filaments the strands of an old mat-sack, such as is used for everything in Russia, from wrappers for sheet iron to bags for carrying a pound of cherries.  After a final douche with boiling water, we mounted the high shelf, with its wooden pillow, and the artistic part of the operation began.  As we lay there in the suffocating steam, Alexandra whipped us thoroughly with a small besom of birch twigs, rendered pliable and secure of their tender leaves by a preliminary plunge in boiling water.  When we gasped for breath, she interpreted it as a symptom of speechless delight, and flew to the oven and dashed a bucket of cold water on the red-hot stones placed there for the purpose.  The steam poured forth in intolerable clouds; but we submitted, powerless to protest.  Alexandra, with all her clothes on, seemed not to feel the heat.  She administered a merciless yet gentle massage to every limb with her birch rods,—­what would it have been like if she had used nettles, the peasants’ delight?—­and rescued us from utter collapse just in time by a douche of ice-cold water.  We huddled on all the warm clothing we owned, were driven home, plied with boiling tea, and put to bed for two hours.  At the end of that time we felt made over, physically, and ready to beg for another birching.  But we were warned not to expose ourselves to cold for at least twenty-four hours, although we had often seen peasants, fresh from their bath, birch besom in hand, in the wintry streets of the two capitals.

We visited the peasants in their cottages, and found them very reluctant to sell anything except towel crash.  All other linen which they wove they needed for themselves, and it looked as even and strong as iron.  Here in the south the rope-and-moss-plugged log house stood flat on the ground, and was thatched with straw, which was secured by a ladder-like arrangement of poles along the gable ends.  Three tiny windows, with tinier panes, relieved the street front of the house.  The entrance was on the side, from the small farmyard, littered with farming implements, chickens, and manure, and inclosed with the usual fence of wattled branches.  From the small ante-room designed to keep out the winter cold, the store-room opened at the rear, and the living-room at the front.  The left hand corner of the living-room, as one entered, was occupied by the oven, made of stones and clay, and whitewashed.  In it the cooking was done by placing the pots among the glowing wood coals.  The bread was baked when the coals had been raked out.  Later still, when desired, the owners took their steam bath, more resembling a roasting, inside it, and the old people kept their aged bones warm by sleeping on top of it, close to the low ceiling.  Round three sides of the room ran a broad bench, which served for furniture and beds.  In the right-hand corner, opposite the door,—­the “great corner” of honor,—­was the case of images, in front of which stood the rough table whereon meals were eaten.  This was convenient, since