She had not complied with his request, and he was bound to punish her and carry out his threat--obtain a divorce and take away his son.

He knew all the difficulties connected with this course, but he had said he would do it, and now he must carry out his threat.

Countess Lidia Ivanovna had hinted that this was the best way out of his position, and of late the obtaining of divorces had been brought to such perfection that Alexey Alexandrovitch saw a possibility of overcoming the formal difficulties.