WE were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country-Macha, Sonia and I. Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself. Sonia was my younger sister. The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski. The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house. It was very seldom that any one came to see us, and our few visitors brought neither joy nor cheerfulness to our house. They all had mournful faces, spoke low, as if they were afraid of waking some one, were careful not to laugh, sighed and often shed tears when they looked at me, and above all at the sight of my poor Sonia in her little black frock.

Rich in detail, shrewdly observed, and vividly narrated, these 6 tales include "Three Deaths," "The Three Hermits," "The Devil," "Father Sergius," "Master and Man," and the title story.

Secrets of the Serpent: In Search of the Sacred Past by Philip Gardiner Across time and across the world, an ancient serpent cult once dominated mankind. Then a great battle ensued and Christianity stamped it's authority on the face of the planet. Now, after years of research, the real religious history of the world can be told. In Secrets of the Serpent, Philip Gardiner for the first time reveals the world's most mysterious places were once sacred to the Serpent Cult. The history and mythology of the so-called reptilian agenda and alien visitation in ancient times now has a solid opponent - giving answers for the many symbols and myths often confused by those who believe in such things. In Secrets of the Serpent, the author reveals the real "bloodline" spoken of by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code- it was in fact a serpent bloodline. Philip Gardiner is the international best selling author of The Shining Ones, The Serpent Grail, Gnosis: The Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed and Proof - Does God Exist? He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs worldwide speaking on religion and propaganda. He has infiltrated various secret societies and been initiated into Orders many people had thought were long forgotten. Committed to the constant struggle to uncover the real history of mankind and the unraveling of manipulative propaganda, he has come up against many obstacles and yet in his book, The Serpent Grail he reveals a truth about the Holy Grail that gained the backing of academia and scholars. The truth shall be found in the Secrets of the Serpent