despite its tragic ending, rouses our deepest sympathy and understanding, and we share with him puzzlement that a perverse and unkind fate should bring this simple, humble, shy, decent man to such a pass. A Russian peasant, now a corporal, Skuratov was stationed in a fine large town where there were lots of Germans. He fell in love with one of these-Lujza-a young laundress who lived with her aunt. She was such a darling; he had never met a girl like her. She was prepared to marry him and they met one another regularly. On one occasion, however, she did not turn up for three days: he was nearly crazy, so he wrote to her that if she did not come he would call round to her aunt's. She was frightened and came: it appeared that a distant relative of hers wanted to marry her: a watch-repairer, wealthy and elderly; surely he would not stand between her and this unexpected good fortune? Skuratov said to himself "She is talking sense! What's the use of marrying a soldier! "But after she had left him he missed his Lujza so much that he broke down and cried. He learned that Lujza had been forbidden to see him, so Skuratov put on his overcoat, taking with him an old pistol-practically a toy-saying to himself that if they got tough with him he would frighten them with it, and marched off to the German watch-repairer's home where he found not only his elderly rival