His departure made a great sensation, especially from the fact that, at his very departure, he officially refused the traveling expenses required for twelve post-horses, to take him to the places of inspection.
"I think that was very noble of him," said Betsy to the Princess Miagkaya. "Why should they pay for post-horses, when every one knows that you can go everywhere nowadays by rail?"
But the Princess Miagkaya did not agree with her, and she was greatly wrought up by the Princess Tverskaya's remark.
"This is very well for you to say," she replied, "when you have I don't know how many millions, but I like it very much when my husband goes off on a tour of inspection in the summer. It is very healthy and agreeable for him to go driving about, but I have made it a rule to keep that money for my own horse-hire and izvoshchiks!"
On his way to the distant provinces, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch stopped at Moscow three days.
The next day after his arrival, he was coming from a call on the governor-general. At the crossing of the Gazetnoï Street, where carriages of every description are always thronging, he heard his name called in such a gay, sonorous voice, that he could not help stopping. There stood Stepan Arkadyevitch on the sidewalk, in a short, stylish paletot, with a stylish hat set on one side, with a radiant smile which showed his white teeth between his red lips, gay, youthful-looking, brilliant. He kept calling to him and beckoning to him to stop. He was holding by one hand to the window of a carriage which had drawn up to the sidewalk, and in the carriage was a woman in a velvet hat, with two little ones; she also beckoned to him and smiled.
It was Dolly and her children.
Aleksei Aleksandrovitch had not counted on seeing in Moscow any one whom he knew, and least of all his wife's brother. He took off his hat and would have proceeded, but Stepan Arkadyevitch motioned to the
