Stremov drew back, affecting to have blindly followed Karenin, and to be astounded and distressed at what had been done.

This meant the defeat of Alexey Alexandrovitch.

But in spite of failing health, in spite of his domestic griefs, he did not give in.

There was a split in the commission.

Some members, with Stremov at their head, justified their mistake on the ground that they had put faith in the commission of revision, instituted by Alexey Alexandrovitch, and maintained that the report of the commission was rubbish, and simply so much waste paper.