questions with a gesture of her hand, and
continued as if she were sitting before the very face of justice and
bringing in a complaint regarding the torture of a man. Nikolay threw
himself back in his chair, grew pale, and listened, biting his lips.
He slowly removed his glasses, put them on the table, and ran his hand
over his face as if wiping away invisible cobwebs. The mother had never
seen him wear so austere an expression.

When she concluded he arose, and for a minute paced the floor in
silence, his fists thrust deep into his pockets. Conquering his
agitation he looked almost calmly with a hard gleam in his eyes into
the face of the mother, which was covered with silent tears.

"Nilovna, we mustn't waste time! Let us try, dear comrade, to take
ourselves in hand." Then he remarked through his teeth:

"He must be a remarkable fellow--such nobility! It'll be hard for him
in prison. Men like him feel unhappy there." Stepping in front of the
mother he exclaimed in a ringing voice: "Of course, all the
commissioners and sergeants are nothings. They are sticks in the hands
of a clever villain, a trainer of animals. But I would kill an animal
for allowing itself to be turned into a brute!" He restrained his
excitement, which, however, made itself felt to the mother's
perceptions. Again he strode through the room, and spoke in wrath:
"See what horror! A gang of stupid people, protesting their pernicious
power over the people, beat, stifle, oppress everybody. Savagery grows
apace; cruelty becomes the law of life. A whole nation is depraved.
Think of it! One part beats and turns brute; from immunity to
punishment, sickens itself with a voluptuous greed of torture--that
disgusting disease of slaves licensed to display all the power of
slavish feelings and cattle habits. Others are poisoned with the
desire for vengeance. Still others, beaten down to stupidity, become
dumb and blind. They deprave the nation, the whole nation!" He
stopped, leaning his elbows against the doorpost. He clasped his head
in both hands, and was silent, his teeth set.

"You involuntarily turn a beast yourself in this beastly life!"

Smiling sadly, he walked up to her, and bending over her asked,
pressing her hand: "Where is your valise?"

"In the kitchen."

"A spy is standing at our gate. We won't be able to get such a big
mass of papers out of the way unnoticed. There's no place to hide them
in and I think they'll come