it is!" she said gaily. "But freedom, Aliosha, freedom!"

XXVII

SOLOMIN rushed out to the factory gates as soon as he was informed that
some sort of gentleman, with a lady, who had arrived in a cart, was
asking for him. Without a word of greeting to his visitors, merely
nodding his head to them several times, he told the peasant to drive
into the yard, and asking him to stop before his own little dwelling,
helped Mariana out of the cart. Nejdanov jumped out after her. Solomin
conducted them both through a long dark passage, up a narrow, crooked
little staircase at the back of the house, up to the second floor. He
opened a door and they all went into a tiny neat little room with two
windows.

"I'm so glad you've come!" Solomin exclaimed, with his habitual smile,
which now seemed even broader and brighter than usual.

"Here are your rooms. This one and another adjoining it. Not much to
look at, but never mind, one can live here and there's no one to spy
on you. Just under your window there is what my employer calls a flower
garden, but which I should call a kitchen garden. It lies right up
against the wall and there are hedges to right and left. A quiet little
spot. Well, how are you, my dear lady? And how are you, Nejdanov?"

He shook hands with them both. They stood motionless, not taking off
their things, and with silent, half-bewildered, half-joyful emotion
gazed straight in front of them.

"Well? Why don't you take your things off?" Solomin asked. "Have you
much luggage?"

Mariana held up her little bundle.

"I have only this."

"I have a portmanteau and a bag, which I left in the cart. I'll go
and--"

"Don't bother, don't bother." Solomin opened the door. "Pavel!" he
shouted down the dark staircase, "run and fetch the things from the
cart!"

"All right!" answered the never-failing Pavel.

Solomin turned to Mariana, who had taken off her shawl and was
unfastening her cloak.

"Did everything go off happily?" he asked.

"Quite... not a soul saw us. I left a letter for Madame Sipiagina.
Vassily Fedotitch, I didn't bring any clothes with me, because
you're going to send us..." (Mariana wanted to say to the people, but
hesitated). "They wouldn't have been of any use in any case. I have
money to buy what is necessary."

"We'll see to that later on... Ah!" he exclaimed, pointing to Pavel who
was at that moment coming in together with Nejdanov and the luggage from
The cart, "I can recommend you m