the celebrated pedagogue Diesterweg, who struck him as somewhat “hard and dry.” Thence he proceeded to Dresden, where he diligently inspected all the principal schools, and paid a sudden and alarming visit on Auerbach, who happened at that time to be his favourite author. Tolstoi abruptly introduced himself as Eugen Bauman, one of Auerbach’s characters; but the author of the “Schwarzwälder Dorfgeschichten,” was more frightened than flattered by the unlooked-for inroad of the grim, bizarre-looking young Muscovite, and even Tolstoi’s compliment, “Your books have made me think seriously of many things,” did not immediately reassure him. At first Auerbach seems to have taken him for a peasant from some remote village who had come either to abuse or to blackmail him for defamation of character. Passing from Dresden to Kissingen, Tolstoi made the acquaintance of Frœbel, and then travelling slowly through Switzerland, Italy, and France, proceeded via Brussels to London. It was during this period that he wrote “Tri Smerti” (“Three Deaths”), the last story in the present collection, “Semeinoe Schasti” (“Family Luck”), and “Polikushka.”
Tolstoi returned from his second visit to the West full of educational ideas, which he instantly proceeded to put into practice. He began to publish a pedagogic journal, entitled Yasnaya Polyana, from the name of his estate, and started a school for the children of his peasantry—the first free school that ever existed in Russia, which was absolutely unique of its kind. Tolstoi adopted the two-fold principle
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