Will they give
up Moscow like this? They told you that for fun, and you believed it!
Aren't there plenty of troops on the march? Let him in, indeed! That's
what the government is for. You'd better listen to what people are
saying," said some of the mob pointing to the tall youth.

By the wall of China-Town a smaller group of people were gathered round
a man in a frieze coat who held a paper in his hand.

"An ukase, they are reading an ukase! Reading an ukase!" cried voices in
the crowd, and the people rushed toward the reader.

The man in the frieze coat was reading the broadsheet of August 31 When
the crowd collected round him he seemed confused, but at the demand
of the tall lad who had pushed his way up to him, he began in a rather
tremulous voice to read the sheet from the beginning.

"Early tomorrow I shall go to his Serene Highness," he read ("Sirin
Highness," said the tall fellow with a triumphant smile on his lips and
a frown on his brow), "to consult with him to act, and to aid the army
to exterminate these scoundrels. We too will take part..." the reader
went on, and then paused ("Do you see," shouted the youth victoriously,
"he's going to clear up the whole affair for you...."), "in destroying
them, and will send these visitors to the devil. I will come back to
dinner, and we'll set to work. We will do, completely do, and undo these
scoundrels."

The last words were read out in the midst of complete silence. The tall
lad hung his head gloomily. It was evident that no one had understood
the last part. In particular, the words "I will come back to dinner,"
evidently displeased both reader and audience. The people's minds
were tuned to a high pitch and this was too simple and needlessly
comprehensible--it was what any one of them might have said and
therefore was what an ukase emanating from the highest authority should
not say.

They all stood despondent and silent. The tall youth moved his lips and
swayed from side to side.

"We should ask him... that's he himself?"... "Yes, ask him indeed!...
Why not? He'll explain"... voices in the rear of the crowd were
suddenly heard saying, and the general attention turned to the police
superintendent's trap which drove into the square attended by two
mounted dragoons.

The superintendent of police, who had gone that morning by Count
Rostopchin's orders to burn the barges and had in connection with that
matter acquired a large sum of money which was at that mome