th as by suction; his sharp jawbones and his chin were
supported by the high collar of his uniform; apparently there was no
neck under the collar. He was supported under the arm from behind by a
tall young man with a porcelain face, red and round. Following him
three more men in uniforms embroidered in gold, and three garbed in
civilian wear, moved in slowly. They stirred about the table for a
long time and finally took seats in the armchairs. When they had sat
down, one of them in unbuttoned uniform, with a sleepy, clean-shaven
face, began to say something to the little old man, moving his puffy
lips heavily and soundlessly. The old man listened, sitting strangely
erect and immobile. Behind the glasses of his pince-nez the mother saw
two little colorless specks.

At the end of the table, at the desk, stood a tall, bald man, who
coughed and shoved papers about.

The little old man swung forward and began to speak. He pronounced
clearly the first words, but what followed seemed to creep without
sound from his thin, gray lips.

"I open----"

"See!" whispered Sizov, nudging the mother softly and arising.

In the wall behind the grill the door opened, a soldier came out with a
bared saber on his shoulder; behind him appeared Pavel, Andrey, Fedya
Mazin, the two Gusevs, Samoylov, Bukin, Somov, and five more young men
whose names were unknown to the mother. Pavel smiled kindly; Andrey
also, showing his teeth as he nodded to her. The hall, as it were,
became lighter and simpler from their smile; the strained, unnatural
silence was enlivened by their faces and movements. The greasy glitter
of gold on the uniforms dimmed and softened. A waft of bold assurance,
the breath of living power, reached the mother's heart and roused it.
On the benches behind her, where up to that time the people had been
waiting in crushed silence, a responsive, subdued hum was audible.

"They're not trembling!" she heard Sizov whisper; and at her right side
Samoylov's mother burst into soft sobs.

"Silence!" came a stern shout.

"I warn you beforehand," said the old man, "I shall have to----"

CHAPTER XV

Pavel and Andrey sat side by side; along with them on the first bench
were Mazin, Samoylov, and the Gusevs. Andrey had shaved his beard, but
his mustache had grown and hung down, and gave his round head the
appearance of a seacow or walrus. Something new lay on his face;
something sharp and biting in the folds about his mo