(^12101211)
when the space between the wheels came opposite her, she dropped
the red bag, and drawing her head back into her shoulders, fell on her
hands under the carriage, and lightly, as though she would rise again at
once, dropped on to her knees. And at the same instant she was terror-
stricken at what she was doing. “Where am I? What am I doing?
What for?” she tried to get up, to drop backwards; but something huge
and merciless struck her on the head and rolled her on her back. “Lord,
forgive me all!” she said, feeling it impossible to struggle. A peasant
muttering something was working at the iron above her. And the light
by which she had read the book filled with troubles, falsehoods, sorrow,
and evil, flared up more brightly than ever before, lighted up for her all
that had been in darkness, flickered, began to grow dim, and was
quenched forever.
Part Eight.
Chapter 1.
Almost two months had passed. The hot summer was half over,
but Sergey Ivanovitch was only just preparing to leave Moscow.
Sergey Ivanovitch’s life had not been uneventful during this time.
A year ago he had finished his book, the fruit of six years’ labor, “Sketch
of a Survey of the Principles and Forms of Government in Europe and
Russia.” Several sections of this book and its introduction had ap-
peared in periodical publications, and other parts had been read by
Sergey Ivanovitch to persons of his circle, so that the leading ideas of
the work could not be completely novel to the public. But still Sergey
Ivanovitch had expected that on its appearance his book would be
sure to make a serious impression on society, and if it did not cause a
revolution in social science it would, at any rate, make a great stir in the
scientific world.
After the most conscientious revision the book had last year been
published, and had been distributed among the booksellers.
Though he asked no one about it, reluctantly and with feigned
indifference answered his friends’ inquiries as to how the book was
going, and did not even inquire of the booksellers how the book was
selling, Sergey Ivanovitch was all on the alert, with strained attention,
watching for the first impression his book would make in the world and