with the sheepish eyes who had attracted Nekhludoff's attention
when visiting Bogodukhovskaia, and one Simonson, banished to
Yakoutsk--that same shaggy man with deep-set eyes whom Nekhludoff had
noticed on the same occasion. Maria Pablovna walked, because she
yielded her place on the wagon to a pregnant woman; Simonson, because
he would not profit by class advantages. These three started on foot
with the other convicts in the early morning, the politicals following
them later in wagons. It was at the last stopping place, near a large
city, where the party was handed over to another convoy officer.

It was a chill September morning. Snow and rain fell alternately
between cold blasts of wind. All the prisoners--400 men and 50
women--were already in the court-yard, some crowding around the chief
officer of the convoy, who was paying out money to the overseers for
the day's rations; others were buying food of the hucksters who had
been admitted into the court-yard. There were a din of prisoners'
voices counting money and the shrill conversation of the hucksters.

Katiousha and Maria Pablovna, both in boots and short fur coats and
girdled with 'kerchiefs, came into the court-yard from the house and
walked toward the hucksters, who were sitting under the northern wall
and calling out their wares--fresh meat-pies, fish, boiled shred
paste, buckwheat mush, meat, eggs, milk; one woman even offered
roasted pig.

Simonson, in rubber jacket and similar galoshes, bound with whip-cord
over woolen socks (he was a vegetarian and did not use the skin of
animals), was also awaiting the departure of the party. He stood near
the entrance of the house, writing down in a note-book a thought that
occurred to him. "If," he wrote, "a bacterium were to observe and
analyze the nail of a man, it would declare him an inorganic being.
Similarly, from an observation of the earth's surface, we declare it
to be inorganic. That is wrong."

Having bought eggs, buns, fish and fresh wheat bread, Maslova packed
them away in a bag while Maria Pablovna settled for the food, when
among the prisoners there arose a commotion. Every one became silent,
and the prisoners began to form into ranks. An officer came forth and
gave final orders.

Everything proceeded as usual--the prisoners were counted over, the
chains were examined and men were handcuffed in pairs.

CHAPTER II.

After six years of luxurious and pampered life in the city and two
months