The moon now bathed her yellow reflection in the mysterious sea, and we sat and looked at it together.

“Vasia, my son, who has taken his musical degree, will stay up all night to look at this sight,” said my hostess.  “It moves something in his soul.”

It moved something in mine, and yet seemed strangely alien to the tale I was hearing.  That moon had flung its mystery over an Eastern world, and it seemed an irrelevance beside the fortunes of a modern watering-place.

Varvara Ilinitchna went on to tell me of her early days, and how she and her husband had been poor.  Alexander Fed’otch had taught in schools and received little money.  Their two sons were never well.  They had often wept over burdens too hard to bear.

One season, however, there came a change in their life and they became prosperous.  They prayed to be rich, and God heard their prayer.

“We owe the change in our fortunes to a famous Ikon,” said Varvara Ilinitchna.  “It happened in this way.  Alexander Fed’otch had an old friend who, after serving thirty years as a clerk in an office, suddenly gave up and took to the mountains.  He was a wise man and knew much of life, and it was through his wisdom that we sent for the Ikon.  We sheltered him all through the winters because he had no home, and he came to love us and enter into our life.  He rejoiced with us on festivals when we were gay; when we were sad he sympathised.  When we shed tears he shed tears also.  One evening when we were more than ordinarily desperate he said to me, ’Take my advice; send for an Ikon of St. Spiridon of Tremifond.’  The Ikon costs ten shillings, and ten shillings was much to us in those days.  I told Alexander Fed’otch what our friend had said, and he, being a religious man, agreed.  We sent ten shillings to Moscow and had the Ikon sent to us, and we took it to church and had it blessed.

“That happened in the autumn.  Those were the days when the Vladikavkaz Railway was a novelty.  The children, and even the grown-up people, did nothing but play at trains all day.  We used to take in the children of the employees and look after them while their fathers and mothers were away.  Well, in the following May a director of the railway called on Alexander Fed’otch and said he had a post to offer him.

“’We are thinking of taking all the children of the railway employees, and establishing a school and pension for them where they can get good meals and be taught.  We will provide you with a house and appointments, and you will get a good salary into the bargain.  Your wife will be mother to our railway children, and you will be general manager of the establishment.  Will you take the post?’

“‘With pleasure!’ answered Alexander Fed’otch.  But I for my part took some time to consider.  It was hard enough to be mother to three children of my own.  How could I be mother to fifty?

“However, we agreed to take the offer, and then suddenly we found ourselves rich and important people, and we remembered the Ikon of St. Spiridon of Tremifond and thanked God.  If you are ever poor, if ever you want money, send for the Ikon of St. Spiridon.  I advise you.  Its virtues are famous.”