“Anton Rubinstein told me that, if he is moved himself by what he is playing, he ceases to move his audience. This shows that the creation of a work of art is only possible when the emotion has settled in the artist’s mind.” I do not remember how the conversation now got upon writing, but Tolstoi said: “Usually when I begin a new book I am very pleased with it myself and work with great interest. But as the book work goes on, I become more and more bored, and often in rewriting it I omit things, substitute others, not because the new idea is better, but because I get tired of the old. Often I strike out what is vivid and replace it by something dull.” The conversation turned upon Hertzen. Tolstoi read aloud extracts from his book (a collection of articles published in the _Kolokol_). Tolstoi is extremely fond of Hertzen and values him very highly. He spoke of Hertzen’s unhappy private life and of the suffering he went through when the representatives (particularly the younger representatives) of the party with whom he had worked throughout his life deserted him and ceased to understand him. Tolstoi saw Hertzen in London, when Hertzen lived with Mme. Tuchkov-Ogarev. Biryukov asked Tolstoi (for the biography of Tolstoi which he is writing) about his conversation with Hertzen which Mme. Ogarev refers to in her _Reminiscences_. Tolstoi said that he remembered a great many of their talks, but not that particular one. And he added: “Perhaps she merely invented the conversation, as the authors of memoirs and reminiscences so often do.” On the whole, Tolstoi has not a high opinion of Mme. Ogarev, although he says he knows her but little. He said: “I received a letter from her in which she, as though to justify herself, gives an account of the affair with the peasants which had lately taken place on her estate. There were some fields there which the peasants had had the use of from time immemorial. The fields belonged legally to the landowner. A bailiff was engaged, a Pole called Stanislavski, and he drove the peasants’ cattle from the fields on to the estate. The peasants collected with thick sticks in their hands to free their cattle, determined not to give up the use of the fields. They arrived at the Manor and began by demanding their cattle. Finally, Stanislavski fired, and killed or wounded, I do not remember which, some one in the crowd. The crowd became furious and threw themselves on Stanislavski, who tried to save himself by flight, but he was overtaken on a moor and was murdered in a most brutal way. As a result of the affair, a military court was held and two or three peasants were hanged.” Tolstoi had known of this before he got her letter, and was horrified at the incredible verdict. Afterwards Tolstoi said: