r world."

He surveyed them all with one swift, suspicious, wild glance from under
his disheveled hair. But all looked at him silently and seriously,
even with apparent interest. He grinned, showing his teeth, and quickly
clapped Werner on the knee several times.

"That's the way, master! How does the song run? 'Don't rustle, O green
little mother forest....'"

"Why do you call me 'master,' since we are all going--"

"Correct," Tsiganok agreed with satisfaction. "What kind of master are
you, if you are going to hang right beside me? There is a master for
you"; and he pointed with his finger at the silent gendarme. "Eh, that
fellow there is not worse than our kind"; he pointed with his eyes at
Vasily. "Master! He there, master! You're afraid, aren't you?"

"No," answered the heavy tongue.

"Never mind that 'No.' Don't be ashamed; there's nothing to be ashamed
of. Only a dog wags his tail and snarls when he is taken to be hanged,
but you are a man. Who is that dope? He isn't one of you, is he?"

He darted his glance rapidly about, and hissing, kept spitting
continuously. Yanson, curled up into a motionless bundle, pressed
closely into the corner. The flaps of his outworn fur cap stirred, but
he maintained silence. Werner answered for him:

"He killed his employer."

"O Lord!" wondered Tsiganok. "Why are such people allowed to kill?"

For some time Tsiganok had been looking sideways at Musya; now turning
quickly, he stared at her sharply, straight into her face.

"Young lady, young lady! What about you? Her cheeks are rosy and she is
laughing. Look, she is really laughing," he said, clasping Werner's knee
with his clutching, iron-like fingers. "Look, look!"

Reddening, smiling confusedly, Musya also gazed straight into his sharp
and wildly searching eyes.

The wheels rattled fast and noisily. The small cars kept hopping along
the narrow rails. Now at a curve or at a crossing the small engine
whistled shrilly and carefully--the engineer was afraid lest he
might run over somebody. It was strange to think that so much humane
painstaking care and exertion was being introduced into the business of
hanging people; that the most insane deed on earth was being committed
with such an air of simplicity and reasonableness. The cars were
running, and human beings sat in them as people always do, and they
rode as people usually ride; and then there would be a halt, as usual.

"The train will stop for five minutes."

A