od-lore disturbed him. Conrad must have known
what was to happen and he had said nothing. If Conrad had turned against
him, what hope had he of prevailing against the others?_

_The singing died away and in its place, shouts and cries burst forth in
a bedlam. "Open the gate!" "Let us in!"_

_The Grand Duke had heard that note in men's voices in the Carpathian
passes, and he knew what it meant, but while his gaze sought out the fat
figure of Michael Kositzin who was the leader of the uprising, he held
up his hand for silence._

_There was a roar of voices._

_"Peter Nicholaevitch wishes to speak."_

_"It is our turn to speak now."_

"Nasha pora prishla," (_our time has come_).

_"Let the little master speak."_

_"We know no little masters here!"_

_"No, nor old ones!"_

"Smiert Bourjouiam" (_Death to the bourgeoisie_).

_But as the young Grand Duke began to speak the voices of the most rabid
of the peasants were hushed for a moment by the others._

_"My friends and my children" he began, "one word before you do
something that you will forever regret. I am your friend. I am young--of
the new generation. I have kept abreast of the new thought of the time
and I believe in the New Life that is for you and for us all. I have
proved it to you by bringing the New Life to Zukovo by peaceful means,
by friendliness and brotherhood while other parts of Russia near by are
in agony and darkness." (Cries of "That is true.") "It was in my heart
that I had brought the Revolution to Zukovo, a Revolution against the
old order of things which can be no more, implanting in you the strong
seeds of Peace and Brotherhood which would kill out the ugly weeds of
violence and enmity."_

_Here a hoarse voice rang out: "Fire--only fire can clean." Then the
reply of a woman, "Yes,_ Tovaristchi, _it is the only way."_

_Peter Nicholaevitch tried to seek out the speakers with his gaze. One
of them was Michael Kuprin whom when a child the Grand Duke had seen
flogged in this very courtyard._

_"There are sins of the past," he went on, raising his voice against the
low murmur of the mob, "many sins against you, but one sin does not wash
out another. Murder, rapine, vengeance will never bring peace to
Zukovo. What you do to-day will be visited on you to-morrow. I pray
that you will listen to me. I have fought for you and with you--with
Gleb Saltykov and Anton Lensky, against the return of Absolutism in
Russia. The old order of things is