arrangements, and then he began to examine us. . . . He turned to
me also: 'What is your church's dedication day?' 'The
Transfiguration of our Lord,' I replied. 'Do you know the hymn
for that day? " I think so.' 'Sing it.' 'Thou wert transfigured
on the mountain, Christ our Lord,' I began. 'Stop! Do you know
the meaning of the Transfiguration?' 'To be quite brief,' I
replied, 'our Lord wished to show himself to His disciples in
all His glory.' 'Very well,' he said, 'here is a little image in
memory of me.' I fell at his feet. ' I thank you, your Holiness.
. . .' I did not go away from him emptyhanded."

"I have the honour of knowing his Holiness personally," Sipiagin
said solemnly. "A most worthy pastor!"

"Most worthy!" Father Kiprian agreed; "only he puts too much
faith in the ecclesiastical superintendents! "

Valentina Mihailovna referred to the peasant school, and spoke of
Mariana as the future schoolmistress; the deacon (who had been
appointed supervisor of the school), a man of strong athletic
build, with long waving hair, bearing a faint resemblance to the
well-groomed tail of an Orlov race courser, quite forgetting his
vocal powers, gave forth such a volume of sound as to confuse
himself and frighten everybody else. Soon after this the clergy
took their leave.

Kolia, in his new coat decorated with golden buttons, was the
hero of the day. He was given presents, he was congratulated, his
hands were kissed at the front door and at the back door by
servants, workmen from the factory, old women and young girls and