Every serf they passed obeyed the order of Prince Alexis according
to his own idea of disrespect. One turned his back; another made
contemptuous grimaces and noises; another sang a vulgar song;
another spat upon the ground or held his nostrils. Nowhere was a
cap raised, or the stealthy welcome of a friendly glance given.

The Princess Helena met these insults with a calm, proud
indifference. Boris felt them more keenly; for the fields and
hills were prospectively his property, and so also were the brutish
peasants. It was a form of chastisement which he had never before
experienced, and knew not how to resist. The affront of an entire
community was an offence against which he felt himself to be
helpless.

As they approached the town, the demonstrations of insolence were
redoubled. About two hundred boys, between the ages of ten and
fourteen, awaited them on the hill below the church, forming
themselves into files on either side of the road. These imps had
been instructed to stick out their tongues in derision, and howl,
as the carriage passed between them. At the entrance of the long
main street of Kinesma, they were obliged to pass under a mock
triumphal arch, hung with dead dogs and drowned cats; and from this
point the reception assumed an outrageous character. Howls,
hootings, and hisses were heard on all sides; bouquets of nettles
and vile weeds were flung to them; even wreaths of spoiled fish
dropped from the windows. The women were the most eager and
uproarious in this carnival of insult: they beat their saucepans,
threw pails of dirty water upon the horses, pelted the coachman
with rotten cabbages, and filled the air with screeching and foul