ght the lamp, as it would have been a sin to work, but talked in the
darkness. There were some items of news, all rather unpleasant. In two
or three households hens had been taken for the arrears, and had been
sent to the district police station, and there they had died because no
one had fed them; they had taken sheep, and while they were being driven
away tied to one another, shifted into another cart at each village, one
of them had died. And now they were discussing the question, who was to
blame?

"The Zemstvo," said Osip. "Who else?"

"Of course it is the Zemstvo."

The Zemstvo was blamed for everything--for the arrears, and for the
oppressions, and for the failure of the crops, though no one of them
knew what was meant by the Zemstvo. And this dated from the time when
well-to-do peasants who had factories, shops, and inns of their own
were members of the Zemstvos, were dissatisfied with them, and took to
swearing at the Zemstvos in their factories and inns.

They talked of God's not sending the snow; they had to bring in wood for
fuel, and there was no driving nor walking in the frozen ruts. In old
days fifteen to twenty years ago conversation was much more interesting
in Zhukovo. In those days every old man looked as though he were
treasuring some secret; as though he knew something and was expecting
something. They used to talk about an edict in golden letters, about
the division of lands, about new land, about treasures; they hinted at
something. Now the people of Zhukovo had no mystery at all; their whole
life was bare and open in the sight of all, and they could talk of
nothing but poverty, food, there being no snow yet....

There was a pause. Then they thought again of the hens, of the sheep,
and began discussing whose fault it was.

"The Zemstvo," said Osip wearily. "Who else?"

VIII

The parish church was nearly five miles away at Kosogorovo, and the
peasants only attended it when they had to do so for baptisms, weddings,
or funerals; they went to the services at the church across the river.
On holidays in fine weather the girls dressed up in their best and went
in a crowd together to church, and it was a cheering sight to see them
in their red, yellow, and green dresses cross the meadow; in bad weather
they all stayed at home. They went for the sacrament to the parish
church. From each of those who did not manage in Lent to go to
confession in readiness for the sacrament the parish priest, going