et, he
ended by gazing, with a horror-stricken shudder upon the plank on which
he was to be stretched. The shudder did not escape his friend Ivan, who,
approaching to remove the striped shirt that covered his shoulders, took
the opportunity to whisper under his breath--

"Come, Gregory, take courage!"

"You remember your promise?" replied the culprit, with an indefinable
expression of entreaty.

"Not for the first lashes, Gregory; do not count on that, for during the
first strokes the aide-de-camp will be watching; but among the later ones
be assured I will find means of cheating him of some of them."

"Beyond everything you will take care of the tip of the lash?"

"I will do my best, Gregory, I will do my best. Do you not know that I
will?"

"Alas! yes," replied Gregory.

"Now, then!" said the aide-de-camp.

"We are ready, noble sir," replied Ivan.

"Wait, wait one moment, your high origin," cried poor Gregory, addressing
the young captain as though he had been a colonel, "Vache Vousso
Korodie," in order to flatter him. "I believe that the lady Vaninka's
window is about to open!"

The young captain glanced eagerly towards the spot which had already
several times claimed his attention, but not a fold of the silken
curtains, which could be seen through the panes of the window, had moved.

"You are mistaken, you rascal," said the aide-de-camp, unwillingly
removing his eyes from the window, as though he also had hoped to see it
open, "you are mistaken; and besides, what has your noble mistress to do
with all this?"

"Pardon, your excellency," continued Gregory, gratifying the aide-de-camp
with yet higher rank,--"pardon, but it is through her orders I am about
to suffer. Perhaps she might have pity upon a wretched servant!"

"Enough, enough; let us proceed," said the captain in an odd voice, as
though he regretted as well as the culprit that Vaninka had not shown
mercy.

"Immediately, immediately, noble sir," said Ivan; then turning to
Gregory, he continued, "Come, comrade; the time has come."

Gregory sighed heavily, threw a last look up at the window, and seeing
that everything remained the same there, he mustered up resolution enough
to lie down on the fatal plank. At the same time two other serfs, chosen
by Ivan for assistants, took him by the arms and attached his wrists to
two stakes, one at either side of him, so that it appeared as though he
were stretched on a cross. Then they clamped his n