I went over the Ekateringofsky Bridge,
through the Square, and to the left down the Sadovaya.
"Of course the first thing that I noticed was that there were no trams,
and that there were multitudes of people walking along and that they
were all poor people and all happy.' And I _was_ glad when I saw that.
Of course I'm a fool, and life can't be as I want it, but that's always
what I had thought life ought to be--all the streets filled with poor
people, all free and happy. And here they were!... with the snow crisp
under their feet, and the sun shining, and the air quite still, so that
all the talk came up, and up into the sky like a song. But of course
they were bewildered as well as happy. They didn't know where to go,
they didn't know what to do--like birds let out suddenly from their
cages. I didn't know myself. That's what sudden freedom does--takes your
breath away so that you go staggering along, and get caught again if
you're not careful. No trams, no policemen, no carriages filled with
proud people cursing you.... Oh, Ivan Andreievitch, I'd be proud myself
if I had money, and servants to put on my clothes, and new women every
night, and different food every day.
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