midnight
The American editor refuses such a story . There is no plot here , he says , and no `` punch . '' He is wrong , although an imperfect abstract like mine can not convict him . For the narrative presents an unforgettable portrait of wistful hero-worship , set in the dim mists of a Russian river against the barbaric splendor of an Easter midnight mass . To force a climax upon this poignant story would be to spoil it . And when it appears , as it will , in reprint , in some periodical anthology of current fiction , it will not fail to impress American readers . But the American editor must have a climax which drives home what he thinks the public wants .