diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094-8.txt | 12242 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094-8.zip | bin | 193928 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094-h.zip | bin | 278617 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094-h/51094-h.htm | 15405 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 69937 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094.txt | 12242 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/51094.zip | bin | 193912 -> 0 bytes |
10 files changed, 17 insertions, 39889 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9254672 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51094 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51094) diff --git a/old/51094-8.txt b/old/51094-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7550520..0000000 --- a/old/51094-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12242 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Spy, by Maksim Gorky, Translated by -Thomas Seltzer - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Spy - The Story of a Superfluous Man - - -Author: Maksim Gorky - - - -Release Date: January 31, 2016 [eBook #51094] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY*** - - -E-text prepared by readbueno and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/cu31924026722367 - - -Transcriber's note: - - Italicized words and phrases are presented by surrounding - the text with _underscores_. - - - - - -THE SPY - -The Story of a Superfluous Man - -by - -MAXIM GORKY - -Authorized translation by Thomas Seltzer - - - - - - - -New York -B. W. Huebsch -1908 - -Copyright, 1908 -By B. W. Huebsch - - - - - THE SPY - - - - - CHAPTER I - - -When Yevsey Klimkov was four years old, his father was shot dead by the -forester; and when he was seven years old, his mother died. She died -suddenly in the field at harvest time. And so strange was this that -Yevsey was not even frightened by the sight of her dead body. - -Uncle Piotr, a blacksmith, put his hand on the boy's head, and said: - -"What are we going to do now?" - -Yevsey took a sidelong glance at the corner where his mother lay upon a -bench, and answered in a low voice: - -"I don't know." - -The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his face with his shirtsleeve, and -after a long silence gently shoved his nephew aside. - -"You're going to live with me," he said. "We'll send you to school, I -suppose, so that you won't be in our way. Ah, you old man!" - -From that day the boy was called Old Man. The nickname suited him very -well. He was too small for his age, his movements were sluggish, and his -voice thin. A little bird-like nose stuck out sadly from a bony face, -his round colorless eyes blinked timorously, his hair was sparse and -grew in tufts. The impression he made was of a puny, shriveled-up little -old fellow. The children in school laughed at him and beat him, his dull -oldish look and his owl-like face somehow irritating the healthier and -livelier among them. He held himself aloof, and lived alone, silently, -always in the shade, or in some corner or hole. Without winking his -round eyes he looked forth upon the people from his retirement, -cautiously contracted like a snail in its shell. When his eyes grew -tired, he closed them, and for a long time sat sightless, gently swaying -his thin body. - -Yevsey endeavored to escape observation even in his uncle's home; but -here it was difficult. He had to dine and sup in the company of the -whole family, and when he sat at the table, Yakov, the uncle's youngest -son, a lusty, red-faced youngster, tried every trick to tease him or -make him laugh. He made faces, stuck out his tongue, kicked Yevsey's -legs under the table, and pinched him. He never succeeded, however, in -making the Old Man laugh, though he did succeed in producing quite the -opposite result, for often Yevsey would start with pain, his yellow face -would turn grey, his eyes open wide, and his spoon tremble in his hand. - -"What is it?" his uncle Piotr sometimes asked. - -"It's Yashka," the boy explained in an even voice, in which there was no -note of complaint. - -If Uncle Piotr gave Yashka a box on the ear, or pulled his hair, Aunt -Agafya puckered up her lips and muttered angrily: - -"Ugh, you telltale!" - -And then Yashka found him somewhere, and pummeled him long and -assiduously upon back, sides, and stomach. Yevsey endured the drubbing -as something inevitable. It would not have been profitable to complain -of Yashka, because if Uncle Piotr beat his son, Aunt Agafya repaid the -punishment with interest upon her nephew, and her blows were more -painful than Yashka's. So when Yevsey saw that Yashka wanted to attack -him, he merely ran away, though he was always overtaken. Then the Old -Man dropped to the ground, and pressed his body to the soil with all his -might, pulling up his knees to his stomach, covering his face and his -head with his hands, and silently yielding his sides and back to his -cousin's fists. The more patiently he bore the buffeting, the angrier -grew Yashka. Sometimes Yashka even cried and shouted, while he kicked -his cousin's body: - -"You nasty louse, you, scream!" - -Once Yevsey found a horseshoe and gave it to the little pugilist, -because he knew Yashka would take it from him at any rate. Mollified by -the present, Yashka asked: - -"Did I hurt you very much when I beat you the last time?" - -"Very much," answered Yevsey. - -Yashka thought a while, scratched his head, and said in embarrassment: - -"It's nothing. It will pass away." - -He left Yevsey, but somehow his words settled deep in the Old Man's -heart, and he repeated hopefully in an undertone: - -"It will pass away." - -Once Yevsey saw some women pilgrims rubbing their tired feet with -nettles. He followed their example, and applied the nettles to his -bruised sides. It seemed to him his pain was greatly assuaged. From that -time he religiously rubbed his wounds with the down of the noxious and -despised weed. - -He was poor at his lessons, because he came to school full of dread of -beatings, and he left school swelling with a sense of insult. His -apparent apprehension of being wronged evoked in others the -unconquerable desire to ply the Old Man with blows. - -It turned out that Yevsey had a counter-tenor, and the teacher took him -to the church choir. After this he had to be at home less, but to -compensate he met his schoolmates more frequently, at the rehearsals, -and they all fought no less than Yashka. - -The old frame church pleased Yevsey. He was always strongly drawn to -peep into the snug warm quiet of its many dark corners, expecting to -find in one of them something uncommon and good, which would embrace -him, press him tenderly to itself, and speak to him the way his mother -used to. All the sacred images, black with many years of soot, with -their good yet stern expression, recalled the dark-bearded face of Uncle -Piotr. - -At the church entrance was a picture, which depicted a saint who had -caught the devil and was beating him; the saint, a tall, dark, sinewy -fellow with long hands, the devil, a reddish, lean wizened creature of -stunted growth resembling a little goat. At first Yevsey did not look at -the devil; he had a desire to spit at him surreptitiously; but then he -began to pity the unfortunate little fiend, and when nobody was around -he tenderly stroked the goat-like little chin disfigured by dread and -pain. Thus, for the first time a sense of pity sprang up in the boy's -heart. - -Yevsey liked the church for another reason: here all the people, even -the notorious ruffians, dropped their boisterousness, and conducted -themselves quietly and submissively. For loud talk frightened Yevsey. He -ran away from excited faces and shouts, and hid himself, owing to the -fact that once on a market-day he had seen a brawl between a number of -muzhiks, which began by their talking to one another in very loud -voices. Then they shouted and pushed; next someone seized a pole, waved -it about, and struck another man. A terrible howl ensued, many started -to run. They knocked the Old Man off his feet, and he fell face downward -in a puddle. When he jumped up he saw a huge muzhik coming toward him -waving his hands, with a quivering, gory blotch instead of a face. This -was so terrible that Yevsey yelled, and suddenly felt as if he were -being precipitated into a black pit. He had to be sprinkled with water -to bring him to his senses. - -Yevsey was also afraid of drunken men. His mother had told him that a -demon takes up his abode in the body of a drunkard. The Old Man imagined -this demon prickly as a hedgehog and moist as a frog, with a reddish -body and green eyes, who settles in a man's stomach, stirs about there, -and turns the man into an evil fiend. - -There were many other good things about the church. Besides the quiet -and tender twilight, Yevsey liked the singing. When he sang without -notes, he closed his eyes firmly, and letting his clear plaintive -soprano blend with the general chorus in order it should not be heard -above the others, he hid himself deliciously somewhere, as if overcome -by a sweet sleep. In this drowsy state it seemed to him he was drifting -away from life, approaching another gentle, peaceful existence. - -A thought took shape in his mind, which he once expressed to his uncle -in these words: - -"Can a person live so that he can go everywhere and see everything, but -be seen by nobody?" - -"Invisibly?" asked the blacksmith, and thought a while. "I should -suppose it would be impossible." He turned his black face to his nephew, -and added seriously, "Yes, of course, it would be very nice if you could -do it, Orphan." - -From the moment that all the villagers began to call Yevsey "Old Man," -Uncle Piotr used "Orphan" instead. A peculiar man in every respect the -blacksmith was not terrible even when drunk. He would merely remove his -hat from his head and walk about the street waving it, singing in a high -doleful voice, smiling, and shaking his head. The tears would run down -his face even more copiously than when he was sober. - -His uncle seemed to Yevsey the very wisest and best muzhik in the whole -village. He could talk with him about everything. Though he often smiled -he scarcely ever laughed; he spoke without haste, in a quiet, serious -tone. Either failing to notice his nephew, or forgetting about -him--which especially pleased Yevsey--he would talk to himself in his -shop, keeping up a constant dispute with some invisible opponent and -forever admonishing him. - -"Confound you," he would mumble, but without anger. "Greedy maw! Don't I -work? There, I have scorched my eyes. I'll soon get blind. What else do -you want? A curse on this life! Hard luck! No beauty--no joy." - -His interjections sounded as if he were composing psalms; and Yevsey had -the impression that his uncle was actually facing the man he was -addressing. - -Once Yevsey asked: - -"Whom are you talking to?" - -"Whom am I talking to?" repeated the blacksmith without looking at the -boy. Then he smiled and answered. "I'm talking to my stupidity." - -But it was a rare thing for Yevsey to be able to speak with his -guardian, for he was seldom alone. Yashka, round as a top, often spun -about the place, drowning the blows of the hammer and the crackling of -the coals in the furnace with his piercing shouts. In his presence -Yevsey did not dare even to look at his uncle. - -The smithy stood at the edge of the shallow ravine, at the bottom of -which among the osier bushes, Yevsey passed all his leisure time in -spring, summer, and autumn. Here it was as peaceful as in the church. -The birds warbled, the bees and drones hummed, and a fine quiet song -quivered in the air. The boy sat there swaying his body and brooding -with tightly shut eyes. Or he roamed amid the bushes, listening to the -noise in the blacksmith shop. When he perceived his uncle was alone, he -crept out and went up to him. - -"What, you, Orphan?" was the blacksmith's greeting, as he scrutinized -the boy with his little eyes wet with tears. - -Once Yevsey asked: - -"Is the evil power in the church at night?" - -The smith thought a while, and answered: - -"Why shouldn't it be? It gets everywhere. That's easy for it." - -The boy raised his shoulders, and with his round eyes searchingly -examined the dark corners of the shop. - -"Don't be afraid of the devils," the uncle advised. - -Yevsey sighed, and answered quietly: - -"I'm not afraid." - -"They won't hurt you," the blacksmith explained with assurance, wiping -his eyes with his black fingers. Then Yevsey asked: - -"And how about God?" - -"What about Him?" - -"Why does God let devils get into the church?" - -"What's that to him? God isn't the keeper of the church." - -"Doesn't he live there?" - -"Who? God? Why should He? His place, Orphan, is everywhere. The churches -are for the people." - -"And the people, what are they for?" - -"The people--it seems they are--in general--for everything. You can't -get along without people." - -"Are they for God?" - -The blacksmith looked askance at his nephew, and answered after a pause: - -"Of course." Wiping his hands on his apron and staring at the fire in -the furnace, he added, "I don't know about this business, Orphan. Why -don't you ask the teacher or the priest?" - -Yevsey wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve. - -"I'm afraid of them." - -"It would be better for you not to talk of such things," the uncle -advised gravely. "You are a little boy. You should play out in the open -air, and store up health. If you want to live you must be a healthy man. -If you are not strong, you can't work. Then you can't live at all. -That's all we know, and what God needs is unknown to us." He grew -silent, and meditated without removing his eyes from the fire. After a -time he continued in a serious tone, speaking choppily: "On the one hand -I know nothing, on the other hand I don't understand. They say all -wisdom comes from Him. Yet it's evident that the thicker one's candle -before God the more wolfish the heart." He looked around the shop, and -his eyes fell on the boy in the corner. "Why are you squeezing yourself -into that crack? I told you to go out and play." As Yevsey crept out -timidly, the smith added, "A spark will fall into your eye, and then -you'll be one-eyed. Who wants a one-eyed fellow?" - -His mother had told Yevsey several stories on winter nights when the -snowstorm knocking against the walls of the hut ran along the roof, -touched everything as if groping for something in anguish, crept down -the chimney, and whined there mournfully in different keys. The mother -recited the tales quietly, drowsily. Her speech sometimes grew confused; -often she repeated the same words several times. It seemed to the boy -she saw everything about which she spoke, but obscurely, as in the dark. - -The neighbors reminded Yevsey of his mother's tales. The blacksmith, -too, it seemed, saw in the furnace-fire both devils and God, and all the -terrors of human life. That was why he continually wept. While Yevsey -listened to his talk, which set his heart aquiver with a dreadful tremor -of expectation, the hope insensibly formulated itself that some day he -would see something remarkable, not resembling the life in the village, -the drunken muzhiks, the cantankerous women, the boisterous -children--something quite different, without noise and confusion, -without malice and quarreling, something lovable and serious, like the -church service. - -One of the neighbors was a blind girl, with whom Yevsey became intimate. -He took her to walk in the village; carefully helped her down the -ravine, and spoke to her in a low voice, opening wide his watery eyes in -fear. This friendship did not escape the notice of the villagers, all of -whom it pleased. But once the mother of the blind girl came to Uncle -Piotr with a complaint. She declared Yevsey had frightened Tanya with -his talk, and now she could not leave her daughter alone, because the -girl cried and slept poorly, had disturbed dreams, and started out of -her sleep screaming. What Yevsey had said to her it was impossible to -make out. She kept babbling about devils, about the sky being black and -having holes in it, about fires visible through the holes, and about -devils who made sport in there, and teased people. What does it mean? -How can anyone tell a little girl such stuff? - -"Come here," said Uncle Piotr to his nephew. - -When Yevsey quietly left his corner, the smith put his rough heavy hand -on his head and asked: - -"Did you tell her all that?" - -"I did." - -"Why?" - -"I don't know." - -The blacksmith, without removing his hand, shoved back the boy's head, -and looking into his eyes asked gravely: - -"Why, is the sky black?" - -"What else is it if she can't see?" Yevsey muttered. - -"Who?" - -"Tanya." - -"Yes," said the blacksmith. After a moment's reflection he asked, "And -how about the fire being black? Why did you invent that?" - -The boy dropped his eyes and was silent. - -"Well, speak. Nobody is beating you. Why did you tell her all that -nonsense, eh?" - -"I was sorry for her," whispered Yevsey. - -The blacksmith pushed him aside lightly. - -"You shan't talk to her any more, do you hear? Never! Don't worry, Aunt -Praskovya, we'll put an end to this friendship." - -"You ought to give him a whipping," said the mother. "My little girl -lived quietly, she wasn't a bit of a bother to anybody, and now someone -has to be with her all the time." - -After Praskovya had left, the smith without saying anything led Yevsey -by the hand into the yard. - -"Now talk sensibly. Why did you frighten the little girl?" - -The uncle's voice was not loud, but it was stern. Yevsey became -frightened, and quickly began to justify himself, stuttering over his -words. - -"I didn't frighten her--I did it just--just--she kept complaining--she -said I see only black, but for you everything--so I began to tell her -everything is black to keep her from being envious. I didn't mean to -frighten her at all." - -Yevsey broke into sobs, feeling himself wronged. Uncle Piotr smiled. - -"You fool! You should have remembered that she's been blind only three -years. She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight after she had the -smallpox. So she recollects what things are really bright. Oh, what a -stupid fellow!" - -"I'm not stupid. She believed me," Yevsey retorted, wiping his eyes. - -"Well, all right. Only don't go with her any more. Do you hear?" - -"I won't." - -"As to your crying; it's nothing. Let them think I gave you a beating." -The blacksmith tapped Yevsey on the shoulder, and continued with a -smile, "You and I, we're cheats, both of us." - -The little fellow buried his head in his uncle's side, and asked -tremulously: - -"Why is everybody down on me?" - -"I don't know, Orphan," answered the uncle after a moment's reflection. - -The wrongs to which he was subjected now began to yield the boy a sort -of bitter satisfaction. A dim conviction settled upon him that he was -not like everybody else, and this was why all were down on him. He -observed that all the people were malicious and worn out with ill-will. -They lived, each deceiving his neighbor, abusing one another, and -drinking. Everyone sought for mastery over his fellow, though over -himself he was not master. Yevsey saw no man who was not in constant -fear of something. The whole of life was filled with terror, and terror -divided the people into fragments. - -The village stood upon a low hill. On the other side of the river -stretched a marsh. In the summer after a hot day it exhaled a stifling -lilac-colored mist, which breathed a putrid breath upon the village, and -sent upon the people a swarm of mosquitoes. The people, angry and -pitiful, scratched themselves until blood came. From behind the thin -woods in the distance climbed a lowering reddish moon. Huge and round it -looked through the haze like a dull sinister eye. Yevsey thought it was -threatening him with all kinds of misery and dread. He feared its dirty -reddish face. When he saw it over the marsh, he hid himself, and in his -sleep he was tormented by heavy dreams. At night bluish, trembling -lights strayed over the marsh, said to be the homeless spirits of -sinners. The villagers sighed over them sorrowfully, pitying them. But -for one another they had no pity. - -It was possible for them, however, to have lived differently, in -friendship and joy. An incident Yevsey once witnessed proved this to -him. - -One night the granary of the rich muzhik Veretennikov caught fire. The -little boy ran into the garden, and climbed up a willow tree to look at -the conflagration. - -It seemed to him that the many-winged, supple body of a horrible -smoke-begrimed bird with a fiery jaw was circling in the sky. It -inclined its red blazing head to the ground, greedily tore the straw -with its sharp fiery teeth, gnawed at the wood, and licked it with its -hundred yellow tongues. Its smoky body playfully coiled in the black -sky, fell upon the village, crept along the roofs of the houses, and -again raised itself aloft majestically and lightly, without removing its -flaming red head from the ground. It snorted, scattering sheaves of -sparks, whistling with joy in its evil work, singing, puffing, and -spreading its raging jaw wider and wider, embracing the wood more and -more greedily with its red ribbons of flame. - -In the presence of the fire the people turned small and black. They -sprinkled water into its jaws, thrust long poles at it, and tore flaming -sheaves from between its teeth. Then they trampled the sheaves. The -people, too, coughed, sniffed, and sneezed, gasping for breath in the -greasy smoke. They shouted and roared, their voices blending with the -crackling and roaring of the fire. They approached nearer and nearer to -the great bird, surrounding its red head with a black living ring, as if -tightening a noose about its body. Here and there the noose broke, but -they tied it again, and crowded about more firmly. The noose strangled -the fire, which lay there savagely. It jumped up, and its body swelled, -writhing like a snake, striving to free its head; but the people held it -fast to the ground. Finally, enfeebled, exhausted, and sullen it fell -upon the neighboring granaries, crept along the gardens, and dwindled -away, shattered and faint. - -"All together!" shouted the villagers, encouraging one another. - -"Water!" rang out the women's voices. - -The women formed a chain from the fire to the river, strangers and -kinsmen, friends and enemies all in a row. And the buckets of water were -rapidly passed from hand to hand. - -"Quick, women! Quick, good women!" - -It was pleasant and cheerful to look upon this good, friendly life in -conflict with the fire. The people emboldened one another. They spoke -words of praise for displays of dexterity and disputed in kindly jest. -The shouts were free from malice. In the presence of the fire everybody -seemed to see his neighbor as good, and each grew pleasant to the other. -When at last the fire was vanquished, the villagers grew even jolly. -They sang songs, laughed, boasted of the work, and joked. The older -people got whiskey to drink away their exhaustion, while the young folk -remained in the streets amusing themselves almost until morning. And -everything was as good as in a dream. - -Yevsey heard not a single malicious shout, nor noticed a single angry -face. During the entire time the fire was burning no one wept from pain -or abuse, no one roared with the beastly roar of savage malice, ready -for murder. - -The next day Yevsey said to his uncle: - -"How nice it was last night!" - -"Yes, Orphan, it was nice. A little more, and the fire would have burned -away half the village." - -"I mean about the people," explained the boy. "How they joined together -in a friendly way. If they would live like that all the time, if there -were a fire all the time!" - -The blacksmith reflected for an instant, then asked in surprise: - -"You mean there should be fires all the time?" He looked at Yevsey -sternly, and shook his finger. "You wiseacre, you, look out! Don't think -such sinful thoughts. Just see him! He finds pleasure in fires!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - - -When Yevsey completed the school course, the blacksmith said to him: - -"What shall we do with you now? There's nothing for you here. You must -go to the city. I have to get bellows there, and I'll take you along, -Orphan." - -"Will you yourself take me?" - -"Yes. Are you sorry to leave the village?" - -"No, but I am sorry on account of you." - -The blacksmith put a piece of iron in the furnace and adjusting the -coals with the tongs, said thoughtfully: - -"There's no reason to be sorry on account of me. I am grown up. I am the -muzhik I ought to be, like every other muzhik." - -"You're better than everybody else," Yevsey said in a low voice. - -It seemed that Uncle Piotr did not hear the last remark, for he did not -answer, but removed the glowing iron from the fire, screwed up his eyes, -and began to hammer, scattering the red sparks all about him. Then he -suddenly stopped, slowly dropped the hand in which he held the hammer, -and said smiling: - -"I ought to give you some advice--how to live and all such things." - -Yevsey waited to hear the advice. The blacksmith, however, apparently -forgetful of his nephew, put the iron back into the fire, wiped the -tears from his cheeks, and looked into the furnace. A muzhik entered, -bringing a cracked tire. Yevsey went out to go to the ravine, where he -crouched in the bushes until sunset, waiting for his uncle to be alone; -which did not happen. - -The day of his departure from the village was effaced from the boy's -memory. He recalled only that when he rode out into the fields, it was -dark and the air strangely oppressive. The wagon jolted horribly, and on -both sides rose black motionless trees. The further they advanced the -wider the space became and the brighter the atmosphere. The uncle was -sullen the whole way, and reluctantly gave brief and unintelligible -answers to Yevsey's questions. - -They rode an entire day, stopping over night in a little village. Yevsey -heard the fine and protracted playing of an accordion, a woman weeping, -and occasionally an angry voice crying out: "Shut up!" and swearing -abusively. - -The travelers continued on their way the same night. Two dogs -accompanied them, running around the wagon and whining. As they left the -village a bittern boomed sullenly and plaintively in the forest to the -left of the road. - -"God grant good luck!" mumbled the blacksmith. - -Yevsey fell asleep, and awoke when his uncle lightly tapped him on his -legs with the butt end of the whip. - -"Look, Orphan." - -To the sleepy eyes of the boy the city appeared like a huge field of -buckwheat. Thick and varicolored, it stretched endlessly, with the -golden church steeples standing out like yellow pimpinellas, and the -dark bands of the streets looking like fences between the patches. - -"Oh, how large!" said Yevsey. After another look, he asked his uncle -cautiously, "Will you come to see me?" - -"Certainly, whenever I come to the city. You will begin to make money, -and I will ask you to give me some. 'Orphan,' I'll say, 'give your uncle -about three rubles.'" - -"I'll give you all my money." - -"You mustn't give me all. You should give only as much as you won't be -sorry to part with. To give less is shameful; to give more is unfair." - -The city grew quickly and became more and more varied in coloring. It -glittered green, red, and golden, reflecting the rays of the sun from -the glass of the countless windows and from the gold of the church -steeples. It seemed to make promises, kindling in the heart a confused -curiosity, a dim expectation of something unusual. Kneeling in the wagon -with his hand on his uncle's shoulder, Yevsey looked before him while -the smith said: - -"You live this way--do whatever is assigned to you, hold yourself aloof, -beware of the bold men. One bold man out of ten succeeds, and nine go to -pieces." - -He spoke with indecision, as if he himself doubted whether he was saying -what he ought to say, and he searched his thoughts for something else -more important. Yevsey listened attentively and gravely, expecting to -hear a special warning against the terrors and dangers of the new life. -But the blacksmith drew a deep breath, and after a pause continued more -firmly and with more assurance, "Once they came near giving me a lashing -with switches in the district court. I was betrothed then. I had to get -married. Nevertheless they wanted to whip me. It's all the same to them. -They don't care about other people's affairs. I lodged a complaint with -the governor, and for three and a half months they kept me in prison, -not to speak of the blows. I got the worst beatings. I even spat blood. -It's from that time that tears are always in my eyes. One policeman, a -short reddish fellow, always went for my head." - -"Uncle," said Yevsey quietly, "don't speak of it." - -"What else shall I speak to you about?" cried Uncle Piotr with a smile. -"There is nothing else." - -Yevsey's head drooped sadly. - -One detached house after another seemed to step toward them, dirty and -wrapped in heavy odors, with chimneys sticking from their red and green -roofs, like warts. Bluish-grey smoke rose from them lazily. Some -chimneys, monstrously tall and dirty, jutted straight up from the -ground, and emitted thick black clouds of smoke. The ground was -compactly trodden, and seemed to be steeped in black grease. Everywhere -heavy alarming sounds penetrated the smoky atmosphere. Something -growled, hummed and whistled; iron clanged angrily, and some huge -creature breathed hoarsely and brokenly. - -"When will we get to the place?" asked Yevsey. - -Looking carefully in front of him the uncle said: - -"This isn't the city yet. These are factories in the suburb." - -Finally they pulled into a broad street lined with old squat frame -houses painted various colors, which had a peaceful, homelike -appearance. Especially fine were the clean cheerful houses with gardens, -which seemed to be tied about with green aprons. - -"We'll soon be there," said the blacksmith, turning the horse into a -narrow side street. "Don't be afraid, Orphan." - -He drew up at the open gate of a large house, jumped down, and walked -into the yard. The house was old and bent. The joists protruded from -under the small dim windows. In the large dirty yard there were a number -of carriages, and four muzhiks talking loudly stood about a white horse -tapping it with their hands. One of them, a round, bald-headed fellow -with a large yellow beard and a rosy face, waved his hands wildly on -seeing Piotr, and cried: - -"Oh!" - -They went to a narrow, dark room, where they sat down and drank tea. -Uncle Piotr spoke about the village. The bald fellow laughed and shouted -so that the dishes rattled on the table. It was close in the room and -smelled of hot bread. Yevsey wanted to sleep, and he kept looking into -the corner where behind dirty curtains he could see a wide bed with -several pillows. Large black flies buzzed about, knocking against his -forehead, crawling over his face, and tickling his perspiring skin; but -he restrained himself from driving them away. - -"We'll find a place for you!" the bald man shouted to him, nodding his -head gaily. "In a minute! Natalya, did you call for Matveyevich?" - -A full woman with dark lashes, a small mouth, and a high bust, answered -calmly and clearly: - -"How many times have you asked me already?" - -She held her head straight and proudly, and when she moved her hands the -rose-colored chintz of her new jacket rustled sumptuously. Her whole -being recalled some good dream or fairy tale. - -"Piotr, my friend, look at Natalya. What a Natalya! Droppings from the -honey-comb!" shouted the bald man deafeningly. - -Uncle Piotr laughed quietly, as if fearing to look at the woman, who -pushed a hot rye cake filled with curds toward Yevsey, and said: - -"Eat, eat a lot. In the city people must eat a good deal." - -A jar of preserves stood on the table, honey in a saucer, toasted -cracknels sprinkled with anise-seed, sausage, cucumber, and vodka. All -this filled the air with a strong odor. Yevsey grew faint from the -oppressive sensation of over-abundance, though he did not dare to -decline, and submissively chewed everything set before him. - -"Eat!" cried the bald man, then continued his talk with Uncle Piotr. "I -tell you, it's luck. It's only a week since the horse crushed the little -boy. He went to the tavern for boiling water, when suddenly--" - -Another man now made his entrance unnoticed by the others. He, too, was -bald, but small and thin, with dark eyeglasses on a large nose, and a -long tuft of grey hair on his chin. - -"What is it, people?" he asked in a low, indistinct voice. - -The master jumped up from his chair, uttered a cry, and laughed aloud. -Yevsey was suddenly seized with alarm. - -The man addressed Piotr and his hosts as "People," by which he separated -himself from them. He sat down at some distance from the table, then -moved to one side away from the blacksmith, and looked around moving his -thin dry neck slowly. On his head, a little above his forehead, over his -right eye, was a large bump. His little pointed ears clung closely to -his skull, as if to hide themselves in the short fringe of his grey -hair. He produced the impression of a quiet, grey, seedy, person. Yevsey -unsuccessfully tried to get a surreptitious peep at his eyes under the -glasses. His failure disquieted him. - -The host cried: - -"Do you understand, Orphan?" - -"This is a trump," remarked the man with the bump. He sat supporting his -thin dark hands on his sharp knees, and spoke little. Occasionally -Yevsey heard the men utter some peculiar words. - -At last the newcomer said: - -"And so it is settled." - -Uncle Piotr moved heavily in his chair. - -"Now, Orphan, you have a place. This is your master." He turned to the -master. "I want to tell you, sir, that the boy can read and write, and -is not at all a stupid fellow. I am not saying this because I can't find -a place for him, but because it is the truth. The boy is even very -curious--" - -"I have no need for curiosity," said the master shaking his head. - -"He's a quiet sort. They call him Old Man in the village--that's the -kind he is." - -"We shall see," said the man with the bump on his forehead. He adjusted -his glasses, scrutinized Yevsey's face closely, and added, "My name is -Matvey Matveyevich." - -Turning away, he took up a glass of tea, which he drank noiselessly. -Then he rose and with a silent nod walked out. - -Yevsey and his uncle now went to the yard, where they seated themselves -in the shade near the stable. The blacksmith spoke to Yevsey cautiously, -as if groping with his words for something unintelligible to him. - -"You'll surely have it good with him. He's a quiet little old man. He -has run his course and left all sorts of sins behind him. Now he lives -in order to eat a little bite, and he grumbles and purrs like a satiated -Tom-cat." - -"But isn't he a sorcerer?" asked the boy. - -"Why? I should think there are no sorcerers in the cities." After -reflecting a few moments, the blacksmith went on. "Anyway it's all the -same to you. A sorcerer is a man, too. But remember this, a city is a -dangerous place. This is how it spoils people: the wife of a man goes -away on a pilgrimage, and he immediately puts in her place some -housemaid or other, and indulges himself. But the old man can't show you -such an example. That's why I say you'll have it good with him. You will -live with him as behind a bush, sitting and looking." - -"And when he dies?" Yevsey inquired warily. - -"That probably won't be soon. Smear your head with oil to keep your hair -from sticking out." - -About noon the uncle made Yevsey bid farewell to their hosts, and taking -him firmly by the hand led him to the city. They walked for a long time. -It was sultry. Often they asked the passersby how to get to the Circle. -Yevsey regarded everything with his owl-like eyes, pressing close up to -his uncle. The doors of shops slammed, pulleys squeaked, carriages -rattled, wagons rumbled heavily, traders shouted, and feet scraped and -tramped. All these sounds jumbled together were tangled up in the -stifling dusty atmosphere. The people walked quickly, and hurried across -the streets under the horses' noses as if afraid of being too late for -something. The bustle tired the boy's eyes. Now and then he closed them, -whereupon he would stumble and say to his uncle: - -"Come, faster!" - -Yevsey wanted to get to some place in a corner where it was not so -stirring, not so noisy and hot. Finally they reached a little open place -hemmed in by a narrow circle of old houses, which seemed to support one -another solidly and firmly. In the center of the Circle was a fountain -about which moist shadows hovered on the soil. It was more tranquil -here, and the noise was subdued. - -"Look," said Yevsey, "there are only houses and no ground around them at -all." - -The blacksmith answered with a sigh: - -"It's pretty crowded. Read the signs. Where is Raspopov's shop?" - -They walked to the center of the Circle, and stopped at the fountain. -There were many signs, which covered every house like the motley patches -of a beggar's coat. When Yevsey saw the name his uncle had mentioned, a -chill shiver ran through his body, and he examined it carefully without -saying anything. It was small and eaten by rust, and was placed on the -door of a dark basement. On either side the door there was an area -between the pavement and the house, which was fenced in by a low iron -railing. The house, a dirty yellow with peeling plaster, was narrow with -four stories and three windows to each floor. It looked blind as a mole, -crafty, and uncozy. - -"Well," asked the smith, "can't you see the sign?" - -"There it is," said the boy, indicating the place with a nod of his -head. - -"Let's cross ourselves and go." - -They descended to the door at the bottom of five stone steps. The -blacksmith raised his cap from his head, and looked cautiously into the -shop. - -"Come in," said a clear voice. - -The master, wearing a black silk cap without a visor, was sitting at a -table by the window drinking tea. - -"Take a chair, peasant, and have some tea. Boy, fetch a glass from the -shelf." - -The master pointed to the other end of the shop. Yevsey looked in the -same direction, but saw no boy there. The master turned toward him. - -"Well, what's the matter? Aren't you the boy?" - -"He's not used to it yet," said Uncle Piotr quietly. - -The old man again waved his hand. - -"The second shelf on the right. A master must be understood when he says -only half. That's the rule." - -The blacksmith sighed. Yevsey groped for the glass in the dim light, and -stumbled over a pile of books on the floor in his haste to hand it to -the master. - -"Put it on the table. And the saucer?" - -"Oh, you!" exclaimed Uncle Piotr. "What's the matter with you? Get the -saucer." - -"It will take a long time to teach him," said the old man with an -imposing look at the blacksmith. "Now, boy, go around the shop, and fix -the place where everything stands in your memory." - -Yevsey felt as if something commanding had entered his body, which -impelled him powerfully to move as it pleased. He shrank together, drew -his head in his shoulders, and straining his eyes began to look around -the shop, all the time listening to the words of his master. It was -cool, dusky, and quiet. The noise of the city entered reluctantly, like -the muffled swashing of a stream. Narrow and long as a grave the shop -was closely lined with shelves holding books in compact rows. Large -piles of books cluttered the floor, and barricaded the rear wall, rising -almost to the ceiling. Besides the books Yevsey found only a ladder, an -umbrella, galoshes, and a white pot whose handle was broken off. There -was a great deal of dust, which probably accounted for the heavy odor. - -"I'm a quiet man. I am all alone, and if he suits me, maybe I will make -him perfectly happy." - -"Of course it lies with you," said Uncle Piotr. - -"I am fifty-seven years old. I lived an honest and straightforward life, -and I will not excuse dishonesty. If I notice any such thing I'll hand -him over to the court. Nowadays they sentence minors, too. They have -founded a prison to frighten them called the Junior Colony of -Criminals--for little thieves, you know." - -His colorless, drawling words enveloped Yevsey tightly, evoking a -timorous desire to soothe the old man and please him. - -"Now, good-bye. The boy must get at the work." - -Uncle Piotr rose and sighed. - -"Well, Orphan, so you live here now. Obey your master. He won't want to -do you any harm. Why should he? He is going to buy you city clothes. Now -don't be downcast, will you?" - -"No," said Yevsey. - -"You ought to say 'No, sir,'" corrected the master. - -"No, sir," repeated Yevsey. - -"Well, good-bye," said the blacksmith putting his hand on the boy's -shoulder, and giving his nephew a little shake he walked out as if -suddenly grown alarmed. - -Yevsey shivered, oppressed by a chill sorrow. He went to the door, and -fixed his round eyes questioningly on the yellow face of the master. The -old man twirling the grey tuft on his chin looked down upon the boy. -Yevsey thought he could discern large dim black eyes behind the glasses. -As the two stood thus for a few minutes apparently expecting something -from each other, the boy's breast began to beat with a vague terror; but -the old man merely took a book from a shelf, and pointed to the cover. - -"What number is this?" - -"1873," replied Yevsey lowering his head. - -"That's it." - -The master touched Yevsey's chin with his dry finger. - -"Look at me." - -The boy straightened his neck and quickly mumbled closing his eyes: - -"Little uncle, I shall always obey you. I don't need beatings." His eyes -grew dim, his heart sank within him. - -"Come here." - -The old man seated himself resting his hands on his knees. He removed -his cap and wiped his bald spot with his handkerchief. His spectacles -slid to the end of his nose, and he looked over them at Yevsey. Now he -seemed to have two pairs of eyes. The real eyes were small, immobile, -and dark grey with red lids. Without the glasses the master's face -looked thinner, more wrinkled, and less stern. In fact it wore an -injured and downcast expression, and there was nothing in the least -formidable in his eyes. The bump over his forehead got larger. - -"Have you been beaten often?" - -"Yes, sir, often." - -"Who beat you?" - -"The boys." - -"Oh!" - -The master drew his glasses close to his eyes and mumbled his lips. - -"The boys are scrappers here, too," he said. "Don't have anything to do -with them, do you hear?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Be on your guard against them. They are impudent rascals and thieves. I -want you to know I am not going to teach you anything bad. Don't be -afraid of me. I am a good man. You ought to get to love me. You will -love me. You'll have it very good with me, you understand?" - -"Yes, sir. I will." - -The master's face assumed its former expression. He rose, and taking -Yevsey by the hand led him to the further end of the shop. - -"Here's work for you. You see these books? On every book the date is -marked. There are twelve books to each year. Arrange them in order. How -are you going to do it?" - -Yevsey thought a while, and answered timidly: - -"I don't know." - -"Well, I am not going to tell you. You can read and you ought to be able -to find out by yourself. Go, get to work." - -The old man's dry even voice seemed to lash Yevsey, driving away the -melancholy feeling of separation from his uncle and replacing it with -the anxious desire to begin to work quickly. Restraining his tears the -boy rapidly and quietly untied the packages. Each time a book dropped to -the floor with a thud he started and looked around. The master was -sitting at the table writing with a pen that scratched slightly. As the -people hastened past the door, their feet flashed and their shadows -jerked across the shop. Tears rolled from Yevsey's eyes one after the -other. In fear lest they be detected he hurriedly wiped them from his -face with dusty hands, and full of a vague dread went tensely at his -work of sorting the books. - -At first it was difficult for him, but in a few minutes he was already -immersed in that familiar state of thoughtlessness and emptiness which -took such powerful hold of him when, after beatings and insults, he sat -himself down alone in some corner. His eye caught the date and the name -of the month, his hand mechanically arranged the books in a row, while -he sat on the floor swinging his body regularly. He became more and -more deeply plunged in the tranquil state of half-conscious negation -of reality. As always at such times the dim hope glowed in him of -something different, unlike what he saw around him. Sometimes the -all-comprehending, capacious phrase uttered by Yashka dimly glimmered in -his memory: - -"It will pass away." - -The thought pressed his heart warmly and softly with a promise of -something unusual. The boy's hands involuntarily began to move more -quickly, and he ceased to notice the lapse of time. - -"You see, you knew how to do it," said the master. - -Yevsey, who had not heard the old man approach him, started from his -reverie. Glancing at his work, he asked: - -"Is it all right?" - -"Absolutely. Do you want tea?" - -"No." - -"You ought to say, 'No, thank you.' Well, keep on with your work." - -He walked away. Yevsey looking after him saw a man carrying a cane enter -the door. He had neither a beard nor mustache, and wore a round hat -shoved back on the nape of his neck. He seated himself at the table, at -the same time putting upon it some small black and white objects. When -Yevsey again started to work, he every once in a while heard abrupt -sounds from his master and the newcomer. - -"Castle." - -"King." - -"Soon." - -The confused noise of the street penetrated the shop wearily, with -strange words quacking in it, like frogs in a marsh. - -"What are they doing?" thought the boy, and sighed. He experienced a -soft sensation, that from all directions something unusual was coming -upon him, but not what he timidly awaited. The dust settled upon his -face, tickled his nose and eyes, and set his teeth on edge. He recalled -his uncle's words: - -"You will live with him as behind a bush." - -It grew dark. - -"King and checkmate!" cried the guest in a thick voice. The master -clucking his tongue called out: - -"Boy, close up the shop!" - -The old man lived in two small rooms in the fourth story of the same -house. In the first room, which had one window, stood a large chest and -a wardrobe. - -"This is where you will sleep." - -The two windows in the second room gave upon the street, with a view -over an endless vista of uneven roofs and rosy sky. In the corner, in -front of the ikons, flickered a little light in a blue glass lamp. In -another corner stood a bed covered with a red blanket. On the walls hung -gaudy portraits of the Czar and various generals. The room was close and -smelt like a church, but it was clean. - -Yevsey remained at the door looking at his elderly master, who said: - -"Mark the arrangement of everything here. I want it always to be the -same as it is now." - -Against the wall stood a broad black sofa, a round table, and about the -table chairs also black. This corner had a mournful, sinister aspect. - -A tall, white-faced woman with eyes like a sheep's entered the room, and -asked in a low singing voice: - -"Shall I serve supper?" - -"Bring it in, Rayisa Petrovna." - -"A new boy?" - -"Yes, new. His name is Yevsey." - -The woman walked out. - -"Close the door," ordered the old man. Yevsey obeyed, and he continued -in a lower voice. "She is the landlady. I rent the rooms from her with -dinner and supper. You understand?" - -"I understand." - -"But you have one master--me. You understand?" - -"Yes." - -"That is to say, you must listen only to me. Open the door, and go into -the kitchen and wash yourself." - -The master's voice echoed drily in the boy's bosom, causing his alarmed -heart to palpitate. The old man, it seemed to Yevsey, was hiding -something dangerous behind his words, something of which he himself was -afraid. - -While washing in the kitchen he surreptitiously tried to look at the -mistress of the apartment. The woman was preparing the supper -noiselessly but briskly. As she arranged plates, knives, and bread on an -ample tray her large round face seemed kind. Her smoothly combed dark -hair; her unwinking eyes with thin lashes, and her broad nose made the -boy think, "She looks to be a gentle person." - -Noticing that she, in her turn, was looking at him, the thin red lips of -her small mouth tightly compressed, he grew confused, and spilt some -water on the floor. - -"Wipe it," she said without anger. "There's a cloth under the chair." - -When he returned, the old man looked at him and asked: - -"What did she tell you?" - -But Yevsey had no time to answer before the woman brought in the tray. - -"Well, I'll go," she said after setting it on the table. - -"Very well," replied the master. - -She raised her hand to smooth the hair over her temples--her fingers -were long--and left. - -The old man and the boy sat down to their supper. The master ate slowly, -noisily munching his food and at times sighing wearily. When they began -to eat the finely chopped roast meat, he said: - -"You see what good food? I always have only good food." - -After supper he told Yevsey to carry the dishes into the kitchen, and -showed him how to light the lamp. - -"Now, go to sleep. You will find a piece of padding in the wardrobe and -a pillow and a blanket. They belong to you. To-morrow I'll buy you new -clothes, good clothes. Go, now." - -When he was half asleep the master came in to Yevsey. - -"Are you comfortable?" - -Though the chest made a hard bed, Yevsey answered: - -"Yes." - -"If it is too hot, open the window." - -The boy at once opened the window, which looked out upon the roof of the -next house. He counted the chimneys. There were four, all alike. He -looked at the stars with the dim gaze of a timid animal in a cage. But -the stars said nothing to his heart. He flung himself on the chest -again, drew the blanket over his head, and closed his eyes tightly. He -began to feel stifled, thrust his head out, and without opening his eyes -listened. In his master's room something rustled monotonously, then -Yevsey heard a dry, distinct voice: - -"Behold, God is mine helper; the Lord is with them that uphold--" - - * * * * * - -Yevsey realized that the old man was reciting the Psalter; and listening -attentively to the familiar words of King David, which, however, he did -not comprehend, the boy fell asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - -Yevsey's life passed smoothly and evenly. - -He wanted to please his master, even realized this would be of advantage -to him, and he felt he would succeed, though he behaved with watchful -circumspection and no warmth in his heart for the old man. The fear of -people engendered in him a desire to suit them, a readiness for all -kinds of services, in order to defend himself against the possibility of -attack. The constant expectation of danger developed a keen power of -observation, which still more deepened his mistrust. - -He observed the strange life in the house without understanding it. From -basement to roof people lived close packed, and every day, from morning -until night, they crawled about in the tenement like crabs in a basket. -Here they worked more than in the village, and, it seemed, were imbued -with even keener bitterness. They lived restlessly, noisily, and -hurriedly, as if to get through all the work as soon as possible in -preparation of a holiday, which they wanted to meet as free people, -washed, clean, peaceful, and tranquilly joyous. The heart of the boy -sank within him, and the question constantly recurred: - -"Will it pass away?" - -But the holiday never came. The people spurred one another on, wrangled, -and sometimes fought. Scarcely a day passed on which they did not speak -ill of one another. - -In the mornings the master went down to the shop, while Yevsey remained -in the apartment to put it in order. This accomplished, he washed -himself, went to the tavern for boiling water, and then returned to the -shop, where he drank the morning tea with his master. While breakfasting -the old man almost invariably asked him: - -"Well, what now?" - -"Nothing." - -"Nothing is little." - -Once, however, Yevsey had a different answer. - -"To-day the watchmaker told the furrier's cook that you received stolen -articles." - -Yevsey said this unexpectedly to himself, and was instantly seized with -a tremble of fear. He bowed his head. The old man laughed quietly, and -said in a drawling voice without sincerity: - -"The scoundrel!" His dark, dry lips quivered. "Thank you for telling me. -Thank you! You see how the people don't love me." - -From that time Yevsey began to pay close attention to the conversation -of the tenants, and promptly repeated everything he heard to his master, -speaking in a quiet, calm voice and looking straight into his face. -Several days later, while putting his master's room into order, he found -a crumpled paper ruble on the floor, and when at tea the old man asked -him, "Well, what now?" Yevsey replied, "Here I have found a ruble." - -"You found a ruble, did you? I found a gold piece," said the master -laughing. - -Another time Yevsey picked up a twenty-kopek piece in the entrance to -the shop, which he also gave to the master. The old man slid his glasses -to the end of his nose, and rubbing the coin with his fingers looked -into the boy's face for a few seconds without speaking. - -"According to the law," he said thoughtfully, "a third of what you find, -six kopeks, belongs to you." He was silent, sighed, and stuck the coin -into his vest pocket. "But anyway you're a stupid boy." Yevsey did not -get the six kopeks. - -Quiet, unnoticed, and when noticed, obliging, Yevsey Klimkov scarcely -ever drew the attention of the people to himself, though he stubbornly -followed them with the broad, empty gaze of his owl-like eyes, with the -look that did not abide in the memory of those who met it. - -From the first days the reticent quiet Rayisa Petrovna interested him -strongly. Every evening she put on a dark, rustling dress and a black -hat, and sallied forth. In the morning when he put the rooms in order -she was still asleep. He saw her only in the evening before supper, and -that not every day. Her life seemed mysterious to him, and her entire -taciturn being, her white face and stationary eyes, roused in him vague -suggestions of something peculiar. He persuaded himself that she lived -better and knew more than everybody else. A kindly feeling which he did -not understand sprang up in his heart for this woman. Every day she -appeared to him more and more beautiful. - -Once he awoke at daybreak, and walked into the kitchen for a drink. -Suddenly he heard someone entering the door of the vestibule. He rushed -to his room in fright, lay down, and covered himself with the blanket, -trying to press himself to the chest as closely as possible. In a few -minutes he stuck out his ear, and in the kitchen heard heavy steps, the -rustle of a dress, and the voice of Rayisa Petrovna. - -"Oh, oh, you--" she was saying. - -Yevsey rose, walked to the door on tiptoe, and looked into the kitchen. -The quiet woman was sitting at the window taking off her hat. Her face -seemed whiter than ever, and tears streamed from her eyes. Her large -body swayed, her hands moved slowly. - -"I know you!" she said, shaking her head. She rose to her feet, -supporting herself on the window-sill. - -The bed in the master's room creaked. Yevsey quickly jumped back on his -chest, lay down, and wrapped himself up. - -"They've done something bad to her," he thought, full of keen pity. At -the same time, however, he was inwardly glad of her tears. They brought -this woman, who lived a secret nocturnal existence, nearer to him. - -The next moment someone seemed to be passing by him with sly steps. He -raised his head, and suddenly jumped from the chest, as if burned by the -thin angry shout: - -"Ugh! Go away!" - -Then there was some hissing. The master in his nightgown hastily came -out of the kitchen, stopped, and said to Yevsey in a whistling voice: - -"Sleep! Sleep! What's the matter? Sleep!" - -The next morning in the shop the old man asked him: - -"Were you frightened last night?" - -"Yes." - -"She was in her cups. It happens to her sometimes." - -Though the question trembled on his lips, Yevsey did not dare to ask -what her occupation was. Some minutes later the old man asked: - -"Do you like her?" - -"I do." - -"Well," said the master sternly, "even if you do, you ought to know that -she's an extremely shrewd woman. She is silent, but bad. She's a sinner. -Yes, that's what she is. Do you know what she does? She's a musician. -She plays the piano." The old man accurately described a piano, and -added didactically, "A person who plays the piano is called a pianist. -And do you know what a house of ill fame is?" - -From the talk of the furriers and glaziers in the yard Yevsey already -knew something about disreputable resorts; but desiring to learn more he -answered: - -"I don't know." - -The old man gave him a lengthy explanation in words very intelligible to -Yevsey. He spoke with heat, occasionally spitting and wrinkling up his -face to express his disgust of the abomination. Yevsey regarded the old -man with his watery eyes, and for some reason did not believe in his -aversion. - -"So you see, every evening she plays in a house like that, and depraved -women dance with drunken men to the accompaniment of her music. The men -are all crooks, some of them, maybe, even murderers." Raspopov sighed in -exhaustion, and wiped his perspiring face. "Don't trust her. You -understand? I tell you, she's a cunning woman, and she's mean." - -The boy believed everything the master told him about the piano and the -house of ill fame, but failed to be impressed by a single word regarding -the woman. In fact, everything the old man said of her merely increased -the cautious, ever-watchful feeling of mistrust with which Yevsey -treated his master, and by coloring Rayisa Petrovna with a still deeper -tinge of the unusual, made her seem even more beautiful in his eyes. - -Another object of Yevsey's curiosity besides Rayisa was Anatol, -apprentice to the glazier, Kuzin, a thin, flat-nosed boy with ragged -hair, dirty, always jolly, and always steeped in the odor of oil. He had -a high ringing voice, which Yevsey liked very much to hear when he -shouted: - -"Wi-i-ndow pa-anes." - -He spoke to Yevsey first. Yevsey was sweeping the stairway when he -suddenly heard from below the loud question: - -"Say there, kid, what government are you from?" - -"From this government," answered Yevsey. - -"I am from the government of Kostrom. How old are you?" - -"Thirteen." - -"I am, too. Come along with me." - -"Where to?" - -"To the river to go in bathing." - -"I have to stay in the shop." - -"To-day is Sunday." - -"That doesn't make any difference." - -"Well, go to the devil." - -The glazier boy disappeared. Yevsey was not offended by his oath. - -Anatol was off the whole day carrying a box of glass about the city, and -usually returned home just as the shop was being closed. Then almost the -entire evening his indefatigable voice, his laughter, whistling, and -singing would rise from the yard. Everybody scolded him, yet all loved -to meddle with him and laugh at his pranks. Yevsey was surprised at the -boldness with which the ragged, snub-nosed boy behaved toward the -grown-up folk, and he experienced a sense of envy when he saw the -gold-embroidery girl run about the yard in chase of the jolly, insolent -fellow. He was powerfully drawn to the glazier boy, for whom he found a -place in his vague fancies of a clean and quiet life. - -Once, after supper, Yevsey asked the master: - -"May I go down in the yard?" - -The old man consented reluctantly. - -"Go, but don't stay long. Be sure not to stay long." - -Another time when Yevsey put the same request the master added: - -"No good will come of your being in the yard." - -Yevsey ran down the stairway quickly, and seated himself in the shade to -observe Anatol. The yard was small and hemmed in on all sides by the -high houses. The tenants, workingmen and women, and servants, sat -resting on the rubbish heaps against the walls. In the center of the -ring Anatol was giving a performance. - -"The furrier Zvorykin going to church!" he shouted. - -To his astonishment Yevsey saw the little stout furrier with hanging -lower lip and eyes painfully screwed up. Thrusting out his abdomen and -leaning his head to one side, Anatol struggled toward the gate in short -steps, reluctance depicted in his walk. The people sitting around -laughed and shouted approval. - -"Zvorykin returning from the saloon!" - -Now Anatol swayed through the yard, his feet dragging along feebly, his -arms hanging limp, a dull look in his wide-open eyes, his mouth gaping -hideously yet comically. He stopped, tapped himself on the chest, and -said in a wheezy pitiful voice: - -"God--how satisfied I am with everything and everybody! Lord, how good -and pleasant everything is to Thy servant, Yakov Ivanich. But the -glazier Kuzin is a blackguard--a scamp before God, a jackass before all -the people--that's true, God--" - -The audience roared, but Yevsey did not laugh. He was oppressed by a -twofold feeling of astonishment and envy. The desire to see this boy -frightened and wronged mingled with the expectation of new pranks. He -felt vexed and unpleasant because the glazier boy did not show up men -who inflicted hurt, but merely funny men. Yevsey sat there with mouth -agape and a stupid expression on his face, his owlish eyes staring. - -"Here goes glazier Kuzin!" - -Before Yevsey appeared the gaunt red muzhik always half drunk, the -sleeves of his dirty shirt tucked up, his right hand thrust in the -breast of his apron, his left hand deliberately stroking his -beard--Kuzin had a reddish forked beard. He was frowning and surly and -moved slowly, like a heavy cart-load. Looking sidewise he screeched in a -cracked, hoarse voice: - -"You are carrying on again, you heretic? Am I to listen to this nonsense -for long? You blasted, confounded--" - -"Skinflint Raspopov!" announced Anatol. - -The smooth, sharp little figure of Yevsey's master crept past him moving -his feet noiselessly. He worked his nose as if smelling something, -nodded his head quickly, and kept tugging at the tuft on his chin with -his little hand. In this characterization something loathsome, pitiful, -and laughable became quite apparent to Yevsey, whose vexation rose. He -felt sure his master was not such as the young glazier represented him -to be. - -Next, Anatol took to mimicking members of the audience. Inexhaustible, -stimulated by the applause, he tinkled until late at night like a little -bell, evoking kindly, cheerful laughter. Sometimes the man who was -touched would rush to catch him, and a noisy chase about the yard would -ensue. - -Yevsey sighed. Anatol noticed him, and pulled him by the hand into the -middle of the yard, where he introduced him to the audience. - -"Here he is--sugar and soap. Skinflint Raspopov's cousin morel." - -Turning the boy's little figure in all directions, he poured forth a -flowing stream of strange comic words about his master, about Rayisa -Petrovna, and about Yevsey himself. - -"Let me go!" Yevsey quietly demanded, trying to tear his hand from -Anatol's strong grip, in the meantime listening attentively in the -endeavor to understand the hints, the filth of which he felt. Whenever -Yevsey struggled hard to tear himself away, the audience, usually the -women, said lazily to Anatol: - -"Let him go." - -For some reason their intercession was disagreeable to Yevsey. It -exasperated Anatol, too, who began to push and pinch his victim and -challenge him to a fight. Some of the men urged the boys on. - -"Well--fight! See which will do the other up." - -The women objected: - -"A fight! Thanks, we're not interested. Don't." - -Yevsey again felt something unpleasant in these words. - -Finally Anatol scornfully pushed Yevsey aside. - -"Oh, you kid!" - -The next morning Yevsey met Anatol outside the house carrying his box of -glass, and suddenly, without desiring to do it, he said to him: - -"Why do you make fun of me?" - -The glazier boy looked at him. - -"What of it?" - -Yevsey was unable to reply. - -"Do you want to fight?" asked Anatol again. "Come to our shed. I will -wait for you until evening." - -He spoke calmly and in a business-like way. - -"No, I don't want to fight," replied Yevsey quietly. - -"Then you needn't! I'd lick you anyway," said the glazier, and added -with assurance, "I certainly would." - -Yevsey sighed. He could not understand this boy, but he longed to -understand him. So he asked a second time: - -"I say, why do you make fun of me?" - -Anatol apparently felt awkward. He winked his lively eyes, smiled, and -suddenly shouted in anger: - -"Go to the devil! What are you bothering me about? I'll give it to you -so--" - -Yevsey quickly ran into the shop, and for a whole day felt the itching -of an undeserved insult. This did not put an end to his inclination for -Anatol, but it forced him to leave the yard whenever Anatol noticed him, -and he dismissed the glazier boy from the sphere of his dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - -Soon after this unsuccessful attempt to draw near to a human being -Yevsey was one evening awakened by talking in his master's room. He -listened and thought he distinguished Rayisa's voice. Desiring to -convince himself of her presence there he rose and quietly slipped over -to the tightly closed door, and put his eyes to the keyhole. - -His sleepy glance first perceived the light of the candle, which blinded -him. Then he saw the large rotund body of the woman on the black sofa. -She lay face upward entirely naked. Her hair was spread over her breast, -and her long fingers slowly weaved it into a braid. The light quivered -on her fair body. Clean and bright, it seemed like a light cloud which -rocked and breathed. It was very beautiful. She was saying something. -Yevsey could not catch the words, but heard only the singing, tired, -plaintive voice. The master was sitting in his nightgown upon a chair by -the sofa, and was pouring wine into a glass with a trembling hand. The -tuft of grey hair on his chin also trembled. He had removed his glasses, -and his face was loathsome. - -"Yes, yes, yes! Hm! What a woman you are!" - -Yevsey moved away from the door, lay down on his bed, and thought: - -"They have gotten married." - -He pitied Rayisa Petrovna for having become the wife of a man who spoke -ill of her, and he pitied her because it must have been very cold for -her to lie naked on the leather sofa. An evil thought flashed through -his mind, which confirmed the words of the old man about her, but Yevsey -anxiously drove it away. - -The evening of the next day Rayisa Petrovna brought in supper as always, -and said in her usual voice: - -"I am going." - -The master, too, spoke to her in his usual voice, dry and careless. - -Several days passed by. The relation between the master and Rayisa did -not change, and Yevsey began to think he had seen the naked woman in a -dream. He was very reluctant to believe his master's words about her. - -Once his Uncle Piotr appeared unexpectedly and, so it seemed to Yevsey, -needlessly. He had grown grey, wrinkled, and shorter. - -"I am getting blind, Orphan," he said sipping tea from a saucer noisily -and smiling with his wet eyes. "I cannot work anymore, so I will have to -go begging. Yashka is unmanageable. He wants to go to the city, and if I -don't let him, he will run away. That's the kind of a chap he is." - -Everything the blacksmith said was wearisome and difficult to listen to. -He seemed to have grown duller. He looked guilty, and Yevsey felt -awkward and ashamed for him in the presence of his master. When he got -ready to go, Yevsey quietly thrust three rubles into his hand, and saw -him out with pleasure. - -Though Yevsey endeavored as before to please his master in every way, he -became afraid to agree with him. The bookshop after a time aroused a dim -suspicion by its resemblance to a tomb tightly packed with dead books. -They were all loose, chewed up, and sucked out, and emanated a mouldy, -putrid odor. Few were sold; which did not surprise Yevsey. What stirred -his curiosity was the attitude of the master to the purchasers and the -books. - -The old man would take a book in his hand, carefully turn over its musty -pages, stroke the covers with his dark fingers, smile quietly, and nod -his head. He seemed to fondle the book as though it were alive, to play -with it as with a kitten or a puppy. While reading a book he carried on -with it a quiet, querulous conversation, like Uncle Piotr with the -furnace-fire. His lips moved in good-humored derision, his head kept -nodding, and now and then he mumbled and laughed. - -"So, so--yes--hmm--see--what's that? Ha, ha! Ah, the impudence--I -understand, I understand--it'll never come about--no-o-o--ha, ha!" - -These strange exclamations coming from the old man as if he were -disputing with somebody both astonished and frightened Yevsey, and -pointed to the secret duplicity in his master's life. - -"You don't read books," said the master to him once. "That's good. Books -are always lechery, the child of a prostituted mind. They deal with -everything, they excite the imagination, and create useless agitation -and disturbance. Formerly we used to have good historical books, stories -of quiet people about the past. But now every book wants to inspire you -with hostility to life and to lay bare man, who ought always to be -covered up both in the flesh and in the spirit in order to defend him -from the devil, from curiosity, and from the imagination, which destroys -faith. It's only in old age that books do no harm to a man, when he is -guarded against their violence by his experience." - -Though Yevsey did not understand these talks he remembered them well, -and though they met with no response in him, they confirmed his sense of -mystery--the mystery that invested all human life, as it were, in a -hostile envelope. - -When he sold a book, the old man regarded it with regret, and fairly -smelled the purchaser, with whom he talked in an extremely loud and -rapid voice. Sometimes, however, he lowered his voice to a whisper, when -his dark glasses would fix themselves upon the face of the customer. -Often on seeing to the door a student who had bought a book, he followed -him with a smile, and nodded his head queerly. Once he shook his finger -at the back of a man who had just left, a short, handsome fellow with -fine black tendrils on a pale face. The largest number of customers were -students and people having a certain resemblance to them. Sometimes old -men came. These rummaged long among the books, and haggled sharply over -the prices. - -An almost daily visitor was a man who wore a chimney-pot and on his -right hand a large gold ring set with a stone. He had a broad pimply -nose on a stout flat shaven face. When Dorimedont Lukin played chess -with the master, he snuffled loud and tugged at his ear with his left -hand. He often brought books and paper parcels, over which the master -nodded his head approvingly and smiled quietly. He would then hide them -in the table, or in a corner on a shelf in back of him. Yevsey did not -see his master pay for these books, but he did see him sell them. - -One of the students began to visit the shop more frequently than the -others. He was a tall, blue-eyed young man with a carrot-colored -mustache and a cap stuck back on his neck, leaving bare a large white -forehead. He spoke in a thick voice, laughed aloud, and always bought -many old journals. - -Once the master pointed out a book to him that Dorimedont had brought; -and while the student glanced through it, the old man told him something -in a quick whisper. - -"Interesting!" exclaimed the student, smiling amiably. "Ah, you old -sinner, aren't you afraid, eh?" - -The master sighed and answered: - -"If you absolutely feel it's the truth, you ought to help it along in -whatever little ways you can." - -They whispered a long time. Finally the student said aloud: - -"Well, then, agreed! Remember my address." - -The old man took the address down on a piece of paper, and when -Dorimedont came and asked, "Well, what's new, Matvey Matveyevich?" the -master handed him the address, and said with a smile: - -"There's the new thing." - -"S-so--Nikodim Arkhangelsky," read Dorimedont. "That's business. We'll -look up this Nikodim." - -Sometime after, upon sitting down to play chess, he announced to the -master: - -"That Nikodim turned out to be a fish with plenty of roe. We found -something of pretty nearly everything in his place." - -"Return the books to me," said the master. - -"Certainly," and Dorimedont snuffled. - -The blue-eyed student never appeared again. The short young man with the -black mustache also vanished after the master had given Dorimedont his -address. All this was strange. It fed the boy's suspicions, and -indicated some mystery and enigma. - -Once, when the master was absent from the shop, Yevsey, while dusting -the shelves, saw the books brought by Dorimedont. They were small, -soiled, and ragged. He carefully and quickly put them back in the same -order, scenting something dangerous in them. Books in general did not -arouse his interest. He tried to read, but never succeeded in -concentrating his mind, which, already burdened by a mass of -observation, dwelt upon minutiæ. His thoughts drifted apart, and finally -disappeared evaporating like a thin stream of water upon a stone on a -hot day. When he worked and stirred about he was altogether incapable of -thinking; the motion, as it were, tore the cobweb of his ideas. The boy -did his work slowly and accurately, like an automaton, without putting -anything of himself into it, and scarcely understanding its meaning. - -When he was free and sat motionless he was carried away by a pleasant -sensation of flight in a transparent mist, which enveloped the whole of -life and softened everything, changing the boisterous reality into a -quiet, sweetly sounding half-slumber. - -When Yevsey was in this mood the days passed rapidly, in a flight not to -be stayed. His external life was monotonous. Thought-stirring events -happened rarely, and his brain insensibly became clogged with the dust -of the work-day. He seldom went about in the city, for he did not like -it. The ceaseless motion tired his eyes, the noise filled his head with -heavy, dulling confusion. The endless city at first seemed like a -monster in a fairy-tale, displaying a hundred greedy mouths, bellowing -with hundreds of insatiable throats. But when Yevsey regarded the varied -tumult of the street life he saw in it merely painful and wearisome -monotony. - -In the morning when he tidied his master's room, Yevsey put his head out -of the window for several minutes, and looked down to the bottom of the -deep, narrow street. Everywhere he saw the same people, and already knew -what each of them would be doing in an hour or the next day. The cabmen -drove in the same indolent fashion, and sat on the box each like the -other; the shop boys, all of whom he knew, were unpleasant. Their -insolence was a source of danger. Every man seemed chained to his -business like a dog to his kennel. Occasionally something new flashed -by, or whispered to him, but it was difficult for him to see and -understand it in the thick mass of all that was familiar, ordinary, and -unpleasant. - -Even the churches in the city did not please him. They were not cosy, -nor bright, but close and penetrated by extremely powerful odors of -incense, oil, and sweat. Yevsey could not bear strong smells. They made -his head turn, and filled him with confused anxious desires. - -Sometimes on a holiday the master closed the shop, and took Yevsey -through the city. They walked long and slowly. The old man pointed out -the houses of the rich and eminent people, and told of their lives. His -recitals were replete with accounts of women who ran away from their -husbands, of dead people, and of funerals. He talked about them in a dry -solemn voice, criticizing and condemning everything. He grew animated -only when telling how and from what this or that man died. In his -opinion, apparently, matters of disease and death were the most edifying -and interesting of earthly subjects. - -At the end of every walk he treated Yevsey to tea in a tavern, where -musical machines played. Here everybody knew the old man, and behaved -toward him with timid respect. Yevsey grown tired, his brain dizzied by -the cloud of heavy odors, would fall into drowsy silence under the -rattle and din of the music. - -Once, however, the master took him to a house which contained numerous -articles of gold and silver, marvellous weapons, and garments of silk -brocade. Suddenly the mother's forgotten tales began to beat in the -boy's breast, and a winged hope trembled in his heart. He walked -silently through the rooms for a long time, disconcertedly blinking his -eyes, which burned greedily. - -When they returned home he asked the master: - -"Whose are they?" - -"They are public property--the Czar's," the old man explained -impressively. - -The boy put more questions. - -"Who wore such coats and sabres?" - -"Czars, boyars, and various imperial persons." - -"There are no such people to-day?" - -"How so? Of course there are. It would be impossible to be without them. -Only now they dress differently." - -"Why differently?" - -"More cheaply. Formerly Russia was richer. But now it has been robbed by -various foreign people, Jews, Poles, and Germans." - -Raspopov talked for a long time about how nobody loved Russia, how all -robbed it, and wished it every kind of harm. When he spoke much Yevsey -ceased to believe him or understand him. Nevertheless he asked: - -"Am I an imperial person, too?" - -"In a sense. In our country all are imperial people, all are subjects of -the Czar. The whole earth is God's, and the whole of Russia is the -Czar's." - -Before Yevsey's eyes handsome, stately personages in glittering garb -circled in a bright, many-colored round dance. They belonged to another -fabulous life, which remained with him after he had lain down to sleep. -He saw himself in this life clad in a sky-blue robe embroidered with -gold, with red boots of Morocco leather on his feet. Rayisa was there, -too, in brocade and adorned with precious gems. - -"So it will pass away," he thought. - -To-day this thought gave rise not to hope in a different future but to -quiet regret for the past. - -On the other side of the door he heard the dry even voice of his master: - -"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain--" - - - - - CHAPTER V - - -One day after closing the shop Yevsey and his master went to the yard -where they were met by an anxious ringing shout. It came from Anatol. - -"I won't do it again, dear uncle, never!" - -Yevsey started, and instinctively exclaimed in quiet triumph: - -"Aha!" - -It was pleasant to hear the shouts of fear and pain coming from the -breast of the cheerful boy, who was everybody's favorite. - -"May I stay here in the yard?" Yevsey asked the master. - -"We must get our supper. But I'll stay here, too, and see how they -punish a rascally good-for-nothing." - -The people had gathered at the door of the brick shed behind the -stairway. The sound of heavy blows and the wailing voice of Anatol -issued from the shed. - -"Little uncle, I didn't do it. Oh, God! I won't do it, I won't! Stop, -for Christ's sake!" - -"That's right! Give it to him!" said watchmaker Yakubov, lighting a -cigarette. - -The squint-eyed embroiderer Zina upheld the tall, yellow-faced -watchmaker. - -"Perhaps we shall have peace after this. You couldn't have a single -quiet moment in the yard." - -Raspopov turned to Yevsey, and said: - -"They say he's a wonder at imitating people." - -"Of course," rejoined the furrier's cook. "Such a little devil! He makes -sport of everybody." - -A dull scraping sound came from the shed, as if a sack filled with -something soft were being dragged over the old boards of the floor. At -the same time the people heard the panting, hoarse voice of Kuzin and -Anatol's cries, which now grew feebler and less frequent. - -"Forgive me! Oh! Help me--I won't do it again--Oh, God!" - -His words became indistinct and flowed together into a thick choking -groan. Yevsey trembled, remembering the pain of the beatings he used to -receive. The talk of the onlookers stirred a confused feeling in him. It -was fearful to stand among people who only the day before had willingly -and gaily taken delight in the lively little fellow, and who now looked -on with pleasure while he was being beaten. At this moment these -half-sick people, surly and worn out with work, seemed more -comprehensible to him. He believed that now none of them shammed, but -were sincere in the curiosity with which they witnessed the torture of a -human being. He felt a little sorry for Anatol, yet it was pleasant to -hear his groans. The thought passed through his mind that now he would -become quieter and more companionable. - -Suddenly Nikolay the furrier appeared, a short black curly-headed man -with long arms. As always daring and respecting nobody, he thrust the -people aside, walked into the shed, and from there his coarse voice was -heard crying out twice: - -"Stop! Get away!" - -Everybody suddenly moved back from the door. Kuzin bolted out of the -shed, seated himself on the ground, clutched his head with both hands, -and opening his eyes wide, bawled hoarsely: - -"Police!" - -"Let's get away from evil, Yevsey," said the master withdrawing to one -side. - -The boy retreated to a corner by the stairway, and stood there looking -on. - -Nikolay came out of the shed with the little trampled body of the -glazier's boy hanging limply over his arm. The furrier laid him on the -ground then he straightened himself and shouted: - -"Water, women, you rotten carrion!" - -Zina and the cook ran off for water. - -Kuzin lolling his head back snorted dully. - -"Murder! Police!" - -Nikolay turned to him, and gave him a kick on the breast which laid him -flat on his back. - -"You dirty dogs!" he shouted, the whites of his black eyes flashing. -"You dirty dogs! A child is being killed, and it's a show to you! I'll -smash every one of your ugly mugs!" - -Oaths from all sides answered him, but nobody dared to approach him. - -"Let's go," said the master, taking Yevsey by the hand. - -As they walked away they saw Kuzin run noiselessly in a stooping -position to the gates. - -"To call the police," the master explained to Yevsey. - -When Yevsey was alone he felt that his jealousy of Anatol had left him. -He strained his slow mind to explain to himself what he had seen. It -merely _seemed_ that the people liked Anatol, who amused them. In -reality it was not so. All people enjoyed fighting, enjoyed looking on -while others fought, enjoyed being cruel. Nikolay had interceded for -Anatol because he liked to beat Kuzin, and actually did beat him on -almost every holiday. Very bold and strong he could lick any man in the -house. In his turn he was beaten by the police. So to sum up, whether -you are quiet or daring, you'll be beaten and insulted all the same. - -Several days passed. The tenants talking in the yard, said that the -glazier boy, who had been taken to the hospital, had gone insane. Then -Yevsey remembered how the boy's eyes had burned when he gave his -performances, how vehement his gestures and motions had been, and how -quickly the expression of his face had changed. He thought with dread -that perhaps Anatol had always been insane. He soon forgot the glazier -boy. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - -In the rainy nights of autumn short broken sounds came from the roof -under Yevsey's window. They disquieted him and prevented him from -sleeping. On one such night he heard the angry exclamations of his -master: - -"You vile woman!" - -Rayisa Petrovna answered as always in a low singing voice: - -"I cannot permit you, Matvey Matveyevich." - -"You low creature! Look at the money I am paying you!" - -The door to the master's room was open, and the voices came in clearly -to Yevsey. The fine rain sang a tearful song outside the window. The -wind crept over the roof, panting like a large homeless bird fatigued by -the bad weather and softly flapping its wet wings against the panes. The -boy sat up in bed, put his hands around his knees, and listened -shivering. - -"Give me back the twenty-five rubles, you thief!" - -"I do not deny it. Dorimedont Lukin gave me the money." - -"Aha! You see, you hussy!" - -"No, permit me--when you asked me to spy on the man--" - -"Hush! What are you screaming for?" - -Now the door was closed, but even through the wall Yevsey could hear -almost everything that was said. - -"Remember, you vile woman, you, that you are in my hands," said the -master, rapping his fingers on the table. "And if I notice that you've -struck up relations with Dorimedont--" - -The woman's voice was warm and flexible like the supple movements of a -kitten, and it stole in softly, coiled around the old man's malicious -words, wiping them from Yevsey's memory. - -The woman must be right. Her composure and the master's entire relation -to her convinced the boy that she was. Yevsey was now in his fifteenth -year, and his inclination for this gentle and beautiful woman began to -be marked by a pleasant sense of agitation. Since he met Rayisa very -rarely and for only a minute at a time, he always looked into her face -with a secret feeling of bashful joy. Her kindly way of speaking to him -caused a grateful tumult in his breast, and drew him to her more and -more powerfully. - -While still in the village he had learned the hard truth of the relation -between man and woman. The city bespattered this truth with mud, but it -did not sully the boy himself. His being a timid nature, he did not dare -to believe what was said about women, and such talk instead of exciting -any feeling of temptation aroused painful aversion. Now, as he was -sitting up in bed, Yevsey remembered Rayisa's amiable smile, her kind -words; and carried away by the thought of them he had no time to lie -down before the door to the master's room opened, and she stood before -him, half dressed, with loose hair, her hand pressed to her breast. He -grew frightened and faint. The woman wanted to open the door again to -the old man's room and had already put out her hand, but suddenly -smiling she withdrew it and shook a threatening finger at Yevsey. Then -she walked into her room. Yevsey fell asleep with a smile. - -In the morning as he was sweeping the kitchen floor he saw Rayisa at the -door of her room. He straightened himself up before her with the broom -in his hands. - -"Good morning," she said. "Will you take coffee with me?" - -Rejoiced and embarrassed, the boy replied: - -"I haven't washed yet. One minute." - -In a few minutes he was sitting at the table in her room, seeing nothing -but the fair face with the dark brows, and the good, moist eyes with the -smile in them. - -"Do you like me?" she asked. - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"You are good and beautiful." - -He answered as in a dream. It was strange to hear her questions. Her -eyes fixed upon him vanquished him. They must know everything that went -on in his soul. - -"And do you like Matvey Matveyevich?" Rayisa asked in a slow undertone. - -"No," Yevsey answered simply. - -"Is that so? He loves you. He told me so himself." - -"No," rejoined the boy. - -Rayisa raised her brows, moved a little nearer to him, and asked: - -"Don't you believe me?" - -"I believe you, but I don't believe my master, not a bit." - -"Why? Why?" she asked in a quick whisper, moving still nearer to him. -The warm gleam of her look penetrated the boy's heart, and stirred -within him little thoughts never yet expressed to anybody. He quickly -uttered them to this woman. - -"I am afraid of him. I am afraid of everybody except you." - -"Why are you afraid?" - -"You know." - -"What do I know?" - -"You, too, are wronged, not by one master. I saw you cry. You were not -crying then because you had been drinking. I understand. I understand -much. Only I do not understand everything together. I see everything -separately in its tiniest details, but side by side with them something -different, not even resembling them. I understand this, too. But what is -it all for? One thing is at variance with the other, and they do not go -together. There is one kind of life and another besides." - -"What are you talking about?" Rayisa asked in amazement. - -"That's true." - -For several moments they looked at each other in silence. The boy's -heart beat quickly. His cheeks grew red with embarrassment. - -"Well, now, go," said Rayisa quietly arising. "Go, or else he will ask -you why you stayed away so long. Don't tell him you were with me. You -won't, will you?" - -Yevsey walked away filled with the tender sound of the singing voice, -and warmed by the sympathetic look. The woman's words rang in his memory -enveloping his heart in quiet joy. - -That day was strangely long. Over the roofs of the houses and the Circle -hung a grey cloud. The day, weary and dull, seemed to have become -entangled in its grey mass, and, like the cloud, to have halted over the -city. After dinner two customers entered the shop, one a stooping lean -man with a pretty, grizzled mustache, the other a man with a red beard -and spectacles. Both pottered about among the books long and minutely. -The lean man kept whistling softly through his quivering mustache, while -the red-bearded man spoke with the master. - -Yevsey knew beforehand just what the master would say and how he would -say it. The boy was bored. He was impatient for the evening to come, and -he tried to relieve the tedium by listening to the words of the old man -Raspopov, and verifying his conjectures while he arranged in a row the -books the customers had selected. - -"You are buying these books for a library?" the old man inquired -affably. - -"For the library of the Teachers' Association," replied the red-bearded -man. "Why?" - -"Now he'll praise them up," thought Yevsey, and he was not mistaken. - -"You show extremely good judgment in your choice. It is pleasant to see -a correct estimate of books." - -"Pleasant?" - -"Now he'll smile," thought Yevsey. - -"Yes, indeed," said the old man, smiling graciously. "You get used to -these books, so that you get to love them. You see they aren't dead -wood, but products of the mind. So when a customer also respects books, -it is pleasant. Our average customer is a comical fellow. He comes and -asks, 'Have you any interesting books?' It's all the same to him. He -seeks amusement, play, but no benefit. But occasionally someone will -suddenly ask for a prohibited book." - -"How's that? Prohibited?" asked the man screwing up his small eyes. - -"Prohibited from libraries--published abroad, or secretly in Russia." - -"Are such books for sale?" - -"Now he will speak real low." Again Yevsey was not mistaken. - -Fixing his glasses upon the face of the red-bearded man, the master -lowered his voice almost to a whisper. - -"Why not? Sometimes you buy a whole library, and you come across -everything there, everything." - -"Have you such books now?" - -"Several." - -"Let me see them, please." - -"Only I must ask you not to say anything about them. You see it's not -for the sake of profit, but as a courtesy. One likes to do favors now -and then." - -The stooping man stopped whistling, adjusted his spectacles, and looked -attentively at the old man. - -To-day the master was utterly loathsome to Yevsey, who kept looking at -him with cold, gloomy malice. And now when Raspopov went over to the -corner of the shop to show the red-bearded man some books there, the boy -suddenly and quite involuntarily said in a whisper to the stooping -customer: - -"Don't buy those books." - -Yevsey trembled with fright the moment he had spoken. The man raised his -glasses, and peered into the boy's face with his bright eyes. - -"Why?" - -With a great effort Yevsey answered after a pause: - -"I don't know." - -The customer readjusted his glasses, moved away from him, and began to -whistle louder, looking sidewise at the old man. Then he raised his -hand, which made him straighter and taller, stroked his grey mustache, -and without haste walked up to his companion, from whom he took the -book. He looked it over, and dropped it on the table. Yevsey followed -his movements expecting some calamity to befall himself. But the -stooping man merely touched his companion's arm, and said simply and -calmly: - -"Well, let's go." - -"But the books?" exclaimed the other. - -"Let's go. I won't buy any books here." - -The red-bearded man looked at him, then at the master, his small eyes -winking rapidly. Then he walked to the door, and out into the street. - -"You don't want the books?" demanded Raspopov. - -Yevsey realized by his tone that the old man was surprised. - -"I don't," answered the customer, his eyes fixed upon the face of the -master. - -Raspopov shrank. He went to his chair, and suddenly said with a wave of -his hand in an unnaturally loud voice, which was new to Yevsey: - -"As you please, of course. Still--excuse me, I don't understand." - -"What don't you understand?" asked the stooping man, smiling. - -"You looked through the books for two hours or more, agreed on a price, -and suddenly--why?" cried the old man in excitement. - -"Well, because I recollected your disgusting face. You haven't given up -the ghost yet? What a pity!" - -The stooping man pronounced his words slowly, not loud, and precisely. -He left the shop deliberately, with a heavy tread. - -For a minute the old man looked after him, then tore himself from where -he was standing, and advanced upon Yevsey with short steps. - -"Follow him, find out where he lives," he said in a rapid whisper, -clutching the boy's shoulder. "Go! Don't let him see you! You -understand? Quick!" - -Yevsey swayed from side to side, and would have fallen, had the old man -not held him firmly on his feet. He felt a void in his breast, and his -master's words crackled there drily like peas in a rattle. - -"What are you trembling about, you donkey? I tell you--" - -When Yevsey felt his master's hand release his shoulder, he ran to the -door. - -"Stop, you fool!" Yevsey stood still. "Where are you going? Why, you -won't be able--oh, my God! Get out of my sight!" - -Yevsey darted into a corner. It was the first time he had seen his -master so violent. He realized that his annoyance was tinged with much -fear, a feeling very familiar to himself; and notwithstanding the fact -that his own soul was desolate with fear, it pleased him to see -Raspopov's alarm. - -The little dusty old man threw himself about in the shop like a rat in a -trap. He ran to the door, thrust his head into the street, stretched his -neck out, and again turned back into the shop. His hands groped over his -body impotently, and he mumbled and hissed, shaking his head till his -glasses jumped from his nose. - -"Umm, well, well--the dirty blackguard--the idea! The dirty blackguard! -I'm alive--alive!" Several minutes later he shouted to Yevsey. "Close -the shop!" - -On entering his room the old man crossed himself. He drew a deep breath, -and flung himself on the black sofa. Usually so sleek and smooth, he was -now all ruffled. His face had grown wrinkled, his clothes had suddenly -become too large for him, and hung in folds from his agitated body. - -"Tell Rayisa to give me some peppered brandy, a large glassful." When -Yevsey brought the brandy the master rose, drank it down in one gulp, -and opening his mouth wide looked a long time into Yevsey's face. - -"Do you understand that he insulted me?" - -"Yes." - -"And do you understand why?" - -"No." - -The old man raised his hand, and silently shook his finger. - -"I know him--I know a great deal," he said in a broken voice. - -Removing his black cap he rubbed his bare skull with his hands, looked -about the room, again touched his head with his hands, and lay down on -the sofa. - -Rayisa Petrovna brought in supper. - -"Are you tired?" she asked as she set the table. - -"It seems I am a little under the weather. Fever, I think. Give me -another glass of brandy. Sit down with us. It's too early for you to -go." - -He talked rapidly. Rayisa sat down, the old man raised his glasses, and -scanned her suspiciously from head to foot. At supper he suddenly lifted -his spoon and said: - -"Impossible for me to eat. I'll tell you about something that happened." -Bending over the plate he was silent for some time as if considering -whether or not to speak of the incident. Then he began with a sigh. -"Suppose a man has a wife, his own house, not a large house, a garden, -and a vegetable garden, a cook, all acquired by hard labor without -sparing himself. Then comes a young man, sickly, consumptive, who rents -a room in the garret, and takes meals with the master and mistress." - -Rayisa listened calmly and attentively. Yevsey felt bored. While looking -into the woman's face he stubbornly endeavored to comprehend what had -happened in the shop that day. He felt as if he had unexpectedly struck -a match and set fire to something old and long dried, which began to -burn alarmingly and almost consumed him in its sudden malicious blaze. - -"I must keep quiet," he thought. - -"Were you the man?" asked Rayisa. - -Raspopov quickly raised his head. - -"Why I?" he asked. He struck his breast, and exclaimed with angry heat, -"The question here is, not about the man but about the law. Ought a man -uphold the law? Yes, he ought. Without law it is impossible to live. You -people are stupid, because man is in every respect like a beast. He is -greedy, malicious, cruel." - -The old man rose a little from his armchair, and shouted his words in -Rayisa's face. His bald pate reddened. Yevsey listened to his -exclamations without believing in their sincerity. He reflected on how -people are bound together and enmeshed by some unseen threads, and how -if one thread is accidentally pulled, they twist and turn, rage and cry -out. So he said to himself: - -"I must be more careful." - -The old man continued: - -"Words bring no harm if you do not listen to them. But when the fellow -in the garret began to trouble her heart with his ideas, she, a stupid -young woman, and that friend of his who--who to-day--" The old man -suddenly came to a stop, and looked at Yevsey. "What are you thinking -about?" he asked in a low suspicious tone. - -Yevsey rose and answered in embarrassment: - -"I am not thinking." - -"Well, then, go. You've had your supper. So go. Clear the table." - -Desiring to vex his master Yevsey was intentionally slow in removing the -dishes from the table. - -"Go, I tell you!" the old man screamed in a squeaking voice. "Oh, what a -fool you are!" - -Yevsey went to his room, and seated himself on the chest. Having left -the door slightly ajar, he could hear his master's rapid talk. - -"They came for him one night. She got frightened, began to shiver, -understood then on what road these people had put her. I told her--" - -"So it was you?" Rayisa asked aloud. - -The old man now began to speak in a low voice, almost a whisper. Then -Yevsey heard Rayisa's clear voice: - -"Did he die?" - -"Well, what of it?" the old man shouted excitedly. "You can't cure a man -of consumption. He would have died at any rate." - -Yevsey sat upon the chest listening to the low rasping sound of his -talk. - -"What are you sitting there for?" - -The boy turned around, and saw the master's head thrust through the -door. - -"Lie down and sleep." - -The master withdrew his head, and the door was tightly closed. - -"Who died?" Yevsey thought as he lay in bed. - -The dry words of the old man came fluttering down and fluttering down, -like autumn leaves upon a grave. The boy felt more and more distinctly -that he lived in a circle of dread mystery. Sometimes the old man grew -angry, and shouted; which prevented the boy from thinking or sleeping. -He was sorry for Rayisa, who kept peacefully silent in answer to his -ejaculations. At last Yevsey heard her go to her own room. Perfect -stillness then prevailed in the master's room for several minutes, after -which Raspopov's voice sounded again, but now even as usual: - -"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor -standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit--" - -With these reassuring words ringing in his ears Yevsey fell asleep. - -The next morning Rayisa again called him to her. - -"What happened in the shop yesterday?" she asked with a smile when he -had seated himself. - -Yevsey told her everything in detail, and she laughed contentedly and -happily. She suddenly drew her brows together and asked in an undertone: - -"Do you understand who he is?" - -"No." - -"A spy," she whispered, her eyes growing wide with fright. - -Yevsey was silent. She rose and went to him. - -"What a tragic fellow you are!" she said thoughtfully and kindly, -stroking his head. "You don't understand anything. You're so droll. What -was the stuff you told me the other day? What other life?" - -The question animated him; he wanted very much to talk about it. Raising -his head and looking into her face with the fathomless stare of blind -eyes, he began to speak rapidly. - -"Of course there's another life. From where else do the fairy-tales -come? And not only the fairy-tales, but--" - -The woman smiled, and rumpled his hair with her warm fingers. - -"You little stupid! They'll seize you," she added seriously, even -sternly, "they'll lead you wherever they want to, and do with you -whatever they want to. That will be your life." - -Yevsey nodded his head, silently assenting to Rayisa's words. - -She sighed and looked through the window upon the street. When she -turned to Yevsey, her face surprised him. It was red, and her eyes had -become smaller and darker. - -"If you were smarter," she said in an indolent, hollow voice, "or more -alert, maybe I would tell you something. But you're such a queer chappie -there's no use telling you anything, and your master ought to be choked -to death. There, now, go tell him what I've said--you tell him -everything." - -Yevsey rose from the table, feeling as if a cold stream of insult had -been poured over him. He inclined his head and mumbled: - -"I'll never tell anything about you--to nobody. I love you very much, -and--even if you choked him, I wouldn't tell anybody. That's how I love -you." - -He shuffled to the door, but the woman's hands caught him like warm -white wings, and turned him back. - -"Did I insult you?" he heard. "Well, excuse me. If you knew what a devil -he is, how he tortures me, and how I hate him. Dear me!" She pressed his -face tightly to her breast, and kissed him twice. "So you love me?" - -"Yes," whispered Yevsey, feeling himself turning around lightly in a hot -whirlpool of unknown bliss. - -"How?" - -"I don't know. I love you very much." - -Laughing and fondling him, she said: - -"You'll tell me about it. Ah, you little baby!" - -Going down the stairs he heard her satisfied laugh, and smiled in -response. His head turned, his entire body was suffused with sweet -lassitude. He walked quietly and cautiously, as if afraid of spilling -the hot joy of his heart. - -"Why have you been so long?" asked the master. - -Yevsey looked at him, but saw only a confused, formless blur. - -"I have a headache," he answered slowly. - -"And I, too. What does it mean? Has Rayisa gotten up?" - -"Yes." - -"Did she speak to you?" - -"Yes." - -"What about?" the master asked hastily. - -The question was like a slap in Yevsey's face. He recovered, however, -and answered indifferently: - -"She said I hadn't swept the kitchen clean." - -A few moments later Yevsey heard the old man's low dejected exclamation: - -"That woman is a dangerous creature! Yes, yes! She tries to find -everything out, and makes you tell her whatever she wants." - -Yevsey looked at him from a distance, and thought: - -"I wish you were dead." - -The days passed rapidly, fused in a jumbled mass, as if joy were lying -in wait ahead. But every day grew more and more exciting. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - -The old man became sulky and taciturn. He peered around strangely, -suddenly burst into a passion, shouted, and howled dismally, like a sick -dog. He constantly complained of a pain in his head and nausea. At meals -he smelt of the food suspiciously, crumbled the bread into small pieces -with his shaking fingers, and held the tea and brandy up to the light. -His nightly scoldings of Rayisa, in which he threatened to bring ruin -upon her, became more and more frequent. But she answered all his -outcries with soft composure. - -Yevsey's love for the woman waxed stronger, and his sad, embittered -heart was filled with hatred of his master. - -"Don't I understand what you're up to, you low-down woman?" raged the -old man. "What does my sickness come from? What are you poisoning me -with?" - -"What are you saying? What are you saying?" exclaimed the woman, her -calm voice quivering. "You are sick from old age." - -"You lie! You lie!" - -"And from fright besides." - -"You miserable creature, keep quiet!" - -"You suffer from the weight of years." - -"You lie!" - -"And it's time you thought of death." - -"Aha! That's what you want! You lie! You hope in vain! I'm not the only -one to know all about you. I told Dorimedont Lukin about you." He burst -again into a loud tearful whine. "I know he's your paramour. It's he who -talked you over into poisoning me. You think you'll have it easier with -him, don't you? You won't, you won't!" - -Once at night, during a similar scene, Rayisa left the old man's room -with a candle in her hand, half dressed, white and voluptuous. She -walked as in a dream, swaying from side to side and treading uncertainly -with her bare feet. Her eyes were half closed, the fingers of her -out-stretched right hand clawed the air convulsively. The little smoky -red tongue of the candle inclined toward her breast, almost touching her -shirt. It illuminated her lips parted in exhaustion and sickness, and -set her teeth agleam. - -After she had passed Yevsey without noticing him, he instinctively -followed her to the door of the kitchen, where the sight that met his -gaze numbed him with horror. The woman was holding a large kitchen knife -in her hand, testing its sharp edge with her finger. She bent her head, -and put her hand to her full neck near the ear, where she sought -something with her long fingers. Then she drew a breath, and quietly -returned the knife to the table. Her hands fell at her sides. - -Yevsey clutched the doorpost. At the sound the woman started and turned. - -"What do you want?" she demanded in an angry whisper. - -Yevsey answered breathlessly. - -"He'll die soon. Why are you doing that to yourself? Please don't do it. -You mustn't." - -"Hush!" - -She put her hands on Yevsey as if for support, and walked back into the -old man's room. - -Soon the master became unable to leave his bed. His voice grew feeble, -and frequently a rattle sounded in his throat. His face darkened, his -weak neck failed to sustain his head, and the grey tuft on his chin -stuck up oddly. The physician came every day. Each time Rayisa gave the -sick man medicine, he groaned hoarsely: - -"With poison, eh? Oh, oh, you wicked thing!" - -"If you don't take it, I'll throw it away." - -"No, no! Leave it! and to-morrow I'll call the police. I'll ask them -what you are poisoning me with." - -Yevsey stood at the door, sticking first his eye, then his ear to the -chink. He was ready to cry out in amazement at Rayisa's patience. His -pity for her rose in his breast more and more irrepressibly, and an ever -keener desire for the death of the old man. It was difficult for him to -breathe, as on a dry icy-cold day. - -The bed creaked. Yevsey heard the thin sounds of a spoon knocking -against glass. - -"Mix it, mix it! You carrion!" mumbled the master. - -Once he ordered Rayisa to carry him to the sofa. She picked him up in -her arms as if he were a baby. His yellow head lay upon her rosy -shoulder, and his dark, shrivelled feet dangled limply in the folds of -her white skirt. - -"God!" wailed the old man, lolling back on the broad sofa. "God, why -hast Thou given over Thy servant into the hands of the wicked? Are my -sins more grievous than their sins, O Lord? And can it be that the hour -of my death is come?" He lost breath and his throat rattled. "Get away!" -he went on in a wheezing voice. "You have poisoned one man--I saved you -from hard labor, and now you are poisoning me--ugh, ugh, you lie!" - -Rayisa slowly moved aside. Yevsey now could see his master's little dry -body. His stomach rose and fell, his feet twitched, and his lips twisted -spasmodically, as he opened and closed them, greedily gasping for air, -and licked them with his thin tongue, at the same time displaying the -black hollow of his mouth. His forehead and cheeks glistened with sweat, -his little eyes, now looking large and deep, constantly followed Rayisa. - -"And I have nobody, no one near me on earth, no true friend. Why, O -Lord?" The voice of the old man wheezed and broke. "You wanton, swear -before the ikon that you are not poisoning me." - -Rayisa turned to the corner, and crossed herself. - -"I don't believe you, I don't believe you," he muttered, clutching at -the underwear on his breast and at the back of the sofa, and digging his -nails into them. - -"Drink your medicine. It will be better for you," Rayisa suddenly almost -shrieked. - -"It will be better," the old man repeated. "My dear, my only one, I will -give you everything, my own Ray--" - -He stretched his bony arm toward her and beckoned to her to draw near -him, shaking his black fingers. - -"Ah, I am sick of you, you detestable creature," Rayisa cried in a -stifled voice; and snatching the pillow from under his head she flung it -over the old man's face, threw herself upon it, and held his thin arms, -which flashed in the air. - -"You have made me sick of you," she cried again. "I can't stand you any -more. Go to the devil! Go, go!" - -Yevsey dropped to the floor. He heard the stifled rattle, the low -squeak, the hollow blows; he understood that Rayisa was choking and -squeezing the old man, and that his master kept beating his feet upon -the sofa. He felt neither pity nor fear. He merely desired everything to -be accomplished more quickly. So he covered his eyes and ears with his -hands. - -The pain of a blow caused by the opening of the door compelled him to -jump to his feet. Before him stood Rayisa arranging her hair, which hung -over her shoulders. - -"Well, did you see it?" she asked gruffly. Her face was red, but now -more calm. Her hands did not tremble. - -"I did," replied Yevsey, nodding his head. He moved closer to Rayisa. - -"Well, if you want to, you can inform the police." - -She turned and walked into the room leaving the door open. Yevsey -remained at the door, trying not to look at the sofa. - -"Is he dead, quite dead?" he asked in a whisper. - -"Yes," answered the woman distinctly. - -Then Yevsey turned his head, and regarded the little body of his master -with indifferent eyes. Flat and dry it lay upon the sofa as if glued -there. He looked at the corpse, then at Rayisa, and breathed a sigh of -relief. - -In the corner near the bed the clock on the wall softly and irresolutely -struck one and two. The woman started at each stroke. The last time she -went up to the clock, and stopped the halting pendulum with an uncertain -hand. Then she seated herself on the bed, putting her elbows on her -knees and pressing her head in her hands. Her hair falling down, covered -her face and hands as with a dense dark veil. - -Scarcely touching the floor with his toes, so as not to break the stern -silence, Yevsey went over to Rayisa, and stationed himself at her side, -dully looking at her white round shoulder. The woman's posture roused -the desire to say something soothing to her. - -"That's what he deserved," he uttered in a low grave voice. - -The stillness round about was startled, but instantly settled down -again, listening, expecting. - -"Open the window," said Rayisa sternly. But when Yevsey walked away from -her, she stopped him with a low question, "Are you afraid?" - -"No." - -"Why not? You are a timid boy." - -"When you are around, I'm not afraid." - -"Are you sorry for him?" - -"No." - -"Open the window." - -The cold night air streamed into the room, and blew out the lamplight. -The shadows quickly flickered on the wall and disappeared. The woman -tossed her hair back and straightened herself to look at Yevsey with her -large eyes. - -"Why am I going to ruin?" she asked in perplexity. "It has been this way -all my life. From one pit to another, each deeper than the one before." - -Yevsey again stationed himself beside her; they were silent for a long -time. Finally she put her soft, but cool hand around his waist, and -pressing him to her asked softly: - -"Listen, will you tell?" - -"No," he answered, closing his eyes. - -"You won't tell? To nobody? Never?" the woman asked in a mournful tone. - -"Never!" he repeated quietly but firmly. - -"Don't tell. I'll be helpful to you," she urged him, kindly stroking his -cheek. - -She rose, looked around, and spoke to him in a businesslike way: - -"Dress yourself. It's cold. And the room must be put in order a little. -Go, get dressed." - -When Yevsey returned he saw the master's body completely covered with a -blanket. Rayisa remained as she had been, half dressed with bare -shoulders. This touched him. They set the room to rights, working -without haste and looking at each other now and then silently and -gravely. - -The boy felt that this silent nocturnal activity in the close room bound -him more firmly to the woman, who was just as solitary as himself, and -like him, knew terror. He tried to remain as near her as possible, and -avoided looking at the master's body. - -It began to dawn. Rayisa listened to the sound of the waking house and -city. She sighed, and beckoned to Yevsey. - -"Now, go lie down and sleep. I will wake you soon, and send you with a -note to Dorimedont Lukin. Go!" She led him to the chest upon which he -slept and felt the bedding with her hand. "Oh, what a hard bed you -have!" - -When he had lain down, she seated herself beside him, and stroked his -head and shoulders with her soft smooth hand, while she spoke in a -gentle chant. - -"Give him the note. And if he asks you how it happened, tell him you -don't know. Tell him you were asleep and didn't see anything." - -She was silent, and knit her brows. Overcome by exhaustion Yevsey, -warmed by the woman's body and lulled by her even speech, began to -drowse. - -"No," she continued, "that's not right." - -She gave her directions calmly and intelligently, and her caresses, warm -and sweet, awakened memories of his mother. He felt good. He smiled. - -"Dorimedont Lukin is a spy, too," he heard her lulling, even voice. "Be -on your guard. Be careful. If he gets it out of you, I'll say you knew -everything and helped me. Then you'll be put in prison, too." Now she, -too, smiled, and repeated, "In prison, and then hard labor. Do you -understand?" - -"Yes," Yevsey answered happily, looking into her face with half-closed -eyes. - -"You are falling asleep. Well, sleep." Happy and grateful he heard the -words in his slumber. "Will you forget everything I told you? What a -weak, thin little fellow you are! Sleep!" - -Yevsey fell asleep, but soon a stern voice awoke him. - -"Boy, get up! Quick! Boy!" - -He rose with a start of his whole body, and stretched out his hand. At -his bed stood Dorimedont Lukin holding a cane. - -"Why are you sleeping? Your master died, yet you sleep." - -"He's tired. We didn't sleep the whole night," said Rayisa, who was -looking in from the kitchen with her hat on and her umbrella in her -hand. - -"Tired? On the day of your benefactor's death you must weep, not sleep. -Dress yourself." - -The flat pimply face of the spy was stern. His words compelled Yevsey -imperiously, like reins steering a docile horse. - -"Run to the police station. Here's a note. Don't lose it." - -In a half fainting condition Yevsey dressed himself wearily, and went -out in the street. He forced his eyes open as he ran over the pavement -bumping into everyone he met. - -"I wish he would be buried soon," he thought disconnectedly. "Dorimedont -will frighten her, and she'll tell him everything. Then I'll go to -prison, too. But if I am there with her, I won't be afraid. She went -after him herself, she didn't send me, she was sorry to wake me up--or -maybe she was afraid--how am I going to live now?" - -When he returned he found a black-bearded policeman and a grey old man -in a long frock coat sitting in the room. Dorimedont was speaking to the -policeman in a commanding voice. - -"Do you hear, Ivan Ivanovich, what the doctor says? So it was a cancer. -Aha, there's the boy. Hey, boy, go fetch half a dozen bottles of beer. -Quick!" - -Rayisa was preparing coffee and an omelet in the kitchen. Her sleeves -were drawn up over her elbow, and her white hands darted about -dexterously. - -"When you come back, I'll give you coffee," she promised Yevsey, -smiling. - -Yevsey was kept running all day. He had no chance to observe what was -happening in the house, but felt that everything was going well with -Rayisa. She was more beautiful than ever. Everybody looked at her with -satisfaction. - -At night when almost sick with exhaustion Yevsey lay down in bed with an -unpleasant sticky taste in his mouth, he heard Dorimedont say to Rayisa -in an emphatic, authoritative tone: - -"We mustn't let that boy out of our sight, you understand? He's stupid." - -Then he and Rayisa entered Yevsey's room. The spy put out his hand with -an important air, and said snuffling: - -"Get up! Tell us how you're going to live now." - -"I don't know." - -"If you don't know, who is to know?" The spy's eyes bulged, his face and -nose grew purple. He breathed hotly and noisily, resembling an -overheated oven. "I know," he answered himself, raising the finger on -which was the ring. - -"You will live with us, with me," said Rayisa kindly. - -"Yes, you will live with us, and I will find a good place for you." - -Yevsey was silent. - -"Well, what's the matter with you?" - -"Nothing," said Yevsey after a pause. - -"You ought to thank me, you little fool," Dorimedont explained -condescendingly. - -Yevsey felt that the little grey eyes held him fast to something as if -with nails. - -"We'll be better to you than relatives," continued Dorimedont, walking -away, and leaving behind the heavy odor of beer, sweat, and grease. - -Yevsey opened the window, and listened to the grumbling and stirring of -the dark, exhausted city sinking into sleep. A sharp aching pain stole -up from somewhere. Faintness seized the boy's body. A thin cord, as it -were, cut at his heart, and made breathing difficult. He lay down and -groaned and peered into the darkness with frightened eyes. Wardrobes and -trunks moved about in the obscurity, black dancing spots rocking to and -fro. Walls scarcely visible turned and twisted. All this oppressed -Yevsey with unconquerable fear, and pushed him into a stifling corner, -from which it was impossible to escape. - -In Rayisa's room the spy guffawed. - -"M-m-m-my! Ha, ha, ha! It's nothing--it will pass away--ha, ha! You'll -get used--" - -Yevsey thrust his head under the pillow in order not to hear these -irritating exclamations. A minute later, unable to catch his breath, he -jumped from bed. The dry dark feet of his master flashed before him, his -little red sickly eyes lighted up. Yevsey uttered a short shriek, and -ran to Rayisa's door with outstretched hands. He pushed against it and -cried: - -"I'm afraid." - -Two large bodies in the room bounded to their feet. Someone bawled in a -startled angry voice: "Get out of there!" - -Yevsey fell to his knees, and sank down on the floor at their feet like -a frightened lizard. - -"I'm afraid! I'm afraid!" he squeaked. - -The following days were taken up with preparations for the funeral and -with the removal of Rayisa to Dorimedont's quarters. Yevsey flung -himself about like a little bird in a cloud of dark fear. Only -occasionally did the timid thought flicker in his mind like a will o' -the wisp, "What will become of me?" It saddened his heart, and awoke the -desire to run away and hide himself. But everywhere he met the eagle -eyes of Dorimedont, and heard his dull voice: - -"Boy, quick!" - -The command resounded within Yevsey, and pushed him from side to side. -He ran about for whole days at a time. In the evening he fell asleep -empty and exhausted, and his sleep was heavy and black and full of -terrible dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - -From this life Yevsey awoke in a dusky corner of a large room with a low -ceiling. He sat holding a pen in his hand at a table covered with dirty -green oilcloth, and before him lay a thick book in which there was -writing, and a few pages of blank ruled paper. He did not understand -what he had to do with all this apparatus, and looked around helplessly. - -There were many tables in the room with two or four persons at each. -They sat there with a tired and vexed expression on their faces, moving -their pens rapidly, smoking much, and now and then casting curt words at -one another. The pungent blue smoke floated to the window casements, -where it met the deafening noise that entered importunately from the -street. Numberless flies buzzed about the occupants' heads, crawled over -the tables and notices on the walls, and knocked against the panes. They -resembled the people who filled this stifling filthy cage with their -bustle. - -Gendarmes stood at the doors, officers came and went, various persons -entered, exchanged greetings, smiled obsequiously, and sighed. Their -rapid, plaintive talk, which kept up a constant see-saw, was broken and -drowned by the stern calls of the clerks. - -Yevsey sat in his corner with his neck stretched over the table and his -transparent eyes wide open, scrutinizing the different clerks in an -attempt to remember their faces and figures. He wanted to find someone -among them who would help him. The instinct of self-protection, now -awakened in him, concentrated all his oppressed feelings, all his broken -thoughts, into one clear endeavor to adapt himself to this place and -these people, as soon as possible, in order to make himself unnoticed -among them. - -All the clerks, young and old, had something in common, a certain seedy -and worn appearance. They were all equally dejected, but they easily -grew excited and shouted, gesticulating and showing their teeth. There -were many elderly and bald-headed men among them, of whom several had -red hair and two grey hair. Of the two, one was a tall man who wore his -hair long and had a large mustache, resembling a priest, whose beard has -been shaved off. The other was a red-faced man with a huge beard and a -bare skull. It was the last who had put Yevsey into a corner, set a book -before him, and, tapping his finger upon it, had told him to copy -certain parts of it. - -Now an elderly woman all in black stood before this old man, and drawled -in a plaintive tone: - -"Little father, gracious sir." - -"You disturb me in my work," shouted the old man without looking at her. - -And at the door sitting upon a bench a little thin young girl in a pink -dress was sobbing and wiping her face with her white apron. - -"I am not guilty." - -"Who is whining there?" asked a sharp voice. - -The outsiders who came in did nothing but complain, make requests, and -justify themselves. They spoke while standing, humbly and tearfully. The -officials, on the other hand, remained seated and shouted at them, now -angrily, now in ridicule, and now wearily. Paper rustled, and pens -squeaked, and all this noise was penetrated by the steady weeping of the -girl. - -"Aleksey," the man with the grey beard called aloud, "take this woman -away from here." His eyes were arrested by the sight of Klimkov. He -walked up to him hastily, and asked gruffly, in astonishment, "What's -the matter with you? Why aren't you writing?" - -Yevsey dropped his head, and was silent. - -"Hmm, another fool given a job," said the old man shrugging his -shoulders. "Hey, Zarubin!" he shouted as he walked away. - -A dry thin boy with a low forehead and restless eyes and black curls on -a small head sat down beside Yevsey. - -"What's the trouble?" he asked, nudging Yevsey's side with his elbow. - -"I don't understand what to do," explained Klimkov in a frightened tone. - -From somewhere within the youngster in the region of his stomach came a -hollow, broken sound, "Ugh!" - -"I'll teach you," he said in a low voice, as if communicating some -important secret. "I'll teach you, and you'll give me half a ruble. Got -half a ruble?" - -"No." - -"When you get your pay? All right?" - -"All right." - -The boy seized the paper, and in the same mysterious tone continued: - -"You see? The first names and the family names are marked in the book -with red dots. Well, you must copy them on this paper. When you are -done, call me, and I'll see whether you haven't put down a pack of lies. -My name is Yakov Zarubin." - -Again a sound seemed to break inside the boy's body and drop softly, -"Ugh!" He glided nimbly between the tables, his elbows pressed to his -sides, his wrists to his breast. He turned his small black head in all -directions, and darted his narrow little eyes about the room. Yevsey -looked after him, then reverently dipped pen in ink, and began to write. -Soon he settled into that pleasant state of forgetfulness of his -surroundings which had grown customary with him. He became absorbed in -the work, which required no thought, and in it he lost his fear. - -Yevsey quickly became accustomed to his new position. He did everything -mechanically, and was ready to serve anyone at any time. In order the -more immediately to get away from people, he subordinated himself -submissively to everybody, and cleverly took refuge in his work from the -cold curiosity and the cruel pranks of his fellow-clerks. Taciturn and -reserved, he created for himself an unperceived existence in his corner. -He lived like a nocturnal bird perched upon a dark post of observation -without understanding the meaning of the noisy, motley days that passed -before his round fathomless eyes. - -Every hour he heard complaints, groans, ejaculations of fright, the -stern voices of the police officers, the irritated grumbling and angry -fun of the clerks. Often people were beaten on their faces, and dragged -out of the door by their necks. Not infrequently blood was drawn. -Sometimes policemen brought in persons bound with ropes, bruised and -bellowing with pain. - -The thieves who were led in wore an embarrassed air, but smiled at -everybody as on a familiar. The street women also smiled ingratiatingly, -and always arranged their dress with one and the same gesture. Those who -had no passports observed a sullen or dejected silence, and looked -askance at all with a hopeless gaze. The political offenders under -police supervision came in proudly. They disputed and shouted, and never -greeted anybody connected with the place. They behaved toward all there -with tranquil contempt or pronounced hostility. This class of culprits -was talked of a great deal in the chancery, almost always in fun, -sometimes inimically. But under the ridicule and enmity Yevsey felt a -hidden interest and something like reverent awe of these people who -spoke so loudly and independently with everybody. - -The greatest interest of the clerks was aroused by the political spies. -These were men with indeterminate physiognomies, taciturn and severe. -They were spoken of with keen envy. The clerks said they made huge sums -of money, and related with terror how everything was known to them, -everything open, and how immeasurable was their power over people's -lives. They could fix every person, so that no matter where he moved he -would inevitably land in prison. - -The broad gaze of Klimkov lightly embraced everything moving about him. -He imperceptibly gathered up experience, which his weak, uninformed mind -was incapable of combining into a harmonious whole. But the numerous -impressions heaping up one upon the other were forced into unity by the -very weight of their mass, and aroused an unconscious greed for new -observations. They sharpened his curiosity, and unexpectedly pointed to -conclusions, secretly hinted at certain possibilities which sometimes -frightened Yevsey by their boldness. - -No one about him pitied anybody else. Neither was Yevsey sorry for -people. It began to seem to him that all were feigning even when they -cried and groaned from beatings. In all eyes he saw something concealed, -something distrustful, and more than once his ear caught the cry, -threatening though not uttered aloud: - -"Wait, our turn will come some day, too." - -In the evening, during those hours when he sat almost alone in the large -room and recalled the impressions of the day, everything seemed -superfluous and unreal, everything was unintelligible, a hindrance to -people, and caused them perplexity and vexation. All seemed to know that -they ought to live quietly, without malice, but for some reason no one -wanted to tell the others his secret of a different life. No one trusted -his neighbor, everybody lied, and made others lie. The irritation caused -by this system of life was clearly apparent. All complained aloud of its -burdensomeness, each looked upon the other as upon a dangerous enemy, -and dissatisfaction in life waged war with mistrust, cutting the soul in -two. - -Klimkov did not dare to think in this wise, but he felt more and more -clearly the lack of order and the oppressive weight of everything that -whirled around him. At times he was seized by a heavy, debilitating -sense of boredom. His fingers grew languid, he put the pen aside, and -rested his head on the table, looking long and motionlessly into the -murky twilight of the room. He painstakingly endeavored to find in the -depths of his soul that which was essential to him. - -Then his chief, the long-nosed old man with the shaven face and grey -mustache would shout to him: - -"Klimkov, are you asleep?" - -Yevsey would seize the pen and say to himself with a sigh: - -"It will pass away." - -But Yevsey could not make out whether he still believed in the phrase, -or had already ceased to believe in it and was merely saying it to -himself for the sake of saying it. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - -In the morning Rayisa half dressed, with a kneaded face and dim eyes, -gave Yevsey his coffee without speaking to him. Dorimedont coughed and -spat in her room. Now his dull voice began to sound even louder and more -authoritative than ever. At dinner and supper he munched noisily, licked -his lips, thrust his thick tongue far out, bellowed, and looked at the -food greedily before he began to eat. His red pimply face grew glossy, -and his little grey eyes glided over Yevsey's face like two cold bugs, -unpleasantly tickling his skin. - -"I know how hard life is, brother," he said. "I know what's what. I know -what a pound of good and what a pound of bad is worth to a man, yes, -siree. And you had good luck to come to me at once. Here I have placed -you in a position, and I am going to push you farther and farther to the -highest point possible--if you aren't a fool, of course." - -He swung his bulky body as he spoke, and the chair under him groaned. -Yevsey as he listened to his talk felt that this man could force him to -do everything he wanted. - -Sometimes the spy announced boastfully in self-applause: - -"I received thanks again to-day from my chief Filip Filippovich. He even -gave me his hand." - -Once at supper Dorimedont pulled Yevsey's ear and began a recital. - -"About two months ago I was sitting in a restaurant near a railroad -station, and I saw a man eating cutlets. He kept looking around and -consulting his watch. You must know, Yevsey, that an honest man with an -easy mind doesn't glance around in all directions. People do not -interest him, and he always knows the time. The only persons who look -about for people are the agents of the Department of Safety and -criminals. Of course, I kept my eye on the gentleman. The suburban train -pulled in, another little gentleman comes into the restaurant, a dark -fellow with a little beard, apparently a Jew. He wore two flowers in his -buttonhole, a red and a white one--a sign. I see them greet each other -with their eyes. 'Aha!' thinks I. The dark man ordered something to eat, -drank a glass of Selters, and walked out. The one who had been in the -restaurant first followed him leisurely, and I after them." - -Dorimedont puffed up his cheeks, and then blew a stream of air steeped -with the odor of meat and beer into Yevsey's face. Yevsey ducked his -head, and the spy burst out laughing. Then he belched noisily, and -continued raising his thick finger. - -"For a month and twenty-three days I tracked the two men. Finally I -reported them. I said I was on the track of suspicious people. They went -away, and came back again. Who are they? The fair-haired fellow who had -eaten the cutlet said, 'It's none of your business.' But the Jew gave -his real name, and on inquiry it turned out we needed the man. Along -with him we took a woman known to us--the third time she fell into our -hands. We went to various other places, picked the people up like -mushrooms. But we knew the whole gang. I was a good deal put out, when -suddenly yesterday the fair-haired man gave us his name. He turned out -to be an important fellow escaped from Siberia. Well, well, New Year I -am to expect a reward." - -Rayisa listened looking over the spy's head, while she slowly chewed a -crust of bread and bit off little pieces at a time. - -"You catch them, and catch them, but they're not exterminated," she said -lazily. - -The spy smiled, and answered impressively: - -"You don't understand politics. That's why you talk nonsense, my dear. -We don't want to exterminate these people altogether. They serve as -sparks to show us where the fire really begins. That's what Filip -Filippovich says, and he himself was once a political, moreover, a Jew. -Yes, yes. It's a very sharp game." - -Yevsey's gaze wandered gloomily about the contracted room. The walls -papered in yellow were hung with portraits of Czars, generals, and naked -women. These motley, obtrusive spots fairly cut the eyes, recalling -sores and wounds on the body of a sick person. The furniture, smelling -of whiskey and warm, greasy food, pressed close against the walls, as if -to withdraw from the people. The lamp burned under a green shade, and -cast dead shadows upon the faces. - -For some reason Yevsey recollected the old sickly flat-nosed beggar with -the restless eyes of a sharper, whom he met almost every day on his way -to the office. The beggar pretended to be a jolly fellow, and would -chant garrulously as he stretched out his hand for alms: - - "Stout of body, red of nose, - Pining for the want of booze; - Prithee, help God's pilgrim true, - Charity to whom 'tis due! - Help my burning thirst to slake, - Rum, oh rum, for the Lord's sake!" - -The spy put his hand across the table, and pulled Yevsey's hair. - -"When I speak, you must listen." - -Dorimedont often beat Klimkov. Though his blows were not painful, they -were particularly insulting, as if he struck not the face but the soul. -He was especially fond of hitting Yevsey on the head with the heavy ring -he wore on his finger, when he would knock the boy's skull so that a -strange dry cracking sound was emitted. Each time Yevsey was dealt a -blow Rayisa would say indifferently, moving her brows: - -"Stop, Dorimedont Lukin. Don't." - -"Well, well, he won't be chopped to pieces. He has to be taught." - -Rayisa grew thinner, blue circles appeared under her eyes, her gaze -became still more immobile and dull. On evenings when the spy was away -from home she sent Yevsey for whiskey, which she gulped down in little -glassfuls at a time. Then she spoke to him in an even voice. What she -said was confused and unintelligible, and she frequently halted and -sighed. Her large body grew flabby, she undid one button after the -other, untied her ribbons, and half-dressed spread herself on the -armchair like sour dough. - -"I am bored," she said shaking her head. "Bored! If you were handsomer, -or older, you might divert me in my gloom. Oh, how useless you are!" - -Yevsey hung his head in silence. His heart was pricked with the burning -cold of insult. - -"Well, why are you staring at the floor?" he heard her sad complaining. -"Others at your age would have started to love girls long ago; they live -a living life. While you--oh, how irresponsive you are!" - -Sometimes, after she had drunk whiskey, she drew him to herself, and -toyed with him. This awoke a complex feeling of fear, shame, and sharp -yet not bold curiosity. He shut his eyes tightly, and yielded himself -silently, involuntarily, to the power of her shameless, coarse hands. -The weak, anæmic boy was oppressed by the debilitating premonition of -something terrible. - -"Go to bed, go! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, pushing him away, -dissatisfied and disgusted. - -Yevsey left her to go to the anteroom in which he slept. Gradually -losing the undefined warm feeling he had for her, he withdrew into -himself more and more. - -As he lay in bed filled with a sense of insult and sharp, disagreeable -excitement, he heard Rayisa singing in a thick cooing voice--always the -same song--and heard the clink of the bottle against the glass. - -But once on a dark night when fine streams of autumn rain lashed the -window near his room with a howl, Rayisa succeeded in arousing in the -youngster the feeling she needed. - -"There, now," she said, smiling a drunken smile. "Now you are my -paramour. You see how good it is? Eh?" - -He stood at the bed also intoxicated of a sudden. His feet trembled, he -was out of breath. He looked at her large, soft body, at her broad face -spread in a smile. He was no longer ashamed, but his heart was seized -with the grief of loss, and it sank within him outraged. For some reason -he wanted to weep. But he was silent. This woman was a stranger to him, -unnecessary and unpleasant; all the good kind feelings he had cherished -for her were at one gulp swallowed up by her greedy body, and -disappeared into it without leaving a trace, like belated drops in a -muddy pool. - -"We'll live together, and we'll give Dorimedont the go-by, the pig." - -"But won't he find out?" inquired Yevsey quietly. - -"Oh, you little coward, come here!" - -He did not dare to refuse, but now the woman was no longer able to -overcome his enmity to her. She toyed with him a long time, and smiled -with an air of having been offended. Then she roughly pushed his bony -body from her, uttered an oath, and went away. - -When Yevsey was left alone he thought in despair. - -"Now she will ruin me. She'll store this up against me. I am lost." - -He looked through the window. Something formless and frightened throbbed -in the darkness. It wept, lashed the window with a doleful howl, scraped -along the wall, jumped on the roof, and fell down into the street -moaning and wailing. A cautious seductive thought stole into his mind. - -"Suppose I tell Kapiton Ivanovich to-morrow that she suffocated the old -man!" - -The question frightened Yevsey, and for a long time he was unable to -push it away. - -"She will ruin me, one way or the other," he answered himself. Yet the -question persistently stood before him beckoning to him. - -In the morning, however, it seemed that Rayisa had forgotten about the -tragic, violent incident of the night before. She gave him his bread and -coffee lazily and with an indifferent air. As always, she was half sick -from the previous day's drinking. By neither word nor look did she hint -of her changed relation to him. - -He left for the office somewhat calmed, and from that day he began to -remain in the office for night work. He would walk home very slowly so -as to arrive as late as possible, because it was difficult for him to -remain alone with the woman. He was afraid to speak to her, dreading -lest she remember that night when she had destroyed Yevsey's feeling for -her. Feeble though it had been, it had yet been dear to him. - -Yakov Zarubin and Yevsey's chief, Kapiton Ivanovich, the man with the -grey mustache, whom everybody called Smokestack behind his back, -remained in the chancery with him for night work more frequently than -the others. The chief's shaven face was often covered with little red -stubble, which glistened golden from afar, and at close range resembled -tiny twigs. From under his grey lashes and the eyelids that drooped -wearily spiritless eyes gleamed angrily. He spoke in a grumbling growl, -and incessantly smoked thick yellow cigarettes. The clouds of bluish -smoke always hovering about his large white head distinguished him from -all the others workers, and won him the nickname, Smokestack. - -"What a grave man he is," Yevsey once said to Zarubin. - -"He's cracked in the upper story," Zarubin answered, pointing to his -head. "He spent almost a whole year in an insane asylum. But he's a -quiet man." - -Yevsey saw that sometimes the Smokestack took a small black book from -the pocket of his long grey jacket, brought it close to his face, and -mumbled something through his mustache, which moved up and down. - -"Is that a prayer-book?" - -"I don't know." - -Zarubin's swarthy face quivered spasmodically. His little eyes bulged, -he swung himself over toward Yevsey, and whispered hotly. - -"Do you go to girls?" - -"No." - -"Why?" - -Yevsey answered in embarrassment: - -"I'm afraid." - -"Ugh! Come with me. All right? We can get it for nothing. We need only -twenty-five kopeks for beer. If we say we are from the Department of -Police, they'll let us in, and give us girls for nothing. They are -afraid of police officers. Everybody is afraid of us." In a still lower -voice, but with more fire and appetite he continued. "And what girls -there _are_! Stout, warm, like down feather-beds! They're the best, by -golly! Some fondle you like your own mother, stroke your head, and so -you fall asleep. It's good!" - -"Have you a mother?" - -"Yes, only I live with my aunt. My mother is a sow. She's a lewd woman, -and lives with a butcher for her support. I don't go to her. The butcher -won't let me. Once I went there, and he kicked me on the back. Ugh!" - -Zarubin's little mouse ears quivered, his narrow eyes rolled queerly, he -tugged at the black down on his upper lip with a convulsive movement of -his fingers, and throbbed all over with excitement. - -"Why are you such a quiet fellow? You ought to be bolder, or else -they'll crush you with work. I was afraid at first, too, so they rode -all over me. Come, let's be friends for the rest of our lives!" - -Though Yevsey did not like Zarubin and was intimidated by his extreme -agility, he replied: - -"All right. Let's be friends." - -"Your hand. There, it's done! So to-morrow we'll go to the girls?" - -"No, I won't go." - -They did not notice the Smokestack coming up to them. - -"Well, Yakov, who will do whom?" he growled. - -"We're not fighting," said Zarubin, sullenly and disrespectfully. - -"You lie," said the Smokestack. "Say, Klimkov, don't give in to him, do -you hear?" - -"I do," said Yevsey rising before him. - -A feeling of reverent curiosity drew him to the man. Once, as usual -unexpectedly to himself, he took courage to speak to the Smokestack. - -"Kapiton Ivanovich." - -"What is it?" - -"I want to ask you, if you please--" - -Without looking at him, the Smokestack said: - -"Get up some spunk! Get up some spunk!" - -"Why do people live so badly?" Yevsey brought out with a great effort. - -The old man raised his heavy brows. - -"What business is it of yours?" he rejoined, looking into Klimkov's -face. - -Yevsey was staggered. The old man's question was like a blow on the -chest. It stood before him in all the power of its inexplicable -simplicity. - -"Aha!" said the old man quietly. Then he drew his brows together, -whipped a black book from his pocket, and tapping it with his finger -said, "The New Testament. Have you read it?" - -"Yes." - -"Did you understand it?" - -"No," answered Yevsey timidly. - -"Read it again. Well, anyway--" Moving his mustache the old man hid the -book in his pocket. "I've been reading this book for three years, yes, -three years. Nobody understands it. It's a book for children, for the -pure of heart. No one can understand it." - -He grumbled kindly, and Yevsey felt a desire to ask more questions. They -did not formulate themselves, however. The old man lighted a cigarette, -the smoke enveloped him, and he apparently forgot about his -interlocutor. Klimkov glided off quietly. His attraction for the -Smokestack had grown stronger, and he thought: - -"It would be good for me to sit nearer to him." - -Henceforth this became his dream, which, however, came into direct -conflict with the dream of Yakov Zarubin. - -"You know what?" Zarubin said in a hot whisper. "Let's try to get into -the Department of Safety, and become political spies. Then what a life -we'll lead! Ugh!" - -Yevsey was silent. The political spies frightened him because of their -stern eyes and the mystery surrounding their dark business and dark -life. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - -An accident happened at home. Dorimedont appeared late at night in torn -clothes, without hat or cane, his face bruised and smeared with blood. -His bulky body shook, tears ran down his swollen cheeks. He sobbed, and -said in a hollow voice: - -"It's all over! I must go away--to another city--the minute I can." - -Rayisa silently, without haste, wiped his face with a towel dipped in -brandy and water. He started and groaned. - -"Not so rough! Not so rough! The beasts! How they beat me--with clubs. -To beat a man with clubs! _Please_ be more careful. Don't you -understand?" - -Yevsey handed the water, removed the spy's shoes, and listened to his -groans. He took secret satisfaction in his tears and blood. Accustomed -as he was to see people beaten until blood was drawn, their outcries did -not touch him even though he remembered the pain of the pummelings he -had received in his childhood. - -"Who did it to you?" asked Rayisa when the spy was settled in bed. - -"They trapped me, surrounded me, in a suburb near a thread factory. Now -I must go to another city. I will ask for a transfer." - -When Yevsey lay down to sleep, the spy and Rayisa began to quarrel -aloud. - -"I won't go," said the woman in a loud and unusually firm voice. - -"Keep quiet! Don't excite a sick man!" the spy exclaimed with tears in -his voice. - -"I won't go!" - -"I will make you." - -In the morning Yevsey understood by Rayisa's stony face and the spy's -angry excitement that the two did not agree. At supper they began to -quarrel again. The spy, who had grown stronger during the day, cursed -and swore. His swollen blue face was horrible to look upon, his right -hand was in a sling, and he shook his left hand menacingly. Rayisa, pale -and imperturbable, rolled her round eyes, and followed the swinging of -his red hand. - -"Never, I'll never go," she stubbornly repeated, scarcely varying her -words. - -"Why not?" - -"I don't want to." - -"But you know I can ruin you." - -"I don't care." - -"No, you'll go." - -"I won't." - -"We shall see. Who are you anyway? Have you forgotten?" - -"It's all the same to me." - -"All right." - -After supper the spy wrapped his face in his scarf, and departed without -saying anything. Rayisa sent Yevsey for whiskey. When he had brought her -a bottle of table whiskey and another bottle of some dark liquid, she -poured a portion of the contents of each into a cup, sipped the entire -draught, and remained standing a long time with her eyes screwed up and -wiping her neck with the palm of her hand. - -"Do you want some?" she asked, nodding over the bottle. "No? Take a -drink. You'll begin to drink some time or other anyway." - -Yevsey looked at her high bosom, which had already begun to wither, at -her little mouth, into her round dimmed eyes, and remembering how she -had been before, he pitied her with a melancholy pity. He felt heavy and -gloomy in the presence of this woman. - -"Ah, Yevsey," she said, "if one could only live his whole life with a -clean conscience." - -Her lips twitched spasmodically. She filled a cup and offered it to him. - -"Drink!" - -He shook his head in declination. - -"You little coward!" she laughed quietly. "Life is hard for you--I -understand. But why you live I don't understand. Why? Tell me." - -"Just so," answered Yevsey gloomily. "I live. What else is one to do?" - -Rayisa looked at him, and said tenderly: - -"I think you are going to choke yourself." - -Yevsey was aggrieved and sighed. He settled himself more firmly in his -chair. - -Rayisa paced through the room, stepping lazily and inaudibly. She -stopped before a mirror, and looked at her face long without winking. -She felt her full white neck with her hands, her shoulders quivered, her -hands dropped heavily, and she began again to pace the room, her hips -moving up and down. She hummed without opening her mouth. Her voice was -stifled like the groan of one who suffers from toothache. - -A lamp covered with a green shade was burning on the table. Through the -window the round disk of the moon could be seen in the vacant heavens. -The moon, too, looked green, as it hung there motionless like the -shadows in the room, and it augured ill. - -"I am going to bed," said Yevsey rising from his chair. - -Rayisa did not answer, and did not look at him. Then he stepped to the -door, and repeated in a lower voice: - -"Good-night. I am going to sleep." - -"Go, I'm not keeping you. Go." - -Yevsey understood that Rayisa felt nauseated. He wanted to tell her -something. - -"Can I do anything for you?" he inquired, stopping at the door. - -She looked into his face with her weary sleepy eyes. - -"No, nothing," she answered quietly after a pause. - -She walked up and down in the room for a long time. Yevsey heard the -rustle of her skirt and the doleful sound of her song, and the clinking -of the bottles. Occasionally she coughed dully. - -Rayisa's composed words stood motionless in Yevsey's heart, "I think you -are going to choke yourself." They lay upon him heavily, pressing like -stones. - -In the middle of the night the spy awoke Klimkov rudely. - -"Where is Rayisa?" he asked in a loud whisper. "Where did she go? Has -she been gone long? You don't know? You fool!" - -Dorimedont left the room hastily, then thrust his head through the door, -and asked sternly: - -"What was she doing?" - -"Nothing." - -"Was she drinking?" - -"Yes." - -"The pig!" - -The spy pulled his ear, and disappeared. - -"Why did he speak in a whisper?" Yevsey wondered. - -The light in the lamp flickered and went out. The spy uttered an oath, -then began to strike matches, which flared up, frightening the darkness, -and went out. Finally a pale ray from the room reached Yevsey's bed. It -quivered timidly, and seemed to seek something in the narrow ante-room. -Dorimedont entered again. One of his eyes was closed from the swelling, -the other, light and restless, quickly looked about the walls, and -halted at Yevsey's face. - -"Didn't Rayisa say anything to you?" - -"No." - -"Such a stupid woman!" - -Yevsey felt awkward to be lying down in the presence of the spy, and he -raised himself. - -"Stay where you are! Stay where you are!" said Dorimedont hastily, and -sat down on the bed at Yevsey's feet. - -"If you were a year older," he began in an unusually kind, quiet, and -thoughtful tone, "I would get you into the Department of Safety as a -political agent. It's a very good position. The salary is not large, but -if you are successful, you get rewarded. And it's a free life. You can -go wherever you want, have a good time, yes, indeed. Rayisa is a -beautiful woman, isn't she?" - -"Yes, beautiful," agreed Yevsey. - -"Yes, ahem," said the spy, with a sigh and a strange smile. He kept -stroking the bandage on his head with his left hand, and pinching his -ear. "Woman you can never have enough of--the mother of temptation and -sin.--Where did she go? What do you think?" - -"I don't know," answered Yevsey quietly, beginning to be afraid of -something. - -"Of course. She has no paramour. No men came to her. Do you know what, -Yevsey? Don't be in a hurry with women. You have time enough for that. -They cost dear, brother. Here am I, who have made thousands and -thousands of rubles, and what's become of them?" - -Heavy, cumbersome, bound with rags, he shook before Yevsey's eyes, and -seemed ready to fall to pieces. His dull voice sounded uneasy. His left -hand constantly felt of his head and his breast. - -"Ah, I got mixed up with them a great deal!" he said peering -suspiciously around the dark corners of the room. "It's troublesome, but -you can't get along without them. Nothing better in the world. Some say -cards are better, but card-players can't get along without women either. -Nor does hunting make you proof against women. Nothing does." - -In the morning Klimkov saw the spy sleeping on the sofa with his clothes -on. The room was filled with smoke and the smell of kerosene from the -lamp, which had not been extinguished. Dorimedont was snoring, his large -mouth wide open, his sound hand dangling over the floor. He was -repulsive and pitiful. - -It grew light, and a pale square piece of sky peeped into the little -window. The flies awoke, and buzzed plaintively, darting about on the -grey background of the window. Besides the smell of kerosene the room -was penetrated with some other odor, thick and irritating. - -After putting out the lamp Yevsey for some reason washed himself in a -great hurry, dressed, and started for the office. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - -At about noon Zarubin called out to Yevsey. - -"Hey there, Klimkov, you know Rayisa Petrovna Fialkovskaya, she's your -master Lukin's mistress, isn't she?" - -"Yes." - -"There now!" - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey hastily. - -"She cut her throat." - -Yevsey rose to his feet, stung in the back by a sharp blow of terror. - -"She was just found in a store-room. Let's go and look." - -Zarubin ran off, announcing to the clerks on his way: - -"I told you she was Dorimedont Lukin's mistress." - -He shouted the word "mistress" with particular emphasis and zest. - -Yevsey looked after him with wide-open eyes. Before him in the air hung -Rayisa's head, her heavy luxuriant hair flowed from it in streams, her -face was pale green, her lips were tightly compressed, and instead of -eyes there were deep dark stains. Everything round about him was hidden -behind the dead face, which Yevsey, numb with terror and pity, was -unable to remove from his vision. - -"Why don't you go to lunch?" asked the Smokestack. - -Scarcely anybody remained in the office. Yevsey sighed and answered: - -"My mistress cut her throat." - -"Oh, yes. Well, go to the café." - -The Smokestack walked off carefully picking his steps. Yevsey jumped up -and seized his hand: - -"Take me." - -"Come." - -"No, take me to stay with you altogether," Yevsey besought him. - -The Smokestack bent toward him. - -"What do you mean by 'altogether?'" - -"To your rooms--to live with you--for all the time." - -"Aha! Well, in the meantime let's get our lunch. Come on." - -In the café a canary bird kept up a piercing song. The old man silently -ate fried potatoes. Yevsey was unable to eat, and looked into his -companion's face inquiringly. - -"So you want to live with me? Well, come on." - -When Yevsey heard these words, he instantly felt that they partitioned -him off from the terrible life. Encouraged he said gratefully: - -"I will clean your shoes for you." - -The Smokestack thrust his long foot shod in a torn boot from under the -table. - -"You needn't clean this one. How about your mistress? Was she a good -woman?" - -The old man's eyes looked directly and kindly, and seemed to say: - -"Speak the truth." - -"I don't know," said Yevsey, dropping his head, and for the first time -feeling that he used the phrase very often. - -"So?" said the Smokestack. "So?" - -"I don't know anything," said Yevsey, disappointed with himself. -Suddenly he grew bold. "I see this and that; but what it is, what for, -why, I cannot understand. And there must be another life." - -"Another?" repeated the Smokestack, screwing up his eyes. - -"Yes. It would be impossible otherwise." - -The Smokestack smiled quietly. He hit his knife on the table, and -shouted to the waiter: - -"A bottle of beer. So it can't be otherwise? That's curious. Yes--we'll -see who will do whom." - -"Do, please, let me live with you," Yevsey repeated. - -"Well, we'll live together. All right." - -"I'll come to you to-day." - -"Come on." - -The Smokestack began to drink his beer in silence. - -When they returned to the office, they found Dorimedont Lukin there, who -hastened up to Yevsey. His bandages had loosened, the one eye visible -was suffused with blood. - -"Did you hear about Rayisa?" he inquired gravely. - -"Yes, I did." - -"She did it out of--it was drink that did it, upon my word," whispered -the spy, putting his uninjured hand to his breast. - -"I won't go back there any more," said Yevsey. - -"What then? Where will you go?" - -"I am going to live with Kapiton Ivanovich." - -"Um-m-m!" - -Dorimedont suddenly became embarrassed, and looked around. - -"Take care! He's not in his right senses. They keep him here from pity. -He's even a dangerous man. Be careful with him. Keep mum about all you -know." - -Yevsey thought the spy would fly into a passion. He was surprised at his -whispering, and listened attentively to what he said. - -"I am going to leave the city. Good-by. I am going to tell my chief -about you, and when he needs a new man, he will take you, rest assured. -Move your bed and whatever there is in my rooms to your new quarters. -Take the things to-day, do you hear? I'll go from there this evening to -a hotel. Here are five rubles for you. They'll be useful to you. Now, -keep quiet, do you understand?" - -He continued to whisper long and rapidly, his eyes running about -suspiciously on all sides, and when the door opened he started from his -chair as if to run away. The smell of an ointment emanated from him. He -seemed to have grown less bulky and lower in stature, and to have lost -his importance. - -"Good-by," he said, placing his hand on Yevsey's shoulder. "Live -carefully, don't trust people, especially women. Know the value of -money. Buy with silver, save the gold, don't scorn copper, defend -yourself with iron--a Cossack saying. I am a Cossack, you know." - -It was hard and tiresome for Yevsey to listen to his softened voice. He -did not believe one word of the spy's, and, as always, feared him. -Klimkov felt relieved when he walked away, and went eagerly at his work, -trying to use it as a shield against the recollection of Rayisa and all -other troublesome thoughts. Something turned and bestirred itself within -him that day. He felt he was standing on the eve of another life, and -gazed after the Smokestack from the corners of his eyes. The old man -bent over his table in a cloud of grey smoke. Yevsey involuntarily -thought: - -"How everything happens at once. There she cut her throat, and now maybe -I will--" - -He could not picture to himself what might be; in fact, he did not -understand what he wanted, and impatiently awaited the evening, working -quickly in an endeavor to shorten the time. - -In the evening as he walked along the street at the Smokestack's side, -he remarked that almost everybody noticed the old man, some even -stopping to look at him. He walked not rapidly but in long strides, -swinging his body and thrusting his head forward like a crane. He held -his hands behind his back, and his open jacket spreading wide flapped -against his sides like broken wings. In Klimkov's eyes the attention the -old man attracted seemed to sever him from the rest of the world. - -"What is your name?" - -"Yevsey." - -"John is a good name," observed the old man, arranging his crumpled hat -with his long hand. "I had a son named John." - -"Where is he?" - -"That doesn't concern you," answered the old man calmly. After taking -several steps he added in the same tone, "If I say 'had,' that means I -have him no longer, no longer." He stuck out his lower lip, and pinched -it with his little finger. "We shall see who will do whom." Now he -inclined his head on one side, and looked into Klimkov's eyes. "To-day a -friend will come to me," he said solemnly, shaking his finger. "I have a -certain friend. What we speak about and what we do, does not concern -you. What you know I do not know, and what you do I do not want to know. -The same applies to you. Absolutely." - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"You must make this a general rule. Apply it to everybody. No one knows -anything about you. That's the way it should be. And you do not know -anything about others. The path of human destruction is knowledge sown -by the devil. Happiness is ignorance. That's plain." - -Yevsey listened attentively, looking into his face. The old man observed -his regard, and grumbled: - -"There is something human in you. I noticed it." He stopped -unexpectedly, then went on, "But there's something human even in a dog." - -They climbed a narrow wooden stairway with several windings to a -stifling garret, dark and smelling of dust. At the Smokestack's request -Yevsey held up burning matches while he fumbled a long time over opening -the door. As Yevsey held up the matches, which scorched his fingers, a -new hope flickered in his breast. - -At last the old man opened the door, covered with torn oilcloth and -ragged felt, and they entered a long, narrow white room, with a ceiling -resembling the roof of a tomb. Opposite the door a wide window gleamed -dimly. In the corner to the right of the entrance stood a little stove, -which was scarcely noticeable. The bed extended along the left wall, and -opposite sprawled a sunken red sofa. The room smelled strongly of -camphor and dried herbs. The old man opened the window, and heaved a -noisy breath. - -"It's good to have pure air. You will sleep on the sofa. What is your -name? I've forgotten. Aleksey?" - -"Yevsey." - -"Oh, yes." He raised the lamp, and pointed to the wall. "There's my son -John." - -A portrait made in thin pencil strokes and set in a narrow white frame -hung inconspicuously upon the wall. It was a young but stern face, with -a large forehead, a sharp nose, and stubbornly compressed lips. The lamp -shook in the old man's hands, the shade knocked against the chimney, -filling the room with a gentle whining sound. - -"John," he repeated, setting the lamp back on the table. "A man's name -means a great deal." - -He thrust his head through the window, breathed in the cold air noisily, -and without turning to Yevsey asked him to prepare the samovar. - -When Yevsey was busying himself around the oven, a hunch-backed man -entered, removed his straw hat in silence, and fanned his face with it. - -"It's close, even though it's autumn already," he said in a beautiful -chest voice. - -"Aha, you here!" said the Smokestack. - -They began to converse in low tones while standing at the window. Yevsey -realizing that they were speaking about him strained his ears to catch -what they were saying. But he could not distinguish any words. - -The three then seated themselves at the table, and the Smokestack began -to pour the tea. Yevsey from time to time stole a look at the guest. His -face, shaven like the Smokestack's, was bluish with a huge thin-lipped -mouth and dark eyes sunk in two hollows under a high smooth forehead. -His head, bald to the crown, was angular and large. He kept drumming -quietly on the table with his long fingers. - -"Well, read," said the Smokestack. - -"From the beginning?" - -"Yes." - -The hunch-back pulled out a package of papers from his coat-pocket and -opened it. "I'll skip the titles. This is the way I've done it." He -coughed, and half closing his eyes began to read. "'We people known to -nobody and already arrived at a ripe age now fall slavishly at your feet -with this distressing statement of grievances, which wells from the very -depths of our hearts, our hearts shattered by life but not robbed of -sacred faith in the grace and wisdom of Your Majesty.' Well, is it -good?" - -"Continue," said the Smokestack. - -"'For you are the father of the Russian people, the source of good -counsel, and the only power on earth capable--'" - -"Better say, 'the only power on earth endowed with authority,'" -suggested the Smokestack. - -"Wait, wait. 'The only power capable of restoring and maintaining order, -justice--' Here we must put in a third word for the sake of symmetry, -but I don't know what word." - -"Be more careful in your choice of words," said the Smokestack, sternly -but not aloud. "Remember that they convey a different meaning to every -man." - -The hunchback looked at him, and adjusted his glasses. - -"Yes, that will come later. 'Great Russia is falling into ruin. Evil is -rampant in our country and horror prevails. People are oppressed by -want. The heart has become perverted with envy. The patient and gentle -Russian is perishing, and a heartless tribe ferocious with greed is -being born, a race of wolves, cruel animals of prey. Faith is dissolved, -and outside her fortress the people stand perturbed. Persons of depraved -minds aim at the defenseless, take them captive with satanic shrewdness, -and entice them onto the road of crime against all thy laws, Master of -our lives.'" - -"'Master?' That's for a bishop," grumbled the Smokestack. - -"Don't you like it?" - -"No, we must make it different." - -"How?" - -"We must tell him directly that a general revolt against life is -stirring among the people, and that 'therefore Thou, who art called by -God--'" - -The hunchback shook his head disapprovingly. - -"We may point out. We have no right to advise." - -"Who is our enemy, and what is his name? Atheist, Socialist, and -Revolutionist, a trinity. The destroyer of the family, the robber of our -children, the fore-runner of the anti-Christ." - -"You and I don't believe in the anti-Christ," said the hunchback -quietly. - -"That doesn't matter. We are speaking of the masses. They believe in the -anti-Christ. And we must point out the root of the main evil where we -see it. In the doctrine of destruction--" - -"He knows it himself." - -"How should he? Who would tell him the truth? Nobody cast the noose of -insanity around his children. And on what are their teachings based? On -general poverty and discontent with poverty. And we ought to say to him -straight out, 'Thou art the father, and thou art rich. Then give the -riches thou hast accumulated to thy people. Thus thou wilt cut off the -root of the evil, and everything will have been saved by thy hand.'" - -The hunchback drew up his shoulders, and spread his mouth into a wide, -thin crack. - -"They'll send us to the mines for that." - -Then he looked into Yevsey's face and at the master. - -Klimkov listened to the reading and the conversation as to a fairytale, -and felt that all the words entered his head and fixed themselves -forever in his memory. With parted lips and popping eyes he looked now -at one, now at the other, and did not drop his gaze even when the dark -look of the hunchback fastened upon his face. He was fascinated by the -proceedings. - -"Anyway," said the hunchback, "this is inconvenient." - -"What is it, Klimkov?" asked the Smokestack glumly. - -Yevsey's throat grew dry, and he did not answer at once. - -"I am listening." - -Suddenly he realized by their faces that they did not believe him, that -they were afraid of him. He rose from the table, and said, getting his -words mixed: - -"I won't say anything to a soul--I need it myself. Please let me -listen--why, I myself said to you, Kapiton Ivanovich, that things ought -to be different." - -"You see?" said the Smokestack crossly, pointing at Yevsey. "You see, -Anton, what does it mean? Still a boy, a little boy, yet, he, too, says -things should be different. That's where they get their strength from." - -"Yes, yes," said the hunchback. - -Yevsey grew timid, and dropped back on his chair. The Smokestack, moving -his eyelids, bent toward him. - -"I will tell you--we are writing a letter to the Czar. We ask him to -take more rigorous measures against those who are under supervision for -political infidelity. Do you understand?" - -"I understand." - -"Those people," the hunchback began to say clearly and slowly, "are -agents of foreign governments, chiefly of England. They receive huge -salaries for stirring up the Russian people to revolt and for weakening -the power of the government. The Englishmen do it so that we should not -take India from them." - -They spoke to Yevsey by turns. When one had finished, the other took up -the word. He listened attentively trying to remember their strange, -eloquent flow of language. Finally, however, he tired from the unusual -exertion of his brain. It seemed to him he would soon understand -something huge, which would illuminate the whole of life and all people, -their entire misfortune and their malicious irritation. It was -inexpressibly pleasant for him to recognize that two wise men spoke to -him as to an adult, and he was powerfully gripped by a feeling of -gratitude and respect for these men, poorly dressed and so preoccupied -with deliberations upon the construction of a new life. But now, his -head grown heavy, as if filled with lead, he involuntarily closed his -eyes, oppressed by a painful sensation of fullness in his breast. - -"Go, lie down and sleep," said the Smokestack. - -Klimkov rose obediently, undressed, and lay down on the sofa. - -The autumn night breathed warm fragrant moisture into the window. -Thousands and thousands of bright stars quivered in the dark sky, flying -up higher and higher. The fire of the lamp flickered, and likewise tore -itself upward. The two men bending toward each other read and spoke -gravely and quietly. Everything round about was mysterious, -awe-inspiring. It lifted Yevsey upward pleasantly, to something new, to -something good. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - -When Yevsey had been living with Kapiton Ivanovich only a few days, he -began to feel he was of some consequence. Formerly he had talked quietly -and respectfully with the gendarmes who served in the chancery. Now, -however, he called the old man Butenko to him in a stern voice, in order -to administer a rebuke. - -"Look, flies in my inkstand! How can I write with flies in my ink?" - -The grey soldier covered with crosses and medals entered into his usual -nonchalant, many-worded explanation. - -"There are all in all thirty-four inkstands here, and there are -thousands of flies. All the flies want to drink. That's why they crawl -into the inkstands. What are they to do?" - -"Wash it, and put in fresh ink," ordered Klimkov. Then he walked into -the dressing-room, where he stationed himself before the looking-glass -and carefully regarded his thin face, grey and angular, with its sharp -little nose and narrow lips. He searched for signs of a mustache, looked -into his watery and uncertain eyes. - -"I must get my hair cut," he decided after failing to smooth the thin, -light tufts of hair on his head. "And I ought to wear starched collars; -my neck is too thin." - -The very same evening he got his hair cut, bought two collars, and felt -himself still more a man. - -The Smokestack was attentive and kind in his behavior toward Yevsey, but -often a smile of derision gleamed in his eyes which somewhat -disconcerted and awed the young fellow. Whenever the hunchback came, the -old man's face assumed a preoccupied expression, and his voice sounded -stern. He cut short almost everything the other man said with an -objection: - -"It's not that--it's not so--no, you're no wiser than I am--your brain -is like a poor gun, it scatters the thought on all sides. You ought to -shoot so that the whole charge goes in the same direction." - -The hunchback shook his head sadly, and answered in a thick voice: - -"Wait. Good work cannot be done in a day. You must keep at it." - -"Time flies, the enemy grows." - -"By the way, I noticed a man the other day," said the hunchback, "who -took lodgings not far from my place. He was tall, had a pointed beard -and screwed-up eyes, and walked quickly. I asked the dvornik where he -was working. He told me the man had come to look for a position. I -immediately wrote a letter to the Department of Safety. You see?" - -The Smokestack interrupted his talk with a wide sweep of his arm. - -"That's not important. The house is damp, that's why there are roaches -in it. You won't get rid of them that way. The house must be made dry." - -Another time in the course of the evening the Smokestack said: - -"I am a soldier. I commanded half a company, and I understand life. It -is necessary for everybody to be thoroughly familiar with the laws and -regulations. Such knowledge produces unanimity. What hinders knowledge -of the law? Poverty and stupidity; stupidity in itself being a result of -poverty. Why doesn't he fight poverty? In want is the root of human -folly and of hostility to him, the Czar." - -Yevsey greedily swallowed the old man's words, and believed them. The -root of all human misfortune is poverty. That was clear and simple. -Hence come envy, malice, cruelty. Hence also greed and the fear of life -common to all people, the apprehension of one another. The Smokestack's -plan was also simple. The Czar was rich, the people poor; then let the -Czar give the people his riches, and all would be contented and good. - -Yevsey's attitude toward people changed. He remained as obliging as -before, but became more self-assertive, and began to look upon others -condescendingly, with the eyes of a man who understands the secret of -life and can point out where the road lies to peace and calm. - -He felt the need for boasting of his knowledge; so once, when lunching -in the café with Yakov Zarubin, he proudly expounded everything he had -heard from the old man and his hunchback friend. - -Zarubin's narrow eyes flashed. He fidgetted in his seat, and for some -reason rumpled his hair by thrusting the fingers of both hands through -it. - -"That's true, by golly!" he exclaimed in an undertone. "What the -devil--really! He has thousands of millions, and we are perishing here. -Who taught you all that?" - -"Nobody," said Yevsey firmly. "I thought it out myself." - -"No, tell me the truth. Where did you hear it?" - -"I tell you, I came to the conclusion myself." - -Yakov looked at him with satisfaction. - -"If that's so," he said, "you haven't a bad head. But you're lying." - -Yevsey felt affronted. - -"It's all the same to me whether you believe me or not. It's the worse -for you if you don't." - -"For me?" asked Yakov, and for some reason burst out laughing, merrily -and vigorously rubbing his hands. - -Two days later the assistant captain Komov and a grey-eyed gentleman -with a round close-cropped head and a bored yellow face, came up to -Yevsey's table. - -"Klimkov, betake yourself to the Department of Safety," said the captain -clearly and ominously. "Is your desk locked?" - -"No." - -Yevsey rose, but his legs trembled, and he dropped into his chair again. -The crop-haired man drew nearer. - -"Permit me," he said drily, then pulled out the table drawer and took -out the papers. - -Weak and uncomprehending Klimkov recovered his senses in a half dark -room at a desk covered with green felt. A wave of anguish rose and fell -in his breast. The floor heaved and billowed under his feet, and the -walls of the room, filled, as it were with green dusk, turned around -steadily. Over the table rose a man's white face framed in a thick black -beard and spotted by gleaming blue eye-glasses. Yevsey kept his eyes -fastened on the glass of the spectacles, on the blue bottomless -darkness, which drew him like a magnet and seemed to suck the blood from -his veins. Without waiting for a question Klimkov quietly told about the -Smokestack and his hunchback friend. He had understood their talks well, -and now spoke connectedly in great detail. He seemed to be removing a -thin layer of skin from his heart. - -A high voice, which cut the ear, interrupted him. - -"So? So these jackasses say the emperor the Czar is the fault of -everything?" - -"Yes." - -The man with the blue glasses slowly stretched out his hand, put the -telephone receiver to his ear, and asked in a sportive tone: - -"Belkin, that you? Yes? See to it, old fellow, that search is made -to-night in the rooms of two scoundrels. Arrest them. Eh--eh--a clerk in -the chancery department, Kapiton Reüsov. Eh--eh--and a functionary of -the court of exchequer--Anton Driagin--what? Well, yes, of course." - -Yevsey seized the edge of the table with his hand, feeling a dull pain -in his eyes. - -"So, my friend," said the man with the black beard, throwing himself -back on the armchair. He smoothed his beard with both hands, played with -his pencil, flung it on the table, and thrust his hands into his -trousers' pockets. He was silent for a painfully long time, then he -asked sternly, emphasizing each word: - -"What am I to do with you now?" - -"Forgive me," came from Yevsey in a whisper. - -"Klimkov?" mused the black-bearded man, ignoring Yevsey's reply. "Seems -to me I heard the name somewhere." - -"Forgive me," repeated Yevsey. - -"Do you feel yourself very guilty?" - -"Very." - -"That's good. What do you feel guilty of?" - -Klimkov was silent. He felt as if the black-bearded man sitting so -comfortably and calmly in his chair would never let him leave the room. - -"You don't know? Think!" - -Klimkov drew more air into his lungs, and began to tell of Rayisa and -how she had suffocated the old man. - -"Lukin?" the man with the blue goggles queried, yawning indifferently. -"Aha, that's why your name is familiar to me." - -He walked over to Yevsey, lifted his chin with his finger, and looked -into his face for a few seconds. Then he rang. - -A heavy tramp was heard, and a big pockmarked fellow with huge wrists -appeared at the door, and looked at Yevsey. He had a terrifying way of -spreading his red fingers like claws. - -"Take him, Semyonov." - -"To the corner cell?" asked the fellow in a hollow voice. - -"Yes." - -"Come," said Semyonov. - -Klimkov wanted to drop on his knees. He was already bending his legs, -when the fellow seized him under the arm, and pulled him through the -long corridor, down the stone stairway. - -"What's the matter, brat? Frightened?" he said, pushing Yevsey through a -small door. "Such a spider, no face, no skin, yet a rebel!" - -His words completely crushed Yevsey. He walked forward with -out-stretched hands, and bumped against the wall. When he heard the -heavy clang of the iron door behind him, he squatted on the floor, -putting his hands about his knees and raising his knees to his drooping -head. A heavy silence descended upon him. It seemed to him he would die -instantly. Suddenly he jumped from the floor, and ran about the room -like a mouse. His groping hands felt the palette covered with a rough -blanket, a table, a chair. He ran to the door, touched it, noticed in -the wall opposite a little square window, and rushed toward the window. -It was below the level of the ground. The area between the ground and -the outer wall was laid over with horizontal bars through which the snow -sifted with a soft swish, creeping down the dirty panes. Klimkov turned -noiselessly toward the door, and leaned his forehead upon it. - -"Forgive me. Let me out," he whispered in his anguish. - -Then he dropped on the floor again, and lost consciousness, drowned in a -wave of despair. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - -The days and nights dragged along in black and grey stripes, slowly -poisoning Yevsey's soul, biting into it and enfeebling it. They crept by -in dumb stillness, filled with ominous threats and forebodings. They -said nothing of when they would end their slow racking course. In -Yevsey's soul everything grew silent and numb. He did not dare, was -unable to, think; and when he paced his cage, he tried to make his steps -inaudible. - -On the tenth day he was again set before the man in the blue glasses. -The man who had brought him there the first time was also present. - -"Not very pleasant, eh, Klimkov?" the dark man asked, smacking his thick -red lower lip. His high voice made an odd splashing sound as if he were -laughing inside himself. The reflection of the electric light upon the -blue glass of his spectacles sent strong rays into Yevsey's empty -breast, and filled him with slavish readiness to do everything necessary -to end these slimy days which sank into darkness and threatened madness. - -"Let me go," he said quietly. - -"Yes, I will, and more besides. I will take you into the service. Now -you will yourself put people into the place from which you have just -been taken--into the same place and into other cosy little rooms." He -laughed, smacking his lip. Klimkov bowed. "The late Lukin interceded for -you; and in memory of his honest service I will give you a position. You -will receive twenty-five rubles a month to begin with." - -His words entered Yevsey's breast and memory, and disposed themselves in -a row, as if a commanding hand had written them there. He bowed again. - -"This man, Piotr Petrovich, will be your chief and teacher. You must do -everything he tells you. Do you understand?" He turned to the other man. -"So it's decided--he will live with you." - -"Very well," came the response with unexpected loudness. "That will be -more convenient for me." - -"All right." - -The dark man turning again to Yevsey began to speak to him in a softened -voice, telling him something soothing and promising. Yevsey tried to -take in his words, and followed the heavy movement of the red lip under -the mustache without winking. - -"Remember, you will now guard the sacred person of the Czar from -attempts upon his life and upon his sacred power. You understand?" - -"I thank you humbly," said Yevsey quietly. - -Piotr Petrovich pushed his hat up on his forehead. - -"I will explain everything to him," he interjected hastily. "It is time -for me to go." - -"Go, go. Well, Klimkov, off with you. Serve well, brother, and you will -be satisfied. You will be happy. All the same don't forget that you took -part in the murder of the secondhand book-dealer Raspopov. You confessed -to it yourself, and I took your testimony down in writing. Do you -understand? Well, so long." - -Filip Filippovich nodded his head, and his stiff beard, which seemed to -be cut from wood, moved in unison with it. Then he held out to Yevsey a -white bloated hand with a number of gold rings on the short fingers. - -Yevsey closed his eyes, and started. - -"What a scarey fellow you are, brother!" Filip Filippovich ejaculated in -a thin voice, and laughed a glassy laugh. "Now you have nothing and -nobody to fear. You are now the servant of the Czar, and ought to be -self-assured and bold. You stand on firm ground. Do you comprehend?" - -When Yevsey walked out into the street, he could not catch his breath. -He staggered, and almost fell. Piotr, raising the collar of his -overcoat, looked around and waved to a cab. - -"We will ride home--to my house," he said in a low tone. - -Yevsey looked at him from the corners of his eyes, and almost uttered a -cry. Piotr's smooth-shaven face had suddenly grown a small light -mustache. - -"Well, why are you gaping at me in that fashion?" he asked gruffly, in -annoyance. - -Yevsey dropped his head, trying in spite of his wish to do so, not to -look into the face of the new master of his destiny. Piotr did not speak -to him throughout the ride, but kept counting something on his fingers, -bending them one after the other and knitting his brows and biting his -lips. Occasionally he called out angrily to the driver: - -"Hurry!" - -It was cold, sleet was falling, and splashing sounds floated in the air. -It seemed to Yevsey that the cab was quickly rolling down a steep -mountain into a black dirty ravine. - -They stopped at a large three-storied house. Most of the windows in -three rows were dark and blind. Only a few gleamed a sickly yellow from -the illumination within. Streams of water poured from the roof sobbing. - -"Go up the steps," commanded Piotr, who was now sans mustache. - -They ascended the steps and walked through a long corridor past a number -of white doors. Yevsey thought the place was a prison, but the thick -odor of fried onion and blacking did not accord with his conception of a -prison. Piotr quickly opened one of the white doors, turned on two -electric lights, and carefully scrutinized all the corners of the room. - -"If anybody asks you who you are," he said drily and quickly while -removing his hat and overcoat, "say you are my cousin. You came from the -Tzarskoe Selo to look for a position. Remember--don't make a break." - -Piotr's face wore a preoccupied expression, his eyes were cheerless, his -speech abrupt, his thin lips twitched. He rang, and thrust his head out -of the door. - -"Ivan, bring in the samovar," he called. - -Yevsey standing in a corner of the room looked around dismally, in vague -expectation. - -"Take off your coat, and sit down. You will have the next room to -yourself," said the spy, quickly unfolding a card table. He took from -his pocket a note-book and a pack of cards, which he laid out for four -hands. - -"You understand, of course," he went on without looking at Klimkov, "you -understand that ours is a secret business. We must keep under cover, or -else they'll kill us as they killed Lukin." - -"Was he killed?" asked Yevsey quietly. - -"Yes," said Piotr unconcernedly. He wiped his forehead and examined the -cards. "Deal one thousand two hundred and fourteen--I have the ace, -seven of hearts, queen of clubs." He made a note in his book, and -without raising his head continued to speak to himself. - -When he calculated the cards, he mumbled indistinctly with a preoccupied -air; but when he instructed Yevsey, he spoke drily, clearly, and -rapidly. "Revolutionists are enemies of the Czar and God--ten of -diamonds--three--Jack of spades--they are bought by the Germans in order -to bring ruin upon Russia. We Russians have begun to do everything -ourselves, and for the Germans--king, five and nine--the devil! The -sixteenth coincidence!" - -Piotr Petrovich suddenly grew jolly, his eyes gleamed, and his face -assumed a sleek, satisfied expression. - -"What was I saying?" he asked Yevsey looking up at him. - -"The Germans." - -"Oh, yes! The Germans are greedy, they are enemies of the Russian -people, they want to conquer us. They want us to buy all our goods from -them, and give them our bread. The Germans have no bread--queen of -diamonds--all right--two of hearts, ten of clubs, ten--" Screwing up his -eyes he looked up at the ceiling, sighed, and shuffled the cards. "In -general, all foreigners envious of the wealth and power of Russia--one -thousand two hundred and fifteenth deal--want to create a revolt in our -country, dethrone the Czar, and--three aces--hmm!--and place their own -officials everywhere, their own rulers over us in order to rob us and -ruin us. You don't want this to happen, do you?" - -"I don't," said Yevsey, who understood nothing, and followed the quick -movements of the card-player's fingers with a dull look. - -"Of course, nobody wants it," remarked Piotr pensively. He laid out the -cards again, and stroked his cheeks meditatively. "You are a Russian, -and you cannot want that--that--this should happen--therefore you ought -to fight the revolutionaries, agents of the foreigners, and defend the -liberty of Russia, the power and life of the Czar. That's all. Did you -understand?" - -"I did." - -"Afterward you will see the way it must be done. The only thing I'll -tell you beforehand is, don't dwaddle. Carry out all orders precisely. -We fellows ought to have eyes in back as well as in front. If you -haven't, you'll get it good and hard on all sides--ace of spades, seven -of diamonds, ten of clubs." - -There was a knock at the door. - -"Open the door." - -A red, curly-haired man entered carrying a samovar on a tray. - -"Ivan, this is my cousin. He will live here with me. Get the next room -ready for him." - -"Yes, sir. Mr. Chizhov was here." - -"Drunk?" - -"A little. He wanted to come in." - -"Make tea, Yevsey," said the spy after the servant had left the room. -"Get yourself a glass and drink some tea. What salary did you get in the -police department?" - -"Nine rubles a month." - -"You have no money now?" - -"No." - -"You've got to have some, and you must order a suit for yourself. One -suit won't do. You must notice everybody, but nobody must notice you." - -He again mumbled calculations of the cards. Yevsey, while noiselessly -serving the tea, tried to straighten out the strange impressions of the -day. But he was not successful. He felt sick. He was chilled through and -through, and his hands shook. He wanted to stretch himself out in a -corner, close his eyes, and lie motionless for a long time. Words and -phrases repeated themselves disconnectedly in his head. - -"What are you guilty of, then?" Filip Filippovich asked in a thin voice. - -"They killed Dorimedont Lukin," the spy announced drily; then exclaimed -joyfully, "The sixteenth coincidence!" - -"You will choke yourself," said Rayisa in an even voice. - -There was a powerful rap on the door. Piotr raised his head. - -"Is it you, Sasha?" - -"Well, open the door," an angry voice answered. - -When Yevsey opened the door, a tall man loomed before him, swaying on -long legs. The ends of his black mustache reached to the bottom of his -chin. The hairs of it must have been stiff and hard as a horse's, for -each one stuck out by itself. When he removed his hat, he displayed a -bald skull. He flung the hat on the bed, and rubbed his face vigorously -with both hands. - -"Why are you throwing your wet hat on my bed?" observed Piotr. - -"The devil take your bed!" said the guest through his nose. - -"Yevsey, hang up the overcoat." - -The visitor seated himself, stretching out his long legs and lighting a -cigarette. - -"What's that--Yevsey?" - -"My cousin. Will you have some tea?" - -"We're all akin in our natural skin. Have you whiskey?" - -Piotr told Klimkov to order a bottle of whiskey and some refreshments. -Yevsey obeyed, then seated himself at the table, putting the samovar -between his face and the visitor's, so as not to be seen by him. - -"How's business, card sharper?" he asked, nodding his head at the cards. - -Piotr suddenly half raised himself from the chair, and said animatedly: - -"I have found out the secret! I have found out the secret!" - -"You have found it out?" queried the visitor. "Fool!" he exclaimed, -drawling the word and shaking his head. - -Piotr seized the note-book and rapping his fingers on it continued in a -hot whisper: - -"Wait, Sasha. I have had the sixteenth coincidence already. You get the -significance of that? And I made only one one thousand two hundred and -fourteen deals. Now the cards keep repeating themselves oftener and -oftener. I must make two thousand seven hundred and four deals. You -understand? Fifty-two times fifty-two. Then make all the deals over -again thirteen times, according to the number of cards in each color. -Thirty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty-two times. And repeat these -deals four times according to the number of colors. One hundred and -forty thousand six hundred and eight times." - -"Fool!" the visitor again drawled through his nose, shaking his head and -curling his lips in a sneer. - -"Why, Sasha, why? Explain!" Piotr cried softly. "Why, then I'll know all -the deals possible in a game. Think of it! I'll look at my cards--" he -held the book nearer to his face and began to read quickly--"ace of -spades, seven of diamonds, ten of clubs. So of the other players one has -king of hearts, five and ten of diamonds, and the other, ace, seven of -hearts, queen of clubs, and the third has queen of diamonds, two of -hearts, and ten of clubs." - -His hands trembled, sweat glistened on his temples, his face became -young, good, and kind. - -Klimkov peering from behind the samovar saw on Sasha's face large dim -eyes with red veins on the whites, a coarse big nose, which seemed to be -swollen, and a net of pimples spread on the yellow skin of his forehead -from temple to temple like the band worn by the dead. He radiated an -acrid, unpleasant odor. The man recalled something painful to Yevsey. - -Piotr pressed the book to his breast, and waved his hand in the air. - -"I shall then be able to play without a single miss," he whispered -ecstatically. "Hundreds of thousands, millions, will be lost to me, and -there won't be any sharp practice, any jugglery in it, a matter of my -knowledge--that's all. Everything strictly within the law." - -He struck his chest so severe a blow with his fist that he began to -cough. Then he dropped on his chair, and laughed quietly. - -"Why don't they bring the whiskey?" growled Sasha, throwing the stump of -his cigarette on the floor. - -"Yevsey, go tell--" Piotr began quickly, but at that instant there was a -knock at the door. "Are you drinking again?" Piotr asked smiling. - -Sasha stretched out his hand for the bottle. - -"Not yet, but I will be in a second." - -"It's bad for you with your sickness." - -"Whiskey is bad for healthy people, too. Whiskey and the imagination. -You, for instance, will soon be an idiot." - -"I won't. Don't be uneasy." - -"You will. I know mathematics. I see you are a blockhead." - -"Everyone has his own mathematics," replied Piotr, disgruntled. - -"Shut up!" said Sasha, slowly sipping the glass of whiskey and smelling -a piece of bread. Having drained the first glass, he immediately filled -another for himself. - -"To-day," he began, bending his head and resting his hands on his knees, -"I spoke to the general again. I made a proposition to him. I said, 'Now -give me means, and I'll unearth people. I will open a literary club, and -trap the very best scamps for you, all of them.' He puffed his cheeks, -and stuck out his belly and said--the jackass!--'I know better what has -to be done, and how it has to be done.' He knows everything. But he -doesn't know that his mistress danced naked before Von Rutzen, or that -his daughter had an abortion performed." He drained the second glass of -whiskey, and filled the third. "Everybody's a blackguard and a skunk. -It's impossible to live! Once Moses ordered 23,000 syphilitics to be -killed. At that time there weren't many people, mark you. If I had the -power I would destroy a million." - -"Yourself first?" suggested Piotr smiling. - -Sasha sniffed without answering, as if in a delirium. - -"All those liberals, generals, revolutionists, dissolute women--I'd make -a large pyre of them and burn them. I would drench the earth with blood, -manure it with the ashes of the corpses. There would be a rich crop. -Satiated muzhiks would elect satiated officials. Man is an animal, and -he needs rich pastures, fertile fields. The cities ought to be -destroyed, and everything superficial, everything that hinders me and -you from living simply as the sheep and roosters--to the devil with it -all!" - -His viscid rank-smelling words fairly glued themselves to Yevsey's -heart. It was difficult and dangerous to listen to them. - -"Suddenly they will summon me and ask me what he said. Maybe he's -speaking on purpose to trap me. Then they'll seize me." He trembled and -moved uneasily in his chair. "May I go?" he requested of Piotr quietly. - -"Where?" - -"To my room." - -"Oh, yes, go on." - -"Got frightened, the donkey!" remarked Sasha without lifting his head. - -"Go on, go on," repeated Piotr. - -Klimkov undressed noiselessly without making a light. He groped for the -bed in the dark, and rolled himself up closely in the cold, damp sheet. -He wanted to see nothing, to hear nothing, he wanted to squeeze himself -into a little unnoticeable lump. The snuffled words of Sasha clung in -his memory. Yevsey thought he smelt his odor and saw the red band on the -yellow forehead. As a matter of fact the irritated exclamations came in -to him through the door. - -"I am a muzhik myself, I know what's necessary." - -Without wishing to do so Yevsey listened intently. He racked his brain -to recall the person of whom this sick man so full of rancor reminded -him, though he actually dreaded lest he should remember. - -It was dark and cold. Behind the black panes rocked the dull reflections -of the light, disappearing and reappearing. A thin scraping sound was -audible. The wind-swept rain knocked upon the panes in heavy drops. - -"Shall I enter a monastery?" Klimkov mused mournfully, and suddenly he -remembered God, whose name he had seldom heard in his life in the city. -He had not thought of Him the whole time. In his heart always full of -fear and insult there had been no place for hope in the mercy of Heaven. -But now it unexpectedly appeared, and suffused his breast with warmth, -extinguishing his heavy, dull despair. He jumped from bed, kneeled on -the floor, and firmly pressed his hands to his bosom. He turned his face -to the dark corner of the room, closed his eyes, and waited without -uttering words, listening to the beating of his heart. But he was -exceedingly tired. The cold pricked his skin with thousands of sharp -needles. He shivered, and lay down again in bed, and fell asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - -When Yevsey awoke he saw that in the corner to which he had directed his -mute prayer there were no ikons, but two pictures on the wall, one -representing a hunter with a green feather in his hat kissing a stout -girl, the other a fair-haired woman with naked bosom, holding a flower -in her hand. - -He sighed as he looked around his room without interest. When he had -washed and dressed he seated himself at the window. The middle of the -street upon which he looked, the pavements, and the houses were all -dirty. The horses plodded along shaking their heads, damp drivers sat on -the box-seats, also shaking as if they had come unscrewed. The people as -always were hurrying somewhere. To-day, when splashed with mud, they -seemed less dangerous than usual. - -Yevsey was hungry. But he did not know whether he had the right to ask -for tea and bread, and remained motionless as a stone until he heard a -knock on the wall, upon which he went to the door of Piotr's room. - -"Have you had tea yet?" asked the spy, who was still lying in bed. - -"No." - -"Ask for it." - -Piotr stuck his bare feet out of the bed, and looked at his fingers as -he stretched them. - -"We'll drink tea, and then you'll go with me," he said yawning. "I'll -show you a man, and you will follow him. You must go wherever he goes, -you understand? Note the time he enters a house and how long he stays -there. If he leaves the house, or meets another man on the way, notice -the appearance of that man and then--well, you won't understand -everything at the very first." Piotr looked at Klimkov, whistled -quietly, and turning aside continued lazily, "Last night Sasha babbled -about various things here--he upbraided everybody--don't think of saying -anything about it. Take care. He's a sick man, and drinks, but he's a -power. _You_ can't hurt _him_, but _he'll_ eat _you_ up alive. Remember -that. Why, brother, he was a student once himself, and he knows their -business down to a 't.' He was even put in prison for political offence. -And now he gets a hundred rubles a month, and not only Filip Filippovich -but even the general calls on him for advice. Yes, indeed." Piotr drew -his flabby face, crumpled with sleep, in a frown, his grey eyes lowered -with dissatisfaction. He dressed while he spoke in a bored, grumbling -voice. "Our work is not a joke. If you catch people by their throats in -a trice, then of course--but first you must tramp about a hundred versts -for each one, and sometimes more. You must know where each man was at a -given time, with whom he was, in fact, you have to know -everything--everything." - -The evening before, notwithstanding the agitations of the day; Klimkov -had found Piotr an interesting, clever person. Now, however, seeing that -he spoke with an effort, that he moved about reluctantly, and that -everything dropped from his hands, Yevsey felt bolder in his presence. - -"Must we walk the streets the whole day long?" he plucked up the courage -to ask. - -"Sometimes you have a night outing, too, in the cold, thirty degrees -Centigrade. A very evil demon invented our profession." - -"And when they all will have been caught?" - -"Who?" - -"The unfaithful ones, the enemies." - -"Say revolutionists, or political offenders. You and I won't catch -everyone of them. They all seem to be born twins." - -At tea Piotr opened his book. On looking into it, he suddenly grew -animated. He jumped from his chair, quickly laid out the cards, and -began to calculate--"One thousand two hundred and sixteenth deal. I have -three of spades, seven of hearts, ace of diamonds." - -Before leaving the house he put on a black overcoat and an imitation -sheepskin cap, and stuck a portfolio in his hand, making himself look -like an official. - -"Don't walk alongside me on the street," he said sternly, "and don't -speak to me. I will enter a certain house; you go into the dvornik's -lodging, tell him you have to wait for Timofeyev. I'll soon--" - -Fearing he would lose Piotr in the crowd Yevsey walked behind him -without removing his eyes from his figure. But all of a sudden Piotr -disappeared. Klimkov was at a loss. He rushed forward, then stopped, and -pressed himself against a lamp-post. Opposite him rose a large house -with gratings over the dark windows of the first story. Through the -narrow entrance he saw a bleak gloomy yard paved with large stones. -Klimkov was afraid to enter. He looked all around him uneasily shifting -from one foot to the other. - -A man with a reddish little beard now walked out with hasty steps. He -wore a sort of sleeveless jacket and a cap with a visor pulled down on -his forehead. He winked his grey eyes at Yevsey, and said in a low tone: - -"Come here. Why didn't you go to the dvornik?" - -"I lost you," Yevsey admitted. - -"Lost? Look out! You might get it in the neck for that. Listen. Three -doors away from here is the Zemstvo Board building. A man will soon -leave the place who works there. His name is Dmitry Ilyich Kurnosov. -Remember. You are to follow him. You understand? Come, and I will show -him to you." - -Several minutes later Klimkov like a little dog was quickly following a -man in a worn overcoat and a crumpled black hat. The man was large and -strong. He walked rapidly, swung a cane, and rapped it on the asphalt -vigorously. Black hair with a sprinkling of grey fell from under his hat -on his ears and the back of his neck. - -Yevsey was suddenly overcome by a feeling of pity, which was a rare -thing with him. It imperiously demanded action. Perspiring from -agitation he darted across the street in short steps, ran forward, -recrossed the street, and met the man breast to breast. Before him -flashed a dark-bearded face, with meeting brows, a smile reflected in -blue eyes, and a broad forehead seamed with wrinkles. The man's lips -moved. He was evidently singing or speaking to himself. - -Klimkov stopped and wiped the perspiration from his face with his hands. -Then he followed the man with bent head and eyes cast to the ground, -raising them only now and then in order not to lose the object of his -observation from sight. - -"Not young," he thought. "A poor man apparently. It all comes from -poverty and from fear, too." - -He remembered the Smokestack, and trembled. - -"He'll kill me," he thought. Then he grew sorry for the Smokestack. - -The buildings looked down upon him with dim, tired eyes. The noise of -the street crept into his ears insistently, the cold liquid mud squirted -and splashed. Klimkov was overcome by a sense of gloomy monotony. He -recalled Rayisa, and was drawn to move aside, away from the street. - -The man he was tracking stopped at the steps of a house, pushed the bell -button, raised his hat, fanned his face with it, and flung it back on -his head, leaving bare part of a bald skull. Yevsey stationed himself -five steps away at the curb. He looked pityingly into the man's face, -and felt the need to tell him something. The man observed him, frowned, -and turned away. Yevsey, disconcerted, dropped his head, and sat down on -the curb. - -"If he only had insulted me," he thought. "But this way, without any -provocation, it's not good, it's not good." - -"From the Department of Safety?" he heard a low hissing voice. The -question was asked by a tall reddish muzhik with a dirty apron and a -broom in his hands. - -"Yes," responded Yevsey, and the very same instant thought, "I ought not -to have told him." - -"A new one again?" remarked the janitor. "You are all after Kurnosov?" - -"Yes." - -"So? Tell the officers that this morning a guest came to him from the -railroad station with trunks, three trunks. He hasn't registered yet -with the police. He has twenty-four hours' time. A little sort of a -pretty fellow with a small mustache. He wears clean clothes." The -dvornik ran the broom over the pavement several times, and sprinkled -Yevsey's shoes and trousers with mud. Presently he stopped to remark, -"You can be seen here. They aren't fools either, they notice your kind. -You ought to stand at the gates." - -Yevsey obediently stepped to the gates. Suddenly he noticed Yakov -Zarubin on the other side of the street wearing a new overcoat and -gloves and carrying a cane. The black derby hat was tilted on his head, -and as he walked along the pavement he smiled and ogled like a street -girl confident of her beauty. - -"Good morning," he said, looking around. "I came to replace you. Go to -Somov's café on Lebed Street, ask for Nikolay Pavlov there." - -"Are you in the Department of Safety, too?" asked Yevsey. - -"I got there ten days before you. Why?" - -Yevsey looked at him, at his beaming swart countenance. - -"Was it you who told about me?" - -"And didn't you betray the Smokestack?" - -After thinking a while Yevsey answered glumly: - -"I did it after you had betrayed me. You were the only one I told." - -"And you were the only one the Smokestack told. Ugh!" Yakov laughed, and -gave Yevsey a poke on the shoulder. "Go quick, you crooked chicken!" He -walked by Yevsey's side swinging his cane. "This is a good position. I -understand so much. You can live like a lord, walk about, and look at -everything. You see this suit? Now the girls show me especial -attention." - -Soon he took leave of Yevsey, and turned back quickly. Klimkov following -him with an inimical glance fell to thinking. He considered Yakov a -dissolute, empty fellow, whom he placed lower than himself, and it was -offensive to see him so well satisfied and so elegantly dressed. - -"He informed against me. If I told about the Smokestack it was out of -fear. But why did he do it?" He made mental threats against Yakov. -"Wait, we will see who's the better man." - -When he asked at the café for Nikolay Pavlov, he was shown a stairway, -which he ascended. At the top he heard Piotr's voice on the other side -of a door. - -"There are fifty-two cards to a pack. In the city in my district there -are thousands of people, and I know a few hundred of them maybe. I know -who lives with whom, and what and where each of them works. People -change, but cards remain one and the same." - -Besides Sasha there was another man in the room with Piotr, a tall, -well-built person, who stood at the window reading a paper, and did not -move when Yevsey entered. - -"What a stupid mug!" were the words with which Sasha met Yevsey, fixing -an evil look upon his face. "It must be made over. Do you hear, -Maklakov?" - -The man reading the paper turned his head, and looked at Yevsey with -large bright eyes. - -"Yes," he said. - -Piotr, who seemed to be excited and had dishevelled hair, asked Yevsey -what he had seen. The remnants of dinner stood on the table; the odor of -grease and sauer-kraut titillated Yevsey's nostrils, and gave him a keen -appetite. He stood before Piotr, who was cleaning his teeth with a -goose-quill, and in a dispassionate voice repeated the information the -janitor had given him. At the first words of the account Maklakov put -his hands and the paper behind his back, and inclined his head. He -listened attentively twirling his mustache, which like the hair on his -head was a peculiar light shade, a sort of silver with a tinge of -yellow. The clean, serious face with the knit brows and the calm eyes, -the confident pose of his powerful body clad in a close-fitting, well -made, sober suit, the strong bass voice--all this distinguished Maklakov -advantageously from Piotr and Sasha. - -"Did the janitor himself carry the trunks in?" he asked Yevsey. - -"He didn't say." - -"That means he did not carry them in. He would have told you whether -they were heavy or light. They carried them in themselves. Evidently -that's the way it was." - -"The printing office?" asked Sasha. - -"Literature, the current number." - -"Well, we must have a search made," said Sasha gruffly, and uttered an -ugly oath, shaking his fist. - -"I must find the printing-press. Get me type, boys, and I'll fix up a -printing-press myself. I'll find the donkeys. We'll give them all that's -necessary. Then we'll arrest them, and we'll have lots of money." - -"Not a bad scheme!" exclaimed Piotr. - -Maklakov looked at Yevsey, and asked: - -"Have you had your dinner yet?" - -"No." - -"Take your dinner," said Piotr with a nod toward the table. "Be quick -about it." - -"Why treat him to remnants?" asked Maklakov calmly. Then he stepped to -the door, opened it, and called out, "Dinner, please." - -"You try," Sasha snuffled to Piotr, "to persuade that idiot Afanasov to -give us the printing-press they seized last year." - -"Very well, I'll try," Piotr assented meditatively. - -Maklakov did not look at them, but silently twisted his mustache. Dinner -was served. A round pock-marked modest-looking man made his appearance -in the room at the same time as the waiter. He smiled at everyone -benevolently, and shook Yevsey's hand vigorously. - -"My name is Solovyov," he said to him. "Have you heard the news, -friends? This evening there will be a banquet of the revolutionists at -Chistov's hall. Three of our fellows will go there as butlers, among -others you, Piotr." - -"I again?" shouted Piotr, and his face became covered with red blotches. -His anger made him look older. "The third time in two months that I have -had to play lackey! Excuse me! I don't want to." - -"Don't address me on the subject," said Solovyov affably. - -"What does it mean? Why do they choose just me to be a servant?" - -"You look like one," said Sasha, with a smile. - -"There will be three," Solovyov repeated sighing. "What do you say to -having some beer? All right?" - -Piotr opened the door, and shouted in an irritated voice: - -"Half a dozen beer," and he went to the window clenching his fists and -cracking his knuckles. - -"There, you see, Maklakov?" said Sasha. "Among us no one wants to work -seriously, with enthusiasm. But the revolutionists are pushing right -on--banquets, meetings, a shower of literature, open propaganda in the -factories!" - -Maklakov maintained silence, and did not look at Sasha. Round Solovyov -then took up the word, smiling amiably. - -"I caught a girl to-day at the railroad station with books. I had -already noticed her in a villa in the summer. 'Well,' thought I, 'amuse -yourself, my dear.' To-day, as I was walking in the station with no -people to track, I was looking about, and there I see her marching along -carrying a handbag. I went up to her, and respectfully proposed that she -have a couple of words with me. I noticed she started and paled, and hid -the bag behind her back. 'Ah,' thinks I, 'my dear little stupid, you've -gotten yourself into it.' Well, I immediately took her to the police -station, they opened her luggage, and there was the last issue of -'Emancipation' and a whole lot more of their noxious trash. I took the -girl to the Department of Safety. What else was I to do? If you can't -get Krushin pike, you must eat blinkers. In the carriage she kept her -little face turned away from me. I could see her cheeks burned and there -were tears in her eyes. But she kept mum. I asked her, 'Are you -comfortable, madam?' Not a word in reply." - -Solovyov chuckled softly. Trembling rays of wrinkles covered his face. - -"Who is she?" asked Maklakov. - -"Dr. Melikhov's daughter." - -"Ah," drawled Sasha, "I know him." - -"A respectable man. He has the orders of Vladimir and Anna," remarked -Solovyov. - -"I know him," repeated Sasha. "A charlatan, like all the rest. He tried -to cure me." - -"God alone can cure you now," said Solovyov in his affable tone. "You -are ruining your health quickly." - -"Go to the devil!" roared Sasha. - -Maklakov asked without turning his gaze from the window: - -"Did the girl cry?" - -"No. But she didn't exactly rejoice. You know it's always unpleasant to -me to take girls, because in the first place I have a daughter myself." - -"What are you waiting for, Maklakov?" demanded Sasha testily. - -"Until he gets through eating his dinner. I have time." - -"Say, you, chew faster!" Sasha bawled at Klimkov. - -"Yes, yes, hurry," Piotr observed drily. - -As he ate his dinner, Klimkov listened to the talk attentively, and -observed the people while he himself remained unnoticed. He noted with -satisfaction that all of them except Sasha did not seem bad, not worse -or more horrible than others. He was seized with a desire to ingratiate -himself with them, make himself useful to them. He put down the knife -and fork, and quickly wiped his lips with the soiled napkin. - -"I am done." - -The door was flung open, and a loose-limbed fellow, his dress in -disorder, his body bent and stooping, darted into the room, and hissed: - -"Ssh! Ssh!" - -He thrust his head into the corridor, listened, then carefully closed -the door. "Doesn't it lock? Where is the key?" He looked around, and -drew a deep breath. "Thank God!" he exclaimed. - -"Eh, you dunce," sneered Sasha. "Well, what is it? Do they want to lick -you again?" - -The man ran up to him. Panting and wiping the sweat from his face, he -began, to mutter in a low voice: - -"They did, of course. They wanted to kill me with a hammer. Two followed -me from the prison. I was there on business. As I walked out, they were -standing at the gate, two of them, and one of them had a hammer in his -pocket." - -"Maybe it was a revolver," suggested Solovyov stretching his neck. - -"A hammer." - -"Did you see it?" inquired Sasha sarcastically. - -"Ah, don't I know? They agreed to do me up with a hammer, without making -any noise. One--" - -He adjusted his necktie, buttoned his coat, searched for something in -his pockets, and smoothed his curly head, which was covered with sweat. -His hands incessantly flashed about his body; they seemed ready to break -off any moment. His bony grey face was dank with perspiration, his dark -eyes rolled from side to side, now screwed up, now opened wide. Suddenly -they became fixed. With unfeigned horror depicted in them they rested -upon Yevsey's face, as the man backed to the door. - -"Who's that? Who's that?" he demanded hoarsely. - -Maklakov went up to him, and took his hand. - -"Calm yourself, Yelizar. He's one of our own, a new one." - -"Do you know him?" - -"Jackass!" came Sasha's exasperated voice. "You ought to see a -physician." - -"Have you ever been pushed under a trolley car? Not yet? Then wait -before you call names." - -"Just look, Maklakov," began Sasha, but the man continued in extreme -excitement: - -"Have you ever been beaten at night by unknown people? Do you -understand? Unknown people! There are hundreds of thousands such people -unknown to me in the city, hundreds of thousands. They are everywhere, -and I am a single one. I am always among them, do you understand?" - -Now Solovyov began to speak in his soft, reassuring voice, which was -drowned, however, by the new burst of words coming from the shattered -man, who carried in himself a whirlwind of fear. Klimkov immediately -grew dizzy, overwhelmed by the alarming whisper of his talk, blinded by -the motion of his broken body, and the darting of his cowardly hands. He -expected that now something huge and black would tear its way through -the door, would fill the room, and crush everybody. - -"It's time for us to go," said Maklakov, touching his shoulder. - -When they were sitting in the cab Yevsey sullenly remarked: - -"I am not fit for this work." - -"Why?" asked Maklakov. - -"I am timid." - -"That'll pass away." - -"Nothing will pass away." - -"Everything," rejoined Maklakov calmly. - -It was cold and dark, and sleet was falling. The reflections of the -lights lay upon the mud in golden patches, which the people and horses -tramped upon and extinguished. The two men were silent for a long time. -Yevsey, his brain empty, looked into space, and felt that Maklakov was -watching his face, in wait for something. - -"You'll get used to it," Maklakov went on, "but if you have another -position, leave it at once. Have you?" - -"No." - -"Is it long since you've been in the Department of Safety?" - -"Yesterday." - -"That accounts for it." - -"Now where am I to go?" inquired Yevsey quietly. - -Maklakov instead of replying to the question asked: - -"Have you relatives?" - -"No. I have no one." - -The spy leaned over, though without saying anything. His eyes were half -shut. As he drew his breath through his nose, the thin hair of his -mustache quivered. The thick sounds of a bell floated in the air, soft -and warm, and the pensive song of copper crept mournfully over the roofs -of the houses without rising under the heavy cloud that covered the city -with a solid dark canopy. - -"To-morrow is Sunday," said Maklakov in a low tone. "Do you go to -church?" - -"No." - -"Why not?" - -"I don't know. Just so. It's close there." - -"I do. I love the morning service. The choristers sing, and the sun -looks through the windows. That is always good." - -Maklakov's simple words emboldened Yevsey. He felt a desire to speak of -himself. - -"It is nice to sing," he began. "When I was a little boy I sang in the -church in our village. When I sang I didn't know where I was. It was -just the same as if I didn't exist." - -"Here we are," said Maklakov. - -Yevsey sighed, and looked sadly at the long structure of the railway -station, which all of a sudden loomed up before them and barred the way. - -They went to the platform where a large public had already gathered, and -leaned up against the wall. Maklakov dropped his lids over his eyes, and -seemed to be falling into a doze. The spurs of the gendarmes began to -jingle, a well-shaped woman with dark eyes and a swarthy face laughed in -a resonant young voice. - -"Remember the woman there who is laughing and the man beside her," said -Maklakov in a distinct whisper. "Her name is Sarah Lurye, an -accoucheure. She lives in the Sadovoy, No. 7. She was in prison and in -exile, a very clever woman. The old man is also a former exile, a -journalist." - -Suddenly Maklakov seemed to become frightened. He pulled his hat down -over his face with a quick movement of his hand, and continued in a -still lower voice: - -"The tall man in the black suit and the shaggy hat, red-haired, do you -see him?" - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"He's the author Mironov. He has been in prison four times already, in -different cities. Do you read books?" - -"No." - -"A pity. He writes interestingly." - -The black iron worm with a horn on its head and three fiery eyes uttered -a scream, and glided into the station, the metal of its huge body -rumbling. It stopped, and hissed spitefully, filling the air with its -thick white breath. The hot steamy odor knocked Yevsey in the face. The -black bustling figures of people quickly darted before his eyes, seeming -strangely small in contrast with the overwhelming size of the train. - -It was the first time Yevsey had seen the mass of iron at such close -range. It seemed alive and endowed with feeling. It attracted his -attention powerfully, at the same time arousing a hostile, painful -premonition. The large red wheels turned, the steel lever glittered, -rising and falling like a gigantic knife. Maklakov utter a subdued -exclamation. - -"What is it?" asked Yevsey. - -"Nothing," answered the spy vexed. His cheeks reddened, and he bit his -lips. By his look Yevsey guessed that he was following the author, who -was walking along without haste, twirling his mustache. He was -accompanied by an elderly, thick-set man, with an unbuttoned coat and a -summer hat on a large head. This man laughed aloud, and exclaimed as he -raised his bearded red face: - -"You understand? I rode and rode--" - -The author lifted his head, and bowed to somebody. His head was smoothly -shorn, his forehead lofty. He had high cheek bones, a broad nose, and -narrow eyes. Klimkov found his face coarse and disagreeable. There was -something military and harsh in it, due to his large red mustache. - -"Come," said Maklakov. "They will probably go together. You must be very -careful. The man who just arrived is an experienced man." - -In the street they took a cab again. - -"Follow that carriage," Maklakov said angrily to the driver. He was -silent for a long time, sitting with bent back and swaying body. "Last -year in the summer," he finally muttered, "I was in his house making a -search." - -"The writer's house?" asked Yevsey. - -"Yes. Drive on farther," Maklakov ordered quickly noticing that the cab -in front had stopped. "Quick!" - -A minute later he jumped from the cab, and thrust some money into the -driver's hand. - -"Wait," he said to Yevsey, and disappeared in the damp darkness. Yevsey -heard his voice. "Excuse me, is this Yakovlev's house?" - -Someone answered in a hollow voice: - -"This is Pertzev's." - -"And which is Yakovlev's?" - -"I don't know." - -"Pardon me." - -Yevsey leaned against the fence, counting Maklakov's tardy steps. - -"It's a simple thing--just to follow people," he thought. - -The spy came up to him, and said in a satisfied tone: - -"We have nothing to do here. To-morrow morning you will put on a -different suit, and we'll keep an eye on this house." - -They walked down the street. The sound of Maklakov's talk kept knocking -at Klimkov's ears like the rumble of a drum. - -"Remember the faces, the dress, and the gait of the people that pass -this house. There are no two people alike. Each one has something -peculiar to himself. You must learn at once to seize upon this peculiar -something in a person--in his eyes, in his voice, in the way in which he -holds out his hands when he walks, in the manner in which he lifts his -hat in greeting. Our work above all demands a good memory." - -Yevsey felt that the spy talked with concealed enmity toward him; which -aggrieved him. - -"You have an exceedingly marked face, especially your eyes. That won't -do. You mustn't go about without a mask, without the dress peculiar to a -certain occupation. Your figure, you in general, resemble a hawker of -dry-goods. So you ought to carry about a box of stuffs, pins, needles, -tape, ribbon, and all sorts of trifles. I will see that you get such a -box. Then you can go into the kitchens and get acquainted with the -servants." Maklakov was silent, removed his beard, fixed his hat, and -began to walk more slowly. "Servants are always ready to do something -unpleasant for the masters. It's easy to get something out of them, -especially the women--cooks, nurses, chambermaids. They like to gossip. -However, I'm chilled through," he ended in a different voice. "Let's go -to a café." - -"I have no money." - -"That's all right." - -In the café he said to the owner in a stern voice: - -"Give me a glass of cognac, a large one, and two beers. Will you have -some cognac?" - -"No, I don't drink," answered Yevsey, embarrassed. - -"That's good." - -The spy looked carefully into Klimkov's face, smoothed his mustache, -closed his eyes for a minute, and stretched his whole body, so that his -bones cracked. When he had drunk the cognac, he remarked in an -undertone: - -"It's good you are such a taciturn fellow. What do you think about, eh?" - -Yevsey dropped his head, and did not answer at once. - -"About everything, about myself." - -"But what in particular?" - -Maklakov's eyes gleamed softly. - -"I think perhaps it would be better for me to enter a monastery," Yevsey -answered sincerely. - -"Why?" - -"Just so." - -"Do you believe in God?" - -After a moment's thought Yevsey said as if excusing himself: - -"I do. Only I am not for God, but for myself. What am I to God?" - -"Well, let's drink." - -Klimkov bravely gulped down a glass of beer. It was cold and bitter, and -sent a shiver through his body. He licked his lips with his tongue, and -suddenly asked: - -"Do they beat you often?" - -"Me? Who?" the spy exclaimed amazed and offended. - -"Not you, but all the spies in general." - -"You must say 'agents,' not 'spies,'" Maklakov corrected him smiling. -"They get beaten, yes, they get beaten. I have never been beaten." - -He became lost in reflection. His shoulders drooped, and a shadow crept -over his white face. - -"Ours is a dog's occupation. People look upon us in an ugly enough -light." Suddenly his face broke into a smile, and he bent toward Yevsey. -"Only once in five years did I see a man--human conduct toward me. It -was in Mironov's house. I came to him with gendarmes in the uniform of a -sergeant-inspector. I was not well at the time. I had fever, and was -scarcely able to stand on my feet. He received us civilly, with a smile. -He wore a slightly embarrassed air. Such a large man, with long hands -and a mustache like a cat's. He walked with us from room to room, -addressed us all with the respectful plural 'you,' and if he came in -contact with any of us, he excused himself. We all felt awkward in his -presence--the colonel, the procurator, and we small fry. Everybody knew -the man; his pictures appeared in the newspapers. They say he's even -known abroad. And here we were paying him a night visit! We felt sort of -abashed. I noticed him look at me. Then he walked up closer to me, and -said, 'You ought to sit down. You look as if you were feeling ill. Sit -down.' His words upset me. I sat down, and I thought to myself, 'Go away -from me.' And he said, 'Will you take a powder?' All of us were silent. -I saw that no one looked at me or him." Maklakov laughed quietly. "He -gave me quinine in a capsule, and I chewed it. I began to feel an -insufferable bitterness in my mouth and a turmoil in my soul. I felt I -would drop if I tried to stand. Here the colonel interfered, and ordered -me to be taken to the police office. The search just then happened to -end. The procurator excused himself to Mironov, and said, 'I must arrest -you.' 'Well, what of it?' he said. 'Arrest me. Everyone does what he -can.' He said it so simply with a smile." - -Yevsey liked the story. It touched his heart softly, as if embracing it -with a caress. The desire awoke in him again to make himself useful to -Maklakov. - -"He's a good man," he thought. - -The spy sighed. He called for another glass of cognac, and sipped it -slowly. He seemed suddenly to grow thin, and he dropped his head on the -table. - -Yevsey wanted to speak, to ask questions. Various words darted about in -disorder in his brain, for some reason failing to arrange themselves in -intelligible and clear language. Finally, after many efforts, Yevsey -found what he wanted to ask. - -"He, too, is in the service of our enemies?" - -"Who?" asked the spy, scarcely raising his head. - -"The writer." - -"What enemies? What do you mean?" The spy's face was mocking, and his -lips curled in aversion. Yevsey grew confused, and Maklakov without -awaiting his answer arose, and tossed a silver coin on the table. - -"Charge it up," he said to someone. - -He put on his hat, and without a word to Klimkov walked to the door. -Yevsey followed on tiptoe, not daring to put on his hat. - -"Be at the place at nine o'clock to-morrow. You will be relieved at -twelve," said Maklakov in the street. He thrust his hands in his coat -pockets, and disappeared. - -"He didn't say 'good-by,'" thought Yevsey aggrieved, walking along the -deserted street. - -When he entered within the circles of light thrown by the street lamps, -he slackened his pace, and instinctively hastened over the parts -enveloped in obscurity. He felt ill. Darkness surrounded him on all -sides. It was cold. The gluey, bitter taste of beer penetrated from his -mouth into his chest, and his heart beat unevenly. Languid thoughts -stirred in his head like heavy flakes of autumn snow. - -"There, I've served a day. How they all are--these different days. If -only somebody liked me." - -At night Yevsey dreamed that his cousin Yashka seated himself on his -chest, seized him by the throat, and choked him. He awoke, and heard -Piotr's angry dry thin voice in the other room: - -"I spit upon the Czar's empire and all this hum-buggery!" - -A woman laughed, and someone's thin voice sounded: - -"Hush, hush, don't bawl." - -"I have no time to calculate who is right, and who is wrong. I am not a -fool, I am young, and I ought to live. This rapscallion reads me -lectures about autocracy, and I fuss about for three hours as a waiter, -near every sort of scamp. My feet ache, my back pains from the bows. If -the autocracy is dear to you, then don't be stingy with your money. But -I won't sell my pride to the autocracy for a mere penny. To the devil -with it!" - -Yevsey looked drowsily through the window, his gaze losing itself in the -sleepy depth of the autumn morning. Blinded, he quietly flung himself -back in bed, and again fell asleep. - -Several hours later he was sitting on the curb opposite Pertzev's house. -He walked back and forth a long time, counted the windows in the house, -measured its width with his steps, studied in all its details the grey -front flabby with old age, and finally grew tired. But he had not much -time to rest. The writer himself came out of the door with an overcoat -flung over his shoulders, no overshoes on his feet, his hat on one side -of his head. He walked across the street straight up to Yevsey. - -"He will give me a slap in the face," thought Yevsey, looking at the -sullen face and the lowering red brows. He tried to rise and go away, -but was unable to move, chained to the spot by fear. - -"Why are you sitting here?" he heard an angry voice. - -"Nothing." - -"Get away from here." - -"I can't." - -"Here's a letter. Go. Give it to him who sent you here." - -"I can't." - -"Why not?" - -The large blue eyes commanded. Yevsey had not the power to disobey the -look. Turning his face aside he mumbled: - -"I--I--I have no permission--to take anything from you--or to converse -with you. I am going away." - -"Yes, go away," the author commanded, and for some reason smiled a -morose smile. - -Klimkov took the grey envelope, and walked away, without asking himself -where he was going. He held the envelope in his right hand on a level -with his breast, as if it were something murderous, threatening unknown -misfortune. His fingers ached as from cold. - -"What is going to happen to me?" knocked importunately at his brain. - -Suddenly he noticed the envelope was not sealed. This amazed him. He -stopped, looked around, and quickly removed the letter. - -"Take this dunce away from me. Mironov," he read. - -He heaved a sigh of relief. - -"I must give this to Maklakov. He will scold me. Maybe I ought to turn -back. But it's not necessary. Somebody else will come soon anyway." - -Though his fear had disappeared, Yevsey felt sad from the realization of -his unfitness for the position, and he felt heavy at the thought that he -had again failed to suit the spy, whom he liked so much. - -He found Maklakov at dinner in the company of a little squint-eyed man -dressed in black. - -"Let me introduce you. Klimkov--Krasavin." - -Yevsey put his hand in his pocket to get out the letter, and said in an -embarrassed tone: - -"This is the way it happened--" - -Maklakov held up his hand. - -"You will tell me later. Sit down, and have your dinner." - -His face was weary, his eyes dim, his light straight hair dishevelled. - -"Evidently got drunk yesterday," thought Yevsey. - -"No, Timofey Vasilyevich," the squint-eyed man said coldly and solemnly. -"You are not right. There's something pleasant in every line of work if -you love it." - -Maklakov looked at him, and drank a large glass of whiskey in one gulp. - -"They are people, we are people, that doesn't signify anything. One says -this, another says that, and I do just as I please." - -The squint-eyed man noticed that Yevsey was looking at his eyeballs as -they rolled apart, and put on a pair of glasses with tortoise-shell -rims. His movements were soft and alert, like a black cat's. His teeth -were small and sharp, his nose straight and thin. When he spoke his rosy -ears moved. His crooked fingers kept quickly rolling a crumb of bread -into little pellets, which he placed on the edge of his plate. - -"An assistant?" he asked, nodding his head toward Yevsey. - -"Yes." - -"How's business, young man?" - -"I just began yesterday." - -"Oh, oh!" Krasavin nodded his head. Pinching his thin dark mustache, he -began to speak fluently: "Of course, Timofey Vasilyevich, you can't step -on the trail of life's destiny. According to God's law, children grow -old, people die. Only all this doesn't concern you and me. We received -our appointed task. We are told to catch the people who infringe on law -and order. That's all. It's a hard business, it's a clever business. To -use a figure of speech, it is a kind of hunt." - -Maklakov rose from the table, and walked into a corner, from where he -beckoned to Yevsey. - -"Well, what is it?" - -Yevsey gave him the note. The spy read it, looked into Klimkov's face in -astonishment, and read it again. - -"From whom is this?" he asked in a low voice. - -Yevsey answered in an embarrassed whisper. - -"He himself gave it to me. He came out into the street." - -In the expectation of a rebuke, or even a blow, he bent his neck. But -hearing a low laugh he cautiously raised his head, and saw the spy -looking at the envelope with a broad smile on his face and a merry gleam -in his eyes. - -"Oh, you strange fellow," said Maklakov. "Now keep quiet about this, you -droll creature." - -"Can I congratulate you on a successful piece of work?" asked Krasavin. - -"You can. Yes." Maklakov said aloud, walking up to him. - -"That's good, young man," remarked Krasavin encouragingly. His pupils -with green sparks flashing in them turned inward to the bridge of his -nose, and his nostrils quivered and expanded. - -"But the Japs licked us after all, Gavrilo," Maklakov exclaimed merrily, -rubbing his hands. - -"I cannot in the least comprehend your joy in this event," said Krasavin -wagging his ears. "Although it was instructive, as many say, still so -much Russian blood was shed and the insufficiency of our strength was -made so apparent." - -"And who is to blame?" - -"The Japs. What do they want? Every country ought to live within -itself." - -They started a discussion, to which Yevsey, rejoiced over Maklakov's -attitude, did not pay any attention. He looked into the spy's face, and -thought it would be well to live with him instead of Piotr, who scolded -at the authorities, and maybe would be arrested as they had arrested the -Smokestack. - -Krasavin left. Maklakov took out the letter, read it once more, and -burst into a laugh, looking at Yevsey. - -"Now don't say a word about it to anybody. Do you understand? He came -out himself?" - -"Yes. He came out, and said, 'Get away from here.'" Yevsey smiled -guiltily. - -"You see another one in his place would have stroked you with a cat's -paw." Screwing up his eyes the spy looked through the window, and said -slowly, "Yes, you ought to take to peddling wares. I told you so. To-day -you are free. I have no more commissions for you. Be off with you. Have -a good time. I'll try one of these days to fix you up differently. -Good-by." - -Maklakov held out his hand. Yevsey touched it gratefully, and walked -away happy. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - -A few weeks later Klimkov began to feel freer and more at ease. Every -morning, warmly and comfortably dressed, with a box of small wares on -his breast, he went to receive orders either at one of the cafés where -the spies gathered, or at a police office, or at the lodging of one of -the spies. The directions given him were simple and distinct. - -"Go to such and such a house. Get acquainted with the servants. Find out -how the masters live." - -If he succeeded in penetrating to the kitchen of the given house, he -would first try to bribe the servants by the cheap price of the goods -and by little presents. Then he would carefully question them about what -he had been ordered to learn. When he felt that the information gathered -was insufficient, he filled up the deficiency from his own head, -thinking it out according to the plan draughted for him by the old, fat, -and sensual Solovyov. - -"These men in whom we are interested," Solovyov once said in a smug, -honey-sweet voice, "all have the same habits. They do not believe in -God, they do not go to church, they dress poorly, but they are civil in -their manners. They read many books, sit up late at night, often have -gatherings of guests in their lodgings, but drink very little wine, and -do not play cards. They speak about foreign countries, about systems of -government, workingmen's socialism and full liberty for the people. Also -about the poor masses, declaring it is necessary to stir them up to -revolt against our Czar, to kill out the entire administration, take -possession of the highest offices, and by means of socialism again -introduce serfdom, in which they will have complete liberty." The warm -voice of the spy broke off. He coughed and heaved a sentimental sigh. -"Liberty--everybody likes and wants to have liberty. But if you give me -liberty, maybe I'll become the first villain in the world. That's it. It -is impossible to give even a child full liberty. The Church Fathers, -God's saints, even they were subject to temptations of the flesh, and -they sinned in the very highest. People's lives are held together, not -by liberty but by fear. Submission to law is essential to man. But the -revolutionists reject law. They form two parties. One wants to make -quick work with the ministers and the faithful subjects of the Czar by -means of bombs, etc. The other party is willing to wait a little; first -they'll have a general uprising, then they'll kill off everybody at -once." Solovyov raised his eyes pensively, and paused an instant. "It is -difficult for us to comprehend their politics. Maybe they really -understand something. But for us everything they propose is an obnoxious -delusion. We fulfil the will of the Czar, the anointed sovereign of God. -And he is responsible for us before God, so we ought to do what he bids -us. In order to gain the confidence of the revolutionists you must -complain, 'Life is very hard for the poor, the police insult them, and -there's no sort of law.' Although they are people of villainous intent, -yet they are credulous, and you can always catch them with that bait. -Behave cannily toward their servants; for their servants aren't stupid, -either. Whenever necessary, reduce the price of your goods, so that they -will get used to you and value you. But guard against exciting -suspicion. They will begin to think, 'What is it? He sells very cheap, -and asks prying questions.' The best thing for you to do is to strike up -friendships. Take a little dainty, hot, full-breasted thing, and you'll -get all sorts of good information from her. She will sew shirts for you, -and invite you to spend the night with her, and she will find out -whatever you order her to. You know--a tiny, soft little mouse. You can -stretch your arm a long distance through a woman." - -This round man, hairy-handed, thick-lipped, and pock-marked, spoke about -women more frequently than the others. He would lower his soft voice to -a whisper, his neck would perspire, his feet would shuffle uneasily, and -his eyes, minus eyebrows and eyelashes, would fill with warm, oily -moisture. Yevsey with his sharp scent observed that Solovyov always -smelt of hot, greasy, decayed meat. - -In the chancery the spies had been spoken of as people who know -everything, hold everything in their hands, and have friends and helpers -everywhere. Though they could seize all the dangerous people at once, -they were not doing so simply because they did not wish to deprive -themselves of a position. On entering the Department of Safety everyone -swore an oath to pity nobody, neither father, mother, nor brother, nor -to speak a word to one another about the sacred and awful business which -they vowed they would serve all their lives. - -Consequently Yevsey had expected to find sullen personalities. He had -pictured them as speaking little in words unintelligible to simple -people, as possessing the miraculous perspicacity of a sorcerer, able to -read a man's thoughts and divine all the secrets of his life. - -Now from his sharp observation of them he clearly saw they were not -unusual, nor for him either worse or more dangerous than others. In -fact, they seemed to live in a more comradely fashion than was common. -They frankly spoke of their mistakes and failures, even laughed over -them. All without exception were equally fervent in swearing at their -superiors, though with varying degrees of malice. - -Conscious of a close bond uniting them they were solicitous for one -another. When it happened that someone was late for a meeting or failed -to appear at all, there was a general sense of uneasiness about the -absentee, and Yevsey, Zarubin, or someone of the numerous group of -"novices," or "assistants" was sent to look for the lost man at another -gathering place. - -A stranger observing them would have been instantly struck by the lack -of greed for money among the majority and the readiness to share money -with comrades who had gambled it away or squandered it in some other -fashion. They all loved games of hazard, took a childish interest in -card tricks, and envied the cleverness of the card-sharper. - -They spoke to one another with ecstasy and acute envy of the revelries -of the officials, described in detail the bodies of the lewd women known -to them, and hotly discussed the various processes of the sexual -relation. Most of them were unmarried, almost all were young, and for -everyone of them a woman was something in the nature of whiskey--to give -him ease and lull him to sleep. Women brought them relief from the -anxiety of their dog's work. Almost all kept indecent photographs in -their pockets, and looked at them with greed while talking obscenities. -Such discussion roused in Yevsey a sharp, intoxicating curiosity, -sometimes incredulity and nausea. He soon came to know that some of the -spies practised pederasty and sodomy, and that very many were infected -with secret diseases. All of them drank much, mixing wine with beer, and -beer with cognac, in an effort to get drunk as quickly as possible. - -Only a few of them put hot enthusiasm, the passion of the hunter, into -their work. These boasted of their skill, swelling with pride as they -described themselves as heroes. The majority, however, did their work -wearily, with an air of being bored. - -Their talks about the people whom they hunted down like beasts were -seldom marked by the fierce hatred that boiled in Sasha's conversation -like a seething hot-spring. One who was different from the rest was -Melnikov, a heavy, hairy man with a thick, bellowing voice, who walked -with oddly bent neck and spoke little. His dark eyes were always -straining, as if in constant search. The man seemed to Yevsey ever to be -thinking of something terrible. Krasavin and Solovyov also contrasted -with the others, the one by his cold malice, the other by the complacent -satisfaction with which he spoke about fights, blood-shed, and women. - -Among the youth the most noticeable was Yakov Zarubin, who was -constantly fidgetting about and constantly running up to the others with -questions. When he listened to the conversations about the -revolutionists he knitted his brows in anger and jotted down notes in -his little note-book. He tried to be of service to all the important -spies, though it was evident that no one liked him and that his book was -regarded with suspicion. - -The larger number spoke indifferently about the revolutionists, -sometimes denouncing them as incomprehensible men of whom they were -sick, sometimes referring to them in fun as to amusing cranks. -Occasionally, too, they spoke in anger as one speaks of a child who -deserves punishment for impudence. Yevsey began to imagine that all the -revolutionists were empty people who were not serious, and did not -themselves know what they wanted, but merely brought disturbance and -disorder into life. - -Once Yevsey asked Piotr: - -"There, you said the revolutionists are being bribed by the Germans, and -now they say differently." - -"What do you mean by 'differently?'" Piotr demanded angrily. - -"That they are poor and stupid, and nobody says anything about the -Germans." - -"Go to the devil, brother! Isn't it all the same to you? Do what you are -told to do. Your color is the diamond, and you go with diamonds." - -Matters of business were discussed in a lazy, unwilling way, and "You -don't understand anything, brother," was a common rejoinder of one spy -to another. - -"And you?" would be the counter-retort. - -"I keep quiet." - -Klimkov tried to keep as far away as possible from Sasha. The ominous -face of the sick man frightened him, and the smell of iodoform and the -snuffling, cantankerous voice disgusted him. - -"Villains!" cried Sasha swearing at the officials. "They are given -millions, and toss us pennies. They squander hundreds of thousands on -women and on various genteel folk, who, they want us to believe, work -for the good of society. But it's not the gentry that make -revolutions--you must know that, idiots,--the revolution grows -underneath, in the ground, among the people. Give me five millions, and -in one month I'll lift the revolution up above ground into the street. -I'll carry it out of the dark corners into the light of day. Then--choke -it!" - -Sasha always contrived horrible schemes for the extermination of the -noxious people. While devising them he stamped his feet, extended his -trembling arms, and tore the air with his yellow fingers, while his face -turned leaden, his red eyes grew strangely dim, and the spittle spurted -from his mouth. - -All, it was evident, looked upon him with aversion and feared him, -though they were anxious to conceal the repulsion produced by his -disease. Maklakov alone calmly avoided close intercourse with the sick -man. He did not even give him his hand in greeting. Sasha, in his turn, -who ridiculed everybody, who swore at all his comrades, setting them -down as fools, plainly put Maklakov in a category by himself. He was -always serious in his intercourse with the spy, and apparently spoke to -him with greater will than to the rest. He did not abuse him even behind -his back. - -Once when Maklakov had walked out without, as usual, taking leave of -him, he cried: - -"The nobleman is squeamish. He doesn't want to come near me. He has the -right to be, the devil take him! His ancestors lived in lofty rooms, -they breathed rarefied air, ate healthful food, wore clean -undergarments. He, too, for that matter. But I am a muzhik. I was born -and brought up like an animal, in filth, among lice, on coarse black -bread made of unbolted meal. His blood is better than mine, yes, indeed, -both the blood and the brain; and the brain is the soul." After a pause -he added in a lower voice, gloomily, without ridicule, "Idiots and -impostors speak of the equality of man. The aristocrat preaches equality -because he is an impudent scoundrel, and can't do anything himself. So -of course he says, 'you are just as good a man as I am. Act so that I -shall be able to live better.' This is the theory of equality." - -Sasha's talks did not evoke a response from the other spies. They failed -to be moved by his excitement, and listened to his growling in -indifferent silence. He received sulky support, however, from one, the -large Melnikov, who acted as a detective among workingmen. - -"Yes," Melnikov would say, "they are all deceivers," and nod his dark -unkempt head in confirmation while vigorously clenching his hairy fist. - -"They ought to be killed, as the muzhiks kill horse thieves," screamed -Sasha. - -"To kill may be a little too much, but sometimes it would be delicious -to give a gentleman a box on the ear," said Chashin, a celebrated -billiard player, curly-haired, thin, and sharp-nosed. "Let's take this -example. About a week ago I was playing in Kononov's hotel with a -gentleman. I saw his face was familiar to me, but all chickens have -feathers. He stared at me in his turn. 'Well,' thinks I, 'look. I don't -change color.' I fixed him for three rubles and half a dozen beers, and -while we were drinking he suddenly rose, and said, 'I recognize you. You -are a spy. When I was in the university,' he said, 'thanks to you,' he -said, 'I had to stick in prison four months. You are,' he said, 'a -scoundrel.' At first I was frightened, but soon the insult gnawed at my -heart. 'You sat in prison not at all thanks to me, but to your politics. -And your politics do not concern me personally. But let me tell you that -on your account I had to run about day and night hunting you in all -sorts of weather. I had to stick in the hospital thirteen days.' That's -the truth. The idea for him to jump on me! The pig, he ate himself fat -as a priest, wore a gold watch, and had a diamond pin stuck in his tie." - -Akim Grokhotov, a handsome fellow, with a face mobile as an actor's -observed: - -"I know men like that, too. When they are young, they walk on their -heads; when the serious years come, they stay at home peacefully with -their wives, and for the sake of a livelihood are even ready to enter -our Department of Safety. The law of nature." - -"Among them are some who can't do anything besides revolutionary work. -Those are the most dangerous," said Melnikov. - -"Yes, yes," shot from Krasavin, who greedily rolled his oblique eyes. - -Once Piotr lost a great deal in cards. He asked in a wearied, -exasperated tone: - -"When will this dog's life of ours end?" - -Solovyov looked at him, and chewed his thick lips. - -"We are not called upon to judge of such matters. Our business is -simple. All we have to do is to take note of a certain face pointed out -by the officials, or to find it ourselves, gather information, make -observations, give a report to the authorities, and let them do as they -please. For all we care they may flay people alive. Politics do not -concern us. Once there was an agent in our Department, Grisha Sokovnin, -who also thought about such things, and ended his life in a prison -hospital where he died of consumption." - -Oftenest the conversation took some such course as the following: - -Viekov, a wig-maker, always gaily and fashionably dressed, a modest, -quiet person, announced: - -"Three fellows were arrested yesterday." - -"Great news!" someone responded indifferently. - -But Viekov whether or no would tell his comrades all he knew. A spark of -quiet stubbornness flared up in his small eyes as he continued in an -inquisitive tone: - -"The gentlemen revolutionists, it seems, are again hatching plots on -Nikitskaya Street--great goings-on." - -"Fools! All the janitors there are old hands in the service." - -"Much help they are, the janitors!" - -"Hmm, yes, indeed." - -"However," said Viekov cautiously, "a janitor can be bribed." - -"And you, too. Every man can be bribed--a mere matter of price." - -"Did you hear, boys, Siekachev won seven hundred rubles in cards -yesterday." - -"How he smuggles the cards!" - -"Yes, yes. He's no sharper, but a young wizard." - -Viekov looked around, smiled in embarrassment, then silently and -carefully smoothed his clothes. - -"A new proclamation has appeared," he announced another time. - -"There are lots of proclamations. The devil knows which of them is new." - -"There's a great deal of evil in them." - -"Did you read it?" - -"No. Filip Filippovich says there's a new one, and he's mad." - -"The authorities are always mad. Such is the law of nature," remarked -Grokhotov with a smile. - -"Who reads those proclamations?" - -"They're read all right--very much so." - -"Well, what of it? I have read them, too, yet I didn't turn black. I -remained what I was, a red-haired fellow. It's not a matter of -proclamations, it's a matter of bombs." - -"Of course." - -"A proclamation doesn't explode." - -Evidently, however, the spies did not like to speak of bombs, for each -time they were mentioned, all made a strenuous effort to change the -subject. - -"Forty thousand dollars' worth of gold articles were stolen in Kazan." - -"There's something for you!" - -"Forty thousand! Whew!" - -"Did they catch the thieves?" someone asked in great excitement. - -"They'll get caught," prophesied another sorrowfully. - -"Well, before that happens they'll have a good time." - -A mist of envy enveloped the spies, who sank in dreams of revelries, of -big stakes, and costly women. - -Melnikov was more interested than the others in the course of the war. -Often he asked Maklakov, who read the newspapers carefully: - -"Are they still licking us?" - -"They are." - -"But what's the cause?" Melnikov exclaimed in perplexity, rolling his -eyes. "Aren't there people enough, or what?" - -"Not enough sense," Maklakov retorted drily. - -"The workingmen are dissatisfied. They do not understand. They say the -generals have been bribed." - -"That's certainly true," Krasavin broke in. "None of them are -Russians,"--he uttered an ugly oath--"what's our blood to them?" - -"Blood is cheap," said Solovyov, and smiled strangely. - -As a rule the spies spoke of the war unwillingly, as if constrained in -one another's presence, and afraid of uttering some dangerous word. On -the day of a defeat they all drank more whiskey than usual, and having -gotten drunk quarreled over trifles. - -On such days Yevsey trying to avoid possible brawls made his escape -unnoticed to his empty room, and there thought about the life of the -spies. All of them--and there were many, their numbers constantly -increasing--all of them seemed unhappy. They were all solitary, and he -pitied them with his colorless pity. Nevertheless he liked to be among -them and listen to their talk. - -At the meetings Sasha boiled over and swore: - -"Monstrosities! You understand nothing. You can't understand the -significance of the business. Monstrosities!" - -In answer some smiled deprecatingly, others maintained sullen silence. - -"For forty rubles a month you can't be expected to understand very -much," one would sometimes mutter. - -"You ought to be wiped off the face of the earth," shrieked Sasha. - -Klimkov began to dislike Sasha more and more, strengthened in his -ill-will by the fact that nobody else cared for the diseased man. - -Many of the spies were actually sick from the constant dread of attacks -and death. Fear drove some, as it had Yelizar Titov, into an insane -asylum. - -"I was playing in the club yesterday," said Piotr, in a disconcerted -tone, "when I felt something pressing on the nape of my neck and a cold -shiver running up and down my back-bone. I looked around. There in the -corner stood a tall man looking at me as if he were measuring me inch by -inch. I could not play. I rose from the table, and I saw him move. I -backed out, and ran down the stairs into the yard and out into the -street. I took a cab, sat in it sidewise, and looked back. Suddenly the -man appeared from somewhere in front of me, and crossed the street under -the horse's very nose. Maybe it wasn't he. But in such a case you can't -think. How I yelled! He stopped, and I jumped out of the cab, and off I -went at a gallop, the cabman after me. Well, how I did run, the devil -take it!" - -"Such things happen," said Grokhotov, smiling. "I once hid myself for a -similar reason in the yard. But it was still more horrible there, so I -climbed up to a roof, and sat there behind the chimney until daybreak. A -man must guard himself against another man. Such is the law of nature." - -Krasavin once entered pale and sweating with staring eyes. - -"They were following me," he announced gloomily, pressing his temples. - -"Who?" - -"They." - -Solovyov endeavored to calm him. - -"Lots of people walk the streets, Gavrilo. What's that to you?" - -"I could tell by the way they walked they were after me." - -For more than two weeks Yevsey did not see Krasavin. - -The spies treated Klimkov good-naturedly, and their occasional laughter -at his expense did not offend him, for when he was grieved over his -mistakes, they comforted him: - -"You'll get used to the work." - -He was puzzled as to when the spies did their work, and tried to -unriddle the problem. They seemed to pass the greater part of their time -in the cafés, sending novices and such insignificant fellows as himself -out for observations. - -He knew that besides all the spies with whom he was acquainted there -were still others, desperate, fearless men, who mingled with the -revolutionists, and were known by the name of provocators. There were -only a few such men, but these few did most of the work, and directed it -entirely. The authorities prized them very highly, while the street -spies, envious of them, were unanimous in their dislike of the -provocators because of their haughtiness. - -Once in the street Grokhotov pointed out a provocator to Yevsey. - -"Look, Klimkov, quick!" - -A tall sturdy man was walking along the pavement. His fair hair combed -back fell down beautifully from under his hat to his shoulders. His face -was large and handsome, his mustache luxuriant. His soberly clad person -produced the impression of that of an important, well-fed gentleman of -the nobility. - -"You see what a fellow?" said Grokhotov with pride. "Fine, isn't he? Our -guard. He delivered up twenty men of the bomb. He helped them make the -bombs himself. They wanted to blow up a minister. He taught them, then -delivered them up. Clever piece of business, wasn't it?" - -"Yes," said Yevsey, amazed at the man's stately appearance so unlike -that of the busy, bustling street spies. - -"That's the kind they are, the real ones," said Grokhotov. "Why, he -would do for a minister; he has the face and figure for it. And we--what -are we? Poverty-stricken dependents upon a hungry nobleman." - -Yevsey sighed. The magnificent spy aroused his envy. - -Ready to serve anybody and everybody for a good look or a kind word, he -ran about the city obediently, searched, questioned, and informed. If he -succeeded in pleasing, he rejoiced sincerely, and grew in his own -estimation. He worked much, made himself very tired, and had no time to -think. - -Maklakov, reserved and serious, seemed better and purer to Yevsey than -any person he had met up to that time. He always wanted to ask him about -something, and tell him about himself--such an attractive and engaging -face did this young spy have. - -Once Yevsey actually put a question to him: - -"Timofey Vesilyevich, how much do the revolutionists receive a month?" - -A light shadow passed over Maklakov's bright eyes. - -"You are talking nonsense," he answered, not in a loud voice, but -angrily. - -The days passed quickly, in a constant stir, one just like the other. At -times Yevsey felt they would file on in the same way far into the -future--vari-colored, boisterous, filled with the talks now become -familiar to him and with the running about to which he had already grown -accustomed. This thought enfolded his heart in cold tedium, his body in -enfeebling languor. Everything within and without became empty. Klimkov -seemed to be sliding down into a bottomless pit. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - -In the middle of the winter everything suddenly trembled and shook. -People anxiously opened their eyes, gesticulated, disputed furiously, -and swore. As though severely wounded and blinded by a blow, they all -stampeded to one place. - -It began in this way. One evening on reaching the Department of Safety -to hand in a hurried report of his investigations, Klimkov found -something unusual and incomprehensible in the place. The officials, -agents, and clerks appeared to have put on new faces. All seemed -strangely unlike themselves. They wore an air of astonishment and -rejoicing. They spoke now in very low tones and mysteriously, now aloud -and angrily. There was a senseless running from room to room, a -listening to one another's words, a suspicious screwing-up of anxious -eyes, a shaking of heads and sighing, a sudden cessation of talk, and an -equally sudden burst of disputing. A whirlwind of fear and perplexity -swept the room in broad circles. Playing with the people's impotence it -drove them about like dust, first blowing them into a pile, then -scattering them on all sides. Klimkov stationed in a corner looked with -vacant eyes upon this state of consternation, and listened to the -conversation with strained attention. - -He saw Melnikov with his powerful neck bent and his head stuck forward -place his hairy hands on different persons' shoulders and demand in his -low hollow voice: - -"Why did the people do it?" - -"What of it? The people must live. Hundreds were killed, eh? Wounded!" -shouted Solovyov. - -From somewhere came the repulsive voice of Sasha, cutting the ear. - -"The priest ought to have been caught. That before everything else. The -idiots!" - -Krasavin walked about with his hands folded behind his back, biting his -lips and rolling his eyes in every direction. - -Quiet Viekov took up his stand beside Yevsey, and picked at the buttons -of his vest. - -"So this is the point we've reached," he said. "My God! Bloodshed! What -do you think, eh?" - -"What happened?" Yevsey asked. - -Viekov looked around warily, took Klimkov by the hand, and whispered: - -"This morning the people in St. Petersburg with a priest and sacred -banners marched to the Czar Emperor. You understand? But they were not -admitted. The soldiers were stationed about, and blood was spilled." - -A handsome staid gentleman, Leontyev, ran past them, glanced back at -Viekov through his pince nez, and asked: - -"Where is Filip Filippovich?" - -But he disappeared without waiting for the information he wanted, and -Viekov ran after him. - -Yevsey closed his eyes for a minute, in order to try in the darkness to -get at the meaning of what had been told him. He could easily represent -to himself a mass of people walking through the streets in a sacred -procession, but since he could not understand why the soldiers had shot -at them, he was skeptical about the affair. However, the general -agitation seized him, too, and he felt disturbed and ill at ease. He -wanted to bustle about with the spies, but unable to make up his mind to -approach those he knew, he merely retreated still farther into his -corner. - -Many persons passed by him, all of whom, he fancied, were quickly -searching for a little cosy corner where they might stand to collect -their thoughts. - -Maklakov appeared. He remained near the door with his hands thrust into -his pockets, and looked sidewise at everybody. Melnikov approached him. - -"Did they do it on account of the war?" - -"I don't know." - -"For what else? If it was the people. But maybe it was simply some -mistake. Eh? What did they ask for, do you know?" - -"A constitution," replied Maklakov. - -The sullen spy shook his head. - -"I don't believe it." - -"As you please." - -Then Melnikov turned heavily, like a bear, and walked away grumbling: - -"No one understands anything. They stir about, make a big noise--" - -Yevsey went up to Maklakov, who was looking at him. - -"What is it?" - -"I have a report." - -Maklakov waved him aside. - -"Who wants to bother about reports to-day." - -Yevsey drew still nearer, and asked: - -"Timofey Vasilyevich, what does 'constitution' mean?" - -"A different order of life," answered the spy in a low voice. - -Solovyov, perspiring and red, came running up. - -"Have you heard whether they are going to send us to St. Petersburg?" - -"No, I haven't." - -"I think they probably will. Such an event! Why, it's a revolt, a real -revolt." - -"To-morrow we will know." - -"How much blood has been shed! What is it?" - -Maklakov's eye ran about uneasily. To-day his shoulders seemed more -stooping than ever, and the ends of his mustache dropped downward. - -Something seemed to be revolting in Yevsey's brain, and Maklakov's grim -words kept repeating themselves. - -"A different order of life--different." - -They gripped at his heart, arousing a sharp desire to extract their -meaning. But everything around him turned and darted hither and thither. -Melnikov's angry, resonant voice sounded sickeningly: - -"The thing is, to know what people did it. The working-people are one -thing, simply residents another. This differentiation must be made." - -And Krasavin spoke distinctly: - -"If even the people begin to revolt against the Czar, then there are no -people any more, only rebels." - -"Wait, and suppose there's deception here." - -"Hey, you old devil," whispered Zarubin, hastening up to Yevsey. "I've -struck a vein of business. Come on, I'll tell you." - -Klimkov followed him in silence for a space, then stopped. - -"Where shall I go?" - -"To a beer saloon. You understand? There's a girl there, Margarita. She -has an acquaintance, a milliner. At the milliner's lodging they read -books on Saturdays--students and various other people like that. So I'm -going to cut them up. Ugh!" - -"I won't go," said Yevsey. - -"Oh, you! Ugh!" - -The long ribbon of strange impressions quickly enmeshed Yevsey's heart, -hindering him from an understanding of what was happening. He walked off -home unobserved, carrying away with him the premonition of impending -misfortune, a misfortune that already lay in hiding and was stretching -out irresistible arms to clutch him. It filled his heart with new fear -and grief. In expectation of this misfortune he endeavored to walk in -the obscurity close against the houses. He recalled the agitated faces -and excited voices, the disconnected talk about death, about blood, -about the huge graves, into which dozens of bodies had been flung like -rubbish. - -At home he stood at the window a long time looking at the yellow light -of the street-lamp. The pedestrians quickly walked into the circle of -its light, then plunged into the darkness again. So in Yevsey's head a -faint timid light was casting a pale illumination upon a narrow circle, -into which ignorant, cautious grey thoughts, helplessly holding on to -one another like blind people, were slowly creeping. Small and lame they -gathered into a shy group driven into one place like a swarm of -mosquitoes. But suddenly, losing hold of the bond uniting them, they -disappeared without leaving a trace, and his soul devoid of them -remained like a desert illuminated by a solitary ray from a sorrowful -moon. - -The days passed as in a delirium, filled with terrible tales of the -fierce destruction of people. For Yevsey these days crawled slowly over -the earth like black eyeless monsters, swollen with the blood they had -devoured. They crawled with their huge jaws wide open, poisoning the air -with their stifling, salty odor. People ran and fell, shouted and wept, -mingling their tears with their blood. And the blind monster destroyed -them, crushed old and young, women and children. They were pushed -forward to their destruction by the ruler of their life, fear,--fear -leaden-grey as a storm-cloud, powerful as the current of a broad stream. - -Though the thing had happened far away, in a strange city, Yevsey knew -that fear was alive everywhere. He felt it all over, round about him. - -No one understood the event, no one was able to explain it. It stood -before the people like a huge riddle and frightened them. The spies -stuck in their meeting places from morning until night, and did much -reading of newspapers and drinking of whiskey. They also crowded into -the Department of Safety, where they disputed, and pressed close against -one another. They were impatiently awaiting something. - -"Can anybody explain the truth?" Melnikov kept asking. - -One evening a few weeks after the event there was a meeting of the spies -in the Department of Safety at which Sasha delivered a speech. - -"Stop this nonsensical talk," he said sharply. "It's a scheme of the -Japs. The Japs gave 18,000,000 rubles to Father Gapon to stir the people -up to revolt. You understand? The people were made drunk on the road to -the palace; the revolutionists had ordered a few wine shops to be broken -into. You understand?" He let his red eyes rove about the company as if -seeking those of his listeners who disagreed with him. "They thought the -Czar, loving the people, would come out to them. And at that time it was -decided to kill him. Is it clear to you?" - -"Yes, it's clear," shouted Yakov Zarubin, and began to jot something -down in his note-book. - -"Jackass!" shouted Sasha in a surly voice. "I'm not asking you. -Melnikov, do you understand?" - -Melnikov was sitting in a corner, clutching his head with both hands and -swaying to and fro as if he had the toothache. Without changing his -position he answered: - -"A deception!" His voice struck the floor dully, as if something soft -yet heavy had fallen. - -"Yes, a deception," repeated Sasha, and began again to speak quickly and -fluently. Sometimes he carefully touched his forehead, then looked at -his fingers and wiped them on his knee. Yevsey had the sensation that -even his words reeked with a putrid odor. He listened wrinkling his -forehead painfully. He understood everything the spy said, but he felt -that his speech did not efface, in fact, could not efface, from his mind -the black picture of the bloody holiday. - -All were silent, now and then shaking their heads, and refraining from -looking at one another. It was quiet and gloomy. Sasha's words floated a -long time over his auditors' heads touching nobody. - -"If it was known that the people had been deceived, then why were they -killed?" the unexpected question suddenly burst from Melnikov. - -"Fool!" screamed Sasha. "Suppose you had been told that I was your -wife's paramour, and you got drunk and came at me with a knife, what -should I do? Should I tell you 'Strike!' even though you had been duped, -and I was not guilty?" - -Melnikov started to his feet, stretched himself, and bawled: - -"Don't bark, you dog!" - -A tremor ran through Yevsey at his words, and Viekov thin and nerveless, -who sat beside him, whispered in fright: - -"Oh, God! Hold him!" - -Sasha clenched his teeth, thrust one hand into his pocket, and drew -back. All the spies--there were many in the room--sat silent and -motionless, and waited watching Sasha's hand. Melnikov waved his hat and -walked slowly to the door. - -"I'm not afraid of your pistol." - -He slammed the door after him noisily. Viekov went to lock it, and said -as he returned to his place: - -"What a dangerous man!" - -"So," continued Sasha, pulling a revolver from his pocket and examining -it. "To-morrow morning you are each of you to get down to business, do -you hear? And bear in mind that now you will all have more to do than -before. Part of us will have to go to St. Petersburg. That's number one. -Secondly, this is the very time that you'll have to keep your eyes and -ears particularly wide open, because people will begin to babble all -sorts of nonsense in regard to this affair. The revolutionists will not -be so careful now, you understand?" - -Handsome Grokhotov drew a loud breath and said: - -"We understand, never mind! If it's true that the Japs gave such large -sums of money, that explains it, of course." - -"Without any explanation it's very hard," said someone. - -"Ye-e-e-s." - -"People cry, 'What does it mean?' And they give you poisonous talk, and -you don't know how to answer back." - -"The people are very much interested in this revolt." - -All these remarks were made in an indolent, bloodless fashion and with -an air of constraint. - -"Well, now you know what you are about, and how you should reply to the -fools," said Sasha angrily. "And if some donkey should begin to bray, -take him by the neck, whistle for a policeman, and off with him to the -police station. There they have instructions as to what's to be done -with such people. Ho, Viekov, or somebody, ring the bell and order some -Selters." - -Yakov Zarubin rushed to the bell. - -Sasha looked at him, and said showing his teeth: - -"Say, puppy, don't be mad with me for having cut you off." - -"I'm not mad, Aleksandr Nikitich." - -"Ye-e-s," Grokhotov drawled pensively. "Still they are a power, after -all! Consider what they accomplished--raised a hundred thousand people." - -"Stupidity is light, it's easy to raise," Sasha interrupted him. "They -had the means to raise a hundred thousand people; they had the money. -Just you give me such a sum of money, and I'll show you how to make -history." Sasha uttered an ugly oath, lifted himself slightly from the -sofa, stretched out the thin yellow hand which held the revolver, -screwed up his eyes, and aiming at the ceiling, cried through his teeth -in a yearning whine, "I would show you!" - -All these things--Sasha's words and gestures, his eyes and his -smiles--were familiar to Yevsey, but now they seemed impotent, useless -as infrequent drops of rain in extinguishing a conflagration. They did -not extinguish fear, and were powerless to stop the quiet growth of a -premonition of misfortune. - -At this time a new view of the life of the people unconsciously -developed in Yevsey's mind. He learned that on the one hand some people -might gather in the streets by the tens of thousands in order to go to -the rich and powerful Czar and ask him for help, while others might kill -these tens of thousands for doing so. He recalled everything the -Smokestack had said about the poverty of the people and the wealth of -the Czar, and was convinced that both sides acted in the manner they did -from fear. - -Nevertheless the people astonished him by their desperate bravery, and -aroused in him a feeling with which he had hitherto been unfamiliar. - -Now as before when walking the streets with the box of goods on his -breast, he carefully stepped aside for the passersby, either taking to -the middle of the street, or pressing against the walls of the houses. -However, he began to look into the people's faces more attentively, with -a feeling akin to respect, and his fear of them seemed to have -diminished slightly. Men's faces had suddenly changed, acquiring more -variety and significance of expression. All began to talk with one -another more willingly and simply, and to walk the streets more briskly, -with a firmer tread. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - -Yevsey often entered a house occupied by a physician and a journalist -upon whom he was assigned to spy. The physician employed a wet-nurse -named Masha, a full, round little woman with merry sky-blue eyes, who -was always neat and clean, and wore a white or blue sarafan with a -string of beads around her bare neck. Her full-breasted figure gave the -impression of a luscious, healthy creature, and won the fancy of Yevsey, -who imagined that a strong savory odor, as of hot rye-bread, emanated -from her. She was an affectionate little person. He loved to question -her about the village and hear her replies in a rapid sing-song. He soon -came to know all her relatives, where each one lived, what was the -occupation of each, and what the wages. - -He paid her one of his visits five days later after Sasha had explained -the cause of the uprising. He found her sitting on the bed in the cook's -room adjoining the kitchen. Her face was swollen, her eyes were red, and -her lower lip stuck out comically. - -"Good morning," she said sullenly. "We don't want anything. Go. We don't -want anything." - -"Did the master insult you?" Yevsey asked. Though he knew the master had -not insulted her, he regarded it as his professional duty to ask just -such questions. His next duty was to sigh and add, "That's the way they -always are. You've got to work for them your whole life long." - -Anfisa Petrovna, the cook, a thin, ill-tempered body, suddenly cried -out: - -"Her brother-in-law was killed, and her sister was knouted. She had to -be taken to the hospital." - -"In St. Petersburg?" Yevsey inquired quietly. - -"Yes." - -Masha drew in a full breast of air, and groaned, holding her head in her -hands. - -"What for?" asked Yevsey. - -"Who knows them? A curse upon them!" shrieked the cook, rattling the -dishes in her exasperation. "Why did they kill all those people? That's -what I would like to know." - -"It wasn't his fault," Masha sobbed. "I know him. Oh, God! He was a -book-binder, a peaceful fellow. He didn't drink. He made forty rubles a -month. Oh, God! They beat Tania, and she's soon to have a child. It will -be her second child. 'If it's a boy,' she said, 'I'll christen him Foma -in honor of my husband's friend.' And she wanted the friend to be the -child's god-father, too. But they put a bullet through his leg, and -broke his head open, the cursed monsters! May they have neither sleep -nor rest! May they be torn with anguish and with shame! May they choke -in blood, the infernal devils!" - -Her words and tears flowed in tempestuous streams. Dishevelled and -pitiful she screamed in desperate rage and scratched her shoulders and -her breast with her nails. Then she flung herself on the bed and buried -her head in the pillow, moaning and trembling convulsively. - -"Her uncle sent her a letter from there," said the cook, running about -in the kitchen from the table to the stove and back again. "You ought to -see what he writes! The whole street is reading the letter. Nobody can -understand it. The people marched with ikons, with their holy man, they -had priests--everything was done in a Christian fashion. They went to -the Czar to tell him: 'Father, our Emperor, reduce the number of -officials a little. We cannot live with so many officers and such -burdensome taxes on our shoulders, we haven't enough to pay their -salaries, and they take such liberties with us--the very extreme of -liberties. They squeeze everything out of us they want.' Everything was -honest and open. They had been preparing for this a long time, a whole -month. The police knew of it, yet no one interfered. They went out and -marched along the streets, when suddenly off the soldiers go shooting at -them! The soldiers surrounded them on all sides and shot at them! Hacked -them and trampled them down with their horses--everybody, even the -little children! They kept up the massacre for two days. Think of it! -What does it mean? That the people are not wanted any more? That they -have decided to exterminate them?" - -Anfisa's cutting, unpleasant voice sank into a whisper, above which -could now be heard the sputtering of the butter on the stove, the angry -gurgle of the boiling water in the kettle, the dull roaring of the fire, -and Masha's groans. Yevsey felt obliged to answer the sharp questions of -the cook, and he wanted to soothe Masha. He coughed carefully, and said -without looking at anybody: - -"They say the Japs arranged the affair." - -"S-s-s-o?" the cook cried ironically. "The Japs, the Japs, of course! We -know the Japs. They keep to themselves, they stick in their own home. -Our master explained to us who they are. You just tell my brother about -the Japs. He knows all about them, too. It was scoundrels, not Japs!" - -From what Melnikov had said Yevsey knew that the cook's brother Matvey -Zimin worked in a furniture factory, and read prohibited books. Now, all -of a sudden, he was seized with the desire to tell her that the police -knew about Zimin's infidelity to the Czar. But at that minute Masha -jumped down from the bed, and cried out while arranging her hair: - -"Of course, they have no way of justifying themselves, so they hit upon -the Japs as an excuse." - -"The blackguards!" drawled the cook. "Yesterday in the market somebody -also made a speech about the Japs. Evidently he had been bribed to -justify the officials. One old man was listening, and then you should -have heard what he said about the generals, about the ministers, and -even about the Czar himself. How he could do it without putting the -least check upon himself--no, you can't fool the people. They'll catch -the truth, no matter into what corner you drive it." - -Klimkov looked at the floor, and was silent. The desire to tell the cook -that watch was being kept upon her brother now left him. He -involuntarily thought that every person killed had relatives, who were -now just as puzzled as Masha and Anfisa, and asked one another "Why?" He -realized that they were crying and grieving in dark perplexity, with -hatred secretly springing up in their hearts, hatred of the murderers -and of those who endeavored to justify the crime. He sighed and said: - -"A horrible deed has been done." At the same time he thought: "But I, -too, am compelled to protect the officials." - -Masha giving the door to the kitchen a push with her foot, Yevsey -remained alone with the cook, who looked at the door sidewise, and -grumbled: - -"The woman is killing herself. Even her milk is spoiled. This is the -third day she hasn't given nourishment. See here, Thursday next week is -her birthday, and I'll celebrate my birthday then, too. Suppose you come -here as a guest, and make her a present, say, of a good string of beads. -You must comfort a person some way or other." - -"Very well. I'll come." - -"All right." - -Klimkov walked off slowly, revolving in his mind what the women had said -to him. The cook's talk was too noisy, too forward, instantly creating -the impression that she did not speak her own sentiments, but echoed -those of another. As for Masha, her grief did not touch him. He had no -relatives, moreover he rarely experienced pity for people. Nevertheless -he felt that the general revolt everywhere noticeable was reflected in -the outcries of these women, and--the main thing--that such talk was -unusual, inhumanly brave. Yevsey had his own explanation of the event: -fear pushed people one against the other. Then those who were armed and -had lost their senses exterminated those who were unarmed and foolish. -But this explanation did not stand firm in Yevsey's mind, and failed to -calm his soul. He clearly realized from what he had seen and heard that -the people were beginning to free themselves from the thralldom of fear, -and were insistently and fearlessly seeking the guilty, whom they found -and judged. Everywhere large quantities of leaflets appeared, in which -the revolutionists described the bloody days in St. Petersburg, and -cursed the Czar, and urged the people not to believe in the -administration. Yevsey read a few such leaflets. Though their language -was unintelligible to him, he sensed something dangerous in them, -something that irresistibly made its way into his heart, and filled him -with fresh alarm. He resolved not to read any leaflets again. - -Strict orders were given to find the printing office in which the -leaflets were printed, and to catch the persons who distributed them. -Sasha swore, and even gave Viekov a slap in the face for something he -had done. Filip Filippovich invited the agents to come to him in the -evenings, in order to deliver speeches to them. He usually sat in the -middle of the room behind his desk, resting the lower half of his arms -upon it, and keeping his long fingers engaged in quietly toying with the -pencils, pens, and papers. The various gems on his hands sparkled in -different colors. From under his black beard gleamed a large yellow -medal. He moved his short neck slowly, and his blue spectacles rested in -turn upon the faces of all present, who meekly and silently sat against -the wall. He scarcely ever rose from his armchair. Nothing but his -fingers and his neck moved. His heavy face, bloated and white, looked -like a face in a portrait; the hairs of his beard seemed glued together. -When silent, he was calm and staid, but the instant he spoke in his thin -voice, which screeched like an iron saw while being filed, everything -about him, the black frockcoat and the order, the gems, and the beard, -seemed to be stuck upon somebody else. Sometimes Yevsey fancied that an -artificial puppet sat in front of him, inside of which was hidden a -little shrivelled-up fellow, resembling a little red devil. If someone -were to shout at the puppet, he imagined, the little devil would be -frightened, and would jump out with a squeak, and leap through the -window. - -Nevertheless Yevsey was afraid of Filip Filippovich. In order not to -attract to himself the gobbling look of his blue glasses, he sat as far -as possible from him, trying the entire time not to move. - -"Gentlemen," the thin voice trembled in the air. It drove against -Yevsey's breast unpleasantly and coldly, like a gleaming steel rod. -"Gentlemen, you must listen to me carefully. You must remember my words. -In these days everyone of you should put your entire mind, your entire -soul, into the war with the secret and cunning enemy. You should listen -to your orders and fulfil them strictly, though you may act on your own -initiative, too. In the secret war for the life of your mother Russia, -you must know, all means are permissible. The revolutionists are not -squeamish as to the means they employ; they do not stop at murder. -Remember how many of your comrades have perished at their hands. I do -not tell you to kill. No, of course not. I cannot advise such measures. -To kill a man requires no cleverness. Every fool can kill. Yet the law -is with you. You go against the lawless. It would be criminal to be -merciful toward them. They must be rooted out like noxious weeds. I say, -you must for yourselves find out what is the best way to stifle the -rising revolution. It isn't I who demand this of you; it is the Czar and -the country." After a pause during which he examined his rings, he went -on. "You, gentlemen, have too little energy, too little love for your -honest calling. For instance, you have let the old revolutionist -Saydakov slip. I now know that he lived in our city for three and a half -months. Secondly, up to this time you have failed to find the printing -office." - -"Without provocators it is hard," someone ventured in an offended tone. - -"Don't interrupt, if you please. I myself know what is hard, and what is -easy. Up to this time you have not been able to gather serious evidence -against a whole lot of people known for their seditious tendencies, and -you cannot give me any grounds for their arrest." - -"Arrest them without grounds," said Piotr with a laugh. - -"What is the object of your facetiousness? I am speaking seriously. If -you were to arrest them without grounds, we should simply have to let -them go again. That's all. And to you personally, Piotr Petrovich, I -want to remark that you promised something a long time ago. Do you -remember? You likewise, Krasavin. You said you had succeeded in becoming -acquainted with a man who might lead you to the Terrorists. Well, and -what has come of it?" - -"He turned out to be a cheat. You just wait. I'll do my business," -Krasavin answered calmly. - -"I have no doubt of it whatsoever, but I beg all of you to understand -that we must work more energetically, we must hurry matters up." - -Filip Filippovich discoursed a long time, sometimes a whole hour, -without taking breath, calmly, in the same level tone. The only words -that varied the monotonous flow were "You must." The "you" came out -resonantly like a long-drawn hammer-blow, the "must," in a drawled hiss. -He embraced everybody in his glassy blue look. His words fairly choked -Yevsey. - -Once at the end of a meeting, when Sasha and Yevsey were the only ones -who remained with Filip Filippovich, Yevsey heard the following -colloquy: - -Filip Filippovich (glumly, dejectedly): What idiots they are, though! - -Sasha (snuffling): Aha! - -Filip Filippovich: Yes, yes, what _can_ they do? - -Sasha: It seems that now you are going to learn the value of decent -people. - -Filip Filippovich: Well, give them to me. Give them to me. - -Sasha: Ah, they cost dear! - -Klimkov was neither surprised nor offended. This was not the first time -he had heard the authorities swear at their subordinates. He counted it -in the regular order of life. - -The spies after the meetings spoke to one another thus: - -"Um, yes, a converted Jew, and just look at him!" - -"They say he got a raise of 600 rubles the first of the year." - -"The value of our labor is growing." - -Sometimes a handsome, richly dressed gentleman by the name of Leontyev -addressed the spies in place of Filip Filippovich. He did not remain -seated, but walked up and down the room holding his hands in his -pockets, politely stepping out of everybody's way. His smooth face, -always drawn in a frown, was cold and repellant, his thin lips moved -reluctantly, and his eyes were veiled. - -Another man named Yasnogursky came from St. Petersburg for the same -purpose. He was a low, broad-shouldered, bald man with an order on his -breast. He had a large mouth, a wizened face, heavy eyes, like two -little stones, and long hands. He spoke in a loud voice, smacking his -lips, and pouring out streams of strong oaths. One sentence of his -particularly impressed itself on Yevsey's memory: - -"They say to the people, 'You can arrange another, an easy life for -yourselves.' They lie, my children. The Emperor our Czar and our Holy -Church arrange life, while the people can change nothing, nothing." - -All the speakers said the same thing: the political agents must serve -more zealously, must work more, must be cleverer, because the -revolutionists were growing more and more powerful. Sometimes they told -about the Czars, how good and wise they were, how the foreigners feared -them and envied them because they had liberated various nations from the -foreign yoke. They had freed the Bulgarians and the Servians from the -oppression of the Turkish Sultan, the Khivans, the Bokharans, and the -Turkomans from the Persian Shah, and the Manchurians from the Chinese -Emperor. As a result, the Germans and the English along with the -Japanese, who were bribed by them, were dissatisfied. They would like to -get the nations Russia had liberated into their own power. But they knew -the Czar would not permit this, and that was why they hated him, why -they wished him all evil, and endeavored to bring about the revolution -in Russia. - -Yevsey listened to these speeches with interest, waiting for the moment -when the speakers would begin to tell about the Russian people, and -explain why all of them were unpleasant and cruel, why they loved to -torture one another, and lived such a restless, uncomfortable life. He -wanted to hear what the cause was of such poverty, of the universal -fear, and the angry groans heard on all sides. But of such things no one -spoke. - -After one of the meetings Viekov said to Yevsey as the two were walking -in the street: - -"So it means that they are getting into power. Did you hear? It's -impossible to understand what it signifies. Just see--here you have -secret people who live hidden, and suddenly they cause general alarm, -and shake everything up. It's very hard to comprehend. From where, I'd -like to know, do they get their power?" - -Melnikov, now even more morose and taciturn, grown thin and all -dishevelled, once hit his fist on his knee, and shouted: - -"I want to know where the truth is!" - -"What's the matter?" asked Maklakov angrily. - -"What's the matter? This is the matter: I understand it this way: One -class of officials has grown weak, our class. Now another class gets the -power over the people, that's all." - -"And the result is--fiddlesticks!" said Maklakov, laughing. - -Melnikov looked at him, and sighed: - -"Don't lie, Timofey Vasilyevich. You lie out and out. You are a wise -man, and you lie. I understand." - -Thoughts instinctively arose in the dark depths of Yevsey's soul. He did -not realize how they formed themselves, did not feel their secret -growth. They appeared suddenly, in perfect array, and frightened him by -their unexpected apparition. He endeavored to hide them, to extinguish -them for a time, but unsuccessfully. They quietly flashed up again, and -shone more clearly, though their light only cast life into still greater -obscurity. The frequent conversations about the revolutionists blocked -themselves up in his head, creating an insensible sediment in his mind, -a thin strata of fresh soil for the growth of puny thoughts. These -thoughts disquieted him, and drew him gently to something unknown. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - -While on his way to Masha to take part in her birthday celebration, the -thought occurred to Yevsey: - -"I am going to get acquainted with the joiner to-day. He's a -revolutionist." - -Yevsey was the first guest to arrive. He gave Masha a string of blue -beads, and Anfisa a shell comb. In return for the gifts, with which both -were greatly pleased, they treated him to tea and nalivka (a sort of -wine made of berries with whiskey or water). Masha prettily arching her -full white neck looked into his face with a kind smile. Her glance -softly caressed his heart, enlivened and emboldened him. Anfisa poured -the tea and said winking her eyes: - -"Well, merchant, you are our generous donor. When will we celebrate your -wedding?" - -Yevsey trying not to show his embarrassment, said quietly and -confidingly: - -"I cannot decide to get married. It's very hard." - -"Hard? Oh, you modest man! Marya, do you hear? He says it's hard to get -married." - -Masha smiled in answer to the cook's loud laugh, looking at Klimkov from -the corner of her eyes. - -"Maybe he has his own meaning of hard." - -"Yes, I have my own meaning," said Yevsey, raising his head. "You see I -am thinking of the fact that it is hard to find a person with whom you -can live soul to soul, so that the one would not fear the other. It is -hard to find a person whom you could believe." - -Masha sat beside him. He glanced sidewise at her neck and breast, and -sighed. - -"Suppose I were to tell them where I work." - -He started, frightened by the desire, and with a quick effort he -suppressed it. - -"If a man does not understand life," he continued, raising his voice, -"it's better for him to remain alone." - -"For one person to live all alone is hard, too," said Masha, pouring out -another glass of nalivka for him. "Drink." - -Yevsey longed to speak much and openly. He observed that the women -listened to him willingly; and this in conjunction with the two glasses -of wine aroused him. But the journalist's servant girl Liza, who came in -at that moment also excited, at once usurped the attention of Anfisa and -Masha. She was bony and had a cast in one eye. Her hair was handsomely -dressed, and she was cleverly gowned. With her sprightly manner she -seemed a good forward little girl. - -"My good people invited guests for to-day, and did not want to let me -go," she said sitting down. "'Well,' said I, 'you can do as you please.' -And I went off. Let them bother themselves." - -"Many guests?" Klimkov asked wearily, remembering his duty. - -"A good many. But what sort of guests! Not one of them ever sticks a -dime into your hand. On New Year's all I got was two rubles and thirty -kopeks." - -"So they're not rich?" asked Yevsey. - -"Oh, rich! No! Not one of them has a whole overshoe." - -"Who are they? What's their business?" - -"Different things. Some write for the newspapers, another is simply a -student. Oh, what a good fellow one of them is! He has black eyebrows, -and curly hair, and a cute little mustache, white, even teeth--a lively, -jolly fellow. He came from Siberia not long ago. He keeps talking about -hunting." - -Yevsey looked at Liza, and bent his head. He wanted to say "Stop!" to -her. Instead he apathetically asked, "I suppose he must have been -exiled." - -"Who can tell? Maybe. My master and mistress were exiles, too. The -sergeant told me so." - -"Yes, who nowadays hasn't been an exile?" exclaimed the cook. "I lived -at Popov's, an engineer, a rich man. He had his own house and horses and -was getting ready to marry. Suddenly the gendarmes came at night, seized -him, and broke up everything, and then he was sent off to Siberia." - -"I don't condemn my people," Liza interrupted, "not a bit of it. They -are good folks. They don't scold. They're not grasping. Altogether -they're not like other people. And they're very interesting. They know -everything and speak about everything." - -Yevsey looked at Masha's ruddy face, and thought: - -"I'd better go; I'll ask her about her master next time. But I can't -make up my mind to go. If only she kept quiet, the silly!" - -"Our people understand everything, too," Masha announced with pride. - -"When that affair happened, that revolt in St. Petersburg," Liza began -with animation, "they stayed up nights at a time talking." - -"Why our people were in your house then," observed the nurse. - -"Yes, indeed, there were lots of people at the house. They talked, and -wrote complaints. One of them even began to cry. Upon my word!" - -"There's enough to cry about," sighed the cook. - -"He clutched his head, and sobbed. 'Unhappy Russia!' he said, 'Unhappy -people that we are!' They gave him water, and even I got sorry for -everybody, and began to cry." - -Masha looked around frightened. - -"God, when I think of my sister!" She rose and went into the cook's -room. The women looked after her sympathetically. Klimkov sighed with -relief. Against his will he asked Liza wearily and with an effort: - -"To whom did they write complaints?" - -"I don't know," answered Liza. - -"Marya went off to cry," remarked the cook. - -The door opened, and the cook's brother entered coughing. - -"It's chilly," he said, untwisting the scarf from his neck. - -"Here, take a drink, quick!" - -"Yes, indeed. And here's health to you." - -He was a thin person, who moved about freely and deliberately. The -gravity of his voice did not accord very well with his small light beard -and his sharp, somewhat bald skull. His face was small, thin, -insignificant, his eyes, large and hazel. - -"A revolutionist," was Yevsey's mental observation, as he silently -pressed the joiner's hand. - -"Time for me to be going," he announced unexpectedly to everybody. - -"Where to?" cried Anfisa, unceremoniously seizing his hand. "Say, you -merchant, don't break up our company. Look, Matvey, what a present he -gave me." - -Zimin looked at Yevsey, and said thoughtfully: - -"Yesterday they got another order in our factory for fifteen thousand -rubles. A drawing-room, a cabinet, a bed-room, and a salon--four rooms. -All the orders come from the military. They stole a whole lot of money, -and now they want to live after the latest fashion." - -"There you are!" Yevsey exclaimed mentally, vexed and heated. "Begins -the minute he comes in! Oh, Lord!" - -He felt a painful ache in his chest, as if something inside him had been -torn. Without thinking of what his question would lead to, he quickly -asked the joiner: - -"Are there any revolutionists in the factory?" - -As if touched to the quick, Zimin quickly turned to him, and looked into -his eyes. The cook frowned, and said in a voice dissatisfied but not -loud: - -"They say revolutionists are everywhere nowadays." - -"From smartness or stupidity?" asked Liza. - -Unable to withstand the hard searching look of the joiner, Klimkov -slowly bowed his head, though he followed the workingman with a sidelong -glance. - -"Why does that interest you?" Zimin inquired politely but sternly. - -"I have no interest in it," Yevsey answered lazily. - -"Ah! Then why do you ask?" - -"Just so," said Yevsey; and in a few seconds added, "Out of politeness." - -The joiner smiled. - -It seemed to Yevsey that three pairs of eyes were looking at him -suspiciously and severely. He felt awkward, and something bitter nipped -his throat. Masha came out of the cook's room, smiling guiltily. When -she looked at the others' faces, the smile disappeared. - -"What's the matter?" - -"It's the wine," flashed through Yevsey's mind. He rose to his feet, -shook himself, and said. "Don't think I asked for no reason at all. I -asked because I wanted to tell her long ago--your sister--about you." - -Zimin also rose. His face gathered in wrinkles, and turned yellow. - -"What can you tell her about me?" he asked with calm dignity. - -Masha's quiet whisper reached Yevsey's ear. "What's up between them?" - -"Wait," said Anfisa. - -"I know," said Yevsey. He had the sensation that he was being swung from -the floor into the air light as a feather. He seemed to see everything, -observe everything with marvellous plainness. "I know you're being -followed--followed by the agents of the Department of Safety, I know -you're a revolutionist." - -The cook shook in her chair, crying out in astonishment and fright: - -"Matvey, what does this mean?" - -"Excuse me," said Zimin, passing his hand reassuringly before her face. -"This is a serious matter." Then he said to Yevsey in a decided stern -tone, "Young man, put your overcoat on. You must go home. And I, too, -must go. Put your overcoat on." - -Yevsey smiled. He still felt empty and light. It was a pleasant -sensation, but his eyes were dim, and the caustic tickling taste in his -mouth came back again. He scarcely realized how he walked away, but he -did not forget that all were silent, and no one said good-by to him. - -In the street Zimin nudged his shoulder, and said not aloud but -emphatically: - -"I beg you not to come to my sister any more." - -"Why? Did I offend you?" asked Yevsey. - -"No, not in the least." - -"Why, then?" - -"Who are you?" - -"A peddler." - -"Then how do you know what I am, and that I am being followed?" - -"An acquaintance told me." - -"A spy?" - -"Yes." - -"So? And you are a spy, too?" - -"No," said Yevsey. But looking into Zimin's lean, pale face, he -remembered the calm and dull sound of his voice, and without an effort -corrected himself. "Yes, I, too." - -They walked a few steps in silence. - -"Well, go," said Zimin, suddenly halting. His voice sounded subdued and -sorrowful. He shook his head strangely. "Go away." - -Yevsey leaned his back against the enclosure, and gazed at the man, -blinking his eyes. Zimin, too, looked at Yevsey, shaking his right hand. - -"Why?" said Yevsey, in perplexity. "Didn't I tell you the truth? That -you are being tracked?" - -"Well?" - -"And you are angry?" - -Zimin bent toward him, and poured a wave of hissing words upon Klimkov. - -"Yes, go to the devil! I know without you that they are tracking me. -What's the matter? Is business going badly among you? Did you think -you'd buy me? And betray people behind my back? Or did you want to throw -a sop to your conscience? Go to hell! I say, go, or else I'll give you a -black eye." - -Yevsey started from his leaning posture, and walked off. - -"Vermin!" he heard breathed behind him contemptuously. - -Klimkov stopped, turned around, and for the first time swore at anybody -with the whole power of his voice: - -"Vermin yourself! You ---- ---- cur!" - -Zimin did not rejoin. His steps were inaudible. Somewhere Yevsey heard -the snow crunching under the runners of a cab and the grinding of iron -on stone. - -"He went back there," thought Klimkov, walking slowly along the -pavement. "He will tell. Masha will curse me." He spat out, then hummed: - -"Oh, garden, garden mine!" He stopped at a lamp-post, feeling he had to -calm himself. - -"Here I am, and I can sing if I want to. If a policeman hears it and -asks, 'What are you bawling there?' I'll show him my ticket from the -Department of Safety. 'Oh, excuse me!' he'll say. But if the joiner -should sing, he'll be hustled off to the station-house, and they'll give -him a cudgelling. 'Don't disturb the peace!'" Klimkov smiled, and peered -into the darkness. "Well, brother, won't you strike up a song?" - -However this failed to calm him as he had expected. His heart was sad, -and a bitter soapy saliva seemed to be glued in his mouth, making tears -well up in his eyes. - - "O Ga-a-a-arden, ga-a-a-arden mine! - Green is this garden of mine." - -He sang with the full power of his lungs, shutting his eyes tight. This -did not help either. The dry, prickly tears trickled through his lids, -and chilled his cheeks. - -"Ky-a-b!" Klimkov called in a low voice, still trying to put on a bold -front. But when he had seated himself in the sleigh, his body grew -faint, as if a great many tightly drawn fibres had suddenly burst within -him. His head drooped, and swaying from side to side in his seat he -mumbled: - -"A fine insult--very strong--thank you! Oh, you good people, wise -people--" - -This complaining was pleasant. It filled his heart with drunken -sweetness. Yevsey had often felt this sweetness in his childhood. It set -him in a martyr-like attitude toward people, and made him more -significant to himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - -In the morning Yevsey lay in bed frowning up at the ceiling. - -"Put my foot into it!" he thought dismally, as the recollection of what -had happened the day before came back to him. "No, I oughtn't to track -people, but track myself." The idea seemed strange to him. "How's that, -though? Am I rascally toward myself?" - -He remembered the melancholy hazel eyes of the joiner, the expression of -dignity on his thin face, and his assured voice as he said, "It's -chilly." Suddenly Yevsey was perplexed to feel within himself something -alien, something ready to struggle with him. He rose to his feet, took -in as much air as he could, and for a long time stood without emitting -breath, as if to stifle inside himself that which was alien and which -hindered him. - -"I must stop all this. What do I want it for?" he urged himself. -Nevertheless ease did not return. He began to dress lazily, compelling -himself to think about the task of the day. - -Now he seldom went about with goods, because there was much other work -to be done. This day, for instance, he was to go to a factory suburb to -observe the workingmen, with the object of discovering the persons who -distributed proclamations. - -He smeared his hands with soot and oil, then washed them with soap, -after which an oily film was left, such as on the hands of metal -workers. This was not essential. But Klimkov liked to dye his tufty -hair, and color his brows and mustache. Such proceedings made his work -more interesting, and heightened its gravity. - -The handsome Grokhotov had been very assiduous in teaching Yevsey the -art of disguising his face and figure. Grokhotov was sincerely attracted -by the work. He possessed a large supply of beards, mustaches, and wigs -of all colors, and could paste scars and warts on the face. Sometimes he -would display his mimic arts to his comrades. Suddenly, right in -everybody's presence, he would give his face, voice, and figure a -striking resemblance to one of the officials. Or he would cackle like a -goose, roar like a lion, bark like a dog, or meow like a cat. His -astonished audience praised him generously, and held their sides with -laughter, while he, smiling sedately, declared modestly: - -"Just the A B C's. Wait until I've been at it a year. Then I'll go on -the stage. I'll hit off all the celebrities, and I'll imitate every -animal on earth." - -Melnikov would look at him with contempt, and spit out. Once he even -shouted: - -"Hey, you clown, show us a louse." - -"The louse is a mute insect," remarked the spy. - -"Well, then, profit by its example. Eat and keep quiet." - -While dressing Klimkov remembered this interchange of words, which in -turn recalled Anatol. - -"There," he thought, "Anatol would have made a good spy. But Zimin -wouldn't do at all. His eyes are in the way. You can recognize him by -the eyes at once. He certainly wants to take Masha as his mistress." - -Yevsey stopped at the door, his heart unpleasantly gripped by this -conjecture. But the next instant he waved his hand carelessly. - -"To the devil with all of them! What do I care?" - -This thought, which had calmed him before, now irritated a sore spot in -his feelings. - -The sun was shining, water flowed from the roofs babbling and washing -away the dirty reddish snow. The people walked quickly and merrily. The -good chimes of the Lenten bells floated lengthily in the warm moist -atmosphere, mingling in a broad ribbon of soft sounds, which waved in -the air, and floated from the city into the pale bluish distance. - -"Now to go off somewhere, to walk in the fields, in the deserts," -thought Yevsey, as he entered the narrow streets of the factory suburb. - -Round about him rose the red filthy walls, supporting themselves one -against the other. The sky over them was besmirched with smoke, the air -was steeped in the stifling odor of warm oil. White teeth gleamed -angrily in the dirty faces of the workingmen. All the surroundings were -unlovely, and the eyes quickly wearied in looking upon the smoked stone -cages in which the men worked. - -At noon Klimkov, exhausted and feeling insulted by everything he saw, -entered a tavern, where he ordered dinner to be brought to him at a -small table next to a window. He reluctantly listened to the people's -conversation. There were not many, but all were workingmen, who lazily -cast short words at one another as they ate and drank. The only lively -sound was of a young incessant voice which reached him from a corner. - -"No, think, where does wealth come from?" - -The person who spoke was a broad-shouldered, curly-haired fellow. Yevsey -looked at him in vexation, and turned away. He frequently heard talks -about wealth, which always inspired him with a sense of bored -perplexity. He felt they were dictated only by envy and greed. He knew -that just such talks were accounted noxious, and he forcibly compelled -himself to listen to them, though to-day he wanted to traverse the broad -light streets of the city. - -"You work cheaply, and you buy dearly. Isn't it so?" cried the -curly-headed fellow. "All wealth is accumulated from the money by which -we are underpaid for our work. Let's take an example." - -"Everybody's greedy," thought Yevsey. "How Masha snatched the beads -yesterday! All are scoundrels. And the reason Zimin did not strike me -was because he was afraid I would call the police. Ha! They drove me -out, but they kept my presents. If they thought me a dirty fellow, they -should have returned my presents, the skunks!" - -Filling himself with the pleasant bitterness that comes from censuring -people, he was carried away by it, and no longer heard or saw anything. -Suddenly, however, a merry voice fell upon his ear. - -"What, Yevsey Klimkov?" - -He raised his head hastily, and wanted to rise, but was unable to do so. -He saw standing before him the curly-headed orator, whom, however, he -did not recognize. - -"You don't know me? Yakov, your cousin." - -He laughed, held out his hand to Yevsey, and seated himself opposite him -at the table. His laughter enveloped Klimkov in a warm cloud of -reminiscences--of the church, the quiet ravine, the fire, and the talks -of the blacksmith. Silent, smiling in embarrassment, he carefully -pressed his cousin's hand. - -"I didn't recognize you." - -"Of course!" exclaimed Yakov. "Your memory gets weak in the city. -Various things creep upon you from all sides, so no place is left for -the old. How are you getting along?" - -"So, so." - -"Out of work?" - -"Yes." - -Klimkov answered unwillingly. He wanted to know whereby this meeting -might be dangerous for him. But Yakov spoke for both. He rapidly gave an -account of the village, as if it were absolutely necessary for him to -get through with it as quickly as possible. In two minutes he had told -Yevsey that his father had gotten blind, that his mother was always -sick, and that he had been living in the city three years working in the -factory. - -"There, you've got the whole story." - -Yakov was even more thickly besmudged with soot and oil than most of the -men. Though his clothes were torn he seemed to be rich. He was outspoken -and free in his demeanor. Klimkov looked at him with pleasure, and -recalled without malice how this strong fellow had beaten him. - -"Is he a revolutionist, too?" he asked himself timidly. - -"Well, how are you getting along?" said Yakov. His broad round face, -glossy and smiling good-naturedly, called for frankness in return, which -Klimkov, however, did not want to give. He felt the new and alien thing -that he had found in his soul in the morning growing in him. In the -desire to evade Yakov's questions, he himself began to interrogate. - -"And how are you?" - -"Work is hard, and life is easy. I like the city very much. It's a smart -thing, the city is. And how simple, how intelligible things are here. -It's true that work for us fellows is, you may say, humiliating. There's -so much work, and so little time to live. Your whole day, your whole -life goes to your employer. You can keep only minutes for yourself. -There's no time to read a book. I'd like to go to theatre, but when will -I sleep? Do you read books?" - -"No." - -"Well, yes, you have no time. Isn't it so? Though I manage to read after -all. Such books as you get here! You start one, and you just sink away, -as if a dear girl and you were embracing. Honest! How do you get along -with girls? Lucky?" - -"So, so," said Yevsey. - -"They love me! The girls here, too--ah, God, what a life! Do you go to -the theatre?" - -"I've been." - -"I love theatre. I snatch up everything, as if I were going to leave -to-morrow, or die. Really! I like to hear music, everything--the -zoological garden--that's a nice place, too." - -The red of excitement broke through the black layer of dirt of Yakov's -cheeks. His eyes burned eagerly. He smacked his lips, as if he were -sucking in something refreshing and vivifying. - -Quiet envy stirred in Yevsey, envy of this healthy body with its keen -appetites. He stubbornly recalled how Yakov had pummeled his sides with -his powerful fists; and something sad softly hindered him from doing -violence to himself. Quick, joyous speech came from Yakov without cease; -the ringing exulting words and exclamations fluttered around Yevsey like -swallows. He drank in the live spring-talk, involuntarily smiling. He -seemed to himself to be splitting in two, torn by the desire to listen, -and the awkward, almost shameful feeling that possessed him. Though he -wished to speak in his turn, he feared he might betray himself. His -shirt collar pressed his neck. He turned his head around, and suddenly -saw Grokhotov on the street at the window. Over the spy's left shoulder -and arm hung torn breeches, dirty shirts, and jackets. He gave Yevsey a -scarcely perceptible wink as he shouted in a sour voice: - -"I sell and buy old clothes." - -"It's time for me to be going," said Yevsey, jumping to his feet. - -"You are free on Sundays, aren't you? Oh, yes, you're out of work. Well, -then, let's go to the zoological gardens. Come to me. No, I'd better go -to you. Where do you live?" - -Yevsey was silent. He did not want to tell him where he lodged. - -"What's the matter? Do you live with a girl? That doesn't matter. You'll -introduce me to her. That's all. What are you ashamed of? Is that it?" - -"You see I don't live alone." - -"Well, yes." - -"But I don't live with a girl. I live with an old man." - -Yakov guffawed. - -"How funny you are! The devil knows how you speak. Well, we don't want -an old man, of course. I live with two comrades. It's not convenient for -anyone to call on me either. Come, let's agree on a place where we can -meet." - -They decided on a meeting-place, and left the café. Yakov on taking -leave gave his cousin an affectionate and vigorous handshake, and Yevsey -left him in precipitate haste as if he feared his cousin would return to -take it back. On his way he reflected dismally: - -"I cannot go on the side of the city where the railway station is, -because I'll meet Zimin there, and they'll beat me. Here, the toughest -place, the place they call a hot-bed of revolutionists, Yakov will be in -my way. I can't do a thing. I can't turn anywhere." - -A feeling of spiteful irritation glided over his soul like a grey -shadow. - -"I sell old clothes," sang Grokhotov behind his back, then whispered, -"Buy a shirt from me, Klimkov." - -Yevsey turned around, took some rag in his hand, and examined it -silently, while the spy praising the wares aloud, managed to get in a -whisper, "See here, you just hit it. That curly-headed fellow, I had my -eyes on him. He's a Socialist. Hold on to him. You can hook a great many -with him. He's a young fellow, a simple sort of fellow, do you hear?" He -tore the rag from Yevsey's hand, and shouted in an offended tone, "Five -kopeks for such a garment as this? You're making sport of me, friend. -Why should you insult me? Go your way, go." And shouting his wares, -Grokhotov strode down the street. - -"There, I myself am going to be under surveillance," thought Yevsey, -looking at Grokhotov's back. - -When a spy with little experience became acquainted with a workingman, -he was obliged to report the fact immediately to the spy above him. The -latter either gave him as an assistant a spy with more experience, or he -himself went among the workingmen; upon which the other spies would say -of him enviously: - -"He 'noosed' himself into the provocatorship." - -The role of provocator was considered dangerous, so by way of -compensation the officers at once gave money rewards for the handing -over of a group of people. All the spies not only gladly "noosed" -themselves, but sometimes also even tripped one another up in the -endeavor to snatch away the lucky chance. In this way the entire -business was not infrequently spoiled. More than once it happened that a -spy had already gotten inside a circle of workingmen, when suddenly in -some secret manner they learned of his profession; whereupon they would -beat him if he had not succeeded in time in slipping away from the -circle. This was called "snapping the noose." - -It was hard for Klimkov to believe that Yakov was a Socialist, though at -the same time he wanted to believe it. The envy his cousin aroused was -transformed again into irritation against him for having put himself in -his way. Yevsey now also recalled the blows his cousin had bestowed upon -him. - -In the evening, with eyes turned aside, he informed Piotr of his -acquaintance. - -"Well, what of it?" asked Piotr angrily. - -"Nothing." - -"You don't know what you must do? Then what the devil is the use of -teaching you fellows?" Piotr hastened off, crumpled, lean, with dark -stains under his eyes. - -"Evidently lost again at cards," thought Yevsey gloomily. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - -The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success. He questioned him in -detail. After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave -Klimkov instructions. - -"Wait a little. Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have -gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear? Ask as few -questions as possible, let them speak for themselves. Very likely -they'll ask you whether you can't get them type. Tell them you can, but -learn to say it simply, so that they should see it's all the same to you -whether you get it or don't get it. Don't ask what for, behave like a -little fool, as you actually are. Only I want you to know that if you -botch this matter, it will be bad for you. After every meeting report to -me what you have heard." - -In intercourse with Sasha Yevsey felt like a little dog on a strap. He -looked at the spy's pimply yellow face, and thought of nothing but the -moment when he would be permitted to depart from the cloud of disgusting -odors, which nauseated him and ate into the skin of his face and hands. - -He went to meet Yakov as empty as a pipe. But when he saw his cousin -with a cigarette between his teeth and his hat cocked to one side, he -gave him a pleasant smile, while something unpleasant stirred within -him. - -"How's business?" shouted Yakov merrily. - -"So, so." - -"Gotten a job?" - -"Yes." The next instant Yevsey thought, "I said it too soon." - -"What?" - -"Clerk in a printing office." - -Yakov whistled. - -"Capital! What do you get?" - -"Twenty-five." - -"In a printing office? Indeed!" said Yakov thoughtfully, then suddenly -became animated. "What do you say--I'll take you to pay a visit this -evening. Good company, coz. Two girls, one a milliner, the other a spool -girl in a thread factory. There'll be a locksmith there, too, a young -fellow. He sings and plays the guitar. Two more, also good people. All -people are good, only they have no time to pay attention to themselves." - -Yakov spoke quickly, and his eyes smiled joyously at everything he saw. -He stopped in front of the shop-windows, and examined their contents -with the gaze of a man to whom all articles are pleasant, and everything -is interesting. - -"Look, what a dress! Ha! If you were to put such a thing on our Olya, -she'd get tangled up in it. Books--that little one there, yellow, you -see it? I've read it. 'Primitive Man.' Interesting. Read it, and you'll -see how people grew up. Books are very interesting. They at once open up -to you all the cunning of life. Those thick books are awkward to read. -By the time you get to the middle you forget what happened at the -beginning, and at the end you forget the beginning also. The devil take -them! Why don't they write shorter books?" - -The next minute he pointed out a gun, and cried ecstatically: - -"Revolvers, eh? Just like toys." - -Giving himself over to Yakov's mood, Yevsey looked at the various -articles with the wandering look of empty eyes, and smiled, astounded, -as if for the first time seeing the pretty, alluring multitude of -brilliant materials and vari-colored books, the blinding gleam of colors -and metals. He was pleased to hear the young voice still in the state of -change; the rapid talk steeped in the joy of life was agreeable to him. -It lightly penetrated the dark void of Klimkov's soul, and allowed him -to forget himself for a moment. - -"You're a jolly fellow," he said approvingly. - -"Very. I learned to dance from the Cossacks. A score of Cossacks are -stationed in our factory. Did you hear that the men in our factory -wanted to rise? You didn't? How's that? The newspapers wrote about it. -Yes, so I learned to dance from the Cossacks. Wait, you'll see. Nobody -can beat me." - -"Why did they want to rise?" asked Yevsey, provoked by the simplicity -with which Yakov spoke of a revolt. - -"Why? They wrong us workingmen. What, then, are we to do?" - -"And you would have done it, too?" - -"What? Rebel? Of course. What else? Our people are good, they're solid." - -"And how about the Cossacks?" - -"The Cossacks? So, so. They are people, too. At first they thought they -would officer it over us, but then they said, 'Comrades, give us -leaflets.'" - -Yakov suddenly broke off and looked into Yevsey's face. For a minute he -walked in silence with knit brows. - -The mention of the leaflets recalled his duty to Yevsey. He wrinkled his -forehead painfully. Wishing to push something away from himself and his -cousin, he said quietly: - -"I read those leaflets." - -"Well?" asked Yakov, slackening his gait. - -"I don't understand them. What are they for?" - -"You read some more." - -"I don't want to." - -"Why not?" - -"Just so." - -"They're not interesting to you?" - -"No, they're not." - -For a while they walked in silence. Yakov sniffed meditatively, and gave -a hasty look into his cousin's face. Yevsey felt he had not succeeded in -shoving away the unpleasant and dangerous theme. - -"These leaflets are a precious matter. It's necessary for us to read -them. All the slaves of labor ought to read them," Yakov began heartily, -but in a modulated voice. "We, cousin, are slaves, chained to -everlasting work. They have made us captives of capitalists, and we live -poor in body and in soul. Isn't it so? Now the leaflets eat at our -chains, the way rust eats iron, and they liberate our human minds." - -Klimkov walked more quickly. He did not want to hear the smooth talk. -The desire even darted through his mind to say: - -"Don't speak to me about such things, please." - -But Yakov himself interrupted his speech. - -"There's the zoo!" - -They drank a bottle of beer in the bar-room, and listened to the playing -of a military band. - -"Good?" Yakov asked, nudging Yevsey's side with his elbow. On the -cessation of the playing Yakov sighed. "That was Faust they played. An -opera. I saw it three times. Beautiful, very! The story is stupid, but -the music is good. And the songs, too. Come, let's look at the monkeys." - -On the way to the monkey-house he told Yevsey the story of Faust and the -devil Mephistopheles. He even attempted to sing something, but not -succeeding he burst out laughing. "I can't," he declared. "It's hard. -Besides I've forgotten it. Do you know--the singer who plays the devil -gets a thousand rubles every time he sings. The devil take him, let him -get ten thousand rubles, because it's good. When it's good, I don't -grudge anybody anything. I'd give my life,--there, take it, eat! Isn't -it so?" - -"Yes," replied Yevsey, looking around. - -Yakov's account of the opera, the pretty women's faces, the laughter and -talk of the crowds of people in holiday attire, and over all the spring -sky bathed in sunlight--all this intoxicated Klimkov and expanded his -heart. - -"What a young fellow he is!" he thought in amazement, as he looked at -Yakov. "So brave! And he knows everything. Yet he's the same age I am." - -Now it seemed to Yevsey that his cousin was leading him somewhere far -off, and was quickly opening up before him a long row of little doors, -behind each of which the sound and the light grew pleasanter and -pleasanter. He looked around, absorbing the new impressions, and at -times opening his eyes wide in anxiety. It seemed to him that the -familiar face of a spy was darting about in the crowd. - -The two youths stood before the monkey cage. Yakov with a kind smile in -his eyes said: - -"I love these wise animals. In fact I love every living thing. Just -look! Wherein are they less than human beings? Isn't it so? Eyes, chins, -how bright all their features are, eh? Their hands--" He suddenly broke -off to listen to something. "Wait a minute, there go our folks." He -disappeared, and in a minute returned leading a girl and a young man up -to Yevsey. The young man wore a sleeveless jacket. Yakov cried out -joyously: - -"You said you weren't coming here, you deceivers. Well, all right. This -is my cousin Yevsey Klimkov. I told you about him. This is Olya--Olga -Konstantinova, and this is Aleksey Stepanovich Makarov." - -Klimkov bowed clumsily and silently pressed the hands of his new -acquaintances. - -"There, he's going to 'noose' me in," he thought. "It's better for me to -go away." - -But he did not go away, though he looked around again, fearful lest he -see one of the spies. He saw none, however. - -"He's not a very free sort of a fellow," said Yakov to the girl. "He's -not a pair to me, sinner that I am. He's a quiet fellow." - -"You needn't feel constrained with us. We are simple people," said Olga. - -She was taller than Yevsey by an entire head, and her size was -heightened by her luxuriant glossy hair, which she wore combed high. Her -grey-blue eyes smiled serenely in a pale oval face. - -The expression of the man in the sleeveless jacket was intelligent and -kind. His eyes were screwed up and his ears large. His motions were -slow. In walking he moved his apparently powerful body with a peculiar -sort of unconcern. - -"Are we going to wander about here long, like unrepentant sinners?" he -asked in a soft bass. - -"What else should we do?" asked Yakov. - -"Let's sit down somewhere." - -Olga bent her head to look into Klimkov's face. - -"Have you ever been here before?" - -"No. This is the first time." - -"Do you find it interesting?" - -"Yes, I like it." - -He walked to her side trying for some reason to lift his feet higher; by -which walking became awkward. They sat down at a table, and called for -beer. Yakov made jokes, while Makarov whistled softly and regarded the -public with his screwed-up eyes. - -"Have you any companions?" asked Olga. - -"No, not one." - -"That's what I thought at once. I thought you were a solitary person," -she said smiling. "Lonely people have a peculiar gait. Altogether -there's something noticeable about them. How old are you?" - -"I'll soon be nineteen." - -"Look, there's a spy!" Makarov exclaimed quietly. - -Yevsey jumped to his feet, but quickly resumed his seat, and looked at -Olga to see if she had observed his involuntary movement of alarm. He -could not make out, however. She was silently and attentively examining -Melnikov's dark figure, which slowly moved through the passageway -between the tables as if with an effort. Melnikov walked with bent neck -and eyes fastened on the ground. His arms hung at his side as if -dislocated. - -"He walks like Judas to the aspen tree," said Yakov in a subdued voice. - -"He must be drunk," observed Makarov. - -"No, he's always like that," was on the tip of Yevsey's tongue. He -fidgetted in his chair. - -Melnikov pushed himself through the crowd like a black stone, and was -soon lost in its gaily colored stream. - -"Did you notice how he walked?" Olga asked Klimkov. - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"Of course he's a mean man, but he must be unhappy and lonely." - -Yevsey raised his head, and looked at her attentively, with expectation. - -"Do you know I think that for a weak man loneliness is the most horrible -thing. It can drive him to anything." - -"Yes," said Klimkov in a whisper, comprehending something. He looked -into the girl's face gratefully, and repeated in a louder tone, "Yes." - -"I knew him four years ago," Makarov recounted. Makarov's face seemed -suddenly to have lengthened and dried up. His bones became visible, his -eyes opened and darkened and looked firmly into the distance. "He -delivered over one student, who gave us books to read, and a workingman, -Tikhonov. The student was exiled, Tikhonov stayed in prison about a -year, then died of typhus." - -"Are you afraid of spies?" Olga suddenly asked Klimkov. - -"Why?" Yevsey returned dully. - -"You started so when you saw him." - -Yevsey rubbing his throat vigorously answered without looking at her: - -"That was--because I know him, too." - -"Aha!" Makarov drawled, smiling. - -"Ah, and such a quiet fellow!" exclaimed Yakov. - -All now moved more closely around Klimkov as if desiring to hide him -from somebody's eyes. He did not understand their exclamations, nor -their movements and kind looks. He endeavored to keep quiet, fearing -that against his will he would say words that would at once destroy the -anxious yet pleasant half-dream of these minutes. - -The fresh spring evening approached quietly and benignly, softening -sounds and colors. There was a red flush in the sky, and the brass -instruments sang a soft pensive strain. - -"Well," said Makarov, "are we going to stay here, or are we going home?" - -"What will they give here?" asked Olga. - -"Chorus singing, tight-rope dancing, and all sorts of similar nonsense." - -They decided to go home. On the way Olga asked Klimkov: - -"Have you ever been in prison?" - -"Yes," he answered, but in an instant added, "Not for long." - -They took the tramway to their place of destination. Yevsey found -himself in a little room with blue paper on the walls. It was close and -stifling, now merry, now gloomy. Makarov played the guitar and sang -songs which Yevsey had never before heard. Yakov boldly discussed -everything in the world, laughing at the rich and swearing at the -officials. Then he danced, filling the whole room with the tread of his -feet and the cries and the whistling that accompany the dances. The -guitar tinkled the measure of the dance, and Makarov encouraged Yakov -with popular sayings and shouts. - -"Go ahead, Yasha! Heigho! Who with merriment is blessed, Frightens -sorrow from his breast." - -Olga looked on serenely and contentedly. - -"Good, isn't it?" she asked Klimkov occasionally, smiling at him. - -Drunk with a quiet joy unknown to him Klimkov smiled in response. He -forgot about himself, and felt the obstinate pricks within him only -rarely, for a few seconds at a time. Before his consciousness was able -to transform them into clear thought, they disappeared, without -recalling his life to him. - -It was not until he had reached his home that he remembered his work, -his obligation to deliver these merry people into the hands of the -gendarmes. On recalling this duty he was seized with cold anguish. He -stopped in the middle of the room, his brain a void. Breathing became -difficult, and he passed his dry tongue over his lips. He drew off his -clothes quickly, and clad in nothing but his underwear seated himself at -the window. After several minutes of numbness he thought: - -"I will tell them--her--Olga." - -But that very minute he heard in his memory the angry and contemptuous -shouts of the joiner, "Vermin!" Klimkov shook his head in repudiation of -the idea. "I'll write to her. 'Take care,' I'll say--and I'll write -about myself." - -This thought cheered him. The next minute, however, he reasoned: - -"They'll find my letter when they make the search. They'll recognize my -handwriting, and then I'm ruined." - -Someone within him commanded imperiously: - -"You can't do anything of yourself. Do that which you have been bidden -to do." - -He sat at the window almost until daybreak. It seemed to him that his -entire body shrivelled up and collapsed within him like a rubber ball -from which the air is expelled. Within grief relentlessly sucked at his -heart; without the darkness pressed upon him, full of faces lying in -wait. Amid them, like a red ball, lowered the sinister face of Sasha. -Klimkov crouched on his seat unable to think. Finally he rose -cautiously, and quietly hid himself under the blanket of the bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - -Life, like a horse that has stood idle too long, began to caper -strangely, refusing to surrender to the will of those who wanted to -control it--who wanted to control it just as senselessly, just as -cruelly as before. - -Every evening the people connected with the Department of Safety, who -were utterly at a loss, spoke more and more alarmingly of the increasing -signs of universal excitement, of the secret league of peasants, who had -resolved to take the land by force from the landowners, of the -gatherings of workingmen who began to censure the administration openly, -of the power of the revolutionists, which clearly was growing from day -to day. Filip Filippovich, without abating, continued to scratch the -agents of the Department of Safety with his sharp-edged, irritating -voice. He overwhelmed everybody with reproaches for inactivity. And -Yasnogursky, smacking his lips, made tragic appeals to the agents while -pressing his hands to his bosom. - -"My children, exert yourselves. Remember that service in behalf of the -Czar is not wasted." - -But when Krasavin inquired gloomily, "What are we to do?" he merely -waved his hand, and stood for a long time with his deep black mouth -gaping strangely, unable to find a reply. - -"Catch them!" he finally shouted. - -Yevsey, who listened to everything, heard the dapper Leontyev cough -drily, and say to Sasha: - -"Apparently our old methods of war upon the rebels are no good in these -days of universal madness." - -"Ye-e-e-es, you can't put out fire with spittle," hissed Sasha, a smile -distorting his face. - -Everybody was vexed and complained and shouted. Sasha drew up his long -legs, and cried in mocking derision: - -"Aha! The gentlemen revolutionists are getting the better of us, eh?" - -He laughed, and his laugh irritated everybody. Yevsey felt that this man -was not afraid of anything, and he endeavored not to hear his talk. - -The spies tossed about the streets day and night, and every evening -brought long reports of their observations. They spoke to one another -mournfully: - -"Is this the way to work nowadays? Dear me!" - -Apparently no one knew a means by which the elemental growth of the -popular revolt could be restrained. - -"They will comb our curls," said Piotr, cracking his knuckles. - -"They'll take us off the list if we remain alive," Solovyov chimed in -dismally. - -"If they would give us a pension at least! But they won't." - -"A noose around our necks, not a pension," said Melnikov sombrely. - -The spies were all exhausted and confused; all trembled in fear of the -morrow. Both they and the officials seemed to have faded. The people who -but a short time ago had been terrible in Yevsey's eyes, who had -appeared to him to be the powerful and invincible masters of life, now -ran from one corner of the Department of Safety to another, and -fluttered about in the streets like last year's dried leaves. - -He observed with amazement that there were other people, cheerful, -simple, and trusting, who were able to walk into the future, carelessly -stepping over every obstacle and snare in their way, everyone of whom -was good in his own fashion, and everyone of whom clearly hinted at the -possibility of something better than himself. Yevsey compared them with -the spies, who, unwillingly with clandestine tread, crept along the -streets and into houses, and secretly spirited away these people at -night, in order to seclude them in prisons. He clearly realized that the -spies did not understand the aim of their work, did not believe that it -was needful for life, and did not think or reason when, instinctively, -according to their habit, they went about half-sick, half-drunk, driven -by different fears. - -He liked the tranquil talk of Olga, her greyish blue eyes, and that live -strong pity for people which sounded in the girl's every word. He liked -the noisy, jesting, somewhat boastful talker Yakov, the careless -Aleksey, good-naturedly ready to give away his last shirt and penny to -anyone who asked for them. He met an increasing number of people new to -him, in each of whom he perceived faith in the victory of his dream. And -Yevsey involuntarily, insensibly, yielded to this faith. - -Observing the quick crumbling of that power which he had hitherto -submissively served, Yevsey began to seek a way by which it would be -possible for him to circumvent and escape the necessity of betrayal. He -reasoned thus: - -"If I go to them, then it will be impossible for me not to deliver them -up. To hand them over to another agent is still worse. I must tell them. -Now that they are becoming more powerful, it will be better for me to be -with them." - -So, yielding to the attraction exerted upon him by persons new to him, -he visited Yakov more frequently, and became more insistent in -endeavoring to meet Olga. After each visit he reported in a quiet voice -to Sasha every detail of his intercourse with them--what they said, what -they read, and what they wanted to do. He enjoyed telling of them, in -fact, repeated their talk with secret satisfaction. - -"Oh, a funeral," snuffled Sasha, angrily and sarcastically fixing -Klimkov with his dim eyes. "You must push them on yourself, if they are -inattentive. You must get in a hint that you can furnish them with type, -fix up a printing office. Is it possible you can't do that?" - -Yevsey was silent. - -"I am asking you, idiot, can you do it? Well?" - -"I can." - -"Why don't you speak out? Suggest it to them to-morrow, do you hear?" - -"Very well." - -It was easy for Klimkov to fulfil Sasha's order. In reporting about his -cousin's circle, he had not ventured to tell Sasha that both Olga and -Yakov had already asked him twice, whether he could obtain type for -them. Each time he had managed to get away without answering. - -The next evening he went to Olga, carrying in his breast the dark -feeling of emptiness he always experienced in moments of nervous -tension. The resolution to fulfil the task was put into him by a -stranger's will; he did not have to think about it himself. This -resolution spread within him, and crowded out all fear, all inconvenient -sympathy. - -But when the tall figure of Olga stood before him in the small dimly -lighted room, and behind her he saw her large shadow on the wall, which -moved to meet him, Klimkov lost courage, grew confused, and stood in the -doorway without speaking. - -"I've just returned from the factory," said Olga pressing his hand. "We -had another meeting today. What's the matter with you? Are you tired? -Are you sick? Come in, sit down. Let's have some tea, yes?" - -She turned the light in the lamp higher, and looked at Klimkov with a -smile. While getting the dishes ready she continued. - -"I like to drink tea with you alone. I myself and all the comrades, we -talk a great deal. We must talk so much, we scarcely have time to think. -That's absurd, and bad, but it's true. So it's pleasant to see a -taciturn, thinking man. Will you have a glass of milk? It will do you -good. You are growing very thin, it seems to me." - -Klimkov took the glass she offered him, and slowly sipped the watery -unsavory milk. He wanted to get through with the business at once. - -"This is it. You said you need type." - -"I did. I know you'll give it to us." - -She said these words simply, with a confidence not to be shaken. They -were like a blow to Yevsey. He flung himself on the back of the chair -astonished. - -"Why do you know?" he asked dully after a pause. - -"When I asked you, you said neither yes nor no. So I thought you would -certainly say yes." - -Yevsey did not understand. He tried not to meet her look. - -"Why?" he queried again. - -"It must be because I consider you a good man. I trust you." - -"You mustn't trust," said Yevsey. - -"Well, enough nonsense, you must." - -"And suppose you've been mistaken?" - -She shrugged her shoulders. - -"Well, what of it?" After a pause she added calmly, "Not to believe a -man means not to respect him. It means to think him beforehand a liar, -an ugly person. Is that possible?" - -"That's what is necessary," mumbled Yevsey. - -"What?" - -"I can furnish the type." He sighed. The task was accomplished. He was -silent for several minutes, sitting with his head bowed, his hands -pressed tight between his knees, while he listened suspiciously to the -rapid beating of his heart. - -Olga leaned her elbows on the table, and in a low voice told him when -and where the promised type must be brought. He made a mental note of -her words, and repeated them to himself, desiring by this repetition to -hinder the growth of the painful feeling in his empty breast. Now that -he had fulfilled his duty a stifling nausea slowly arose from the depths -of his soul; and that feeling of an alien inside himself, of a -constantly widening cleft in his being, came over him in a tormenting -wave. - -"You noticed," the girl said quietly, "how rapidly the people are -changing, how faith in other persons is growing, how quickly one gets to -know the other, how everybody seeks friends and finds them. All have -become simpler, more trusting, more willing to open up their souls. See -how good it is." - -Her words trembled before him like moths, each with its own character. -Simple, kind, joyous, they all seemed fairly to smile. Unable to make up -his mind to look Olga in the face, Klimkov took to watching her shadow -on the wall over his shoulders, and drew upon it her blue eyes, the -medium-sized mouth with the pale lips, her face somewhat weary and -serious, but soft and kind. - -"Shall I tell her now that all this is a hocus-pocus? That she will be -ruined?" - -He answered himself: - -"They'll drive me out. They'll swear at me, and drive me out." - -"Do you know Zimin the joiner?" he suddenly asked. - -"No, why?" - -Yevsey sighed painfully. - -"Just so. He's a good man, too, a Socialist." - -"We are many," observed Olga with assurance. - -"If she knew the joiner," Klimkov thought slowly, "I would tell her to -ask him about me. Then--" - -The chair seemed to be giving way beneath him, the nausea, he thought, -would immediately gush into his throat. He coughed, and examined the -clean little room, which small and poor though it was, once more gripped -at his heart. The moon looked into the room round as Yakov's face, and -the light in the lamp seemed irritatingly superfluous. - -"More and more people come into being who realize that they are called -upon by destiny to order life differently--upon truth and intellect," -said Olga dreamily and simply. - -Yevsey, yielding more and more to the power of the triumphant feeling -the girl and the quiet contracted room inspired in him, thought: - -"I'll put out the light, fall on my knees before her, embrace her feet, -and tell her everything--and she will give me a kick." - -But the fear of ill treatment did not deter him. He raised himself -heavily from his chair, and put out his hand to the lamp. Then his hand -dropped lazily, drowsily, his legs shook. He started. - -"What are you doing?" demanded Olga. - -He tried to answer, but a soft gurgle came instead of words. He dropped -to his knees, and seized her dress with trembling hands. She pressed one -hot hand against his forehead, and with the other grasped his shoulder, -at the same time hiding her legs under the table with a powerful -movement. - -"No, no, get up!" she exclaimed sternly. "Oh my, how dreadful this is! -My dear, I understand, you are worn out, I am sorry for you, you are an -honorable man--I cannot--why, you don't ask for charity--then get up." - -The warmth of her strong body roused in him a sharp sensual desire, and -he took the pushing of her hand as an encouraging caress. - -"She's not a saint," darted through his mind, and he embraced the girl's -knees more vigorously. - -"I tell you, get up!" she exclaimed in a muffled voice, no longer -persuasively, but in a tone of command. - -He rose without having succeeded in saying anything. The girl had -confused his desires, his words, and feelings. She had put into his -breast something insulting and stinging. - -"Understand--" he mumbled, spreading out his hands. - -"Yes, yes, I understand--my God, always this on the road!" she -exclaimed. Looking into his face she went on harshly, "I am sick of it. -I am insulted. I can't be only a woman to everybody. Oh, God! How -pitiful you all are, after all." - -She went to the window, and the table now separated her from Yevsey. A -dim, cold perplexity took hold of his heart; an insulting shame quietly -burned him. - -"I tell you what--don't come to me--I beg of you. I'll feel awkward in -your presence, and you, too--please." - -Yevsey took up his hat, flung his coat over his shoulders, and walked -away with bowed head. Several minutes later he was sitting on a bench at -the gate of a house, mumbling as if drunk: - -"The baggage!" But he had to strain himself to bring out the epithet. It -was not genuine. He ransacked all the shameful names for a woman, all -ugly oaths, and poured them over the tall, shapely figure of Olga, -desiring to sully every bit of her with mud, to darken her from head to -foot, in order not to see her face and eyes. But oaths did not cling to -her. She stood before his eyes, stretching out her hands, pushing him -away, serene and white. Her image robbed his oaths of their force, and -though Yevsey persistently roused anger within himself, he felt only -shame. - -He looked for a long time at the round solitary ball of the moon, which -moved in the sky in bounds, as if leaping like a large bright rubber -ball; and he heard the quiet sound of its motion, resembling the -beatings of a heart. - -He did not love this pale melancholy disk, which always seemed to watch -him with cold obstinacy in the heavy movements of his life. It was late, -but the city was not yet asleep. From all sides floated sounds. - -"Formerly the nights were quieter," thought Klimkov. He rose, and walked -away, without putting his arms into the sleeves of his coat, his hat -pushed back on his neck. - -"Well, all right, wait," he thought, doing violence to himself. Finally -he decided, "I'll deliver them over, and as a reward I'll ask to be -transferred to another city. That's all." - -He reluctantly surrendered himself to the desires to revenge himself -upon Olga, and strengthened the feeling with a supreme effort. -Nevertheless it continued to cover his heart with a thin scale, and was -constantly breaking down so that he had to fortify it again. Beneath -this desire unexpectedly appeared another, not strong, but restless. He -wanted to see the girl once more, wanted to listen in silence to her -talk, to sit with her in her room. He quenched the longing with thoughts -that designedly lowered Olga. - -"If I had a lot of money, you would dance naked before me. I know your -lewd set." But to himself he said obdurately, "You won't sully her, you -won't attain it." - -He wanted this or the other, but neither this nor the other was -attainable. In calmer moments he realized this truth, which fairly -crushed him, and plunged him into a heavy sleep troubled by nightmares. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - -But Yevsey pursued his work precisely. He gave Makarov a few heavy -bundles of type in three instalments, and cleverly found out from him -where the printing-press would be established. This elicited public -commendation from Sasha. - -"Good boy! Now we have six in our hands--that's not so bad, Klimkov. You -will receive a reward." - -Yevsey treated his praise indifferently. When Sasha was gone, the sharp -face of Maklakov, which had grown thin, leaped into his eyes. The spy, -sitting in a dark corner of the room on a sofa, looked into Yevsey's -face, twirling his mustache, frowning, and vexed. Something in his look -provoked Yevsey, who turned aside. - -"Klimkov, come here," the spy called out. - -Klimkov turned back, and seated himself next to Maklakov. - -"Is it true that you delivered up your brother?" asked Maklakov in a low -voice. - -"My cousin." - -"You're not sorry?" - -"No." Yevsey quietly and angrily repeated the phrase that the officials -often uttered. "For us, as for soldiers, there is neither mother, nor -father, nor brother, only enemies of the Czar and our country." - -"Well, of course," said Maklakov, and smiled. After a pause he added, -"Really you are a 'good boy.'" - -By his voice and smile Klimkov understood that the spy was making sport -of him. He felt offended. - -"Maybe I am sorry." - -"Yes?" - -"But if I have to serve honestly and faithfully--" - -"Of course. I'm not disputing with you, you queer fellow." - -Then Maklakov lighted a cigarette, and asked Yevsey: - -"Why are you sitting here?" - -"Oh, for no reason. I have nothing to do." - -Maklakov slapped him on his knee, and suddenly said: - -"You're a poor unfortunate, brother, little man." - -Yevsey rose. - -"Timofey Vasilyevich," he began in a trembling voice. - -"Well, what is it?" - -"Tell me--" - -"Tell you what?" - -"I don't know." - -"Well, I don't either." - -Klimkov mumbled: - -"I am sorry for my cousin--and there's a girl there, too. They are all -better than we, by God they are! Really and truly they're better." - -Maklakov also rose to his feet, stretched himself, and stepping to the -door remarked coldly: - -"Go to the devil!" - -Yevsey remained alone. - -"Well, there," thought he, "there's another fellow--all alike. First -they draw me on, then they push me away." - -The vengeful feeling toward Olga awoke in him, and blended with his -sense of ill-will toward all people, which found ample nourishment in -his soul powerless to resist because of the poison of many insults. -Yevsey vigorously set to work to enmeshing himself in a net of new -moods, and he served now with a dull zeal hitherto unknown to him. - -Gradually the night came upon which it had been decided to arrest Olga, -Yakov, and all implicated in the affair of the printing-press whom -Yevsey had succeeded in tracking. He knew that the printing-office was -located in the wing of a house set in a garden and occupied by a large -red-bearded man named Kostya and his wife, a stout, pock-marked woman. -He also knew that Olga was the servant of these two people. Kostya's -head was close cropped, and his wife had a grey face and roaming eyes. -Upon Yevsey both produced the impression of witless persons, or persons -who have lain in a hospital a long time. - -"What fearful people they are!" he remarked to Yakov when he pointed -them out one evening during a party at Makarov's lodging. - -Yakov loved to boast of his acquaintances. He proudly shook his curly -head, and explained with an air of importance: - -"It's from their hard life. They work in cellars at night, where it is -damp, and the air is close. They get their rest in prison. Both of them -are fugitives, who live on other people's passports. Such a life turns -everybody inside out and upside down. They're jolly people, too. When -Kostya begins to tell about his life, you would think it is nothing but -tears, but he talks so that when he is done, your sides ache from -laughing. You can't trap such people very easily." - -Klimkov decided to get a last look at Olga. He learned through what -street the prisoners would be led, and went to meet them, trying to -persuade himself that all this did not touch him. All the time he was -thinking about the girl. - -"She'll certainly be frightened. She'll cry." - -He walked, as always, keeping in the shade. He tried once or twice to -whistle carelessly, but never succeeded in checking the steady stream of -recollections about Olga. He saw her calm face, her trusting eyes, -listened to her somewhat broken voice, and remembered her words: - -"It's no use for you to talk so badly about people, Klimkov. Why, have -you nothing to reproach yourself with? Suppose everybody were to say -what you say, 'It's hard for me to live, because everybody is so mean,' -why, that would be ridiculous. Can't you see? Value yourself highly, but -do not lower others. What right have you to do that?" - -When listening to Olga Yevsey had always felt that she spoke the truth. -Now, too, he had no cause to doubt it. But he was filled with the sheer -desire to see her frightened, pitiful, and in tears. - -From afar the wheels of an equipage began to rumble, the horses' shoes -clattered. Klimkov pressed himself against the gate of a house, and -waited. The carriage rolled by him. He looked at it unconcernedly, saw -two gloomy faces, the grey beard of the driver, and the large mustache -of the sergeant at his side. - -"That's all," thought he, "and I didn't get a chance to see her." - -But another carriage came rolling from the end of the street, and passed -him quickly. Yevsey listened to the cut of the whip on the horse's body, -and its tired snorting. The sounds seemed to hang motionless in the air. -He thought they would hang there forever. - -Olga with her head wrapped in a kerchief was sitting at the side of a -young gendarme. On the coach box beside the driver rose the figure of -the policeman. A familiar face darted by, white and good. Yevsey -understood more than saw that Olga was perfectly calm, was not in the -least frightened. For some reason he suddenly grew glad, and said to -himself as if retorting to an unpleasant interlocutor: - -"She won't cry, not she!" - -Closing his eyes and smiling he stood a while longer. Then he heard -steps and the jingling of spurs, and he comprehended that the men -prisoners were being led along the street. He tore himself from the -place, and trying to make his footsteps inaudible, quickly ran down the -street, and turned the first corner. He kept up the same rapid pace -almost the entire way to his home at which he arrived exhausted and -covered with sweat. - -The evening of the next day Filip Filippovich casting his blue rays upon -Yevsey said ceremoniously in a thinner voice than usual: - -"I congratulate you, Klimkov, on your fine achievement. I hope it will -be the first link in a long chain of successes." - -Klimkov shifted from one foot to the other, and quietly spread out his -arms, as if desiring to free himself from the invisible chain. - -There were a few spies in the room. They listened in silence to the -sound of the saw, and looked at Yevsey, who without seeing them felt -their glances upon his skin. He felt awkward and annoyed. - -When Filip Filippovich had finished talking, Yevsey quietly asked him -for a transfer to another city. - -"That's nonsense, brother," said Filip Filippovich drily. "It's a shame -to be a coward, especially at this time. What's the matter? Your first -success, yet you want to be running off. I myself know when a transfer -is necessary. Go." - -"There, they've rewarded me," thought Klimkov, dismally and with a sense -of hurt. But he was in error. The reward came from Sasha. - -"Hey, you morel, you," he called to him, "there, take this." - -Touching Yevsey's hand with his dank yellow hand, he thrust a piece of -paper into his grasp, and walked away. - -Yakov Zarubin leaped up to Yevsey. - -"How much?" - -"Twenty-five rubles," said Klimkov, unfolding the bill with reluctant -fingers. - -"How many people were there?" - -"Seven." - -"Seven? Ugh!" - -Zarubin raised his eyes to the ceiling, and mumbled: - -"Twice, no three times, seven is twenty-one. Four into seven--three and -a half per person." - -He whistled softly, and looking around announced: - -"Sasha got a hundred and fifty, and his bill of expenses in the affair -was sixty-three rubles. They do us fools. Well, what now, Yevsey? Give -us a treat. For joy!" - -"Come," said Klimkov, looking askance at the money. He could not make up -his mind to put it in his pocket. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - -On the way Zarubin said in a business-like way: - -"After all your people seem to have been trash." - -"Why?" asked Klimkov offended. He sighed, and said in a lower voice. -"Not trash a bit." - -"They gave little for them, very little. Ugh! I know how such things are -done. You can't fool me, no, indeed. Krasavin once caught a single -revolutionist, and he got a hundred rubles. Do you hear? And they sent -him another hundred from St. Petersburg. Solovyov got seventy-five for -an illegal lady. You see? And Maklakov, Ugh! Of course he catches -advocates, professors, writers, who have a special price. They are not -dangerous, but I suppose it must be hard to catch them." - -Zarubin spoke without cease. Klimkov was satisfied with his tattle, -which kept him from thinking of the oppressive something that lay in his -breast like a cold stone. - -The two youths entered a public house. Zarubin in the confident voice of -a habitué asked the tall, thin, one-eyed housekeeper: - -"Is Lydia well? And Kapa? There, Yevsey, you will get acquainted with -Kapa. She's a girl, I tell you, a monster! She'll teach you what you -wouldn't learn in a hundred years without her. Well, give us lemonade -and cognac. First of all, Yevsey, we must take a bit of cognac with -lemonade. That's a sort of champagne. It lifts you up into the air at -once. All right?" - -"All the same to me." - -The house, apparently, was an expensive one. The windows were hung with -sumptuous curtains. The furniture seemed unusual to Yevsey, the prettily -dressed girls, proud and inaccessible. All this distracted him. He -squeezed himself into a corner, stepping aside to let the girls pass, -who went by him as if they did not notice him. Their clothes grazed his -legs. The half-dressed bodies, painted and already sweaty, lazily -floated by in oppressive heaps. Their eyes set in pencilled lids turned -in their orbits. The eyes were all large, though dead and uniform, -notwithstanding their various colors. - -"Students?" asked a reddish girl of her companion, a stout brunette with -a high bare bosom and a blue ribbon about her neck. The one who -whispered in her ear made a grimace at Yevsey. He turned away from her, -and asked Zarubin in annoyance: - -"Do they know who we are?" - -"Yes, of course. That's why they take only half the price for entrance, -and discount twenty-five per cent. from the bill." - -Yevsey emptied two beakers of the sparkling beverage. Though it did not -make him merrier, everything around him, nevertheless, assumed a more -uniform, less irritating aspect. Two girls seated themselves at their -table, Lydia and Kapitolina, the one tall and strong, the other broad -and heavy. Lydia's head was absurdly small in proportion to her body; -her forehead, too, was small, her chin was sharp and prominent, her -mouth round, her teeth, little and fine, like those of a fish, and her -eyes dark and cunning. Kapitolina seemed put together from a number of -balls of various sizes. Her protruding eyes were also like balls, and -dull as a blind person's. - -Little black Zarubin was restless as a fly. He smelt of everything, -turned his head from side to side, moved his legs up and down, back and -forth, sent his thin dark hands flying over the table to seize -everything and feel everything. Yevsey suddenly began to feel a heavy -dull irritation rising in him against Zarubin. - -"The skunk!" he thought. "He brought me a monster for my money, and -chose a pretty one for himself." - -But Yevsey knew that his annoyance at Zarubin had a deeper-seated cause -than this. He filled a large glass of cognac, swallowed it, and opened -his burned mouth and rolled his eyes. - -"Capital!" shouted Yakov. - -The girls laughed, and for a minute Yevsey was deaf and blind, as if he -had fallen fast asleep. - -"This Lydia, Yevsey, my true friend, is a wise girl, oh, so wise!" -Zarubin pulled Yevsey's sleeve to rouse him. "Whenever I merit the -attention of the officials, I will take her away from here, will marry -her, and will establish her in my business. Yes, Lydia darling? Ugh!" - -"We'll see," replied the girl, languidly, looking sidewise at his oily -eyes. - -"Why are you silent, friend Yevsey?" asked Kapitolina, slapping Yevsey's -shoulder with her heavy hand. - -"She addresses everybody by the first name," Yakov remarked. - -"All the same to me," said Yevsey, without looking at the girl, and -moving away from her. "Only tell her that I don't like her, and she -should go away." - -For a few seconds all kept silence. - -"To the devil with you!" said Kapitolina, thickly and calmly. Propping -herself on the table with her hands, she slowly lifted her heavy body -from the chair. Yevsey was annoyed because she was not offended. He -looked at her, and said: - -"A species of elephant." - -"How impolite!" shouted Lydia compassionately. - -"Ugh! Yes, Yevsey. That's impolite, brother. Kapitolina Nikolayevna is -an excellent girl. All connoisseurs value her." - -"To me it's all the same," said Yevsey. "I want beer." - -"Hey, there, beer!" shouted Zarubin. "Kapa dear, be so kind as to see we -get beer." - -The stout girl turned, and left scraping her feet. Zarubin bending over -to Yevsey began insinuatingly and didactically: - -"You see, Yevsey, of course this is an establishment of such a kind, and -so on, but still the girls are human beings like you and me. Why should -you insult them uselessly? Ugh! They're not all here of their own -accord." - -"Stop!" said Klimkov. - -He wanted everything around him to be quiet. He wanted the girls to -cease floating in the air, like melancholy drifts of spring clouds torn -by the wind. He wanted the shaven pianist with the dark blue face, like -that of a drowned person, to stop rapping his fingers on the yellow -teeth of the piano, which resembled the jaw of a huge monster, a monster -that roared and shrieked loud laughter. He wanted the curtains of the -windows to cease flapping so strangely, as if someone's unseen and -spiteful hand were pulling at them from the street. Olga dressed in -white should station herself at the door. Then he would rise, walk -around the room, and would strike everybody in the face with all his -might. Let Olga see that they were all repulsive to him, and that she -wasn't right, and understood nothing. - -The complaining words of Zarubin settled themselves obstinately in his -ears: - -"We came here to make merry, but you at once begin a scandal." - -Yevsey, his whole body swaying, gave a dull glance into Yakov's face, -and suddenly said to himself with cold precision: - -"On account of that--sneak, I fell into this pit of an infernal life. -All on account of him!" - -He took a full bottle of beer into his hands, filled a glass for -himself, drank it out, and without letting go of the bottle, rose from -his seat. - -"The money is mine, not yours, you skunk!" - -"What of it? We are comrades!" - -Zarubin's black head, cropped and prickly, fell back. Yevsey saw the -sharp gleaming little eyes on the swarthy face, saw the set teeth. - -"You wait. Sit down." - -Klimkov waved the bottle, and hit him in the face, aiming at his eyes. -The ruddy blood gleamed oily and moist, awakening a ferocious joy in -Klimkov. He swung his hand once again, pouring the beer over himself. -Everybody began to cry "Oh, oh!" to scream, and rock. Somebody's nails -drove themselves into Klimkov's face. He was seized by the arms and -legs, lifted from the floor, and carried off. Somebody spat warm sticky -saliva into his face, squeezed his throat, and tore his hair. - -He came to his senses in the police station, all in tatters, scratched, -and wet. He at once remembered everything. - -"What will happen now?" was his first thought, though unaccompanied by -alarm. - -A police officer whom he knew advised him to wash his face and ride -home. - -"Are they going to try me?" - -"I don't know," said the police officer, who sighed, and added -enviously, "Hardly. Your department is a power. It is permitted -everything. So they'll take care of you." - -Yevsey smiled. - -After several days of a sort of even indistinct life without impressions -and excitement, Yevsey was summoned to the presence of Filip -Filippovich, who shouted shrilly a long time. - -"You, idiot, you ought to set other people an example of good conduct. -You ought not to make scandals. Please remember that. If I learn -anything of the same kind about you, I'll place you under arrest for a -month. Do you hear?" - -Klimkov was frightened. He shrank within himself, and began to live -quietly, silently, unobserved, trying to exhaust himself as much as -possible, in order to escape thought. - -When he met Yakov Zarubin, he saw a small red scar over his right eye; -which new feature on the mobile face was pleasant to him. The -consciousness that he had found the courage and the power to strike a -person raised him in his own eyes. - -"Why did you do it to me?" asked Yakov. - -"So," said Yevsey. "I was drunk." - -"Oh, you devil! You know what a face means in our service. We can't -afford to spoil it." - -Zarubin demanded a treat for a good dinner from Yevsey. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - -Klimkov did not succeed in hiding himself from the power of hostile -thoughts. They appeared again. - -The news spread among the spies that some of the ministers had also been -bribed by the enemies of the Czar and Russia. They had formed a cabal to -take his power from him, and replace the existing good Russian order of -life by another order borrowed from foreign governments, which of course -would be pernicious to the Russian people. Now these ministers issued a -manifesto in which they claimed that with the will and consent of the -Czar they announced that soon freedom would be given to the people to -assemble wherever they pleased, to speak about whatever interested them, -and to write and publish everything they needed to in newspapers. -Moreover, they would even be granted the liberty not to believe in God. - -The authorities, dismal and demoralized, again began to rush about -anxiously. They again spoke kindly to the spies; and though they did not -demand anything of the agents, nor advise them what to do, it was -apparent that preparations were being made for the disclosure of -something significant and important. For whole hours Filip Filippovich -would consult secretly with Krasavin, Sasha, Solovyov, and other -experienced agents; after which they all went about gloomy and -preoccupied, and gave brief, unintelligible responses to the questions -of their comrades. - -Once the voice of Sasha, virulent and breaking with excitement leaked -through the door standing slightly ajar between the outer office and the -cabinet of Filip Filippovich. - -"It's not about the constitution, not about politics that we ought to -speak to them. We must tell them that the new order would destroy -them--the quiet among them would die of starvation, the more forward -would rot in prison. What sort of men have we in our service? Hybrids, -degenerates, the psychically sick, stupid animals." - -"You talk God knows what," Filip Filippovich piped aloud. - -The mournful voice of Yasnogursky was heard next. - -"What a scheme you have! My good man, I can't understand what you're -driving at." - -Piotr, Grokhotov, Yevsey, and two new spies were sitting in the office. -One of the novices was a reddish, hook-nosed man with large freckles on -his face and gold glasses; the other shaven, bald, and red-cheeked with -a broad nose and a purple birthmark on his neck near his left ear. They -listened attentively to Sasha's talk, glancing at each other sidewise. -All kept silent. Piotr rose a number of times, and walked to the door. -Finally he coughed aloud near it, upon which an invisible hand -immediately closed it. The bald spy carefully felt his nose with his -thick fingers, and asked quietly: - -"Who was it he called hybrids?" - -At first nobody responded, then Grokhotov sighing humbly said: - -"He calls everybody hybrid." - -"A smart beast!" exclaimed Piotr smiling dreamily. "Rotten to the core, -but just see how his power keeps rising! That's what education will do -for you." - -The bald-headed spy looked at everybody with his mole eyes, and again -asked hesitatingly: - -"What does he mean--eh, eh--does he mean us?" - -"Politics," said Grokhotov. "Politics is a wise business. It's not -squeamish." - -"If I had received an education, I too, would have turned up trumps," -declared Piotr. - -The red-headed spy carelessly swung himself on his chair, his mouth -frequently gaping in a wide yawn. - -Sasha emerged from the cabinet, livid and dishevelled. He stopped at the -door, and looked at everybody. - -"Eavesdropping, eh?" he asked sarcastically. - -The rest of the spies dropped into the office one by one, wearily and -dismally, flinging various remarks at one another. Maklakov came in an -ill humor. The look in his eyes was sharp and insulting. He passed -quickly into the cabinet, and banged the door behind him. - -"Tables are going to be turned," Sasha said to Piotr. "We'll be the -secret society, and they'll remain patent fools. That's what's going to -happen. Hey," he shouted, "no one is to leave the office. There's going -to be a meeting." - -All grew still. Yasnogursky came out from the cabinet with a broad smile -widening his large mouth. His protuberant fleshy ears reached to the -back of his neck. All sleek and slippery, he produced the impression of -a large piece of soap. He walked among the crowd of spies pressing their -hands and kindly and humbly nodding his head. Suddenly he walked off -into a corner, and began to address the agents in a lachrymose voice: - -"Good servants of the Czar, it is with a heart penetrated by grief that -I address myself to you--to you, men without fear, men without reproach, -true children of the Czar, your father, and of the true Orthodox Church, -your mother,--to you I speak." - -"Look at him howling!" somebody whispered near Yevsey, who thought he -heard Yasnogursky utter an ugly oath. - -"You already know of the fresh cunning of the enemy, of the new and -baneful plot. You read the proclamation of Minister Bulygin, in which it -is said that our Czar wishes to renounce the power entrusted to him by -our Lord God over Russia and the Russian people. All this, dear comrades -and brothers, is the infernal game of people who have delivered over -their souls to foreign capitalists. It is a new attempt to ruin our -sacred Russia. What do they want to attain with the Duma they have -promised? What do they want to attain by this very constitution and -liberty?" - -The spies moved closer together. - -"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, let us examine the -snares of the devils in the light of truth. Let us look at them with our -simple Russian mind, and we'll see how they scatter like dust before our -eyes. Just look! They want to deprive the Czar of his divine power, his -liberty to rule the country according to the dictates from on High. They -want to arrange popular elections, so that the people should send to the -Czar their representatives, who would promulgate laws abridging his -power. They hope that our people, ignorant and drunk, will permit -themselves to be bought with wine and money, and will bring into the -Czar's palace those who are pointed out to them by the traitors, -liberals and revolutionists. And whom will they point out? Jews, Poles, -Armenians, Germans, and other strangers, enemies of Russia." - -Klimkov observed that Sasha standing in back of Yasnogursky, smiled -sardonically like the devil. He inclined his head, to keep the sick spy -from noticing him. - -"This band of venal swindlers will surround the bright throne of our -Czar and will close his wise eyes to the destiny of our country. They -will deliver Russia over into the hands of strangers and foreigners. The -Jews will establish their government in Russia, the Poles their -government, the Armenians and the Georgians theirs, the Letts theirs, -and other paupers whom Russia took under the shelter of her powerful -hand, theirs. They will establish their governments, and when we -Russians remain alone--then--then--it means--" - -Sasha standing at Yasnogursky's side, began to whisper into his ear. The -old man waved him off in annoyance, and said aloud: - -"Then the Germans, and the English will rush upon us, and will clutch us -in their greedy paws. The destruction of Russia is threatening us, dear -comrades, my friends. Have a care!" - -The last words of his speech were uttered in a shout, then he lapsed -into silence lasting about a minute, after which he raised his hand over -his head and resumed: - -"But our Czar has friends. They watch over his power and over his glory -like faithful dogs unbought. They have organized a society for war upon -the dastardly conspiracies of the revolutionists, upon the constitution, -and every abomination destructive to us, the true Russian people. Counts -and princes celebrated for their services to the Czar in Russia are -entering this organization, governors submissive to the will of the Czar -and faithful to the covenant of our sacred past. Perhaps even the very -highest--" - -Sasha again stopped Yasnogursky. The old man listened to him, grew red, -waved his hands, and suddenly shouted: - -"Well, speak yourself. What does it mean? What right have you--I don't -want to--" - -He gave an odd little leap, and pushing the crowd of spies apart, walked -away. Sasha now took his place, and stood there tall and stooping with -head thrust forward. Looking around with his red eyes, and rubbing his -hands, he asked sharply: - -"Well, did you understand?" - -"We did--we did," several voices sounded sullenly and half-heartedly. - -"Of course!" exclaimed Sasha in derision. Then he began to speak, -pronouncing every word with the precision of a hammer-blow. His voice -rang with malice. - -"Let those also listen who are wiser. Let them explain my words to the -fools. The revolutionists, the liberals, our Russian gentry in general, -have conquered. Do you understand? The administration has resolved to -yield to their demands, it wants to give them a constitution. What does -a constitution mean to you? Starvation, death, because you are idlers -and do-nothings, you are no good for any sort of work. It means prison -for the most of you, because most of you have merited it; for a few -others it means the hospital, the insane asylum, because there are a -whole lot of half-witted men, psychically sick, among you. The new order -of life, if established, will make quick work of you all. The police -department will be destroyed, the Department of Safety will be shut -down, you will be turned out into the street. Do you understand?" - -All were silent, as if turned to stone. - -"Then I would go away somewhere," Klimkov thought. - -"I think it's plain," said Sasha, after a period of silence. As he again -embraced his audience in his look, the red band on his forehead seemed -to have spread over his whole face, and his face to become covered with -a leaden blue. - -"You ought to realize that this change is not advantageous to you, that -you don't want it. Therefore you must fight against it now. Isn't that -so? For whom, in whose interest, are you going to fight? For your own -selves, for your interests, for your right to live as you have lived up -to this time. Is what I say clear? What can we do? Let everyone think -about this question." - -A heavy noise suddenly arose in the close room, as if a huge sick breast -were sighing and rattling. Some of the spies walked away silently and -sullenly, with drooping heads. One man grumbled in vexation: - -"They tell us this and they tell us that. Why don't they increase our -salaries instead?" - -"They keep frightening us, always frightening us." - -In the corner near Sasha about a dozen men had gathered. Yevsey quietly -moved up to the group, and heard the enraptured voice of Piotr: - -"That's the way to speak! Twice two are four, and all are aces." - -"No, I'm not satisfied," said Solovyov sweetly with a prying note in his -voice. "Think! What does it mean to think? Everyone may think in his own -way. You should tell me what to do." - -"You _have_ been told!" put in Krasavin roughly and sharply. - -"_I_ don't understand," Maklakov declared calmly. - -"You?" shouted Sasha. "You lie! You do understand!" - -"No." - -"And I say you do, but you're a coward, you're a nobleman--and--and--and -I know you." - -"Maybe," said Maklakov. "But do you know what you want?" He spoke in so -cold a tone, and put so much significance into his voice, that Yevsey -trembled and thought: - -"Will Sasha strike him?" - -Sasha, however, merely repeated the question in a screeching voice: - -"I? Do I know what I want?" - -"Yes." - -"I will tell you." Sasha raised his voice threateningly. "I am soon -going to die. I have nobody to fear. I am a stranger to life. I live -with hatred of good people before whom you in your thoughts crouch on -your knees. Don't you know? You lie. You are a slave, a slave in your -soul. A lackey, though you are a nobleman, and I am a muzhik, a -perspicacious muzhik. Even though I attended the university, nothing has -corrupted me." - -Yevsey felt that Sasha's words crawled in his heart like spiders, -enmeshing him in gluey threads, squeezing him, tying him up, and drawing -him to Sasha. He pressed through to the front, and stood alongside the -combatants trying to see the faces of both at the same time. - -"I know my enemy. It's you, the gentry. You are gentlemen, even as -spies. You are abhorrent everywhere, everywhere execrable, men and -women, writers and spies. But I know a means for having done with you -gentlemen, the gentry. I know a way. I see what ought to be done with -you, how to destroy you." - -"That's the very point that's interesting, not your hysterics," said -Maklakov thrusting his hands in his pockets. - -"Yes, it's interesting to you? Very well. I'll tell you." - -Sasha evidently wanted to sit down, for he vacillated like a pendulum. -He looked around as he spoke without pause, breathless from quick -utterance. - -"Who orders life? The gentry. Who spoiled the pretty animal man? Who -made him a dirty beast, a sick beast? You, the gentry. Hence all this, -the whole of life, ought to be turned against you. So we must open all -the ulcers of life, and drown you in the stream of abomination that will -flow from them, in the vomit of the people you have poisoned. A curse on -you! The time of your execution and destruction has come. All those who -have been mutilated by you are rising against you, and they'll choke -you, crush you, you understand? Yes, that's how it will be. Nay, it -already is. In some cities they have already tried to find out how -firmly the heads of the gentlemen are fixed on their shoulders. You know -that, don't you?" - -Sasha staggered back, and leaned against the wall, stretching his arms -forward, and choking and gasping over a broken laugh. Maklakov glanced -at the men standing around him, and asked also with a laugh: - -"Did you understand what he said?" - -"One can say whatever he pleases," replied Solovyov, but the next -instant added hastily, "In one's own company. The most interesting thing -would be to find out for certain whether a secret society has actually -been organized in St. Petersburg and for what purpose." - -"That's what we want to know," said Krasavin in a tone of demand. "And -what sort of people are in it, too." - -"In reality, brothers, the revolution has been transferred to other -quarters," exclaimed Piotr, merrily and animatedly. - -"If there really are princes in that society," Solovyov meditated -dreamily, "then our business ought to improve." - -"You have twenty thousand in the bank anyway, old devil." - -"And maybe thirty. Count again," said Solovyov in an offended tone, and -stepped aside. - -Sasha coughed dully and hoarsely; while Maklakov regarded him with a -scowl. Yevsey gradually freed himself from the thin shackles of the -attraction that the sick spy had unexpectedly begun to exert upon him. -His talk, which at first had seized Klimkov, now dissolved and -disappeared from his soul like dust under rain. - -"What are you looking at me for?" shouted Sasha at Maklakov. - -Maklakov turned and walked away without answering. Yevsey involuntarily -followed him. - -"Did you understand anything?" Maklakov suddenly inquired of Yevsey. - -"I don't like it." - -"No? Why?" - -"He's always rancorous, and there's rancor enough without him." - -"Yes, so there is," said Maklakov, nodding his head. "There's rancor -enough." - -"And it's impossible to understand anything," Klimkov continued, looking -around cautiously. "Everybody speaks differently--" - -The words had scarcely left his mouth when he grew alarmed, and glanced -sidewise at Maklakov's face. The spy pensively brushed the dust from his -hat with his handkerchief, apparently oblivious of the dangerous words. - -"Well, good-by," he said, holding out his hand to Yevsey. Yevsey wanted -to accompany him, but the spy put on his hat, and twirling his mustache, -walked out without so much as looking at him. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - -Something strange, like a dream, grew in the city, rushing onward with -irresistible rapidity. People lost their fear completely. On the faces -which only a short time ago had been flat and humble, an expression of -conscious power and preoccupation now appeared sharply and clearly. All -recalled builders preparing to pull down an old structure, and busily -considering the best way of beginning the work. - -Almost every day the workingmen in the factory suburb openly arranged -meetings, at which known revolutionists appeared, who in the very -presence of the police and officials of the Department of Safety sharply -censured the order of life, and pointed out that the manifesto of the -minister convoking the Duma was an attempt of the administration to -pacify the people, who were stirred up by misfortune, in order to -deceive them in the end, as always. The speakers urged their listeners -not to believe anybody except their own reason. - -Once when a rebel orator shouted, "The people alone are the true and -legal masters of life; to them belong the whole earth and all freedom," -a triumphant roar came in reply, "True, brother!" - -Yevsey deafened by the shouts turned away, and met Melnikov who had been -standing in back of him. His eyes burned, he was black and dishevelled. -He flapped his arms, as a crow flaps its wings, and bawled: - -"Tr-r-r-ue!" - -Klimkov pulled the skirt of his coat in amazement, and whispered in a -low voice: - -"What ails you? The speaker is a Socialist. He's under surveillance." - -Melnikov blinked his eyes, and asked: - -"He?" Without awaiting a reply, he shouted again, "Hurray! True!" Then -to Yevsey very angrily, "Get out! It's all the same who speaks the -truth." - -Yevsey smiled timidly at the new speeches. He looked around helplessly -for some person in the crowd with whom he might speak openly; but on -finding a pleasant face that inspired confidence, he sighed and thought: - -"I'll begin to talk with him, and he'll at once understand that I'm a -spy." - -He frequently heard the revolutionists speak of the necessity of -arranging another life upon earth. Dreams of his childhood returned, -broadened and filled with a clear content. He believed in the hot -fearless words. But the faith grew feebly and lazily upon the shaky, -slimy soil of his soul, choked with impressions, poisoned by fear, and -exhausted by violence. His faith was like a child suffering with -rachitis, bow-legged, with large eyes always gazing into the distance. - -Yevsey admired the beautiful growth of the rebellion. But he lacked the -power to fall in love with it. He believed words. He did not believe -people. The dreams stirring his heart died the instant they touched it. -A timorous spectator he walked along the shore of a stream without the -desire to plunge into its soul-refreshing waves. At the same time he -longed wistfully for someone to triumph, for someone to make life calm -and pleasing, and point out a comfortable place in it where he might -find repose. - -At first he could not comprehend why both the revolutionists and the -officers of the spies censured the administration, why both asserted -that someone wanted to deceive the people. When the people themselves, -however, came out into the street, and began to speak, Yevsey stopped to -think about this question. - -The spies walked about slowly, indolently; they all grew strange to one -another, maintaining sullen silence, and looking into the eyes of their -comrades suspiciously, as if expecting something dangerous from one -another. The officials ceased to talk, and sank into the background. -They gave out no plans of action, and said nothing new. - -"Has nothing been heard in regard to this St. Petersburg league of -princes?" Krasavin asked almost every day. - -Once Piotr joyously announced: - -"Boys, Sasha has been summoned to St. Petersburg. He'll fix up a game -there, you'll see." - -Viakhirev, the hook-nosed, reddish spy, remarked lazily: - -"The League of Russian People has been permitted to organize fighting -bands to kill the revolutionists. I'll go there, I'm a good shot." - -"A pistol is a fine thing," said someone. "You shoot, and then run -away." - -"How simply they speak about everything," thought Yevsey. He -involuntarily recalled other conversations--Olga and Makarov--which he -impatiently pushed away from himself. - -Sasha returned from St. Petersburg, as it were stronger. Concentrated -green sparks gleamed in his dim eyes. His voice had become deeper, his -entire body seemed to have straightened and grown sounder. - -"What are we going to do?" asked Piotr. - -"You'll soon find out," answered Sasha, showing his teeth. - -Autumn came as always quiet and melancholy. But the people did not -remark its advent. Yesterday bold and noisy, to-day they came out into -the streets still bolder, still more confident, and upheld Yevsey's -faith in their victory, in the nearness, of a calm, peaceful, -comfortable life. - -Then came the fabulously terrible and marvellous days, when all the -people ceased to work, and the customary life that for so long had held -oppressive sway, oppressive in its cruelty and aimless play, suddenly -ceased, as if crushed by a giant embrace. The people refused the city, -their ruler, bread, fire, and water. And for a number of nights it stood -in darkness, hungry, thirsty, sullen, and affronted. During those dark, -insulting nights, the working-people walked through the streets with -song, childish joy shining in their eyes. For the first time they -clearly saw their power, and themselves were amazed at its significance. -They understood their might over life, and good-naturedly exulted, -looking at the blinded houses, the motionless dead machines, the -dumbfounded police, the closed, ever-hungry jaws of the shops and -restaurants, the frightened faces, the humble figures of those persons -who had never learned to work, but only to eat much, and who therefore -considered themselves the best blood in the city. Their power over -people had been torn from their impotent hands in these days, yet their -cruelty and cunning remained. Klimkov looked at the men accustomed to -command now silently submitting to the will of the hungry, poor, and -unwashed. He understood that it had become a shame for the lords to -live. So trying to cover up their shame, they smiled approvingly upon -the working-people, and lied to them. They were afraid of the workers. -In spite of the lords, however, it seemed to Yevsey that the past would -not return. He felt that new masters had arisen, and if they had been -able all of a sudden to stop the course of life, then they would now be -able to arrange it differently, more freely, and more easily for -themselves and for all. - -The old, the cruel, and the malicious abandoned the city. It melted away -in the darkness. The people perceptibly grew better, and though the city -remained without illumination, yet the nights were stirring, merry as -the days. - -Everywhere crowds of people gathered and spoke animatedly, in free, -bold, human speech, of the approaching days of the triumph of truth. -They believed in it hotly. The unbelievers were silent, but looked into -the new faces, impressing the new speech upon their minds. - -Often Klimkov observed the spies in the crowds. Not wishing to be seen -by them, he walked away. He met Melnikov more frequently than the -others. This man roused his particular interest. A dense crowd always -gathered around him, and his thick voice flowed from the centre of the -group like a dark stream. - -"There, you see! The people wanted it, and everything is up. If the -people want it, they will take everything into their own hands. They're -a power, the people are. Remember this--don't let what you have obtained -slip from your grasp. Take care! More than everything, guard against the -cunning of various gentlemen. Away with them. Drive them off! If they -dispute, beat them to death." - -When Klimkov heard this, he thought: - -"For such talk people used to be put in prison. What numbers have been -put in prison! And now they speak that way themselves." - -He wandered about in the crowd alone from morning until late at night. -Sometimes he had an irresistible yearning to speak; but as soon as he -felt the desire coming upon him, he immediately walked off into empty -by-streets and dark corners. - -"If I speak, they'll recognize me," he thought with importunate dread. -And he comforted himself by reflecting, "No hurry. I'll have time enough -yet to speak." - -One night while walking along the street, he saw Maklakov hidden in a -gateway, looking up to a lighted window on the opposite side of the -street like a hungry dog waiting for a sop. - -"Keeps at his work," thought Yevsey, then said to Maklakov: "Do you want -me to take your place, Timofey Vasilyevich?" - -"You, me, Yevsey?" exclaimed the spy in a subdued voice, and Klimkov -felt that something was wrong, for it was the first time that the spy -had ever addressed him by the first name. Moreover Maklakov's voice was -not his own. "No, go," he said. - -The spy always so smooth and decorous now had a shabby appearance. His -hair, as a rule carefully and prettily combed behind his ears, lay in -disorder over his forehead and temples. He smelt of whiskey. - -"Good-by," said Yevsey raising his hat and walking off slowly. He had -taken only a few steps, however, when he heard a call behind him. - -"Listen!" - -Yevsey turned back noiselessly, and stood beside Maklakov. - -"Let's walk together." - -"He must be very drunk," thought Yevsey. - -"Do you know who lives in that house?" asked Maklakov, looking back. - -"No." - -"Mironov, the writer. Do you remember him?" - -"I do." - -"Well, I should think you would. He made you out a fool so simply." - -"Yes," agreed Yevsey. - -They walked slowly with noiseless tread. The narrow street was quiet, -deserted, and cold. - -"Let's go back," continued Maklakov. Then he adjusted his hat on his -head, buttoned his overcoat, and declared thoughtfully, "Brother, I am -going away--to Argentine. That's in America." - -Klimkov heard something hopeless, dismal in his words, and he, too, -began to feel gloomy and awkward. - -"Why--so far?" - -"I must." - -Maklakov again stopped opposite the illuminated window, and looked up to -it silently. Like a huge, solitary eye on the black face of the house, -it cast a peaceful beam of light into the darkness--a small island amid -black and heavy waters. - -"That's his window, Mironov's," said Maklakov quietly. "That's the way -he sits at night all by himself and writes. Come." - -Some people advanced toward them singing softly: - -"It comes, it comes, the last decisive fight!" - -"We ought to cross to the other side," Yevsey proposed in a whisper. - -"Are you afraid?" asked Maklakov, though he was the first to step from -the pavement to cross the frozen dirt of the middle of the street. "No -reason to be afraid. These fellows with their songs of war and all such -things are peaceful people. The wild beasts are not among _them_, no. It -would be good to sit down now in some warm place, in a café, but -everything is closed, everything is suspended, brother." - -"Come home," Klimkov suggested. - -"Home? No thank you. You can go if you want to." - -Yevsey remained, submissively yielding to the sad expectation of -something inevitable. From the other side of the street came the sound -of the people's talk. - -"Misha, is it possible you don't believe?" one asked in a ringing, -joyous voice. - -A soft bass answered: - -"I do believe, but I say it won't happen so soon." - -"Listen! What the devil of a spy are you, eh?" Maklakov suddenly -demanded nudging Yevsey with his elbow. "I've been watching you a long -time. Your face always looks as if you had just taken an emetic." - -Yevsey grew glad at the possibility of speaking about himself openly. - -"I am going away, Timofey Vasilyevich," he quickly mumbled. "Just as -soon as everything is arranged, I am going away. I'll gradually settle -myself in business, and I'm going to live quietly by myself--" - -"As soon as what is arranged?" - -"Why, all this about the new life. When the people start out all for -themselves." - -"Eh, eh," drawled the spy, waving his hand and smiling. His smile robbed -Yevsey of the desire to speak about himself. - -They walked in silence again, and turned again. Both were gloomy. - -"There, now," Maklakov exclaimed with unexpected roughness and acerbity -as they once more approached the author's house. "I'm really going away, -forever, entirely from Russia. Do you understand? And I must hand over -some papers to this--this author. You see this package?" - -He waved a white parcel before Yevsey's face, and continued quickly, in -a low growl. "I won't go to him myself. This is the second day I've been -on the watch for him, waiting for him to come out. But he's sick, and he -won't come out. I would have given it to him in the street. I can't send -it by mail. His letters are opened and stolen in the Post Office and -given over to the Department of Safety. And it's absolutely impossible -for me to go to him myself. Do you understand?" - -The spy pressing the package to his breast bent his head to look into -Yevsey's eyes. - -"My life is in this package. I have written about myself--my story--who -I am, and why. I want him to read it--he loves people." - -Taking Yevsey's shoulder in a vigorous clutch the spy shook him, and -commanded: - -"You go and give it to him, into his own hands--go, tell him that one--" -Maklakov broke off, and continued after a pause--"tell him that a -certain agent of the Department of Safety sent him these papers, and -begs him most humbly--tell him that way, 'begs him most humbly' to read -them. I'll wait here for you, on the street. Go. But look out, don't -tell him I'm here. If he asks, say I've escaped, went to Argentine. -Repeat what I've told you." - -"Went to Argentine." - -"And don't forget, 'begs most humbly.'" - -"No, I won't." - -"Go on, quick!" - -Giving Klimkov a gentle shove on the back he escorted him to the door of -the house, walked away, and stopped to observe him. - -Yevsey agitated and seized with a fine tremor, lost consciousness of his -own personality crushed by the commanding words of Maklakov. He pushed -the electric button, and felt ready to crawl through the door in the -desire to hide himself from the spy as quickly as possible. He struck it -with his knee, and it opened. A dark figure loomed in the light, a voice -asked testily: - -"What do you want?" - -"The writer, Mr. Mironov--him personally. I have been told to deliver a -package into his own hands. Please, quick!" said Yevsey, involuntarily -imitating the rapid and incoherent talk of Maklakov. Everything became -confused in his brain. But the words of the spy lay there, white and -cold as dead bones. And when a somewhat dull voice reached him, "What -can I do for you, young man?" Yevsey said in an apathetic voice, like an -automaton, "A certain agent of the Department of Safety sent you these -papers, and begs you most humbly to read them. He has gone off to -Argentine." The strange name embarrassed Yevsey, and he added in a lower -voice, "Argentine, which is in America." - -"Yes, but where are the papers?" - -The voice sounded kind. Yevsey raised his head, and recognized the -soldierly face with the reddish mustache. He pulled the package from his -pocket, and handed it to him. - -"Sit down." - -Klimkov seated himself, keeping his head bowed. The sound of the tearing -of the wrapping made him start. Without raising his head, he looked at -the writer warily from under lowered lids. Mironov stood before him -regarding the package, his mustache quivering. - -"You say he's gone off?" - -"Yes." - -"And you yourself are also an agent?" - -"Yes," said Yevsey quietly, and thought, "Now, he'll scold me." - -"Your face seems familiar to me." - -Yevsey tried not to look at him. But he felt the writer was smiling. - -"Yes, I suppose it is familiar to you," said Yevsey sighing. - -"Have you, too, been tracking me?" - -"Once. You saw me from the window. You came out into the street, and -gave me a letter." - -"Yes, yes. I remember. The devil! So that was you? Well, excuse me, my -dear man. I think I must have offended you, eh?" - -Yevsey rose from the chair, looked into his laughing face incredulously, -and glanced around. - -"That's nothing," he said. - -He felt unbearably awkward as he listened to the somewhat rude yet -kindly voice. He was afraid that after all the writer would abuse him -and drive him out. - -"There, you see how strangely we meet this time, eh?" - -"Nothing else?" asked Yevsey confused. - -"Nothing else. But I believe you are tired. Sit down. Rest." - -"I must be going." - -"Very well. As you please. Well, thank you. Good-by." - -He extended his large hand with reddish wool on the fingers. Yevsey -touched it cautiously. - -"Permit me also to tell you my life," he requested unexpectedly to -himself. The instant he had distinctly uttered these words, he thought, -"This is the very man to whom I ought to speak, if Timofey Vasilyevich -himself, such a wise person and better than everybody, respects him." -Recalling Maklakov, Yevsey looked at the window, and for a moment grew -anxious. - -"No matter," he said to himself. "It's not the first time he's had to -freeze." - -"Well, why not? Tell me, if you want to. Won't you take off your -overcoat? And perhaps you will have a glass of tea. It's cold." - -Yevsey wanted to smile, but he restrained himself. In a few minutes, his -eyes half closed, he told the writer monotonously and minutely about the -village, about Yakov, and about the blacksmith. He spoke in the same -voice in which he reported his observations in the Department of Safety. - -The writer, whom Yevsey observed from under his lashes, was sitting on a -broad, heavy taborette, his elbows on the table, over which he bent, -twirling his mustache with a quick movement of his fingers. His eyes -gazed sharply and seriously into the distance above Klimkov's head. - -"He doesn't hear me," thought Yevsey, and raised his voice a little, -continuing to examine the room without himself being observed, and -jealously watching the face of the author. - -The room was dark and gloomy. The shelves crammed with books, which -increased the thickness of the walls, apparently kept out the sounds of -the street. Between the shelves the glass of the windows glistened -dully, pasted over with the cold darkness of the night, and the white -narrow stain of the door obtruded itself on the eye. In the middle of -the room was a table, whose covering of grey cloth seemed to lend a dark -grey tone to everything around it. - -Yevsey was ensconced in a corner of a chair covered with a smooth skin. -For some reason he propped his head hard against its high back, then -slid down a little. The flames of the candles disturbed him; the yellow -tongues slowly inclining toward each other, seemed to be holding a -conversation. They trembled, and straightened themselves out, struggling -upward. Back of the author over the sofa, hung a large portrait, from -which a yellow face with a sharp little beard looked out sternly. - -The author began to twirl his mustache more slowly, but his look as -before travelled beyond the confines of the room. All this disturbed -Yevsey, breaking the thread of his recollections. He be-thought himself -of closing his eyes. When he did so, and darkness closely enveloped him, -he sighed lightly. Suddenly he beheld himself divided in two--the man -who had lived, and the other being who was able to tell about the first -as about a stranger. His speech flowed on more easily, his voice grew -stronger, and the events of his life drew themselves connectedly one -after the other, unrolling easily like a ball of grey thread. They freed -the little feeble soul from the dirty and cumbersome rags of its -experiences. It was pleasant to Yevsey to tell about himself. He -listened to his own voice with quiet astonishment. He spoke truthfully, -and clearly saw that he had not been guilty of anything, for he had -lived all his days not as he had wanted to, but as he had been compelled -to do; and he had been compelled to do what was unpleasant and -unnecessary to him. Filled with a sense of sincere self-pity, he was -almost ready to weep and to fall in love with himself. - -Whenever the author asked him a question, which Yevsey did not -understand, he would say without opening his eyes, sternly and quietly: - -"Wait, I'm telling it in order." - -He spoke without wearying, but when he came to the moment of his meeting -with Maklakov, he suddenly stopped as before a pit. He opened his eyes, -and saw at the window the dull look of the autumn morning, the cold grey -depth of the sky. Heaving a deep sigh, he straightened himself up. He -felt washed within, unusually light, unpleasantly empty. His heart was -ready submissively to receive new orders, fresh violence. - -The author rose noisily from his seat, tall and strong. He pressed his -hands together, cracking his fingers disagreeably. - -"What do you think of doing now?" he asked, as he turned to the window -without looking at Klimkov. - -Yevsey also rose, and repeated with assurance what he had told Maklakov. - -"As soon as the new life is arranged, I'll quietly go into some -business--I'll go to another city--I've saved about one hundred and -fifty rubles." - -The author turned to him slowly. - -"So?" he said. "You have no other desire whatsoever?" - -Klimkov thought, and answered: - -"No." - -"And you believe in the new life? You think it will arrange itself?" - -"Of course. How else? If all the people want it. Why won't it arrange -itself?" - -"I'm not saying anything." - -Mironov keeping silent turned to the window again, and straightened out -his mustache with both hands. Yevsey stood motionless, awaiting -something and listening to the emptiness in his breast. - -"Tell me," said the writer softly and slowly, "aren't you sorry for -those people, that girl, your cousin, and his comrade?" - -Klimkov bowed his head, and drew the skirts of his coat together. - -"You found out that they were right, didn't you?" - -"At first I was sorry for them. I must have been ashamed, I suppose. But -now I'm not sorry any more." - -"No? Why not?" - -Klimkov did not answer at once. At the end of a few moments he said: - -"Well, they are good people, and they attained to what they wanted." - -"And didn't it occur to you that you were in a bad business?" - -Yevsey sighed. - -"Why, I don't like it. I do what I'm told to do." - -The author stepped up to him, then turned aside. Klimkov saw the door -through which he had entered, saw it because the author's glance was -turned to it. - -"I ought to go," he thought. - -"Do you want to ask me anything?" inquired the author. - -"No, I am going." - -"Good-by." And the host moved to let him pass. Yevsey walking on tip-toe -went into the ante-chamber, where he began to put on his overcoat. From -the door of the room he heard a question: - -"Listen, why did you tell me about yourself?" - -Squeezing his hat in his hands Yevsey thought, and answered: - -"Just so. Timofey Vasilyevich respects you very much, the one who sent -me." - -The writer smiled. - -"Aha! Is that all?" - -"Why _did_ I tell him?" Klimkov suddenly wondered. Blinking his eyes, he -looked fixedly into the author's face. - -"Well, good-by," said the host, rubbing his hands. He moved away from -his visitor. - -Yevsey nodded to him politely. - -"Good-by." - -When he came out of the house, he looked around, and immediately -observed the black figure of a man at the end of the street in the grey -twilight of the morning. The man was quietly striding along the pavement -holding his head bent. - -"He's waiting," Klimkov thought. He shrank back. "He'll scold me. He'll -say it was too long." - -The spy must have heard the resonant sound of steps on the frozen paving -in the stillness of the morning. He raised his head, and fairly ran to -meet Yevsey. - -"Did you give it to him? Yes?" - -"I did." - -"Why were you so long? Did he speak to you? What did he ask?" - -Maklakov shivered. His cheeks were blue, his nose red. He seized the -lapels of Yevsey's overcoat, and instantly released him, blew on his -fingers, as if he had burned them, and began to tramp his feet on the -ground. Thus, chilled through and through, and pitiful, he was not -awe-inspiring. - -"I, too, told him all my life," Yevsey declared aloud. It was pleasant -to tell Maklakov about it. - -"Well, didn't he ask about me?" - -"He asked whether you had gone away." - -"What did you say?" - -"I said you had." - -"Yes. Nothing else?" - -"Nothing." - -"Well, let's go. I'm frozen, brother." Maklakov darted forward, -thrusting his hands in his overcoat pockets, and hunching his back. "So -you told him your life?" - -"The whole of it, completely, to the very moment of my last meeting with -you," answered Yevsey, again experiencing a pleasant sensation, which -raised him to the same level as the spy whom he respected. - -"What did he say to you then?" - -For some reason confused and embarrassed Klimkov waited before he -replied. - -"He didn't say anything." - -Maklakov stopped, seized him by the sleeve, and asked in a stern though -quiet tone: - -"Did you give him my papers?" - -"Search me, Timofey Vasilyevich," Yevsey cried sincerely. - -"I won't," said Maklakov, after reflecting. "Well, now good-by. I'll -disappear this very day. Take my advice. I'm giving it, because I pity -you. Get out of this service and be quick about it. It's not for you, -you know it yourself. Go away now. Now is the time to leave. You see -what days these are. The dead are coming to life, people trust one -another, they can forgive much in a period like this; they can forgive -everything, I think. And above all, avoid Sasha. He's sick and insane. -He's made you deliver up your cousin, he--he ought to be killed, like a -mangy dog. Well, good-by, brother." He seized Yevsey's hand in his cold -fingers, and pressed it firmly. "So you gave him my papers?" he asked -once more. "You're sure of it, are you?" - -"I did--by God! The moment I caught sight of him I at once remembered -him." - -"All right. I believe you. Don't speak about me there for a few days, I -beg you." - -"I'm not going there. On the twentieth I'll call for my salary." - -"Tell them then. By that time I'll be far away. Good-by." - -He turned the corner quickly. Yevsey looked after him, thinking -suspiciously: - -"He's going off. Probably he did something against the authorities, and -got frightened. How he looks, just as if he had gotten a beating." - -He grew sorry for himself at the thought that he would never again see -Maklakov. Nevertheless, it was agreeable to recall how weak, chilled -through, and troubled the spy had looked, the spy who had always borne -himself so calmly and firmly. - -"He spoke boldly even with the officers of the Department of Safety, -spoke to them as if he were their equal. But apparently he was all the -time afraid of the author who was under surveillance. And here am I, a -little man," thought Yevsey, as he strode down the street, "a little -man, afraid of everybody, yet the author didn't frighten me. I was -drinking tea at his house, while Maklakov was shivering on the street." -Klimkov content with himself smiled. "He couldn't say anything, the -author couldn't." Yevsey was suddenly seized with a mingled feeling of -sadness and insult. He slackened his pace, and sank into reflections as -to why this was. He sought the cause of the grief that unexpectedly rose -within him. - -"Why did I speak to him?" he thought again on the way. "Instead, I -should have told it that time to Olga." - -The city awoke, and Yevsey wanted to sleep. He felt uneasiness, -discomfort in his breast again. His heart was like a little room from -which all the furniture has been removed, and which is left bare and -empty, with green stains of dampness on the torn wall-paper, showing the -dumb patterns made by the chinks in the plastering. - -He wanted to sleep, but it was pleasant to stroll the streets, and he -walked homeward with reluctant steps. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - -About midday Yevsey was awakened by Viekov dressed in an overcoat and -hat. He looked downcast. He shook the back of the bed, and said in a -muffled voice, monotonously: - -"Hey, Klimkov, get up. They are summoning everybody to the office. Hey, -Klimkov--they have proclaimed the constitution. They are summoning all -the agents from their lodgings. Filip Filippovich gave the order. Do you -hear, Klimkov?" - -His words fell like large drops of rain, full of sadness. His face was -drawn, as with the toothache. His eyes blinked frequently, as if he were -about to cry. - -"What is it?" asked Yevsey jumping from bed. - -Viekov pursed his lips dismally. - -"Is it possible to understand? They said yesterday the Czar would give a -full constitution, and to-day here's the manifesto, he's actually giving -it. Our Department has become like an insane asylum--that Sasha is such -a coarse creature, astonishing. He keeps shouting, 'Strike, slash,' and -so forth. Why, look here, I wouldn't make up my mind to kill a man even -for five hundred rubles. Yet he proposes we should kill for forty rubles -a month. Why, it's savagery even to listen to such talk." Viekov puffed -his cheeks, and sighed in weariness of spirit, as he paced up and down -the room. "It's horrible. Dress quickly. We must go." - -Pulling on his trousers Klimkov asked musingly: - -"Whom do they want us to kill?" - -"The revolutionists. Although what revolutionists are there now? -According to the Czar's ukase, you'd suppose the revolution was ended. -They tell us we should gather the people in the streets, march with -flags, and sing, 'God Save the Czar.' Well, why not sing, if liberty has -been granted? But then they say that while doing this, we should shout -'Down with the constitution,' and so forth. I can't for the life of me -understand. That's going against the manifesto and the will of the Czar -Emperor. There are many besides me who don't understand it. I'm not the -only one." - -His voice sounded protesting, insulted, his legs clapped together. He -seemed as soft as if his bones had been removed from his body. - -"I'm not going there," said Klimkov. - -"What do you mean?" - -"Just so. First I'll walk the streets, and see what they're going to -do." - -Viekov sighed again, and whistled. - -"Yes, of course. You're a single man. But when you have a family, that -is, a woman who demands this, that, the fifth thing, and the tenth -thing, then you'll go where you don't want to, yes, you will. The need -for a living compels a man to dance a tightrope. When I see tricks on a -tightrope, my head begins to turn, and I feel a pain in the lower part -of my chest. But I think to myself, 'If it would be necessary for your -livelihood, then you, too, Ivan Petrovich Viekov, would dance a -tightrope.' Yes, indeed. A poor man must live by doing things that wring -his heart, and whether he wants to or not. Such is the law of nature, as -Grokhotov says." - -Viekov tossed himself about the room, knocking against the table and the -chairs, mumbling and swelling his rosy cheeks. His little face was -puffed like a bladder. His insignificant eyes disappeared, and the -little red nose hid itself between his cheeks. His sorrowful voice, his -dejected figure, his hopeless words annoyed Klimkov, who said unamiably: - -"Soon everything will be arranged differently. So there's no use -complaining now." - -"But in our place they don't _want_ a different arrangement," exclaimed -Viekov, gesticulating, and stopping in front of Yevsey. "You -understand?" - -Yevsey disturbed turned on the chair, desiring to express a thought in -his mind, but he was unable to find words, and began to lace his shoes -sniffling. - -"Sasha shouts, 'Beat them. Show them what liberty is. So that they may,' -he says, 'get afraid of it.' Viakhirev displays revolvers. 'I'll shoot,' -he says, 'straight into the eyes.' Krasavin is gathering a gang of some -sort of people, and also speaks about knives, and hacking people down, -and all such things. Chasin is preparing to kill a certain student, -because he took his mistress from him. Some other new fellow has come. -He's one-eyed, and smiles all over, and his teeth are knocked out in -front. A very terrible face. Sheer savagery, all this." - -Viekov lowered his voice to a whisper, and said mysteriously, - -"Everyone ought to protect his means of a livelihood. That's -understood--but preferably without murder. Because if we start to kill, -then we in turn will be killed, too." - -Viekov shuddered. He turned his head toward the window, and listened to -something. Then he raised his hand, and his face turned pale. - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey. - -A resonant noise hit against the windows in soft uneven blows, as if to -open them cautiously and pour itself into the room. Yevsey rose to his -feet with a look of inquiry and alarm at Viekov; while Viekov standing -at some distance from the window stretched his hand out in order to open -it, apparently taking care not to be seen from the street. At the same -moment a broad stream of sounds broke in, surrounded the spies, pushed -against the door, opened it, and floated into the corridor, powerful, -exulting, sturdy. - -"They are rejoicing," said Viekov quietly, starting. - -"Look out and see what it is," said Yevsey, hurriedly throwing an -overcoat on. - -But Viekov was already looking out, and he began to report what he saw, -every minute quickly turning his head from the window to Yevsey. He -spoke rapidly and brokenly. - -"The people are marching--red flags--a great many people--countless--of -various stations--all mixed up in one crowd--an officer even--and Father -Uspensky--without hats--Melnikov with a flag--our Melnikov--look!" - -Yevsey ran to the casement, looked down, and there saw a thick mass of -people filling the entire street. In his eyes gleamed a compact mass of -faces, which shone like the stars in the Milky Way. Over the heads of -the throng waved flags resembling red birds. Klimkov was deafened by the -seething noise. In the first row he saw the tall, bearded figure of -Melnikov, who held the short pole of the standard in both hands, and -waved it. At times the cloth of the flag enveloped his head like a red -turban. From under his hat escaped dark strands of hair, which fell on -his forehead and cheeks, and mingled with his beard. He was shaggy as a -beast. Evidently he was shouting, for his mouth stood wide open. - -"Where are they going?" mumbled Klimkov, turning to his comrade. - -"They are rejoicing," Viekov repeated, and looked out into the street, -leaning his forehead against the glass. - -Both men were silent, attentively watching the motley stream of people. -With acute hearing they caught the loud splashings of different -exclamations in the deep sea of the din. - -Viekov shook his head. - -"What a power, eh? The people lived each by himself and now suddenly -they all move together--what a phenomenon!" - -"They've grown wise, it means. They are becoming masters of life," said -Yevsey with a smile. At that moment he actually believed so. - -"And our Melnikov, did you see him?" - -"He always stood up for the people," Yevsey explained didactically. He -left the window, feeling himself near his aim, bold and new. - -"Now everything will go well. No one wants another to order him about. -Everyone wants to live according to his needs, quietly, peacefully, with -things arranged in a good system," he said gravely, examining his sharp -face in the mirror. He liked his face to-day. It was calm, almost -cheerful. Wishing to strengthen the new and pleasant feeling of -satisfaction with himself, he reflected on how he might raise himself in -the eyes of his comrade. So he announced with an air of mystery, "Do you -know, Maklakov has escaped to America?" - -"So?" the spy rejoined indifferently. "What of it? He's a single man." - -"Why did I tell him?" Yevsey reproached himself. A feeling of slight -alarm and enmity came over him. - -"Don't speak of this to anybody, please," he begged Viekov. - -"About Maklakov? Very well--I have to go to the office. Aren't you -going?" - -"No, but we can go out together." - -On the street Viekov remarked in dismal irritation, speaking in a -subdued voice: - -"Stupid people, after all. They ought not to be going about with flags -and songs. Now they have once begun to feel themselves in power they -ought to ask the authorities straightway to abolish all sorts of -politics, to transform everybody into people, both us and the -revolutionists, to distribute awards to whom they are due, both on our -side and theirs, and to make a strict announcement, 'All politics -strictly prohibited.' We've had enough of hide and seek!" - -Viekov suddenly disappeared around the corner without taking leave of -Klimkov. Yevsey walked like a man who to-day has no reason to hasten. - -"I have one hundred and fifty rubles," he thought. "I have an -inclination for business, and I know about it to some extent. In -business a man is free. Soon I'll receive twenty-five rubles more." - -The people moved about in the street excitedly, all spoke loud, all -faces smiled joyously, and the gloomy autumn evening recalled a bright -Easter day. Songs started up, now nearby, now at the end of the street -curtained by a grey cloud. Loud shouts quenched the singing. - -"Long live liberty!" - -From everywhere came laughter and the sound of kindly voices. This -pleased Klimkov. He politely stepped aside for those who came his way, -looking at them approvingly with a light smile of satisfaction, and -continued to picture his future in warm colors. - -Two people darted from around the corner, laughing quietly. One of them -jostled Yevsey, but immediately pulled off his hat, and exclaimed: - -"Oh, I beg your pardon." - -"Don't mention it," answered Klimkov affably. - -Before Yevsey stood Grokhotov, cleanly shaven, looking as if he had been -smeared with ointment. He beamed all over, and his small soft eyes -frolicked, running from side to side. - -"Well, Yevsey, I nearly got myself into a mess. If it hadn't been for my -talent--are you acquainted? This is Panteleyev, one of our men." -Grokhotov lost his breath, and spoke in a quick whisper, hurriedly -wiping the sweat from his face. "You know I was walking along the -Boulevard, when I saw a crowd, with an orator in the center. Well, I -went up, and listened. He spoke so--you know--without any restraint at -all. So I thought I'd ask who that wise fellow was. I inquired of the -man standing next to me. 'His face is familiar to me,' says I. 'Do you -know his name?' 'His name is Zimin.' The words were scarcely out of his -mouth when two fellows grabbed hold of me under my arm. 'People, he's a -spy!' I couldn't get in a word before I found myself in the middle of -the crowd, and such a press around me--and everybody's eyes like awls. -'I'm done for,' thinks I." - -"Zimin?" asked Yevsey, disturbed, looking back of him and beginning to -walk more rapidly. - -Grokhotov raised his head to the sky, crossed himself, and continued -still more hurriedly. - -"Well, the Lord inspired me with an idea. I recovered my presence of -mind at once, and shouted out, 'People, it's a mistake, absolutely. I'm -no spy, but a well-known mimic of celebrated personages and of animal -sounds. Wouldn't you please give me a trial?' The men who had seized me -shouted, 'No, he lies; we know him!' But I had already made a face like -the Chief of Police, and called out in his voice, 'Who gave you -per-r-r-mission to hold this meeting?' And Lord! I hear them laughing -already. Well, then I began, I tell you, to imitate everything I -know--the governor, the Archpresbyter Izverzhensky, a saw, a little pig, -a fly. They roared with laughter. They roared so that the earth trembled -under my feet, so help me God. Even the men holding me had to laugh--a -curse on them!--and let me go. They began to clap and applaud. Upon my -word, here is Pantaleyev, he can testify, he saw everything." - -"True," said Pantaleyev in a hoarse voice. He was a dumpy person with -eye-glasses, and wore a sleeveless jacket. - -"Yes, brother, they applauded," exclaimed Grokhotov in ecstasy. "Now, of -course, I know myself; an artist, that's me. No doubt of it now. I may -say I owe my life to my art. What else? It's very simple. A crowd can't -be taken in by a mere joke." - -"The people have begun to be trusting," remarked Pantaleyev pensively -and strangely. "Their hearts have greatly softened." - -"That's true. See what they're doing, eh?" Grokhotov exclaimed quietly. -Then he added in a whisper. "Everything is above-board now. Everywhere -the persons under surveillance, our old acquaintances, are in the very -first rank. What does it mean, eh?" - -"Is the joiner's name Zimin?" Yevsey asked again. - -"Matvey Zimin, case of propaganda work in the furniture factory of -Knop," replied Pantaleyev with stern emphasis. - -"He ought to be in prison," said Yevsey, dissatisfied. - -Grokhotov whistled merrily. - -"In prison? Don't you know they let everybody out of prison?" - -"Who?" - -"The people." - -Yevsey walked a few steps in silence. - -"Did they permit them?" - -"Why, yes." - -"Why did they do it?" - -"That's what I say, too. They oughtn't to have permitted them," said -Pantaleyev. His glasses moved on his broad nose. "What a situation! The -authorities do not think about the people at all." - -"Did they release everybody?" asked Klimkov. - -"Everybody." Pantaleyev's hoarse voice was stern, his nostrils dilated. -"And there have already been a number of unpleasant encounters. Chasin, -for instance, had to threaten to shoot off his revolver, because he was -hit in the eye. He was quietly standing off on one side, when suddenly a -lady comes up, and cries out, 'Here's a spy!' Inasmuch as Chasin cannot -imitate animals, he had to defend himself with a weapon; which isn't -possible for everybody either. Not everybody carries a revolver about -with him." - -"It's been decided to give all of us revolvers." - -"Even so no good will come of it. I know positively that a revolver begs -of itself to be used. It sets your hand itching." - -"Good-by," said Yevsey. "I'm going home." - -He walked through small by-streets. When he saw people coming his way, -he crossed to the other side, and tried to hide in the shade. The -premonition rose and stubbornly grew that he would meet Yakov, Olga, or -somebody else of that company. - -"The city is large, there are many people," he comforted himself. -Nevertheless each time he heard steps in front, his heart sank -painfully, and his legs trembled, losing their strength. - -"They let them go," he thought in dismal annoyance. "They didn't say -anything, and let them go. And how about me? It isn't a matter of -indifference to me where they are. Of course not!" - -It was already dark. A solitary lamp was burning in front of the gates -of the police station. Just as Yevsey approached it, he heard someone -say in a muffled voice: - -"Here, this way, then to the back courtyard." - -Yevsey stopped, and peered in alarm into the darkness. The gates were -closed, but a dark man stood at the wicket set in one of the heavy -swinging doors, apparently awaiting him. - -"Hurry!" The man commanded in a dissatisfied tone. - -Klimkov stopped, crept through the wicket, and went along the dark -vaulted corridor under the building to a light feebly flickering, in the -depths of the court, where he heard the scraping of feet on the stone, -subdued voices, and the familiar repulsive snuffling. Klimkov stopped, -listened, turned quietly, and walked back to the gate, raising his -shoulders, so as to conceal his face in the collar of his overcoat. He -had already reached the wicket, and was about to push it, when it opened -of itself, and a man darted through, stumbling and clutching at Yevsey. - -"The devil! Who's that?" - -"I." - -"Who?" - -"Yevsey Klimkov." - -"Aha! Well, show me the way. Why are you standing there? Don't you -recognize me?" - -Yevsey looked at the hooked nose, the curls behind the ears, the -protruding narrow forehead. - -"I do. Viakhirev," he said with a sigh. - -"Yes. Come on." - -Klimkov returned in silence to the courtyard, where his eyes now -distinguished many obscure figures looming in the darkness in uneven -hillocks, slowly shifting from place to place, like large black fish in -dark, cold water. The satiated voice of Solovyov resounded sweetishly: - -"That doesn't suit me. But catch a girl for me, a little girl, a dainty -little girl. I'll knout her for you." - -"Always joking, the old devil," mumbled Viakhirev. "A fitting time for -it." - -"I can't give beatings, but I like to give lashings. I remember how I -used to flog my nephew, gee!" - -From a corner flowed the voice of Sasha, falling incessantly like water -dripping from roofs on a rainy day, monotonous as the sound of chants -recited in church. - -"Every time you meet those fellows with red flags beat them. First beat -the men carrying the flags, the rest will take to flight." - -"And if they don't?" - -"You will have revolvers. So that if you see people known to you by -their participation in secret societies--those people upon whom you -spied in your time--who were released from the prisons to-day by the -insubordination of the unbridled mob--kill them outright!" - -"That's reasonable," said somebody, whose voice resembled Pantaleyev's. -"Either we, or they." - -"Of course. How else?" - -"The people have gotten their liberty, but what are we to do?" replied -Viakhirev sharply. - -Yevsey walked into a corner, where he leaned against a pile of wood, and -looked and listened in perplexity. - -"A body, a little body, a tiny, wee little calf, meat!" the senseless -words of Solovyov spread out like a thick, oily spot. - -Dark, heavy walls of unequal height surrounded the court sternly. -Overhead slowly floated the clouds. On the walls gleamed the square -windows, scattered and dim. Klimkov saw a low porch in one corner of the -court, upon which Sasha was standing, his overcoat buttoned to the top, -his collar raised, and a low cap thrust on the back of his head. Above -him swung a small lamp, whose feeble flame trembled and smoked, as if -endeavoring to consume itself as quickly as possible. Behind Sasha's -back was the black stain of the door. A few dark people sat on the steps -of the porch at his feet. One, a tall grey person, stood in the doorway. - -"You must understand that you are given the liberty to make war upon the -revolutionists," said Sasha, putting his hands behind his back. - -The air hummed with the scraping of soles on the flagging, with dry -metallic raps, and, at times, with subdued voices uttering exclamations -and officious advice. - -"Look out! Be more careful!" - -"We're not allowed to load the revolvers." - -The vaguely outlined figures in the dark strangely resembled one -another--quiet black people scattered over the yard. They stood in -compact groups, and listened to the viscid voice of Sasha, rocking and -swinging on their feet, as if swayed by powerful puffs of wind. Sasha's -talk drowned all sounds, filling Klimkov's breast with a dreary cold and -acute hatred of the spy. - -"You are given the right to proceed against the rebels in an open fight. -Upon you lies the duty to defend the deceived Czar with all possible -means. And know that generous rewards await you. Who has not yet -received a revolver? Come up here." - -Several muffled voices called out: - -"I--me--I." - -Some persons moved to the porch. Sasha stepped aside, and the grey man -squatted down on his heels. - -"Mayn't I have two?" asked a lugubrious voice. - -"What for?" - -"For a comrade." - -"Go 'long!" - -The voices of the spies whom Yevsey knew sounded louder, braver, and -jollier than before. - -"I'm not going to do any beating." - -"We've heard that," the hoarse voice of Pantaleyev sounded rudely. - -"Silence!" - -Someone smacking his lips greedily, complained: - -"I haven't enough cartridge. We ought to get a whole boxful." - -"I set things going in two station-houses to-day," said Sasha. "I'm -tired." - -"It'll be interesting to-morrow." - -"Well, yes." - -The words and the sounds flashed up before Yevsey's mind like large -sparks illuminating the morrow. They slowly dried up and consumed the -hope of a placid life soon to come. He felt with his whole being that -out of the darkness surrounding him, from these people about him, -advanced a power inimical to his dreams and aims. This power would seize -him again, would put him on the old road, would bring him back to the -old terror. Hatred of Sasha seethed in his heart, the live, tenacious, -yet pliant hatred of the weak, the implacable, sharp, revengeful feeling -of a slave who has once been tortured by hope for liberty. He stood -there thinking of nothing, in the quick realization that his hopes must -inevitably die. He looked at Sasha half closing his eyes, and strained -his ears to catch the spy's every word. - -The men hurriedly departed from the yard in twos and threes, -disappearing under the broad archway that yawned in the wall. The light -over the head of the spy trembled, turned blue, and went out. Sasha -seemed to jump from the porch into a pit, from which he snuffled -angrily: - -"To-day seven men of my division of the Safety Department did not show -up. Why? Many seem to think it's a holiday. I won't tolerate stupidity. -Nor laziness either. I want you to know it. I am now going to introduce -strict regulations. I am not Filip Filippovich. Who said that Melnikov -is going about with a red flag? Who?" - -"I saw him." - -"With a flag?" - -"Yes. Marching and bawling 'Liberty!'" - -"Is it you talking, Viakhirev?" - -"Yes, I." - -Now that the tall body of Sasha had disappeared and mingled with the -dark mass of people at the platform, it seemed to Yevsey that he grew in -size and spread over the court like a stifling cloud, which -imperceptibly floated toward him in the darkness. Yevsey came out of his -leaning posture, and walked toward the exit, stepping as on ice, as if -fearing he would sink through a hole. But the adhesive voice of Sasha -overtook him, pouring a painful cold on the back of his neck. - -"Well, that fool will be the first to slash. I know him." Sasha laughed -a thin howling laugh. "I have a slogan for him, 'Strike in behalf of the -people.' And who said that Maklakov dropped the service?" - -"He knows everything, the vile skunk," Yevsey said to himself with a -calm that surprised him. - -"I said it. I heard it from Viekov, and he got it from Klimkov." - -"Viekov, Klimkov, Grokhotov--all trash. I'll step on the tails of all of -them. Parasites, hybrids, lazy good-for-nothings. Is anyone of them -here?" - -"Klimkov must be here," answered Viakhirev. - -Sasha shouted: - -"Klimkov!" - -Yevsey extended his arm before him, and walked faster. His legs bent -under him. He heard Krasavin say: - -"Gone, apparently. You ought not to shout family names." - -"I beg you not to teach me. I'll soon destroy all family names and -similar stupidities." - -"It's you that I'm going to destroy," Yevsey made the mental threat, -gnashing his teeth until they pained him. - -But when he had left the gate behind him, he was seized by the -debilitating consciousness of his impotence and nothingness. It was a -long time since he had experienced these feelings with such crushing -distinctness. He was frightened by their load, and succumbed to their -pressure. - -"Maybe it will still be warded off," he tried to embolden himself. -"Maybe he won't succeed." - -But Yevsey did not believe his own thoughts. Without a will of his own -he regarded everybody else as equally devoid of will, and he knew that -Sasha could easily compel all whom he wanted to compel to submit to his -domination. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - -The next day Yevsey resolved not to leave the house for a long time. He -lay in bed looking at the ceiling. The leaden face of Sasha with the dim -eyes and the band of red pimples on the forehead floated before him. -To-day this face recalled his childhood and the sinister disk of the -moon in the mist over the marsh. - -As he lay there, empty, languid, and cold, he gave himself over to grief -at his shattered dreams, the dreams that Sasha so easily crushed. His -hatred of the spy deepening, he felt himself capable of biting him with -his teeth, of gouging out his eyes. - -It occurred to him that some of his comrades might come to fetch him, -and he hurriedly left the house, and ran down several streets. Tiring -almost immediately he stopped and waited for a car. People passed by in -a continuous stream. He scented something new in them to-day, and did -violence to himself in examining them closely. Soon he realized that -this new thing was the old fear so well known to him. It was the old -dread and perplexity. People looked around distrustfully, suspiciously, -no longer with the kind expression their eyes had recently worn. Their -voices sounded lower, and betrayed anger, resentment, sorrow. Their talk -was of the horrible. - -Two persons stationed themselves near Yevsey. One of them, a stout -shaven man, asked of the other, who had a large black beard: - -"How many were killed?" - -"Five. Sixteen wounded." - -"Did the Cossacks shoot?" - -"Yes. A boy was killed, a student at the high school." Yevsey looked at -them, and inquired drily: - -"What for?" - -The man with the black beard shrugged his shoulders, and answered -reluctantly in a low voice: - -"They say the Cossacks were drunk." - -"Sasha arranged that," thought Yevsey. - -"And on the Spassky Bridge the mob beat a student, and threw him into -the river," announced the shaven man, drawing a deep breath. - -"What for?" Yevsey asked again. - -"I don't know. Some sort of patriots." - -The black-bearded man explained: - -"Since this morning tramps waving tri-colored flags and carrying -portraits of the Czar have been marching the streets and beating the -decently clad people." - -"Sasha!" Yevsey repeated to himself. - -"They say it was organized by the police and the Department of Safety." - -"Of course!" burst from Klimkov. But the next instant he compressed his -lips tightly, and glanced sidewise at the black-bearded man. He resolved -to go away. But just then the car came along, and as the two men -prepared to board it, he thought: - -"I must get on, too, or else they'll guess I'm a spy. What would they -think of a man who waited for a car with them, and then didn't take it?" - -The passengers in the car seemed calmer to Yevsey than the pedestrians -on the street. - -"After all it's some sort of concealment, though only behind glass," was -his explanation of the difference, as he listened to the animated -conversation in the car. - -A tall man with a bony face said plaintively, spreading his hands: - -"I, too, love and respect the Czar; I'm heartily thankful to him for the -manifesto. I'm ready to shout 'Hurrah' as much as you please; and offer -up prayers of gratitude. But to smash windows from patriotism and break -bones--what's that?" - -"Such barbarism, beastliness in our age!" said a stout lady. "Oh, those -people, how horribly cruel they are!" - -From a corner came a firm assured voice: - -"All the work of the police, no doubt of it!" - -"But what for?" - -All were silent for a minute. - -"I know," thought Klimkov. - -From the corner came the same assured voice: - -"They're preparing a counter-revolution in Russian fashion. You -just take a close look at those in command of the patriotic -demonstrators--disguised police, agents of the Department of -Safety." - -Yevsey heard these words with joy, and furtively regarded the young -face. It was dry and clean, with a cartilaginous nose, a small mustache, -and a tuft of light hair on a determined chin. The youth sat leaning -against the back of his seat in a corner of the car, one leg crossed -over the other. He looked at the passengers in the car with a wise -glance from his blue eyes, and spoke like a man who masters his words -and thoughts and believes in their effectiveness. - -Dressed in a short warm jacket and tall boots, he resembled a -workingman, but his white hands and the thin horizontal lines on his -forehead betrayed him. - -"Disguised," thought Yevsey. "Well, let him be disguised. What -difference does it make to me?" - -He began to follow the loud firm talk of the fair-haired youth with the -greatest attention, looking at his wise, transparent blue eyes and -agreeing with him. But suddenly he shuddered, seized with a sharp -premonition. On the platform of the car, at the conductor's side, he saw -through the window a pair of narrow drooping shoulders, and the back of -a black protruding head. The car jolted, and the familiar figure swayed. - -"Yakov Zarubin!" - -Klimkov utterly dismayed turned his look again upon the blue-eyed youth. -He had removed his hat, and he smoothed his wavy hair as he said: - -"As long as our administration has the soldiers in its hands, the -police, and the spies, it will not yield the people and society their -rights without a fight, without bloodshed. We must remember that." - -"It isn't true, my dear sir," cried the bony-faced man. "The Czar -granted a full constitution. He granted it, yes, so how dare you--?" - -"But who is arranging the street massacres? And who's shouting 'Down -with the constitution?'" the young man asked coldly. "You had better -take a look at the defenders of the old system. There they go!" - -At that instant the car came to a standstill with a creak, and when the -irritating noise of its movement had subsided, the passengers could hear -loud turbulent shouts: - -"God save the Czar!" - -"Rrrra-a-h!" - -A pack of boys came running from around the corner in front of the car, -and noisily scattered over the street, as if dropped from above. A crowd -of people waving three-colored flags over their heads pushed after them -like a black wedge in hurried disorder. Alarming shouts filled the air: - -"Hurrah!" - -"Stop, boys!" - -"Down with the constitution!" - -"We don't want--" - -"God save the Czar!" - -"Hurrah!" - -The people shoved past one another, gesticulated wildly, and threw their -hats in the air. In front of all with his head hanging low like a bull, -walked Melnikov, holding a heavy pole from which the national flag -floated. His eyes were fastened on the ground. He lifted his feet high, -and apparently must have tramped the ground with great force, for at -each step his body quivered, and his head shook. His heavy bellow could -be heard above the chaos of thinner shouts. - -"We don't want deception--" - -Behind, a crowd of ragged people, dark and grey, pushed down the street, -jumping and twisting their necks. They raised their heads, hands, and -arms, looked up to the windows of the houses, jumped on the pavements to -knock off the hats of passersby, ran up to Melnikov again, shouted and -whistled and seized one another, rolling into a heap. Melnikov waving -the flag clanged like a huge bell: - -"Down with the mutinee-e! Down with the impostors! Stop!" - -"Drunk, or what?" thought Klimkov, coldly. - -"Halt!" Raising his head and the flag on high, the spy commanded: -"Sing!" - -From his broad mouth gushed a savage mournful note: - -"Go-o-od--" - -But at that moment excited shouts splashed in the air, disordered and -rapacious, like a flock of hungry birds. They clawed the voice of the -spy, and covered it with their hasty, greedy mass. - -"Hurrah for the Emperor! Hats off! True Orthodox people--we want the -old! Down with treachery!" - -It was quiet in the car. All stood with their hats off, silent, pale, -observing the crowd that encircled them like a wavy, dirty ring. But the -disguised man did not remove his hat. Yevsey looked at his stern face, -and thought: - -"Putting on airs." And he turned his eyes on the street with a wry smile -on his face. He felt very distinctly the nothingness of these restless -jumping people. He clearly understood that dark terror was whipping them -from within, was pushing and carrying them from side to side. They were -fighting, intoxicating themselves with loud shouts, in the desire to -prove to themselves that they were afraid of nothing. They ran around -the car like a pack of hounds just released from the leash, full of -senseless joy, without having had time to free themselves from the -customary fear. Apparently they could not make up their minds to -traverse the broad bright street. They were unable to gather themselves -into one body. They tossed about, roared, and glared around alarmingly, -waiting for something. - -Near the car stood a little thin, sharp-bearded muzhik in a torn hat and -short fur coat. He held his eyes closed and his face raised on high. His -hungry mouth gaped displaying his yellow teeth as he shouted in a thin -voice: - -"D-o-o-wn! We don't want--" - -Tears of fear and excitement ran down his cheeks. His forehead glistened -with sweat. Ceasing to shout, he bent his neck and looked around -distrustfully. Then he raised his shoulders, and closing his eyes again, -yelled once more as if he were being beaten: - -"E-e-enough!" - -"That's the way I would have become, too," thought Yevsey to himself. -Though the muzhik cut a droll figure, Yevsey was sorry for him and for -himself. - -He saw the familiar faces of the janitors, always grim, the -large-whiskered visage of the church watchman Klimych, pious and sullen, -the hungry eyes of the young hooligans, the astonished expression of -timorous muzhiks, and a few creatures who pushed everyone, gave everyone -orders, and filled the will-less blind bodies with their will, with -their sick ferocity. Yevsey well understood that all these petty people -like himself lived in the close captivity of fear, with no strength to -tear themselves from its clutches. A powerful person might gain mastery -over them; in obedience to the will of a still more powerful person they -would overthrow the old receptacle of fear in exchange for a new one. -Now, separated by the windows from the mob, he looked at it from aside -and above, and his eyes were able to embrace much. Everything was clear -to him _ad nauseam_. Anguish and wrath sucked at his heart. - -Little Yakov Zarubin was twisting and turning in the middle of the crowd -like an eel. Now he ran up to Melnikov, pulled his sleeve, and said -something to him, nodding his head in the direction of the car. - -Klimkov quickly glanced around at the man in the hat, who had already -risen, and was walking to the door, his head lifted high and a frown on -his brow. Yevsey stepped after him, but Melnikov jumped to the platform, -and blocked the doorway with his large body. - -"Hat off!" he bawled. - -The man faced about abruptly, and walked to the other exit. There he was -met by Zarubin, who shouted in a loud voice: - -"Here, this man in a hat! I know him! He makes bombs! Take care, boys!" - -A revolver gleamed in Zarubin's hand. He swung it as if it were a stone, -and thrust it forward. People from the street clambered to the platform, -and the passengers pressing to the exits met them face to face. The lady -screeched: - -"Take off your hat! Why, man!" - -All screamed, roared, and pressed one another. Their eyes staring -insanely, fastened upon the man in the hat. - -"I'm going to shoot! Get away!" the man shouted aloud, advancing upon -Zarubin. The spy retreated, but he was pushed in back, and fell to his -knees. Supporting himself on the floor with one hand, he stretched out -the other. A shot rang out, then another. The windows rattled. For a -second all the cries congealed. Then the firm voice said contemptuously: - -"Vile curs!" - -The air and the windows quivered with a third shot, and Zarubin uttered -a loud cry: - -"Ugh!" His head struck the floor, as if he were making an obeisance at -somebody's feet. The car became emptier and quieter. Klimkov ensconced -in a corner, shrivelled up on his seat, and thought listlessly: - -"I might have been killed." - -The thought darted by, and disappeared without rousing in the darkness -of his soul either fear or joy. He looked around wearily. The man in the -hat stood on the platform of the car. Melnikov advanced toward him past -Yevsey, and Zarubin lay motionless face downward. - -"I will shoot you down--everyone of you! Get away from here!" the loud, -dry cry was heard from the platform. - -But Melnikov stepped across the body of Yakov, seized the fair-haired -youth by the waist, and threw him into the street. - -"Beat him down--!" he shouted bluntly in a savage voice. - -Three revolver shots followed in quick succession. The deaf blows -clapped. Someone howled in a long-drawn plaintive cry like an infant. - -"Oh, oh, my leg!" - -Another man shouted hoarsely with an effort: - -"Ah, ah! Hit him on the head! Hey, hey!" - -And a thin hysterical voice pealed in ecstasy: - -"Tear him to pieces, my dear people. Choke him! Enough! Their time is -past! Now we'll give it to them. Now our turn has come--" - -All the cries were suddenly covered by a loud ejaculation full of -mournful disdain: - -"Idiots!" - -Yevsey reeled from weakness in his legs. He walked to the platform, from -which he saw a dark heap of people. With bent backs, swinging their arms -and legs, groaning with the strain of excitement, uttering tired hoarse -articulations, they stirred busily on the street, like large shaggy -worms, as they dragged over the stones the body of the fair-haired -youth, already crushed and torn. They kicked at it, tramped on its face -and chest, pulled its hair, its legs and arms, and simultaneously tore -him in different directions. Half bare, covered with blood, it flapped -against the stones, soft as dough, with each blow losing more and more -semblance of a human figure. These people worked over him industriously. -The little lean muzhik trying to crush his skull, stepped on it with one -foot, and sang out: - -"Aha! Our time has come, too." - -The work was accomplished. One after the other they left the middle of -the street for the pavement. A pockmarked fellow wiped his hands on his -short sheepskin overcoat, and asked with the air of a manager, or -superintendent: - -"Who took his pistol?" - -Now the voices sounded weary, reluctant. But on the pavement a laugh was -heard coming from a small group of people standing next to the -lamp-post. An offended voice was discussing hotly: - -"You lie! I was the first. The second he fell I gave him one on the jaw -with my boot." - -"Cabman Mikhailov pounced on him first, then I." - -"Mikhailov got a bullet in his leg." - -"If it didn't hit the bone, it's all right." - -These people after tasting blood had apparently grown bolder. They -looked around on all sides with unsatiated eyes, with greed, and assured -expectation. - -In the middle of the street lay a formless dark heap, from which blood -was oozing into the hollows between the stones. - -"That's the way--" Yevsey thought, looking at the red designs on the -paving. In the dark red mist trembling before his eyes appeared the -hairy face of Melnikov. His voice was tired and muffled. - -"There, they've killed him!" - -"Yes, how quickly!" - -"They killed another one this morning." - -"What for?" - -"He was speaking. He was standing on the curb addressing the people. -Chasin fired into his stomach." - -"What for?" Yevsey repeated. - -"Those speakers are deceivers--a spurious manifesto--there's no such -thing--all a bluff!" - -"Sasha thought that all out," said Yevsey quietly, with conviction. - -Melnikov shook his head, and looked at his large hands. - -"Somebody always deceives," he mumbled in a drunken voice. - -He entered the car, and raised Zarubin lightly, placing him on the bench -face up. - -"He's dead. There's where it hit him--" - -Yevsey sought the scar on Zarubin's face that the blow of the bottle had -left. He did not find it. Now over the right eye was a little red hole -from which Klimkov could not tear his eyes. It absorbed his entire -attention, and aroused sharp pity for Yakov. - -"Have you a pistol?" asked Melnikov. - -"No." - -"There, take Yakov's." - -"I don't want to. I don't need it." - -"Now everybody needs a pistol," said Melnikov simply, and slipped the -revolver into Yevsey's overcoat pocket. "Yes, there was a Yakov, now -there is no Yakov." - -"It was I who marked him for death," thought Yevsey, looking at his -comrade's face. - -Zarubin's brows were sternly drawn. A look of serious preoccupation -gleamed and died away in his dim eyes. His little black mustache -bristled on his raised lip. He appeared to be annoyed. His half-open -mouth seemed ready to pour forth a rapid torrent of irritated talk. - -"Come," said Melnikov. - -"And he--how about them?" asked Yevsey, tearing his eyes from Zarubin. - -"The police will take them away. It's against the law to remove the -killed. Let's go somewhere, and shake ourselves up. I haven't eaten -to-day. I can't eat--the third day without food. No sleep either." He -sighed painfully, and concluded with somber _sang froid_. "I should have -been killed in Yakov's place." - -"Sasha will ruin all," said Yevsey, through his teeth. "He'll ruin us -all." - -"Blindness of the soul." - -They walked along the street without observing anything, and each spoke -that with which his own mind was occupied. Both were like drunken men. - -"Where's the truth?" asked Melnikov, putting his hand forward, as if to -test the air. - -"There, you see, two have been killed," said Yevsey, making an effort to -catch an elusive thought. - -"Many people have been killed to-day, I should think. All are blind." - -"Why did Sasha arrange this?" - -"I don't love him either." - -"He's the one who ought to be killed," exclaimed Yevsey, with bitter -vengefulness. - -Melnikov was silent for a long time. Then he suddenly shook his fist in -the air, and said resolutely: - -"Enough! I've taken sins enough upon myself. On the other side of the -Volga I have an uncle, a very old man. He is all I have in this world. -I'll go to him. He keeps an apiary--when he was young he was tried for -forgery." After another pause of silence the spy laughed quietly. - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey, annoyed. - -"I'm forgetting everything. My uncle has now been dead for three years." - -They reached a café known to them. Yevsey stopped at the door, and -looked meditatively at the illuminated windows. - -"People again," he muttered, dissatisfied. "I don't want to go in -there." - -"Let's go in. It's all the same," said Melnikov, taking him by the arm, -and leading him after himself. "It will be tiresome for me to be here -alone. Besides I've become fearsome. I'm not afraid of being killed if -I'm recognized as a spy. It's just a general feeling of dread." - -The two men did not enter the room in which their comrades were wont to -gather, but took seats in a corner of the common hall, where there were -a number of persons, of whom none were drunk, though the talk was noisy -and evinced unusual excitement. Klimkov by habit began to listen to the -conversations, while the thought of Sasha clung to him, and quietly -unfolded itself in his head, stupefied by the impressions of the last -days, but freshened by the constant influx of poignant hatred and fear -of the spy. - -He recalled the sullen face of the dead Zarubin, the mauled body of the -fair-haired man. He looked in perplexity at the noisy public, blinking -as if half asleep. All was incoherent, as in a nightmare. Melnikov drank -tea with no appetite, keeping silent and from time to time stretching -himself. - -Not far from them at a table sat three men, apparently clerks with the -characteristic speech of the class. They were young and fashionably -dressed, with a display of gay necktie. One of them, a curly-headed -youth with a tanned face spoke excitedly, his dark eyes flashing. - -"They utilize the ferocity of hungry ragged rowdies, by which they want -to prove to us that liberty is impossible because of the many barbarians -such as these. However--permit me--savages did not show themselves for -the first time yesterday. There have always been such, and justice has -always been able to cope with them; they could be held under fear of the -law. Then why are they permitted to perpetrate every sort of outrage and -bestiality to-day?" He looked around the hall with the air of a victor, -and answered his question with hot conviction. "Because they want to -point out to us, 'You are for freedom, ladies and gentlemen, well here -you have it. Freedom for you means murder, robbery, and all kinds of mob -violence.'" - -"Do you hear?" demanded Yevsey, triumphantly. "Isn't that Sasha's -scheme?" The hot voice of the orator roused in his soul the quiet -smouldering hope. "Maybe Sasha won't conquer." - -Melnikov looked at him sullenly, without replying. - -The curly-headed man rose from the chair, and continued waving a glass -of wine in his hand. - -"It's not true, and I protest. Honest people want liberty, not in order -to crush one another, but in order for each to be protected against the -prevailing violence of our lawless life. Liberty is the goddess of -reason. They have drunk enough of our blood. I protest. Long live -liberty!" - -The public raised a cheer, and sprang to their feet. - -Melnikov looked at the curly-headed orator, and muttered: - -"What a fool!" - -"He speaks truly," rejoined Yevsey, angrily. - -"How do you know?" asked the spy indifferently, and began to drink the -beer in slow gulps. - -Yevsey wanted to tell this heavy man that he himself was a fool, a blind -beast, whom the cunning and cruel masters of his life had taught to hunt -people down. But Melnikov raised his head, and looking into Klimkov's -face with dark eyes terribly widened, said in a sounding whisper: - -"I'm afraid for this reason: when I was in prison an incident happened -there--" - -"Hold on," said Yevsey, "I want to listen." - -A thin voice which drilled the ear, pierced triumphantly through the -soft mass of sounds. - -"Did you hear? He says a goddess, yet we Russian people have only one -goddess, the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. That's how those -curly-headed youngsters speak!" - -"Out with him!" - -"Silence!" - -"No, if you please. If there's liberty, everyone has a right--" - -"You see? The curly-headed youngsters walk the streets, beat the people -who rise up to maintain the Czar's truth against treachery, while we -Russians, the True Orthodox, don't dare even to speak. Is this liberty?" - -"They'll fight," said Klimkov, starting to tremble. "Somebody will be -killed. I'm going." - -"What a peculiar fellow you are! Well, let's go. The devil take them! -What are they to you?" - -Melnikov flung the money on the table, and moved toward the exit, his -head bowed low, as if to conceal his conspicuous face. On the street in -the dark and the cold, he began to speak in a subdued voice: - -"When I was in prison--it was on account of a certain foreman, who was -strangled in our factory--I was hauled up, too. They told me I would get -hard labor. Everybody said it, first the coroner, then the gendarmes -joined in. I got frightened. I was still young, and I didn't take to the -idea of hard labor. I used to cry." He coughed a clapping cough, and -slackened his pace. "Once the assistant overseer of the prison, Aleksey -Maksimych, a good little old man, came in to me. He loved me. He grieved -for me all the time. 'Ah,' says he, 'Liapin,'--my real name is -Liapin--'Ah,' says he, 'brother, I'm sorry for you. You are such an -unfortunate fellow--'" - -Melnikov's speech unfolded itself like a soft band upon which Klimkov -quietly let himself down, as upon a narrow path leading down into the -darkness, into something terrible and awesomely interesting. - -"He comes and says he, 'Liapin, I want to save you for a good life. -Yours is a hard-labor case, but you can escape it. The only thing you -need to do is to execute a man. He was sentenced for political -assassination. He will be hanged according to law in the presence of a -priest, will be given a cross to kiss, so that you needn't be uneasy -about it.' I say, 'Why not? If with the consent of the authorities, and -if I'm to be pardoned, I'll hang him. Only I can't.'--. 'We'll teach -you,' says he. 'We have a man who knows how, but he's stricken with -paralysis, and can't do it himself.' Well for a whole evening they -taught me. It was in a deep dungeon. We stuffed a sack with rags, tied -it with a string, so as to make a neck. Then I pulled it up on a hook. I -learned how to do the business. Early in the morning they gave me half a -bottle to drink, led me out into the yard with soldiers carrying guns. I -see a gallows has been erected, and various officers before it. They are -all muffled up and shrivelled. It was autumn then, too, November. I -ascended the scaffolding, and the boards shook, creaked under my feet -like teeth. This made me feel uncomfortable, and I said 'Give me more -whiskey. I'm afraid.' Then they brought him--" - -Melnikov again began to cough dully, and clutched at his throat. Yevsey -pressed up to him, trying to keep step with him. He kept his eyes -fastened on the ground, not daring to look either to the front or the -side. - -"I see a young powerful fellow. He stands firm, and all the time keeps -stroking his head from his forehead back to his neck. I began to put the -face-cloth on him. I must have pulled or pinched him in some way, and he -tells me quietly without anger, 'Be more careful, brother.' Yes. The -priest gave him the cross, and he says, 'Don't disturb yourself. I'm not -a believer.' His face was so--as if he knew everything that would be -after death, and now and to-morrow and always, knew it for certain. -Somehow I strangled him, shaking all over. My hands grew numb, my legs -would not hold me. I felt horrible on account of him--he was so calm -about it all--a master over death." - -Melnikov was silent, looked around, and began to walk more quickly. - -"Well?" asked Yevsey in a whisper. - -"Well, I strangled him. That's all. Only ever since, when I see or hear -that a man has been killed, I recollect him--always. In my opinion he -was the only man who knew the truth. That was why he was not afraid. And -the main thing is, he knew what would be to-morrow--which no one knows. -I tell you what, Yevsey, come to me to sleep, eh? Come, please." - -"All right," said Yevsey quietly. - -He was glad of the offer. He could not walk to his room alone--along the -streets in the darkness. He felt a tightness in his breast and a heavy -pressure on his bones, as if he were creeping under ground, and the -earth were squeezing his back, his chest, his sides, and his head: while -in front of him gaped a deep pit, which he could not escape, into which -he must soon descend--a silent bottomless abyss down which he would drop -endlessly. - -"That's good," said Melnikov. "I would feel bored alone." - -"If you would kill Sasha--" Yevsey advised him sadly. - -"There you are!" Melnikov fended off the idea. "What do you think--that -I love to kill? They asked me twice again to hang people, a woman and a -student. I declined. I might have had two to remember instead of one. -The killed appear again. They come back." - -"Often?" - -"Sometimes, sometimes not. When often, it's every night. How can you -defend yourself against them? I can't pray to God. I've forgotten my -prayers. Have you?" - -"I remember mine." - -They entered a court, and were long in penetrating to its depths, -stumbling as they walked over boards, stones, and rubbish. Then they -descended a flight of steps, which Klimkov, feeling the walls with his -hands, thought would never come to an end. When he found himself at last -in the lodging of the spy, and had examined it in the light of the lamp, -he was amazed to see the mass of gay pictures and paper flowers with -which the walls were almost entirely covered. Melnikov at once became a -stranger in this comfortable little room, with a broad bed in a corner -behind white curtains. - -"All this was contrived by the woman with whom I lived," said Melnikov, -starting to undress. "She ran away, the hussy! A gendarme, a -quartermaster, decoyed her. I can't understand it. He's a grey-haired -widower, while she's young and greedy for a male. Nevertheless she went -away. The third one that's left me already. Come, let's go to bed." - -They lay side by side in the same bed, which rocked under Yevsey like a -tossing sea, and all the time descended lower and lower. His heart sank -with it. The spy's words laid themselves heavily upon his breast. - -"One was Olga." - -"What!" - -"Olga. Why?" - -"Nothing." - -"A little one, thin and jolly. She used to hide my hat, or something -else, and I would say, 'Olga, where's my hat?' And she would say, 'Look -for it. You're a spy.' She liked to joke, but she was a loose woman. I -hardly had my head turned, before she was with somebody else. I was -afraid to beat her. She was frail. Still I pulled her hair. You've got -to do something." - -"Lord!" quietly exclaimed Klimkov. "What am I going to do?" - -His comrade was silent for a while, then said dully and slowly: - -"That's the way I howl, too, sometimes." - -Klimkov buried his head in the pillow, compressing his lips tightly, to -restrain the stubborn need to utter cries and complaints. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - -Yevsey awoke with a certain secret resolution, which held his bosom as -with a broad invisible belt. It stifled him. The ends of this band, he -felt, were held by some insistent being, who obstinately led him on to -an inescapable something. He harkened to this desire and tested it -carefully with an awkward, timorous thought. At the same time he did not -want it to define itself. - -Melnikov dressed and washed, but uncombed, was sitting at the table next -to the samovar, munching his bread lazily like an ox. - -"You sleep well," he said. "I drowsed a little, then awoke, while it was -still night, and suddenly saw a body beside me. I remembered that Tania -wasn't here, but I had forgotten about you. Then it seemed to me that -that person was lying there. He came and lay down--wanted to warm -himself." Melnikov laughed a stupid laugh, which, apparently, -embarrassed him the next instant. "However, it's not a joke. I lighted a -match and looked at you. It's my idea you're not well. Your face is blue -like--" He broke off with a cough, but Yevsey guessed the unspoken word, -and thought gloomily: - -"Rayisa, too, said I would choke myself." - -The thought frightened him, clearly alluding to something he did not -want to remember. Then he tried insistently to evoke some desire which -might help him to befool himself, to conceal the unavoidable, that which -had already been determined. - -"What time is it?" he asked. - -"Eleven." - -"Early still." - -"Early," confirmed the host, and both were silent. Then Melnikov -proposed: - -"Let's live together, eh?" - -"I don't know." - -"What?" - -"What will happen," said Yevsey, after reflecting a moment. - -"Nothing will happen. You're a quiet fellow. You speak little, neither -do I like to speak always. If it's tiresome I speak, or else I keep -quiet all the time. When you ask about something, one says one thing, -another says another thing, and a third still another. Well, the devil -take you, think I. You have a whole lot of words, but none that are -true." - -"Yes," said Yevsey for the sake of answering. - -"Something must be done," he thought in self-defense. Suddenly he -resolved, "At first I will--Sasha--" But he did not wish to represent to -himself what would be afterward. "Where are we going to go?" he inquired -of Melnikov. - -"To the office," Melnikov replied with unconcern. - -"I don't want to," declared Yevsey drily and firmly. - -Melnikov combed his beard for a time in silence. Then he shoved the -dishes from him, and placing his elbows on the table, said meditatively -in a subdued voice: - -"Our service has become hard. All have begun to rebel, but who are the -real rebels here? Make it out, if you can." - -"I know who's the first scoundrel and skunk," muttered Klimkov. - -"Sasha you mean?" inquired Melnikov. - -Yevsey gave no reply. He was quietly beginning to devise a plan of -action. Melnikov started to dress, sniffing loudly. - -"So we're going to live together?" - -"Yes." - -"Are you going to bring your things to-day?" - -"I don't know." - -"Will you sleep here tonight?" - -After some reflection Yevsey said: - -"Yes." - -When the spy had gone, Klimkov jumped to his feet, and looked around -frightened, quivering under the stinging blows of suspicion. - -"He locked me in, and went to tell Sasha. They'll come soon to seize me. -I must escape through the window." - -He rushed to the door. It was not locked. He calmed himself, and said -with heat, as if convincing somebody: - -"Well, is it possible to live this way? You don't believe anybody--there -is nobody--" - -He sat long behind the table without moving, straining his mind, -employing all his cunning to lay a snare for the enemy without -endangering himself. Finally he hit upon a plan. He must in some way -lure Sasha from the office to the street, and walk with him. When they -would meet a large crowd of people, he would shout: - -"This is a spy, beat him!" And probably the same thing would happen as -had happened to Zarubin and the fair-haired young man. If the people -would not turn upon Sasha as seriously as they had yesterday upon the -disguised revolutionist, Yevsey would set them an example. He would fire -first, as Zarubin had. But _he_ would _hit_ Sasha. He would aim at his -stomach. - -Klimkov felt himself strong and brave, and made haste to leave. He -wanted to do the thing at once. But the recollection of Zarubin hindered -him, knotting up the poverty-stricken simplicity of his contrivance. He -involuntarily repeated his notion. "It was I who marked him for death." - -He did not reproach, he did not blame, himself. Yet he felt that a -certain thread bound him to the little black spy, and he must do -something to break the thread. - -"I didn't say good-by to him--and where will I find him now?" - -On putting on his overcoat, he was gladdened to feel the revolver in his -pocket. Responding to a fresh influx of power and resolution, he walked -out into the street with a firm tread. - -But the nearer he got to the Department of Safety the more did his bold -mood melt and fade away. The feeling of power became dissipated, and -when he saw the narrow dull alley at the end of which was the dusky, -three-storied building, he suddenly felt an invincible desire to find -Zarubin, and take leave of him. - -"I insulted him," he explained his desire to himself, embarrassed and -quickly turning aside from his aim. "I must find him." - -At the same time he vaguely felt he could not escape from that which -seized his heart and pressed him, drew him on after itself, and silently -indicated the one issue from the terrible entanglement. - -The problem of the day, the resolve to destroy Sasha, did not hinder the -growth of the dark and evil power which filled his heart, while the -sudden wish to find the body of the little spy instantly became an -insurmountable obstacle to the carrying out of his plan. - -He fed this desire artificially, in the fear that it, too, would -disappear. He rode about in cabs to police stations for a number of -hours, taking the utmost pains in his inquiries regarding Zarubin. When -at last he found out where the body was, it was too late to visit it, -and he returned home secretly pleased that the day had come to an end. - -Melnikov did not put in appearance at his lodging. Yevsey lay alone the -whole night, trying not to stir. At each movement of his the canopy over -the bed rocked. An odor of dampness was wafted in his face, the bed -creaked a tune; he felt stifled, nauseated, and timorous. Taking -advantage of the stillness the vile mice ran about, and the rustling -sounds they made tore the thin net of Yevsey's thoughts of Zarubin and -Sasha. The interruptions displayed to him the dead, calm, expectant -emptiness of his environment, with which the emptiness of his soul -insistently desired to blend. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - -Early in the morning he was already standing in the corner of a large -yard at a yellow hovel with a cross over the roof. A grey humpbacked -watchman said as he opened the door: - -"There are two of them here. One was recognized, the other not. The -unidentified one will soon be taken to the grave." - -Then Yevsey saw the sullen face of Zarubin. The only change it had -undergone was that it had grown a little blue. The small wound in place -of the scar had been washed, and had turned black. The little alert body -was naked and clean. It lay face upward, stretched like a cord, with the -tanned hands folded over the bosom, as if Zarubin were sullenly asking: - -"Well, what?" - -Beside him lay the other dark body, all rent, swollen, with red, blue, -and yellow stains. Someone had covered its face with blue and white -flowers. But under them Yevsey could see the bones of the skull, a tuft -of hair glued together with blood, and the torn shell of the ear. - -Leaning his hump against the wall, the old man said: - -"This one cannot be recognized. He has almost no head. Yet he was -identified. Two ladies came yesterday with these flowers and covered up -human outrage. As for the other one, he's remained unidentified." - -"I know who he is," said Yevsey firmly. "He's Yakov Zarubin. He served -in the Department of Safety." - -The watchman looked at him, and shook his head in negation. - -"No, it's not he. The police told us he was Zarubin, and our office -inquired of the Department of Safety, but it appeared it wasn't he." - -"But I know," Yevsey exclaimed quietly, in an offended tone. - -"In the Department of Safety they said, 'We don't know such a person. A -man by that name never served here.'" - -"It's not true," exclaimed Yevsey, grieved and dumfounded. - -Two young fellows came in from the court, one of whom asked the -watchman: - -"Which is the unidentified man?" - -The humpback pointed his finger at Zarubin, and said to Yevsey: - -"You see?" - -Klimkov walked out into the court, thrust a coin into the watchman's -hand, and repeated with impotent stubbornness: - -"It's Zarubin, I tell you." - -"As you please," said the old man, shrugging his hump. "But if it is so, -others would have recognized him. An agent came here yesterday in search -of someone who had been killed. He didn't recognize your man either, -though why shouldn't he admit it if he did?" - -"What agent?" - -"A stout man, bald, with an amiable voice." - -"Solovyov," guessed Yevsey, observing dully that Zarubin's body was -being laid in a white unpainted coffin. - -"It doesn't go in," mumbled one of the fellows. - -"Bend his legs, the devil!" - -"The lid won't close." - -"Sidewise, lay him in sidewise, eh?" - -"Don't make such a fuss, boys," said the old man calmly. - -The fellow who held the head of the body snuffled, and said: - -"It's a spy, Uncle Fiodor." - -"A dead man is nobody," observed the humpback didactically, walking up -to them. The fellows grew silent, continuing to squeeze the springy -tawny body into the narrow short coffin. - -"You fools, get another coffin," said the humpback, angrily. - -"It's all the same," said one, and the other added grimly, "He's not a -great gentleman." - -Yevsey left the court carrying in his soul a bitter humiliating feeling -of insult in behalf of Zarubin. Behind him he clearly heard the -hump-back say to the men as they bore off the body: - -"Something wrong there, too. He came here, and says 'I know him.' Maybe -he knows all about this affair." - -The two men answered almost simultaneously: - -"Seems to be a spy, too." - -"What's the difference to us?" - -Klimkov quickly jumped into a cab, and shouted to the driver: - -"Hurry!" - -"Where to?" - -Yevsey answered quietly and not at once: - -"Straight ahead." - -The insulting thoughts dully knocked in his head. - -"They bury him like a dog--no one wants him--and me, too--" - -The streets came to meet him. The houses rocked and swayed, the windows -gleamed. People walked noisily, and everything was alien. - -"To-day I'm going to make an end of Sasha. I'll go there at once and -shoot him." In a moment he was already compelled to persuade himself: -"It's got to be done. As for me, nothing matters to me any more." - -Dismissing the cabman he walked into a restaurant, to which Sasha came -less frequently than to the others. He stopped in front of the door of -the room where the spies gathered. - -"The instant I see him, I'll shoot him," he said to himself. - -He knocked at the door tremulously, and felt the revolver in his hand. -His soul was congealed in cold expectation. - -"Who's there?" asked someone on the other side of the door. - -"I." - -The door was opened a little. In the chink flashed the eyes and reddish -little nose of Solovyov. - -"Ah-h-h!" he drawled in amazement. "There was a rumor that you had been -killed." - -"No, I have not been killed," Klimkov responded sullenly, removing his -coat. - -"I see. Lock the door. They say you went with Melnikov--" - -Solovyov was thoroughly masticating a piece of ham; which interfered -with his articulation. His greasy lips smacked slowly and let out the -unconcerned words, "So, it isn't true that you went with Melnikov?" - -"Why isn't it true?" - -"Why, here you are alive, and he's in bad shape. I saw him yesterday." - -"Where?" - -The spy named the hospital from which Yevsey had just come. - -"Why is he there?" Klimkov inquired apathetically. - -"That is it: a Cossack struck him a sabre blow on the head, and the -horses trampled him. It's not known how it happened, or why. He's -unconscious. The physicians say he won't recover." - -Solovyov poured some sort of green whiskey into a glass, held it up to -the light, and examined it with screwed-up eyes. After which he drank -it, and asked: - -"Where are you hiding yourself?" - -"I'm not hiding." - -"You _have_ been hiding all the same." - -A plate fell to the floor in the corridor. Yevsey started. He remembered -he had forgotten to remove the revolver from his overcoat pocket. He -rose to his feet. - -"Sasha is fuming at you." - -Before Yevsey's eyes swam the sinister red disk of the moon surrounded -by a cloud of ill-smelling lilac-colored mist. He recalled the -snuffling, ever-commanding voice, the yellow fingers of the bony hands. - -"Won't he come here?" - -"I don't know. Why?" - -Solovyov's face wore a sleek expression. Apparently he was very well -satisfied with something. In his voice sounded the careless affability -of an aristocrat. All this was repulsive to Yevsey. Incoherent thoughts -tossed about in his mind, one breaking the other off. - -"You are all rascals--sorry for Melnikov--so this obese fellow didn't -want to recognize Yakov--why?" - -"Did you see Zarubin?" - -"That's who?" asked Solovyov, raising his brows. - -"You know. He lay in the hospital there. You saw him." - -"Yes, yes, yes. Of course I saw him." - -"Why didn't you say there that you knew him?" Yevsey demanded sternly. - -The old spy reared his bald head, and exclaimed in astonishment with a -sarcastic expression: - -"W-w-w-hat?" - -Yevsey repeated the question, but this time in a milder tone. - -"That's not your business, my dear fellow. I want you to know that. But -I'm sorry for your stupidity, so I'll tell you, we have no need for -fools, we don't know them, we don't comprehend them, we don't recognize -them. You are to understand that, now and forever, for all your life. -Remember what I say, and tie your tongue with a string." - -The little eyes of Solovyov sparkled cold as two silver coins, his voice -bespoke evil and cruelty. He shook his short thick fingers at Yevsey. -His greedy bluish lips were drawn sullenly. But he was not horrible. - -"It's all the same," thought Yevsey. "They are all one gang--they all -ought to be--" - -He darted to his overcoat, snatched the revolver from the pocket, aimed -at Solovyov, and shouted dully: - -"Well!" - -The old man crawled from his chair, and grovelled on the floor, looking -like a large heap of dirt. He seized the leg of the table with one hand, -and stretched the other toward Yevsey. - -"Don't--you mustn't," he muttered in a loud whisper. "My dear sir, don't -touch me." - -Klimkov pressed the trigger more tightly, more tightly. His head chilled -with the effort, his hair shook. - -"I will go away--I'm going to get married to-morrow--I'll go away--for -always--I'll never--" His heavy cowardly words rustled and crept in the -air. Grease glistened on his chin, and the napkin over his bosom -quivered. - -The revolver did not shoot. Yevsey's finger pained, and horror took -powerful possession of him from head to foot, impeding his breath. - -"I can give you money," Solovyov whispered more quickly. "I will tell -nothing--I will keep quiet--always--I understand--" - -Klimkov raised his hand and flung the revolver at the spy. Then he -caught up his overcoat, and ran off. Two feeble shouts overtook him: - -"Ow, ow!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - -The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches. They -filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on. Behind him -a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their -feet never touching the ground. They ran after him stretching out scores -of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair. -They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing. He took -cabs, rode for a while, jumped out, ran along the streets, and rode -again. For the crowd was near him all the time unseen, yet so much the -more horrible. - -He felt more at ease when he saw before him the dark patterned wall of -bare boughs, which stretched to meet him. He dived into the thicket of -trees, and walked in between them, strangely moving his hands behind his -back, as if to draw the trees together more compactly behind him. He -descended into a ravine, seated himself on the cold soil, and rose -again. Then he walked the length of the ravine, breathing heavily, -perspiring, drunk with fear. Soon he saw an opening between the trees. -He listened carefully, noiselessly advanced a few steps further, and -looked. In front of him stretched the earthwork of a railroad, beyond -which rose more trees. These were small and far-between. Through the -network of their branches shone the grey roof of a building. - -He walked back quickly up the channel of the ravine, to where the woods -were thicker and darker. - -"They'll catch me," the cold assurance pushed him on. "They'll catch -me--they must be looking for me already--they're running." - -A soft ringing sound strayed through the woods. It came from anear, and -shook the thin branches, which swayed in the dusk of the ravine, filling -the air with their rustle. Under his feet crackled thin ice, which -covered the grey dried-out little pits of the bed of a stream with white -skin. - -Klimkov sat down, bent over, and put a piece of ice in his mouth. The -next instant he jumped to his feet, and clambered up the steep slope of -the ravine. Here he removed his belt and suspenders, and began to tie -them together, at the same time carefully examining the branches over -his head. - -"I don't have to take my overcoat off," he reflected without self-pity. -"The heavier, the quicker." - -He was in a hurry, his fingers trembled, and his shoulders involuntarily -rose, as if to conceal his neck. In his head a timorous thought kept -knocking. - -"I won't have time. I'll be too late." - -A train passed along the edge of the woods. The trees hummed in -displeasure, and the ground quivered. The white vapor threaded its way -between the branches. It stole through the air, and melted away, as -though to get a look at this man, and then disappear from his eyes. - -Titmice came flying and whistling boldly. They gleamed in the dark nets -of the branches, and their quick bustle hastened the movements of -Yevsey's cold and disobedient fingers. - -He made a slipknot in the strap, threw it over a branch, and tugged at -it. It was firm. Then, just as hurriedly, he began to make a slipknot in -his suspenders, which he had twisted into a braid. When everything was -ready, he heaved a sigh. - -"Now I ought to say my prayers." - -But no prayer came to him. He thought for a few seconds. The words -flashed up, but were instantly extinguished, without forming themselves -into a prayer. - -"Rayisa knew my fate," he recalled unexpectedly. - -Thrusting his head into the noose, he said quietly, simply, and without -a quiver in his breast: - -"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost--" - -He pushed the ground with his feet, and jumped into the air, doubling -his legs under him. There was a painful tug at his ears, a strange -inward blow hit his head, and stunned him. He fell. His entire body -struck the hard earth, turned over, and rolled down the declivity. His -arms caught in the roots of trees, his head knocked against trunks. He -lost consciousness. - -When he recovered his senses, he found himself sitting at the bottom of -the ravine, the torn suspenders dangling over his breast. His trousers -were burst, his scratched, blood-stained knees looked through the cloth -pitifully. His body was a mass of pain, especially his neck; and the -cold seemed to be flaying his skin. Throwing himself on his back Yevsey -looked up the incline. There under a white birch branch the strap swung -in the air like a thin serpent, and lured him to itself. - -"I can't," he said to himself in despair. "I can't--nothing--I don't -know how." - -He began to cry fine tears of impotence and insult. He lay with his back -on the ground, and through his tears saw over him the one-toned dim sky, -streaked by the dry designs of the dark branches. - -He lay for a long time muffled in his overcoat, suffering from cold and -pain. Without his willing it, his strange senseless life passed before -him like a chain of smoke-dark rings. It passed by him impetuously. It -trampled pitilessly upon his half-dead soul, crushing it finally with -heavy blows, which prevented one spark of hope from glimmering in his -heart. It pressed him to the ground. - -A dismal chord hummed and trembled brokenly in his breast. Its -lugubrious song spread through his bones. His little dry body, quivering -with a sickly tremor, shrivelled up in the cold of the twilight into a -shelterless heap, pressed itself more and more closely to the ground, so -firm and so powerful. - -Trains passed the woods several times, filling it with a creaking and -rumbling, with clouds of steam and rays of light. The rays glided by the -trunks of the trees, as if feeling them, as if in search of somebody -there. Then they hastily disappeared, quick, trembling, and cold. - -When they found Yevsey and touched him, he raised himself to his feet -with difficulty, and plunged into the obscurity of the woods in pursuit -of them. He stopped at the edge, and leaned against a tree, waiting and -listening to the distant angry hum of the city. It was already evening, -the sky had grown purple. Over the city quietly flared a dim red. The -lights were being kindled to meet the night. - -From a distance sprang up a howling noise and a drone. The rails began -to sing and ring. A train was passing over them, its red eyes twinkling -in the twilight. And the dusk quickly sailed after it, growing ever -thicker and darker. Yevsey went to the roadbed as fast as he could, sank -on his knees, then laid his side across the road, with his back to the -train, and his neck upon the rail. He enveloped his head closely in the -skirts of his overcoat. - -For some seconds it was pleasant to feel the burning contact of the -iron. It appeased the pain in his neck, but the rail trembled and sang -louder, more alarmingly. It filled his whole body with an aching groan. -The earth, too, now quivered with a fine tremor, as if swimming away -from under his body and pushing him from itself. - -The train rolled heavily and slowly, but the clang of its couplings, the -even raps of the wheels upon the joinings of the rails were already -deafening. Its snorting breath pushed Klimkov in the back. Everything -round about him and with him shook in tempestuous agitation, and tore -him from the ground. - -He could wait no longer. He jumped to his feet, ran along the rails, and -shouted in a high screech: - -"I am guilty--I will--everything--I will, I will!" - -Along the smoothly polished metal of the rails darted reddish rays of -light, outstripping Klimkov. They glared more and more fiercely. Now -glowing strips to each side of him ran impetuously into the distance, -directing his course. - -"I will--" he yelled, waving his hands. - -Something hard and wide struck his back. He fell across the sleepers -between the red cords of rail, and the harsh iron rumble crushed his -feeble screams. - - -The design on the cover is taken from Gorky's book-plate, drawn by -Ephraim Mose Lilien. It is reproduced from an illustration in "The New -Art of an Ancient People," by M. S. Levussove, New York, 1906. - - - - -"The torch which all the Prophets from Moses to Jesus bore aloft is -to-day being borne onward by Socialist agitators." - - * * * * * - -The Spiritual Significance of Modern Socialism - -By JOHN SPARGO - -Author of "The Bitter Cry of the Children" - -At all bookstores, 50c net - -He makes clear that socialism in its economic aspect is but a single -phase of a great movement; that in every avenue of its activity, a -higher meaning is connoted and that every Socialistic aspiration is as -important ethically as economically and politically. - - * * * * * - - B. W. HUEBSCH, Publisher - - 225 FIFTH AVENUE - - - - NEW YORK - - - - -THE ART OF LIFE SERIES - -EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS, Editor - -_VOLUMES READY_: - - -The Use of the Margin - -By EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS - -In this work the author's charm as a public speaker is transferred to -the printed page. His theme is the problem of utilizing the time one has -to spend as one pleases for the aim of attaining the highest culture of -mind and spirit. How to work and how to play; how to read and how to -study, how to avoid intellectual dissipation and how to apply the open -secrets of great achievement evidenced in conspicuous lives are among -the many phases of the problem which the author discusses, earnestly, -yet with a light touch and not without humor. - - -Things Worth While - -By THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON - -He discusses in an intimate, conversational manner various problems of -thinking and living and has entered fully into the spirit animating the -publication of The Art of Life Series. - - -Where Knowledge Fails - -By EARL BARNES - -From the pen of a scientific thinker, one whose attitude is liberal yet -reverent, presenting the outlines of a belief in which the relations of -knowledge and faith are clearly established. - - -Self-Measurement - -A Scale of Human Values; with Directions for Personal Application - -By WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE - -He reduces life to its fundamental relations showing the degrees in -which each may be fulfilled or nonfulfilled. In a series of searching -questions he directs attention to every human activity. - - -_OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION_ - -Cloth. 12mo. Each, 50 cents net. By mail, 55 cents - - * * * * * - - TO BE HAD AT ALL BOOKSTORES, OR OF - - B. W. HUEBSCH ... Publisher ... NEW YORK - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Punctuation has been made consistent. - -Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY*** - - -******* This file should be named 51094-8.txt or 51094-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/0/9/51094 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/51094-8.zip b/old/51094-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0050a0f..0000000 --- a/old/51094-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51094-h.zip b/old/51094-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 646e731..0000000 --- a/old/51094-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51094-h/51094-h.htm b/old/51094-h/51094-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 8227e62..0000000 --- a/old/51094-h/51094-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15405 +0,0 @@ -<!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=utf-8" /> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Spy, by Maksim Gorky</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 10%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.4em; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.2em; } - .pageno { right: 1%; font-size: x-small; background-color: inherit; color: silver; - text-indent: 0em; text-align: right; position: absolute; - border: thin solid silver; padding: .1em .2em; font-style: normal; - font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xxlarge { font-size: xx-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .lg-container-b { text-align: center; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-b { clear: both; }} - .lg-container-l { text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-l { clear: both; }} - .linegroup { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .linegroup { display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; }} - .linegroup .group { margin: 1em auto; } - .linegroup .line { text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em; } - div.linegroup > :first-child { margin-top: 0; } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always;} - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:500px; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:2%; width:95%; }} - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - .nf-center-c1 { text-align: left; margin: 1em 0; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_5 { text-indent: -0.2em; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_6 { text-indent: -0.2em; } - p.drop-capa0_3_0_5 { text-indent: -0.3em; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_5:first-letter { float: left; margin: 0.100em 0.100em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; line-height: 0.5em; text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_6:first-letter { float: left; margin: 0.100em 0.100em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; line-height: 0.6em; text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_3_0_5:first-letter { float: left; margin: 0.100em 0.100em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; line-height: 0.5em; text-indent: 0; } - @media handheld { - p.drop-capa0_2_0_5 { text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_6 { text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_3_0_5 { text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_5:first-letter { float: none; margin: 0; font-size: 100%; } - p.drop-capa0_2_0_6:first-letter { float: none; margin: 0; font-size: 100%; } - p.drop-capa0_3_0_5:first-letter { float: none; margin: 0; font-size: 100%; } - } - .c000 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c001 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c002 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c003 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c004 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c005 { margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.0em; } - .c006 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.0em; margin-bottom: 0.0em; } - .c007 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 0.8em; - margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 35%; margin-right: 35%; width: 30%; } - .c008 { margin-left: 5.56%; } - .c009 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.0em; } - .c010 { margin-top: 4em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.0em; } - .pageno {border-style: none} - .page-break-before {page-break-before: always;} - - h1.pg { font-weight: bold; - font-size: 190%; } - h2.pg { font-weight: bold; - font-size: 135%; } - 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; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Spy, by Maksim Gorky, Translated by -Thomas Seltzer</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world 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>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: The Spy</p> -<p> The Story of a Superfluous Man</p> -<p>Author: Maksim Gorky</p> -<p>Release Date: January 31, 2016 [eBook #51094]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="nf-center">E-text prepared by readbueno<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/cu31924026722367"> - https://archive.org/details/cu31924026722367</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>THE SPY</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span> - <h1 class='c001'><span class='xxlarge'>THE SPY</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>THE STORY OF A SUPERFLUOUS MAN</div> - <div class='c003'>BY</div> - <div class='c003'><span class='large'>MAXIM GORKY</span></div> - <div class='c003'>Authorized translation by</div> - <div>THOMAS SELTZER</div> - <div class='c003'>NEW YORK</div> - <div>B. W. HUEBSCH</div> - <div>1908</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>Copyright, 1908</div> - <div><span class='sc'>By</span> B. W. HUEBSCH</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>THE SPY</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER I</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c005'>When Yevsey Klimkov was four years old, -his father was shot dead by the forester; and -when he was seven years old, his mother died. -She died suddenly in the field at harvest time. -And so strange was this that Yevsey was not even -frightened by the sight of her dead body.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Uncle Piotr, a blacksmith, put his hand on the -boy's head, and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are we going to do now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey took a sidelong glance at the corner -where his mother lay upon a bench, and answered -in a low voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his face -with his shirtsleeve, and after a long silence gently -shoved his nephew aside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You're going to live with me," he said. -"We'll send you to school, I suppose, so that you -won't be in our way. Ah, you old man!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From that day the boy was called Old Man. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>The nickname suited him very well. He was too -small for his age, his movements were sluggish, -and his voice thin. A little bird-like nose stuck out -sadly from a bony face, his round colorless eyes -blinked timorously, his hair was sparse and grew -in tufts. The impression he made was of a puny, -shriveled-up little old fellow. The children in -school laughed at him and beat him, his dull oldish -look and his owl-like face somehow irritating -the healthier and livelier among them. He held -himself aloof, and lived alone, silently, always in -the shade, or in some corner or hole. Without -winking his round eyes he looked forth upon the -people from his retirement, cautiously contracted -like a snail in its shell. When his eyes grew tired, -he closed them, and for a long time sat sightless, -gently swaying his thin body.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey endeavored to escape observation even -in his uncle's home; but here it was difficult. He -had to dine and sup in the company of the whole -family, and when he sat at the table, Yakov, the -uncle's youngest son, a lusty, red-faced youngster, -tried every trick to tease him or make him laugh. -He made faces, stuck out his tongue, kicked Yevsey's -legs under the table, and pinched him. He -never succeeded, however, in making the Old Man -laugh, though he did succeed in producing quite the -opposite result, for often Yevsey would start with -pain, his yellow face would turn grey, his eyes open -wide, and his spoon tremble in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>"What is it?" his uncle Piotr sometimes asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's Yashka," the boy explained in an even -voice, in which there was no note of complaint.</p> - -<p class='c006'>If Uncle Piotr gave Yashka a box on the ear, -or pulled his hair, Aunt Agafya puckered up her -lips and muttered angrily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ugh, you telltale!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>And then Yashka found him somewhere, and -pummeled him long and assiduously upon back, -sides, and stomach. Yevsey endured the drubbing -as something inevitable. It would not have been -profitable to complain of Yashka, because if Uncle -Piotr beat his son, Aunt Agafya repaid the punishment -with interest upon her nephew, and her -blows were more painful than Yashka's. So when -Yevsey saw that Yashka wanted to attack him, he -merely ran away, though he was always overtaken. -Then the Old Man dropped to the ground, and -pressed his body to the soil with all his might, pulling -up his knees to his stomach, covering his face -and his head with his hands, and silently yielding -his sides and back to his cousin's fists. The more -patiently he bore the buffeting, the angrier grew -Yashka. Sometimes Yashka even cried and -shouted, while he kicked his cousin's body:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You nasty louse, you, scream!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey found a horseshoe and gave it to -the little pugilist, because he knew Yashka would -take it from him at any rate. Mollified by the -present, Yashka asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>"Did I hurt you very much when I beat you the -last time?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very much," answered Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yashka thought a while, scratched his head, and -said in embarrassment:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's nothing. It will pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He left Yevsey, but somehow his words settled -deep in the Old Man's heart, and he repeated hopefully -in an undertone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It will pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey saw some women pilgrims rubbing -their tired feet with nettles. He followed their -example, and applied the nettles to his bruised -sides. It seemed to him his pain was greatly assuaged. -From that time he religiously rubbed his -wounds with the down of the noxious and despised -weed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was poor at his lessons, because he came to -school full of dread of beatings, and he left school -swelling with a sense of insult. His apparent apprehension -of being wronged evoked in others the -unconquerable desire to ply the Old Man with -blows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It turned out that Yevsey had a counter-tenor, -and the teacher took him to the church choir. -After this he had to be at home less, but to compensate -he met his schoolmates more frequently, at the -rehearsals, and they all fought no less than Yashka.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old frame church pleased Yevsey. He was -always strongly drawn to peep into the snug warm -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>quiet of its many dark corners, expecting to find -in one of them something uncommon and good, -which would embrace him, press him tenderly to -itself, and speak to him the way his mother -used to. All the sacred images, black with many -years of soot, with their good yet stern expression, -recalled the dark-bearded face of Uncle Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the church entrance was a picture, which depicted -a saint who had caught the devil and was -beating him; the saint, a tall, dark, sinewy fellow -with long hands, the devil, a reddish, lean wizened -creature of stunted growth resembling a little goat. -At first Yevsey did not look at the devil; he had a -desire to spit at him surreptitiously; but then he -began to pity the unfortunate little fiend, and when -nobody was around he tenderly stroked the goat-like -little chin disfigured by dread and pain. Thus, -for the first time a sense of pity sprang up in the -boy's heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey liked the church for another reason: here -all the people, even the notorious ruffians, dropped -their boisterousness, and conducted themselves -quietly and submissively. For loud talk frightened -Yevsey. He ran away from excited faces -and shouts, and hid himself, owing to the fact that -once on a market-day he had seen a brawl between -a number of muzhiks, which began by their talking -to one another in very loud voices. Then they -shouted and pushed; next someone seized a pole, -waved it about, and struck another man. A terrible -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>howl ensued, many started to run. They -knocked the Old Man off his feet, and he fell face -downward in a puddle. When he jumped up he -saw a huge muzhik coming toward him waving his -hands, with a quivering, gory blotch instead of a -face. This was so terrible that Yevsey yelled, and -suddenly felt as if he were being precipitated into a -black pit. He had to be sprinkled with water to -bring him to his senses.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was also afraid of drunken men. His -mother had told him that a demon takes up -his abode in the body of a drunkard. The Old -Man imagined this demon prickly as a hedgehog -and moist as a frog, with a reddish body and -green eyes, who settles in a man's stomach, stirs -about there, and turns the man into an evil fiend.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There were many other good things about the -church. Besides the quiet and tender twilight, -Yevsey liked the singing. When he sang without -notes, he closed his eyes firmly, and letting his clear -plaintive soprano blend with the general chorus in -order it should not be heard above the others, he -hid himself deliciously somewhere, as if overcome -by a sweet sleep. In this drowsy state it seemed -to him he was drifting away from life, approaching -another gentle, peaceful existence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A thought took shape in his mind, which he -once expressed to his uncle in these words:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Can a person live so that he can go everywhere -and see everything, but be seen by nobody?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>"Invisibly?" asked the blacksmith, and thought -a while. "I should suppose it would be impossible." -He turned his black face to his nephew, -and added seriously, "Yes, of course, it would be -very nice if you could do it, Orphan."</p> - -<p class='c006'>From the moment that all the villagers began -to call Yevsey "Old Man," Uncle Piotr used -"Orphan" instead. A peculiar man in every respect -the blacksmith was not terrible even when -drunk. He would merely remove his hat from his -head and walk about the street waving it, singing -in a high doleful voice, smiling, and shaking his -head. The tears would run down his face even -more copiously than when he was sober.</p> - -<p class='c006'>His uncle seemed to Yevsey the very wisest -and best muzhik in the whole village. He could -talk with him about everything. Though he often -smiled he scarcely ever laughed; he spoke without -haste, in a quiet, serious tone. Either failing -to notice his nephew, or forgetting about him—which -especially pleased Yevsey—he would talk -to himself in his shop, keeping up a constant dispute -with some invisible opponent and forever admonishing -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Confound you," he would mumble, but without -anger. "Greedy maw! Don't I work? -There, I have scorched my eyes. I'll soon get -blind. What else do you want? A curse on this -life! Hard luck! No beauty—no joy."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His interjections sounded as if he were composing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>psalms; and Yevsey had the impression that -his uncle was actually facing the man he was addressing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Whom are you talking to?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Whom am I talking to?" repeated the blacksmith -without looking at the boy. Then he smiled -and answered. "I'm talking to my stupidity."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But it was a rare thing for Yevsey to be able to -speak with his guardian, for he was seldom alone. -Yashka, round as a top, often spun about the place, -drowning the blows of the hammer and the crackling -of the coals in the furnace with his piercing -shouts. In his presence Yevsey did not dare even -to look at his uncle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The smithy stood at the edge of the shallow ravine, -at the bottom of which among the osier -bushes, Yevsey passed all his leisure time in spring, -summer, and autumn. Here it was as peaceful as -in the church. The birds warbled, the bees and -drones hummed, and a fine quiet song quivered in -the air. The boy sat there swaying his body and -brooding with tightly shut eyes. Or he roamed -amid the bushes, listening to the noise in the blacksmith -shop. When he perceived his uncle was -alone, he crept out and went up to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What, you, Orphan?" was the blacksmith's -greeting, as he scrutinized the boy with his little -eyes wet with tears.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>"Is the evil power in the church at night?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The smith thought a while, and answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why shouldn't it be? It gets everywhere. -That's easy for it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy raised his shoulders, and with his -round eyes searchingly examined the dark corners -of the shop.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't be afraid of the devils," the uncle advised.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed, and answered quietly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not afraid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They won't hurt you," the blacksmith explained -with assurance, wiping his eyes with his -black fingers. Then Yevsey asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And how about God?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What about Him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why does God let devils get into the church?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's that to him? God isn't the keeper -of the church."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Doesn't he live there?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who? God? Why should He? His place, -Orphan, is everywhere. The churches are for the -people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And the people, what are they for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people—it seems they are—in general—for -everything. You can't get along without -people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are they for God?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith looked askance at his nephew, -and answered after a pause:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>"Of course." Wiping his hands on his apron -and staring at the fire in the furnace, he added, -"I don't know about this business, Orphan. Why -don't you ask the teacher or the priest?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm afraid of them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It would be better for you not to talk of such -things," the uncle advised gravely. "You are a -little boy. You should play out in the open air, and -store up health. If you want to live you must be -a healthy man. If you are not strong, you can't -work. Then you can't live at all. That's all we -know, and what God needs is unknown to us." He -grew silent, and meditated without removing his -eyes from the fire. After a time he continued in -a serious tone, speaking choppily: "On the one -hand I know nothing, on the other hand I don't understand. -They say all wisdom comes from Him. -Yet it's evident that the thicker one's candle before -God the more wolfish the heart." He looked -around the shop, and his eyes fell on the boy in -the corner. "Why are you squeezing yourself -into that crack? I told you to go out and play." -As Yevsey crept out timidly, the smith added, "A -spark will fall into your eye, and then you'll be one-eyed. -Who wants a one-eyed fellow?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>His mother had told Yevsey several stories on -winter nights when the snowstorm knocking against -the walls of the hut ran along the roof, touched -everything as if groping for something in anguish, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>crept down the chimney, and whined there mournfully -in different keys. The mother recited the -tales quietly, drowsily. Her speech sometimes -grew confused; often she repeated the same words -several times. It seemed to the boy she saw everything -about which she spoke, but obscurely, as in -the dark.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The neighbors reminded Yevsey of his mother's -tales. The blacksmith, too, it seemed, saw in the -furnace-fire both devils and God, and all the terrors -of human life. That was why he continually wept. -While Yevsey listened to his talk, which set his -heart aquiver with a dreadful tremor of expectation, -the hope insensibly formulated itself that some -day he would see something remarkable, not resembling -the life in the village, the drunken muzhiks, -the cantankerous women, the boisterous children—something -quite different, without noise -and confusion, without malice and quarreling, something -lovable and serious, like the church service.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the neighbors was a blind girl, with -whom Yevsey became intimate. He took her to -walk in the village; carefully helped her down the -ravine, and spoke to her in a low voice, opening -wide his watery eyes in fear. This friendship did -not escape the notice of the villagers, all of whom -it pleased. But once the mother of the blind girl -came to Uncle Piotr with a complaint. She declared -Yevsey had frightened Tanya with his talk, -and now she could not leave her daughter alone, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>because the girl cried and slept poorly, had disturbed -dreams, and started out of her sleep screaming. -What Yevsey had said to her it was impossible -to make out. She kept babbling about devils, -about the sky being black and having holes in it, -about fires visible through the holes, and about -devils who made sport in there, and teased people. -What does it mean? How can anyone tell a little -girl such stuff?</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come here," said Uncle Piotr to his nephew.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey quietly left his corner, the smith -put his rough heavy hand on his head and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you tell her all that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith, without removing his hand, -shoved back the boy's head, and looking into his -eyes asked gravely:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, is the sky black?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What else is it if she can't see?" Yevsey muttered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tanya."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said the blacksmith. After a moment's -reflection he asked, "And how about the fire being -black? Why did you invent that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy dropped his eyes and was silent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, speak. Nobody is beating you. Why -did you tell her all that nonsense, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>"I was sorry for her," whispered Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith pushed him aside lightly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You shan't talk to her any more, do you hear? -Never! Don't worry, Aunt Praskovya, we'll put -an end to this friendship."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to give him a whipping," said the -mother. "My little girl lived quietly, she wasn't -a bit of a bother to anybody, and now someone -has to be with her all the time."</p> - -<p class='c006'>After Praskovya had left, the smith without -saying anything led Yevsey by the hand into the -yard.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now talk sensibly. Why did you frighten the -little girl?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The uncle's voice was not loud, but it was -stern. Yevsey became frightened, and quickly -began to justify himself, stuttering over his -words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I didn't frighten her—I did it just—just—she -kept complaining—she said I see only black, -but for you everything—so I began to tell her -everything is black to keep her from being envious. -I didn't mean to frighten her at all."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey broke into sobs, feeling himself wronged. -Uncle Piotr smiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You fool! You should have remembered that -she's been blind only three years. She wasn't born -blind. She lost her sight after she had the smallpox. -So she recollects what things are really -bright. Oh, what a stupid fellow!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>"I'm not stupid. She believed me," Yevsey retorted, -wiping his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, all right. Only don't go with her any -more. Do you hear?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As to your crying; it's nothing. Let them -think I gave you a beating." The blacksmith -tapped Yevsey on the shoulder, and continued with -a smile, "You and I, we're cheats, both of us."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The little fellow buried his head in his uncle's -side, and asked tremulously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why is everybody down on me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know, Orphan," answered the uncle -after a moment's reflection.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The wrongs to which he was subjected now began -to yield the boy a sort of bitter satisfaction. -A dim conviction settled upon him that he was not -like everybody else, and this was why all were -down on him. He observed that all the people -were malicious and worn out with ill-will. They -lived, each deceiving his neighbor, abusing one another, -and drinking. Everyone sought for mastery -over his fellow, though over himself he was -not master. Yevsey saw no man who was not in -constant fear of something. The whole of life -was filled with terror, and terror divided the people -into fragments.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The village stood upon a low hill. On the -other side of the river stretched a marsh. In the -summer after a hot day it exhaled a stifling lilac-colored -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>mist, which breathed a putrid breath upon -the village, and sent upon the people a swarm of -mosquitoes. The people, angry and pitiful, -scratched themselves until blood came. From behind -the thin woods in the distance climbed a lowering -reddish moon. Huge and round it looked -through the haze like a dull sinister eye. Yevsey -thought it was threatening him with all kinds of -misery and dread. He feared its dirty reddish -face. When he saw it over the marsh, he hid himself, -and in his sleep he was tormented by heavy -dreams. At night bluish, trembling lights strayed -over the marsh, said to be the homeless spirits of -sinners. The villagers sighed over them sorrowfully, -pitying them. But for one another they -had no pity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was possible for them, however, to have lived -differently, in friendship and joy. An incident -Yevsey once witnessed proved this to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One night the granary of the rich muzhik Veretennikov -caught fire. The little boy ran into the -garden, and climbed up a willow tree to look at -the conflagration.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It seemed to him that the many-winged, supple -body of a horrible smoke-begrimed bird with a -fiery jaw was circling in the sky. It inclined its red -blazing head to the ground, greedily tore the straw -with its sharp fiery teeth, gnawed at the wood, and -licked it with its hundred yellow tongues. Its -smoky body playfully coiled in the black sky, fell -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>upon the village, crept along the roofs of the -houses, and again raised itself aloft majestically -and lightly, without removing its flaming red head -from the ground. It snorted, scattering sheaves -of sparks, whistling with joy in its evil work, singing, -puffing, and spreading its raging jaw wider and -wider, embracing the wood more and more greedily -with its red ribbons of flame.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the presence of the fire the people turned small -and black. They sprinkled water into its jaws, -thrust long poles at it, and tore flaming sheaves -from between its teeth. Then they trampled the -sheaves. The people, too, coughed, sniffed, and -sneezed, gasping for breath in the greasy smoke. -They shouted and roared, their voices blending -with the crackling and roaring of the fire. They -approached nearer and nearer to the great bird, -surrounding its red head with a black living ring, -as if tightening a noose about its body. Here and -there the noose broke, but they tied it again, and -crowded about more firmly. The noose strangled -the fire, which lay there savagely. It jumped up, -and its body swelled, writhing like a snake, striving -to free its head; but the people held it fast to the -ground. Finally, enfeebled, exhausted, and sullen -it fell upon the neighboring granaries, crept along -the gardens, and dwindled away, shattered and -faint.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All together!" shouted the villagers, encouraging -one another.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>"Water!" rang out the women's voices.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The women formed a chain from the fire to the -river, strangers and kinsmen, friends and enemies -all in a row. And the buckets of water were rapidly -passed from hand to hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Quick, women! Quick, good women!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was pleasant and cheerful to look upon this -good, friendly life in conflict with the fire. The -people emboldened one another. They spoke -words of praise for displays of dexterity and disputed -in kindly jest. The shouts were free from -malice. In the presence of the fire everybody -seemed to see his neighbor as good, and each grew -pleasant to the other. When at last the fire was -vanquished, the villagers grew even jolly. They -sang songs, laughed, boasted of the work, and -joked. The older people got whiskey to drink -away their exhaustion, while the young folk remained -in the streets amusing themselves almost -until morning. And everything was as good as in -a dream.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey heard not a single malicious shout, nor -noticed a single angry face. During the entire -time the fire was burning no one wept from pain or -abuse, no one roared with the beastly roar of savage -malice, ready for murder.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next day Yevsey said to his uncle:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How nice it was last night!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, Orphan, it was nice. A little more, and -the fire would have burned away half the village."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>"I mean about the people," explained the boy. -"How they joined together in a friendly way. If -they would live like that all the time, if there were -a fire all the time!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith reflected for an instant, then -asked in surprise:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You mean there should be fires all the time?" -He looked at Yevsey sternly, and shook his finger. -"You wiseacre, you, look out! Don't think such -sinful thoughts. Just see him! He finds pleasure -in fires!"</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER II</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c005'>When Yevsey completed the school course, -the blacksmith said to him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What shall we do with you now? There's -nothing for you here. You must go to the city. I -have to get bellows there, and I'll take you along, -Orphan."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Will you yourself take me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. Are you sorry to leave the village?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, but I am sorry on account of you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith put a piece of iron in the furnace -and adjusting the coals with the tongs, said -thoughtfully:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's no reason to be sorry on account of -me. I am grown up. I am the muzhik I ought -to be, like every other muzhik."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You're better than everybody else," Yevsey -said in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It seemed that Uncle Piotr did not hear the last -remark, for he did not answer, but removed the -glowing iron from the fire, screwed up his eyes, and -began to hammer, scattering the red sparks all -about him. Then he suddenly stopped, slowly -dropped the hand in which he held the hammer, -and said smiling:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>"I ought to give you some advice—how to -live and all such things."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey waited to hear the advice. The blacksmith, -however, apparently forgetful of his nephew, -put the iron back into the fire, wiped the tears from -his cheeks, and looked into the furnace. A muzhik -entered, bringing a cracked tire. Yevsey went -out to go to the ravine, where he crouched in the -bushes until sunset, waiting for his uncle to be -alone; which did not happen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The day of his departure from the village was -effaced from the boy's memory. He recalled only -that when he rode out into the fields, it was dark -and the air strangely oppressive. The wagon -jolted horribly, and on both sides rose black motionless -trees. The further they advanced the -wider the space became and the brighter the atmosphere. -The uncle was sullen the whole way, -and reluctantly gave brief and unintelligible answers -to Yevsey's questions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They rode an entire day, stopping over night in -a little village. Yevsey heard the fine and protracted -playing of an accordion, a woman weeping, -and occasionally an angry voice crying out: -"Shut up!" and swearing abusively.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The travelers continued on their way the same -night. Two dogs accompanied them, running -around the wagon and whining. As they left the -village a bittern boomed sullenly and plaintively -in the forest to the left of the road.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>"God grant good luck!" mumbled the blacksmith.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey fell asleep, and awoke when his uncle -lightly tapped him on his legs with the butt end of -the whip.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look, Orphan."</p> - -<p class='c006'>To the sleepy eyes of the boy the city appeared -like a huge field of buckwheat. Thick and varicolored, -it stretched endlessly, with the golden -church steeples standing out like yellow pimpinellas, -and the dark bands of the streets looking like -fences between the patches.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, how large!" said Yevsey. After another -look, he asked his uncle cautiously, "Will you come -to see me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Certainly, whenever I come to the city. You -will begin to make money, and I will ask you to -give me some. 'Orphan,' I'll say, 'give your uncle -about three rubles.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll give you all my money."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You mustn't give me all. You should give -only as much as you won't be sorry to part with. -To give less is shameful; to give more is unfair."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The city grew quickly and became more and -more varied in coloring. It glittered green, red, -and golden, reflecting the rays of the sun from the -glass of the countless windows and from the gold -of the church steeples. It seemed to make promises, -kindling in the heart a confused curiosity, a -dim expectation of something unusual. Kneeling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>in the wagon with his hand on his uncle's shoulder, -Yevsey looked before him while the smith said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You live this way—do whatever is assigned -to you, hold yourself aloof, beware of the bold -men. One bold man out of ten succeeds, and nine -go to pieces."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He spoke with indecision, as if he himself -doubted whether he was saying what he ought to -say, and he searched his thoughts for something -else more important. Yevsey listened attentively -and gravely, expecting to hear a special warning -against the terrors and dangers of the new life. -But the blacksmith drew a deep breath, and after -a pause continued more firmly and with more assurance, -"Once they came near giving me a lashing -with switches in the district court. I was betrothed -then. I had to get married. Nevertheless -they wanted to whip me. It's all the same to -them. They don't care about other people's affairs. -I lodged a complaint with the governor, -and for three and a half months they kept me in -prison, not to speak of the blows. I got the worst -beatings. I even spat blood. It's from that time -that tears are always in my eyes. One policeman, -a short reddish fellow, always went for my head."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Uncle," said Yevsey quietly, "don't speak of -it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What else shall I speak to you about?" cried -Uncle Piotr with a smile. "There is nothing -else."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>Yevsey's head drooped sadly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One detached house after another seemed to -step toward them, dirty and wrapped in heavy -odors, with chimneys sticking from their red and -green roofs, like warts. Bluish-grey smoke rose -from them lazily. Some chimneys, monstrously -tall and dirty, jutted straight up from the ground, -and emitted thick black clouds of smoke. The -ground was compactly trodden, and seemed to be -steeped in black grease. Everywhere heavy alarming -sounds penetrated the smoky atmosphere. -Something growled, hummed and whistled; iron -clanged angrily, and some huge creature breathed -hoarsely and brokenly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When will we get to the place?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Looking carefully in front of him the uncle said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This isn't the city yet. These are factories in -the suburb."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Finally they pulled into a broad street lined with -old squat frame houses painted various colors, -which had a peaceful, homelike appearance. Especially -fine were the clean cheerful houses with -gardens, which seemed to be tied about with green -aprons.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll soon be there," said the blacksmith, turning -the horse into a narrow side street. "Don't -be afraid, Orphan."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He drew up at the open gate of a large house, -jumped down, and walked into the yard. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>house was old and bent. The joists protruded -from under the small dim windows. In the large -dirty yard there were a number of carriages, and -four muzhiks talking loudly stood about a white -horse tapping it with their hands. One of them, -a round, bald-headed fellow with a large yellow -beard and a rosy face, waved his hands wildly on -seeing Piotr, and cried:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>They went to a narrow, dark room, where they -sat down and drank tea. Uncle Piotr spoke about -the village. The bald fellow laughed and shouted -so that the dishes rattled on the table. It was close -in the room and smelled of hot bread. Yevsey -wanted to sleep, and he kept looking into the corner -where behind dirty curtains he could see a wide bed -with several pillows. Large black flies buzzed -about, knocking against his forehead, crawling over -his face, and tickling his perspiring skin; but he -restrained himself from driving them away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll find a place for you!" the bald man -shouted to him, nodding his head gaily. "In a -minute! Natalya, did you call for Matveyevich?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A full woman with dark lashes, a small mouth, -and a high bust, answered calmly and clearly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How many times have you asked me already?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>She held her head straight and proudly, and -when she moved her hands the rose-colored chintz -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>of her new jacket rustled sumptuously. Her whole -being recalled some good dream or fairy tale.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Piotr, my friend, look at Natalya. What a -Natalya! Droppings from the honey-comb!" -shouted the bald man deafeningly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Uncle Piotr laughed quietly, as if fearing to -look at the woman, who pushed a hot rye cake -filled with curds toward Yevsey, and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Eat, eat a lot. In the city people must eat a -good deal."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A jar of preserves stood on the table, honey in -a saucer, toasted cracknels sprinkled with anise-seed, -sausage, cucumber, and vodka. All this -filled the air with a strong odor. Yevsey grew -faint from the oppressive sensation of over-abundance, -though he did not dare to decline, and submissively -chewed everything set before him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Eat!" cried the bald man, then continued his -talk with Uncle Piotr. "I tell you, it's luck. It's -only a week since the horse crushed the little boy. -He went to the tavern for boiling water, when suddenly—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another man now made his entrance unnoticed -by the others. He, too, was bald, but small and -thin, with dark eyeglasses on a large nose, and a -long tuft of grey hair on his chin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it, people?" he asked in a low, indistinct -voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master jumped up from his chair, uttered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>a cry, and laughed aloud. Yevsey was suddenly -seized with alarm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man addressed Piotr and his hosts as "People," -by which he separated himself from them. -He sat down at some distance from the table, then -moved to one side away from the blacksmith, and -looked around moving his thin dry neck slowly. -On his head, a little above his forehead, over his -right eye, was a large bump. His little pointed -ears clung closely to his skull, as if to hide themselves -in the short fringe of his grey hair. He -produced the impression of a quiet, grey, seedy, -person. Yevsey unsuccessfully tried to get a surreptitious -peep at his eyes under the glasses. His -failure disquieted him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The host cried:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you understand, Orphan?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is a trump," remarked the man with the -bump. He sat supporting his thin dark hands on -his sharp knees, and spoke little. Occasionally -Yevsey heard the men utter some peculiar words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At last the newcomer said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And so it is settled."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Uncle Piotr moved heavily in his chair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now, Orphan, you have a place. This is your -master." He turned to the master. "I want to -tell you, sir, that the boy can read and write, and -is not at all a stupid fellow. I am not saying this -because I can't find a place for him, but because -it is the truth. The boy is even very curious—"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>"I have no need for curiosity," said the master -shaking his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's a quiet sort. They call him Old Man -in the village—that's the kind he is."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We shall see," said the man with the bump -on his forehead. He adjusted his glasses, scrutinized -Yevsey's face closely, and added, "My -name is Matvey Matveyevich."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Turning away, he took up a glass of tea, which -he drank noiselessly. Then he rose and with a -silent nod walked out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey and his uncle now went to the yard, -where they seated themselves in the shade near the -stable. The blacksmith spoke to Yevsey cautiously, -as if groping with his words for something -unintelligible to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You'll surely have it good with him. He's -a quiet little old man. He has run his course and -left all sorts of sins behind him. Now he lives in -order to eat a little bite, and he grumbles and purrs -like a satiated Tom-cat."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But isn't he a sorcerer?" asked the boy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why? I should think there are no sorcerers -in the cities." After reflecting a few moments, the -blacksmith went on. "Anyway it's all the same -to you. A sorcerer is a man, too. But remember -this, a city is a dangerous place. This is how it -spoils people: the wife of a man goes away on a -pilgrimage, and he immediately puts in her place -some housemaid or other, and indulges himself. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>But the old man can't show you such an example. -That's why I say you'll have it good with him. -You will live with him as behind a bush, sitting and -looking."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And when he dies?" Yevsey inquired warily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That probably won't be soon. Smear your -head with oil to keep your hair from sticking out."</p> - -<p class='c006'>About noon the uncle made Yevsey bid farewell -to their hosts, and taking him firmly by the hand -led him to the city. They walked for a long time. -It was sultry. Often they asked the passersby how -to get to the Circle. Yevsey regarded everything -with his owl-like eyes, pressing close up to his -uncle. The doors of shops slammed, pulleys -squeaked, carriages rattled, wagons rumbled heavily, -traders shouted, and feet scraped and tramped. -All these sounds jumbled together were tangled up -in the stifling dusty atmosphere. The people -walked quickly, and hurried across the streets under -the horses' noses as if afraid of being too late -for something. The bustle tired the boy's eyes. -Now and then he closed them, whereupon he would -stumble and say to his uncle:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come, faster!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey wanted to get to some place in a corner -where it was not so stirring, not so noisy and hot. -Finally they reached a little open place hemmed -in by a narrow circle of old houses, which seemed -to support one another solidly and firmly. In the -center of the Circle was a fountain about which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>moist shadows hovered on the soil. It was more -tranquil here, and the noise was subdued.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look," said Yevsey, "there are only houses -and no ground around them at all."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith answered with a sigh:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's pretty crowded. Read the signs. Where -is Raspopov's shop?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>They walked to the center of the Circle, and -stopped at the fountain. There were many signs, -which covered every house like the motley patches -of a beggar's coat. When Yevsey saw the name -his uncle had mentioned, a chill shiver ran through -his body, and he examined it carefully without -saying anything. It was small and eaten by rust, -and was placed on the door of a dark basement. -On either side the door there was an area between -the pavement and the house, which was fenced -in by a low iron railing. The house, a dirty yellow -with peeling plaster, was narrow with four -stories and three windows to each floor. It looked -blind as a mole, crafty, and uncozy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well," asked the smith, "can't you see the -sign?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There it is," said the boy, indicating the place -with a nod of his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's cross ourselves and go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They descended to the door at the bottom of -five stone steps. The blacksmith raised his cap -from his head, and looked cautiously into the shop.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come in," said a clear voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>The master, wearing a black silk cap without -a visor, was sitting at a table by the window -drinking tea.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take a chair, peasant, and have some tea. -Boy, fetch a glass from the shelf."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master pointed to the other end of the -shop. Yevsey looked in the same direction, but -saw no boy there. The master turned toward -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what's the matter? Aren't you the -boy?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's not used to it yet," said Uncle Piotr -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man again waved his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The second shelf on the right. A master -must be understood when he says only half. -That's the rule."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blacksmith sighed. Yevsey groped for the -glass in the dim light, and stumbled over a pile of -books on the floor in his haste to hand it to the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Put it on the table. And the saucer?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you!" exclaimed Uncle Piotr. "What's -the matter with you? Get the saucer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It will take a long time to teach him," said -the old man with an imposing look at the blacksmith. -"Now, boy, go around the shop, and fix -the place where everything stands in your memory."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt as if something commanding had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>entered his body, which impelled him powerfully -to move as it pleased. He shrank together, drew -his head in his shoulders, and straining his eyes -began to look around the shop, all the time listening -to the words of his master. It was cool, dusky, -and quiet. The noise of the city entered -reluctantly, like the muffled swashing of a stream. -Narrow and long as a grave the shop was closely -lined with shelves holding books in compact rows. -Large piles of books cluttered the floor, and barricaded -the rear wall, rising almost to the ceiling. -Besides the books Yevsey found only a ladder, an -umbrella, galoshes, and a white pot whose handle -was broken off. There was a great deal of dust, -which probably accounted for the heavy odor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm a quiet man. I am all alone, and if he -suits me, maybe I will make him perfectly happy."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course it lies with you," said Uncle Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am fifty-seven years old. I lived an honest -and straightforward life, and I will not excuse -dishonesty. If I notice any such thing I'll hand -him over to the court. Nowadays they sentence -minors, too. They have founded a prison to -frighten them called the Junior Colony of -Criminals—for little thieves, you know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His colorless, drawling words enveloped Yevsey -tightly, evoking a timorous desire to soothe the -old man and please him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now, good-bye. The boy must get at the -work."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>Uncle Piotr rose and sighed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, Orphan, so you live here now. Obey -your master. He won't want to do you any harm. -Why should he? He is going to buy you city -clothes. Now don't be downcast, will you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," said Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to say 'No, sir,'" corrected the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, sir," repeated Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, good-bye," said the blacksmith putting -his hand on the boy's shoulder, and giving his -nephew a little shake he walked out as if suddenly -grown alarmed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey shivered, oppressed by a chill sorrow. -He went to the door, and fixed his round eyes -questioningly on the yellow face of the master. -The old man twirling the grey tuft on his chin -looked down upon the boy. Yevsey thought he -could discern large dim black eyes behind the -glasses. As the two stood thus for a few minutes -apparently expecting something from each other, -the boy's breast began to beat with a vague terror; -but the old man merely took a book from a shelf, -and pointed to the cover.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What number is this?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"1873," replied Yevsey lowering his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master touched Yevsey's chin with his dry -finger.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look at me."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>The boy straightened his neck and quickly -mumbled closing his eyes:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Little uncle, I shall always obey you. I don't -need beatings." His eyes grew dim, his heart sank -within him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man seated himself resting his hands on -his knees. He removed his cap and wiped his -bald spot with his handkerchief. His spectacles -slid to the end of his nose, and he looked over them -at Yevsey. Now he seemed to have two pairs -of eyes. The real eyes were small, immobile, -and dark grey with red lids. Without the glasses -the master's face looked thinner, more wrinkled, -and less stern. In fact it wore an injured and -downcast expression, and there was nothing in the -least formidable in his eyes. The bump over his -forehead got larger.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you been beaten often?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, sir, often."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who beat you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The boys."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master drew his glasses close to his eyes -and mumbled his lips.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The boys are scrappers here, too," he said. -"Don't have anything to do with them, do you -hear?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, sir."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Be on your guard against them. They are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>impudent rascals and thieves. I want you to know -I am not going to teach you anything bad. Don't -be afraid of me. I am a good man. You ought -to get to love me. You will love me. You'll have -it very good with me, you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, sir. I will."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master's face assumed its former expression. -He rose, and taking Yevsey by the hand led him to -the further end of the shop.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here's work for you. You see these books? -On every book the date is marked. There are -twelve books to each year. Arrange them in order. -How are you going to do it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey thought a while, and answered timidly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, I am not going to tell you. You can -read and you ought to be able to find out by -yourself. Go, get to work."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man's dry even voice seemed to lash -Yevsey, driving away the melancholy feeling of -separation from his uncle and replacing it with the -anxious desire to begin to work quickly. Restraining -his tears the boy rapidly and quietly untied the -packages. Each time a book dropped to the floor -with a thud he started and looked around. The -master was sitting at the table writing with a pen -that scratched slightly. As the people hastened -past the door, their feet flashed and their shadows -jerked across the shop. Tears rolled from -Yevsey's eyes one after the other. In fear lest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>they be detected he hurriedly wiped them from his -face with dusty hands, and full of a vague dread -went tensely at his work of sorting the books.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At first it was difficult for him, but in a few -minutes he was already immersed in that familiar -state of thoughtlessness and emptiness which took -such powerful hold of him when, after beatings -and insults, he sat himself down alone in some -corner. His eye caught the date and the name of -the month, his hand mechanically arranged the -books in a row, while he sat on the floor swinging -his body regularly. He became more and more -deeply plunged in the tranquil state of half-conscious -negation of reality. As always at such -times the dim hope glowed in him of something -different, unlike what he saw around him. Sometimes -the all-comprehending, capacious phrase -uttered by Yashka dimly glimmered in his -memory:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It will pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The thought pressed his heart warmly and softly -with a promise of something unusual. The boy's -hands involuntarily began to move more quickly, -and he ceased to notice the lapse of time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see, you knew how to do it," said the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey, who had not heard the old man approach -him, started from his reverie. Glancing at his -work, he asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is it all right?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>"Absolutely. Do you want tea?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to say, 'No, thank you.' Well, -keep on with your work."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked away. Yevsey looking after him -saw a man carrying a cane enter the door. He -had neither a beard nor mustache, and wore a -round hat shoved back on the nape of his neck. -He seated himself at the table, at the same time -putting upon it some small black and white objects. -When Yevsey again started to work, he every once -in a while heard abrupt sounds from his master and -the newcomer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Castle."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"King."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Soon."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The confused noise of the street penetrated the -shop wearily, with strange words quacking in it, -like frogs in a marsh.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are they doing?" thought the boy, and -sighed. He experienced a soft sensation, that from -all directions something unusual was coming upon -him, but not what he timidly awaited. The dust -settled upon his face, tickled his nose and eyes, and -set his teeth on edge. He recalled his uncle's -words:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will live with him as behind a bush."</p> - -<p class='c006'>It grew dark.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"King and checkmate!" cried the guest in a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>thick voice. The master clucking his tongue -called out:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Boy, close up the shop!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man lived in two small rooms in the -fourth story of the same house. In the first room, -which had one window, stood a large chest and a -wardrobe.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is where you will sleep."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The two windows in the second room gave upon -the street, with a view over an endless vista of -uneven roofs and rosy sky. In the corner, in -front of the ikons, flickered a little light in a -blue glass lamp. In another corner stood a bed -covered with a red blanket. On the walls hung -gaudy portraits of the Czar and various generals. -The room was close and smelt like a church, but -it was clean.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey remained at the door looking at his -elderly master, who said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Mark the arrangement of everything here. -I want it always to be the same as it is now."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Against the wall stood a broad black sofa, a -round table, and about the table chairs also black. -This corner had a mournful, sinister aspect.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A tall, white-faced woman with eyes like a -sheep's entered the room, and asked in a low -singing voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Shall I serve supper?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Bring it in, Rayisa Petrovna."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>"A new boy?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, new. His name is Yevsey."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The woman walked out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Close the door," ordered the old man. Yevsey -obeyed, and he continued in a lower voice. "She -is the landlady. I rent the rooms from her with -dinner and supper. You understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I understand."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But you have one master—me. You understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That is to say, you must listen only to me. -Open the door, and go into the kitchen and -wash yourself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master's voice echoed drily in the boy's -bosom, causing his alarmed heart to palpitate. The -old man, it seemed to Yevsey, was hiding something -dangerous behind his words, something of which -he himself was afraid.</p> - -<p class='c006'>While washing in the kitchen he surreptitiously -tried to look at the mistress of the apartment. -The woman was preparing the supper noiselessly -but briskly. As she arranged plates, knives, -and bread on an ample tray her large round face -seemed kind. Her smoothly combed dark hair; -her unwinking eyes with thin lashes, and her broad -nose made the boy think, "She looks to be a gentle -person."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Noticing that she, in her turn, was looking at -him, the thin red lips of her small mouth tightly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>compressed, he grew confused, and spilt some water -on the floor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wipe it," she said without anger. "There's -a cloth under the chair."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he returned, the old man looked at him -and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What did she tell you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Yevsey had no time to answer before the -woman brought in the tray.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, I'll go," she said after setting it on -the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well," replied the master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She raised her hand to smooth the hair over her -temples—her fingers were long—and left.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man and the boy sat down to their -supper. The master ate slowly, noisily munching -his food and at times sighing wearily. When -they began to eat the finely chopped roast meat, -he said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see what good food? I always have -only good food."</p> - -<p class='c006'>After supper he told Yevsey to carry the dishes -into the kitchen, and showed him how to light -the lamp.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now, go to sleep. You will find a piece of -padding in the wardrobe and a pillow and a -blanket. They belong to you. To-morrow I'll -buy you new clothes, good clothes. Go, now."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he was half asleep the master came in -to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>"Are you comfortable?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the chest made a hard bed, Yevsey -answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If it is too hot, open the window."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy at once opened the window, which -looked out upon the roof of the next house. He -counted the chimneys. There were four, all alike. -He looked at the stars with the dim gaze of a -timid animal in a cage. But the stars said nothing -to his heart. He flung himself on the chest again, -drew the blanket over his head, and closed his -eyes tightly. He began to feel stifled, thrust his -head out, and without opening his eyes listened. -In his master's room something rustled monotonously, -then Yevsey heard a dry, distinct voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Behold, God is mine helper; the Lord is with -them that uphold—"</p> - -<hr class='c007' /> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey realized that the old man was reciting -the Psalter; and listening attentively to the -familiar words of King David, which, however, -he did not comprehend, the boy fell asleep.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER III</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Yevsey's life passed smoothly and evenly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He wanted to please his master, even realized -this would be of advantage to him, and he felt -he would succeed, though he behaved with watchful -circumspection and no warmth in his heart for -the old man. The fear of people engendered in -him a desire to suit them, a readiness for all kinds -of services, in order to defend himself against the -possibility of attack. The constant expectation of -danger developed a keen power of observation, -which still more deepened his mistrust.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He observed the strange life in the house without -understanding it. From basement to roof people -lived close packed, and every day, from morning -until night, they crawled about in the tenement -like crabs in a basket. Here they worked more -than in the village, and, it seemed, were imbued -with even keener bitterness. They lived restlessly, -noisily, and hurriedly, as if to get through -all the work as soon as possible in preparation of a -holiday, which they wanted to meet as free people, -washed, clean, peaceful, and tranquilly joyous. -The heart of the boy sank within him, and the -question constantly recurred:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>"Will it pass away?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>But the holiday never came. The people spurred -one another on, wrangled, and sometimes -fought. Scarcely a day passed on which they did -not speak ill of one another.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the mornings the master went down to the -shop, while Yevsey remained in the apartment to -put it in order. This accomplished, he washed -himself, went to the tavern for boiling water, and -then returned to the shop, where he drank the -morning tea with his master. While breakfasting -the old man almost invariably asked him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing is little."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once, however, Yevsey had a different answer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-day the watchmaker told the furrier's cook -that you received stolen articles."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey said this unexpectedly to himself, and -was instantly seized with a tremble of fear. He -bowed his head. The old man laughed quietly, -and said in a drawling voice without sincerity:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The scoundrel!" His dark, dry lips quivered. -"Thank you for telling me. Thank you! -You see how the people don't love me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>From that time Yevsey began to pay close attention -to the conversation of the tenants, and -promptly repeated everything he heard to his master, -speaking in a quiet, calm voice and looking -straight into his face. Several days later, while -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>putting his master's room into order, he found a -crumpled paper ruble on the floor, and when at tea -the old man asked him, "Well, what now?" Yevsey -replied, "Here I have found a ruble."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You found a ruble, did you? I found a gold -piece," said the master laughing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another time Yevsey picked up a twenty-kopek -piece in the entrance to the shop, which he also -gave to the master. The old man slid his glasses -to the end of his nose, and rubbing the coin with -his fingers looked into the boy's face for a few -seconds without speaking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"According to the law," he said thoughtfully, -"a third of what you find, six kopeks, belongs to -you." He was silent, sighed, and stuck the coin -into his vest pocket. "But anyway you're a -stupid boy." Yevsey did not get the six kopeks.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Quiet, unnoticed, and when noticed, obliging, -Yevsey Klimkov scarcely ever drew the attention -of the people to himself, though he stubbornly followed -them with the broad, empty gaze of his owl-like -eyes, with the look that did not abide in the -memory of those who met it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From the first days the reticent quiet Rayisa Petrovna -interested him strongly. Every evening -she put on a dark, rustling dress and a black hat, -and sallied forth. In the morning when he put -the rooms in order she was still asleep. He saw -her only in the evening before supper, and that -not every day. Her life seemed mysterious to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>him, and her entire taciturn being, her white face -and stationary eyes, roused in him vague suggestions -of something peculiar. He persuaded himself -that she lived better and knew more than -everybody else. A kindly feeling which he did -not understand sprang up in his heart for this -woman. Every day she appeared to him more -and more beautiful.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once he awoke at daybreak, and walked into -the kitchen for a drink. Suddenly he heard someone -entering the door of the vestibule. He rushed -to his room in fright, lay down, and covered himself -with the blanket, trying to press himself to -the chest as closely as possible. In a few minutes -he stuck out his ear, and in the kitchen heard -heavy steps, the rustle of a dress, and the voice -of Rayisa Petrovna.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, oh, you—" she was saying.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose, walked to the door on tiptoe, and -looked into the kitchen. The quiet woman was -sitting at the window taking off her hat. Her -face seemed whiter than ever, and tears streamed -from her eyes. Her large body swayed, her hands -moved slowly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know you!" she said, shaking her head. -She rose to her feet, supporting herself on the window-sill.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The bed in the master's room creaked. Yevsey -quickly jumped back on his chest, lay down, and -wrapped himself up.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>"They've done something bad to her," he -thought, full of keen pity. At the same time, however, -he was inwardly glad of her tears. They -brought this woman, who lived a secret nocturnal -existence, nearer to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next moment someone seemed to be passing -by him with sly steps. He raised his head, -and suddenly jumped from the chest, as if burned -by the thin angry shout:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ugh! Go away!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then there was some hissing. The master in -his nightgown hastily came out of the kitchen, -stopped, and said to Yevsey in a whistling voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sleep! Sleep! What's the matter? Sleep!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next morning in the shop the old man asked -him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Were you frightened last night?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She was in her cups. It happens to her sometimes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the question trembled on his lips, Yevsey -did not dare to ask what her occupation was. -Some minutes later the old man asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you like her?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well," said the master sternly, "even if you -do, you ought to know that she's an extremely -shrewd woman. She is silent, but bad. She's a -sinner. Yes, that's what she is. Do you know -what she does? She's a musician. She plays the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>piano." The old man accurately described a piano, -and added didactically, "A person who plays the -piano is called a pianist. And do you know what -a house of ill fame is?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From the talk of the furriers and glaziers in -the yard Yevsey already knew something about -disreputable resorts; but desiring to learn more -he answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man gave him a lengthy explanation in -words very intelligible to Yevsey. He spoke with -heat, occasionally spitting and wrinkling up his -face to express his disgust of the abomination. -Yevsey regarded the old man with his watery eyes, -and for some reason did not believe in his aversion.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So you see, every evening she plays in a house -like that, and depraved women dance with drunken -men to the accompaniment of her music. The -men are all crooks, some of them, maybe, even -murderers." Raspopov sighed in exhaustion, and -wiped his perspiring face. "Don't trust her. -You understand? I tell you, she's a cunning woman, -and she's mean."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy believed everything the master told -him about the piano and the house of ill fame, -but failed to be impressed by a single word regarding -the woman. In fact, everything the old -man said of her merely increased the cautious, ever-watchful -feeling of mistrust with which Yevsey -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>treated his master, and by coloring Rayisa Petrovna -with a still deeper tinge of the unusual, -made her seem even more beautiful in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another object of Yevsey's curiosity besides -Rayisa was Anatol, apprentice to the glazier, Kuzin, -a thin, flat-nosed boy with ragged hair, dirty, -always jolly, and always steeped in the odor of oil. -He had a high ringing voice, which Yevsey liked -very much to hear when he shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wi-i-ndow pa-anes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He spoke to Yevsey first. Yevsey was sweeping -the stairway when he suddenly heard from below -the loud question:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Say there, kid, what government are you -from?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"From this government," answered Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am from the government of Kostrom. How -old are you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Thirteen."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am, too. Come along with me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where to?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To the river to go in bathing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have to stay in the shop."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-day is Sunday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That doesn't make any difference."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, go to the devil."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The glazier boy disappeared. Yevsey was not -offended by his oath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anatol was off the whole day carrying a box -of glass about the city, and usually returned home -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>just as the shop was being closed. Then almost -the entire evening his indefatigable voice, his -laughter, whistling, and singing would rise from -the yard. Everybody scolded him, yet all loved -to meddle with him and laugh at his pranks. Yevsey -was surprised at the boldness with which the -ragged, snub-nosed boy behaved toward the grown-up -folk, and he experienced a sense of envy when -he saw the gold-embroidery girl run about the -yard in chase of the jolly, insolent fellow. He -was powerfully drawn to the glazier boy, for whom -he found a place in his vague fancies of a clean -and quiet life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once, after supper, Yevsey asked the master:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"May I go down in the yard?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man consented reluctantly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go, but don't stay long. Be sure not to stay -long."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another time when Yevsey put the same request -the master added:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No good will come of your being in the yard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey ran down the stairway quickly, and seated -himself in the shade to observe Anatol. The yard -was small and hemmed in on all sides by the high -houses. The tenants, workingmen and women, -and servants, sat resting on the rubbish heaps -against the walls. In the center of the ring Anatol -was giving a performance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The furrier Zvorykin going to church!" he -shouted.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>To his astonishment Yevsey saw the little stout -furrier with hanging lower lip and eyes painfully -screwed up. Thrusting out his abdomen and -leaning his head to one side, Anatol struggled toward -the gate in short steps, reluctance depicted in -his walk. The people sitting around laughed -and shouted approval.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Zvorykin returning from the saloon!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now Anatol swayed through the yard, his feet -dragging along feebly, his arms hanging limp, a -dull look in his wide-open eyes, his mouth gaping -hideously yet comically. He stopped, tapped -himself on the chest, and said in a wheezy pitiful -voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God—how satisfied I am with everything -and everybody! Lord, how good and pleasant -everything is to Thy servant, Yakov Ivanich. But -the glazier Kuzin is a blackguard—a scamp before -God, a jackass before all the people—that's -true, God—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The audience roared, but Yevsey did not laugh. -He was oppressed by a twofold feeling of astonishment -and envy. The desire to see this boy -frightened and wronged mingled with the expectation -of new pranks. He felt vexed and unpleasant -because the glazier boy did not show up men who -inflicted hurt, but merely funny men. Yevsey sat -there with mouth agape and a stupid expression on -his face, his owlish eyes staring.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here goes glazier Kuzin!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>Before Yevsey appeared the gaunt red muzhik -always half drunk, the sleeves of his dirty shirt -tucked up, his right hand thrust in the breast of his -apron, his left hand deliberately stroking his beard—Kuzin -had a reddish forked beard. He was -frowning and surly and moved slowly, like a heavy -cart-load. Looking sidewise he screeched in a -cracked, hoarse voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are carrying on again, you heretic? Am -I to listen to this nonsense for long? You blasted, -confounded—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Skinflint Raspopov!" announced Anatol.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The smooth, sharp little figure of Yevsey's -master crept past him moving his feet noiselessly. -He worked his nose as if smelling something, -nodded his head quickly, and kept tugging at the -tuft on his chin with his little hand. In this characterization -something loathsome, pitiful, and -laughable became quite apparent to Yevsey, whose -vexation rose. He felt sure his master was not -such as the young glazier represented him to be.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Next, Anatol took to mimicking members of the -audience. Inexhaustible, stimulated by the applause, -he tinkled until late at night like a little -bell, evoking kindly, cheerful laughter. Sometimes -the man who was touched would rush to catch him, -and a noisy chase about the yard would ensue.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed. Anatol noticed him, and pulled -him by the hand into the middle of the yard, where -he introduced him to the audience.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>"Here he is—sugar and soap. Skinflint Raspopov's -cousin morel."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Turning the boy's little figure in all directions, -he poured forth a flowing stream of strange comic -words about his master, about Rayisa Petrovna, -and about Yevsey himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let me go!" Yevsey quietly demanded, trying -to tear his hand from Anatol's strong grip, in -the meantime listening attentively in the endeavor -to understand the hints, the filth of which he felt. -Whenever Yevsey struggled hard to tear himself -away, the audience, usually the women, said lazily -to Anatol:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let him go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>For some reason their intercession was disagreeable -to Yevsey. It exasperated Anatol, too, who -began to push and pinch his victim and challenge -him to a fight. Some of the men urged the boys -on.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well—fight! See which will do the other -up."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The women objected:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A fight! Thanks, we're not interested. -Don't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey again felt something unpleasant in these -words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Finally Anatol scornfully pushed Yevsey -aside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you kid!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next morning Yevsey met Anatol outside -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>the house carrying his box of glass, and suddenly, -without desiring to do it, he said to him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why do you make fun of me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The glazier boy looked at him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What of it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was unable to reply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you want to fight?" asked Anatol again. -"Come to our shed. I will wait for you until -evening."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He spoke calmly and in a business-like way.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I don't want to fight," replied Yevsey -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Then you needn't! I'd lick you anyway," -said the glazier, and added with assurance, "I -certainly would."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed. He could not understand this -boy, but he longed to understand him. So he -asked a second time:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I say, why do you make fun of me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anatol apparently felt awkward. He winked -his lively eyes, smiled, and suddenly shouted in -anger:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to the devil! What are you bothering -me about? I'll give it to you so—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey quickly ran into the shop, and for a -whole day felt the itching of an undeserved insult. -This did not put an end to his inclination for -Anatol, but it forced him to leave the yard whenever -Anatol noticed him, and he dismissed the -glazier boy from the sphere of his dreams.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER IV</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Soon after this unsuccessful attempt to draw -near to a human being Yevsey was one evening -awakened by talking in his master's room. He -listened and thought he distinguished Rayisa's -voice. Desiring to convince himself of her presence -there he rose and quietly slipped over to the -tightly closed door, and put his eyes to the keyhole.</p> - -<p class='c006'>His sleepy glance first perceived the light of -the candle, which blinded him. Then he saw the -large rotund body of the woman on the black -sofa. She lay face upward entirely naked. Her -hair was spread over her breast, and her long -fingers slowly weaved it into a braid. The light -quivered on her fair body. Clean and bright, it -seemed like a light cloud which rocked and -breathed. It was very beautiful. She was saying -something. Yevsey could not catch the words, -but heard only the singing, tired, plaintive voice. -The master was sitting in his nightgown upon a -chair by the sofa, and was pouring wine into a -glass with a trembling hand. The tuft of grey -hair on his chin also trembled. He had removed -his glasses, and his face was loathsome.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>"Yes, yes, yes! Hm! What a woman you -are!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey moved away from the door, lay down -on his bed, and thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They have gotten married."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He pitied Rayisa Petrovna for having become -the wife of a man who spoke ill of her, and he -pitied her because it must have been very cold for -her to lie naked on the leather sofa. An evil -thought flashed through his mind, which confirmed -the words of the old man about her, but Yevsey -anxiously drove it away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The evening of the next day Rayisa Petrovna -brought in supper as always, and said in her usual -voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master, too, spoke to her in his usual voice, -dry and careless.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several days passed by. The relation between -the master and Rayisa did not change, and Yevsey -began to think he had seen the naked woman -in a dream. He was very reluctant to believe his -master's words about her.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once his Uncle Piotr appeared unexpectedly -and, so it seemed to Yevsey, needlessly. He had -grown grey, wrinkled, and shorter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am getting blind, Orphan," he said sipping -tea from a saucer noisily and smiling with his wet -eyes. "I cannot work anymore, so I will have -to go begging. Yashka is unmanageable. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>wants to go to the city, and if I don't let him, he -will run away. That's the kind of a chap he is."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Everything the blacksmith said was wearisome -and difficult to listen to. He seemed to have -grown duller. He looked guilty, and Yevsey felt -awkward and ashamed for him in the presence of -his master. When he got ready to go, Yevsey -quietly thrust three rubles into his hand, and saw -him out with pleasure.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though Yevsey endeavored as before to please -his master in every way, he became afraid to agree -with him. The bookshop after a time aroused a -dim suspicion by its resemblance to a tomb tightly -packed with dead books. They were all loose, -chewed up, and sucked out, and emanated a -mouldy, putrid odor. Few were sold; which did -not surprise Yevsey. What stirred his curiosity -was the attitude of the master to the purchasers and -the books.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man would take a book in his hand, -carefully turn over its musty pages, stroke the -covers with his dark fingers, smile quietly, and nod -his head. He seemed to fondle the book as though -it were alive, to play with it as with a kitten or a -puppy. While reading a book he carried on with -it a quiet, querulous conversation, like Uncle Piotr -with the furnace-fire. His lips moved in good-humored -derision, his head kept nodding, and -now and then he mumbled and laughed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So, so—yes—hmm—see—what's that? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>Ha, ha! Ah, the impudence—I understand, I -understand—it'll never come about—no-o-o—ha, -ha!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>These strange exclamations coming from the old -man as if he were disputing with somebody both -astonished and frightened Yevsey, and pointed to -the secret duplicity in his master's life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't read books," said the master to -him once. "That's good. Books are always -lechery, the child of a prostituted mind. They -deal with everything, they excite the imagination, -and create useless agitation and disturbance. Formerly -we used to have good historical books, stories -of quiet people about the past. But now every -book wants to inspire you with hostility to life and -to lay bare man, who ought always to be covered -up both in the flesh and in the spirit in order to -defend him from the devil, from curiosity, and -from the imagination, which destroys faith. It's -only in old age that books do no harm to a man, -when he is guarded against their violence by his -experience."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though Yevsey did not understand these talks -he remembered them well, and though they met -with no response in him, they confirmed his sense -of mystery—the mystery that invested all human -life, as it were, in a hostile envelope.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he sold a book, the old man regarded it -with regret, and fairly smelled the purchaser, with -whom he talked in an extremely loud and rapid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>voice. Sometimes, however, he lowered his voice -to a whisper, when his dark glasses would fix themselves -upon the face of the customer. Often on -seeing to the door a student who had bought a -book, he followed him with a smile, and nodded -his head queerly. Once he shook his finger at -the back of a man who had just left, a short, handsome -fellow with fine black tendrils on a pale -face. The largest number of customers were students -and people having a certain resemblance to -them. Sometimes old men came. These rummaged -long among the books, and haggled sharply -over the prices.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An almost daily visitor was a man who wore -a chimney-pot and on his right hand a large gold -ring set with a stone. He had a broad pimply -nose on a stout flat shaven face. When Dorimedont -Lukin played chess with the master, he snuffled -loud and tugged at his ear with his left hand. -He often brought books and paper parcels, over -which the master nodded his head approvingly and -smiled quietly. He would then hide them in the -table, or in a corner on a shelf in back of him. -Yevsey did not see his master pay for these books, -but he did see him sell them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the students began to visit the shop more -frequently than the others. He was a tall, blue-eyed -young man with a carrot-colored mustache -and a cap stuck back on his neck, leaving bare a -large white forehead. He spoke in a thick voice, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>laughed aloud, and always bought many old journals.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once the master pointed out a book to him -that Dorimedont had brought; and while the student -glanced through it, the old man told him -something in a quick whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Interesting!" exclaimed the student, smiling -amiably. "Ah, you old sinner, aren't you afraid, -eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master sighed and answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you absolutely feel it's the truth, you ought -to help it along in whatever little ways you can."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They whispered a long time. Finally the student -said aloud:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, then, agreed! Remember my address."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man took the address down on a piece -of paper, and when Dorimedont came and asked, -"Well, what's new, Matvey Matveyevich?" the -master handed him the address, and said with a -smile:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's the new thing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"S-so—Nikodim Arkhangelsky," read Dorimedont. -"That's business. We'll look up this -Nikodim."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sometime after, upon sitting down to play chess, -he announced to the master:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That Nikodim turned out to be a fish with -plenty of roe. We found something of pretty -nearly everything in his place."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>"Return the books to me," said the master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Certainly," and Dorimedont snuffled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The blue-eyed student never appeared again. -The short young man with the black mustache also -vanished after the master had given Dorimedont -his address. All this was strange. It fed the -boy's suspicions, and indicated some mystery and -enigma.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once, when the master was absent from the -shop, Yevsey, while dusting the shelves, saw the -books brought by Dorimedont. They were small, -soiled, and ragged. He carefully and quickly put -them back in the same order, scenting something -dangerous in them. Books in general did not -arouse his interest. He tried to read, but never -succeeded in concentrating his mind, which, already -burdened by a mass of observation, dwelt -upon minutiæ. His thoughts drifted apart, and -finally disappeared evaporating like a thin stream -of water upon a stone on a hot day. When he -worked and stirred about he was altogether incapable -of thinking; the motion, as it were, tore the -cobweb of his ideas. The boy did his work slowly -and accurately, like an automaton, without putting -anything of himself into it, and scarcely understanding -its meaning.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he was free and sat motionless he was -carried away by a pleasant sensation of flight in -a transparent mist, which enveloped the whole of -life and softened everything, changing the boisterous -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>reality into a quiet, sweetly sounding half-slumber.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey was in this mood the days passed -rapidly, in a flight not to be stayed. His external -life was monotonous. Thought-stirring events -happened rarely, and his brain insensibly became -clogged with the dust of the work-day. He seldom -went about in the city, for he did not like it. -The ceaseless motion tired his eyes, the noise filled -his head with heavy, dulling confusion. The endless -city at first seemed like a monster in a fairy-tale, -displaying a hundred greedy mouths, bellowing -with hundreds of insatiable throats. But when -Yevsey regarded the varied tumult of the street -life he saw in it merely painful and wearisome -monotony.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning when he tidied his master's room, -Yevsey put his head out of the window for several -minutes, and looked down to the bottom of the -deep, narrow street. Everywhere he saw the same -people, and already knew what each of them would -be doing in an hour or the next day. The cabmen -drove in the same indolent fashion, and sat -on the box each like the other; the shop boys, all -of whom he knew, were unpleasant. Their insolence -was a source of danger. Every man seemed -chained to his business like a dog to his kennel. -Occasionally something new flashed by, or whispered -to him, but it was difficult for him to see and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>understand it in the thick mass of all that was familiar, -ordinary, and unpleasant.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Even the churches in the city did not please -him. They were not cosy, nor bright, but close -and penetrated by extremely powerful odors of -incense, oil, and sweat. Yevsey could not bear -strong smells. They made his head turn, and -filled him with confused anxious desires.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sometimes on a holiday the master closed the -shop, and took Yevsey through the city. They -walked long and slowly. The old man pointed out -the houses of the rich and eminent people, and told -of their lives. His recitals were replete with accounts -of women who ran away from their husbands, -of dead people, and of funerals. He talked -about them in a dry solemn voice, criticizing and -condemning everything. He grew animated only -when telling how and from what this or that man -died. In his opinion, apparently, matters of disease -and death were the most edifying and interesting -of earthly subjects.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the end of every walk he treated Yevsey to -tea in a tavern, where musical machines played. -Here everybody knew the old man, and behaved -toward him with timid respect. Yevsey grown -tired, his brain dizzied by the cloud of heavy odors, -would fall into drowsy silence under the rattle and -din of the music.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once, however, the master took him to a house -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>which contained numerous articles of gold and -silver, marvellous weapons, and garments of silk -brocade. Suddenly the mother's forgotten tales -began to beat in the boy's breast, and a winged -hope trembled in his heart. He walked silently -through the rooms for a long time, disconcertedly -blinking his eyes, which burned greedily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When they returned home he asked the master:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Whose are they?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They are public property—the Czar's," the -old man explained impressively.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy put more questions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who wore such coats and sabres?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Czars, boyars, and various imperial persons."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There are no such people to-day?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How so? Of course there are. It would be -impossible to be without them. Only now they -dress differently."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why differently?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"More cheaply. Formerly Russia was richer. -But now it has been robbed by various foreign people, -Jews, Poles, and Germans."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Raspopov talked for a long time about how -nobody loved Russia, how all robbed it, and wished -it every kind of harm. When he spoke much Yevsey -ceased to believe him or understand him. -Nevertheless he asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Am I an imperial person, too?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In a sense. In our country all are imperial -people, all are subjects of the Czar. The whole -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>earth is God's, and the whole of Russia is the -Czar's."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before Yevsey's eyes handsome, stately personages -in glittering garb circled in a bright, many-colored -round dance. They belonged to another -fabulous life, which remained with him after he -had lain down to sleep. He saw himself in this -life clad in a sky-blue robe embroidered with gold, -with red boots of Morocco leather on his feet. -Rayisa was there, too, in brocade and adorned with -precious gems.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So it will pass away," he thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>To-day this thought gave rise not to hope in -a different future but to quiet regret for the past.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the other side of the door he heard the dry -even voice of his master:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Except the Lord build the house, they labor -in vain—"</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER V</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>One day after closing the shop Yevsey and his -master went to the yard where they were met -by an anxious ringing shout. It came from Anatol.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't do it again, dear uncle, never!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey started, and instinctively exclaimed in -quiet triumph:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was pleasant to hear the shouts of fear and -pain coming from the breast of the cheerful boy, -who was everybody's favorite.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"May I stay here in the yard?" Yevsey asked -the master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We must get our supper. But I'll stay here, -too, and see how they punish a rascally good-for-nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The people had gathered at the door of the -brick shed behind the stairway. The sound of -heavy blows and the wailing voice of Anatol issued -from the shed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Little uncle, I didn't do it. Oh, God! I -won't do it, I won't! Stop, for Christ's sake!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's right! Give it to him!" said watchmaker -Yakubov, lighting a cigarette.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>The squint-eyed embroiderer Zina upheld the -tall, yellow-faced watchmaker.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Perhaps we shall have peace after this. You -couldn't have a single quiet moment in the yard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Raspopov turned to Yevsey, and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say he's a wonder at imitating people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course," rejoined the furrier's cook. -"Such a little devil! He makes sport of everybody."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A dull scraping sound came from the shed, as if -a sack filled with something soft were being dragged -over the old boards of the floor. At the same -time the people heard the panting, hoarse voice of -Kuzin and Anatol's cries, which now grew feebler -and less frequent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forgive me! Oh! Help me—I won't do -it again—Oh, God!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>His words became indistinct and flowed together -into a thick choking groan. Yevsey trembled, remembering -the pain of the beatings he used to receive. -The talk of the onlookers stirred a -confused feeling in him. It was fearful to stand -among people who only the day before had willingly -and gaily taken delight in the lively little fellow, -and who now looked on with pleasure while he -was being beaten. At this moment these half-sick -people, surly and worn out with work, seemed -more comprehensible to him. He believed that -now none of them shammed, but were sincere in -the curiosity with which they witnessed the torture -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>of a human being. He felt a little sorry for Anatol, -yet it was pleasant to hear his groans. The -thought passed through his mind that now he -would become quieter and more companionable.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Suddenly Nikolay the furrier appeared, a short -black curly-headed man with long arms. As always -daring and respecting nobody, he thrust the -people aside, walked into the shed, and from there -his coarse voice was heard crying out twice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop! Get away!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Everybody suddenly moved back from the door. -Kuzin bolted out of the shed, seated himself on -the ground, clutched his head with both hands, -and opening his eyes wide, bawled hoarsely:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Police!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's get away from evil, Yevsey," said the -master withdrawing to one side.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy retreated to a corner by the stairway, -and stood there looking on.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Nikolay came out of the shed with the little -trampled body of the glazier's boy hanging limply -over his arm. The furrier laid him on the ground -then he straightened himself and shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Water, women, you rotten carrion!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zina and the cook ran off for water.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Kuzin lolling his head back snorted dully.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Murder! Police!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Nikolay turned to him, and gave him a kick -on the breast which laid him flat on his back.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You dirty dogs!" he shouted, the whites of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>his black eyes flashing. "You dirty dogs! A -child is being killed, and it's a show to you! I'll -smash every one of your ugly mugs!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Oaths from all sides answered him, but nobody -dared to approach him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's go," said the master, taking Yevsey by -the hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As they walked away they saw Kuzin run noiselessly -in a stooping position to the gates.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To call the police," the master explained to -Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey was alone he felt that his jealousy -of Anatol had left him. He strained his -slow mind to explain to himself what he had seen. -It merely <i>seemed</i> that the people liked Anatol, who -amused them. In reality it was not so. All people -enjoyed fighting, enjoyed looking on while -others fought, enjoyed being cruel. Nikolay had -interceded for Anatol because he liked to beat -Kuzin, and actually did beat him on almost every -holiday. Very bold and strong he could lick any -man in the house. In his turn he was beaten by -the police. So to sum up, whether you are quiet -or daring, you'll be beaten and insulted all the -same.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several days passed. The tenants talking in -the yard, said that the glazier boy, who had been -taken to the hospital, had gone insane. Then -Yevsey remembered how the boy's eyes had burned -when he gave his performances, how vehement his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>gestures and motions had been, and how quickly -the expression of his face had changed. He -thought with dread that perhaps Anatol had always -been insane. He soon forgot the glazier -boy.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VI</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>In the rainy nights of autumn short broken -sounds came from the roof under Yevsey's -window. They disquieted him and prevented him -from sleeping. On one such night he heard the -angry exclamations of his master:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You vile woman!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa Petrovna answered as always in a low -singing voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I cannot permit you, Matvey Matveyevich."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You low creature! Look at the money I am -paying you!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The door to the master's room was open, and -the voices came in clearly to Yevsey. The fine -rain sang a tearful song outside the window. The -wind crept over the roof, panting like a large -homeless bird fatigued by the bad weather and -softly flapping its wet wings against the panes. -The boy sat up in bed, put his hands around his -knees, and listened shivering.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Give me back the twenty-five rubles, you -thief!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do not deny it. Dorimedont Lukin gave -me the money."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! You see, you hussy!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>"No, permit me—when you asked me to spy -on the man—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hush! What are you screaming for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now the door was closed, but even through the -wall Yevsey could hear almost everything that -was said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Remember, you vile woman, you, that you -are in my hands," said the master, rapping his -fingers on the table. "And if I notice that you've -struck up relations with Dorimedont—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The woman's voice was warm and flexible like -the supple movements of a kitten, and it stole in -softly, coiled around the old man's malicious words, -wiping them from Yevsey's memory.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The woman must be right. Her composure -and the master's entire relation to her convinced -the boy that she was. Yevsey was now in his fifteenth -year, and his inclination for this gentle and -beautiful woman began to be marked by a pleasant -sense of agitation. Since he met Rayisa very -rarely and for only a minute at a time, he always -looked into her face with a secret feeling of bashful -joy. Her kindly way of speaking to him -caused a grateful tumult in his breast, and drew -him to her more and more powerfully.</p> - -<p class='c006'>While still in the village he had learned the -hard truth of the relation between man and woman. -The city bespattered this truth with mud, -but it did not sully the boy himself. His being -a timid nature, he did not dare to believe what was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>said about women, and such talk instead of exciting -any feeling of temptation aroused painful aversion. -Now, as he was sitting up in bed, Yevsey -remembered Rayisa's amiable smile, her kind -words; and carried away by the thought of them -he had no time to lie down before the door to the -master's room opened, and she stood before him, -half dressed, with loose hair, her hand pressed to -her breast. He grew frightened and faint. The -woman wanted to open the door again to the old -man's room and had already put out her hand, but -suddenly smiling she withdrew it and shook a -threatening finger at Yevsey. Then she walked -into her room. Yevsey fell asleep with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning as he was sweeping the kitchen -floor he saw Rayisa at the door of her room. He -straightened himself up before her with the broom -in his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good morning," she said. "Will you take -coffee with me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rejoiced and embarrassed, the boy replied:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I haven't washed yet. One minute."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In a few minutes he was sitting at the table in -her room, seeing nothing but the fair face with -the dark brows, and the good, moist eyes with the -smile in them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you like me?" she asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are good and beautiful."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>He answered as in a dream. It was strange to -hear her questions. Her eyes fixed upon him -vanquished him. They must know everything that -went on in his soul.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And do you like Matvey Matveyevich?" -Rayisa asked in a slow undertone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," Yevsey answered simply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is that so? He loves you. He told me so -himself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," rejoined the boy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa raised her brows, moved a little nearer -to him, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't you believe me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I believe you, but I don't believe my master, -not a bit."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why? Why?" she asked in a quick whisper, -moving still nearer to him. The warm gleam -of her look penetrated the boy's heart, and stirred -within him little thoughts never yet expressed to -anybody. He quickly uttered them to this woman.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am afraid of him. I am afraid of everybody -except you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you afraid?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do I know?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You, too, are wronged, not by one master. I -saw you cry. You were not crying then because -you had been drinking. I understand. I understand -much. Only I do not understand everything -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>together. I see everything separately in its tiniest -details, but side by side with them something -different, not even resembling them. I understand -this, too. But what is it all for? One thing is -at variance with the other, and they do not go together. -There is one kind of life and another -besides."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you talking about?" Rayisa asked -in amazement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's true."</p> - -<p class='c006'>For several moments they looked at each other -in silence. The boy's heart beat quickly. His -cheeks grew red with embarrassment.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, now, go," said Rayisa quietly arising. -"Go, or else he will ask you why you stayed away -so long. Don't tell him you were with me. You -won't, will you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey walked away filled with the tender sound -of the singing voice, and warmed by the sympathetic -look. The woman's words rang in his -memory enveloping his heart in quiet joy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>That day was strangely long. Over the roofs -of the houses and the Circle hung a grey cloud. -The day, weary and dull, seemed to have become -entangled in its grey mass, and, like the cloud, to -have halted over the city. After dinner two customers -entered the shop, one a stooping lean man -with a pretty, grizzled mustache, the other a man -with a red beard and spectacles. Both pottered -about among the books long and minutely. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>lean man kept whistling softly through his quivering -mustache, while the red-bearded man spoke -with the master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey knew beforehand just what the master -would say and how he would say it. The boy -was bored. He was impatient for the evening to -come, and he tried to relieve the tedium by listening -to the words of the old man Raspopov, and -verifying his conjectures while he arranged in a -row the books the customers had selected.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are buying these books for a library?" -the old man inquired affably.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For the library of the Teachers' Association," -replied the red-bearded man. "Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now he'll praise them up," thought Yevsey, -and he was not mistaken.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You show extremely good judgment in your -choice. It is pleasant to see a correct estimate of -books."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Pleasant?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now he'll smile," thought Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, indeed," said the old man, smiling graciously. -"You get used to these books, so that -you get to love them. You see they aren't dead -wood, but products of the mind. So when a customer -also respects books, it is pleasant. Our -average customer is a comical fellow. He comes -and asks, 'Have you any interesting books?' It's -all the same to him. He seeks amusement, play, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>but no benefit. But occasionally someone will suddenly -ask for a prohibited book."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How's that? Prohibited?" asked the man -screwing up his small eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Prohibited from libraries—published abroad, -or secretly in Russia."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are such books for sale?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now he will speak real low." Again Yevsey -was not mistaken.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fixing his glasses upon the face of the red-bearded -man, the master lowered his voice almost -to a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not? Sometimes you buy a whole library, -and you come across everything there, everything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you such books now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Several."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let me see them, please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Only I must ask you not to say anything about -them. You see it's not for the sake of profit, but -as a courtesy. One likes to do favors now and -then."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The stooping man stopped whistling, adjusted -his spectacles, and looked attentively at the old -man.</p> - -<p class='c006'>To-day the master was utterly loathsome to -Yevsey, who kept looking at him with cold, gloomy -malice. And now when Raspopov went over to -the corner of the shop to show the red-bearded -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>man some books there, the boy suddenly and quite -involuntarily said in a whisper to the stooping customer:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't buy those books."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey trembled with fright the moment he -had spoken. The man raised his glasses, and -peered into the boy's face with his bright eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>With a great effort Yevsey answered after a -pause:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The customer readjusted his glasses, moved -away from him, and began to whistle louder, -looking sidewise at the old man. Then he raised -his hand, which made him straighter and taller, -stroked his grey mustache, and without haste -walked up to his companion, from whom he took -the book. He looked it over, and dropped it on -the table. Yevsey followed his movements expecting -some calamity to befall himself. But the -stooping man merely touched his companion's arm, -and said simply and calmly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, let's go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But the books?" exclaimed the other.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's go. I won't buy any books here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The red-bearded man looked at him, then at -the master, his small eyes winking rapidly. Then -he walked to the door, and out into the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't want the books?" demanded Raspopov.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>Yevsey realized by his tone that the old man -was surprised.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't," answered the customer, his eyes fixed -upon the face of the master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Raspopov shrank. He went to his chair, and -suddenly said with a wave of his hand in an unnaturally -loud voice, which was new to Yevsey:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As you please, of course. Still—excuse me, -I don't understand."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What don't you understand?" asked the -stooping man, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You looked through the books for two hours -or more, agreed on a price, and suddenly—why?" -cried the old man in excitement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, because I recollected your disgusting -face. You haven't given up the ghost yet? -What a pity!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The stooping man pronounced his words slowly, -not loud, and precisely. He left the shop deliberately, -with a heavy tread.</p> - -<p class='c006'>For a minute the old man looked after him, -then tore himself from where he was standing, and -advanced upon Yevsey with short steps.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Follow him, find out where he lives," he said -in a rapid whisper, clutching the boy's shoulder. -"Go! Don't let him see you! You understand? -Quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey swayed from side to side, and would -have fallen, had the old man not held him firmly -on his feet. He felt a void in his breast, and his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>master's words crackled there drily like peas in a -rattle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you trembling about, you donkey? -I tell you—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey felt his master's hand release his -shoulder, he ran to the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop, you fool!" Yevsey stood still. -"Where are you going? Why, you won't be -able—oh, my God! Get out of my sight!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey darted into a corner. It was the first -time he had seen his master so violent. He realized -that his annoyance was tinged with much fear, -a feeling very familiar to himself; and notwithstanding -the fact that his own soul was desolate -with fear, it pleased him to see Raspopov's alarm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The little dusty old man threw himself about in -the shop like a rat in a trap. He ran to the door, -thrust his head into the street, stretched his neck -out, and again turned back into the shop. His -hands groped over his body impotently, and he -mumbled and hissed, shaking his head till his -glasses jumped from his nose.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Umm, well, well—the dirty blackguard—the -idea! The dirty blackguard! I'm alive—alive!" -Several minutes later he shouted to Yevsey. -"Close the shop!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>On entering his room the old man crossed himself. -He drew a deep breath, and flung himself -on the black sofa. Usually so sleek and smooth, -he was now all ruffled. His face had grown -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>wrinkled, his clothes had suddenly become too -large for him, and hung in folds from his agitated -body.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tell Rayisa to give me some peppered brandy, -a large glassful." When Yevsey brought the -brandy the master rose, drank it down in one gulp, -and opening his mouth wide looked a long time -into Yevsey's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you understand that he insulted me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And do you understand why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man raised his hand, and silently shook -his finger.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know him—I know a great deal," he said -in a broken voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Removing his black cap he rubbed his bare skull -with his hands, looked about the room, again -touched his head with his hands, and lay down on -the sofa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa Petrovna brought in supper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you tired?" she asked as she set the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It seems I am a little under the weather. -Fever, I think. Give me another glass of brandy. -Sit down with us. It's too early for you to -go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He talked rapidly. Rayisa sat down, the old -man raised his glasses, and scanned her suspiciously -from head to foot. At supper he suddenly lifted -his spoon and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>"Impossible for me to eat. I'll tell you about -something that happened." Bending over the -plate he was silent for some time as if considering -whether or not to speak of the incident. Then -he began with a sigh. "Suppose a man has a -wife, his own house, not a large house, a garden, -and a vegetable garden, a cook, all acquired by hard -labor without sparing himself. Then comes a -young man, sickly, consumptive, who rents a room -in the garret, and takes meals with the master -and mistress."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa listened calmly and attentively. Yevsey -felt bored. While looking into the woman's face -he stubbornly endeavored to comprehend what had -happened in the shop that day. He felt as if he -had unexpectedly struck a match and set fire to -something old and long dried, which began to burn -alarmingly and almost consumed him in its sudden -malicious blaze.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must keep quiet," he thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Were you the man?" asked Rayisa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Raspopov quickly raised his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why I?" he asked. He struck his breast, -and exclaimed with angry heat, "The question here -is, not about the man but about the law. Ought -a man uphold the law? Yes, he ought. Without -law it is impossible to live. You people are stupid, -because man is in every respect like a beast. He -is greedy, malicious, cruel."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man rose a little from his armchair, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>and shouted his words in Rayisa's face. His bald -pate reddened. Yevsey listened to his exclamations -without believing in their sincerity. He -reflected on how people are bound together and -enmeshed by some unseen threads, and how if one -thread is accidentally pulled, they twist and turn, -rage and cry out. So he said to himself:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must be more careful."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man continued:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Words bring no harm if you do not listen to -them. But when the fellow in the garret began -to trouble her heart with his ideas, she, a stupid -young woman, and that friend of his who—who -to-day—" The old man suddenly came to a stop, -and looked at Yevsey. "What are you thinking -about?" he asked in a low suspicious tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose and answered in embarrassment:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am not thinking."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, then, go. You've had your supper. So -go. Clear the table."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Desiring to vex his master Yevsey was intentionally -slow in removing the dishes from the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go, I tell you!" the old man screamed in a -squeaking voice. "Oh, what a fool you are!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey went to his room, and seated himself on -the chest. Having left the door slightly ajar, he -could hear his master's rapid talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They came for him one night. She got frightened, -began to shiver, understood then on what -road these people had put her. I told her—"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>"So it was you?" Rayisa asked aloud.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man now began to speak in a low voice, -almost a whisper. Then Yevsey heard Rayisa's -clear voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did he die?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what of it?" the old man shouted excitedly. -"You can't cure a man of consumption. -He would have died at any rate."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sat upon the chest listening to the low -rasping sound of his talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you sitting there for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy turned around, and saw the master's -head thrust through the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Lie down and sleep."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The master withdrew his head, and the door was -tightly closed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who died?" Yevsey thought as he lay in bed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The dry words of the old man came fluttering -down and fluttering down, like autumn leaves upon -a grave. The boy felt more and more distinctly -that he lived in a circle of dread mystery. Sometimes -the old man grew angry, and shouted; which -prevented the boy from thinking or sleeping. He -was sorry for Rayisa, who kept peacefully silent in -answer to his ejaculations. At last Yevsey heard -her go to her own room. Perfect stillness then -prevailed in the master's room for several minutes, -after which Raspopov's voice sounded again, but -now even as usual:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the -counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of -sinners, nor sit—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>With these reassuring words ringing in his ears -Yevsey fell asleep.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next morning Rayisa again called him to -her.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What happened in the shop yesterday?" she -asked with a smile when he had seated himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey told her everything in detail, and she -laughed contentedly and happily. She suddenly -drew her brows together and asked in an undertone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you understand who he is?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A spy," she whispered, her eyes growing wide -with fright.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was silent. She rose and went to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a tragic fellow you are!" she said -thoughtfully and kindly, stroking his head. "You -don't understand anything. You're so droll. -What was the stuff you told me the other day? -What other life?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The question animated him; he wanted very -much to talk about it. Raising his head and looking -into her face with the fathomless stare of -blind eyes, he began to speak rapidly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course there's another life. From where -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>else do the fairy-tales come? And not only the -fairy-tales, but—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The woman smiled, and rumpled his hair with -her warm fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You little stupid! They'll seize you," she -added seriously, even sternly, "they'll lead you -wherever they want to, and do with you whatever -they want to. That will be your life."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey nodded his head, silently assenting to -Rayisa's words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She sighed and looked through the window upon -the street. When she turned to Yevsey, her face -surprised him. It was red, and her eyes had become -smaller and darker.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you were smarter," she said in an indolent, -hollow voice, "or more alert, maybe I would tell -you something. But you're such a queer chappie -there's no use telling you anything, and your master -ought to be choked to death. There, now, go tell -him what I've said—you tell him everything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose from the table, feeling as if a cold -stream of insult had been poured over him. He -inclined his head and mumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll never tell anything about you—to nobody. -I love you very much, and—even if you choked -him, I wouldn't tell anybody. That's how I love -you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He shuffled to the door, but the woman's hands -caught him like warm white wings, and turned -him back.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>"Did I insult you?" he heard. "Well, excuse -me. If you knew what a devil he is, how he tortures -me, and how I hate him. Dear me!" She -pressed his face tightly to her breast, and kissed -him twice. "So you love me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," whispered Yevsey, feeling himself turning -around lightly in a hot whirlpool of unknown -bliss.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know. I love you very much."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Laughing and fondling him, she said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You'll tell me about it. Ah, you little baby!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Going down the stairs he heard her satisfied -laugh, and smiled in response. His head turned, -his entire body was suffused with sweet lassitude. -He walked quietly and cautiously, as if afraid of -spilling the hot joy of his heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why have you been so long?" asked the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at him, but saw only a confused, -formless blur.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have a headache," he answered slowly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And I, too. What does it mean? Has Rayisa -gotten up?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did she speak to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What about?" the master asked hastily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The question was like a slap in Yevsey's face. -He recovered, however, and answered indifferently:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>"She said I hadn't swept the kitchen clean."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A few moments later Yevsey heard the old man's -low dejected exclamation:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That woman is a dangerous creature! Yes, -yes! She tries to find everything out, and makes -you tell her whatever she wants."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at him from a distance, and -thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I wish you were dead."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The days passed rapidly, fused in a jumbled -mass, as if joy were lying in wait ahead. But -every day grew more and more exciting.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_5 c005'>The old man became sulky and taciturn. He -peered around strangely, suddenly burst into -a passion, shouted, and howled dismally, like a -sick dog. He constantly complained of a pain in -his head and nausea. At meals he smelt of the -food suspiciously, crumbled the bread into small -pieces with his shaking fingers, and held the tea -and brandy up to the light. His nightly scoldings -of Rayisa, in which he threatened to bring ruin -upon her, became more and more frequent. But -she answered all his outcries with soft composure.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey's love for the woman waxed stronger, -and his sad, embittered heart was filled with hatred -of his master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't I understand what you're up to, you -low-down woman?" raged the old man. "What -does my sickness come from? What are you poisoning -me with?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you saying? What are you saying?" -exclaimed the woman, her calm voice quivering. -"You are sick from old age."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You lie! You lie!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And from fright besides."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You miserable creature, keep quiet!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>"You suffer from the weight of years."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You lie!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And it's time you thought of death."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! That's what you want! You lie! -You hope in vain! I'm not the only one to know -all about you. I told Dorimedont Lukin about -you." He burst again into a loud tearful whine. -"I know he's your paramour. It's he who talked -you over into poisoning me. You think you'll have -it easier with him, don't you? You won't, you -won't!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once at night, during a similar scene, Rayisa left -the old man's room with a candle in her hand, half -dressed, white and voluptuous. She walked as in -a dream, swaying from side to side and treading -uncertainly with her bare feet. Her eyes were -half closed, the fingers of her out-stretched right -hand clawed the air convulsively. The little -smoky red tongue of the candle inclined toward -her breast, almost touching her shirt. It illuminated -her lips parted in exhaustion and sickness, -and set her teeth agleam.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After she had passed Yevsey without noticing -him, he instinctively followed her to the door of the -kitchen, where the sight that met his gaze numbed -him with horror. The woman was holding a large -kitchen knife in her hand, testing its sharp edge -with her finger. She bent her head, and put her -hand to her full neck near the ear, where she -sought something with her long fingers. Then -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>she drew a breath, and quietly returned the knife -to the table. Her hands fell at her sides.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey clutched the doorpost. At the sound -the woman started and turned.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you want?" she demanded in an -angry whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey answered breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He'll die soon. Why are you doing that to -yourself? Please don't do it. You mustn't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hush!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>She put her hands on Yevsey as if for support, -and walked back into the old man's room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Soon the master became unable to leave his -bed. His voice grew feeble, and frequently a -rattle sounded in his throat. His face darkened, -his weak neck failed to sustain his head, and -the grey tuft on his chin stuck up oddly. The -physician came every day. Each time Rayisa gave -the sick man medicine, he groaned hoarsely:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"With poison, eh? Oh, oh, you wicked -thing!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you don't take it, I'll throw it away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, no! Leave it! and to-morrow I'll call -the police. I'll ask them what you are poisoning -me with."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey stood at the door, sticking first his eye, -then his ear to the chink. He was ready to cry out -in amazement at Rayisa's patience. His pity for -her rose in his breast more and more irrepressibly, -and an ever keener desire for the death of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>old man. It was difficult for him to breathe, -as on a dry icy-cold day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The bed creaked. Yevsey heard the thin sounds -of a spoon knocking against glass.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Mix it, mix it! You carrion!" mumbled the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once he ordered Rayisa to carry him to the -sofa. She picked him up in her arms as if he -were a baby. His yellow head lay upon her rosy -shoulder, and his dark, shrivelled feet dangled -limply in the folds of her white skirt.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God!" wailed the old man, lolling back on -the broad sofa. "God, why hast Thou given -over Thy servant into the hands of the wicked? -Are my sins more grievous than their sins, O Lord? -And can it be that the hour of my death is come?" -He lost breath and his throat rattled. "Get -away!" he went on in a wheezing voice. "You -have poisoned one man—I saved you from hard -labor, and now you are poisoning me—ugh, ugh, -you lie!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa slowly moved aside. Yevsey now could -see his master's little dry body. His stomach rose -and fell, his feet twitched, and his lips twisted spasmodically, -as he opened and closed them, greedily -gasping for air, and licked them with his thin -tongue, at the same time displaying the black hollow -of his mouth. His forehead and cheeks glistened -with sweat, his little eyes, now looking large -and deep, constantly followed Rayisa.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>"And I have nobody, no one near me on earth, -no true friend. Why, O Lord?" The voice of -the old man wheezed and broke. "You wanton, -swear before the ikon that you are not poisoning -me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa turned to the corner, and crossed herself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't believe you, I don't believe you," he -muttered, clutching at the underwear on his breast -and at the back of the sofa, and digging his nails -into them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Drink your medicine. It will be better for -you," Rayisa suddenly almost shrieked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It will be better," the old man repeated. -"My dear, my only one, I will give you everything, -my own Ray—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He stretched his bony arm toward her and -beckoned to her to draw near him, shaking his -black fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah, I am sick of you, you detestable creature," -Rayisa cried in a stifled voice; and snatching the -pillow from under his head she flung it over the -old man's face, threw herself upon it, and held -his thin arms, which flashed in the air.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You have made me sick of you," she cried -again. "I can't stand you any more. Go to -the devil! Go, go!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey dropped to the floor. He heard the -stifled rattle, the low squeak, the hollow blows; he -understood that Rayisa was choking and squeezing -the old man, and that his master kept beating his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>feet upon the sofa. He felt neither pity nor fear. -He merely desired everything to be accomplished -more quickly. So he covered his eyes and ears -with his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The pain of a blow caused by the opening of -the door compelled him to jump to his feet. Before -him stood Rayisa arranging her hair, which -hung over her shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, did you see it?" she asked gruffly. Her -face was red, but now more calm. Her hands -did not tremble.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did," replied Yevsey, nodding his head. He -moved closer to Rayisa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, if you want to, you can inform the -police."</p> - -<p class='c006'>She turned and walked into the room leaving -the door open. Yevsey remained at the door, -trying not to look at the sofa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is he dead, quite dead?" he asked in a -whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," answered the woman distinctly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then Yevsey turned his head, and regarded the -little body of his master with indifferent eyes. -Flat and dry it lay upon the sofa as if glued there. -He looked at the corpse, then at Rayisa, and -breathed a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the corner near the bed the clock on the -wall softly and irresolutely struck one and two. -The woman started at each stroke. The last time -she went up to the clock, and stopped the halting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>pendulum with an uncertain hand. Then she -seated herself on the bed, putting her elbows on -her knees and pressing her head in her hands. -Her hair falling down, covered her face and hands -as with a dense dark veil.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Scarcely touching the floor with his toes, so as -not to break the stern silence, Yevsey went over -to Rayisa, and stationed himself at her side, dully -looking at her white round shoulder. The woman's -posture roused the desire to say something -soothing to her.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's what he deserved," he uttered in a -low grave voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The stillness round about was startled, but instantly -settled down again, listening, expecting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Open the window," said Rayisa sternly. But -when Yevsey walked away from her, she stopped -him with a low question, "Are you afraid?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not? You are a timid boy."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When you are around, I'm not afraid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you sorry for him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Open the window."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The cold night air streamed into the room, and -blew out the lamplight. The shadows quickly -flickered on the wall and disappeared. The -woman tossed her hair back and straightened herself -to look at Yevsey with her large eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why am I going to ruin?" she asked in perplexity. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>"It has been this way all my life. From -one pit to another, each deeper than the one before."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey again stationed himself beside her; they -were silent for a long time. Finally she put her -soft, but cool hand around his waist, and pressing -him to her asked softly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Listen, will you tell?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," he answered, closing his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You won't tell? To nobody? Never?" the -woman asked in a mournful tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Never!" he repeated quietly but firmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't tell. I'll be helpful to you," she urged -him, kindly stroking his cheek.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She rose, looked around, and spoke to him in -a businesslike way:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Dress yourself. It's cold. And the room -must be put in order a little. Go, get dressed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey returned he saw the master's -body completely covered with a blanket. Rayisa -remained as she had been, half dressed with bare -shoulders. This touched him. They set the -room to rights, working without haste and looking -at each other now and then silently and gravely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy felt that this silent nocturnal activity -in the close room bound him more firmly to the -woman, who was just as solitary as himself, and -like him, knew terror. He tried to remain as near -her as possible, and avoided looking at the master's -body.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>It began to dawn. Rayisa listened to the sound -of the waking house and city. She sighed, and -beckoned to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now, go lie down and sleep. I will wake -you soon, and send you with a note to Dorimedont -Lukin. Go!" She led him to the chest upon -which he slept and felt the bedding with her hand. -"Oh, what a hard bed you have!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he had lain down, she seated herself -beside him, and stroked his head and shoulders -with her soft smooth hand, while she spoke in -a gentle chant.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Give him the note. And if he asks you how -it happened, tell him you don't know. Tell him -you were asleep and didn't see anything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>She was silent, and knit her brows. Overcome -by exhaustion Yevsey, warmed by the woman's -body and lulled by her even speech, began to -drowse.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," she continued, "that's not right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>She gave her directions calmly and intelligently, -and her caresses, warm and sweet, awakened memories -of his mother. He felt good. He smiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Dorimedont Lukin is a spy, too," he heard -her lulling, even voice. "Be on your guard. Be -careful. If he gets it out of you, I'll say you knew -everything and helped me. Then you'll be put in -prison, too." Now she, too, smiled, and repeated, -"In prison, and then hard labor. Do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>"Yes," Yevsey answered happily, looking into -her face with half-closed eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are falling asleep. Well, sleep." -Happy and grateful he heard the words in his -slumber. "Will you forget everything I told -you? What a weak, thin little fellow you are! -Sleep!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey fell asleep, but soon a stern voice awoke -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Boy, get up! Quick! Boy!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He rose with a start of his whole body, and -stretched out his hand. At his bed stood Dorimedont -Lukin holding a cane.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you sleeping? Your master died, yet -you sleep."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's tired. We didn't sleep the whole night," -said Rayisa, who was looking in from the kitchen -with her hat on and her umbrella in her hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tired? On the day of your benefactor's -death you must weep, not sleep. Dress yourself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The flat pimply face of the spy was stern. His -words compelled Yevsey imperiously, like reins -steering a docile horse.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Run to the police station. Here's a note. -Don't lose it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In a half fainting condition Yevsey dressed himself -wearily, and went out in the street. He forced -his eyes open as he ran over the pavement bumping -into everyone he met.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I wish he would be buried soon," he thought -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>disconnectedly. "Dorimedont will frighten her, -and she'll tell him everything. Then I'll go to -prison, too. But if I am there with her, I won't -be afraid. She went after him herself, she didn't -send me, she was sorry to wake me up—or -maybe she was afraid—how am I going to live -now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he returned he found a black-bearded -policeman and a grey old man in a long frock coat -sitting in the room. Dorimedont was speaking to -the policeman in a commanding voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you hear, Ivan Ivanovich, what the doctor -says? So it was a cancer. Aha, there's the boy. -Hey, boy, go fetch half a dozen bottles of beer. -Quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa was preparing coffee and an omelet in -the kitchen. Her sleeves were drawn up over -her elbow, and her white hands darted about dexterously.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When you come back, I'll give you coffee," -she promised Yevsey, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was kept running all day. He had no -chance to observe what was happening in the house, -but felt that everything was going well with Rayisa. -She was more beautiful than ever. Everybody -looked at her with satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At night when almost sick with exhaustion Yevsey -lay down in bed with an unpleasant sticky taste -in his mouth, he heard Dorimedont say to Rayisa -in an emphatic, authoritative tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>"We mustn't let that boy out of our sight, you -understand? He's stupid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then he and Rayisa entered Yevsey's room. -The spy put out his hand with an important air, and -said snuffling:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Get up! Tell us how you're going to live -now."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you don't know, who is to know?" The -spy's eyes bulged, his face and nose grew purple. -He breathed hotly and noisily, resembling an overheated -oven. "I know," he answered himself, -raising the finger on which was the ring.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will live with us, with me," said Rayisa -kindly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, you will live with us, and I will find a -good place for you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was silent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what's the matter with you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing," said Yevsey after a pause.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to thank me, you little fool," Dorimedont -explained condescendingly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt that the little grey eyes held him fast -to something as if with nails.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll be better to you than relatives," continued -Dorimedont, walking away, and leaving behind -the heavy odor of beer, sweat, and grease.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey opened the window, and listened to the -grumbling and stirring of the dark, exhausted city -sinking into sleep. A sharp aching pain stole up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>from somewhere. Faintness seized the boy's body. -A thin cord, as it were, cut at his heart, and made -breathing difficult. He lay down and groaned -and peered into the darkness with frightened eyes. -Wardrobes and trunks moved about in the obscurity, -black dancing spots rocking to and fro. Walls -scarcely visible turned and twisted. All this oppressed -Yevsey with unconquerable fear, and -pushed him into a stifling corner, from which it -was impossible to escape.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In Rayisa's room the spy guffawed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"M-m-m-my! Ha, ha, ha! It's nothing—it -will pass away—ha, ha! You'll get used—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey thrust his head under the pillow in order -not to hear these irritating exclamations. A -minute later, unable to catch his breath, he jumped -from bed. The dry dark feet of his master flashed -before him, his little red sickly eyes lighted up. -Yevsey uttered a short shriek, and ran to Rayisa's -door with outstretched hands. He pushed against -it and cried:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm afraid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two large bodies in the room bounded to their -feet. Someone bawled in a startled angry voice: -"Get out of there!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey fell to his knees, and sank down on the -floor at their feet like a frightened lizard.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm afraid! I'm afraid!" he squeaked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The following days were taken up with preparations -for the funeral and with the removal of Rayisa -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>to Dorimedont's quarters. Yevsey flung himself -about like a little bird in a cloud of dark fear. -Only occasionally did the timid thought flicker in -his mind like a will o' the wisp, "What will become -of me?" It saddened his heart, and awoke -the desire to run away and hide himself. But -everywhere he met the eagle eyes of Dorimedont, -and heard his dull voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Boy, quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The command resounded within Yevsey, and -pushed him from side to side. He ran about for -whole days at a time. In the evening he fell -asleep empty and exhausted, and his sleep was -heavy and black and full of terrible dreams.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER VIII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>From this life Yevsey awoke in a dusky corner -of a large room with a low ceiling. He -sat holding a pen in his hand at a table covered -with dirty green oilcloth, and before him lay a -thick book in which there was writing, and a few -pages of blank ruled paper. He did not understand -what he had to do with all this apparatus, -and looked around helplessly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There were many tables in the room with two or -four persons at each. They sat there with a tired -and vexed expression on their faces, moving their -pens rapidly, smoking much, and now and then -casting curt words at one another. The pungent -blue smoke floated to the window casements, where -it met the deafening noise that entered importunately -from the street. Numberless flies buzzed -about the occupants' heads, crawled over the -tables and notices on the walls, and knocked -against the panes. They resembled the people -who filled this stifling filthy cage with their bustle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Gendarmes stood at the doors, officers came and -went, various persons entered, exchanged greetings, -smiled obsequiously, and sighed. Their -rapid, plaintive talk, which kept up a constant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>see-saw, was broken and drowned by the stern -calls of the clerks.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sat in his corner with his neck stretched -over the table and his transparent eyes wide open, -scrutinizing the different clerks in an attempt to -remember their faces and figures. He wanted to -find someone among them who would help him. -The instinct of self-protection, now awakened in -him, concentrated all his oppressed feelings, all his -broken thoughts, into one clear endeavor to adapt -himself to this place and these people, as soon as -possible, in order to make himself unnoticed among -them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All the clerks, young and old, had something in -common, a certain seedy and worn appearance. -They were all equally dejected, but they easily -grew excited and shouted, gesticulating and showing -their teeth. There were many elderly and -bald-headed men among them, of whom several -had red hair and two grey hair. Of the two, one -was a tall man who wore his hair long and had a -large mustache, resembling a priest, whose beard -has been shaved off. The other was a red-faced -man with a huge beard and a bare skull. It was -the last who had put Yevsey into a corner, set a -book before him, and, tapping his finger upon it, -had told him to copy certain parts of it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now an elderly woman all in black stood before -this old man, and drawled in a plaintive tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Little father, gracious sir."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>"You disturb me in my work," shouted the old -man without looking at her.</p> - -<p class='c006'>And at the door sitting upon a bench a little -thin young girl in a pink dress was sobbing and -wiping her face with her white apron.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am not guilty."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who is whining there?" asked a sharp voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The outsiders who came in did nothing but complain, -make requests, and justify themselves. They -spoke while standing, humbly and tearfully. The -officials, on the other hand, remained seated and -shouted at them, now angrily, now in ridicule, and -now wearily. Paper rustled, and pens squeaked, -and all this noise was penetrated by the steady -weeping of the girl.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aleksey," the man with the grey beard called -aloud, "take this woman away from here." His -eyes were arrested by the sight of Klimkov. He -walked up to him hastily, and asked gruffly, in -astonishment, "What's the matter with you? -Why aren't you writing?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey dropped his head, and was silent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hmm, another fool given a job," said the old -man shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, Zarubin!" -he shouted as he walked away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A dry thin boy with a low forehead and restless -eyes and black curls on a small head sat down -beside Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the trouble?" he asked, nudging -Yevsey's side with his elbow.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>"I don't understand what to do," explained -Klimkov in a frightened tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From somewhere within the youngster in the region -of his stomach came a hollow, broken sound, -"Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll teach you," he said in a low voice, as if -communicating some important secret. "I'll -teach you, and you'll give me half a ruble. Got -half a ruble?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When you get your pay? All right?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The boy seized the paper, and in the same mysterious -tone continued:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see? The first names and the family -names are marked in the book with red dots. -Well, you must copy them on this paper. When -you are done, call me, and I'll see whether you -haven't put down a pack of lies. My name is -Yakov Zarubin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Again a sound seemed to break inside the boy's -body and drop softly, "Ugh!" He glided nimbly -between the tables, his elbows pressed to his -sides, his wrists to his breast. He turned his -small black head in all directions, and darted his -narrow little eyes about the room. Yevsey looked -after him, then reverently dipped pen in ink, and -began to write. Soon he settled into that pleasant -state of forgetfulness of his surroundings which -had grown customary with him. He became absorbed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>in the work, which required no thought, and -in it he lost his fear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey quickly became accustomed to his new -position. He did everything mechanically, and -was ready to serve anyone at any time. In order -the more immediately to get away from people, -he subordinated himself submissively to everybody, -and cleverly took refuge in his work from the cold -curiosity and the cruel pranks of his fellow-clerks. -Taciturn and reserved, he created for himself an -unperceived existence in his corner. He lived like -a nocturnal bird perched upon a dark post of observation -without understanding the meaning of -the noisy, motley days that passed before his round -fathomless eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Every hour he heard complaints, groans, ejaculations -of fright, the stern voices of the police officers, -the irritated grumbling and angry fun of the -clerks. Often people were beaten on their faces, -and dragged out of the door by their necks. Not -infrequently blood was drawn. Sometimes policemen -brought in persons bound with ropes, bruised -and bellowing with pain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The thieves who were led in wore an embarrassed -air, but smiled at everybody as on a familiar. -The street women also smiled ingratiatingly, and -always arranged their dress with one and the same -gesture. Those who had no passports observed -a sullen or dejected silence, and looked askance at -all with a hopeless gaze. The political offenders -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>under police supervision came in proudly. They -disputed and shouted, and never greeted anybody -connected with the place. They behaved toward -all there with tranquil contempt or pronounced -hostility. This class of culprits was talked of a -great deal in the chancery, almost always in fun, -sometimes inimically. But under the ridicule and -enmity Yevsey felt a hidden interest and something -like reverent awe of these people who spoke -so loudly and independently with everybody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The greatest interest of the clerks was aroused -by the political spies. These were men with indeterminate -physiognomies, taciturn and severe. -They were spoken of with keen envy. The clerks -said they made huge sums of money, and related -with terror how everything was known to them, -everything open, and how immeasurable was their -power over people's lives. They could fix every -person, so that no matter where he moved he -would inevitably land in prison.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The broad gaze of Klimkov lightly embraced everything -moving about him. He imperceptibly -gathered up experience, which his weak, uninformed -mind was incapable of combining into a -harmonious whole. But the numerous impressions -heaping up one upon the other were forced -into unity by the very weight of their mass, and -aroused an unconscious greed for new observations. -They sharpened his curiosity, and unexpectedly -pointed to conclusions, secretly hinted at certain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>possibilities which sometimes frightened Yevsey by -their boldness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>No one about him pitied anybody else. -Neither was Yevsey sorry for people. It began to -seem to him that all were feigning even when they -cried and groaned from beatings. In all eyes he -saw something concealed, something distrustful, -and more than once his ear caught the cry, threatening -though not uttered aloud:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait, our turn will come some day, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the evening, during those hours when he sat -almost alone in the large room and recalled the -impressions of the day, everything seemed superfluous -and unreal, everything was unintelligible, a -hindrance to people, and caused them perplexity -and vexation. All seemed to know that they ought -to live quietly, without malice, but for some reason -no one wanted to tell the others his secret of a -different life. No one trusted his neighbor, everybody -lied, and made others lie. The irritation -caused by this system of life was clearly apparent. -All complained aloud of its burdensomeness, each -looked upon the other as upon a dangerous enemy, -and dissatisfaction in life waged war with mistrust, -cutting the soul in two.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov did not dare to think in this wise, but -he felt more and more clearly the lack of order -and the oppressive weight of everything that -whirled around him. At times he was seized by a -heavy, debilitating sense of boredom. His fingers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>grew languid, he put the pen aside, and rested his -head on the table, looking long and motionlessly -into the murky twilight of the room. He painstakingly -endeavored to find in the depths of his -soul that which was essential to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then his chief, the long-nosed old man with -the shaven face and grey mustache would shout to -him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov, are you asleep?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey would seize the pen and say to himself -with a sigh:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It will pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Yevsey could not make out whether he still -believed in the phrase, or had already ceased to -believe in it and was merely saying it to himself -for the sake of saying it.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER IX</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>In the morning Rayisa half dressed, with a -kneaded face and dim eyes, gave Yevsey his -coffee without speaking to him. Dorimedont -coughed and spat in her room. Now his dull voice -began to sound even louder and more authoritative -than ever. At dinner and supper he munched noisily, -licked his lips, thrust his thick tongue far out, -bellowed, and looked at the food greedily before -he began to eat. His red pimply face grew glossy, -and his little grey eyes glided over Yevsey's face -like two cold bugs, unpleasantly tickling his skin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know how hard life is, brother," he said. -"I know what's what. I know what a pound of -good and what a pound of bad is worth to a man, -yes, siree. And you had good luck to come to me -at once. Here I have placed you in a position, -and I am going to push you farther and farther to -the highest point possible—if you aren't a fool, -of course."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He swung his bulky body as he spoke, and the -chair under him groaned. Yevsey as he listened -to his talk felt that this man could force him to -do everything he wanted.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>Sometimes the spy announced boastfully in self-applause:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I received thanks again to-day from my chief -Filip Filippovich. He even gave me his hand."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once at supper Dorimedont pulled Yevsey's ear -and began a recital.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"About two months ago I was sitting in a restaurant -near a railroad station, and I saw a man -eating cutlets. He kept looking around and consulting -his watch. You must know, Yevsey, that -an honest man with an easy mind doesn't glance -around in all directions. People do not interest -him, and he always knows the time. The only -persons who look about for people are the agents -of the Department of Safety and criminals. Of -course, I kept my eye on the gentleman. The suburban -train pulled in, another little gentleman -comes into the restaurant, a dark fellow with a -little beard, apparently a Jew. He wore two flowers -in his buttonhole, a red and a white one—a -sign. I see them greet each other with their eyes. -'Aha!' thinks I. The dark man ordered something -to eat, drank a glass of Selters, and walked -out. The one who had been in the restaurant first -followed him leisurely, and I after them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dorimedont puffed up his cheeks, and then -blew a stream of air steeped with the odor of -meat and beer into Yevsey's face. Yevsey ducked -his head, and the spy burst out laughing. Then -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>he belched noisily, and continued raising his thick -finger.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For a month and twenty-three days I tracked -the two men. Finally I reported them. I said -I was on the track of suspicious people. They -went away, and came back again. Who are they? -The fair-haired fellow who had eaten the cutlet -said, 'It's none of your business.' But the Jew -gave his real name, and on inquiry it turned out -we needed the man. Along with him we took a -woman known to us—the third time she fell into -our hands. We went to various other places, -picked the people up like mushrooms. But we -knew the whole gang. I was a good deal put out, -when suddenly yesterday the fair-haired man gave -us his name. He turned out to be an important -fellow escaped from Siberia. Well, well, New -Year I am to expect a reward."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa listened looking over the spy's head, -while she slowly chewed a crust of bread and bit -off little pieces at a time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You catch them, and catch them, but they're -not exterminated," she said lazily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy smiled, and answered impressively:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't understand politics. That's why -you talk nonsense, my dear. We don't want to -exterminate these people altogether. They serve -as sparks to show us where the fire really begins. -That's what Filip Filippovich says, and he himself -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>was once a political, moreover, a Jew. Yes, yes. -It's a very sharp game."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey's gaze wandered gloomily about the contracted -room. The walls papered in yellow were -hung with portraits of Czars, generals, and naked -women. These motley, obtrusive spots fairly cut -the eyes, recalling sores and wounds on the body -of a sick person. The furniture, smelling of -whiskey and warm, greasy food, pressed close -against the walls, as if to withdraw from the -people. The lamp burned under a green shade, -and cast dead shadows upon the faces.</p> - -<p class='c006'>For some reason Yevsey recollected the old -sickly flat-nosed beggar with the restless eyes of -a sharper, whom he met almost every day on his -way to the office. The beggar pretended to be a -jolly fellow, and would chant garrulously as he -stretched out his hand for alms:</p> -<div class='lg-container-b c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>"Stout of body, red of nose,</div> - <div class='line'>Pining for the want of booze;</div> - <div class='line'>Prithee, help God's pilgrim true,</div> - <div class='line'>Charity to whom 'tis due!</div> - <div class='line'>Help my burning thirst to slake,</div> - <div class='line'>Rum, oh rum, for the Lord's sake!"</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The spy put his hand across the table, and pulled -Yevsey's hair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When I speak, you must listen."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dorimedont often beat Klimkov. Though his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>blows were not painful, they were particularly insulting, -as if he struck not the face but the soul. -He was especially fond of hitting Yevsey on the -head with the heavy ring he wore on his finger, -when he would knock the boy's skull so that a -strange dry cracking sound was emitted. Each -time Yevsey was dealt a blow Rayisa would say -indifferently, moving her brows:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop, Dorimedont Lukin. Don't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, well, he won't be chopped to pieces. -He has to be taught."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa grew thinner, blue circles appeared under -her eyes, her gaze became still more immobile and -dull. On evenings when the spy was away from -home she sent Yevsey for whiskey, which she -gulped down in little glassfuls at a time. Then -she spoke to him in an even voice. What she -said was confused and unintelligible, and she -frequently halted and sighed. Her large body -grew flabby, she undid one button after the other, -untied her ribbons, and half-dressed spread herself -on the armchair like sour dough.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am bored," she said shaking her head. -"Bored! If you were handsomer, or older, you -might divert me in my gloom. Oh, how useless -you are!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey hung his head in silence. His heart was -pricked with the burning cold of insult.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, why are you staring at the floor?" he -heard her sad complaining. "Others at your age -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>would have started to love girls long ago; they live -a living life. While you—oh, how irresponsive -you are!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sometimes, after she had drunk whiskey, she -drew him to herself, and toyed with him. This -awoke a complex feeling of fear, shame, and sharp -yet not bold curiosity. He shut his eyes tightly, -and yielded himself silently, involuntarily, to the -power of her shameless, coarse hands. The weak, -anæmic boy was oppressed by the debilitating premonition -of something terrible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to bed, go! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, -pushing him away, dissatisfied and disgusted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey left her to go to the anteroom in which -he slept. Gradually losing the undefined warm -feeling he had for her, he withdrew into himself -more and more.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As he lay in bed filled with a sense of insult -and sharp, disagreeable excitement, he heard -Rayisa singing in a thick cooing voice—always -the same song—and heard the clink of the bottle -against the glass.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But once on a dark night when fine streams of -autumn rain lashed the window near his room -with a howl, Rayisa succeeded in arousing in the -youngster the feeling she needed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, now," she said, smiling a drunken -smile. "Now you are my paramour. You see -how good it is? Eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>He stood at the bed also intoxicated of a sudden. -His feet trembled, he was out of breath. He -looked at her large, soft body, at her broad face -spread in a smile. He was no longer ashamed, -but his heart was seized with the grief of loss, -and it sank within him outraged. For some reason -he wanted to weep. But he was silent. This -woman was a stranger to him, unnecessary and -unpleasant; all the good kind feelings he had cherished -for her were at one gulp swallowed up by -her greedy body, and disappeared into it without -leaving a trace, like belated drops in a muddy pool.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll live together, and we'll give Dorimedont -the go-by, the pig."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But won't he find out?" inquired Yevsey -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you little coward, come here!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He did not dare to refuse, but now the woman -was no longer able to overcome his enmity to her. -She toyed with him a long time, and smiled with -an air of having been offended. Then she roughly -pushed his bony body from her, uttered an oath, -and went away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey was left alone he thought in -despair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now she will ruin me. She'll store this up -against me. I am lost."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He looked through the window. Something -formless and frightened throbbed in the darkness. -It wept, lashed the window with a doleful howl, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>scraped along the wall, jumped on the roof, and -fell down into the street moaning and wailing. A -cautious seductive thought stole into his mind.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Suppose I tell Kapiton Ivanovich to-morrow -that she suffocated the old man!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The question frightened Yevsey, and for a long -time he was unable to push it away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She will ruin me, one way or the other," he -answered himself. Yet the question persistently -stood before him beckoning to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning, however, it seemed that Rayisa -had forgotten about the tragic, violent incident of -the night before. She gave him his bread and -coffee lazily and with an indifferent air. As always, -she was half sick from the previous day's -drinking. By neither word nor look did she hint -of her changed relation to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He left for the office somewhat calmed, and -from that day he began to remain in the office -for night work. He would walk home very slowly -so as to arrive as late as possible, because it was -difficult for him to remain alone with the woman. -He was afraid to speak to her, dreading lest she -remember that night when she had destroyed Yevsey's -feeling for her. Feeble though it had been, it -had yet been dear to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov Zarubin and Yevsey's chief, Kapiton -Ivanovich, the man with the grey mustache, whom -everybody called Smokestack behind his back, remained -in the chancery with him for night work -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>more frequently than the others. The chief's -shaven face was often covered with little red stubble, -which glistened golden from afar, and at close -range resembled tiny twigs. From under his grey -lashes and the eyelids that drooped wearily spiritless -eyes gleamed angrily. He spoke in a grumbling -growl, and incessantly smoked thick yellow -cigarettes. The clouds of bluish smoke always -hovering about his large white head distinguished -him from all the others workers, and won him the -nickname, Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a grave man he is," Yevsey once said -to Zarubin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's cracked in the upper story," Zarubin answered, -pointing to his head. "He spent almost -a whole year in an insane asylum. But he's a quiet -man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey saw that sometimes the Smokestack took -a small black book from the pocket of his long -grey jacket, brought it close to his face, and mumbled -something through his mustache, which moved -up and down.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is that a prayer-book?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin's swarthy face quivered spasmodically. -His little eyes bulged, he swung himself over toward -Yevsey, and whispered hotly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you go to girls?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>Yevsey answered in embarrassment:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm afraid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ugh! Come with me. All right? We can -get it for nothing. We need only twenty-five kopeks -for beer. If we say we are from the Department -of Police, they'll let us in, and give us girls -for nothing. They are afraid of police officers. -Everybody is afraid of us." In a still lower voice, -but with more fire and appetite he continued. -"And what girls there <i>are</i>! Stout, warm, like -down feather-beds! They're the best, by golly! -Some fondle you like your own mother, stroke -your head, and so you fall asleep. It's good!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you a mother?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, only I live with my aunt. My mother -is a sow. She's a lewd woman, and lives with a -butcher for her support. I don't go to her. The -butcher won't let me. Once I went there, and he -kicked me on the back. Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin's little mouse ears quivered, his narrow -eyes rolled queerly, he tugged at the black down -on his upper lip with a convulsive movement of -his fingers, and throbbed all over with excitement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you such a quiet fellow? You ought -to be bolder, or else they'll crush you with work. -I was afraid at first, too, so they rode all over -me. Come, let's be friends for the rest of our -lives!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though Yevsey did not like Zarubin and was -intimidated by his extreme agility, he replied:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>"All right. Let's be friends."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Your hand. There, it's done! So to-morrow -we'll go to the girls?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I won't go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They did not notice the Smokestack coming up -to them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, Yakov, who will do whom?" he -growled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We're not fighting," said Zarubin, sullenly -and disrespectfully.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You lie," said the Smokestack. "Say, Klimkov, -don't give in to him, do you hear?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do," said Yevsey rising before him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A feeling of reverent curiosity drew him to the -man. Once, as usual unexpectedly to himself, he -took courage to speak to the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Kapiton Ivanovich."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I want to ask you, if you please—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Without looking at him, the Smokestack said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Get up some spunk! Get up some spunk!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why do people live so badly?" Yevsey -brought out with a great effort.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man raised his heavy brows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What business is it of yours?" he rejoined, -looking into Klimkov's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was staggered. The old man's question -was like a blow on the chest. It stood before -him in all the power of its inexplicable simplicity.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>"Aha!" said the old man quietly. Then he -drew his brows together, whipped a black book -from his pocket, and tapping it with his finger said, -"The New Testament. Have you read it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you understand it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," answered Yevsey timidly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Read it again. Well, anyway—" Moving -his mustache the old man hid the book in his -pocket. "I've been reading this book for three -years, yes, three years. Nobody understands it. -It's a book for children, for the pure of heart. -No one can understand it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He grumbled kindly, and Yevsey felt a desire -to ask more questions. They did not formulate -themselves, however. The old man lighted a -cigarette, the smoke enveloped him, and he apparently -forgot about his interlocutor. Klimkov -glided off quietly. His attraction for the Smokestack -had grown stronger, and he thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It would be good for me to sit nearer to him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Henceforth this became his dream, which, however, -came into direct conflict with the dream of -Yakov Zarubin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You know what?" Zarubin said in a hot whisper. -"Let's try to get into the Department of -Safety, and become political spies. Then what a -life we'll lead! Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was silent. The political spies frightened -him because of their stern eyes and the mystery -surrounding their dark business and dark life.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER X</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>An accident happened at home. Dorimedont -appeared late at night in torn clothes, without -hat or cane, his face bruised and smeared with -blood. His bulky body shook, tears ran down -his swollen cheeks. He sobbed, and said in a -hollow voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's all over! I must go away—to another -city—the minute I can."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa silently, without haste, wiped his face -with a towel dipped in brandy and water. He -started and groaned.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not so rough! Not so rough! The beasts! -How they beat me—with clubs. To beat a man -with clubs! <i>Please</i> be more careful. Don't you -understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey handed the water, removed the spy's -shoes, and listened to his groans. He took secret -satisfaction in his tears and blood. Accustomed -as he was to see people beaten until blood -was drawn, their outcries did not touch him even -though he remembered the pain of the pummelings -he had received in his childhood.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who did it to you?" asked Rayisa when the -spy was settled in bed.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>"They trapped me, surrounded me, in a suburb -near a thread factory. Now I must go to another -city. I will ask for a transfer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey lay down to sleep, the spy and -Rayisa began to quarrel aloud.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't go," said the woman in a loud and -unusually firm voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Keep quiet! Don't excite a sick man!" the -spy exclaimed with tears in his voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't go!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will make you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning Yevsey understood by Rayisa's -stony face and the spy's angry excitement that the -two did not agree. At supper they began to -quarrel again. The spy, who had grown stronger -during the day, cursed and swore. His swollen -blue face was horrible to look upon, his right hand -was in a sling, and he shook his left hand menacingly. -Rayisa, pale and imperturbable, rolled her -round eyes, and followed the swinging of his red -hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Never, I'll never go," she stubbornly repeated, -scarcely varying her words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't want to."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But you know I can ruin you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't care."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, you'll go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>"We shall see. Who are you anyway? Have -you forgotten?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's all the same to me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>After supper the spy wrapped his face in his -scarf, and departed without saying anything. -Rayisa sent Yevsey for whiskey. When he had -brought her a bottle of table whiskey and another -bottle of some dark liquid, she poured a -portion of the contents of each into a cup, sipped -the entire draught, and remained standing a long -time with her eyes screwed up and wiping her -neck with the palm of her hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you want some?" she asked, nodding over -the bottle. "No? Take a drink. You'll begin -to drink some time or other anyway."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at her high bosom, which had already -begun to wither, at her little mouth, into -her round dimmed eyes, and remembering how -she had been before, he pitied her with a melancholy -pity. He felt heavy and gloomy in the -presence of this woman.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah, Yevsey," she said, "if one could only -live his whole life with a clean conscience."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Her lips twitched spasmodically. She filled a -cup and offered it to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Drink!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He shook his head in declination.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You little coward!" she laughed quietly. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>"Life is hard for you—I understand. But why -you live I don't understand. Why? Tell me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so," answered Yevsey gloomily. "I -live. What else is one to do?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa looked at him, and said tenderly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I think you are going to choke yourself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was aggrieved and sighed. He settled -himself more firmly in his chair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa paced through the room, stepping lazily -and inaudibly. She stopped before a mirror, and -looked at her face long without winking. She -felt her full white neck with her hands, her shoulders -quivered, her hands dropped heavily, and she -began again to pace the room, her hips moving up -and down. She hummed without opening her -mouth. Her voice was stifled like the groan of -one who suffers from toothache.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A lamp covered with a green shade was burning -on the table. Through the window the round disk -of the moon could be seen in the vacant heavens. -The moon, too, looked green, as it hung there motionless -like the shadows in the room, and it augured -ill.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going to bed," said Yevsey rising from -his chair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa did not answer, and did not look at -him. Then he stepped to the door, and repeated -in a lower voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good-night. I am going to sleep."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>"Go, I'm not keeping you. Go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey understood that Rayisa felt nauseated. -He wanted to tell her something.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Can I do anything for you?" he inquired, -stopping at the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She looked into his face with her weary sleepy -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, nothing," she answered quietly after a -pause.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She walked up and down in the room for a long -time. Yevsey heard the rustle of her skirt and -the doleful sound of her song, and the clinking -of the bottles. Occasionally she coughed dully.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rayisa's composed words stood motionless in -Yevsey's heart, "I think you are going to choke -yourself." They lay upon him heavily, pressing -like stones.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the middle of the night the spy awoke Klimkov -rudely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where is Rayisa?" he asked in a loud whisper. -"Where did she go? Has she been gone -long? You don't know? You fool!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dorimedont left the room hastily, then thrust -his head through the door, and asked sternly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What was she doing?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Was she drinking?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The pig!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>The spy pulled his ear, and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did he speak in a whisper?" Yevsey -wondered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The light in the lamp flickered and went out. -The spy uttered an oath, then began to strike -matches, which flared up, frightening the darkness, -and went out. Finally a pale ray from the room -reached Yevsey's bed. It quivered timidly, and -seemed to seek something in the narrow ante-room. -Dorimedont entered again. One of his eyes was -closed from the swelling, the other, light and restless, -quickly looked about the walls, and halted at -Yevsey's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Didn't Rayisa say anything to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Such a stupid woman!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt awkward to be lying down in the -presence of the spy, and he raised himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stay where you are! Stay where you are!" -said Dorimedont hastily, and sat down on the bed -at Yevsey's feet.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you were a year older," he began in an unusually -kind, quiet, and thoughtful tone, "I would -get you into the Department of Safety as a political -agent. It's a very good position. The salary is -not large, but if you are successful, you get rewarded. -And it's a free life. You can go wherever -you want, have a good time, yes, indeed. -Rayisa is a beautiful woman, isn't she?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, beautiful," agreed Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>"Yes, ahem," said the spy, with a sigh and a -strange smile. He kept stroking the bandage on -his head with his left hand, and pinching his ear. -"Woman you can never have enough of—the -mother of temptation and sin.—Where did she -go? What do you think?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know," answered Yevsey quietly, beginning -to be afraid of something.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course. She has no paramour. No men -came to her. Do you know what, Yevsey? -Don't be in a hurry with women. You have time -enough for that. They cost dear, brother. Here -am I, who have made thousands and thousands of -rubles, and what's become of them?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Heavy, cumbersome, bound with rags, he shook -before Yevsey's eyes, and seemed ready to fall to -pieces. His dull voice sounded uneasy. His left -hand constantly felt of his head and his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah, I got mixed up with them a great deal!" -he said peering suspiciously around the dark corners -of the room. "It's troublesome, but you can't -get along without them. Nothing better in the -world. Some say cards are better, but card-players -can't get along without women either. Nor -does hunting make you proof against women. -Nothing does."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning Klimkov saw the spy sleeping -on the sofa with his clothes on. The room was -filled with smoke and the smell of kerosene from the -lamp, which had not been extinguished. Dorimedont -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>was snoring, his large mouth wide open, his -sound hand dangling over the floor. He was repulsive -and pitiful.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It grew light, and a pale square piece of sky -peeped into the little window. The flies awoke, -and buzzed plaintively, darting about on the grey -background of the window. Besides the smell of -kerosene the room was penetrated with some other -odor, thick and irritating.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After putting out the lamp Yevsey for some reason -washed himself in a great hurry, dressed, and -started for the office.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XI</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>At about noon Zarubin called out to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey there, Klimkov, you know Rayisa Petrovna -Fialkovskaya, she's your master Lukin's -mistress, isn't she?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There now!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey hastily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She cut her throat."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose to his feet, stung in the back by a -sharp blow of terror.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She was just found in a store-room. Let's go -and look."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin ran off, announcing to the clerks on his -way:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I told you she was Dorimedont Lukin's mistress."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He shouted the word "mistress" with particular -emphasis and zest.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked after him with wide-open eyes. -Before him in the air hung Rayisa's head, her -heavy luxuriant hair flowed from it in streams, her -face was pale green, her lips were tightly compressed, -and instead of eyes there were deep dark -stains. Everything round about him was hidden -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>behind the dead face, which Yevsey, numb with -terror and pity, was unable to remove from his -vision.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why don't you go to lunch?" asked the -Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Scarcely anybody remained in the office. Yevsey -sighed and answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My mistress cut her throat."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, yes. Well, go to the café."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack walked off carefully picking his -steps. Yevsey jumped up and seized his hand:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, take me to stay with you altogether," Yevsey -besought him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack bent toward him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you mean by 'altogether?'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To your rooms—to live with you—for all -the time."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! Well, in the meantime let's get our -lunch. Come on."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the café a canary bird kept up a piercing song. -The old man silently ate fried potatoes. Yevsey -was unable to eat, and looked into his companion's -face inquiringly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So you want to live with me? Well, come -on."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey heard these words, he instantly -felt that they partitioned him off from the terrible -life. Encouraged he said gratefully:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>"I will clean your shoes for you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack thrust his long foot shod in a -torn boot from under the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You needn't clean this one. How about your -mistress? Was she a good woman?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man's eyes looked directly and kindly, -and seemed to say:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Speak the truth."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know," said Yevsey, dropping his -head, and for the first time feeling that he used the -phrase very often.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So?" said the Smokestack. "So?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know anything," said Yevsey, disappointed -with himself. Suddenly he grew bold. -"I see this and that; but what it is, what for, why, -I cannot understand. And there must be another -life."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Another?" repeated the Smokestack, screwing -up his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. It would be impossible otherwise."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack smiled quietly. He hit his -knife on the table, and shouted to the waiter:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A bottle of beer. So it can't be otherwise? -That's curious. Yes—we'll see who will do -whom."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do, please, let me live with you," Yevsey repeated.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, we'll live together. All right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll come to you to-day."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come on."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>The Smokestack began to drink his beer in silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When they returned to the office, they found -Dorimedont Lukin there, who hastened up to Yevsey. -His bandages had loosened, the one eye visible -was suffused with blood.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you hear about Rayisa?" he inquired -gravely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, I did."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She did it out of—it was drink that did it, -upon my word," whispered the spy, putting his uninjured -hand to his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't go back there any more," said Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What then? Where will you go?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going to live with Kapiton Ivanovich."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Um-m-m!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dorimedont suddenly became embarrassed, and -looked around.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take care! He's not in his right senses. -They keep him here from pity. He's even a -dangerous man. Be careful with him. Keep -mum about all you know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey thought the spy would fly into a passion. -He was surprised at his whispering, and -listened attentively to what he said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going to leave the city. Good-by. I -am going to tell my chief about you, and when he -needs a new man, he will take you, rest assured. -Move your bed and whatever there is in my rooms -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>to your new quarters. Take the things to-day, -do you hear? I'll go from there this evening to a -hotel. Here are five rubles for you. They'll be -useful to you. Now, keep quiet, do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He continued to whisper long and rapidly, his -eyes running about suspiciously on all sides, and -when the door opened he started from his chair -as if to run away. The smell of an ointment -emanated from him. He seemed to have grown -less bulky and lower in stature, and to have lost -his importance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good-by," he said, placing his hand on Yevsey's -shoulder. "Live carefully, don't trust people, -especially women. Know the value of money. -Buy with silver, save the gold, don't scorn copper, -defend yourself with iron—a Cossack saying. I -am a Cossack, you know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was hard and tiresome for Yevsey to listen to -his softened voice. He did not believe one word -of the spy's, and, as always, feared him. Klimkov -felt relieved when he walked away, and went eagerly -at his work, trying to use it as a shield against -the recollection of Rayisa and all other troublesome -thoughts. Something turned and bestirred -itself within him that day. He felt he was standing -on the eve of another life, and gazed after the -Smokestack from the corners of his eyes. The old -man bent over his table in a cloud of grey smoke. -Yevsey involuntarily thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>"How everything happens at once. There she -cut her throat, and now maybe I will—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He could not picture to himself what might be; -in fact, he did not understand what he wanted, and -impatiently awaited the evening, working quickly -in an endeavor to shorten the time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the evening as he walked along the street at -the Smokestack's side, he remarked that almost -everybody noticed the old man, some even stopping -to look at him. He walked not rapidly but in -long strides, swinging his body and thrusting his -head forward like a crane. He held his hands behind -his back, and his open jacket spreading wide -flapped against his sides like broken wings. In -Klimkov's eyes the attention the old man attracted -seemed to sever him from the rest of the world.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is your name?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yevsey."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"John is a good name," observed the old man, -arranging his crumpled hat with his long hand. -"I had a son named John."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where is he?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That doesn't concern you," answered the old -man calmly. After taking several steps he added -in the same tone, "If I say 'had,' that means -I have him no longer, no longer." He stuck out -his lower lip, and pinched it with his little finger. -"We shall see who will do whom." Now he inclined -his head on one side, and looked into Klimkov's -eyes. "To-day a friend will come to me," -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>he said solemnly, shaking his finger. "I have a -certain friend. What we speak about and what -we do, does not concern you. What you know I -do not know, and what you do I do not want to -know. The same applies to you. Absolutely."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey nodded his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You must make this a general rule. Apply -it to everybody. No one knows anything about -you. That's the way it should be. And you do -not know anything about others. The path of -human destruction is knowledge sown by the devil. -Happiness is ignorance. That's plain."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey listened attentively, looking into his -face. The old man observed his regard, and -grumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There is something human in you. I noticed -it." He stopped unexpectedly, then went on, -"But there's something human even in a dog."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They climbed a narrow wooden stairway with -several windings to a stifling garret, dark and smelling -of dust. At the Smokestack's request Yevsey -held up burning matches while he fumbled a long -time over opening the door. As Yevsey held up -the matches, which scorched his fingers, a new hope -flickered in his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At last the old man opened the door, covered -with torn oilcloth and ragged felt, and they entered -a long, narrow white room, with a ceiling resembling -the roof of a tomb. Opposite the door a -wide window gleamed dimly. In the corner to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>the right of the entrance stood a little stove, which -was scarcely noticeable. The bed extended along -the left wall, and opposite sprawled a sunken red -sofa. The room smelled strongly of camphor and -dried herbs. The old man opened the window, -and heaved a noisy breath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's good to have pure air. You will sleep on -the sofa. What is your name? I've forgotten. -Aleksey?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yevsey."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, yes." He raised the lamp, and pointed -to the wall. "There's my son John."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A portrait made in thin pencil strokes and set in -a narrow white frame hung inconspicuously upon -the wall. It was a young but stern face, with a -large forehead, a sharp nose, and stubbornly compressed -lips. The lamp shook in the old man's -hands, the shade knocked against the chimney, filling -the room with a gentle whining sound.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"John," he repeated, setting the lamp back on -the table. "A man's name means a great deal."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He thrust his head through the window, -breathed in the cold air noisily, and without turning -to Yevsey asked him to prepare the samovar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey was busying himself around the -oven, a hunch-backed man entered, removed his -straw hat in silence, and fanned his face with it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's close, even though it's autumn already," -he said in a beautiful chest voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha, you here!" said the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>They began to converse in low tones while -standing at the window. Yevsey realizing that -they were speaking about him strained his ears to -catch what they were saying. But he could not -distinguish any words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The three then seated themselves at the table, -and the Smokestack began to pour the tea. Yevsey -from time to time stole a look at the guest. -His face, shaven like the Smokestack's, was bluish -with a huge thin-lipped mouth and dark eyes sunk -in two hollows under a high smooth forehead. -His head, bald to the crown, was angular and -large. He kept drumming quietly on the table -with his long fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, read," said the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"From the beginning?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hunch-back pulled out a package of papers -from his coat-pocket and opened it. "I'll skip the -titles. This is the way I've done it." He -coughed, and half closing his eyes began to read. -"'We people known to nobody and already arrived -at a ripe age now fall slavishly at your feet -with this distressing statement of grievances, which -wells from the very depths of our hearts, our hearts -shattered by life but not robbed of sacred faith in -the grace and wisdom of Your Majesty.' Well, -is it good?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Continue," said the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"'For you are the father of the Russian people, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>the source of good counsel, and the only power on -earth capable—'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Better say, 'the only power on earth endowed -with authority,'" suggested the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait, wait. 'The only power capable of restoring -and maintaining order, justice—' Here -we must put in a third word for the sake of symmetry, -but I don't know what word."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Be more careful in your choice of words," said -the Smokestack, sternly but not aloud. "Remember -that they convey a different meaning to every -man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hunchback looked at him, and adjusted his -glasses.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, that will come later. 'Great Russia is -falling into ruin. Evil is rampant in our country -and horror prevails. People are oppressed by -want. The heart has become perverted with envy. -The patient and gentle Russian is perishing, and -a heartless tribe ferocious with greed is being born, -a race of wolves, cruel animals of prey. Faith is -dissolved, and outside her fortress the people stand -perturbed. Persons of depraved minds aim at -the defenseless, take them captive with satanic -shrewdness, and entice them onto the road of crime -against all thy laws, Master of our lives.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"'Master?' That's for a bishop," grumbled -the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't you like it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, we must make it different."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>"How?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We must tell him directly that a general revolt -against life is stirring among the people, and -that 'therefore Thou, who art called by God—'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hunchback shook his head disapprovingly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We may point out. We have no right to advise."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who is our enemy, and what is his name? -Atheist, Socialist, and Revolutionist, a trinity. -The destroyer of the family, the robber of our children, -the fore-runner of the anti-Christ."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You and I don't believe in the anti-Christ," -said the hunchback quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That doesn't matter. We are speaking of -the masses. They believe in the anti-Christ. And -we must point out the root of the main evil where -we see it. In the doctrine of destruction—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He knows it himself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How should he? Who would tell him the -truth? Nobody cast the noose of insanity around -his children. And on what are their teachings -based? On general poverty and discontent with -poverty. And we ought to say to him straight -out, 'Thou art the father, and thou art rich. -Then give the riches thou hast accumulated to thy -people. Thus thou wilt cut off the root of the -evil, and everything will have been saved by thy -hand.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hunchback drew up his shoulders, and -spread his mouth into a wide, thin crack.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>"They'll send us to the mines for that."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then he looked into Yevsey's face and at the -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov listened to the reading and the conversation -as to a fairytale, and felt that all the -words entered his head and fixed themselves forever -in his memory. With parted lips and popping -eyes he looked now at one, now at the other, -and did not drop his gaze even when the dark look -of the hunchback fastened upon his face. He was -fascinated by the proceedings.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Anyway," said the hunchback, "this is inconvenient."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it, Klimkov?" asked the Smokestack -glumly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey's throat grew dry, and he did not answer -at once.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am listening."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Suddenly he realized by their faces that they -did not believe him, that they were afraid of him. -He rose from the table, and said, getting his words -mixed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't say anything to a soul—I need it myself. -Please let me listen—why, I myself said to -you, Kapiton Ivanovich, that things ought to be -different."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see?" said the Smokestack crossly, pointing -at Yevsey. "You see, Anton, what does it -mean? Still a boy, a little boy, yet, he, too, says -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>things should be different. That's where they get -their strength from."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes," said the hunchback.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey grew timid, and dropped back on his -chair. The Smokestack, moving his eyelids, bent -toward him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will tell you—we are writing a letter to the -Czar. We ask him to take more rigorous measures -against those who are under supervision for -political infidelity. Do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I understand."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Those people," the hunchback began to say -clearly and slowly, "are agents of foreign governments, -chiefly of England. They receive huge salaries -for stirring up the Russian people to revolt -and for weakening the power of the government. -The Englishmen do it so that we should not take -India from them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They spoke to Yevsey by turns. When one had -finished, the other took up the word. He listened -attentively trying to remember their strange, eloquent -flow of language. Finally, however, he -tired from the unusual exertion of his brain. It -seemed to him he would soon understand something -huge, which would illuminate the whole of -life and all people, their entire misfortune and their -malicious irritation. It was inexpressibly pleasant -for him to recognize that two wise men spoke to -him as to an adult, and he was powerfully gripped -by a feeling of gratitude and respect for these men, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>poorly dressed and so preoccupied with deliberations -upon the construction of a new life. But -now, his head grown heavy, as if filled with lead, -he involuntarily closed his eyes, oppressed by a -painful sensation of fullness in his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go, lie down and sleep," said the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov rose obediently, undressed, and lay -down on the sofa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The autumn night breathed warm fragrant moisture -into the window. Thousands and thousands -of bright stars quivered in the dark sky, flying up -higher and higher. The fire of the lamp flickered, -and likewise tore itself upward. The two men -bending toward each other read and spoke gravely -and quietly. Everything round about was mysterious, -awe-inspiring. It lifted Yevsey upward -pleasantly, to something new, to something good.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c005'>When Yevsey had been living with Kapiton -Ivanovich only a few days, he began to feel -he was of some consequence. Formerly he had -talked quietly and respectfully with the gendarmes -who served in the chancery. Now, however, he -called the old man Butenko to him in a stern voice, -in order to administer a rebuke.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look, flies in my inkstand! How can I write -with flies in my ink?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The grey soldier covered with crosses and medals -entered into his usual nonchalant, many-worded -explanation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There are all in all thirty-four inkstands here, -and there are thousands of flies. All the flies want -to drink. That's why they crawl into the inkstands. -What are they to do?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wash it, and put in fresh ink," ordered Klimkov. -Then he walked into the dressing-room, -where he stationed himself before the looking-glass -and carefully regarded his thin face, grey and -angular, with its sharp little nose and narrow lips. -He searched for signs of a mustache, looked into -his watery and uncertain eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must get my hair cut," he decided after failing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>to smooth the thin, light tufts of hair on his -head. "And I ought to wear starched collars; my -neck is too thin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The very same evening he got his hair cut, -bought two collars, and felt himself still more a -man.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack was attentive and kind in his -behavior toward Yevsey, but often a smile of derision -gleamed in his eyes which somewhat disconcerted -and awed the young fellow. Whenever the -hunchback came, the old man's face assumed a preoccupied -expression, and his voice sounded stern. -He cut short almost everything the other man said -with an objection:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's not that—it's not so—no, you're no -wiser than I am—your brain is like a poor gun, it -scatters the thought on all sides. You ought to -shoot so that the whole charge goes in the same -direction."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hunchback shook his head sadly, and answered -in a thick voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait. Good work cannot be done in a day. -You must keep at it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Time flies, the enemy grows."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"By the way, I noticed a man the other day," -said the hunchback, "who took lodgings not far -from my place. He was tall, had a pointed beard -and screwed-up eyes, and walked quickly. I asked -the dvornik where he was working. He told me -the man had come to look for a position. I immediately -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>wrote a letter to the Department of -Safety. You see?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Smokestack interrupted his talk with a wide -sweep of his arm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's not important. The house is damp, -that's why there are roaches in it. You won't get -rid of them that way. The house must be made -dry."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another time in the course of the evening the -Smokestack said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am a soldier. I commanded half a company, -and I understand life. It is necessary for -everybody to be thoroughly familiar with the laws -and regulations. Such knowledge produces unanimity. -What hinders knowledge of the law? -Poverty and stupidity; stupidity in itself being a -result of poverty. Why doesn't he fight poverty? -In want is the root of human folly and of hostility -to him, the Czar."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey greedily swallowed the old man's words, -and believed them. The root of all human misfortune -is poverty. That was clear and simple. -Hence come envy, malice, cruelty. Hence also -greed and the fear of life common to all people, -the apprehension of one another. The Smokestack's -plan was also simple. The Czar was rich, -the people poor; then let the Czar give the people -his riches, and all would be contented and good.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey's attitude toward people changed. He -remained as obliging as before, but became more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>self-assertive, and began to look upon others condescendingly, -with the eyes of a man who understands -the secret of life and can point out where the -road lies to peace and calm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He felt the need for boasting of his knowledge; -so once, when lunching in the café with Yakov -Zarubin, he proudly expounded everything he had -heard from the old man and his hunchback friend.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin's narrow eyes flashed. He fidgetted in -his seat, and for some reason rumpled his hair by -thrusting the fingers of both hands through it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's true, by golly!" he exclaimed in an -undertone. "What the devil—really! He has -thousands of millions, and we are perishing here. -Who taught you all that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nobody," said Yevsey firmly. "I thought -it out myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, tell me the truth. Where did you hear -it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I tell you, I came to the conclusion myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov looked at him with satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If that's so," he said, "you haven't a bad -head. But you're lying."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt affronted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's all the same to me whether you believe -me or not. It's the worse for you if you don't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For me?" asked Yakov, and for some reason -burst out laughing, merrily and vigorously rubbing -his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two days later the assistant captain Komov and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>a grey-eyed gentleman with a round close-cropped -head and a bored yellow face, came up to Yevsey's -table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov, betake yourself to the Department -of Safety," said the captain clearly and ominously. -"Is your desk locked?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose, but his legs trembled, and he dropped -into his chair again. The crop-haired man -drew nearer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Permit me," he said drily, then pulled out the -table drawer and took out the papers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Weak and uncomprehending Klimkov recovered -his senses in a half dark room at a desk covered -with green felt. A wave of anguish rose and fell in -his breast. The floor heaved and billowed under -his feet, and the walls of the room, filled, as it were -with green dusk, turned around steadily. Over -the table rose a man's white face framed in a thick -black beard and spotted by gleaming blue eye-glasses. -Yevsey kept his eyes fastened on the glass -of the spectacles, on the blue bottomless darkness, -which drew him like a magnet and seemed to suck -the blood from his veins. Without waiting for a -question Klimkov quietly told about the Smokestack -and his hunchback friend. He had understood -their talks well, and now spoke connectedly -in great detail. He seemed to be removing a thin -layer of skin from his heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A high voice, which cut the ear, interrupted him.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>"So? So these jackasses say the emperor the -Czar is the fault of everything?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man with the blue glasses slowly stretched -out his hand, put the telephone receiver to his ear, -and asked in a sportive tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Belkin, that you? Yes? See to it, old fellow, -that search is made to-night in the rooms of -two scoundrels. Arrest them. Eh—eh—a -clerk in the chancery department, Kapiton Reüsov. -Eh—eh—and a functionary of the court of exchequer—Anton -Driagin—what? Well, yes, -of course."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey seized the edge of the table with his -hand, feeling a dull pain in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So, my friend," said the man with the black -beard, throwing himself back on the armchair. -He smoothed his beard with both hands, played -with his pencil, flung it on the table, and thrust his -hands into his trousers' pockets. He was silent for -a painfully long time, then he asked sternly, emphasizing -each word:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What am I to do with you now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forgive me," came from Yevsey in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov?" mused the black-bearded man, ignoring -Yevsey's reply. "Seems to me I heard -the name somewhere."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forgive me," repeated Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you feel yourself very guilty?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>"That's good. What do you feel guilty of?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov was silent. He felt as if the black-bearded -man sitting so comfortably and calmly in -his chair would never let him leave the room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't know? Think!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov drew more air into his lungs, and began -to tell of Rayisa and how she had suffocated the -old man.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Lukin?" the man with the blue goggles -queried, yawning indifferently. "Aha, that's why -your name is familiar to me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked over to Yevsey, lifted his chin with -his finger, and looked into his face for a few -seconds. Then he rang.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A heavy tramp was heard, and a big pockmarked -fellow with huge wrists appeared at the door, and -looked at Yevsey. He had a terrifying way of -spreading his red fingers like claws.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take him, Semyonov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To the corner cell?" asked the fellow in -a hollow voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come," said Semyonov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov wanted to drop on his knees. He -was already bending his legs, when the fellow -seized him under the arm, and pulled him through -the long corridor, down the stone stairway.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter, brat? Frightened?" he -said, pushing Yevsey through a small door. -"Such a spider, no face, no skin, yet a rebel!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>His words completely crushed Yevsey. He -walked forward with out-stretched hands, and -bumped against the wall. When he heard the -heavy clang of the iron door behind him, he -squatted on the floor, putting his hands about -his knees and raising his knees to his drooping -head. A heavy silence descended upon him. It -seemed to him he would die instantly. Suddenly -he jumped from the floor, and ran about the room -like a mouse. His groping hands felt the palette -covered with a rough blanket, a table, a chair. -He ran to the door, touched it, noticed in the wall -opposite a little square window, and rushed toward -the window. It was below the level of the ground. -The area between the ground and the outer wall -was laid over with horizontal bars through which -the snow sifted with a soft swish, creeping down -the dirty panes. Klimkov turned noiselessly -toward the door, and leaned his forehead upon it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forgive me. Let me out," he whispered in -his anguish.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then he dropped on the floor again, and lost -consciousness, drowned in a wave of despair.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>The days and nights dragged along in black and -grey stripes, slowly poisoning Yevsey's soul, -biting into it and enfeebling it. They crept by in -dumb stillness, filled with ominous threats and -forebodings. They said nothing of when they -would end their slow racking course. In Yevsey's -soul everything grew silent and numb. He did -not dare, was unable to, think; and when he paced -his cage, he tried to make his steps inaudible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the tenth day he was again set before the -man in the blue glasses. The man who had -brought him there the first time was also present.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not very pleasant, eh, Klimkov?" the dark -man asked, smacking his thick red lower lip. His -high voice made an odd splashing sound as if he -were laughing inside himself. The reflection of -the electric light upon the blue glass of his spectacles -sent strong rays into Yevsey's empty breast, -and filled him with slavish readiness to do everything -necessary to end these slimy days which sank -into darkness and threatened madness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let me go," he said quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, I will, and more besides. I will take you -into the service. Now you will yourself put people -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>into the place from which you have just been -taken—into the same place and into other cosy -little rooms." He laughed, smacking his lip. -Klimkov bowed. "The late Lukin interceded for -you; and in memory of his honest service I will -give you a position. You will receive twenty-five -rubles a month to begin with."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His words entered Yevsey's breast and memory, -and disposed themselves in a row, as if a commanding -hand had written them there. He bowed -again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This man, Piotr Petrovich, will be your chief -and teacher. You must do everything he tells you. -Do you understand?" He turned to the other -man. "So it's decided—he will live with -you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well," came the response with unexpected -loudness. "That will be more convenient -for me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The dark man turning again to Yevsey began to -speak to him in a softened voice, telling him something -soothing and promising. Yevsey tried to -take in his words, and followed the heavy movement -of the red lip under the mustache without -winking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Remember, you will now guard the sacred -person of the Czar from attempts upon his life and -upon his sacred power. You understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I thank you humbly," said Yevsey quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>Piotr Petrovich pushed his hat up on his forehead.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will explain everything to him," he interjected -hastily. "It is time for me to go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go, go. Well, Klimkov, off with you. Serve -well, brother, and you will be satisfied. You will -be happy. All the same don't forget that you took -part in the murder of the secondhand book-dealer -Raspopov. You confessed to it yourself, and -I took your testimony down in writing. Do you -understand? Well, so long."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Filip Filippovich nodded his head, and his stiff -beard, which seemed to be cut from wood, moved -in unison with it. Then he held out to Yevsey a -white bloated hand with a number of gold rings -on the short fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey closed his eyes, and started.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a scarey fellow you are, brother!" -Filip Filippovich ejaculated in a thin voice, and -laughed a glassy laugh. "Now you have nothing -and nobody to fear. You are now the servant -of the Czar, and ought to be self-assured and -bold. You stand on firm ground. Do you -comprehend?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey walked out into the street, he -could not catch his breath. He staggered, and -almost fell. Piotr, raising the collar of his overcoat, -looked around and waved to a cab.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We will ride home—to my house," he said -in a low tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>Yevsey looked at him from the corners of his -eyes, and almost uttered a cry. Piotr's smooth-shaven -face had suddenly grown a small light -mustache.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, why are you gaping at me in that -fashion?" he asked gruffly, in annoyance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey dropped his head, trying in spite of -his wish to do so, not to look into the face of the -new master of his destiny. Piotr did not speak -to him throughout the ride, but kept counting -something on his fingers, bending them one after -the other and knitting his brows and biting his -lips. Occasionally he called out angrily to the -driver:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurry!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was cold, sleet was falling, and splashing -sounds floated in the air. It seemed to Yevsey that -the cab was quickly rolling down a steep mountain -into a black dirty ravine.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They stopped at a large three-storied house. -Most of the windows in three rows were dark -and blind. Only a few gleamed a sickly yellow -from the illumination within. Streams of water -poured from the roof sobbing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go up the steps," commanded Piotr, who -was now sans mustache.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They ascended the steps and walked through -a long corridor past a number of white doors. -Yevsey thought the place was a prison, but the -thick odor of fried onion and blacking did not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>accord with his conception of a prison. Piotr -quickly opened one of the white doors, turned on -two electric lights, and carefully scrutinized all the -corners of the room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If anybody asks you who you are," he said -drily and quickly while removing his hat and -overcoat, "say you are my cousin. You came -from the Tzarskoe Selo to look for a position. -Remember—don't make a break."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr's face wore a preoccupied expression, his -eyes were cheerless, his speech abrupt, his thin lips -twitched. He rang, and thrust his head out of -the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ivan, bring in the samovar," he called.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey standing in a corner of the room looked -around dismally, in vague expectation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take off your coat, and sit down. You will -have the next room to yourself," said the spy, -quickly unfolding a card table. He took from -his pocket a note-book and a pack of cards, which -he laid out for four hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You understand, of course," he went on without -looking at Klimkov, "you understand that -ours is a secret business. We must keep under -cover, or else they'll kill us as they killed Lukin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Was he killed?" asked Yevsey quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said Piotr unconcernedly. He wiped -his forehead and examined the cards. "Deal one -thousand two hundred and fourteen—I have the -ace, seven of hearts, queen of clubs." He made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>a note in his book, and without raising his head -continued to speak to himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he calculated the cards, he mumbled -indistinctly with a preoccupied air; but when he -instructed Yevsey, he spoke drily, clearly, and -rapidly. "Revolutionists are enemies of the Czar -and God—ten of diamonds—three—Jack of -spades—they are bought by the Germans in -order to bring ruin upon Russia. We Russians -have begun to do everything ourselves, and for -the Germans—king, five and nine—the devil! -The sixteenth coincidence!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr Petrovich suddenly grew jolly, his eyes -gleamed, and his face assumed a sleek, satisfied -expression.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What was I saying?" he asked Yevsey looking -up at him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The Germans."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, yes! The Germans are greedy, they are -enemies of the Russian people, they want to -conquer us. They want us to buy all our goods -from them, and give them our bread. The -Germans have no bread—queen of diamonds—all -right—two of hearts, ten of clubs, ten—" -Screwing up his eyes he looked up at the ceiling, -sighed, and shuffled the cards. "In general, all -foreigners envious of the wealth and power of -Russia—one thousand two hundred and fifteenth -deal—want to create a revolt in our country, dethrone -the Czar, and—three aces—hmm!—and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>place their own officials everywhere, their own -rulers over us in order to rob us and ruin us. -You don't want this to happen, do you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't," said Yevsey, who understood nothing, -and followed the quick movements of the card-player's -fingers with a dull look.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course, nobody wants it," remarked Piotr -pensively. He laid out the cards again, and -stroked his cheeks meditatively. "You are a -Russian, and you cannot want that—that—this -should happen—therefore you ought to fight the -revolutionaries, agents of the foreigners, and -defend the liberty of Russia, the power and life of -the Czar. That's all. Did you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Afterward you will see the way it must be -done. The only thing I'll tell you beforehand is, -don't dwaddle. Carry out all orders precisely. -We fellows ought to have eyes in back as well as -in front. If you haven't, you'll get it good and -hard on all sides—ace of spades, seven of diamonds, -ten of clubs."</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was a knock at the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Open the door."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A red, curly-haired man entered carrying a -samovar on a tray.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ivan, this is my cousin. He will live here -with me. Get the next room ready for him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, sir. Mr. Chizhov was here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Drunk?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>"A little. He wanted to come in."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Make tea, Yevsey," said the spy after the -servant had left the room. "Get yourself a glass -and drink some tea. What salary did you get in -the police department?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nine rubles a month."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You have no money now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You've got to have some, and you must order -a suit for yourself. One suit won't do. You -must notice everybody, but nobody must notice -you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He again mumbled calculations of the cards. -Yevsey, while noiselessly serving the tea, tried to -straighten out the strange impressions of the day. -But he was not successful. He felt sick. He was -chilled through and through, and his hands shook. -He wanted to stretch himself out in a corner, close -his eyes, and lie motionless for a long time. -Words and phrases repeated themselves disconnectedly -in his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you guilty of, then?" Filip -Filippovich asked in a thin voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They killed Dorimedont Lukin," the spy announced -drily; then exclaimed joyfully, "The -sixteenth coincidence!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will choke yourself," said Rayisa in an -even voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was a powerful rap on the door. Piotr -raised his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>"Is it you, Sasha?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, open the door," an angry voice -answered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Yevsey opened the door, a tall man -loomed before him, swaying on long legs. The -ends of his black mustache reached to the bottom -of his chin. The hairs of it must have been -stiff and hard as a horse's, for each one stuck -out by itself. When he removed his hat, he displayed -a bald skull. He flung the hat on the -bed, and rubbed his face vigorously with both -hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you throwing your wet hat on my -bed?" observed Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The devil take your bed!" said the guest -through his nose.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yevsey, hang up the overcoat."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The visitor seated himself, stretching out his -long legs and lighting a cigarette.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's that—Yevsey?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My cousin. Will you have some tea?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We're all akin in our natural skin. Have -you whiskey?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr told Klimkov to order a bottle of whiskey -and some refreshments. Yevsey obeyed, then -seated himself at the table, putting the samovar -between his face and the visitor's, so as not to -be seen by him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How's business, card sharper?" he asked, -nodding his head at the cards.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>Piotr suddenly half raised himself from the -chair, and said animatedly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have found out the secret! I have found -out the secret!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You have found it out?" queried the visitor. -"Fool!" he exclaimed, drawling the word and -shaking his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr seized the note-book and rapping his -fingers on it continued in a hot whisper:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait, Sasha. I have had the sixteenth coincidence -already. You get the significance of that? -And I made only one one thousand two hundred -and fourteen deals. Now the cards keep repeating -themselves oftener and oftener. I must make -two thousand seven hundred and four deals. You -understand? Fifty-two times fifty-two. Then -make all the deals over again thirteen times, -according to the number of cards in each color. -Thirty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty-two -times. And repeat these deals four times according -to the number of colors. One hundred and -forty thousand six hundred and eight times."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Fool!" the visitor again drawled through his -nose, shaking his head and curling his lips in -a sneer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, Sasha, why? Explain!" Piotr cried -softly. "Why, then I'll know all the deals possible -in a game. Think of it! I'll look at my -cards—" he held the book nearer to his face and -began to read quickly—"ace of spades, seven -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>of diamonds, ten of clubs. So of the other players -one has king of hearts, five and ten of diamonds, -and the other, ace, seven of hearts, queen -of clubs, and the third has queen of diamonds, two -of hearts, and ten of clubs."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His hands trembled, sweat glistened on his -temples, his face became young, good, and kind.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov peering from behind the samovar saw -on Sasha's face large dim eyes with red veins -on the whites, a coarse big nose, which seemed -to be swollen, and a net of pimples spread on -the yellow skin of his forehead from temple to -temple like the band worn by the dead. He -radiated an acrid, unpleasant odor. The man recalled -something painful to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr pressed the book to his breast, and waved -his hand in the air.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I shall then be able to play without a single -miss," he whispered ecstatically. "Hundreds of -thousands, millions, will be lost to me, and there -won't be any sharp practice, any jugglery in it, -a matter of my knowledge—that's all. Everything -strictly within the law."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He struck his chest so severe a blow with -his fist that he began to cough. Then he dropped -on his chair, and laughed quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why don't they bring the whiskey?" -growled Sasha, throwing the stump of his cigarette -on the floor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yevsey, go tell—" Piotr began quickly, but at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>that instant there was a knock at the door. -"Are you drinking again?" Piotr asked smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha stretched out his hand for the bottle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not yet, but I will be in a second."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's bad for you with your sickness."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Whiskey is bad for healthy people, too. -Whiskey and the imagination. You, for instance, -will soon be an idiot."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't. Don't be uneasy."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will. I know mathematics. I see you -are a blockhead."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Everyone has his own mathematics," replied -Piotr, disgruntled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Shut up!" said Sasha, slowly sipping the glass -of whiskey and smelling a piece of bread. Having -drained the first glass, he immediately filled another -for himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-day," he began, bending his head and -resting his hands on his knees, "I spoke to the -general again. I made a proposition to him. I -said, 'Now give me means, and I'll unearth people. -I will open a literary club, and trap the very -best scamps for you, all of them.' He puffed his -cheeks, and stuck out his belly and said—the -jackass!—'I know better what has to be done, -and how it has to be done.' He knows everything. -But he doesn't know that his mistress danced naked -before Von Rutzen, or that his daughter had an -abortion performed." He drained the second -glass of whiskey, and filled the third. "Everybody's -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>a blackguard and a skunk. It's impossible -to live! Once Moses ordered 23,000 syphilitics -to be killed. At that time there weren't many -people, mark you. If I had the power I would -destroy a million."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yourself first?" suggested Piotr smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha sniffed without answering, as if in a -delirium.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All those liberals, generals, revolutionists, dissolute -women—I'd make a large pyre of them -and burn them. I would drench the earth with -blood, manure it with the ashes of the corpses. -There would be a rich crop. Satiated muzhiks -would elect satiated officials. Man is an animal, -and he needs rich pastures, fertile fields. The -cities ought to be destroyed, and everything superficial, -everything that hinders me and you from -living simply as the sheep and roosters—to the -devil with it all!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>His viscid rank-smelling words fairly glued -themselves to Yevsey's heart. It was difficult -and dangerous to listen to them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Suddenly they will summon me and ask me -what he said. Maybe he's speaking on purpose to -trap me. Then they'll seize me." He trembled -and moved uneasily in his chair. "May I go?" -he requested of Piotr quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To my room."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, yes, go on."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>"Got frightened, the donkey!" remarked Sasha -without lifting his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go on, go on," repeated Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov undressed noiselessly without making -a light. He groped for the bed in the dark, and -rolled himself up closely in the cold, damp sheet. -He wanted to see nothing, to hear nothing, he -wanted to squeeze himself into a little unnoticeable -lump. The snuffled words of Sasha clung in his -memory. Yevsey thought he smelt his odor and -saw the red band on the yellow forehead. As a -matter of fact the irritated exclamations came in to -him through the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am a muzhik myself, I know what's necessary."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Without wishing to do so Yevsey listened -intently. He racked his brain to recall the person -of whom this sick man so full of rancor reminded -him, though he actually dreaded lest he should -remember.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was dark and cold. Behind the black panes -rocked the dull reflections of the light, disappearing -and reappearing. A thin scraping sound was -audible. The wind-swept rain knocked upon the -panes in heavy drops.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Shall I enter a monastery?" Klimkov mused -mournfully, and suddenly he remembered God, -whose name he had seldom heard in his life in the -city. He had not thought of Him the whole time. -In his heart always full of fear and insult there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>had been no place for hope in the mercy of Heaven. -But now it unexpectedly appeared, and suffused -his breast with warmth, extinguishing his heavy, -dull despair. He jumped from bed, kneeled on -the floor, and firmly pressed his hands to his bosom. -He turned his face to the dark corner of the -room, closed his eyes, and waited without uttering -words, listening to the beating of his heart. But -he was exceedingly tired. The cold pricked his -skin with thousands of sharp needles. He -shivered, and lay down again in bed, and fell -asleep.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIV</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c005'>When Yevsey awoke he saw that in the corner -to which he had directed his mute prayer -there were no ikons, but two pictures on the wall, -one representing a hunter with a green feather in -his hat kissing a stout girl, the other a fair-haired -woman with naked bosom, holding a flower in her -hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He sighed as he looked around his room without -interest. When he had washed and dressed he -seated himself at the window. The middle of the -street upon which he looked, the pavements, and -the houses were all dirty. The horses plodded -along shaking their heads, damp drivers sat on the -box-seats, also shaking as if they had come unscrewed. -The people as always were hurrying -somewhere. To-day, when splashed with mud, -they seemed less dangerous than usual.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was hungry. But he did not know -whether he had the right to ask for tea and -bread, and remained motionless as a stone until -he heard a knock on the wall, upon which he -went to the door of Piotr's room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you had tea yet?" asked the spy, who -was still lying in bed.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ask for it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr stuck his bare feet out of the bed, and -looked at his fingers as he stretched them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll drink tea, and then you'll go with me," -he said yawning. "I'll show you a man, and -you will follow him. You must go wherever he -goes, you understand? Note the time he enters -a house and how long he stays there. If he leaves -the house, or meets another man on the way, notice -the appearance of that man and then—well, you -won't understand everything at the very first." -Piotr looked at Klimkov, whistled quietly, and -turning aside continued lazily, "Last night Sasha -babbled about various things here—he upbraided -everybody—don't think of saying anything about -it. Take care. He's a sick man, and drinks, but -he's a power. <i>You</i> can't hurt <i>him</i>, but <i>he'll</i> eat -<i>you</i> up alive. Remember that. Why, brother, he -was a student once himself, and he knows their -business down to a 't.' He was even put in prison -for political offence. And now he gets a hundred -rubles a month, and not only Filip Filippovich but -even the general calls on him for advice. Yes, -indeed." Piotr drew his flabby face, crumpled -with sleep, in a frown, his grey eyes lowered with -dissatisfaction. He dressed while he spoke in a -bored, grumbling voice. "Our work is not a -joke. If you catch people by their throats in a -trice, then of course—but first you must tramp -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>about a hundred versts for each one, and sometimes -more. You must know where each man was -at a given time, with whom he was, in fact, you -have to know everything—everything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The evening before, notwithstanding the agitations -of the day; Klimkov had found Piotr an -interesting, clever person. Now, however, seeing -that he spoke with an effort, that he moved about -reluctantly, and that everything dropped from his -hands, Yevsey felt bolder in his presence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Must we walk the streets the whole day -long?" he plucked up the courage to ask.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sometimes you have a night outing, too, in the -cold, thirty degrees Centigrade. A very evil -demon invented our profession."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And when they all will have been caught?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The unfaithful ones, the enemies."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Say revolutionists, or political offenders. You -and I won't catch everyone of them. They all -seem to be born twins."</p> - -<p class='c006'>At tea Piotr opened his book. On looking into -it, he suddenly grew animated. He jumped from -his chair, quickly laid out the cards, and began to -calculate—"One thousand two hundred and sixteenth -deal. I have three of spades, seven of -hearts, ace of diamonds."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before leaving the house he put on a black overcoat -and an imitation sheepskin cap, and stuck a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>portfolio in his hand, making himself look like -an official.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't walk alongside me on the street," he -said sternly, "and don't speak to me. I will -enter a certain house; you go into the dvornik's -lodging, tell him you have to wait for Timofeyev. -I'll soon—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fearing he would lose Piotr in the crowd -Yevsey walked behind him without removing his -eyes from his figure. But all of a sudden Piotr -disappeared. Klimkov was at a loss. He rushed -forward, then stopped, and pressed himself against -a lamp-post. Opposite him rose a large house -with gratings over the dark windows of the first -story. Through the narrow entrance he saw a -bleak gloomy yard paved with large stones. -Klimkov was afraid to enter. He looked all -around him uneasily shifting from one foot to the -other.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A man with a reddish little beard now walked -out with hasty steps. He wore a sort of sleeveless -jacket and a cap with a visor pulled down on -his forehead. He winked his grey eyes at -Yevsey, and said in a low tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come here. Why didn't you go to the -dvornik?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I lost you," Yevsey admitted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Lost? Look out! You might get it in the -neck for that. Listen. Three doors away from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>here is the Zemstvo Board building. A man will -soon leave the place who works there. His name -is Dmitry Ilyich Kurnosov. Remember. You are -to follow him. You understand? Come, and I -will show him to you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several minutes later Klimkov like a little dog -was quickly following a man in a worn overcoat -and a crumpled black hat. The man was large -and strong. He walked rapidly, swung a cane, -and rapped it on the asphalt vigorously. Black -hair with a sprinkling of grey fell from under his -hat on his ears and the back of his neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was suddenly overcome by a feeling of -pity, which was a rare thing with him. It imperiously -demanded action. Perspiring from -agitation he darted across the street in short steps, -ran forward, recrossed the street, and met the man -breast to breast. Before him flashed a dark-bearded -face, with meeting brows, a smile reflected -in blue eyes, and a broad forehead seamed with -wrinkles. The man's lips moved. He was -evidently singing or speaking to himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov stopped and wiped the perspiration -from his face with his hands. Then he followed -the man with bent head and eyes cast to the ground, -raising them only now and then in order not to -lose the object of his observation from sight.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not young," he thought. "A poor man -apparently. It all comes from poverty and from -fear, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>He remembered the Smokestack, and trembled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He'll kill me," he thought. Then he grew -sorry for the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The buildings looked down upon him with dim, -tired eyes. The noise of the street crept into his -ears insistently, the cold liquid mud squirted and -splashed. Klimkov was overcome by a sense of -gloomy monotony. He recalled Rayisa, and was -drawn to move aside, away from the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man he was tracking stopped at the steps of -a house, pushed the bell button, raised his hat, -fanned his face with it, and flung it back on his -head, leaving bare part of a bald skull. Yevsey -stationed himself five steps away at the curb. He -looked pityingly into the man's face, and felt the -need to tell him something. The man observed -him, frowned, and turned away. Yevsey, disconcerted, -dropped his head, and sat down on the -curb.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If he only had insulted me," he thought. -"But this way, without any provocation, it's not -good, it's not good."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"From the Department of Safety?" he heard a -low hissing voice. The question was asked by a -tall reddish muzhik with a dirty apron and a -broom in his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," responded Yevsey, and the very same -instant thought, "I ought not to have told him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A new one again?" remarked the janitor. -"You are all after Kurnosov?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So? Tell the officers that this morning a -guest came to him from the railroad station with -trunks, three trunks. He hasn't registered yet -with the police. He has twenty-four hours' time. -A little sort of a pretty fellow with a small mustache. -He wears clean clothes." The dvornik -ran the broom over the pavement several times, and -sprinkled Yevsey's shoes and trousers with mud. -Presently he stopped to remark, "You can be seen -here. They aren't fools either, they notice your -kind. You ought to stand at the gates."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey obediently stepped to the gates. Suddenly -he noticed Yakov Zarubin on the other side -of the street wearing a new overcoat and gloves -and carrying a cane. The black derby hat was -tilted on his head, and as he walked along the pavement -he smiled and ogled like a street girl confident -of her beauty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good morning," he said, looking around. "I -came to replace you. Go to Somov's café on Lebed -Street, ask for Nikolay Pavlov there."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you in the Department of Safety, too?" -asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I got there ten days before you. Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at him, at his beaming swart countenance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Was it you who told about me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And didn't you betray the Smokestack?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>After thinking a while Yevsey answered glumly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did it after you had betrayed me. You were -the only one I told."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you were the only one the Smokestack -told. Ugh!" Yakov laughed, and gave Yevsey -a poke on the shoulder. "Go quick, you crooked -chicken!" He walked by Yevsey's side swinging -his cane. "This is a good position. I understand -so much. You can live like a lord, walk -about, and look at everything. You see this suit? -Now the girls show me especial attention."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Soon he took leave of Yevsey, and turned back -quickly. Klimkov following him with an inimical -glance fell to thinking. He considered Yakov a -dissolute, empty fellow, whom he placed lower than -himself, and it was offensive to see him so well satisfied -and so elegantly dressed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He informed against me. If I told about the -Smokestack it was out of fear. But why did he -do it?" He made mental threats against Yakov. -"Wait, we will see who's the better man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he asked at the café for Nikolay Pavlov, -he was shown a stairway, which he ascended. At -the top he heard Piotr's voice on the other side of -a door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There are fifty-two cards to a pack. In the -city in my district there are thousands of people, -and I know a few hundred of them maybe. I -know who lives with whom, and what and where -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>each of them works. People change, but cards -remain one and the same."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Besides Sasha there was another man in the room -with Piotr, a tall, well-built person, who stood at -the window reading a paper, and did not move -when Yevsey entered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a stupid mug!" were the words with -which Sasha met Yevsey, fixing an evil look upon -his face. "It must be made over. Do you hear, -Maklakov?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man reading the paper turned his head, and -looked at Yevsey with large bright eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," he said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr, who seemed to be excited and had dishevelled -hair, asked Yevsey what he had seen. -The remnants of dinner stood on the table; the -odor of grease and sauer-kraut titillated Yevsey's -nostrils, and gave him a keen appetite. He stood -before Piotr, who was cleaning his teeth with a -goose-quill, and in a dispassionate voice repeated -the information the janitor had given him. At the -first words of the account Maklakov put his hands -and the paper behind his back, and inclined his -head. He listened attentively twirling his mustache, -which like the hair on his head was a peculiar -light shade, a sort of silver with a tinge of yellow. -The clean, serious face with the knit brows and the -calm eyes, the confident pose of his powerful body -clad in a close-fitting, well made, sober suit, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>strong bass voice—all this distinguished Maklakov -advantageously from Piotr and Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did the janitor himself carry the trunks in?" -he asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He didn't say."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That means he did not carry them in. He -would have told you whether they were heavy or -light. They carried them in themselves. Evidently -that's the way it was."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The printing office?" asked Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Literature, the current number."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, we must have a search made," said -Sasha gruffly, and uttered an ugly oath, shaking his -fist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must find the printing-press. Get me type, -boys, and I'll fix up a printing-press myself. I'll -find the donkeys. We'll give them all that's necessary. -Then we'll arrest them, and we'll have lots -of money."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not a bad scheme!" exclaimed Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov looked at Yevsey, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you had your dinner yet?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take your dinner," said Piotr with a nod toward -the table. "Be quick about it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why treat him to remnants?" asked Maklakov -calmly. Then he stepped to the door, opened -it, and called out, "Dinner, please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You try," Sasha snuffled to Piotr, "to persuade -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>that idiot Afanasov to give us the printing-press -they seized last year."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well, I'll try," Piotr assented meditatively.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov did not look at them, but silently -twisted his mustache. Dinner was served. A -round pock-marked modest-looking man made his -appearance in the room at the same time as the -waiter. He smiled at everyone benevolently, and -shook Yevsey's hand vigorously.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My name is Solovyov," he said to him. -"Have you heard the news, friends? This evening -there will be a banquet of the revolutionists at -Chistov's hall. Three of our fellows will go -there as butlers, among others you, Piotr."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I again?" shouted Piotr, and his face became -covered with red blotches. His anger made him -look older. "The third time in two months that -I have had to play lackey! Excuse me! I don't -want to."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't address me on the subject," said Solovyov -affably.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What does it mean? Why do they choose just -me to be a servant?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You look like one," said Sasha, with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There will be three," Solovyov repeated sighing. -"What do you say to having some beer? -All right?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr opened the door, and shouted in an irritated -voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>"Half a dozen beer," and he went to the window -clenching his fists and cracking his knuckles.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you see, Maklakov?" said Sasha. -"Among us no one wants to work seriously, with -enthusiasm. But the revolutionists are pushing -right on—banquets, meetings, a shower of literature, -open propaganda in the factories!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov maintained silence, and did not look -at Sasha. Round Solovyov then took up the -word, smiling amiably.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I caught a girl to-day at the railroad station -with books. I had already noticed her in a villa -in the summer. 'Well,' thought I, 'amuse yourself, -my dear.' To-day, as I was walking in the -station with no people to track, I was looking -about, and there I see her marching along carrying -a handbag. I went up to her, and respectfully -proposed that she have a couple of words with me. -I noticed she started and paled, and hid the bag -behind her back. 'Ah,' thinks I, 'my dear little -stupid, you've gotten yourself into it.' Well, I -immediately took her to the police station, they -opened her luggage, and there was the last issue -of 'Emancipation' and a whole lot more of their -noxious trash. I took the girl to the Department -of Safety. What else was I to do? If you can't -get Krushin pike, you must eat blinkers. In the -carriage she kept her little face turned away from -me. I could see her cheeks burned and there were -tears in her eyes. But she kept mum. I asked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>her, 'Are you comfortable, madam?' Not a word -in reply."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov chuckled softly. Trembling rays of -wrinkles covered his face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who is she?" asked Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Dr. Melikhov's daughter."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah," drawled Sasha, "I know him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A respectable man. He has the orders of -Vladimir and Anna," remarked Solovyov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know him," repeated Sasha. "A charlatan, -like all the rest. He tried to cure me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God alone can cure you now," said Solovyov in -his affable tone. "You are ruining your health -quickly."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to the devil!" roared Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov asked without turning his gaze from -the window:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did the girl cry?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No. But she didn't exactly rejoice. You -know it's always unpleasant to me to take girls, because -in the first place I have a daughter myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you waiting for, Maklakov?" demanded -Sasha testily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Until he gets through eating his dinner. I -have time."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Say, you, chew faster!" Sasha bawled at Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes, hurry," Piotr observed drily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As he ate his dinner, Klimkov listened to the -talk attentively, and observed the people while he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>himself remained unnoticed. He noted with satisfaction -that all of them except Sasha did not seem -bad, not worse or more horrible than others. He -was seized with a desire to ingratiate himself with -them, make himself useful to them. He put down -the knife and fork, and quickly wiped his lips with -the soiled napkin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am done."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The door was flung open, and a loose-limbed fellow, -his dress in disorder, his body bent and stooping, -darted into the room, and hissed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ssh! Ssh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He thrust his head into the corridor, listened, -then carefully closed the door. "Doesn't it lock? -Where is the key?" He looked around, and drew -a deep breath. "Thank God!" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Eh, you dunce," sneered Sasha. "Well, what -is it? Do they want to lick you again?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man ran up to him. Panting and wiping -the sweat from his face, he began, to mutter in a -low voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They did, of course. They wanted to kill me -with a hammer. Two followed me from the -prison. I was there on business. As I walked out, -they were standing at the gate, two of them, and -one of them had a hammer in his pocket."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Maybe it was a revolver," suggested Solovyov -stretching his neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A hammer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you see it?" inquired Sasha sarcastically.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>"Ah, don't I know? They agreed to do me -up with a hammer, without making any noise. -One—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He adjusted his necktie, buttoned his coat, -searched for something in his pockets, and -smoothed his curly head, which was covered with -sweat. His hands incessantly flashed about his -body; they seemed ready to break off any moment. -His bony grey face was dank with perspiration, his -dark eyes rolled from side to side, now screwed up, -now opened wide. Suddenly they became fixed. -With unfeigned horror depicted in them they rested -upon Yevsey's face, as the man backed to the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who's that? Who's that?" he demanded -hoarsely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov went up to him, and took his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Calm yourself, Yelizar. He's one of our own, -a new one."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you know him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Jackass!" came Sasha's exasperated voice. -"You ought to see a physician."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you ever been pushed under a trolley -car? Not yet? Then wait before you call -names."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just look, Maklakov," began Sasha, but the -man continued in extreme excitement:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you ever been beaten at night by unknown -people? Do you understand? Unknown -people! There are hundreds of thousands such -people unknown to me in the city, hundreds of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>thousands. They are everywhere, and I am a -single one. I am always among them, do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now Solovyov began to speak in his soft, reassuring -voice, which was drowned, however, by the -new burst of words coming from the shattered man, -who carried in himself a whirlwind of fear. Klimkov -immediately grew dizzy, overwhelmed by the -alarming whisper of his talk, blinded by the motion -of his broken body, and the darting of his cowardly -hands. He expected that now something huge and -black would tear its way through the door, would -fill the room, and crush everybody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's time for us to go," said Maklakov, touching -his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When they were sitting in the cab Yevsey sullenly -remarked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am not fit for this work."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?" asked Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am timid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That'll pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing will pass away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Everything," rejoined Maklakov calmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was cold and dark, and sleet was falling. -The reflections of the lights lay upon the mud in -golden patches, which the people and horses -tramped upon and extinguished. The two men -were silent for a long time. Yevsey, his brain -empty, looked into space, and felt that Maklakov -was watching his face, in wait for something.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>"You'll get used to it," Maklakov went on, -"but if you have another position, leave it at once. -Have you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is it long since you've been in the Department -of Safety?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yesterday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That accounts for it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now where am I to go?" inquired Yevsey -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov instead of replying to the question -asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you relatives?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No. I have no one."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy leaned over, though without saying anything. -His eyes were half shut. As he drew his -breath through his nose, the thin hair of his mustache -quivered. The thick sounds of a bell floated -in the air, soft and warm, and the pensive song of -copper crept mournfully over the roofs of the -houses without rising under the heavy cloud that -covered the city with a solid dark canopy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-morrow is Sunday," said Maklakov in a -low tone. "Do you go to church?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know. Just so. It's close there."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do. I love the morning service. The -choristers sing, and the sun looks through the windows. -That is always good."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>Maklakov's simple words emboldened Yevsey. -He felt a desire to speak of himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It is nice to sing," he began. "When I was -a little boy I sang in the church in our village. -When I sang I didn't know where I was. It was -just the same as if I didn't exist."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here we are," said Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed, and looked sadly at the long -structure of the railway station, which all of a sudden -loomed up before them and barred the way.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They went to the platform where a large public -had already gathered, and leaned up against the -wall. Maklakov dropped his lids over his eyes, -and seemed to be falling into a doze. The -spurs of the gendarmes began to jingle, a well-shaped -woman with dark eyes and a swarthy face -laughed in a resonant young voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Remember the woman there who is laughing -and the man beside her," said Maklakov in a distinct -whisper. "Her name is Sarah Lurye, an -accoucheure. She lives in the Sadovoy, No. 7, -She was in prison and in exile, a very clever woman. -The old man is also a former exile, a journalist."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Suddenly Maklakov seemed to become frightened. -He pulled his hat down over his face with -a quick movement of his hand, and continued in a -still lower voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The tall man in the black suit and the shaggy -hat, red-haired, do you see him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>Yevsey nodded his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's the author Mironov. He has been in -prison four times already, in different cities. Do -you read books?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A pity. He writes interestingly."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The black iron worm with a horn on its head -and three fiery eyes uttered a scream, and glided -into the station, the metal of its huge body rumbling. -It stopped, and hissed spitefully, filling the -air with its thick white breath. The hot steamy -odor knocked Yevsey in the face. The black -bustling figures of people quickly darted before his -eyes, seeming strangely small in contrast with the -overwhelming size of the train.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was the first time Yevsey had seen the mass of -iron at such close range. It seemed alive and endowed -with feeling. It attracted his attention -powerfully, at the same time arousing a hostile, -painful premonition. The large red wheels turned, -the steel lever glittered, rising and falling like a -gigantic knife. Maklakov utter a subdued exclamation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing," answered the spy vexed. His -cheeks reddened, and he bit his lips. By his look -Yevsey guessed that he was following the author, -who was walking along without haste, twirling his -mustache. He was accompanied by an elderly, -thick-set man, with an unbuttoned coat and a summer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>hat on a large head. This man laughed aloud, -and exclaimed as he raised his bearded red face:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You understand? I rode and rode—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The author lifted his head, and bowed to somebody. -His head was smoothly shorn, his forehead -lofty. He had high cheek bones, a broad -nose, and narrow eyes. Klimkov found his face -coarse and disagreeable. There was something -military and harsh in it, due to his large red mustache.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come," said Maklakov. "They will probably -go together. You must be very careful. The -man who just arrived is an experienced man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the street they took a cab again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Follow that carriage," Maklakov said angrily -to the driver. He was silent for a long time, sitting -with bent back and swaying body. "Last -year in the summer," he finally muttered, "I was -in his house making a search."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The writer's house?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. Drive on farther," Maklakov ordered -quickly noticing that the cab in front had stopped. -"Quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A minute later he jumped from the cab, and -thrust some money into the driver's hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait," he said to Yevsey, and disappeared in -the damp darkness. Yevsey heard his voice. -"Excuse me, is this Yakovlev's house?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Someone answered in a hollow voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is Pertzev's."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>"And which is Yakovlev's?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Pardon me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey leaned against the fence, counting Maklakov's -tardy steps.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's a simple thing—just to follow people," -he thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy came up to him, and said in a satisfied -tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We have nothing to do here. To-morrow -morning you will put on a different suit, and we'll -keep an eye on this house."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They walked down the street. The sound of -Maklakov's talk kept knocking at Klimkov's ears -like the rumble of a drum.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Remember the faces, the dress, and the gait -of the people that pass this house. There are no -two people alike. Each one has something peculiar -to himself. You must learn at once to seize -upon this peculiar something in a person—in his -eyes, in his voice, in the way in which he holds out -his hands when he walks, in the manner in which he -lifts his hat in greeting. Our work above all demands -a good memory."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt that the spy talked with concealed -enmity toward him; which aggrieved him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You have an exceedingly marked face, especially -your eyes. That won't do. You mustn't go -about without a mask, without the dress peculiar to -a certain occupation. Your figure, you in general, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>resemble a hawker of dry-goods. So you ought to -carry about a box of stuffs, pins, needles, tape, -ribbon, and all sorts of trifles. I will see that you -get such a box. Then you can go into the kitchens -and get acquainted with the servants." Maklakov -was silent, removed his beard, fixed his hat, -and began to walk more slowly. "Servants are -always ready to do something unpleasant for the -masters. It's easy to get something out of them, -especially the women—cooks, nurses, chambermaids. -They like to gossip. However, I'm -chilled through," he ended in a different voice. -"Let's go to a café."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have no money."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's all right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the café he said to the owner in a stern voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Give me a glass of cognac, a large one, and -two beers. Will you have some cognac?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I don't drink," answered Yevsey, embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's good."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy looked carefully into Klimkov's face, -smoothed his mustache, closed his eyes for a minute, -and stretched his whole body, so that his bones -cracked. When he had drunk the cognac, he remarked -in an undertone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's good you are such a taciturn fellow. -What do you think about, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey dropped his head, and did not answer -at once.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>"About everything, about myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But what in particular?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov's eyes gleamed softly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I think perhaps it would be better for me to -enter a monastery," Yevsey answered sincerely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you believe in God?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a moment's thought Yevsey said as if -excusing himself:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do. Only I am not for God, but for myself. -What am I to God?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, let's drink."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov bravely gulped down a glass of beer. -It was cold and bitter, and sent a shiver through -his body. He licked his lips with his tongue, and -suddenly asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do they beat you often?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Me? Who?" the spy exclaimed amazed and -offended.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not you, but all the spies in general."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You must say 'agents,' not 'spies,'" Maklakov -corrected him smiling. "They get beaten, -yes, they get beaten. I have never been beaten."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He became lost in reflection. His shoulders -drooped, and a shadow crept over his white face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ours is a dog's occupation. People look -upon us in an ugly enough light." Suddenly his -face broke into a smile, and he bent toward Yevsey. -"Only once in five years did I see a man—human -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>conduct toward me. It was in Mironov's -house. I came to him with gendarmes in the uniform -of a sergeant-inspector. I was not well at -the time. I had fever, and was scarcely able to -stand on my feet. He received us civilly, with a -smile. He wore a slightly embarrassed air. Such -a large man, with long hands and a mustache like a -cat's. He walked with us from room to room, -addressed us all with the respectful plural 'you,' -and if he came in contact with any of us, he excused -himself. We all felt awkward in his presence—the -colonel, the procurator, and we small -fry. Everybody knew the man; his pictures appeared -in the newspapers. They say he's even -known abroad. And here we were paying him a -night visit! We felt sort of abashed. I noticed -him look at me. Then he walked up closer to me, -and said, 'You ought to sit down. You look as if -you were feeling ill. Sit down.' His words upset -me. I sat down, and I thought to myself, 'Go -away from me.' And he said, 'Will you take a -powder?' All of us were silent. I saw that no -one looked at me or him." Maklakov laughed -quietly. "He gave me quinine in a capsule, and I -chewed it. I began to feel an insufferable bitterness -in my mouth and a turmoil in my soul. I felt -I would drop if I tried to stand. Here the colonel -interfered, and ordered me to be taken to the police -office. The search just then happened to end. -The procurator excused himself to Mironov, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>said, 'I must arrest you.' 'Well, what of it?' he -said. 'Arrest me. Everyone does what he can.' -He said it so simply with a smile."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey liked the story. It touched his heart -softly, as if embracing it with a caress. The desire -awoke in him again to make himself useful to -Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's a good man," he thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy sighed. He called for another glass of -cognac, and sipped it slowly. He seemed suddenly -to grow thin, and he dropped his head on -the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey wanted to speak, to ask questions. Various -words darted about in disorder in his brain, -for some reason failing to arrange themselves in -intelligible and clear language. Finally, after many -efforts, Yevsey found what he wanted to ask.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He, too, is in the service of our enemies?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?" asked the spy, scarcely raising his -head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The writer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What enemies? What do you mean?" -The spy's face was mocking, and his lips curled in -aversion. Yevsey grew confused, and Maklakov -without awaiting his answer arose, and tossed a -silver coin on the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Charge it up," he said to someone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He put on his hat, and without a word to Klimkov -walked to the door. Yevsey followed on tiptoe, -not daring to put on his hat.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>"Be at the place at nine o'clock to-morrow. -You will be relieved at twelve," said Maklakov -in the street. He thrust his hands in his coat pockets, -and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He didn't say 'good-by,'" thought Yevsey -aggrieved, walking along the deserted street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he entered within the circles of light -thrown by the street lamps, he slackened his pace, -and instinctively hastened over the parts enveloped -in obscurity. He felt ill. Darkness surrounded -him on all sides. It was cold. The gluey, bitter -taste of beer penetrated from his mouth into his -chest, and his heart beat unevenly. Languid -thoughts stirred in his head like heavy flakes of -autumn snow.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, I've served a day. How they all are—these -different days. If only somebody liked -me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>At night Yevsey dreamed that his cousin Yashka -seated himself on his chest, seized him by the -throat, and choked him. He awoke, and heard -Piotr's angry dry thin voice in the other room:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I spit upon the Czar's empire and all this hum-buggery!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A woman laughed, and someone's thin voice -sounded:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hush, hush, don't bawl."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have no time to calculate who is right, and -who is wrong. I am not a fool, I am young, and -I ought to live. This rapscallion reads me lectures -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>about autocracy, and I fuss about for three -hours as a waiter, near every sort of scamp. My -feet ache, my back pains from the bows. If the -autocracy is dear to you, then don't be stingy with -your money. But I won't sell my pride to the -autocracy for a mere penny. To the devil with -it!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked drowsily through the window, -his gaze losing itself in the sleepy depth of the autumn -morning. Blinded, he quietly flung himself -back in bed, and again fell asleep.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several hours later he was sitting on the curb -opposite Pertzev's house. He walked back and -forth a long time, counted the windows in the -house, measured its width with his steps, studied in -all its details the grey front flabby with old age, -and finally grew tired. But he had not much time -to rest. The writer himself came out of the door -with an overcoat flung over his shoulders, no overshoes -on his feet, his hat on one side of his head. -He walked across the street straight up to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He will give me a slap in the face," thought -Yevsey, looking at the sullen face and the lowering -red brows. He tried to rise and go away, but was -unable to move, chained to the spot by fear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you sitting here?" he heard an angry -voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Get away from here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can't."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>"Here's a letter. Go. Give it to him who -sent you here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The large blue eyes commanded. Yevsey had -not the power to disobey the look. Turning his -face aside he mumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I—I—I have no permission—to take anything -from you—or to converse with you. I am -going away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, go away," the author commanded, and -for some reason smiled a morose smile.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov took the grey envelope, and walked -away, without asking himself where he was going. -He held the envelope in his right hand on a level -with his breast, as if it were something murderous, -threatening unknown misfortune. His fingers -ached as from cold.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is going to happen to me?" knocked -importunately at his brain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Suddenly he noticed the envelope was not sealed. -This amazed him. He stopped, looked around, -and quickly removed the letter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take this dunce away from me. Mironov," -he read.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He heaved a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must give this to Maklakov. He will scold -me. Maybe I ought to turn back. But it's not -necessary. Somebody else will come soon anyway."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>Though his fear had disappeared, Yevsey felt -sad from the realization of his unfitness for the position, -and he felt heavy at the thought that he had -again failed to suit the spy, whom he liked so much.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He found Maklakov at dinner in the company -of a little squint-eyed man dressed in black.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let me introduce you. Klimkov—Krasavin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey put his hand in his pocket to get out the -letter, and said in an embarrassed tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is the way it happened—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov held up his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will tell me later. Sit down, and have -your dinner."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His face was weary, his eyes dim, his light -straight hair dishevelled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Evidently got drunk yesterday," thought Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, Timofey Vasilyevich," the squint-eyed -man said coldly and solemnly. "You are not -right. There's something pleasant in every line of -work if you love it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov looked at him, and drank a large glass -of whiskey in one gulp.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They are people, we are people, that doesn't -signify anything. One says this, another says that, -and I do just as I please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The squint-eyed man noticed that Yevsey was -looking at his eyeballs as they rolled apart, and put -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>on a pair of glasses with tortoise-shell rims. His -movements were soft and alert, like a black cat's. -His teeth were small and sharp, his nose straight -and thin. When he spoke his rosy ears moved. -His crooked fingers kept quickly rolling a crumb of -bread into little pellets, which he placed on the edge -of his plate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"An assistant?" he asked, nodding his head toward -Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How's business, young man?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I just began yesterday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, oh!" Krasavin nodded his head. Pinching -his thin dark mustache, he began to speak -fluently: "Of course, Timofey Vasilyevich, you -can't step on the trail of life's destiny. According -to God's law, children grow old, people die. Only -all this doesn't concern you and me. We received -our appointed task. We are told to catch the -people who infringe on law and order. That's all. -It's a hard business, it's a clever business. To use -a figure of speech, it is a kind of hunt."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov rose from the table, and walked into -a corner, from where he beckoned to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what is it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey gave him the note. The spy read it, -looked into Klimkov's face in astonishment, and -read it again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"From whom is this?" he asked in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>Yevsey answered in an embarrassed whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He himself gave it to me. He came out into -the street."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the expectation of a rebuke, or even a blow, -he bent his neck. But hearing a low laugh he cautiously -raised his head, and saw the spy looking at -the envelope with a broad smile on his face and a -merry gleam in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you strange fellow," said Maklakov. -"Now keep quiet about this, you droll creature."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Can I congratulate you on a successful piece -of work?" asked Krasavin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You can. Yes." Maklakov said aloud, walking -up to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's good, young man," remarked Krasavin -encouragingly. His pupils with green sparks flashing -in them turned inward to the bridge of his nose, -and his nostrils quivered and expanded.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But the Japs licked us after all, Gavrilo," -Maklakov exclaimed merrily, rubbing his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I cannot in the least comprehend your joy in -this event," said Krasavin wagging his ears. "Although -it was instructive, as many say, still so -much Russian blood was shed and the insufficiency -of our strength was made so apparent."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And who is to blame?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The Japs. What do they want? Every -country ought to live within itself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They started a discussion, to which Yevsey, rejoiced -over Maklakov's attitude, did not pay any -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>attention. He looked into the spy's face, and -thought it would be well to live with him instead -of Piotr, who scolded at the authorities, and maybe -would be arrested as they had arrested the Smokestack.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Krasavin left. Maklakov took out the letter, -read it once more, and burst into a laugh, looking -at Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now don't say a word about it to anybody. -Do you understand? He came out himself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. He came out, and said, 'Get away from -here.'" Yevsey smiled guiltily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see another one in his place would have -stroked you with a cat's paw." Screwing up his -eyes the spy looked through the window, and said -slowly, "Yes, you ought to take to peddling wares. -I told you so. To-day you are free. I have no -more commissions for you. Be off with you. -Have a good time. I'll try one of these days to -fix you up differently. Good-by."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov held out his hand. Yevsey touched -it gratefully, and walked away happy.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XV</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>A few weeks later Klimkov began to feel freer -and more at ease. Every morning, warmly -and comfortably dressed, with a box of small wares -on his breast, he went to receive orders either at -one of the cafés where the spies gathered, or at a -police office, or at the lodging of one of the spies. -The directions given him were simple and distinct.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to such and such a house. Get acquainted -with the servants. Find out how the masters live."</p> - -<p class='c006'>If he succeeded in penetrating to the kitchen of -the given house, he would first try to bribe the servants -by the cheap price of the goods and by little -presents. Then he would carefully question them -about what he had been ordered to learn. When -he felt that the information gathered was insufficient, -he filled up the deficiency from his own head, -thinking it out according to the plan draughted for -him by the old, fat, and sensual Solovyov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"These men in whom we are interested," Solovyov -once said in a smug, honey-sweet voice, "all -have the same habits. They do not believe in -God, they do not go to church, they dress poorly, -but they are civil in their manners. They read -many books, sit up late at night, often have gatherings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>of guests in their lodgings, but drink very -little wine, and do not play cards. They speak -about foreign countries, about systems of government, -workingmen's socialism and full liberty for -the people. Also about the poor masses, declaring -it is necessary to stir them up to revolt against -our Czar, to kill out the entire administration, take -possession of the highest offices, and by means of -socialism again introduce serfdom, in which they -will have complete liberty." The warm voice of -the spy broke off. He coughed and heaved a sentimental -sigh. "Liberty—everybody likes and -wants to have liberty. But if you give me liberty, -maybe I'll become the first villain in the world. -That's it. It is impossible to give even a child full -liberty. The Church Fathers, God's saints, even -they were subject to temptations of the flesh, and -they sinned in the very highest. People's lives -are held together, not by liberty but by fear. Submission -to law is essential to man. But the revolutionists -reject law. They form two parties. -One wants to make quick work with the ministers -and the faithful subjects of the Czar by means of -bombs, etc. The other party is willing to wait a -little; first they'll have a general uprising, then -they'll kill off everybody at once." Solovyov raised -his eyes pensively, and paused an instant. "It is -difficult for us to comprehend their politics. -Maybe they really understand something. But -for us everything they propose is an obnoxious delusion. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>We fulfil the will of the Czar, the anointed -sovereign of God. And he is responsible for us -before God, so we ought to do what he bids us. -In order to gain the confidence of the revolutionists -you must complain, 'Life is very hard for the poor, -the police insult them, and there's no sort of law.' -Although they are people of villainous intent, yet -they are credulous, and you can always catch them -with that bait. Behave cannily toward their servants; -for their servants aren't stupid, either. Whenever -necessary, reduce the price of your goods, so -that they will get used to you and value you. But -guard against exciting suspicion. They will begin -to think, 'What is it? He sells very cheap, and -asks prying questions.' The best thing for you to -do is to strike up friendships. Take a little dainty, -hot, full-breasted thing, and you'll get all sorts of -good information from her. She will sew shirts -for you, and invite you to spend the night with her, -and she will find out whatever you order her to. -You know—a tiny, soft little mouse. You can -stretch your arm a long distance through a woman."</p> - -<p class='c006'>This round man, hairy-handed, thick-lipped, and -pock-marked, spoke about women more frequently -than the others. He would lower his soft voice to -a whisper, his neck would perspire, his feet would -shuffle uneasily, and his eyes, minus eyebrows and -eyelashes, would fill with warm, oily moisture. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Yevsey with his sharp scent observed that Solovyov -always smelt of hot, greasy, decayed meat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the chancery the spies had been spoken of as -people who know everything, hold everything in -their hands, and have friends and helpers everywhere. -Though they could seize all the dangerous -people at once, they were not doing so simply because -they did not wish to deprive themselves of a -position. On entering the Department of Safety -everyone swore an oath to pity nobody, neither -father, mother, nor brother, nor to speak a word -to one another about the sacred and awful business -which they vowed they would serve all their lives.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Consequently Yevsey had expected to find sullen -personalities. He had pictured them as speaking -little in words unintelligible to simple people, as -possessing the miraculous perspicacity of a sorcerer, -able to read a man's thoughts and divine all the -secrets of his life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now from his sharp observation of them he -clearly saw they were not unusual, nor for him -either worse or more dangerous than others. In -fact, they seemed to live in a more comradely fashion -than was common. They frankly spoke of -their mistakes and failures, even laughed over -them. All without exception were equally fervent -in swearing at their superiors, though with varying -degrees of malice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Conscious of a close bond uniting them they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>were solicitous for one another. When it happened -that someone was late for a meeting or failed -to appear at all, there was a general sense of uneasiness -about the absentee, and Yevsey, Zarubin, or -someone of the numerous group of "novices," or -"assistants" was sent to look for the lost man at -another gathering place.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A stranger observing them would have been -instantly struck by the lack of greed for money -among the majority and the readiness to share -money with comrades who had gambled it away or -squandered it in some other fashion. They all -loved games of hazard, took a childish interest in -card tricks, and envied the cleverness of the card-sharper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They spoke to one another with ecstasy and acute -envy of the revelries of the officials, described in -detail the bodies of the lewd women known to them, -and hotly discussed the various processes of the -sexual relation. Most of them were unmarried, -almost all were young, and for everyone of them -a woman was something in the nature of whiskey—to -give him ease and lull him to sleep. Women -brought them relief from the anxiety of their dog's -work. Almost all kept indecent photographs in -their pockets, and looked at them with greed while -talking obscenities. Such discussion roused in -Yevsey a sharp, intoxicating curiosity, sometimes -incredulity and nausea. He soon came to know -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>that some of the spies practised pederasty and sodomy, -and that very many were infected with secret -diseases. All of them drank much, mixing wine -with beer, and beer with cognac, in an effort to get -drunk as quickly as possible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Only a few of them put hot enthusiasm, the passion -of the hunter, into their work. These boasted -of their skill, swelling with pride as they described -themselves as heroes. The majority, however, did -their work wearily, with an air of being bored.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Their talks about the people whom they hunted -down like beasts were seldom marked by the fierce -hatred that boiled in Sasha's conversation like a -seething hot-spring. One who was different from -the rest was Melnikov, a heavy, hairy man with a -thick, bellowing voice, who walked with oddly bent -neck and spoke little. His dark eyes were always -straining, as if in constant search. The man -seemed to Yevsey ever to be thinking of something -terrible. Krasavin and Solovyov also contrasted -with the others, the one by his cold malice, the -other by the complacent satisfaction with which he -spoke about fights, blood-shed, and women.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Among the youth the most noticeable was Yakov -Zarubin, who was constantly fidgetting about -and constantly running up to the others with questions. -When he listened to the conversations -about the revolutionists he knitted his brows in -anger and jotted down notes in his little note-book. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>He tried to be of service to all the important spies, -though it was evident that no one liked him and -that his book was regarded with suspicion.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The larger number spoke indifferently about the -revolutionists, sometimes denouncing them as incomprehensible -men of whom they were sick, sometimes -referring to them in fun as to amusing cranks. -Occasionally, too, they spoke in anger as one speaks -of a child who deserves punishment for impudence. -Yevsey began to imagine that all the revolutionists -were empty people who were not serious, and did -not themselves know what they wanted, but merely -brought disturbance and disorder into life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey asked Piotr:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you said the revolutionists are being -bribed by the Germans, and now they say differently."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you mean by 'differently?'" Piotr -demanded angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That they are poor and stupid, and nobody -says anything about the Germans."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to the devil, brother! Isn't it all the same -to you? Do what you are told to do. Your color -is the diamond, and you go with diamonds."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Matters of business were discussed in a lazy, unwilling -way, and "You don't understand anything, -brother," was a common rejoinder of one spy to -another.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you?" would be the counter-retort.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I keep quiet."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>Klimkov tried to keep as far away as possible -from Sasha. The ominous face of the sick man -frightened him, and the smell of iodoform and the -snuffling, cantankerous voice disgusted him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Villains!" cried Sasha swearing at the officials. -"They are given millions, and toss us pennies. -They squander hundreds of thousands on women -and on various genteel folk, who, they want us to -believe, work for the good of society. But it's -not the gentry that make revolutions—you must -know that, idiots,—the revolution grows underneath, -in the ground, among the people. Give me -five millions, and in one month I'll lift the revolution -up above ground into the street. I'll carry it -out of the dark corners into the light of day. -Then—choke it!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha always contrived horrible schemes for -the extermination of the noxious people. While -devising them he stamped his feet, extended his -trembling arms, and tore the air with his yellow -fingers, while his face turned leaden, his red eyes -grew strangely dim, and the spittle spurted from -his mouth.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All, it was evident, looked upon him with -aversion and feared him, though they were anxious -to conceal the repulsion produced by his disease. -Maklakov alone calmly avoided close intercourse -with the sick man. He did not even give him -his hand in greeting. Sasha, in his turn, who -ridiculed everybody, who swore at all his comrades, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>setting them down as fools, plainly put Maklakov -in a category by himself. He was always serious -in his intercourse with the spy, and apparently -spoke to him with greater will than to the rest. -He did not abuse him even behind his back.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once when Maklakov had walked out without, -as usual, taking leave of him, he cried:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The nobleman is squeamish. He doesn't want -to come near me. He has the right to be, the devil -take him! His ancestors lived in lofty rooms, -they breathed rarefied air, ate healthful food, wore -clean undergarments. He, too, for that matter. -But I am a muzhik. I was born and brought -up like an animal, in filth, among lice, on coarse -black bread made of unbolted meal. His blood -is better than mine, yes, indeed, both the blood -and the brain; and the brain is the soul." After -a pause he added in a lower voice, gloomily, without -ridicule, "Idiots and impostors speak of the -equality of man. The aristocrat preaches equality -because he is an impudent scoundrel, and can't -do anything himself. So of course he says, 'you -are just as good a man as I am. Act so that I -shall be able to live better.' This is the theory of -equality."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha's talks did not evoke a response from the -other spies. They failed to be moved by his excitement, -and listened to his growling in indifferent -silence. He received sulky support, however, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>from one, the large Melnikov, who acted as -a detective among workingmen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," Melnikov would say, "they are all -deceivers," and nod his dark unkempt head in confirmation -while vigorously clenching his hairy fist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They ought to be killed, as the muzhiks kill -horse thieves," screamed Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To kill may be a little too much, but sometimes -it would be delicious to give a gentleman a -box on the ear," said Chashin, a celebrated billiard -player, curly-haired, thin, and sharp-nosed. -"Let's take this example. About a week ago I -was playing in Kononov's hotel with a gentleman. -I saw his face was familiar to me, but all chickens -have feathers. He stared at me in his turn. -'Well,' thinks I, 'look. I don't change color.' -I fixed him for three rubles and half a dozen beers, -and while we were drinking he suddenly rose, and -said, 'I recognize you. You are a spy. When -I was in the university,' he said, 'thanks to you,' -he said, 'I had to stick in prison four months. -You are,' he said, 'a scoundrel.' At first I was -frightened, but soon the insult gnawed at my heart. -'You sat in prison not at all thanks to me, but to -your politics. And your politics do not concern -me personally. But let me tell you that on your -account I had to run about day and night hunting -you in all sorts of weather. I had to stick in the -hospital thirteen days.' That's the truth. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>idea for him to jump on me! The pig, he ate -himself fat as a priest, wore a gold watch, and -had a diamond pin stuck in his tie."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Akim Grokhotov, a handsome fellow, with a -face mobile as an actor's observed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know men like that, too. When they are -young, they walk on their heads; when the serious -years come, they stay at home peacefully with -their wives, and for the sake of a livelihood are -even ready to enter our Department of Safety. -The law of nature."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Among them are some who can't do anything -besides revolutionary work. Those are the most -dangerous," said Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes," shot from Krasavin, who greedily -rolled his oblique eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Piotr lost a great deal in cards. He asked -in a wearied, exasperated tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When will this dog's life of ours end?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov looked at him, and chewed his thick -lips.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We are not called upon to judge of such -matters. Our business is simple. All we have -to do is to take note of a certain face pointed -out by the officials, or to find it ourselves, gather -information, make observations, give a report to -the authorities, and let them do as they please. -For all we care they may flay people alive. -Politics do not concern us. Once there was an -agent in our Department, Grisha Sokovnin, who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>also thought about such things, and ended his life -in a prison hospital where he died of consumption."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Oftenest the conversation took some such course -as the following:</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov, a wig-maker, always gaily and fashionably -dressed, a modest, quiet person, announced:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Three fellows were arrested yesterday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Great news!" someone responded indifferently.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Viekov whether or no would tell his comrades -all he knew. A spark of quiet stubbornness -flared up in his small eyes as he continued in -an inquisitive tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The gentlemen revolutionists, it seems, are -again hatching plots on Nikitskaya Street—great -goings-on."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Fools! All the janitors there are old hands in -the service."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Much help they are, the janitors!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hmm, yes, indeed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"However," said Viekov cautiously, "a janitor -can be bribed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you, too. Every man can be bribed—a -mere matter of price."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you hear, boys, Siekachev won seven -hundred rubles in cards yesterday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How he smuggles the cards!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes. He's no sharper, but a young -wizard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov looked around, smiled in embarrassment, -then silently and carefully smoothed his clothes.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>"A new proclamation has appeared," he announced -another time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There are lots of proclamations. The devil -knows which of them is new."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's a great deal of evil in them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you read it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No. Filip Filippovich says there's a new one, -and he's mad."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The authorities are always mad. Such is the -law of nature," remarked Grokhotov with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who reads those proclamations?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They're read all right—very much so."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what of it? I have read them, too, yet -I didn't turn black. I remained what I was, a -red-haired fellow. It's not a matter of proclamations, -it's a matter of bombs."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A proclamation doesn't explode."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Evidently, however, the spies did not like to -speak of bombs, for each time they were mentioned, -all made a strenuous effort to change the subject.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forty thousand dollars' worth of gold articles -were stolen in Kazan."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's something for you!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Forty thousand! Whew!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did they catch the thieves?" someone asked -in great excitement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They'll get caught," prophesied another sorrowfully.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>"Well, before that happens they'll have a good -time."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A mist of envy enveloped the spies, who sank in -dreams of revelries, of big stakes, and costly -women.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov was more interested than the others -in the course of the war. Often he asked -Maklakov, who read the newspapers carefully:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are they still licking us?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They are."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But what's the cause?" Melnikov exclaimed -in perplexity, rolling his eyes. "Aren't there -people enough, or what?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Not enough sense," Maklakov retorted drily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The workingmen are dissatisfied. They do -not understand. They say the generals have been -bribed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's certainly true," Krasavin broke in. -"None of them are Russians,"—he uttered an -ugly oath—"what's our blood to them?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Blood is cheap," said Solovyov, and smiled -strangely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a rule the spies spoke of the war unwillingly, -as if constrained in one another's presence, and -afraid of uttering some dangerous word. On the -day of a defeat they all drank more whiskey than -usual, and having gotten drunk quarreled over -trifles.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On such days Yevsey trying to avoid possible -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>brawls made his escape unnoticed to his empty -room, and there thought about the life of the spies. -All of them—and there were many, their numbers -constantly increasing—all of them seemed -unhappy. They were all solitary, and he pitied -them with his colorless pity. Nevertheless he -liked to be among them and listen to their talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the meetings Sasha boiled over and swore:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Monstrosities! You understand nothing. -You can't understand the significance of the business. -Monstrosities!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>In answer some smiled deprecatingly, others -maintained sullen silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For forty rubles a month you can't be expected -to understand very much," one would sometimes -mutter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to be wiped off the face of the -earth," shrieked Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov began to dislike Sasha more and -more, strengthened in his ill-will by the fact that -nobody else cared for the diseased man.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many of the spies were actually sick from the -constant dread of attacks and death. Fear drove -some, as it had Yelizar Titov, into an insane -asylum.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I was playing in the club yesterday," said -Piotr, in a disconcerted tone, "when I felt something -pressing on the nape of my neck and a -cold shiver running up and down my back-bone. -I looked around. There in the corner stood a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>tall man looking at me as if he were measuring -me inch by inch. I could not play. I rose from -the table, and I saw him move. I backed out, and -ran down the stairs into the yard and out into -the street. I took a cab, sat in it sidewise, and -looked back. Suddenly the man appeared from -somewhere in front of me, and crossed the street -under the horse's very nose. Maybe it wasn't he. -But in such a case you can't think. How I yelled! -He stopped, and I jumped out of the cab, and off -I went at a gallop, the cabman after me. Well, -how I did run, the devil take it!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Such things happen," said Grokhotov, smiling. -"I once hid myself for a similar reason in the -yard. But it was still more horrible there, so -I climbed up to a roof, and sat there behind the -chimney until daybreak. A man must guard -himself against another man. Such is the law -of nature."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Krasavin once entered pale and sweating with -staring eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They were following me," he announced -gloomily, pressing his temples.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov endeavored to calm him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Lots of people walk the streets, Gavrilo. -What's that to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I could tell by the way they walked they -were after me."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>For more than two weeks Yevsey did not see -Krasavin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies treated Klimkov good-naturedly, and -their occasional laughter at his expense did not -offend him, for when he was grieved over his -mistakes, they comforted him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You'll get used to the work."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was puzzled as to when the spies did their -work, and tried to unriddle the problem. They -seemed to pass the greater part of their time in -the cafés, sending novices and such insignificant -fellows as himself out for observations.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He knew that besides all the spies with whom -he was acquainted there were still others, desperate, -fearless men, who mingled with the revolutionists, -and were known by the name of provocators. -There were only a few such men, but these few -did most of the work, and directed it entirely. -The authorities prized them very highly, while -the street spies, envious of them, were unanimous -in their dislike of the provocators because of their -haughtiness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once in the street Grokhotov pointed out a -provocator to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look, Klimkov, quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A tall sturdy man was walking along the pavement. -His fair hair combed back fell down beautifully -from under his hat to his shoulders. His -face was large and handsome, his mustache -luxuriant. His soberly clad person produced the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>impression of that of an important, well-fed -gentleman of the nobility.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see what a fellow?" said Grokhotov with -pride. "Fine, isn't he? Our guard. He delivered -up twenty men of the bomb. He helped -them make the bombs himself. They wanted to -blow up a minister. He taught them, then -delivered them up. Clever piece of business, -wasn't it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said Yevsey, amazed at the man's stately -appearance so unlike that of the busy, bustling -street spies.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the kind they are, the real ones," said -Grokhotov. "Why, he would do for a minister; -he has the face and figure for it. And we—what -are we? Poverty-stricken dependents upon -a hungry nobleman."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed. The magnificent spy aroused -his envy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Ready to serve anybody and everybody for a -good look or a kind word, he ran about the city -obediently, searched, questioned, and informed. -If he succeeded in pleasing, he rejoiced sincerely, -and grew in his own estimation. He worked -much, made himself very tired, and had no time -to think.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov, reserved and serious, seemed better -and purer to Yevsey than any person he had met -up to that time. He always wanted to ask him -about something, and tell him about himself—such -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>an attractive and engaging face did this young -spy have.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Yevsey actually put a question to him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Timofey Vesilyevich, how much do the revolutionists -receive a month?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A light shadow passed over Maklakov's bright -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are talking nonsense," he answered, not in -a loud voice, but angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The days passed quickly, in a constant stir, one -just like the other. At times Yevsey felt they -would file on in the same way far into the future—vari-colored, -boisterous, filled with the talks now -become familiar to him and with the running about -to which he had already grown accustomed. This -thought enfolded his heart in cold tedium, his -body in enfeebling languor. Everything within -and without became empty. Klimkov seemed to -be sliding down into a bottomless pit.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVI</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>In the middle of the winter everything suddenly -trembled and shook. People anxiously -opened their eyes, gesticulated, disputed furiously, -and swore. As though severely wounded and -blinded by a blow, they all stampeded to one place.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It began in this way. One evening on reaching -the Department of Safety to hand in a hurried -report of his investigations, Klimkov found something -unusual and incomprehensible in the place. -The officials, agents, and clerks appeared to have -put on new faces. All seemed strangely unlike -themselves. They wore an air of astonishment -and rejoicing. They spoke now in very low tones -and mysteriously, now aloud and angrily. There -was a senseless running from room to room, a -listening to one another's words, a suspicious screwing-up -of anxious eyes, a shaking of heads and -sighing, a sudden cessation of talk, and an equally -sudden burst of disputing. A whirlwind of fear -and perplexity swept the room in broad circles. -Playing with the people's impotence it drove them -about like dust, first blowing them into a pile, -then scattering them on all sides. Klimkov stationed -in a corner looked with vacant eyes upon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>this state of consternation, and listened to the conversation -with strained attention.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He saw Melnikov with his powerful neck bent -and his head stuck forward place his hairy hands -on different persons' shoulders and demand in -his low hollow voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did the people do it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What of it? The people must live. -Hundreds were killed, eh? Wounded!" shouted -Solovyov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From somewhere came the repulsive voice of -Sasha, cutting the ear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The priest ought to have been caught. -That before everything else. The idiots!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Krasavin walked about with his hands folded -behind his back, biting his lips and rolling his eyes -in every direction.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Quiet Viekov took up his stand beside Yevsey, -and picked at the buttons of his vest.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So this is the point we've reached," he said. -"My God! Bloodshed! What do you think, -eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What happened?" Yevsey asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov looked around warily, took Klimkov by -the hand, and whispered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This morning the people in St. Petersburg -with a priest and sacred banners marched to the -Czar Emperor. You understand? But they were -not admitted. The soldiers were stationed about, -and blood was spilled."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>A handsome staid gentleman, Leontyev, ran -past them, glanced back at Viekov through his -pince nez, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where is Filip Filippovich?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>But he disappeared without waiting for the -information he wanted, and Viekov ran after -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey closed his eyes for a minute, in order -to try in the darkness to get at the meaning of -what had been told him. He could easily -represent to himself a mass of people walking -through the streets in a sacred procession, but -since he could not understand why the soldiers had -shot at them, he was skeptical about the affair. -However, the general agitation seized him, too, -and he felt disturbed and ill at ease. He wanted -to bustle about with the spies, but unable to make -up his mind to approach those he knew, he merely -retreated still farther into his corner.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many persons passed by him, all of whom, he -fancied, were quickly searching for a little cosy -corner where they might stand to collect their -thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov appeared. He remained near the -door with his hands thrust into his pockets, and -looked sidewise at everybody. Melnikov approached -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did they do it on account of the war?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For what else? If it was the people. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>maybe it was simply some mistake. Eh? What -did they ask for, do you know?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A constitution," replied Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The sullen spy shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't believe it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As you please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then Melnikov turned heavily, like a bear, and -walked away grumbling:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No one understands anything. They stir -about, make a big noise—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey went up to Maklakov, who was looking -at him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have a report."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov waved him aside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who wants to bother about reports to-day."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey drew still nearer, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Timofey Vasilyevich, what does 'constitution' -mean?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A different order of life," answered the spy -in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov, perspiring and red, came running up.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you heard whether they are going to -send us to St. Petersburg?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I haven't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I think they probably will. Such an event! -Why, it's a revolt, a real revolt."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-morrow we will know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How much blood has been shed! What -is it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>Maklakov's eye ran about uneasily. To-day his -shoulders seemed more stooping than ever, and the -ends of his mustache dropped downward.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Something seemed to be revolting in Yevsey's -brain, and Maklakov's grim words kept repeating -themselves.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A different order of life—different."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They gripped at his heart, arousing a sharp -desire to extract their meaning. But everything -around him turned and darted hither and thither. -Melnikov's angry, resonant voice sounded sickeningly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The thing is, to know what people did it. -The working-people are one thing, simply residents -another. This differentiation must be made."</p> - -<p class='c006'>And Krasavin spoke distinctly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If even the people begin to revolt against the -Czar, then there are no people any more, only -rebels."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait, and suppose there's deception here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey, you old devil," whispered Zarubin, -hastening up to Yevsey. "I've struck a vein of -business. Come on, I'll tell you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov followed him in silence for a space, -then stopped.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where shall I go?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To a beer saloon. You understand? There's -a girl there, Margarita. She has an acquaintance, -a milliner. At the milliner's lodging they read -books on Saturdays—students and various other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>people like that. So I'm going to cut them up. -Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't go," said Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you! Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The long ribbon of strange impressions quickly -enmeshed Yevsey's heart, hindering him from an -understanding of what was happening. He -walked off home unobserved, carrying away with -him the premonition of impending misfortune, a -misfortune that already lay in hiding and was -stretching out irresistible arms to clutch him. It -filled his heart with new fear and grief. In expectation -of this misfortune he endeavored to walk -in the obscurity close against the houses. He -recalled the agitated faces and excited voices, the -disconnected talk about death, about blood, about -the huge graves, into which dozens of bodies had -been flung like rubbish.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At home he stood at the window a long time -looking at the yellow light of the street-lamp. -The pedestrians quickly walked into the circle of -its light, then plunged into the darkness again. So -in Yevsey's head a faint timid light was casting -a pale illumination upon a narrow circle, into which -ignorant, cautious grey thoughts, helplessly holding -on to one another like blind people, were slowly -creeping. Small and lame they gathered into a -shy group driven into one place like a swarm of -mosquitoes. But suddenly, losing hold of the -bond uniting them, they disappeared without -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>leaving a trace, and his soul devoid of them remained -like a desert illuminated by a solitary ray -from a sorrowful moon.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The days passed as in a delirium, filled with -terrible tales of the fierce destruction of people. -For Yevsey these days crawled slowly over the -earth like black eyeless monsters, swollen with the -blood they had devoured. They crawled with -their huge jaws wide open, poisoning the air with -their stifling, salty odor. People ran and fell, -shouted and wept, mingling their tears with their -blood. And the blind monster destroyed them, -crushed old and young, women and children. -They were pushed forward to their destruction by -the ruler of their life, fear,—fear leaden-grey as -a storm-cloud, powerful as the current of a broad -stream.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the thing had happened far away, in a -strange city, Yevsey knew that fear was alive -everywhere. He felt it all over, round about -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>No one understood the event, no one was able -to explain it. It stood before the people like a -huge riddle and frightened them. The spies -stuck in their meeting places from morning until -night, and did much reading of newspapers and -drinking of whiskey. They also crowded into the -Department of Safety, where they disputed, and -pressed close against one another. They were impatiently -awaiting something.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>"Can anybody explain the truth?" Melnikov -kept asking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One evening a few weeks after the event there -was a meeting of the spies in the Department of -Safety at which Sasha delivered a speech.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop this nonsensical talk," he said sharply. -"It's a scheme of the Japs. The Japs gave 18,000,000 -rubles to Father Gapon to stir the people -up to revolt. You understand? The people were -made drunk on the road to the palace; the revolutionists -had ordered a few wine shops to be broken -into. You understand?" He let his red eyes -rove about the company as if seeking those of his -listeners who disagreed with him. "They thought -the Czar, loving the people, would come out to -them. And at that time it was decided to kill him. -Is it clear to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, it's clear," shouted Yakov Zarubin, and -began to jot something down in his note-book.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Jackass!" shouted Sasha in a surly voice. -"I'm not asking you. Melnikov, do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov was sitting in a corner, clutching his -head with both hands and swaying to and fro as -if he had the toothache. Without changing his -position he answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A deception!" His voice struck the floor -dully, as if something soft yet heavy had fallen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, a deception," repeated Sasha, and began -again to speak quickly and fluently. Sometimes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>he carefully touched his forehead, then looked at -his fingers and wiped them on his knee. Yevsey -had the sensation that even his words reeked with -a putrid odor. He listened wrinkling his forehead -painfully. He understood everything the -spy said, but he felt that his speech did not efface, -in fact, could not efface, from his mind the black -picture of the bloody holiday.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All were silent, now and then shaking their -heads, and refraining from looking at one another. -It was quiet and gloomy. Sasha's words floated -a long time over his auditors' heads touching -nobody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If it was known that the people had been -deceived, then why were they killed?" the unexpected -question suddenly burst from Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Fool!" screamed Sasha. "Suppose you had -been told that I was your wife's paramour, and you -got drunk and came at me with a knife, what -should I do? Should I tell you 'Strike!' even -though you had been duped, and I was not -guilty?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov started to his feet, stretched himself, -and bawled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't bark, you dog!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A tremor ran through Yevsey at his words, and -Viekov thin and nerveless, who sat beside him, -whispered in fright:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, God! Hold him!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha clenched his teeth, thrust one hand into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>his pocket, and drew back. All the spies—there -were many in the room—sat silent and motionless, -and waited watching Sasha's hand. Melnikov -waved his hat and walked slowly to the -door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not afraid of your pistol."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He slammed the door after him noisily. Viekov -went to lock it, and said as he returned to his -place:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a dangerous man!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So," continued Sasha, pulling a revolver from -his pocket and examining it. "To-morrow morning -you are each of you to get down to business, -do you hear? And bear in mind that now you -will all have more to do than before. Part of us -will have to go to St. Petersburg. That's number -one. Secondly, this is the very time that you'll -have to keep your eyes and ears particularly wide -open, because people will begin to babble all sorts -of nonsense in regard to this affair. The revolutionists -will not be so careful now, you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Handsome Grokhotov drew a loud breath and -said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We understand, never mind! If it's true that -the Japs gave such large sums of money, that -explains it, of course."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Without any explanation it's very hard," said -someone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ye-e-e-s."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>"People cry, 'What does it mean?' And they -give you poisonous talk, and you don't know how -to answer back."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people are very much interested in this -revolt."</p> - -<p class='c006'>All these remarks were made in an indolent, -bloodless fashion and with an air of constraint.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, now you know what you are about, and -how you should reply to the fools," said Sasha -angrily. "And if some donkey should begin to -bray, take him by the neck, whistle for a policeman, -and off with him to the police station. There -they have instructions as to what's to be done -with such people. Ho, Viekov, or somebody, ring -the bell and order some Selters."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov Zarubin rushed to the bell.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha looked at him, and said showing his -teeth:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Say, puppy, don't be mad with me for having -cut you off."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not mad, Aleksandr Nikitich."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ye-e-s," Grokhotov drawled pensively. "Still -they are a power, after all! Consider what they -accomplished—raised a hundred thousand -people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stupidity is light, it's easy to raise," Sasha -interrupted him. "They had the means to raise -a hundred thousand people; they had the money. -Just you give me such a sum of money, and I'll -show you how to make history." Sasha uttered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>an ugly oath, lifted himself slightly from the sofa, -stretched out the thin yellow hand which held the -revolver, screwed up his eyes, and aiming at the -ceiling, cried through his teeth in a yearning whine, -"I would show you!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>All these things—Sasha's words and gestures, -his eyes and his smiles—were familiar to Yevsey, -but now they seemed impotent, useless as infrequent -drops of rain in extinguishing a conflagration. -They did not extinguish fear, and were powerless -to stop the quiet growth of a premonition of -misfortune.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At this time a new view of the life of the -people unconsciously developed in Yevsey's mind. -He learned that on the one hand some people might -gather in the streets by the tens of thousands -in order to go to the rich and powerful Czar -and ask him for help, while others might kill these -tens of thousands for doing so. He recalled -everything the Smokestack had said about the poverty -of the people and the wealth of the Czar, -and was convinced that both sides acted in the -manner they did from fear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Nevertheless the people astonished him by their -desperate bravery, and aroused in him a feeling -with which he had hitherto been unfamiliar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now as before when walking the streets with -the box of goods on his breast, he carefully -stepped aside for the passersby, either taking to -the middle of the street, or pressing against the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>walls of the houses. However, he began to look -into the people's faces more attentively, with a feeling -akin to respect, and his fear of them seemed to -have diminished slightly. Men's faces had suddenly -changed, acquiring more variety and significance -of expression. All began to talk with one -another more willingly and simply, and to walk -the streets more briskly, with a firmer tread.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Yevsey often entered a house occupied by a -physician and a journalist upon whom he was -assigned to spy. The physician employed a wet-nurse -named Masha, a full, round little woman -with merry sky-blue eyes, who was always neat and -clean, and wore a white or blue sarafan with a -string of beads around her bare neck. Her full-breasted -figure gave the impression of a luscious, -healthy creature, and won the fancy of Yevsey, -who imagined that a strong savory odor, as of hot -rye-bread, emanated from her. She was an affectionate -little person. He loved to question her -about the village and hear her replies in a rapid -sing-song. He soon came to know all her relatives, -where each one lived, what was the occupation -of each, and what the wages.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He paid her one of his visits five days later after -Sasha had explained the cause of the uprising. -He found her sitting on the bed in the cook's room -adjoining the kitchen. Her face was swollen, her -eyes were red, and her lower lip stuck out comically.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good morning," she said sullenly. "We -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>don't want anything. Go. We don't want anything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did the master insult you?" Yevsey asked. -Though he knew the master had not insulted her, -he regarded it as his professional duty to ask -just such questions. His next duty was to sigh and -add, "That's the way they always are. You've -got to work for them your whole life long."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anfisa Petrovna, the cook, a thin, ill-tempered -body, suddenly cried out:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Her brother-in-law was killed, and her sister -was knouted. She had to be taken to the hospital."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In St. Petersburg?" Yevsey inquired quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Masha drew in a full breast of air, and groaned, -holding her head in her hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who knows them? A curse upon them!" -shrieked the cook, rattling the dishes in her exasperation. -"Why did they kill all those people? -That's what I would like to know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It wasn't his fault," Masha sobbed. "I -know him. Oh, God! He was a book-binder, a -peaceful fellow. He didn't drink. He made -forty rubles a month. Oh, God! They beat -Tania, and she's soon to have a child. It will be -her second child. 'If it's a boy,' she said, 'I'll -christen him Foma in honor of my husband's -friend.' And she wanted the friend to be the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>child's god-father, too. But they put a bullet -through his leg, and broke his head open, the -cursed monsters! May they have neither sleep -nor rest! May they be torn with anguish and -with shame! May they choke in blood, the infernal -devils!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Her words and tears flowed in tempestuous -streams. Dishevelled and pitiful she screamed in -desperate rage and scratched her shoulders and her -breast with her nails. Then she flung herself on -the bed and buried her head in the pillow, moaning -and trembling convulsively.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Her uncle sent her a letter from there," said -the cook, running about in the kitchen from the -table to the stove and back again. "You ought -to see what he writes! The whole street is reading -the letter. Nobody can understand it. The -people marched with ikons, with their holy man, -they had priests—everything was done in a -Christian fashion. They went to the Czar to tell -him: 'Father, our Emperor, reduce the number -of officials a little. We cannot live with so many -officers and such burdensome taxes on our shoulders, -we haven't enough to pay their salaries, and -they take such liberties with us—the very extreme -of liberties. They squeeze everything out of us -they want.' Everything was honest and open. -They had been preparing for this a long time, a -whole month. The police knew of it, yet no one -interfered. They went out and marched along -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>the streets, when suddenly off the soldiers go shooting -at them! The soldiers surrounded them on -all sides and shot at them! Hacked them and -trampled them down with their horses—everybody, -even the little children! They kept up the -massacre for two days. Think of it! What does -it mean? That the people are not wanted any -more? That they have decided to exterminate -them?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anfisa's cutting, unpleasant voice sank into a -whisper, above which could now be heard the sputtering -of the butter on the stove, the angry gurgle -of the boiling water in the kettle, the dull roaring -of the fire, and Masha's groans. Yevsey felt -obliged to answer the sharp questions of the cook, -and he wanted to soothe Masha. He coughed -carefully, and said without looking at anybody:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say the Japs arranged the affair."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"S-s-s-o?" the cook cried ironically. "The -Japs, the Japs, of course! We know the Japs. -They keep to themselves, they stick in their own -home. Our master explained to us who they are. -You just tell my brother about the Japs. He -knows all about them, too. It was scoundrels, not -Japs!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From what Melnikov had said Yevsey knew -that the cook's brother Matvey Zimin worked in a -furniture factory, and read prohibited books. -Now, all of a sudden, he was seized with the desire -to tell her that the police knew about Zimin's infidelity -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>to the Czar. But at that minute Masha -jumped down from the bed, and cried out while -arranging her hair:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course, they have no way of justifying -themselves, so they hit upon the Japs as an excuse."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The blackguards!" drawled the cook. "Yesterday -in the market somebody also made a speech -about the Japs. Evidently he had been bribed to -justify the officials. One old man was listening, -and then you should have heard what he said about -the generals, about the ministers, and even about -the Czar himself. How he could do it without -putting the least check upon himself—no, you -can't fool the people. They'll catch the truth, no -matter into what corner you drive it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov looked at the floor, and was silent. -The desire to tell the cook that watch was being -kept upon her brother now left him. He involuntarily -thought that every person killed had relatives, -who were now just as puzzled as Masha and -Anfisa, and asked one another "Why?" He realized -that they were crying and grieving in dark -perplexity, with hatred secretly springing up in -their hearts, hatred of the murderers and of those -who endeavored to justify the crime. He sighed -and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A horrible deed has been done." At the same -time he thought: "But I, too, am compelled to -protect the officials."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>Masha giving the door to the kitchen a push -with her foot, Yevsey remained alone with the -cook, who looked at the door sidewise, and grumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The woman is killing herself. Even her -milk is spoiled. This is the third day she hasn't -given nourishment. See here, Thursday next week -is her birthday, and I'll celebrate my birthday then, -too. Suppose you come here as a guest, and make -her a present, say, of a good string of beads. You -must comfort a person some way or other."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well. I'll come."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov walked off slowly, revolving in his -mind what the women had said to him. The -cook's talk was too noisy, too forward, instantly -creating the impression that she did not speak -her own sentiments, but echoed those of another. -As for Masha, her grief did not touch him. He -had no relatives, moreover he rarely experienced -pity for people. Nevertheless he felt that the -general revolt everywhere noticeable was reflected -in the outcries of these women, and—the main -thing—that such talk was unusual, inhumanly -brave. Yevsey had his own explanation of the -event: fear pushed people one against the other. -Then those who were armed and had lost their -senses exterminated those who were unarmed and -foolish. But this explanation did not stand firm in -Yevsey's mind, and failed to calm his soul. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>clearly realized from what he had seen and heard -that the people were beginning to free themselves -from the thralldom of fear, and were insistently -and fearlessly seeking the guilty, whom they found -and judged. Everywhere large quantities of leaflets -appeared, in which the revolutionists described -the bloody days in St. Petersburg, and cursed the -Czar, and urged the people not to believe in the -administration. Yevsey read a few such leaflets. -Though their language was unintelligible to him, -he sensed something dangerous in them, something -that irresistibly made its way into his heart, and -filled him with fresh alarm. He resolved not to -read any leaflets again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Strict orders were given to find the printing -office in which the leaflets were printed, and to -catch the persons who distributed them. Sasha -swore, and even gave Viekov a slap in the face for -something he had done. Filip Filippovich invited -the agents to come to him in the evenings, in order -to deliver speeches to them. He usually sat in -the middle of the room behind his desk, resting the -lower half of his arms upon it, and keeping his -long fingers engaged in quietly toying with the -pencils, pens, and papers. The various gems on -his hands sparkled in different colors. From under -his black beard gleamed a large yellow medal. -He moved his short neck slowly, and his blue -spectacles rested in turn upon the faces of all present, -who meekly and silently sat against the wall. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>He scarcely ever rose from his armchair. Nothing -but his fingers and his neck moved. His heavy -face, bloated and white, looked like a face in a -portrait; the hairs of his beard seemed glued together. -When silent, he was calm and staid, but -the instant he spoke in his thin voice, which -screeched like an iron saw while being filed, everything -about him, the black frockcoat and the order, -the gems, and the beard, seemed to be stuck upon -somebody else. Sometimes Yevsey fancied that -an artificial puppet sat in front of him, inside of -which was hidden a little shrivelled-up fellow, resembling -a little red devil. If someone were to -shout at the puppet, he imagined, the little devil -would be frightened, and would jump out with a -squeak, and leap through the window.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Nevertheless Yevsey was afraid of Filip Filippovich. -In order not to attract to himself the -gobbling look of his blue glasses, he sat as far as -possible from him, trying the entire time not to -move.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Gentlemen," the thin voice trembled in the air. -It drove against Yevsey's breast unpleasantly and -coldly, like a gleaming steel rod. "Gentlemen, -you must listen to me carefully. You must remember -my words. In these days everyone of you -should put your entire mind, your entire soul, into -the war with the secret and cunning enemy. You -should listen to your orders and fulfil them strictly, -though you may act on your own initiative, too. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>In the secret war for the life of your mother Russia, -you must know, all means are permissible. -The revolutionists are not squeamish as to the -means they employ; they do not stop at murder. -Remember how many of your comrades have perished -at their hands. I do not tell you to kill. -No, of course not. I cannot advise such measures. -To kill a man requires no cleverness. Every fool -can kill. Yet the law is with you. You go -against the lawless. It would be criminal to be -merciful toward them. They must be rooted out -like noxious weeds. I say, you must for yourselves -find out what is the best way to stifle the -rising revolution. It isn't I who demand this of -you; it is the Czar and the country." After a -pause during which he examined his rings, he went -on. "You, gentlemen, have too little energy, too -little love for your honest calling. For instance, -you have let the old revolutionist Saydakov slip. I -now know that he lived in our city for three and a -half months. Secondly, up to this time you have -failed to find the printing office."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Without provocators it is hard," someone ventured -in an offended tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't interrupt, if you please. I myself know -what is hard, and what is easy. Up to this time -you have not been able to gather serious evidence -against a whole lot of people known for their seditious -tendencies, and you cannot give me any -grounds for their arrest."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>"Arrest them without grounds," said Piotr with -a laugh.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is the object of your facetiousness? I -am speaking seriously. If you were to arrest them -without grounds, we should simply have to let -them go again. That's all. And to you personally, -Piotr Petrovich, I want to remark that you -promised something a long time ago. Do you remember? -You likewise, Krasavin. You said you -had succeeded in becoming acquainted with a man -who might lead you to the Terrorists. Well, and -what has come of it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He turned out to be a cheat. You just wait. -I'll do my business," Krasavin answered calmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have no doubt of it whatsoever, but I beg -all of you to understand that we must work more -energetically, we must hurry matters up."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Filip Filippovich discoursed a long time, -sometimes a whole hour, without taking breath, -calmly, in the same level tone. The only words -that varied the monotonous flow were "You -must." The "you" came out resonantly like a -long-drawn hammer-blow, the "must," in a -drawled hiss. He embraced everybody in his -glassy blue look. His words fairly choked -Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once at the end of a meeting, when Sasha and -Yevsey were the only ones who remained with -Filip Filippovich, Yevsey heard the following colloquy:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>Filip Filippovich (glumly, dejectedly): What -idiots they are, though!</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha (snuffling): Aha!</p> - -<p class='c006'>Filip Filippovich: Yes, yes, what <i>can</i> they do?</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha: It seems that now you are going to learn -the value of decent people.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Filip Filippovich: Well, give them to me. Give -them to me.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha: Ah, they cost dear!</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov was neither surprised nor offended. -This was not the first time he had heard the authorities -swear at their subordinates. He counted -it in the regular order of life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies after the meetings spoke to one -another thus:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Um, yes, a converted Jew, and just look at -him!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say he got a raise of 600 rubles the first -of the year."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The value of our labor is growing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sometimes a handsome, richly dressed gentleman -by the name of Leontyev addressed the spies -in place of Filip Filippovich. He did not remain -seated, but walked up and down the room holding -his hands in his pockets, politely stepping out of -everybody's way. His smooth face, always drawn -in a frown, was cold and repellant, his thin lips -moved reluctantly, and his eyes were veiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another man named Yasnogursky came from St. -Petersburg for the same purpose. He was a low, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>broad-shouldered, bald man with an order on his -breast. He had a large mouth, a wizened face, -heavy eyes, like two little stones, and long hands. -He spoke in a loud voice, smacking his lips, and -pouring out streams of strong oaths. One sentence -of his particularly impressed itself on Yevsey's -memory:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say to the people, 'You can arrange -another, an easy life for yourselves.' They lie, -my children. The Emperor our Czar and our -Holy Church arrange life, while the people can -change nothing, nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>All the speakers said the same thing: the political -agents must serve more zealously, must -work more, must be cleverer, because the revolutionists -were growing more and more powerful. -Sometimes they told about the Czars, how good -and wise they were, how the foreigners feared them -and envied them because they had liberated various -nations from the foreign yoke. They had freed -the Bulgarians and the Servians from the oppression -of the Turkish Sultan, the Khivans, the Bokharans, -and the Turkomans from the Persian -Shah, and the Manchurians from the Chinese Emperor. -As a result, the Germans and the English -along with the Japanese, who were bribed -by them, were dissatisfied. They would like to -get the nations Russia had liberated into their own -power. But they knew the Czar would not permit -this, and that was why they hated him, why -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>they wished him all evil, and endeavored to bring -about the revolution in Russia.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey listened to these speeches with interest, -waiting for the moment when the speakers would -begin to tell about the Russian people, and explain -why all of them were unpleasant and cruel, why -they loved to torture one another, and lived such a -restless, uncomfortable life. He wanted to hear -what the cause was of such poverty, of the universal -fear, and the angry groans heard on all sides. -But of such things no one spoke.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After one of the meetings Viekov said to Yevsey -as the two were walking in the street:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So it means that they are getting into power. -Did you hear? It's impossible to understand what -it signifies. Just see—here you have secret people -who live hidden, and suddenly they cause general -alarm, and shake everything up. It's very hard to -comprehend. From where, I'd like to know, do -they get their power?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov, now even more morose and taciturn, -grown thin and all dishevelled, once hit his fist on -his knee, and shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I want to know where the truth is!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter?" asked Maklakov angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter? This is the matter: -I understand it this way: One class of officials has -grown weak, our class. Now another class gets -the power over the people, that's all."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>"And the result is—fiddlesticks!" said Maklakov, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov looked at him, and sighed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't lie, Timofey Vasilyevich. You lie out -and out. You are a wise man, and you lie. I understand."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Thoughts instinctively arose in the dark depths -of Yevsey's soul. He did not realize how they -formed themselves, did not feel their secret growth. -They appeared suddenly, in perfect array, and -frightened him by their unexpected apparition. -He endeavored to hide them, to extinguish them -for a time, but unsuccessfully. They quietly -flashed up again, and shone more clearly, though -their light only cast life into still greater obscurity, -The frequent conversations about the revolutionists -blocked themselves up in his head, creating an -insensible sediment in his mind, a thin strata of -fresh soil for the growth of puny thoughts. These -thoughts disquieted him, and drew him gently to -something unknown.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XVIII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_3_0_5 c005'>While on his way to Masha to take part in -her birthday celebration, the thought occurred -to Yevsey:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going to get acquainted with the joiner -to-day. He's a revolutionist."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was the first guest to arrive. He gave -Masha a string of blue beads, and Anfisa a shell -comb. In return for the gifts, with which both -were greatly pleased, they treated him to tea and -nalivka (a sort of wine made of berries with whiskey -or water). Masha prettily arching her full -white neck looked into his face with a kind smile. -Her glance softly caressed his heart, enlivened -and emboldened him. Anfisa poured the tea and -said winking her eyes:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, merchant, you are our generous donor. -When will we celebrate your wedding?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey trying not to show his embarrassment, -said quietly and confidingly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I cannot decide to get married. It's very -hard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hard? Oh, you modest man! Marya, do -you hear? He says it's hard to get married."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Masha smiled in answer to the cook's loud -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>laugh, looking at Klimkov from the corner of her -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Maybe he has his own meaning of hard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, I have my own meaning," said Yevsey, -raising his head. "You see I am thinking of the -fact that it is hard to find a person with whom you -can live soul to soul, so that the one would not -fear the other. It is hard to find a person whom -you could believe."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Masha sat beside him. He glanced sidewise at -her neck and breast, and sighed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Suppose I were to tell them where I work."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He started, frightened by the desire, and with a -quick effort he suppressed it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If a man does not understand life," he continued, -raising his voice, "it's better for him to remain -alone."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For one person to live all alone is hard, too," -said Masha, pouring out another glass of nalivka -for him. "Drink."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey longed to speak much and openly. He -observed that the women listened to him willingly; -and this in conjunction with the two glasses of wine -aroused him. But the journalist's servant girl -Liza, who came in at that moment also excited, -at once usurped the attention of Anfisa and Masha. -She was bony and had a cast in one eye. Her hair -was handsomely dressed, and she was cleverly -gowned. With her sprightly manner she seemed a -good forward little girl.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>"My good people invited guests for to-day, and -did not want to let me go," she said sitting down. -"'Well,' said I, 'you can do as you please.' And -I went off. Let them bother themselves."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Many guests?" Klimkov asked wearily, remembering -his duty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A good many. But what sort of guests! -Not one of them ever sticks a dime into your hand. -On New Year's all I got was two rubles and thirty -kopeks."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So they're not rich?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, rich! No! Not one of them has a whole -overshoe."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who are they? What's their business?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Different things. Some write for the newspapers, -another is simply a student. Oh, what a -good fellow one of them is! He has black eyebrows, -and curly hair, and a cute little mustache, -white, even teeth—a lively, jolly fellow. He -came from Siberia not long ago. He keeps talking -about hunting."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at Liza, and bent his head. He -wanted to say "Stop!" to her. Instead he apathetically -asked, "I suppose he must have been exiled."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who can tell? Maybe. My master and mistress -were exiles, too. The sergeant told me so."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, who nowadays hasn't been an exile?" exclaimed -the cook. "I lived at Popov's, an engineer, -a rich man. He had his own house and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>horses and was getting ready to marry. Suddenly -the gendarmes came at night, seized him, -and broke up everything, and then he was sent off -to Siberia."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't condemn my people," Liza interrupted, -"not a bit of it. They are good folks. They -don't scold. They're not grasping. Altogether -they're not like other people. And they're very -interesting. They know everything and speak -about everything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at Masha's ruddy face, and -thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'd better go; I'll ask her about her master -next time. But I can't make up my mind to go. -If only she kept quiet, the silly!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Our people understand everything, too," -Masha announced with pride.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When that affair happened, that revolt in St. -Petersburg," Liza began with animation, "they -stayed up nights at a time talking."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why our people were in your house then," observed -the nurse.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, indeed, there were lots of people at the -house. They talked, and wrote complaints. One -of them even began to cry. Upon my word!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's enough to cry about," sighed the cook.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He clutched his head, and sobbed. 'Unhappy -Russia!' he said, 'Unhappy people that we -are!' They gave him water, and even I got sorry -for everybody, and began to cry."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>Masha looked around frightened.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God, when I think of my sister!" She rose -and went into the cook's room. The women -looked after her sympathetically. Klimkov sighed -with relief. Against his will he asked Liza wearily -and with an effort:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To whom did they write complaints?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know," answered Liza.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Marya went off to cry," remarked the cook.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The door opened, and the cook's brother entered -coughing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's chilly," he said, untwisting the scarf from -his neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here, take a drink, quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, indeed. And here's health to you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was a thin person, who moved about freely -and deliberately. The gravity of his voice did -not accord very well with his small light beard and -his sharp, somewhat bald skull. His face was -small, thin, insignificant, his eyes, large and hazel.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A revolutionist," was Yevsey's mental observation, -as he silently pressed the joiner's hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Time for me to be going," he announced unexpectedly -to everybody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where to?" cried Anfisa, unceremoniously -seizing his hand. "Say, you merchant, don't -break up our company. Look, Matvey, what a -present he gave me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zimin looked at Yevsey, and said thoughtfully:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yesterday they got another order in our factory -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>for fifteen thousand rubles. A drawing-room, -a cabinet, a bed-room, and a salon—four rooms. -All the orders come from the military. They stole -a whole lot of money, and now they want to live -after the latest fashion."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There you are!" Yevsey exclaimed mentally, -vexed and heated. "Begins the minute he comes -in! Oh, Lord!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He felt a painful ache in his chest, as if something -inside him had been torn. Without thinking -of what his question would lead to, he quickly -asked the joiner:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are there any revolutionists in the factory?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>As if touched to the quick, Zimin quickly turned -to him, and looked into his eyes. The cook -frowned, and said in a voice dissatisfied but not -loud:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say revolutionists are everywhere nowadays."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"From smartness or stupidity?" asked Liza.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Unable to withstand the hard searching look of -the joiner, Klimkov slowly bowed his head, though -he followed the workingman with a sidelong glance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why does that interest you?" Zimin inquired -politely but sternly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have no interest in it," Yevsey answered lazily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah! Then why do you ask?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so," said Yevsey; and in a few seconds -added, "Out of politeness."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>The joiner smiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It seemed to Yevsey that three pairs of eyes were -looking at him suspiciously and severely. He felt -awkward, and something bitter nipped his throat. -Masha came out of the cook's room, smiling guiltily. -When she looked at the others' faces, the -smile disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's the wine," flashed through Yevsey's mind. -He rose to his feet, shook himself, and said. -"Don't think I asked for no reason at all. I -asked because I wanted to tell her long ago—your -sister—about you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zimin also rose. His face gathered in wrinkles, -and turned yellow.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What can you tell her about me?" he asked -with calm dignity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Masha's quiet whisper reached Yevsey's ear. -"What's up between them?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait," said Anfisa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know," said Yevsey. He had the sensation -that he was being swung from the floor into the -air light as a feather. He seemed to see everything, -observe everything with marvellous plainness. -"I know you're being followed—followed -by the agents of the Department of Safety, -I know you're a revolutionist."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The cook shook in her chair, crying out in astonishment -and fright:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Matvey, what does this mean?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>"Excuse me," said Zimin, passing his hand reassuringly -before her face. "This is a serious -matter." Then he said to Yevsey in a decided -stern tone, "Young man, put your overcoat on. -You must go home. And I, too, must go. Put -your overcoat on."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey smiled. He still felt empty and light. -It was a pleasant sensation, but his eyes were dim, -and the caustic tickling taste in his mouth came -back again. He scarcely realized how he walked -away, but he did not forget that all were silent, and -no one said good-by to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the street Zimin nudged his shoulder, and -said not aloud but emphatically:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I beg you not to come to my sister any more."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why? Did I offend you?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, not in the least."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, then?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who are you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A peddler."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Then how do you know what I am, and that I -am being followed?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"An acquaintance told me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A spy?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So? And you are a spy, too?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No," said Yevsey. But looking into Zimin's -lean, pale face, he remembered the calm and dull -sound of his voice, and without an effort corrected -himself. "Yes, I, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>They walked a few steps in silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, go," said Zimin, suddenly halting. His -voice sounded subdued and sorrowful. He shook -his head strangely. "Go away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey leaned his back against the enclosure, -and gazed at the man, blinking his eyes. Zimin, -too, looked at Yevsey, shaking his right hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?" said Yevsey, in perplexity. "Didn't -I tell you the truth? That you are being -tracked?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you are angry?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zimin bent toward him, and poured a wave of -hissing words upon Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, go to the devil! I know without you -that they are tracking me. What's the matter? -Is business going badly among you? Did you -think you'd buy me? And betray people behind -my back? Or did you want to throw a sop to your -conscience? Go to hell! I say, go, or else I'll -give you a black eye."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey started from his leaning posture, and -walked off.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Vermin!" he heard breathed behind him contemptuously.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov stopped, turned around, and for the -first time swore at anybody with the whole power -of his voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Vermin yourself! You —— —— cur!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zimin did not rejoin. His steps were inaudible. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>Somewhere Yevsey heard the snow crunching under -the runners of a cab and the grinding of iron on -stone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He went back there," thought Klimkov, walking -slowly along the pavement. "He will tell. -Masha will curse me." He spat out, then hummed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, garden, garden mine!" He stopped at -a lamp-post, feeling he had to calm himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here I am, and I can sing if I want to. If -a policeman hears it and asks, 'What are you bawling -there?' I'll show him my ticket from the -Department of Safety. 'Oh, excuse me!' he'll -say. But if the joiner should sing, he'll be hustled -off to the station-house, and they'll give him a cudgelling. -'Don't disturb the peace!'" Klimkov -smiled, and peered into the darkness. "Well, -brother, won't you strike up a song?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>However this failed to calm him as he had expected. -His heart was sad, and a bitter soapy -saliva seemed to be glued in his mouth, making -tears well up in his eyes.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>"O Ga-a-a-arden, ga-a-a-arden mine!</div> - <div class='line'>Green is this garden of mine."</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>He sang with the full power of his lungs, shutting -his eyes tight. This did not help either. -The dry, prickly tears trickled through his lids, -and chilled his cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ky-a-b!" Klimkov called in a low voice, still -trying to put on a bold front. But when he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>seated himself in the sleigh, his body grew faint, -as if a great many tightly drawn fibres had suddenly -burst within him. His head drooped, and -swaying from side to side in his seat he mumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A fine insult—very strong—thank you! -Oh, you good people, wise people—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>This complaining was pleasant. It filled his -heart with drunken sweetness. Yevsey had often -felt this sweetness in his childhood. It set him in -a martyr-like attitude toward people, and made -him more significant to himself.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XIX</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>In the morning Yevsey lay in bed frowning up -at the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Put my foot into it!" he thought dismally, -as the recollection of what had happened the day -before came back to him. "No, I oughtn't to -track people, but track myself." The idea seemed -strange to him. "How's that, though? Am I -rascally toward myself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He remembered the melancholy hazel eyes of -the joiner, the expression of dignity on his thin -face, and his assured voice as he said, "It's chilly." -Suddenly Yevsey was perplexed to feel within -himself something alien, something ready to struggle -with him. He rose to his feet, took in as much -air as he could, and for a long time stood without -emitting breath, as if to stifle inside himself that -which was alien and which hindered him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must stop all this. What do I want it for?" -he urged himself. Nevertheless ease did not return. -He began to dress lazily, compelling himself -to think about the task of the day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now he seldom went about with goods, because -there was much other work to be done. This day, -for instance, he was to go to a factory suburb to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>observe the workingmen, with the object of discovering -the persons who distributed proclamations.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He smeared his hands with soot and oil, then -washed them with soap, after which an oily film -was left, such as on the hands of metal workers. -This was not essential. But Klimkov liked to dye -his tufty hair, and color his brows and mustache. -Such proceedings made his work more interesting, -and heightened its gravity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The handsome Grokhotov had been very assiduous -in teaching Yevsey the art of disguising his -face and figure. Grokhotov was sincerely attracted -by the work. He possessed a large supply -of beards, mustaches, and wigs of all colors, -and could paste scars and warts on the face. -Sometimes he would display his mimic arts to his -comrades. Suddenly, right in everybody's presence, -he would give his face, voice, and figure a -striking resemblance to one of the officials. Or -he would cackle like a goose, roar like a lion, bark -like a dog, or meow like a cat. His astonished -audience praised him generously, and held their -sides with laughter, while he, smiling sedately, declared -modestly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just the A B C's. Wait until I've been at -it a year. Then I'll go on the stage. I'll hit off -all the celebrities, and I'll imitate every animal on -earth."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>Melnikov would look at him with contempt, and -spit out. Once he even shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey, you clown, show us a louse."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The louse is a mute insect," remarked the spy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, then, profit by its example. Eat and -keep quiet."</p> - -<p class='c006'>While dressing Klimkov remembered this interchange -of words, which in turn recalled Anatol.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There," he thought, "Anatol would have -made a good spy. But Zimin wouldn't do at all. -His eyes are in the way. You can recognize him -by the eyes at once. He certainly wants to take -Masha as his mistress."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey stopped at the door, his heart unpleasantly -gripped by this conjecture. But the next instant -he waved his hand carelessly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To the devil with all of them! What do I -care?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>This thought, which had calmed him before, -now irritated a sore spot in his feelings.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The sun was shining, water flowed from the -roofs babbling and washing away the dirty reddish -snow. The people walked quickly and merrily. -The good chimes of the Lenten bells floated -lengthily in the warm moist atmosphere, mingling -in a broad ribbon of soft sounds, which waved in -the air, and floated from the city into the pale -bluish distance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now to go off somewhere, to walk in the fields, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>in the deserts," thought Yevsey, as he entered the -narrow streets of the factory suburb.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Round about him rose the red filthy walls, supporting -themselves one against the other. The -sky over them was besmirched with smoke, the air -was steeped in the stifling odor of warm oil. White -teeth gleamed angrily in the dirty faces of the -workingmen. All the surroundings were unlovely, -and the eyes quickly wearied in looking upon the -smoked stone cages in which the men worked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At noon Klimkov, exhausted and feeling insulted -by everything he saw, entered a tavern, where he -ordered dinner to be brought to him at a small -table next to a window. He reluctantly listened -to the people's conversation. There were not -many, but all were workingmen, who lazily cast -short words at one another as they ate and drank. -The only lively sound was of a young incessant -voice which reached him from a corner.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, think, where does wealth come from?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The person who spoke was a broad-shouldered, -curly-haired fellow. Yevsey looked at him in vexation, -and turned away. He frequently heard -talks about wealth, which always inspired him with -a sense of bored perplexity. He felt they were -dictated only by envy and greed. He knew that -just such talks were accounted noxious, and he -forcibly compelled himself to listen to them, though -to-day he wanted to traverse the broad light streets -of the city.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>"You work cheaply, and you buy dearly. Isn't -it so?" cried the curly-headed fellow. "All -wealth is accumulated from the money by which -we are underpaid for our work. Let's take an example."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Everybody's greedy," thought Yevsey. -"How Masha snatched the beads yesterday! All -are scoundrels. And the reason Zimin did not -strike me was because he was afraid I would call -the police. Ha! They drove me out, but they -kept my presents. If they thought me a dirty fellow, -they should have returned my presents, the -skunks!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Filling himself with the pleasant bitterness that -comes from censuring people, he was carried away -by it, and no longer heard or saw anything. Suddenly, -however, a merry voice fell upon his ear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What, Yevsey Klimkov?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He raised his head hastily, and wanted to rise, -but was unable to do so. He saw standing before -him the curly-headed orator, whom, however, he -did not recognize.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't know me? Yakov, your cousin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He laughed, held out his hand to Yevsey, and -seated himself opposite him at the table. His -laughter enveloped Klimkov in a warm cloud of -reminiscences—of the church, the quiet ravine, -the fire, and the talks of the blacksmith. Silent, -smiling in embarrassment, he carefully pressed his -cousin's hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>"I didn't recognize you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course!" exclaimed Yakov. "Your memory -gets weak in the city. Various things creep -upon you from all sides, so no place is left for the -old. How are you getting along?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So, so."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Out of work?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov answered unwillingly. He wanted to -know whereby this meeting might be dangerous -for him. But Yakov spoke for both. He rapidly -gave an account of the village, as if it were absolutely -necessary for him to get through with it as -quickly as possible. In two minutes he had told -Yevsey that his father had gotten blind, that his -mother was always sick, and that he had been living -in the city three years working in the factory.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you've got the whole story."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov was even more thickly besmudged with -soot and oil than most of the men. Though his -clothes were torn he seemed to be rich. He was -outspoken and free in his demeanor. Klimkov -looked at him with pleasure, and recalled without -malice how this strong fellow had beaten him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is he a revolutionist, too?" he asked himself -timidly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, how are you getting along?" said Yakov. -His broad round face, glossy and smiling -good-naturedly, called for frankness in return, -which Klimkov, however, did not want to give. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>He felt the new and alien thing that he had found -in his soul in the morning growing in him. In -the desire to evade Yakov's questions, he himself -began to interrogate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And how are you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Work is hard, and life is easy. I like the city -very much. It's a smart thing, the city is. And -how simple, how intelligible things are here. It's -true that work for us fellows is, you may say, -humiliating. There's so much work, and so little -time to live. Your whole day, your whole life -goes to your employer. You can keep only minutes -for yourself. There's no time to read a book. -I'd like to go to theatre, but when will I sleep? -Do you read books?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, yes, you have no time. Isn't it so? -Though I manage to read after all. Such books -as you get here! You start one, and you just sink -away, as if a dear girl and you were embracing. -Honest! How do you get along with girls? -Lucky?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So, so," said Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They love me! The girls here, too—ah, -God, what a life! Do you go to the theatre?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I've been."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I love theatre. I snatch up everything, as if -I were going to leave to-morrow, or die. Really! -I like to hear music, everything—the zoological -garden—that's a nice place, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>The red of excitement broke through the black -layer of dirt of Yakov's cheeks. His eyes burned -eagerly. He smacked his lips, as if he were sucking -in something refreshing and vivifying.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Quiet envy stirred in Yevsey, envy of this -healthy body with its keen appetites. He stubbornly -recalled how Yakov had pummeled his sides -with his powerful fists; and something sad softly -hindered him from doing violence to himself. -Quick, joyous speech came from Yakov without -cease; the ringing exulting words and exclamations -fluttered around Yevsey like swallows. He drank -in the live spring-talk, involuntarily smiling. He -seemed to himself to be splitting in two, torn by the -desire to listen, and the awkward, almost shameful -feeling that possessed him. Though he wished -to speak in his turn, he feared he might betray himself. -His shirt collar pressed his neck. He turned -his head around, and suddenly saw Grokhotov on -the street at the window. Over the spy's left -shoulder and arm hung torn breeches, dirty shirts, -and jackets. He gave Yevsey a scarcely perceptible -wink as he shouted in a sour voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I sell and buy old clothes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's time for me to be going," said Yevsey, -jumping to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are free on Sundays, aren't you? Oh, -yes, you're out of work. Well, then, let's go to -the zoological gardens. Come to me. No, I'd -better go to you. Where do you live?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>Yevsey was silent. He did not want to tell him -where he lodged.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter? Do you live with a girl? -That doesn't matter. You'll introduce me to her. -That's all. What are you ashamed of? Is that -it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see I don't live alone."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But I don't live with a girl. I live with an -old man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov guffawed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How funny you are! The devil knows how -you speak. Well, we don't want an old man, of -course. I live with two comrades. It's not convenient -for anyone to call on me either. Come, -let's agree on a place where we can meet."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They decided on a meeting-place, and left the -café. Yakov on taking leave gave his cousin an -affectionate and vigorous handshake, and Yevsey -left him in precipitate haste as if he feared his -cousin would return to take it back. On his way -he reflected dismally:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I cannot go on the side of the city where the -railway station is, because I'll meet Zimin there, -and they'll beat me. Here, the toughest place, the -place they call a hot-bed of revolutionists, Yakov -will be in my way. I can't do a thing. I can't -turn anywhere."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A feeling of spiteful irritation glided over his -soul like a grey shadow.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>"I sell old clothes," sang Grokhotov behind his -back, then whispered, "Buy a shirt from me, Klimkov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey turned around, took some rag in his -hand, and examined it silently, while the spy -praising the wares aloud, managed to get in a whisper, -"See here, you just hit it. That curly-headed -fellow, I had my eyes on him. He's a Socialist. -Hold on to him. You can hook a great many with -him. He's a young fellow, a simple sort of fellow, -do you hear?" He tore the rag from Yevsey's -hand, and shouted in an offended tone, "Five -kopeks for such a garment as this? You're making -sport of me, friend. Why should you insult -me? Go your way, go." And shouting his wares, -Grokhotov strode down the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, I myself am going to be under surveillance," -thought Yevsey, looking at Grokhotov's -back.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When a spy with little experience became acquainted -with a workingman, he was obliged to -report the fact immediately to the spy above him. -The latter either gave him as an assistant a spy -with more experience, or he himself went among -the workingmen; upon which the other spies would -say of him enviously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He 'noosed' himself into the provocatorship."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The role of provocator was considered dangerous, -so by way of compensation the officers at once -gave money rewards for the handing over of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>group of people. All the spies not only gladly -"noosed" themselves, but sometimes also even -tripped one another up in the endeavor to snatch -away the lucky chance. In this way the entire -business was not infrequently spoiled. More than -once it happened that a spy had already gotten inside -a circle of workingmen, when suddenly in some -secret manner they learned of his profession; -whereupon they would beat him if he had not succeeded -in time in slipping away from the circle. -This was called "snapping the noose."</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was hard for Klimkov to believe that Yakov -was a Socialist, though at the same time he wanted -to believe it. The envy his cousin aroused was -transformed again into irritation against him for -having put himself in his way. Yevsey now also -recalled the blows his cousin had bestowed upon -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the evening, with eyes turned aside, he informed -Piotr of his acquaintance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what of it?" asked Piotr angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You don't know what you must do? Then -what the devil is the use of teaching you fellows?" -Piotr hastened off, crumpled, lean, with dark stains -under his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Evidently lost again at cards," thought Yevsey -gloomily.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XX</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success. -He questioned him in detail. After -reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and -gave Klimkov instructions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait a little. Then you'll tell him in a careful -way that you have gotten a position as clerk in a -printing office, do you hear? Ask as few questions -as possible, let them speak for themselves. Very -likely they'll ask you whether you can't get them -type. Tell them you can, but learn to say it -simply, so that they should see it's all the same to -you whether you get it or don't get it. Don't ask -what for, behave like a little fool, as you actually -are. Only I want you to know that if you botch -this matter, it will be bad for you. After every -meeting report to me what you have heard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In intercourse with Sasha Yevsey felt like a little -dog on a strap. He looked at the spy's pimply -yellow face, and thought of nothing but the moment -when he would be permitted to depart from -the cloud of disgusting odors, which nauseated him -and ate into the skin of his face and hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He went to meet Yakov as empty as a pipe. -But when he saw his cousin with a cigarette between -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>his teeth and his hat cocked to one side, he -gave him a pleasant smile, while something unpleasant -stirred within him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How's business?" shouted Yakov merrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So, so."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Gotten a job?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes." The next instant Yevsey thought, "I -said it too soon."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Clerk in a printing office."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov whistled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Capital! What do you get?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Twenty-five."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In a printing office? Indeed!" said Yakov -thoughtfully, then suddenly became animated. -"What do you say—I'll take you to pay a visit -this evening. Good company, coz. Two girls, -one a milliner, the other a spool girl in a thread -factory. There'll be a locksmith there, too, a -young fellow. He sings and plays the guitar. -Two more, also good people. All people are good, -only they have no time to pay attention to themselves."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov spoke quickly, and his eyes smiled joyously -at everything he saw. He stopped in front -of the shop-windows, and examined their contents -with the gaze of a man to whom all articles are -pleasant, and everything is interesting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look, what a dress! Ha! If you were to -put such a thing on our Olya, she'd get tangled up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>in it. Books—that little one there, yellow, you -see it? I've read it. 'Primitive Man.' Interesting. -Read it, and you'll see how people grew -up. Books are very interesting. They at once -open up to you all the cunning of life. Those -thick books are awkward to read. By the time you -get to the middle you forget what happened at the -beginning, and at the end you forget the beginning -also. The devil take them! Why don't they -write shorter books?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next minute he pointed out a gun, and cried -ecstatically:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Revolvers, eh? Just like toys."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Giving himself over to Yakov's mood, Yevsey -looked at the various articles with the wandering -look of empty eyes, and smiled, astounded, as if -for the first time seeing the pretty, alluring multitude -of brilliant materials and vari-colored books, -the blinding gleam of colors and metals. He was -pleased to hear the young voice still in the state of -change; the rapid talk steeped in the joy of life -was agreeable to him. It lightly penetrated the -dark void of Klimkov's soul, and allowed him to -forget himself for a moment.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You're a jolly fellow," he said approvingly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very. I learned to dance from the Cossacks. -A score of Cossacks are stationed in our factory. -Did you hear that the men in our factory -wanted to rise? You didn't? How's that? -The newspapers wrote about it. Yes, so I learned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>to dance from the Cossacks. Wait, you'll see. -Nobody can beat me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did they want to rise?" asked Yevsey, -provoked by the simplicity with which Yakov spoke -of a revolt.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why? They wrong us workingmen. What, -then, are we to do?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you would have done it, too?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What? Rebel? Of course. What else? -Our people are good, they're solid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And how about the Cossacks?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The Cossacks? So, so. They are people, -too. At first they thought they would officer it -over us, but then they said, 'Comrades, give us -leaflets.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov suddenly broke off and looked into Yevsey's -face. For a minute he walked in silence with -knit brows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The mention of the leaflets recalled his duty to -Yevsey. He wrinkled his forehead painfully. -Wishing to push something away from himself -and his cousin, he said quietly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I read those leaflets."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well?" asked Yakov, slackening his gait.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't understand them. What are they -for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You read some more."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't want to."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why not?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>"They're not interesting to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, they're not."</p> - -<p class='c006'>For a while they walked in silence. Yakov -sniffed meditatively, and gave a hasty look into -his cousin's face. Yevsey felt he had not succeeded -in shoving away the unpleasant and dangerous -theme.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"These leaflets are a precious matter. It's -necessary for us to read them. All the slaves of -labor ought to read them," Yakov began heartily, -but in a modulated voice. "We, cousin, are -slaves, chained to everlasting work. They have -made us captives of capitalists, and we live poor in -body and in soul. Isn't it so? Now the leaflets -eat at our chains, the way rust eats iron, and they -liberate our human minds."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov walked more quickly. He did not -want to hear the smooth talk. The desire even -darted through his mind to say:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't speak to me about such things, please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Yakov himself interrupted his speech.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There's the zoo!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>They drank a bottle of beer in the bar-room, -and listened to the playing of a military band.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good?" Yakov asked, nudging Yevsey's side -with his elbow. On the cessation of the playing -Yakov sighed. "That was Faust they played. -An opera. I saw it three times. Beautiful, very! -The story is stupid, but the music is good. And -the songs, too. Come, let's look at the monkeys."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>On the way to the monkey-house he told Yevsey the -story of Faust and the devil Mephistopheles. He -even attempted to sing something, but not succeeding -he burst out laughing. "I can't," he declared. -"It's hard. Besides I've forgotten it. -Do you know—the singer who plays the devil -gets a thousand rubles every time he sings. The -devil take him, let him get ten thousand rubles, because -it's good. When it's good, I don't grudge -anybody anything. I'd give my life,—there, take -it, eat! Isn't it so?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," replied Yevsey, looking around.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov's account of the opera, the pretty women's -faces, the laughter and talk of the crowds of -people in holiday attire, and over all the spring sky -bathed in sunlight—all this intoxicated Klimkov -and expanded his heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a young fellow he is!" he thought in -amazement, as he looked at Yakov. "So brave! -And he knows everything. Yet he's the same age -I am."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now it seemed to Yevsey that his cousin was -leading him somewhere far off, and was quickly -opening up before him a long row of little doors, -behind each of which the sound and the light grew -pleasanter and pleasanter. He looked around, absorbing -the new impressions, and at times opening -his eyes wide in anxiety. It seemed to him that -the familiar face of a spy was darting about in -the crowd.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>The two youths stood before the monkey cage. -Yakov with a kind smile in his eyes said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I love these wise animals. In fact I love every -living thing. Just look! Wherein are they less -than human beings? Isn't it so? Eyes, chins, -how bright all their features are, eh? Their -hands—" He suddenly broke off to listen to -something. "Wait a minute, there go our folks." -He disappeared, and in a minute returned leading -a girl and a young man up to Yevsey. The -young man wore a sleeveless jacket. Yakov cried -out joyously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You said you weren't coming here, you deceivers. -Well, all right. This is my cousin Yevsey -Klimkov. I told you about him. This is Olya—Olga -Konstantinova, and this is Aleksey Stepanovich -Makarov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov bowed clumsily and silently pressed -the hands of his new acquaintances.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, he's going to 'noose' me in," he -thought. "It's better for me to go away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But he did not go away, though he looked -around again, fearful lest he see one of the spies. -He saw none, however.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's not a very free sort of a fellow," said -Yakov to the girl. "He's not a pair to me, sinner -that I am. He's a quiet fellow."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You needn't feel constrained with us. We -are simple people," said Olga.</p> - -<p class='c006'>She was taller than Yevsey by an entire head, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>and her size was heightened by her luxuriant glossy -hair, which she wore combed high. Her grey-blue -eyes smiled serenely in a pale oval face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The expression of the man in the sleeveless -jacket was intelligent and kind. His eyes were -screwed up and his ears large. His motions were -slow. In walking he moved his apparently powerful -body with a peculiar sort of unconcern.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are we going to wander about here long, like -unrepentant sinners?" he asked in a soft bass.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What else should we do?" asked Yakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's sit down somewhere."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Olga bent her head to look into Klimkov's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you ever been here before?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No. This is the first time."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you find it interesting?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, I like it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked to her side trying for some reason -to lift his feet higher; by which walking became -awkward. They sat down at a table, and called -for beer. Yakov made jokes, while Makarov -whistled softly and regarded the public with his -screwed-up eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you any companions?" asked Olga.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, not one."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's what I thought at once. I thought -you were a solitary person," she said smiling. -"Lonely people have a peculiar gait. Altogether -there's something noticeable about them. How -old are you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>"I'll soon be nineteen."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look, there's a spy!" Makarov exclaimed -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey jumped to his feet, but quickly resumed -his seat, and looked at Olga to see if she had observed -his involuntary movement of alarm. He -could not make out, however. She was silently -and attentively examining Melnikov's dark figure, -which slowly moved through the passageway between -the tables as if with an effort. Melnikov -walked with bent neck and eyes fastened on the -ground. His arms hung at his side as if dislocated.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He walks like Judas to the aspen tree," said -Yakov in a subdued voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He must be drunk," observed Makarov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, he's always like that," was on the tip of -Yevsey's tongue. He fidgetted in his chair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov pushed himself through the crowd -like a black stone, and was soon lost in its gaily -colored stream.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you notice how he walked?" Olga asked -Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey nodded his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course he's a mean man, but he must be unhappy -and lonely."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey raised his head, and looked at her attentively, -with expectation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you know I think that for a weak man -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>loneliness is the most horrible thing. It can drive -him to anything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said Klimkov in a whisper, comprehending -something. He looked into the girl's face -gratefully, and repeated in a louder tone, "Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I knew him four years ago," Makarov recounted. -Makarov's face seemed suddenly to -have lengthened and dried up. His bones became -visible, his eyes opened and darkened and -looked firmly into the distance. "He delivered -over one student, who gave us books to read, and -a workingman, Tikhonov. The student was exiled, -Tikhonov stayed in prison about a year, then -died of typhus."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you afraid of spies?" Olga suddenly -asked Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?" Yevsey returned dully.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You started so when you saw him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rubbing his throat vigorously answered -without looking at her:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That was—because I know him, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha!" Makarov drawled, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah, and such a quiet fellow!" exclaimed Yakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All now moved more closely around Klimkov as -if desiring to hide him from somebody's eyes. He -did not understand their exclamations, nor their -movements and kind looks. He endeavored to -keep quiet, fearing that against his will he would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>say words that would at once destroy the anxious -yet pleasant half-dream of these minutes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fresh spring evening approached quietly and -benignly, softening sounds and colors. There was -a red flush in the sky, and the brass instruments -sang a soft pensive strain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well," said Makarov, "are we going to stay -here, or are we going home?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What will they give here?" asked Olga.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Chorus singing, tight-rope dancing, and all -sorts of similar nonsense."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They decided to go home. On the way Olga -asked Klimkov:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you ever been in prison?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," he answered, but in an instant added, -"Not for long."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They took the tramway to their place of destination. -Yevsey found himself in a little room with -blue paper on the walls. It was close and stifling, -now merry, now gloomy. Makarov played the -guitar and sang songs which Yevsey had never before -heard. Yakov boldly discussed everything in -the world, laughing at the rich and swearing at the -officials. Then he danced, filling the whole room -with the tread of his feet and the cries and the -whistling that accompany the dances. The guitar -tinkled the measure of the dance, and Makarov encouraged -Yakov with popular sayings and shouts.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go ahead, Yasha! Heigho! Who with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>merriment is blessed, Frightens sorrow from his -breast."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Olga looked on serenely and contentedly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good, isn't it?" she asked Klimkov occasionally, -smiling at him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Drunk with a quiet joy unknown to him Klimkov -smiled in response. He forgot about himself, and -felt the obstinate pricks within him only rarely, -for a few seconds at a time. Before his consciousness -was able to transform them into clear thought, -they disappeared, without recalling his life to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was not until he had reached his home that he -remembered his work, his obligation to deliver -these merry people into the hands of the gendarmes. -On recalling this duty he was seized with -cold anguish. He stopped in the middle of the -room, his brain a void. Breathing became difficult, -and he passed his dry tongue over his lips. He -drew off his clothes quickly, and clad in nothing but -his underwear seated himself at the window. After -several minutes of numbness he thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will tell them—her—Olga."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But that very minute he heard in his memory the -angry and contemptuous shouts of the joiner, "Vermin!" -Klimkov shook his head in repudiation of -the idea. "I'll write to her. 'Take care,' I'll -say—and I'll write about myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>This thought cheered him. The next minute, -however, he reasoned:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>"They'll find my letter when they make the -search. They'll recognize my handwriting, and -then I'm ruined."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Someone within him commanded imperiously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You can't do anything of yourself. Do that -which you have been bidden to do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He sat at the window almost until daybreak. It -seemed to him that his entire body shrivelled up -and collapsed within him like a rubber ball from -which the air is expelled. Within grief relentlessly -sucked at his heart; without the darkness -pressed upon him, full of faces lying in wait. -Amid them, like a red ball, lowered the sinister -face of Sasha. Klimkov crouched on his seat unable -to think. Finally he rose cautiously, and -quietly hid himself under the blanket of the bed.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXI</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Life, like a horse that has stood idle too long, -began to caper strangely, refusing to surrender -to the will of those who wanted to control it—who -wanted to control it just as senselessly, just as -cruelly as before.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Every evening the people connected with the -Department of Safety, who were utterly at a loss, -spoke more and more alarmingly of the increasing -signs of universal excitement, of the secret league -of peasants, who had resolved to take the land by -force from the landowners, of the gatherings of -workingmen who began to censure the administration -openly, of the power of the revolutionists, -which clearly was growing from day to day. -Filip Filippovich, without abating, continued to -scratch the agents of the Department of Safety with -his sharp-edged, irritating voice. He overwhelmed -everybody with reproaches for inactivity. And -Yasnogursky, smacking his lips, made tragic appeals -to the agents while pressing his hands to his -bosom.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My children, exert yourselves. Remember -that service in behalf of the Czar is not wasted."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But when Krasavin inquired gloomily, "What -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>are we to do?" he merely waved his hand, and -stood for a long time with his deep black mouth -gaping strangely, unable to find a reply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Catch them!" he finally shouted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey, who listened to everything, heard the -dapper Leontyev cough drily, and say to Sasha:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Apparently our old methods of war upon the -rebels are no good in these days of universal madness."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ye-e-e-es, you can't put out fire with spittle," -hissed Sasha, a smile distorting his face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Everybody was vexed and complained and -shouted. Sasha drew up his long legs, and cried -in mocking derision:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! The gentlemen revolutionists are getting -the better of us, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He laughed, and his laugh irritated everybody. -Yevsey felt that this man was not afraid of anything, -and he endeavored not to hear his talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies tossed about the streets day and night, -and every evening brought long reports of their -observations. They spoke to one another mournfully:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is this the way to work nowadays? Dear -me!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Apparently no one knew a means by which the -elemental growth of the popular revolt could be -restrained.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They will comb our curls," said Piotr, cracking -his knuckles.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>"They'll take us off the list if we remain alive," -Solovyov chimed in dismally.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If they would give us a pension at least! But -they won't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A noose around our necks, not a pension," said -Melnikov sombrely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies were all exhausted and confused; all -trembled in fear of the morrow. Both they and -the officials seemed to have faded. The people -who but a short time ago had been terrible in Yevsey's -eyes, who had appeared to him to be the -powerful and invincible masters of life, now ran -from one corner of the Department of Safety to -another, and fluttered about in the streets like last -year's dried leaves.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He observed with amazement that there were -other people, cheerful, simple, and trusting, who -were able to walk into the future, carelessly stepping -over every obstacle and snare in their way, -everyone of whom was good in his own fashion, -and everyone of whom clearly hinted at the possibility -of something better than himself. Yevsey -compared them with the spies, who, unwillingly -with clandestine tread, crept along the streets and -into houses, and secretly spirited away these -people at night, in order to seclude them in prisons. -He clearly realized that the spies did not understand -the aim of their work, did not believe that it -was needful for life, and did not think or reason -when, instinctively, according to their habit, they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>went about half-sick, half-drunk, driven by different -fears.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He liked the tranquil talk of Olga, her greyish -blue eyes, and that live strong pity for people -which sounded in the girl's every word. He liked -the noisy, jesting, somewhat boastful talker Yakov, -the careless Aleksey, good-naturedly ready to give -away his last shirt and penny to anyone who asked -for them. He met an increasing number of people -new to him, in each of whom he perceived faith in -the victory of his dream. And Yevsey involuntarily, -insensibly, yielded to this faith.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Observing the quick crumbling of that power -which he had hitherto submissively served, Yevsey -began to seek a way by which it would be possible -for him to circumvent and escape the necessity of -betrayal. He reasoned thus:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If I go to them, then it will be impossible for -me not to deliver them up. To hand them over -to another agent is still worse. I must tell them. -Now that they are becoming more powerful, it -will be better for me to be with them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>So, yielding to the attraction exerted upon him -by persons new to him, he visited Yakov more frequently, -and became more insistent in endeavoring -to meet Olga. After each visit he reported in a -quiet voice to Sasha every detail of his intercourse -with them—what they said, what they read, and -what they wanted to do. He enjoyed telling of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>them, in fact, repeated their talk with secret satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, a funeral," snuffled Sasha, angrily and -sarcastically fixing Klimkov with his dim eyes. -"You must push them on yourself, if they are inattentive. -You must get in a hint that you can furnish -them with type, fix up a printing office. Is -it possible you can't do that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was silent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am asking you, idiot, can you do it? -Well?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why don't you speak out? Suggest it to them -to-morrow, do you hear?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well."</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was easy for Klimkov to fulfil Sasha's order. -In reporting about his cousin's circle, he had not -ventured to tell Sasha that both Olga and Yakov -had already asked him twice, whether he could -obtain type for them. Each time he had managed -to get away without answering.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next evening he went to Olga, carrying in -his breast the dark feeling of emptiness he always -experienced in moments of nervous tension. The -resolution to fulfil the task was put into him by a -stranger's will; he did not have to think about it -himself. This resolution spread within him, and -crowded out all fear, all inconvenient sympathy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But when the tall figure of Olga stood before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>him in the small dimly lighted room, and behind -her he saw her large shadow on the wall, which -moved to meet him, Klimkov lost courage, grew -confused, and stood in the doorway without speaking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I've just returned from the factory," said Olga -pressing his hand. "We had another meeting today. -What's the matter with you? Are you -tired? Are you sick? Come in, sit down. Let's -have some tea, yes?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>She turned the light in the lamp higher, and -looked at Klimkov with a smile. While getting -the dishes ready she continued.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I like to drink tea with you alone. I myself -and all the comrades, we talk a great deal. We -must talk so much, we scarcely have time to think. -That's absurd, and bad, but it's true. So it's -pleasant to see a taciturn, thinking man. Will you -have a glass of milk? It will do you good. You -are growing very thin, it seems to me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov took the glass she offered him, and -slowly sipped the watery unsavory milk. He -wanted to get through with the business at once.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is it. You said you need type."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did. I know you'll give it to us."</p> - -<p class='c006'>She said these words simply, with a confidence -not to be shaken. They were like a blow to Yevsey. -He flung himself on the back of the chair -astonished.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>"Why do you know?" he asked dully after a -pause.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When I asked you, you said neither yes nor no. -So I thought you would certainly say yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey did not understand. He tried not to -meet her look.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?" he queried again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It must be because I consider you a good man. -I trust you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You mustn't trust," said Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, enough nonsense, you must."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And suppose you've been mistaken?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>She shrugged her shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what of it?" After a pause she added -calmly, "Not to believe a man means not to respect -him. It means to think him beforehand a liar, an -ugly person. Is that possible?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's what is necessary," mumbled Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can furnish the type." He sighed. The -task was accomplished. He was silent for several -minutes, sitting with his head bowed, his hands -pressed tight between his knees, while he listened -suspiciously to the rapid beating of his heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Olga leaned her elbows on the table, and in a -low voice told him when and where the promised -type must be brought. He made a mental note -of her words, and repeated them to himself, desiring -by this repetition to hinder the growth of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>the painful feeling in his empty breast. Now that -he had fulfilled his duty a stifling nausea slowly -arose from the depths of his soul; and that feeling -of an alien inside himself, of a constantly widening -cleft in his being, came over him in a tormenting -wave.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You noticed," the girl said quietly, "how -rapidly the people are changing, how faith in other -persons is growing, how quickly one gets to know -the other, how everybody seeks friends and finds -them. All have become simpler, more trusting, -more willing to open up their souls. See how good -it is."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Her words trembled before him like moths, each -with its own character. Simple, kind, joyous, they -all seemed fairly to smile. Unable to make up his -mind to look Olga in the face, Klimkov took to -watching her shadow on the wall over his shoulders, -and drew upon it her blue eyes, the medium-sized -mouth with the pale lips, her face somewhat weary -and serious, but soft and kind.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Shall I tell her now that all this is a hocus-pocus? -That she will be ruined?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He answered himself:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They'll drive me out. They'll swear at me, -and drive me out."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you know Zimin the joiner?" he suddenly -asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed painfully.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>"Just so. He's a good man, too, a Socialist."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We are many," observed Olga with assurance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If she knew the joiner," Klimkov thought -slowly, "I would tell her to ask him about me. -Then—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The chair seemed to be giving way beneath him, -the nausea, he thought, would immediately gush -into his throat. He coughed, and examined the -clean little room, which small and poor though it -was, once more gripped at his heart. The moon -looked into the room round as Yakov's face, and -the light in the lamp seemed irritatingly superfluous.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"More and more people come into being who -realize that they are called upon by destiny to -order life differently—upon truth and intellect," -said Olga dreamily and simply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey, yielding more and more to the power of -the triumphant feeling the girl and the quiet contracted -room inspired in him, thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll put out the light, fall on my knees before -her, embrace her feet, and tell her everything—and -she will give me a kick."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But the fear of ill treatment did not deter him. -He raised himself heavily from his chair, and put -out his hand to the lamp. Then his hand dropped -lazily, drowsily, his legs shook. He started.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you doing?" demanded Olga.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He tried to answer, but a soft gurgle came -instead of words. He dropped to his knees, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>seized her dress with trembling hands. She -pressed one hot hand against his forehead, and -with the other grasped his shoulder, at the same -time hiding her legs under the table with a powerful -movement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, no, get up!" she exclaimed sternly. "Oh -my, how dreadful this is! My dear, I understand, -you are worn out, I am sorry for you, -you are an honorable man—I cannot—why, -you don't ask for charity—then get up."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The warmth of her strong body roused in him -a sharp sensual desire, and he took the pushing -of her hand as an encouraging caress.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She's not a saint," darted through his mind, -and he embraced the girl's knees more vigorously.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I tell you, get up!" she exclaimed in a -muffled voice, no longer persuasively, but in a tone -of command.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He rose without having succeeded in saying -anything. The girl had confused his desires, his -words, and feelings. She had put into his breast -something insulting and stinging.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Understand—" he mumbled, spreading out -his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes, I understand—my God, always -this on the road!" she exclaimed. Looking into -his face she went on harshly, "I am sick of it. I -am insulted. I can't be only a woman to everybody. -Oh, God! How pitiful you all are, -after all."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>She went to the window, and the table now -separated her from Yevsey. A dim, cold perplexity -took hold of his heart; an insulting shame -quietly burned him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I tell you what—don't come to me—I beg -of you. I'll feel awkward in your presence, and -you, too—please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey took up his hat, flung his coat over -his shoulders, and walked away with bowed head. -Several minutes later he was sitting on a bench at -the gate of a house, mumbling as if drunk:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The baggage!" But he had to strain himself -to bring out the epithet. It was not genuine. -He ransacked all the shameful names for a woman, -all ugly oaths, and poured them over the tall, -shapely figure of Olga, desiring to sully every bit -of her with mud, to darken her from head to foot, -in order not to see her face and eyes. But oaths -did not cling to her. She stood before his eyes, -stretching out her hands, pushing him away, serene -and white. Her image robbed his oaths of their -force, and though Yevsey persistently roused anger -within himself, he felt only shame.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He looked for a long time at the round solitary -ball of the moon, which moved in the sky -in bounds, as if leaping like a large bright rubber -ball; and he heard the quiet sound of its motion, -resembling the beatings of a heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He did not love this pale melancholy disk, which -always seemed to watch him with cold obstinacy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>in the heavy movements of his life. It was late, -but the city was not yet asleep. From all sides -floated sounds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Formerly the nights were quieter," thought -Klimkov. He rose, and walked away, without -putting his arms into the sleeves of his coat, his -hat pushed back on his neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, all right, wait," he thought, doing -violence to himself. Finally he decided, "I'll -deliver them over, and as a reward I'll ask to be -transferred to another city. That's all."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He reluctantly surrendered himself to the desires -to revenge himself upon Olga, and strengthened -the feeling with a supreme effort. Nevertheless -it continued to cover his heart with a thin scale, -and was constantly breaking down so that he had -to fortify it again. Beneath this desire unexpectedly -appeared another, not strong, but restless. -He wanted to see the girl once more, wanted to -listen in silence to her talk, to sit with her in her -room. He quenched the longing with thoughts -that designedly lowered Olga.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If I had a lot of money, you would dance -naked before me. I know your lewd set." But -to himself he said obdurately, "You won't sully -her, you won't attain it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He wanted this or the other, but neither this nor -the other was attainable. In calmer moments he -realized this truth, which fairly crushed him, and -plunged him into a heavy sleep troubled by -nightmares.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>But Yevsey pursued his work precisely. He -gave Makarov a few heavy bundles of type -in three instalments, and cleverly found out from -him where the printing-press would be established. -This elicited public commendation from Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good boy! Now we have six in our hands—that's -not so bad, Klimkov. You will receive -a reward."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey treated his praise indifferently. When -Sasha was gone, the sharp face of Maklakov, which -had grown thin, leaped into his eyes. The spy, -sitting in a dark corner of the room on a sofa, -looked into Yevsey's face, twirling his mustache, -frowning, and vexed. Something in his look provoked -Yevsey, who turned aside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov, come here," the spy called out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov turned back, and seated himself next -to Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is it true that you delivered up your brother?" -asked Maklakov in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My cousin."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You're not sorry?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No." Yevsey quietly and angrily repeated -the phrase that the officials often uttered. "For -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>us, as for soldiers, there is neither mother, nor -father, nor brother, only enemies of the Czar and -our country."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, of course," said Maklakov, and smiled. -After a pause he added, "Really you are a 'good -boy.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>By his voice and smile Klimkov understood -that the spy was making sport of him. He felt -offended.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Maybe I am sorry."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But if I have to serve honestly and faithfully—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course. I'm not disputing with you, you -queer fellow."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then Maklakov lighted a cigarette, and asked -Yevsey:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you sitting here?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, for no reason. I have nothing to do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov slapped him on his knee, and suddenly -said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You're a poor unfortunate, brother, little -man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Timofey Vasilyevich," he began in a trembling -voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what is it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tell me—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tell you what?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>"Well, I don't either."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov mumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am sorry for my cousin—and there's a girl -there, too. They are all better than we, by God -they are! Really and truly they're better."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov also rose to his feet, stretched himself, -and stepping to the door remarked coldly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go to the devil!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey remained alone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, there," thought he, "there's another -fellow—all alike. First they draw me on, then -they push me away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The vengeful feeling toward Olga awoke in -him, and blended with his sense of ill-will toward -all people, which found ample nourishment in his -soul powerless to resist because of the poison of -many insults. Yevsey vigorously set to work to -enmeshing himself in a net of new moods, and -he served now with a dull zeal hitherto unknown -to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Gradually the night came upon which it had been -decided to arrest Olga, Yakov, and all implicated -in the affair of the printing-press whom Yevsey -had succeeded in tracking. He knew that the -printing-office was located in the wing of a house -set in a garden and occupied by a large red-bearded -man named Kostya and his wife, a stout, pock-marked -woman. He also knew that Olga was -the servant of these two people. Kostya's head -was close cropped, and his wife had a grey face -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>and roaming eyes. Upon Yevsey both produced -the impression of witless persons, or persons who -have lain in a hospital a long time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What fearful people they are!" he remarked -to Yakov when he pointed them out one evening -during a party at Makarov's lodging.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov loved to boast of his acquaintances. He -proudly shook his curly head, and explained with -an air of importance:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's from their hard life. They work in -cellars at night, where it is damp, and the air is -close. They get their rest in prison. Both of -them are fugitives, who live on other people's -passports. Such a life turns everybody inside out -and upside down. They're jolly people, too. -When Kostya begins to tell about his life, you -would think it is nothing but tears, but he talks -so that when he is done, your sides ache from -laughing. You can't trap such people very easily."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov decided to get a last look at Olga. He -learned through what street the prisoners would be -led, and went to meet them, trying to persuade -himself that all this did not touch him. All the -time he was thinking about the girl.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She'll certainly be frightened. She'll cry."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked, as always, keeping in the shade. -He tried once or twice to whistle carelessly, but -never succeeded in checking the steady stream of -recollections about Olga. He saw her calm face, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>her trusting eyes, listened to her somewhat broken -voice, and remembered her words:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's no use for you to talk so badly about -people, Klimkov. Why, have you nothing to reproach -yourself with? Suppose everybody were -to say what you say, 'It's hard for me to live, -because everybody is so mean,' why, that would be -ridiculous. Can't you see? Value yourself -highly, but do not lower others. What right have -you to do that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>When listening to Olga Yevsey had always felt -that she spoke the truth. Now, too, he had no -cause to doubt it. But he was filled with the -sheer desire to see her frightened, pitiful, and in -tears.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From afar the wheels of an equipage began to -rumble, the horses' shoes clattered. Klimkov -pressed himself against the gate of a house, and -waited. The carriage rolled by him. He looked -at it unconcernedly, saw two gloomy faces, the -grey beard of the driver, and the large mustache of -the sergeant at his side.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's all," thought he, "and I didn't get -a chance to see her."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But another carriage came rolling from the end -of the street, and passed him quickly. Yevsey -listened to the cut of the whip on the horse's body, -and its tired snorting. The sounds seemed to -hang motionless in the air. He thought they -would hang there forever.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>Olga with her head wrapped in a kerchief was -sitting at the side of a young gendarme. On the -coach box beside the driver rose the figure of the -policeman. A familiar face darted by, white and -good. Yevsey understood more than saw that -Olga was perfectly calm, was not in the least -frightened. For some reason he suddenly grew -glad, and said to himself as if retorting to an -unpleasant interlocutor:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She won't cry, not she!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Closing his eyes and smiling he stood a while -longer. Then he heard steps and the jingling of -spurs, and he comprehended that the men prisoners -were being led along the street. He tore himself -from the place, and trying to make his footsteps -inaudible, quickly ran down the street, and turned -the first corner. He kept up the same rapid pace -almost the entire way to his home at which he -arrived exhausted and covered with sweat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The evening of the next day Filip Filippovich -casting his blue rays upon Yevsey said ceremoniously -in a thinner voice than usual:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I congratulate you, Klimkov, on your fine -achievement. I hope it will be the first link in a -long chain of successes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov shifted from one foot to the other, and -quietly spread out his arms, as if desiring to free -himself from the invisible chain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There were a few spies in the room. They -listened in silence to the sound of the saw, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>looked at Yevsey, who without seeing them felt -their glances upon his skin. He felt awkward -and annoyed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Filip Filippovich had finished talking, -Yevsey quietly asked him for a transfer to another -city.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's nonsense, brother," said Filip Filippovich -drily. "It's a shame to be a coward, -especially at this time. What's the matter? -Your first success, yet you want to be running off. -I myself know when a transfer is necessary. Go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, they've rewarded me," thought -Klimkov, dismally and with a sense of hurt. But -he was in error. The reward came from Sasha.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey, you morel, you," he called to him, -"there, take this."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Touching Yevsey's hand with his dank yellow -hand, he thrust a piece of paper into his grasp, and -walked away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yakov Zarubin leaped up to Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How much?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Twenty-five rubles," said Klimkov, unfolding -the bill with reluctant fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How many people were there?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Seven."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Seven? Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin raised his eyes to the ceiling, and -mumbled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Twice, no three times, seven is twenty-one. -Four into seven—three and a half per person."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>He whistled softly, and looking around -announced:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha got a hundred and fifty, and his bill -of expenses in the affair was sixty-three rubles. -They do us fools. Well, what now, Yevsey? -Give us a treat. For joy!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come," said Klimkov, looking askance at the -money. He could not make up his mind to put -it in his pocket.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>On the way Zarubin said in a business-like way:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"After all your people seem to have been -trash."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why?" asked Klimkov offended. He sighed, -and said in a lower voice. "Not trash a bit."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They gave little for them, very little. Ugh! -I know how such things are done. You can't fool -me, no, indeed. Krasavin once caught a single -revolutionist, and he got a hundred rubles. Do -you hear? And they sent him another hundred -from St. Petersburg. Solovyov got seventy-five -for an illegal lady. You see? And Maklakov, -Ugh! Of course he catches advocates, professors, -writers, who have a special price. They are -not dangerous, but I suppose it must be hard to -catch them."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin spoke without cease. Klimkov was -satisfied with his tattle, which kept him from thinking -of the oppressive something that lay in his -breast like a cold stone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The two youths entered a public house. Zarubin -in the confident voice of a habitué asked the tall, -thin, one-eyed housekeeper:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is Lydia well? And Kapa? There, Yevsey, -you will get acquainted with Kapa. She's a girl, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>I tell you, a monster! She'll teach you what you -wouldn't learn in a hundred years without her. -Well, give us lemonade and cognac. First of all, -Yevsey, we must take a bit of cognac with -lemonade. That's a sort of champagne. It lifts -you up into the air at once. All right?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All the same to me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The house, apparently, was an expensive one. -The windows were hung with sumptuous curtains. -The furniture seemed unusual to Yevsey, the -prettily dressed girls, proud and inaccessible. All -this distracted him. He squeezed himself into a -corner, stepping aside to let the girls pass, who -went by him as if they did not notice him. Their -clothes grazed his legs. The half-dressed bodies, -painted and already sweaty, lazily floated by in -oppressive heaps. Their eyes set in pencilled lids -turned in their orbits. The eyes were all large, -though dead and uniform, notwithstanding their -various colors.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Students?" asked a reddish girl of her companion, -a stout brunette with a high bare bosom and -a blue ribbon about her neck. The one who whispered -in her ear made a grimace at Yevsey. He -turned away from her, and asked Zarubin in -annoyance:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do they know who we are?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, of course. That's why they take only -half the price for entrance, and discount twenty-five -per cent. from the bill."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>Yevsey emptied two beakers of the sparkling -beverage. Though it did not make him merrier, -everything around him, nevertheless, assumed a -more uniform, less irritating aspect. Two girls -seated themselves at their table, Lydia and Kapitolina, -the one tall and strong, the other broad -and heavy. Lydia's head was absurdly small in -proportion to her body; her forehead, too, was -small, her chin was sharp and prominent, her -mouth round, her teeth, little and fine, like those of -a fish, and her eyes dark and cunning. Kapitolina -seemed put together from a number of balls of -various sizes. Her protruding eyes were also like -balls, and dull as a blind person's.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Little black Zarubin was restless as a fly. He -smelt of everything, turned his head from side to -side, moved his legs up and down, back and forth, -sent his thin dark hands flying over the table to -seize everything and feel everything. Yevsey -suddenly began to feel a heavy dull irritation rising -in him against Zarubin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The skunk!" he thought. "He brought me -a monster for my money, and chose a pretty one for -himself."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Yevsey knew that his annoyance at Zarubin -had a deeper-seated cause than this. He filled a -large glass of cognac, swallowed it, and opened -his burned mouth and rolled his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Capital!" shouted Yakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The girls laughed, and for a minute Yevsey -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>was deaf and blind, as if he had fallen fast asleep.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This Lydia, Yevsey, my true friend, is a wise -girl, oh, so wise!" Zarubin pulled Yevsey's sleeve -to rouse him. "Whenever I merit the attention -of the officials, I will take her away from here, will -marry her, and will establish her in my business. -Yes, Lydia darling? Ugh!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We'll see," replied the girl, languidly, looking -sidewise at his oily eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why are you silent, friend Yevsey?" asked -Kapitolina, slapping Yevsey's shoulder with her -heavy hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"She addresses everybody by the first name," -Yakov remarked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All the same to me," said Yevsey, without -looking at the girl, and moving away from her. -"Only tell her that I don't like her, and she -should go away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>For a few seconds all kept silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To the devil with you!" said Kapitolina, -thickly and calmly. Propping herself on the -table with her hands, she slowly lifted her heavy -body from the chair. Yevsey was annoyed because -she was not offended. He looked at her, -and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A species of elephant."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How impolite!" shouted Lydia compassionately.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ugh! Yes, Yevsey. That's impolite, brother. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>Kapitolina Nikolayevna is an excellent girl. All -connoisseurs value her."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To me it's all the same," said Yevsey. -"I want beer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey, there, beer!" shouted Zarubin. "Kapa -dear, be so kind as to see we get beer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The stout girl turned, and left scraping her -feet. Zarubin bending over to Yevsey began -insinuatingly and didactically:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see, Yevsey, of course this is an establishment -of such a kind, and so on, but still the girls -are human beings like you and me. Why should -you insult them uselessly? Ugh! They're not all -here of their own accord."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop!" said Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He wanted everything around him to be quiet. -He wanted the girls to cease floating in the air, -like melancholy drifts of spring clouds torn by the -wind. He wanted the shaven pianist with the dark -blue face, like that of a drowned person, to stop -rapping his fingers on the yellow teeth of the -piano, which resembled the jaw of a huge monster, -a monster that roared and shrieked loud laughter. -He wanted the curtains of the windows to cease -flapping so strangely, as if someone's unseen and -spiteful hand were pulling at them from the street. -Olga dressed in white should station herself at -the door. Then he would rise, walk around the -room, and would strike everybody in the face with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>all his might. Let Olga see that they were all -repulsive to him, and that she wasn't right, and -understood nothing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The complaining words of Zarubin settled -themselves obstinately in his ears:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We came here to make merry, but you at once -begin a scandal."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey, his whole body swaying, gave a dull -glance into Yakov's face, and suddenly said to -himself with cold precision:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"On account of that—sneak, I fell into this -pit of an infernal life. All on account of him!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He took a full bottle of beer into his hands, -filled a glass for himself, drank it out, and without -letting go of the bottle, rose from his seat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The money is mine, not yours, you skunk!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What of it? We are comrades!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin's black head, cropped and prickly, fell -back. Yevsey saw the sharp gleaming little eyes -on the swarthy face, saw the set teeth.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You wait. Sit down."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov waved the bottle, and hit him in the -face, aiming at his eyes. The ruddy blood -gleamed oily and moist, awakening a ferocious -joy in Klimkov. He swung his hand once again, -pouring the beer over himself. Everybody began -to cry "Oh, oh!" to scream, and rock. Somebody's -nails drove themselves into Klimkov's face. -He was seized by the arms and legs, lifted from the -floor, and carried off. Somebody spat warm -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>sticky saliva into his face, squeezed his throat, and -tore his hair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He came to his senses in the police station, all -in tatters, scratched, and wet. He at once remembered -everything.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What will happen now?" was his first -thought, though unaccompanied by alarm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A police officer whom he knew advised him to -wash his face and ride home.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are they going to try me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know," said the police officer, who -sighed, and added enviously, "Hardly. Your -department is a power. It is permitted everything. -So they'll take care of you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey smiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After several days of a sort of even indistinct life -without impressions and excitement, Yevsey was -summoned to the presence of Filip Filippovich, -who shouted shrilly a long time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You, idiot, you ought to set other people an -example of good conduct. You ought not to make -scandals. Please remember that. If I learn anything -of the same kind about you, I'll place you -under arrest for a month. Do you hear?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov was frightened. He shrank within -himself, and began to live quietly, silently, unobserved, -trying to exhaust himself as much as possible, -in order to escape thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he met Yakov Zarubin, he saw a small -red scar over his right eye; which new feature -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>on the mobile face was pleasant to him. The -consciousness that he had found the courage and -the power to strike a person raised him in his own -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did you do it to me?" asked Yakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So," said Yevsey. "I was drunk."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, you devil! You know what a face means -in our service. We can't afford to spoil it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin demanded a treat for a good dinner -from Yevsey.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIV</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Klimkov did not succeed in hiding himself -from the power of hostile thoughts. They -appeared again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The news spread among the spies that some -of the ministers had also been bribed by the enemies -of the Czar and Russia. They had formed a -cabal to take his power from him, and replace the -existing good Russian order of life by another -order borrowed from foreign governments, which -of course would be pernicious to the Russian -people. Now these ministers issued a manifesto -in which they claimed that with the will and consent -of the Czar they announced that soon freedom -would be given to the people to assemble wherever -they pleased, to speak about whatever interested -them, and to write and publish everything they -needed to in newspapers. Moreover, they would -even be granted the liberty not to believe in God.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The authorities, dismal and demoralized, again -began to rush about anxiously. They again spoke -kindly to the spies; and though they did not -demand anything of the agents, nor advise them -what to do, it was apparent that preparations were -being made for the disclosure of something significant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>and important. For whole hours Filip Filippovich -would consult secretly with Krasavin, Sasha, -Solovyov, and other experienced agents; after -which they all went about gloomy and preoccupied, -and gave brief, unintelligible responses to the -questions of their comrades.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once the voice of Sasha, virulent and breaking -with excitement leaked through the door standing -slightly ajar between the outer office and the cabinet -of Filip Filippovich.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's not about the constitution, not about -politics that we ought to speak to them. We must -tell them that the new order would destroy them—the -quiet among them would die of starvation, the -more forward would rot in prison. What sort -of men have we in our service? Hybrids, degenerates, -the psychically sick, stupid animals."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You talk God knows what," Filip Filippovich -piped aloud.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The mournful voice of Yasnogursky was heard -next.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a scheme you have! My good man, I -can't understand what you're driving at."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Piotr, Grokhotov, Yevsey, and two new spies -were sitting in the office. One of the novices was -a reddish, hook-nosed man with large freckles on -his face and gold glasses; the other shaven, bald, -and red-cheeked with a broad nose and a purple -birthmark on his neck near his left ear. They -listened attentively to Sasha's talk, glancing at each -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>other sidewise. All kept silent. Piotr rose a -number of times, and walked to the door. Finally -he coughed aloud near it, upon which an invisible -hand immediately closed it. The bald spy carefully -felt his nose with his thick fingers, and asked -quietly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who was it he called hybrids?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>At first nobody responded, then Grokhotov sighing -humbly said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He calls everybody hybrid."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A smart beast!" exclaimed Piotr smiling -dreamily. "Rotten to the core, but just see how -his power keeps rising! That's what education -will do for you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The bald-headed spy looked at everybody with -his mole eyes, and again asked hesitatingly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What does he mean—eh, eh—does he -mean us?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Politics," said Grokhotov. "Politics is a wise -business. It's not squeamish."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If I had received an education, I too, would -have turned up trumps," declared Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The red-headed spy carelessly swung himself on -his chair, his mouth frequently gaping in a wide -yawn.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha emerged from the cabinet, livid and -dishevelled. He stopped at the door, and looked -at everybody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Eavesdropping, eh?" he asked sarcastically.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The rest of the spies dropped into the office -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>one by one, wearily and dismally, flinging various -remarks at one another. Maklakov came in an ill -humor. The look in his eyes was sharp and insulting. -He passed quickly into the cabinet, and -banged the door behind him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tables are going to be turned," Sasha said -to Piotr. "We'll be the secret society, and they'll -remain patent fools. That's what's going to -happen. Hey," he shouted, "no one is to leave -the office. There's going to be a meeting."</p> - -<p class='c006'>All grew still. Yasnogursky came out from -the cabinet with a broad smile widening his large -mouth. His protuberant fleshy ears reached to -the back of his neck. All sleek and slippery, he -produced the impression of a large piece of soap. -He walked among the crowd of spies pressing their -hands and kindly and humbly nodding his head. -Suddenly he walked off into a corner, and began -to address the agents in a lachrymose voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good servants of the Czar, it is with a heart -penetrated by grief that I address myself to you—to -you, men without fear, men without reproach, -true children of the Czar, your father, and of the -true Orthodox Church, your mother,—to you I -speak."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look at him howling!" somebody whispered -near Yevsey, who thought he heard Yasnogursky -utter an ugly oath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You already know of the fresh cunning of the -enemy, of the new and baneful plot. You read the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>proclamation of Minister Bulygin, in which it is -said that our Czar wishes to renounce the power -entrusted to him by our Lord God over Russia and -the Russian people. All this, dear comrades and -brothers, is the infernal game of people who have -delivered over their souls to foreign capitalists. It -is a new attempt to ruin our sacred Russia. What -do they want to attain with the Duma they have -promised? What do they want to attain by this -very constitution and liberty?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies moved closer together.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy -Ghost, let us examine the snares of the devils in -the light of truth. Let us look at them with our -simple Russian mind, and we'll see how they scatter -like dust before our eyes. Just look! They want -to deprive the Czar of his divine power, his liberty -to rule the country according to the dictates from -on High. They want to arrange popular -elections, so that the people should send to the -Czar their representatives, who would promulgate -laws abridging his power. They hope that our -people, ignorant and drunk, will permit themselves -to be bought with wine and money, and will bring -into the Czar's palace those who are pointed out to -them by the traitors, liberals and revolutionists. -And whom will they point out? Jews, Poles, Armenians, -Germans, and other strangers, enemies -of Russia."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov observed that Sasha standing in back -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>of Yasnogursky, smiled sardonically like the devil. -He inclined his head, to keep the sick spy from -noticing him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This band of venal swindlers will surround -the bright throne of our Czar and will close his -wise eyes to the destiny of our country. They -will deliver Russia over into the hands of strangers -and foreigners. The Jews will establish their -government in Russia, the Poles their government, -the Armenians and the Georgians theirs, the Letts -theirs, and other paupers whom Russia took under -the shelter of her powerful hand, theirs. They -will establish their governments, and when we Russians -remain alone—then—then—it means—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha standing at Yasnogursky's side, began to -whisper into his ear. The old man waved him -off in annoyance, and said aloud:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Then the Germans, and the English will rush -upon us, and will clutch us in their greedy paws. -The destruction of Russia is threatening us, dear -comrades, my friends. Have a care!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The last words of his speech were uttered in a -shout, then he lapsed into silence lasting about a -minute, after which he raised his hand over his -head and resumed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But our Czar has friends. They watch over -his power and over his glory like faithful dogs -unbought. They have organized a society for -war upon the dastardly conspiracies of the revolutionists, -upon the constitution, and every abomination -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>destructive to us, the true Russian people. -Counts and princes celebrated for their services to -the Czar in Russia are entering this organization, -governors submissive to the will of the Czar -and faithful to the covenant of our sacred past. -Perhaps even the very highest—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha again stopped Yasnogursky. The old -man listened to him, grew red, waved his hands, -and suddenly shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, speak yourself. What does it mean? -What right have you—I don't want to—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He gave an odd little leap, and pushing the -crowd of spies apart, walked away. Sasha now -took his place, and stood there tall and stooping -with head thrust forward. Looking around with -his red eyes, and rubbing his hands, he asked -sharply:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, did you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We did—we did," several voices sounded -sullenly and half-heartedly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course!" exclaimed Sasha in derision. -Then he began to speak, pronouncing every word -with the precision of a hammer-blow. His voice -rang with malice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let those also listen who are wiser. Let them -explain my words to the fools. The revolutionists, -the liberals, our Russian gentry in general, -have conquered. Do you understand? The administration -has resolved to yield to their demands, -it wants to give them a constitution. What does -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>a constitution mean to you? Starvation, death, -because you are idlers and do-nothings, you are -no good for any sort of work. It means prison -for the most of you, because most of you have -merited it; for a few others it means the hospital, -the insane asylum, because there are a whole lot -of half-witted men, psychically sick, among you. -The new order of life, if established, will make -quick work of you all. The police department will -be destroyed, the Department of Safety will be -shut down, you will be turned out into the street. -Do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>All were silent, as if turned to stone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Then I would go away somewhere," Klimkov -thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I think it's plain," said Sasha, after a period -of silence. As he again embraced his audience -in his look, the red band on his forehead seemed -to have spread over his whole face, and his face -to become covered with a leaden blue.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You ought to realize that this change is not -advantageous to you, that you don't want it. -Therefore you must fight against it now. Isn't -that so? For whom, in whose interest, are you -going to fight? For your own selves, for your -interests, for your right to live as you have lived -up to this time. Is what I say clear? What can -we do? Let everyone think about this question."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A heavy noise suddenly arose in the close room, -as if a huge sick breast were sighing and rattling. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>Some of the spies walked away silently and sullenly, -with drooping heads. One man grumbled -in vexation:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They tell us this and they tell us that. Why -don't they increase our salaries instead?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They keep frightening us, always frightening -us."</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the corner near Sasha about a dozen men had -gathered. Yevsey quietly moved up to the group, -and heard the enraptured voice of Piotr:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the way to speak! Twice two are -four, and all are aces."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I'm not satisfied," said Solovyov sweetly -with a prying note in his voice. "Think! What -does it mean to think? Everyone may think in his -own way. You should tell me what to do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You <i>have</i> been told!" put in Krasavin roughly -and sharply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"<i>I</i> don't understand," Maklakov declared -calmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You?" shouted Sasha. "You lie! You do -understand!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And I say you do, but you're a coward, you're -a nobleman—and—and—and I know you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Maybe," said Maklakov. "But do you know -what you want?" He spoke in so cold a tone, and -put so much significance into his voice, that Yevsey -trembled and thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Will Sasha strike him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>Sasha, however, merely repeated the question -in a screeching voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I? Do I know what I want?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will tell you." Sasha raised his voice threateningly. -"I am soon going to die. I have nobody -to fear. I am a stranger to life. I live -with hatred of good people before whom you in -your thoughts crouch on your knees. Don't you -know? You lie. You are a slave, a slave in your -soul. A lackey, though you are a nobleman, and -I am a muzhik, a perspicacious muzhik. Even -though I attended the university, nothing has corrupted -me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey felt that Sasha's words crawled in his -heart like spiders, enmeshing him in gluey threads, -squeezing him, tying him up, and drawing him to -Sasha. He pressed through to the front, and -stood alongside the combatants trying to see the -faces of both at the same time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know my enemy. It's you, the gentry. -You are gentlemen, even as spies. You are abhorrent -everywhere, everywhere execrable, men and -women, writers and spies. But I know a means -for having done with you gentlemen, the gentry. -I know a way. I see what ought to be done with -you, how to destroy you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the very point that's interesting, not -your hysterics," said Maklakov thrusting his hands -in his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>"Yes, it's interesting to you? Very well. I'll -tell you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha evidently wanted to sit down, for he vacillated -like a pendulum. He looked around as he -spoke without pause, breathless from quick utterance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who orders life? The gentry. Who spoiled -the pretty animal man? Who made him a dirty -beast, a sick beast? You, the gentry. Hence all -this, the whole of life, ought to be turned against -you. So we must open all the ulcers of life, and -drown you in the stream of abomination that will -flow from them, in the vomit of the people you -have poisoned. A curse on you! The time of -your execution and destruction has come. All -those who have been mutilated by you are rising -against you, and they'll choke you, crush you, you -understand? Yes, that's how it will be. Nay, it -already is. In some cities they have already tried -to find out how firmly the heads of the gentlemen -are fixed on their shoulders. You know that, -don't you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha staggered back, and leaned against the -wall, stretching his arms forward, and choking -and gasping over a broken laugh. Maklakov -glanced at the men standing around him, and asked -also with a laugh:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you understand what he said?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"One can say whatever he pleases," replied -Solovyov, but the next instant added hastily, "In -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>one's own company. The most interesting thing -would be to find out for certain whether a secret -society has actually been organized in St. Petersburg -and for what purpose."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's what we want to know," said Krasavin -in a tone of demand. "And what sort of people -are in it, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In reality, brothers, the revolution has been -transferred to other quarters," exclaimed Piotr, -merrily and animatedly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If there really are princes in that society," -Solovyov meditated dreamily, "then our business -ought to improve."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You have twenty thousand in the bank anyway, -old devil."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And maybe thirty. Count again," said Solovyov -in an offended tone, and stepped aside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha coughed dully and hoarsely; while Maklakov -regarded him with a scowl. Yevsey gradually -freed himself from the thin shackles of the -attraction that the sick spy had unexpectedly begun -to exert upon him. His talk, which at first had -seized Klimkov, now dissolved and disappeared -from his soul like dust under rain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are you looking at me for?" shouted -Sasha at Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov turned and walked away without answering. -Yevsey involuntarily followed him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you understand anything?" Maklakov -suddenly inquired of Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>"I don't like it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No? Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's always rancorous, and there's rancor -enough without him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, so there is," said Maklakov, nodding his -head. "There's rancor enough."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And it's impossible to understand anything," -Klimkov continued, looking around cautiously. -"Everybody speaks differently—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The words had scarcely left his mouth when -he grew alarmed, and glanced sidewise at Maklakov's -face. The spy pensively brushed the dust -from his hat with his handkerchief, apparently oblivious -of the dangerous words.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, good-by," he said, holding out his hand -to Yevsey. Yevsey wanted to accompany him, but -the spy put on his hat, and twirling his mustache, -walked out without so much as looking at him.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXV</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Something strange, like a dream, grew in the -city, rushing onward with irresistible rapidity. -People lost their fear completely. On the faces -which only a short time ago had been flat and -humble, an expression of conscious power and -preoccupation now appeared sharply and clearly. -All recalled builders preparing to pull down an -old structure, and busily considering the best way -of beginning the work.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Almost every day the workingmen in the factory -suburb openly arranged meetings, at which -known revolutionists appeared, who in the very -presence of the police and officials of the Department -of Safety sharply censured the order of life, -and pointed out that the manifesto of the minister -convoking the Duma was an attempt of the administration -to pacify the people, who were stirred -up by misfortune, in order to deceive them in the -end, as always. The speakers urged their listeners -not to believe anybody except their own reason.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once when a rebel orator shouted, "The people -alone are the true and legal masters of life; to -them belong the whole earth and all freedom," a -triumphant roar came in reply, "True, brother!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>Yevsey deafened by the shouts turned away, and -met Melnikov who had been standing in back of -him. His eyes burned, he was black and dishevelled. -He flapped his arms, as a crow flaps its -wings, and bawled:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tr-r-r-ue!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov pulled the skirt of his coat in amazement, -and whispered in a low voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What ails you? The speaker is a Socialist. -He's under surveillance."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov blinked his eyes, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He?" Without awaiting a reply, he shouted -again, "Hurray! True!" Then to Yevsey very -angrily, "Get out! It's all the same who speaks -the truth."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey smiled timidly at the new speeches. He -looked around helplessly for some person in the -crowd with whom he might speak openly; but on -finding a pleasant face that inspired confidence, he -sighed and thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'll begin to talk with him, and he'll at once -understand that I'm a spy."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He frequently heard the revolutionists speak of -the necessity of arranging another life upon earth. -Dreams of his childhood returned, broadened and -filled with a clear content. He believed in the -hot fearless words. But the faith grew feebly -and lazily upon the shaky, slimy soil of his soul, -choked with impressions, poisoned by fear, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>exhausted by violence. His faith was like a child -suffering with rachitis, bow-legged, with large eyes -always gazing into the distance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey admired the beautiful growth of the -rebellion. But he lacked the power to fall in love -with it. He believed words. He did not believe -people. The dreams stirring his heart died the -instant they touched it. A timorous spectator he -walked along the shore of a stream without the -desire to plunge into its soul-refreshing waves. At -the same time he longed wistfully for someone to -triumph, for someone to make life calm and pleasing, -and point out a comfortable place in it where -he might find repose.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At first he could not comprehend why both the -revolutionists and the officers of the spies censured -the administration, why both asserted that someone -wanted to deceive the people. When the people -themselves, however, came out into the street, -and began to speak, Yevsey stopped to think about -this question.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spies walked about slowly, indolently; they -all grew strange to one another, maintaining sullen -silence, and looking into the eyes of their comrades -suspiciously, as if expecting something dangerous -from one another. The officials ceased to talk, -and sank into the background. They gave out no -plans of action, and said nothing new.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Has nothing been heard in regard to this St. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>Petersburg league of princes?" Krasavin asked -almost every day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once Piotr joyously announced:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Boys, Sasha has been summoned to St. Petersburg. -He'll fix up a game there, you'll see."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viakhirev, the hook-nosed, reddish spy, remarked -lazily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The League of Russian People has been permitted -to organize fighting bands to kill the revolutionists. -I'll go there, I'm a good shot."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A pistol is a fine thing," said someone. "You -shoot, and then run away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How simply they speak about everything," -thought Yevsey. He involuntarily recalled other -conversations—Olga and Makarov—which he -impatiently pushed away from himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha returned from St. Petersburg, as it were -stronger. Concentrated green sparks gleamed in -his dim eyes. His voice had become deeper, his -entire body seemed to have straightened and grown -sounder.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What are we going to do?" asked Piotr.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You'll soon find out," answered Sasha, showing -his teeth.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Autumn came as always quiet and melancholy. -But the people did not remark its advent. Yesterday -bold and noisy, to-day they came out into -the streets still bolder, still more confident, and -upheld Yevsey's faith in their victory, in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>nearness, of a calm, peaceful, comfortable life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then came the fabulously terrible and marvellous -days, when all the people ceased to work, and -the customary life that for so long had held oppressive -sway, oppressive in its cruelty and aimless -play, suddenly ceased, as if crushed by a giant -embrace. The people refused the city, their ruler, -bread, fire, and water. And for a number of -nights it stood in darkness, hungry, thirsty, sullen, -and affronted. During those dark, insulting -nights, the working-people walked through the -streets with song, childish joy shining in their eyes. -For the first time they clearly saw their power, and -themselves were amazed at its significance. They -understood their might over life, and good-naturedly -exulted, looking at the blinded houses, the -motionless dead machines, the dumbfounded police, -the closed, ever-hungry jaws of the shops and -restaurants, the frightened faces, the humble figures -of those persons who had never learned to work, -but only to eat much, and who therefore considered -themselves the best blood in the city. Their power -over people had been torn from their impotent -hands in these days, yet their cruelty and cunning -remained. Klimkov looked at the men accustomed -to command now silently submitting to the -will of the hungry, poor, and unwashed. He understood -that it had become a shame for the lords -to live. So trying to cover up their shame, they -smiled approvingly upon the working-people, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>lied to them. They were afraid of the workers. -In spite of the lords, however, it seemed to Yevsey -that the past would not return. He felt that new -masters had arisen, and if they had been able all -of a sudden to stop the course of life, then they -would now be able to arrange it differently, more -freely, and more easily for themselves and for -all.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old, the cruel, and the malicious abandoned -the city. It melted away in the darkness. The -people perceptibly grew better, and though the -city remained without illumination, yet the nights -were stirring, merry as the days.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Everywhere crowds of people gathered and -spoke animatedly, in free, bold, human speech, of -the approaching days of the triumph of truth. -They believed in it hotly. The unbelievers were -silent, but looked into the new faces, impressing -the new speech upon their minds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Often Klimkov observed the spies in the crowds. -Not wishing to be seen by them, he walked away. -He met Melnikov more frequently than the others. -This man roused his particular interest. A dense -crowd always gathered around him, and his thick -voice flowed from the centre of the group like a -dark stream.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you see! The people wanted it, and -everything is up. If the people want it, they will -take everything into their own hands. They're -a power, the people are. Remember this—don't -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>let what you have obtained slip from your grasp. -Take care! More than everything, guard against -the cunning of various gentlemen. Away with -them. Drive them off! If they dispute, beat -them to death."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Klimkov heard this, he thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For such talk people used to be put in prison. -What numbers have been put in prison! And now -they speak that way themselves."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He wandered about in the crowd alone from -morning until late at night. Sometimes he had -an irresistible yearning to speak; but as soon as -he felt the desire coming upon him, he immediately -walked off into empty by-streets and dark -corners.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If I speak, they'll recognize me," he thought -with importunate dread. And he comforted himself -by reflecting, "No hurry. I'll have time -enough yet to speak."</p> - -<p class='c006'>One night while walking along the street, he -saw Maklakov hidden in a gateway, looking up -to a lighted window on the opposite side of the -street like a hungry dog waiting for a sop.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Keeps at his work," thought Yevsey, then said -to Maklakov: "Do you want me to take your -place, Timofey Vasilyevich?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You, me, Yevsey?" exclaimed the spy in a -subdued voice, and Klimkov felt that something -was wrong, for it was the first time that the spy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>had ever addressed him by the first name. Moreover -Maklakov's voice was not his own. "No, -go," he said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy always so smooth and decorous now -had a shabby appearance. His hair, as a rule -carefully and prettily combed behind his ears, lay -in disorder over his forehead and temples. He -smelt of whiskey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good-by," said Yevsey raising his hat and -walking off slowly. He had taken only a few -steps, however, when he heard a call behind him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Listen!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey turned back noiselessly, and stood beside -Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's walk together."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He must be very drunk," thought Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you know who lives in that house?" asked -Maklakov, looking back.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Mironov, the writer. Do you remember -him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, I should think you would. He made -you out a fool so simply."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," agreed Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They walked slowly with noiseless tread. The -narrow street was quiet, deserted, and cold.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's go back," continued Maklakov. Then -he adjusted his hat on his head, buttoned his overcoat, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>and declared thoughtfully, "Brother, I am -going away—to Argentine. That's in America."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov heard something hopeless, dismal in -his words, and he, too, began to feel gloomy and -awkward.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why—so far?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov again stopped opposite the illuminated -window, and looked up to it silently. -Like a huge, solitary eye on the black face of the -house, it cast a peaceful beam of light into the -darkness—a small island amid black and heavy -waters.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's his window, Mironov's," said Maklakov -quietly. "That's the way he sits at night all -by himself and writes. Come."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some people advanced toward them singing -softly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It comes, it comes, the last decisive fight!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We ought to cross to the other side," Yevsey -proposed in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you afraid?" asked Maklakov, though -he was the first to step from the pavement to cross -the frozen dirt of the middle of the street. "No -reason to be afraid. These fellows with their -songs of war and all such things are peaceful people. -The wild beasts are not among <i>them</i>, no. It -would be good to sit down now in some warm -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>place, in a café, but everything is closed, everything -is suspended, brother."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come home," Klimkov suggested.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Home? No thank you. You can go if you -want to."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey remained, submissively yielding to the -sad expectation of something inevitable. From the -other side of the street came the sound of the people's -talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Misha, is it possible you don't believe?" one -asked in a ringing, joyous voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A soft bass answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do believe, but I say it won't happen so -soon."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Listen! What the devil of a spy are you, -eh?" Maklakov suddenly demanded nudging -Yevsey with his elbow. "I've been watching you -a long time. Your face always looks as if you -had just taken an emetic."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey grew glad at the possibility of speaking -about himself openly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am going away, Timofey Vasilyevich," he -quickly mumbled. "Just as soon as everything is -arranged, I am going away. I'll gradually settle -myself in business, and I'm going to live quietly -by myself—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As soon as what is arranged?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, all this about the new life. When the -people start out all for themselves."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>"Eh, eh," drawled the spy, waving his hand -and smiling. His smile robbed Yevsey of the desire -to speak about himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>They walked in silence again, and turned again. -Both were gloomy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, now," Maklakov exclaimed with unexpected -roughness and acerbity as they once more -approached the author's house. "I'm really going -away, forever, entirely from Russia. Do you -understand? And I must hand over some papers -to this—this author. You see this package?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He waved a white parcel before Yevsey's face, -and continued quickly, in a low growl. "I won't -go to him myself. This is the second day I've -been on the watch for him, waiting for him to -come out. But he's sick, and he won't come out. -I would have given it to him in the street. I can't -send it by mail. His letters are opened and stolen -in the Post Office and given over to the Department -of Safety. And it's absolutely impossible for -me to go to him myself. Do you understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy pressing the package to his breast bent -his head to look into Yevsey's eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"My life is in this package. I have written -about myself—my story—who I am, and why. -I want him to read it—he loves people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Taking Yevsey's shoulder in a vigorous clutch -the spy shook him, and commanded:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You go and give it to him, into his own hands—go, -tell him that one—" Maklakov broke off, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>and continued after a pause—"tell him that a -certain agent of the Department of Safety sent -him these papers, and begs him most humbly—tell -him that way, 'begs him most humbly' to -read them. I'll wait here for you, on the street. -Go. But look out, don't tell him I'm here. If -he asks, say I've escaped, went to Argentine. -Repeat what I've told you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Went to Argentine."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And don't forget, 'begs most humbly.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I won't."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go on, quick!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Giving Klimkov a gentle shove on the back he -escorted him to the door of the house, walked -away, and stopped to observe him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey agitated and seized with a fine tremor, -lost consciousness of his own personality crushed -by the commanding words of Maklakov. He -pushed the electric button, and felt ready to crawl -through the door in the desire to hide himself from -the spy as quickly as possible. He struck it with -his knee, and it opened. A dark figure loomed in -the light, a voice asked testily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you want?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The writer, Mr. Mironov—him personally. -I have been told to deliver a package into his own -hands. Please, quick!" said Yevsey, involuntarily -imitating the rapid and incoherent talk of Maklakov. -Everything became confused in his brain. -But the words of the spy lay there, white and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>cold as dead bones. And when a somewhat dull -voice reached him, "What can I do for you, young -man?" Yevsey said in an apathetic voice, like -an automaton, "A certain agent of the Department -of Safety sent you these papers, and begs you -most humbly to read them. He has gone off to -Argentine." The strange name embarrassed Yevsey, -and he added in a lower voice, "Argentine, -which is in America."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, but where are the papers?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The voice sounded kind. Yevsey raised his -head, and recognized the soldierly face with the -reddish mustache. He pulled the package from -his pocket, and handed it to him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sit down."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov seated himself, keeping his head bowed. -The sound of the tearing of the wrapping made -him start. Without raising his head, he looked -at the writer warily from under lowered lids. -Mironov stood before him regarding the package, -his mustache quivering.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You say he's gone off?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you yourself are also an agent?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said Yevsey quietly, and thought, -"Now, he'll scold me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Your face seems familiar to me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey tried not to look at him. But he felt -the writer was smiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>"Yes, I suppose it is familiar to you," said -Yevsey sighing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you, too, been tracking me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Once. You saw me from the window. You -came out into the street, and gave me a letter."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes. I remember. The devil! So that -was you? Well, excuse me, my dear man. I -think I must have offended you, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey rose from the chair, looked into his -laughing face incredulously, and glanced around.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's nothing," he said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He felt unbearably awkward as he listened to -the somewhat rude yet kindly voice. He was -afraid that after all the writer would abuse him -and drive him out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you see how strangely we meet this -time, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing else?" asked Yevsey confused.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing else. But I believe you are tired. -Sit down. Rest."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must be going."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Very well. As you please. Well, thank you. -Good-by."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He extended his large hand with reddish wool -on the fingers. Yevsey touched it cautiously.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Permit me also to tell you my life," he requested -unexpectedly to himself. The instant he -had distinctly uttered these words, he thought, -"This is the very man to whom I ought to speak, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>if Timofey Vasilyevich himself, such a wise person -and better than everybody, respects him." Recalling -Maklakov, Yevsey looked at the window, -and for a moment grew anxious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No matter," he said to himself. "It's not -the first time he's had to freeze."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, why not? Tell me, if you want to. -Won't you take off your overcoat? And perhaps -you will have a glass of tea. It's cold."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey wanted to smile, but he restrained himself. -In a few minutes, his eyes half closed, he -told the writer monotonously and minutely about -the village, about Yakov, and about the blacksmith. -He spoke in the same voice in which he reported -his observations in the Department of Safety.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The writer, whom Yevsey observed from under -his lashes, was sitting on a broad, heavy taborette, -his elbows on the table, over which he bent, twirling -his mustache with a quick movement of his -fingers. His eyes gazed sharply and seriously into -the distance above Klimkov's head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He doesn't hear me," thought Yevsey, and -raised his voice a little, continuing to examine the -room without himself being observed, and jealously -watching the face of the author.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The room was dark and gloomy. The shelves -crammed with books, which increased the thickness -of the walls, apparently kept out the sounds of -the street. Between the shelves the glass of the -windows glistened dully, pasted over with the cold -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>darkness of the night, and the white narrow stain -of the door obtruded itself on the eye. In the -middle of the room was a table, whose covering of -grey cloth seemed to lend a dark grey tone to -everything around it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey was ensconced in a corner of a chair covered -with a smooth skin. For some reason he -propped his head hard against its high back, then -slid down a little. The flames of the candles disturbed -him; the yellow tongues slowly inclining -toward each other, seemed to be holding a conversation. -They trembled, and straightened -themselves out, struggling upward. Back of the -author over the sofa, hung a large portrait, from -which a yellow face with a sharp little beard looked -out sternly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The author began to twirl his mustache more -slowly, but his look as before travelled beyond the -confines of the room. All this disturbed Yevsey, -breaking the thread of his recollections. He be-thought -himself of closing his eyes. When he did -so, and darkness closely enveloped him, he sighed -lightly. Suddenly he beheld himself divided in -two—the man who had lived, and the other being -who was able to tell about the first as about a -stranger. His speech flowed on more easily, his -voice grew stronger, and the events of his life drew -themselves connectedly one after the other, unrolling -easily like a ball of grey thread. They freed -the little feeble soul from the dirty and cumbersome -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>rags of its experiences. It was pleasant -to Yevsey to tell about himself. He listened to -his own voice with quiet astonishment. He spoke -truthfully, and clearly saw that he had not been -guilty of anything, for he had lived all his days -not as he had wanted to, but as he had been compelled -to do; and he had been compelled to do -what was unpleasant and unnecessary to him. -Filled with a sense of sincere self-pity, he was -almost ready to weep and to fall in love with himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whenever the author asked him a question, -which Yevsey did not understand, he would say -without opening his eyes, sternly and quietly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Wait, I'm telling it in order."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He spoke without wearying, but when he came -to the moment of his meeting with Maklakov, he -suddenly stopped as before a pit. He opened his -eyes, and saw at the window the dull look of the -autumn morning, the cold grey depth of the sky. -Heaving a deep sigh, he straightened himself up. -He felt washed within, unusually light, unpleasantly -empty. His heart was ready submissively -to receive new orders, fresh violence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The author rose noisily from his seat, tall and -strong. He pressed his hands together, cracking -his fingers disagreeably.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you think of doing now?" he asked, -as he turned to the window without looking at -Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>Yevsey also rose, and repeated with assurance -what he had told Maklakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As soon as the new life is arranged, I'll -quietly go into some business—I'll go to another -city—I've saved about one hundred and fifty rubles."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The author turned to him slowly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So?" he said. "You have no other desire -whatsoever?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov thought, and answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And you believe in the new life? You think -it will arrange itself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course. How else? If all the people -want it. Why won't it arrange itself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not saying anything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mironov keeping silent turned to the window -again, and straightened out his mustache with both -hands. Yevsey stood motionless, awaiting something -and listening to the emptiness in his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tell me," said the writer softly and slowly, -"aren't you sorry for those people, that girl, your -cousin, and his comrade?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov bowed his head, and drew the skirts -of his coat together.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You found out that they were right, didn't -you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"At first I was sorry for them. I must have -been ashamed, I suppose. But now I'm not sorry -any more."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>"No? Why not?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov did not answer at once. At the end -of a few moments he said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, they are good people, and they attained -to what they wanted."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And didn't it occur to you that you were in a -bad business?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey sighed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, I don't like it. I do what I'm told to -do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The author stepped up to him, then turned aside. -Klimkov saw the door through which he had entered, -saw it because the author's glance was turned -to it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I ought to go," he thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you want to ask me anything?" inquired -the author.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I am going."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good-by." And the host moved to let him -pass. Yevsey walking on tip-toe went into the ante-chamber, -where he began to put on his overcoat. -From the door of the room he heard a question:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Listen, why did you tell me about yourself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Squeezing his hat in his hands Yevsey thought, -and answered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so. Timofey Vasilyevich respects you -very much, the one who sent me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The writer smiled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! Is that all?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why <i>did</i> I tell him?" Klimkov suddenly wondered. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>Blinking his eyes, he looked fixedly into -the author's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, good-by," said the host, rubbing his -hands. He moved away from his visitor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey nodded to him politely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Good-by."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he came out of the house, he looked -around, and immediately observed the black figure -of a man at the end of the street in the grey twilight -of the morning. The man was quietly striding -along the pavement holding his head bent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's waiting," Klimkov thought. He shrank -back. "He'll scold me. He'll say it was too -long."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy must have heard the resonant sound -of steps on the frozen paving in the stillness of -the morning. He raised his head, and fairly ran -to meet Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you give it to him? Yes?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why were you so long? Did he speak to -you? What did he ask?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov shivered. His cheeks were blue, his -nose red. He seized the lapels of Yevsey's overcoat, -and instantly released him, blew on his fingers, -as if he had burned them, and began to tramp -his feet on the ground. Thus, chilled through and -through, and pitiful, he was not awe-inspiring.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I, too, told him all my life," Yevsey declared -aloud. It was pleasant to tell Maklakov about it.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>"Well, didn't he ask about me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He asked whether you had gone away."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What did you say?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I said you had."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. Nothing else?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, let's go. I'm frozen, brother." Maklakov -darted forward, thrusting his hands in his -overcoat pockets, and hunching his back. "So -you told him your life?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The whole of it, completely, to the very moment -of my last meeting with you," answered -Yevsey, again experiencing a pleasant sensation, -which raised him to the same level as the spy whom -he respected.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What did he say to you then?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>For some reason confused and embarrassed -Klimkov waited before he replied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He didn't say anything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Maklakov stopped, seized him by the sleeve, and -asked in a stern though quiet tone:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you give him my papers?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Search me, Timofey Vasilyevich," Yevsey -cried sincerely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't," said Maklakov, after reflecting. -"Well, now good-by. I'll disappear this very -day. Take my advice. I'm giving it, because I -pity you. Get out of this service and be quick -about it. It's not for you, you know it yourself. -Go away now. Now is the time to leave. You -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>see what days these are. The dead are coming to -life, people trust one another, they can forgive -much in a period like this; they can forgive everything, -I think. And above all, avoid Sasha. -He's sick and insane. He's made you deliver up -your cousin, he—he ought to be killed, like a -mangy dog. Well, good-by, brother." He -seized Yevsey's hand in his cold fingers, and pressed -it firmly. "So you gave him my papers?" he -asked once more. "You're sure of it, are you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I did—by God! The moment I caught sight -of him I at once remembered him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right. I believe you. Don't speak about -me there for a few days, I beg you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not going there. On the twentieth I'll -call for my salary."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tell them then. By that time I'll be far away. -Good-by."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He turned the corner quickly. Yevsey looked -after him, thinking suspiciously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's going off. Probably he did something -against the authorities, and got frightened. How -he looks, just as if he had gotten a beating."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He grew sorry for himself at the thought that -he would never again see Maklakov. Nevertheless, -it was agreeable to recall how weak, chilled -through, and troubled the spy had looked, the spy -who had always borne himself so calmly and -firmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He spoke boldly even with the officers of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>Department of Safety, spoke to them as if he were -their equal. But apparently he was all the time -afraid of the author who was under surveillance. -And here am I, a little man," thought Yevsey, as -he strode down the street, "a little man, afraid of -everybody, yet the author didn't frighten me. I -was drinking tea at his house, while Maklakov was -shivering on the street." Klimkov content with -himself smiled. "He couldn't say anything, the -author couldn't." Yevsey was suddenly seized -with a mingled feeling of sadness and insult. He -slackened his pace, and sank into reflections as to -why this was. He sought the cause of the grief -that unexpectedly rose within him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did I speak to him?" he thought again -on the way. "Instead, I should have told it that -time to Olga."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The city awoke, and Yevsey wanted to sleep. -He felt uneasiness, discomfort in his breast again. -His heart was like a little room from which all -the furniture has been removed, and which is left -bare and empty, with green stains of dampness on -the torn wall-paper, showing the dumb patterns -made by the chinks in the plastering.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He wanted to sleep, but it was pleasant to stroll -the streets, and he walked homeward with reluctant -steps.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVI</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>About midday Yevsey was awakened by Viekov -dressed in an overcoat and hat. He -looked downcast. He shook the back of the bed, -and said in a muffled voice, monotonously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hey, Klimkov, get up. They are summoning -everybody to the office. Hey, Klimkov—they -have proclaimed the constitution. They are -summoning all the agents from their lodgings. -Filip Filippovich gave the order. Do you hear, -Klimkov?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>His words fell like large drops of rain, full of -sadness. His face was drawn, as with the toothache. -His eyes blinked frequently, as if he were -about to cry.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What is it?" asked Yevsey jumping from -bed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov pursed his lips dismally.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is it possible to understand? They said yesterday -the Czar would give a full constitution, and -to-day here's the manifesto, he's actually giving it. -Our Department has become like an insane asylum—that -Sasha is such a coarse creature, astonishing. -He keeps shouting, 'Strike, slash,' and so -forth. Why, look here, I wouldn't make up my -mind to kill a man even for five hundred rubles. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>Yet he proposes we should kill for forty rubles a -month. Why, it's savagery even to listen to such -talk." Viekov puffed his cheeks, and sighed in -weariness of spirit, as he paced up and down the -room. "It's horrible. Dress quickly. We must -go."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Pulling on his trousers Klimkov asked musingly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Whom do they want us to kill?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The revolutionists. Although what revolutionists -are there now? According to the Czar's -ukase, you'd suppose the revolution was ended. -They tell us we should gather the people in the -streets, march with flags, and sing, 'God Save the -Czar.' Well, why not sing, if liberty has been -granted? But then they say that while doing this, -we should shout 'Down with the constitution,' and -so forth. I can't for the life of me understand. -That's going against the manifesto and the will -of the Czar Emperor. There are many besides -me who don't understand it. I'm not the only -one."</p> - -<p class='c006'>His voice sounded protesting, insulted, his legs -clapped together. He seemed as soft as if his -bones had been removed from his body.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not going there," said Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Just so. First I'll walk the streets, and see -what they're going to do."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov sighed again, and whistled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, of course. You're a single man. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span>when you have a family, that is, a woman who -demands this, that, the fifth thing, and the tenth -thing, then you'll go where you don't want to, yes, -you will. The need for a living compels a man to -dance a tightrope. When I see tricks on a tightrope, -my head begins to turn, and I feel a pain -in the lower part of my chest. But I think to -myself, 'If it would be necessary for your livelihood, -then you, too, Ivan Petrovich Viekov, would -dance a tightrope.' Yes, indeed. A poor man -must live by doing things that wring his heart, and -whether he wants to or not. Such is the law of -nature, as Grokhotov says."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov tossed himself about the room, knocking -against the table and the chairs, mumbling and -swelling his rosy cheeks. His little face was puffed -like a bladder. His insignificant eyes disappeared, -and the little red nose hid itself between his cheeks. -His sorrowful voice, his dejected figure, his hopeless -words annoyed Klimkov, who said unamiably:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Soon everything will be arranged differently. -So there's no use complaining now."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But in our place they don't <i>want</i> a different -arrangement," exclaimed Viekov, gesticulating, -and stopping in front of Yevsey. "You understand?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey disturbed turned on the chair, desiring to -express a thought in his mind, but he was unable -to find words, and began to lace his shoes sniffling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha shouts, 'Beat them. Show them what -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>liberty is. So that they may,' he says, 'get -afraid of it.' Viakhirev displays revolvers. 'I'll -shoot,' he says, 'straight into the eyes.' Krasavin -is gathering a gang of some sort of people, and -also speaks about knives, and hacking people down, -and all such things. Chasin is preparing to kill a -certain student, because he took his mistress from -him. Some other new fellow has come. He's -one-eyed, and smiles all over, and his teeth are -knocked out in front. A very terrible face. Sheer -savagery, all this."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov lowered his voice to a whisper, and said -mysteriously,</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Everyone ought to protect his means of a livelihood. -That's understood—but preferably without -murder. Because if we start to kill, then we -in turn will be killed, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov shuddered. He turned his head toward -the window, and listened to something. Then he -raised his hand, and his face turned pale.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A resonant noise hit against the windows in soft -uneven blows, as if to open them cautiously and -pour itself into the room. Yevsey rose to his feet -with a look of inquiry and alarm at Viekov; while -Viekov standing at some distance from the window -stretched his hand out in order to open it, apparently -taking care not to be seen from the street. -At the same moment a broad stream of sounds -broke in, surrounded the spies, pushed against the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>door, opened it, and floated into the corridor, -powerful, exulting, sturdy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They are rejoicing," said Viekov quietly, starting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look out and see what it is," said Yevsey, hurriedly -throwing an overcoat on.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Viekov was already looking out, and he began -to report what he saw, every minute quickly -turning his head from the window to Yevsey. He -spoke rapidly and brokenly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people are marching—red flags—a -great many people—countless—of various stations—all -mixed up in one crowd—an officer -even—and Father Uspensky—without hats—Melnikov -with a flag—our Melnikov—look!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey ran to the casement, looked down, and -there saw a thick mass of people filling the entire -street. In his eyes gleamed a compact mass of -faces, which shone like the stars in the Milky Way. -Over the heads of the throng waved flags resembling -red birds. Klimkov was deafened by the -seething noise. In the first row he saw the tall, -bearded figure of Melnikov, who held the short -pole of the standard in both hands, and waved it. -At times the cloth of the flag enveloped his head -like a red turban. From under his hat escaped -dark strands of hair, which fell on his forehead -and cheeks, and mingled with his beard. He was -shaggy as a beast. Evidently he was shouting, for -his mouth stood wide open.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>"Where are they going?" mumbled Klimkov, -turning to his comrade.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They are rejoicing," Viekov repeated, and -looked out into the street, leaning his forehead -against the glass.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Both men were silent, attentively watching the -motley stream of people. With acute hearing they -caught the loud splashings of different exclamations -in the deep sea of the din.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a power, eh? The people lived each -by himself and now suddenly they all move together—what -a phenomenon!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They've grown wise, it means. They are becoming -masters of life," said Yevsey with a smile. -At that moment he actually believed so.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And our Melnikov, did you see him?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He always stood up for the people," Yevsey -explained didactically. He left the window, feeling -himself near his aim, bold and new.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now everything will go well. No one wants -another to order him about. Everyone wants to -live according to his needs, quietly, peacefully, with -things arranged in a good system," he said gravely, -examining his sharp face in the mirror. He liked -his face to-day. It was calm, almost cheerful. -Wishing to strengthen the new and pleasant feeling -of satisfaction with himself, he reflected on how -he might raise himself in the eyes of his comrade. -So he announced with an air of mystery, "Do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>you know, Maklakov has escaped to America?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So?" the spy rejoined indifferently. "What -of it? He's a single man."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did I tell him?" Yevsey reproached himself. -A feeling of slight alarm and enmity came -over him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't speak of this to anybody, please," he -begged Viekov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"About Maklakov? Very well—I have to go -to the office. Aren't you going?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, but we can go out together."</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the street Viekov remarked in dismal irritation, -speaking in a subdued voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stupid people, after all. They ought not to -be going about with flags and songs. Now they -have once begun to feel themselves in power they -ought to ask the authorities straightway to abolish -all sorts of politics, to transform everybody into -people, both us and the revolutionists, to distribute -awards to whom they are due, both on our side -and theirs, and to make a strict announcement, 'All -politics strictly prohibited.' We've had enough of -hide and seek!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Viekov suddenly disappeared around the corner -without taking leave of Klimkov. Yevsey walked -like a man who to-day has no reason to hasten.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I have one hundred and fifty rubles," he -thought. "I have an inclination for business, and -I know about it to some extent. In business a man -is free. Soon I'll receive twenty-five rubles more."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>The people moved about in the street excitedly, -all spoke loud, all faces smiled joyously, and the -gloomy autumn evening recalled a bright Easter -day. Songs started up, now nearby, now at the -end of the street curtained by a grey cloud. Loud -shouts quenched the singing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Long live liberty!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From everywhere came laughter and the sound -of kindly voices. This pleased Klimkov. He politely -stepped aside for those who came his way, -looking at them approvingly with a light smile -of satisfaction, and continued to picture his future -in warm colors.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two people darted from around the corner, -laughing quietly. One of them jostled Yevsey, -but immediately pulled off his hat, and exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, I beg your pardon."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't mention it," answered Klimkov affably.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before Yevsey stood Grokhotov, cleanly shaven, -looking as if he had been smeared with ointment. -He beamed all over, and his small soft eyes frolicked, -running from side to side.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, Yevsey, I nearly got myself into a mess. -If it hadn't been for my talent—are you acquainted? -This is Panteleyev, one of our men." -Grokhotov lost his breath, and spoke in a quick -whisper, hurriedly wiping the sweat from his face. -"You know I was walking along the Boulevard, -when I saw a crowd, with an orator in the center. -Well, I went up, and listened. He spoke so—you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>know—without any restraint at all. So I -thought I'd ask who that wise fellow was. I inquired -of the man standing next to me. 'His face -is familiar to me,' says I. 'Do you know his -name?' 'His name is Zimin.' The words were -scarcely out of his mouth when two fellows grabbed -hold of me under my arm. 'People, he's a spy!' -I couldn't get in a word before I found myself -in the middle of the crowd, and such a press around -me—and everybody's eyes like awls. 'I'm done -for,' thinks I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Zimin?" asked Yevsey, disturbed, looking -back of him and beginning to walk more rapidly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Grokhotov raised his head to the sky, crossed -himself, and continued still more hurriedly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, the Lord inspired me with an idea. I -recovered my presence of mind at once, and shouted -out, 'People, it's a mistake, absolutely. I'm no -spy, but a well-known mimic of celebrated personages -and of animal sounds. Wouldn't you -please give me a trial?' The men who had seized -me shouted, 'No, he lies; we know him!' But -I had already made a face like the Chief of Police, -and called out in his voice, 'Who gave you per-r-r-mission -to hold this meeting?' And Lord! I hear -them laughing already. Well, then I began, I tell -you, to imitate everything I know—the governor, -the Archpresbyter Izverzhensky, a saw, a little pig, -a fly. They roared with laughter. They roared -so that the earth trembled under my feet, so help -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>me God. Even the men holding me had to laugh—a -curse on them!—and let me go. They began -to clap and applaud. Upon my word, here is -Pantaleyev, he can testify, he saw everything."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"True," said Pantaleyev in a hoarse voice. He -was a dumpy person with eye-glasses, and wore a -sleeveless jacket.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, brother, they applauded," exclaimed -Grokhotov in ecstasy. "Now, of course, I know -myself; an artist, that's me. No doubt of it now. -I may say I owe my life to my art. What else? -It's very simple. A crowd can't be taken in by a -mere joke."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people have begun to be trusting," remarked -Pantaleyev pensively and strangely. -"Their hearts have greatly softened."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's true. See what they're doing, eh?" -Grokhotov exclaimed quietly. Then he added in -a whisper. "Everything is above-board now. -Everywhere the persons under surveillance, our old -acquaintances, are in the very first rank. What -does it mean, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Is the joiner's name Zimin?" Yevsey asked -again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Matvey Zimin, case of propaganda work in -the furniture factory of Knop," replied Pantaleyev -with stern emphasis.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He ought to be in prison," said Yevsey, dissatisfied.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Grokhotov whistled merrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>"In prison? Don't you know they let everybody -out of prison?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey walked a few steps in silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did they permit them?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did they do it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's what I say, too. They oughtn't to -have permitted them," said Pantaleyev. His -glasses moved on his broad nose. "What a situation! -The authorities do not think about the -people at all."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did they release everybody?" asked Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Everybody." Pantaleyev's hoarse voice was -stern, his nostrils dilated. "And there have already -been a number of unpleasant encounters. -Chasin, for instance, had to threaten to shoot off -his revolver, because he was hit in the eye. He -was quietly standing off on one side, when suddenly -a lady comes up, and cries out, 'Here's a spy!' -Inasmuch as Chasin cannot imitate animals, he had -to defend himself with a weapon; which isn't possible -for everybody either. Not everybody carries -a revolver about with him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's been decided to give all of us revolvers."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Even so no good will come of it. I know -positively that a revolver begs of itself to be used. -It sets your hand itching."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>"Good-by," said Yevsey. "I'm going home."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked through small by-streets. When he -saw people coming his way, he crossed to the other -side, and tried to hide in the shade. The premonition -rose and stubbornly grew that he would meet -Yakov, Olga, or somebody else of that company.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The city is large, there are many people," -he comforted himself. Nevertheless each time he -heard steps in front, his heart sank painfully, and -his legs trembled, losing their strength.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They let them go," he thought in dismal annoyance. -"They didn't say anything, and let them -go. And how about me? It isn't a matter of -indifference to me where they are. Of course -not!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was already dark. A solitary lamp was -burning in front of the gates of the police station. -Just as Yevsey approached it, he heard someone -say in a muffled voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here, this way, then to the back courtyard."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey stopped, and peered in alarm into the -darkness. The gates were closed, but a dark man -stood at the wicket set in one of the heavy swinging -doors, apparently awaiting him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurry!" The man commanded in a dissatisfied -tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov stopped, crept through the wicket, and -went along the dark vaulted corridor under the -building to a light feebly flickering, in the depths -of the court, where he heard the scraping of feet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>on the stone, subdued voices, and the familiar repulsive -snuffling. Klimkov stopped, listened, -turned quietly, and walked back to the gate, raising -his shoulders, so as to conceal his face in the collar -of his overcoat. He had already reached the -wicket, and was about to push it, when it opened -of itself, and a man darted through, stumbling and -clutching at Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The devil! Who's that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yevsey Klimkov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! Well, show me the way. Why are -you standing there? Don't you recognize me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey looked at the hooked nose, the curls -behind the ears, the protruding narrow forehead.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I do. Viakhirev," he said with a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. Come on."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov returned in silence to the courtyard, -where his eyes now distinguished many obscure -figures looming in the darkness in uneven hillocks, -slowly shifting from place to place, like large black -fish in dark, cold water. The satiated voice of -Solovyov resounded sweetishly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That doesn't suit me. But catch a girl for -me, a little girl, a dainty little girl. I'll knout -her for you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Always joking, the old devil," mumbled Viakhirev. -"A fitting time for it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can't give beatings, but I like to give lashings. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>I remember how I used to flog my nephew, -gee!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From a corner flowed the voice of Sasha, falling -incessantly like water dripping from roofs on a -rainy day, monotonous as the sound of chants -recited in church.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Every time you meet those fellows with red -flags beat them. First beat the men carrying the -flags, the rest will take to flight."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And if they don't?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You will have revolvers. So that if you see -people known to you by their participation in secret -societies—those people upon whom you spied in -your time—who were released from the prisons -to-day by the insubordination of the unbridled -mob—kill them outright!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's reasonable," said somebody, whose -voice resembled Pantaleyev's. "Either we, or -they."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course. How else?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The people have gotten their liberty, but what -are we to do?" replied Viakhirev sharply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey walked into a corner, where he leaned -against a pile of wood, and looked and listened in -perplexity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A body, a little body, a tiny, wee little calf, -meat!" the senseless words of Solovyov spread -out like a thick, oily spot.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dark, heavy walls of unequal height surrounded -the court sternly. Overhead slowly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>floated the clouds. On the walls gleamed the -square windows, scattered and dim. Klimkov saw -a low porch in one corner of the court, upon which -Sasha was standing, his overcoat buttoned to the -top, his collar raised, and a low cap thrust on the -back of his head. Above him swung a small lamp, -whose feeble flame trembled and smoked, as if -endeavoring to consume itself as quickly as possible. -Behind Sasha's back was the black stain of -the door. A few dark people sat on the steps -of the porch at his feet. One, a tall grey person, -stood in the doorway.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You must understand that you are given the -liberty to make war upon the revolutionists," said -Sasha, putting his hands behind his back.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The air hummed with the scraping of soles on -the flagging, with dry metallic raps, and, at times, -with subdued voices uttering exclamations and officious -advice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Look out! Be more careful!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We're not allowed to load the revolvers."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The vaguely outlined figures in the dark -strangely resembled one another—quiet black people -scattered over the yard. They stood in compact -groups, and listened to the viscid voice of -Sasha, rocking and swinging on their feet, as if -swayed by powerful puffs of wind. Sasha's talk -drowned all sounds, filling Klimkov's breast with -a dreary cold and acute hatred of the spy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are given the right to proceed against the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>rebels in an open fight. Upon you lies the duty to -defend the deceived Czar with all possible means. -And know that generous rewards await you. Who -has not yet received a revolver? Come up here."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several muffled voices called out:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I—me—I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some persons moved to the porch. Sasha -stepped aside, and the grey man squatted down on -his heels.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Mayn't I have two?" asked a lugubrious -voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"For a comrade."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go 'long!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The voices of the spies whom Yevsey knew -sounded louder, braver, and jollier than before.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not going to do any beating."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We've heard that," the hoarse voice of Pantaleyev -sounded rudely.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Silence!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Someone smacking his lips greedily, complained:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I haven't enough cartridge. We ought to get -a whole boxful."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I set things going in two station-houses to-day," -said Sasha. "I'm tired."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It'll be interesting to-morrow."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The words and the sounds flashed up before -Yevsey's mind like large sparks illuminating the -morrow. They slowly dried up and consumed the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>hope of a placid life soon to come. He felt with -his whole being that out of the darkness surrounding -him, from these people about him, advanced a -power inimical to his dreams and aims. This -power would seize him again, would put him on the -old road, would bring him back to the old terror. -Hatred of Sasha seethed in his heart, the live, -tenacious, yet pliant hatred of the weak, the implacable, -sharp, revengeful feeling of a slave who -has once been tortured by hope for liberty. He -stood there thinking of nothing, in the quick realization -that his hopes must inevitably die. He -looked at Sasha half closing his eyes, and strained -his ears to catch the spy's every word.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The men hurriedly departed from the yard in -twos and threes, disappearing under the broad archway -that yawned in the wall. The light over the -head of the spy trembled, turned blue, and went -out. Sasha seemed to jump from the porch into a -pit, from which he snuffled angrily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-day seven men of my division of the Safety -Department did not show up. Why? Many -seem to think it's a holiday. I won't tolerate stupidity. -Nor laziness either. I want you to know -it. I am now going to introduce strict regulations. -I am not Filip Filippovich. Who said that Melnikov -is going about with a red flag? Who?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I saw him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"With a flag?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. Marching and bawling 'Liberty!'"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>"Is it you talking, Viakhirev?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now that the tall body of Sasha had disappeared -and mingled with the dark mass of people at the -platform, it seemed to Yevsey that he grew in size -and spread over the court like a stifling cloud, -which imperceptibly floated toward him in the darkness. -Yevsey came out of his leaning posture, -and walked toward the exit, stepping as on ice, -as if fearing he would sink through a hole. But -the adhesive voice of Sasha overtook him, pouring -a painful cold on the back of his neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, that fool will be the first to slash. I -know him." Sasha laughed a thin howling laugh. -"I have a slogan for him, 'Strike in behalf of the -people.' And who said that Maklakov dropped -the service?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He knows everything, the vile skunk," Yevsey -said to himself with a calm that surprised him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I said it. I heard it from Viekov, and he got -it from Klimkov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Viekov, Klimkov, Grokhotov—all trash. -I'll step on the tails of all of them. Parasites, hybrids, -lazy good-for-nothings. Is anyone of them -here?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov must be here," answered Viakhirev.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sasha shouted:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Klimkov!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey extended his arm before him, and walked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>faster. His legs bent under him. He heard Krasavin -say:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Gone, apparently. You ought not to shout -family names."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I beg you not to teach me. I'll soon destroy -all family names and similar stupidities."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's you that I'm going to destroy," Yevsey -made the mental threat, gnashing his teeth until -they pained him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But when he had left the gate behind him, he -was seized by the debilitating consciousness of his -impotence and nothingness. It was a long time -since he had experienced these feelings with such -crushing distinctness. He was frightened by their -load, and succumbed to their pressure.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Maybe it will still be warded off," he tried to -embolden himself. "Maybe he won't succeed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Yevsey did not believe his own thoughts. -Without a will of his own he regarded everybody -else as equally devoid of will, and he knew that -Sasha could easily compel all whom he wanted to -compel to submit to his domination.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>The next day Yevsey resolved not to leave the -house for a long time. He lay in bed looking -at the ceiling. The leaden face of Sasha with -the dim eyes and the band of red pimples on the -forehead floated before him. To-day this face recalled -his childhood and the sinister disk of the -moon in the mist over the marsh.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As he lay there, empty, languid, and cold, he -gave himself over to grief at his shattered dreams, -the dreams that Sasha so easily crushed. His -hatred of the spy deepening, he felt himself capable -of biting him with his teeth, of gouging out his -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It occurred to him that some of his comrades -might come to fetch him, and he hurriedly left the -house, and ran down several streets. Tiring almost -immediately he stopped and waited for a -car. People passed by in a continuous stream. -He scented something new in them to-day, and did -violence to himself in examining them closely. -Soon he realized that this new thing was the old -fear so well known to him. It was the old dread -and perplexity. People looked around distrustfully, -suspiciously, no longer with the kind expression -their eyes had recently worn. Their voices -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>sounded lower, and betrayed anger, resentment, -sorrow. Their talk was of the horrible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two persons stationed themselves near Yevsey. -One of them, a stout shaven man, asked of the -other, who had a large black beard:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How many were killed?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Five. Sixteen wounded."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did the Cossacks shoot?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes. A boy was killed, a student at the high -school." Yevsey looked at them, and inquired -drily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man with the black beard shrugged his -shoulders, and answered reluctantly in a low voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say the Cossacks were drunk."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha arranged that," thought Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And on the Spassky Bridge the mob beat a -student, and threw him into the river," announced -the shaven man, drawing a deep breath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?" Yevsey asked again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know. Some sort of patriots."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The black-bearded man explained:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Since this morning tramps waving tri-colored -flags and carrying portraits of the Czar have been -marching the streets and beating the decently clad -people."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha!" Yevsey repeated to himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They say it was organized by the police and -the Department of Safety."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Of course!" burst from Klimkov. But the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>next instant he compressed his lips tightly, and -glanced sidewise at the black-bearded man. He -resolved to go away. But just then the car came -along, and as the two men prepared to board it, he -thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I must get on, too, or else they'll guess I'm a -spy. What would they think of a man who waited -for a car with them, and then didn't take it?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The passengers in the car seemed calmer to -Yevsey than the pedestrians on the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"After all it's some sort of concealment, though -only behind glass," was his explanation of the difference, -as he listened to the animated conversation -in the car.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A tall man with a bony face said plaintively, -spreading his hands:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I, too, love and respect the Czar; I'm heartily -thankful to him for the manifesto. I'm ready to -shout 'Hurrah' as much as you please; and offer -up prayers of gratitude. But to smash windows -from patriotism and break bones—what's that?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Such barbarism, beastliness in our age!" said -a stout lady. "Oh, those people, how horribly -cruel they are!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From a corner came a firm assured voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All the work of the police, no doubt of it!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But what for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>All were silent for a minute.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know," thought Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>From the corner came the same assured voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They're preparing a counter-revolution in Russian -fashion. You just take a close look at those -in command of the patriotic demonstrators—disguised -police, agents of the Department of -Safety."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey heard these words with joy, and furtively -regarded the young face. It was dry and clean, -with a cartilaginous nose, a small mustache, and -a tuft of light hair on a determined chin. The -youth sat leaning against the back of his seat in a -corner of the car, one leg crossed over the other. -He looked at the passengers in the car with a wise -glance from his blue eyes, and spoke like a man -who masters his words and thoughts and believes -in their effectiveness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dressed in a short warm jacket and tall boots, -he resembled a workingman, but his white hands -and the thin horizontal lines on his forehead betrayed -him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Disguised," thought Yevsey. "Well, let him -be disguised. What difference does it make to -me?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He began to follow the loud firm talk of the -fair-haired youth with the greatest attention, looking -at his wise, transparent blue eyes and agreeing -with him. But suddenly he shuddered, seized with -a sharp premonition. On the platform of the car, -at the conductor's side, he saw through the window -<span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span>a pair of narrow drooping shoulders, and the back -of a black protruding head. The car jolted, and -the familiar figure swayed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yakov Zarubin!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov utterly dismayed turned his look again -upon the blue-eyed youth. He had removed -his hat, and he smoothed his wavy hair as he -said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As long as our administration has the soldiers -in its hands, the police, and the spies, it will not -yield the people and society their rights without a -fight, without bloodshed. We must remember -that."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It isn't true, my dear sir," cried the bony-faced -man. "The Czar granted a full constitution. -He granted it, yes, so how dare you—?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But who is arranging the street massacres? -And who's shouting 'Down with the constitution?'" -the young man asked coldly. "You had -better take a look at the defenders of the old system. -There they go!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>At that instant the car came to a standstill with -a creak, and when the irritating noise of its movement -had subsided, the passengers could hear loud -turbulent shouts:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God save the Czar!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Rrrra-a-h!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>A pack of boys came running from around the -corner in front of the car, and noisily scattered -over the street, as if dropped from above. A -<span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>crowd of people waving three-colored flags over -their heads pushed after them like a black wedge -in hurried disorder. Alarming shouts filled the -air:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurrah!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Stop, boys!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Down with the constitution!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We don't want—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"God save the Czar!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurrah!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The people shoved past one another, gesticulated -wildly, and threw their hats in the air. In front -of all with his head hanging low like a bull, walked -Melnikov, holding a heavy pole from which the -national flag floated. His eyes were fastened on -the ground. He lifted his feet high, and apparently -must have tramped the ground with great -force, for at each step his body quivered, and his -head shook. His heavy bellow could be heard -above the chaos of thinner shouts.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"We don't want deception—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Behind, a crowd of ragged people, dark and -grey, pushed down the street, jumping and twisting -their necks. They raised their heads, hands, and -arms, looked up to the windows of the houses, -jumped on the pavements to knock off the hats of -passersby, ran up to Melnikov again, shouted and -whistled and seized one another, rolling into a -heap. Melnikov waving the flag clanged like a -huge bell:</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>"Down with the mutinee-e! Down with the -impostors! Stop!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Drunk, or what?" thought Klimkov, coldly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Halt!" Raising his head and the flag on -high, the spy commanded: "Sing!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>From his broad mouth gushed a savage mournful -note:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Go-o-od—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>But at that moment excited shouts splashed in -the air, disordered and rapacious, like a flock of -hungry birds. They clawed the voice of the spy, -and covered it with their hasty, greedy mass.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurrah for the Emperor! Hats off! True -Orthodox people—we want the old! Down with -treachery!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was quiet in the car. All stood with their -hats off, silent, pale, observing the crowd that encircled -them like a wavy, dirty ring. But the disguised -man did not remove his hat. Yevsey looked -at his stern face, and thought:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Putting on airs." And he turned his eyes on -the street with a wry smile on his face. He felt -very distinctly the nothingness of these restless -jumping people. He clearly understood that dark -terror was whipping them from within, was pushing -and carrying them from side to side. They were -fighting, intoxicating themselves with loud shouts, -in the desire to prove to themselves that they were -afraid of nothing. They ran around the car like -a pack of hounds just released from the leash, full -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>of senseless joy, without having had time to free -themselves from the customary fear. Apparently -they could not make up their minds to traverse the -broad bright street. They were unable to gather -themselves into one body. They tossed about, -roared, and glared around alarmingly, waiting for -something.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Near the car stood a little thin, sharp-bearded -muzhik in a torn hat and short fur coat. He held -his eyes closed and his face raised on high. His -hungry mouth gaped displaying his yellow teeth -as he shouted in a thin voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"D-o-o-wn! We don't want—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Tears of fear and excitement ran down his -cheeks. His forehead glistened with sweat. -Ceasing to shout, he bent his neck and looked -around distrustfully. Then he raised his shoulders, -and closing his eyes again, yelled once more as -if he were being beaten:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"E-e-enough!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the way I would have become, too," -thought Yevsey to himself. Though the muzhik -cut a droll figure, Yevsey was sorry for him and for -himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He saw the familiar faces of the janitors, always -grim, the large-whiskered visage of the church -watchman Klimych, pious and sullen, the hungry -eyes of the young hooligans, the astonished expression -of timorous muzhiks, and a few creatures who -pushed everyone, gave everyone orders, and filled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>the will-less blind bodies with their will, with their -sick ferocity. Yevsey well understood that all -these petty people like himself lived in the close -captivity of fear, with no strength to tear themselves -from its clutches. A powerful person might -gain mastery over them; in obedience to the will of -a still more powerful person they would overthrow -the old receptacle of fear in exchange for a new -one. Now, separated by the windows from the -mob, he looked at it from aside and above, and his -eyes were able to embrace much. Everything was -clear to him <i>ad nauseam</i>. Anguish and wrath -sucked at his heart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Little Yakov Zarubin was twisting and turning -in the middle of the crowd like an eel. Now he -ran up to Melnikov, pulled his sleeve, and said -something to him, nodding his head in the direction -of the car.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov quickly glanced around at the man in -the hat, who had already risen, and was walking to -the door, his head lifted high and a frown on his -brow. Yevsey stepped after him, but Melnikov -jumped to the platform, and blocked the doorway -with his large body.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hat off!" he bawled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The man faced about abruptly, and walked to -the other exit. There he was met by Zarubin, who -shouted in a loud voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Here, this man in a hat! I know him! He -makes bombs! Take care, boys!"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>A revolver gleamed in Zarubin's hand. He -swung it as if it were a stone, and thrust it forward. -People from the street clambered to the platform, -and the passengers pressing to the exits met them -face to face. The lady screeched:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Take off your hat! Why, man!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>All screamed, roared, and pressed one another. -Their eyes staring insanely, fastened upon the man -in the hat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm going to shoot! Get away!" the man -shouted aloud, advancing upon Zarubin. The spy -retreated, but he was pushed in back, and fell to -his knees. Supporting himself on the floor with -one hand, he stretched out the other. A shot rang -out, then another. The windows rattled. For a -second all the cries congealed. Then the firm -voice said contemptuously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Vile curs!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The air and the windows quivered with a third -shot, and Zarubin uttered a loud cry:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ugh!" His head struck the floor, as if he -were making an obeisance at somebody's feet. -The car became emptier and quieter. Klimkov -ensconced in a corner, shrivelled up on his seat, and -thought listlessly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I might have been killed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The thought darted by, and disappeared without -rousing in the darkness of his soul either fear or -joy. He looked around wearily. The man in the -hat stood on the platform of the car. Melnikov -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>advanced toward him past Yevsey, and Zarubin -lay motionless face downward.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will shoot you down—everyone of you! -Get away from here!" the loud, dry cry was heard -from the platform.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But Melnikov stepped across the body of Yakov, -seized the fair-haired youth by the waist, and threw -him into the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Beat him down—!" he shouted bluntly in a -savage voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Three revolver shots followed in quick succession. -The deaf blows clapped. Someone howled -in a long-drawn plaintive cry like an infant.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Oh, oh, my leg!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another man shouted hoarsely with an effort:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah, ah! Hit him on the head! Hey, hey!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>And a thin hysterical voice pealed in ecstasy:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Tear him to pieces, my dear people. Choke -him! Enough! Their time is past! Now we'll -give it to them. Now our turn has come—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>All the cries were suddenly covered by a loud -ejaculation full of mournful disdain:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Idiots!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey reeled from weakness in his legs. He -walked to the platform, from which he saw a dark -heap of people. With bent backs, swinging their -arms and legs, groaning with the strain of excitement, -uttering tired hoarse articulations, they -stirred busily on the street, like large shaggy worms, -as they dragged over the stones the body of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>fair-haired youth, already crushed and torn. They -kicked at it, tramped on its face and chest, pulled -its hair, its legs and arms, and simultaneously tore -him in different directions. Half bare, covered -with blood, it flapped against the stones, soft as -dough, with each blow losing more and more semblance -of a human figure. These people worked -over him industriously. The little lean muzhik -trying to crush his skull, stepped on it with one -foot, and sang out:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Aha! Our time has come, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The work was accomplished. One after the -other they left the middle of the street for the pavement. -A pockmarked fellow wiped his hands on -his short sheepskin overcoat, and asked with the air -of a manager, or superintendent:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who took his pistol?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now the voices sounded weary, reluctant. But -on the pavement a laugh was heard coming from -a small group of people standing next to the -lamp-post. An offended voice was discussing -hotly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You lie! I was the first. The second he -fell I gave him one on the jaw with my boot."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Cabman Mikhailov pounced on him first, -then I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Mikhailov got a bullet in his leg."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If it didn't hit the bone, it's all right."</p> - -<p class='c006'>These people after tasting blood had apparently -grown bolder. They looked around on all sides -<span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>with unsatiated eyes, with greed, and assured expectation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the middle of the street lay a formless dark -heap, from which blood was oozing into the hollows -between the stones.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the way—" Yevsey thought, looking -at the red designs on the paving. In the dark red -mist trembling before his eyes appeared the hairy -face of Melnikov. His voice was tired and -muffled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, they've killed him!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, how quickly!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They killed another one this morning."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He was speaking. He was standing on the -curb addressing the people. Chasin fired into his -stomach."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What for?" Yevsey repeated.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Those speakers are deceivers—a spurious -manifesto—there's no such thing—all a bluff!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha thought that all out," said Yevsey -quietly, with conviction.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov shook his head, and looked at his -large hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Somebody always deceives," he mumbled in a -drunken voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He entered the car, and raised Zarubin lightly, -placing him on the bench face up.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's dead. There's where it hit him—"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>Yevsey sought the scar on Zarubin's face that -the blow of the bottle had left. He did not find -it. Now over the right eye was a little red hole -from which Klimkov could not tear his eyes. It -absorbed his entire attention, and aroused sharp -pity for Yakov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Have you a pistol?" asked Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, take Yakov's."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't want to. I don't need it."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now everybody needs a pistol," said Melnikov -simply, and slipped the revolver into Yevsey's overcoat -pocket. "Yes, there was a Yakov, now there -is no Yakov."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It was I who marked him for death," thought -Yevsey, looking at his comrade's face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Zarubin's brows were sternly drawn. A look of -serious preoccupation gleamed and died away in -his dim eyes. His little black mustache bristled -on his raised lip. He appeared to be annoyed. -His half-open mouth seemed ready to pour forth -a rapid torrent of irritated talk.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Come," said Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"And he—how about them?" asked Yevsey, -tearing his eyes from Zarubin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The police will take them away. It's against -the law to remove the killed. Let's go somewhere, -and shake ourselves up. I haven't eaten to-day. -I can't eat—the third day without food. No -<span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>sleep either." He sighed painfully, and concluded -with somber <i>sang froid</i>. "I should have been -killed in Yakov's place."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha will ruin all," said Yevsey, through his -teeth. "He'll ruin us all."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Blindness of the soul."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They walked along the street without observing -anything, and each spoke that with which his own -mind was occupied. Both were like drunken men.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where's the truth?" asked Melnikov, putting -his hand forward, as if to test the air.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There, you see, two have been killed," said -Yevsey, making an effort to catch an elusive -thought.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Many people have been killed to-day, I should -think. All are blind."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why did Sasha arrange this?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't love him either."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He's the one who ought to be killed," exclaimed -Yevsey, with bitter vengefulness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov was silent for a long time. Then he -suddenly shook his fist in the air, and said resolutely:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Enough! I've taken sins enough upon myself. -On the other side of the Volga I have an -uncle, a very old man. He is all I have in this -world. I'll go to him. He keeps an apiary—when -he was young he was tried for forgery." -After another pause of silence the spy laughed -quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey, annoyed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm forgetting everything. My uncle has -now been dead for three years."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They reached a café known to them. Yevsey -stopped at the door, and looked meditatively at -the illuminated windows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"People again," he muttered, dissatisfied. "I -don't want to go in there."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's go in. It's all the same," said Melnikov, -taking him by the arm, and leading him after himself. -"It will be tiresome for me to be here alone. -Besides I've become fearsome. I'm not afraid of -being killed if I'm recognized as a spy. It's just -a general feeling of dread."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The two men did not enter the room in which -their comrades were wont to gather, but took seats -in a corner of the common hall, where there were -a number of persons, of whom none were drunk, -though the talk was noisy and evinced unusual excitement. -Klimkov by habit began to listen to the -conversations, while the thought of Sasha clung to -him, and quietly unfolded itself in his head, stupefied -by the impressions of the last days, but freshened -by the constant influx of poignant hatred and -fear of the spy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He recalled the sullen face of the dead Zarubin, -the mauled body of the fair-haired man. He -looked in perplexity at the noisy public, blinking as -if half asleep. All was incoherent, as in a nightmare. -Melnikov drank tea with no appetite, keeping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>silent and from time to time stretching himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Not far from them at a table sat three men, apparently -clerks with the characteristic speech of the -class. They were young and fashionably dressed, -with a display of gay necktie. One of them, a -curly-headed youth with a tanned face spoke excitedly, -his dark eyes flashing.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They utilize the ferocity of hungry ragged rowdies, -by which they want to prove to us that liberty -is impossible because of the many barbarians such -as these. However—permit me—savages did -not show themselves for the first time yesterday. -There have always been such, and justice has always -been able to cope with them; they could be -held under fear of the law. Then why are they -permitted to perpetrate every sort of outrage and -bestiality to-day?" He looked around the hall -with the air of a victor, and answered his question -with hot conviction. "Because they want to point -out to us, 'You are for freedom, ladies and gentlemen, -well here you have it. Freedom for you -means murder, robbery, and all kinds of mob violence.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Do you hear?" demanded Yevsey, triumphantly. -"Isn't that Sasha's scheme?" The hot -voice of the orator roused in his soul the quiet -smouldering hope. "Maybe Sasha won't conquer."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov looked at him sullenly, without replying.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>The curly-headed man rose from the chair, and -continued waving a glass of wine in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's not true, and I protest. Honest people -want liberty, not in order to crush one another, -but in order for each to be protected against the -prevailing violence of our lawless life. Liberty is -the goddess of reason. They have drunk enough -of our blood. I protest. Long live liberty!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The public raised a cheer, and sprang to their -feet.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov looked at the curly-headed orator, and -muttered:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a fool!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He speaks truly," rejoined Yevsey, angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"How do you know?" asked the spy indifferently, -and began to drink the beer in slow gulps.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey wanted to tell this heavy man that he -himself was a fool, a blind beast, whom the cunning -and cruel masters of his life had taught to hunt -people down. But Melnikov raised his head, and -looking into Klimkov's face with dark eyes terribly -widened, said in a sounding whisper:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm afraid for this reason: when I was in -prison an incident happened there—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hold on," said Yevsey, "I want to listen."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A thin voice which drilled the ear, pierced triumphantly -through the soft mass of sounds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you hear? He says a goddess, yet we -Russian people have only one goddess, the Holy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span>Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. That's how -those curly-headed youngsters speak!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Out with him!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Silence!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, if you please. If there's liberty, everyone -has a right—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see? The curly-headed youngsters walk -the streets, beat the people who rise up to maintain -the Czar's truth against treachery, while we Russians, -the True Orthodox, don't dare even to speak. -Is this liberty?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They'll fight," said Klimkov, starting to tremble. -"Somebody will be killed. I'm going."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What a peculiar fellow you are! Well, let's go. -The devil take them! What are they to you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov flung the money on the table, and -moved toward the exit, his head bowed low, as -if to conceal his conspicuous face. On the street -in the dark and the cold, he began to speak in a -subdued voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"When I was in prison—it was on account of -a certain foreman, who was strangled in our factory—I -was hauled up, too. They told me I -would get hard labor. Everybody said it, first -the coroner, then the gendarmes joined in. I got -frightened. I was still young, and I didn't take -to the idea of hard labor. I used to cry." He -coughed a clapping cough, and slackened his pace. -"Once the assistant overseer of the prison, Aleksey -Maksimych, a good little old man, came in to me. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>He loved me. He grieved for me all the time. -'Ah,' says he, 'Liapin,'—my real name is -Liapin—'Ah,' says he, 'brother, I'm sorry for -you. You are such an unfortunate fellow—'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov's speech unfolded itself like a soft -band upon which Klimkov quietly let himself down, -as upon a narrow path leading down into the darkness, -into something terrible and awesomely interesting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He comes and says he, 'Liapin, I want to save -you for a good life. Yours is a hard-labor case, -but you can escape it. The only thing you need -to do is to execute a man. He was sentenced for -political assassination. He will be hanged according -to law in the presence of a priest, will be given -a cross to kiss, so that you needn't be uneasy about -it.' I say, 'Why not? If with the consent of the -authorities, and if I'm to be pardoned, I'll hang -him. Only I can't.'—. 'We'll teach you,' says -he. 'We have a man who knows how, but he's -stricken with paralysis, and can't do it himself.' -Well for a whole evening they taught me. It was -in a deep dungeon. We stuffed a sack with rags, -tied it with a string, so as to make a neck. Then -I pulled it up on a hook. I learned how to do the -business. Early in the morning they gave me half -a bottle to drink, led me out into the yard with -soldiers carrying guns. I see a gallows has been -erected, and various officers before it. They are -all muffled up and shrivelled. It was autumn then, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span>too, November. I ascended the scaffolding, and -the boards shook, creaked under my feet like teeth. -This made me feel uncomfortable, and I said -'Give me more whiskey. I'm afraid.' Then they -brought him—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov again began to cough dully, and -clutched at his throat. Yevsey pressed up to him, -trying to keep step with him. He kept his eyes -fastened on the ground, not daring to look either -to the front or the side.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I see a young powerful fellow. He stands -firm, and all the time keeps stroking his head from -his forehead back to his neck. I began to put the -face-cloth on him. I must have pulled or pinched -him in some way, and he tells me quietly without -anger, 'Be more careful, brother.' Yes. The -priest gave him the cross, and he says, 'Don't disturb -yourself. I'm not a believer.' His face was -so—as if he knew everything that would be after -death, and now and to-morrow and always, knew it -for certain. Somehow I strangled him, shaking all -over. My hands grew numb, my legs would not -hold me. I felt horrible on account of him—he -was so calm about it all—a master over death."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov was silent, looked around, and began -to walk more quickly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well?" asked Yevsey in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, I strangled him. That's all. Only -ever since, when I see or hear that a man has been -killed, I recollect him—always. In my opinion -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>he was the only man who knew the truth. That -was why he was not afraid. And the main thing -is, he knew what would be to-morrow—which no -one knows. I tell you what, Yevsey, come to me -to sleep, eh? Come, please."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All right," said Yevsey quietly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was glad of the offer. He could not walk to -his room alone—along the streets in the darkness. -He felt a tightness in his breast and a heavy -pressure on his bones, as if he were creeping under -ground, and the earth were squeezing his back, his -chest, his sides, and his head: while in front of him -gaped a deep pit, which he could not escape, into -which he must soon descend—a silent bottomless -abyss down which he would drop endlessly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's good," said Melnikov. "I would feel -bored alone."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"If you would kill Sasha—" Yevsey advised -him sadly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There you are!" Melnikov fended off the -idea. "What do you think—that I love to kill? -They asked me twice again to hang people, a -woman and a student. I declined. I might have -had two to remember instead of one. The killed -appear again. They come back."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Often?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sometimes, sometimes not. When often, it's -every night. How can you defend yourself against -them? I can't pray to God. I've forgotten my -prayers. Have you?"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>"I remember mine."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They entered a court, and were long in penetrating -to its depths, stumbling as they walked over -boards, stones, and rubbish. Then they descended -a flight of steps, which Klimkov, feeling the walls -with his hands, thought would never come to an -end. When he found himself at last in the lodging -of the spy, and had examined it in the light of the -lamp, he was amazed to see the mass of gay pictures -and paper flowers with which the walls were -almost entirely covered. Melnikov at once became -a stranger in this comfortable little room, -with a broad bed in a corner behind white curtains.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"All this was contrived by the woman with -whom I lived," said Melnikov, starting to undress. -"She ran away, the hussy! A gendarme, a quartermaster, -decoyed her. I can't understand it. -He's a grey-haired widower, while she's young and -greedy for a male. Nevertheless she went away. -The third one that's left me already. Come, let's -go to bed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>They lay side by side in the same bed, which -rocked under Yevsey like a tossing sea, and all the -time descended lower and lower. His heart sank -with it. The spy's words laid themselves heavily -upon his breast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"One was Olga."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Olga. Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>"A little one, thin and jolly. She used to hide -my hat, or something else, and I would say, 'Olga, -where's my hat?' And she would say, 'Look for -it. You're a spy.' She liked to joke, but she was -a loose woman. I hardly had my head turned, before -she was with somebody else. I was afraid to -beat her. She was frail. Still I pulled her hair. -You've got to do something."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Lord!" quietly exclaimed Klimkov. "What -am I going to do?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>His comrade was silent for a while, then said -dully and slowly:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's the way I howl, too, sometimes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov buried his head in the pillow, compressing -his lips tightly, to restrain the stubborn need -to utter cries and complaints.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Yevsey awoke with a certain secret resolution, -which held his bosom as with a broad invisible -belt. It stifled him. The ends of this band, he -felt, were held by some insistent being, who obstinately -led him on to an inescapable something. -He harkened to this desire and tested it carefully -with an awkward, timorous thought. At the same -time he did not want it to define itself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov dressed and washed, but uncombed, -was sitting at the table next to the samovar, munching -his bread lazily like an ox.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You sleep well," he said. "I drowsed a little, -then awoke, while it was still night, and suddenly -saw a body beside me. I remembered that Tania -wasn't here, but I had forgotten about you. Then -it seemed to me that that person was lying there. -He came and lay down—wanted to warm himself." -Melnikov laughed a stupid laugh, which, -apparently, embarrassed him the next instant. -"However, it's not a joke. I lighted a match and -looked at you. It's my idea you're not well. Your -face is blue like—" He broke off with a cough, -but Yevsey guessed the unspoken word, and thought -gloomily:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Rayisa, too, said I would choke myself."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>The thought frightened him, clearly alluding to -something he did not want to remember. Then he -tried insistently to evoke some desire which might -help him to befool himself, to conceal the unavoidable, -that which had already been determined.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What time is it?" he asked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Eleven."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Early still."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Early," confirmed the host, and both were silent. -Then Melnikov proposed:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Let's live together, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What will happen," said Yevsey, after reflecting -a moment.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Nothing will happen. You're a quiet fellow. -You speak little, neither do I like to speak always. -If it's tiresome I speak, or else I keep quiet all the -time. When you ask about something, one says -one thing, another says another thing, and a third -still another. Well, the devil take you, think I. -You have a whole lot of words, but none that are -true."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes," said Yevsey for the sake of answering.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Something must be done," he thought in self-defense. -Suddenly he resolved, "At first I will—Sasha—" -But he did not wish to represent -to himself what would be afterward. "Where -are we going to go?" he inquired of Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>"To the office," Melnikov replied with unconcern.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't want to," declared Yevsey drily and -firmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov combed his beard for a time in silence. -Then he shoved the dishes from him, and placing -his elbows on the table, said meditatively in a -subdued voice:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Our service has become hard. All have begun -to rebel, but who are the real rebels here? Make -it out, if you can."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know who's the first scoundrel and skunk," -muttered Klimkov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha you mean?" inquired Melnikov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey gave no reply. He was quietly beginning -to devise a plan of action. Melnikov started -to dress, sniffing loudly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"So we're going to live together?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Are you going to bring your things to-day?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Will you sleep here tonight?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>After some reflection Yevsey said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes."</p> - -<p class='c006'>When the spy had gone, Klimkov jumped to his -feet, and looked around frightened, quivering -under the stinging blows of suspicion.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"He locked me in, and went to tell Sasha. -They'll come soon to seize me. I must escape -through the window."</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>He rushed to the door. It was not locked. He -calmed himself, and said with heat, as if convincing -somebody:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, is it possible to live this way? You -don't believe anybody—there is nobody—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He sat long behind the table without moving, -straining his mind, employing all his cunning to -lay a snare for the enemy without endangering -himself. Finally he hit upon a plan. He must -in some way lure Sasha from the office to the -street, and walk with him. When they would -meet a large crowd of people, he would shout:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This is a spy, beat him!" And probably the -same thing would happen as had happened to -Zarubin and the fair-haired young man. If the -people would not turn upon Sasha as seriously as -they had yesterday upon the disguised revolutionist, -Yevsey would set them an example. He would -fire first, as Zarubin had. But <i>he</i> would <i>hit</i> Sasha. -He would aim at his stomach.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov felt himself strong and brave, and -made haste to leave. He wanted to do the thing at -once. But the recollection of Zarubin hindered -him, knotting up the poverty-stricken simplicity of -his contrivance. He involuntarily repeated his -notion. "It was I who marked him for death."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He did not reproach, he did not blame, himself. -Yet he felt that a certain thread bound him to the -little black spy, and he must do something to -break the thread.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>"I didn't say good-by to him—and where will -I find him now?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>On putting on his overcoat, he was gladdened to -feel the revolver in his pocket. Responding to a -fresh influx of power and resolution, he walked -out into the street with a firm tread.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But the nearer he got to the Department of -Safety the more did his bold mood melt and fade -away. The feeling of power became dissipated, -and when he saw the narrow dull alley at the end -of which was the dusky, three-storied building, he -suddenly felt an invincible desire to find Zarubin, -and take leave of him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I insulted him," he explained his desire to -himself, embarrassed and quickly turning aside -from his aim. "I must find him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the same time he vaguely felt he could not -escape from that which seized his heart and pressed -him, drew him on after itself, and silently indicated -the one issue from the terrible entanglement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The problem of the day, the resolve to destroy -Sasha, did not hinder the growth of the dark and -evil power which filled his heart, while the sudden -wish to find the body of the little spy instantly -became an insurmountable obstacle to the carrying -out of his plan.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He fed this desire artificially, in the fear that -it, too, would disappear. He rode about in cabs -to police stations for a number of hours, taking the -utmost pains in his inquiries regarding Zarubin. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span>When at last he found out where the body was, -it was too late to visit it, and he returned home -secretly pleased that the day had come to an end.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Melnikov did not put in appearance at his -lodging. Yevsey lay alone the whole night, trying -not to stir. At each movement of his the canopy -over the bed rocked. An odor of dampness was -wafted in his face, the bed creaked a tune; he felt -stifled, nauseated, and timorous. Taking advantage -of the stillness the vile mice ran about, and -the rustling sounds they made tore the thin net of -Yevsey's thoughts of Zarubin and Sasha. The -interruptions displayed to him the dead, calm, -expectant emptiness of his environment, with which -the emptiness of his soul insistently desired to blend.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXIX</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>Early in the morning he was already standing -in the corner of a large yard at a yellow hovel -with a cross over the roof. A grey humpbacked -watchman said as he opened the door:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"There are two of them here. One was recognized, -the other not. The unidentified one will -soon be taken to the grave."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then Yevsey saw the sullen face of Zarubin. -The only change it had undergone was that it had -grown a little blue. The small wound in place of -the scar had been washed, and had turned black. -The little alert body was naked and clean. It lay -face upward, stretched like a cord, with the tanned -hands folded over the bosom, as if Zarubin were -sullenly asking:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well, what?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Beside him lay the other dark body, all rent, -swollen, with red, blue, and yellow stains. Someone -had covered its face with blue and white -flowers. But under them Yevsey could see the -bones of the skull, a tuft of hair glued together -with blood, and the torn shell of the ear.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Leaning his hump against the wall, the old man -said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"This one cannot be recognized. He has -<span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>almost no head. Yet he was identified. Two -ladies came yesterday with these flowers and -covered up human outrage. As for the other one, -he's remained unidentified."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I know who he is," said Yevsey firmly. -"He's Yakov Zarubin. He served in the Department -of Safety."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The watchman looked at him, and shook his -head in negation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, it's not he. The police told us he was -Zarubin, and our office inquired of the Department -of Safety, but it appeared it wasn't he."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"But I know," Yevsey exclaimed quietly, in an -offended tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In the Department of Safety they said, 'We -don't know such a person. A man by that name -never served here.'"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's not true," exclaimed Yevsey, grieved and -dumfounded.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two young fellows came in from the court, one -of whom asked the watchman:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Which is the unidentified man?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The humpback pointed his finger at Zarubin, -and said to Yevsey:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You see?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov walked out into the court, thrust a coin -into the watchman's hand, and repeated with -impotent stubbornness:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's Zarubin, I tell you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"As you please," said the old man, shrugging -<span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>his hump. "But if it is so, others would have -recognized him. An agent came here yesterday -in search of someone who had been killed. He -didn't recognize your man either, though why -shouldn't he admit it if he did?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What agent?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A stout man, bald, with an amiable voice."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Solovyov," guessed Yevsey, observing dully -that Zarubin's body was being laid in a white unpainted -coffin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It doesn't go in," mumbled one of the fellows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Bend his legs, the devil!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"The lid won't close."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sidewise, lay him in sidewise, eh?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't make such a fuss, boys," said the old -man calmly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fellow who held the head of the body -snuffled, and said:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's a spy, Uncle Fiodor."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"A dead man is nobody," observed the humpback -didactically, walking up to them. The fellows -grew silent, continuing to squeeze the springy tawny -body into the narrow short coffin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You fools, get another coffin," said the humpback, -angrily.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's all the same," said one, and the other -added grimly, "He's not a great gentleman."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey left the court carrying in his soul a -bitter humiliating feeling of insult in behalf of -Zarubin. Behind him he clearly heard the hump-back -<span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>say to the men as they bore off the -body:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Something wrong there, too. He came here, -and says 'I know him.' Maybe he knows all -about this affair."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The two men answered almost simultaneously:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Seems to be a spy, too."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"What's the difference to us?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov quickly jumped into a cab, and shouted -to the driver:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Hurry!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where to?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey answered quietly and not at once:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Straight ahead."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The insulting thoughts dully knocked in his -head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They bury him like a dog—no one wants -him—and me, too—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The streets came to meet him. The houses -rocked and swayed, the windows gleamed. People -walked noisily, and everything was alien.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"To-day I'm going to make an end of Sasha. -I'll go there at once and shoot him." In a moment -he was already compelled to persuade himself: -"It's got to be done. As for me, nothing matters -to me any more."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dismissing the cabman he walked into a -restaurant, to which Sasha came less frequently -than to the others. He stopped in front of the -door of the room where the spies gathered.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span>"The instant I see him, I'll shoot him," he said -to himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He knocked at the door tremulously, and felt -the revolver in his hand. His soul was congealed -in cold expectation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Who's there?" asked someone on the other -side of the door.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The door was opened a little. In the chink -flashed the eyes and reddish little nose of Solovyov.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ah-h-h!" he drawled in amazement. "There -was a rumor that you had been killed."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"No, I have not been killed," Klimkov responded -sullenly, removing his coat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I see. Lock the door. They say you went -with Melnikov—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov was thoroughly masticating a piece of -ham; which interfered with his articulation. His -greasy lips smacked slowly and let out the unconcerned -words, "So, it isn't true that you went -with Melnikov?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why isn't it true?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why, here you are alive, and he's in bad -shape. I saw him yesterday."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The spy named the hospital from which Yevsey -had just come.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why is he there?" Klimkov inquired -apathetically.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That is it: a Cossack struck him a sabre blow -<span class='pageno' id='Page_401'>401</span>on the head, and the horses trampled him. It's -not known how it happened, or why. He's unconscious. -The physicians say he won't recover."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov poured some sort of green whiskey -into a glass, held it up to the light, and examined -it with screwed-up eyes. After which he drank -it, and asked:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Where are you hiding yourself?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I'm not hiding."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You <i>have</i> been hiding all the same."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A plate fell to the floor in the corridor. -Yevsey started. He remembered he had forgotten -to remove the revolver from his overcoat pocket. -He rose to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Sasha is fuming at you."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before Yevsey's eyes swam the sinister red disk -of the moon surrounded by a cloud of ill-smelling -lilac-colored mist. He recalled the snuffling, ever-commanding -voice, the yellow fingers of the bony -hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Won't he come here?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't know. Why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Solovyov's face wore a sleek expression. -Apparently he was very well satisfied with something. -In his voice sounded the careless affability -of an aristocrat. All this was repulsive to Yevsey. -Incoherent thoughts tossed about in his mind, one -breaking the other off.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You are all rascals—sorry for Melnikov—so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_402'>402</span>this obese fellow didn't want to recognize -Yakov—why?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Did you see Zarubin?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's who?" asked Solovyov, raising his -brows.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"You know. He lay in the hospital there. -You saw him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Yes, yes, yes. Of course I saw him."</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Why didn't you say there that you knew -him?" Yevsey demanded sternly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old spy reared his bald head, and exclaimed -in astonishment with a sarcastic expression:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"W-w-w-hat?"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yevsey repeated the question, but this time in a -milder tone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"That's not your business, my dear fellow. I -want you to know that. But I'm sorry for your -stupidity, so I'll tell you, we have no need for -fools, we don't know them, we don't comprehend -them, we don't recognize them. You are to understand -that, now and forever, for all your life. -Remember what I say, and tie your tongue with -a string."</p> - -<p class='c006'>The little eyes of Solovyov sparkled cold as -two silver coins, his voice bespoke evil and cruelty. -He shook his short thick fingers at Yevsey. His -greedy bluish lips were drawn sullenly. But he -was not horrible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"It's all the same," thought Yevsey. "They -are all one gang—they all ought to be—"</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_403'>403</span>He darted to his overcoat, snatched the revolver -from the pocket, aimed at Solovyov, and shouted -dully:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Well!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old man crawled from his chair, and -grovelled on the floor, looking like a large heap of -dirt. He seized the leg of the table with one -hand, and stretched the other toward Yevsey.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Don't—you mustn't," he muttered in a loud -whisper. "My dear sir, don't touch me."</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov pressed the trigger more tightly, more -tightly. His head chilled with the effort, his hair -shook.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will go away—I'm going to get married -to-morrow—I'll go away—for always—I'll -never—" His heavy cowardly words rustled -and crept in the air. Grease glistened on his chin, -and the napkin over his bosom quivered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The revolver did not shoot. Yevsey's finger -pained, and horror took powerful possession of him -from head to foot, impeding his breath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can give you money," Solovyov whispered -more quickly. "I will tell nothing—I will keep -quiet—always—I understand—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov raised his hand and flung the revolver -at the spy. Then he caught up his overcoat, and -ran off. Two feeble shouts overtook him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Ow, ow!"</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_404'>404</span> - <h2 class='c004'>CHAPTER XXX</h2> -</div> -<p class='drop-capa0_2_0_6 c005'>The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his -neck, like leeches. They filled him with -insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on. -Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, -it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never -touching the ground. They ran after him stretching -out scores of long clutching hands, which -reached his neck, and touched his hair. They -played with him, mocked him, disappearing and -reappearing. He took cabs, rode for a while, -jumped out, ran along the streets, and rode again. -For the crowd was near him all the time unseen, -yet so much the more horrible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He felt more at ease when he saw before him -the dark patterned wall of bare boughs, which -stretched to meet him. He dived into the thicket -of trees, and walked in between them, strangely -moving his hands behind his back, as if to draw the -trees together more compactly behind him. He -descended into a ravine, seated himself on the cold -soil, and rose again. Then he walked the length -of the ravine, breathing heavily, perspiring, drunk -with fear. Soon he saw an opening between the -trees. He listened carefully, noiselessly advanced -a few steps further, and looked. In front of him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_405'>405</span>stretched the earthwork of a railroad, beyond which -rose more trees. These were small and far-between. -Through the network of their branches -shone the grey roof of a building.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He walked back quickly up the channel of the -ravine, to where the woods were thicker and darker.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"They'll catch me," the cold assurance pushed -him on. "They'll catch me—they must be looking -for me already—they're running."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A soft ringing sound strayed through the woods. -It came from anear, and shook the thin branches, -which swayed in the dusk of the ravine, filling the -air with their rustle. Under his feet crackled thin -ice, which covered the grey dried-out little pits of -the bed of a stream with white skin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Klimkov sat down, bent over, and put a piece -of ice in his mouth. The next instant he jumped -to his feet, and clambered up the steep slope of the -ravine. Here he removed his belt and suspenders, -and began to tie them together, at the same time -carefully examining the branches over his head.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I don't have to take my overcoat off," he -reflected without self-pity. "The heavier, the -quicker."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was in a hurry, his fingers trembled, and his -shoulders involuntarily rose, as if to conceal his -neck. In his head a timorous thought kept -knocking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I won't have time. I'll be too late."</p> - -<p class='c006'>A train passed along the edge of the woods. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_406'>406</span>The trees hummed in displeasure, and the ground -quivered. The white vapor threaded its way between -the branches. It stole through the air, and -melted away, as though to get a look at this man, -and then disappear from his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Titmice came flying and whistling boldly. They -gleamed in the dark nets of the branches, and their -quick bustle hastened the movements of Yevsey's -cold and disobedient fingers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He made a slipknot in the strap, threw it over -a branch, and tugged at it. It was firm. Then, -just as hurriedly, he began to make a slipknot in -his suspenders, which he had twisted into a braid. -When everything was ready, he heaved a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Now I ought to say my prayers."</p> - -<p class='c006'>But no prayer came to him. He thought for a -few seconds. The words flashed up, but were instantly -extinguished, without forming themselves -into a prayer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"Rayisa knew my fate," he recalled unexpectedly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Thrusting his head into the noose, he said -quietly, simply, and without a quiver in his breast:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy -Ghost—"</p> - -<p class='c006'>He pushed the ground with his feet, and jumped -into the air, doubling his legs under him. There -was a painful tug at his ears, a strange inward -blow hit his head, and stunned him. He fell. -His entire body struck the hard earth, turned over, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_407'>407</span>and rolled down the declivity. His arms caught -in the roots of trees, his head knocked against -trunks. He lost consciousness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When he recovered his senses, he found himself -sitting at the bottom of the ravine, the torn suspenders -dangling over his breast. His trousers -were burst, his scratched, blood-stained knees -looked through the cloth pitifully. His body was -a mass of pain, especially his neck; and the cold -seemed to be flaying his skin. Throwing himself -on his back Yevsey looked up the incline. There -under a white birch branch the strap swung in the -air like a thin serpent, and lured him to itself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I can't," he said to himself in despair. "I -can't—nothing—I don't know how."</p> - -<p class='c006'>He began to cry fine tears of impotence and -insult. He lay with his back on the ground, and -through his tears saw over him the one-toned dim -sky, streaked by the dry designs of the dark -branches.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He lay for a long time muffled in his overcoat, -suffering from cold and pain. Without his -willing it, his strange senseless life passed before -him like a chain of smoke-dark rings. It passed -by him impetuously. It trampled pitilessly upon -his half-dead soul, crushing it finally with heavy -blows, which prevented one spark of hope from -glimmering in his heart. It pressed him to the -ground.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A dismal chord hummed and trembled brokenly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_408'>408</span>in his breast. Its lugubrious song spread through -his bones. His little dry body, quivering with -a sickly tremor, shrivelled up in the cold of the -twilight into a shelterless heap, pressed itself more -and more closely to the ground, so firm and so -powerful.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Trains passed the woods several times, filling it -with a creaking and rumbling, with clouds of steam -and rays of light. The rays glided by the trunks -of the trees, as if feeling them, as if in search of -somebody there. Then they hastily disappeared, -quick, trembling, and cold.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When they found Yevsey and touched him, he -raised himself to his feet with difficulty, and -plunged into the obscurity of the woods in pursuit -of them. He stopped at the edge, and leaned -against a tree, waiting and listening to the distant -angry hum of the city. It was already evening, -the sky had grown purple. Over the city quietly -flared a dim red. The lights were being kindled -to meet the night.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From a distance sprang up a howling noise and a -drone. The rails began to sing and ring. A train -was passing over them, its red eyes twinkling in the -twilight. And the dusk quickly sailed after it, -growing ever thicker and darker. Yevsey went -to the roadbed as fast as he could, sank on his -knees, then laid his side across the road, with his -back to the train, and his neck upon the rail. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_409'>409</span>He enveloped his head closely in the skirts of his -overcoat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>For some seconds it was pleasant to feel the -burning contact of the iron. It appeased the pain -in his neck, but the rail trembled and sang louder, -more alarmingly. It filled his whole body with an -aching groan. The earth, too, now quivered with -a fine tremor, as if swimming away from under -his body and pushing him from itself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The train rolled heavily and slowly, but the -clang of its couplings, the even raps of the wheels -upon the joinings of the rails were already deafening. -Its snorting breath pushed Klimkov in the -back. Everything round about him and with him -shook in tempestuous agitation, and tore him from -the ground.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He could wait no longer. He jumped to his -feet, ran along the rails, and shouted in a high -screech:</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I am guilty—I will—everything—I will, -I will!"</p> - -<p class='c006'>Along the smoothly polished metal of the rails -darted reddish rays of light, outstripping Klimkov. -They glared more and more fiercely. Now glowing -strips to each side of him ran impetuously into -the distance, directing his course.</p> - -<p class='c006'>"I will—" he yelled, waving his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Something hard and wide struck his back. He -fell across the sleepers between the red cords of -rail, and the harsh iron rumble crushed his feeble -screams.</p> -<p class='c009 page-break-before'><span class='pageno' id='Page_411'>411</span><span class='small'>The design on the cover is taken from Gorky's -book-plate, drawn by Ephraim Mose Lilien. It is -reproduced from an illustration in "The New -Art of an Ancient People," by M. S. Levussove, -New York, 1906.</span></p> - -<p class='c010 page-break-before'><span class='pageno' id='Page_413'>413</span>"The torch which all the Prophets from Moses to Jesus bore -aloft is to-day being borne onward by Socialist agitators."</p> - -<hr class='c007' /> - -<p class='c006'>The Spiritual Significance of -Modern Socialism</p> - -<p class='c006'>By JOHN SPARGO</p> - -<p class='c006'>Author of "The Bitter Cry of the Children"</p> - -<p class='c006'>At all bookstores, 50c net</p> - -<p class='c006'>He makes clear that socialism in its economic -aspect is but a single phase of a great movement; -that in every avenue of its activity, a higher -meaning is connoted and that every Socialistic -aspiration is as important ethically as economically -and politically.</p> - -<hr class='c007' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>B. W. HUEBSCH, Publisher</div> - <div class='c003'>225 FIFTH AVENUE - - - - NEW YORK</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010 page-break-before'><span class='pageno' id='Page_414'>414</span>THE ART OF LIFE SERIES</p> - -<p class='c006'>EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS, Editor</p> - -<p class='c006'><i>VOLUMES READY</i>:</p> -<p class='c009'>The Use of the Margin</p> - -<p class='c006'>By EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS</p> - -<p class='c006'>In this work the author's charm as a public speaker is transferred to -the printed page. His theme is the problem of utilizing the time one -has to spend as one pleases for the aim of attaining the highest culture -of mind and spirit. How to work and how to play; how to read and -how to study, how to avoid intellectual dissipation and how to apply the -open secrets of great achievement evidenced in conspicuous lives are -among the many phases of the problem which the author discusses, earnestly, -yet with a light touch and not without humor.</p> -<p class='c009'>Things Worth While</p> - -<p class='c006'>By THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON</p> - -<p class='c006'>He discusses in an intimate, conversational manner various problems -of thinking and living and has entered fully into the spirit animating -the publication of The Art of Life Series.</p> -<p class='c009'>Where Knowledge Fails</p> - -<p class='c006'>By EARL BARNES</p> - -<p class='c006'>From the pen of a scientific thinker, one whose attitude is liberal -yet reverent, presenting the outlines of a belief in which the relations of -knowledge and faith are clearly established.</p> -<p class='c009'>Self-Measurement</p> - -<p class='c006'>A Scale of Human Values; with Directions for -Personal Application</p> - -<p class='c006'>By WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE</p> - -<p class='c006'>He reduces life to its fundamental relations showing the degrees in -which each may be fulfilled or nonfulfilled. In a series of searching -questions he directs attention to every human activity.</p> -<p class='c009'><i>OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION</i></p> - -<p class='c006'>Cloth. 12mo. Each, 50 cents net. By mail, 55 cents</p> - -<hr class='c007' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>TO BE HAD AT ALL BOOKSTORES, OR OF</div> - <div class='c003'>B. W. HUEBSCH ... Publisher ... NEW YORK</div> - </div> -</div> -<p> </p> -<hr /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0 page-break-before'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><b><span class='large'>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE</span></b></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Punctuation has been made consistent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Variations in spelling and hyphenation were -retained.</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 51094-h.htm or 51094-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/0/9/51094">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/9/51094</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. -</p> - -<h2 class="pg">START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<br /> -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</h2> - -<p>To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license.</p> - -<h3>Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works</h3> - -<p>1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8.</p> - -<p>1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.</p> - -<p>1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others.</p> - -<p>1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States.</p> - -<p>1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</p> - -<p>1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed:</p> - -<blockquote><p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United - States and most other parts of the world 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>. If you - are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this - ebook.</p></blockquote> - -<p>1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work.</p> - -<p>1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.</p> - -<p>1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License.</p> - -<p>1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</p> - -<p>1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that</p> - -<ul> -<li>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation."</li> - -<li>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works.</li> - -<li>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work.</li> - -<li>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> -</ul> - -<p>1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.</p> - -<p>1.F.</p> - -<p>1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment.</p> - -<p>1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</p> - -<p>1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem.</p> - -<p>1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</p> - -<p>1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions.</p> - -<p>1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. </p> - -<h3>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life.</p> - -<p>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org.</p> - -<h3>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</p> - -<p>The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact</p> - -<p>For additional contact information:</p> - -<p> Dr. Gregory B. Newby<br /> - Chief Executive and Director<br /> - gbnewby@pglaf.org</p> - -<h3>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS.</p> - -<p>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>.</p> - -<p>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</p> - -<p>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</p> - -<p>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate</p> - -<h3>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.</h3> - -<p>Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support.</p> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org</p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - -</body> -</html> - diff --git a/old/51094-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/51094-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f791a0b..0000000 --- a/old/51094-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51094.txt b/old/51094.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6e000ed..0000000 --- a/old/51094.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12242 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Spy, by Maksim Gorky, Translated by -Thomas Seltzer - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Spy - The Story of a Superfluous Man - - -Author: Maksim Gorky - - - -Release Date: January 31, 2016 [eBook #51094] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY*** - - -E-text prepared by readbueno and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/cu31924026722367 - - -Transcriber's note: - - Italicized words and phrases are presented by surrounding - the text with _underscores_. - - - - - -THE SPY - -The Story of a Superfluous Man - -by - -MAXIM GORKY - -Authorized translation by Thomas Seltzer - - - - - - - -New York -B. W. Huebsch -1908 - -Copyright, 1908 -By B. W. Huebsch - - - - - THE SPY - - - - - CHAPTER I - - -When Yevsey Klimkov was four years old, his father was shot dead by the -forester; and when he was seven years old, his mother died. She died -suddenly in the field at harvest time. And so strange was this that -Yevsey was not even frightened by the sight of her dead body. - -Uncle Piotr, a blacksmith, put his hand on the boy's head, and said: - -"What are we going to do now?" - -Yevsey took a sidelong glance at the corner where his mother lay upon a -bench, and answered in a low voice: - -"I don't know." - -The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his face with his shirtsleeve, and -after a long silence gently shoved his nephew aside. - -"You're going to live with me," he said. "We'll send you to school, I -suppose, so that you won't be in our way. Ah, you old man!" - -From that day the boy was called Old Man. The nickname suited him very -well. He was too small for his age, his movements were sluggish, and his -voice thin. A little bird-like nose stuck out sadly from a bony face, -his round colorless eyes blinked timorously, his hair was sparse and -grew in tufts. The impression he made was of a puny, shriveled-up little -old fellow. The children in school laughed at him and beat him, his dull -oldish look and his owl-like face somehow irritating the healthier and -livelier among them. He held himself aloof, and lived alone, silently, -always in the shade, or in some corner or hole. Without winking his -round eyes he looked forth upon the people from his retirement, -cautiously contracted like a snail in its shell. When his eyes grew -tired, he closed them, and for a long time sat sightless, gently swaying -his thin body. - -Yevsey endeavored to escape observation even in his uncle's home; but -here it was difficult. He had to dine and sup in the company of the -whole family, and when he sat at the table, Yakov, the uncle's youngest -son, a lusty, red-faced youngster, tried every trick to tease him or -make him laugh. He made faces, stuck out his tongue, kicked Yevsey's -legs under the table, and pinched him. He never succeeded, however, in -making the Old Man laugh, though he did succeed in producing quite the -opposite result, for often Yevsey would start with pain, his yellow face -would turn grey, his eyes open wide, and his spoon tremble in his hand. - -"What is it?" his uncle Piotr sometimes asked. - -"It's Yashka," the boy explained in an even voice, in which there was no -note of complaint. - -If Uncle Piotr gave Yashka a box on the ear, or pulled his hair, Aunt -Agafya puckered up her lips and muttered angrily: - -"Ugh, you telltale!" - -And then Yashka found him somewhere, and pummeled him long and -assiduously upon back, sides, and stomach. Yevsey endured the drubbing -as something inevitable. It would not have been profitable to complain -of Yashka, because if Uncle Piotr beat his son, Aunt Agafya repaid the -punishment with interest upon her nephew, and her blows were more -painful than Yashka's. So when Yevsey saw that Yashka wanted to attack -him, he merely ran away, though he was always overtaken. Then the Old -Man dropped to the ground, and pressed his body to the soil with all his -might, pulling up his knees to his stomach, covering his face and his -head with his hands, and silently yielding his sides and back to his -cousin's fists. The more patiently he bore the buffeting, the angrier -grew Yashka. Sometimes Yashka even cried and shouted, while he kicked -his cousin's body: - -"You nasty louse, you, scream!" - -Once Yevsey found a horseshoe and gave it to the little pugilist, -because he knew Yashka would take it from him at any rate. Mollified by -the present, Yashka asked: - -"Did I hurt you very much when I beat you the last time?" - -"Very much," answered Yevsey. - -Yashka thought a while, scratched his head, and said in embarrassment: - -"It's nothing. It will pass away." - -He left Yevsey, but somehow his words settled deep in the Old Man's -heart, and he repeated hopefully in an undertone: - -"It will pass away." - -Once Yevsey saw some women pilgrims rubbing their tired feet with -nettles. He followed their example, and applied the nettles to his -bruised sides. It seemed to him his pain was greatly assuaged. From that -time he religiously rubbed his wounds with the down of the noxious and -despised weed. - -He was poor at his lessons, because he came to school full of dread of -beatings, and he left school swelling with a sense of insult. His -apparent apprehension of being wronged evoked in others the -unconquerable desire to ply the Old Man with blows. - -It turned out that Yevsey had a counter-tenor, and the teacher took him -to the church choir. After this he had to be at home less, but to -compensate he met his schoolmates more frequently, at the rehearsals, -and they all fought no less than Yashka. - -The old frame church pleased Yevsey. He was always strongly drawn to -peep into the snug warm quiet of its many dark corners, expecting to -find in one of them something uncommon and good, which would embrace -him, press him tenderly to itself, and speak to him the way his mother -used to. All the sacred images, black with many years of soot, with -their good yet stern expression, recalled the dark-bearded face of Uncle -Piotr. - -At the church entrance was a picture, which depicted a saint who had -caught the devil and was beating him; the saint, a tall, dark, sinewy -fellow with long hands, the devil, a reddish, lean wizened creature of -stunted growth resembling a little goat. At first Yevsey did not look at -the devil; he had a desire to spit at him surreptitiously; but then he -began to pity the unfortunate little fiend, and when nobody was around -he tenderly stroked the goat-like little chin disfigured by dread and -pain. Thus, for the first time a sense of pity sprang up in the boy's -heart. - -Yevsey liked the church for another reason: here all the people, even -the notorious ruffians, dropped their boisterousness, and conducted -themselves quietly and submissively. For loud talk frightened Yevsey. He -ran away from excited faces and shouts, and hid himself, owing to the -fact that once on a market-day he had seen a brawl between a number of -muzhiks, which began by their talking to one another in very loud -voices. Then they shouted and pushed; next someone seized a pole, waved -it about, and struck another man. A terrible howl ensued, many started -to run. They knocked the Old Man off his feet, and he fell face downward -in a puddle. When he jumped up he saw a huge muzhik coming toward him -waving his hands, with a quivering, gory blotch instead of a face. This -was so terrible that Yevsey yelled, and suddenly felt as if he were -being precipitated into a black pit. He had to be sprinkled with water -to bring him to his senses. - -Yevsey was also afraid of drunken men. His mother had told him that a -demon takes up his abode in the body of a drunkard. The Old Man imagined -this demon prickly as a hedgehog and moist as a frog, with a reddish -body and green eyes, who settles in a man's stomach, stirs about there, -and turns the man into an evil fiend. - -There were many other good things about the church. Besides the quiet -and tender twilight, Yevsey liked the singing. When he sang without -notes, he closed his eyes firmly, and letting his clear plaintive -soprano blend with the general chorus in order it should not be heard -above the others, he hid himself deliciously somewhere, as if overcome -by a sweet sleep. In this drowsy state it seemed to him he was drifting -away from life, approaching another gentle, peaceful existence. - -A thought took shape in his mind, which he once expressed to his uncle -in these words: - -"Can a person live so that he can go everywhere and see everything, but -be seen by nobody?" - -"Invisibly?" asked the blacksmith, and thought a while. "I should -suppose it would be impossible." He turned his black face to his nephew, -and added seriously, "Yes, of course, it would be very nice if you could -do it, Orphan." - -From the moment that all the villagers began to call Yevsey "Old Man," -Uncle Piotr used "Orphan" instead. A peculiar man in every respect the -blacksmith was not terrible even when drunk. He would merely remove his -hat from his head and walk about the street waving it, singing in a high -doleful voice, smiling, and shaking his head. The tears would run down -his face even more copiously than when he was sober. - -His uncle seemed to Yevsey the very wisest and best muzhik in the whole -village. He could talk with him about everything. Though he often smiled -he scarcely ever laughed; he spoke without haste, in a quiet, serious -tone. Either failing to notice his nephew, or forgetting about -him--which especially pleased Yevsey--he would talk to himself in his -shop, keeping up a constant dispute with some invisible opponent and -forever admonishing him. - -"Confound you," he would mumble, but without anger. "Greedy maw! Don't I -work? There, I have scorched my eyes. I'll soon get blind. What else do -you want? A curse on this life! Hard luck! No beauty--no joy." - -His interjections sounded as if he were composing psalms; and Yevsey had -the impression that his uncle was actually facing the man he was -addressing. - -Once Yevsey asked: - -"Whom are you talking to?" - -"Whom am I talking to?" repeated the blacksmith without looking at the -boy. Then he smiled and answered. "I'm talking to my stupidity." - -But it was a rare thing for Yevsey to be able to speak with his -guardian, for he was seldom alone. Yashka, round as a top, often spun -about the place, drowning the blows of the hammer and the crackling of -the coals in the furnace with his piercing shouts. In his presence -Yevsey did not dare even to look at his uncle. - -The smithy stood at the edge of the shallow ravine, at the bottom of -which among the osier bushes, Yevsey passed all his leisure time in -spring, summer, and autumn. Here it was as peaceful as in the church. -The birds warbled, the bees and drones hummed, and a fine quiet song -quivered in the air. The boy sat there swaying his body and brooding -with tightly shut eyes. Or he roamed amid the bushes, listening to the -noise in the blacksmith shop. When he perceived his uncle was alone, he -crept out and went up to him. - -"What, you, Orphan?" was the blacksmith's greeting, as he scrutinized -the boy with his little eyes wet with tears. - -Once Yevsey asked: - -"Is the evil power in the church at night?" - -The smith thought a while, and answered: - -"Why shouldn't it be? It gets everywhere. That's easy for it." - -The boy raised his shoulders, and with his round eyes searchingly -examined the dark corners of the shop. - -"Don't be afraid of the devils," the uncle advised. - -Yevsey sighed, and answered quietly: - -"I'm not afraid." - -"They won't hurt you," the blacksmith explained with assurance, wiping -his eyes with his black fingers. Then Yevsey asked: - -"And how about God?" - -"What about Him?" - -"Why does God let devils get into the church?" - -"What's that to him? God isn't the keeper of the church." - -"Doesn't he live there?" - -"Who? God? Why should He? His place, Orphan, is everywhere. The churches -are for the people." - -"And the people, what are they for?" - -"The people--it seems they are--in general--for everything. You can't -get along without people." - -"Are they for God?" - -The blacksmith looked askance at his nephew, and answered after a pause: - -"Of course." Wiping his hands on his apron and staring at the fire in -the furnace, he added, "I don't know about this business, Orphan. Why -don't you ask the teacher or the priest?" - -Yevsey wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve. - -"I'm afraid of them." - -"It would be better for you not to talk of such things," the uncle -advised gravely. "You are a little boy. You should play out in the open -air, and store up health. If you want to live you must be a healthy man. -If you are not strong, you can't work. Then you can't live at all. -That's all we know, and what God needs is unknown to us." He grew -silent, and meditated without removing his eyes from the fire. After a -time he continued in a serious tone, speaking choppily: "On the one hand -I know nothing, on the other hand I don't understand. They say all -wisdom comes from Him. Yet it's evident that the thicker one's candle -before God the more wolfish the heart." He looked around the shop, and -his eyes fell on the boy in the corner. "Why are you squeezing yourself -into that crack? I told you to go out and play." As Yevsey crept out -timidly, the smith added, "A spark will fall into your eye, and then -you'll be one-eyed. Who wants a one-eyed fellow?" - -His mother had told Yevsey several stories on winter nights when the -snowstorm knocking against the walls of the hut ran along the roof, -touched everything as if groping for something in anguish, crept down -the chimney, and whined there mournfully in different keys. The mother -recited the tales quietly, drowsily. Her speech sometimes grew confused; -often she repeated the same words several times. It seemed to the boy -she saw everything about which she spoke, but obscurely, as in the dark. - -The neighbors reminded Yevsey of his mother's tales. The blacksmith, -too, it seemed, saw in the furnace-fire both devils and God, and all the -terrors of human life. That was why he continually wept. While Yevsey -listened to his talk, which set his heart aquiver with a dreadful tremor -of expectation, the hope insensibly formulated itself that some day he -would see something remarkable, not resembling the life in the village, -the drunken muzhiks, the cantankerous women, the boisterous -children--something quite different, without noise and confusion, -without malice and quarreling, something lovable and serious, like the -church service. - -One of the neighbors was a blind girl, with whom Yevsey became intimate. -He took her to walk in the village; carefully helped her down the -ravine, and spoke to her in a low voice, opening wide his watery eyes in -fear. This friendship did not escape the notice of the villagers, all of -whom it pleased. But once the mother of the blind girl came to Uncle -Piotr with a complaint. She declared Yevsey had frightened Tanya with -his talk, and now she could not leave her daughter alone, because the -girl cried and slept poorly, had disturbed dreams, and started out of -her sleep screaming. What Yevsey had said to her it was impossible to -make out. She kept babbling about devils, about the sky being black and -having holes in it, about fires visible through the holes, and about -devils who made sport in there, and teased people. What does it mean? -How can anyone tell a little girl such stuff? - -"Come here," said Uncle Piotr to his nephew. - -When Yevsey quietly left his corner, the smith put his rough heavy hand -on his head and asked: - -"Did you tell her all that?" - -"I did." - -"Why?" - -"I don't know." - -The blacksmith, without removing his hand, shoved back the boy's head, -and looking into his eyes asked gravely: - -"Why, is the sky black?" - -"What else is it if she can't see?" Yevsey muttered. - -"Who?" - -"Tanya." - -"Yes," said the blacksmith. After a moment's reflection he asked, "And -how about the fire being black? Why did you invent that?" - -The boy dropped his eyes and was silent. - -"Well, speak. Nobody is beating you. Why did you tell her all that -nonsense, eh?" - -"I was sorry for her," whispered Yevsey. - -The blacksmith pushed him aside lightly. - -"You shan't talk to her any more, do you hear? Never! Don't worry, Aunt -Praskovya, we'll put an end to this friendship." - -"You ought to give him a whipping," said the mother. "My little girl -lived quietly, she wasn't a bit of a bother to anybody, and now someone -has to be with her all the time." - -After Praskovya had left, the smith without saying anything led Yevsey -by the hand into the yard. - -"Now talk sensibly. Why did you frighten the little girl?" - -The uncle's voice was not loud, but it was stern. Yevsey became -frightened, and quickly began to justify himself, stuttering over his -words. - -"I didn't frighten her--I did it just--just--she kept complaining--she -said I see only black, but for you everything--so I began to tell her -everything is black to keep her from being envious. I didn't mean to -frighten her at all." - -Yevsey broke into sobs, feeling himself wronged. Uncle Piotr smiled. - -"You fool! You should have remembered that she's been blind only three -years. She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight after she had the -smallpox. So she recollects what things are really bright. Oh, what a -stupid fellow!" - -"I'm not stupid. She believed me," Yevsey retorted, wiping his eyes. - -"Well, all right. Only don't go with her any more. Do you hear?" - -"I won't." - -"As to your crying; it's nothing. Let them think I gave you a beating." -The blacksmith tapped Yevsey on the shoulder, and continued with a -smile, "You and I, we're cheats, both of us." - -The little fellow buried his head in his uncle's side, and asked -tremulously: - -"Why is everybody down on me?" - -"I don't know, Orphan," answered the uncle after a moment's reflection. - -The wrongs to which he was subjected now began to yield the boy a sort -of bitter satisfaction. A dim conviction settled upon him that he was -not like everybody else, and this was why all were down on him. He -observed that all the people were malicious and worn out with ill-will. -They lived, each deceiving his neighbor, abusing one another, and -drinking. Everyone sought for mastery over his fellow, though over -himself he was not master. Yevsey saw no man who was not in constant -fear of something. The whole of life was filled with terror, and terror -divided the people into fragments. - -The village stood upon a low hill. On the other side of the river -stretched a marsh. In the summer after a hot day it exhaled a stifling -lilac-colored mist, which breathed a putrid breath upon the village, and -sent upon the people a swarm of mosquitoes. The people, angry and -pitiful, scratched themselves until blood came. From behind the thin -woods in the distance climbed a lowering reddish moon. Huge and round it -looked through the haze like a dull sinister eye. Yevsey thought it was -threatening him with all kinds of misery and dread. He feared its dirty -reddish face. When he saw it over the marsh, he hid himself, and in his -sleep he was tormented by heavy dreams. At night bluish, trembling -lights strayed over the marsh, said to be the homeless spirits of -sinners. The villagers sighed over them sorrowfully, pitying them. But -for one another they had no pity. - -It was possible for them, however, to have lived differently, in -friendship and joy. An incident Yevsey once witnessed proved this to -him. - -One night the granary of the rich muzhik Veretennikov caught fire. The -little boy ran into the garden, and climbed up a willow tree to look at -the conflagration. - -It seemed to him that the many-winged, supple body of a horrible -smoke-begrimed bird with a fiery jaw was circling in the sky. It -inclined its red blazing head to the ground, greedily tore the straw -with its sharp fiery teeth, gnawed at the wood, and licked it with its -hundred yellow tongues. Its smoky body playfully coiled in the black -sky, fell upon the village, crept along the roofs of the houses, and -again raised itself aloft majestically and lightly, without removing its -flaming red head from the ground. It snorted, scattering sheaves of -sparks, whistling with joy in its evil work, singing, puffing, and -spreading its raging jaw wider and wider, embracing the wood more and -more greedily with its red ribbons of flame. - -In the presence of the fire the people turned small and black. They -sprinkled water into its jaws, thrust long poles at it, and tore flaming -sheaves from between its teeth. Then they trampled the sheaves. The -people, too, coughed, sniffed, and sneezed, gasping for breath in the -greasy smoke. They shouted and roared, their voices blending with the -crackling and roaring of the fire. They approached nearer and nearer to -the great bird, surrounding its red head with a black living ring, as if -tightening a noose about its body. Here and there the noose broke, but -they tied it again, and crowded about more firmly. The noose strangled -the fire, which lay there savagely. It jumped up, and its body swelled, -writhing like a snake, striving to free its head; but the people held it -fast to the ground. Finally, enfeebled, exhausted, and sullen it fell -upon the neighboring granaries, crept along the gardens, and dwindled -away, shattered and faint. - -"All together!" shouted the villagers, encouraging one another. - -"Water!" rang out the women's voices. - -The women formed a chain from the fire to the river, strangers and -kinsmen, friends and enemies all in a row. And the buckets of water were -rapidly passed from hand to hand. - -"Quick, women! Quick, good women!" - -It was pleasant and cheerful to look upon this good, friendly life in -conflict with the fire. The people emboldened one another. They spoke -words of praise for displays of dexterity and disputed in kindly jest. -The shouts were free from malice. In the presence of the fire everybody -seemed to see his neighbor as good, and each grew pleasant to the other. -When at last the fire was vanquished, the villagers grew even jolly. -They sang songs, laughed, boasted of the work, and joked. The older -people got whiskey to drink away their exhaustion, while the young folk -remained in the streets amusing themselves almost until morning. And -everything was as good as in a dream. - -Yevsey heard not a single malicious shout, nor noticed a single angry -face. During the entire time the fire was burning no one wept from pain -or abuse, no one roared with the beastly roar of savage malice, ready -for murder. - -The next day Yevsey said to his uncle: - -"How nice it was last night!" - -"Yes, Orphan, it was nice. A little more, and the fire would have burned -away half the village." - -"I mean about the people," explained the boy. "How they joined together -in a friendly way. If they would live like that all the time, if there -were a fire all the time!" - -The blacksmith reflected for an instant, then asked in surprise: - -"You mean there should be fires all the time?" He looked at Yevsey -sternly, and shook his finger. "You wiseacre, you, look out! Don't think -such sinful thoughts. Just see him! He finds pleasure in fires!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - - -When Yevsey completed the school course, the blacksmith said to him: - -"What shall we do with you now? There's nothing for you here. You must -go to the city. I have to get bellows there, and I'll take you along, -Orphan." - -"Will you yourself take me?" - -"Yes. Are you sorry to leave the village?" - -"No, but I am sorry on account of you." - -The blacksmith put a piece of iron in the furnace and adjusting the -coals with the tongs, said thoughtfully: - -"There's no reason to be sorry on account of me. I am grown up. I am the -muzhik I ought to be, like every other muzhik." - -"You're better than everybody else," Yevsey said in a low voice. - -It seemed that Uncle Piotr did not hear the last remark, for he did not -answer, but removed the glowing iron from the fire, screwed up his eyes, -and began to hammer, scattering the red sparks all about him. Then he -suddenly stopped, slowly dropped the hand in which he held the hammer, -and said smiling: - -"I ought to give you some advice--how to live and all such things." - -Yevsey waited to hear the advice. The blacksmith, however, apparently -forgetful of his nephew, put the iron back into the fire, wiped the -tears from his cheeks, and looked into the furnace. A muzhik entered, -bringing a cracked tire. Yevsey went out to go to the ravine, where he -crouched in the bushes until sunset, waiting for his uncle to be alone; -which did not happen. - -The day of his departure from the village was effaced from the boy's -memory. He recalled only that when he rode out into the fields, it was -dark and the air strangely oppressive. The wagon jolted horribly, and on -both sides rose black motionless trees. The further they advanced the -wider the space became and the brighter the atmosphere. The uncle was -sullen the whole way, and reluctantly gave brief and unintelligible -answers to Yevsey's questions. - -They rode an entire day, stopping over night in a little village. Yevsey -heard the fine and protracted playing of an accordion, a woman weeping, -and occasionally an angry voice crying out: "Shut up!" and swearing -abusively. - -The travelers continued on their way the same night. Two dogs -accompanied them, running around the wagon and whining. As they left the -village a bittern boomed sullenly and plaintively in the forest to the -left of the road. - -"God grant good luck!" mumbled the blacksmith. - -Yevsey fell asleep, and awoke when his uncle lightly tapped him on his -legs with the butt end of the whip. - -"Look, Orphan." - -To the sleepy eyes of the boy the city appeared like a huge field of -buckwheat. Thick and varicolored, it stretched endlessly, with the -golden church steeples standing out like yellow pimpinellas, and the -dark bands of the streets looking like fences between the patches. - -"Oh, how large!" said Yevsey. After another look, he asked his uncle -cautiously, "Will you come to see me?" - -"Certainly, whenever I come to the city. You will begin to make money, -and I will ask you to give me some. 'Orphan,' I'll say, 'give your uncle -about three rubles.'" - -"I'll give you all my money." - -"You mustn't give me all. You should give only as much as you won't be -sorry to part with. To give less is shameful; to give more is unfair." - -The city grew quickly and became more and more varied in coloring. It -glittered green, red, and golden, reflecting the rays of the sun from -the glass of the countless windows and from the gold of the church -steeples. It seemed to make promises, kindling in the heart a confused -curiosity, a dim expectation of something unusual. Kneeling in the wagon -with his hand on his uncle's shoulder, Yevsey looked before him while -the smith said: - -"You live this way--do whatever is assigned to you, hold yourself aloof, -beware of the bold men. One bold man out of ten succeeds, and nine go to -pieces." - -He spoke with indecision, as if he himself doubted whether he was saying -what he ought to say, and he searched his thoughts for something else -more important. Yevsey listened attentively and gravely, expecting to -hear a special warning against the terrors and dangers of the new life. -But the blacksmith drew a deep breath, and after a pause continued more -firmly and with more assurance, "Once they came near giving me a lashing -with switches in the district court. I was betrothed then. I had to get -married. Nevertheless they wanted to whip me. It's all the same to them. -They don't care about other people's affairs. I lodged a complaint with -the governor, and for three and a half months they kept me in prison, -not to speak of the blows. I got the worst beatings. I even spat blood. -It's from that time that tears are always in my eyes. One policeman, a -short reddish fellow, always went for my head." - -"Uncle," said Yevsey quietly, "don't speak of it." - -"What else shall I speak to you about?" cried Uncle Piotr with a smile. -"There is nothing else." - -Yevsey's head drooped sadly. - -One detached house after another seemed to step toward them, dirty and -wrapped in heavy odors, with chimneys sticking from their red and green -roofs, like warts. Bluish-grey smoke rose from them lazily. Some -chimneys, monstrously tall and dirty, jutted straight up from the -ground, and emitted thick black clouds of smoke. The ground was -compactly trodden, and seemed to be steeped in black grease. Everywhere -heavy alarming sounds penetrated the smoky atmosphere. Something -growled, hummed and whistled; iron clanged angrily, and some huge -creature breathed hoarsely and brokenly. - -"When will we get to the place?" asked Yevsey. - -Looking carefully in front of him the uncle said: - -"This isn't the city yet. These are factories in the suburb." - -Finally they pulled into a broad street lined with old squat frame -houses painted various colors, which had a peaceful, homelike -appearance. Especially fine were the clean cheerful houses with gardens, -which seemed to be tied about with green aprons. - -"We'll soon be there," said the blacksmith, turning the horse into a -narrow side street. "Don't be afraid, Orphan." - -He drew up at the open gate of a large house, jumped down, and walked -into the yard. The house was old and bent. The joists protruded from -under the small dim windows. In the large dirty yard there were a number -of carriages, and four muzhiks talking loudly stood about a white horse -tapping it with their hands. One of them, a round, bald-headed fellow -with a large yellow beard and a rosy face, waved his hands wildly on -seeing Piotr, and cried: - -"Oh!" - -They went to a narrow, dark room, where they sat down and drank tea. -Uncle Piotr spoke about the village. The bald fellow laughed and shouted -so that the dishes rattled on the table. It was close in the room and -smelled of hot bread. Yevsey wanted to sleep, and he kept looking into -the corner where behind dirty curtains he could see a wide bed with -several pillows. Large black flies buzzed about, knocking against his -forehead, crawling over his face, and tickling his perspiring skin; but -he restrained himself from driving them away. - -"We'll find a place for you!" the bald man shouted to him, nodding his -head gaily. "In a minute! Natalya, did you call for Matveyevich?" - -A full woman with dark lashes, a small mouth, and a high bust, answered -calmly and clearly: - -"How many times have you asked me already?" - -She held her head straight and proudly, and when she moved her hands the -rose-colored chintz of her new jacket rustled sumptuously. Her whole -being recalled some good dream or fairy tale. - -"Piotr, my friend, look at Natalya. What a Natalya! Droppings from the -honey-comb!" shouted the bald man deafeningly. - -Uncle Piotr laughed quietly, as if fearing to look at the woman, who -pushed a hot rye cake filled with curds toward Yevsey, and said: - -"Eat, eat a lot. In the city people must eat a good deal." - -A jar of preserves stood on the table, honey in a saucer, toasted -cracknels sprinkled with anise-seed, sausage, cucumber, and vodka. All -this filled the air with a strong odor. Yevsey grew faint from the -oppressive sensation of over-abundance, though he did not dare to -decline, and submissively chewed everything set before him. - -"Eat!" cried the bald man, then continued his talk with Uncle Piotr. "I -tell you, it's luck. It's only a week since the horse crushed the little -boy. He went to the tavern for boiling water, when suddenly--" - -Another man now made his entrance unnoticed by the others. He, too, was -bald, but small and thin, with dark eyeglasses on a large nose, and a -long tuft of grey hair on his chin. - -"What is it, people?" he asked in a low, indistinct voice. - -The master jumped up from his chair, uttered a cry, and laughed aloud. -Yevsey was suddenly seized with alarm. - -The man addressed Piotr and his hosts as "People," by which he separated -himself from them. He sat down at some distance from the table, then -moved to one side away from the blacksmith, and looked around moving his -thin dry neck slowly. On his head, a little above his forehead, over his -right eye, was a large bump. His little pointed ears clung closely to -his skull, as if to hide themselves in the short fringe of his grey -hair. He produced the impression of a quiet, grey, seedy, person. Yevsey -unsuccessfully tried to get a surreptitious peep at his eyes under the -glasses. His failure disquieted him. - -The host cried: - -"Do you understand, Orphan?" - -"This is a trump," remarked the man with the bump. He sat supporting his -thin dark hands on his sharp knees, and spoke little. Occasionally -Yevsey heard the men utter some peculiar words. - -At last the newcomer said: - -"And so it is settled." - -Uncle Piotr moved heavily in his chair. - -"Now, Orphan, you have a place. This is your master." He turned to the -master. "I want to tell you, sir, that the boy can read and write, and -is not at all a stupid fellow. I am not saying this because I can't find -a place for him, but because it is the truth. The boy is even very -curious--" - -"I have no need for curiosity," said the master shaking his head. - -"He's a quiet sort. They call him Old Man in the village--that's the -kind he is." - -"We shall see," said the man with the bump on his forehead. He adjusted -his glasses, scrutinized Yevsey's face closely, and added, "My name is -Matvey Matveyevich." - -Turning away, he took up a glass of tea, which he drank noiselessly. -Then he rose and with a silent nod walked out. - -Yevsey and his uncle now went to the yard, where they seated themselves -in the shade near the stable. The blacksmith spoke to Yevsey cautiously, -as if groping with his words for something unintelligible to him. - -"You'll surely have it good with him. He's a quiet little old man. He -has run his course and left all sorts of sins behind him. Now he lives -in order to eat a little bite, and he grumbles and purrs like a satiated -Tom-cat." - -"But isn't he a sorcerer?" asked the boy. - -"Why? I should think there are no sorcerers in the cities." After -reflecting a few moments, the blacksmith went on. "Anyway it's all the -same to you. A sorcerer is a man, too. But remember this, a city is a -dangerous place. This is how it spoils people: the wife of a man goes -away on a pilgrimage, and he immediately puts in her place some -housemaid or other, and indulges himself. But the old man can't show you -such an example. That's why I say you'll have it good with him. You will -live with him as behind a bush, sitting and looking." - -"And when he dies?" Yevsey inquired warily. - -"That probably won't be soon. Smear your head with oil to keep your hair -from sticking out." - -About noon the uncle made Yevsey bid farewell to their hosts, and taking -him firmly by the hand led him to the city. They walked for a long time. -It was sultry. Often they asked the passersby how to get to the Circle. -Yevsey regarded everything with his owl-like eyes, pressing close up to -his uncle. The doors of shops slammed, pulleys squeaked, carriages -rattled, wagons rumbled heavily, traders shouted, and feet scraped and -tramped. All these sounds jumbled together were tangled up in the -stifling dusty atmosphere. The people walked quickly, and hurried across -the streets under the horses' noses as if afraid of being too late for -something. The bustle tired the boy's eyes. Now and then he closed them, -whereupon he would stumble and say to his uncle: - -"Come, faster!" - -Yevsey wanted to get to some place in a corner where it was not so -stirring, not so noisy and hot. Finally they reached a little open place -hemmed in by a narrow circle of old houses, which seemed to support one -another solidly and firmly. In the center of the Circle was a fountain -about which moist shadows hovered on the soil. It was more tranquil -here, and the noise was subdued. - -"Look," said Yevsey, "there are only houses and no ground around them at -all." - -The blacksmith answered with a sigh: - -"It's pretty crowded. Read the signs. Where is Raspopov's shop?" - -They walked to the center of the Circle, and stopped at the fountain. -There were many signs, which covered every house like the motley patches -of a beggar's coat. When Yevsey saw the name his uncle had mentioned, a -chill shiver ran through his body, and he examined it carefully without -saying anything. It was small and eaten by rust, and was placed on the -door of a dark basement. On either side the door there was an area -between the pavement and the house, which was fenced in by a low iron -railing. The house, a dirty yellow with peeling plaster, was narrow with -four stories and three windows to each floor. It looked blind as a mole, -crafty, and uncozy. - -"Well," asked the smith, "can't you see the sign?" - -"There it is," said the boy, indicating the place with a nod of his -head. - -"Let's cross ourselves and go." - -They descended to the door at the bottom of five stone steps. The -blacksmith raised his cap from his head, and looked cautiously into the -shop. - -"Come in," said a clear voice. - -The master, wearing a black silk cap without a visor, was sitting at a -table by the window drinking tea. - -"Take a chair, peasant, and have some tea. Boy, fetch a glass from the -shelf." - -The master pointed to the other end of the shop. Yevsey looked in the -same direction, but saw no boy there. The master turned toward him. - -"Well, what's the matter? Aren't you the boy?" - -"He's not used to it yet," said Uncle Piotr quietly. - -The old man again waved his hand. - -"The second shelf on the right. A master must be understood when he says -only half. That's the rule." - -The blacksmith sighed. Yevsey groped for the glass in the dim light, and -stumbled over a pile of books on the floor in his haste to hand it to -the master. - -"Put it on the table. And the saucer?" - -"Oh, you!" exclaimed Uncle Piotr. "What's the matter with you? Get the -saucer." - -"It will take a long time to teach him," said the old man with an -imposing look at the blacksmith. "Now, boy, go around the shop, and fix -the place where everything stands in your memory." - -Yevsey felt as if something commanding had entered his body, which -impelled him powerfully to move as it pleased. He shrank together, drew -his head in his shoulders, and straining his eyes began to look around -the shop, all the time listening to the words of his master. It was -cool, dusky, and quiet. The noise of the city entered reluctantly, like -the muffled swashing of a stream. Narrow and long as a grave the shop -was closely lined with shelves holding books in compact rows. Large -piles of books cluttered the floor, and barricaded the rear wall, rising -almost to the ceiling. Besides the books Yevsey found only a ladder, an -umbrella, galoshes, and a white pot whose handle was broken off. There -was a great deal of dust, which probably accounted for the heavy odor. - -"I'm a quiet man. I am all alone, and if he suits me, maybe I will make -him perfectly happy." - -"Of course it lies with you," said Uncle Piotr. - -"I am fifty-seven years old. I lived an honest and straightforward life, -and I will not excuse dishonesty. If I notice any such thing I'll hand -him over to the court. Nowadays they sentence minors, too. They have -founded a prison to frighten them called the Junior Colony of -Criminals--for little thieves, you know." - -His colorless, drawling words enveloped Yevsey tightly, evoking a -timorous desire to soothe the old man and please him. - -"Now, good-bye. The boy must get at the work." - -Uncle Piotr rose and sighed. - -"Well, Orphan, so you live here now. Obey your master. He won't want to -do you any harm. Why should he? He is going to buy you city clothes. Now -don't be downcast, will you?" - -"No," said Yevsey. - -"You ought to say 'No, sir,'" corrected the master. - -"No, sir," repeated Yevsey. - -"Well, good-bye," said the blacksmith putting his hand on the boy's -shoulder, and giving his nephew a little shake he walked out as if -suddenly grown alarmed. - -Yevsey shivered, oppressed by a chill sorrow. He went to the door, and -fixed his round eyes questioningly on the yellow face of the master. The -old man twirling the grey tuft on his chin looked down upon the boy. -Yevsey thought he could discern large dim black eyes behind the glasses. -As the two stood thus for a few minutes apparently expecting something -from each other, the boy's breast began to beat with a vague terror; but -the old man merely took a book from a shelf, and pointed to the cover. - -"What number is this?" - -"1873," replied Yevsey lowering his head. - -"That's it." - -The master touched Yevsey's chin with his dry finger. - -"Look at me." - -The boy straightened his neck and quickly mumbled closing his eyes: - -"Little uncle, I shall always obey you. I don't need beatings." His eyes -grew dim, his heart sank within him. - -"Come here." - -The old man seated himself resting his hands on his knees. He removed -his cap and wiped his bald spot with his handkerchief. His spectacles -slid to the end of his nose, and he looked over them at Yevsey. Now he -seemed to have two pairs of eyes. The real eyes were small, immobile, -and dark grey with red lids. Without the glasses the master's face -looked thinner, more wrinkled, and less stern. In fact it wore an -injured and downcast expression, and there was nothing in the least -formidable in his eyes. The bump over his forehead got larger. - -"Have you been beaten often?" - -"Yes, sir, often." - -"Who beat you?" - -"The boys." - -"Oh!" - -The master drew his glasses close to his eyes and mumbled his lips. - -"The boys are scrappers here, too," he said. "Don't have anything to do -with them, do you hear?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Be on your guard against them. They are impudent rascals and thieves. I -want you to know I am not going to teach you anything bad. Don't be -afraid of me. I am a good man. You ought to get to love me. You will -love me. You'll have it very good with me, you understand?" - -"Yes, sir. I will." - -The master's face assumed its former expression. He rose, and taking -Yevsey by the hand led him to the further end of the shop. - -"Here's work for you. You see these books? On every book the date is -marked. There are twelve books to each year. Arrange them in order. How -are you going to do it?" - -Yevsey thought a while, and answered timidly: - -"I don't know." - -"Well, I am not going to tell you. You can read and you ought to be able -to find out by yourself. Go, get to work." - -The old man's dry even voice seemed to lash Yevsey, driving away the -melancholy feeling of separation from his uncle and replacing it with -the anxious desire to begin to work quickly. Restraining his tears the -boy rapidly and quietly untied the packages. Each time a book dropped to -the floor with a thud he started and looked around. The master was -sitting at the table writing with a pen that scratched slightly. As the -people hastened past the door, their feet flashed and their shadows -jerked across the shop. Tears rolled from Yevsey's eyes one after the -other. In fear lest they be detected he hurriedly wiped them from his -face with dusty hands, and full of a vague dread went tensely at his -work of sorting the books. - -At first it was difficult for him, but in a few minutes he was already -immersed in that familiar state of thoughtlessness and emptiness which -took such powerful hold of him when, after beatings and insults, he sat -himself down alone in some corner. His eye caught the date and the name -of the month, his hand mechanically arranged the books in a row, while -he sat on the floor swinging his body regularly. He became more and -more deeply plunged in the tranquil state of half-conscious negation -of reality. As always at such times the dim hope glowed in him of -something different, unlike what he saw around him. Sometimes the -all-comprehending, capacious phrase uttered by Yashka dimly glimmered in -his memory: - -"It will pass away." - -The thought pressed his heart warmly and softly with a promise of -something unusual. The boy's hands involuntarily began to move more -quickly, and he ceased to notice the lapse of time. - -"You see, you knew how to do it," said the master. - -Yevsey, who had not heard the old man approach him, started from his -reverie. Glancing at his work, he asked: - -"Is it all right?" - -"Absolutely. Do you want tea?" - -"No." - -"You ought to say, 'No, thank you.' Well, keep on with your work." - -He walked away. Yevsey looking after him saw a man carrying a cane enter -the door. He had neither a beard nor mustache, and wore a round hat -shoved back on the nape of his neck. He seated himself at the table, at -the same time putting upon it some small black and white objects. When -Yevsey again started to work, he every once in a while heard abrupt -sounds from his master and the newcomer. - -"Castle." - -"King." - -"Soon." - -The confused noise of the street penetrated the shop wearily, with -strange words quacking in it, like frogs in a marsh. - -"What are they doing?" thought the boy, and sighed. He experienced a -soft sensation, that from all directions something unusual was coming -upon him, but not what he timidly awaited. The dust settled upon his -face, tickled his nose and eyes, and set his teeth on edge. He recalled -his uncle's words: - -"You will live with him as behind a bush." - -It grew dark. - -"King and checkmate!" cried the guest in a thick voice. The master -clucking his tongue called out: - -"Boy, close up the shop!" - -The old man lived in two small rooms in the fourth story of the same -house. In the first room, which had one window, stood a large chest and -a wardrobe. - -"This is where you will sleep." - -The two windows in the second room gave upon the street, with a view -over an endless vista of uneven roofs and rosy sky. In the corner, in -front of the ikons, flickered a little light in a blue glass lamp. In -another corner stood a bed covered with a red blanket. On the walls hung -gaudy portraits of the Czar and various generals. The room was close and -smelt like a church, but it was clean. - -Yevsey remained at the door looking at his elderly master, who said: - -"Mark the arrangement of everything here. I want it always to be the -same as it is now." - -Against the wall stood a broad black sofa, a round table, and about the -table chairs also black. This corner had a mournful, sinister aspect. - -A tall, white-faced woman with eyes like a sheep's entered the room, and -asked in a low singing voice: - -"Shall I serve supper?" - -"Bring it in, Rayisa Petrovna." - -"A new boy?" - -"Yes, new. His name is Yevsey." - -The woman walked out. - -"Close the door," ordered the old man. Yevsey obeyed, and he continued -in a lower voice. "She is the landlady. I rent the rooms from her with -dinner and supper. You understand?" - -"I understand." - -"But you have one master--me. You understand?" - -"Yes." - -"That is to say, you must listen only to me. Open the door, and go into -the kitchen and wash yourself." - -The master's voice echoed drily in the boy's bosom, causing his alarmed -heart to palpitate. The old man, it seemed to Yevsey, was hiding -something dangerous behind his words, something of which he himself was -afraid. - -While washing in the kitchen he surreptitiously tried to look at the -mistress of the apartment. The woman was preparing the supper -noiselessly but briskly. As she arranged plates, knives, and bread on an -ample tray her large round face seemed kind. Her smoothly combed dark -hair; her unwinking eyes with thin lashes, and her broad nose made the -boy think, "She looks to be a gentle person." - -Noticing that she, in her turn, was looking at him, the thin red lips of -her small mouth tightly compressed, he grew confused, and spilt some -water on the floor. - -"Wipe it," she said without anger. "There's a cloth under the chair." - -When he returned, the old man looked at him and asked: - -"What did she tell you?" - -But Yevsey had no time to answer before the woman brought in the tray. - -"Well, I'll go," she said after setting it on the table. - -"Very well," replied the master. - -She raised her hand to smooth the hair over her temples--her fingers -were long--and left. - -The old man and the boy sat down to their supper. The master ate slowly, -noisily munching his food and at times sighing wearily. When they began -to eat the finely chopped roast meat, he said: - -"You see what good food? I always have only good food." - -After supper he told Yevsey to carry the dishes into the kitchen, and -showed him how to light the lamp. - -"Now, go to sleep. You will find a piece of padding in the wardrobe and -a pillow and a blanket. They belong to you. To-morrow I'll buy you new -clothes, good clothes. Go, now." - -When he was half asleep the master came in to Yevsey. - -"Are you comfortable?" - -Though the chest made a hard bed, Yevsey answered: - -"Yes." - -"If it is too hot, open the window." - -The boy at once opened the window, which looked out upon the roof of the -next house. He counted the chimneys. There were four, all alike. He -looked at the stars with the dim gaze of a timid animal in a cage. But -the stars said nothing to his heart. He flung himself on the chest -again, drew the blanket over his head, and closed his eyes tightly. He -began to feel stifled, thrust his head out, and without opening his eyes -listened. In his master's room something rustled monotonously, then -Yevsey heard a dry, distinct voice: - -"Behold, God is mine helper; the Lord is with them that uphold--" - - * * * * * - -Yevsey realized that the old man was reciting the Psalter; and listening -attentively to the familiar words of King David, which, however, he did -not comprehend, the boy fell asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - -Yevsey's life passed smoothly and evenly. - -He wanted to please his master, even realized this would be of advantage -to him, and he felt he would succeed, though he behaved with watchful -circumspection and no warmth in his heart for the old man. The fear of -people engendered in him a desire to suit them, a readiness for all -kinds of services, in order to defend himself against the possibility of -attack. The constant expectation of danger developed a keen power of -observation, which still more deepened his mistrust. - -He observed the strange life in the house without understanding it. From -basement to roof people lived close packed, and every day, from morning -until night, they crawled about in the tenement like crabs in a basket. -Here they worked more than in the village, and, it seemed, were imbued -with even keener bitterness. They lived restlessly, noisily, and -hurriedly, as if to get through all the work as soon as possible in -preparation of a holiday, which they wanted to meet as free people, -washed, clean, peaceful, and tranquilly joyous. The heart of the boy -sank within him, and the question constantly recurred: - -"Will it pass away?" - -But the holiday never came. The people spurred one another on, wrangled, -and sometimes fought. Scarcely a day passed on which they did not speak -ill of one another. - -In the mornings the master went down to the shop, while Yevsey remained -in the apartment to put it in order. This accomplished, he washed -himself, went to the tavern for boiling water, and then returned to the -shop, where he drank the morning tea with his master. While breakfasting -the old man almost invariably asked him: - -"Well, what now?" - -"Nothing." - -"Nothing is little." - -Once, however, Yevsey had a different answer. - -"To-day the watchmaker told the furrier's cook that you received stolen -articles." - -Yevsey said this unexpectedly to himself, and was instantly seized with -a tremble of fear. He bowed his head. The old man laughed quietly, and -said in a drawling voice without sincerity: - -"The scoundrel!" His dark, dry lips quivered. "Thank you for telling me. -Thank you! You see how the people don't love me." - -From that time Yevsey began to pay close attention to the conversation -of the tenants, and promptly repeated everything he heard to his master, -speaking in a quiet, calm voice and looking straight into his face. -Several days later, while putting his master's room into order, he found -a crumpled paper ruble on the floor, and when at tea the old man asked -him, "Well, what now?" Yevsey replied, "Here I have found a ruble." - -"You found a ruble, did you? I found a gold piece," said the master -laughing. - -Another time Yevsey picked up a twenty-kopek piece in the entrance to -the shop, which he also gave to the master. The old man slid his glasses -to the end of his nose, and rubbing the coin with his fingers looked -into the boy's face for a few seconds without speaking. - -"According to the law," he said thoughtfully, "a third of what you find, -six kopeks, belongs to you." He was silent, sighed, and stuck the coin -into his vest pocket. "But anyway you're a stupid boy." Yevsey did not -get the six kopeks. - -Quiet, unnoticed, and when noticed, obliging, Yevsey Klimkov scarcely -ever drew the attention of the people to himself, though he stubbornly -followed them with the broad, empty gaze of his owl-like eyes, with the -look that did not abide in the memory of those who met it. - -From the first days the reticent quiet Rayisa Petrovna interested him -strongly. Every evening she put on a dark, rustling dress and a black -hat, and sallied forth. In the morning when he put the rooms in order -she was still asleep. He saw her only in the evening before supper, and -that not every day. Her life seemed mysterious to him, and her entire -taciturn being, her white face and stationary eyes, roused in him vague -suggestions of something peculiar. He persuaded himself that she lived -better and knew more than everybody else. A kindly feeling which he did -not understand sprang up in his heart for this woman. Every day she -appeared to him more and more beautiful. - -Once he awoke at daybreak, and walked into the kitchen for a drink. -Suddenly he heard someone entering the door of the vestibule. He rushed -to his room in fright, lay down, and covered himself with the blanket, -trying to press himself to the chest as closely as possible. In a few -minutes he stuck out his ear, and in the kitchen heard heavy steps, the -rustle of a dress, and the voice of Rayisa Petrovna. - -"Oh, oh, you--" she was saying. - -Yevsey rose, walked to the door on tiptoe, and looked into the kitchen. -The quiet woman was sitting at the window taking off her hat. Her face -seemed whiter than ever, and tears streamed from her eyes. Her large -body swayed, her hands moved slowly. - -"I know you!" she said, shaking her head. She rose to her feet, -supporting herself on the window-sill. - -The bed in the master's room creaked. Yevsey quickly jumped back on his -chest, lay down, and wrapped himself up. - -"They've done something bad to her," he thought, full of keen pity. At -the same time, however, he was inwardly glad of her tears. They brought -this woman, who lived a secret nocturnal existence, nearer to him. - -The next moment someone seemed to be passing by him with sly steps. He -raised his head, and suddenly jumped from the chest, as if burned by the -thin angry shout: - -"Ugh! Go away!" - -Then there was some hissing. The master in his nightgown hastily came -out of the kitchen, stopped, and said to Yevsey in a whistling voice: - -"Sleep! Sleep! What's the matter? Sleep!" - -The next morning in the shop the old man asked him: - -"Were you frightened last night?" - -"Yes." - -"She was in her cups. It happens to her sometimes." - -Though the question trembled on his lips, Yevsey did not dare to ask -what her occupation was. Some minutes later the old man asked: - -"Do you like her?" - -"I do." - -"Well," said the master sternly, "even if you do, you ought to know that -she's an extremely shrewd woman. She is silent, but bad. She's a sinner. -Yes, that's what she is. Do you know what she does? She's a musician. -She plays the piano." The old man accurately described a piano, and -added didactically, "A person who plays the piano is called a pianist. -And do you know what a house of ill fame is?" - -From the talk of the furriers and glaziers in the yard Yevsey already -knew something about disreputable resorts; but desiring to learn more he -answered: - -"I don't know." - -The old man gave him a lengthy explanation in words very intelligible to -Yevsey. He spoke with heat, occasionally spitting and wrinkling up his -face to express his disgust of the abomination. Yevsey regarded the old -man with his watery eyes, and for some reason did not believe in his -aversion. - -"So you see, every evening she plays in a house like that, and depraved -women dance with drunken men to the accompaniment of her music. The men -are all crooks, some of them, maybe, even murderers." Raspopov sighed in -exhaustion, and wiped his perspiring face. "Don't trust her. You -understand? I tell you, she's a cunning woman, and she's mean." - -The boy believed everything the master told him about the piano and the -house of ill fame, but failed to be impressed by a single word regarding -the woman. In fact, everything the old man said of her merely increased -the cautious, ever-watchful feeling of mistrust with which Yevsey -treated his master, and by coloring Rayisa Petrovna with a still deeper -tinge of the unusual, made her seem even more beautiful in his eyes. - -Another object of Yevsey's curiosity besides Rayisa was Anatol, -apprentice to the glazier, Kuzin, a thin, flat-nosed boy with ragged -hair, dirty, always jolly, and always steeped in the odor of oil. He had -a high ringing voice, which Yevsey liked very much to hear when he -shouted: - -"Wi-i-ndow pa-anes." - -He spoke to Yevsey first. Yevsey was sweeping the stairway when he -suddenly heard from below the loud question: - -"Say there, kid, what government are you from?" - -"From this government," answered Yevsey. - -"I am from the government of Kostrom. How old are you?" - -"Thirteen." - -"I am, too. Come along with me." - -"Where to?" - -"To the river to go in bathing." - -"I have to stay in the shop." - -"To-day is Sunday." - -"That doesn't make any difference." - -"Well, go to the devil." - -The glazier boy disappeared. Yevsey was not offended by his oath. - -Anatol was off the whole day carrying a box of glass about the city, and -usually returned home just as the shop was being closed. Then almost the -entire evening his indefatigable voice, his laughter, whistling, and -singing would rise from the yard. Everybody scolded him, yet all loved -to meddle with him and laugh at his pranks. Yevsey was surprised at the -boldness with which the ragged, snub-nosed boy behaved toward the -grown-up folk, and he experienced a sense of envy when he saw the -gold-embroidery girl run about the yard in chase of the jolly, insolent -fellow. He was powerfully drawn to the glazier boy, for whom he found a -place in his vague fancies of a clean and quiet life. - -Once, after supper, Yevsey asked the master: - -"May I go down in the yard?" - -The old man consented reluctantly. - -"Go, but don't stay long. Be sure not to stay long." - -Another time when Yevsey put the same request the master added: - -"No good will come of your being in the yard." - -Yevsey ran down the stairway quickly, and seated himself in the shade to -observe Anatol. The yard was small and hemmed in on all sides by the -high houses. The tenants, workingmen and women, and servants, sat -resting on the rubbish heaps against the walls. In the center of the -ring Anatol was giving a performance. - -"The furrier Zvorykin going to church!" he shouted. - -To his astonishment Yevsey saw the little stout furrier with hanging -lower lip and eyes painfully screwed up. Thrusting out his abdomen and -leaning his head to one side, Anatol struggled toward the gate in short -steps, reluctance depicted in his walk. The people sitting around -laughed and shouted approval. - -"Zvorykin returning from the saloon!" - -Now Anatol swayed through the yard, his feet dragging along feebly, his -arms hanging limp, a dull look in his wide-open eyes, his mouth gaping -hideously yet comically. He stopped, tapped himself on the chest, and -said in a wheezy pitiful voice: - -"God--how satisfied I am with everything and everybody! Lord, how good -and pleasant everything is to Thy servant, Yakov Ivanich. But the -glazier Kuzin is a blackguard--a scamp before God, a jackass before all -the people--that's true, God--" - -The audience roared, but Yevsey did not laugh. He was oppressed by a -twofold feeling of astonishment and envy. The desire to see this boy -frightened and wronged mingled with the expectation of new pranks. He -felt vexed and unpleasant because the glazier boy did not show up men -who inflicted hurt, but merely funny men. Yevsey sat there with mouth -agape and a stupid expression on his face, his owlish eyes staring. - -"Here goes glazier Kuzin!" - -Before Yevsey appeared the gaunt red muzhik always half drunk, the -sleeves of his dirty shirt tucked up, his right hand thrust in the -breast of his apron, his left hand deliberately stroking his -beard--Kuzin had a reddish forked beard. He was frowning and surly and -moved slowly, like a heavy cart-load. Looking sidewise he screeched in a -cracked, hoarse voice: - -"You are carrying on again, you heretic? Am I to listen to this nonsense -for long? You blasted, confounded--" - -"Skinflint Raspopov!" announced Anatol. - -The smooth, sharp little figure of Yevsey's master crept past him moving -his feet noiselessly. He worked his nose as if smelling something, -nodded his head quickly, and kept tugging at the tuft on his chin with -his little hand. In this characterization something loathsome, pitiful, -and laughable became quite apparent to Yevsey, whose vexation rose. He -felt sure his master was not such as the young glazier represented him -to be. - -Next, Anatol took to mimicking members of the audience. Inexhaustible, -stimulated by the applause, he tinkled until late at night like a little -bell, evoking kindly, cheerful laughter. Sometimes the man who was -touched would rush to catch him, and a noisy chase about the yard would -ensue. - -Yevsey sighed. Anatol noticed him, and pulled him by the hand into the -middle of the yard, where he introduced him to the audience. - -"Here he is--sugar and soap. Skinflint Raspopov's cousin morel." - -Turning the boy's little figure in all directions, he poured forth a -flowing stream of strange comic words about his master, about Rayisa -Petrovna, and about Yevsey himself. - -"Let me go!" Yevsey quietly demanded, trying to tear his hand from -Anatol's strong grip, in the meantime listening attentively in the -endeavor to understand the hints, the filth of which he felt. Whenever -Yevsey struggled hard to tear himself away, the audience, usually the -women, said lazily to Anatol: - -"Let him go." - -For some reason their intercession was disagreeable to Yevsey. It -exasperated Anatol, too, who began to push and pinch his victim and -challenge him to a fight. Some of the men urged the boys on. - -"Well--fight! See which will do the other up." - -The women objected: - -"A fight! Thanks, we're not interested. Don't." - -Yevsey again felt something unpleasant in these words. - -Finally Anatol scornfully pushed Yevsey aside. - -"Oh, you kid!" - -The next morning Yevsey met Anatol outside the house carrying his box of -glass, and suddenly, without desiring to do it, he said to him: - -"Why do you make fun of me?" - -The glazier boy looked at him. - -"What of it?" - -Yevsey was unable to reply. - -"Do you want to fight?" asked Anatol again. "Come to our shed. I will -wait for you until evening." - -He spoke calmly and in a business-like way. - -"No, I don't want to fight," replied Yevsey quietly. - -"Then you needn't! I'd lick you anyway," said the glazier, and added -with assurance, "I certainly would." - -Yevsey sighed. He could not understand this boy, but he longed to -understand him. So he asked a second time: - -"I say, why do you make fun of me?" - -Anatol apparently felt awkward. He winked his lively eyes, smiled, and -suddenly shouted in anger: - -"Go to the devil! What are you bothering me about? I'll give it to you -so--" - -Yevsey quickly ran into the shop, and for a whole day felt the itching -of an undeserved insult. This did not put an end to his inclination for -Anatol, but it forced him to leave the yard whenever Anatol noticed him, -and he dismissed the glazier boy from the sphere of his dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - -Soon after this unsuccessful attempt to draw near to a human being -Yevsey was one evening awakened by talking in his master's room. He -listened and thought he distinguished Rayisa's voice. Desiring to -convince himself of her presence there he rose and quietly slipped over -to the tightly closed door, and put his eyes to the keyhole. - -His sleepy glance first perceived the light of the candle, which blinded -him. Then he saw the large rotund body of the woman on the black sofa. -She lay face upward entirely naked. Her hair was spread over her breast, -and her long fingers slowly weaved it into a braid. The light quivered -on her fair body. Clean and bright, it seemed like a light cloud which -rocked and breathed. It was very beautiful. She was saying something. -Yevsey could not catch the words, but heard only the singing, tired, -plaintive voice. The master was sitting in his nightgown upon a chair by -the sofa, and was pouring wine into a glass with a trembling hand. The -tuft of grey hair on his chin also trembled. He had removed his glasses, -and his face was loathsome. - -"Yes, yes, yes! Hm! What a woman you are!" - -Yevsey moved away from the door, lay down on his bed, and thought: - -"They have gotten married." - -He pitied Rayisa Petrovna for having become the wife of a man who spoke -ill of her, and he pitied her because it must have been very cold for -her to lie naked on the leather sofa. An evil thought flashed through -his mind, which confirmed the words of the old man about her, but Yevsey -anxiously drove it away. - -The evening of the next day Rayisa Petrovna brought in supper as always, -and said in her usual voice: - -"I am going." - -The master, too, spoke to her in his usual voice, dry and careless. - -Several days passed by. The relation between the master and Rayisa did -not change, and Yevsey began to think he had seen the naked woman in a -dream. He was very reluctant to believe his master's words about her. - -Once his Uncle Piotr appeared unexpectedly and, so it seemed to Yevsey, -needlessly. He had grown grey, wrinkled, and shorter. - -"I am getting blind, Orphan," he said sipping tea from a saucer noisily -and smiling with his wet eyes. "I cannot work anymore, so I will have to -go begging. Yashka is unmanageable. He wants to go to the city, and if I -don't let him, he will run away. That's the kind of a chap he is." - -Everything the blacksmith said was wearisome and difficult to listen to. -He seemed to have grown duller. He looked guilty, and Yevsey felt -awkward and ashamed for him in the presence of his master. When he got -ready to go, Yevsey quietly thrust three rubles into his hand, and saw -him out with pleasure. - -Though Yevsey endeavored as before to please his master in every way, he -became afraid to agree with him. The bookshop after a time aroused a dim -suspicion by its resemblance to a tomb tightly packed with dead books. -They were all loose, chewed up, and sucked out, and emanated a mouldy, -putrid odor. Few were sold; which did not surprise Yevsey. What stirred -his curiosity was the attitude of the master to the purchasers and the -books. - -The old man would take a book in his hand, carefully turn over its musty -pages, stroke the covers with his dark fingers, smile quietly, and nod -his head. He seemed to fondle the book as though it were alive, to play -with it as with a kitten or a puppy. While reading a book he carried on -with it a quiet, querulous conversation, like Uncle Piotr with the -furnace-fire. His lips moved in good-humored derision, his head kept -nodding, and now and then he mumbled and laughed. - -"So, so--yes--hmm--see--what's that? Ha, ha! Ah, the impudence--I -understand, I understand--it'll never come about--no-o-o--ha, ha!" - -These strange exclamations coming from the old man as if he were -disputing with somebody both astonished and frightened Yevsey, and -pointed to the secret duplicity in his master's life. - -"You don't read books," said the master to him once. "That's good. Books -are always lechery, the child of a prostituted mind. They deal with -everything, they excite the imagination, and create useless agitation -and disturbance. Formerly we used to have good historical books, stories -of quiet people about the past. But now every book wants to inspire you -with hostility to life and to lay bare man, who ought always to be -covered up both in the flesh and in the spirit in order to defend him -from the devil, from curiosity, and from the imagination, which destroys -faith. It's only in old age that books do no harm to a man, when he is -guarded against their violence by his experience." - -Though Yevsey did not understand these talks he remembered them well, -and though they met with no response in him, they confirmed his sense of -mystery--the mystery that invested all human life, as it were, in a -hostile envelope. - -When he sold a book, the old man regarded it with regret, and fairly -smelled the purchaser, with whom he talked in an extremely loud and -rapid voice. Sometimes, however, he lowered his voice to a whisper, when -his dark glasses would fix themselves upon the face of the customer. -Often on seeing to the door a student who had bought a book, he followed -him with a smile, and nodded his head queerly. Once he shook his finger -at the back of a man who had just left, a short, handsome fellow with -fine black tendrils on a pale face. The largest number of customers were -students and people having a certain resemblance to them. Sometimes old -men came. These rummaged long among the books, and haggled sharply over -the prices. - -An almost daily visitor was a man who wore a chimney-pot and on his -right hand a large gold ring set with a stone. He had a broad pimply -nose on a stout flat shaven face. When Dorimedont Lukin played chess -with the master, he snuffled loud and tugged at his ear with his left -hand. He often brought books and paper parcels, over which the master -nodded his head approvingly and smiled quietly. He would then hide them -in the table, or in a corner on a shelf in back of him. Yevsey did not -see his master pay for these books, but he did see him sell them. - -One of the students began to visit the shop more frequently than the -others. He was a tall, blue-eyed young man with a carrot-colored -mustache and a cap stuck back on his neck, leaving bare a large white -forehead. He spoke in a thick voice, laughed aloud, and always bought -many old journals. - -Once the master pointed out a book to him that Dorimedont had brought; -and while the student glanced through it, the old man told him something -in a quick whisper. - -"Interesting!" exclaimed the student, smiling amiably. "Ah, you old -sinner, aren't you afraid, eh?" - -The master sighed and answered: - -"If you absolutely feel it's the truth, you ought to help it along in -whatever little ways you can." - -They whispered a long time. Finally the student said aloud: - -"Well, then, agreed! Remember my address." - -The old man took the address down on a piece of paper, and when -Dorimedont came and asked, "Well, what's new, Matvey Matveyevich?" the -master handed him the address, and said with a smile: - -"There's the new thing." - -"S-so--Nikodim Arkhangelsky," read Dorimedont. "That's business. We'll -look up this Nikodim." - -Sometime after, upon sitting down to play chess, he announced to the -master: - -"That Nikodim turned out to be a fish with plenty of roe. We found -something of pretty nearly everything in his place." - -"Return the books to me," said the master. - -"Certainly," and Dorimedont snuffled. - -The blue-eyed student never appeared again. The short young man with the -black mustache also vanished after the master had given Dorimedont his -address. All this was strange. It fed the boy's suspicions, and -indicated some mystery and enigma. - -Once, when the master was absent from the shop, Yevsey, while dusting -the shelves, saw the books brought by Dorimedont. They were small, -soiled, and ragged. He carefully and quickly put them back in the same -order, scenting something dangerous in them. Books in general did not -arouse his interest. He tried to read, but never succeeded in -concentrating his mind, which, already burdened by a mass of -observation, dwelt upon minutiae. His thoughts drifted apart, and finally -disappeared evaporating like a thin stream of water upon a stone on a -hot day. When he worked and stirred about he was altogether incapable of -thinking; the motion, as it were, tore the cobweb of his ideas. The boy -did his work slowly and accurately, like an automaton, without putting -anything of himself into it, and scarcely understanding its meaning. - -When he was free and sat motionless he was carried away by a pleasant -sensation of flight in a transparent mist, which enveloped the whole of -life and softened everything, changing the boisterous reality into a -quiet, sweetly sounding half-slumber. - -When Yevsey was in this mood the days passed rapidly, in a flight not to -be stayed. His external life was monotonous. Thought-stirring events -happened rarely, and his brain insensibly became clogged with the dust -of the work-day. He seldom went about in the city, for he did not like -it. The ceaseless motion tired his eyes, the noise filled his head with -heavy, dulling confusion. The endless city at first seemed like a -monster in a fairy-tale, displaying a hundred greedy mouths, bellowing -with hundreds of insatiable throats. But when Yevsey regarded the varied -tumult of the street life he saw in it merely painful and wearisome -monotony. - -In the morning when he tidied his master's room, Yevsey put his head out -of the window for several minutes, and looked down to the bottom of the -deep, narrow street. Everywhere he saw the same people, and already knew -what each of them would be doing in an hour or the next day. The cabmen -drove in the same indolent fashion, and sat on the box each like the -other; the shop boys, all of whom he knew, were unpleasant. Their -insolence was a source of danger. Every man seemed chained to his -business like a dog to his kennel. Occasionally something new flashed -by, or whispered to him, but it was difficult for him to see and -understand it in the thick mass of all that was familiar, ordinary, and -unpleasant. - -Even the churches in the city did not please him. They were not cosy, -nor bright, but close and penetrated by extremely powerful odors of -incense, oil, and sweat. Yevsey could not bear strong smells. They made -his head turn, and filled him with confused anxious desires. - -Sometimes on a holiday the master closed the shop, and took Yevsey -through the city. They walked long and slowly. The old man pointed out -the houses of the rich and eminent people, and told of their lives. His -recitals were replete with accounts of women who ran away from their -husbands, of dead people, and of funerals. He talked about them in a dry -solemn voice, criticizing and condemning everything. He grew animated -only when telling how and from what this or that man died. In his -opinion, apparently, matters of disease and death were the most edifying -and interesting of earthly subjects. - -At the end of every walk he treated Yevsey to tea in a tavern, where -musical machines played. Here everybody knew the old man, and behaved -toward him with timid respect. Yevsey grown tired, his brain dizzied by -the cloud of heavy odors, would fall into drowsy silence under the -rattle and din of the music. - -Once, however, the master took him to a house which contained numerous -articles of gold and silver, marvellous weapons, and garments of silk -brocade. Suddenly the mother's forgotten tales began to beat in the -boy's breast, and a winged hope trembled in his heart. He walked -silently through the rooms for a long time, disconcertedly blinking his -eyes, which burned greedily. - -When they returned home he asked the master: - -"Whose are they?" - -"They are public property--the Czar's," the old man explained -impressively. - -The boy put more questions. - -"Who wore such coats and sabres?" - -"Czars, boyars, and various imperial persons." - -"There are no such people to-day?" - -"How so? Of course there are. It would be impossible to be without them. -Only now they dress differently." - -"Why differently?" - -"More cheaply. Formerly Russia was richer. But now it has been robbed by -various foreign people, Jews, Poles, and Germans." - -Raspopov talked for a long time about how nobody loved Russia, how all -robbed it, and wished it every kind of harm. When he spoke much Yevsey -ceased to believe him or understand him. Nevertheless he asked: - -"Am I an imperial person, too?" - -"In a sense. In our country all are imperial people, all are subjects of -the Czar. The whole earth is God's, and the whole of Russia is the -Czar's." - -Before Yevsey's eyes handsome, stately personages in glittering garb -circled in a bright, many-colored round dance. They belonged to another -fabulous life, which remained with him after he had lain down to sleep. -He saw himself in this life clad in a sky-blue robe embroidered with -gold, with red boots of Morocco leather on his feet. Rayisa was there, -too, in brocade and adorned with precious gems. - -"So it will pass away," he thought. - -To-day this thought gave rise not to hope in a different future but to -quiet regret for the past. - -On the other side of the door he heard the dry even voice of his master: - -"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain--" - - - - - CHAPTER V - - -One day after closing the shop Yevsey and his master went to the yard -where they were met by an anxious ringing shout. It came from Anatol. - -"I won't do it again, dear uncle, never!" - -Yevsey started, and instinctively exclaimed in quiet triumph: - -"Aha!" - -It was pleasant to hear the shouts of fear and pain coming from the -breast of the cheerful boy, who was everybody's favorite. - -"May I stay here in the yard?" Yevsey asked the master. - -"We must get our supper. But I'll stay here, too, and see how they -punish a rascally good-for-nothing." - -The people had gathered at the door of the brick shed behind the -stairway. The sound of heavy blows and the wailing voice of Anatol -issued from the shed. - -"Little uncle, I didn't do it. Oh, God! I won't do it, I won't! Stop, -for Christ's sake!" - -"That's right! Give it to him!" said watchmaker Yakubov, lighting a -cigarette. - -The squint-eyed embroiderer Zina upheld the tall, yellow-faced -watchmaker. - -"Perhaps we shall have peace after this. You couldn't have a single -quiet moment in the yard." - -Raspopov turned to Yevsey, and said: - -"They say he's a wonder at imitating people." - -"Of course," rejoined the furrier's cook. "Such a little devil! He makes -sport of everybody." - -A dull scraping sound came from the shed, as if a sack filled with -something soft were being dragged over the old boards of the floor. At -the same time the people heard the panting, hoarse voice of Kuzin and -Anatol's cries, which now grew feebler and less frequent. - -"Forgive me! Oh! Help me--I won't do it again--Oh, God!" - -His words became indistinct and flowed together into a thick choking -groan. Yevsey trembled, remembering the pain of the beatings he used to -receive. The talk of the onlookers stirred a confused feeling in him. It -was fearful to stand among people who only the day before had willingly -and gaily taken delight in the lively little fellow, and who now looked -on with pleasure while he was being beaten. At this moment these -half-sick people, surly and worn out with work, seemed more -comprehensible to him. He believed that now none of them shammed, but -were sincere in the curiosity with which they witnessed the torture of a -human being. He felt a little sorry for Anatol, yet it was pleasant to -hear his groans. The thought passed through his mind that now he would -become quieter and more companionable. - -Suddenly Nikolay the furrier appeared, a short black curly-headed man -with long arms. As always daring and respecting nobody, he thrust the -people aside, walked into the shed, and from there his coarse voice was -heard crying out twice: - -"Stop! Get away!" - -Everybody suddenly moved back from the door. Kuzin bolted out of the -shed, seated himself on the ground, clutched his head with both hands, -and opening his eyes wide, bawled hoarsely: - -"Police!" - -"Let's get away from evil, Yevsey," said the master withdrawing to one -side. - -The boy retreated to a corner by the stairway, and stood there looking -on. - -Nikolay came out of the shed with the little trampled body of the -glazier's boy hanging limply over his arm. The furrier laid him on the -ground then he straightened himself and shouted: - -"Water, women, you rotten carrion!" - -Zina and the cook ran off for water. - -Kuzin lolling his head back snorted dully. - -"Murder! Police!" - -Nikolay turned to him, and gave him a kick on the breast which laid him -flat on his back. - -"You dirty dogs!" he shouted, the whites of his black eyes flashing. -"You dirty dogs! A child is being killed, and it's a show to you! I'll -smash every one of your ugly mugs!" - -Oaths from all sides answered him, but nobody dared to approach him. - -"Let's go," said the master, taking Yevsey by the hand. - -As they walked away they saw Kuzin run noiselessly in a stooping -position to the gates. - -"To call the police," the master explained to Yevsey. - -When Yevsey was alone he felt that his jealousy of Anatol had left him. -He strained his slow mind to explain to himself what he had seen. It -merely _seemed_ that the people liked Anatol, who amused them. In -reality it was not so. All people enjoyed fighting, enjoyed looking on -while others fought, enjoyed being cruel. Nikolay had interceded for -Anatol because he liked to beat Kuzin, and actually did beat him on -almost every holiday. Very bold and strong he could lick any man in the -house. In his turn he was beaten by the police. So to sum up, whether -you are quiet or daring, you'll be beaten and insulted all the same. - -Several days passed. The tenants talking in the yard, said that the -glazier boy, who had been taken to the hospital, had gone insane. Then -Yevsey remembered how the boy's eyes had burned when he gave his -performances, how vehement his gestures and motions had been, and how -quickly the expression of his face had changed. He thought with dread -that perhaps Anatol had always been insane. He soon forgot the glazier -boy. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - -In the rainy nights of autumn short broken sounds came from the roof -under Yevsey's window. They disquieted him and prevented him from -sleeping. On one such night he heard the angry exclamations of his -master: - -"You vile woman!" - -Rayisa Petrovna answered as always in a low singing voice: - -"I cannot permit you, Matvey Matveyevich." - -"You low creature! Look at the money I am paying you!" - -The door to the master's room was open, and the voices came in clearly -to Yevsey. The fine rain sang a tearful song outside the window. The -wind crept over the roof, panting like a large homeless bird fatigued by -the bad weather and softly flapping its wet wings against the panes. The -boy sat up in bed, put his hands around his knees, and listened -shivering. - -"Give me back the twenty-five rubles, you thief!" - -"I do not deny it. Dorimedont Lukin gave me the money." - -"Aha! You see, you hussy!" - -"No, permit me--when you asked me to spy on the man--" - -"Hush! What are you screaming for?" - -Now the door was closed, but even through the wall Yevsey could hear -almost everything that was said. - -"Remember, you vile woman, you, that you are in my hands," said the -master, rapping his fingers on the table. "And if I notice that you've -struck up relations with Dorimedont--" - -The woman's voice was warm and flexible like the supple movements of a -kitten, and it stole in softly, coiled around the old man's malicious -words, wiping them from Yevsey's memory. - -The woman must be right. Her composure and the master's entire relation -to her convinced the boy that she was. Yevsey was now in his fifteenth -year, and his inclination for this gentle and beautiful woman began to -be marked by a pleasant sense of agitation. Since he met Rayisa very -rarely and for only a minute at a time, he always looked into her face -with a secret feeling of bashful joy. Her kindly way of speaking to him -caused a grateful tumult in his breast, and drew him to her more and -more powerfully. - -While still in the village he had learned the hard truth of the relation -between man and woman. The city bespattered this truth with mud, but it -did not sully the boy himself. His being a timid nature, he did not dare -to believe what was said about women, and such talk instead of exciting -any feeling of temptation aroused painful aversion. Now, as he was -sitting up in bed, Yevsey remembered Rayisa's amiable smile, her kind -words; and carried away by the thought of them he had no time to lie -down before the door to the master's room opened, and she stood before -him, half dressed, with loose hair, her hand pressed to her breast. He -grew frightened and faint. The woman wanted to open the door again to -the old man's room and had already put out her hand, but suddenly -smiling she withdrew it and shook a threatening finger at Yevsey. Then -she walked into her room. Yevsey fell asleep with a smile. - -In the morning as he was sweeping the kitchen floor he saw Rayisa at the -door of her room. He straightened himself up before her with the broom -in his hands. - -"Good morning," she said. "Will you take coffee with me?" - -Rejoiced and embarrassed, the boy replied: - -"I haven't washed yet. One minute." - -In a few minutes he was sitting at the table in her room, seeing nothing -but the fair face with the dark brows, and the good, moist eyes with the -smile in them. - -"Do you like me?" she asked. - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"You are good and beautiful." - -He answered as in a dream. It was strange to hear her questions. Her -eyes fixed upon him vanquished him. They must know everything that went -on in his soul. - -"And do you like Matvey Matveyevich?" Rayisa asked in a slow undertone. - -"No," Yevsey answered simply. - -"Is that so? He loves you. He told me so himself." - -"No," rejoined the boy. - -Rayisa raised her brows, moved a little nearer to him, and asked: - -"Don't you believe me?" - -"I believe you, but I don't believe my master, not a bit." - -"Why? Why?" she asked in a quick whisper, moving still nearer to him. -The warm gleam of her look penetrated the boy's heart, and stirred -within him little thoughts never yet expressed to anybody. He quickly -uttered them to this woman. - -"I am afraid of him. I am afraid of everybody except you." - -"Why are you afraid?" - -"You know." - -"What do I know?" - -"You, too, are wronged, not by one master. I saw you cry. You were not -crying then because you had been drinking. I understand. I understand -much. Only I do not understand everything together. I see everything -separately in its tiniest details, but side by side with them something -different, not even resembling them. I understand this, too. But what is -it all for? One thing is at variance with the other, and they do not go -together. There is one kind of life and another besides." - -"What are you talking about?" Rayisa asked in amazement. - -"That's true." - -For several moments they looked at each other in silence. The boy's -heart beat quickly. His cheeks grew red with embarrassment. - -"Well, now, go," said Rayisa quietly arising. "Go, or else he will ask -you why you stayed away so long. Don't tell him you were with me. You -won't, will you?" - -Yevsey walked away filled with the tender sound of the singing voice, -and warmed by the sympathetic look. The woman's words rang in his memory -enveloping his heart in quiet joy. - -That day was strangely long. Over the roofs of the houses and the Circle -hung a grey cloud. The day, weary and dull, seemed to have become -entangled in its grey mass, and, like the cloud, to have halted over the -city. After dinner two customers entered the shop, one a stooping lean -man with a pretty, grizzled mustache, the other a man with a red beard -and spectacles. Both pottered about among the books long and minutely. -The lean man kept whistling softly through his quivering mustache, while -the red-bearded man spoke with the master. - -Yevsey knew beforehand just what the master would say and how he would -say it. The boy was bored. He was impatient for the evening to come, and -he tried to relieve the tedium by listening to the words of the old man -Raspopov, and verifying his conjectures while he arranged in a row the -books the customers had selected. - -"You are buying these books for a library?" the old man inquired -affably. - -"For the library of the Teachers' Association," replied the red-bearded -man. "Why?" - -"Now he'll praise them up," thought Yevsey, and he was not mistaken. - -"You show extremely good judgment in your choice. It is pleasant to see -a correct estimate of books." - -"Pleasant?" - -"Now he'll smile," thought Yevsey. - -"Yes, indeed," said the old man, smiling graciously. "You get used to -these books, so that you get to love them. You see they aren't dead -wood, but products of the mind. So when a customer also respects books, -it is pleasant. Our average customer is a comical fellow. He comes and -asks, 'Have you any interesting books?' It's all the same to him. He -seeks amusement, play, but no benefit. But occasionally someone will -suddenly ask for a prohibited book." - -"How's that? Prohibited?" asked the man screwing up his small eyes. - -"Prohibited from libraries--published abroad, or secretly in Russia." - -"Are such books for sale?" - -"Now he will speak real low." Again Yevsey was not mistaken. - -Fixing his glasses upon the face of the red-bearded man, the master -lowered his voice almost to a whisper. - -"Why not? Sometimes you buy a whole library, and you come across -everything there, everything." - -"Have you such books now?" - -"Several." - -"Let me see them, please." - -"Only I must ask you not to say anything about them. You see it's not -for the sake of profit, but as a courtesy. One likes to do favors now -and then." - -The stooping man stopped whistling, adjusted his spectacles, and looked -attentively at the old man. - -To-day the master was utterly loathsome to Yevsey, who kept looking at -him with cold, gloomy malice. And now when Raspopov went over to the -corner of the shop to show the red-bearded man some books there, the boy -suddenly and quite involuntarily said in a whisper to the stooping -customer: - -"Don't buy those books." - -Yevsey trembled with fright the moment he had spoken. The man raised his -glasses, and peered into the boy's face with his bright eyes. - -"Why?" - -With a great effort Yevsey answered after a pause: - -"I don't know." - -The customer readjusted his glasses, moved away from him, and began to -whistle louder, looking sidewise at the old man. Then he raised his -hand, which made him straighter and taller, stroked his grey mustache, -and without haste walked up to his companion, from whom he took the -book. He looked it over, and dropped it on the table. Yevsey followed -his movements expecting some calamity to befall himself. But the -stooping man merely touched his companion's arm, and said simply and -calmly: - -"Well, let's go." - -"But the books?" exclaimed the other. - -"Let's go. I won't buy any books here." - -The red-bearded man looked at him, then at the master, his small eyes -winking rapidly. Then he walked to the door, and out into the street. - -"You don't want the books?" demanded Raspopov. - -Yevsey realized by his tone that the old man was surprised. - -"I don't," answered the customer, his eyes fixed upon the face of the -master. - -Raspopov shrank. He went to his chair, and suddenly said with a wave of -his hand in an unnaturally loud voice, which was new to Yevsey: - -"As you please, of course. Still--excuse me, I don't understand." - -"What don't you understand?" asked the stooping man, smiling. - -"You looked through the books for two hours or more, agreed on a price, -and suddenly--why?" cried the old man in excitement. - -"Well, because I recollected your disgusting face. You haven't given up -the ghost yet? What a pity!" - -The stooping man pronounced his words slowly, not loud, and precisely. -He left the shop deliberately, with a heavy tread. - -For a minute the old man looked after him, then tore himself from where -he was standing, and advanced upon Yevsey with short steps. - -"Follow him, find out where he lives," he said in a rapid whisper, -clutching the boy's shoulder. "Go! Don't let him see you! You -understand? Quick!" - -Yevsey swayed from side to side, and would have fallen, had the old man -not held him firmly on his feet. He felt a void in his breast, and his -master's words crackled there drily like peas in a rattle. - -"What are you trembling about, you donkey? I tell you--" - -When Yevsey felt his master's hand release his shoulder, he ran to the -door. - -"Stop, you fool!" Yevsey stood still. "Where are you going? Why, you -won't be able--oh, my God! Get out of my sight!" - -Yevsey darted into a corner. It was the first time he had seen his -master so violent. He realized that his annoyance was tinged with much -fear, a feeling very familiar to himself; and notwithstanding the fact -that his own soul was desolate with fear, it pleased him to see -Raspopov's alarm. - -The little dusty old man threw himself about in the shop like a rat in a -trap. He ran to the door, thrust his head into the street, stretched his -neck out, and again turned back into the shop. His hands groped over his -body impotently, and he mumbled and hissed, shaking his head till his -glasses jumped from his nose. - -"Umm, well, well--the dirty blackguard--the idea! The dirty blackguard! -I'm alive--alive!" Several minutes later he shouted to Yevsey. "Close -the shop!" - -On entering his room the old man crossed himself. He drew a deep breath, -and flung himself on the black sofa. Usually so sleek and smooth, he was -now all ruffled. His face had grown wrinkled, his clothes had suddenly -become too large for him, and hung in folds from his agitated body. - -"Tell Rayisa to give me some peppered brandy, a large glassful." When -Yevsey brought the brandy the master rose, drank it down in one gulp, -and opening his mouth wide looked a long time into Yevsey's face. - -"Do you understand that he insulted me?" - -"Yes." - -"And do you understand why?" - -"No." - -The old man raised his hand, and silently shook his finger. - -"I know him--I know a great deal," he said in a broken voice. - -Removing his black cap he rubbed his bare skull with his hands, looked -about the room, again touched his head with his hands, and lay down on -the sofa. - -Rayisa Petrovna brought in supper. - -"Are you tired?" she asked as she set the table. - -"It seems I am a little under the weather. Fever, I think. Give me -another glass of brandy. Sit down with us. It's too early for you to -go." - -He talked rapidly. Rayisa sat down, the old man raised his glasses, and -scanned her suspiciously from head to foot. At supper he suddenly lifted -his spoon and said: - -"Impossible for me to eat. I'll tell you about something that happened." -Bending over the plate he was silent for some time as if considering -whether or not to speak of the incident. Then he began with a sigh. -"Suppose a man has a wife, his own house, not a large house, a garden, -and a vegetable garden, a cook, all acquired by hard labor without -sparing himself. Then comes a young man, sickly, consumptive, who rents -a room in the garret, and takes meals with the master and mistress." - -Rayisa listened calmly and attentively. Yevsey felt bored. While looking -into the woman's face he stubbornly endeavored to comprehend what had -happened in the shop that day. He felt as if he had unexpectedly struck -a match and set fire to something old and long dried, which began to -burn alarmingly and almost consumed him in its sudden malicious blaze. - -"I must keep quiet," he thought. - -"Were you the man?" asked Rayisa. - -Raspopov quickly raised his head. - -"Why I?" he asked. He struck his breast, and exclaimed with angry heat, -"The question here is, not about the man but about the law. Ought a man -uphold the law? Yes, he ought. Without law it is impossible to live. You -people are stupid, because man is in every respect like a beast. He is -greedy, malicious, cruel." - -The old man rose a little from his armchair, and shouted his words in -Rayisa's face. His bald pate reddened. Yevsey listened to his -exclamations without believing in their sincerity. He reflected on how -people are bound together and enmeshed by some unseen threads, and how -if one thread is accidentally pulled, they twist and turn, rage and cry -out. So he said to himself: - -"I must be more careful." - -The old man continued: - -"Words bring no harm if you do not listen to them. But when the fellow -in the garret began to trouble her heart with his ideas, she, a stupid -young woman, and that friend of his who--who to-day--" The old man -suddenly came to a stop, and looked at Yevsey. "What are you thinking -about?" he asked in a low suspicious tone. - -Yevsey rose and answered in embarrassment: - -"I am not thinking." - -"Well, then, go. You've had your supper. So go. Clear the table." - -Desiring to vex his master Yevsey was intentionally slow in removing the -dishes from the table. - -"Go, I tell you!" the old man screamed in a squeaking voice. "Oh, what a -fool you are!" - -Yevsey went to his room, and seated himself on the chest. Having left -the door slightly ajar, he could hear his master's rapid talk. - -"They came for him one night. She got frightened, began to shiver, -understood then on what road these people had put her. I told her--" - -"So it was you?" Rayisa asked aloud. - -The old man now began to speak in a low voice, almost a whisper. Then -Yevsey heard Rayisa's clear voice: - -"Did he die?" - -"Well, what of it?" the old man shouted excitedly. "You can't cure a man -of consumption. He would have died at any rate." - -Yevsey sat upon the chest listening to the low rasping sound of his -talk. - -"What are you sitting there for?" - -The boy turned around, and saw the master's head thrust through the -door. - -"Lie down and sleep." - -The master withdrew his head, and the door was tightly closed. - -"Who died?" Yevsey thought as he lay in bed. - -The dry words of the old man came fluttering down and fluttering down, -like autumn leaves upon a grave. The boy felt more and more distinctly -that he lived in a circle of dread mystery. Sometimes the old man grew -angry, and shouted; which prevented the boy from thinking or sleeping. -He was sorry for Rayisa, who kept peacefully silent in answer to his -ejaculations. At last Yevsey heard her go to her own room. Perfect -stillness then prevailed in the master's room for several minutes, after -which Raspopov's voice sounded again, but now even as usual: - -"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor -standeth in the way of sinners, nor sit--" - -With these reassuring words ringing in his ears Yevsey fell asleep. - -The next morning Rayisa again called him to her. - -"What happened in the shop yesterday?" she asked with a smile when he -had seated himself. - -Yevsey told her everything in detail, and she laughed contentedly and -happily. She suddenly drew her brows together and asked in an undertone: - -"Do you understand who he is?" - -"No." - -"A spy," she whispered, her eyes growing wide with fright. - -Yevsey was silent. She rose and went to him. - -"What a tragic fellow you are!" she said thoughtfully and kindly, -stroking his head. "You don't understand anything. You're so droll. What -was the stuff you told me the other day? What other life?" - -The question animated him; he wanted very much to talk about it. Raising -his head and looking into her face with the fathomless stare of blind -eyes, he began to speak rapidly. - -"Of course there's another life. From where else do the fairy-tales -come? And not only the fairy-tales, but--" - -The woman smiled, and rumpled his hair with her warm fingers. - -"You little stupid! They'll seize you," she added seriously, even -sternly, "they'll lead you wherever they want to, and do with you -whatever they want to. That will be your life." - -Yevsey nodded his head, silently assenting to Rayisa's words. - -She sighed and looked through the window upon the street. When she -turned to Yevsey, her face surprised him. It was red, and her eyes had -become smaller and darker. - -"If you were smarter," she said in an indolent, hollow voice, "or more -alert, maybe I would tell you something. But you're such a queer chappie -there's no use telling you anything, and your master ought to be choked -to death. There, now, go tell him what I've said--you tell him -everything." - -Yevsey rose from the table, feeling as if a cold stream of insult had -been poured over him. He inclined his head and mumbled: - -"I'll never tell anything about you--to nobody. I love you very much, -and--even if you choked him, I wouldn't tell anybody. That's how I love -you." - -He shuffled to the door, but the woman's hands caught him like warm -white wings, and turned him back. - -"Did I insult you?" he heard. "Well, excuse me. If you knew what a devil -he is, how he tortures me, and how I hate him. Dear me!" She pressed his -face tightly to her breast, and kissed him twice. "So you love me?" - -"Yes," whispered Yevsey, feeling himself turning around lightly in a hot -whirlpool of unknown bliss. - -"How?" - -"I don't know. I love you very much." - -Laughing and fondling him, she said: - -"You'll tell me about it. Ah, you little baby!" - -Going down the stairs he heard her satisfied laugh, and smiled in -response. His head turned, his entire body was suffused with sweet -lassitude. He walked quietly and cautiously, as if afraid of spilling -the hot joy of his heart. - -"Why have you been so long?" asked the master. - -Yevsey looked at him, but saw only a confused, formless blur. - -"I have a headache," he answered slowly. - -"And I, too. What does it mean? Has Rayisa gotten up?" - -"Yes." - -"Did she speak to you?" - -"Yes." - -"What about?" the master asked hastily. - -The question was like a slap in Yevsey's face. He recovered, however, -and answered indifferently: - -"She said I hadn't swept the kitchen clean." - -A few moments later Yevsey heard the old man's low dejected exclamation: - -"That woman is a dangerous creature! Yes, yes! She tries to find -everything out, and makes you tell her whatever she wants." - -Yevsey looked at him from a distance, and thought: - -"I wish you were dead." - -The days passed rapidly, fused in a jumbled mass, as if joy were lying -in wait ahead. But every day grew more and more exciting. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - -The old man became sulky and taciturn. He peered around strangely, -suddenly burst into a passion, shouted, and howled dismally, like a sick -dog. He constantly complained of a pain in his head and nausea. At meals -he smelt of the food suspiciously, crumbled the bread into small pieces -with his shaking fingers, and held the tea and brandy up to the light. -His nightly scoldings of Rayisa, in which he threatened to bring ruin -upon her, became more and more frequent. But she answered all his -outcries with soft composure. - -Yevsey's love for the woman waxed stronger, and his sad, embittered -heart was filled with hatred of his master. - -"Don't I understand what you're up to, you low-down woman?" raged the -old man. "What does my sickness come from? What are you poisoning me -with?" - -"What are you saying? What are you saying?" exclaimed the woman, her -calm voice quivering. "You are sick from old age." - -"You lie! You lie!" - -"And from fright besides." - -"You miserable creature, keep quiet!" - -"You suffer from the weight of years." - -"You lie!" - -"And it's time you thought of death." - -"Aha! That's what you want! You lie! You hope in vain! I'm not the only -one to know all about you. I told Dorimedont Lukin about you." He burst -again into a loud tearful whine. "I know he's your paramour. It's he who -talked you over into poisoning me. You think you'll have it easier with -him, don't you? You won't, you won't!" - -Once at night, during a similar scene, Rayisa left the old man's room -with a candle in her hand, half dressed, white and voluptuous. She -walked as in a dream, swaying from side to side and treading uncertainly -with her bare feet. Her eyes were half closed, the fingers of her -out-stretched right hand clawed the air convulsively. The little smoky -red tongue of the candle inclined toward her breast, almost touching her -shirt. It illuminated her lips parted in exhaustion and sickness, and -set her teeth agleam. - -After she had passed Yevsey without noticing him, he instinctively -followed her to the door of the kitchen, where the sight that met his -gaze numbed him with horror. The woman was holding a large kitchen knife -in her hand, testing its sharp edge with her finger. She bent her head, -and put her hand to her full neck near the ear, where she sought -something with her long fingers. Then she drew a breath, and quietly -returned the knife to the table. Her hands fell at her sides. - -Yevsey clutched the doorpost. At the sound the woman started and turned. - -"What do you want?" she demanded in an angry whisper. - -Yevsey answered breathlessly. - -"He'll die soon. Why are you doing that to yourself? Please don't do it. -You mustn't." - -"Hush!" - -She put her hands on Yevsey as if for support, and walked back into the -old man's room. - -Soon the master became unable to leave his bed. His voice grew feeble, -and frequently a rattle sounded in his throat. His face darkened, his -weak neck failed to sustain his head, and the grey tuft on his chin -stuck up oddly. The physician came every day. Each time Rayisa gave the -sick man medicine, he groaned hoarsely: - -"With poison, eh? Oh, oh, you wicked thing!" - -"If you don't take it, I'll throw it away." - -"No, no! Leave it! and to-morrow I'll call the police. I'll ask them -what you are poisoning me with." - -Yevsey stood at the door, sticking first his eye, then his ear to the -chink. He was ready to cry out in amazement at Rayisa's patience. His -pity for her rose in his breast more and more irrepressibly, and an ever -keener desire for the death of the old man. It was difficult for him to -breathe, as on a dry icy-cold day. - -The bed creaked. Yevsey heard the thin sounds of a spoon knocking -against glass. - -"Mix it, mix it! You carrion!" mumbled the master. - -Once he ordered Rayisa to carry him to the sofa. She picked him up in -her arms as if he were a baby. His yellow head lay upon her rosy -shoulder, and his dark, shrivelled feet dangled limply in the folds of -her white skirt. - -"God!" wailed the old man, lolling back on the broad sofa. "God, why -hast Thou given over Thy servant into the hands of the wicked? Are my -sins more grievous than their sins, O Lord? And can it be that the hour -of my death is come?" He lost breath and his throat rattled. "Get away!" -he went on in a wheezing voice. "You have poisoned one man--I saved you -from hard labor, and now you are poisoning me--ugh, ugh, you lie!" - -Rayisa slowly moved aside. Yevsey now could see his master's little dry -body. His stomach rose and fell, his feet twitched, and his lips twisted -spasmodically, as he opened and closed them, greedily gasping for air, -and licked them with his thin tongue, at the same time displaying the -black hollow of his mouth. His forehead and cheeks glistened with sweat, -his little eyes, now looking large and deep, constantly followed Rayisa. - -"And I have nobody, no one near me on earth, no true friend. Why, O -Lord?" The voice of the old man wheezed and broke. "You wanton, swear -before the ikon that you are not poisoning me." - -Rayisa turned to the corner, and crossed herself. - -"I don't believe you, I don't believe you," he muttered, clutching at -the underwear on his breast and at the back of the sofa, and digging his -nails into them. - -"Drink your medicine. It will be better for you," Rayisa suddenly almost -shrieked. - -"It will be better," the old man repeated. "My dear, my only one, I will -give you everything, my own Ray--" - -He stretched his bony arm toward her and beckoned to her to draw near -him, shaking his black fingers. - -"Ah, I am sick of you, you detestable creature," Rayisa cried in a -stifled voice; and snatching the pillow from under his head she flung it -over the old man's face, threw herself upon it, and held his thin arms, -which flashed in the air. - -"You have made me sick of you," she cried again. "I can't stand you any -more. Go to the devil! Go, go!" - -Yevsey dropped to the floor. He heard the stifled rattle, the low -squeak, the hollow blows; he understood that Rayisa was choking and -squeezing the old man, and that his master kept beating his feet upon -the sofa. He felt neither pity nor fear. He merely desired everything to -be accomplished more quickly. So he covered his eyes and ears with his -hands. - -The pain of a blow caused by the opening of the door compelled him to -jump to his feet. Before him stood Rayisa arranging her hair, which hung -over her shoulders. - -"Well, did you see it?" she asked gruffly. Her face was red, but now -more calm. Her hands did not tremble. - -"I did," replied Yevsey, nodding his head. He moved closer to Rayisa. - -"Well, if you want to, you can inform the police." - -She turned and walked into the room leaving the door open. Yevsey -remained at the door, trying not to look at the sofa. - -"Is he dead, quite dead?" he asked in a whisper. - -"Yes," answered the woman distinctly. - -Then Yevsey turned his head, and regarded the little body of his master -with indifferent eyes. Flat and dry it lay upon the sofa as if glued -there. He looked at the corpse, then at Rayisa, and breathed a sigh of -relief. - -In the corner near the bed the clock on the wall softly and irresolutely -struck one and two. The woman started at each stroke. The last time she -went up to the clock, and stopped the halting pendulum with an uncertain -hand. Then she seated herself on the bed, putting her elbows on her -knees and pressing her head in her hands. Her hair falling down, covered -her face and hands as with a dense dark veil. - -Scarcely touching the floor with his toes, so as not to break the stern -silence, Yevsey went over to Rayisa, and stationed himself at her side, -dully looking at her white round shoulder. The woman's posture roused -the desire to say something soothing to her. - -"That's what he deserved," he uttered in a low grave voice. - -The stillness round about was startled, but instantly settled down -again, listening, expecting. - -"Open the window," said Rayisa sternly. But when Yevsey walked away from -her, she stopped him with a low question, "Are you afraid?" - -"No." - -"Why not? You are a timid boy." - -"When you are around, I'm not afraid." - -"Are you sorry for him?" - -"No." - -"Open the window." - -The cold night air streamed into the room, and blew out the lamplight. -The shadows quickly flickered on the wall and disappeared. The woman -tossed her hair back and straightened herself to look at Yevsey with her -large eyes. - -"Why am I going to ruin?" she asked in perplexity. "It has been this way -all my life. From one pit to another, each deeper than the one before." - -Yevsey again stationed himself beside her; they were silent for a long -time. Finally she put her soft, but cool hand around his waist, and -pressing him to her asked softly: - -"Listen, will you tell?" - -"No," he answered, closing his eyes. - -"You won't tell? To nobody? Never?" the woman asked in a mournful tone. - -"Never!" he repeated quietly but firmly. - -"Don't tell. I'll be helpful to you," she urged him, kindly stroking his -cheek. - -She rose, looked around, and spoke to him in a businesslike way: - -"Dress yourself. It's cold. And the room must be put in order a little. -Go, get dressed." - -When Yevsey returned he saw the master's body completely covered with a -blanket. Rayisa remained as she had been, half dressed with bare -shoulders. This touched him. They set the room to rights, working -without haste and looking at each other now and then silently and -gravely. - -The boy felt that this silent nocturnal activity in the close room bound -him more firmly to the woman, who was just as solitary as himself, and -like him, knew terror. He tried to remain as near her as possible, and -avoided looking at the master's body. - -It began to dawn. Rayisa listened to the sound of the waking house and -city. She sighed, and beckoned to Yevsey. - -"Now, go lie down and sleep. I will wake you soon, and send you with a -note to Dorimedont Lukin. Go!" She led him to the chest upon which he -slept and felt the bedding with her hand. "Oh, what a hard bed you -have!" - -When he had lain down, she seated herself beside him, and stroked his -head and shoulders with her soft smooth hand, while she spoke in a -gentle chant. - -"Give him the note. And if he asks you how it happened, tell him you -don't know. Tell him you were asleep and didn't see anything." - -She was silent, and knit her brows. Overcome by exhaustion Yevsey, -warmed by the woman's body and lulled by her even speech, began to -drowse. - -"No," she continued, "that's not right." - -She gave her directions calmly and intelligently, and her caresses, warm -and sweet, awakened memories of his mother. He felt good. He smiled. - -"Dorimedont Lukin is a spy, too," he heard her lulling, even voice. "Be -on your guard. Be careful. If he gets it out of you, I'll say you knew -everything and helped me. Then you'll be put in prison, too." Now she, -too, smiled, and repeated, "In prison, and then hard labor. Do you -understand?" - -"Yes," Yevsey answered happily, looking into her face with half-closed -eyes. - -"You are falling asleep. Well, sleep." Happy and grateful he heard the -words in his slumber. "Will you forget everything I told you? What a -weak, thin little fellow you are! Sleep!" - -Yevsey fell asleep, but soon a stern voice awoke him. - -"Boy, get up! Quick! Boy!" - -He rose with a start of his whole body, and stretched out his hand. At -his bed stood Dorimedont Lukin holding a cane. - -"Why are you sleeping? Your master died, yet you sleep." - -"He's tired. We didn't sleep the whole night," said Rayisa, who was -looking in from the kitchen with her hat on and her umbrella in her -hand. - -"Tired? On the day of your benefactor's death you must weep, not sleep. -Dress yourself." - -The flat pimply face of the spy was stern. His words compelled Yevsey -imperiously, like reins steering a docile horse. - -"Run to the police station. Here's a note. Don't lose it." - -In a half fainting condition Yevsey dressed himself wearily, and went -out in the street. He forced his eyes open as he ran over the pavement -bumping into everyone he met. - -"I wish he would be buried soon," he thought disconnectedly. "Dorimedont -will frighten her, and she'll tell him everything. Then I'll go to -prison, too. But if I am there with her, I won't be afraid. She went -after him herself, she didn't send me, she was sorry to wake me up--or -maybe she was afraid--how am I going to live now?" - -When he returned he found a black-bearded policeman and a grey old man -in a long frock coat sitting in the room. Dorimedont was speaking to the -policeman in a commanding voice. - -"Do you hear, Ivan Ivanovich, what the doctor says? So it was a cancer. -Aha, there's the boy. Hey, boy, go fetch half a dozen bottles of beer. -Quick!" - -Rayisa was preparing coffee and an omelet in the kitchen. Her sleeves -were drawn up over her elbow, and her white hands darted about -dexterously. - -"When you come back, I'll give you coffee," she promised Yevsey, -smiling. - -Yevsey was kept running all day. He had no chance to observe what was -happening in the house, but felt that everything was going well with -Rayisa. She was more beautiful than ever. Everybody looked at her with -satisfaction. - -At night when almost sick with exhaustion Yevsey lay down in bed with an -unpleasant sticky taste in his mouth, he heard Dorimedont say to Rayisa -in an emphatic, authoritative tone: - -"We mustn't let that boy out of our sight, you understand? He's stupid." - -Then he and Rayisa entered Yevsey's room. The spy put out his hand with -an important air, and said snuffling: - -"Get up! Tell us how you're going to live now." - -"I don't know." - -"If you don't know, who is to know?" The spy's eyes bulged, his face and -nose grew purple. He breathed hotly and noisily, resembling an -overheated oven. "I know," he answered himself, raising the finger on -which was the ring. - -"You will live with us, with me," said Rayisa kindly. - -"Yes, you will live with us, and I will find a good place for you." - -Yevsey was silent. - -"Well, what's the matter with you?" - -"Nothing," said Yevsey after a pause. - -"You ought to thank me, you little fool," Dorimedont explained -condescendingly. - -Yevsey felt that the little grey eyes held him fast to something as if -with nails. - -"We'll be better to you than relatives," continued Dorimedont, walking -away, and leaving behind the heavy odor of beer, sweat, and grease. - -Yevsey opened the window, and listened to the grumbling and stirring of -the dark, exhausted city sinking into sleep. A sharp aching pain stole -up from somewhere. Faintness seized the boy's body. A thin cord, as it -were, cut at his heart, and made breathing difficult. He lay down and -groaned and peered into the darkness with frightened eyes. Wardrobes and -trunks moved about in the obscurity, black dancing spots rocking to and -fro. Walls scarcely visible turned and twisted. All this oppressed -Yevsey with unconquerable fear, and pushed him into a stifling corner, -from which it was impossible to escape. - -In Rayisa's room the spy guffawed. - -"M-m-m-my! Ha, ha, ha! It's nothing--it will pass away--ha, ha! You'll -get used--" - -Yevsey thrust his head under the pillow in order not to hear these -irritating exclamations. A minute later, unable to catch his breath, he -jumped from bed. The dry dark feet of his master flashed before him, his -little red sickly eyes lighted up. Yevsey uttered a short shriek, and -ran to Rayisa's door with outstretched hands. He pushed against it and -cried: - -"I'm afraid." - -Two large bodies in the room bounded to their feet. Someone bawled in a -startled angry voice: "Get out of there!" - -Yevsey fell to his knees, and sank down on the floor at their feet like -a frightened lizard. - -"I'm afraid! I'm afraid!" he squeaked. - -The following days were taken up with preparations for the funeral and -with the removal of Rayisa to Dorimedont's quarters. Yevsey flung -himself about like a little bird in a cloud of dark fear. Only -occasionally did the timid thought flicker in his mind like a will o' -the wisp, "What will become of me?" It saddened his heart, and awoke the -desire to run away and hide himself. But everywhere he met the eagle -eyes of Dorimedont, and heard his dull voice: - -"Boy, quick!" - -The command resounded within Yevsey, and pushed him from side to side. -He ran about for whole days at a time. In the evening he fell asleep -empty and exhausted, and his sleep was heavy and black and full of -terrible dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - -From this life Yevsey awoke in a dusky corner of a large room with a low -ceiling. He sat holding a pen in his hand at a table covered with dirty -green oilcloth, and before him lay a thick book in which there was -writing, and a few pages of blank ruled paper. He did not understand -what he had to do with all this apparatus, and looked around helplessly. - -There were many tables in the room with two or four persons at each. -They sat there with a tired and vexed expression on their faces, moving -their pens rapidly, smoking much, and now and then casting curt words at -one another. The pungent blue smoke floated to the window casements, -where it met the deafening noise that entered importunately from the -street. Numberless flies buzzed about the occupants' heads, crawled over -the tables and notices on the walls, and knocked against the panes. They -resembled the people who filled this stifling filthy cage with their -bustle. - -Gendarmes stood at the doors, officers came and went, various persons -entered, exchanged greetings, smiled obsequiously, and sighed. Their -rapid, plaintive talk, which kept up a constant see-saw, was broken and -drowned by the stern calls of the clerks. - -Yevsey sat in his corner with his neck stretched over the table and his -transparent eyes wide open, scrutinizing the different clerks in an -attempt to remember their faces and figures. He wanted to find someone -among them who would help him. The instinct of self-protection, now -awakened in him, concentrated all his oppressed feelings, all his broken -thoughts, into one clear endeavor to adapt himself to this place and -these people, as soon as possible, in order to make himself unnoticed -among them. - -All the clerks, young and old, had something in common, a certain seedy -and worn appearance. They were all equally dejected, but they easily -grew excited and shouted, gesticulating and showing their teeth. There -were many elderly and bald-headed men among them, of whom several had -red hair and two grey hair. Of the two, one was a tall man who wore his -hair long and had a large mustache, resembling a priest, whose beard has -been shaved off. The other was a red-faced man with a huge beard and a -bare skull. It was the last who had put Yevsey into a corner, set a book -before him, and, tapping his finger upon it, had told him to copy -certain parts of it. - -Now an elderly woman all in black stood before this old man, and drawled -in a plaintive tone: - -"Little father, gracious sir." - -"You disturb me in my work," shouted the old man without looking at her. - -And at the door sitting upon a bench a little thin young girl in a pink -dress was sobbing and wiping her face with her white apron. - -"I am not guilty." - -"Who is whining there?" asked a sharp voice. - -The outsiders who came in did nothing but complain, make requests, and -justify themselves. They spoke while standing, humbly and tearfully. The -officials, on the other hand, remained seated and shouted at them, now -angrily, now in ridicule, and now wearily. Paper rustled, and pens -squeaked, and all this noise was penetrated by the steady weeping of the -girl. - -"Aleksey," the man with the grey beard called aloud, "take this woman -away from here." His eyes were arrested by the sight of Klimkov. He -walked up to him hastily, and asked gruffly, in astonishment, "What's -the matter with you? Why aren't you writing?" - -Yevsey dropped his head, and was silent. - -"Hmm, another fool given a job," said the old man shrugging his -shoulders. "Hey, Zarubin!" he shouted as he walked away. - -A dry thin boy with a low forehead and restless eyes and black curls on -a small head sat down beside Yevsey. - -"What's the trouble?" he asked, nudging Yevsey's side with his elbow. - -"I don't understand what to do," explained Klimkov in a frightened tone. - -From somewhere within the youngster in the region of his stomach came a -hollow, broken sound, "Ugh!" - -"I'll teach you," he said in a low voice, as if communicating some -important secret. "I'll teach you, and you'll give me half a ruble. Got -half a ruble?" - -"No." - -"When you get your pay? All right?" - -"All right." - -The boy seized the paper, and in the same mysterious tone continued: - -"You see? The first names and the family names are marked in the book -with red dots. Well, you must copy them on this paper. When you are -done, call me, and I'll see whether you haven't put down a pack of lies. -My name is Yakov Zarubin." - -Again a sound seemed to break inside the boy's body and drop softly, -"Ugh!" He glided nimbly between the tables, his elbows pressed to his -sides, his wrists to his breast. He turned his small black head in all -directions, and darted his narrow little eyes about the room. Yevsey -looked after him, then reverently dipped pen in ink, and began to write. -Soon he settled into that pleasant state of forgetfulness of his -surroundings which had grown customary with him. He became absorbed in -the work, which required no thought, and in it he lost his fear. - -Yevsey quickly became accustomed to his new position. He did everything -mechanically, and was ready to serve anyone at any time. In order the -more immediately to get away from people, he subordinated himself -submissively to everybody, and cleverly took refuge in his work from the -cold curiosity and the cruel pranks of his fellow-clerks. Taciturn and -reserved, he created for himself an unperceived existence in his corner. -He lived like a nocturnal bird perched upon a dark post of observation -without understanding the meaning of the noisy, motley days that passed -before his round fathomless eyes. - -Every hour he heard complaints, groans, ejaculations of fright, the -stern voices of the police officers, the irritated grumbling and angry -fun of the clerks. Often people were beaten on their faces, and dragged -out of the door by their necks. Not infrequently blood was drawn. -Sometimes policemen brought in persons bound with ropes, bruised and -bellowing with pain. - -The thieves who were led in wore an embarrassed air, but smiled at -everybody as on a familiar. The street women also smiled ingratiatingly, -and always arranged their dress with one and the same gesture. Those who -had no passports observed a sullen or dejected silence, and looked -askance at all with a hopeless gaze. The political offenders under -police supervision came in proudly. They disputed and shouted, and never -greeted anybody connected with the place. They behaved toward all there -with tranquil contempt or pronounced hostility. This class of culprits -was talked of a great deal in the chancery, almost always in fun, -sometimes inimically. But under the ridicule and enmity Yevsey felt a -hidden interest and something like reverent awe of these people who -spoke so loudly and independently with everybody. - -The greatest interest of the clerks was aroused by the political spies. -These were men with indeterminate physiognomies, taciturn and severe. -They were spoken of with keen envy. The clerks said they made huge sums -of money, and related with terror how everything was known to them, -everything open, and how immeasurable was their power over people's -lives. They could fix every person, so that no matter where he moved he -would inevitably land in prison. - -The broad gaze of Klimkov lightly embraced everything moving about him. -He imperceptibly gathered up experience, which his weak, uninformed mind -was incapable of combining into a harmonious whole. But the numerous -impressions heaping up one upon the other were forced into unity by the -very weight of their mass, and aroused an unconscious greed for new -observations. They sharpened his curiosity, and unexpectedly pointed to -conclusions, secretly hinted at certain possibilities which sometimes -frightened Yevsey by their boldness. - -No one about him pitied anybody else. Neither was Yevsey sorry for -people. It began to seem to him that all were feigning even when they -cried and groaned from beatings. In all eyes he saw something concealed, -something distrustful, and more than once his ear caught the cry, -threatening though not uttered aloud: - -"Wait, our turn will come some day, too." - -In the evening, during those hours when he sat almost alone in the large -room and recalled the impressions of the day, everything seemed -superfluous and unreal, everything was unintelligible, a hindrance to -people, and caused them perplexity and vexation. All seemed to know that -they ought to live quietly, without malice, but for some reason no one -wanted to tell the others his secret of a different life. No one trusted -his neighbor, everybody lied, and made others lie. The irritation caused -by this system of life was clearly apparent. All complained aloud of its -burdensomeness, each looked upon the other as upon a dangerous enemy, -and dissatisfaction in life waged war with mistrust, cutting the soul in -two. - -Klimkov did not dare to think in this wise, but he felt more and more -clearly the lack of order and the oppressive weight of everything that -whirled around him. At times he was seized by a heavy, debilitating -sense of boredom. His fingers grew languid, he put the pen aside, and -rested his head on the table, looking long and motionlessly into the -murky twilight of the room. He painstakingly endeavored to find in the -depths of his soul that which was essential to him. - -Then his chief, the long-nosed old man with the shaven face and grey -mustache would shout to him: - -"Klimkov, are you asleep?" - -Yevsey would seize the pen and say to himself with a sigh: - -"It will pass away." - -But Yevsey could not make out whether he still believed in the phrase, -or had already ceased to believe in it and was merely saying it to -himself for the sake of saying it. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - -In the morning Rayisa half dressed, with a kneaded face and dim eyes, -gave Yevsey his coffee without speaking to him. Dorimedont coughed and -spat in her room. Now his dull voice began to sound even louder and more -authoritative than ever. At dinner and supper he munched noisily, licked -his lips, thrust his thick tongue far out, bellowed, and looked at the -food greedily before he began to eat. His red pimply face grew glossy, -and his little grey eyes glided over Yevsey's face like two cold bugs, -unpleasantly tickling his skin. - -"I know how hard life is, brother," he said. "I know what's what. I know -what a pound of good and what a pound of bad is worth to a man, yes, -siree. And you had good luck to come to me at once. Here I have placed -you in a position, and I am going to push you farther and farther to the -highest point possible--if you aren't a fool, of course." - -He swung his bulky body as he spoke, and the chair under him groaned. -Yevsey as he listened to his talk felt that this man could force him to -do everything he wanted. - -Sometimes the spy announced boastfully in self-applause: - -"I received thanks again to-day from my chief Filip Filippovich. He even -gave me his hand." - -Once at supper Dorimedont pulled Yevsey's ear and began a recital. - -"About two months ago I was sitting in a restaurant near a railroad -station, and I saw a man eating cutlets. He kept looking around and -consulting his watch. You must know, Yevsey, that an honest man with an -easy mind doesn't glance around in all directions. People do not -interest him, and he always knows the time. The only persons who look -about for people are the agents of the Department of Safety and -criminals. Of course, I kept my eye on the gentleman. The suburban train -pulled in, another little gentleman comes into the restaurant, a dark -fellow with a little beard, apparently a Jew. He wore two flowers in his -buttonhole, a red and a white one--a sign. I see them greet each other -with their eyes. 'Aha!' thinks I. The dark man ordered something to eat, -drank a glass of Selters, and walked out. The one who had been in the -restaurant first followed him leisurely, and I after them." - -Dorimedont puffed up his cheeks, and then blew a stream of air steeped -with the odor of meat and beer into Yevsey's face. Yevsey ducked his -head, and the spy burst out laughing. Then he belched noisily, and -continued raising his thick finger. - -"For a month and twenty-three days I tracked the two men. Finally I -reported them. I said I was on the track of suspicious people. They went -away, and came back again. Who are they? The fair-haired fellow who had -eaten the cutlet said, 'It's none of your business.' But the Jew gave -his real name, and on inquiry it turned out we needed the man. Along -with him we took a woman known to us--the third time she fell into our -hands. We went to various other places, picked the people up like -mushrooms. But we knew the whole gang. I was a good deal put out, when -suddenly yesterday the fair-haired man gave us his name. He turned out -to be an important fellow escaped from Siberia. Well, well, New Year I -am to expect a reward." - -Rayisa listened looking over the spy's head, while she slowly chewed a -crust of bread and bit off little pieces at a time. - -"You catch them, and catch them, but they're not exterminated," she said -lazily. - -The spy smiled, and answered impressively: - -"You don't understand politics. That's why you talk nonsense, my dear. -We don't want to exterminate these people altogether. They serve as -sparks to show us where the fire really begins. That's what Filip -Filippovich says, and he himself was once a political, moreover, a Jew. -Yes, yes. It's a very sharp game." - -Yevsey's gaze wandered gloomily about the contracted room. The walls -papered in yellow were hung with portraits of Czars, generals, and naked -women. These motley, obtrusive spots fairly cut the eyes, recalling -sores and wounds on the body of a sick person. The furniture, smelling -of whiskey and warm, greasy food, pressed close against the walls, as if -to withdraw from the people. The lamp burned under a green shade, and -cast dead shadows upon the faces. - -For some reason Yevsey recollected the old sickly flat-nosed beggar with -the restless eyes of a sharper, whom he met almost every day on his way -to the office. The beggar pretended to be a jolly fellow, and would -chant garrulously as he stretched out his hand for alms: - - "Stout of body, red of nose, - Pining for the want of booze; - Prithee, help God's pilgrim true, - Charity to whom 'tis due! - Help my burning thirst to slake, - Rum, oh rum, for the Lord's sake!" - -The spy put his hand across the table, and pulled Yevsey's hair. - -"When I speak, you must listen." - -Dorimedont often beat Klimkov. Though his blows were not painful, they -were particularly insulting, as if he struck not the face but the soul. -He was especially fond of hitting Yevsey on the head with the heavy ring -he wore on his finger, when he would knock the boy's skull so that a -strange dry cracking sound was emitted. Each time Yevsey was dealt a -blow Rayisa would say indifferently, moving her brows: - -"Stop, Dorimedont Lukin. Don't." - -"Well, well, he won't be chopped to pieces. He has to be taught." - -Rayisa grew thinner, blue circles appeared under her eyes, her gaze -became still more immobile and dull. On evenings when the spy was away -from home she sent Yevsey for whiskey, which she gulped down in little -glassfuls at a time. Then she spoke to him in an even voice. What she -said was confused and unintelligible, and she frequently halted and -sighed. Her large body grew flabby, she undid one button after the -other, untied her ribbons, and half-dressed spread herself on the -armchair like sour dough. - -"I am bored," she said shaking her head. "Bored! If you were handsomer, -or older, you might divert me in my gloom. Oh, how useless you are!" - -Yevsey hung his head in silence. His heart was pricked with the burning -cold of insult. - -"Well, why are you staring at the floor?" he heard her sad complaining. -"Others at your age would have started to love girls long ago; they live -a living life. While you--oh, how irresponsive you are!" - -Sometimes, after she had drunk whiskey, she drew him to herself, and -toyed with him. This awoke a complex feeling of fear, shame, and sharp -yet not bold curiosity. He shut his eyes tightly, and yielded himself -silently, involuntarily, to the power of her shameless, coarse hands. -The weak, anaemic boy was oppressed by the debilitating premonition of -something terrible. - -"Go to bed, go! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, pushing him away, -dissatisfied and disgusted. - -Yevsey left her to go to the anteroom in which he slept. Gradually -losing the undefined warm feeling he had for her, he withdrew into -himself more and more. - -As he lay in bed filled with a sense of insult and sharp, disagreeable -excitement, he heard Rayisa singing in a thick cooing voice--always the -same song--and heard the clink of the bottle against the glass. - -But once on a dark night when fine streams of autumn rain lashed the -window near his room with a howl, Rayisa succeeded in arousing in the -youngster the feeling she needed. - -"There, now," she said, smiling a drunken smile. "Now you are my -paramour. You see how good it is? Eh?" - -He stood at the bed also intoxicated of a sudden. His feet trembled, he -was out of breath. He looked at her large, soft body, at her broad face -spread in a smile. He was no longer ashamed, but his heart was seized -with the grief of loss, and it sank within him outraged. For some reason -he wanted to weep. But he was silent. This woman was a stranger to him, -unnecessary and unpleasant; all the good kind feelings he had cherished -for her were at one gulp swallowed up by her greedy body, and -disappeared into it without leaving a trace, like belated drops in a -muddy pool. - -"We'll live together, and we'll give Dorimedont the go-by, the pig." - -"But won't he find out?" inquired Yevsey quietly. - -"Oh, you little coward, come here!" - -He did not dare to refuse, but now the woman was no longer able to -overcome his enmity to her. She toyed with him a long time, and smiled -with an air of having been offended. Then she roughly pushed his bony -body from her, uttered an oath, and went away. - -When Yevsey was left alone he thought in despair. - -"Now she will ruin me. She'll store this up against me. I am lost." - -He looked through the window. Something formless and frightened throbbed -in the darkness. It wept, lashed the window with a doleful howl, scraped -along the wall, jumped on the roof, and fell down into the street -moaning and wailing. A cautious seductive thought stole into his mind. - -"Suppose I tell Kapiton Ivanovich to-morrow that she suffocated the old -man!" - -The question frightened Yevsey, and for a long time he was unable to -push it away. - -"She will ruin me, one way or the other," he answered himself. Yet the -question persistently stood before him beckoning to him. - -In the morning, however, it seemed that Rayisa had forgotten about the -tragic, violent incident of the night before. She gave him his bread and -coffee lazily and with an indifferent air. As always, she was half sick -from the previous day's drinking. By neither word nor look did she hint -of her changed relation to him. - -He left for the office somewhat calmed, and from that day he began to -remain in the office for night work. He would walk home very slowly so -as to arrive as late as possible, because it was difficult for him to -remain alone with the woman. He was afraid to speak to her, dreading -lest she remember that night when she had destroyed Yevsey's feeling for -her. Feeble though it had been, it had yet been dear to him. - -Yakov Zarubin and Yevsey's chief, Kapiton Ivanovich, the man with the -grey mustache, whom everybody called Smokestack behind his back, -remained in the chancery with him for night work more frequently than -the others. The chief's shaven face was often covered with little red -stubble, which glistened golden from afar, and at close range resembled -tiny twigs. From under his grey lashes and the eyelids that drooped -wearily spiritless eyes gleamed angrily. He spoke in a grumbling growl, -and incessantly smoked thick yellow cigarettes. The clouds of bluish -smoke always hovering about his large white head distinguished him from -all the others workers, and won him the nickname, Smokestack. - -"What a grave man he is," Yevsey once said to Zarubin. - -"He's cracked in the upper story," Zarubin answered, pointing to his -head. "He spent almost a whole year in an insane asylum. But he's a -quiet man." - -Yevsey saw that sometimes the Smokestack took a small black book from -the pocket of his long grey jacket, brought it close to his face, and -mumbled something through his mustache, which moved up and down. - -"Is that a prayer-book?" - -"I don't know." - -Zarubin's swarthy face quivered spasmodically. His little eyes bulged, -he swung himself over toward Yevsey, and whispered hotly. - -"Do you go to girls?" - -"No." - -"Why?" - -Yevsey answered in embarrassment: - -"I'm afraid." - -"Ugh! Come with me. All right? We can get it for nothing. We need only -twenty-five kopeks for beer. If we say we are from the Department of -Police, they'll let us in, and give us girls for nothing. They are -afraid of police officers. Everybody is afraid of us." In a still lower -voice, but with more fire and appetite he continued. "And what girls -there _are_! Stout, warm, like down feather-beds! They're the best, by -golly! Some fondle you like your own mother, stroke your head, and so -you fall asleep. It's good!" - -"Have you a mother?" - -"Yes, only I live with my aunt. My mother is a sow. She's a lewd woman, -and lives with a butcher for her support. I don't go to her. The butcher -won't let me. Once I went there, and he kicked me on the back. Ugh!" - -Zarubin's little mouse ears quivered, his narrow eyes rolled queerly, he -tugged at the black down on his upper lip with a convulsive movement of -his fingers, and throbbed all over with excitement. - -"Why are you such a quiet fellow? You ought to be bolder, or else -they'll crush you with work. I was afraid at first, too, so they rode -all over me. Come, let's be friends for the rest of our lives!" - -Though Yevsey did not like Zarubin and was intimidated by his extreme -agility, he replied: - -"All right. Let's be friends." - -"Your hand. There, it's done! So to-morrow we'll go to the girls?" - -"No, I won't go." - -They did not notice the Smokestack coming up to them. - -"Well, Yakov, who will do whom?" he growled. - -"We're not fighting," said Zarubin, sullenly and disrespectfully. - -"You lie," said the Smokestack. "Say, Klimkov, don't give in to him, do -you hear?" - -"I do," said Yevsey rising before him. - -A feeling of reverent curiosity drew him to the man. Once, as usual -unexpectedly to himself, he took courage to speak to the Smokestack. - -"Kapiton Ivanovich." - -"What is it?" - -"I want to ask you, if you please--" - -Without looking at him, the Smokestack said: - -"Get up some spunk! Get up some spunk!" - -"Why do people live so badly?" Yevsey brought out with a great effort. - -The old man raised his heavy brows. - -"What business is it of yours?" he rejoined, looking into Klimkov's -face. - -Yevsey was staggered. The old man's question was like a blow on the -chest. It stood before him in all the power of its inexplicable -simplicity. - -"Aha!" said the old man quietly. Then he drew his brows together, -whipped a black book from his pocket, and tapping it with his finger -said, "The New Testament. Have you read it?" - -"Yes." - -"Did you understand it?" - -"No," answered Yevsey timidly. - -"Read it again. Well, anyway--" Moving his mustache the old man hid the -book in his pocket. "I've been reading this book for three years, yes, -three years. Nobody understands it. It's a book for children, for the -pure of heart. No one can understand it." - -He grumbled kindly, and Yevsey felt a desire to ask more questions. They -did not formulate themselves, however. The old man lighted a cigarette, -the smoke enveloped him, and he apparently forgot about his -interlocutor. Klimkov glided off quietly. His attraction for the -Smokestack had grown stronger, and he thought: - -"It would be good for me to sit nearer to him." - -Henceforth this became his dream, which, however, came into direct -conflict with the dream of Yakov Zarubin. - -"You know what?" Zarubin said in a hot whisper. "Let's try to get into -the Department of Safety, and become political spies. Then what a life -we'll lead! Ugh!" - -Yevsey was silent. The political spies frightened him because of their -stern eyes and the mystery surrounding their dark business and dark -life. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - -An accident happened at home. Dorimedont appeared late at night in torn -clothes, without hat or cane, his face bruised and smeared with blood. -His bulky body shook, tears ran down his swollen cheeks. He sobbed, and -said in a hollow voice: - -"It's all over! I must go away--to another city--the minute I can." - -Rayisa silently, without haste, wiped his face with a towel dipped in -brandy and water. He started and groaned. - -"Not so rough! Not so rough! The beasts! How they beat me--with clubs. -To beat a man with clubs! _Please_ be more careful. Don't you -understand?" - -Yevsey handed the water, removed the spy's shoes, and listened to his -groans. He took secret satisfaction in his tears and blood. Accustomed -as he was to see people beaten until blood was drawn, their outcries did -not touch him even though he remembered the pain of the pummelings he -had received in his childhood. - -"Who did it to you?" asked Rayisa when the spy was settled in bed. - -"They trapped me, surrounded me, in a suburb near a thread factory. Now -I must go to another city. I will ask for a transfer." - -When Yevsey lay down to sleep, the spy and Rayisa began to quarrel -aloud. - -"I won't go," said the woman in a loud and unusually firm voice. - -"Keep quiet! Don't excite a sick man!" the spy exclaimed with tears in -his voice. - -"I won't go!" - -"I will make you." - -In the morning Yevsey understood by Rayisa's stony face and the spy's -angry excitement that the two did not agree. At supper they began to -quarrel again. The spy, who had grown stronger during the day, cursed -and swore. His swollen blue face was horrible to look upon, his right -hand was in a sling, and he shook his left hand menacingly. Rayisa, pale -and imperturbable, rolled her round eyes, and followed the swinging of -his red hand. - -"Never, I'll never go," she stubbornly repeated, scarcely varying her -words. - -"Why not?" - -"I don't want to." - -"But you know I can ruin you." - -"I don't care." - -"No, you'll go." - -"I won't." - -"We shall see. Who are you anyway? Have you forgotten?" - -"It's all the same to me." - -"All right." - -After supper the spy wrapped his face in his scarf, and departed without -saying anything. Rayisa sent Yevsey for whiskey. When he had brought her -a bottle of table whiskey and another bottle of some dark liquid, she -poured a portion of the contents of each into a cup, sipped the entire -draught, and remained standing a long time with her eyes screwed up and -wiping her neck with the palm of her hand. - -"Do you want some?" she asked, nodding over the bottle. "No? Take a -drink. You'll begin to drink some time or other anyway." - -Yevsey looked at her high bosom, which had already begun to wither, at -her little mouth, into her round dimmed eyes, and remembering how she -had been before, he pitied her with a melancholy pity. He felt heavy and -gloomy in the presence of this woman. - -"Ah, Yevsey," she said, "if one could only live his whole life with a -clean conscience." - -Her lips twitched spasmodically. She filled a cup and offered it to him. - -"Drink!" - -He shook his head in declination. - -"You little coward!" she laughed quietly. "Life is hard for you--I -understand. But why you live I don't understand. Why? Tell me." - -"Just so," answered Yevsey gloomily. "I live. What else is one to do?" - -Rayisa looked at him, and said tenderly: - -"I think you are going to choke yourself." - -Yevsey was aggrieved and sighed. He settled himself more firmly in his -chair. - -Rayisa paced through the room, stepping lazily and inaudibly. She -stopped before a mirror, and looked at her face long without winking. -She felt her full white neck with her hands, her shoulders quivered, her -hands dropped heavily, and she began again to pace the room, her hips -moving up and down. She hummed without opening her mouth. Her voice was -stifled like the groan of one who suffers from toothache. - -A lamp covered with a green shade was burning on the table. Through the -window the round disk of the moon could be seen in the vacant heavens. -The moon, too, looked green, as it hung there motionless like the -shadows in the room, and it augured ill. - -"I am going to bed," said Yevsey rising from his chair. - -Rayisa did not answer, and did not look at him. Then he stepped to the -door, and repeated in a lower voice: - -"Good-night. I am going to sleep." - -"Go, I'm not keeping you. Go." - -Yevsey understood that Rayisa felt nauseated. He wanted to tell her -something. - -"Can I do anything for you?" he inquired, stopping at the door. - -She looked into his face with her weary sleepy eyes. - -"No, nothing," she answered quietly after a pause. - -She walked up and down in the room for a long time. Yevsey heard the -rustle of her skirt and the doleful sound of her song, and the clinking -of the bottles. Occasionally she coughed dully. - -Rayisa's composed words stood motionless in Yevsey's heart, "I think you -are going to choke yourself." They lay upon him heavily, pressing like -stones. - -In the middle of the night the spy awoke Klimkov rudely. - -"Where is Rayisa?" he asked in a loud whisper. "Where did she go? Has -she been gone long? You don't know? You fool!" - -Dorimedont left the room hastily, then thrust his head through the door, -and asked sternly: - -"What was she doing?" - -"Nothing." - -"Was she drinking?" - -"Yes." - -"The pig!" - -The spy pulled his ear, and disappeared. - -"Why did he speak in a whisper?" Yevsey wondered. - -The light in the lamp flickered and went out. The spy uttered an oath, -then began to strike matches, which flared up, frightening the darkness, -and went out. Finally a pale ray from the room reached Yevsey's bed. It -quivered timidly, and seemed to seek something in the narrow ante-room. -Dorimedont entered again. One of his eyes was closed from the swelling, -the other, light and restless, quickly looked about the walls, and -halted at Yevsey's face. - -"Didn't Rayisa say anything to you?" - -"No." - -"Such a stupid woman!" - -Yevsey felt awkward to be lying down in the presence of the spy, and he -raised himself. - -"Stay where you are! Stay where you are!" said Dorimedont hastily, and -sat down on the bed at Yevsey's feet. - -"If you were a year older," he began in an unusually kind, quiet, and -thoughtful tone, "I would get you into the Department of Safety as a -political agent. It's a very good position. The salary is not large, but -if you are successful, you get rewarded. And it's a free life. You can -go wherever you want, have a good time, yes, indeed. Rayisa is a -beautiful woman, isn't she?" - -"Yes, beautiful," agreed Yevsey. - -"Yes, ahem," said the spy, with a sigh and a strange smile. He kept -stroking the bandage on his head with his left hand, and pinching his -ear. "Woman you can never have enough of--the mother of temptation and -sin.--Where did she go? What do you think?" - -"I don't know," answered Yevsey quietly, beginning to be afraid of -something. - -"Of course. She has no paramour. No men came to her. Do you know what, -Yevsey? Don't be in a hurry with women. You have time enough for that. -They cost dear, brother. Here am I, who have made thousands and -thousands of rubles, and what's become of them?" - -Heavy, cumbersome, bound with rags, he shook before Yevsey's eyes, and -seemed ready to fall to pieces. His dull voice sounded uneasy. His left -hand constantly felt of his head and his breast. - -"Ah, I got mixed up with them a great deal!" he said peering -suspiciously around the dark corners of the room. "It's troublesome, but -you can't get along without them. Nothing better in the world. Some say -cards are better, but card-players can't get along without women either. -Nor does hunting make you proof against women. Nothing does." - -In the morning Klimkov saw the spy sleeping on the sofa with his clothes -on. The room was filled with smoke and the smell of kerosene from the -lamp, which had not been extinguished. Dorimedont was snoring, his large -mouth wide open, his sound hand dangling over the floor. He was -repulsive and pitiful. - -It grew light, and a pale square piece of sky peeped into the little -window. The flies awoke, and buzzed plaintively, darting about on the -grey background of the window. Besides the smell of kerosene the room -was penetrated with some other odor, thick and irritating. - -After putting out the lamp Yevsey for some reason washed himself in a -great hurry, dressed, and started for the office. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - -At about noon Zarubin called out to Yevsey. - -"Hey there, Klimkov, you know Rayisa Petrovna Fialkovskaya, she's your -master Lukin's mistress, isn't she?" - -"Yes." - -"There now!" - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey hastily. - -"She cut her throat." - -Yevsey rose to his feet, stung in the back by a sharp blow of terror. - -"She was just found in a store-room. Let's go and look." - -Zarubin ran off, announcing to the clerks on his way: - -"I told you she was Dorimedont Lukin's mistress." - -He shouted the word "mistress" with particular emphasis and zest. - -Yevsey looked after him with wide-open eyes. Before him in the air hung -Rayisa's head, her heavy luxuriant hair flowed from it in streams, her -face was pale green, her lips were tightly compressed, and instead of -eyes there were deep dark stains. Everything round about him was hidden -behind the dead face, which Yevsey, numb with terror and pity, was -unable to remove from his vision. - -"Why don't you go to lunch?" asked the Smokestack. - -Scarcely anybody remained in the office. Yevsey sighed and answered: - -"My mistress cut her throat." - -"Oh, yes. Well, go to the cafe." - -The Smokestack walked off carefully picking his steps. Yevsey jumped up -and seized his hand: - -"Take me." - -"Come." - -"No, take me to stay with you altogether," Yevsey besought him. - -The Smokestack bent toward him. - -"What do you mean by 'altogether?'" - -"To your rooms--to live with you--for all the time." - -"Aha! Well, in the meantime let's get our lunch. Come on." - -In the cafe a canary bird kept up a piercing song. The old man silently -ate fried potatoes. Yevsey was unable to eat, and looked into his -companion's face inquiringly. - -"So you want to live with me? Well, come on." - -When Yevsey heard these words, he instantly felt that they partitioned -him off from the terrible life. Encouraged he said gratefully: - -"I will clean your shoes for you." - -The Smokestack thrust his long foot shod in a torn boot from under the -table. - -"You needn't clean this one. How about your mistress? Was she a good -woman?" - -The old man's eyes looked directly and kindly, and seemed to say: - -"Speak the truth." - -"I don't know," said Yevsey, dropping his head, and for the first time -feeling that he used the phrase very often. - -"So?" said the Smokestack. "So?" - -"I don't know anything," said Yevsey, disappointed with himself. -Suddenly he grew bold. "I see this and that; but what it is, what for, -why, I cannot understand. And there must be another life." - -"Another?" repeated the Smokestack, screwing up his eyes. - -"Yes. It would be impossible otherwise." - -The Smokestack smiled quietly. He hit his knife on the table, and -shouted to the waiter: - -"A bottle of beer. So it can't be otherwise? That's curious. Yes--we'll -see who will do whom." - -"Do, please, let me live with you," Yevsey repeated. - -"Well, we'll live together. All right." - -"I'll come to you to-day." - -"Come on." - -The Smokestack began to drink his beer in silence. - -When they returned to the office, they found Dorimedont Lukin there, who -hastened up to Yevsey. His bandages had loosened, the one eye visible -was suffused with blood. - -"Did you hear about Rayisa?" he inquired gravely. - -"Yes, I did." - -"She did it out of--it was drink that did it, upon my word," whispered -the spy, putting his uninjured hand to his breast. - -"I won't go back there any more," said Yevsey. - -"What then? Where will you go?" - -"I am going to live with Kapiton Ivanovich." - -"Um-m-m!" - -Dorimedont suddenly became embarrassed, and looked around. - -"Take care! He's not in his right senses. They keep him here from pity. -He's even a dangerous man. Be careful with him. Keep mum about all you -know." - -Yevsey thought the spy would fly into a passion. He was surprised at his -whispering, and listened attentively to what he said. - -"I am going to leave the city. Good-by. I am going to tell my chief -about you, and when he needs a new man, he will take you, rest assured. -Move your bed and whatever there is in my rooms to your new quarters. -Take the things to-day, do you hear? I'll go from there this evening to -a hotel. Here are five rubles for you. They'll be useful to you. Now, -keep quiet, do you understand?" - -He continued to whisper long and rapidly, his eyes running about -suspiciously on all sides, and when the door opened he started from his -chair as if to run away. The smell of an ointment emanated from him. He -seemed to have grown less bulky and lower in stature, and to have lost -his importance. - -"Good-by," he said, placing his hand on Yevsey's shoulder. "Live -carefully, don't trust people, especially women. Know the value of -money. Buy with silver, save the gold, don't scorn copper, defend -yourself with iron--a Cossack saying. I am a Cossack, you know." - -It was hard and tiresome for Yevsey to listen to his softened voice. He -did not believe one word of the spy's, and, as always, feared him. -Klimkov felt relieved when he walked away, and went eagerly at his work, -trying to use it as a shield against the recollection of Rayisa and all -other troublesome thoughts. Something turned and bestirred itself within -him that day. He felt he was standing on the eve of another life, and -gazed after the Smokestack from the corners of his eyes. The old man -bent over his table in a cloud of grey smoke. Yevsey involuntarily -thought: - -"How everything happens at once. There she cut her throat, and now maybe -I will--" - -He could not picture to himself what might be; in fact, he did not -understand what he wanted, and impatiently awaited the evening, working -quickly in an endeavor to shorten the time. - -In the evening as he walked along the street at the Smokestack's side, -he remarked that almost everybody noticed the old man, some even -stopping to look at him. He walked not rapidly but in long strides, -swinging his body and thrusting his head forward like a crane. He held -his hands behind his back, and his open jacket spreading wide flapped -against his sides like broken wings. In Klimkov's eyes the attention the -old man attracted seemed to sever him from the rest of the world. - -"What is your name?" - -"Yevsey." - -"John is a good name," observed the old man, arranging his crumpled hat -with his long hand. "I had a son named John." - -"Where is he?" - -"That doesn't concern you," answered the old man calmly. After taking -several steps he added in the same tone, "If I say 'had,' that means I -have him no longer, no longer." He stuck out his lower lip, and pinched -it with his little finger. "We shall see who will do whom." Now he -inclined his head on one side, and looked into Klimkov's eyes. "To-day a -friend will come to me," he said solemnly, shaking his finger. "I have a -certain friend. What we speak about and what we do, does not concern -you. What you know I do not know, and what you do I do not want to know. -The same applies to you. Absolutely." - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"You must make this a general rule. Apply it to everybody. No one knows -anything about you. That's the way it should be. And you do not know -anything about others. The path of human destruction is knowledge sown -by the devil. Happiness is ignorance. That's plain." - -Yevsey listened attentively, looking into his face. The old man observed -his regard, and grumbled: - -"There is something human in you. I noticed it." He stopped -unexpectedly, then went on, "But there's something human even in a dog." - -They climbed a narrow wooden stairway with several windings to a -stifling garret, dark and smelling of dust. At the Smokestack's request -Yevsey held up burning matches while he fumbled a long time over opening -the door. As Yevsey held up the matches, which scorched his fingers, a -new hope flickered in his breast. - -At last the old man opened the door, covered with torn oilcloth and -ragged felt, and they entered a long, narrow white room, with a ceiling -resembling the roof of a tomb. Opposite the door a wide window gleamed -dimly. In the corner to the right of the entrance stood a little stove, -which was scarcely noticeable. The bed extended along the left wall, and -opposite sprawled a sunken red sofa. The room smelled strongly of -camphor and dried herbs. The old man opened the window, and heaved a -noisy breath. - -"It's good to have pure air. You will sleep on the sofa. What is your -name? I've forgotten. Aleksey?" - -"Yevsey." - -"Oh, yes." He raised the lamp, and pointed to the wall. "There's my son -John." - -A portrait made in thin pencil strokes and set in a narrow white frame -hung inconspicuously upon the wall. It was a young but stern face, with -a large forehead, a sharp nose, and stubbornly compressed lips. The lamp -shook in the old man's hands, the shade knocked against the chimney, -filling the room with a gentle whining sound. - -"John," he repeated, setting the lamp back on the table. "A man's name -means a great deal." - -He thrust his head through the window, breathed in the cold air noisily, -and without turning to Yevsey asked him to prepare the samovar. - -When Yevsey was busying himself around the oven, a hunch-backed man -entered, removed his straw hat in silence, and fanned his face with it. - -"It's close, even though it's autumn already," he said in a beautiful -chest voice. - -"Aha, you here!" said the Smokestack. - -They began to converse in low tones while standing at the window. Yevsey -realizing that they were speaking about him strained his ears to catch -what they were saying. But he could not distinguish any words. - -The three then seated themselves at the table, and the Smokestack began -to pour the tea. Yevsey from time to time stole a look at the guest. His -face, shaven like the Smokestack's, was bluish with a huge thin-lipped -mouth and dark eyes sunk in two hollows under a high smooth forehead. -His head, bald to the crown, was angular and large. He kept drumming -quietly on the table with his long fingers. - -"Well, read," said the Smokestack. - -"From the beginning?" - -"Yes." - -The hunch-back pulled out a package of papers from his coat-pocket and -opened it. "I'll skip the titles. This is the way I've done it." He -coughed, and half closing his eyes began to read. "'We people known to -nobody and already arrived at a ripe age now fall slavishly at your feet -with this distressing statement of grievances, which wells from the very -depths of our hearts, our hearts shattered by life but not robbed of -sacred faith in the grace and wisdom of Your Majesty.' Well, is it -good?" - -"Continue," said the Smokestack. - -"'For you are the father of the Russian people, the source of good -counsel, and the only power on earth capable--'" - -"Better say, 'the only power on earth endowed with authority,'" -suggested the Smokestack. - -"Wait, wait. 'The only power capable of restoring and maintaining order, -justice--' Here we must put in a third word for the sake of symmetry, -but I don't know what word." - -"Be more careful in your choice of words," said the Smokestack, sternly -but not aloud. "Remember that they convey a different meaning to every -man." - -The hunchback looked at him, and adjusted his glasses. - -"Yes, that will come later. 'Great Russia is falling into ruin. Evil is -rampant in our country and horror prevails. People are oppressed by -want. The heart has become perverted with envy. The patient and gentle -Russian is perishing, and a heartless tribe ferocious with greed is -being born, a race of wolves, cruel animals of prey. Faith is dissolved, -and outside her fortress the people stand perturbed. Persons of depraved -minds aim at the defenseless, take them captive with satanic shrewdness, -and entice them onto the road of crime against all thy laws, Master of -our lives.'" - -"'Master?' That's for a bishop," grumbled the Smokestack. - -"Don't you like it?" - -"No, we must make it different." - -"How?" - -"We must tell him directly that a general revolt against life is -stirring among the people, and that 'therefore Thou, who art called by -God--'" - -The hunchback shook his head disapprovingly. - -"We may point out. We have no right to advise." - -"Who is our enemy, and what is his name? Atheist, Socialist, and -Revolutionist, a trinity. The destroyer of the family, the robber of our -children, the fore-runner of the anti-Christ." - -"You and I don't believe in the anti-Christ," said the hunchback -quietly. - -"That doesn't matter. We are speaking of the masses. They believe in the -anti-Christ. And we must point out the root of the main evil where we -see it. In the doctrine of destruction--" - -"He knows it himself." - -"How should he? Who would tell him the truth? Nobody cast the noose of -insanity around his children. And on what are their teachings based? On -general poverty and discontent with poverty. And we ought to say to him -straight out, 'Thou art the father, and thou art rich. Then give the -riches thou hast accumulated to thy people. Thus thou wilt cut off the -root of the evil, and everything will have been saved by thy hand.'" - -The hunchback drew up his shoulders, and spread his mouth into a wide, -thin crack. - -"They'll send us to the mines for that." - -Then he looked into Yevsey's face and at the master. - -Klimkov listened to the reading and the conversation as to a fairytale, -and felt that all the words entered his head and fixed themselves -forever in his memory. With parted lips and popping eyes he looked now -at one, now at the other, and did not drop his gaze even when the dark -look of the hunchback fastened upon his face. He was fascinated by the -proceedings. - -"Anyway," said the hunchback, "this is inconvenient." - -"What is it, Klimkov?" asked the Smokestack glumly. - -Yevsey's throat grew dry, and he did not answer at once. - -"I am listening." - -Suddenly he realized by their faces that they did not believe him, that -they were afraid of him. He rose from the table, and said, getting his -words mixed: - -"I won't say anything to a soul--I need it myself. Please let me -listen--why, I myself said to you, Kapiton Ivanovich, that things ought -to be different." - -"You see?" said the Smokestack crossly, pointing at Yevsey. "You see, -Anton, what does it mean? Still a boy, a little boy, yet, he, too, says -things should be different. That's where they get their strength from." - -"Yes, yes," said the hunchback. - -Yevsey grew timid, and dropped back on his chair. The Smokestack, moving -his eyelids, bent toward him. - -"I will tell you--we are writing a letter to the Czar. We ask him to -take more rigorous measures against those who are under supervision for -political infidelity. Do you understand?" - -"I understand." - -"Those people," the hunchback began to say clearly and slowly, "are -agents of foreign governments, chiefly of England. They receive huge -salaries for stirring up the Russian people to revolt and for weakening -the power of the government. The Englishmen do it so that we should not -take India from them." - -They spoke to Yevsey by turns. When one had finished, the other took up -the word. He listened attentively trying to remember their strange, -eloquent flow of language. Finally, however, he tired from the unusual -exertion of his brain. It seemed to him he would soon understand -something huge, which would illuminate the whole of life and all people, -their entire misfortune and their malicious irritation. It was -inexpressibly pleasant for him to recognize that two wise men spoke to -him as to an adult, and he was powerfully gripped by a feeling of -gratitude and respect for these men, poorly dressed and so preoccupied -with deliberations upon the construction of a new life. But now, his -head grown heavy, as if filled with lead, he involuntarily closed his -eyes, oppressed by a painful sensation of fullness in his breast. - -"Go, lie down and sleep," said the Smokestack. - -Klimkov rose obediently, undressed, and lay down on the sofa. - -The autumn night breathed warm fragrant moisture into the window. -Thousands and thousands of bright stars quivered in the dark sky, flying -up higher and higher. The fire of the lamp flickered, and likewise tore -itself upward. The two men bending toward each other read and spoke -gravely and quietly. Everything round about was mysterious, -awe-inspiring. It lifted Yevsey upward pleasantly, to something new, to -something good. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - -When Yevsey had been living with Kapiton Ivanovich only a few days, he -began to feel he was of some consequence. Formerly he had talked quietly -and respectfully with the gendarmes who served in the chancery. Now, -however, he called the old man Butenko to him in a stern voice, in order -to administer a rebuke. - -"Look, flies in my inkstand! How can I write with flies in my ink?" - -The grey soldier covered with crosses and medals entered into his usual -nonchalant, many-worded explanation. - -"There are all in all thirty-four inkstands here, and there are -thousands of flies. All the flies want to drink. That's why they crawl -into the inkstands. What are they to do?" - -"Wash it, and put in fresh ink," ordered Klimkov. Then he walked into -the dressing-room, where he stationed himself before the looking-glass -and carefully regarded his thin face, grey and angular, with its sharp -little nose and narrow lips. He searched for signs of a mustache, looked -into his watery and uncertain eyes. - -"I must get my hair cut," he decided after failing to smooth the thin, -light tufts of hair on his head. "And I ought to wear starched collars; -my neck is too thin." - -The very same evening he got his hair cut, bought two collars, and felt -himself still more a man. - -The Smokestack was attentive and kind in his behavior toward Yevsey, but -often a smile of derision gleamed in his eyes which somewhat -disconcerted and awed the young fellow. Whenever the hunchback came, the -old man's face assumed a preoccupied expression, and his voice sounded -stern. He cut short almost everything the other man said with an -objection: - -"It's not that--it's not so--no, you're no wiser than I am--your brain -is like a poor gun, it scatters the thought on all sides. You ought to -shoot so that the whole charge goes in the same direction." - -The hunchback shook his head sadly, and answered in a thick voice: - -"Wait. Good work cannot be done in a day. You must keep at it." - -"Time flies, the enemy grows." - -"By the way, I noticed a man the other day," said the hunchback, "who -took lodgings not far from my place. He was tall, had a pointed beard -and screwed-up eyes, and walked quickly. I asked the dvornik where he -was working. He told me the man had come to look for a position. I -immediately wrote a letter to the Department of Safety. You see?" - -The Smokestack interrupted his talk with a wide sweep of his arm. - -"That's not important. The house is damp, that's why there are roaches -in it. You won't get rid of them that way. The house must be made dry." - -Another time in the course of the evening the Smokestack said: - -"I am a soldier. I commanded half a company, and I understand life. It -is necessary for everybody to be thoroughly familiar with the laws and -regulations. Such knowledge produces unanimity. What hinders knowledge -of the law? Poverty and stupidity; stupidity in itself being a result of -poverty. Why doesn't he fight poverty? In want is the root of human -folly and of hostility to him, the Czar." - -Yevsey greedily swallowed the old man's words, and believed them. The -root of all human misfortune is poverty. That was clear and simple. -Hence come envy, malice, cruelty. Hence also greed and the fear of life -common to all people, the apprehension of one another. The Smokestack's -plan was also simple. The Czar was rich, the people poor; then let the -Czar give the people his riches, and all would be contented and good. - -Yevsey's attitude toward people changed. He remained as obliging as -before, but became more self-assertive, and began to look upon others -condescendingly, with the eyes of a man who understands the secret of -life and can point out where the road lies to peace and calm. - -He felt the need for boasting of his knowledge; so once, when lunching -in the cafe with Yakov Zarubin, he proudly expounded everything he had -heard from the old man and his hunchback friend. - -Zarubin's narrow eyes flashed. He fidgetted in his seat, and for some -reason rumpled his hair by thrusting the fingers of both hands through -it. - -"That's true, by golly!" he exclaimed in an undertone. "What the -devil--really! He has thousands of millions, and we are perishing here. -Who taught you all that?" - -"Nobody," said Yevsey firmly. "I thought it out myself." - -"No, tell me the truth. Where did you hear it?" - -"I tell you, I came to the conclusion myself." - -Yakov looked at him with satisfaction. - -"If that's so," he said, "you haven't a bad head. But you're lying." - -Yevsey felt affronted. - -"It's all the same to me whether you believe me or not. It's the worse -for you if you don't." - -"For me?" asked Yakov, and for some reason burst out laughing, merrily -and vigorously rubbing his hands. - -Two days later the assistant captain Komov and a grey-eyed gentleman -with a round close-cropped head and a bored yellow face, came up to -Yevsey's table. - -"Klimkov, betake yourself to the Department of Safety," said the captain -clearly and ominously. "Is your desk locked?" - -"No." - -Yevsey rose, but his legs trembled, and he dropped into his chair again. -The crop-haired man drew nearer. - -"Permit me," he said drily, then pulled out the table drawer and took -out the papers. - -Weak and uncomprehending Klimkov recovered his senses in a half dark -room at a desk covered with green felt. A wave of anguish rose and fell -in his breast. The floor heaved and billowed under his feet, and the -walls of the room, filled, as it were with green dusk, turned around -steadily. Over the table rose a man's white face framed in a thick black -beard and spotted by gleaming blue eye-glasses. Yevsey kept his eyes -fastened on the glass of the spectacles, on the blue bottomless -darkness, which drew him like a magnet and seemed to suck the blood from -his veins. Without waiting for a question Klimkov quietly told about the -Smokestack and his hunchback friend. He had understood their talks well, -and now spoke connectedly in great detail. He seemed to be removing a -thin layer of skin from his heart. - -A high voice, which cut the ear, interrupted him. - -"So? So these jackasses say the emperor the Czar is the fault of -everything?" - -"Yes." - -The man with the blue glasses slowly stretched out his hand, put the -telephone receiver to his ear, and asked in a sportive tone: - -"Belkin, that you? Yes? See to it, old fellow, that search is made -to-night in the rooms of two scoundrels. Arrest them. Eh--eh--a clerk in -the chancery department, Kapiton Reuesov. Eh--eh--and a functionary of -the court of exchequer--Anton Driagin--what? Well, yes, of course." - -Yevsey seized the edge of the table with his hand, feeling a dull pain -in his eyes. - -"So, my friend," said the man with the black beard, throwing himself -back on the armchair. He smoothed his beard with both hands, played with -his pencil, flung it on the table, and thrust his hands into his -trousers' pockets. He was silent for a painfully long time, then he -asked sternly, emphasizing each word: - -"What am I to do with you now?" - -"Forgive me," came from Yevsey in a whisper. - -"Klimkov?" mused the black-bearded man, ignoring Yevsey's reply. "Seems -to me I heard the name somewhere." - -"Forgive me," repeated Yevsey. - -"Do you feel yourself very guilty?" - -"Very." - -"That's good. What do you feel guilty of?" - -Klimkov was silent. He felt as if the black-bearded man sitting so -comfortably and calmly in his chair would never let him leave the room. - -"You don't know? Think!" - -Klimkov drew more air into his lungs, and began to tell of Rayisa and -how she had suffocated the old man. - -"Lukin?" the man with the blue goggles queried, yawning indifferently. -"Aha, that's why your name is familiar to me." - -He walked over to Yevsey, lifted his chin with his finger, and looked -into his face for a few seconds. Then he rang. - -A heavy tramp was heard, and a big pockmarked fellow with huge wrists -appeared at the door, and looked at Yevsey. He had a terrifying way of -spreading his red fingers like claws. - -"Take him, Semyonov." - -"To the corner cell?" asked the fellow in a hollow voice. - -"Yes." - -"Come," said Semyonov. - -Klimkov wanted to drop on his knees. He was already bending his legs, -when the fellow seized him under the arm, and pulled him through the -long corridor, down the stone stairway. - -"What's the matter, brat? Frightened?" he said, pushing Yevsey through a -small door. "Such a spider, no face, no skin, yet a rebel!" - -His words completely crushed Yevsey. He walked forward with -out-stretched hands, and bumped against the wall. When he heard the -heavy clang of the iron door behind him, he squatted on the floor, -putting his hands about his knees and raising his knees to his drooping -head. A heavy silence descended upon him. It seemed to him he would die -instantly. Suddenly he jumped from the floor, and ran about the room -like a mouse. His groping hands felt the palette covered with a rough -blanket, a table, a chair. He ran to the door, touched it, noticed in -the wall opposite a little square window, and rushed toward the window. -It was below the level of the ground. The area between the ground and -the outer wall was laid over with horizontal bars through which the snow -sifted with a soft swish, creeping down the dirty panes. Klimkov turned -noiselessly toward the door, and leaned his forehead upon it. - -"Forgive me. Let me out," he whispered in his anguish. - -Then he dropped on the floor again, and lost consciousness, drowned in a -wave of despair. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - -The days and nights dragged along in black and grey stripes, slowly -poisoning Yevsey's soul, biting into it and enfeebling it. They crept by -in dumb stillness, filled with ominous threats and forebodings. They -said nothing of when they would end their slow racking course. In -Yevsey's soul everything grew silent and numb. He did not dare, was -unable to, think; and when he paced his cage, he tried to make his steps -inaudible. - -On the tenth day he was again set before the man in the blue glasses. -The man who had brought him there the first time was also present. - -"Not very pleasant, eh, Klimkov?" the dark man asked, smacking his thick -red lower lip. His high voice made an odd splashing sound as if he were -laughing inside himself. The reflection of the electric light upon the -blue glass of his spectacles sent strong rays into Yevsey's empty -breast, and filled him with slavish readiness to do everything necessary -to end these slimy days which sank into darkness and threatened madness. - -"Let me go," he said quietly. - -"Yes, I will, and more besides. I will take you into the service. Now -you will yourself put people into the place from which you have just -been taken--into the same place and into other cosy little rooms." He -laughed, smacking his lip. Klimkov bowed. "The late Lukin interceded for -you; and in memory of his honest service I will give you a position. You -will receive twenty-five rubles a month to begin with." - -His words entered Yevsey's breast and memory, and disposed themselves in -a row, as if a commanding hand had written them there. He bowed again. - -"This man, Piotr Petrovich, will be your chief and teacher. You must do -everything he tells you. Do you understand?" He turned to the other man. -"So it's decided--he will live with you." - -"Very well," came the response with unexpected loudness. "That will be -more convenient for me." - -"All right." - -The dark man turning again to Yevsey began to speak to him in a softened -voice, telling him something soothing and promising. Yevsey tried to -take in his words, and followed the heavy movement of the red lip under -the mustache without winking. - -"Remember, you will now guard the sacred person of the Czar from -attempts upon his life and upon his sacred power. You understand?" - -"I thank you humbly," said Yevsey quietly. - -Piotr Petrovich pushed his hat up on his forehead. - -"I will explain everything to him," he interjected hastily. "It is time -for me to go." - -"Go, go. Well, Klimkov, off with you. Serve well, brother, and you will -be satisfied. You will be happy. All the same don't forget that you took -part in the murder of the secondhand book-dealer Raspopov. You confessed -to it yourself, and I took your testimony down in writing. Do you -understand? Well, so long." - -Filip Filippovich nodded his head, and his stiff beard, which seemed to -be cut from wood, moved in unison with it. Then he held out to Yevsey a -white bloated hand with a number of gold rings on the short fingers. - -Yevsey closed his eyes, and started. - -"What a scarey fellow you are, brother!" Filip Filippovich ejaculated in -a thin voice, and laughed a glassy laugh. "Now you have nothing and -nobody to fear. You are now the servant of the Czar, and ought to be -self-assured and bold. You stand on firm ground. Do you comprehend?" - -When Yevsey walked out into the street, he could not catch his breath. -He staggered, and almost fell. Piotr, raising the collar of his -overcoat, looked around and waved to a cab. - -"We will ride home--to my house," he said in a low tone. - -Yevsey looked at him from the corners of his eyes, and almost uttered a -cry. Piotr's smooth-shaven face had suddenly grown a small light -mustache. - -"Well, why are you gaping at me in that fashion?" he asked gruffly, in -annoyance. - -Yevsey dropped his head, trying in spite of his wish to do so, not to -look into the face of the new master of his destiny. Piotr did not speak -to him throughout the ride, but kept counting something on his fingers, -bending them one after the other and knitting his brows and biting his -lips. Occasionally he called out angrily to the driver: - -"Hurry!" - -It was cold, sleet was falling, and splashing sounds floated in the air. -It seemed to Yevsey that the cab was quickly rolling down a steep -mountain into a black dirty ravine. - -They stopped at a large three-storied house. Most of the windows in -three rows were dark and blind. Only a few gleamed a sickly yellow from -the illumination within. Streams of water poured from the roof sobbing. - -"Go up the steps," commanded Piotr, who was now sans mustache. - -They ascended the steps and walked through a long corridor past a number -of white doors. Yevsey thought the place was a prison, but the thick -odor of fried onion and blacking did not accord with his conception of a -prison. Piotr quickly opened one of the white doors, turned on two -electric lights, and carefully scrutinized all the corners of the room. - -"If anybody asks you who you are," he said drily and quickly while -removing his hat and overcoat, "say you are my cousin. You came from the -Tzarskoe Selo to look for a position. Remember--don't make a break." - -Piotr's face wore a preoccupied expression, his eyes were cheerless, his -speech abrupt, his thin lips twitched. He rang, and thrust his head out -of the door. - -"Ivan, bring in the samovar," he called. - -Yevsey standing in a corner of the room looked around dismally, in vague -expectation. - -"Take off your coat, and sit down. You will have the next room to -yourself," said the spy, quickly unfolding a card table. He took from -his pocket a note-book and a pack of cards, which he laid out for four -hands. - -"You understand, of course," he went on without looking at Klimkov, "you -understand that ours is a secret business. We must keep under cover, or -else they'll kill us as they killed Lukin." - -"Was he killed?" asked Yevsey quietly. - -"Yes," said Piotr unconcernedly. He wiped his forehead and examined the -cards. "Deal one thousand two hundred and fourteen--I have the ace, -seven of hearts, queen of clubs." He made a note in his book, and -without raising his head continued to speak to himself. - -When he calculated the cards, he mumbled indistinctly with a preoccupied -air; but when he instructed Yevsey, he spoke drily, clearly, and -rapidly. "Revolutionists are enemies of the Czar and God--ten of -diamonds--three--Jack of spades--they are bought by the Germans in order -to bring ruin upon Russia. We Russians have begun to do everything -ourselves, and for the Germans--king, five and nine--the devil! The -sixteenth coincidence!" - -Piotr Petrovich suddenly grew jolly, his eyes gleamed, and his face -assumed a sleek, satisfied expression. - -"What was I saying?" he asked Yevsey looking up at him. - -"The Germans." - -"Oh, yes! The Germans are greedy, they are enemies of the Russian -people, they want to conquer us. They want us to buy all our goods from -them, and give them our bread. The Germans have no bread--queen of -diamonds--all right--two of hearts, ten of clubs, ten--" Screwing up his -eyes he looked up at the ceiling, sighed, and shuffled the cards. "In -general, all foreigners envious of the wealth and power of Russia--one -thousand two hundred and fifteenth deal--want to create a revolt in our -country, dethrone the Czar, and--three aces--hmm!--and place their own -officials everywhere, their own rulers over us in order to rob us and -ruin us. You don't want this to happen, do you?" - -"I don't," said Yevsey, who understood nothing, and followed the quick -movements of the card-player's fingers with a dull look. - -"Of course, nobody wants it," remarked Piotr pensively. He laid out the -cards again, and stroked his cheeks meditatively. "You are a Russian, -and you cannot want that--that--this should happen--therefore you ought -to fight the revolutionaries, agents of the foreigners, and defend the -liberty of Russia, the power and life of the Czar. That's all. Did you -understand?" - -"I did." - -"Afterward you will see the way it must be done. The only thing I'll -tell you beforehand is, don't dwaddle. Carry out all orders precisely. -We fellows ought to have eyes in back as well as in front. If you -haven't, you'll get it good and hard on all sides--ace of spades, seven -of diamonds, ten of clubs." - -There was a knock at the door. - -"Open the door." - -A red, curly-haired man entered carrying a samovar on a tray. - -"Ivan, this is my cousin. He will live here with me. Get the next room -ready for him." - -"Yes, sir. Mr. Chizhov was here." - -"Drunk?" - -"A little. He wanted to come in." - -"Make tea, Yevsey," said the spy after the servant had left the room. -"Get yourself a glass and drink some tea. What salary did you get in the -police department?" - -"Nine rubles a month." - -"You have no money now?" - -"No." - -"You've got to have some, and you must order a suit for yourself. One -suit won't do. You must notice everybody, but nobody must notice you." - -He again mumbled calculations of the cards. Yevsey, while noiselessly -serving the tea, tried to straighten out the strange impressions of the -day. But he was not successful. He felt sick. He was chilled through and -through, and his hands shook. He wanted to stretch himself out in a -corner, close his eyes, and lie motionless for a long time. Words and -phrases repeated themselves disconnectedly in his head. - -"What are you guilty of, then?" Filip Filippovich asked in a thin voice. - -"They killed Dorimedont Lukin," the spy announced drily; then exclaimed -joyfully, "The sixteenth coincidence!" - -"You will choke yourself," said Rayisa in an even voice. - -There was a powerful rap on the door. Piotr raised his head. - -"Is it you, Sasha?" - -"Well, open the door," an angry voice answered. - -When Yevsey opened the door, a tall man loomed before him, swaying on -long legs. The ends of his black mustache reached to the bottom of his -chin. The hairs of it must have been stiff and hard as a horse's, for -each one stuck out by itself. When he removed his hat, he displayed a -bald skull. He flung the hat on the bed, and rubbed his face vigorously -with both hands. - -"Why are you throwing your wet hat on my bed?" observed Piotr. - -"The devil take your bed!" said the guest through his nose. - -"Yevsey, hang up the overcoat." - -The visitor seated himself, stretching out his long legs and lighting a -cigarette. - -"What's that--Yevsey?" - -"My cousin. Will you have some tea?" - -"We're all akin in our natural skin. Have you whiskey?" - -Piotr told Klimkov to order a bottle of whiskey and some refreshments. -Yevsey obeyed, then seated himself at the table, putting the samovar -between his face and the visitor's, so as not to be seen by him. - -"How's business, card sharper?" he asked, nodding his head at the cards. - -Piotr suddenly half raised himself from the chair, and said animatedly: - -"I have found out the secret! I have found out the secret!" - -"You have found it out?" queried the visitor. "Fool!" he exclaimed, -drawling the word and shaking his head. - -Piotr seized the note-book and rapping his fingers on it continued in a -hot whisper: - -"Wait, Sasha. I have had the sixteenth coincidence already. You get the -significance of that? And I made only one one thousand two hundred and -fourteen deals. Now the cards keep repeating themselves oftener and -oftener. I must make two thousand seven hundred and four deals. You -understand? Fifty-two times fifty-two. Then make all the deals over -again thirteen times, according to the number of cards in each color. -Thirty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty-two times. And repeat these -deals four times according to the number of colors. One hundred and -forty thousand six hundred and eight times." - -"Fool!" the visitor again drawled through his nose, shaking his head and -curling his lips in a sneer. - -"Why, Sasha, why? Explain!" Piotr cried softly. "Why, then I'll know all -the deals possible in a game. Think of it! I'll look at my cards--" he -held the book nearer to his face and began to read quickly--"ace of -spades, seven of diamonds, ten of clubs. So of the other players one has -king of hearts, five and ten of diamonds, and the other, ace, seven of -hearts, queen of clubs, and the third has queen of diamonds, two of -hearts, and ten of clubs." - -His hands trembled, sweat glistened on his temples, his face became -young, good, and kind. - -Klimkov peering from behind the samovar saw on Sasha's face large dim -eyes with red veins on the whites, a coarse big nose, which seemed to be -swollen, and a net of pimples spread on the yellow skin of his forehead -from temple to temple like the band worn by the dead. He radiated an -acrid, unpleasant odor. The man recalled something painful to Yevsey. - -Piotr pressed the book to his breast, and waved his hand in the air. - -"I shall then be able to play without a single miss," he whispered -ecstatically. "Hundreds of thousands, millions, will be lost to me, and -there won't be any sharp practice, any jugglery in it, a matter of my -knowledge--that's all. Everything strictly within the law." - -He struck his chest so severe a blow with his fist that he began to -cough. Then he dropped on his chair, and laughed quietly. - -"Why don't they bring the whiskey?" growled Sasha, throwing the stump of -his cigarette on the floor. - -"Yevsey, go tell--" Piotr began quickly, but at that instant there was a -knock at the door. "Are you drinking again?" Piotr asked smiling. - -Sasha stretched out his hand for the bottle. - -"Not yet, but I will be in a second." - -"It's bad for you with your sickness." - -"Whiskey is bad for healthy people, too. Whiskey and the imagination. -You, for instance, will soon be an idiot." - -"I won't. Don't be uneasy." - -"You will. I know mathematics. I see you are a blockhead." - -"Everyone has his own mathematics," replied Piotr, disgruntled. - -"Shut up!" said Sasha, slowly sipping the glass of whiskey and smelling -a piece of bread. Having drained the first glass, he immediately filled -another for himself. - -"To-day," he began, bending his head and resting his hands on his knees, -"I spoke to the general again. I made a proposition to him. I said, 'Now -give me means, and I'll unearth people. I will open a literary club, and -trap the very best scamps for you, all of them.' He puffed his cheeks, -and stuck out his belly and said--the jackass!--'I know better what has -to be done, and how it has to be done.' He knows everything. But he -doesn't know that his mistress danced naked before Von Rutzen, or that -his daughter had an abortion performed." He drained the second glass of -whiskey, and filled the third. "Everybody's a blackguard and a skunk. -It's impossible to live! Once Moses ordered 23,000 syphilitics to be -killed. At that time there weren't many people, mark you. If I had the -power I would destroy a million." - -"Yourself first?" suggested Piotr smiling. - -Sasha sniffed without answering, as if in a delirium. - -"All those liberals, generals, revolutionists, dissolute women--I'd make -a large pyre of them and burn them. I would drench the earth with blood, -manure it with the ashes of the corpses. There would be a rich crop. -Satiated muzhiks would elect satiated officials. Man is an animal, and -he needs rich pastures, fertile fields. The cities ought to be -destroyed, and everything superficial, everything that hinders me and -you from living simply as the sheep and roosters--to the devil with it -all!" - -His viscid rank-smelling words fairly glued themselves to Yevsey's -heart. It was difficult and dangerous to listen to them. - -"Suddenly they will summon me and ask me what he said. Maybe he's -speaking on purpose to trap me. Then they'll seize me." He trembled and -moved uneasily in his chair. "May I go?" he requested of Piotr quietly. - -"Where?" - -"To my room." - -"Oh, yes, go on." - -"Got frightened, the donkey!" remarked Sasha without lifting his head. - -"Go on, go on," repeated Piotr. - -Klimkov undressed noiselessly without making a light. He groped for the -bed in the dark, and rolled himself up closely in the cold, damp sheet. -He wanted to see nothing, to hear nothing, he wanted to squeeze himself -into a little unnoticeable lump. The snuffled words of Sasha clung in -his memory. Yevsey thought he smelt his odor and saw the red band on the -yellow forehead. As a matter of fact the irritated exclamations came in -to him through the door. - -"I am a muzhik myself, I know what's necessary." - -Without wishing to do so Yevsey listened intently. He racked his brain -to recall the person of whom this sick man so full of rancor reminded -him, though he actually dreaded lest he should remember. - -It was dark and cold. Behind the black panes rocked the dull reflections -of the light, disappearing and reappearing. A thin scraping sound was -audible. The wind-swept rain knocked upon the panes in heavy drops. - -"Shall I enter a monastery?" Klimkov mused mournfully, and suddenly he -remembered God, whose name he had seldom heard in his life in the city. -He had not thought of Him the whole time. In his heart always full of -fear and insult there had been no place for hope in the mercy of Heaven. -But now it unexpectedly appeared, and suffused his breast with warmth, -extinguishing his heavy, dull despair. He jumped from bed, kneeled on -the floor, and firmly pressed his hands to his bosom. He turned his face -to the dark corner of the room, closed his eyes, and waited without -uttering words, listening to the beating of his heart. But he was -exceedingly tired. The cold pricked his skin with thousands of sharp -needles. He shivered, and lay down again in bed, and fell asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - -When Yevsey awoke he saw that in the corner to which he had directed his -mute prayer there were no ikons, but two pictures on the wall, one -representing a hunter with a green feather in his hat kissing a stout -girl, the other a fair-haired woman with naked bosom, holding a flower -in her hand. - -He sighed as he looked around his room without interest. When he had -washed and dressed he seated himself at the window. The middle of the -street upon which he looked, the pavements, and the houses were all -dirty. The horses plodded along shaking their heads, damp drivers sat on -the box-seats, also shaking as if they had come unscrewed. The people as -always were hurrying somewhere. To-day, when splashed with mud, they -seemed less dangerous than usual. - -Yevsey was hungry. But he did not know whether he had the right to ask -for tea and bread, and remained motionless as a stone until he heard a -knock on the wall, upon which he went to the door of Piotr's room. - -"Have you had tea yet?" asked the spy, who was still lying in bed. - -"No." - -"Ask for it." - -Piotr stuck his bare feet out of the bed, and looked at his fingers as -he stretched them. - -"We'll drink tea, and then you'll go with me," he said yawning. "I'll -show you a man, and you will follow him. You must go wherever he goes, -you understand? Note the time he enters a house and how long he stays -there. If he leaves the house, or meets another man on the way, notice -the appearance of that man and then--well, you won't understand -everything at the very first." Piotr looked at Klimkov, whistled -quietly, and turning aside continued lazily, "Last night Sasha babbled -about various things here--he upbraided everybody--don't think of saying -anything about it. Take care. He's a sick man, and drinks, but he's a -power. _You_ can't hurt _him_, but _he'll_ eat _you_ up alive. Remember -that. Why, brother, he was a student once himself, and he knows their -business down to a 't.' He was even put in prison for political offence. -And now he gets a hundred rubles a month, and not only Filip Filippovich -but even the general calls on him for advice. Yes, indeed." Piotr drew -his flabby face, crumpled with sleep, in a frown, his grey eyes lowered -with dissatisfaction. He dressed while he spoke in a bored, grumbling -voice. "Our work is not a joke. If you catch people by their throats in -a trice, then of course--but first you must tramp about a hundred versts -for each one, and sometimes more. You must know where each man was at a -given time, with whom he was, in fact, you have to know -everything--everything." - -The evening before, notwithstanding the agitations of the day; Klimkov -had found Piotr an interesting, clever person. Now, however, seeing that -he spoke with an effort, that he moved about reluctantly, and that -everything dropped from his hands, Yevsey felt bolder in his presence. - -"Must we walk the streets the whole day long?" he plucked up the courage -to ask. - -"Sometimes you have a night outing, too, in the cold, thirty degrees -Centigrade. A very evil demon invented our profession." - -"And when they all will have been caught?" - -"Who?" - -"The unfaithful ones, the enemies." - -"Say revolutionists, or political offenders. You and I won't catch -everyone of them. They all seem to be born twins." - -At tea Piotr opened his book. On looking into it, he suddenly grew -animated. He jumped from his chair, quickly laid out the cards, and -began to calculate--"One thousand two hundred and sixteenth deal. I have -three of spades, seven of hearts, ace of diamonds." - -Before leaving the house he put on a black overcoat and an imitation -sheepskin cap, and stuck a portfolio in his hand, making himself look -like an official. - -"Don't walk alongside me on the street," he said sternly, "and don't -speak to me. I will enter a certain house; you go into the dvornik's -lodging, tell him you have to wait for Timofeyev. I'll soon--" - -Fearing he would lose Piotr in the crowd Yevsey walked behind him -without removing his eyes from his figure. But all of a sudden Piotr -disappeared. Klimkov was at a loss. He rushed forward, then stopped, and -pressed himself against a lamp-post. Opposite him rose a large house -with gratings over the dark windows of the first story. Through the -narrow entrance he saw a bleak gloomy yard paved with large stones. -Klimkov was afraid to enter. He looked all around him uneasily shifting -from one foot to the other. - -A man with a reddish little beard now walked out with hasty steps. He -wore a sort of sleeveless jacket and a cap with a visor pulled down on -his forehead. He winked his grey eyes at Yevsey, and said in a low tone: - -"Come here. Why didn't you go to the dvornik?" - -"I lost you," Yevsey admitted. - -"Lost? Look out! You might get it in the neck for that. Listen. Three -doors away from here is the Zemstvo Board building. A man will soon -leave the place who works there. His name is Dmitry Ilyich Kurnosov. -Remember. You are to follow him. You understand? Come, and I will show -him to you." - -Several minutes later Klimkov like a little dog was quickly following a -man in a worn overcoat and a crumpled black hat. The man was large and -strong. He walked rapidly, swung a cane, and rapped it on the asphalt -vigorously. Black hair with a sprinkling of grey fell from under his hat -on his ears and the back of his neck. - -Yevsey was suddenly overcome by a feeling of pity, which was a rare -thing with him. It imperiously demanded action. Perspiring from -agitation he darted across the street in short steps, ran forward, -recrossed the street, and met the man breast to breast. Before him -flashed a dark-bearded face, with meeting brows, a smile reflected in -blue eyes, and a broad forehead seamed with wrinkles. The man's lips -moved. He was evidently singing or speaking to himself. - -Klimkov stopped and wiped the perspiration from his face with his hands. -Then he followed the man with bent head and eyes cast to the ground, -raising them only now and then in order not to lose the object of his -observation from sight. - -"Not young," he thought. "A poor man apparently. It all comes from -poverty and from fear, too." - -He remembered the Smokestack, and trembled. - -"He'll kill me," he thought. Then he grew sorry for the Smokestack. - -The buildings looked down upon him with dim, tired eyes. The noise of -the street crept into his ears insistently, the cold liquid mud squirted -and splashed. Klimkov was overcome by a sense of gloomy monotony. He -recalled Rayisa, and was drawn to move aside, away from the street. - -The man he was tracking stopped at the steps of a house, pushed the bell -button, raised his hat, fanned his face with it, and flung it back on -his head, leaving bare part of a bald skull. Yevsey stationed himself -five steps away at the curb. He looked pityingly into the man's face, -and felt the need to tell him something. The man observed him, frowned, -and turned away. Yevsey, disconcerted, dropped his head, and sat down on -the curb. - -"If he only had insulted me," he thought. "But this way, without any -provocation, it's not good, it's not good." - -"From the Department of Safety?" he heard a low hissing voice. The -question was asked by a tall reddish muzhik with a dirty apron and a -broom in his hands. - -"Yes," responded Yevsey, and the very same instant thought, "I ought not -to have told him." - -"A new one again?" remarked the janitor. "You are all after Kurnosov?" - -"Yes." - -"So? Tell the officers that this morning a guest came to him from the -railroad station with trunks, three trunks. He hasn't registered yet -with the police. He has twenty-four hours' time. A little sort of a -pretty fellow with a small mustache. He wears clean clothes." The -dvornik ran the broom over the pavement several times, and sprinkled -Yevsey's shoes and trousers with mud. Presently he stopped to remark, -"You can be seen here. They aren't fools either, they notice your kind. -You ought to stand at the gates." - -Yevsey obediently stepped to the gates. Suddenly he noticed Yakov -Zarubin on the other side of the street wearing a new overcoat and -gloves and carrying a cane. The black derby hat was tilted on his head, -and as he walked along the pavement he smiled and ogled like a street -girl confident of her beauty. - -"Good morning," he said, looking around. "I came to replace you. Go to -Somov's cafe on Lebed Street, ask for Nikolay Pavlov there." - -"Are you in the Department of Safety, too?" asked Yevsey. - -"I got there ten days before you. Why?" - -Yevsey looked at him, at his beaming swart countenance. - -"Was it you who told about me?" - -"And didn't you betray the Smokestack?" - -After thinking a while Yevsey answered glumly: - -"I did it after you had betrayed me. You were the only one I told." - -"And you were the only one the Smokestack told. Ugh!" Yakov laughed, and -gave Yevsey a poke on the shoulder. "Go quick, you crooked chicken!" He -walked by Yevsey's side swinging his cane. "This is a good position. I -understand so much. You can live like a lord, walk about, and look at -everything. You see this suit? Now the girls show me especial -attention." - -Soon he took leave of Yevsey, and turned back quickly. Klimkov following -him with an inimical glance fell to thinking. He considered Yakov a -dissolute, empty fellow, whom he placed lower than himself, and it was -offensive to see him so well satisfied and so elegantly dressed. - -"He informed against me. If I told about the Smokestack it was out of -fear. But why did he do it?" He made mental threats against Yakov. -"Wait, we will see who's the better man." - -When he asked at the cafe for Nikolay Pavlov, he was shown a stairway, -which he ascended. At the top he heard Piotr's voice on the other side -of a door. - -"There are fifty-two cards to a pack. In the city in my district there -are thousands of people, and I know a few hundred of them maybe. I know -who lives with whom, and what and where each of them works. People -change, but cards remain one and the same." - -Besides Sasha there was another man in the room with Piotr, a tall, -well-built person, who stood at the window reading a paper, and did not -move when Yevsey entered. - -"What a stupid mug!" were the words with which Sasha met Yevsey, fixing -an evil look upon his face. "It must be made over. Do you hear, -Maklakov?" - -The man reading the paper turned his head, and looked at Yevsey with -large bright eyes. - -"Yes," he said. - -Piotr, who seemed to be excited and had dishevelled hair, asked Yevsey -what he had seen. The remnants of dinner stood on the table; the odor of -grease and sauer-kraut titillated Yevsey's nostrils, and gave him a keen -appetite. He stood before Piotr, who was cleaning his teeth with a -goose-quill, and in a dispassionate voice repeated the information the -janitor had given him. At the first words of the account Maklakov put -his hands and the paper behind his back, and inclined his head. He -listened attentively twirling his mustache, which like the hair on his -head was a peculiar light shade, a sort of silver with a tinge of -yellow. The clean, serious face with the knit brows and the calm eyes, -the confident pose of his powerful body clad in a close-fitting, well -made, sober suit, the strong bass voice--all this distinguished Maklakov -advantageously from Piotr and Sasha. - -"Did the janitor himself carry the trunks in?" he asked Yevsey. - -"He didn't say." - -"That means he did not carry them in. He would have told you whether -they were heavy or light. They carried them in themselves. Evidently -that's the way it was." - -"The printing office?" asked Sasha. - -"Literature, the current number." - -"Well, we must have a search made," said Sasha gruffly, and uttered an -ugly oath, shaking his fist. - -"I must find the printing-press. Get me type, boys, and I'll fix up a -printing-press myself. I'll find the donkeys. We'll give them all that's -necessary. Then we'll arrest them, and we'll have lots of money." - -"Not a bad scheme!" exclaimed Piotr. - -Maklakov looked at Yevsey, and asked: - -"Have you had your dinner yet?" - -"No." - -"Take your dinner," said Piotr with a nod toward the table. "Be quick -about it." - -"Why treat him to remnants?" asked Maklakov calmly. Then he stepped to -the door, opened it, and called out, "Dinner, please." - -"You try," Sasha snuffled to Piotr, "to persuade that idiot Afanasov to -give us the printing-press they seized last year." - -"Very well, I'll try," Piotr assented meditatively. - -Maklakov did not look at them, but silently twisted his mustache. Dinner -was served. A round pock-marked modest-looking man made his appearance -in the room at the same time as the waiter. He smiled at everyone -benevolently, and shook Yevsey's hand vigorously. - -"My name is Solovyov," he said to him. "Have you heard the news, -friends? This evening there will be a banquet of the revolutionists at -Chistov's hall. Three of our fellows will go there as butlers, among -others you, Piotr." - -"I again?" shouted Piotr, and his face became covered with red blotches. -His anger made him look older. "The third time in two months that I have -had to play lackey! Excuse me! I don't want to." - -"Don't address me on the subject," said Solovyov affably. - -"What does it mean? Why do they choose just me to be a servant?" - -"You look like one," said Sasha, with a smile. - -"There will be three," Solovyov repeated sighing. "What do you say to -having some beer? All right?" - -Piotr opened the door, and shouted in an irritated voice: - -"Half a dozen beer," and he went to the window clenching his fists and -cracking his knuckles. - -"There, you see, Maklakov?" said Sasha. "Among us no one wants to work -seriously, with enthusiasm. But the revolutionists are pushing right -on--banquets, meetings, a shower of literature, open propaganda in the -factories!" - -Maklakov maintained silence, and did not look at Sasha. Round Solovyov -then took up the word, smiling amiably. - -"I caught a girl to-day at the railroad station with books. I had -already noticed her in a villa in the summer. 'Well,' thought I, 'amuse -yourself, my dear.' To-day, as I was walking in the station with no -people to track, I was looking about, and there I see her marching along -carrying a handbag. I went up to her, and respectfully proposed that she -have a couple of words with me. I noticed she started and paled, and hid -the bag behind her back. 'Ah,' thinks I, 'my dear little stupid, you've -gotten yourself into it.' Well, I immediately took her to the police -station, they opened her luggage, and there was the last issue of -'Emancipation' and a whole lot more of their noxious trash. I took the -girl to the Department of Safety. What else was I to do? If you can't -get Krushin pike, you must eat blinkers. In the carriage she kept her -little face turned away from me. I could see her cheeks burned and there -were tears in her eyes. But she kept mum. I asked her, 'Are you -comfortable, madam?' Not a word in reply." - -Solovyov chuckled softly. Trembling rays of wrinkles covered his face. - -"Who is she?" asked Maklakov. - -"Dr. Melikhov's daughter." - -"Ah," drawled Sasha, "I know him." - -"A respectable man. He has the orders of Vladimir and Anna," remarked -Solovyov. - -"I know him," repeated Sasha. "A charlatan, like all the rest. He tried -to cure me." - -"God alone can cure you now," said Solovyov in his affable tone. "You -are ruining your health quickly." - -"Go to the devil!" roared Sasha. - -Maklakov asked without turning his gaze from the window: - -"Did the girl cry?" - -"No. But she didn't exactly rejoice. You know it's always unpleasant to -me to take girls, because in the first place I have a daughter myself." - -"What are you waiting for, Maklakov?" demanded Sasha testily. - -"Until he gets through eating his dinner. I have time." - -"Say, you, chew faster!" Sasha bawled at Klimkov. - -"Yes, yes, hurry," Piotr observed drily. - -As he ate his dinner, Klimkov listened to the talk attentively, and -observed the people while he himself remained unnoticed. He noted with -satisfaction that all of them except Sasha did not seem bad, not worse -or more horrible than others. He was seized with a desire to ingratiate -himself with them, make himself useful to them. He put down the knife -and fork, and quickly wiped his lips with the soiled napkin. - -"I am done." - -The door was flung open, and a loose-limbed fellow, his dress in -disorder, his body bent and stooping, darted into the room, and hissed: - -"Ssh! Ssh!" - -He thrust his head into the corridor, listened, then carefully closed -the door. "Doesn't it lock? Where is the key?" He looked around, and -drew a deep breath. "Thank God!" he exclaimed. - -"Eh, you dunce," sneered Sasha. "Well, what is it? Do they want to lick -you again?" - -The man ran up to him. Panting and wiping the sweat from his face, he -began, to mutter in a low voice: - -"They did, of course. They wanted to kill me with a hammer. Two followed -me from the prison. I was there on business. As I walked out, they were -standing at the gate, two of them, and one of them had a hammer in his -pocket." - -"Maybe it was a revolver," suggested Solovyov stretching his neck. - -"A hammer." - -"Did you see it?" inquired Sasha sarcastically. - -"Ah, don't I know? They agreed to do me up with a hammer, without making -any noise. One--" - -He adjusted his necktie, buttoned his coat, searched for something in -his pockets, and smoothed his curly head, which was covered with sweat. -His hands incessantly flashed about his body; they seemed ready to break -off any moment. His bony grey face was dank with perspiration, his dark -eyes rolled from side to side, now screwed up, now opened wide. Suddenly -they became fixed. With unfeigned horror depicted in them they rested -upon Yevsey's face, as the man backed to the door. - -"Who's that? Who's that?" he demanded hoarsely. - -Maklakov went up to him, and took his hand. - -"Calm yourself, Yelizar. He's one of our own, a new one." - -"Do you know him?" - -"Jackass!" came Sasha's exasperated voice. "You ought to see a -physician." - -"Have you ever been pushed under a trolley car? Not yet? Then wait -before you call names." - -"Just look, Maklakov," began Sasha, but the man continued in extreme -excitement: - -"Have you ever been beaten at night by unknown people? Do you -understand? Unknown people! There are hundreds of thousands such people -unknown to me in the city, hundreds of thousands. They are everywhere, -and I am a single one. I am always among them, do you understand?" - -Now Solovyov began to speak in his soft, reassuring voice, which was -drowned, however, by the new burst of words coming from the shattered -man, who carried in himself a whirlwind of fear. Klimkov immediately -grew dizzy, overwhelmed by the alarming whisper of his talk, blinded by -the motion of his broken body, and the darting of his cowardly hands. He -expected that now something huge and black would tear its way through -the door, would fill the room, and crush everybody. - -"It's time for us to go," said Maklakov, touching his shoulder. - -When they were sitting in the cab Yevsey sullenly remarked: - -"I am not fit for this work." - -"Why?" asked Maklakov. - -"I am timid." - -"That'll pass away." - -"Nothing will pass away." - -"Everything," rejoined Maklakov calmly. - -It was cold and dark, and sleet was falling. The reflections of the -lights lay upon the mud in golden patches, which the people and horses -tramped upon and extinguished. The two men were silent for a long time. -Yevsey, his brain empty, looked into space, and felt that Maklakov was -watching his face, in wait for something. - -"You'll get used to it," Maklakov went on, "but if you have another -position, leave it at once. Have you?" - -"No." - -"Is it long since you've been in the Department of Safety?" - -"Yesterday." - -"That accounts for it." - -"Now where am I to go?" inquired Yevsey quietly. - -Maklakov instead of replying to the question asked: - -"Have you relatives?" - -"No. I have no one." - -The spy leaned over, though without saying anything. His eyes were half -shut. As he drew his breath through his nose, the thin hair of his -mustache quivered. The thick sounds of a bell floated in the air, soft -and warm, and the pensive song of copper crept mournfully over the roofs -of the houses without rising under the heavy cloud that covered the city -with a solid dark canopy. - -"To-morrow is Sunday," said Maklakov in a low tone. "Do you go to -church?" - -"No." - -"Why not?" - -"I don't know. Just so. It's close there." - -"I do. I love the morning service. The choristers sing, and the sun -looks through the windows. That is always good." - -Maklakov's simple words emboldened Yevsey. He felt a desire to speak of -himself. - -"It is nice to sing," he began. "When I was a little boy I sang in the -church in our village. When I sang I didn't know where I was. It was -just the same as if I didn't exist." - -"Here we are," said Maklakov. - -Yevsey sighed, and looked sadly at the long structure of the railway -station, which all of a sudden loomed up before them and barred the way. - -They went to the platform where a large public had already gathered, and -leaned up against the wall. Maklakov dropped his lids over his eyes, and -seemed to be falling into a doze. The spurs of the gendarmes began to -jingle, a well-shaped woman with dark eyes and a swarthy face laughed in -a resonant young voice. - -"Remember the woman there who is laughing and the man beside her," said -Maklakov in a distinct whisper. "Her name is Sarah Lurye, an -accoucheure. She lives in the Sadovoy, No. 7. She was in prison and in -exile, a very clever woman. The old man is also a former exile, a -journalist." - -Suddenly Maklakov seemed to become frightened. He pulled his hat down -over his face with a quick movement of his hand, and continued in a -still lower voice: - -"The tall man in the black suit and the shaggy hat, red-haired, do you -see him?" - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"He's the author Mironov. He has been in prison four times already, in -different cities. Do you read books?" - -"No." - -"A pity. He writes interestingly." - -The black iron worm with a horn on its head and three fiery eyes uttered -a scream, and glided into the station, the metal of its huge body -rumbling. It stopped, and hissed spitefully, filling the air with its -thick white breath. The hot steamy odor knocked Yevsey in the face. The -black bustling figures of people quickly darted before his eyes, seeming -strangely small in contrast with the overwhelming size of the train. - -It was the first time Yevsey had seen the mass of iron at such close -range. It seemed alive and endowed with feeling. It attracted his -attention powerfully, at the same time arousing a hostile, painful -premonition. The large red wheels turned, the steel lever glittered, -rising and falling like a gigantic knife. Maklakov utter a subdued -exclamation. - -"What is it?" asked Yevsey. - -"Nothing," answered the spy vexed. His cheeks reddened, and he bit his -lips. By his look Yevsey guessed that he was following the author, who -was walking along without haste, twirling his mustache. He was -accompanied by an elderly, thick-set man, with an unbuttoned coat and a -summer hat on a large head. This man laughed aloud, and exclaimed as he -raised his bearded red face: - -"You understand? I rode and rode--" - -The author lifted his head, and bowed to somebody. His head was smoothly -shorn, his forehead lofty. He had high cheek bones, a broad nose, and -narrow eyes. Klimkov found his face coarse and disagreeable. There was -something military and harsh in it, due to his large red mustache. - -"Come," said Maklakov. "They will probably go together. You must be very -careful. The man who just arrived is an experienced man." - -In the street they took a cab again. - -"Follow that carriage," Maklakov said angrily to the driver. He was -silent for a long time, sitting with bent back and swaying body. "Last -year in the summer," he finally muttered, "I was in his house making a -search." - -"The writer's house?" asked Yevsey. - -"Yes. Drive on farther," Maklakov ordered quickly noticing that the cab -in front had stopped. "Quick!" - -A minute later he jumped from the cab, and thrust some money into the -driver's hand. - -"Wait," he said to Yevsey, and disappeared in the damp darkness. Yevsey -heard his voice. "Excuse me, is this Yakovlev's house?" - -Someone answered in a hollow voice: - -"This is Pertzev's." - -"And which is Yakovlev's?" - -"I don't know." - -"Pardon me." - -Yevsey leaned against the fence, counting Maklakov's tardy steps. - -"It's a simple thing--just to follow people," he thought. - -The spy came up to him, and said in a satisfied tone: - -"We have nothing to do here. To-morrow morning you will put on a -different suit, and we'll keep an eye on this house." - -They walked down the street. The sound of Maklakov's talk kept knocking -at Klimkov's ears like the rumble of a drum. - -"Remember the faces, the dress, and the gait of the people that pass -this house. There are no two people alike. Each one has something -peculiar to himself. You must learn at once to seize upon this peculiar -something in a person--in his eyes, in his voice, in the way in which he -holds out his hands when he walks, in the manner in which he lifts his -hat in greeting. Our work above all demands a good memory." - -Yevsey felt that the spy talked with concealed enmity toward him; which -aggrieved him. - -"You have an exceedingly marked face, especially your eyes. That won't -do. You mustn't go about without a mask, without the dress peculiar to a -certain occupation. Your figure, you in general, resemble a hawker of -dry-goods. So you ought to carry about a box of stuffs, pins, needles, -tape, ribbon, and all sorts of trifles. I will see that you get such a -box. Then you can go into the kitchens and get acquainted with the -servants." Maklakov was silent, removed his beard, fixed his hat, and -began to walk more slowly. "Servants are always ready to do something -unpleasant for the masters. It's easy to get something out of them, -especially the women--cooks, nurses, chambermaids. They like to gossip. -However, I'm chilled through," he ended in a different voice. "Let's go -to a cafe." - -"I have no money." - -"That's all right." - -In the cafe he said to the owner in a stern voice: - -"Give me a glass of cognac, a large one, and two beers. Will you have -some cognac?" - -"No, I don't drink," answered Yevsey, embarrassed. - -"That's good." - -The spy looked carefully into Klimkov's face, smoothed his mustache, -closed his eyes for a minute, and stretched his whole body, so that his -bones cracked. When he had drunk the cognac, he remarked in an -undertone: - -"It's good you are such a taciturn fellow. What do you think about, eh?" - -Yevsey dropped his head, and did not answer at once. - -"About everything, about myself." - -"But what in particular?" - -Maklakov's eyes gleamed softly. - -"I think perhaps it would be better for me to enter a monastery," Yevsey -answered sincerely. - -"Why?" - -"Just so." - -"Do you believe in God?" - -After a moment's thought Yevsey said as if excusing himself: - -"I do. Only I am not for God, but for myself. What am I to God?" - -"Well, let's drink." - -Klimkov bravely gulped down a glass of beer. It was cold and bitter, and -sent a shiver through his body. He licked his lips with his tongue, and -suddenly asked: - -"Do they beat you often?" - -"Me? Who?" the spy exclaimed amazed and offended. - -"Not you, but all the spies in general." - -"You must say 'agents,' not 'spies,'" Maklakov corrected him smiling. -"They get beaten, yes, they get beaten. I have never been beaten." - -He became lost in reflection. His shoulders drooped, and a shadow crept -over his white face. - -"Ours is a dog's occupation. People look upon us in an ugly enough -light." Suddenly his face broke into a smile, and he bent toward Yevsey. -"Only once in five years did I see a man--human conduct toward me. It -was in Mironov's house. I came to him with gendarmes in the uniform of a -sergeant-inspector. I was not well at the time. I had fever, and was -scarcely able to stand on my feet. He received us civilly, with a smile. -He wore a slightly embarrassed air. Such a large man, with long hands -and a mustache like a cat's. He walked with us from room to room, -addressed us all with the respectful plural 'you,' and if he came in -contact with any of us, he excused himself. We all felt awkward in his -presence--the colonel, the procurator, and we small fry. Everybody knew -the man; his pictures appeared in the newspapers. They say he's even -known abroad. And here we were paying him a night visit! We felt sort of -abashed. I noticed him look at me. Then he walked up closer to me, and -said, 'You ought to sit down. You look as if you were feeling ill. Sit -down.' His words upset me. I sat down, and I thought to myself, 'Go away -from me.' And he said, 'Will you take a powder?' All of us were silent. -I saw that no one looked at me or him." Maklakov laughed quietly. "He -gave me quinine in a capsule, and I chewed it. I began to feel an -insufferable bitterness in my mouth and a turmoil in my soul. I felt I -would drop if I tried to stand. Here the colonel interfered, and ordered -me to be taken to the police office. The search just then happened to -end. The procurator excused himself to Mironov, and said, 'I must arrest -you.' 'Well, what of it?' he said. 'Arrest me. Everyone does what he -can.' He said it so simply with a smile." - -Yevsey liked the story. It touched his heart softly, as if embracing it -with a caress. The desire awoke in him again to make himself useful to -Maklakov. - -"He's a good man," he thought. - -The spy sighed. He called for another glass of cognac, and sipped it -slowly. He seemed suddenly to grow thin, and he dropped his head on the -table. - -Yevsey wanted to speak, to ask questions. Various words darted about in -disorder in his brain, for some reason failing to arrange themselves in -intelligible and clear language. Finally, after many efforts, Yevsey -found what he wanted to ask. - -"He, too, is in the service of our enemies?" - -"Who?" asked the spy, scarcely raising his head. - -"The writer." - -"What enemies? What do you mean?" The spy's face was mocking, and his -lips curled in aversion. Yevsey grew confused, and Maklakov without -awaiting his answer arose, and tossed a silver coin on the table. - -"Charge it up," he said to someone. - -He put on his hat, and without a word to Klimkov walked to the door. -Yevsey followed on tiptoe, not daring to put on his hat. - -"Be at the place at nine o'clock to-morrow. You will be relieved at -twelve," said Maklakov in the street. He thrust his hands in his coat -pockets, and disappeared. - -"He didn't say 'good-by,'" thought Yevsey aggrieved, walking along the -deserted street. - -When he entered within the circles of light thrown by the street lamps, -he slackened his pace, and instinctively hastened over the parts -enveloped in obscurity. He felt ill. Darkness surrounded him on all -sides. It was cold. The gluey, bitter taste of beer penetrated from his -mouth into his chest, and his heart beat unevenly. Languid thoughts -stirred in his head like heavy flakes of autumn snow. - -"There, I've served a day. How they all are--these different days. If -only somebody liked me." - -At night Yevsey dreamed that his cousin Yashka seated himself on his -chest, seized him by the throat, and choked him. He awoke, and heard -Piotr's angry dry thin voice in the other room: - -"I spit upon the Czar's empire and all this hum-buggery!" - -A woman laughed, and someone's thin voice sounded: - -"Hush, hush, don't bawl." - -"I have no time to calculate who is right, and who is wrong. I am not a -fool, I am young, and I ought to live. This rapscallion reads me -lectures about autocracy, and I fuss about for three hours as a waiter, -near every sort of scamp. My feet ache, my back pains from the bows. If -the autocracy is dear to you, then don't be stingy with your money. But -I won't sell my pride to the autocracy for a mere penny. To the devil -with it!" - -Yevsey looked drowsily through the window, his gaze losing itself in the -sleepy depth of the autumn morning. Blinded, he quietly flung himself -back in bed, and again fell asleep. - -Several hours later he was sitting on the curb opposite Pertzev's house. -He walked back and forth a long time, counted the windows in the house, -measured its width with his steps, studied in all its details the grey -front flabby with old age, and finally grew tired. But he had not much -time to rest. The writer himself came out of the door with an overcoat -flung over his shoulders, no overshoes on his feet, his hat on one side -of his head. He walked across the street straight up to Yevsey. - -"He will give me a slap in the face," thought Yevsey, looking at the -sullen face and the lowering red brows. He tried to rise and go away, -but was unable to move, chained to the spot by fear. - -"Why are you sitting here?" he heard an angry voice. - -"Nothing." - -"Get away from here." - -"I can't." - -"Here's a letter. Go. Give it to him who sent you here." - -"I can't." - -"Why not?" - -The large blue eyes commanded. Yevsey had not the power to disobey the -look. Turning his face aside he mumbled: - -"I--I--I have no permission--to take anything from you--or to converse -with you. I am going away." - -"Yes, go away," the author commanded, and for some reason smiled a -morose smile. - -Klimkov took the grey envelope, and walked away, without asking himself -where he was going. He held the envelope in his right hand on a level -with his breast, as if it were something murderous, threatening unknown -misfortune. His fingers ached as from cold. - -"What is going to happen to me?" knocked importunately at his brain. - -Suddenly he noticed the envelope was not sealed. This amazed him. He -stopped, looked around, and quickly removed the letter. - -"Take this dunce away from me. Mironov," he read. - -He heaved a sigh of relief. - -"I must give this to Maklakov. He will scold me. Maybe I ought to turn -back. But it's not necessary. Somebody else will come soon anyway." - -Though his fear had disappeared, Yevsey felt sad from the realization of -his unfitness for the position, and he felt heavy at the thought that he -had again failed to suit the spy, whom he liked so much. - -He found Maklakov at dinner in the company of a little squint-eyed man -dressed in black. - -"Let me introduce you. Klimkov--Krasavin." - -Yevsey put his hand in his pocket to get out the letter, and said in an -embarrassed tone: - -"This is the way it happened--" - -Maklakov held up his hand. - -"You will tell me later. Sit down, and have your dinner." - -His face was weary, his eyes dim, his light straight hair dishevelled. - -"Evidently got drunk yesterday," thought Yevsey. - -"No, Timofey Vasilyevich," the squint-eyed man said coldly and solemnly. -"You are not right. There's something pleasant in every line of work if -you love it." - -Maklakov looked at him, and drank a large glass of whiskey in one gulp. - -"They are people, we are people, that doesn't signify anything. One says -this, another says that, and I do just as I please." - -The squint-eyed man noticed that Yevsey was looking at his eyeballs as -they rolled apart, and put on a pair of glasses with tortoise-shell -rims. His movements were soft and alert, like a black cat's. His teeth -were small and sharp, his nose straight and thin. When he spoke his rosy -ears moved. His crooked fingers kept quickly rolling a crumb of bread -into little pellets, which he placed on the edge of his plate. - -"An assistant?" he asked, nodding his head toward Yevsey. - -"Yes." - -"How's business, young man?" - -"I just began yesterday." - -"Oh, oh!" Krasavin nodded his head. Pinching his thin dark mustache, he -began to speak fluently: "Of course, Timofey Vasilyevich, you can't step -on the trail of life's destiny. According to God's law, children grow -old, people die. Only all this doesn't concern you and me. We received -our appointed task. We are told to catch the people who infringe on law -and order. That's all. It's a hard business, it's a clever business. To -use a figure of speech, it is a kind of hunt." - -Maklakov rose from the table, and walked into a corner, from where he -beckoned to Yevsey. - -"Well, what is it?" - -Yevsey gave him the note. The spy read it, looked into Klimkov's face in -astonishment, and read it again. - -"From whom is this?" he asked in a low voice. - -Yevsey answered in an embarrassed whisper. - -"He himself gave it to me. He came out into the street." - -In the expectation of a rebuke, or even a blow, he bent his neck. But -hearing a low laugh he cautiously raised his head, and saw the spy -looking at the envelope with a broad smile on his face and a merry gleam -in his eyes. - -"Oh, you strange fellow," said Maklakov. "Now keep quiet about this, you -droll creature." - -"Can I congratulate you on a successful piece of work?" asked Krasavin. - -"You can. Yes." Maklakov said aloud, walking up to him. - -"That's good, young man," remarked Krasavin encouragingly. His pupils -with green sparks flashing in them turned inward to the bridge of his -nose, and his nostrils quivered and expanded. - -"But the Japs licked us after all, Gavrilo," Maklakov exclaimed merrily, -rubbing his hands. - -"I cannot in the least comprehend your joy in this event," said Krasavin -wagging his ears. "Although it was instructive, as many say, still so -much Russian blood was shed and the insufficiency of our strength was -made so apparent." - -"And who is to blame?" - -"The Japs. What do they want? Every country ought to live within -itself." - -They started a discussion, to which Yevsey, rejoiced over Maklakov's -attitude, did not pay any attention. He looked into the spy's face, and -thought it would be well to live with him instead of Piotr, who scolded -at the authorities, and maybe would be arrested as they had arrested the -Smokestack. - -Krasavin left. Maklakov took out the letter, read it once more, and -burst into a laugh, looking at Yevsey. - -"Now don't say a word about it to anybody. Do you understand? He came -out himself?" - -"Yes. He came out, and said, 'Get away from here.'" Yevsey smiled -guiltily. - -"You see another one in his place would have stroked you with a cat's -paw." Screwing up his eyes the spy looked through the window, and said -slowly, "Yes, you ought to take to peddling wares. I told you so. To-day -you are free. I have no more commissions for you. Be off with you. Have -a good time. I'll try one of these days to fix you up differently. -Good-by." - -Maklakov held out his hand. Yevsey touched it gratefully, and walked -away happy. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - -A few weeks later Klimkov began to feel freer and more at ease. Every -morning, warmly and comfortably dressed, with a box of small wares on -his breast, he went to receive orders either at one of the cafes where -the spies gathered, or at a police office, or at the lodging of one of -the spies. The directions given him were simple and distinct. - -"Go to such and such a house. Get acquainted with the servants. Find out -how the masters live." - -If he succeeded in penetrating to the kitchen of the given house, he -would first try to bribe the servants by the cheap price of the goods -and by little presents. Then he would carefully question them about what -he had been ordered to learn. When he felt that the information gathered -was insufficient, he filled up the deficiency from his own head, -thinking it out according to the plan draughted for him by the old, fat, -and sensual Solovyov. - -"These men in whom we are interested," Solovyov once said in a smug, -honey-sweet voice, "all have the same habits. They do not believe in -God, they do not go to church, they dress poorly, but they are civil in -their manners. They read many books, sit up late at night, often have -gatherings of guests in their lodgings, but drink very little wine, and -do not play cards. They speak about foreign countries, about systems of -government, workingmen's socialism and full liberty for the people. Also -about the poor masses, declaring it is necessary to stir them up to -revolt against our Czar, to kill out the entire administration, take -possession of the highest offices, and by means of socialism again -introduce serfdom, in which they will have complete liberty." The warm -voice of the spy broke off. He coughed and heaved a sentimental sigh. -"Liberty--everybody likes and wants to have liberty. But if you give me -liberty, maybe I'll become the first villain in the world. That's it. It -is impossible to give even a child full liberty. The Church Fathers, -God's saints, even they were subject to temptations of the flesh, and -they sinned in the very highest. People's lives are held together, not -by liberty but by fear. Submission to law is essential to man. But the -revolutionists reject law. They form two parties. One wants to make -quick work with the ministers and the faithful subjects of the Czar by -means of bombs, etc. The other party is willing to wait a little; first -they'll have a general uprising, then they'll kill off everybody at -once." Solovyov raised his eyes pensively, and paused an instant. "It is -difficult for us to comprehend their politics. Maybe they really -understand something. But for us everything they propose is an obnoxious -delusion. We fulfil the will of the Czar, the anointed sovereign of God. -And he is responsible for us before God, so we ought to do what he bids -us. In order to gain the confidence of the revolutionists you must -complain, 'Life is very hard for the poor, the police insult them, and -there's no sort of law.' Although they are people of villainous intent, -yet they are credulous, and you can always catch them with that bait. -Behave cannily toward their servants; for their servants aren't stupid, -either. Whenever necessary, reduce the price of your goods, so that they -will get used to you and value you. But guard against exciting -suspicion. They will begin to think, 'What is it? He sells very cheap, -and asks prying questions.' The best thing for you to do is to strike up -friendships. Take a little dainty, hot, full-breasted thing, and you'll -get all sorts of good information from her. She will sew shirts for you, -and invite you to spend the night with her, and she will find out -whatever you order her to. You know--a tiny, soft little mouse. You can -stretch your arm a long distance through a woman." - -This round man, hairy-handed, thick-lipped, and pock-marked, spoke about -women more frequently than the others. He would lower his soft voice to -a whisper, his neck would perspire, his feet would shuffle uneasily, and -his eyes, minus eyebrows and eyelashes, would fill with warm, oily -moisture. Yevsey with his sharp scent observed that Solovyov always -smelt of hot, greasy, decayed meat. - -In the chancery the spies had been spoken of as people who know -everything, hold everything in their hands, and have friends and helpers -everywhere. Though they could seize all the dangerous people at once, -they were not doing so simply because they did not wish to deprive -themselves of a position. On entering the Department of Safety everyone -swore an oath to pity nobody, neither father, mother, nor brother, nor -to speak a word to one another about the sacred and awful business which -they vowed they would serve all their lives. - -Consequently Yevsey had expected to find sullen personalities. He had -pictured them as speaking little in words unintelligible to simple -people, as possessing the miraculous perspicacity of a sorcerer, able to -read a man's thoughts and divine all the secrets of his life. - -Now from his sharp observation of them he clearly saw they were not -unusual, nor for him either worse or more dangerous than others. In -fact, they seemed to live in a more comradely fashion than was common. -They frankly spoke of their mistakes and failures, even laughed over -them. All without exception were equally fervent in swearing at their -superiors, though with varying degrees of malice. - -Conscious of a close bond uniting them they were solicitous for one -another. When it happened that someone was late for a meeting or failed -to appear at all, there was a general sense of uneasiness about the -absentee, and Yevsey, Zarubin, or someone of the numerous group of -"novices," or "assistants" was sent to look for the lost man at another -gathering place. - -A stranger observing them would have been instantly struck by the lack -of greed for money among the majority and the readiness to share money -with comrades who had gambled it away or squandered it in some other -fashion. They all loved games of hazard, took a childish interest in -card tricks, and envied the cleverness of the card-sharper. - -They spoke to one another with ecstasy and acute envy of the revelries -of the officials, described in detail the bodies of the lewd women known -to them, and hotly discussed the various processes of the sexual -relation. Most of them were unmarried, almost all were young, and for -everyone of them a woman was something in the nature of whiskey--to give -him ease and lull him to sleep. Women brought them relief from the -anxiety of their dog's work. Almost all kept indecent photographs in -their pockets, and looked at them with greed while talking obscenities. -Such discussion roused in Yevsey a sharp, intoxicating curiosity, -sometimes incredulity and nausea. He soon came to know that some of the -spies practised pederasty and sodomy, and that very many were infected -with secret diseases. All of them drank much, mixing wine with beer, and -beer with cognac, in an effort to get drunk as quickly as possible. - -Only a few of them put hot enthusiasm, the passion of the hunter, into -their work. These boasted of their skill, swelling with pride as they -described themselves as heroes. The majority, however, did their work -wearily, with an air of being bored. - -Their talks about the people whom they hunted down like beasts were -seldom marked by the fierce hatred that boiled in Sasha's conversation -like a seething hot-spring. One who was different from the rest was -Melnikov, a heavy, hairy man with a thick, bellowing voice, who walked -with oddly bent neck and spoke little. His dark eyes were always -straining, as if in constant search. The man seemed to Yevsey ever to be -thinking of something terrible. Krasavin and Solovyov also contrasted -with the others, the one by his cold malice, the other by the complacent -satisfaction with which he spoke about fights, blood-shed, and women. - -Among the youth the most noticeable was Yakov Zarubin, who was -constantly fidgetting about and constantly running up to the others with -questions. When he listened to the conversations about the -revolutionists he knitted his brows in anger and jotted down notes in -his little note-book. He tried to be of service to all the important -spies, though it was evident that no one liked him and that his book was -regarded with suspicion. - -The larger number spoke indifferently about the revolutionists, -sometimes denouncing them as incomprehensible men of whom they were -sick, sometimes referring to them in fun as to amusing cranks. -Occasionally, too, they spoke in anger as one speaks of a child who -deserves punishment for impudence. Yevsey began to imagine that all the -revolutionists were empty people who were not serious, and did not -themselves know what they wanted, but merely brought disturbance and -disorder into life. - -Once Yevsey asked Piotr: - -"There, you said the revolutionists are being bribed by the Germans, and -now they say differently." - -"What do you mean by 'differently?'" Piotr demanded angrily. - -"That they are poor and stupid, and nobody says anything about the -Germans." - -"Go to the devil, brother! Isn't it all the same to you? Do what you are -told to do. Your color is the diamond, and you go with diamonds." - -Matters of business were discussed in a lazy, unwilling way, and "You -don't understand anything, brother," was a common rejoinder of one spy -to another. - -"And you?" would be the counter-retort. - -"I keep quiet." - -Klimkov tried to keep as far away as possible from Sasha. The ominous -face of the sick man frightened him, and the smell of iodoform and the -snuffling, cantankerous voice disgusted him. - -"Villains!" cried Sasha swearing at the officials. "They are given -millions, and toss us pennies. They squander hundreds of thousands on -women and on various genteel folk, who, they want us to believe, work -for the good of society. But it's not the gentry that make -revolutions--you must know that, idiots,--the revolution grows -underneath, in the ground, among the people. Give me five millions, and -in one month I'll lift the revolution up above ground into the street. -I'll carry it out of the dark corners into the light of day. Then--choke -it!" - -Sasha always contrived horrible schemes for the extermination of the -noxious people. While devising them he stamped his feet, extended his -trembling arms, and tore the air with his yellow fingers, while his face -turned leaden, his red eyes grew strangely dim, and the spittle spurted -from his mouth. - -All, it was evident, looked upon him with aversion and feared him, -though they were anxious to conceal the repulsion produced by his -disease. Maklakov alone calmly avoided close intercourse with the sick -man. He did not even give him his hand in greeting. Sasha, in his turn, -who ridiculed everybody, who swore at all his comrades, setting them -down as fools, plainly put Maklakov in a category by himself. He was -always serious in his intercourse with the spy, and apparently spoke to -him with greater will than to the rest. He did not abuse him even behind -his back. - -Once when Maklakov had walked out without, as usual, taking leave of -him, he cried: - -"The nobleman is squeamish. He doesn't want to come near me. He has the -right to be, the devil take him! His ancestors lived in lofty rooms, -they breathed rarefied air, ate healthful food, wore clean -undergarments. He, too, for that matter. But I am a muzhik. I was born -and brought up like an animal, in filth, among lice, on coarse black -bread made of unbolted meal. His blood is better than mine, yes, indeed, -both the blood and the brain; and the brain is the soul." After a pause -he added in a lower voice, gloomily, without ridicule, "Idiots and -impostors speak of the equality of man. The aristocrat preaches equality -because he is an impudent scoundrel, and can't do anything himself. So -of course he says, 'you are just as good a man as I am. Act so that I -shall be able to live better.' This is the theory of equality." - -Sasha's talks did not evoke a response from the other spies. They failed -to be moved by his excitement, and listened to his growling in -indifferent silence. He received sulky support, however, from one, the -large Melnikov, who acted as a detective among workingmen. - -"Yes," Melnikov would say, "they are all deceivers," and nod his dark -unkempt head in confirmation while vigorously clenching his hairy fist. - -"They ought to be killed, as the muzhiks kill horse thieves," screamed -Sasha. - -"To kill may be a little too much, but sometimes it would be delicious -to give a gentleman a box on the ear," said Chashin, a celebrated -billiard player, curly-haired, thin, and sharp-nosed. "Let's take this -example. About a week ago I was playing in Kononov's hotel with a -gentleman. I saw his face was familiar to me, but all chickens have -feathers. He stared at me in his turn. 'Well,' thinks I, 'look. I don't -change color.' I fixed him for three rubles and half a dozen beers, and -while we were drinking he suddenly rose, and said, 'I recognize you. You -are a spy. When I was in the university,' he said, 'thanks to you,' he -said, 'I had to stick in prison four months. You are,' he said, 'a -scoundrel.' At first I was frightened, but soon the insult gnawed at my -heart. 'You sat in prison not at all thanks to me, but to your politics. -And your politics do not concern me personally. But let me tell you that -on your account I had to run about day and night hunting you in all -sorts of weather. I had to stick in the hospital thirteen days.' That's -the truth. The idea for him to jump on me! The pig, he ate himself fat -as a priest, wore a gold watch, and had a diamond pin stuck in his tie." - -Akim Grokhotov, a handsome fellow, with a face mobile as an actor's -observed: - -"I know men like that, too. When they are young, they walk on their -heads; when the serious years come, they stay at home peacefully with -their wives, and for the sake of a livelihood are even ready to enter -our Department of Safety. The law of nature." - -"Among them are some who can't do anything besides revolutionary work. -Those are the most dangerous," said Melnikov. - -"Yes, yes," shot from Krasavin, who greedily rolled his oblique eyes. - -Once Piotr lost a great deal in cards. He asked in a wearied, -exasperated tone: - -"When will this dog's life of ours end?" - -Solovyov looked at him, and chewed his thick lips. - -"We are not called upon to judge of such matters. Our business is -simple. All we have to do is to take note of a certain face pointed out -by the officials, or to find it ourselves, gather information, make -observations, give a report to the authorities, and let them do as they -please. For all we care they may flay people alive. Politics do not -concern us. Once there was an agent in our Department, Grisha Sokovnin, -who also thought about such things, and ended his life in a prison -hospital where he died of consumption." - -Oftenest the conversation took some such course as the following: - -Viekov, a wig-maker, always gaily and fashionably dressed, a modest, -quiet person, announced: - -"Three fellows were arrested yesterday." - -"Great news!" someone responded indifferently. - -But Viekov whether or no would tell his comrades all he knew. A spark of -quiet stubbornness flared up in his small eyes as he continued in an -inquisitive tone: - -"The gentlemen revolutionists, it seems, are again hatching plots on -Nikitskaya Street--great goings-on." - -"Fools! All the janitors there are old hands in the service." - -"Much help they are, the janitors!" - -"Hmm, yes, indeed." - -"However," said Viekov cautiously, "a janitor can be bribed." - -"And you, too. Every man can be bribed--a mere matter of price." - -"Did you hear, boys, Siekachev won seven hundred rubles in cards -yesterday." - -"How he smuggles the cards!" - -"Yes, yes. He's no sharper, but a young wizard." - -Viekov looked around, smiled in embarrassment, then silently and -carefully smoothed his clothes. - -"A new proclamation has appeared," he announced another time. - -"There are lots of proclamations. The devil knows which of them is new." - -"There's a great deal of evil in them." - -"Did you read it?" - -"No. Filip Filippovich says there's a new one, and he's mad." - -"The authorities are always mad. Such is the law of nature," remarked -Grokhotov with a smile. - -"Who reads those proclamations?" - -"They're read all right--very much so." - -"Well, what of it? I have read them, too, yet I didn't turn black. I -remained what I was, a red-haired fellow. It's not a matter of -proclamations, it's a matter of bombs." - -"Of course." - -"A proclamation doesn't explode." - -Evidently, however, the spies did not like to speak of bombs, for each -time they were mentioned, all made a strenuous effort to change the -subject. - -"Forty thousand dollars' worth of gold articles were stolen in Kazan." - -"There's something for you!" - -"Forty thousand! Whew!" - -"Did they catch the thieves?" someone asked in great excitement. - -"They'll get caught," prophesied another sorrowfully. - -"Well, before that happens they'll have a good time." - -A mist of envy enveloped the spies, who sank in dreams of revelries, of -big stakes, and costly women. - -Melnikov was more interested than the others in the course of the war. -Often he asked Maklakov, who read the newspapers carefully: - -"Are they still licking us?" - -"They are." - -"But what's the cause?" Melnikov exclaimed in perplexity, rolling his -eyes. "Aren't there people enough, or what?" - -"Not enough sense," Maklakov retorted drily. - -"The workingmen are dissatisfied. They do not understand. They say the -generals have been bribed." - -"That's certainly true," Krasavin broke in. "None of them are -Russians,"--he uttered an ugly oath--"what's our blood to them?" - -"Blood is cheap," said Solovyov, and smiled strangely. - -As a rule the spies spoke of the war unwillingly, as if constrained in -one another's presence, and afraid of uttering some dangerous word. On -the day of a defeat they all drank more whiskey than usual, and having -gotten drunk quarreled over trifles. - -On such days Yevsey trying to avoid possible brawls made his escape -unnoticed to his empty room, and there thought about the life of the -spies. All of them--and there were many, their numbers constantly -increasing--all of them seemed unhappy. They were all solitary, and he -pitied them with his colorless pity. Nevertheless he liked to be among -them and listen to their talk. - -At the meetings Sasha boiled over and swore: - -"Monstrosities! You understand nothing. You can't understand the -significance of the business. Monstrosities!" - -In answer some smiled deprecatingly, others maintained sullen silence. - -"For forty rubles a month you can't be expected to understand very -much," one would sometimes mutter. - -"You ought to be wiped off the face of the earth," shrieked Sasha. - -Klimkov began to dislike Sasha more and more, strengthened in his -ill-will by the fact that nobody else cared for the diseased man. - -Many of the spies were actually sick from the constant dread of attacks -and death. Fear drove some, as it had Yelizar Titov, into an insane -asylum. - -"I was playing in the club yesterday," said Piotr, in a disconcerted -tone, "when I felt something pressing on the nape of my neck and a cold -shiver running up and down my back-bone. I looked around. There in the -corner stood a tall man looking at me as if he were measuring me inch by -inch. I could not play. I rose from the table, and I saw him move. I -backed out, and ran down the stairs into the yard and out into the -street. I took a cab, sat in it sidewise, and looked back. Suddenly the -man appeared from somewhere in front of me, and crossed the street under -the horse's very nose. Maybe it wasn't he. But in such a case you can't -think. How I yelled! He stopped, and I jumped out of the cab, and off I -went at a gallop, the cabman after me. Well, how I did run, the devil -take it!" - -"Such things happen," said Grokhotov, smiling. "I once hid myself for a -similar reason in the yard. But it was still more horrible there, so I -climbed up to a roof, and sat there behind the chimney until daybreak. A -man must guard himself against another man. Such is the law of nature." - -Krasavin once entered pale and sweating with staring eyes. - -"They were following me," he announced gloomily, pressing his temples. - -"Who?" - -"They." - -Solovyov endeavored to calm him. - -"Lots of people walk the streets, Gavrilo. What's that to you?" - -"I could tell by the way they walked they were after me." - -For more than two weeks Yevsey did not see Krasavin. - -The spies treated Klimkov good-naturedly, and their occasional laughter -at his expense did not offend him, for when he was grieved over his -mistakes, they comforted him: - -"You'll get used to the work." - -He was puzzled as to when the spies did their work, and tried to -unriddle the problem. They seemed to pass the greater part of their time -in the cafes, sending novices and such insignificant fellows as himself -out for observations. - -He knew that besides all the spies with whom he was acquainted there -were still others, desperate, fearless men, who mingled with the -revolutionists, and were known by the name of provocators. There were -only a few such men, but these few did most of the work, and directed it -entirely. The authorities prized them very highly, while the street -spies, envious of them, were unanimous in their dislike of the -provocators because of their haughtiness. - -Once in the street Grokhotov pointed out a provocator to Yevsey. - -"Look, Klimkov, quick!" - -A tall sturdy man was walking along the pavement. His fair hair combed -back fell down beautifully from under his hat to his shoulders. His face -was large and handsome, his mustache luxuriant. His soberly clad person -produced the impression of that of an important, well-fed gentleman of -the nobility. - -"You see what a fellow?" said Grokhotov with pride. "Fine, isn't he? Our -guard. He delivered up twenty men of the bomb. He helped them make the -bombs himself. They wanted to blow up a minister. He taught them, then -delivered them up. Clever piece of business, wasn't it?" - -"Yes," said Yevsey, amazed at the man's stately appearance so unlike -that of the busy, bustling street spies. - -"That's the kind they are, the real ones," said Grokhotov. "Why, he -would do for a minister; he has the face and figure for it. And we--what -are we? Poverty-stricken dependents upon a hungry nobleman." - -Yevsey sighed. The magnificent spy aroused his envy. - -Ready to serve anybody and everybody for a good look or a kind word, he -ran about the city obediently, searched, questioned, and informed. If he -succeeded in pleasing, he rejoiced sincerely, and grew in his own -estimation. He worked much, made himself very tired, and had no time to -think. - -Maklakov, reserved and serious, seemed better and purer to Yevsey than -any person he had met up to that time. He always wanted to ask him about -something, and tell him about himself--such an attractive and engaging -face did this young spy have. - -Once Yevsey actually put a question to him: - -"Timofey Vesilyevich, how much do the revolutionists receive a month?" - -A light shadow passed over Maklakov's bright eyes. - -"You are talking nonsense," he answered, not in a loud voice, but -angrily. - -The days passed quickly, in a constant stir, one just like the other. At -times Yevsey felt they would file on in the same way far into the -future--vari-colored, boisterous, filled with the talks now become -familiar to him and with the running about to which he had already grown -accustomed. This thought enfolded his heart in cold tedium, his body in -enfeebling languor. Everything within and without became empty. Klimkov -seemed to be sliding down into a bottomless pit. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - -In the middle of the winter everything suddenly trembled and shook. -People anxiously opened their eyes, gesticulated, disputed furiously, -and swore. As though severely wounded and blinded by a blow, they all -stampeded to one place. - -It began in this way. One evening on reaching the Department of Safety -to hand in a hurried report of his investigations, Klimkov found -something unusual and incomprehensible in the place. The officials, -agents, and clerks appeared to have put on new faces. All seemed -strangely unlike themselves. They wore an air of astonishment and -rejoicing. They spoke now in very low tones and mysteriously, now aloud -and angrily. There was a senseless running from room to room, a -listening to one another's words, a suspicious screwing-up of anxious -eyes, a shaking of heads and sighing, a sudden cessation of talk, and an -equally sudden burst of disputing. A whirlwind of fear and perplexity -swept the room in broad circles. Playing with the people's impotence it -drove them about like dust, first blowing them into a pile, then -scattering them on all sides. Klimkov stationed in a corner looked with -vacant eyes upon this state of consternation, and listened to the -conversation with strained attention. - -He saw Melnikov with his powerful neck bent and his head stuck forward -place his hairy hands on different persons' shoulders and demand in his -low hollow voice: - -"Why did the people do it?" - -"What of it? The people must live. Hundreds were killed, eh? Wounded!" -shouted Solovyov. - -From somewhere came the repulsive voice of Sasha, cutting the ear. - -"The priest ought to have been caught. That before everything else. The -idiots!" - -Krasavin walked about with his hands folded behind his back, biting his -lips and rolling his eyes in every direction. - -Quiet Viekov took up his stand beside Yevsey, and picked at the buttons -of his vest. - -"So this is the point we've reached," he said. "My God! Bloodshed! What -do you think, eh?" - -"What happened?" Yevsey asked. - -Viekov looked around warily, took Klimkov by the hand, and whispered: - -"This morning the people in St. Petersburg with a priest and sacred -banners marched to the Czar Emperor. You understand? But they were not -admitted. The soldiers were stationed about, and blood was spilled." - -A handsome staid gentleman, Leontyev, ran past them, glanced back at -Viekov through his pince nez, and asked: - -"Where is Filip Filippovich?" - -But he disappeared without waiting for the information he wanted, and -Viekov ran after him. - -Yevsey closed his eyes for a minute, in order to try in the darkness to -get at the meaning of what had been told him. He could easily represent -to himself a mass of people walking through the streets in a sacred -procession, but since he could not understand why the soldiers had shot -at them, he was skeptical about the affair. However, the general -agitation seized him, too, and he felt disturbed and ill at ease. He -wanted to bustle about with the spies, but unable to make up his mind to -approach those he knew, he merely retreated still farther into his -corner. - -Many persons passed by him, all of whom, he fancied, were quickly -searching for a little cosy corner where they might stand to collect -their thoughts. - -Maklakov appeared. He remained near the door with his hands thrust into -his pockets, and looked sidewise at everybody. Melnikov approached him. - -"Did they do it on account of the war?" - -"I don't know." - -"For what else? If it was the people. But maybe it was simply some -mistake. Eh? What did they ask for, do you know?" - -"A constitution," replied Maklakov. - -The sullen spy shook his head. - -"I don't believe it." - -"As you please." - -Then Melnikov turned heavily, like a bear, and walked away grumbling: - -"No one understands anything. They stir about, make a big noise--" - -Yevsey went up to Maklakov, who was looking at him. - -"What is it?" - -"I have a report." - -Maklakov waved him aside. - -"Who wants to bother about reports to-day." - -Yevsey drew still nearer, and asked: - -"Timofey Vasilyevich, what does 'constitution' mean?" - -"A different order of life," answered the spy in a low voice. - -Solovyov, perspiring and red, came running up. - -"Have you heard whether they are going to send us to St. Petersburg?" - -"No, I haven't." - -"I think they probably will. Such an event! Why, it's a revolt, a real -revolt." - -"To-morrow we will know." - -"How much blood has been shed! What is it?" - -Maklakov's eye ran about uneasily. To-day his shoulders seemed more -stooping than ever, and the ends of his mustache dropped downward. - -Something seemed to be revolting in Yevsey's brain, and Maklakov's grim -words kept repeating themselves. - -"A different order of life--different." - -They gripped at his heart, arousing a sharp desire to extract their -meaning. But everything around him turned and darted hither and thither. -Melnikov's angry, resonant voice sounded sickeningly: - -"The thing is, to know what people did it. The working-people are one -thing, simply residents another. This differentiation must be made." - -And Krasavin spoke distinctly: - -"If even the people begin to revolt against the Czar, then there are no -people any more, only rebels." - -"Wait, and suppose there's deception here." - -"Hey, you old devil," whispered Zarubin, hastening up to Yevsey. "I've -struck a vein of business. Come on, I'll tell you." - -Klimkov followed him in silence for a space, then stopped. - -"Where shall I go?" - -"To a beer saloon. You understand? There's a girl there, Margarita. She -has an acquaintance, a milliner. At the milliner's lodging they read -books on Saturdays--students and various other people like that. So I'm -going to cut them up. Ugh!" - -"I won't go," said Yevsey. - -"Oh, you! Ugh!" - -The long ribbon of strange impressions quickly enmeshed Yevsey's heart, -hindering him from an understanding of what was happening. He walked off -home unobserved, carrying away with him the premonition of impending -misfortune, a misfortune that already lay in hiding and was stretching -out irresistible arms to clutch him. It filled his heart with new fear -and grief. In expectation of this misfortune he endeavored to walk in -the obscurity close against the houses. He recalled the agitated faces -and excited voices, the disconnected talk about death, about blood, -about the huge graves, into which dozens of bodies had been flung like -rubbish. - -At home he stood at the window a long time looking at the yellow light -of the street-lamp. The pedestrians quickly walked into the circle of -its light, then plunged into the darkness again. So in Yevsey's head a -faint timid light was casting a pale illumination upon a narrow circle, -into which ignorant, cautious grey thoughts, helplessly holding on to -one another like blind people, were slowly creeping. Small and lame they -gathered into a shy group driven into one place like a swarm of -mosquitoes. But suddenly, losing hold of the bond uniting them, they -disappeared without leaving a trace, and his soul devoid of them -remained like a desert illuminated by a solitary ray from a sorrowful -moon. - -The days passed as in a delirium, filled with terrible tales of the -fierce destruction of people. For Yevsey these days crawled slowly over -the earth like black eyeless monsters, swollen with the blood they had -devoured. They crawled with their huge jaws wide open, poisoning the air -with their stifling, salty odor. People ran and fell, shouted and wept, -mingling their tears with their blood. And the blind monster destroyed -them, crushed old and young, women and children. They were pushed -forward to their destruction by the ruler of their life, fear,--fear -leaden-grey as a storm-cloud, powerful as the current of a broad stream. - -Though the thing had happened far away, in a strange city, Yevsey knew -that fear was alive everywhere. He felt it all over, round about him. - -No one understood the event, no one was able to explain it. It stood -before the people like a huge riddle and frightened them. The spies -stuck in their meeting places from morning until night, and did much -reading of newspapers and drinking of whiskey. They also crowded into -the Department of Safety, where they disputed, and pressed close against -one another. They were impatiently awaiting something. - -"Can anybody explain the truth?" Melnikov kept asking. - -One evening a few weeks after the event there was a meeting of the spies -in the Department of Safety at which Sasha delivered a speech. - -"Stop this nonsensical talk," he said sharply. "It's a scheme of the -Japs. The Japs gave 18,000,000 rubles to Father Gapon to stir the people -up to revolt. You understand? The people were made drunk on the road to -the palace; the revolutionists had ordered a few wine shops to be broken -into. You understand?" He let his red eyes rove about the company as if -seeking those of his listeners who disagreed with him. "They thought the -Czar, loving the people, would come out to them. And at that time it was -decided to kill him. Is it clear to you?" - -"Yes, it's clear," shouted Yakov Zarubin, and began to jot something -down in his note-book. - -"Jackass!" shouted Sasha in a surly voice. "I'm not asking you. -Melnikov, do you understand?" - -Melnikov was sitting in a corner, clutching his head with both hands and -swaying to and fro as if he had the toothache. Without changing his -position he answered: - -"A deception!" His voice struck the floor dully, as if something soft -yet heavy had fallen. - -"Yes, a deception," repeated Sasha, and began again to speak quickly and -fluently. Sometimes he carefully touched his forehead, then looked at -his fingers and wiped them on his knee. Yevsey had the sensation that -even his words reeked with a putrid odor. He listened wrinkling his -forehead painfully. He understood everything the spy said, but he felt -that his speech did not efface, in fact, could not efface, from his mind -the black picture of the bloody holiday. - -All were silent, now and then shaking their heads, and refraining from -looking at one another. It was quiet and gloomy. Sasha's words floated a -long time over his auditors' heads touching nobody. - -"If it was known that the people had been deceived, then why were they -killed?" the unexpected question suddenly burst from Melnikov. - -"Fool!" screamed Sasha. "Suppose you had been told that I was your -wife's paramour, and you got drunk and came at me with a knife, what -should I do? Should I tell you 'Strike!' even though you had been duped, -and I was not guilty?" - -Melnikov started to his feet, stretched himself, and bawled: - -"Don't bark, you dog!" - -A tremor ran through Yevsey at his words, and Viekov thin and nerveless, -who sat beside him, whispered in fright: - -"Oh, God! Hold him!" - -Sasha clenched his teeth, thrust one hand into his pocket, and drew -back. All the spies--there were many in the room--sat silent and -motionless, and waited watching Sasha's hand. Melnikov waved his hat and -walked slowly to the door. - -"I'm not afraid of your pistol." - -He slammed the door after him noisily. Viekov went to lock it, and said -as he returned to his place: - -"What a dangerous man!" - -"So," continued Sasha, pulling a revolver from his pocket and examining -it. "To-morrow morning you are each of you to get down to business, do -you hear? And bear in mind that now you will all have more to do than -before. Part of us will have to go to St. Petersburg. That's number one. -Secondly, this is the very time that you'll have to keep your eyes and -ears particularly wide open, because people will begin to babble all -sorts of nonsense in regard to this affair. The revolutionists will not -be so careful now, you understand?" - -Handsome Grokhotov drew a loud breath and said: - -"We understand, never mind! If it's true that the Japs gave such large -sums of money, that explains it, of course." - -"Without any explanation it's very hard," said someone. - -"Ye-e-e-s." - -"People cry, 'What does it mean?' And they give you poisonous talk, and -you don't know how to answer back." - -"The people are very much interested in this revolt." - -All these remarks were made in an indolent, bloodless fashion and with -an air of constraint. - -"Well, now you know what you are about, and how you should reply to the -fools," said Sasha angrily. "And if some donkey should begin to bray, -take him by the neck, whistle for a policeman, and off with him to the -police station. There they have instructions as to what's to be done -with such people. Ho, Viekov, or somebody, ring the bell and order some -Selters." - -Yakov Zarubin rushed to the bell. - -Sasha looked at him, and said showing his teeth: - -"Say, puppy, don't be mad with me for having cut you off." - -"I'm not mad, Aleksandr Nikitich." - -"Ye-e-s," Grokhotov drawled pensively. "Still they are a power, after -all! Consider what they accomplished--raised a hundred thousand people." - -"Stupidity is light, it's easy to raise," Sasha interrupted him. "They -had the means to raise a hundred thousand people; they had the money. -Just you give me such a sum of money, and I'll show you how to make -history." Sasha uttered an ugly oath, lifted himself slightly from the -sofa, stretched out the thin yellow hand which held the revolver, -screwed up his eyes, and aiming at the ceiling, cried through his teeth -in a yearning whine, "I would show you!" - -All these things--Sasha's words and gestures, his eyes and his -smiles--were familiar to Yevsey, but now they seemed impotent, useless -as infrequent drops of rain in extinguishing a conflagration. They did -not extinguish fear, and were powerless to stop the quiet growth of a -premonition of misfortune. - -At this time a new view of the life of the people unconsciously -developed in Yevsey's mind. He learned that on the one hand some people -might gather in the streets by the tens of thousands in order to go to -the rich and powerful Czar and ask him for help, while others might kill -these tens of thousands for doing so. He recalled everything the -Smokestack had said about the poverty of the people and the wealth of -the Czar, and was convinced that both sides acted in the manner they did -from fear. - -Nevertheless the people astonished him by their desperate bravery, and -aroused in him a feeling with which he had hitherto been unfamiliar. - -Now as before when walking the streets with the box of goods on his -breast, he carefully stepped aside for the passersby, either taking to -the middle of the street, or pressing against the walls of the houses. -However, he began to look into the people's faces more attentively, with -a feeling akin to respect, and his fear of them seemed to have -diminished slightly. Men's faces had suddenly changed, acquiring more -variety and significance of expression. All began to talk with one -another more willingly and simply, and to walk the streets more briskly, -with a firmer tread. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - -Yevsey often entered a house occupied by a physician and a journalist -upon whom he was assigned to spy. The physician employed a wet-nurse -named Masha, a full, round little woman with merry sky-blue eyes, who -was always neat and clean, and wore a white or blue sarafan with a -string of beads around her bare neck. Her full-breasted figure gave the -impression of a luscious, healthy creature, and won the fancy of Yevsey, -who imagined that a strong savory odor, as of hot rye-bread, emanated -from her. She was an affectionate little person. He loved to question -her about the village and hear her replies in a rapid sing-song. He soon -came to know all her relatives, where each one lived, what was the -occupation of each, and what the wages. - -He paid her one of his visits five days later after Sasha had explained -the cause of the uprising. He found her sitting on the bed in the cook's -room adjoining the kitchen. Her face was swollen, her eyes were red, and -her lower lip stuck out comically. - -"Good morning," she said sullenly. "We don't want anything. Go. We don't -want anything." - -"Did the master insult you?" Yevsey asked. Though he knew the master had -not insulted her, he regarded it as his professional duty to ask just -such questions. His next duty was to sigh and add, "That's the way they -always are. You've got to work for them your whole life long." - -Anfisa Petrovna, the cook, a thin, ill-tempered body, suddenly cried -out: - -"Her brother-in-law was killed, and her sister was knouted. She had to -be taken to the hospital." - -"In St. Petersburg?" Yevsey inquired quietly. - -"Yes." - -Masha drew in a full breast of air, and groaned, holding her head in her -hands. - -"What for?" asked Yevsey. - -"Who knows them? A curse upon them!" shrieked the cook, rattling the -dishes in her exasperation. "Why did they kill all those people? That's -what I would like to know." - -"It wasn't his fault," Masha sobbed. "I know him. Oh, God! He was a -book-binder, a peaceful fellow. He didn't drink. He made forty rubles a -month. Oh, God! They beat Tania, and she's soon to have a child. It will -be her second child. 'If it's a boy,' she said, 'I'll christen him Foma -in honor of my husband's friend.' And she wanted the friend to be the -child's god-father, too. But they put a bullet through his leg, and -broke his head open, the cursed monsters! May they have neither sleep -nor rest! May they be torn with anguish and with shame! May they choke -in blood, the infernal devils!" - -Her words and tears flowed in tempestuous streams. Dishevelled and -pitiful she screamed in desperate rage and scratched her shoulders and -her breast with her nails. Then she flung herself on the bed and buried -her head in the pillow, moaning and trembling convulsively. - -"Her uncle sent her a letter from there," said the cook, running about -in the kitchen from the table to the stove and back again. "You ought to -see what he writes! The whole street is reading the letter. Nobody can -understand it. The people marched with ikons, with their holy man, they -had priests--everything was done in a Christian fashion. They went to -the Czar to tell him: 'Father, our Emperor, reduce the number of -officials a little. We cannot live with so many officers and such -burdensome taxes on our shoulders, we haven't enough to pay their -salaries, and they take such liberties with us--the very extreme of -liberties. They squeeze everything out of us they want.' Everything was -honest and open. They had been preparing for this a long time, a whole -month. The police knew of it, yet no one interfered. They went out and -marched along the streets, when suddenly off the soldiers go shooting at -them! The soldiers surrounded them on all sides and shot at them! Hacked -them and trampled them down with their horses--everybody, even the -little children! They kept up the massacre for two days. Think of it! -What does it mean? That the people are not wanted any more? That they -have decided to exterminate them?" - -Anfisa's cutting, unpleasant voice sank into a whisper, above which -could now be heard the sputtering of the butter on the stove, the angry -gurgle of the boiling water in the kettle, the dull roaring of the fire, -and Masha's groans. Yevsey felt obliged to answer the sharp questions of -the cook, and he wanted to soothe Masha. He coughed carefully, and said -without looking at anybody: - -"They say the Japs arranged the affair." - -"S-s-s-o?" the cook cried ironically. "The Japs, the Japs, of course! We -know the Japs. They keep to themselves, they stick in their own home. -Our master explained to us who they are. You just tell my brother about -the Japs. He knows all about them, too. It was scoundrels, not Japs!" - -From what Melnikov had said Yevsey knew that the cook's brother Matvey -Zimin worked in a furniture factory, and read prohibited books. Now, all -of a sudden, he was seized with the desire to tell her that the police -knew about Zimin's infidelity to the Czar. But at that minute Masha -jumped down from the bed, and cried out while arranging her hair: - -"Of course, they have no way of justifying themselves, so they hit upon -the Japs as an excuse." - -"The blackguards!" drawled the cook. "Yesterday in the market somebody -also made a speech about the Japs. Evidently he had been bribed to -justify the officials. One old man was listening, and then you should -have heard what he said about the generals, about the ministers, and -even about the Czar himself. How he could do it without putting the -least check upon himself--no, you can't fool the people. They'll catch -the truth, no matter into what corner you drive it." - -Klimkov looked at the floor, and was silent. The desire to tell the cook -that watch was being kept upon her brother now left him. He -involuntarily thought that every person killed had relatives, who were -now just as puzzled as Masha and Anfisa, and asked one another "Why?" He -realized that they were crying and grieving in dark perplexity, with -hatred secretly springing up in their hearts, hatred of the murderers -and of those who endeavored to justify the crime. He sighed and said: - -"A horrible deed has been done." At the same time he thought: "But I, -too, am compelled to protect the officials." - -Masha giving the door to the kitchen a push with her foot, Yevsey -remained alone with the cook, who looked at the door sidewise, and -grumbled: - -"The woman is killing herself. Even her milk is spoiled. This is the -third day she hasn't given nourishment. See here, Thursday next week is -her birthday, and I'll celebrate my birthday then, too. Suppose you come -here as a guest, and make her a present, say, of a good string of beads. -You must comfort a person some way or other." - -"Very well. I'll come." - -"All right." - -Klimkov walked off slowly, revolving in his mind what the women had said -to him. The cook's talk was too noisy, too forward, instantly creating -the impression that she did not speak her own sentiments, but echoed -those of another. As for Masha, her grief did not touch him. He had no -relatives, moreover he rarely experienced pity for people. Nevertheless -he felt that the general revolt everywhere noticeable was reflected in -the outcries of these women, and--the main thing--that such talk was -unusual, inhumanly brave. Yevsey had his own explanation of the event: -fear pushed people one against the other. Then those who were armed and -had lost their senses exterminated those who were unarmed and foolish. -But this explanation did not stand firm in Yevsey's mind, and failed to -calm his soul. He clearly realized from what he had seen and heard that -the people were beginning to free themselves from the thralldom of fear, -and were insistently and fearlessly seeking the guilty, whom they found -and judged. Everywhere large quantities of leaflets appeared, in which -the revolutionists described the bloody days in St. Petersburg, and -cursed the Czar, and urged the people not to believe in the -administration. Yevsey read a few such leaflets. Though their language -was unintelligible to him, he sensed something dangerous in them, -something that irresistibly made its way into his heart, and filled him -with fresh alarm. He resolved not to read any leaflets again. - -Strict orders were given to find the printing office in which the -leaflets were printed, and to catch the persons who distributed them. -Sasha swore, and even gave Viekov a slap in the face for something he -had done. Filip Filippovich invited the agents to come to him in the -evenings, in order to deliver speeches to them. He usually sat in the -middle of the room behind his desk, resting the lower half of his arms -upon it, and keeping his long fingers engaged in quietly toying with the -pencils, pens, and papers. The various gems on his hands sparkled in -different colors. From under his black beard gleamed a large yellow -medal. He moved his short neck slowly, and his blue spectacles rested in -turn upon the faces of all present, who meekly and silently sat against -the wall. He scarcely ever rose from his armchair. Nothing but his -fingers and his neck moved. His heavy face, bloated and white, looked -like a face in a portrait; the hairs of his beard seemed glued together. -When silent, he was calm and staid, but the instant he spoke in his thin -voice, which screeched like an iron saw while being filed, everything -about him, the black frockcoat and the order, the gems, and the beard, -seemed to be stuck upon somebody else. Sometimes Yevsey fancied that an -artificial puppet sat in front of him, inside of which was hidden a -little shrivelled-up fellow, resembling a little red devil. If someone -were to shout at the puppet, he imagined, the little devil would be -frightened, and would jump out with a squeak, and leap through the -window. - -Nevertheless Yevsey was afraid of Filip Filippovich. In order not to -attract to himself the gobbling look of his blue glasses, he sat as far -as possible from him, trying the entire time not to move. - -"Gentlemen," the thin voice trembled in the air. It drove against -Yevsey's breast unpleasantly and coldly, like a gleaming steel rod. -"Gentlemen, you must listen to me carefully. You must remember my words. -In these days everyone of you should put your entire mind, your entire -soul, into the war with the secret and cunning enemy. You should listen -to your orders and fulfil them strictly, though you may act on your own -initiative, too. In the secret war for the life of your mother Russia, -you must know, all means are permissible. The revolutionists are not -squeamish as to the means they employ; they do not stop at murder. -Remember how many of your comrades have perished at their hands. I do -not tell you to kill. No, of course not. I cannot advise such measures. -To kill a man requires no cleverness. Every fool can kill. Yet the law -is with you. You go against the lawless. It would be criminal to be -merciful toward them. They must be rooted out like noxious weeds. I say, -you must for yourselves find out what is the best way to stifle the -rising revolution. It isn't I who demand this of you; it is the Czar and -the country." After a pause during which he examined his rings, he went -on. "You, gentlemen, have too little energy, too little love for your -honest calling. For instance, you have let the old revolutionist -Saydakov slip. I now know that he lived in our city for three and a half -months. Secondly, up to this time you have failed to find the printing -office." - -"Without provocators it is hard," someone ventured in an offended tone. - -"Don't interrupt, if you please. I myself know what is hard, and what is -easy. Up to this time you have not been able to gather serious evidence -against a whole lot of people known for their seditious tendencies, and -you cannot give me any grounds for their arrest." - -"Arrest them without grounds," said Piotr with a laugh. - -"What is the object of your facetiousness? I am speaking seriously. If -you were to arrest them without grounds, we should simply have to let -them go again. That's all. And to you personally, Piotr Petrovich, I -want to remark that you promised something a long time ago. Do you -remember? You likewise, Krasavin. You said you had succeeded in becoming -acquainted with a man who might lead you to the Terrorists. Well, and -what has come of it?" - -"He turned out to be a cheat. You just wait. I'll do my business," -Krasavin answered calmly. - -"I have no doubt of it whatsoever, but I beg all of you to understand -that we must work more energetically, we must hurry matters up." - -Filip Filippovich discoursed a long time, sometimes a whole hour, -without taking breath, calmly, in the same level tone. The only words -that varied the monotonous flow were "You must." The "you" came out -resonantly like a long-drawn hammer-blow, the "must," in a drawled hiss. -He embraced everybody in his glassy blue look. His words fairly choked -Yevsey. - -Once at the end of a meeting, when Sasha and Yevsey were the only ones -who remained with Filip Filippovich, Yevsey heard the following -colloquy: - -Filip Filippovich (glumly, dejectedly): What idiots they are, though! - -Sasha (snuffling): Aha! - -Filip Filippovich: Yes, yes, what _can_ they do? - -Sasha: It seems that now you are going to learn the value of decent -people. - -Filip Filippovich: Well, give them to me. Give them to me. - -Sasha: Ah, they cost dear! - -Klimkov was neither surprised nor offended. This was not the first time -he had heard the authorities swear at their subordinates. He counted it -in the regular order of life. - -The spies after the meetings spoke to one another thus: - -"Um, yes, a converted Jew, and just look at him!" - -"They say he got a raise of 600 rubles the first of the year." - -"The value of our labor is growing." - -Sometimes a handsome, richly dressed gentleman by the name of Leontyev -addressed the spies in place of Filip Filippovich. He did not remain -seated, but walked up and down the room holding his hands in his -pockets, politely stepping out of everybody's way. His smooth face, -always drawn in a frown, was cold and repellant, his thin lips moved -reluctantly, and his eyes were veiled. - -Another man named Yasnogursky came from St. Petersburg for the same -purpose. He was a low, broad-shouldered, bald man with an order on his -breast. He had a large mouth, a wizened face, heavy eyes, like two -little stones, and long hands. He spoke in a loud voice, smacking his -lips, and pouring out streams of strong oaths. One sentence of his -particularly impressed itself on Yevsey's memory: - -"They say to the people, 'You can arrange another, an easy life for -yourselves.' They lie, my children. The Emperor our Czar and our Holy -Church arrange life, while the people can change nothing, nothing." - -All the speakers said the same thing: the political agents must serve -more zealously, must work more, must be cleverer, because the -revolutionists were growing more and more powerful. Sometimes they told -about the Czars, how good and wise they were, how the foreigners feared -them and envied them because they had liberated various nations from the -foreign yoke. They had freed the Bulgarians and the Servians from the -oppression of the Turkish Sultan, the Khivans, the Bokharans, and the -Turkomans from the Persian Shah, and the Manchurians from the Chinese -Emperor. As a result, the Germans and the English along with the -Japanese, who were bribed by them, were dissatisfied. They would like to -get the nations Russia had liberated into their own power. But they knew -the Czar would not permit this, and that was why they hated him, why -they wished him all evil, and endeavored to bring about the revolution -in Russia. - -Yevsey listened to these speeches with interest, waiting for the moment -when the speakers would begin to tell about the Russian people, and -explain why all of them were unpleasant and cruel, why they loved to -torture one another, and lived such a restless, uncomfortable life. He -wanted to hear what the cause was of such poverty, of the universal -fear, and the angry groans heard on all sides. But of such things no one -spoke. - -After one of the meetings Viekov said to Yevsey as the two were walking -in the street: - -"So it means that they are getting into power. Did you hear? It's -impossible to understand what it signifies. Just see--here you have -secret people who live hidden, and suddenly they cause general alarm, -and shake everything up. It's very hard to comprehend. From where, I'd -like to know, do they get their power?" - -Melnikov, now even more morose and taciturn, grown thin and all -dishevelled, once hit his fist on his knee, and shouted: - -"I want to know where the truth is!" - -"What's the matter?" asked Maklakov angrily. - -"What's the matter? This is the matter: I understand it this way: One -class of officials has grown weak, our class. Now another class gets the -power over the people, that's all." - -"And the result is--fiddlesticks!" said Maklakov, laughing. - -Melnikov looked at him, and sighed: - -"Don't lie, Timofey Vasilyevich. You lie out and out. You are a wise -man, and you lie. I understand." - -Thoughts instinctively arose in the dark depths of Yevsey's soul. He did -not realize how they formed themselves, did not feel their secret -growth. They appeared suddenly, in perfect array, and frightened him by -their unexpected apparition. He endeavored to hide them, to extinguish -them for a time, but unsuccessfully. They quietly flashed up again, and -shone more clearly, though their light only cast life into still greater -obscurity. The frequent conversations about the revolutionists blocked -themselves up in his head, creating an insensible sediment in his mind, -a thin strata of fresh soil for the growth of puny thoughts. These -thoughts disquieted him, and drew him gently to something unknown. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - -While on his way to Masha to take part in her birthday celebration, the -thought occurred to Yevsey: - -"I am going to get acquainted with the joiner to-day. He's a -revolutionist." - -Yevsey was the first guest to arrive. He gave Masha a string of blue -beads, and Anfisa a shell comb. In return for the gifts, with which both -were greatly pleased, they treated him to tea and nalivka (a sort of -wine made of berries with whiskey or water). Masha prettily arching her -full white neck looked into his face with a kind smile. Her glance -softly caressed his heart, enlivened and emboldened him. Anfisa poured -the tea and said winking her eyes: - -"Well, merchant, you are our generous donor. When will we celebrate your -wedding?" - -Yevsey trying not to show his embarrassment, said quietly and -confidingly: - -"I cannot decide to get married. It's very hard." - -"Hard? Oh, you modest man! Marya, do you hear? He says it's hard to get -married." - -Masha smiled in answer to the cook's loud laugh, looking at Klimkov from -the corner of her eyes. - -"Maybe he has his own meaning of hard." - -"Yes, I have my own meaning," said Yevsey, raising his head. "You see I -am thinking of the fact that it is hard to find a person with whom you -can live soul to soul, so that the one would not fear the other. It is -hard to find a person whom you could believe." - -Masha sat beside him. He glanced sidewise at her neck and breast, and -sighed. - -"Suppose I were to tell them where I work." - -He started, frightened by the desire, and with a quick effort he -suppressed it. - -"If a man does not understand life," he continued, raising his voice, -"it's better for him to remain alone." - -"For one person to live all alone is hard, too," said Masha, pouring out -another glass of nalivka for him. "Drink." - -Yevsey longed to speak much and openly. He observed that the women -listened to him willingly; and this in conjunction with the two glasses -of wine aroused him. But the journalist's servant girl Liza, who came in -at that moment also excited, at once usurped the attention of Anfisa and -Masha. She was bony and had a cast in one eye. Her hair was handsomely -dressed, and she was cleverly gowned. With her sprightly manner she -seemed a good forward little girl. - -"My good people invited guests for to-day, and did not want to let me -go," she said sitting down. "'Well,' said I, 'you can do as you please.' -And I went off. Let them bother themselves." - -"Many guests?" Klimkov asked wearily, remembering his duty. - -"A good many. But what sort of guests! Not one of them ever sticks a -dime into your hand. On New Year's all I got was two rubles and thirty -kopeks." - -"So they're not rich?" asked Yevsey. - -"Oh, rich! No! Not one of them has a whole overshoe." - -"Who are they? What's their business?" - -"Different things. Some write for the newspapers, another is simply a -student. Oh, what a good fellow one of them is! He has black eyebrows, -and curly hair, and a cute little mustache, white, even teeth--a lively, -jolly fellow. He came from Siberia not long ago. He keeps talking about -hunting." - -Yevsey looked at Liza, and bent his head. He wanted to say "Stop!" to -her. Instead he apathetically asked, "I suppose he must have been -exiled." - -"Who can tell? Maybe. My master and mistress were exiles, too. The -sergeant told me so." - -"Yes, who nowadays hasn't been an exile?" exclaimed the cook. "I lived -at Popov's, an engineer, a rich man. He had his own house and horses and -was getting ready to marry. Suddenly the gendarmes came at night, seized -him, and broke up everything, and then he was sent off to Siberia." - -"I don't condemn my people," Liza interrupted, "not a bit of it. They -are good folks. They don't scold. They're not grasping. Altogether -they're not like other people. And they're very interesting. They know -everything and speak about everything." - -Yevsey looked at Masha's ruddy face, and thought: - -"I'd better go; I'll ask her about her master next time. But I can't -make up my mind to go. If only she kept quiet, the silly!" - -"Our people understand everything, too," Masha announced with pride. - -"When that affair happened, that revolt in St. Petersburg," Liza began -with animation, "they stayed up nights at a time talking." - -"Why our people were in your house then," observed the nurse. - -"Yes, indeed, there were lots of people at the house. They talked, and -wrote complaints. One of them even began to cry. Upon my word!" - -"There's enough to cry about," sighed the cook. - -"He clutched his head, and sobbed. 'Unhappy Russia!' he said, 'Unhappy -people that we are!' They gave him water, and even I got sorry for -everybody, and began to cry." - -Masha looked around frightened. - -"God, when I think of my sister!" She rose and went into the cook's -room. The women looked after her sympathetically. Klimkov sighed with -relief. Against his will he asked Liza wearily and with an effort: - -"To whom did they write complaints?" - -"I don't know," answered Liza. - -"Marya went off to cry," remarked the cook. - -The door opened, and the cook's brother entered coughing. - -"It's chilly," he said, untwisting the scarf from his neck. - -"Here, take a drink, quick!" - -"Yes, indeed. And here's health to you." - -He was a thin person, who moved about freely and deliberately. The -gravity of his voice did not accord very well with his small light beard -and his sharp, somewhat bald skull. His face was small, thin, -insignificant, his eyes, large and hazel. - -"A revolutionist," was Yevsey's mental observation, as he silently -pressed the joiner's hand. - -"Time for me to be going," he announced unexpectedly to everybody. - -"Where to?" cried Anfisa, unceremoniously seizing his hand. "Say, you -merchant, don't break up our company. Look, Matvey, what a present he -gave me." - -Zimin looked at Yevsey, and said thoughtfully: - -"Yesterday they got another order in our factory for fifteen thousand -rubles. A drawing-room, a cabinet, a bed-room, and a salon--four rooms. -All the orders come from the military. They stole a whole lot of money, -and now they want to live after the latest fashion." - -"There you are!" Yevsey exclaimed mentally, vexed and heated. "Begins -the minute he comes in! Oh, Lord!" - -He felt a painful ache in his chest, as if something inside him had been -torn. Without thinking of what his question would lead to, he quickly -asked the joiner: - -"Are there any revolutionists in the factory?" - -As if touched to the quick, Zimin quickly turned to him, and looked into -his eyes. The cook frowned, and said in a voice dissatisfied but not -loud: - -"They say revolutionists are everywhere nowadays." - -"From smartness or stupidity?" asked Liza. - -Unable to withstand the hard searching look of the joiner, Klimkov -slowly bowed his head, though he followed the workingman with a sidelong -glance. - -"Why does that interest you?" Zimin inquired politely but sternly. - -"I have no interest in it," Yevsey answered lazily. - -"Ah! Then why do you ask?" - -"Just so," said Yevsey; and in a few seconds added, "Out of politeness." - -The joiner smiled. - -It seemed to Yevsey that three pairs of eyes were looking at him -suspiciously and severely. He felt awkward, and something bitter nipped -his throat. Masha came out of the cook's room, smiling guiltily. When -she looked at the others' faces, the smile disappeared. - -"What's the matter?" - -"It's the wine," flashed through Yevsey's mind. He rose to his feet, -shook himself, and said. "Don't think I asked for no reason at all. I -asked because I wanted to tell her long ago--your sister--about you." - -Zimin also rose. His face gathered in wrinkles, and turned yellow. - -"What can you tell her about me?" he asked with calm dignity. - -Masha's quiet whisper reached Yevsey's ear. "What's up between them?" - -"Wait," said Anfisa. - -"I know," said Yevsey. He had the sensation that he was being swung from -the floor into the air light as a feather. He seemed to see everything, -observe everything with marvellous plainness. "I know you're being -followed--followed by the agents of the Department of Safety, I know -you're a revolutionist." - -The cook shook in her chair, crying out in astonishment and fright: - -"Matvey, what does this mean?" - -"Excuse me," said Zimin, passing his hand reassuringly before her face. -"This is a serious matter." Then he said to Yevsey in a decided stern -tone, "Young man, put your overcoat on. You must go home. And I, too, -must go. Put your overcoat on." - -Yevsey smiled. He still felt empty and light. It was a pleasant -sensation, but his eyes were dim, and the caustic tickling taste in his -mouth came back again. He scarcely realized how he walked away, but he -did not forget that all were silent, and no one said good-by to him. - -In the street Zimin nudged his shoulder, and said not aloud but -emphatically: - -"I beg you not to come to my sister any more." - -"Why? Did I offend you?" asked Yevsey. - -"No, not in the least." - -"Why, then?" - -"Who are you?" - -"A peddler." - -"Then how do you know what I am, and that I am being followed?" - -"An acquaintance told me." - -"A spy?" - -"Yes." - -"So? And you are a spy, too?" - -"No," said Yevsey. But looking into Zimin's lean, pale face, he -remembered the calm and dull sound of his voice, and without an effort -corrected himself. "Yes, I, too." - -They walked a few steps in silence. - -"Well, go," said Zimin, suddenly halting. His voice sounded subdued and -sorrowful. He shook his head strangely. "Go away." - -Yevsey leaned his back against the enclosure, and gazed at the man, -blinking his eyes. Zimin, too, looked at Yevsey, shaking his right hand. - -"Why?" said Yevsey, in perplexity. "Didn't I tell you the truth? That -you are being tracked?" - -"Well?" - -"And you are angry?" - -Zimin bent toward him, and poured a wave of hissing words upon Klimkov. - -"Yes, go to the devil! I know without you that they are tracking me. -What's the matter? Is business going badly among you? Did you think -you'd buy me? And betray people behind my back? Or did you want to throw -a sop to your conscience? Go to hell! I say, go, or else I'll give you a -black eye." - -Yevsey started from his leaning posture, and walked off. - -"Vermin!" he heard breathed behind him contemptuously. - -Klimkov stopped, turned around, and for the first time swore at anybody -with the whole power of his voice: - -"Vermin yourself! You ---- ---- cur!" - -Zimin did not rejoin. His steps were inaudible. Somewhere Yevsey heard -the snow crunching under the runners of a cab and the grinding of iron -on stone. - -"He went back there," thought Klimkov, walking slowly along the -pavement. "He will tell. Masha will curse me." He spat out, then hummed: - -"Oh, garden, garden mine!" He stopped at a lamp-post, feeling he had to -calm himself. - -"Here I am, and I can sing if I want to. If a policeman hears it and -asks, 'What are you bawling there?' I'll show him my ticket from the -Department of Safety. 'Oh, excuse me!' he'll say. But if the joiner -should sing, he'll be hustled off to the station-house, and they'll give -him a cudgelling. 'Don't disturb the peace!'" Klimkov smiled, and peered -into the darkness. "Well, brother, won't you strike up a song?" - -However this failed to calm him as he had expected. His heart was sad, -and a bitter soapy saliva seemed to be glued in his mouth, making tears -well up in his eyes. - - "O Ga-a-a-arden, ga-a-a-arden mine! - Green is this garden of mine." - -He sang with the full power of his lungs, shutting his eyes tight. This -did not help either. The dry, prickly tears trickled through his lids, -and chilled his cheeks. - -"Ky-a-b!" Klimkov called in a low voice, still trying to put on a bold -front. But when he had seated himself in the sleigh, his body grew -faint, as if a great many tightly drawn fibres had suddenly burst within -him. His head drooped, and swaying from side to side in his seat he -mumbled: - -"A fine insult--very strong--thank you! Oh, you good people, wise -people--" - -This complaining was pleasant. It filled his heart with drunken -sweetness. Yevsey had often felt this sweetness in his childhood. It set -him in a martyr-like attitude toward people, and made him more -significant to himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - -In the morning Yevsey lay in bed frowning up at the ceiling. - -"Put my foot into it!" he thought dismally, as the recollection of what -had happened the day before came back to him. "No, I oughtn't to track -people, but track myself." The idea seemed strange to him. "How's that, -though? Am I rascally toward myself?" - -He remembered the melancholy hazel eyes of the joiner, the expression of -dignity on his thin face, and his assured voice as he said, "It's -chilly." Suddenly Yevsey was perplexed to feel within himself something -alien, something ready to struggle with him. He rose to his feet, took -in as much air as he could, and for a long time stood without emitting -breath, as if to stifle inside himself that which was alien and which -hindered him. - -"I must stop all this. What do I want it for?" he urged himself. -Nevertheless ease did not return. He began to dress lazily, compelling -himself to think about the task of the day. - -Now he seldom went about with goods, because there was much other work -to be done. This day, for instance, he was to go to a factory suburb to -observe the workingmen, with the object of discovering the persons who -distributed proclamations. - -He smeared his hands with soot and oil, then washed them with soap, -after which an oily film was left, such as on the hands of metal -workers. This was not essential. But Klimkov liked to dye his tufty -hair, and color his brows and mustache. Such proceedings made his work -more interesting, and heightened its gravity. - -The handsome Grokhotov had been very assiduous in teaching Yevsey the -art of disguising his face and figure. Grokhotov was sincerely attracted -by the work. He possessed a large supply of beards, mustaches, and wigs -of all colors, and could paste scars and warts on the face. Sometimes he -would display his mimic arts to his comrades. Suddenly, right in -everybody's presence, he would give his face, voice, and figure a -striking resemblance to one of the officials. Or he would cackle like a -goose, roar like a lion, bark like a dog, or meow like a cat. His -astonished audience praised him generously, and held their sides with -laughter, while he, smiling sedately, declared modestly: - -"Just the A B C's. Wait until I've been at it a year. Then I'll go on -the stage. I'll hit off all the celebrities, and I'll imitate every -animal on earth." - -Melnikov would look at him with contempt, and spit out. Once he even -shouted: - -"Hey, you clown, show us a louse." - -"The louse is a mute insect," remarked the spy. - -"Well, then, profit by its example. Eat and keep quiet." - -While dressing Klimkov remembered this interchange of words, which in -turn recalled Anatol. - -"There," he thought, "Anatol would have made a good spy. But Zimin -wouldn't do at all. His eyes are in the way. You can recognize him by -the eyes at once. He certainly wants to take Masha as his mistress." - -Yevsey stopped at the door, his heart unpleasantly gripped by this -conjecture. But the next instant he waved his hand carelessly. - -"To the devil with all of them! What do I care?" - -This thought, which had calmed him before, now irritated a sore spot in -his feelings. - -The sun was shining, water flowed from the roofs babbling and washing -away the dirty reddish snow. The people walked quickly and merrily. The -good chimes of the Lenten bells floated lengthily in the warm moist -atmosphere, mingling in a broad ribbon of soft sounds, which waved in -the air, and floated from the city into the pale bluish distance. - -"Now to go off somewhere, to walk in the fields, in the deserts," -thought Yevsey, as he entered the narrow streets of the factory suburb. - -Round about him rose the red filthy walls, supporting themselves one -against the other. The sky over them was besmirched with smoke, the air -was steeped in the stifling odor of warm oil. White teeth gleamed -angrily in the dirty faces of the workingmen. All the surroundings were -unlovely, and the eyes quickly wearied in looking upon the smoked stone -cages in which the men worked. - -At noon Klimkov, exhausted and feeling insulted by everything he saw, -entered a tavern, where he ordered dinner to be brought to him at a -small table next to a window. He reluctantly listened to the people's -conversation. There were not many, but all were workingmen, who lazily -cast short words at one another as they ate and drank. The only lively -sound was of a young incessant voice which reached him from a corner. - -"No, think, where does wealth come from?" - -The person who spoke was a broad-shouldered, curly-haired fellow. Yevsey -looked at him in vexation, and turned away. He frequently heard talks -about wealth, which always inspired him with a sense of bored -perplexity. He felt they were dictated only by envy and greed. He knew -that just such talks were accounted noxious, and he forcibly compelled -himself to listen to them, though to-day he wanted to traverse the broad -light streets of the city. - -"You work cheaply, and you buy dearly. Isn't it so?" cried the -curly-headed fellow. "All wealth is accumulated from the money by which -we are underpaid for our work. Let's take an example." - -"Everybody's greedy," thought Yevsey. "How Masha snatched the beads -yesterday! All are scoundrels. And the reason Zimin did not strike me -was because he was afraid I would call the police. Ha! They drove me -out, but they kept my presents. If they thought me a dirty fellow, they -should have returned my presents, the skunks!" - -Filling himself with the pleasant bitterness that comes from censuring -people, he was carried away by it, and no longer heard or saw anything. -Suddenly, however, a merry voice fell upon his ear. - -"What, Yevsey Klimkov?" - -He raised his head hastily, and wanted to rise, but was unable to do so. -He saw standing before him the curly-headed orator, whom, however, he -did not recognize. - -"You don't know me? Yakov, your cousin." - -He laughed, held out his hand to Yevsey, and seated himself opposite him -at the table. His laughter enveloped Klimkov in a warm cloud of -reminiscences--of the church, the quiet ravine, the fire, and the talks -of the blacksmith. Silent, smiling in embarrassment, he carefully -pressed his cousin's hand. - -"I didn't recognize you." - -"Of course!" exclaimed Yakov. "Your memory gets weak in the city. -Various things creep upon you from all sides, so no place is left for -the old. How are you getting along?" - -"So, so." - -"Out of work?" - -"Yes." - -Klimkov answered unwillingly. He wanted to know whereby this meeting -might be dangerous for him. But Yakov spoke for both. He rapidly gave an -account of the village, as if it were absolutely necessary for him to -get through with it as quickly as possible. In two minutes he had told -Yevsey that his father had gotten blind, that his mother was always -sick, and that he had been living in the city three years working in the -factory. - -"There, you've got the whole story." - -Yakov was even more thickly besmudged with soot and oil than most of the -men. Though his clothes were torn he seemed to be rich. He was outspoken -and free in his demeanor. Klimkov looked at him with pleasure, and -recalled without malice how this strong fellow had beaten him. - -"Is he a revolutionist, too?" he asked himself timidly. - -"Well, how are you getting along?" said Yakov. His broad round face, -glossy and smiling good-naturedly, called for frankness in return, which -Klimkov, however, did not want to give. He felt the new and alien thing -that he had found in his soul in the morning growing in him. In the -desire to evade Yakov's questions, he himself began to interrogate. - -"And how are you?" - -"Work is hard, and life is easy. I like the city very much. It's a smart -thing, the city is. And how simple, how intelligible things are here. -It's true that work for us fellows is, you may say, humiliating. There's -so much work, and so little time to live. Your whole day, your whole -life goes to your employer. You can keep only minutes for yourself. -There's no time to read a book. I'd like to go to theatre, but when will -I sleep? Do you read books?" - -"No." - -"Well, yes, you have no time. Isn't it so? Though I manage to read after -all. Such books as you get here! You start one, and you just sink away, -as if a dear girl and you were embracing. Honest! How do you get along -with girls? Lucky?" - -"So, so," said Yevsey. - -"They love me! The girls here, too--ah, God, what a life! Do you go to -the theatre?" - -"I've been." - -"I love theatre. I snatch up everything, as if I were going to leave -to-morrow, or die. Really! I like to hear music, everything--the -zoological garden--that's a nice place, too." - -The red of excitement broke through the black layer of dirt of Yakov's -cheeks. His eyes burned eagerly. He smacked his lips, as if he were -sucking in something refreshing and vivifying. - -Quiet envy stirred in Yevsey, envy of this healthy body with its keen -appetites. He stubbornly recalled how Yakov had pummeled his sides with -his powerful fists; and something sad softly hindered him from doing -violence to himself. Quick, joyous speech came from Yakov without cease; -the ringing exulting words and exclamations fluttered around Yevsey like -swallows. He drank in the live spring-talk, involuntarily smiling. He -seemed to himself to be splitting in two, torn by the desire to listen, -and the awkward, almost shameful feeling that possessed him. Though he -wished to speak in his turn, he feared he might betray himself. His -shirt collar pressed his neck. He turned his head around, and suddenly -saw Grokhotov on the street at the window. Over the spy's left shoulder -and arm hung torn breeches, dirty shirts, and jackets. He gave Yevsey a -scarcely perceptible wink as he shouted in a sour voice: - -"I sell and buy old clothes." - -"It's time for me to be going," said Yevsey, jumping to his feet. - -"You are free on Sundays, aren't you? Oh, yes, you're out of work. Well, -then, let's go to the zoological gardens. Come to me. No, I'd better go -to you. Where do you live?" - -Yevsey was silent. He did not want to tell him where he lodged. - -"What's the matter? Do you live with a girl? That doesn't matter. You'll -introduce me to her. That's all. What are you ashamed of? Is that it?" - -"You see I don't live alone." - -"Well, yes." - -"But I don't live with a girl. I live with an old man." - -Yakov guffawed. - -"How funny you are! The devil knows how you speak. Well, we don't want -an old man, of course. I live with two comrades. It's not convenient for -anyone to call on me either. Come, let's agree on a place where we can -meet." - -They decided on a meeting-place, and left the cafe. Yakov on taking -leave gave his cousin an affectionate and vigorous handshake, and Yevsey -left him in precipitate haste as if he feared his cousin would return to -take it back. On his way he reflected dismally: - -"I cannot go on the side of the city where the railway station is, -because I'll meet Zimin there, and they'll beat me. Here, the toughest -place, the place they call a hot-bed of revolutionists, Yakov will be in -my way. I can't do a thing. I can't turn anywhere." - -A feeling of spiteful irritation glided over his soul like a grey -shadow. - -"I sell old clothes," sang Grokhotov behind his back, then whispered, -"Buy a shirt from me, Klimkov." - -Yevsey turned around, took some rag in his hand, and examined it -silently, while the spy praising the wares aloud, managed to get in a -whisper, "See here, you just hit it. That curly-headed fellow, I had my -eyes on him. He's a Socialist. Hold on to him. You can hook a great many -with him. He's a young fellow, a simple sort of fellow, do you hear?" He -tore the rag from Yevsey's hand, and shouted in an offended tone, "Five -kopeks for such a garment as this? You're making sport of me, friend. -Why should you insult me? Go your way, go." And shouting his wares, -Grokhotov strode down the street. - -"There, I myself am going to be under surveillance," thought Yevsey, -looking at Grokhotov's back. - -When a spy with little experience became acquainted with a workingman, -he was obliged to report the fact immediately to the spy above him. The -latter either gave him as an assistant a spy with more experience, or he -himself went among the workingmen; upon which the other spies would say -of him enviously: - -"He 'noosed' himself into the provocatorship." - -The role of provocator was considered dangerous, so by way of -compensation the officers at once gave money rewards for the handing -over of a group of people. All the spies not only gladly "noosed" -themselves, but sometimes also even tripped one another up in the -endeavor to snatch away the lucky chance. In this way the entire -business was not infrequently spoiled. More than once it happened that a -spy had already gotten inside a circle of workingmen, when suddenly in -some secret manner they learned of his profession; whereupon they would -beat him if he had not succeeded in time in slipping away from the -circle. This was called "snapping the noose." - -It was hard for Klimkov to believe that Yakov was a Socialist, though at -the same time he wanted to believe it. The envy his cousin aroused was -transformed again into irritation against him for having put himself in -his way. Yevsey now also recalled the blows his cousin had bestowed upon -him. - -In the evening, with eyes turned aside, he informed Piotr of his -acquaintance. - -"Well, what of it?" asked Piotr angrily. - -"Nothing." - -"You don't know what you must do? Then what the devil is the use of -teaching you fellows?" Piotr hastened off, crumpled, lean, with dark -stains under his eyes. - -"Evidently lost again at cards," thought Yevsey gloomily. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - -The next day Sasha learned of Yevsey's success. He questioned him in -detail. After reflecting awhile he smiled his putrid smile, and gave -Klimkov instructions. - -"Wait a little. Then you'll tell him in a careful way that you have -gotten a position as clerk in a printing office, do you hear? Ask as few -questions as possible, let them speak for themselves. Very likely -they'll ask you whether you can't get them type. Tell them you can, but -learn to say it simply, so that they should see it's all the same to you -whether you get it or don't get it. Don't ask what for, behave like a -little fool, as you actually are. Only I want you to know that if you -botch this matter, it will be bad for you. After every meeting report to -me what you have heard." - -In intercourse with Sasha Yevsey felt like a little dog on a strap. He -looked at the spy's pimply yellow face, and thought of nothing but the -moment when he would be permitted to depart from the cloud of disgusting -odors, which nauseated him and ate into the skin of his face and hands. - -He went to meet Yakov as empty as a pipe. But when he saw his cousin -with a cigarette between his teeth and his hat cocked to one side, he -gave him a pleasant smile, while something unpleasant stirred within -him. - -"How's business?" shouted Yakov merrily. - -"So, so." - -"Gotten a job?" - -"Yes." The next instant Yevsey thought, "I said it too soon." - -"What?" - -"Clerk in a printing office." - -Yakov whistled. - -"Capital! What do you get?" - -"Twenty-five." - -"In a printing office? Indeed!" said Yakov thoughtfully, then suddenly -became animated. "What do you say--I'll take you to pay a visit this -evening. Good company, coz. Two girls, one a milliner, the other a spool -girl in a thread factory. There'll be a locksmith there, too, a young -fellow. He sings and plays the guitar. Two more, also good people. All -people are good, only they have no time to pay attention to themselves." - -Yakov spoke quickly, and his eyes smiled joyously at everything he saw. -He stopped in front of the shop-windows, and examined their contents -with the gaze of a man to whom all articles are pleasant, and everything -is interesting. - -"Look, what a dress! Ha! If you were to put such a thing on our Olya, -she'd get tangled up in it. Books--that little one there, yellow, you -see it? I've read it. 'Primitive Man.' Interesting. Read it, and you'll -see how people grew up. Books are very interesting. They at once open up -to you all the cunning of life. Those thick books are awkward to read. -By the time you get to the middle you forget what happened at the -beginning, and at the end you forget the beginning also. The devil take -them! Why don't they write shorter books?" - -The next minute he pointed out a gun, and cried ecstatically: - -"Revolvers, eh? Just like toys." - -Giving himself over to Yakov's mood, Yevsey looked at the various -articles with the wandering look of empty eyes, and smiled, astounded, -as if for the first time seeing the pretty, alluring multitude of -brilliant materials and vari-colored books, the blinding gleam of colors -and metals. He was pleased to hear the young voice still in the state of -change; the rapid talk steeped in the joy of life was agreeable to him. -It lightly penetrated the dark void of Klimkov's soul, and allowed him -to forget himself for a moment. - -"You're a jolly fellow," he said approvingly. - -"Very. I learned to dance from the Cossacks. A score of Cossacks are -stationed in our factory. Did you hear that the men in our factory -wanted to rise? You didn't? How's that? The newspapers wrote about it. -Yes, so I learned to dance from the Cossacks. Wait, you'll see. Nobody -can beat me." - -"Why did they want to rise?" asked Yevsey, provoked by the simplicity -with which Yakov spoke of a revolt. - -"Why? They wrong us workingmen. What, then, are we to do?" - -"And you would have done it, too?" - -"What? Rebel? Of course. What else? Our people are good, they're solid." - -"And how about the Cossacks?" - -"The Cossacks? So, so. They are people, too. At first they thought they -would officer it over us, but then they said, 'Comrades, give us -leaflets.'" - -Yakov suddenly broke off and looked into Yevsey's face. For a minute he -walked in silence with knit brows. - -The mention of the leaflets recalled his duty to Yevsey. He wrinkled his -forehead painfully. Wishing to push something away from himself and his -cousin, he said quietly: - -"I read those leaflets." - -"Well?" asked Yakov, slackening his gait. - -"I don't understand them. What are they for?" - -"You read some more." - -"I don't want to." - -"Why not?" - -"Just so." - -"They're not interesting to you?" - -"No, they're not." - -For a while they walked in silence. Yakov sniffed meditatively, and gave -a hasty look into his cousin's face. Yevsey felt he had not succeeded in -shoving away the unpleasant and dangerous theme. - -"These leaflets are a precious matter. It's necessary for us to read -them. All the slaves of labor ought to read them," Yakov began heartily, -but in a modulated voice. "We, cousin, are slaves, chained to -everlasting work. They have made us captives of capitalists, and we live -poor in body and in soul. Isn't it so? Now the leaflets eat at our -chains, the way rust eats iron, and they liberate our human minds." - -Klimkov walked more quickly. He did not want to hear the smooth talk. -The desire even darted through his mind to say: - -"Don't speak to me about such things, please." - -But Yakov himself interrupted his speech. - -"There's the zoo!" - -They drank a bottle of beer in the bar-room, and listened to the playing -of a military band. - -"Good?" Yakov asked, nudging Yevsey's side with his elbow. On the -cessation of the playing Yakov sighed. "That was Faust they played. An -opera. I saw it three times. Beautiful, very! The story is stupid, but -the music is good. And the songs, too. Come, let's look at the monkeys." - -On the way to the monkey-house he told Yevsey the story of Faust and the -devil Mephistopheles. He even attempted to sing something, but not -succeeding he burst out laughing. "I can't," he declared. "It's hard. -Besides I've forgotten it. Do you know--the singer who plays the devil -gets a thousand rubles every time he sings. The devil take him, let him -get ten thousand rubles, because it's good. When it's good, I don't -grudge anybody anything. I'd give my life,--there, take it, eat! Isn't -it so?" - -"Yes," replied Yevsey, looking around. - -Yakov's account of the opera, the pretty women's faces, the laughter and -talk of the crowds of people in holiday attire, and over all the spring -sky bathed in sunlight--all this intoxicated Klimkov and expanded his -heart. - -"What a young fellow he is!" he thought in amazement, as he looked at -Yakov. "So brave! And he knows everything. Yet he's the same age I am." - -Now it seemed to Yevsey that his cousin was leading him somewhere far -off, and was quickly opening up before him a long row of little doors, -behind each of which the sound and the light grew pleasanter and -pleasanter. He looked around, absorbing the new impressions, and at -times opening his eyes wide in anxiety. It seemed to him that the -familiar face of a spy was darting about in the crowd. - -The two youths stood before the monkey cage. Yakov with a kind smile in -his eyes said: - -"I love these wise animals. In fact I love every living thing. Just -look! Wherein are they less than human beings? Isn't it so? Eyes, chins, -how bright all their features are, eh? Their hands--" He suddenly broke -off to listen to something. "Wait a minute, there go our folks." He -disappeared, and in a minute returned leading a girl and a young man up -to Yevsey. The young man wore a sleeveless jacket. Yakov cried out -joyously: - -"You said you weren't coming here, you deceivers. Well, all right. This -is my cousin Yevsey Klimkov. I told you about him. This is Olya--Olga -Konstantinova, and this is Aleksey Stepanovich Makarov." - -Klimkov bowed clumsily and silently pressed the hands of his new -acquaintances. - -"There, he's going to 'noose' me in," he thought. "It's better for me to -go away." - -But he did not go away, though he looked around again, fearful lest he -see one of the spies. He saw none, however. - -"He's not a very free sort of a fellow," said Yakov to the girl. "He's -not a pair to me, sinner that I am. He's a quiet fellow." - -"You needn't feel constrained with us. We are simple people," said Olga. - -She was taller than Yevsey by an entire head, and her size was -heightened by her luxuriant glossy hair, which she wore combed high. Her -grey-blue eyes smiled serenely in a pale oval face. - -The expression of the man in the sleeveless jacket was intelligent and -kind. His eyes were screwed up and his ears large. His motions were -slow. In walking he moved his apparently powerful body with a peculiar -sort of unconcern. - -"Are we going to wander about here long, like unrepentant sinners?" he -asked in a soft bass. - -"What else should we do?" asked Yakov. - -"Let's sit down somewhere." - -Olga bent her head to look into Klimkov's face. - -"Have you ever been here before?" - -"No. This is the first time." - -"Do you find it interesting?" - -"Yes, I like it." - -He walked to her side trying for some reason to lift his feet higher; by -which walking became awkward. They sat down at a table, and called for -beer. Yakov made jokes, while Makarov whistled softly and regarded the -public with his screwed-up eyes. - -"Have you any companions?" asked Olga. - -"No, not one." - -"That's what I thought at once. I thought you were a solitary person," -she said smiling. "Lonely people have a peculiar gait. Altogether -there's something noticeable about them. How old are you?" - -"I'll soon be nineteen." - -"Look, there's a spy!" Makarov exclaimed quietly. - -Yevsey jumped to his feet, but quickly resumed his seat, and looked at -Olga to see if she had observed his involuntary movement of alarm. He -could not make out, however. She was silently and attentively examining -Melnikov's dark figure, which slowly moved through the passageway -between the tables as if with an effort. Melnikov walked with bent neck -and eyes fastened on the ground. His arms hung at his side as if -dislocated. - -"He walks like Judas to the aspen tree," said Yakov in a subdued voice. - -"He must be drunk," observed Makarov. - -"No, he's always like that," was on the tip of Yevsey's tongue. He -fidgetted in his chair. - -Melnikov pushed himself through the crowd like a black stone, and was -soon lost in its gaily colored stream. - -"Did you notice how he walked?" Olga asked Klimkov. - -Yevsey nodded his head. - -"Of course he's a mean man, but he must be unhappy and lonely." - -Yevsey raised his head, and looked at her attentively, with expectation. - -"Do you know I think that for a weak man loneliness is the most horrible -thing. It can drive him to anything." - -"Yes," said Klimkov in a whisper, comprehending something. He looked -into the girl's face gratefully, and repeated in a louder tone, "Yes." - -"I knew him four years ago," Makarov recounted. Makarov's face seemed -suddenly to have lengthened and dried up. His bones became visible, his -eyes opened and darkened and looked firmly into the distance. "He -delivered over one student, who gave us books to read, and a workingman, -Tikhonov. The student was exiled, Tikhonov stayed in prison about a -year, then died of typhus." - -"Are you afraid of spies?" Olga suddenly asked Klimkov. - -"Why?" Yevsey returned dully. - -"You started so when you saw him." - -Yevsey rubbing his throat vigorously answered without looking at her: - -"That was--because I know him, too." - -"Aha!" Makarov drawled, smiling. - -"Ah, and such a quiet fellow!" exclaimed Yakov. - -All now moved more closely around Klimkov as if desiring to hide him -from somebody's eyes. He did not understand their exclamations, nor -their movements and kind looks. He endeavored to keep quiet, fearing -that against his will he would say words that would at once destroy the -anxious yet pleasant half-dream of these minutes. - -The fresh spring evening approached quietly and benignly, softening -sounds and colors. There was a red flush in the sky, and the brass -instruments sang a soft pensive strain. - -"Well," said Makarov, "are we going to stay here, or are we going home?" - -"What will they give here?" asked Olga. - -"Chorus singing, tight-rope dancing, and all sorts of similar nonsense." - -They decided to go home. On the way Olga asked Klimkov: - -"Have you ever been in prison?" - -"Yes," he answered, but in an instant added, "Not for long." - -They took the tramway to their place of destination. Yevsey found -himself in a little room with blue paper on the walls. It was close and -stifling, now merry, now gloomy. Makarov played the guitar and sang -songs which Yevsey had never before heard. Yakov boldly discussed -everything in the world, laughing at the rich and swearing at the -officials. Then he danced, filling the whole room with the tread of his -feet and the cries and the whistling that accompany the dances. The -guitar tinkled the measure of the dance, and Makarov encouraged Yakov -with popular sayings and shouts. - -"Go ahead, Yasha! Heigho! Who with merriment is blessed, Frightens -sorrow from his breast." - -Olga looked on serenely and contentedly. - -"Good, isn't it?" she asked Klimkov occasionally, smiling at him. - -Drunk with a quiet joy unknown to him Klimkov smiled in response. He -forgot about himself, and felt the obstinate pricks within him only -rarely, for a few seconds at a time. Before his consciousness was able -to transform them into clear thought, they disappeared, without -recalling his life to him. - -It was not until he had reached his home that he remembered his work, -his obligation to deliver these merry people into the hands of the -gendarmes. On recalling this duty he was seized with cold anguish. He -stopped in the middle of the room, his brain a void. Breathing became -difficult, and he passed his dry tongue over his lips. He drew off his -clothes quickly, and clad in nothing but his underwear seated himself at -the window. After several minutes of numbness he thought: - -"I will tell them--her--Olga." - -But that very minute he heard in his memory the angry and contemptuous -shouts of the joiner, "Vermin!" Klimkov shook his head in repudiation of -the idea. "I'll write to her. 'Take care,' I'll say--and I'll write -about myself." - -This thought cheered him. The next minute, however, he reasoned: - -"They'll find my letter when they make the search. They'll recognize my -handwriting, and then I'm ruined." - -Someone within him commanded imperiously: - -"You can't do anything of yourself. Do that which you have been bidden -to do." - -He sat at the window almost until daybreak. It seemed to him that his -entire body shrivelled up and collapsed within him like a rubber ball -from which the air is expelled. Within grief relentlessly sucked at his -heart; without the darkness pressed upon him, full of faces lying in -wait. Amid them, like a red ball, lowered the sinister face of Sasha. -Klimkov crouched on his seat unable to think. Finally he rose -cautiously, and quietly hid himself under the blanket of the bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - -Life, like a horse that has stood idle too long, began to caper -strangely, refusing to surrender to the will of those who wanted to -control it--who wanted to control it just as senselessly, just as -cruelly as before. - -Every evening the people connected with the Department of Safety, who -were utterly at a loss, spoke more and more alarmingly of the increasing -signs of universal excitement, of the secret league of peasants, who had -resolved to take the land by force from the landowners, of the -gatherings of workingmen who began to censure the administration openly, -of the power of the revolutionists, which clearly was growing from day -to day. Filip Filippovich, without abating, continued to scratch the -agents of the Department of Safety with his sharp-edged, irritating -voice. He overwhelmed everybody with reproaches for inactivity. And -Yasnogursky, smacking his lips, made tragic appeals to the agents while -pressing his hands to his bosom. - -"My children, exert yourselves. Remember that service in behalf of the -Czar is not wasted." - -But when Krasavin inquired gloomily, "What are we to do?" he merely -waved his hand, and stood for a long time with his deep black mouth -gaping strangely, unable to find a reply. - -"Catch them!" he finally shouted. - -Yevsey, who listened to everything, heard the dapper Leontyev cough -drily, and say to Sasha: - -"Apparently our old methods of war upon the rebels are no good in these -days of universal madness." - -"Ye-e-e-es, you can't put out fire with spittle," hissed Sasha, a smile -distorting his face. - -Everybody was vexed and complained and shouted. Sasha drew up his long -legs, and cried in mocking derision: - -"Aha! The gentlemen revolutionists are getting the better of us, eh?" - -He laughed, and his laugh irritated everybody. Yevsey felt that this man -was not afraid of anything, and he endeavored not to hear his talk. - -The spies tossed about the streets day and night, and every evening -brought long reports of their observations. They spoke to one another -mournfully: - -"Is this the way to work nowadays? Dear me!" - -Apparently no one knew a means by which the elemental growth of the -popular revolt could be restrained. - -"They will comb our curls," said Piotr, cracking his knuckles. - -"They'll take us off the list if we remain alive," Solovyov chimed in -dismally. - -"If they would give us a pension at least! But they won't." - -"A noose around our necks, not a pension," said Melnikov sombrely. - -The spies were all exhausted and confused; all trembled in fear of the -morrow. Both they and the officials seemed to have faded. The people who -but a short time ago had been terrible in Yevsey's eyes, who had -appeared to him to be the powerful and invincible masters of life, now -ran from one corner of the Department of Safety to another, and -fluttered about in the streets like last year's dried leaves. - -He observed with amazement that there were other people, cheerful, -simple, and trusting, who were able to walk into the future, carelessly -stepping over every obstacle and snare in their way, everyone of whom -was good in his own fashion, and everyone of whom clearly hinted at the -possibility of something better than himself. Yevsey compared them with -the spies, who, unwillingly with clandestine tread, crept along the -streets and into houses, and secretly spirited away these people at -night, in order to seclude them in prisons. He clearly realized that the -spies did not understand the aim of their work, did not believe that it -was needful for life, and did not think or reason when, instinctively, -according to their habit, they went about half-sick, half-drunk, driven -by different fears. - -He liked the tranquil talk of Olga, her greyish blue eyes, and that live -strong pity for people which sounded in the girl's every word. He liked -the noisy, jesting, somewhat boastful talker Yakov, the careless -Aleksey, good-naturedly ready to give away his last shirt and penny to -anyone who asked for them. He met an increasing number of people new to -him, in each of whom he perceived faith in the victory of his dream. And -Yevsey involuntarily, insensibly, yielded to this faith. - -Observing the quick crumbling of that power which he had hitherto -submissively served, Yevsey began to seek a way by which it would be -possible for him to circumvent and escape the necessity of betrayal. He -reasoned thus: - -"If I go to them, then it will be impossible for me not to deliver them -up. To hand them over to another agent is still worse. I must tell them. -Now that they are becoming more powerful, it will be better for me to be -with them." - -So, yielding to the attraction exerted upon him by persons new to him, -he visited Yakov more frequently, and became more insistent in -endeavoring to meet Olga. After each visit he reported in a quiet voice -to Sasha every detail of his intercourse with them--what they said, what -they read, and what they wanted to do. He enjoyed telling of them, in -fact, repeated their talk with secret satisfaction. - -"Oh, a funeral," snuffled Sasha, angrily and sarcastically fixing -Klimkov with his dim eyes. "You must push them on yourself, if they are -inattentive. You must get in a hint that you can furnish them with type, -fix up a printing office. Is it possible you can't do that?" - -Yevsey was silent. - -"I am asking you, idiot, can you do it? Well?" - -"I can." - -"Why don't you speak out? Suggest it to them to-morrow, do you hear?" - -"Very well." - -It was easy for Klimkov to fulfil Sasha's order. In reporting about his -cousin's circle, he had not ventured to tell Sasha that both Olga and -Yakov had already asked him twice, whether he could obtain type for -them. Each time he had managed to get away without answering. - -The next evening he went to Olga, carrying in his breast the dark -feeling of emptiness he always experienced in moments of nervous -tension. The resolution to fulfil the task was put into him by a -stranger's will; he did not have to think about it himself. This -resolution spread within him, and crowded out all fear, all inconvenient -sympathy. - -But when the tall figure of Olga stood before him in the small dimly -lighted room, and behind her he saw her large shadow on the wall, which -moved to meet him, Klimkov lost courage, grew confused, and stood in the -doorway without speaking. - -"I've just returned from the factory," said Olga pressing his hand. "We -had another meeting today. What's the matter with you? Are you tired? -Are you sick? Come in, sit down. Let's have some tea, yes?" - -She turned the light in the lamp higher, and looked at Klimkov with a -smile. While getting the dishes ready she continued. - -"I like to drink tea with you alone. I myself and all the comrades, we -talk a great deal. We must talk so much, we scarcely have time to think. -That's absurd, and bad, but it's true. So it's pleasant to see a -taciturn, thinking man. Will you have a glass of milk? It will do you -good. You are growing very thin, it seems to me." - -Klimkov took the glass she offered him, and slowly sipped the watery -unsavory milk. He wanted to get through with the business at once. - -"This is it. You said you need type." - -"I did. I know you'll give it to us." - -She said these words simply, with a confidence not to be shaken. They -were like a blow to Yevsey. He flung himself on the back of the chair -astonished. - -"Why do you know?" he asked dully after a pause. - -"When I asked you, you said neither yes nor no. So I thought you would -certainly say yes." - -Yevsey did not understand. He tried not to meet her look. - -"Why?" he queried again. - -"It must be because I consider you a good man. I trust you." - -"You mustn't trust," said Yevsey. - -"Well, enough nonsense, you must." - -"And suppose you've been mistaken?" - -She shrugged her shoulders. - -"Well, what of it?" After a pause she added calmly, "Not to believe a -man means not to respect him. It means to think him beforehand a liar, -an ugly person. Is that possible?" - -"That's what is necessary," mumbled Yevsey. - -"What?" - -"I can furnish the type." He sighed. The task was accomplished. He was -silent for several minutes, sitting with his head bowed, his hands -pressed tight between his knees, while he listened suspiciously to the -rapid beating of his heart. - -Olga leaned her elbows on the table, and in a low voice told him when -and where the promised type must be brought. He made a mental note of -her words, and repeated them to himself, desiring by this repetition to -hinder the growth of the painful feeling in his empty breast. Now that -he had fulfilled his duty a stifling nausea slowly arose from the depths -of his soul; and that feeling of an alien inside himself, of a -constantly widening cleft in his being, came over him in a tormenting -wave. - -"You noticed," the girl said quietly, "how rapidly the people are -changing, how faith in other persons is growing, how quickly one gets to -know the other, how everybody seeks friends and finds them. All have -become simpler, more trusting, more willing to open up their souls. See -how good it is." - -Her words trembled before him like moths, each with its own character. -Simple, kind, joyous, they all seemed fairly to smile. Unable to make up -his mind to look Olga in the face, Klimkov took to watching her shadow -on the wall over his shoulders, and drew upon it her blue eyes, the -medium-sized mouth with the pale lips, her face somewhat weary and -serious, but soft and kind. - -"Shall I tell her now that all this is a hocus-pocus? That she will be -ruined?" - -He answered himself: - -"They'll drive me out. They'll swear at me, and drive me out." - -"Do you know Zimin the joiner?" he suddenly asked. - -"No, why?" - -Yevsey sighed painfully. - -"Just so. He's a good man, too, a Socialist." - -"We are many," observed Olga with assurance. - -"If she knew the joiner," Klimkov thought slowly, "I would tell her to -ask him about me. Then--" - -The chair seemed to be giving way beneath him, the nausea, he thought, -would immediately gush into his throat. He coughed, and examined the -clean little room, which small and poor though it was, once more gripped -at his heart. The moon looked into the room round as Yakov's face, and -the light in the lamp seemed irritatingly superfluous. - -"More and more people come into being who realize that they are called -upon by destiny to order life differently--upon truth and intellect," -said Olga dreamily and simply. - -Yevsey, yielding more and more to the power of the triumphant feeling -the girl and the quiet contracted room inspired in him, thought: - -"I'll put out the light, fall on my knees before her, embrace her feet, -and tell her everything--and she will give me a kick." - -But the fear of ill treatment did not deter him. He raised himself -heavily from his chair, and put out his hand to the lamp. Then his hand -dropped lazily, drowsily, his legs shook. He started. - -"What are you doing?" demanded Olga. - -He tried to answer, but a soft gurgle came instead of words. He dropped -to his knees, and seized her dress with trembling hands. She pressed one -hot hand against his forehead, and with the other grasped his shoulder, -at the same time hiding her legs under the table with a powerful -movement. - -"No, no, get up!" she exclaimed sternly. "Oh my, how dreadful this is! -My dear, I understand, you are worn out, I am sorry for you, you are an -honorable man--I cannot--why, you don't ask for charity--then get up." - -The warmth of her strong body roused in him a sharp sensual desire, and -he took the pushing of her hand as an encouraging caress. - -"She's not a saint," darted through his mind, and he embraced the girl's -knees more vigorously. - -"I tell you, get up!" she exclaimed in a muffled voice, no longer -persuasively, but in a tone of command. - -He rose without having succeeded in saying anything. The girl had -confused his desires, his words, and feelings. She had put into his -breast something insulting and stinging. - -"Understand--" he mumbled, spreading out his hands. - -"Yes, yes, I understand--my God, always this on the road!" she -exclaimed. Looking into his face she went on harshly, "I am sick of it. -I am insulted. I can't be only a woman to everybody. Oh, God! How -pitiful you all are, after all." - -She went to the window, and the table now separated her from Yevsey. A -dim, cold perplexity took hold of his heart; an insulting shame quietly -burned him. - -"I tell you what--don't come to me--I beg of you. I'll feel awkward in -your presence, and you, too--please." - -Yevsey took up his hat, flung his coat over his shoulders, and walked -away with bowed head. Several minutes later he was sitting on a bench at -the gate of a house, mumbling as if drunk: - -"The baggage!" But he had to strain himself to bring out the epithet. It -was not genuine. He ransacked all the shameful names for a woman, all -ugly oaths, and poured them over the tall, shapely figure of Olga, -desiring to sully every bit of her with mud, to darken her from head to -foot, in order not to see her face and eyes. But oaths did not cling to -her. She stood before his eyes, stretching out her hands, pushing him -away, serene and white. Her image robbed his oaths of their force, and -though Yevsey persistently roused anger within himself, he felt only -shame. - -He looked for a long time at the round solitary ball of the moon, which -moved in the sky in bounds, as if leaping like a large bright rubber -ball; and he heard the quiet sound of its motion, resembling the -beatings of a heart. - -He did not love this pale melancholy disk, which always seemed to watch -him with cold obstinacy in the heavy movements of his life. It was late, -but the city was not yet asleep. From all sides floated sounds. - -"Formerly the nights were quieter," thought Klimkov. He rose, and walked -away, without putting his arms into the sleeves of his coat, his hat -pushed back on his neck. - -"Well, all right, wait," he thought, doing violence to himself. Finally -he decided, "I'll deliver them over, and as a reward I'll ask to be -transferred to another city. That's all." - -He reluctantly surrendered himself to the desires to revenge himself -upon Olga, and strengthened the feeling with a supreme effort. -Nevertheless it continued to cover his heart with a thin scale, and was -constantly breaking down so that he had to fortify it again. Beneath -this desire unexpectedly appeared another, not strong, but restless. He -wanted to see the girl once more, wanted to listen in silence to her -talk, to sit with her in her room. He quenched the longing with thoughts -that designedly lowered Olga. - -"If I had a lot of money, you would dance naked before me. I know your -lewd set." But to himself he said obdurately, "You won't sully her, you -won't attain it." - -He wanted this or the other, but neither this nor the other was -attainable. In calmer moments he realized this truth, which fairly -crushed him, and plunged him into a heavy sleep troubled by nightmares. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - -But Yevsey pursued his work precisely. He gave Makarov a few heavy -bundles of type in three instalments, and cleverly found out from him -where the printing-press would be established. This elicited public -commendation from Sasha. - -"Good boy! Now we have six in our hands--that's not so bad, Klimkov. You -will receive a reward." - -Yevsey treated his praise indifferently. When Sasha was gone, the sharp -face of Maklakov, which had grown thin, leaped into his eyes. The spy, -sitting in a dark corner of the room on a sofa, looked into Yevsey's -face, twirling his mustache, frowning, and vexed. Something in his look -provoked Yevsey, who turned aside. - -"Klimkov, come here," the spy called out. - -Klimkov turned back, and seated himself next to Maklakov. - -"Is it true that you delivered up your brother?" asked Maklakov in a low -voice. - -"My cousin." - -"You're not sorry?" - -"No." Yevsey quietly and angrily repeated the phrase that the officials -often uttered. "For us, as for soldiers, there is neither mother, nor -father, nor brother, only enemies of the Czar and our country." - -"Well, of course," said Maklakov, and smiled. After a pause he added, -"Really you are a 'good boy.'" - -By his voice and smile Klimkov understood that the spy was making sport -of him. He felt offended. - -"Maybe I am sorry." - -"Yes?" - -"But if I have to serve honestly and faithfully--" - -"Of course. I'm not disputing with you, you queer fellow." - -Then Maklakov lighted a cigarette, and asked Yevsey: - -"Why are you sitting here?" - -"Oh, for no reason. I have nothing to do." - -Maklakov slapped him on his knee, and suddenly said: - -"You're a poor unfortunate, brother, little man." - -Yevsey rose. - -"Timofey Vasilyevich," he began in a trembling voice. - -"Well, what is it?" - -"Tell me--" - -"Tell you what?" - -"I don't know." - -"Well, I don't either." - -Klimkov mumbled: - -"I am sorry for my cousin--and there's a girl there, too. They are all -better than we, by God they are! Really and truly they're better." - -Maklakov also rose to his feet, stretched himself, and stepping to the -door remarked coldly: - -"Go to the devil!" - -Yevsey remained alone. - -"Well, there," thought he, "there's another fellow--all alike. First -they draw me on, then they push me away." - -The vengeful feeling toward Olga awoke in him, and blended with his -sense of ill-will toward all people, which found ample nourishment in -his soul powerless to resist because of the poison of many insults. -Yevsey vigorously set to work to enmeshing himself in a net of new -moods, and he served now with a dull zeal hitherto unknown to him. - -Gradually the night came upon which it had been decided to arrest Olga, -Yakov, and all implicated in the affair of the printing-press whom -Yevsey had succeeded in tracking. He knew that the printing-office was -located in the wing of a house set in a garden and occupied by a large -red-bearded man named Kostya and his wife, a stout, pock-marked woman. -He also knew that Olga was the servant of these two people. Kostya's -head was close cropped, and his wife had a grey face and roaming eyes. -Upon Yevsey both produced the impression of witless persons, or persons -who have lain in a hospital a long time. - -"What fearful people they are!" he remarked to Yakov when he pointed -them out one evening during a party at Makarov's lodging. - -Yakov loved to boast of his acquaintances. He proudly shook his curly -head, and explained with an air of importance: - -"It's from their hard life. They work in cellars at night, where it is -damp, and the air is close. They get their rest in prison. Both of them -are fugitives, who live on other people's passports. Such a life turns -everybody inside out and upside down. They're jolly people, too. When -Kostya begins to tell about his life, you would think it is nothing but -tears, but he talks so that when he is done, your sides ache from -laughing. You can't trap such people very easily." - -Klimkov decided to get a last look at Olga. He learned through what -street the prisoners would be led, and went to meet them, trying to -persuade himself that all this did not touch him. All the time he was -thinking about the girl. - -"She'll certainly be frightened. She'll cry." - -He walked, as always, keeping in the shade. He tried once or twice to -whistle carelessly, but never succeeded in checking the steady stream of -recollections about Olga. He saw her calm face, her trusting eyes, -listened to her somewhat broken voice, and remembered her words: - -"It's no use for you to talk so badly about people, Klimkov. Why, have -you nothing to reproach yourself with? Suppose everybody were to say -what you say, 'It's hard for me to live, because everybody is so mean,' -why, that would be ridiculous. Can't you see? Value yourself highly, but -do not lower others. What right have you to do that?" - -When listening to Olga Yevsey had always felt that she spoke the truth. -Now, too, he had no cause to doubt it. But he was filled with the sheer -desire to see her frightened, pitiful, and in tears. - -From afar the wheels of an equipage began to rumble, the horses' shoes -clattered. Klimkov pressed himself against the gate of a house, and -waited. The carriage rolled by him. He looked at it unconcernedly, saw -two gloomy faces, the grey beard of the driver, and the large mustache -of the sergeant at his side. - -"That's all," thought he, "and I didn't get a chance to see her." - -But another carriage came rolling from the end of the street, and passed -him quickly. Yevsey listened to the cut of the whip on the horse's body, -and its tired snorting. The sounds seemed to hang motionless in the air. -He thought they would hang there forever. - -Olga with her head wrapped in a kerchief was sitting at the side of a -young gendarme. On the coach box beside the driver rose the figure of -the policeman. A familiar face darted by, white and good. Yevsey -understood more than saw that Olga was perfectly calm, was not in the -least frightened. For some reason he suddenly grew glad, and said to -himself as if retorting to an unpleasant interlocutor: - -"She won't cry, not she!" - -Closing his eyes and smiling he stood a while longer. Then he heard -steps and the jingling of spurs, and he comprehended that the men -prisoners were being led along the street. He tore himself from the -place, and trying to make his footsteps inaudible, quickly ran down the -street, and turned the first corner. He kept up the same rapid pace -almost the entire way to his home at which he arrived exhausted and -covered with sweat. - -The evening of the next day Filip Filippovich casting his blue rays upon -Yevsey said ceremoniously in a thinner voice than usual: - -"I congratulate you, Klimkov, on your fine achievement. I hope it will -be the first link in a long chain of successes." - -Klimkov shifted from one foot to the other, and quietly spread out his -arms, as if desiring to free himself from the invisible chain. - -There were a few spies in the room. They listened in silence to the -sound of the saw, and looked at Yevsey, who without seeing them felt -their glances upon his skin. He felt awkward and annoyed. - -When Filip Filippovich had finished talking, Yevsey quietly asked him -for a transfer to another city. - -"That's nonsense, brother," said Filip Filippovich drily. "It's a shame -to be a coward, especially at this time. What's the matter? Your first -success, yet you want to be running off. I myself know when a transfer -is necessary. Go." - -"There, they've rewarded me," thought Klimkov, dismally and with a sense -of hurt. But he was in error. The reward came from Sasha. - -"Hey, you morel, you," he called to him, "there, take this." - -Touching Yevsey's hand with his dank yellow hand, he thrust a piece of -paper into his grasp, and walked away. - -Yakov Zarubin leaped up to Yevsey. - -"How much?" - -"Twenty-five rubles," said Klimkov, unfolding the bill with reluctant -fingers. - -"How many people were there?" - -"Seven." - -"Seven? Ugh!" - -Zarubin raised his eyes to the ceiling, and mumbled: - -"Twice, no three times, seven is twenty-one. Four into seven--three and -a half per person." - -He whistled softly, and looking around announced: - -"Sasha got a hundred and fifty, and his bill of expenses in the affair -was sixty-three rubles. They do us fools. Well, what now, Yevsey? Give -us a treat. For joy!" - -"Come," said Klimkov, looking askance at the money. He could not make up -his mind to put it in his pocket. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - -On the way Zarubin said in a business-like way: - -"After all your people seem to have been trash." - -"Why?" asked Klimkov offended. He sighed, and said in a lower voice. -"Not trash a bit." - -"They gave little for them, very little. Ugh! I know how such things are -done. You can't fool me, no, indeed. Krasavin once caught a single -revolutionist, and he got a hundred rubles. Do you hear? And they sent -him another hundred from St. Petersburg. Solovyov got seventy-five for -an illegal lady. You see? And Maklakov, Ugh! Of course he catches -advocates, professors, writers, who have a special price. They are not -dangerous, but I suppose it must be hard to catch them." - -Zarubin spoke without cease. Klimkov was satisfied with his tattle, -which kept him from thinking of the oppressive something that lay in his -breast like a cold stone. - -The two youths entered a public house. Zarubin in the confident voice of -a habitue asked the tall, thin, one-eyed housekeeper: - -"Is Lydia well? And Kapa? There, Yevsey, you will get acquainted with -Kapa. She's a girl, I tell you, a monster! She'll teach you what you -wouldn't learn in a hundred years without her. Well, give us lemonade -and cognac. First of all, Yevsey, we must take a bit of cognac with -lemonade. That's a sort of champagne. It lifts you up into the air at -once. All right?" - -"All the same to me." - -The house, apparently, was an expensive one. The windows were hung with -sumptuous curtains. The furniture seemed unusual to Yevsey, the prettily -dressed girls, proud and inaccessible. All this distracted him. He -squeezed himself into a corner, stepping aside to let the girls pass, -who went by him as if they did not notice him. Their clothes grazed his -legs. The half-dressed bodies, painted and already sweaty, lazily -floated by in oppressive heaps. Their eyes set in pencilled lids turned -in their orbits. The eyes were all large, though dead and uniform, -notwithstanding their various colors. - -"Students?" asked a reddish girl of her companion, a stout brunette with -a high bare bosom and a blue ribbon about her neck. The one who -whispered in her ear made a grimace at Yevsey. He turned away from her, -and asked Zarubin in annoyance: - -"Do they know who we are?" - -"Yes, of course. That's why they take only half the price for entrance, -and discount twenty-five per cent. from the bill." - -Yevsey emptied two beakers of the sparkling beverage. Though it did not -make him merrier, everything around him, nevertheless, assumed a more -uniform, less irritating aspect. Two girls seated themselves at their -table, Lydia and Kapitolina, the one tall and strong, the other broad -and heavy. Lydia's head was absurdly small in proportion to her body; -her forehead, too, was small, her chin was sharp and prominent, her -mouth round, her teeth, little and fine, like those of a fish, and her -eyes dark and cunning. Kapitolina seemed put together from a number of -balls of various sizes. Her protruding eyes were also like balls, and -dull as a blind person's. - -Little black Zarubin was restless as a fly. He smelt of everything, -turned his head from side to side, moved his legs up and down, back and -forth, sent his thin dark hands flying over the table to seize -everything and feel everything. Yevsey suddenly began to feel a heavy -dull irritation rising in him against Zarubin. - -"The skunk!" he thought. "He brought me a monster for my money, and -chose a pretty one for himself." - -But Yevsey knew that his annoyance at Zarubin had a deeper-seated cause -than this. He filled a large glass of cognac, swallowed it, and opened -his burned mouth and rolled his eyes. - -"Capital!" shouted Yakov. - -The girls laughed, and for a minute Yevsey was deaf and blind, as if he -had fallen fast asleep. - -"This Lydia, Yevsey, my true friend, is a wise girl, oh, so wise!" -Zarubin pulled Yevsey's sleeve to rouse him. "Whenever I merit the -attention of the officials, I will take her away from here, will marry -her, and will establish her in my business. Yes, Lydia darling? Ugh!" - -"We'll see," replied the girl, languidly, looking sidewise at his oily -eyes. - -"Why are you silent, friend Yevsey?" asked Kapitolina, slapping Yevsey's -shoulder with her heavy hand. - -"She addresses everybody by the first name," Yakov remarked. - -"All the same to me," said Yevsey, without looking at the girl, and -moving away from her. "Only tell her that I don't like her, and she -should go away." - -For a few seconds all kept silence. - -"To the devil with you!" said Kapitolina, thickly and calmly. Propping -herself on the table with her hands, she slowly lifted her heavy body -from the chair. Yevsey was annoyed because she was not offended. He -looked at her, and said: - -"A species of elephant." - -"How impolite!" shouted Lydia compassionately. - -"Ugh! Yes, Yevsey. That's impolite, brother. Kapitolina Nikolayevna is -an excellent girl. All connoisseurs value her." - -"To me it's all the same," said Yevsey. "I want beer." - -"Hey, there, beer!" shouted Zarubin. "Kapa dear, be so kind as to see we -get beer." - -The stout girl turned, and left scraping her feet. Zarubin bending over -to Yevsey began insinuatingly and didactically: - -"You see, Yevsey, of course this is an establishment of such a kind, and -so on, but still the girls are human beings like you and me. Why should -you insult them uselessly? Ugh! They're not all here of their own -accord." - -"Stop!" said Klimkov. - -He wanted everything around him to be quiet. He wanted the girls to -cease floating in the air, like melancholy drifts of spring clouds torn -by the wind. He wanted the shaven pianist with the dark blue face, like -that of a drowned person, to stop rapping his fingers on the yellow -teeth of the piano, which resembled the jaw of a huge monster, a monster -that roared and shrieked loud laughter. He wanted the curtains of the -windows to cease flapping so strangely, as if someone's unseen and -spiteful hand were pulling at them from the street. Olga dressed in -white should station herself at the door. Then he would rise, walk -around the room, and would strike everybody in the face with all his -might. Let Olga see that they were all repulsive to him, and that she -wasn't right, and understood nothing. - -The complaining words of Zarubin settled themselves obstinately in his -ears: - -"We came here to make merry, but you at once begin a scandal." - -Yevsey, his whole body swaying, gave a dull glance into Yakov's face, -and suddenly said to himself with cold precision: - -"On account of that--sneak, I fell into this pit of an infernal life. -All on account of him!" - -He took a full bottle of beer into his hands, filled a glass for -himself, drank it out, and without letting go of the bottle, rose from -his seat. - -"The money is mine, not yours, you skunk!" - -"What of it? We are comrades!" - -Zarubin's black head, cropped and prickly, fell back. Yevsey saw the -sharp gleaming little eyes on the swarthy face, saw the set teeth. - -"You wait. Sit down." - -Klimkov waved the bottle, and hit him in the face, aiming at his eyes. -The ruddy blood gleamed oily and moist, awakening a ferocious joy in -Klimkov. He swung his hand once again, pouring the beer over himself. -Everybody began to cry "Oh, oh!" to scream, and rock. Somebody's nails -drove themselves into Klimkov's face. He was seized by the arms and -legs, lifted from the floor, and carried off. Somebody spat warm sticky -saliva into his face, squeezed his throat, and tore his hair. - -He came to his senses in the police station, all in tatters, scratched, -and wet. He at once remembered everything. - -"What will happen now?" was his first thought, though unaccompanied by -alarm. - -A police officer whom he knew advised him to wash his face and ride -home. - -"Are they going to try me?" - -"I don't know," said the police officer, who sighed, and added -enviously, "Hardly. Your department is a power. It is permitted -everything. So they'll take care of you." - -Yevsey smiled. - -After several days of a sort of even indistinct life without impressions -and excitement, Yevsey was summoned to the presence of Filip -Filippovich, who shouted shrilly a long time. - -"You, idiot, you ought to set other people an example of good conduct. -You ought not to make scandals. Please remember that. If I learn -anything of the same kind about you, I'll place you under arrest for a -month. Do you hear?" - -Klimkov was frightened. He shrank within himself, and began to live -quietly, silently, unobserved, trying to exhaust himself as much as -possible, in order to escape thought. - -When he met Yakov Zarubin, he saw a small red scar over his right eye; -which new feature on the mobile face was pleasant to him. The -consciousness that he had found the courage and the power to strike a -person raised him in his own eyes. - -"Why did you do it to me?" asked Yakov. - -"So," said Yevsey. "I was drunk." - -"Oh, you devil! You know what a face means in our service. We can't -afford to spoil it." - -Zarubin demanded a treat for a good dinner from Yevsey. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - -Klimkov did not succeed in hiding himself from the power of hostile -thoughts. They appeared again. - -The news spread among the spies that some of the ministers had also been -bribed by the enemies of the Czar and Russia. They had formed a cabal to -take his power from him, and replace the existing good Russian order of -life by another order borrowed from foreign governments, which of course -would be pernicious to the Russian people. Now these ministers issued a -manifesto in which they claimed that with the will and consent of the -Czar they announced that soon freedom would be given to the people to -assemble wherever they pleased, to speak about whatever interested them, -and to write and publish everything they needed to in newspapers. -Moreover, they would even be granted the liberty not to believe in God. - -The authorities, dismal and demoralized, again began to rush about -anxiously. They again spoke kindly to the spies; and though they did not -demand anything of the agents, nor advise them what to do, it was -apparent that preparations were being made for the disclosure of -something significant and important. For whole hours Filip Filippovich -would consult secretly with Krasavin, Sasha, Solovyov, and other -experienced agents; after which they all went about gloomy and -preoccupied, and gave brief, unintelligible responses to the questions -of their comrades. - -Once the voice of Sasha, virulent and breaking with excitement leaked -through the door standing slightly ajar between the outer office and the -cabinet of Filip Filippovich. - -"It's not about the constitution, not about politics that we ought to -speak to them. We must tell them that the new order would destroy -them--the quiet among them would die of starvation, the more forward -would rot in prison. What sort of men have we in our service? Hybrids, -degenerates, the psychically sick, stupid animals." - -"You talk God knows what," Filip Filippovich piped aloud. - -The mournful voice of Yasnogursky was heard next. - -"What a scheme you have! My good man, I can't understand what you're -driving at." - -Piotr, Grokhotov, Yevsey, and two new spies were sitting in the office. -One of the novices was a reddish, hook-nosed man with large freckles on -his face and gold glasses; the other shaven, bald, and red-cheeked with -a broad nose and a purple birthmark on his neck near his left ear. They -listened attentively to Sasha's talk, glancing at each other sidewise. -All kept silent. Piotr rose a number of times, and walked to the door. -Finally he coughed aloud near it, upon which an invisible hand -immediately closed it. The bald spy carefully felt his nose with his -thick fingers, and asked quietly: - -"Who was it he called hybrids?" - -At first nobody responded, then Grokhotov sighing humbly said: - -"He calls everybody hybrid." - -"A smart beast!" exclaimed Piotr smiling dreamily. "Rotten to the core, -but just see how his power keeps rising! That's what education will do -for you." - -The bald-headed spy looked at everybody with his mole eyes, and again -asked hesitatingly: - -"What does he mean--eh, eh--does he mean us?" - -"Politics," said Grokhotov. "Politics is a wise business. It's not -squeamish." - -"If I had received an education, I too, would have turned up trumps," -declared Piotr. - -The red-headed spy carelessly swung himself on his chair, his mouth -frequently gaping in a wide yawn. - -Sasha emerged from the cabinet, livid and dishevelled. He stopped at the -door, and looked at everybody. - -"Eavesdropping, eh?" he asked sarcastically. - -The rest of the spies dropped into the office one by one, wearily and -dismally, flinging various remarks at one another. Maklakov came in an -ill humor. The look in his eyes was sharp and insulting. He passed -quickly into the cabinet, and banged the door behind him. - -"Tables are going to be turned," Sasha said to Piotr. "We'll be the -secret society, and they'll remain patent fools. That's what's going to -happen. Hey," he shouted, "no one is to leave the office. There's going -to be a meeting." - -All grew still. Yasnogursky came out from the cabinet with a broad smile -widening his large mouth. His protuberant fleshy ears reached to the -back of his neck. All sleek and slippery, he produced the impression of -a large piece of soap. He walked among the crowd of spies pressing their -hands and kindly and humbly nodding his head. Suddenly he walked off -into a corner, and began to address the agents in a lachrymose voice: - -"Good servants of the Czar, it is with a heart penetrated by grief that -I address myself to you--to you, men without fear, men without reproach, -true children of the Czar, your father, and of the true Orthodox Church, -your mother,--to you I speak." - -"Look at him howling!" somebody whispered near Yevsey, who thought he -heard Yasnogursky utter an ugly oath. - -"You already know of the fresh cunning of the enemy, of the new and -baneful plot. You read the proclamation of Minister Bulygin, in which it -is said that our Czar wishes to renounce the power entrusted to him by -our Lord God over Russia and the Russian people. All this, dear comrades -and brothers, is the infernal game of people who have delivered over -their souls to foreign capitalists. It is a new attempt to ruin our -sacred Russia. What do they want to attain with the Duma they have -promised? What do they want to attain by this very constitution and -liberty?" - -The spies moved closer together. - -"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, let us examine the -snares of the devils in the light of truth. Let us look at them with our -simple Russian mind, and we'll see how they scatter like dust before our -eyes. Just look! They want to deprive the Czar of his divine power, his -liberty to rule the country according to the dictates from on High. They -want to arrange popular elections, so that the people should send to the -Czar their representatives, who would promulgate laws abridging his -power. They hope that our people, ignorant and drunk, will permit -themselves to be bought with wine and money, and will bring into the -Czar's palace those who are pointed out to them by the traitors, -liberals and revolutionists. And whom will they point out? Jews, Poles, -Armenians, Germans, and other strangers, enemies of Russia." - -Klimkov observed that Sasha standing in back of Yasnogursky, smiled -sardonically like the devil. He inclined his head, to keep the sick spy -from noticing him. - -"This band of venal swindlers will surround the bright throne of our -Czar and will close his wise eyes to the destiny of our country. They -will deliver Russia over into the hands of strangers and foreigners. The -Jews will establish their government in Russia, the Poles their -government, the Armenians and the Georgians theirs, the Letts theirs, -and other paupers whom Russia took under the shelter of her powerful -hand, theirs. They will establish their governments, and when we -Russians remain alone--then--then--it means--" - -Sasha standing at Yasnogursky's side, began to whisper into his ear. The -old man waved him off in annoyance, and said aloud: - -"Then the Germans, and the English will rush upon us, and will clutch us -in their greedy paws. The destruction of Russia is threatening us, dear -comrades, my friends. Have a care!" - -The last words of his speech were uttered in a shout, then he lapsed -into silence lasting about a minute, after which he raised his hand over -his head and resumed: - -"But our Czar has friends. They watch over his power and over his glory -like faithful dogs unbought. They have organized a society for war upon -the dastardly conspiracies of the revolutionists, upon the constitution, -and every abomination destructive to us, the true Russian people. Counts -and princes celebrated for their services to the Czar in Russia are -entering this organization, governors submissive to the will of the Czar -and faithful to the covenant of our sacred past. Perhaps even the very -highest--" - -Sasha again stopped Yasnogursky. The old man listened to him, grew red, -waved his hands, and suddenly shouted: - -"Well, speak yourself. What does it mean? What right have you--I don't -want to--" - -He gave an odd little leap, and pushing the crowd of spies apart, walked -away. Sasha now took his place, and stood there tall and stooping with -head thrust forward. Looking around with his red eyes, and rubbing his -hands, he asked sharply: - -"Well, did you understand?" - -"We did--we did," several voices sounded sullenly and half-heartedly. - -"Of course!" exclaimed Sasha in derision. Then he began to speak, -pronouncing every word with the precision of a hammer-blow. His voice -rang with malice. - -"Let those also listen who are wiser. Let them explain my words to the -fools. The revolutionists, the liberals, our Russian gentry in general, -have conquered. Do you understand? The administration has resolved to -yield to their demands, it wants to give them a constitution. What does -a constitution mean to you? Starvation, death, because you are idlers -and do-nothings, you are no good for any sort of work. It means prison -for the most of you, because most of you have merited it; for a few -others it means the hospital, the insane asylum, because there are a -whole lot of half-witted men, psychically sick, among you. The new order -of life, if established, will make quick work of you all. The police -department will be destroyed, the Department of Safety will be shut -down, you will be turned out into the street. Do you understand?" - -All were silent, as if turned to stone. - -"Then I would go away somewhere," Klimkov thought. - -"I think it's plain," said Sasha, after a period of silence. As he again -embraced his audience in his look, the red band on his forehead seemed -to have spread over his whole face, and his face to become covered with -a leaden blue. - -"You ought to realize that this change is not advantageous to you, that -you don't want it. Therefore you must fight against it now. Isn't that -so? For whom, in whose interest, are you going to fight? For your own -selves, for your interests, for your right to live as you have lived up -to this time. Is what I say clear? What can we do? Let everyone think -about this question." - -A heavy noise suddenly arose in the close room, as if a huge sick breast -were sighing and rattling. Some of the spies walked away silently and -sullenly, with drooping heads. One man grumbled in vexation: - -"They tell us this and they tell us that. Why don't they increase our -salaries instead?" - -"They keep frightening us, always frightening us." - -In the corner near Sasha about a dozen men had gathered. Yevsey quietly -moved up to the group, and heard the enraptured voice of Piotr: - -"That's the way to speak! Twice two are four, and all are aces." - -"No, I'm not satisfied," said Solovyov sweetly with a prying note in his -voice. "Think! What does it mean to think? Everyone may think in his own -way. You should tell me what to do." - -"You _have_ been told!" put in Krasavin roughly and sharply. - -"_I_ don't understand," Maklakov declared calmly. - -"You?" shouted Sasha. "You lie! You do understand!" - -"No." - -"And I say you do, but you're a coward, you're a nobleman--and--and--and -I know you." - -"Maybe," said Maklakov. "But do you know what you want?" He spoke in so -cold a tone, and put so much significance into his voice, that Yevsey -trembled and thought: - -"Will Sasha strike him?" - -Sasha, however, merely repeated the question in a screeching voice: - -"I? Do I know what I want?" - -"Yes." - -"I will tell you." Sasha raised his voice threateningly. "I am soon -going to die. I have nobody to fear. I am a stranger to life. I live -with hatred of good people before whom you in your thoughts crouch on -your knees. Don't you know? You lie. You are a slave, a slave in your -soul. A lackey, though you are a nobleman, and I am a muzhik, a -perspicacious muzhik. Even though I attended the university, nothing has -corrupted me." - -Yevsey felt that Sasha's words crawled in his heart like spiders, -enmeshing him in gluey threads, squeezing him, tying him up, and drawing -him to Sasha. He pressed through to the front, and stood alongside the -combatants trying to see the faces of both at the same time. - -"I know my enemy. It's you, the gentry. You are gentlemen, even as -spies. You are abhorrent everywhere, everywhere execrable, men and -women, writers and spies. But I know a means for having done with you -gentlemen, the gentry. I know a way. I see what ought to be done with -you, how to destroy you." - -"That's the very point that's interesting, not your hysterics," said -Maklakov thrusting his hands in his pockets. - -"Yes, it's interesting to you? Very well. I'll tell you." - -Sasha evidently wanted to sit down, for he vacillated like a pendulum. -He looked around as he spoke without pause, breathless from quick -utterance. - -"Who orders life? The gentry. Who spoiled the pretty animal man? Who -made him a dirty beast, a sick beast? You, the gentry. Hence all this, -the whole of life, ought to be turned against you. So we must open all -the ulcers of life, and drown you in the stream of abomination that will -flow from them, in the vomit of the people you have poisoned. A curse on -you! The time of your execution and destruction has come. All those who -have been mutilated by you are rising against you, and they'll choke -you, crush you, you understand? Yes, that's how it will be. Nay, it -already is. In some cities they have already tried to find out how -firmly the heads of the gentlemen are fixed on their shoulders. You know -that, don't you?" - -Sasha staggered back, and leaned against the wall, stretching his arms -forward, and choking and gasping over a broken laugh. Maklakov glanced -at the men standing around him, and asked also with a laugh: - -"Did you understand what he said?" - -"One can say whatever he pleases," replied Solovyov, but the next -instant added hastily, "In one's own company. The most interesting thing -would be to find out for certain whether a secret society has actually -been organized in St. Petersburg and for what purpose." - -"That's what we want to know," said Krasavin in a tone of demand. "And -what sort of people are in it, too." - -"In reality, brothers, the revolution has been transferred to other -quarters," exclaimed Piotr, merrily and animatedly. - -"If there really are princes in that society," Solovyov meditated -dreamily, "then our business ought to improve." - -"You have twenty thousand in the bank anyway, old devil." - -"And maybe thirty. Count again," said Solovyov in an offended tone, and -stepped aside. - -Sasha coughed dully and hoarsely; while Maklakov regarded him with a -scowl. Yevsey gradually freed himself from the thin shackles of the -attraction that the sick spy had unexpectedly begun to exert upon him. -His talk, which at first had seized Klimkov, now dissolved and -disappeared from his soul like dust under rain. - -"What are you looking at me for?" shouted Sasha at Maklakov. - -Maklakov turned and walked away without answering. Yevsey involuntarily -followed him. - -"Did you understand anything?" Maklakov suddenly inquired of Yevsey. - -"I don't like it." - -"No? Why?" - -"He's always rancorous, and there's rancor enough without him." - -"Yes, so there is," said Maklakov, nodding his head. "There's rancor -enough." - -"And it's impossible to understand anything," Klimkov continued, looking -around cautiously. "Everybody speaks differently--" - -The words had scarcely left his mouth when he grew alarmed, and glanced -sidewise at Maklakov's face. The spy pensively brushed the dust from his -hat with his handkerchief, apparently oblivious of the dangerous words. - -"Well, good-by," he said, holding out his hand to Yevsey. Yevsey wanted -to accompany him, but the spy put on his hat, and twirling his mustache, -walked out without so much as looking at him. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - -Something strange, like a dream, grew in the city, rushing onward with -irresistible rapidity. People lost their fear completely. On the faces -which only a short time ago had been flat and humble, an expression of -conscious power and preoccupation now appeared sharply and clearly. All -recalled builders preparing to pull down an old structure, and busily -considering the best way of beginning the work. - -Almost every day the workingmen in the factory suburb openly arranged -meetings, at which known revolutionists appeared, who in the very -presence of the police and officials of the Department of Safety sharply -censured the order of life, and pointed out that the manifesto of the -minister convoking the Duma was an attempt of the administration to -pacify the people, who were stirred up by misfortune, in order to -deceive them in the end, as always. The speakers urged their listeners -not to believe anybody except their own reason. - -Once when a rebel orator shouted, "The people alone are the true and -legal masters of life; to them belong the whole earth and all freedom," -a triumphant roar came in reply, "True, brother!" - -Yevsey deafened by the shouts turned away, and met Melnikov who had been -standing in back of him. His eyes burned, he was black and dishevelled. -He flapped his arms, as a crow flaps its wings, and bawled: - -"Tr-r-r-ue!" - -Klimkov pulled the skirt of his coat in amazement, and whispered in a -low voice: - -"What ails you? The speaker is a Socialist. He's under surveillance." - -Melnikov blinked his eyes, and asked: - -"He?" Without awaiting a reply, he shouted again, "Hurray! True!" Then -to Yevsey very angrily, "Get out! It's all the same who speaks the -truth." - -Yevsey smiled timidly at the new speeches. He looked around helplessly -for some person in the crowd with whom he might speak openly; but on -finding a pleasant face that inspired confidence, he sighed and thought: - -"I'll begin to talk with him, and he'll at once understand that I'm a -spy." - -He frequently heard the revolutionists speak of the necessity of -arranging another life upon earth. Dreams of his childhood returned, -broadened and filled with a clear content. He believed in the hot -fearless words. But the faith grew feebly and lazily upon the shaky, -slimy soil of his soul, choked with impressions, poisoned by fear, and -exhausted by violence. His faith was like a child suffering with -rachitis, bow-legged, with large eyes always gazing into the distance. - -Yevsey admired the beautiful growth of the rebellion. But he lacked the -power to fall in love with it. He believed words. He did not believe -people. The dreams stirring his heart died the instant they touched it. -A timorous spectator he walked along the shore of a stream without the -desire to plunge into its soul-refreshing waves. At the same time he -longed wistfully for someone to triumph, for someone to make life calm -and pleasing, and point out a comfortable place in it where he might -find repose. - -At first he could not comprehend why both the revolutionists and the -officers of the spies censured the administration, why both asserted -that someone wanted to deceive the people. When the people themselves, -however, came out into the street, and began to speak, Yevsey stopped to -think about this question. - -The spies walked about slowly, indolently; they all grew strange to one -another, maintaining sullen silence, and looking into the eyes of their -comrades suspiciously, as if expecting something dangerous from one -another. The officials ceased to talk, and sank into the background. -They gave out no plans of action, and said nothing new. - -"Has nothing been heard in regard to this St. Petersburg league of -princes?" Krasavin asked almost every day. - -Once Piotr joyously announced: - -"Boys, Sasha has been summoned to St. Petersburg. He'll fix up a game -there, you'll see." - -Viakhirev, the hook-nosed, reddish spy, remarked lazily: - -"The League of Russian People has been permitted to organize fighting -bands to kill the revolutionists. I'll go there, I'm a good shot." - -"A pistol is a fine thing," said someone. "You shoot, and then run -away." - -"How simply they speak about everything," thought Yevsey. He -involuntarily recalled other conversations--Olga and Makarov--which he -impatiently pushed away from himself. - -Sasha returned from St. Petersburg, as it were stronger. Concentrated -green sparks gleamed in his dim eyes. His voice had become deeper, his -entire body seemed to have straightened and grown sounder. - -"What are we going to do?" asked Piotr. - -"You'll soon find out," answered Sasha, showing his teeth. - -Autumn came as always quiet and melancholy. But the people did not -remark its advent. Yesterday bold and noisy, to-day they came out into -the streets still bolder, still more confident, and upheld Yevsey's -faith in their victory, in the nearness, of a calm, peaceful, -comfortable life. - -Then came the fabulously terrible and marvellous days, when all the -people ceased to work, and the customary life that for so long had held -oppressive sway, oppressive in its cruelty and aimless play, suddenly -ceased, as if crushed by a giant embrace. The people refused the city, -their ruler, bread, fire, and water. And for a number of nights it stood -in darkness, hungry, thirsty, sullen, and affronted. During those dark, -insulting nights, the working-people walked through the streets with -song, childish joy shining in their eyes. For the first time they -clearly saw their power, and themselves were amazed at its significance. -They understood their might over life, and good-naturedly exulted, -looking at the blinded houses, the motionless dead machines, the -dumbfounded police, the closed, ever-hungry jaws of the shops and -restaurants, the frightened faces, the humble figures of those persons -who had never learned to work, but only to eat much, and who therefore -considered themselves the best blood in the city. Their power over -people had been torn from their impotent hands in these days, yet their -cruelty and cunning remained. Klimkov looked at the men accustomed to -command now silently submitting to the will of the hungry, poor, and -unwashed. He understood that it had become a shame for the lords to -live. So trying to cover up their shame, they smiled approvingly upon -the working-people, and lied to them. They were afraid of the workers. -In spite of the lords, however, it seemed to Yevsey that the past would -not return. He felt that new masters had arisen, and if they had been -able all of a sudden to stop the course of life, then they would now be -able to arrange it differently, more freely, and more easily for -themselves and for all. - -The old, the cruel, and the malicious abandoned the city. It melted away -in the darkness. The people perceptibly grew better, and though the city -remained without illumination, yet the nights were stirring, merry as -the days. - -Everywhere crowds of people gathered and spoke animatedly, in free, -bold, human speech, of the approaching days of the triumph of truth. -They believed in it hotly. The unbelievers were silent, but looked into -the new faces, impressing the new speech upon their minds. - -Often Klimkov observed the spies in the crowds. Not wishing to be seen -by them, he walked away. He met Melnikov more frequently than the -others. This man roused his particular interest. A dense crowd always -gathered around him, and his thick voice flowed from the centre of the -group like a dark stream. - -"There, you see! The people wanted it, and everything is up. If the -people want it, they will take everything into their own hands. They're -a power, the people are. Remember this--don't let what you have obtained -slip from your grasp. Take care! More than everything, guard against the -cunning of various gentlemen. Away with them. Drive them off! If they -dispute, beat them to death." - -When Klimkov heard this, he thought: - -"For such talk people used to be put in prison. What numbers have been -put in prison! And now they speak that way themselves." - -He wandered about in the crowd alone from morning until late at night. -Sometimes he had an irresistible yearning to speak; but as soon as he -felt the desire coming upon him, he immediately walked off into empty -by-streets and dark corners. - -"If I speak, they'll recognize me," he thought with importunate dread. -And he comforted himself by reflecting, "No hurry. I'll have time enough -yet to speak." - -One night while walking along the street, he saw Maklakov hidden in a -gateway, looking up to a lighted window on the opposite side of the -street like a hungry dog waiting for a sop. - -"Keeps at his work," thought Yevsey, then said to Maklakov: "Do you want -me to take your place, Timofey Vasilyevich?" - -"You, me, Yevsey?" exclaimed the spy in a subdued voice, and Klimkov -felt that something was wrong, for it was the first time that the spy -had ever addressed him by the first name. Moreover Maklakov's voice was -not his own. "No, go," he said. - -The spy always so smooth and decorous now had a shabby appearance. His -hair, as a rule carefully and prettily combed behind his ears, lay in -disorder over his forehead and temples. He smelt of whiskey. - -"Good-by," said Yevsey raising his hat and walking off slowly. He had -taken only a few steps, however, when he heard a call behind him. - -"Listen!" - -Yevsey turned back noiselessly, and stood beside Maklakov. - -"Let's walk together." - -"He must be very drunk," thought Yevsey. - -"Do you know who lives in that house?" asked Maklakov, looking back. - -"No." - -"Mironov, the writer. Do you remember him?" - -"I do." - -"Well, I should think you would. He made you out a fool so simply." - -"Yes," agreed Yevsey. - -They walked slowly with noiseless tread. The narrow street was quiet, -deserted, and cold. - -"Let's go back," continued Maklakov. Then he adjusted his hat on his -head, buttoned his overcoat, and declared thoughtfully, "Brother, I am -going away--to Argentine. That's in America." - -Klimkov heard something hopeless, dismal in his words, and he, too, -began to feel gloomy and awkward. - -"Why--so far?" - -"I must." - -Maklakov again stopped opposite the illuminated window, and looked up to -it silently. Like a huge, solitary eye on the black face of the house, -it cast a peaceful beam of light into the darkness--a small island amid -black and heavy waters. - -"That's his window, Mironov's," said Maklakov quietly. "That's the way -he sits at night all by himself and writes. Come." - -Some people advanced toward them singing softly: - -"It comes, it comes, the last decisive fight!" - -"We ought to cross to the other side," Yevsey proposed in a whisper. - -"Are you afraid?" asked Maklakov, though he was the first to step from -the pavement to cross the frozen dirt of the middle of the street. "No -reason to be afraid. These fellows with their songs of war and all such -things are peaceful people. The wild beasts are not among _them_, no. It -would be good to sit down now in some warm place, in a cafe, but -everything is closed, everything is suspended, brother." - -"Come home," Klimkov suggested. - -"Home? No thank you. You can go if you want to." - -Yevsey remained, submissively yielding to the sad expectation of -something inevitable. From the other side of the street came the sound -of the people's talk. - -"Misha, is it possible you don't believe?" one asked in a ringing, -joyous voice. - -A soft bass answered: - -"I do believe, but I say it won't happen so soon." - -"Listen! What the devil of a spy are you, eh?" Maklakov suddenly -demanded nudging Yevsey with his elbow. "I've been watching you a long -time. Your face always looks as if you had just taken an emetic." - -Yevsey grew glad at the possibility of speaking about himself openly. - -"I am going away, Timofey Vasilyevich," he quickly mumbled. "Just as -soon as everything is arranged, I am going away. I'll gradually settle -myself in business, and I'm going to live quietly by myself--" - -"As soon as what is arranged?" - -"Why, all this about the new life. When the people start out all for -themselves." - -"Eh, eh," drawled the spy, waving his hand and smiling. His smile robbed -Yevsey of the desire to speak about himself. - -They walked in silence again, and turned again. Both were gloomy. - -"There, now," Maklakov exclaimed with unexpected roughness and acerbity -as they once more approached the author's house. "I'm really going away, -forever, entirely from Russia. Do you understand? And I must hand over -some papers to this--this author. You see this package?" - -He waved a white parcel before Yevsey's face, and continued quickly, in -a low growl. "I won't go to him myself. This is the second day I've been -on the watch for him, waiting for him to come out. But he's sick, and he -won't come out. I would have given it to him in the street. I can't send -it by mail. His letters are opened and stolen in the Post Office and -given over to the Department of Safety. And it's absolutely impossible -for me to go to him myself. Do you understand?" - -The spy pressing the package to his breast bent his head to look into -Yevsey's eyes. - -"My life is in this package. I have written about myself--my story--who -I am, and why. I want him to read it--he loves people." - -Taking Yevsey's shoulder in a vigorous clutch the spy shook him, and -commanded: - -"You go and give it to him, into his own hands--go, tell him that one--" -Maklakov broke off, and continued after a pause--"tell him that a -certain agent of the Department of Safety sent him these papers, and -begs him most humbly--tell him that way, 'begs him most humbly' to read -them. I'll wait here for you, on the street. Go. But look out, don't -tell him I'm here. If he asks, say I've escaped, went to Argentine. -Repeat what I've told you." - -"Went to Argentine." - -"And don't forget, 'begs most humbly.'" - -"No, I won't." - -"Go on, quick!" - -Giving Klimkov a gentle shove on the back he escorted him to the door of -the house, walked away, and stopped to observe him. - -Yevsey agitated and seized with a fine tremor, lost consciousness of his -own personality crushed by the commanding words of Maklakov. He pushed -the electric button, and felt ready to crawl through the door in the -desire to hide himself from the spy as quickly as possible. He struck it -with his knee, and it opened. A dark figure loomed in the light, a voice -asked testily: - -"What do you want?" - -"The writer, Mr. Mironov--him personally. I have been told to deliver a -package into his own hands. Please, quick!" said Yevsey, involuntarily -imitating the rapid and incoherent talk of Maklakov. Everything became -confused in his brain. But the words of the spy lay there, white and -cold as dead bones. And when a somewhat dull voice reached him, "What -can I do for you, young man?" Yevsey said in an apathetic voice, like an -automaton, "A certain agent of the Department of Safety sent you these -papers, and begs you most humbly to read them. He has gone off to -Argentine." The strange name embarrassed Yevsey, and he added in a lower -voice, "Argentine, which is in America." - -"Yes, but where are the papers?" - -The voice sounded kind. Yevsey raised his head, and recognized the -soldierly face with the reddish mustache. He pulled the package from his -pocket, and handed it to him. - -"Sit down." - -Klimkov seated himself, keeping his head bowed. The sound of the tearing -of the wrapping made him start. Without raising his head, he looked at -the writer warily from under lowered lids. Mironov stood before him -regarding the package, his mustache quivering. - -"You say he's gone off?" - -"Yes." - -"And you yourself are also an agent?" - -"Yes," said Yevsey quietly, and thought, "Now, he'll scold me." - -"Your face seems familiar to me." - -Yevsey tried not to look at him. But he felt the writer was smiling. - -"Yes, I suppose it is familiar to you," said Yevsey sighing. - -"Have you, too, been tracking me?" - -"Once. You saw me from the window. You came out into the street, and -gave me a letter." - -"Yes, yes. I remember. The devil! So that was you? Well, excuse me, my -dear man. I think I must have offended you, eh?" - -Yevsey rose from the chair, looked into his laughing face incredulously, -and glanced around. - -"That's nothing," he said. - -He felt unbearably awkward as he listened to the somewhat rude yet -kindly voice. He was afraid that after all the writer would abuse him -and drive him out. - -"There, you see how strangely we meet this time, eh?" - -"Nothing else?" asked Yevsey confused. - -"Nothing else. But I believe you are tired. Sit down. Rest." - -"I must be going." - -"Very well. As you please. Well, thank you. Good-by." - -He extended his large hand with reddish wool on the fingers. Yevsey -touched it cautiously. - -"Permit me also to tell you my life," he requested unexpectedly to -himself. The instant he had distinctly uttered these words, he thought, -"This is the very man to whom I ought to speak, if Timofey Vasilyevich -himself, such a wise person and better than everybody, respects him." -Recalling Maklakov, Yevsey looked at the window, and for a moment grew -anxious. - -"No matter," he said to himself. "It's not the first time he's had to -freeze." - -"Well, why not? Tell me, if you want to. Won't you take off your -overcoat? And perhaps you will have a glass of tea. It's cold." - -Yevsey wanted to smile, but he restrained himself. In a few minutes, his -eyes half closed, he told the writer monotonously and minutely about the -village, about Yakov, and about the blacksmith. He spoke in the same -voice in which he reported his observations in the Department of Safety. - -The writer, whom Yevsey observed from under his lashes, was sitting on a -broad, heavy taborette, his elbows on the table, over which he bent, -twirling his mustache with a quick movement of his fingers. His eyes -gazed sharply and seriously into the distance above Klimkov's head. - -"He doesn't hear me," thought Yevsey, and raised his voice a little, -continuing to examine the room without himself being observed, and -jealously watching the face of the author. - -The room was dark and gloomy. The shelves crammed with books, which -increased the thickness of the walls, apparently kept out the sounds of -the street. Between the shelves the glass of the windows glistened -dully, pasted over with the cold darkness of the night, and the white -narrow stain of the door obtruded itself on the eye. In the middle of -the room was a table, whose covering of grey cloth seemed to lend a dark -grey tone to everything around it. - -Yevsey was ensconced in a corner of a chair covered with a smooth skin. -For some reason he propped his head hard against its high back, then -slid down a little. The flames of the candles disturbed him; the yellow -tongues slowly inclining toward each other, seemed to be holding a -conversation. They trembled, and straightened themselves out, struggling -upward. Back of the author over the sofa, hung a large portrait, from -which a yellow face with a sharp little beard looked out sternly. - -The author began to twirl his mustache more slowly, but his look as -before travelled beyond the confines of the room. All this disturbed -Yevsey, breaking the thread of his recollections. He be-thought himself -of closing his eyes. When he did so, and darkness closely enveloped him, -he sighed lightly. Suddenly he beheld himself divided in two--the man -who had lived, and the other being who was able to tell about the first -as about a stranger. His speech flowed on more easily, his voice grew -stronger, and the events of his life drew themselves connectedly one -after the other, unrolling easily like a ball of grey thread. They freed -the little feeble soul from the dirty and cumbersome rags of its -experiences. It was pleasant to Yevsey to tell about himself. He -listened to his own voice with quiet astonishment. He spoke truthfully, -and clearly saw that he had not been guilty of anything, for he had -lived all his days not as he had wanted to, but as he had been compelled -to do; and he had been compelled to do what was unpleasant and -unnecessary to him. Filled with a sense of sincere self-pity, he was -almost ready to weep and to fall in love with himself. - -Whenever the author asked him a question, which Yevsey did not -understand, he would say without opening his eyes, sternly and quietly: - -"Wait, I'm telling it in order." - -He spoke without wearying, but when he came to the moment of his meeting -with Maklakov, he suddenly stopped as before a pit. He opened his eyes, -and saw at the window the dull look of the autumn morning, the cold grey -depth of the sky. Heaving a deep sigh, he straightened himself up. He -felt washed within, unusually light, unpleasantly empty. His heart was -ready submissively to receive new orders, fresh violence. - -The author rose noisily from his seat, tall and strong. He pressed his -hands together, cracking his fingers disagreeably. - -"What do you think of doing now?" he asked, as he turned to the window -without looking at Klimkov. - -Yevsey also rose, and repeated with assurance what he had told Maklakov. - -"As soon as the new life is arranged, I'll quietly go into some -business--I'll go to another city--I've saved about one hundred and -fifty rubles." - -The author turned to him slowly. - -"So?" he said. "You have no other desire whatsoever?" - -Klimkov thought, and answered: - -"No." - -"And you believe in the new life? You think it will arrange itself?" - -"Of course. How else? If all the people want it. Why won't it arrange -itself?" - -"I'm not saying anything." - -Mironov keeping silent turned to the window again, and straightened out -his mustache with both hands. Yevsey stood motionless, awaiting -something and listening to the emptiness in his breast. - -"Tell me," said the writer softly and slowly, "aren't you sorry for -those people, that girl, your cousin, and his comrade?" - -Klimkov bowed his head, and drew the skirts of his coat together. - -"You found out that they were right, didn't you?" - -"At first I was sorry for them. I must have been ashamed, I suppose. But -now I'm not sorry any more." - -"No? Why not?" - -Klimkov did not answer at once. At the end of a few moments he said: - -"Well, they are good people, and they attained to what they wanted." - -"And didn't it occur to you that you were in a bad business?" - -Yevsey sighed. - -"Why, I don't like it. I do what I'm told to do." - -The author stepped up to him, then turned aside. Klimkov saw the door -through which he had entered, saw it because the author's glance was -turned to it. - -"I ought to go," he thought. - -"Do you want to ask me anything?" inquired the author. - -"No, I am going." - -"Good-by." And the host moved to let him pass. Yevsey walking on tip-toe -went into the ante-chamber, where he began to put on his overcoat. From -the door of the room he heard a question: - -"Listen, why did you tell me about yourself?" - -Squeezing his hat in his hands Yevsey thought, and answered: - -"Just so. Timofey Vasilyevich respects you very much, the one who sent -me." - -The writer smiled. - -"Aha! Is that all?" - -"Why _did_ I tell him?" Klimkov suddenly wondered. Blinking his eyes, he -looked fixedly into the author's face. - -"Well, good-by," said the host, rubbing his hands. He moved away from -his visitor. - -Yevsey nodded to him politely. - -"Good-by." - -When he came out of the house, he looked around, and immediately -observed the black figure of a man at the end of the street in the grey -twilight of the morning. The man was quietly striding along the pavement -holding his head bent. - -"He's waiting," Klimkov thought. He shrank back. "He'll scold me. He'll -say it was too long." - -The spy must have heard the resonant sound of steps on the frozen paving -in the stillness of the morning. He raised his head, and fairly ran to -meet Yevsey. - -"Did you give it to him? Yes?" - -"I did." - -"Why were you so long? Did he speak to you? What did he ask?" - -Maklakov shivered. His cheeks were blue, his nose red. He seized the -lapels of Yevsey's overcoat, and instantly released him, blew on his -fingers, as if he had burned them, and began to tramp his feet on the -ground. Thus, chilled through and through, and pitiful, he was not -awe-inspiring. - -"I, too, told him all my life," Yevsey declared aloud. It was pleasant -to tell Maklakov about it. - -"Well, didn't he ask about me?" - -"He asked whether you had gone away." - -"What did you say?" - -"I said you had." - -"Yes. Nothing else?" - -"Nothing." - -"Well, let's go. I'm frozen, brother." Maklakov darted forward, -thrusting his hands in his overcoat pockets, and hunching his back. "So -you told him your life?" - -"The whole of it, completely, to the very moment of my last meeting with -you," answered Yevsey, again experiencing a pleasant sensation, which -raised him to the same level as the spy whom he respected. - -"What did he say to you then?" - -For some reason confused and embarrassed Klimkov waited before he -replied. - -"He didn't say anything." - -Maklakov stopped, seized him by the sleeve, and asked in a stern though -quiet tone: - -"Did you give him my papers?" - -"Search me, Timofey Vasilyevich," Yevsey cried sincerely. - -"I won't," said Maklakov, after reflecting. "Well, now good-by. I'll -disappear this very day. Take my advice. I'm giving it, because I pity -you. Get out of this service and be quick about it. It's not for you, -you know it yourself. Go away now. Now is the time to leave. You see -what days these are. The dead are coming to life, people trust one -another, they can forgive much in a period like this; they can forgive -everything, I think. And above all, avoid Sasha. He's sick and insane. -He's made you deliver up your cousin, he--he ought to be killed, like a -mangy dog. Well, good-by, brother." He seized Yevsey's hand in his cold -fingers, and pressed it firmly. "So you gave him my papers?" he asked -once more. "You're sure of it, are you?" - -"I did--by God! The moment I caught sight of him I at once remembered -him." - -"All right. I believe you. Don't speak about me there for a few days, I -beg you." - -"I'm not going there. On the twentieth I'll call for my salary." - -"Tell them then. By that time I'll be far away. Good-by." - -He turned the corner quickly. Yevsey looked after him, thinking -suspiciously: - -"He's going off. Probably he did something against the authorities, and -got frightened. How he looks, just as if he had gotten a beating." - -He grew sorry for himself at the thought that he would never again see -Maklakov. Nevertheless, it was agreeable to recall how weak, chilled -through, and troubled the spy had looked, the spy who had always borne -himself so calmly and firmly. - -"He spoke boldly even with the officers of the Department of Safety, -spoke to them as if he were their equal. But apparently he was all the -time afraid of the author who was under surveillance. And here am I, a -little man," thought Yevsey, as he strode down the street, "a little -man, afraid of everybody, yet the author didn't frighten me. I was -drinking tea at his house, while Maklakov was shivering on the street." -Klimkov content with himself smiled. "He couldn't say anything, the -author couldn't." Yevsey was suddenly seized with a mingled feeling of -sadness and insult. He slackened his pace, and sank into reflections as -to why this was. He sought the cause of the grief that unexpectedly rose -within him. - -"Why did I speak to him?" he thought again on the way. "Instead, I -should have told it that time to Olga." - -The city awoke, and Yevsey wanted to sleep. He felt uneasiness, -discomfort in his breast again. His heart was like a little room from -which all the furniture has been removed, and which is left bare and -empty, with green stains of dampness on the torn wall-paper, showing the -dumb patterns made by the chinks in the plastering. - -He wanted to sleep, but it was pleasant to stroll the streets, and he -walked homeward with reluctant steps. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - -About midday Yevsey was awakened by Viekov dressed in an overcoat and -hat. He looked downcast. He shook the back of the bed, and said in a -muffled voice, monotonously: - -"Hey, Klimkov, get up. They are summoning everybody to the office. Hey, -Klimkov--they have proclaimed the constitution. They are summoning all -the agents from their lodgings. Filip Filippovich gave the order. Do you -hear, Klimkov?" - -His words fell like large drops of rain, full of sadness. His face was -drawn, as with the toothache. His eyes blinked frequently, as if he were -about to cry. - -"What is it?" asked Yevsey jumping from bed. - -Viekov pursed his lips dismally. - -"Is it possible to understand? They said yesterday the Czar would give a -full constitution, and to-day here's the manifesto, he's actually giving -it. Our Department has become like an insane asylum--that Sasha is such -a coarse creature, astonishing. He keeps shouting, 'Strike, slash,' and -so forth. Why, look here, I wouldn't make up my mind to kill a man even -for five hundred rubles. Yet he proposes we should kill for forty rubles -a month. Why, it's savagery even to listen to such talk." Viekov puffed -his cheeks, and sighed in weariness of spirit, as he paced up and down -the room. "It's horrible. Dress quickly. We must go." - -Pulling on his trousers Klimkov asked musingly: - -"Whom do they want us to kill?" - -"The revolutionists. Although what revolutionists are there now? -According to the Czar's ukase, you'd suppose the revolution was ended. -They tell us we should gather the people in the streets, march with -flags, and sing, 'God Save the Czar.' Well, why not sing, if liberty has -been granted? But then they say that while doing this, we should shout -'Down with the constitution,' and so forth. I can't for the life of me -understand. That's going against the manifesto and the will of the Czar -Emperor. There are many besides me who don't understand it. I'm not the -only one." - -His voice sounded protesting, insulted, his legs clapped together. He -seemed as soft as if his bones had been removed from his body. - -"I'm not going there," said Klimkov. - -"What do you mean?" - -"Just so. First I'll walk the streets, and see what they're going to -do." - -Viekov sighed again, and whistled. - -"Yes, of course. You're a single man. But when you have a family, that -is, a woman who demands this, that, the fifth thing, and the tenth -thing, then you'll go where you don't want to, yes, you will. The need -for a living compels a man to dance a tightrope. When I see tricks on a -tightrope, my head begins to turn, and I feel a pain in the lower part -of my chest. But I think to myself, 'If it would be necessary for your -livelihood, then you, too, Ivan Petrovich Viekov, would dance a -tightrope.' Yes, indeed. A poor man must live by doing things that wring -his heart, and whether he wants to or not. Such is the law of nature, as -Grokhotov says." - -Viekov tossed himself about the room, knocking against the table and the -chairs, mumbling and swelling his rosy cheeks. His little face was -puffed like a bladder. His insignificant eyes disappeared, and the -little red nose hid itself between his cheeks. His sorrowful voice, his -dejected figure, his hopeless words annoyed Klimkov, who said unamiably: - -"Soon everything will be arranged differently. So there's no use -complaining now." - -"But in our place they don't _want_ a different arrangement," exclaimed -Viekov, gesticulating, and stopping in front of Yevsey. "You -understand?" - -Yevsey disturbed turned on the chair, desiring to express a thought in -his mind, but he was unable to find words, and began to lace his shoes -sniffling. - -"Sasha shouts, 'Beat them. Show them what liberty is. So that they may,' -he says, 'get afraid of it.' Viakhirev displays revolvers. 'I'll shoot,' -he says, 'straight into the eyes.' Krasavin is gathering a gang of some -sort of people, and also speaks about knives, and hacking people down, -and all such things. Chasin is preparing to kill a certain student, -because he took his mistress from him. Some other new fellow has come. -He's one-eyed, and smiles all over, and his teeth are knocked out in -front. A very terrible face. Sheer savagery, all this." - -Viekov lowered his voice to a whisper, and said mysteriously, - -"Everyone ought to protect his means of a livelihood. That's -understood--but preferably without murder. Because if we start to kill, -then we in turn will be killed, too." - -Viekov shuddered. He turned his head toward the window, and listened to -something. Then he raised his hand, and his face turned pale. - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey. - -A resonant noise hit against the windows in soft uneven blows, as if to -open them cautiously and pour itself into the room. Yevsey rose to his -feet with a look of inquiry and alarm at Viekov; while Viekov standing -at some distance from the window stretched his hand out in order to open -it, apparently taking care not to be seen from the street. At the same -moment a broad stream of sounds broke in, surrounded the spies, pushed -against the door, opened it, and floated into the corridor, powerful, -exulting, sturdy. - -"They are rejoicing," said Viekov quietly, starting. - -"Look out and see what it is," said Yevsey, hurriedly throwing an -overcoat on. - -But Viekov was already looking out, and he began to report what he saw, -every minute quickly turning his head from the window to Yevsey. He -spoke rapidly and brokenly. - -"The people are marching--red flags--a great many people--countless--of -various stations--all mixed up in one crowd--an officer even--and Father -Uspensky--without hats--Melnikov with a flag--our Melnikov--look!" - -Yevsey ran to the casement, looked down, and there saw a thick mass of -people filling the entire street. In his eyes gleamed a compact mass of -faces, which shone like the stars in the Milky Way. Over the heads of -the throng waved flags resembling red birds. Klimkov was deafened by the -seething noise. In the first row he saw the tall, bearded figure of -Melnikov, who held the short pole of the standard in both hands, and -waved it. At times the cloth of the flag enveloped his head like a red -turban. From under his hat escaped dark strands of hair, which fell on -his forehead and cheeks, and mingled with his beard. He was shaggy as a -beast. Evidently he was shouting, for his mouth stood wide open. - -"Where are they going?" mumbled Klimkov, turning to his comrade. - -"They are rejoicing," Viekov repeated, and looked out into the street, -leaning his forehead against the glass. - -Both men were silent, attentively watching the motley stream of people. -With acute hearing they caught the loud splashings of different -exclamations in the deep sea of the din. - -Viekov shook his head. - -"What a power, eh? The people lived each by himself and now suddenly -they all move together--what a phenomenon!" - -"They've grown wise, it means. They are becoming masters of life," said -Yevsey with a smile. At that moment he actually believed so. - -"And our Melnikov, did you see him?" - -"He always stood up for the people," Yevsey explained didactically. He -left the window, feeling himself near his aim, bold and new. - -"Now everything will go well. No one wants another to order him about. -Everyone wants to live according to his needs, quietly, peacefully, with -things arranged in a good system," he said gravely, examining his sharp -face in the mirror. He liked his face to-day. It was calm, almost -cheerful. Wishing to strengthen the new and pleasant feeling of -satisfaction with himself, he reflected on how he might raise himself in -the eyes of his comrade. So he announced with an air of mystery, "Do you -know, Maklakov has escaped to America?" - -"So?" the spy rejoined indifferently. "What of it? He's a single man." - -"Why did I tell him?" Yevsey reproached himself. A feeling of slight -alarm and enmity came over him. - -"Don't speak of this to anybody, please," he begged Viekov. - -"About Maklakov? Very well--I have to go to the office. Aren't you -going?" - -"No, but we can go out together." - -On the street Viekov remarked in dismal irritation, speaking in a -subdued voice: - -"Stupid people, after all. They ought not to be going about with flags -and songs. Now they have once begun to feel themselves in power they -ought to ask the authorities straightway to abolish all sorts of -politics, to transform everybody into people, both us and the -revolutionists, to distribute awards to whom they are due, both on our -side and theirs, and to make a strict announcement, 'All politics -strictly prohibited.' We've had enough of hide and seek!" - -Viekov suddenly disappeared around the corner without taking leave of -Klimkov. Yevsey walked like a man who to-day has no reason to hasten. - -"I have one hundred and fifty rubles," he thought. "I have an -inclination for business, and I know about it to some extent. In -business a man is free. Soon I'll receive twenty-five rubles more." - -The people moved about in the street excitedly, all spoke loud, all -faces smiled joyously, and the gloomy autumn evening recalled a bright -Easter day. Songs started up, now nearby, now at the end of the street -curtained by a grey cloud. Loud shouts quenched the singing. - -"Long live liberty!" - -From everywhere came laughter and the sound of kindly voices. This -pleased Klimkov. He politely stepped aside for those who came his way, -looking at them approvingly with a light smile of satisfaction, and -continued to picture his future in warm colors. - -Two people darted from around the corner, laughing quietly. One of them -jostled Yevsey, but immediately pulled off his hat, and exclaimed: - -"Oh, I beg your pardon." - -"Don't mention it," answered Klimkov affably. - -Before Yevsey stood Grokhotov, cleanly shaven, looking as if he had been -smeared with ointment. He beamed all over, and his small soft eyes -frolicked, running from side to side. - -"Well, Yevsey, I nearly got myself into a mess. If it hadn't been for my -talent--are you acquainted? This is Panteleyev, one of our men." -Grokhotov lost his breath, and spoke in a quick whisper, hurriedly -wiping the sweat from his face. "You know I was walking along the -Boulevard, when I saw a crowd, with an orator in the center. Well, I -went up, and listened. He spoke so--you know--without any restraint at -all. So I thought I'd ask who that wise fellow was. I inquired of the -man standing next to me. 'His face is familiar to me,' says I. 'Do you -know his name?' 'His name is Zimin.' The words were scarcely out of his -mouth when two fellows grabbed hold of me under my arm. 'People, he's a -spy!' I couldn't get in a word before I found myself in the middle of -the crowd, and such a press around me--and everybody's eyes like awls. -'I'm done for,' thinks I." - -"Zimin?" asked Yevsey, disturbed, looking back of him and beginning to -walk more rapidly. - -Grokhotov raised his head to the sky, crossed himself, and continued -still more hurriedly. - -"Well, the Lord inspired me with an idea. I recovered my presence of -mind at once, and shouted out, 'People, it's a mistake, absolutely. I'm -no spy, but a well-known mimic of celebrated personages and of animal -sounds. Wouldn't you please give me a trial?' The men who had seized me -shouted, 'No, he lies; we know him!' But I had already made a face like -the Chief of Police, and called out in his voice, 'Who gave you -per-r-r-mission to hold this meeting?' And Lord! I hear them laughing -already. Well, then I began, I tell you, to imitate everything I -know--the governor, the Archpresbyter Izverzhensky, a saw, a little pig, -a fly. They roared with laughter. They roared so that the earth trembled -under my feet, so help me God. Even the men holding me had to laugh--a -curse on them!--and let me go. They began to clap and applaud. Upon my -word, here is Pantaleyev, he can testify, he saw everything." - -"True," said Pantaleyev in a hoarse voice. He was a dumpy person with -eye-glasses, and wore a sleeveless jacket. - -"Yes, brother, they applauded," exclaimed Grokhotov in ecstasy. "Now, of -course, I know myself; an artist, that's me. No doubt of it now. I may -say I owe my life to my art. What else? It's very simple. A crowd can't -be taken in by a mere joke." - -"The people have begun to be trusting," remarked Pantaleyev pensively -and strangely. "Their hearts have greatly softened." - -"That's true. See what they're doing, eh?" Grokhotov exclaimed quietly. -Then he added in a whisper. "Everything is above-board now. Everywhere -the persons under surveillance, our old acquaintances, are in the very -first rank. What does it mean, eh?" - -"Is the joiner's name Zimin?" Yevsey asked again. - -"Matvey Zimin, case of propaganda work in the furniture factory of -Knop," replied Pantaleyev with stern emphasis. - -"He ought to be in prison," said Yevsey, dissatisfied. - -Grokhotov whistled merrily. - -"In prison? Don't you know they let everybody out of prison?" - -"Who?" - -"The people." - -Yevsey walked a few steps in silence. - -"Did they permit them?" - -"Why, yes." - -"Why did they do it?" - -"That's what I say, too. They oughtn't to have permitted them," said -Pantaleyev. His glasses moved on his broad nose. "What a situation! The -authorities do not think about the people at all." - -"Did they release everybody?" asked Klimkov. - -"Everybody." Pantaleyev's hoarse voice was stern, his nostrils dilated. -"And there have already been a number of unpleasant encounters. Chasin, -for instance, had to threaten to shoot off his revolver, because he was -hit in the eye. He was quietly standing off on one side, when suddenly a -lady comes up, and cries out, 'Here's a spy!' Inasmuch as Chasin cannot -imitate animals, he had to defend himself with a weapon; which isn't -possible for everybody either. Not everybody carries a revolver about -with him." - -"It's been decided to give all of us revolvers." - -"Even so no good will come of it. I know positively that a revolver begs -of itself to be used. It sets your hand itching." - -"Good-by," said Yevsey. "I'm going home." - -He walked through small by-streets. When he saw people coming his way, -he crossed to the other side, and tried to hide in the shade. The -premonition rose and stubbornly grew that he would meet Yakov, Olga, or -somebody else of that company. - -"The city is large, there are many people," he comforted himself. -Nevertheless each time he heard steps in front, his heart sank -painfully, and his legs trembled, losing their strength. - -"They let them go," he thought in dismal annoyance. "They didn't say -anything, and let them go. And how about me? It isn't a matter of -indifference to me where they are. Of course not!" - -It was already dark. A solitary lamp was burning in front of the gates -of the police station. Just as Yevsey approached it, he heard someone -say in a muffled voice: - -"Here, this way, then to the back courtyard." - -Yevsey stopped, and peered in alarm into the darkness. The gates were -closed, but a dark man stood at the wicket set in one of the heavy -swinging doors, apparently awaiting him. - -"Hurry!" The man commanded in a dissatisfied tone. - -Klimkov stopped, crept through the wicket, and went along the dark -vaulted corridor under the building to a light feebly flickering, in the -depths of the court, where he heard the scraping of feet on the stone, -subdued voices, and the familiar repulsive snuffling. Klimkov stopped, -listened, turned quietly, and walked back to the gate, raising his -shoulders, so as to conceal his face in the collar of his overcoat. He -had already reached the wicket, and was about to push it, when it opened -of itself, and a man darted through, stumbling and clutching at Yevsey. - -"The devil! Who's that?" - -"I." - -"Who?" - -"Yevsey Klimkov." - -"Aha! Well, show me the way. Why are you standing there? Don't you -recognize me?" - -Yevsey looked at the hooked nose, the curls behind the ears, the -protruding narrow forehead. - -"I do. Viakhirev," he said with a sigh. - -"Yes. Come on." - -Klimkov returned in silence to the courtyard, where his eyes now -distinguished many obscure figures looming in the darkness in uneven -hillocks, slowly shifting from place to place, like large black fish in -dark, cold water. The satiated voice of Solovyov resounded sweetishly: - -"That doesn't suit me. But catch a girl for me, a little girl, a dainty -little girl. I'll knout her for you." - -"Always joking, the old devil," mumbled Viakhirev. "A fitting time for -it." - -"I can't give beatings, but I like to give lashings. I remember how I -used to flog my nephew, gee!" - -From a corner flowed the voice of Sasha, falling incessantly like water -dripping from roofs on a rainy day, monotonous as the sound of chants -recited in church. - -"Every time you meet those fellows with red flags beat them. First beat -the men carrying the flags, the rest will take to flight." - -"And if they don't?" - -"You will have revolvers. So that if you see people known to you by -their participation in secret societies--those people upon whom you -spied in your time--who were released from the prisons to-day by the -insubordination of the unbridled mob--kill them outright!" - -"That's reasonable," said somebody, whose voice resembled Pantaleyev's. -"Either we, or they." - -"Of course. How else?" - -"The people have gotten their liberty, but what are we to do?" replied -Viakhirev sharply. - -Yevsey walked into a corner, where he leaned against a pile of wood, and -looked and listened in perplexity. - -"A body, a little body, a tiny, wee little calf, meat!" the senseless -words of Solovyov spread out like a thick, oily spot. - -Dark, heavy walls of unequal height surrounded the court sternly. -Overhead slowly floated the clouds. On the walls gleamed the square -windows, scattered and dim. Klimkov saw a low porch in one corner of the -court, upon which Sasha was standing, his overcoat buttoned to the top, -his collar raised, and a low cap thrust on the back of his head. Above -him swung a small lamp, whose feeble flame trembled and smoked, as if -endeavoring to consume itself as quickly as possible. Behind Sasha's -back was the black stain of the door. A few dark people sat on the steps -of the porch at his feet. One, a tall grey person, stood in the doorway. - -"You must understand that you are given the liberty to make war upon the -revolutionists," said Sasha, putting his hands behind his back. - -The air hummed with the scraping of soles on the flagging, with dry -metallic raps, and, at times, with subdued voices uttering exclamations -and officious advice. - -"Look out! Be more careful!" - -"We're not allowed to load the revolvers." - -The vaguely outlined figures in the dark strangely resembled one -another--quiet black people scattered over the yard. They stood in -compact groups, and listened to the viscid voice of Sasha, rocking and -swinging on their feet, as if swayed by powerful puffs of wind. Sasha's -talk drowned all sounds, filling Klimkov's breast with a dreary cold and -acute hatred of the spy. - -"You are given the right to proceed against the rebels in an open fight. -Upon you lies the duty to defend the deceived Czar with all possible -means. And know that generous rewards await you. Who has not yet -received a revolver? Come up here." - -Several muffled voices called out: - -"I--me--I." - -Some persons moved to the porch. Sasha stepped aside, and the grey man -squatted down on his heels. - -"Mayn't I have two?" asked a lugubrious voice. - -"What for?" - -"For a comrade." - -"Go 'long!" - -The voices of the spies whom Yevsey knew sounded louder, braver, and -jollier than before. - -"I'm not going to do any beating." - -"We've heard that," the hoarse voice of Pantaleyev sounded rudely. - -"Silence!" - -Someone smacking his lips greedily, complained: - -"I haven't enough cartridge. We ought to get a whole boxful." - -"I set things going in two station-houses to-day," said Sasha. "I'm -tired." - -"It'll be interesting to-morrow." - -"Well, yes." - -The words and the sounds flashed up before Yevsey's mind like large -sparks illuminating the morrow. They slowly dried up and consumed the -hope of a placid life soon to come. He felt with his whole being that -out of the darkness surrounding him, from these people about him, -advanced a power inimical to his dreams and aims. This power would seize -him again, would put him on the old road, would bring him back to the -old terror. Hatred of Sasha seethed in his heart, the live, tenacious, -yet pliant hatred of the weak, the implacable, sharp, revengeful feeling -of a slave who has once been tortured by hope for liberty. He stood -there thinking of nothing, in the quick realization that his hopes must -inevitably die. He looked at Sasha half closing his eyes, and strained -his ears to catch the spy's every word. - -The men hurriedly departed from the yard in twos and threes, -disappearing under the broad archway that yawned in the wall. The light -over the head of the spy trembled, turned blue, and went out. Sasha -seemed to jump from the porch into a pit, from which he snuffled -angrily: - -"To-day seven men of my division of the Safety Department did not show -up. Why? Many seem to think it's a holiday. I won't tolerate stupidity. -Nor laziness either. I want you to know it. I am now going to introduce -strict regulations. I am not Filip Filippovich. Who said that Melnikov -is going about with a red flag? Who?" - -"I saw him." - -"With a flag?" - -"Yes. Marching and bawling 'Liberty!'" - -"Is it you talking, Viakhirev?" - -"Yes, I." - -Now that the tall body of Sasha had disappeared and mingled with the -dark mass of people at the platform, it seemed to Yevsey that he grew in -size and spread over the court like a stifling cloud, which -imperceptibly floated toward him in the darkness. Yevsey came out of his -leaning posture, and walked toward the exit, stepping as on ice, as if -fearing he would sink through a hole. But the adhesive voice of Sasha -overtook him, pouring a painful cold on the back of his neck. - -"Well, that fool will be the first to slash. I know him." Sasha laughed -a thin howling laugh. "I have a slogan for him, 'Strike in behalf of the -people.' And who said that Maklakov dropped the service?" - -"He knows everything, the vile skunk," Yevsey said to himself with a -calm that surprised him. - -"I said it. I heard it from Viekov, and he got it from Klimkov." - -"Viekov, Klimkov, Grokhotov--all trash. I'll step on the tails of all of -them. Parasites, hybrids, lazy good-for-nothings. Is anyone of them -here?" - -"Klimkov must be here," answered Viakhirev. - -Sasha shouted: - -"Klimkov!" - -Yevsey extended his arm before him, and walked faster. His legs bent -under him. He heard Krasavin say: - -"Gone, apparently. You ought not to shout family names." - -"I beg you not to teach me. I'll soon destroy all family names and -similar stupidities." - -"It's you that I'm going to destroy," Yevsey made the mental threat, -gnashing his teeth until they pained him. - -But when he had left the gate behind him, he was seized by the -debilitating consciousness of his impotence and nothingness. It was a -long time since he had experienced these feelings with such crushing -distinctness. He was frightened by their load, and succumbed to their -pressure. - -"Maybe it will still be warded off," he tried to embolden himself. -"Maybe he won't succeed." - -But Yevsey did not believe his own thoughts. Without a will of his own -he regarded everybody else as equally devoid of will, and he knew that -Sasha could easily compel all whom he wanted to compel to submit to his -domination. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - -The next day Yevsey resolved not to leave the house for a long time. He -lay in bed looking at the ceiling. The leaden face of Sasha with the dim -eyes and the band of red pimples on the forehead floated before him. -To-day this face recalled his childhood and the sinister disk of the -moon in the mist over the marsh. - -As he lay there, empty, languid, and cold, he gave himself over to grief -at his shattered dreams, the dreams that Sasha so easily crushed. His -hatred of the spy deepening, he felt himself capable of biting him with -his teeth, of gouging out his eyes. - -It occurred to him that some of his comrades might come to fetch him, -and he hurriedly left the house, and ran down several streets. Tiring -almost immediately he stopped and waited for a car. People passed by in -a continuous stream. He scented something new in them to-day, and did -violence to himself in examining them closely. Soon he realized that -this new thing was the old fear so well known to him. It was the old -dread and perplexity. People looked around distrustfully, suspiciously, -no longer with the kind expression their eyes had recently worn. Their -voices sounded lower, and betrayed anger, resentment, sorrow. Their talk -was of the horrible. - -Two persons stationed themselves near Yevsey. One of them, a stout -shaven man, asked of the other, who had a large black beard: - -"How many were killed?" - -"Five. Sixteen wounded." - -"Did the Cossacks shoot?" - -"Yes. A boy was killed, a student at the high school." Yevsey looked at -them, and inquired drily: - -"What for?" - -The man with the black beard shrugged his shoulders, and answered -reluctantly in a low voice: - -"They say the Cossacks were drunk." - -"Sasha arranged that," thought Yevsey. - -"And on the Spassky Bridge the mob beat a student, and threw him into -the river," announced the shaven man, drawing a deep breath. - -"What for?" Yevsey asked again. - -"I don't know. Some sort of patriots." - -The black-bearded man explained: - -"Since this morning tramps waving tri-colored flags and carrying -portraits of the Czar have been marching the streets and beating the -decently clad people." - -"Sasha!" Yevsey repeated to himself. - -"They say it was organized by the police and the Department of Safety." - -"Of course!" burst from Klimkov. But the next instant he compressed his -lips tightly, and glanced sidewise at the black-bearded man. He resolved -to go away. But just then the car came along, and as the two men -prepared to board it, he thought: - -"I must get on, too, or else they'll guess I'm a spy. What would they -think of a man who waited for a car with them, and then didn't take it?" - -The passengers in the car seemed calmer to Yevsey than the pedestrians -on the street. - -"After all it's some sort of concealment, though only behind glass," was -his explanation of the difference, as he listened to the animated -conversation in the car. - -A tall man with a bony face said plaintively, spreading his hands: - -"I, too, love and respect the Czar; I'm heartily thankful to him for the -manifesto. I'm ready to shout 'Hurrah' as much as you please; and offer -up prayers of gratitude. But to smash windows from patriotism and break -bones--what's that?" - -"Such barbarism, beastliness in our age!" said a stout lady. "Oh, those -people, how horribly cruel they are!" - -From a corner came a firm assured voice: - -"All the work of the police, no doubt of it!" - -"But what for?" - -All were silent for a minute. - -"I know," thought Klimkov. - -From the corner came the same assured voice: - -"They're preparing a counter-revolution in Russian fashion. You -just take a close look at those in command of the patriotic -demonstrators--disguised police, agents of the Department of -Safety." - -Yevsey heard these words with joy, and furtively regarded the young -face. It was dry and clean, with a cartilaginous nose, a small mustache, -and a tuft of light hair on a determined chin. The youth sat leaning -against the back of his seat in a corner of the car, one leg crossed -over the other. He looked at the passengers in the car with a wise -glance from his blue eyes, and spoke like a man who masters his words -and thoughts and believes in their effectiveness. - -Dressed in a short warm jacket and tall boots, he resembled a -workingman, but his white hands and the thin horizontal lines on his -forehead betrayed him. - -"Disguised," thought Yevsey. "Well, let him be disguised. What -difference does it make to me?" - -He began to follow the loud firm talk of the fair-haired youth with the -greatest attention, looking at his wise, transparent blue eyes and -agreeing with him. But suddenly he shuddered, seized with a sharp -premonition. On the platform of the car, at the conductor's side, he saw -through the window a pair of narrow drooping shoulders, and the back of -a black protruding head. The car jolted, and the familiar figure swayed. - -"Yakov Zarubin!" - -Klimkov utterly dismayed turned his look again upon the blue-eyed youth. -He had removed his hat, and he smoothed his wavy hair as he said: - -"As long as our administration has the soldiers in its hands, the -police, and the spies, it will not yield the people and society their -rights without a fight, without bloodshed. We must remember that." - -"It isn't true, my dear sir," cried the bony-faced man. "The Czar -granted a full constitution. He granted it, yes, so how dare you--?" - -"But who is arranging the street massacres? And who's shouting 'Down -with the constitution?'" the young man asked coldly. "You had better -take a look at the defenders of the old system. There they go!" - -At that instant the car came to a standstill with a creak, and when the -irritating noise of its movement had subsided, the passengers could hear -loud turbulent shouts: - -"God save the Czar!" - -"Rrrra-a-h!" - -A pack of boys came running from around the corner in front of the car, -and noisily scattered over the street, as if dropped from above. A crowd -of people waving three-colored flags over their heads pushed after them -like a black wedge in hurried disorder. Alarming shouts filled the air: - -"Hurrah!" - -"Stop, boys!" - -"Down with the constitution!" - -"We don't want--" - -"God save the Czar!" - -"Hurrah!" - -The people shoved past one another, gesticulated wildly, and threw their -hats in the air. In front of all with his head hanging low like a bull, -walked Melnikov, holding a heavy pole from which the national flag -floated. His eyes were fastened on the ground. He lifted his feet high, -and apparently must have tramped the ground with great force, for at -each step his body quivered, and his head shook. His heavy bellow could -be heard above the chaos of thinner shouts. - -"We don't want deception--" - -Behind, a crowd of ragged people, dark and grey, pushed down the street, -jumping and twisting their necks. They raised their heads, hands, and -arms, looked up to the windows of the houses, jumped on the pavements to -knock off the hats of passersby, ran up to Melnikov again, shouted and -whistled and seized one another, rolling into a heap. Melnikov waving -the flag clanged like a huge bell: - -"Down with the mutinee-e! Down with the impostors! Stop!" - -"Drunk, or what?" thought Klimkov, coldly. - -"Halt!" Raising his head and the flag on high, the spy commanded: -"Sing!" - -From his broad mouth gushed a savage mournful note: - -"Go-o-od--" - -But at that moment excited shouts splashed in the air, disordered and -rapacious, like a flock of hungry birds. They clawed the voice of the -spy, and covered it with their hasty, greedy mass. - -"Hurrah for the Emperor! Hats off! True Orthodox people--we want the -old! Down with treachery!" - -It was quiet in the car. All stood with their hats off, silent, pale, -observing the crowd that encircled them like a wavy, dirty ring. But the -disguised man did not remove his hat. Yevsey looked at his stern face, -and thought: - -"Putting on airs." And he turned his eyes on the street with a wry smile -on his face. He felt very distinctly the nothingness of these restless -jumping people. He clearly understood that dark terror was whipping them -from within, was pushing and carrying them from side to side. They were -fighting, intoxicating themselves with loud shouts, in the desire to -prove to themselves that they were afraid of nothing. They ran around -the car like a pack of hounds just released from the leash, full of -senseless joy, without having had time to free themselves from the -customary fear. Apparently they could not make up their minds to -traverse the broad bright street. They were unable to gather themselves -into one body. They tossed about, roared, and glared around alarmingly, -waiting for something. - -Near the car stood a little thin, sharp-bearded muzhik in a torn hat and -short fur coat. He held his eyes closed and his face raised on high. His -hungry mouth gaped displaying his yellow teeth as he shouted in a thin -voice: - -"D-o-o-wn! We don't want--" - -Tears of fear and excitement ran down his cheeks. His forehead glistened -with sweat. Ceasing to shout, he bent his neck and looked around -distrustfully. Then he raised his shoulders, and closing his eyes again, -yelled once more as if he were being beaten: - -"E-e-enough!" - -"That's the way I would have become, too," thought Yevsey to himself. -Though the muzhik cut a droll figure, Yevsey was sorry for him and for -himself. - -He saw the familiar faces of the janitors, always grim, the -large-whiskered visage of the church watchman Klimych, pious and sullen, -the hungry eyes of the young hooligans, the astonished expression of -timorous muzhiks, and a few creatures who pushed everyone, gave everyone -orders, and filled the will-less blind bodies with their will, with -their sick ferocity. Yevsey well understood that all these petty people -like himself lived in the close captivity of fear, with no strength to -tear themselves from its clutches. A powerful person might gain mastery -over them; in obedience to the will of a still more powerful person they -would overthrow the old receptacle of fear in exchange for a new one. -Now, separated by the windows from the mob, he looked at it from aside -and above, and his eyes were able to embrace much. Everything was clear -to him _ad nauseam_. Anguish and wrath sucked at his heart. - -Little Yakov Zarubin was twisting and turning in the middle of the crowd -like an eel. Now he ran up to Melnikov, pulled his sleeve, and said -something to him, nodding his head in the direction of the car. - -Klimkov quickly glanced around at the man in the hat, who had already -risen, and was walking to the door, his head lifted high and a frown on -his brow. Yevsey stepped after him, but Melnikov jumped to the platform, -and blocked the doorway with his large body. - -"Hat off!" he bawled. - -The man faced about abruptly, and walked to the other exit. There he was -met by Zarubin, who shouted in a loud voice: - -"Here, this man in a hat! I know him! He makes bombs! Take care, boys!" - -A revolver gleamed in Zarubin's hand. He swung it as if it were a stone, -and thrust it forward. People from the street clambered to the platform, -and the passengers pressing to the exits met them face to face. The lady -screeched: - -"Take off your hat! Why, man!" - -All screamed, roared, and pressed one another. Their eyes staring -insanely, fastened upon the man in the hat. - -"I'm going to shoot! Get away!" the man shouted aloud, advancing upon -Zarubin. The spy retreated, but he was pushed in back, and fell to his -knees. Supporting himself on the floor with one hand, he stretched out -the other. A shot rang out, then another. The windows rattled. For a -second all the cries congealed. Then the firm voice said contemptuously: - -"Vile curs!" - -The air and the windows quivered with a third shot, and Zarubin uttered -a loud cry: - -"Ugh!" His head struck the floor, as if he were making an obeisance at -somebody's feet. The car became emptier and quieter. Klimkov ensconced -in a corner, shrivelled up on his seat, and thought listlessly: - -"I might have been killed." - -The thought darted by, and disappeared without rousing in the darkness -of his soul either fear or joy. He looked around wearily. The man in the -hat stood on the platform of the car. Melnikov advanced toward him past -Yevsey, and Zarubin lay motionless face downward. - -"I will shoot you down--everyone of you! Get away from here!" the loud, -dry cry was heard from the platform. - -But Melnikov stepped across the body of Yakov, seized the fair-haired -youth by the waist, and threw him into the street. - -"Beat him down--!" he shouted bluntly in a savage voice. - -Three revolver shots followed in quick succession. The deaf blows -clapped. Someone howled in a long-drawn plaintive cry like an infant. - -"Oh, oh, my leg!" - -Another man shouted hoarsely with an effort: - -"Ah, ah! Hit him on the head! Hey, hey!" - -And a thin hysterical voice pealed in ecstasy: - -"Tear him to pieces, my dear people. Choke him! Enough! Their time is -past! Now we'll give it to them. Now our turn has come--" - -All the cries were suddenly covered by a loud ejaculation full of -mournful disdain: - -"Idiots!" - -Yevsey reeled from weakness in his legs. He walked to the platform, from -which he saw a dark heap of people. With bent backs, swinging their arms -and legs, groaning with the strain of excitement, uttering tired hoarse -articulations, they stirred busily on the street, like large shaggy -worms, as they dragged over the stones the body of the fair-haired -youth, already crushed and torn. They kicked at it, tramped on its face -and chest, pulled its hair, its legs and arms, and simultaneously tore -him in different directions. Half bare, covered with blood, it flapped -against the stones, soft as dough, with each blow losing more and more -semblance of a human figure. These people worked over him industriously. -The little lean muzhik trying to crush his skull, stepped on it with one -foot, and sang out: - -"Aha! Our time has come, too." - -The work was accomplished. One after the other they left the middle of -the street for the pavement. A pockmarked fellow wiped his hands on his -short sheepskin overcoat, and asked with the air of a manager, or -superintendent: - -"Who took his pistol?" - -Now the voices sounded weary, reluctant. But on the pavement a laugh was -heard coming from a small group of people standing next to the -lamp-post. An offended voice was discussing hotly: - -"You lie! I was the first. The second he fell I gave him one on the jaw -with my boot." - -"Cabman Mikhailov pounced on him first, then I." - -"Mikhailov got a bullet in his leg." - -"If it didn't hit the bone, it's all right." - -These people after tasting blood had apparently grown bolder. They -looked around on all sides with unsatiated eyes, with greed, and assured -expectation. - -In the middle of the street lay a formless dark heap, from which blood -was oozing into the hollows between the stones. - -"That's the way--" Yevsey thought, looking at the red designs on the -paving. In the dark red mist trembling before his eyes appeared the -hairy face of Melnikov. His voice was tired and muffled. - -"There, they've killed him!" - -"Yes, how quickly!" - -"They killed another one this morning." - -"What for?" - -"He was speaking. He was standing on the curb addressing the people. -Chasin fired into his stomach." - -"What for?" Yevsey repeated. - -"Those speakers are deceivers--a spurious manifesto--there's no such -thing--all a bluff!" - -"Sasha thought that all out," said Yevsey quietly, with conviction. - -Melnikov shook his head, and looked at his large hands. - -"Somebody always deceives," he mumbled in a drunken voice. - -He entered the car, and raised Zarubin lightly, placing him on the bench -face up. - -"He's dead. There's where it hit him--" - -Yevsey sought the scar on Zarubin's face that the blow of the bottle had -left. He did not find it. Now over the right eye was a little red hole -from which Klimkov could not tear his eyes. It absorbed his entire -attention, and aroused sharp pity for Yakov. - -"Have you a pistol?" asked Melnikov. - -"No." - -"There, take Yakov's." - -"I don't want to. I don't need it." - -"Now everybody needs a pistol," said Melnikov simply, and slipped the -revolver into Yevsey's overcoat pocket. "Yes, there was a Yakov, now -there is no Yakov." - -"It was I who marked him for death," thought Yevsey, looking at his -comrade's face. - -Zarubin's brows were sternly drawn. A look of serious preoccupation -gleamed and died away in his dim eyes. His little black mustache -bristled on his raised lip. He appeared to be annoyed. His half-open -mouth seemed ready to pour forth a rapid torrent of irritated talk. - -"Come," said Melnikov. - -"And he--how about them?" asked Yevsey, tearing his eyes from Zarubin. - -"The police will take them away. It's against the law to remove the -killed. Let's go somewhere, and shake ourselves up. I haven't eaten -to-day. I can't eat--the third day without food. No sleep either." He -sighed painfully, and concluded with somber _sang froid_. "I should have -been killed in Yakov's place." - -"Sasha will ruin all," said Yevsey, through his teeth. "He'll ruin us -all." - -"Blindness of the soul." - -They walked along the street without observing anything, and each spoke -that with which his own mind was occupied. Both were like drunken men. - -"Where's the truth?" asked Melnikov, putting his hand forward, as if to -test the air. - -"There, you see, two have been killed," said Yevsey, making an effort to -catch an elusive thought. - -"Many people have been killed to-day, I should think. All are blind." - -"Why did Sasha arrange this?" - -"I don't love him either." - -"He's the one who ought to be killed," exclaimed Yevsey, with bitter -vengefulness. - -Melnikov was silent for a long time. Then he suddenly shook his fist in -the air, and said resolutely: - -"Enough! I've taken sins enough upon myself. On the other side of the -Volga I have an uncle, a very old man. He is all I have in this world. -I'll go to him. He keeps an apiary--when he was young he was tried for -forgery." After another pause of silence the spy laughed quietly. - -"What's the matter?" asked Yevsey, annoyed. - -"I'm forgetting everything. My uncle has now been dead for three years." - -They reached a cafe known to them. Yevsey stopped at the door, and -looked meditatively at the illuminated windows. - -"People again," he muttered, dissatisfied. "I don't want to go in -there." - -"Let's go in. It's all the same," said Melnikov, taking him by the arm, -and leading him after himself. "It will be tiresome for me to be here -alone. Besides I've become fearsome. I'm not afraid of being killed if -I'm recognized as a spy. It's just a general feeling of dread." - -The two men did not enter the room in which their comrades were wont to -gather, but took seats in a corner of the common hall, where there were -a number of persons, of whom none were drunk, though the talk was noisy -and evinced unusual excitement. Klimkov by habit began to listen to the -conversations, while the thought of Sasha clung to him, and quietly -unfolded itself in his head, stupefied by the impressions of the last -days, but freshened by the constant influx of poignant hatred and fear -of the spy. - -He recalled the sullen face of the dead Zarubin, the mauled body of the -fair-haired man. He looked in perplexity at the noisy public, blinking -as if half asleep. All was incoherent, as in a nightmare. Melnikov drank -tea with no appetite, keeping silent and from time to time stretching -himself. - -Not far from them at a table sat three men, apparently clerks with the -characteristic speech of the class. They were young and fashionably -dressed, with a display of gay necktie. One of them, a curly-headed -youth with a tanned face spoke excitedly, his dark eyes flashing. - -"They utilize the ferocity of hungry ragged rowdies, by which they want -to prove to us that liberty is impossible because of the many barbarians -such as these. However--permit me--savages did not show themselves for -the first time yesterday. There have always been such, and justice has -always been able to cope with them; they could be held under fear of the -law. Then why are they permitted to perpetrate every sort of outrage and -bestiality to-day?" He looked around the hall with the air of a victor, -and answered his question with hot conviction. "Because they want to -point out to us, 'You are for freedom, ladies and gentlemen, well here -you have it. Freedom for you means murder, robbery, and all kinds of mob -violence.'" - -"Do you hear?" demanded Yevsey, triumphantly. "Isn't that Sasha's -scheme?" The hot voice of the orator roused in his soul the quiet -smouldering hope. "Maybe Sasha won't conquer." - -Melnikov looked at him sullenly, without replying. - -The curly-headed man rose from the chair, and continued waving a glass -of wine in his hand. - -"It's not true, and I protest. Honest people want liberty, not in order -to crush one another, but in order for each to be protected against the -prevailing violence of our lawless life. Liberty is the goddess of -reason. They have drunk enough of our blood. I protest. Long live -liberty!" - -The public raised a cheer, and sprang to their feet. - -Melnikov looked at the curly-headed orator, and muttered: - -"What a fool!" - -"He speaks truly," rejoined Yevsey, angrily. - -"How do you know?" asked the spy indifferently, and began to drink the -beer in slow gulps. - -Yevsey wanted to tell this heavy man that he himself was a fool, a blind -beast, whom the cunning and cruel masters of his life had taught to hunt -people down. But Melnikov raised his head, and looking into Klimkov's -face with dark eyes terribly widened, said in a sounding whisper: - -"I'm afraid for this reason: when I was in prison an incident happened -there--" - -"Hold on," said Yevsey, "I want to listen." - -A thin voice which drilled the ear, pierced triumphantly through the -soft mass of sounds. - -"Did you hear? He says a goddess, yet we Russian people have only one -goddess, the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. That's how those -curly-headed youngsters speak!" - -"Out with him!" - -"Silence!" - -"No, if you please. If there's liberty, everyone has a right--" - -"You see? The curly-headed youngsters walk the streets, beat the people -who rise up to maintain the Czar's truth against treachery, while we -Russians, the True Orthodox, don't dare even to speak. Is this liberty?" - -"They'll fight," said Klimkov, starting to tremble. "Somebody will be -killed. I'm going." - -"What a peculiar fellow you are! Well, let's go. The devil take them! -What are they to you?" - -Melnikov flung the money on the table, and moved toward the exit, his -head bowed low, as if to conceal his conspicuous face. On the street in -the dark and the cold, he began to speak in a subdued voice: - -"When I was in prison--it was on account of a certain foreman, who was -strangled in our factory--I was hauled up, too. They told me I would get -hard labor. Everybody said it, first the coroner, then the gendarmes -joined in. I got frightened. I was still young, and I didn't take to the -idea of hard labor. I used to cry." He coughed a clapping cough, and -slackened his pace. "Once the assistant overseer of the prison, Aleksey -Maksimych, a good little old man, came in to me. He loved me. He grieved -for me all the time. 'Ah,' says he, 'Liapin,'--my real name is -Liapin--'Ah,' says he, 'brother, I'm sorry for you. You are such an -unfortunate fellow--'" - -Melnikov's speech unfolded itself like a soft band upon which Klimkov -quietly let himself down, as upon a narrow path leading down into the -darkness, into something terrible and awesomely interesting. - -"He comes and says he, 'Liapin, I want to save you for a good life. -Yours is a hard-labor case, but you can escape it. The only thing you -need to do is to execute a man. He was sentenced for political -assassination. He will be hanged according to law in the presence of a -priest, will be given a cross to kiss, so that you needn't be uneasy -about it.' I say, 'Why not? If with the consent of the authorities, and -if I'm to be pardoned, I'll hang him. Only I can't.'--. 'We'll teach -you,' says he. 'We have a man who knows how, but he's stricken with -paralysis, and can't do it himself.' Well for a whole evening they -taught me. It was in a deep dungeon. We stuffed a sack with rags, tied -it with a string, so as to make a neck. Then I pulled it up on a hook. I -learned how to do the business. Early in the morning they gave me half a -bottle to drink, led me out into the yard with soldiers carrying guns. I -see a gallows has been erected, and various officers before it. They are -all muffled up and shrivelled. It was autumn then, too, November. I -ascended the scaffolding, and the boards shook, creaked under my feet -like teeth. This made me feel uncomfortable, and I said 'Give me more -whiskey. I'm afraid.' Then they brought him--" - -Melnikov again began to cough dully, and clutched at his throat. Yevsey -pressed up to him, trying to keep step with him. He kept his eyes -fastened on the ground, not daring to look either to the front or the -side. - -"I see a young powerful fellow. He stands firm, and all the time keeps -stroking his head from his forehead back to his neck. I began to put the -face-cloth on him. I must have pulled or pinched him in some way, and he -tells me quietly without anger, 'Be more careful, brother.' Yes. The -priest gave him the cross, and he says, 'Don't disturb yourself. I'm not -a believer.' His face was so--as if he knew everything that would be -after death, and now and to-morrow and always, knew it for certain. -Somehow I strangled him, shaking all over. My hands grew numb, my legs -would not hold me. I felt horrible on account of him--he was so calm -about it all--a master over death." - -Melnikov was silent, looked around, and began to walk more quickly. - -"Well?" asked Yevsey in a whisper. - -"Well, I strangled him. That's all. Only ever since, when I see or hear -that a man has been killed, I recollect him--always. In my opinion he -was the only man who knew the truth. That was why he was not afraid. And -the main thing is, he knew what would be to-morrow--which no one knows. -I tell you what, Yevsey, come to me to sleep, eh? Come, please." - -"All right," said Yevsey quietly. - -He was glad of the offer. He could not walk to his room alone--along the -streets in the darkness. He felt a tightness in his breast and a heavy -pressure on his bones, as if he were creeping under ground, and the -earth were squeezing his back, his chest, his sides, and his head: while -in front of him gaped a deep pit, which he could not escape, into which -he must soon descend--a silent bottomless abyss down which he would drop -endlessly. - -"That's good," said Melnikov. "I would feel bored alone." - -"If you would kill Sasha--" Yevsey advised him sadly. - -"There you are!" Melnikov fended off the idea. "What do you think--that -I love to kill? They asked me twice again to hang people, a woman and a -student. I declined. I might have had two to remember instead of one. -The killed appear again. They come back." - -"Often?" - -"Sometimes, sometimes not. When often, it's every night. How can you -defend yourself against them? I can't pray to God. I've forgotten my -prayers. Have you?" - -"I remember mine." - -They entered a court, and were long in penetrating to its depths, -stumbling as they walked over boards, stones, and rubbish. Then they -descended a flight of steps, which Klimkov, feeling the walls with his -hands, thought would never come to an end. When he found himself at last -in the lodging of the spy, and had examined it in the light of the lamp, -he was amazed to see the mass of gay pictures and paper flowers with -which the walls were almost entirely covered. Melnikov at once became a -stranger in this comfortable little room, with a broad bed in a corner -behind white curtains. - -"All this was contrived by the woman with whom I lived," said Melnikov, -starting to undress. "She ran away, the hussy! A gendarme, a -quartermaster, decoyed her. I can't understand it. He's a grey-haired -widower, while she's young and greedy for a male. Nevertheless she went -away. The third one that's left me already. Come, let's go to bed." - -They lay side by side in the same bed, which rocked under Yevsey like a -tossing sea, and all the time descended lower and lower. His heart sank -with it. The spy's words laid themselves heavily upon his breast. - -"One was Olga." - -"What!" - -"Olga. Why?" - -"Nothing." - -"A little one, thin and jolly. She used to hide my hat, or something -else, and I would say, 'Olga, where's my hat?' And she would say, 'Look -for it. You're a spy.' She liked to joke, but she was a loose woman. I -hardly had my head turned, before she was with somebody else. I was -afraid to beat her. She was frail. Still I pulled her hair. You've got -to do something." - -"Lord!" quietly exclaimed Klimkov. "What am I going to do?" - -His comrade was silent for a while, then said dully and slowly: - -"That's the way I howl, too, sometimes." - -Klimkov buried his head in the pillow, compressing his lips tightly, to -restrain the stubborn need to utter cries and complaints. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - -Yevsey awoke with a certain secret resolution, which held his bosom as -with a broad invisible belt. It stifled him. The ends of this band, he -felt, were held by some insistent being, who obstinately led him on to -an inescapable something. He harkened to this desire and tested it -carefully with an awkward, timorous thought. At the same time he did not -want it to define itself. - -Melnikov dressed and washed, but uncombed, was sitting at the table next -to the samovar, munching his bread lazily like an ox. - -"You sleep well," he said. "I drowsed a little, then awoke, while it was -still night, and suddenly saw a body beside me. I remembered that Tania -wasn't here, but I had forgotten about you. Then it seemed to me that -that person was lying there. He came and lay down--wanted to warm -himself." Melnikov laughed a stupid laugh, which, apparently, -embarrassed him the next instant. "However, it's not a joke. I lighted a -match and looked at you. It's my idea you're not well. Your face is blue -like--" He broke off with a cough, but Yevsey guessed the unspoken word, -and thought gloomily: - -"Rayisa, too, said I would choke myself." - -The thought frightened him, clearly alluding to something he did not -want to remember. Then he tried insistently to evoke some desire which -might help him to befool himself, to conceal the unavoidable, that which -had already been determined. - -"What time is it?" he asked. - -"Eleven." - -"Early still." - -"Early," confirmed the host, and both were silent. Then Melnikov -proposed: - -"Let's live together, eh?" - -"I don't know." - -"What?" - -"What will happen," said Yevsey, after reflecting a moment. - -"Nothing will happen. You're a quiet fellow. You speak little, neither -do I like to speak always. If it's tiresome I speak, or else I keep -quiet all the time. When you ask about something, one says one thing, -another says another thing, and a third still another. Well, the devil -take you, think I. You have a whole lot of words, but none that are -true." - -"Yes," said Yevsey for the sake of answering. - -"Something must be done," he thought in self-defense. Suddenly he -resolved, "At first I will--Sasha--" But he did not wish to represent to -himself what would be afterward. "Where are we going to go?" he inquired -of Melnikov. - -"To the office," Melnikov replied with unconcern. - -"I don't want to," declared Yevsey drily and firmly. - -Melnikov combed his beard for a time in silence. Then he shoved the -dishes from him, and placing his elbows on the table, said meditatively -in a subdued voice: - -"Our service has become hard. All have begun to rebel, but who are the -real rebels here? Make it out, if you can." - -"I know who's the first scoundrel and skunk," muttered Klimkov. - -"Sasha you mean?" inquired Melnikov. - -Yevsey gave no reply. He was quietly beginning to devise a plan of -action. Melnikov started to dress, sniffing loudly. - -"So we're going to live together?" - -"Yes." - -"Are you going to bring your things to-day?" - -"I don't know." - -"Will you sleep here tonight?" - -After some reflection Yevsey said: - -"Yes." - -When the spy had gone, Klimkov jumped to his feet, and looked around -frightened, quivering under the stinging blows of suspicion. - -"He locked me in, and went to tell Sasha. They'll come soon to seize me. -I must escape through the window." - -He rushed to the door. It was not locked. He calmed himself, and said -with heat, as if convincing somebody: - -"Well, is it possible to live this way? You don't believe anybody--there -is nobody--" - -He sat long behind the table without moving, straining his mind, -employing all his cunning to lay a snare for the enemy without -endangering himself. Finally he hit upon a plan. He must in some way -lure Sasha from the office to the street, and walk with him. When they -would meet a large crowd of people, he would shout: - -"This is a spy, beat him!" And probably the same thing would happen as -had happened to Zarubin and the fair-haired young man. If the people -would not turn upon Sasha as seriously as they had yesterday upon the -disguised revolutionist, Yevsey would set them an example. He would fire -first, as Zarubin had. But _he_ would _hit_ Sasha. He would aim at his -stomach. - -Klimkov felt himself strong and brave, and made haste to leave. He -wanted to do the thing at once. But the recollection of Zarubin hindered -him, knotting up the poverty-stricken simplicity of his contrivance. He -involuntarily repeated his notion. "It was I who marked him for death." - -He did not reproach, he did not blame, himself. Yet he felt that a -certain thread bound him to the little black spy, and he must do -something to break the thread. - -"I didn't say good-by to him--and where will I find him now?" - -On putting on his overcoat, he was gladdened to feel the revolver in his -pocket. Responding to a fresh influx of power and resolution, he walked -out into the street with a firm tread. - -But the nearer he got to the Department of Safety the more did his bold -mood melt and fade away. The feeling of power became dissipated, and -when he saw the narrow dull alley at the end of which was the dusky, -three-storied building, he suddenly felt an invincible desire to find -Zarubin, and take leave of him. - -"I insulted him," he explained his desire to himself, embarrassed and -quickly turning aside from his aim. "I must find him." - -At the same time he vaguely felt he could not escape from that which -seized his heart and pressed him, drew him on after itself, and silently -indicated the one issue from the terrible entanglement. - -The problem of the day, the resolve to destroy Sasha, did not hinder the -growth of the dark and evil power which filled his heart, while the -sudden wish to find the body of the little spy instantly became an -insurmountable obstacle to the carrying out of his plan. - -He fed this desire artificially, in the fear that it, too, would -disappear. He rode about in cabs to police stations for a number of -hours, taking the utmost pains in his inquiries regarding Zarubin. When -at last he found out where the body was, it was too late to visit it, -and he returned home secretly pleased that the day had come to an end. - -Melnikov did not put in appearance at his lodging. Yevsey lay alone the -whole night, trying not to stir. At each movement of his the canopy over -the bed rocked. An odor of dampness was wafted in his face, the bed -creaked a tune; he felt stifled, nauseated, and timorous. Taking -advantage of the stillness the vile mice ran about, and the rustling -sounds they made tore the thin net of Yevsey's thoughts of Zarubin and -Sasha. The interruptions displayed to him the dead, calm, expectant -emptiness of his environment, with which the emptiness of his soul -insistently desired to blend. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - -Early in the morning he was already standing in the corner of a large -yard at a yellow hovel with a cross over the roof. A grey humpbacked -watchman said as he opened the door: - -"There are two of them here. One was recognized, the other not. The -unidentified one will soon be taken to the grave." - -Then Yevsey saw the sullen face of Zarubin. The only change it had -undergone was that it had grown a little blue. The small wound in place -of the scar had been washed, and had turned black. The little alert body -was naked and clean. It lay face upward, stretched like a cord, with the -tanned hands folded over the bosom, as if Zarubin were sullenly asking: - -"Well, what?" - -Beside him lay the other dark body, all rent, swollen, with red, blue, -and yellow stains. Someone had covered its face with blue and white -flowers. But under them Yevsey could see the bones of the skull, a tuft -of hair glued together with blood, and the torn shell of the ear. - -Leaning his hump against the wall, the old man said: - -"This one cannot be recognized. He has almost no head. Yet he was -identified. Two ladies came yesterday with these flowers and covered up -human outrage. As for the other one, he's remained unidentified." - -"I know who he is," said Yevsey firmly. "He's Yakov Zarubin. He served -in the Department of Safety." - -The watchman looked at him, and shook his head in negation. - -"No, it's not he. The police told us he was Zarubin, and our office -inquired of the Department of Safety, but it appeared it wasn't he." - -"But I know," Yevsey exclaimed quietly, in an offended tone. - -"In the Department of Safety they said, 'We don't know such a person. A -man by that name never served here.'" - -"It's not true," exclaimed Yevsey, grieved and dumfounded. - -Two young fellows came in from the court, one of whom asked the -watchman: - -"Which is the unidentified man?" - -The humpback pointed his finger at Zarubin, and said to Yevsey: - -"You see?" - -Klimkov walked out into the court, thrust a coin into the watchman's -hand, and repeated with impotent stubbornness: - -"It's Zarubin, I tell you." - -"As you please," said the old man, shrugging his hump. "But if it is so, -others would have recognized him. An agent came here yesterday in search -of someone who had been killed. He didn't recognize your man either, -though why shouldn't he admit it if he did?" - -"What agent?" - -"A stout man, bald, with an amiable voice." - -"Solovyov," guessed Yevsey, observing dully that Zarubin's body was -being laid in a white unpainted coffin. - -"It doesn't go in," mumbled one of the fellows. - -"Bend his legs, the devil!" - -"The lid won't close." - -"Sidewise, lay him in sidewise, eh?" - -"Don't make such a fuss, boys," said the old man calmly. - -The fellow who held the head of the body snuffled, and said: - -"It's a spy, Uncle Fiodor." - -"A dead man is nobody," observed the humpback didactically, walking up -to them. The fellows grew silent, continuing to squeeze the springy -tawny body into the narrow short coffin. - -"You fools, get another coffin," said the humpback, angrily. - -"It's all the same," said one, and the other added grimly, "He's not a -great gentleman." - -Yevsey left the court carrying in his soul a bitter humiliating feeling -of insult in behalf of Zarubin. Behind him he clearly heard the -hump-back say to the men as they bore off the body: - -"Something wrong there, too. He came here, and says 'I know him.' Maybe -he knows all about this affair." - -The two men answered almost simultaneously: - -"Seems to be a spy, too." - -"What's the difference to us?" - -Klimkov quickly jumped into a cab, and shouted to the driver: - -"Hurry!" - -"Where to?" - -Yevsey answered quietly and not at once: - -"Straight ahead." - -The insulting thoughts dully knocked in his head. - -"They bury him like a dog--no one wants him--and me, too--" - -The streets came to meet him. The houses rocked and swayed, the windows -gleamed. People walked noisily, and everything was alien. - -"To-day I'm going to make an end of Sasha. I'll go there at once and -shoot him." In a moment he was already compelled to persuade himself: -"It's got to be done. As for me, nothing matters to me any more." - -Dismissing the cabman he walked into a restaurant, to which Sasha came -less frequently than to the others. He stopped in front of the door of -the room where the spies gathered. - -"The instant I see him, I'll shoot him," he said to himself. - -He knocked at the door tremulously, and felt the revolver in his hand. -His soul was congealed in cold expectation. - -"Who's there?" asked someone on the other side of the door. - -"I." - -The door was opened a little. In the chink flashed the eyes and reddish -little nose of Solovyov. - -"Ah-h-h!" he drawled in amazement. "There was a rumor that you had been -killed." - -"No, I have not been killed," Klimkov responded sullenly, removing his -coat. - -"I see. Lock the door. They say you went with Melnikov--" - -Solovyov was thoroughly masticating a piece of ham; which interfered -with his articulation. His greasy lips smacked slowly and let out the -unconcerned words, "So, it isn't true that you went with Melnikov?" - -"Why isn't it true?" - -"Why, here you are alive, and he's in bad shape. I saw him yesterday." - -"Where?" - -The spy named the hospital from which Yevsey had just come. - -"Why is he there?" Klimkov inquired apathetically. - -"That is it: a Cossack struck him a sabre blow on the head, and the -horses trampled him. It's not known how it happened, or why. He's -unconscious. The physicians say he won't recover." - -Solovyov poured some sort of green whiskey into a glass, held it up to -the light, and examined it with screwed-up eyes. After which he drank -it, and asked: - -"Where are you hiding yourself?" - -"I'm not hiding." - -"You _have_ been hiding all the same." - -A plate fell to the floor in the corridor. Yevsey started. He remembered -he had forgotten to remove the revolver from his overcoat pocket. He -rose to his feet. - -"Sasha is fuming at you." - -Before Yevsey's eyes swam the sinister red disk of the moon surrounded -by a cloud of ill-smelling lilac-colored mist. He recalled the -snuffling, ever-commanding voice, the yellow fingers of the bony hands. - -"Won't he come here?" - -"I don't know. Why?" - -Solovyov's face wore a sleek expression. Apparently he was very well -satisfied with something. In his voice sounded the careless affability -of an aristocrat. All this was repulsive to Yevsey. Incoherent thoughts -tossed about in his mind, one breaking the other off. - -"You are all rascals--sorry for Melnikov--so this obese fellow didn't -want to recognize Yakov--why?" - -"Did you see Zarubin?" - -"That's who?" asked Solovyov, raising his brows. - -"You know. He lay in the hospital there. You saw him." - -"Yes, yes, yes. Of course I saw him." - -"Why didn't you say there that you knew him?" Yevsey demanded sternly. - -The old spy reared his bald head, and exclaimed in astonishment with a -sarcastic expression: - -"W-w-w-hat?" - -Yevsey repeated the question, but this time in a milder tone. - -"That's not your business, my dear fellow. I want you to know that. But -I'm sorry for your stupidity, so I'll tell you, we have no need for -fools, we don't know them, we don't comprehend them, we don't recognize -them. You are to understand that, now and forever, for all your life. -Remember what I say, and tie your tongue with a string." - -The little eyes of Solovyov sparkled cold as two silver coins, his voice -bespoke evil and cruelty. He shook his short thick fingers at Yevsey. -His greedy bluish lips were drawn sullenly. But he was not horrible. - -"It's all the same," thought Yevsey. "They are all one gang--they all -ought to be--" - -He darted to his overcoat, snatched the revolver from the pocket, aimed -at Solovyov, and shouted dully: - -"Well!" - -The old man crawled from his chair, and grovelled on the floor, looking -like a large heap of dirt. He seized the leg of the table with one hand, -and stretched the other toward Yevsey. - -"Don't--you mustn't," he muttered in a loud whisper. "My dear sir, don't -touch me." - -Klimkov pressed the trigger more tightly, more tightly. His head chilled -with the effort, his hair shook. - -"I will go away--I'm going to get married to-morrow--I'll go away--for -always--I'll never--" His heavy cowardly words rustled and crept in the -air. Grease glistened on his chin, and the napkin over his bosom -quivered. - -The revolver did not shoot. Yevsey's finger pained, and horror took -powerful possession of him from head to foot, impeding his breath. - -"I can give you money," Solovyov whispered more quickly. "I will tell -nothing--I will keep quiet--always--I understand--" - -Klimkov raised his hand and flung the revolver at the spy. Then he -caught up his overcoat, and ran off. Two feeble shouts overtook him: - -"Ow, ow!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - -The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches. They -filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on. Behind him -a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their -feet never touching the ground. They ran after him stretching out scores -of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair. -They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing. He took -cabs, rode for a while, jumped out, ran along the streets, and rode -again. For the crowd was near him all the time unseen, yet so much the -more horrible. - -He felt more at ease when he saw before him the dark patterned wall of -bare boughs, which stretched to meet him. He dived into the thicket of -trees, and walked in between them, strangely moving his hands behind his -back, as if to draw the trees together more compactly behind him. He -descended into a ravine, seated himself on the cold soil, and rose -again. Then he walked the length of the ravine, breathing heavily, -perspiring, drunk with fear. Soon he saw an opening between the trees. -He listened carefully, noiselessly advanced a few steps further, and -looked. In front of him stretched the earthwork of a railroad, beyond -which rose more trees. These were small and far-between. Through the -network of their branches shone the grey roof of a building. - -He walked back quickly up the channel of the ravine, to where the woods -were thicker and darker. - -"They'll catch me," the cold assurance pushed him on. "They'll catch -me--they must be looking for me already--they're running." - -A soft ringing sound strayed through the woods. It came from anear, and -shook the thin branches, which swayed in the dusk of the ravine, filling -the air with their rustle. Under his feet crackled thin ice, which -covered the grey dried-out little pits of the bed of a stream with white -skin. - -Klimkov sat down, bent over, and put a piece of ice in his mouth. The -next instant he jumped to his feet, and clambered up the steep slope of -the ravine. Here he removed his belt and suspenders, and began to tie -them together, at the same time carefully examining the branches over -his head. - -"I don't have to take my overcoat off," he reflected without self-pity. -"The heavier, the quicker." - -He was in a hurry, his fingers trembled, and his shoulders involuntarily -rose, as if to conceal his neck. In his head a timorous thought kept -knocking. - -"I won't have time. I'll be too late." - -A train passed along the edge of the woods. The trees hummed in -displeasure, and the ground quivered. The white vapor threaded its way -between the branches. It stole through the air, and melted away, as -though to get a look at this man, and then disappear from his eyes. - -Titmice came flying and whistling boldly. They gleamed in the dark nets -of the branches, and their quick bustle hastened the movements of -Yevsey's cold and disobedient fingers. - -He made a slipknot in the strap, threw it over a branch, and tugged at -it. It was firm. Then, just as hurriedly, he began to make a slipknot in -his suspenders, which he had twisted into a braid. When everything was -ready, he heaved a sigh. - -"Now I ought to say my prayers." - -But no prayer came to him. He thought for a few seconds. The words -flashed up, but were instantly extinguished, without forming themselves -into a prayer. - -"Rayisa knew my fate," he recalled unexpectedly. - -Thrusting his head into the noose, he said quietly, simply, and without -a quiver in his breast: - -"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost--" - -He pushed the ground with his feet, and jumped into the air, doubling -his legs under him. There was a painful tug at his ears, a strange -inward blow hit his head, and stunned him. He fell. His entire body -struck the hard earth, turned over, and rolled down the declivity. His -arms caught in the roots of trees, his head knocked against trunks. He -lost consciousness. - -When he recovered his senses, he found himself sitting at the bottom of -the ravine, the torn suspenders dangling over his breast. His trousers -were burst, his scratched, blood-stained knees looked through the cloth -pitifully. His body was a mass of pain, especially his neck; and the -cold seemed to be flaying his skin. Throwing himself on his back Yevsey -looked up the incline. There under a white birch branch the strap swung -in the air like a thin serpent, and lured him to itself. - -"I can't," he said to himself in despair. "I can't--nothing--I don't -know how." - -He began to cry fine tears of impotence and insult. He lay with his back -on the ground, and through his tears saw over him the one-toned dim sky, -streaked by the dry designs of the dark branches. - -He lay for a long time muffled in his overcoat, suffering from cold and -pain. Without his willing it, his strange senseless life passed before -him like a chain of smoke-dark rings. It passed by him impetuously. It -trampled pitilessly upon his half-dead soul, crushing it finally with -heavy blows, which prevented one spark of hope from glimmering in his -heart. It pressed him to the ground. - -A dismal chord hummed and trembled brokenly in his breast. Its -lugubrious song spread through his bones. His little dry body, quivering -with a sickly tremor, shrivelled up in the cold of the twilight into a -shelterless heap, pressed itself more and more closely to the ground, so -firm and so powerful. - -Trains passed the woods several times, filling it with a creaking and -rumbling, with clouds of steam and rays of light. The rays glided by the -trunks of the trees, as if feeling them, as if in search of somebody -there. Then they hastily disappeared, quick, trembling, and cold. - -When they found Yevsey and touched him, he raised himself to his feet -with difficulty, and plunged into the obscurity of the woods in pursuit -of them. He stopped at the edge, and leaned against a tree, waiting and -listening to the distant angry hum of the city. It was already evening, -the sky had grown purple. Over the city quietly flared a dim red. The -lights were being kindled to meet the night. - -From a distance sprang up a howling noise and a drone. The rails began -to sing and ring. A train was passing over them, its red eyes twinkling -in the twilight. And the dusk quickly sailed after it, growing ever -thicker and darker. Yevsey went to the roadbed as fast as he could, sank -on his knees, then laid his side across the road, with his back to the -train, and his neck upon the rail. He enveloped his head closely in the -skirts of his overcoat. - -For some seconds it was pleasant to feel the burning contact of the -iron. It appeased the pain in his neck, but the rail trembled and sang -louder, more alarmingly. It filled his whole body with an aching groan. -The earth, too, now quivered with a fine tremor, as if swimming away -from under his body and pushing him from itself. - -The train rolled heavily and slowly, but the clang of its couplings, the -even raps of the wheels upon the joinings of the rails were already -deafening. Its snorting breath pushed Klimkov in the back. Everything -round about him and with him shook in tempestuous agitation, and tore -him from the ground. - -He could wait no longer. He jumped to his feet, ran along the rails, and -shouted in a high screech: - -"I am guilty--I will--everything--I will, I will!" - -Along the smoothly polished metal of the rails darted reddish rays of -light, outstripping Klimkov. They glared more and more fiercely. Now -glowing strips to each side of him ran impetuously into the distance, -directing his course. - -"I will--" he yelled, waving his hands. - -Something hard and wide struck his back. He fell across the sleepers -between the red cords of rail, and the harsh iron rumble crushed his -feeble screams. - - -The design on the cover is taken from Gorky's book-plate, drawn by -Ephraim Mose Lilien. It is reproduced from an illustration in "The New -Art of an Ancient People," by M. S. Levussove, New York, 1906. - - - - -"The torch which all the Prophets from Moses to Jesus bore aloft is -to-day being borne onward by Socialist agitators." - - * * * * * - -The Spiritual Significance of Modern Socialism - -By JOHN SPARGO - -Author of "The Bitter Cry of the Children" - -At all bookstores, 50c net - -He makes clear that socialism in its economic aspect is but a single -phase of a great movement; that in every avenue of its activity, a -higher meaning is connoted and that every Socialistic aspiration is as -important ethically as economically and politically. - - * * * * * - - B. W. HUEBSCH, Publisher - - 225 FIFTH AVENUE - - - - NEW YORK - - - - -THE ART OF LIFE SERIES - -EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS, Editor - -_VOLUMES READY_: - - -The Use of the Margin - -By EDWARD HOWARD GRIGGS - -In this work the author's charm as a public speaker is transferred to -the printed page. His theme is the problem of utilizing the time one has -to spend as one pleases for the aim of attaining the highest culture of -mind and spirit. How to work and how to play; how to read and how to -study, how to avoid intellectual dissipation and how to apply the open -secrets of great achievement evidenced in conspicuous lives are among -the many phases of the problem which the author discusses, earnestly, -yet with a light touch and not without humor. - - -Things Worth While - -By THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON - -He discusses in an intimate, conversational manner various problems of -thinking and living and has entered fully into the spirit animating the -publication of The Art of Life Series. - - -Where Knowledge Fails - -By EARL BARNES - -From the pen of a scientific thinker, one whose attitude is liberal yet -reverent, presenting the outlines of a belief in which the relations of -knowledge and faith are clearly established. - - -Self-Measurement - -A Scale of Human Values; with Directions for Personal Application - -By WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE - -He reduces life to its fundamental relations showing the degrees in -which each may be fulfilled or nonfulfilled. In a series of searching -questions he directs attention to every human activity. - - -_OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION_ - -Cloth. 12mo. Each, 50 cents net. By mail, 55 cents - - * * * * * - - TO BE HAD AT ALL BOOKSTORES, OR OF - - B. W. HUEBSCH ... Publisher ... NEW YORK - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Punctuation has been made consistent. - -Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPY*** - - -******* This file should be named 51094.txt or 51094.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/0/9/51094 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/51094.zip b/old/51094.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a054716..0000000 --- a/old/51094.zip +++ /dev/null |
