100 Kopeks equal 1 Rouble

Are you still with me?

Lev was sitting on a bench on the platform at Astapovo railway station

Tuppence and Penelope were sitting in front of him

Yes we are

Then I will carry on

The image of St George and the Dragon is to be found on the coins

He is the patron saint of Russia

Just as he is in England

The double headed eagle is the symbol of our great country

It faces both east and west

Tuppence looked at the sun through her dark glasses

It is so hot today is it always like this?

Penelope glanced at Lev but did not say anything

No it can get very cold much colder that England

So this is where he died

Yes

It is so rural

The middle of nowhere really

He was like a cat crawling away to die

It was more than that

His relationship with his wife had become hostile

He was running from her

But why to Astapovo?

He just stopped here

He did not deliberately come to Astapovo

He just died here

Tell me more Lev

When is your train?

In an hour

Ok then I will begin

He had been ill for some time and was causing concern to his family

He had written about death and had rejected his aristocratic lifestyle

And in the middle of the winter he suddenly disappeared

People were concerned about him and his departure was followed by many newspapers

But he was safe from his wife

He had left her a letter explaining his actions

I believe that it said that he was leaving his wife as it was what old men did to spend their last days in solitude 

But he only got this far before illness forced him from the train

The stationmaster gave him the use of his house

But the station was not as peaceful as it is today

The whole thing was a circus

The media arrived and there was no peace to be found

The Count died in public which was very sad

He had not wanted that

His wife who had travelled to this station was only allowed to see him when he was at the point of death

I doubt that he was aware of her presence

Penelope let a small tear drop onto her pale blue vest

Why are you sad?

I was just thinking of poor Anna under a train

How can you be sad on a day such as this?

Tell me Lev how do you see your country?

How do you see yours?

A mess run by people who are basically quite limited

All leaders are poor

That is true in most cases

One does not see natural leaders very often

Most just climb over corpses to the top

I feel scared for the future of my country

Why?

It is acting like a wounded lion

Once it was strong and fierce

But times have changed

It is just the same as your country

One you were strong and to some extent ruled the world

But then you grew small

Times changed

But do you know what I admire about your country?

Your sense of fair play

I believe that we are the most democratic country in the world don’t you Penny?

That depends what you mean by democratic

I have always wondered why large countries such as China and Russia can be ruled so tightly from within

This would never happen in the UK

I do not know why but I do not feel it

Enough my friends you are guests in my country and we should not discuss large things

A great writer breathed his last here

You have travelled many miles to pay homage

I welcome your visit and will accept your invitation to visit your great country quite soon

Both Lev and Tuppence stood up and walked towards the station building

Do come

I will stay here as I want to enjoy the Russian sun

As soon as her friends were out of sight Penelope pulled a paperback from her canvas bag

She was about to read Anna Karenina

She had lost her original copy in Moscow but had found an English language copy in Astapovo

This struck her as unusual but many people visited the town

It had most probably been left by a backpacker

She looked at the ground and at the small stones that roasted in the sun

Quite soon she and Tuppence would be many miles away

Lev would return to Moscow

But the small stones would remain

In a few months they would be covered with snow or at least would suffer the harsh winter

But if she returned next summer they would be there or nearby

She wondered if The Count had trodden on them as he made his way towards his final bed

In the distance she heard a train

It was time to leave