guilty one?"

"Alexis; he holds in slavery that same young girl whom you saw at
Father Garasim's, and wants to force her to marry him."

"I shall give Alexis a lesson! I'll teach him to oppress my subjects.
I shall hang him."

"Permit me a word," said the man without nostrils. "You were too hasty
giving the command to Alexis. You offended the Cossacks by giving them
a noble as chief; do not offend the gentlemen by hanging one of them on
the first accusation."

"There is no need to pardon nor pity," said the man with the blue
riband. "It would be no harm to hang Alexis, nor to question this
gentleman. Why does he visit us? If he does not acknowledge you as
Czar he has no justice to get at your hands; if he acknowledge you,
why did he stay at Orenbourg with your enemies? Will you not order
him to prison, and have a fire lighted there?"

The old rascal's logic seemed plausible even to myself. I shuddered
when I remembered into whose hands I had fallen. Pougatcheff saw my
trouble.

"Eh! eh! your lordship," said he, winking, "it seems my field-marshal
is right. What do you think?"

The jesting tone of the chief restored my courage. I replied calmly
that I was in his power.