ll he had to tell. In ten minutes, Ivan stood
looking down upon the hopeless, crumbling ruin of his life.

* * * * *

In these sudden crises, there are few men philosophic enough, or wise
enough, to look, broadly, back, inward, and ahead, in a calm analysis of
cause, effect and reason. At this time, Ivan certainly knew--had known,
for months if not for years, that he was leading a life for which nature
had not fitted him: neglecting a career bestowed upon him by a higher
hand than often interferes in the destinies of man. There had been many
times when, his whole soul yearning over the work to which he could
devote so little of his best self, he had cried aloud to Heaven to
change his lot--to banish these half-gods that kept his true lord at
bay. And now these inarticulate prayers were fully answered:--and Ivan's
soul was writhing in rebellion at the injustice of that which had been
put upon him: the malicious revenge of a scoundrelly officer who, for
private reasons, had seen fit to punish him for an offence which was
daily winked at by the entire army! Indeed, Brodsky's action, which was
certainly justified by the letter but never by the spirit of the
military code, had caused the military world a quiver of apprehension.
They looked on, aghast, at proceedings which they were powerless to
stop. But it is safe to say that there was not a man in the
court-martial who did not blush as he admitted the justice of the
sentence finally passed upon the luckless prisoner. The proceedings
lasted, altogether, a fortnight; during which time all of Russia and a
great part of Europe rang with the scandal.--Ivan did not even attempt a
defence; though Irina, coming to him on the first evening, went down on
her knees in her plea to be allowed to save him. Even Ivan's lawyer
foresaw the reception of her unsupported statement as against the
testimony of the hotel clerks, boys and waiters brought from Baden by
Brodsky himself. In the end, Mademoiselle Petrovna was not permitted to
appear at all in court. Ivan's money kept her safely out of Russia,
after the second day of the trial. And, while the girl mourned for him,
she knew well that her own fortune in the half-world was made.--Such
advertising as this!--Who could compete with her? Had not the papers in
Europe published, twenty times, the picture of the beautiful heroine of
this unsavory romance?

In the mean time, in Moscow, the chief of the Third Sect