil 63-6. It 
 was well for Knishi that Valerian was at hand. 
 He was kept busy. 
 
 " Ilalya is stricken with the fever," said 
 Ooliana one day to Paul. He did not 
 answer. 
 
 " They will not let me see her," she 
 went on, " but Valerian is attending her. He 
 was here to-day to beg- for a New Testa- 
 ment. Halya is raving for one. I sent her 
 yours." 
 
 "Good OJod!" cried Paul. It was a 
 little w^ell-worn book, in which he bad 
 marked his favourite verses, but he had not 
 opened it now for weeks. It seemed to tempt 
 him into lower depths of miserj^ 
 
 " Mother," he said, " do you believe the 
 Gospels are true ? " 
 
 The ice was broken. The mother and son 
 looked into one another's souls, and the 
 winter of his doubt was over. 
 
 " Ah, my Paul ! " she said, " you have 
 listened to Valerian. He asked me the same 
 question. But we are not called upon to 
 believe in the Bible. It is God, it is Christ, 
 we must believe in. There may be mistakes
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 297 
 
 in the Gospels, there are spots in the sun. 
 It is not the Grospels that save us, but our 
 Lord Christ." 
 
 "But if it is a fable?" suggested Paul. 
 
 "It is no fable ! " she exclaimed. " Who 
 could invent such a fable as that God so 
 loved the world that He gave His only be- 
 gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
 should not perish but have everlasting life ? 
 There are fables about God, but not like that. 
 It could not have entered the heart of man 
 to invent that." 
 
 She spoke with strong conviction ; and her 
 sincere, guileless face, pale with the winter's 
 seclusion, glowed with fervour. 
 
 " Oh, if I had never heard Valerian ! " 
 cried Paul. 
 
 _" Ah ! I have heard him," she answered, 
 " and I showed to him the words of our 
 Lord: 'I thank Thee, Father, that Thou 
 hast hid these things from the wise and 
 learned, and hast revealed them unto babes. 
 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in 
 Thy sight.' And I read to him too the 
 words of the apostle Paul : ' For the preach- 
 ing of the cross is to them that perish fool-
 
 208 THE HIGHWAY OF SORTiOW. 
 
 islmess, but unto ns whicli are saved it is 
 the power of God. For it is written, I will 
 destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will brinuf 
 to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 
 Where is the wise ? where is the scribe ? 
 where is the disputer of this world ? Hath 
 not God made foolish the wisdom of this 
 world ? ' And again I read to him : ' Eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
 entered into the heart of man, the things which 
 God hath prepared for them that love Him. 
 But God hath revealed them unto us hv His 
 Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, even 
 the deep things of God. For what man 
 knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit 
 of man which is in him ? Even so the things 
 of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of 
 God. But the natural man receivcth not the 
 things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
 foolishness unto him ; neither can he know 
 them, because they are spiritually discerned.* 
 These and other sayings I showed to him." 
 
 "And what did Valerian Petrovitch say?" 
 asked Paul. 
 
 A line sweet smile flitted across Ooli ana's 
 face.
 
 A DISASTROUS WINTER. 299 
 
 " He said ' Invincible ignorance/ " she re- 
 plied, " and we shook hands and parted good 
 friends." 
 
 For a few minutes Paul remained silent. 
 It seemed to him as if he had touched the 
 hem of the wisdom of this world, and had 
 been smitten almost to death by it. " The 
 common people heard Christ gladly." Did 
 not he belong to the common people ? 
 
 " Mother," he said, " Halya has my Testa- 
 ment. Give me yours." 
 
 She placed it in his hands, and pressed a 
 kiss upon his cheek. He went away to his 
 own room, and spent the night in silent study 
 and prayer.
 
 300 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 A SIGN AND A DREAM. 
 
 Halya's marriage had been delayed by the 
 attack of fever which Laid her prostrate during 
 many weeks ; and when she was finally pro- 
 nounced by Valerian to be well and strong 
 again, Lent had begun, during -which double 
 fees are demanded in the Ortliodox Church 
 for pronouncing the blessing upon a married 
 couple. Neither Okhrini nor Karpo was 
 willing to pay double fees. 
 
 Paul was gradually retracing his steps to- 
 wards his former faith. Once more he ven- 
 tured to partake of the Lord's Supper. He 
 became again a constant attendant at the 
 week-day meetings, as well as the Sunday 
 services. But he took no part in tliem except 
 as a silent listener. 
 
 He had been at a weekly evening prayer- 
 meeting, and was returning home alone, his 
 mother having gone in to see Kondraty's
 
 A SIGX AND A DREAM. 301 
 
 wife, wlio was ill. Eeaching the border of 
 the forest, he saw the dark figure of a woman 
 sitting on a fallen tree. Paul did not recognise 
 Halya, and would have passed her. He did 
 not even recofrnise her when she rose and 
 came forward to meet him, so altered was she 
 by her illness. 
 
 " Paul ! " she cried, " Paul ! " 
 
 Her voice made him tremble, and he 
 looked at her in bewilderment. 
 
 " Halya ! 3^ou here ! " he ejaculated. 
 
 "I was waiting for you," she said. "Peo- 
 ple tell me all sorts of things about you — 
 different things. So I wanted to ask you." 
 
 " What about ? " he asked, striving to speak 
 calmly. 
 
 "Are you going to give up the Stundists?" 
 she asked. " Are you coming back to us ? 
 Valerian says you will never be the same 
 again. I expected you would come and tell 
 us, father and me. But you kept away; and 
 oh, Paul, I nearly died ! So I thought, I will go 
 myself." She finished in a reproachful tone. 
 
 " No," said Paul, " no. I could never 
 drift back to your Orthodox Church. But it 
 may be I shall leave the brethren."
 
 302 THE niGTIWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Halya looked at liim with wondering eyes. 
 Why should he leave his brethren if he did 
 not come back to the Orthodox Church ? But 
 she did not question him. The delicate feel- 
 ing of a loving woman told her there was 
 something very sad and momentous in this 
 enigmatical answer In the twilight she saw 
 how changed his face was. There was no 
 boyishness left in it; it was the face of a 
 man who was going through a great sorrow. 
 
 " Tell me everything," she exclaimed in a 
 burst of sympathy, and cUisping his hand in 
 hers. " Perhaps I shall understand. Why are 
 yuu so sad always? Is it for my sake?" 
 
 " You could not understand it, child," he 
 answered softlv. 
 
 " I shall ! Try me only," she persisted. 
 
 They were standing under a wide-spreading 
 oak, which threw its bare branches far against 
 the evening sky. The wind was playing 
 among the fine lace-like twigs, which were 
 showing a little sign of breaking into buds. 
 In a few weeks the buuiihs would be irreeu 
 with leaves. 
 
 " I liave been like this tree," he said, " dead 
 with the winter. It a worm had been <:nawin<''
 
 A SIGN AND A DREAM. 303 
 
 at its roots it would never have lived asrain. 
 And a worm has been gnawing at the root 
 of my faith ; if I cannot cast it out I shall 
 never live again." 
 
 She did not understand him, but she saw 
 that he suffered. 
 
 " Oh ! my love ! " she cried, " why should 
 you suffer like this? But I love you the more 
 for it now." 
 
 She suddenl}^ flung her arms round his neck, 
 and he felt her breath upon his cheek. 
 
 " Only tell my father you are leaving the 
 Stundists, and Pan ass shall never see me 
 again," she murmured. 
 
 " My darling, do you love me still ? " he 
 said. "I thought you had quite given me 
 uj) and forgotten me." 
 
 " Don't be foolish ! " rej^lied Halya tenderly. 
 " I told my father to-day that life is nothing 
 to me without you ; and that I would rather 
 drown myself than marry Panass. Only you 
 come and say you will leave the Stundists. 
 And listen, Paul, in your ear. Panass will 
 marry Yarina, for she is in love with him, 
 and my dowry is all lost." 
 
 " Halya ! " he said, " I could never go back
 
 304 THE BIG II WAY OF SOEBOW. 
 
 to tlie Church. Tlie Orthodox priests have 
 killed my dear Loukjan : and could I ask 
 fur their hlessino;? Never ! That couhl never 
 come to pass ! " 
 
 " But fatlier and I had nothing to do with 
 killing him ! " answered Halya. 
 
 She sank down on the ground, and tears 
 streamed from her eyes. All she had been 
 dreaming and hoping for, which seemed almost 
 realised, was dispelled suddenly by Paul's words. 
 Yes ! he could never return to a Church that 
 had killed his friend. 
 
 " Halya, my beloved ! " whispered Paul, 
 bendiiiL;" over her. But at that moment the 
 sound of cart-wheels and the hoof-beats of 
 a horse were heard coming along the road. 
 Halya sprang to her feet at once. 
 
 "Hide 3'ourself," she exclaimed; "we must 
 not be seen together." 
 
 He disappeared hastily into the forest. 
 
 When the cart passed by, and the sound 
 of wheels died away, Paul came back to the 
 oak tree. But Halya was gone. He followed 
 slowly along the footpath she must have taken, 
 feeling that as long as he trod in her footsteps 
 he had not altogether parted from her. He
 
 A SIGN AND A DREAM. 305 
 
 wished he had asked her for his Testament, 
 which she still kept in her possession. Was 
 it only in the delirium of fever she had washed 
 for it ? Paul felt sad ; but it was a quiet 
 and tender sadness which had nothino" in 
 common w^ith the dull, sullen apathy which 
 for so many weeks had possessed his soul. 
 This had been gradually passing away ; and 
 now the unexpected meeting with Halya had 
 quite dispelled the cloud. Her tenderness, 
 and her decision never to marry Panass, had 
 refreshed and quickened his arid spirit as a 
 warm, abundant shower refreshes a field scorched 
 by the sun. Halya loved him, and him onl^^ 
 for his own sake simply. God would yet 
 give her to him. 
 
 Yes ! Loukyan was right. God is love ; 
 and where there is love among men there is 
 God. All blessings come from the heart 
 of God. And not only by means of books 
 did God speak to the soul of man, but by all 
 the joy and happiness which come to it. 
 Halya's love, his mother's love, God's love 
 Hooded his inmost spirit with unspeakable joy. 
 Absorbed in these thoughts, he strayed 
 from the path, and was soon wandering amid 
 u
 
 306 THE HIGHWAY OF SOB ROW. 
 
 the taTi2^1ed brushwood of tlie forest, stepping' 
 mechanically over the spreading roots of the 
 trees. A bird, frightened by his footsteps, 
 flew off its roosting-place, fluttered about in 
 the obscure gloom, and rising in the air over 
 the trees for a minute, swooped down heavily 
 amon«: the bushes. This roused his attention. 
 ThrouG^h the dark, interlacing branches over- 
 head he could see the clear vault of the sky. 
 From the deeper obscurity of the forest the 
 stars shone more brightly than in the open 
 fields, and seemed to look down upon him 
 with loving eyes. Paul gazed at them for 
 a long time. 
 
 " It is like looking into Halya's e3^es," he 
 thought to himself. 
 
 He had already missed the way to Ostron, 
 and now tried to make a road for himself, 
 guided by the pole-star. Suddenly he saw 
 before him a glade he had never seen before, 
 thougli the forest was familiar ground to him. 
 Much timber had been sold last autumn, and 
 the wood-cutters iuid been busy all the winter. 
 The glade stretched before him, every fallen 
 tree and every shrub, and the brown heads of 
 dead hemlock were glistening in a fine bead-
 
 A SIGN AXD A DREAM. 307 
 
 like frost, whilst the steady rays of the moon- 
 light shone in silvery streams upon them. 
 Every shade of colour disappeared as if melted 
 in this silvery shining. The green grass, the 
 brown hemlock, the dark rough trunks of 
 the trees, all seemed chiselled and graven out 
 in pure silver, like the silver kingdom of a 
 fairy tale. 
 
 In the middle of the glade rose a low 
 hillock, on which lay two or three fallen trees. 
 Paul's feet carried him there, and he stood 
 motionless, looking round in wonder and 
 admiration. 
 
 He was completely surrounded by trees, 
 shutting out all other scenes except the glade. 
 There was no sign of a human habitation. 
 He was quite alone in the presence of that 
 deep, pure sky, with its loving and searching 
 eyes. He felt as if he was lifted up to it as 
 on the open palm of a giant's hand. All nature 
 was sleeping. Only the watchful stars scintil- 
 lated tranquilly, and looked down upon him 
 kindly from blue, unfathomable depths. A 
 warm, simple, chikl-like emotion took possession 
 of him. It was the first time since his con- 
 versation with Valerian that the dull chillinir 
 u 2
 
 308 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 feeling of doubt was replaced by an outburst 
 of filial confidence in God. He lifted up his 
 face to the heavens above him. 
 
 "Oh! my Father!" he ejaculated, "Thou 
 who hast made the sky and covered it Avith 
 stars, and made the earth and filled it with 
 life, teach me how to understand Thee." 
 
 He knelt down and prayed fervently, 
 passionately, as he had done in the first days 
 of his conversion. Yet it was not a pra^^er ; 
 it was rather a candid confession, a living out- 
 pouring of his soul to a living Being. The 
 conviction that God heard hira grew as his 
 passionate, vehement, incoherent monologue 
 went on. Soon he was not satisfied with his 
 outpouring. He paused and listened atten- 
 tively. His impassioned soul longed for an 
 answer. He was waiting for a sign. 
 
 The night * was wonderfully calm. The 
 frost was slight. The moon poured down 
 its silvery rays. The motionless air stirred 
 neither the withered hemlock nor the blades 
 of grass. 
 
 A soft warm breeze passed for a moment 
 over his eager, upturned face. It stirred his 
 hair like the touch of a tender band, and died
 
 A SIGN AND A DBEAM. 309 
 
 away. He knew not whence it came, nor 
 whitlier it went. 
 
 " So is every one that is born of the Spirit," 
 said a voice within him. 
 
 Paul trembled. The sign he had prayed 
 for, which he hardly dared to ask, had been 
 granted to him. His eyes filled with tears ; 
 his heart melted with joy. God had spoken 
 to him. 
 
 His whole soul was penetrated with new 
 life and vigour. No trace of doubt was left. 
 The true light had shone upon his darkness, 
 and the shadows fled away. Henceforth, he 
 would walk in the light, and be a child of 
 the light. 
 
 No more would questions of genealogies, 
 and strifes of words, and perverse disputings, 
 trouble him. He knew that the Spirit of 
 God had come to him. He could doubt it no 
 more than he could doubt his own existence. 
 
 He felt unspeakably happy. He longed 
 to see his mother, and to tell her and the 
 brethren the blessing that had been granted to 
 him. But he felt so tired he could hardly move. 
 
 He resolved to rest for a few minutes. 
 Sitting down, and leaning against the trunk
 
 :J10 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiROW. 
 
 of a tree, be listened to the eerie sounds of 
 the niu'ht, and i,M/.ed dreamily down the moon- 
 lit glade. A branch cracked, and fell in the 
 forest. A marmot whistled afar off. Under 
 the brushwood a hedgehog moved cautiousl}', 
 scenting the air with its sharp little snout, 
 either for prey or danger. It ])ricked up its 
 bristles, and looked sharply about it. In 
 an instant an owd flew out of a tree, and 
 making a half-circle in the air, swooped down 
 upon the little animal, and catching him in 
 her claws, flew away to her nest. Paul would 
 have rescued the hedgehog, but his limbs felt 
 heavy. He could not prevail upon himself to 
 be up and stirring. 
 
 The owl, meanwhile, appeared to come close 
 within his reach. If he stretched out his hand 
 he could catch it. But it did not seem to 
 care for his presence, and began to clean its 
 wings with its beak. Presently he saw it 
 was no owl at all, but Father Yasili, and the 
 wings were a brown silk cassock, which the 
 Hatushka wore on grand occasions. His feet 
 were in leather boots, trimmed with fur, and 
 with low heels. 
 
 "I'd better get away from here as soon
 
 A SIGN AND A BBEAM. 311 
 
 as possible," thought Paul ; " the Batushka 
 looks very angry to-day." 
 
 I3ut Father Yasili was already beckoning 
 to him with his hand. 
 
 " Come here ! come here ! " he repeated ; 
 "not authentic, did you say? You thought 
 you were an apostle yourself, so you could 
 run down the blessed Gospels " 
 
 Paul rose, anxious to pacify him, and to 
 say his doubts troubled him no more. But 
 Father Vasili floated away from him as he 
 drew nearer, still, however, beckoning with 
 his hand. 
 
 " Wait a bit ! " cried Paul. But the Ba- 
 tushka did not listen, but continued to float 
 soundlessly away through the air. 
 
 Suddenly the Batushka and the forest dis- 
 appeared. Paul found himself in a deep dark 
 cavern, with a low, rocky vault. He was 
 shivering from the penetrating dampness, which 
 seemed to pierce through to his bones. The 
 thick, heavy air, was motionless. Not a sound, 
 not the faintest murmur was audible. All 
 was mute and darksome. A voice said to 
 him, ' Death reigns here ! ' He wandered to 
 and fro, but everywhere he felt only the narrow
 
 312 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 confines of a tomb. At last he sat down ex- 
 hausted on the floor of the grave. All at 
 once a voice said in his ear — 
 
 " Arise ! let us go hence." 
 
 It was Halya's voice. Paul rose (luickly. 
 She stood before him in a pilgrim's garb, with 
 a staff in her one hand, and a chaplet in the 
 other. Her face was grave and stern. She 
 did not even look at him, but glided forward, 
 and Paul followed unquestioningly. But 
 though they walked a long time the cavern 
 remained the same ; it seemed to move with 
 them. The same thick walls and rocky vault 
 surrounded them like a circle of stone. 
 
 "What is this?" cried Paul. "We are 
 tramping along always in the same place. We 
 shall never get out of this grav^e." 
 
 "How can 30U say so?" asked Halya reprov- 
 ingly ; " do you not ?ee we are ah-eady there? " 
 
 He lifted up his head, and saw that the 
 path through the kingdom of Death had led 
 him to a church porch, with a steeple sur- 
 mounted by a cross, which glittered in the 
 raoonliglit. 
 
 " Why ! " exclaimed Paul ; " but it is a 
 church ! "
 
 A SIGN AND A DREAM. 313 
 
 " Yes ! a cliurcli," said Halja, " our own 
 church. Did I not tell you I wanted you to 
 go there ? " 
 
 " Leave me alone," he cried, " I would 
 sooner return to the grave." 
 
 " Come in," urged Halya ; " it is the house 
 of God." 
 
 "No," he said; "they have made the 
 house of prayer a den of thieves. I will not 
 go in." 
 
 He broke awa}'- from her with vehemence. 
 
 Laughter and discordant songs rang through 
 the stillness of the night, and woke Paul 
 from his slumber. It was a party of half- 
 drunken peasants going home from a public- 
 house where they had been keeping the eve of 
 their patron saint's day. 
 
 Paul rose and rubbed his eyes. His clothes 
 were wet through, and his limbs benumbed. 
 He waited to let the merry band of boon- 
 companions pass by, and then he hastened 
 home, deeply impressed by his vivid dream.
 
 314 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE PATRON saint's DAY. 
 
 During the preceding week Father Paissy had 
 been niaking- arransfements with Father Vasili 
 for himself preaching a sermon against the 
 Stundists on the patron saint's day. The 
 starosta Savely had been summoned to Kovylsk 
 to receive important instructions. 
 
 " The Consistory expects that every Stundist 
 in Knishi shall be present on this occasion," 
 said Father Paissy. " Mind ! everybody," he 
 added sternly. " I will show no indulgence to 
 anyone who connives at the heresy." 
 
 Savely scratched his head behind his ear. 
 
 " How is it to be done, your reverence ? " 
 he remonstrated. " If they won't go I cannot 
 force them, with none but lame Ermoshka to 
 help me." 
 
 " Call a private meeting of the Mir," said 
 Father Paissy, " and make what arrangements 
 you choose; but come they must."
 
 THE PATnOX SAINT'S DAY. 315 
 
 The meeting of tlie Mir was held in the 
 District Court House, not in the open air as' 
 usual, when any of the villagers could be 
 present. On Savely explaining the object of 
 the meeting, nobody said a word. The peasants 
 sullenl}^ kept silence. 
 
 " What a nuisance they are ! " said Karpo 
 at last. " They give quiet peaceable folks no 
 rest. 
 
 "That is true," agreed Savely. "They 
 hang round my neck like a stone." 
 
 " But why should we humour them ? " asked 
 old Sheelo. " Let us drag them to church by 
 force, or drive them in with sticks, like a 
 set of troublesome beasts, as they are." 
 
 " Why should we be so considerate for these 
 vagabonds ? " said Okhrim. " They have given 
 us trouble enough." 
 
 It was settled that early the next morning 
 the starosta Savely, with the members of the 
 Mir and some younger men who would be sum- 
 moned privately to their aid, should visit the 
 houses of the Stundists, and, driving them 
 to church, lock them in there until the hour of 
 the morning service. Soon after daybreak, 
 therefore, the villagers divided into two bands:
 
 r,}6 THE niOnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 one to go to Ostron, to collect Paul, 
 Ooliana, and other heretics who lived between 
 that hamlet and the church ; and the second 
 to proceed to the opposite end of the parish 
 for the same purpose. The younger men 
 greatly enjoyed the prospect of a resistance 
 and disturbance. 
 
 " Come, boys — all and everybody ! " cried 
 Panass. " Let us flog the Stundists to church 
 like naughty children. I'll go for Paul 
 Hudenko." 
 
 The crowd divided as it had been arranged. 
 Man}' more joined them as they passed along 
 the village street. The secret had been so well 
 kept that this order from the Consistory caused 
 universal astonishment. A few months aijo it 
 would have excited their anger and indignation, 
 but the sermons of Father Vasili and the 
 insinuations of the Matushka had borne 
 fruit. The Stundists had brougflit down 
 calamities and vengeance from Heaven on the 
 whole community. 
 
 At sight of Paul's homestead the crowd 
 stepped out more quickly, as soldiers rushing 
 to an assault. It was a prosperous and peace- 
 ful-looking dwelling. The barns and sheds
 
 TEE PATRON SAINTS DAY. 317 
 
 around it were better kept than any other farm 
 in Knishi. The fold-^^ard was orderly, and a 
 garden — a rare thing among them — lay on one 
 side of the house. The fold-gate was open, for 
 the cattle had just gone out to the well, and 
 the crowd rushed in boisterously. 
 
 Paul was sitting with his mother in his 
 own little room, which looked out into the 
 garden. He had found her, when he returned 
 from the forest, Ij'ing asleep on the bench in 
 the kitchen. She was sitting up for him, and 
 had fallen asleep out of sheer fatigue. He woke 
 her up and told her briefly about his prayer, 
 and the sign given to him in the forest, 
 " Thank God ! " she exclaimed. " Now at 
 last I know that you will never forsake our 
 Lord Christ." 
 
 She had gone to bed in profound happiness, 
 such as she had never experienced in her life. 
 Her son was now indeed hers through all eter- 
 nity. " For if we suffer with Christ, we shall 
 also reign with Him ! " she murmured, as she 
 fell asleep. 
 
 Paul was now telling her his story in all its 
 details, whilst she listened with glistening eyes 
 and fervid face. He had just finished his
 
 318 TJiE man WAY of sobrow. 
 
 curious dream, and they were conjecturing what 
 its meaning could be, or if it had any meaning 
 at all. 
 
 Their quiet conversation was interrupted 
 by the sound of loud rough voices, coming 
 nearer and nearer. 
 
 " What can it be ? " said Ooliana. ** A 
 noise in the street — a fire, perhaps." 
 
 Paul went into the outer room, looking 
 into the fold-yard. 
 
 " Here are a throng of people rushing into 
 our yard," he called out. " What can be the 
 matter ? " 
 
 A loud, heavy knock at the door answered 
 him. He threw it open, and found himself in 
 front of an unruly crowd ready to break into 
 his house. 
 
 " What do 3'ou want, neighbours ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " We want you, and 3'our old witch- 
 mother, and all of your brood ! " shouted Panass, 
 seizing him by the shoulder. Paul freed himself 
 by a sharp, unexpected movement, and Panass 
 staggered back upon the nearest in the 
 crowd. 
 
 " Strike him down, boys ! " he shouted
 
 THE PATRON SAINTS DAY. 319 
 
 again. " Don't let his evil eye fall on you. 
 Strike him before your arms wither." 
 
 Several men rushed upon Paul. 
 
 "But what do you want? What has 
 happened ? " asked Paul, in a quiet, untroubled 
 voice 
 
 "You are to come to church," answered the 
 starosta Savely, who had forced his way to the 
 threshold, on which Paul stood. " The Con- 
 sistory have given orders. Father Paissy 
 comes to-day to exorcise the Stundists — to cast 
 out the devils that have taken possession of 
 you." 
 
 " To the church ! '* exclaimed Paul, with 
 such a joyful, 3^et surprised, expression on his 
 face that the bystanders were struck by it. 
 " That is what my dream meant," he thought 
 to himself, and his heart exulted at this in- 
 dubitable sign of the will of God. 
 
 " Brothers ! " he said, " I will go with you 
 to the church ; I, and my mother, and all the 
 rest of us." 
 
 " How cunning he is ! " cried Panass, as the 
 crowd fell back a little at this unexpected 
 acquiescence. 
 
 Paul did not hear him. He turned away
 
 320 THE niGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 to speak to Ooliana, who was just come to 
 the door. 
 
 " Mother ! " he whispered in excitement, 
 " now it is quite clear what was meant b}' 
 my dream." 
 
 "What is it?" she inquired. 
 
 " They are come to compel us to go into 
 the church," he answered. " The Consistory 
 orders it. You know we must not resist. 
 We will not make them take us by force." 
 
 " No, no ! " she replied. 
 
 Those few words were exchanged in an 
 undertone. Then they faced the crowd hand 
 in baud. 
 
 " You may go, friends," said Ooliana, after 
 bowing thrice to the crowd. " We will follow 
 you to the church, and bring all the brethren 
 with us. Onl3^ give us time to collect them 
 together." 
 
 She spoke in the kindly, cheerful voice so 
 familiar to them all, for there was not a 
 household wliich she had not entered as a 
 helper or consoler; and the lighting disposi- 
 tion, even oi" the young men, was dispelled by 
 her tranquil courage. They looked at one 
 another, and from Paul to his mother, with
 
 THE PATRON SAINTS DAY. 321 
 
 great curiosity. This conduct , on their part 
 was a riddle which needed a solution. 
 
 "Are you coming back to the Christian 
 religion ? " asked Koozka in a hesitating tone. 
 " We thought we could hardly drive you in 
 with whips and scourges. Now all of a 
 sudden you seem glad to go." 
 
 " We never have forsaken the Christian 
 religion," answered Paul. " And we obey the 
 laws, when they are not opposed to God's 
 commandments. If you will leave us in peace 
 we will gather the brethren together in Kon- 
 draty's cottage, and come without fail in good 
 time to church." 
 
 " Savely," said Ooliana, " 3'^ou have known 
 me all my life. Did I ever tell you a lie? 
 Trust Paul and me, and not one of the Stund- 
 ists shall fail to be there. If they refuse, T 
 will send you word in time to compel them 
 to obey the order." 
 
 " I will trust you, Ooliana," replied Savely. 
 
 Ooliana locked the house, and asfain bow- 
 ing to the crowd in three different directions 
 passed through the midst of them with Paul 
 beside her. The people straggled after 
 them, in warm discussion of their extraordinary 
 
 V
 
 322 TEE HIGHWAT OF SOliROW. 
 
 conduct. The}' -watched them go from one 
 house to another, and soon the Stundists, by 
 twos and tlirees, made their way to Kon- 
 drat3''s cottage. 
 
 "When all were assembled, Paul stood up, 
 and with simple eloquence told them of the 
 great deliverance wrought for his soul by 
 God. He did not disturb them by telling 
 what doubts had assailed him. But he spoke 
 with full assurance of the revelation of God 
 to his inmost spirit. 
 
 "And now," he cried, "who will come 
 with me to testify to God's truth before 
 Father Paissy and our Batushka?" 
 
 " Every one of us," they answered. 
 
 " But only half of us are here," said 
 Ooliana. 
 
 At that moment a great noise was heard 
 again in the village street. The second band 
 of men, commanded by old Karpo, which had 
 been gathering the Stundists from the other 
 end of the parish, were returning from theii 
 search. The little congregation in Kondraty's 
 cottage hurried into the street. In front of 
 the aiiproaching crowd marched Karpo with 
 Demyan beside him, whose face was covered
 
 THE PATRON SAINT'S DAY. 323 
 
 with bruises, and whose caftan was torn in 
 several phices. He had no hat on, and his 
 hands were tied behind his back with a rope, 
 the ends of which were held firmly by two 
 peasants, as if he had been a mad bull. He 
 resisted all the way, and was driven on with 
 blows and pushes. Behind him came a little 
 cluster of men and women, frightened and 
 lamenting, but not resisting as Demyan did. 
 Ooliana stepj)ed forward. 
 
 " Karpo," she said, " there is no need for 
 this violence. Let me speak to Demyan, and 
 he will resist no longer." 
 
 "It's you and your son we want," growled 
 Karpo. " Without the ringleaders the rebels 
 are nothing. Get hold of them, bo3^s." 
 
 "Bethink yourself." said Ooliana; "your 
 church is not a police-station, where people are 
 dragged b}' force. My brothers and sisters,'' 
 she added, addressing the Stundists, " we have 
 decided to go quietly to church. There is no 
 sin in that. God is there as He is every- 
 where, and our fathers and mothers wor- 
 shipped Him there. We can go there with- 
 out disobeying Him. Nay ! we are bound tc 
 go if the Mir commands us ; only we cannot 
 v2
 
 32-i THE manwAY OF sonnow. 
 
 bow to the icons, or pray to the sauits. Let 
 us then go peaceably, and listen to the sermon 
 Father Paissy is going to preach. We may 
 learn something from it. At any rate we 
 sliall not sin against Grod, or cause any of 
 our fellow-men to sin against Him." 
 
 "But wh}' didn't you say all that before?" 
 said Karpo. 
 
 " If vou had come and told us what the 
 Mir commanded," answered Ooliana, "no one 
 would have resisted." 
 
 " That's true," cried Demyan. " Loukyan 
 always said ' Obey the Mir, if it does not 
 order 3'ou to disobe}^ Grod.' But I did not 
 understand. They caught me and tied my 
 hands, and drove me before them to worship 
 the icons. I will submit mvself, now I know 
 it is the Mir." 
 
 Tlie band of persecutors stood still, con- 
 fused and ashamed. They were unwilling to 
 confess their own stupidity in not making it 
 clear what was demanded of the Stundists. 
 
 " Oo lew ! 00 lew ! " was suddenly heard in 
 a wild wail. It was the crazy imbecile of the 
 village, Avdiushka, wlio was running down the 
 street, waving his hands. " Oo lew ! 00 lew !
 
 THE PATRON SAINT'S DAY. 325 
 
 Knock them down! kill them! burn, burn, 
 burn them ! " he muttered, shakmg his tangled 
 head, and disappearing as suddenly as he had 
 come upon the scene. 
 
 " The young devil ! " cried Karpo, " to 
 frighten us just now ! " 
 
 The crowd began to laugh, and gradually 
 dispersed, while Demyan and the rest of the 
 Stundists went into Kondraty's cottage to get 
 ready for the enforced attendance at church.
 
 326 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDISTS. 
 
 The chiu'cli was crowded. Everyone antici- 
 pated something extraordinary ; and none but 
 childisli old people and helpless invalids re- 
 mained at home. When Halya came, accom- 
 panied by her parents, the place was almost 
 lull. She did not want to occupy a con- 
 spicuous position, and she pushed through the 
 crowd to a corner where few could see her. 
 Yarina followed her closely. 
 
 " They say," whispered Yarina, " the 
 Stundists will be made to kneel in the middle 
 of the church, and to confess their sins before 
 all the people. Then Father Paissy will cast 
 out the devils that possess them. It will be 
 awful ! The^^'ll writhe about, and i'oum at 
 their mouths ; and they will be like dead 
 men and woukmi when the devils leave tliom." 
 
 " Is it possible ? " cried Halya in the 
 utmost alarm.
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDISTS. 327 
 
 "The diatchok* says so," continued 
 Yarina ; " they will be forced upon their 
 knees, and ordered to say all sorts of things 
 against themselves. And if they won't the 
 clergy will burn them with candles." 
 
 "In the church? How can you talk such 
 nonsense ? " said Halya indignantly. 
 
 "It is quite true," Yarina persisted; "the 
 diatchok told me ; and he is the man to 
 know. As to your Paul, he has already got 
 a good thrashing. He w^ould not come to 
 church. ' You may kill me, but I will not 
 worship your idols,' he said. You know he 
 calls the icons idols." 
 
 Halya's heart sank. Yes, Paul had called 
 them idols to her. 
 
 " What else ? " she asked : "go on, go on ! " 
 
 Yarina was silent because she had just 
 seen Panass enter the church, and was trying 
 to attract his notice. 
 
 " Well, then ! he said, ' I will never wot 
 ship your idols.' They dragged at him, but 
 he stood like a rock. They set upon him, 
 and beat him, and he fared so badly at their 
 hands that he is now lying at death's door 
 * The chanter of the Psalms in the Russian church.
 
 323 THE man WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 — one eve knocked out, and a leg and two 
 ribs broken " 
 
 " What do you say? It is impossible," 
 murmured Halya, horror-stricken. 
 
 " It is true," said Yarina ; " godfather 
 Terenty told me so. He himself set his leg, 
 and put a compress on his eye." 
 
 At this moment the sound of triumphant 
 and harmonious singing was heard above the 
 murmur of voices in the church. All were 
 silent. It was the mini2-led voices of men and 
 women singing a solemn yet exultant hymn. 
 
 The Stundists were marching in an orderly 
 procession to the church, through the village 
 street ; and ever}^ voice chimed in as they 
 moved slowly along, Paul leading with his 
 clear, pure tenor. Savely, the starosta, who 
 was in the church, W'ent out instantly, Avith 
 his lame assistant. The Stundists were comin<r 
 on, with exultant faces, as though some scene 
 of triumph lay before them. 
 
 " Silence ! you fools ! you madmen ! " roared 
 Savely; "do you thiidc I will stand this non- 
 sense? What do you inean by this howling?" 
 
 " Do you ask as a friend, or as the star- 
 osta V " said Ooliana.
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDISTS. 329 
 
 "As your friend," lie replied; " Ooliana, 
 I have always been your friend. Listen to 
 me. Do not enrage Fatlier Paissy, and our 
 Batushka." 
 
 " We wish to show we are not afraid, or 
 ashamed," answered Paul. 
 
 " Then I forbid you as your starosta," 
 said Savely ; " and you boast that you keep 
 the laws. I forbid all singing and uproar." 
 
 " Then we must obey," replied Paul, re- 
 luctantly ; " we are bound to obey you as our 
 starosta." 
 
 " If 3^ou would only obey me altogether," 
 said Savely mournfully, " all these troubles 
 would come to an end. But you heretics are 
 as obstinate as pigs and mules. Come along 
 quietly now." 
 
 Just before the singing ended an old-fash- 
 ioned carriage had driven up, and old General 
 Nesteroff, in his military uniform and badges, 
 with his son Valerian, descended from it. 
 Valerian had come for once to church, being 
 deeply interested in this movement against 
 the Stundists. He caught sight of Paul's 
 handsome, enthusiastic face. 
 
 " Grood heavens ! " he muttered, " he is lost
 
 330 THE HIGmVAY OF SORROW. 
 
 to onr cause ! And what a loss ! " A way 
 was made for the General and Valerian to the 
 only seat in the church — a long black oak 
 bench near the rood-screen, which shut off the 
 hiirh altar, and within which none but the 
 priests may enter. On the rood-screen hung 
 some dark, discoloured icons, so bedimmed by 
 the fumes of" the incense that scarcel}'' a feature 
 was distinguishable. The old GTeneral bowed 
 devoutly before them ; but Valerian made no 
 more sign of reverence than did the Stundists, 
 who had entered the church immediately behind 
 them. He took up his post in a corner from 
 which he could have a good view of the 
 congregation. There the peasants stood, closely 
 packed together. He saw their shaggy heads, 
 and .stolid, patient faces, their bent shoulders, 
 as if they were always bearing a yoke. It 
 was nearly mid-Lent. The women, who fasted 
 more scrupulously than the men, were sallow 
 and haggard-looking. The Stundists, who 
 stood in a group about the middle of the 
 church, were fresher and cleaner. They were 
 in their workaday clothes, for this was one 
 of the feasts so frequent in the Russian Church 
 which they did nut keep, as the rest of the
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDISTS. 331 
 
 villagers usually kept it, by idleness and 
 drunkenness. Ooliana, who stood foremost 
 among the women, wore a black silk handker- 
 chief on her head, which framed her placid 
 face something like a nun's hood. Demyan's 
 wife was close behind her, with her boy in 
 her arms — a little fellow of fifteen months, 
 who could hardly be kept quiet. Several 
 other of the Stundist women had been obliged 
 to bring their children, having no one with 
 whom to leave them. Valerian's heart ached 
 at the sight of the crowd before him. They 
 were the sons and daughters of his own mother- 
 country. Holy Russia ; poverty-stricken, ignorant, 
 superstitious ; not knowing their rights as 
 men, but living lives and dying deaths but 
 little above the dumb brutes they dwelt amongst. 
 
 " Here they come ! " cried Yarina to Halya, 
 as the Stundists entered, " and there is Paul 
 himself ! Heavenly Tzaritza ! How beautiful 
 he is ! " 
 
 Halya opened her e3^es, which she had 
 closed with a half -fainting sensation. Yes ! 
 Paul's face was to her beautiful beyond words. 
 The dark locks of hair fell over his broad 
 forehead, and under them gleamed eyes full
 
 332 TEE UIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 of the lire of courage and liis^li emotion. 
 There was no face like it amid all the faces 
 that surrounded him. Paul looked round the 
 church ; and for an instant Halya fancied his 
 eyes met hers. But she was not sure, and 
 her heart sank within her. 
 
 " He is not thinking of me ! " she said to 
 herself. 
 
 She felt unhapp}^ again. She pitied him 
 so that she longed to let him know it. But 
 he did not look her way again. 
 
 Now the General had arrived, the service 
 hegan at once, Father Paissy and Father Vasili 
 celehrating it together. Father Vasili was so 
 nnicli excited that he made several mistakes. 
 He had never seen his church so crowded, 
 and liis head felt giddy. For the same reason 
 tlie diatchok chanted the Psalms out of tune. 
 It was a long monotonous service, hut very 
 few prayed. Even among the Stundists none 
 prayed save Ooliana. 
 
 Her thoughts went back to the old days, 
 when li"r I'atlici- and motlier had ])i()ught her 
 here to \v()i>liip God and the saints. The 
 prayers to the saints were lodged in her 
 memory. Then she recalled the times when
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDISTS. 333 
 
 she had come hither with her husband ; and 
 her little son Paul clung to her skirts and 
 bowed when she bowed. Those were precious 
 days ; but they were the days of her ignor- 
 ance. She had been afraid of death then, and 
 terrified at the thought of the Day of Judg- 
 ment. Now all that fear was srone. Love had 
 cast out fear. The Lord God Almighty called 
 her His daughter ; and she, looking trustingly 
 into His unseen face, cried, '" Father ! " She 
 prayed silently, with tremulous lips and closed 
 eyes, as she had never prayed before. 
 
 The service was ended ; the curtain drawn ; 
 and the priests went into the sacristy to divest 
 themselves of their gold and embroidered vest- 
 ments. The diatchok brought a lectern and 
 placed it in front of the rood-screen. There 
 was a stir of expectation through the closely 
 packed congregation. In a few minutes 
 Father Paissy appeared in a cassock and bowed 
 slightly to the crowd. Father Vasili, with 
 a humble mien, ventured to seat himself on 
 the same bench as the General. Both of the 
 priests felt flattered by the presence of gentle- 
 folks ; and Father Paissy intended to dis- 
 tinguish himself before them.
 
 334 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " 111 tlic luuiie of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost ! " 
 
 The congregation stirred again and pressed 
 forward. Some of them coughed nervously, 
 as if they were going to speak. Father Paissy 
 read his text empliatically. 
 
 " ' Do not I hate them, Lord, that hate 
 Thee ? and am not I grieved with those that 
 rise up against Thee ? 
 
 " * I hate them with perfect hatred : I count 
 them my enemies.' 
 
 " So said David, the man after God's own 
 heart. Let us see, then, how David treated 
 his enemies.*' 
 
 Father Paissy read solemnly and slowly 
 the passages in the historical books of the 
 Old Testament which describe the torturing 
 and the slaughter of the Amalekites and 
 Moabites, and the inhabitants of the other 
 cities conquered by David. 
 
 " Who now are the Amalekites, the Moabites, 
 the enemies of God ? Where do they dwell ? 
 I will show them to you." 
 
 He pointed to the band of Stundists standing 
 in the midst of the congregation ; and for a few 
 seconds an intense stillness pervaded the church.
 
 EXORGISING THE STU2^DISTS. 335 
 
 " Now listen to the command of God," 
 continued Paissy. " ' Go and smite Amalek, 
 and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare 
 them not ; but slay both man and woman, 
 infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and 
 ass.' When King Saul disobeyed the Word 
 of God he was set aside from beins: kiner. 
 Will our Tzar risk the vengeance of 
 Almighty God ? Will you bring upon 
 yourselves untold calamities for the sake 
 of these enemies of His ? Let me ex- 
 plain to you how they are the enemies of 
 God." 
 
 He gave an explanation of the Stuudists' 
 faith, strangely travestied ; and he proceeded 
 to accuse them of great immorality. Here 
 was an opportunity for him to display his 
 learning before the General and Valerian ; 
 and he made long quotations from the Fathers, 
 with Greek and Latin phrases thrown in. 
 The peasants stared at him. Was this the 
 conjuration addressed to the devils which had 
 taken possession of the Stundists? 
 
 "You see, my brethren," said Paissy, 
 smoothing down his long beard, and rubbing 
 his white hands, " you see what damning
 
 336 THE HIGHWAY OF SOMEOW. 
 
 errors are tauii^ht by these false prophets. It 
 is tlic darkness of ii:^norant heresy." 
 
 The ortliodox coii<^regatioii felt great 
 darkness in their own minds ; and were quite 
 ready to believe in his words. 
 
 " And what are they doing ? Tlie holy 
 icons, which have been the protection of 3''ou 
 and your forefathers, they break into pieces, 
 castinir them into the fire, or usini]: them for 
 covers for pots. The holy wafers they throw 
 away " 
 
 A niunimr of horror ran through the 
 audience. The orthodox understood this. 
 
 Paissy excited himself so much that he 
 forijot the educated men who were listeningf to 
 him, and began to abuse the Stundists soundly. 
 At first indeed he called them b}' Biblical names 
 — " Jezebel's seed," and " Sons of Baal " ; but 
 passing to a simpler phraseology, he denounced 
 them in a very primitive manner as ruffians, 
 scoundrels, blackguards, hell-hounds. In the 
 midst of this tirade his eyes fell upon the 
 indignant and disgusted faces of the General 
 and Valerian, who were evidently shocked by 
 his coarseness. 
 
 Paissy was confused, and stumbled in the
 
 EXORCISING THE STUNDIST8. 337 
 
 middle of a sentence. He valued very highly 
 the opinion of educated people ; and the 
 General was well known in Kovylsk, where 
 he might spread an unfavourable report of his 
 sermon. It concluded, therefore, rather weakly, 
 as he tried to please both classes of his 
 audience. Only Father Vasili was satisfied, 
 even boundlessly delighted with all that was 
 said. His owl-like face and little round eyes 
 were not for a moment turned from the 
 preacher ; and he munched with his lips as if 
 he rolled some delicate morsel in his mouth 
 at each well-chosen text or quotation, whis- 
 pering to himself, " Clever ! it serves them 
 right, the infidels 1 " 
 
 " Amen ! " at last said Paissy ; and with 
 another bow he disappeared into the sacristy. 
 
 Shutting the door he fell into a chair, 
 and sighed heavily. He was not satisfied with 
 his sermon. Now it was over, and the op- 
 portunity lost, he thought of many excellent 
 ideas and phrases that would have made it 
 really eloquent. Surely the devil had be- 
 wildered him, and clouded his memory ! It 
 was the presence of those damnable Stund- 
 ists ; especially of that old witch, whose 
 w
 
 338 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 face, full of iutelligeiice, had often caught 
 his eye. 
 
 Paissy was so absorbed in an<^ry reflections 
 that he did not notice that neither Father 
 Vasili nor the diatchok had followed ihim 
 into the sacristy. He sat alone gnawing 
 his under-lip, and mourning over his lost 
 opportunity.
 
 339 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Paul's defence. 
 
 The congregation did not disperse from 
 the church. Something quite unforeseen had 
 happened. 
 
 When Paissy disappeared the assembled 
 peasants lingered in perplexity. Was this 
 all? Why had he not abjured the Stundists, 
 and exorcised them ? They had no clear ideas 
 as to what the exorcism would be ; but they 
 had expected something extraordinary. All 
 they had got was an ordinary service and 
 a sermon ! 
 
 Halya looked across the church at Paul. 
 His face was at one moment deadly pale, at 
 the next flushed with crimson as from some 
 inward struggle. There was a strange light 
 in his eyes. Hal}^ grew excited as if by 
 some psychical or spiritual communication be- 
 tween them. She felt bewildered, yet not 
 miserable. It seemed as if she was impelled 
 to do something she shrank from, which mado 
 w '2
 
 :U0 THE niOnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 her shy :ind tremulous. Paul took a step or 
 two forward, and cried out with an incredible 
 efVort : " Orthodox Christians ! I ask your 
 ])erniission to speak to you." 
 
 Halya sobbed. The congregation gave a 
 start. All eyes were fi.ved upon Paul Ivudenko. 
 
 " Ah ! you Anathema ^laranatha ! " ex- 
 claimed Father Vasili angrily ; " how could 
 your accursed tongue speak in the temple of 
 
 God ? " 
 
 Valerian stepped out of his corner, and 
 approached the Batushka. 
 
 "Let him speak," he said persuasively; 
 "I have a great curiosity to hear him. And 
 3^ou can easily refute all he says. Besides, 
 people will sa}' you are afraid of being beaten 
 in discussion with a Stundist," he added in 
 an undertone. 
 
 " What ! what ! " exclaimed Father Vasili ; 
 " I afraid of l)eing beaten by that ignorant 
 peasant ! But I would rather " 
 
 He was about to say he would rather see 
 him have a good ilnashing, but he recollected 
 in time to whom he was speaking, and said 
 with uiic.\j)ect('d indulgence — 
 
 "Very well, Paul Itudenko, you may speak,
 
 FAUU8 DEFENCE. 341 
 
 and we will hearken. But it seems to me you 
 are rather young for a preacher or a teacher." 
 
 No abuses could have damaged Paul with 
 his audience so much as an allusion to his 
 youthfulness. It was but a few years since 
 he was a boy, and everybody knew it. His 
 emotion was so great that for a few moments 
 he could not utter a word. The circle of old 
 familiar faces around him made him dumb. 
 
 " Don't be afraid," whispered Ooliana ; " our 
 Lord saj^s, ' Take no thouglit how or what 
 ye shall speak ; for it shall be given you in 
 that same hour what ye shall speak. For 
 it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of 
 your Father which speaketh in you.' " 
 
 Paul's face grew pale and calm. 
 
 " Lord ! Thou who didst give speech to 
 the dumb, teach me what to say that I may 
 not dishonour Thy holy name ! " 
 
 He thought he was speaking the words in 
 his heart ; but unconsciously he had pronounced 
 them aloud. 
 
 A wave of sympathy rushed through the 
 audience in his behalf, and the familiar faces 
 grew more friendly. His timidity vanished. 
 He raised his head and spoke Huently and
 
 r>42 THE niGHWAY OF SORBOW. 
 
 courageously, as if he was addressing an or- 
 dinary- Stundist gathering. 
 
 " Brothers ! " he said, " it is not for an 
 icrnorant man like me to think of teaching 
 vou. I onl}- wish to say a few words about 
 our faith, which has been attacked in your 
 hearing to-day. God, who is present every- 
 where, will hear me, and He will judge whether 
 I speak the truth." 
 
 He paused for a moment to take breath. 
 The crowd made room for him, and now he 
 stood on the lowest step of the rood screen, 
 in full view of the whole congregation. Halya 
 ])ushed her way nearer to him, pressing forward 
 Yarina at the same time. She could not lose 
 a word he would say, or a movement he might 
 make. This Paul was not a shy, timid lover, 
 whom she could make miserable or happy by 
 a word. He was a leader of men, a prophet ; 
 one who could guide her steps on earth towards 
 the heavenly goal. His Testament was hidden 
 ill her bosom, and she pressed her hands upon 
 it as she crept nearer to him. 
 
 " It is true," he went on, " that we do 
 not reverence the icons, for God's command- 
 ment is plain — ' Thou shalt not make to thy-
 
 PAUL'S DEFENCE. 343 
 
 self iiny graven image, or tlie likeness of 
 anything that is in heaven above, or on the 
 earth beneath, or in the waters under the 
 earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, 
 uor worship them.' We must obe}" God rather 
 than men. 
 
 " It is true we do not pay dues to the 
 priest, because we have one priest, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who is ever at the right hand 
 of God, making intercession for us. 
 
 "It is true we do not pray to the saints. 
 We pray only to God, who alone can hear 
 us from all places, and at all times. The 
 saints were men like ourselves, and they are 
 not present everywhere, as God is. 
 
 "It is true we do not keep the saints' 
 days as days of idleness or drunkenness. God 
 says we must hallow one day in seven, fifty- 
 two days in the year. But besides these 
 Sabbaths, the Church says we must keep more 
 than a hundred feasts. 
 
 "It is true we do not drink vodka, because 
 it steals away the brains of men, and brings 
 poverty and vice into the country. 
 
 " Let me tell you very simply what we 
 believe. We believe that Jesus Christ, the
 
 [iU THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Son of God, the Prince of Glory, King of 
 Kings, and Lord of Lords, did, in very truth, 
 come down irom His heavenly palaces and 
 live as we livi' on the earth. He became a 
 servant, a working man, dwelling with common 
 working people. Why? What for? Not to 
 save us from toil, or hunger, or thirst. No ! 
 He was an hungered, and athirst, and weary 
 often, like us. Not to save us from sorrow 
 and death. No ! He wept, and was grieved, 
 and was troubled in spirit, and died a shameful 
 death. He came to save us from our sins, to 
 make the drunken man sober, the thief honest. 
 All sin Hies from His presence. Envy, hatred 
 and malice cannot dwell whore He is. Pride, 
 and covetousness, and selfishness wither away 
 and perish where He reigns. Oh ! what a 
 Paradise this earth would be if every man 
 would let the Lord take away his sins ! " 
 
 The profound emotion, and the evident sin- 
 cerity, with which the young Stundist spoke, 
 riveted the attention of all his hearers. Even 
 Father \'asili listened with a grave face. 
 
 " Oiii- Li)rd came," Paul continued, "to 
 found a kingdom of love upon earth ; a new 
 brotherhood in which all men, from the Tzar
 
 FAUUS DEFENCE. 345 
 
 upon the tlirone to the miserable prisoner in 
 the lowest dungeon, should be brothers. God 
 is the Father of all, and in His sight there 
 is no respect of persons. We are His sons, 
 and brethren one of another. God is love, 
 and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, 
 and God in him. The rich man will share 
 his goods with the poor, and the poor man 
 will work heartily for the rich. The strong 
 will protect the weak. Those who are happy 
 will visit the sorrowful. The young will care 
 for the old, and the old will counsel the 
 young. That is the kingdom of heaven on 
 earth, and its two laws are given by Jesus 
 Christ our King, ' As ye would that men 
 should do to you, do ye also to them likewise ; ' 
 and the second is like unto it : 'A new com- 
 mandment I give unto you, that ye love one 
 another, as I have loved you, that ye also 
 love one another.' Oh ! what a Paradise this 
 earth would be if all men kept those laws ! " 
 
 " Ah ! if that could only be ! " exclaimed 
 a wondering and sympathetic voice amid the 
 listening crowd. 
 
 " It will be ! " cried Paul. " Shall Christ 
 have lived in vain ? Shall He have been
 
 W6 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 forsaken by His disciples, and <::iven up to His 
 enemies, and judi^ed unrighteously^ and crucified 
 on the shameful cross, and all for nothing? 
 No ! This kingdom of His shall surely come. 
 The will of God shall be done on earth as it 
 is done in heaven. Nay, the kingdom of God 
 is come. You may enter into it this day, this 
 hour ! Christ is waiting to take away your 
 sins, the sins of every one of us. Stretch 
 out vour hand onlv, and He will lead you 
 into His kingdom. You will know Him in 
 your hearts, and you will love Him as He 
 loves you. Heaven will come down into your 
 souls, and you will hear the voice of God 
 speaking to you there. Even on earth you 
 will taste of heavenly joys." 
 
 A murmur of gladness ran through the 
 assembly. Never had their priests spoken 
 to them as Paul spoke. Ever}' one amongst 
 them understood his simple words, and their 
 hearts vibrated to their meaning. AVliat a 
 Paradise earth would be ! Ah ! how true that 
 was ! The women sighed, and tears ran down 
 their cheeks, and the men listened with eager 
 attention. 
 
 "Oh! my brothers! Would God I could
 
 PAUL'S DEFENCE. 347 
 
 die for you ! " cried Paul, stretching out his 
 hands to them. Then, with a strong shudder, 
 which made him visibly tremble before them, 
 and with a solemn but faltering voice, he ex- 
 claimed, " Yes ! I could almost wish that myself 
 were accursed from Christ for my brethren, 
 my kinsmen according to the flesh ! " 
 
 A profound silence fell upon the crowd at 
 these words : so awful were these words on 
 Paul's lips, and so deep an impression they 
 made on the hearts of those who heard him. 
 Yarina was weeping on Halya's shoulder ; but 
 Halya shed no tears. She was absorbed, fas- 
 cinated. She felt that she was passing through 
 a great crisis in her soul. Her past life was 
 falling from her, and it would be impossible 
 for her to take it up again. Paul was revealing 
 her to herself, and at the same time was un- 
 folding himself to her, and revealing a new 
 world, and a new and living God whom she 
 had not known till now. To pray again to the 
 saints, and to the official Deity of yesterday, 
 would be impossible to her. 
 
 She stood transfixed, and with her the whole 
 congregation, with eyes fastened upon Paul, as 
 if awaiting something more from him. It
 
 •us THE niGEWAY OF SOIiliOW. 
 
 would hardly have startled them if some 
 strange siirn had followed his words. A 
 voice from behind the rood-screen broke upou 
 the silence harshly — 
 
 " What is this ? Ts this an orthodox church 
 or a Stnndist nicctini^-house ? " 
 
 It was Paissy, who had just come out of 
 the sacristy, and heard the last sentence of 
 Paul's speech. 
 
 The sound of the stern, hard voice broke the 
 spell which bound them. The starosta Savely 
 made his way to the porch and disappeared ; 
 several of tlie older men followed him. Father 
 Vasili bei^'an to excuse himself awkwardl}^ 
 exjjlainiuf:^ that he had expected Paul to in- 
 ei-iniinate himself, and that all the ])eople had 
 been very eager to hear him. Paiss\' did not 
 even look at him, but turned with a frowning- 
 and threatening face to the congregation. He 
 was so enraged that he did not notice the 
 General approaching him, with an evident in- 
 tention ol" speaking to him. 
 
 He paced down the ai.sle towards Paul, tlie 
 crowd making way for liim as he ])assed b3\ 
 'i'hc Stiiiidists stood in a close cluster, Paul in 
 the front of them. Paissy paused within a few
 
 PAUL'S DEFENCE. 349 
 
 feet of him, and for a few seconds pierced him 
 through with a stern look of liatred and malig- 
 nancy. In his pale blue eyes there flamed an 
 evil light. 
 
 " Accursed from Christ ! " he said, in a 
 low, hissing voice. " You never said a truer 
 word ! Accursed on earth and in heaven ! 
 In the temple of God Himself you flaunt your 
 heresies !• Do you know the penalty ? " 
 
 "I know it," answered Paul tranquilly ; "I 
 know it, and am ready to pay it. You cannot 
 treat me worse than Loukyan, and he prayed 
 for you as he lay dying." 
 
 Paissy's rage almost conquered him. He 
 could hardly speak, but with a great effort he 
 commanded his voice. 
 
 " Where is the starosta ? " he inquired. 
 
 Panass pushed himself forward. " He has 
 left the church, your reverence, but I will fetch 
 him back," he said eagerly. 
 
 It was but a minute or two before he re- 
 turned, and with him Savely. The village con- 
 stables were still in the church. 
 
 " Keep this man under arrest until he is 
 ordered before the Consistory," said Father 
 Paissy. Savely nodded to the constables, who
 
 350 THE HIGHWAY OF SOB ROW. 
 
 approaclied Paul at once, takin<i^ off their belts 
 mechanically. Paul held out his hands to 
 them. 
 
 " Tie them behind his back ! " cried Father 
 Paissv. 
 
 " What ! In the church ! " exclaimed Va- 
 lerian, coming forward. " Father Paissy, this 
 is an outrage — a desecration. Even murderers 
 used to find sanctuary in a church."   
 
 " Take him to the porch, you fools ! " said 
 Father Paissy, scowling at the unlooked-for 
 interference. 
 
 But at this moment the congregation sud- 
 denly and simultaneously rushed to the en- 
 trance, carrying with them Valerian, Father 
 Paissy, and a number of the Stundists. Paul, 
 who had no wish to resist, or to appear as if he 
 were running away, retreated to the wall, and 
 was pushed by the surging crowd into a 
 corner. He saw Plalya struggling to get 
 near him, and her face wore the resolute — 
 almost stern — expression he had seen on it in 
 his dream. 
 
 "Paul," she murmured to him, \vhen they 
 stood together, " let me go with you wher- 
 ever you may go. I will believe in your
 
 PAUL'S DEFENCE. 351 
 
 God and join your people. My place is 
 beside you." 
 
 Paul could not answer. He clasped lier 
 hand in his, and, lifting up his eyes to heaven, 
 whispered with his lips a thanksgiving to 
 God.
 
 352 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI [I. 
 
 A MIUACLE. 
 
 TiiK siultlen stampede which liad emptied the 
 church was occasioned by the sig^ht of a tliin 
 column of smoke arising from the thatched roof 
 of old Slieelo's hut. If it had been early in the 
 morning, everyone would have known it was only 
 the smoke from the wood fire in his oven ; 
 but at this hour, especially during service, no 
 smoke would come from the oven chimney. 
 
 The verger at the door had tirst perceived 
 it, and he had been greatly astonished at seeing 
 first the blue soft vapour, and then the gra- 
 dually increasing volume of smoke over Sheelo's 
 house. He was waiting in the porch to show 
 ])ruper respect to the General and Valerian as 
 they left the church, and to help them into 
 the enrriage, standing in readiness for them. 
 He glanced hesitatingl\' into the church, wish- 
 ing the (lenoral would make haste. Still the 
 smoke gathered and spread. He ran out a lew
 
 A MIBACLE. 353 
 
 yards. Oh ! there was no mistake. The 
 smoke was not coming out of the chimney, but 
 from the roof of the sheds behind the house. 
 
 But, as a man used to reverent conduct in 
 the church, the verger did not give the alarm, 
 but cautiously sought out Sheelo in the closely 
 packed congregation, and whispered to him his 
 house was on lire. The old man shrieked and 
 ran out. A few followed him out of curiosity. 
 Then alarming shouts and cries were heard in 
 the porch. A fire in a village of wooden build- 
 ingrs and thatched roofs is seldom limited to 
 one dwelling. The congregation rushed out of 
 the church like a torrent. 
 
 The village street formed an obtuse angle, 
 at the apex of which stood the church. It fol- 
 lowed the course of the river which flowed 
 near it, but in a rounder curve. • Some of the 
 straggling cottages were nearer, others a little 
 further from the water. They were all detached, 
 each one surrounded by its granary, wood-barn, 
 and cattle-sheds, larger or smaller, according to 
 the circumstances of the occupier. For the 
 wealth of Knishi consisted of the primitive 
 wealth of herds and grain. All the dwellings 
 were built of wood, with roofs of thatch or dried 
 
 X
 
 354 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 reeds. For the last three or four weeks an arid 
 east wiud had l)een blowing off' the illimitable 
 steppes, drying up the moisture of the wintry 
 rains and snows. Everything was almost as 
 parched as in the drought of summer. 
 
 The fire started in Sheelo's cattle-shed, 
 only a few yards from the dwelling, which 
 was the ninth house from the church. Near- 
 est the church-gate stood the little hut of two 
 rooms occupied by the verger and his old 
 father, Spiridon. The old man stood at the 
 door shaking with palsy, and leaning on a 
 staff. He kept muttering in his old husky 
 voice that he had seen the imbecile Avidiushka 
 coming out of Sheelo's cattle-shed, and crying 
 "Burn, burn, burn them!" But no one took 
 anv notice of him ; he was chiklish and his 
 memory was gone. The indubitable fact was 
 more pressing. The place had been set on 
 tire, and no one wondered at it, as Sheelo had 
 many enemies. 
 
 As the crowd ran down the street they 
 saw thick pull's of smoke rising from the dry 
 thatch ill a gigantic column. Then it sud- 
 denly cleared away, as if the fire was about 
 to Ijurn itself out ; the roof fell in, and a low
 
 A MIRACLE. 355 
 
 yellow glow brooded for an instant over the 
 shed. A cry of terror broke from the throats 
 of the approaching throng. For suddenly a 
 huge pillar of flame, which seemed to reach 
 the skies, blazed up, tossing hither and thither 
 flakes of Are. In the adjacent sheds were heard 
 the screams of the horses and the bellowing 
 of the cattle. 
 
 Old Sheelo rushed to the door, trying to 
 unbolt it, but his hands trembled so much 
 he could do nothing, and the bolt did not 
 move. Valerian came to his help with a strong- 
 shaft in his hands, and with one blow pushed 
 back the bolt and flung open the door. The 
 maddened animals rushed out encircled with 
 smoke, knocking down Valerian and their master 
 in their flight. A horse was left inside tied up 
 to the manger. Paul, who by this time had 
 followed the crowd, covered his head with his 
 jacket, and rushed under the already burning 
 roof to rescue it. He came back dragging the 
 horse by its halter. 
 
 "They want leaders!" cried Valerian to 
 him. " You take command of one band of 
 men, and I will order the others." 
 
 " Yes, yes ! " said Paul. 
 x2
 
 :3o6 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 He turned to Paiiass, who was looking on 
 with a stupefied face, and holding with a shick 
 liand a pair of horses, which escaped from him 
 and began to gallop madly about the ^ard. 
 
 " Drive them all away into the fields," he 
 cried; "they will trample down the people." 
 
 Panass obeyed reluctantly and listlessly, 
 and drove them away to a place of safety. 
 Valerian and a few peasants meanwhile climbed 
 on to the roof of the dwelling-house, hoping 
 to save it. The}'' worked away with pitch- 
 forks and axes to remove the thatch, piling it 
 up in a safe direction, behind a wall protected 
 from the fire. Sheelo and some other helpers 
 removed the goods from his house, and brought 
 out first the icons in their silver frames as his 
 most valuable property. 
 
 " The icons I the icons ! " shouted several 
 voices. " Let the icons see what is the 
 matter." 
 
 Two peasants, standing in the middle of 
 the yard, and facing the fl{},mes, lifted up the 
 lar<rest icon. The vollow li'dit shone upon 
 their swarthy faces, and llaslied on tlic silver 
 frames, and on the dark image of the saint. 
 It was their patron-saint whose feast they
 
 A MIRACLE. 357 
 
 were celebrating. Surely he would save his 
 votary ! 
 
 But Valerian on the roof found it impos- 
 sible to save the dwelling. The shed had 
 turned into a huge pile of burning wood, and 
 flakes of fire were falling in all directions : 
 on the heads of the people, on the rafters 
 which they were laying bare, on the dry 
 thatch they were trying to carry away. 
 Chains of men had been formed by Paul, 
 and every pail and bucket in Knishi was 
 being passed from hand to hand full of water 
 from the river, and sent back again empty by 
 chains of women. But Sheelo's house was 
 already on fire. 
 
 At this instant the old General came up. 
 He had sent his coachman post-haste to a 
 village a few miles away, which possessed a 
 fire-engine. He came at a critical moment. 
 Unseen, the pile of tliatch laid behind the 
 wall had been smouldering, and before Valerian 
 and bis helpers on the roof perceived it, a 
 black cloud of smoke filled the air. 
 
 •' Come down ! all of you ! " shouted the 
 General in a loud strong voice of command, 
 rising above every other sound. They obeyed
 
 :158 TUE HIGHWAY OF SOBEOW. 
 
 instinctively ; and as tlie last man, Valerian 
 liimself, touched the ground, a broad flame 
 rushed over the roof, buruiui^ away the last 
 remnant of thatch. Valerian's hair was 
 scorched, and his cloth coat was singeing. 
 
 " Are you hurt? " asked his father in alarm. 
 
 " Not a bit," he answered. " But what 
 are we to do next ? " 
 
 The wind was blowing in a strong and 
 steady breeze from the east, bearing on its 
 wings the blazing tufts of straw and thatch, 
 which were detached from the burning house. 
 They looked from the unextinguished fire to 
 the poor little adjacent cottages with their 
 high-pitched roofs and deep eaves, under which 
 were piled up their fuel of dried reeds. The 
 next house was alread}^ caught. It belonged 
 to Koozka. But beyond it lay a small space 
 free of buildings, and here the fire might be 
 stayed. The chains formed by the men and 
 women moved on under Valerian's direction 
 to stop the progress of the conflagration b}' 
 d('hi<;inn- this house with water. Koozka saw 
 his place doomed to destruction, and stood 
 looking on, wringing his hands and lamenting 
 in a loud voice.
 
 A MIRACLE. 359 
 
 Suddenly, from the cattle-shed, which was 
 already in flames, came an awful heart-rending 
 scream, whether of a human being or an 
 animal none could tell. It was the death- 
 cry of a horse which had been forgotten — 
 old Koozka's favourite horse. 
 
 " Save him ! save him ! " cried Koozka, 
 rushing to the shed. Part of the wooden 
 wall had burnt down, and through the open- 
 ing could be seen the poor animal, standing 
 in a paralj^sis of fear, among burning rafters 
 and stalls and beams. No one among the 
 crowd dared move. Old Koozka alone rushed 
 forward to save his favourite. 
 
 " Come back, old man ! " shouted the 
 peasants behind him, "you will perish with- 
 out time for repentance ! Come back ! " 
 
 But he did not listen to them. He pressed 
 on as if he were beside himself. Paul could 
 not bear to see him recklessly throw his life 
 away. He rushed forward and pushed him 
 back, flinging himself into the burning shed. 
 As he brought the terrified horse through the 
 flames by its burning halter, the beam over 
 the door gave way and knocked him down. 
 
 Ooliana screamed and ran to her son, who
 
 360 TUE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 was lying almost uuconscioiis on the ground. 
 Slie drasTired liim out of danc^er, and Valerian 
 hurried to him and examined him with great 
 anxiety. Fortunatel}', his thick sheepskin hat 
 had preserved him ; and when Valerian touched 
 the place upon his forehead on which the beam 
 had fallen he onl}^ winced a little. 
 
 " Does it hurt ? " he asked. 
 
 " Not much," answered Paul. He was still 
 too mucli afraid of Valerian to accept his care 
 with pleasure. He attempted to get up, but 
 his head felt giddy and he fell back again. 
 
 " You must take him home," said Valerian 
 to Ooliana ; " there may be more mischief done 
 than we can see at once. Here is our carriage. 
 You sliall drive home in it." 
 
 The fire pursued its relentless course. 
 Though the next house was soaked and 
 drenched with water, it retarded the flames 
 onl}' for a short time. The scorching heat 
 dried up the artilicial moisture, though hundreds 
 of pails of water had been poured upon the 
 roof, trickling down the walls and washing 
 off' the plaster. When the flames caught it, 
 after smouldering sulkily a few minutes it 
 rose in a fiery ])illar, at lirst as straight as an
 
 A MIRACLE. 361 
 
 arrow into the air, and then wavering a little. 
 The people stood, with their hearts throbbing 
 heavily, watching the direction it would take. 
 On that depended the fate of the village. 
 
 The wind blew a little towards the river. 
 On that side was safety. All at once the 
 fiery column fell to pieces, as if struck by 
 some powerful blow, and broke downwards 
 in a cloud of smoke, and ashes, and sparks. 
 But, as if reasserting itself, it rose up straight 
 again, wavered, and beat against the air. 
 Then with the spring of a wild beast seizing 
 its prey it flung itself on the next building. 
 
 There was no escape, no help. The village 
 was given up to the mercy of the flames. 
 The house stood like a doomed man, lonely, 
 abandoned by all, groaning at its fate. Valerian 
 resumed his efforts further on. But smoke 
 and cinders from the burning houses assailed 
 him and his helpers on the roof, suffocating 
 their breathing and blinding their sight. 
 Their clothes began to smoulder,- and they 
 poured water over themselves to keep them 
 from burning. But this only helped for a 
 moment. The soaked clothes became hot, and 
 their bodies were steamed as in a vapour bath.
 
 362 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 The desperate conflict continued It was 
 necessary to retreat agfain and a^-ain in the 
 direction of the church. Fortunately, the 
 wide cemetery was on that side. Still, it was 
 surrounded by a wooden fence, rotten with 
 age ; and at the gate stood old Spiridon's hut. 
 The church was built of timber, though it 
 had a tiled roof ; and its three cupolas were 
 of wood painted green. The rotten fence and 
 the thatched hut were dangerous neighbours ; 
 if either of them caught fire the church also 
 was doomed. 
 
 Valerian, who was the leader in this 
 tenacious struggle, bade the peasants to destroy 
 the hut and fence; and they, understanding 
 the gravity of the situation, set actively to 
 work. It was partially done when the church 
 doors were opened, and Father Paissy and 
 Fatlier Vasili appeared in their full vestments. 
 The diatchok carried after them the silver 
 bason containing holy water and the brush 
 fur sprinkling it. The choir followed, bearing 
 crosses, and banners, and icons in a solemn 
 procession. 
 
 Coming down the steps leading to the 
 porch, Father Pais.sy took the sprinkler in
 
 A MIRACLE. 363 
 
 Ins hand, dipped it in the holy water, and 
 shook off the drops in the direction of the 
 fire. He, the diatchok, and the choir started 
 off in a solemn chant of one of the metrical 
 prose hymns of the Russian Church. 
 
 The people bared their heads, and humbly 
 and piously crossed themselves. The conflict 
 was stopped. Now that God's power was 
 invoked, human efforts seemed to them pre- 
 posterous and even irreverent. 
 
 Paissy apparently was of the same mind 
 with the peasants. At the head of the pro- 
 cession he paced on towards the conflagration, 
 pausing at the broken fence, sprinkling it, 
 and sing-ing- with redoubled zeal. The crowd 
 pressed round the clergy like a frightened 
 flock. Some joined in the hymn, lifting their 
 eyes towards heaven. Others cried aloud to 
 the icons. They all ceased to take measures 
 against the fire except the Stundists, who, 
 under the direction of Demyan, went on 
 demolishing the little hut at the gate. 
 
 " Father Paissy ! " cried Valerian, " that 
 hut and the fence must come down. If it 
 sets on fire nothing can save the church." 
 
 " Thou art our refuge ! We place our
 
 ;}64 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW 
 
 trust in Tliee," sang Paissy, not deigning to 
 reply to Valerian. 
 
 "Boys!" shouted Valerian, "come and 
 help to j)ull down the hut." 
 
 Not one of the orthodox moved. Hut 
 Deniyan and the Stundists worked with re- 
 doubled ardour, no one interfering with them. 
 Demyan's strong muscular force was of the 
 greatest service. It seemed almost supernatural. 
 He brought down whole beams with a rattle, 
 which mino'led its noise with the chantino- of 
 the clerg}'. The hut disappeared. In its place 
 was nothing but a heap of rubbish that would 
 not burn. 
 
 But the fire w^as not abatin"-. The un- 
 bearable heat and smoke compelled the priests 
 and the choir to retreat. By degrees the^'- 
 were driven back to the church porch, and 
 stood there with their banners and icons like 
 a garrison defending its last fortress. 
 
 The voices of the choir grew husk}^ and 
 hoarse. The holy water was exhausted in the 
 bason ; but Paissy went on waving his dry 
 sprinkler to kecji his ])artv in heart. 'J'lie 
 ])aint on the cupolas began to shrivel, ;ind 
 was covered with bubbles like a scalded skin.
 
 A MIEAGLE. 365 
 
 In several places the plaster cracked and fell 
 down. 
 
 " Father Vasili," whispered Valerian, " let 
 ns bring ladders, and poar water on the 
 cupolas. The wood is as drj as a match-box, 
 and may catch fire any moment." 
 
 The Batushka cast a glance at the cupolas 
 with the experienced eye of an old village 
 settler, and shook his head in alarm. The 
 church would certain!}' be soon in Hames, and 
 his own house stood just behind it. But he 
 dared not do anything on his own authority. 
 He drew closer to Paissy, and told him what 
 Valerian had advised. 
 
 " And you too are tempted ! " exclaimed 
 Paissy. " God is our refuge. In the midst 
 of the flames He will preserve His temple." 
 
 It was a brave answer. His face was 
 begrimed with smoke ; his throat was parched ; 
 his vestments were tarnished. The flames were 
 darting a thousand threatening tongues to- 
 wards the already heated walls. Yet Paissy 
 stood firm in the forefront of the terrified 
 band of priests and choristers. 
 
 Precisely at this moment the wind veered 
 a point northwards. The fiery tongues slanted
 
 366 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 awav frt,)in the consecrated edifice. The suffo- 
 catinu;' smoke ^^rew lighter, and the heat more 
 bearable. 
 
 " He has stretched out His arm. The 
 Lord God stands up for His temple," cried 
 the orthodox peasants. 
 
 Paissy was exultant. 
 
 But all at once a sight was seen which 
 filled the peasants with horror again. The 
 breeze was now blowing directly di)\vn the 
 other side of the angle formed by the straggling 
 street, and the first thatched roof had caught 
 fire. The buildings here stood closer together, 
 and under the broad eaves of most of them 
 were stores of dried reeds. The people hurried 
 down towards their threatened dwellings, and 
 looked on helplessly, as if benumbed by this 
 new catastrophe. A broad stream of smoke 
 and fire rolled down the street. The new 
 current of air was steady and unrelenting. 
 
 Karpo's house stood in the midst of the 
 threatening stream ; and Marfa, in a paroxysm 
 of terror, rushed in and out. Now she ap- 
 peared bearing some treasure in lu'r hands 
 now she stood wringing her hands and tearing 
 her hair. Karpo and a few neighbours were
 
 A MIRACLE. 367 
 
 helping listlessly. There was no escape, and 
 everyone had lost heart. 
 
 "Halya! Halya ! " shouted Marfa, "why 
 have you run away? where are you, you 
 hussy ? " 
 
 But Halya was nowhere to be seen. She 
 had disappeared immediately after Ooliana had 
 taken Paul home. 
 
 " Wait a moment ! I know where you 
 are gone, shameless wretch ! " she cried in an 
 ungovernable fury. 
 
 Seizing hold of a wooden rolling-pin she 
 was about to rush to Ostron. But as she 
 ran into the street her progress was arrested 
 by the sight of the clergy and choristers 
 standing in the church porch, and chanting 
 a hymn of thanksgiving. This gave her 
 distracted mind a fresh turn. She stopped, 
 and turned to the people, waving her hands 
 passionately. 
 
 " Look there ! " she exclaimed ; " look what 
 those idlers are doing. They have saved 
 their own property, the church, and the 
 Batushka's house ; and they are overjoyed, 
 and sing praises to God. But the village 
 may burn to ashes before they stir."
 
 368 TEE HIGHWAY OF SOBROW. 
 
 A circle of women, joined by a few men, 
 fjatliered round ]\Iarfa, amazed at her passion, 
 and the boldness with which she attacked 
 the clergy. 
 
 " Ah ! go on with your howling ! " she 
 resumed ; " when you want the priest's due 
 you are always at hand. But when the 
 people want help 3'ou are no good. Don't 
 you see the village is catching fire every- 
 where ? And you stay there idling, afraid to 
 singe your vestments, sluggards and cowards 
 as you are ! " 
 
 " Shut up, you fool ! " growled Karpo. 
 J3ut her shrill reproaches had caught the ear 
 of Father Paissy, and he gave a sign for the 
 chanting to cease. 
 
 " The woman is right," he said ; " in our 
 "jov for the church being saved we have for- 
 gotten our duty to the village. Let us go 
 forth to arrest the progress of the flames ! " 
 
 In a few minutes an imposing procession 
 was formed. Father Paissy headed it, and 
 Father Yasili walked close behind him. Then 
 came the diatchok and tlic choir. Last of all 
 the icons, crosses, and banners, which were 
 thus placed in greater safety. Tlie ortliodox
 
 A MIRACLE. 369 
 
 peasants surrounded them, and joined in vigor- 
 ously with the hoarse chanting of the choristers, 
 whose throats were rough with smoke, and ex- 
 hausted by their prolonged efforts. Burning 
 fragments fell upon their vestments, and one 
 banner was set on fire. But Father Paissy 
 stood his ground bravely. He swung his 
 sprinkler dipped in holy water like a magician 
 controlling the elements with his magic wand. 
 
 The priest had a powerful though invisible 
 ally. The sun was going down, and the 
 cooler air blowing from the river and the 
 great forest beyond it once more caused 
 the wind to change and to veer north- 
 wards. This blew the flames of the house 
 next to Karpo's across the open land at the 
 back. By the time the procession had gone the 
 whole length of the village, and retraced its 
 steps, the danger was over. The people, 
 worked up to the highest pitch of excitement, 
 watched the tongues of flame slanting away 
 from the houses harmlessly. Marfa fell on 
 her knees before Paissy, and kissed his hands. 
 
 " A miracle ! a miracle ! " shouted the 
 crowd. All crossed themselves ; many wept, 
 and knelt down in the dust before the icons. 
 
 T
 
 370 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 A fourth part of the viUage had been de- 
 stroyed, but the rest was out of danger. The 
 icons, the procession, and the chanting had 
 saved it. 
 
 At this moment a cloud of dust was seen 
 coming along the road, and a small fire-engine, 
 drawn by two exhausted horses, and driven 
 by a disabled soldier, drove up at a jog-trot. 
 
 " Where shall we play the engine, friends?" 
 he called to the crowd. A sudden gust of 
 lausrhter answered him. All around were 
 smouldering heaps of ruins, wdiich must be 
 extinguished for fear of any fresh outbreak of 
 the fire. There was work enough for half a 
 dozen engines such as his. But the peril was 
 past, and the people were full of the strange 
 hilarity which succeeds the sense of impending 
 danger. Valerian and his father, as they 
 walked homeward with slow and tired steps, 
 heard behind them repeated roars of laughter.
 
 371 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 
 
 Twenty houses had been burned down, and 
 nearly a hundred persons were left roofless. 
 They were mostly of the poorest class, and 
 their huts were not of much worth. But they 
 were their homes, and the inmates had lost 
 all their few possessions. 
 
 But the terrible day was not over. A new 
 and a worse calamity was brooding. The bad 
 seed so diligently sown by the Batushka and 
 Matushka was about to bear fruit. 
 
 Paissy dismissed the choristers with the 
 banners and icons. But he, calling Father 
 Vasili to his side, took up a position on the 
 steps of the church porch. A crowd gathered 
 round him. Father Paissy could do what he 
 pleased with such an audience. He had not 
 forgotten the scene in the church only a few 
 hours before, when the leader of the Stundists 
 had boldly preached a sermon in defence of 
 Y 2
 
 372 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 tlieir heresy. A man like that was too dan- 
 gerous to be left in peace, to work his wicked 
 will unopposed. 
 
 " Orthodox people ! " he cried, lifting up 
 his voice to be heard to the confines of the 
 crowd, " you have seen the hand of God to- 
 day. He has given you a miracle as a sign 
 to confirm your faith. You have sinned 
 against Him in suffering heretics to dwell in 
 })eace among you, teaching their damnable 
 doctrines, and leading their immoral lives. 
 God has puni.shed you for this sin. Who set 
 the village on fire ? " 
 
 "The Stundists! the Stundists ! " shouted 
 the people. 
 
 " No, neighbours, no ! " exclaimed the 
 starosta Savely, who had been chosen for his 
 office because of his integrity and justice. 
 " Old Spiridon saw the idiot Avdiushka come 
 out of Sheelo's cattle-shed just before it set 
 on fire." 
 
 "But no doubt God permitted it on ac- 
 count of the Stundists," continued Paissy, " if 
 they did not do it themselves. Tlie people of 
 Knislii have allowed God's holy name to be 
 blasphemed, and the saints to be dishonoured,
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 373 
 
 and the icons to be destroyed. Is there any 
 wonder that this judgment has befallen them ? 
 Think to yourself — if any man reviled your 
 father and spoke evil and untrue things of 
 him, would you stand quietly by and listen 
 to him ? And if through fear and cowardice 
 you held your tongue, how do you suppose 
 your father would judge you, when he came 
 to hear of it ? Would he praise you, and 
 thank you for your love to him ? Grod has 
 seen, He has heard, He has known all that 
 these reprobates have done ; how they de- 
 nounce His temples, and the icons, and even 
 the cross, the holy cross on which His Son, 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, was crucified. And 
 you, in whose presence these things have been 
 done, you not only did not stop these mis- 
 creants, but you bore with them and even 
 encouraged them." 
 
 " We will bear with them no longer ! We 
 will defend our God and the orthodox faith!" 
 cried many voices. 
 
 " That is right ! " Paissy went on. " Be- 
 think yourselves before it is too late. The 
 Divine will has been revealed to you this day. 
 You are ignorant people ; so Grod would not
 
 HT-i THE niGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 annihilate you as He did in old times, when 
 the earth opened and swallowed up those who 
 rehelled against Him. You have been pun- 
 ished sliLihtly. Shall I tell you why ? Be- 
 cause this morning 3'ou suffered that heretic 
 to utter his blasphemies here, iu this temple 
 of God. And no man stopped him. If it had 
 not been so, if as soon as he opened his mouth 
 you had dragged him out, there would have 
 been no fire. You would have left the church 
 in time to see the idiot — if it was the idiot — and 
 the fire would have been at once extinguished." 
 
 This was a conclusive argument. Every- 
 body saw and felt its force. 
 
 "Ah, my Lord, that is really true!" ex- 
 claimed old Slieelo. 
 
 " Ob, the accursed ! " joined in the crowd. 
 
 There were no more doubts, no hesitation. 
 The Stundists were the authors of all their 
 calamities. 
 
 " Who says it was the idiot ? " asked 
 Panass. " As likely as not it was one of the 
 heretics themselves. The idiot never set the 
 village on lire before." 
 
 The accusation, i'alse as it was, and in 
 direct contradiction to the fact — for every
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 375 
 
 Stundist had been in the church — was received 
 with acclamation by the crowd. 
 
 " Of course they did it," said the philo- 
 sopher Koozka. " They are always glad to do 
 mischief to the orthodox. They have been 
 at it all the winter." 
 
 " Who was in the village at the time ? 
 Who saw anyone ? " shouted Sheelo. 
 
 Old Spiridon was pushed to the front, and 
 mumbled out "his story ; how he had seen 
 somebody slip out of Sheelo's shed and run 
 off towards the river. 
 
 " Who was it ? " asked Paissy. 
 
 "He was running and howling. I thought 
 it was Avdiushka," muttered the old man. 
 
 " Oh, nonsense ! you are blind ! You mis- 
 took somebody else for him," said Pauass. 
 
 " How is it only the houses of the ortho- 
 dox are burned, and none of theirs ? " asked 
 Okhrim, who stood beside his son. 
 
 It was true. It happened that the Stund- 
 ists' houses were scattered at the two ends 
 of the village street farthest from the fire. 
 The crowd suddenly grew exasperated. 
 
 Some voice shouted : — " Neighbours ! let us 
 give the heretics a lesson."
 
 376 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 The nearest house belonged to Kondraty. 
 They rushed in, bursting open the door ; 
 but it was empt}'. In a few minutes every- 
 thing was broken to pieces, the windows 
 smashed, the boxes ransacked, and all their 
 contents — clothes, books, utensils — torn into 
 shreds, and scattered within and without the 
 dwelling. 
 
 They went to the next house. There, too, 
 was nobody, except two or three little child- 
 ren trying to hide under the benches. The 
 people left that also in ruins. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Stundists were gone to their 
 usual evening ])rayer-meeting at Loukyan's bee- 
 farm, where they had often assembled since his 
 death. But no one remembered that. 
 
 " Ah ! they have hidden themselves. They 
 know they are guilty, the miscreants ! " cried 
 the peasants, growing more and more excited. 
 
 There were six houses in Knishi belouir- 
 ing to the Stundists, which all shared the 
 same fate as Kondraty 's. The maddened mob 
 thirsted for more vengeance. 
 
 " Let us go to Paul Eudenko's ! " cried 
 Panass ; "he is the cause of all. He's sure 
 to be at home with his broken head."
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 377 
 
 "Come! come!" roared tlie mob. "We 
 ought to have begun with him. He is the 
 cause of all." 
 
 With clubs and pitchforks in their hands, 
 the infuriated crowd hurried through the fields 
 to Ostron. 
 
 Father Paissy grew somewhat alarmed. He 
 wished to teach the heretics a lesson, but he did 
 not want the thing to run to any great excess of 
 unlawful outbreak. Bidding: Father Vasili to 
 restrain the people in the village, he hastened 
 after the throng that were crushing down the 
 spring wheat in their furious progress. 
 
 Shortly after Ooliana and Paul had reached 
 home, Halya had crept in timidly, hardly know- 
 ing how they would receive her. Paul was 
 lying down on his bed, and Ooliana had 
 already bandaged his grievous bruise. He was 
 deadly pale, and his eyes looked sunken and 
 dim ; but they brightened as he caught sight 
 of her, and he tried to stretch out his arms 
 to her. Ooliana caressed her, and bade her 
 sit down and watch Paul whilst she went 
 to prepare him some food, of which he was 
 sorely in need. 
 
 Halya sat beside him, holding her hand
 
 378 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 in his, and tellint^ liim again and again that 
 she loved him, and only him. She wished for 
 nothing but to share his life, whatever its 
 sorrows and sufTerings might be. To be with 
 iiim even unto death, never again to be parted 
 from him — that was all she asked of God. She 
 had read his Testament daily, and she believed 
 all he said out of it was true. If it was 
 true for him, it was true for her. 
 
 Paul listened as if he were in a dream — 
 a dream of rapture. His head was giddy and 
 his thoughts bewildered, and he could not say 
 numy words ; but he was profoundly happy. 
 The promise given to him months ago was at 
 last fulfilled. His people would be Halya's 
 people, his God her God. 
 
 Ooliana left them very much alone, only 
 looking in now and then with a smile like a 
 benediction on her face. She, too, was deeply 
 agitated. The imperative summons to church 
 — the church dear to her from a thousand 
 associations, yet a profaned temple where she 
 could no longer worship; Paul's noble and 
 brave confession of faith in it ; the strouo- im- 
 jwssion made by it on liis listeners; the fire; 
 and now Halya's presence — all stirred her
 
 ANOTHER MABTYB. 379 
 
 tranquil soul into unwonted tumult. She 
 passed in and out of. her cattle-sheds, feeding 
 the patient creatures dependent on her care ; 
 flung handfuls of corn to her fowls, busied her- 
 self a little while in the fold -yard ; and then, 
 wearied out, sat down to rest on the bank of 
 earth under her kitchen window. 
 
 She could see the clouds of smoke rollinsr 
 over Knishi — now almost black, now with red 
 reflections on them. By-and-bj^e, when Halya 
 was ready to go, she would accompany her, 
 if Paul was well enough to be left, and see 
 what help she could give. At any rate, she 
 could shelter a family or two under her roof. 
 Presently she would put on a large cauldron 
 for soup, that there might be supper for her 
 guests. Perhaps this crisis would reconcile 
 her to her neighbours again, the beloved 
 playfellows of her childhood, who had stood 
 aloof from her all the winter. What else 
 could it do ? 
 
 When the sun was setting, Ooliana pre- 
 pared supper, and called Paul and Halya to it. 
 He had recovered a little, and sat down at 
 the table, but he could not eat. This eveninof 
 was the happiest evening of his life — unique.
 
 380 THE TT ion WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 unparalleled. He wanted to celebrate it in 
 a peculiar way. 
 
 " JMother, will you get us some wine ? " be 
 said. " We tliree will take the Lord's Supper 
 together." 
 
 Ooliana rose silently, with a joy inexpres- 
 sible, and took from the cupboard an earthen- 
 ware jug into which she poured some wine, and 
 brought it and a plateful of black bread, which 
 she placed before Paul. 
 
 " Give me my Testament, Halya," he 
 said. 
 
 Opening it, he read these words — 
 
 " For I have received of the Lord that 
 which I also delivered unto you. That the 
 Lord Jesus the same night in which He was 
 betrayed took bread : and when He had given 
 thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat : this 
 is my body, which is broken for you : this do 
 in remembrance of me. After the same manner 
 also He took the cup, when He had supped, 
 saying. This cup is the new testament in my 
 blood : this do ye as oft as 3'e drink it, in re- 
 membrance of me. For as often as ye eat this 
 bread, and drink this cup, ye do show forth 
 the Lord's death till He come."
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 381 
 
 " In remembrance of Christ ! " said Paul, 
 breaking off a morsel of bread and passing it 
 to his mother. Then, with radiant joy upon 
 his face, he gave Halya another morsel and 
 ate one himself. It was a sign to them all 
 that Halya had definitely thrown in her lot 
 with theirs. 
 
 But what was this sound breaking in upon 
 the stillness of the evening ? Ooliana heard 
 the murmur of many voices in the distance, 
 Could her old friends be coming to seek her 
 ready help ? She hastened to the door to 
 meet them. The tread of many feet came 
 nearer. But those angry shouts, those furious 
 cries? It was a maddened mob rushing across 
 the corn-fields lying between Knishi and 
 Ostron. 
 
 Paul and Halya listened within doors; but 
 the sound to them was more like the hum of 
 insects. They smiled at one another, partly 
 amused and partly wondering at Ooliana's 
 impetuous movements. She came quickly back 
 to them. 
 
 " Halya ! Gro away ! Fly ! " she exclaimed. 
 " Let nobody find you here 1 Some great 
 calamity is in store for us.'*
 
 382 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Paul threw open the window and looked 
 out. The forerunners of the mob were already 
 in sight. 
 
 " Halya! For God's sake go away ! " he 
 implored. 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 " Do not I belong to you now ? " she 
 whispered. " My place is where you are. I 
 will not be parted from you." 
 
 " Then God help us ! " he said solemnly. 
 
 All three sat down to the table again, and 
 Paul poured some wine into a wooden cup 
 and passed it to his mother. 
 
 " We show forth the Lord's death till 
 He come," he repeated. 
 
 Already the shouts and threats of the 
 crowd about to make a cowardly attack upon 
 them rang noisily in the evening air. The 
 road was packed with the people. Ferocious 
 faces caught the last gleam of the sun. Fists 
 were shaken at the house. Stones were flung 
 against the windows. 
 
 The yard-gate was unlocked as usual, and 
 the crowd rushed furiously towards the open 
 door. Marfa was the first to enter. She 
 knew Halya was there, and the only way to
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 383 
 
 save her from the fury of her father and Panass 
 was to be the hrst to attack her herself. 
 
 " Ah ! You wretch ! Here you are ! " she 
 cried savagely. " Leave her to me, you men ! " 
 and getting hold of her by her hair she dragged 
 her violently out of the onslaught of the 
 mob. This motherly violence saved the girl. 
 
 Ooliana stood on the nearer side of the 
 table, Paul behind it. The open Book, the 
 plate of bread, and the wooden cup contain- 
 ing wine irritated the ignorant peasantry most 
 of all. 
 
 "It is witchcraft ! They are weaving a 
 spell to do us mischief ! " shouted Koozka. 
 " We've caught them at it ! They've bewitched 
 Halya, too, and she going to be married to 
 Panass ! " 
 
 " Kill them ! the heretics ! '' cried Karpo, 
 "they are the cause of all our trouble. Who- 
 so kills a heretic, seventy sins will be forgiven 
 him in the Day of Judgment." 
 
 Paul stepped forward from behind the table, 
 with a pale but resolute face. He was ready 
 to meet his fate. 
 
 But Ooliana threw herself before him. 
 The mother stood between the murderous crew
 
 384 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 and her son. With outstretched arms she 
 sought to protect him. 
 
 " Go back ! " she cried. *' I call God to 
 witness this day we have done harm to no 
 one ! Let the starosta take us if we are to 
 be taken ! " 
 
 For a few seconds there was a pause. 
 
 " Savely would favour the witch ! " shouted 
 Okhrim angrily ; " strike her down now while 
 her evil eye is off you ! " 
 
 Ooliana had turned, and was gazing with 
 deep agitation on Paul's pallid face. 
 
 " If we suffer with Christ we shall also 
 reign with Him," she said. 
 
 The next moment she was felled to the 
 ground by Koozka's club, and violently thrown 
 aside into the corner beneath the empty icon 
 shrine. Just then Paissy appeared in the 
 crowd, pushing his way among them. 
 
 " Stop ! stop ! " he exclaimed, " you are not 
 lar from killing her. You might give her 
 some blows to teach her a lesson, but you 
 must stop short of murder. That is forbidden 
 by God's Commandments." 
 
 He ordered them to lay Ooliana on the 
 bench. She breathed heavily, but did not
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 385 
 
 open her eyes. Paul thrust aside his persecutors 
 and flung himself on his knees beside her. 
 
 "Speak to me, mother!" he cried, "let 
 me hear your voice asfain." 
 
 He fancied a smile flickered about her 
 mouth ; but half a dozen violent hands seized 
 him and dragged him away into the fold-yard. 
 
 " Knock him down ! Beat him ! Kick 
 him ! " shouted a multitude of voices. 
 
 " No ! " shouted Panass, louder than any- 
 one else, " let us bind him and throw him 
 into the river. If he floats that shows he 
 is a sorcerer; if he sinks he is only a heretic." 
 
 Paissy attempted to interfere. 
 
 " Orthodox Christians ! " he said, " you must 
 let him confess if he will. You must not 
 hurry a human soul to endless perdition." 
 
 It was too late. No one listened to him. 
 
 The mob was hurrying Paul down to the 
 river, binding his arms as they went. When 
 Paissy overtook them they had dragged him 
 to the little wooden pier on which the women 
 did their washing, and were about to push 
 him from the end of it into the river, flushed 
 with the spring floods. Paissy called out 
 peremptorily —
 
 386 THE HIGHWAY OF SORllOW. 
 
 " Stop ! Fasten a rope under his arms ! " 
 he shouted. 
 
 As soon as this was done Panass and Karpo 
 riuuu' him into the stream. 
 
 Paul sank. 
 
 " He is drowning ! " cried the peasants ; 
 " it's clear he did not know ho\v to save 
 himself this time by his witchcraft." 
 
 " Drag him out ! " ordered Paissy. 
 
 Several men pulled at the rope, and Paul 
 was brouijht to the surface of the water and 
 dragged on to the end of the pier. 
 
 " The Stundist is baptised now ! " laughed 
 Panass ; and all who heard him echoed his 
 words and his laughter. 
 
 " Do you renounce the Devil and all his 
 works ? " asked Paissy : the question that is 
 put in actual baptism. 
 
 Paul was half unconscious. His brain 
 was bewildered ; but the words which were 
 most clearly in his mind rose to his 
 lips. 
 
 " Lord ! lay not this sin to their charge I " 
 he prayed. 
 
 The exasperated rabble yelled with rage. 
 
 " Throw him in again ! Keep him in
 
 ANOTHER MABTYB. 387 
 
 longer ! He does not feel it yet ! " screamed 
 several voices. 
 
 Paul was flung into the river again. When 
 he was dragged out, Paissy again asked him — 
 
 " Do you renounce the Devil, and all his 
 angels ? " 
 
 Paul again murmured with a sobbing 
 breath — 
 
 " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge ! " 
 
 " Down into the water again ! " shouted 
 Paissy himself this time. 
 
 At this moment Valerian came running 
 with full speed down the slope towards the 
 river. He saw Paul's white face sink beneath 
 the surface of the troubled waters. 
 
 " Drag him out again instantl}' ! " he ex- 
 claimed; "what are you doing? Do you indeed 
 believe in a God ? And you, Father Paissy ! " 
 
 Paul lay before them unconscious, if not 
 dead. Valerian gazed down at him with in- 
 expressible pity in his face. 
 
 " We were seeking to wash the heretic 
 from his sins, by submerging him thrice in 
 the water. There is nothing wrong in it," 
 said Paissy, measuring Valerian from head to 
 foot with a sinister and scrutinising look, 
 z2
 
 388 THE HIGHWAY OF SOBEOW. 
 
 " Perluips not according to clerical notions," 
 answered Valerian, beside himself Avith indig- 
 nation and pit}' ; " but according to the civil 
 law such torture ma}^ send you to Siberia." 
 
 He looked round at the peasants, whose 
 faces were suddenly clouded with dread. 
 
 "To Siberia!" sneered Paissy; "this mis- 
 creant, who ])rofancd the church, is likely to 
 go to Siberia ; but none of those who wanted 
 to save his soul, and brin<>- him back to the 
 orthodox faith." 
 
 He wrapped himself in his cassock, and 
 with a dignified step marched slowl^^ and 
 solemnly away. Valerian turned to the peas- 
 ants. 
 
 " How could you do this thing? "he said; 
 " don't you see the man is quite ill ? He 
 was almost killed in protecting your ])roperty, 
 Shcelo. How could 3'ou repay him in this 
 manner? " 
 
 " But the fire was caused by his enchant- 
 ments," answered Sheelo. 
 
 " How can you talk such nonsense ? " asked 
 Valerian ; " there is no enchantment such as 
 you think of. Here, Hemyan and Kondraty, 
 lielp me to carry Paul liudenko home."
 
 ANOTHER MARTYR. 389 
 
 A small group of Stundists had approached, 
 strollingr- homewards by the river from their 
 evening meeting at Louk3'an's old home. They 
 helped to carry the benumbed and drenched 
 body of Paul to his own house. 
 
 Eeaching it, they found Ooliana still lying 
 on the bench, and Marfa tr3^ing to bring back 
 Halj^a from a faint. The girl was lying on 
 the floor at Ooliana's feet. Valerian went to 
 them, and laid his hand on the ice-cold wrist 
 of Ooliana. 
 
 " She is dead ! " he cried, in a voice 
 of the deepest commiseration ; " good God ! 
 what crimes are committed in Thy name ! " 
 
 He could do nothing for her ; but for 
 Paul and Halya there was much to be done. 
 He left Paul at last under the care of 
 Demyan. Marfa met him as he came out of 
 Paul's room. 
 
 " Oh ! Valerian Petrovitch ! " she ' cried, 
 " save my child ! Karpo will kill her if he 
 catches hold of her. Take her away ! Hide 
 her ! Keep her till Paul recovers, and marries 
 her. I have nobody to help me but you. I 
 shall lose her. But oh ! if Karpo should 
 kill her ! "
 
 390 THE niGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Halya crept to liis side, and, kneeling down, 
 kissed his hand. 
 
 " Take care of me for Paul," she said ; 
 *' my father will certainly kill me. And oh ! 
 I am afraid of Okhrim and Panass. Hide me 
 somewhere, for Paul's sake." 
 
 Valerian promised to come back for her 
 during the night, and drive her to Kovylsk, 
 where she could be concealed by the Stundists 
 until Paul recovered. 
 
 Through the village the rumour had already 
 flown that Ooliana was dead. There was 
 shame and sorrow in many a heart in Knishi 
 that night. There was no one who had not 
 received some kindness from her. The home- 
 less families knew she would have been their 
 best benefactress : and they bewailed her loss 
 greatly. Even the Batushka aud Matushka 
 were mournful. 
 
 " Until she became a heretic," said Father 
 Vasili, " she was the best Christian in my 
 parish."
 
 391 
 
 CHAPTEE XXX. 
 
 1892 O.S. 1893 N.S. 
 
 Nearly three years have passed. In other 
 countries New Year's Day has been welcomed 
 in with merry greetings and cheerful peals of 
 bells. But here the sad old year still lingers 
 on its death-bed. It is December 20th. The 
 Autocrat of All the Eussias could bring his 
 people on this point, as well as other more 
 important ones, abreast with other civilised 
 nations with a stroke of his pen. 
 
 A severe Siberian December is regnant. 
 A gale is blowing from the north-east over 
 the boundless Siberian plains, bearing on its 
 measureless current a line snow-dust, which 
 is hurled in clouds and columns on the wind, 
 burying the low forests under its drifts, filling 
 up ravines, and blinding the eyes of men and 
 animals. There are no obstacles to the free 
 elements of Nature. Finding nothing in its 
 way, the irresistible gale flies onward like a
 
 392 TUE niGnWAY OF SOBBOW. 
 
 l)ircl for daj's without reaching a town, or 
 any liunian habitation, except the hut of some 
 savasre. AVe are very far away from Oukrainia 
 liere. The skies are austere ; Nature poor ; 
 and helpless and pitiiul is man 
 
 The cold sun is past mid- day, but it can- 
 not be seen in the grey sk}', thinly veiled by a 
 shroud of clouds. Still duller and sadder the 
 monotonous plain appears in this gloomy, de- 
 pressing light. Here and there the tops of the 
 stuuted pine-trees stand up amid a snow-drift. 
 ]jut this is the only feature in the wide ex- 
 panse of billowy snow. 
 
 Tramping heavily through the snow in their 
 wide, Hat boots, moved a loug line of prisoners. 
 They were weary and Irozen. The coarse prison 
 dress and the short, worn-out fur coats pro- 
 tected them very badly I'rom the biting wind. 
 Their chains, though skilfully fastened up, 
 caught the snow at every step, impeding the 
 march and burning the skin with frost. 
 
 At the end of this slowly moving column 
 came a few prisoners without chains, though 
 they were evidently considered of the most im- 
 portance, as their escort of soldiers was more 
 numerous than that of the rest of the file.
 
 1S92 O.S. 1893 N.S. 393 
 
 They were political prisoners, exiled with- 
 out trial by administrative order, and in conse- 
 quence they had not lost all their privileges. 
 
 There were only five — a young girl, exiled 
 for distributing some pamphlets, and four men, 
 one of whom was a boy of fifteen with blue eyes 
 and round child-like face, not quite of a Russian 
 type. His name was Vania, and, as a Jew by 
 birth, he was banished to the farthest Yakutsk 
 settlements, beyond the Arctic Circle, for some 
 revolutionary papers found in his possession. 
 Two others were middle-aged men, one of whom 
 had been guilty of giving shelter to his own 
 children, whose fate was much more severe than 
 his own, having been sentenced to penal servi- 
 tude for life. 
 
 The fourth man of the little band, who had 
 been elected their starosta or head man, walked 
 on dreamily a little in advance of his comrades, 
 and presently reached the file of common 
 criminals tramping, with the ceaseless clangour 
 of chains, across the plain of snow. 
 
 This was Valerian. He was haggard and 
 emaciated ; but every man and woman in the 
 long procession was haggard and emaciated too. 
 But for the human misery of their faces, they
 
 394 THE HIGHWAY OF SOIiEOW. 
 
 might have been a chain of ghosts, marching 
 hollow-eyed and with sunken faces in the dim 
 wintry light. His banishment followed quite 
 naturally the events described in the last chap- 
 ter. He could not disobey his conscience, and 
 had begun a lawsuit to inquire into Ooliana's 
 murder and the ill-usaixe of Paul. 
 
 Paissy had proved a subtle and dangerous 
 opponent. Seeing that Valerian meant to push 
 the inquiry to the utmost, he resolved to have 
 recourse to an easy and well-tried means of 
 getting rid of him. He denounced him secretly 
 to the authorities in St. Petersburg as a revolu- 
 tionary propagandist. He had no proofs to bring 
 forward in support of his accusation ; but the 
 suspicion alone was sufficient for the author- 
 ities. An unexpected domiciliary visit was 
 made to the old General's house, and in 
 Valerian's liooms was found a parcel of pro- 
 hibited books, many of them translations of 
 English political writers, which he had just 
 received from St. Petersburg. 
 
 His fate was sealed. Valerian was carried 
 off to St. Petersburg and thrown into the 
 fortress-prison there, where he was kept in soli- 
 tary confinement for two years. At last his lot
 
 1892 O.S. 1893 KS. 395 
 
 was changed, tlianks to his father's connections, 
 into exile to Siberia. 
 
 The greater part of the long journey had 
 been made. They were reaching Irkutsk, 
 where most of the prisoners would remain — 
 some in prison, others free to get their own 
 living as they could. 
 
 Valerian had endured the journey fairly 
 well, but traces of extreme exhaustion were 
 evident on his comrades and most of the exiles, 
 who formed altogether a very large party. 
 Shivering in their worn-out furs, they crawled 
 despondently along, furrowing the deep snow 
 with their numerous feet. The column length- 
 ened out more and more. Lieutenant Mironov, 
 the captain of the escort, lost patience. 
 
 " Gret along ! Look alive ! " he shouted, 
 standing on one side of the procession so that 
 all mi^ht see him. 
 
 He was a man about fifty, with grey hair 
 and a red face, from which the skin was peel- 
 ing off from the frost. He had advanced in 
 the service. During the Bulgarian war he 
 had been under Greneral Nesteroff, Valerian's 
 father, who had helpsd him to get promo- 
 tion.
 
 396 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " Close up the ranks, you beasts ! " he 
 stormed. 
 
 Swearing was a great art with him, and 
 he enjoyed showing it off on occasions ; but 
 the presence of the political prisoners checked 
 him to-day. They were educated men, and he 
 restrained himself lest they should detect in him 
 the coarseness of a peasant. Valerian, he knew, 
 was a noble, the son of his old General. 
 
 Housed by the shouts of their stern captain, 
 the prisoners quickened their pace, if only to 
 prove their zeal in obeying him. They 
 almost ran as they passed Mironov, but again 
 they fell back into crawling more slowly than 
 before. 
 
 T3efore Mironov's keen ej^es passed a long 
 line of grey-coated figures covered with white 
 frost — young and old, men, women, and 
 children. They had ceased talking. No hum 
 of voices accompanied the clanking of the 
 chains. A waggon with baggage rolled by, and 
 a few rude carts, without springs, in which lay 
 those too ill to walk. 
 
 A small group of exiles, somewhat de- 
 tached from the rest, quickened their pace 
 when ordered, but did not make a show of
 
 1892 O.S. 1893 KS. 397 
 
 runnins: as the others had done. This roused 
 Mironov's anger. 
 
 " I'll teach you how to dawdle ! " he 
 shouted, raising his hand to strike a fair-haired 
 young man of about thirty, with a handsome, 
 thoughtful face. But at that moment he 
 caught Valerian's eye, and his hand fell down. 
 He gave the man nearest to him a push, and 
 showered upon them a torrent of swearing. 
 But oaths break no bones. 
 
 Neither the fair-haired man nor his com- 
 rade — who, by the colour of his hair and the 
 type of his face, was plainly from the South — 
 made any reply to the captain's insults. 
 
 The younger man carried in his arms a 
 bundle of clothes, within which moved a living 
 little creature. Behind him crawled a young 
 woman, evidently his wife. 
 
 " What a fine lady ! cannot carry her own 
 baby ! " exclaimed Mironov with a sneer. 
 
 The woman shivered and jDressed closer to 
 her husband, as if trying to hide herself from 
 him. She was a pretty young creature, though 
 her dress was in rags, and her face thin and 
 sorrowful. 
 
 But Mironov left her alone. He strode
 
 398 THE EIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 along with the column, gradually slackening 
 his pace until Valerian overtook him. Valerian 
 marched on, paying no attention to his chief, 
 who walked beside him. Mironov coughed ; 
 Valerian took no notice. 
 
 " These common people," said Mironov in 
 an apologetic tone, " you can do nothing with 
 them without oaths and kicks." 
 
 Valerian smiled, and turned to him his 
 handsome pale face. 
 
 " But do you try ? " he asked. 
 
 " It is no use trying," was the answer. 
 " They are brutes, not human beings. About 
 you others, I say nothing," he added quickly ; 
 *' you are educated men." 
 
 " And those whom you were about to 
 strike just now, are they brutes too in your 
 opinion ? " said Valerian, indicating the little 
 group of prisoners marching behind the 
 baggage- waggon. 
 
 " The Stundists ? Oh, no ! Why they are 
 exiled, I cannot understand. They are peace- 
 able folk. But they were loitering, nearly a 
 hundred yards behind the others." 
 
 " It was not on purpose," said Valerian. 
 " See ! the woman is so tired she may drop
 
 1893 O.S. 1893 N.S. 399 
 
 any moment. Instead of insulting her, yon 
 should give her a lift in the waggon." 
 
 " What ! Ought I to order conveyances 
 for them all?" exclaimed the lieutenant. 
 " Waggons for four hundred prisoners ! You 
 want too much, Valerian Petrovitch." 
 
 The three prisoners who were following the 
 waggon were Paul, Demyan, and Stepan. 
 Stepan was sentenced to hard labour, Paul 
 and Demyan to exile. After his mother's 
 death Paul had found it impossible to live 
 any longer in the house polluted by her 
 murder. He had sold all his possessions, and 
 gone to live in Kovylsk, where he married 
 Halya. For nearly two years he had gone 
 about visiting the scattered churches of the 
 Stundists, and encouraging them amid the 
 fmy of the persecution raging against them. 
 But his career was quickly cut short, and a 
 sentence of banishment passed upon him. 
 Halya chose to accompany him, and she had 
 been allowed to take her baby, then three 
 months old. 
 
 Demyan's wife had decided to remain with 
 her children, of whom there were now three, 
 and Demyan had gone to exile alone. But
 
 400 TUB HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 the little ones were soon taken away from 
 the broken-hearted mother, to be brought up 
 in the orthodox religion. Demyan rarely 
 spoke or looked up. He had made his long 
 march with bowed down head, and eyes fixed 
 on the iiTOund. Ilis mind seemed bewildered. 
 But one thought was clear to him, the thought 
 of God. Now and then he murmured His 
 name in a pathetic voice, which brought the 
 tears to Paul's eyes. If they asked him what 
 he was thinking of, he always answered God. 
 
 For some time Valerian and Mironov walked 
 on in silence. 
 
 " When shall we reach an etape?" inquired 
 Valerian. " Even I am nearly tired to death." 
 
 " Very soon," said Mironov, hurrying on 
 to reach the head of the column. 
 
 Halya heard his shouts and curses drawing 
 nearer, and getting frightened started to run 
 on, stumbling in the heavy snow. Paul tried 
 to hold her baek and soothe her. 
 
 " liook here, young woman ! " cried Mironov, 
 " you are tired. Would you like to get up 
 into the waggon ? " 
 
 Paul and llalya looked at him in astonish- 
 ment, wondering if he was jeering at them,
 
 1892 O.S. 1893 N.8.. 401 
 
 or was in earnest. The irritable lieutenant 
 flew into a passion. 
 
 " Ah, you hussy ! " he thundered. " You 
 want to die on the road, and get me into 
 trouble. Get up into the waggon this instant ! 
 Look here, you fool ! Stop ! " he shouted to 
 the driver. " Can't you hear when you are 
 called ? " 
 
 Seated comfortably on the baggage with 
 which the waggon was loaded, and lulled 
 slightly by the slow movement it made, Halya 
 felt herself in Paradise. Paul had given her 
 the baby, and it too was evidently happy. It 
 lay peacefully in her lap, and stretching its 
 cramped limbs was ready to fall asleep. Halya 
 peeped under the shawl that covered his face. 
 The bab3'-face frowned a little as if he had not 
 made up his mind whether to cry or no ; but the 
 motion of the waggon was so pleasant to him 
 it did not seem worth while to cry. A smile 
 came to his soft lips, and he tossed his little 
 hands about cheerily. 
 
 Halya's face was all sunshine. Bending 
 over her child she kissed the tiny face and 
 small red hands, and pressed this little helpless 
 being to her heart ; the source of so much 
 
 A A
 
 402 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW, 
 
 happiness, and alas ! of so much suffering. Oh, 
 if God would only keep the child safe to the 
 journey's end ! It was so near now. To- 
 morrow thev would bo in Irkutsk, 
 
 Meanwhile the coUunn stragg'led and grew 
 longer and longer. Mironov's patience was 
 quite exhausted. He drove the prisoners on 
 with blows as well as curses. At last they 
 saw before them on the ridge of a low hill 
 a small wooden building, showing black against 
 the grey horizon. It seemed impossible that 
 it could shelter all this crowd of people. 
 
 The prisoners almost forgot their fatigue, 
 and ([uickened their pace. There was only 
 twenty minutes further to walk, and then 
 there would be rest, warmth, and food. 
 
 The wind had fallen, and the sky was 
 dark. The horses snorted and jn-anced as if 
 terrified. A white cloud appeared on the 
 horizon, a little to the north of the etape. 
 The lieutenant and the old experienced pri- 
 soners, who were not a few, glanced at it, and 
 at every glance hurried their pace. The cloud 
 grew and moved, but almost imperceptibly. The 
 air became heavy. In several places over the 
 plains gigantic forms were seen appearing and
 
 1892 O.S. 1893 N.S. 403 
 
 disappearing. Sudden gusts of wind flew 
 across the misty expanse. 
 
 " A snowstorm ! a snowstorm ! " was shrieked 
 by several voices, and the whole mass of people 
 pressed onwards in the direction where a few 
 minutes before they had seen the dark building. 
 Instantly there was wild confusion. An im- 
 penetrable mist surrounded them. The snow 
 fell in flakes, which a whirlwind hurled hither 
 and thither, bewildering and blinding the sight. 
 Paul hurried to the waggon to be near his 
 wife and child; but he was knocked down by 
 some of the running prisoners, and when he 
 struggled to his feet he could see nothing but 
 a few human forms scudding away in the 
 darkness. 
 
 "Halya! Halya!" he cried. The roar 
 of the wind was his only answer. Halya 
 could not hear him. She was lying at the 
 bottom of the waggon, protecting with her 
 own body their child from the penetrating 
 cold. 
 
 "Halya! Halya!" shouted Paul. 
 
 All at once, as if rising from under- 
 ground, there appeared a file of men holding 
 one another by the hand. They were the 
 AA 2
 
 404 TEE HIGHWAY OF SOnnOW. 
 
 politic-Ill ])nsoTiers, led by Valerian. He heard 
 the cry " Halya ! " 
 
 " AVliere are 3'^ou going- ? Come back ! 
 You will lose yourself in a moment," he 
 cried ; " come on with us. In a file one does 
 not lose the way so easily. (Quicker, boys ! 
 Vania, show yourself a man ! And, Vera, 
 vou must be a man on this occasion. Courage ! 
 we are nearly there." 
 
 Valerian's hand caught Paul's, and held 
 it firmly. In a few^ minutes their heads, bowed 
 down against the storm, struck against the 
 palisading which surrounded the etape. 
 
 "The gate is to the left," cried Valerian, 
 whose keen sight pierced through the be- 
 wildering snowtiakes; "keep close to the 
 palisade." 
 
 He could hardly be heard for the roaring 
 of the wind, and the confused noises inside 
 the prison-yard. When they entered it there 
 was already a throng of people, and every 
 moment others rushed in, overjoyed to reach 
 the shelter. Soldiers, drivers, and ])risoners, 
 mixed together in a cheerful crowd, happy in 
 their deliverance from a dcadlv dan<rer. Tt 
 was impossible to make out the roll-call amidst
 
 1S92 O.S. 1893 KS. 405 
 
 sucli confusion and the hurricane fury of the 
 storm. Mironov ordered the prison doors to 
 be thrown open. He only called out the names 
 of the political prisoners, who stood apart and 
 toijether. 
 
 " This is the second time you have saved 
 my life," said Paul with deep emotion to 
 Valerian as they separated. 
 
 " It is a life worth saving," answered 
 Valerian simply. 
 
 Mironov ordered lights to be kept burning 
 over the prison door, and the sentinels were 
 bidden to call out as loudly as they could 
 from time to time in case any of the prisoners 
 were lost in the tempest, and might wander 
 that way. i. 
 
 "To bed!" he shouted. 
 
 Then followed a scene of the utmost con- 
 fusion. The prisoners struggled, and pushed, 
 and fought with one another to get first into 
 the kamera, in which there were fifty places 
 only, for the accommodation of three times 
 that number. The family kamera, into which 
 the women and children and the married men 
 were scrambling, was a long, narrow room, 
 with a ?ia?'i or sleeping platform down each
 
 406 THE EIGnWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 side, and a gangway in the middle. The 
 sleeping platform was about four feet from the 
 floor, and six feet wide, of bare boards, without 
 pillow or rug for the rest of the weary frames 
 stretched upon it after the toilsome march of 
 tiu' dav. But hard and comfortless as it was, 
 a place on it was ardently coveted, as other- 
 wise there was no resting-place except on the 
 floor covered with filth. Paul and Halya, 
 happy in finding one another and their child 
 safe, made their wnv into the kamera ; but it 
 was alreadv crowded. 
 
 During: their long march of several months 
 the Stundists had made a favourable impression 
 on many of their fellow-prisoners. They had 
 made themselves useful in various ways on 
 those rest days, when the whole band stayed 
 for thirty-six hours at the same etape. The 
 criminal prisoners, like the political, had elected 
 a starosta, whom all were bound to obey, and 
 Stepan had been of great service to him. It 
 was this starosta who received the alms collected 
 as they passed through the scattered villages, 
 and who appointed the beggars to implore 
 the charity of sympathising spectators. Paul 
 and Halya, with their bah}', were the most
 
 1S93 O.S. 1893 N.S. 407 
 
 successful in collecting alms, and the starosta 
 held them in high favour. 
 
 " Hal^'a ! Halya ! " cried a shrill voice, as 
 they stood at the door of the crowded kamera. 
 It was Kilina who called, a big-boned, masculine 
 woman, sentenced to fifteen j^ears of hard 
 labour, for a double murder. She was standinij 
 up in a corner of the platform, waving her 
 hands, and shrieking at the top of her voice. 
 
 " I've kept a place for you and your brat ! " 
 she shouted. Paul puslied their way towards 
 her, and helped Halya to mount the platform, 
 pressing a kiss on his baby's forehead as he 
 held him in his arms. Then he looked round 
 for a place to rest his weary limbs in. The 
 floor was already covered with people lying 
 in their drenched clothing, which had begun 
 to thaw as soon as they entered the warm 
 kamera. There were few who were eatino-, 
 hungry though they were, for at the mid-day 
 halt the weather had been so bad that scarcely 
 any peasant women had come to sell provisions, 
 and the prisoners were dependent upon these 
 uncertain and casual supplies for their sub- 
 sistence. But a ofood deal of vodka was being: 
 drunk. This was bought from the canteen
 
 408 THE JIIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 keeper, who contrived, by bribino- the guards, 
 to sniuiTirle in a few forbidden hixuries. 
 
 They had been locked in for the niglit. 
 There was no ventilation, no sanitation, no 
 lavatory or closet. There were the open, un- 
 avoidable indecencies of a savao-e's hut. Tni- 
 mediately under the oil lamp, which fortunately 
 shed only a dim li<^ht on the horrible scene, 
 crouched a t:!'roup of men round a turned-up 
 piiil, on which they were playini^ a game at 
 cards, and passing a flask of vodka from hand 
 to hand, and from mouth to mouth. The 
 starosta was looking on, and beckoned to Paul 
 as. he saw him seeking for a spot to rest in. 
 
 " You're my best beggar," he said, " 3'et 
 you won't take any vodka. So I've kept a 
 place on the ?ia)'i for you." 
 
 A pleasant smile played over Paul's face; 
 ho rejoiced in those tokens of good-will, and 
 thanked the starosta heartily. But his eye 
 fell on the grey head of an old convict, Ij'ing 
 almost on the melic^d filth at his feet, and 
 without a word he roused him and helped him 
 up to the reserved place. The starosta shook 
 his head and swore, but he gave Paul a glass 
 of tea for Ilalya.
 
 1892 O.S. lauS N.8. 409 
 
 The three Stundists crept silently together 
 to the foot of Halj^a's resting-place. From 
 the first night of their long march they liad 
 made it their custom. They sang together a 
 hymn, and then with bowed heads and covered 
 faces prayed each one in his own heart. At 
 first they had been bitterly persecuted ; but 
 now those nearest to them were, as a rule, quiet 
 for the few minutes this worship lasted. To- 
 night was the last of their long and painful 
 journey. To-morrow they would reach Irkutsk. 
 They chose for their last hymn the one now 
 familiar to Western Churches, "0 happy band 
 of pilgrims ! " Voices from all parts of the 
 kamera joined in the familiar words — strange 
 words to utter in that den of human misery, 
 and degradation, and crime. Then Paul leaned 
 his weary body against one of the wooden 
 pillars, which supported the roof ; Demvan sank 
 listlessly on the floor, and Stepan found a 
 place where he could crawl under the plat- 
 form. Night and sleep, haunted by terrible 
 dreams, settled down on the prisoners.
 
 410 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 WOULD GOD IT AVERK MORNING I 
 
 Halta stretclied herself on the hard bare 
 planks of the platform. She was somewhat 
 refreshed by the tea and the scanty provision 
 Paul had been able to procure for her. The 
 three men had not eaten a morsel. She was 
 still nursins^ her child ; but there was no 
 possibility of bathing its tired little limbs. 
 
 " I think Loukyanoushka looks strange," 
 she said to Paul ; " all the day he seemed 
 so much better, it was a pleasure to see him. 
 And now my darling is quite poorly again." 
 
 "It was the fresh air," answered. Paul, 
 sighing, " and there is such a thick smell here. 
 But it is the last night, my dear one ! " 
 
 The baby was breathing with effort in 
 this overcrowded room. He was discontented 
 and olTcndcd by this change for the worse, 
 and felt he liad a full right to protest by 
 crying. iJut he was sleepy, and could not
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING! 411 
 
 postpone the pleasure of falling asleep in his 
 mother's arms, so he confined himself to a 
 displeased murmur, which soon passed into a 
 peaceful snoring. 
 
 " Now, you see, I told you so ! " said 
 Paul. Halya was cheered, and lay down 
 cautiously, not to disturb her baby. But she 
 could not sleep. The boy tossed about in 
 her arms, throwing out his little hands con- 
 vulsively and beginning to cry. She would 
 have got up and walked about with him, but 
 the floor was covered with sleeping forms. 
 Sitting up, she rocked him to and fro, singing 
 to him Oukrainian songs. The baby seemed 
 soothed and pacified. 
 
 "Singing always makes him happy," thought 
 Halya lovingly ; " he will grow up a singer 
 like his father." 
 
 She was herself worn out with fatigue and 
 want of sleep ; and as soon as the baby was 
 quiet again she sank back upon their travelling- 
 bag, which served her as a pillow, and fell 
 instantly into the heavy slumber of complete 
 exhaustion. How long she slept she did not 
 know. The consciousness of their miserable 
 condition never left her. A delirious dream
 
 412 TUE HIGH WAY OF SORROW. 
 
 filled hor niiiid with horror. She was separated 
 from Paul and was working in the silver mines. 
 8he wore the prison dress and carried a shovel 
 in her hands ; she, a free woman, who had 
 followed her husband of her own accord. 
 Near her was a cart, and there lay her baby. 
 Thick darkness, filled with noises and oaths, 
 surrounded them. A figure was coming to- 
 wards her , she felt rather than saw it. It 
 was ^lirouov; but never had she seen a human 
 face so full of fury. 
 
 " Boys ! show this woman how to dig ! '* 
 he shouted. 
 
 A crowd of men came round her with 
 hooting and laughter, and flung her into the 
 hole she had just finished digging. 
 
 " Throw in her little puppy too," ordered 
 Mironov, and she felt her child tossed down 
 upon her. Then heavy lumps of earth were 
 flung in amid hideous uproar. They were bury- 
 ing her and hor child alive. Heavy clods pressed 
 upon ht-r chest and throat. She was sufl^b- 
 cating. 
 
 " Lord ! receive my soul ! " she cried 
 out, and awoke. 
 
 Jiut she did not altogether recover her
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING! 413 
 
 senses. The lurid light of the lamp per- 
 plexed her; the strange, miserable forms; the 
 thickening atmosphere. The kamera seemed a 
 Pandemonium. 
 
 One of the card-players had been cheat- 
 ing, and his companions were giving him 
 a beating. The canteen keeper was trying 
 to separate them by violent blows struck at 
 random. 
 
 " Be quiet, yon devils ! Enough ! " he 
 thundered " we shall have the lieutenant here, 
 and others will sutler for you. You might 
 even kill him in this wa3^" 
 
 He tore the cheating player from the grasp 
 of his comrades, and kicked him into a corner 
 behind his canteen stand. The players sat 
 down and began another game. 
 
 Halya tried hard to collect her bewildered 
 thoughts. By her side the baby was moan- 
 ing and tossing about. She could not pacify 
 him. His little body was all on fire. She 
 turned his face towards the lamp, and her 
 blood ran cold. 
 
 The tiny face v/as quite blue, his eyes 
 wide open, and his little mouth gasping for 
 breath, like a fish drawn out of water.
 
 414 TEE niGIIWAY OF SOEIIOW. 
 
 " Paul ! Help ! " cried Halya. Paul was 
 instantly at her feet. 
 
 " Look ! he is dying ! " said Halya, shudder- 
 ing at her own words. 
 
 " How can you say such a thing ? " he 
 asked in a soothing voice. 
 
 " But look ! " she screamed. She rocked 
 him in her arms, held him above her head and 
 tried to make him laugh. But nothing was of 
 any avail. The child cried feebly, and opened 
 his mouth wide to swallow the air that was 
 suffocating him. 
 
 Halya felt as if she was going mad. But 
 a happy thought flashed across her mind. 
 
 " ValiMMan can save him ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 In a moment she was rushing to the door, 
 and stumbling over the bodies of the prisoners, 
 which lay as thick as sheaves on a threshing- 
 floor. She began to knock and call with all 
 her might. The card-players were alarmed, 
 and hid their cards ; then showered abuse and 
 threats upon her. The starosta came forward 
 with u])raised fist. 
 
 "Stop! you vixen!" he roared, "you'll 
 rouse the officers. Get back to your bed." 
 Paul stepped in between them to receive
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING/ 415 
 
 the blow intended for Halya. But at that 
 instant the heavy outside bar of the door 
 was withdrawn, and Mironov appeared on 
 the threshold. 
 
 '■* What is this noise ? Wlio is the cause 
 of it ? " he asked, entering the kamera. 
 
 But the stench was so strong he quickly 
 retreated, and stood with his hand on the 
 door to be able to shut it at the first chance. 
 Halya stepped out into the passage. 
 
 " My child is dying, your honour ! " she 
 cried. 
 
 " But what is that to me ? " he asked ; " I 
 can't help it." 
 
 " Please let Valerian Petrovitch see him," 
 she implored ; " he is my only child — a little 
 boy : my first-born. Only let Valerian see 
 him — he can save him." 
 
 All these few seconds the door was open ; 
 and a fresh current of air streamed into this 
 den, and brought out the sickening smell. 
 But the prisoners were more afraid of the 
 cold than of the polluted atmosphere, because 
 their only defence against it was their damp rags. 
 
 " Shut the door ! Do you want to freeze 
 us to death ? " called out a hoarse voice.
 
 41G THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " Shut the dour, and stop your flirtation 
 with the gentleman," added another ironically. 
 Halya shut it instantly. 
 
 She wrapped her boy in her shawl to shield 
 him from the piercing cold, but she did not 
 think of" herself. 
 
 " Oh ! allow me to see the doctor, little 
 father ! " she said beseechingly ; " he is the 
 son of our old landowner, General Nesteroff. 
 He knows us all, and was always kind to 
 the sick and poor." 
 
 "It is against the law," answered Mironov ; 
 "an exile must not practise as a doctor." 
 
 " Is there a law that a mother must see 
 her baby dying in her arms without help?" 
 asked Halya. 
 
 He pitied the woman ; and besides, he 
 wished to please Valerian, who would gladly 
 do anything to help his country-people. 
 Valerian was sent for. 
 
 " Why don't you go back into the kamera? " 
 asked the lieutenant ; " you must not stay 
 here barefoot." 
 
 " That is nothing," she replied, " the child 
 is a little better here." 
 
 When in about a quarter of an hour
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING/ 417 
 
 Valerian appeared he found the little creature 
 quite revived. 
 
 " He is quite well," he said, examining 
 the baby ; " it must have been the foul air 
 that made him seem ill." 
 
 " But cannot you give him some medicine? " 
 she asked, believing, as all peasants do, that 
 there is a remedy for every ailment ; " how 
 shall I pass through the night with him ? " 
 
 "He wants nothing," said Valerian. Tak- 
 ing Mironov on one side, he spoke to him 
 in an earnest whisper. 
 
 " A thousand times no ! " protested Mironov 
 in a loud voice ; " you will get me into trouble 
 with your requests. I've • broken the rules 
 already. This you ask means connivance. 
 She is accompanying her husband, a common 
 criminal, and she must be in the same kamera 
 \vith him. To change from one kamera to 
 another is strictly forbidden. Gro back, young 
 woman," he added, turning to Halya ; "you've 
 seen the doctor, and that is all I can do." 
 
 He opened the door ; but now the stench, 
 after breathing the fresh air, was so horrible 
 to her, she felt as if she were being thrust 
 into a sewer. 
 
 B B
 
 418 THE HIGH]VAY OF SORROW. 
 
 " I caii't go ! " she exclaimed ; " let me 
 stay outside all night." 
 
 " Nonsense ! you'd freeze to death ! Get 
 in ! " said Mironov, giving her a j^ush, and 
 quickly fastening the door behind her. Paul 
 and Stepan approached her anxiously. But 
 for the first minute she could hardly breathe, 
 and almost fainted. Then remembering her 
 child, she roused herself, and made her way 
 to her place on the nari which Kilina had 
 kept for her. Paul, satisfied by her report of 
 what Valerian said, fell asleep again. The 
 child too was sleeping peacefully. Halya sat 
 upon the ?iari absorbed in one thought — how 
 to live through that awful night, 'and escape 
 out of this loathsome den. Her head was 
 dizzy ; and incoherent fragments of thoughts 
 and memories whirled through her brain. She 
 felt herself losing her reason. Kilina yawned 
 and opened her drowsy eyelids. 
 
 " Wliy don't you go to sleep, my dear?" 
 she said good-naturedly ; " are you unhappy 
 about the baby ? It is very hard to go on 
 dtape with children. How many of them die, 
 God knows ! You are not the first, and won't 
 be the last."
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING I 419 
 
 " It is cruel to talk like that," answered 
 Halya, sobbing. 
 
 " I don't mean any harm," said Kilina; " I 
 do not wish him any evil. But I say it because 
 I see he is dying." 
 
 The lamp flashed up for a moment, and a 
 thick cloud of smoke followed the c^lare. The 
 baby began to gasp again ; opened his eyes 
 and shut them, breathing heavily with his 
 exhausted lungs. Halya watched his move- 
 ments with an aching heart. 
 
 " The morning ! Oh, Lord ! let the morn- 
 ing come soon," she prayed. 
 
 But the morning was far off yet, and the 
 sun did not hasten his rising to come to her 
 help. The window with its thick bars looked 
 like a black abyss. 
 
 The small oil lamp, which seemed smothered 
 by the weight of the polluted atmosphere, 
 struggled alone with the darkness. It threw 
 a pui'ple glimmering light upon the dirty walls 
 and reeking ceiling, from which drops of con- 
 gealed moisture fell from time to time upon 
 the slimy floor, with its throng of human beino-s 
 in the half-death of sleep. Paul was near 
 her, leaning against the wooden support, with 
 
 BB 2
 
 420 THE HIGHWAY OF SOB BOW. 
 
 ]u< lioad fallins: on to his chest. She had seen 
 a picture of the Crucifixion of Christ, with 
 the thorn-crowned head in a siraihir position. 
 She wondered, in her bewildered brain, if they 
 liad crucified Paul. 
 
 Two card-players were still at play. One 
 of them, whose face she could not see, had 
 lost all his money, his rations for the next 
 da3', and his prison dress, for which, when 
 he reached Irkutsk, he would get a severe 
 Hogging. But still he wanted to go on. 
 
 " Enough ! " said his companion, flinging 
 down the cards, and throwing himself backwards 
 with a loud yawn. He was Kilina's husband, 
 a small, red-haired man, apparently an artisan. 
 
 " One game more, you devil ! " cried the 
 loser. 
 
 " How many last ones have we had ? " 
 asked the other ; " it is time to sleep." 
 
 " Ah ! you cursed swindler ! you cheat me, 
 and then — sleep." 
 
 The face of the red-haired man was distorted 
 with fury. Without sa^'ing a word, he plucked 
 out of his hi^^h boot a Ions]: and •'•litterinij 
 knife, which, in spite of man}' searches, he 
 had managed to keep in his possession. Halya
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING! 421 
 
 caught the baby to her breast io save him in 
 any emergency. But at the same time, she 
 wished they would make such a row as to 
 compel the officer to open the door, and bring 
 in a rush of fresh air. 
 
 The canteen keeper, however, caught Kilina's 
 husband by the collar, and shook him so fiercely 
 that the knife fell from his grasp. 
 
 " Only dare to make a row ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 " Leave me alone, pig's ear ! " retorted the 
 red-haired gambler, replacing the knife in his 
 boot, and contenting himself with muttering 
 oaths and curses. Soon after, all was quiet — 
 if it could be called quiet, when the kamera 
 was full of sounds of human misery, the wailing 
 and coughing of little children, the sobs that 
 women uttered in their broken sleep, the deep 
 groans of men who dreamed of their lost 
 freedom. Outside, the storm continued to howl 
 and roar. The chinks of the log building 
 and of the roof were filled up with snow, and 
 imperviously sealed against the admission of 
 fresh air, or the escape of foul. The lamp 
 could hardly flicker. Halya counted every 
 minute, her e3'es fastened on the gasping child 
 lying on her lap.
 
 422 THE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 Siuldeiily the boy awoke witli a piteous 
 cry. Kilina lifted up her head and looked at 
 him. 
 
 " He is dj'ing, my poor dear ! " she said 
 calmly. 
 
 " It's not true ! God will not let him die," 
 answered Halya. 
 
 The child shuddered, stretched himself out, 
 and lay motionless. 
 
 " Now we are better again, darling ! " 
 said Halya tenderly, pressing the little corpse 
 to her bosom. The lamp flickered up once 
 more, and died out, filling the air with a horrid 
 smell. Deep darkness reigned in the kamera. 
 The dead child lay softly in his mother's 
 arms. 
 
 " Now he has gone to sleep again," said 
 Halya to Kilina, rocking and soothing the 
 baby. By-and-bye she pressed her lips to its 
 little face. It was icy cold, the indescribable 
 coldness of death. 
 
 A heartrending scream rang through the 
 kamera. All the prisoners sprang to their feet. 
 
 "What is the matter? Who is killed?" 
 called out frightened voices in the utter 
 darkness.
 
 WOULD GOD IT WERE MORNING! 423 
 
 " My boy is killed ! " shrieked the unhappy 
 mother. 
 
 Kilina slipped off the platform and caught 
 Paul by the arm. 
 
 " Take my place," she said, " and comfort 
 her if you can." 
 
 Paul sat down beside Halya and gathered 
 her into his arms, and pressed her dear head 
 upon his breast. She shivered and trembled ; 
 but she listened to his voice. He talked to 
 her of the old happy times in Knishi, when 
 they were children together, and she lay quiet, 
 sobbing now and then. But when he spoke 
 to her of the future, of the heavenly home 
 which Christ was preparing for them, she grew 
 excited again. The dead child lay between her 
 and the wall. 
 
 Paul's heart was torn with anguish. Halya 
 had left all for him, as he had left all for Christ. 
 His love for her was a hundredfold deeper 
 than it had been before she became his wife. 
 He caught a glimpse of the Divine Love. To 
 give up his life for her was little ; he was willing 
 to pour out his soul unto death for her sake.
 
 424 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 VIA DOLOROSA. 
 
 Halya bad lost her reason. Fortunately, 
 however, she was so worn-out with fatigue and 
 sorrow she was not dangerous either to herself 
 or others. She was laid in one of the rough, 
 springless carts, which were provided for the 
 sick and infirm, and Kilina was allowed to take 
 charge of her. Paul, with some difficulty, 
 obtained permission from Mironov to carry his 
 dead child to Irkutsk, instead of laying the 
 little corpse in the baggage waggon. It seemed 
 dearer to him than the living baby he had 
 carried yesterday. 
 
 Tlie storm was over by morning. The 
 roll-call was made, and four prisoners were 
 missing ; they must have lost their way and 
 been frozen to death on the open plain. But 
 as they were common criminals JMironov was 
 not over-troubled on their account. He did 
 not think it necessary to make any search for 
 their bodies. He marked their names as being
 
 VIA DOLOROSA. 425 
 
 lost during a sudden snowstorm, and left in- 
 structions with the etape keeper, in case any 
 corpse was found when the snow melted, to 
 notify the fact to the prison authorities in 
 Irkutsk. 
 
 Paul, with his dead baby in his arms, 
 marched in the column of prisoners, Stepan 
 and Demy an walking beside him in silence. 
 His heart was full of memories of the child's 
 short life. It had been born while he was 
 in prison ; and he had not seen it until the 
 long journey into exile had begun. But 
 dui'ing that journey what a ray of happiness 
 the baby had brought into the daily and 
 hourly misery of their lives ! They had watched 
 it grow with the slow stunted growth of a 
 nursling whose mother is suffering. But how 
 bright and quick he had been ! He had 
 laughed and cooed in their faces when they 
 were most cast down. Only a day or two 
 ago the little one had tried to call him 
 " father." 
 
 If the child had only been spared one day 
 longer ! The goal of their long march was in 
 sight, and he would be free to make a home 
 for his wife and child. Yet it had been God's
 
 426 TEE HIGHWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 will the child should be taten and his wife 
 stricken down. " If this cup may not pass 
 from me, Thy will be done!" cried Paul in 
 his inmost soul. 
 
 " Paul ! " said a voice of profound pity 
 beside him. Stepan and Demyan fell back a 
 pace or two, and Valerian walked beside him. 
 For an instant the old terror fluttered across 
 Paul's heart, but it was gone as he looked 
 into Valerian's face, and was gone for ever. 
 
 " Halya will recover,*' said Valerian con- 
 fidently, " and will be as sane as ever. You 
 will have a home of your own in Irkutsk, 
 and I will help you to get a living. I have 
 some friends there who will find you work. 
 Demyan, too, will soon get employed as a 
 blacksmith. It will be exile, but it will not 
 be intolerable." 
 
 " No," answered Paul, with a new gleam 
 of light and courage in his eyes as he met 
 Valerian's sympathetic glance. 
 
 "We lose Stepan," continued Valerian. 
 
 " Stepan goes gladly ! " said Stepan's voice 
 behind him ; " he goes as the messenger of 
 the Lord to preach the Gospel to those who 
 sit in darkness and the shadow of death."
 
 VIA DOLOROSA. 427 
 
 " Brave man ! " exclaimed Valerian, turnins^ 
 to him with a smile. For a few minutes he 
 walked on silently. At last he stretched out 
 his hand and touched gently the sorrowful 
 little burden Paul was bearing. 
 
 " A flower crushed by the heel of a monster ! " 
 he said. 
 
 " A flower transplanted into the Garden 
 of God ! " said Paul. 
 
 The two exiles looked into one another's 
 e3'es with a keen and steadfast gaze. 
 
 " I know what you would say," Paul went 
 on : "I live in a delusion. Well, I read in 
 the Book God has given to me that man by 
 wisdom knows not God, and that the wisdom 
 of this world is foolishness with God. I know 
 3"0u are a learned man and I cannot argue 
 with you. But this also I know — that Christ 
 dwells within me by faith. By faith alone I 
 know Him and the Father. I cannot tell 
 3^ou what faith is, any more than I could 
 explain sight to the blind or sound to the 
 deaf. But it is here within me ; and by it 
 I can endure all things, as seeing Him who 
 is invisible." 
 
 " You are a happy man ! " said Valerian ;
 
 428 THE IlIGnWAY OF SORUOW. 
 
 "I could almost wish I shared your delu- 
 
 sion." 
 
 " It is no delusion ! " exclaimed Paul 
 earnestly, " it is a truth for which every one 
 of us is ready to die. Look round you ! Look 
 at my dead child ! Look at the wretchedness, 
 and the crime, and the degradation that is 
 all about us. Look at your own condition — 
 exiled, a prisoner, lost to all you held dear. 
 If there is no God, no Saviour, no life here- 
 after, what a hell this world would be ! " 
 
 The words brought back to their memory 
 the fateful day when Paul, addressing his 
 neighbours in the church at Knishi, exclaimed, 
 " AMiat a Paradise the world would be ! " 
 Their eyes filled with tears. Valerian caught 
 Paul's hand in a close clasp. 
 
 " AVe are brothers, Paul ! " he cried, strangely 
 moved ; "let us stand side by side in the future 
 which lies before us." 
 
 " You will not argue with me ? " said Paul. 
 
 ** Not a word," answered Valerian, smiling. 
 "T would not take your beautiful faith from 
 you any more than I would snatch a cup of 
 water from dying lips. We will be brothers 
 in spite of our difTerences."
 
 VIA DOLOROSA. 429 
 
 They reached Irkutsk in the full expecta- 
 tion of passing their last night in the etape 
 there. Halya was taken at once to the in- 
 firmary. But they were not released in the 
 morning ; Demyan alone of the three Sfcundists 
 was turned adrift in the strange town to earn 
 his living as he could. Yania was sent on 
 towards his destination beyond the Arctic 
 Circle, to live with savages in their foul huts. 
 Yera was allowed to quit the etape. But 
 Yalerian and Paul were still kept in prison. 
 
 A new blow awaited them. The local 
 authorities had received instructions from St. 
 Petersburg, the reading of which evoked shrieks 
 and wailing from the maddened men who heard 
 them. Almost half the number of convicts 
 were ordered to prolong their painful march 
 to the new and awful settlement of Sag-halien. 
 The division among the common criminals was 
 made at random ; some of them implicated in 
 the same crime remaining in Siberia, the others 
 going on to the deadly island. All the political 
 prisoners, with the exception of Yera and 
 Yania, were also sentenced to it. Stepan and 
 Paul met with the same fate Life-long exile 
 in Saghalien was their doom. Paul was suffered.
 
 430 TEE EIGEWAY OF SORROW. 
 
 as a favour, to see Halya once more ; and to 
 bury his child, aided by Demy an, who promised 
 to take Halya under his care until she could 
 follow her husband. 
 
 Under these low wintry skies, in the gloomy 
 light, enveloped in ice-mists, and torn from all 
 that makes life worth living, we see them, a 
 long-drawn-out chain of unutterable anguish ; 
 the common criminals, the agnostic patriot, and 
 the Christian martja's ; and as we gaze they 
 vanish from our sight along their Via Dolorosa 
 — the Highway of Sorrow. 
 
 THE END, 
 
 Printed by Casbkll & Company, Limited, La Belle Savvaoe, Txindon, E.C. 
 
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