But the young fellow ran away and deserted his colours.
I have been persuading him to desert for a long time, as I had need of
him. This, in fact, is the third time he has deserted, and if they catch
him now they will undoubtedly string him up. Not a bad idea for him to
fly to the headsman's house, eh? They will seek him everywhere but under
the gallows-tree. And if they find him here, they won't have very much
more trouble with him, that's all."

"Ho, ho, ho! Suppose he were to hear you?"

And he did hear!

"You see, this was my object all along. I shall put his pursuers on his
track in any case, and they will capture him here and take him to
Hetfalu, where the court-martial will pronounce sentence of death, and
then have him exposed in the pillory. All the common folk about Hetfalu
love the youth as if he was their own son, but they hate his father like
the devil. It will be no very great masterpiece to stir up the people in
these troublous times, and when they see the young fellow led out to be
hanged they will be quite ready to seize their scythes and dung-forks,
set him free, raise him on their shoulders, and rush with him to the
castle of his father (who, by the way, has done his best to hound his
son to death), and level it with the ground, and there you have a
peasant revolt in full swing straight off."

"But will the lad consent to be put at the head of such an enterprise?"

"Never fear! Death is an awful prospect. There is no road, however
terrible, which a man will not take in order to avoid it. Besides, at
such times a man is not himself, but does everything almost
unconsciously, and thus our names will not appear in the business at
all; and if it is put down, he will be looked upon as the ringleader.
Not the shadow of a suspicion will fall upon us."

"Bravo, Ivan! I could kiss you for this."

"A more amazing popular rebellion than this will be has never been
known. From village to village the rumour will fly that his own son has
risen against his poisoner of a father at the head of the people, has
cut to pieces every member of his family, and levelled his ancestral
halls to the ground. He will be looked upon as a public avenger.
Horribly black rumours will be noised abroad all over the kingdom, and
at the tidings thereof the people will run downright mad with savage
fury, and the gentry will not know which way to turn to escape the
unforeseen danger which will suddenly break out at their very doors."