ner;
her large eyes had deepened. One perceived a strained exertion in her,
a tightly drawn chord in her soul.

The boy brought in the samovar.

"Let me introduce you: Seryozha--Pelagueya Nilovna, the mother of the
workingman whom they sentenced yesterday."

Seryozha bowed silently and pressed the mother's hand. Then he brought
in bread, and sat down to the table. Liudmila persuaded the mother not
to go home until they found out whom the police were waiting for there.

"Maybe they are waiting for you. I'm sure they'll examine you."

"Let them. And if they arrest me, no great harm. Only I'd like to
have Pasha's speech sent off."

"It's already in type. To-morrow it'll be possible to have it for the
city and the suburb. We'll have some for the districts, too. Do you
know Natasha?"

"Of course!"

"Then take it to her."

The boy read the newspaper, and seemed not to be listening to the
conversation; but at times his eyes looked from the pages of the
newspaper into the face of the mother; and when she met their animated
glance she felt pleased and smiled. She reproached herself for these
smiles. Liudmila again mentioned Nikolay without any expression of
regret for his arrest and, to the mother, it seemed in perfectly
natural tones. The time passed more quickly than on the other days.
When they had done drinking tea it was already near midday.

"However!" exclaimed Liudmila, and at the same time a knock at the door
was heard. The boy rose, looked inquiringly at Liudmila, prettily
screwing up his eyes.

"Open the door, Seryozha. Who do you suppose it is?" And with a
composed gesture she let her hand into the pocket of the skirt, saying
to the mother: "If it is the gendarmes, you, Pelagueya Nilovna, stand
here in this corner, and you, Ser----"

"I know. The dark passage," the little boy answered softly,
disappearing.

The mother smiled. These preparations did not disturb her; she had no
premonition of a misfortune.

The little physician walked in. He quickly said:

"First of all, Nikolay is arrested. Aha! You here, Nilovna? They're
interested in you, too. Weren't you there when he was arrested?"

"He packed me off, and told me to come here."

"Hm! I don't think it will be of any use to you. Secondly, last night
several young people made about five hundred hektograph copies of
Pavel's speech--not badly done, plain and clear. They want to scatter
them throughout the city at night.