Sanine
PREFACE _"Sanine" is a thoroughly uncomfortable book, but it has a fierce energy which has carried it in a very short space of time into almost every country in Europe and at last into this country, where books, like everything else, are expected to be comfortable. It has roused fury both in Russia and in Germany, but, being rather a furious effort itself, it has thriven on that, and reached an enormous success. That is not necessarily testimony of a book's value or even of its power. On the other hand, no book becomes international merely by its capacity for shocking moral prejudices, or by its ability to titillate the curiosity of the senses. Every nation has its own writers who can shock and titillate. But not every nation has the torment of its existence coming to such a crisis that books like "Sanine" can spring to life in it. This book was written in the despair which seized the Intelligenzia of Russia after the last abortive revolution, when the Constitution which was no constitution was wrung out of the grand dukes. Even suppose the revolution had succeeded, the intellectuals must have asked themselves, even suppose they had mastered the grand dukes and captured the army, would they have done more than altered the machinery of government, reduced the quantity of political injustice, amended the
"Dead!"
"Poor Sandy! Poor Sandy!"
Donaldson gingerly passed his fingers over the dog's hair. He was
curiously unconvinced. There was no responsive lift of the head, no
contented wagging of the tail, but that was the only difference. A
moment ago the dog had been asleep for an hour; now he was asleep for
an eternity. That was the only difference.
"Well," reflected Barstow, "Sandy had his week; beefsteak, bread and
milk, all he could eat."
"Is n't that better than being still alive,--hungry in the gutters?"
"God knows," answered Barstow solemnly, as he picked up the body and
carried it into the next room. "You see what is left."
As Barstow went out, Donaldson crossed to the chemist's desk. He
fumbled nervously among the bottles until he found the little vial
Barstow had pointed out. He had just time to thrust this into his
pocket and reseat himself before Barstow returned. At the same moment
there was a firm but decidedly feminine knock upon the outer door. The
chemist seemed to recognize it, for instead of his usual impatient
shout he went to the door and opened it. And yet, when the feeble
light revealed his visitor he evinced surprise.
PREFACE _"Sanine" is a thoroughly uncomfortable book, but it has a fierce energy which has carried it in a very short space of time into almost every country in Europe and at last into this country, where books, like everything else, are expected to be comfortable. It has roused fury both in Russia and in Germany, but, being rather a furious effort itself, it has thriven on that, and reached an enormous success. That is not necessarily testimony of a book's value or even of its power. On the other hand, no book becomes international merely by its capacity for shocking moral prejudices, or by its ability to titillate the curiosity of the senses. Every nation has its own writers who can shock and titillate. But not every nation has the torment of its existence coming to such a crisis that books like "Sanine" can spring to life in it. This book was written in the despair which seized the Intelligenzia of Russia after the last abortive revolution, when the Constitution which was no constitution was wrung out of the grand dukes. Even suppose the revolution had succeeded, the intellectuals must have asked themselves, even suppose they had mastered the grand dukes and captured the army, would they have done more than altered the machinery of government, reduced the quantity of political injustice, amended the