ignarus, without a moment's hesitation expended his ready money in
procuring from England a threshing-machine, ploughs, harrows, and other
implements of the newest model.

The arrival of these was an event that was long remembered. The peasants
examined them with attention, not unmixed with wonder, but said nothing.
When the master explained to them the advantages of the new
instruments, they still remained silent. Only one old man, gazing at the
threshing-machine, remarked, in an audible "aside," "A cunning people,
these Germans!"* On being asked for their opinion, they replied vaguely,
"How should we know? It OUGHT to be so." But when their master had
retired, and was explaining to his wife and the French governess that
the chief obstacle to progress in Russia was the apathetic indolence and
conservative spirit of the peasantry, they expressed their opinions more
freely. "These may be all very well for the Germans, but they won't do
for us. How are our little horses to drag these big ploughs? And as for
that [the threshing-machine], it's of no use." Further examination
and reflection confirmed this first impression, and it was unanimously
decided that no good would come of the new-fangled inventions.

* The Russian peasant comprehends all the inhabitants of
Western Europe under the term Nyemtsi, which in the language
of the educated designates only Germans. The rest of
humanity is composed of Pravoslavniye (Greek Orthodox),
Busurmanye (Mahometans), and Poliacki (Poles).

These apprehensions proved to be only too well founded. The ploughs were
much too heavy for the peasants' small horses, and the threshing-machine
broke down at the first attempt to use it. For the purchase of lighter
implements or stronger horses there was no ready money, and for the
repairing of the threshing-machine there was not an engineer within a
radius of a hundred and fifty miles. The experiment was, in short, a
complete failure, and the new purchases were put away out of sight.

For some weeks after this incident Victor Alexandr'itch felt very
despondent, and spoke more than usual about the apathy and stupidity of
the peasantry. His faith in infallible science was somewhat shaken, and
his benevolent aspirations were for a time laid aside. But this eclipse
of faith was not of long duration. Gradually he recovered his normal
condition, and began to form new schemes. From the study of certain
works on political econ