‘ “Ah, my dear child!” your mother exclaimed, and began to cry bitterly, “Theodore has gone to Solowetski monastery to be a monk.”
‘ “To be a monk!” I exclaimed in alarm.
‘ “Yes; when he gave up the hope of finding you again, or believed that you were either dead, or had been compelled by our father to marry Anthony, he decided to become a monk.” [[88]]
‘ “Marry Anthony!” I exclaimed, “how could he think such a thing?”
‘ “Father could have made you.”
‘ “Never!” I said. “I would have taken my own life before that.”
‘Neither your mother nor I knew exactly where Solowetski monastery lay, or how far it was from our home, but a short time afterwards a troop of pilgrims passed by, and were housed on the estate. You may be sure that I was glad when I heard that the object of their journey was to visit Solowetski. I at once told your mother that I would go with them. Then it was my turn to hunt for you. But you were not at Solowetski. The monks stated that you had gone further northwards, to a monastery which I knew still less about. Then, as a part of our company decided to go on to Petschenga, I gladly joined them, and now here I am.’
‘Yes, indeed—God be praised!’
‘And are you now a monk, Theodore?’
‘No, Annita, thank God, I have not taken full vows. I should have taken them on Christmas Eve, when the monastery was attacked, the brothers were slain, and everything was burnt to the ground.’