Like all new brooms, he began by reading every official paper that was submitted to him. He came across a certain document from another Government which he could not understand, though he read it through several times.
He rang for his secretary and gave it to him to read. But the secretary also was unable to explain the matter clearly.
'What will you do with this document,' asked Kornilov, 'if I pass it on to the office ? '
3· Alexis d e Tocqueville, a French statesman and publicist (1805-59).
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'I shall hand it t o Desk Til - i t is i n their department.'
'So the chief of Desk Til will know what to do ? '
'Certainly, Your Excellency ; h e has been in charge of that desk for six years.'
'Please summon him to me.'
The chief came, and Kornilov handed him the paper and asked what should be done. The clerk ran through it hastily, and then said a question must be asked of the Crown Court and instructions given to the inspector of rural police.
'What instructions ? '
The clerk seemed puzzled ; a t last h e said that, though it was difficult to state them on the spot, it was easy to write them down.
'There is a chair; will you be good enough to write now ?'
The clerk took a pen, wrote rapidly and confidently, and soon produced the two documents.
The Governor took them and read them through ; he read them through again ; he could make nothing of them. 'Well,' he used to say afterwards, 'I saw that it really was in the form of an answer to the original document ; so I plucked up courage and signed it.
The answer gave entire satisfaction; I never heard another word about it.'
9
The announcement of my transference to Vladimir arrived before Christmas. My preparations were quickly made, and I started off.
I said a cordial good-bye to society at Vyatka ; in that distant town I had made two or three real friends among the young merchants. They vied with one another in showing sympathy and friendship for the outcast. Several sledges accompanied me to the first stopping-place, and, in spite of my protests, a whole cargo of eatables and drinkables was placed on my conveyance. Next day I reached Y aransk.
After Y aransk the road passes through endless pine-forests.
There was moonlight and hard frost as my small sledge slid along the narrow track. I have never since seen such continuous forests.
They stretch all the way to Archangel, and reindeer occasionally find their way through them to the Government of Vyatka.
Most of the wood is suitable for building purposes. The fir-trees
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seemed to file past my sledge like soldiers; they were remarkably straight and high, and covered with snow, under which their black needles stuck out like bristles. I fell asleep and woke again
- and there were the armies of the pines still marching past at a great rate, and sometimes shaking off the snow. There are small clearings where the horses are changed ; you see a small house half-hidden in the trees and the horses tethered to a tree-trunk, and hear their bells jingling ; a couple of native boys in embroidered shirts run out, still rubbing their eyes ; the driver has a dispute with the other driver in a hoarse alto voice; then he calls out 'All right ! ' and strikes up a monotonous song - and the endless procession of pine-trees and snow-drifts begins again.
10
Just as I got out of the Government of Vyatka, I came in contact for the last time with the officials, and this final appearance was quite in their best manner.
We stopped at a post-house, and the driver began to unharness the horses. A tall peasant appeared at the door and asked who I was.
'What business is that of yours ?'
'I am the inspector's messenger, and he told me to ask.'
'Very well; go to the office and you will find my passport there.'
The peasant disappeared but returned in a moment and told the driver that he could not have fresh horses.
This was too much. I jumped out of the sledge and entered the house. The inspector was sitting on a bench and dictating to a clerk ; both were half-seas over. On another bench in a comer a man was sitting, or rather lying, with fetters on his feet and hands. There were several bottles in the room, glasses, and a litter of papers and tobacco ash on the table.
'Where is the inspector ?' I called out loudly, as I went in.
'I am the inspector,' was the reply. I had seen the man before in Vyatka ; his name was Lazarev. While speaking he stared very rudely at me - and then rushed towards me with open arms.
It must be remembered that, after Tyufyayev's fall, the officials, seeing that his successor and I were on fairly good terms, were a little afraid of me.
I kept him off with my hand, and asked in a very serious voice :
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'How could you order that I was to have no horses ? What an absurdity to detain travellers on the high road I '
'It was only a joke; I hope you won't be angry about it.' Then he shouted at his messenger : 'Horses I horses at once I What are you standing there for, you idiot ?'
'I hope you will have a cup of tea with some rum in it,' he said to me.
'No, thank you.'
'Perhaps we have some champagne' ; he rushed to the bottles, but they were all empty.
'What are you doing here ?' I asked.
'Holding an enquiry; this fine fellow took an axe and killed his father and sister. There was a quarrel and he was jealous.'
'And so you celebrate the occasion with champagne ?' I said.
The man looked confused. I glanced at the murderer. He was a Cherernis of about twenty ; there was nothing savage about his face ; it was of purely Oriental type with narrow flashing eyes and black hair.
I was so disgusted by the whole scene that I went out again into the yard. The inspector ran out after me, with a bottle of rum in one hand and a glass in the other, and pressed me to have a drink.
In order to get rid of him, I accepted. He caught me by the arm and said : 'I am to blame, I admit; but I hope you will not mention the facts to His Excellency and so ruin an honest man.'
As he spoke, he caught hold of my hand and actually kissed it, repeating a dozen times over, 'In God's name, don't ruin an honest man I ' I pulled away my hand in disgust and said :
'You needn't be afraid ; what need have I to tell tales ?'
'But can't I do you some service ?'
'Yes ; you can make them harness the horses quicker.'
'Look alive there I ' he shouted out, and soon began tugging at the straps himself.
1 1
I never forgot this incident. Nine years later I was in Petersburg for the last time ; I had to visit the Horne Office to arrange about a passport. While I was talking to the secretary in charge, a gentleman walked through the room, distributing friendly handshakes to the magnates of the office and condescending bows to
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the lesser lights. 'Hang i t I i t can't surely b e him I ' I thought.
'Who is that ? ' I asked.
'His name is Lazarev ; he is specially employed by the Minister and is a great man here.'
'Did he serve once as inspector in the Government of Vyatka ?'
'He did.'
'I congratulate you, gentlemen I Nine years ago that man kissed my hand I '
I t must be allowed that the Minister knew how to choose his subordinates.
CHAPTER XI
The Beginning of my Life at Vladimir
1
W H E N we had reached Kosmodemyansk and I came out to take my seat in the sledge, I saw that the horses were harnessed three abreast in Russian fashion ; and the bells jingled cheerfully on the yoke worn by the wheeler.