distinguished and wealthier match for Andréy. And they all struggled and suffered and tormented one another and injured their souls, their eternal souls, for the attainment of benefits which endure but for an instant. Not only do we know this ourselves, but Christ, the Son of God, came down to earth and told us that this life is but for a moment and is a probation; yet we cling to it and think to find happiness in it. > “How is it that no one realizes this?” thought Princess Márya. “No one except these despised God’s folk who, wallet on back, come to me by the back door, afraid of being seen by the prince, not for fear of ill-usage by him but for fear of causing him to sin. To leave family, home, and all the cares of worldly welfare, in order without clinging to anything to wander in hempen rags from place to place under an assumed name, doing no one any harm but praying for all—for those who drive one away as well as for those who protect one: higher than that life and truth there is no life or
There was one pilgrim, a quiet pockmarked little woman of fifty called Fëdosyushka, who for over thirty years had gone about barefoot and worn heavy chains. Princess Márya was particularly fond of her. Once, when in a room with a lamp dimly lit before the icon Fëdosyushka was talking of her life, the thought that Fëdosyushka alone had found the true path of life suddenly came to Princess Márya with such force that she resolved to become a pilgrim herself. When Fëdosyushka had gone to sleep Princess Márya thought about this for a long time, and at last made