ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM A Russian village kabak, with a smoking lamp, of which the chimney is broken.

The greasy curtains drawn across the small windows exclude the faintest possibility of a draught.

The moujik does not like a draught; in fact, he hates the fresh air of heaven.

Air that has been breathed three or four times over is the air for him; it is warmer.

The atmosphere of this particular inn is not unlike that of every other inn in the White Empire, inasmuch as it is heavily seasoned with the scent of cabbage soup.