And exactly at the moment when the space between the wheels came opposite her, she dropped the red bag, and drawing her head back into her shoulders, fell on her hands under the carriage, and lightly, as though she would rise again at once, dropped on to her knees.

And at the same instant she was terror-stricken at what she was doing.

" Where am I? What am I doing? What for?" She tried to get up, to drop backwards; but something huge and merciless struck her on the head and rolled her on her back.

" Lord, forgive me all!" she said, feeling it impossible to struggle.

A peasant muttering something was working at the iron above her.