“God forbid!” said Gertzel. “We are living with all the people here in peace. They are coming from O. (O. was the big manufacturing town) and from A. (another town about fifty miles distant). They are coming by train; they will arrive early to-morrow morning. The Pogrom will take place in the morning; it will be all over by the evening, and they will go back by the night train.” “But who?” the Countess asked, “and what are they?” “They say they have been sent; some people say it is the Tsar’s orders; others that it is the Governor, but what does it matter? In any case, they have been sent to make a Pogrom.” “Surely,” said the Countess, “if you inform the police, measures will be taken to prevent this. It is absurd! It can’t possibly happen!” “It must be,” said Gertzel, and Daniel nodded his head in agreement, and repeated: “It must be: it is so decreed!” “It has all been arranged,” said Gertzel. “To-morrow there will be the Pogrom. Let us bring our furniture to your barn, our furniture and our friends’ furniture, and all will be well.” “It must be prevented!” said the Countess, “You must go to the police.” “It is useless,” said Gertzel; “it cannot be prevented; it has been arranged for to-morrow.” And no argument was of any avail; they merely repeated over and over again that the Pogrom was to be, and they left, with tears of gratitude in their eyes for having been allowed to store their furniture in the Count’s stables. The Countess went to her husband and related what had happened. They sent for Ivan, the moujik, who washed the plates, and who, being a native of the place, would be likely to know what was going on, and they asked him if it were true that there was to be a Pogrom. “Yes, your Brightness,” he said, “it is quite true. There will be a Pogrom to-morrow; it has been arranged.” “Who has arranged it?” asked the Countess. “I cannot know,” answered Ivan; “but it has been arranged.” “You mean the people here?” asked the Countess, “they will attack the Jews?” “God forbid!” said Ivan. “The Jews are a nice people. We live with them in peace; but everything may happen. Sometimes an orthodox Russian is worse than a Jew. But the Jews were much offended by the last Pogrom, and they have been giving false evidence, and attributing to many people crimes which they had not committed.” “When was the last Pogrom?” asked the Countess. “It was in the spring,” said Ivan, “when your Brightness was away.” “And did they kill the Jews?” asked the Count. “God forbid!” Ivan answered. “They sinned a little, and they destroyed some of the Jews’ property, but murder--God forbid! they were innocent of that!” “But who is going to do this?” asked the Count. “They will come from various places,” said Ivan. “They will come by the night train from O. and A. They will arrive in the morning; there will be a Pogrom, and they will go away.” “But who?” asked the Count. “Those who are sent,” said Ivan. “But who is sending them?” repeated the Count.