he marsh you see only a desire to exploit the
workingmen and not a desire to better their conditions; is that it?"

"Yes!" Pavel replied.

"And you, also?" the manager asked Rybin.

"The very same!"

"How about you, my worthy friend?" The manager turned to Sizov.

"I, too, want to ask you to let us keep our kopecks." And drooping his
head again, Sizov smiled guiltily. The manager slowly bent his look
upon the crowd again, shrugged his shoulders, and then, regarding Pavel
searchingly, observed:

"You appear to be a fairly intelligent man. Do you not understand the
usefulness of this measure?"

Pavel replied loudly:

"If the factory should drain the marsh at its own expense, we would all
understand it!"

"This factory is not in the philanthropy business!" remarked the
manager dryly. "I order you all to start work at once!"

And he began to descend, cautiously feeling the iron with his feet, and
without looking at anyone.

A dissatisfied hum was heard in the crowd.

"What!" asked the manager, halting.

All were silent; then from the distance came a solitary voice:

"You go to work yourself!"

"If in fifteen minutes you do not start work, I'll order every single
one of you to be discharged!" the manager announced dryly and
distinctly.

He again proceeded through the crowd, but now an indistinct murmur
followed him, and the shouting grew louder as his figure receded.

"Speak to him!"

"That's what you call justice! Worse luck!"

Some turned to Pavel and shouted:

"Say, you great lawyer, you, what's to be done now? You talked and
talked, but the moment he came it all went up in the air!"

"Well, Vlasov, what now?"

When the shouts became more insistent, Pavel raised his hand and said:

"Comrades, I propose that we quit work until he gives up that kopeck!"

Excited voices burst out:

"He thinks we're fools!"

"We ought to do it!"

"A strike?"

"For one kopeck?"

"Why not? Why not strike?"

"We'll all be discharged!"

"And who is going to do the work?"

"There are others!"

"Who? Judases?"

"Every year I would have to give three rubles and sixty kopecks to the
mosquitoes!"

"All of us would have to give it!"

Pavel walked down and stood at the side of his mother. No one paid any
attention to him now. They were all yelling and debating hotly with
one another.

"You cannot get them to strike!" said Rybin, coming up to Pavel.
"Greedy as these people are for a penny, t