vel's
voice.

"There she is!" cried the Little Russian.

The mother saw Pavel turn about quickly, and saw how his face lighted
up with a feeling that held out the promise of something great to her.

"There you are--come home!" she mumbled, staggered by the
unexpectedness of the event. She sat down.

He bent down to her with a pale face, little tears glistened brightly
in the corners of his eyes, and his lips trembled. For a moment he was
silent. The mother looked at him, and was silent also.

The Little Russian, whistling softly, passed by them with bent head and
walked out into the yard.

"Thank you, mother," said Pavel in a deep, low voice, pressing her hand
with his trembling fingers. "Thank you, my dear, my own mother!"

Rejoiced at the agitated expression of her son's face and the touching
sound of his voice, she stroked his hair and tried to restrain the
palpitation of her heart. She murmured softly:

"Christ be with you! What have I done for you? It isn't I who have
made you what you are. It's you yourself----"

"Thank you for helping our great cause!" he said. "When a man can call
his mother his own in spirit also--that's rare fortune!"

She said nothing, and greedily swallowed his words. She admired her
son as he stood before her so radiant and so near.

"I was silent, mother dear. I saw that many things in my life hurt
you. I was sorry for you, and yet I could not help it. I was
powerless! I thought you could never get reconciled to us, that you
could never adopt our ideas as yours, but that you would suffer in
silence as you had suffered all your life long. It was hard."

"Andriusha made me understand many things!" she declared, in her desire
to turn her son's attention to his comrade.

"Yes, he told me about you," said Pavel, laughing.

"And Yegor, too! He is a countryman of mine, you know. Andriusha
wanted to teach me to read, also."

"And you got offended, and began to study by yourself in secret."

"Oh, so he found me out!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. Then
troubled by this abundance of joy which filled her heart she again
suggested to Pavel:

"Shan't we call him in? He went out on purpose, so as not to disturb
us. He has no mother."

"Andrey!" shouted Pavel, opening the door to the porch. "Where are
you?"

"Here. I want to chop some wood."

"Never mind! There's time enough! Come here!"

"All right! I'm coming!"

But he did not come at once; and on