to a sweat; her lips quivered; she waved
her hands, and certain words flashed up in her heart like sparks,
kindling in her a strong, stubborn desire to speak them, to shout them.

The by-street turned abruptly to the left; and around the corner the
mother saw a large, dense crowd of people. Somebody's voice was
speaking loudly and firmly:

"They don't go to meet the bayonets from sheer audacity. Remember
that!"

"Just look at them. Soldiers advance against them, and they stand
before them without fear. Y-yes!"

"Think of Pasha Vlasov!"

"And how about the Little Russian?"

"Hands behind his back and smiling, the devil!"

"My dear ones! My people!" the mother shouted, pushing into the crowd.
They cleared the way for her respectfully. Somebody laughed:

"Look at her with the flag in her hand!"

"Shut up!" said another man sternly.

The mother with a broad sweep of her arms cried out:

"Listen for the sake of Christ! You are all dear people, you are all
good people. Open up your hearts. Look around without fear, without
terror. Our children are going into the world. Our children are
going, our blood is going for the truth; with honesty in their hearts
they open the gates of the new road--a straight, wide road for all.
For all of you, for the sake of your young ones, they have devoted
themselves to the sacred cause. They seek the sun of new days that
shall always be bright. They want another life, the life of truth and
justice, of goodness for all."

Her heart was rent asunder, her breast contracted, her throat was hot
and dry. Deep inside of her, words were being born, words of a great,
all-embracing love. They burned her tongue, moving it more powerfully
and more freely. She saw that the people were listening to her words.
All were silent. She felt that they were thinking as they surrounded
her closely; and the desire grew in her, now a clear desire, to drive
these people to follow her son, to follow Andrey, to follow all those
who had fallen into the soldiers' hands, all those who were left
entirely alone, all those who were abandoned. Looking at the sullen,
attentive faces around her, she resumed with soft force:

"Our children are going in the world toward happiness. They went for
the sake of all, and for Christ's truth--against all with which our
malicious, false, avaricious ones have captured, tied, and crushed us.
My dear ones--why it is for you that our young blood rose--for all th