- To these verses it was necessary to treat as a poetic flash. I have told the chief of staff of the Corps of Gendarmes, general Dubelt: "The best not to pay any attention to similar thoughtless tricks: and their glory will fade soon. if we will begin to prosecution and their prohibition, will be nothing of good, and we will only inflate a flame of passions", - the portrait of the count Alexander von Benckendorff, the Chief of Gendarmes and Director of the Third Section has spoken.

- These verses, - V.P. Burnashev continued, - even the grand duke Michael Pavlovich read and have only told laughing: "Eh, as he accelerated! Who will think that he doesn't belong to the highest noble childbirth?"

Even we were reached by rumors, that the grand duke, at a meeting with von Benckendorff, has whispered to him, that this "nonsense" (as he has said), hasn't to reach attention of the sovereign of the emperor.

In a word, these verses, rewritten and learned by all everywhere, in the highest spheres were considered as childish flash, and in public, though isn't loud, but admitted for the ingenious literary work. The sovereign knew nothing about them, because the count von Benckendorff didn't attach significance to those verses.

- Perhaps, the Emperor Nicholas I also didn't wish to excess a noise? - someone from participants of an excursion has expressed doubts. - On January 27, 1837, O.S. the duel on the Chernaya River has taken place. On January 29, 1837, O.S. Pushkin has died. On February 3, 1837 , O.S. the coffin with Pushkin's body has been sent to Pskov. On February 6, 1837, O.S. Pushkin's body has been buried.

Lermontov has written "The first part" of the well-known poem on January 28, 1837, O.S.

"Addition" has been written after the visit of the physician Nikolay Fedorovich Arendt, after January 29, 1837, O.S. . therefore, "the first part", at least, of the well-known poem has been written even before burial of a body of Pushkin.

- However, - V.P. Burnashev kept logic, - these days the reception from the count F. has taken place, where there was also a count von Benckendorff among guests. Suddenly the famous St. Petersburg talker and, what is her names the "Leprosy of society", the street vendor of news and lampoons on all city, approaches to him,and this intolerable the source of news suddenly says:

"And you, truly, know, the count, new verses on all of us and in which the best representatives of the nobility are negatively characterized?"

- "About what verses you speak, the madam?" - the count von Benckendorff asks. - "Yes about those which were written by the hussar Lermontov and which began with the words "And you, haughty descendants!". - it is clear that it the words about all of us, all Russian aristocracy". von Benckendorff has dexterously channelized a conversation immediately to another direction and tried to evade from the interlocutor ...

However after this conversation, count von Benckendorff for next day, before the departure with the report to the sovereign to the emperor, has told Dubelt: "Well, Leonti Vasilyevich, what will be, it will be. And after the fact that H[itrova] knows about verses of this boy Lermontov, I may do nothing else as now to report on them to the sovereign".

- I came to the Emperor and began to talk about these verses in the soothing tone, - count Alexander von Benckendorffspoke from a portrait, - the Emperor showed me a copy of them, delivered by city mail, with a vile inscription: "The Appeal to the revolution".

- They did additional actions for reliability! - the comment from group of visitors of an exhibition was heard. - Svyatoslav Rayevsky's explanation has dated On February 21, 1837, O.S. . At this time Lermontov was under the house arrest. Between date of death of Pushkin and the beginning of "The administrative case concerning the unsuitable verses written by Lermontov and the distribution of this verses by Rayevsky" there have passed about three weeks.

In general, the interesting impression arises: there is no clarity with exact dating of many events.

The "official" version looks as follows: On February 7, 1837 Lermontov has written final 16 verses ("And you, haughty descendants..."). On February 18, 1837 Lermontov has been arrested and placed in one of rooms of the top floor of General staff.

However to archival documents P.E. Shchegolev had access. In his work 'Книга о Лермонтове' ("The Book about Lermontov") dates look less definitely:

1837. January 27. A.S. Pushkin is mortally wounded on a duel with d'Anthes.

1837. January 28. Lermontov writes the poem about the Pushkin's death ("The death of the poet"). [?]

1837. January 30. V.P. Burnashev in "Wolf's candy store" writes off the S.N. Glinka's the copy of the poem by Lermontov on the death of Pushkin.

1837. February 21. S.A. Rayevsky's testimony on the case of "the inadmissible verses written by a cornet hussar Lermontov".

1837. February. Lermontov's explanation on the same matter.

1837. February 27. The royal order on the displacement a cornet Lermontov in the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment as the ensign.

Quite natural question: why Pavel E. Shchegolev, who had access to archives, has evaded from the indication of exact dates?

Intense there was time! Here and Pushkin, here and Lermontov ... And in general, how not to be involved in all these events?..

However, dates are important, but dates - not the main thing ...

- Many were that opinion that it is work of the "leprosy of society". She, dissatisfied with my the noncommittal on a reception, early in the morning has sent the copy to the highest name to the Winter Palace, - the count von Benckendorff has specified from a portrait. - Anyway, the sovereign has been angered, has accepted a situation more seriously, than I represented, and ordered the grand duke Michael Pavlovich to send immediately to Tsarskoye Selo the chief of staff of guard Pyotr Fedorovich Veymarn for the work of a search in the apartment of a cornet of Lermontov.

- At first he didn't speak to them about me, - Rayevsky, Lermontov's friend, who was in group of visitors has added, - about my participation in distribution of verses . But then began to interrogate FROM (on behalf of) the SOVEREIGN: have told that to me, Rayevsky, nothing will be, and that if he doesn't admit, then "he will be given off" in a soldiers (he will be reduced to the rank of a soldier) ... He has remembered the grandmother... he couldn't resist ...

- The sovereign Imperator has deigned to enjoin: CornetLermontov, for the composition of the known verses, to send with the same rank, in the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon regiment; and the Provincial Secretary of Rayevsky, for distribution of these verses, and in particular, for intention to secretly deliver data to the Cornet Lermontov about the testimony made by him, to keep in custody within one month - and then to send to the Olonets Province, for the use to service - at the discretion of the local Civil Governor, - the tour guide has commented.