WITH COUNT TOLSTOY 71 



ahead of us in the open wagon ; her thoughts were 

 upon the struggling grain in the fields. It rained, 

 and I was well watered, but I took the drenching 

 with equanimity as I thought of Miss Mary and 

 the starving peasants. 



Hon. Rudolph Blankenburg wrote the follow- 

 ing to a Philadelphia newspaper: 



The rumour that Count Tolstoy has been antago- 

 nized and even threatened by the Russian Government 

 for the manner and methods of his work can be traced 

 to the same source that invariably tries to belittle, 

 misrepresent, and even falsify everything pertaining to 

 Russia. There is an antagonism to Russia and her 

 Government in Germany, as well as in England, that 

 seeks in every way to propagate falsehood and to 

 cloud the truth, and, as most of our information from 

 and about Russia is gathered from English and Ger- 

 man sources, it would be well for us to discount largely 

 the wonderful stories we hear from and about this land. 

 When I arrived in Europe the story was flashed all 

 over the civilized world that Count Tolstoy had been 

 ordered to his estates by the Government and that he 

 was a prisoner! I read editorials on this ;< high- 

 handed outrage" in some of the leading papers of 

 Europe, and must confess the news struck me very 

 unfavourably and prejudiced me a good deal. Almost 

 the first question I asked upon my arrival was regard- 

 ing the truth of this story, and the reply received 



