At last, in despair and as a last resource, he sent a petition to the Czar. But the Czar's reply was slow in coming, and in the meantime the day was approaching on which Cassia was to be despatched with a gang of fellow-convicts to Siberia. Nehrodoff thought the matter well over, and determined to accompany her into exile.
11. Before doing so, it was necessary for him to settle his property. He had long since forgotten the opinion he had held for a short time, in the days of his extravagant idealism, about the sinfulness of private ownership of land, but he now came back to his old conclusions, which seemed best to agree with the revived activity of his conscience. He was the more moved to this by an acquaintance which he had since made with the teachings of Henry George, which he accepted with enthusiasm. He gave up, therefore, the title-deeds of the lands he owned and made them all over to the peasants who were farming them as his tenants. He had some trouble and difficulty in getting the transfers properly executed; but he was firmly con-
