and the Superior, who
observed the storm which was surging within the doubter's breast, did
not hesitate to attribute it to the wiles of Satan.

"Cast yourself at the feet of the Saviour, O thou of little faith!"
exhorted Alexei. "He will help thee drive out the evil spirit! Fast,
pray, torture thy body if necessary, but cleanse thy soul of its doubts,
purge thy heart of the unholy thoughts which the Devil has planted
there."

Mikail fasted and prayed and scourged himself until his flesh was a mass
of sores. In vain the torture! The doubts would not be driven out, Satan
would not be exorcised.

At the age of twenty-three, Mikail could endure it no longer.

"I must go out into the world, father," he said one day to Alexei. "The
convent is too small, too limited for me. I must work and toil with and
for humanity. Let me go into the parish for a short time. The Bishop,
who thinks well of me, may be able to procure me the position of
_blagotchinny_.[17] I will have an opportunity of learning the world, of
succoring the needy, of aiding the sick. Perhaps a life of activity will
dispel the shadows which have darkened my soul."

Alexei was quite willing to grant this request. He was anxious, in fact,
to send Mikail from the cloister, for his doubts, which he took no pains
to conceal, were beginning to affect the torpid intellects of the monks.
A short conference was held with the Bishop, and Mikail obtained the
coveted position.

A new life of work and constant activity now opened for the young
priest, but he still found what he had sought to escape, hypocrisy and
deceit.

The village priests with whom he came in daily contact were a pitiable
set. He found among them many honest, respectable, well-meaning men,
conscientiously fulfilling their humble tasks, striving hard to serve
the religious needs of the community. There were, on the other hand,
however, fanatics and rogues, men representing the worse elements of
society. The people shunned the clergy, and held them up to ridicule.
They formed a class apart, not in sympathy with the parishioners. They
committed serious transgressions, were irreligious and transformed the
service of God into a profitable trade.

Could the people respect the clergy when they learned that one priest
stole money from under the pillow of a dying man at the moment he was
administering the sacrament, that another was publicly dragged out of a
house of ill-fame, that a third christened a do