e of the word.
I had to escape without attracting too much attention. When I was
thinking over how to do it--a voice called:

"Bist du dort, Swartz?"

"Ja wohl!" I answered as nonchalantly as I could, having covered my
mouth with my glove, "soll' ich noch warten?"

"We'll be through in a minute. Wait a while!"

I did not wait. Through wind and snow, crawling like an Indian, I
passed the dangerous spot near the gate where I could be seen, then
hurried home, almost crying for the poor Ls., and Pasha--such a sweet
girl, probably at that moment being nationalized--condemning all and
everything and especially the impossibility of helping my unfortunate
friends. All was frozen inside of me, due to the cold and this fear of
a helpless creature.

When I was about a score of yards from the house--shooting started
behind me--just as idiotic as in Petrograd or Moscow: in every
direction, bullets cracking the windows, the street lamps, the
passers-by,--on this occasion myself,--I got a bad one in the sleeve,
right near the elbow.

I did not have to knock at the door as I feared running home: the door
flew open, and Lucie dragged me in, closing the door behind me on the
lever.

"Oh, I am so glad you came! Silly man! Are you wounded? No? I heard it
all--I was so afraid that they had shot you! I am so glad, Alex dear!
Do stay here, I won't be in your way, honest. Please do stay!..."

(_pages missing_)

28

(_Second letter to M. Goroshkin_)

"I must bring to your attention the fact that a certain lady, whom I
knew in Petrograd in other days, came here quite unexpectedly, under
the name of Lucie de Clive. She was in the plot in June, and at that
time was very strongly protected by A.F. K-y, who released her from
jail. She is an Englishwoman, but knows Russia well, as in fact,
she knows all European countries. She came here the day the L's were
killed and Pasha taken away. She made me understand that she is in a
new plot to save the Emperor's family. Her task will be to stay here
for a while "and make some preparations" and then go farther on.

I must tell you that her arrival here is of great inconvenience to
me: in a city like Tumen it became known to the G-ns, and, though
the Princess thinks I am nothing much and _her_ morals are not for my
class of people, she is a little hypocrite and pulls a long face at
me.

I tried my best to avoid having this lady in my house; but the
president of the local soviet, who