I.

OUTSIDE THE GATES.

Mikhail Stepanovich Stolygin's son was fourteen years old... but it is impossible to begin with this; in order to take an interest in the son, one must know the father, one must know, at least to some extent, the honorable and valiant Stolygin family. I would even like to thoroughly introduce my readers to them, but I do not know how best to go about it.

It occurred to me to begin with the historical legends of their famous clan. I wanted to briefly mention how Tryphon Stolygin managed to swear allegiance three times in two weeks: once to Vladislav, once to the Tushino thief historical reference: a nickname for the pretender False Dmitry II, who held court in the village of Tushino, once to someone else—I cannot remember—and he betrayed them all; I wanted to describe their rich estates, their villages, where the churches were magnificently decorated with the pious and humble offerings of the