on, the big sleigh at last drove away.
And actually for the first time since their arrival in Petrograd Nona
and Barbara found themselves alone in the Russian streets.

There could be no danger of getting lost, for they had only to come to
this central thoroughfare and the Countess' house lay straight ahead.

So the two girls turned into the side street that lay nearest them.

After a five minutes walk they found themselves in another world.

On the Nevski Prospect they were in Europe; here they were in Asia.

It was curious, but even the smells were different. These were Asiatic
odors, if the girls had only known, queer smells of musk and attar of
roses and other less pleasant things.

The Russian women and children were crowding the narrow streets, while
inside the little shops the wares were displayed on big tables. In the
summer time these goods were sold on open stalls in the streets.

"Let us go into one of the shops and buy a few trinkets," Barbara
suggested. "I would like to own one of those embroidered Russian
aprons."

Then she stopped, her attention caught, as Nona's had been, by a sudden
rustling in the air above them. A moment later a flock of gray and white
pigeons was crowding about their feet. These also were the pigeons that
haunt the thoroughfares of the east.

Personally Nona Davis would have preferred remaining outside in the
fresh air. She was cold, but she objected to the squalid atmosphere of
the interior of so many Russian houses. However, she could not refuse to
agree to every request Barbara made of her all that afternoon.

A moment later and she was almost as interested as the younger girl in
making purchases.

There were odd pieces of beautiful, gayly colored embroideries that,
according to American ideas, appeared incredibly cheap. Then there were
bits of Russian brass, that seemed to interest Barbara particularly, as
it is probable that she had a sudden rush of the housekeeper's ardor.
Here were interesting things that might be purchased for her own and
Dick's apartment in New York almost for nothing!

Whatever the cause, Nona, after fifteen or twenty minutes, found her
own pleasure cooling. Moreover, she had very little money to spend on
frivolities, and so found a stool in a corner and sat down to wait for
Barbara and to watch the crowd.

There were numbers of people in the shop, although few of them seemed
to be making purchases. Now and then a big soldier, crowned by his