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diff --git a/3783-h/3783-h.htm b/3783-h/3783-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..126ef06 --- /dev/null +++ b/3783-h/3783-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,18029 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mother, by Maksim Gorky</title> +<style type="text/css"> + +body { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; } + +h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ +clear: both; } + +p { margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em; } + +hr { width: 33%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-left: auto; +margin-right: auto; clear: both; } + +table { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } + +.pagenum { position: absolute; left: 92%; font-size: +smaller; text-align: right; } /* page numbers */ + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +.small { font-size:80%; } + +.big { font-size:140%; } + +.caption {font-weight: bold;} + +.center { text-align: center;} + +/* Images */ + .figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; + } + + img.cap { float:left; + margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; + position:relative; } + p.cap_1 { text-indent: -0.6em; } + p.cap_2 { text-indent: -1.0em; } + p.cap_3 { text-indent: -1.1em; } + p.cap_4 { text-indent: -0.4em; } + div.drop p:first-letter { color:Window; } + div.drop p { margin-bottom:0; } + +/* Poetry */ + .poem { + margin-left:10%; + margin-right:10%; + text-align: left; + } + + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + + .poem span.i0 { + display: block; + margin-left: 0em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; + } + + hr.full { width: 100%; + margin-top: 3em; + margin-bottom: 0em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + height: 4px; + border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ + border-style: solid; + border-color: #000000; + clear: both; } + pre {font-size: 85%;} + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Mother, by Maksim Gorky, Illustrated by +Sigmund de Ivanowski</h1> +<pre> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: Mother</p> +<p>Author: Maksim Gorky</p> +<p>Release Date: September 4, 2001 [eBook #3783]<br /> +Most recently revised: November 27, 2011</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTHER***</p> +<p> </p> +<h3>E-text prepared by Jarrod Newton<br /> + and revised by Al Haines,<br /> + Veronika Redfern, Juliet Sutherland,<br /> + and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> + (http://www.pgdp.net)</h3> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p> </p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 255px;"><a name="illus002" id="illus002"></a> +<a href="images/illus002.jpg"><img src="images/illus002_th.jpg" width="255" height="400" alt=""With somber faces ... their muscles stiff from insufficient sleep."" title=""With somber faces ... their muscles stiff from insufficient sleep."" /></a> +<span class="caption"><i>Frontispiece:</i><br />"With somber faces ... their muscles stiff from insufficient sleep."</span> +</div> + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + <h1>MOTHER</h1> + <div class="center big"><i>By</i><br /> + MAXIM GORKY</div> +<p> </p> + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 120px;"> + <img src="images/illus003.png" width="120" height="150" alt="Publisher's Device" title="Publisher's Device" /> + </div> +<p> </p> + + <p class="center">WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY<br /> + SIGMUND DE IVANOWSKI</p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + + <p class="center big">NEW YORK AND LONDON<br /> + D. APPLETON AND COMPANY<br /> + 1911</p> + + + <p class="center small"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1906, 1907, by</span><br /> + D. APPLETON AND COMPANY</p> + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h2> +<table width="500" border="0" summary="TABLE OF CONTENTS"> + <tr align="center"> + <td colspan="4"><a href="#LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"><b>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</b></a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td colspan="4"> </td> + </tr> + <tr align="center"> + <td colspan="4"><a href="#PART_I"><strong>PART I</strong></a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_I">Chapter I</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Chapter II</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_III">Chapter III</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Chapter IV</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_V">Chapter V</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Chapter VI</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Chapter VII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Chapter VIII</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Chapter IX</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Chapter X</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">Chapter XI</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">Chapter XII</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Chapter XIII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">Chapter XIV</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Chapter XV</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Chapter XVI</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Chapter XVII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">Chapter XVIII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Chapter XIX</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Chapter XX</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td colspan="4"> </td> + </tr> + <tr align="center"> + <td colspan="4"><a href="#PART_II"><strong>PART II</strong></a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_Ib">Chapter I</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IIb">Chapter II</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IIIb">Chapter III</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IVb">Chapter IV</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_Vb">Chapter V</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIb">Chapter VI</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIIb">Chapter VII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIIIb">Chapter VIII</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IXb">Chapter IX</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_Xb">Chapter X</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIb">Chapter XI</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIIb">Chapter XII</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIIIb">Chapter XIII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIVb">Chapter XIV</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVb">Chapter XV</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIb">Chapter XVI</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIIb">Chapter XVII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIIIb">Chapter XVIII</a></td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIXb">Chapter XIX</a></td> + <td> </td> + </tr> +</table> + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> + +<table width="65%" border="0" summary="LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS"> + <tr> + <td> </td> + <td align="right">FACING PAGE</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"With somber faces ... their muscles stiff with insufficient sleep"</td> + <td align="right"><i><a href="#illus002">Frontispiece</a></i></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"The mother ... strained her untrained mind to listen" </td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus041">34</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"It seemed to Vlasova that the officer was but waiting for her tears"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus101">92</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"Taking out one package of books after the other, she shoved them into the hands of the brothers"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus127">116</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"The mother's heart quivered with impatience"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus155">142</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"'Listen, for the sake of Christ'"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus247">232</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"The men listened in silence"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus313">296</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>"'Run, run!' whispered the mother"</td> + <td align="right"><a href="#illus447">428</a></td> + </tr> + </table> + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="PART_I" id="PART_I"></a>PART I</h2> + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h3> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_e.png" alt="E" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Every day the factory whistle bellowed forth its shrill, roaring, + trembling noises into the smoke-begrimed and greasy atmosphere of the + workingmen's suburb; and obedient to the summons of the power of steam, + people poured out of little gray houses into the street. With somber + faces they hastened forward like frightened roaches, their muscles stiff + from insufficient sleep. In the chill morning twilight they walked + through the narrow, unpaved street to the tall stone cage that waited + for them with cold assurance, illumining their muddy road with scores of + greasy, yellow, square eyes. The mud plashed under their feet as if in + mocking commiseration. Hoarse exclamations of sleepy voices were heard; + irritated, peevish, abusive language rent the air with malice; and, to + welcome the people, deafening sounds floated about—the heavy whir of + machinery, the dissatisfied snort of steam. Stern and somber, the black + chimneys stretched their huge, thick sticks high above the village.</p></div> + + <p>In the evening, when the sun was setting, and red rays languidly + glimmered upon the windows of the houses, the factory ejected its people + like burned-out ashes, and again they walked through the streets, with + black, smoke-covered faces, radiating the sticky odor of machine oil, + and showing the gleam of hungry teeth. But now there was animation in + their voices, and even gladness. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>The servitude of hard toil was over + for the day. Supper awaited them at home, and respite.</p> + + <p>The day was swallowed up by the factory; the machine sucked out of men's + muscles as much vigor as it needed. The day was blotted out from life, + not a trace of it left. Man made another imperceptible step toward his + grave; but he saw close before him the delights of rest, the joys of the + odorous tavern, and he was satisfied.</p> + + <p>On holidays the workers slept until about ten o'clock. Then the staid + and married people dressed themselves in their best clothes and, after + duly scolding the young folks for their indifference to church, went to + hear mass. When they returned from church, they ate pirogs, the Russian + national pastry, and again lay down to sleep until the evening. The + accumulated exhaustion of years had robbed them of their appetites, and + to be able to eat they drank, long and deep, goading on their feeble + stomachs with the biting, burning lash of vodka.</p> + + <p>In the evening they amused themselves idly on the street; and those who + had overshoes put them on, even if it was dry, and those who had + umbrellas carried them, even if the sun was shining. Not everybody has + overshoes and an umbrella, but everybody desires in some way, however + small, to appear more important than his neighbor.</p> + + <p>Meeting one another they spoke about the factory and the machines, had + their fling against their foreman, conversed and thought only of matters + closely and manifestly connected with their work. Only rarely, and then + but faintly, did solitary sparks of impotent thought glimmer in the + wearisome monotony of their talk. Returning home they quarreled with + their wives, and often beat them, unsparing of their fists. The young + people sat in <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>the taverns, or enjoyed evening parties at one another's + houses, played the accordion, sang vulgar songs devoid of beauty, + danced, talked ribaldry, and drank.</p> + + <p>Exhausted with toil, men drank swiftly, and in every heart there awoke + and grew an incomprehensible, sickly irritation. It demanded an outlet. + Clutching tenaciously at every pretext for unloading themselves of this + disquieting sensation, they fell on one another for mere trifles, with + the spiteful ferocity of beasts, breaking into bloody quarrels which + sometimes ended in serious injury and on rare occasions even in murder.</p> + + <p>This lurking malice steadily increased, inveterate as the incurable + weariness in their muscles. They were born with this disease of the soul + inherited from their fathers. Like a black shadow it accompanied them to + their graves, spurring on their lives to crime, hideous in its aimless + cruelty and brutality.</p> + + <p>On holidays the young people came home late at night, dirty and dusty, + their clothes torn, their faces bruised, boasting maliciously of the + blows they had struck their companions, or the insults they had + inflicted upon them; enraged or in tears over the indignities they + themselves had suffered; drunken and piteous, unfortunate and repulsive. + Sometimes the boys would be brought home by the mother or the father, + who had picked them up in the street or in a tavern, drunk to + insensibility. The parents scolded and swore at them peevishly, and beat + their spongelike bodies, soaked with liquor; then more or less + systematically put them to bed, in order to rouse them to work early + next morning, when the bellow of the whistle should sullenly course + through the air.</p> + + <p>They scolded and beat the children soundly, notwithstanding the fact + that drunkenness and brawls <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>among young folk appeared perfectly + legitimate to the old people. When they were young they, too, had drunk + and fought; they, too, had been beaten by their mothers and fathers. + Life had always been like that. It flowed on monotonously and slowly + somewhere down the muddy, turbid stream, year after year; and it was all + bound up in strong ancient customs and habits that led them to do one + and the same thing day in and day out. None of them, it seemed, had + either the time or the desire to attempt to change this state of life.</p> + + <p>Once in a long while a stranger would come to the village. At first he + attracted attention merely because he was a stranger. Then he aroused a + light, superficial interest by the stories of the places where he had + worked. Afterwards the novelty wore off, the people got used to him, and + he remained unnoticed. From his stories it was clear that the life of + the workingmen was the same everywhere. And if so, then what was there + to talk about?</p> + + <p>Occasionally, however, some stranger spoke curious things never heard of + in the suburb. The men did not argue with him, but listened to his odd + speeches with incredulity. His words aroused blind irritation in some, + perplexed alarm in others, while still others were disturbed by a + feeble, shadowy glimmer of the hope of something, they knew not what. + And they all began to drink more in order to drive away the unnecessary, + meddlesome excitement.</p> + + <p>Noticing in the stranger something unusual, the villagers cherished it + long against him and treated the man who was not like them with + unaccountable apprehension. It was as if they feared he would throw + something into their life which would disturb its straight, dismal + course. Sad and difficult, it was yet even in its tenor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> People were + accustomed to the fact that life always oppressed them with the same + power. Unhopeful of any turn for the better, they regarded every change + as capable only of increasing their burden.</p> + + <p>And the workingmen of the suburb tacitly avoided people who spoke + unusual things to them. Then these people disappeared again, going off + elsewhere, and those who remained in the factory lived apart, if they + could not blend and make one whole with the monotonous mass in the + village.</p> + + <p>Living a life like that for some fifty years, a workman died.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>Thus also lived Michael Vlasov, a gloomy, sullen man, with little eyes + which looked at everybody from under his thick eyebrows suspiciously, + with a mistrustful, evil smile. He was the best locksmith in the + factory, and the strongest man in the village. But he was insolent and + disrespectful toward the foreman and the superintendent, and therefore + earned little; every holiday he beat somebody, and everyone disliked and + feared him.</p> + + <p>More than one attempt was made to beat him in turn, but without success. + When Vlasov found himself threatened with attack, he caught a stone in + his hand, or a piece of wood or iron, and spreading out his legs stood + waiting in silence for the enemy. His face overgrown with a dark beard + from his eyes to his neck, and his hands thickly covered with woolly + hair, inspired everybody with fear. People were especially afraid of his + eyes. Small and keen, they seemed to bore through a man like steel + gimlets, and everyone who met their gaze felt he was confronting a + beast, a savage power, inaccessible to fear, ready to strike + unmercifully.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Well, pack off, dirty vermin!" he said gruffly. His coarse, yellow + teeth glistened terribly through the thick hair on his face. The men + walked off uttering coward abuse.</p> + + <p>"Dirty vermin!" he snapped at them, and his eyes gleamed with a smile + sharp as an awl. Then holding his head in an attitude of direct + challenge, with a short, thick pipe between his teeth, he walked behind + them, and now and then called out: "Well, who wants death?"</p> + + <p>No one wanted it.</p> + + <p>He spoke little, and "dirty vermin" was his favorite expression. It was + the name he used for the authorities of the factory, and the police, and + it was the epithet with which he addressed his wife: "Look, you dirty + vermin, don't you see my clothes are torn?"</p> + + <p>When Pavel, his son, was a boy of fourteen, Vlasov was one day seized + with the desire to pull him by the hair once more. But Pavel grasped a + heavy hammer, and said curtly:</p> + + <p>"Don't touch me!"</p> + + <p>"What!" demanded his father, bending over the tall, slender figure of + his son like a shadow on a birch tree.</p> + + <p>"Enough!" said Pavel. "I am not going to give myself up any more."</p> + + <p>And opening his dark eyes wide, he waved the hammer in the air.</p> + + <p>His father looked at him, folded his shaggy hands on his back, and, + smiling, said:</p> + + <p>"All right." Then he drew a heavy breath and added: "Ah, you dirty + vermin!"</p> + + <p>Shortly after this he said to his wife:</p> + + <p>"Don't ask me for money any more. Pasha will feed you now."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And you will drink up everything?" she ventured to ask.</p> + + <p>"None of your business, dirty vermin!" From that time, for three years, + until his death, he did not notice, and did not speak to his son.</p> + + <p>Vlasov had a dog as big and shaggy as himself. She accompanied him to + the factory every morning, and every evening she waited for him at the + gate. On holidays Vlasov started off on his round of the taverns. He + walked in silence, and stared into people's faces as if looking for + somebody. His dog trotted after him the whole day long. Returning home + drunk he sat down to supper, and gave his dog to eat from his own bowl. + He never beat her, never scolded, and never petted her. After supper he + flung the dishes from the table—if his wife was not quick enough to + remove them in time—put a bottle of whisky before him, and leaning his + back against the wall, began in a hoarse voice that spread anguish about + him to bawl a song, his mouth wide open and his eyes closed. The doleful + sounds got entangled in his mustache, knocking off the crumbs of bread. + He smoothed down the hair of his beard and mustache with his thick + fingers and sang—sang unintelligible words, long drawn out. The melody + recalled the wintry howl of wolves. He sang as long as there was whisky + in the bottle, then he dropped on his side upon the bench, or let his + head sink on the table, and slept in this way until the whistle began to + blow. The dog lay at his side.</p> + + <p>When he died, he died hard. For five days, turned all black, he rolled + in his bed, gnashing his teeth, his eyes tightly closed. Sometimes he + would say to his wife: "Give me arsenic. Poison me."</p> + + <p>She called a physician. He ordered hot poultices,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> but said an operation + was necessary and the patient must be taken at once to the hospital.</p> + + <p>"Go to the devil! I will die by myself, dirty vermin!" said Michael.</p> + + <p>And when the physician had left, and his wife with tears in her eyes + began to insist on an operation, he clenched his fists and announced + threateningly:</p> + + <p>"Don't you dare! It will be worse for you if I get well."</p> + + <p>He died in the morning at the moment when the whistle called the men to + work. He lay in the coffin with open mouth, his eyebrows knit as if in a + scowl. He was buried by his wife, his son, the dog, an old drunkard and + thief, Daniel Vyesovshchikov, a discharged smelter, and a few beggars of + the suburb. His wife wept a little and quietly; Pavel did not weep at + all. The villagers who met the funeral in the street stopped, crossed + themselves, and said to one another: "Guess Pelagueya is glad he died!" + And some corrected: "He didn't die; he rotted away like a beast."</p> + + <p>When the body was put in the ground, the people went away, but the dog + remained for a long time, and sitting silently on the fresh soil, she + sniffed at the grave.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Two weeks after the death of his father, on a Sunday, Pavel came home + very drunk. Staggering he crawled to a corner in the front of the room, + and striking his fist on the table as his father used to do, shouted to + his mother:</p></div> + + <p>"Supper!"</p> + + <p>The mother walked up to him, sat down at his side, and with her arm + around her son, drew his head upon her breast. With his hand on her + shoulder he pushed her away and shouted:</p> + + <p>"Mother, quick!"</p> + + <p>"You foolish boy!" said the mother in a sad and affectionate voice, + trying to overcome his resistance.</p> + + <p>"I am going to smoke, too. Give me father's pipe," mumbled Pavel + indistinctly, wagging his tongue heavily.</p> + + <p>It was the first time he had been drunk. The alcohol weakened his body, + but it did not quench his consciousness, and the question knocked at his + brain: "Drunk? Drunk?"</p> + + <p>The fondling of his mother troubled him, and he was touched by the + sadness in her eyes. He wanted to weep, and in order to overcome this + desire he endeavored to appear more drunk than he actually was.</p> + + <p>The mother stroked his tangled hair, and said in a low voice:</p> + + <p>"Why did you do it? You oughtn't to have done it."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></p> + + <p>He began to feel sick, and after a violent attack of nausea the mother + put him to bed, and laid a wet towel over his pale forehead. He sobered + a little, but under and around him everything seemed to be rocking; his + eyelids grew heavy; he felt a bad, sour taste in his mouth; he looked + through his eyelashes on his mother's large face, and thought + disjointedly:</p> + + <p>"It seems it's too early for me. Others drink and nothing happens—and I + feel sick."</p> + + <p>Somewhere from a distance came the mother's soft voice:</p> + + <p>"What sort of a breadgiver will you be to me if you begin to drink?"</p> + + <p>He shut his eyes tightly and answered:</p> + + <p>"Everybody drinks."</p> + + <p>The mother sighed. He was right. She herself knew that besides the + tavern there was no place where people could enjoy themselves; besides + the taste of whisky there was no other gratification. Nevertheless she + said:</p> + + <p>"But don't you drink. Your father drank for both of you. And he made + enough misery for me. Take pity on your mother, then, will you not?"</p> + + <p>Listening to the soft, pitiful words of his mother, Pavel remembered + that in his father's lifetime she had remained unnoticed in the house. + She had been silent and had always lived in anxious expectation of + blows. Desiring to avoid his father, he had been home very little of + late; he had become almost unaccustomed to his mother, and now, as he + gradually sobered up, he looked at her fixedly.</p> + + <p>She was tall and somewhat stooping. Her heavy body, broken down with + long years of toil and the beatings of her husband, moved about + noiselessly and inclined to one side, as if she were in constant fear + of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> knocking up against something. Her broad oval face, wrinkled and + puffy, was lighted up with a pair of dark eyes, troubled and melancholy + as those of most of the women in the village. On her right eyebrow was a + deep scar, which turned the eyebrow upward a little; her right ear, too, + seemed to be higher than the left, which gave her face the appearance of + alarmed listening. Gray locks glistened in her thick, dark hair, like + the imprints of heavy blows. Altogether she was soft, melancholy, and + submissive.</p> + + <p>Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.</p> + + <p>"Wait, don't cry!" begged the son in a soft voice. "Give me a drink."</p> + + <p>She rose and said:</p> + + <p>"I'll give you some ice water."</p> + + <p>But when she returned he was already asleep. She stood over him for a + minute, trying to breathe lightly. The cup in her hand trembled, and the + ice knocked against the tin. Then, setting the cup on the table, she + knelt before the sacred image upon the wall, and began to pray in + silence. The sounds of dark, drunken life beat against the window panes; + an accordion screeched in the misty darkness of the autumn night; some + one sang a loud song; some one was swearing with ugly, vile oaths, and + the excited sounds of women's irritated, weary voices cut the air.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>Life in the little house of the Vlasovs flowed on monotonously, but more + calmly and undisturbed than before, and somewhat different from + everywhere else in the suburb.</p> + + <p>The house stood at the edge of the village, by a low but steep and muddy + declivity. A third of the house was occupied by the kitchen and a small + room used for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> mother's bedroom, separated from the kitchen by a + partition reaching partially to the ceiling. The other two thirds formed + a square room with two windows. In one corner stood Pavel's bed, in + front a table and two benches. Some chairs, a washstand with a small + looking-glass over it, a trunk with clothes, a clock on the wall, and + two ikons—this was the entire outfit of the household.</p> + + <p>Pavel tried to live like the rest. He did all a young lad should + do—bought himself an accordion, a shirt with a starched front, a + loud-colored necktie, overshoes, and a cane. Externally he became like + all the other youths of his age. He went to evening parties and learned + to dance a quadrille and a polka. On holidays he came home drunk, and + always suffered greatly from the effects of liquor. In the morning his + head ached, he was tormented by heartburns, his face was pale and dull.</p> + + <p>Once his mother asked him:</p> + + <p>"Well, did you have a good time yesterday?"</p> + + <p>He answered dismally and with irritation:</p> + + <p>"Oh, dreary as a graveyard! Everybody is like a machine. I'd better go + fishing or buy myself a gun."</p> + + <p>He worked faithfully, without intermission and without incurring fines. + He was taciturn, and his eyes, blue and large like his mother's, looked + out discontentedly. He did not buy a gun, nor did he go a-fishing; but + he gradually began to avoid the beaten path trodden by all. His + attendance at parties became less and less frequent, and although he + went out somewhere on holidays, he always returned home sober. His + mother watched him unobtrusively but closely, and saw the tawny face of + her son grow keener and keener, and his eyes more serious. She noticed + that his lips were compressed in a peculiar manner, imparting an odd + expression of austerity to his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> face. It seemed as if he were always + angry at something, or as if a canker gnawed at him. At first his + friends came to visit him, but never finding him at home, they remained + away.</p> + + <p>The mother was glad to see her son turning out different from all the + other factory youth; but a feeling of anxiety and apprehension stirred + in her heart when she observed that he was obstinately and resolutely + directing his life into obscure paths leading away from the routine + existence about him—that he turned in his career neither to the right + nor the left.</p> + + <p>He began to bring books home with him. At first he tried to escape + attention when reading them; and after he had finished a book, he hid + it. Sometimes he copied a passage on a piece of paper, and hid that + also.</p> + + <p>"Aren't you well, Pavlusha?" the mother asked once.</p> + + <p>"I'm all right," he answered.</p> + + <p>"You are so thin," said the mother with a sigh.</p> + + <p>He was silent.</p> + + <p>They spoke infrequently, and saw each other very little. In the morning + he drank tea in silence, and went off to work; at noon he came for + dinner, a few insignificant remarks were passed at the table, and he + again disappeared until the evening. And in the evening, the day's work + ended, he washed himself, took supper, and then fell to his books, and + read for a long time. On holidays he left home in the morning and + returned late at night. She knew he went to the city and the theater; + but nobody from the city ever came to visit him. It seemed to her that + with the lapse of time her son spoke less and less; and at the same time + she noticed that occasionally and with increasing frequency he used new + words unintelligible to her, and that the coarse, rude,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> and hard + expressions dropped from his speech. In his general conduct, also, + certain traits appeared, forcing themselves upon his mother's attention. + He ceased to affect the dandy, but became more attentive to the + cleanliness of his body and dress, and moved more freely and alertly. + The increasing softness and simplicity of his manner aroused a + disquieting interest in his mother.</p> + + <p>Once he brought a picture and hung it on the wall. It represented three + persons walking lightly and boldly, and conversing.</p> + + <p>"This is Christ risen from the dead, and going to Emmaus," explained + Pavel.</p> + + <p>The mother liked the picture, but she thought:</p> + + <p>"You respect Christ, and yet you do not go to church."</p> + + <p>Then more pictures appeared on the walls, and the number of books + increased on the shelves neatly made for him by one of his carpenter + friends. The room began to look like a home.</p> + + <p>He addressed his mother with the reverential plural "you," and called + her "mother" instead of "mamma." But sometimes he turned to her + suddenly, and briefly used the simple and familiar form of the singular: + "Mamma, please be not thou disturbed if I come home late to-night."</p> + + <p>This pleased her; in such words she felt something serious and strong.</p> + + <p>But her uneasiness increased. Since her son's strangeness was not + clarified with time, her heart became more and more sharply troubled + with a foreboding of something unusual. Every now and then she felt a + certain dissatisfaction with him, and she thought: "All people are like + people, and he is like a monk. He is so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> stern. It's not according to + his years." At other times she thought: "Maybe he has become interested + in some sort of a girl down there."</p> + + <p>But to go about with girls, money is needed, and he gave almost all his + earnings to her.</p> + + <p>Thus weeks and months elapsed; and imperceptibly two years slipped by, + two years of a strange, silent life, full of disquieting thoughts and + anxieties that kept continually increasing.</p> + + <p>Once, when after supper Pavel drew the curtain over the window, sat down + in a corner, and began to read, his tin lamp hanging on the wall over + his head, the mother, after removing the dishes, came out from the + kitchen and carefully walked up to him. He raised his head, and without + speaking looked at her with a questioning expression.</p> + + <p>"Nothing, Pasha, just so!" she said hastily, and walked away, moving her + eyebrows agitatedly. But after standing in the kitchen for a moment, + motionless, thoughtful, deeply preoccupied, she washed her hands and + approached her son again.</p> + + <p>"I want to ask you," she said in a low, soft voice, "what you read all + the time."</p> + + <p>He put his book aside and said to her:</p> + + <p>"Sit down, mother."</p> + + <p>The mother sat down heavily at his side, and straightening herself into + an attitude of intense, painful expectation waited for something + momentous.</p> + + <p>Without looking at her, Pavel spoke, not loudly, but for some reason + very sternly:</p> + + <p>"I am reading forbidden books. They are forbidden to be read because + they tell the truth about our—about the workingmen's life. They are + printed in secret, and if I am found with them I will be put in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> + prison—I will be put in prison because I want to know the truth."</p> + + <p>Breathing suddenly became difficult for her. Opening her eyes wide she + looked at her son, and he seemed to her new, as if a stranger. His voice + was different, lower, deeper, more sonorous. He pinched his thin, downy + mustache, and looked oddly askance into the corner. She grew anxious for + her son and pitied him.</p> + + <p>"Why do you do this, Pasha?"</p> + + <p>He raised his head, looked at her, and said in a low, calm voice:</p> + + <p>"I want to know the truth."</p> + + <p>His voice sounded placid, but firm; and his eyes flashed resolution. She + understood with her heart that her son had consecrated himself forever + to something mysterious and awful. Everything in life had always + appeared to her inevitable; she was accustomed to submit without + thought, and now, too, she only wept softly, finding no words, but in + her heart she was oppressed with sorrow and distress.</p> + + <p>"Don't cry," said Pavel, kindly and softly; and it seemed to her that he + was bidding her farewell.</p> + + <p>"Think what kind of a life you are leading. You are forty years old, and + have you lived? Father beat you. I understand now that he avenged his + wretchedness on your body, the wretchedness of his life. It pressed upon + him, and he did not know whence it came. He worked for thirty years; he + began to work when the whole factory occupied but two buildings; now + there are seven of them. The mills grow, and people die, working for + them."</p> + + <p>She listened to him eagerly and awestruck. His eyes burned with a + beautiful radiance. Leaning forward on the table he moved nearer to his + mother, and looking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> straight into her face, wet with tears, he + delivered his first speech to her about the truth which he had now come + to understand. With the <i>naïveté</i> of youth, and the ardor of a young + student proud of his knowledge, religiously confiding in its truth, he + spoke about everything that was clear to him, and spoke not so much for + his mother as to verify and strengthen his own opinions. At times he + halted, finding no words, and then he saw before him a disturbed face, + in which dimly shone a pair of kind eyes clouded with tears. They looked + on with awe and perplexity. He was sorry for his mother, and began to + speak again, about herself and her life.</p> + + <p>"What joys did you know?" he asked. "What sort of a past can you + recall?"</p> + + <p>She listened and shook her head dolefully, feeling something new, + unknown to her, both sorrowful and gladsome, like a caress to her + troubled and aching heart. It was the first time she had heard such + language about herself, her own life. It awakened in her misty, dim + thoughts, long dormant; gently roused an almost extinct feeling of + rebellion, perplexed dissatisfaction—thoughts and feelings of a remote + youth. She often discussed life with her neighbors, spoke a great deal + about everything; but all, herself included, only complained; no one + explained why life was so hard and burdensome.</p> + + <p>And now her son sat before her; and what he said about her—his eyes, + his face, his words—it all clutched at her heart, filling her with a + sense of pride for her son, who truly understood the life of his mother, + and spoke the truth about her and her sufferings, and pitied her.</p> + + <p>Mothers are not pitied. She knew it. She did not understand Pavel when + speaking about matters not pertaining to herself, but all he said about + her own woman's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> existence was bitterly familiar and true. Hence it + seemed to her that every word of his was perfectly true, and her bosom + throbbed with a gentle sensation which warmed it more and more with an + unknown, kindly caress.</p> + + <p>"What do you want to do, then?" she asked, interrupting his speech.</p> + + <p>"Study and then teach others. We workingmen must study. We must learn, + we must understand why life is so hard for us."</p> + + <p>It was sweet to her to see that his blue eyes, always so serious and + stern, now glowed with warmth, softly illuminating something new within + him. A soft, contented smile played around her lips, although the tears + still trembled in the wrinkles of her face. She wavered between two + feelings: pride in her son who desired the good of all people, had pity + for all, and understood the sorrow and affliction of life; and the + involuntary regret for his youth, because he did not speak like + everybody else, because he resolved to enter alone into a fight against + the life to which all, including herself, were accustomed.</p> + + <p>She wanted to say to him: "My dear, what can you do? People will crush + you. You will perish."</p> + + <p>But it was pleasant to her to listen to his speeches, and she feared to + disturb her delight in her son, who suddenly revealed himself so new and + wise, even if somewhat strange.</p> + + <p>Pavel saw the smile around his mother's lips, the attention in her face, + the love in her eyes; and it seemed to him that he compelled her to + understand his truth; and youthful pride in the power of his word + heightened his faith in himself. Seized with enthusiasm, he continued to + talk, now smiling, now frowning. Occasionally hatred sounded in his + words; and when his mother heard its bitter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> harsh accents she shook + her head, frightened, and asked in a low voice:</p> + + <p>"Is it so, Pasha?"</p> + + <p>"It is so!" he answered firmly. And he told her about people who wanted + the good of men, and who sowed truth among them; and because of this the + enemies of life hunted them down like beasts, thrust them into prisons, + and exiled them, and set them to hard labor.</p> + + <p>"I have seen such people!" he exclaimed passionately. "They are the best + people on earth!"</p> + + <p>These people filled the mother with terror, and she wanted to ask her + son: "Is it so, Pasha?"</p> + + <p>But she hesitated, and leaning back she listened to the stories of + people incomprehensible to her, who taught her son to speak and think + words and thoughts so dangerous to him. Finally she said:</p> + + <p>"It will soon be daylight. You ought to go to bed. You've got to go to + work."</p> + + <p>"Yes, I'll go to bed at once," he assented. "Did you understand me?"</p> + + <p>"I did," she said, drawing a deep breath. Tears rolled down from her + eyes again, and breaking into sobs she added: "You will perish, my son!"</p> + + <p>Pavel walked up and down the room.</p> + + <p>"Well, now you know what I am doing and where I am going. I told you + all. I beg of you, mother, if you love me, do not hinder me!"</p> + + <p>"My darling, my beloved!" she cried, "maybe it would be better for me + not to have known anything!"</p> + + <p>He took her hand and pressed it firmly in his. The word "mother," + pronounced by him with feverish emphasis, and that clasp of the hand so + new and strange, moved her.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I will do nothing!" she said in a broken voice. "Only be on your guard! + Be on your guard!" Not knowing what he should be on his guard against, + nor how to warn him, she added mournfully: "You are getting so thin."</p> + + <p>And with a look of affectionate warmth, which seemed to embrace his + firm, well-shaped body, she said hastily, and in a low voice:</p> + + <p>"God be with you! Live as you want to. I will not hinder you. One thing + only I beg of you—do not speak to people unguardedly! You must be on + the watch with people; they all hate one another. They live in greed and + envy; all are glad to do injury; people persecute out of sheer + amusement. When you begin to accuse them and to judge them, they will + hate you, and will hound you to destruction!"</p> + + <p>Pavel stood in the doorway listening to the melancholy speech, and when + the mother had finished he said with a smile:</p> + + <p>"Yes, people are sorry creatures; but when I came to recognize that + there is truth in the world, people became better." He smiled again and + added: "I do not know how it happened myself! From childhood I feared + everybody; as I grew up I began to hate everybody, some for their + meanness, others—well, I do not know why—just so! And now I see all + the people in a different way. I am grieved for them all! I cannot + understand it; but my heart turned softer when I recognized that there + is truth in men, and that not all are to blame for their foulness and + filth."</p> + + <p>He was silent as if listening to something within himself. Then he said + in a low voice and thoughtfully:</p> + + <p>"That's how truth lives."</p> + + <p>She looked at him tenderly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> + + <p>"May God protect you!" she sighed. "It is a dangerous change that has + come upon you."</p> + + <p>When he had fallen asleep, the mother rose carefully from her bed and + came gently into her son's room. Pavel's swarthy, resolute, stern face + was clearly outlined against the white pillow. Pressing her hand to her + bosom, the mother stood at his bedside. Her lips moved mutely, and great + tears rolled down her cheeks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_a.png" alt="A" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Again they lived in silence, distant and yet near to each other. Once, + in the middle of the week, on a holiday, as he was preparing to leave + the house he said to his mother:</p></div> + + <p>"I expect some people here on Saturday."</p> + + <p>"What people?" she asked.</p> + + <p>"Some people from our village, and others from the city."</p> + + <p>"From the city?" repeated the mother, shaking her head. And suddenly she + broke into sobs.</p> + + <p>"Now, mother, why this?" cried Pavel resentfully. "What for?"</p> + + <p>Drying her face with her apron, she answered quietly:</p> + + <p>"I don't know, but it is the way I feel."</p> + + <p>He paced up and down the room, then halting before her, said:</p> + + <p>"Are you afraid?"</p> + + <p>"I am afraid," she acknowledged. "Those people from the city—who knows + them?"</p> + + <p>He bent down to look in her face, and said in an offended tone, and, it + seemed to her, angrily, like his father:</p> + + <p>"This fear is what is the ruin of us all. And some dominate us; they + take advantage of our fear and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> frighten us still more. Mark this: as + long as people are afraid, they will rot like the birches in the marsh. + We must grow bold; it is time!</p> + + <p>"It's all the same," he said, as he turned from her; "they'll meet in my + house, anyway."</p> + + <p>"Don't be angry with me!" the mother begged sadly. "How can I help being + afraid? All my life I have lived in fear!"</p> + + <p>"Forgive me!" was his gentler reply, "but I cannot do otherwise," and he + walked away.</p> + + <p>For three days her heart was in a tremble, sinking in fright each time + she remembered that strange people were soon to come to her house. She + could not picture them to herself, but it seemed to her they were + terrible people. It was they who had shown her son the road he was + going.</p> + + <p>On Saturday night Pavel came from the factory, washed himself, put on + clean clothes, and when walking out of the house said to his mother + without looking at her:</p> + + <p>"When they come, tell them I'll be back soon. Let them wait a while. And + please don't be afraid. They are people like all other people."</p> + + <p>She sank into her seat almost fainting.</p> + + <p>Her son looked at her soberly. "Maybe you'd better go away somewhere," + he suggested.</p> + + <p>The thought offended her. Shaking her head in dissent, she said:</p> + + <p>"No, it's all the same. What for?"</p> + + <p>It was the end of November. During the day a dry, fine snow had fallen + upon the frozen earth, and now she heard it crunching outside the window + under her son's feet as he walked away. A dense crust of darkness + settled immovably upon the window panes, and seemed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> lie in hostile + watch for something. Supporting herself on the bench, the mother sat and + waited, looking at the door.</p> + + <p>It seemed to her that people were stealthily and watchfully walking + about the house in the darkness, stooping and looking about on all + sides, strangely attired and silent. There around the house some one was + already coming, fumbling with his hands along the wall.</p> + + <p>A whistle was heard. It circled around like the notes of a fine chord, + sad and melodious, wandered musingly into the wilderness of darkness, + and seemed to be searching for something. It came nearer. Suddenly it + died away under the window, as if it had entered into the wood of the + wall. The noise of feet was heard on the porch. The mother started, and + rose with a strained, frightened look in her eyes.</p> + + <p>The door opened. At first a head with a big, shaggy hat thrust itself + into the room; then a slender, bending body crawled in, straightened + itself out, and deliberately raised its right hand.</p> + + <p>"Good evening!" said the man, in a thick, bass voice, breathing heavily.</p> + + <p>The mother bowed in silence.</p> + + <p>"Pavel is not at home yet?"</p> + + <p>The stranger leisurely removed his short fur jacket, raised one foot, + whipped the snow from his boot with his hat, then did the same with the + other foot, flung his hat into a corner, and rocking on his thin legs + walked into the room, looking back at the imprints he left on the floor. + He approached the table, examined it as if to satisfy himself of its + solidity, and finally sat down and, covering his mouth with his hand, + yawned. His head was perfectly round and close-cropped, his face shaven + except<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> for a thin mustache, the ends of which pointed downward.</p> + + <p>After carefully scrutinizing the room with his large, gray, protuberant + eyes, he crossed his legs, and, leaning his head over the table, + inquired:</p> + + <p>"Is this your own house, or do you rent it?"</p> + + <p>The mother, sitting opposite him, answered:</p> + + <p>"We rent it."</p> + + <p>"Not a very fine house," he remarked.</p> + + <p>"Pasha will soon be here; wait," said the mother quietly.</p> + + <p>"Why, yes, I am waiting," said the man.</p> + + <p>His calmness, his deep, sympathetic voice, and the candor and simplicity + of his face encouraged the mother. He looked at her openly and kindly, + and a merry sparkle played in the depths of his transparent eyes. In the + entire angular, stooping figure, with its thin legs, there was something + comical, yet winning. He was dressed in a blue shirt, and dark, loose + trousers thrust into his boots. She was seized with the desire to ask + him who he was, whence he came, and whether he had known her son long. + But suddenly he himself put a question, leaning forward with a swing of + his whole body.</p> + + <p>"Who made that hole in your forehead, mother?"</p> + + <p>His question was uttered in a kind voice and with a noticeable smile in + his eyes; but the woman was offended by the sally. She pressed her lips + together tightly, and after a pause rejoined with cold civility:</p> + + <p>"And what business is it of yours, sir?"</p> + + <p>With the same swing of his whole body toward her, he said:</p> + + <p>"Now, don't get angry! I ask because my foster mother had her head + smashed just exactly like yours. It was her man who did it for her once, + with a last—he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> was a shoemaker, you see. She was a washerwoman and he + was a shoemaker. It was after she had taken me as her son that she found + him somewhere, a drunkard, and married him, to her great misfortune. He + beat her—I tell you, my skin almost burst with terror."</p> + + <p>The mother felt herself disarmed by his openness. Moreover, it occurred + to her that perhaps her son would be displeased with her harsh reply to + this odd personage. Smiling guiltily she said:</p> + + <p>"I am not angry, but—you see—you asked so very soon. It was my good + man, God rest his soul! who treated me to the cut. Are you a Tartar?"</p> + + <p>The stranger stretched out his feet, and smiled so broad a smile that + the ends of his mustache traveled to the nape of his neck. Then he said + seriously:</p> + + <p>"Not yet. I'm not a Tartar yet."</p> + + <p>"I asked because I rather thought the way you spoke was not exactly + Russian," she explained, catching his joke.</p> + + <p>"I am better than a Russian, I am!" said the guest laughingly. "I am a + Little Russian from the city of Kanyev."</p> + + <p>"And have you been here long?"</p> + + <p>"I lived in the city about a month, and I came to your factory about a + month ago. I found some good people, your son and a few others. I will + live here for a while," he said, twirling his mustache.</p> + + <p>The man pleased the mother, and, yielding to the impulse to repay him in + some way for his kind words about her son, she questioned again:</p> + + <p>"Maybe you'd like to have a glass of tea?"</p> + + <p>"What! An entertainment all to myself!" he answered, raising his + shoulders. "I'll wait for the honor until we are all here."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p> + + <p>This allusion to the coming of others recalled her fear to her.</p> + + <p>"If they all are only like this one!" was her ardent wish.</p> + + <p>Again steps were heard on the porch. The door opened quickly, and the + mother rose. This time she was taken completely aback by the newcomer in + her kitchen—a poorly and lightly dressed girl of medium height, with + the simple face of a peasant woman, and a head of thick, dark hair. + Smiling she said in a low voice:</p> + + <p>"Am I late?"</p> + + <p>"Why, no!" answered the Little Russian, looking out of the living room. + "Come on foot?"</p> + + <p>"Of course! Are you the mother of Pavel Vlasov? Good evening! My name is + Natasha."</p> + + <p>"And your other name?" inquired the mother.</p> + + <p>"Vasilyevna. And yours?"</p> + + <p>"Pelagueya Nilovna."</p> + + <p>"So here we are all acquainted."</p> + + <p>"Yes," said the mother, breathing more easily, as if relieved, and + looking at the girl with a smile.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian helped her off with her cloak, and inquired:</p> + + <p>"Is it cold?"</p> + + <p>"Out in the open, very! The wind—goodness!"</p> + + <p>Her voice was musical and clear, her mouth small and smiling, her body + round and vigorous. Removing her wraps, she rubbed her ruddy cheeks + briskly with her little hands, red with the cold, and walking lightly + and quickly she passed into the room, the heels of her shoes rapping + sharply on the floor.</p> + + <p>"She goes without overshoes," the mother noted silently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Indeed it is cold," repeated the girl. "I'm frozen through—ooh!"</p> + + <p>"I'll warm up the samovar for you!" the mother said, bustling and + solicitous. "Ready in a moment," she called from the kitchen.</p> + + <p>Somehow it seemed to her she had known the girl long, and even loved her + with the tender, compassionate love of a mother. She was glad to see + her; and recalling her guest's bright blue eyes, she smiled contentedly, + as she prepared the samovar and listened to the conversation in the + room.</p> + + <p>"Why so gloomy, Nakhodka?" asked the girl.</p> + + <p>"The widow has good eyes," answered the Little Russian. "I was thinking + maybe my mother has such eyes. You know, I keep thinking of her as + alive."</p> + + <p>"You said she was dead?"</p> + + <p>"That's my adopted mother. I am speaking now of my real mother. It seems + to me that perhaps she may be somewhere in Kiev begging alms and + drinking whisky."</p> + + <p>"Why do you think such awful things?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know. And the policemen pick her up on the street drunk and + beat her."</p> + + <p>"Oh, you poor soul," thought the mother, and sighed.</p> + + <p>Natasha muttered something hotly and rapidly; and again the sonorous + voice of the Little Russian was heard.</p> + + <p>"Ah, you are young yet, comrade," he said. "You haven't eaten enough + onions yet. Everyone has a mother, none the less people are bad. For + although it is hard to rear children, it is still harder to teach a man + to be good."</p> + + <p>"What strange ideas he has," the mother thought, and for a moment she + felt like contradicting the Little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> Russian and telling him that here + was she who would have been glad to teach her son good, but knew nothing + herself. The door, however, opened and in came Nikolay Vyesovshchikov, + the son of the old thief Daniel, known in the village as a misanthrope. + He always kept at a sullen distance from people, who retaliated by + making sport of him.</p> + + <p>"You, Nikolay! How's that?" she asked in surprise.</p> + + <p>Without replying he merely looked at the mother with his little gray + eyes, and wiped his pockmarked, high-cheeked face with the broad palm of + his hand.</p> + + <p>"Is Pavel at home?" he asked hoarsely.</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>He looked into the room and said:</p> + + <p>"Good evening, comrades."</p> + + <p>"He, too. Is it possible?" wondered the mother resentfully, and was + greatly surprised to see Natasha put her hand out to him in a kind, glad + welcome.</p> + + <p>The next to come were two young men, scarcely more than boys. One of + them the mother knew. He was Yakob, the son of the factory watchman, + Somov. The other, with a sharp-featured face, high forehead, and curly + hair, was unknown to her; but he, too, was not terrible.</p> + + <p>Finally Pavel appeared, and with him two men, both of whose faces she + recognized as those of workmen in the factory.</p> + + <p>"You've prepared the samovar! That's fine. Thank you!" said Pavel as he + saw what his mother had done.</p> + + <p>"Perhaps I should get some vodka," she suggested, not knowing how to + express her gratitude to him for something which as yet she did not + understand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> + + <p>"No, we don't need it!" he responded, removing his coat and smiling + affectionately at her.</p> + + <p>It suddenly occurred to her that her son, by way of jest, had purposely + exaggerated the danger of the gathering.</p> + + <p>"Are these the ones they call illegal people?" she whispered.</p> + + <p>"The very ones!" answered Pavel, and passed into the room.</p> + + <p>She looked lovingly after him and thought to herself condescendingly:</p> + + <p>"Mere children!"</p> + + <p>When the samovar boiled, and she brought it into the room, she found the + guests sitting in a close circle around the table, and Natasha installed + in the corner under the lamp with a book in her hands.</p> + + <p>"In order to understand why people live so badly," said Natasha.</p> + + <p>"And why they are themselves so bad," put in the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"It is necessary to see how they began to live——"</p> + + <p>"See, my dears, see!" mumbled the mother, making the tea.</p> + + <p>They all stopped talking.</p> + + <p>"What is the matter, mother?" asked Pavel, knitting his brows.</p> + + <p>"What?" She looked around, and seeing the eyes of all upon her she + explained with embarrassment, "I was just speaking to myself."</p> + + <p>Natasha laughed and Pavel smiled, but the Little Russian said: "Thank + you for the tea, mother."</p> + + <p>"Hasn't drunk it yet and thanks me already," she commented inwardly. + Looking at her son, she asked: "I am not in your way?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> + + <p>"How can the hostess in her own home be in the way of her guests?" + replied Natasha, and then continuing with childish plaintiveness: + "Mother dear, give me tea quick! I am shivering with cold; my feet are + all frozen."</p> + + <p>"In a moment, in a moment!" exclaimed the mother, hurrying.</p> + + <p>Having drunk a cup of tea, Natasha drew a long breath, brushed her hair + back from her forehead, and began to read from a large yellow-covered + book with pictures. The mother, careful not to make a noise with the + dishes, poured tea into the glasses, and strained her untrained mind to + listen to the girl's fluent reading. The melodious voice blended with + the thin, musical hum of the samovar. The clear, simple narrative of + savage people who lived in caves and killed the beasts with stones + floated and quivered like a dainty ribbon in the room. It sounded like a + tale, and the mother looked up to her son occasionally, wishing to ask + him what was illegal in the story about wild men. But she soon ceased to + follow the narrative and began to scrutinize the guests, unnoticed by + them or her son.</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 255px;"> +<a name="illus041" id="illus041"></a><a href="images/illus041.jpg"><img src="images/illus041_th.jpg" width="255" height="400" alt=""The mother ... strained her untrained mind to listen."" title=""The mother ... strained her untrained mind to listen."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"The mother ... strained her untrained mind to listen."</span> +</div> + + <p>Pavel sat at Natasha's side. He was the handsomest of them all. Natasha + bent down very low over the book. At times she tossed back the thin + curls that kept running down over her forehead, and lowered her voice to + say something not in the book, with a kind look at the faces of her + auditors. The Little Russian bent his broad chest over a corner of the + table, and squinted his eyes in the effort to see the worn ends of his + mustache, which he constantly twirled. Vyesovshchikov sat on his chair + straight as a pole, his palms resting on his knees, and his pockmarked + face, browless and thin-lipped, immobile as a mask. He kept his + narrow-eyed gaze stubbornly fixed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> upon the reflection of his face in + the glittering brass of the samovar. He seemed not even to breathe. + Little Somov moved his lips mutely, as if repeating to himself the words + in the book; and his curly-haired companion, with bent body, elbows on + knees, his face supported on his hands, smiled abstractedly. One of the + men who had entered at the same time as Pavel, a slender young chap with + red, curly hair and merry green eyes, apparently wanted to say + something; for he kept turning around impatiently. The other, + light-haired and closely cropped, stroked his head with his hand and + looked down on the floor so that his face remained invisible.</p> + + <p>It was warm in the room, and the atmosphere was genial. The mother + responded to this peculiar charm, which she had never before felt. She + was affected by the purling of Natasha's voice, mingled with the + quavering hum of the samovar, and recalled the noisy evening parties of + her youth—the coarseness of the young men, whose breath always smelled + of vodka—their cynical jokes. She remembered all this, and an + oppressive sense of pity for her own self gently stirred her worn, + outraged heart.</p> + + <p>Before her rose the scene of the wooing of her husband. At one of the + parties he had seized her in a dark porch, and pressing her with his + whole body to the wall asked in a gruff, vexed voice:</p> + + <p>"Will you marry me?"</p> + + <p>She had been pained and had felt offended; but he rudely dug his fingers + into her flesh, snorted heavily, and breathed his hot, humid breath into + her face. She struggled to tear herself out of his grasp.</p> + + <p>"Hold on!" he roared. "Answer me! Well?"</p> + + <p>Out of breath, shamed and insulted, she remained silent.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Don't put on airs now, you fool! I know your kind. You are mighty + pleased."</p> + + <p>Some one opened the door. He let her go leisurely, saying:</p> + + <p>"I will send a matchmaker to you next Sunday."</p> + + <p>And he did.</p> + + <p>The mother covered her eyes and heaved a deep sigh.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>"I do not want to know how people used to live, but how they ought to + live!" The dull, dissatisfied voice of Vyesovshchikov was heard in the + room.</p> + + <p>"That's it!" corroborated the red-headed man, rising.</p> + + <p>"And I disagree!" cried Somov. "If we are to go forward, we must know + everything."</p> + + <p>"True, true!" said the curly-headed youth in a low tone.</p> + + <p>A heated discussion ensued; and the words flashed like tongues of fire + in a wood pile. The mother did not understand what they were shouting + about. All faces glowed in an aureole of animation, but none grew angry, + no one spoke the harsh, offensive words so familiar to her.</p> + + <p>"They restrain themselves on account of a woman's presence," she + concluded.</p> + + <p>The serious face of Natasha pleased her. The young woman looked at all + these young men so considerately, with the air of an elder person toward + children.</p> + + <p>"Wait, comrades," she broke out suddenly. And they all grew silent and + turned their eyes upon her.</p> + + <p>"Those who say that we ought to know everything are right. We ought to + illumine ourselves with the light of reason, so that the people in the + dark may see us; we ought to be able to answer every question honestly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> + and truly. We must know all the truth, all the falsehood."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian listened and nodded his head in accompaniment to her + words. Vyesovshchikov, the red-haired fellow, and the other factory + worker, who had come with Pavel, stood in a close circle of three. For + some reason the mother did not like them.</p> + + <p>When Natasha ceased talking, Pavel arose and asked calmly:</p> + + <p>"Is filling our stomachs the only thing we want?"</p> + + <p>"No!" he answered himself, looking hard in the direction of the three. + "We want to be people. We must show those who sit on our necks, and + cover up our eyes, that we see everything, that we are not foolish, we + are not animals, and that we do not want merely to eat, but also to live + like decent human beings. We must show our enemies that our life of + servitude, of hard toil which they impose upon us, does not hinder us + from measuring up to them in intellect, and as to spirit, that we rise + far above them!"</p> + + <p>The mother listened to his words, and a feeling of pride in her son + stirred her bosom—how eloquently he spoke!</p> + + <p>"People with well-filled stomachs are, after all, not a few, but honest + people there are none," said the Little Russian. "We ought to build a + bridge across the bog of this rotten life to a future of soulful + goodness. That's our task, that's what we have to do, comrades!"</p> + + <p>"When the time is come to fight, it's not the time to cure the finger," + said Vyesovshchikov dully.</p> + + <p>"There will be enough breaking of our bones before we get to fighting!" + the Little Russian put in merrily.</p> + + <p>It was already past midnight when the group began to break up. The first + to go were Vyesovshchikov<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> and the red-haired man—which again + displeased the mother.</p> + + <p>"Hm! How they hurry!" she thought, nodding them a not very friendly + farewell.</p> + + <p>"Will you see me home, Nakhodka?" asked Natasha.</p> + + <p>"Why, of course," answered the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>When Natasha put on her wraps in the kitchen, the mother said to her: + "Your stockings are too thin for this time of the year. Let me knit some + woolen ones for you, will you, please?"</p> + + <p>"Thank you, Pelagueya Nilovna. Woolen stockings scratch," Natasha + answered, smiling.</p> + + <p>"I'll make them so they won't scratch."</p> + + <p>Natasha looked at her rather perplexedly, and her fixed serious glance + hurt the mother.</p> + + <p>"Pardon me my stupidity; like my good will, it's from my heart, you + know," she added in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"How kind you are!" Natasha answered in the same voice, giving her a + hasty pressure of the hand and walking out.</p> + + <p>"Good night, mother!" said the Little Russian, looking into her eyes. + His bending body followed Natasha out to the porch.</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her son. He stood in the room at the door and + smiled.</p> + + <p>"The evening was fine," he declared, nodding his head energetically. "It + was fine! But now I think you'd better go to bed; it's time."</p> + + <p>"And it's time for you, too. I'm going in a minute."</p> + + <p>She busied herself about the table gathering the dishes together, + satisfied and even glowing with a pleasurable agitation. She was glad + that everything had gone so well and had ended peaceably.</p> + + <p>"You arranged it nicely, Pavlusha. They certainly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> are good people. The + Little Russian is such a hearty fellow. And the young lady, what a + bright, wise girl she is! Who is she?"</p> + + <p>"A teacher," answered Pavel, pacing up and down the room.</p> + + <p>"Ah! Such a poor thing! Dressed so poorly! Ah, so poorly! It doesn't + take long to catch a cold. And where are her relatives?"</p> + + <p>"In Moscow," said Pavel, stopping before his mother. "Look! her father + is a rich man; he is in the hardware business, and owns much property. + He drove her out of the house because she got into this movement. She + grew up in comfort and warmth, she was coddled and indulged in + everything she desired—and now she walks four miles at night all by + herself."</p> + + <p>The mother was shocked. She stood in the middle of the room, and looked + mutely at her son. Then she asked quietly:</p> + + <p>"Is she going to the city?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"And is she not afraid?"</p> + + <p>"No," said Pavel smiling.</p> + + <p>"Why did she go? She could have stayed here overnight, and slept with + me."</p> + + <p>"That wouldn't do. She might have been seen here to-morrow morning, and + we don't want that; nor does she."</p> + + <p>The mother recollected her previous anxieties, looked thoughtfully + through the window, and asked:</p> + + <p>"I cannot understand, Pasha, what there is dangerous in all this, or + illegal. Why, you are not doing anything bad, are you?"</p> + + <p>She was not quite assured of the safety and propriety of his conduct, + and was eager for a confirmation from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> her son. But he looked calmly + into her eyes, and declared in a firm voice:</p> + + <p>"There is nothing bad in what we're doing, and there's not going to be. + And yet the prison is awaiting us all. You may as well know it."</p> + + <p>Her hands trembled. "Maybe God will grant you escape somehow," she said + with sunken voice.</p> + + <p>"No," said the son kindly, but decidedly. "I cannot lie to you. We will + not escape." He smiled. "Now go to bed. You are tired. Good night."</p> + + <p>Left alone, she walked up to the window, and stood there looking into + the street. Outside it was cold and cheerless. The wind howled, blowing + the snow from the roofs of the little sleeping houses. Striking against + the walls and whispering something, quickly it fell upon the ground and + drifted the white clouds of dry snowflakes across the street.</p> + + <p>"O Christ in heaven, have mercy upon us!" prayed the mother.</p> + + <p>The tears began to gather in her eyes, as fear returned persistently to + her heart, and like a moth in the night she seemed to see fluttering the + woe of which her son spoke with such composure and assurance.</p> + + <p>Before her eyes as she gazed a smooth plain of snow spread out in the + distance. The wind, carrying white, shaggy masses, raced over the plain, + piping cold, shrill whistles. Across the snowy expanse moved a girl's + figure, dark and solitary, rocking to and fro. The wind fluttered her + dress, clogged her footsteps, and drove pricking snowflakes into her + face. Walking was difficult; the little feet sank into the snow. Cold + and fearful the girl bent forward, like a blade of grass, the sport of + the wanton wind. To the right of her on the marsh stood the dark wall of + the forest; the bare birches and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> aspens quivered and rustled with a + mournful cry. Yonder in the distance, before her, the lights of the city + glimmered dimly.</p> + + <p>"Lord in heaven, have mercy!" the mother muttered again, shuddering with + the cold and horror of an unformed fear.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The days glided by one after the other, like the beads of a rosary, and + grew into weeks and months. Every Saturday Pavel's friends gathered in + his house; and each meeting formed a step up a long stairway, which led + somewhere into the distance, gradually lifting the people higher and + higher. But its top remained invisible.</p></div> + + <p>New people kept coming. The small room of the Vlasovs became crowded and + close. Natasha arrived every Saturday night, cold and tired, but always + fresh and lively, in inexhaustible good spirits. The mother made + stockings, and herself put them on the little feet. Natasha laughed at + first; but suddenly grew silent and thoughtful, and said in a low voice + to the mother:</p> + + <p>"I had a nurse who was also ever so kind. How strange, Pelagueya + Nilovna! The workingmen live such a hard, outraged life, and yet there + is more heart, more goodness in them than in—those!" And she waved her + hand, pointing somewhere far, very far from herself.</p> + + <p>"See what sort of a person you are," the older woman answered. "You have + left your own family and everything—" She was unable to finish her + thought, and heaving a sigh looked silently into Natasha's face with a + feeling of gratitude to the girl for she knew not what. She sat on the + floor before Natasha, who smiled and fell to musing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I have abandoned my family?" she repeated, bending her head down. + "That's nothing. My father is a stupid, coarse man—my brother also—and + a drunkard, besides. My oldest sister—unhappy, wretched thing—married + a man much older than herself, very rich, a bore and greedy. But my + mother I am sorry for! She's a simple woman like you, a beaten-down, + frightened creature, so tiny, like a little mouse—she runs so quickly + and is afraid of everybody. And sometimes I want to see her so—my + mother!"</p> + + <p>"My poor thing!" said the mother sadly, shaking her head.</p> + + <p>The girl quickly threw up her head and cried out:</p> + + <p>"Oh, no! At times I feel such joy, such happiness!"</p> + + <p>Her face paled and her blue eyes gleamed. Placing her hands on the + mother's shoulders she said with a deep voice issuing from her very + heart, quietly as if in an ecstasy:</p> + + <p>"If you knew—if you but understood what a great, joyous work we are + doing! You will come to feel it!" she exclaimed with conviction.</p> + + <p>A feeling akin to envy touched the heart of the mother. Rising from the + floor she said plaintively:</p> + + <p>"I am too old for that—ignorant and old."</p> + + <p>Pavel spoke more and more often and at greater length, discussed more + and more hotly, and—grew thinner and thinner. It seemed to his mother + that when he spoke to Natasha or looked at her his eyes turned softer, + his voice sounded fonder, and his entire bearing became simpler.</p> + + <p>"Heaven grant!" she thought; and imagining Natasha as her + daughter-in-law, she smiled inwardly.</p> + + <p>Whenever at the meetings the disputes waxed too hot and stormy, the + Little Russian stood up, and rocking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> himself to and fro like the tongue + of a bell, he spoke in his sonorous, resonant voice simple and good + words which allayed their excitement and recalled them to their purpose. + Vyesovshchikov always kept hurrying everybody on somewhere. He and the + red-haired youth called Samoylov were the first to begin all disputes. + On their side were always Ivan Bukin, with the round head and the white + eyebrows and lashes, who looked as if he had been hung out to dry, or + washed out with lye; and the curly-headed, lofty-browed Fedya Mazin. + Modest Yakob Somov, always smoothly combed and clean, spoke little and + briefly, with a quiet, serious voice, and always took sides with Pavel + and the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>Sometimes, instead of Natasha, Alexey Ivanovich, a native of some remote + government, came from the city. He wore eyeglasses, his beard was shiny, + and he spoke with a peculiar singing voice. He produced the impression + of a stranger from a far-distant land. He spoke about simple + matters—about family life, about children, about commerce, the police, + the price of bread and meat—about everything by which people live from + day to day; and in everything he discovered fraud, confusion, and + stupidity, sometimes setting these matters in a humorous light, but + always showing their decided disadvantage to the people.</p> + + <p>To the mother, too, it seemed that he had come from far away, from + another country, where all the people lived a simple, honest, easy life, + and that here everything was strange to him, that he could not get + accustomed to this life and accept it as inevitable, that it displeased + him, and that it aroused in him a calm determination to rearrange it + after his own model. His face was yellowish, with thin, radiate wrinkles + around his eyes, his voice low, and his hands always warm. In greeting + the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> mother he would enfold her entire hand in his long, powerful + fingers, and after such a vigorous hand clasp she felt more at ease and + lighter of heart.</p> + + <p>Other people came from the city, oftenest among them a tall, well-built + young girl with large eyes set in a thin, pale face. She was called + Sashenka. There was something manly in her walk and movements; she knit + her thick, dark eyebrows in a frown, and when she spoke the thin + nostrils of her straight nose quivered.</p> + + <p>She was the first to say, "We are socialists!" Her voice when she said + it was loud and strident.</p> + + <p>When the mother heard this word, she stared in dumb fright into the + girl's face. But Sashenka, half closing her eyes, said sternly and + resolutely: "We must give up all our forces to the cause of the + regeneration of life; we must realize that we will receive no + recompense."</p> + + <p>The mother understood that the socialists had killed the Czar. It had + happened in the days of her youth; and people had then said that the + landlords, wishing to revenge themselves on the Czar for liberating the + peasant serfs, had vowed not to cut their hair until the Czar should be + killed. These were the persons who had been called socialists. And now + she could not understand why it was that her son and his friends were + socialists.</p> + + <p>When they had all departed, she asked Pavel:</p> + + <p>"Pavlusha, are you a socialist?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," he said, standing before her, straight and stalwart as always. + "Why?"</p> + + <p>The mother heaved a heavy sigh, and lowering her eyes, said:</p> + + <p>"So, Pavlusha? Why, they are against the Czar; they killed one."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> + + <p>Pavel walked up and down the room, ran his hand across his face, and, + smiling, said:</p> + + <p>"We don't need to do that!"</p> + + <p>He spoke to her for a long while in a low, serious voice. She looked + into his face and thought:</p> + + <p>"He will do nothing bad; he is incapable of doing bad!"</p> + + <p>And thereafter the terrible word was repeated with increasing frequency; + its sharpness wore off, and it became as familiar to her ear as scores + of other words unintelligible to her. But Sashenka did not please her, + and when she came the mother felt troubled and ill at ease.</p> + + <p>Once she said to the Little Russian, with an expression of + dissatisfaction about the mouth:</p> + + <p>"What a stern person this Sashenka is! Flings her commands around!—You + must do this and you must do that!"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian laughed aloud.</p> + + <p>"Well said, mother! You struck the nail right on the head! Hey, Pavel?"</p> + + <p>And with a wink to the mother, he said with a jovial gleam in his eyes:</p> + + <p>"You can't drain the blue blood out of a person even with a pump!"</p> + + <p>Pavel remarked dryly:</p> + + <p>"She is a good woman!" His face glowered.</p> + + <p>"And that's true, too!" the Little Russian corroborated. "Only she does + not understand that she ought to——"</p> + + <p>They started up an argument about something the mother did not + understand. The mother noticed, also, that Sashenka was most stern with + Pavel, and that sometimes she even scolded him. Pavel smiled, was + silent,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> and looked in the girl's face with that soft look he had + formerly given Natasha. This likewise displeased the mother.</p> + + <p>The gatherings increased in number, and began to be held twice a week; + and when the mother observed with what avidity the young people listened + to the speeches of her son and the Little Russian, to the interesting + stories of Sashenka, Natasha, Alexey Ivanovich, and the other people + from the city, she forgot her fears and shook her head sadly as she + recalled the days of her youth.</p> + + <p>Sometimes they sang songs, the simple, familiar melodies, aloud and + merrily. But often they sang new songs, the words and music in perfect + accord, sad and quaint in tune. These they sang in an undertone, + pensively and seriously as church hymns are chanted. Their faces grew + pale, yet hot, and a mighty force made itself felt in their ringing + words.</p> + + <p>"It is time for us to sing these songs in the street," said + Vyesovshchikov somberly.</p> + + <p>And sometimes the mother was struck by the spirit of lively, boisterous + hilarity that took sudden possession of them. It was incomprehensible to + her. It usually happened on the evenings when they read in the papers + about the working people in other countries. Then their eyes sparkled + with bold, animated joy; they became strangely, childishly happy; the + room rang with merry peals of laughter, and they struck one another on + the shoulder affectionately.</p> + + <p>"Capital fellows, our comrades the French!" cried some one, as if + intoxicated with his own mirth.</p> + + <p>"Long live our comrades, the workingmen of Italy!" they shouted another + time.</p> + + <p>And sending these calls into the remote distance to friends who did not + know them, who could not have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> understood their language, they seemed to + feel confident that these people unknown to them heard and comprehended + their enthusiasm and their ecstasy.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian spoke, his eyes beaming, his love larger than the + love of the others:</p> + + <p>"Comrades, it would be well to write to them over there! Let them know + that they have friends living in far-away Russia, workingmen who confess + and believe in the same religion as they, comrades who pursue the same + aims as they, and who rejoice in their victories!"</p> + + <p>And all, with smiles on their faces dreamily spoke at length of the + Germans, the Italians, the Englishmen, and the Swedes, of the working + people of all countries, as of their friends, as of people near to their + hearts, whom without seeing they loved and respected, whose joys they + shared, whose pain they felt.</p> + + <p>In the small room a vast feeling was born of the universal kinship of + the workers of the world, at the same time its masters and its slaves, + who had already been freed from the bondage of prejudice and who felt + themselves the new masters of life. This feeling blended all into a + single soul; it moved the mother, and, although inaccessible to her, it + straightened and emboldened her, as it were, with its force, with its + joys, with its triumphant, youthful vigor, intoxicating, caressing, full + of hope.</p> + + <p>"What queer people you are!" said the mother to the Little Russian one + day. "All are your comrades—the Armenians and the Jews and the + Austrians. You speak about all as of your friends; you grieve for all, + and you rejoice for all!"</p> + + <p>"For all, mother dear, for all! The world is ours! The world is for the + workers! For us there is no nation, no race. For us there are only + comrades and foes. All<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> the workingmen are our comrades; all the rich, + all the authorities are our foes. When you see how numerous we + workingmen are, how tremendous the power of the spirit in us, then your + heart is seized with such joy, such happiness, such a great holiday + sings in your bosom! And, mother, the Frenchman and the German feel the + same way when they look upon life, and the Italian also. We are all + children of one mother—the great, invincible idea of the brotherhood of + the workers of all countries over all the earth. This idea grows, it + warms us like the sun; it is a second sun in the heaven of justice, and + this heaven resides in the workingman's heart. Whoever he be, whatever + his name, a socialist is our brother in spirit now and always, and + through all the ages forever and ever!"</p> + + <p>This intoxicated and childish joy, this bright and firm faith came over + the company more and more frequently; and it grew ever stronger, ever + mightier.</p> + + <p>And when the mother saw this, she felt that in very truth a great + dazzling light had been born into the world like the sun in the sky and + visible to her eyes.</p> + + <p>On occasions when his father had stolen something again and was in + prison, Nikolay would announce to his comrades: "Now we can hold our + meetings at our house. The police will think us thieves, and they love + thieves!"</p> + + <p>Almost every evening after work one of Pavel's comrades came to his + house, read with him, and copied something from the books. So greatly + occupied were they that they hardly even took the time to wash. They ate + their supper and drank tea with the books in their hands; and their + talks became less and less intelligible to the mother.</p> + + <p>"We must have a newspaper!" Pavel said frequently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> + + <p>Life grew ever more hurried and feverish; there was a constant rushing + from house to house, a passing from one book to another, like the + flirting of bees from flower to flower.</p> + + <p>"They are talking about us!" said Vyesovshchikov once. "We must get away + soon."</p> + + <p>"What's a quail for but to be caught in the snare?" retorted the Little + Russian.</p> + + <p>Vlasova liked the Little Russian more and more. When he called her + "mother," it was like a child's hand patting her on the cheek. On + Sunday, if Pavel had no time, he chopped wood for her; once he came with + a board on his shoulder, and quickly and skillfully replaced the rotten + step on the porch. Another time he repaired the tottering fence with + just as little ado. He whistled as he worked. It was a beautifully sad + and wistful whistle.</p> + + <p>Once the mother said to the son:</p> + + <p>"Suppose we take the Little Russian in as a boarder. It will be better + for both of you. You won't have to run to each other so much!"</p> + + <p>"Why need you trouble and crowd yourself?" asked Pavel, shrugging his + shoulders.</p> + + <p>"There you have it! All my life I've had trouble for I don't know what. + For a good person it's worth the while."</p> + + <p>"Do as you please. If he comes I'll be glad."</p> + + <p>And the Little Russian moved into their home.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The little house at the edge of the village aroused attention. Its walls + already felt the regard of scores of suspecting eyes. The motley wings + of rumor hovered restlessly above them.</p></div> + + <p>People tried to surprise the secret hidden within the house by the + ravine. They peeped into the windows at night. Now and then somebody + would rap on the pane, and quickly take to his heels in fright.</p> + + <p>Once the tavern keeper stopped Vlasova on the street. He was a dapper + old man, who always wore a black silk neckerchief around his red, flabby + neck, and a thick, lilac-colored waistcoat of velvet around his body. On + his sharp, glistening nose there always sat a pair of glasses with + tortoise-shell rims, which secured him the sobriquet of "bony eyes."</p> + + <p>In a single breath and without awaiting an answer, he plied Vlasova with + dry, crackling words:</p> + + <p>"How are you, Pelagueya Nilovna, how are you? How is your son? Thinking + of marrying him off, hey? He's a youth full ripe for matrimony. The + sooner a son is married off, the safer it is for his folks. A man with a + family preserves himself better both in the spirit and the flesh. With a + family he is like mushrooms in vinegar. If I were in your place I would + marry him off. Our times require a strict watch over the animal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> called + man; people are beginning to live in their brains. Men have run amuck + with their thoughts, and they do things that are positively criminal. + The church of God is avoided by the young folk; they shun the public + places, and assemble in secret in out-of-the-way corners. They speak in + whispers. Why speak in whispers, pray? All this they don't dare say + before people in the tavern, for example. What is it, I ask? A secret? + The secret place is our holy church, as old as the apostles. All the + other secrets hatched in the corners are the offspring of delusions. I + wish you good health."</p> + + <p>Raising his hand in an affected manner, he lifted his cap, and waving it + in the air, walked away, leaving the mother to her perplexity.</p> + + <p>Vlasova's neighbor, Marya Korsunova, the blacksmith's widow, who sold + food at the factory, on meeting the mother in the market place also said + to her:</p> + + <p>"Look out for your son, Pelagueya!"</p> + + <p>"What's the matter?"</p> + + <p>"They're talking!" Marya tendered the information in a hushed voice. + "And they don't say any good, mother of mine! They speak as if he's + getting up a sort of union, something like those Flagellants—sects, + that's the name! They'll whip one another like the Flagellants——"</p> + + <p>"Stop babbling nonsense, Marya! Enough!"</p> + + <p>"I'm not babbling nonsense! I talk because I know."</p> + + <p>The mother communicated all these conversations to her son. He shrugged + his shoulders in silence, and the Little Russian laughed with his thick, + soft laugh.</p> + + <p>"The girls also have a crow to pick with you!" she said. "You'd make + enviable bridegrooms for any of them; you're all good workers, and you + don't drink—but you don't pay any attention to them. Besides, people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> + are saying that girls of questionable character come to you."</p> + + <p>"Well, of course!" exclaimed Pavel, his brow contracting in a frown of + disgust.</p> + + <p>"In the bog everything smells of rottenness!" said the Little Russian + with a sigh. "Why don't you, mother, explain to the foolish girls what + it is to be married, so that they shouldn't be in such a hurry to get + their bones broken?"</p> + + <p>"Oh, well," said the mother, "they see the misery in store for them, + they understand, but what can they do? They have no other choice!"</p> + + <p>"It's a queer way they have of understanding, else they'd find a + choice," observed Pavel.</p> + + <p>The mother looked into his austere face.</p> + + <p>"Why don't you teach them? Why don't you invite some of the cleverer + ones?"</p> + + <p>"That won't do!" the son replied dryly.</p> + + <p>"Suppose we try?" said the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>After a short silence Pavel said:</p> + + <p>"Couples will be formed; couples will walk together; then some will get + married, and that's all."</p> + + <p>The mother became thoughtful. Pavel's austerity worried her. She saw + that his advice was taken even by his older comrades, such as the Little + Russian; but it seemed to her that all were afraid of him, and no one + loved him because he was so stern.</p> + + <p>Once when she had lain down to sleep, and her son and the Little Russian + were still reading, she overheard their low conversation through the + thin partition.</p> + + <p>"You know I like Natasha," suddenly ejaculated the Little Russian in an + undertone.</p> + + <p>"I know," answered Pavel after a pause.</p> + + <p>"Yes!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother heard the Little Russian rise and begin to walk. The tread of + his bare feet sounded on the floor, and a low, mournful whistle was + heard. Then he spoke again:</p> + + <p>"And does she notice it?"</p> + + <p>Pavel was silent.</p> + + <p>"What do you think?" the Little Russian asked, lowering his voice.</p> + + <p>"She does," replied Pavel. "That's why she has refused to attend our + meetings."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian dragged his feet heavily over the floor, and again + his low whistle quivered in the room. Then he asked:</p> + + <p>"And if I tell her?"</p> + + <p>"What?" The brief question shot from Pavel like the discharge of a gun.</p> + + <p>"That I am—" began the Little Russian in a subdued voice.</p> + + <p>"Why?" Pavel interrupted.</p> + + <p>The mother heard the Little Russian stop, and she felt that he smiled.</p> + + <p>"Yes, you see, I consider that if you love a girl you must tell her + about it; else there'll be no sense to it!"</p> + + <p>Pavel clapped the book shut with a bang.</p> + + <p>"And what sense do you expect?"</p> + + <p>Both were silent for a long while.</p> + + <p>"Well?" asked the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"You must be clear in your mind, Andrey, as to what you want to do," + said Pavel slowly. "Let us assume that she loves you, too—I do not + think so, but let us assume it. Well, you get married. An interesting + union—the intellectual with the workingman! Children come along; you + will have to work all by yourself and very hard. Your life will become + the ordinary life of a struggle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> for a piece of bread and a shelter for + yourself and children. For the cause, you will become nonexistent, both + of you!"</p> + + <p>Silence ensued. Then Pavel began to speak again in a voice that sounded + softer:</p> + + <p>"You had better drop all this, Andrey. Keep quiet, and don't worry her. + That's the more honest way."</p> + + <p>"And do you remember what Alexey Ivanovich said about the necessity for + a man to live a complete life—with all the power of his soul and + body—do you remember?"</p> + + <p>"That's not for us! How can you attain completion? It does not exist for + you. If you love the future you must renounce everything in the + present—everything, brother!"</p> + + <p>"That's hard for a man!" said the Little Russian in a lowered voice.</p> + + <p>"What else can be done? Think!"</p> + + <p>The indifferent pendulum of the clock kept chopping off the seconds of + life, calmly and precisely. At last the Little Russian said:</p> + + <p>"Half the heart loves, and the other half hates! Is that a heart?"</p> + + <p>"I ask you, what else can we do?"</p> + + <p>The pages of a book rustled. Apparently Pavel had begun to read again. + The mother lay with closed eyes, and was afraid to stir. She was ready + to weep with pity for the Little Russian; but she was grieved still more + for her son.</p> + + <p>"My dear son! My consecrated one!" she thought.</p> + + <p>Suddenly the Little Russian asked:</p> + + <p>"So I am to keep quiet?"</p> + + <p>"That's more honest, Andrey," answered Pavel softly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> + + <p>"All right! That's the road we will travel." And in a few seconds he + added, in a sad and subdued voice: "It will be hard for you, Pasha, when + you get to that yourself."</p> + + <p>"It is hard for me already."</p> + + <p>"Yes?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>The wind brushed along the walls of the house, and the pendulum marked + the passing time.</p> + + <p>"Um," said the Little Russian leisurely, at last. "That's too bad."</p> + + <p>The mother buried her head in the pillow and wept inaudibly.</p> + + <p>In the morning Andrey seemed to her to be lower in stature and all the + more winning. But her son towered thin, straight, and taciturn as ever. + She had always called the Little Russian Andrey Stepanovich, in formal + address, but now, all at once, involuntarily and unconsciously she said + to him:</p> + + <p>"Say, Andriusha, you had better get your boots mended. You are apt to + catch cold."</p> + + <p>"On pay day, mother, I'll buy myself a new pair," he answered, smiling. + Then suddenly placing his long hand on her shoulder, he added: "You + know, you are my real mother. Only you don't want to acknowledge it to + people because I am so ugly."</p> + + <p>She patted him on the hand without speaking. She would have liked to say + many endearing things, but her heart was wrung with pity, and the words + would not leave her tongue.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>They spoke in the village about the socialists who distributed broadcast + leaflets in blue ink. In these leaflets the conditions prevailing in the + factory were trenchantly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> and pointedly depicted, as well as the strikes + in St. Petersburg and southern Russia; and the workingmen were called + upon to unite and fight for their interests.</p> + + <p>The staid people who earned good pay waxed wroth as they read the + literature, and said abusively: "Breeders of rebellion! For such + business they ought to get their eyes blacked." And they carried the + pamphlets to the office.</p> + + <p>The young people read the proclamations eagerly, and said excitedly: + "It's all true!"</p> + + <p>The majority, broken down with their work, and indifferent to + everything, said lazily: "Nothing will come of it. It is impossible!"</p> + + <p>But the leaflets made a stir among the people, and when a week passed + without their getting any, they said to one another:</p> + + <p>"None again to-day! It seems the printing must have stopped."</p> + + <p>Then on Monday the leaflets appeared again; and again there was a dull + buzz of talk among the workingmen.</p> + + <p>In the taverns and the factory strangers were noticed, men whom no one + knew. They asked questions, scrutinized everything and everybody; looked + around, ferreted about, and at once attracted universal attention, some + by their suspicious watchfulness, others by their excessive + obtrusiveness.</p> + + <p>The mother knew that all this commotion was due to the work of her son + Pavel. She saw how all the people were drawn together about him. He was + not alone, and therefore it was not so dangerous. But pride in her son + mingled with her apprehension for his fate; it was his secret labors + that discharged themselves in fresh currents into the narrow, turbid + stream of life.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p> + + <p>One evening Marya Korsunova rapped at the window from the street, and + when the mother opened it, she said in a loud whisper:</p> + + <p>"Now, take care, Pelagueya; the boys have gotten themselves into a nice + mess! It's been decided to make a search to-night in your house, and + Mazin's and Vyesovshchikov's——"</p> + + <p>The mother heard only the beginning of the woman's talk; all the rest of + the words flowed together in one stream of ill-boding, hoarse sounds.</p> + + <p>Marya's thick lips flapped hastily one against the other. Snorts issued + from her fleshy nose, her eyes blinked and turned from side to side as + if on the lookout for somebody in the street.</p> + + <p>"And, mark you, I do not know anything, and I did not say anything to + you, mother dear, and did not even see you to-day, you understand?"</p> + + <p>Then she disappeared.</p> + + <p>The mother closed the window and slowly dropped on a chair, her strength + gone from her, her brain a desolate void. But the consciousness of the + danger threatening her son quickly brought her to her feet again. She + dressed hastily, for some reason wrapped her shawl tightly around her + head, and ran to Fedya Mazin, who, she knew, was sick and not working. + She found him sitting at the window reading a book, and moving his right + hand to and fro with his left, his thumb spread out. On learning the + news he jumped up nervously, his lips trembled, and his face paled.</p> + + <p>"There you are! And I have an abscess on my finger!" he mumbled.</p> + + <p>"What are we to do?" asked Vlasova, wiping the perspiration from her + face with a hand that trembled nervously.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Wait a while! Don't be afraid," answered Fedya, running his sound hand + through his curly hair.</p> + + <p>"But you are afraid yourself!"</p> + + <p>"I?" He reddened and smiled in embarrassment. + "Yes—h-m— I had a fit of + cowardice, the devil take it! We must let Pavel know. I'll send my + little sister to him. You go home. Never mind! They're not going to beat + us."</p> + + <p>On returning home she gathered together all the books, and pressing them + to her bosom walked about the house for a long time, looking into the + oven, under the oven, into the pipe of the samovar, and even into the + water vat. She thought Pavel would at once drop work and come home; but + he did not come. Finally she sat down exhausted on the bench in the + kitchen, putting the books under her; and she remained in that position, + afraid to rise, until Pavel and the Little Russian returned from the + factory.</p> + + <p>"Do you know?" she exclaimed without rising.</p> + + <p>"We know!" said Pavel with a composed smile. "Are you afraid?"</p> + + <p>"Oh, I'm so afraid, so afraid!"</p> + + <p>"You needn't be afraid," said the Little Russian. "That won't help + anybody."</p> + + <p>"Didn't even prepare the samovar," remarked Pavel.</p> + + <p>The mother rose, and pointed to the books with a guilty air.</p> + + <p>"You see, it was on account of them—all the time—I was——"</p> + + <p>The son and the Little Russian burst into laughter; and this relieved + her. Then Pavel picked out some books and carried them out into the yard + to hide them, while the Little Russian remained to prepare the samovar.</p> + + <p>"There's nothing terrible at all in this, mother. It's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> only a shame for + people to occupy themselves with such nonsense. Grown-up men in gray + come in with sabers at their sides, with spurs on their feet, and + rummage around, and dig up and search everything. They look under the + bed, and climb up to the garret; if there is a cellar they crawl down + into it. The cobwebs get on their faces, and they puff and snort. They + are bored and ashamed. That's why they put on the appearance of being + very wicked and very mad with us. It's dirty work, and they understand + it, of course they do! Once they turned everything topsy-turvy in my + place, and went away abashed, that's all. Another time they took me + along with them. Well, they put me in prison, and I stayed there with + them for about four months. You sit and sit, then you're called out, + taken to the street under an escort of soldiers, and you're asked + certain questions. They're stupid people, they talk such incoherent + stuff. When they're done with you, they tell the soldiers to take you + back to prison. So they lead you here, and they lead you there—they've + got to justify their salaries somehow. And then they let you go free. + That's all."</p> + + <p>"How you always do speak, Andriusha!" exclaimed the mother + involuntarily.</p> + + <p>Kneeling before the samovar he diligently blew into the pipe; but + presently he turned his face, red with exertion, toward her, and + smoothing his mustache with both hands inquired:</p> + + <p>"And how do I speak, pray?"</p> + + <p>"As if nobody had ever done you any wrong."</p> + + <p>He rose, approached her, and shaking his head, said:</p> + + <p>"Is there an unwronged soul anywhere in the wide world? But I have been + wronged so much that I have ceased to feel wronged. What's to be done if + people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> cannot help acting as they do? The wrongs I undergo hinder me + greatly in my work. It is impossible to avoid them. But to stop and pay + attention to them is useless waste of time. Such a life! Formerly I + would occasionally get angry—but I thought to myself: all around me I + see people broken in heart. It seemed as if each one were afraid that + his neighbor would strike him, and so he tried to get ahead and strike + the other first. Such a life it is, mother dear."</p> + + <p>His speech flowed on serenely. He resolutely distracted her mind from + alarm at the expected police search. His luminous, protuberant eyes + smiled sadly. Though ungainly, he seemed made of stuff that bends but + never breaks.</p> + + <p>The mother sighed and uttered the warm wish:</p> + + <p>"May God grant you happiness, Andriusha!"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian stalked to the samovar with long strides, sat in + front of it again on his heels, and mumbled:</p> + + <p>"If he gives me happiness, I will not decline it; ask for it I won't, to + seek it I have no time."</p> + + <p>And he began to whistle.</p> + + <p>Pavel came in from the yard and said confidently:</p> + + <p>"They won't find them!" He started to wash himself. Then carefully + rubbing his hands dry, he added: "If you show them, mother, that you are + frightened, they will think there must be something in this house + because you tremble. And we have done nothing as yet, nothing! You know + that we don't want anything bad; on our side is truth, and we will work + for it all our lives. This is our entire guilt. Why, then, need we + fear?"</p> + + <p>"I will pull myself together, Pasha!" she assured him. And the next + moment, unable to repress her anxiety,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> she exclaimed: "I wish they'd + come soon, and it would all be over!"</p> + + <p>But they did not come that night, and in the morning, in anticipation of + the fun that would probably be poked at her for her alarm, the mother + began to joke at herself.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The searchers appeared at the very time they were not expected, nearly a + month after this anxious night. Nikolay Vyesovshchikov was at Pavel's + house talking with him and Andrey about their newspaper. It was late, + about midnight. The mother was already in bed. Half awake, half asleep, + she listened to the low, busy voices. Presently Andrey got up and + carefully picked his way through and out of the kitchen, quietly + shutting the door after him. The noise of the iron bucket was heard on + the porch. Suddenly the door was flung wide open; the Little Russian + entered the kitchen, and announced in a loud whisper:</p></div> + + <p>"I hear the jingling of spurs in the street!"</p> + + <p>The mother jumped out of bed, catching at her dress with a trembling + hand; but Pavel came to the door and said calmly:</p> + + <p>"You stay in bed; you're not feeling well."</p> + + <p>A cautious, stealthy sound was heard on the porch. Pavel went to the + door and knocking at it with his hand asked:</p> + + <p>"Who's there?"</p> + + <p>A tall, gray figure tumultuously precipitated itself through the + doorway; after it another; two gendarmes pushed Pavel back, and + stationed themselves on either side of him, and a loud mocking voice + called out:</p> + + <p>"No one you expect, eh?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p> + + <p>The words came from a tall, lank officer, with a thin, black mustache. + The village policeman, Fedyakin, appeared at the bedside of the mother, + and, raising one hand to his cap, pointed the other at her face and, + making terrible eyes, said:</p> + + <p>"This is his mother, your honor!" Then, waving his hand toward Pavel: + "And this is he himself."</p> + + <p>"Pavel Vlasov?" inquired the officer, screwing up his eyes; and when + Pavel silently nodded his head, he announced, twirling his mustache:</p> + + <p>"I have to make a search in your house. Get up, old woman!"</p> + + <p>"Who is there?" he asked, turning suddenly and making a dash for the + door.</p> + + <p>"Your name?" His voice was heard from the other room.</p> + + <p>Two other men came in from the porch: the old smelter Tveryakov and his + lodger, the stoker Rybin, a staid, dark-colored peasant. He said in a + thick, loud voice:</p> + + <p>"Good evening, Nilovna."</p> + + <p>She dressed herself, all the while speaking to herself in a low voice, + so as to give herself courage:</p> + + <p>"What sort of a thing is this? They come at night. People are asleep and + they come——"</p> + + <p>The room was close, and for some reason smelled strongly of shoe + blacking. Two gendarmes and the village police commissioner, Ryskin, + their heavy tread resounding on the floor, removed the books from the + shelves and put them on the table before the officer. Two others rapped + on the walls with their fists, and looked under the chairs. One man + clumsily clambered up on the stove in the corner. Nikolay's pockmarked + face became covered with red patches, and his little gray eyes were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> + steadfastly fixed upon the officer. The Little Russian curled his + mustache, and when the mother entered the room, he smiled and gave her + an affectionate nod of the head.</p> + + <p>Striving to suppress her fear, she walked, not sideways as always, but + erect, her chest thrown out, which gave her figure a droll, stilted air + of importance. Her shoes made a knocking sound on the floor, and her + brows trembled.</p> + + <p>The officer quickly seized the books with the long fingers of his white + hand, turned over the pages, shook them, and with a dexterous movement + of the wrist flung them aside. Sometimes a book fell to the floor with a + light thud. All were silent. The heavy breathing of the perspiring + gendarmes was audible; the spurs clanked, and sometimes the low question + was heard: "Did you look here?"</p> + + <p>The mother stood by Pavel's side against the wall. She folded her arms + over her bosom, like her son, and both regarded the officer. The mother + felt her knees trembling, and her eyes became covered with a dry mist.</p> + + <p>Suddenly the piercing voice of Nikolay cut into the silence:</p> + + <p>"Why is it necessary to throw the books on the floor?"</p> + + <p>The mother trembled. Tveryakov rocked his head as if he had been struck + on the back. Rybin uttered a peculiar cluck, and regarded Nikolay + attentively.</p> + + <p>The officer threw up his head, screwed up his eyes, and fixed them for a + second upon the pockmarked, mottled, immobile face. His fingers began to + turn the leaves of the books still more rapidly. His face was yellow and + pale; he twisted his lips continually. At times he opened his large gray + eyes wide, as if he suffered from an intolerable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> pain, and was ready to + scream out in impotent anguish.</p> + + <p>"Soldier!" Vyesovshchikov called out again. "Pick the books up!"</p> + + <p>All the gendarmes turned their eyes on him, then looked at the officer. + He again raised his head, and taking in the broad figure of Nikolay with + a searching stare, he drawled:</p> + + <p>"Well, well, pick up the books."</p> + + <p>One gendarme bent down, and, looking slantwise at Vyesovshchikov, began + to collect the books scattered on the floor.</p> + + <p>"Why doesn't Nikolay keep quiet?" the mother whispered to Pavel. He + shrugged his shoulders. The Little Russian drooped his head.</p> + + <p>"What's the whispering there? Silence, please! Who reads the Bible?"</p> + + <p>"I!" said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Aha! And whose books are all these?"</p> + + <p>"Mine!" answered Pavel.</p> + + <p>"So!" exclaimed the officer, throwing himself on the back of the chair. + He made the bones of his slender hand crack, stretched his legs under + the table, and adjusting his mustache, asked Nikolay: "Are you Andrey + Nakhodka?"</p> + + <p>"Yes!" answered Nikolay, moving forward. The Little Russian put out his + hand, took him by the shoulder, and pulled him back.</p> + + <p>"He made a mistake; I am Andrey!"</p> + + <p>The officer raised his hand, and threatening Vyesovshchikov with his + little finger, said:</p> + + <p>"Take care!"</p> + + <p>He began to search among his papers. From the street the bright, moonlit + night looked on through the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> window with soulless eyes. Some one was + loafing about outside the window, and the snow crunched under his tread.</p> + + <p>"You, Nakhodka, you have been searched for political offenses before?" + asked the officer.</p> + + <p>"Yes, I was searched in Rostov and Saratov. Only there the gendarmes + addressed me as 'Mr.'"</p> + + <p>The officer winked his right eye, rubbed it, and showing his fine teeth, + said:</p> + + <p>"And do you happen to know, <i>Mr.</i> Nakhodka—yes, you, <i>Mr.</i> + Nakhodka—who those scoundrels are who distribute criminal proclamations + and books in the factory, eh?"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian swayed his body, and with a broad smile on his face + was about to say something, when the irritating voice of Nikolay again + rang out:</p> + + <p>"This is the first time we have seen scoundrels here!"</p> + + <p>Silence ensued. There was a moment of breathless suspense. The scar on + the mother's face whitened, and her right eyebrow traveled upward. + Rybin's black beard quivered strangely. He dropped his eyes, and slowly + scratched one hand with the other.</p> + + <p>"Take this dog out of here!" said the officer.</p> + + <p>Two gendarmes seized Nikolay under the arm and rudely pulled him into + the kitchen. There he planted his feet firmly on the floor and shouted:</p> + + <p>"Stop! I am going to put my coat on."</p> + + <p>The police commissioner came in from the yard and said:</p> + + <p>"There is nothing out there. We searched everywhere!"</p> + + <p>"Well, of course!" exclaimed the officer, laughing. "I knew it! There's + an experienced man here, it goes without saying."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother listened to his thin, dry voice, and looking with terror into + the yellow face, felt an enemy in this man, an enemy without pity, with + a heart full of aristocratic disdain of the people. Formerly she had but + rarely seen such persons, and now she had almost forgotten they existed.</p> + + <p>"Then this is the man whom Pavel and his friends have provoked," she + thought.</p> + + <p>"I place you, <i>Mr.</i> Andrey Onisimov Nakhodka, under arrest."</p> + + <p>"What for?" asked the Little Russian composedly.</p> + + <p>"I will tell you later!" answered the officer with spiteful civility, + and turning to Vlasova, he shouted:</p> + + <p>"Say, can you read or write?"</p> + + <p>"No!" answered Pavel.</p> + + <p>"I didn't ask you!" said the officer sternly, and repeated: "Say, old + woman, can you read or write?"</p> + + <p>The mother involuntarily gave way to a feeling of hatred for the man. + She was seized with a sudden fit of trembling, as if she had jumped into + cold water. She straightened herself, her scar turned purple, and her + brow drooped low.</p> + + <p>"Don't shout!" she said, flinging out her hand toward him. "You are a + young man still; you don't know misery or sorrow——"</p> + + <p>"Calm yourself, mother!" Pavel intervened.</p> + + <p>"In this business, mother, you've got to take your heart between your + teeth and hold it there tight," said the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"Wait a moment, Pasha!" cried the mother, rushing to the table and then + addressing the officer: "Why do you snatch people away thus?"</p> + + <p>"That does not concern you. Silence!" shouted the officer, rising.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Bring in the prisoner Vyesovshchikov!" he commanded, and began to read + aloud a document which he raised to his face.</p> + + <p>Nikolay was brought into the room.</p> + + <p>"Hats off!" shouted the officer, interrupting his reading.</p> + + <p>Rybin went up to Vlasova, and patting her on the back, said in an + undertone:</p> + + <p>"Don't get excited, mother!"</p> + + <p>"How can I take my hat off if they hold my hands?" asked Nikolay, + drowning the reading.</p> + + <p>The officer flung the paper on the table.</p> + + <p>"Sign!" he said curtly.</p> + + <p>The mother saw how everyone signed the document, and her excitement died + down, a softer feeling taking possession of her heart. Her eyes filled + with tears—burning tears of insult and impotence—such tears she had + wept for twenty years of her married life, but lately she had almost + forgotten their acid, heart-corroding taste.</p> + + <p>The officer regarded her contemptuously. He scowled and remarked:</p> + + <p>"You bawl ahead of time, my lady! Look out, or you won't have tears left + for the future!"</p> + + <p>"A mother has enough tears for everything, everything! If you have a + mother, she knows it!"</p> + + <p>The officer hastily put the papers into his new portfolio with its + shining lock.</p> + + <p>"How independent they all are in your place!" He turned to the police + commissioner.</p> + + <p>"An impudent pack!" mumbled the commissioner.</p> + + <p>"March!" commanded the officer.</p> + + <p>"Good-by, Andrey! Good-by, Nikolay!" said Pavel warmly and softly, + pressing his comrades' hands.</p> + + <p>"That's it! Until we meet again!" the officer scoffed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov silently pressed Pavel's hands with his short fingers and + breathed heavily. The blood mounted to his thick neck; his eyes flashed + with rancor. The Little Russian's face beamed with a sunny smile. He + nodded his head, and said something to the mother; she made the sign of + the cross over him.</p> + + <p>"God sees the righteous," she murmured.</p> + + <p>At length the throng of people in the gray coats tumbled out on the + porch, and their spurs jingled as they disappeared. Rybin went last. He + regarded Pavel with an attentive look of his dark eyes and said + thoughtfully: "Well, well—good-by!" and coughing in his beard he + leisurely walked out on the porch.</p> + + <p>Folding his hands behind his back, Pavel slowly paced up and down the + room, stepping over the books and clothes tumbled about on the floor. At + last he said somberly:</p> + + <p>"You see how it's done! With insult—disgustingly—yes! They left me + behind."</p> + + <p>Looking perplexedly at the disorder in the room, the mother whispered + sadly:</p> + + <p>"They will take you, too, be sure they will. Why did Nikolay speak to + them the way he did?"</p> + + <p>"He got frightened, I suppose," said Pavel quietly. "Yes—It's + impossible to speak to them, absolutely impossible! They cannot + understand!"</p> + + <p>"They came, snatched, and carried off!" mumbled the mother, waving her + hands. As her son remained at home, her heart began to beat more + lightly. Her mind stubbornly halted before one fact and refused to be + moved. "How he scoffs at us, that yellow ruffian! How he threatens us!"</p> + + <p>"All right, mamma!" Pavel suddenly said with resolution. "Let us pick + all this up!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p> + + <p>He called her "mamma," the word he used only when he came nearer to her. + She approached him, looked into his face, and asked softly:</p> + + <p>"Did they insult you?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," he answered. "That's—hard! I would rather have gone with them."</p> + + <p>It seemed to her that she saw tears in his eyes, and wishing to soothe + him, with an indistinct sense of his pain, she said with a sigh:</p> + + <p>"Wait a while—they'll take you, too!"</p> + + <p>"They will!" he replied.</p> + + <p>After a pause the mother remarked sorrowfully:</p> + + <p>"How hard you are, Pasha! If you'd only reassure me once in a while! But + you don't. When I say something horrible, you say something worse."</p> + + <p>He looked at her, moved closer to her, and said gently:</p> + + <p>"I cannot, mamma! I cannot lie! You have to get used to it."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The next day they knew that Bukin, Samoylov, Somov, and five more had + been arrested. In the evening Fedya Mazin came running in upon them. A + search had been made in his house also. He felt himself a hero.</p></div> + + <p>"Were you afraid, Fedya?" asked the mother.</p> + + <p>He turned pale, his face sharpened, and his nostrils quivered.</p> + + <p>"I was afraid the officer might strike me. He has a black beard, he's + stout, his fingers are hairy, and he wears dark glasses, so that he + looks as if he were without eyes. He shouted and stamped his feet. He + said I'd rot in prison. And I've never been beaten either by my father + or mother; they love me because I'm their only son. Everyone gets beaten + everywhere, but I never!"</p> + + <p>He closed his eyes for a moment, compressed his lips, tossed his hair + back with a quick gesture of both hands, and looking at Pavel with + reddening eyes, said:</p> + + <p>"If anybody ever strikes me, I will thrust my whole body into him like a + knife—I will bite my teeth into him—I'd rather he'd kill me at once + and be done!"</p> + + <p>"To defend yourself is your right," said Pavel. "But take care not to + attack!"</p> + + <p>"You are delicate and thin," observed the mother. "What do you want with + fighting?"</p> + + <p>"I <i>will</i> fight!" answered Fedya in a low voice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> + + <p>When he left, the mother said to Pavel:</p> + + <p>"This young man will go down sooner than all the rest."</p> + + <p>Pavel was silent.</p> + + <p>A few minutes later the kitchen door opened slowly and Rybin entered.</p> + + <p>"Good evening!" he said, smiling. "Here I am again. Yesterday they + brought me here; to-day I come of my own accord. Yes, yes!" He gave + Pavel a vigorous handshake, then put his hand on the mother's shoulder, + and asked: "Will you give me tea?"</p> + + <p>Pavel silently regarded his swarthy, broad countenance, his thick, black + beard, and dark, intelligent eyes. A certain gravity spoke out of their + calm gaze; his stalwart figure inspired confidence.</p> + + <p>The mother went into the kitchen to prepare the samovar. Rybin sat down, + stroked his beard, and placing his elbows on the table, scanned Pavel + with his dark look.</p> + + <p>"That's the way it is," he said, as if continuing an interrupted + conversation. "I must have a frank talk with you. I observed you long + before I came. We live almost next door to each other. I see many people + come to you, and no drunkenness, no carrying on. That's the main thing. + If people don't raise the devil, they immediately attract attention. + What's that? There you are! That's why all eyes are on me, because I + live apart and give no offense."</p> + + <p>His speech flowed along evenly and freely. It had a ring that won him + confidence.</p> + + <p>"So. Everybody prates about you. My masters call you a heretic; you + don't go to church. I don't, either. Then the papers appeared, those + leaflets. Was it you that thought them out?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Yes, I!" answered Pavel, without taking his eyes off Rybin's face. + Rybin also looked steadily into Pavel's eyes.</p> + + <p>"You alone!" exclaimed the mother, coming into the room. "It wasn't you + alone."</p> + + <p>Pavel smiled; Rybin also.</p> + + <p>The mother sniffed, and walked away, somewhat offended because they did + not pay attention to her words.</p> + + <p>"Those leaflets are well thought out. They stir the people up. There + were twelve of them, weren't there?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"I have read them all! Yes, yes. Sometimes they are not clear, and some + things are superfluous. But when a man speaks a great deal, it's natural + he should occasionally say things out of the way."</p> + + <p>Rybin smiled. His teeth were white and strong.</p> + + <p>"Then the search. That won me over to you more than anything else. You + and the Little Russian and Nikolay, you all got caught!" He paused for + the right word and looked at the window, rapping the table with his + fingers. "They discovered your resolve. You attend to your business, + your honor, you say, and we'll attend to ours. The Little Russian's a + fine fellow, too. The other day I heard how he speaks in the factory, + and thinks I to myself: that man isn't going to be vanquished; it's only + one thing will knock him out, and that's death! A sturdy chap! Do you + trust me, Pavel?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, I trust you!" said Pavel, nodding.</p> + + <p>"That's right. Look! I am forty years old; I am twice as old as you, and + I've seen twenty times as much as you. For three years long I wore my + feet to the bone marching in the army. I have been married twice. I've + been in the Caucasus, I know the Dukhobors. They're not masters of life, + no, they aren't!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother listened eagerly to his direct speech. It pleased her to have + an older man come to her son and speak to him just as if he were + confessing to him. But Pavel seemed to treat the guest too curtly, and + the mother, to introduce a softer element, asked Rybin:</p> + + <p>"Maybe you'll have something to eat."</p> + + <p>"Thank you, mother! I've had my supper already. So then, Pavel, you + think that life does not go as it should?"</p> + + <p>Pavel arose and began to pace the room, folding his hands behind his + back.</p> + + <p>"It goes all right," he said. "Just now, for instance, it has brought + you here to me with an open heart. We who work our whole life long—it + unites us gradually and more and more every day. The time will come when + we shall all be united. Life is arranged unjustly for us and is made a + burden. At the same time, however, life itself is opening our eyes to + its bitter meaning and is itself showing man the way to accelerate its + pace. We all of us think just as we live."</p> + + <p>"True. But wait!" Rybin stopped him. "Man ought to be renovated—that's + what I think! When a man grows scabby, take him to the bath, give him a + thorough cleaning, put clean clothes on him—and he will get well. Isn't + it so? And if the heart grows scabby, take its skin off, even if it + bleeds, wash it, and dress it up all afresh. Isn't it so? How else can + you clean the inner man? There now!"</p> + + <p>Pavel began to speak hotly and bitterly about God, about the Czar, about + the government authorities, about the factory, and how in foreign + countries the workingmen stand up for their rights. Rybin smiled + occasionally; sometimes he struck a finger on the table as if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> + punctuating a period. Now and then he cried out briefly: "So!" And once, + laughing out, he said quietly: "You're young. You know people but + little!"</p> + + <p>Pavel stopping before him said seriously:</p> + + <p>"Let's not talk of being old or being young. Let us rather see whose + thoughts are truer."</p> + + <p>"That is, according to you, we've been fooled about God also. So! I, + too, think that our religion is false and injurious to us."</p> + + <p>Here the mother intervened. When her son spoke about God and about + everything that she connected with her faith in him, which was dear and + sacred to her, she sought to meet his eyes, she wanted to ask her son + mutely not to chafe her heart with the sharp, bitter words of his + unbelief. And she felt that Rybin, an older man, would also be + displeased and offended. But when Rybin calmly put his question to + Pavel, she could no longer contain herself, and said firmly: "When you + speak of God, I wish you were more careful. You can do whatever you + like. You have your compensation in your work." Catching her breath she + continued with still greater vehemence: "But I, an old woman, I will + have nothing to lean upon in my distress if you take my God away from + me."</p> + + <p>Her eyes filled with tears. She was washing the dishes, and her fingers + trembled.</p> + + <p>"You did not understand us, mother!" Pavel said softly and kindly.</p> + + <p>"Beg your pardon, mother!" Rybin added in a slow, thick voice. He looked + at Pavel and smiled. "I forgot that you're too old to cut out your + warts."</p> + + <p>"I did not speak," continued Pavel, "about that good and gracious God in + whom you believe, but about the God with whom the priests threaten us as + with a stick,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> about the God in whose name they want to force all of us + to the evil will of the few."</p> + + <p>"That's it, right you are!" exclaimed Rybin, striking his fingers upon + the table. "They have mutilated even our God for us, they have turned + everything in their hands against us. Mark you, mother, God created man + in his own image and after his own likeness. Therefore he is like man if + man is like him. But we have become, not like God, but like wild beasts! + In the churches they set up a scarecrow before us. We have got to change + our God, mother; we must cleanse him! They have dressed him up in + falsehood and calumny; they have distorted his face in order to destroy + our souls!"</p> + + <p>He talked composedly and very distinctly and intelligibly. Every word of + his speech fell upon the mother's ears like a blow. And his face set in + the frame of his black beard, his broad face attired, as it were, in + mourning, frightened her. The dark gleam of his eyes was insupportable + to her. He aroused in her a sense of anguish, and filled her heart with + terror.</p> + + <p>"No, I'd better go away," she said, shaking her head in negation. "It's + not in my power to listen to this. I cannot!"</p> + + <p>And she quickly walked into the kitchen followed by the words of Rybin:</p> + + <p>"There you have it, Pavel! It begins not in the head, but in the heart. + The heart is such a place that nothing else will grow in it."</p> + + <p>"Only reason," said Pavel firmly, "only reason will free mankind."</p> + + <p>"Reason does not give strength!" retorted Rybin emphatically. "The heart + gives strength, and not the head, I tell you."</p> + + <p>The mother undressed and lay down in bed without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> saying her prayer. She + felt cold and miserable. And Rybin, who at first seemed such a staid, + wise man, now aroused in her a blind hostility.</p> + + <p>"Heretic! Sedition-maker!" she thought, listening to his even voice + flowing resonantly from his deep chest. He, too, had come—he was + indispensable.</p> + + <p>He spoke confidently and composedly:</p> + + <p>"The holy place must not be empty. The spot where God dwells is a place + of pain; and if he drops out from the heart, there will be a wound in + it, mark my word! It is necessary, Pavel, to invent a new faith; it is + necessary to create a God for all. Not a judge, not a warrior, but a God + who shall be the friend of the people."</p> + + <p>"You had one! There was Christ!"</p> + + <p>"Wait a moment! Christ was not strong in spirit. 'Let the cup pass from + me,' he said. And he recognized Cæsar. God cannot recognize human + powers. He himself is the whole of power. He does not divide his soul + saying: so much for the godly, so much for the human. If Christ came to + affirm the divine he had no need for anything human. But he recognized + trade, and he recognized marriage. And it was unjust of him to condemn + the fig tree. Was it of its own will that it was barren of fruit? + Neither is the soul barren of good of its own accord. Have I sown the + evil in it myself? Of course not!"</p> + + <p>The two voices hummed continuously in the room, as if clutching at each + other and wrestling in exciting play. Pavel walked hurriedly up and down + the room; the floor cracked under his feet. When he spoke all other + sounds were drowned by his voice; but above the slow, calm flow of + Rybin's dull utterance were heard the strokes of the pendulum and the + low creaking of the frost, as of sharp claws scratching the walls of the + house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I will speak to you in my own way, in the words of a stoker. God is + like fire. He does not strengthen anything. He cannot. He merely burns + and fuses when he gives light. He burns down churches, he does not raise + them. He lives in the heart."</p> + + <p>"And in the mind!" insisted Pavel.</p> + + <p>"That's it! In the heart and in the mind. There's the rub. It's this + that makes all the trouble and misery and misfortune. We have severed + ourselves from our own selves. The heart was severed from the mind, and + the mind has disappeared. Man is not a unit. It is God that makes him a + unit, that makes him a round, circular thing. God always makes things + round. Such is the earth and all the stars and everything visible to the + eye. The sharp, angular things are the work of men."</p> + + <p>The mother fell asleep and did not hear Rybin depart.</p> + + <p>But he began to come often, and if any of Pavel's comrades were present, + Rybin sat in a corner and was silent, only occasionally interjecting: + "That's so!"</p> + + <p>And once looking at everybody from his corner with his dark glance he + said somberly:</p> + + <p>"We must speak about that which is; that which will be is unknown to us. + When the people have freed themselves, they will see for themselves what + is best. Enough, quite enough of what they do not want at all has been + knocked into their heads. Let there be an end of this! Let them contrive + for themselves. Maybe they will want to reject everything, all life, and + all knowledge; maybe they will see that everything is arranged against + them. You just deliver all the books into their hands, and they will + find an answer for themselves, depend upon it! Only let them remember + that the tighter the collar round the horse's neck, the worse the work."</p> + + <p>But when Pavel was alone with Rybin they at once<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> began an endless but + always calm disputation, to which the mother listened anxiously, + following their words in silence, and endeavoring to understand. + Sometimes it seemed to her as if the broad-shouldered, black-bearded + peasant and her well-built, sturdy son had both gone blind. In that + little room, in the darkness, they seemed to be knocking about from side + to side in search of light and an outlet, to be grasping out with + powerful but blind hands; they seemed to fall upon the floor, and having + fallen, to scrape and fumble with their feet. They hit against + everything, groped about for everything, and flung it away, calm and + composed, losing neither faith nor hope.</p> + + <p>They got her accustomed to listen to a great many words, terrible in + their directness and boldness; and these words had now ceased to weigh + down on her so heavily as at first. She learned to push them away from + her ears. And although Rybin still displeased her as before, he no + longer inspired her with hostility.</p> + + <p>Once a week she carried underwear and books to the Little Russian in + prison. On one occasion they allowed her to see him and talk to him; and + on returning home she related enthusiastically:</p> + + <p>"He is as if he were at home there, too! He is good and kind to + everybody; everybody jokes with him; just as if there were a holiday in + his heart all the time. His lot is hard and heavy, but he does not want + to show it."</p> + + <p>"That's right! That's the way one should act," observed Rybin. "We are + all enveloped in misery as in our skins. We breathe misery, we wear + misery. But that's nothing to brag about. Not all people are blind; some + close their eyes of their own accord, indeed! And if you are stupid you + have to suffer for it."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The little old gray house of the Vlasovs attracted the attention of the + village more and more; and although there was much suspicious chariness + and unconscious hostility in this notice, yet at the same time a + confiding curiosity grew up also. Now and then some one would come over, + and looking carefully about him would say to Pavel: "Well, brother, you + are reading books here, and you know the laws. Explain to me, then——"</p></div> + + <p>And he would tell Pavel about some injustice of the police or the + factory administration. In complicated cases Pavel would give the man a + note to a lawyer friend in the city, and when he could, he would explain + the case himself.</p> + + <p>Gradually people began to look with respect upon this young, serious + man, who spoke about everything simply and boldly, and almost never + laughed, who looked at everybody and listened to everybody with an + attention which searched stubbornly into every circumstance, and always + found a certain general and endless thread binding people together by a + thousand tightly drawn knots.</p> + + <p>Vlasova saw how her son had grown up; she strove to understand his work, + and when she succeeded, she rejoiced with a childlike joy.</p> + + <p>Pavel rose particularly in the esteem of the people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> after the + appearance of his story about the "Muddy Penny."</p> + + <p>Back of the factory, almost encircling it with a ring of putrescence, + stretched a vast marsh grown over with fir trees and birches. In the + summer it was covered with thick yellow and green scum, and swarms of + mosquitoes flew from it over the village, spreading fever in their + course. The marsh belonged to the factory, and the new manager, wishing + to extract profit from it, conceived the plan of draining it and + incidentally gathering in a fine harvest of peat. Representing to the + workingmen how much this measure would contribute to the sanitation of + the locality and the improvement of the general condition of all, the + manager gave orders to deduct a kopeck from every ruble of their + earnings, in order to cover the expense of draining the marsh. The + workingmen rebelled; they especially resented the fact that the office + clerks were exempted from paying the new tax.</p> + + <p>Pavel was ill on the Saturday when posters were hung up announcing the + manager's order in regard to the toll. He had not gone to work and he + knew nothing about it. The next day, after mass, a dapper old man, the + smelter Sizov, and the tall, vicious-looking locksmith Makhotin, came to + him and told him of the manager's decision.</p> + + <p>"A few of us older ones got together," said Sizov, speaking sedately, + "talked the matter over, and our comrades, you see, sent us over to you, + as you are a knowing man among us. Is there such a law as gives our + manager the right to make war upon mosquitoes with our kopecks?"</p> + + <p>"Think!" said Makhotin, with a glimmer in his narrow eyes. "Three years + ago these sharpers collected a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> tax to build a bath house. Three + thousand eight hundred rubles is what they gathered in. Where are those + rubles? And where is the bath house?"</p> + + <p>Pavel explained the injustice of the tax, and the obvious advantage of + such a procedure to the factory owners; and both of his visitors went + away in a surly mood.</p> + + <p>The mother, who had gone with them to the door, said, laughing:</p> + + <p>"Now, Pasha, the old people have also begun to come to seek wisdom from + you."</p> + + <p>Without replying, Pavel sat down at the table with a busy air and began + to write. In a few minutes he said to her: "Please go to the city + immediately and deliver this note."</p> + + <p>"Is it dangerous?" she asked.</p> + + <p>"Yes! A newspaper is being published for us down there! That 'Muddy + Penny' story must go into the next issue."</p> + + <p>"I'll go at once," she replied, beginning hurriedly to put on her wraps.</p> + + <p>This was the first commission her son had given her. She was happy that + he spoke to her so openly about the matter, and that she might be useful + to him in his work.</p> + + <p>"I understand all about it, Pasha," she said. "It's a piece of robbery. + What's the name of the man? Yegor Ivanovich?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Pavel, smiling kindly.</p> + + <p>She returned late in the evening, exhausted but contented.</p> + + <p>"I saw Sashenka," she told her son. "She sends you her regards. And this + Yegor Ivanovich is such a simple fellow, such a joker! He speaks so + comically."</p> + + <p>"I'm glad you like them," said Pavel softly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p> + + <p>"They are simple people, Pasha. It's good when people are simple. And + they all respect you."</p> + + <p>Again, Monday, Pavel did not go to work. His head ached. But at dinner + time Fedya Mazin came running in, excited, out of breath, happy, and + tired.</p> + + <p>"Come! The whole factory has arisen! They've sent for you. Sizov and + Makhotin say you can explain better than anybody else. My! What a + hullabaloo!"</p> + + <p>Pavel began to dress himself silently.</p> + + <p>"A crowd of women are gathered there; they are screaming!"</p> + + <p>"I'll go, too," declared the mother. "You're not well, and—what are + they doing? I'm going, too."</p> + + <p>"Come," Pavel said briefly.</p> + + <p>They walked along the street quickly and silently. The mother panted + with the exertion of the rapid gait and her excitement. She felt that + something big was happening. At the factory gates a throng of women were + discussing the affair in shrill voices. When the three pushed into the + yard, they found themselves in the thick of a crowd buzzing and humming + in excitement. The mother saw that all heads were turned in the same + direction, toward the blacksmith's wall, where Sizov, Makhotin, Vyalov, + and five or six influential, solid workingmen were standing on a high + pile of old iron heaped on the red brick paving of the court, and waving + their hands.</p> + + <p>"Vlasov is coming!" somebody shouted.</p> + + <p>"Vlasov? Bring him along!"</p> + + <p>Pavel was seized and pushed forward, and the mother was left alone.</p> + + <p>"Silence!" came the shout from various directions. Near by the even + voice of Rybin was heard:</p> + + <p>"We must make a stand, not for the kopeck, but for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> justice. What is + dear to us is not our kopeck, because it's no rounder than any other + kopeck; it's only heavier; there's more human blood in it than in the + manager's ruble. That's the truth!"</p> + + <p>The words fell forcibly on the crowd and stirred the men to hot + responses:</p> + + <p>"That's right! Good, Rybin!"</p> + + <p>"Silence! The devil take you!"</p> + + <p>"Vlasov's come!"</p> + + <p>The voices mingled in a confused uproar, drowning the ponderous whir of + the machinery, the sharp snorts of the steam, and the flapping of the + leather belts. From all sides people came running, waving their hands; + they fell into arguments, and excited one another with burning, stinging + words. The irritation that had found no vent, that had always lain + dormant in tired breasts, had awakened, demanded an outlet, and burst + from their mouths in a volley of words. It soared into the air like a + great bird spreading its motley wings ever wider and wider, clutching + people and dragging them after it, and striking them against one + another. It lived anew, transformed into flaming wrath. A cloud of dust + and soot hung over the crowd; their faces were all afire, and black + drops of sweat trickled down their cheeks. Their eyes gleamed from + darkened countenances; their teeth glistened.</p> + + <p>Pavel appeared on the spot where Sizov and Makhotin were standing, and + his voice rang out:</p> + + <p>"Comrades!"</p> + + <p>The mother saw that his face paled and his lips trembled; she + involuntarily pushed forward, shoving her way through the crowd.</p> + + <p>"Where are you going, old woman?"</p> + + <p>She heard the angry question, and the people pushed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> her, but she would + not stop, thrusting the crowd aside with her shoulders and elbows. She + slowly forced her way nearer to her son, yielding to the desire to stand + by his side. When Pavel had thrown out the word to which he was wont to + attach a deep and significant meaning, his throat contracted in a sharp + spasm of the joy of fight. He was seized with an invincible desire to + give himself up to the strength of his faith; to throw his heart to the + people. His heart kindled with the dream of truth.</p> + + <p>"Comrades!" he repeated, extracting power and rapture from the word. "We + are the people who build churches and factories, forge chains and coin + money, make toys and machines. We are that living force which feeds and + amuses the world from the cradle to the grave."</p> + + <p>"There!" Rybin exclaimed.</p> + + <p>"Always and everywhere we are first in work but last in life. Who cares + for us? Who wishes us good? Who regards us as human beings? No one!"</p> + + <p>"No one!" echoed from the crowd.</p> + + <p>Pavel, mastering himself, began to talk more simply and calmly; the + crowd slowly drew about him, blending into one dark, thick, + thousand-headed body. It looked into his face with hundreds of attentive + eyes; it sucked in his words in silent, strained attention.</p> + + <p>"We will not attain to a better life until we feel ourselves as + comrades, as one family of friends firmly bound together by one + desire—the desire to fight for our rights."</p> + + <p>"Get down to business!" somebody standing near the mother shouted + rudely.</p> + + <p>"Don't interrupt!" "Shut up!" The two muffled exclamations were heard in + different places. The soot-covered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> faces frowned in sulky incredulity; + scores of eyes looked into Pavel's face thoughtfully and seriously.</p> + + <p>"A socialist, but no fool!" somebody observed.</p> + + <p>"I say, he does speak boldly!" said a tall, crippled workingman, tapping + the mother on the shoulder.</p> + + <p>"It is time, comrades, to take a stand against the greedy power that + lives by our labor. It is time to defend ourselves; we must all + understand that no one except ourselves will help us. One for all and + all for one—this is our law, if we want to crush the foe!"</p> + + <p>"He's right, boys!" Makhotin shouted. "Listen to the truth!" And, with a + broad sweep of his arm, he shook his fist in the air.</p> + + <p>"We must call out the manager at once," said Pavel. "We must ask him."</p> + + <p>As if struck by a tornado, the crowd rocked to and fro; scores of voices + shouted:</p> + + <p>"The manager! The manager! Let him come! Let him explain!"</p> + + <p>"Send delegates for him! Bring him here!"</p> + + <p>"No, don't; it's not necessary!"</p> + + <p>The mother pushed her way to the front and looked up at her son. She was + filled with pride. Her son stood among the old, respected workingmen; + all listened to him and agreed with him! She was pleased that he was so + calm and talked so simply; not angrily, not swearing, like the others. + Broken exclamations, wrathful words and oaths descended like hail on + iron. Pavel looked down on the people from his elevation, and with + wide-open eyes seemed to be seeking something among them.</p> + + <p>"Delegates!"</p> + + <p>"Let Sizov speak!"</p> + + <p>"Vlasov!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Rybin! He has a terrible tongue!"</p> + + <p>Finally Sizov, Rybin, and Pavel were chosen for the interview with the + manager. When just about to send for the manager, suddenly low + exclamations were heard in the crowd:</p> + + <p>"Here he comes himself!"</p> + + <p>"The manager?"</p> + + <p>"Ah!"</p> + + <p>The crowd opened to make way for a tall, spare man with a pointed beard, + an elongated face and blinking eyes.</p> + + <p>"Permit me," he said, as he pushed the people aside with a short motion + of his hand, without touching them. With the experienced look of a ruler + of people, he scanned the workingmen's faces with a searching gaze. They + took their hats off and bowed to him. He walked past them without + acknowledging their greetings. His presence silenced and confused the + crowd, and evoked embarrassed smiles and low exclamations, as of + repentant children who had already come to regret their prank.</p> + + <p>Now he passed by the mother, casting a stern glance at her face, and + stopped before the pile of iron. Somebody from above extended a hand to + him; he did not take it, but with an easy, powerful movement of his body + he clambered up and stationed himself in front of Pavel and Sizov. + Looking around the silent crowd, he asked:</p> + + <p>"What's the meaning of this crowd? Why have you dropped your work?"</p> + + <p>For a few seconds silence reigned. Sizov waved his cap in the air, + shrugged his shoulders, and dropped his head.</p> + + <p>"I am asking you a question!" continued the manager.</p> + + <p>Pavel moved alongside of him and said in a low voice, pointing to Sizov + and Rybin:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p> + + <p>"We three are authorized by all the comrades to ask you to revoke your + order about the kopeck discount."</p> + + <p>"Why?" asked the manager, without looking at Pavel.</p> + + <p>"We do not consider such a tax just!" Pavel replied loudly.</p> + + <p>"So, in my plan to drain the marsh you see only a desire to exploit the + workingmen and not a desire to better their conditions; is that it?"</p> + + <p>"Yes!" Pavel replied.</p> + + <p>"And you, also?" the manager asked Rybin.</p> + + <p>"The very same!"</p> + + <p>"How about you, my worthy friend?" The manager turned to Sizov.</p> + + <p>"I, too, want to ask you to let us keep our kopecks." And drooping his + head again, Sizov smiled guiltily. The manager slowly bent his look upon + the crowd again, shrugged his shoulders, and then, regarding Pavel + searchingly, observed:</p> + + <p>"You appear to be a fairly intelligent man. Do you not understand the + usefulness of this measure?"</p> + + <p>Pavel replied loudly:</p> + + <p>"If the factory should drain the marsh at its own expense, we would all + understand it!"</p> + + <p>"This factory is not in the philanthropy business!" remarked the manager + dryly. "I order you all to start work at once!"</p> + + <p>And he began to descend, cautiously feeling the iron with his feet, and + without looking at anyone.</p> + + <p>A dissatisfied hum was heard in the crowd.</p> + + <p>"What!" asked the manager, halting.</p> + + <p>All were silent; then from the distance came a solitary voice:</p> + + <p>"You go to work yourself!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p> + + <p>"If in fifteen minutes you do not start work, I'll order every single + one of you to be discharged!" the manager announced dryly and + distinctly.</p> + + <p>He again proceeded through the crowd, but now an indistinct murmur + followed him, and the shouting grew louder as his figure receded.</p> + + <p>"Speak to him!"</p> + + <p>"That's what you call justice! Worse luck!"</p> + + <p>Some turned to Pavel and shouted:</p> + + <p>"Say, you great lawyer, you, what's to be done now? You talked and + talked, but the moment he came it all went up in the air!"</p> + + <p>"Well, Vlasov, what now?"</p> + + <p>When the shouts became more insistent, Pavel raised his hand and said:</p> + + <p>"Comrades, I propose that we quit work until he gives up that kopeck!"</p> + + <p>Excited voices burst out:</p> + + <p>"He thinks we're fools!"</p> + + <p>"We ought to do it!"</p> + + <p>"A strike?"</p> + + <p>"For one kopeck?"</p> + + <p>"Why not? Why not strike?"</p> + + <p>"We'll all be discharged!"</p> + + <p>"And who is going to do the work?"</p> + + <p>"There are others!"</p> + + <p>"Who? Judases?"</p> + + <p>"Every year I would have to give three rubles and sixty kopecks to the + mosquitoes!"</p> + + <p>"All of us would have to give it!"</p> + + <p>Pavel walked down and stood at the side of his mother. No one paid any + attention to him now. They were all yelling and debating hotly with one + another.</p> + + <p>"You cannot get them to strike!" said Rybin, coming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> up to Pavel. + "Greedy as these people are for a penny, they are too cowardly. You may, + perhaps, induce about three hundred of them to follow you, no more. It's + a heap of dung you won't lift with one toss of the pitchfork, I tell + you!"</p> + + <p>Pavel was silent. In front of him the huge black face of the crowd was + rocking wildly, and fixed on him an importunate stare. His heart beat in + alarm. It seemed to him as if all the words he had spoken vanished in + the crowd without leaving any trace, like scattered drops of rain + falling on parched soil. One after the other, workmen approached him + praising his speech, but doubting the success of a strike, and + complaining how little the people understood their own interests and + realized their own strength.</p> + + <p>Pavel had a sense of injury and disappointment as to his own power. His + head ached; he felt desolate. Hitherto, whenever he pictured the triumph + of his truth, he wanted to cry with the delight that seized his heart. + But here he had spoken his truth to the people, and behold! when clothed + in words it appeared so pale, so powerless, so incapable of affecting + anyone. He blamed himself; it seemed to him that he had concealed his + dream in a poor, disfiguring garment and no one could, therefore, detect + its beauty.</p> + + <p>He went home, tired and moody. He was followed by his mother and Sizov, + while Rybin walked alongside, buzzing into his ear:</p> + + <p>"You speak well, but you don't speak to the heart! That's the trouble! + The spark must be thrown into the heart, into its very depths!"</p> + + <p>"It's time we lived and were guided by reason," Pavel said in a low + voice.</p> + + <p>"The boot does not fit the foot; it's too thin and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> narrow! The foot + won't get in! And if it does, it will wear the boot out mighty quick. + That is the trouble."</p> + + <p>Sizov, meanwhile, talked to the mother.</p> + + <p>"It's time for us old folks to get into our graves. Nilovna! A new + people is coming. What sort of a life have we lived? We crawled on our + knees, and always crouched on the ground! But here are the new people. + They have either come to their senses, or else are blundering worse than + we; but they are not like us, anyway. Just look at those youngsters + talking to the manager as to their equal! Yes, ma'am! Oh, if only my son + Matvey were alive! Good-by, Pavel Vlasov! You stand up for the people + all right, brother. God grant you his favor! Perhaps you'll find a way + out. God grant it!" And he walked away.</p> + + <p>"Yes, you may as well die straight off!" murmured Rybin. "You are no + men, now. You are only putty—good to fill cracks with, that's all! Did + you see, Pavel, who it was that shouted to make you a delegate? It was + those who call you socialist—agitator—yes!—thinking you'd be + discharged, and it would serve you right!"</p> + + <p>"They are right, according to their lights!" said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"So are wolves when they tear one another to pieces!" Rybin's face was + sullen, his voice unusually tremulous.</p> + + <p>The whole day Pavel felt ill at ease, as if he had lost something, he + did not know what, and anticipated a further loss.</p> + + <p>At night when the mother was asleep and he was reading in bed, gendarmes + appeared and began to search everywhere—in the yard, in the attic. They + were sullen; the yellow-faced officer conducted himself as on the first + occasion, insultingly, derisively, delighting in abuse, endeavoring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> to + cut down to the very heart. The mother, in a corner, maintained silence, + never removing her eyes from her son's face. He made every effort not to + betray his emotion; but whenever the officer laughed, his fingers + twitched strangely, and the old woman felt how hard it was for him not + to reply, and to bear the jesting. This time the affair was not so + terrorizing to her as at the first search. She felt a greater hatred to + these gray, spurred night callers, and her hatred swallowed up her + alarm.</p> + + <p>Pavel managed to whisper:</p> + + <p>"They'll arrest me."</p> + + <p>Inclining her head, she quietly replied:</p> + + <p>"I understand."</p> + + <p>She did understand—they would put him in jail for what he had said to + the workingmen that day. But since all agreed with what he had said, and + all ought to stand up for him, he would not be detained long.</p> + + <p>She longed to embrace him and cry over him; but there stood the officer, + watching her with a malevolent squint of his eyes. His lips trembled, + his mustache twitched. It seemed to Vlasova that the officer was but + waiting for her tears, complaints, and supplications. With a supreme + effort endeavoring to say as little as possible, she pressed her son's + hand, and holding her breath said slowly, in a low tone:</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 252px;"><a name="illus101" id="illus101"></a><a href="images/illus101.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus101_th.jpg" width="252" height="400" alt=""It seemed to Vlasova that the officer was but waiting for her tears."" title=""It seemed to Vlasova that the officer was but waiting for her tears."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"It seemed to Vlasova that the officer was but waiting + for her tears."</span> +</div> + + <p>"Good-by, Pasha. Did you take everything you need?"</p> + + <p>"Everything. Don't worry!"</p> + + <p>"Christ be with you!"</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_w.png" alt="W" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_2">When the police had led Pavel away, the mother sat down on the bench, + and closing her eyes began to weep quietly. She leaned her back against + the wall, as her husband used to do, her head thrown backward. Bound up + in her grief and the injured sense of her impotence, she cried long, + gently, and monotonously, pouring out all the pain of her wounded heart + in her sobs. And before her, like an irremovable stain, hung that yellow + face with the scant mustache, and the squinting eyes staring at her with + malicious pleasure. Resentment and bitterness were winding themselves + about her breast like black threads on a spool; resentment and + bitterness toward those who tear a son away from his mother because he + is seeking truth.</p></div> + + <p>It was cold; the rain pattered against the window panes; something + seemed to be creeping along the walls. She thought she heard, walking + watchfully around the house, gray, heavy figures, with broad, red faces, + without eyes, and with long arms. It seemed to her that she almost heard + the jingling of their spurs.</p> + + <p>"I wish they had taken me, too!" she thought.</p> + + <p>The whistle blew, calling the people to work. This time its sounds were + low, indistinct, uncertain. The door opened and Rybin entered. He stood + before her, wiping the raindrops from his beard.</p> + + <p>"They snatched him away, did they?" he asked.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Yes, they did, the dogs!" she replied, sighing.</p> + + <p>"That's how it is," said Rybin, with a smile; "they searched me, too; + went all through me—yes! Abused me to their heart's content, but did me + no harm beyond that. So they carried off Pavel, did they? The manager + tipped the wink, the gendarme said 'Amen!' and lo! a man has + disappeared. They certainly are thick together. One goes through the + people's pockets while the other holds the gun."</p> + + <p>"You ought to stand up for Pavel!" cried the mother, rising to her feet. + "It's for you all that he's gone!"</p> + + <p>"Who ought to stand up for him?" asked Rybin.</p> + + <p>"All of you!"</p> + + <p>"You want too much! We'll do nothing of the kind! Our masters have been + gathering strength for thousands of years; they have driven our hearts + full of nails. We cannot unite at once. We must first extract from + ourselves, each from the other, the iron spikes that prevent us from + standing close to one another."</p> + + <p>And thus he departed, with his heavy gait, leaving the mother to her + grief, aggravated by the stern hopelessness of his words.</p> + + <p>The day passed in a thick mist of empty, senseless longing. She made no + fire, cooked no dinner, drank no tea, and only late in the evening ate a + piece of bread. When she went to bed it occurred to her that her life + had never yet been so humiliating, so lonely and void. During the last + years she had become accustomed to live constantly in the expectation of + something momentous, something good. Young people were circling around + her, noisy, vigorous, full of life. Her son's thoughtful and earnest + face was always before her, and he seemed to be the master and creator + of this thrilling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> and noble life. Now he was gone, everything was gone. + In the whole day, no one except the disagreeable Rybin had called.</p> + + <p>Beyond the window, the dense, cold rain was sighing and knocking at the + panes. The rain and the drippings from the roof filled the air with a + doleful, wailing melody. The whole house appeared to be rocking gently + to and fro, and everything around her seemed aimless and unnecessary.</p> + + <p>A gentle rap was heard at the door. It came once, and then a second + time. She had grown accustomed to these noises; they no longer + frightened her. A soft, joyous sensation thrilled her heart, and a vague + hope quickly brought her to her feet. Throwing a shawl over her + shoulders, she hurried to the door and opened it.</p> + + <p>Samoylov walked in, followed by another man with his face hidden behind + the collar of his overcoat and under a hat thrust over his eyebrows.</p> + + <p>"Did we wake you?" asked Samoylov, without greeting the mother, his face + gloomy and thoughtful, contrary to his wont.</p> + + <p>"I was not asleep," she said, looking at them with expectant eyes.</p> + + <p>Samoylov's companion took off his hat, and breathing heavily and + hoarsely said in a friendly basso, like an old acquaintance, giving her + his broad, short-fingered hand:</p> + + <p>"Good evening, granny! You don't recognize me?"</p> + + <p>"Is it you?" exclaimed Nilovna, with a sudden access of delight. "Yegor + Ivanovich?"</p> + + <p>"The very same identical one!" replied he, bowing his large head with + its long hair. There was a good-natured smile on his face, and a clear, + caressing look in his small gray eyes. He was like a samovar—rotund,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> + short, with thick neck and short arms. His face was shiny and glossy, + with high cheek bones. He breathed noisily, and his chest kept up a + continuous low wheeze.</p> + + <p>"Step into the room. I'll be dressed in a minute," the mother said.</p> + + <p>"We have come to you on business," said Samoylov thoughtfully, looking + at her out of the corner of his eyes.</p> + + <p>Yegor Ivanovich passed into the room, and from there said:</p> + + <p>"Nikolay got out of jail this morning, granny. You know him?"</p> + + <p>"How long was he there?" she asked.</p> + + <p>"Five months and eleven days. He saw the Little Russian there, who sends + you his regards, and Pavel, who also sends you his regards and begs you + not to be alarmed. As a man travels on his way, he says, the jails + constitute his resting places, established and maintained by the + solicitous authorities! Now, granny, let us get to the point. Do you + know how many people were arrested yesterday?"</p> + + <p>"I do not. Why, were there any others arrested besides Pavel?" she + exclaimed.</p> + + <p>"He was the forty-ninth!" calmly interjected Yegor Ivanovich. "And we + may expect about ten more to be taken! This gentleman here, for + example."</p> + + <p>"Yes; me, too!" said Samoylov with a frown.</p> + + <p>Nilovna somehow felt relieved.</p> + + <p>"He isn't there alone," she thought.</p> + + <p>When she had dressed herself, she entered the room and, smiling bravely, + said:</p> + + <p>"I guess they won't detain them long, if they arrested so many."</p> + + <p>"You are right," assented Yegor Ivanovich; "and if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> we can manage to + spoil this mess for them, we can make them look altogether like fools. + This is the way it is, granny. If we were now to cease smuggling our + literature into the factory, the gendarmes would take advantage of such + a regrettable circumstance, and would use it against Pavel and his + comrades in jail."</p> + + <p>"How is that? Why should they?" the mother cried in alarm.</p> + + <p>"It's very plain, granny," said Yegor Ivanovich softly. "Sometimes even + gendarmes reason correctly. Just think! Pavel was, and there were books + and there were papers; Pavel is not, and no books and no papers! Ergo, + it was Pavel who distributed these books! Aha! Then they'll begin to eat + them all alive. Those gendarmes dearly love so to unman a man that what + remains of him is only a shred of himself, and a touching memory."</p> + + <p>"I see, I see," said the mother dejectedly. "O God! What's to be done, + then?"</p> + + <p>"They have trapped them all, the devil take them!" came Samoylov's voice + from the kitchen. "Now we must continue our work the same as before, and + not only for the cause itself, but also to save our comrades!"</p> + + <p>"And there is no one to do the work," added Yegor, smiling. "We have + first-rate literature. I saw to that myself. But how to get it into the + factory, that's the question!"</p> + + <p>"They search everybody at the gates now," said Samoylov.</p> + + <p>The mother divined that something was expected of her. She understood + that she could be useful to her son, and she hastened to ask:</p> + + <p>"Well, now? What are we to do?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> + + <p>Samoylov stood in the doorway to answer.</p> + + <p>"Pelagueya Nilovna, you know Marya Korsunova, the peddler."</p> + + <p>"I do. Well?"</p> + + <p>"Speak to her; see if you can't get her to smuggle in our wares."</p> + + <p>"We could pay her, you know," interjected Yegor.</p> + + <p>The mother waved her hands in negation.</p> + + <p>"Oh, no! The woman is a chatterbox. No! If they find out it comes from + me, from this house—oh, no!"</p> + + <p>Then, inspired by a sudden idea, she began gladly and in a low voice:</p> + + <p>"Give it to me, give it to me. I'll manage it myself. I'll find a way. I + will ask Marya to make me her assistant. I have to earn my living, I + have to work. Don't I? Well, then, I'll carry dinners to the factory. + Yes, I'll manage it!"</p> + + <p>Pressing her hands to her bosom, she gave hurried assurances that she + would carry out her mission well and escape detection. Finally she + exclaimed in triumph: "They'll find out—Pavel Vlasov is away, but his + arm reaches out even from jail. They'll find out!"</p> + + <p>All three became animated. Briskly rubbing his hands, Yegor smiled and + said:</p> + + <p>"It's wonderful, stupendous! I say, granny, it's superb—simply + magnificent!"</p> + + <p>"I'll sit in jail as in an armchair, if this succeeds," said Samoylov, + laughing and rubbing his hands.</p> + + <p>"You are fine, granny!" Yegor hoarsely cried.</p> + + <p>The mother smiled. It was evident to her that if the leaflets should + continue to appear in the factory, the authorities would be forced to + recognize that it was not her son who distributed them. And feeling + assured of success, she began to quiver all over with joy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> + + <p>"When you go to see Pavel," said Yegor, "tell him he has a good mother."</p> + + <p>"I'll see him very soon, I assure you," said Samoylov, smiling.</p> + + <p>The mother grasped his hand and said earnestly:</p> + + <p>"Tell him that I'll do everything, everything necessary. I want him to + know it."</p> + + <p>"And suppose they don't put him in prison?" asked Yegor, pointing at + Samoylov.</p> + + <p>The mother sighed and said sadly:</p> + + <p>"Well, then, it can't be helped!"</p> + + <p>Both of them burst out laughing. And when she realized her ridiculous + blunder, she also began to laugh in embarrassment, and lowering her eyes + said somewhat slyly:</p> + + <p>"Bothering about your own folk keeps you from seeing other people + straight."</p> + + <p>"That's natural!" exclaimed Yegor. "And as to Pavel, you need not worry + about him. He'll come out of prison a still better man. The prison is + our place of rest and study—things we have no time for when we are at + large. I was in prison three times, and each time, although I got scant + pleasure, I certainly derived benefit for my heart and mind."</p> + + <p>"You breathe with difficulty," she said, looking affectionately at his + open face.</p> + + <p>"There are special reasons for that," he replied, raising his finger. + "So the matter's settled, granny? Yes? To-morrow we'll deliver the + matter to you—and the wheels that grind the centuried darkness to + destruction will again start a-rolling. Long live free speech! And long + live a mother's heart! And in the meantime, good-by."</p> + + <p>"Good-by," said Samoylov, giving her a vigorous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> handshake. "To my + mother, I don't dare even hint about such matters. Oh, no!"</p> + + <p>"Everybody will understand in time," said Nilovna, wishing to please + him. "Everybody will understand."</p> + + <p>When they left, she locked the door, and kneeling in the middle of the + room began to pray, to the accompaniment of the patter of the rain. It + was a prayer without words, one great thought of men, of all those + people whom Pavel introduced into her life. It was as if they passed + between her and the ikons upon which she held her eyes riveted. And they + all looked so simple, so strangely near to one another, yet so lone in + life.</p> + + <p>Early next morning the mother went to Marya Korsunova. The peddler, + noisy and greasy as usual, greeted her with friendly sympathy.</p> + + <p>"You are grieving?" Marya asked, patting the mother on the back. "Now, + don't. They just took him, carried him off. Where is the calamity? There + is no harm in it. It used to be that men were thrown into dungeons for + stealing, now they are there for telling the truth. Pavel may have said + something wrong, but he stood up for all, and they all know it. Don't + worry! They don't all say so, but they all know a good man when they see + him. I was going to call on you right along, but had no time. I am + always cooking and selling, but will end my days a beggar, I guess, all + the same. My needs get the best of me, confound them! They keep nibbling + and nibbling like mice at a piece of cheese. No sooner do I manage to + scrape together ten rubles or so, when along comes some heathen, and + makes away with all my money. Yes. It's hard to be a woman! It's a + wretched business! To live alone is hard, to live with anyone, still + harder!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And I came to ask you to take me as your assistant," Vlasova broke in, + interrupting her prattle.</p> + + <p>"How is that?" asked Marya. And after hearing her friend's explanation, + she nodded her head assentingly.</p> + + <p>"That's possible! You remember how you used to hide me from my husband? + Well, now I am going to hide you from want. Everyone ought to help you, + for your son is perishing for the public cause. He is a fine chap, your + son is! They all say so, every blessed soul of them. And they all pity + him. I'll tell you something. No good is going to come to the + authorities from these arrests, mark my word! Look what's going on in + the factory! Hear them talk! They are in an ugly mood, my dear! The + officials imagine that when they've bitten at a man's heel, he won't be + able to go far. But it turns out that when ten men are hit, a hundred + men get angry. A workman must be handled with care! He may go on + patiently enduring and suffering everything that's heaped upon him for a + long, long time, but then he can also explode all of a sudden!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The upshot of the conversation was that the next day at noon the mother + was seen in the factory yard with two pots of eatables from Marya's + culinary establishment, while Marya herself transferred her base of + operations to the market place.</p></div> + + <p>The workmen immediately noticed their new caterer. Some of them + approached her and said approvingly:</p> + + <p>"Gone into business, Nilovna?"</p> + + <p>They comforted her, arguing that Pavel would certainly be released soon + because his cause was a good one. Others filled her sad heart with alarm + by their cautious condolence, while still others awoke a responsive echo + in her by openly and bitterly abusing the manager and the gendarmes. + Some there were who looked at her with a vindictive expression, among + them Isay Gorbov, who, speaking through his teeth, said:</p> + + <p>"If I were the governor, I would have your son hanged! Let him not + mislead the people!"</p> + + <p>This vicious threat went through her like the chill blast of death. She + made no reply, glanced at his small, freckled face, and with a sigh cast + down her eyes.</p> + + <p>She observed considerable agitation in the factory; the workmen gathered + in small groups and talked in an undertone, with great animation; the + foremen walked about with careworn faces, poking their noses into + everything;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> here and there were heard angry oaths and irritated + laughter.</p> + + <p>Two policemen escorted Samoylov past her. He walked with one hand in his + pocket, the other smoothing his red hair.</p> + + <p>A crowd of about a hundred workmen followed him, and plied the policemen + with oaths and banter.</p> + + <p>"Going to take a promenade, Grisha?" shouted one.</p> + + <p>"They do honor to us fellows!" chimed in another.</p> + + <p>"When we go to promenading, we have a bodyguard to escort us," said a + third, and uttered a harsh oath.</p> + + <p>"It does not seem to pay any longer to catch thieves!" exclaimed a tall, + one-eyed workingman in a loud, bitter voice. "So they take to arresting + honest people."</p> + + <p>"They don't even do it at night!" broke in another. "They come and drag + them away in broad daylight, without shame, the impudent scoundrels!"</p> + + <p>The policemen walked on rapidly and sullenly, trying to avoid the sight + of the crowd, and feigning not to hear the angry exclamations showered + upon them from all sides. Three workmen carrying a big iron bar happened + to come in front of them, and thrusting the bar against them, shouted:</p> + + <p>"Look out there, fishermen!"</p> + + <p>As he passed Nilovna, Samoylov nodded to her, and smiling, said:</p> + + <p>"Behold, this is Gregory, the servant of God, being arrested."</p> + + <p>She made a low bow to him in silence. These men, so young, sober, and + clever, who went to jail with a smile, moved her, and she unconsciously + felt for them the pitying affection of a mother. It pleased her to hear + the sharp comments leveled against the authorities. She saw therein her + son's influence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> + + <p>Leaving the factory, she passed the remainder of the day at Marya's + house, assisting her in her work, and listening to her chatter. Late in + the evening she returned home and found it bare, chilly and + disagreeable. She moved about from corner to corner, unable to find a + resting place, and not knowing what to do with herself. Night was fast + approaching, and she grew worried, because Yegor Ivanovich had not yet + come and brought her the literature which he had promised.</p> + + <p>Behind the window, gray, heavy flakes of spring snow fluttered and + settled softly and noiselessly upon the pane. Sliding down and melting, + they left a watery track in their course. The mother thought of her son.</p> + + <p>A cautious rap was heard. She rushed to the door, lifted the latch, and + admitted Sashenka. She had not seen her for a long while, and the first + thing that caught her eye was the girl's unnatural stoutness.</p> + + <p>"Good evening!" she said, happy to have a visitor at such a time, to + relieve her solitude for a part of the night. "You haven't been around + for a long while! Were you away?"</p> + + <p>"No, I was in prison," replied the girl, smiling, "with Nikolay + Ivanovich. Do you remember him?"</p> + + <p>"I should think I do!" exclaimed the mother. "Yegor Ivanovich told me + yesterday that he had been released, but I knew nothing about you. + Nobody told me that you were there."</p> + + <p>"What's the good of telling? I should like to change my dress before + Yegor Ivanovich comes!" said the girl, looking around.</p> + + <p>"You are all wet."</p> + + <p>"I've brought the booklets."</p> + + <p>"Give them here, give them to me!" cried the mother impatiently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Directly," replied the girl. She untied her skirt and shook it, and + like leaves from a tree, down fluttered a lot of thin paper parcels on + the floor around her. The mother picked them up, laughing, and said:</p> + + <p>"I was wondering what made you so stout. Oh, what a heap of them you + have brought! Did you come on foot?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Sashenka. She was again her graceful, slender self. The + mother noticed that her cheeks were shrunken, and that dark rings were + under her unnaturally large eyes.</p> + + <p>"You are just out of prison. You ought to rest, and there you are + carrying a load like that for seven versts!" said the mother, sighing + and shaking her head.</p> + + <p>"It's got to be done!" said the girl. "Tell me, how is Pavel? Did he + stand it all right? He wasn't very much worried, was he?" Sashenka asked + the question without looking at the mother. She bent her head and her + fingers trembled as she arranged her hair.</p> + + <p>"All right," replied the mother. "You can rest assured he won't betray + himself."</p> + + <p>"How strong he is!" murmured the girl quietly.</p> + + <p>"He has never been sick," replied the mother. "Why, you are all in a + shiver! I'll get you some tea, and some raspberry jam."</p> + + <p>"That's fine!" exclaimed the girl with a faint smile. "But don't you + trouble! It's too late. Let me do it myself."</p> + + <p>"What! Tired as you are?" the mother reproached her, hurrying into the + kitchen, where she busied herself with the samovar. The girl followed + into the kitchen, sat down on the bench, and folded her hands behind her + head before she replied:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Yes, I'm very tired! After all, the prison makes one weak. The awful + thing about it is the enforced inactivity. There is nothing more + tormenting. We stay a week, five weeks. We know how much there is to be + done. The people are waiting for knowledge. We're in a position to + satisfy their wants, and there we are locked up in a cage like animals! + That's what is so trying, that's what dries up the heart!"</p> + + <p>"Who will reward you for all this?" asked the mother; and with a sigh + she answered the question herself. "No one but God! Of course you don't + believe in Him either?"</p> + + <p>"No!" said the girl briefly, shaking her head.</p> + + <p>"And I don't believe you!" the mother ejaculated in a sudden burst of + excitement. Quickly wiping her charcoal-blackened hands on her apron she + continued, with deep conviction in her voice:</p> + + <p>"You don't understand your own faith! How could you live the kind of + life you are living, without faith in God?"</p> + + <p>A loud stamping of feet and a murmur of voices were heard on the porch. + The mother started; the girl quickly rose to her feet, and whispered + hurriedly:</p> + + <p>"Don't open the door! If it's the gendarmes, you don't know me. I walked + into the wrong house, came here by accident, fainted away, you undressed + me, and found the books around me. You understand?"</p> + + <p>"Why, my dear, what for?" asked the mother tenderly.</p> + + <p>"Wait a while!" said Sashenka listening. "I think it's Yegor."</p> + + <p>It was Yegor, wet and out of breath.</p> + + <p>"Aha! The samovar!" he cried. "That's the best thing in life, granny! + You here already, Sashenka?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> + + <p>His hoarse voice filled the little kitchen. He slowly removed his heavy + ulster, talking all the time.</p> + + <p>"Here, granny, is a girl who is a thorn in the flesh of the police! + Insulted by the overseer of the prison, she declared that she would + starve herself to death if he did not ask her pardon. And for eight days + she went without eating, and came within a hair's breadth of dying. It's + not bad! She must have a mighty strong little stomach."</p> + + <p>"Is it possible you took no food for eight days in succession?" asked + the mother in amazement.</p> + + <p>"I had to get him to beg my pardon," answered the girl with a stoical + shrug of her shoulders. Her composure and her stern persistence seemed + almost like a reproach to the mother.</p> + + <p>"And suppose you had died?" she asked again.</p> + + <p>"Well, what can one do?" the girl said quietly. "He did beg my pardon + after all. One ought never to forgive an insult, never!"</p> + + <p>"Ye-es!" responded the mother slowly. "Here are we women who are + insulted all our lives long."</p> + + <p>"I have unloaded myself!" announced Yegor from the other room. "Is the + samovar ready? Let me take it in!"</p> + + <p>He lifted the samovar and talked as he carried it.</p> + + <p>"My own father used to drink not less than twenty glasses of tea a day, + wherefor his days upon earth were long, peaceful, and strong; for he + lived to be seventy-three years old, never having suffered from any + ailment whatsoever. In weight he reached the respectable figure of three + hundred and twenty pounds, and by profession he was a sexton in the + village of Voskresensk."</p> + + <p>"Are you Ivan's son?" exclaimed the mother.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I am that very mortal. How did you know his name?"</p> + + <p>"Why, I am a Voskresenskian myself!"</p> + + <p>"A fellow countrywoman! Who were your people?"</p> + + <p>"Your neighbors. I am a Sereguin."</p> + + <p>"Are you a daughter of Nil the Lame? I thought your face was familiar! + Why, I had my ears pulled by him many and many a time!"</p> + + <p>They stood face to face plying each other with questions and laughing. + Sashenka looked at them and smiled, and began to prepare the tea. The + clatter of the dishes recalled the mother to the realities of the + present.</p> + + <p>"Oh, excuse me! I quite forgot myself, talking about old times. It is so + sweet to recall your youth."</p> + + <p>"It's I who ought to beg your pardon for carrying on like this in your + house!" said Sashenka. "But it is eleven o'clock already, and I have so + far to go."</p> + + <p>"Go where? To the city?" the mother asked in surprise.</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"What are you talking about! It's dark and wet, and you are so tired. + Stay here overnight. Yegor Ivanovich will sleep in the kitchen, and you + and I here."</p> + + <p>"No, I must go," said the girl simply.</p> + + <p>"Yes, countrywoman, she must go. The young lady must disappear. It would + be bad if she were to be seen on the street to-morrow."</p> + + <p>"But how can she go? By herself?"</p> + + <p>"By herself," said Yegor, laughing.</p> + + <p>The girl poured tea for herself, took a piece of rye bread, salted it, + and started to eat, looking at the mother contemplatively.</p> + + <p>"How can you go that way? Both you and Natasha. I wouldn't. I'm + afraid!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> + + <p>"She's afraid, too," said Yegor. "Aren't you afraid, Sasha?"</p> + + <p>"Of course!"</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her, then at Yegor, and said in a low voice, "What + strange——"</p> + + <p>"Give me a glass of tea, granny," Yegor interrupted her.</p> + + <p>When Sashenka had drunk her glass of tea, she pressed Yegor's hand in + silence, and walked out into the kitchen. The mother followed her. In + the kitchen Sashenka said:</p> + + <p>"When you see Pavel, give him my regards, please." And taking hold of + the latch, she suddenly turned around, and asked in a low voice: "May I + kiss you?"</p> + + <p>The mother embraced her in silence, and kissed her warmly.</p> + + <p>"Thank you!" said the girl, and nodding her head, walked out.</p> + + <p>Returning to the room, the mother peered anxiously through the window. + Wet flakes of snow fluttered through the dense, moist darkness.</p> + + <p>"And do you remember Prozorov, the storekeeper?" asked Yegor. "He used + to sit with his feet sprawling, and blow noisily into his glass of tea. + He had a red, satisfied, sweet-covered face."</p> + + <p>"I remember, I remember," said the mother, coming back to the table. She + sat down, and looking at Yegor with a mournful expression in her eyes, + she spoke pityingly: "Poor Sashenka! How will she ever get to the city?"</p> + + <p>"She will be very much worn out," Yegor agreed. "The prison has shaken + her health badly. She was stronger before. Besides, she has had a + delicate bringing up. It seems to me she has already ruined her lungs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> + There is something in her face that reminds one of consumption."</p> + + <p>"Who is she?"</p> + + <p>"The daughter of a landlord. Her father is a rich man and a big + scoundrel, according to what she says. I suppose you know, granny, that + they want to marry?"</p> + + <p>"Who?"</p> + + <p>"She and Pavel. Yes, indeed! But so far they have not yet been able. + When he is free, she is in prison, and <i>vice versa</i>." Yegor laughed.</p> + + <p>"I didn't know it!" the mother replied after a pause. "Pasha never + speaks about himself."</p> + + <p>Now she felt a still greater pity for the girl, and looking at her guest + with involuntary hostility, she said:</p> + + <p>"You ought to have seen her home."</p> + + <p>"Impossible!" Yegor answered calmly. "I have a heap of work to do here, + and the whole day to-morrow, from early morning, I shall have to walk + and walk and walk. No easy job, considering my asthma."</p> + + <p>"She's a fine girl!" said the mother, vaguely thinking of what Yegor had + told her. She felt hurt that the news should have come to her, not from + her son, but from a stranger, and she pressed her lips together tightly, + and lowered her eyebrows.</p> + + <p>"Yes, a fine girl!" Yegor nodded assent. "There's a bit of the + noblewoman in her yet, but it's growing less and less all the time. You + are sorry for her, I see. What's the use? You won't find heart enough, + if you start to grieve for all of us rebels, granny dear. Life is not + made very easy for us, I admit. There, for instance, is the case of a + friend of mine who returned a short while ago from exile. When he went + through Novgorod, his wife and child awaited him in Smolensk, and when + he arrived in Smolensk, they were already in prison in Moscow. Now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> it's + the wife's turn to go to Siberia. To be a revolutionary and to be + married is a very inconvenient arrangement—inconvenient for the + husband, inconvenient for the wife and in the end for the cause also! I, + too, had a wife, an excellent woman, but five years of this kind of life + landed her in the grave."</p> + + <p>He emptied the glass of tea at one gulp, and continued his narrative. He + enumerated the years and months he had passed in prison and in exile, + told of various accidents and misfortunes, of the slaughters in prisons, + and of hunger in Siberia. The mother looked at him, listened with + wonderment to the simple way in which he spoke of this life, so full of + suffering, of persecution, of wrong, and abuse of men.</p> + + <p>"Well, let's get down to business!"</p> + + <p>His voice changed, and his face grew more serious. He asked questions + about the way in which the mother intended to smuggle the literature + into the factory, and she marveled at his clear knowledge of all the + details.</p> + + <p>Then they returned to reminiscences of their native village. He joked, + and her mind roved thoughtfully through her past. It seemed to her + strangely like a quagmire uniformly strewn with hillocks, which were + covered with poplars trembling in constant fear; with low firs, and with + white birches straying between the hillocks. The birches grew slowly, + and after standing for five years on the unstable, putrescent soil, they + dried up, fell down, and rotted away. She looked at this picture, and a + vague feeling of insufferable sadness overcame her. The figure of a girl + with a sharp, determined face stood before her. Now the figure walks + somewhere in the darkness amid the snowflakes, solitary, weary. And her + son sits in a little cell, with iron gratings over the window.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> Perhaps + he is not yet asleep, and is thinking. But he is thinking not of his + mother. He has one nearer to him than herself. Heavy, chaotic thoughts, + like a tangled mass of clouds, crept over her, and encompassed her and + oppressed her bosom.</p> + + <p>"You are tired, granny! Let's go to bed!" said Yegor, smiling.</p> + + <p>She bade him good night, and sidled carefully into the kitchen, carrying + away a bitter, caustic feeling in her heart.</p> + + <p>In the morning, after breakfast, Yegor asked her:</p> + + <p>"Suppose they catch you and ask you where you got all these heretical + books from. What will you say?"</p> + + <p>"I'll say, 'It's none of your business!'" she answered, smiling.</p> + + <p>"You'll never convince them of that!" Yegor replied confidently. "On the + contrary, they are profoundly convinced that this is precisely their + business. They will question you very, very diligently, and very, very + long!"</p> + + <p>"I won't tell, though!"</p> + + <p>"They'll put you in prison!"</p> + + <p>"Well, what of it? Thank God that I am good at least for that," she said + with a sigh. "Thank God! Who needs me? Nobody!"</p> + + <p>"H'm!" said Yegor, fixing his look upon her. "A good person ought to + take care of himself."</p> + + <p>"I couldn't learn that from you, even if I were good," the mother + replied, laughing.</p> + + <p>Yegor was silent, and paced up and down the room; then he walked up to + her and said: "This is hard, countrywoman! I feel it, it's very hard for + you!"</p> + + <p>"It's hard for everybody," she answered, with a wave of her hand. "Maybe + only for those who understand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> it's easier. But I understand a little, + too. I understand what it is the good people want."</p> + + <p>"If you do understand, granny, then it means that everybody needs you, + everybody!" said Yegor earnestly and solemnly.</p> + + <p>She looked at him and laughed without saying anything.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_a.png" alt="A" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">At noon, calmly and in a businesslike way she put the books around her + bosom, and so skillfully and snugly that Yegor announced, smacking his + lips with satisfaction:</p></div> + + <p>"<i>Sehr gut!</i> as the German says when he has drunk a keg of beer. + Literature has not changed you, granny. You still remain the good, tall, + portly, elderly woman. May all the numberless gods grant you their + blessings on your enterprise!"</p> + + <p>Within half an hour she stood at the factory gate, bent with the weight + of her burden, calm and assured. Two guards, irritated by the oaths and + raillery of the workingmen, examined all who entered the gate, handling + them roughly and swearing at them. A policeman and a thin-legged man + with a red face and alert eyes stood at one side. The mother, shifting + the rod resting on her shoulders, with a pail suspended from either end + of it, watched the man from the corner of her eye. She divined that he + was a spy.</p> + + <p>A tall, curly-headed fellow with his hat thrown back over his neck, + cried to the guardsmen who searched him:</p> + + <p>"Search the head and not the pockets, you devils!"</p> + + <p>"There is nothing but lice on your head," retorted one of the + guardsmen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Catching lice is an occupation more suited to you than hunting human + game!" rejoined the workman. The spy scanned him with a rapid glance.</p> + + <p>"Will you let me in?" asked the mother. "See, I'm bent double with my + heavy load. My back is almost breaking."</p> + + <p>"Go in! Go in!" cried the guard sullenly. "She comes with arguments, + too."</p> + + <p>The mother walked to her place, set her pails on the ground, and wiping + the perspiration from her face looked around her.</p> + + <p>The Gusev brothers, the locksmiths, instantly came up to her, and the + older of them, Vasily, asked aloud, knitting his eyebrows:</p> + + <p>"Got any pirogs?"</p> + + <p>"I'll bring them to-morrow," she answered.</p> + + <p>This was the password agreed upon. The faces of the brothers brightened. + Ivan, unable to restrain himself, exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"Oh, you jewel of a mother!"</p> + + <p>Vasily squatted down on his heels, looked into the pot, and a bundle of + books disappeared into his bosom.</p> + + <p>"Ivan!" he said aloud. "Let's not go home, let's get our dinner here + from her!" And he quickly shoved the books into the legs of his boots. + "We must give our new peddler a lift, don't you think so?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, indeed!" Ivan assented, and laughed aloud.</p> + + <p>The mother looked carefully about her, and called out:</p> + + <p>"Sour cabbage soup! Hot vermicelli soup! Roast meat!"</p> + + <p>Then deftly and secretly taking out one package of books after the + other, she shoved them into the hands of the brothers. Each time a + bundle disappeared from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> her hands, the sickly, sneering face of the + officer of gendarmes flashed up before her like a yellow stain, like the + flame of a match in a dark room, and she said to him in her mind, with a + feeling of malicious pleasure:</p> + + <p>"Take this, sir!" And when she handed over the last package she added + with an air of satisfaction: "And here is some more, take it!"</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 256px;"><a name="illus127" id="illus127"></a><a href="images/illus127.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus127_th.jpg" width="256" height="400" alt=""Taking out one package of books after the other, she +shoved them into the hands of the brothers."" title=""Taking out one package of books after the other, she +shoved them into the hands of the brothers."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"Taking out one package of books after the other, she + shoved them into the hands of the brothers."</span> +</div> + + <p>Workmen came up to her with cups in their hands, and when they were near + Ivan and Vasily, they began to laugh aloud. The mother calmly suspended + the transfer of the books, and poured sour soup and vermicelli soup, + while the Gusevs joked her.</p> + + <p>"How cleverly Nilovna does her work!"</p> + + <p>"Necessity drives one even to catching mice," remarked a stoker + somberly. "They have snatched away your breadgiver, the scoundrels! + Well, give us three cents' worth of vermicelli. Never mind, mother! + You'll pull through!"</p> + + <p>"Thanks for the good word!" she returned, smiling.</p> + + <p>He walked off to one side and mumbled, "It doesn't cost me much to say a + good word!"</p> + + <p>"But there's no one to say it to!" observed a blacksmith, with a smile, + and shrugging his shoulders in surprise added: "There's a life for you, + fellows! There's no one to say a good word to; no one is worth it. Yes, + sir!"</p> + + <p>Vasily Gusev rose, wrapped his coat tightly around him, and exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"What I ate was hot, and yet I feel cold."</p> + + <p>Then he walked away. Ivan also rose, and ran off whistling merrily.</p> + + <p>Cheerful and smiling, Nilovna kept on calling her wares:</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p><p>"Hot! Hot! Sour soup! Vermicelli soup! Porridge!"</p> + + <p>She thought of how she would tell her son about her first experience; + and the yellow face of the officer was still standing before her, + perplexed and spiteful. His black mustache twitched uneasily, and his + upper lip turned up nervously, showing the gleaming white enamel of his + clenched teeth. A keen joy beat and sang in her heart like a bird, her + eyebrows quivered, and continuing deftly to serve her customers she + muttered to herself:</p> + + <p>"There's more! There's more!"</p> + + <p>Through the whole day she felt a sensation of delightful newness which + embraced her heart as with a fondling caress. And in the evening, when + she had concluded her work at Marya's house, and was drinking tea, the + splash of horses' hoofs in the mud was heard, and the call of a familiar + voice. She jumped up, hurried into the kitchen, and made straight for + the door. Somebody walked quickly through the porch; her eyes grew dim, + and leaning against the doorpost, she pushed the door open with her + foot.</p> + + <p>"Good evening, mother!" a familiar, melodious voice rang out, and a pair + of dry, long hands were laid on her shoulders.</p> + + <p>The joy of seeing Andrey was mingled in her bosom with the sadness of + disappointment; and the two contrary feelings blended into one burning + sensation which embraced her like a hot wave. She buried her face in + Andrey's bosom. He pressed her tightly to himself, his hands trembled. + The mother wept quietly without speaking, while he stroked her hair, and + spoke in his musical voice:</p> + + <p>"Don't cry, mother. Don't wring my heart. Upon my honest word, they will + let him out soon! They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> haven't a thing against him; all the boys will + keep quiet as cooked fish."</p> + + <p>Putting his long arm around the mother's shoulders he led her into the + room, and nestling up against him with the quick gesture of a squirrel, + she wiped the tears from her face, while her heart greedily drank in his + tender words.</p> + + <p>"Pavel sends you his love. He is as well and cheerful as can be. It's + very crowded in the prison. They have thrown in more than a hundred of + our people, both from here and from the city. Three and four persons + have been put into one cell. The prison officials are rather a good set. + They are exhausted with the quantity of work the gendarmes have been + giving them. The prison authorities are not extremely rigorous, they + don't order you about roughly. They simply say: 'Be quiet as you can, + gentlemen. Don't put us in an awkward position!' So everything goes + well. We talk with one another, we give books to one another, and we + share our food. It's a good prison! Old and dirty, but so soft and so + light. The criminals are also nice people; they help us a good deal. + Bukin, four others, and myself were released. It got too crowded. + They'll let Pavel go soon, too. I'm telling you the truth, believe me. + Vyesovshchikov will be detained the longest. They are very angry at him. + He scolds and swears at everybody all the time. The gendarmes can't bear + to look at him. I guess he'll get himself into court, or receive a sound + thrashing some day. Pavel tries to dissuade him. 'Stop, Nikolay!' he + says to him. 'Your swearing won't reform them.' But he bawls: 'Wipe them + off the face of the earth like a pest!' Pavel conducts himself finely + out there; he treats all alike, and is as firm as a rock! They'll soon + let him go."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Soon?" said the mother, relieved now and smiling. "I know he'll be let + out soon!"</p> + + <p>"Well, if you know, it's all right! Give me tea, mother. Tell me how + you've been, how you've passed your time."</p> + + <p>He looked at her, smiling all over, and seemed so near to her, such a + splendid fellow. A loving, somewhat melancholy gleam flashed from the + depths of his round, blue eyes.</p> + + <p>"I love you dearly, Andriusha!" the mother said, heaving a deep sigh, as + she looked at his thin face grotesquely covered with tufts of hair.</p> + + <p>"People are satisfied with little from me! I know you love me; you are + capable of loving everybody; you have a great heart," said the Little + Russian, rocking in his chair, his eyes straying about the room.</p> + + <p>"No, I love you very differently!" insisted the mother. "If you had a + mother, people would envy her because she had such a son."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian swayed his head, and rubbed it vigorously with both + hands.</p> + + <p>"I have a mother, somewhere!" he said in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"Do you know what I did to-day?" she exclaimed, and reddening a little, + her voice choking with satisfaction, she quickly recounted how she had + smuggled literature into the factory.</p> + + <p>For a moment he looked at her in amazement with his eyes wide open; then + he burst out into a loud guffaw, stamped his feet, thumped his head with + his fingers, and cried joyously:</p> + + <p>"Oho! That's no joke any more! That's business! Won't Pavel be glad, + though! Oh, you're a trump. That's good, mother! You have no idea <i>how</i> + good it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> is! Both for Pavel and all who were arrested with him!"</p> + + <p>He snapped his fingers in ecstasy, whistled, and fairly doubled over, + all radiant with joy. His delight evoked a vigorous response from the + mother.</p> + + <p>"My dear, my Andriusha!" she began, as if her heart had burst open, and + gushed over merrily with a limpid stream of living words full of serene + joy. "I've thought all my life, 'Lord Christ in heaven! what did I live + for?' Beatings, work! I saw nothing except my husband. I knew nothing + but fear! And how Pasha grew I did not see, and I hardly know whether I + loved him when my husband was alive. All my concerns, all my thoughts + were centered upon one thing—to feed my beast, to propitiate the master + of my life with enough food, pleasing to his palate, and served on time, + so as not to incur his displeasure, so as to escape the terrors of a + beating, to get him to spare me but once! But I do not remember that he + ever did spare me. He beat me so—not as a wife is beaten, but as one + whom you hate and detest. Twenty years I lived like that, and what was + up to the time of my marriage I do not recall. I remember certain + things, but I see nothing! I am as a blind person. Yegor Ivanovich was + here—we are from the same village—and he spoke about this and about + that. I remember the houses, the people, but how they lived, what they + spoke about, what happened to this one and what to that one—I forget, I + do not see! I remember fires—two fires. It seems that everything has + been beaten out of me, that my soul has been locked up and sealed tight. + It's grown blind, it does not hear!"</p> + + <p>Her quick-drawn breath was almost a sob. She bent forward, and continued + in a lowered voice: "When my husband died I turned to my son; but he + went into this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> business, and I was seized with a pity for him, such a + yearning pity—for if he should perish, how was I to live alone? What + dread, what fright I have undergone! My heart was rent when I thought of + his fate.</p> + + <p>"Our woman's love is not a pure love! We love that which we need. And + here are you! You are grieving about your mother. What do you want her + for? And all the others go and suffer for the people, they go to prison, + to Siberia, they die for them, many are hung. Young girls walk alone at + night, in the snow, in the mud, in the rain. They walk seven versts from + the city to our place. Who drives them? Who pursues them? They love! You + see, theirs is pure love! They believe! Yes, indeed, they believe, + Andriusha! But here am I—I can't love like that! I love my own, the + near ones!"</p> + + <p>"Yes, you can!" said the Little Russian, and turning away his face from + her, he rubbed his head, face, and eyes vigorously as was his wont. + "Everybody loves those who are near," he continued. "To a large heart, + what is far is also near. You, mother, are capable of a great deal. You + have a large capacity of motherliness!"</p> + + <p>"God grant it!" she said quietly. "I feel that it is good to live like + that! Here are you, for instance, whom I love. Maybe I love you better + than I do Pasha. He is always so silent. Here he wants to get married to + Sashenka, for example, and he never told me, his mother, a thing about + it."</p> + + <p>"That's not true," the Little Russian retorted abruptly. "I know it + isn't true. It's true he loves her, and she loves him. But marry? No, + they are not going to marry! She'd want to, but Pavel—he can't! He + doesn't want to!"</p> + + <p>"See how you are!" said the mother quietly, and she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> fixed her eyes + sadly and musingly on the Little Russian's face. "You see how you are! + You offer up your own selves!"</p> + + <p>"Pavel is a rare man!" the Little Russian uttered in a low voice. "He is + a man of iron!"</p> + + <p>"Now he sits in prison," continued the mother reflectively. "It's awful, + it's terrible! It's not as it used to be before! Life altogether is not + as it used to be, and the terror is different from the old terror. You + feel a pity for everybody, and you are alarmed for everybody! And the + heart is different. The soul has opened its eyes, it looks on, and is + sad and glad at the same time. There's much I do not understand, and I + feel so bitter and hurt that you do not believe in the Lord God. Well, I + guess I can't help that! But I see and know that you are good people. + And you have consecrated yourselves to a stern life for the sake of the + people, to a life of hardship for the sake of truth. The truth you stand + for, I comprehend: as long as there will be the rich, the people will + get nothing, neither truth nor happiness, nothing! Indeed, that's so, + Andriusha! Here am I living among you, while all this is going on. + Sometimes at night my thoughts wander off to my past. I think of my + youthful strength trampled under foot, of my young heart torn and + beaten, and I feel sorry for myself and embittered. But for all that I + live better now, I see myself more and more, I feel myself more."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian arose, and trying not to scrape with his feet, began + to walk carefully up and down the room, tall, lean, absorbed in thought.</p> + + <p>"Well said!" he exclaimed in a low voice. "Very well! There was a young + Jew in Kerch who wrote verses, and once he wrote:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"And the innocently slain,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">Truth will raise to life again.<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>"He himself was killed by the police in Kerch, but that's not the point. + He knew the truth and did a great deal to spread it among the people. So + here you are one of the innocently slain. He spoke the truth!"</p> + + <p>"There, I am talking now," the mother continued. "I talk and do not hear + myself, don't believe my own ears! All my life I was silent, I always + thought of one thing—how to live through the day apart, how to pass it + without being noticed, so that nobody should touch me! And now I think + about everything. Maybe I don't understand your affairs so very well; + but all are near me, I feel sorry for all, and I wish well to all. And + to you, Andriusha, more than all the rest."</p> + + <p>He took her hand in his, pressed it tightly, and quickly turned aside. + Fatigued with emotion and agitation, the mother leisurely and silently + washed the cups; and her breast gently glowed with a bold feeling that + warmed her heart.</p> + + <p>Walking up and down the room the Little Russian said:</p> + + <p>"Mother, why don't you sometimes try to befriend Vyesovshchikov and be + kind to him? He is a fellow that needs it. His father sits in prison—a + nasty little old man. Nikolay sometimes catches sight of him through the + window and he begins to swear at him. That's bad, you know. He is a good + fellow, Nikolay is. He is fond of dogs, mice, and all sorts of animals, + but he does not like people. That's the pass to which a man can be + brought."</p> + + <p>"His mother disappeared without a trace, his father is a thief and a + drunkard," said Nilovna pensively.</p> + + <p>When Andrey left to go to bed, the mother, without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> being noticed, made + the sign of the cross over him, and after about half an hour, she asked + quietly, "Are you asleep, Andriusha?"</p> + + <p>"No. Why?"</p> + + <p>"Nothing! Good night!"</p> + + <p>"Thank you, mother, thank you!" he answered gently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The next day when Nilovna came up to the gates of the factory with her + load, the guides stopped her roughly, and ordering her to put the pails + down on the ground, made a careful examination.</p></div> + + <p>"My eatables will get cold," she observed calmly, as they felt around + her dress.</p> + + <p>"Shut up!" said a guard sullenly.</p> + + <p>Another one, tapping her lightly on the shoulder, said with assurance:</p> + + <p>"Those books are thrown across the fence, I say!"</p> + + <p>Old man Sizov came up to her and looking around said in an undertone:</p> + + <p>"Did you hear, mother?"</p> + + <p>"What?"</p> + + <p>"About the pamphlets. They've appeared again. They've just scattered + them all over like salt over bread. Much good those arrests and searches + have done! My nephew Mazin has been hauled away to prison, your son's + been taken. Now it's plain it isn't he!" And stroking his beard Sizov + concluded, "It's not people, but thoughts, and thoughts are not fleas; + you can't catch them!"</p> + + <p>He gathered his beard in his hand, looked at her, and said as he walked + away:</p> + + <p>"Why don't you come to see me some time? I guess you are lonely all by + yourself."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p> + + <p>She thanked him, and calling her wares, she sharply observed the unusual + animation in the factory. The workmen were all elated, they formed + little circles, then parted, and ran from one group to another. Animated + voices and happy, satisfied faces all around! The soot-filled atmosphere + was astir and palpitating with something bold and daring. Now here, now + there, approving ejaculations were heard, mockery, and sometimes + threats.</p> + + <p>"Aha! It seems truth doesn't agree with them," she heard one say.</p> + + <p>The younger men were in especially good spirits, while the elder workmen + had cautious smiles on their faces. The authorities walked about with a + troubled expression, and the police ran from place to place. When the + workingmen saw them, they dispersed, and walked away slowly, or if they + remained standing, they stopped their conversation, looking silently at + the agitated, angry faces.</p> + + <p>The workingmen seemed for some reason to be all washed and clean. The + figure of Gusev loomed high, and his brother stalked about like a drake, + and roared with laughter. The joiner's foreman, Vavilov, and the record + clerk, Isay, walked slowly past the mother. The little, wizened clerk, + throwing up his head and turning his neck to the left, looked at the + frowning face of the foreman, and said quickly, shaking his reddish + beard:</p> + + <p>"They laugh, Ivan Ivanovich. It's fun to them. They are pleased, + although it's no less a matter than the destruction of the government, + as the manager said. What must be done here, Ivan Ivanovich, is not + merely to weed but to plow!"</p> + + <p>Vavilov walked with his hands folded behind his back, and his fingers + tightly clasped.</p> + + <p>"You print there what you please, you blackguards!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> he cried aloud. + "But don't you dare say a word about me!"</p> + + <p>Vasily Gusev came up to Nilovna and declared:</p> + + <p>"I am going to eat with you again. Is it good to-day?" And lowering his + head and screwing up his eyes, he added in an undertone: "You see? It + hit exactly! Good! Oh, mother, very good!"</p> + + <p>She nodded her head affably to him, flattered that Gusev, the sauciest + fellow in the village, addressed her with a respectful plural "you," as + he talked to her in secret. The general stir and animation in the + factory also pleased her, and she thought to herself: "What would they + do without me?"</p> + + <p>Three common laborers stopped at a short distance from her, and one of + them said with disappointment in his voice: "I couldn't find any + anywhere!"</p> + + <p>Another remarked: "I'd like to hear it, though. I can't read myself, but + I understand it hits them just in the right place."</p> + + <p>The third man looked around him, and said: "Let's go into the boiler + room. I'll read it for you there!"</p> + + <p>"It works!" Gusev whispered, a wink lurking in his eye.</p> + + <p>Nilovna came home in gay spirits. She had now seen for herself how + people are moved by books.</p> + + <p>"The people down there are sorry they can't read," she said to Andrey, + "and here am I who could when I was young, but have forgotten."</p> + + <p>"Learn over again, then," suggested the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"At my age? What do you want to make fun of me for?"</p> + + <p>Andrey, however, took a book from the shelf and pointing with the tip of + a knife at a letter on the cover, asked: "What's this?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p> + + <p>"R," she answered, laughing.</p> + + <p>"And this?"</p> + + <p>"A."</p> + + <p>She felt awkward, hurt, and offended. It seemed to her that Andrey's + eyes were laughing at her, and she avoided their look. But his voice + sounded soft and calm in her ears. She looked askance at his face, once, + and a second time. It was earnest and serious.</p> + + <p>"Do you really wish to teach me to read?" she asked with an involuntary + smile.</p> + + <p>"Why not?" he responded. "Try! If you once knew how to read, it will + come back to you easily. 'If no miracle it's no ill, and if a miracle + better still!'"</p> + + <p>"But they say that one does not become a saint by looking at a sacred + image!"</p> + + <p>"Eh," said the Little Russian, nodding his head. "There are proverbs + galore! For example: 'The less you know, the better you sleep'—isn't + that it? Proverbs are the material the stomach thinks with; it makes + bridles for the soul, to be able to control it better. What the stomach + needs is a rest, and the soul needs freedom. What letter is this?"</p> + + <p>"M."</p> + + <p>"Yes, see how it sprawls. And this?"</p> + + <p>Straining her eyes and moving her eyebrows heavily, she recalled with an + effort the forgotten letters, and unconsciously yielding to the force of + her exertions, she was carried away by them, and forgot herself. But + soon her eyes grew tired. At first they became moist with tears of + fatigue; and then tears of sorrow rapidly dropped down on the page.</p> + + <p>"I'm learning to read," she said, sobbing. "It's time for me to die, and + I'm just learning to read!"</p> + + <p>"You mustn't cry," said the Little Russian gently.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> "It wasn't your + fault you lived the way you did; and yet you understand that you lived + badly. There are thousands of people who could live better than you, but + who live like cattle and then boast of how well they live. But what is + good in their lives? To-day, their day's work over, they eat, and + to-morrow, their day's work over, they eat, and so on through all their + years—work and eat, work and eat! Along with this they bring forth + children, and at first amuse themselves with them, but when they, too, + begin to eat much, they grow surly and scold: 'Come on, you gluttons! + Hurry along! Grow up quick! It's time you get to work!' and they would + like to make beasts of burden of their children. But the children begin + to work for their own stomachs, and drag their lives along as a thief + drags a worthless stolen mop. Their souls are never stirred with joy, + never quickened with a thought that melts the heart. Some live like + mendicants—always begging; some like thieves—always snatching out of + the hands of others. They've made thieves' laws, placed men with sticks + over the people, and said to them: 'Guard our laws; they are very + convenient laws; they permit us to suck the blood out of the people!' + They try to squeeze the people from the outside, but the people resist, + and so they drive the rules inside so as to crush the reason, too."</p> + + <p>Leaning his elbows on the table and looking into the mother's face with + pensive eyes, he continued in an even, flowing voice:</p> + + <p>"Only those are men who strike the chains from off man's body and from + off his reason. And now you, too, are going into this work according to + the best of your ability."</p> + + <p>"I? Now, now! How can I?"</p> + + <p>"Why not? It's just like rain. Every drop goes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> to nourish the seed! And + when you are able to read, then—" He stopped and began to laugh; then + rose and paced up and down the room.</p> + + <p>"Yes, you must learn to read! And when Pavel gets back, won't you + surprise him, eh?"</p> + + <p>"Oh, Andriusha! For a young man everything is simple and easy! But when + you have lived to my age, you have lots of trouble, little strength, and + no mind at all left."</p> + + <p>In the evening the Little Russian went out. The mother lit a lamp and + sat down at a table to knit stockings. But soon she rose again, walked + irresolutely into the kitchen, bolted the outer door, and straining her + eyebrows walked back into the living room. She pulled down the window + curtains, and taking a book from the shelf, sat down at the table again, + looked around, bent down over the book, and began to move her lips. When + she heard a noise on the street, she started, clapped the book shut with + the palm of her hand, and listened intently. And again, now closing, now + opening her eyes, she whispered:</p> + + <p>"E—z—a."</p> + + <p>With even precision and stern regularity the dull tick of the pendulum + marked the dying seconds.</p> + + <p>A knock at the door was heard; the mother jumped quickly to her feet, + thrust the book on the shelf, and walking up to the door asked + anxiously:</p> + + <p>"Who's there?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_r.png" alt="R" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Rybin came in, greeted her, and stroking his beard in a dignified manner + and peeping into the room with his dark eyes, remarked:</p></div> + + <p>"You used to let people into your house before, without inquiring who + they were. Are you alone?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"You are? I thought the Little Russian was here. I saw him to-day. The + prison doesn't spoil a man. Stupidity, that's what spoils most of all."</p> + + <p>He walked into the room, sat down and said to the mother:</p> + + <p>"Let's have a talk together. I have something to tell you. I have a + theory!" There was a significant and mysterious expression in his face + as he said this. It filled the mother with a sense of foreboding. She + sat down opposite him and waited in mute anxiety for him to speak.</p> + + <p>"Everything costs money!" he began in his gruff, heavy voice. "It takes + money to be born; it takes money to die. Books and leaflets cost money, + too. Now, then, do you know where all this money for the books comes + from?"</p> + + <p>"No, I don't know," replied the mother in a low voice, anticipating + danger.</p> + + <p>"Nor do I! Another question I've got to ask is:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> Who writes those books? + The educated folks. The masters!" Rybin spoke curtly and decisively, his + voice grew gruffer and gruffer, and his bearded face reddened as with + the strain of exertion. "Now, then, the masters write the books and + distribute them. But the writings in the books are against these very + masters. Now, tell me, why do they spend their money and their time to + stir up the people against themselves? Eh?"</p> + + <p>Nilovna blinked, then opened her eyes wide and exclaimed in fright:</p> + + <p>"What do you think? Tell me."</p> + + <p>"Aha!" exclaimed Rybin, turning in his chair like a bear. "There you + are! When I reached that thought I was seized with a cold shiver, too."</p> + + <p>"Now what is it? Tell me! Did you find out anything?"</p> + + <p>"Deception! Fraud! I feel it. It's deception. I know nothing, but I feel + sure there's deception in it. Yes! The masters are up to some clever + trick, and I want nothing of it. I want the truth. I understand what it + is; I understand it. But I will not go hand in hand with the masters. + They'll push me to the front when it suits them, and then walk over my + bones as over a bridge to get where they want to."</p> + + <p>At the sound of his morose words, uttered in a stubborn, thick, and + forceful voice, the mother's heart contracted in pain.</p> + + <p>"Good Lord!" she exclaimed in anguish. "Where is the truth? Can it be + that Pavel does not understand? And all those who come here from the + city—is it possible that they don't understand?" The serious, honest + faces of Yegor, Nikolay Ivanovich, and Sashenka passed before her mind, + and her heart fluttered.</p> + + <p>"No, no!" she said, shaking her head as if to dismiss<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> the thought. "I + can't believe it. They are for truth and honor and conscience; they have + no evil designs; oh, no!"</p> + + <p>"Whom are you talking about?" asked Rybin thoughtfully.</p> + + <p>"About all of them! Every single one I met. They are not the people who + will traffic in human blood, oh, no!" Perspiration burst out on her + face, and her fingers trembled.</p> + + <p>"You are not looking in the right place, mother; look farther back," + said Rybin, drooping his head. "Those who are directly working in the + movement may not know anything about it themselves. They think it must + be so; they have the truth at heart. But there may be people behind them + who are looking out only for their own selfish interests. Men won't go + against themselves." And with the firm conviction of a peasant fed on + centuries of distrust, he added: "No good will ever come from the + masters! Take my word for it!"</p> + + <p>"What concoction has your brain put together?" the mother asked, again + seized with anxious misgiving.</p> + + <p>"I?" Rybin looked at her, was silent for a while, then repeated: "Keep + away from the masters! That's what!" He grew morosely silent again, and + seemed to shrink within himself.</p> + + <p>"I'll go away, mother," he said after a pause. "I wanted to join the + fellows, to work along with them. I'm fit for the work. I can read and + write. I'm persevering and not a fool. And the main thing is, I know + what to say to people. But now I will go. I can't believe, and therefore + I must go. I know, mother, that the people's souls are foul and + besmirched. All live on envy, all want to gorge themselves; and since + there's little to eat, each seeks to eat the other up."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p> + + <p>He let his head droop, and remained absorbed in thought for a while. + Finally he said:</p> + + <p>"I'll go all by myself through village and hamlet and stir the people + up. It's necessary that the people should take the matter in their own + hands and get to work themselves. Let them but understand—they'll find + a way themselves. And so, I'm going to try to make them understand. + There is no hope for them except in themselves; there's no understanding + for them except in their own understanding! And that's the truth!"</p> + + <p>"They will seize you!" said the mother in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"They will seize me, and let me out again. And then I'll go ahead + again!"</p> + + <p>"The peasants themselves will bind you, and you will be thrown into + jail."</p> + + <p>"Well, I'll stay in jail for a time, then be released, and I'll go on + again. As for the peasants, they'll bind me once, twice, and then they + will understand that they ought not to bind me, but listen to me. I'll + tell them: "I don't ask you to believe me; I want you just to listen to + me!" And if they listen, they will believe."</p> + + <p>Both the mother and Rybin spoke slowly, as if testing every word before + uttering it.</p> + + <p>"There's little joy for me in this, mother," said Rybin. "I have lived + here of late, and gobbled up a deal of stuff. Yes; I understand some, + too! And now I feel as if I were burying a child."</p> + + <p>"You'll perish, Mikhaïl Ivanych!" said the mother, shaking her head + sadly.</p> + + <p>His dark, deep eyes looked at her with a questioning, expectant look. + His powerful body bent forward, propped by his hands resting on the seat + of the chair,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> and his swarthy face seemed pale in the black frame of + his beard.</p> + + <p>"Did you hear what Christ said about the seed? 'Thou shalt not die, but + rise to life again in the new ear.' I don't regard myself as near death + at all. I am shrewd. I follow a straighter course than the others. You + can get further that way. Only, you see, I feel sorry—I don't know + why." He fidgeted on his chair, then slowly rose. "I'll go to the tavern + and be with the people a while. The Little Russian is not coming. Has he + gotten busy already?"</p> + + <p>"Yes!" The mother smiled. "No sooner out of prison than they rush to + their work."</p> + + <p>"That's the way it should be. Tell him about me."</p> + + <p>They walked together slowly into the kitchen, and without looking at + each other exchanged brief remarks:</p> + + <p>"I'll tell him," she promised.</p> + + <p>"Well, good-by!"</p> + + <p>"Good-by! When do you quit your job?"</p> + + <p>"I have already."</p> + + <p>"When are you going?"</p> + + <p>"To-morrow, early in the morning. Good-by!"</p> + + <p>He bent his head and crawled off the porch reluctantly, it seemed, and + clumsily. The mother stood for a moment at the door listening to the + heavy departing footsteps and to the doubts that stirred in her heart. + Then she noiselessly turned away into the room, and drawing the curtain + peered through the window. Black darkness stood behind, motionless, + waiting, gaping, with its flat, abysmal mouth.</p> + + <p>"I live in the night!" she thought. "In the night forever!" She felt a + pity for the black-bearded, sedate peasant. He was so broad and + strong—and yet there was a certain helplessness about him, as about all + the people.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p> + + <p>Presently Andrey came in gay and vivacious. When the mother told him + about Rybin, he exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"Going, is he? Well, let him go through the villages. Let him ring forth + the word of truth. Let him arouse the people. It's hard for him here + with us."</p> + + <p>"He was talking about the masters. Is there anything in it?" she + inquired circumspectly. "Isn't it possible that they want to deceive + you?"</p> + + <p>"It bothers you, mother, doesn't it?" The Little Russian laughed. "Oh, + mother dear—money! If we only had money! We are still living on + charity. Take, for instance, Nikolay Ivanych. He earns seventy-five + rubles a month, and gives us fifty! And others do the same. And the + hungry students send us money sometimes, which they collect penny by + penny. And as to the masters, of course there are different kinds among + them. Some of them will deceive us, and some will leave us; but the best + will stay with us and march with us up to our holiday." He clapped his + hands, and rubbing them vigorously against each other continued: "But + not even the flight of an eagle's wings will enable anyone to reach that + holiday, so we'll make a little one for the first of May. It will be + jolly."</p> + + <p>His words and his vivacity dispelled the alarm excited in the mother's + heart by Rybin. The Little Russian walked up and down the room, his feet + sounding on the floor. He rubbed his head with one hand and his chest + with the other, and spoke looking at the floor:</p> + + <p>"You know, sometimes you have a wonderful feeling living in your heart. + It seems to you that wherever you go, all men are comrades; all burn + with one and the same fire; all are merry; all are good. Without words + they all understand one another; and no one wants to hinder or insult + the other. No one feels the need of it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> All live in unison, but each + heart sings its own song. And the songs flow like brooks into one + stream, swelling into a huge river of bright joys, rolling free and wide + down its course. And when you think that this will be—that it cannot + help being if we so wish it—then the wonderstruck heart melts with joy. + You feel like weeping—you feel so happy."</p> + + <p>He spoke and looked as if he were searching something within himself. + The mother listened and tried not to stir, so as not to disturb him and + interrupt his speech. She always listened to him with more attention + than to anybody else. He spoke more simply than all the rest, and his + words gripped her heart more powerfully. Pavel, too, was probably + looking to the future. How could it be otherwise, when one is following + such a course of life? But when he looked into the remote future it was + always by himself; he never spoke of what he saw. This Little Russian, + however, it seemed to her, was always there with a part of his heart; + the legend of the future holiday for all upon earth, always sounded in + his speech. This legend rendered the meaning of her son's life, of his + work, and that of all of his comrades, clear to the mother.</p> + + <p>"And when you wake up," continued the Little Russian, tossing his head + and letting his hands drop alongside his body, "and look around, you see + it's all filthy and cold. All are tired and angry; human life is all + churned up like mud on a busy highway, and trodden underfoot!"</p> + + <p>He stopped in front of the mother, and with deep sorrow in his eyes, and + shaking his head, added in a low, sad voice:</p> + + <p>"Yes, it hurts, but you must—you must distrust man; you must fear him, + and even hate him! Man is divided,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> he is cut in two by life. You'd like + only to love him; but how is it possible? How can you forgive a man if + he goes against you like a wild beast, does not recognize that there is + a living soul in you, and kicks your face—a human face! You must not + forgive. It's not for yourself that you mustn't. I'd stand all the + insults as far as I myself am concerned; but I don't want to show + indulgence for insults. I don't want to let them learn on my back how to + beat others!"</p> + + <p>His eyes now sparkled with a cold gleam; he inclined his head doggedly, + and continued in a more resolute tone:</p> + + <p>"I must not forgive anything that is noxious, even though it does not + hurt! I'm not alone in the world. If I allow myself to be insulted + to-day—maybe I can afford to laugh at the insult, maybe it doesn't + sting me at all—but, having tested his strength on me, the offender + will proceed to flay some one else the next day! That's why one is + compelled to discriminate between people, to keep a firm grip on one's + heart, and to classify mankind—these belong to me, those are + strangers."</p> + + <p>The mother thought of the officer and Sashenka, and said with a sigh:</p> + + <p>"What sort of bread can you expect from unbolted meal?"</p> + + <p>"That's it; that's the trouble!" the Little Russian exclaimed. "You must + look with two kinds of eyes; two hearts throb in your bosom. The one + loves all; the other says: 'Halt! You mustn't!'"</p> + + <p>The figure of her husband, somber and ponderous, like a huge + moss-covered stone, now rose in her memory. She made a mental image for + herself of the Little Russian as married to Natasha, and her son as the + husband of Sashenka.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And why?" asked the Little Russian, warming up. "It's so plainly + evident that it's downright ridiculous—simply because men don't stand + on an equal footing. Then let's equalize them, put them all in one row! + Let's divide equally all that's produced by the brains and all that's + made by the hands. Let's not keep one another in the slavery of fear and + envy, in the thraldom of greed and stupidity!"</p> + + <p>The mother and the Little Russian now began to carry on such + conversations with each other frequently. He was again taken into the + factory. He turned over all his earnings to the mother, and she took the + money from him with as little fuss as from Pavel. Sometimes Andrey would + suggest with a twinkle in his eyes:</p> + + <p>"Shall we read a little, mother, eh?"</p> + + <p>She would invariably refuse, playfully but resolutely. The twinkle in + his eyes discomfited her, and she thought to herself, with a slight + feeling of offense: "If you laugh at me, then why do you ask me to read + with you?"</p> + + <p>He noticed that the mother began to ask him with increasing frequency + for the meaning of this or that book word. She always looked aside when + asking for such information, and spoke in a monotonous tone of + indifference. He divined that she was studying by herself in secret, + understood her bashfulness, and ceased to invite her to read with him. + Shortly afterwards she said to him:</p> + + <p>"My eyes are getting weak, Andriusha. I guess I need glasses."</p> + + <p>"All right! Next Sunday I'll take you to a physician in the city, a + friend of mine, and you shall have glasses!"</p> + + <p>She had already been three times in the prison to ask for a meeting with + Pavel, and each time the general of the gendarmes, a gray old man with + purple cheeks and a huge nose, turned her gently away.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> + + <p>"In about a week, little mother, not before! A week from now we shall + see, but at present it's impossible!"</p> + + <p>He was a round, well-fed creature, and somehow reminded her of a ripe + plum, somewhat spoiled by too long keeping, and already covered with a + downy mold. He kept constantly picking his small, white teeth with a + sharp yellow toothpick. There was a little smile in his small greenish + eyes, and his voice had a friendly, caressing sound.</p> + + <p>"Polite!" said the mother to the Little Russian with a thoughtful air. + "Always with a smile on him. I don't think it's right. When a man is + tending to affairs like these, I don't think he ought to grin."</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes. They are so gentle, always smiling. If they should be told: + 'Look here, this man is honest and wise, he is dangerous to us; hang + him!' they would still smile and hang him, and keep on smiling."</p> + + <p>"The one who made the search in our place is the better of the two; he + is simpler. You can see at once that he is a dog."</p> + + <p>"None of them are human beings; they are used to stun the people and + render them insensible. They are tools, the means wherewith our kind is + rendered more convenient to the state. They themselves have already been + so fixed that they have become convenient instruments in the hand that + governs us. They can do whatever they are told to do without thought, + without asking why it is necessary to do it."</p> + + <p>At last Vlasova got permission to see her son, and one Sunday she was + sitting modestly in a corner of the prison office, a low, narrow, dingy + apartment, where a few more people were sitting and waiting for + permission to see their relatives and friends. Evidently it was not the + first time they were here, for they knew one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> another and in a low voice + kept up a lazy, languid conversation.</p> + + <p>"Have you heard?" said a stout woman with a wizened face and a traveling + bag on her lap. "At early mass to-day the church regent again ripped up + the ear of one of the choir boys."</p> + + <p>An elderly man in the uniform of a retired soldier coughed aloud and + remarked:</p> + + <p>"These choir boys are such loafers!"</p> + + <p>A short, bald, little man with short legs, long arms, and protruding + jaw, ran officiously up and down the room. Without stopping he said in a + cracked, agitated voice:</p> + + <p>"The cost of living is getting higher and higher. An inferior quality of + beef, fourteen cents; bread has again risen to two and a half."</p> + + <p>Now and then prisoners came into the room—gray, monotonous, with + coarse, heavy, leather shoes. They blinked as they entered; iron chains + rattled at the feet of one of them. The quiet and calm and simplicity + all around produced a strange, uncouth impression. It seemed as if all + had grown accustomed to their situation. Some sat there quietly, others + looked on idly, while still others seemed to pay their regular visits + with a sense of weariness. The mother's heart quivered with impatience, + and she looked with a puzzled air at everything around her, amazed at + the oppressive simplicity of life in this corner of the world.</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 254px;"><a name="illus155" id="illus155"></a><a href="images/illus155.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus155_th.jpg" width="254" height="400" alt=""The mother's heart quivered with impatience."" title=""The mother's heart quivered with impatience."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"The mother's heart quivered with impatience."</span> +</div> + + <p>Next to Vlasova sat a little old woman with a wrinkled face, but + youthful eyes. She kept her thin neck turned to listen to the + conversation, and looked about on all sides with a strange expression of + eagerness in her face.</p> + + <p>"Whom have you here?" Vlasova asked softly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p> + + <p>"A son, a student," answered the old woman in a loud, brusque voice. + "And you?"</p> + + <p>"A son, also. A workingman."</p> + + <p>"What's the name?"</p> + + <p>"Vlasov."</p> + + <p>"Never heard of him. How long has he been in prison?"</p> + + <p>"Seven weeks."</p> + + <p>"And mine has been in for ten months," said the old woman, with a + strange note of pride in her voice which did not escape the notice of + the mother.</p> + + <p>A tall lady dressed in black, with a thin, pale face, said lingeringly:</p> + + <p>"They'll soon put all the decent people in prison. They can't endure + them, they loathe them!"</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes!" said the little old bald man, speaking rapidly. "All + patience is disappearing. Everybody is excited; everybody is clamoring, + and prices are mounting higher and higher. As a consequence the value of + men is depreciating. And there is not a single, conciliatory voice + heard, not one!"</p> + + <p>"Perfectly true!" said the retired military man. "It's monstrous! What's + wanted is a voice, a firm voice to cry, 'Silence!' Yes, that's what we + want—a firm voice!"</p> + + <p>The conversation became more general and animated. Everybody was in a + hurry to give his opinion about life; but all spoke in a half-subdued + voice, and the mother noticed a tone of hostility in all, which was new + to her. At home they spoke differently, more intelligibly, more simply, + and more loudly.</p> + + <p>The fat warden with a square red beard called out her name, looked her + over from head to foot, and telling her to follow him, walked off + limping. She followed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> him, and felt like pushing him to make him go + faster. Pavel stood in a small room, and on seeing his mother smiled and + put out his hand to her. She grasped it, laughed, blinked swiftly, and + at a loss for words merely asked softly:</p> + + <p>"How are you? How are you?"</p> + + <p>"Compose yourself, mother." Pavel pressed her hand.</p> + + <p>"It's all right! It's all right!"</p> + + <p>"Mother," said the warden, fetching a sigh, "suppose you move away from + each other a bit. Let there be some distance between you." He yawned + aloud.</p> + + <p>Pavel asked the mother about her health and about home. She waited for + some other questions, sought them in her son's eyes, but could not find + them. He was calm as usual, although his face had grown paler, and his + eyes seemed larger.</p> + + <p>"Sasha sends you her regards," she said. Pavel's eyelids quivered and + fell. His face became softer and brightened with a clear, open smile. A + poignant bitterness smote the mother's heart.</p> + + <p>"Will they let you out soon?" she inquired in a tone of sudden injury + and agitation. "Why have they put you in prison? Those papers and + pamphlets have appeared in the factory again, anyway."</p> + + <p>Pavel's eyes flashed with delight.</p> + + <p>"Have they? When? Many of them?"</p> + + <p>"It is forbidden to talk about this subject!" the warden lazily + announced. "You may talk only of family matters."</p> + + <p>"And isn't this a family matter?" retorted the mother.</p> + + <p>"I don't know. I only know it's forbidden. You may talk about his wash + and underwear and food, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> nothing else!" insisted the warden, his + voice, however, expressing utter indifference.</p> + + <p>"All right," said Pavel. "Keep to domestic affairs, mother. What are you + doing?"</p> + + <p>She answered boldly, seized with youthful ardor:</p> + + <p>"I carry all this to the factory." She paused with a smile and + continued: "Sour soup, gruel, all Marya's cookery, and other stuff."</p> + + <p>Pavel understood. The muscles of his face quivered with restrained + laughter. He ran his fingers through his hair and said in a tender tone, + such as she had never heard him use:</p> + + <p>"My own dear mother! That's good! It's good you've found something to + do, so it isn't tedious for you. You don't feel lonesome, do you, + mother?"</p> + + <p>"When the leaflets appeared, they searched me, too," she said, not + without a certain pride.</p> + + <p>"Again on this subject!" said the warden in an offended tone. "I tell + you it's forbidden, it's not allowed. They have deprived him of liberty + so that he shouldn't know anything about it; and here you are with your + news. You ought to know it's forbidden!"</p> + + <p>"Well, leave it, mother," said Pavel. "Matvey Ivanovich is a good man. + You mustn't do anything to provoke him. We get along together very well. + It's by chance he's here to-day with us. Usually, it's the assistant + superintendent who is present on such occasions. That's why Matvey + Ivanovich is afraid you will say something you oughtn't to."</p> + + <p>"Time's up!" announced the warden looking at his watch. "Take your + leave!"</p> + + <p>"Well, thank you," said Pavel. "Thank you, my darling mother! Don't + worry now. They'll let me out soon."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> + + <p>He embraced her, pressed her warmly to his bosom, and kissed her. + Touched by his endearments, and happy, she burst into tears.</p> + + <p>"Now separate!" said the warden, and as he walked off with the mother he + mumbled:</p> + + <p>"Don't cry! They'll let him out; they'll let everybody out. It's too + crowded here."</p> + + <p>At home the mother told the Little Russian of her conversation with + Pavel, and her face wore a broad smile.</p> + + <p>"I told him! Yes, indeed! And cleverly, too. He understood!" and, + heaving a melancholy sigh: "Oh, yes, he understood; otherwise he + wouldn't have been so tender and affectionate. He has never been that + way before."</p> + + <p>"Oh, mother!" the Little Russian laughed. "No matter what other people + may want, a mother always wants affection. You certainly have a heart + plenty big enough for one man!"</p> + + <p>"But those people! Just think, Andriusha!" she suddenly exclaimed, + amazement in her tone. "How used they get to all this! Their children + are taken away from them, are thrown into dungeons, and, mind you, it's + as nothing to them! They come, sit about, wait, and talk. What do you + think of that? If intelligent people are that way, if they can so easily + get accustomed to a thing like that, then what's to be said about the + common people?"</p> + + <p>"That's natural," said the Little Russian with his usual smile. "The law + after all is not so harsh toward them as toward us. And they need the + law more than we do. So that when the law hits them on the head, + although they cry out they do not cry very loud. Your own stick does not + fall upon you so heavily. For them the laws are to some extent a + protection, but for us they are only chains to keep us bound so we can't + kick."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> + + <p>Three days afterwards in the evening, when the mother sat at the table + knitting stockings and the Little Russian was reading to her from a book + about the revolt of the Roman slaves, a loud knock was heard at the + door. The Little Russian went to open it and admitted Vyesovshchikov + with a bundle under his arm, his hat pushed back on his head, and mud up + to his knees.</p> + + <p>"I was passing by, and seeing a light in your house, I dropped in to ask + you how you are. I've come straight from the prison."</p> + + <p>He spoke in a strange voice. He seized Vlasov's hand and wrung it + violently as he added: "Pavel sends you his regards." Irresolutely + seating himself in a chair he scanned the room with his gloomy, + suspicious look.</p> + + <p>The mother was not fond of him. There was something in his angular, + close-cropped head and in his small eyes that always scared her; but now + she was glad to see him, and with a broad smile lighting her face she + said in a tender, animated voice:</p> + + <p>"How thin you've become! Say, Andriusha, let's dose him with tea."</p> + + <p>"I'm putting up the samovar already!" the Little Russian called from the + kitchen.</p> + + <p>"How is Pavel? Have they let anybody else out besides yourself?"</p> + + <p>Nikolay bent his head and answered:</p> + + <p>"I'm the only one they've let go." He raised his eyes to the mother's + face and said slowly, speaking through his teeth with ponderous + emphasis: "I told them: 'Enough! Let me go! Else I'll kill some one + here, and myself, too!' So they let me go!"</p> + + <p>"Hm, hm—ye-es," said the mother, recoiling from him and involuntarily + blinking when her gaze met his sharp, narrow eyes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And how is Fedya Mazin?" shouted the Little Russian from the kitchen. + "Writing poetry, is he?"</p> + + <p>"Yes! I don't understand it," said Nikolay, shaking his head. "They've + put him in a cage and he sings. There's only one thing I'm sure about, + and that is I have no desire to go home."</p> + + <p>"Why should you want to go home? What's there to attract you?" said the + mother pensively. "It's empty, there's no fire burning, and it's chilly + all over."</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov sat silent, his eyes screwed up. Taking a box of + cigarettes from his pocket he leisurely lit one of them, and looking at + the gray curl of smoke dissolve before him he grinned like a big, surly + dog.</p> + + <p>"Yes, I guess it's cold. And the floor is filled with frozen + cockroaches, and even the mice are frozen, too, I suppose. Pelagueya + Nilovna, will you let me sleep here to-night, please?" he asked hoarsely + without looking at her.</p> + + <p>"Why, of course, Nikolay! You needn't even ask it!" the mother quickly + replied. She felt embarrassed and ill at ease in Nikolay's presence, and + did not know what to speak to him about. But he himself went on to talk + in a strangely broken voice.</p> + + <p>"We live in a time when children are ashamed of their own parents."</p> + + <p>"What!" exclaimed the mother, starting.</p> + + <p>He glanced up at her and closed his eyes. His pockmarked face looked + like that of a blind man.</p> + + <p>"I say that children have to be ashamed of their parents," he repeated, + sighing aloud. "Now, don't you be afraid. It's not meant for you. Pavel + will never be ashamed of you. But I am ashamed of my father, and shall + never enter his house again. I have no father, no home! They have put me + under the surveillance of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> police, else I'd go to Siberia. I think a + man who won't spare himself could do a great deal in Siberia. I would + free convicts there and arrange for their escape."</p> + + <p>The mother understood, with her ready feelings, what agony this man must + be undergoing, but his pain awoke no sympathetic response in her.</p> + + <p>"Well, of course, if that's the case, then it's better for you to go," + she said, in order not to offend him by silence.</p> + + <p>Andrey came in from the kitchen, and said, smiling:</p> + + <p>"Well, are you sermonizing, eh?"</p> + + <p>The mother rose and walked away, saying:</p> + + <p>"I'm going to get something to eat."</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov looked at the Little Russian fixedly and suddenly + declared:</p> + + <p>"I think that some people ought to be killed off!"</p> + + <p>"Oho! And pray what for?" asked the Little Russian calmly.</p> + + <p>"So they cease to be."</p> + + <p>"Ahem! And have you the right to make corpses out of living people?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, I have."</p> + + <p>"Where did you get it from?"</p> + + <p>"The people themselves gave it to me."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian stood in the middle of the room, tall and spare, + swaying on his legs, with his hands thrust in his pockets, and looked + down on Nikolay. Nikolay sat firmly in his chair, enveloped in clouds of + smoke, with red spots on his face showing through.</p> + + <p>"The people gave it to me!" he repeated clenching his fist. "If they + kick me I have the right to strike them and punch their eyes out! Don't + touch me, and I won't touch you! Let me live as I please, and I'll live + in peace and not touch anybody. Maybe I'd prefer to live in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> woods. + I'd build myself a cabin in the ravine by the brook and live there. At + any rate, I'd live alone."</p> + + <p>"Well, go and live that way, if it pleases you," said the Little + Russian, shrugging his shoulders.</p> + + <p>"Now?" asked Nikolay. He shook his head in negation and replied, + striking his fist on his knee:</p> + + <p>"Now it's impossible!"</p> + + <p>"Who's in your way?"</p> + + <p>"The people!" Vyesovshchikov retorted brusquely. "I'm hitched to them + even unto death. They've hedged my heart around with hatred and tied me + to themselves with evil. That's a strong tie! I hate them, and I will + not go away; no, never! I'll be in their way. I'll harass their lives. + They are in my way, I'll be in theirs. I'll answer only for myself, only + for myself, and for no one else. And if my father is a thief——"</p> + + <p>"Oh!" said the Little Russian in a low voice, moving up to Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"And as for Isay Gorbov, I'll wring his head off! You shall see!"</p> + + <p>"What for?" asked the Little Russian in a quiet, earnest voice.</p> + + <p>"He shouldn't be a spy; he shouldn't go about denouncing people. It's + through him my father's gone to the dogs, and it's owing to him that he + now is aiming to become a spy," said Vyesovshchikov, looking at Andrey + with a dark, hostile scowl.</p> + + <p>"Oh, that's it!" exclaimed the Little Russian. "And pray, who'd blame + you for that? Fools!"</p> + + <p>"Both the fools and the wise are smeared with the same oil!" said + Nikolay heavily. "Here are you a wise fellow, and Pavel, too. And do you + mean to say that I am the same to you as Fedya Mazin or Samoylov, or as + you two are to each other? Don't lie! I won't believe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> you, anyway. You + all push me aside to a place apart, all by myself."</p> + + <p>"Your heart is aching, Nikolay!" said the Little Russian softly and + tenderly sitting down beside him.</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's aching, and so is your heart. But your aches seem nobler to + you than mine. We are all scoundrels toward one another, that's what I + say. And what have you to say to that?"</p> + + <p>He fixed his sharp gaze on Andrey, and waited with set teeth. His + mottled face remained immobile, and a quiver passed over his thick lips, + as if scorched by a flame.</p> + + <p>"I have nothing to say!" said the Little Russian, meeting + Vyesovshchikov's hostile glance with a bright, warm, yet melancholy look + of his blue eyes. "I know that to argue with a man at a time when all + the wounds of his heart are bleeding, is only to insult him. I know it, + brother."</p> + + <p>"It's impossible to argue with me; I can't," mumbled Nikolay, lowering + his eyes.</p> + + <p>"I think," continued the Little Russian, "that each of us has gone + through that, each of us has walked with bare feet over broken glass, + each of us in his dark hour has gasped for breath as you are now."</p> + + <p>"You have nothing to tell me!" said Vyesovshchikov slowly. "Nothing! My + heart is so—it seems to me as if wolves were howling there!"</p> + + <p>"And I don't want to say anything to you. Only I know that you'll get + over this, perhaps not entirely, but you'll get over it!" He smiled, and + added, tapping Nikolay on the back: "Why, man, this is a children's + disease, something like measles! We all suffer from it, the strong less, + the weak more. It comes upon a man at the period when he has found + himself, but does not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> yet understand life, and his own place in life. + And when you do not see your place, and are unable to appraise your own + value, it seems that you are the only, the inimitable cucumber on the + face of the earth, and that no one can measure, no one can fathom your + worth, and that all are eager only to eat you up. After a while you'll + find out that the hearts in other people's breasts are no worse than a + good part of your own heart, and you'll begin to feel better. And + somewhat ashamed, too! Why should you climb up to the belfry tower, when + your bell is so small that it can't be heard in the great peal of the + holiday bells? Moreover, you'll see that in chorus the sound of your + bell will be heard, too, but by itself the old church bells will drown + it in their rumble as a fly is drowned in oil. Do you understand what I + am saying?"</p> + + <p>"Maybe I understand," Nikolay said, nodding his head. "Only I don't + believe it."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian broke into a laugh, jumped to his feet, and began to + run noisily up and down the room.</p> + + <p>"I didn't believe it either. Ah, you—wagonload!"</p> + + <p>"Why a wagonload?" Nikolay asked with a sad smile, looking at the Little + Russian.</p> + + <p>"Because there's a resemblance!"</p> + + <p>Suddenly Nikolay broke into a loud guffaw, his mouth opening wide.</p> + + <p>"What is it?" the Little Russian asked in surprise, stopping in front of + him.</p> + + <p>"It struck me that he'd be a fool who'd want to insult you!" Nikolay + declared, shaking his head.</p> + + <p>"Why, how can you insult me?" asked the Little Russian, shrugging his + shoulders.</p> + + <p>"I don't know," said Vyesovshchikov, grinning good-naturedly or perhaps + condescendingly. "I only wanted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> to say that a man must feel mighty + ashamed of himself after he'd insulted you."</p> + + <p>"There now! See where you got to!" laughed the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"Andriusha!" the mother called from the kitchen. "Come get the samovar. + It's ready!"</p> + + <p>Andrey walked out of the room, and Vyesovshchikov, left alone, looked + about, stretched out his foot sheathed in a coarse, heavy boot, looked + at it, bent down, and felt the stout calf of his legs. Then he raised + one hand to his face, carefully examined the palm, and turned it around. + His short-fingered hand was thick, and covered with yellowish hair. He + waved it in the air, and arose.</p> + + <p>When Andrey brought in the samovar, Vyesovshchikov was standing before + the mirror, and greeted him with these words:</p> + + <p>"It's a long time since I've seen my face." Then he laughed and added: + "It's an ugly face I have!"</p> + + <p>"What's that to you?" asked Andrey, turning a curious look upon him.</p> + + <p>"Sashenka says the face is the mirror of the heart!" Nikolay replied, + bringing out the words slowly.</p> + + <p>"It's not true, though!" the little Russian ejaculated. "She has a nose + like a mushroom, cheek bones like a pair of scissors; yet her heart is + like a bright little star."</p> + + <p>They sat down to drink tea.</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov took a big potato, heavily salted a slice of bread, and + began to chew slowly and deliberately, like an ox.</p> + + <p>"And how are matters here?" he asked, with his mouth full.</p> + + <p>When Andrey cheerfully recounted to him the growth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> of the socialist + propaganda in the factory, he again grew morose and remarked dully:</p> + + <p>"It takes too long! Too long, entirely! It ought to go faster!"</p> + + <p>The mother regarded him, and was seized with a feeling of hostility + toward this man.</p> + + <p>"Life is not a horse; you can't set it galloping with a whip," said + Andrey.</p> + + <p>But Vyesovshchikov stubbornly shook his head, and proceeded:</p> + + <p>"It's slow! I haven't the patience. What am I to do?" He opened his arms + in a gesture of helplessness, and waited for a response.</p> + + <p>"We all must learn and teach others. That's our business!" said Andrey, + bending his head.</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov asked:</p> + + <p>"And when are we going to fight?"</p> + + <p>"There'll be more than one butchery of us up to that time, that I know!" + answered the Little Russian with a smile. "But when we shall be called + on to fight, that I don't know! First, you see, we must equip the head, + and then the hand. That's what I think."</p> + + <p>"The heart!" said Nikolay laconically.</p> + + <p>"And the heart, too."</p> + + <p>Nikolay became silent, and began to eat again. From the corner of her + eye the mother stealthily regarded his broad, pockmarked face, + endeavoring to find something in it to reconcile her to the unwieldy, + square figure of Vyesovshchikov. Her eyebrows fluttered whenever she + encountered the shooting glance of his little eyes. Andrey held his head + in his hands; he became restless—he suddenly laughed, and then abruptly + stopped, and began to whistle.</p> + + <p>It seemed to the mother that she understood his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> disquietude. Nikolay + sat at the table without saying anything; and when the Little Russian + addressed a question to him, he answered briefly, with evident + reluctance.</p> + + <p>The little room became too narrow and stifling for its two occupants, + and they glanced, now the one, now the other, at their guest.</p> + + <p>At length Nikolay rose and said: "I'd like to go to bed. I sat and sat + in prison—suddenly they let me go; I'm off!—I'm tired!"</p> + + <p>He went into the kitchen and stirred about for a while. Then a sudden + stillness settled down. The mother listened for a sound, and whispered + to Andrey: "He has something terrible in his mind!"</p> + + <p>"Yes, he's hard to understand!" the Little Russian assented, shaking his + head. "But you go to bed, mother, I am going to stay and read a while."</p> + + <p>She went to the corner where the bed was hidden from view by chintz + curtains. Andrey, sitting at the table, for a long while listened to the + warm murmur of her prayers and sighs. Quickly turning the pages of the + book Andrey nervously rubbed his lips, twitched his mustache with his + long fingers, and scraped his feet on the floor. Ticktock, ticktock went + the pendulum of the clock; and the wind moaned as it swept past the + window.</p> + + <p>Then the mother's low voice was heard:</p> + + <p>"Oh, God! How many people there are in the world, and each one wails in + his own way. Where, then, are those who feel rejoiced?"</p> + + <p>"Soon there will be such, too, soon!" announced the Little Russian.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_l.png" alt="L" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Life flowed on swiftly. The days were diversified and full of color. + Each one brought with it something new, and the new ceased to alarm the + mother. Strangers came to the house in the evening more and more + frequently, and they talked with Andrey in subdued voices with an + engrossed air. Late at night they went out into the darkness, their + collars up, their hats thrust low over their faces, noiselessly, + cautiously. All seemed to feel a feverish excitement, which they kept + under restraint, and had the air of wanting to sing and laugh if they + only had the time. They were all in a perpetual hurry. All of them—the + mocking and the serious, the frank, jovial youth with effervescing + strength, the thoughtful and quiet—all of them in the eyes of the + mother were identical in the persistent faith that characterized them; + and although each had his own peculiar cast of countenance, for her all + their faces blended into one thin, composed, resolute face with a + profound expression in its dark eyes, kind yet stern, like the look in + Christ's eyes on his way to Emmaus.</p></div> + + <p>The mother counted them, and mentally gathered them together into a + group around Pavel. In that throng he became invisible to the eyes of + the enemy.</p> + + <p>One day a vivacious, curly-haired girl appeared from the city, bringing + some parcel for Andrey; and on leaving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> she said to Vlasova, with a + gleam in her merry eyes:</p> + + <p>"Good-by, comrade!"</p> + + <p>"Good-by!" the mother answered, restraining a smile. After seeing the + girl to the door, she walked to the window and, smiling, looked out on + the street to watch her comrade as she trotted away, nimbly raising and + dropping her little feet, fresh as a spring flower and light as a + butterfly.</p> + + <p>"Comrade!" said the mother when her guest had disappeared from her view. + "Oh, you dear! God grant you a comrade for all your life!"</p> + + <p>She often noticed in all the people from the city a certain + childishness, for which she had the indulgent smile of an elderly + person; but at the same time she was touched and joyously surprised by + their faith, the profundity of which she began to realize more and more + clearly. Their visions of the triumph of justice captivated her and + warmed her heart. As she listened to their recital of future victories, + she involuntarily sighed with an unknown sorrow. But what touched her + above all was their simplicity, their beautiful, grand, generous + unconcern for themselves.</p> + + <p>She had already come to understand a great deal of what was said about + life. She felt they had in reality discovered the true source of the + people's misfortune, and it became a habit with her to agree with their + thoughts. But at the bottom of her heart she did not believe that they + could remake the whole of life according to their idea, or that they + would have strength enough to gather all the working people about their + fire. Everyone, she knew, wants to fill his stomach to-day, and no one + wants to put his dinner off even for a week, if he can eat it up at + once. Not many would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> consent to travel the long and difficult road; and + not all eyes could see at the end the promised kingdom where all men are + brothers. That's why all these good people, despite their beards and + worn faces, seemed to her mere children.</p> + + <p>"My dear ones!" she thought, shaking her head.</p> + + <p>But they all now lived a good, earnest, and sensible life; they all + spoke of the common weal; and in their desire to teach other people what + they knew, they did not spare themselves. She understood that it was + possible to love such a life, despite its dangers; and with a sigh she + looked back to bygone days in which her past dragged along flatly and + monotonously, a thin, black thread. Imperceptibly she grew conscious of + her usefulness in this new life—a consciousness that gave her poise and + assurance. She had never before felt herself necessary to anybody. When + she had lived with her husband, she knew that if she died he would marry + another woman. It was all the same to him whether a dark-haired or a + red-haired woman lived with him and prepared his meals. When Pavel grew + up and began to run about in the street, she saw that she was not needed + by him. But now she felt that she was helping a good work. It was new to + her and pleasant. It set her head erect on her shoulders.</p> + + <p>She considered it her duty to carry the books regularly to the factory. + Indeed, she elaborated a number of devices for escaping detection. The + spies, grown accustomed to her presence on the factory premises, ceased + to pay attention to her. She was searched several times, but always the + day after the appearance of the leaflets in the factory. When she had no + literature about her, she knew how to arouse the suspicion of the guards + and spies. They would halt her, and she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> would pretend to feel insulted, + and would remonstrate with them, and then walk off blushing, proud of + her clever ruse. She began to enjoy the fun of the game.</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov was not taken back to the factory, and went to work for a + lumberman. The whole day long he drove about the village with a pair of + black horses pulling planks and beams after them. The mother saw him + almost daily with the horses as they plodded along the road, their feet + trembling under the strain and dropping heavily upon the ground. They + were both old and bare-boned, their heads shook wearily and sadly, and + their dull, jaded eyes blinked heavily. Behind them jerkingly trailed a + long beam, or a pile of boards clattering loudly. And by their side + Nikolay trudged along, holding the slackened reins in his hand, ragged, + dirty, with heavy boots, his hat thrust back, uncouth as a stump just + turned up from the ground. He, too, shook his head and looked down at + his feet, refusing to see anything. His horses blindly ran into the + people and wagons going the opposite direction. Angry oaths buzzed about + him like hornets, and sinister shouts rent the air. He did not raise his + head, did not answer them, but went on, whistling a sharp, shrill + whistle, mumbling dully to the horses.</p> + + <p>Every time that Andrey's comrades gathered at the mother's house to read + pamphlets or the new issue of the foreign papers, Nikolay came also, sat + down in a corner, and listened in silence for an hour or two. When the + reading was over the young people entered into long discussions; but + Vyesovshchikov took no part in the arguments. He remained longer than + the rest, and when alone, face to face with Andrey, he glumly put to him + the question:</p> + + <p>"And who is the most to blame? The Czar?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p> + + <p>"The one to blame is he who first said: 'This is mine.' That man has now + been dead some several thousand years, and it's not worth the while to + bear him a grudge," said the Little Russian, jesting. His eyes, however, + had a perturbed expression.</p> + + <p>"And how about the rich, and those who stand up for them? Are they + right?"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian clapped his hands to his head; then pulled his + mustache, and spoke for a long time in simple language about life and + about the people. But from his talk it always appeared as if all the + people were to blame, and this did not satisfy Nikolay. Compressing his + thick lips tightly, he shook his head in demur, and declared that he + could not believe it was so, and that he did not understand it. He left + dissatisfied and gloomy. Once he said:</p> + + <p>"No, there must be people to blame! I'm sure there are! I tell you, we + must plow over the whole of life like a weedy field, showing no mercy!"</p> + + <p>"That's what Isay, the record clerk, once said about us!" the mother + said. For a while the two were silent.</p> + + <p>"Isay?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, he's a bad man. He spies after everybody, fishes about everywhere + for information. He has begun to frequent this street, and peers into + our windows."</p> + + <p>"Peers into your windows?"</p> + + <p>The mother was already in bed and did not see his face. But she + understood that she had said too much, because the Little Russian + hastened to interpose in order to conciliate Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"Let him peer! He has leisure. That's his way of killing time."</p> + + <p>"No hold on!" said Nikolay. "<i>There!</i> He is to blame!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p> + + <p>"To blame for what?" the Little Russian asked brusquely. "Because he's a + fool?"</p> + + <p>But Vyesovshchikov did not stop to answer and walked away.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian began to pace up and down the room, slowly and + languidly. He had taken off his boots as he always did when the mother + was in bed in order not to disturb her. But she was not asleep, and when + Nikolay had left she said anxiously:</p> + + <p>"I'm so afraid of that man. He's just like an overheated oven. He does + not warm things, but scorches them."</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes!" the Little Russian drawled. "He's an irascible boy. I + wouldn't talk to him about Isay, mother. That fellow Isay is really + spying and getting paid for it, too."</p> + + <p>"What's so strange in that? His godfather is a gendarme," observed the + mother.</p> + + <p>"Well, Nikolay will give him a dressing. What of it?" the Little Russian + continued uneasily. "See what hard feelings the rulers of our life have + produced in the rank and file? When such people as Nikolay come to + recognize their wrong and lose their patience, what will happen then? + The sky will be sprinkled with blood, and the earth will froth and foam + with it like the suds of soap water."</p> + + <p>"It's terrible, Andriusha!" the mother exclaimed in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"They have swallowed flies, and have to vomit them now!" said Andrey + after a pause. "And after all, mother, every drop of their blood that + may be shed will have been washed in seas of the people's tears."</p> + + <p>Suddenly he broke into a low laugh and added:</p> + + <p>"That's true; but it's no comfort!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p> + + <p>Once on a holiday the mother, on returning home from a store, opened the + door of the porch, and remained fixed to the spot, suddenly bathed in + the sunshine of joy. From the room she heard the sound of Pavel's voice.</p> + + <p>"There she is!" cried the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>The mother saw Pavel turn about quickly, and saw how his face lighted up + with a feeling that held out the promise of something great to her.</p> + + <p>"There you are—come home!" she mumbled, staggered by the unexpectedness + of the event. She sat down.</p> + + <p>He bent down to her with a pale face, little tears glistened brightly in + the corners of his eyes, and his lips trembled. For a moment he was + silent. The mother looked at him, and was silent also.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian, whistling softly, passed by them with bent head and + walked out into the yard.</p> + + <p>"Thank you, mother," said Pavel in a deep, low voice, pressing her hand + with his trembling fingers. "Thank you, my dear, my own mother!"</p> + + <p>Rejoiced at the agitated expression of her son's face and the touching + sound of his voice, she stroked his hair and tried to restrain the + palpitation of her heart. She murmured softly:</p> + + <p>"Christ be with you! What have I done for you? It isn't I who have made + you what you are. It's you yourself——"</p> + + <p>"Thank you for helping our great cause!" he said. "When a man can call + his mother his own in spirit also—that's rare fortune!"</p> + + <p>She said nothing, and greedily swallowed his words. She admired her son + as he stood before her so radiant and so near.</p> + + <p>"I was silent, mother dear. I saw that many things<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> in my life hurt you. + I was sorry for you, and yet I could not help it. I was powerless! I + thought you could never get reconciled to us, that you could never adopt + our ideas as yours, but that you would suffer in silence as you had + suffered all your life long. It was hard."</p> + + <p>"Andriusha made me understand many things!" she declared, in her desire + to turn her son's attention to his comrade.</p> + + <p>"Yes, he told me about you," said Pavel, laughing.</p> + + <p>"And Yegor, too! He is a countryman of mine, you know. Andriusha wanted + to teach me to read, also."</p> + + <p>"And you got offended, and began to study by yourself in secret."</p> + + <p>"Oh, so he found me out!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. Then troubled + by this abundance of joy which filled her heart she again suggested to + Pavel:</p> + + <p>"Shan't we call him in? He went out on purpose, so as not to disturb us. + He has no mother."</p> + + <p>"Andrey!" shouted Pavel, opening the door to the porch. "Where are you?"</p> + + <p>"Here. I want to chop some wood."</p> + + <p>"Never mind! There's time enough! Come here!"</p> + + <p>"All right! I'm coming!"</p> + + <p>But he did not come at once; and on entering the kitchen he said in a + housekeeper-like fashion:</p> + + <p>"We must tell Nikolay to bring us wood. We have very little wood left. + You see, mother, how well Pavel looks? Instead of punishing the rebels, + the government only fattens them."</p> + + <p>The mother laughed. Her heart was still leaping with joy. She was fairly + intoxicated with happiness. But a certain, cautious, chary feeling + already called forth in her the wish to see her son calm as he always + was.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> She wanted this first joy in her life to remain fixed in her heart + forever as live and strong as at first. In order to guard against the + diminution of her happiness, she hastened to hide it, as a fowler + secrets some rare bird that has happened to fall into his hands.</p> + + <p>"Let's have dinner! Pasha, haven't you had anything to eat yet?" she + asked with anxious haste.</p> + + <p>"No. I learned yesterday from the warden that I was to be released, and + I couldn't eat or drink anything to-day."</p> + + <p>"The first person I met here was Sizov," Pavel communicated to Andrey. + "He caught sight of me and crossed the street to greet me. I told him + that he ought to be more careful now, as I was a dangerous man under the + surveillance of the police. But he said: 'Never mind!' and you ought to + have heard him inquire about his nephew! 'Did Fedor conduct himself + properly in prison?' I wanted to know what is meant by proper behavior + in prison, and he declared: 'Well, did he blab anything he shouldn't + have against his comrades?' And when I told him that Fedya was an honest + and wise young man, he stroked his beard and declared proudly: 'We, the + Sizovs, have no trash in our family.'"</p> + + <p>"He's a brainy old man!" said the Little Russian, nodding his head. "We + often have talks with him. He's a fine peasant. Will they let Fedya out + soon?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, one of these days, I suppose. They'll let out all, I think. They + have no evidence except Isay's, and what can he say?"</p> + + <p>The mother walked up and down the room, and looked at her son. Andrey + stood at the window with his hands clasped behind his back, listening to + Pavel's narrative. Pavel also paced up and down the room. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> beard had + grown, and small ringlets of thin, dark hair curled in a dense growth + around his cheeks, softening the swarthy color of his face. His dark + eyes had their stern expression.</p> + + <p>"Sit down!" said the mother, serving a hot dish.</p> + + <p>At dinner Andrey told Pavel about Rybin. When he had concluded Pavel + exclaimed regretfully:</p> + + <p>"If I had been home, I would not have let him go that way. What did he + take along with him? A feeling of discontent and a muddle in his head!"</p> + + <p>"Well," said Andrey, laughing, "when a man's grown to the age of forty + and has fought so long with the bears in his heart, it's hard to make + him over."</p> + + <p>Pavel looked at him sternly and asked:</p> + + <p>"Do you think it's impossible for enlightenment to destroy all the + rubbish that's been crammed into a man's brains?"</p> + + <p>"Don't fly up into the air at once, Pavel! Your flight will knock you up + against the belfry tower and break your wings," said the Little Russian + in admonition.</p> + + <p>And they started one of those discussions in which words were used that + were unintelligible to the mother. The dinner was already at an end, but + they still continued a vehement debate, flinging at each other veritable + rattling hailstones of big words. Sometimes their language was simpler:</p> + + <p>"We must keep straight on our path, turning neither to the right nor to + the left!" Pavel asserted firmly.</p> + + <p>"And run headlong into millions of people who will regard us as their + enemies!"</p> + + <p>"You can't avoid that!"</p> + + <p>"And what, my dear sir, becomes of your enlightenment?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother listened to the dispute, and understood that Pavel did not + care for the peasants, but that the Little Russian stood up for them, + and tried to show that the peasants, too, must be taught to comprehend + the good. She understood Andrey better, and he seemed to her to be in + the right; but every time he spoke she waited with strained ears and + bated breath for her son's answer to find out whether the Little Russian + had offended Pavel. But although they shouted at the top of their + voices, they gave each other no offense.</p> + + <p>Occasionally the mother asked:</p> + + <p>"Is it so, Pavel?"</p> + + <p>And he answered with a smile:</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's so."</p> + + <p>"Say, my dear sir," the Little Russian said with a good-natured sneer, + "you have eaten well, but you have chewed your food up badly, and a + piece has remained sticking in your throat. You had better gargle."</p> + + <p>"Don't go fooling now!" said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"I am as solemn as a funeral."</p> + + <p>The mother laughed quietly and shook her head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_s.png" alt="S" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Spring was rapidly drawing near; the snow melted and laid bare the mud + and the soot of the factory chimneys. Mud, mud! Wherever the villagers + looked—mud! Every day more mud! The entire village seemed unwashed and + dressed in rags and tatters. During the day the water dripped + monotonously from the roofs, and damp, weary exhalations emanated from + the gray walls of the houses. Toward night whitish icicles glistened + everywhere in dim outline. The sun appeared in the heavens more + frequently, and the brooks began to murmur hesitatingly on their way to + the marsh. At noon the throbbing song of spring hopes hung tremblingly + and caressingly over the village.</p></div> + + <p>They were preparing to celebrate the first of May. Leaflets appeared in + the factory explaining the significance of this holiday, and even the + young men not affected by the propaganda said, as they read them:</p> + + <p>"Yes, we must arrange a holiday!"</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov exclaimed with a sullen grin:</p> + + <p>"It's time! Time we stopped playing hide and seek!"</p> + + <p>Fedya Mazin was in high spirits. He had grown very thin. With his + nervous, jerky gestures, and the trepidation in his speech, he was like + a caged lark. He was always with Yakob Somov, taciturn and serious + beyond his years.</p> + + <p>Samoylov, who had grown still redder in prison,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> Vasily Gusev, + curly-haired Dragunov, and a number of others argued that it was + necessary to come out armed, but Pavel and the Little Russian, Somov, + and others said it was not.</p> + + <p>Yegor always came tired, perspiring, short of breath, but always joking.</p> + + <p>"The work of changing the present order of things, comrades, is a great + work, but in order to advance it more rapidly, I must buy myself a pair + of boots!" he said, pointing to his wet, torn shoes. "My overshoes, too, + are torn beyond the hope of redemption, and I get my feet wet every day. + I have no intention of migrating from the earth even to the nearest + planet before we have publicly and openly renounced the old order of + things; and I am therefore absolutely opposed to comrade Samoylov's + motion for an armed demonstration. I amend the motion to read that I be + armed with a pair of strong boots, inasmuch as I am profoundly convinced + that this will be of greater service for the ultimate triumph of + socialism than even a grand exhibition of fisticuffs and black eyes!"</p> + + <p>In the same playfully pretentious language, he told the workingmen the + story of how in various foreign countries the people strove to lighten + the burden of their lives. The mother loved to listen to his tales, and + carried away a strange impression from them. She conceived the shrewdest + enemies of the people, those who deceived them most frequently and most + cruelly, as little, big-bellied, red-faced creatures, unprincipled and + greedy, cunning and heartless. When life was hard for them under the + domination of the czars, they would incite the common people against the + ruler; and when the people arose and wrested the power from him, these + little creatures got it into their own hands by deceit,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> and drove the + people off to their holes; and if the people remonstrated, they killed + them by the hundreds and thousands.</p> + + <p>Once she summoned up courage and told him of the picture she had formed + of life from his tales, and asked him:</p> + + <p>"Is it so, Yegor Ivanovich?"</p> + + <p>He burst into a guffaw, turned up his eyes, gasped for breath, and + rubbed his chest.</p> + + <p>"Exactly, granny! You caught the idea to a dot! Yes, yes! You've placed + some ornaments on the canvas of history, you've added some flourishes, + but that does not interfere with the correctness of the whole. It's + these very little, pot-bellied creatures who are the chief sinners and + deceivers and the most poisonous insects that harass the human race. The + Frenchmen call them '<i>bourgeois</i>.' Remember that word, dear + granny—<i>bourgeois</i>! Brr! How they chew us and grind us and suck the + life out of us!"</p> + + <p>"The rich, you mean?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, the rich. And that's their misfortune. You see, if you keep adding + copper bit by bit to a child's food, you prevent the growth of its + bones, and he'll be a dwarf; and if from his youth up you poison a man + with gold, you deaden his soul."</p> + + <p>Once, speaking about Yegor, Pavel said:</p> + + <p>"Do you know, Andrey, the people whose hearts are always aching are the + ones who joke most?"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian was silent a while, and then answered, blinking his + eyes:</p> + + <p>"No, that's not true. If it were, then the whole of Russia would split + its sides with laughter."</p> + + <p>Natasha made her appearance again. She, too, had been in prison, in + another city, but she had not changed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> The mother noticed that in her + presence the Little Russian grew more cheerful, was full of jokes, poked + fun at everybody, and kept her laughing merrily. But after she had left + he would whistle his endless songs sadly, and pace up and down the room + for a long time, wearily dragging his feet along the floor.</p> + + <p>Sashenka came running in frequently, always gloomy, always in haste, and + for some reason more and more angular and stiff. Once when Pavel + accompanied her out onto the porch, the mother overheard their abrupt + conversation.</p> + + <p>"Will you carry the banner?" the girl asked in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"Is it settled?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's my right."</p> + + <p>"To prison again?" Pavel was silent. "Is it not possible for you—" She + stopped.</p> + + <p>"What?"</p> + + <p>"To give it up to somebody else?"</p> + + <p>"No!" he said aloud.</p> + + <p>"Think of it! You're a man of such influence; you are so much liked—you + and Nakhodka are the two foremost revolutionary workers here. Think how + much you could accomplish for the cause of freedom! You know that for + this they'll send you off far, far, and for a long time!"</p> + + <p>Nilovna thought she heard in the girl's voice the familiar sound of fear + and anguish, and her words fell upon the mother's heart like heavy, icy + drops of water.</p> + + <p>"No, I have made up my mind. Nothing can make me give it up!"</p> + + <p>"Not even if I beg you—if I——"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> + + <p>Pavel suddenly began to speak rapidly with a peculiar sternness.</p> + + <p>"You ought not to speak that way. Why you? You ought not!"</p> + + <p>"I am a human being!" she said in an undertone.</p> + + <p>"A good human being, too!" he said also in an undertone, and in a + peculiar voice, as if unable to catch his breath. "You are a dear human + being to me, yes! And that's why—why you mustn't talk that way!"</p> + + <p>"Good-by!" said the girl.</p> + + <p>The mother heard the sound of her departing footsteps, and knew that she + was walking away very fast, nay, almost running. Pavel followed her into + the yard.</p> + + <p>A heavy oppressive fear fell like a load on the mother's breast. She did + not understand what they had been talking about, but she felt that a new + misfortune was in store for her, a great and sad misfortune. And her + thoughts halted at the question, "What does he want to do?" Her thoughts + halted, and were driven into her brain like a nail. She stood in the + kitchen by the oven, and looked through the window into the profound, + starry heaven.</p> + + <p>Pavel walked in from the yard with Andrey, and the Little Russian said, + shaking his head:</p> + + <p>"Oh, Isay, Isay! What's to be done with him?"</p> + + <p>"We must advise him to give up his project," said Pavel glumly.</p> + + <p>"Then he'll hand over those who speak to him to the authorities," said + the Little Russian, flinging his hat away in a corner.</p> + + <p>"Pasha, what do you want to do?" asked the mother, drooping her head.</p> + + <p>"When? Now?"</p> + + <p>"The first of May—the first of May."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Aha!" exclaimed Pavel, lowering his voice. "You heard! I am going to + carry our banner. I will march with it at the head of the procession. I + suppose they'll put me in prison for it again."</p> + + <p>The mother's eyes began to burn. An unpleasant, dry feeling came into + her mouth. Pavel took her hand and stroked it.</p> + + <p>"I must do it! Please understand me! It is my happiness!"</p> + + <p>"I'm not saying anything," she answered, slowly raising her head; but + when her eyes met the resolute gleam in his, she again lowered it. He + released her hand, and with a sigh said reproachfully:</p> + + <p>"You oughtn't to be grieved. You ought to feel rejoiced. When are we + going to have mothers who will rejoice in sending their children even to + death?"</p> + + <p>"Hopp! Hopp!" mumbled the Little Russian. "How you gallop away!"</p> + + <p>"Why; do I say anything to you?" the mother repeated. "I don't interfere + with you. And if I'm sorry for you—well, that's a mother's way."</p> + + <p>Pavel drew away from her, and she heard his sharp, harsh words:</p> + + <p>"There is a love that interferes with a man's very life."</p> + + <p>She began to tremble, and fearing that he might deal another blow at her + heart by saying something stern, she rejoined quickly:</p> + + <p>"Don't, Pasha! Why should you? I understand. You can't act otherwise, + you must do it for your comrades."</p> + + <p>"No!" he replied. "I am doing it for myself. For their sake I can go + without carrying the banner, but I'm going to do it!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span></p> + + <p>Andrey stationed himself in the doorway. It was too low for him, and he + had to bend his knees oddly. He stood there as in a frame, one shoulder + leaning against the jamb, his head and other shoulder thrust forward.</p> + + <p>"I wish you would stop palavering, my dear sir," he said with a frown, + fixing his protuberant eyes on Pavel's face. He looked like a lizard in + the crevice of a stone wall.</p> + + <p>The mother was overcome with a desire to weep, but she did not want her + son to see her tears, and suddenly mumbled: "Oh, dear!—I forgot—" and + walked out to the porch. There, her head in a corner, she wept + noiselessly; and her copious tears weakened her, as though blood oozed + from her heart along with them.</p> + + <p>Through the door standing ajar the hollow sound of disputing voices + reached her ear.</p> + + <p>"Well, do you admire yourself for having tortured her?"</p> + + <p>"You have no right to speak like that!" shouted Pavel.</p> + + <p>"A fine comrade I'd be to you if I kept quiet when I see you making a + fool of yourself. Why did you say all that to your mother?"</p> + + <p>"A man must always speak firmly and without equivocation. He must be + clear and definite when he says 'Yes.' He must be clear and definite + when he says 'No.'"</p> + + <p>"To her—to her must you speak that way?"</p> + + <p>"To everybody! I want no love, I want no friendship which gets between + my feet and holds me back."</p> + + <p>"Bravo! You're a hero! Go say all this to Sashenka. You should have said + that to her."</p> + + <p>"I have!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You have! The way you spoke to your mother? You have not! To her you + spoke softly; you spoke gently and tenderly to her. I did not hear you, + but I know it! But you trot out your heroism before your mother. Of + course! Your heroism is not worth a cent."</p> + + <p>Vlasova began to wipe the tears from her face in haste. For fear a + serious quarrel should break out between the Little Russian and Pavel, + she quickly opened the door and entered the kitchen, shivering, + terrified, and distressed.</p> + + <p>"Ugh! How cold! And it's spring, too!"</p> + + <p>She aimlessly removed various things in the kitchen from one place to + another, and in order to drown the subdued voices in the room, she + continued in a louder voice:</p> + + <p>"Everything's changed. People have grown hotter and the weather colder. + At this time of the year it used to get warm; the sky would clear, and + the sun would be out."</p> + + <p>Silence ensued in the room. The mother stood waiting in the middle of + the floor.</p> + + <p>"Did you hear?" came the low sound of the Little Russian's voice. "You + must understand it, the devil take it! That's richer than yours."</p> + + <p>"Will you have some tea?" the mother called with a trembling voice, and + without waiting for an answer she exclaimed, in order to excuse the + tremor in her voice:</p> + + <p>"How cold I am!"</p> + + <p>Pavel came up slowly to her, looking at her from the corners of his + eyes, a guilty smile quivering on his lips.</p> + + <p>"Forgive me, mother!" he said softly. "I am still a boy, a fool."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You mustn't hurt me!" she cried in a sorrowful voice, pressing his head + to her bosom. "Say nothing! God be with you. Your life is your own! But + don't wound my heart. How can a mother help sorrowing for her son? + Impossible! I am sorry for all of you. You are all dear to me as my own + flesh and blood; you are all such good people! And who will be sorry for + you if I am not? You go and others follow you. They have all left + everything behind them, Pasha, and gone into this thing. It's just like + a sacred procession."</p> + + <p>A great ardent thought burned in her bosom, animating her heart with an + exalted feeling of sad, tormenting joy; but she could find no words, and + she waved her hands with the pang of muteness. She looked into her son's + face with eyes in which a bright, sharp pain had lit its fires.</p> + + <p>"Very well, mother! Forgive me. I see all now!" he muttered, lowering + his head. Glancing at her with a light smile, he added, embarrassed but + happy: "I will not forget this, mother, upon my word."</p> + + <p>She pushed him from her, and looking into the room she said to Andrey in + a good-natured tone of entreaty:</p> + + <p>"Andriusha, please don't you shout at him so! Of course, you are older + than he, and so you——"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian was standing with his back toward her. He sang out + drolly without turning around to face her:</p> + + <p>"Oh, oh, oh! I'll bawl at him, be sure! And I'll beat him some day, + too."</p> + + <p>She walked up slowly to him, with outstretched hand, and said:</p> + + <p>"My dear, dear man!"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian turned around, bent his head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> like an ox, and folding + his hands behind his back walked past her into the kitchen. Thence his + voice issued in a tone of mock sullenness:</p> + + <p>"You had better go away, Pavel, so I shan't bite your head off! I am + only joking, mother; don't believe it! I want to prepare the samovar. + What coals these are! Wet, the devil take them!"</p> + + <p>He became silent, and when the mother walked into the kitchen he was + sitting on the floor, blowing the coals in the samovar. Without looking + at her the Little Russian began again:</p> + + <p>"Yes, mother, don't be afraid. I won't touch him. You know, I'm a + good-natured chap, soft as a stewed turnip. And then—you hero out + there, don't listen—I love him! But I don't like the waistcoat he + wears. You see, he has put on a new waistcoat, and he likes it very + much, so he goes strutting about, and pushes everybody, crying: 'See, + see what a waistcoat I have on!' It's true, it's a fine waistcoat. But + what's the use of pushing people? It's hot enough for us without it."</p> + + <p>Pavel smiled and asked:</p> + + <p>"How long do you mean to keep up your jabbering? You gave me one + thrashing with your tongue. That's enough!"</p> + + <p>Sitting on the floor, the Little Russian spread his legs around the + samovar, and regarded Pavel. The mother stood at the door, and fixed a + sad, affectionate gaze at Andrey's long, bent neck and the round back of + his head. He threw his body back, supporting himself with his hands on + the floor, looked at the mother and at the son with his slightly + reddened and blinking eyes, and said in a low, hearty voice:</p> + + <p>"You are good people, yes, you are!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p> + + <p>Pavel bent down and grasped his hand.</p> + + <p>"Don't pull my hand," said the Little Russian gruffly. "You'll let go + and I'll fall. Go away!"</p> + + <p>"Why are you so shy?" the mother said pensively. "You'd better embrace + and kiss. Press hard, hard!"</p> + + <p>"Do you want to?" asked Pavel softly.</p> + + <p>"We—ell, why not?" answered the Little Russian, rising.</p> + + <p>Pavel dropped on his knees, and grasping each other firmly, they sank + for a moment into each other's embrace—two bodies and one soul + passionately and evenly burning with a profound feeling of friendship.</p> + + <p>Tears ran down the mother's face, but this time they were easy tears. + Drying them she said in embarrassment:</p> + + <p>"A woman likes to cry. She cries when she is in sorrow; she cries when + she is in joy!"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian pushed Pavel away, and with a light movement, also + wiping his eyes with his fingers, he said:</p> + + <p>"Enough! When the calves have had their frolic, they must go to the + shambles. What beastly coal this is! I blew and blew on it, and got some + of the dust in my eyes."</p> + + <p>Pavel sat at the window with bent head, and said mildly:</p> + + <p>"You needn't be ashamed of such tears."</p> + + <p>The mother walked up to him, and sat down beside him. Her heart was + wrapped in a soft, warm, daring feeling. She felt sad, but pleasant and + at ease.</p> + + <p>"It's all the same!" she thought, stroking her son's hand. "It can't be + helped; it must be so!"</p> + + <p>She recalled other such commonplace words, to which she had been + accustomed for a long time; but they did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> not give adequate expression + to all she had lived through that moment.</p> + + <p>"I'll put the dishes on the table; you stay where you are, mother," said + the Little Russian, rising from the floor, and going into the room. + "Rest a while. Your heart has been worn out with such blows!"</p> + + <p>And from the room his singing voice, raised to a higher pitch, was + heard.</p> + + <p>"It's not a nice thing to boast of, yet I must say we tasted the right + life just now, real, human, loving life. It does us good."</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Pavel, looking at the mother.</p> + + <p>"It's all different now," she returned. "The sorrow is different, and + the joy is different. I do not know anything, of course! I do not + understand what it is I live by—and I can't express my feelings in + words!"</p> + + <p>"This is the way it ought to be!" said the Little Russian, returning. + "Because, mark you, mother dear, a new heart is coming into existence, a + new heart is growing up in life. All hearts are smitten in the conflict + of interests, all are consumed with a blind greed, eaten up with envy, + stricken, wounded, and dripping with filth, falsehood, and cowardice. + All people are sick; they are afraid to live; they wander about as in a + mist. Everyone feels only his own toothache. But lo, and behold! Here is + a Man coming and illuminating life with the light of reason, and he + shouts: 'Oh, ho! you straying roaches! It's time, high time, for you to + understand that all your interests are one, that everyone has the need + to live, everyone has the desire to grow!' The Man who shouts this is + alone, and therefore he cries aloud; he needs comrades, he feels dreary + in his loneliness, dreary and cold. And at his call the stanch hearts + unite into one great, strong heart, deep and sensitive as a silver bell + not yet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> cast. And hark! This bell rings forth the message: 'Men of all + countries, unite into one family! Love is the mother of life, not hate!' + My brothers! I hear this message sounding through the world!"</p> + + <p>"And I do, too!" cried Pavel.</p> + + <p>The mother compressed her lips to keep them from trembling, and shut her + eyes tight so as not to cry.</p> + + <p>"When I lie in bed at night or am out walking alone—everywhere I hear + this sound, and my heart rejoices. And the earth, too—I know it—weary + of injustice and sorrow, rings out like a bell, responding to the call, + and trembles benignly, greeting the new sun arising in the breast of + Man."</p> + + <p>Pavel rose, lifted his hand, and was about to say something, but the + mother took his other hand, and pulling him down whispered in his ear:</p> + + <p>"Don't disturb him!"</p> + + <p>"Do you know?" said the Little Russian, standing in the doorway, his + eyes aglow with a bright flame, "there is still much suffering in store + for the people, much of their blood will yet flow, squeezed out by the + hands of greed; but all that—all my suffering, all my blood, is a small + price for that which is already stirring in my breast, in my mind, in + the marrow of my bones! I am already rich, as a star is rich in golden + rays. And I will bear all, I will suffer all, because there is within me + a joy which no one, which nothing can ever stifle! In this joy there is + a world of strength!"</p> + + <p>They drank tea and sat around the table until midnight, and conversed + heart to heart and harmoniously about life, about people, and about the + future.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_w.png" alt="W" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_2">Whenever a thought was clear to the mother, she would find confirmation + of the idea by drawing upon some of her rude, coarse experiences. She + now felt as on that day when her father said to her roughly:</p></div> + + <p>"What are you making a wry face about? A fool has been found who wants + to marry you. Marry him! All girls must get husbands; all women must + bear children, and all children become a burden to their parents!"</p> + + <p>After these words she saw before her an unavoidable path running for + some inexplicable reason through a dark, dreary waste. Thus it was at + the present moment. In anticipation of a new approaching misfortune, she + uttered speechless words, addressing some imaginary person.</p> + + <p>This lightened her mute pain, which reverberated in her heart like a + tight chord.</p> + + <p>The next day, early in the morning, very soon after Pavel and Andrey had + left, Korsunova knocked at the door alarmingly, and called out hastily:</p> + + <p>"Isay is killed! Come, quick!"</p> + + <p>The mother trembled; the name of the assassin flashed through her mind.</p> + + <p>"Who did it?" she asked curtly, throwing a shawl over her shoulders.</p> + + <p>"The man's not sitting out there mourning over Isay. He knocked him down + and fled!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span></p> + + <p>On the street Marya said:</p> + + <p>"Now they'll begin to rummage about again and look for the murderer. + It's a good thing your folks were at home last night. I can bear witness + to that. I walked past here after midnight and glanced into the window, + and saw all of you sitting around the table."</p> + + <p>"What are you talking about, Marya? Why, who could dream of such a thing + about them?" the mother ejaculated in fright.</p> + + <p>"Well, who killed him? Some one from among your people, of course!" said + Korsunova, regarding the idea as a matter to be taken for granted. + "Everybody knows he spied on them."</p> + + <p>The mother stopped to fetch breath, and put her hand to her bosom.</p> + + <p>"What are you going on that way for? Don't be afraid! Whoever it is will + reap the harvest of his own rashness. Let's go quick, or else they'll + take him away!"</p> + + <p>The mother walked on without asking herself why she went, and shaken by + the thought of Vyesovshchikov.</p> + + <p>"There—he's done it!" Her mind was held fast by the one idea.</p> + + <p>Not far from the factory walls, on the grounds of a building recently + burned down, a crowd was gathered, tramping down the coal and stirring + up ash dust. It hummed and buzzed like a swarm of bees. There were many + women in the crowd, even more children, and storekeepers, tavern + waiters, policemen, and the gendarme Petlin, a tall old man with a + woolly, silvery beard, and decorations on his breast.</p> + + <p>Isay half reclined on the ground, his back resting against a burned + joist, his bare head hanging over his right shoulder, his right hand in + his trousers' pocket, and the fingers of his left hand clutching the + soil.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother looked at Isay's face. One eye, wide open, had its dim glance + fixed upon his hat lying between his lazily outstretched legs. His mouth + was half open in astonishment, his little shriveled body, with its + pointed head and bony face, seemed to be resting. The mother crossed + herself and heaved a sigh. He had been repulsive to her when alive, but + now she felt a mild pity for him.</p> + + <p>"No blood!" some one remarked in an undertone. "He was evidently knocked + down with a fist blow."</p> + + <p>A stout woman, tugging at the gendarme's hand, asked:</p> + + <p>"Maybe he is still alive?"</p> + + <p>"Go away!" the gendarme shouted not very loudly, withdrawing his hand.</p> + + <p>"The doctor was here and said it was all over," somebody said to the + woman.</p> + + <p>A sarcastic, malicious voice cried aloud:</p> + + <p>"They've choked up a denouncer's mouth. Serves him right!"</p> + + <p>The gendarme pushed aside the women, who were crowded close about him, + and asked in a threatening tone:</p> + + <p>"Who was that? Who made that remark?"</p> + + <p>The people scattered before him as he thrust them aside. A number took + quickly to their heels, and some one in the crowd broke into a mocking + laugh.</p> + + <p>The mother went home.</p> + + <p>"No one is sorry," she thought. The broad figure of Nikolay stood before + her like a shadow, his narrow eyes had a cold, cruel look, and he wrung + his right hand as if it had been hurt.</p> + + <p>When Pavel and Andrey came to dinner, her first question was:</p> + + <p>"Well? Did they arrest anybody for Isay's murder?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p> + + <p>"We haven't heard anything about it," answered the Little Russian.</p> + + <p>She saw that they were both downhearted and sullen.</p> + + <p>"Nothing is said about Nikolay?" the mother questioned again in a low + voice.</p> + + <p>Pavel fixed his stern eyes on the mother, and said distinctly:</p> + + <p>"No, there is no talk of him. He is not even thought of in connection + with this affair. He is away. He went off on the river yesterday, and + hasn't returned yet. I inquired for him."</p> + + <p>"Thank God!" said the mother with a sigh of relief. "Thank God!"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian looked at her, and drooped his head.</p> + + <p>"He lies there," the mother recounted pensively, "and looks as though he + were surprised; that's the way his face looks. And no one pities him; no + one bestows a good word on him. He is such a tiny bit of a fellow, such + a wretched-looking thing, like a bit of broken china. It seems as if he + had slipped on something and fallen, and there he lies!"</p> + + <p>At dinner Pavel suddenly dropped his spoon and exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"That's what I don't understand!"</p> + + <p>"What?" asked the Little Russian, who had been sitting at the table + dismal and silent.</p> + + <p>"To kill anything living because one wants to eat, that's ugly enough. + To kill a beast—a beast of prey—that I can understand. I think I + myself could kill a man who had turned into a beast preying upon + mankind. But to kill such a disgusting, pitiful creature—I don't + understand how anyone could lift his hand for an act like that!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p> + + <p>The Little Russian raised his shoulders and dropped them again; then + said:</p> + + <p>"He was no less noxious than a beast."</p> + + <p>"I know."</p> + + <p>"We kill a mosquito for sucking just a tiny bit of our blood," the + Little Russian added in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"Well, yes, I am not saying anything about that. I only mean to say it's + so disgusting."</p> + + <p>"What can you do?" returned Andrey with another shrug of his shoulders.</p> + + <p>After a long pause Pavel asked:</p> + + <p>"Could you kill a fellow like that?"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian regarded him with his round eyes, threw a glance at + the mother, and said sadly, but firmly:</p> + + <p>"For myself, I wouldn't touch a living thing. But for comrades, for the + cause, I am capable of everything. I'd even kill. I'd kill my own son."</p> + + <p>"Oh, Andriusha!" the mother exclaimed under her breath.</p> + + <p>He smiled and said:</p> + + <p>"It can't be helped! Such is our life!"</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," Pavel drawled. "Such is our life."</p> + + <p>With sudden excitation, as if obeying some impulse from within, Andrey + arose, waved his hands, and said:</p> + + <p>"How can a man help it? It so happens that we sometimes must abhor a + certain person in order to hasten the time when it will be possible only + to take delight in one another. You must destroy those who hinder the + progress of life, who sell human beings for money in order to buy quiet + or esteem for themselves. If a Judas stands in the way of honest people, + lying in wait to betray them, I should be a Judas myself if I did not + destroy him. It's sinful, you say? And do they, these masters of life, + do they have the right to keep soldiers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> and executioners, public houses + and prisons, places of penal servitude, and all that vile abomination by + which they hold themselves in quiet security and in comfort? If it + happens sometimes that I am compelled to take their stick into my own + hands, what am I to do then? Why, I am going to take it, of course. I + will not decline. They kill us out by the tens and hundreds. That gives + me the right to raise my hand and level it against one of the enemy, + against that one of their number who comes closest to me, and makes + himself more directly noxious to the work of my life than the others. + This is logic; but I go against logic for once. I do not need your logic + now. I know that their blood can bring no results, I know that their + blood is barren, fruitless! Truth grows well only on the soil irrigated + with the copious rain of our own blood, and their putrid blood goes to + waste, without a trace left. I know it! But I take the sin upon myself. + I'll kill, if I see a need for it! I speak only for myself, mind you. My + crime dies with me. It will not remain a blot upon the future. It will + sully no one but myself—no one but myself."</p> + + <p>He walked to and fro in the room, waving his hands in front of him, as + if he were cutting something in the air out of his way. The mother + looked at him with an expression of melancholy and alarm. She felt as + though something had hit him, and that he was pained. The dangerous + thoughts about murder left her. If Vyesovshchikov had not killed Isay, + none of Pavel's comrades could have done the deed. Pavel listened to the + Little Russian with drooping head, and Andrey stubbornly continued in a + forceful tone:</p> + + <p>"In your forward march it sometimes chances that you must go against + your very own self. You must be able to give up everything—your heart + and all. To give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> your life, to die for the cause—that's simple. Give + more! Give that which is dearer to you than your life! Then you will see + that grow with a vigorous growth which is dearest to you—your truth!"</p> + + <p>He stopped in the middle of the room, his face grown pale and his eyes + half closed. Raising his hand and shaking it, he began slowly in a + solemn tone of assurance with faith and with strength:</p> + + <p>"There will come a time, I know, when people will take delight in one + another, when each will be like a star to the other, and when each will + listen to his fellow as to music. The free men will walk upon the earth, + men great in their freedom. They will walk with open hearts, and the + heart of each will be pure of envy and greed, and therefore all mankind + will be without malice, and there will be nothing to divorce the heart + from reason. Then life will be one great service to man! His figure will + be raised to lofty heights—for to free men all heights are attainable. + Then we shall live in truth and freedom and in beauty, and those will be + accounted the best who will the more widely embrace the world with their + hearts, and whose love of it will be the profoundest; those will be the + best who will be the freest; for in them is the greatest beauty. Then + will life be great, and the people will be great who live that life."</p> + + <p>He ceased and straightened himself. Then swinging to and fro like the + tongue of a bell, he added in a resonant voice that seemed to issue from + the depths of his breast:</p> + + <p>"So for the sake of this life I am prepared for everything! I will tear + my heart out, if necessary, and will trample it with my own feet!"</p> + + <p>His face quivered and stiffened with excitement, and great, heavy tears + rolled down one after the other.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> + + <p>Pavel raised his head and looked at him with a pale face and wide-open + eyes. The mother raised herself a little over the table with a feeling + that something great was growing and impending.</p> + + <p>"What is the matter with you, Andrey?" Pavel asked softly.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian shook his head, stretched himself like a violin + string, and said, looking at the mother:</p> + + <p>"I struck Isay."</p> + + <p>She rose, and quickly walked up to him, all in a tremble, and seized his + hands. He tried to free his right hand, but she held it firmly in her + grasp and whispered hotly:</p> + + <p>"My dear, my own, hush! It's nothing—it's nothing—nothing, Pasha! + Andriushenka—oh, what a calamity! You sufferer! My darling heart!"</p> + + <p>"Wait, mother," the Little Russian muttered hoarsely. "I'll tell you how + it happened."</p> + + <p>"Don't!" she whispered, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "Don't, + Andriusha! It isn't our business. It's God's affair!"</p> + + <p>Pavel came up to him slowly, looking at his comrade with moist eyes. He + was pale, and his lips trembled. With a strange smile he said softly and + slowly:</p> + + <p>"Come, give me your hand, Andrey. I want to shake hands with you. Upon + my word, I understand how hard it is for you!"</p> + + <p>"Wait!" said the Little Russian without looking at them, shaking his + head, and tearing himself away from their grasp. When he succeeded in + freeing his right hand from the mother's, Pavel caught it, pressing it + vigorously and wringing it.</p> + + <p>"And you mean to tell me you killed that man?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> said the mother. "No, + <i>you</i> didn't do it! If I saw it with my own eyes I wouldn't believe it."</p> + + <p>"Stop, Andrey! Mother is right. This thing is beyond our judgment."</p> + + <p>With one hand pressing Andrey's, Pavel laid the other on his shoulder, + as if wishing to stop the tremor in his tall body. The Little Russian + bent his head down toward him, and said in a broken, mournful voice:</p> + + <p>"I didn't want to do it, you know, Pavel. It happened when you walked + ahead, and I remained behind with Ivan Gusev. Isay came from around a + corner and stopped to look at us, and smiled at us. Ivan walked off + home, and I went on toward the factory—Isay at my side!" Andrey + stopped, heaved a deep sigh, and continued: "No one ever insulted me in + such an ugly way as that dog!"</p> + + <p>The mother pulled the Little Russian by the hand toward the table, gave + him a shove, and finally succeeded in seating him on a chair. She sat + down at his side close to him, shoulder to shoulder. Pavel stood in + front of them, holding Andrey's hand in his and pressing it.</p> + + <p>"I understand how hard it is for you," he said.</p> + + <p>"He told me that they know us all, that we are all on the gendarme's + record, and that we are going to be dragged in before the first of May. + I didn't answer, I laughed, but my blood boiled. He began to tell me + that I was a clever fellow, and that I oughtn't to go on the way I was + going, but that I should rather——"</p> + + <p>The Little Russian stopped, wiped his face with his right hand, shook + his head, and a dry gleam flashed in his eyes.</p> + + <p>"I understand!" said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Yes," he said, "I should rather enter the service of the law." The + Little Russian waved his hand, and swung<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> his clenched fist. "The + law!—curse his soul!" he hissed between his teeth. "It would have been + better if he had struck me in the face. It would have been easier for + me, and better for him, perhaps, too! But when he spit his dirty thought + into my heart that way, I could not bear it."</p> + + <p>Andrey pulled his hand convulsively from Pavel's, and said more hoarsely + with disgust in his face:</p> + + <p>"I dealt him a back-hand blow like that, downward and aslant, and walked + away. I didn't even stop to look at him; I heard him fall. He dropped + and was silent. I didn't dream of anything serious. I walked on + peacefully, just as if I had done no more than kick a frog with my foot. + And then—what's all this? I started to work, and I heard them shouting: + 'Isay is killed!' I didn't even believe it, but my hand grew numb—and I + felt awkward in working with it. It didn't hurt me, but it seemed to + have grown shorter."</p> + + <p>He looked at his hand obliquely and said:</p> + + <p>"All my life, I suppose, I won't be able to wash off that dirty stain + from it."</p> + + <p>"If only your heart is pure, my dear boy!" the mother said softly, + bursting into tears.</p> + + <p>"I don't regard myself as guilty; no, I don't!" said the Little Russian + firmly. "But it's disgust. It disgusts me to carry such dirt inside of + me. I had no need of it. It wasn't called for."</p> + + <p>"What do you think of doing?" asked Pavel, giving him a suspicious look.</p> + + <p>"What am I going to do?" the Little Russian repeated thoughtfully, + drooping his head. Then raising it again he said with a smile: "I am not + afraid, of course, to say that it was I who struck him. But I am ashamed + to say it. I am ashamed to go to prison, and even to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> hard labor, maybe, + for such a—nothing. If some one else is accused, then I'll go and + confess. But otherwise, go all of my own accord—I cannot!"</p> + + <p>He waved his hands, rose, and repeated:</p> + + <p>"I cannot! I am ashamed!"</p> + + <p>The whistle blew. The Little Russian, bending his head to one side, + listened to the powerful roar, and shaking himself, said:</p> + + <p>"I am not going to work."</p> + + <p>"Nor I," said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"I'll go to the bath house," said the Little Russian, smiling. He got + ready in silence and walked off, sullen and low-spirited.</p> + + <p>The mother followed him with a compassionate look.</p> + + <p>"Say what you please, Pasha, I cannot believe him! And even if I did + believe him, I wouldn't lay any blame on him. No, I would not. I know + it's sinful to kill a man; I believe in God and in the Lord Jesus + Christ, but still I don't think Andrey guilty. I'm sorry for Isay. He's + such a tiny bit of a manikin. He lies there in astonishment. When I + looked at him I remembered how he threatened to have you hanged. And yet + I neither felt hatred toward him nor joy because he was dead. I simply + felt sorry. But now that I know by whose hand he fell I am not even + sorry for him."</p> + + <p>She suddenly became silent, reflected a while, and with a smile of + surprise, exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"Lord Jesus Christ! Do you hear what I am saying, Pasha?"</p> + + <p>Pavel apparently had not heard her. Slowly pacing up and down the room + with drooping head, he said pensively and with exasperation:</p> + + <p>"Andrey won't forgive himself soon, if he'll forgive himself at all! + There is life for you, mother. You see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> the position in which people are + placed toward one another. You don't want to, but you must strike! And + strike whom? Such a helpless being. He is more wretched even than you + because he is stupid. The police, the gendarmes, the soldiers, the + spies—they are all our enemies, and yet they are all such people as we + are. Their blood is sucked out of them just as ours is, and they are no + more regarded as human beings than we are. That's the way it is. But + they have set one part of the people against the other, blinded them + with fear, bound them all hand and foot, squeezed them, and drained + their blood, and used some as clubs against the others. They've turned + men into weapons, into sticks and stones, and called it civilization, + government."</p> + + <p>He walked up to his mother and said to her firmly:</p> + + <p>"That's crime, mother! The heinous crime of killing millions of people, + the murder of millions of souls! You understand—they kill the soul! You + see the difference between them and us. He killed a man unwittingly. He + feels disgusted, ashamed, sick—the main thing is he feels disgusted! + But they kill off thousands calmly, without a qualm, without pity, + without a shudder of the heart. They kill with pleasure and with + delight. And why? They stifle everybody and everything to death merely + to keep the timber of their houses secure, their furniture, their + silver, their gold, their worthless papers—all that cheap trash which + gives them control over the people. Think, it's not for their own + selves, for their persons, that they protect themselves thus, using + murder and the mutilation of souls as a means—it's not for themselves + they do it, but for the sake of their possessions. They do not guard + themselves from within, but from without."</p> + + <p>He bent over to her, took her hands, and shaking them said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p> + + <p>"If you felt the abomination of it all, the disgrace and rottenness, you + would understand our truth; you would then perceive how great it is, how + glorious!"</p> + + <p>The mother arose agitated, full of a desire to sink her heart into the + heart of her son, and to join them in one burning, flaming torch.</p> + + <p>"Wait, Pasha, wait!" she muttered, panting for breath. "I am a human + being. I feel. Wait."</p> + + <p>There was a loud noise of some one entering the porch. Both of them + started and looked at each other.</p> + + <p>"If it's the police coming for Andrey—" Pavel whispered.</p> + + <p>"I know nothing—nothing!" the mother whispered back. "Oh, God!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The door opened slowly, and bending to pass through, Rybin strode in + heavily.</p></div> + + <p>"Here I am!" he said, raising his head and smiling.</p> + + <p>He wore a short fur overcoat, all stained with tar, a pair of dark + mittens stuck from his belt, and his head was covered with a shaggy fur + cap.</p> + + <p>"Are you well? Have they let you out of prison, Pavel? So, how are you, + Nilovna?"</p> + + <p>"Why, you? How glad I am to see you!"</p> + + <p>Slowly removing his overclothes, Rybin said:</p> + + <p>"Yes, I've turned muzhik again. You're gradually turning gentlemen, and + I am turning the other way. That's it!"</p> + + <p>Pulling his ticking shirt straight, he passed through the room, examined + it attentively, and remarked:</p> + + <p>"You can see your property has not increased, but you've grown richer in + books. So! That's the dearest possession, books are, it's true. Well, + tell me how things are going with you."</p> + + <p>"Things are going forward," said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Rybin.</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"We plow and we sow,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">All high and low,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">Boasting is cheap,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">But the harvest we reap,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">A feast we'll make,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">And a rest we'll take."<br /></span> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span></div></div> + + <p>"Will you have some tea?" asked the mother.</p> + + <p>"Yes, I'll have some tea, and I'll take a sip of vodka, too; and if + you'll give me something to eat, I won't decline it, either. I am glad + to see you—that's what!"</p> + + <p>"How's the world wagging with you, Mikhaïl Ivanych?" Pavel inquired, + taking a seat opposite Rybin.</p> + + <p>"So, so. Fairly well. I settled at Edilgeyev. Have you ever heard of + Edilgeyev? It's a fine village. There are two fairs a year there; over + two thousand inhabitants. The people are an evil pack. There's no land. + It's leased out in lots. Poor soil!"</p> + + <p>"Do you talk to them?" asked Pavel, becoming animated.</p> + + <p>"I don't keep mum. You know I have all your leaflets with me. I grabbed + them away from here—thirty-four of them. But I carry on my propaganda + chiefly with the Bible. You can get something out of it. It's a thick + book. It's a government book. It's published by the Holy Synod. It's + easy to believe!" He gave Pavel a wink, and continued with a laugh: "But + that's not enough! I have come here to you to get books. Yefim is here, + too. We are transporting tar; and so we turned aside to stop at your + house. You stock me up with books before Yefim comes. He doesn't have to + know too much!"</p> + + <p>"Mother," said Pavel, "go get some books! They'll know what to give you. + Tell them it's for the country."</p> + + <p>"All right. The samovar will be ready in a moment, and then I'll go."</p> + + <p>"You have gone into this movement, too, Nilovna?" asked Rybin with a + smile. "Very well. We have lots of eager candidates for books. There's a + teacher there who creates a desire for them. He's a fine fellow, they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> + say, although he belongs to the clergy. We have a woman teacher, too, + about seven versts from the village. But they don't work with illegal + books; they're a 'law and order' crowd out there; they're afraid. But I + want forbidden books—sharp, pointed books. I'll slip them through their + fingers. When the police commissioners or the priest see that they are + illegal books, they'll think it's the teachers who circulate them. And + in the meantime I'll remain in the background."</p> + + <p>Well content with his hard, practical sense, he grinned merrily.</p> + + <p>"Hm!" thought the mother. "He looks like a bear and behaves like a fox."</p> + + <p>Pavel rose, and pacing up and down the room with even steps, said + reproachfully:</p> + + <p>"We'll let you have the books, but what you want to do is not right, + Mikhaïl Ivanovich."</p> + + <p>"Why is it not right?" asked Rybin, opening his eyes in astonishment.</p> + + <p>"You yourself ought to answer for what you do. It is not right to manage + matters so that others should suffer for what you do." Pavel spoke + sternly.</p> + + <p>Rybin looked at the floor, shook his head, and said:</p> + + <p>"I don't understand you."</p> + + <p>"If the teachers are suspected," said Pavel, stationing himself in front + of Rybin, "of distributing illegal books, don't you think they'll be put + in jail for it?"</p> + + <p>"Yes. Well, what if they are?"</p> + + <p>"But it's you who distribute the books, not they. Then it's you that + ought to go to prison."</p> + + <p>"What a strange fellow you are!" said Rybin with a smile, striking his + hand on his knee. "Who would suspect me, a muzhik, of occupying myself + with such matters? Why, does such a thing happen? Books are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> affairs of + the masters, and it's for them to answer for them."</p> + + <p>The mother felt that Pavel did not understand Rybin, and she saw that he + was screwing up his eyes—a sign of anger. So she interjected in a + cautious, soft voice:</p> + + <p>"Mikhaïl Ivanovich wants to fix it so that he should be able to go on + with his work, and that others should take the punishment for it."</p> + + <p>"That's it!" said Rybin, stroking his beard.</p> + + <p>"Mother," Pavel asked dryly, "suppose some of our people, Andrey, for + example, did something behind my back, and I were put in prison for it, + what would you say to that?"</p> + + <p>The mother started, looked at her son in perplexity, and said, shaking + her head in negation:</p> + + <p>"Why, is it possible to act that way toward a comrade?"</p> + + <p>"Aha! Yes!" Rybin drawled. "I understand you, Pavel." And with a comical + wink toward the mother, he added: "This is a delicate matter, mother." + And again turning to Pavel he held forth in a didactic manner: "Your + ideas on this subject are very green, brother. In secret work there is + no honor. Think! In the first place, they'll put those persons in prison + on whom they find the books, and not the teachers. That's number one! + Secondly, even though the teachers give the people only legal books to + read, you know that they contain prohibited things just the same as in + the forbidden books; only they are put in a different language. The + truths are fewer. That's number two. I mean to say, they want the same + thing that I do; only they proceed by side paths, while I travel on the + broad highway. And thirdly, brother, what business have I with them? How + can a traveler on foot strike up friendship with a man on horseback?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> + Toward a muzhik, maybe, I wouldn't want to act that way. But these + people, one a clergyman, the other the daughter of a land proprietor, + why they want to uplift the people, I cannot understand. Their ideas, + the ideas of the masters, are unintelligible to me, a muzhik. What I do + myself, I know, but what they are after I cannot tell. For thousands of + years they have punctiliously and consistently pursued the business of + being masters, and have fleeced and flayed the skins of the muzhiks; and + all of a sudden they wake up and want to open the muzhik's eyes. I am + not a man for fairy tales, brother, and that's in the nature of a fairy + tale. That's why I can't get interested in them. The ways of the masters + are strange to me. You travel in winter, and you see some living + creature in front of you. But what it is—a wolf, a fox, or just a plain + dog—you don't know."</p> + + <p>The mother glanced at her son. His face wore a gloomy expression.</p> + + <p>Rybin's eyes sparkled with a dark gleam. He looked at Pavel, combing + down his beard with his fingers. His air was at once complacent and + excited.</p> + + <p>"I have no time to flirt," he said. "Life is a stern matter. We live in + dog houses, not in sheep pens, and every pack barks after its own + fashion."</p> + + <p>"There are some masters," said the mother, recalling certain familiar + faces, "who die for the people, and let themselves be tortured all their + lives in prison."</p> + + <p>"Their calculations are different, and their deserts are different," + said Rybin. "The muzhik grown rich turns into a gentleman, and the + gentleman grown poor goes to the muzhik. Willy-nilly, he must have a + pure soul, if his purse is empty. Do you remember, Pavel, you explained + to me that as a man lives, so he also thinks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> and that if the + workingman says 'Yes,' the master must say 'No,' and if the workingman + says 'No,' the master, because of the nature of the beast, is bound to + cry 'Yes.' So you see, their natures are different one from the other. + The muzhik has his nature, and the gentleman has his. When the peasant + has a full stomach, the gentleman passes sleepless nights. Of course, + every fold has its black sheep, and I have no desire to defend the + peasants wholesale."</p> + + <p>Rybin rose to his feet somber and powerful. His face darkened, his beard + quivered as if he ground his teeth inaudibly, and he continued in a + lowered voice:</p> + + <p>"For five years I beat about from factory to factory, and got + unaccustomed to the village. Then I went to the village again, looked + around, and I found I could not live like that any more! You understand? + I <i>can't</i>. You live here, you don't know hunger, you don't see such + outrages. There hunger stalks after a man all his life like a shadow, + and he has no hope for bread—no hope! Hunger destroys the soul of the + people; the very image of man is effaced from their countenances. They + do not live, they rot in dire unavoidable want. And around them the + government authorities watch like ravens to see if a crumb is not left + over. And if they do find a crumb, they snatch that away, too, and give + you a punch in the face besides."</p> + + <p>Rybin looked around, bent down to Pavel, his hand resting on the table:</p> + + <p>"I even got sick and faint when I saw that life again. I looked around + me—but I couldn't! However, I conquered my repulsion. 'Fiddlesticks!' I + said. 'I won't let my feelings get the better of me. I'll stay here. I + won't get your bread for you; but I'll cook you a pretty mess, I will.' + I carry within me the wrongs of my people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> and hatred of the oppressor. + I feel these wrongs like a knife constantly cutting at my heart."</p> + + <p>Perspiration broke out on his forehead; he shrugged his shoulders and + slowly bent toward Pavel, laying a tremulous hand on his shoulder:</p> + + <p>"Give me your help! Let me have books—such books that when a man has + read them he will not be able to rest. Put a prickly hedgehog to his + brains. Tell those city folks who write for you to write for the + villagers also. Let them write such hot truth that it will scald the + village, that the people will even rush to their death."</p> + + <p>He raised his hand, and laying emphasis on each word, he said hoarsely:</p> + + <p>"Let death make amends for death. That is, die so that the people should + arise to life again. And let thousands die in order that hosts of people + all over the earth may arise to life again. That's it! It's easy to + die—but let the people rise to life again! That's a different thing! + Let them rise up in rebellion!"</p> + + <p>The mother brought in the samovar, looking askance at Rybin. His strong, + heavy words oppressed her. Something in him reminded her of her husband. + He, too, showed his teeth, waved his hands, and rolled up his sleeves; + in him, too, there was that impatient wrath, impatient but dumb. Rybin + was not dumb; he was not silent; he spoke, and therefore was less + terrible.</p> + + <p>"That's necessary," said Pavel, nodding his head. "We need a newspaper + for the villages, too. Give us material, and we'll print you a + newspaper."</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her son with a smile, and shook her head. She had + quietly put on her wraps and now went out of the house.</p> + + <p>"Yes, do it. We'll give you everything. Write as simply as possible, so + that even calves could understand,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> Rybin cried. Then, suddenly + stepping back from Pavel, he said, as he shook his head:</p> + + <p>"Ah, me, if I were a Jew! The Jew, my dear boy, is the most believing + man in the world! Isaiah, the prophet, or Job, the patient, believed + more strongly than Christ's apostles. They could say words to make a + man's hair stand on end. But the apostles, you see, Pavel, couldn't. The + prophets believed not in the church, but in themselves; they had their + God in themselves. The apostles—they built churches; and the church is + law. Man must believe in himself, not in law. Man carries the truth of + God in his soul; he is not a police captain on earth, nor a slave! All + the laws are in myself."</p> + + <p>The kitchen door opened, and somebody walked in.</p> + + <p>"It's Yefim," said Rybin, looking into the kitchen. "Come here, Yefim. + As for you, Pavel, think! Think a whole lot. There is a great deal to + think about. This is Yefim. And this man's name is Pavel. I told you + about him."</p> + + <p>A light-haired, broad-faced young fellow in a short fur overcoat, well + built and evidently strong, stood before Pavel, holding his cap in both + hands and looking at him from the corners of his gray eyes.</p> + + <p>"How do you do?" he said hoarsely, as he shook hands with Pavel, and + stroked his curly hair with both hands. He looked around the room, + immediately spied the bookshelf, and walked over to it slowly.</p> + + <p>"Went straight to them!" Rybin said, winking to Pavel.</p> + + <p>Yefim started to examine the books, and said:</p> + + <p>"A whole lot of reading here! But I suppose you haven't much time for + it. Down in the village they have more time for reading."</p> + + <p>"But less desire?" Pavel asked.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Why? They have the desire, too," answered the fellow, rubbing his chin. + "The times are so now that if you don't think, you might as well lie + down and die. But the people don't want to die; and so they've begun to + make their brains work. 'Geology'—what's that?"</p> + + <p>Pavel explained.</p> + + <p>"We don't need it!" Yefim said, replacing the book on the shelf.</p> + + <p>Rybin sighed noisily, and said:</p> + + <p>"The peasant is not so much interested to know where the land came from + as where it's gone to, how it's been snatched from underneath his feet + by the gentry. It doesn't matter to him whether it's fixed or whether it + revolves—that's of no importance—you can hang it on a rope, if you + want to, provided it feeds him; you can nail it to the skies, provided + it gives him enough to eat."</p> + + <p>"'The History of Slavery,'" Yefim read out again, and asked Pavel: "Is + it about us?"</p> + + <p>"Here's an account of Russian serfdom, too," said Pavel, giving him + another book. Yefim took it, turned it in his hands, and putting it + aside, said calmly:</p> + + <p>"That's out of date."</p> + + <p>"Have you an apportionment of land for yourself?" inquired Pavel.</p> + + <p>"We? Yes, we have. We are three brothers, and our portion is about ten + acres and a half—all sand—good for polishing brass, but poor for + making bread." After a pause he continued: "I've freed myself from the + soil. What's the use? It does not feed; it ties one's hands. This is the + fourth year that I'm working as a hired man. I've got to become a + soldier this fall. Uncle Mikhaïl says: 'Don't go. Now,' he says, 'the + soldiers are being sent to beat the people.' However, I think I'll go. + The army existed at the time of Stepan Timofeyevich<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> Razin and Pugachev. + The time has come to make an end of it. Don't you think so?" he asked, + looking firmly at Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Yes, the time has come." The answer was accompanied by a smile. "But + it's hard. You must know what to say to soldiers, and how to say it."</p> + + <p>"We'll learn; we'll know how," Yefim said.</p> + + <p>"And if the superiors catch you at it, they may shoot you down," Pavel + concluded, looking curiously at Yefim.</p> + + <p>"They will show no mercy," the peasant assented calmly, and resumed his + examination of the books.</p> + + <p>"Drink your tea, Yefim; we've got to leave soon," said Rybin.</p> + + <p>"Directly." And Yefim asked again: "Revolution is an uprising, isn't + it?"</p> + + <p>Andrey came, red, perspiring, and dejected. He shook Yefim's hand + without saying anything, sat down by Rybin's side, and smiled as he + looked at him.</p> + + <p>"What's the trouble? Why so blue?" Rybin asked, tapping his knee.</p> + + <p>"Nothing."</p> + + <p>"Are you a workingman, too?" asked Yefim, nodding his head toward the + Little Russian.</p> + + <p>"Yes," Andrey answered. "Why?"</p> + + <p>"This is the first time he's seen factory workmen," explained Rybin. "He + says they're different from others."</p> + + <p>"How so?" Pavel asked.</p> + + <p>Yefim looked carefully at Andrey and said:</p> + + <p>"You have sharp bones; peasants' bones are rounder."</p> + + <p>"The peasant stands more firmly on his feet," Rybin supplemented. "He + feels the ground under him although he does not possess it. Yet he feels + the earth. But the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> factory workingman is something like a bird. He has + no home. To-day he's here, to-morrow there. Even his wife can't attach + him to the same spot. At the least provocation—farewell, my dear! and + off he goes to look for something better. But the peasant wants to + improve himself just where he is without moving off the spot. There's + your mother!" And Rybin went out into the kitchen.</p> + + <p>Yefim approached Pavel, and with embarrassment asked:</p> + + <p>"Perhaps you will give me a book?"</p> + + <p>"Certainly."</p> + + <p>The peasant's eyes flashed, and he said rapidly:</p> + + <p>"I'll return it. Some of our folks bring tar not far from here. They + will return it for me. Thank you! Nowadays a book is like a candle in + the night to us."</p> + + <p>Rybin, already dressed and tightly girt, came in and said to Yefim:</p> + + <p>"Come, it's time for us to go."</p> + + <p>"Now, I have something to read!" exclaimed Yefim, pointing to the book + and smiling inwardly. When he had gone, Pavel animatedly said, turning + to Andrey:</p> + + <p>"Did you notice those fellows?"</p> + + <p>"Y-yes!" slowly uttered the Little Russian. "Like clouds in the + sunset—thick, dark clouds, moving slowly."</p> + + <p>"Mikhaïl!" exclaimed the mother. "He looks as if he had never been in a + factory! A peasant again. And how formidable he looks!"</p> + + <p>"I'm sorry you weren't here," said Pavel to Andrey, who was sitting at + the table, staring gloomily into his glass of tea. "You could have seen + the play of hearts. You always talk about the heart. Rybin got up a lot + of steam; he upset me, crushed me. I couldn't even reply to him. How + distrustful he is of people, and how cheaply<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> he values them! Mother is + right. That man has a formidable power in him."</p> + + <p>"I noticed it," the Little Russian replied glumly. "They have poisoned + people. When the peasants rise up, they'll overturn absolutely + everything! They need bare land, and they will lay it bare, tear down + everything." He spoke slowly, and it was evident that his mind was on + something else. The mother cautiously tapped him on the shoulder.</p> + + <p>"Pull yourself together, Andriusha."</p> + + <p>"Wait a little, my dear mother, my own!" he begged softly and kindly. + "All this is so ugly—although I didn't mean to do any harm. Wait!" And + suddenly rousing himself, he said, striking the table with his hand: + "Yes, Pavel, the peasant will lay the land bare for himself when he + rises to his feet. He will burn everything up, as if after a plague, so + that all traces of his wrongs will vanish in ashes."</p> + + <p>"And then he will get in our way," Pavel observed softly.</p> + + <p>"It's our business to prevent that. We are nearer to him; he trusts us; + he will follow us."</p> + + <p>"Do you know, Rybin proposes that we should publish a newspaper for the + village?"</p> + + <p>"We must do it, too. As soon as possible."</p> + + <p>Pavel laughed and said:</p> + + <p>"I feel bad I didn't argue with him."</p> + + <p>"We'll have a chance to argue with him still," the Little Russian + rejoined. "You keep on playing your flute; whoever has gay feet, if they + haven't grown into the ground, will dance to your tune. Rybin would + probably have said that we don't feel the ground under us, and need not, + either. Therefore it's our business to shake it. Shake it once, and the + people will be loosened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> from it; shake it once more, and they'll tear + themselves away."</p> + + <p>The mother smiled.</p> + + <p>"Everything seems to be simple to you, Andriusha."</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes, it's simple," said the Little Russian, and added gloomily: + "Like life." A few minutes later he said: "I'll go take a walk in the + field."</p> + + <p>"After the bath? The wind will blow through you," the mother warned.</p> + + <p>"Well, I need a good airing."</p> + + <p>"Look out, you'll catch a cold," Pavel said affectionately. "You'd + better lie down and try to sleep."</p> + + <p>"No, I'm going." He put on his wraps, and went out without speaking.</p> + + <p>"It's hard for him," the mother sighed.</p> + + <p>"You know what?" Pavel observed to her. "It's very good that you started + to say 'thou' to him after that."</p> + + <p>She looked at him in astonishment, and after reflecting a moment, said:</p> + + <p>"Um, I didn't even notice how it came. It came all of itself. He has + grown so near to me. I can't tell you in words just how I feel. Oh, such + a misfortune!"</p> + + <p>"You have a good heart, mamma," Pavel said softly.</p> + + <p>"I'm very glad if I have. If I could only help you in some way, all of + you. If I only could!"</p> + + <p>"Don't fear, you will."</p> + + <p>She laughed softly:</p> + + <p>"I can't help fearing; that's exactly what I can't help. But thank you + for the good word, my dear son."</p> + + <p>"All right, mother; don't let's talk about it any more. Know that I love + you; and I thank you most heartily."</p> + + <p>She walked into the kitchen in order not to annoy him with her tears.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_s.png" alt="S" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Several days later Vyesovshchikov came in, as shabby, untidy, and + disgruntled as ever.</p></div> + + <p>"Haven't you heard who killed Isay?" He stopped in his clumsy pacing of + the room to turn to Pavel.</p> + + <p>"No!" Pavel answered briefly.</p> + + <p>"There you got a man who wasn't squeamish about the job! And I'd always + been preparing to do it myself. It was my job—just the thing for me!"</p> + + <p>"Don't talk nonsense, Nikolay," Pavel said in a friendly manner.</p> + + <p>"Now, really, what's the matter with you?" interposed the mother kindly. + "You have a soft heart, and yet you keep barking like a vicious dog. + What do you go on that way for?"</p> + + <p>At this moment she was actually pleased to see Nikolay. Even his + pockmarked face looked more agreeable to her. She pitied him as never + before.</p> + + <p>"Well, I'm not fit for anything but jobs like that!" said Nikolay dully, + shrugging his shoulders. "I keep thinking, and thinking where my place + in the world is. There is no place for me! The people require to be + spoken to, and I cannot. I see everything; I feel all the people's + wrongs; but I cannot express myself: I have a dumb soul." He went over + to Pavel with drooping head; and scraping his fingers on the table, he + said plaintively,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> and so unlike himself, childishly, sadly: "Give me + some hard work to do, comrade. I can't live this life any longer. It's + so senseless, so useless. You are all working in the movement, and I see + that it is growing, and I'm outside of it all. I haul boards and beams. + Is it possible to live for the sake of hauling timber? Give me some hard + work."</p> + + <p>Pavel clasped his hand, pulling him toward himself.</p> + + <p>"We will!"</p> + + <p>From behind the curtains resounded the Little Russian's voice:</p> + + <p>"Nikolay, I'll teach you typesetting, and you'll work as a compositor + for us. Yes?"</p> + + <p>Nikolay went over to him and said:</p> + + <p>"If you'll teach me that, I'll give you my knife."</p> + + <p>"To the devil with your knife!" exclaimed the Little Russian and burst + out laughing.</p> + + <p>"It's a good knife," Nikolay insisted. Pavel laughed, too.</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov stopped in the middle of the room and asked:</p> + + <p>"Are you laughing at me?"</p> + + <p>"Of course," replied the Little Russian, jumping out of bed. "I'll tell + you what! Let's take a walk in the fields! The night is fine; there's + bright moonshine. Let's go!"</p> + + <p>"All right," said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"And I'll go with you, too!" declared Nikolay. "I like to hear you + laugh, Little Russian."</p> + + <p>"And I like to hear you promise presents," answered the Little Russian, + smiling.</p> + + <p>While Andrey was dressing in the kitchen, the mother scolded him:</p> + + <p>"Dress warmer! You'll get sick." And when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> all had left, she + watched them through the window; then looked at the ikon, and said + softly: "God help them!"</p> + + <p>She turned off the lamp and began to pray alone in the moonlit room.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>The days flew by in such rapid succession that the mother could not give + much thought to the first of May. Only at night, when, exhausted by the + noise and the exciting bustle of the day, she went to bed, tired and + worn out, her heart would begin to ache.</p> + + <p>"Oh, dear, if it would only be over soon!"</p> + + <p>At dawn, when the factory whistle blew, the son and the Little Russian, + after hastily drinking tea and snatching a bite, would go, leaving a + dozen or so small commissions for the mother. The whole day long she + would move around like a squirrel in a wheel, cook dinner, and boil + lilac-colored gelatin and glue for the proclamations. Some people would + come, leave notes with her to deliver to Pavel, and disappear, infecting + her with their excitement.</p> + + <p>The leaflets appealing to the working people to celebrate the first of + May flooded the village and the factory. Every night they were posted on + the fences, even on the doors of the police station; and every day they + were found in the factory. In the mornings the police would go around, + swearing, tearing down and scraping off the lilac-covered bills from the + fences. At noon, however, these bills would fly over the streets again, + rolling to the feet of the passers-by. Spies were sent from the city to + stand at the street corners and carefully scan the working people on + their gay passages from and to the factory at dinner time. Everybody was + pleased to see the impotence of the police, and even the elder + workingmen would smile at one another:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Things are happening, aren't they?"</p> + + <p>All over, people would cluster into groups hotly discussing the stirring + appeals. Life was at boiling point. This spring it held more of interest + to everybody, it brought forth something new to all; for some it was a + good excuse to excite themselves—they could pour out their malicious + oaths on the agitators; to others, it brought perplexed anxiety as well + as hope; to others again, the minority, an acute delight in the + consciousness of being the power that set the village astir.</p> + + <p>Pavel and Andrey scarcely ever went to bed. They came home just before + the morning whistle sounded, tired, hoarse, and pale. The mother knew + that they held meetings in the woods and the marsh; that squads of + mounted police galloped around the village, that spies were crawling all + over, holding up and searching single workingmen, dispersing groups, and + sometimes making an arrest. She understood that her son and Andrey might + be arrested any night. Sometimes she thought that this would be the best + thing for them.</p> + + <p>Strangely enough, the investigation of the murder of Isay, the record + clerk, suddenly ceased. For two days the local police questioned the + people in regard to the matter, examining about ten men or so, and + finally lost interest in the affair.</p> + + <p>Marya Korsunova, in a chat with the mother, reflected the opinion of the + police, with whom she associated as amicably as with everybody:</p> + + <p>"How is it possible to find the guilty man? That morning some hundred + people met Isay, and ninety of them, if not more, might have given him + the blow. During these eight years he has galled everybody."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian changed considerably. His face became hollow-cheeked; + his eyelids got heavy and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> drooped over his round eyes, half covering + them. His smiles were wrung from him unwillingly, and two thin wrinkles + were drawn from his nostrils to the corners of his lips. He talked less + about everyday matters; on the other hand, he was more frequently + enkindled with a passionate fire; and he intoxicated his listeners with + his ecstatic words about the future, about the bright, beautiful + holiday, when they would celebrate the triumph of freedom and reason. + Listening to his words, the mother felt that he had gone further than + anybody else toward the great, glorious day, and that he saw the joys of + that future more vividly than the rest. When the investigations of + Isay's murder ceased, he said in disgust and smiling sadly:</p> + + <p>"It's not only the people they treat like trash, but even the very men + whom they set on the people like dogs. They have no concern for their + faithful Judases, they care only for their shekels—only for them." And + after a sullen silence, he added: "And I pity that man the more I think + of him. I didn't intend to kill him—didn't want to!"</p> + + <p>"Enough, Andrey," said Pavel severely.</p> + + <p>"You happened to knock against something rotten, and it fell to pieces," + added the mother in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"You're right—but that's no consolation."</p> + + <p>He often spoke in this way. In his mouth the words assumed a peculiar, + universal significance, bitter and corrosive.</p> + + <p>At last, it was the first of May! The whistle shrilled as usual, + powerful and peremptory. The mother, who hadn't slept a minute during + the night, jumped out of bed, made a fire in the samovar, which had been + prepared the evening before, and was about, as always, to knock at the + door of her son's and Andrey's room, when,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> with a wave of her hand she + recollected the day, and went to seat herself at the window, leaning her + cheek on her hand.</p> + + <p>Clusters of light clouds, white and rosy, sailed swiftly across the pale + blue sky, like huge birds frightened by the piercing shriek of the + escaping steam. The mother watched the clouds, absorbed in herself. Her + head was heavy, her eyes dry and inflamed from the sleepless night. A + strange calm possessed her breast, her heart was beating evenly, and her + mind dwelt on only common, everyday things.</p> + + <p>"I prepared the samovar too early; it will boil away. Let them sleep + longer to-day; they've worn themselves out, both of them."</p> + + <p>A cheerful ray of sun looked into the room. She held her hand out to it, + and with the other gently patted the bright young beam, smiling kindly + and thoughtfully. Then she rose, removed the pipe from the samovar, + trying not to make a noise, washed herself, and began to pray, crossing + herself piously, and noiselessly moving her lips. Her face was radiant, + and her right eyebrow kept rising gradually and suddenly dropping.</p> + + <p>The second whistle blew more softly with less assurance, a tremor in its + thick and mellow sound. It seemed to the mother that the whistle lasted + longer to-day than ever. The clear, musical voice of the Little Russian + sounded in the room:</p> + + <p>"Pavel, do you hear? They're calling."</p> + + <p>The mother heard the patter of bare feet on the floor and some one yawn + with gusto.</p> + + <p>"The samovar is ready," she cried.</p> + + <p>"We're getting up," Pavel answered merrily.</p> + + <p>"The sun is rising," said the Little Russian. "The clouds are racing; + they're out of place to-day." He went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> into the kitchen all disheveled + but jolly after his sleep. "Good morning, mother dear; how did you + sleep?"</p> + + <p>The mother went to him and whispered:</p> + + <p>"Andriusha, keep close to him."</p> + + <p>"Certainly. As long as it depends on us, we'll always stick to each + other, you may be sure."</p> + + <p>"What's that whispering about?" Pavel asked.</p> + + <p>"Nothing. She told me to wash myself better, so the girls will look at + me," replied the Little Russian, going out on the porch to wash himself.</p> + + <p>"'Rise up, awake, you workingmen,'" Pavel sang softly.</p> + + <p>As the day grew, the clouds dispersed, chased by the wind. The mother + got the dishes ready for the tea, shaking her head over the thought of + how strange it was for both of them to be joking and smiling all the + time on this morning, when who knew what would befall them in the + afternoon. Yet, curiously enough, she felt herself calm, almost happy.</p> + + <p>They sat a long time over the tea to while away the hours of + expectation. Pavel, as was his wont, slowly and scrupulously mixed the + sugar in the glass with his spoon, and accurately salted his favorite + crust from the end of the loaf. The Little Russian moved his feet under + the table—he never could at once settle his feet comfortably—and + looked at the rays of sunlight playing on the wall and ceiling.</p> + + <p>"When I was a youngster of ten years," he recounted, "I wanted to catch + the sun in a glass. So I took the glass, stole to the wall, and bang! I + cut my hand and got a licking to boot. After the licking I went out in + the yard and saw the sun in a puddle. So I started to trample the mud + with my feet. I covered myself with mud, and got another drubbing. What + was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> I to do? I screamed to the sun: 'It doesn't hurt me, you red devil; + it doesn't hurt me!' and stuck out my tongue at him. And I felt + comforted."</p> + + <p>"Why did the sun seem red to you?" Pavel asked, laughing.</p> + + <p>"There was a blacksmith opposite our house, with fine red cheeks, and a + huge red beard. I thought the sun resembled him."</p> + + <p>The mother lost patience and said:</p> + + <p>"You'd better talk about your arrangements for the procession."</p> + + <p>"Everything's been arranged," said Pavel.</p> + + <p>"No use talking of things once decided upon. It only confuses the mind," + the Little Russian added. "If we are all arrested, Nikolay Ivanovich + will come and tell you what to do. He will help you in every way."</p> + + <p>"All right," said the mother with a heavy sigh.</p> + + <p>"Let's go out," said Pavel dreamily.</p> + + <p>"No, rather stay indoors," replied Andrey. "No need to annoy the eyes of + the police so often. They know you well enough."</p> + + <p>Fedya Mazin came running in, all aglow, with red spots on his cheeks, + quivering with youthful joy. His animation dispelled the tedium of + expectation for them.</p> + + <p>"It's begun!" he reported. "The people are all out on the street, their + faces sharp as the edge of an ax. Vyesovshchikov, the Gusevs, and + Samoylov have been standing at the factory gates all the time, and have + been making speeches. Most of the people went back from the factory, and + returned home. Let's go! It's just time! It's ten o'clock already."</p> + + <p>"I'm going!" said Pavel decidedly.</p> + + <p>"You'll see," Fedya assured them, "the whole factory will rise up after + dinner."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p> + + <p>And he hurried away, followed by the quiet words of the mother:</p> + + <p>"Burning like a wax candle in the wind."</p> + + <p>She rose and went into the kitchen to dress.</p> + + <p>"Where are you going, mother?"</p> + + <p>"With you," she said.</p> + + <p>Andrey looked at Pavel pulling his mustache. Pavel arranged his hair + with a quick gesture, and went to his mother.</p> + + <p>"Mother, I will not tell you anything; and don't you tell me anything, + either. Right, mother?"</p> + + <p>"All right, all right! God bless you!" she murmured.</p> + + <p>When she went out and heard the holiday hum of the people's voices—an + anxious and expectant hum—when she saw everywhere, at the gates and + windows, crowds of people staring at Andrey and her son, a blur quivered + before her eyes, changes from a transparent green to a muddy gray.</p> + + <p>People greeted them—there was something peculiar in their greetings. + She caught whispered, broken remarks:</p> + + <p>"Here they are, the leaders!"</p> + + <p>"We don't know who the leaders are!"</p> + + <p>"Why, I didn't say anything wrong."</p> + + <p>At another place some one in a yard shouted excitedly:</p> + + <p>"The police will get them, and that'll be the end of them!"</p> + + <p>"What if they do?" retorted another voice.</p> + + <p>Farther on a crying woman's voice leaped frightened from the window to + the street:</p> + + <p>"Consider! Are you a single man, are you? They are bachelors and don't + care!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p> + + <p>When they passed the house of Zosimov, the man without legs, who + received a monthly allowance from the factory because of his mutilation, + he stuck his head through the window and cried out:</p> + + <p>"Pavel, you scoundrel, they'll wring your head off for your doings, + you'll see!"</p> + + <p>The mother trembled and stopped. The exclamation aroused in her a sharp + sensation of anger. She looked up at the thick, bloated face of the + cripple, and he hid himself, cursing. Then she quickened her pace, + overtook her son, and tried not to fall behind again. He and Andrey + seemed not to notice anything, not to hear the outcries that pursued + them. They moved calmly, without haste, and talked loudly about + commonplaces. They were stopped by Mironov, a modest, elderly man, + respected by everybody for his clean, sober life.</p> + + <p>"Not working either, Daniïl Ivanovich?" Pavel asked.</p> + + <p>"My wife is going to be confined. Well, and such an exciting day, too," + Mironov responded, staring fixedly at the comrades. He said to them in + an undertone:</p> + + <p>"Boys, I hear you're going to make an awful row—smash the + superintendent's windows."</p> + + <p>"Why, are we drunk?" exclaimed Pavel.</p> + + <p>"We are simply going to march along the streets with flags, and sing + songs," said the Little Russian. "You'll have a chance to hear our + songs. They're our confession of faith."</p> + + <p>"I know your confession of faith," said Mironov thoughtfully. "I read + your papers. You, Nilovna," he exclaimed, smiling at the mother with + knowing eyes, "are you going to revolt, too?"</p> + + <p>"Well, even if it's only before death, I want to walk shoulder to + shoulder with the truth."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I declare!" said Mironov. "I guess they were telling the truth when + they said you carried forbidden books to the factory."</p> + + <p>"Who said so?" asked Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Oh, people. Well, good-by! Behave yourselves!"</p> + + <p>The mother laughed softly; she was pleased to hear that such things were + said of her. Pavel smilingly turned to her:</p> + + <p>"Oh, you'll get into prison, mother!"</p> + + <p>"I don't mind," she murmured.</p> + + <p>The sun rose higher, pouring warmth into the bracing freshness of the + spring day. The clouds floated more slowly, their shadows grew thinner + and more transparent, and crawled gently over the streets and roofs. The + bright sunlight seemed to clean the village, to wipe the dust and dirt + from the walls and the tedium from the faces. Everything assumed a more + cheerful aspect; the voices sounded louder, drowning the far-off rumble + and heavings of the factory machines.</p> + + <p>Again, from all sides, from the windows and the yards, different words + and voices, now uneasy and malicious, now thoughtful and gay, found + their way to the mother's ears. But this time she felt a desire to + retort, to thank, to explain, to participate in the strangely variegated + life of the day.</p> + + <p>Off a corner of the main thoroughfare, in a narrow by-street, a crowd of + about a hundred people had gathered, and from its depths resounded + Vyesovshchikov's voice:</p> + + <p>"They squeeze our blood like juice from huckleberries." His words fell + like hammer blows on the people.</p> + + <p>"That's true!" the resonant cry rang out simultaneously from a number of + throats.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p> + + <p>"The boy is doing his best," said the Little Russian. "I'll go help + him." He bent low and before Pavel had time to stop him he twisted his + tall, flexible body into the crowd like a corkscrew into a cork, and + soon his singing voice rang out:</p> + + <p>"Comrades! They say there are various races on the earth—Jews and + Germans, English and Tartars. But I don't believe it. There are only two + nations, two irreconcilable tribes—the rich and the poor. People dress + differently and speak differently; but look at the rich Frenchman, the + rich German, or the rich Englishman, you'll see that they are all + Tartars in the way they treat their workingman—a plague on them!"</p> + + <p>A laugh broke out in the crowd.</p> + + <p>"On the other hand, we can see the French workingmen, the Tartar + workingmen, the Turkish workingmen, all lead the same dog's life, as + we—we, the Russian workingmen."</p> + + <p>More and more people joined the crowd; one after the other they thronged + into the by-street, silent, stepping on tiptoe, and craning their necks. + Andrey raised his voice:</p> + + <p>"The workingmen of foreign countries have already learned this simple + truth, and to-day, on this bright first of May, the foreign working + people fraternize with one another. They quit their work, and go out + into the streets to look at themselves, to take stock of their immense + power. On this day, the workingmen out there throb with one heart; for + all hearts are lighted with the consciousness of the might of the + working people; all hearts beat with comradeship, each and every one of + them is ready to lay down his life in the war for the happiness of all, + for freedom and truth to all—comrades!"</p> + + <p>"The police!" some one shouted.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_f.png" alt="F" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">From the main street four mounted policemen flourishing their knouts + came riding into the by-street directly at the crowd.</p></div> + + <p>"Disperse!"</p> + + <p>"What sort of talking is going on?"</p> + + <p>"Who's speaking?"</p> + + <p>The people scowled, giving way to the horses unwillingly. Some climbed + up on fences; raillery was heard here and there.</p> + + <p>"They put pigs on horses; they grunt: 'Here we are, leaders, too!'" + resounded a sonorous, provoking voice.</p> + + <p>The Little Russian was left alone in the middle of the street; two + horses shaking their manes pressed at him. He stepped aside, and at the + same time the mother grasped his hand, pulling him away grumbling:</p> + + <p>"You promised to stick to Pasha; and here you are running up against the + edge of a knife all by yourself."</p> + + <p>"I plead guilty," said the Little Russian, smiling at Pavel. "Ugh! What + a force of police there is in the world!"</p> + + <p>"All right," murmured the mother.</p> + + <p>An alarming, crushing exhaustion came over her. It rose from within her + and made her dizzy. There was a strange alternation of sadness and joy + in her heart. She wished the afternoon whistle would sound.</p> + + <p>They reached the square where the church stood.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> Around the church + within the paling a thick crowd was sitting and standing. There were + some five hundred gay youth and bustling women with children darting + around the groups like butterflies. The crowd swung from side to side. + The people raised their heads and looked into the distance in different + directions, waiting impatiently.</p> + + <p>"Mitenka!" softly vibrated a woman's voice. "Have pity on yourself!"</p> + + <p>"Stop!" rang out the response.</p> + + <p>And the grave Sizov spoke calmly, persuasively:</p> + + <p>"No, we mustn't abandon our children. They have grown wiser than + ourselves; they live more boldly. Who saved our cent for the marshes? + They did. We must remember that. For doing it they were dragged to + prison; but we derived the benefit. The benefit was for all."</p> + + <p>The whistle blew, drowning the talk of the crowd. The people started. + Those sitting rose to their feet. For a moment the silence of death + prevailed; all became watchful, and many faces grew pale.</p> + + <p>"Comrades!" resounded Pavel's voice, ringing and firm.</p> + + <p>A dry, hot haze burned the mother's eyes, and with a single movement of + her body, suddenly strengthened, she stood behind her son. All turned + toward Pavel, and drew up to him, like iron filings attracted by a + magnet.</p> + + <p>"Brothers! The hour has come to give up this life of ours, this life of + greed, hatred, and darkness, this life of violence and falsehood, this + life where there is no place for us, where we are no human beings."</p> + + <p>He stopped, and everybody maintained silence, moving still closer to + him. The mother stared at her son. She saw only his eyes, his proud, + brave, burning eyes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Comrades! We have decided to declare openly who we are; we raise our + banner to-day, the banner of reason, of truth, of liberty! And now I + raise it!"</p> + + <p>A flag pole, white and slender, flashed in the air, bent down, cleaving + the crowd. For a moment it was lost from sight; then over the uplifted + faces the broad canvas of the working people's flag spread its wings + like a red bird.</p> + + <p>Pavel raised his hand—the pole swung, and a dozen hands caught the + smooth white rod. Among them was the mother's hand.</p> + + <p>"Long live the working people!" he shouted.</p> + + <p>Hundreds of voices responded to his sonorous call.</p> + + <p>"Long live the Social Democratic Workingmen's Party, our party, + comrades, our spiritual mother."</p> + + <p>The crowd seethed and hummed. Those who understood the meaning of the + flag squeezed their way up to it. Mazin, Samoylov, and the Gusevs stood + close at Pavel's side. Nikolay with bent head pushed his way through the + crowd. Some other people unknown to the mother, young and with burning + eyes, jostled her.</p> + + <p>"Long live the working people of all countries!" shouted Pavel.</p> + + <p>And ever increasing in force and joy, a thousand-mouthed echo responded + in a soul-stirring acclaim.</p> + + <p>The mother clasped Pavel's hand, and somebody else's, too. She was + breathless with tears, yet refrained from shedding them. Her legs + trembled, and with quivering lips she cried:</p> + + <p>"Oh, my dear boys, that's true. There you are now——"</p> + + <p>A broad smile spread over Nikolay's pockmarked face; he stared at the + flag and, stretching his hand toward it, roared out something; then + caught the mother<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> around the neck with the same hand, kissed her, and + laughed.</p> + + <p>"Comrades!" sang out the Little Russian, subduing the noise of the crowd + with his mellow voice. "Comrades! We have now started a holy procession + in the name of the new God, the God of Truth and Light, the God of + Reason and Goodness. We march in this holy procession, comrades, over a + long and hard road. Our goal is far, far away, and the crown of thorns + is near! Those who don't believe in the might of truth, who have not the + courage to stand up for it even unto death, who do not believe in + themselves and are afraid of suffering—such of you, step aside! We call + upon those only who believe in our triumph. Those who cannot see our + goal, let them not walk with us; only misery is in store for them! Fall + into line, comrades! Long live the first of May, the holiday of + freemen!"</p> + + <p>The crowd drew closer. Pavel waved the flag. It spread out in the air + and sailed forward, sunlit, smiling, red, and glowing.</p> + + <p>"Let us renounce the old world!" resounded Fedya Mazin's ringing voice; + and scores of voices took up the cry. It floated as on a mighty wave.</p> + + <p>"Let us shake its dust from our feet."</p> + + <p>The mother marched behind Mazin with a smile on her dry lips, and looked + over his head at her son and the flag. Everywhere, around her, was the + sparkle of fresh young cheerful faces, the glimmer of many-colored eyes; + and at the head of all—her son and Andrey. She heard their voices, + Andrey's, soft and humid, mingled in friendly accord with the heavy bass + of her son:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"Rise up, awake, you workingmen!<br /></span> + <span class="i0">On, on, to war, you hungry hosts!"<br /></span> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></div></div> + + <p>Men ran toward the red flag, raising a clamor; then joining the others, + they marched along, their shouts lost in the broad sounds of the song of + the revolution.</p> + + <p>The mother had heard that song before. It had often been sung in a + subdued tone; and the Little Russian had often whistled it. But now she + seemed for the first time to hear this appeal to unite in the struggle.</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"We march to join our suffering mates."<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>The song flowed on, embracing the people.</p> + + <p>Some one's face, alarmed yet joyous, moved along beside the mother's, + and a trembling voice spoke, sobbing:</p> + + <p>"Mitya! Where are you going?"</p> + + <p>The mother interfered without stopping:</p> + + <p>"Let him go! Don't be alarmed! Don't fear! I myself was afraid at first, + too. Mine is right at the head—he who bears the standard—that's my + son!"</p> + + <p>"Murderers! Where are you going? There are soldiers over there!" And + suddenly clasping the mother's hand in her bony hands, the tall, thin + woman exclaimed: "My dear! How they sing! Oh, the sectarians! And Mitya + is singing!"</p> + + <p>"Don't be troubled!" murmured the mother. "It's a sacred thing. Think of + it! Christ would not have been, either, if men hadn't perished for his + sake."</p> + + <p>This thought had flashed across the mother's mind all of a sudden and + struck her by its simple, clear truth. She stared at the woman, who held + her hand firmly in her clasp, and repeated, smiling:</p> + + <p>"Christ would not have been, either, if men hadn't suffered for his + sake."</p> + + <p>Sizov appeared at her side. He took off his hat and waving it to the + measure of the song, said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p> + + <p>"They're marching openly, eh, mother? And composed a song, too! What a + song, mother, eh?"</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"The Czar for the army soldiers must have,<br /></span> + <span class="i0">Then give him your sons——"<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>"They're not afraid of anything," said Sizov. "And my son is in the + grave. The factory crushed him to death, yes!"</p> + + <p>The mother's heart beat rapidly, and she began to lag behind. She was + soon pushed aside hard against a fence, and the close-packed crowd went + streaming past her. She saw that there were many people, and she was + pleased.</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"Rise up, awake, you workingmen!"<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>It seemed as if the blare of a mighty brass trumpet were rousing men and + stirring in some hearts the willingness to fight, in other hearts a + vague joy, a premonition of something new, and a burning curiosity; in + still others a confused tremor of hope and curiosity. The song was an + outlet, too, for the stinging bitterness accumulated during years.</p> + + <p>The people looked ahead, where the red banner was swinging and streaming + in the air. All were saying something and shouting; but the individual + voice was lost in the song—the new song, in which the old note of + mournful meditation was absent. It was not the utterance of a soul + wandering in solitude along the dark paths of melancholy perplexity, of + a soul beaten down by want, burdened with fear, deprived of + individuality, and colorless. It breathed no sighs of a strength + hungering for space; it shouted no provoking cries of irritated courage + ready to crush both the good and the bad indiscriminately. It did not + voice the elemental instinct<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> of the animal to snatch freedom for + freedom's sake, nor the feeling of wrong or vengeance capable of + destroying everything and powerless to build up anything. In this song + there was nothing from the old, slavish world. It floated along + directly, evenly; it proclaimed an iron virility, a calm threat. Simple, + clear, it swept the people after it along an endless path leading to the + far distant future; and it spoke frankly about the hardships of the way. + In its steady fire a heavy clod seemed to burn and melt—the sufferings + they had endured, the dark load of their habitual feelings, their cursed + dread of what was coming.</p> + + <p>"They all join in!" somebody roared exultantly. "Well done, boys!"</p> + + <p>Apparently the man felt something vast, to which he could not give + expression in ordinary words, so he uttered a stiff oath. Yet the + malice, the blind dark malice of a slave also streamed hotly through his + teeth. Disturbed by the light shed upon it, it hissed like a snake, + writhing in venomous words.</p> + + <p>"Heretics!" a man with a broken voice shouted from a window, shaking his + fist threateningly.</p> + + <p>A piercing scream importunately bored into the mother's ears—"Rioting + against the emperor, against his Majesty the Czar? No, no?"</p> + + <p>Agitated people flashed quickly past her, a dark lava stream of men and + women, carried along by this song, which cleared every obstacle out of + its path.</p> + + <p>Growing in the mother's breast was the mighty desire to shout to the + crowd:</p> + + <p>"Oh, my dear people!"</p> + + <p>There, far away from her, was the red banner—she saw her son without + seeing him—his bronzed forehead, his eyes burning with the bright fire + of faith. Now she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> was in the tail of the crowd among the people who + walked without hurrying, indifferent, looking ahead with the cold + curiosity of spectators who know beforehand how the show will end. They + spoke softly with confidence.</p> + + <p>"One company of infantry is near the school, and the other near the + factory."</p> + + <p>"The governor has come."</p> + + <p>"Is that so?"</p> + + <p>"I saw him myself. He's here."</p> + + <p>Some one swore jovially and said:</p> + + <p>"They've begun to fear our fellows, after all, haven't they? The + soldiers have come and the governor——"</p> + + <p>"Dear boys!" throbbed in the breast of the mother. But the words around + her sounded dead and cold. She hastened her steps to get away from these + people, and it was not difficult for her to outstrip their lurching + gait.</p> + + <p>Suddenly the head of the crowd, as it were, bumped against something; + its body swung backward with an alarming, low hum. The song trembled, + then flowed on more rapidly and louder; but again the dense wave of + sounds hesitated in its forward course. Voices fell out of the chorus + one after the other. Here and there a voice was raised in the effort to + bring the song to its previous height, to push it forward:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"Rise up, awake, you workingmen!<br /></span> + <span class="i0">On, on, to war, you hungry hosts!"<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>Though she saw nothing and was ignorant of what was happening there in + front, the mother divined, and elbowed her way rapidly through the + crowd.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h3> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_c.png" alt="C" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_3">"Comrades!" the voice of Pavel was heard. "Soldiers are people the same + as ourselves. They will not strike us! Why should they beat us? Because + we bear the truth necessary for all? This our truth is necessary to + them, too. Just now they do not understand this; but the time is nearing + when they will rise with us, when they will march, not under the banner + of robbers and murderers, the banner which the liars and beasts order + them to call the banner of glory and honor, but under our banner of + freedom and goodness! We ought to go forward so that they should + understand our truth the sooner. Forward, comrades! Ever forward!"</p></div> + + <p>Pavel's voice sounded firm, the words rang in the air distinctly. But + the crowd fell asunder; one after the other the people dropped off to + the right or to the left, going toward their homes, or leaning against + the fences. Now the crowd had the shape of a wedge, and its point was + Pavel, over whose head the banner of the laboring people was burning + red.</p> + + <p>At the end of the street, closing the exit to the square, the mother saw + a low, gray wall of men, one just like the other, without faces. On the + shoulder of each a bayonet was smiling its thin, chill smile; and from + this entire immobile wall a cold gust blew down on the workmen, striking + the breast of the mother and penetrating her heart.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p> + + <p>She forced her way into the crowd among people familiar to her, and, as + it were, leaned on them.</p> + + <p>She pressed closely against a tall, lame man with a clean-shaven face. + In order to look at her, he had to turn his head stiffly.</p> + + <p>"What do you want? Who are you?" he asked her.</p> + + <p>"The mother of Pavel Vlasov," she answered, her knees trembling beneath + her, her lower lip involuntarily dropping.</p> + + <p>"Ha-ha!" said the lame man. "Very well!"</p> + + <p>"Comrades!" Pavel cried. "Onward all your lives. There is no other way + for us! Sing!"</p> + + <p>The atmosphere grew tense. The flag rose and rocked and waved over the + heads of the people, gliding toward the gray wall of soldiers. The + mother trembled. She closed her eyes, and cried: "Oh—oh!"</p> + + <p>None but Pavel, Andrey, Samoylov, and Mazin advanced beyond the crowd.</p> + + <p>The limpid voice of Fedya Mazin slowly quivered in the air.</p> + + <p>"'In mortal strife—'" he began the song.</p> + + <p>"'You victims fell—'" answered thick, subdued voices. The words dropped + in two heavy sighs. People stepped forward, each footfall audible. A new + song, determined and resolute, burst out:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"You yielded up your lives for them."<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>Fedya's voice wreathed and curled like a bright ribbon.</p> + + <p>"A-ha-ha-ha!" some one exclaimed derisively. "They've struck up a + funeral song, the dirty dogs!"</p> + + <p>"Beat him!" came the angry response.</p> + + <p>The mother clasped her hands to her breast, looked about, and saw that + the crowd, before so dense, was now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> standing irresolute, watching the + comrades walk away from them with the banner, followed by about a dozen + people, one of whom, however, at every forward move, jumped aside as if + the path in the middle of the street were red hot and burned his soles.</p> + + <p>"The tyranny will fall—" sounded the prophetic song from the lips of + Fedya.</p> + + <p>"And the people will rise!" the chorus of powerful voices seconded + confidently and menacingly.</p> + + <p>But the harmonious flow of the song was broken by the quiet words:</p> + + <p>"He is giving orders."</p> + + <p>"Charge bayonets!" came the piercing order from the front.</p> + + <p>The bayonets curved in the air, and glittered sharply; then fell and + stretched out to confront the banner.</p> + + <p>"Ma-arch!"</p> + + <p>"They're coming!" said the lame man, and thrusting his hands into his + pockets made a long step to one side.</p> + + <p>The mother, without blinking, looked on. The gray line of soldiers + tossed to and fro, and spread out over the entire width of the street. + It moved on evenly, coolly, carrying in front of itself a fine-toothed + comb of sparkling bayonets. Then it came to a stand. The mother took + long steps to get nearer to her son. She saw how Andrey strode ahead of + Pavel and fenced him off with his long body. "Get alongside of me!" + Pavel shouted sharply. Andrey was singing, his hands clasped behind his + back, his head uplifted. Pavel pushed him with his shoulder, and again + cried:</p> + + <p>"At my side! Let the banner be in front!"</p> + + <p>"Disperse!" called a little officer in a thin voice, brandishing a white + saber. He lifted his feet high, and without bending his knees struck his + soles on the ground<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> irritably. The high polish on his boots caught the + eyes of the mother.</p> + + <p>To one side and somewhat behind him walked a tall, clean-shaven man, + with a thick, gray mustache. He wore a long gray overcoat with a red + underlining, and yellow stripes on his trousers. His gait was heavy, and + like the Little Russian, he clasped his hands behind his back. He + regarded Pavel, raising his thick gray eyebrows.</p> + + <p>The mother seemed to be looking into infinity. At each breath her breast + was ready to burst with a loud cry. It choked her, but for some reason + she restrained it. Her hands clutched at her bosom. She staggered from + repeated thrusts. She walked onward without thought, almost without + consciousness. She felt that behind her the crowd was getting thinner; a + cold wind had blown on them and scattered them like autumn leaves.</p> + + <p>The men around the red banner moved closer and closer together. The + faces of the soldiers were clearly seen across the entire width of the + street, monstrously flattened, stretched out in a dirty yellowish band. + In it were unevenly set variously colored eyes, and in front the sharp + bayonets glittered crudely. Directed against the breasts of the people, + although not yet touching them, they drove them apart, pushing one man + after the other away from the crowd and breaking it up.</p> + + <p>Behind her the mother heard the trampling noise of those who were + running away. Suppressed, excited voices cried:</p> + + <p>"Disperse, boys!"</p> + + <p>"Vlasov, run!"</p> + + <p>"Back, Pavel!"</p> + + <p>"Drop the banner, Pavel!" Vyesovshchikov said glumly. "Give it to me! + I'll hide it!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p> + + <p>He grabbed the pole with his hand; the flag rocked backward.</p> + + <p>"Let go!" thundered Pavel.</p> + + <p>Nikolay drew his hand back as if it had been burned. The song died away. + Some persons crowded solidly around Pavel; but he cut through to the + front. A sudden silence fell.</p> + + <p>Around the banner some twenty men were grouped, not more, but they stood + firmly. The mother felt drawn to them by awe and by a confused desire to + say something to them.</p> + + <p>"Take this thing away from him, lieutenant." The even voice of the tall + old man was heard. He pointed to the banner. A little officer jumped up + to Pavel, snatched at the flag pole, and shouted shrilly:</p> + + <p>"Drop it!"</p> + + <p>The red flag trembled in the air, moving to the right and to the left, + then rose again. The little officer jumped back and sat down. Nikolay + darted by the mother, shaking his outstretched fist.</p> + + <p>"Seize them!" the old man roared, stamping his feet. A few soldiers + jumped to the front, one of them flourishing the butt end of his gun. + The banner trembled, dropped, and disappeared in a gray mass of + soldiers.</p> + + <p>"Oh!" somebody groaned aloud. And the mother yelled like a wild animal. + But the clear voice of Pavel answered her from out of the crowd of + soldiers:</p> + + <p>"Good-by, mother! Good-by, dear!"</p> + + <p>"He's alive! He remembered!" were the two strokes at the mother's heart.</p> + + <p>"Good-by, mother dear!" came from Andrey.</p> + + <p>Waving her hands, she raised herself on tiptoe, and tried to see them. + There was the round face of Andrey<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> above the soldiers' heads. He was + smiling and bowing to her.</p> + + <p>"Oh, my dear ones! Andriusha! Pasha!" she shouted.</p> + + <p>"Good-by, comrades!" they called from among the soldiers.</p> + + <p>A broken, manifold echo responded to them. It resounded from the windows + and the roofs.</p> + + <p>The mother felt some one pushing her breast. Through the mist in her + eyes she saw the little officer. His face was red and strained, and he + was shouting to her:</p> + + <p>"Clear out of here, old woman!"</p> + + <p>She looked down on him, and at his feet saw the flag pole broken in two + parts, a piece of red cloth on one of them. She bent down and picked it + up. The officer snatched it out of her hands, threw it aside, and + shouted again, stamping his feet:</p> + + <p>"Clear out of here, I tell you!"</p> + + <p>A song sprang up and floated from among the soldiers:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"Arise, awake, you workingmen!"<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>Everything was whirling, rocking, trembling. A thick, alarming noise, + resembling the dull hum of telegraph wires, filled the air. The officer + jumped back, screaming angrily:</p> + + <p>"Stop the singing, Sergeant Kraynov!"</p> + + <p>The mother staggered to the fragment of the pole, which he had thrown + down, and picked it up again.</p> + + <p>"Gag them!"</p> + + <p>The song became confused, trembled, expired. Somebody took the mother by + the shoulders, turned her around, and shoved her from the back.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Go, go! Clear the street!" shouted the officer.</p> + + <p>About ten paces from her, the mother again saw a thick crowd of people. + They were howling, grumbling, whistling, as they backed down the street. + The yards were drawing in a number of them.</p> + + <p>"Go, you devil!" a young soldier with a big mustache shouted right into + the mother's ear. He brushed against her and shoved her onto the + sidewalk. She moved away, leaning on the flag pole. She went quickly and + lightly, but her legs bent under her. In order not to fall she clung to + walls and fences. People in front were falling back alongside of her, + and behind her were soldiers, shouting: "Go, go!"</p> + + <p>The soldiers got ahead of her; she stopped and looked around. Down the + end of the street she saw them again scattered in a thin chain, blocking + the entrance to the square, which was empty. Farther down were more gray + figures slowly moving against the people. She wanted to go back; but + uncalculatingly went forward again, and came to a narrow, empty + by-street into which she turned. She stopped again. She sighed + painfully, and listened. Somewhere ahead she heard the hum of voices. + Leaning on the pole she resumed her walk. Her eyebrows moved up and + down, and she suddenly broke into a sweat; her lips quivered; she waved + her hands, and certain words flashed up in her heart like sparks, + kindling in her a strong, stubborn desire to speak them, to shout them.</p> + + <p>The by-street turned abruptly to the left; and around the corner the + mother saw a large, dense crowd of people. Somebody's voice was speaking + loudly and firmly:</p> + + <p>"They don't go to meet the bayonets from sheer audacity. Remember that!"</p> + + <p>"Just look at them. Soldiers advance against them, and they stand before + them without fear. Y-yes!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Think of Pasha Vlasov!"</p> + + <p>"And how about the Little Russian?"</p> + + <p>"Hands behind his back and smiling, the devil!"</p> + + <p>"My dear ones! My people!" the mother shouted, pushing into the crowd. + They cleared the way for her respectfully. Somebody laughed:</p> + + <p>"Look at her with the flag in her hand!"</p> + + <p>"Shut up!" said another man sternly.</p> + + <p>The mother with a broad sweep of her arms cried out:</p> + + <p>"Listen for the sake of Christ! You are all dear people, you are all + good people. Open up your hearts. Look around without fear, without + terror. Our children are going into the world. Our children are going, + our blood is going for the truth; with honesty in their hearts they open + the gates of the new road—a straight, wide road for all. For all of + you, for the sake of your young ones, they have devoted themselves to + the sacred cause. They seek the sun of new days that shall always be + bright. They want another life, the life of truth and justice, of + goodness for all."</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 247px;"><a name="illus247" id="illus247"></a><a href="images/illus247.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus247_th.jpg" width="247" height="400" alt=""'Listen for the sake of Christ.'"" title=""'Listen for the sake of Christ.'"" /></a> +<span class="caption">"'Listen for the sake of Christ.'"</span> +</div> + + <p>Her heart was rent asunder, her breast contracted, her throat was hot + and dry. Deep inside of her, words were being born, words of a great, + all-embracing love. They burned her tongue, moving it more powerfully + and more freely. She saw that the people were listening to her words. + All were silent. She felt that they were thinking as they surrounded her + closely; and the desire grew in her, now a clear desire, to drive these + people to follow her son, to follow Andrey, to follow all those who had + fallen into the soldiers' hands, all those who were left entirely alone, + all those who were abandoned. Looking at the sullen, attentive faces + around her, she resumed with soft force:</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span></p><p>"Our children are going in the world toward happiness. They went for + the sake of all, and for Christ's truth—against all with which our + malicious, false, avaricious ones have captured, tied, and crushed us. + My dear ones—why it is for you that our young blood rose—for all the + people, for all the world, for all the workingmen, they went! Then don't + go away from them, don't renounce, don't forsake them, don't leave your + children on a lonely path—they went just for the purpose of showing you + all the path to truth, to take all on that path! Pity yourselves! Love + them! Understand the children's hearts. Believe your sons' hearts; they + have brought forth the truth; it burns in them; they perish for it. + Believe them!"</p> + + <p>Her voice broke down, she staggered, her strength gone. Somebody seized + her under the arms.</p> + + <p>"She is speaking God's words!" a man shouted hoarsely and excitedly. + "God's words, good people! Listen to her!"</p> + + <p>Another man said in pity of her:</p> + + <p>"Look how she's hurting herself!"</p> + + <p>"She's not hurting herself, but hitting us, fools, understand that!" was + the reproachful reply.</p> + + <p>A high-pitched, quavering voice rose up over the crowd:</p> + + <p>"Oh, people of the true faith! My Mitya, pure soul, what has he done? He + went after his dear comrades. She speaks truth—why did we forsake our + children? What harm have they done us?"</p> + + <p>The mother trembled at these words and replied with soft tears.</p> + + <p>"Go home, Nilovna! Go, mother! You're all worn out," said Sizov loudly.</p> + + <p>He was pale, his disheveled beard shook. Suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> knitting his brows he + threw a stern glance about him on all, drew himself up to his full + height, and said distinctly:</p> + + <p>"My son Matvey was crushed in the factory. You know it! But were he + alive, I myself would have sent him into the lines of those—along with + them. I myself would have told him: 'Go you, too, Matvey! That's the + right cause, that's the honest cause!'"</p> + + <p>He stopped abruptly, and a sullen silence fell on all, in the powerful + grip of something huge and new, but something that no longer frightened + them. Sizov lifted his hand, shook it, and continued:</p> + + <p>"It's an old man who is speaking to you. You know me! I've been working + here thirty-nine years, and I've been alive fifty-three years. To-day + they've arrested my nephew, a pure and intelligent boy. He, too, was in + the front, side by side with Vlasov; right at the banner." Sizov made a + motion with his hand, shrank together, and said as he took the mother's + hand: "This woman spoke the truth. Our children want to live honorably, + according to reason, and we have abandoned them; we walked away, yes! + Go, Nilovna!"</p> + + <p>"My dear ones!" she said, looking at them all with tearful eyes. "The + life is for our children and the earth is for them."</p> + + <p>"Go, Nilovna, take this staff and lean upon it!" said Sizov, giving her + the fragment of the flag pole.</p> + + <p>All looked at the mother with sadness and respect. A hum of sympathy + accompanied her. Sizov silently put the people out of her way, and they + silently moved aside, obeying a blind impulse to follow her. They walked + after her slowly, exchanging brief, subdued remarks on the way. Arrived + at the gate of her house, she turned to them, leaning on the fragment of + the flag pole, and bowed in gratitude.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Thank you!" she said softly. And recalling the thought which she + fancied had been born in her heart, she said: "Our Lord Jesus Christ + would not have been, either, if people had not perished for his sake."</p> + + <p>The crowd looked at her in silence.</p> + + <p>She bowed to the people again, and went into her house, and Sizov, + drooping his head, went in with her.</p> + + <p>The people stood at the gates and talked. Then they began to depart + slowly and quietly.</p> + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + <h2><a name="PART_II" id="PART_II"></a>PART II</h2> + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_Ib" id="CHAPTER_Ib"></a>CHAPTER I</h3> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span></p> + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The day passed in a motley blur of recollections, in a depressing state + of exhaustion, which tightly clutched at the mother's body and soul. The + faces of the young men flashed before her mental vision, the banner + blazed, the songs clamored at her ear, the little officer skipped about, + a gray stain before her eyes, and through the whirlwind of the + procession she saw the gleam of Pavel's bronzed face and the smiling + sky-blue eyes of Andrey.</p></div> + + <p>She walked up and down the room, sat at the window, looked out into the + street, and walked away again with lowered eyebrows. Every now and then + she started, and looked about in an aimless search for something. She + drank water, but could not slake her thirst, nor quench the smoldering + fire of anguish and injury in her bosom. The day was chopped in two. It + began full of meaning and content, but now it dribbled away into a + dismal waste, which stretched before her endlessly. The question swung + to and fro in her barren, perplexed mind:</p> + + <p>"What now?"</p> + + <p>Korsunova came in. Waving her hands, she shouted, wept, and went into + raptures; stamped her feet, suggested this and that, made promises, and + threw out threats against somebody. All this failed to impress the + mother.</p> + + <p>"Aha!" she heard the squeaking voice of Marya.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> "So the people have been + stirred up! At last the whole factory has arisen! All have arisen!"</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes!" said the mother in a low voice, shaking her head. Her eyes + were fixed on something that had already fallen into the past, had + departed from her along with Andrey and Pavel. She was unable to weep. + Her heart was dried up, her lips, too, were dry, and her mouth was + parched. Her hands shook, and a cold, fine shiver ran down her back, + setting her skin aquiver.</p> + + <p>In the evening the gendarmes came. She met them without surprise and + without fear. They entered noisily, with a peculiarly jaunty air, and + with a look of gayety and satisfaction in their faces. The yellow-faced + officer said, displaying his teeth:</p> + + <p>"Well, how are you? The third time I have the honor, eh?"</p> + + <p>She was silent, passing her dry tongue along her lips. The officer + talked a great deal, delivering a homily to her. The mother realized + what pleasure he derived from his words. But they did not reach her; + they did not disturb her; they were like the insistent chirp of a + cricket. It was only when he said: "It's your own fault, little mother, + that you weren't able to inspire your son with reverence for God and the + Czar," that she answered dully, standing at the door and looking at him: + "Yes, our children are our judges. They visit just punishment upon us + for abandoning them on such a road."</p> + + <p>"Wha-at?" shouted the officer. "Louder!"</p> + + <p>"I say, the children are our judges," the mother repeated with a sigh.</p> + + <p>He said something quickly and angrily, but his words buzzed around her + without touching her. Marya Korsunova was a witness. She stood beside + the mother, but did not look at her; and when the officer turned to her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> + with a question, she invariably answered with a hasty, low bow: "I don't + know, your Honor. I am just a simple, ignorant woman. I make my living + by peddling, stupid as I am, and I know nothing."</p> + + <p>"Shut up, then!" commanded the officer.</p> + + <p>She was ordered to search Vlasova. She blinked her eyes, then opened + them wide on the officer, and said in fright:</p> + + <p>"I can't, your Honor!"</p> + + <p>The officer stamped his feet and began to shout. Marya lowered her eyes, + and pleaded with the mother softly:</p> + + <p>"Well, what can be done? You have to submit, Pelagueya Nilovna."</p> + + <p>As she searched and felt the mother's dress, the blood mounting to her + face, she murmured:</p> + + <p>"Oh, the dogs!"</p> + + <p>"What are you jabbering about there?" the officer cried rudely, looking + into the corner where she was making the search.</p> + + <p>"It's about women's affairs, your Honor," mumbled Marya, terrorized.</p> + + <p>On his order to sign the search warrant the mother, with unskilled hand, + traced on the paper in printed shining letters:</p> + + <p>"Pelagueya Nilovna, widow of a workingman."</p> + + <p>They went away, and the mother remained standing at the window. With her + hands folded over her breast, she gazed into vacancy without winking, + her eyebrows raised. Her lips were compressed, her jaws so tightly set + that her teeth began to pain her. The oil burned down in the lamp, the + light flared up for a moment, and then went out. She blew on it, and + remained in the dark. She felt no malice, she harbored no sense of + injury<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> in her heart. A dark, cold cloud of melancholy settled on her + breast, and impeded the beating of her heart. Her mind was a void. She + stood at the window a long time; her feet and eyes grew weary. She heard + Marya stop at the window, and shout: "Are you asleep, Pelagueya? You + unfortunate, suffering woman, sleep! They abuse everybody, the + heretics!" At last she dropped into bed without undressing, and quickly + fell into a heavy sleep, as if she had plunged into a deep abyss.</p> + + <p>She dreamed she saw a yellow sandy mound beyond the marsh on the road to + the city. At the edge, which descended perpendicularly to the ditch, + from which sand was being taken, stood Pavel singing softly and + sonorously with the voice of Andrey:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"Rise up, awake, you workingmen!"<br /></span> + </div></div> + + <p>She walked past the mound along the road to the city, and putting her + hand to her forehead looked at her son. His figure was clearly and + sharply outlined against the sky. She could not make up her mind to go + up to him. She was ashamed because she was pregnant. And she held an + infant in her arms, besides. She walked farther on. Children were + playing ball in the field. There were many of them, and the ball was a + red one. The infant threw himself forward out of her arms toward them, + and began to cry aloud. She gave him the breast, and turned back. Now + soldiers were already at the mound, and they turned the bayonets against + her. She ran quickly to the church standing in the middle of the field, + the white, light church that seemed to be constructed out of clouds, and + was immeasurably high. A funeral was going on there. The coffin was + wide, black, and tightly covered with a lid. The priest and deacon + walked around in white canonicals and sang:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Christ has arisen from the dead."</p> + + <p>The deacon carried the incense, bowed to her, and smiled. His hair was + glaringly red, and his face jovial, like Samoylov's. From the top of the + dome broad sunbeams descended to the ground. In both choirs the boys + sang softly:</p> + + <p>"Christ has arisen from the dead."</p> + + <p>"Arrest them!" the priest suddenly cried, standing up in the middle of + the church. His vestments vanished from his body, and a gray, stern + mustache appeared on his face. All the people started to run, and the + deacon, flinging the censer aside, rushed forward, seizing his head in + his hands like the Little Russian. The mother dropped the infant on the + ground at the feet of the people. They ran to the side of her, timidly + regarding the naked little body. She fell on her knees and shouted to + them: "Don't abandon the child! Take it with you!"</p> + + <p>"Christ has arisen from the dead," the Little Russian sang, holding his + hands behind his back, and smiling. He bent down, took the child, and + put it on the wagon loaded with timber, at the side of which Nikolay was + walking slowly, shaking with laughter. He said:</p> + + <p>"They have given me hard work."</p> + + <p>The street was muddy, the people thrust their faces from the windows of + the houses, and whistled, shouted, waved their hands. The day was clear, + the sun shone brightly, and there was not a single shadow anywhere.</p> + + <p>"Sing, mother!" said the Little Russian. "Oh, what a life!"</p> + + <p>And he sang, drowning all the other sounds with his kind, laughing + voice. The mother walked behind him, and complained:</p> + + <p>"Why does he make fun of me?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p> + + <p>But suddenly she stumbled and fell in a bottomless abyss. Fearful + shrieks met her in her descent.</p> + + <p>She awoke, shivering and yet perspiring. She put her ear, as it were, to + her own breast, and marveled at the emptiness that prevailed there. The + whistle blew insistently. From its sound she realized that it was + already the second summons. The room was all in disorder; the books and + clothes lay about in confusion; everything was turned upside down, and + dirt was trampled over the entire floor.</p> + + <p>She arose, and without washing or praying began to set the room in + order. In the kitchen she caught sight of the stick with the piece of + red cloth. She seized it angrily, and was about to throw it away under + the oven, but instead, with a sigh, removed the remnant of the flag from + the pole, folded it carefully, and put it in her pocket. Then she began + to wash the windows with cold water, next the floor, and finally + herself; then dressed herself and prepared the samovar. She sat down at + the window in the kitchen, and once more the question came to her:</p> + + <p>"What now? What am I to do now?"</p> + + <p>Recollecting that she had not yet said her prayers, she walked up to the + images, and after standing before them for a few seconds, she sat down + again. Her heart was empty.</p> + + <p>The pendulum, which always beat with an energy seeming to say: "I must + get to the goal! I must get to the goal!" slackened its hasty ticking. + The flies buzzed irresolutely, as if pondering a certain plan of action.</p> + + <p>Suddenly she recalled a picture she had once seen in the days of her + youth. In the old park of the Zansaylovs, there was a large pond densely + overgrown with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> water lilies. One gray day in the fall, while walking + along the pond, she had seen a boat in the middle of it. The pond was + dark and calm, and the boat seemed glued to the black water, thickly + strewn with yellow leaves. Profound sadness and a vague sense of + misfortune were wafted from that boat without a rower and without oars, + standing alone and motionless out there on the dull water amid the dead + leaves. The mother had stood a long time at the edge of the pond + meditating as to who had pushed the boat from the shore and why. Now it + seemed to her that she herself was like that boat, which at the time had + reminded her of a coffin waiting for its dead. In the evening of the + same day she had learned that the wife of one of Zansaylov's clerks had + been drowned in the pond—a little woman with black disheveled hair, who + always walked at a brisk gait.</p> + + <p>The mother passed her hands over her eyes as if to rub her reminiscences + away, and her thoughts fluttered like a varicolored ribbon. Overcome by + her impressions of the day before, she sat for a long time, her eyes + fixed upon the cup of tea grown cold. Gradually the desire came to see + some wise, simple person, speak to him, and ask him many things.</p> + + <p>As if in answer to her wish, Nikolay Ivanovich came in after dinner. + When she saw him, however, she was suddenly seized with alarm, and + failed to respond to his greeting.</p> + + <p>"Oh, my friend," she said softly, "there was no use for you to come + here. If they arrest you here, too, then that will be the end of Pasha + altogether. It's very careless of you! They'll take you without fail if + they see you here."</p> + + <p>He clasped her hand tightly, adjusted his glasses on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> his nose, and + bending his face close to her, explained to her in haste:</p> + + <p>"I made an agreement with Pavel and Andrey, that if they were arrested, + I must see that you move over to the city the very next day." He spoke + kindly, but with a troubled air. "Did they make a search in your house?"</p> + + <p>"They did. They rummaged, searched, and nosed around. Those people have + no shame, no conscience!" exclaimed the mother indignantly.</p> + + <p>"What do they need shame for?" said Nikolay with a shrug of his + shoulders, and explained to her the necessity of her going to the city.</p> + + <p>His friendly, solicitous talk moved and agitated her. She looked at him + with a pale smile, and wondered at the kindly feeling of confidence he + inspired in her.</p> + + <p>"If Pasha wants it, and I'll be no inconvenience to you——"</p> + + <p>"Don't be uneasy on that score. I live all alone; my sister comes over + only rarely."</p> + + <p>"I'm not going to eat my head off for nothing," she said, thinking + aloud.</p> + + <p>"If you want to work, you'll find something to do."</p> + + <p>Her conception of work was now indissolubly connected with the work that + her son, Andrey, and their comrades were doing. She moved a little + toward Nikolay, and looking in his eyes, asked:</p> + + <p>"Yes? You say work will be found for me?"</p> + + <p>"My household is a small one, I am a bachelor——"</p> + + <p>"I'm not talking about that, not about housework," she said quietly. "I + mean world work."</p> + + <p>And she heaved a melancholy sigh, stung and repelled by his failure to + understand her. He rose, and bending toward her, with a smile in his + nearsighted eyes, he said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> thoughtfully, "You'll find a place for + yourself in the work world, too, if you want it."</p> + + <p>Her mind quickly formulated the simple and clear thought: "Once I was + able to help Pavel; perhaps I will succeed again. The greater the number + of those who work for his cause, the clearer will his truth come out + before the people."</p> + + <p>But these thoughts did not fully express the whole force and complexity + of her desire.</p> + + <p>"What could I do?" she asked quietly.</p> + + <p>He thought a while, and then began to explain the technical details of + the revolutionary work. Among other things, he said:</p> + + <p>"If, when you go to see Pavel in prison, you tried to find out from him + the address of the peasant who asked for a newspaper——"</p> + + <p>"I know it!" exclaimed the mother in delight. "I know where they are, + and who they are. Give me the papers, I'll deliver them. I'll find the + peasants, and do everything just as you say. Who will think that I carry + illegal books? I carried books to the factory. I smuggled in more than a + hundred pounds, Heaven be praised!"</p> + + <p>The desire came upon her to travel along the road, through forests and + villages, with a birch-bark sack over her shoulders, and a staff in her + hand.</p> + + <p>"Now, you dear, dear man, you just arrange it for me, arrange it so that + I can work in this movement. I'll go everywhere for you! I'll keep going + summer and winter, down to my very grave, a pilgrim for the sake of + truth. Why, isn't that a splendid lot for a woman like me? The + wanderer's life is a good life. He goes about through the world, he has + nothing, he needs nothing except bread, no one abuses him, and so, + quietly, unnoticed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> he roves over the earth. And so I'll go, too; I'll + go to Andrey, to Pasha, wherever they live."</p> + + <p>She was seized with sadness when she saw herself homeless, begging for + alms, in the name of Christ, at the windows of the village cottages.</p> + + <p>Nikolay took her hand gently, and stroked it with his warm hand. Then, + looking at the watch, he said:</p> + + <p>"We'll speak about that later. You are taking a dangerous burden upon + your shoulders. You must consider very carefully what you intend doing."</p> + + <p>"My dear man, what have I to consider? What have I to live for if not + for this cause? Of what use am I to anybody? A tree grows, it gives + shade; it's split into wood, and it warms people. Even a mere dumb tree + is helpful to life, and I am a human being. The children, the best blood + of man, the best there is of our hearts, give up their liberty and their + lives, perish without pity for themselves! And I, a mother—am I to + stand by and do nothing?"</p> + + <p>The picture of her son marching at the head of the crowd with the banner + in his hands flashed before her mind.</p> + + <p>"Why should I lie idle when my son gives up his life for the sake of + truth? I know now—I know that he is working for the truth. It's the + fifth year now that I live beside the woodpile. My heart has melted and + begun to burn. I understand what you are striving for. I see what a + burden you all carry on your shoulders. Take me to you, too, for the + sake of Christ, that I may be able to help my son! Take me to you!"</p> + + <p>Nikolay's face grew pale; he heaved a deep sigh, and smiling, said, + looking at her with sympathetic attention:</p> + + <p>"This is the first time I've heard such words."</p> + + <p>"What can I say?" she replied, shaking her head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> sadly, and spreading + her hands in a gesture of impotence. "If I had the words to express my + mother's heart—" She arose, lifted by the power that waxed in her + breast, intoxicated her, and gave her the words to express her + indignation. "Then many and many a one would weep, and even the wicked, + the men without conscience would tremble! I would make them taste gall, + even as they made Christ drink of the cup of bitterness, and as they now + do our children. They have bruised a mother's heart!"</p> + + <p>Nikolay rose, and pulling his little beard with trembling fingers, he + said slowly in an unfamiliar tone of voice:</p> + + <p>"Some day you will speak to them, I think!"</p> + + <p>He started, looked at his watch again, and asked in a hurry:</p> + + <p>"So it's settled? You'll come over to me in the city?"</p> + + <p>She silently nodded her head.</p> + + <p>"When? Try to do it as soon as possible." And he added in a tender + voice: "I'll be anxious for you; yes, indeed!"</p> + + <p>She looked at him in surprise. What was she to him? With bent head, + smiling in embarrassment, he stood before her, dressed in a simple black + jacket, stooping, nearsighted.</p> + + <p>"Have you money?" he asked, dropping his eyes.</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>He quickly whipped his purse out of his pocket, opened it, and handed it + to her.</p> + + <p>"Here, please take some."</p> + + <p>She smiled involuntarily, and shaking her head, observed:</p> + + <p>"Everything about all of you is different from other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> people. Even money + has no value for you. People do anything to get money; they kill their + souls for it. But for you money is so many little pieces of paper, + little bits of copper. You seem to keep it by you just out of kindness + to people."</p> + + <p>Nikolay Ivanovich laughed softly.</p> + + <p>"It's an awfully bothersome article, money is. Both to take it and to + give it is embarrassing."</p> + + <p>He caught her hand, pressed it warmly, and asked again:</p> + + <p>"So you will try to come soon, won't you?"</p> + + <p>And he walked away quietly, as was his wont.</p> + + <p>She got herself ready to go to him on the fourth day after his visit. + When the cart with her two trunks rolled out of the village into the + open country, she turned her head back, and suddenly had the feeling + that she was leaving the place forever—the place where she had passed + the darkest and most burdensome period of her life, the place where that + other varied life had begun, in which the next day swallowed up the day + before, and each was filled by an abundance of new sorrows and new joys, + new thoughts and new feelings.</p> + + <p>The factory spread itself like a huge, clumsy, dark-red spider, raising + its lofty smokestacks high up into the sky. The small one-storied houses + pressed against it, gray, flattened out on the soot-covered ground, and + crowded up in close clusters on the edge of the marsh. They looked + sorrowfully at one another with their little dull windows. Above them + rose the church, also dark red like the factory. The belfry, it seemed + to her, was lower than the factory chimneys.</p> + + <p>The mother sighed, and adjusted the collar of her dress, which choked + her. She felt sad, but it was a dry sadness like the dust of the hot + day.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Gee!" mumbled the driver, shaking the reins over the horse. He was a + bow-legged man of uncertain height, with sparse, faded hair on his face + and head, and faded eyes. Swinging from side to side he walked alongside + the wagon. It was evidently a matter of indifference to him whether he + went to the right or the left.</p> + + <p>"Gee!" he called in a colorless voice, with a comical forward stride of + his crooked legs clothed in heavy boots, to which clods of mud were + clinging. The mother looked around. The country was as bleak and dreary + as her soul.</p> + + <p>"You'll never escape want, no matter where you go, auntie," the driver + said dully. "There's no road leading away from poverty; all roads lead + to it, and none out of it."</p> + + <p>Shaking its head dejectedly the horse sank its feet heavily into the + deep sun-dried sand, which crackled softly under its tread. The rickety + wagon creaked for lack of greasing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIb" id="CHAPTER_IIb"></a>CHAPTER II</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_n.png" alt="N" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Nikolay Ivanovich lived on a quiet, deserted street, in a little green + wing annexed to a black two-storied structure swollen with age. In front + of the wing was a thickly grown little garden, and branches of lilac + bushes, acacias, and silvery young poplars looked benignly and freshly + into the windows of the three rooms occupied by Nikolay. It was quiet + and tidy in his place. The shadows trembled mutely on the floor, shelves + closely set with books stretched across the walls, and portraits of + stern, serious persons hung over them.</p></div> + + <p>"Do you think you'll find it convenient here?" asked Nikolay, leading + the mother into a little room with one window giving on the garden and + another on the grass-grown yard. In this room, too, the walls were lined + with bookcases and bookshelves.</p> + + <p>"I'd rather be in the kitchen," she said. "The little kitchen is bright + and clean."</p> + + <p>It seemed to her that he grew rather frightened. And when she yielded to + his awkward and embarrassed persuasions to take the room, he immediately + cheered up.</p> + + <p>There was a peculiar atmosphere pervading all the three rooms. It was + easy and pleasant to breathe in them; but one's voice involuntarily + dropped a note in the wish not to speak aloud and intrude upon the + peaceful thoughtfulness of the people who sent down a concentrated look + from the walls.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span></p> + + <p>"The flowers need watering," said the mother, feeling the earth in the + flowerpots in the windows.</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes," said the master guiltily. "I love them very much, but I have + no time to take care of them."</p> + + <p>The mother noticed that Nikolay walked about in his own comfortable + quarters just as carefully and as noiselessly as if he were a stranger, + and as if all that surrounded him were remote from him. He would pick up + and examine some small article, such as a bust, bring it close to his + face, and scrutinize it minutely, adjusting his glasses with the thin + finger of his right hand, and screwing up his eyes. He had the + appearance of just having entered the rooms for the first time, and + everything seemed as unfamiliar and strange to him as to the mother. + Consequently, the mother at once felt herself at home. She followed + Nikolay, observing where each thing stood, and inquiring about his ways + and habits of life. He answered with the guilty air of a man who knows + he is all the time doing things as they ought not to be done, but cannot + help himself.</p> + + <p>After she had watered the flowers and arranged the sheets of music + scattered in disorder over the piano, she looked at the samovar, and + remarked, "It needs polishing."</p> + + <p>Nikolay ran his finger over the dull metal, then stuck the finger close + to his nose. He looked at the mother so seriously that she could not + restrain a good-natured smile.</p> + + <p>When she lay down to sleep and thought of the day just past, she raised + her head from the pillow in astonishment and looked around. For the + first time in her life she was in the house of a stranger, and she did + not experience the least constraint. Her mind dwelt solicitously on + Nikolay. She had a distinct desire to do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> the best she could for him, + and to introduce more warmth into his lonely life. She was stirred and + affected by his embarrassed awkwardness and droll ignorance, and smiled + to herself with a sigh. Then her thoughts leaped to her son and to + Andrey. She recalled the high-pitched, sparkling voice of Fedya, and + gradually the whole day of the first of May unrolled itself before her, + clothed in new sounds, reflecting new thoughts. The trials of the day + were peculiar as the day itself. They did not bring her head to the + ground as with the dull, stunning blow of the fist. They stabbed the + heart with a thousand pricks, and called forth in her a quiet wrath, + opening her eyes and straightening her backbone.</p> + + <p>"Children go in the world," she thought as she listened to the + unfamiliar nocturnal sounds of the city. They crept through the open + window like a sigh from afar, stirring the leaves in the garden and + faintly expiring in the room.</p> + + <p>Early in the morning she polished up the samovar, made a fire in it, and + filled it with water, and noiselessly placed the dishes on the table. + Then she sat down in the kitchen and waited for Nikolay to rise. + Presently she heard him cough. He appeared at the door, holding his + glasses in one hand, the other hand at his throat. She responded to his + greeting, and brought the samovar into the room. He began to wash + himself, splashing the water on the floor, dropping the soap and his + toothbrush, and grumbling in dissatisfaction at himself.</p> + + <p>When they sat down to drink tea, he said to the mother:</p> + + <p>"I am employed in the Zemstvo board—a very sad occupation. I see the + way our peasants are going to ruin."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span></p> + + <p>And smiling he repeated guiltily: "It's literally so—I see! People go + hungry, they lie down in their graves prematurely, starved to death, + children are born feeble and sick, and drop like flies in autumn—we + know all this, we know the causes of this wretchedness, and for + observing it we receive a good salary. But that's all we do, really; + truly all we do."</p> + + <p>"And what are you, a student?"</p> + + <p>"No. I'm a village teacher. My father was superintendent in a mill in + Vyatka, and I became a teacher. But I began to give books to the + peasants in the village, and was put in prison for it. When I came out + of prison I became clerk in a bookstore, but not behaving carefully + enough I got myself into prison again, and was then exiled to Archangel. + There I also got into trouble with the governor, and they sent me to the + White Sea coast, where I lived for five years."</p> + + <p>His talk sounded calm and even in the bright room flooded with sunlight. + The mother had already heard many such stories; but she could never + understand why they were related with such composure, why no blame was + laid on anybody for the suffering the people had gone through, why these + sufferings were regarded as so inevitable.</p> + + <p>"My sister is coming to-day," he announced.</p> + + <p>"Is she married?"</p> + + <p>"She's a widow. Her husband was exiled to Siberia; but he escaped, + caught a severe cold on the way, and died abroad two years ago."</p> + + <p>"Is she younger than you?"</p> + + <p>"Six years older. I owe a great deal to her. Wait, and you'll hear how + she plays. That's her piano. There are a whole lot of her things here, + my books——"</p> + + <p>"Where does she live?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Everywhere," he answered with a smile. "Wherever a brave soul is + needed, there's where you'll find her."</p> + + <p>"Also in this movement?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, of course."</p> + + <p>He soon left to go to work, and the mother fell to thinking of "that + movement" for which the people worked, day in, day out, calmly and + resolutely. When confronting them she seemed to stand before a mountain + looming in the dark.</p> + + <p>About noon a tall, well-built lady came. When the mother opened the door + for her she threw a little yellow valise on the floor, and quickly + seizing Vlasova's hand, asked:</p> + + <p>"Are you the mother of Pavel Mikhaylovich?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, I am," the mother replied, embarrassed by the lady's rich + appearance.</p> + + <p>"That's the way I imagined you," said the lady, removing her hat in + front of the mirror. "We have been friends of Pavel Mikhaylovich a long + time. He spoke about you often."</p> + + <p>Her voice was somewhat dull, and she spoke slowly; but her movements + were quick and vigorous. Her large, limpid gray eyes smiled youthfully; + on her temples, however, thin radiate wrinkles were already limned, and + silver hairs glistened over her ears.</p> + + <p>"I'm hungry; can I have a cup of coffee?"</p> + + <p>"I'll make it for you at once." The mother took down the coffee + apparatus from the shelf and quietly asked:</p> + + <p>"<i>Did</i> Pasha speak about me?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, indeed, a great deal." The lady took out a little leather + cigarette case, lighted a cigarette, and inquired: "You're extremely + uneasy about him, aren't you?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother smiled, watching the blue, quivering flame of the spirit + lamp. Her embarrassment at the presence of the lady vanished in the + depths of her joy.</p> + + <p>"So he talks about me, my dear son!" she thought.</p> + + <p>"You asked me whether I'm uneasy? Of course, it's not easy for me. But + it would have been worse some time ago; now I know that he's not alone, + and that even I am not alone." Looking into the lady's face, she asked: + "What is your name?"</p> + + <p>"Sofya," the lady answered, and began to speak in a businesslike way. + "The most important thing is that they should not stay in prison long, + but that the trial should come off very soon. The moment they are + exiled, we'll arrange an escape for Pavel Mikhaylovich. There's nothing + for him to do in Siberia, and he's indispensable here."</p> + + <p>The mother incredulously regarded Sofya, who was searching about for a + place into which to drop her cigarette stump, and finally threw it in a + flowerpot.</p> + + <p>"That'll spoil the flowers," the mother remarked mechanically.</p> + + <p>"Excuse me," said Sofya simply. "Nikolay always tells me the same + thing." She picked up the stump and threw it out of the window. The + mother looked at her in embarrassment, and said guiltily:</p> + + <p>"You must excuse me. I said it without thinking. Is it in my place to + teach you?"</p> + + <p>"Why not? Why not teach me, if I'm a sloven?" Sofya calmly queried with + a shrug. "I know it; but I always forget—the worse for me. It's an ugly + habit—to throw cigarette stumps any and everywhere, and to litter up + places with ashes—particularly in a woman. Cleanliness in a room is the + result of work, and all work ought to be respected. Is the coffee ready? + Thank you! Why<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> one cup? Won't you have any?" Suddenly seizing the + mother by the shoulder, she drew her to herself, and looking into her + eyes asked in surprise: "Why, are you embarrassed?"</p> + + <p>The mother answered with a smile:</p> + + <p>"I just blamed you for throwing the cigarette stump away—does that look + as if I were embarrassed?" Her surprise was unconcealed. "I came to your + house only yesterday, but I behave as if I were at home, and as if I had + known you a long time. I'm afraid of nothing; I say anything. I even + find fault."</p> + + <p>"That's the way it ought to be."</p> + + <p>"My head's in a whirl. I seem to be a stranger to myself. Formerly I + didn't dare speak out from my heart until I'd been with a person a long, + long time. And now my heart is always open, and I at once say things I + wouldn't have dreamed of before, and a lot of things, too." Sofya lit + another cigarette, turning the kind glance of her gray eyes on the + mother. "Yes, you speak of arranging an escape. But how will he be able + to live as a fugitive?" The mother finally gave expression to the + thought that was agitating her.</p> + + <p>"That's a trifle," Sofya remarked, pouring out a cup of coffee for + herself. "He'll live as scores of other fugitives live. I just met one, + and saw him off. Another very valuable man, who worked for the movement + in the south. He was exiled for five years, but remained only three and + a half months. That's why I look such a <i>grande dame</i>. Do you think I + always dress this way? I can't bear this fine toggery, this sumptuous + rustle. A human being is simple by nature, and should dress + simply—beautifully but simply."</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her fixedly, smiled, and shaking her head + meditatively said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p> + + <p>"No, it seems that day, the first of May, has changed me. I feel awkward + somehow or other, as if I were walking on two roads at the same time. At + one moment I understand everything; the next moment I am plunged into a + mist. Here are you! I see you a lady; you occupy yourself with this + movement, you know Pasha, and you esteem him. Thank you!"</p> + + <p>"Why, you ought to be thanked!" Sofya laughed.</p> + + <p>"I? I didn't teach him about the movement," the mother said with a sigh. + "As I speak now," she continued stubbornly, "everything seems simple and + near. Then, all of a sudden, I cannot understand this simplicity. Again, + I'm calm. In a second I grow fearful, because I <i>am</i> calm. I always used + to be afraid, my whole life long; but now that there's a great deal to + be afraid of, I have very little fear. Why is it? I cannot understand." + She stopped, at a loss for words. Sofya looked at her seriously, and + waited; but seeing that the mother was agitated, unable to find the + expression she wanted, she herself took up the conversation.</p> + + <p>"A time will come when you'll understand everything. The chief thing + that gives a person power and faith in himself is when he begins to love + a certain cause with all his heart, and knows it is a good cause of use + to everybody. There is such a love. There's everything. There's no human + being too mean to love. But it's time for me to be getting out of all + this magnificence."</p> + + <p>Putting the stump of her cigarette in the saucer, she shook her head. + Her golden hair fell back in thick waves. She walked away smiling. The + mother followed her with her eyes, sighed, and looked around. Her + thoughts came to a halt, and in a half-drowsy, oppressive condition of + quiet, she began to get the dishes together.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span></p> + + <p>At four o'clock Nikolay appeared. Then they dined. Sofya, laughing at + times, told how she met and concealed the fugitive, how she feared the + spies, and saw one in every person she met, and how comically the + fugitive conducted himself. Something in her tone reminded the mother of + the boasting of a workingman who had completed a difficult piece of work + to his own satisfaction. She was now dressed in a flowing, dove-colored + robe, which fell from her shoulders to her feet in warm waves. The + effect was soft and noiseless. She appeared to be taller in this dress; + her eyes seemed darker, and her movements less nervous.</p> + + <p>"Now, Sofya," said Nikolay after dinner, "here's another job for you. + You know we undertook to publish a newspaper for the village. But our + connection with the people there was broken, thanks to the latest + arrests. No one but Pelagueya Nilovna can show us the man who will + undertake the distribution of the newspapers. You go with her. Do it as + soon as possible."</p> + + <p>"Very well," said Sofya. "We'll go, Pelagueya Nilovna."</p> + + <p>"Yes, we'll go."</p> + + <p>"Is it far?"</p> + + <p>"About fifty miles."</p> + + <p>"Splendid! And now I'm going to play a little. Do you mind listening to + music, Pelagueya Nilovna?"</p> + + <p>"Don't bother about me. Act as if I weren't here," said the mother, + seating herself in the corner of the sofa. She saw that the brother and + the sister went on with their affairs without giving heed to her; yet, + at the same time, she seemed involuntarily to mix in their conversation, + imperceptibly drawn into it by them.</p> + + <p>"Listen to this, Nikolay. It's by Grieg. I brought it to-day. Shut the + window."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p> + + <p>She opened the piano, and struck the keys lightly with her left hand. + The strings sang out a thick, juicy melody. Another note, breathing a + deep, full breath, joined itself to the first, and together they formed + a vast fullness of sound that trembled beneath its own weight. Strange, + limpid notes rang out from under the fingers of her right hand, and + darted off in an alarming flight, swaying and rocking and beating + against one another like a swarm of frightened birds. And in the dark + background the low notes sang in measured, harmonious cadence like the + waves of the sea exhausted by the storm. Some one cried out, a loud, + agitated, woeful cry of rebellion, questioned and appealed in impotent + anguish, and, losing hope, grew silent; and then again sang his rueful + plaints, now resonant and clear, now subdued and dejected. In response + to this song came the thick waves of dark sound, broad and resonant, + indifferent and hopeless. They drowned by their depth and force the + swarm of ringing wails; questions, appeals, groans blended in the + alarming song. At times the music seemed to take a desperate upward + flight, sobbing and lamenting, and again precipitated itself, crept low, + swung hither and thither on the dense, vibratory current of bass notes, + foundered, and disappeared in them; and once more breaking through to an + even cadence, in a hopeless, calm rumble, it grew in volume, pealed + forth, and melted and dissolved in the broad flourish of humid + notes—which continued to sigh with equal force and calmness, never + wearying.</p> + + <p>At first the sounds failed to touch the mother. They were + incomprehensible to her, nothing but a ringing chaos. Her ear could not + gather a melody from the intricate mass of notes. Half asleep she looked + at Nikolay sitting with his feet crossed under him at the other end<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> of + the long sofa, and at the severe profile of Sofya with her head + enveloped in a mass of golden hair. The sun shone into the room. A + single ray, trembling pensively, at first lighted up her hair and + shoulder, then settled upon the keys of the piano, and quivered under + the pressure of her fingers. The branches of the acacia rocked to and + fro outside the window. The room became music-filled, and unawares to + her, the mother's heart was stirred. Three notes of nearly the same + pitch, resonant as the voice of Fedya Mazin, sparkled in the stream of + sounds, like three silvery fish in a brook. At times another note united + with these in a simple song, which enfolded the heart in a kind yet sad + caress. She began to watch for them, to await their warble, and she + heard only their music, distinguished from the tumultuous chaos of + sound, to which her ears gradually became deaf.</p> + + <p>And for some reason there rose before her out of the obscure depths of + her past, wrongs long forgotten.</p> + + <p>Once her husband came home late, extremely intoxicated. He grasped her + hand, threw her from the bed to the floor, kicked her in the side with + his foot, and said:</p> + + <p>"Get out! I'm sick of you! Get out!"</p> + + <p>In order to protect herself from his blows, she quickly gathered her + two-year-old son into her arms, and kneeling covered herself with his + body as with a shield. He cried, struggled in her arms, frightened, + naked, and warm.</p> + + <p>"Get out!" bellowed her husband.</p> + + <p>She jumped to her feet, rushed into the kitchen, threw a jacket over her + shoulders, wrapped the baby in a shawl, and silently, without outcries + or complaints, barefoot, in nothing but a shirt under her jacket, walked + out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> into the street. It was in the month of May, and the night was + fresh. The cold, damp dust of the street stuck to her feet, and got + between her toes. The child wept and struggled. She opened her breast, + pressed her son to her body, and pursued by fear walked down the street, + quietly lulling the baby.</p> + + <p>It began to grow light. She was afraid and ashamed lest some one come + out on the street and see her half naked. She turned toward the marsh, + and sat down on the ground under a thick group of aspens. She sat there + for a long time, embraced by the night, motionless, looking into the + darkness with wide-open eyes, and timidly wailing a lullaby—a lullaby + for her baby, which had fallen asleep, and a lullaby for her outraged + heart.</p> + + <p>A gray bird darted over her head, and flew far away. It awakened her, + and brought her to her feet. Then, shivering with cold, she walked home + to confront the horror of blows and new insults.</p> + + <p>For the last time a heavy and resonant chord heaved a deep breath, + indifferent and cold; it sighed and died away.</p> + + <p>Sofya turned around, and asked her brother softly:</p> + + <p>"Did you like it?"</p> + + <p>"Very much," he said, nodding his head. "Very much."</p> + + <p>Sofya looked at the mother's face, but said nothing.</p> + + <p>"They say," said Nikolay thoughtfully, throwing himself deeper back on + the sofa, "that you should listen to music without thinking. But I + can't."</p> + + <p>"Nor can I," said Sofya, striking a melodious chord.</p> + + <p>"I listened, and it seemed to me that people were putting their + questions to nature, that they grieved and groaned, and protested + angrily, and shouted, 'Why?' Nature does not answer, but goes on calmly + creating,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> incessantly, forever. In her silence is heard her answer: 'I + do not know.'"</p> + + <p>The mother listened to Nikolay's quiet words without understanding them, + and without desiring to understand. Her bosom echoed with her + reminiscences, and she wanted more music. Side by side with her memories + the thought unfolded itself before her: "Here live people, a brother and + sister, in friendship; they live peacefully and calmly—they have music + and books—they don't swear at each other—they don't drink whisky—they + don't quarrel for a relish—they have no desire to insult each other, + the way all the people at the bottom do."</p> + + <p>Sofya quickly lighted a cigarette; she smoked almost without + intermission.</p> + + <p>"This used to be the favorite piece of Kostya," she said, as a veil of + smoke quickly enveloped her. She again struck a low mournful chord. "How + I used to love to play for him! You remember how well he translated + music into language?" She paused and smiled. "How sensitive he was! What + fine feelings he had—so responsive to everything—so fully a man!"</p> + + <p>"She must be recalling memories of her husband," the mother noted, "and + she smiles!"</p> + + <p>"How much happiness that man gave me!" said Sofya in a low voice, + accompanying her words with light sounds on the keys. "What a capacity + he had for living! He was always aglow with joy, buoyant, childlike + joy!"</p> + + <p>"Childlike," repeated the mother to herself, and shook her head as if + agreeing with something.</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," said Nikolay, pulling his beard, "his soul was always singing."</p> + + <p>"When I played this piece for him the first time, he put it in these + words." Sofya turned her face to her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> brother, and slowly stretched out + her arms. Encircled with blue streaks of smoke, she spoke in a low, + rapturous voice. "In a barren sea of the far north, under the gray + canopy of the cold heavens, stands a lonely black island, an unpeopled + rock, covered with ice; the smoothly polished shore descends abruptly + into the gray, foaming billows. The transparently blue blocks of ice + inhospitably float on the shaking cold water and press against the dark + rock of the island. Their knocking resounds mournfully in the dead + stillness of the barren sea. They have been floating a long time on the + bottomless depths, and the waves splashing about them have quietly borne + them toward the lonely rock in the midst of the sea. The sound is + grewsome as they break against the shore and against one another, sadly + inquiring: 'Why?'"</p> + + <p>Sofya flung away the cigarette she had begun to smoke, turned to the + piano, and again began to play the ringing plaints, the plaints of the + lonely blocks of ice by the shore of the barren island in the sea of the + far north.</p> + + <p>The mother was overcome with unendurable sadness as she listened to the + simple sketch. It blended strangely with her past, into which her + recollections kept boring deeper and deeper.</p> + + <p>"In music one can hear everything," said Nikolay quietly.</p> + + <p>Sofya turned toward the mother, and asked:</p> + + <p>"Do you mind my noise?"</p> + + <p>The mother was unable to restrain her slight irritation.</p> + + <p>"I told you not to pay any attention to me. I sit here and listen and + think about myself."</p> + + <p>"No, you ought to understand," said Sofya. "A<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> woman can't help + understanding music, especially when in grief."</p> + + <p>She struck the keys powerfully, and a loud shout went forth, as if some + one had suddenly heard horrible news, which pierced him to the heart, + and wrenched from him this troubled sound. Young voices trembled in + affright, people rushed about in haste, pellmell. Again a loud, angry + voice shouted out, drowning all other sounds. Apparently a catastrophe + had occurred, in which the chief source of pain was an affront offered + to some one. It evoked not complaints, but wrath. Then some kindly and + powerful person appeared, who began to sing, just like Andrey, a simple + beautiful song, a song of exhortation and summons to himself. The voices + of the bass notes grumbled in a dull, offended tone.</p> + + <p>Sofya played a long time. The music disquieted the mother, and aroused + in her a desire to ask of what it was speaking. Indistinct sensations + and thoughts passed through her mind in quick succession. Sadness and + anxiety gave place to moments of calm joy. A swarm of unseen birds + seemed to be flying about in the room, penetrating everywhere, touching + the heart with caressing wings, soothing and at the same time alarming + it. The feelings in the mother's breast could not be fixed in words. + They emboldened her heart with perplexed hopes, they fondled it in a + fresh and firm embrace.</p> + + <p>A kindly impulse came to her to say something good both to these two + persons and to all people in general. She smiled softly, intoxicated by + the music, feeling herself capable of doing work helpful to the brother + and sister. Her eyes roved about in search of something to do for them. + She saw nothing but to walk out into the kitchen quietly, and prepare + the samovar. But this did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> not satisfy her desire. It struggled + stubbornly in her breast, and as she poured out the tea she began to + speak excitedly with an agitated smile. She seemed to bestow the words + as a warm caress impartially on Sofya and Nikolay and on herself.</p> + + <p>"We people at the bottom feel everything; but it is hard for us to speak + out our hearts. Our thoughts float about in us. We are ashamed because, + although we understand, we are not able to express them; and often from + shame we are angry at our thoughts, and at those who inspire them. We + drive them away from ourselves. For life, you see, is so troublesome. + From all sides we get blows and beatings; we want rest, and there come + the thoughts that rouse our souls and demand things of us."</p> + + <p>Nikolay listened, and nodded his head, rubbing his eyeglasses briskly, + while Sofya looked at her, her large eyes wide open and the forgotten + cigarette burning to ashes. She sat half turned from the piano, supple + and shapely, at times touching the keys lightly with the slender fingers + of her right hand. The pensive chord blended delicately with the speech + of the mother, as she quickly invested her new feelings and thoughts in + simple, hearty words.</p> + + <p>"Now I am able to say something about myself, about my people, because I + understand life. I began to understand it when I was able to make + comparisons. Before that time there was nobody to compare myself with. + In our state, you see, all lead the same life, and now that I see how + others live, I look back at my life, and the recollection is hard and + bitter. But it is impossible to return, and even if you could, you + wouldn't find your youth again. And I think I understand a great deal. + Here, I am looking at you, and I recollect all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> your people whom I've + seen." She lowered her voice and continued: "Maybe I don't say things + right, and I needn't say them, because you know them yourself; but I'm + just speaking for myself. You at once set me alongside of you. You don't + need anything of me; you can't make use of me; you can't get any + enjoyment out of me, I know it. And day after day my heart grows, thank + God! It grows in goodness, and I wish good for everybody. This is my + thanks that I'm saying to you." Tears of happy gratitude affected her + voice, and looking at them with a smile in her eyes, she went on: "I + want to open my heart before you, so that you may see how I wish your + welfare."</p> + + <p>"We see it," said Nikolay in a low voice. "You're making a holiday for + us."</p> + + <p>"What do you think I imagined?" the mother asked with a smile and + lowering her voice. "I imagined I found a treasure, and became rich, and + I could endow everybody. Maybe it's only my stupidity that's run away + with me."</p> + + <p>"Don't speak like that," said Sofya seriously. "You mustn't be ashamed."</p> + + <p>The mother began to speak again, telling Sofya and Nikolay of herself, + her poor life, her wrongs, and patient sufferings. Suddenly she stopped + in her narrative. It seemed to her that she was turning aside, away from + herself, and speaking about somebody else. In simple words, without + malice, with a sad smile on her lips, she drew the monotonous, gray + sketch of sorrowful days. She enumerated the beatings she had received + from her husband; and herself marveled at the trifling causes that led + to them and her own inability to avert them.</p> + + <p>The brother and sister listened to her in attentive silence, impressed + by the deep significance of the unadorned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> story of a human being, who + was regarded as cattle are regarded, and who, without a murmur, for a + long time felt herself to be that which she was held to be. It seemed to + them as if thousands, nay millions, of lives spoke through her mouth. + Her existence had been commonplace and simple; but such is the simple, + ordinary existence of multitudes, and her story, assuming ever larger + proportions in their eyes, took on the significance of a symbol. + Nikolay, his elbows on the table, and his head leaning on his hands, + looked at her through his glasses without moving, his eyes screwed up + intently. Sofya flung herself back on her chair. Sometimes she trembled, + and at times muttered to herself, shaking her head in disapproval. Her + face grew paler. Her eyes deepened.</p> + + <p>"Once I thought myself unhappy. My life seemed a fever," said Sofya, + inclining her head. "That was when I was in exile. It was in a small + district town. There was nothing to do, nothing to think about except + myself. I swept all my misfortunes together into one heap, and weighed + them, from lack of anything better to do. Then I quarreled with my + father, whom I loved. I was expelled from the gymnasium, and + insulted—the prison, the treachery of a comrade near to me, the arrest + of my husband, again prison and exile, the death of my husband. But all + my misfortunes, and ten times their number, are not worth a month of + your life, Pelagueya Nilovna. Your torture continued daily through + years. From where do the people draw their power to suffer?"</p> + + <p>"They get used to it," responded the mother with a sigh.</p> + + <p>"I thought I knew that life," said Nikolay softly. "But when I hear it + spoken of—not when my books,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> not when my incomplete impressions speak + about it, but she herself with a living tongue—it is horrible. And the + details are horrible, the inanities, the seconds of which the years are + made."</p> + + <p>The conversation sped along, thoughtfully and quietly. It branched out + and embraced the whole of common life on all sides. The mother became + absorbed in her recollections. From her dim past she drew to light each + daily wrong, and gave a massive picture of the huge, dumb horror in + which her youth had been sunk. Finally she said:</p> + + <p>"Oh! How I've been chattering to you! It's time for you to rest. I'll + never be able to tell you all."</p> + + <p>The brother and sister took leave of her in silence. Nikolay seemed to + the mother to bow lower to her than ever before and to press her hand + more firmly. Sofya accompanied her to her room, and stopping at the door + said softly: "Now rest. I hope you have a good night."</p> + + <p>Her voice blew a warm breath on the mother, and her gray eyes embraced + the mother's face in a caress. She took Sofya's hand and pressing it in + hers, answered: "Thank you! You are good people."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIIb" id="CHAPTER_IIIb"></a>CHAPTER III</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Three days passed in incessant conversations with Sofya and Nikolay. The + mother continued to recount tales of the past, which stubbornly arose + from the depths of her awakened soul, and disturbed even herself. Her + past demanded an explanation. The attention with which the brother and + sister listened to her opened her heart more and more widely, freeing + her from the narrow, dark cage of her former life.</p></div> + + <p>On the fourth day, early in the morning, she and Sofya appeared before + Nikolay as burgher women, poorly clad in worn chintz skirts and blouses, + with birch-bark sacks on their shoulders, and canes in their hands. This + costume reduced Sofya's height and gave a yet sterner appearance to her + pale face.</p> + + <p>"You look as if you had walked about monasteries all your life," + observed Nikolay on taking leave of his sister, and pressed her hand + warmly. The mother again remarked the simplicity and calmness of their + relation to each other. It was hard for her to get used to it. No + kissing, no affectionate words passed between them; but they behaved so + sincerely, so amicably and solicitously toward each other. In the life + she had been accustomed to, people kissed a great deal and uttered many + sentimental words, but always bit at one another like hungry dogs.</p> + + <p>The women walked down the street in silence,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> reached the open country, + and strode on side by side along the wide beaten road between a double + row of birches.</p> + + <p>"Won't you get tired?" the mother asked.</p> + + <p>"Do you think I haven't done much walking? All this is an old story to + me."</p> + + <p>With a merry smile, as if speaking of some glorious childhood frolics, + Sofya began to tell the mother of her revolutionary work. She had had to + live under a changed name, use counterfeit documents, disguise herself + in various costumes in order to hide from spies, carry hundreds and + hundreds of pounds of illegal books through various cities, arrange + escapes for comrades in exile, and escort them abroad. She had had a + printing press fixed up in her quarters, and when on learning of it the + gendarmes appeared to make a search, she succeeded in a minute's time + before their arrival in dressing as a servant, and walking out of the + house just as her guests were entering at the gate. She met them there. + Without an outer wrap, a light kerchief on her head, a tin kerosene can + in her hand, she traversed the city from one end to the other in the + biting cold of a winter's day. Another time she had just arrived in a + strange city to pay a visit to friends. When she was already on the + stairs leading to their quarters, she noticed that a search was being + conducted in their apartments. To turn back was too late. Without a + second's hesitation she boldly rang the bell at the door of a lower + floor, and walked in with her traveling bag to unknown people. She + frankly explained the position she was in.</p> + + <p>"You can hand me over to the gendarmes if you want to; but I don't think + you will," she said confidently.</p> + + <p>The people were greatly frightened, and did not sleep the whole night. + Every minute they expected the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> sound of the gendarmes knocking at the + door. Nevertheless, they could not make up their minds to deliver her + over to them, and the next morning they had a hearty laugh with her over + the gendarmes.</p> + + <p>And once, dressed as a nun, she traveled in the same railroad coach, in + fact, sat on the very same seat, with a spy, then in search of her. He + boasted of his skill, and told her how he was conducting his search. He + was certain she was riding on the same train as himself, in a + second-class coach; but at every stop, after walking out, he came back + saying: "Not to be seen. She must have gone to bed. They, too, get + tired. Their life is a hard one, just like ours."</p> + + <p>The mother listening to her stories laughed, and regarded her + affectionately. Tall and dry, Sofya strode along the road lightly and + firmly, at an even gait. In her walk, her words, and the very sound of + her voice—although a bit dull, it was yet bold—in all her straight and + stolid figure, there was much of robust strength, jovial daring, and + thirst for space and freedom. Her eyes looked at everything with a + youthful glance. She constantly spied something that gladdened her heart + with childlike joy.</p> + + <p>"See what a splendid pine!" she exclaimed, pointing out a tree to the + mother.</p> + + <p>The mother looked and stopped. It was a pine neither higher nor thicker + than others.</p> + + <p>"Ye-es, ye-es, a good tree," she said, smiling.</p> + + <p>"Do you hear? A lark!" Sofya raised her head, and looked into the blue + expanse of the sky for the merry songster. Her gray eyes flashed with a + fond glance, and her body seemed to rise from the ground to meet the + music ringing from an unseen source in the far-distant height. At times + bending over, she plucked a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> field flower, and with light touches of her + slender, agile fingers, she fondly stroked the quivering petals and + hummed quietly and prettily.</p> + + <p>Over them burned the kindly spring sun. The blue depths flashed softly. + At the sides of the road stretched a dark pine forest. The fields were + verdant, birds sang, and the thick, resinous atmosphere stroked the face + warmly and tenderly.</p> + + <p>All this moved the mother's heart nearer to the woman with the bright + eyes and the bright soul; and, trying to keep even pace with her, she + involuntarily pressed close to Sofya, as if desiring to draw into + herself her hearty boldness and freshness.</p> + + <p>"How young you are!" the mother sighed.</p> + + <p>"I'm thirty-two years old already!"</p> + + <p>Vlasova smiled. "I'm not talking about that. To judge by your face, one + would say you're older; but one wonders that your eyes, your voice are + so fresh, so springlike, as if you were a young girl. Your life is so + hard and troubled, yet your heart is smiling."</p> + + <p>"The heart is smiling," repeated Sofya thoughtfully. "How well you + speak—simple and good. A hard life, you say? But I don't feel that it + is hard, and I cannot imagine a better, a more interesting life than + this."</p> + + <p>"What pleases me more than anything else is to see how you all know the + roads to a human being's heart. Everything in a person opens itself out + to you without fear or caution—just so, all of itself, the heart throws + itself open to meet you. I'm thinking of all of you. You overcome the + evil in the world—overcome it absolutely."</p> + + <p>"We shall be victorious, because we are with the working people," said + Sofya with assurance. "Our power to work, our faith in the victory of + truth we obtain from you, from the people; and the people is the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> + inexhaustible source of spiritual and physical strength. In the people + are vested all possibilities, and with them everything is attainable. + It's necessary only to arouse their consciousness, their soul, the great + soul of a child, who is not given the liberty to grow." She spoke softly + and simply, and looked pensively before her down the winding depths of + the road, where a bright haze was quivering.</p> + + <p>Sofya's words awakened a complex feeling in the mother's heart. For some + reason she felt sorry for her. Her pity, however, was not offensive; not + bred of familiarity. She marveled that here was a lady walking on foot + and carrying a dangerous burden on her back.</p> + + <p>"Who's going to reward you for your labors?"</p> + + <p>Sofya answered the mother's thought with pride:</p> + + <p>"We are already rewarded for everything. We have found a life that + satisfies us; we live broadly and fully, with all the power of our + souls. What else can we desire?"</p> + + <p>Filling their lungs with the aromatic air, they paced along, not + swiftly, but at a good, round gait. The mother felt she was on a + pilgrimage. She recollected her childhood, the fine joy with which she + used to leave the village on holidays to go to a distant monastery, + where there was a wonder-working icon.</p> + + <p>Sometimes Sofya would hum some new unfamiliar songs about the sky and + about love, or suddenly she would begin to recite poems about the fields + and forests and the Volga. The mother listened, a smile on her face, + swinging her head to the measure of the tune or rhythm, involuntarily + yielding to the music. Her breast was pervaded by a soft, melancholy + warmth, like the atmosphere in a little old garden on a summer night.</p> + + <p>On the third day they arrived at the village, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> mother inquired + of a peasant at work in the field where the tar works were. Soon they + were descending a steep woody path, on which the exposed roots of the + trees formed steps through a small, round glade, which was choked up + with coal and chips of wood caked with tar.</p> + + <p>Outside a shack built of poles and branches, at a table formed simply of + three unplaned boards laid on a trestle stuck firmly into the ground, + sat Rybin, all blackened, his shirt open at his breast, Yefim, and two + other young men. They were just dining. Rybin was the first to notice + the women. Shading his eyes with his hand, he waited in silence.</p> + + <p>"How do you do, brother Mikhaïl?" shouted the mother from afar.</p> + + <p>He arose and leisurely walked to meet them. When he recognized the + mother, he stopped and smiled and stroked his beard with his black hand.</p> + + <p>"We are on a pilgrimage," said the mother, approaching him. "And so I + thought I would stop in and see my brother. This is my friend Anna."</p> + + <p>Proud of her resourcefulness she looked askance at Sofya's serious, + stern face.</p> + + <p>"How are you?" said Rybin, smiling grimly. He shook her hand, bowed to + Sofya, and continued: "Don't lie. This isn't the city. No need of lies. + These are all our own people, good people."</p> + + <p>Yefim, sitting at the table, looked sharply at the pilgrims, and + whispered something to his comrades. When the women walked up to the + table, he arose and silently bowed to them. His comrades didn't stir, + seeming to take no notice of the guests.</p> + + <p>"We live here like monks," said Rybin, tapping the mother lightly on the + shoulder. "No one comes to us; our master is not in the village; the + mistress was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> taken to the hospital. And now I'm a sort of + superintendent. Sit down at the table. Maybe you're hungry. Yefim, bring + some milk."</p> + + <p>Without hurrying, Yefim walked into the shack. The travelers removed the + sacks from their shoulders, and one of the men, a tall, lank fellow, + rose from the table to help them. Another one, resting his elbows + thoughtfully on the table, looked at them, scratching his head and + quietly humming a song.</p> + + <p>The pungent odor of the fresh tar blended with the stifling smell of + decaying leaves dizzied the newcomers.</p> + + <p>"This fellow is Yakob," said Rybin, pointing to the tall man, "and that + one Ignaty. Well, how's your son?"</p> + + <p>"He's in prison," the mother sighed.</p> + + <p>"In prison again? He likes it, I suppose."</p> + + <p>Ignaty stopped humming; Yakob took the staff from the mother's hand, and + said:</p> + + <p>"Sit down, little mother."</p> + + <p>"Yes, why don't you sit down?" Rybin extended the invitation to Sofya.</p> + + <p>She sat down on the stump of a tree, scrutinizing Rybin seriously and + attentively.</p> + + <p>"When did they take him?" asked Rybin, sitting down opposite the mother, + and shaking his head. "You've bad luck, Nilovna."</p> + + <p>"Oh, well!"</p> + + <p>"You're getting used to it?"</p> + + <p>"I'm not used to it, but I see it's not to be helped."</p> + + <p>"That's right. Well, tell us the story."</p> + + <p>Yefim brought a pitcher of milk, took a cup from the table, rinsed it + with water, and after filling it shoved it across the table to Sofya. He + moved about noiselessly, listening to the mother's narrative. When the + mother had concluded her short account, all were silent for a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> moment, + looking at one another. Ignaty, sitting at the table, drew a pattern + with his nails on the boards. Yefim stood behind Rybin, resting his + elbows on his shoulders. Yakob leaned against the trunk of a tree, his + hands folded over his chest, his head inclined. Sofya observed the + peasants from the corner of her eye.</p> + + <p>"Yes," Rybin drawled sullenly. "That's the course of action they've + decided on—to go out openly."</p> + + <p>"If we were to arrange such a parade here," said Yefim, with a surly + smile, "they'd hack the peasants to death."</p> + + <p>"They certainly would," Ignaty assented, nodding his head. "No, I'll go + to the factory. It's better there."</p> + + <p>"You say Pavel's going to be tried?" asked Rybin.</p> + + <p>"Yes. They've decided on a trial."</p> + + <p>"Well, what'll he get? Have you heard?"</p> + + <p>"Hard labor, or exile to Siberia for life," answered the mother softly. + The three young men simultaneously turned their look on her, and Rybin, + lowering his head, asked slowly:</p> + + <p>"And when he got this affair up, did he know what was in store for him?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know. I suppose he did."</p> + + <p>"He did," said Sofya aloud.</p> + + <p>All were silent, motionless, as if congealed by one cold thought.</p> + + <p>"So," continued Rybin slowly and gravely. "I, too, think he knew. A + serious man looks before he leaps. There, boys, you see, the man knew + that he might be struck with a bayonet, or exiled to hard labor; but he + went. He felt it was necessary for him to go, and he went. If his mother + had lain across his path, he would have stepped over her body and gone + his way. Wouldn't he have stepped over you, Nilovna?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p> + + <p>"He would," said the mother shuddering and looking around. She heaved a + heavy sigh. Sofya silently stroked her hand.</p> + + <p>"There's a man for you!" said Rybin in a subdued voice, his dark eyes + roving about the company. They all became silent again. The thin rays of + the sun trembled like golden ribbons in the thick, odorous atmosphere. + Somewhere a crow cawed with bold assurance. The mother looked around, + troubled by her recollections of the first of May, and grieving for her + son and Andrey.</p> + + <p>Broken barrels lay about in confusion in the small, crowded glade. + Uprooted stumps stretched out their dead, scraggy roots, and chips of + wood littered the ground. Dense oaks and birches encircled the clearing, + and drooped over it slightly on all sides as if desiring to sweep away + and destroy this offensive rubbish and dirt.</p> + + <p>Suddenly Yakob moved forward from the tree, stepped to one side, + stopped, and shaking his head observed dryly:</p> + + <p>"So, when we're in the army with Yefim, it's on such men as Pavel + Mikhaylovich that they'll set us."</p> + + <p>"Against whom did you think they'd make you go?" retorted Rybin glumly. + "They choke us with our own hands. That's where the jugglery comes in."</p> + + <p>"I'll join the army all the same," announced Yefim obstinately.</p> + + <p>"Who's trying to dissuade you?" exclaimed Ignaty. "Go!" He looked Yefim + straight in the face, and said with a smile: "If you're going to shoot + at me, aim at the head. Don't just wound me; kill me at once."</p> + + <p>"I hear what you're saying," Yefim replied sharply.</p> + + <p>"Listen, boys," said Rybin, letting his glance stray about the little + assembly with a deliberate, grave gesture<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> of his raised hand. "Here's a + woman," pointing to the mother, "whose son is surely done for now."</p> + + <p>"Why are you saying this?" the mother asked in a low, sorrowful voice.</p> + + <p>"It's necessary," he answered sullenly. "It's necessary that your hair + shouldn't turn gray in vain, that your heart shouldn't ache for nothing. + Behold, boys! She's lost her son, but what of it? Has it killed her? + Nilovna, did you bring books?"</p> + + <p>The mother looked at him, and after a pause said:</p> + + <p>"I did."</p> + + <p>"That's it," said Rybin, striking the table with the palm of his hand. + "I knew it at once when I saw you. Why need you have come here, if not + for that?" He again measured the young men with his eyes, and continued, + solemnly knitting his eyebrows: "Do you see? They thrust the son out of + the ranks, and the mother drops into his place."</p> + + <p>He suddenly struck the table with both hands, and straightening himself + said with an air that seemed to augur ill:</p> + + <p>"Those——"—here he flung out a terrible oath—"those people don't know + what their blind hands are sowing. They <i>will</i> know when our power is + complete and we begin to mow down their cursed grass. They'll know it + then!"</p> + + <p>The mother was frightened. She looked at him, and saw that Mikhaïl's + face had changed greatly. He had grown thinner; his beard was roughened, + and his cheek bones seemed to have sharpened. The bluish whites of his + eyes were threaded with thin red fibers, as if he had gone without sleep + for a long time. His nose, less fleshy than formerly, had acquired a + rapacious crook. His open, tar-saturated collar, attached to a shirt + that had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> once been red, exposed his dry collar bones and the thick + black hair on his breast. About his whole figure there was something + more tragic than before. Red sparks seemed to fly from his inflamed eyes + and light the lean, dark face with the fire of unconquerable, melancholy + rage. Sofya paled and was silent, her gaze riveted on the peasant. + Ignaty shook his head and screwed up his eyes, and Yakob, standing at + the wall again, angrily tore splinters from the boards with his + blackened fingers. Yefim, behind the mother, slowly paced up and down + along the length of the table.</p> + + <p>"The other day," continued Rybin, "a government official called me up, + and, says he, 'You blackguard, what did you say to the priest?' 'Why am + I a blackguard?' I say. 'I earn my bread in the sweat of my brow, and I + don't do anything bad to people.' That's what I said. He bawled out at + me, and hit me in the face. For three days and three nights I sat in the + lockup." Rybin grew infuriated. "That's the way you speak to the people, + is it?" he cried. "Don't expect pardon, you devils. My wrong will be + avenged, if not by me, then by another, if not on you, then on your + children. Remember! The greed in your breasts has harrowed the people + with iron claws. You have sowed malice; don't expect mercy!"</p> + + <p>The wrath in Rybin seethed and bubbled; his voice shook with sounds that + frightened the mother.</p> + + <p>"And what had I said to the priest?" he continued in a lighter tone. + "After the village assembly he sits with the peasants in the street, and + tells them something. 'The people are a flock,' says he, 'and they + always need a shepherd.' And I joke. 'If,' I say, 'they make the fox the + chief in the forest, there'll be lots of feathers but no birds.' He + looks at me sidewise and speaks about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> how the people ought to be + patient and pray more to God to give them the power to be patient. And I + say that the people pray, but evidently God has no time, because he + doesn't listen to them. The priest begins to cavil with me as to what + prayers I pray. I tell him I use one prayer, like all the people, 'O + Lord, teach the masters to carry bricks, eat stones, and spit wood.' He + wouldn't even let me finish my sentence.—Are you a lady?" Rybin asked + Sofya, suddenly breaking off his story.</p> + + <p>"Why do you think I'm a lady?" she asked quickly, startled by the + unexpectedness of his question.</p> + + <p>"Why?" laughed Rybin. "That's the star under which you were born. That's + why. You think a chintz kerchief can conceal the blot of the nobleman + from the eyes of the people? We'll recognize a priest even if he's + wrapped in sackcloth. Here, for instance, you put your elbows on a wet + table, and you started and frowned. Besides, your back is too straight + for a working woman."</p> + + <p>Fearing he would insult Sofya with his heavy voice and his raillery, the + mother said quickly and sternly:</p> + + <p>"She's my friend, Mikhaïl Ivanovich. She's a good woman. Working in this + movement has turned her hair gray. You're not very——"</p> + + <p>Rybin fetched a deep breath.</p> + + <p>"Why, was what I said insulting?"</p> + + <p>Sofya looked at him dryly and queried:</p> + + <p>"You wanted to say something to me?"</p> + + <p>"I? Not long ago a new man came here, a cousin of Yakob. He's sick with + consumption; but he's learned a thing or two. Shall we call him?"</p> + + <p>"Call him! Why not?" answered Sofya.</p> + + <p>Rybin looked at her, screwing up his eyes.</p> + + <p>"Yefim," he said in a lowered voice, "you go over to him, and tell him + to come here in the evening."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span></p> + + <p>Yefim went into the shack to get his cap; then silently, without looking + at anybody, he walked off at a leisurely pace and disappeared in the + woods. Rybin nodded his head in the direction he was going, saying + dully:</p> + + <p>"He's suffering torments. He's stubborn. He has to go into the army, he + and Yakob, here. Yakob simply says, 'I can't.' And that fellow can't + either; but he wants to; he has an object in view. He thinks he can stir + the soldiers. My opinion is, you can't break through a wall with your + forehead. Bayonets in their hands, off they go—where? They don't + see—they're going against themselves. Yes, he's suffering. And Ignaty + worries him uselessly."</p> + + <p>"No, not at all!" said Ignaty. He knit his eyebrows, and kept his eyes + turned away from Rybin. "They'll change him, and he'll become just like + all the other soldiers."</p> + + <p>"No, hardly," Rybin answered meditatively. "But, of course, it's better + to run away from the army. Russia is large. Where will you find the + fellow? He gets himself a passport, and goes from village to village."</p> + + <p>"That's what I'm going to do, too," remarked Yakob, tapping his foot + with a chip of wood. "Once you've made up your mind to go against the + government, go straight."</p> + + <p>The conversation dropped off. The bees and wasps circled busily around + humming in the stifling atmosphere. The birds chirped, and somewhere at + a distance a song was heard straying through the fields. After a pause + Rybin said:</p> + + <p>"Well, we've got to get to work. Do you want to rest? There are boards + inside the shanty. Pick up some dry leaves for them, Yakob. And you, + mother, give us the books. Where are they?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother and Sofya began to untie their sacks. Rybin bent down over + them, and said with satisfaction:</p> + + <p>"That's it! Well, well—not a few, I see. Have you been in this business + a long time? What's your name?" he turned toward Sofya.</p> + + <p>"Anna Ivanovna. Twelve years. Why?"</p> + + <p>"Nothing."</p> + + <p>"Have you been in prison?"</p> + + <p>"I have."</p> + + <p>He was silent, taking a pile of books in his hand, and said to her, + showing his teeth:</p> + + <p>"Don't take offense at the way I speak. A peasant and a nobleman are + like tar and water. It's hard for them to mix. They jump away from each + other."</p> + + <p>"I'm not a lady. I'm a human being," Sofya retorted with a quiet laugh.</p> + + <p>"That may be. It's hard for me to believe it; but they say it happens. + They say that a dog was once a wolf. Now I'll hide these books."</p> + + <p>Ignaty and Yakob walked up to him, and both stretched out their hands.</p> + + <p>"Give us some."</p> + + <p>"Are they all the same?" Rybin asked of Sofya.</p> + + <p>"No, they're different. There's a newspaper here, too."</p> + + <p>"Oh!"</p> + + <p>The three men quickly walked into the shack.</p> + + <p>"The peasant is on fire," said the mother in a low voice, looking after + Rybin thoughtfully.</p> + + <p>"Yes," answered Sofya. "I've never seen such a face as his—such a + martyrlike face. Let's go inside, too. I want to look at them."</p> + + <p>When the women reached the door they found the men already engrossed in + the newspapers. Ignaty was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> sitting on the board, the newspaper spread + on his knees, and his fingers run through his hair. He raised his head, + gave the women a rapid glance, and bent over his paper again. Rybin was + standing to let the ray of sun that penetrated a chink in the roof fall + on his paper. He moved his lips as he read. Ignaty read kneeling, with + his breast against the edge of the board.</p> + + <p>Sofya felt the eagerness of the men for the word of truth. Her face + brightened with a joyful smile. Walking carefully over to a corner, she + sat down next to the mother, her arm on the mother's shoulder, and gazed + about silently.</p> + + <p>"Uncle Mikhaïl, they're rough on us peasants," muttered Yakob without + turning.</p> + + <p>Rybin looked around at him, and answered with a smile:</p> + + <p>"For love of us. He who loves does not insult, no matter what he says."</p> + + <p>Ignaty drew a deep breath, raised his head, smiled satirically, and + closing his eyes said with a scowl:</p> + + <p>"Here it says: 'The peasant has ceased to be a human being.' Of course + he has." Over his simple, open face glided a shadow of offense. "Well, + try to wear my skin for a day or so, and turn around in it, and then + we'll see what you'll be like, you wiseacre, you!"</p> + + <p>"I'm going to lie down," said the mother quietly. "I got tired, after + all. My head is going around. And you?" she asked Sofya.</p> + + <p>"I don't want to."</p> + + <p>The mother stretched herself on the board and soon fell asleep. Sofya + sat over her looking at the people reading. When the bees buzzed about + the mother's face, she solicitously drove them away.</p> + + <p>Rybin came up and asked:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Is she asleep?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>He was silent for a moment, looked fixedly at the calm sleeping face, + and said softly:</p> + + <p>"She is probably the first mother who has followed in the footsteps of + her son—the first."</p> + + <p>"Let's not disturb her; let's go away," suggested Sofya.</p> + + <p>"Well, we have to work. I'd like to have a chat with you; but we'll put + it off until evening. Come, boys."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IVb" id="CHAPTER_IVb"></a>CHAPTER IV</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The three men walked away, leaving Sofya in the cabin. Then from a + distance came the sound of the ax blows, the echo straying through the + foliage. In a half-dreamy condition of repose, intoxicated with the + spicy odor of the forest, Sofya sat just outside the door, humming a + song, and watching the approach of evening, which gradually enfolded the + forest. Her gray eyes smiled softly at some one. The reddening rays of + the sun fell more and more aslant. The busy chirping of the birds died + away. The forest darkened, and seemed to grow denser. The trees moved in + more closely about the choked-up glade, and gave it a more friendly + embrace, covering it with shadows. Cows were lowing in the distance. The + tar men came, all four together, content that the work was ended.</p></div> + + <p>Awakened by their voices the mother walked out from the cabin, yawning + and smiling. Rybin was calmer and less gloomy. The surplus of his + excitement was drowned in exhaustion.</p> + + <p>"Ignaty," he said, "let's have our tea. We do housekeeping here by + turns. To-day Ignaty provides us with food and drink."</p> + + <p>"To-day I'd be glad to yield my turn," remarked Ignaty, gathering up + pieces of wood and branches for an open-air fire.</p> + + <p>"We're all interested in our guests," said Yefim, sitting down by + Sofya's side.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I'll help you," said Yakob softly.</p> + + <p>He brought out a big loaf of bread baked in hot ashes, and began to cut + it and place the pieces on the table.</p> + + <p>"Listen!" exclaimed Yefim. "Do you hear that cough?"</p> + + <p>Rybin listened, and nodded.</p> + + <p>"Yes, he's coming," he said to Sofya. "The witness is coming. I would + lead him through cities, put him in public squares, for the people to + hear him. He always says the same thing. But everybody ought to hear + it."</p> + + <p>The shadows grew closer, the twilight thickened, and the voices sounded + softer. Sofya and the mother watched the actions of the peasants. They + all moved slowly and heavily with a strange sort of cautiousness. They, + too, constantly followed the women with their eyes, listening + attentively to their conversation.</p> + + <p>A tall, stooping man came out of the woods into the glade, and walked + slowly, firmly supporting himself on a cane. His heavy, raucous + breathing was audible.</p> + + <p>"There is Savely!" exclaimed Yakob.</p> + + <p>"Here I am," said the man hoarsely. He stopped, and began to cough.</p> + + <p>A shabby coat hung over him down to his very heels. From under his + round, crumpled hat straggled thin, limp tufts of dry, straight, + yellowish hair. His light, sparse beard grew unevenly upon his yellow, + bony face; his mouth stood half-open; his eyes were sunk deep beneath + his forehead, and glittered feverishly in their dark hollows.</p> + + <p>When Rybin introduced him to Sofya he said to her:</p> + + <p>"I heard you brought books for the people."</p> + + <p>"I did."</p> + + <p>"Thank you in the name of the people. They themselves cannot yet + understand the book of truth. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> cannot yet thank; so I, who have + learned to understand it, render you thanks in their behalf." He + breathed quickly, with short, eager breaths, strangely drawing in the + air through his dry lips. His voice broke. The bony fingers of his + feeble hands crept along his breast trying to button his coat.</p> + + <p>"It's bad for you to be in the woods so late; it's damp and close here," + remarked Sofya.</p> + + <p>"Nothing is good for me any more," he answered, out of breath. "Only + death!"</p> + + <p>It was painful to listen to him. His entire figure inspired a futile + pity that recognized its own powerlessness, and gave way to a sullen + feeling of discomfort.</p> + + <p>The wood pile blazed up; everything round about trembled and shook; the + scorched shadows flung themselves into the woods in fright. The round + face of Ignaty with its inflated cheeks shone over the fire. The flames + died down, and the air began to smell of smoke. Again the trees seemed + to draw close and unite with the mist on the glade, listening in + strained attention to the hoarse words of the sick man.</p> + + <p>"But as a witness of the crime, I can still bring good to the people. + Look at me! I'm twenty-eight years old; but I'm dying. About ten years + ago I could lift five hundred pounds on my shoulders without an effort. + With such strength I thought I could go on for seventy years without + dropping into the grave, and I've lived for only ten years, and can't go + on any more. The masters have robbed me; they've torn forty years of my + life from me; they've stolen forty years from me."</p> + + <p>"There, that's his song," said Rybin dully.</p> + + <p>The fire blazed up again, but now it was stronger and more vivid. Again + the shadows leaped into the woods, and again darted back to the fire, + quivering about it in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> a mute, astonished dance. The wood crackled, and + the leaves of the trees rustled softly. Alarmed by the waves of the + heated atmosphere, the merry, vivacious tongues of fire, yellow and red, + in sportive embrace, soared aloft, sowing sparks. The burning leaves + flew, and the stars in the sky smiled to the sparks, luring them up to + themselves.</p> + + <p>"That's not <i>my</i> song. Thousands of people sing it. But they sing it to + themselves, not realizing what a salutary lesson their unfortunate lives + hold for all. How many men, tormented to death by work, miserable + cripples, maimed, die silently from hunger! It is necessary to shout it + aloud, brothers, it is necessary to shout it aloud!" He fell into a fit + of coughing, bending and all a-shiver.</p> + + <p>"Why?" asked Yefim. "My misery is my own affair. Just look at my joy."</p> + + <p>"Don't interrupt," Rybin admonished.</p> + + <p>"You yourself said a man mustn't boast of his misfortune," observed + Yefim with a frown.</p> + + <p>"That's a different thing. Savely's misfortune is a general affair, not + merely his own. It's very different," said Rybin solemnly. "Here you + have a man who has gone down to the depths and been suffocated. Now he + shouts to the world, 'Look out, don't go there!'"</p> + + <p>Yakob put a pail of cider on the table, dropped a bundle of green + branches, and said to the sick man:</p> + + <p>"Come, Savely, I've brought you some milk."</p> + + <p>Savely shook his head in declination, but Yakob took him under the arm, + lifted him, and made him walk to the table.</p> + + <p>"Listen," said Sofya softly to Rybin. She was troubled and reproached + him. "Why did you invite him here? He may die any minute."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span></p> + + <p>"He may," retorted Rybin. "Let him die among people. That's easier than + to die alone. In the meantime let him speak. He lost his life for + trifles. Let him suffer a little longer for the sake of the people. It's + all right!"</p> + + <p>"You seem to take particular delight in it," exclaimed Sofya.</p> + + <p>"It's the masters who take pleasure in Christ as he groans on the cross. + But what we want is to learn from a man, and make you learn something, + too."</p> + + <p>At the table the sick man began to speak again:</p> + + <p>"They destroy lives with work. What for? They rob men of their lives. + What for, I ask? My master—I lost my life in the textile mill of + Nefidov—my master presented one prima donna with a golden wash basin. + Every one of her toilet articles was gold. That basin holds my + life-blood, my very life. That's for what my life went! A man killed me + with work in order to comfort his mistress with my blood. He bought her + a gold wash basin with my blood."</p> + + <p>"Man is created in the image of God," said Yefim, smiling. "And that's + the use to which they put the image. Fine!"</p> + + <p>"Well, then don't be silent!" exclaimed Rybin, striking his palm on the + table.</p> + + <p>"Don't suffer it," added Yakob softly.</p> + + <p>Ignaty laughed. The mother observed that all three men spoke little, but + listened with the insatiable attention of hungry souls, and every time + that Rybin spoke they looked into his face with watchful eyes. Savely's + talk produced a strange, sharp smile on their faces. No feeling of pity + for the sick man was to be detected in their manner.</p> + + <p>Bending toward Sofya the mother whispered:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Is it possible that what he says is true?"</p> + + <p>Sofya answered aloud:</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's true. The newspapers tell about such gifts. It happened in + Moscow."</p> + + <p>"And the man wasn't executed for it?" asked Rybin dully. "But he should + have been executed, he should have been led out before the people and + torn to pieces. His vile, dirty flesh should have been thrown to the + dogs. The people will perform great executions when once they arise. + They'll shed much blood to wash away their wrongs. This blood is theirs; + it has been drained from their veins; they are its masters."</p> + + <p>"It's cold," said the sick man. Yakob helped him to rise, and led him to + the fire.</p> + + <p>The wood pile burned evenly and glaringly, and the faceless shadows + quivered around it. Savely sat down on a stump, and stretched his dry, + transparent hands toward the fire, coughing. Rybin nodded his head to + one side, and said to Sofya in an undertone:</p> + + <p>"That's sharper than books. That ought to be known. When they tear a + workingman's hand in a machine or kill him, you can understand—the + workingman himself is at fault. But in a case like this, when they suck + a man's blood out of him and throw him away like a carcass—that can't + be explained in any way. I can comprehend every murder; but torturing + for mere sport I can't comprehend. And why do they torture the people? + To what purpose do they torture us all? For fun, for mere amusement, so + that they can live pleasantly on the earth; so that they can buy + everything with the blood of the people, a prima donna, horses, silver + knives, golden dishes, expensive toys for their children. <i>You</i> work, + work, work, work more and more, and <i>I'll</i> hoard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> money by your labor + and give my mistress a golden wash basin."</p> + + <p>The mother listened, looked, and once again, before her in the darkness, + stretched the bright streak of the road that Pavel was going, and all + those with whom he walked.</p> + + <p>When they had concluded their supper, they sat around the fire, which + consumed the wood quickly. Behind them hung the darkness, embracing + forest and sky. The sick man with wide-open eyes looked into the fire, + coughed incessantly, and shivered all over. The remnants of his life + seemed to be tearing themselves from his bosom impatiently, hastening to + forsake the dry body, drained by sickness.</p> + + <p>"Maybe you'd better go into the shanty, Savely?" Yakob asked, bending + over him.</p> + + <p>"Why?" he answered with an effort. "I'll sit here. I haven't much time + left to stay with people, very little time." He paused, let his eyes + rove about the entire group, then with a pale smile, continued: "I feel + good when I'm with you. I look at you, and think, 'Maybe you will avenge + the wrongs of all who were robbed, of all the people destroyed because + of greed.'"</p> + + <p>No one replied, and he soon fell into a doze, his head limply hanging + over his chest. Rybin looked at him, and said in a dull voice:</p> + + <p>"He comes to us, sits here, and always speaks of the same thing, of this + mockery of man. This is his entire soul; he feels nothing else."</p> + + <p>"What more do you want?" said the mother thoughtfully. "If people are + killed by the thousands day after day working so that their masters may + throw money away for sport, what else do you want?"</p> + + <p>"It's endlessly wearying to listen to him," said Ignaty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> in a low voice. + "When you hear this sort of thing once, you never forget it, and he + keeps harping on it all the time."</p> + + <p>"But everything is crowded into this one thing. It's his entire life, + remember," remarked Rybin sullenly.</p> + + <p>The sick man turned, opened his eyes, and lay down on the ground. Yakob + rose noiselessly, walked into the cabin, brought out two short + overcoats, and wrapped them about his cousin. Then he sat down beside + Sofya.</p> + + <p>The merry, ruddy face of the fire smiled irritatingly as it illumined + the dark figures about it; and the voices blended mournfully with the + soft rustle and crackle of the flames.</p> + + <p>Sofya began to tell about the universal struggle of the people for the + right to life, about the conflicts of the German peasants in the olden + times, about the misfortunes of the Irish, about the great exploits of + the workingmen of France in their frequent battling for freedom.</p> + + <p>In the forest clothed in the velvet of night, in the little glade + bounded by the dumb trees, before the sportive face of the fire, the + events that shook the world rose to life again; one nation of the earth + after the other passed in review, drained of its blood, exhausted by + combats; the names of the great soldiers for freedom and truth were + recalled.</p> + + <p>The somewhat dull voice of the woman seemed to echo softly from the + remoteness of the past. It aroused hope, it carried conviction; and the + company listened in silence to its music, to the great story of their + brethren in spirit. They looked into her face, lean and pale, and smiled + in response to the smile of her gray eyes. Before them the cause of all + the people of the world, the endless war for freedom and equality, + became more vivid and assumed a greater holiness. They saw their + desires<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> and thoughts in the distance, overhung with the dark, bloody + curtain of the past, amid strangers unknown to them; and inwardly, both + in mind and heart, they became united with the world, seeing in it + friends even in olden times, friends who had unanimously resolved to + obtain right upon the earth, and had consecrated their resolve with + measureless suffering, and shed rivers of their own blood. With this + blood, mankind dedicated itself to a new life, bright and cheerful. A + feeling arose and grew of the spiritual nearness of each unto each. A + new heart was born on the earth, full of hot striving to embrace all and + to unite all in itself.</p> + + <p>"A day is coming when the workingmen of all countries will raise their + heads, and firmly declare, 'Enough! We want no more of this life.'" + Sofya's low but powerful voice rang with assurance. "And then the + fantastic power of those who are mighty by their greed will crumble; the + earth will vanish from under their feet, and their support will be + gone."</p> + + <p>"That's how it will be," said Rybin, bending his head. "Don't pity + yourselves, and you will conquer everything."</p> + + <p>The men listened in silence, motionless, endeavoring in no way to break + the even flow of the narrative, fearing to cut the bright thread that + bound them to the world. Only occasionally some one would carefully put + a piece of wood in the fire, and when a stream of sparks and smoke rose + from the pile he would drive them away from the woman with a wave of his + hand.</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 251px;"><a name="illus313" id="illus313"></a><a href="images/illus313.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus313_th.jpg" width="251" height="400" alt=""The men listened in silence."" title=""The men listened in silence."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"The men listened in silence."</span> +</div> + + <p>Once Yakob rose and said:</p> + + <p>"Wait a moment, please." He ran into the shack and brought out wraps. + With Ignaty's help he folded them about the shoulders and feet of the + women.</p> + + <p>And again Sofya spoke, picturing the day of victory,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> inspiring people + with faith in their power, arousing in them a consciousness of their + oneness with all who give away their lives to barren toil for the + amusement of the satiated.</p> + + <p>At break of dawn, exhausted, she grew silent, and smiling she looked + around at the thoughtful, illumined faces.</p> + + <p>"It's time for us to go," said the mother.</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's time," said Sofya wearily.</p> + + <p>Some one breathed a noisy sigh.</p> + + <p>"I am sorry you're going," said Rybin in an unusually mild tone. "You + speak well. This great cause will unite people. When you know that + millions want the same as you do, your heart becomes better, and in + goodness there is great power."</p> + + <p>"You offer goodness, and get the stake in return," said Yefim with a low + laugh, and quickly jumped to his feet. "But they ought to go, Uncle + Mikhaïl, before anybody sees them. We'll distribute the books among the + people; the authorities will begin to wonder where they came from; then + some one will remember having seen the pilgrims here."</p> + + <p>"Well, thank you, mother, for your trouble," said Rybin, interrupting + Yefim. "I always think of Pavel when I look at you, and you've gone the + right way."</p> + + <p>He stood before the mother, softened, with a broad, good-natured smile + on his face. The atmosphere was raw, but he wore only one shirt, his + collar was unbuttoned, and his breast was bared low. The mother looked + at his large figure, and smiling also, advised:</p> + + <p>"You'd better put on something; it's cold."</p> + + <p>"There's a fire inside of me."</p> + + <p>The three young men standing at the burning pile conversed in a low + voice. At their feet the sick man lay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> as if dead, covered with the + short fur coats. The sky paled, the shadows dissolved, the leaves + shivered softly, awaiting the sun.</p> + + <p>"Well, then, we must say good-by," said Rybin, pressing Sofya's hand. + "How are you to be found in the city?"</p> + + <p>"You must look for me," said the mother.</p> + + <p>The young men in a close group walked up to Sofya, and silently pressed + her hand with awkward kindness. In each of them was evident grateful and + friendly satisfaction, though they attempted to conceal the feeling + which apparently embarrassed them by its novelty. Smiling with eyes dry + with the sleepless night, they looked in silence into Sofya's eyes, + shifting from one foot to the other.</p> + + <p>"Won't you drink some milk before you go?" asked Yakob.</p> + + <p>"Is there any?" queried Yefim.</p> + + <p>"There's a little."</p> + + <p>Ignaty, stroking his hair in confusion, announced:</p> + + <p>"No, there isn't; I spilled it."</p> + + <p>All three laughed. They spoke about milk, but the mother and Sofya felt + that they were thinking of something else, and without words were + wishing them well. This touched Sofya, and produced in her, too, + embarrassment and modest reserve, which prevented her from saying + anything more than a quiet and warm "Thank you, comrades."</p> + + <p>They exchanged glances, as if the word "comrade" had given them a mild + shock. The dull cough of the sick man was heard. The embers of the + burning woodpile died out.</p> + + <p>"Good-by," the peasants said in subdued tones; and the sad word rang in + the women's ears a long time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p> + + <p>They walked without haste, in the twilight of the dawn, along the wood + path. The mother striding behind Sofya said:</p> + + <p>"All this is good, just as in a dream—so good! People want to know the + truth, my dear; yes, they want to know the truth. It's like being in a + church on the morning of a great holiday, when the priest has not yet + arrived, and it's dark and quiet; then it's raw, and the people are + already gathering. Here the candles are lighted before the images, and + there the lamps are lighted; and little by little, they drive away the + darkness, illumining the House of God."</p> + + <p>"True," answered Sofya. "Only here the House of God is the whole earth."</p> + + <p>"The whole earth," the mother repeated, shaking her head thoughtfully. + "It's so good that it's hard to believe."</p> + + <p>They walked and talked about Rybin, about the sick man, about the young + peasants who were so attentively silent, and who so awkwardly but + eloquently expressed a feeling of grateful friendship by little + attentions to the women. They came out into the open field; the sun rose + to meet them. As yet invisible, he spread out over the sky a transparent + fan of rosy rays, and the dewdrops in the grass glittered with the + many-colored gems of brave spring joy. The birds awoke fresh from their + slumber, vivifying the morning with their merry, impetuous voices. The + crows flew about croaking, and flapping their wings heavily. The black + rooks jumped about in the winter wheat, conversing in abrupt accents. + Somewhere the orioles whistled mournfully, a note of alarm in their + song. The larks sang, soaring up to meet the sun. The distance opened + up, the nocturnal shadows lifting from the hills.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Sometimes a man will speak and speak to you, and you won't understand + him until he succeeds in telling you some simple word; and this one word + will suddenly lighten up everything," the mother said thoughtfully. + "There's that sick man, for instance; I've heard and known myself how + the workingmen in the factories and everywhere are squeezed; but you get + used to it from childhood on, and it doesn't touch your heart much. But + he suddenly tells you such an outrageous, vile thing! O Lord! Can it be + that people give their whole lives away to work in order that the + masters may permit themselves pleasure? That's without justification."</p> + + <p>The thoughts of the mother were arrested by this fact. Its dull, + impudent gleam threw light upon a series of similar facts, at one time + known to her, but now forgotten.</p> + + <p>"It's evident that they are satiated with everything. I know one country + officer who compelled the peasants to salute his horse when it was led + through the village; and he arrested everyone who failed to salute it. + Now, what need had he of that? It's impossible to understand." After a + pause she sighed: "The poor people are stupid from poverty, and the rich + from greed."</p> + + <p>Sofya began to hum a song bold as the morning.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_Vb" id="CHAPTER_Vb"></a>CHAPTER V</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The life of Nilovna flowed on with strange placidity. This calmness + sometimes astonished her. There was her son immured in prison. She knew + that a severe sentence awaited him, yet every time the idea of it came + to her mind her thoughts strayed to Andrey, Fedya, and an endless series + of other people she had never seen, but only heard of. The figure of her + son appeared to her absorbing all the people into his own destiny. The + contemplative feeling aroused in her involuntarily and unnoticeably + diverted her inward gaze away from him to all sides. Like thin, uneven + rays it touched upon everything, tried to throw light everywhere, and + make one picture of the whole. Her mind was hindered from dwelling upon + some one thing.</p></div> + + <p>Sofya soon went off somewhere, and reappeared in about five days, merry + and vivacious. Then, in a few hours, she vanished again, and returned + within a couple of weeks. It seemed as if she were borne along in life + in wide circles.</p> + + <p>Nikolay, always occupied, lived a monotonous, methodical existence. At + eight o'clock in the morning he drank tea, read the newspapers, and + recounted the news to the mother. He repeated the speeches of the + merchants in the Douma without malice, and clearly depicted the life in + the city.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p> + + <p>Listening to him the mother saw with transparent clearness the mechanism + of this life pitilessly grinding the people in the millstones of money. + At nine o'clock he went off to the office.</p> + + <p>She tidied the rooms, prepared dinner, washed herself, put on a clean + dress, and then sat in her room to examine the pictures and the books. + She had already learned to read, but the effort of reading quickly + exhausted her; and she ceased to understand the meaning of the words. + But the pictures were a constant astonishment to her. They opened up + before her a clear, almost tangible world of new and marvelous things. + Huge cities arose before her, beautiful structures, machines, ships, + monuments, and infinite wealth, created by the people, overwhelming the + mind by the variety of nature's products. Life widened endlessly; each + day brought some new, huge wonders. The awakened hungry soul of the + woman was more and more strongly aroused to the multitude of riches in + the world, its countless beauties. She especially loved to look through + the great folios of the zoölogical atlas, and although the text was + written in a foreign language, it gave her the clearest conception of + the beauty, wealth, and vastness of the earth.</p> + + <p>"It's an immense world," she said to Nikolay at dinner.</p> + + <p>"Yes, and yet the people are crowded for space."</p> + + <p>The insects, particularly the butterflies, astonished her most.</p> + + <p>"What beauty, Nikolay Ivanovich," she observed. "And how much of this + fascinating beauty there is everywhere, but all covered up from us; it + all flies by without our seeing it. People toss about, they know + nothing, they are unable to take delight in anything, they have no + inclination for it. How many could take happiness to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> themselves if they + knew how rich the earth is, how many wonderful things live in it!"</p> + + <p>Nikolay listened to her raptures, smiled, and brought her new + illustrated books.</p> + + <p>In the evening visitors often gathered in his house—Alexey Vasilyevich, + a handsome man, pale-faced, black-bearded, sedate, and taciturn; Roman + Petrovich, a pimply, round-headed individual always smacking his lips + regretfully; Ivan Danilovich, a short, lean fellow with a pointed beard + and thin hair, impetuous, vociferous, and sharp as an awl, and Yegor, + always joking with his comrades about his sickness. Sometimes other + people were present who had come from various distant cities. The long + conversations always turned on one and the same thing, on the working + people of the world. The comrades discussed the workingmen, got into + arguments about them, became heated, waved their hands, and drank much + tea; while Nikolay, in the noise of the conversation, silently composed + proclamations. Then he read them to the comrades, who copied them on the + spot in printed letters. The mother carefully collected the pieces of + the torn, rough copies, and burned them.</p> + + <p>She poured out tea for them, and wondered at the warmth with which they + discussed life and the working-people, the means whereby to sow truth + among them the sooner and the better, and how to elevate their spirit. + These problems were always agitating the comrades; their lives revolved + about them. Often they angrily disagreed, blamed one another for + something, got offended, and again discussed.</p> + + <p>The mother felt that she knew the life of the workingmen better than + these people, and saw more clearly than they the enormity of the task + they assumed. She could look upon them with the somewhat melancholy + indulgence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> of a grown-up person toward children who play man and wife + without understanding the drama of the relation.</p> + + <p>Sometimes Sashenka came. She never stayed long, and always spoke in a + businesslike way without smiling. She did not once fail to ask on + leaving how Pavel Mikhaylovich was.</p> + + <p>"Is he well?" she would ask.</p> + + <p>"Thank God! So, so. He's in good spirits."</p> + + <p>"Give him my regards," the girl would request, and then disappear.</p> + + <p>Sometimes the mother complained to Sashenka because Pavel was detained + so long and no date was yet set for his trial. Sashenka looked gloomy, + and maintained silence, her fingers twitching. Nilovna was tempted to + say to her: "My dear girl, why, I know you love him, I know." But + Sashenka's austere face, her compressed lips, and her dry, businesslike + manner, which seemed to betoken a desire for silence as soon as + possible, forbade any demonstration of sentiment. With a sigh the mother + mutely clasped the hand that the girl extended to her, and thought: "My + unhappy girl!"</p> + + <p>Once Natasha came. She showed great delight at seeing the mother, kissed + her, and among other things announced to her quietly, as if she had just + thought of the thing:</p> + + <p>"My mother died. Poor woman, she's dead!" She wiped her eyes with a + rapid gesture of her hands, and continued: "I'm sorry for her. She was + not yet fifty. She had a long life before her still. But when you look + at it from the other side you can't help thinking that death is easier + than such a life—always alone, a stranger to everybody, needed by no + one, scared by the shouts of my father. Can you call that living? People + live waiting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> for something good, and she had nothing to expect except + insults."</p> + + <p>"You're right, Natasha," said the mother musingly. "People live + expecting some good, and if there's nothing to expect, what sort of a + life is it?" Kindly stroking Natasha's hand, she asked: "So you're alone + now?"</p> + + <p>"Alone!" the girl rejoined lightly.</p> + + <p>The mother was silent, then suddenly remarked with a smile:</p> + + <p>"Never mind! A good person does not live alone. People will always + attach themselves to a good person."</p> + + <p>Natasha was now a teacher in a little town where there was a textile + mill, and Nilovna occasionally procured illegal books, proclamations, + and newspapers for her. The distribution of literature, in fact, became + the mother's occupation. Several times a month, dressed as a nun or as a + peddler of laces or small linen articles, as a rich merchant's wife or a + religious pilgrim, she rode or walked about with a sack on her back, or + a valise in her hand. Everywhere, in the train, in the steamers, in + hotels and inns, she behaved simply and unobtrusively. She was the first + to enter into conversations with strangers, fearlessly drawing attention + to herself by her kind, sociable talk and the confident manner of an + experienced person who has seen and heard much.</p> + + <p>She liked to speak to people, liked to listen to their stories of life, + their complaints, their perplexities, and lamentations. Her heart was + bathed in joy each time she noticed in anybody poignant discontent with + life, that discontent which, protesting against the blows of fate, + earnestly seeks to find an answer to its questions. Before her the + picture of human life unrolled itself ever wider and more varicolored, + that restless, anxious life<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> passed in the struggle to fill the stomach. + Everywhere she clearly saw the coarse, bare striving, insolent in its + openness, deceiving man, robbing him, pressing out of him as much sap as + possible, draining him of his very life-blood. She realized that there + was plenty of everything upon earth, but that the people were in want, + and lived half starved, surrounded by inexhaustible wealth. In the + cities stood churches filled with gold and silver, not needed by God, + and at the entrance to the churches shivered the beggars vainly awaiting + a little copper coin to be thrust into their hands. Formerly she had + seen this, too—rich churches, priestly vestments sewed with gold + threads, and the hovels of the poor, their ignominious rags. But at that + time the thing had seemed natural; now the contrast was irreconcilable + and insulting to the poor, to whom, she knew, the churches were both + nearer and more necessary than to the rich.</p> + + <p>From the pictures and stories of Christ, she knew also that he was a + friend of the poor, that he dressed simply. But in the churches, where + poverty came to him for consolation, she saw him nailed to the cross + with insolent gold, she saw silks and satins flaunting in the face of + want. The words of Rybin occurred to her: "They have mutilated even our + God for us, they have turned everything in their hands against us. In + the churches they set up a scarecrow before us. They have dressed God up + in falsehood and calumny; they have distorted His face in order to + destroy our souls!"</p> + + <p>Without being herself aware of it, she prayed less; yet, at the same + time, she meditated more and more upon Christ and the people who, + without mentioning his name, as though ignorant of him, lived, it seemed + to her, according to his will, and, like him, regarded the earth as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> + kingdom of the poor, and wanted to divide all the wealth of the earth + among the poor. Her reflections grew in her soul, deepening and + embracing everything she saw and heard. They grew and assumed the bright + aspect of a prayer, suffusing an even glow over the entire dark world, + the whole of life, and all people.</p> + + <p>And it seemed to her that Christ himself, whom she had always loved with + a perplexed love, with a complicated feeling in which fear was closely + bound up with hope, and joyful emotion with melancholy, now came nearer + to her, and was different from what he had been. His position was + loftier, and he was more clearly visible to her. His aspect turned + brighter and more cheerful. Now his eyes smiled on her with assurance, + and with a live inward power, as if he had in reality risen to life for + mankind, washed and vivified by the hot blood lavishly shed in his name. + Yet those who had lost their blood modestly refrained from mentioning + the name of the unfortunate friend of the people.</p> + + <p>The mother always returned to Nikolay from her travels delightfully + exhilarated by what she had seen and heard on the road, bold and + satisfied with the work she had accomplished.</p> + + <p>"It's good to go everywhere, and to see much," she said to Nikolay in + the evening. "You understand how life is arranged. They brush the people + aside and fling them to the edge. The people, hurt and wounded, keep + moving about, even though they don't want to, and though they keep + thinking: 'What for? Why do they drive us away? Why must we go hungry + when there is so much of everything? And how much intellect there is + everywhere! Nevertheless, we must remain in stupidity and darkness. And + where is He, the merciful God, in whose eyes there are no rich nor poor, + but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> all are children dear to His heart.' The people are gradually + revolting against this life. They feel that untruth will stifle them if + they don't take thought of themselves."</p> + + <p>And in her leisure hours she sat down to the books, and again looked + over the pictures, each time finding something new, ever widening the + panorama of life before her eyes, unfolding the beauties of nature and + the vigorous creative capacity of man. Nikolay often found her poring + over the pictures. He would smile and always tell her something + wonderful. Struck by man's daring, she would ask him incredulously, "Is + it possible?"</p> + + <p>Quietly, with unshakable confidence in the truth of his prophecies, + Nikolay peered with his kind eyes through his glasses into the mother's + face, and told her stories of the future.</p> + + <p>"There is no measure to the desires of man; and his power is + inexhaustible," he said. "But the world, after all, is still very slow + in acquiring spiritual wealth. Because nowadays everyone desiring to + free himself from dependence is compelled to hoard, not knowledge but + money. However, when the people will have exterminated greed and will + have freed themselves from the bondage of enslaving labor——"</p> + + <p>She listened to him with strained attention. Though she but rarely + understood the meaning of his words, yet the calm faith animating them + penetrated her more and more deeply.</p> + + <p>"There are extremely few free men in the world—that's its misfortune," + he said.</p> + + <p>This the mother understood. She knew men who had emancipated themselves + from greed and evil; she understood that if there were more such people, + the dark, incomprehensible,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> and awful face of life would become more + kindly and simple, better and brighter.</p> + + <p>"A man must perforce be cruel," said Nikolay dismally.</p> + + <p>The mother nodded her head in confirmation. She recalled the sayings of + the Little Russian.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIb" id="CHAPTER_VIb"></a>CHAPTER VI</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_o.png" alt="O" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Once Nikolay, usually so punctual, came from his work much later than + was his wont, and said, excitedly rubbing his hands: "Do you know, + Nilovna, to-day at the visiting hour one of our comrades disappeared + from prison? But we have not succeeded in finding out who."</p></div> + + <p>The mother's body swayed, overpowered by excitement. She sat down on a + chair and asked with forced quiet:</p> + + <p>"Maybe it's Pasha?"</p> + + <p>"Possibly. But the question is how to find him, how to help him keep in + concealment. Just now I was walking about the streets to see if I + couldn't detect him. It was a stupid thing of me to do, but I had to do + something. I'm going out again."</p> + + <p>"I'll go, too," said the mother, rising.</p> + + <p>"You go to Yegor, and see if he doesn't know anything about it," Nikolay + suggested, and quickly walked away.</p> + + <p>She threw a kerchief on her head, and, seized with hope, swiftly sped + along the streets. Her eyes dimmed and her heart beat faster. Her head + drooped; she saw nothing about her. It was hot. The mother lost breath, + and when she reached the stairway leading to Yegor's quarters, she + stopped, too faint to proceed farther. She turned around and uttered an + amazed, low cry, closing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> her eyes for a second. It seemed to her that + Nikolay Vyesovshchikov was standing at the gate, his hands thrust into + his pockets, regarding her with a smile. But when she looked again + nobody was there.</p> + + <p>"I imagined I saw him," she said to herself, slowly walking up the steps + and listening. She caught the sound of slow steps, and stopping at a + turn in the stairway, she bent over to look below, and again saw the + pockmarked face smiling up at her.</p> + + <p>"Nikolay! Nikolay!" she whispered, and ran down to meet him. Her heart, + stung by disappointment, ached for her son.</p> + + <p>"Go, go!" he answered in an undertone, waving his hand.</p> + + <p>She quickly ran up the stairs, walked into Yegor's room, and found him + lying on the sofa. She gasped in a whisper:</p> + + <p>"Nikolay is out of prison!"</p> + + <p>"Which Nikolay?" asked Yegor, raising his head from the pillow. "There + are two there."</p> + + <p>"Vyesovshchikov. He's coming here!"</p> + + <p>"Fine! But I can't rise to meet him."</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov had already come into the room. He locked the door after + him, and taking off his hat laughed quietly, stroking his hair. Yegor + raised himself on his elbows.</p> + + <p>"Please, signor, make yourself at home," he said with a nod.</p> + + <p>Without saying anything, a broad smile on his face, Nikolay walked up to + the mother and grasped her hand.</p> + + <p>"If I had not seen you I might as well have returned to prison. I know + nobody in the city. If I had gone to the suburbs they would have seized + me at once. So I walked about, and thought what a fool I was—why had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> I + escaped? Suddenly I see Nilovna running; off I am, after you."</p> + + <p>"How did you make your escape?"</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov sat down awkwardly on the edge of the sofa and pressed + Yegor's hand.</p> + + <p>"I don't know how," he said in an embarrassed manner. "Simply a chance. + I was taking my airing, and the prisoners began to beat the overseer of + the jail. There's one overseer there who was expelled from the + gendarmerie for stealing. He's a spy, an informer, and tortures the life + out of everybody. They gave him a drubbing, there was a hubbub, the + overseers got frightened and blew their whistles. I noticed the gates + open. I walked up and saw an open square and the city. It drew me + forward and I went away without haste, as if in sleep. I walked a little + and bethought myself: 'Where am I to go?' I looked around and the gates + of the prison were already closed. I began to feel awkward. I was sorry + for the comrades in general. It was stupid somehow. I hadn't thought of + going away."</p> + + <p>"Hm!" said Yegor. "Why, sir, you should have turned back, respectfully + knocked at the prison door, and begged for admission. 'Excuse me,' you + should have said,'I was tempted; but here I am.'"</p> + + <p>"Yes," continued Nikolay, smiling; "that would have been stupid, too, I + understand. But for all that, it's not nice to the other comrades. I + walk away without saying anything to anybody. Well, I kept on going, and + I came across a child's funeral. I followed the hearse with my head bent + down, looking at nobody. I sat down in the cemetery and enjoyed the + fresh air. One thought came into my head——"</p> + + <p>"One?" asked Yegor. Fetching breath, he added: "I suppose it won't feel + crowded there."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov laughed without taking offense, and shook his head.</p> + + <p>"Well, my brain's not so empty now as it used to be. And you, Yegor + Ivanovich, still sick?"</p> + + <p>"Each one does what he can. No one has a right to interfere with him." + Yegor evaded an answer; he coughed hoarsely. "Continue."</p> + + <p>"Then I went to a public museum. I walked about there, looked around, + and kept thinking all the time: 'Where am I to go next?' I even began to + get angry with myself. Besides, I got dreadfully hungry. I walked into + the street and kept on trotting. I felt very down in the mouth. And then + I saw police officers looking at everybody closely. 'Well,' thinks I to + myself, 'with my face I'll arrive at God's judgment seat pretty soon.' + Suddenly Nilovna came running opposite me. I turned about, and off I + went after her. That's all."</p> + + <p>"And I didn't even see you," said the mother guiltily.</p> + + <p>"The comrades are probably uneasy about me. They must be wondering where + I am," said Nikolay, scratching his head.</p> + + <p>"Aren't you sorry for the officials? I guess they're uneasy, too," + teased Yegor. He moved heavily on the sofa, and said seriously and + solicitously: "However, jokes aside, we must hide you—by no means as + easy as pleasant. If I could get up—" His breath gave out. He clapped + his hand to his breast, and with a weak movement began to rub it.</p> + + <p>"You've gotten very sick, Yegor Ivanovich," said Nikolay gloomily, + drooping his head. The mother sighed and cast an anxious glance about + the little, crowded room.</p> + + <p>"That's my own affair. Granny, you ask about Pavel. No reason to feign + indifference," said Yegor.</p> + + <p>Vyesovshchikov smiled broadly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Pavel's all right; he's strong; he's like an elder among us; he + converses with the officials and gives commands; he's respected. There's + good reason for it."</p> + + <p>Vlasova nodded her head, listening, and looked sidewise at the swollen, + bluish face of Yegor, congealed to immobility, devoid of expression. It + seemed strangely flat, only the eyes flashed with animation and + cheerfulness.</p> + + <p>"I wish you'd give me something to eat. I'm frightfully hungry," Nikolay + cried out unexpectedly, and smiled sheepishly.</p> + + <p>"Granny, there's bread on the shelf—give it to him. Then go out in the + corridor, to the second door on the left, and knock. A woman will open + it, and you'll tell her to snatch up everything she has to eat and come + here."</p> + + <p>"Why everything?" protested Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"Don't get excited. It's not much—maybe nothing at all."</p> + + <p>The mother went out and rapped at the door. She strained her ears for an + answering sound, while thinking of Yegor with dread and grief. He was + dying, she knew.</p> + + <p>"Who is it?" somebody asked on the other side of the door.</p> + + <p>"It's from Yegor Ivanovich," the mother whispered. "He asked you to come + to him."</p> + + <p>"I'll come at once," the woman answered without opening the door. The + mother waited a moment, and knocked again. This time the door opened + quickly, and a tall woman wearing glasses stepped out into the hall, + rapidly tidying the ruffled sleeves of her waist. She asked the mother + harshly:</p> + + <p>"What do you want?"</p> + + <p>"I'm from Yegor Ivanovich."</p> + + <p>"Aha! Come! Oh, yes, I know you!" the woman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> exclaimed in a low voice. + "How do you do? It's dark here."</p> + + <p>Nilovna looked at her and remembered that this woman had come to + Nikolay's home on rare occasions.</p> + + <p>"All comrades!" flashed through her mind.</p> + + <p>The woman compelled Nilovna to walk in front.</p> + + <p>"Is he feeling bad?"</p> + + <p>"Yes; he's lying down. He asked you to bring something to eat."</p> + + <p>"Well, he doesn't need anything to eat."</p> + + <p>When they walked into Yegor's room they were met by the words:</p> + + <p>"I'm preparing to join my forefathers, my friend. Liudmila Vasilyevna, + this man walked away from prison without the permission of the + authorities—a bit of shameless audacity. Before all, feed him, then + hide him somewhere for a day or two."</p> + + <p>The woman nodded her head and looked carefully at the sick man's face.</p> + + <p>"Stop your chattering, Yegor," she said sternly. "You know it's bad for + you. You ought to have sent for me at once, as soon as they came. And I + see you didn't take your medicine. What do you mean by such negligence? + You yourself say it's easier for you to breathe after a dose. Comrade, + come to my place. They'll soon call for Yegor from the hospital."</p> + + <p>"So I'm to go to the hospital, after all?" asked Yegor, puckering up his + face.</p> + + <p>"Yes, I'll be there with you."</p> + + <p>"There, too?"</p> + + <p>"Hush!"</p> + + <p>As she talked she adjusted the blanket on Yegor's breast, looked fixedly + at Nikolay, and with her eyes measured the quantity of medicine in the + bottle. She spoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> evenly, not loud, but in a resonant voice. Her + movements were easy, her face was pale, with large blue circles around + her eyes. Her black eyebrows almost met at the bridge of the nose, + deepening the setting of her dark, stern eyes. Her face did not please + the mother; it seemed haughty in its sternness and immobility, and her + eyes were rayless. She always spoke in a tone of command.</p> + + <p>"We are going away," she continued. "I'll return soon. Give Yegor a + tablespoon of this medicine."</p> + + <p>"Very well," said the mother.</p> + + <p>"And don't let him speak." She walked away, taking Nikolay with her.</p> + + <p>"Admirable woman!" said Yegor with a sigh. "Magnificent woman! You ought + to be working with her, granny. You see, she gets very much worn out. + It's she that does all the printing for us."</p> + + <p>"Don't speak. Here, you'd better take this medicine," the mother said + gently.</p> + + <p>He swallowed the medicine and continued, for some reason screwing up one + eye:</p> + + <p>"I'll die all the same, even if I don't speak."</p> + + <p>He looked into the mother's face with his other eye, and his lips slowly + formed themselves into a smile. The mother bent her head, a sharp + sensation of pity bringing tears into her eyes.</p> + + <p>"Never mind, granny. It's natural. The pleasure of living carries with + it the obligation to die."</p> + + <p>The mother put her hand on his, and again said softly:</p> + + <p>"Keep quiet, please!"</p> + + <p>He shut his eyes as if listening to the rattle in his breast, and went + on stubbornly.</p> + + <p>"It's senseless to keep quiet, granny. What'll I gain by keeping quiet? + A few superfluous seconds of agony.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> And I'll lose the great pleasure of + chattering with a good person. I think that in the next world there + aren't such good people as here."</p> + + <p>The mother uneasily interrupted him.</p> + + <p>"The lady will come, and she'll scold me because you talk."</p> + + <p>"She's no lady. She's a revolutionist, the daughter of a village scribe, + a teacher. She is sure to scold you anyhow, granny. She scolds everybody + always." And, slowly moving his lips with an effort, Yegor began to + relate the life history of his neighbor. His eyes smiled. The mother saw + that he was bantering her purposely. As she regarded his face, covered + with a moist blueness, she thought distressfully that he was near to + death.</p> + + <p>Liudmila entered, and carefully closing the door after her, said, + turning to Vlasova:</p> + + <p>"Your friend ought to change his clothes without fail, and leave here as + soon as possible. So go at once; get him some clothes, and bring them + here. I'm sorry Sofya's not here. Hiding people is her specialty."</p> + + <p>"She's coming to-morrow," remarked Vlasova, throwing her shawl over her + shoulders. Every time she was given a commission the strong desire + seized her to accomplish it promptly and well, and she was unable to + think of anything but the task before her. Now, lowering her brows with + an air of preoccupation, she asked zealously:</p> + + <p>"How should we dress him, do you think?"</p> + + <p>"It's all the same. It's night, you know."</p> + + <p>"At night it's worse. There are less people on the street, and the + police spy around more; and, you know, he's rather awkward."</p> + + <p>Yegor laughed hoarsely.</p> + + <p>"You're a young girl yet, granny."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span></p> + + <p>"May I visit you in the hospital?"</p> + + <p>He nodded his head, coughing. Liudmila glanced at the mother with her + dark eyes and suggested:</p> + + <p>"Do you want to take turns with me in attending him? Yes? Very well. And + now go quickly."</p> + + <p>She vigorously seized Vlasova by the hand, with perfect good nature, + however, and led her out of the door.</p> + + <p>"You mustn't be offended," she said softly, "because I dismiss you so + abruptly. I know it's rude; but it's harmful for him to speak, and I + still have hopes of his recovery." She pressed her hands together until + the bones cracked. Her eyelids drooped wearily over her eyes.</p> + + <p>The explanation disturbed the mother. She murmured:</p> + + <p>"Don't talk that way. The idea! Who thought of rudeness? I'm going; + good-by."</p> + + <p>"Look out for the spies!" whispered the woman.</p> + + <p>"I know," the mother answered with some pride.</p> + + <p>She stopped for a minute outside the gate to look around sharply under + the pretext of adjusting her kerchief. She was already able to + distinguish spies in a street crowd almost immediately. She recognized + the exaggerated carelessness of their gait, their strained attempt to be + free in their gestures, the expression of tedium on their faces, the + wary, guilty glimmer of their restless, unpleasantly sharp gaze badly + hidden behind their feigned candor.</p> + + <p>This time she did not notice any familiar faces, and walked along the + street without hastening. She took a cab, and gave orders to be driven + to the market place. When buying the clothes for Nikolay she bargained + vigorously with the salespeople, all the while scolding at her drunken + husband whom she had to dress anew every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> month. The tradespeople paid + little attention to her talk, but she herself was greatly pleased with + her ruse. On the road she had calculated that the police would, of + course, understand the necessity for Nikolay to change his clothes, and + would send spies to the market. With such naïve precautions, she + returned to Yegor's quarters; then she had to escort Nikolay to the + outskirts of the city. They took different sides of the street, and it + was amusing to the mother to see how Vyesovshchikov strode along + heavily, with bent head, his legs getting tangled in the long flaps of + his russet-colored coat, his hat falling over his nose. In one of the + deserted streets, Sashenka met them, and the mother, taking leave of + Vyesovshchikov with a nod of her head, turned toward home with a sigh of + relief.</p> + + <p>"And Pasha is in prison with Andriusha!" she thought sadly.</p> + + <p>Nikolay met her with an anxious exclamation:</p> + + <p>"You know that Yegor is in a very bad way, very bad! He was taken to the + hospital. Liudmila was here. She asks you to come to her there."</p> + + <p>"At the hospital?"</p> + + <p>Adjusting his eyeglasses with a nervous gesture, Nikolay helped her on + with her jacket and pressed her hand in a dry, hot grasp. His voice was + low and tremulous. "Yes. Take this package with you. Have you disposed + of Vyesovshchikov all right?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, all right."</p> + + <p>"I'll come to Yegor, too!"</p> + + <p>The mother's head was in a whirl with fatigue, and Nikolay's emotion + aroused in her a sad premonition of the drama's end.</p> + + <p>"So he's dying—he's dying!" The dark thought knocked at her brain + heavily and dully.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p> + + <p>But when she entered the bright, tidy little room of the hospital and + saw Yegor sitting on the pallet propped against the wide bosom of the + pillow, and heard him laugh with zest, she was at once relieved. She + paused at the door, smiling, and listened to Yegor talk with the + physician in a hoarse but lively voice.</p> + + <p>"A cure is a reform."</p> + + <p>"Don't talk nonsense!" the physician cried officiously in a thin voice.</p> + + <p>"And I'm a revolutionist! I detest reforms!"</p> + + <p>The physician, thoughtfully pulling his beard, felt the dropsical + swelling on Yegor's face. The mother knew him well. He was Ivan + Danilovich, one of the close comrades of Nikolay. She walked up to + Yegor, who thrust forth his tongue by way of welcome to her. The + physician turned around.</p> + + <p>"Ah, Nilovna! How are you? Sit down. What have you in your hand?"</p> + + <p>"It must be books."</p> + + <p>"He mustn't read."</p> + + <p>"The doctor wants to make an idiot of me," Yegor complained.</p> + + <p>"Keep quiet!" the physician commanded, and began to write in a little + book.</p> + + <p>The short, heavy breaths, accompanied by rattling in his throat, fairly + tore themselves from Yegor's breast, and his face became covered with + thin perspiration. Slowly raising his swollen hand, he wiped his + forehead with the palm. The strange immobility of his swollen cheeks + denaturalized his broad, good face, all the features of which + disappeared under the dead, bluish mask. Only his eyes, deeply sunk + beneath the swellings, looked out clear and smiling benevolently.</p> + + <p>"Oh, Science, I'm tired! May I lie down?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p> + + <p>"No, you mayn't."</p> + + <p>"But I'm going to lie down after you go."</p> + + <p>"Nilovna, please don't let him. It's bad for him."</p> + + <p>The mother nodded. The physician hurried off with short steps. Yegor + threw back his head, closed his eyes and sank into a torpor, motionless + save for the twitching of his fingers. The white walls of the little + room seemed to radiate a dry coldness and a pale, faceless sadness. + Through the large window peered the tufted tops of the lime trees, amid + whose dark, dusty foliage yellow stains were blazing, the cold touches + of approaching autumn.</p> + + <p>"Death is coming to me slowly, reluctantly," said Yegor without moving + and without opening his eyes. "He seems to be a little sorry for me. I + was such a fine, sociable chap."</p> + + <p>"You'd better keep quiet, Yegor Ivanovich!" the mother bade, quietly + stroking his hand.</p> + + <p>"Wait, granny, I'll be silent soon."</p> + + <p>Losing breath every once in a while, enunciating the words with a mighty + effort, he continued his talk, interrupted by long spells of faintness.</p> + + <p>"It's splendid to have you with me. It's pleasant to see your face, + granny, and your eyes so alert, and your <i>naïveté</i>. 'How will it end?' I + ask myself. It's sad to think that the prison, exile, and all sorts of + vile outrages await you as everybody else. Are you afraid of prison?"</p> + + <p>"No," answered the mother softly.</p> + + <p>"But after all the prison is a mean place. It's the prison that knocked + me up. To tell you the truth, I don't want to die."</p> + + <p>"Maybe you won't die yet," the mother was about to say, but a look at + his face froze the words on her lips.</p> + + <p>"If I hadn't gotten sick I could have worked yet, not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> badly; but if you + can't work there's nothing to live for, and it's stupid to live."</p> + + <p>"That's true, but it's no consolation." Andrey's words flashed into the + mother's mind, and she heaved a deep sigh. She was greatly fatigued by + the day, and hungry. The monotonous, humid, hoarse whisper of the sick + man filled the room and crept helplessly along the smooth, cold, shining + walls. At the windows the dark tops of the lime trees trembled quietly. + It was growing dusk, and Yegor's face on the pillow turned dark.</p> + + <p>"How bad I feel," he said. He closed his eyes and became silent. The + mother listened to his breathing, looked around, and sat for a few + minutes motionless, seized by a cold sensation of sadness. Finally she + dozed off.</p> + + <p>The muffled sound of a door being carefully shut awakened her, and she + saw the kind, open eyes of Yegor.</p> + + <p>"I fell asleep; excuse me," she said quietly.</p> + + <p>"And you excuse me," he answered, also quietly. At the door was heard a + rustle and Liudmila's voice.</p> + + <p>"They sit in the darkness and whisper. Where is the knob?"</p> + + <p>The room trembled and suddenly became filled with a white, unfriendly + light. In the middle of the room stood Liudmila, all black, tall, + straight, and serious. Yegor transferred his glance to her, and making a + great effort to move his body, raised his hand to his breast.</p> + + <p>"What's the matter?" exclaimed Liudmila, running up to him. He looked at + the mother with fixed eyes, and now they seemed large and strangely + bright.</p> + + <p>"Wait!" he whispered.</p> + + <p>Opening his mouth wide, he raised his head and stretched his hand + forward. The mother carefully held it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> up and caught her breath as she + looked into his face. With a convulsive and powerful movement of his + neck he flung his head back, and said aloud:</p> + + <p>"Give me air!"</p> + + <p>A quiver ran through his body; his head dropped limply on his shoulder, + and in his wide open eyes the cold light of the lamp burning over the + bed was reflected dully.</p> + + <p>"My darling!" whispered the mother, firmly pressing his hand, which + suddenly grew heavy.</p> + + <p>Liudmila slowly walked away from the bed, stopped at the window and + stared into space.</p> + + <p>"He's dead!" she said in an unusually loud voice unfamiliar to Vlasova. + She bent down, put her elbows on the window sill, and repeated in dry, + startled tones: "He's dead! He died calmly, like a man, without + complaint." And suddenly, as if struck a blow on the head, she dropped + faintly on her knees, covered her face, and gave vent to dull, stifled + groans.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIIb" id="CHAPTER_VIIb"></a>CHAPTER VII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The mother folded Yegor's hands over his breast and adjusted his head, + which was strangely warm, on the pillow. Then silently wiping her eyes, + she went to Liudmila, bent over her, and quietly stroked her thick hair. + The woman slowly turned around to her, her dull eyes widened in a sickly + way. She rose to her feet, and with trembling lips whispered:</p></div> + + <p>"I've known him for a long time. We were in exile together. We went + there together on foot, we sat in prison together; at times it was + intolerable, disgusting; many fell in spirit."</p> + + <p>Her dry, loud groans stuck in her throat. She overcame them with an + effort, and bringing her face nearer to the mother's she continued in a + quick whisper, moaning without tears:</p> + + <p>"Yet he was unconquerably jolly. He joked and laughed, and covered up + his suffering in a manly way, always striving to encourage the weak. He + was always good, alert, kind. There, in Siberia, idleness depraves + people, and often calls forth ugly feelings toward life. How he mastered + such feelings! What a comrade he was! If you only knew. His own life was + hard and tormented; but I know that nobody ever heard him complain, not + a soul—never! Here was I, nearer to him than others. I'm greatly + indebted to his heart, to his mind.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> He gave me all he could of it; and + though exhausted, he never asked either kindness or attention in + return."</p> + + <p>She walked up to Yegor, bent down and kissed him. Her voice was husky as + she said mournfully:</p> + + <p>"Comrade, my dear, dear friend, I thank you with all my heart! Good-by. + I shall work as you worked—unassailed by doubt—all my life—good-by!"</p> + + <p>The dry, sharp groans shook her body, and gasping for breath she laid + her head on the bed at Yegor's feet. The mother wept silent tears which + seared her cheeks. For some reason she tried to restrain them. She + wanted to fondle Liudmila, and wanted to speak about Yegor with words of + love and grief. She looked through her tears at his swollen face, at his + eyes calmly covered by his drooping eyelids as in sleep, and at his dark + lips set in a light, serene smile. It was quiet, and a bleak brightness + pervaded the room.</p> + + <p>Ivan Danilovich entered, as always, with short, hasty steps. He suddenly + stopped in the middle of the room, and thrust his hands into his pockets + with a quick gesture.</p> + + <p>"Did it happen long ago?" His voice was loud and nervous.</p> + + <p>Neither woman replied. He quietly swung about, and wiping his forehead + went to Yegor, pressed his hand, and stepped to one side.</p> + + <p>"It's not strange—with his heart. It might have happened six months + ago."</p> + + <p>His voice, high-pitched and jarringly loud for the occasion, suddenly + broke off. Leaning his back against the wall, he twisted his beard with + nimble fingers, and winking his eyes, rapidly looked at the group by the + bed.</p> + + <p>"One more!" he muttered.</p> + + <p>Liudmila rose and walked over to the window. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> mother raised her head + and glanced around with a sigh. A minute afterwards they all three stood + at the open window, pressing close against one another, and looked at + the dusky face of the autumn night. On the black tops of the trees + glittered the stars, endlessly deepening the distance of the sky.</p> + + <p>Liudmila took the mother by the hand, and silently pressed her head to + her shoulders. The physician nervously bit his lips and wiped his + eyeglasses with his handkerchief. In the stillness beyond the window the + nocturnal noise of the city heaved wearily, and cold air blew on their + faces and shoulders. Liudmila trembled; the mother saw tears running + down her cheeks. From the corridor of the hospital floated confused, + dismal sounds. The three stood motionless at the window, looking + silently into the darkness.</p> + + <p>The mother felt herself not needed, and carefully freeing her hand, went + to the door, bowing to Yegor.</p> + + <p>"Are you going?" the physician asked softly without looking around.</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>In the street she thought with pity of Liudmila, remembering her scant + tears. She couldn't even have a good cry. Then she pictured to herself + Liudmila and the physician in the extremely light white room, the dead + eyes of Yegor behind them. A compassion for all people oppressed her. + She sighed heavily, and hastened her pace, driven along by her + tumultuous feelings.</p> + + <p>"I must hurry," she thought in obedience to a sad but encouraging power + that jostled her from within.</p> + + <p>The whole of the following day the mother was busy with preparations for + the funeral. In the evening when she, Nikolay, and Sofya were drinking + tea, quietly talking about Yegor, Sashenka appeared, strangely brimming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> + over with good spirits, her cheeks brilliantly red, her eyes beaming + happily. She seemed to be filled with some joyous hope. Her animation + contrasted sharply with the mournful gloom of the others. The discordant + note disturbed them and dazzled them like a fire that suddenly flashes + in the darkness. Nikolay thoughtfully struck his fingers on the table + and smiled quietly.</p> + + <p>"You're not like yourself to-day, Sasha."</p> + + <p>"Perhaps," she laughed happily.</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her in mute remonstrance, and Sofya observed in a + tone of admonishment:</p> + + <p>"And we were talking about Yegor Ivanovich."</p> + + <p>"What a wonderful fellow, isn't he?" she exclaimed. "Modest, proof + against doubt, he probably never yielded to sorrow. I have never seen + him without a joke on his lips; and what a worker! He is an artist of + the revolution, a great master, who skillfully manipulates revolutionary + thoughts. With what simplicity and power he always draws his pictures of + falsehood, violence and untruth! And what a capacity he has for + tempering the horrible with his gay humor which does not diminish the + force of facts but only the more brightly illumines his inner thought! + Always droll! I am greatly indebted to him, and I shall never forget his + merry eyes, his fun. And I shall always feel the effect of his ideas + upon me in the time of my doubts—I love him!"</p> + + <p>She spoke in a moderated voice, with a melancholy smile in her eyes. But + the incomprehensible fire of her gaze was not extinguished; her + exultation was apparent to everybody.</p> + + <p>People love their own feelings—sometimes the very feelings that are + harmful to them—are enamored of them, and often derive keen pleasure + even from grief, a pleasure that corrodes the heart. Nikolay, the + mother, and Sofya<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> were unwilling to let the sorrowful mood produced by + the death of their comrade give way to the joy brought in by Sasha. + Unconsciously defending their melancholy right to feed on their sadness, + they tried to impose their feelings on the girl.</p> + + <p>"And now he's dead," announced Sofya, watching her carefully.</p> + + <p>Sasha glanced around quickly, with a questioning look. She knit her + eyebrows and lowered her head. She was silent for a short time, + smoothing her hair with slow strokes of her hand.</p> + + <p>"He's dead?" She again cast a searching glance into their faces. "It's + hard for me to reconcile myself to the idea."</p> + + <p>"But it's a fact," said Nikolay with a smile.</p> + + <p>Sasha arose, walked up and down the room, and suddenly stopping, said in + a strange voice:</p> + + <p>"What does 'to die' signify? What died? Did my respect for Yegor die? My + love for him, a comrade? The memory of his mind's labor? Did that labor + die? Did all our impressions of him as of a hero disappear without + leaving a trace? Did all this die? This best in him will never die out + of me, I know. It seems to me we're in too great a hurry to say of a man + 'he's dead.' That's the reason we too soon forget that a man never dies + if we don't wish our impressions of his manhood, his self-denying toil + for the triumph of truth and happiness to disappear. We forget that + everything should always be alive in living hearts. Don't be in a hurry + to bury the eternally alive, the ever luminous, along with a man's body. + The church is destroyed, but God is immortal."</p> + + <p>Carried away by her emotions she sat down, leaning her elbows on the + table, and continued more thoughtfully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> in a lower voice, looking + smilingly through mist-covered eyes at the faces of the comrades:</p> + + <p>"Maybe I'm talking nonsense. But life intoxicates me by its wonderful + complexity, by the variety of its phenomena, which at times seem like a + miracle to me. Perhaps we are too sparing in the expenditure of our + feelings. We live a great deal in our thoughts, and that spoils us to a + certain extent. We estimate, but we don't feel."</p> + + <p>"Did anything good happen to you?" asked Sofya with a smile.</p> + + <p>"Yes," said Sasha, nodding her head. "I had a whole night's talk with + Vyesovshchikov. I didn't use to like him. He seemed rude and dull. + Undoubtedly that's what he was. A dark, immovable irritation at + everybody lived in him. He always used to place himself, as it were, + like a dead weight in the center of things, and wrathfully say, 'I, I, + I.' There was something bourgeois in this, low, and exasperating." She + smiled, and again took in everybody with her burning look.</p> + + <p>"Now he says: 'Comrades'—and you ought to hear how he says it, with + what a stirring, tender love. He has grown marvelously simple and + open-hearted, and possessed with a desire to work. He has found himself, + he has measured his power, and knows what he is not. But the main thing + is, a true comradely feeling has been born in him, a broad, loving + comradeship, which smiles in the face of every difficulty in life."</p> + + <p>Vlasova listened to Sasha attentively. She was glad to see this girl, + always so stern, now softened, cheerful, and happy. Yet from some deeps + of her soul arose the jealous thought: "And how about Pasha?"</p> + + <p>"He's entirely absorbed in thoughts of the comrades," continued Sasha. + "And do you know of what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> he assures me? Of the necessity of arranging + an escape for them. He says it's a very simple, easy matter."</p> + + <p>Sofya raised her head, and said animatedly:</p> + + <p>"And what do <i>you</i> think, Sasha? Is it feasible?"</p> + + <p>The mother trembled as she set a cup of tea on the table. Sasha knit her + brows, her animation gone from her. After a moment's silence, she said + in a serious voice, but smiling in joyous confusion:</p> + + <p>"<i>He's</i> convinced. If everything is really as he says, we ought to try. + It's our duty." She blushed, dropped into a chair, and lapsed into + silence.</p> + + <p>"My dear, dear girl!" the mother thought, smiling. Sofya also smiled, + and Nikolay, looking tenderly into Sasha's face, laughed quietly. The + girl raised her head with a stern glance for all. Then she paled, and + her eyes flashed, and she said dryly, the offense she felt evident in + her voice:</p> + + <p>"You're laughing. I understand you. You consider me personally + interested in the case, don't you?"</p> + + <p>"Why, Sasha?" asked Sofya, rising and going over to her.</p> + + <p>Agitated, pale, the girl continued:</p> + + <p>"But I decline. I'll not take any part in deciding the question if you + consider it."</p> + + <p>"Stop, Sasha," said Nikolay calmly.</p> + + <p>The mother understood the girl. She went to her and kissed her silently + on her head. Sasha seized her hand, leaned her cheek on it, and raised + her reddened face, looking into the mother's eyes, troubled and happy. + The mother silently stroked her hair. She felt sad at heart. Sofya + seated herself at Sasha's side, her arm over her shoulder, and said, + smiling into the girl's eyes:</p> + + <p>"You're a strange person."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Yes, I think I've grown foolish," Sasha acknowledged. "But I don't like + shadows."</p> + + <p>"That'll do," said Nikolay seriously, but immediately followed up the + admonition by the businesslike remark: "There can't be two opinions as + to the escape, if it's possible to arrange it. But before everything, we + must know whether the comrades in prison want it."</p> + + <p>Sasha drooped her head. Sofya, lighting a cigarette, looked at her + brother, and with a broad sweep of her arm dropped the match in a + corner.</p> + + <p>"How is it possible they should not want it?" asked the mother with a + sigh. Sofya nodded to her, smiling, and walked over to the window. The + mother could not understand the failure of the others to respond, and + looked at them in perplexity. She wanted so much to hear more about the + possibility of an escape.</p> + + <p>"I must see Vyesovshchikov," said Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"All right. To-morrow I'll tell you when and where," replied Sasha.</p> + + <p>"What is he going to do?" asked Sofya, pacing through the room.</p> + + <p>"It's been decided to make him compositor in a new printing place. Until + then he'll stay with the forester."</p> + + <p>Sasha's brow lowered. Her face assumed its usual severe expression. Her + voice sounded caustic. Nikolay walked up to the mother, who was washing + cups, and said to her:</p> + + <p>"You'll see Pasha day after to-morrow. Hand him a note when you're + there. Do you understand? We must know."</p> + + <p>"I understand. I understand," the mother answered quickly. "I'll deliver + it to him all right. That's my business."</p> + + <p>"I'm going," Sasha announced, and silently shook<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> hands with everybody. + She strode away, straight and dry-eyed, with a peculiarly heavy tread.</p> + + <p>"Poor girl!" said Sofya softly.</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," Nikolay drawled. Sofya put her hand on the mother's shoulder + and gave her a gentle little shake as she sat in the chair.</p> + + <p>"Would you love such a daughter?" and Sofya looked into the mother's + face.</p> + + <p>"Oh! If I could see them together, if only for one day!" exclaimed + Nilovna, ready to weep.</p> + + <p>"Yes, a bit of happiness is good for everybody."</p> + + <p>"But there are no people who want only a bit of happiness," remarked + Nikolay; "and when there's much of it, it becomes cheap."</p> + + <p>Sofya sat herself at the piano, and began to play something low and + doleful.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIIIb" id="CHAPTER_VIIIb"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The next morning a number of men and women stood at the gate of the + hospital waiting for the coffin of their comrade to be carried out to + the street. Spies watchfully circled about, their ears alert to catch + each sound, noting faces, manners, and words. From the other side of the + street a group of policemen with revolvers at their belts looked on. The + impudence of the spies, the mocking smiles of the police ready to show + their power, were strong provocatives to the crowd. Some joked to cover + their excitement; others looked down on the ground sullenly, trying not + to notice the affronts; still others, unable to restrain their wrath, + laughed in sarcasm at the government, which feared people armed with + nothing but words. The pale blue sky of autumn gleamed upon the round, + gray paving stones of the streets, strewn with yellow leaves, which the + wind kept whirling about under the people's feet.</p></div> + + <p>The mother stood in the crowd. She looked around at the familiar faces + and thought with sadness: "There aren't many of you, not many."</p> + + <p>The gate opened, and the coffin, decorated with wreaths tied with red + ribbons, was carried out. The people, as if inspired with one will, + silently raised their hats. A tall officer of police with a thick black + mustache on a red face unceremoniously jostled his way through the + crowd, followed by the soldiers, whose heavy boots<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span> trampled loudly on + the stones. They made a cordon around the coffin, and the officer said + in a hoarse, commanding voice:</p> + + <p>"Remove the ribbons, please!"</p> + + <p>The men and women pressed closely about him. They called to him, waving + their hands excitedly and trying to push past one another. The mother + caught the flash of pale, agitated countenances, some of them with + quivering lips and tears.</p> + + <p>"Down with violence!" a young voice shouted nervously. But the lonely + outcry was lost in the general clamor.</p> + + <p>The mother also felt bitterness in her heart. She turned in indignation + to her neighbor, a poorly dressed young man.</p> + + <p>"They don't permit a man's comrades even to bury him as they want to. + What do they mean by it?"</p> + + <p>The hubbub increased and hostility waxed strong. The coffin rocked over + the heads of the people. The silken rustling of the ribbons fluttering + in the wind about the heads and faces of the carriers could be heard + amid the noise of the strife.</p> + + <p>The mother was seized with a shuddering dread of the possible collision, + and she quickly spoke in an undertone to her neighbors on the right and + on the left:</p> + + <p>"Why not let them have their way if they're like that? The comrades + ought to yield and remove the ribbons. What else can they do?"</p> + + <p>A loud, sharp voice subdued all the other noises:</p> + + <p>"We demand not to be disturbed in accompanying on his last journey one + whom you tortured to death!"</p> + + <p>Somebody—apparently a girl—sang out in a high, piping voice:</p> + + <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> + <span class="i0">"In mortal strife your victims fell."<br /></span> + <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span></div></div> + + <p>"Remove the ribbons, please, Yakovlev! Cut them off!"</p> + + <p>A saber was heard issuing from its scabbard. The mother closed her eyes, + awaiting shouts; but it grew quieter.</p> + + <p>The people growled like wolves at bay; then silently drooping their + heads, crushed by the consciousness of impotence, they moved forward, + filling the street with the noise of their tramping. Before them swayed + the stripped cover of the coffin with the crumpled wreaths, and swinging + from side to side rode the mounted police. The mother walked on the + pavement; she was unable to see the coffin through the dense crowd + surrounding it, which imperceptibly grew and filled the whole breadth of + the street. Back of the crowd also rose the gray figures of the mounted + police; at their sides, holding their hands on their sabers, marched the + policemen on foot, and everywhere were the sharp eyes of the spies, + familiar to the mother, carefully scanning the faces of the people.</p> + + <p>"Good-by, comrade, good-by!" plaintively sang two beautiful voices.</p> + + <p>"Don't!" a shout was heard. "We will be silent, comrades—for the + present."</p> + + <p>The shout was stern and imposing; it carried an assuring threat, and it + subdued the crowd. The sad songs broke off; the talking became lower; + only the noise of heavy tramping on the stones filled the street with + its dull, even sound. Over the heads of the people, into the transparent + sky, and through the air it rose like the first peal of distant thunder. + People silently bore grief and revolt in their breasts. Was it possible + to carry on the war for freedom peacefully? A vain illusion! Hatred of + violence, love of freedom blazed up and burned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> the last remnants of the + illusion to ashes in the hearts that still cherished it. The steps + became heavier, heads were raised, eyes looked cold and firm, and + feeling, outstripping thought, brought forth resolve. The cold wind, + waxing stronger and stronger, carried an unfriendly cloud of dust and + street litter in front of the people. It blew through their garments and + their hair, blinded their eyes and struck against their breasts.</p> + + <p>The mother was pained by these silent funerals without priests and + heart-oppressing chants, with thoughtful faces, frowning brows, and the + heavy tramp of the feet. Her slowly circling thoughts formulated her + impression in the melancholy phrase:</p> + + <p>"There are not many of you who stand up for the truth, not many; and yet + they fear you, they fear you!"</p> + + <p>Her head bent, she strode along without looking around. It seemed to her + that they were burying, not Yegor, but something else unknown and + incomprehensible to her.</p> + + <p>At the cemetery the procession for a long time moved in and out along + the narrow paths amid the tombs until an open space was reached, which + was sprinkled with wretched little crosses. The people gathered about + the graves in silence. This austere silence of the living among the dead + promised something strange, which caused the mother's heart to tremble + and sink with expectation. The wind whistled and sighed among the + graves. The flowers trembled on the lid of the coffin.</p> + + <p>The police, stretching out in a line, assumed an attitude of guard, + their eyes on their captain. A tall, long-haired, black-browed, pale + young man without a hat stood over the fresh grave. At the same time the + hoarse voice of the captain was heard:</p> + + <p>"Ladies and gentlemen!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Comrades!" began the black-browed man sonorously.</p> + + <p>"Permit me!" shouted the police captain. "In pursuance of the order of + the chief of police I announce to you that I cannot permit a speech!"</p> + + <p>"I will say only a few words," the young man said calmly. "Comrades! + over the grave of our teacher and friend let us vow in silence never to + forget his will; let each one of us continue without ceasing to dig the + grave for the source of our country's misfortune, the evil power that + crushes it—the autocracy!"</p> + + <p>"Arrest him!" shouted the police captain. But his voice was drowned in + the confused outburst of shouts.</p> + + <p>"Down with the autocracy!"</p> + + <p>The police rushed through the crowd toward the orator who, closely + surrounded on all sides, shouted, waving his hand:</p> + + <p>"Long live liberty! We will live and die for it!"</p> + + <p>The mother shut her eyes in momentary fear. The boisterous tempest of + confused sounds deafened her. The earth rocked under her feet; terror + impeded her breathing. The startling whistles of the policemen pierced + the air. The rude, commanding voice of the captain was heard; the women + cried hysterically. The wooden fences cracked, and the heavy tread of + many feet sounded dully on the dry ground. A sonorous voice, subduing + all the other voices, blared like a war trumpet:</p> + + <p>"Comrades! Calm yourselves! Have more respect for yourselves! Let me go! + Comrades, I insist, let me go!"</p> + + <p>The mother looked up, and uttered a low exclamation. A blind impulse + carried her forward with outstretched hands. Not far from her, on a worn + path between the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> graves, the policemen were surrounding the long-haired + man and repelling the crowd that fell upon them from all sides. The + unsheathed bayonets flashed white and cold in the air, flying over the + heads of the people, and falling quickly again with a spiteful hiss. + Broken bits of the fence were brandished; the baleful shouts of the + struggling people rose wildly.</p> + + <p>The young man lifted his pale face, and his firm, calm voice sounded + above the storm of irritated outcries:</p> + + <p>"Comrades! Why do you spend your strength? Our task is to arm the + heads."</p> + + <p>He conquered. Throwing away their sticks, the people dropped out of the + throng one after the other; and the mother pushed forward. She saw how + Nikolay, with his hat fallen back on his neck, thrust aside the people, + intoxicated with the commotion, and heard his reproachful voice:</p> + + <p>"Have you lost your senses? Calm yourselves!"</p> + + <p>It seemed to her that one of his hands was red.</p> + + <p>"Nikolay Ivanovich, go away!" she shouted, rushing toward him.</p> + + <p>"Where are you going? They'll strike you there!"</p> + + <p>She stopped. Seizing her by the shoulder, Sofya stood at her side, + hatless, her jacket open, her other hand grasping a young, light-haired + man, almost a boy. He held his hands to his bruised face, and he + muttered with tremulous lips: "Let me go! It's nothing."</p> + + <p>"Take care of him! Take him home to us! Here's a handkerchief. Bandage + his face!" Sofya gave the rapid orders, and putting his hand into the + mother's ran away, saying:</p> + + <p>"Get out of this place quickly, else they'll arrest you!"</p> + + <p>The people scattered all over the cemetery. After them the policemen + strode heavily among the graves,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> clumsily entangling themselves in the + flaps of their military coats, cursing, and brandishing their bayonets.</p> + + <p>"Let's hurry!" said the mother, wiping the boy's face with the + handkerchief. "What's your name?"</p> + + <p>"Ivan." Blood spurted from his mouth. "Don't be worried; I don't feel + hurt. He hit me over the head with the handle of his saber, and I gave + him such a blow with a stick that he howled," the boy concluded, shaking + his blood-stained fist. "Wait—it'll be different. We'll choke you + without a fight, when we arise, all the working people."</p> + + <p>"Quick—hurry!" The mother urged him on, walking swiftly toward the + little wicket gate. It seemed to her that there, behind the fence in the + field, the police were lying in wait for them, ready to pounce on them + and beat them as soon as they went out. But on carefully opening the + gate, and looking out over the field clothed in the gray garb of autumn + dusk, its stillness and solitude at once gave her composure.</p> + + <p>"Let me bandage your face."</p> + + <p>"Never mind. I'm not ashamed to be seen with it as it is. The fight was + honorable—he hit me—I hit him——"</p> + + <p>The mother hurriedly bandaged his wound. The sight of fresh, flowing + blood filled her breast with terror and pity. Its humid warmth on her + fingers sent a cold, fine tremor through her body. Then, holding his + hand, she silently and quickly conducted the wounded youth through the + field. Freeing his mouth of the bandage, he said with a smile:</p> + + <p>"But where are you taking me, comrade? I can go by myself."</p> + + <p>But the mother perceived that he was reeling with faintness, that his + legs were unsteady, and his hands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> twitched. He spoke to her in a weak + voice, and questioned her without waiting for an answer:</p> + + <p>"I'm a tinsmith, and who are you? There were three of us in Yegor + Ivanovich's circle—three tinsmiths—and there were twelve men in all. + We loved him very much—may he have eternal life!—although I don't + believe in God—it's they, the dogs, that dupe us with God, so that we + should obey the authorities and suffer life patiently without kicking."</p> + + <p>In one of the streets the mother hailed a cab and put Ivan into it. She + whispered, "Now be silent," and carefully wrapped his face up in the + handkerchief. He raised his hand to his face, but was no longer able to + free his mouth. His hand fell feebly on his knees; nevertheless he + continued to mutter through the bandages:</p> + + <p>"I won't forget those blows; I'll score them against you, my dear sirs! + With Yegor there was another student, Titovich, who taught us political + economy—he was a very stern, tedious fellow—he was arrested."</p> + + <p>The mother, drawing the boy to her, put his head on her bosom in order + to muffle his voice. It was not necessary, however, for he suddenly grew + heavy and silent. In awful fear, she looked about sidewise out of the + corners of her eyes. She felt that the policemen would issue from some + corner, would see Ivan's bandaged head, would seize him and kill him.</p> + + <p>"Been drinking?" asked the driver, turning on the box with a benignant + smile.</p> + + <p>"Pretty full."</p> + + <p>"Your son?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, a shoemaker. I'm a cook."</p> + + <p>Shaking the whip over the horse, the driver again turned, and continued + in a lowered voice:</p> + + <p>"I heard there was a row in the cemetery just now.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> You see, they were + burying one of the politicals, one of those who are against the + authorities. They have a crow to pick with the authorities. He was + buried by fellows like him, his friends, it must be; and they up and + begin to shout: 'Down with the authorities! They ruin the people.' The + police began to beat them. It's said some were hewed down and killed. + But the police got it, too." He was silent, shaking his head as if + afflicted by some sorrow, and uttered in a strange voice: "They don't + even let the dead alone; they even bother people in their graves."</p> + + <p>The cab rattled over the stones. Ivan's head jostled softly against the + mother's bosom. The driver, sitting half-turned from his horse, mumbled + thoughtfully:</p> + + <p>"The people are beginning to boil. Every now and then some disorder + crops out. Yes! Last night the gendarmes came to our neighbors, and kept + up an ado till morning, and in the morning they led away a blacksmith. + It's said they'll take him to the river at night and drown him. And the + blacksmith—well—he was a wise man—he understood a great deal—and to + understand, it seems, is forbidden. He used to come to us and say: 'What + sort of life is the cabman's life?' 'It's true,' we say, 'the life of a + cabman is worse than a dog's.'"</p> + + <p>"Stop!" the mother said.</p> + + <p>Ivan awoke from the shock of the sudden halt, and groaned softly.</p> + + <p>"It shook him up!" remarked the driver. "Oh, whisky, whisky!"</p> + + <p>Ivan shifted his feet about with difficulty. His whole body swaying, he + walked through the entrance, and said:</p> + + <p>"Nothing—comrade, I can get along."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_IXb" id="CHAPTER_IXb"></a>CHAPTER IX</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_s.png" alt="S" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Sofya was already at home when they reached the house. She met the + mother with a cigarette in her teeth. She was somewhat ruffled, but, as + usual, bold and assured of manner. Putting the wounded man on the sofa, + she deftly unbound his head, giving orders and screwing up her eyes from + the smoke of her cigarette.</p></div> + + <p>"Ivan Danilovich!" she called out. "He's been brought here. You are + tired, Nilovna. You've had enough fright, haven't you? Well, rest now. + Nikolay, quick, give Nilovna some tea and a glass of port."</p> + + <p>Dizzied by her experience, the mother breathing heavily and feeling a + sickly pricking in her breast, said: "Don't bother about me."</p> + + <p>But her entire anxious being begged for attention and kindnesses.</p> + + <p>From the next room entered Nikolay with a bandaged hand, and the doctor, + Ivan Danilovich, all disheveled, his hair standing on end like the + spines of a hedgehog. He quickly stepped to Ivan, bent over him, and + said:</p> + + <p>"Water, Sofya Ivanovich, more water, clean linen strips, and cotton."</p> + + <p>The mother walked toward the kitchen; but Nikolay took her by the arm + with his left hand, and led her into the dining room.</p> + + <p>"He didn't speak to you; he was speaking to Sofya.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span> You've had enough + suffering, my dear woman, haven't you?"</p> + + <p>The mother met Nikolay's fixed, sympathetic glance, and, pressing his + head, exclaimed with a groan she could not restrain:</p> + + <p>"Oh, my darling, how fearful it was! They mowed the comrades down! They + mowed them down!"</p> + + <p>"I saw it," said Nikolay, giving her a glass of wine, and nodding his + head. "Both sides grew a little heated. But don't be uneasy; they used + the flats of their swords, and it seems only one was seriously wounded. + I saw him struck, and I myself carried him out of the crowd."</p> + + <p>His face and voice, and the warmth and brightness of the room quieted + Vlasova. Looking gratefully at him, she asked:</p> + + <p>"Did they hit you, too?"</p> + + <p>"It seems to me that I myself through carelessness knocked my hand + against something and tore off the skin. Drink some tea. The weather is + cold and you're dressed lightly."</p> + + <p>She stretched out her hand for the cup and saw that her fingers were + stained with dark clots of blood. She instinctively dropped her hands on + her knees. Her skirt was damp. Ivan Danilovich came in in his vest, his + shirt sleeves rolled up, and in response to Nikolay's mute question, + said in his thin voice:</p> + + <p>"The wound on his face is slight. His skull, however, is fractured, but + not very badly. He's a strong fellow, but he's lost a lot of blood. + We'll take him over to the hospital."</p> + + <p>"Why? Let him stay here!" exclaimed Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"To-day he may; and—well—to-morrow, too; but after that it'll be more + convenient for us to have him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> at the hospital. I have no time to pay + visits. You'll write a leaflet about the affair at the cemetery, won't + you?"</p> + + <p>"Of course!"</p> + + <p>The mother rose quietly and walked into the kitchen.</p> + + <p>"Where are you going, Nilovna?" Nikolay stopped her with solicitude. + "Sofya can get along by herself."</p> + + <p>She looked at him and started and smiled strangely.</p> + + <p>"I'm all covered with blood."</p> + + <p>While changing her dress she once again thought of the calmness of these + people, of their ability to recover from the horrible, an ability which + clearly testified to their manly readiness to meet any demand made on + them for work in the cause of truth. This thought, steadying the mother, + drove fear from her heart.</p> + + <p>When she returned to the room where the sick man lay, she heard Sofya + say, as she bent over him:</p> + + <p>"That's nonsense, comrade!"</p> + + <p>"Yes, I'll incommode you," he said faintly.</p> + + <p>"You keep still. That's better for you."</p> + + <p>The mother stood back of Sofya, and putting her hand on her shoulders + peered with a smile into the face of the sick man. She related how he + had raved in the presence of the cabman and frightened her by his lack + of caution. Ivan heard her; his eyes turned feverishly, he smacked his + lips, and at times exclaimed in a confused low voice: "Oh, what a fool I + am!"</p> + + <p>"We'll leave you here," Sofya said, straightening out the blanket. + "Rest."</p> + + <p>The mother and Sofya went to the dining room and conversed there in + subdued voices about the events of the day. They already regarded the + drama of the burial as something remote, and looked with assurance + toward the future in deliberating on the work of the morrow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> Their + faces wore a weary expression, but their thoughts were bold.</p> + + <p>They spoke of their dissatisfaction with themselves. Nervously moving in + his chair and gesticulating animatedly the physician, dulling his thin, + sharp voice with an effort, said:</p> + + <p>"Propaganda! propaganda! There's too little of it now. The young + workingmen are right. We must extend the field of agitation. The + workingmen are right, I say."</p> + + <p>Nikolay answered somberly:</p> + + <p>"From everywhere come complaints of not enough literature, and we still + cannot get a good printing establishment. Liudmila is wearing herself + out. She'll get sick if we don't see that she gets assistance."</p> + + <p>"And Vyesovshchikov?" asked Sofya.</p> + + <p>"He cannot live in the city. He won't be able to go to work until he can + enter the new printing establishment. And one man is still needed for + it."</p> + + <p>"Won't I do?" the mother asked quietly.</p> + + <p>All three looked at her in silence for a short while.</p> + + <p>"No, it's too hard for you, Nilovna," said Nikolay. "You'll have to live + outside the city and stop your visits to Pavel, and in general——"</p> + + <p>With a sigh the mother said:</p> + + <p>"For Pasha it won't be a great loss. And so far as I am concerned these + visits, too, are a torment; they tear out my heart. I'm not allowed to + speak of anything; I stand opposite my son like a fool. And they look + into my mouth and wait to see something come out that oughtn't."</p> + + <p>Sofya groped for the mother's hand under the table and pressed it warmly + with her thin fingers. Nikolay looked at the mother fixedly while + explaining to her that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> she would have to serve in the new printing + establishment as a protection to the workers.</p> + + <p>"I understand," she said. "I'll be a cook. I'll be able to do it; I can + imagine what's needed."</p> + + <p>"How persistent you are!" remarked Sofya.</p> + + <p>The events of the last few days had exhausted the mother; and now as she + heard of the possibility of living outside the city, away from its + bustle, she greedily grasped at the chance.</p> + + <p>But Nikolay changed the subject of conversation.</p> + + <p>"What are you thinking about, Ivan?" He turned to the physician.</p> + + <p>Raising his head from the table, the physician answered sullenly:</p> + + <p>"There are too few of us. That's what I'm thinking of. We positively + must begin to work more energetically, and we must persuade Pavel and + Andrey to escape. They are both too invaluable to be sitting there + idle."</p> + + <p>Nikolay lowered his brows and shook his head in doubt, darting a glance + at the mother.</p> + + <p>As she realized the embarrassment they must feel in speaking of her son + in her presence, she walked out into her own room.</p> + + <p>There, lying in bed with open eyes, the murmur of low talking in her + ears, she gave herself up to anxious thoughts. She wanted to see her son + at liberty, but at the same time the idea of freeing him frightened her. + She felt that the struggle around her was growing keener and that a + sharp collision was threatening. The silent patience of the people was + wearing away, yielding to a strained expectation of something new. The + excitement was growing perceptibly. Bitter words were tossed about. + Something novel and stirring was wafted from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> all quarters; every + proclamation evoked lively discussions in the market place, in the + shops, among servants, among workingmen. Every arrest aroused a timid, + uncomprehending, and sometimes unconscious sympathy when judgment + regarding the causes of the arrest was expressed. She heard the words + that had once frightened her—riot, socialism, politics—uttered more + and more frequently among the simple folk, though accompanied by + derision. However, behind their ridicule it was impossible to conceal an + eagerness to understand, mingled with fear and hope, with hatred of the + masters and threats against them.</p> + + <p>Agitation disturbed the settled, dark life of the people in slow but + wide circles. Dormant thoughts awoke, and men were shaken from their + usual forced calm attitude toward daily events. All this the mother saw + more clearly than others, because she, better than they, knew the + dismal, dead face of existence; she stood nearer to it, and now saw upon + it the wrinkles of hesitation and turmoil, the vague hunger for the new. + She both rejoiced over the change and feared it. She rejoiced because + she regarded this as the cause of her son; she feared because she knew + that if he emerged from prison he would stand at the head of all, in the + most dangerous place, and—he would perish.</p> + + <p>She often felt great thoughts needful to everybody stirring in her + bosom, but scarcely ever was able to make them live in words; and they + oppressed her heart with a dumb, heavy sadness. Sometimes the image of + her son grew before her until it assumed the proportions of a giant in + the old fairy tales. He united within himself all the honest thoughts + she had heard spoken, all the people that she liked, everything heroic + of which she knew. Then, moved with delight in him, she exulted in + quiet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> rapture. An indistinct hope filled her. "Everything will be + well—everything!" Her love, the love of a mother, was fanned into a + flame, a veritable pain to her heart. Then the motherly affection + hindered the growth of the broader human feeling, burned it; and in + place of a great sentiment a small, dismal thought beat faint-heartedly + in the gray ashes of alarm: "He will perish; he will fall!"</p> + + <p>Late that night the mother sank into a heavy sleep, but rose early, her + bones stiff, her head aching. At midday she was sitting in the prison + office opposite Pavel and looking through a mist in her eyes at his + bearded, swarthy face. She was watching for a chance to deliver to him + the note she held tightly in her hand.</p> + + <p>"I am well and all are well," said Pavel in a moderated voice. "And how + are you?"</p> + + <p>"So so. Yegor Ivanovich died," she said mechanically.</p> + + <p>"Yes?" exclaimed Pavel, and dropped his head.</p> + + <p>"At the funeral the police got up a fight and arrested one man," the + mother continued in her simple-hearted way.</p> + + <p>The thin-lipped assistant overseer of the prison jumped from his chair + and mumbled quickly:</p> + + <p>"Cut that out; it's forbidden! Why don't you understand? You know + politics are prohibited."</p> + + <p>The mother also rose from her chair, and as if failing to comprehend + him, she said guiltily:</p> + + <p>"I wasn't discussing politics. I was telling about a fight—and they did + fight; that's true. They even broke one fellow's head."</p> + + <p>"All the same, please keep quiet—that is to say, keep quiet about + everything that doesn't concern you personally—your family; in general, + your home."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span></p> + + <p>Aware that his speech was confused, he sat down in his chair and + arranged papers.</p> + + <p>"I'm responsible for what you say," he said sadly and wearily.</p> + + <p>The mother looked around and quickly thrust the note into Pavel's hand. + She breathed a deep sigh of relief.</p> + + <p>"I don't know what to speak about."</p> + + <p>Pavel smiled:</p> + + <p>"I don't know either."</p> + + <p>"Then why pay visits?" said the overseer excitedly. "They have nothing + to say, but they come here anyhow and bother me."</p> + + <p>"Will the trial take place soon?" asked the mother after a pause.</p> + + <p>"The procurator was here the other day, and he said it will come off + soon."</p> + + <p>"You've been in prison half a year already!"</p> + + <p>They spoke to each other about matters of no significance to either. The + mother saw Pavel's eyes look into her face softly and lovingly. Even and + calm as before, he had not changed, save that his wrists were whiter, + and his beard, grown long, made him look older. The mother experienced a + strong desire to do something pleasant for him—tell him about + Vyesovshchikov, for instance. So, without changing her tone, she + continued in the same voice in which she spoke of the needless and + uninteresting things.</p> + + <p>"I saw your godchild." Pavel fixed a silent questioning look on her + eyes. She tapped her fingers on her cheeks to picture to him the + pockmarked face of Vyesovshchikov.</p> + + <p>"He's all right! The boy is alive and well. He'll soon get his + position—you remember how he always asked for hard work?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p> + + <p>Pavel understood, and gratefully nodded his head. "Why, of course I + remember!" he answered, with a cheery smile in his eyes.</p> + + <p>"Very well!" the mother uttered in a satisfied tone, content with + herself and moved by his joy.</p> + + <p>On parting with her he held her hand in a firm clasp.</p> + + <p>"Thank you, mamma!" The joyous feeling of hearty nearness to him mounted + to her head like a strong drink. Powerless to answer in words, she + merely pressed his hand.</p> + + <p>At home she found Sasha. The girl usually came to Nilovna on the days + when the mother had visited Pavel.</p> + + <p>"Well, how is he?"</p> + + <p>"He's well."</p> + + <p>"Did you hand him the note?"</p> + + <p>"Of course! I stuck it into his hands very cleverly."</p> + + <p>"Did he read it?"</p> + + <p>"On the spot? How could he?"</p> + + <p>"Oh, yes; I forgot! Let us wait another week, one week longer. Do you + think he'll agree to it?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know—I think he will," the mother deliberated. "Why shouldn't + he if he can do so without danger?"</p> + + <p>Sasha shook her head.</p> + + <p>"Do you know what the sick man is allowed to eat? He's asked for some + food."</p> + + <p>"Anything at all. I'll get him something at once." The mother walked + into the kitchen, slowly followed by Sasha.</p> + + <p>"Can I help you?"</p> + + <p>"Thank you! Why should you?"</p> + + <p>The mother bent at the oven to get a pot. The girl said in a low voice:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Wait!"</p> + + <p>Her face paled, her eyes opened sadly and her quivering lips whispered + hotly with an effort:</p> + + <p>"I want to beg you—I know he will not agree—try to persuade him. He's + needed. Tell him he's essential, absolutely necessary for the + cause—tell him I fear he'll get sick. You see the date of the trial + hasn't been set yet, and six months have already passed—I beg of you!"</p> + + <p>It was apparent that she spoke with difficulty. She stood up straight, + in a tense attitude, and looked aside. Her voice sounded uneven, like + the snapping of a taut string. Her eyelids drooping wearily, she bit her + lips, and the fingers of her compressed hand cracked.</p> + + <p>The mother was ruffled by her outburst; but she understood it, and a sad + emotion took possession of her. Softly embracing Sasha, she answered:</p> + + <p>"My dear, he will never listen to anybody except himself—never!"</p> + + <p>For a short while they were both silent in a close embrace. Then Sasha + carefully removed the mother's hands from her shoulders.</p> + + <p>"Yes, you're right," she said in a tremble. "It's all stupidity and + nerves. One gets so tired." And, suddenly growing serious, she + concluded: "Anyway, let's give the sick man something to eat."</p> + + <p>In an instant she was sitting at Ivan's bed, kindly and solicitously + inquiring, "Does your head ache badly?"</p> + + <p>"Not very. Only everything is muddled up, and I'm weak," answered Ivan + in embarrassment. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, and screwed up + his eyes as if dazzled by too brilliant a light. Noticing that she + embarrassed him by her presence and that he could not make up his mind + to eat, Sasha rose and walked away. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> Ivan sat up in bed and looked + at the door through which she had left.</p> + + <p>"Be-au-tiful!" he murmured.</p> + + <p>His eyes were bright and merry; his teeth fine and compact; his young + voice was not yet steady as an adult's.</p> + + <p>"How old are you?" the mother asked thoughtfully.</p> + + <p>"Seventeen years."</p> + + <p>"Where are your parents?"</p> + + <p>"In the village. I've been here since I was ten years old. I got through + school and came here. And what is your name, comrade?"</p> + + <p>This word, when applied to her, always brought a smile to the mother's + face and touched her.</p> + + <p>"Why do you want to know?"</p> + + <p>The youth, after an embarrassed pause, explained:</p> + + <p>"You see, a student of our circle, that is, a fellow who used to read to + us, told us about Pavel's mother—a workingman, you know—and about the + first of May demonstration."</p> + + <p>She nodded her head and pricked up her ears.</p> + + <p>"He was the first one who openly displayed the banner of our party," the + youth declared with pride—a pride which found a response in the + mother's heart.</p> + + <p>"I wasn't present; we were then thinking of making our own demonstration + here in the city, but it fizzled out; we were too few of us then. But + this year we will—you'll see!"</p> + + <p>He choked from agitation, having a foretaste of the future event. Then + waving his spoon in the air, he continued:</p> + + <p>"So Vlasova—the mother, as I was telling you—she, too, got into the + party after that. They say she's a wonder of an old woman."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother smiled broadly. It was pleasant for her to hear the boy's + enthusiastic praise—pleasant, yet embarrassing. She even had to + restrain herself from telling him that she was Vlasova, and she thought + sadly, in derision of herself: "Oh, you old fool!"</p> + + <p>"Eat more! Get well sooner for the sake of the cause!" She burst out all + of a sudden, in agitation, bending toward him: "It awaits powerful young + hands, clean hearts, honest minds. It lives by these forces! With them + it holds aloof everything evil, everything mean!"</p> + + <p>The door opened, admitting a cold, damp, autumn draught. Sofya entered, + bold, a smile on her face, reddened by the cold.</p> + + <p>"Upon my word, the spies are as attentive to me as a bridegroom to a + rich bride! I must leave this place. Well, how are you, Vanya? All + right? How's Pavel, Nilovna? What! is Sasha here?"</p> + + <p>Lighting a cigarette, she showered questions without waiting for + answers, caressing the mother and the youth with merry glances of her + gray eyes. The mother looked at her and smiled inwardly. "What good + people I'm among!" she thought. She bent over Ivan again and gave him + back his kindness twofold:</p> + + <p>"Get well! Now I must give you wine." She rose and walked into the + dining room, where Sofya was saying to Sasha:</p> + + <p>"She has three hundred copies prepared already. She'll kill herself + working so hard. There's heroism for you! Unseen, unnoticed, it finds + its reward and its praise in itself. Do you know, Sasha, it's the + greatest happiness to live among such people, to be their comrade, to + work with them?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," answered the girl softly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span></p> + + <p>In the evening at tea Sofya said to the mother:</p> + + <p>"Nilovna, you have to go to the village again."</p> + + <p>"Well, what of it? When?"</p> + + <p>"It would be good if you could go to-morrow. Can you?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"Ride there," advised Nikolay. "Hire post horses, and please take a + different route from before—across the district of Nikolsk." Nikolay's + somber expression was alarming.</p> + + <p>"The way by Nikolsk is long, and it's expensive if you hire horses."</p> + + <p>"You see, I'm against this expedition in general. It's already begun to + be unquiet there—some arrests have been made, a teacher was taken. + Rybin escaped, that's certain. But we must be more careful. We ought to + have waited a little while still."</p> + + <p>"That can't be avoided," said Nilovna.</p> + + <p>Sofya, tapping her fingers on the table, remarked:</p> + + <p>"It's important for us to keep spreading literature all the time. You're + not afraid to go, are you, Nilovna?"</p> + + <p>The mother felt offended. "When have I ever been afraid? I was without + fear even the first time. And now all of a sudden—" She drooped her + head. Each time she was asked whether she was afraid, whether the thing + was convenient for her, whether she could do this or that—she detected + an appeal to her which placed her apart from the comrades, who seemed to + behave differently toward her than toward one another. Moreover, when + fuller days came, although at first disquieted by the commotion, by the + rapidity of events, she soon grew accustomed to the bustle and + responded, as it were, to the jolts she received from her impressions. + She became filled with a zealous greed for work. This was her condition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> + to-day; and, therefore, Sofya's question was all the more displeasing to + her.</p> + + <p>"There's no use for you to ask me whether or not I'm afraid and various + other things," she sighed. "I've nothing to be afraid of. Those people + are afraid who have something. What have I? Only a son. I used to be + afraid for him, and I used to fear torture for his sake. And if there is + no torture—well, then?"</p> + + <p>"Are you offended?" exclaimed Sofya.</p> + + <p>"No. Only you don't ask each other whether you're afraid."</p> + + <p>Nikolay removed his glasses, adjusted them to his nose again, and looked + fixedly at his sister's face. The embarrassed silence that followed + disturbed the mother. She rose guiltily from her seat, wishing to say + something to them, but Sofya stroked her hand, and said quietly:</p> + + <p>"Forgive me! I won't do it any more."</p> + + <p>The mother had to laugh, and in a few minutes the three were speaking + busily and amicably about the trip to the village.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_Xb" id="CHAPTER_Xb"></a>CHAPTER X</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The next day, early in the morning, the mother was seated in the post + chaise, jolting along the road washed by the autumn rain. A damp wind + blew on her face, the mud splashed, and the coachman on the box, + half-turned toward her, complained in a meditative snuffle:</p></div> + + <p>"I say to him—my brother, that is—let's go halves. We began to + divide"—he suddenly whipped the left horse and shouted angrily: "Well, + well, play, your mother is a witch."</p> + + <p>The stout autumn crows strode with a businesslike air through the bare + fields. The wind whistled coldly, and the birds caught its buffets on + their backs. It blew their feathers apart, and even lifted them off + their feet, and, yielding to its force, they lazily flapped their wings + and flew to a new spot.</p> + + <p>"But he cheated me; I see I have nothing——"</p> + + <p>The mother listened to the coachman's words as in a dream. A dumb + thought grew in her heart. Memory brought before her a long series of + events through which she had lived in the last years. On an examination + of each event, she found she had actively participated in it. Formerly, + life used to happen somewhere in the distance, remote from where she + was, uncertain for whom and for what. Now, many things were accomplished + before her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> eyes, with her help. The result in her was a confused + feeling, compounded of distrust of herself, complacency, perplexity, and + sadness.</p> + + <p>The scenery about her seemed to be slowly moving. Gray clouds floated in + the sky, chasing each other heavily; wet trees flashed along the sides + of the road, swinging their bare tops; little hills appeared and swam + asunder. The whole turbid day seemed to be hastening to meet the sun—to + be seeking it.</p> + + <p>The drawling voice of the coachman, the sound of the bells, the humid + rustle and whistle of the wind, blended in a trembling, tortuous stream, + which flowed on with a monotonous force, and roused the wind.</p> + + <p>"The rich man feels crowded, even in Paradise. That's the way it is. + Once he begins to oppress, the government authorities are his friends," + quoth the coachman, swaying on his seat.</p> + + <p>While unhitching the horses at the station he said to the mother in a + hopeless voice:</p> + + <p>"If you gave me only enough for a drink——"</p> + + <p>She gave him a coin, and tossing it in the palm of his hand, he informed + her in the same hopeless tone:</p> + + <p>"I'll take a drink for three coppers, and buy myself bread for two."</p> + + <p>In the afternoon the mother, shaken up by the ride and chilled, reached + the large village of Nikolsk. She went to a tavern and asked for tea. + After placing her heavy valise under the bench, she sat at a window and + looked out into an open square, covered with yellow, trampled grass, and + into the town hall, a long, old building with an overhanging roof. Swine + were straggling about in the square, and on the steps of the town hall + sat a bald, thin-bearded peasant smoking a pipe. The clouds swam + overhead in dark masses, and piled up, one absorbing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> other. It was + dark, gloomy, and tedious. Life seemed to be in hiding.</p> + + <p>Suddenly the village sergeant galloped up to the square, stopped his + sorrel at the steps of the town hall, and waving his whip in the air, + shouted to the peasant. The shouts rattled against the window panes, but + the words were indistinguishable. The peasant rose and stretched his + hand, pointing to something. The sergeant jumped to the ground, reeled, + threw the reins to the peasant, and seizing the rails with his hands, + lifted himself heavily up the steps, and disappeared behind the doors of + the town hall.</p> + + <p>Quiet reigned again. Only the horse struck the soft earth with the iron + of his shoes.</p> + + <p>A girl came into the room. A short yellow braid lay on her neck, her + face was round, and her eyes kind. She bit her lips with the effort of + carrying a ragged-edged tray, with dishes, in her outstretched hands. + She bowed, nodding her head.</p> + + <p>"How do you do, my good girl?" said the mother kindly.</p> + + <p>"How do you do?"</p> + + <p>Putting the plates and the china dishes on the table, she announced with + animation:</p> + + <p>"They've just caught a thief. They're bringing him here."</p> + + <p>"Indeed? What sort of a thief?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know."</p> + + <p>"What did he do?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know. I only heard that they caught him. The watchman of the + town hall ran off for the police commissioner, and shouted: 'They've + caught him. They're bringing him here.'"</p> + + <p>The mother looked through the window. Peasants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> gathered in the square; + some walked slowly, some quickly, while buttoning their overcoats. They + stopped at the steps of the town hall, and all looked to the left. It + was strangely quiet. The girl also went to the window to see the street, + and then silently ran from the room, banging the door after her. The + mother trembled, pushed her valise farther under the bench, and throwing + her shawl over her head, hurried to the door. She had to restrain a + sudden, incomprehensible desire to run.</p> + + <p>When she walked up the steps of the town hall a sharp cold struck her + face and breast. She lost breath, and her legs stiffened. There, in the + middle of the square, walked Rybin! His hands were bound behind his + back, and on each side of him a policeman, rhythmically striking the + ground with his club. At the steps stood a crowd waiting in silence.</p> + + <p>Unconscious of the bearing of the thing, the mother's gaze was riveted + on Rybin. He said something; she heard his voice, but the words did not + reach the dark emptiness of her heart.</p> + + <p>She recovered her senses, and took a deep breath. A peasant with a broad + light beard was standing at the steps looking fixedly into her face with + his blue eyes. Coughing and rubbing her throat with her hands, weak with + fear, she asked him with an effort:</p> + + <p>"What's the matter?"</p> + + <p>"Well, look." The peasant turned away. Another peasant came up to her + side.</p> + + <p>"Oh, thief! How horrible you look!" shouted a woman's voice.</p> + + <p>The policemen stepped in front of the crowd, which increased in size. + Rybin's voice sounded thick:</p> + + <p>"Peasants, I'm not a thief; I don't steal; I don't set<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> things on fire. + I only fight against falsehood. That's why they seized me. Have you + heard of the true books in which the truth is written about our peasant + life? Well, it's because of these writings that I suffer. It's I who + distributed them among the people."</p> + + <p>The crowd surrounded Rybin more closely. His voice steadied the mother.</p> + + <p>"Did you hear?" said a peasant in a low voice, nudging a blue-eyed + neighbor, who did not answer but raised his head and again looked into + the mother's face. The other peasant also looked at her. He was younger + than he of the blue eyes, with a dark, sparse beard, and a lean freckled + face. Then both of them turned away to the side of the steps.</p> + + <p>"They're afraid," the mother involuntarily noted. Her attention grew + keener. From the elevation of the stoop she clearly saw the dark face of + Rybin, distinguished the hot gleam of his eyes. She wanted that he, too, + should see her, and raised herself on tiptoe and craned her neck.</p> + + <p>The people looked at him sullenly, distrustfully, and were silent. Only + in the rear of the crowd subdued conversation was heard.</p> + + <p>"Peasants!" said Rybin aloud, in a peculiar full voice. "Believe these + papers! I shall now, perhaps, get death on account of them. The + authorities beat me, they tortured me, they wanted to find out from + where I got them, and they're going to beat me more. For in these + writings the truth is laid down. An honest world and the truth ought to + be dearer to us than bread. That's what I say."</p> + + <p>"Why is he doing this?" softly exclaimed one of the peasants near the + steps. He of the blue eyes answered:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Now it's all the same. He won't escape death, anyhow. And a man can't + die twice."</p> + + <p>The sergeant suddenly appeared on the steps of the town hall, roaring in + a drunken voice:</p> + + <p>"What is this crowd? Who's the fellow speaking?"</p> + + <p>Suddenly precipitating himself down the steps, he seized Rybin by the + hair, and pulled his head backward and forward. "Is it you speaking, you + damned scoundrel? Is it you?"</p> + + <p>The crowd, giving way, still maintained silence. The mother, in impotent + grief, bowed her head; one of the peasants sighed. Rybin spoke again:</p> + + <p>"There! Look, good people!"</p> + + <p>"Silence!" and the sergeant struck his face.</p> + + <p>Rybin reeled.</p> + + <p>"They bind a man's hands and then torment him, and do with him whatever + they please."</p> + + <p>"Policemen, take him! Disperse, people!" The sergeant, jumping and + swinging in front of Rybin, struck him in his face, breast, and stomach.</p> + + <p>"Don't beat him!" some one shouted dully.</p> + + <p>"Why do you beat him?" another voice upheld the first.</p> + + <p>"Lazy, good-for-nothing beast!"</p> + + <p>"Come!" said the blue-eyed peasant, motioning with his head; and without + hastening, the two walked toward the town hall, accompanied by a kind + look from the mother. She sighed with relief. The sergeant again ran + heavily up the steps, and shaking his fists in menace, bawled from his + height vehemently:</p> + + <p>"Bring him here, officers, I say! I say——"</p> + + <p>"Don't!" a strong voice resounded in the crowd, and the mother knew it + came from the blue-eyed peasant. "Boys! don't permit it! They'll take + him in there and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span> beat him to death, and then they'll say we killed him. + Don't permit it!"</p> + + <p>"Peasants!" the powerful voice of Rybin roared, drowning the shouts of + the sergeant. "Don't you understand your life? Don't you understand how + they rob you—how they cheat you—how they drink your blood? You keep + everything up; everything rests on you; you are all the power that is at + the bottom of everything on earth—its whole power. And what rights have + you? You have the right to starve—it's your only right!"</p> + + <p>"He's speaking the truth, I tell <i>you</i>!"</p> + + <p>Some men shouted:</p> + + <p>"Call the commissioner of police! Where is the commissioner of police?"</p> + + <p>"The sergeant has ridden away for him!"</p> + + <p>"It's not our business to call the authorities!"</p> + + <p>The noise increased as the crowd grew louder and louder.</p> + + <p>"Speak! We won't let them beat you!"</p> + + <p>"Officers, untie his hands!"</p> + + <p>"No, brothers; that's not necessary!"</p> + + <p>"Untie him!"</p> + + <p>"Look out you don't do something you'll be sorry for!"</p> + + <p>"I am sorry for my hands!" Rybin said evenly and resonantly, making + himself heard above all the other voices. "I'll not escape, peasants. I + cannot hide from my truth; it lives inside of me!"</p> + + <p>Several men walked away from the crowd, formed different circles, and + with earnest faces and shaking their heads carried on conversations. + Some smiled. More and more people came running up—excited, bearing + marks of having dressed quickly. They seethed like black foam about + Rybin, and he rocked to and fro in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span> their midst. Raising his hands over + his head and shaking them, he called into the crowd, which responded now + by loud shouts, now by silent, greedy attention, to the unfamiliar, + daring words:</p> + + <p>"Thank you, good people! Thank you! I stood up for you, for your lives!" + He wiped his beard and again raised his blood-covered hand. "There's my + blood! It flows for the sake of truth!"</p> + + <p>The mother, without considering, walked down the steps, but immediately + returned, since on the ground she couldn't see Mikhaïl, hidden by the + close-packed crowd. Something indistinctly joyous trembled in her bosom + and warmed it.</p> + + <p>"Peasants! Keep your eyes open for those writings; read them. Don't + believe the authorities and the priests when they tell you those people + who carry truth to us are godless rioters. The truth travels over the + earth secretly; it seeks a nest among the people. To the authorities + it's like a knife in the fire. They cannot accept it. It will cut them + and burn them. Truth is your good friend and a sworn enemy of the + authorities—that's why it hides itself."</p> + + <p>"That's so; he's speaking the gospel!" shouted the blue-eyed peasant.</p> + + <p>"Ah, brother! You will perish—and soon, too!"</p> + + <p>"Who betrayed you?"</p> + + <p>"The priest!" said one of the police.</p> + + <p>Two peasants gave vent to hard oaths.</p> + + <p>"Look out, boys!" a somewhat subdued cry was heard in warning.</p> + + <p>The commissioner of police walked into the crowd—a tall, compact man, + with a round, red face. His cap was cocked to one side; his mustache + with one end turned up the other drooping made his face seem crooked, + and it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span> was disfigured by a dull, dead grin. His left hand held a saber, + his right waved broadly in the air. His heavy, firm tramp was audible. + The crowd gave way before him. Something sullen and crushed appeared in + their faces, and the noise died away as if it had sunk into the ground.</p> + + <p>"What's the trouble?" asked the police commissioner, stopping in front + of Rybin and measuring him with his eyes. "Why are his hands not bound? + Officers, why? Bind them!" His voice was high and resonant, but + colorless.</p> + + <p>"They were tied, but the people unbound them," answered one of the + policemen.</p> + + <p>"The people! What people?" The police commissioner looked at the crowd + standing in a half-circle before him. In the same monotonous, blank + voice, neither elevating nor lowering it, he continued: "Who are the + people?"</p> + + <p>With a back stroke he thrust the handle of his saber against the breast + of the blue-eyed peasant.</p> + + <p>"Are you the people, Chumakov? Well, who else? You, Mishin?" and he + pulled somebody's beard with his right hand.</p> + + <p>"Disperse, you curs!"</p> + + <p>Neither his voice nor face displayed the least agitation or threat. He + spoke mechanically, with a dead calm, and with even movements of his + strong, long hands, pushed the people back. The semicircle before him + widened. Heads drooped, faces were turned aside.</p> + + <p>"Well," he addressed the policeman, "what's the matter with you? Bind + him!" He uttered a cynical oath and again looked at Rybin, and said + nonchalantly: "Your hands behind your back, you!"</p> + + <p>"I don't want my hands to be bound," said Rybin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span> "I'm not going to run + away, and I'm not fighting. Why should my hands be bound?"</p> + + <p>"What?" exclaimed the police commissioner, striding up to him.</p> + + <p>"It's enough that you torture the people, you beasts!" continued Rybin + in an elevated voice. "The red day will soon come for you, too. You'll + be paid back for everything."</p> + + <p>The police commissioner stood before him, his mustached upper lip + twitching. Then he drew back a step, and with a whistling voice sang out + in surprise:</p> + + <p>"Um! you damned scoundrel! Wha-at? What do you mean by your words? + People, you say? A-a——"</p> + + <p>Suddenly he dealt Rybin a quick, sharp blow in the face.</p> + + <p>"You won't kill the truth with your fist!" shouted Rybin, drawing on + him. "And you have no right to beat me, you dog!"</p> + + <p>"I won't dare, I suppose?" the police commissioner drawled.</p> + + <p>Again he waved his hand, aiming at Rybin's head; Rybin ducked; the blow + missed, and the police commissioner almost toppled over. Some one in the + crowd gave a jeering snort, and the angry shout of Mikhaïl was heard:</p> + + <p>"Don't you dare to beat me, I say, you infernal devil! I'm no weaker + than you! Look out!"</p> + + <p>The police commissioner looked around. The people shut down on him in a + narrower circle, advancing sullenly.</p> + + <p>"Nikita!" the police commissioner called out, looking around. "Nikita, + hey!" A squat peasant in a short fur overcoat emerged from the crowd. He + looked on the ground, with his large disheveled head drooping.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Nikita," the police commissioner said deliberately, twirling his + mustache, "give him a box on the ear—a good one!"</p> + + <p>The peasant stepped forward, stopped in front of Rybin and raised his + hand. Staring him straight in the face, Rybin stammered out heavily:</p> + + <p>"Now look, people, how the beasts choke you with your own hands! Look! + Look! Think! Why does he want to beat me—why? I ask."</p> + + <p>The peasant raised his hand and lazily struck Mikhaïl's face.</p> + + <p>"Ah, Nikita! don't forget God!" subdued shouts came from the crowd.</p> + + <p>"Strike, I say!" shouted the police commissioner, pushing the peasant on + the back of his neck.</p> + + <p>The peasant stepped aside, and inclining his head, said sullenly:</p> + + <p>"I won't do it again."</p> + + <p>"What?" The face of the police commissioner quivered. He stamped his + feet, and, cursing, suddenly flung himself upon Rybin. The blow whizzed + through the air; Rybin staggered and waved his arms; with the second + blow the police commissioner felled him to the ground, and, jumping + around with a growl, he began to kick him on his breast, his side, and + his head.</p> + + <p>The crowd set up a hostile hum, rocked, and advanced upon the police + commissioner. He noticed it and jumped away, snatching his saber from + its scabbard.</p> + + <p>"So that's what you're up to! You're rioting, are you?"</p> + + <p>His voice trembled and broke; it had grown husky. And he lost his + composure along with his voice. He drew his shoulders up about his head, + bent over, and turning his blank, bright eyes on all sides, he fell + back, carefully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> feeling the ground behind him with his feet. As he + withdrew he shouted hoarsely in great excitement:</p> + + <p>"All right; take him! I'm leaving! But now, do you know, you cursed + dogs, that he is a political criminal; that he is going against our + Czar; that he stirs up riots—do you know it?—against the Emperor, the + Czar? And you protect him; you, too, are rebels. Aha—a——"</p> + + <p>Without budging, without moving her eyes, the strength of reason gone + from her, the mother stood as if in a heavy sleep, overwhelmed by fear + and pity. The outraged, sullen, wrathful shouts of the people buzzed + like bees in her head.</p> + + <p>"If he has done something wrong, lead him to court."</p> + + <p>"And don't beat him!"</p> + + <p>"Forgive him, your Honor!"</p> + + <p>"Now, really, what does it mean? Without any law whatever!"</p> + + <p>"Why, is it possible? If they begin to beat everybody that way, what'll + happen then?"</p> + + <p>"The devils! Our torturers!"</p> + + <p>The people fell into two groups—the one surrounding the police + commissioner shouted and exhorted him; the other, less numerous, + remained about the beaten man, humming and sullen. Several men lifted + him from the ground. The policemen again wanted to bind his hands.</p> + + <p>"Wait a little while, you devils!" the people shouted.</p> + + <p>Rybin wiped the blood from his face and beard and looked about in + silence. His gaze glided by the face of the mother. She started, + stretched herself out to him, and instinctively waved her hand. He + turned away; but in a few minutes his eyes again rested on her face. It + seemed to her that he straightened himself and raised his head, that his + blood-covered cheeks quivered.</p> + + <p>"Did he recognize me? I wonder if he did?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span></p> + + <p>She nodded her head to him and started with a sorrowful, painful joy. + But the next moment she saw that the blue-eyed peasant was standing near + him and also looking at her. His gaze awakened her to the consciousness + of the risk she was running.</p> + + <p>"What am I doing? They'll take me, too."</p> + + <p>The peasant said something to Rybin, who shook his head.</p> + + <p>"Never mind!" he exclaimed, his voice tremulous, but clear and bold. + "I'm not alone in the world. They'll not capture all the truth. In the + place where I was the memory of me will remain. That's it! Even though + they destroy the nest, aren't there more friends and comrades there?"</p> + + <p>"He's saying this for me," the mother decided quickly.</p> + + <p>"The people will build other nests for the truth; and a day will come + when the eagles will fly from them into freedom. The people will + emancipate themselves."</p> + + <p>A woman brought a pail of water and, wailing and groaning, began to wash + Rybin's face. Her thin, piteous voice mixed with Mikhaïl's words and + hindered the mother from understanding them. A throng of peasants came + up with the police commissioner in front of them. Some one shouted + aloud:</p> + + <p>"Come; I'm going to make an arrest! Who's next?"</p> + + <p>Then the voice of the police commissioner was heard. It had + changed—mortification now evident in its altered tone.</p> + + <p>"I may strike you, but you mayn't strike me. Don't you dare, you dunce!"</p> + + <p>"Is that so? And who are you, pray? A god?"</p> + + <p>A confused but subdued clamor drowned Rybin's voice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Don't argue, uncle. You're up against the authorities."</p> + + <p>"Don't be angry, your Honor. The man's out of his wits."</p> + + <p>"Keep still, you funny fellow!"</p> + + <p>"Here, they'll soon take you to the city!"</p> + + <p>"There's more law there!"</p> + + <p>The shouts of the crowd sounded pacificatory, entreating; they blended + into a thick, indistinct babel, in which there was something hopeless + and pitiful. The policemen led Rybin up the steps of the town hall and + disappeared with him behind the doors. People began to depart in a + hurry. The mother saw the blue-eyed peasant go across the square and + look at her sidewise. Her legs trembled under her knees. A dismal + feeling of impotence and loneliness gnawed at her heart sickeningly.</p> + + <p>"I mustn't go away," she thought. "I mustn't!" and holding on to the + rails firmly, she waited.</p> + + <p>The police commissioner walked up the steps of the town hall and said in + a rebuking voice, which had assumed its former blankness and + soullessness:</p> + + <p>"You're fools, you damned scoundrels! You don't understand a thing, and + poke your noses into an affair like this—a government affair. Cattle! + You ought to thank me, fall on your knees before me for my goodness! If + I were to say so, you would all be put to hard labor."</p> + + <p>About a score of peasants stood with bared heads and listened in + silence. It began to grow dusk; the clouds lowered. The blue-eyed + peasant walked up to the steps, and said with a sigh:</p> + + <p>"That's the kind of business we have here!"</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," the mother rejoined quietly.</p> + + <p>He looked at her with an open gaze.</p> + + <p>"What's your occupation?" he asked after a pause.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I buy lace from the women, and linen, too."</p> + + <p>The peasant slowly stroked his beard. Then looking up at the town hall + he said gloomily and softly:</p> + + <p>"You won't find anything of that kind here."</p> + + <p>The mother looked down on him, and waited for a more suitable moment to + depart for the tavern. The peasant's face was thoughtful and handsome + and his eyes were sad. Broad-shouldered and tall, he was dressed in a + patched-up coat, in a clean chintz shirt, and reddish homespun trousers. + His feet were stockingless.</p> + + <p>The mother for some reason drew a sigh of relief, and suddenly obeying + an impulse from within, yielding to an instinct that got the better of + her reason, she surprised herself by asking him:</p> + + <p>"Can I stay in your house overnight?"</p> + + <p>At the question everything in her muscles, her bones, tightened stiffly. + She straightened herself, holding her breath, and fixed her eyes on the + peasant. Pricking thoughts quickly flashed through her mind: "I'll ruin + everybody—Nikolay Ivanovich, Sonyushka—I'll not see Pasha for a long + time—they'll kill him——"</p> + + <p>Looking on the ground, the peasant answered deliberately, folding his + coat over his breast:</p> + + <p>"Stay overnight? Yes, you can. Why not? Only my home is very poor!"</p> + + <p>"Never mind; I'm not used to luxury," the mother answered + uncalculatingly.</p> + + <p>"You can stay with me overnight," the peasant repeated, measuring her + with a searching glance.</p> + + <p>It had already grown dark, and in the twilight his eyes shone cold, his + face seemed very pale. The mother looked around, and as if dropping + under distress, she said in an undertone:</p> + + <p>"Then I'll go at once, and you'll take my valise."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span></p> + + <p>"All right!" He shrugged his shoulders, again folded his coat and said + softly:</p> + + <p>"There goes the wagon!"</p> + + <p>In a few moments, after the crowd had begun to disperse, Rybin appeared + again on the steps of the town hall. His hands were bound; his head and + face were wrapped up in a gray cloth, and he was pushed into a waiting + wagon.</p> + + <p>"Farewell, good people!" his voice rang out in the cold evening + twilight. "Search for the truth. Guard it! Believe the man who will + bring you the clean word; cherish him. Don't spare yourselves in the + cause of truth!"</p> + + <p>"Silence, you dog!" shouted the voice of the police commissioner. + "Policeman, start the horses up, you fool!"</p> + + <p>"What have you to be sorry for? What sort of life have you?"</p> + + <p>The wagon started. Sitting in it with a policeman on either side, Rybin + shouted dully:</p> + + <p>"For the sake of what are you perishing—in hunger? Strive for + freedom—it'll give you bread and—truth. Farewell, good people!"</p> + + <p>The hasty rumble of the wheels, the tramp of the horses, the shout of + the police officer, enveloped his speech and muffled it.</p> + + <p>"It's done!" said the peasant, shaking his head. "You wait at the + station a little while, and I'll come soon."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIb" id="CHAPTER_XIb"></a>CHAPTER XI</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The mother went to the room in the tavern, sat herself at the table in + front of the samovar, took a piece of bread in her hand, looked at it, + and slowly put it back on the plate. She was not hungry; the feeling in + her breast rose again and flushed her with nausea. She grew faint and + dizzy; the blood was sucked from her heart. Before her stood the face of + the blue-eyed peasant. It was a face that expressed nothing and failed + to arouse confidence. For some reason the mother did not want to tell + herself in so many words that he would betray her. The suspicion lay + deep in her breast—a dead weight, dull and motionless.</p></div> + + <p>"He scented me!" she thought idly and faintly. "He noticed—he guessed." + Further than this her thoughts would not go, and she sank into an + oppressive despondency. The nausea, the spiritless stillness beyond the + window that replaced the noise, disclosed something huge, but subdued, + something frightening, which sharpened her feeling of solitude, her + consciousness of powerlessness, and filled her heart with ashen gloom.</p> + + <p>The young girl came in and stopped at the door.</p> + + <p>"Shall I bring you an omelette?"</p> + + <p>"No, thank you, I don't want it; the shouts frightened me."</p> + + <p>The girl walked up to the table and began to speak excitedly in hasty, + terror-stricken tones:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span></p> + + <p>"How the police commissioner beat him! I stood near and could see. All + his teeth were broken. He spit out and his teeth fell on the ground. The + blood came thick—thick and dark. You couldn't see his eyes at all; they + were swollen up. He's a tar man. The sergeant is in there in our place + drunk, but he keeps on calling for whisky. They say there was a whole + band of them, and that this bearded man was their elder, the hetman. + Three were captured and one escaped. They seized a teacher, too; he was + also with them. They don't believe in God, and they try to persuade + others to rob all the churches. That's the kind of people they are; and + our peasants, some of them pitied him—that fellow—and others say they + should have settled him for good and all. We have such mean peasants + here! Oh, my! oh, my!"</p> + + <p>The mother, by giving the girl's disconnected, rapid talk her fixed + attention, tried to stifle her uneasiness, to dissipate her dismal + forebodings. As for the girl, she must have rejoiced in an auditor. Her + words fairly choked her and she babbled on in lowered voice with greater + and greater animation:</p> + + <p>"Papa says it all comes from the poor crop. This is the second year + we've had a bad harvest. The people are exhausted. That's the reason we + have such peasants springing up now. What a shame! You ought to hear + them shout and fight at the village assemblies. The other day when + Vosynkov was sold out for arrears he dealt the starosta (bailiff) a + cracking blow on the face. 'There are my arrears for you!' he says."</p> + + <p>Heavy steps were heard at the door. The mother rose to her feet with + difficulty. The blue-eyed peasant came in, and taking off his hat asked:</p> + + <p>"Where is the baggage?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</a></span></p> + + <p>He lifted the valise lightly, shook it, and said:</p> + + <p>"Why, it's empty! Marya, show the guest the way to my house," and he + walked off without looking around.</p> + + <p>"Are you going to stay here overnight?" asked the girl.</p> + + <p>"Yes. I'm after lace; I buy lace."</p> + + <p>"They don't make lace here. They make lace in Tinkov and in Daryina, but + not among us."</p> + + <p>"I'm going there to-morrow; I'm tired."</p> + + <p>On paying for the tea she made the girl very happy by handing her three + kopecks. On the road the girl's feet splashed quickly in the mud.</p> + + <p>"If you want to, I'll run over to Daryina, and I'll tell the women to + bring their lace here. That'll save your going there. It's about eight + miles."</p> + + <p>"That's not necessary, my dear."</p> + + <p>The cold air refreshed the mother as she stepped along beside the girl. + A resolution slowly formulated itself in her mind—confused, but fraught + with a promise. She wished to hasten its growth, and asked herself + persistently: "How shall I behave? Suppose I come straight out with the + truth?"</p> + + <p>It was dark, damp, and cold. The windows of the peasants' huts shone + dimly with a motionless reddish light; the cattle lowed drowsily in the + stillness, and short halloos reverberated through the fields. The + village was clothed in darkness and an oppressive melancholy.</p> + + <p>"Here!" said the girl, "you've chosen a poor lodging for yourself. This + peasant is very poor." She opened the door and shouted briskly into the + hut: "Aunt Tatyana, a lodger has come!" She ran away, her "Good-by!" + flying back from the darkness.</p> + + <p>The mother stopped at the threshold and peered about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</a></span> with her palm + above her eyes. The hut was very small, but its cleanness and neatness + caught the eye at once. From behind the stove a young woman bowed + silently and disappeared. On a table in a corner toward the front of the + room burned a lamp. The master of the hut sat at the table, tapping his + fingers on its edge. He fixed his glance on the mother's eyes.</p> + + <p>"Come in!" he said, after a deliberate pause.</p> + + <p>"Tatyana, go call Pyotr. Quick!"</p> + + <p>The woman hastened away without looking at her guest. The mother seated + herself on the bench opposite the peasant and looked around—her valise + was not in sight. An oppressive stillness filled the hut, broken only by + the scarcely audible sputtering of the lamplight. The face of the + peasant, preoccupied and gloomy, wavered in vague outline before the + eyes of the mother, and for some reason caused her dismal annoyance.</p> + + <p>"Well, why doesn't he say something? Quick!"</p> + + <p>"Where's my valise?" Her loud, stern question coming suddenly was a + surprise to herself. The peasant shrugged his shoulders and thoughtfully + gave the indefinite answer:</p> + + <p>"It's safe." He lowered his voice and continued gloomily: "Just now, in + front of the girl, I said on purpose that it was empty. No, it's not + empty. It's very heavily loaded."</p> + + <p>"Well, what of it?"</p> + + <p>The peasant rose, approached her, bent over her, and whispered: "Do you + know that man?"</p> + + <p>The mother started, but answered firmly:</p> + + <p>"I do."</p> + + <p>Her laconic reply, as it were, kindled a light within her which rendered + everything outside clear. She sighed in relief. Shifting her position on + the bench, she settled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</a></span> herself more firmly on it, while the peasant + laughed broadly.</p> + + <p>"I guessed it—when you made the sign—and he, too. I asked him, + whispering in his ear, whether he knows the woman standing on the + steps."</p> + + <p>"And what did he say?"</p> + + <p>"He? He says 'there are a great many of us.' Yes—'there are a great + many of us,' he says."</p> + + <p>The peasant looked into the eyes of his guest questioningly, and, + smiling again, he continued:</p> + + <p>"He's a man of great force, he is brave, he speaks straight out. They + beat him, and he keeps on his own way."</p> + + <p>The peasant's uncertain, weak voice, his unfinished, but clear face, his + open eyes, inspired the mother with more and more confidence. Instead of + alarm and despondency, a sharp, shooting pity for Rybin filled her + bosom. Overwhelmed by her feelings, unable to restrain herself, she + suddenly burst out in bitter malice:</p> + + <p>"Robbers, bigots!" and she broke into sobs.</p> + + <p>The peasant walked away from her, sullenly nodding his head.</p> + + <p>"The authorities have hired a whole lot of assistants to do their dirty + work for them. Yes, yes." He turned abruptly toward the mother again and + said softly: "Here's what I guessed—that you have papers in the valise. + Is that true?"</p> + + <p>"Yes," answered the mother simply, wiping away her tears. "I was + bringing them to him."</p> + + <p>He lowered his brows, gathered his beard into his hand, and looking on + the floor was silent for a time.</p> + + <p>"The papers reached us, too; some books, also. We need them all. They + are so true. I can do very little reading myself, but I have a + friend—he can. My wife<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</a></span> also reads to me." The peasant pondered for a + moment. "Now, then, what are you going to do with them—with the + valise?"</p> + + <p>The mother looked at him.</p> + + <p>"I'll leave it to you."</p> + + <p>He was not surprised, did not protest, but only said curtly, "To us," + and nodded his head in assent. He let go of his beard, but continued to + comb it with his fingers as he sat down.</p> + + <p>With inexorable, stubborn persistency the mother's memory held up before + her eyes the scene of Rybin's torture. His image extinguished all + thoughts in her mind. The pain and injury she felt for the man obscured + every other sensation. Forgotten was the valise with the books and + newspapers. She had feelings only for Rybin. Tears flowed constantly; + her face was gloomy; but her voice did not tremble when she said to her + host:</p> + + <p>"They rob a man, they choke him, they trample him in the mud—the + accursed! And when he says, 'What are you doing, you godless men?' they + beat and torture him."</p> + + <p>"Power," returned the peasant. "They have great power."</p> + + <p>"From where do they get it?" exclaimed the mother, thoroughly aroused. + "From us, from the people—they get everything from us."</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," drawled the peasant. "It's a wheel." He bent his head toward + the door, listening attentively. "They're coming," he said softly.</p> + + <p>"Who?"</p> + + <p>"Our people, I suppose."</p> + + <p>His wife entered. A freckled peasant, stooping, strode into the hut + after her. He threw his cap into a corner, and quickly went up to their + host.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Well?"</p> + + <p>The host nodded in confirmation.</p> + + <p>"Stepan," said the wife, standing at the oven, "maybe our guest wants to + eat something."</p> + + <p>"No, thank you, my dear."</p> + + <p>The freckled peasant moved toward the mother and said quietly, in a + broken voice:</p> + + <p>"Now, then, permit me to introduce myself to you. My name is Pyotr + Yegorov Ryabinin, nicknamed Shilo—the Awl. I understand something about + your affairs. I can read and write. I'm no fool, so to speak." He + grasped the hand the mother extended to him, and wringing it, turned to + the master of the house.</p> + + <p>"There, Stepan, see, Varvara Nikolayevna is a good lady, true. But in + regard to all this, she says it is nonsense, nothing but dreams. Boys + and different students, she says, muddle the people's mind with + absurdities. However, you saw just now a sober, steady man, as he ought + to be, a peasant, arrested. Now, here is she, an elderly woman, and as + to be seen, not of blue blood. Don't be offended—what's your station in + life?"</p> + + <p>He spoke quickly and distinctly, without taking breath. His little beard + shook nervously, and his dark eyes, which he screwed up, rapidly scanned + the mother's face and figure. Ragged, crumpled, his hair disheveled, he + seemed just to have come from a fight, in which he had vanquished his + opponent, and still to be flushed with the joy of victory. He pleased + the mother with his sprightliness and his simple talk, which at once + went straight to the point. She gave him a kind look as she answered his + question. He once more shook her hand vigorously, and laughed softly.</p> + + <p>"You see, Stepan, it's a clean business, an excellent business. I told + you so. This is the way it is: the people,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</a></span> so to speak, are beginning + to take things into their own hands. And as to the lady—she won't tell + you the truth; it's harmful to her. I respect her, I must say; she's a + good person, and wishes us well—well, a little bit, and provided it + won't harm her any. But the people want to go straight, and they fear no + loss and no harm—you see?—all life is harmful to them; they have no + place to turn to; they have nothing all around except 'Stop!' which is + shouted at them from all sides."</p> + + <p>"I see," said Stepan, nodding and immediately adding: "She's uneasy + about her baggage."</p> + + <p>Pyotr gave the mother a shrewd wink, and again reassured her:</p> + + <p>"Don't be uneasy; it's all right. Everything will be all right, mother. + Your valise is in my house. Just now when he told me about you—that you + also participate in this work and that you know that man—I said to him: + 'Take care, Stepan! In such a serious business you must keep your mouth + shut.' Well, and you, too, mother, seem to have scented us when we stood + near you. The faces of honest people can be told at once. Not many of + them walk the streets, to speak frankly. Your valise is in my house." He + sat down alongside of her and looked entreatingly into her eyes. "If you + wish to empty it we'll help you, with pleasure. We need books."</p> + + <p>"She wants to give us everything," remarked Stepan.</p> + + <p>"First rate, mother! We'll find a place for all of it." He jumped to his + feet, burst into a laugh, and quickly pacing up and down the room said + contentedly: "The matter is perfectly simple: in one place it snaps, and + in another it is tied up. Very well! And the newspaper, mother, is a + good one, and does its work—it peels the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[Pg 379]</a></span> people's eyes open; it's + unpleasant to the masters. I do carpentry work for a lady about five + miles from here—a good woman, I must admit. She gives me various books, + sometimes very simple books. I read them over—I might as well fall + asleep. In general we're thankful to her. But I showed her one book and + a number of a newspaper; she was somewhat offended. 'Drop it, Pyotr!' + she said. 'Yes, this,' she says, 'is the work of senseless youngsters; + from such a business your troubles can only increase; prison and Siberia + for this,' she says."</p> + + <p>He grew abruptly silent, reflected for a moment, and asked: "Tell me, + mother, this man—is he a relative of yours?"</p> + + <p>"A stranger."</p> + + <p>Pyotr threw his head back and laughed noiselessly, very well satisfied + with something. To the mother, however, it seemed the very next instant + that, in reference to Rybin, the word "stranger" was not in place; it + jarred upon her.</p> + + <p>"I'm not a relative of his; but I've known him for a long time, and I + look up to him as to an elder brother."</p> + + <p>She was pained and displeased not to find the word she wanted, and she + could not suppress a quiet groan. A sad stillness pervaded the hut. + Pyotr leaned his head upon one shoulder; his little beard, narrow and + sharp, stuck out comically on one side, and gave his shadow swinging on + the wall the appearance of a man sticking out his tongue teasingly. + Stepan sat with his elbows on the table, and beat a tattoo on the + boards. His wife stood at the oven without stirring; the mother felt her + look riveted upon herself and often glanced at the woman's face—oval, + swarthy, with a straight nose, and a chin cut off short; her dark and + thick eyebrows joined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[Pg 380]</a></span> sternly, her eyelids drooped, and from under them + her greenish eyes shone sharply and intently.</p> + + <p>"A friend, that is to say," said Pyotr quietly. "He has character, + indeed he has; he esteems himself highly, as he ought to; he has put a + high price on himself, as he ought to. There's a man, Tatyana! You + say——"</p> + + <p>"Is he married?" Tatyana interposed, and compressed the thin lips of her + small mouth.</p> + + <p>"He's a widower," answered the mother sadly.</p> + + <p>"That's why he's so brave," remarked Tatyana. Her utterance was low and + difficult. "A married man like him wouldn't go—he'd be afraid."</p> + + <p>"And I? I'm married and everything, and yet—" exclaimed Pyotr.</p> + + <p>"Enough!" she said without looking at him and twisting her lips. "Well, + what are you? You only talk a whole lot, and on rare occasions you read + a book. It doesn't do people much good for you and Stepan to whisper to + each other on the corners."</p> + + <p>"Why, sister, many people hear me," quietly retorted the peasant, + offended. "I act as a sort of yeast here. It isn't fair in you to speak + that way."</p> + + <p>Stepan looked at his wife silently and again drooped his head.</p> + + <p>"And why should a peasant marry?" asked Tatyana. "He needs a worker, + they say. What work?"</p> + + <p>"You haven't enough? You want more?" Stepan interjected dully.</p> + + <p>"But what sense is there in the work we do? We go half-hungry from day + to day anyhow. Children are born; there's no time to look after them on + account of the work that doesn't give us bread." She walked up to the + mother, sat down next to her, and spoke on stubbornly, no plaint nor + mourning in her voice. "I had two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</a></span> children; one, when he was two years + old, was boiled to death in hot water; the other was born dead—from + this thrice-accursed work. Such a happy life! I say a peasant has no + business to marry. He only binds his hands. If he were free he would + work up to a system of life needed by everybody. He would come out + directly and openly for the truth. Am I right, mother?"</p> + + <p>"You are. You're right, my dear. Otherwise we can't conquer life."</p> + + <p>"Have you a husband?"</p> + + <p>"He died. I have a son."</p> + + <p>"And where is he? Does he live with you?"</p> + + <p>"He's in prison." The mother suddenly felt a calm pride in these words, + usually painful to her. "This is the second time—all because he came to + understand God's truth and sowed it openly without sparing himself. He's + a young man, handsome, intelligent; he planned a newspaper, and gave + Mikhaïl Ivanovich a start on his way, although he's only half of + Mikhaïl's age. Now they're going to try my son for all this, and + sentence him; and he'll escape from Siberia and continue with his work."</p> + + <p>Her pride waxed as she spoke. It created the image of a hero, and + demanded expression in words. The mother needed an offset—something + fine and bright—to balance the gloomy incident she had witnessed that + day, with its senseless horror and shameless cruelty. Instinctively + yielding to this demand of a healthy soul, she reached out for + everything she had seen that was pure and shining and heaped it into one + dazzling, cleansing fire.</p> + + <p>"Many such people have already been born, more and more are being born, + and they will all stand up for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</a></span> freedom of the people, for the + truth, to the very end of their lives."</p> + + <p>She forgot precaution, and although she did not mention names, she told + everything known to her of the secret work for the emancipation of the + people from the chains of greed. In depicting the personalities she put + all her force into her words, all the abundance of love awakened in her + so late by her rousing experiences. And she herself became warmly + enamored of the images rising up in her memory, illumined and beautified + by her feeling.</p> + + <p>"The common cause advances throughout the world in all the cities. + There's no measuring the power of the good people. It keeps growing and + growing, and it will grow until the hour of our victory, until the + resurrection of truth."</p> + + <p>Her voice flowed on evenly, the words came to her readily, and she + quickly strung them, like bright, varicolored beads, on strong threads + of her desire to cleanse her heart of the blood and filth of that day. + She saw that the three people were as if rooted to the spot where her + speech found them, and that they looked at her without stirring. She + heard the intermittent breathing of the woman sitting by her side, and + all this magnified the power of her faith in what she said, and in what + she promised these people.</p> + + <p>"All those who have a hard life, whom want and injustice crush—it's the + rich and the servitors of the rich who have overpowered them. The whole + people ought to go out to meet those who perish in the dungeons for + them, and endure mortal torture. Without gain to themselves they show + where the road to happiness for all people lies. They frankly admit it + is a hard road, and they force no one to follow them. But once you take + your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</a></span> position by their side you will never leave them. You will see it + is the true, the right road. With such persons the people may travel. + Such persons will not be reconciled to small achievements; they will not + stop until they will vanquish all deceit, all evil and greed. They will + not fold their hands until the people are welded into one soul, until + the people will say in one voice: 'I am the ruler, and I myself will + make the laws equal for all.'"</p> + + <p>She ceased from exhaustion, and looked about. Her words would not be + wasted here, she felt assured. The silence lasted for a minute, while + the peasants regarded her as if expecting more. Pyotr stood in the + middle of the hut, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes screwed + up, a smile quivering on his freckled face. Stepan was leaning one hand + on the table; with his neck and entire body forward, he seemed still to + be listening. A shadow on his face gave it more finish. His wife, + sitting beside the mother, bent over, her elbows on her knees, and + studied her feet.</p> + + <p>"That's how it is," whispered Pyotr, and carefully sat on the bench, + shaking his head.</p> + + <p>Stepan slowly straightened himself, looked at his wife, and threw his + hands in the air, as if grasping for something.</p> + + <p>"If a man takes up this work," he began thoughtfully in a moderated + voice, "then his entire soul is needed."</p> + + <p>Pyotr timidly assented:</p> + + <p>"Yes, he mustn't look back."</p> + + <p>"The work has spread very widely," continued Stepan.</p> + + <p>"Over the whole earth," added Pyotr.</p> + + <p>They both spoke like men walking in darkness, groping for the way with + their feet. The mother leaned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</a></span> against the wall, and throwing back her + head listened to their careful utterances. Tatyana arose, looked around, + and sat down again. Her green eyes gleamed dryly as she looked into the + peasants' faces with dissatisfaction and contempt.</p> + + <p>"It seems you've been through a lot of misery," she said, suddenly + turning to the mother.</p> + + <p>"I have."</p> + + <p>"You speak well. You draw—you draw the heart after your talk. It makes + me think, it makes me think, 'God! If I could only take a peep at such + people and at life through a chink!' How does one live? What life has + one? The life of sheep. Here am I; I can read and write; I read books, I + think a whole lot. Sometimes I don't even sleep the entire night because + I think. And what sense is there in it? If I don't think, my existence + is a purposeless existence; and if I do, it is also purposeless. And + everything seems purposeless. There are the peasants, who work and + tremble over a piece of bread for their homes, and they have nothing. It + hurts them, enrages them; they drink, fight, and work again—work, work, + work. But what comes of it? Nothing."</p> + + <p>She spoke with scorn in her eyes and in her voice, which was low and + even, but at times broke off like a taut thread overstrained. The + peasants were silent, the wind glided by the window panes, buzzed + through the straw of the roofs, and at times whined softly down the + chimney. A dog barked, and occasional drops of rain pattered on the + window. Suddenly the light flared in the lamp, dimmed, but in a second + sprang up again even and bright.</p> + + <p>"I listened to your talk, and I see what people live for now. It's so + strange—I hear you, and I think, 'Why, I know all this.' And yet, until + you said it, I hadn't heard such things, and I had no such thoughts. + Yes."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I think we ought to take something to eat, and put out the lamp," said + Stepan, somberly and slowly. "People will notice that at the Chumakovs' + the light burned late. It's nothing for us, but it might turn out bad + for the guest."</p> + + <p>Tatyana arose and walked to the oven.</p> + + <p>"Ye-es," Pyotr said softly, with a smile. "Now, friend, keep your ears + pricked. When the papers appear among the people——"</p> + + <p>"I'm not speaking of myself. If they arrest me, it's no great matter."</p> + + <p>The wife came up to the table and asked Stepan to make room.</p> + + <p>He arose and watched her spread the table as he stood to one side.</p> + + <p>"The price of fellows of our kind is a nickel a bundle, a hundred in a + bundle," he said with a smile.</p> + + <p>The mother suddenly pitied him. He now pleased her more.</p> + + <p>"You don't judge right, host," she said. "A man mustn't agree to the + price put upon him by people from the outside, who need nothing of him + except his blood. You, knowing yourself within, must put your own + estimate on yourself—your price, not for your enemies, but for your + friends."</p> + + <p>"What friends have we?" the peasant exclaimed softly. "Up to the first + piece of bread."</p> + + <p>"And I say that the people have friends."</p> + + <p>"Yes, they have, but not here—that's the trouble," Stepan deliberated.</p> + + <p>"Well, then create them here."</p> + + <p>Stepan reflected a while. "We'll try."</p> + + <p>"Sit down at the table," Tatyana invited her.</p> + + <p>At supper, Pyotr, who had been subdued by the talk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</a></span> of the mother and + appeared to be at a loss, began to speak again with animation:</p> + + <p>"Mother, you ought to get out of here as soon as possible, to escape + notice. Go to the next station, not to the city—hire the post horses."</p> + + <p>"Why? I'm going to see her off!" said Stepan.</p> + + <p>"You mustn't. In case anything happens and they ask you whether she + slept in your house—'She did.' 'When did she go?' 'I saw her off.' + 'Aha! You did? Please come to prison!' Do you understand? And no one + ought to be in a hurry to get into prison; everybody's turn will come. + 'Even the Czar will die,' as the saying goes. But the other way: she + simply spent the night in your house, hired horses, and went away. And + what of it? Somebody passing through the village sleeps with somebody in + the village. There's nothing in that."</p> + + <p>"Where did you learn to be afraid, Pyotr?" Tatyana scoffed.</p> + + <p>"A man must know everything, friend!" Pyotr exclaimed, striking his + knee—"know how to fear, know how to be brave. You remember how a + policeman lashed Vaganov for that newspaper? Now you'll not persuade + Vaganov for any amount of money to take a book in his hand. Yes; you + believe me, mother, I'm a sharp fellow for every sort of a + trick—everybody knows it. I'm going to scatter these books and papers + for you in the best shape and form, as much as you please. Of course, + the people here are not educated; they've been intimidated. However, the + times squeeze a man and wide open go his eyes, 'What's the matter?' And + the book answers him in a perfectly simple way: 'That's what's the + matter—Think! Unite! Nothing else is left for you to do!' There are + examples of men who can't read or write and can understand more than the + educated ones—especially<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span> if the educated ones have their stomachs + full. I go about here everywhere; I see much. Well? It's possible to + live; but you want brains and a lot of cleverness in order not to sit + down in the cesspool at once. The authorities, too, smell a rat, as + though a cold wind were blowing on them from the peasants. They see the + peasant smiles very little, and altogether is not very kindly disposed + and wants to disaccustom himself to the authorities. The other day in + Smolyakov, a village not far from here, they came to extort the taxes; + and your peasants got stubborn and flew into a passion. The police + commissioner said straight out: 'Oh, you damned scoundrels! why, this is + disobedience to the Czar!' There was one little peasant there, Spivakin, + and says he: 'Off with you to the evil mother with your Czar! What kind + of a Czar is he if he pulls the last shirt off your body?' That's how + far it went, mother. Of course, they snatched Spivakin off to prison. + But the word remained, and even the little boys know it. It lives! It + shouts! And perhaps in our days the word is worth more than a man. + People are stupefied and deadened by their absorption in breadwinning. + Yes."</p> + + <p>Pyotr did not eat, but kept on talking in a quick whisper, his dark, + roguish eyes gleaming merrily. He lavishly scattered before the mother + innumerable little observations on the village life—they rolled from + him like copper coins from a full purse.</p> + + <p>Stepan several times reminded him: "Why don't you eat?" Pyotr would then + seize a piece of bread and a spoon and fall to talking and sputtering + again like a goldfinch. Finally, after the meal, he jumped to his feet + and announced:</p> + + <p>"Well, it's time for me to go home. Good-by, mother!" and he shook her + hand and nodded his head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span> "Maybe we shall never see each other again. I + must say to you that all this is very good—to meet you and hear your + speeches—very good! Is there anything in your valise beside the printed + matter? A shawl? Excellent! A shawl, remember, Stepan. He'll bring you + the valise at once. Come, Stepan. Good-by. I wish everything good to + you."</p> + + <p>After he had gone the crawling sound of the roaches became audible in + the hut, the blowing of the wind over the roof and its knocking against + the door in the chimney. A fine rain dripped monotonously on the window. + Tatyana prepared a bed for the mother on the bench with clothing brought + from the oven and the storeroom.</p> + + <p>"A lively man!" remarked the mother.</p> + + <p>The hostess looked at her sidewise.</p> + + <p>"A light fellow," she answered. "He rattles on and rattles on; you can't + but hear the rattling at a great distance."</p> + + <p>"And how is your husband?" asked the mother.</p> + + <p>"So so. A good peasant; he doesn't drink; we live peacefully. So so. + Only he has a weak character." She straightened herself, and after a + pause asked:</p> + + <p>"Why, what is it that's wanted nowadays? What's wanted is that the + people should be stirred up to revolt. Of course! Everybody thinks about + it, but privately, for himself. And what's necessary is that he should + speak out aloud. Some one person must be the first to decide to do it." + She sat down on the bench and suddenly asked: "Tell me, do young ladies + also occupy themselves with this? Do they go about with the workingmen + and read? Aren't they squeamish and afraid?" She listened attentively to + the mother's reply and fetched a deep sigh; then drooping her eyelids + and inclining her head, she said: "In one book I read the words + 'senseless life.' I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span> understood them very well at once. I know such a + life. Thoughts there are, but they're not connected, and they stray like + stupid sheep without a shepherd. They stray and stray, with no one to + bring them together. There's no understanding in people of what must be + done. That's what a senseless life is. I'd like to run away from it + without even looking around—such a severe pang one suffers when one + understands something!"</p> + + <p>The mother perceived the pang in the dry gleam of the woman's green + eyes, in her wizened face, in her voice. She wanted to pet and soothe + her.</p> + + <p>"You understand, my dear, what to do——"</p> + + <p>Tatyana interrupted her softly:</p> + + <p>"A person must be able— The bed's ready for you. Lie down and sleep."</p> + + <p>She went over to the oven and remained standing there erect, in silence, + sternly centered in herself. The mother lay down without undressing. She + began to feel the weariness in her bones and groaned softly. Tatyana + walked up to the table, extinguished the lamp, and when darkness + descended on the hut she resumed speech in her low, even voice, which + seemed to erase something from the flat face of the oppressive darkness.</p> + + <p>"You do not pray? I, too, think there is no God, there are no miracles. + All these things were contrived to frighten us, to make us stupid."</p> + + <p>The mother turned about on the bench uneasily; the dense darkness looked + straight at her from the window, and the scarcely audible crawling of + the roaches persistently disturbed the quiet. She began to speak almost + in a whisper and fearfully:</p> + + <p>"In regard to God, I don't know; but I do believe in Christ, in the + Little Father. I believe in his words, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' + Yes, I believe in them."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span> And suddenly she asked in perplexity: "But if + there is a God, why did He withdraw his good power from us? Why did He + allow the division of people into two worlds? Why, if He is merciful, + does He permit human torture—the mockery of one man by another, all + kinds of evil and beastliness?"</p> + + <p>Tatyana was silent. In the darkness the mother saw the faint outline of + her straight figure—gray on the black background. She stood motionless. + The mother closed her eyes in anguish. Then the groaning, cold voice + sullenly broke in upon the stillness again:</p> + + <p>"The death of my children I will never forgive, neither God nor man—I + will never forgive—<i>never</i>!"</p> + + <p>Nilovna uneasily rose from her bed; her heart understood the mightiness + of the pain that evoked such words.</p> + + <p>"You are young; you will still have children," she said kindly.</p> + + <p>The woman did not answer immediately. Then she whispered:</p> + + <p>"No, no. I'm spoiled. The doctor says I'll never be able to have a child + again."</p> + + <p>A mouse ran across the floor, something cracked—a flash of sound + flaring up in the noiselessness. The autumn rain again rustled on the + thatch like light thin fingers running over the roof. Large drops of + water dismally fell to the ground, marking the slow course of the autumn + night. Hollow steps on the street, then on the porch, awoke the mother + from a heavy slumber. The door opened carefully.</p> + + <p>"Tatyana!" came the low call. "Are you in bed already?"</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>"Is she asleep?"</p> + + <p>"It seems she is."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span></p> + + <p>A light flared up, trembled, and sank into the darkness.</p> + + <p>The peasant walked over to the mother's bed, adjusted the sheepskin over + her, and wrapped up her feet. The attention touched the mother in its + simplicity. She closed her eyes again and smiled. Stepan undressed in + silence, crept up to the loft, and all became quiet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIIb" id="CHAPTER_XIIb"></a>CHAPTER XII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The mother lay motionless, with ears strained in the drowsy stillness, + and before her in the darkness wavered Rybin's face covered with blood. + In the loft a dry whisper could be heard.</p></div> + + <p>"You see what sort of people go into this work? Even elderly people who + have drunk the cup of misery to the bottom, who have worked, and for + whom it is time to rest. And there they are! But you are young, + sensible! Ah, Stepan!"</p> + + <p>The thick, moist voice of the peasant responded:</p> + + <p>"Such an affair—you mustn't take it up without thinking over it. Just + wait a little while!"</p> + + <p>"I've heard you say so before." The sounds dropped, and rose again. The + voice of Stepan rang out:</p> + + <p>"You must do it this way—at first you must take each peasant aside and + speak to him by himself—for instance, to Makov Alesha, a lively + man—can read and write—was wronged by the police; Shorin Sergey, also + a sensible peasant; Knyazev, an honest, bold man, and that'll do to + begin with. Then we'll get a group together, we look about us—yes. We + must learn how to find her; and we ourselves must take a look at the + people about whom she spoke. I'll shoulder my ax and go off to the city + myself, making out I'm going there to earn money by splitting wood. You + must proceed carefully in this matter. She's right when she says that + the price a man has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span> is according to his own estimate of himself—and + this is an affair in which you must set a high value on yourself when + once you take it up. There's that peasant! See! You can put him even + before God, not to speak of before a police commissioner. He won't + yield. He stands for his own firmly—up to his knees in it. And Nikita, + why his honor was suddenly pricked—a marvel? No. If the people will set + out in a friendly way to do something together, they'll draw everybody + after them."</p> + + <p>"Friendly! They beat a man in front of your eyes, and you stand with + your mouths wide open."</p> + + <p>"You just wait a little while. He ought to thank God we didn't beat him + ourselves, that man. Yes, indeed. Sometimes the authorities compel you + to beat, and you do beat. Maybe you weep inside yourself with pity, but + still you beat. People don't dare to decline from beastliness—they'll + be killed themselves for it. They command you, 'Be what I want you to + be—a wolf, a pig'—but to be a man is prohibited. And a bold man + they'll get rid of—send to the next world. No. You must contrive for + many to get bold at once, and for all to arise suddenly."</p> + + <p>He whispered for a long time, now lowering his voice so that the mother + scarcely could hear, and now bursting forth powerfully. Then the woman + would stop him. "S-sh, you'll wake her."</p> + + <p>The mother fell into a heavy dreamless sleep.</p> + + <p>Tatyana awakened her in the early twilight, when the dusk still peered + through the window with blank eyes, and when brazen sounds of the church + bell floated and melted over the village in the gray, cold stillness.</p> + + <p>"I have prepared the samovar. Take some tea or you'll be cold if you go + out immediately after getting up."</p> + + <p>Stepan, combing his tangled beard, asked the mother<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</a></span> solicitously how to + find her in the city. To-day the peasant's face seemed more finished to + her. While they drank tea he remarked, smiling:</p> + + <p>"How wonderfully things happen!"</p> + + <p>"What?" asked Tatyana.</p> + + <p>"Why, this acquaintance—so simply."</p> + + <p>The mother said thoughtfully, but confidently:</p> + + <p>"In this affair there's a marvelous simplicity in everything."</p> + + <p>The host and hostess restrained themselves from demonstrativeness in + parting with her; they were sparing of words, but lavish in little + attentions for her comfort.</p> + + <p>Sitting in the post, the mother reflected that this peasant would begin + to work carefully, noiselessly, like a mole, without cease, and that at + his side the discontented voice of his wife would always sound, and the + dry burning gleam in her green eyes would never die out of her so long + as she cherished the revengeful wolfish anguish of a mother for lost + children.</p> + + <p>The mother recalled Rybin—his blood, his face, his burning eyes, his + words. Her heart was compressed again with a bitter feeling of + impotence; and along the entire road to the city the powerful figure of + black-bearded Mikhaïl with his torn shirt, his hands bound behind his + back, his disheveled head, clothed in wrath and faith in his truth, + stood out before her on the drab background of the gray day. And as she + regarded the figure, she thought of the numberless villages timidly + pressed to the ground; of the people, faint-heartedly and secretly + awaiting the coming of truth; and of the thousands of people who + senselessly and silently work their whole lifetime without awaiting the + coming of anything.</p> + + <p>Life represented itself to her as an unplowed, hilly field, which mutely + awaits the workers and promises a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</a></span> harvest to free and honest hands: + "Fertilize me with seeds of reason and truth; I will return them to you + a hundredfold."</p> + + <p>When from afar she saw the roofs and spires of the city, a warm joy + animated and eased her perturbed, worn heart. The preoccupied faces of + those people flashed up in her memory who, from day to day, without + cease, in perfect confidence kindle the fire of thought and scatter the + sparks over the whole earth. Her soul was flooded by the serene desire + to give these people her entire force, and—doubly the love of a mother, + awakened and animated by their thoughts.</p> + + <p>At home Nikolay opened the door for the mother. He was disheveled and + held a book in his hand.</p> + + <p>"Already?" he exclaimed joyfully. "You've returned very quickly. Well, + I'm glad, very glad."</p> + + <p>His eyes blinked kindly and briskly behind his glasses. He quickly + helped her off with her wraps, and said with an affectionate smile:</p> + + <p>"And here in my place, as you see, there was a search last night. And I + wondered what the reason for it could possibly be—whether something + hadn't happened to you. But you were not arrested. If they had arrested + you they wouldn't have let me go either."</p> + + <p>He led her into the dining room, and continued with animation: "However, + they suggested that I should be discharged from my position. That + doesn't distress me. I was sick, anyway, of counting the number of + horseless peasants, and ashamed to receive money for it, too; for the + money actually comes from them. It would have been awkward for me to + leave the position of my own accord. I am under obligations to the + comrades in regard to work. And now the matter has found its own + solution. I'm satisfied!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother sat down and looked around. One would have supposed that some + powerful man in a stupid fit of insolence had knocked the walls of the + house from the outside until everything inside had been jolted down. The + portraits were scattered on the floor; the wall paper was torn away and + stuck out in tufts; a board was pulled out of the flooring; a window + sill was ripped away; the floor by the oven was strewn with ashes. The + mother shook her head at the sight of this familiar picture.</p> + + <p>"They wanted to show that they don't get money for nothing," remarked + Nikolay.</p> + + <p>On the table stood a cold samovar, unwashed dishes, sausages, and cheese + on paper, along with plates, crumbs of bread, books, and coals from the + samovar. The mother smiled. Nikolay also laughed in embarrassment, + following the look of her eyes.</p> + + <p>"It was I who didn't waste time in completing the picture of the upset. + But never mind, Nilovna, never mind! I think they're going to come + again. That's the reason I didn't pick it all up. Well, how was your + trip?"</p> + + <p>The mother started at the question. Rybin arose before her; she felt + guilty at not having told of him immediately. Bending over a chair, she + moved up to Nikolay and began her narrative. She tried to preserve her + calm in order not to omit something as a result of excitement.</p> + + <p>"They caught him!"</p> + + <p>A quiver shot across Nikolay's face.</p> + + <p>"They did? How?"</p> + + <p>The mother stopped his questions with a gesture of her hand, and + continued as if she were sitting before the very face of justice and + bringing in a complaint regarding the torture of a man. Nikolay threw + himself back in his chair, grew pale, and listened, biting his lips. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</a></span> + slowly removed his glasses, put them on the table, and ran his hand over + his face as if wiping away invisible cobwebs. The mother had never seen + him wear so austere an expression.</p> + + <p>When she concluded he arose, and for a minute paced the floor in + silence, his fists thrust deep into his pockets. Conquering his + agitation he looked almost calmly with a hard gleam in his eyes into the + face of the mother, which was covered with silent tears.</p> + + <p>"Nilovna, we mustn't waste time! Let us try, dear comrade, to take + ourselves in hand." Then he remarked through his teeth:</p> + + <p>"He must be a remarkable fellow—such nobility! It'll be hard for him in + prison. Men like him feel unhappy there." Stepping in front of the + mother he exclaimed in a ringing voice: "Of course, all the + commissioners and sergeants are nothings. They are sticks in the hands + of a clever villain, a trainer of animals. But I would kill an animal + for allowing itself to be turned into a brute!" He restrained his + excitement, which, however, made itself felt to the mother's + perceptions. Again he strode through the room, and spoke in wrath: "See + what horror! A gang of stupid people, protesting their pernicious power + over the people, beat, stifle, oppress everybody. Savagery grows apace; + cruelty becomes the law of life. A whole nation is depraved. Think of + it! One part beats and turns brute; from immunity to punishment, sickens + itself with a voluptuous greed of torture—that disgusting disease of + slaves licensed to display all the power of slavish feelings and cattle + habits. Others are poisoned with the desire for vengeance. Still others, + beaten down to stupidity, become dumb and blind. They deprave the + nation, the whole nation!" He stopped, leaning his elbows against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</a></span> the + doorpost. He clasped his head in both hands, and was silent, his teeth + set.</p> + + <p>"You involuntarily turn a beast yourself in this beastly life!"</p> + + <p>Smiling sadly, he walked up to her, and bending over her asked, pressing + her hand: "Where is your valise?"</p> + + <p>"In the kitchen."</p> + + <p>"A spy is standing at our gate. We won't be able to get such a big mass + of papers out of the way unnoticed. There's no place to hide them in and + I think they'll come again to-night. I don't want you to be arrested. + So, however sorry we may be for the lost labor, let's burn the papers."</p> + + <p>"What?"</p> + + <p>"Everything in the valise!"</p> + + <p>She finally understood; and though sad, her pride in her success brought + a complacent smile to her face.</p> + + <p>"There's nothing in it—no leaflets." With gradually increasing + animation she told how she had placed them in the hands of sympathetic + peasants after Rybin's departure. Nikolay listened, at first with an + uneasy frown, then in surprise, and finally exclaimed, interrupting her + story:</p> + + <p>"Say, that's capital! Nilovna, do you know—" He stammered, embarrassed, + and pressing her hand, exclaimed quietly: "You touch me so by your faith + in people, by your faith in the cause of their emancipation! You have + such a good soul! I simply love you as I didn't love my own mother!"</p> + + <p>Embracing his neck, she burst into happy sobs, and pressed his head to + her lips.</p> + + <p>"Maybe," he muttered, agitated and embarrassed by the newness of his + feeling, "maybe I'm speaking nonsense;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</a></span> but, upon my honest word, you + are a beautiful person, Nilovna—yes!"</p> + + <p>"My darling, I love you, too; and I love you all with my whole soul, + every drop of my blood!" she said, choking with a wave of hot joy.</p> + + <p>The two voices blended into one throbbing speech, subdued and pulsating + with the great feeling that was seizing the people.</p> + + <p>"Such a large, soft power is in you; it draws the heart toward you + imperceptibly. How brightly you describe people! How well you see them!"</p> + + <p>"I see your life; I understand it, my dear!"</p> + + <p>"One loves you. And it's such a marvelous thing to love a person—it's + so good, you know!"</p> + + <p>"It is you, you who raise the people from the dead to life again; you!" + the mother whispered hotly, stroking his head. "My dear, I think I see + there's much work for you, much patience needed. Your power must not be + wasted. It's so necessary for life. Listen to what else happened: there + was a woman there, the wife of that man——"</p> + + <p>Nikolay sat near her, his happy face bent aside in embarrassment, and + stroked his hair. But soon he turned around again, and looking at the + mother, listened greedily to her simple and clear story.</p> + + <p>"A miracle! Every possibility of your getting into prison and + suddenly— Yes, it's evident that the peasants, too, are beginning to + stir. After all, it's natural. We ought to get special people for the + villages. People! We haven't enough—nowhere. Life demands hundreds of + hands!"</p> + + <p>"Now, if Pasha could be free—and Andriusha," said the mother softly. + Nikolay looked at her and drooped his head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You see, Nilovna, it'll be hard for you to hear; but I'll say it, + anyway—I know Pavel well; he won't leave prison. He wants to be tried; + he wants to rise in all his height. He won't give up a trial, and he + needn't either. He will escape from Siberia."</p> + + <p>The mother sighed and answered softly:</p> + + <p>"Well, he knows what's best for the cause."</p> + + <p>Nikolay quickly jumped to his feet, suddenly seized with joy again.</p> + + <p>"Thank you, Nilovna! I've just lived through a magnificent moment—maybe + the best moment of my life. Thank you! Now, come, let's give each other + a good, strong kiss!"</p> + + <p>They embraced, looking into each other's eyes. And they gave each other + firm, comradely kisses.</p> + + <p>"That's good!" he said softly.</p> + + <p>The mother unclasped her hands from about his neck and laughed quietly + and happily.</p> + + <p>"Um!" said Nikolay the next minute. "If your peasant there would hurry + up and come here! You see, we must be sure to write a leaflet about + Rybin for the village. It won't hurt him once he's come out so boldly, + and it will help the cause. I'll surely do it to-day. Liudmila will + print it quickly. But then arises the question—how will it get to the + village?"</p> + + <p>"I'll take it!"</p> + + <p>"No, thank you!" Nikolay exclaimed quietly. "I'm wondering whether + Vyesovshchikov won't do for it. Shall I speak to him?"</p> + + <p>"Yes; suppose you try and instruct him."</p> + + <p>"What'll I do then?"</p> + + <p>"Don't worry!"</p> + + <p>Nikolay sat down to write, while the mother put the table in order, from + time to time casting a look at him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</a></span> She saw how his pen trembled in his + hand. It traveled along the paper in straight lines. Sometimes the skin + on his neck quivered; he threw back his head and shut his eyes. All this + moved her.</p> + + <p>"Execute them!" she muttered under her breath. "Don't pity the + villains!"</p> + + <p>"There! It's ready!" he said, rising. "Hide the paper somewhere on your + body. But know that when the gendarmes come they'll search you, too!"</p> + + <p>"The dogs take them!" she answered calmly.</p> + + <p>In the evening Dr. Ivan Danilovich came.</p> + + <p>"What's gotten into the authorities all of a sudden?" he said, running + about the room. "There were seven searches last night. Where's the + patient?"</p> + + <p>"He left yesterday. To-day, you see, Saturday, he reads to working + people. He couldn't bring it over himself to omit the reading."</p> + + <p>"That's stupid—to sit at readings with a fractured skull!"</p> + + <p>"I tried to prove it to him, but unsuccessfully."</p> + + <p>"He wanted to do a bit of boasting before the comrades," observed the + mother. "Look! I've already shed my blood!"</p> + + <p>The physician looked at her, made a fierce face, and said with set + teeth:</p> + + <p>"Ugh! ugh! you bloodthirsty person!"</p> + + <p>"Well, Ivan, you've nothing to do here, and we're expecting guests. Go + away! Nilovna, give him the paper."</p> + + <p>"Another paper?"</p> + + <p>"There, take it and give it to the printer."</p> + + <p>"I've taken it; I'll deliver it. Is that all?"</p> + + <p>"That's all. There's a spy at the gate."</p> + + <p>"I noticed. At my door, too. Good-by! Good-by,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</a></span> you fierce woman! And do + you know, friends, a squabble in a cemetery is a fine thing after all! + The whole city's talking about it. It stirs the people up and compels + them to think. Your article on that subject was excellent, and it came + in time. I always said that a good fight is better than a bad peace."</p> + + <p>"All right. Go away now!"</p> + + <p>"You're polite! Let's shake hands, Nilovna. And that fellow—he + certainly behaved stupidly. Do you know where he lives?"</p> + + <p>Nikolay gave him the address.</p> + + <p>"I must go to him to-morrow. He's a fine fellow, eh?"</p> + + <p>"Very!"</p> + + <p>"We must keep him alive; he has good brains. It's from just such fellows + that the real proletarian intellectuals ought to grow up—men to take + our places when we leave for the region where evidently there are no + class antagonisms. But, after all, who knows?"</p> + + <p>"You've taken to chattering, Ivan."</p> + + <p>"I feel happy, that's why. Well, I'm going! So you're expecting prison? + I hope you get a good rest there!"</p> + + <p>"Thank you, I'm not tired!"</p> + + <p>The mother listened to their conversation. Their solicitude in regard to + the workingmen was pleasant to her; and, as always, the calm activity of + these people which did not forsake them even before the gates of the + prison, astonished her.</p> + + <p>After the physician left, Nikolay and the mother conversed quietly while + awaiting their evening visitors. Then Nikolay told her at length of his + comrades living in exile; of those who had already escaped and continued + their work under assumed names. The bare walls of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</a></span> room echoed the + low sounds of his voice, as if listening in incredulous amazement to the + stories of modest heroes who disinterestedly devoted all their powers to + the great cause of liberty.</p> + + <p>A shadow kindly enveloped the woman, warming her heart with love for the + unseen people, who in her imagination united into one huge person, full + of inexhaustible, manly force. This giant slowly but incessantly strides + over the earth, cleansing it, laying bare before the eyes of the people + the simple and clear truth of life—the great truth that raises humanity + from the dead, welcomes all equally, and promises all alike freedom from + greed, from wickedness, and falsehood, the three monsters which enslaved + and intimidated the whole world. The image evoked in the mother's soul a + feeling similar to that with which she used to stand before an ikon. + After she had offered her joyful, grateful prayer, the day had then + seemed lighter than the other days of her life. Now she forgot those + days. But the feeling left by them had broadened, had become brighter + and better, had grown more deeply into her soul. It was more keenly + alive and burned more luminously.</p> + + <p>"But the gendarmes aren't coming!" Nikolay exclaimed suddenly, + interrupting his story.</p> + + <p>The mother looked at him, and after a pause answered in vexation:</p> + + <p>"Oh, well, let them go to the dogs!"</p> + + <p>"Of course! But it's time for you to go to bed, Nilovna. You must be + desperately tired. You're wonderfully strong, I must say. So much + commotion and disturbance, and you live through it all so lightly. Only + your hair is turning gray very quickly. Now go and rest."</p> + + <p>They pressed each other's hand and parted.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIIIb" id="CHAPTER_XIIIb"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The mother fell quickly into a calm sleep, and rose early in the + morning, awakened by a subdued tap at the kitchen door. The knock was + incessant and patiently persistent. It was still dark and quiet, and the + rapping broke in alarmingly on the stillness. Dressing herself rapidly, + she walked out into the kitchen, and standing at the door asked:</p></div> + + <p>"Who's there?"</p> + + <p>"I," answered an unfamiliar voice.</p> + + <p>"Who?"</p> + + <p>"Open." The quiet word was spoken in entreaty.</p> + + <p>The mother lifted the hook, pushed the door with her foot, and Ignaty + entered, saying cheerfully:</p> + + <p>"Well, so I'm not mistaken. I'm at the right place."</p> + + <p>He was spattered with mud up to his belt. His face was gray, his eyes + fallen.</p> + + <p>"We've gotten into trouble in our place," he whispered, locking the door + behind him.</p> + + <p>"I know it."</p> + + <p>The reply astonished the young man. He blinked and asked:</p> + + <p>"How? Where from?"</p> + + <p>She explained in a few rapid words, and asked:</p> + + <p>"Did they take the other comrades, too?"</p> + + <p>"They weren't there. They had gone off to be recruited. Five were + captured, including Rybin."</p> + + <p>He snuffled and said, smiling:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And I was left over. I guess they're looking for me. Let them look. I'm + not going back there again, not for anything. There are other people + there yet, some seven young men and a girl. Never mind! They're all + reliable."</p> + + <p>"How did you find this place?" The mother smiled.</p> + + <p>The door from the room opened quietly.</p> + + <p>"I?" Seating himself on a bench and looking around, Ignaty exclaimed: + "They crawled up at night, straight to the tar works. Well, a minute + before they came the forester ran up to us and knocked on the window. + 'Look out, boys,' says he, 'they're coming on you.'"</p> + + <p>He laughed softly, wiped his face with the flap of his coat, and + continued:</p> + + <p>"Well, they can't stun Uncle Mikhaïl even with a hammer. At once he says + to me, 'Ignaty, run away to the city, quick! You remember the elderly + woman.' And he himself writes a note. 'There, go! Good-by, brother.' He + pushed me in the back. I flung out of the hut. I scrambled along on all + fours through the bushes, and I hear them coming. There must have been a + lot of them. You could hear the rustling on all sides, the devils—like + a moose around the tar works. I lay in the bushes. They passed by me. + Then I rose and off I went; and for two nights and a whole day I walked + without stopping. My feet'll ache for a week."</p> + + <p>He was evidently satisfied with himself. A smile shone in his hazel + eyes. His full red lips quivered.</p> + + <p>"I'll set you up with some tea soon. You wash yourself while I get the + samovar ready."</p> + + <p>"I'll give you the note." He raised his leg with difficulty, and + frowning and groaning put his foot on the bench and began to untie the + leg wrappings.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I got frightened. 'Well,' thinks I, 'I'm a goner.'"</p> + + <p>Nikolay appeared at the door. Ignaty in embarrassment dropped his foot + to the floor and wanted to rise, but staggered and fell heavily on the + bench, catching himself with his hands.</p> + + <p>"You sit still!" exclaimed the mother.</p> + + <p>"How do you do, comrade?" said Nikolay, screwing up his eyes + good-naturedly and nodding his head. "Allow me, I'll help you."</p> + + <p>Kneeling on the floor in front of the peasant, he quickly unwound the + dirty, damp wrappings.</p> + + <p>"Well!" the fellow exclaimed quietly, pulling back his foot and blinking + in astonishment. He regarded the mother, who said, without paying + attention to his look:</p> + + <p>"His legs ought to be rubbed down with alcohol."</p> + + <p>"Of course!" said Nikolay.</p> + + <p>Ignaty snorted in embarrassment. Nikolay found the note, straightened it + out, looked at it, and handed the gray, crumpled piece of paper to the + mother.</p> + + <p>"For you."</p> + + <p>"Read it."</p> + + <p>"'Mother, don't let the affair go without your attention. Tell the tall + lady not to forget to have them write more for our cause, I beg of you. + Good-by. Rybin.'"</p> + + <p>"My darling!" said the mother sadly. "They've already seized him by the + throat, and he——"</p> + + <p>Nikolay slowly dropped his hand holding the note.</p> + + <p>"That's magnificent!" he said slowly and respectfully. "It both touches + and teaches."</p> + + <p>Ignaty looked at them, and quietly shook his bared feet with his dirty + hands. The mother, covering her tearful face, walked up to him with a + basin of water, sat down on the floor, and stretched out her hands to + his feet. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</a></span> he quickly thrust them under the bench, exclaiming in + fright:</p> + + <p>"What are you going to do?"</p> + + <p>"Give me your foot, quick!"</p> + + <p>"I'll bring the alcohol at once," said Nikolay.</p> + + <p>The young man shoved his foot still farther under the bench and mumbled:</p> + + <p>"What <i>are</i> you going to do? It's not proper."</p> + + <p>Then the mother silently unbared his other foot. Ignaty's round face + lengthened in amazement. He looked around helplessly with his wide-open + eyes.</p> + + <p>"Why, it's going to tickle me!"</p> + + <p>"You'll be able to bear it," answered the mother, beginning to wash his + feet.</p> + + <p>Ignaty snorted aloud, and moving his neck awkwardly looked down at her, + comically drooping his under lip.</p> + + <p>"And do you know," she said tremulously, "that they beat Mikhaïl + Ivanovich?"</p> + + <p>"What?" the peasant exclaimed in fright.</p> + + <p>"Yes; he had been beaten when they led him to the village, and in + Nikolsk the sergeant beat him, the police commissioner beat him in the + face and kicked him till he bled." The mother became silent, overwhelmed + by her recollections.</p> + + <p>"They can do it," said the peasant, lowering his brows sullenly. His + shoulders shook. "That is, I fear them like the devils. And the + peasants—didn't the peasants beat him?"</p> + + <p>"One beat him. The police commissioner ordered him to. All the others + were so so—they even took his part. 'You mustn't beat him!' they said."</p> + + <p>"Um! Yes, yes! The peasants are beginning to realize where a man stands, + and for what he stands."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</a></span></p> + + <p>"There are sensible people there, too."</p> + + <p>"Where can't you find sensible people? Necessity! They're everywhere; + but it's hard to get at them. They hide themselves in chinks and + crevices, and suck their hearts out each one for himself. Their + resolution isn't strong enough to make them gather into a group."</p> + + <p>Nikolay brought a bottle of alcohol, put coals in the samovar, and + walked away silently. Ignaty accompanied him with a curious look.</p> + + <p>"A gentleman?"</p> + + <p>"In this business there are no masters; they're all comrades!"</p> + + <p>"It's strange to me," said Ignaty with a skeptical but embarrassed + smile.</p> + + <p>"What's strange?"</p> + + <p>"This: at one end they beat you in the face; at the other they wash your + feet. Is there a middle of any kind?"</p> + + <p>The door of the room was flung open and Nikolay, standing on the + threshold, said:</p> + + <p>"And in the middle stand the people who lick the hands of those who beat + you in the face and suck the blood of those whose faces are beaten. + That's the middle!"</p> + + <p>Ignaty looked at him respectfully, and after a pause said: "That's it!"</p> + + <p>The mother sighed. "Mikhaïl Ivanovich also always used to say, 'That's + it!' like an ax blow."</p> + + <p>"Nilovna, you're evidently tired. Permit me—I——"</p> + + <p>The peasant pulled his feet uneasily.</p> + + <p>"That'll do;" said the mother, rising. "Well, Ignaty, now wash + yourself."</p> + + <p>The young man arose, shifted his feet about, and stepped firmly on the + floor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</a></span></p> + + <p>"They seem like new feet. Thank you! Many, many thanks!"</p> + + <p>He drew a wry face, his lips trembled, and his eyes reddened. After a + pause, during which he regarded the basin of black water, he whispered + softly:</p> + + <p>"I don't even know how to thank you!"</p> + + <p>Then they sat down to the table to drink tea. And Ignaty soberly began:</p> + + <p>"I was the distributer of literature, a very strong fellow at walking. + Uncle Mikhaïl gave me the job. 'Distribute!' says he; 'and if you get + caught you're alone.'"</p> + + <p>"Do many people read?" asked Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"All who can. Even some of the rich read. Of course, they don't get it + from us. They'd clap us right into chains if they did! They understand + that this is a slipknot for them in all ages."</p> + + <p>"Why a slipknot?"</p> + + <p>"What else!" exclaimed Ignaty in amazement. "Why, the peasants are + themselves going to take the land from everyone else. They'll wash it + out with their blood from under the gentry and the rich; that is to say, + they themselves are going to divide it, and divide it so that there + won't be masters or workingmen anymore. How then? What's the use of + getting into a scrap if not for that?"</p> + + <p>Ignaty even seemed to be offended. He looked at Nikolay mistrustfully + and skeptically. Nikolay smiled.</p> + + <p>"Don't get angry," said the mother jokingly.</p> + + <p>Nikolay thoughtfully exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"How shall we get the leaflets about Rybin's arrest to the village?" + Ignaty grew attentive.</p> + + <p>"I'll speak to Vyesovshchikov to-day."</p> + + <p>"Is there a leaflet already?" asked Ignaty.</p> + + <p>"Yes."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Give it to me. I'll take it." Ignaty rubbed his hands at the + suggestion, his eyes flashing. "I know where and how. Let me."</p> + + <p>The mother laughed quietly, without looking at him.</p> + + <p>"Why, you're tired and afraid, and you said you'd never go there again!"</p> + + <p>Ignaty smacked his lips and stroked his curly hair with his broad palm.</p> + + <p>"I'm tired; I'll rest; and of course I'm afraid!" His manner was + businesslike and calm. "They beat a man until the blood comes, as you + yourself say—then who wants to be mutilated? But I'll pull through + somehow at night. Never mind! Give me the leaflets; this evening I'll + get on the go." He was silent, thought a while, his eyebrows working. + "I'll go to the forest; I'll hide the literature, and then I'll notify + our fellows: 'Go get it.' That's better. If I myself should distribute + them I might fall into the hands of the police, and it would be a pity + for the leaflets. You must act carefully here. There are not many such + leaflets!"</p> + + <p>"And how about your fear?" the mother observed again with a smile. This + curly-haired, robust fellow put her into a good humor by his sincerity, + which sounded in his every word, and shone from his round, determined + face.</p> + + <p>"Fear is fear, and business is business!" he answered with a grin. "Why + are you laughing at me, eh? You, too! Why, isn't it natural to be afraid + in this matter? Well, and if it's necessary a man'll go into a fire. + Such an affair, it requires it."</p> + + <p>"Ah, you, my child!"</p> + + <p>Ignaty, embarrassed, smiled. "Well, there you are—child!" he said.</p> + + <p>Nikolay began to speak, all the time looking good-naturedly with + screwed-up eyes at the young peasant.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You're not going there!"</p> + + <p>"Then what'll I do? Where am I to be?" Ignaty asked uneasily.</p> + + <p>"Another fellow will go in place of you. And you'll tell him in detail + what to do and how to do it."</p> + + <p>"All right!" said Ignaty. But his consent was not given at once, and + then only reluctantly.</p> + + <p>"And for you we'll obtain a good passport and make you a forester."</p> + + <p>The young fellow quickly threw back his head and asked uneasily:</p> + + <p>"But if the peasants come there for wood, or there—in general—what'll + I do? Bind them? That doesn't suit me."</p> + + <p>The mother laughed, and Nikolay, too. This again confused and vexed + Ignaty.</p> + + <p>"Don't be uneasy!" Nikolay soothed him. "You won't have to bind + peasants. You trust us."</p> + + <p>"Well, well," said Ignaty, set at ease, smiling at Nikolay with + confidence and merriness in his eyes. "If you could get me to the + factory. There, they say, the fellows are mighty smart."</p> + + <p>A fire seemed to be ever burning in his broad chest, unsteady as yet, + not confident in its own power. It flashed brightly in his eyes, forced + out from within; but suddenly it would nearly expire in fright and + flicker behind the smoke of perplexed alarm and embarrassment.</p> + + <p>The mother rose from behind the table, and looking through the window + reflected:</p> + + <p>"Ah, life! Five times in the day you laugh and five times you weep. All + right. Well, are you through, Ignaty? Go to bed and sleep."</p> + + <p>"But I don't want to."</p> + + <p>"Go on, go on!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_412" id="Page_412">[Pg 412]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You're stern in this place. Thank you for the tea, for the sugar, for + the kindness."</p> + + <p>Lying down in the mother's bed he mumbled, scratching his head:</p> + + <p>"Now everything'll smell of tar in your place. Ah, it's all for nothing + all this—plain coddling! I don't want to sleep. You're good people, + yes. It's more than I can understand—as if I'd gotten a hundred + thousand miles away from the village—how he hit it off about the + middle—and in the middle are the people who lick the hands—of those + who beat the faces—um, yes."</p> + + <p>And suddenly he gave a loud short snore and dropped off to sleep, with + eyebrows raised high and half-open mouth.</p> + + <hr style="width: 45%;" /> + + <p>Late at night he sat in a little room of a basement at a table opposite + Vyesovshchikov. He said in a subdued tone, knitting his brows:</p> + + <p>"On the middle window, four times."</p> + + <p>"Four."</p> + + <p>"At first three times like this"—he counted aloud as he tapped thrice + on the table with his forefinger. "Then waiting a little, once again."</p> + + <p>"I understand."</p> + + <p>"A red-haired peasant will open the door for you, and will ask you for + the midwife. You'll tell him, 'Yes, from the boss.' Nothing else. He'll + understand your business."</p> + + <p>They sat with heads bent toward each other, both robust fellows, + conversing in half tones. The mother, with her arms folded on her bosom, + stood at the table looking at them. All the secret tricks and passwords + compelled her to smile inwardly as she thought, "Mere children still."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_413" id="Page_413">[Pg 413]</a></span></p> + + <p>A lamp burned on the wall, illuminating a dark spot of dampness and + pictures from journals. On the floor old pails were lying around, + fragments of slate iron. A large, bright star out in the high darkness + shone into the window. The odor of mildew, paint, and damp earth filled + the room.</p> + + <p>Ignaty was dressed in a thick autumn overcoat of shaggy material. It + pleased him; the mother observed how he stroked it admiringly with the + palm of his hand, how he looked at himself, clumsily turning his + powerful neck. Her bosom beat tenderly with, "My dears, my children, my + own."</p> + + <p>"There!" said Ignaty, rising. "You'll remember, then? First you go to + Muratov and ask for grandfather."</p> + + <p>"I remember."</p> + + <p>But Ignaty was still distrustful of Nikolay's memory, and reiterated all + the instructions, words, and signs, and finally extended his hand to + him, saying:</p> + + <p>"That's all now. Good-by, comrade. Give my regards to them. I'm alive + and strong. The people there are good—you'll see." He cast a satisfied + glance down at himself, stroked the overcoat, and asked the mother, + "Shall I go?"</p> + + <p>"Can you find the way?"</p> + + <p>"Yes. Good-by, then, dear comrades."</p> + + <p>He walked off, raising his shoulders high, thrusting out his chest, with + his new hat cocked to one side, and his hands deep in his pockets in + most dignified fashion. On his forehead and temples his bright, boyish + curls danced gayly.</p> + + <p>"There, now, I have work, too," said Vyesovshchikov, going over to the + mother quietly. "I'm bored already—jumped out of prison—what for? My + only occupation is hiding—and there I was learning. Pavel so pressed + your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_414" id="Page_414">[Pg 414]</a></span> brains—it was one pure delight. And Andrey, too, polished us + fellows zealously. Well, Nilovna, did you hear how they decided in + regard to the escape? Will they arrange it?"</p> + + <p>"They'll find out day after to-morrow," she repeated, sighing + involuntarily. "One day still—day after to-morrow."</p> + + <p>Laying his heavy hand on her shoulder, and bringing his face close to + hers, Nikolay said animatedly:</p> + + <p>"You tell them, the older ones there—they'll listen to you. Why, it's + very easy. You just see for yourself. There's the wall of the prison + near the lamp-post; opposite is an empty lot, on the left the cemetery, + on the right the streets—the city. The lamplighter goes to the + lamp-post; by day he cleans the lamp; he puts the ladder against the + wall, climbs up, screws hooks for a rope ladder onto the top of the + wall, lets the rope ladder down into the prison yard, and off he goes. + There inside the walls they know the time when this will be done, and + will ask the criminals to arrange an uproar, or they'll arrange it + themselves, and those who need it will go up the ladder over the + wall—one, two, it's done. And they calmly proceed to the city because + the chase throws itself first of all on the vacant lot and the + cemetery."</p> + + <p>He gesticulated rapidly in front of the mother's face, drawing his plan, + the details of which were clear, simple, and clever. She had known him + as a clumsy fellow, and it was strange to her to see the pockmarked face + with the high cheek bones, usually so gloomy, now lively and alert. The + narrow gray eyes, formerly harsh and cold, looking at the world sullenly + with malice and distrust, seemed to be chiseled anew, assuming an oval + form and shining with an even, warm light that convinced and moved the + mother.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_415" id="Page_415">[Pg 415]</a></span></p> + + <p>"You think of it—by day, without fail by day. To whom would it occur + that a prisoner would make up his mind to escape by day in the eyes of + the whole prison?"</p> + + <p>"And they'll shoot him down," the woman said trembling.</p> + + <p>"Who? There are no soldiers, and the overseers of the prison use their + revolvers to drive nails in."</p> + + <p>"Why, it's very simple—all this."</p> + + <p>"And you'll see it'll all come out all right. No. You speak to them. I + have everything prepared already—the rope ladder, the screw hooks; I + spoke to my host, he'll be the lamplighter."</p> + + <p>Somebody stirred noisily at the door and coughed, and iron clanked.</p> + + <p>"There he is!" exclaimed Nikolay.</p> + + <p>At the open door a tin bathtub was thrust in, and a hoarse voice said:</p> + + <p>"Get in, you devil."</p> + + <p>Then a round, gray, hatless head appeared. It had protruding eyes and a + mustache, and wore a good-natured expression. Nikolay helped the man in + with the tub. A tall, stooping figure strode through the door. The man + coughed, his shaven cheeks puffing up; he spat out and greeted hoarsely:</p> + + <p>"Good health to you!"</p> + + <p>"There! Ask him!"</p> + + <p>"Me? What about?"</p> + + <p>"About the escape."</p> + + <p>"Ah, ah!" said the host, wiping his mustache with black fingers.</p> + + <p>"There, Yakob Vasilyevich! She doesn't believe it's a simple matter!"</p> + + <p>"Hm! she doesn't believe! Not to believe means not to want to believe. + You and I want to, and so we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_416" id="Page_416">[Pg 416]</a></span> believe." The old man suddenly bent over + and coughed hoarsely, rubbed his breast for a long time, while he stood + in the middle of the room panting for breath and scanning the mother + with wide-open eyes.</p> + + <p>"I'm not the one to decide, Nikolay."</p> + + <p>"But, mother, you talk with them. Tell them everything is ready. Ah, if + I could only see them! I'd force them!" He threw out his hands with a + broad gesture and pressed them together as if embracing something + firmly, and his voice rang with hot feeling that astounded the mother by + its power.</p> + + <p>"Hm! what a fellow you are!" she thought; but said aloud: "It's for + Pasha and the comrades to decide."</p> + + <p>Nikolay thoughtfully inclined his head.</p> + + <p>"Who's this Pasha?" asked the host, seating himself.</p> + + <p>"My son."</p> + + <p>"What's the family?"</p> + + <p>"Vlasov."</p> + + <p>He nodded his head, got his tobacco pouch, whipped out his pipe and + filled it with tobacco. He spoke brokenly:</p> + + <p>"I've heard of him. My nephew knows him. He, too, is in prison—my + nephew Yevchenko. Have you heard of him? And my family is Godun. They'll + soon shut all the young people in prison, and then there'll be plenty + and comfort for us old folks. The gendarme assures me that my nephew + will even be sent to Siberia. They'll exile him—the dogs!"</p> + + <p>Lighting his pipe, he turned to Nikolay, spitting frequently on the + floor:</p> + + <p>"So she doesn't want to? Well, that's her affair! A person is free to + feel as he wants to. Are you tired of sitting in prison? Go. Are you + tired of going? Sit. They robbed you? Keep still. They beat you? Bear + it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_417" id="Page_417">[Pg 417]</a></span> They have killed you? Stay dead. That's certain. And I'll carry off + Savka; I'll carry him off!" His curt, barking phrases, full of + good-natured irony, perplexed the mother. But his last words aroused + envy in her.</p> + + <p>While walking along the street in the face of a cold wind and rain, she + thought of Nikolay, "What a man he's become! Think of it!" And + remembering Godun, she almost prayerfully reflected, "It seems I'm not + the only one who lives for the new. It's a big fire if it so cleanses + and burns all who see it." Then she thought of her son, "If he only + agreed!"</p> + + <p>On Sunday, taking leave of Pavel in the waiting room of the prison, she + felt a little lump of paper in her hand. She started as if it burned her + skin, and cast a look of question and entreaty into her son's face. But + she found no answer there. Pavel's blue eyes smiled with the usual + composed smile familiar to her.</p> + + <p>"Good-by!" she sighed.</p> + + <p>The son again put out his hand to her, and a certain kindness and + tenderness for her quivered on his face. "Good-by, mamma!"</p> + + <p>She waited without letting go of his hand. "Don't be uneasy—don't be + angry," he said.</p> + + <p>These words and the stubborn folds between his brows answered her + question. "Well, what do you mean?" she muttered, drooping her head. + "What of it?" And she quickly walked away without looking at him, in + order not to betray her feelings by the tears in her eyes and the quiver + of her lips. On the road she thought that the bones of the hand which + had pressed her son's hand ached and grew heavy, as if she had been + struck on the shoulder.</p> + + <p>At home, after thrusting the note into Nikolay's hand, she stood before + him, and waited while he smoothed out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_418" id="Page_418">[Pg 418]</a></span> the tight little roll. She felt a + tremor of hope again; but Nikolay said:</p> + + <p>"Of course, this is what he writes: 'We will not go away, comrade; we + cannot, not one of us. We should lose respect for ourselves. Take into + consideration the peasant recently arrested. He has merited your + solicitude; he deserves that you expend much time and energy on him. + It's very hard for him here—daily collisions with the authorities. He's + already had the twenty-four hours of the dark cell. They torture him to + death. We all intercede for him. Soothe and be kind to my mother; tell + her; she'll understand all. Pavel.'"</p> + + <p>The mother straightened herself easily, and proudly tossed her head.</p> + + <p>"Well, what is there to tell me?" she said firmly. "I understand—they + want to go straight at the authorities again—'there! condemn the + truth!'"</p> + + <p>Nikolay quickly turned aside, took out his handkerchief, blew his nose + aloud, and mumbled: "I've caught a cold, you see!" Covering his eyes + with his hands, under the pretext of adjusting his glasses, he paced up + and down the room, and said: "We shouldn't have been successful anyway."</p> + + <p>"Never mind; let the trial come off!" said the mother frowning.</p> + + <p>"Here, I've received a letter from a comrade in St. Petersburg——"</p> + + <p>"He can escape from Siberia, too, can't he?"</p> + + <p>"Of course! The comrade writes: 'The trial is appointed for the near + future; the sentence is certain—exile for everybody!' You see, these + petty cheats convert their court into the most trivial comedy. You + understand? Sentence is pronounced in St. Petersburg before the trial."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_419" id="Page_419">[Pg 419]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Stop!" the mother said resolutely. "You needn't comfort me or explain + to me. Pasha won't do what isn't right—he won't torture himself for + nothing." She paused to catch breath. "Nor will he torture others, and + he loves me, yes. You see, he thinks of me. 'Explain to her,' he writes; + 'soothe her and comfort her,' eh?"</p> + + <p>Her heart beat quickly but boldly, and her head whirled slightly from + excitement.</p> + + <p>"Your son's a splendid man! I respect and love him very much."</p> + + <p>"I tell you what—let's think of something in regard to Rybin," she + suggested.</p> + + <p>She wanted to do something forthwith—go somewhere, walk till she + dropped from exhaustion, and then fall asleep, content with the day's + work.</p> + + <p>"Yes—very well!" said Nikolay, pacing through the room. "Why not? We + ought to have Sashenka here!"</p> + + <p>"She'll be here soon. She always comes on my visiting day to Pasha."</p> + + <p>Thoughtfully drooping his head, biting his lips and twisting his beard, + Nikolay sat on the sofa by the mother's side.</p> + + <p>"I'm sorry my sister isn't here. She ought to occupy herself with + Rybin's case."</p> + + <p>"It would be well to arrange it at once, while Pasha is there. It would + be pleasant for him."</p> + + <p>The bell rang. They looked at each other.</p> + + <p>"That's Sasha," Nikolay whispered.</p> + + <p>"How will you tell her?" the mother whispered back.</p> + + <p>"Yes—um!—it's hard!"</p> + + <p>"I pity her very much."</p> + + <p>The bell rang again, not so loud, as if the person on the other side of + the door had also fallen to thinking and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_420" id="Page_420">[Pg 420]</a></span> hesitated. Nikolay and the + mother rose simultaneously, but at the kitchen door Nikolay turned + aside.</p> + + <p>"You'd better do it," he said.</p> + + <p>"He's not willing?" the girl asked the moment the mother opened the + door.</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>"I knew it!" Sasha's face paled. She unbuttoned her coat, fastened two + buttons again, then tried to remove her coat, unsuccessfully, of course. + "Dreadful weather—rain, wind; it's disgusting! Is he well?"</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"Well and happy; always the same, and only this—" Her tone was + disconsolate, and she regarded her hands.</p> + + <p>"He writes that Rybin ought to be freed." The mother kept her eyes + turned from the girl.</p> + + <p>"Yes? It seems to me we ought to make use of this plan."</p> + + <p>"I think so, too," said Nikolay, appearing at the door. "How do you do, + Sasha?"</p> + + <p>The girl asked, extending her hand to him:</p> + + <p>"What's the question about? Aren't all agreed that the plan is + practicable? I know they are."</p> + + <p>"And who'll organize it? Everybody's occupied."</p> + + <p>"Give it to me," said Sasha, quickly jumping to her feet. "I have time!"</p> + + <p>"Take it. But you must ask others."</p> + + <p>"Very well, I will. I'll go at once."</p> + + <p>She began to button up her coat again with sure, thin fingers.</p> + + <p>"You ought to rest a little," the mother advised.</p> + + <p>Sasha smiled and answered in a softer voice:</p> + + <p>"Don't worry about me. I'm not tired." And silently pressing their + hands, she left once more, cold and stern.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_421" id="Page_421">[Pg 421]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIVb" id="CHAPTER_XIVb"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_t.png" alt="T" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">The mother and Nikolay, walking up to the window, watched the girl pass + through the yard and disappear beyond the gate. Nikolay whistled + quietly, sat down at the table and began to write.</p></div> + + <p>"She'll occupy herself with this affair, and it'll be easier for her," + the mother reflected.</p> + + <p>"Yes, of course!" responded Nikolay, and turning around to the mother + with a kind smile on his face, asked: "And how about you, Nilovna—did + this cup of bitterness escape you? Did you never know the pangs for a + beloved person?"</p> + + <p>"Well!" exclaimed the mother with a wave of her hand. "What sort of a + pang? The fear they had whether they won't marry me off to this man or + that man?"</p> + + <p>"And you liked no one?"</p> + + <p>She thought a little, and answered:</p> + + <p>"I don't recall, my dear! How can it be that I didn't like anybody? I + suppose there was somebody I was fond of, but I don't remember."</p> + + <p>She looked at him, and concluded simply, with sad composure: "My husband + beat me a lot; and everything that was before him was effaced from my + soul."</p> + + <p>Nikolay turned back to the table; the mother walked out of the room for + a minute. On her return Nikolay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_422" id="Page_422">[Pg 422]</a></span> looked at her kindly and began to speak + softly and lovingly. His reminiscences stroked her like a caress.</p> + + <p>"And I, you see, was like Sashenka. I loved a girl: a marvelous being, a + wonder, a—guiding star; she was gentle and bright for me. I met her + about twenty years ago, and from that time on I loved her. And I love + her now, too, to speak the truth. I love her all so—with my whole + soul—gratefully—forever!"</p> + + <p>Standing by his side the mother saw his eyes lighted from within by a + clear, warm light. His hands folded over the back of the chair, and his + head leaning on them, he looked into the distance; his whole body, lean + and slender, but powerful, seemed to strive upward, like the stalk of a + plant toward the sun.</p> + + <p>"Why didn't you marry? You should have!"</p> + + <p>"Oh, she's been married five years!"</p> + + <p>"And before that—what was the matter? Didn't she love you?"</p> + + <p>He thought a while, and answered:</p> + + <p>"Yes, apparently she loved me; I'm certain she did. But, you see, it was + always this way: I was in prison, she was free; I was free, she was in + prison or in exile. That's very much like Sasha's position, really. + Finally they exiled her to Siberia for ten years. I wanted to follow + her, but I was ashamed and she was ashamed, and I remained here. Then + she met another man—a comrade of mine, a very good fellow, and they + escaped together. Now they live abroad. Yes——"</p> + + <p>Nikolay took off his glasses, wiped them, held them up to the light and + began to wipe them again.</p> + + <p>"Ah, you, my dear!" the mother exclaimed lovingly, shaking her head. She + was sorry for him; at the same time something compelled her to smile a + warm, motherly smile. He changed his pose, took the pen in his hand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_423" id="Page_423">[Pg 423]</a></span> + and said, punctuating the rhythm of his speed with waves of his hand:</p> + + <p>"Family life always diminishes the energy of a revolutionist. Children + must be maintained in security, and there's the need to work a great + deal for one's bread. The revolutionist ought without cease to develop + every iota of his energy; he must deepen and broaden it; but this + demands time. He must always be at the head, because we—the + workingmen—are called by the logic of history to destroy the old world, + to create the new life; and if we stop, if we yield to exhaustion, or + are attracted by the possibility of a little immediate conquest, it's + bad—it's almost treachery to the cause. No revolutionist can adhere + closely to an individual—walk through life side by side with another + individual—without distorting his faith; and we must never forget that + our aim is not little conquests, but only complete victory!"</p> + + <p>His voice became firm, his face paled, and his eyes kindled with the + force that characterized him. The bell sounded again. It was Liudmila. + She wore an overcoat too light for the season, her cheeks were purple + with the cold. Removing her torn overshoes, she said in a vexed voice:</p> + + <p>"The date of the trial is appointed—in a week!"</p> + + <p>"Really?" shouted Nikolay from the room.</p> + + <p>The mother quickly walked up to him, not understanding whether fright or + joy agitated her. Liudmila, keeping step with her, said, with irony in + her low voice:</p> + + <p>"Yes, really! The assistant prosecuting attorney, Shostak, just now + brought the incriminating acts. In the court they say, quite openly, + that the sentence has already been fixed. What does it mean? Do the + authorities fear that the judges will deal too mercifully with the + enemies of the government? Having so long and so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_424" id="Page_424">[Pg 424]</a></span> assiduously kept + corrupting their servants, is the government still unassured of their + readiness to be scoundrels?"</p> + + <p>Liudmila sat on the sofa, rubbing her lean cheeks with her palms; her + dull eyes burned contemptuous scorn, and her voice filled with growing + wrath.</p> + + <p>"You waste your powder for nothing, Liudmila!" Nikolay tried to soothe + her. "They don't hear you."</p> + + <p>"Some day I'll compel them to hear me!"</p> + + <p>The black circles under her eyes trembled and threw an ominous shadow on + her face. She bit her lips.</p> + + <p>"You go against me—that's your right; I'm your enemy. But in defending + your power don't corrupt people; don't compel me to have instinctive + contempt for them; don't dare to poison my soul with your cynicism!"</p> + + <p>Nikolay looked at her through his glasses, and screwing up his eyes, + shook his head sadly. But she continued to speak as if those whom she + detested stood before her. The mother listened with strained attention, + understanding nothing, and instinctively repeating to herself one and + the same words, "The trial—the trial will come off in a week!"</p> + + <p>She could not picture to herself what it would be like; how the judges + would behave toward Pavel. Her thoughts muddled her brain, covered her + eyes with a gray mist, and plunged her into something sticky, viscid, + chilling and paining her body. The feeling grew, entered her blood, took + possession of her heart, and weighed it down heavily, poisoning in it + all that was alive and bold.</p> + + <p>Thus, in a cloud of perplexity and despondency under the load of painful + expectations, she lived through one day, and a second day; but on the + third day Sasha appeared and said to Nikolay:</p> + + <p>"Everything is ready—to-day, in an hour!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_425" id="Page_425">[Pg 425]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Everything ready? So soon?" He was astonished.</p> + + <p>"Why shouldn't everything be ready? The only thing I had to do was to + get a hiding place and clothes for Rybin. All the rest Godun took on + himself. Rybin will have to go through only one ward of the city. + Vyesovshchikov will meet him on the street, all disguised, of course. + He'll throw an overcoat over him, give him a hat, and show him the way. + I'll wait for him, change his clothes and lead him off."</p> + + <p>"Not bad! And who's this Godun?"</p> + + <p>"You've seen him! You gave talks to the locksmiths in his place."</p> + + <p>"Oh, I remember! A droll old man."</p> + + <p>"He's a soldier who served his time—a roofer, a man of little + education, but with an inexhaustible fund of hatred for every kind of + violence and for all men of violence. A bit of a philosopher!"</p> + + <p>The mother listened in silence to her, and something indistinct slowly + dawned upon her.</p> + + <p>"Godun wants to free his nephew—you remember him? You liked Yevchenko, + a blacksmith, quite a dude." Nikolay nodded his head. "Godun has + arranged everything all right. But I'm beginning to doubt his success. + The passages in the prison are used by all the inmates, and I think when + the prisoners see the ladder many will want to run—" She closed her + eyes and was silent for a while. The mother moved nearer to her. + "They'll hinder one another."</p> + + <p>They all three stood before the window, the mother behind Nikolay and + Sasha. Their rapid conversation roused in her a still stronger sense of + uneasiness and anxiety.</p> + + <p>"I'm going there," the mother said suddenly.</p> + + <p>"Why?" asked Sasha.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_426" id="Page_426">[Pg 426]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Don't go, darling! Maybe you'll get caught. You mustn't!" Nikolay + advised.</p> + + <p>The mother looked at them and softly, but persistently, repeated: "No; + I'm going! I'm going!"</p> + + <p>They quickly exchanged glances, and Sasha, shrugging her shoulders, + said:</p> + + <p>"Of course—hope is tenacious!"</p> + + <p>Turning to the mother she took her by the hand, leaned her head on her + shoulder, and said in a new, simple voice, near to the heart of the + mother:</p> + + <p>"But I'll tell you after all, mamma, you're waiting in vain—he won't + try to escape!"</p> + + <p>"My dear darling!" exclaimed the mother, pressing Sasha to her + tremulously. "Take me; I won't interfere with you; I don't believe it is + possible—to escape!"</p> + + <p>"She'll go," said the girl simply to Nikolay.</p> + + <p>"That's your affair!" he answered, bowing his head.</p> + + <p>"We mustn't be together, mamma. You go to the garden in the lot. From + there you can see the wall of the prison. But suppose they ask you what + you are doing there?"</p> + + <p>Rejoiced, the mother answered confidently:</p> + + <p>"I'll think of what to say."</p> + + <p>"Don't forget that the overseers of the prison know you," said Sasha; + "and if they see you there——"</p> + + <p>"They won't see me!" the mother laughed softly.</p> + + <p>An hour later she was in the lot by the prison. A sharp wind blew about + her, pulled her dress, and beat against the frozen earth, rocked the old + fence of the garden past which the woman walked, and rattled against the + low wall of the prison; it flung up somebody's shouts from the court, + scattered them in the air, and carried them up to the sky. There the + clouds were racing quickly, little rifts opening in the blue height.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_427" id="Page_427">[Pg 427]</a></span></p> + + <p>Behind the mother lay the city; in front the cemetery; to the right, + about seventy feet from her, the prison. Near the cemetery a soldier was + leading a horse by a rein, and another soldier tramped noisily alongside + him, shouted, whistled, and laughed. There was no one else near the + prison. On the impulse of the moment the mother walked straight up to + them. As she came near she shouted:</p> + + <p>"Soldiers! didn't you see a goat anywhere around here?"</p> + + <p>One of them answered:</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>She walked slowly past them, toward the fence of the cemetery, looking + slantwise to the right and the back. Suddenly she felt her feet tremble + and grow heavy, as if frozen to the ground. From the corner of the + prison a man came along, walking quickly, like a lamplighter. He was a + stooping man, with a little ladder on his shoulder. The mother, blinking + in fright, quickly glanced at the soldiers; they were stamping their + feet on one spot, and the horse was running around them. She looked at + the ladder—he had already placed it against the wall and was climbing + up without haste. He waved his hand in the courtyard, quickly let + himself down, and disappeared around the corner. That very second the + black head of Mikhaïl appeared on the wall, followed by his entire body. + Another head, with a shaggy hat, emerged alongside of his. Two black + lumps rolled to the ground; one disappeared around the corner; Mikhaïl + straightened himself up and looked about.</p> + + <p>"Run, run!" whispered the mother, treading impatiently. Her ears were + humming. Loud shouts were wafted to her. There on the wall appeared a + third head. She clasped her hands in faintness. A light-haired head,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_428" id="Page_428">[Pg 428]</a></span> + without a beard, shook as if it wanted to tear itself away, but it + suddenly disappeared behind the wall. The shouts came louder and louder, + more and more boisterous. The wind scattered the thin trills of the + whistles through the air. Mikhaïl walked along the wall—there! he was + already beyond it, and traversed the open space between the prison and + the houses of the city. It seemed to her as if he were walking very, + very slowly, that he raised his head to no purpose. "Everyone who sees + his face will remember it forever," and she whispered, "Faster! faster!" + Behind the wall of the prison something slammed, the thin sound of + broken glass was heard. One of the soldiers, planting his feet firmly on + the ground, drew the horse to him, and the horse jumped. The other one, + his fist at his mouth, shouted something in the direction of the prison, + and as he shouted he turned his head sidewise, with his ear cocked.</p> + + <div class="figcenter" style="width: 260px;"><a name="illus447" id="illus447"></a><a href="images/illus447.jpg"> +<img src="images/illus447_th.jpg" width="260" height="400" alt=""'Run, run!' whispered the mother."" title=""'Run, run!' whispered the mother."" /></a> +<span class="caption">"'Run, run!' whispered the mother."</span> +</div> + + <p>All attention, the mother turned her head in all directions, her eyes + seeing everything, believing nothing. This thing which she had pictured + as terrible and intricate was accomplished with extreme simplicity and + rapidity, and the simpleness of the happenings stupefied her. Rybin was + no longer to be seen—a tall man in a thin overcoat was walking there—a + girl was running along. Three wardens jumped out from a corner of the + prison; they ran side by side, stretching out their right hands. One of + the soldiers rushed in front of them; the other ran around the horse, + unsuccessfully trying to vault on the refractory animal, which kept + jumping about. The whistles incessantly cut the air, their alarming, + desperate shrieks aroused a consciousness of danger in the woman. + Trembling, she walked along the fence of the cemetery, following the + wardens; but they and the soldiers ran around the other corner of the + prison and disappeared.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_429" id="Page_429">[Pg 429]</a></span> They were followed at a run by the assistant + overseer of the prison, whom she knew; his coat was unbuttoned. From + somewhere policemen appeared, and people came running.</p> + + <p>The wind whistled, leaped about as if rejoicing, and carried the broken, + confused shouts to the mother's ears.</p> + + <p>"It stands here all the time."</p> + + <p>"The ladder?"</p> + + <p>"What's the matter with you then? The devil take you!"</p> + + <p>"Arrest the soldiers!"</p> + + <p>"Policeman!"</p> + + <p>Whistles again. This hubbub delighted her and she strode on more boldly, + thinking, "So, it's possible—<i>he</i> could have done it!"</p> + + <p>But now pain for her son no longer entered her heart without pride in + him also. And only fear for him weighed and oppressed her to + stupefaction as before.</p> + + <p>From the corner of the fence opposite her a constable with a black, + curly beard, and two policemen emerged.</p> + + <p>"Stop!" shouted the constable, breathing heavily. "Did you see—a + man—with a beard—didn't he run by here?"</p> + + <p>She pointed to the garden and answered calmly:</p> + + <p>"He went that way!"</p> + + <p>"Yegorov, run! Whistle! Is it long ago?"</p> + + <p>"Yes—I should say—about a minute!"</p> + + <p>But the whistle drowned her voice. The constable, without waiting for an + answer, precipitated himself in a gallop along the hillocky ground, + waving his hands in the direction of the garden. After him, with bent + head, and whistling, the policemen darted off.</p> + + <p>The mother nodded her head after them, and, satisfied with herself, went + home. When she walked out of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_430" id="Page_430">[Pg 430]</a></span> field into the street a cab crossed + her way. Raising her head she saw in the vehicle a young man with light + mustache and a pale, worn face. He, too, regarded her. He sat slantwise. + It must have been due to his position that his right shoulder was higher + than his left.</p> + + <p>At home Nikolay met her joyously.</p> + + <p>"Alive? How did it go?"</p> + + <p>"It seems everything's been successful!"</p> + + <p>And slowly trying to reinstate all the details in her memory, she began + to tell of the escape. Nikolay, too, was amazed at the success.</p> + + <p>"You see, we're lucky!" said Nikolay, rubbing his hands. "But how + frightened I was on your account only God knows. You know what, Nilovna, + take my friendly advice: don't be afraid of the trial. The sooner it's + over and done with the sooner Pavel will be free. Believe me. I've + already written to my sister to try to think what can be done for Pavel. + Maybe he'll even escape on the road. And the trial is approximately like + this." He began to describe to her the session of the court. She + listened, and understood that he was afraid of something—that he wanted + to inspirit her.</p> + + <p>"Maybe you think I'll say something to the judges?" she suddenly + inquired. "That I'll beg them for something?"</p> + + <p>He jumped up, waved his hands at her, and said in an offended tone:</p> + + <p>"What are you talking about? You're insulting me!"</p> + + <p>"Excuse me, please; excuse me! I really <i>am</i> afraid—of what I don't + know."</p> + + <p>She was silent, letting her eyes wander about the room.</p> + + <p>"Sometimes it seems to me that they'll insult Pasha—scoff<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_431" id="Page_431">[Pg 431]</a></span> at him. 'Ah, + you peasant!' they'll say. 'You son of a peasant! What's this mess + you've cooked up?' And Pasha, proud as he is, he'll answer them so——! + Or Andrey will laugh at them—and all the comrades there are hot-headed + and honest. So I can't help thinking that something will suddenly + happen. One of them will lose his patience, the others will support him, + and the sentence will be so severe—you'll never see them again."</p> + + <p>Nikolay was silent, pulling his beard glumly as the mother continued:</p> + + <p>"It's impossible to drive this thought from my head. The trial is + terrible to me. When they'll begin to take everything apart and weigh + it—it's awful! It's not the sentence that's terrible, but the trial—I + can't express it." She felt that Nikolay didn't understand her fear; and + his inability to comprehend kept her from further analysis of her + timidities, which, however, only increased and broadened during the + three following days. Finally, on the day of the trial, she carried into + the hall of the session a heavy dark load that bent her back and neck.</p> + + <p>In the street, acquaintances from the suburbs had greeted her. She had + bowed in silence, rapidly making her way through the dense crowd in the + corridor of the courthouse. In the hall she was met by relatives of the + defendants, who also spoke to her in undertones. All the words seemed + needless; she didn't understand them. Yet all the people were sullen, + filled with the same mournful feeling which infected the mother and + weighed her down.</p> + + <p>"Let's sit next to each other," suggested Sizov, going to a bench.</p> + + <p>She sat down obediently, settled her dress, and looked around. Green and + crimson specks, with thin yellow threads between, slowly swam before her + eyes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_432" id="Page_432">[Pg 432]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Your son has ruined our Vasya," a woman sitting beside her said + quietly.</p> + + <p>"You keep still, Natalya!" Sizov chided her angrily.</p> + + <p>Nilovna looked at the woman; it was the mother of Samoylov. Farther + along sat her husband—bald-headed, bony-faced, dapper, with a large, + bushy, reddish beard which trembled as he sat looking in front of + himself, his eyes screwed up.</p> + + <p>A dull, immobile light entered through the high windows of the hall, + outside of which snow glided and fell lingeringly on the ground. Between + the windows hung a large portrait of the Czar in a massive frame of + glaring gilt. Straight, austere folds of the heavy crimson window + drapery dropped over either side of it. Before the portrait, across + almost the entire breadth of the hall, stretched the table covered with + green cloth. To the right of the wall, behind the grill, stood two + wooden benches; to the left two rows of crimson armchairs. Attendants + with green collars and yellow buttons on their abdomens ran noiselessly + about the hall. A soft whisper hummed in the turbid atmosphere, and the + odor was a composite of many odors as in a drug shop. All this—the + colors, the glitter, the sounds and odors—pressed on the eyes and + invaded the breast with each inhalation. It forced out live sensations, + and filled the desolate heart with motionless, dismal awe.</p> + + <p>Suddenly one of the people said something aloud. The mother trembled. + All arose; she, too, rose, seizing Sizov's hand.</p> + + <p>In the left corner of the hall a high door opened and an old man + emerged, swinging to and fro. On his gray little face shook white, + sparse whiskers; he wore eyeglasses; the upper lip, which was shaven, + sank into his mouth as by suction; his sharp jawbones and his chin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_433" id="Page_433">[Pg 433]</a></span> were + supported by the high collar of his uniform; apparently there was no + neck under the collar. He was supported under the arm from behind by a + tall young man with a porcelain face, red and round. Following him three + more men in uniforms embroidered in gold, and three garbed in civilian + wear, moved in slowly. They stirred about the table for a long time and + finally took seats in the armchairs. When they had sat down, one of them + in unbuttoned uniform, with a sleepy, clean-shaven face, began to say + something to the little old man, moving his puffy lips heavily and + soundlessly. The old man listened, sitting strangely erect and immobile. + Behind the glasses of his <i>pince-nez</i> the mother saw two little + colorless specks.</p> + + <p>At the end of the table, at the desk, stood a tall, bald man, who + coughed and shoved papers about.</p> + + <p>The little old man swung forward and began to speak. He pronounced + clearly the first words, but what followed seemed to creep without sound + from his thin, gray lips.</p> + + <p>"I open——"</p> + + <p>"See!" whispered Sizov, nudging the mother softly and arising.</p> + + <p>In the wall behind the grill the door opened, a soldier came out with a + bared saber on his shoulder; behind him appeared Pavel, Andrey, Fedya + Mazin, the two Gusevs, Samoylov, Bukin, Somov, and five more young men + whose names were unknown to the mother. Pavel smiled kindly; Andrey + also, showing his teeth as he nodded to her. The hall, as it were, + became lighter and simpler from their smile; the strained, unnatural + silence was enlivened by their faces and movements. The greasy glitter + of gold on the uniforms dimmed and softened. A waft of bold assurance, + the breath of living power, reached the mother's heart and roused it. On + the benches behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_434" id="Page_434">[Pg 434]</a></span> her, where up to that time the people had been + waiting in crushed silence, a responsive, subdued hum was audible.</p> + + <p>"They're not trembling!" she heard Sizov whisper; and at her right side + Samoylov's mother burst into soft sobs.</p> + + <p>"Silence!" came a stern shout.</p> + + <p>"I warn you beforehand," said the old man, "I shall have to——"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_435" id="Page_435">[Pg 435]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVb" id="CHAPTER_XVb"></a>CHAPTER XV</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_p.png" alt="P" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">Pavel and Andrey sat side by side; along with them on the first bench + were Mazin, Samoylov, and the Gusevs. Andrey had shaved his beard, but + his mustache had grown and hung down, and gave his round head the + appearance of a seacow or walrus. Something new lay on his face; + something sharp and biting in the folds about his mouth; something black + in his eyes. On Mazin's upper lip two black streaks were limned, his + face was fuller. Samoylov was just as curly-haired as before; and Ivan + Gusev smiled just as broadly.</p></div> + + <p>"Ah, Fedka, Fedka!" whispered Sizov, drooping his head.</p> + + <p>The mother felt she could breathe more freely. She heard the indistinct + questions of the old man, which he put without looking at the prisoners; + and his head rested motionless on the collar of his uniform. She heard + the calm, brief answers of her son. It seemed to her that the oldest + judge and his associates could be neither evil nor cruel people. Looking + carefully at their faces she tried to guess something, softly listening + to the growth of a new hope in her breast.</p> + + <p>The porcelain-faced man read a paper indifferently; his even voice + filled the hall with weariness, and the people, enfolded by it, sat + motionless as if benumbed. Four lawyers softly but animatedly conversed + with the prisoners.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_436" id="Page_436">[Pg 436]</a></span> They all moved powerfully, briskly, and called to + mind large blackbirds.</p> + + <p>On one side of the old man a judge with small, bleared eyes filled the + armchair with his fat, bloated body. On the other side sat a stooping + man with reddish mustache on his pale face. His head was wearily thrown + on the back of the chair, his eyes, half-closed, he seemed to be + reflecting over something. The face of the prosecuting attorney was also + worn, bored, and unexpectant. Behind the judge sat the mayor of the + city, a portly man, who meditatively stroked his cheek; the marshal of + the nobility, a gray-haired, large-bearded, ruddy-faced man, with large, + kind eyes; and the district elder, who wore a sleeveless peasant + overcoat, and possessed a huge belly which apparently embarrassed him; + he endeavored to cover it with the folds of his overcoat, but it always + slid down and showed again.</p> + + <p>"There are no criminals here and no judges," Pavel's vigorous voice was + heard. "There are only captives here, and conquerors!"</p> + + <p>Silence fell. For a few seconds the mother's ears heard only the thin, + hasty scratch of the pen on the paper and the beating of her own heart.</p> + + <p>The oldest judge also seemed to be listening to something from afar. His + associates stirred. Then he said:</p> + + <p>"Hm! yes—Andrey Nakhodka, do you admit——"</p> + + <p>Somebody whispered, "Rise!"</p> + + <p>Andrey slowly rose, straightened himself, and pulling his mustache + looked at the old man from the corners of his eyes.</p> + + <p>"Yes! To what can I confess myself guilty?" said the Little Russian in + his slow, surging voice, shrugging his shoulders. "I did not murder nor + steal; I simply<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_437" id="Page_437">[Pg 437]</a></span> am not in agreement with an order of life in which + people are compelled to rob and kill one another."</p> + + <p>"Answer briefly—yes or no?" the old man said with an effort, but + distinctly.</p> + + <p>On the benches back of her the mother felt there was animation; the + people began to whisper to one another about something and stirred, + sighing as if freeing themselves from the cobweb spun about them by the + gray words of the porcelain-faced man.</p> + + <p>"Do you hear how they speak?" whispered Sizov.</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"Fedor Mazin, answer!"</p> + + <p>"I don't want to!" said Fedya clearly, jumping to his feet. His face + reddened with excitation, his eyes sparkled. For some reason he hid his + hands behind his back.</p> + + <p>Sizov groaned softly, and the mother opened her eyes wide in + astonishment.</p> + + <p>"I declined a defense—I'm not going to say anything—I don't regard + your court as legal! Who are you? Did the people give you the right to + judge us? No, they did not! I don't know you." He sat down and concealed + his heated face behind Andrey's shoulders.</p> + + <p>The fat judge inclined his head to the old judge and whispered + something. The old judge, pale-faced, raised his eyelids and slanted his + eyes at the prisoners, then extended his hand on the table, and wrote + something in pencil on a piece of paper lying before him. The district + elder swung his head, carefully shifting his feet, rested his abdomen on + his knees, and his hands on his abdomen. Without moving his head the old + judge turned his body to the red-mustached judge, and began to speak to + him quickly. The red-mustached judge inclined his head to listen. The + marshal of the nobility conversed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_438" id="Page_438">[Pg 438]</a></span> with the prosecuting attorney; the + mayor of the city listened and smiled, rubbing his cheek. Again the dull + speech of the old judge was heard. All four lawyers listened + attentively. The prisoners exchanged whispers with one another, and + Fedya, smiling in confusion, hid his face.</p> + + <p>"How he cut them off! Straight, downright, better than all!" Sizov + whispered in amazement in the ear of the mother. "Ah, you little boy!"</p> + + <p>The mother smiled in perplexity. The proceedings seemed to be nothing + but the necessary preliminary to something terrible, which would appear + and at once stifle everybody with its cold horror. But the calm words of + Pavel and Andrey had sounded so fearless and firm, as if uttered in the + little house of the suburb, and not in the presence of the court. + Fedya's hot, youthful sally amused her; something bold and fresh grew up + in the hall, and she guessed from the movement of the people back of her + that she was not the only one who felt this.</p> + + <p>"Your opinion," said the old judge.</p> + + <p>The bald-headed prosecuting attorney arose, and, steadying himself on + the desk with one hand, began to speak rapidly, quoting figures. In his + voice nothing terrible was heard.</p> + + <p>At the same time, however, a sudden dry, shooting attack disturbed the + heart of the mother. It was an uneasy suspicion of something hostile to + her, which did not threaten, did not shout, but unfolded itself unseen, + soundless, intangible. It swung lazily and dully about the judges, as if + enveloping them with an impervious cloud, through which nothing from the + outside could reach them. She looked at them. They were incomprehensible + to her. They were not angry at Pavel or at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_439" id="Page_439">[Pg 439]</a></span> Fedya; they did not shout at + the young men, as she had expected; they did not abuse them in words, + but put all their questions reluctantly, with the air of "What's the + use?". It cost them an effort to hear the answers to the end. Apparently + they lacked interest because they knew everything beforehand.</p> + + <p>There before her stood the gendarme, and spoke in a bass voice:</p> + + <p>"Pavel Vlasov was named as the ringleader."</p> + + <p>"And Nakhodka?" asked the fat judge in his lazy undertone.</p> + + <p>"He, too."</p> + + <p>"May I——"</p> + + <p>The old judge asked a question of somebody:</p> + + <p>"You have nothing?"</p> + + <p>All the judges seemed to the mother to be worn out and ill. A sickened + weariness marked their poses and voices, a sickened weariness and a + bored, gray <i>ennui</i>. It was an evident nuisance to them, all this—the + uniforms, the hall, the gendarmes, the lawyers, the obligation to sit in + armchairs, and to put questions concerning things perforce already known + to them. The mother in general was but little acquainted with the + masters; she had scarcely ever seen them; and now she regarded the faces + of the judges as something altogether new and incomprehensible, + deserving pity, however, rather than inspiring horror.</p> + + <p>The familiar, yellow-faced officer stood before them, and told about + Pavel and Andrey, stretching the words with an air of importance. The + mother involuntarily laughed, and thought: "You don't know much, my + little father."</p> + + <p>And now, as she looked at the people behind the grill, she ceased to + feel dread for them; they did not evoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_440" id="Page_440">[Pg 440]</a></span> alarm, pity was not for them; + they one and all called forth in her only admiration and love, which + warmly embraced her heart; the admiration was calm, the love joyously + distinct. There they sat to one side, by the wall, young, sturdy, + scarcely taking any part in the monotonous talk of the witnesses and + judges, or in the disputes of the lawyers with the prosecuting attorney. + They behaved as if the talk did not concern them in the least. Sometimes + somebody would laugh contemptuously, and say something to the comrades, + across whose faces, then, a sarcastic smile would also quickly pass. + Andrey and Pavel conversed almost the entire time with one of their + lawyers, whom the mother had seen the day before at Nikolay's, and had + heard Nikolay address as comrade. Mazin, brisker and more animated than + the others, listened to the conversation. Now and then Samoylov said + something to Ivan Gusev; and the mother noticed that each time Ivan gave + a slight elbow nudge to a comrade, he could scarcely restrain a laugh; + his face would grow red, his cheeks would puff up, and he would have to + incline his head. He had already sniffed a couple of times, and for + several minutes afterward sat with blown cheeks trying to be serious. + Thus, in each comrade his youth played and sparkled after his fashion, + lightly bursting the restraint he endeavored to put upon its lively + effervescence. She looked, compared, and reflected. She was unable to + understand or express in words her uneasy feeling of hostility.</p> + + <p>Sizov touched her lightly with his elbow; she turned to him, and found a + look of contentment and slight preoccupation on his face.</p> + + <p>"Just see how they've intrenched themselves in their defiance! Fine + stuff in 'em! Eh? Barons, eh? Well, and yet they're going to be + sentenced!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_441" id="Page_441">[Pg 441]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother listened, unconsciously repeating to herself:</p> + + <p>"Who will pass the sentence? Whom will they sentence?"</p> + + <p>The witnesses spoke quickly, in their colorless voices, the judges + reluctantly and listlessly. Their bloodless, worn-out faces stared into + space unconcernedly. They did not expect to see or hear anything new. At + times the fat judge yawned, covering his smile with his puffy hand, + while the red-mustached judge grew still paler, and sometimes raised his + hand to press his finger tightly on the bone of his temple, as he looked + up to the ceiling with sorrowful, widened eyes. The prosecuting attorney + infrequently scribbled on his paper, and then resumed his soundless + conversation with the marshal of the nobility, who stroked his gray + beard, rolled his large, beautiful eyes, and smiled, nodding his head + with importance. The city mayor sat with crossed legs, and beat a + noiseless tattoo on his knee, giving the play of his fingers + concentrated attention. The only one who listened to the monotonous + murmur of the voices seemed to be the district elder, who sat with + inclined head, supporting his abdomen on his knees and solicitously + holding it up with his hands. The old judge, deep in his armchair, stuck + there immovably. The proceedings continued to drag on in this way for a + long, long time; and <i>ennui</i> again numbed the people with its heavy, + sticky embrace.</p> + + <p>The mother saw that this large hall was not yet pervaded by that cold, + threatening justice which sternly uncovers the soul, examines it, and + seeing everything estimates its value with incorruptible eyes, weighing + it rigorously with honest hands. Here was nothing to frighten her by its + power or majesty.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_442" id="Page_442">[Pg 442]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I declare—" said the old judge clearly, and arose as he crushed the + following words with his thin lips.</p> + + <p>The noise of sighs and low exclamations, of coughing and scraping of + feet, filled the hall as the court retired for a recess. The prisoners + were led away. As they walked out, they nodded their heads to their + relatives and familiars with a smile, and Ivan Gusev shouted to somebody + in a modulated voice:</p> + + <p>"Don't lose courage, Yegor."</p> + + <p>The mother and Sizov walked out into the corridor.</p> + + <p>"Will you go to the tavern with me to take some tea?" the old man asked + her solicitously. "We have an hour and a half's time."</p> + + <p>"I don't want to."</p> + + <p>"Well, then I won't go, either. No, say! What fellows those are! They + act as if they were the only real people, and the rest nothing at all. + They'll all go scot-free, I'm sure. Look at Fedka, eh?"</p> + + <p>Samoylov's father came up to them holding his hat in his hand. He smiled + sullenly and said:</p> + + <p>"My Vasily! He declined a defense, and doesn't want to palaver. He was + the first to have the idea. Yours, Pelagueya, stood for lawyers; and + mine said: 'I don't want one.' And four declined after him. Hm, ye-es."</p> + + <p>At his side stood his wife. She blinked frequently, and wiped her nose + with the end of her handkerchief. Samoylov took his beard in his hand, + and continued looking at the floor.</p> + + <p>"Now, this is the queer thing about it: you look at them, those devils, + and you think they got up all this at random—they're ruining themselves + for nothing. And suddenly you begin to think: 'And maybe they're + right!'<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_443" id="Page_443">[Pg 443]</a></span> You remember that in the factory more like them keep on coming, + keep on coming. They always get caught; but they're not destroyed, no + more than common fish in the river get destroyed. No. And again you + think, 'And maybe power is with them, too.'"</p> + + <p>"It's hard for us, Stepan Petrov, to understand this affair," said + Sizov.</p> + + <p>"It's hard, yes," agreed Samoylov.</p> + + <p>His wife noisily drawing in air through her nose remarked:</p> + + <p>"They're all strong, those imps!" With an unrestrained smile on her + broad, wizened face, she continued: "You, Nilovna, don't be angry with + me because I just now slapped you, when I said that your son is to + blame. A dog can tell who's the more to blame, to tell you the truth. + Look at the gendarmes and the spies, what they said about our Vasily! He + has shown what he can do too!"</p> + + <p>She apparently was proud of her son, perhaps even without understanding + her feeling; but the mother did understand her feeling, and answered + with a kind smile and quiet words:</p> + + <p>"A young heart is always nearer to the truth."</p> + + <p>People rambled about the corridor, gathered into groups, speaking + excitedly and thoughtfully in hollow voices. Scarcely anybody stood + alone; all faces bore evidence of a desire to speak, to ask, to listen. + In the narrow white passageway the people coiled about in sinuous + curves, like dust carried in circles before a powerful wind. Everybody + seemed to be seeking something hard and firm to stand upon.</p> + + <p>The older brother of Bukin, a tall, red-faced fellow, waved his hands + and turned about rapidly in all directions.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_444" id="Page_444">[Pg 444]</a></span>"The district elder Klepanov has no place in this case," he declared + aloud.</p> + + <p>"Keep still, Konstantin!" his father, a little old man, tried to + dissuade him, and looked around cautiously.</p> + + <p>"No; I'm going to speak out! There's a rumor afloat about him that last + year he killed a clerk of his on account of the clerk's wife. What kind + of a judge is he? permit me to ask. He lives with the wife of his + clerk—what have you got to say to that? Besides, he's a well-known + thief!"</p> + + <p>"Oh, my little father—Konstantin!"</p> + + <p>"True!" said Samoylov. "True, the court is not a very just one."</p> + + <p>Bukin heard his voice and quickly walked up to him, drawing the whole + crowd after him. Red with excitement, he waved his hands and said:</p> + + <p>"For thievery, for murder, jurymen do the trying. They're common people, + peasants, merchants, if you please; but for going against the + authorities you're tried by the authorities. How's that?"</p> + + <p>"Konstantin! Why are they against the authorities? Ah, you! They——"</p> + + <p>"No, wait! Fedor Mazin said the truth. If you insult me, and I land you + one on your jaw, and you try me for it, of course I'm going to turn out + guilty. But the first offender—who was it? You? Of course, you!"</p> + + <p>The watchman, a gray man with a hooked nose and medals on his chest, + pushed the crowd apart, and said to Bukin, shaking his finger at him:</p> + + <p>"Hey! don't shout! Don't you know where you are? Do you think this is a + saloon?"</p> + + <p>"Permit me, my cavalier, I know where I am. Listen! If I strike you and + you me, and I go and try you, what would you think?"</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_445" id="Page_445">[Pg 445]</a></span>"And I'll order you out," said the watchman sternly.</p> + + <p>"Where to? What for?"</p> + + <p>"Into the street, so that you shan't bawl."</p> + + <p>"The chief thing for them is that people should keep their mouths shut."</p> + + <p>"And what do you think?" the old man bawled. Bukin threw out his hands, + and again measuring the public with his eyes, began to speak in a lower + voice:</p> + + <p>"And again—why are the people not permitted to be at the trial, but + only the relatives? If you judge righteously, then judge in front of + everybody. What is there to be afraid of?"</p> + + <p>Samoylov repeated, but this time in a louder tone:</p> + + <p>"The trial is not altogether just, that's true."</p> + + <p>The mother wanted to say to him that she had heard from Nikolay of the + dishonesty of the court; but she had not wholly comprehended Nikolay, + and had forgotten some of his words. While trying to recall them she + moved aside from the people, and noticed that somebody was looking at + her—a young man with a light mustache. He held his right hand in the + pocket of his trousers, which made his left shoulder seem lower than the + right, and this peculiarity of his figure seemed familiar to the mother. + But he turned from her, and she again lost herself in the endeavor to + recollect, and forgot about him immediately. In a minute, however, her + ear was caught by the low question:</p> + + <p>"This woman on the left?"</p> + + <p>And somebody in a louder voice cheerfully answered:</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>She looked around. The man with the uneven shoulders stood sidewise + toward her, and said something to his neighbor, a black-bearded fellow + with a short overcoat and boots up to his knees.</p> + + <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_446" id="Page_446">[Pg 446]</a></span>Again her memory stirred uneasily, but did not yield any distinct + results.</p> + + <p>The watchman opened the door of the hall, and shouted:</p> + + <p>"Relatives, enter; show your tickets!"</p> + + <p>A sullen voice said lazily:</p> + + <p>"Tickets! Like a circus!"</p> + + <p>All the people now showed signs of a dull excitement, an uneasy passion. + They began to behave more freely, and hummed and disputed with the + watchman.</p> + + <p>Sitting down on the bench, Sizov mumbled something to the mother.</p> + + <p>"What is it?" asked the mother.</p> + + <p>"Oh, nothing—the people are fools! They know nothing; they live groping + about and groping about."</p> + + <p>The bellman rang; somebody announced indifferently:</p> + + <p>"The session has begun!"</p> + + <p>Again all arose, and again, in the same order, the judges filed in and + sat down; then the prisoners were led in.</p> + + <p>"Pay attention!" whispered Sizov; "the prosecuting attorney is going to + speak."</p> + + <p>The mother craned her neck and extended her whole body. She yielded anew + to expectation of the horrible.</p> + + <p>Standing sidewise toward the judges, his head turned to them, leaning + his elbow on the desk, the prosecuting attorney sighed, and abruptly + waving his right hand in the air, began to speak:</p> + + <p>The mother could not make out the first words. The prosecuting + attorney's voice was fluent, thick; it sped on unevenly, now a bit + slower, now a bit faster. His words stretched out in a thin line, like a + gray seam; suddenly they burst out quickly and whirled like a flock of + black<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_447" id="Page_447">[Pg 447]</a></span> flies around a piece of sugar. But she did not find anything + horrible in them, nothing threatening. Cold as snow, gray as ashes, they + fell and fell, filling the hall with something which recalled a slushy + day in early autumn. Scant in feeling, rich in words, the speech seemed + not to reach Pavel and his comrades. Apparently it touched none of them; + they all sat there quite composed, smiling at times as before, and + conversed without sound. At times they frowned to cover up their smiles.</p> + + <p>"He lies!" whispered Sizov.</p> + + <p>She could not have said it. She understood that the prosecuting attorney + charged all the comrades with guilt, not singling out any one of them. + After having spoken about Pavel, he spoke about Fedya, and having put + him side by side with Pavel, he persistently thrust Bukin up against + them. It seemed as if he packed and sewed them into a sack, piling them + up on top of one another. But the external sense of his words did not + satisfy, did not touch, did not frighten her. She still waited for the + horrible, and rigorously sought something beyond his words—something in + his face, his eyes, his voice, in his white hand, which slowly glided in + the air. Something terrible must be there; she felt it, but it was + impalpable; it did not yield to her consciousness, which again covered + her heart with a dry, pricking dust.</p> + + <p>She looked at the judges. There was no gainsaying that they were bored + at having to listen to this speech. The lifeless, yellow faces expressed + nothing. The sickly, the fat, or the extremely lean, motionless dead + spots all grew dimmer and dimmer in the dull <i>ennui</i> that filled the + hall. The words of the prosecuting attorney spurted into the air like a + haze imperceptible to the eye, growing and thickening around the judges, + enveloping them more closely in a cloud of dry indifference, of weary + waiting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_448" id="Page_448">[Pg 448]</a></span> At times one of them changed his pose; but the lazy movement + of the tired body did not rouse their drowsy souls. The oldest judge did + not stir at all; he was congealed in his erect position, and the gray + blots behind the eyeglasses at times disappeared, seeming to spread over + his whole face. The mother realized this dead indifference, this + unconcern without malice in it, and asked herself in perplexity, "Are + they judging?"</p> + + <p>The question pressed her heart, and gradually squeezed out of it her + expectation of the horrible. It pinched her throat with a sharp feeling + of wrong.</p> + + <p>The speech of the prosecuting attorney snapped off unexpectedly. He made + a few quick, short steps, bowed to the judges, and sat down, rubbing his + hands. The marshal of the nobility nodded his head to him, rolling his + eyes; the city mayor extended his hand, and the district elder stroked + his belly and smiled.</p> + + <p>But the judges apparently were not delighted by the speech, and did not + stir.</p> + + <p>"The scabby devil!" Sizov whispered the oath.</p> + + <p>"Next," said the old judge, bringing the paper to his face, "lawyers for + the defendants, Fedoseyev, Markov, Zagarov."</p> + + <p>The lawyer whom the mother had seen at Nikolay's arose. His face was + broad and good-natured; his little eyes smiled radiantly and seemed to + thrust out from under his eyebrows two sharp blades, which cut the air + like scissors. He spoke without haste, resonantly, and clearly; but the + mother was unable to listen to his speech. Sizov whispered in her ear:</p> + + <p>"Did you understand what he said? Did you understand? 'People,' he says, + 'are poor, they are all upset, insensate.' Is that Fedor? He says they + don't understand anything; they're savages."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_449" id="Page_449">[Pg 449]</a></span></p> + + <p>The feeling of wrong grew, and passed into revolt. Along with the quick, + loud voice of the lawyer, time also passed more quickly.</p> + + <p>"A live, strong man having in his breast a sensitive, honest heart + cannot help rebelling with all his force against this life so full of + open cynicism, corruption, falsehood, and so blunted by vapidity. The + eyes of honest people cannot help seeing such glaring + contradictions——"</p> + + <p>The judge with the green face bent toward the president and whispered + something to him; then the old man said dryly:</p> + + <p>"Please be more careful!"</p> + + <p>"Ha!" Sizov exclaimed softly.</p> + + <p>"Are they judging?" thought the mother, and the word seemed hollow and + empty as an earthen vessel. It seemed to make sport of her fear of the + terrible.</p> + + <p>"They're a sort of dead body," she answered the old man.</p> + + <p>"Don't fear; they're livening up."</p> + + <p>She looked at them, and she actually saw something like a shadow of + uneasiness on the faces of the judges. Another man was already speaking, + a little lawyer with a sharp, pale, satiric face. He spoke very + respectfully:</p> + + <p>"With all due respect, I permit myself to call the attention of the + court to the solid manner of the honorable prosecuting attorney, to the + conduct of the safety department, or, as such people are called in + common parlance, spies——"</p> + + <p>The judge with the green face again began to whisper something to the + president. The prosecuting attorney jumped up. The lawyer continued + without changing his voice:</p> + + <p>"The spy Gyman tells us about the witness: 'I frightened<span class="pagenum"><a + name="Page_450" id="Page_450">[Pg 450]</a></span> him.' The prosecuting attorney + also, as the court has heard, frightened witnesses; as a result of which + act, at the insistence of the defense, he called forth a rebuke from the + presiding judge."</p> + + <p>The prosecuting attorney began to speak quickly and angrily; the old + judge followed suit; the lawyer listened to them respectfully, inclining + his head. Then he said:</p> + + <p>"I can even change the position of my words if the prosecuting attorney + deems it is not in the right place; but that will not change the plan of + my defense. However, I cannot understand the excitement of the + prosecuting attorney."</p> + + <p>"Go for him!" said Sizov. "Go for him, tooth and nail! Pick him open + down to his soul, wherever that may be!"</p> + + <p>The hall became animated; a fighting passion flared up; the defense + attacked from all sides, provoking and disturbing the judges, driving + away the cold haze that enveloped them, pricking the old skin of the + judges with sharp words. The judges had the air of moving more closely + to one another, or suddenly they would puff and swell, repulsing the + sharp, caustic raps with the mass of their soft, mellow bodies. They + acted as if they feared that the blow of the opponent might call forth + an echo in their empty bosoms, might shake their resolution, which + sprang not from their own will but from a will strange to them. Feeling + this conflict, the people on the benches back of the mother sighed and + whispered.</p> + + <p>But suddenly Pavel arose; tense quiet prevailed. The mother stretched + her entire body forward.</p> + + <p>"A party man, I recognize only the court of my party and will not speak + in my defense. According to the desire of my comrades, I, too, declined + a defense. I will merely try to explain to you what you don't + understand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_451" id="Page_451">[Pg 451]</a></span> The prosecuting attorney designated our coming out + under the banner of the Social Democracy as an uprising against the + superior power, and regarded us as nothing but rebels against the Czar. + I must declare to you that to us the Czar is not the only chain that + fetters the body of the country. We are obliged to tear off only the + first and nearest chain from the people."</p> + + <p>The stillness deepened under the sound of the firm voice; it seemed to + widen the space between the walls of the hall. Pavel, by his words, + removed the people to a distance from himself, and thereby grew in the + eyes of the mother. His stony, calm, proud face with the beard, his high + forehead, and blue eyes, somewhat stern, all became more dazzling and + more prominent.</p> + + <p>The judges began to stir heavily and uneasily; the marshal of the + nobility was the first to whisper something to the judge with the + indolent face. The judge nodded his head and turned to the old man; on + the other side of him the sick judge was talking. Rocking back and forth + in the armchair, the old judge spoke to Pavel, but his voice was drowned + in the even, broad current of the young man's speech.</p> + + <p>"We are Socialists! That means we are enemies to private property, which + separates people, arms them against one another, and brings forth an + irreconcilable hostility of interests; brings forth lies that endeavor + to cover up, or to justify, this conflict of interests, and corrupt all + with falsehood, hypocrisy and malice. We maintain that a society that + regards man only as a tool for its enrichment is anti-human; it is + hostile to us; we cannot be reconciled to its morality; its double-faced + and lying cynicism. Its cruel relation to individuals is repugnant to + us. We want to fight, and will fight, every form of the physical and + moral enslavement of man by such a + <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_452" id="Page_452">[Pg 452]</a></span> society; we will fight every measure calculated to + disintegrate society for the gratification of the interests of gain. We + are workers—men by whose labor everything is created, from gigantic + machines to childish toys. We are people devoid of the right to fight + for our human dignity. Everyone strives to utilize us, and may utilize + us, as tools for the attainment of his ends. Now we want to have as much + freedom as will give us the possibility in time to come to conquer all + the power. Our slogan is simple: 'All the power for the people; all the + means of production for the people; work obligatory on all. Down with + private property!' You see, we are not rebels."</p> + + <p>Pavel smiled, and the kindly fire of his blue eyes blazed forth more + brilliantly.</p> + + <p>"Please, more to the point!" said the presiding judge distinctly and + aloud. He turned his chest to Pavel, and regarded him. It seemed to the + mother that his dim left eye began to burn with a sinister, greedy fire. + The look all the judges cast on her son made her uneasy for him. She + fancied that their eyes clung to his face, stuck to his body, thirsted + for his blood, by which they might reanimate their own worn-out bodies. + And he, erect and tall, standing firmly and vigorously, stretched out + his hand to them while he spoke distinctly:</p> + + <p>"We are revolutionists, and will be such as long as private property + exists, as long as some merely command, and as long as others merely + work. We take stand against the society whose interests you are bidden + to protect as your irreconcilable enemies, and reconciliation between us + is impossible until we shall have been victorious. We will conquer—we + workingmen! Your society is not at all so powerful as it thinks itself. + That very property, for the production and preservation of which it + sacrifices millions of people enslaved by it—that very + <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_453" id="Page_453">[Pg 453]</a></span>force which gives it the power over us—stirs up discord + within its own ranks, destroys them physically and morally. Property + requires extremely great efforts for its protection; and in reality all + of you, our rulers, are greater slaves than we—you are enslaved + spiritually, we only physically. <i>You</i> cannot withdraw from under the + weight of your prejudices and habits, the weight which deadens you + spiritually; nothing hinders <i>us</i> from being inwardly free. The poisons + with which you poison us are weaker than the antidote you unwittingly + administer to our consciences. This antidote penetrates deeper and + deeper into the body of workingmen; the flames mount higher and higher, + sucking in the best forces, the spiritual powers, the healthy elements + even from among you. Look! Not one of you can any longer fight for your + power as an ideal! You have already expended all the arguments capable + of guarding you against the pressure of historic justice. You can create + nothing new in the domain of ideas; you are spiritually barren. Our + ideas grow; they flare up ever more dazzling; they seize hold of the + mass of the people, organizing them for the war of freedom. The + consciousness of their great rôle unites all the workingmen of the world + into one soul. You have no means whereby to hinder this renovating + process in life except cruelty and cynicism. But your cynicism is very + evident, your cruelty exasperates, and the hands with which you stifle + us to-day will press our hands in comradeship to-morrow. Your energy, + the mechanical energy of the increase of gold, separates you, too, into + groups destined to devour one another. Our energy is a living power, + founded on the ever-growing consciousness of the solidarity of all + workingmen. Everything you do is criminal, for it is directed toward the + enslavement of the people. Our work frees the world from the delusions + and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_454" id="Page_454">[Pg 454]</a></span>monsters which are produced by your + malice and greed, and which intimidate the people. You have torn man + away from life and disintegrated him. Socialism will unite the world, + rent asunder by you, into one huge whole. And this will be!"</p> + + <p>Pavel stopped for a second, and repeated in a lower tone, with greater + emphasis, "This will be!"</p> + + <p>The judges whispered to one another, making strange grimaces. And still + their greedy looks were fastened on the body of Nilovna's son. The + mother felt that their gaze tarnished this supple, vigorous body; that + they envied its strength, power, freshness. The prisoners listened + attentively to the speech of their comrade; their faces whitened, their + eyes flashed joy. The mother drank in her son's words, which cut + themselves into her memory in regular rows. The old judge stopped Pavel + several times and explained something to him. Once he even smiled sadly. + Pavel listened to him silently, and again began to speak in an austere + but calm voice, compelling everybody to listen to him, subordinating the + will of the judges to his will. This lasted for a long time. Finally, + however, the old man shouted, extending his hand to Pavel, whose voice + in response flowed on calmly, somewhat sarcastically.</p> + + <p>"I am reaching my conclusion. To insult you personally was not my + desire; on the contrary, as an involuntary witness to this comedy which + you call a court trial, I feel almost compassion for you, I may say. You + are human beings after all; and it is saddening to see human beings, + even our enemies, so shamefully debased in the service of violence, + debased to such a degree that they lose consciousness of their human + dignity."</p> + + <p>He sat down without looking at the judges.</p> + + <p>Andrey, all radiant with joy, pressed his hand firmly;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_455" id="Page_455">[Pg 455]</a></span> Samoylov, Mazin, + and the rest animatedly stretched toward him. He smiled, a bit + embarrassed by the transport of his comrades. He looked toward his + mother, and nodded his head as if asking, "Is it so?"</p> + + <p>She answered him all a-tremble, all suffused with warm joy.</p> + + <p>"There, now the trial has begun!" whispered Sizov. "How he gave it to + them! Eh, mother?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_456" id="Page_456">[Pg 456]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVIb" id="CHAPTER_XVIb"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_s.png" alt="S" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">She silently nodded her head and smiled, satisfied that her son had + spoken so bravely, perhaps still more satisfied that he had finished. + The thought darted through her mind that the speech was likely to + increase the dangers threatening Pavel; but her heart palpitated with + pride, and his words seemed to settle in her bosom.</p></div> + + <p>Andrey arose, swung his body forward, looked at the judges sidewise, and + said:</p> + + <p>"Gentlemen of the defense——"</p> + + <p>"The court is before you, and not the defense!" observed the judge of + the sickly face angrily and loudly. By Andrey's expression the mother + perceived that he wanted to tease them. His mustache quivered. A + cunning, feline smirk familiar to her lighted up his eyes. He stroked + his head with his long hands, and fetched a breath.</p> + + <p>"Is that so?" he said, swinging his head. "I think not. That you are not + the judges, but only the defendants——"</p> + + <p>"I request you to adhere to what directly pertains to the case," + remarked the old man dryly.</p> + + <p>"To what directly pertains to the case? Very well! I've already + compelled myself to think that you are in reality judges, independent + people, honest——"</p> + + <p>"The court has no need of your characterization."</p> + + <p>"It has no need of <i>such</i> a characterization? Hey?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_457" id="Page_457">[Pg 457]</a></span> Well, but after all + I'm going to continue. You are men who make no distinction between your + own and strangers. You are free people. Now, here two parties stand + before you; one complains, 'He robbed me and did me up completely'; and + the other answers, 'I have a right to rob and to do up because I have + arms'——"</p> + + <p>"Please don't tell anecdotes."</p> + + <p>"Why, I've heard that old people like anecdotes—naughty ones in + particular."</p> + + <p>"I'll prohibit you from speaking. You may say something about what + directly pertains to the case. Speak, but without buffoonery, without + unbecoming sallies."</p> + + <p>The Little Russian looked at the judges, silently rubbing his head.</p> + + <p>"About what directly pertains to the case?" he asked seriously. "Yes; + but why should I speak to you about what directly pertains to the case? + What you need to know my comrade has told you. The rest will be told + you; the time will come, by others——"</p> + + <p>The old judge rose and declared:</p> + + <p>"I forbid you to speak. Vasily Samoylov!"</p> + + <p>Pressing his lips together firmly the Little Russian dropped down lazily + on the bench, and Samoylov arose alongside of him, shaking his curly + hair.</p> + + <p>"The prosecuting attorney called my comrades and me 'savages,' 'enemies + of civilization'——"</p> + + <p>"You must speak only about that which pertains to your case."</p> + + <p>"This pertains to the case. There's nothing which does not pertain to + honest men, and I ask you not to interrupt me. I ask you what sort of a + thing is your civilization?"</p> + + <p>"We are not here for discussions with you. To the point!" said the old + judge, showing his teeth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_458" id="Page_458">[Pg 458]</a></span></p> + + <p>Andrey's demeanor had evidently changed the conduct of the judges; his + words seemed to have wiped something away from them. Stains appeared on + their gray faces. Cold, green sparks burned in their eyes. Pavel's + speech had excited but subdued them; it restrained their agitation by + its force, which involuntarily inspired respect. The Little Russian + broke away this restraint and easily bared what lay underneath. They + looked at Samoylov, and whispered to one another with strange, wry + faces. They also began to move extremely quickly for them. They gave the + impression of desiring to seize him and howl while torturing his body + with voluptuous ecstasy.</p> + + <p>"You rear spies, you deprave women and girls, you put men in the + position which forces them to thievery and murder; you corrupt them with + whisky—international butchery, universal falsehood, depravity, and + savagery—that's your civilization! Yes, we are enemies of this + civilization!"</p> + + <p>"Please!" shouted the old judge, shaking his chin; but Samoylov, all + red, his eyes flashing, also shouted:</p> + + <p>"But we respect and esteem another civilization, the creators of which + you have persecuted, you have allowed to rot in dungeons, you have + driven mad——"</p> + + <p>"I forbid you to speak! Hm— Fedor Mazin!"</p> + + <p>Little Mazin popped up like a cork from a champagne bottle, and said in + a staccato voice:</p> + + <p>"I—I swear!—I know you have convicted me——"</p> + + <p>He lost breath and paled; his eyes seemed to devour his entire face. He + stretched out his hand and shouted:</p> + + <p>"I—upon my honest word! Wherever you send me—I'll escape—I'll + return—I'll work always—all my life! Upon my honest word!"</p> + + <p>Sizov quacked aloud. The entire public, overcome by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_459" id="Page_459">[Pg 459]</a></span> the mounting wave + of excitement, hummed strangely and dully. One woman cried, some one + choked and coughed. The gendarmes regarded the prisoners with dull + surprise, the public with a sinister look. The judges shook, the old man + shouted in a thin voice:</p> + + <p>"Ivan Gusev!"</p> + + <p>"I don't want to speak."</p> + + <p>"Vasily Gusev!"</p> + + <p>"Don't want to."</p> + + <p>"Fedor Bukin!"</p> + + <p>The whitish, faded fellow lifted himself heavily, and shaking his head + slowly said in a thick voice:</p> + + <p>"You ought to be ashamed. I am a heavy man, and yet I + understand—justice!" He raised his hand higher than his head and was + silent, half-closing his eyes as if looking at something at a distance.</p> + + <p>"What is it?" shouted the old judge in excited astonishment, dropping + back in his armchair.</p> + + <p>"Oh, well, what's the use?"</p> + + <p>Bukin sullenly let himself down on the bench. There was something big + and serious in his dark eyes, something somberly reproachful and naïve. + Everybody felt it; even the judges listened, as if waiting for an echo + clearer than his words. On the public benches all commotion died down + immediately; only a low weeping swung in the air. Then the prosecuting + attorney, shrugging his shoulders, grinned and said something to the + marshal of the nobility, and whispers gradually buzzed again excitedly + through the hall.</p> + + <p>Weariness enveloped the mother's body with a stifling faintness. Small + drops of perspiration stood on her forehead. Samoylov's mother stirred + on the bench, nudging her with her shoulder and elbow, and said to her + husband in a subdued whisper:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_460" id="Page_460">[Pg 460]</a></span></p> + + <p>"How is this, now? Is it possible?"</p> + + <p>"You see, it's possible."</p> + + <p>"But what is going to happen to him, to Vasily?"</p> + + <p>"Keep still. Stop."</p> + + <p>The public was jarred by something it did not understand. All blinked in + perplexity with blinded eyes, as if dazzled by the sudden blazing up of + an object, indistinct in outline, of unknown meaning, but with horrible + drawing power. And since the people did not comprehend this great thing + dawning on them, they contracted its significance into something small, + the meaning of which was evident and clear to them. The elder Bukin, + therefore, whispered aloud without constraint:</p> + + <p>"Say, please, why don't they permit them to talk? The prosecuting + attorney can say everything, and as much as he wants to——"</p> + + <p>A functionary stood at the benches, and waving his hands at the people, + said in a half voice:</p> + + <p>"Quiet, quiet!"</p> + + <p>The father of Samoylov threw himself back, and ejaculated broken words + behind his wife's ear:</p> + + <p>"Of course—let us say they are guilty—but you'll let them explain. + What is it they have gone against? Against everything—I wish to + understand—I, too, have my interest." And suddenly: "Pavel says the + truth, hey? I want to understand. Let them speak."</p> + + <p>"Keep still!" exclaimed the functionary, shaking his finger at him.</p> + + <p>Sizov nodded his head sullenly.</p> + + <p>But the mother kept her gaze fastened unwaveringly on the judges, and + saw that they got more and more excited, conversing with one another in + indistinct voices. The sound of their words, cold and tickling, touched + her face, puckering the skin on it, and filling her mouth with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_461" id="Page_461">[Pg 461]</a></span> a + sickly, disgusting taste. The mother somehow conceived that they were + all speaking of the bodies of her son and his comrades, their vigorous + bare bodies, their muscles, their youthful limbs full of hot blood, of + living force. These bodies kindled in the judges the sinister, impotent + envy of the rich by the poor, the unwholesome greed felt by wasted and + sick people for the strength of the healthy. Their mouths watered + regretfully for these bodies, capable of working and enriching, of + rejoicing and creating. The youths produced in the old judges the + revengeful, painful excitement of an enfeebled beast which sees the + fresh prey, but no longer has the power to seize it, and howls dismally + at its powerlessness.</p> + + <p>This thought, rude and strange, grew more vivid the more attentively the + mother scrutinized the judges. They seemed not to conceal their excited + greed—the impotent vexation of the hungry who at one time had been able + to consume in abundance. To her, a woman and a mother, to whom after all + the body of her son is always dearer than that in him which is called a + soul, to her it was horrible to see how these sticky, lightless eyes + crept over his face, felt his chest, shoulders, hands, tore at the hot + skin, as if seeking the possibility of taking fire, of warming the blood + in their hardened brains and fatigued muscles—the brains and muscles of + people already half dead, but now to some degree reanimated by the + pricks of greed and envy of a young life that they presumed to sentence + and remove to a distance from themselves. It seemed to her that her son, + too, felt this damp, unpleasant tickling contact, and, shuddering, + looked at her.</p> + + <p>He looked into the mother's face with somewhat fatigued eyes, but + calmly, kindly, and warmly. At times<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_462" id="Page_462">[Pg 462]</a></span> he nodded his head to her, and + smiled—she understood the smile.</p> + + <p>"Now quick!" she said.</p> + + <p>Resting his hand on the table the oldest judge arose. His head sunk in + the collar of his uniform, standing motionless, he began to read a paper + in a droning voice.</p> + + <p>"He's reading the sentence," said Sizov, listening.</p> + + <p>It became quiet again, and everybody looked at the old man, small, dry, + straight, resembling the stick held in his unseen hand. The other judges + also stood up. The district elder inclined his head on one shoulder, and + looked up to the ceiling; the mayor of the city crossed his hands over + his chest; the marshal of the nobility stroked his beard. The judge with + the sickly face, his puffy neighbor, and the prosecuting attorney + regarded the prisoners sidewise. And behind the judges the Czar in a red + military coat, with an indifferent white face looked down from his + portrait over their heads. On his face some insect was creeping, or a + cobweb was trembling.</p> + + <p>"Exile!" Sizov said with a sigh of relief, dropping back on the bench. + "Well, of course! Thank God! I heard that they were going to get hard + labor. Never mind, mother, that's nothing."</p> + + <p>Fatigued by her thoughts and her immobility, she understood the joy of + the old man, which boldly raised the soul dragged down by hopelessness. + But it didn't enliven her much.</p> + + <p>"Why, I knew it," she answered.</p> + + <p>"But, after all, it's certain now. Who could have told beforehand what + the authorities would do? But Fedya is a fine fellow, dear soul."</p> + + <p>They walked to the grill; the mother shed tears as she pressed the hand + of her son. He and Fedya spoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_463" id="Page_463">[Pg 463]</a></span> kind words, smiled, and joked. All were + excited, but light and cheerful. The women wept; but, like Vlasova, more + from habit than grief. They did not experience the stunning pain + produced by an unexpected blow on the head, but only the sad + consciousness that they must part with the children. But even this + consciousness was dimmed by the impressions of the day. The fathers and + the mothers looked at their children with mingled sensations, in which + the skepticism of parents toward their children and the habitual sense + of the superiority of elders over youth blended strangely with the + feeling of sheer respect for them, with the persistent melancholy + thought that life had now become dull, and with the curiosity aroused by + the young men who so bravely and fearlessly spoke of the possibility of + a new life, which the elders did not comprehend but which seemed to + promise something good. The very novelty and unusualness of the feeling + rendered expression impossible. Words were spoken in plenty, but they + referred only to common matters. The relatives spoke of linen and + clothes, and begged the comrades to take care of their health, and not + to provoke the authorities uselessly.</p> + + <p>"Everybody, brother, will grow weary, both we and they," said Samoylov + to his son.</p> + + <p>And Bukin's brother, waving his hand, assured the younger brother:</p> + + <p>"Merely justice, and nothing else! That they cannot admit."</p> + + <p>The younger Bukin answered:</p> + + <p>"You look out for the starling. I love him."</p> + + <p>"Come back home, and you'll find him in perfect trim."</p> + + <p>"I've nothing to do there."</p> + + <p>And Sizov held his nephew's hand, and slowly said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_464" id="Page_464">[Pg 464]</a></span></p> + + <p>"So, Fedor; so you've started on your trip. So."</p> + + <p>Fedya bent over, and whispered something in his ear, smiling roguishly. + The convoy soldier also smiled; but he immediately assumed a stern + expression, and shouted, "Go!"</p> + + <p>The mother spoke to Pavel, like the others, about the same things, about + clothes, about his health, yet her breast was choked by a hundred + questions concerning Sasha, concerning himself, and herself. Underneath + all these emotions an almost burdensome feeling was slowly growing of + the fullness of her love for her son—a strained desire to please him, + to be near to his heart. The expectation of the terrible had died away, + leaving behind it only a tremor at the recollection of the judges, and + somewhere in a corner a dark impersonal thought regarding them.</p> + + <p>"Young people ought to be tried by young judges, and not by old ones," + she said to her son.</p> + + <p>"It would be better to arrange life so that it should not force people + to crime," answered Pavel.</p> + + <p>The mother, seeing the Little Russian converse with everybody and + realizing that he needed affection more than Pavel, spoke to him. Andrey + answered her gratefully, smiling, joking kindly, as always a bit droll, + supple, sinewy. Around her the talk went on, crossing and intertwining. + She heard everything, understood everybody, and secretly marveled at the + vastness of her own heart, which took in everything with an even joy, + and gave back a clear reflection of it, like a bright image on a deep, + placid lake.</p> + + <p>Finally the prisoners were led away. The mother walked out of the court, + and was surprised to see that night already hung over the city, with the + lanterns alight in the streets, and the stars shining in the sky. + Groups<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_465" id="Page_465">[Pg 465]</a></span> composed mainly of young men were crowding near the courthouse. + The snow crunched in the frozen atmosphere; voices sounded. A man in a + gray Caucasian cowl looked into Sizov's face and asked quickly:</p> + + <p>"What was the sentence?"</p> + + <p>"Exile."</p> + + <p>"For all?"</p> + + <p>"All."</p> + + <p>"Thank you."</p> + + <p>The man walked away.</p> + + <p>"You see," said Sizov. "They inquire."</p> + + <p>Suddenly they were surrounded by about ten men, youths, and girls, and + explanations rained down, attracting still more people. The mother and + Sizov stopped. They were questioned in regard to the sentence, as to how + the prisoners behaved, who delivered the speeches, and what the speeches + were about. All the voices rang with the same eager curiosity, sincere + and warm, which aroused the desire to satisfy it.</p> + + <p>"People! This is the mother of Pavel Vlasov!" somebody shouted, and + presently all became silent.</p> + + <p>"Permit me to shake your hand."</p> + + <p>Somebody's firm hand pressed the mother's fingers, somebody's voice said + excitedly:</p> + + <p>"Your son will be an example of manhood for all of us."</p> + + <p>"Long live the Russian workingman!" a resonant voice rang out.</p> + + <p>"Long live the proletariat!"</p> + + <p>"Long live the revolution!"</p> + + <p>The shouts grew louder and increased in number, rising up on all sides. + The people ran from every direction, pushing into the crowd around the + mother and Sizov. The whistles of the police leaped through the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_466" id="Page_466">[Pg 466]</a></span> air, + but did not deafen the shouts. The old man smiled; and to the mother all + this seemed like a pleasant dream. She smilingly pressed the hands + extended to her and bowed, with joyous tears choking her throat. Near + her somebody's clear voice said nervously:</p> + + <p>"Comrades, friends, the autocracy, the monster which devours the Russian + people to-day again gulped into its bottomless, greedy mouth——"</p> + + <p>"However, mother, let's go," said Sizov. And at the same time Sasha + appeared, caught the mother under her arm, and quickly dragged her away + to the other side of the street.</p> + + <p>"Come! They're going to make arrests. What? Exile? To Siberia?"</p> + + <p>"Yes, yes."</p> + + <p>"And how did he speak? I know without your telling me. He was more + powerful than any of the others, and more simple. And of course, sterner + than all the rest. He's sensitive and soft, only he's ashamed to expose + himself. And he's direct, clear, firm, like truth itself. He's very + great, and there's everything in him, everything! But he often + constrains himself for nothing, lest he might hinder the cause. I know + it." Her hot half-whisper, the words of her love, calmed the mother's + agitation, and restored her exhausted strength.</p> + + <p>"When will you go to him?" she asked Sasha, pressing her hand to her + body. Looking confidently before her the girl answered:</p> + + <p>"As soon as I find somebody to take over my work. I have the money + already, but I might go <i>per étappe</i>. You know I am also awaiting a + sentence. Evidently they are going to send me to Siberia, too. I will + then declare that I desire to be exiled to the same locality that he + will be."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_467" id="Page_467">[Pg 467]</a></span></p> + + <p>Behind them was heard the voice of Sizov:</p> + + <p>"Then give him regards from me, from Sizov. He will know. I'm Fedya + Mazin's uncle."</p> + + <p>Sasha stopped, turned around, extending her hand.</p> + + <p>"I'm acquainted with Fedya. My name is Alexandra."</p> + + <p>"And your patronymic?"</p> + + <p>She looked at him and answered:</p> + + <p>"I have no father."</p> + + <p>"He's dead, you mean?"</p> + + <p>"No, he's alive." Something stubborn, persistent, sounded in the girl's + voice and appeared in her face. "He's a landowner, a chief of a country + district. He robs the peasants and beats them. I cannot recognize him as + my father."</p> + + <p>"S-s-o-o!" Sizov was taken aback. After a pause he said, looking at the + girl sidewise:</p> + + <p>"Well, mother, good-by. I'm going off to the left. Stop in sometimes for + a talk and a glass of tea. Good evening, lady. You're pretty hard on + your father—of course, that's your business."</p> + + <p>"If your son were an ugly man, obnoxious to people, disgusting to you, + wouldn't you say the same about him?" Sasha shouted terribly.</p> + + <p>"Well, I would," the old man answered after some hesitation.</p> + + <p>"That is to say that justice is dearer to you than your son; and to me + it's dearer than my father."</p> + + <p>Sizov smiled, shaking his head; then he said with a sigh:</p> + + <p>"Well, well, you're clever. Good-by. I wish you all good things, and be + better to people. Hey? Well, God be with you. Good-by, Nilovna. When you + see Pavel tell him I heard his speech. I couldn't understand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_468" id="Page_468">[Pg 468]</a></span> every bit + of it; some things even seemed horrible; but tell him it's true. They've + found the truth, yes."</p> + + <p>He raised his hat, and sedately turned around the corner of the street.</p> + + <p>"He seems to be a good man," remarked Sasha, accompanying him with a + smile of her large eyes. "Such people can be useful to the cause. It + would be good to hide literature with them, for instance."</p> + + <p>It seemed to the mother that to-day the girl's face was softer and + kinder than usual, and hearing her remarks about Sizov, she thought:</p> + + <p>"Always about the cause. Even to-day. It's burned into her heart."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_469" id="Page_469">[Pg 469]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVIIb" id="CHAPTER_XVIIb"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_a.png" alt="A" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_1">At home they sat on the sofa closely pressed together, and the mother + resting in the quiet again began to speak about Sasha's going to Pavel. + Thoughtfully raising her thick eyebrows, the girl looked into the + distance with her large, dreamy eyes. A contemplative expression rested + on her pale face.</p></div> + + <p>"Then, when children will be born to you, I will come to you and dandle + them. We'll begin to live there no worse than here. Pasha will find + work. He has golden hands."</p> + + <p>"Yes," answered Sasha thoughtfully. "That's good—" And suddenly + starting, as if throwing something away, she began to speak simply in a + modulated voice. "He won't commence to live there. He'll go away, of + course."</p> + + <p>"And how will that be? Suppose, in case of children?"</p> + + <p>"I don't know. We'll see when we are there. In such a case he oughtn't + to reckon with me, and I cannot constrain him. He's free at any moment. + I am his comrade—a wife, of course. But the conditions of his work are + such that for years and years I cannot regard our bond as a usual one, + like that of others. It will be hard, I know it, to part with him; but, + of course, I'll manage to. He knows that I'm not capable of regarding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_470" id="Page_470">[Pg 470]</a></span> a + man as my possession. I'm not going to constrain him, no."</p> + + <p>The mother understood her, felt that she believed what she said, that + she was capable of carrying it out; and she was sorry for her. She + embraced her.</p> + + <p>"My dear girl, it will be hard for you."</p> + + <p>Sasha smiled softly, nestling her body up to the mother's. Her voice + sounded mild, but powerful. Red mounted to her face.</p> + + <p>"It's a long time till then; but don't think that I—that it is hard for + me now. I'm making no sacrifices. I know what I'm doing, I know what I + may expect. I'll be happy if I can make him happy. My aim, my desire is + to increase his energy, to give him as much happiness and love as I + can—a great deal. I love him very much and he me—I know it—what I + bring to him, he will give back to me—we will enrich each other by all + in our power; and, if necessary, we will part as friends."</p> + + <p>Sasha remained silent for a long time, during which the mother and the + young woman sat in a corner of the room, tightly pressed against each + other, thinking of the man whom they loved. It was quiet, melancholy, + and warm.</p> + + <p>Nikolay entered, exhausted, but brisk. He immediately announced:</p> + + <p>"Well, Sashenka, betake yourself away from here, as long as you are + sound. Two spies have been after me since this morning, and the attempt + at concealment is so evident that it savors of an arrest. I feel it in + my bones—somewhere something has happened. By the way, here I have the + speech of Pavel. It's been decided to publish it at once. Take it to + Liudmila. Pavel spoke well, Nilovna; and his speech will play a part. + Look out for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_471" id="Page_471">[Pg 471]</a></span> spies, Sasha. Wait a little while—hide these papers, too. + You might give them to Ivan, for example."</p> + + <p>While he spoke, he vigorously rubbed his frozen hands, and quickly + pulled out the drawers of his table, picking out papers, some of which + he tore up, others he laid aside. His manner was absorbed, and his + appearance all upset.</p> + + <p>"Do you suppose it was long ago that this place was cleared out? And + look at this mass of stuff accumulated already! The devil! You see, + Nilovna, it would be better for you, too, not to sleep here to-night. + It's a sorry spectacle to witness, and they may arrest you, too. And + you'll be needed for carrying Pavel's speech about from place to place."</p> + + <p>"Hm, what do they want me for? Maybe you're mistaken."</p> + + <p>Nikolay waved his forearm in front of his eyes, and said with + conviction:</p> + + <p>"I have a keen scent. Besides, you can be of great help to Liudmila. + Flee far from evil."</p> + + <p>The possibility of taking a part in the printing of her son's speech was + pleasant to her, and she answered:</p> + + <p>"If so, I'll go. But don't think I'm afraid."</p> + + <p>"Very well. Now, tell me where my valise and my linen are. You've + grabbed up everything into your rapacious hands, and I'm completely + robbed of the possibility of disposing of my own private property. I'm + making complete preparations—this will be unpleasant to them."</p> + + <p>Sasha burned the papers in silence, and carefully mixed their ashes with + the other cinders in the stove.</p> + + <p>"Sasha, go," said Nikolay, putting out his hand to her. "Good-by. Don't + forget books—if anything new and interesting appears. Well, good-by, + dear comrade. Be more careful."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_472" id="Page_472">[Pg 472]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Do you think it's for long?" asked Sasha.</p> + + <p>"The devil knows them! Evidently. There's something against me. Nilovna, + are you going with her? It's harder to track two people—all right?"</p> + + <p>"I'm going." The mother went to dress herself, and it occurred to her + how little these people who were striving for the freedom of all cared + for their personal freedom. The simplicity and the businesslike manner + of Nikolay in expecting the arrest both astonished and touched her. She + tried to observe his face carefully; she detected nothing but his air of + absorption, overshadowing the usual kindly soft expression of his eyes. + There was no sign of agitation in this man, dearer to her than the + others; he made no fuss. Equally attentive to all, alike kind to all, + always calmly the same, he seemed to her just as much a stranger as + before to everybody and everything except his cause. He seemed remote, + living a secret life within himself and somewhere ahead of people. Yet + she felt that he resembled her more than any of the others, and she + loved him with a love that was carefully observing and, as it were, did + not believe in itself. Now she felt painfully sorry for him; but she + restrained her feelings, knowing that to show them would disconcert + Nikolay, that he would become, as always under such circumstances, + somewhat ridiculous.</p> + + <p>When she returned to the room she found him pressing Sasha's hand and + saying:</p> + + <p>"Admirable! I'm convinced of it. It's very good for him and for you. A + little personal happiness does not do any harm; but—a little, you know, + so as not to make him lose his value. Are you ready, Nilovna?" He walked + up to her, smiling and adjusting his glasses. "Well, good-by. I want to + think that for three months, four months—well, at most half a + year—half a year is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_473" id="Page_473">[Pg 473]</a></span> a great deal of a man's life. In half a year one + can do a lot of things. Take care of yourself, please, eh? Come, let's + embrace." Lean and thin he clasped her neck in his powerful arms, looked + into her eyes, and smiled. "It seems to me I've fallen in love with you. + I keep embracing you all the time."</p> + + <p>She was silent, kissing his forehead and cheeks, and her hands quivered. + For fear he might notice it, she unclasped them.</p> + + <p>"Go. Very well. Be careful to-morrow. This is what you should do—send + the boy in the morning—Liudmila has a boy for the purpose—let him go + to the house porter and ask him whether I'm home or not. I'll forewarn + the porter; he's a good fellow, and I'm a friend of his. Well, good-by, + comrades. I wish you all good."</p> + + <p>On the street Sasha said quietly to the mother:</p> + + <p>"He'll go as simply as this to his death, if necessary. And apparently + he'll hurry up a little in just the same way; when death stares him in + the face he'll adjust his eyeglasses, and will say 'admirable,' and will + die."</p> + + <p>"I love him," whispered the mother.</p> + + <p>"I'm filled with astonishment; but love him—no. I respect him highly. + He's sort of dry, although good and even, if you please, sometimes soft; + but not sufficiently human—it seems to me we're being followed. Come, + let's part. Don't enter Liudmila's place if you think a spy is after + you."</p> + + <p>"I know," said the mother. Sasha, however, persistently added: "Don't + enter. In that case, come to me. Good-by for the present."</p> + + <p>She quickly turned around and walked back. The mother called "Good-by" + after her.</p> + + <p>Within a few minutes she sat all frozen through at the stove in + Liudmila's little room. Her hostess, Liudmila,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_474" id="Page_474">[Pg 474]</a></span> in a black dress girded + up with a strap, slowly paced up and down the room, filling it with a + rustle and the sound of her commanding voice. A fire was crackling in + the stove and drawing in the air from the room. The woman's voice + sounded evenly.</p> + + <p>"People are a great deal more stupid than bad. They can see only what's + near to them, what it's possible to grasp immediately; but everything + that's near is cheap; what's distant is dear. Why, in reality, it would + be more convenient and pleasanter for all if life were different, were + lighter, and the people were more sensible. But to attain the distant + you must disturb yourself for the immediate present——"</p> + + <p>Nilovna tried to guess where this woman did her printing. The room had + three windows facing the street; there was a sofa and a bookcase, a + table, chairs, a bed at the wall, in the corner near it a wash basin, in + the other corner a stove; on the walls photographs and pictures. All was + new, solid, clean; and over all the austere monastic figure of the + mistress threw a cold shadow. Something concealed, something hidden, + made itself felt; but where it lurked was incomprehensible. The mother + looked at the doors; through one of them she had entered from the little + antechamber. Near the stove was another door, narrow and high.</p> + + <p>"I have come to you on business," she said in embarrassment, noticing + that the hostess was regarding her.</p> + + <p>"I know. Nobody comes to me for any other reason."</p> + + <p>Something strange seemed to be in Liudmila's voice. The mother looked in + her face. Liudmila smiled with the corners of her thin lips, her dull + eyes gleamed behind her glasses. Turning her glance aside, the mother + handed her the speech of Pavel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_475" id="Page_475">[Pg 475]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Here. They ask you to print it at once."</p> + + <p>And she began to tell of Nikolay's preparations for the arrest.</p> + + <p>Liudmila silently thrust the manuscript into her belt and sat down on a + chair. A red gleam of the fire was reflected on her spectacles; its hot + smile played on her motionless face.</p> + + <p>"When they come to me I'm going to shoot at them," she said with + determination in her moderated voice. "I have the right to protect + myself against violence; and I must fight with them if I call upon + others to fight. I cannot understand calmness; I don't like it."</p> + + <p>The reflection of the fire glided across her face, and she again became + austere, somewhat haughty.</p> + + <p>"Your life is not very pleasant," the mother thought kindly.</p> + + <p>Liudmila began to read Pavel's speech, at first reluctantly; then she + bent lower and lower over the paper, quickly throwing aside the pages as + she read them. When she had finished she rose, straightened herself, and + walked up to the mother.</p> + + <p>"That's good. That's what I like; although here, too, there's calmness. + But the speech is the sepulchral beat of a drum, and the drummer is a + powerful man."</p> + + <p>She reflected a little while, lowering her head for a minute:</p> + + <p>"I didn't want to speak with you about your son; I have never met him, + and I don't like sad subjects of conversation. I know what it means to + have a near one go into exile. But I want to say to you, nevertheless, + that your son must be a splendid man. He's young—that's evident; but he + is a great soul. It must be good and terrible to have such a son."</p> + + <p>"Yes, it's good. And now it's no longer terrible."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_476" id="Page_476">[Pg 476]</a></span></p> + + <p>Liudmila settled her smoothly combed hair with her tawny hand and sighed + softly. A light, warm shadow trembled on her cheeks, the shadow of a + suppressed smile.</p> + + <p>"We are going to print it. Will you help me?"</p> + + <p>"Of course."</p> + + <p>"I'll set it up quickly. You lie down; you had a hard day; you're tired. + Lie down here on the bed; I'm not going to sleep; and at night maybe + I'll wake you up to help me. When you have lain down, put out the lamp."</p> + + <p>She threw two logs of wood into the stove, straightened herself, and + passed through the narrow door near the stove, firmly closing it after + her. The mother followed her with her eyes, and began to undress + herself, thinking reluctantly of her hostess: "A stern person; and yet + her heart burns. She can't conceal it. Everyone loves. If you don't love + you can't live."</p> + + <p>Fatigue dizzied her brain; but her soul was strangely calm, and + everything was illumined from within by a soft, kind light which quietly + and evenly filled her breast. She was already acquainted with this calm; + it had come to her after great agitation. At first it had slightly + disturbed her; but now it only broadened her soul, strengthening it with + a certain powerful but impalpable thought. Before her all the time + appeared and disappeared the faces of her son, Andrey, Nikolay, Sasha. + She took delight in them; they passed by without arousing thought, and + only lightly and sadly touching her heart. Then she extinguished the + lamp, lay down in the cold bed, shriveled up under the bed coverings, + and suddenly sank into a heavy sleep.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_477" id="Page_477">[Pg 477]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XVIIIb" id="CHAPTER_XVIIIb"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_w.png" alt="W" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_2">When she opened her eyes the room was filled by the cold, white glimmer + of a clear wintry day. The hostess, with a book in her hand, lay on the + sofa, and smiling unlike herself looked into her face.</p></div> + + <p>"Oh, father!" the mother exclaimed, for some reason embarrassed. "Just + look! Have I been asleep a long time?"</p> + + <p>"Good morning!" answered Liudmila. "It'll soon be ten o'clock. Get up + and we'll have tea."</p> + + <p>"Why didn't you wake me up?"</p> + + <p>"I wanted to. I walked up to you; but you were so fast asleep and smiled + so in your sleep!"</p> + + <p>With a supple, powerful movement of her whole body she rose from the + sofa, walked up to the bed, bent toward the face of the mother, and in + her dull eyes the mother saw something dear, near, and comprehensible.</p> + + <p>"I was sorry to disturb you. Maybe you were seeing a happy vision."</p> + + <p>"I didn't see anything."</p> + + <p>"All the same—but your smile pleased me. It was so calm, so good—so + great." Liudmila laughed, and her laugh sounded velvety. "I thought of + you, of your life—your life is a hard one, isn't it?"</p> + + <p>The mother, moving her eyebrows, was silent and thoughtful.</p> + + <p>"Of course it's hard!" exclaimed Liudmila.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_478" id="Page_478">[Pg 478]</a></span></p> + + <p>"I don't know," said the mother carefully. "Sometimes it seems sort of + hard; there's so much of all, it's all so serious, marvelous, and it + moves along so quickly, one thing after the other—so quickly——"</p> + + <p>The wave of bold excitement familiar to her overflowed her breast, + filling her heart with images and thoughts. She sat up in bed, quickly + clothing her thoughts in words.</p> + + <p>"It goes, it goes, it goes all to one thing, to one side, and like a + fire, when a house begins to burn, upward! Here it shoots forth, there + it blazes out, ever brighter, ever more powerful. There's a great deal + of hardship, you know. People suffer; they are beaten, cruelly beaten; + and everyone is oppressed and watched. They hide, live like monks, and + many joys are closed to them; it's very hard. And when you look at them + well you see that the hard things, the evil and difficult, are around + them, on the outside, and not within."</p> + + <p>Liudmila quickly threw up her head, looked at her with a deep, embracing + look. The mother felt that her words did not exhaust her thoughts, which + vexed and offended her.</p> + + <p>"You're not speaking about yourself," said her hostess softly.</p> + + <p>The mother looked at her, arose from the bed, and dressing asked:</p> + + <p>"Not about myself? Yes; you see in this, in all that I live now, it's + hard to think of oneself; how can you withdraw into yourself when you + love this thing, and that thing is dear to you, and you are afraid for + everybody and are sorry for everybody? Everything crowds into your heart + and draws you to all people. How can you step to one side? It's hard."</p> + + <p>Liudmila laughed, saying softly:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_479" id="Page_479">[Pg 479]</a></span></p> + + <p>"And maybe it's not necessary."</p> + + <p>"I don't know whether it's necessary or not; but this I do know—that + people are becoming stronger than life, wiser than life; that's + evident."</p> + + <p>Standing in the middle of the room, half-dressed, she fell to reflecting + for a moment. Her real self suddenly appeared not to exist—the one who + lived in anxiety and fear for her son, in thoughts for the safekeeping + of his body. Such a person in herself was no longer; she had gone off to + a great distance, and perhaps was altogether burned up by the fire of + agitation. This had lightened and cleansed her soul, and had renovated + her heart with a new power. She communed with herself, desiring to take + a look into her own heart, and fearing lest she awaken some anxiety + there.</p> + + <p>"What are you thinking about?" Liudmila asked kindly, walking up to her.</p> + + <p>"I don't know."</p> + + <p>The two women were silent, looking at each other. Both smiled; then + Liudmila walked out of the room, saying:</p> + + <p>"What is my samovar doing?"</p> + + <p>The mother looked through the window. A cold, bracing day shone in the + street; her breast, too, shone bright, but hot. She wanted to speak much + about everything, joyfully, with a confused feeling of gratitude to + somebody—she did not know whom—for all that came into her soul, and + lighted it with a ruddy evening light. A desire to pray, which she had + not felt for a long time, arose in her breast. Somebody's young face + came to her memory, somebody's resonant voice shouted, "That's the + mother of Pavel Vlasov!" Sasha's eyes flashed joyously and tenderly. + Rybin's dark, tall figure loomed up, the bronzed, firm face of her son + smiled. Nikolay blinked in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_480" id="Page_480">[Pg 480]</a></span> embarrassment; and suddenly everything was + stirred with a deep but light breath.</p> + + <p>"Nikolay was right," said Liudmila, entering again. "He must surely have + been arrested. I sent the boy there, as you told me to. He said + policemen are hiding in the yard; he did not see the house porter; but + he saw the policeman who was hiding behind the gates. And spies are + sauntering about; the boy knows them."</p> + + <p>"So?" The mother nodded her head. "Ah, poor fellow!"</p> + + <p>And she sighed, but without sadness, and was quietly surprised at + herself.</p> + + <p>"Lately he's been reading a great deal to the city workingmen; and in + general it was time for him to disappear," Liudmila said with a frown. + "The comrades told him to go, but he didn't obey them. I think that in + such cases you must compel and not try to persuade."</p> + + <p>A dark-haired, red-faced boy with beautiful eyes and a hooked nose + appeared in the doorway.</p> + + <p>"Shall I bring in the samovar?" he asked in a ringing voice.</p> + + <p>"Yes, please, Seryozha. This is my pupil; have you never met him + before?"</p> + + <p>"No."</p> + + <p>"He used to go to Nikolay sometimes; I sent him."</p> + + <p>Liudmila seemed to the mother to be different to-day—simpler and nearer + to her. In the supple swaying of her stately figure there was much + beauty and power; her sternness had mildened; the circles under her eyes + had grown larger during the night, her face paler and leaner; her large + eyes had deepened. One perceived a strained exertion in her, a tightly + drawn chord in her soul.</p> + + <p>The boy brought in the samovar.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_481" id="Page_481">[Pg 481]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Let me introduce you: Seryozha—Pelagueya Nilovna, the mother of the + workingman whom they sentenced yesterday."</p> + + <p>Seryozha bowed silently and pressed the mother's hand. Then he brought + in bread, and sat down to the table. Liudmila persuaded the mother not + to go home until they found out whom the police were waiting for there.</p> + + <p>"Maybe they are waiting for you. I'm sure they'll examine you."</p> + + <p>"Let them. And if they arrest me, no great harm. Only I'd like to have + Pasha's speech sent off."</p> + + <p>"It's already in type. To-morrow it'll be possible to have it for the + city and the suburb. We'll have some for the districts, too. Do you know + Natasha?"</p> + + <p>"Of course!"</p> + + <p>"Then take it to her."</p> + + <p>The boy read the newspaper, and seemed not to be listening to the + conversation; but at times his eyes looked from the pages of the + newspaper into the face of the mother; and when she met their animated + glance she felt pleased and smiled. She reproached herself for these + smiles. Liudmila again mentioned Nikolay without any expression of + regret for his arrest and, to the mother, it seemed in perfectly natural + tones. The time passed more quickly than on the other days. When they + had done drinking tea it was already near midday.</p> + + <p>"However!" exclaimed Liudmila, and at the same time a knock at the door + was heard. The boy rose, looked inquiringly at Liudmila, prettily + screwing up his eyes.</p> + + <p>"Open the door, Seryozha. Who do you suppose it is?" And with a composed + gesture she let her hand into the pocket of the skirt, saying to the + mother: "If it is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_482" id="Page_482">[Pg 482]</a></span> the gendarmes, you, Pelagueya Nilovna, stand here in + this corner, and you, Ser——"</p> + + <p>"I know. The dark passage," the little boy answered softly, + disappearing.</p> + + <p>The mother smiled. These preparations did not disturb her; she had no + premonition of a misfortune.</p> + + <p>The little physician walked in. He quickly said:</p> + + <p>"First of all, Nikolay is arrested. Aha! You here, Nilovna? They're + interested in you, too. Weren't you there when he was arrested?"</p> + + <p>"He packed me off, and told me to come here."</p> + + <p>"Hm! I don't think it will be of any use to you. Secondly, last night + several young people made about five hundred hektograph copies of + Pavel's speech—not badly done, plain and clear. They want to scatter + them throughout the city at night. I'm against it. Printed sheets are + better for the city, and the hektograph copies ought to be sent off + somewhere."</p> + + <p>"Here, I'll carry them to Natasha!" the mother exclaimed animatedly. + "Give them to me."</p> + + <p>She was seized with a great desire to sow them broadcast, to spread + Pavel's speech as soon as possible. She would have bestrewn the whole + earth with the words of her son, and she looked into the doctor's face + with eyes ready to beg.</p> + + <p>"The devil knows whether at this time you ought to take up this matter," + the physician said irresolutely, and took out his watch. "It's now + twelve minutes of twelve. The train leaves at 2.05, arrives there 5.15. + You'll get there in the evening, but not sufficiently late—and that's + not the point!"</p> + + <p>"That's not the point," repeated Liudmila, frowning.</p> + + <p>"What then?" asked the mother, drawing up to them. "The point is to do + it well; and I'll do it all right."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_483" id="Page_483">[Pg 483]</a></span></p> + + <p>Liudmila looked fixedly at her, and chafing her forehead, remarked:</p> + + <p>"It's dangerous for you."</p> + + <p>"Why?" the mother challenged hotly.</p> + + <p>"That's why!" said the physician quickly and brokenly. "You disappeared + from home an hour before Nikolay's arrest. You went away to the mill, + where you are known as the teacher's aunt; after your arrival at the + mill the naughty leaflets appear. All this will tie itself into a noose + around your neck."</p> + + <p>"They won't notice me there," the mother assured them, warming to her + desire. "When I return they'll arrest me, and ask me where I was." After + a moment's pause she exclaimed: "I know what I'll say. From there I'll + go straight to the suburb; I have a friend there—Sizov. So I'll say + that I went there straight from the trial; grief took me there; and he, + too, had the same misfortune, his nephew was sentenced; and I spent the + whole time with him. He'll uphold me, too. Do you see?"</p> + + <p>The mother was aware that they were succumbing to the strength of her + desire, and strove to induce them to give in as quickly as possible. She + spoke more and more persistently, joy arising within her. And they + yielded.</p> + + <p>"Well, go," the physician reluctantly assented.</p> + + <p>Liudmila was silent, pacing thoughtfully up and down the room. Her face + clouded over and her cheeks fell in. The muscles of her neck stretched + noticeably as if her head had suddenly grown heavy; it involuntarily + dropped on her breast. The mother observed this. The physician's + reluctant assent forced a sigh from her.</p> + + <p>"You all take care of me," the mother said, smiling. "You don't take + care of yourselves." And the wave of joy mounted higher and higher.</p> + + <p>"It isn't true. We look out for ourselves. We ought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_484" id="Page_484">[Pg 484]</a></span> to; and we very + much upbraid those who uselessly waste their power. Ye-es. Now, this is + the way you are to do. You will receive the speeches at the station." He + explained to her how the matter would be arranged; then looking into her + face, he said: "Well, I wish you success. You're happy, aren't you?" And + he walked away still gloomy and dissatisfied. When the door closed + behind him Liudmila walked up to the mother, smiling quietly.</p> + + <p>"You're a fine woman! I understand you." Taking her by the arm, she + again walked up and down the room. "I have a son, too. He's already + thirteen years old; but he lives with his father. My husband is an + assistant prosecuting attorney. Maybe he's already prosecuting attorney. + And the boy's with him. What is he going to be? I often think." Her + humid, powerful voice trembled. Then her speech flowed on again + thoughtfully and quietly. "He's being brought up by a professed enemy of + those people who are near me, whom I regard as the best people on earth; + and maybe the boy will grow up to be my enemy. He cannot live with me; I + live under a strange name. I have not seen him for eight years. That's a + long time—eight years!"</p> + + <p>Stopping at the window, she looked up at the pale, bleak sky, and + continued: "If he were with me I would be stronger; I would not have + this wound in my heart, the wound that always pains. And even if he were + dead it would be easier for me—" She paused again, and added more + firmly and loudly: "Then I would know he's merely dead, but not an enemy + of that which is higher than the feeling of a mother, dearer and more + necessary than life."</p> + + <p>"My darling," said the mother quietly, feeling as if something powerful + were burning her heart.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_485" id="Page_485">[Pg 485]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Yes, you are happy," Liudmila said with a smile. "It's magnificent—the + mother and the son side by side. It's rare!"</p> + + <p>The mother unexpectedly to herself exclaimed:</p> + + <p>"Yes, it is good!" and as if disclosing a secret, she continued in a + lowered voice: "It is another life. All of you—Nikolay Ivanovich, all + the people of the cause of truth—are also side by side. Suddenly people + have become kin—I understand all—the words I don't understand; but + everything else I understand, everything!"</p> + + <p>"That's how it is," Liudmila said. "That's how."</p> + + <p>The mother put her hand on Liudmila's breast, pressing her; she spoke + almost in a whisper, as if herself meditating upon the words she spoke.</p> + + <p>"Children go through the world; that's what I understand; children go + into the world, over all the earth, from everywhere toward one thing. + The best hearts go; people of honest minds; they relentlessly attack all + evil, all darkness. They go, they trample falsehood with heavy feet, + understanding everything, justifying everybody—justifying everybody, + they go. Young, strong, they carry their power, their invincible power, + all toward one thing—toward justice. They go to conquer all human + misery, they arm themselves to wipe away misfortune from the face of the + earth; they go to subdue what is monstrous, and they will subdue it. We + will kindle a new sun, somebody told me; and they will kindle it. We + will create one heart in life, we will unite all the severed hearts into + one—and they will unite them. We will cleanse the whole of life—and + they will cleanse it."</p> + + <p>She waved her hand toward the sky.</p> + + <p>"There's the sun."</p> + + <p>And she struck her bosom.</p> + + <p>"Here the most glorious heavenly sun of human happiness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_486" id="Page_486">[Pg 486]</a></span> will be + kindled, and it will light up the earth forever—the whole of it, and + all that live upon it—with the light of love, the love of every man + toward all, and toward everything."</p> + + <p>The words of forgotten prayers recurred to her mind, inspiring a new + faith. She threw them from her heart like sparks.</p> + + <p>"The children walking along the road of truth and reason carry love to + all; and they clothe everything in new skies; they illumine everything + with an incorruptible fire issuing from the depths of the soul. Thus, a + new life comes into being, born of the children's love for the entire + world; and who will extinguish this love—who? What power is higher than + this? Who will subdue it? The earth has brought it forth; and all life + desires its victory—all life. Shed rivers of blood, nay, seas of blood, + you'll never extinguish it."</p> + + <p>She shook herself away from Liudmila, fatigued by her exaltation, and + sat down, breathing heavily. Liudmila also withdrew from her, + noiselessly, carefully, as if afraid of destroying something. With + supple movement she walked about the room and looked in front of her + with the deep gaze of her dim eyes. She seemed still taller, straighter, + and thinner; her lean, stern face wore a concentrated expression, and + her lips were nervously compressed. The stillness in the room soon + calmed the mother, and noticing Liudmila's mood she asked guiltily and + softly:</p> + + <p>"Maybe I said something that wasn't quite right?"</p> + + <p>Liudmila quickly turned around and looked at her as if in fright.</p> + + <p>"It's all right," she said rapidly, stretching out her hand to the + mother as if desiring to arrest something. "But we'll not speak about it + any more. Let it remain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_487" id="Page_487">[Pg 487]</a></span> as it was said; let it remain. Yes." And in a + calmer tone she continued: "It's time for you to start soon; it's far."</p> + + <p>"Yes, presently. I'm glad! Oh, how glad I am! If you only knew! I'm + going to carry the word of my son, the word of my blood. Why, it's like + one's own soul!"</p> + + <p>She smiled; but her smile did not find a clear reflection in the face of + Liudmila. The mother felt that Liudmila chilled her joy by her + restraint; and the stubborn desire suddenly arose in her to pour into + that obstinate soul enveloped in misery her own fire, to burn her, too, + let her, too, sound in unison with her own heart full of joy. She took + Liudmila's hands and pressed them powerfully.</p> + + <p>"My dear, how good it is when you know that light for all the people + already exists in life, and that there will be a time when they will + begin to see it, when they will bathe their souls in it, and all, all, + will take fire in its unquenchable flames."</p> + + <p>Her good, large face quivered; her eyes smiled radiantly; and her + eyebrows trembled over them as if pinioning their flash. The great + thoughts intoxicated her; she put into them everything that burned her + heart, everything she had lived through; and she compressed the thoughts + into firm, capacious crystals of luminous words. They grew up ever more + powerful in the autumn heart, illuminated by the creative force of the + spring sun; they blossomed and reddened in it ever more brightly.</p> + + <p>"Why, this is like a new god that's born to us, the people. Everything + for all; all for everything; the whole of life in one, and the whole of + life for everyone, and everyone for the whole of life! Thus I understand + all of you; it is for this that you are on this earth, I see. You are in + truth comrades all, kinsmen all, for you are all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_488" id="Page_488">[Pg 488]</a></span> children of one + mother, of truth. Truth has brought you forth; and by her power you + live!"</p> + + <p>Again overcome by the wave of agitation, she stopped, fetched breath, + and spread out her arms as if for an embrace.</p> + + <p>"And if I pronounce to myself that word 'comrades' then I hear with my + heart—they are going! They are going from everywhere, the great + multitude, all to one thing. I hear such a roaring, resonant and joyous, + like the festive peal of the bells of all the churches of the world."</p> + + <p>She had arrived at what she desired. Liudmila's face flashed in + amazement. Her lips quivered; and one after the other large transparent + tears dropped from her dull eyes and rolled down her cheeks.</p> + + <p>The mother embraced her vigorously and laughed softly, lightly taking + pride in the victory of her heart. When they took leave of each other + Liudmila looked into the mother's face, and asked her softly:</p> + + <p>"Do you know that it is well with you?" And herself supplied the answer: + "Very well. Like a morning on a high mountain."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_489" id="Page_489">[Pg 489]</a></span></p> + + + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a name="CHAPTER_XIXb" id="CHAPTER_XIXb"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h3> + + + <div class="drop"> + <img src="images/cap_i.png" alt="I" width="102" height="100" class="cap" /> + <p class="cap_4">In the street the frozen atmosphere enveloped her body invigoratingly, + penetrated into her throat, tickled her nose, and for a second + suppressed the breathing in her bosom. The mother stopped and looked + around. Near to her, at the corner of the empty street, stood a cabman + in a shaggy hat; at a slight distance a man was walking, bent, his head + sunk in his shoulders; and in front of him a soldier was running in a + jump, rubbing his ears.</p></div> + + <p>"The soldier must have been sent to the store," she thought, and walked + off listening with satisfaction to the youthful crunching of the snow + under her feet. She arrived at the station early; her train was not yet + ready; but in the dirty waiting room of the third class, blackened with + smoke, there were numerous people already. The cold drove in the + railroad workmen; cabmen and some poorly dressed, homeless people came + in to warm themselves; there were passengers, also a few peasants, a + stout merchant in a raccoon overcoat, a priest and his daughter, a + pockmarked girl, some five soldiers, and bustling tradesmen. The men + smoked, talked, drank tea and whisky at the buffet; some one laughed + boisterously; a wave of smoke was wafted overhead; the door squeaked as + it opened, the windows rattled when the door was jammed to; the odor of + tobacco, machine oil, and salt fish thickly beat into the nostrils.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_490" id="Page_490">[Pg 490]</a></span></p> + + <p>The mother sat near the entrance and waited. When the door opened a + whiff of fresh air struck her, which was pleasant to her, and she took + in deep breaths. Heavily dressed people came in with bundles in their + hands; they clumsily pushed through the door, swore, mumbled, threw + their things on the bench or on the floor, shook off the dry rime from + the collars of their overcoats and their sleeves and wiped it off their + beards and mustaches, all the time puffing and blowing.</p> + + <p>A young man entered with a yellow valise in his hand, quickly looked + around, and walked straight to the mother.</p> + + <p>"To Moscow, to your niece?" he asked in a low voice.</p> + + <p>"Yes, to Tanya."</p> + + <p>"Very well."</p> + + <p>He put the valise on the bench near her, quickly whipped out a + cigarette, lighted it, and raising his hat, silently walked toward the + other door. The mother stroked the cold skin of the valise, leaned her + elbows on it, and, satisfied, began again to look around at the people. + In a few moments she arose and walked over to the other bench, nearer to + the exit to the platform. She held the valise lightly in her hand; it + was not large, and she walked with raised head, scanning the faces that + flashed before her.</p> + + <p>One man in a short overcoat and its collar raised jostled against her + and jumped back, silently waving his hand toward his head. Something + familiar about him struck her; she glanced around and saw that he was + looking at her with one eye gleaming out of his collar. This attentive + eye pricked her; the hand in which she held the valise trembled; she + felt a dull pain in her shoulder, and the load suddenly grew heavy.</p> + + <p>"I've seen him somewhere," she thought, and with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_491" id="Page_491">[Pg 491]</a></span> the thought suppressed + the unpleasant, confused feeling in her breast. She would not permit + herself to define the cold sensation that already pressed her heart + quietly but powerfully. It grew and rose in her throat, filling her + mouth with a dry, bitter taste, and compelling her to turn around and + look once more. As she turned he carefully shifted from one foot to the + other, standing on the same spot; it seemed he wanted something, but + could not decide what. His right hand was thrust between the buttons of + his coat, the other he kept in his pocket. On account of this the right + shoulder seemed higher than the left.</p> + + <p>Without hastening, she walked to the bench and sat down carefully, + slowly, as if afraid of tearing something in herself or on herself. Her + memory, aroused by a sharp premonition of misfortune, quickly presented + this man twice to her imagination—once in the field outside the city, + after the escape of Rybin; a second time in the evening in the court. + There at his side stood the constable to whom she had pointed out the + false way taken by Rybin. They knew her; they were tracking her—this + was evident.</p> + + <p>"Am I caught?" she asked, and in the following second answered herself, + starting: "Maybe there is still—" and immediately forcing herself with + a great effort, she said sternly: "I'm caught. No use."</p> + + <p>She looked around, and her thoughts flashed up in sparks and expired in + her brain one after the other.</p> + + <p>"Leave the valise? Go away?"</p> + + <p>But at the same time another spark darted up more glaringly: "How much + will be lost? Drop the son's word in such hands?"</p> + + <p>She pressed the valise to herself trembling. "And to go away with it? + Where? To run?"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_492" id="Page_492">[Pg 492]</a></span></p> + + <p>These thoughts seemed to her those of a stranger, somebody from the + outside, who was pushing them on her by main force. They burned her, and + their burns chopped her brain painfully, lashed her heart like fiery + whipcords. They were an insult to the mother; they seemed to be driving + her away from her own self, from Pavel, and everything which had grown + to her heart. She felt that a stubborn, hostile force oppressed her, + squeezed her shoulder and breast, lowered her stature, plunging her into + a fatal fear. The veins on her temples began to pulsate vigorously, and + the roots of her hair grew warm.</p> + + <p>Then with one great and sharp effort of her heart, which seemed to shake + her entire being, she quenched all these cunning, petty, feeble little + fires, saying sternly to herself: "Enough!"</p> + + <p>She at once began to feel better, and she grew strengthened altogether, + adding: "Don't disgrace your son. Nobody's afraid."</p> + + <p>Several seconds of wavering seemed to have the effect of joining + everything in her; her heart began to beat calmly.</p> + + <p>"What's going to happen now? How will they go about it with me?" she + thought, her senses strung to a keener observation.</p> + + <p>The spy called a station guard, and whispered something to him, + directing his look toward her. The guard glanced at him and moved back. + Another guard came, listened, grinned, and lowered his brows. He was an + old man, coarse-built, gray, unshaven. He nodded his head to the spy, + and walked up to the bench where the mother sat. The spy quickly + disappeared.</p> + + <p>The old man strode leisurely toward the mother, intently thrusting his + angry eyes into the mother's face.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_493" id="Page_493">[Pg 493]</a></span> She sat farther back on the bench, + trembling. "If they only don't beat me, if they only don't beat me!"</p> + + <p>He stopped at her side; she raised her eyes to his face.</p> + + <p>"What are you looking at?" he asked in a moderated voice.</p> + + <p>"Nothing."</p> + + <p>"Hm! Thief! So old and yet——"</p> + + <p>It seemed to her that his words struck her face once, twice, rough and + hoarse; they wounded her, as if they tore her cheeks, ripped out her + eyes.</p> + + <p>"I'm not a thief! You lie!" she shouted with all the power of her chest; + and everything before her jumped and began to whirl in a whirlwind of + revolt, intoxicating her heart with the bitterness of insult. She jerked + the valise, and it opened.</p> + + <p>"Look! look! All you people!" she shouted, standing up and waving the + bundle of the proclamations she had quickly seized over her head. + Through the noise in her ears she heard the exclamations of the people + who came running up, and she saw them pouring in quickly from all + directions.</p> + + <p>"What is it?"</p> + + <p>"There's a spy!"</p> + + <p>"What's the matter?"</p> + + <p>"She's a thief, they say!"</p> + + <p>"She?"</p> + + <p>"Would a thief shout?"</p> + + <p>"Such a respectable one! My, my, my!"</p> + + <p>"Whom did they catch?"</p> + + <p>"I'm not a thief," said the mother in a full voice, somewhat calmed at + the sight of the people who pressed closely upon her from all sides.</p> + + <p>"Yesterday they tried the political prisoners; my son was one of them, + Vlasov. He made a speech. Here it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_494" id="Page_494">[Pg 494]</a></span> is. I'm carrying it to the people in + order that they should read, think about the truth."</p> + + <p>One paper was carefully pulled from her hands. She waved the papers in + the air and flung them into the crowd.</p> + + <p>"She won't get any praise for that, either!" somebody exclaimed in a + frightened voice.</p> + + <p>"Whee-ee-w!" was the response.</p> + + <p>The mother saw that the papers were being snatched up, were being hidden + in breasts and pockets. This again put her firmly on her feet; more + composed than forceful, straining herself to her utmost, and feeling how + agitated pride grew in her raising her high above the people, how + subdued joy flamed up in her, she spoke, snatching bundles of papers + from the valise and throwing them right and left into some person's + quick, greedy hands.</p> + + <p>"For this they sentenced my son and all with him. Do you know? I will + tell you, and you believe the heart of a mother; believe her gray hair. + Yesterday they sentenced them because they carried to you, to all the + people, the honest, sacred truth. How do you live?"</p> + + <p>The crowd grew silent in amazement, and noiselessly increased in size, + pressing closer and closer together, surrounding the woman with a ring + of living bodies.</p> + + <p>"Poverty, hunger, and sickness—that's what work gives to the poor + people. This order of things pushes us to theft and to corruption; and + over us, satiated and calm, live the rich. In order that we should obey + the police, the authorities, the soldiers, all are in their hands, all + are against us, everything is against us. We perish all our lives day + after day in toil, always in filth, in deceit. And others enjoy + themselves and gormandize themselves with our labor; and they hold us + like dogs on chains, in ignorance. We know nothing, and in terror we + fear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_495" id="Page_495">[Pg 495]</a></span> everything. Our life is night, a dark night; it is a terrible + dream. They have poisoned us with strong intoxicating poison, and they + drink our blood. They glut themselves to corpulence, to vomiting—the + servants of the devil of greed. Is it not so?"</p> + + <p>"It's so!" came a dull answer.</p> + + <p>Back of the crowd the mother noticed the spy and two gendarmes. She + hastened to give away the last bundles; but when her hand let itself + down into the valise it met another strange hand.</p> + + <p>"Take it, take it all!" she said, bending down.</p> + + <p>A dirty face raised itself to hers, and a low whisper reached her:</p> + + <p>"Whom shall I tell? Whom inform?"</p> + + <p>She did not answer.</p> + + <p>"In order to change this life, in order to free all the people, to raise + them from the dead, as I have been raised, some persons have already + come who secretly saw the truth in life; secretly, because, you know, no + one can say the truth aloud. They hunt you down, they stifle you; they + make you rot in prison, they mutilate you. Wealth is a force, not a + friend to truth. Thus far truth is the sworn enemy to the power of the + rich, an irreconcilable enemy forever! Our children are carrying the + truth into the world. Bright people, clean people are carrying it to + you. Thus far there are few of them; they are not powerful; but they + grow in number every day. They put their young hearts into free truth, + they are making it an invincible power. Along the route of their hearts + it will enter into our hard life; it will warm us, enliven us, + emancipate us from the oppression of the rich and from all who have sold + their souls. Believe this."</p> + + <p>"Out of the way here!" shouted the gendarmes, pushing the people. They + gave way to the jostling unwillingly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_496" id="Page_496">[Pg 496]</a></span> pressed the gendarmes with their + mass, hindered them perhaps without desiring to do so. The gray-haired + woman with the large, honest eyes in her kind face attracted them + powerfully; and those whom life held asunder, whom it tore from one + another, now blended into a whole, warmed by the fire of the fearless + words which, perhaps, they had long been seeking and thirsting for in + their hearts—their hearts insulted and revolted by the injustice of + their severe life. Those who were near stood in silence. The mother saw + their gloomy faces, their frowning brows, their eyes, and felt their + warm breath on her face.</p> + + <p>"Get up on the bench," they said.</p> + + <p>"I'll be arrested immediately. It's not necessary."</p> + + <p>"Speak quicker! They're coming!"</p> + + <p>"Go to meet the honest people. Seek those who advise all the poor + disinherited. Don't be reconciled, comrades, don't! Don't yield to the + power of the powerful. Arise, you working people! you are the masters of + life! All live by your labor; and only for your labor do they untie your + hands. Behold! you are bound, and they have killed, robbed your soul. + Unite with your heart and your mind into one power. It will overcome + everything. You have no friends except yourselves. That's what their + only friends say to the working people, their friends who go to them and + perish on the road to prison. Not so would dishonest people speak, not + so deceivers."</p> + + <p>"Out of the way! Disperse!" the shouts of the gendarmes came nearer and + nearer. There were more of them already; they pushed more forcibly; and + the people in front of the mother swayed, catching hold of one another.</p> + + <p>"Is that all you have in the valise?" whispered somebody.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_497" id="Page_497">[Pg 497]</a></span></p> + + <p>"Take it! Take all!" said the mother aloud, feeling that the words + disposed themselves into a song in her breast, and noticing with pain + that her voice did not hold out, that it was hoarse, trembled, and + broke.</p> + + <p>"The word of my son is the honest word of a workingman, of an unsold + soul. You will recognize its incorruptibility by its boldness. It is + fearless, and if necessary it goes even against itself to meet the + truth. It goes to you, working people, incorruptible, wise, fearless. + Receive it with an open heart, feed on it; it will give you the power to + understand everything, to fight against everything for the truth, for + the freedom of mankind. Receive it, believe it, go with it toward the + happiness of all the people, to a new life with great joy!"</p> + + <p>She received a blow on the chest; she staggered and fell on the bench. + The gendarmes' hands darted over the heads of the people, and seizing + collars and shoulders, threw them aside, tore off hats, flung them far + away. Everything grew dark and began to whirl before the eyes of the + mother. But overcoming her fatigue, she again shouted with the remnants + of her power:</p> + + <p>"People, gather up your forces into one single force!"</p> + + <p>A large gendarme caught her collar with his red hand and shook her.</p> + + <p>"Keep quiet!"</p> + + <p>The nape of her neck struck the wall; her heart was enveloped for a + second in the stifling smoke of terror; but it blazed forth again + clearly, dispelling the smoke.</p> + + <p>"Go!" said the gendarme.</p> + + <p>"Fear nothing! There are no tortures worse than those which you endure + all your lives!"</p> + + <p>"Silence, I say!" The gendarme took her by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_498" id="Page_498">[Pg 498]</a></span> arm and pulled her; + another seized her by the other arm, and taking long steps, they led her + away.</p> + + <p>"There are no tortures more bitter than those which quietly gnaw at your + heart every day, waste your breast, and drain your power."</p> + + <p>The spy came running up, and shaking his fist in her face, shouted:</p> + + <p>"Silence, you old hag!"</p> + + <p>Her eyes widened, sparkled; her jaws quivered. Planting her feet firmly + on the slippery stones of the floor, she shouted, gathering the last + remnants of her strength:</p> + + <p>"The resuscitated soul they will not kill."</p> + + <p>"Dog!"</p> + + <p>The spy struck her face with a short swing of his hand.</p> + + <p>Something black and red blinded her eyes for a second. The salty taste + of blood filled her mouth.</p> + + <p>A clear outburst of shouts animated her:</p> + + <p>"Don't dare to beat her!"</p> + + <p>"Boys!"</p> + + <p>"What is it?"</p> + + <p>"Oh, you scoundrel!"</p> + + <p>"Give it to him!"</p> + + <p>"They will not drown reason in blood; they will not extinguish its + truth!"</p> + + <p>She was pushed in the neck and the back, beaten about the shoulders, on + the head. Everything began to turn around, grow giddy in a dark + whirlwind of shouts, howls, whistles. Something thick and deafening + crept into her ear, beat in her throat, choked her. The floor under her + feet began to shake, giving way. Her legs bent, her body trembled, + burned with pain, grew heavy, and staggered powerless. But her eyes were + not extinguished,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_499" id="Page_499">[Pg 499]</a></span> and they saw many other eyes which flashed and + gleamed with the bold sharp fire known to her, with the fire dear to her + heart.</p> + + <p>She was pushed somewhere into a door.</p> + + <p>She snatched her hand away from the gendarmes and caught hold of the + doorpost.</p> + + <p>"You will not drown the truth in seas of blood——"</p> + + <p>They struck her hand.</p> + + <p>"You heap up only malice on yourself, you unwise ones! It will fall on + you——"</p> + + <p>Somebody seized her neck and began to choke her. There was a rattle in + her throat.</p> + + <p>"You poor, sorry creatures——"</p> + +<p> </p> + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="TRANSCRIBERS_NOTES" id="TRANSCRIBERS_NOTES"></a>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE</h2> + + <p><a href="#LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</a> Page numbers referred to on the LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS correspond + with the illustrations' original locations. Illustrations have been + moved to be closer to their discussion in the text.</p> + + <p><a href="#Page_235">Pages 236-238.</a> Missing page numbers are attributed to blank or unnumbered pages in the original text.</p> + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTHER***</p> +<p>******* This file should be named 3783-h.txt or 3783-h.zip *******</p> +<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/7/8/3783">http://www.gutenberg.org/3/7/8/3783</a></p> +<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed.</p> + +<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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