Whether consciously or no they built on all the old French Revolution traditions, or perhaps it is that every Revolution produces of necessity the same clothing with which to cover its nakedness. A strange mixture of farce and terror were those detachments of so-called justice. At their head there was, as a rule, a student, often smiling and bespectacled. The soldiers themselves, from one of the Petrograd regiments, were frankly out for a good time and enjoyed themselves thoroughly, but, as is the Slavonic way, playfulness could pass with surprising suddenness to dead earnest--with, indeed, so dramatic a precipitance that the actors themselves were afterwards amazed. Of these "little, regrettable mistakes" there had already, during the week, been several examples. To Vera, with the knowledge of the contents of her linen-cupboard, the men seemed terrifying enough. Their leader was a fat and beaming student--quite a boy. He was very polite, saying "_Zdrastvuite,"_ and taking off his cap. The men behind him--hulking men from one of the Guards regiments--pushed about in the little hall like a lot of puppies, joking with one another, holding their rifles upside down, and making sudden efforts at a seriousness that they could not possibly sustain. Only one of them, an older man with a thick black beard, was intensely grave, and looked at Vera with beseeching eyes, as though he longed to tell her the secret of his life. "What can I do for you?" she asked the student. "_Prosteete_... Forgive us." He smiled and blinked at her, then put on his cap, clicked his heels, gave a salute, and took his cap off again. "We wish to be in no way an inconvenience to you. We are simply obeying orders. We have instructions that a policeman is hiding in one of these flats.... We know, of course, that he cannot possibly be here. Nevertheless we are compelled... _Prosteete_.... What nice pictures you have!" he ended suddenly. It was then that Vera discovered that they were by this time in the dining-room, crowded together near the door and gazing at Nina with interested eyes. "There's no one here, of course," said Vera, very quietly. "No one at all." "_Tak Tochno_ (quite so)," said the black-bearded soldier, for no particular reason, suddenly. "You will allow me to sit down?" said the student, very politely. "I must, I am afraid, ask a few questions." "Certainly," said Vera quietly. "Anything you like."