eeded.

"You asked if anything was needed," said Maslova, endeavoring to
restrain a happy smile. "Could not that woman be taken off the train?
She suffers so. Won't you tell the authorities?"

"Yes, I will."

"Another thing--could you not get her to see her husband, Tarass?" she
added, pointing to the smiling Theodosia. "He is going with you, isn't
he?"

At this point the voice of a sergeant was heard reminding Nekhludoff
that talking with the prisoners was prohibited. It was not the
sergeant who passed Nekhludoff.

Nekhludoff walked off to find the captain, intending to see him about
the sick woman and Tarass, but for a long time could not find him, the
guards being too busy to answer his inquiries. Some were leading away
one of the convicts; others were hurrying away to buy their
provisions; still others were attending a lady who was traveling with
the captain of the convoy.

Nekhludoff found the captain after the second bell. The captain,
wiping his thick moustache with his short hand and raising his
shoulders, was reprimanding one of the sergeants.

"What is it you want?" he asked Nekhludoff.

"There is a woman giving birth to a child, so I thought it would be
well----"

"Well, let her. When the child is born we will see to it," said the
captain, passing to his car.

The conductor came with a whistle in his hand. The third bell
sounded, and a loud wailing rose among the female prisoners and their
friends and relatives on the platform. Nekhludoff was standing beside
Tarass, and watched the cars passing before him, with the grated
windows and the shaved heads seen through them. As the one in which
Maslova was passed, he saw her standing with others at the window,
looking at him and smiling piteously.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote F: Early in the eighties five prisoners died from sunstroke
while being transferred from the Boutyr prison to the Nijhni railroad
station.--L. T.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

The passenger train which was to carry away Nekhludoff was to start in
two hours. Nekhludoff at first thought of utilizing these two hours in
visiting his sister, but after the impressions of the morning he felt
so excited and exhausted that he seated himself on a sofa in the
saloon for first-class passengers. But he unexpectedly felt so drowsy
that he turned on his side, placed his palm under his cheek, and
immediately fell asleep.

He was awakened by a servant in dress-coat holding a napkin in his
hand.