appeared at the door. Willarski, stepping toward him, said
something to him in French in an undertone and then went up to a small
wardrobe in which Pierre noticed garments such as he had never seen
before. Having taken a kerchief from the cupboard, Willarski bound
Pierre's eyes with it and tied it in a knot behind, catching some hairs
painfully in the knot. Then he drew his face down, kissed him, and
taking him by the hand led him forward. The hairs tied in the knot hurt
Pierre and there were lines of pain on his face and a shamefaced smile.
His huge figure, with arms hanging down and with a puckered, though
smiling face, moved after Willarski with uncertain, timid steps.

Having led him about ten paces, Willarski stopped.

"Whatever happens to you," he said, "you must bear it all manfully
if you have firmly resolved to join our Brotherhood." (Pierre nodded
affirmatively.) "When you hear a knock at the door, you will uncover
your eyes," added Willarski. "I wish you courage and success," and,
pressing Pierre's hand, he went out.

Left alone, Pierre went on smiling in the same way. Once or twice he
shrugged his and raised his hand to the kerchief, as if wishing to take
it off, but let it drop again. The five minutes spent with his eyes
bandaged seemed to him an hour. His arms felt numb, his legs almost gave
way, it seemed to him that he was tired out. He experienced a variety of
most complex sensations. He felt afraid of what would happen to him and
still more afraid of showing his fear. He felt curious to know what was
going to happen and what would be revealed to him; but most of all, he
felt joyful that the moment had come when he would at last start on that
path of regeneration and on the actively virtuous life of which he had
been dreaming since he met Joseph Alexeevich. Loud knocks were heard at
the door. Pierre took the bandage off his eyes and glanced around him.
The room was in black darkness, only a small lamp was burning inside
something white. Pierre went nearer and saw that the lamp stood on a
black table on which lay an open book. The book was the Gospel, and the
white thing with the lamp inside was a human skull with its cavities and
teeth. After reading the first words of the Gospel: "In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was with God," Pierre went round the table and
saw a large open box filled with something. It was a coffin with bones
inside. He was not at all surprised by what he saw. Hoping to e