With this ambitious conclusion, Alexis stepped quicker and prouder over the level road, and, without thinking of it, had soon advanced considerably before his party. Coming to a place where the road divided, he took that which led to the right, as it seemed the best. He had not gone far, however, before he heard the loud call of Linsk. Stopping till the party came up, Alexis found that he had taken the wrong path. “That road,” said Linsk, “leads to the great town of Tomsk; a place which has ten thousand people in it, and I may add that one half of them are drunkards. This is the more wonderful, for the people have enough to do; because the country in that quarter abounds in valuable mines. All around Tomsk there are salt lakes, and the waters are so impregnated with minerals, that the bottoms are covered with a coat as white as snow. “To the south of Tomsk, a great many miles, are some mountains, called the Altai range. In these mountains there are mines of gold and silver, and of platina, a metal more costly than gold. The mines are wrought by exiles; and, master Alexis, some of your countrymen are there, as they ought to be. You ought to thank the clemency and mercy of the emperor, for not sending you and your father there!” “Stop! stop! old man!” said Alexis; “say no more of that! say no more of that! My father ought to be sent to the mines! for what? For risking his life to save his country? For giving his wealth to Poland? For shedding his blood for liberty? Is patriotism then a crime? Shame on the emperor who makes it so!” “Tut, tut, tut, tut!” said Linsk, with an air of authority; “why, you talk rebellion, as if you had drank it in with your mother’s milk. Oh dear! oh dear! what are we all coming to, when youngsters talk such pestilent stuff about liberty and patriotism? Why, what have we to do with liberty and patriotism? Let us take care to obey the emperor, and his officers, and those who are in authority, and do as the priests tell us: that’s all we have to do. But never mind, boy; I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. So don’t think any more of what I said about your father and the mines. I believe he’s an honest and noble gentleman, though I am sorry he’s so much misled. Liberty and patriotism--indeed! Bah! When I hear about liberty and patriotism, I always look well to my pockets, for they sound to my ear very much like roguery and mischief. Liberty and patriotism, forsooth! as if we common men were like wild animals, and, as soon as we are of age, had a right to set up for ourselves! No! no! we are Christians, and it is our duty to honor the emperor; we are his subjects, and he may do as he pleases with us. God bless him.” “I suppose it would be glory enough,” said Alexis, having recovered his good humor, “to have our heads cut off, provided it was done by command of the emperor.” “Certainly,” said Linsk, not discovering the irony; and here the conversation took another turn.