ed in the
same manner. Both women appeared to be afflicted with St. Vitus' dance.
I stepped nearer to them, and looked to see what they were doing. They
raised their eyes to me, but went on with their work with the same
intentness. In front of them lay scattered tobacco and paper cases. They
were making cigarettes. The woman rubbed the tobacco between her hands,
pushed it into the machine, slipped on the cover, thrust the tobacco
through, then tossed it to the girl. The girl twisted the paper, and,
making it fast, threw it aside, and took up another. All thus was done
with such swiftness, with such intentness, as it is impossible to
describe to a man who has never seen it done. I expressed my surprise at
their quickness.

"I have been doing nothing else for fourteen years," said the woman.

"Is it hard?"

"Yes: it pains my chest, and makes my breathing hard."

It was not necessary for her to add this, however. A look at the girl
sufficed. She had worked at this for three years, but any one who had
not seen her at this occupation would have said that here was a strong
organism which was beginning to break down.

My friend, a kind and liberal man, hires these women to fill his
cigarettes at two rubles fifty kopeks the thousand. He has money, and he
spends it for work. What harm is there in that? My friend rises at
twelve o'clock. He passes the evening, from six until two, at cards, or
at the piano. He eats and drinks savory things; others do all his work
for him. He has devised a new source of pleasure,--smoking. He has
taken up smoking within my memory.

Here is a woman, and here is a girl, who can barely support themselves by
turning themselves into machines, and they pass their whole lives
inhaling tobacco, and thereby running their health. He has money which
he never earned, and he prefers to play at whist to making his own
cigarettes. He gives these women money on condition that they shall
continue to live in the same wretched manner in which they are now
living, that is to say, by making his cigarettes.

I love cleanliness, and I give money only on the condition that the
laundress shall wash the shirt which I change twice a day; and that shirt
has destroyed the laundress's last remaining strength, and she has died.
What is there wrong about that? People who buy and hire will continue to
force other people to make velvet and confections, and will purchase
them, without me; and no matter wh