.'

His beautiful black eyes, shining with the tears that started in them,
were fixed on her with imploring insistence. And under his greyish
moustache his lips quivered piteously.

Praskovya Mikhaylovna pressed her hands to her withered breast, opened
her mouth, and stood petrified, staring at the pilgrim with dilated
eyes.

'It can't be! Stepa! Sergey! Father Sergius!'

'Yes, it is I,' said Sergius in a low voice. 'Only not Sergius, or
Father Sergius, but a great sinner, Stepan Kasatsky--a great and lost
sinner. Take me in and help me!'

'It's impossible! How have you so humbled yourself? But come in.'

She reached out her hand, but he did not take it and only followed her
in.

But where was she to take him? The lodging was a small one. Formerly
she had had a tiny room, almost a closet, for herself, but later she had
given it up to her daughter, and Masha was now sitting there rocking the
baby.

'Sit here for the present,' she said to Sergius, pointing to a bench in
the kitchen.

He sat down at once, and with an evidently accustomed movement slipped
the straps of his wallet first off one shoulder and then off the other.

'My God, my God! How you have humbled yourself, Father! Such great fame,
and now like this...'

Sergius did not reply, but only smiled meekly, placing his wallet under
the bench on which he sat.

'Masha, do you know who this is?'--And in a whisper Praskovya
Mikhaylovna told her daughter who he was, and together they then carried
the bed and the cradle out of the tiny room and cleared it for Sergius.

Praskovya Mikhaylovna led him into it.

'Here you can rest. Don't take offence... but I must go out.'

'Where to?'

'I have to go to a lesson. I am ashamed to tell you, but I teach music!'

'Music? But that is good. Only just one thing, Praskovya Mikhaylovna,
I have come to you with a definite object. When can I have a talk with
you?'

'I shall be very glad. Will this evening do?'

'Yes. But one thing more. Don't speak about me, or say who I am. I have
revealed myself only to you. No one knows where I have gone to. It must
be so.'

'Oh, but I have told my daughter.'

'Well, ask her not to mention it.'

And Sergius took off his boots, lay down, and at once fell asleep after
a sleepless night and a walk of nearly thirty miles.

When Praskovya Mikhaylovna returned, Sergius was sitting in the little
room waiting for her. He did not come out for dinner, but had some soup
and gru