ised himself on his elbows.

"Please, signor, make yourself at home," he said with a nod.

Without saying anything, a broad smile on his face, Nikolay walked up
to the mother and grasped her hand.

"If I had not seen you I might as well have returned to prison. I know
nobody in the city. If I had gone to the suburbs they would have
seized me at once. So I walked about, and thought what a fool I
was--why had I escaped? Suddenly I see Nilovna running; off I am,
after you."

"How did you make your escape?"

Vyesovshchikov sat down awkwardly on the edge of the sofa and pressed
Yegor's hand.

"I don't know how," he said in an embarrassed manner. "Simply a
chance. I was taking my airing, and the prisoners began to beat the
overseer of the jail. There's one overseer there who was expelled from
the gendarmerie for stealing. He's a spy, an informer, and tortures
the life out of everybody. They gave him a drubbing, there was a
hubbub, the overseers got frightened and blew their whistles. I
noticed the gates open. I walked up and saw an open square and the
city. It drew me forward and I went away without haste, as if in
sleep. I walked a little and bethought myself: 'Where am I to go?' I
looked around and the gates of the prison were already closed. I began
to feel awkward. I was sorry for the comrades in general. It was
stupid somehow. I hadn't thought of going away."

"Hm!" said Yegor. "Why, sir, you should have turned back, respectfully
knocked at the prison door, and begged for admission. 'Excuse me,' you
should have said, 'I was tempted; but here I am.'"

"Yes," continued Nikolay, smiling; "that would have been stupid, too, I
understand. But for all that, it's not nice to the other comrades. I
walk away without saying anything to anybody. Well, I kept on going,
and I came across a child's funeral. I followed the hearse with my
head bent down, looking at nobody. I sat down in the cemetery and
enjoyed the fresh air. One thought came into my head----"

"One?" asked Yegor. Fetching breath, he added: "I suppose it won't
feel crowded there."

Vyesovshchikov laughed without taking offense, and shook his head.

"Well, my brain's not so empty now as it used to be. And you, Yegor
Ivanovich, still sick?"

"Each one does what he can. No one has a right to interfere with him."
Yegor evaded an answer; he coughed hoarsely. "Continue."

"Then I went to a public museum. I walked about there, looked