another stamp
was added to insure the answer being sent to me. The license arrived in
a few days, and the magazine began to come promptly, unopened. I was not
even asked not to show it to other people. I may state here that, while
I never circulated any of the numerous prohibited books and manuscripts
which came into my possession during my stay in Russia, I never
concealed them. I showed the "Century" occasionally to personal friends
of the class who could have had it themselves had they taken any
permanent interest in the matter; but it is certain that they kept their
own counsel and mine in all respects.

Everything proceeded satisfactorily until I went to Moscow to stay for a
time. It did not occur to me to inform the censor of my move, and the
result was that the first number of the magazine which I received there
was as fine a "specimen" as heart could desire. The line on the
title-page which referred to the obnoxious article had been scratched
out; the body of the article had been cut out; the small concluding
portion at the top of a page had been artistically "caviared." Of
course, the article ending upon the back of the first page extracted had
been spoiled. On this occasion I was angry, not at the mutilation as
such, but at the breach of faith. I sat down, while my wrath was still
hot, and indited a letter to the head censor in Petersburg. I do not
recollect the exact terms of that letter, but I know I told him that he
had no right to cut the book after granting me leave to receive it
intact, without first sending me word that he had changed his mind, and
giving valid reasons therefor; that the course he had adopted was
injudicious in the extreme, since it was calculated to arouse curiosity
instead of allaying it, and that it would be much better policy to
ignore the matter. I concluded by requesting him to restore the missing
article, if he had preserved it, and if he had not, to send at once to
London (that being nearer than New York) and order me a fresh copy of
the magazine at his expense.

A month elapsed, no answer came; but at the end of the month another
mutilated "Century" arrived. This time I waited two or three days in the
hope of inventing an epistle which should be more forcible--if such a
thing were possible--than my last, and yet calm. The letter was half
written when an official envelope made its appearance from Petersburg,
containing cut pages and an apologetic explanation to the effect that