res of our orderly town, and in the afternoon we took an
object-lesson picture. I marched the soldiers into the square and we dug
up a plot so that the earth might be soft.

"Then we had a beggar dig his own grave as we took the picture. When he
had dug enough, I gave the signal and the firing squad drew up their
rifles and blazed away."

"Why did you kill him?"

"No, my dear; we only pretended to kill him. I myself was careful to see
that the leads were taken off the cartridge. But you see we could not
tell the beggar that he was not going to die because we wanted to make
the picture look realistic--he might have run away in the middle and
ruined the film.

"Well, my dear, to make a long story short, the fool beggar fell into
the pit, believing himself really killed. It will make a fine picture.
It will be shown in all the surrounding towns as an object lesson, and
before the picture itself appears on the screen it will be entitled--I
suggested it myself--it will read--'This is what happened to a fool who
thought he could oppose the military authorities,' and then will be
shown the picture of the beggar digging his own grave.

"It will be a great lesson and education to the people whose heads have
been turned. It will be sent all over the country and if the results are
favourable and it pleases headquarters who can say," at this point he
clasped his wife's pale hand, "who can say that I will not receive
another decoration, or perhaps a promotion? Who can tell, my dear?
Things move so quickly these days."

In the evening as they were eating, Vera looked up from her plate and
spoke: "You know, if it happened to me, I think I should die."

"Don't talk nonsense," replied the Captain angered by the idea. "How
could it happen to you?"

"Well, supposing the revolutionists took control, and then--"

"Supposing! Supposing the sky should fall," he interrupted, and smiled
on his lovely and delicate Vera.

IV

Silly Peter refused to eat the bowl of soup that Luba placed out for
him, but he went aloft in the barn and cried in his dull, monotonous
tone: "I don't want a grave--I don't want a grave," until he fell
asleep.

Then over his simple, slumbering brain came a vision.

He saw himself standing on an elevated place and over him rested the
great ultramarine dome of sky. About him he could see the horizon as
though it were a white circle of foam.

Gradually this circle grew smaller and smaller and rose up like